I don’t know about you, but I love the stone circles that litter the English countryside. There’s something really interesting about this ancient architectural form that engages and excites my imagination. I know I’m not alone in this, and if you are such a person, Stones of Blood may appeal to you for that reason.

This four part serial originally aired October 28 to November 18, 1978. It starred Tom Baker and Mary Tamm. I could also mention John Leeson as the voice of K-9 and that it was written by David Fisher.

Strange things are afoot at a stone circle (think Stonehenge), and the Doctor and Romana proceed to investigate, a normal setup for Doctor Who. It’s not too much of a spoiler to tell you the stones have come to life and require a blood sacrifice for survival. There’s even a great scene where they find a camping couple to feed on. Yum Yum. What makes this so good though is the guest stars, few as they are, they are the ingredient that makes the first two episodes of the serial so good. Unfortunately, the story takes a turn, and goes off in a completely different direction.

As I have mentioned before, at three times during Graham Williams tenure as producer, the villain (or one of them) was a woman with weird makeup, and this is the second of those. I can’t get into guessing which of these three is the worst, because they are all bad in their own way.

Thankfully, in this case, it’s a minor detour before a more major one. I mentioned how much I like the set up in the first two episodes, but I’m less fond of the odd place this story goes toward the end. Without being spoilerish, I give kudos to Mr. Fisher for taking the tale in an unexpected direction, but question wether that direction improved the serial in any way. My obvious opinion is that it doesn’t, but I could see other people liking the silly comedic elements and overall surprise.

Technically, there’s a lot to admire about Stones of Blood. Unlike most Doctor Who stories, where location footage is on film and studio footage is on tape, this was shot entirely on tape (one wishes they’d saved the expense for a better story). Secondly, there’s a really good set that cost a lot of money in the latter part of the story. Even though I have trouble connecting the interior/exterior, as I did with the bridge of the Pirate Planet, I’m going to hand it to them for making something really special for this episode. Of course, you may have to listen to the commentary (like I did) to understand why it was so different. But even a novel set can’t save weak story and misplaced humor. Some may like it, but I suspect most will not. One thing I can guarantee though is that you will, at some point, be surprised at the turn things take. To me it’s the only redeeming thing about how this story closes.

In conclusion, if I could give two reviews, I’d give a strong recommendation for the first half and a hesitant one for the latter half. Of course, if you are watching the Key to Time season, you can’t miss this one, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed either, except in wishing they could have kept up the quality from the beginning to the end.

What to say about this one . . . It’s the one that started it for me (which you know, if you read my last review). Had I not seen the cyborg Captain, I might have never discovered Doctor Who at all, or maybe would have, but much later. This story is far from perfect, but, having said that, it has a lot going for it thanks to an inventive script by Douglas Adams of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fame.

Tom Baker once agian reprises his role as the Doctor and Mary Tamm is back as Romana. This story has four parts and aired 9/30/78 to 10/27/78. It is the second story in the Key to Time season story arc.

The first episode opens with our villains (notably, the captain, yelling at Mr. Phibulie, as he does throughout this four part serial), and then introduces more supporting characters, one of whom is ill, having been targeted by a cult of yellow robe clad zombie types. It is soon revealed that they have psychic powers, which it bears noting a lot of respectable people actually believed in in, back in 1978, along with ESP and Pyramid Power. I mention that, because it would have seemed much less fantastical than it does today.

Tom Baker is his entertainingly nuttiest, sort of an early indication of how his portrayal will develop over the next few years. He’s having fun with the role, and as is the audience, right along with him. Mary Tamm’s Romana is a great foil for him, more serious and bookish. I adore her and wish she had stayed on for more than one season. As much as this is the Key to Time season, it is also the Mary Tamm season. Lalla Ward’s take on the role was different, and I don’t think I like it much less, but it seems like one is always going to like the companion one starts with more than the others. That’s the case with me, though I do have a soft spot for Elizabeth Sladen’s Sarah Jane Smith and Wendy Padbury’s Zoe, and . . . well, you get the idea.

Douglas Adams really delivers with this script. This is a very inventive tale, with twists, new tech, great characters, and lots of jokes, some stolen from himself. He had not yet sold Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to the BBC. For those unaware, before it was a movie, or television show, or stage play, or record, or book, it was a radio drama on the BBC, and if you have never heard it, I recommend you get all five seasons (phases, they call them), as it is the very best way to experience that story, bar none. People attached to the book will note that it is quite different in sequence and substance, but remember, it is the original, so it’s the book that is the departure, not the other way around. I also think, the people in the radio cast influenced him in the book writing and helped solidify the characterizations he employed in novelizing his radio play. I honestly can’t imagine other people playing those parts though I have seen the movie. Interestingly, most of the radio cast came back for the TV production, but a limited budget ensured that that series would be severely lacking. Still, worth checking out an early visual realization of Adam’s signature creation. He had a deep imagination and a real knack for comedy and liked to say he invented the sci-fi comedy genre. I’m not sure about that, but I believe he did give us it’s greatest contribution thus far and it’s not a stretch to say his view of the world greatly influenced mine, but I digress.

Acting wise, The Pirate Planet is quite good. Almost everyone is very convincing in their roles, save the Captain, who is completely over the top. but even that works, given how his part is written, and when he later warms up and calms down. The art direction is mostly good. I don’t see the relationship between the interior and the exterior of the ‘bridge’ but like the design of both. You can see the budget limitations here and there, but mostly it all quite well done. I’ve always had an issue with the effects in this one, mostly on account of the Captain’s flying robot parrot, which only really flies -convincingly- on one occasion, a real disservice to a nicely realized robot design.

I highly recommend this one, but only to fans. There’s enough goofiness and production foibles to turn casual viewers off (he says, admitting this was his own introduction to the series, lol). It’s fun to try and spot the Adams recycled jokes and also nice to see a fairly successful Doctor Who that’s a space fantasy, because that’s not a genre Doctor Who does to often. It was surely a Star Wars influence, but not overtly so. It does drag a little in the middle, but it opens and closes with such aplomb, one ends up almost forgetting the sagging center.

I’ve waited so long to write about this, and I’m so excited to write the next six reviews. Season 16 in Doctor Who is unique in that is was the first time the show had ever attempted to do a season long story arc. One can argue how successful it was, but ambitiousness, or over ambitiousness aside, this one is very important to me.

One day, many years ago, I was flipping channels and caught a glimpse of a cyborg on PBS. I dismissed it in my mind as a trick, but clicked back to PBS, just in case it was there for real . . . And it was. It was the Pirate Planet, the second story of Season 16, and I was in shock, having no idea that PBS had a sci-fi show. Soon, I saw Tom Baker and recognized that this must be Doctor Who. I was totally disoriented. It was interesting, sure, but not riveting. Why was it shot in video? Who were these people and where was it going? I called my best friend and told him to turn it on too. If I was getting sucked into something new, I wasn’t going alone. Pirate Planet is a very odd story with multiple change ups where the villain is concerned. But probably more unsettling is the fact that Pirate Planet was written by Douglas Adams, who also wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If his brand of humor is new to you, it can be unsettling while you get used to it. Fortunaletly for me, my local PBS station was playing the stories out of order, so, next, after Pirate Planet was The Ribos Operation, the story which precedes it and sets up the whole season long story arc.

At the conclusion of Invasion of Time, Leela (played by Louise Jamison), decides to remain on Galifrey, leaving the Doctor companionless as The Ribos Operation opens. This story originally aired 9/2/78 – 9/23/78 and stared Tom Baker as the Doctor and newcomer Mary Tamm as Romana.

Alone in his Tardis, the Doctor is summoned by the White Guardian to seek and assemble the ‘Key to Time’. The reason being that the universe has been slipping into imbalance and needs restoration, which can only be provided by the key. The six parts of the key are scattered throughout time and space and are in disguise. To help in the quest he is given the ‘tracer’ and an assistant, Romana, a time lady from the doctor’s own planet of Galifrey.

Romana was the latest in a long line of attempts to give the doctor a companion who would be his equal, rather than the ‘cute girl who asks questions and screams at the monsters’. And, at first, Romana seems to be smarter than the Doctor, but as time goes on, she often winds up asking questions and screaming at the monsters, because, at the end of the day, those are the most important jobs for a companion on Doctor Who, as they are the on screen representation of the audience. But I digress.

The tracer leads our heroes to the planet Ribos, and this is where the real fun begins as writer Robert Holes serves up his usual high quality banter and a few really good stories. The basic premise is that a pair of con men are trying to sell the planet to a disgraced Prince, after tricking him into thinking that the planet is rich in mineral resources which he can sell and use to rebuild his army and regain his former glory. Of course, we know that there is no mineral wealth, and that the two men in question have no right to sell the planet in the first place, but that’s part of the fun in seeing how the story unfolds.

If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan of The Ribos Operation, and highly recommend it, but, it’s not without issues. This story is a kind of futuristic period piece. The costumes and sets are kind of Middle Age looking but are mixed with futuristic technology (by 1978 standards, lol). This is not bad, by any stretch, but, given the BBC’s deep well of all things period (costumes and sets), it’s clear that Ribos was done ‘on the cheap’. Plus, the monster is pretty awful, from a functional point of view. It’s not crucial to the story, and looks okay, but is totally unconvincing.

Holme’s trademark are his character pairs, and here we get two sets, the two con men, and the Prince and his general. These four characters are what make this story great and worth watching. There is lots of comedy and a good bit of drama too. The Prince is both revolting and sympathetic, a nice balance. While the con men are rendered in a way that is so friendly and slightly buffoonish, one can’t help but like them, despite the obvious criminal intention of their enterprise.

One exchange that always comes to mind when I think of this episode (paraphrasing):

Romana: Is he really a theif?
Doctor: Certainly
Romana: But he has such an honest face,
Doctor: he would make much of a thief with a dishonest face.

So, The Ribos Operation, first story in the Key to Time season story arc, super highly recommended and a pretty good bell weather. If you like this one, chances are, you are a potential fan of classic Doctor Who, if this one doesn’t float your boat, I’d abandon ship where this series is concerned.

*To learn more about Doctor Who see previous posts here on Robot Panic.

Back on my regular beat, I’ll start by saying I really like The Sun Makers, even though I don’t expect a lot of others to do the same owing to a little bit of over-the-top acting on the part of one of the guest stars. This four episode serial aired from 11-26-77 to 12-17-77, and starred Tom Baker and Louise Jameson.

It’s no spoiler to tell you the plot involves engineering suns, stars, that is.  Specifically, 6 suns orbiting Pluto to make it habitable.  And part of the genius of this story is how much I believe it is set on Pluto with 6 suns, despite a complete lack of any visuals or effects to sell me on that fact.  That suspension of disbelief occurs on account of the wonderful writing of the super talented Robert Holmes, my nominee for best Doctor Who writer ever (see my review of Talons of Weng Chiang for more praise of Mr. Holmes)

The other central element in this story is taxes, specifically, a society so over taxed it all but fails to function any longer.  Early in the story, one of the residents of Pluto is contemplating suicide on account of his inability to pay the taxes associated with his father’s death, and the inability of a tax official to offer any relief save some advice to work more hours (on a schedule that would kill most of us).  The Doctor and Leela arrive, and he is puzzled by this extreme callousness on the part of the government, and it is understanding the mystery of the situation which motivates him to stick around.  Along the way he discovers and then joins the rebellion against the larger society of Pluto.

There are elements of Robin Hood in this story, plus 1984, Brave New World, and Metropolis.  The visual style barrows from the latter and from Aztec motifs (centrality of the Sun symbol being a major one).  I love the look of this episode, and though I said my suspension of disbelief about it being on Pluto did not come from visuals, the visuals here are still very important to the story’s feel.

Sadly, this was the end of Holmes tenure as Script Editor on Doctor Who (similar to a lead writer on an American television show).  Fittingly, he left with a bang, as this story seemed to have come out of nowhere, relative to the stories before it.  The lack of ‘bug-eyed’ monsters was noticed by many at the time of its airing, and most welcomed it like fresh air.  I can see some people criticizing the acting a little, but there is so much humor in the script, it’s hard to take it too seriously.  Mostly this is a really fun adventure with anti-tax political commentary (listen up tea baggers) served with laughs that keep it from being a stale sermon.  Highly recommended viewing for Who fans and non fans alike, though perhaps unlikely to produce Doctor Who converts.

*About Doctor Who

I’m afraid this one is going to be short, as I can think of very little to say about it, it’s not that it’s bad, it’s quite enjoyable in the moment, but unlike some other Doctor Who serials, it’s impression is not lasting on me. Image of the Fendahl originally aired 10-29-77 to 11-19-77 with Tom Baker as the Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela, while K9, the new robotic companion, barely makes an appearance in the story.

This one begins with the discovery of a human skull that predates the existence of humans on the planet. This is a great premise in my opinion, and I only wish the rest of the story lived up to it. The skull is actually a relic of the Fendaleen, an ancient race that feed on the ‘life force’ of others, sucking them dead, so to speak. It was so powerful, it destroyed all life on it’s home planet before finding its way to Earth. If this sounds interesting, don’t be fooled by the premise, as the four episodes which make up this tale don’t begin to live up to all that potential. Except, that Tom Baker is so damn good at his job, when he says there are four billion people on the earth, but he expects, in one year, that there will only be one, it is quite chilling. And that begins to hint at the charm of this story. There is a lot to like along the way, but I find myself more disappointed than enthusiastic when talking about Fendahl.

More of a downside, this is one of three adventures during Graham Williams tenure as producer, when one of the main villains is a female with some crazy makeup scheme who looks, otherwise, completely human. I mention that because although he did it three times (see Stones of Blood and Creature from the Pit), I can’t thank of any other period until the modern (post 2005) one when that type of design was used (though I’m probably just forgetting some). And, if it was done once, it’d be just fine, but three times in as many years, seems a bit much.

There are some great one liners, upon discovery of a corpse, Dr. Fendahl asks what kind of corpse it is to which he’s told, “a dead one, what other kind is there?” So, it’s hard to fault the writer, Chris Boucher, for a ‘bad’ story in this case, especially when he’s done other good work, like Face of Evil and Robots of Death. Image of the Fendahl is not a bad story, however it does suffer from two weaknesses. The first is how the Fendahleen requires certain things to come into play for it to be resurrected, granted, the story explains it set these wheels in motion millions of years ago when it first landed on Earth, but it still feels a little too convenient. Second is the anti climactic appearance of the ‘monster’ which I sort of covered discussing the ‘makeup’ issue earlier. There is nothing really, in the production as a whole to prevent this from being one of the very best Doctor Who stories, yet it doesn’t even come close to living up to that potential, which is sort of sad. So I have to give this a very mild recommendation. There are moments that make it a near ‘must watch’ but overall it’s one I tend to forget quickly after watching it.

*About Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.

Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.

In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.

Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.

I am in the process of watching every episode of Doctor Who in chronological order (where those episodes have been destroyed, I am watching one of the recons). I have been at it for a couple of years and expect to be at it a couple more. I may occasionally post reviews out of order, but mostly I’m going to post them as I watch them.

Article by: Tribrix

“The quest is the quest”. The catchphrase of this four part serial which
originally aired from January 7 to 28, 1978, with Tom Baker and Louise
Jameson.

Many fans of Doctor Who remember this one as a story they’d like to forget. With a new box set out, including this particular story, many will be viewing it anew, and may be surprised at what they find. The Doctor and Leela land on a ship engaged in a long, long quest for the genetic material of their long lost planet/race (contained in two golden cylinders), that they may rebuild it on a new home. Initially, the doctor compares this vessel to the flying Dutchman, which would have been a very interesting story, indeed. Instead, what we have is a retelling of the less interesting Jason and the Argonauts. If you need more evidence of this, they are searching for the P-7E, which sounds an awful lot like Persephone, and that’s on purpose too.

Writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin, who produced several scripts of unevenquality for Doctor Who, even credited the ancient writers they borrowed so freely from. I believe this is a decent effort on their part, and there’s a lot I like about what they brought to the table, in the inventive ways they interpreted the old stories for a modern science fiction audience.

Another good quality about this one is the model work, which is first rate, especially for Doctor Who at that time. I’m not going to lie and say all the effects are perfect by todays standards, but there’s some good stuff there, and the bad stuff ain’t too bad. And I’m going to include the use of CSO (bluescreen) for the sets. As I understand it, inflation was so rampant at the time, in the months that passed from the time the show was budgeted until it was made, the Pound had lost so much value, they had to cut any corner they could, which included shooting all the cave scenes (it is called Underworld), against a blue screen. This save tons of money, but has dismayed fans a great deal over the years.

At times, K-9 seems to float over the landscape he’s supposed to be traversing. The backgrounds have a short depth of field which doesn’t match the sharp, deep focus on the actors. And the shadows don’t seem to match at all. I love it though. It gives the episode a very otherworldly quality it could never have had in the studio. Plus, the rocky floors have texture, which the studio shoots never achieve, even in the much lauded Caves of Androzani (more on that one later).

One last thing that’s nice about Underworld. When you get to the end, it will have a ring of familiarity to it, even though, it seems to differ slightly from the source material, making for a very satisfying end, IMO. A lot of fans would try to dissuade you from checking this one out, but I’m not one of them. This is never going to make a top ten or top twenty list, but it’s certainly worth checking out if you see it on cable somewhere or have access to watching it free on Netflix.

*About Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again
from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and
girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching,
know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early
evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.

Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a
lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for
fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges,
on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.

In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through
time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on
in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t
know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a
companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male
and/or robotic.

Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids,
but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for
herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical
aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of
just children. This tradition continues today.

I am in the process of watching every episode of Doctor Who in chronological
order (where those episodes have been destroyed, I am watching one of the
recons). I have been at it for a couple of years and expect to be at it a
couple more. I may occasionally post reviews out of order, but mostly I’m
going to post them as I watch them.

Article By: Tribrix

Tom Baker returns as the Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela in The Invisible Enemy. A four part serial which originally aired in January and February, 1977. It introduces K-9, the Doctors robotic Dog companion, but that is probably the only important detail to mention before the review proper. K-9 is, in retrospect, a clear R2-D2 ripoff. Granted, he has his own charm at times, but clearly the production felt the need to provide a cute robot companion, and then to make him a continuing character. K-9 is devisive among Doctor Who fans, but I could take him or leave him either way, not a big deal to me. In some ways, he breaks the show, by giving the Doctor easy access to too much weaponry, as one of the best things about Doctor Who is the lead character’s ability to get out of a jam with nothing but the junk laying around him. I’m at a loss to state K-9′s positive qualities, I don’t think he really adds much to the show at all. Enough about that, let’s review the story at hand.

Who knew white feathers could be scary? Infected by the ‘Swarm’ the Doctor lands the Tardis on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn, at a refueling station there, the infection continues. Thankfully, Leela is immune to the infection and is able to help. Clones of the her and the Doctor are miniaturized and sent into the Doctor’s body to try and neutralize the nucleus of the disease, but the plan backfires, as the nucleus itself escapes in place of the clones.

Borrowing from both Fantastic Voyage and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Invisible Enemy is an ambitious effort on the part of producer Graham Williams and crew, but they are (mostly) up to the task. Despite the lofty aims, this production mostly succeeds, however, certain failures are notable.

This is probably the first space bourne production made following the release of Star Wars, and unfortunately, it shows. For example there is a ray gun battle in a white hall way, very similar to the one that opens Star Wars IV, but in Doctor Who, it is so slow moving, it’s obviously from a different era. Also, Invisible Enemy features plenty of flying space ship porn, for those who like such things, but as with the ray gun battle, it’s so slow and boring, you really can’t wait for it to end. Those are some of the down sides.

On the Upsides, Invisible Enemy features some decent sets for the interior of the Doctor’s body, which are very reminiscent of the Fantastic Voyage movie, and the outward effects of the disease are quite creepy (did I mention the white feathers?) Once a person has been infected, these white feathers seem to grow around the eyes, looking kind of like fluffy goggles, but don’t let that description fool you. It’s not a pleasant sight and kind of makes my skin crawl just thinking about it again.

Invisible Enemy is better than average for Doctor Who. It has it’s weak points, but otherwise, it’s quite a good story worth watching, if, for no other reason, than for the introduction of K-9 and the demonstration that white feathers can be scary.

*About Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.

Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.

In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.

Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.

I am in the process of watching every episode of Doctor Who in chronological order (where those episodes have been destroyed, I am watching one of the recons). I have been at it for a couple of years and expect to be at it a couple more. I may occasionally post reviews out of order, but mostly I’m going to post them as I watch them.

Article By: Tribrix

Tom Baker returns as the Doctor and Louise Jameson in this, the first story of the first season produced by Graham Williams. It originally aired 9.3.77 to 9.24.77 and was written by Terrance Dicks, easily the most prolific Doctor Who author ever (with over 400 books to his name, not all of them Doctor Who related, but many). Graham Williams era with the show is marked by a bit of a decline in quality compared to his predecessor, which I think shows in this very first story. However, Baker is still in his stride here, and that helps overcome scripts that are not quite as good, and productions that may have been a bit too ambitious at times.

The story concerns a lighthouse on the English coast in the early 20th century, isolated by fog and under attack by the Rutans, mortally enemy of the Sontarans, with whom they’ve been at war for many years. I’ll spare you the detail of how the lighthouse is involved in their plan, as I’m not all that convinced of it’s soundness. In the lighthouse, are the three men who run it, and later, when a ship runs aground, owing to the previously mentioned fog, the three surviving passengers join the small party already coping with the Rutan’s machinations. These new passengers add some juice the plot really needs at that point and bring with them their own intrigues and drama, compounding all the problems already present.

I’m not a big fan of this story, and this most recent viewing marks my third time out with it. I really like the premise, even if it calls to mind Robots of Death, a mere two stories back, and that it is a period piece, like the story previous, set not too much later either. Having a group of strangers trapped in confined quarters as they then start dying one by one has made for many a good murder mystery, but this is not one of them.

As for the production, well, you take the good, you take the bad, and there you have . . . well, Graham Williams was less interested than his predecessor in trying to produce a show of the highest quality based on the budget he had. One finds Graham reaching higher, and sometimes missing the ring. The lighthouse set is awesome, and really shines. The Rutan, well, not so much. I was happy it was out of focus a lot of the time, but there also seemed to be a scale issue.

In the end, what this group of episodes had going for it was atmosphere, that it has, in spades. If there were any reason to recommend it, that would be it. The acting is alright, but I didn’t catch any standouts. The Doctor has a few good quips, which Baker delivers wonderfully. But I’m hard pressed to recommend this one, unless you are a completist like me.

*About Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.

Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.

In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.

Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.

I am in the process of watching every episode of Doctor Who in chronological order (where those episodes have been destroyed, I am watching one of the recons). I have been at it for a couple of years and expect to be at it a couple more. I may occasionally post reviews out of order, but mostly I’m going to post them as I watch them.

Article By: Tribrix

I have to admit, I’m a little sad writing this review, as it is the last Doctor Who story produced by Philip Hinchcliffe, arguably the show’s very best helmsman. It is also writer Robert Holme’s most wonderful contribution (he had many) to the show. It is also, like Robots of Death, one of the very best episodes to get your feet wet with, where Doctor Who is concerned. This is a six part serial that originally aired from 2.26.77 to 4.2.77.

In this story, the Doctor and Leela arrive in Victorian London, ostensibly, to attend the theatre. Leela, a primitive ‘savage’ has never had the pleasure of culture and the Doctor is anxious to share it with her. On arrival, they discover young women are going missing around town, and word on the street is that the ripper is up to his old tricks. The Doctor and Leela do eventually make their way to the theater, but not before they discover more strange mysteries with a distinctive Chinese bent.

I have read the novelization of this story 3 times and seen this broadcast 4 or more times, so the story is very familiar to me at this point. Despite that, it’s still always a joy to watch this, even though Victorian England is not that interesting to me. Credit the writing of Robert Holmes. This story blends Conan Doyle/ Sherlock Holmes and My Fair Lady, with Phantom of the Opera, and throws in both future tech and Asian flavor to spice it up even more. Holmes love of alliteration is showcased a lot (keep those ears open), and he offers tons of quotable lines: When the Doctor tries to sneak out of Li H’sen Chang’s magic act, Chang says, “One of us is yellow,” Not PC, but hilarious, and one of many such moments in the story.

The BBC is at it’s best doing period drama, and that is on full show in this production. Seriously, during my most recent viewing there were times this felt like a feature film on video tape, because the lighting, costumes, acting, and ambience were all so right and wonderfully done. Which is not to say this is a production without problems, and of that I will say, there is a giant rodent who is much to cute and not nearly menacing enough, and there’s nothing to be done about it now, but it’s the sole blemish on an otherwise remarkable serial. I say sole blemish, but recognize others might have issue with the visual effects, and the ‘cheapness’ thereof. In their defense I’ll just say that they aren’t so bad.

The acting in this story is great, even by classic Doctor Who standards. Top British talent were always eager to go on the show because it offered them such wide exposure and usually had fairly decent writing, plus the chance to do something a little off the beaten track. In a totally un-PC move, John Bennet plays the heavy, Li H’sen Chang, for the first 5 episodes. The prosthetic eye makeup is good and John delivers a convincing performance. According to the producer, they’d have loved to hire a ‘real’ asian actor for the role, but didn’t feel the BBC had any Asian leading men on the roster. Also of note in this story are Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter, playing Jago and Litefoot, respectively. These two characters are present and interesting from the first episode on, but once they begin to work together in a later episode, they play off each other in a lightly comedic way that completely steals the show from the hero. Speaking of which, Tom Baker does a great job as the Doctor this time, though that is no real surprise, and Louise Jameson has a chance to shine as Leela, the savage in Victorian London, the sort of ‘Tarzan’ role the character was created to be placed in.

Talons of Weng Chiang is an excellent place to start watching Doctor Who because the overall quality is rarely equalled in the classic series, however, I’d recommend watching Robots of Death first, because, being set in the future, it’s more sci-fi-esque and a better representation of the show, but Talons of Weng Chiang is a better story and an even better production. As it happens, they are sequential, with Robots coming first, so it makes a great double bill. These were the first two Doctor Who DVDs I purchased, so you know they’re high on my list of favorites.

*About Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.

Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.

In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.

Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.

Article By: Tribix

Hilden’s Note: My appologies to Tribix for the late post on these. I’ve had a whole series of these kick ass Dr. Who reviews sitting in my inbox forever. With the whole server shitstorm, my head’s been a bit out of the Robot Panic posting mode. Look forward to more of these reviews in the coming weeks!

If you have never seen any episodes of classic Doctor Who (see my note at the bottom, *about Doctor Who), Robots of Death is a great place to start. I say that not only because it came about when the show was at its very height in terms of cast and crew, but even among the stories of that period it’s a highlight. ROD is a 4 part serial story which first aired from 1.29.77 to 2.19.77 (right before Star Wars premired). Fans of classic Doctor Who are often in the position of having to apologize for poor sets, poor effects, poor model work, and poor monster costumes, but ROD is one of the more solid stories where most of these elements are at least okay, and some elements, like the robot design, are really inspired.

The story opens as the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Loise Jamison) land on a large scale mining vehicle, with a human crew of less than a dozen, and many more robots who perform most of the work, especially when the crew takes to lounging in luxury. Soon the human crew start dropping like flies, and, surprise, the Doctor and Leela are suspected to be behind the deaths.

Drawing from a number of different literary sources: Agatha Christi, I Robot, and Dune come to mind, ROD is also it’s own, totally original story, where these influences, though transparent, really do provide background ambience to a larger aim. As was often the case in classic Doctor Who, the supporting guest cast are all quite good (well, mostly), especially the ones who get the most screen time, thankfully. There is a moment when one female character reads a letter and feigns a cry which is wince inducing, but that’s the only really bad acting standout. The model work is okay in this one. The miner is a very original design of a vehicle, but it could do with greater detail to sell it’s scale better, also, there are a couple of composite shots with it and the live actors which don’t work well at all on account of some depth of field issues with the cameras (I had a hard time figuring out what these were supposed to be the first time I saw them). The sets are pretty good, no real complaints there. The robot design is a treat, but the other costumes are a bit over-the-top for a mining crew. They suggest that these people spend more time lounging than working, which would go with later revelations in the plot, so I suppose that was the intended effect. There are few ‘effects’ but they are mostly pretty good, not realistic, mind you, but not distracting either.

As I said before, if you have never seen a classic Doctor Who, this is a good one to start with. It’s a very interesting story, mostly well produced, and very enjoyable, one of the very best stories of classic Doctor Who.

*About Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British sci-fi show which aired from 1963 – 1989 and again from 2005 to the present. In the UK, it is ubiquitous, watched by boys and girls, men and women, ages 9-99, most people, even if they are not watching, know what’s happening in the show each week. It typically airs in the early evening on Saturdays, right after the sports finish up.

Doctor Who in America is a bit more divisive. Some fans love it, while a lot of people in the genre community can’t stand it. It’s easy, even for fans, to understand this schism, because the show has a lot of rough edges, on account of low budgets and quirky temperament.

In Doctor Who, the main character, the Doctor, wanders the universe through time and space, in a telephone booth called the Tardis, which is larger on in the inside. He cannot completely control the Tardis, and often doesn’t know where he’s going or where he is. He is usually accompanied by a companion or more and they are usually female, though some have been male and/or robotic.

Originally it was to have been a time traveling educational show for kids, but the show’s first producer, Verity Lambert, keen on making a career for herself with a ‘hit’ show, gave it her own spin, downplaying the historical aspect, upping the sci-fi, and gearing it towards all audiences, instead of just children. This tradition continues today.

-by Tribrix