Last Classic Who Story you watched

[diankra]

"Silver Nemesis" was mediocre. It always bugged me that it was treated as the official 25th-anniversary story instead of "Remembrance of the Daleks," which was not only a far better story but a more logical anniversary story. "Nemesis" seemed redundant, an afterthought and an anticlimax.

The back story is that Nemesis was commissioned before Remembrance. If one had been cancelled due to plot similarities, then Rem would probably have gone. Thankfully not.
30 years ago I wondered why the anniversary story had been assigned to someone who had seen very little Who, and had presumably made a point of avoiding it given his age.

 

[26138]

You know you've watched too much Doctor Who when you dream of a previously missing Davison 2 parter getting released that you haven't seen.

 

[Tomalak]

The back story is that Nemesis was commissioned before Remembrance. If one had been cancelled due to plot similarities, then Rem would probably have gone. Thankfully not.
30 years ago I wondered why the anniversary story had been assigned to someone who had seen very little Who, and had presumably made a point of avoiding it given his age.

Yeah, JNT was convinced that the official anniversary story had to go out on 23rd November 1988. But given the subject matter, Remembrance would have been a much better fit, given that it actually takes place on 23rd November 1963!

But I'm glad it went out the way it did. Remembrance is a pretty much perfect story, and it opens the season with a bang with the Daleks.

Maybe if they had been reversed, we would today be complaining that Remembrance was a rip-off of Nemesis!

 

[JD]

I watched the first three episodes of Frontier in Space yesterday at work and this morning at home. So far it's been really good, the whole thing with the Draconians and Earth has been interesting, and for a 6 part arc, it's actually moved pretty fast. I knew The Master was involved going in, but I don't what I don't know what he's up to so, I'm curious to watch the second half and find out what exactly is going on. The Draconians are also one of Classic Who's best executed aliens.

 

[Marc]

I watched the first three episodes of Frontier in Space yesterday at work and this morning at home. So far it's been really good, the whole thing with the Draconians and Earth has been interesting, and for a 6 part arc, it's actually moved pretty fast. I knew The Master was involved going in, but I don't what I don't know what he's up to so, I'm curious to watch the second half and find out what exactly is going on. The Draconians are also one of Classic Who's best executed aliens.

And Jon Pertwee’s favourite.

 

[diankra]

There is a let down in the monster in the last episode (the book makes it more like a Tyrannosaur) but on the whole it works by having tegular twists (an early production sketch features Cybermen rather than Ogrons, but that seems to been vetoed early on).

 

[JD]

I honestly couldn't see the monster that well, it was so quick and small on my phone. I did like how the story ended, and it's the first I've come across where the last part of one serial, actually ended on a big cliffhanger that led into the next one. The big reveal of the Daleks worked pretty well, I know they would show up, but the way the reveal was done had a nice impact to it.

 

[diankra]

I honestly couldn't see the monster that well, it was so quick and small on my phone. I did like how the story ended, and it's the first I've come across where the last part of one serial, actually ended on a big cliffhanger that led into the next one. The big reveal of the Daleks worked pretty well, I know they would show up, but the way the reveal was done had a nice impact to it.

As no one liked it, its appearance was cut down in editing. That partly explains why the last scene (aside from the TARDIS bits which were shot later, as were some shots only involving Jo and the Doctor) is a bit disjointed. As originally scripted the Ogrons ran away when the machine made the Doctor seem like the monster.
The book had a nice end bit as the Master picks up his things and comments 'Well, tomorrow is another day.'

 

[arch101]

The Time Warrior for the millionth time. Hey, it's a good show...

 

[JD]

I just watched episode three of Planet of the Daleks, and I'm sorry but wouldn't ice that doesn't freeze and "molten ice" just be water?

 

[Christopher]

I just watched episode three of Planet of the Daleks, and I'm sorry but wouldn't ice that doesn't freeze and "molten ice" just be water?

Well, the idea is that it's an allotrope with a much lower freezing point, so it stays liquid when ordinary water would freeze. So yes, it's water, but it's supercooled water, colder than ice and freezing to anyone or anything it comes in contact with. "Liquid ice" is a, err, poetic way of describing that, but it does seem to have a meaning.

 

[26138]

maybe they mixed in antifreeze with it so it's really cold without freezing?

 

[Christopher]

There are phases of ice that remain solid at very high temperatures when the pressure is high enough. I imagine the intent was that this was the opposite of that, a phase that remains liquid even at extremely cold temperatures.

 

[JD]

Well, the idea is that it's an allotrope with a much lower freezing point, so it stays liquid when ordinary water would freeze. So yes, it's water, but it's supercooled water, colder than ice and freezing to anyone or anything it comes in contact with. "Liquid ice" is a, err, poetic way of describing that, but it does seem to have a meaning.

Something like that occurred to me as a possibility, but the whole "liquid ice" thing kind of threw me off.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Delta and the Bannermen

Yeesh, that score!!!!!

 

[Starkers]

Continuing my Third Doctor gap filling I've watched Frontier in Space for the first time.

Oh man, there's a lot to like about this but a lot not to.

The Draonians are great, such a shame they've never been seen again, does anyone know the reason for this (i.e. is it a rights issue) or is it just that no one has thought to use them? Similarly to Ogrons, though I guess they come as a package deal with the Daleks)

I can't imagine how thrilling it would have been back in the day to have the Master suddenly appear, but then also have the Daleks suddenly appear. Can't see RTD keeping a lid on that kind of double reveal these days.

I really liked Jo in this story, especially when she stood up to the Master, fought back against his mind control.

But...

So much padding! Hell, the Doctor and/or Jo seem to spend about a third of their time in various prison cells! It's ridiculous. There's no way this deserved six episodes.

The other issue is that for a space opera it never quite feels epic enough, though they do try their best.

Am I best to go straight into Planet of the Daleks now? They appear on the face if it to be linked but not sure how connected they actually are.

 

[26138]

Am I best to go straight into Planet of the Daleks now? They appear on the face if it to be linked but not sure how connected they actually are.

One leads into the other, but you can watch them separately and not miss out on anything.

 

[diankra]

The linkage is mainly down to reshoots during Planet. Originally it just ended with the Doctor saying he was going after the Daleks.

 

[Christopher]

The linkage is mainly down to reshoots during Planet. Originally it just ended with the Doctor saying he was going after the Daleks.

The TARDIS Wiki says that originally the two stories were going to be a single 12-part serial (although I'm not sure I believe that, given that the two serials have different writers). The reshoots were for a different reason, because Barry Letts was unsatisfied with the Ogron eater monster in the climactic episode and wanted to cut down its screen time.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

The Mark of the Rani.