Doctor Who - The Seventies By @The_Knights87

Ah The 70’s.  Oh how I don’t remember you.  It was the decade I was born. It was the decade that Vietnam ended and unfortunately it was the decade that gave us disco.  Why god, why did disco come to fruition and why did the Bee Gees go to the dark side.  Speaking of the Darkside the 70’s also gave us Star Wars.  But for Doctor Who the 70’s was a decade of stability.  A decade where you knew, that on Saturday at tea time, you would be in for a treat. A treat brought to you by the two longest serving actors in the role.  Of course I’m talking about Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

Jon Pertwee heralded a different direction for the show.  Not only was the show being filmed in color but his Doctor was exiled to earth.  For his first three seasons the Third Doctor was earth bound.  The UNIT years were quite different.  In fact you could look to those seasons as a precursor to shows like Fringe and The X- Files to name a few.  

The Pertwee years were the first Doctor Who season that had a linking story line.  The Master Season or Season 8 gave us two of the better known characters in the stories history.  The obvious one was the Master played perfectly by Roger Delgado.  The second was Jo Grant.  Katy Manning was the Third Doctor’s main companion.  She was the perfect complement to Pertwees grumpy puss Doctor.  She had a way of making him smile and when she left you could see sadness in the Doctor’s eyes and you knew his hearts were broken.

One of the best thing about Seventies Doctor Who was that the program celebrated its Tenth Anniversary.  That’s right The Three Doctors reunited the Third Doctor with Doctor’s One and Two.  They banded together to save Gallifrey from the threat of Omega.  Unfortunately William Hartnell wasn’t in good health so was regulated to being in the time bubble but the chemistry between Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton was just priceless and a true gem of Doctor Who’s history.

Tom Baker six of his seven years in Doctor Who took place in the Seventies.  Some say his era heralded some of the best stories in the shows history and looking back on them I’ll have to say they are right.  The Fourth Doctor was blessed with some great writers like Robert Holmes, Terrance Dicks and Douglas Adams to name a few.   With such stories like Genesis of the Daleks, Terror of the Zygons and Pyramid of Mars it was like falling into a treasure trove of great stories.  We’ll to be honest he did have some clunkers too.  You will have clunkers being in the show for seven years like he was. 

One of the true gems of Tom Bakers Seventies stories was his relationship with Sarah Jane Smith.  Those two were the perfect Doctor and companion.   There chemistry was just like gold.  Perfect in a sense that you would have thought they would be together forever.  But that wasn’t to be as The Fourth Doctor had a slew of companions like Harry Sullivan, the savage Leela and Romana One and Two.  But the one companion that is still popular today that was introduced during the Seventies was none other than K-9.  The metallic dog was a mainstay of the latter half of the seventies and caused more trouble with production than good. 

The Seventies was a great decade for Doctor giving us fans some great stories, moments and friends along the way.  It also gave us some new villain’s to hate (or love) like Davros, The Sontarrans, The Zygons and of course the Master. It also was the decade where they filmed a story outside of the UK in Paris France for The City of Death.  So for a decade that was full of strife and bad feelings at least Doctor Who gave us something to look forward to and make us very happy indeed.

Roger Delgado, The Master remembered. Words by @Zeiton_7 and Pictures by @cheezypeas

On the 18th June 1973 the chauffeur driven car that Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was travelling plunged over a ravine. At the time he was filming  in Turkey and sadly all that were travelling in the car died.  Roger Delgado was the first actor to portray The Master and did so to perfection in eight stories. Tragically he was to feature in one final story with Jon Pertwee's Doctor and Roger's death has often been quoted as one of the reasons Jon decided to leave the series.

So, on Saturday we in the bar are leading an affectionate and loving tribute to the archest of The Doctors enemies. Roger's on screen presence was tangible right from the first scene in Terror of the Autons. He seemed to exude evil and malevolence without uttering a word. His planning was much more subtle yet still formidable, however the aim was always the same. Complete and total obedience to him and absolute destruction of The Doctor, normally after humiliating him first!

Delgado's Master had impeccable dress sense, normally opting for sharp black suits. His, literally, hypnotic eyes seem to bore into the poor unfortunate souls who crossed him and they soon were under his influence. Even when he seemed to be defeated it was never wise to let down your guard as he could always be relied on to pull another little twist and escape.

Delgado's relationship with Pertwee both onscreen and off was close. This may be one of the reasons that Delgado is so effective as The Doctors adversary. Their performances together show complete trust in each others acting abilities and this just adds to the delight in watching any stories they feature in.

I am sad to say that my recollections and affection for Roger Delgado only began some 15 years after his death. As I was born in 1975 my first encounters were in watching repeats of those classic stories and also with the brilliant writing within the Target books. Even so, I was totally amazed and in admiration of this actor who could deliver such an intense and powerful performance. Here, surely was a match for The Doctor's intellect and someone to be feared. I always felt that when The Master was around The Doctor was always in more danger than with any other foe (something which was ably proven during Logopolis)

Roger Delgado's legacy is obvious. He provided such a fantastically strong foundation for The Master that Doctor Who has been able to continue the characters development through 7 incarnations. Each new actor that portrays The Master, like those who play The Doctor, add something different. But all owe a great debt to the original, and in my opinion, the best.

The Master attends a Black Sabbath Concert.

So please join us on Saturday and revel in Roger Delgado's scene stealing performance as The Master. It is our will "so mote it be"

The Bar opens at 7:30pm BST and we press play at 8.00pm #DWBAR

Memories Of Elisabeth Sladen by @The_Knights87

A tear, Sarah Jane?

Has it really been a year since the whoniverse lost one of its most beloved actresses who also played one of the most beloved characters Sarah Jane Smith? I do believe so, unfortunately. I can still remember where I was when I heard the very sad and gut wrenching news. April 19, 2011 was a Tuesday last year and I was vacationing (or on holiday for you Brits) at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. I had just gotten back to the camp ground after a day filled with fun and to be honest quite a bit of walking. I headed into the mobile home and decided to unwind by checking my emails and maybe peruse the Doctor Who websites to see what news there was on the new season of Doctor Who. I did not expect the news that I did happen upon. That Elisabeth Sladen had passed away after a battle with cancer. I was devastated and crushed beyond all belief that Sarah Jane was no more. I couldn’t believe the evidence before my eyes and went to other sites for more confirmation.

 

Well needless to say reality fell in and after a phone call I started to remember all the good memories of Elisabeth Sladen and her time on Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Sarah Jane was the first companion that I saw when I started watching Doctor Who and every companion that I saw thereafter was probably unfairly judged by how they stood up to Sarah Jane’s standards as a companion.

Sarah Jane is my favorite companion and her time in the TARDIS heralded some of the best stories in the shows history. So to me any companion that comes along has to measure up to Sarah Jane. Maybe because I consider Sarah Jane as the quintessential companion who hardly screamed and was actually looked upon by the Doctor as an equal. Or maybe the real reason is that Elisabeth Sladen was just so perfectly cast as Sarah Jane and her performance was always spot on no matter who was in the role of the Doctor.

Sarah Jane was a perfect compliment to the main star. I mean, is it no wonder that Sarah Jane Smith always came back. From The Five Doctors to School Reunion, Sarah Jane had made quite an impact and has withstood the test of time to garner two spinoffs. The Sarah Jane Adventures which brought Elisabeth Sladen a new and younger fan base. Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane was just such a memorable character that the Producers of Doctor Who were so much a fan of hers. I am so glad that Russell T. Davies decided to bring her back and then gave Lis her own show.

I had the very good fortune to meet Elisabeth Sladen. It was in 2005 right before the show returned to our screens with Christopher Eccleston and a whole year before she met the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant. It was such a joy to finally get to meet her. Elisabeth Sladen was there at a convention signing autographs and doing a question and answer for her many American fans. If she was in a bad mood or annoyed with the convention organiser she didn't let on. (In fact she was actually, as were so many, this promoters guests through the years.) She went on with a smile and a kind word forthe fans that waited for a while in line to meet her and get her signature on their items. It was truly a great moment that will be one of the major highlights of my Doctor Who convention experiences.

So here is to Elisabeth Sladen our dear Sarah Jane Smith. To some she was a fixture of our childhood memories of Doctor Who. Elisabeth Sladen was a great actress and played a wonderful character that was unfairly took away from us and the world of Doctor Who way too early. In those memorable words by David Tennant’s Doctor in School Reunion she was “My Sarah Jane.”

Death to the Daleks out soon on DVD

An inexplicable power failure of the TARDIS energy systems forces the time machine off course. The Doctor and his faithful companion Sarah Jane Smith materialise on the bleak planet of Exxilon. They soon meet members of an Earth Marine Space Corps. expedition who have also been left stranded on the planet.

The expedition are searching for a rare mineral, Parrinium which can bring relief to a plague sweeping the galaxy, but first they must discover what is draining their power supplies aboard their ships?

Unfortunately another stranded space vessel arrives on Exxilon, and this one is carrying the Daleks....

 

Jon Pertwee and Elisabeth Sladen star in a thrilling adventure with the Daleks, who are even more sinister and manipulative in this story!

Available on DVD from 18th June, 2012. 

Please support the Official Doctor Who DVD releases from BBC Worldwide.  

Terror of the Autons

A story of many firsts.

It introduced Jo Grant, The Master and Mike Yates. It was also the first story that Barry Letts was able to have complete control over.

He wanted a character to explain what was going on and for audience to identify with. Thus Jo Grant was created. Barry Letts had auditions a hundred actresses, but one turned up late who was very short sighted and clumsy- the lovely Katy Manning. Barry asked her to pretend she was alone in a room, with a hat on a stand. Slowly the hat came to life and turned into a monster.  She did so well at this that Barry gave her the part.

A thin bearded man, dressed in black arrives as at a circus. He steals the Nestene unit from the circus’s owner and actives it..

Earth is in terrible danger from a renegade Time Lord who is using the power of the nestene duplicates, the Autons to invade earth. Will the Doctor’s new companion help or hinder him?

It's Spring so the Auton dummy heads are handing out daffodils, won't you take one?  It's only a harmless flower after all.

Join us from the slightly later time of 7.30pm GMT and we will press Play at 8pm.

The Green Death Tonight from 7pm

A mysterious death at a coal mine at Llanfairfach in South Wales sees UNIT's Jo Grant and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart arrive, with the Doctor in tow.  The poor miner is discovered to be glowing bright green. 

Is it possible that pollusion from the nearby Global Chemicals facility is to blame?  Could they be responsible for the appearance of giant deadly maggots?

This adventure is much more than any other of the stories during the Jon Pertwee era, there is quite a clear environmental message underlying this adventure.  The story is also the last to feature Katy Manning as Jo Grant.

This story is one of Jon Pertwee's finest, and is also notable for having him dressed up.  Once as a milkman, and when he pretends to be a woman, in a lovely visual gag with Captain Mike Yates.

Get set to play your DVD or VHS at 7.30pm tonight.  Join us from 7pm, when we'll be watching one of Pertwee's best.

Why Terror of the Autons is so much better than Spearhead From Space

Spearhead From Space is an enjoyable enough romp, but that's about it.  It's not really a gritty drama unlike Terror of the Autons which goes out of it's way to shock you.  Spearhead is also more light hearted and comical during it's first episodes, this is due in part to it being the first story of a new Doctor.  So naturally some of the scenes were played for laughs, not a wise decision to do something like that when you're trying to establish a new Doctor.  And Pertwee's performance is also a bit too comical in this story.

There's a complete contrast with Terror of the Autons, which is so much more serious and more dynamic than it's predecessor.  If anything marks down Terror it's some of it's visual effects.  Some of the interior CSO shots of the factory and Rex's Mother's house do jar quite badly.  Particularly now that the Restoration Team have got the picture so pinsharp, you can see just how in it's infancy the CSO effects were.

However despite the budget, Terror of the Autons is a good strong story.  It is notable for two series debuts, the late Roger Delgado excels in his role of the Master, a part he was born to play.  He also plays the part magnificently, when he pushes the technician off the ladder from the Satellite structure it is a very chilling moment.  Delgado imbues the story with a sense of twisted evil and rivalry against our hero, the Third Doctor.

The other debut is of course Katy Manning as Jo Grant, a rather ditzy character who is forever getting herself into scrapes.  She and series star Jon Pertwee would later develop a very good on-screen charisma with each other as the Third Doctor and his companion Jo Grant.

Terror is renowned for it's scenes of apparent everyday items coming alive and trying to kill you. A premise which perhaps was taken too far judging by the reactions to the story after it was first broadcast. Certainly it is a scary story but I certainly don't think they went too far.  If anything this adventure is a one off, and all for the better.  There hasn't been a story since which has used similar ideas within it's narrative structure.  It's certainly a better story than Spearhead From Space, and although many would say that the Master's change of mind at the end of the story felt a bit rushed, the story does hold up very well.

It's one of my favourites and all Doctor Who fans should have a copy of the Mannequin Mania boxset in their collection.

Why Spearhead from Space is so much better than Terror of the Autons

Terror of the Autons is one of those stories than I wished I had got on VHS. So I was pleased when it was released as part of the Mannequin Mania box set., as Terror was the first story to feature the Master.

There are some set pieces which I think work wonderfully well, such as Jo being hypnotised the Master. Though it was obvious what had happened to her from the moment she walked through the door, after being caught by the Master.

The plastic film over Jo’s face was quite terrifying, as was the chair enveloping poor Mr. McDermott.

But the story is quite slow, it just plods along, and has a very rushed ending. This is common with many of the stories from this era.

Whereas Spearhead has much in common with modern Doctor Who. It is very well paced and visually looks fantastic. Not just because of the fact it was shot on film (due to a strike at the BBC). All the effects are in camera, so there are no clunky video effects, no obvious CSO unlike Terror. Only the rubber octopus and Jon’s comical facial expressions let it down.

Pertwee gets into the role properly by episode two, after the now familiar post regeneration instability in the hospital. But Pertwee makes this scene comical. He takes a very laid back but serious stance in his new role as the Third Doctor which makes this particular adventure shine.

Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John provide very good support in this story. It is a good strong story which stands up well today, and apart from the dodgy octopus, it is without a doubt the better Auton story.

The scenes of the Autons rampaging the streets are so iconic and very scary. That's also why it's the better story, the later Autons in Terror just doesn't have the same menace.

The Eleven Doctors Figure Set



The TARDIS Box

This is my most recent Doctor Who purchase, it's rather exellent I have to say and here are all the Doctor's figure's in all their glory. 

The First Doctor 1963 - 1966

The Second Doctor 1966 - 1969

The Third Doctor 1970 - 1974

The Fourth Doctor 1974 - 1981

The Fifth Doctor 1982 - 1984

The Sixth Doctor 1984 - 1986

The Seventh Doctor 1987 - 1996

The Eighth Doctor 1996

The Ninth Doctor 2005

The Tenth Doctor 2005 - 2010

The Eleventh Doctor 2010 - Present

These are highly detailed, fully poseable action figures, and I bought mine for £35 from Amazon which is the cheapest I have seen these figure set's go for and for me they are worth every penny.  They deserve to be in every Doctor Who fan's collection.

Tonight in the 'Bar' (May Contain Spoilers!)

Why I like the Third Doctor

I like all the incarnations of the Doctor, however I think Jon Pertwee is often under rated. His authoritative tone contrasts the dandified clothes of his costume.

Having read many of the Target novelisations and the Archives in Doctor Who Magazine, my first glimpse of Jon Pertwee was in The Five Doctors, the first VHS video I got for Christmas 1991. I would have to wait years later until my first Pertwee story, The Sea Devils which was repeated on BBC2 in 1992, when I was fourteen!

Being used to the Seventh Doctor, Pertwee was more authoritative and was much less of a buffoon than his predecessor, or any other actor to follow him. We are now used to a Doctor who abhors violence, but Pertwee was a Doctor who regularly used Venusian Aikido and was also a master swordsman, but never to gratuitous effect. His sword fight with the ultimate Master, Roger Delgado in The Sea Devils highlights this perfectly!

I met Jon Pertwee, just once. I had my photo taken with him on the TARDIS set. Being a shy fifteen year old I could not summon any words to speak to him! Sadly I have long since misplaced the photo.

Since the Bar, to my knowledge at least, have not shown a Pertwee story, I think it’s high time we did! But I cannot decide which one! There are so many classics of this era!

Mannequin Mania

Out now from 2|Entertain is a two disc boxset of the two Auton stories from Jon Pertwee's era of Doctor Who!

Spearhead From Space, and it's sequel Terror of the Autons! Spearhead was also Jon Pertwee's debut story, a process which was repeated many years later when Chris Eccleston played the Doctor in Rose!

This boxset has only recently been released on DVD, the reissue of Spearhead From Space is notable with a few documentaries now on it, as well as an additional commentary from Terrance Dicks and Derrick Sherwin.

Both tales are as compelling as ever on DVD! Terror of the Autons not only introduces us to Katy Manning as Jo Grant but Roger Delgado as the villainous Master.

It's particularly poignant to watch both of these serials now that Nicholas Courtney is sadly no longer with us. However it was lovely to hear him on the commentary for Terror of the Autons, both stories are two of the Brigadier's best.

Best place to buy it is Asda where it's retailing for £19.99, it's £21.97 in Tesco. 

Spiders!

Personally, I hate them.  These admittedly tiny monsters scuttle out of the darkness and make me scream in a way that belies my otherwise tough, manly personae.  I would be quite happy if all of them could be gathered up and tossed onto the surface of the Sun.  This may make us vulnerable to a surge in the fly population, but it's a risk I'm prepared to take, who's with me?

But, I suppose I should at least be grateful that here on Earth, where I spend the vast majority of my time, spiders do not have any say in local or national Government.  So spare a thought for the unhappy human denizens of Metebelis III.  Not only is there a massive trend towards blue, they are firmly under the foreleg of a race of giant, bitchy spiders that are telepathic, can shoot lightning bolts, and are so lazy they ride their human subjects like Blackpool donkeys.

Enter The Doctor.  On a previous visit to Metebelis III he decided to steal a chunky blue crystal, which made an excellent wedding present for Jo Grant, and unlike a toaster, coupled as a tool to aid in Universal Domination! It turns out that the lazy Eight Legs (don't call them spiders, I did once, but I think I got away with it) are quite keen on a bit of domination and decide to get it back! 

Thus begins a creepy, life changing experience for the Doctor in which we learn that Eight Legs do not make fetching backpacks, a flying car is not as good as a flying box, the TARDIS really is a sentimental old thing and that frilly shirts are cool.  Well, maybe not the last one.

It's called Planet of the Spiders, and it's out NOW on DVD.

Article by @MrJayLucas