I agree it was a very good episode, and you're right about the format in those days. It had been a long time since I watched any classic Who. Having just watched the 1st through 4th Doctor specials, it was cool to have #4 drop the line about the dress being Victoria's. I've always liked those little nods to previous eras & people in the current series'.
I found it interesting nothing, and I mean nothing was said about about the rest of the Fourth Doctor's companions, specifically Romana. I can understand holding off Adric, Nyssa and Tegan as they "belonged" more to Davison's tenure, but not to state anything about the one companion who could truly match or even exceed the Doctor's intelligence was a bit odd. Even if there are still ill feelings between Baker and Ward, they could have mentioned her first incarnation as played by Mary Tamm. Then again, if she were discussed and not Lalla, fans might have felt slighted, so maybe that's why the whole subject was avoided. Sincerely, Bill
^ I was surprised by that too. The pre-show part seemed to just stop abruptly, like they ran out of time. Not a single mention of a rare Time Lord companion.
^Well, they've only got a half-hour or so for each special. The previous few specials also focused on a couple of key companions and glossed over the rest.
Eh? Russell never went to the Tavern, so far as I know, even before his time on the series. Steve used to turn up most months till he got the show runner job, even after he started writing for the show (and started getting pestered by people wanting to know if he'd ever become showrunner).
Tom may not have wanted to talk about Lala--I think she married Richard Dawkins not too many years after. I love Tennant and Smith, but to me Tom Baker will always be Dr. Who
^ That's true, but Tom and Mary Tamm were pretty close by most accounts. Very strange that they didn't talk about that. I was wondering if they were planning to show two Fourth Doctor serials at one point and therefore have two separate docs.
It would throw off the timing. As it stands, we will conclude with Smith at the end of November, on time for the 50th anniversy. May...Davison June...Colin July...McCoy August...McGann September...Eccleston October...Tennant November...Smith Sincerely, Bill
Gee, I wonder what story they'll show for McGann. Come to think of it, for Eccleston and Tennant they'll have to be 2-parters, won't they?
Cool. Although of course the impact of the final episode's end-title sequence will be lost because they'll just fade out and run a network promo and retyped credits.
Watching "Pyramids of Mars" again... I really wish they'd bring back Sutekh in the modern series. They establish him as being an all powerful villain, and he's still sitting there at the end of the episode. And they showed the pyramid still being there in Sarah Jane Adventures. Now *that* would be a great villain for the anniversary special!
^Yeah... it would be nice even just to have a name drop. The Doctor said he was the origin of the archetypal evil gods on countless planets, so why don't we ever hear about him? And it would've been good continuity-wise if they'd used him in place of the similar ultimate devil creature in "The Satan Pit."
I've not seen 'Earthshock' either, so I'm definitely looking forward to this. I've really enjoyed these specials, it would be great if BBCA were to continue with them next year as well, but I know that's not likely.
I've always enjoyed "Pyramids..." as it is a study in understatement. Think about it, what's the most dramatic physical action Gabriel Woolf perform while in costume? He rises from his chair and lowers his arms. Yet he "oozed" menace on a level rarely equaled in the series, classic or contemporary. Even then, he never "ranted" like Davros; he never "bellowed" like Omega. Most of the time, his tone was barely louder that a dulcet whisper. Yet one got the feeling he could have, with a simple gesture of his hand, swept away the combined forces of the TimeLords AND the Daleks. All of which makes me all the more giddy about the upcoming release of a "follow up" figure set featuring the masked Sutekh (with illuminating eyes)! It'll also include the space/time vortex coffin and a Marcus Scarman figure! No, I don't know the release date. Sincerely, Bill
I remember seeing Earthshock as a kid and just sitting there in stunned silence, with the powerfully-done closing credits just driving it all the more home for me.