The Tom Baker Rec, or the Paul McGann Remake Flash Animation? I've had the recon for quite some time, and have watched it a few times. I just recently got the McGann Remake Flash Animation, and really enjoyed it when I watched it this last weekend.
The Tom Baker version it's the same version that was released on tape. I haven't seen the McGann version yet.
The McGann remake is pretty good, I'd listened to it a couple times on Audio before the Flash version was released. Much better with it all acted out, rather than about 1/3 of it narrated to fill in the gaps. McGann Doctor shows up on Gallifrey, and tells President Romana they've forgotten something, and left something undone (Pulled out of time in The Five Doctors, while involved in the adventure) and The Doctor, Romana and K9 go back to see the Professor and it pretty much plays out the same from there. I found it on either Youtube or Dailymotion, but, the last couple of segments, I guess the video doesn't load, but, you still get the Audio (I have the actual released copy, but, was looking for it streaming prior to getting the released copy)
I really like Robots of Death. I don't know why; I just do. I remember being very impressed by it as a kid. I liked Leela, I loved Tom Baker, and of course, the Agatha Christie-like "let's stand around and see who dies next" murder mystery. And the robots are just cool.
Yeah the robots really are great, whoever came up with the art deco design really deserves a pat on the back. It’s odd because in other hands this could have been awfully generic, but everything from the designs to the script to the casting just rise it above the norm. Far too many Who serials have 2 dimensional characters, but Boucher’s world building here is great, and the cast perform it with conviction (even whist wearing silly hats…although to be honest they don’t even seem that silly because nobody plays it for laughs). You know I usually cite Fenric as my favourite classic Who story, but I do wonder whether it isn’t actually Robots of Death. You have to give kudos to any story that makes you care when an emotionless robot dies, poor D84 It struck me as well this time around that maybe another reason I like it is that it is quite Blakes 7, written by Boucher, it stars Travis 2, is set in the future and the crew of the sand miner do bicker like the crew of the Liberator/Scorpio
Invasion of Time, it has the TARDIS pool, with Leela in her skimpiest outfit swimming. It was I'm sure vital to the story. Tom is at his bellowing best but the leader of the human invaders is terrible.
The Horns of Nimon. What a dog! In fact, I think I can safely say that 1979 was my least favorite year of Doctor Who ever. Tom Baker seems to be mailing it in a good deal of the time and Douglas Adams, brilliant in his own right, just didn't seem to "get" the proper tone for Doctor Who.
Saw The Ark In Space a couple of days ago. First time actually seeing anything more than clips. It was a pretty solid episode overall.
Nimon is 1980. Well, pts 3&4 are. After which came the longest gap till new episodes ever.. Until 1981. And 85/6. And then 1990/96...
Robots of Death is one of my favorite Who stories, ever. I love the society that was shown, as it was actually fleshed out to the point that the viewer can imagine other things happening there, too. Far too many stories take place in a small bubble of isolation; it's like the creators didn't take the trouble to figure out where the characters actually came from and give them plausible motivations for why they act as they do. Robots of Death is a wonderful exception to this. And I love the costumes - they're bizarre by our everyday standards, but they're also functional - a person could wear them and go about their daily business. Some of my favorite Who stories were written by Douglas Adams.
Yes... they are weird, but no weirder than wearing a tie, or the numerous other bits of current day normal dress which persist as dress codes when the original reason for that bit of everyday apparel has been superceded by zips, or velcro, or buttons, or... Robots is one of those lightning in a bottle moments when riter, designers, director and actors somehow all got the same idea... even if some of them didn't realise it (the director was doubtful about some of the design, and the writer was horrified by the casting of Uvanov... until he saw the result, and realised this chippy little actor had caught the essence of the character far better than the big bully he'd written could ever have done).
Just finished watching The Talons of Weng-Chiang for the first time. Absolutely brilliant, and certainly one of the finest examples of the Fourth Doctor's era.
Trying to get through the audio of all 27 missing stories before the end of the year. Done Marco through to Master Plan over the last two weeks. Some stories are really good. Others are just hard to get through. Just started the Massacre and it's just as boring the first time around.
Watched Mark of the Rani tonight... well... Oy. That was painful. I actually have an appreciation for what Colin Baker was doing with the role; and the Rani herself could have been quite the fascinating character. But again, I cannot stand Peri in any way, and the story was ill-served by the Master's presence.
I'd never call the Massacre boring. It is however a test case of whether something is really Doctor Who just because it's transmitted in Doctor Who - in many ways it's a period political drama where the Doctor happens to appear in the first 15 minutes and the last five to top and tail the story...