axelf : IMAGE OF THE FENDAHL

You're developing quite a resource here. Just watched this with the commentary, looked at the extras, and it was all over in a couple of hours. Wound back your reviews to check it really was as light as it seemed.

Sadly the reality check worked.

No worries Martin - I rather be totally honest in my reviews than skirting around the issue.

I was very disapointed about the scarcity of extras on that dvd - especially considering it's one story I remember with great fondness from my 'younger years'.

Never mind - I'm still waitig for another Pertwee DVD to arrive......and I believe this year would be the first year in quite awhile that Pertwee has not appeared on DVD - which is a travesty in my book - lift your game 2Entertain!

What now that Letts is dead? Do they have material featuring him in the can, or is that it? Considering they've lost Elisabeth Sladen over a pay dispute the Pertwee talent is getting thin. Mind you, they seem to be happy to replace people who were there with people who have nothing to do with the material in question but have a bit of an opinion about it. Kind of like going to a convention and finding instead of the advertised talent the guests consist of people you know.

Or 2Entertain can hire the local butcher, baker and candle-stick maker for quotes on vaguely related topics in the featurettes!! - which they have literally done!

I'm very upset with them for not releasing much Pertwee material and now they've lost Letts who would have been invaluable.  It wouldn't suprise me though if they did have a back-log of already recorded material - when Anthony Ainley passed away in 2004, the 2007 released Keeper of Traken DVD featured an audio commentary appearance from him - plus some bits in the featurettes....3 years after his passing.

But honestly 2Entertain have really dropped the ball with the Pertwee stories - alas far too late for Mr Letts to add any further insights....

Sooner or later everyone associated with the classic series will be dead, and some enterprising joint venture company will be re-releasing these stories and possibly even the extras on the Johnny-come-lately format. They'll probably seek some new material to justify old codgers with the full series on Blu-ray buying it all over again. I wonder what they'll do, and if it could be as specious as the current features can be.

THE BLACK GUARDIAN TRILOGY P. 1 -
MAWDRYN UNDEAD

Everyone loves nostalgia and it seems others always live in the past.  You could be forgiven for thinking that maxim was taken to its extreme in Doctor Who's 20th Season which featured a smorgasboard of former glories.

After battling Omega and the Mara in the first two stories of the season next came the Black Guardian trilogy which saw the return of a companion, the arrival of a new one and a departure of an old one.  First up was Mawdryn Undead with the Brigadier's former life catching up with him.

Brief synopsis - When the Doctor and his companions arrive on a deserted ship they disover a transmat device linking it with 1983 earth.  By pure coincidence the arrival point is at the exact same area where the Brigadier now teaches maths at an all boys school.  Meeting with the Doctor and discovering the life stealing plans of sinister alien Mawdryn, he also has to avoid meeting his 1977 self or a worldwide catastrophe will occur.  On top of that the return of the Black Guardian and his plans to destroy the Doctor wreaks havoc with new companion Turlough - who has his own agenda.

After a storyline like that is it a wonder the eventual transmission seemed a trifle confusing?  Don't get me wrong, I actually quite like the story but its muddled nature eventually unearths the plot holes and time paradoxes within.

This has been debated before but I'll repeat it here - how can the Brigadier be retired in 1977 when the Pertwee stories were set in the 80's?  Are we in an alternative dimension here?  It seems rather bad continuity from JNT, Saward and especially 'unofficial fan consultant' Ian Levine who surely should have known this.  Interestingly none of this is raised in the making of docu and Mr. Levine is conspicuous by his absence....

Anyway the story generally is reasonably involving with some decent acting - especially from Valentine Dyall who makes for an imposing villain - although can someone explain to me why he is wearing a dead bird on his head??

Mark Strickson's debut as Turlough is pretty good - I must admit that he was one of my favourite 80's companions and I loved his enigmatic nature - you were never too sure where his character would go next.  So initially at least, his role had potential.

Apart from that the story holds up generally well if you don't scrutinise it too much and is certainly better than some of the others in this season.  If I can be picky again though the boys school in which the Brigadier teaches must only serve 20 something pupils as some of the students look a little old to be schoolboys or was it a university school - it seems a bit unclear.

As for the dvd - the making of doco is interesting although the inclusion of a local plastic surgeon is rather strange to say the least - 2Entertain do love scrapping the barrel it seems!  I loved watching Davison and Saward being interviewed - they are always very honest and opinionated and I very much enjoy their candor.

The rest of the package is padded with outtakes, film trims and an 'interview with the Brigadier' which confirms what an old ham Nick Courtney is!

Overall Mawdryn Undead isn't a bad old story and doesn't commit the sin of being dull.

Next: The Black Guardian Trilogy P.2 - Terminus

THE BLACK GUARDIAN TRILOGY P.2
TERMINUS

If a second chapter of a trilogy is meant to expand on the first’s mythology, then Terminus falls short.  Detailing the travellers reaction to an otherwordly leper colony and of the people exploiting their misery, the leaden pacing detracts what could have been an interesting story.  One could blame the director or the technician’s strike which affected things but Terminus is a general disappointment.

It seems most fandom are neither here nor there for this story such is its impact.  In fact the same problem that latter befell Warriors of the Deep can be seen here in that the over-production of certain elements highlights the many plot holes.  Chief among these is the realisation of the dog/wolf creature who should have been kept in the shadows rather than having its real form spelt out.  Imagination is much more terrifying than seeing something in the flesh and the production team’s lack of it during this era robbed the show of its former charms.

If there’s something the crew should have done was to have the courage to cut its 4 episodes to 3.  I feel that a tighter narrative could have made for a more engaging plot forcing the actors to focus on moving things along.  Perhaps The King’s Demons later in the season could have had 3 episodes as well to expand events better.

Although one aspect that works is the separation of the companions who each have their own small chances to shine and fleshes out their roles quite well.  Turlough’s character is developed well even if Nyssa doesn’t really get a memorable swan-song.  Much ado has been made about her ‘undressing for the camera’ during episode 2, and whilst it was uncalled for, the sight of her prancing around in what amounts to a frilly undergarment is very strange to say the least.  The acting from the rest of the guest cast is of a clichéd standard with Liza Goddard making little impact in her space bubble suited diva.  The Black Guardian aspect is only minimal and perhaps the whole trilogy would have worked better as just 2 stories given the amount of padding evident.

I remember not liking Terminus when I first saw it and after watching it again my first impressions were correct.  Although it has potential, it’s a fairly dull affair with little to distinguish it apart from Nyssa’s departure.  It was a shame she left although I could understand some trimming was needed in the over-crowded Tardis….whether they got rid of the right companion is a matter for debate.

As for the DVD – a fair making of doco with some fairly forthright comments from Davison about a trouble-plagued production.  There’s not too much else to write about though with most of the effort gone into the next DVD.

Terminus is definitely the weakest link in the Trilogy and it still perplexes me why this script was chosen to be a part of it – of all the scripts JNT received this was the best one?  One of the duller stories of Season 20 unfortunately.

Next – The Black Guardian Trilogy P. 3 – Enlightenment

THE BLACK GUARDIAN TRILOGY P. 3
ENLIGHTENMENT

The third and final part of the Trilogy is also its best.  Mainly due to a tightly written script by first timer Barbara Clegg and stylishly directed by Fiona Cumming, this tale zips towards its finale at a cracking pace.

Boarding an old fashioned sea ship, the crew assume they have landed on a sailing vessel.  Little do they know they're part of a space-race where the ultimate prize is enlightenment.  As this occurs the Black Guardian seizes the chance to destroy the Doctor once and for all....

I'm a sucker for anything to do with nautical derring do and the mix of ships and space is a clever one filled with some great characters.  You can tell the cast are having a great time - especially those playing the Eternals - who are a fascinating race.  Tegan's scenes with Marriner are full of tension and pathos and give Janet Fielding some good scenes. 

Whilst Lynda Baron has come into criticism for her over the top performance I didn't mind her bit of campery - although I can see why others would loathe it.  The other actors do a fine job and the costuming and sets are great although some of the CGI work is appalling and are one of the few let downs of the story.

Peter Davison doesn't really have much to do although to be fair the story is mainly about the companions confronting their various fears with the Tegan/Marriner and Turlough/Black Guardian aspects pushing each towards their own personal 'enlightenment'.

Perhaps another slight negative is the resolution of the Guardian trilogy as it seems a little abrupt - even if the acting by Valentine Dyall and Cyril Luckham are good.  I'd love to see the Guardians return in the new series - it's long overdue.

The DVD is packed with tons of special features not least of which is a 'special edition' version.  I don't know about anyone else but I'm a bit dubious about seeing another version of the story - reeks of padding.  Having said that CGI is much better in the new version and how could anyone not smile in seeing the 80's Who title sequence in glorious widescreen?

The various featurettes are quite interesting with Casting Off! and the Finding Sarah Sutton/Mark Strickson docos the pick of the bunch.

Maybe I'm an old softie but I enjoyed Enlightenment - it provided a great end to the Trilogy in a story full of atmosphere and well written scenes.  At the risk of upsetting anyone I think this and Snakedance were the best stories of Season 20 in terms of focus and pacing.

Overall the Black Guardian Trilogy was an interesting attempt to re-create the Key To Time season, although looking back I think 2 stories instead of 3 would have made them more memorable.

Next:  The Twin Dilemma (be afraid be VERY afraid!!!!!)

This was a very strange trilogy. Episode one of Terminus I find particularly out there, when the heavily mascaraed space pirates board. If you saw that one clip with no pre-knowledge of the show or context it'd be quite surprising.

Ditto when Tegan is menaced by a large face of a dork in episode one of Enlightenment, one of my top "Did I really see that" moments from the show. That's one of those stories where you must leave your brain by the door, as it bears no thinking about in any aspect. Lynda Barron returns for her greatest scare since The Gunfighters, and makes a case that she is the worst villain ever -- not her character, her.

I like where they were going with Mawdryn Undead, but it's not very successful in execution.

THE TWIN DILEMMA

So now we come to the story that EVERYONE has been waiting for....the one and only The Twin Dilemma.

Used as a vehicle to establish the 6th Doctor before the end of Season 21, the story had the mis-fortune of following what many consider to be one of the best Who tales ever - The Caves of Androzani.

Whilst the idea is sound - certainly one can't blame JNT for attempting to place a new Doctor in the public mind quickly - its execution was poor.

The way Baker's Doctor is introduced is all wrong with the 'unapproachable' motif taken to its extreme.  Of course most first stories of a new Doctor sees the character act irrationally, however script editor Eric Saward - and it was he who really is to blame, not Anthony Steven - went too far in making him unlikeable.

Unfortunatley this aspect ruins what is actually quite a good story concept with a plot to destroy the galaxy reasonably interesting.  However much of the good work is downgraded by some poor acting and muddled motivation.  There's never a sense of genuine urgency with the main plot strand foccused on the Doctor's inane musings and constant bickering with Peri.

For all that though there is a germ of an idea there and perhaps had the story been delayed into Season 22 to enable more time things may have improved. 

Whilst I agree it's still a dud tale, I would prefer seeing this again over Attack of the Cybermen or Timelash anyday due to its pacing and vaugely engaging ideas.

The DVD extras are nothing special except for the Stripped For Action - The 6th Doctor doco which is yet another fine additon to the series.  I'd love to see all of these segments joined together to comprise 1 whole DVD sometime.

Sadly there isn't a making of doco on the story, which would have proved illuminating in so far as how Baker initially approached the role and Eric Saward's seeming dis-interest in providing a suitable vehicle for him.

So now that's it - every Colin Baker story has been released on DVD for fans to endlessly watch and discuss.  As a 1st story for a new Doctor it's not the greatest, joining Castrovalva, Time and the Rani and the 1996 Telemovie as being amongst the worst.

As I bid a fond farewell to Colin Baker in my DVD reviews I still say he had the potential to be one of the finest Doctors ever and given some good scripts and less managerial interference from the BBC he may have been, but alas it was not to be......

Next: The Keys of Marinus.

We're lucky to get Stripped for Action, but there's a huge story behind the scenes. How remiss. And if that ends Colin's releases, how about the new era feature series like Girls! - The 1960s from The Romans?

I would imagine that would be on a Davison/McCoy release then.

But yes, not having a doco on The Twin Dilemma is a missed opportunity - would have loved to have heard Eric Saward defend his writing on it - but alas it seems that is all we get from the Colin Baker era.

I would presume one day there'll be a comprehensive doco on JNT - or at least I'd like to see one anyway!

Even The Twin Dilemma deserves better.

The Deadly Assassin features were good, but short. Not much on Whitehouse or the NVALA (in the feature commentary Hinchcliffe even asserts they no longer exist!) other than a couple of references and one clip of Mary herself.  The Matrix Revealed is a fair production documentary, and The Frighten Factor was a good (although featuring unusual talent) comment on the horror aspects of the show. But The Gallifreyan Candidate won hands down for me; with the real movie adaption of The Manchurian Candidate withdrawn from circulation for years I appreciate them making the effort to source the vision from the better movie. And for once the commentators with no production link to the show are entirely appropriate.

THE KEYS OF MARINUS

The 5th adventure in Doctor Who's 1st season saw the production team settle into their format.

Mirroring the Key to Time season, The Keys of Marinus would benefit by an abundance of ideas which are effectively interwoven throughout its 6 episodes.

Making it interesting is a story allowing the cast to play to their strengths and magnifying their personalities very well.  There's some interesting scientific concepts within with the 'chase/lurking monster' aspects giving proceedings a cracking pace.

The characters who come off best are probably Ian and Barbara, although the array of guest artists also bring a fresh angle to events.  Unfortunately the worst affected character would have to be Susan - who is given little to do except to portay the typical 'screamer' of the series.  A pity given that An Unearthly Child gave her some unique qualities which were sadly never built upon further. 

William Hartnell is great as always and his interplay with his fellow cast-members is great to see.  The production designers had a field day here and the scenery in the ice caves shows how you can be effective on very little.

Overall The Keys of Marinus is one of the best stories from Season 1 with some decent acting and a plot which maintains the pace until its conclusion.

As for the DVD......'disappointing' would be the word here.  Hardly any extras feature with only 'The Sets of Marinus' allowing for any interview. Surely with a story of this length a making of doco could have been done even if some of the cast are no longer around?  Or perhaps 2Entertain's budget didn't stretch far enough for this release??

Next: The Dalek War box set (Frontier In Space/Planet of the Daleks) - finally 2 Pertwee stories at once!!!!

DALEK WAR Box Set: FRONTIER IN SPACE & PLANET OF THE DALEKS

For the 10th Anniversary season, the production team decided to have an epic tale rivalling that of the 12 part Dalek Masterplan.

With The Master and the Daleks seen together on screen for the first time, the potential was there for a ripping yarn..........

Frontier In Space sets events perfectly with a gripping tale of planetary war and alien politicking.  The Master is cleverly written into the story as the main instigator of the conflict and his inclusion enhances rather than detracts from it. 

Roger Delgado's interaction with Pertwee is great to watch and it's sad knowing this was the last time these two good actors would appear together.  Mention should be made of Katy Manning who has really grown into her role this season and finally shows the myriad of possibilities her role could bring.

The Draconians are an excellent addition to the show's alien gallery, with some great make-up for its time.  It's a pity they were never used again on screen as I think they lent themselves to a return visit. 

Perhaps the only problem with the tale overall is that at 6 episodes, it drags on somewhat.  Episode 6 in particular awkwardly dovetails into Planet of the Daleks and seems no more than padding for most of its length.  But as mentioned it's great seeing the Master and the Daleks together at last - even if it was only briefly. 

Planet of the Daleks, unlike Frontier In Space, has its moments rather than an overall effect.  Whilst I can appreciate Terry Nation's desire to re-heat the best elements of the first Dalek story, his writing seems unfocussed with not enough action to sustain its length.

Frankly this serial could have easily been cut down to 4 episodes, such was the amount of unnecessary incident within.  I must admit that the only Dalek story I've liked from this era was Day of the Daleks, which had the genuine menace for which the Daleks were known.  This and Death to the Daleks never really appealed to me - I find them rather dull - but each to their own.

Unfortunately as a continuation from Frontier in Space, Planet of the Daleks fails in this basic function by generally ignoring the scope of the previous story.  There's never a sense that you are watching an epic, but rather two 6 parters loosely strung together for the sake of it. Again I have an issue with 6 parters in general as they tend to stretch stories to unwieldy lengths.

Of the two stories in this set, Frontier In Space is definitely the pick of the bunch.

As for the extras.....all I can say is when they apply themselves 2Entertain can actually produce some excellent material.

Over the 2 stories the extras include a superb documentary on Roger Delgado, 2 Stripped for Actions focussing on the Third Doctor and the Daleks, 2 reasonable making of docos - even if Matt Irvine once again appears! - and an interesting look at the colorization of Episode 3 of Planet of the Daleks.

The only extra which disappoints is the 2 part 'Perfect Scenario' which attempts to explore the ideas behind each story.  Whilst I can appreciate what the makers were trying to do, their approach is strange to say the least with what looks like a fan made acting piece masquerading as a documentary.

Overall a pretty good box set although it saddens me to think that Producer Barry Letts is no longer around to give his inspired thoughts.  His appearances in the various documentaries are very welcome and show a thoughtful man who imbedded his own sense of justice in the stories he oversaw.

It was this mantra which made most of the Pertwee stories stand up very well even by today's standards and give a sense of timelessness to each which will never diminish.

Shame on 2Entertain for not utilising him for the remaining stories - or for hardly releasing any Pertwee ones at all!!  It can only be hoped they recorded a big batch of things before his passing...

With the release of this set that now means Season 10 has been released in its entirety, so with any luck the much requested Season 8 will FINALLY get an airing!

Next: Peladon Tales box set.

Is Perfect Scenario the bizarre fake analysis from the perspective of a future archivist and researcher? I have *never* seen such immense  conceit, or possibly hubris, in that the entire exercise seems to be a justification for *more* editorial opinion. Even the experts are fake and merely mouth the author's own limited analysis. Is this going to be an ongoing feature--the passing of the real talent means we will see more fake talent?

The only thing that's comparable is Ray Davies' autobiography, written from the perspective of a student doing a project on The Kinks and meeting the reclusive aging Davies. Unlike the DVD feature, Davies or anyone is welcome to tell their story with whatever framing they wish.

The feature should be called "Out of my Arse" just so there's no doubt about its veracity.

Just in case anyone thinks we're unfair in our criticisms of the DVDs, let me say here I've never had a compliant about the information text subtitles. Easy to miss, ephemeral to the viewer and way more informative than the gaggle of spotty Herberts in the features (who have no more connection to the production than any other viewer), I have always enjoyed and learned from these scripts.

There, fair and balanced.

Yes the Perfect Scenario docos are indeed the fake analysis segments.

As I said, while I find the actual contents of them quite interesting, the way they've done it is all wrong and feels like a very self indulgent fan made piece.

I'm finding it rather tiresome seeing these sorts of pseudo docos creeping into these dvds now - as you said seemingly as a replacement for those unwilling to partcipate in these DVDs.

When I do my review for the Peladon Tales I'll go in further as the extras on those warrant some harsh comment.........

OK, seen the Perfect Scenario: The End of Dreams featurette from Planet of The Daleks. Definitely the case where they want to be making their own original fiction. I can't fault the production values, the script, or even the research into Whos context in the 20th century. Merely the lack of original talent (every talking head was either credits to sourcing from yet *another* featurette, or fictional) and the total lack of relevance to the episodes themselves.

While I'm sure the apocalyptic back story and ongoing drama of the survival of the future society is interesting enough to support its own production, as a supporting featurette on The Planet of The Daleks DVD it lacks something; anything to do with Planet of the Daleks. And it's really interesting how they question whether Terry Nation was reflecting the Vietnam war or simply rewriting Daleks' Master Plan, by which I mean it's interesting how they even posed this as a question at all.

On a more positive note...

Something which shone through on the Frontier in Space commentary and featurettes was the efforts of Malcolm Hulke. The Pertwee era owed a huge debt to him, both as a freelance writer and Dicks' mentor. I read his Target novelizations avidly and recall citing his assertion in The Cave Monsters (Doctor Who and the Silurians) that Marconi didn't invent radio in school, much to my teacher's annoyance. In his novelization of Colony in Space (The Doomsday Weapon) he includes a scene where Captain Dent reminisces about his promotion and the first time he went to his assigned apartment, and wife. He wandered around the apartment while she explained how much debt he was now in to IMC, and he noticed her last of all. The emptiness of their preoccupation with materialism was demonstrated in a most profound manner, which'd be exactly what a member of the British Communist Party would've intended. Superb.

PELADON TALES Box Set - THE CURSE & MONSTER OF PELADON

For the good Doctor's 9th and 11th seasons the planet of Peladon caused much ruckus in his life.  On both occasions the Ice Warriors, Ambassador Alpha Centauri and the beastly Aggedor would be a bane on his mission to save the world from itself.

Written by Brian Hayles, the tales are nicely linked together with some fine acting in both.  What's interesting is how they show the progression of the kingdom and the royal throne and the after affects of the Doctor's actions.  Curse shows how the Doctor paved a path for Peladon to join the Federation whilst Monster examines the consequences of being a part of it. 

The Peladon stories are ones I remember seeing many times in my youth as Alpha Centauri's strange look stuck with me for years.  I recall not liking them as much but watching them as an adult I can see the care gone into writing an exciting adventure whilst noting the underlying social allegory of the times.  In this case the constant interference of hierarchy and the 'us vs. them' mentality of the miners see it stand up very well.

Much to my surprise I must admit 'Monster' is the better of the two.  I know 'Curse' has been popular with fans but in terms of writing, acting and general flow of the story, 'Monster' blends these ingredients very well.  Occasionally showing the strain over 6 parts, it nevertheless has an excellent array of shady characters who receive more than ample airtime. 

In the middle of both stories is Pertwee's great performance.  Perhaps underrated more than he should have been, Pertwee really makes for a fine and dignified hero who uses his wits to outsmart his enemies.  Mention should also be made of the companions as both Jo and Sarah-Jane have plenty to work with in the dense material - although Part 4 of 'Curse' seems somewhat rushed.  Katy Manning's interaction with David Troughton is great to watch as is Nina Thomas as the Queen who provides an effective function for Sarah's character to engage in some 70's feminism.

Although not overly keen follower of Season 11 it has to be said that Monster of Peladon is a very engaging story and perhaps the best one of the season.  The Ice Warriors return to their menacing best - although I think they looked better in black and white than in the garish colour of early 70's Who. 

Probably one of the best things about Season 11 was the snazzy new opening titles, which I think are one of the best made - I'd put it up there with the early 80's Who titles.

As for the DVDs.....some good extras with a 2 part 'making of' spread over two discs.  While I found them interesting, the lack of Lis Sladen in any of the docos is keenly felt with Manning bizarrely appearing on the Monster of Peladon section for no reason.  It should be noted there are some bits repeated from 'The Seeds of Death' DVD used in order to pad out the doco - shame on 2Entertain for being so lazy!

The pick of the extras for me would have to be On Target - Terrance Dicks, a wonderful doco on a very influential writer.  This proved very nostalgic as I recall - as I'm sure many others do - eagerly awaiting the new Target books to read with their fantastic covers still remaining in the memory.

Overall a good box set, although a disappointment that it was only released seemingly as a tribute to Barry Letts.  Many more Pertwee stories should have been released by now and one can only hope it won't be another 2 or so years before we see another one.

Next:  The Masque of Mandragora