Last Classic Who Story you watched

[diankra]

Warriors of the Deep was a good story let down by poor design choices (Rentaghost Myrka) bad lighting (all of them all the time) and either bad direction or bad acting (kung fu as though it was developed in a Surrey disco) but is otherwise decent enough hard SF than can only really be done in the Who setting (for the Silurians and Sea Devils as a third party race in the Cold War.)
Like Frontios, it makes a better book than TV outing. (Though Frontios would have been far far too grim if it had made it to screen with it ideas in place) Kinda would also be, but the performances and some of the weird stuff elevated it above Studio Jungle and Blue Peter Giant Robot Suit stuff.

For InVision I wrote a piece suggesting what might have happened if Warriors and Androzani had swapped. Overlight Androzani, dark and moody Warriors.

 

[Mr Awe]

"The Keeper of Traken". A nice slow burn and build-up to a fantastic reveal of a long-forgotten villain (The Master), it's more fantasy than science fiction in a way, but it really manages to sell itself to get you into its world. I blame the lush art deco sets, some of which must have cost a packet to make as not everything could be borrowed from the 16th century monarch productions. It does have a Shakespearean feel to it as well.

Agreed. I was particularly impressed the world building in that story. Really nice. A shame it was all destroyed shortly after!

 

[Mr Awe]

I generally think that script editors are more important than producers. Certainly JNT let Andrew (we worked together on Starburst) have free rein.

I have spoken with Andrew. Truly a nice guy. And he seems to have honestly enjoyed working with JNT.

 

[diankra]

We got on Ok at Starburst, partly because he asked if I could turn some incoherent quotes from Nicolas Cage about Mission to Mars into a printable piece. Mainly I waffled about my memories of NASA Mars missions.
Later on (I was freelancing, so splitting the week between jobs), I walked into the office to find someone sitting at my desk, was then pointed to the editor's chair. Turned out that Andrew had been sacked and I was acting editor (Gary Gillatt was permanent).

 

[jaime]

I have spoken with Andrew. Truly a nice guy. And he seems to have honestly enjoyed working with JNT.

One of the more useful things I have done was point him in the direction of republishing Script Doctor via a convo on Twitter. I met JNT when I was about 14, but have only had the odd interaction with Andrew via Twitter, but think they’re both alright blokes. And Andrew has written most of my favourite Who, including Warhead, which often seems a forgotten book.

 

[diankra]

One of the more useful things I have done was point him in the direction of republishing Script Doctor via a convo on Twitter. I met JNT when I was about 14, but have only had the odd interaction with Andrew via Twitter, but think they’re both alright blokes. And Andrew has written most of my favourite Who, including Warhead, which often seems a forgotten book.

When a snowfall stranded me in Coventry, John helped out. I had checked out, so couldn't buy at the bar, but John could, so we split rounds (he bought, I paid my share until Dad could pick me up).

 

[jaime]

When a snowfall stranded me in Coventry, John helped out. I had checked out, so couldn't buy at the bar, but John could, so we split rounds (he bought, I paid my share until Dad could pick me up).

There was a Who thing at Butlins, way back, and after it was done me and my parents were just wandering along chatting with him and David Roden. (DiT Co-writer) He was much quieter than the Legends say lol. He’d also just ditched the curly hair, so in a way it was like seeing an actor out of the role — it wasn’t how he came over in the magazines and annuals.

 

[26138]

Finished The Visitation. I liked the character of Richard Mace. I'm skipping Black Orchid and going on to Earthshock now.

 

[Mr Awe]

There was a Who thing at Butlins, way back, and after it was done me and my parents were just wandering along chatting with him and David Roden. (DiT Co-writer) He was much quieter than the Legends say lol. He’d also just ditched the curly hair, so in a way it was like seeing an actor out of the role — it wasn’t how he came over in the magazines and annuals.

Ah interesting. I've never never met JNT but whenever I see him in the old (and rare) interviews, I always get the sense he's more of a quiet guy than he let on publicly.

 

[diankra]

Ah interesting. I've never never met JNT but whenever I see him in the old (and rare) interviews, I always get the sense he's more of a quiet guy than he let on publicly.

There was a dinner at a con in maybe 94. Started as just me and the Benthams to discuss In-Vision, but they ran into Lis Sladen so she, Brian Milller and Sadie joined us, and she invited John, who brought along Gary Downie and Rebecca Thornhill (as we were the only adults not in a couple, Rebecca and I were 'paired' up, which was nice).
The impression I got was that John was pretty insecure, but Gary acted as his ego, encouraging him not to doubt himself.

 

[26138]

Earthshock episode 2: I see where RTD gets his affinity for previous regeneration cameos from - they had short clips of Hartnell, Troughton, and Baker lol.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yes, well, unlike The Mark of the Rani, The Three Doctors hasn't improved much over time.

What has always stood out the best about that serial is the marvelous chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton and the delightful shenanigans The Third and Second Doctors get into while dealing with the Omega threat. Their raw chemistry highlights the missed opportunity of William Hartnell working more directly with the both of them, but at least he's able to work in a few memorable quips from his viewscreen perch.

Omega himself is a one-(very loud)-note villain who does nothing but bombasts his way from scene to scene in such a manner that would make Brian Blessed blush. At least the serial does the decency of recognizing this flaw and uses it as his ultimate downfall as everyone escapes the antimatter universe. The only true curiosity of the character was the weird mental battle between The Third Doctor and Omega's dark side of his mind.

There were really only two other good things about the serial. First and foremost, how badly the poor Brigadier handled the very concept of multiple Doctors in one time zone and all of the antimatter nonsense. His complete denial and utter refusal to accept any of it until it was staring him in the face was brilliant and Nicholas Courtney's straight man performance was nothing short of masterful.

The other delight was the gorgeous bulbous, rock, whatever creatures. The costuming designs for them were on point and I kind of hope we get to see a modern take on them, but I'm doubtful.

 

[Pindar]

I just re-watched the mark of the Rani, the dialogue between the Rani and the Master is glorious.

I had forgotten that The Two Doctors was the next story. That will be my next watch as cheesy as it is it's my favourite multi doctor story.

 

[diankra]

There was a Who thing at Butlins, way back, and after it was done me and my parents were just wandering along chatting with him and David Roden. (DiT Co-writer) He was much quieter than the Legends say lol. He’d also just ditched the curly hair, so in a way it was like seeing an actor out of the role — it wasn’t how he came over in the magazines and annuals.

Knew him a bit, at a con.

 

[diankra]

I just re-watched the mark of the Rani, the dialogue between the Rani and the Master is glorious.

I had forgotten that The Two Doctors was the next story. That will be my next watch as cheesy as it is it's my favourite multi doctor story.

Two Doctors was running during my 18th birthday. My present from Grade (though Powell was probably more guilty, Grade just accepted advice) was my favourite series being cancelled.

 

[diankra]

Yes, well, unlike The Mark of the Rani, The Three Doctors hasn't improved much over time.

What has always stood out the best about that serial is the marvelous chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton and the delightful shenanigans The Third and Second Doctors get into while dealing with the Omega threat. Their raw chemistry highlights the missed opportunity of William Hartnell working more directly with the both of them, but at least he's able to work in a few memorable quips from his viewscreen perch.

Omega himself is a one-(very loud)-note villain who does nothing but bombasts his way from scene to scene in such a manner that would make Brian Blessed blush. At least the serial does the decency of recognizing this flaw and uses it as his ultimate downfall as everyone escapes the antimatter universe. The only true curiosity of the character was the weird mental battle between The Third Doctor and Omega's dark side of his mind.

There were really only two other good things about the serial. First and foremost, how badly the poor Brigadier handled the very concept of multiple Doctors in one time zone and all of the antimatter nonsense. His complete denial and utter refusal to accept any of it until it was staring him in the face was brilliant and Nicholas Courtney's straight man performance was nothing short of masterful.

The other delight was the gorgeous bulbous, rock, whatever creatures. The costuming designs for them were on point and I kind of hope we get to see a modern take on them, but I'm doubtful.

Gelguards. The bubbles broke easily, hence no reuse.

 

[JRob94]

One of my prized possessions is a copy of The Two Doctors novelization, signed by Patrick Troughton and Colin Baker

 

[The Nth Doctor]

And now for Arc of Infinity. It's cconsiderably better than The Three Doctors (Troughton/Pertwee chemistry aside)...despite Omega. Like last time around, he's the weakest link but this time it's not because of his bombastic nature, rather how he feels far less menacing. He's either in quiet discussions with his Time Lord accomplice or casually checking on his underground operations in Amsterdam, or floating around in the Matrix in apparent tranquility. He must have stumbled on an antimatter chill pill but the dosage was too strong. In fact, the only time Omega was anywhere near interesting was when he took The Doctor's form. I delighted in watching Peter Davison clearly relishing sneering as Omega. Just a shame the serial didn't do anything with it and just had Omega running away until he completely decayed.

I did love his costuming this time around, which made him he feel more alien (even if it was only done to hide his return in the series) and his transference is wonderfully gruesome (eat your heart out, Mary Whitehouse!). The Ergon is also delightfully creepy, garnering a rare, but warranted scream from Nyssa.

The best part of the serial is the conspiracy intrigue and how the story keeps the viewers guessing who is working with Omega. Unfortunately, once that's revealed, the bottom falls out of even that aspect. I love the twist that The Doctor's friend and sole supporter on the High Council turned out to be the villain, which in turn demonstrates how feckless the Lord President and the rest of the Council are. However, I was disappointed that Hedin didn't provide any motivation for his betrayal, he only did it because the story dictated it for that twist.

Another major highlight is the love for the companions. Nyssa, in particular, shines in this serial, frequently taking a firm stand against each of the stubborn Time Lords (Damon aside) and even The Doctor. Even though she didn't have much more to do in the serial, I loved watching how proactive she was in each situation.

That said, I wasn't fond of how The Doctor kept shouting at her for a variety of reasons, although I was amused by the moment in the fourth episode when they're chasing after Omega and The Doctor yells at both Nyssa and Tegan that the person they just ran over is fine! The Doctor doesn't have the patience for worrying about fallen-over pedestrians when a chunk of the universe is at risk!

And lovely, wonderful Tegan! She's a delight as always, taking full charge of tracking down her lost cousin, not even batting an eye at Robin's unlikely tale. My only disappointment was that once that task was completed, she became a damsel in distress to force The Doctor around.. I was amused how she ultimately abandoned her cousin to go running around Amsterdam with The Doctor and Nyssa like old times, and right after she yelled at The Doctor that she didn't have time to worry about the weapon he was desperately looking for because she needs to take care of her cousin! I also got a good double laugh at her celebrating her lost job and the look on The Doctor's face that she would be rejoining them. Brave heart, Doctor!

Regarding Tegan's brief departure, I could've sworn she gave The Doctor shit for abandoning her at the end of  Time-Flight but that must have been in a later serial possibly the very next serial, Snakedance).

And speaking of companions, the serial provided not one, but two shout-outs to past companions, first The Doctor remarking on Romana's decision to stay in E-Space and then The Doctor lamenting on not getting the chance to see Leela and missing out on her wedding. The classic series often quickly forgot about past companions (most notably Susan on many occasions) so it was refreshing to hear the series reflect upon two of my favorites in the same serial.

All in all, a fun story that gives us another good look at Time Lords society, complete with Maxil matching around much of the serial carrying his plumed helmet everywhere and only ever wearing it once. A pity Omega was rather lame this time around.