Possibly, I'm hopeful they have a store-room full of Barry Letts/Verity Lambert stuff still waiting to be released.

I'm watching the extras on the Seeds of Doom now.  One thing I've noticed is that all of them are dated 2011 - wow never knew 2Entertain could produce and then send back docos from the future!

Seriously the Stripped for Action feature is dated 2008 - so obviously they've held onto that for awhile now.  Fingers crossed they've done the same with some others.

I was just making the point earlier that I'd prefer to see/listen to someone who was actually involved in the production - not a relative who hardly had anything to do with it.  It reeks of 2Entertain seeming a little desperate to get as many 'talking heads' as possible to the detriment of quality.

Never mind, I'm liking what I've seen thus far and will do the review in a few days.

THE SEEDS OF DOOM

It’s always a pleasure when watching a Doctor Who story knowing it’s a good one – something The Seeds of Doom undoubtedly is.  Written by Robert Banks Stewart – who also wrote one of my favourite Who stories ‘Terror of the Zygons’ – everything about it clicks perfectly.

The tale of a megalomaniac botanist seems something out of an outlandish James Bond film – and it occasionally rivals it with its action.  Whilst on its surface it’s a straight up horror/action hybrid, scratch underneath and you find a story about obsession and the deadly consequences arising from one.  In Harrison Chase we have a villain so consumed by his need to gain information about the alien plant pods that in the end he becomes just as inhuman as the pods he craves.  His interaction with his hired help is a clue to his insular vision as they become mere cyphers for his greed and thirst for conquest.  Oozing genuine icy menace, Chase is one of the best villains from this era of the show and is supremely rendered by actor Tony Beckley.

I love how this story treats is audience with intelligent writing.  Unlike the latter 80’s era, not once does it talk down to the viewer and presents its complex narrative in an assessable way making for diverting viewing.  The dialogue and pacing are first rate and most importantly the whole enterprise stands up to scrutiny very well all these decades later.  An ability to withstand the test of time is a hallmark of any well written piece.

Douglas Camfield’s direction never lets up once – even at 6 episodes the story rides a mile a minute with no stops for breath.  Perhaps this is why Camfield was known as an ‘action direction’ as there is lots of it here with the marvellous location shooting complimenting his stylish vision.  The first 2 episodes dealing with the Doctor and Sarah’s adventures in Antarctica are also well realised and set the scene perfectly for what follows. 

Long a bugbear for the show, the special effects are quite good with the video shooting matching well with the CSO work.  This helps to maintain the general atmosphere of – dare I say it – pervading doom with our heroes facing peril at any moment.  Baker and Sladen are at their peak here with their chemistry pleasant to view which makes becoming involved in their plight more compelling.  The acting generally is of a very high standard and all concerned seem keen to match the quality of the production.

Overall The Seeds of Doom is a great story with a wonderful cast of characters and ended its 13th season in fine style.

The DVD extras strongly support this fine story with a quite involving making of doco; an interesting look at composer’s Geoffrey Burgon’s contribution; a chat with Graeme Harper which is very good; and the Stripped for Action –The Fourth Doctor doco which as always is wonderful to watch.  The Stripped for Action docos are great and this one exploring the beginnings of Doctor Who Magazine is very interesting indeed.

You get a real sense of enthusiasm with all of these extras and 2Entertain commendably haven’t skimped on making a good DVD worth purchasing.

Next:  The Revisitations Box Set 1

REVISITATIONS Box Set 1:

THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG - Special Edition

I’ll lay my bias here right now – I love this story.  In fact I think it’s one of the best Doctor Who tales ever produced – certainly in my Top 5.

Why is it so good?  Is it the cracking pace, the fantastic acting, brilliantly executed plot?  It’s all three and this is entirely due to the mastery of Robert Holmes’ astute writing.  Delving deeply into Victorian era London, he spins a classic story of opportunism, desperation and frightening menace.

One can forgive his borrowing of riffs from the Phantom of the Opera, Sherlock Holmes and other old tales as he mixes these mythologies into an enticing package.  There’s an ongoing knowingness as he plays with these conventions amongst the heavily fogged cobbled streets one would expect to see.  That Holmes makes such elements feel fresh is a testament to his abilities in crafting an engaging story maintaining its urgent rhythm until its fitting conclusion.

As with any story its characters are all important and Talons has an abundance of brilliantly written ones.  The Doctor and Leela are our conduits into this mystical world and both become fine guides throughout.  Chang, Mr Sin and Magnus Greel are chilling in their calculating blood-thirstiness and certainly give our heroes a run for their money.  Jago and Litefoot make excellent additions to the Who series’ gallery of companions with their opposing characteristics making for an unusually fine team. 

What really impresses is Holmes’ skill in allowing each character to have their individual ‘moments’.  You really get a feel for all of them and their ambitions – when they all finally come together in the last episodes you’re into their various schemes and can emphasis with their plights. 

At 6 parts the story hardly drags at all – again shining a light on how good the script and characters are in holding the attention.  Along with The Seeds of Doom, Talons must be one of the very rare 6 parters not outstaying its welcome.  Everything from its production, costuming, filming is of a high standard with only perhaps the infamous ‘giant rat’ spoiling the carefully crafted atmosphere.

Another interesting aspect is the entire story is mostly set at night which really heightens the atmospherics – something also felt when the Doctor visits the old theatre which Jago runs. 

Seriously I could go on about this story – all I can say is it’s a fantastic one and a great conclusion to Season 14 and of Producer Philip Hinchcliffe’s esteemed era.  I remember being scared rigid by Mr Sin and have very fond memories of watching this story many times in what seems like a lifetime ago.

Now the re-worked DVD…..if you’re a fan of this you’ll love it.  It’s a mammoth 3 (!) disc affair with Discs 1 and 3 exactly the same as the previous version released in 2003.  Most interesting this time out is Disc 2 where the new extras are found.  First is a fairly comprehensive ‘making of’ doco which is very illuminating and interesting in that the late David Maloney appears chatting about the story.  Dated 2003 it made me wonder why his comments never surfaced on the original DVD……but better late than never I guess. 

Two other docos look at the end of Hinchcliffe’s reign as Producer, the reasons for his departure and of the unused treatment by Robert Banks Stewart which influenced Talons.  Other extras include a look at the Music Hall phenomenon which I actually found very interesting as was another doco looking at the Limehouse setting of the story. 

Overall this new version of The Talons of Weng-Chiang is very much worth the upgrade…although you obviously have to buy the complete box set to do so!

As an aside, I find it interesting that this plus Caves of Androzani are both in this set – given they’re both acclaimed stories, both written by Robert Holmes and both feature masked villains.  Watching the featurettes made me a bit sad he isn’t around to chat about his enormous contribution to the series, but we still have classic stories like this one to remember his legacy.

Next: Revisitations part 2 – Caves of Androzani – Special Edition

Curse 2|entertain for not foreseeing this in 1986.

Well exactly - plus blame them for not getting William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton or Jon Pertwee to do a commentary when they were alive!

Speaking of which - I noticed a continuing subtitling error in the Seeds of Doom DVD. It was during the 'making of' doco and several people mentioned Jon Pertwee.

Unfortunatley the subtitles had him as 'JOHN' and not 'JON'.  I know that's very pedantic of me but one would have assumed whoever was doing the subtitling would at least know how to spell Mr. Pertwee's name?

Or am I being a miserable old so and so for pointing that out?

No, entirely fair criticism, one of 2|entertain's selling points is it's by fans for fans.

By the by, his birth name was John.

REVISITATIONS Box Set 1:

THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI - Special Edition

Is the Caves of Androzani really the greatest Dr. Who story of all time?  Does it earn its place amongst the hearts of fans who placed it No. 1 in a poll conducted in 2009?  Personally I don’t think anything can match mid 70’s stories such as Genesis of the Daleks in terms of written brilliance, although it is certainly among the upper echelons of Who stories from the 80’s.

Why is works is chiefly due to Robert Holmes’ multi-layered script.  Regarded as the series’ best writer, he certainly knew how a good Who story had to be structured with this one brisk in its pacing and dynamic in its story-telling.  Encompassing greed, ego and vanity, all of its major players put their own self-interests above all others.  Only the Doctor can be seen as truly selfless as his ultimate sacrifice in story’s end shows.  Even then his inquisitive nature nearly brings both himself and Peri undone.  Do we blame him for putting both of them in peril or is it the fault of others and their devious actions?  Whatever the case, this provides an interesting conundrum along with the villain’s main schemes.

What a gallery of villains there are with Morgus, Chellak and Stotz all portraying the ugliness of human (or alien) nature.  Whilst their exteriors exude ruthless confidence, inside their emotional ugliness make them just as evil as their deeds.  This is contrasted by Sharaz Jek’s moody presence.  As portrayed by Christopher Gable, Jek is an enigmatic figure in this power struggle over a planet’s supply of Spectrox.  Whilst his features are hidden, his true persona is expressed by his desperate need for vengeance.  It’s hard not to feel sorry for him in a way, as Morgus’ duplicity has forced him into a cruel lonely existence.  Jek’s longing for Peri reveals the tortured soul within as he grabbles in re-discovering his long dormant humanity.  Jek almost represents Holmes’ tribute to the Phantom of the Opera – a trait used in his earlier Talons of Weng-Chiang serial – as Peri’s Christine to Jek’s Phantom unfurls the inevitable tragedy to come.

Morgus’ scheming politician mirrors the times the story was created quite well.  Produced at the height of Margaret Thatcher’s reign as British Prime Minister, Androzani shows the effects of Morgus’ economic rationalism has had on the populace.  With a society reliant on beauty and youth – something Spectrox helps with – Morgus uses these fallow traits to further his own ambitions.  As with Chellak and Stotz, Morgus’ humanity slowly dies as the tale progresses with only the Doctor’s moral compass saving both he and Peri from their foes’ fates.

It’s this very morality which defined the Fifth Doctor’s era and which is well articulated here.  Peter Davison really was the perfect Doctor at this point in the show’s history and considering what was to come, made the correct decision to leave after three seasons – it’s always best to leave people wanting more.  What I’ve found fascinating whilst watching Seasons 21 and 22 is the way they echo the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era of the mid 70’s.  I don’t mean in terms of story quality – as each season had their clunkers – I mean in its maturity in delivering the stories.  This very adult ethos which extended to the more violent nature of the villains and the verbal sparring of the Doctor and his companions reflected the somewhat harsher times it was produced.  Whilst still essentially a show for younger viewers, this more visceral story-telling showed how such audiences would have been more aware of violence in general at this time.  This more honest approach to the series made for some compelling viewing and arguably I don’t think the series –even now – has ever reached this level of gritty adult story-telling since.

The acting is of a very high standard throughout with Graeme Harper’s stylish direction wringing all it can from proceedings.  The Fifth’s Doctor’s regeneration brings events to an engrossing close as well.  It was interesting seeing The Master return for one last laugh after his supposed ‘death’ in Planet of Fire.  It was as if he wanted to drag the Doctor into his mortal doom one last time.  Maybe such a harrowing regeneration is the cause for the Sixth’s Doctor’s often erratic nature?  Who knows but it bought Androzani to a memorable conclusion.

As for the re-mixed DVD -there’s a fantastic ‘making of’ doco featuring all involved including my favourite witty Script Editor Eric Saward.  His withering assessment of producer John Nathan-Turner’s ability is hilarious with Davison’s frank honesty always a pleasure to view as well.  A ‘Now and Then’ chat with Harper is interesting as is a segment featuring Doctors 5 and 6 on Russell Harty’s chat show.  Although I must say that Harty seemed quite rude to some fans in the audience and asked such ‘wonderful’ questions such as ‘and what do you talk about when you go to a Doctor Who convention?’ …seriously this man was a dim bulb – is it any wonder singer Grace Jones had a go at him live on air once?

Disc 1 is exactly the same as the previous DVD version released in 2002 with Disc 2 containing the new extras.  I noted in the extra ‘Creating Sharaz Jek’ that Christopher Gable provided some commentary.  Why this caught my attention is that the actor died in 1998 – the very year DVDs first came into being.  So when was Gable’s commentary recorded – was it for a radio interview or a laser-disc?  I would assume the latter as his observations seem as though he’s watching the show as he talks….interesting.

The Caves of Androzani is a great 80’s Who story finally done justice with this special edition package.

Next:  The 1996 Movie.

REVISITATIONS Box Set 1:
THE MOVIE - Special Edition

It would be easy to dismiss this 1996 movie as a curio – a bridging gap between the old and new series.  That’s precisely why it has an important place in the show’s history as it kept the flame alive for fans eager to see it return to TV.  The 90’s and early 00’s really were dark times to be a Who follower and anything keeping it in the public consciousness was no bad thing.  It’s true this film’s faults are many, but it showed what a big budget Who story could look like providing the spark which would eventuate in its permanent return in 2005.

The tale between a newly regenerated Doctor and The Master battling for their very lives was rather simplistic although being a ‘back-door pilot’ it needed to be.  Which is perhaps why its’ main mistake is to constantly reference the past.  Fans were going to watch this movie no matter what.  What was needed was an original and engaging piece able to capture new ones – especially in America.  Whilst this may sound controversial what really should have happened was a complete re-boot – pretend the movie was episode 1.  That way you could build your audience and put your own stamp on proceedings.  It’s telling that in the various DVD documentaries, Producer Philip Segal mentions the ‘elements’ his other producing partners insisted be put in.  This is evident in the scenes where the movie is allowed to follow its own path, with its quirky humour and action effectively shining through.  When it concentrates on these very elements demanded it falls flat.  I find it amusing that a comment made in a doco was ‘the old series wasn’t that great because it didn’t have American style production’.  Yet interestingly when the show actually was made in America the effects were great but the story wasn’t – a reversal from the original series!

But things get off to a horrible start where it’s claimed the Daleks have granted The Master’s request to have the Doctor return his ashes to Gallifrey.  Firstly when have the Daleks shown leniency to anyone and second if the Doctor picked up the ashes, wouldn’t they have taken the opportunity to exterminate their most hated enemy?  This prologue makes little sense – although maybe they placed a decoy on the Doctor so they knew where Gallifrey was – thereby starting the Time War? 

Secondly there’s Sylvester McCoy’s appearance.  In no way is this a slur on his role or acting but he really didn’t need to appear.  He has little to do but provide a re-generation scene because – allegedly – it was ‘the right thing to do’.  I don’t think so – especially given his appearance takes up 20 precious minutes of an 85 minute film.  When McGann makes his entrance, a further 20 minutes is spent him attempting to remember who he is.  So basically we only have the ‘real’ McGann Doctor for 40 minutes of screen time once he recalls everything.  This seems such a waste of a potentially fine Doctor.  Segal should have been brave enough to simply have McGann appear from the very first scene – such as what happened in ‘Rose’, the first story of the new 2005 series.  Even McCoy himself has admitted he shouldn’t have been in it – but everyone is wise to things after the event.

There’s much that makes little sense in the script.  For example why does the Doctor have the Eye of Harmony in the Tardis?  If he knew it could be used as such a powerful weapon why have it in the first place?  If he was able to use ‘temporal orbit’ to rewind the past why didn’t he use it in other adventures?  Where did the half-human malarkey come from?  These elements show what a mish-mash the screenplay was proving when it finally came to make the movie, the production was seemingly rushed without further doctoring the script.  It also seems odd the Doctor appears to have psychic abilities due to him constantly telling people what their futures will be – is this a by-product of his new regeneration?  How does The Master enter the Tardis after he’s taken over Bruce’s body – there’s no scene establishing this.

I could go on about the narrative errors although generally this is very much an American version of the show.  Filled with unnecessary romance, tons of action, crass humour, it loses the British eccentricity so treasured in the original series.  The literal Christ/Frankenstein references are highly un-subtle as is Eric Roberts’ campy performance as The Master.

You’d think this movie was a total wash-out and it would have been had it not been for Paul McGann.  He really does make for a wonderful Doctor – when allowed to interpret the script his way – making one wish he had continued in further televised adventures.  He’s gone on to do many Big Finish audio dramas which is fantastic although I’d love to see him return in an anniversary story.  Daphne Ashbrook is also very good as Grace, who makes for a perfect companion.  Gutsy but retaining her femininity, Grace is a good foil for the strange carry-on.  Lee also has potential to be a good companion as well and the trio’s brief scenes together towards story’s end tantalisingly shows what could have been.

Another aspect I love is the Tardis interior.  It looks amazing and is suitably filled with lots of small hovels and hidden doors magnifying the mystery of the character.  The special effects – for the money spent – are great and again serve as a pointer to what was to come several years later.

Overall the 1996 movie tried to be too many things to too many people and nearly failed on all counts.  That McGann maintained his dignity in all this shows his strengths as an actor and fingers crossed his Doctor makes another TV appearance again sometime.

How ‘special’ is this special edition?  Very.  First there’s an exhaustive making of documentary labelled The Seven Year Hitch which looks at the tangled web to bring the series back.  Running for nearly an hour it interviews most of the main players including Producer Philip Segal who is appreciably forthright in his opinions and honest with what went right/wrong.  You gain a new respect for him watching this and in a way he reminds me of new series Producer Russell T Davies – also a huge fan and one of the few who had creative control on what he thought made a good Who story.  That Segal ultimately didn’t see a continuing series says much of the politics of the time or maybe it was simply too early for the show to come back?  It raises the interesting point that had it returned as a series would we now be enjoying Matt Smith’s adventures?  One disappointment I have with this otherwise fantastic doco is that none of the actors are interviewed – I would have loved to have heard McGann’s thoughts – although he does appear on an audio commentary track.

It’s fascinating how it also touches on the aborted Dark Dimension 30th Anniversary tale which – judging from the evidence – probably would have turned out to be an artistic disaster.  Whilst it would have been great to see the surviving Doctors together again, I’d rather see them in a good story than a bad one.

An extra called The Doctor’s Strange Love is fairly forgettable with 3 comedians chatting about the movie – yet another brilliant 2Entertain doco – NOT!

Disc 2 features some good items such as The Wilderness Years which looks back at how fans ensured the show remained visible in the public eye before and after this movie.  A great extra as is the Stripped for Action segment looking at the Eighth Doctor’s era in comic strip form.  The Who Peter doco is ok although it seems somewhat self-congratulatory with the Tomorrow’s Times featurette rather a dull addition to 2Entertain’s suite of ongoing docos.

Generally those curious to see more of the background to this movie should definitely purchase this DVD.  In hindsight I think it made a lot of careless mistakes although if you don’t think too hard on it you can enjoy it for the substance free ride that it is.

REVISITATIONS Box Set 1
OVERVIEW

So is this box set worth getting?  I certainly think so as the improved picture and enhanced extras enable a better understanding of the behind the scenes dramas that went on from each.

Re-mixing some of the earlier tales is a good  idea - even if it's a case of 'double dipping'.  Having a look at future Revisitations releases I find it strange that the Seeds of Death is getting a re-release.  Its DVD already had some good extras on it - including a making of doco - so I'm unsure why that's getting another release.

Especially when you consider The Ark In Space was released earlier and isn't marked as being among the future Revisitations sets - I hope it gets another round somehow.  I'm glad to see Spearhead From Space will be re-done though - that story in particular will benefit from some new extras.

I await further Revisitations with interest - even if they help lighten my bank account!

Next: Meglos

An interesting thing I noticed in the docos for the 1996 Movie was the mentions about the Myth Makers videos of the 90's.  That got me wondering if there were any plans to release those onto DVD.  I'm sure there'd be an eager new audience out there wanting to see them.  Or maybe the DVD rights aren't available?  Things like Downtime, Shakedown would find an audience I'm sure.

Another thing I saw was - again - some subtitling errors.  This time it was whenever Philip Segal mentioned director Steven Spielberg.  The subtitles had his name down as STEPHEN and not STEVEN all the way through, which got a bit distracting.

Fancy not knowing how to spell the name of one of the most famous directors of all time!

I’ve just finished watching the Doctor Who series 5 DVD.

Interesting looking back on it.  I felt its first half was much better than its 2nd.  The initial stories featuring the space whale, weeping angels, prisoner zero, the dream master were great, they all had a lightness to their touch whilst maintaining the fantastical drama the new series is known for.

As soon as the Silurian episodes came around, I thought the show came a little unstuck.  By that I mean the tales from this point had a certain heavy-handiness which didn’t quite gel.  I certainly could see this in the Vincent Van Gogh episode where the tale was drawn out to unwieldy length – there wasn’t enough action to sustain it.

Having said that it did pick up in the last 2 episodes where the Doctor is taken prisoner by his enemies – although again I felt that lightness within the drama had diluted somewhat.

Matt Smith made for a great Doctor throughout however – he really brings across that ‘old man in a young person’s body’ element very well indeed.  Seeing his Doctor opposite Amy was always a delight – both are good actors and served even the most luke-warm scripts.  Rory was another nice addition and I look forward to seeing what the trio get up to next season.

I’m also looking forward to the looming Christmas special – good on the ABC for fast-tracking it – a good Xmas present indeed!

At the moment I'm now finally watching Season 1 of the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Yes it's taken me that long to get around to it!  I have to say it's pretty good so far.  It's very remeniscent of the children's shows of my youth - 'sometime ago' - in that it doesn't talk down to its audience and tells its story in an intelligent and engaging manner.

Lis Sladen has definately grown as an actress and brings some new layers to a well loved character.

I'm very impressed with the writing as well - it's fun and entertaining with a great mix of laughs and drama.  I look forward to seeing the rest of this one and Season 2 on DVD.

Matt Smith acted like an old man in a young body?
Are you serious?
He lacks the gravitas to be have the power of a Time Lords presence.
The Doctor's character acted as a young person that still has to earn respect before being taken seriously.
Not that I don't like him (Matt Smith), but I believe the Doctor should be an older actor.
That is my personal opinion.

I'd imagine the next actor to play the Doctor will be older - at least one would think they couldn't possibly go any younger - right??

I think Matt Smith has made for a great Doctor - even if some of the stories haven't quite gelled for me.  I don't think any of the new series stories have matched the high quality of the Holmes/Hincliffe era - my favourite period of the show.

As for the Sarah Jane Adventures - I'm definately loving it so far.  Was it shown on Foxtel or one of the ABC digital channels here?  I can't recall.  I may even take a peek at the K9 series - even though it wasn't done by the same team.  I know that one was shown on Ch 10 before Video Hits on Saturday mornings  - which is a rather odd timeslot, but hey, that's showbiz!

If the next Doctor was younger, then who will change his nappies?

I've finally finished watching The Sarah Jane Adventures season 2 DVD.

I've been really impressed with the quality of the scripts and the acting.  It's been really interesting delving further into a character I've known for decades but only now am just finding out what makes them tick.

Lis Sladen looks to be enjoying herself and who could blame her - she finally gets a chance to portray a character in a way one thinks she's always wanted to.

Probably the best story of Season 2 was Enemy of the Bane - it's always good seeing Nick Courtney again and Samantha Bond as Mrs Wormwood made for the hammiest villainess since Kate O'Mara's turn as the Rani.

The writers made the correct decision to replace Maria with Rani (there's that name again!).  I don't think the Maria character had anywhere else to go and Rani seems to be a better fit for the group.

Look forward to seeing Season 3....

MEGLOS

Season 18 of Doctor Who was a water-shed for the show.  The first overseen by new Producer John Nathan-Turner and the last featuring Tom Baker’s Doctor, it’s certainly been one of the more discussed eras in fandom.  The 2nd story in the block, Meglos is a traditional Doctor Who story in an atypical season.  Where The Leisure Hive introduced a new order, the E-Space Trilogy saw the departure of Romana and K-9, Keeper of Traken saw the return of the Master and the end of Baker’ reign in Logopolis, Meglos can be seen as the most ‘comfortably safe’ of its stories.

That isn’t to say it’s bad – it’s quite a nice little tale – although it does seem somewhat forgotten amongst the season’s other bigger stories.  A little unfair perhaps given it’s an involving romp featuring groups battling over physical and psychological greed to their peril.  Meglos is a creature wanting power in order to make up for the desperate loneliness its existence has bought.  Although a ‘baddie’ as audiences want, Meglos is deserving of some pity as it grapples with the insidious nature of its life.

Meglos’ plans are also reflected in the arguments between the Savants and Deons – groups in terminal anguish from their beliefs of science vs. religion.  The early episodes explore these elements fairly well, although it quickly gets forgotten about once the action takes over.  It’s interesting how the Doctor and Romana actually don’t land on their planet until about halfway through the story – wisely allowing the other characters a chance to establish themselves and the situation at hand.

Demanding much of its cast, most rise to the occasion.  Tom Baker is fantastic as Meglos – who takes over his identity – it almost shows what the bad side of his Doctor could be like –showing  his acting versatility very well.  Once again his interaction with Lalla Ward is a pleasure to watch and shows what an effortless Doctor/Companion relationship should be like.  It’s nice seeing former companion Jacqueline Hill playing Lexa – although the way her character exits seems quite gratuitous and unnecessary.  The make-up effects are great though – the realisation of Baker’s Doctor as Meglos is very well done.

Something I noticed was Meglos’ episode lengths.  Typically a Doctor Who episode back then would have run for about 24 minutes. Yet in Parts 2 & 4 both run for barely 20 minutes -including a 3 minute re-cap at the start of each.  Either the editor cut too much footage out or the script had little to sustain its action for a full 4 part length – who knows?  Not necessarily a bad thing though as the length makes for a very fast paced story that doesn’t out-stay its welcome.  The opening titles are always fantastic to look at and I never tire of it – certainly the best titles of the show ever in my book!

The DVD extras are fairly sparse – we get an interesting interview with the writers, a tribute to Jacqueline Hill which is short but still very good and that’s about it.  The rest of the extras aren’t much to write home about –seems 2Entertain had their minds on other stories than this one it seems.

Overall Meglos is a ‘breather’ story in between what came before and what was to come. 

Next: The Mutants (a Jon Pertwee story – at last!!)

axelf : MEGLOS   Next: The Mutants (a Jon Pertwee story – at last!!)

AMEN to that. It was one of my all time favs.

THE MUTANTS

Jon Pertwee’s era as Doctor Who has always been known for its social stance.  Most likely this would have been the influence of producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks.  Given they were keen on providing the ‘moral message’ in their stories, most of the time this creed was successfully blended within the series’ action-adventure package.

The Mutants is a good example of this with Bob Baker’s and Dave Martin’s script an allegory on apartheid and the heightened racial attitudes of the times.  With the villainous Marshall, we see a brutal dictator use weapons and might in order to dominate those he feels are ‘inferior’.  His callous disregard for the plight of the indigenous natives of Solos reveals his arrogance in his own race.  Like any natives resentful of invasion, the Solos race fights back with what they have with the Doctor providing the intellectual brains needed to ensure their struggle succeeds.

Jon Pertwee gives a first class performance as a person of reason – one who has seen it all before and is desperate to avoid any further blood-shed.  He was a much better dramatic actor than even he gave himself credit for with this story showing how good he could be.  His interaction with Katy Manning as his assistant Jo builds in the last few seasons – with a perfect chemistry resembling the best Doctor/Companion pairings.

Not only are they good but the rest of the actors reflect the quality of the script.  Everyone seems to genuinely get into the many layers the story provides with seaming skill.  Another great aspect is the location shooting in the Chislehurst Caves which is very atmospheric.  This really gives a genuine ‘alien’ quality to the story and enables the viewer to fully immerse themselves into the tale.  The special effects and costuming are also worthy of mention as – with all other aspects of this story – they really are first class and do justice to a fast moving and memorable Third Doctor story.

The DVD itself is pretty good with a decent ‘making-of’ doco.  The best of the extras though would have to be the ‘Race Against Time’ feature which looks back at the struggles of getting Black actors onto TV and how far it has come from the 1950’s. A thought provoking documentary, it’s worth a look.

The Mutants is a cracking Doctor Who story full of the moral aspect and adventure which made Pertwee’s tenure so popular.  A good DVD presentation of a good story.

Next: The Ark

Martin : Cheques, Lies And Videotape was good (saw it yesterday), but I was disappointed there wasn't more on Australia. I heard about the call for the best quality copy of the Inferno ep. 1 Green Man voice over. I find if difficult to believe anyone can write on Australian fandom without contacting us. DWM reviewed something which purported to be the history of fandom in Australia--must have been great.

Finally saw Revenge myself, still agree Cheques is the best thing 2|e has ever done. The text commentary on every release is a close second, and the commentary on The Invasion is easily the worst.

The Tin Men and the Witch is about what you'd expect, Easter Egg, commentary, most excellent production text by Nicholas Pegg, all good.

Always surprised by the level of in crowd shown in fandom, surprised and disappointed. The Cheques documentary is a demonstration of this, an era when the well heeled fan could turn not very rare video tapes of Who stories int pure money.

I'm glad I never paid for stories, the closest I was offered was a tape swap deal (three blank for one full). And I found my correspondent would happily dub stuff off my loans without giving me credit. Ultimately I got season 26 before it was on The Afternoon Show, which was great but of limited interest.

I did unfortunately experience mail theft. One contact from a con was happy to dub off stuff for free, and included a round robin fan fic. However, the package went astray and my intermediary never passed on my concerns. By the time I found out it had been sent the trail was cold, still annoyed that I didn't go to the police with the complaint.

This was all pre-1990.