Tuesday 28 February 2012

The Mind Robber

In memory of Patrick Troughton- we are reposting this article as a tribute. Patrick Troughton- The Cosmic Hobo- gone but never forgotten

“Well, I think we may be in a place where nothing is impossible.”

The Mind Robber is a playful Second Doctor’s story which, although it doesn’t comprise of particularly scary monsters it focuses on what is more frightening; the power of our minds and imagination where no social or moral boundaries exist.

The Doctor, Zoe and Jamie find themselves thrown out of a rather broken TARDIS into a land of make believe where fictional prose becomes reality and the boundaries between fiction and reality merge. They meet many famous fictional characters along the way who either assist or hinder their plans to escape this surreal World.

The wonderful Second Doctor plays along with the tasks he’s presented with to rescue his incapacitated companions including the infamous “Jamie’s face” game which, provided a clever way of switching a poorly chicken pox ridden Frazer Hines for his last minute replacement Hamish Wilson.


Little does the Doctor and his companions know what horrifying prospect awaits them as they work their way through to the centre of this maze of creative puzzles and surprises.

The story is somewhat ironic as writers were forced to concentrate their creative ideas due to infamous BBC budget constraints to produce 5 episodes. The final episode in fact still stands as the shortest ever Doctor Who episode recorded.

So join us for this bedtime story at the Doctor Who Bar on Wednesday night from 7pm, pressing play at 7:30pm. Milky drink optional. It’s cheezypeas first ever night of hosting so please be nice ;-)

Oh and one more word……catsuit!

Monday 27 February 2012

Doctor Who : Memories From Across The Pond by @The_Knights87

The first memory of Doctor Who that I can remember all too well is the first time I watched it. We all remember our first time. Mine just happened to be the closing moments of episode 4 of Robot when I happened upon it by channel surfing through all of 6 channels. Well that happy memory took place way back in the early 80’s right in the USA when the BBC used to sell the show to local PBS stations. Doctor Who was extremely popular on PBS stations and a majority of the US fans were introduced to the show by watching it on a Public Television station. I was extremely lucky as I had two PBS stations playing Doctor Who every weekday. Hurrah for me!

So life was good in the early 80’s but Doctor Who got a bit more exciting when episode 4 of Logopolis aired. A lot of US fans found out that there was more than one Doctor. Now remember this was before the internet and we didn’t have the knowledge of Doctor Who that we have now. So now we know there are other Doctors. Wow such excitement. Now we have something to look forward to once we get through all of the Tom Baker stories again.

So a few years have passed and it is 1983 and in fact November 23, 1983 and we good folk in the USA are sitting down to watch The Five Doctors. In fact we get to see it before our friends in the UK get to see it. Then at this time I found out that there were more Doctors. Cool and we are almost through the Tom Baker stories and about to embark on the Davison era sometime in 1984. Cool more Doctors to look forward to and 20 years of stories I have yet to see.

Flash forward to the dismal 90’s and Doctor Who is no more at least on the BBC and sadly even on the PBS stations as it got to expensive to buy Doctor Who serials and thus we to are devoid of our favorite program. But not all together devoid as Virgin books have started publishing Doctor Who books with the 7th Doctor and Ace. Hurrah! Doctor Who continues on and now we can read the Doctor’s adventures.

Not the same I know but it’s still better than nothing and at this time of the dreary 90’s of lack luster comic book stories being very depressing and well just plain old bad getting Doctor Who novels was awesome and a welcome change. Along with that we were also getting the Doctors adventures in comic strip form also in the wonderful Doctor Who Magazine which we got over here. Very abundant in the 80’s as you could find it anywhere but in the 90’s it was like being Black Beard the Pirate heading off into the high seas looking for ships to rob.

Yes indeed it was like a treasure hunt trying to find the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine. That was the fun of it all but very frustrating also as the magazine and books were very difficult to find. For those old enough will know there was no Amazon yet and the internet was only in its infancy. So getting stuff like that you had to beg your bookstore or bribe the comic book owner with girl’s phone numbers or something of the like. Or better yet you could buy that stuff way overpriced at conventions which is what we Americans usually did. Buy the stuff at all cost just to get our Doctor Who fix. Most of us did this wonderful thing by taking out loads of money from our bank accounts or hugely enormous loans out of the bank to pay for Doctor Who merchandise.

Ah wonderful times but seriously it was fun hunting for Doctor Who merchandise and I thoroughly enjoyed those days and the wonderful memories that I have of the dark ages of Doctor Who fandom.

Which takes us to present day and Doctor Who is most popular thing on 3 continents. (We’ll skip the McGann TV Movie as hopes were dashed) Most fans screamed for joy in 2003 when it was announced that it was coming back. Watching all the set photos trickling onto the websites in 2004 and the announcement of Christopher Eccelston as the Doctor brought the excitement to another level. So things were going great as the show we loved has returned and we are on our 3rd new Doctor. The show is back with a new audience and new adventures. For us old guard this is another golden age of Doctor Who.

How cool is it that I can still watch the DVD’s of my favorite Doctor, Peter Davison, and still get brand new episodes of Doctor Who plus what has now become a great new tradition the Christmas Special every year. Christmas without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about it.

Most importantly what gets me all swelled up with pride is that with the re-launch of Doctor Who I can now have new Doctor Who memories with my son. Who I am proud to say is a fan of Doctor Who. We’ll he would be since I had him watching Doctor Who ever since he was two years old. I guess it was in his DNA then so I didn’t need to prod him too much. He still loves the show now that he is 7. Doomed to live a geek life from the day he was born.

Doctor Who has given me so many good memories like for instance joining The Knights and making new friends with a great bunch of people from the day I joined them way back when. This is a Doctor Who fan club that is still going strong today with a blog site that has been up since April 2011 to replace the old fashioned paper newsletter. You know paper with words on it that you read to get information before websites and blogs came along.

Now with social networking I discovered, now hooked on, watching Doctor Who and commenting about the episodes on Twitter with The Dr. Who Bar UK and USA version and that is where I am at now making new memories with a new series.

Follow me on Twitter @The_Knights87 and The Knights Blog at http://kotwg.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KOTWG

10 Facts about Colin Baker!

10 Facts about Colin Baker


1. Colin Baker was originally born in London, but moved north to Rochdale with his family early in his life.

2. He originally studied to become a solicitor but at age of 23, he decided to become an Actor and enrolled at LAMDA, where he studied alongside David Suchet

3. Colin made his first appearance in ‘Doctor Who’ in Peter Davison’s Story ‘Arc of Infinity’ in 1983 as Commander Maxil who was one of the few characters actually to shoot the Doctor.

4. Colin Baker is NOT related in any way to Tom Baker, who played the 4th Doctor for 7 years from 1974 to 1981.

5. Baker then made his first full story debut the following week in The Twin Dilemma. It was the second time that a new leading actor's debut story was shown before the end of the season. This first happened when William Hartnell (The 1st Doctor) regenerated into Patrick Troughton (The 2nd Doctor) in 1966.

6. Colin's era was interrupted by a long 18 month hiatus which was announced in February 1985, mid-way through transmission of his first full season. Controller of BBC One at the time was Michael Grade who criticised ‘Doctor Who’, saying that, the programme had become overly violent.

7. After the 18-month hiatus, the programme returned for its 23rd season in the autumn of 1986. Season 23 featured a 14 episode long serial called ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’. This serial was a reference to the fact that ‘Doctor Who’ itself was "on trial" at this time.

8. In 1986, Baker told an interviewer, "Tom Baker did it for seven years. ... There's a part of me which likes to have a tilt at records. I would like to think that maybe I'd still be doing it in eight years' time." However, later that year Baker was fired from the part as the BBC wanted to refresh the show.

9. Despite Baker's time in the role being punctuated with many personal and professional problems like the death of his son Jack shortly after Colin accepted the role and the 18 month Hiatus, Colin remains enthusiastic about his time as the Doctor and is a regular at conventions and fan events.

10. On Sunday 4th September 2011 at Riverside Studios In London, Colin accepted the presidency of 'The Doctor Who Appreciation Society' following Jon Pertwee and Nicholas Courtney in the role. Colin was elected following an online poll of the Society's members where he won more votes than all the other candidates combined.

Thursday 23 February 2012

WHO GOES WHERE? Memories of Doctor Who by @KneelDowne

Ahh…Doctor Who: you had me before I was born.
This is not as odd as it sounds. I was lucky enough to have an older brother who was totally smitten with the show. Some of my first memories involve riding my tricycle down stairs (painful!) and of a strange little man being menaced by scary silver giants.

For me the story truly begins with Spearhead from Space. A new Doctor and a new colour television; my life was complete. I remember waiting patiently each week to see the latest instalment. Time seemed to go on forever back then and the good Doctor seemed to be a Televisual constant. Oh, if I could tell you of my love of young Jo Grant. How I cried at the end of the Green Death.

Along came the spiders and my first truly remembered regeneration began. I vowed to myself that no one would ever replace the dashing dandy in my affections.

Needless to say I fell head over heels in love with Mr Tom Baker. For me the golden years will forever be the Doctor, Sarah and dear sweet Harry.

Around this time I remember the Blackpool Doctor Who exhibition…a wonderland of surprises. Thanks to my brothers near stalkerish devotion we became friendly with the owners and spent most weekends running around screaming. Sometimes back stage…touching the props themselves. It was also around now that the man himself came to WHSmiths in Blackpool for a book signing. Target books clasped in hand I can still recall the giant of a man, the spilt water jug and the pressing throng of bewitched children…

Target books…do you remember them? VHS before it was created. Wonderful cheap slabs of memory. I bought them religiously. My love remained undiminished.

Suddenly my brother began receiving mystical letters and magazines of untold interest. D.W.A.S, Celestial Toyroom, TARDIS…I remember you all. Soon my pocket money was wasted on subscriptions of my own.

Now a quick word of the past, in these days of paid signing sessions its strange to recall that back then you could actually write to your heroes and get this, they would write back. My time was spent mailing the delightful Liz Sladen and the great man himself. Autographs and hand written letters piled high. Tom was well known for this, many a time an unsolicited letter would arrive. A photo, grinning loon, and a quick note “Only me Neil!”

My brother was leaving School and for his Art Project he built a plywood K.9. The BBC supplied diagrams for him. Inch perfect. John Leeson recorded a tape of K.9 dialogue for him….great days.

Times change. Hair grows and Rock music arrives. Still my love remained. Doctors changed again and Blackpool itself hosted a number of mini conventions. Much fun was had. At one particular meeting a certain young Gary Russell and friends were attendees. Unaware of future events I spent too long menacing him with a ‘monster’ constructed of a bar towel and an ice cube holder. Cries of “Timmy the dog” may have been uttered. If only I had known…

Years passed and a slew of conventions flew by. The coat of many garish colours arrived and my love took a downward turn. It was nothing to do with the actor, indeed I have since rediscovered him via the delights of Big Finnish audio and adore his portrayal but you could sense something was in the air. Around this time I can remember a journalist friend and I dressing as the Doctor and Shockeye and descending on the local Italian restaurant. What must they have thought?

My love was reignited by the dark turn of the final days but then abruptly the end came. The show became a memory and, despite the regular reading of the monthly, it slipped away onto the back burner. Family and work took over. New shows came but never quite achieved that same adoration. The movie arrived in a flash of bright colours and mistimed steps. The Doctor I loved…the story not so much.

And then…the show was coming back? For real? Ahh..Mr Davies how I love thee. It can be quite trendy to sniff at the RTD days. Not here, not from me. The perfect blend of actors and tone launched our show onto millions of screens and into millions of hearts.

A joyride commenced, broken only by my decision to move to Menorca. I had no TV by choice but by careful manipulation I talked my local Italian bar owner to forgo the joys of football and instead play the good Doctor’s adventures every Saturday. A strange thing happened and before we knew it there was soon a group of gnarled old Menorcans coming every week to watch the show. Hours were spent explaining in broken Spanish the shows history. I like to think that even now, all these years later the Saturday ritual still continues.

Back home now and yet more changes. The show goes on. Mr Smith has wormed his way into my heart and the future looks ever brighter.

Doctor Who…my journey. Who goes where? Just about everywhere really.

By Kneel Downe

ATSM Minisode 2 - Nicholas Courtney Remembered - 5-Rounds Rapid Salute for Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart


Nicholas Courtney, most known for playing the now retired Brigadier of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce - Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, passed away on the 22nd of February 2011 after a prolonged battle with cancer. Beloved by fans for both his warmth and his advocacy of the show, both during it's initial run and after the classic series ended in 1989, Courtney appeared in 102 televised episodes of Doctor Who, the 1990s special Dimensions in Time, many Big Finish audio productions, as well as the Brigadier's final on screen appearance in the 2008 Sarah Jane Adventures story the Enemy of the Bane. As part of the UNIT family in the 1970s,and although he never had the opportunity to travel in the TARDIS onscreen, the legacy that Courtney's brigadier has on the show can still be felt in the current revival, since Doctor Who returned to our screens in 2005. It had been intended that he would appear alongside David Tennant's Doctor in the Sarah Jane Adventures 2009 story The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, but alas, his ailing health had begun to make future appearances impossible. It is with great sadness we say farewell to Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and the actor who brought him to life - as the Brigadier has gone to Geneva for the last time.

NOTE: This minisode remembrance of actor Nicholas Courtney originally aired as a segment on the THE KRYNOID PODCAST on Tuesday, 1 March, 2011 – http://krynoid.blog.co.uk/2011/03/01/017-the-three-doctors-10733840/

ADVENTURES IN TIME, SPACE AND MUSIC IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE DOCTOR WHO PODCAST ALLIANCE: http://www.doctorwhopodcastalliance.org/

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If you would like to find out more about my other projects, specifically on viols, please visitthegambacast.org or violsinourschools.org.
Podcast site is located at http://atsm.phillipwserna.com/
To follow us on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/ATSMPodcast
Support the show by donating or by visiting http://zazzle.com/ATSMPodcast

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'Adventures in Time Space and Music' is not endorsed by the BBC in any way and is intended for entertainment and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

The Official Doctor Who site can be found at http://bbc.co.uk/doctorwho.

Doctor Who, all associated logos, names and references to characters, vehicles and any other Doctor Who related items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of the BBC, or their respective trademark and copyright holders.

All original content of this podcast, both musical and textual, is the intellectual property of the podcast - unless otherwise indicated. © Copyright 2011

Tuesday 21 February 2012

The Three Doctors

To celebrate the life of Nicolas Courtney, the Doctor's best friend; Alistar Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, who regularly met up with the Doctor during the show's original run, we are going to watch The Three Doctors.
This story features some of the Brigadier's finest moments. His first trip inside the TARDIS and some classic quotes:

Tyler: I can manage now, thank you.
Brigadier: I'm delighted to hear it. Make yourself at home. We're only supposed to be a top secret security establishment(!) Liberty Hall, Dr. Tyler. Liberty Hall!

What connects the disappearance of a man on Earth, a massive power drain on Gallifrey? This is a mystery too big for the Doctor alone, so the Time Lords must break the laws of time, to draw on help from the Doctor's previous selves...
This story kicked off season ten, from 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973.
For many years William Hartnell had gone back to the Doctor Who office, looking for work. The Tenth Anniversary year proved to be a good time to bring him back and Patrick Troughton was also happy to come back into the role, with some great comic sparring between him and Jon Pertwee.

So join us tonight in salute to the Brigadier with The Three Doctors. @TheDoctorWhoBar will open, on Twitter from 7pm GMT and we will press play on our DVDs/Videos at 7.30pm, see you then!

Nicholas Courtney A Personal Remembrance

I first became a real fan of the programme when Tom Baker regenerated into Peter Davison. It seemed to give the whole show a lift, and I eagerly waited to get as many of the BBC Videos as I could.

Back in the Eighties if someone had asked me who was my favourite Doctor I would've said Peter Davison. Not now though, having grown up with the old series and now the new series and carefully weaned on a diet of Doctor Who videos and DVD's, it is the Jon Pertwee era which I have most affection and love for.

Jon is now my favourite Doctor, and his era is one of the finest in the shows history. The Production Team had grounded the show very much in reality by having the Doctor himself grounded on Earth. He was assisted by UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, led by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played by Nicholas Courtney. I loved the family atmosphere of the Brigadier, Captain Mike Yates, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane Smith and Sergeant Benton. I just can't leave out the Doctor's arch enemy The Master played by Roger Delgado.

We have all come to love Nicholas who played one of the most memorable characters in the programme's long history. He returned three times to Doctor Who since he left in 1975.



I was unable to watch the recently released Planet of the Spiders when I bought it shortly after it hit the shops. I bought it on the day Elisabeth Sladen passed away, but this wasn't the only reason. In the final scene just prior to the regeneration, I realised that all the series stars present were no longer with us. And that hurt. I was unable to watch the story as it was just too painful. I am very fond of all the series stars who appeared during the Jon Pertwee era, and whilst I mourned Lis Sladen very much, I was devastated by the death of Nicholas Courtney some months earlier.

I can remember it quite clearly when signing on to Twitter. One of my friends Ian Redman had tweeted something about how it was sad about Nicholas Courtney. I was unaware and unprepared for what he tweeted me next, that Nicholas had sadly passed away. I was numb, grief stricken and in shock, I couldn't stop crying for hours. It wasn't until later on when my boyfriend showed up that I managed to get any comfort, as I felt so helpless. I had never met him but felt that I knew him from listening to his commentaries on the DVD's, as well as his anecdotes on the various documentaries. Many people reading this will think I overreacted but I couldn't help it, Nicholas was part of an era of the show which was very special to me. I had had the same reaction years earlier in 1996 when the BBC News announced the death of Jon Pertwee.

Nicholas Courtney's contribution to Doctor Who cannot be ignored so lightly. His lovely banter with Jon Pertwee's Doctor was a delight to behold. I have many lovely memories of him in Doctor Who, as I am sure have many of you who are reading this. His characterisation of the Brigade-Leader in Inferno stands out as one of his best performances. It was always a delight to see him come back.

So here's to the Brigadier. The Eleventh Doctor may not have met him on screen but that lovely scene in The Wedding of River Song had me in tears once more. A fitting tribute to a stalwart action hero who battled Axons, Autons and the Master. He looked after the Doctor for many years, but the Doctor never ever forgot him.



Goodbye Nicholas Courtney, sleeping forever with the Lord.

Thursday 16 February 2012

10 Facts about Christopher Eccleston!

10 Facts about Christopher Eccleston


1. Born into a working class family in the Langworthy area of Pendleton, Christopher is the youngest of three boys born to Elsie and Ronnie Eccleston.

2. At the age of 19, he was inspired by television dramas such as ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’ to enter the acting profession. Christopher completed a two-year Performance Foundation Course at Salford Tech, before going on to train at the Hampstead-based Central School of Speech and Drama.

3. At the age of 25, Christopher made his professional stage debut in the Bristol Old Vic's production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Underemployed as an actor for some years after graduating school, Christopher took a variety of odd jobs at a supermarket, on building sites and as an artist's model.

4. On March 20th 2004, it was announced that Christopher was to play the ninth incarnation of The Doctor in the revival of the legendary BBC series ‘Doctor Who’, which began transmission on March 26th 2005.

5. Christopher was the first actor to play the role who was born after the series began in 1963.

6. On March 30th 2005, the BBC released a statement, saying that Christopher had decided to leave the role after just one series, because he was afraid of being “typecast”. On April 4th, the BBC revealed that Christopher’s "statement" was false and admitted that he only intended to do one series.

7. On 11 June 2005, during a BBC radio interview, he was asked if he had enjoyed working on ‘Doctor Who’, and he responded by saying, "Mixed, but that's a long story." Alan Davies told The Daily Telegraph that Christopher had been "overworked" by the BBC, and had left because he was "exhausted".

8. Christopher later told The Daily Mirror that what Alan had said was not true. In a 2011 interview, Christopher revealed that he left the show because he "didn't enjoy the environment that the cast and crew, had to work in", but that he was proud of having played the role.

9. On November 7th 2008, Russell T Davies said that Christopher’s contract was only for a single year because it was uncertain whether the show would continue beyond a single revival series

10. Christopher was voted "Most Popular Actor" at the 2005 National Television Awards for his portrayal of the Doctor.

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Logopolis- The Fourth Doctor's Final Story


The universe is falling apart, and the mathematicians who keep it together are dying-'eh? Mathematicians? Yes you read correctly. This is Tom Bakers final story as The Doctor and it's a brilliant story involving The Master, a complex plot involving the planet Logopolis and a strange figure called The Watcher.




The story that would be Baker's last needed to be epic, memorable and poignant and, for the most part, it does achieve this. Having stolen poor Tremas body at the end of The Keeper of Traken. The Master is free to continue his maniacal plans to destroy the universe and The Doctor. It also introduces the character of Tegan, a rather attractive but slightly annoying Australian air hostess who gets caught up in The Master's plan.



My memories of this story are that this, for me, was the first time I had seen the Doctor regenerate. It is a process that is always moving as the viewer has to mourn the loss of one Doctor whilst getting used to a new one. This process seems just as painful for the Doctor and his on screen preparations for regeneration match ours.

Key scenes of note feature a shrinking Tardis, Tardis inside a Tardis and poor individuals reduced to doll like status by The Masters compressor weapon. Tom Baker provides a fantastic performance and his slow realisation that his time draws to a close is brilliantly acted with his interactions with the mysterious Watcher.




Logopolis is a well loved classic story and my only gripes are the, at least for mathematical novices such as me, frankly mind melting babble and the concept of the universe being held together by elderly gents mumbling calculations whilst sitting in caves. That said these minor wrinkles are easy to forget as the inevitable final scenes grow closer. Yes we know that The Doctor falls or is pushed from a Satellite dish type contraption (unfair since the Tenth Doctor survived a dive out of a space ship, through a glass roof and only received scratches and a torn jacket). But that's what happens when you trust The Master. So to quote good old Tom "it's the end... But the moment has been prepared for"



 Join us on Wednesday for Logopolis pressing Play at 7.30pm.

Sunday 12 February 2012

The Ninth Doctor: Gone but not forgotten

26th March 2005. This date will be remembered by Whovians around the world as the day Doctor Who returned to our screens after a unfairly long hiatus. The media had been in overdrive for almost a year talking about the actors, actresses and monsters included in the shows return, with a lot of emphasis on the Doctor himself. No, it must be yet another unfounded rumour surely?

Then trailers were broadcast where the Ninth Doctor utters the infamous line of "Do you want to come with me?" Confirming this was no longer yet another rumour and that the show was definitely returning!

But since we're now watching the 11th Doctor running around, and everyone still talks about David Tennant's 10th, what about the seemingly forgotten 9th Doctor who helped catapult the show back into the forefront of everyone's minds?




On the surface, the Ninth Doctor dressed in black, sporting a leather jacket, short hair, and strong northern accent he appeared quite cold and strong in appearance. Underneath he was a much more complex Time Lord;  very emotionally scarred as a result of his actions in the Last Great Time War leaving him full of remorse, guilt, sorrow and anger. This side of the Doctor was most prominent in Dalek were upon finding a chained Dalek triggers off painful flashbacks of his troubled past.





He also had a more positive side to his character, underneath he still cared for the human race (begrudgingly) and showed great joy and delight especially in The Doctor Dances. He was still inquisitive and playful, and graciously took a hard slap off Jackie Tyler when they first met! However his gurning face and sometimes over the top happiness sometimes suggested he was over compensating and masking the bubbling grief and guilt underneath. He also depended a lot on his companion Rose Tyler who helped him see the positive side to things which he had been struggling with.




Christopher Eccleston's portrayal of The Doctor was incredible even though he only stayed for one series and is sadly forgotten by some fans. If it wasn't for the fantastic scripts, the actors and actresses in this first series the last 2 Doctors wouldn't have existed. So utmost respect to this often forgotten and misunderstood Doctor; You were Fantastic!

Saturday 11 February 2012

Saturday, February 11th in the #DWBarUSA

Tonight in the #DWBarUSA it's "The Shakespeare Code," with David Tennant as the 10th Doctor and Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones.

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Memories of Traken-Keeper of Traken

As we are watching The Keeper of Traken on Wednesday I thought I'd share some more childhood memories. This story brings back fond memories of watching Doctor Who with my dad. The story introduced "my childhood Master" (played brilliantly here by Anthony Ainley) but ssshhh spoilers!

I love the tranquil beauty of Traken so soon to be destroyed by an evil force and must also admit a liking for Nyssa. She's feisty, intelligent and provides a perfect match for Tom Baker's Doctor.

I must admit, having watched this recently, that I always remembered Melkur as a taller entity but this may be to do with my reading of the Target books which conjured my own images. It's worth pointing out here that "when I was a lad" Doctor Who was not available on video so I had to rely on the excellent novelisations and my own furtive imagination.

In short this is classic Who and just as good, in my view, as anything Mr Moffett can dream up. The final twist was shocking and brilliantly portrayed. So join us in the bar for a fantastic story and yes Adric's in it as well

Sunday 5 February 2012

This week in @TheDoctorWhoBar

This week we start on the New Beginnings Boxset from 2|Entertain with The Keeper of Traken. Having left Romana in E-Space with K9, the Doctor and Adric are somehow transported back into N Space. But what danger lies for them in the gardens of the planet Traken...?

For this week's Poll we are going back to the Beginning, to celebrate the legend that was William Hartnell, with some of the First Doctor's greatest stories.

The Daleks was the Fifth episode of the series. Though the series creator, Sydney Newman hated the idea of Bug Eyed Monsters and thought that the Daleks were the epitome of Bug Eyed Monsters, but Producer Verity Lambert stood up to him and as they had no other suitable stories to run with they had to go ahead with Terry Nation's script, which is also known as The Mutants.

The Keys of Marinus is a spin on the quest format, it's basically a road movie this story, which sees each episode forming part of a quest to find the Key.

The Aztecs takes us to Mexico in the Fifteenth Century and deals with the notions of changing History.

The Dalek Invasion of Earth was the second Dalek story. Before they were on another planet, in that case it was the planet Skaro their home world but in this epic adventure they have already conquered the Earth, but for what nefarious reason?

The Rescue is a two part story that introduces a new companion, Vicki.
The Romans is set against the back drop of the Roman Empire, lead by Emperor Nero. This light-hearted story sees the TARDIS crew trying to take a holiday, but of course they get caught up in the historical events.

The Web Planet The TARDIS lands on the desolate planet of Vortis. But it's inhabitants have a different line of evolution to our own...

The Space Museum is set on the planet Xeros, a subjugated planet in the Morok Empire, now home to a vast Museum and a young, rebellious population.

The Chase has multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius. The serial marks the last appearance of William Russell and Jacqueline Hill as companions Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, and the introduction of Peter Purves as new companion Steven Taylor, who also briefly appears earlier in the serial as the tourist Morton Dill.

The Time Meddler was the first story to feature another member of the Doctor's own race. Set in 1066 it is the first time the show mixes an historical setting with an outside enemy. A format that changed the show forever.

The War Machines sees the Doctor battling against an evil computer which has taken over the then newly built British Telecom Tower.

So join us on Wednesday from 7pm GMT for The Keeper of Traken
and Vote on the First Doctor Poll NOW, which ends at 5pm on Saturday and we will
watch the result from 7.30pm and comment about it on Twitter!

For details of #DWBarUSA go here...