This was the third story I watched featuring William Hartnell's Doctor (counting the initial broadcast of The Three Doctors
as my first), back in the days when repeats were few and far between -
1992, to be precise, over a decade since the previous opportunity. Now
I've seen all his surviving episodes and heard soundtracks for the rest,
and the main thing that stops me seeing them more often is my physical
inability to watch much TV. I also have access to a massively larger
library of information than I did then, and consequently there is a kind
of double vision viewing this. I can still just about remember the
excitement I felt watching it originally, unspoilt except for whatever
the announcers said beforehand; but my main memories are from the six or
seven times I've seen the DVD in the last decade, knowing what's
coming, and for most of those viewings knowing the context. It still
holds up on repeat viewing, but I am very glad I first saw it without
foreknowledge of that cliffhanger.
This serial marks the beginning of the first ever run with no
contemporary companions in the TARDIS (a run that corresponds exactly to
this section of my marathon). I think that's a sign of confidence:
there is less need for an "audience identification figure" now that the
program has been running for over a year, and is still proving popular.
It can't be the new broom effect, because even though this is the first
serial edited by Donald Tosh, it was the previous team that set it up.
When this story was originally being planned, almost everything was up
in the air. William Russell was leaving and needed a replacement, but it
was unclear whether Jacqueline Hill was staying; Dennis Spooner hadn't
renewed his contract but hadn't announced his departure either. The Chase
was going to be an expensive production, which meant that the following
serial had to save money as well as introduce the audience to a new
companion. In the circumstances producer Verity Lambert thought an
experienced writer was needed to introduce Ian's replacement and handle
the uncertainty, so applied for special permission for the story editor
to write it.
This was a good decision. In the event Spooner decided to leave to work on The Baron; and his writing here reminds me of the previous companion introduction, The Rescue
(again written by a departing script editor, and another of my
favourites). All the main characters are well served, and Steven is
indeed given some depth.
It wasn't a happy production for everyone, however. Upset at all the
change, William Hartnell threw tantrums in the presence of incoming
producer John Wiles, souring their relationship from the start. It was
fortunate that this didn't affect the end product - at least for this
serial...
Special Features
Starting with the standard fare, there's Radio Times listings (which I
never look at these days, though I might have done for this DVD when I
first got it) and the Info text (which I can't be bothered to read);
I've already mentioned the commentary in my episode reviews. It's quite
chatty, full of anecdotes but paying very little attention to what is on
screen for long stretches, so less informative than some, but
enjoyable. The Coming Soon is for The Five Doctors 25th
Anniversary Edition, quite a fun trailer. Most of the Photo Gallery is
made up of shots of the cast on set - there are some good quality
photos, but nothing really surprising. Then, towards the end, we get a
few of the bare sets (which do interest me) and some casting shots of
Peter Purves, looking rugged and handsome. Not much stands out but I
still enjoyed this one more than many, which I think is largely because
the music is so good.
There's no 'making of' documentary, and the only other story-specific
extras are the audio for the missing twelve seconds cut by censors
overseas (good to have as a completist, but not really adding anything)
and a piece on the restoration work. Much of this can be found on other
releases, but I don't begrudge that; it's always good to be reminded of
how much care and attention went into producing these disks. Of
particular interest for me, though, is the use of the original film for
the stock footage of the Viking ship.
Placed on essentially the wrong release for reasons outside of anyone's
control, we have a fairly rushed obituary and photo gallery for the
late, great Verity Lambert. I say rushed because the former is basically
a simple PowerPoint presentation - almost entirely text, too - and the
latter feels like a slideshow of holiday shots. Both lack a soundtrack.
It's touching, but I wish they'd waited for a more appropriate release
to put it on and then done a more thorough job.
Finally, we have one that could be placed on any Hartnell-era release:
Stripped for Action, looking at the comics of his era. This is
sorta-kinda a regular feature, in that there is one for each Doctor; but
because there's only one for each Doctor, this is the first I've
covered in my marathon. I like them. I don't know much about the comics
featured and finding out more intrigues me, so that's one reason for my
enjoyment; but I also appreciate the style, with the fake 'online
comic' feel to the titles, the enthusiastic comic historians and (in
this case) one slightly bemused artist. Short and sweet.
In conclusion, then, don't buy this release for the extras, buy it for the story.
Rating:
Mine: 10/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 72.81%, 75th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 8.14, 39th out of 234.
Next Time:
Wait a minute! What about Isaac's corner? Has he given up? Far from it.
He wanted to write more about this serial, and May also had some
thoughts, but they're not quite ready yet; so before my blog is invaded
by my children, a round-up and overview of the second season.
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