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Review #13 – Galaxy 4

My first review based upon Target Novels, orphaned episodes, and soundtracks/reconstructions. However much I love his era I have to admit it, a couple of William Hartnell’s stories are slow and drag on a bit; but I wouldn’t say Galaxy 4 is one of them. The plot could possibly have been a little more developed and being made in 1965, the production isn’t amazing; but this story has some of the best morals I’ve ever seen in a Doctor Who story. For that, it’s very commendable.

The main lesson we take away from this story is ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. As cliché as you may expect it to be, the writer, William Emms, incorporates it into the story quite subtly using it as a plot twist rather than a primary school school rules talk.

 The beauty of Galaxy 4 (and I realise it is the whole point of the story) is how Maaga, leader of the Drahvins, initially appears beautiful and under attack, despite how evil and spiteful she gets later in the story. Then there are the Rills; ugly, smelly monsters that you’d expect to be the bad guys, especially as they have robot slaves with guns, yet they turn out to be wise and peace-loving with nothing but wisdom and friendship to offer. It’s a nice twist on the traditional ‘damsel in distress, save me from the monsters’ kind of story.

The cliffhanger for the recently recovered third episode, ‘Airlock’, is pretty scary and certainly left me rather horrified and on the edge of my seat. Seeing Steven slump against the sides of the airlock as Maaga teased him from the safety of her spaceship was brutal and is almost like an early version of that cliffhanger from The Deadly Assassin. One of my other favourite bits from the recently recovered episode is when Vicki wrestles with a Drahvin to steal her gun. Vicki and Steven are rather underrated companions in my opinion and made quite a team together with the First Doctor.

While it’s not the best story ever made, I don’t see what’s so wrong with it. It’s often rated fairly low in the polls, and even slumped in the recent Doctor Who Magazine Poll despite a recovered episode. It’s even quite dark in places if you think about it, the whole Drahvin society is centred around unethical actions. The production isn’t amazing though, I get that, but I believe that the story has a strong enough plot to make it enjoyable. Although, let’s be honest, anything with Old Bill is enjoyable (oh, and an exploding planet is actually pretty cool)!

Review #12 – The Crimson Horror

What I love most about this story is its ability to shock. A lot of Series 7 part 2 felt a bit spoilt, but not this one. The Crimson Horror was the first new story in a long time that made my eyes uncontrollably widen in shock. What I also love about this story is how simple it is for a Matt Smith episode. A lot of 11’s era had story arcing running throughout but this one was pretty standalone which I liked. It was also quite horrific too…

In the introduction above, I mentioned the story made my eyes widen for the first time in a while. The bit where Mrs Gillyflower revealed who Mr Sweet was was so unexpected. It was nice not to have the monster pre-spoilt in trailers and promotional photos beforehand. The trouble with Series 7, both parts 1 and 2, was that because only a small number of episodes were being showed at one time, it was hard to make trailers without ruining some scary bits and spoilers. However, they did well with The Crimson Horror and should aim to promote episodes more like they did for this one in the future.

The venom was actually quite scary and gruesome. It’s not the scariest thing ever from Doctor Who but seeing the people being slowly lowered into thick red gloop was pretty horrific and terrifying; especially when we see the Doctor being dunked. The red bodies floating in the canal were also quite creepy and reminiscent of The Talons of Weng-Chiang (one of my favourite stories ever).

While a lot of people don’t like the fact the bad guy Sontarans and Silurians have been turned into good guys, I think it kind of works. I’m not too fond of the idea and perhaps wish they’d used new species’ for Vastra and Strax, but the humour is actually quite funny and they’re better creations than River Song! Some of the jokes in this episode were just to cheesy for me, like Thomas Thomas, but I always find Strax’s interactions with the other characters rather funny and just accept the fact it’s not within my powers to change what species he is.

Dame Diana Rigg plays a wonderful villain. When you consider how she used to run around in sexy jumpsuits in ‘The Avengers’ and once got married to James Bond, it’s quite funny seeing her as an evil old woman. “The wrong hands” was a brilliant line! Also, it’s nice knowing that Rachel Stirling, who plays Mrs Gillyflower’s daughter, Ada, is Dame Diana Rigg’s daughter in real life and that they chose Doctor Who to be the first show they star in together. I love the scene where Ada confronts her mother with “YOU HAG!” and starts beating her up with her white cane.

All in all, this Victorian horror hits the sweet spot. It has a very Phillip Hinchcliffe/Tom Baker gothic feel to it and it’s definitely one of Mark Gatiss’ best scripts yet (bar The Unquiet Dead in my opinion). The way the story starts off halfway through the Doctor’s investigation was something quite new and it was an enjoyable change that I’d welcome again. Strax was still quite funny without being cheesy and the way the sonic screwdriver keeps getting proven to have no use is great to see! I’m not sure if Mark Gatiss shares my view on getting rid of the sonic screwdriver, but if he does, then I hope he plans to write it out soon…

Doctor Who’s Funniest Moments

Over the course of the past 50 years, Doctor Who has made us laugh on so many occasions. While most stories aim to make us scared, maybe sometimes cry, dotted around are moments of hilarity that will make you laugh out loud even if you’re by yourself. There are so many moments I could include on this list from both the classic and the revived series’, however I thought I’d share with you ten videos of moments that made me laugh the most. If I’ve missed out your favourite funny moment then please tell me in the comments below…

“What Do You Mean Maybe?”

I begin my list with this short scene from The Time Meddler. There were a few scenes I tried finding for this list including Barbara’s “No not that awful noise, the other one” when talking about the Doctor’s singing. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find these clips by themselves without scanning the entire episodes on Dailymotion for them. Thankfully, I could find a space helmet for a cow; don’t you just love the 1st Doctor?  

Photograph Time

While the main funny bit of this clip is definitely the Doctor leaping and almost galloping away from the Cybermen, the thing I love most about this scene is how the UNIT soldiers are running towards the building to destroy the radio transmitter control while the Doctor just sits in the middle of them all… having his photo taken! 

2nd Doctor Compilation

A compilation of the 2nd Doctor’s (and the best Doctor’s) funniest moment. The first one with the Ice Warriors is a particular favourite of mine and the one where Jamie snatches the telescope is hilariously subtle. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the scene from The Mind Robber where the Doctor builds Jamie’s face wrong, so you’ll just have to buy it on DVD instead! 

The 3rd Doctor Meets the 2nd Doctor 

Do I need to explain how funny this one is? Patrick Troughton is my favourite Doctor and the bit where he asked how the song went… that was it! I just couldn’t hold back the laughter!

“I Like Your Handbag”

The Green Death is such a brilliant story in so many ways. Scary, funny, gripping, and one of the most devastating ever broadcast. This scene however comes out of nowhere and lands right in front of you amidst the seriousness and issues brought up in the story. Mike’s face when he exits the lift is rather amusing too.

“I Say, What a Wonderful Butler” (Skip to 1:42 – 5:11)

No one has ever made a funny moments of Doctor Who list without including City of Death. It is almost definitely the funniest story of all time. The 4th Doctor’s witty lines that almost don’t make sense run throughout the four episodes making for continuous laughter. If you haven’t seen City of Death; a. Why not?, and b. You should! It deserves its title as one of the best stories of all time and you’ll see why when you watch it. 

Outtakes

40 outtakes both classic and new, worth watching for Sylvester McCoy’s hilarity as well as his awesome friendship with Sophie Aldred offscreen. It seems there was quite a lot of mucking about on the sets of Survival…

“Her Ankle’s Going”

Out of the three clips, the first one was more annoying than funny but the second is funny and the third laugh out loud hilarious. I love Jackie Tyler, come the end of Series 2 maybe more than Rose herself. Her interactions with both Doctors were brilliant and never fail to make me smile. 

The Doctor Meets Donna… Again

A lot of fans find this scene/story silly but this episode holds great memories for me, more than others just because it was a wonderful end to a wonderful day. It’s because of that that this scene has stuck with me ever since. We were all expecting the Doctor and Donna to find each other at some point in the episode, but I never dreamed of it being as funny as this!

Series 7 Compilation

I’m not the biggest fan of the 11th Doctor’s era but for me, while it seems I may be fairly alone in this opinion, Series 7 was my favourite of Smith’s series’. Sometimes the jokes from his time on the show could be a bit too childish/cringeworthy for me, however Series 7 was actually quite funny in places. I laughed out loud at the Cold War laugh imitation.

Why I Love Target Novels

However you embrace Classic Who in this modern day and age is up to you. Whether it’s for free on Dailymotion, listening to soundtracks, or buying the DVDs; it doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it. Me personally? I buy DVDs. Turning the light off, grabbing a pile of pillows and experiencing the stories in their full glory on the TV screen; nothing beats it. I’m very interested in a career in TV too, so the special features and interviews are right up my street. A new thing that’s taken me by storm however is Target Novels.

Born in 1998, I was the perfect age to experience the revived series when Doctor Who came back in 2005. The first four series of the new series’ were the best in my opinion so I’m glad to have watched it through the eyes of a youngster. However, being born so late in the Doctor Who timeline means I wouldn’t get to watch the Classic series through the eyes of a seven year old, or even worse, the missing stories in general. Missing greats such as The Power of the Daleks because I was born almost 40 years too late is devastating. But now, thanks to the wizardry of internet shopping, I can read them in Target Novel form.

Again, being born late means I missed the printing of the Target Novel series. Thankfully, you can still buy them. Some sites, like Whoone, sell them as brand new books. I don’t know where they get them but it doesn’t matter when I get them for good prices and good quality. Other sites, such as eBay, allows sellers to pass on books, read or unread, to the highest bidder; and you can win with fairly low bids too! I usually have a quick surf on the internet first to make sure what I’m about to buy is a good price, for there are some greedy buggers that’ll rip you off completely, but usually, someone somewhere will be selling the desired Target Novels for a fairly good price (depending on rarity).

A lot of people don’t bother with Target Novels, you can watch every existing story for free on Dailymotion, you can even watch the reconstructions on there too; but that’s not what I like to do. I love having Doctor Who memorabilia being posted through the letterbox, the wait is just as exciting. It makes me feel like a kid from the 70s or 80s who grew up with it because I often wish I did. For me, having everything readily available for free is nowhere near as fun as having it in physical form because there is no greater feeling in the world than putting a Doctor Who disc into a DVD player. Opening a Target Novel gives off the same feeling. The smell of the pages, understanding a missing story; I love all of it!

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be wonderers in the 4th dimension? (Sorry if my quote is slightly wrong). Well Mr. H, with a Target Novel, you get to experience the 4th dimension of Doctor Who: thoughts and feelings. You also get more of a chance to explore a planet or time, admiring great structures that are built with the precisest of detail in your mind’s eye. There’s also no way to complain about bad effects or production. Maybe fans of the revived series who refuse to go back because of “wobbly sets” and “bad effects” should have a read of the Target Novels to appreciate how good Classic stories were – and still are – despite the lower budgets and undeveloped technology. That would give us Classic fans a break from the same old excuses. (I’d like to point out that’s aimed at stubborn fans of the new series and not all as I for one am also a fan of both!)

I’ve briefly touched upon it already, but the main reason I got into Target Novels was because reading them gave me a chance to experience the missing stories, and wow some of the good. Marco Polo, The Massacre, The Power of the Daleks; I’d recommend them all. Just because you can’t watch it, definitely does not make it any less exciting. It’s for this reason that I carried on buying past the missing stories and into the novels of the 70s and 80s eras too. The Target Novels give me such an amazing feeling just looking at them on my bookshelf, and I think if you’ve never read one before, you should go on to eBay or Whoone, find your favourite story, buy it, and tell me if you enjoyed it. I can guarantee that you will. I also think that it’d be cool to see the new series’ get novelised so I can compare and contrast the stories for what they are and not just for the effects. If you agree that the old Targets should be reprinted and sold in shops; and that the new series should receive novelisation, then the protest starts here. Maybe I’ll rewrite them…

Review #11 – The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

Creepy, mysterious, beautifully haunting; The Greatest Show in the Galaxy is a Doctor Who masterpiece, certainly one of the 7th Doctor’s best. The clowns were an ingenious idea for a Doctor Who villain and I’m surprised it took them 25 years to play with such a common fear. Nonetheless, the end result is superb with one of the best scores ever for a Doctor Who story and some of the most stunning and realistic Classic sets designed. There’s a cool song at the start too…

One of the things I love most about the 7th Doctor and Ace’s relationship is that both of them are rather hopeless. The TARDIS scenes in Episode One are rather hilarious, especially when Ace comes crawling around the corner with Tom Baker’s scarf on! They’re a rather quirky pairing but they need each other to keep the other one out of trouble, and that’s wonderful.

The Episode One cliffhanger was one of the least gripping I have ever seen (“Well are we going in or aren’t we?”) but at least it made sense; Dragonfire I’m looking at you. That aside, the episode itself left us with some mysterious clues to keep us intrigued to watch the next episode so all is still on track. 

The range of characters on offer is one of my favourites for any Doctor Who story. The stall lady, Whizz Kid, Captain Cook, Mags, the Ringmaster, Nord, Morgana, Deadbeat, Bellboy, Flowerchild; such a variety of characters, each bringing something different to the story as they juxtapose one another. My particular favourites of the group are Captain Cook and Mags. Captain Cook is so oddly laidback about everything that you’re not quite sure what to make of him. Eventually, he shows his true colours in the ring when he leaves the Doctor to die so he can escape. Mags however is my favourite favourite character as she switches between good guy and unintentional bad guy. I won’t spoil what happens but the cliffhanger to Episode Three is one of the scariest ever.

While I adore this story and, even though it’s well respected in the Doctor Who fandom, feel it’s underrated; some of the events in Episode Four confused me a little. It was mainly the medallion really. I just didn’t really understand why it made Kingpin lose his mind. However, I plan to read the Target novel soon to gain a better understanding as it may just me being a little slow. 

The scene where the Doctor calmly walks away from the exploding circus is pure class. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so impressed by the Doctor in such a way before, it made me smirk with amazement, disbelief, and wonder; it was so cool that the 7th Doctor rose in my estimations higher than I thought possible. I also like that Deadbeat and Mags are out there somewhere running The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. I liked these two characters quite a lot and they deserved a happy ending after the turmoil they went through on Segonax.

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