"What did you say, my boy? It's all over? That's what you said... but it isn't at all. It's far from being all over..."
The interesting thing on this DVD release is not The Tenth Planet itself. It's the three minutes of footage from an interview with William Hartnell for a BBC regional news programme; the only filmed interview with Hartnell known to exist. It's a fascinating portrait.
But what of The Tenth Planet itself? It's one of the most historical stories from this era being the first appearance of the Cybermen and the first regeneration. It starts out strongly enough but then goes all wonky due to Hartnell coming down ill prior to the recording of episode 3. But I still wish episode 4 could be rediscovered just so this story can finally be complete. Until then we have the animated version of that episode to complete the story. And compared to what footage does exist it's a pretty good reconstruction.
It doesn't see the First Doctor bow out in a blaze of glory or is the strongest story of the era. But it's still worth a look for historical value.
"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
"The events will happen, just as they are written. I'm afraid so, and we can't
stem the tide. But at least we can stop being carried away with the flood!"
This is the first time I've seen The Reign of Terror. It's one of those stories with episodes missing (in this case the fourth and fifth) so it's never likely to get re-screened on TV. For this realise the missing episodes have been recreated using animation, only the second time the range has tried this (the first being the Troughton story The Invasion). While I didn't think the animation itself was terribly successful in parts, it's great that the medium is being used to complete the missing stories. I understand the part four of The Tenth Planet is the next story to undergo this process. I guess they're only using for stories where most of the episodes exist, but I'd love it if it was used for stories such as Marco Polo, The Dalek's Master Plan, etc. It wouldn't be the same as seeing the originally broadcast episodes but at least we'd have a complete run of Doctor Who that way.
As for the story itself it's okay, probably typical of the Hartnell era. I understood it to be the first of the comedy historical (after the majesty of Marco Polo and the Shakespearean tragedy of The Aztecs) but it wasn't quiet what I was expecting though. But still enjoyable.
Do you know why I'm a success Mr Farrow? It's because I've never allowed the word "can't" to exist.
Planet of Giants was a story I'd heard much about but had never seen. I left with mixed views about it. The effects used to depict the TARDIS crew in their miniaturised state were very effective. And William Hartnell and company are as good as ever. But the plot itself didn't strike me as being a Doctor Who story. I can also understand why it was edited down from a four part story to a three part one as the plot moves at snails pace. Episode three is probably the strongest of the three for that, being an amalgamation of both the original episodes three and four. It also marked the first time Douglas Camfield directed Doctor Who and you can see his hand at work. But other than that it's a pretty bland story.
Now this was different. One was a Doctor Who story I'd never seen before; the other was one I have no memory of watching before.
First story, The Gunfighters. This is a story with a mixed reputation within fan circles. For many years the popular myth that it was one of lowest rated stories of all times and an absolute clanger. Having seen it for the first time, I thought it was pretty good. Donald Cotton's script is pretty witty with some great one liners (sort of City of Death fifteen years early. And it's a great shame that his first contribution to the series - The Mythmakers - no longer exists in the BBC's archives because the novelisation is hysterical. But I digress). You can certainly see William Hartnell's enjoying himself. The reproduction of Tombstone within the confines of Doctor Who's budget is excellent, even to the extent of using horses within the studio to add to realism. Director Rex Tucker uses the sets to his advantage, employing some high-angle shots to cover the action. The rest of the cast are in good form even if the quality of some of the American accents are all over the place. The one thing I wasn't too sure of was the musical score. Instead of traditional incidental music we get The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon (sung by no less than Lynda Baron - yes, Nurse Gladys from Open All Hours) which virtually narrates the whole show. It's different but it get a bit annoying after a while. Other than that, I think The Gunfighters is one of the better stories of the Hartnell era and terribly underrated.
Then on to The Awakening. I'm sure I must have seen this story at some point, but I have no memories of it. Which is a shame because, like The Gunfighters, I've come to the conclusion it's an undiscovered gem of the Peter Davison era. Again, Eric Pringle's script is excellent and you can sense Peter Davison and the cast enjoying themselves with this story. The story's monster, the Malus, is very convincingly realised being a massive face leering menacingly through a church wall. My only complaint is that the ending is rushed but otherwise it was a great two episodes of Doctor Who.
Back in 2003, in honour of the programme's 40th anniversary, the ABC began screening every episode of Doctor Who from the beginning (or what they could show considering that a number of the early episodes are missing from the BBC's archives); an admirable task that took just over three years to complete. Shortly after they began this odyssey, the following was overhead in the children's section of the library I was working in at the time.
Kid A: I watched Doctor Who last night. Dad warned me not to expect Star Wars type special effects. But, you know, it wasn't bad!
Kid B: Yeah, it was really good wasn't it!
And this would be been around the time the original Dalek story was being screened. Had they been watching The Space Museum however, I fear they may have formed a different opinion.
Sadly, The Space Museum is not the greatest example of early Doctor Who. It starts off promisingly enough with the TARDIS crew arriving on the planet Xeros before they're actually arrived by jumping a time-track (whatever that is. Probably the earliest example of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff) and the Doctor and company having to figure out what's going on. But at the end of episode 1, time catches up with them and they arrive. And that's when things start to go downhill.
The major problem with this story is that, while the Morok's may have been subjugating the Xerons' for years, no one cares and nothing really happens. Okay, a revolution happens, but that just seems to be incidental. The regular cast put in good performances, but that's it. Ahhh... but what's this gliding into view at the end of episode 4? A very familiar shape. Yes, the Daleks are back! And this time they mean business!
And so we move onto (or cut to) The Chase which involves (perhaps not surprisingly) a chase. Having been defeated twice by the Doctor (in The Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth) the Daleks are out for revenge, pursuing the TARDIS through all eternity. And so begins what the Discontinuity Guide call "One of the most bizarre Doctor Who stories, six episodes of unconnected set pieces with only the barest remnant of a plot." But who cares - it's got the Daleks in it!
Actually The Chase is notable for two other things. The first being the one and only appearance of the Mechanoids. As the latest attempt to find the next big thing after the Daleks, the Mechanoids come close to succeeding. However, the fact that they were a little too big for the studios Doctor Who was recorded in at the time effectively killed off any chance of a rematch between them and the Daleks. Just watch the video below to see them in the battle scene from the end of episode 6.
The other thing The Chase is notable for is the final appearance of original companions Ian and Barbara. In them, William Russell and Jacqueline Hill created a template for how companions in Doctor Who should be: brave, resourceful and above all real people. The viewer can't help but as moved by their departure as the Doctor was (buy all reports William Hartnell wasn't too happy in real life either).
So a mixed bag with this release. The extras on The Space Museum are pretty light on (maybe everyone was too embarrassed to talk about it?) but there's more on The Chase. Daleks Conquer and Destroy is the best, analysing their enduring appeal.
