"You disappoint me, Doctor. I should have thought you'd have guessed. I am the BOSS. I'm all around you. Exactly. I am the computer."
Right, all together now... the one with the maggots!
In some way The Green Death is the beginning of the end of the Pertwee era. It's a good story with some good performances (notably the recently departed Jerome Willis) but it's Katy Manning's last story. And Jo gets one of the most emotional leaving scenes for any companion.
I dare anyone to watch that final shot and not feel a lump in the throat.
The other thing I enjoyed about this realise was the inclusion of Death of the Doctor from The Sarah Jane Adventures. Now this is the first time I'd seen a SJA episode and I really enjoyed it. It was wonderful to see Katy again as a much older but still the same Jo Grant. Watching her, Liz and Matt bounce off each other was wonderful. And the final lines where Sarah Jane says she sometimes sees what the Doctor's other companions do once they've returned to Earth was beautiful.
And in what (I think is) the final instalment of The Doctor Forever we hear the story of how Doctor Who came back in 2005 from the woman who made it happen; then Controller of Drama Jane Tranter. If it hadn't been for this woman and her belief in the series there's no way we'd be where we are today.
"Listen to that! It's the sound of the planet screaming out its rage!"
Inferno is without doubt the best (or equal best with Spearhead from Space) story of the Pertwee era. Everything about it is perfect and works well (I can even live with the Primoids. And Benton's transformation into one in episode six is horrifying). One thing that struck me watching this was how well Douglas Camfield cast his productions; every actor is perfect for their roles. The other thing was that at seven episode the story doesn't drag at all (not something you could say of other stories of this era). If you wanted a story to introduce someone to Doctor Who for the first time you couldn't do worse than show them Inferno.
Out of the extras on this DVD the one that stands out is The Doctor Forever: Lost in the Dark Dimension which chronicles what happened to Doctor Who after it was taken off air in 1989. I cheered when Gary Russell said that some of the attempts by fandom to get the BBC to bring the show back in the early nineties (including attempting to launch legal action against the corporation - I kid you not! It's what caused me to turn my back on fandom) was just plain bonkers and did no one any good at all (so it wasn't just me that thought that after all). And then there's David Burton (who I'd forgotten about) and his claims to have been cast at the Doctor in the early nineties. I think this is the first time this gentleman has spoken on the record about his "time" and his statements that no footage exists of the episode he shot existing makes his claims to be somewhat dubious. But nice to have on the record anyway. Oh, and the fact the everyone at Gary Russell's 40th birthday party was trying to keep the news that Doctor Who was coming back from him is quiet funny too.
"The claws of Axos are already embedded in the Earth's carcass."
I used to think it was around The Claws of Axos that the Pertwee era started to go downhill. However upon reviewing this (and having seen Colony in Space) I've changed my mind. The story itself is imaginative and original and the way it's realised is creative (especially the Axons in their various forms). But it has it's weak points (most notably Peter Bathurst's Mr Chin, possibly the most obnoxious character ever to appear in Doctor Who). It may not be brilliant but it's not too bad either. Maybe an average of what the Pertwee era was all about.
""The man's a fool. How can I possibly tell who the message is from until I know what it says? Let me explain this to you in simple terms!"
In another series The Ambassadors of Death (one of those stories I'm sure I've seen, but have no memory of doing so) would have been a stand out. But with Spearhead from Space and Doctor Who and the Silurians on one side and Inferno on the other, it's the weakest story of season seven. But that doesn't mean it's a dud; far from it. I know I'm critical of the Pertwee era in general but I always like the gritty approach the series took up to The Mind of Evil. So to my mind this is one of the better Pertwee stories.
There is a lot to like about The Ambassadors of Death. Production wise there's a lot going for it with some of the best action sequences seen up to that point. But I was let down when I saw the Ambassadors themselves. After many years of seeing the aliens in all their glory it was somewhat disappointing that all you see of them outside their spacesuits is a brief glimpse of their captain behind what looks like a Venetian blind. It's other problem is that it's about three episodes too long and the story does show signs of perhaps having too many cooks? (despite on-screen credit going to David Whittaker at least three other writers that I'm aware of had a go of knocking this into shape). But it also has one of the best series climax's with the Doctor stating he understands General Carrington's (such as he was as the story's villain) motives and allowing him to keep his dignity.
One interesting bit of trivia in the documentary that accompanies this story: director Michael Ferguson taking claim for being the first person to use the "scream" leading into the closing title music to punctuate the cliffhanger. Unless someone can prove otherwise, we now know who to thank for this tradition.
"Jenkins...chap with wings there, five rounds, rapid!"
If you've read this blog on a regular basis then you'll know I'm not a huge fan of the Pertwee era. And this story is regarded by many as one of the classics from that era. I'd last seen it over thirty years ago, and my only real memory of that was a black and white version of episode 1.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The Daemons is a great story and everyone puts their all into it. Damaris Hayman's Miss Hawthone is a joy. Even the characters who are in it for five minutes are wonderful (hello Robin Wentworth's Professor Horner). The demons themselves are very well realised; I liked the swooping crane shots to film Azal's point of view(even The Master looks scared) and Bok is very endearing (for a homicidal gargoyle!).
So The Daemons lives up to its reputation. But I think it looked better in monochrome!
"Who knows? I may have helped to exterminate you."
Day of the Daleks isn't a bad story. The biggest problem with it is the Daleks themselves. After being in hibernation for about over five years you expect it to be a triumphant return (and in colour no less!). But what we get is three rather tatty Dalek props. And as for the voices the less said the better. The special edition does go someway to address this, but it does sound strange having Nick Briggs voice on 1970s Daleks. But aside from that it's one of the better Pertwee stories.
I thought I'd seen all of the Pertwee era stories but again this is a story I have no memory of.
The Third Doctor's trip off Earth since his exile and it's a disappointment (guess what - it's another bloody quarry!). I realise Malcolm Hulke was trying to address some serious issues, but it's best described as worthy but bland.
First thing that has to be said is how good was the title sequence from Pertwee's final season of Doctor Who?
And, of course, it got even better the next series with the TARDIS finally making an appearance in the titles, but more on that later.
Planet of the Spiders brings the curtain down on the Jon Pertwee era of Doctor Who. Some commentators have said, perhaps somewhat cruelly, that the serails production code - ZZZ - is appropriate. I wouldn't go that far, but I would suggest that it suffers from the same problem most six parters suffer from: it's about two episodes too long. Also, I think Barry Letts was trying to be George Lucas about 25 years too early with the amount of blue screen in the show. Metebelis III looked really convincing when we briefly saw it in The Green Death twelve months earlier, but here you can tell it's a studio set. And the spider's citadel is badly let down by bad lighting (a fault designer Rochelle Selwyn admits to on the documentary accompanying the disc. She did make her thoughts known to the lighting director which was subsequently ignored to the productions detriment).
However, there are some good things. All the UNIT crew are as good as ever, with Richard Franklin being the stand out. John Kane's sensitive portrayal of Tommy is excellent along with Kevin Lindsay as the gleeful Cho-je and George Cormack as the Doctor's old mentor K'anpo. The spiders themselves are well realized with the Great One being very convincing (a great example of when Chromakey does work!) with great vocal talents from Ysanne Churchman, Kismet Delgado and Maureen Morris. Otherwise the rest of the cast are forgettable.
But this is Pertwee's swansong and I have to say he isn't too bad. His final scene is very moving, especially if one think of recent events in the real world with the sad passings of both Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen.
But the regeneration itself is rubbish!
So, Planet of the Spiders: not as bad as most people suggest, but not great either. But the series best years were just around the corner.
Ah yes. The Doctor Who story mentioned in Rushdie's The Satanic Verses. And one story that I have no memory of ever seeing before (a rarity for Jon Pertwee's Doctor).
First the good bits: the realization of the story's monsters, the Mutts, is pretty good along with most of the visual effects (Ky's transformation into a mutant is good by 70's standards. Though I hope when Stubbs dies in episode 5 by being shot in the arse was more a miss-timed video effect and not deliberate). Katy Manning's as good as ever (Pertwee seems to be in neutral) and Garrick Hagon's Ky is the most impressive out of the guest cast (Paul Whitsun-Jones' Marshall has to be seen to be believed). Otherwise it's a pretty bland story. Probably could have been improved by cutting it to four episodes instead of six.
Two classics from my favorite writer from the original series, Robert Holmes.
First up Spearhead from Space. Aside from being the first story to feature Jon Pertwee's Doctor, it's also the first story made in colour and on film no less; something that was a happy accident for the production (a strike having put paid to the original plan to record the studio scenes at Television Centre and per usual) and one that does wonders for it. Watching it again it reminded me of an episode of The Avengers instead of Doctor Who.
Of course, Spearhead also introduces us for the first time to the Autons, one of the most effective monsters ever made for the series simply because they can take the form of whatever they like. Who can forget the scene from episode 4 when they begin their invasion by marching down Ealing Broadway?
Again it's easy to see why Russell T. Davies' paid homage to this in 2005s Rose (also, as Derrick Sherwin and Terrance Dicks both point out in the commentary, everyone thinks the glass was smashed in the original. But it never was, only hinted because the BBC couldn't afford to replace the glass!).
Terror of the Autons, the second story included in this set, also has a number of firsts to claim. The first story to feature The Master, Jo Grant and Captain Mike Yates. Also, while Spearhead takes a somewhat more adult approach to its storytelling, Terror really marks the beginning of the cosy UNIT family which would last for the rest of the Pertwee era. It also contains a lot of dodgy Chromakey (a.k.a. blue screen or Colour Separation Overlay at the BBC liked to call it) effects which would also be a hallmark of the Pertwee era (though as Phil Collinson, producer of the 2005 relaunch, points out in one of the documentaries on the DVD people in 40 years time will probably also say the same thing about some of the effects used in the new series).
Best thing about Terror is Roger Delgado's Master, who manages to outshine Jon Pertwee (something that I'm sure went down well with him!). He's very suvave, very dangerous and has a nice line in black humour (I love his line when discussing how McDermott gets killed by an Auton plastic chair: "He sat down in this chair and just slipped away.").
As I said in the beginning of this post, these are two classics by Robert Holmes and are in some ways a template of what was to come when he took over as script editor for Tom Baker's first three years as the Doctor. Out of the two, I think Spearhead is the strongest for its adult approach to Doctor Who. But both are great examples of classic Doctor Who.
This autobiography of Barry Letts who had a longer association with Doctor Who, having at various times written, directed and produced the show. It covers Barry's early life and career before moving on to his first contact with Doctor Who.
It's an interesting read, especially if you're interested in the efforts that go into producing a series like Doctor Who along with the politics of working for the BBC. Less interesting is Barry's views on Bhuddism which he occasionly goes off on a tangent on. But that's a minor quibble.
This only coveres his time producing Doctor Who up to the end of Jon Pertwee's second series. I'm guessing a second volume was planned, but sadly Barry died in late 2009 just before this book was published.
