The current crop of Time Trips comes to an end and they saved the best to last. Jake Arnott's Sixth Doctor tale was a joy to read (and one that was sadly over all too quickly). It's a shame Jake Arnott wasn't writing when Colin Baker was the Doctor because this would have made a great TV story. And it would have been a lot better than the crap Colin has to dead with!
I note that there's going to be two further Time Trips out later this year written by Ceclia Ahearn and Joanne Harris; two writers I would not normally picture writing Doctor Who. This will be interesting.
Way back in early 2003 it looked like this could have been the future of Doctor Who; an animated series available via the Internet (when most of us were still on dial-up!). But then the (finally!) came to it's senses and commissioned a new series for the telly. And the rest is history.
So Scream of the Shalka now stands as glimpse into what Doctor Who could have evolved into. I didn't watch it at the time, as watching it on dial-up was really painful. So this it the first time I'd seen it. My reaction? Mixed. It's a good story and I'd love to see it remade for the TV series. I think my biggest problem was Richard E. Grant as the Doctor. He just didn't gel for me, but he does get better towards the end. But I think recent history has shown he makes a better villain.
The disc also contains a documentary on the making of the story (and frankly it's a miracle it ever got made as all) and another one of the history of the BBC's website. Both are fascinating in their own way. But the first one contains a cautionary tale of Richard E. Grant objecting to a journalist being present during recording and the producer locking said journalist in a cupboard. Not a good idea at the best of time, but when the journalist in question is from Doctor Who Magazine... let's just say the resulting article was not very flattering! (especially when it's the one publication you don't want to get offside!).
"You can't rule the world in hiding. You've got to come out on to the balcony sometimes and wave a tentacle."
They saved (one of) the best till last. Terror of the Zygons is classic Doctor Who at it's best. My bias towards Tom Baker aside, it's a great script, great direction (what else would you expect from Douglas Camfield?), a great cast and a memorable monster. What more could you want?
Standout on the extra features is the documentary about Doctor Who's greatest director Douglas Camfield. The stories Douglas directed have always been amongst the series best and it was fascinating to hear about his life especially from his son Jogs who speaks very warmly about his father.
And, special editions notwithstanding, that's it. The last of the regular DVD realises from the classic series. Until the next missing story it found at least!
"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.
Here's something you might not know; the name of the floor manager on this story was Snowy White! Rather appropriate for a story set in the ice!
First observation is the animation for the missing episodes two and three is the best I've seen yet. And this is probably the loudest Doctor Who story thanks to Peter Barkworth's constant shouting.
But the best thing is the impressive design for the Ice Warrior's costume, aided by Bernard Bresslaw's performance as the leader Varga. No wonder they became one of the memorable monsters of this era.
"There are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things. Things that act against everything we believe in. They must be fought."
With the exception of the above quote I regret I can find little to like about The Moonbase. There are some other good lines, the film sequences set on the moon are well directed, the redesign of the Cybermen, the first story where Troughton settles down the becomes the Doctor we love. But other than that it's a mess. The real low point has to be when a tea tray is used to plug a hole in the base's structure. And this was a story written by a qualified scientist?
The animation used to recreate the missing first and third episodes is a bit hit and miss too, but at least the story is now complete in some form, even is it isn't that great.
