Continuing to Discover Doctor Who
- Thread starter S. Gomez
- Start date
I know anything would have been great after Time-Shite, but Four to Doomsday was bloody brilliant! Is it really underrated like I read somewhere? Because that seems like madness to me. The space-walk was bizarre but what a brilliant solution to the problem of having the rope untiedNow I see where John Smith got his cricket ball skills from...
Oddly enough, I've just watched half of Four to Doomsday on a review disc tonight, and the Davison&companion team (who're usually viciously unpleasant about any failings) really like it. Much to their surprise, they make clear, but they're very impressed by the sets, lighting, and in particular that spacewalk sequence.
Script's still a bit of a sleeping pill though :-)
What! What! What! Are you saying a disc of a forthcoming release? You mean FTD is coming out soon? Did I miss this?
Must check OG now...I'll get me coat.
Edit: Well, I'll be 15 September. I really should keep up with the DVD forum there.
So, can you tell us any more about this release?
As Phillip Culley says, limited extras on this one: commentary, which is a bit surprising as the team are pretty positive (mainly about the technicalities, and the lighting being far better that on the one they'd just done, which is presumably Black Orchid).
Studio footage is initially interesting, but after 10 minutes it's become an object lesson in how boring TV production can be, particularly if it involves lots of effects shots.
Photo gallery is far larger than many... and that's all I've checked out so far.
Anyone here listened to the Black Orchid commentary ? The cast really, really did not like that one. In fact I think Davison holds it in even less regard than Warriors from the Deep, which is possibly more endearing due to the "so bad it's good" factor. I mean, at least the Murka is something you can laugh at.
I think it was commendable that they tried to do a pure historical long after they had been deemed unfashionable, but rewatching recently on it's DVD release I think I'd have to agree with Peter that it was pretty dire stuff through most of it. Worth it for seeing the Doctor play some cricket, but very little else to recommend it..
I think it was commendable that they tried to do a pure historical long after they had been deemed unfashionable, but rewatching recently on it's DVD release I think I'd have to agree with Peter that it was pretty dire stuff through most of it. Worth it for seeing the Doctor play some cricket, but very little else to recommend it..
I know it's a sacred cow to some and I am sorry, but listen to the commentary and you will understand what I mean. Sorry EMH, to each their own and all that 
Yeah, that's the best part of that story. William Hartnell's part was just weird.
The terrible effects are a huge part of the fun for me when I'm watching Old Doctor Who.
Yeah, I know Black Orchid isn't for everyone, but I'm still surprised Peter Davison and company trash it in the commentary. I haven't gotten the DVD yet, so I haven't been able to listen to what precisely they didn't like about (although I know Davison has fond memories doing the cricket scenes).
Well Davison actually bowled that batsman in shot. Who wouldn't be proud of that ?
Oh, I know. That is definitely something to be proud of. It's great knowing that the reaction seen in the episode is genuine.
IMO, you can't really go wrong with any of the Tom Baker stories. Cliche'd or not, he's my favorite Doctor by far. He's got the right balance of quirk and genius that just makes him so interesting to watch. The thing I like most about him, though, is that he never seems to be worried about anything. They could be in some kind of dire, life-threatening situation, and he's just standing there with this shit-eating grin on his face. "Ah! So you're going to torture us then! Splendid! Let's get started!"
I agree absolutely!
Although I still loathe The Leisure Hive..
Although I still loathe The Leisure Hive..
Haven't seen that one yet, but I've got it, and I will be watching it shortly. I'm kind of in the same boat as the initial poster. I grew up with the Tom Baker years on PBS, but hadn't seen them since the '80s, until a few years ago.
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At the moment I find it hard to believe anything can look worse than the true form of the Mara in Kinda
No, you really can. I've just watched Planet of Evil.
I thought it was awesome.
Okay, I watched it last night. Wasn't bad. I LOL'd when K-9 rolled into the water. How can he move on sand, anyway?
I watched Leisure Hive for the first time last week and loved every minute of it. Even the hammy villain and the shitty lizard costumes.
Doesn't deserve half the scorn it gets.
Doesn't deserve half the scorn it gets.
I also love The Leisure Hive. But I also love The Horns of Nimon, The Web Planet, and The Terror of the Vervoids (just to name a few often hated serials which I love).
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I've got a lot of time for The Leisure Hive. After the cheap awfulness of much of the last couple of years, it's a classy, well made story. The direction stands out - Lovett Bickford insisted on shooting with a single camera. It looks superb, but unsurprisingly it went massively over budget and he was never asked back.
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