I started writing these reviews in mid May 2011; it's now early December, so I've been working on them for nearly seven months, on and off. In that time I've covered not quite ten months of Doctor Who on television, which doesn't sound like a lot; but in fact, I am almost a third of the way through William Hartnell's run. At this rate - even allowing for a higher proportion of audios and books - I'll finish the First Doctor some time in 2013, which is appropriate.
When I began I didn't know whether I'd go beyond the first three serials, though I hoped it would be both possible and worthwhile. A few positive comments combined with continuing underemployment persuaded me that I might as well continue; and since I made that decision I've always intended to write an entry on the whole first season, assuming (perhaps naïvely) that there would be some overall tone that I would be able to pinpoint, some feeling of development that would spring out at me as I watched the stories in order (and in some cases for the first time). After all, it had happened with the first thirteen episodes. Now I get here, though, I find myself lacking any particular insight. Still, there's one thing that a wide variety of children (though admittedly mostly boys) can agree on, whether they're geeks or sports mavens: stats can be fun. So, after a few minor observations, I'll turn the rest of the post over to the numbers.
The first development of note is that the stories become more independent as the season progresses. The first three serials all end on a cliffhanger; thereafter, only The Sensorites does so (and it's a problematic one at that). As a consequence, what begins as a continuous narrative becomes a collection of individual tales. This introduces the possibility of inserting new stories, and so opens up the universe to future embellishment; it also makes it a lot easier to dip in and out of the program.
In general the level of violence in the show drops during the season, though it's still surprisingly graphic for teatime viewing. Towards the end there is also less of a sense that the regulars are in grave peril. Partly this is due to the viewers discovering what sort of a show it is - one that keeps its regular cast of main characters rather than killing them off and bringing in others - but it's also a sign of confidence. The show doesn't have to keep the stakes quite so high to hold its audience any more, it can afford to relax a little and focus more on what is going on around them.
And that's it for my general thoughts. Let's move on to the stats with a round-up of the scores:
Episode Rankings
10/10:
001. An Unearthly Child
9.5/10:
022. The Velvet Web
9/10:
012. The Edge of Destruction
020. Assassin at Peking
028. The Warriors of Death
8/10:
1'. An Unearthly Child Pilot
005. The Dead Planet
008. The Ambush
010. The Ordeal
025. Sentence of Death
027. The Temple of Evil
030. The Day of Darkness
7.5/10:
007. The Escape
017. The Wall of Lies
CC3.7a. Voyage of Discovery
041. A Bargain of Necessity
7/10:
003. The Forest of Fear
006. The Survivors
013. The Brink of Disaster
038. Guests of Madame Guillotine
042. Prisoners of Conciergerie
6.5/10:
014. The Roof of the World
6/10:
004. The Firemaker
016. Five Hundred Eyes
026. The Keys of Marinus
CC3.7b. Dangerous Endeavours
5.5/10:
032. The Unwilling Warriors
033. Hidden Danger
035. Kidnap
037. A Land of Fear
039. A Change of Identity
5/10:
015. The Singing Sands
024. The Snows of Terror
040. The Tyrant of France
4.5/10:
002. The Cave of Skulls
029. The Bride of Sacrifice
036. A Desperate Venture
4/10:
019. Mighty Kublai Khan
023. The Screaming Jungle
034. A Race Against Death
DWMSS92. Playtime
3.5/10:
018. Rider from Shang-Tu
031. Strangers in Space
3/10:
011. The Rescue
021. The Sea of Death
The Forgotten, part 1
2/10:
009. The Expedition
Looking just at the TV episodes now, my average score is 6.2; but the good and bad are not evenly spread. The scores in general get more consistent as time goes on, but without the peaks of the early stories. The biggest upward jump (+6.5) is from The Sea of Death to The Velvet Web; the biggest downward jump (-6) is either just before that, or from The Ambush to The Expedition.
Here are some averages based on different categories. First, early documents divided the stories into forwards (futuristic SF), backwards (historical) and sideways (weird stuff). The original intention was to cycle round these three types; but there were very few sideways stories even in the first season, the only ones being the first episode and Inside the Spaceship.
Sideways: 8.5 including the pilot; 8.7 without it
Backwards (Historical): 6.3
Forwards (SF): 5.7
While this does reflect my liking for the offbeat, it's mostly down to the quality of the stories. Good ol' BBC production values help boost the historicals, too.
We could also look at how episodes fare based on their position within a story:
Opening episodes: 6.7
2nd episodes: 6.8
3rd episodes: 5.7
4th episodes: 6.2
5th episodes: 5.3
6th episodes: 5.9
7th episodes: 6.0
Penultimate episodes: 6.7
Closing episodes: 6.3
Because of differing story lengths it's hard to draw too many conclusions from this, but it can be seen that in general stories start strongly (with the second episode being the high point) and then dip in the middle before ending well, though not quite as well as they began. This is seen more clearly if we ignore the final episode of The Aztecs, since that's the only four-parter: the other 4th episodes average 5.9.
The pattern is clearer if we count the episodes from a particular director within a story, though this time 6th episodes even beat 2nd:
1st episodes: 6.5
2nd episodes: 7.3
3rd episodes: 5.1
4th episodes: 5.3
5th episodes: 6.3
6th episodes: 7.5
Final episodes: 6.0
I believe the "final episode" score is brought down because of the times a director came in to direct a single episode of a story.
Speaking of directors, how do they stack up?
John Crockett: 7.4 (s.d. 1.7)
Richard Martin: 6.9 (s.d. 2.7)
Henric Hirsch: 6.4 (s.d. 1.1)
Waris Hussein: 6.3 (s.d. 2.1)
Christopher Barry: 6.3 (s.d. 2.9)
John Gorrie: 5.9 (s.d. 2.2)
Frank Cox: 5.7 (s.d. 1.3)
Mervyn Pinfield: 4.6 (s.d. 1.0)
I added standard deviations here when I saw who the leaders were. John Crockett takes the very top slot by being (in the main) consistently good, while Richard Martin gets second place since his wild moments of genius outweigh his "what were you thinking?" ones. Of course, I'm ranking the directors based on the episodes they happened to direct, rather than their direction specifically. Which is unfair, but there you go.
I could go on, but while I love a good statistic as much as the next man, dealing with too many can make my brain dribble. And I have one more set to present:
Story Rankings
10/10:
An Unearthly Child only
9/10:
TEL01. Time and Relative
8.5/10:
F. The Aztecs
8/10:
A. 100,000 BC
C. Inside the Spaceship
MA12. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
7/10:
CC3.7 The Transit of Venus
6/10:
B. The Daleks
Dr Who and the Daleks
D. Marco Polo
E. The Keys of Marinus
H. The Reign of Terror
5.5/10:
The Tribe of Gum only
4.5/10:
G. The Sensorites
1/10:
Abridged Marco Polo
Quite by chance I've covered one novella, one novel, one film, one comic, one audio and (briefly) one short story. I'll be reviewing quite a few more books, audios and shorts before we get to the next TV story - which is the last one I can review on first experience until we get to the missing episodes of The Crusades.
Next Time:
I'll be taking another break, before tackling a number of stories squeezed into the supposed gap between seasons. During the break you should get at least one story set before An Unearthly Child - Quinnis - but no guarantees of when. This would be a good opportunity to give some feedback on how this is going - is it still fun to read? Has it got boring? Let me know.
Have a great Solstice/Christmas/Hanukkah/Whatever!
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Monday, 19 December 2011
Serial H: The Reign of Terror
After writing about half of this entry (and trying to decide what to add to finish it off) I popped over to Elizabeth Sandifer's TARDIS Eruditorum to remind myself of what she thought about this serial. The answer is pretty stark: she thinks of it as the show's first flop. This surprised me somewhat, and prompted a quick reshuffle of what I'd already written, making this something of a response to that.
Let's get to the heart of the matter first: the Doctor's decision to throw Iananbarbara off the ship. This is, quite simply, handled dreadfully, and (as I said last time) it's also completely unnecessary. There are plenty of ways to get the crew out of the TARDIS when they land on Earth in pleasant green countryside, not least being the teachers' desire to see if they have actually got back to 1960s England! The difference for me is that I see this as tacked on, having nothing much to do with the main story. Since it is never really addressed, it takes up a few minutes at the beginning of A Land of Fear and a similar amount of time at the end of Prisoners of Conciergerie; plus some fuming from me afterwards. Annoying, but not enough to ruin the rest of the production.
On to the use of the regular cast, then. Susan gets her shortest straw yet, which is saying something. Seriously - she had more to do when she was on holiday during The Aztecs! It's as if Dennis Spooner thought, "well, I'm not going to be working with Carole Ann Ford so I won't bother making use of her character." Barbara is a little better served, with the romance subplot and some proactive moments (such as her initiating the tunnel when she was in prison with Susan), but she still doesn't achieve anything. Ian flaps around the place, getting captured and knocked out. The thing is, except for Susan I didn't notice quite how little they got to do, so it didn't do too much to damage the story for me.
So far, then, I mostly agree with El about the specifics, but I place less emphasis on many of the things she dislikes. On the other hand I think the story hangs together very well, and the atmosphere is helped by the consistent, appropriate music. The historical details are worked in well, and the lack of black and white in the discussions of both politics and people is appreciated. Meanwhile the Doctor spends a little over an episode (not "half the show") walking to Paris, and then dominates the proceedings for most of the rest.
Interestingly, Robert Shearman in his DWM article for this story has almost the opposite reaction to Dr. Sandifer's: he sees the serial as a step forward, not back, with the TARDIS crew finally getting emotionally involved in their adventures, thus changing the tone for the rest of the show's (ongoing) run. I'm somewhere between the two, not straddling the fence so much as still searching for a middle path. When I've seen the story more than once I may shift towards one of these two positions; time will tell. And I will revisit it when I get the DVD.
And now, the return of our latest feature: the nine-year-old view.
Isaac's Corner
The story got better as it went along - the first episode was too rushed with too much happening, and the last episode was my favourite. The two missing episodes were my next favourites; they were still fun to watch, but I could only do it with the soundtrack CD as well because the sound on the recon was so hard to make out. The best actors this time were the jailer and Lemaitre. The story had quite a good plot with more humour than usual, which improved the overall rating. I give it 7.5/10 overall, but it would be less if I did it episodic.
Rating:
Episodic: 6/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 63.37%, 144th.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.89, 113th out of 222.
Next Time:
A round-up and overview of the first season.
Let's get to the heart of the matter first: the Doctor's decision to throw Iananbarbara off the ship. This is, quite simply, handled dreadfully, and (as I said last time) it's also completely unnecessary. There are plenty of ways to get the crew out of the TARDIS when they land on Earth in pleasant green countryside, not least being the teachers' desire to see if they have actually got back to 1960s England! The difference for me is that I see this as tacked on, having nothing much to do with the main story. Since it is never really addressed, it takes up a few minutes at the beginning of A Land of Fear and a similar amount of time at the end of Prisoners of Conciergerie; plus some fuming from me afterwards. Annoying, but not enough to ruin the rest of the production.
On to the use of the regular cast, then. Susan gets her shortest straw yet, which is saying something. Seriously - she had more to do when she was on holiday during The Aztecs! It's as if Dennis Spooner thought, "well, I'm not going to be working with Carole Ann Ford so I won't bother making use of her character." Barbara is a little better served, with the romance subplot and some proactive moments (such as her initiating the tunnel when she was in prison with Susan), but she still doesn't achieve anything. Ian flaps around the place, getting captured and knocked out. The thing is, except for Susan I didn't notice quite how little they got to do, so it didn't do too much to damage the story for me.
So far, then, I mostly agree with El about the specifics, but I place less emphasis on many of the things she dislikes. On the other hand I think the story hangs together very well, and the atmosphere is helped by the consistent, appropriate music. The historical details are worked in well, and the lack of black and white in the discussions of both politics and people is appreciated. Meanwhile the Doctor spends a little over an episode (not "half the show") walking to Paris, and then dominates the proceedings for most of the rest.
Interestingly, Robert Shearman in his DWM article for this story has almost the opposite reaction to Dr. Sandifer's: he sees the serial as a step forward, not back, with the TARDIS crew finally getting emotionally involved in their adventures, thus changing the tone for the rest of the show's (ongoing) run. I'm somewhere between the two, not straddling the fence so much as still searching for a middle path. When I've seen the story more than once I may shift towards one of these two positions; time will tell. And I will revisit it when I get the DVD.
And now, the return of our latest feature: the nine-year-old view.
Isaac's Corner
The story got better as it went along - the first episode was too rushed with too much happening, and the last episode was my favourite. The two missing episodes were my next favourites; they were still fun to watch, but I could only do it with the soundtrack CD as well because the sound on the recon was so hard to make out. The best actors this time were the jailer and Lemaitre. The story had quite a good plot with more humour than usual, which improved the overall rating. I give it 7.5/10 overall, but it would be less if I did it episodic.
Rating:
Episodic: 6/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 63.37%, 144th.
2011 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 6.89, 113th out of 222.
Next Time:
A round-up and overview of the first season.
Friday, 16 December 2011
Episode 42 (H6): Prisoners of Conciergerie
This episode was the last time Henric Hirsch directed for the BBC. He mostly stuck to theatre work afterwards, although he did a little more TV for the commercial stations. It's also the first chance to see his work since he recovered from his exhaustion. The direction is back to competent but uninspired; some of the sets still look cramped, even though this was filmed in the relatively palatial TC4. Still, most of the sets (and particularly the ones in the inn, which is also where most of the interesting direction happens) look good.
The story rattles along at a good pace. If anything, it's a little too hurried in places; but that captures the sense of a pivotal moment in European history, the beginning of the end of the reign of terror, so it's appropriate. And hey, I was right about Lemaitre! This wasn't a "too obvious, how boring" revelation, though; there was enough ambiguity that I could appreciate the mystery despite there being a lack of other suitable candidates.
The historical detail is also good; at no point did I feel lectured at. The foreshadowing of the Age of Napoleon was a welcome touch as I know less about the Little Corporal than I do about the Revolution, and Robespierre's downfall was well done, with an impressive crowd of extras. In fact, this serial has made good use of extras to help a reasonably large cast seem even larger.
Speaking of the cast, some of the acting this time is a bit...stagey. There's nothing too egregious, but it does knock maybe half a point off my score. William Hartnell isn't so dominant this time: he still gets some good material, but William Russell and Jacqueline Hill both have more to get their teeth into as well. Once again Carole Ann Ford is left out in the cold (or in this case down in the dungeon).
So far as wrapping up the serial goes, this is a fine episode. But there are really two endings here, because it also has to wrap up the first season, and here things are a little less clear, so I want to take a closer look. The transition from Paris works well, with the map overlaid on stock footage of a coach; and then we get a final shot of the TARDIS exterior before a comrades-in-adversity scene inside. This has quite a family feel, with Ian and Susan messing about with the Doctor's hat and a good-natured discussion of why they couldn't change history. Then there's a closing view of the stars, and the Doctor - in a voice recorded to be all echoey - gives his speech about how "our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it." All very nice - a noble, forward-looking end.
Hang on just a minute, though: this is the very same Doctor who tried to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship at the start of this adventure! Obviously he's changed his mind, but when? Didn't the production team think it worth a discussion? Or maybe it was discussed, and I just slept through it?
I thought the "chuck them off" subplot was poorly introduced at the end of The Sensorites, and now it appears to have been quietly forgotten about. It could just as easily have been presented as an ordinary argument about the Doctor's ability to control the TARDIS. It all leaves a bit of an unpleasant taste in the mouth, and I have to make a conscious decision not to let it spoil an otherwise successful ending.
Behind the Scenes, part 2: A Controlling Interest
Although David Whitaker had already announced that Dennis Spooner would be replacing him as script editor after serial K, there was still no guarantee that any more episodes of the show would be made. With their contracts due to expire soon, Hartnell had been offered another role and Russell was actively looking around; Verity Lambert did her best to persuade BBC TV Controller Donald Baverstock that his indecision could effectively end the program, and he finally announced on the 14th of August - the day Prisoners of Conciergerie was recorded - that the run would be extended for another 13 episodes, with an option on 13 more. This was the last time during the Hartnell era that the show would come so close to cancellation.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 12th September 1964
Viewers: 6.4 million
Chart Position: 38
Appreciation Index: 55
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
Serial H as a whole.
The story rattles along at a good pace. If anything, it's a little too hurried in places; but that captures the sense of a pivotal moment in European history, the beginning of the end of the reign of terror, so it's appropriate. And hey, I was right about Lemaitre! This wasn't a "too obvious, how boring" revelation, though; there was enough ambiguity that I could appreciate the mystery despite there being a lack of other suitable candidates.
The historical detail is also good; at no point did I feel lectured at. The foreshadowing of the Age of Napoleon was a welcome touch as I know less about the Little Corporal than I do about the Revolution, and Robespierre's downfall was well done, with an impressive crowd of extras. In fact, this serial has made good use of extras to help a reasonably large cast seem even larger.
Speaking of the cast, some of the acting this time is a bit...stagey. There's nothing too egregious, but it does knock maybe half a point off my score. William Hartnell isn't so dominant this time: he still gets some good material, but William Russell and Jacqueline Hill both have more to get their teeth into as well. Once again Carole Ann Ford is left out in the cold (or in this case down in the dungeon).
So far as wrapping up the serial goes, this is a fine episode. But there are really two endings here, because it also has to wrap up the first season, and here things are a little less clear, so I want to take a closer look. The transition from Paris works well, with the map overlaid on stock footage of a coach; and then we get a final shot of the TARDIS exterior before a comrades-in-adversity scene inside. This has quite a family feel, with Ian and Susan messing about with the Doctor's hat and a good-natured discussion of why they couldn't change history. Then there's a closing view of the stars, and the Doctor - in a voice recorded to be all echoey - gives his speech about how "our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it." All very nice - a noble, forward-looking end.
Hang on just a minute, though: this is the very same Doctor who tried to chuck Iananbarbara off the ship at the start of this adventure! Obviously he's changed his mind, but when? Didn't the production team think it worth a discussion? Or maybe it was discussed, and I just slept through it?
I thought the "chuck them off" subplot was poorly introduced at the end of The Sensorites, and now it appears to have been quietly forgotten about. It could just as easily have been presented as an ordinary argument about the Doctor's ability to control the TARDIS. It all leaves a bit of an unpleasant taste in the mouth, and I have to make a conscious decision not to let it spoil an otherwise successful ending.
Behind the Scenes, part 2: A Controlling Interest
Although David Whitaker had already announced that Dennis Spooner would be replacing him as script editor after serial K, there was still no guarantee that any more episodes of the show would be made. With their contracts due to expire soon, Hartnell had been offered another role and Russell was actively looking around; Verity Lambert did her best to persuade BBC TV Controller Donald Baverstock that his indecision could effectively end the program, and he finally announced on the 14th of August - the day Prisoners of Conciergerie was recorded - that the run would be extended for another 13 episodes, with an option on 13 more. This was the last time during the Hartnell era that the show would come so close to cancellation.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 12th September 1964
Viewers: 6.4 million
Chart Position: 38
Appreciation Index: 55
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
Serial H as a whole.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Episode 41 (H5): A Bargain of Necessity
Phew - my last recon until The Knight of Jaffa, 23 episodes away - which is the first of only two missing episodes in the second season. I think I might find season 3 quite a trial, to be honest: I may have to write shorter reviews. Which is effectively what I'm going to do now, but at the moment I can bulk it out with a couple of factual sections. At least one reader said they found the info useful, so I'll try not to feel too bad about it.
Anyway, let's do the opinionated bit first. This has been my favourite episode from a writing point of view, with fewer contrived coincidences. All the characterisation is good, and most of the guest cast have strongly individual personalities - it's only really Jules and Jean that blur together, and if I'd seen more of them in motion that might have compensated.
There's a part of me that winces at the classist way the jailer is always the butt of the jokes, but I can also put that aside and enjoy the moments. Lemaitre is turning out to be very interesting, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that he's the mysterious Stirling. Robespierre's paranoia - a self-fulfilling prophesy, since his actions are about to ensure they really are out to get him, assuming the story follows the actual history of the time - is pitched just right.
On the other hand, although it seemed as if Léon's death is supposed to be an emotional moment I couldn't really feel this, since I disliked him at first sight. This hardly matters, since the reactions of the others were so affecting. I may have disagreed with Barbara's attachment to the swine, but it's still a horrible thing to happen; and the discussion about people not being defined by one facet of their identity is really quite sophisticated.
Missing from the Archives, Part 5: Recovering Reign
The Reign of Terror was one of the serials completely missing from the BBC archives when an audit was taken in 1978, shortly after the junkings were halted. Four years later a copy of the final episode was returned from a private collection; and then, two years later, the four known surviving episodes were discovered at a TV station in Cyprus.
The combination of missing episodes, hopeful fans and a mischievous press resulted in a number of hoaxes and rumours regarding the alleged existence of missing episodes. The two relevant ones here are, first, a (completely untrue) story that the individual who returned the final episode had all the rest and kept them because he didn't trust the BBC; and second, a report from tabloid newspaper The Sun that Robert Mugabe was keeping them (along with Marco Polo) because he hated the British!
This time and last, I was surprised to see brief periods of motion in the reconstruction. These came about because an Australian had filmed them directly from the TV during broadcast. There were six sections in each episode, all very brief; but they did provide welcome relief.
A final piece of news, and one which almost made me postpone my viewing, was the announcement that 2|Entertain are animating the missing episodes for the DVD release. I'll post an update on that when I've seen the results of their efforts.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 5th September 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 39
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Prisoners of Conciergerie.
Anyway, let's do the opinionated bit first. This has been my favourite episode from a writing point of view, with fewer contrived coincidences. All the characterisation is good, and most of the guest cast have strongly individual personalities - it's only really Jules and Jean that blur together, and if I'd seen more of them in motion that might have compensated.
There's a part of me that winces at the classist way the jailer is always the butt of the jokes, but I can also put that aside and enjoy the moments. Lemaitre is turning out to be very interesting, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that he's the mysterious Stirling. Robespierre's paranoia - a self-fulfilling prophesy, since his actions are about to ensure they really are out to get him, assuming the story follows the actual history of the time - is pitched just right.
On the other hand, although it seemed as if Léon's death is supposed to be an emotional moment I couldn't really feel this, since I disliked him at first sight. This hardly matters, since the reactions of the others were so affecting. I may have disagreed with Barbara's attachment to the swine, but it's still a horrible thing to happen; and the discussion about people not being defined by one facet of their identity is really quite sophisticated.
Missing from the Archives, Part 5: Recovering Reign
The Reign of Terror was one of the serials completely missing from the BBC archives when an audit was taken in 1978, shortly after the junkings were halted. Four years later a copy of the final episode was returned from a private collection; and then, two years later, the four known surviving episodes were discovered at a TV station in Cyprus.
The combination of missing episodes, hopeful fans and a mischievous press resulted in a number of hoaxes and rumours regarding the alleged existence of missing episodes. The two relevant ones here are, first, a (completely untrue) story that the individual who returned the final episode had all the rest and kept them because he didn't trust the BBC; and second, a report from tabloid newspaper The Sun that Robert Mugabe was keeping them (along with Marco Polo) because he hated the British!
This time and last, I was surprised to see brief periods of motion in the reconstruction. These came about because an Australian had filmed them directly from the TV during broadcast. There were six sections in each episode, all very brief; but they did provide welcome relief.
A final piece of news, and one which almost made me postpone my viewing, was the announcement that 2|Entertain are animating the missing episodes for the DVD release. I'll post an update on that when I've seen the results of their efforts.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 5th September 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 39
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
7.5/10.
Next Time:
Prisoners of Conciergerie.
Monday, 12 December 2011
Episode 40 (H4): The Tyrant of France
Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hasty to take time off from rambling on about visuals last time, but I'd forgotten there were a couple of missing episodes coming up. This one is my son's first ever recon, though he's listened to narrated audio before (first Power of the Daleks, because I recommended it to him for a long car journey; then The Celestial Toymaker, which he heard me listening to and was intrigued enough to get me to restart).
Unfortunately it wasn't a very good introduction to recons. Isaac has some (minor) hearing impairment, and the quality of the soundtrack at the start is too bad even for me to make out what's going on - he was completely lost. After a few minutes I suggested we switch to the narrated audio from The Lost TV Episodes Collection that I used to listen to Marco Polo, but he still wanted the pictures. After a bit of fiddling we managed to play the sound from the CD and the images from the recon. It wasn't an ideal situation because they weren't running at quite the same speed, so we kept having to pause the audio to let the video catch up; but at least we could follow the plot. Ironically the sound quality improved after the opening scenes, and there was very little narration needed!
Enough about the experience, though; what of the actual content? Acting and (particularly) direction are always harder to judge in a recon. There's no obvious bad stuff happening; that's about all I can say. The only new sets are Robespierre's office and the Doctor's surgery, both of which are uninspiring but do the job. The music continues to be used well.
That leaves the story, and here's another bloomin' great coincidence when Ian gets taken to the house where Susan and Barbara are staying, though this does allow for some subtle recaps. Meanwhile, it seems that Barbara actually fancies Léon! Don't go there, Barbara - he's a creep, and I bet he's the traitor too. Not that I make instant judgements of people or anything.
Susan gets to do nothing other than be sick again, but at least when she puts herself and Barbara in peril because of it she doesn't have any choice in the matter. Still, I would have liked to see what happened with the leeches.
Once again Hartnell gets the best scenes. Keith Anderson's Robespierre was not what I expected, which was an evil, ranting madman. Instead, while undoubtedly paranoid, he had enough of a thread of rationality to be an interesting, complex character. And the verbal dueling between the Doctor and the man known as "the Incorruptible" is spot on, with the former managing to keep the discussion away from areas he knew too little about, while the latter more than holds up his end.
Lemaitre, meanwhile, continues to interest me. I wonder whose side he is on? Or perhaps, how many sides? His tricking the Doctor means that, in effect, everyone has now been captured. Boo!
One final note: the day before the recording of this episode David Whitaker announced that he would be resigning as script editor at the end of the production block, going at the same time as Carole Ann Ford. More than that: he was leaving the BBC to concentrate on his freelance writing. His replacement? The writer of this story, Dennis Spooner.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 29th August 1964
Viewers: 6.4 million
Chart Position: 36
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
5/10.
Next Time:
A Bargain of Necessity.
Unfortunately it wasn't a very good introduction to recons. Isaac has some (minor) hearing impairment, and the quality of the soundtrack at the start is too bad even for me to make out what's going on - he was completely lost. After a few minutes I suggested we switch to the narrated audio from The Lost TV Episodes Collection that I used to listen to Marco Polo, but he still wanted the pictures. After a bit of fiddling we managed to play the sound from the CD and the images from the recon. It wasn't an ideal situation because they weren't running at quite the same speed, so we kept having to pause the audio to let the video catch up; but at least we could follow the plot. Ironically the sound quality improved after the opening scenes, and there was very little narration needed!
Enough about the experience, though; what of the actual content? Acting and (particularly) direction are always harder to judge in a recon. There's no obvious bad stuff happening; that's about all I can say. The only new sets are Robespierre's office and the Doctor's surgery, both of which are uninspiring but do the job. The music continues to be used well.
That leaves the story, and here's another bloomin' great coincidence when Ian gets taken to the house where Susan and Barbara are staying, though this does allow for some subtle recaps. Meanwhile, it seems that Barbara actually fancies Léon! Don't go there, Barbara - he's a creep, and I bet he's the traitor too. Not that I make instant judgements of people or anything.
Susan gets to do nothing other than be sick again, but at least when she puts herself and Barbara in peril because of it she doesn't have any choice in the matter. Still, I would have liked to see what happened with the leeches.
Once again Hartnell gets the best scenes. Keith Anderson's Robespierre was not what I expected, which was an evil, ranting madman. Instead, while undoubtedly paranoid, he had enough of a thread of rationality to be an interesting, complex character. And the verbal dueling between the Doctor and the man known as "the Incorruptible" is spot on, with the former managing to keep the discussion away from areas he knew too little about, while the latter more than holds up his end.
Lemaitre, meanwhile, continues to interest me. I wonder whose side he is on? Or perhaps, how many sides? His tricking the Doctor means that, in effect, everyone has now been captured. Boo!
One final note: the day before the recording of this episode David Whitaker announced that he would be resigning as script editor at the end of the production block, going at the same time as Carole Ann Ford. More than that: he was leaving the BBC to concentrate on his freelance writing. His replacement? The writer of this story, Dennis Spooner.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 29th August 1964
Viewers: 6.4 million
Chart Position: 36
Appreciation Index: 53
Rating:
5/10.
Next Time:
A Bargain of Necessity.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Episode 39 (H3): A Change of Identity
I've used a lot of words talking about visuals recently, so I'm going to give it a rest this time. Suffice to say that the lessons learned last episode haven't been forgotten, and that the sets and costumes are spot on. Nobody remembered the older lesson about not working with animals and children, however: they got away with a child actor in Guests of Madame Guillotine, but the horses this week slowed things down so much that they only just got the episode recorded in time.
Except: is it fair to blame the horses? Henric Hirsch was exhausted and collapsed after the camera rehearsals, so they had to get another director to step in for the actual shoot, using Hirsch's camera directions. I use the phrase "another director" advisedly, since there is some dispute over who this was. Most reports suggest it was John Gorrie, but he has no memory of it; Verity Lambert has also been suggested, but she too denies responsibility. Still, much of the decision-making was Hirsch's, and the results are consistent.
While they were in prison Susan and Barbara had discussed how lucky they'd been in the past; now, in this episode, (a) they get rescued by some allies of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel after a horse conveniently throws a shoe, reducing the opposition to a manageable number of guards; and (b) the jailer leaves his keys in Ian's cell door, then goes and gets himself paralytically drunk just in time for our hero to walk out. I don't mind a bit of coincidence but that is pushing things. Susan must have read the script, though, otherwise she would at least have tried to avoid getting her head cut off. Or perhaps she thought the guillotine was a sure-fire headache cure (true) and worth the side effects (death)? Hmm, do decapitated Time Ladies regenerate? Inquiring minds want to know!
None of these three regulars are particularly well served by the script this week. Carole Ann Ford draws the short straw, as usual, and halfheartedly plays the weak, distressed, worse-than-useless teenager; but you can tell she's stopped caring. Barbara is calm and collected, even when being drooled over by the polite-but-creepy Léon. And Ian is the quiet, determined hero; to be fair at least he doesn't have to outfight trained warriors, which is a definite plus. Jacqueline Hill and William Russell do their best with what they are given, but it's fairly run-of-the-mill.
William Hartnell, on the other hand, gets nothing but good scenes. He strides into Paris, full of confidence and determination, showing his worry for just a moment; and then he's into the comedy. Hartnell always seems to throw himself into his role when he's given a chance to be funny - see the last episode of Marco Polo, or Dennis Spooner's next story - and his scene with the tailor is perfectly pitched. His appearance in the Conciergerie afterwards, feathery hat and all, is great - and he flatters, fast-talks and blusters his way to the information he needs in a way that foreshadows future Doctors. It's all beautifully judged, and even though we spend more time with the others it feels like Hartnell's episode.
And then things start to twist again. Did Citizen Lemaitre deliberately trick the jailer into leaving his keys and then drug him, so that Ian could lead the way to the enemies of the Republic? Will he or the tailor bring about the Doctor's execution? This may not have been the most rounded episode, but by Timothy it makes me want to know what happens next!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 22nd August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 55
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
The Tyrant of France.
Except: is it fair to blame the horses? Henric Hirsch was exhausted and collapsed after the camera rehearsals, so they had to get another director to step in for the actual shoot, using Hirsch's camera directions. I use the phrase "another director" advisedly, since there is some dispute over who this was. Most reports suggest it was John Gorrie, but he has no memory of it; Verity Lambert has also been suggested, but she too denies responsibility. Still, much of the decision-making was Hirsch's, and the results are consistent.
While they were in prison Susan and Barbara had discussed how lucky they'd been in the past; now, in this episode, (a) they get rescued by some allies of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel after a horse conveniently throws a shoe, reducing the opposition to a manageable number of guards; and (b) the jailer leaves his keys in Ian's cell door, then goes and gets himself paralytically drunk just in time for our hero to walk out. I don't mind a bit of coincidence but that is pushing things. Susan must have read the script, though, otherwise she would at least have tried to avoid getting her head cut off. Or perhaps she thought the guillotine was a sure-fire headache cure (true) and worth the side effects (death)? Hmm, do decapitated Time Ladies regenerate? Inquiring minds want to know!
None of these three regulars are particularly well served by the script this week. Carole Ann Ford draws the short straw, as usual, and halfheartedly plays the weak, distressed, worse-than-useless teenager; but you can tell she's stopped caring. Barbara is calm and collected, even when being drooled over by the polite-but-creepy Léon. And Ian is the quiet, determined hero; to be fair at least he doesn't have to outfight trained warriors, which is a definite plus. Jacqueline Hill and William Russell do their best with what they are given, but it's fairly run-of-the-mill.
William Hartnell, on the other hand, gets nothing but good scenes. He strides into Paris, full of confidence and determination, showing his worry for just a moment; and then he's into the comedy. Hartnell always seems to throw himself into his role when he's given a chance to be funny - see the last episode of Marco Polo, or Dennis Spooner's next story - and his scene with the tailor is perfectly pitched. His appearance in the Conciergerie afterwards, feathery hat and all, is great - and he flatters, fast-talks and blusters his way to the information he needs in a way that foreshadows future Doctors. It's all beautifully judged, and even though we spend more time with the others it feels like Hartnell's episode.
And then things start to twist again. Did Citizen Lemaitre deliberately trick the jailer into leaving his keys and then drug him, so that Ian could lead the way to the enemies of the Republic? Will he or the tailor bring about the Doctor's execution? This may not have been the most rounded episode, but by Timothy it makes me want to know what happens next!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 22nd August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 34
Appreciation Index: 55
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
The Tyrant of France.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
Episode 38 (H2): Guests of Madame Guillotine
Following a recap to remind us that the Doctor is unconscious in a burning farmhouse we are presented with an old picture of Paris with the city's name overlaid and brassy martial music; then stock footage of the eponymous weapon of mass execution (invented in Yorkshire, as a matter of fact); followed by another woodcut-style city scene with more music and a fade to the outside of the Conciergerie Prison, "Death's Antechamber", where we see two of les tricoteuses sitting knitting outside the gates. This is a great way of changing the scene and filling us in a little on the background at the same time. It also conjures up a lot of associations for me, including the Loose Cannon reconstruction of The Massacre and the scene-changing techniques of many late 1960s ITV programs, such as The Champions.
Although the setting is a time and place where thousands were being executed, this is the episode that was filmed on the day I came into the world; they would have been in rehearsal during the actual birth. It was also a double holiday, as William Russell and Verity Lambert were both away for a fortnight. Russell's absence is handled very well (for the most part); thanks to prefilmed sequences he plays a significant part in the plot, and the episode even ends with a closeup of his face as he watches Susan and Barbara being led to the guillotine (again held for a while as the credits start to roll). The exception is the very first shot, where he is supposed to be standing next to the others but rather obviously isn't.
Meanwhile the Doctor is recovering from his role in the last cliffhanger, having been rescued by the boy from the previous episode. He's the first genuine child actor with a speaking role in the series, and he does a pretty good job of it. He doesn't look quite so much as if he stepped out of a production of Oliver! this time, either, which helps with taking things seriously.
Then we get something new for the show - the very first location shots. These are worked into the surrounding studio work very artfully, so they enhance the realism in a natural way. It's like special effects these days: done properly they help with immersion rather than screaming "look at me! aren't I something special?"
The direction and camerawork takes a big step up in this episode. I was wondering if it would, given past experience; but I was also trying not to get too hopeful. Which is a character flaw I've been battling with - I try so hard not to be disappointed that I avoid hopefulness. Ah, well, I'll get past that someday. Hopefully.
Anyway, to get back to the direction: we have good lighting once again, but this time the framing and the use of space is much improved. Partly it's the availability of location work, which means we do have some longer shots; but Henric Hirsch also does a better job of hiding the cramped conditions. For some scenes, of course - I'm particularly thinking of Susan and Barbara in prison - "cramped" is entirely appropriate.
The sets and costumes are great this time, and the plot really gets going. There's a good blend of moods, with quiet horror and heroic determination in the prison, and black comedy with the Doctor and the roadworks overseer outside. There are touching moments throughout; Susan's reaction to her enforced lack of information about her grandfather (who she last saw in deadly peril) is a mirror of the Doctor's reaction in The Transit of Venus - or perhaps that should be the other way round?
Fingers crossed for episode three!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 15th August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 35
Appreciation Index: 54
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
A Change of Identity.
Although the setting is a time and place where thousands were being executed, this is the episode that was filmed on the day I came into the world; they would have been in rehearsal during the actual birth. It was also a double holiday, as William Russell and Verity Lambert were both away for a fortnight. Russell's absence is handled very well (for the most part); thanks to prefilmed sequences he plays a significant part in the plot, and the episode even ends with a closeup of his face as he watches Susan and Barbara being led to the guillotine (again held for a while as the credits start to roll). The exception is the very first shot, where he is supposed to be standing next to the others but rather obviously isn't.
Meanwhile the Doctor is recovering from his role in the last cliffhanger, having been rescued by the boy from the previous episode. He's the first genuine child actor with a speaking role in the series, and he does a pretty good job of it. He doesn't look quite so much as if he stepped out of a production of Oliver! this time, either, which helps with taking things seriously.
Then we get something new for the show - the very first location shots. These are worked into the surrounding studio work very artfully, so they enhance the realism in a natural way. It's like special effects these days: done properly they help with immersion rather than screaming "look at me! aren't I something special?"
The direction and camerawork takes a big step up in this episode. I was wondering if it would, given past experience; but I was also trying not to get too hopeful. Which is a character flaw I've been battling with - I try so hard not to be disappointed that I avoid hopefulness. Ah, well, I'll get past that someday. Hopefully.
Anyway, to get back to the direction: we have good lighting once again, but this time the framing and the use of space is much improved. Partly it's the availability of location work, which means we do have some longer shots; but Henric Hirsch also does a better job of hiding the cramped conditions. For some scenes, of course - I'm particularly thinking of Susan and Barbara in prison - "cramped" is entirely appropriate.
The sets and costumes are great this time, and the plot really gets going. There's a good blend of moods, with quiet horror and heroic determination in the prison, and black comedy with the Doctor and the roadworks overseer outside. There are touching moments throughout; Susan's reaction to her enforced lack of information about her grandfather (who she last saw in deadly peril) is a mirror of the Doctor's reaction in The Transit of Venus - or perhaps that should be the other way round?
Fingers crossed for episode three!
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 15th August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 35
Appreciation Index: 54
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
A Change of Identity.
Monday, 5 December 2011
Episode 37 (H1): A Land of Fear
Verity Lambert had hoped that the show could take a six-week break over the summer after the conclusion to serial G, but this was both postponed (until after the following serial) and shortened (to four weeks). The end of The Sensorites would have made a good pausing point; I'll see how well this story's conclusion works as a season closer when I get there.
I mentioned last time that I'd make a decision on whether The Transit of Venus fit once I'd seen this episode. In my opinion it works well, and the (valid) point that the travellers would probably have changed into different clothes and had different lengths of hair isn't enough to swing me against it. Time has obviously passed since leaving the Sense-Sphere, with conversations that we've not been able to witness, so it's not just a continuation of the same scene anyway. By the same token the idea that it's unrealistic for the Doctor simply to repeat his threat and put them off again ignores the way it's presented: as part of the same decision, merely delayed. On the other hand, I do think Jacqueline Rayner missed a trick. Here the Doctor is saying how he can control the TARDIS and get them home, which he has apparently declared between the stories; and she could have included something about that at the end of the audio adventure.
On to the meat of this episode, then. As usual for a historical we have good costumes and sets, though they are perhaps not quite up to the standards of the previous two, and the ragamuffin's dirty clothes are a bit too stereotypical for my liking. Having said that, Susan, Ian, and Barbara all get to dress up; and it suits the women, at least. This is purely my prejudice but I do think that frilly shirts generally look a bit silly on men, and only work with outsize personalities such as those of the Third Doctor, Adam Ant, or the Giffen/Bierbaum incarnation of Roxxas the Butcher. Ian is not one of those.
Actually, most of the things I notice about this episode, good and bad, are visual. The director, Henric Hirsch - who is working on Who for the first time - makes good use of lighting, not being afraid to have action in darkness when appropriate. the model shot of the burning house is effective, and rolling the credits over the flames is a very nice touch.
On the other hand, most of the framing is dull. There are exceptions, like the shots of the unconscious Doctor; but in general dullness has been the order of the day for quite a while, and it makes me long for one of the more adventurous directors, like Richard Martin. There are also some dodgy camera moves and we get a couple of bumps.
Part of the problem is the studio. Production moved to Lime Grove Studio G with A Desperate Venture - which was, perhaps, one reason for it being rather a tentative effort - and stayed there for the first four episodes of serial H. Studio G was long and narrow, meaning that it was impossible to get much distance between the camera and the action. Verity Lambert successfully fought against it being a permanent home, but we are seeing the effects at the moment. It shows most in the exterior scenes, which have a striplike feel; but to be fair it's impressive what has been achieved in the circumstances.
The acting's fine, but nothing special; and I don't have much to say about the plot just yet. The cliffhanger is stretched out for too long (though that's as much the director's fault as the writer's); otherwise it's competent, engaging but not gripping. I do like Susan's comment about this being her grandfather's favourite period of Earth history - perhaps that's why she was borrowing a book about it from Barbara in the very first episode of the show?
Once again my son watched this with me (he's a convert to the idea of watching no more than an episode a day, even with later stories), and I hope to be able to include his thoughts on the story in six entries' time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 8th August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 37
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Guests of Madame Guillotine.
I mentioned last time that I'd make a decision on whether The Transit of Venus fit once I'd seen this episode. In my opinion it works well, and the (valid) point that the travellers would probably have changed into different clothes and had different lengths of hair isn't enough to swing me against it. Time has obviously passed since leaving the Sense-Sphere, with conversations that we've not been able to witness, so it's not just a continuation of the same scene anyway. By the same token the idea that it's unrealistic for the Doctor simply to repeat his threat and put them off again ignores the way it's presented: as part of the same decision, merely delayed. On the other hand, I do think Jacqueline Rayner missed a trick. Here the Doctor is saying how he can control the TARDIS and get them home, which he has apparently declared between the stories; and she could have included something about that at the end of the audio adventure.
On to the meat of this episode, then. As usual for a historical we have good costumes and sets, though they are perhaps not quite up to the standards of the previous two, and the ragamuffin's dirty clothes are a bit too stereotypical for my liking. Having said that, Susan, Ian, and Barbara all get to dress up; and it suits the women, at least. This is purely my prejudice but I do think that frilly shirts generally look a bit silly on men, and only work with outsize personalities such as those of the Third Doctor, Adam Ant, or the Giffen/Bierbaum incarnation of Roxxas the Butcher. Ian is not one of those.
Actually, most of the things I notice about this episode, good and bad, are visual. The director, Henric Hirsch - who is working on Who for the first time - makes good use of lighting, not being afraid to have action in darkness when appropriate. the model shot of the burning house is effective, and rolling the credits over the flames is a very nice touch.
On the other hand, most of the framing is dull. There are exceptions, like the shots of the unconscious Doctor; but in general dullness has been the order of the day for quite a while, and it makes me long for one of the more adventurous directors, like Richard Martin. There are also some dodgy camera moves and we get a couple of bumps.
Part of the problem is the studio. Production moved to Lime Grove Studio G with A Desperate Venture - which was, perhaps, one reason for it being rather a tentative effort - and stayed there for the first four episodes of serial H. Studio G was long and narrow, meaning that it was impossible to get much distance between the camera and the action. Verity Lambert successfully fought against it being a permanent home, but we are seeing the effects at the moment. It shows most in the exterior scenes, which have a striplike feel; but to be fair it's impressive what has been achieved in the circumstances.
The acting's fine, but nothing special; and I don't have much to say about the plot just yet. The cliffhanger is stretched out for too long (though that's as much the director's fault as the writer's); otherwise it's competent, engaging but not gripping. I do like Susan's comment about this being her grandfather's favourite period of Earth history - perhaps that's why she was borrowing a book about it from Barbara in the very first episode of the show?
Once again my son watched this with me (he's a convert to the idea of watching no more than an episode a day, even with later stories), and I hope to be able to include his thoughts on the story in six entries' time.
Broadcast:
Date: Saturday, 8th August 1964
Viewers: 6.9 million
Chart Position: 37
Appreciation Index: 58
Rating:
5.5/10.
Next Time:
Guests of Madame Guillotine.
Friday, 2 December 2011
CC3.7: The Transit of Venus
An Expanding Universe, Part 3: The Companion Chronicles
In 2007 Big Finish, a company best known for their audio dramas with the Fifth to Eighth Doctors, started releasing a new line in a new style: the Companion Chronicles. These were stories of previous Doctors seen through the eyes of the companions. They had a second actor providing some of the voices, so they weren't quite audiobooks; but they weren't full-cast plays either. As time went on they experimented with variations on the theme such as two-hander drama, a third voice, or a new companion; but the majority stuck with this basic format.
Most of the Companion Chronicles also have an explicit framing sequence, partly to account for the fact that the narrator is much older now than when the main adventure was taking place. Sometimes these are closely integrated with the tale, sometimes not. The Transit of Venus barely has one at all: Ian is telling the story to someone unspecified at some point after he finished travelling with the Doctor. I can picture him sitting in a comfortable armchair in his study at Cambridge University, sipping a glass of something red. It's enough.
Many releases have a bonus interview at the end with the people who were present for the recording. This is useful for someone like me, putting information as well as opinion into the entries. This time around I learned that the story was recorded in the 45th anniversary year, and was the first time Ian had returned (although William Russell had played another character in one of the audio dramas); and that Jacqueline Rayner was deliberately emulating the style of Marco Polo, keeping it as true to history as possible. I think she succeeded.
So far this is the only Companion Chronicle I've seen to have separate episode titles, and there was only just enough material (including the Expanding Universe section above) to fill the requisite three entries. In future I'll decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to split coverage.
But one slight problem is that, with some of the stories, I'm not sure if I'll know whether they have individual titles or not. Big Finish now offer the stories for download, somewhat cheaper than the CDs; and I recently sold a bunch of Who material to raise money for a download subscription. By starting with CC5.6, Quinnis, I managed to get six First Doctor stories in a 12-release subscription, plus some others I particularly wanted; but the only indication of episode titles for The Transit of Venus was in the CD booklet, which you don't get with a download! Wikipedia doesn't list them, and neither does the TARDIS Index File. Ah, well; I'll probably find the information somewhere, even if I have to (gasp!) ask.
Speaking of the TARDIS Index File, it's entry for this story suggests that it doesn't really fit between serials G and H. All I can say at the moment is that it certainly fits after The Sensorites; I'll judge next time whether it flows properly into the next televised episode.
Anyway, I've been really pleased by this release, and look forward to Ian's next outing.
Published:
Date: January 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84435-356-9
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
Back to the TV series with A Land of Fear.
In 2007 Big Finish, a company best known for their audio dramas with the Fifth to Eighth Doctors, started releasing a new line in a new style: the Companion Chronicles. These were stories of previous Doctors seen through the eyes of the companions. They had a second actor providing some of the voices, so they weren't quite audiobooks; but they weren't full-cast plays either. As time went on they experimented with variations on the theme such as two-hander drama, a third voice, or a new companion; but the majority stuck with this basic format.
Most of the Companion Chronicles also have an explicit framing sequence, partly to account for the fact that the narrator is much older now than when the main adventure was taking place. Sometimes these are closely integrated with the tale, sometimes not. The Transit of Venus barely has one at all: Ian is telling the story to someone unspecified at some point after he finished travelling with the Doctor. I can picture him sitting in a comfortable armchair in his study at Cambridge University, sipping a glass of something red. It's enough.
Many releases have a bonus interview at the end with the people who were present for the recording. This is useful for someone like me, putting information as well as opinion into the entries. This time around I learned that the story was recorded in the 45th anniversary year, and was the first time Ian had returned (although William Russell had played another character in one of the audio dramas); and that Jacqueline Rayner was deliberately emulating the style of Marco Polo, keeping it as true to history as possible. I think she succeeded.
So far this is the only Companion Chronicle I've seen to have separate episode titles, and there was only just enough material (including the Expanding Universe section above) to fill the requisite three entries. In future I'll decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to split coverage.
But one slight problem is that, with some of the stories, I'm not sure if I'll know whether they have individual titles or not. Big Finish now offer the stories for download, somewhat cheaper than the CDs; and I recently sold a bunch of Who material to raise money for a download subscription. By starting with CC5.6, Quinnis, I managed to get six First Doctor stories in a 12-release subscription, plus some others I particularly wanted; but the only indication of episode titles for The Transit of Venus was in the CD booklet, which you don't get with a download! Wikipedia doesn't list them, and neither does the TARDIS Index File. Ah, well; I'll probably find the information somewhere, even if I have to (gasp!) ask.
Speaking of the TARDIS Index File, it's entry for this story suggests that it doesn't really fit between serials G and H. All I can say at the moment is that it certainly fits after The Sensorites; I'll judge next time whether it flows properly into the next televised episode.
Anyway, I've been really pleased by this release, and look forward to Ian's next outing.
Published:
Date: January 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84435-356-9
Rating:
7/10.
Next Time:
Back to the TV series with A Land of Fear.
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