First off my little tribute to Hartnell:
I have to say how much my views have changed after watching his 29 stories, this was a Doctor who, at first, wasn't a favourite of mine. When I came into Classic Who in 2007 the only Hartnell DVD's that were out at the time were: The Beginning, The Aztecs, The Dalek Invasion Of Earth & The Web Planet and to be honest I found all of them dull on first watch. I dislike the Susan Character, didn't really warm to 1st, Ian or Barbara and just found his stories dull.
Fast forward to 2009 & Hartnell is now my fifth favourite Doctor (although first on the Marathon rankings, so far), here we have a Doctor who is a wise old Grandfather who is weary of you at first & can appear quite rude, but in time grows to be rather fond of your company. Hartnell's Doctor didn't change as dramatically as some did during their reign but by the end of Season 3 I had grown to like him a lot.
For me his first series is his weakest, mainly as the stories are slower & Susan is just bloody annoying, then with the addition of Vicki his second series improves on the first greatly. His third series is my favourite though seeing as it's the most diverse of the lot with some really experimental story styles. His two appearances in the fourth season are a bit of a step down, but to be fair, considering Hartnell's own deteriorating health it's rather understandable.
The First Doctor's companions were also, on the whole, a rather great bunch, save for one or two. What I really like is that, with the exception of Dodo, The First Doctor always gives a nice little speech about the departing companion & always comes across as genuine when delivering them. Below are my thoughts on each companion/companion team:
Susan - Oh dear, now I don't blame Carole Ann Ford for this at all but I just don't like the character. When Susan was introduced in Episode 1 or An Unearthly Child she had a kind of cool, other worldly aurora about her. However from Episode 2, onwards she just turns into a whiney, annoying character & to me can spoil a story every so often. Again I don't blame Ford for this, it's just that they seemed to have thought of how they wanted to set up the character & then wrote for her in a completely different way.
Ian & Barbara - What a great team they were, over 16 stories we saw them introduced as two everyday school teachers & saw them develop into two knowledgeable space travelers. I don't think they were ever bad in a single story they appeared in and, for me, their departure was really sad. A truly great team of which I don't think anyone ever matched them ever again in the series.
Vicki - Oh how much an improvement was Vicki over Susan, from her first story to her last I really enjoyed her character. Her Granddaughter/Grandfather relationship with the First Doctor came across far more genuine that First did with Susan. I liked how Vicki could also be cheeky at times with the rest of the Tardis crew, especially in The Chase were she teases Ian on several occasions. A great little companion, just a shame her final story is missing.
Steven - I rather liked Steven, sure he was no Ian but he was a rather likable character. He could be a bit hot headed at times (sometimes using his fists first before approaching someone with caution) but he always looked out for his fellow companions & The Doctor. Steven also carried stories well when The First Doctor was absent (notably The Massacre... & The Celestial Toymaker). A rather good companion played well by the mighty Purves, just a shame that yet again his final story is missing, although his final moments are at least available in 8m format.
Katarina - A rather interesting companion considering she had one of the shortest reigns ever in the history of Who. Personally I think it's a shame that she wasn't kept on although think about it I can understand why they didn't. Considering she's the first companion from the past & so doesn't "get" the modern or futuristic world I rather like Adrienne Hill's portrayal. However considering how the Daleks Master Plan was wrote & the way the story was going, she just never really fitted in. Had The Myth Makers occured after DMP then she probably would have stayed on, however it wasn't & unfortunately she never really fitted in. She did however had a very moving, haunting & dramatic death. A good companion that was unfortunately introduced at the wrong time & yet again another one whose first & last episodes are missing, in fact she has only the one episode sadly.
Sara - What a great companion she was, such a shame she only lasted one story, however her ending was very haunting & perhaps the eeriest of the lot. Jean Marsh was excellent as the Emma Peel style Sara Kingdom and works well throughout the story. Also the first female companion who didn't scream her way through the stories. Her final scenes in Episode 12 were excellently reconstructed by LC & show just how scary her deterioration was. A shame she wasn't kept on past the story, however considering her demise I think we ended up with the better option in some respects. A shame then that yet again her final episode is missing.
Dodo - I didn't mind Dodo TBH, sure she was a bit of a busy body at times but I preferred her to Susan. As to why they asked Jackie Lane to have a Yorkshire/Northern accent in The Massacre... is beyond me. The way she's handled as well is rather poor also, first off tacked onto the end of The Massacre & then she just suddenly disappears in episode 2 of The War Machines. Even the Doctor doesn't give her the usual farewell speech. Shame really as I didn't think she was that bad really.
Ben & Polly - A great double act, of which I'll go into more detail when it comes to reviewing the Troughton era. They get a great introduction in The War Machines and seem to gel with The First Doctor quite well although they never really develop a relationship as they're only together for three stories. However during that short time I found them instantly likeable, however as I say more about them in the Troughton review.
Enough of my ramblings, onto my most & least favourites from his era:
Favourite Companion: Ian & Barbara and Ben & Polly (I count these as Companion teams as they are introduced & leave at the same time)
Least Favourite Companion: Susan (see above)
Favourite Alien: Daleks (they're really great in the Hartnell years)
Favourite actor: William Hartnell (of course)
Favourite actress: Jacqueline Hill
Favourite Cliffhanger: Episode 3, where The Doctor stands definatley as a War machine approaches him.
Favourtie Stories: Top Three - The Daleks Master Plan (5/5), The War Machines (5/5) & The Time Meddler (4.75/5)
Least Favourite Stories: Bottom Three - Galaxy 4 (2.25/5), The Web Planet (1.5/5) & The Sensorites (1/5)
Favourite soundtrack: Daleks Master Plan (Episode 12 in particular)
Favourite Writer: According to my top three favourite stories, Terry Nation, Dennis Spooner, Ian Stuart Black & Kit Pedler
And the Hartnell special category…
Favourite fluffed line: You'll end up as cinders in Spain
Thursday 9 July 2009
Tuesday 7 July 2009
The Tenth Planet
Story Title: The Tenth Planet
Series: 4 Story No: 2 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Thursday 2nd July 2009
The last hurrah for the First Doctor, actually as bad as some make out, it’s just a shame that Hartnell’s last appearance, during his reign that remains in the archives is Episode 2.
The story itself it’s rather good, if again nothing spectacular. Ben & Polly still prove to be likeable in this with Polly uttering several lines that end up being unintentionally funny, most notably the way she says “oh no” when one of the soldiers gets killed by a Cyberman. The American accents are again a bit all over the place (makes you wonder why they chose to get actors in to put on American accents when it wasn’t fully successful first time round with The Gunfighters).
General Cutler’s accent is spot on however (he was Canadian after all so would be able to nail the accent somewhat) & considering he was the dominant American character in the story you kind of forget about the other ropey accents in Episode 1. Robert Beatty plays Cutler very well & convincingly, showing a hard military man crack & loose the plot once he realises that his son has gone on a possible “suicide mission”.
Another character that I particularly liked in the story as well was Barclay, who looks wise reminded me a bit of Rolf Harris. His rather calm & level headed thinking was a great contrast to brash & pig headed Cutler. The accents of the people at Geneva sounded a bit put on but then again perhaps they wanted to make a point of
Mention also has to be given to the Cybermen themselves, at quick glance most would be dismissive of their rather “cheap” look & the sound of their voice probably would make a modern audience of today laugh at them rather than fear them. However the look itself is perhaps the creepiest of the lot, especially when the light sometimes catches the eyeballs behind the black cloth, even more so when those eye’s are looking at camera.
The sets themselves aren’t that spectacular although the South Pole outdoor sets are effective enough. The model of Mondas although simple, works & probably had a few of the audience members of 1966 wonder what was going on with this upside down representation of Earth.
One thing that has dated the story somewhat is it’s year setting, 1986, whereas even by 1976 the story looked dated, however that’s just the curse of the Sci-Fi show unfortunately, predicting the future when it comes to technology usually means it’s just going to look dated 5-10 years down the line & considering this story is 43 years old it’s even more evident, oh well.
Sadly the final episode is missing but thankfully the regeneration remains, sure later ones proved were more dramatic & better filmed, but this first one is still good, is rather poignant & is rather sad in some respects as after 29 stories the First Doctor has gone.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – A very good tale that does have a few production issues but the performances by Beatty & Dodimead, along with the introduction of the rather creepy Cybermen & the regeneration of the first Doctor lift the score of this story somewhat.
Series: 4 Story No: 2 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Thursday 2nd July 2009
The last hurrah for the First Doctor, actually as bad as some make out, it’s just a shame that Hartnell’s last appearance, during his reign that remains in the archives is Episode 2.
The story itself it’s rather good, if again nothing spectacular. Ben & Polly still prove to be likeable in this with Polly uttering several lines that end up being unintentionally funny, most notably the way she says “oh no” when one of the soldiers gets killed by a Cyberman. The American accents are again a bit all over the place (makes you wonder why they chose to get actors in to put on American accents when it wasn’t fully successful first time round with The Gunfighters).
General Cutler’s accent is spot on however (he was Canadian after all so would be able to nail the accent somewhat) & considering he was the dominant American character in the story you kind of forget about the other ropey accents in Episode 1. Robert Beatty plays Cutler very well & convincingly, showing a hard military man crack & loose the plot once he realises that his son has gone on a possible “suicide mission”.
Another character that I particularly liked in the story as well was Barclay, who looks wise reminded me a bit of Rolf Harris. His rather calm & level headed thinking was a great contrast to brash & pig headed Cutler. The accents of the people at Geneva sounded a bit put on but then again perhaps they wanted to make a point of
Mention also has to be given to the Cybermen themselves, at quick glance most would be dismissive of their rather “cheap” look & the sound of their voice probably would make a modern audience of today laugh at them rather than fear them. However the look itself is perhaps the creepiest of the lot, especially when the light sometimes catches the eyeballs behind the black cloth, even more so when those eye’s are looking at camera.
The sets themselves aren’t that spectacular although the South Pole outdoor sets are effective enough. The model of Mondas although simple, works & probably had a few of the audience members of 1966 wonder what was going on with this upside down representation of Earth.
One thing that has dated the story somewhat is it’s year setting, 1986, whereas even by 1976 the story looked dated, however that’s just the curse of the Sci-Fi show unfortunately, predicting the future when it comes to technology usually means it’s just going to look dated 5-10 years down the line & considering this story is 43 years old it’s even more evident, oh well.
Sadly the final episode is missing but thankfully the regeneration remains, sure later ones proved were more dramatic & better filmed, but this first one is still good, is rather poignant & is rather sad in some respects as after 29 stories the First Doctor has gone.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – A very good tale that does have a few production issues but the performances by Beatty & Dodimead, along with the introduction of the rather creepy Cybermen & the regeneration of the first Doctor lift the score of this story somewhat.
The Smugglers
Story Title: The Smugglers
Series: 4 Story No: 1 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Wednesday 1st July 2009 (Episode 1) & Thursday 2nd July 2009 (Episodes 2-4)
Season 4 kicks off with a straight forward historical, the penultimate on in the series to be precise. This story is rather pleasant although, for me, wasn’t anything too special. The story is well cast with Hartnell, Wills & Craze all on form as usual with George A. Cooper in particular fine form as the devious & treacherous Cherub, Michael Godfrey as the ruthless Captain Pike & Paul Whitsun-Jones as the corrupt Squire.
Jamaica’s death is somewhat callous & to me seems a bit prejudice, especially when Pike has a go at him for being tricked by The Doctor & Inn Keeper, however I suppose it would have been historically accurate in some respects, although stuck out to me when I watched it back.
The location work is great & it makes a nice change to get a story’s exterior shots being shot somewhere else other than the countryside that surrounds London. The existent clips taken on the 8mm film give a nice touch to the recon and give a feel as to how the story would have looked had it survived. The sets are again on form, especially the Crypt that looked rather realistic.
On disadvantage to this story’s absence in the archives is that the fight scene in episode 4 is missing & although LC did a great job in trying to recreate it, the fight would have been a lot better had it had survived, however you do get a sense that it was probably quite violent when aired.
Other than that though there’s not much else to report on this one, it’s a nice little story although nothing spectacular
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 – A nice little adventure which does feel like a bit of a filler at times, but is pleasant watch & is the final time Hartnell does a complete story.
Series: 4 Story No: 1 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Wednesday 1st July 2009 (Episode 1) & Thursday 2nd July 2009 (Episodes 2-4)
Season 4 kicks off with a straight forward historical, the penultimate on in the series to be precise. This story is rather pleasant although, for me, wasn’t anything too special. The story is well cast with Hartnell, Wills & Craze all on form as usual with George A. Cooper in particular fine form as the devious & treacherous Cherub, Michael Godfrey as the ruthless Captain Pike & Paul Whitsun-Jones as the corrupt Squire.
Jamaica’s death is somewhat callous & to me seems a bit prejudice, especially when Pike has a go at him for being tricked by The Doctor & Inn Keeper, however I suppose it would have been historically accurate in some respects, although stuck out to me when I watched it back.
The location work is great & it makes a nice change to get a story’s exterior shots being shot somewhere else other than the countryside that surrounds London. The existent clips taken on the 8mm film give a nice touch to the recon and give a feel as to how the story would have looked had it survived. The sets are again on form, especially the Crypt that looked rather realistic.
On disadvantage to this story’s absence in the archives is that the fight scene in episode 4 is missing & although LC did a great job in trying to recreate it, the fight would have been a lot better had it had survived, however you do get a sense that it was probably quite violent when aired.
Other than that though there’s not much else to report on this one, it’s a nice little story although nothing spectacular
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 – A nice little adventure which does feel like a bit of a filler at times, but is pleasant watch & is the final time Hartnell does a complete story.
Sunday 5 July 2009
Thoughts On Season 3
Season 3 is the Season where the Hartnell era really gets experimental & goes rather off the wall. The Season sees the departure of not only Vicki, who had been with the series since The Rescue (the third story of Season 2) and Steven, who was introduced during the last story of Season 2.
In between both of their departures we have the introduction of three companions, two of which are killed off as soon as they arrive in the series, Katarina & Sara, both who die in The Daleks' Master Plan and Dodo who rather oddly just pops up at the end of The Massacre and then rather oddly just disappears half way through The War Machines.
The stories themselves are very diverse as well, some which are excellent (The Daleks' Master Plan & The War Machines) and some which are very unexpected (The Celestial Toymaker with it's rather other worldly atmosphere throughout & The Gunfighters with it's out breaks of music every other scene & cockney Cowboys in the Wild West).
However the series is all the better for it and the wide range of story styles throughout this season add something to it and for me & make it my favourite Hartnell season of the lot, it's just a shame that he's missing for large parts of it during the latter stories.
Once getting to the end of this series I start to feel a bit sad at the imminent departure of the Doctor in two stories time, my opinion of this Doctor has change quite a lot since I got into Classic Who, going from being one of my least favourites to one of my favourites & that's all thanks to how Hartnell well Hartnell played the character, something which I will write about after I have wrote my review for the Tenth Planet.
A great season which doesn't get this experimental again for a long while
Season 3 results:
Galaxy 4 = 2.25
Mission To The Unknown = 3.75
The Myth Makers = 4.25
The Daleks' Master Plan = 5
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve = 4
The Ark = 4.25
The Celestial Toymaker = 3.75
The Gunfighters = 4
The Savages = 4.25
The War Machines = 5
Total = 40.5/50
Onto Season 4 next, where everything begins to change....
In between both of their departures we have the introduction of three companions, two of which are killed off as soon as they arrive in the series, Katarina & Sara, both who die in The Daleks' Master Plan and Dodo who rather oddly just pops up at the end of The Massacre and then rather oddly just disappears half way through The War Machines.
The stories themselves are very diverse as well, some which are excellent (The Daleks' Master Plan & The War Machines) and some which are very unexpected (The Celestial Toymaker with it's rather other worldly atmosphere throughout & The Gunfighters with it's out breaks of music every other scene & cockney Cowboys in the Wild West).
However the series is all the better for it and the wide range of story styles throughout this season add something to it and for me & make it my favourite Hartnell season of the lot, it's just a shame that he's missing for large parts of it during the latter stories.
Once getting to the end of this series I start to feel a bit sad at the imminent departure of the Doctor in two stories time, my opinion of this Doctor has change quite a lot since I got into Classic Who, going from being one of my least favourites to one of my favourites & that's all thanks to how Hartnell well Hartnell played the character, something which I will write about after I have wrote my review for the Tenth Planet.
A great season which doesn't get this experimental again for a long while
Season 3 results:
Galaxy 4 = 2.25
Mission To The Unknown = 3.75
The Myth Makers = 4.25
The Daleks' Master Plan = 5
The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve = 4
The Ark = 4.25
The Celestial Toymaker = 3.75
The Gunfighters = 4
The Savages = 4.25
The War Machines = 5
Total = 40.5/50
Onto Season 4 next, where everything begins to change....
The War Machines
Story Title: The War Machines
Series: 3 Story No: 10 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Dodo, Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Wednesday 1st July 2009
One of my all time favourites & the story that really got me into the First Doctor’s stories (along with The Time Meddler). This story is just superb from start to finish and although it has one or two little issues in it I always look past them & enjoy this story for what it is, a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London. The Doctor & Dodo land in London in 1966, just after the completion of the GPO Tower (now known as the BT Tower) of which the Doctor senses there is something rather alien about it.
They end up in the tower where they meet Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly and of course Wotan who knows what TARDIS stands for (something which is never explained in the story). An unintentionally humorous scene follows in The Inferno which is “the hottest spot in town” according to Polly, which it probably was back in 1966 but in 2009 obviously has dated. It’s here we meet Ben, who is the first companion to have a rather rough accent (the others being rather posh, Dodo did have a Northern accent but that only really appears at the end of The Massacre).
However whilst this is all going on Professor Brett, Major Green & Professor Krimpton all get taken over by Wotan & are soon joined by Dodo who almost betrays the Doctor on several occasions. Polly also gets taken over later on in the story & Anneke Wills gives some rather haunting facial expressions when under the influence.
The War Machines get set in motion & the Doctor manages to capture a couple, before reprogramming one of them & sending it back to the GPO Tower to destroy Wotan, which finally rids Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly & the rest of Wotan’s influences. Unfortunately during Wotan’s destruction Professor Krimpton is accidently killed, when, under the influence of Wotan, he tries to defend the said computer & is killed by the reprogrammed War Machine.
The cast throughout are spot on with great performances from all, especially those under the influence of Wotan. Wotan’s voice itself if wonderfully alien & creepy with it’s slow hissing voice, it does however call the Doctor “Doctor Who” in error, something of which is repeated by several of the cast, who are under Wotan’s influence, several times throughout the story.
Ben & Polly are an instantly likeable pair of companions for me & both Craze & Wills have wonderful chemistry between each other with Ben often referring to Polly as Duchess in a friendly way. They also work very well with The First Doctor during this story as well & give clear indications that they could possibly be the next companions (of which they ultimately are by the end of this story.
However although Ben & Polly get a great introduction Dodo has a terrible departure, she ends up being hypnotised by Wotan and then gets sent to the country to stay with Sir Charles’ wife to recover, never to return to the series again. The Doctor rather oddly doesn’t pay tribute to Dodo at all, and seems more interested in rushing away than about Dodo’s departure. However thankfully Ben & Polly are on hand to fill the void although there is no reference to Dodo at all in the next story, which kind of suggests that the Doctor didn’t care that much for her at all!
The sets were again spot on and the sound effects are wonderfully futuristic, for the 1960’s. Wotan is rather dated, it a nice, nostalgic way and the War Machines look great, if yet again look dated. The support cast is spot on as well, with great performances as well. There’s also a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance by a very young Mike Reid (aka Frank Butcher) in the capture scene in Episode 4. I also rather liked the title cards for this story, which form up to a rather nice, dramatic little tune & make a nice change from the usual fade up of the titles over the opening moments of the story.
There are one or two plot holes & the handling of Dodo’s departure was badly handled, however I never get tired of this story & always enjoy watching it, plus we get the introduction of two rather under rated companions
Overall Rating: 5/5 – A few plot holes here & there but the story is so great that I really don’t notice them, one of my all time favourite Hartnell stories, which gives a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London.
Series: 3 Story No: 10 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Dodo, Ben & Polly
Date(s) Watched: Wednesday 1st July 2009
One of my all time favourites & the story that really got me into the First Doctor’s stories (along with The Time Meddler). This story is just superb from start to finish and although it has one or two little issues in it I always look past them & enjoy this story for what it is, a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London. The Doctor & Dodo land in London in 1966, just after the completion of the GPO Tower (now known as the BT Tower) of which the Doctor senses there is something rather alien about it.
They end up in the tower where they meet Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly and of course Wotan who knows what TARDIS stands for (something which is never explained in the story). An unintentionally humorous scene follows in The Inferno which is “the hottest spot in town” according to Polly, which it probably was back in 1966 but in 2009 obviously has dated. It’s here we meet Ben, who is the first companion to have a rather rough accent (the others being rather posh, Dodo did have a Northern accent but that only really appears at the end of The Massacre).
However whilst this is all going on Professor Brett, Major Green & Professor Krimpton all get taken over by Wotan & are soon joined by Dodo who almost betrays the Doctor on several occasions. Polly also gets taken over later on in the story & Anneke Wills gives some rather haunting facial expressions when under the influence.
The War Machines get set in motion & the Doctor manages to capture a couple, before reprogramming one of them & sending it back to the GPO Tower to destroy Wotan, which finally rids Professor Brett, Major Green, Polly & the rest of Wotan’s influences. Unfortunately during Wotan’s destruction Professor Krimpton is accidently killed, when, under the influence of Wotan, he tries to defend the said computer & is killed by the reprogrammed War Machine.
The cast throughout are spot on with great performances from all, especially those under the influence of Wotan. Wotan’s voice itself if wonderfully alien & creepy with it’s slow hissing voice, it does however call the Doctor “Doctor Who” in error, something of which is repeated by several of the cast, who are under Wotan’s influence, several times throughout the story.
Ben & Polly are an instantly likeable pair of companions for me & both Craze & Wills have wonderful chemistry between each other with Ben often referring to Polly as Duchess in a friendly way. They also work very well with The First Doctor during this story as well & give clear indications that they could possibly be the next companions (of which they ultimately are by the end of this story.
However although Ben & Polly get a great introduction Dodo has a terrible departure, she ends up being hypnotised by Wotan and then gets sent to the country to stay with Sir Charles’ wife to recover, never to return to the series again. The Doctor rather oddly doesn’t pay tribute to Dodo at all, and seems more interested in rushing away than about Dodo’s departure. However thankfully Ben & Polly are on hand to fill the void although there is no reference to Dodo at all in the next story, which kind of suggests that the Doctor didn’t care that much for her at all!
The sets were again spot on and the sound effects are wonderfully futuristic, for the 1960’s. Wotan is rather dated, it a nice, nostalgic way and the War Machines look great, if yet again look dated. The support cast is spot on as well, with great performances as well. There’s also a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance by a very young Mike Reid (aka Frank Butcher) in the capture scene in Episode 4. I also rather liked the title cards for this story, which form up to a rather nice, dramatic little tune & make a nice change from the usual fade up of the titles over the opening moments of the story.
There are one or two plot holes & the handling of Dodo’s departure was badly handled, however I never get tired of this story & always enjoy watching it, plus we get the introduction of two rather under rated companions
Overall Rating: 5/5 – A few plot holes here & there but the story is so great that I really don’t notice them, one of my all time favourite Hartnell stories, which gives a wonderful snap shot of 60’s London.
The Savages
Story Title: The Savages
Series: 3 Story No: 9 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A rather good story this one although an odd one at that. The story sees two factions on a planet in the distant future with the Elders based in the city & the Savages based out in the wastelands. It’s revealed that the Doctor has visited once before & is called “The Traveller From Beyond Time” by Jano and several others. However the pleasant greetings soon change once the Doctor finds out the terrible experiments been carried on the Savages in the city.
The location work looks very good as do the City sets, although it doesn’t really look that much like a city to me. Hartnell, Purves & Lane are on form as usual & in this story Dodo’s nosiness actually fits in with this story. The performances by the support cast are on form as usual, especially Jaeger who does a rather great impression of the First Doctor.
This story sees the departure of Steven who has been a great companion throughout his reign & has had to content with quite a few different companions since he entered the Tardis (Vicki, Katarina, Sara & Dodo). However with all he’s been through during his nine story tenure he gets a rather fitting send off, becoming leader of the planet & trying to unite the Savages & the Elders, although it does feel slightly rushed. Steven’s ending is rather sad, mainly as he has been there for such a long time that he’s departure feels more poignant.
The First Doctor is yet again incapacitated in this story & perhaps takes his biggest hit since DMP, with his memories & strengths partially transferred over to Jano & is left in an very weak state during the end of Part 3 & the start of Part 4. However he seems to gain back his energy to help lead the rebellion against the technology being used on the planet. The First Doctor also gives another moving speech to another departing companion, something which Hartnell always delivered well.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – A very good story that goes along at a nice pace, the recent LC Recon is great and really helps the story along, it’s a shame that this one seems to get forgotten by fans however.
Series: 3 Story No: 9 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A rather good story this one although an odd one at that. The story sees two factions on a planet in the distant future with the Elders based in the city & the Savages based out in the wastelands. It’s revealed that the Doctor has visited once before & is called “The Traveller From Beyond Time” by Jano and several others. However the pleasant greetings soon change once the Doctor finds out the terrible experiments been carried on the Savages in the city.
The location work looks very good as do the City sets, although it doesn’t really look that much like a city to me. Hartnell, Purves & Lane are on form as usual & in this story Dodo’s nosiness actually fits in with this story. The performances by the support cast are on form as usual, especially Jaeger who does a rather great impression of the First Doctor.
This story sees the departure of Steven who has been a great companion throughout his reign & has had to content with quite a few different companions since he entered the Tardis (Vicki, Katarina, Sara & Dodo). However with all he’s been through during his nine story tenure he gets a rather fitting send off, becoming leader of the planet & trying to unite the Savages & the Elders, although it does feel slightly rushed. Steven’s ending is rather sad, mainly as he has been there for such a long time that he’s departure feels more poignant.
The First Doctor is yet again incapacitated in this story & perhaps takes his biggest hit since DMP, with his memories & strengths partially transferred over to Jano & is left in an very weak state during the end of Part 3 & the start of Part 4. However he seems to gain back his energy to help lead the rebellion against the technology being used on the planet. The First Doctor also gives another moving speech to another departing companion, something which Hartnell always delivered well.
Overall Rating: 4.25/5 – A very good story that goes along at a nice pace, the recent LC Recon is great and really helps the story along, it’s a shame that this one seems to get forgotten by fans however.
The Gunfighters
Story Title: The Gunfighters
Series: 3 Story No: 8 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A story that many a fan dislikes, mainly due to the “Last Chance Saloon” song that opens & closes nearly every scene in each episode, however I rather liked this story, mainly as it’s a lot of fun at least if anything else. The sets & costumes are very convincing indeed, for me at least, you get a feel that The Doctor, Steven & Dodo are actually in the Wild West. A lot of the American accents are rather passable as well, especially Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clanton brothers, Kate & Charlie. However a couple slip up several times (Virgil Earp) and Johnny Ringo sounds more like a Cockney that a Wild West cowboy, most of the time.
However I managed to look past the dodgy accents & song that even got to me a bit by episode 4 and just enjoyed the story. It’s rather fast paced & does have plenty going on it, Peter Purves & Jackie Lane seem to be enjoying themselves throughout the story & the support cast also give their all in their parts. Hartnell however is great in this, first off with the rather convincing acting with his tooth ache & then his reactions to everything going on around him, first off being wrongly identified as Doc Holliday, then being handed a gun every episode, much to his disgust & then finally being made Deputy Sheriff for a brief period.
Speaking of The Doctor’s tooth ache, it seems a very odd thing to include in the story, of which it originated from the closing moments of The Celestial Toymaker, but I put this down to the start of the First Doctor’s deterioration that was kicked off in The Daleks Master Plan, when the Time Destructor ultimately aged him before Steven reversed the process somewhat to stop the Doctor dying. The Toymakers interference, where by he made the Doctor invisible, probably also didn’t help & I imagine that this event also somewhat weakened the Doctor, which may explain why he hurt his tooth so easily.
From what I understand the recounting of the event is completely inaccurate in Who but I still find the story highly enjoyable and wouldn’t hesitate to watch it again.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – Yes the song is irritating & the accents are all over the place, however the story is a bit of fun & bumbles along at a nice entertaining pace & is certainly not as bad as some make out, now if only they could edit out that song when it finally makes it to DVD.
Series: 3 Story No: 8 Episode Count: 4
Doctor: 1st Companions: Steven & Dodo
Date(s) Watched: Tuesday 30th June 2009
A story that many a fan dislikes, mainly due to the “Last Chance Saloon” song that opens & closes nearly every scene in each episode, however I rather liked this story, mainly as it’s a lot of fun at least if anything else. The sets & costumes are very convincing indeed, for me at least, you get a feel that The Doctor, Steven & Dodo are actually in the Wild West. A lot of the American accents are rather passable as well, especially Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, the Clanton brothers, Kate & Charlie. However a couple slip up several times (Virgil Earp) and Johnny Ringo sounds more like a Cockney that a Wild West cowboy, most of the time.
However I managed to look past the dodgy accents & song that even got to me a bit by episode 4 and just enjoyed the story. It’s rather fast paced & does have plenty going on it, Peter Purves & Jackie Lane seem to be enjoying themselves throughout the story & the support cast also give their all in their parts. Hartnell however is great in this, first off with the rather convincing acting with his tooth ache & then his reactions to everything going on around him, first off being wrongly identified as Doc Holliday, then being handed a gun every episode, much to his disgust & then finally being made Deputy Sheriff for a brief period.
Speaking of The Doctor’s tooth ache, it seems a very odd thing to include in the story, of which it originated from the closing moments of The Celestial Toymaker, but I put this down to the start of the First Doctor’s deterioration that was kicked off in The Daleks Master Plan, when the Time Destructor ultimately aged him before Steven reversed the process somewhat to stop the Doctor dying. The Toymakers interference, where by he made the Doctor invisible, probably also didn’t help & I imagine that this event also somewhat weakened the Doctor, which may explain why he hurt his tooth so easily.
From what I understand the recounting of the event is completely inaccurate in Who but I still find the story highly enjoyable and wouldn’t hesitate to watch it again.
Overall Rating: 4/5 – Yes the song is irritating & the accents are all over the place, however the story is a bit of fun & bumbles along at a nice entertaining pace & is certainly not as bad as some make out, now if only they could edit out that song when it finally makes it to DVD.
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