(657) Time and the Rani - Part 4

It’s a welcome relief that this is the final episode of the story. Despite this being the final episode, there isn’t the sense of it being the big ending and that is due to the writing really but that isn’t the fault of Pip and Jane Baker but unfortunately its their names on the credits.

The Tetrap’s design is still something that I find impressive. This is the episode where they start to turn against the Rani. This leads to a rather amusing scene at the end where they have the Rani tied up in her TARDIS. It does seem odd that they haven’t made an appearance in a Big Finish story because I think that there is something good about them.

The Doctor is using his mixed sayings to annoy the Rani and so doesn’t spend too long in the cubicle.  I think that Sylvester McCoy plays the Doctor in the way that perhaps the way that the Doctor should be straight after the regeneration and the only thing that stops me from writing of Sylvester McCoy is that I know how good he becomes in future series. Bonnie Langford was rather disappointing in this story because I am struggling to think of what she did that was noteworthy. After the good start that had in the previous series, it is somewhat disappointing that she was reduced to pretty much supporting status.

The Rani finally reveals that she want to put right what went wrong with civilisations which doesn’t seem the sort of thing that the Rani had a better plan in her previous story. I think that this wasn’t the best story for Kate O’Mara but she still manages to give an entertaining performance. There aren’t many people in television that would shun sunny Hollywood and want to spend time in a wet grey quarry in Britain.

Despite all the problems with this story there are some positives. Firstly there is the music. Keff MucCulloch’s incidental music is rather good in this episode and even though its very much of the period, it still seems a lot more modern than the music that had been used the previous series.  Another thing that worked quite well were the models. The models used towards the end of the episode are rather good but I wish that there were more in this story.

The scene where the Doctor is in the TARDIS is one which is unusual because I cant recall many scenes that Sylvester McCoy would have in that set. It’s an odd thing to point out but McCoy’s Doctor is the one spends more time out of the TARDIS than in it.

It’s fair to say that this isn’t the greatest Doctor Who story that there has ever been and I wish I could write that this was the only blip in the season but things are about to get worst. There is always the possibility that now the opening story is over and done with that things can start to settle down but at the moment I don’t think so.

(656) Time and the Rani - Part 3

The first few seconds of the theme tune always get me excited but then I remember that I am watching Time and the Rani and that excitement goes away a bit. Admittedly the problems that there were in the previous episodes weren’t as evident in this episode but the problem that is now on screen is that I just find myself bored with what is on screen which is surprising when you consider that the Rani’s plan is starting to take shape. Kate O’Mara does do a good job in still performing in a rather underwhelming character. The Doctor is more active in this episode and seems more like the Doctor that McCoy would play. It’s a rather comforting performance from McCoy and even though the Doctor is easily fooled with a fake Mel.

One of the few successes involve the Tetraps. I thought that the idea that they are quite vocal which isn’t something that I would expect from a monster in this situation. Normally they would have grunted or stayed silent. I also like that the eyes moved around and one had an extended tounge as this has to be one of the best created monsters for quite some time.

A new set is used in this story. Centre of Leisure is where the Lakertyans relax but it seems to be not the nicest place to be. This is made evident when the Rani unleashes a weapon which kills several. After being somewhat impressed with the sets and the use of the quarry I was quite disappointed with this centre set because it just rather lame and it doesn’t look like much thought went into it.

We finally get to see what was behind the door seen I the previous episodes and it is a giant brain. I don’t know whether many people were disappointed with this or not but it makes sense because it would have to be something unusual for the Rani. This is why I think that the Rani is in some ways better than the Master because the Rani has a specific purpose which seems throughout whereas the Master’s plans tend to be not as well thought out and usually designed to destroy the Doctor.

The episode ends with the Doctor’s brain about to be used to help the giant brain and that is about it. To be honest it’s a case of one step forward and two steps back because the fact that there wasn’t much to like about this episode. This was the second episode in a row that scored in the low 7’s but as a story its still in the 6’s. Now its 6.99 as opposed to the 6.90 at the beginning of this story. At the moment it’s the lowest scoring of the opening Doctor stories which doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

(655) Time and the Rani - Part 2

The thing I didn’t mention in yesterday’s review was that the show had been moved from its traditional Saturday night slot again and placed on Mondays against the little watched show Coronation Street. Sorry, when I said little watched I meant to say ratings juggernaut. If you wanted to bury a show, this was the best way of doing it. It was nice also in the previous episode that didn’t have a close up of the Doctor’s face and so the reprise started off in a better way than usual.

Sadly the problems that appeared in the first episode continue in this episode. Ultimately the problem is that the Lakertyans aren’t particularly interesting and so I find myself wondering why I should care about their current predicament. Despite Wanda Ventham (Image of the Fendahl and Benedict Cumberbatch’s mom) and Donald Pickering (The Faceless Ones), best efforts the character are hampered by their rather silly movements and also the fact that the Lakertyans don’t seem to have a backbone and just seemed to crumble at the power (or perceived power) of the Rani.

All the time that Kate O’Mara and Sylvester McCoy were on screen, I was interested in the story but whenever they weren’t on screen then I found myself just watching all the problems with the serial. Mel finally gets to interact with Sylvester McCoy and the Doctor thinks that Mel is the Rani. Their first interaction is a mixture of comedy and frustration. Mel also thinks that the Doctor isn’t the Doctor because she didn’t see the regeneration. Once they realise that both of them are who they say they are it leads to a lovely bonding moment.

The Rani’s attempt at being Mel thankfully comes to an end in this episode because once the Doctor twigs what is going on the ruse is ended. It must have been slightly frustrating for Kate O’Mara. She went from being the quite interesting character in The Mark of the Rani to having to be Bonnie Langford. Despite having to dress like Mel, Kate O’Mara does her best but its not the best use of the character.

The cliffhanger does feel a bit silly because whilst in terms of drama it works quite well, he basically puts himself by going into the situation. It has been a much better episode than the first one but that isn’t much of a compliment due to that episode being rather poor. I have rated this episode 7.07 which as an average still has this story in the 6’s which at the moment places it 11^th from bottom (137^th place). I feel more confident about this story improving in the final two episodes than in the previous episode. It’s not a perfect story by any means and its current placing is deserved but I can’t help think that the transition period had been better handled that this story (and series) would have worked out differently.

(654) Time and the Rani - Part 1

Ok so I enter the final stage of the original run of Doctor Who. This has come really fast because at the beginning of the year I was halfway through the Peter Davison era. It’s weird to think how much the show has changed in that short amount of time. During the 1970’s we only had one regeneration and during the 80’s we have now had three. So with Colin Baker having being sacked by JNT Michael Grade, the search was on for a new Doctor and JNT chose Sylvester McCoy. Unfortunately McCoy’s time doesn’t get off to the best of starts because Colin Baker refused to film a regeneration scene which is fair enough but it means that the ‘regeneration’ scene is one of the worst.

The way that Andrew Morgan managed to avoid showing us Colin Baker’s face is well done right up until the point where we see Sylvester McCoy in a blond wig. I suppose some credit should go towards production team for at least giving it a go. When McCoy has his first speech it starts off ok but I think the buffoonery to be rather ill-judged. Bonnie Langford is also badly served in this episode as she basically spends the entire episode either tied up or running everywhere.

We get new a new title sequence in this episode which is really good and is a breath of fresh air after six years of the same star filled one. One of the many problems with this serial is the preposterous idea that the Rani decides to pretend to be Mel to try and fool the Doctor. The purpose of this is that the Rani needs the Doctor’s help but thing is that it requires Kate O’Mara to dress, talk and act like Bonnie Langford which is a huge stretch of believability. The only good moment came when the Rani tries to convince the Doctor that Mel is dressed the same as her.

There are things that worked quite well in this episode. The bubble that is created whenever people trip an explosion is rather well done and one of the few effects that work well in this episode. Another good thing are the Tetraps which look good as a design and also serve a purpose in serving the Rani. The idea that Rani needs the Doctors help is something that works on a narrative level but I  don’t think that this was given enough screen time which is a shame.

The traditional trying of new costumes for the Doctor is something that seems to be as humorous as when Tom Baker costume change in Robot. We saw the costumes from Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison and Patrick Troughton’s coat before we get the costume that McCoy wears. I think that it’s a much better outfit than the one Colin Baker wore and the only thing I would change is the question mark jumper. His performance is perfectly fine given that the material he is given isn’t the strongest. It’s never a wise thing to judge a new Doctor on their first story because it is usually the weakest of their stories.

There are very few positives to take from this episode and I have rated this episode 6.90 which is the first time that I have rated an episode in the sixes since episode three of The Horns of Nimon. I should say that I don’t think that the flaws with this story have anything to do with Pip and Jane Baker or Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford. I think that circumstances behind the scenes meant that this story had zero chance of being anything other than poor. I do hope that the next three episodes will improve because things cant get any worse.

I am going to end on a stat by saying that this is the 129^th episode to be produced by John Nathan Turner and now overtakes Barry Letts as the longest serving producer in Doctor Who history.

(653) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 14): The Ultimate Foe (Part 2)

So we come to the end of this Trial series and also the end of the Colin Baker era. It is also the time that the current title sequence will be used. It has been used in pretty much the same style since the first episode of The Leisure Hive. I think that it’s about time that the titles were changed and the theme tune is thankfully going as well. This episode was supposed to be written by Robert Holmes but he was ill and Eric Saward had fallen out with JNT well and truly so it fell to Pip and Jane Baker to deal with the fall out and try and write a script that a) makes sense, b) finishes this portion of the season satisfactorily and c) wrap up the entire season in a way that doesn’t disappoint.

The effect of Colin Baker being lifter out of the sinking pit it a little bit dodgy because its clear that the image is being manipulated. The Valeyard keeps jumping around and this was a good effect and made even better by the reactions of Colin Baker and Tony Selby.

I like the Master’s TARDIS because it very much suits the Master’s persona. I forget that the Doctor and Glitz stumble across it and this leads to a nice end scene where the Doctor is hypnotised and is left to be taken out by the Valeyard. This then of course doesn’t happen but moments later the Doctor is taken by Mel and it leads to the courtroom to finish the trial. I like how it comes across as a proper trial and the viewer is led to believe that the Doctor is prepared to accept the guilty verdict that is given. It doesn’t take long for the viewer to be told the truth. What I like is that the Doctor appears to accept this but in truth is just going along with the lie.

I do like the scene where the Doctor and Mel are in the machinery room. I love going to that sort of thing so this bit amused me. What also amused me is a bomb that the Valeyard has created and Mel uses word like Megabyte and Modem which sound quite futuristic in 1986 but 2015 that is nothing.

The Doctor is successful in stopping the Valeyard’s bomb and that appears to be the end of it. The Doctor is found not guilty but during the scene with the Doctor and the Inquisitor the Doctor is informed that Peri didn’t die but is shacked up with King Yrcanos. I personally think that this wasn’t the best thing to do because it completely devalues the ending of episode eight.

This was the best episode for Michael Jayston because after spending the previous thirteen episodes popping up every so often with great lines and now he gets to show us what he is really made of. Jayston really enjoys himself from the very beginning.

Final lines are quite important aren’t they. William Hartnell’s were “It’s far from being all over”, Tom Baker was “It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for” and Peter Davison left the show with “Is this death”. Colin Baker sadly wasn’t afforded the same luxury as due to Colin Baker not wanting to return for just one story refused to return and so his final words were “Carrot Juice, Carrot Juice, Carrot Juice”. It wasn’t the best way to end the Sixth Doctor’s tenure on the show. The final shot is also slightly frustrating because shows that the Valeyard has now taken the body of the Keeper of the Matrix. Sadly we never get another TV adventure with Jayston.

Pip and Jane Baker did a very good job considering the time constraints and other constraints that they couldn’t deal with. If you didn’t know about the problems then you wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Chris Clough also directed this episode rather well.

I think that the season has been better than I (and many) have given it credit. The Mysterious Planet was a bit of a let-down but the rest of it worked quite well and Colin Baker gave it a good go in this season and seemed to have toned down the madness that seemed to be rampant in the previous season. Nicola Bryant and Bonnie Langford did good jobs as the companions and I have commented on my new appreciation for Bonnie Langford now. Lynda Bellingham and Michael Jayston were superb supporting cast members. Trial is never going to be very popular with fans but I have learnt to love the season.

Now I am about to enter the final portion of the classic original run and if I had concerns with the trial season before I started watching it. I have even greater concerns about the upcoming season which I have always thought of as the weakest season ever. Maybe things will change.

One thing that I have come to a conclusion about is just how badly I have judge Colin Baker’s time as the Doctor. Ok so his first story was a complete car wreck and the less said about Timelash and The Mysterious Planet the better but apart from those stories Colin Baker really hasn’t put a foot wrong as the leading man. The stories have been largely good and as far as ratings are concerned, only three stories out of the eleven did were outside the top 60 that works out at just 27.3% of his stories. Here is the full list so far.

Colin Baker (27.3%)
Tom Baker (48.8%)
Jon Pertwee (50.0%)
Peter Davison (63.2%)
Patrick Troughton (71.4%)
William Hartnell (82.8%)

When it comes to the bottom 50 stories its still good for Sixie.

Jon Pertwee (12.5%)
Tom Baker (26.8%)
Colin Baker (27.3%)
Peter Davison (31.6%)
Patrick Troughton (42.9%)
William Hartnell (62.1%)

I had always thought that Big Finish had been the ones that re-invented the Sixth Doctor but in truth they have just woken everyone up to how good Colin Baker was a the Doctor and how much better his time on the show had been than previously thought. I have enjoyed the last month a lot more than I ever thought I would and I will genuinely miss watching the Sixth Doctor because after over 20 years of not rating this Doctor very highly, I have the opportunity to say I was wrong. Badly wrong.

(651) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 12): Terror of the Vervoids - Part 4

I didn’t realise this until just now but this was the last story this season to be filmed and so that means that technically this was the final episode that Colin Baker recorded as the Doctor. I have commented on how well Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford seemed to be getting on and now it’s easy to see why. It will be interesting to see how their relationship comes across in the final two episodes of this season.

The Mogarians don’t really seem to have had much purpose in this story except for this episode where they enter the main control room and save the day. Saving the day is probably a stretch because it turns out that Rudge is also not quite as he seems as he turns on the Commodore and stages a hijacking. The Vervoids are much more effective as a villain as everyone else becomes a bit less effective and they have this wonderful habit of just popping out of every vent whenever people are walking past. They are killing people at quite a rate and it almost seems like Pip and Jane Baker are trying to make up for a lack of deaths in a story.

Doland is the one that committed the murders which is something that most people might have seen coming but I honestly didn’t and still don’t remember that it’s Doland. Malcolm Tierney has been very good in this serial and I have always been fan since appearing in House of Cards which was obviously filmed long after this serial but Tierney is a very good actor and managed to blend into the background which led to the good reveal.

The courtroom scenes don’t seem to impact that much into the episode as in previous episodes. A good scene comes when the Doctor acknowledges before the court that he was asked for help and the Valeyard reluctantly agrees with this. After all the good work that the Doctor does in showing us he’s a good person. It is perhaps unfortunate that this is the story where he basically commits genocide by wiping out the Vervoids. I think that this was an unfortunate but narratively necessary way to end the story. It leads to the Valeyard to wanting the Doctor charged with genocide. This leads to another close up in the cliffhanger. This is now the 10^th episode out of twelve which ends with the Doctor being the last thing we see in the episode. It’s starting to come across as a bit unoriginal and repetitive.

I haven’t commented on how good a job Chris Clough did on directing this story which I will try and correct now. He has done a good job in taking my mind off the fact that there isn’t any location filming. The lighting and sets have all worked very well and apart from a few CGI effects which don’t work quite so well the effect used to show the decaying leaves is another impressive moment that occurs in this season. The death of the Vervoids looks good and the effect of a leaf in the Doctor’s hand also look good even by today’s standards. Before I did this marathon, I wouldn’t have rated Pip and Jane Baker as particularly good writers but after being impressed with the Mark of the Rani and being impressed with this story, its time to re-evaluate them as writers.

I have really changed my opinion of Mel. Ok so the screaming is annoying and I don’t think that will change but as a companion I think that Bonnie Langford deserves more credit than she has been given in the past. I think that the character is a breath of fresh air from what he have seen in the companion role because she doesn’t try and annoy the Doctor or try and kill him but decides to be very active from the beginning so because of this and other things that have happened I am really looking forward to the final story.

(650) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 11): Terror of the Vervoids - Part 3

Today marks the 650^th episode of this marathon. 50 episodes ago I was being less than enthusiastic about the first part of The Kings Demons. I think that this episode is far better than the Demons episode. So far in this portion of the Trial season, there hasn’t been much in the way of terror from the Vervoids. That changes in today’s episode which is where things seem to be progressing more in the Vervoids story than the courtroom arc. The pulsating effect used on the infected woman named as Ruth Baxter is very impressive.

We get a proper look at the Vervoids in this episode but it takes place in a dimly lit room. When we do see them better lit I have to say that I do like the design of them. Ok so the face mask is a bit amusing but the rest of it does work quite well. There was always the possibility that the design would look a bit poor when Pip and Jane Baker created this monster but credit must go to the production for making this work.

Mel is quite active in this episode and actually does something quite clever in using one of the headphones to record what was being said in the overhead chutes. There is a questionable suspension of disbelief comes when Mel gets chucked into one of the waste bins and manages to be saved by the Doctor in the same amount of time that he listens to what she’s recorded and runs to save her.

Another example of things being changed include the Doctor being smashed in the communication room. Sadly there isn’t much about the manipulation that is going on which is something that I would have liked to see more of in this episode. Apart from this there is very little reason really to have Michael Jayston and Lynda Bellingham in the episode. The courtroom scenes don’t bring anything to the episode.

Bruchner is the one that turns out is the dodgy one in the group. This is where the story gets really interesting because I don’t feel like the Vervoids have been terrifying enough. Due to the fact that Bruchner is human it’s easier to find him a better villain that the Vervoids. As a result I find myself more interested in his story than the Vervoids. I think that it was perhaps too obvious for Lasky to be the one that was the dodgy one in the group

I thought that this was a good episode that continues things along nicely in the story arc but also sets things up nicely for the final part of this Vervoids story. I am looking forward to not having to talk about two different aspects of the story in the same review. One thing I can say for sure and that is the dubious decision of whether to try and have art imitate life and have a trial in the season when the show itself is on trial doesn’t seem so dubious because I forget about all the troubles the show was facing then and just found myself engrossed with what was on the screen.

(649) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 10): Terror of the Vervoids - Part 2

It’s hard to think that I am now ten episodes into this season and that the ending is starting to get ever closer and even weirder that we are closing in to the final few episodes with Colin Baker as the Doctor. After the initial concern that it felt like the show was a bit lifeless, its good to report that those concerns are even were quickly erased as both the trial story and the evidence parts of this season are improving the overall feel. The explosion that takes place at the beginning of the episode look really impressive but it’s the scream that is the final noticeable thing about the cliffhanger and reprise.

It doesn’t take long for the regular story arc of manipulated evidence returns to the screen and I like how the Doctor decides that he needs to let the action play out to find out who is behind it. He gets to be quite smug in front of the Valeyard when he points out that one of the people pretending to be a Mogarian shows himself to be a fake because he didn’t switch on his translator. Of course the Doctor doesn’t jump for joy but it’s clear he sees this as a small victory.

Honor Blackman gets some very amusing lines in this episode and they are usually aimed at the Doctor’s expense. The Doctor may be a fool but he’s not a criminal was one that I found particularly entertaining. There was a bit of development about her character which I thought was quite interesting and in fact the whole scientific team she works with is something that I find interesting.

I am still impressed with how well Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford are getting on considering this is only their second episode together. Due to the structure of the episode, there is a Sherlock Holmes and Watson vibe to their performance. If only Bonnie Langford didn’t scream then I think people would think more highly of the character of Mel.

It’s good how we don’t see the Vervoids in full. We just see glimpses of their hands and see things from their POV. I think that it is probably wise for them to do it like this because the end result isn’t the greatest but that said here and now the Vervoids are quite a good villain.

The build up to find out what is in the isolation room is something that is done rather well and the big reveal forms the cliffhanger along with a zoom in and a Mel scream. The eyes opening I thought was a nice touch. It has been a good episode but it didn’t seem to have the same pace that the previous episode did. Don’t get me wrong, I still like this episode and there was plenty of positives to take from this episode. The next two episodes should hopefully be just as much fun as the previous two.

(648) The Trial of a Timelord (Part 9): Terror of the Vervoids - Part 1

Terror of the Vervoids is the beginning of the Mel era on the show and also the first opportunity that the Doctor has of defending himself. He picks a story in his future which does imply I suppose that it means he gets off in the trial but as any fan with half a brain knows, things can be re-written all the time so it is by no means a certainty that he would be freed by the end of this adventure. Pip and Jane Baker return to the show after their impressive debut in the previous season. Although you would forgive them for working under conditions which weren’t ideal bearing in mind that Eric Saward and John Nathan Turner have had a severe falling out at this point. This story is heavily influenced by several Agatha Christie stories as this is a whodunit.

The sombre Doctor that we see at the beginning of the episode is something that we haven’t seen from Colin Baker’s Doctor before. I buy that the Doctor is still not over the death of Peri and holds himself partly to blame for what happened to her. That is about as much time as Peri gets in this episode and I think that it’s a good move because its Mel’s time and things move on.

The story moves along and it seems like this is just another piece of evidence but then things change. There is another example of things being change. The Doctor speaks out after one moment where he tells Mel to basically go away is something that the Doctor doesn’t remember when he saw the film before.

Michael Craig plays Commodore Travers and he is the rather standard no nonsense captain. The thing about the Commodore is that it seems that he has encountered the Doctor before although few details are revealed. Hopefully this is an adventure that Big Finish decide to do in the future. Denys Hawthorne plays Rudge who is the security officer who is on his last journey in this story so its clear that he is going to be involved in some shape or form. Another clue is how he is undermined by the Commodore. Honor Blackman is the first person who speaks in the Hyperion III story. Blackman appeared in the best Bond film ever (Goldfinger) and previously appeared as Kathy Gale in The Avengers. I really like the character as she is driven almost to the point where she would step over a dead person to get to what she wants.

Bonnie Langford’s first appearance in the show isn’t particularly strong as we see her trying to get the Doctor into shape by riding an exercise bike and drinking carrot juice (more of that in future episodes). I think bearing in mind that it is the first story for the character, a bit more effort should have been made to make the viewer warm to her. Luckily that bumpy start is replaced with a character that is rather like Sarah Jane Smith. Firstly don’t start writing messages of hatred at me, by similar I mean that she is quite inquisitive and wants to try and solve the puzzle. Sadly she ends the episode in a less than stellar way because her screaming is rather annoying but at least it doesn’t involve the Doctor and/or a zoom in. As far as the relationship between the Doctor and Mel, its weird how the partnership seems to be working well already. It took several stories for the Doctor’s relationship with Peri to mellow (in fact it wasn’t until The Mysterious Planet that this happened).

It was an interesting episode and its weird how there seems to be a shift in the way the series appears on screen and as we reach the business end of the season its clear the best is still yet to come. I am feeling a lot more warmly towards the season than I was at the beginning and think that its starting to look like my opinion of the season as a whole might improve.

(632) The Mark of the Rani - Part 2

The cliffhanger works just as well as in this episode but something is slightly different and that is a shot of a man who is later identified as George Stevenson. It is a bit of a cheat really but it’s an interesting way of introducing a character like Stevenson. Sadly I think that Stevenson is rather under used in this episode. It does raise a question as to why he was even introduced into the story. You could easily have just mentioned his name and he would have been more involved in the story than he was. There was one fun scene when the Doctor gets very wrapped up in helping Stevenson with his design. Whilst Stevenson is pretty much underused, the same can’t be said for Luke. Gary Cady plays Stevenson’s assistant Luke. He gets put under the control of the Master but unfortunately it’s difficult to tell the difference because Cady doesn’t really show much emotion.

The whole idea about the Rani have a Turner painting hiding her TARDIS is quite a clever idea and it is something that featured in the previous episode but it seems to be more important in this one. The first thing that strikes me when we see inside the Rani’s TARDIS is that she has a better designed TARDIS than the Doctor. I just want the Doctor to travel in this TARDIS from now on

There is an interesting bit where Peri is point the Masters tissue thing and it’s clear that things are going to go wrong because its Peri. She is quickly outwitted by the Rani which isn’t too difficult but its worth it just to see Kate O’Mara act like an evil genius. The partnership of the Master and the Rani is rather interesting as they do seem to be almost on the same page. The Rani introduces some interesting bomb things which turn people into intriguing things. Luke gets turned into a tree although the performance is the same. The Rani’s reaction to Luke being a tree is funny because she reminds the Doctor that a tree has four times the life expectancy than a human so he is actually better off as he is now.

There doesn’t actually seem to be a moment which is where the Doctor is victorious. The closest that we get is when the Rani and the Master escape in her TARDIS and things go wrong. Things are worse than that actually as a dinosaur starts to grow and unfortunately its not the best model of a dinosaur that there has ever been. This story has been just as much fun as I had thought. The location filming has been one of the main reasons why this story seemed to work. The introduction of the Rani was well done and I liked the trio of Timelords battling it out on earth. I thought that Sarah Hellings, Pip and Jane Baker have done quite well with this adventure. The performances have been really very good and apart from the character of Luke, they all seemed to be relevant to the story. The next story is going to be interesting because some familiar faces make a return. I am starting to think that this season is one of the strongest seasons of Doctor Who for quite sometime.

(631) The Mark of the Rani - Part 1

If this story goes the way that I hope it does, then it will be the best start to a season for many years. After the rather violent previous story, it’s a bit of a relief that we have a less violent story. This was the first story to be written by the husband and wife team of Pip and Jane Baker. Jane becomes the third credited woman to write for Doctor Who. Sarah Hellings becomes only the fifth woman to have directed the show. So far women have accounted for 5.1% of writers and 9.4% of directors.

This is one of those stories where I am going to bang on about the location filming but its hard not to when it looks as good as it does. I don’t live too far away from the Black Country Living Museum which is very similar to where this story was filmed. I wish that this story had been longer because its beautiful to look at. Every scene that is filmed outside looks perfect and Sarah Hellings makes really good use of every single opportunity.

This story sees the first appearance of the recently lost Kate O’Mara who plays the Rani. We don’t see much of her at first but on her second appearance she features more on screen. She wants to do her dastardly plans for scientific research whereas the Master just wants to destroy the Doctor. That is why the Rani could make a claim as being better than the Master. She is removing a chemical from people’s brains which takes away their ability to sleep. A group of miners are knocked out by the Rani’s gas and then become very aggressive and sort of become the lackeys for the Rani and the Master. The Master makes his first appearance since Planet of Fire (1984). It’s clear that his demise was short lived but it would have been interesting to have a bit of information given as to how he survived. His ‘first’ appearance comes when it’s implied that a scarecrow may be him. He doesn’t waste much time in trying to cause trouble. The aggressive trio are easily brainwashed into believing the Doctor is the one causing trouble.

“Devious and over complicated” is how the Rani describes the Master and that is pretty much how I would describe the Master. I like how the Rani and the Master don’t get along at all. Kate O’Mara is very good as the Rani and brings a freshness to this timelord fairground ride that exists between the Doctor and the Master. It’s always nice to see Anthony Ainley back and for once it does seem to be for a good reason. Ainley also seems to be enjoying what he’s doing and is more involved in the action than he was in his previous story.

The first scene between the Doctor and the Rani leads to the Doctor figuring out what’s going on within minutes. This is perhaps the only thing that really doesn’t quite work for me but I suppose I can forgive it for how the rest of the episode works out. If I was being ultra-harsh then I could pick up on the moment when the TARDIS is thrown down a mineshaft which the viewers know won’t affect that the TARDIS and the Master should know this.

The cliffhanger sees the Doctor strapped to a gurney accidentally pushed down a hill by Peri and then by the aggressive luddites. This is quite a good cliffhanger because there is no clear way of how the Doctor is going to get out of this situation. This has been a curious episode because it seems that it took a long time before things started to find its feet. The latter part of the episode (or second part in old money) was the stronger part but I still thought that there were things that worked well in the first part that made the whole thing work.