Doctor Who - Colin Baker, part 3

As I said in my last update on Colin Baker (three years ago) and then  three years before that on this matter: I have met Colin Baker and do feel sorry for him (and McCoy) sometimes, because they are often lambasted as the wreckers of Doctor Who (though I think the blame is really at the door of JNT, BBC politics, Coronation Street, and so much more). In fact, both Doctor's were really excellent and playing the part at the wrong time - people had simply stopped loving Doctor Who.

If like me, you could see Colin's potential, why don't you listen to some Big Finish audios. They have scripted him perfectly and Mr Baker is excellent as the Doctor. I've suggested some audios below which you can buy direct from Big Finish. I've added a link below.

Anyway...here are my views of the third quarter of Colin Baker's television time as Doctor Number Six! Click on pictures below if you want to buy them and help the lovely charity called the Living by Giving Trust (see here), who will earn some money to support its work. 

First up:



I didn't see this on its first showing, so I remember being very excited when it was shown on UK Gold. Patrick Troughton is a great favourite of mine and I think it's so sad that the BBC has destroyed so much of his era. Unfortunately this is not a good story. It's setting is pointless - there's no need for it to be in Spain; the two doctors are wasted; the Sontarans look odd and too tall; the other characters are annoying; and the story is...well...a bit boring.

Unfortunately this story is another example of this era of Doctor Who relying on the past. And then they don't even get it right! Are we really meant to believe that this Second Doctor is the Second Doctor of the black & white era? He hasn't even got the right hair colour (see Five Doctors where he looks older, but has black hair. He had an agreement that if he did Two Doctors, he wouldn't need to dye his hair)! I remember being so disappointed by the story and I still find it difficult to watch. It's also full of plot holes - why is the second doctor being sent on missions? He was never sent on missions! He avoided the Time Lords! The author has totally mixed up his Doctors.

However, for me, the saddest thing about all of this is..it was written by the late, great Robert Holmes. Often fans say that it's very apparent in the later Trial of a Time Lord that Holmes is unwell - I think actually those stories are not as bad as this one - in fact I really enjoy the first story on Ravalox. The reality that we often forget as fans is that Holmes also wrote rubbish amongst the "classics". For every Caves of Androzani, there is The Krotons and The Two Doctors!

Good points? Colin Baker is excellent; Patrick Troughton is excellent; Frazer Hines and Nichola Bryant are excellent. It's just a shame they're acting in this dirge. It's sadly Troughton's last outing as the Doctor too. If you're a completest or want to see Troughton's last moment as Doctor Who, buy this DVD; if you don't care, don't bother. Sad but true. In fact you would be better off buying The Five Doctors.

Lastly for now:


I am so very sorry, but this is another story that is not as good as Vengeance on Varos and Mark of the Rani, but actually it's not as boring as The Two Doctors, so that's a bonus. It's also followed by the wonderful Revelation of the Daleks (more soon).

Timelash is OK and some of its ideas are very good. The world is a terrible dystopia with a megalomaniac leader in charge who kills, kills and kills. He doesn't care about the people, because he simply wants to create a species just like him (see photo above). The costume is amazing; the voice of the baddie is amazing; and again I really like Colin's doctor.

The big issues with this are Paul Darrow's strange "stagey" acting. Why, Paul? Why?! He's wonderful as Avon, but not as Richard III. If he'd played it as the subtle Avon (series A, B Avon!) then wow.

The other big issue for me is the terribly cheap sets! The Timelash is a joke - they would have done better with the graphics of the black hole in Trial of a Timelord than this terrible bit of scenery. You can tell the budget had run out! Why? Well because they went to Seville! Which was pointless!!

Once again, we have a reminder of Doctor Who's past - even though we never saw this on the telly - with a picture of Jon Pertwee's Doctor. Apparently the Third Doctor popped here at some point and annoyed the Borad.

And, I am already very bored of every baddie or weirdo fancying a bit of Peri. It's starting to become a bit creepy that this is written in to most scripts. It all started with Caves of Androzani and finishes with her final story.

This story is OK, but best to watch filled with wine and beer. 

Big Finish
Most of Colin Baker's Doctor Who work with Big Finish is EXCELLENT. Have a look, here.

See you next time!

Doctor Who - Colin Baker era, part 2

As I said in my last blog on this matter (three years ago!): I have met Colin Baker and do feel sorry for him (and McCoy) sometimes, because they are often lambasted as the wreckers of Doctor Who (though I think the blame is really at the door of JNT, BBC politics, Coronation Street, and so much more). In fact, both Doctor's were really excellent and playing the part at the wrong time - people had simply stopped loving Doctor Who.

If like me, you could see Colin's potential, why don't you listen to some Big Finish audios. They have scripted him perfectly and Mr Baker is excellent as the Doctor. I've suggested some audios below which you can buy direct from Big Finish.

Anyway...here are my views of the second quarter of Colin Baker's television time as Doctor Number Six! Click on pictures below if you want to buy them and help the lovely charity called the Living by Giving Trust (see here), who will earn some money to support its work. 



Vengeance on Varos: I was never a massive fan of this story when it was first show on the television, and I could never understand the love of it. However, since getting a bit older and probably more cynical, I can now see very clearly what a masterpiece this story is. Interestingly enough, unfortunately I suspect this is where the world is heading right now - people are increasingly showing a lack of interest in human stories, but rather searching to do or see something exciting or stupid instead. Right now, many desperate people are trying to get across to the promised land of the "West", and no one is particularly interested. The two characters of Arak and Etta are disinterested in the life surrounding them, and simply care about what will happen next on the TV. Indeed one could argue that part of the reason for this is that they know no better - but we should know better.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the planet keep feeding the people full of propaganda, so that they don't worry about the reality. "Video nasties" are constantly shown to the populace to help in two ways: show that there is no point in trying to change the world; and secondly to show what happens to the scum who rebel against this perfect dystopia. I wonder if this is happening to us all now?

In the story, The Doctor shows the people what is wrong with the society, and he leaves them hopeful that the planet will finally enjoy happier times.

Vengeance on Varos is an excellent piece of work and I highly recommend it. At the time, it was perceived too violent (maybe so) for Doctor Who, but that's the whole point. None of this is right and is all rather shocking. The message is simple: let's not lose our humanity, or all is lost. 9/10



The Mark of the Rani: I've always loved this one, because it introduces The Rani. For the first time since the Delgado Master, a rebel Time Lord actually has a reason to be somewhere that does not involve the Doctor! The Master (as played by various people since Delgado, but here played by Anthony Ainley), has had no purpose since the Tom Baker era, but to kill the Doctor. This happens throughout the Peter Davison era and continues throughout the Colin Baker era. This wish to kill only stops in Doctor Who - Survival [DVD] - Sylvester McCoy's last full story, where The Master is simply trying to survive. So, that's my long-winded way of saying: The Rani is a breath of fresh air, because she just wants to take brain stuff out of people and head back to her planet!

It makes for a very fresh change and The Rani's bickering with The Master is also rather fun. The Doctor here is confident and strong (and the horrible coat disappears sometimes too). Peri also develops and she shows that she's more than just a companion when she helps the local people to sleep - thanks to her skills.

The best bit of it all is the design. Wow! The Rani's TARDIS is supreme and a beautiful design. If only the BBC had given them good money for every story and we wouldn't have ended up with Timelash (more of that on my next update).

All in all it's not a bad story. It is a little boring in parts (whoops), but is fresh and interesting in other ways. 6/10.

Big Finish

Most of Colin Baker's Doctor Who work with Big Finish is EXCELLENT. Have a look, here.

Books, Books (Chapter 11)

Here are some more books that I have recently read and HIGHLY recommend. Click on the links if you want to buy them. If you click on the link and purchase something a lovely charity called the Living by Giving Trust (see here) will earn some money to support its causes. :) I supported them recently, and though I've not been to any of their events, I have supported them as much as possible. This is one way I can do that.

I am a Doctor Who fan, especially a Hartnell fan (first doctor). It's also the 50th anniversary this year, so in amongst other books, I've decided to read some of the old Target novelisations (novels of the TV episodes). A lot of these are hard to find these days, but I highly recommend people try. :-)

First up is Doctor Who-Marco Polo. It's a really good read, especially as I don't think I watched it back in 1964. I also find the soundtracks quite hard to follow, so I am now experimenting by reading these Target novels first, and then listening to the CD. This method works very well, so I'll keep doing it this way - The Crusaders is next. The novel itself is very simple to follow, but this is not a bad thing at all. I also suspect that the description of the landscape and journey look much better in my mind than they did in the TV episodes! It's a good adventure story, and well worth a read. 8/10. 

Next up, I read Doctor Who and the Crusaders. The novel itself is very well written (though in an old style) and has some excellent illustrations too. I read the 2011 version, which has an excellent introduction and an excellent conclusion - fitting it perfectly in to the time of its initial publication (i.e. the 1960s). The story is so very good, and like Marco Polo probably describes amazing landscapes that would not have looked so good on screen - though unlike Marco Polo, I could (if I wanted) go and look at episodes 1 and 3. 9/10

Finally, I've read Doctor Who - The Myth Makers The novel itself is very well written and done so in the first person as Homer. This sometimes makes it quite difficult for Cotton to follow the actual plot of his script, but it is still a very good way of telling the story. This also distinguishes the novelisation from others and that is very much a good thing. The book came out in the 1980's, when a lot of Target novelisations had already come out - so a change in style is a good idea. Cotton is obviously a classicist too - because he knows his Trojan war history - and even explains why Homer was supposedly blind; and thus why he writes about a Cyclops in the Odyssey. All in all a good tale. Well worth buying a second hand copy from somewhere. 8/10

More to come...

Doctor Who - Colin Baker era, part 1

After all that reading, I thought it was time to talk about something else in my blog: my favourite programm, Doctor Who! As you would have seen before, I am a big big fan of when Doctor Who first started, and particularly the first two Doctor Who's. However, I am not one of those fans that will dismiss all the hard work of later producers, and I find a lot to enjoy in the eras of Pertwee, Baker, Davison, Baker, McCoy, McGann, Ecclestone, Tenant, and Smith. I particularly enjoy the McCoy era, because I think it was finally trying to get Doctor Who back on track, and it was 80% successful; I also really enjoy the modern era of Doctor Who (and love the Hartnell/Troughton retrospective stuff - like the photo, or the Macra!). Anyway, I thought I would do something very different on this blog as I thought it was time to re-look at the Colin Baker era.


I have met Colin Baker and do feel sorry for him (and McCoy) sometimes, because they are often lambasted as the wreckers of Doctor Who (though I think the blame is really at the door of JNT, BBC politics, Coronation Street, and so much more). In fact, both Doctor's were really excellent and playing the part at the wrong time - people had simply stopped loving Doctor Who. If you listen to them from Big Finish - this is how things should have been - you'll love them. Buy the first audio from here - The Sirens of Time (Doctor Who). Anyway...


...here are my views of the first quarter of Colin Baker's television time as Doctor Number Six! Click on pictures if you want to buy them. If you click on the link and purchase something a lovely charity called the Living by Giving Trust (see here) will earn some money to support its causes. :)





The Twin Dilemma: The problem with this story is that it comes along straight after Doctor Who - The Caves Of Androzani , which was Peter Davison's final story. The Caves of Androzani is everything that the Twin Dilemma is not: stylish, clever, sad, brilliant, beautiful. Why and how could this have happened? Well, John Nathan-Turner had decided that it would be a great idea to copy the production team of 1966 and bring in the new doctor somewhere in the season, so that the audience could see the new doctor, and then (according to his theory) be more excited when Colin Baker returned. Alas, this does not work in 1984, for various reasons, but especially as the production team had run out of money, so the Twin Dilemma looked cheap and a bit rubbish. Plus, the new Doctor was so different from the fifth incarnation, viewers were left shocked and (like me) a bit appalled! In 2012, however, and viewing the story out of this context, it is not all bad. It has some interesting elements, like the characters of Azmael and Mestor and I enjoyed this side of things..but the rest is pretty rubbish! I'd give it a 5/10. Sorry! :(





Attack of the Cybermen: Now this is more like it. The Attack of the Cybermen is the first episode of a new series, and is a good story. As ever, with this season, the story relies on past stories of Doctor Who, including The Tenth Planet and The Tomb of the Cybermen (which as a big fan of that era, I love the connections!). The TARDIS is lured to Earth in 1985 by a distress call sent by Lytton, who has made contact with a group of Cybermen based in London's sewers. The Doctor and Peri are then captured and forced to take Lytton and the Cybermen in the TARDIS to the Cybermen's home planet Telos. The Cybermen have stolen a time vessel from another race and plan to change history by crashing Halley's Comet into Earth and obliterating it before it can bring about the demise of their original home world, Mondas, in 1986. 8/10. Doctor Who is back on track. Well done to all involved on this one, I loved it. :)


Part Two coming soon, but for now please let me know what you think?

Books VIII

Here are some more books that I have recently read and HIGHLY recommend. Click on the links if you want to buy them. If you click on the link and purchase something a lovely charity called the Living by Giving Trust (see here) will earn some money to support its causes. :)

The Odyssey (Penguin Classics): This is the all-time classic mythology piece from Ancient Greece. This story (by the mysterious Homer) is about a great Greek hero of the Trojan war era: Odysseus. He is the King of Ithaca and in Homer's The Iliad (Penguin Classics), he is seen characterised as a very resourceful and clever man (who had the idea of the Trojan Horse). Unfortunately, unlike the other Achaean Kings, he does not get home straight away and a number of fascinating adventures ensue. Odysseus is also constantly at odds with the great sea-god, Poseidon and he requires the support of the goddess Athena to get him through it. I don't want to give too much more away, but Odysseus meets such fascinating creatures, such as a Cyclops; The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis; and so much more!

I love and still love this book - it really is a brilliant story AND one of the oldest ever in western civilisation. I highly recommend this book. 10/10.

Doctor Who: Shada: The lost adventure by Douglas Adams is lovingly novelised (and edited) by the great Who author, Gareth Roberts. I don't want to spoil this book, but it really is a beautiful masterpiece and I highly and utterly recommend any fan of Adams or the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who buy it and read it today! You will not regret it at all! 9/10. :)

RIP Elisabeth Sladen

I've just seen the very shocking news that Elisabeth Sladen who played Sarah Jane Smith (a Doctor Who companion) has died. This is so soon after I reported the sad news about Nicholas Courtney's death (see here). This is all very sad, may she Rest in Peace. :(

RIP Nicholas Courtney

A very sad start to the week, because one of my favourite actors has died: Mr Nicholas Courtney.

In particular, Courtney played Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart throughout much of Doctor Who's early version (1963 - 1989) and then re-appeared in the Sarah Jane Adventures.

As this character, he played against most of the seven doctors on TV (Troughton, Pertwee - as one of the regulars, Baker T, Davison, McCoy, and Hurndall who played the 1st Doctor in The Five Doctors) He also played Lethbridge-Stewart in various Big Finish Audios, so that he was able to increase his tally to playing with McGann and Baker C.

I met him once when he was signing in Barking, and he was an extremely charming man. Rest in Peace, Brig. :(

Why not listen to his two best Big Finish Audios?



See the Telegraph Obituary: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8343786/Nicholas-Courtney.html

Doctor Who and Martin Clunes

I can only apologise for writing another blog, but I still appear to want to, so I may as well carry on! I can see in the future that these will become less frequent, but for now, I hope someone out there in the wilderness of the internet is looking and enjoying my blog!

I am a Doctor Who fan, and I particularly like the old stuff - William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton, although a lot of their stuff is now lost by the BBC, see here. It's a shame that we can't watch classics like "Evil of the Daleks" and "The Highlanders", but sometimes it's a relief that we can't watch some obviously dire stories!!

Although I like the old stuff, I have enjoyed the new stuff (and still do)! I really liked how David Tennant played the Doctor - with characteristics of previous Doctor's within, and so I think it's a shame that he has decided to hand over the Tardis keys. The BBC recently announced that an unknown actor, Matt Smith, would be taking over - fair enough! I'll trust them, and if they honestly believe he is the guy, then fine. However, I recently saw this news item about Martin Clunes - apparently he was offered the part, but was too expensive! How much has probably changed since Mr Clunes was last in Doctor Who, wearing a very garish costume!! See below!