Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

It was okay. Nice to see more of the TARDIS than we normally do (and nice to see her fighting back after the salvagers were cutting off bits of her). Love to know what Clara found out in the library (and what a library it was too!) but I guess we'll find out in three weeks time.

Hide

I had high hopes for this episode, based on the trailer at the end of Cold War. I was a somewhat disappointed  It was okay, just not the in the same league at Blink (which is what I was hoping for).

Doctor Who and the Crusaders

"I admire bravery, sir. And bravery and courage are clearly in you in full measure. Unfortunately, you have no brains at all. I despise fools."

Arriving in the Holy Land in the middle of the Third Crusade, the Doctor and his companions run straight into trouble. The Doctor and Vicki befriend Richard the Lionheart, but must survive the cut-throat politics of the English court. Even with the king on their side, they find they have made powerful enemies.

Looking for Barbara, Ian is ambushed — staked out in the sand and daubed with honey so that the ants will eat him. With Ian unable to help, Barbara is captured by the cruel warlord El Akir. Even if Ian escapes and rescues her, will they ever see the Doctor, Vicki and the TARDIS again?

I think I preferred this to Doctor Who and the Daleks. Here David Whittaker's adapting his own scripts and a fine job he does too expanding on events and characters from the serial. While the book was aimed at the children's market, Whittaker' style is quiet adult (the infamous scene where Barbara is whipped by El Akir being a case in point - no way that would ever have been in the TV series!). I can see why long time fans of the series (including people who write for the current series) have raved about this book.

The Aztecs

"But you can't rewrite history! Not one line! Barbara, one last appeal: what you are trying to do is utterly impossible. I know! Believe me, I know!"

The Aztecs is the first surviving historical story (with nothing existing of Marco Polo which was also written by John Lucarotti) and it's Doctor Who's attempt at Shakespearean drama. It's brilliant and I love it. It would have to be one of the best stories from the Hartnell era and only emphasises the tragedy that John Lucarotti's other two stories - Marco Polo and The Massacre - no longer exist in the BBC's archives.

Speaking of stories that don't exist in the archives, this realise contains the only surviving episode of Galaxy 4 along with a reconstruction of the other three episodes. It's hard to judge how good the story is just on this. While the reconstruction is effective in getting the story across it's not the same as seeing the actual episodes.

The other feature on these discs is documentary The Doctor Forever: The Celestial Toyroom covering the history of Doctor Who action figures. It's a very entertaining history of the good, the bad and the ugly of the merchandise range (and I loved Russel T. Davies' confession that he still collect Dalek figurine. It's nice to know I'm not the only one!). And there's also a clip from Michael Bentine's series It's a Square World featuring the late Clive Dunn as a familiar looking figure who managed to blow the BBC Television Centre into outer space

Ten Little Aliens

"Deep in the heart of a hollowed-out moon the First Doctor finds a chilling secret: ten alien corpses, frozen in time at the moment of their death. They are the empire’s most wanted terrorists, and their discovery could end a war devastating the galaxy. But is the same force that killed them still lurking in the dark? And what are its plans for the people of Earth?"

To celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, BBC Books is re-releasing one novel per Doctor. This is the First Doctor's contribution.

My thoughts. I first read this book when it was first realised over ten years ago. It obviously didn't make much of an impression on me because I couldn't remember anything about it (except for the title). In his introduction to this new edition Stephen Cole calls the story a cross between Agatha Christie meets Starship Troopers. Personally I found it really disappointing. I always thought the criteria for the past Doctor range was it should feel like the era it belongs too (but with a much bigger budget) and this to me didn't feel like the Hartnell era to me (though the First Doctor, Ben and Polly did feel spot on). I'm not sure what the criteria for selecting the novels for re-realise was either but looking back I thought that Steve Lyons' Salvation and The Witch Hunters were stronger stories.

Nice cover though.

Cold War

Doctor Who meets The Hunt for Red October. A very traditional, base under siege story. Great to (finally!) have the Ice Warriors back (all we need now is the Zygons - oops, spoilers!) and the great David Warner finally makes an appearance. And the HADS reference had me laughing out loud. Loved every minute of it. And with the preview for next weeks episode (Hide) it looks like we're heading into scary "Blink" territory.

The Rings of Akhaten

" I walked away from the Last Great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe, and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment, until nothing remained. No time, no space – just me. I've walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman. I've watched universes freeze and creations burn. I have seen things you wouldn't believe. I have lost things you will never understand. And I know things. Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken, knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze! So, come on, then! Take it! Take it all, baby! Have it! You have it all!"

When the final history of Doctor Who is written (in many years time I hope), this will be one of the hidden gems. And Murray Gold really pulled out all the stops with the music. This is one soundtrack I'd love to hear performed live.

Memories of BBC Television Centre

Last Sunday the BBC Television Centre in West London closed it's door for the final time; the BBC having, controversially,  sold the building off for redevelopment (studios 1 to 3 will survive, but studios 4 to 7 are to be demolished and the rest of the building turned into "affordable housing" and hotels. The fate of studio 8 is currently unknown). Over the last fifty years it's been home to not just classic series Doctor Who but many other TV series too numerous to list here. Everything that was great about British television was probably made here.

There's been a number of tributes to the building popping up on YouTube but this one, by Doctor Who DVD producer Ed Stadling is probably the best.

If you want to know more of the history of Television Centre and what the future holds I refer you to Martin Kempton's website An Incomplete History of London's Television Studios. It also has histories of the other three studios where classic Doctor Who was filmed: Lime Grove, Riverside and Ealing Film Studios.

(Because I'm having trouble getting Blogger to find the video in YouTube the link to it is below)

http://youtu.be/ozdjrrIpXT8