Doctor Who: Fifty-One Favourites (Part 3)
K-Ci Williams continues the series picking out 51 Doctor Who faves.
Feast your eyes on this! It may seem that all I have chosen for this list so far is modern episodes and a couple of obligatory classic stories, but this article is entirely dedicated to my favourite classics that make up the list of Fifty-One. While the modern era of this show has taught many lessons, for me the classics present such a wealth of concepts and ideas that I cannot turn away from the one thing that makes them brilliant: in its simplest form, the plot itself. But trivia is something that always makes me love the plot even more. Each one features an element that screams Doctor Who; well in fact, these made Doctor Who – the show we know and love as if exists today. From the first of them all, William Hartnell to the eighth, Paul McGann, the classic era of Doctor Who will always be there. It’s a great way to spend the wilderness months when the current Doctor is off the air. Let me share with you what I have enjoyed about some of the classics I have had the fortune of seeing.
The War Machines
You know how television can be so gripping that it keeps you on the edge of your seat? When I first began my journey of watching any possible Doctor Who classic serial I could it took me right to the beginning. Good old William Hartnell! What I wouldn’t give to go back in time and experience these stories as they were first broadcast. It’s funny because what I can remember vividly about this serial is that the WOTAN machines took orders only from themselves. For some obscure reason I find it intriguing that self-directed and conscious computers are completely relevant today. In all honesty our devices threaten to overpower us. They really can think for themselves. But with that little pep talk aside, I want to focus on a little trivia for this article. Many of my favourite stories are favourites because of the same thing: the behind the scenes or uncanny and funny occurrences. So for this story, how about the fact that the Doctor is in fact referred to (in one of the dialogue rarities) as Doctor Who. An interesting fact for a very interesting story – but I think I’ll just leave the farewell to Dodo.
The Trial of a Time Lord
There’s some debate about this one – I really shouldn’t count it as a whole story for this seeing as I’ve only seen a few parts of it. However, I absolutely adore the idea and execution of the character known as the Valeyard. I must take a page out of the book of our dear (online) friend Gustaff and get the Big Finish Valeyard stories. That’s something special I’d like to share: how well I thought that character worked. Finally we get a villain who turns out to be the Doctor (probably why I loved Amy’s Choice so much) in whatever way possible. The intriguing trivia piece here is also a tribute to the late great Lynda Bellingham, otherwise known (apparently) as the Oxo-Mum. As I understand it, not only did she portray the Inquisitor on screen but she reprised the role in further Big Finish productions – yet another reason for me to listen to them more. You know how I said previously that these episodes have messages and lessons to teach? Well this one merely makes me excited about the day when I eventually listen to Big Finish.
The Time Meddler
There seems to be a trend with these recent favourites; important characters are coming to light. I enjoyed the presence of the Meddling Monk in this tale. He was an interesting addition to the cast and brought with him such a degree of mystery and also a cunningness that sets him apart from all villains I have experienced in any story of any show or film. My interesting piece of trivia here is that in the second instalment of the serial, the appearance of the Doctor is limited to the replay of the final scene from the previous episode because William Hartnell was on holiday the week of the episode’s production. Interestingly, a format I loved from the classics is that the successive episode would replay the last moments of the previous one, and we would then be given the continuation of the tale the next episode. I find it humorous that the Meddling Monk should be called a meddler in time, because after fifty one years following the Doctor – we all know that he is the biggest meddler of them all.
The Tomb of the Cybermen
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. When those Cybermen break from their tombs and climb down the foothole ladder, it is the scariest and most menacing I have seen them. While the recent finale did well in my eyes, it never really quite MASTER-ed the enemy of the metal monsters, instead devoting more meaning to the Mistress. I will always look back fondly at this story as the one that set the tone for all other Cybermen episodes. They were that special thing I always remember, but the way that Patrick Troughton could play off them was just stellar. He was an amazing Doctor following Hartnell and he proved himself more than once in this episode. An interesting factoid you may not know: because it is sweltering beneath the Cyber metal, the actors portraying Cybermen were provided with orange squash to keep cool.
Remembrance of the Daleks
The one where Ace smashes a Dalek with a bat! That is how I will define this serial. It’s got everything for me; the Daleks, an amazing wizard named Radagast the Brown and a kickass companion. The story itself isn’t too bad either. The all too familiar setting is enough to the send me into a state of nostalgia but also to have me question the importance of it. After all, an anniversary doesn’t come around all the time (only every year). Something that you may not know is that while of course the TARDIS landed near 76 Totter’s Lane in the junkyard, there is something rather odd. If you look closely, some of you eagle eyed viewers would’ve seen, that what was originally a sign reading I M Foreman, now said I M Forman. It dropped a letter; some sort of production era? It was about remembrance of course, but remembrance of what exactly. Clearly not the precision of the past. I still however love this story because it showcases Sylvester McCoy really well – he is on top form here, it’s a story I will continue to love forever.
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
A farewell to Susan; the reappearance of the Daleks; a huge scale plot. As you may have noticed, I’m a huge fan of William Hartnell’s era of the show. However did you know that it was in fact the team that worked on this story that decided to send Susan off in a romantic storyline with a freedom fighter rather than being written originally by Terry Nation. This meant that they altered the script and also essentially scrapped a new companion. The girl known as Jenny was originally called Saida and was supposed to stow onboard the TARDIS at the end of the episode. I do feel though that William Hartnell’s final lines to Susan are much more appropriate. And it would have come as a shock to viewers, because the internet wasn’t around to spoil things. Speaking of the last speech, this is my favourite part of the serial and possibly one of the best moments from William Hartnell and his era as the Doctor. Both Ian and Barbara are both intelligent and curious in this story, as resourceful as ever and caring for each other and for Susan. Some stories demand rewatches – this is one of those.
Planet of the Spiders
What is it like to face your greatest fear? For me it was never the dark, or ghosts or anything of the sort. It was always three key scenes from the Harry Potter films. Aragog and the Basilisk frightened me to death. I would watch the movies and skip through those scenes. Fear of spiders – I just can’t handle it. So you can imagine my fear when I realised I was about to watch a Doctor Who episode about spiders. Benton, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier all in their younger days – it’s simply astonishing. Keeping the fact it’s a regeneration episode away from my feelings toward it, I think this was an amazing serial of the show. The moment when the Doctor sees the huge spider with all the flashing lights, it’s a grand sight. It’s one of the more memorable images from the story. And of course the radiation causes him to regenerate. Perhaps another fact you had no idea about: did you know that this was the first episode where regeneration is used as a term to describe the process of what happens when a Time Lord changes bodies. Funny all the things you learn!
Inferno
The idea I took from this serial is that of parallel universes. Aside from the wonderfully juxtaposed characterisation of both our world and parallel world characters, it made me wonder: if these characters are so different in another world, what would we be like? It’s a small little mantra that I carry with me. When something doesn’t work in my favour, I take a moment to feel sorry for myself, and then get straight back to work. For example, at my secondary school (as they do in the UK) I was in the running for Head Boy. Last month it was revealed that I wasn’t given the role. It went to someone who plays sport (I don’t funnily enough) whereas I am more academic, cultural and I have been given the majority of leadership roles in previous years. It took me a while to get over it because I felt I deserved it more, but one thing has helped me through the struggle. My parallel universe theory. If there are indeed an infinite number of universes, then in at least one of them, on one rare occasion, a version of me is the Head Boy. A version of me has been given the job that I will not in a few years time. It’s such a positive outlook on life. I’m sure somewhere in an unknown universe there’s a version of me that is very happy about getting the role. But I can confirm (because I’m super sciencey, like Osgood is – whoops, I meant “was”) that in ALL of them I am watching Doctor Who. This idea is something that has stuck with me since I saw this story.
Pyramids of Mars
I remember vividly a grotesque image of slow moving mummy robots walking around and apparently doing nothing, wrapped in ghastly bandages, while Sarah Jane tries to avoid them. I can remember the Doctor getting sucked into a colourful vortex inside a sarcophagus. I can remember Sutekh. I remember it all, and that can mean only one thing: that I love it so much. I love the different layering of ideas. The idea of Egyptian lore that comes into it and the peculiar origin of Mars (of all places. Maybe they can go to Pigfarts! Ten points if you understood that reference). Perhaps the most chilling part is again, the use of alternate futures. The Doctor shows Sarah Jane what would happen should Sutekh wreak havoc on the world. It’s a technique I think would work well if used more often in modern Doctor Who. The Hinchcliffe Holmes gothic horror style is on full speed in this serial; a large scale plot with mummies and pyramids and an evil godlike master – take that Prison Break! Overall it’s one of my favourite stories from the Tom Baker era.
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
This one was an early classic for me. It also bears a resemblance to Pyramids of Mars for the reason that part of the plot centred around the evil gods who forced the circus to work for entertainment. It also makes me think of The Hunger Games for some reason, although there’s something entirely and infinitely more sinister about that family that just sits there. One thing I found oddly funny and also perplexingly perfect was the reveal of the Captain’s werewolf companion – or Cyndi Lauper with green hair on a bad hair day. A final trivial piece: while performing magic tricks as the Doctor, Sylvester McCoy actually had to be trained to be able to act out the tricks on screen. At least he could put magician on his resume. Maybe that’s why he became a certain wizard in a blockbuster trilogy.
Join us again next week for Part 4.
