Yes, I know that I’ve yet to review The War Games or watch Spearhead From Space (for the purposes of this marathon), however I’m far too excited about the arrival of my favourite Doctor to wait to share this clip. The first tattooed Doctor has appeared and what better way to endear him to the audience than through a shower scene. Thank goodness this is Doctor Who and not Psycho!
After a two month marathon of Patrick Troughton’s tenure as the Second Doctor, it was with more than a little sadness that I bid farewell to the Cosmic Hobo this evening. Jamie and Zoe were returned to their own time and Doctor Who, as we know it, changed forever.
With the monochrome era behind us, Doctor Who returned to the screens in colour with an earth-ensnared, TARDIS-less Doctor. The Spearhead From Space will soon introduce us to the Autons, but prior to that my forthcoming review of The War Games will lure me back to the sixties for one last hurrah. Please join me as I continue my journey through 50 years of Doctor Who.
Today The Doctor Who Mind Robber commences its 50 Day Countdown to Doctor Who’s 50th Anniversary. Today the author will also conclude the 1960s component of her Ultimate Doctor Who Marathon by viewing the final episodes of Patrick Troughton’s last serial, The War Games. What more appropriate era to concentrate our daily articles on than Sixties Doctor Who?
For the next 50 days we will publish a daily article on a 1960s related topic. Perhaps appropriately, given the ongoing Missing Episodes Hysteria, our first survey will be on the Ten Most Wanted Missing Episodes.
10. THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN
Having just finished reading Terrance Dicks’ novelization of The Abominable Snowmen I’d love to see the five missing episodes returned to the BBC Archives. Episode two has been released on Lost in Time.
The first of Doctor Who’s two Yeti stories, The Abominable Snowmen is set in the Himalayan Buddhist Monastery, Det-Sen in 1935. Together with introducing the Yeti to the world of Who, the story is also the first appearance of the Great Intelligence. Given the Intelligence’s reintroduction as the major protagonist of Series 7 (The Snowmen, The Bells of Saint John, and The Name of the Doctor), The Abominable Snowmen has obvious marketing potential to New Series fans.
Together with providing fans with another full adventure with the little seen companion Victoria, The Abominable Snowmen is also significant for including the father and daughter team of Deborah (Victoria) and Jack (Travers) Watling. The story was one of the first to involve extensive location filming and features some splendid Welsh scenery as Snowdonia substituted for Tibet. The Yeti, whilst menacing, are also adorably cute.
Patrick Troughton on the set of The Abominable Snowmen
9. THE FACELESS ONES
Ben and Polly’s farewell serial, The Faceless Ones is one of my personal favourites. Episodes one and three are in the BBC Archives and have been released on the Lost in Time compilation.
Set in modern day London, The Faceless Ones was filmed at Gatwick Airport and features Pauline Collins as the would-be companion, Samantha Briggs. Collins would appear in Doctor Who 39 years later as Queen Victoria in Tooth and Claw. The serial has certain similarities with the Mark Gatiss penned Series 2 serial, The Idiot’s Lantern.
As one of the few “present day” serials of Doctor Who’s monochrome era, The Faceless Ones is a worthy companion to Ben and Polly’s first serial, The War Machines. The pair departs on the same day as their arrival in the aforementioned story, which is unfortunately their only complete serial. The most under-represented of all 1960’s companions in terms of extant episodes, it would be a delight to finally see Ben and Polly’s farewell to the Second Doctor in episode six. As the companions who flawlessly provided the continuity between the First and Second Doctors, Ben and Polly justifiably deserve more screen time.
The four members of the Tardis Crew before they scatter at Gatwick Airport in The Faceless Ones
8. THE MACRA TERROR
Another Patrick Troughton serial with a monster revived in New Series Doctor Who (Gridlock), The Macra Terror is entirely missing from the BBC Archives. Featuring Ben and Polly as the Second Doctor’s companions, The Macra Terror features the monster which put paid to model maker Shawcraft Models’ association with Doctor Who. The few off air clips available are just fabulous. As previously mentioned, there are far too few Ben and Polly episodes so any finds will allow us to fully appreciate their significant contribution to this tumultuous period of Doctor Who’s history.
A publicity shot for The Macra Terror
7. THE DALEKS’ MASTER PLAN
The 12 part Hartnell era masterpiece, The Daleks’ Master Plan has nine of its episodes missing. Episodes two, five and ten have been released on Lost in Time.
The DMP is resplendent with firsts, including Nicholas Courtney’s premier appearance in Who as secret agent Bret Vyon, the first deaths of companions, and the first return of a humanoid villain, the Monk. The short-lived companion Katarina, played by Adrienne Hill, is killed in episode four, which also sees the death of Bret Vyon at the hands of his sister Sara Kingdom (played by Jean Marsh). Sara Kingdom, who also subsequently becomes a companion, is killed in episode 12.
The DMP is perhaps the least likely of all serials to be recovered. Although sold to Australia it was never broadcast as a consequence of censorship problems. The DMP is in fact the only Doctor Who serial to have never been screened in Australia. Australia is the only country to have purchased all Who serials since the first serial, An Unearthly Child. Australia’s neighbour, New Zealand, has an equally prestigious record of long standing support, having purchased all serials save for the DMP. The ABC has confirmed that it no longer holds the episodes. The serial was sold to no other countries.
Magnificent flame throwing Daleks in The Daleks’ Master Plan
6. THE ENEMY OF THE WORLD
The only non-Monster story in Season 5, The Enemy of the World is one of the most sought after Troughton era serials. Only episode three is held in the BBC Archives and has been released on the Lost in Time DVD.
Very much in the style of a James Bond movie, The Enemy of the World is unique in that Patrick Troughton plays two roles – the Doctor and also the evil would-be world dictator, Salamander. Featuring Who’s first helicopter and hovercraft scenes, which will become all too familiar during Jon Pertwee’s tenure as the Third Doctor, The Enemy of the World is so unlike the “Base Under Siege” stories as to warrant an exulted position in the archives of Doctor Who.
Patrick Troughton as Salamander in The Enemy of the World
5. THE WEB OF FEAR
The second and final Yeti story, The Web of Fear has only one episode in the BBC Archives. Episode one has been released on Lost in Time.
The Web of Fear is set in the present day London Underground and introduces Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. Quickly promoted to Brigadier, Lethbridge-Stewart went on to have a distinguished career of more than 40 years with Doctor Who and its franchises. Bringing monsters to London foreshadowed the Third Doctor’s earth-bound tenure and Jon Pertwee’s much quoted phrase, “Yeti on the Loo”. It precipitated Doctor Who’s propensity to bring horror and science fiction to the mundane, everyday streetscapes of viewers.
The Doctor first met Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart in less than perfect circumstances
4. THE EVIL OF THE DALEKS
The second and final Dalek serial of the Troughton era, only episode two of the seven part serial is held in the BBC Archives. It has been released on the Lost in Time DVD.
Coming in at 18 in the 2009 Doctor Who Magazine Mighty 200 poll, The Evil of the Daleks was the most highly placed Second Doctor story. Set in Victorian England, it introduced the new companion Victoria who, having lost her father to the Daleks, was effectively adopted by the Doctor and Jamie. The story featured the concept of the “human factor” in Daleks, something which would re-emerge in the first Dalek story of 21st Century Who, Dalek. It also included some lovely scenes in which “baby” Daleks, who had been impregnated with the “human factor”, gleefully played trains with the Doctor.
The Evil of the Daleks was the first Doctor Who serial ever repeated and the first and only repeat to be scripted into serials
3. THE POWER OF THE DALEKS
The Power of the Daleks is Patrick Troughton’s first serial as the Second Doctor. In what could only be described as criminal negligence, none of its six episodes are held in the BBC Archives.
Widely acclaimed as one of the better 1960s Dalek stories, Power of the Daleks introduces a Doctor not only wildly different from his predecessor, but also significantly divergent from Troughton’s later portrayal. This is the first the viewer sees of a Doctor who will rapidly transform during the course of Season Four. The recorder, stove-pipe hat and baggy trousers will soon be a thing of the past. More importantly, however, the Doctor’s personality significantly evolves. The Power of the Daleks is also remarkable for the magnificent Dalek production line, which by luck rather than good management, is still available for our viewing pleasure as a short clip.
The Doctor, Polly and Ben are confronted by Daleks in The Power of the Daleks
2. THE TENTH PLANET – EPISODE 4
Although episodes one, two and three of The Tenth Planet exist in the BBC Archives, episode four has been lost in time. Together with the recently animated lost episode, The Tenth Planet will be finally released on DVD in November 2013.
Often described as the proto-type for the Troughton era “Base Under Siege” stories, The Tenth Planet heralded the introduction of the Cybermen. It is perhaps best remembered, however, as William Hartnell’s final story as the Doctor. It is most unfortunate that of all episodes to be lost, it is the final episode with Doctor Who’s first regeneration that doesn’t grace the shelves of the BBC’s Archives. This loss is compounded by the complete absence of Patrick Troughton’s first serial, The Power of the Daleks, from the Archives as well. Gone also was the opportunity to see the regeneration reprised in the first episode of the next serial. As luck would have it, however, an amateur film taken off-screen during the broadcast of episode four exists and allows fans to witness this historic regeneration, albeit in a rather grainy form.
The Tenth Planet introduces the Cybermen to Doctor Who for the first time. A Cyberman is pictured here with Polly and the Doctor
1. MARCO POLO
Undoubtedly the most highly sought after missing Doctor Who story is Marco Polo. The fourth story of the series’ first season, this historical drama is the earliest missing story. Directed by Waris Hussein, who also directed Doctor Who’s first serial An Unearthly Child, all that remains visually of this story is a collection of beautiful colour photographs taken during the filming. On the basis of these photos alone, Marco Polo appears to have been an exceptionally cinematic production. As the most widely sold Hartnell era serial, it’s nothing short of bizarre that not a single episode has resurfaced.
A thirty minute reconstruction of Marco Polo was released with the three disc box set The Beginning, which also includes An Unearthly Child, The Edge of Destruction and The Daleks.
The Doctor and his companions in Marco Polo
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
2. The Savages
3, The Massacre
6. The Crusade
TOMORROW – DAY 49 – The 10 Least Remembered Monsters of the Sixties
For the latest developments in the Missing Episodes Hysteria please see our articles on recent Mirror and Radio Times articles.
Orphan episodes have been released on the triple DVD set Lost in Time
Vivien Fleming
©Vivien Fleming, 2013.
On 26 July The Doctor Who Mind Robber reported an article in the UK’s Sun newspaper in which an international simulcast of the 50th Anniversary Special was mooted. Yesterday, more than two months after the Sun’s report, the BBC officially announced that at least 75 countries have agreed to broadcast The Day of the Doctor on 23 November.
Tim Davie, the chief executive of BBC Worldwide said, “the simultaneous broadcast and cinema screening of the special across so many countries will make for a fitting birthday tribute to our time lord”. The special is due to screen in 200 cinemas across the United Kingdom. Steven Moffat was then quoted as saying, “The Doctor has always been a time traveller. Now he’s travelling through time zones”.
Steven Moffat, Executive Producer of Doctor Who
Together with the Eleventh Doctor and his current companion, the 75 minute special will also feature the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, and the first companion of new series Doctor Who, Billie Piper. A hitherto unknown incarnation of the Doctor, played by John Hurt, will also appear. It has been widely rumoured that Hurt’s Doctor will be number 8.5, being an incarnation between Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor and Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor. There has been no further information forthcoming on a comment by the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, several weeks ago. Davison was reported as having said that ”I’m making an appearance somewhere over that period of time but I can’t reveal in what. I can’t reveal anything specific about it. I’m not allowed to. It is a big year for the show and we’re all doing our bit for it. Trust me.”
The ABC yesterday confirmed that The Day of the Doctor will be simulcast live throughout Australia.
Vivien Fleming
It’s time to celebrate. The penultimate serial of Season Six, The Space Pirates, is the very last missing Doctor Who story. Only episode two is held in the BBC Archives and the reason for its retention was that it was the first episode recorded on 35mm film. For that reason it was considered to be of archival importance. For the purposes of this marathon I viewed Loose Cannon’s reconstructions of episodes one, three, four, five and six. Unfortunately these reconstructions feature a very muddy fan recorded soundtrack and contain no telesnaps. There is absolutely no visual record of the character Dom Issigri, who was played by Edmond Knight. Accordingly Loose Cannon had to “invent” a visual representation for that character.
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 1 Part 1
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 1 Part 2
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 3 Part 1
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 3 Part 2
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 4 Part 1
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 4 Part 2
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 5 Part 1
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 5 Part 2
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 6 Part 1
Loose Cannon’s The Space Pirates, Episode 6 Part 2
Coming in at 195 in the 2009 Doctor Who Magazine Mighty 200, The Space Pirates has the unfortunate reputation as the least popular Patrick Troughton era Doctor Who serial. It is also the last story that is missing from the BBC Archives. For anyone undertaking a complete marathon this alone is a cause for much celebration. But is The Space Pirates really as bad as its renown would suggest? In the absence of five of the six episodes, the answer is largely a moot point. A particularly visual story, The Space Pirates suffers inordinately from the absence of moving pictures. Moreover, the complete absence of any telesnaps for the serial has made its reconstruction astonishingly difficult. John Cura had taken 35mm photographs from his television screen of the vast majority of Doctor Who episodes. Generally providing between 70 and 80 photos per programme, these images have become an important record of otherwise lost Doctor Who visuals. Cura had ceased photographing and selling his telesnaps to the BBC not long prior to his death in April 1969. For further information on John Cura and his telesnaps please see About the Doctor Who Mind Robber.
The Doctor and Jamie upon arrival in The Space Pirates
As if any further hindrances were required, the soundtrack for The Space Pirates is the most muddy of the entire fan recorded missing episode audios. The renegade old time prospector, Milo Clancey, is frequently credited as the stand-out character in the serial. I have to admit, however, to finding it almost impossible to comprehend what he was saying. Portrayed by the New Zealand born Australian actor, Gordon Gostelow, Clancey has one of the worst faux American accents in Doctor Who’s illustrious history. It’s not the American accent, however, that I find difficult to understand. Although my hearing is generally fairly reasonable, I very occasionally have difficulty understanding male voices on TV. When last I had a hearing test the audiologist provided me with a detailed explanation of the reasons why. I won’t bore you with the details, but hasten to add that the muddy soundtrack of The Space Pirates made it nigh on impossible for me understand most of the largely male cast.
The old time pioneer of space exploration, Milo Clancey
Writing a review of a story bereft of visual images and with a soundtrack which I could barely understand makes for a particularly difficult task. It’s for that reason that my observations on The Space Pirates will be reasonably short and sweet. I highly recommend that you view the second part of Loose Cannon’s introduction to The Space Pirates, the link for which appears below. The audio for this introduction, I might add, is crystal clear and provides an excellent summary of several “firsts” for the story, including Doctor Who’s first space opera; first pirate take on a traditional American Western theme; first episode recorded on 35 mm film; first recording in Television Centre 4; first episode (save for Mission to the Unknown) in which no regular cast members were present for a studio recording; and finally, the first time that John Nathan-Turner worked on a Doctor Who episode. The Space Pirates is also credited for having the greatest time lapse between the commencement of an episode and the appearance of the Doctor and his companions. Emerging onscreen fifteen minutes into the first episode, this is even longer than the 14 minutes it took for the Eleventh Doctor to appear in the Series Seven episode, The Crimson Horror.
The Doctor and his crew collapsed
It would be remiss if I failed to mention Madelaine Issigri’s fabulous metal hair. Women’s wigs in the near future are not only made of metal, but are also styled with an exceptionally large beehive at the back, as opposed to the top, of the head. It’s just brilliant! Whilst discussing women’s fashion, Zoe’s hotpants are just divine.
Madelaine Issigri had the most fabulous metal wig
That wig again!
Zoe’s hotpants
The Doctor and his companions were noticeably absent from the greater part of The Space Pirates and could be fairly said to have played supporting roles. Patrick Troughton’s request for a lighter acting role undoubtedly accounted for this to some degree. In respect of the final episode, the TARDIS crew were heavily engaged in the location shoot for their final adventure, The War Games. Accordingly the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie only appeared in pre-filmed inserts for that episode. The results of the Crew’s location filming will be evident in my next review as we say farewell to the monochrome era of Doctor Who, and the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe, in The War Games.
The Space Pirates was originally broadcast in the UK between 8 March and 12 April 1969
Episode two of The Space Pirates has been released on the triple DVD set Lost in Time
Vivien Fleming
©Vivien Fleming, 2013.
Last Saturday The Guardian published a series of three articles on Doctor Who’s companions through the ages. The first article covers the 1960s and 1970s and features short interviews with Carole Ann Ford (First Doctor), Deborah Watling (Second Doctor), Katy Manning (Third Doctor) and Louise Jameson (Fourth Doctor).
Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, the Doctor’s Grand-Daughter
The second article encompasses the 1980s and the 1996 telemovie and includes interviews with Janet Fielding (Fifth Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Fifth Doctor), Bonnie Langford (Sixth and Seventh Doctors), Sophie Aldred (Seventh Doctor) and Daphne Ashbrook (Eighth Doctor).
Sophie Aldred as the Seventh Doctor’s companion, Ace
The final article features the new series companions, Billie Piper (Ninth and Tenth Doctors), Freema Agyeman (Tenth Doctor), Catherine Tate (Tenth Doctor) and Karen Gillan (Eleventh Doctor).
Catherine Tate played the Tenth Doctor’s companion, Donna Noble
Each of the three articles features an identical nine minute video featuring Karen Gillan, Carole Ann Ford, Billie Piper, Louise Jameson, Katy Manning and Freema Agyeman. The former companions discuss issues ranging from their costumes to whether the next Doctor should be a woman.
Vivien Fleming
This fan made introduction sequence for the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, has only been kicking around YouTube for a fortnight but has already generated over 175,000 hits. Produced by a YouTuber with the username of billydakiduk, the audio arrangement is by Chris Adams of Hardwire. Do you think that BBC Wales could better it?
The triple DVD set Lost in Time has been my constant companion since the sixth serial of Season Two, The Crusade. 106 episodes of Doctor Who are currently listed as officially missing from the BBC Archives. My use of the words “officially missing” are quite deliberate as rumours continue to swirl throughout Who fandom of the alleged recovery of multiple episodes. With neither a confirmation nor unequivocal denial by the BBC, these rumours are unlikely to dissipate in the near future.
Episode One of The Crusade is the first orphan episode on disc one of Lost in Time
Tonight I had the great pleasure of finally removing disc three of Lost in Time from my Blu Ray player, putting it away in its case, and then reshelving the set. Having watched the extant episode two of The Space Pirates, and the Loose Cannon reconstructions of the remaining five episodes, I’ve just completed one of the greatest challenges of a Doctor Who fan – to watch reconstructions of all 106 missing episodes and the 18 full orphan episodes released on Lost in Time. What a relief it is to have straddled the last hurdle in the seemingly unending race towards the final episode of Doctor Who’s monochrome era, The War Games. Henceforth, there are no missing episodes of Doctor Who and only 10 black and white ones remaining. The end of an era is fast approaching and I will certainly miss Patrick Troughton’s “Cosmic Hobo” Doctor.
Episode Two of The Space Pirates is the last orphan episode on disc three of Lost in Time
Watch out for my review of The Space Pirates in the next day or two, and The War Games later in the week. The first post in my 50 Day Countdown to the 50th Anniversary will appear on Friday 4 October and will be rather unimaginatively titled The Ten Most Wanted Missing Episodes. Please join me then for a fun romp through 1960s Doctor Who.
A Doctor Who Magazine front cover on Missing Episodes
Vivien Fleming
©Vivien Fleming, 2013.
To celebrate Doctor Who’s upcoming 50th Anniversary The Doctor Who Mind Robber will be counting down the last 50 days to this momentous event. Starting on Friday 4th October (Australian time) we’ll be posting a 1960s Who post everyday. Utilizing a “best of” format, the posts will examine a myriad of First and Second Doctor topics including Cliff Hangers, Monsters, Billy Fluffs, Firsts. Lasts, Companions, Supporting Actors and Dodgy Special Effects. Any suggestions for “Best” or “Worst” lists would be gratefully appreciated.
Patrick Troughton as the Doctor in The Power of the Daleks
My first post will be rather unimaginatively titled The Ten Most Wanted Missing Episodes. Please join me from the 4th of October for this exciting daily look at retro Doctor Who.
Vivien Fleming
©Vivien Fleming, 2013.
The Doctor Who Mind Robber 