Tag Archives: Doctor Who

Oct22

Day 39 of 50th Anniversary Countdown – The 5 Greatest Monsters of the Sixties

Posted on October 22, 2013 by twistie1

Doctor Who’s long history of non-human villains has its genesis in the show’s second ever serial, The Daleks. Choosing the Top 5 is relatively easy given the extraordinarily high attrition rate of monsters considered to be “the next big thing”. Starting with Terry Nation’s The Sensorites, and ending with Robert Homes’ The Krotons, the Sixties were littered with the carcases of monsters that never quite made the grade. The Dominator’s Quarks, The Underwater Menace’s benevolent Fish People, The Macra Terror’s Macra, The War Machines’ WOTAN and War Machines, Galaxy 4’s Rill, The Chase’s Mechonoids, and The Web Planet’s Zarbi and Menoptra are but a few examples.

One of the less successful monsters of the Sixties, the Fish People from The Underwater Menace

In essence, any 1960s monster that scored a repeat story in that decade has made The Doctor Who Mind Robber’s list of the Greatest Monsters of the Sixties. All have been revived in New Series Doctor Who, with the exception of the Yeti. Please see Day 49 of our countdown for the Ten Least Remembered Monsters of the Sixties.

5. The Great Intelligence – The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear

When Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart asked the Doctor in The Web of Fear what the Great Intelligence was he responded by saying, “Well, I wish I could give you a precise answer. Perhaps the best way to describe it is a sort of formless, shapeless thing floating around in space like a cloud of mist, only with a mind and will”.

The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria first encountered the Great Intelligence at the Det-Sen monastery in 1935 Tibet (The Abominable Snowmen). Having possessed the body of the monastery’s Master, Padmasambhava, this otherwise disembodied sentient being permitted its host to live up to 300 years. The Intelligence forced Padmasambhava to build him an army of robot Yeti, the construction of which took over 200 years. The Yeti were controlled by small hand-made pyramids. The Intelligence’s plans to take over the mountain on which the monastery stood were thwarted when the Doctor, Edward Travers and the companions destroyed the pyramids. Padmasambhava finally found the peace he so desired when his body passed away and the Intelligence again became a sentient being without a parasitic body.

The Abominable Snowmen’s Padmasambhava was possessed by the Great Intelligence

The Doctor and his companions again met the Intelligence when they found themselves in the London Underground 40 years later. In The Web of Fear their old friend Professor Travis had inadvertently facilitated the reactivation of the Yeti. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria teamed up with members of the British Army to thwart the Intelligence’s plans for domination. The Intelligence used the body of the deceased Staff Sergeant Arnold and even Professor Travers for a short time. The Intelligence sought to possess the Doctor’s body and to drain his mind with a conversion headset. Unbeknownst to his companions, the Doctor had already reversed the settings so that it was the Intelligence’s mind, rather than his own, that would be drained. Jamie, however, smashed the control spheres prior to the Doctor sapping the Intelligence’s mind. Although still alive, the Intelligence vanished and was never again seen by the Second Doctor.

Staff Sergeant Arnold was possessed by the Great Intelligence in The Web of Fear

4. The Yeti – The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear

Although briefly seen in the 20^th Anniversary Special, The Five Doctors, the Yeti have only been the central players of two serials, The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear. Robotic servants of the Great Intelligence, the first Yeti were manufactured by Padmasambhava at the Intelligence’s command. Rather pear shaped and cuddly, the Mark 1 Yeti were not as threatening in appearance as their Mark 2 counterparts which had claws capable of holding web-guns and were more streamlined. Exactly who assisted the Intelligence in the production of the Mark 2 Yeti of The Web of Fear has never revealed.

The Doctor and a Yeti in The Web of Fear

3. The Ice Warriors –The Ice Warriors and The Seeds of Death

The Ice Warriors are natives of the planet Mars. Large reptilian humanoids, the Ice Warriors can stand up to 7 feet in height. The Doctor and his companions first came upon the Ice Warriors at the Brittanicus Base where they had been frozen in ice for over 5,000 years. Defeated when their space craft exploded the Ice Warriors were next encountered on the Moon in The Seeds of Death. Their attempts at obtaining control of the Earth were foiled when the Doctor discovered that their seed pods were ruined by water. The Doctor then sent their space craft into an orbit around the sun.

The Doctor used his genius in an attempt to thwart death in The Seeds of Death

When the Ice Warriors were next met by the Doctor in 1972’s The Curse of Peladon they were members of the Galactic Foundation and had renounced violence. They became allies with the Doctor and remained so in a subsequent Third Doctor adventure, The Monster of Peladon (1974). In 2013’s Cold War the Ice Warriors’ pacifism was a long forgotten.

Pertwee era Ice Warriors

2. The Cybermen – The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase, The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Wheel in Space and The Invasion.

The Cybermen made their Doctor Who debut in William Hartnell’s last serial, The Tenth Planet. Very much humanoid in appearance, the Mark 1 Cybermen were possessed of a sing-song voice. Their faces were covered only with a stocking and they still retained their human hands. Unlike their successors, the first Cybermen initially did not seek to destroy the human race but rather hoped to convince them to join their “utopian” existence.

A Mark 1 Cyberman in The Tenth Planet

With the success of their first television appearance the Cybermen were quickly co-opted as rivals to the Dalek’s mantle of favourite Doctor Who monster. Each story in which they appeared saw their costumes modified, with the most substantial change occurring to the Mark 2 model. Gone were the stockinged faces and in their place were robotic heads. The five digits of their human hands were replaced by three fingered gloved hands.

The Cybermen emerge from their icy tombs in this iconic image from The Tomb of the Cybermen

The Cybermen were the subject of two particularly iconic images of Sixties Who. Even the tackiness of breaking through new-fangled cling wrap was insufficient to dampen the effectiveness of the Cybermen’s emergence from their icy tombs in The Tomb of the Cybermen. Their appearance on, and march down, the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in The Invasion was arguably the greatest cliff hanger of the era. Still images of the event have become part of popular culture.

Perhaps the most iconic cliff hanger in classic series Doctor Who. The Cybermen on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in The Invasion

1. The Daleks – The Daleks, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Space Museum (cameo), The Chase, Mission to the Unknown, The Daleks’ Master Plan, The Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Daleks

Only a brave person would nominate anything other than the Daleks as their favourite 1960s monsters. Appearing in just the second Doctor Who serial, it was arguably the Daleks that saved the show from a mere 13 week run. In a stroke of genius the Terry Nation created and Ray Cusick designed mutants immediately captured the imagination of the British public. Dalekmania was in full swing and within 18 months the Daleks would appear in the first of two colour, theatrically released movies.

Barbara is pinned against the wall in fear during the Daleks’ first appearance in Doctor Who on 21st December 1963

The Daleks featured in seven Sixties serials and appeared as a cameo in another. The 12 piece extravaganza The Daleks’ Master Plan is one of the most sought after missing serials. Only 3 episodes are held in the BBC Archives. Among other missing episodes is Mission to the Unknown, the only one part 1960s serial which also has the distinction of featuring none of the regular cast. Arguably the most missed of all Dalek serials is the Second Doctor’s first story, The Power of the Daleks. It, together with another missing story, The Evil of the Daleks, is highly revered in fandom. It can only be hoped that at least some of these missing episodes are some day recovered.

The 12 part Dalek's Master Plan is one of the most sought after missing Doctor Who serials

The 12 part The Dalek’s Master Plan is one of the most sought after missing Doctor Who serials

HONOURABLE MENTION

The Chumblies – Galaxy 4

Although the Chumblies were never reprised they were the most adorable Doctor Who monsters ever. Despite the Doctor, Steven and Vicki being initially frightened by them it soon became apparent that they were benign and worked for the good and just with the Rill. The Chumblies are top of my list of Sixties monsters that I’d most like to see revived.

A Chumbley with the Drahvins in Galaxy 4

Vivien Fleming

©Vivien Fleming, 2013.

Oct21

Missing Episodes – Let’s Discuss Coincidences

Posted on October 21, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

In my review of the recently released The Ice Warriors DVD on 3 September I posited that there may be a relationship between the resurrection of seemingly deceased Doctor Who monsters and the sale of Classic Series DVDs. Only four months prior to The Ice Warrior’s DVD release an Ice Warrior emerged for the first time in 39 years in The Cold War. Similarly, the last Fourth Doctor DVD to be issued, The Terror of the Zygons, coincidently found its way onto retailers’ shelves but a mere six weeks prior to the Zygons much anticipated reprise in the 50^th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor. Should we anticipate the return of the Fish People soon given the impending release of The Underwater Menace, I asked.

In retrospect, the recovery of The Web of Fear is now obvious considering the story arc which commenced with the 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen. At the time the return of the Great Intelligence, a formless mass first encountered in The Abominable Snowmen and last seen in The Web of Fear 44 years earlier, was a incredibly bizarre decision by Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat. Of all villains to resurrect, why choose one who only appeared in two missing serials over 40 years previously? Not that this was the first time that a monster seemingly lost for all time had been reimaged. The Macra reappeared in the 2007 Series 3 episode Gridlock having last been seen in 1967’s The Macra Terror.

A snowman from 2012’s The Snowmen

The Great Intelligence’s revival was not limited to a single episode, however. It went on to appear in two further Series 7 episodes, The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor and was the series’ major protagonist. Which leads us to further coincidences. Were the Snowmen who accompanied the Great Intelligence in The Snowmen a substitute for the Intelligence’s first tools, the Yeti? Should we anticipate the recovery and issue of The Abominable Snowmen sometime soon? Moreover, is this image taken from the 50^th Anniversary trailer perhaps a hint that The Abominable Snowmen has indeed been returned. The snow capped mountains in the background clearly represent Tibet and the stone block building could readily be a monastery. Is the Second Doctor playing his recorder as if to summon the missing episodes home? Only time will tell, however one thing is certain. Henceforth the revival of any monsters and villains from lost 1960’s episodes will be scrutinized and speculated upon by fans as evidence of recoveries. Let’s see what the 50^th Anniversary and Christmas Specials, together with Series 8, brings forth!

A screen capture from the BBC trailer for the 50th Anniversary Special, The Name of the Doctor

A screen capture from the BBC trailer for the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor

Vivien Fleming

©Vivien Fleming, 2013.

Oct20

Day 40 of 50th Anniversary Countdown – The 10 Greatest Humanoid Villains of the Sixties

Posted on October 20, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

Tomorrow The Doctor Who Mind Robber will examine the 5 Greatest Monsters of the Sixties. Today, however, we look at the 10 Greatest Humanoid Villains. By humanoid we refer to any villainous character that looks human, whether they derive from Earth or some other planet. In our humble opinion 1960s Doctor Who was rather more successful in creating villains of human appearance than “monsters” in the traditional sense. Perhaps the costumes and special effects that made the “monsters” were a substitute for good script writing, or alternatively, distracted viewers from the actual performances of the actors. In any event, we hope you enjoy our list and acknowledge now that Mavic Chen’s allegedly blue skin may have made him look somewhat less than human!

10. Klieg and Kaftan – The Tomb of the Cybermen

Eric Klieg and his associate Kaftan were members of the Brotherhood of Logicians. The Brotherhood was a group of highly intelligent individuals who believed in pure logic. The Doctor’s next companion, Zoe, would undoubtedly have qualified for membership of the Brotherhood. Klieg and Kaftan financed Professor Parry’s expedition to Telos and accompanied the party of archaeologists. Also present was Kaftan’s manservant Toberman. Seeking to obtain absolute power, Klieg revived the Cybermen from their tombs in the mistaken belief that they would logically support his quest for domination. Both Klieg and Kaftan were killed at the hands of the Cybermen.

Klieg and Kaftan were members of the Brotherhood of Logicians and funded Professor Parry's expedition to Telos in The Tomb of the Cybermen

Klieg and Kaftan were members of the Brotherhood of Logicians who funded Professor Parry’s expedition to Telos in The Tomb of the Cybermen

9. Professor Zaroff – The Underwater Menace

Professor Zaroff was a brilliant scientist renowned the world over for experiments involving the creation of inexpensive food from the sea. Having suddenly disappeared he was presumed dead, however the Doctor and his companions met Zaroff when they visited the lost city of Atlantis.

Zaroff was mentally unhinged and absurdly sought to destroy the world just because he could. That he would die in the process was irrelevant as his aim to be the greatest scientist in the world would nonetheless be achieved. His plan for the earth’s destruction involved draining the oceans into the Earth’s molten core, thereby causing the planet’s explosion from overheated steam. Before Zaroff could commence draining the oceans the Doctor flooded Atlantis and the professor was drowned in his laboratory. Zaroff is perhaps best known for his manic cry of “Nothing in ze world can stop me now!”

8. The Drahvins – Galaxy 4

The Drahvins were a race of attractive blonde women whose beauty disguised their malignant intentions. Stranded on an unnamed planet when their space ship crash landed, the Drahvins were intent on destroying the Rill, another race of creatures also stranded on the planet. Although there were male Drahvins very few were allowed to live as they “consume valuable food and fulfil no particular function”. The female Drahvins are of two castes – those with intelligence and free will who were conceived naturally, and those who are soldier drones and created in test tubes. The latter are bred purely to fight and kill. An extensive examination of the Drahvins appears in my review of Galaxy 4.

The external beauty of the Drahvins hid their evil intents in Galaxy 4

The external beauty of the Drahvins masked their evil intentions in Galaxy 4

7. Smythe – The War Games

Smythe was a War Lord, a humanoid race who endeavoured to conquer the galaxy in The War Games. Akin to the Time Lords, the War Lords possessed time machines named SIDRATs (TARDIS backwards). The SIDRAT’s technology was not as advanced as the TARDIS’s and had been imparted to the War Lords by a renegade Time Lord, the War Chief. Smythe assumed the identity of a British Army General in the simulated World War 1 zone of the War Games. The intention of the War Lords was to select the best soldiers for use in their quest for domination. Twice he attempted to have the Doctor executed by firing squad after conducting a kangaroo court and convicting him of treason. By putting on his spectacles and staring into his subordinates eyes, Smythe was able to successfully control their minds. He was eventually shot dead by a member of the resistance.

The War Lord Smythe wearing his magical spectacles in The War Games

6. Oak and Quill – Fury From the Deep

Messrs Oak and Quill were engineers at the Euro Sea Gas rig that the Second Doctor and his companions found themselves on in The Fury From the Deep. Dressed in maintenance garb, the pair looked like Laurel and Hardy and were possessed by the Weed Creature. Only Mr Oak spoke. The pair gained entry to Mrs Harris’s home on the pretext of repairing a stove. They rendered Mrs Harris unconscious in perhaps the most terrifying minute of Doctor Who ever by opening their charcoal lined mouths and breathing toxic gas.

Mr Quill and Mr Oak were the Laurel and Hardy of Villains in Fury From the Deep

Mr Quill and Mr Oak were the Laurel and Hardy of Villains in The Fury From the Deep

Once of the most iconic images from the Second Doctor’s lost adventure Fury from the Deep. Almost one minute of this clip survives thanks to the Australian Film Censorship Board

5. Bennett/Koquillion – The Rescue

Performed by Australian actor Ray Barrett, Bennett was one of only two long-term survivors of a crashed space ship on the planet Dido. Prior to the crash he had murdered one of the crew members however the subsequent fate of the craft meant that he was not brought to justice. The only member of the crew who was unaware of the killing was a young girl named Vicki. In an attempt to ensure that he was never put on trial, Bennett killed all the other passengers, together with a number of natives of Dido, when they met for a meet-and-greet. Vicki was sick with a fever and didn’t attend the function. As such she was blissfully unaware of Bennett’s crimes.

Vicki and Bennett are the sole survivors of a spaceship crash on the planet Dido

Bennett subsequently enslaved Vicki in domestic servitude and psychologically terrorised her by masquerading as a Dodo native, the horrendous Koquillion. When the Doctor finally unmasked him Bennett was approached by two hitherto unknown humanoid survivors of Dodo. Whilst backing away from them Bennett fell to his death down a rock face.

Bennett masqueraded as the horrendous Koquillion in The Rescue

4. The Celestial Toymaker – The Celestial Toymaker

The Celestial Toymaker was an immortal being with the capacity to travel through time and space. He took the physical form of a Caucasian male dressed in the garb of a Mandarin. The Toymaker used the immense power that he wielded to control a world of children’s games in which he rigged the rules. The games played were a matter of life and death. In order to retrieve the TARDIS Steven and Dodo were ensnared in a series of puerile games with clowns, playing cards, ballerinas, a cook, a sergeant, and a bratty school boy. The Doctor, in the interim, was engaged in a game of trilogic with Toymaker in which he was required to move and restack 10 pieces in the exact correct 1023 moves. Annoyed by the Doctor’s banter, the Toymaker first made him invisible, save for right hand, and then totally mute. Through bluff and cunning the Doctor eventually beat the Toymaker, retrieving the TARDIS and decamping with his companions.

The Toymaker finds the Doctor’s presence intolerable in The Celestial Toymaker

3. The Monk – The Time Meddler and The Daleks’ Master Plan

Peter Butterworth’s character, the Monk, has the distinction of being the first, and only, humanoid villain revived during Sixties Doctor Who. Certainly The Abominable Snowmen’s Travis was pretty nasty to start with, however he warmed to the Doctor and his companions during the course of that story and was undoubtedly an old friend by the time they met again 40 years later in The Web of Fear.

Unlike the other villains in this list the Monk was actually quite a pleasant chap. Sure he played havoc with the Doctor and his friends, but always did so in a cheery manner. Like the Doctor he also had a TARDIS, however the Monk’s actually functioned properly. Not only was he able to programme it to materialize at the desired time and location, but its chameleon circuit was also fully functioning – at least until the Doctor sabotaged it on several occasions. In The Time Meddler the Doctor removed the dimensional control (the chameleon circuit) from the Monk’s TARDIS which shrunk it to a minute size. The Monk was left stranded in 1066 England. In The Daleks’ Master Plan the Doctor briefly reprogrammed the Monk’s chameleon circuit and his TARDIS variously became a motorbike, a western type covered wagon and a World War II tank. The Doctor eventually stole the Monk’s directional unit and his TARDIS ended up as a block of ice stranded on an icy planet.

Peter Butterworth portrayed the Monk in The Time Meddler and The Daleks’ Master Plan

Although not identified as a Time Lord or from Gallifrey, the Monk was certainly the first of the Doctor’s people to meet with him in Doctor Who. It’s hardly any surprise that the Monk’s race and home were not revealed in The Time Meddler and The Daleks Master Plan. The show’s writers did not invent Gallifrey or the Time Lords until the Season 6 finale, The War Games. It is only with the benefit of hindsight that fans have been able to place the Monk into Doctor Who’s continuity. The Monk is top of my list of Sixties humanoid villains that I’d most like to see revived.

The Monk with Steven in The Daleks’ Master Plan

2. Tobias Vaughn – The Invasion

Tobias Vaughn is the second of two great Doctor Who villains portrayed by Kevin Stoney. The head of International Electromatics, the largest electronics manufacturer in the world, Vaughn foolishly believed himself to be capable of both using and outwitting the Cybermen in his own plans for world domination. He imprisoned Professor Watkins, an old friend of Professor Travis, and had him invent a device which created emotions so strong that it would destroy the Cybermen. After entering into an alliance with the Cybermen and assisting in their planned invasion of Earth, Vaughn was betrayed by them and entered into an alliance with the Doctor. Vaughn and the Doctor used the machine invented by Watkins to defeat the Cybermen, but not before Vaughn met his death at the hands of a Cyberman atop a building.

Kevin Stoney played the role of Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion

1. Mavic Chen – The Daleks’ Master Plan

The first of Kevin Stoney’s brilliantly portrayed villains, Mavic Chen was the Guardian of the Solar System who formed an alliance with the Daleks in The Daleks Master Plan. A traitor to fellow humanoids, Chen sought to obtain universal domination by ultimately betraying the Daleks. Chen’s thirst for power gradually consumed him to such an extent that he became mentally unbalanced. Chen conscripted Space Security Service agent Sara Kingdom to assassinate her own brother, Bret Vyon, although she eventually switched allegiance to the Doctor. Having assisted in the retrieval of the taranium core required to fuel the Dalek’s Time Destructor, Chen’s usefulness came to an end and he was exterminated by the Daleks.

Kevin Stoney portrayed Mavic Chen in The Daleks’ Master Plan

Vivien Fleming

©Vivien Fleming, 2013.

Oct19

BBC Releases Doctor Who 50 Years’ Trailer

Posted on October 19, 2013 by twistie1

Video

A trailer for the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, was screened on BBC One this evening. The press release issued earlier today stated the following:

A specially created trailer celebrating the last 50 years of Doctor Who will air tonight on BBC One, as an exclusive image is revealed today featuring the 11 Doctors.

Travelling through time fans will be taken on a journey from the very beginning using state of the art technology. The special trailer is set to show all of the Doctors as they first appeared on screen, including William Hartnell in high res colour for the very first time, as celebrations ramp up to the 23 November.

A huge moment for the BBC, the 50th celebrations will culminate with the special episode, ‘The Day of the Doctor’, starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt. A whole range of shows have also been commissioned across TV and radio to mark the anniversary.

The minute long trailer will air after Strictly Come Dancing tonight on BBC One and will be also be available on http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

Oct18

Is the Day of the Doctor Trailer to be Shown at Last?

Posted on October 18, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

Doctor Who Online is reporting that the much anticipated trailer for the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, may be screened on BBC One on Saturday evening. Originally shown exclusively at the San Diego Comic-Con in July, fans have been disgruntled that the trailer has yet to be aired in the UK. Other sources are suggesting that the trailer will be shown before Atlantis.

We're hearing it on very good authority that we may finally have the 50th Anniversary Trailer tomorrow night on @BBCOne! #SaveTheDay

— Doctor Who Online (@DrWhoOnline) October 18, 2013

UPDATE

The BBC has released a Press Release indicating that a Trailer will be shown prior to Atlantis tonight, however it will not contain any actual footage from the 50th Anniversary special. More details are available here.

Vivien Fleming

Oct18

Day 41 of 50th Anniversary Countdown – 7 Companions That Could or Should Have Been (The Sixties)

Posted on October 18, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

On Day 41 of our 50^th Anniversary Countdown The Doctor Who Mind Robber examines some 1960’s companions that could or should have been. The would-be companions are listed in broadcast order only.

1. Bret Vyon – The Daleks’ Master Plan

There are some fans who may posit that Bret Vyon, the Space Security Agent from The Daleks’ Master Plan, has already been accorded companion status. This is somewhat of a minority view, however. Nicholas Courtney’s first Doctor Who role saw his character travel through time and space with the Doctor and his companions but he was somewhat of an interloper. His first meeting with the Doctor involved a threat of violence and he forced his way into the TARDIS uninvited. It took some time for a degree of trust to be established between the parties.

In any event Vyon was killed at the hands of his own sister, Sara Kingdom. Thank goodness he was or we would never have had the iconic Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. Well at least not the Brigadier as played by Nicholas Courtney.

Nicholas Courtney played Bret Vyon in The Daleks’ Master Plan

2. Anne Chaplet – The Massacre

Anne Chaplet was a French servant girl who the Doctor and Steven met in Paris during The Massacre. At the time Steven was the First Doctor’s sole companion, with this serial being the only one in the monochrome era of Doctor Who to feature just a single travelling companion. Vicki had left in the final episode of The Myth Makers and had been replaced by Katarina for episodes one to four of The Daleks’ Master Plan. Sara Kingdom then accompanied the Doctor and Steven until her death in episode 12 of that serial. Proceeding directly on from the DMP, The Massacre is one of a long series of sadly missing episodes.

Anne Chaplet – the Huguenot servant girl that the Doctor refused to save in The Massacre

As the Doctor disappeared for the majority of episodes of The Massacre, only to be replaced by his evil double Abbot Amboise, Anne had very little contact with him. Anne’s relationship with Steven, however, was strong and they immediately clicked. He was understandably devastated and angry when the Doctor refused to allow Anne to accompany them in the TARDIS when they left Paris in episode four.

STEVEN: Surely there was something we could have done?

DOCTOR: No, nothing. Nothing. In any case, I cannot change the course of history, you know that. The massacre continued for several days in Paris and then spread itself to other parts of France. Oh, what a senseless waste. What a terrible page of the past.

STEVEN: Did they all die?

DOCTOR: Yes, most of them. About ten thousand in Paris alone.

STEVEN: The Admiral?

DOCTOR: Yes.

STEVEN: Nicholas? You had to leave Anne Chaplet there to die.

DOCTOR: Anne Chaplet?

STEVEN: The girl! The girl who was with me! If you’d brought her with us she needn’t have died. But no, you had to leave her there to be slaughtered.

DOCTOR: Well, it is possible of course she didn’t die, and I was right to leave her.

STEVEN: Possible? Look, how possible? That girl was already hunted by the Catholic guards. If they killed ten thousand how did they spare her? You don’t know do you” You can’t say for certain that you weren’t responsible for that’s girl’s death.

DOCTOR: I was not responsible.

STEVEN: Oh, no. You just sent her back to her aunt’s house where the guards were waiting to catch her. I tell you this much, Doctor, wherever this machine of yours lands next I’ m getting off. If you have so little regard for human life then I want no part of it.

DOCTOR: We’ve landed. Your mind is made up?

STEVEN: Goodbye.

Steven, Anne and Huguenots in The Massacre

No sooner had Steven left the ship than Dodo Chaplet mysteriously entered and Steven returned. Upon learning Dodo’s surname Steven was intrigued. Could she perhaps be a descendant of Anne’s? Logically, however, with would have been highly unlikely in a patriarchal society in which women were routinely given their father’s surnames.

3. Samantha Briggs – The Faceless Ones

Pauline Collins’ first appearance in Doctor Who was in the 1967 serial The Faceless Ones as the Liverpudlian Samantha Briggs. Investigating the disappearance of her brother on a Chameleon Tours flight to Rome, Sam met up with The Doctor and his companions. Although born in Liverpool, Collins’ Liverpudlian accent in the story has been the cause of much mirth over the years. A possible romantic match for Jamie, the relationship between the two characters never progressed beyond a kiss.

As Polly and Ben were leaving Doctor Who at the end of The Faceless Ones Collins was offered the job as a full-time companion. Perhaps wisely, given the lack of success of many companions post Who, Collins declined and went on to obtain an OBE, win a BAFTA for Best Film Actress, and be nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. She is best known for her role in the movie Shirley Valentine. In 2006 Collins appeared in the Doctor Who episode Tooth and Claw as Queen Victoria.

Jamie gets a kiss from Samantha in The Faceless Ones

4. Thonmi – The Abominable Snowmen

A young monk at the Det-Sen Monastery during the Doctor and his companions’ jaunt to Tibet in 1935 (The Abominable Snowmen), Thonmi would have been an intriguing companion. Having quickly established a rapport with Victoria, this young man could have brought an element of spirituality to the Second Doctor’s tenure. I couldn’t help but wonder what Thonmi’s reaction would have been to the Doctor’s trance like communication with the Time Lords in The War Games. Although the producers of Doctor Who experienced difficulties with Katarina during her mere 4 episode companionship, the subsequent success of both Jamie and Victoria as historical companions showed that the juxtaposition of time could work very well.

The Doctor and the young monk, Thonmi in The Abominable Snowmen

5. Astrid – The Enemy of the World

Sassy, sexy and a product of James Bond obsessed 1960’s Britain, Astrid would have made a perfect companion for the Doctor. Capable and organized, Astrid had the capacity to provide a strong female lead character to Doctor Who. At the time that Mary Peach filmed her role in The Enemy of the World she was also auditioning for Diana Rigg’s replacement in The Avengers. Although unsuccessful in obtaining The Avengers’ role, you could readily see her playing another Mrs Emma Peel. How wonderful that the recovery and release of The Enemy of the World has allowed us to see another five episodes of Ms Peach’s work!

Mary Peach as Astrid in The Enemy of the World

6. Anne Travers – The Web of Fear

Anne Travers was another product of the Second Wave of Feminism. Intelligent and university educated, Anne was the daughter of Professor Travers whom the Doctor first met in Tibet during The Abominable Snowmen tale. So successful was Ms Traver’s career in science that she was working in the United States when called upon to provide assistance to her father.

Ms Traver’s was a scientific equal to the Doctor and ably worked alongside him during the 20 minute countdown thrust upon them by the Great Intelligence in The Web of Fear. Like Isobel, she brilliantly turned the tables on any male who sought to denigrate her. Her comeback to Knight in Episode 1 was just brilliant:

KNIGHT: What’s a girl like you doing in a job like this?

ANNE: Well, when I was a little girl I thought I’d like to be a scientist, so I became a scientist.

KNIGHT: Just like that?

ANNE: Just like that.

That Isobel and Anne shared a feminist outlook is not surprising given that Isobel was originally intended to be the reprisal of Anne in The Invasion. Circumstances meant that neither Professor Travers nor his daughter was reprised in The Invasion but in their places were substituted Professor Watkins and his niece Isobel. The Travers were nonetheless mentioned in The Invasion.

7. Isobel – The Invasion

I waxed lyrical about Isobel in my review of The Invasion notwithstanding Rob Shearman’s rather scathing critique of her in Running Through Corridors. A forthright young woman, not dissimilar to the former companion Polly, Isobel was intelligent, capable and a great friend to Zoe. The girls’ glee at Zoe blowing up the International Electromatics automated answering machine was infectious. Just imagine the other hijinks they could have got up to. Isobel represented the growing second wave of feminism and did not retreat from her criticisms of patriarchy. She successfully imparted a glint of this onto Zoe.

Isobel and Zoe in The Invasion

Vivien Fleming

Oct17

Waris Hussein Gives Extensive Interview to Radio Times

Posted on October 17, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

Doctor Who’s first Director, Waris Hussein, has given an extensive interview on the genesis of Doctor Who to the Radio Times. Hussein, who directed the debut serial An Unearthly Child, together with the missing seven part epic Marco Polo, speaks candidly about Verity Truman, Who’s first producer, Sidney Newman, the Canadian born head of BBC drama and the First Doctor, William Hartnell. You can read the first part of this enlightening interview here.

The second part of Waris Hussein’s interview, in which he discusses Mark Gatiss’ drama, An Adventure in Time and Space, can be found here.

Oct16

The Day of the Doctor 3D Screenings Announced for Australia and NZ

Posted on October 16, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

BBC Worldwide has recently announced that the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor, will be screened in 3D across 87 Australian and 19 New Zealand cinemas on 24 November 2013. The screenings coincide with the international simulcast of the special on the evening of 23 November 2013, London time. Doctor Who News reports that the screenings will be accompanied by a special introduction which will be shown at all cinemas worldwide.

The participating Australian cinemas are:

Event Cinemas: Marion, Hornsby, Innaloo, Parramatta, George St, Cambelltown, Macquarie, Robina, Chermside, Tuggerah, Indooroopilly, Glendale, Mt Gravatt, Top Ryde, Burwood, Myer Centre, Liverpool, Brown’s Plains, Castle Hill, Townsville, Bondi, Cairn’s Central

BC&C: Maroochydore, Pacific Fair, Morayfield, Darwin Casuarina, Capalaba, Mackay North, Toowoomba GC, Ipswich, Rockhampton North, Coffs Harbour, Lismore

Greater Union: Miranda, Hurstville, Shellharbour, Morley, Arndale, Canberra Manuka

Dendy: Opera Quays, Newtown, Canberra, Brisbane

Hoyts: Blacktown, Tee Tree, Chatswood Mandarin, High Point, Warringah Mall, Northland, Penrith, Victoria Gardens, Frankston, Belconnen, Carousel

Village Cinemas: Jam Factory, Fountain Gate, Southland, Albury, Geelong, Knox, Eastlands, Sunshine

Independents: Cinema Nova (Carlton), Odeon (Orange), Palace Cinemas (Dendy Brighton), City Cinema (Griffith), Peninsula (Rosebud), Arcadia Cinemas (Ulladulla), Peninsula (Sorrento), Palace Cinemas (Nova Eastend), Peninsula (Warragul), Mitcham Cinemas (Mitcham), Paramount Cinema (Echuca), Mt Baker Wallis Cinemas (Mount Baker), Mildura Cinema (Mildura), Noarlunga Wallis Cinemas (Noarlunga), Wangaratta Cinema (Wangaratta), Piccadilly Cinemas (Piccadilly), Orpheum (Cremorne), Luna Cinemas (Leederville), Palace Cinemas (Norton Street), Luna on SX (Freemantle), Palace Cinemas (Byron Bay), Forum Cinemas (Wagga), Forum Cinemas (Tamworth), State Cinema (Hobart), CMAX (Devonport)

Three Doctors – Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt in The Day of the Doctor

The participating NZ cinemas are:

Event Cinemas: Queen Street Auckland, St Lukes Auckland, Albany Auckland, Manukau Auckland, Broadway Auckland, Westcity Auckland, Whangarei, Chartwell Hamilton, Queensgate Wellington, Embassy Wellington, New Plymouth, Westgate Auckland

Hoyts: Sylvia Park (Auckland), Botany Downs, Wairau Park (Auckland), Metro (Hamilton), Te Awa (Hamilton), Riccarton

Rialto: Dunedin

David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor in the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor

Source: Doctor Who News

Oct16

Day 42 of 50th Anniversary Countdown – The 10 Best First Doctor Quotes and Monologues

Posted on October 16, 2013 by twistie1

Standard

10. The Keys of Marinus

[In reference to the Conscience of Marinus]: I don’t believe that man was made to be controlled by machines. Machines can make laws, but they cannot preserve justice. Only human beings can do that.

The Conscience of Marinus – a machine with the power to not only judge good and evil, but also to permeate the minds of citizens, eradicating all evil thoughts and intentions, and replacing them instead with only good and honourable deeds.

9. The Romans

[After escaping an Assassin]: Alright? Of course I’m alright, my child. You know, I am so constantly outwitting the opposition. I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the gentle art of fisticuffs.

The Doctor displays his finely tuned fighting skills whilst in battle with a would-be assassin in The Romans

8. The Aztecs

[Speaking to Barbara, who is masquerading as the Yetaxa]: You can’t rewrite history. Not one line!

The Doctor with Barbara, who is masquerading as the reincarnated priest, Yetaxa in The Aztecs

7. The Sensorites

[Referring to his adventures with Ian and Barbara]: It all started out as a mild curiosity in the junkyard, and now it’s turned out to be quite a great spirit of adventure.

The Doctor and Ian in The Sensorites

6. The Reign of Terror

Our lives are important — at least to us — and as we see, so we learn… Our destiny is in the stars, so let’s go and search for it.

The Doctor masquerades as a district official in The Reign of Terror

5. The Savages

Jano: Do you not realize that all progress is based on exploitation?

The Doctor: That, sir, is protracted murder!

The Doctor and Jago, the Elders’ leader in The Savages

4. An Unearthly Child

[To Ian and Barbara]: Have you ever thought what it’s like to be wanderers in the Fourth Dimension? Have you? To be exiles? Susan and I are cut off from our own planet – without friends or protection. But one day we shall get back. Yes, one day….

The Doctor and Susan with the unwilling companions, Barbara and Ian in An Unearthly Child

3. The Chase

[Ian and Barbara’s farewell as they prepare to leave in the Daleks’ time machine]

Barbara: We’re not idiots! We want to go home!

Ian: Yes! Home! I want to sit in a pub and drink a pint of beer again! I want to walk in a park, and watch a cricket match. And above all, I want to belong somewhere, and do something! Instead of this aimless drifting around in space!

The Doctor: AIMLESS?! I tried for two years to get you both home!

Ian: Well you haven’t been successful, have you?

The Doctor: How dare you, young man! HOW DARE YOU, SIR! I didn’t invite you into the ship in the first place! You both thrust yourselves upon me!

Barbara: OH, DOCTOR! STOP IT!

The Doctor: Oh, for heaven’s sake! I’ve never heard such nonsense!

Barbara: Look. I know we’ve thrust ourselves upon you! But we’ve been through a great deal since then! And all we’ve been through will remain with us always! It could be the most exciting part of my life. Look, Doctor, we’re different people. And now we have a chance to go home. We want to take that chance. Will you help us work that machine?

The Doctor: …No. No! I will not aid and abet suicide!

Ian: Oh, he’s as stubborn as ever!

Vicki: Doctor.

The Doctor: . Hmm?

Vicki: Doctor, you’ve got let them go if they want too. They want to be back in their own time.

The Doctor: Don’t you want to go with them, child? Hmm?

Vicki: What for? Why would I want to be back in their time for? I want to be with you! Doctor… You’ve got to help them.

The Doctor: Don’t you realise, child, of the enormous risks?

Vicki: But it’s up to them!

The Doctor and his companions outside of the Dalek time machine in The Chase

2. The Dalek Invasion of Earth

[As he prepares to leave Susan on Earth]: During all the years I’ve been taking care of you, you in return have been taking care of me. You are still my grandchild and always will be. But now, you’re a woman too. I want you to belong somewhere, to have roots of your own. With David you will be able to find those roots and live normally like any woman should do. Believe me, my dear, your future lies with David and not with a silly old buffer like me. One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye, my dear.

The Doctor speaks to Susan from inside the TARDIS just prior to it dematerializing in The Dalek Invasion of Earth

1.The Massacre

My dear Steven, history sometimes gives us a terrible shock, and that is because we don’t quite fully understand. Why should we? After all, we’re too small to realise its final pattern. Therefore don’t try and judge it from where you stand. I was right to do as I did. Yes, that I firmly believe. [Steven leaves the TARDIS] Steven… Even after all this time, he cannot understand. I dare not change the course of history. Well, at least I taught him to take some precautions; he did remember to look at the scanner before he opened the doors. And now, they’re all gone. All gone. None of them could understand. Not even my little Susan. Or Vicki. And as for Barbara and Chatterton — Chesterton — they were all too impatient to get back to their own time. And now, Steven. Perhaps I should go home. Back to my own planet. But I can’t… I can’t…

The Doctor and Steven enjoy a quiet ale in the lost serial The Massacre

Vivien Fleming

©Vivien Fleming, 2013.

Oct16

The Day of the Doctor – New Photographs Released

Posted on October 16, 2013 by twistie1

Gallery

This gallery contains 7 photos.

The BBC has today released a series of six photographs from the forthcoming 50th Anniversary Special, The Day of the Doctor. Starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh, David Tennant as the Tenth and John Hurt as a previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor, the 75 minute special will be broadcast internationally on 23 November 2013. All […]