Hehe. Worth a rewatch soon just to see that scene. I also liked, if I'm remembering the special features correctly, that Lis couldn't whistle and so she just mimed whistling in her scene as she's leaving.
Hmmm...are we certain that's an actual blooper? Baker's Doc was known was for his eccentric mannerisms, and for intentionally doing things like that backwards, just as another accent of alien-ness. When I saw it I just thought it was the 4th Doctor being the 4th Doctor. Is this "blooper" confirmed by anyone? Or is it just Tom Baker being himself?
I'm not certain, all I know is it always makes me laugh. The reaction on Liz Sladen's face certainly led me to think it was more a Tom Baker quirk than a Doctor one.
Actually, the story opens with the Doctor in it on his way to Gallifrey. There are actually a number of scenes in it, including the Chancellory Guard entering the TARDIS to find the decoy Doctor. Watch carefully in the background. As the Doctor escapes the TARDIS, one of the guards turns and looks at him but doesn't move. Whoops!
I'll agree that Sarah Jane is an incredibly cute companion but I don't think the striped overalls did anything for her. I think my favorite costume from her was what she wore in "The Sontaran Experiment." I like "The Hand of Fear." It's a fun story. I've always felt that Sarah Jane's description of how she & the Doctor parted ways in "School Reunion" never really jived with how it really happened in "The Hand of Fear." I like how, after all the times we've seen quarries stand in for alien planets, this time they actually go to a quarry. Oh, and... Eldrad must live. It is the law! ELDRAD MUST LIVE!!! I have no idea why that line is so much fun to quote but it really really is.
What, the yellow mac and wooly hat? Now, her outfit in "The Time Warrior," the little jerkin and leggings deal, now THAT was something to write home about...
I love Hand of Fear. It's one of those great Bob n Dave adventures which just screams fun. Like Claws of Axos, it shows their fascination, yet laughable understanding of nuclear physics. (Quick, bomb the power station! Hide behind a car!) Tom's great, Lis gets to say "Eldrad must live" forty-seven times, and the music is superb. Decent scary hand too. Best of all, just as you're getting a bit bored, Judith Paris turns into STEEEEPPPPHHHHEEEEN THOOOORRRRNNEE who BOOOOMS HIS WAY THROUGH THE EPISODE!!!! Almost as good as Omega.