The Leisure Hive - by @SomebodyImNot

The Leisure Hive was the first story of Doctor Who’s eighteenth season, and starred Tom Baker and Lalla Ward.

It’s all about the Doctor and Romana going on holiday to the planet Argolis and what they find going on at the planet’s “Leisure Hive” after a trip to Brighton fails to live up to expectations.

They arrive at the Leisure Hive, which is in danger of going bankrupt due to its out of date facilities. What the Hive does have, however, is a method of cloning people.

The Argolans are also working on a system to allow the body to be rejuvenated.

The Hive has been invaded by an alien, which we only see the eyes and claws of. It helps to build the suspense in this story.

During a demonstration of the cloning process, one volunteer is pulled apart in a pretty grim scene. Granted there is no blood, but the shot of the various parts of the man’s body lying disconnected on the floor is quite an unnerving one.

The first episode ends with the Doctor himself in the machine, being torn apart in front of the viewers. It’s a great cliff-hanger, although the beginning of the next episode turns it into a little of an anti climax.

So please join us to give your own views on this 1980 story. Bar opens at 7.30 pm and we press play at 8pm. Hope to see you there. 

In Memory of Mary Tamm- @zeiton_7

I awoke this morning with the shocking news that Mary Tamm has passed away. Aged only 62 she had been fighting a long battle with cancer. Twitter and the media are already full of wonderful tributes to this amazing lady and already I feel the, now all too familiar, pain of loss. It is a mark of how closely we hold Doctor Who and those who shape it to our hearts that we feel this type of loss so intensely.

Mary Tamm was born on the 22nd March 1950 in Dewsbury, Yorkshire. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and had originally not been interested in the role of Romana as she believed the role was merely "a damsel in distress". She was persuaded that her role would be very different to what had gone before as she was to be The Doctors equal. Romana was a Time Lady and was just as capable and intelligent as The Doctor. 

During her tenure with The Doctor she provided much onscreen tension as The Doctor struggled with a companion who knew as much as he did. There were also many lighter moments and occasions where there was a real affection between the characters. Mary Tamm left after completing only one season (the Keys To Time story arced season) She had originally mentioned that she would be willing to complete a regeneration sequence but wasn't asked to. Lalla Ward played the next regeneration and is introduced with no onscreen warning.

Many rumours as to why Mary left so soon were reported by the media at the time but she nonetheless went on to star in a number of film and television roles, notably playing the character Penny Crosbie in Brookside. Mary returned to the role of Romana with the Big Finish production Gallifrey during its second series and had completed interviews for the documentary "Stones Free" which was included in the DVD release of The Keys to Time.

 In 2009 Mary published her autobiography, First Generation, and tragically was unable to complete her story. The audio version of the autobiography was labelled as Volume 1. Mary Tamm was popular with fans of the show at conventions and always came across as friendly and approachable.

She will be sadly missed as we remember the legacy she has brought to Doctor Who. Without her there would be no Romana. The Bar would like to mark her passing with a special viewing of The Stones of Blood tonight at 8:00pm. Please join us to share your memories of a truly wonderful Time Lady.

Rest In Peace Mary Tamm-  22nd March 1950- 26th July 2012

Meglos- by @zeiton_7

"I think what we've got here is a good old fashioned doppleganger"



 

If you feel the desire to stroll around your garden today you are unlikely to encounter anything more sinister than a few wasps, bees and the like. Not so in the world of Doctor Who! It seems you can't walk more than a few steps before being attacked by carnivorous plants that are intent on eating you or transforming you into hideous planty hybrids (Krynoids in Seeds of Doom and Vervoids in The Trial of a Timelord leap to mind)

"I expect you're wondering why I've called this meeting"

Now, you aren't even safe in the desert it seems. Step forward Meglos you evil, green, horny nasty you! (I do mean horny, well thorny, he's a cactus you see) Meglos is the last surviving Zolfa-Thuran and he is out for revenge! His diabolical plan involves stealing a Dodecahedron and pretending to be The Doctor. This cactus dude has more than "supper time" on his mind (I couldn't work out how to put "feed me Seymour" into the blog)

Seriously, what do you talk about with a large green cactus?

Zolfa-Thura and Tigella are the only habitable planets within The Prion System and Zolfa-Thura is a desert planet. The only point of interest on its barren sandy wasteland is a circle of five huge screens (presumabley left after a galactic rock concert) but it is here that Meglos conceives his plan to destroy the universe and wreak his revenge upon,well, pretty much everyone. This plan involves The Doctor at the very heart of it and manipulation is the name of the game.

Zolfa-Thura prepares to host a Disaster Area concert

Meanwhile, on Tigella, the white haired Tigellans spend their time debating the origins of the power giving Dodecahedron. There are two factions, one that believes its a gift from their god Ti (green curry anyone?) and the other believing a more scientific explanation. Their constant bickering is a source of annoyance to Zastor, the planets leader, and he calls in The Doctor (who he has met before) to mediate.

I sollemly swear that I am up to no good

This is where our green spiky villain's plot picks up. You see, Meglos isn't an ordinary cactus, he is Doctor Who cactus and he's a doppleganger. As such he can take the shape of any being he chooses and he chooses The Doctor. Using some pretty unpleasant galactic mercenaries (Gaztaks) he hitches a lift to Tigella and attempts to steal the Dodecahedron. I bet you'll never view a cactus in the same light again!

A Skin Condition That Baby Powder Can't Cure

Viewers of The Almost People would not be wrong in picking up echoes of Meglos within its story. Mofatt clearly knows his Who as the doppleganger thread is central to events here. It is also understandable that some Who fans view Meglos as a weak story. After all it does feature a giant cactus as its main villain and the true origin of the Dodecahedron is never really explained. However, I feel this is a little unfair. After all much of what we love about Doctor Who doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. There are gaps, contradictions but this adds to the wonder and enjoyment of a Science FICTION show. Come on guys lighten up its entertainment!

So, will the Doctor escape the Time Bubble that he, Romana and K-9 have been placed....

Wrong end Romana 

The story is worth watching for Tom Bakers performance as both hero and villain. His, slightly colder, performance as Meglos Doctor is chilling and totally at odds with his normal "teeth and curls" manic Doctor. This is truly a story that is worth a look.

Join us tomorrow for Meglos. We open the bar at 7:00pm and press play at 7:30pm BST #DWBAR

The Happiness Patrol- Wednesday 4th July 2012

"Happiness WILL prevail"
 


Oh but how this story gets ridiculed! You can sort of see why as well! A troop of marauding, pink uniformed women folk terrorise a civilisation and force them to be .... er happy under pain of death.
Sounds insanely far fetched doesn't it? This is Sylvester McCoy's era after all, expect strangeness!

Then there's the Kandy Man. Yes the one that looks like Bertie Bassett! Insane, murderous but oh so tasty!

The Happiness Patrol is the story that, above all others, confirmed to those who really didn't like the McCoy tenure that the program was going down the pan (or perhaps being drowned in Fondant Surprese!) Dark, brooding with a touch of the insane are terms that sum up both the story and McCoy's Doctor himself. Yet look at this story again and perhaps a little deeper and you might start to admire and like it a little. Oh go on, try!



TARDIS Pink??? It Will Never Catch On

Actually, the reasons I mention above are precisely the reason I like this story and also the others that the Seventh Doctor embarked on. You can't tell me that Tom Baker didn't have his share of silliness! Who can forget the immortal line "I wouldn't even say no to a salami sandwich"? Somehow he gets away with his brand of insanity yet McCoy is permanently and unfairly branded as "the actor that destroyed Who"

When The Happiness Patrol was broadcast, back in the 80's, it had been shunted to a Monday night slot and was up against Coronation Street. That, coupled with Michael Grade's hatred of the show meant that it would fail. Fail it did as by the end of Survival the show had been put on hiatus and one that would last for SIXTEEN YEARS!!

No Comment Required!

It is this movement from the programs traditional Saturday tea time slot and Grade's hatred of the show that put paid to Doctor Who and not the acting of the brilliant McCoy. Yet even die hard fans like my own father still look back and recall that "he wasn't much good was he"? I put forward the theory that this opinion is largely down to the fact that people just weren't able to watch as they were either coming in from work or lost out to the thousands that tune into Coronation Street every week (shudder)

Anyway, back to The Happiness Patrol! The Doctor and Ace visit a human colony on the planet Terra Alpha and are disturbed by just how darn happy the place seems to be. It's all so forced with the cheerful lift music and fake painted grins. Soon they uncover the sinister forces that are at work and seek to put things right.

What follows is a dark and entertaining story which has its roots firmly in the Thatcher led Tory government England that was er ruining things at the time. Indeed, the lead villain (played excellently by Sheila Hancock) was modelled on Thatcher herself. The music accompanying the story is some of the best offered and features a wonderful harmonica blues riff. Yes there is The Kandy Man but come on this is Who. We are well used to, slightly unbelievable, monsters running around.

The Marvellous Sheila Hancock as Helen A

We would strongly suggest that you join us on Wednesday night and re watch The Happiness Patrol. You may even find yourself enjoying it and, well, if you don't.... we'll set Fifi on you

The Bar opens at 7pm tomorrow and we press play at 7:30pm. Bassetts Allsorts will be served!
#DWBAR

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.

The Tin Dog Poll- An Introduction to K-9. Words by @Zeiton_7 and Pictures by @cheezypeas

"Good dog

Affirmative Master"

The Inner workings of K-9 or K-9 Naked!

On Saturday we in The Doctor Who Bar are paying tribute to the ultimate of all doggies, K-9.
There have been four versions of K-9 over the years and its amazing to think that he wasn't ever intended to be a regular companion.

K-9 first appeared in The Fourth Doctor story- The Invisible Enemy and was created by Professor Marius. The original, or Mark 1, version decided to remain on Galifrey with Leela at the end of the story The Invasion of Time. However, he had proved to be so popular The Doctor is seen unpacking a box labelled K-9 MK II.

Throughout his many adventures with The Doctor K-9 proved to be a useful companion and even boasted a laser for self defence, which was concealed within his nose. Whilst often the butt of The Doctors jokes and frustration, he was regarded with sentiment and affection.

However some of the crew and production team did not share this sentiment for the erstwhile dog. The limitations with K-9 were largely due to the difficulties experienced when K-9 had to traverse anything other than a flat, smooth service. To put it bluntly he wouldn't move!

This is best seen when K-9 is given the task of following the Marsh Men in Full Circle. Our doggy hero is thwarted by a very small ditch! This was the main reason why K-9 was finally written out of the series at the end of Warriors' Gate. I think people got fed up with the limitations they felt were apparent with a dog that just wouldn't play ball.

K-9 featured in the anniversary story The Five Doctors, albeit very briefly, and even had his own spin off series, K-9 and Company. After a pivotal and decisive role in the Tennant story School Reunion he was finally given to Sarah Jane Smith and featured regularly in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

K-9's final appearance in Doctor Who to date is in the final part of the end of season  two parter, Journeys End. He did feature in an Australian spin off series called er K-9. The problem with this series was that they totally redesigned K-9 and most Whovians really didn't like the reboot or the series as a result.

K-9 is loved by fans both young and old. I was recently at a conference where he made a guest appearance and immediately reverted back to childhood. Indeed, a collective cry of joy could be heard as the tin dog wheeled onto the stage. It is this universal affection that makes K-9 such an adorable and wonderful creation. Intelligent and witty he even beat The Doctor at chess once!

As the saying goes, slightly amended, "you can't keep a good dog down" and I am sure that we haven't seen the last of K-9 on our screens. What was that K-9? "Affirmative master"

 So join us on Saturday for a K-9 double bill. We will watch the winning story and the runner up. The bar opens at 7.30pm and we press play at 8pm. Please bring some doggy treats as K-9 gets upset! #DWBAR

State of Decay by @The_Knights87

Edward and Bella, Sookie and Bill and other sappy vampire couples are second rate compared to Zargo and Camilla.  Zargo and Camilla along with Aukon is Doctor Who’s one true vampire couple. Long before the Matt Smith story The Vampires of Venice this classic story by long time Who scribe and fan favorite Terrance Dicks actually boasts human vampires and a really cool castle.

The State of Decay is the second part of The E- Space Trilogy and heralded by some to be the best story of the three.  I tend to agree.  Some may say that State of Decay is downright scary and has a paranoid feel to it.  The atmosphere of this episode really makes it one of those stories that you tend to remember long after watching it.

 

It is also a very interesting story in the fact that Terrance Dicks delves into more Timelord history and their involvement in a war with the Great Vampire.  Yes it seems the Timelords were a warmonger race well before they fought in the Time War.   But it is also great to see the Doctor and Romana scared as they are reading the history of the Timelords involvement with the vampires that you tend to get scared yourself. 

Imagine how the Doctor must feel like knowing it is his solemn duty as a Timelord to eradicate the universe of vampires and he happens upon the king of all vampires who happens to be feeding off an IV of blood that Arkon has gathered from sacrificing the villagers.

My fond recollection of watching this story is mainly that the Doctor is fighting vampires. A group of three vampires that is in a sense very odd and very scary.  One hell bent on terrorizing the villagers and the other two who seem to be living an extremely bizarre love life.  Plus it also has a great story of the villagers rising up against their oppressors and winning their freedom.  A staple of most Doctor Who stories but mainly a from the Jon Pertwee era where Terrance Dicks did most of his writing for the show but it was good to see that in a Tom Baker story. 

So if you are a fan of vampires or a fan of really good storytelling in a sci – fi setting then join us in watching State of Decay. 

The E-Space Trilogy By @The_Knights87

Oh what can happen when you fly through a charged CVE.  Well you end up in E-Space that’s what.  What’s E- Space you say? Well E- Space is not a parallel universe but a universe existing alongside ours.  Well it just so happened that The Doctor, Romana and K-9 were aboard the TARDIS heading to Gallifrey when they flew through a charged CVE and ended up in E – Space. 

What is commonly called the E – Space Trilogy by fans of Classic Who consists of three very different stories that helped comprised season 18’s entropy themed season.  Full Circle, State of Decay and Warriors Gate are very cleverly written and also have some historical significance to the history of Doctor Who. 

Full Circle has the dubious distinction of being the story that introduces Adric.  That’s right.  That whiny companion who many people do not like at all myself included.  It takes place on the planet Alzarius.  There the Doctor and Romana arrive right when mistfall occurs and the rise of the Marshman from the planets marshes appear.

State of Decay is a true vampire story written by old Doctor Who stalwart Terrance Dicks.  It is an awesome story that pits the Doctor against the ultimate evil Vampires.  Or more accurately The Doctor must stop the Great Vampire.  The Great Vampire is an old enemy of the Timelords from the old days.  It is the sworn duty of any Timelord who happens upon The Great Vampire to kill it and prevent it from conquering the universe. 

Warriors Gate is the story that sees the departure of Romana and K- 9 from the TARDIS.  It is a pretty basic story that takes place entirely in the studio.  But what they do with it is quite amazing.  From the ship to the Gate itself this story boasts some impressive sets and what they did with the green screen shots for 1980 was pretty impressive. Most impressive is the world behind the mirror which has some pretty cool imagery which still stands up today.  It also boasts an anti-slavery message as Romana leaves in order to help release the Thralls from slavery. 

The E – Space Trilogy was something different and regarded by some as some pretty fine stories from season 18.  I enjoyed each of the stories that comprise the trilogy as each story brings something different and has its own little niche. The thing about the stories is that they could stand on their own without the linking aspect of E – Space. 

The E – Space trilogy has some wonderful moments and some good performances by the regular cast.  In fact you could say that Tom baker really shined in these stories and you can truly see how magical he was in the role of The Doctor. So I hope you join us for the next three Wednesdays as we revisit season 18’s E – Space Trilogy.

An Emotional Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, My Sarah Jane

So I'm sitting at my Mac thinking how on earth to start this blog. Anyone that knows me will know that words don't normally come slowly to me (keep the rude comments to a minimum please.) But this time I'm stuck, how to start, how to start? Ok, lets go back to last year, April 19th, 2011, to be precise. I was watching BBC News ,and not really paying much attention to be honest, then the headline was announced: "Elisabeth Sladen had passed away." Now that caught my attention as it did thousands no millions of Doctor Who fans around the globe. I reacted first with disbelief, she was only 63, then the tears came.

So why did the passing of Elisabeth Sladen effect me on such a massive scale? What did she mean to me? Well, to answer those questions I have to go back even further to my childhood and when I first fell in love with "The Madman in the Box" or The Doctor as I've always known him.

Saturday tea time, when Doctor Who was on, was always the same in my house. Dad and I would gather on the sofa to watch the latest gripping episode and then enthuse about it afterwards. Now I have to admit I am a little too young to remember Sarah Jane's adventures on their original television airing (I joined around Full Circle - Tom Baker time, and Lis had already left by then.) But I did have the Target books and a rather excellent Audio dramatisation of Genesis of the Daleks. The Target books were so well written that Sarah, and by default, Elisabeth's performance just bounced off the page. So I kinda fell in love with Sarah Jane through my reading and listening rather than watching.

As time went on I'd watch the repeats that were shown on BBC2 and later UK Gold but by then I knew she was something special. Here is a girl who is feisty, not afraid of giving her opinion or arguing with The Doctor but it was so so much more than that. Both the Third and Fourth Doctor loved her and clearly had a strong affection for Sarah. This was no acting, EVERYONE loved Elisabeth Sladen and what's not to love?

I seriously can't think of a moment where she ever annoyed me and even when she got stuck in the air ducts during Ark in Space it wasn't annoying, it was sweet. She had no flaws and loved human kind, a fact that was so central to The Sarah Jane Adventures. When she was brought back for School Reunion I cried several times. Lis played Sarah as a heart warming and emotional lady who had more than a few issues with the way she was left by The Doctor. Even now writing this and thinking of those final scenes with David Tennant "My Sarah Jane" - sob.

I strongly suggest any fans that haven't already seen any or all of her Classic stories, that they should do so. There isn't a bad one amongst them. I love all of them but I will share my favourite Sarah Jane moment.

Genesis of the Daleks - With the Doctor about to commit genocide and kill the Daleks for ever, he suddenly has an agonising moment of doubt. Enter Sarah Jane, "We're talking about the Daleks, the most evil creatures ever invented, you must destroy them! You must complete your mission for the Time Lords!"

"My Sarah Jane" Yes, but also "My Elisabeth Sladen" and don't I miss you.

Rest in Peace, Elisabeth Sladen 1st February 1946 to 19th April 2011