I found the first in the Time Trips book series somewhat disappointing. As a Fourth Doctor story I had high hopes for it, but alas. As the Doctor was travelling without a companion I;m guessing it was set between The Hand of Fear and The Face of Evil, but neither the Doctor or the story didn't feel true to the era. And the plot was underdeveloped to.
Shada:
It's impossible to judge how good Shada as a TV story could have been. You have to give John Nathan-Turner marks for attempting to complete it as best he could with the footage that was completed before production was abandoned due to the yearly BBC strike with narration by Tom Baker. But by the time you get to episode 6, there's less footage and more narration. When I first saw it I thought the whole thing was a bit boring and sadly my opinion hasn't changed. To me the definitive version of Shada will be Gareth Robert's novelisation (and, off topic slightly, can't wait for his novelisation of City of Death!).
The documentaries on the Shada discs are a lot better. The one about Shada's production and eventual cancellation was fascinating. Not only do you get Tom Baker but also a number of the production team, such as production assistant Ralph Witton and director's assistant Olivia Balzgette (the tale of how she met husband - actor Daniel Hill who played Chris Parson - while filming Shada is lovely). And there's a documentary of how industrial action affected the production of Doctor Who with a very interesting tale of how Mrs Thatcher came to the conclusion that the TV industry was overstaffed (because the companies used to roster on extra whenever she made a broadcast in case something went wrong - oh, the irony!).
More Than Thirty Years in the TARDIS:Has it really been twenty years since this first aired? Back in the days when Doctor Who had been out of production for about fours with no prospect of it ever returning. I remember when I first saw it and marvelled at all the behind the scenes footage, clips of Doctor Who in other shows... all the stuff that's now common fodder for DVD extras, but was a total revelation at the time.
The other thing that struck me watching this again was how many people who appeared in it that we've lost over the past twenty years: Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, Verity Lambert, John Nathan-Turner. And how sad it is that they weren't here to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary (but at least Liz, Nick and Verity lived long enough to see it return in triumph).
Following on from the runaway success of The Day of the Doctor, The Time of the Doctor seems to have been with mixed reactions (I know one reviewer hoped it wasn't going to be like The Twin Dilemma following on from The Caves of Androzani). I enjoyed it and thought it was a fitting end to the reign of the Eleventh Doctor. One thing that's annoyed me is the criticism Peter Capaldi's already copped. I mean, for Gods sake, he's only in it for less than a minute! How the hell do you expect him to develop of character in that amount of time! Oh, and did anyone else notice that the aged Doctor's make-up made Matt look a little like William Hartnell. Have to say that final scene in the TARDIS was brilliant and very moving with the cameo by Karen Gillan (appropriately Amy was the one who said the final goodnight to the Eleventh Doctor) and Matt taking off his bow tie before completing the regeneration.
Thanks for everything Matt, you were brilliant. And welcome aboard Peter, you're going to be brilliant.
... and not the one Rose/Bad Wolf was talking about either...
I knew, even without all the rumors floating around, that The Day of the Doctor was going to be big; David Tennant and Billie Piper returning, John Hurt, the Zygons, filming in 3D... But there was one moment that to me was the biggest of all.
A couple of days before the special was broadcast, a story was doing the rounds that a certain Doctor Who actor had been quoted as saying he would be appearing in the special. While the BBC hadn't confirmed the story, neither had it denied it either. So it was something that was in the back of my mind last Sunday morning when I went to my local cinema to watch the special (in glorious 3D. Didn't it look good!).
So we get to the scene where all the Doctors are rushing (including Peter Capaldi - that caused everyone to gasp in surprise... and me to cry out "Holy shit, it's Capaldi!") to save Gallifrey and I thought, well that's okay. Maybe all the surviving Doctors (bar Eccleston) recorded dialogue to be used in this scene. And that's okay. At least all the Doctors are in it in some way. But then...
We're back in the gallery and Clara's telling the Doctor that the Curator is looking for him. And I start thinking, could it be? And then Matt's Doctor starts ruminating about how he could retire and become The Great Curator. And then an unmistakeningly familiar voice is heard... and applause breaks out in the cinema. Old Who and new Who collide big time.
It's obvious that Steven Moffat let his inner fan boy run riot when writing The Day of the Doctor. It was a cracking story and a real love letter to the fans. But to me this was the best moment of them all. Tom Baker was MY Doctor, the one who's portrayal made me fall in love with this wonderfull TV series. And this proved he was still the Doctor (or maybe not. Who knows?); watching him and Matt together was a joy.
My fiance, not a Doctor Who fan by any means, realised what a moment this was for me and took my hand and I was over whelmed with emotion. Even a week later watching the scene again on YouTube, I still have the same reaction.
Doctor Who never ceases to amaze me. It's funny, scary, entertaining. And there a times when it's magical. And this was one of those moments.
Oh, and did anyone else realise that there were roundels on the wall behind them?
"Erm. It's more than likely that we won't be able to defeat this menace. And that London, in fact the whole of England, might be completely wiped out. There. Did you get that?"
Based on its reputation alone, The Web of Fear was one of my top stories I wanted returned to the archives. So when the news broke that four out of the five missing episodes had been found it was greatly exciting. So does it live up to its reputation?
The answer is a resounded YES! As strange as it may seem the first thing I'm going to comment on its the quality of the sets. The story of London Transport threatening legal action against the BBC for - alleged - unauthorised filming on the Underground is easy to understand because it does look like it was filmed on the Underground! But what else do you expect with Douglas Camfield directing? As usual his casting was spot on and the whole production has a wonderful tense, spooky feel to it.
Of course The Web of Fear was the first story to feature (the then) Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. It's another one of those happy accidents that litter Doctor Who's history that the original actor cast in the role pulled out and Nicholas Courtney took over the role. And thus another Doctor Who legend was born.
It's great to have most of The Web of Fear back in the archives. Now if only episode 3 would turn up (it must be out there somewhere!).
