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Reviewer:
SpectroxWar
Reviews:
0
Votes:
9 (44% helpful)

Page 1 of 0

  1.  Another golden age for Who - nearly as good as the 70s

    Posted: 

    Series 1 is my favourite starring Chris Eccleston as a kind of working-class wounded warrior.
    Some brilliant stories here like Father's Day, Dalek, End of the World, The Empty Child, Parting of the Ways. A powerfully emotive series and a successful relaunch for the show (forgive me, but I can't quite remember the huge billboard campaigns for Twin Dilemma or Time and the Rani having the same impact). (10/10)

    Series 2 - not as good, a bit over-confident in places e.g. the season opener (New Earth) but the 2-parters are all excellent, especially The Satan Pit. (8/10)

    Series 3 - best stories here are Gridlock and the outstanding Blink. The Master trilogy falls a bit flat however. (overall 9/10)

    Series 4 - unexpectedly good companion and a great romp that gets better and better as the season progresses. (9/10)

    The specials are a bit weak but Tennant's send-off is fantastic! (8/10)

  2.  "You're not half the robot your father was!"

    Posted: 

    Fantastic script by Chris Boucher - the idea of the villain having been raised by robots is both clever and disturbing. Great heartbeat theme from Deadly Dudley which helps to ensure that the tension is wrung out to the bitter end. The silky-smooth voice of the Voc-robots is very effective and their facial design impressive -indeed the whole Art Deco look of the production is one of the show's best realisations of a future society.

  3.  That's the sound of this planet screaming out it's rage!

    Posted: 

    One of Jon Pertwee's best stories that builds up the tension really well and JP himself is excellent throughout. Caroline John (companion Liz Shaw) is ahead of her time here and it's such a shame that the production team did not allow her character to continue. Nick Courtney gives his finest performance as the evil Brigade Leader - his line "You won't feel the bullets when we shoot you" is a fantastically delivered line! And his character displays genuine development as he realises the game is up. This is a rarity for the programme. The constant drilling noise means that everyone has to shout to be heard which makes the production more in-yer-face than any other of this time period. The primords are menacing in their half-mutated form but they should have stopped there because the fully mutated transformations look a bit like Oddbod from Carry On Screaming - with Werewolf wigs and joke-shop fangs, this is the only flawed aspect of an otherwise outstanding production.

  4.  Exquisite! Absolutely exquisite!

    Posted: 

    Memorable script from Douglas Adams. Tom Baker's comic timing is excellent. Nice location work. The scientist Kerensky is a cliche but this is such fun I don't care. Hugely enjoyable!

  5.  A long-shanked rascal with a mighty nose!

    Posted: 

    The period drama / SF-historical genre is what the classic series of Dr Who did well and this is a prime example. This is one of Robert Holmes' funniest scripts but it makes the switch to drama well. David Daker is clearly enjoying his role as Irongron. The scene where he tries to explain military tactics to his side-kick Bloodaxe is one of the best rib-ticklers in the Pertwee era. Kevin Lindsay's Lynx is probably the best Pertwee adversary - a triumph of acting and costume design featuring one of Jon Friedlander's most effective monster masks. Liz Sladen is also good in her first story and sparks off Jon Pertwee very well.

  6.  Plaything of Sutekh

    Posted: 

    Probably the best period drama Dr Who ever did. An excellent script from Robert Holmes, arguably his best. Fantastic dialogue - "I bring Sutekh's gift of death to all humanity!" is a belter! A great score from Dudley Simpson particularly the organ music in part 1 which builds to a great climax as Marcus Scarman, dressed in black, looms out of the space-time tunnel and causes his Egyptian servant to get a little hot under the collar! The story falls apart a little when the action moves away from the house in 1911 to the pyramids of Mars - the sets are not very good here, the pace is slower and the Mummies not as threatening. However, what makes the episode so successful has to be Gabriel Woolf's portrayal of Sutekh - one of the all-time great Dr Who villains. Mr Woolf's voice has such a rich and emotive quality that he was invited back to the new series to portray none other than the devil himself in The Satan Pit!

  7.  Vegetable soup par excellence

    Posted: 

    A bold attempt at a James Bond-style adventure and it pays off spectacularly. The SFX for 1976 are actually very good especially when the giant Krynoid has taken over the house at the climax of the story. Tom Baker is at the height of his powers here and he rises to the occasion splendidly giving a gritty and dangerous performance. Almost out of character for the Doctor, he tackles some very nasty baddies indeed (who beat him up and try feeding him to their compost-making machine!) by punching them, attacking them with car doors, twisting their necks, smashing chairs over their heads and, in one excellent scene, actually brandishes a gun (although he would never use it)! "What do you do for an encore, Doctor?" sneers Tony Beckley's slippery main villian. "I win!" declares Baker as he rescues Sarah, pushing one of the thugs out of the way. A violent and engrossing story, ground-breaking in many ways. Just a shame that the Brigadier and Benton weren't in it.

  8.  Paul Cornell's favourite Dr Who story

    Posted: 

    One of the last genuinely creepy Dr Who stories. A claustrophobic, excellently realised period drama (apart from the odd dodgy effect). I have read reports that Tom Baker and Louise Jameson were unhappy during the making of this production with Baker apparently storming off the set in a fit of pique! These real life tensions seem to add to their performances - they are both superbly dramatic throughout with Baker stealing every scene he's in. And they were admirably supported by a great guest cast.

  9.  Michael Wisher Rocks!

    Posted: 

    Voted as the best Dr Who story of all time by many polls and it's easy to see why. An early, more serious performance from Tom Baker who recognises the dramatic and relentless war theme of the story and nails it. The script is credited as being written by Terry Nation but the characters and dialogue bear Robert Holmes' hallmarks (he was script editor at the time). The best element in the story is the fantastic portrayal of Davros by Michael Wisher who was clearly born to play this part. His is an intense, rivetting performance. The scene where he explains to the Doctor why he would destroy all life in the Universe given the choice is probably the best speech in the history of the show. Adult themes pervade this story and it's easy to see why it upset Mary Whitehouse at the time. Davros's henchman, Nyder, is played so chillingly by Peter Miles that he is good enough to be the main villain in his own right. Brilliantly lit, shot and scored, this is dynamite Dr Who. I shall ignore the giant clams and the "Total destruct" button which are poor because the rest of it is so rich in atmosphere. A classic.

  10.  Is the assassin not deadly enough?

    Posted: 

    Despite the silly title, this is one of Tom Baker's strongest Who stories - very innovative and imaginative for it's day. Another excellent script from Robert Holmes, the best writer the series ever had. Given the constraints of the budget, it actually looks pretty good too, especially all that 70s psychedelia in episodes 2 and 3 (Chancellor Goth must have been a Hitchcock fan!). Tom Baker always wanted a companionless story and here he gets it. Tom displays a healthy respect for the script and he gives a brooding, mesmerising performance. A great idea to make the Master into what was effectively a walking corpse, spitting out stuff like "Only hatred keeps me alive!" And at the end of part 3 there's a fairly graphic fight scene, ending up with the Doctor being held under water until he has drowned! This is strong stuff for family teatime in the 70s and was the main target for Mary Whitehouse in her attacks on the show during this era for being too scary. I think it's great though! My only criticism (from a different angle entirely from Mrs Whitehouse because I don't agree with her at all) is that after the drama of the assassination and the immense struggle in the Matrix fantasy world, the fight at the end between the Doctor and the Master is a bit weak and therefore an anticlimax. That said, this still remains a courageous production and is probably my favourite story with Tom Baker as the Doctor. Highly recommended (even if only for research into TV history).