The Chase - The Planet of Decision

It’s a sad moment in this journey. It’s the final time that Ian and Barbara would appear in Doctor Who. It’s also the episode where Peter Purves makes his second and more significant impression on the show. Purves plays Steven Taylor who has been a prisoner of the Mechanoids for 2 years on his own. His first scene was quite a good one as we learn a lot about the planet and what the mechanoids are.

The problem with the Mechanoids is that they are big and don’t really do much. They are also quite dim really because they allow Steven and the regulars to go to the roof and come up with a plan to try and escape. The bomb that the Doctor has spent several episodes is used in rather a limp way. It’s activated and then the Doctor leaves to the roof. When it does go off it doesn’t really do much apart from kill one Dalek. In fact the Mechanoids do more damage than that single bomb. The battle between the Daleks and the Mechanoids is rather well done and even though there are only a handful of Daleks and Mechanoids it does feel like an epic battle.

The plot point about Steven going back to get his silly mascot was a way of separating him from the regulars. I thought that the point of them leaving Steven to his fate was rather a harsh thing to do and I got the impression that under normal circumstances that they would have gone back for him. It seems to be a running theme of just leaving people behind as it happened to Vicki earlier in the story.

It’s really sad that William Russell and Jacqueline Hill leave in this episode and the Doctors reaction after being asked by Ian and Barbara doesn’t seem like acting on Hartnell’s part. If this had happened in the early days then the Doctor wouldn’t have acted like this and it’s a clear indication as to how much they mean to the Doctor that he goes a bit over the top. It’s not as emotional as when Carole Ann Ford left but it’s still a lovely departure for two of the finest companions in Doctor Who history.

This is the final time that William Hartnell’s Doctor will encounter the Daleks and out of the three stories it’s the one that isn’t well liked but I think that it’s a perfectly fine story. I would probably rate this as the second best Dalek story so far. As an episode its quite a good episode that has to do a lot in just 25 minutes as does it rather well. It doesn’t feel like its rushed and only the stuff with the bomb that has taken ages to construct is what lets the episode down. That said it’s a good end to a six part story that hasn’t dragged in my opinion. There aren’t many six part adventures that I can say that about.

The Chase - The Death of Doctor Who

The rubbish idea of getting someone else to play to duplicate Doctor is thrown at us as we get the reprise. The title is called ‘The Death of Doctor Who’ and its one of the most intriguing titles in the series so far. The action takes place on Mecanous and we get to the dark side of the planet where we only encounter the huge broccoli-like creatures. They are somewhat silly in design and they show their weakness quite quickly when the sunlight appears and they go running. There is another silly moment when they attack the Daleks.

One of the reasons why this whole plan of the two Doctors fails so miserably is that for most of the time its clear that someone else is playing the Doctor. It’s hard to suspend my disbelief to this extent and every time I see this episode I ask myself the question ‘Why didn’t they film the good Doctor’s stuff first and the duplicate Doctor’s stuff second?’ It might be a bit time consuming but it would have worked a lot better.

There is a funny moment where the Ian fights what he thinks is the duplicate Doctor but is in fact the real Doctor. Again disbelief is hard to suspend when you can see the fake Doctor trying to mime William Hartnell’s lines. It is also quite fun to see both Doctors fighting each other. Thankfully they don’t drag this silliness out for too long and its quickly defeated. Now we can get back to the seriousness of the Daleks trying to kill the Doctor.

There’s a moment where the Doctor pretends to be the fake Doctor infront of the Daleks and it doesn’t work. I like it because its another example of how the Doctor has developed since Ian and Barbara first joined the show. It’s a selfless act and I think its one of the strongest moments for the Doctor.

It’s not until quite late in the episode that we discover the huge (and I do mean huge) city that stands above them. They decide that its where they have to get to and its where the final battle will take place. The cliffhanger is quite good as the regulars have to go with a giant robot. Normally they wouldn’t but with the Daleks about to attack them they have little choice. This is the first time that see them and they do look quite impressive.

With the exception of the fake Doctor and the Daleks, there aren’t any supporting artists. This means that the four regulars have to drive the story and they do it very well. I think that this episode is an improvement on the previous one and that’s a surprising statement considering for a good chunk of the story we had the fake Doctor storyline. It’s all shaping up for a great cliffhanger and I think that the departure of Ian and Barbara (and introduction of Steven Taylor) is going to be an enjoyable episode.

The Chase - Journey into Terror

We’ve reached the episode where they land at the haunted house. It does seem in the grand scheme of things, rather odd to include this in a Dalek story but actually it’s a nice bit of fun. It feels like this is the episode where the build up to the end starts to speed up. The title obviously refers to the haunted house but might also subtley refer to Vicki’s situation so what might seem like a throwaway title actually has two meanings.

This first part of the story takes place in what might look at first like a haunted house but its never really made clear whether it’s real or in the human mind. Are the people that the regulars encounter actors or monsters. There’s a moment when the Doctor and Ian encounter Frankenstein’s monster and you can clearly see a Dalek which isn’t suppose to be there. Now when I first saw this I thought (rather naively) that it was a stealth Dalek but in more recent times the obvious has come to light.

The light hearted-ness is somewhat cut short when the TARDIS leaves without Vicki and whilst the Daleks are being knocked about by Count Dracula (there’s a line I never thought I would write), she manages to get into the Daleks time machine. It’s sometime before the regulars even notice that Vicki isn’t with them. If I were Vicki I would be really hurt by that (and a bit miffed). We learn about a Dalek plan when we learn that they are planning on duplicating the Doctor (thus leading to one of the silliest ideas in Doctor Who).

The regulars (minus Vicki) come up with a  good plan of stealing the Daleks time machine so that they can go back to the haunted house and get Vicki back, obviously not knowing that she is on the Daleks machine. So they decide that the next planet is where they will fight the Daleks. At the same as they arrive, the Daleks duplicate is ready to operate. Sadly it looks nothing like William Hartnell and even  someone with bad eye sight would be able to tell the difference. It’s only the last shot that is of Hartnell. I cant understand why they could have come up with a better way of getting William Hartnell to play the duplicate. It ruins what is otherwise an ok plan. It’s a this stage that I started to lose a bit enthusiasm for this story but I still maintain that it’s a good story overall.

Day 74: The Chase - Flight Through Eternity

We learn that there is a device on the TARDIS that alerts them if someone is on the same time path. We also learn that the TARDIS takes 12 minutes to get itself together. I like the idea that it has to sort itself out instead of a quick departure. The Doctor talks about constructing the alert thing and whilst they couldn’t have known what the future producers and writers would do, it’s the first bit of discontinuity.

The first scene in the Daleks time machine isn’t quite the ideal scene that it should have been. There is the age old problem of dummy Daleks with a picture at the back of the scene. In fact I don’t really like the Dalek’s time machine from the look of it right down to the sound it makes when it lands and takes off. Compare the Daleks first scene to the regulars first scene its clear that the creator of the Daleks had an easier time coming up with good lines for humans than monsters.

This episode is the first time we see Peter Purves in Doctor Who as the first point of the adventure is the Empire State building in New York. Purves plays Morton Dill who is your typical tourist that you would have come across if you have been on holiday. When you consider his performance in the final episode it’s a blatantly comedic role. It ends when he goes a bit mad after encountering two time machines landing and departing and encountering the Daleks. I’ll comment a bit more when Steven Taylor arrives but I thought that the Morton Dill character was quite fun and very tongue in cheek

The story finally becomes a chase. The first as mentioned is the Empire State Building which is quite a small set and sadly doesn’t have a proper background to show the surrounding ‘Ancient’ New York area. Though it could be argued that it was a foggy day I suppose. The second place that they land I the Mary Celeste which famously was discovered to have no crew. The set itself is quite good as its quite big and also have many levels to it. In this part, Barbara gets caught as a stowaway and Ian gets knocked out by Vicki then they leave and the Daleks arrive and scare everyone to jump overboard. It’s not until the end that Barbara realises that her love of boats led her to being on the Mary Celeste. It’s not really made obvious until the very end.

Something that happens in this episode that doesn’t get addressed is the clear image of the Dalek on a different level which clearly indicates that they can fly. It’s just that don’t see it on TV. It’s the first of two instances in this story.

The 12 minute lead has gone to 8 which is the cliffhanger and its not as effective as it could have been because of the music really. It’s a bit to upbeat for my liking and thought that they could have lowered the tone to create the right impression. As an episode its good that they have finally got to the chase part and considering they go through two different settings, its quite an achievement of what they actually get done in the episode. The episode is starting to pick up but the end of the story is getting close and we all know what that means.

Day 73: The Chase - The Death of Time

The episode starts off with the Dalek rising from the sand. After that moment the Doctor and Barbara come across the Aridians. There’s a nice shot where the Dalek is high up on the screen and the second Dalek comes in from the side at a lower angle. The Dalek location film is quite good and the best bit comes when the Dalek is coming towards the screen.

We get a nice bit of exposition as to what is going on. It seems quite a good battle between the Aridians and the Mya beast which gets even more complex when the Daleks arrive. The thing about the Aridians are going to hand the Doctor and Barbara over to the Daleks is something that you cant really blame the Aridians. They might look a bit silly but their characteristics are quite good.

There’s an odd moment after the explosion where Vicki appears to be laughing before becoming concerned. In fact out of the two groups it seems that Vicki and Ian have drawn the short straw in this episode as they don’t seem to do as much as the Doctor and Barbara. Ian gets to do a bit of action hero stuff when he helps come up with the plan to get past the Daleks.

This is the most blatant reference to the fact that the TARDIS is very difficult to destroy when the Daleks try to blow it up. Of course as the viewer is aware, it survived falling of a cliff in ‘The Romans’ so a short blast from some Dalek guns is going to be no problem.

The Mya beast isn’t particularly good as it just looks like a bloke in a suit. I suppose it serves a purpose and you can suspend your disbelief in the idea that its terrorising the Aridians but I cant say it’s the most impressive monster in Doctor Who history.

The Daleks spend a long time not really doing very much. They talk to each other but don’t get very far. They show up, threaten to attack the Aridians if they don’t hand over the Doctor and Barbara, get fooled by the regulars and shout at the camera. Not their finest 30 minutes.

The scene where they are trying to get in the TARDIS and get the Daleks out of the way is a bit of comedy but it is rather well done. It’s helped by the fact that the scene is at night and its helps create a mood.

The episode ends with the Dalek coming towards the screen ranting and raving. It was a good cliffhanger though unfortunately the episode wasn’t as good as I would have liked. There’s an awful lot of people just sitting or standing and talking. I just want the chase part of the story to start and thankfully that is what is about to happen.

Day 72: The Chase - The Executioners

The Daleks are back!! It’s their second story of the season after ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ which obviously saw the exit of Carole Ann Ford.  It’s the final story to feature William Russell and Jacqueline Hill. The Chase has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first stories that I owned on video when it was released with ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’ back in the early 90’s. The episode starts off with the regulars floating around the time visualiser that the Doctor took in the previous story. It’s one of those things that gets mentioned but never gets used again. When was the last time you heard the fault locator mentioned?

There’s a nice exposition where Vicki tries to explain (without knowing it at the time) what the time visualizer is. It’s fun that after more than 70 episodes, Ian and Barbara still are none the wiser when it comes to what the Doctor is talking about. I always like the scenes that take place in the TARDIS as it feels like a second home. In the opening scene we get to see US President Abraham Lincoln, an encounter between Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare (which led to the idea of Hamlet being thought up) and also short clip of the Beatles (yes the very same). Apparently they were suppose to be involved a bit more than they were but their manager put a stop to it. To even get the clip was a move that would have been more fitting in the modern day era.

When the TARDIS crew land, they appear to be in the middle of a dessert which has two suns. The planet is called Aridious. There is a difference between the location filming and the studio stuff but the studio scenes were all quite good. It’s made to look bigger than it is due to Richard Martin’s direction and also Maureen O’Brien and William Russell do their best out of breathe acting. Also the scenes with the Doctor and Barbara help to create the illusion as the sand can be easily moved around to make it look different.

After the reprise from the previous episodes, its nearly the half way mark (15:07) before the Daleks appear again. It’s clear from their first scene that they are effectively on a revenge trip with reference to the previous Dalek adventure which if that really was their intention then it’s a bit unfair on Vicki who wasn’t even with them in that adventure. At the end of their scene where they go into their time capsule its clear that they are just walking through the door into nothing because that is all it seems to be. Slightly disappointing.

The action that takes place in the tunnels are rather well done and are well lit. It’s just as well that I like them as we will see more of them in the next episode.

The cliffhanger is rather good but is quite similar to the ending of ‘World’s End’. In that episode the Dalek comes out of the Thames and in this the Dalek rises out of the sand. I remember the first time that I saw this episode how cool that seemed and even when its clear that the ending is a rehash of another cliffhanger it still doesn’t lose any appeal. It’s a good opening episode and another thing that it has in common with other Doctor Who stories is that it the regulars don’t encounter anyone in the first episode of the story. It’s good that they get to enjoy (or not in Ian and Vicki’s case) the surroundings.

Day 71: The Space Museum - The Final Phase

The final episode of this story starts with what Ian actually saw when he walked into the room. The Doctor is asleep in some sort of chamber. Normally when the Doctor is in this situation it would lead to him being written out for the next episode but as this is the final episode of the story that is not going to happen. After spending several moments of talking about how the Doctor was cold in the machine but was still conscious we are reminded about the mystery of how the regulars ended up in the cabinet. Had you forgotten about it? I know I did so it was a nice reminder. Barbara spends the first 10 minutes of the episode doing very little before reuniting with Vicki and the Xerons. It’s nice to have the regulars are reunited. I’ve discovered that I actually like this foursome more than the previous.

The moment of revelation that the regulars don’t necessarily have to change their behaviour to prevent themselves from being in the cabinets but the others is a nice one in the story. The revolution that Vicki helped start is what they hope will change their fortune. The revolution itself doesn’t actually last that long and they seem to spend more time preparing for the revolution than the fighting itself. Actually the Xerons don’t really seem that good, try as I might I just find myself not really caring about their petty dismay at the Moroks. Maybe if there were some older people in the group then they might have worked more as the good guys. Normally if I don’t like the good guys then I side with the baddies but even the Moroks are poor. They are slightly more menacing in this episode but it’s a bit too late.

The answer as to what caused the different time track and the mystery of the regulars in the cabinets seemed to be a bit of an add on but it was quite a similar answer to what caused the problems in ‘Inside the Spaceship’. It was a satisfactory ending to the episode and it was good how the Xerons decided to dismantle most of the things in the museum and the Doctor takes something to put in the TARDIS which becomes integral to the next story. The final scene must have been a surprise for viewers in 1965. A Dalek was seen briefly in the first episode but to see one in all its menace must have come as a shock and they would have been wanting the next Saturday to come.  

Day 70: The Space Museum - The Search

After the mystery of the opening episode and the humour of the second. It seems that its been replaced with nothing. We get to see how the Morok’s really don’t like one another and are even quite nasty to each other whereas the Xerons are still a hiding around trying to stage a revolution against the Moroks. The regulars have all now split up with the Doctor being prepared for the museum, Vicki having some lunch, Barbara hides then tries to get out of a room before being gassed and Ian is walking around threatening people.

I don’t know whether it’s the fact that I’m not really in the mood for this episode or what but I am hard pressed to remember what is going on in the early part. It only really gets interesting when Vicki becomes more involved and helps the Xerons gain access to the armoury. She gets to use a bit of her feistiness and also her intelligence and it makes up for the poor way she was treated in the previous episodes. In this episode she has to try and get around a truth machine that is blocking the Xerons from the guns. It does raise the purpose of a machine that can be changed so quickly.

The cliffhanger is quite a good one because all we see is Ian looking in the camera’s direction and simply saying “Doctor”. We don’t see him but it paints a wonderful image as to what we will see in the final episode. I cant say that I was as bowled over by this episode as I was by the previous two. It picked up the final half but the first half was lacking in any excitement.

Day 69: The Space Museum - The Dimensions of Time

After the very intruiging opening episode, it was down to business and this is where I was worried that things were going to go downhill. It’s in this episode where we get to encounter the locals. We are introduced to the people called the Moroks. They are dressed in white who are very weary of their surroundings which are broken. Then we meet the people who are dressed in black who are noticeable for having two sets of eyebrows with the top lot being more ridiculous.

There is the question as to what events led to them being in the cabinets. They decide to spend a portion of the episode walking through corridors and its not long before they are separated. I like how the next time we return to Xerons the Doctor has managed to tie up one of them. It seems quite like the Doctor that he might look like an old man he is quite sprite and the scene is made even more humorous when his hiding spot is revealed to be inside the Dalek seen in the previous episode. The Xerons are the nicer ones but they are a bit limp and its easy to see why they appear to be the oppressed. The Moroks have got hold of the Doctor and claim that they can get the information from the Doctor because of a chair that he uses but the Doctor is too clever for them. At this moment it doesn’t really make sense why the two groups seem to be at odds with each other though based on what we had seen in the episode its clear that the men in white are bad and the men in black are good.

Ian is quite irritable which is quite unlike him. I like how this is a different side to the character that’s quite a breath of fresh air. Even Barbara isn’t immune from being a bit hot tempered. That’s not to say that its all serious. There’s a lot more humour in this episode which has replaced the mystery. Barbara seems quite concerned about Ian destroying a ‘good cardigan’ and Ian is trying to tear it with his teeth. The problem that the trio of Ian, Barbara and Vicki have is that all they do in this episode is walk around a lot. Only the Doctor gets to do something different

The episode still has the feel of a mystery but some of it has been replaced with humour. The story has never had the best of reputations but I must say that my opinion is starting to change. I don’t think it’s a classic story but its still enjoyable.

Day 68: The Space Museum - The Space Museum

The Space Museum is one of those stories that has gotten a bad rap of fans over the years even though I’m not entirely sure why. After a somewhat run of disappointing stories it seems on the evidence of this episode that the bad run is over. The story starts off with the regulars frozen on the spot and when they start moving again they look somewhat different. The whole episode is about mysteries and the first one occurs within the first 90 seconds of the episode. They have changed their clothes without realising it. Other mysteries include the glass of water that Vicki drops, the fact that they done leave any footprints when they are walking on the sands, the fact the guards don’t react when Vicki sneezes.

The idea of a museum in space is quite a fun one as it’s no different from a normal museum. Its an empty museum except for some guards who appear in white and some other people who appear in black. Neither group interact with the regulars which I thought was an interesting and brave decision. This debut story from Glyn Jones is steeped in mystery and that’s why I think for the first time since ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ that I have become enthusiastic about a story.

There are some nice effects used in this episode. First comes when Vicki drops the glass of water and it gets reversed and ends up back in her hand. It’s one of those moments that must have seemed magical back in 1965. Then there is the moment when Vicki puts her hand through an exhibit. It’s quite a basic effect but it still looks good and helped add to the mystery.

There’s a nice moment when we see a Dalek and its seems like a marker point to keep them in the viewers mind as they will return in a few episodes. I like how Vicki comments that the Dalek looks friendly. As the regulars don’t interact with the supporting cast and we don’t hear from them it means that it’s the regulars that move the story. They all work well together but there was a moment where the Doctor talks to Vicki about not touching any of the artefacts like she was a five year old. I felt like we had gone back twelve months to how Susan was treated by the Doctor, Ian and Barbara. She’s even dressed like a child which is rather disappointing as I had high hopes that they would learn from their mistakes and make Vicki a stronger person but based on the evidence of the last couple of episodes that doesn’t look like this is the case.

The moment when the regulars look at themselves standing in the display cabinets. It raises the question as to how they got there.  There is a moment where there are stills of things that have happened which is basically a highlights package of the episode. Footprints start to appear and the cabinets disappear so weirdly by the end of the episode they have ‘arrived’ on the planet Xeros. The episode is a very good one but I know in my hear that the rest of the story isn’t going to be like this but lets just enjoy the moment of a solidly written episode with great performances and smooth direction.

Day 67: The Crusade - The Warlords

I have decided to go and listen to the CD with the narration and to be honest it didn’t really make that much difference because I found that all the pacing had gone from this episode. It seems that this episode has become a history lesson which wouldn’t normally be a problem but its not the most exciting moment in history. There are things that don’t make sense such as Joanna. Erm where did she go, what happened? What was the point of all those wonderful scenes in the previous episode?  The scenes between Richard and Joanna were the highlights of that episode and yet the fact that she isn’t here means that the scenes were meaningless really.

After only appearing in a pre-filmed scene it was nice to have William Russell play a more substantial role in the story and it was actually quite a good moment but sadly the lack of any images means that its lost to telesnaps and its not quite as good as it could have been but that’s not down to the show itself.

The episode was a disappointing end to what was an ok story. The episode decided to do some strange things which just stand out for being odd and not for being important or dynamic. The story was written by David Whittaker who is a good writer and its clear at several points throughout this four part story that its nowhere near as bad as ‘The Web Planet’. The lack of Joanna is what actually made this episode weak. As a four part adventure it was just the right length and the characters that were put into the story were in various ways were quite good but alas it’s a period of history that I’m not keen on and so it wont be in my top 5 pure historicals.

Day 66: The Crusade - The Wheel of Fortune

Ah, back to DVD for the third episode. How I regretted not listening to the narrated CD for ‘The Knight of Jaffa. I missed the bit in episode two where Vicki has to pretend to be a boy. However its something that doesn’t really last long as Joanna overhears Vicki and the Doctor talking which thankfully puts an end to this rather silly part of the plot.

William Russell only appears in this episode in pre-filmed scenes. This happened back in ‘The Reign of Terror’. There is another fight scene between Ian and some random man. Like in the Reign of Terror, Chesterton doesn’t actually say anything. His involvement in the episode is very small and despite its being short its still a good performance from Russell. I like the relationship between the Doctor and Vicki, it feels more like the relationship that the Doctor had with Susan in the early days of the show. However an issue that I have is that they have very little to do in the story. The most that really happens is that Vicki is found out to be a girl and gets a costume change. Not much, it seems that she is suffering the same as Susan except without the shrieking.

Barbara is left with the possibility of being taking a life or even her own. This horrifies Barbara and is in keeping with her character. Though there is a moment where it’s clear that she’s giving it some clear thought. It’s a great performance from Jacqueline Hill and possibly one of the finest that she has given for sometime (possibly even ever).

It’s good to see Julian Glover again and he is rather good and gets a nice speech in his first scene in the episode. He is a great actor and the role of King Richard doesn’t exactly seem like the greatest that there has ever been on TV but Glover manages to make something of it and I liked the character and performance. Despite being introduced in the previous episode, this episode is the first time that we see Jean Marsh in the flesh. It’s hard to see Jean Marsh without thinking about Sara Kingdom. It’s a shame really because as Joanna it’s a strong performance. The scene between Marsh and Glover is one of the finest in the episode. It elevates the episode from a standard episode to something resembling theatre.

The final episode is another lost episode and whereas there I listened to the narrated free episode on DVD, I will listen to the CD. This episode started off a bit slow but soon picked up and whilst its not the finest episode of Doctor Who ever it is still way better than ‘The Web Planet’.

Day 65: The Crusade - The Knight of Jaffa

For the first time since Marco Polo, I am forced to enjoy an episode on audio. Now unlike Marco Polo, this story features on the Lost in Time DVD boxset released a few year back. The episode exists with narration but I decided to listen to it without the narration wanting a different experience. The story continues with the search to try and get Barbara back.

In headlines from this episode. Ian is knighted and becomes Sir Ian Chesterton. That’s it basically, I don’t think much else happened here but Ian is the first companion to be given such an honour. It would be 45 years before a companion of the Doctor’s would get another honour. Sir Ian does have a nice ring to it. The episode marks the first appearance of Jean Marsh who would have an important part in the history of Doctor Who. Here she plays Princess Joanna, she has some nice interaction with King Richard and its nice to hear Jean Marsh in action. Julian Glover continues to impress me as he still comes across as likeable even if he is slightly childish. He would rather be back at home but situations dictate that this can’t happen. I must admit that from what I heard of this episode I don’t really think that Maureen O’Brien and William Hartnell had that much to do.

I don’t know if it was the fact that I didn’t have the narrated version of this episode or not but I just didn’t get this episode as much as ‘The Lion’. There didn’t seem to be as much happening in this episode and it was one of those were there was a lot of talking and not much else. That said its one of the best episodes that feature tons of talking that Doctor Who has done so its still a lot better than the Web Planet. I’m still enjoying this story though I will be listening to the narrated version when I get to ‘The Warlords’.

Day 64: The Crusade - The Lion

Oh well, its that time again. It’s time for another pure historical story.  However after the dull previous six episodes, I am so worn down after ‘The Web Planet’ that I actually welcome this story. The only immediate downside to this story is that it’s another story that is entirely filmed in a studio with no location filming. ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth: Flashpoint’ was the last time that there were any filming outside.

Julian Glover joins the show. He would go on to be in the first Indiana Jones movie and would return to star alongside Tom Baker’s Doctor. Here he plays the King or Richard the Lionheart as he was also known. He is instantly likeable as Glover has a soft but noticeable screen presence. However by the cliffhanger his mood has soured somewhat and is reluctant to help the Doctor. This is basically what the story is going to be about which might not be the most exciting but after spending the last six episodes not understanding what was going on it was nice that we got a clear idea of what is going on.

There’s a nice sword/fist fight between Ian and some baddie. It’s always good when Ian gets to do something. William Russell’s time on the show can be summed up by a recent (ish) Doctor Who Magazine cover which proclaims that Ian Chesterton is ‘Doctor Who’s First Action Hero’. That is very true. Something else that’s quite fun to think about in this episode is that back in the 1950’s, William Russell appeared in ‘The Adventures of Sir Lancelot’ so was use to appearing in this time period. It takes less than five minutes for Barbara to be kidnapped. She pretends to be the fake King’s sister and when the truth has been revealed then Barbara tells of her adventures involving meeting Nero in Rome. Despite this madness, she is allowed to have lunch.

Visually the story manages to still look good considering it’s just a forest. The thing about the sets in this story si that it doesn’t feel as claustrophobic as ‘The Web Planet’. Something that can be classed as the ‘elephant in the room’ and that is white actor being ‘blacked up’. In 2013 it seems wrong but it’s the way that television was made back then and thankfully that’s changed.

It’s a good first episode and my enthusiasm for the show has returned after just one episode. The cliffhanger did come out of nowhere and I was so involved in the scene that I didn’t realise that the episode was coming to an end. That’s a good sign that the episode is working. The episode does a good job of giving the regulars a reason why they cant just get back in the TARDIS, it shows us what the next four episodes are going to be about and it does the job very well.

Day 63: The Web Planet - The Centre

The final episode of ‘The Web Planet’. Oh how I thought it would never end. The episode starts off with the great image of the Doctor and Vicki covered in the web. The most padded story in Doctor Who history continues to do what it has done for the previous episodes and that is to fill the running time with a lot of Zarbi and Menoptra nonsense.  Another thing that was a let down was the Animus. After several episodes of being a mysterious and at times creepy voice, it was a shame that it was a big light bulb with some tentacles. It looked like a massive mess.

Unfortunately despite my best efforts I didn’t actually understand what was going on. There was a lot of impressive visual scenes but sadly it seemed to just continue to confuse me. The one crumb of comfort in this story is that visually it works. There were some good moments when the Menoptra were flying through the air and the idea to have some new lense on the camera to give a different impression also helped make this story stand out even though at times its been a bit overpowering. The landscape of Vortis was also well realised and even though seeing it for six episodes might have got a bit repetitive there have been worst sets in the show.

As far as the human performances go, in this episode they were perfectly fine and whilst none of them shone in their usual way they did the best that they could with what was quite frankly a rubbish script.

I am so relieved to have got to the end of ‘The Web Planet’ by far the worst story in Doctor Who so far and even when you consider that it was a complicated story to produce and also very ambitious. Sadly if the budget had been bigger and the running time much shorter then it would have been a different result but sadly ‘The Web Planet’ is what it is. A elongated mess of a story.

Day 62: The Web Planet - Invasion

The penultimate episode of this serial is perhaps the most action packed that there has been so far. It’s a shame that its taken 100 minutes to get to this point. It’s been a real struggle to find positive things to say and write anything near my 500 word target about each episode. The story sees the Menoptra’s fight against the Zarbi step up a gear. There is a lot of action that has been going on with Barbara leading the fight from her side and Ian not exactly missing from the action.

The thing about six part adventures is that by the 2/3 point the story needs to shift to have any chance of being even an average story. Thankfully Bill Strutton realises that he needs to get a riggle on with the plot and so it feels from the very beginning that the plot is building towards something. I still find it frustrating that the Zarbi only communicate through that awful high pitched noise and wish that there was something else that they could do. The Menoptra are also rather disappointing but at least they have a voice and can communicate in a sensible way. Something else that is lacking from this story and most immediate this episode is that there is no incidental music. The music is there to make you feel something but if there is nothing there then your left with whats on the screen and in this case its not very much. I cant write a more detailed review because apart from the odd moment I cant recall what actually happened.

The cliffhanger is visually a stunning one. The Doctor and Vicki clutching each other whilst they get covered in the web stuff is a great image and one that ended the episode in fine style. Whilst the episode is the best so far it doesn’t change my opinion of the story as a whole. It’s too long and there is way too much padding for my liking.

Day 61: The Web Planet - Crater of Needles

It’s incredible to think that this episode got the second highest rating during this story of 13 million. 13 million! It’s mind bogging but this episode finally moves to the crater of needles which has been mentioned several times. After the almost stationery feel of the story it seems that this episode is where things start to pick up. There is a good moment when Barbara is told about the prison and there is a sense of the battle between the Zarbi and the Menoptra. After the Zarbi and the Menoptra being separated it was nice to see them interact and also another thing about the Zarbi was that we get to see them with a weapon. Quite how we were suppose to find them menacing when they just made a noise at people yet didn’t seem to have any way of stunning or killing people was one of many flaws with the creatures. There are a new set of creatures that are introduced to this episode and the are apparently simpler than either the Zarbi or the Menoptra. Frankly they look like a bit of a late addition and also look rather stupid.

The performances from the regulars is better and its nice that Jacqueline Hill made a return. I thought that William Hartnell had a good episode and he and Maureen O’Brien managed to appear to do quite a lot without really doing very much. Hartnell tinkers around with the map thing, talks to O’Brien and then goes for the hairdryer treatment. William Russell and Jacqueline Hill are on good form and do slightly more in this episode than Hartnell or O’Brien.

There are some good shots that have been achieved by Richard Martin. There are some more shots of the Menoptra flying around and its rather well done. The thing about the effect done to the screen was good in episode one but has started to get annoying because it seems to be getting out of hand. Instead of a light smudge in the first episode we get pretty much a full screen of smudge. It’s a better episode than the previous one but that’s not really saying much. So far the story is exactly as I remember this and I don’t think anything will ever change. If this had been a four part story then maybe this might have been a better story but at six it’s a big stretch.

Day 60: The Zarbi - Escape to Danger

The third installment of this serial is where we finally get some information about what is going on. I say some because all the information comes from the Menoptra. This wont the be the longest review ever because so little happens that it means a review is going to be short.

The Doctor says that somehow Vicki has corrected things in the TARDIS but due to the fact that Barbara isnt with them they cant just leave thus giving a valid reason why the story has to continue. This is another episode where Jacqueline Hill doesn’t appear (presumably she was on holiday). She doesn’t even get a credit which is unusual. The early part of this episode is quite good as the Doctor gets to interact with the voice that we hear but then after that the story reverts back to weird and not knowing what is going on. We get a bit of back story about what has happened to the Menoptra but to be honest the whole story is somewhat lacking in any excitement that its pretty hard to care.

There is a good moment where the Menoptra flies into the air. It’s a good piece of directing. There are a couple more sets in this episode which have to break the monotony that there has been so far. That’s about as good as I can do with listing the positives because whilst this episode was better than the previous one, it still lacks any coherance and just serves to show what Doctor Who can do even on a limited budget. The cliffhanger is quite good as it sees Ian in danger and there is no clear sign as to whether he is ok or who could help him.

I’m afraid that my opinion of this story has definelty not changed from what it use to be. There are moments which look good but generally it’s a question of what is going on and I have no idea because all we have are the noises that the Zarbi and the regulars guessing as to what they are saying or what they are doing.

Rating - 5.33/10

Day 59: The Web Planet - The Zarbi

The Zarbi is when any goodwill towards this story well and truly goes out of the window. After the idea that the TARDIS has disappeared it turns out in reality that its just being moved by the Zarbi. Vicki does suffer quite a lot in this episode and she seems to have been sidelined for most of the running time. Even Barbara seems to have suffered a bit but not to the extent of Vicki. Barbara is being possessed by giant bumble bees. They look quite good and are named as Menoptras but they seem a bit to weak in my opinion. It’s quite easy to see why and how the Zarbi are the superior creature in this story. The TARDIS has been moved and all Vicki does in the early part of the episode sees her just pretending to sway from side to side.

In terms of trying to explain what was going on in this episode is difficult to do because I just couldn’t follow what was going on and whilst I found the Doctor and Ian’s part in the story to be most interesting but that’s not really saying much because there is so little going on. Also another problem with the episode is that they seem to be using the same set trying to pretend that it’s a different part of the planet but its clearly the same.

The first time that it gets remotely interesting is at the quarter hour mark where Vicki is able to get out of the TARDIS and meets up with the Doctor and Ian. There is a funny moment where the Doctor is trying to communicate with the Zarbi by waving his arms around and pointing at every Zarbi in shot. William Hartnell seems to give the best performance and I like the final shot of the episode where the cylinder hangs over the Doctor’s head and a voice starts talking to him.

The cliffhanger was quite good but by this point I had completely lost track of what was actually going on. There are moments in this story which are quite good but its mixed in with a lot of nonsense which ruins the whole story. There is one thing that can be said in a positive way and that it is a brave thing for the show to do but sadly its not enough to save this story.

Day 58: The Web Planet - The Web Planet

The Web Planet is a story that has never been in my top 100 because I have felt that it was dull and just a six part story with giant bees and ants. Watching it a day at a time is hopefully going to make me reappraise it. The opening scene set in the TARDIS is a strange one because its been so long since anything more than a brief moment has taken place in the console room that when you first see what is now in the console room which kind of distracts you from the story.

It’s not long before the Zarbi are introduced and my attempt to have any goodwill towards the story is already tested. Thankfully their involvement is kept to a minimum and instead we have another episode where its just the companion. There’s a lovely moment when the Doctor points out to Ian that the ring he wears isn’t just a decorative item. Was that the same ring he gave away in ‘The Reign of Terror’? Oh how the story would have been different if he didn’t have the ring.

It was good how they managed to maintain the interest between both plot strands. The stuff between the Doctor and Ian was good because they are investigating the mystery of what caused the interference to the TARDIS. The stuff between Vicki and Barbara was also well done but that was down to Maureen O’Brien and Jacqueline Hill who work well together. The scene where Barbara and Vicki are talking is an interesting one. Barbara has had to put up with ideas of her generation been seen as primitive and backwards and its nice that she defends her generation. It’s during this scene that Barbara finally informs Vicki that she and Ian both met Nero which Vicki finds hard to believe. It’s nice how Vicki has kept some of her character even after ‘The Rescue’ ended.

There are some interesting things that happen in this episode. Effects wise there is definetly a different feel to it with the stuff outside of the TARDIS having this sort of smudge effect around the characters. It’s most noticeable on the Doctor and Ian with their white jackets and does go a bit over the top during the scene where they hear Vicki calling Barbara. Another thing I like is the spinning console. It does seem like something that was a spur of the moment thing which isn’t a bad thing cause it looks rather cool.

The cliffhanger is a great one because it sees Vicki somehow operating the TARDIS and it spears that the TARDIS has moved much to the dismay of the Doctor. It’s a great question that must have run in the minds of the viewers which would have festered for seven days. Where has the TARDIS gone? It’s one of the better endings to an episode for some time. I’m not quite sure whether my opinion of this story will change as my reaction when I saw the Zarbi was the same as its always been. Time will only tell…

Day 57: The Romans - Inferno

The final episode of this story which hasn’t been one of the greatest in Doctor Who. It starts with the sword fight with Ian. Sadly that’s where the excitement ends because the rest of the story continues to be a precession of scenes where we are suppose to find things funny but it doesn’t work. The next time that the story picks up a bit is when the Doctor is looking over a map of Rome and accidentally sets fire to the map which Nero is horrified by at first but soon cheers up when he realises that he could burn Rome to the ground so the senate would back his plans to rebuild Rome.

The problem with this episode is that I have lost patience with the story and just think that its neither funny nor dramatic. The performances are fine but its what they have to do that is poor. Even William Russell cant save this story and what started off as an interesting journey at the early start of the story now descends into nothingness. The moment the fire starts on the map it is when the story is getting wrapped up and the regulars start to make their way out of Rome and back to the villa. The shot of Rome up in flames might seem cheap and a bit of a let down but I think that whilst it might have been good to see something better but its rather effective and I liked it.

The last shot of Nero is of him playing his lyre whilst Rome burns which has spawned the phrase. Nero has been a massive disappointment because unlike Marco Polo, I thought that they could have done something different with the character and made him a threat in the story instead of the clown that he was portrayed.

I like it when the regulars are reunited after narrowly missing each other for the previous episodes. It might have been a far stretch to believe that they could all have missed each other whilst almost tripping over each other but that’s the least of the stories problems and it’s a massive relief that it was only four episodes long.  The final scene of the episode is in the TARDIS and the Doctor says the TARDIS is being dragged down by some force. It’s a nice way to ensure that people turned in for the next episode as it’s a nice mystery about what could be powerful enough to do this. I cant deny that Im sad that this episode is over. It was fun a bit at the beginning but soon became tiresome and not really what I think Doctor Who should be doing. Historicals are hard enough to get right without adding the

Day 56: The Romans - Conspiracy

The penultimate episode of this story sees the four regulars have their own adventures. The Doctor is on course to play in front of Nero and befriends him. Unfortunately there is a lot of nothing happening in this story. Instead of trying to install some action into this, Dennis Spooner decides to base a large chunk of the episode Nero’s palace instead of having more of Ian which is something I was yearning for. Had there been more of William Russell then I would be more warm to the whole four episodes but sadly what we have is about 20 minutes of the Nero running around after Barbara and the Doctor enjoying a sauna.

The scene where Nero is chasing after Barbara is a bit like a sketch from the Benny Hill show. It’s rather silly and whilst I know that its suppose to be a comedic episode its still a bit frustrating. Another thing that was frustrating was how the Doctor missed Barbara yet again. It’s quite a while before we finally get to the more serious side of the story and that of Ian’s situation. He’s about to be trained to be a gladiator.

Vicki gets to spend some time with Locusta. Locusta is a woman who poisons people. I quite like the character and thought that Anne Tirard played the role quite well and seemed to add some sanity to the plot.  Vicki ends up nearly poisoning Nero which would have been against history.

The Doctor is still due to play his musical instrument even though he can’t actually play a note. The scene where the Doctor does end up playing the instrument he decides that he is going to play it but so quietly that no one can hear it. It’s quite a bold plan of the Doctor and it fits in with the feel of the story. The moment where the Doctor stops Nero from drinking the poison is the Doctor’s attempt to prevent history from being changed and it brings the events of ‘The Aztecs’ to the viewers mind. Nero gets someone else to test his drink and it is filled with poison. The rather pithy comment that he makes when the person drops dead I think is rather out of step with the show.

The episode ends with Ian in another fight in front of Nero and Barbara. It’s quite a good fight and it leads to a nice cliffhanger where Nero does the dreaded thumbs down thing. What almost makes it seem tense is Barbara’s reaction. The episode is rather a let down because after the mix of comedy and drama in the previous episode, it was sad that it seemed to be more comedy in this one. My view of the story hasn’t really changed and it’s easy to anyone why this story isn’t as well loved as it is.

 

Day 55: The Romans - All Roads Lead to Rome

The episode starts off with the cliffhanger of the mute assassin about to kill the Doctor. What follows is a nice little fight sequence which is similar to the one in The Rescue. I thought that the cliffhanger was a bit odd and I still think its odd but the fight was quick and immediate that I forgot about it at first. The Doctor almost won before Vicki chases him out of the window, much to the Doctors annoyance. 

More odd models to show that they are in Roma, at least it’s a step up from the drawings in ‘The Reign of Terror’. Barbara is on her own and she is about to become a slave. She is looking after a woman who is very ill a bit like Ian was back in ‘The Reign of Terror’. She gets an offer from Tavious but refuses it which is in keeping with her character but I think had Vicki or Susan been with her then there might have been a different outcome. Ian is also on his own but has ended up on a ship. Neither of their settings is particularly cheery which is at odds with the light hearted tone the story has taken on the Doctor and Vicki’s side of things. Things get worse for him when the ship hits the rocks. It’s all got really bad for him really quickly. 

Tavious seems like a nice person even though he is involved in what is essentially human trafficking. Which I’m not sure how I feel about it. Being such a horrific thing it feels wrong to sympathise with him even if he shows kindness to one of our favourite characters. He gets his own way and buys her at the auction but Barbara is still not going to be 100% grateful. It’s good how the Doctor and Vicki miss seeing Barbara because the Doctor is in too much of a hurry to meet Nero. It’s a frustrating thing that happens here but if they did meet then the story would be over too quickly. 
We get to meet Nero in this episode and he’s not quite historical figure that he should have been. He is very much played for laughs and I must admit that the scene with the Doctor and Nero was quite fun to watch with Vicki chipping in the odd line that makes the initial scene between these two quite good.

Despite starting off quite comedic, the story takes a more darker tone than in the previous episode. Ian and Barbara are in quite harsh situations. It’s good that the Doctor and Vicki’s story is more light-hearted as this story should have the right balance and Dennis Spooner has done well with this script in my opinion. This is a better episode and my opinion of the episode has changed greatly since watching the opening episode.
 

Day 54 - The Romans: The Slave Traders

The Romans marks a change in style for Doctor Who. This is the first story that features more comedy than drama. This is another pure historical story. After the reprise of the TARDIS going over the cliff, the story moves on a month with the crew resting. Well Ian is resting and the Doctor is watering the plants. Vicki an Barbara are going to the market. When Barbara and Vicki are in the market, Vicki is presumptuous as she thinks that Barbara will make a dress out of some material. She’s also a little ungrateful as she is bored and wants to leave. Though she seems to perk up when the Doctor goes to Rome.

The crew aren’t looking for trouble (though they never are) yet it seems to find them very quickly. There are lots of people interested in them and its quite good how people have just assumed that they are looking after the house for the owner who is in Gaul. It’s quite a convenient plot point that answers the question as to how they have ended up in this house/villa. There is a lovely scene where they are all sitting around enjoying the food that they are eating. There is a nice bit of enquiring on the Doctor’s part about what they’ve eaten and it shows how the series has developed in a relatively short time. Despite being together for only a short time, its amazing just how well they seemed to have gelled.

There’s a lovely scene with Ian and Barbara after the Doctor and Vicki have left where they seem to behave like a married couple. They spend a lot of time lounging around and joking going on between them and it’s a nice moment that we don’t often get to witness in Doctor Who. Sadly it doesn’t last long and just when you get use to the niceness of the pacing and the humour, it all changes. They are taken as slaves and so their story is more ‘grown-up’ than the one featuring the Doctor and Vicki. The Doctor gets taken to be someone else by a Roman guard after Maximus who was first seen in the square by Vicki. He was suppose to be killed by the mute on the order of Nero. When you first seem him in the market you think how much he looks like the Doctor. To be honest it’s a bit silly as it’s the cliché of drama that someone is taken for someone else.

The thing about this story is that the comedy takes some out of the sting out of the grim idea of being taken as slaves. This means that there isn’t much in the way of drama and it just feels like two plots are running side by side and you know that they will be reunited. The cliffhanger is a bit odd if I’m honest. What we have is the mute assassin walking up to the curtain which belongs to the room containing the Doctor and Vicki and then the screen fades to black.

The whole episode is a comedy episode with a faint hint of seriousness. It wrong foots us because we had become use to serious episodes and at times quite dark that when it tries to do comedy it doesn’t seem quite right. It’s hard to believe that they decided to do this story but it exists and as an episode is perfectly fine. There are some nice moments and its better than some of the stories coming up.

Rating - 6.83/10

Day 53: The Rescue - Desperate Measures

The final part of this all too brief adventure which introduces Maureen O’Brien to the Doctor Who world resume with the Doctor and Ian about to be a late lunch for a monster that doesn’t look to dissimilar to the slither from Dalek Invasion of Earth. The way that Ian gets around the sharp knifes is quite clever. The story moves back to Vicki, Barbara and Bennett where Bennett continues the pretence that Ian and the Doctor are dead. When Barbara comes up with a plan to surprise Koquillion the look on Bennett’s face is great.


Barbara does a very bad thing in one scene where she shoots the monster after she thinks that Vicki is in danger. Vicki is angry and doesn’t appreciate what Barbara thought was a good deed. It’s a typically Barbara thing to do to instinctively try and do whatever she can to help someone else. However on this occasion she read the situation wrong and killed something that wasn’t going to cause harm. The first encounter between the Doctor and Vicki is a bit more grandfather/granddaughter than we had with the Doctor and Susan. He talks down to her far more than he ever did with Susan. It’s a worrying moment when this happens because this is pretty much why Carole Ann Ford left the show.

The story starts to take shape when the truth starts to emerge when the Doctor tries to speak to Bennett. When he finally gets in he discovers a room with audio equipment and also a trapdoor. Its simple but effective and its low-tech enough to believe that it could fool Vicki and not make her look like an idiot. There’s a funny scene where Vicki works out that Ian and Barbara are 550 years old. It’s funny because of the reaction of Ian and Barbara who feel old all of a sudden.

The Doctor is the one that works things out and slowly starts to put things together. This is William Hartnell’s best episode for a while as he becomes the smart one of the group The scene where the Doctor meets Koquillion is a great scene and its lit well and the atmosphere make it’s the best scene of the two episodes. It helps that its filmed in Black and White and not colour as I always think that monochrome adds so much to a story. The truth about Bennett is that he is a criminal that killed the crew and tried to blame it on the locals. It’s a good enough story and it works in the context of this story. In the fight that they have the Doctor is quite energetic and it’s the quickest I think we have seen him move for sometime. The battle end when two of the locals come out and force Bennett off the cliff. Quite why they waited until this point to come out of hiding is never made clear.

With her parents and Bennett dead, it’s the perfect opportunity for Vicki to join the crew. It’s nice how the Doctor, Ian and Barbara all come up with the same idea and it shows what a stronger team they are. The final shot on Dido is of the two Dido people smashing up the equipment. Not really getting that this wont really stop the rescue ship from coming.

The cliffhanger is literally a cliffhanger with the TARDIS materialising on the edge of a cliff and falling. It was a really good way to end the episode because it must have raised questions in peoples mind about what was going to happen. As an episode it was good because it did exactly what it needed to do. It solved the mystery of what was going on and found a constructivea way of introducing Vicki As a story its just the right length and doesn’t get bogged down in trying to put padding into it and there are just the right number of characters in it to make it work. I thought that it was a good introduction for Vicki and a good story which isn’t that hard to believe considering its written by David Whittaker.

Rating - 7.83/10

Day 52: The Rescue - The Powerful Enemy

The Powerful Enemy is the first episode to feature a new companion since An Unearthly Child and it introduces Maureen O’Brien to the show as Vicki. It’s the first time that we don’t have Carole Ann Ford and it must have been weird watching this in 1965 to not see her with the rest of the regulars. O’Brien is the first person that we encounter in the episode. She hears a noise on the scanner which she thinks is rescue. She is stuck with Bennett who is bed ridden and is determined to be a killjoy when Vicki comes in with so much energy.


Koquillion is introduced into this story as a mystery figure. Both Bennett and Vicki are afraid. When we do get to see him the costume is rather good. The music helps create the menace and its good that we don’t hear anything from him at first. It’s a first good impression. Sadly when he does speak to Barbara and Ian it’s a little disappointing. No electronic effect is used and it’s a shame really.

It’s nearly four minutes before the Doctor, Ian and Barbara are introduced. The Doctor is asleep when the TARDIS lands and his behaviour is very unusual. At first there is no real effect of Susan’s departure until they are about to leave the TARDIS and I like how the Doctor is embarrassed that he made the slip. The interaction between the Doctor, Ian and Barbara is rather sweet. It’s almost like a small family.

When Koquillion is left alone with Barbara its clear that something bad is going to happen. She falls of the side of the cliff and is only saved after clinging onto a branch and she manages to survive. Before long she is helped by Vicki. Bennett then tells Vicki after his ‘meeting’ with Koquillion that they have died and Vicki tells him that one survived and the look on his face is priceless.

The Doctor has visited the planet Dido before and remembers it’s as a nice place and there is a lovely scene where he reminisces to himself and has a nice chuckle about whether he can convince Ian that it was done on purpose. William Hartnell seems to be different in this episode and it’s a wonderful performance. The scene where the Doctor comes out of the TARDIS after the explosion in the cave and there is no smoke or dust yet the Doctor is acting like there is seems to be a slightly odd moment. It seems like the dust was suppose to move quicker than it did.

This a good episode by Christopher Barry. The bit where the Doctor is choking on no dust is a bit of a letdown but there is a good moment where Ian and the Doctor are walking along the ledge and see the monster below. The shot where Barry fits both in I thought was a good camera effect and it set up the cliffhanger rather well. This is a good episode as it sets up a new character but doenst make it obvious. I also like the small cast as it gives the characters more on screen time and even though this is the first of two episodes, it still feels like they are taking their time in telling this story. This episode is about setting up the mystery and the menace of Kaquillion and its done very well.

Rating - 7.75/10

Day 51: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Flashpoint

It’s the final episode for Susan and also the final story of what I think has been a stronger story for the Daleks than their debut. In this episode their plan comes to suppose to come to fruition. Ian is still in the bomb and its about to be deployed but the way that he gets out of it is quite clever and doesn’t seem like a cop out. Barbara and Jenny have got out of the mines and are in the Daleks control room where she is implementing her plan. I like how it nearly works. It’s a wonderful scene where she tries to blind the Daleks with bits of historical information but disguising it as current. Sadly it doenst work and the Dalek tie her and Jenny up instead of killing them. It’s the classic gag in Austin Powers where Dr Evil tells Jenny and Baraba their plans and instead of killing them they just lock them away.


William Hartnell is really good in this episode. It’s the most active that I remember seeing him for a long time. His best moment comes when the Dalek is coming towards him and he’s acting defiant. It’s a good performance from Hartnell helped in part by Richard Martin’s direction. His speech about going forth in all your beliefs is one of his best and its so well played. Considering its her last episode, very little is given to Carole Ann Ford to do. Apart from her final scene we barely get anything from her. It’s the same as the final episode of ‘The Reign of Terror’. It’s reasons like this that make you understand why she chose to leave. That final scene is very good and its down to Ford and Hartnell that make it even more emotional. The Grandfather/Granddaughter relationship was more than just a on-screen thing and it was sad that it was broken up.

The models are good in this episode. In particular the model that is used for the bomb going down the shaft. What makes that bit better is that the camera shakes about to give the illusion that its being moved about. Another good bit is when he manages to escape and falls down the tube.

It’s good how all the characters have got collectively more dishevelled. Their clothes are looking more ruined and the dirt on their faces is more evident. It’s good that they done keep on looking clean cut as it would ruin the illusion.

After 51 episodes, Carole Ann Ford bows out of the series. I must say that whilst I would be sad to see Carole Ann Ford go, I wont necessarily be sad to see Susan go. At times she has been annoying and at times she has been really strong. After the first episode of An Unearthly Child, she went from being mysterious to just a youngster. Almost toddler like at times. If only she had been better written for then I think the character would have been more popular. Oh well it’s a historic moment in Doctor Who and as the series rolls into 1965, we get more arrivals, more departures and more Daleks.

As an episode it was the best final one in several stories as it didn’t feel like a weak ending or feel like it was rushing itself. It felt like it was the natural conclusion for the story and the Daleks were thwarted and there was enough time to have the emotional send off. Its something that Russell T Davies could learn after his prolonged emotional send offs. As a six part story it was much better in my mind than the first Dalek story as it didn’t seem like people were spending a long time sitting down, there was always something going on and that’s what I like about this story.

Rating - 7.67/10

Day 50: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - The Waking Ally

The penultimate episode in the story and this is where it’s the beginning of the end for Susan and its also the point where all four regulars reach their lowest ebb. The opening moments see Ian and Larry trying to fight off the slither. I mentioned that I found Ian’s story to be particularly dull which might seem unfair (and I don’t like writing it) but its true and in this episode its different. It starts the same with the pair of them being lowered into the mine shaft. It picks up once they have got to the bottom and Larry meets a very grim end after being reunited with his brother who has been turned into a Roboman. It’s the first time that I have really found the part of the story to be interesting.


William Hartnell returns after his unexpected abscene in the previous episode. The Doctor seems to have recovered from the effects of the robo-conversion unit. The Doctor and David are having a serious discussion and then Susan ruins it by telling him that the foods getting cold. It’s good to have William Hartnell back as unlike when he was away during ‘The Keys of Marinus’, this time his absence was noticeable.

Barbara and Jenny’s story is again the most interesting as they have quite the torrid time in just 25 minutes. They stumble across two rough looking women. They make clothes for the Daleks and the Robomen but there is something instantly odd about them. One of them goes off and it’s obviously to everyone watching that Jenny and Barbara are doomed. The moment when Barbara and Jenny realise that they have been betrayed and Jenny goes for the women is one of my favourite moments in the episode. They are not sorry for what they have done and that’s why despite their brief involvement in the story. Barbara and Jenny are taken to work in the mines but it doesn’t last long before Barbara comes up with a plan and is taken to the Black Dalek.

There is another moment between Susan and David having fun. The idea of Susan warming to someone is perhaps new but this is the most time that’s ever been given to her being interested in someone. It’s a shame that Susan ruins the Doctor and David’s scene by telling them about the food getting cold because up until that point I thought that Susan was doing well and was being quite normal but that one moment ruins it.

The final few minutes of the episode are a bit odd. Ian somehow stumbles into the bomb which has just enough for him to fit it and he gets into it without anyone noticing. The cliffhanger ends with the bomb about to be deployed. It’s a good ending but its just the contrived way that it comes about that causes me to feel a bit cold towards it. As an episode it’s a good one and its clear building up to the end and it’s a strong penultimate episode.

It’s another well directed episode by Richard Martin. The scenes in the Dalek control room are rather well done. The final scenes in that room are the best as Martin has decided to film it at an angle like you would get in the baddies lair in the Batman TV series. Martin has been one of the best directors in the show so far with some consistently good episodes under his belt.

Rating - 7.75/10

Day 49: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - The End of Tomorrow

This is another episode where William Hartnell doesn’t appear apart from the reprise. The fact that he doesn’t appear is filmed in quite a clever way so that all we see are the backs of David, Susan and the Doctor. We finally get to Bedfordshire and see a proper sense of the scale of destruction that the Daleks have caused. The location footage is something that I have commented on before but it’s surprising to me how much energy it seems to have put into the story. It’s one thing to have studio sets that convey the destruction but location filming makes it seem more real. Filming outside is still relatively new to the show by its using effectively.


Susan and David go travelling through the sewers. The first scene of them in it is ended with a brilliant shot of someone holding a gun at David and Susan. It turns out to be Tyler. Quite why they didn’t notice it was him or vice versa sooner is a bit of a mystery but it doesn’t ruin the effectiveness of the scene. We get a scene between Susan and David which is another indication about Susan’s impending departure as she loves the idea of building a new city. It’s been at least two episodes since Susan was used as a source to introduce some drama. This time she is hanging from a broken ladder and it falls to David and Tyler to rescue her from being eaten by an alligator.

The scene of Barbara driving the truck through the Daleks is perhaps less dramatic than the film version but it’s a great scene. I think that the partnership of Barbara and Jenny is a good one. They are very much like chalk and cheese and that’s why I enjoy it when they are on screen together. The scene with Ian isn’t quite as exciting as Susan or Barbara’s stuff. It’s just Ian trying to negotiate with a smuggler. The Smuggler is called Aston and I thought that Philip Madoc was better in the movie. This is probably the weakest part of the episode and its not a regular think to attach the word weak with William Russell or Ian Chesterton. The only time that he has something good happen to him is at the end and that lasts about ten seconds. The absence (if unscripted) of William Hartnell means that the regulars get more to do and its certainly the case that they benefit from this.

Richard Martin has directed a wonderful episode and there are several shots that are very good (though there are one or two that are a bit iffy). Terry Nation should be praised for writing a story that doesn’t feel like it’s a holding pattern for something bigger that’s happening in a later episode. The story is moving forward and its helped by stronger and weary characters. On the whole the episode was another good one. The characters are all ones that you can care about and despite Jenny being slightly annoying, its all shaping up to be a good story.

Day 48: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - Day of Reckoning

The battle continues with the Doctor being rescued. It seemed a bit lacklustre compared to the previous episode and the music doenst really help matters as it seems a bit cheery and cookey. After the long winded battle is over we got to the resistance’s base and it’s a very sombre affair with no-one looing particularly happy. Tyler walks in looking like a defeated man and seems quite miffed that the bombs didn’t work.


The Daleks sound like their on helium. Not like what we saw the first time. I cant make up my mind about whether it makes them sound less menacing than they did before. Was it the setting and the mood that made them seems so striking or was it the look and voice?

Theres a nice trio that forms with Dortmun, Jenny and Barbara. They go on a trip through the streets of London. The sequence where they are going through some of the landmarks and seeing Daleks travelling across Westminister Bridge is one of the best in the story. The sight of a Dalek pulling up infront of Big Ben is another great moment. The whole bit of location footage is brilliant even though not a single word is uttered and it’s a mixture of the performances from the trio and also the music is far more interesting than what we got in the battle at the beginning of the episode. It’s weird to see one of the most populated cities in the world look so empty.

The sets are very impressive in this episode, in particular the scene where Susan and David hide from a Dalek. It gets used more than once in this episode and there are other sets that are good to watch and it feels like some money has been chucked at this story.

Susan does get quite emotional and for the first time I don’t think it’s a sense of being told to act like child I get the feeling that she’s just tired of the fighting. It’s a bit like Tegan would be in ‘Resurrection of the Daleks’. Susan entertains the idea of her and David running on board and go somewhere that have never heard of Daleks and when David questions what to do if there is something bad, she just thinks about moving on and David doesn’t like this idea. I like how they casually drop in the idea of Susan’s exit. She seems to be more willing to listen to David than the Doctor and whilst a couple of stories ago this would have been a source of conflict, here it’s a minor irritation.

William Hartnell doesn’t really do a great deal as the Doctor is still recovering from being on the robotising machine. It’s not until the final five minutes that he gets on his feet and tries to pass of an idea as his own that he seems to show some life. It’s the last we see of Hartnell until Episode Five as he was unwell during the next episode and it’s another opportunity for the rest of the regulars to get a bit more of the action.

Dortmun’s death is quite a surprise as I think it was a wasted move. There was plenty more that the character could have done and his death came a couple of episodes too early.

The cliffhanger is another good one. The Doctor, David and Susan are waiting and just as they are doing this, two robomen plant a bomb. It’s a nice incentive to see what will happen to the trio in the next episode. As an episode it started off iffy but soon picked up and is memorable for the location footage. It’s the most extensive filming outside for the show up until this point and it seems to add a nice dimension to the story. At the halfway point of the Daleks’ second story, I think it’s a better story because the characters are better and there isn’t as much standing around talking.

Day 47: The Dalek Invasion of Earth - The Daleks

After what must have been a surprising return, the Daleks are well and truly back and even the episode is called ‘The Daleks’. The Daleks are slightly different because they have a disc on their backs. They also sound different and in their first encounter with the Doctor, he has a wonderful moment of defiance and the Daleks proclaim themselves as the Masters of Earth. It’s at this point that they are sent to the saucer. We are introduced to Jenny who comes across as quite a cold and abrupt character. Its quite hard to believe that there was talk about making her a companion. It’s possible as she could mellow over the rest of the story and want to travel with the Doctor.

The set to the landing ramp is quite good but is slightly ruined by the return of the dreaded cut-out daleks. I don’t know why they persist with them. It would be better to have just the five Daleks on set and believe that its just them. It isn’t helped when the spot light seem to hover on and around the cut-outs which just seems to add insult to injury. The Robomen are given a bit of backstory and some of the language used by David is quite strong. They are human but in the end they are just the lackeys of the Daleks. The performances are that good because they are slow in talking and look half asleep. I know that this is how they are suppose to look but its not a great way of portraying a group of people The battle out on the loading bay is short but it was well done. They use all five Daleks and even though its in a quite tight space its still quite well achieved.

I like the resistance of Dortmun, Jenny and co. Even though they are visitors it is Barbara comes with a plan to help the attack become a success. This is a good group of people and they work in such a way that makes them weary and just as determined to fight back and its done well and it makes you want them to succeed and I particularly like Tyler as he seems quite smart and is strong. Dortmun is slightly annoying and David is quite sprite and perky. Almost a bit too perky and if I didn’t know better then I would say he’s working for the Daleks.

The Doctor and Ian are trapped on the saucer with a bloke named Craddock. The Doctor and Ian work together to try and get out and they come up with a plan to escape their cell despite the gloom from Craddock though the plan doesn’t go that well when they are captured almost immediately. The Doctor is manhandled onto a bench and the Doctor gets the cliffhanger as he is by the end unconscious. I think that the cliffhanger isn’t the greatest but the sight of the Doctor in danger with no obvious sign of rescue must be quite a good reason to tune in. As a result its good at getting the story going after the introduction episode. We learn about the Robomen and what the Daleks may want on Earth.

It’s a good episode and carries on at the same pace as the first one did and apart from the cut-outs the direction and production of the episode was good.