What went wrong with Galaxy 4? Part of it is certainly down to
circumstance. Given that Airlock is by far my favourite episode mainly
due to the direction I suspect that the rest of the serial would benefit
similarly from not having been junked. This was John Wiles' first story
as producer (although Verity Lambert was still technically in charge,
her attention was elsewhere) and the first script-edited by Donald Tosh
that wasn't written by a former script editor who knew the ropes. Nobody
could have predicted director Mervyn Pinfield falling ill, creating
disruption (although the direction itself benefits), and writer William
Emms had to rework the script for a different TARDIS team at quite short
notice.
Nevertheless, there's also some blame to be apportioned. William
Hartnell acted very childishly, taking out his genuine upset over
Lambert's departure on the production team, and the inexperienced Wiles
badly mishandled the conflict. Tosh should have done more to rescue the
script (particularly The Exploding Planet, where boosting the
Drahvins as a threat - for instance, by letting them find a way to
neutralise the Chumblies - could have made all the difference and been a
relatively easy change).
Because it's the script that is the biggest problem. There are some
fascinating and worthwhile ideas here, not least the demolishing of the
way that ugliness generally equals evil - a fallacy that Doctor Who has struggled with throughout its history, from The Daleks
right through to the current Capaldi season. But these ideas needed a
framework in which to flourish, and what we got barely worked as an
adventure serial.
Of course, I am not the target audience. Back in 1965, this was better received than The Time Meddler, with a higher average AI and better viewing figures for every episode - in fact, Airlock reached more people than any episode since The Web Planet!
Let's talk about the DVD release. This was an odd one. A cut-down version of the Loose Cannon recon had been prepared for The Time Meddler DVD, appropriately, but in the end it wasn't used. The discovery of Airlock
meant the BBC wanted to get the new episode out there, and it was
spliced into the recon; but what DVD could it go on? The only sensible
possibility was The Aztecs Special Edition. Because of the
lateness of the decision, artwork had already been prepared; so the only
indication that it also contained Galaxy 4 was a sticker.
Even ignoring the fact that we have an existing episode, this is a much better effort than the Marco Polo
reconstruction in The Beginning box set. There is enough, here, to get a
good feel for the story; and if I want to experience it again I'll
certainly be happy with it.
Right, I should also say something about the tie-in to The Suffering.
Ignoring real-world broadcast and release dates, it does seem odd that
neither Steven nor Vicki note the likelihood that the Drahvins came
about because of events recapped in the audio, especially since they
were thinking about it (and recounting it) just before Steven's haircut.
Still, it does fit well, and Jacqueline Rayner's story adds some depth
to the villains of the TV serial.
It's Thingy, from That Other Program, Part 5: Angelo Muscat
One name jumped out at me from the credits: Angelo Muscat, playing one
of the Chumblies. I didn't recognise him, of course; but I knew who he
was, because I'm a fan of The Prisoner, where he played the butler. Galaxy 4 was his first TV credit and he was fairly successful for a few years thereafter, also appearing in Alice in Wonderland and The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour; but after The Prisoner
work dried up. Maureen O'Brien said that she spent a lot of time with
the actors who were inside the Chumblies, and that because of their
height they were treated as youngsters, much as she herself was.
Muscat's last role was as an Oompa-Loompa in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; he died poor, five years later.
Isaac's Corner
We've all been struggling with bugs this half term; and, although his
most recent virus has now passed, Isaac has been left with limited
breath. He needs to use an inhaler and spacer device for the moment,
otherwise he has virtually no energy. I'm grateful the holidays are
coming to give everyone a chance just to rest! Anyway, he wasn't feeling
up to writing Isaac's corner this time, but told me a few thoughts
which I shall try to get down faithfully (as always, he focused mainly
on the positive, a trait I really like):
The different societies presented in Galaxy 4 were interesting,
and it was particularly good to see differing points of view on the same
situation. Having said that, the story wasn't clear enough in showing
people's motivations - for instance, why did Maaga shoot one of her own
soldiers? It came across as something she did just because she was EVIL. Overall it was a nice, simple story - I wasn't wowed by it, but I did like it. And the Chumblies were cute!
Rating:
Mine: 3/10.
DWM Mighty 200: 55.51%, 172nd.
DWM 50th Anniversary: 57.98%, 210th.
2012 Gallifrey Base Non-Dynamic Rankings: 5.15, 210th out of 234.
Next Time:
Mission to the Unknown.
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