Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 133: Daleks: The Destroyers

Dear diary,

Oh, this marathon has changed me. I try not to quote myself too much, but I think today call's for a bit of a flashback. January 6th, 2013. Day Six of The 50 Year Diary. The Daleks, Episode Two…

“My name is Will, and I don't really like the Daleks… Give me a Cyberman any day.”

Why, then, 127 days on, does it bother me so much that the Daleks take a bloody age to show up in this story?! We've got a fantastic cold open, which sets the scene nicely, introduces a couple of characters, then implies a Dalek massacre in which they shout 'Attack and destroy!' a couple of times, and then… nothing! It's a further twenty minutes until we hear another Dalek talking properly. My god, I'm fickle. It's all about the pepper pots, now.

Way back when I was drawing up my schedule for this marathon, at the end of last year, this story and Farewell, Great Macedon were both added in between seasons. Macedon was included because I was interested to know how a story written at the time - but not made - would fit with the established history of the show. It was an interesting experiment, though I know some people weren't keen to see me going 'off book' for the week. Hopefully you won't mind today's little side step, and will be glad to know that I'm not planning any departures from the televised stories when we reach Troughton's Doctor.

The Destroyers was slotted into the schedule because, well, it's always fascinated me. Terry Nation's desire to get the Daleks their own show minus the Doctor is well documented. We're told about various pitches to America, which will be the reason the Daleks soon disappear from this marathon for quite some time. Mission to the Unknown could almost be viewed as a back-door pilot for the series (even if it wasn't made that way).

But then there's The Destroyers. A pilot for a Dalek-based series that actually got approved by the BBC. Sets were under construction to actually produce this one, before the plug was pulled. We very nearly had this series - or, at the very least - this pilot. Is there any wonder it's always been of interest? I figured that this was the best placement for it on my journey because, while it would have been produced and aired some time after Troughton took on the role, it features the return of Jean Marsh as Sara Kingdom, and revolves heavily around the Space Security Agency. It's very much from Season Three.

The story serves very much as a set up to the potential series, reintroducing us to Sara, and bringing in a few other members of the SSS, including Jason Corey, and android Mark Seven. The trio have arrived on an asteroid where a base has recently been attacked by Daleks, and they've captured Sara's brother, David Kingdom. Thankfully, she's not given a chance to kill this one.

What follows gets us fully up to speed on everything we need to know for the series to work. We're given some background on the SSS and the Daleks, and we end with the trio arriving just too late to save David from being taken off-world by the Daleks. In the closing moments, we're given the shocking news that they're planning an invasion of Earth!

It's all a bit lightweight, with the story full of typically Terry Nation set-pieces (of course carnivorous plants play a vital role!), but that's pretty much exactly what you'd want from this series. I want it to be a serial that doesn't take itself too seriously, which you can put on and just enjoy. I imagine that it would have worked well almost as a televised Dan Dare, with several 12-part stories tying into a larger, ongoing narrative. This could have worked especially well if the series had run year-round, like Doctor Who of the time.

Crucially, it feels as though Mission to the Unkown could be an episode taken from this series, used to set up a story in which Sara, Mark, and Corey arrive on Kembel, to stop the Daleks from forming the Galactic council. Mavic Chen could even become a recurring foe throughout the series, discrediting them with Earth! The more I think about everything this series could be, the more I want it to actually exist.

The only problem is that in my mind, it's being made on film, with the production values of some of the ITC serials of the time. Done in that way, The Daleks could be something really very special. I fear, though, from past experience, that being made as a BBC co-production would mean it never quite lives up to what it should be. I can already picture the scene early on, where Jean Marsh narrates that they're 'surrounded' by Daleks. There's be cardboard cut-outs everywhere.

On the whole, I've enjoyed The Destroyers, and I'd have loved to see it made at the time. There's an awful lot of potential in here, and it's a real shame that there won't be any more of it.

7/10 

Owing to a BBC America Distribution error, some American customers are reporting that their copies of the Series 7 Part 2 Blu-ray box-set has turned up early - before the finale has even been televised.

The news has prompted Twitter statements by the BBC, rightfully urging fans to keep the secrets of the finale until after broadcast:

The tweets promise a treat for fans if they remain vigilant, in the form of a special video featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant.

There is a chance that the episode could leak onto torrent sites, and DWO would just like to echo the BBC's words of helping to keep the spoilers off the internet.

If you are given any information regarding torrents or sharing of details from 'The Name Of The Doctor', please contact the BBC at: thedoctor@bbc.co.uk. 

[Source: BBC]

Speaking to RedCarpetNewsTV at this year's BAFTA awards event, Steven Moffat talked about the tribute and refused to be drawn on specifics about the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who special.

Moffat, who can be seen in the interview view below, also added:

"Oh, I love you all, Doctor Who fans, but honestly, now and then, don't believe everything you hear or don't hear." 

[youtube:20pd6JqdyVI]

[Source: RedCarpetNewsTV]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 132: The War Machines, Episode Four

Dear diary,

The notes for this story have only taken up a single side of paper in my notebook, because I've mostly been enjoying The War Machines too much to break away and write things. There's one note that keep reappearing, though. At the top of Episodes One, Three, and Four, I've scrawled 'Titles' (Actually, under today's episode, it's down as 'TITLES!!!!').

The War Machines is one of those rare 20th-century Who stories that breaks away from the usual format for its episode title. Here, we're given the title and the episode number in a 'computer' font (we all know which font that is, even if you've never seen the story), as they arrive on screen in what can only be described as a 'computerised' way. Right from the word 'go', we're being told that this is a story about computers and technology.

It's important to remember that this is only the second story to have one big title, as opposed to a name for each individual episode. There was a style guide for that, established right from the very start of the programme. The opening titles sequence dies away, and we're given an image over which the title - and then the writer's credit - will sit. For a time during Seasons One and Two, the action on screen would pause, and the actors would hold their pose, while the text appeared.

The same layout was used for The Savages, as confirmed by the tele snaps for Episodes Two and Three. It would appear that the episode number was simply added as an additional caption between the two standard ones. This, then, is the first opportunity for the programme to experiment with overall titles, and to start looking at a way to do them from now on.

I can't say I particularly like the titles for The War Machines any more or any less than the regular ones, and the same can be said for stories like The War Games which also employ different title styles. Equally, there's nothing wrong with doing them in this unusual manner, either. It just doesn't make all that much of a difference to me!

The other note that I've had scrawled at the top of several episodes over the last week is 'Ian Stuart Black'. The Savages and The War Machines is the first example in Doctor Who history of a writer being responsible for two consecutive stories (though Terry Nation came very close right at the start of the first season). In fairness, Black was only brought in to do a redraft of The War Machines, it having already gone through a version or two. As a fan of 1960s television in general, and not just Doctor Who, Black's name appears in the credits to several of the DVDs on my shelf, and I've alway been quite keen on his work. I'm pleased to see that my enjoyment has carried over to his Who writing, and I'm looking forward to The Macra Terror more now that I've realised it's Black's third script for the programme.

A couple of times over the last few days, I've compared Ben and Polly coming into the show as feeling like a new start, and I've linked it to the addition of Jenna-Louise Coleman to the current series of Who. I wasn't until today that I realised there were more similarities between the two eras than I'd ever thought about. Both get their breath of fresh air in a story that brings the Doctor back to modern-day London, and the enemy is based in the most modern building in the city (The Post Office Tower and the Shard aren't likely to be compared very often, but there's certainly a link here!).

On both occasions, the enemy is ultimately defeated when the Doctor reprogrammed their soldiers (he sends the War Machine to destroy WOTAN, and reprograms one of the 'Spoon Heads' to go confront Celia Imrie), and he picks up a new companion - or two, in Hartnell's case - along the way. All we need is to see the First Doctor ride an anti-grab motorbike up the side of the tower, and the comparison is complete!

It's strange, given how alien all of this story felt in the first couple of episodes, that the First Doctor looks so completely right as he strolls along a street to confront the War Machine. Shortly after, there's a shot of the Doctor in the back of a car and whereas before it seemed totally odd to see him in a taxi, now it just feels very natural. I think it has to be a success of the story that it all holds together so, so, well. And we've got the first real hint of something that we'll see far more later on in the programme - the Doctor slipping away as soon as things are complete, before he can be questioned or congratulated.

It's nice to see him waiting around outside the TARDIS for Dodo at the end, as I'd worried that having vanished mid-way though the story, she'd be instantly brushed under the carpet as we move on to the next set of companions. It's also interesting to see the Doctor feeling rather put out that Dodo simply 'sends her love' after everything that he's shown her through time and space. It's reminiscent of the departure of Ian and Barbara, in that the Doctor is a little hurt they would choose a normal life over one with him.

And Ben and Polly really do feel like such a breath of fresh air at the end. It's great the way that they get caught back up with the Doctor - 'Shh, watch him! I'm sure there's something strange about that police box…' - and it's very much in the style of that very first introduction to the ship right back in An Unearthly Child. I'm hoping that it's a sign (along with not showing their reaction upon entering the ship) that we'll be seeing the introduction of two new companions used to take stock and reintroduce the series again.

The Third Season has been something of a revolving door for companions (We've had Vicki, Steven, Katarina, Sara, Dodo, and now Ben and Polly since the start of Galaxy 4), so the way that they work within the series hasn't been as developed as it was in the first two years. Dodo serves as the best example, being introduced in the midsts of a massive info-dump.

Still, The War Machines has been a massive high for the series - the highest I've rated a story so far! - and a fantastic way to end this this run of adventures. I'm taking another slight side-step tomorrow (for one day only, though, promise!), and then we're down to the dying days of the First Doctor. An interesting time indeed!

8/10 

The overnight viewing figures are in for 7.12: Nightmare In Silver.

The episode achieved a figure of 4.7m viewers, with an audience share of 21.4%, and Doctor Who was the fourth most-watched programme for Saturday, once again Doctor Who won its time slot for the evening.

it is worth noting that Doctor Who was up against the FA Cup Final on ITV1, so the 4.7m figure is a respectable one.

Top Overnights - Saturday 11th May:

1 - 10.9m - Britain's Got Talent - ITV1 (Includes +1)
2 - 7.4m - The Voice - BBC One 
3 - 4.7m - Doctor Who - BBC One 

Final BARB ratings will be available within the next 10 days.

Series 7 Part 2 Final BARB Ratings roundup:

7.6: The Bells Of Saint John = 8.44m
7.7: The Rings Of Akhaten = 7.45m
7.8: Cold War = 7.37m 
7.9: Hide = 6.61m
7.10: Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS = 6.50m
+  What did you think of the episode? Rate / Discuss in the DWO Forums!

[Source: Paul Clough]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 131: The War Machines, Episode Three

Dear diary,

Five or six years ago, probably around the time that The War Machines was released on DVD, I remember creating a custom War machine figure, in scale with the Character Options figure range. It was before they'd made any of the classic Doctors, so I probably paired it up on the shelf with a Tenth Doctor toy. It wasn't very good, as customs go. I seem to recall that it was made from a Coco Pops box, coated in tin-foil.

The whole reason that I'd even bothered to make one is the same reason that I wonder fairly regularly when we're going to get an official War Machine figure from Character - they're freaking awesome!

The thing that often gets forgotten with the War Machines, or at least it's often forgotten by me, is the sheer size of the things. The Daleks at this point in the series' history are quite short. That has a charm of its own, but then you're faced up against one of these machines and it's huge! It's a good foot or so taller than many members of the cast, and that really helps to sell it as something of a threat.

The other thing of note with them is the amount of detail included. It's seen clearest on the segment of Blue Peter included on the DVD, in which Christopher Trace examines one of the machines up close. It's all fairly basic by today's standards, but it's still pretty impressive when immersed in this part of the programme's history. There's flashing banks of computers on the side of the creature, some kind of optical 'eye' built into the front, two guns coming out of the sides and the big metal 'fists', too, which get put to a fair bit of use in this episode.

The one thing that I'd always failed to notice, though, is the face. Oh yes, the War Machine has a face. It's right at the top of the thing, with the number on the machine forming the nose, and the long, dark box posing as the mouth. Once you've seen it, it's impossible to un-see. As if that wasn't enough, they then cut back to WOTAN, and he's got a face, too! Ah, I've ruined a great design for myself, now.

Seriously, though, Character Options. I'm waiting to give you my money. Make a War Machine! Give them little number stickers like you did with the Voc Robots! I'd form a little army of them on my shelf!

I can only imagine the impact that these things had on the viewers back in the day. A large chunk of the episode is given over to demonstrating just how powerful the machine is, first as it terrorises Ben again in a cliffhanger reprise, and then as it takes on the army by itself for the last third of the story. We've never seen a fight sequence quite like this in the show, so it really makes an impact.

The only downside to having such a long sequence is that we see several things over and over again. This is partly a result of the episode being patched back together to cover a few missing parts (though I'm not sure I'd have noticed them so much had I not foolishly watched a documentary on how it was done!), and partly the result of them jus twanging to show it off.

There's a great moment in the warehouse when the War Machine crashes through a pile of crates and sends them scattering as it just powers on. Unfortunately, by the time it's reached the street outside, it seems to go out of its way to knock over smaller piles of boxes almost to show that it can. It's the equivalent of a teen who's lost a fight kicking over a bin as he retreats. Y'know, just to prove that he's still 'hard'.

I think you can just about forgive it, though, because the fight really is fantastic in places. It also leads to one of the best cliffhangers that we've seen so far, when the army retreats to safety, and the Doctor stands tall, looking fantastic in his hat and cloak, squaring up to the machine. The camera pulls into a close-up on William Hartnell, and it's possibly the best he's ever looked. A shame that the picture seems a tad over-exposed, here, but it's still a great moment.

The War Machines is still very much Ben's story at this stage. Polly gets plenty to do in this episode, under the control of WOTAN, and Anneke Wills gets a chance to show us what she can do (The moment that she realises she's let Ben escape because he was her friend is lovely), but she's still only just involved. Ben's the one performing all of the companion role at this stage, and it's still fantastic to see. Just as Steven came along and washed Ian clean from my mind, I have a sneaking suspicion that Ben may do the same to our space pilot!

It's also nice to see Dodo getting a brief mention. It's only in passing, and it comes again as the Doctor worries about Ben and Polly, but it's nice to see that she's not been completely forgotten just yet.

8/10 

DWO interviews Doctor Who Actor, Calvin Dean, regarding his role as 'Ha-Ha' in the Neil Gaiman-penned, Doctor Who episode; 'Nightmare In Silver', as well as his career as an actor.

'Nightmare In Silver' sees your Doctor Who acting debut, but you've previously had an appearance in the Doctor Who spin off 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' as a Slitheen as well. What was it like working with the SJA team, and how do the two productions vary?

My SJA experience was very brief. Unfortunately I didn't actually get to be the Slitheen as that was performed by Jimmy Vee. I had one scene as the “human” Slitheen and the rest was Jimmy with my voice. It was a great experience though and to work with the great Liz Sladen was a joy. I also got to meet David Tennant and K-9...not sure which was more exciting!

SJA and DW are very similar in lots of ways. Some of the crew were the same and of course both produced in Cardiff. The big difference is the new Roath Lock studios which are huge and very impressive! The size of the studios is vast and I nearly wandered onto the Casualty set one day by mistake. Watch out for Ha-Ha in next weeks Casualty!

You play the curiously titled 'Ha-Ha' in 'Nightmare In Silver'. Without giving too much away, could you tell us a bit more about your character and what it was like working with Neil Gaiman's script?

Ha-Ha has been one of my most favourite characters to play in my career so far. Neil writes such great roles for character actors and it was so much fun. Neil's scripts all read like massive movies and you can never quite believe that it was shot in only 13 days. 

Each member of the platoon have totally different characteristics and we had to be told on a few occasions to rain it in slightly as we would get carried away. I wanted Ha-Ha to have a slight Action Man feel to him which made it even funnier as my physical physique clearly isn't very Action Man like! Although I can see a new line of chubby Action Men figures being released soon!

Were you a fan of Doctor Who before you got a part, and if so, what is your earliest memory and do you have a particular favourite Story and Doctor?

To be honest, I wasn't a die hard fan. I've known Matt Smith for over 10 years so when he took over I watched his first series, then I missed all of Series 6. When I got the job I watched all of Series 7 Part 1 whilst traveling to and from Cardiff. Of course, I'm now a big fan. My earliest memories of Doctor Who must have been re-runs during the 90's. I remember Tom Baker a lot. The Cybermen really freaked me out. Even now I find them a bit creepy (especially with their new powers!).

Are there any other TV shows you would like to be a part of and do you have any other projects coming up?

I'll take whatever comes along! I love jobs which involve a little bit of comedy, but I would also like to be in more serious drama like Broadchurch. I seem to have a face for horror though. I think some of the best TV is being made in America at the minute so giving it a go over there is on my to-do list. I filmed a movie called Passengers recently which will hopefully be out later this year.

Finally, if you could take a round trip in the TARDIS anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

Wow. Hard question. Part of me would love to see dinosaurs, but only if Richard Attenborough was with me (obsessed with Jurassic Park as a child). I would also want to go and watch Laurel and Hardy filming some of their classics and go to Hollywood back in the heyday. I get travel sickness though, so I don't think time travel would be for me... unless Matt Smith was there to comfort me.

+ Follow Calvin Dean on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

DWO interviews Doctor Who Actor, Warwick Davis, regarding his role as 'Porridge' in the Neil Gaiman-penned, Doctor Who episode; 'Nightmare In Silver', his career as an actor as well as the upcoming Star Wars movies.

You've worked your way through some of the biggest cult Movies and TV Shows of all time, how did you feel adding the Doctor Who notch to your belt?

I am very fortunate in my career to have been involved in some amazing projects - among them, some really big franchise movies. Getting a role in Doctor Who has been a career ambition ever since I can remember.

I was such a fan of the programme when I was young, and I always imagined being The Doctor. I used to borrow my dads old tyre pressure gauge which looked a lot like a sonic screwdriver and stand in my wardrobe, pretending it was the Tardis. Trouble was, it actually felt smaller on the inside!

I met Jon Pertwee when I was about eight and worked with Tom Baker on the BBC series 'The Silver Chair'. I suppose Tom was 'my' Doctor much in the same way people refer to 'their' James Bond.

Without giving too much away, can you tell us a bit about your character Porridge in 'Nightmare In Silver' and what it was like working with a script from the legendary Neil Gaiman?

Porridge is a very interesting character, with a cool back story. All I can say is, he's quite an important person universally.

Neil Gaiman's script is fantastic and it was a pleasure to play the scenes he wrote. And he included Cybermen - what more could I ask! I sincerely hope the fans enjoy it. I've already received a very warm welcome from them, even before the episode has aired which I hope will continue after they've seen it.

With a new series of Stars Wars movies now confirmed, would you be up for a return to the galaxy far, far away?

Of course, I'd love to. I'd like to play a villain...with a lightsaber. Now that would be cool!

The 'Life's Too Short' special was fantastic (as was the first series) can we expect any more, and what other projects do you have coming up that we can look out for?

The special is it, for now. It's down to schedules and timing. Ricky and Stephen are busy people, but we all enjoy working together, so if we can find time, we'll do more. I am currently developing several documentary series, and a radio show. I have my own YouTube channel called 'The Multiverse'. It's the home of sci-fi and fantasy comedy for the geek in all of us. We are producing some brilliant, original shows (many of which I am in too). Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE for free to be the first to see brand new episodes.

I am soon to start shooting a 10 part fantasy / comedy series I have written, and will be directing and appearing in. It's called 'Dwarves Assemble'. I also have a new company that sells exclusive signed memorabilia, in particular, for the first time anywhere, licensed 'Harry Potter' autographs. There is a lot of cool stuff there already, and I'll be adding more all the time. Check it out here: www.thesignatureshop.co.uk.

Finally, if you could take a round trip in the TARDIS anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

I'd like to check out old London around the time of the plague. I know it sounds odd, but I've always been fascinated by that period in history and I think it would be good to wander around for a bit and take in the atmosphere (not the plague though).

+ Buy Warwick's 'Size Matters Not' Autobiography on Amazon for just £7.19!
+ Subscribe to 'The Multiverse' YouTube Channel!
+ Follow Warwick Davis on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 130: The War Machines, Episode Two

Dear diary,

When you think of companion pairings with the Doctor, there are two which only exist as an 'and'. You've got Ian and Barbara, and now Ben and Polly. Now, I've seen plenty of Ian and Bab's adventures before I embarked on this marathon, so those two have always had quite distinct personalities in my mind. Ben and Polly though have always seemed fused together in my mind - you can't have one without the other.

If I did have to pick the one that's more prominent, though, I think I'd go for Polly. I think it's simply because unlike Michael Craze, who plays Ben, Anneke Wills (Polly) is still with us. She's quite prominent in the Doctor Who world, providing linking narration for some of the soundtracks, turning up in Big Finish plays (and not always as Polly - in the days before the Companion Chronicles range allowed us new adventures with the first few Doctors, Wills played Lady Louisa Pollard, mother of Eighth Doctor companion Charley), on DVD commentaries and on special features. She makes hundreds of appearances at Doctor Who conventions, and is all-round a lovely person.

I've only met her the once, when running a signing with Terry Molloy about five years ago. A woman arrived at the desk to ask if she could cut in and say hello to her 'old friend' Terry. Imagine our surprise when we realised that it was Polly Wright! Still, the fact that she's so ubiquitous within Who means that she's always felt like the half of the 'and' pairing that's stronger.

So it's surprising to watch today's episode, in which Polly has little to do but general secretary things, and it's Ben who fulfills the role of the Doctor's companion more actively. He's sent off to scour the part of the city where the tramp has been killed, and to see if he can find anything out that may help them discover what's really going on. He even gets to take centre stage for the cliffhanger, as a War Machine advances on him.

It's good, too, because Ben's actually great, isn't he? Craze's accent if fantastic and refreshing (Dodo's was a bit of a shock to begin with, but it was firmly RP by the end), and I'm hoping they don't tune it down. It's also interesting to see Ben treating the Doctor with respect simply because he's an older gentleman, and that's what Ben has always been taught to do. I'm really pleased that he's breaking himself out of the 'Ben and Polly' mould so early, with a great opportunity to shine.

It's following Ben out to the warehouse in Covent garden that gives us today's opportunity to see how strange this story is. Forget alien planets, or the Wild West, this is where the series is most alien to me. Right in the heart of central London in the swinging sixties. There's a scene early on in the episode when the Doctor gets into a taxi with his companions, and it's bizarre. It's not what the show does at this point, so I really don't know how to take it! It's looking great, though.

Oh, but Dodo. Poor, poor Dodo. I knew that this was her last episode, and that she ends up turfed from the story with little more than a cursory wave of the hand, but how desperate does the Doctor sound to get rid of her? When he tells Ben that Dodo is feeling 'a little under the weather', the sailor hopes that she'll be ok. The Doctor cuts him off, though, proclaiming that she'll be fine, and he's more worried about Polly, anyway. There we are, then. I guess he's made his decision!

Jackie Lane doesn't even get much of a chance to do much in her goodbye. Apart from trying to tempt the Doctor off in the wrong direction, and some general 'hypnotised' acting, that's her lot, and she's off to the country. A real shame. Dodo's only been a short-term companion by comparison to some of the other's we've has, but it's a pity not to see her given a proper send off.

But the city is under attack, and Doctor Who is still required (see? It is his name in this point of the programme! Doctor Who is required)!

8/10 

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 129: The War Machines, Episode One

Dear diary,

The War Machines is one of those strange Doctor Who stories that I always think of being very fond of, but don't think I've actually ever watched all the way through. If I have seen it right to the end, then I doubt that I was paying proper attention to it. I was probably using it for background noise.

And yet, this one has always had an effect on me. Whenever I go to London, I always keep an eye out for the BT tower, and i think my fascination with it comes partly from this story. The rest of my interest comes from a general love of the 1960s as a decade. It's easy enough to look back on it with rose-tinted glasses, but there's a lot about that age that I really love, and it gets summed up perfectly by Tony Benn in a special feature about the tower on this DVD: 'confidence was so high, people really did believe that they could do anything'.

1960s London, in particular, is a magical place. People talk of 'Swinging London', and it's really an image that's stuck, fifty years on. It's a decade that's symbolised by freedom and fashion. I think that's why I've got a bit of an affinity towards this story, because The War Machines takes Doctor Who - another icon of the 60's, along with the Beatles - and places it right in the heart of the city, just as the decade is about to explode. England won the World Cup mere weeks after this story went out.

Right from the start, when the Doctor and Dodo step out of the TARDIS and onto a London street, it feels vibrant and new. I said yesterday that the arrival of Jenna-Louise Coleman to the new series had given it a new lease of life, and this story seems to be doing the same thing for Season Three. Steven has gone, and by the end of this story, Dodo will have departed, too. We're off onto a new phase of the programme.

Ben and Polly signify this perfectly - the pair of them light up the screen from the moment they start sharing it. It's telling that I'd forgotten Polly was ever Professor Brett's assistant in this story, I thought she came ready made as a companion pair with Ben at the nightclub. It adds something to it, though, seeing them meet for the first time, knowing that they're about to share a number of adventures in time and space.

Dodo doesn't fare quite so well, sadly. She's good fun to begin with, having a laugh with the Doctor (there's a really wonderful moment early on, when the Doctor has set off for the tower, and she chases after him up the street. As she catches up with him, they link arms and smile at each other. Never has the idea of Dodo as a replacement granddaughter felt more suitable), and being excited to be back in her own time and place.

There's an element of Rose Tyler to her, here. In The End of the World, having returned to Earth to be reassured by the Doctor that everything is ok, all Rose can think about is how much she wants some chips. It's nice! It's normal! All those adventures, out among the stars, they're fantastic. There's nothing like getting back home, though. It's that same feeling you get after a long holiday away. Dodo really did just stumble into the TARDIS the last time it landed here (is that why the Doctor made that 'out of order' sign?), and she's seen so much since then, but now she's back. Lovely.

In some ways, it feels obvious that she'll be leaving in this story. She's back home in her own time, her own city… There's a couple of obvious replacements hanging out with her down at the Inferno club. It's a shame I know she's not going to get the exit she deserves. And it looks like she's not going to get a chance to shine too much as a character before she goes, either. She spends parts of this episode complaining about a headache, before being taken under the control of Wotan, and sent off to do his bidding. A shame, yes, but it's good fun to watch. We've never had a companion hypnotised like this before, and Jackie Lane is making the most of it, doing it brilliantly.

…Hm? Sorry? What? Oh, no, it's ok. We don't have to talk about that bit of the story. It's fine.

Oh, all right, then. You know the bit. “Doctor Who is required”. It's a moment that causes a fair bit of controversy among fans who scream as loud as possible that his name isn't 'Doctor Who' (it doesn't half wind up my other half when I tell her that's his name). The thing is, at this point in the programme, it is his name! There's no getting away from it!

For as long as Gerry Davies is sitting in the script editor's chair, the lead character in this programme is called 'Doctor Who', and there's nothing we can do about it. I can't say it particularly bothers me, but I'm interested to know what others think. Leave a comment, or a tweet, or pop over to the 50 Year Diary Facebook page and let me know what you think.

Is it his name? At least for now? Does it drive you mad when people call him 'Doctor Who'? I'm genuinely interested to know!

Is it his name? At least for now? Does it drive you mad when people call him 'Doctor Who'? I'm genuinely interested to know! 

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 128: The Savages, Episode Four

Dear diary,

Susan and David fell in love, sharing special moments in the heat of a Dalek conquest. Ian and Barbara spent almost two years trying to get back home, and finally managed it in a fully-functional Dalek time machine. Vicki remained in ancient Troy to convince her love that she hadn't betrayed him.

Katarina sacrificed herself to give her friends a chance at escape. Brett Vyon was wrongly shot down in cold blood by his own sister in the pursuit of justice, and she then met her fate when brought up against the might of the Daleks' Time Destructor.

Steven Taylor… was pretty much booted off the TARDIS when the Doctor saw an opportunity to get rid of him. Ah. Something's not right, there. When I started this story, I said that one of the two things I knew about it was that Steven departed in Episode Four. Had I not known that, though, and had just been watching through blindly… I don't think I'd have known this was his final tale. There's nothing wrong with the reasons for his departure: The Savages have seen enough from him to want him as their leader, and the Doctor concurs. But it comes from nowhere, and looking at the tele snaps, Steven himself even looks confused by the way things are unfolding.

Every time a companion has left the series so far (or, at least, in the case of the 'regular' companions, for which there;s no debate over), I've praised how well it's been handled. There's always plenty of little hints in the story that the time has come, and when we reach the end it only feels natural that they should be on the wrong side of the TARDIS doors when it departs. What this story needed was a few instances of Steven musing that there was a 'better way' to rule this planet, and a solution that would allow the two peoples of the world to live in peace.

We needed a few more moments of his imparting wisdom to the Savages, really stepping up and showing them that he knew what he was doing. As it is, we know he'll probably make a pretty good job of things, because we've been following his journey for some time now, but they've only known him for a few days! It's a shame to see the age of 'sudden departures' coming into play here (and even more prominently in the next story), knowing that it will stretch out across a good deal more companion exits in the future.

Before listening to this episode, I heard a Peter Purves interview online. I think it had been cobbled together from a number of sources, but it was pretty well done, and I certainly enjoyed it. In the interview, Peter made a statement that I've heard him say on a number of occasions before now - that he'd like the Doctor to return to the world of the Savages, and find that Steven has become a total despot. The more I think about it, the more I really like the idea, and I think it could work. It's almost needed as a counter balance to the sudden departure - Steven just doesn't know what he's doing, so he makes things worse. I'd love to hear something like this… maybe Peter needs to pitch the idea to Big Finish?

I'll speak about this episode as a whole in a moment, but first I want to just take a moment to think over how fantastic Steven has been in the series. For years and years, now, I've always simply listed Ian as being my favourite First Doctor companion. Having done his stories in order, followed by Stevens, though, I think it's fair to say that my allegiance has switched. I think it has something to do with the length of time that both characters have stayed with the TARDIS. By the end of Ian and Barbara's time in the series, I was just sick of them. I'd stopped enjoying their adventures, and I think it had a negative effect on the Second Series for me.

Steven has stuck around for just about half as long as those two did, and he leaves now with me wanting to see a bit more from him. I'm not really ready for him to go. Even if it's just another story or two, to round out the season, I'm keen to have more from him. That, I think, is the secret. Get the companion out before i tire of them. A similar thing happened with Amy Pond - while I was never overly keen on her from the beginning, by the time that Season Seven rolled around I'd just had enough. I didn't care about the character. Now that we've embarked on this second half of the series, with Janna-Louise lighting up the screen every week, it feels fresh and new. Fantastic.

On the whole, I think The Savages has been something of a surprise. It's never been a story that people often speak about, but rather just lump it in as part of the 'missing' episodes. It hasn't got the reputation of something like Marco Polo or The Web of Fear to pull it out from the crowd. Having just had a look at the DWM 'Mighty 200' poll from 2009, in which readers were asked to rate all the stories up to that point, The Savages came in at #162. Out of 200! Even Love & Monsters came in nine places higher, and a large proportion of fandom seems to hate that story!

I have to wonder if it simply is a case that people just don't know about this story. That's pretty much the boat I was in, knowing it was there at the end of Season Three, but not really knowing what it was about. In many ways, it's Doctor Who by numbers: and there's lots of similarities to other tales throughout (I've compared it to bits of The Keys of Marinus, The Space Museum, The Celestial Toymaker, and The Gunfighters over the last few days), and there's bits of it that will crop up so many times in the future of the programme (mostly the look of the TARDIS stood in the quarry) that it feels a bit like we've seen it all before… but everything here is done really very well!

I'm so desperately keen to give this episode an '8'. I've really enjoyed it on the whole, and the scene of people trashing the lab must have looked fantastic, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Letting Steven go so suddenly and with no warning is too unforgivable. I'll be lowering the score a little, but moving The Savages right up my list of 'stories I'd love to see recovered soon please'. Seems like a fair trade-off to me.

7/10 

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 127: The Savages, Episode Three

Dear diary,

You can sort of tell that we’re reaching the tail-end of William Hartnell’s time in the role, now. In the first couple of years, ‘holiday spotting’ was something that each character went through for maybe two episodes a season. Usually, it was a case of seeing which regular had the least screen-time, and spent it away from the others. Now, the Doctor is taking more and more time away from the screen. He is in this episode, but he doesn’t really do a whole lot more than groan a bit.

I made a similar point during The Gunfighters, that the Doctor seemed to be carrying less and less of the action – and obviously The Celestial Toymaker sees him invisible for a large chunk of the time. There’s a real sense of the Doctor (and Hartnell) starting to slow up, which is a real shame. After the heights he’s hit at points recently (I’m thinking mostly of how fantastic he looks during some of The Time Meddler and Masterplan) I’m sad to see him being whittled down.

It means that we’ve got today, as in The Celestial Toymaker, a chance to think about replacing him. There we had the suggestion that he may come back as a different actor, here it’s seeing how another actor may take on the part, while still playing it in the style of Hartnell himself. Frederick Jaeger does a great job of impersonating the Doctor: I was stood giggling to myself for a while as it happened. It really is spot-on as impressions go, and it works quite well. It’s an interesting idea for the transference, though are we to assume that this doesn’t happen when they transfer the Savages? It’s only because the Doctor is a time traveller, or at least a ‘higher’ life form?

Fun as it is to see here on this occasion, I can’t imagine anyone playing the part as Hartnell’s Doctor for any sustained period of time. It’s a very good impression, but it’s just not him. The biggest shame is that, after today, we’ve only got another thirteen episodes before he leaves, so I want to soak up as much Hartnell as I can before then – to misquote the Tenth Doctor, I don’t want him to go!

Still, Hartnell not being in the episode much means that Peter Purves and Jackie Lane are left to carry the majority of the episode. The Wife in Space blog once made a point that they ‘should have called the show Ian’. At this stage, they might as well be calling it Steven. It wouldn't last all that long (I know he's off in the next episode, even if this story has yet to signpost it!), but it's good enough, 'cos I'm still really liking Steven as a companion.

I was worrying yesterday that things were about to take a sharp downturn, with not enough plot to sustain the remaining 50-minute running time of the story. Thankfully, that's not yet happened, and it's been averted by clever use of… Episode Three Syndrome!?! I'm sure I've spoken about this before, but I always think that three episodes is the optimum length for most of 20th-century Doctor Who. There's more than a few of the four-part stories that could stand to lose about an episode's worth of material from the latter half.

I tend to call it 'Episode Three Syndrome' - that feeling that you need to fill twenty-five minutes of screen time before the climax, so you mostly have the characters running up and down corridors, getting captured and escaping, and ending the episode in more-or-less the same position that they started in.

Here, all of that happens. Steven and Dodo are pursued by the guards all the way to the cave homes of the Savages, who help to shelter them, and lead them down a tunnel in an attempt to hide. They're followed all the way, though, until a guard has them cornered… and they escape! They hurry back to the city to free the Doctor, who is still begin held in the lab. They retrieve him, take him out into the corridor, where they're then gassed and are under threat from a deadly gas.

Most of this could probably have come at the start of Episode Four in a (very) condensed form: Steven and Dodo are helped by a Savage to enter the city, they rescue the Doctor, but then get gassed. It really works, though. It allows us to see more of the Savages as a people and helps to give them more depth. It's also a good thing that the tele snaps make their caves look impressive. We've seen Christopher barry directing in caves before, and he's always done a good job of it, but this looks much better than I'm used to.

And then all the stuff in the corridor at the end looks fantastic, too. I've already praised the design of this corridor in previous entries, but it looks great with the smoke billowing down it. The scene is then enhanced by William Hartnell's performance. I know I've said all he really does is stumble around and groan a lot, but looking at the tele snaps… how un-nerving does he look? There's one particular shot (It's the fourth one from the end of page 65 in the new DWM special, for anyone following along at home), where he's stood between Steven and Dodo, and he's completely out of it.

It almost looks as though he's had a stroke, and it's a state that we've never seen the Doctor in before. It'd unsettling, and really helps to sell the threat of the transference to us. Forget the Daleks, this is what you should be scared of. Anything that can do this to the Doctor is not good…

7/10 

The fifth instalment in a sensational series of stories celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is written by Patrick Ness, multi-award winning author of the Chaos Walking trilogy and the Carnegie winning A Monster Calls.

Speaking to DWO, Patrick had the following to say on his upcoming title:

"I was delighted to be asked! And the Fifth Doctor is so interesting, too. I've been saying he's the one of all of them who would most likely be a novelist. Always watching, observing, before leaping into action.

Tip of the Tongue is about a fad that's swept through the teens of a small Maine town during WWII. And of course, nothing is what it seems.  Maybe I shouldn't say anymore.

But I did think, as this Doctor is the most observant of all the Doctors, why not make this story one of those where he doesn't actually take centre-stage?  One of those where a non-canon character is the lead and we see the Doctor through their eyes. I always like those episodes. They really remind you of the wonderful strangeness of the Doctor"

Synopsis:

In 1945, a strange new craze for Truth Tellers is sweeping the kids of small-town America. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa soon arrive to investigate the phenomenon, only to discover that the actual truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined…

Eleven Doctors, eleven months, eleven stories: a year-long celebration of Doctor Who! The most exciting names in children's fiction each create their own unique adventure about the time-travelling Time Lord.

About the author:

Born in Virginia, USA Patrick Ness spent his upbringing in the states of Hawaii, Washington and California before moving permanently to the UK.

He is the author of the Chaos Walking trilogy which established him as one of the most original and exciting writers of today. The trilogy has won many awards including the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the CILIP Carnegie Medal.

Patrick’s sixth book A Monster Calls received high critical acclaim and is the winner of the Children’s Book of the Year Award at the Galaxy National Book Awards, the Red House Children’s Book Award and the UKLA Children’s Book Prize.

In June 2012, A Monster Calls became the first book ever to win both prestigious CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals. His highly anticipated new novel for adults, The Crane Wife, was inspired by a Japanese folk tale and just published by Canongate in April 2013.

A daring new YA novel More Than This is forthcoming later this year from Walker (Candlewick in the US).

+  Tip Of The Tongue is released on 23rd May 2013, Priced £1.99.

+  Preorder this eBook on Amazon for £1.99.
+  Preorder this eBook from iTunes for £1.99.

+  Check Out Patrick Ness's Website.

[Source: Puffin Books]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 126: The Savages, Episode Two

Dear diary,

Worryingly, I’m about to compare this story to The Space Museum. Yes! I can feel your collective shudder as you read that. What I mean is that there’s several elements common to both of these stories. Not particularly in-depth ones, but a few all the same. The main thing is that you’ve a group of ‘leaders’ (The Moroks/The Elders) and a group of people ready to rise up against them (The Xerons/The Savages). Were Vicki here, she’d have incited a rebellion by now. I’m guessing that’s going to be Steven or Dodo’s role before too long.

Then there’s the Doctor being strapped down and prepared for an experiment. In The Space Museum, it works as a threat because we’ve already seen the outcome – the Doctor and his friends frozen in the glass display cases. Here, the threat comes from having just watched the experiment performed on Nanina, and having seen the after-effects of the experiment on Wylda, who’s left to ‘recover’ outside the city.

There's also the fact that there's no easily identifiable 'monsters' in either of these two stories. In both cases, we're very much presented with a side of 'good' and 'bad', but there's no rubber suits on display, and no monster-of-the-week to latch onto. In some ways, it feels like this could be a historical story - there just happens to be a laboratory of advanced equipment and some light guns dropped in.

Thankfully, I’m enjoying this story more than I did The Space Museum. Today is a bit of a step down from yesterday (but then we’ve yet to have two 9/10 days in a row in this marathon, so it doesn’t come as a massive surprise), but it’s still kept me interested.

One of the things that I’m really enjoying is the look of this tale. Regular readers will know that I tend to experience the missing episodes by listening to the narrated soundtracks (recons tend to let my mind wander too much), so often my idea of what a story looks like is based on any surviving episodes, half-remembered photos from the tales, or simply what my head decides to come up with. The Myth Makers, for example was entirely in my mind, with the exception of the horse, which I can remember from plenty of promo images.

This time around, though, I’m supplementing the soundtracks by having a look through the recent First Doctor tele-snap special from the guys at DWM. I’m not sticking slavishly to following along the images in time with the soundtrack, it’s more of a case where I listen to the episode and have a glance over them. Occasionally, I've nipped over to the BBC's Doctor Who website, where they're available at a larger size.

And some of them are gorgeous! That corridor down to the lab is stunning (and there’s plenty of photos of it, too. I keep waiting for one to show it up as being awful, but it hasn’t happened yet. Hooray!). The design of the savages is pretty great, too. They’re one of those images from Doctor Who that I was always aware of but didn’t really know anything about them. When the story began, I figured that they were the Elders. Here they are, though, and they look fantastic. Bizarre, yes. Unsettling, perhaps. But great!

(Actually, in some ways, I'm a bit saddened that they aren't the Elders. In my mind, these strange, ancient men were savages who lived on a barren planet - most of the photos show them in the shrubbery - and that the story was going to involve them. Now I've experienced half the tale, I really love the idea of these people tracking the Doctor across time and space using primitive technology! Ah well.)

The tele-snaps also show plenty of the location filming from Doctor Who’s first alien quarry planet. From what we can see, it looks pretty impressive, and it actually works! It's on display better in the first episode than it is here today, but I'm really taken aback by it - Doctor Who's quarry planets are the stuff comedians have joked about for years, but they've nailed it on the first attempt!

The images don’t really give much of an indication of how the piece will have been directed, but thinking back over Chris Barry’s previous work, I can’t remember being floored by it. I’m choosing to imagine it as directed by Douggie Camfield instead – his camera work in those corridors would be gorgeous! That's not to say that Christopher Barry wouldn't have done a great job with it - but since I've got the free-reign to imagine…!

My worry now is where the story may go from here. It’s been quite a strong start, and the cliffhanger is pretty good as well (it’s always of interest when the Doctor is incapacitated like this, and separated from his companions – and, therefore, from help!). The danger is that rebellion seems the next logical step for the story, but I don’t know wether that’ll be enough to fill the next 50 minutes. The Space Museum didn’t really hold a great deal of interest for me once the rebellion started, so I’m concerned for the future of this one…

7/10 

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 125: The Savages, Episode One

Dear diary,

The recently released Doctor Who Magazine special, which reprints a number of First Doctor-era teles naps (which I’m using to supplement the narrated soundtrack for this story) features an introduction for this story by Jonathan Morris, which describes The Savages as having 'the dubious distinction of being the lest-known Doctor Who story’. You know what? He’s not wrong.

There’s several eras of Doctor Who with which I’m not all that familiar. I can rattle off the order of stories pretty well for the most part, but Seasons Fifteen and Seventeen often get a bit muddled in my mind, for example. Ditto the latter few bits of the Hartnell era. I know now that it runs Savages / War Machines / Smugglers / Tenth Planet, but for a long time, this one and The Smugglers were pretty interchangeable in my mind. They both begin with ‘S’, they come at the tail end of the First Doctor’s tenure, and they don’t exist at all. Easily forgotten.

Add to that the fact that I don’t really know anything about this story - it features some people in heavy ‘old age’ make up, and Steven departs, that’s all I could tell you – and it doesn’t really shoot very high on my list of most anticipated stories. Which is a shame, really, because this first episode is brilliant!

I love it when this happens. I’ve sat down to listen to the first episode, not really knowing what to expect from the story, and I’ve been gripped from the word ‘go’. There’s a lot of the feeling of a Season One story in here – the Doctor and his companions arrive on a strange alien world which may not be where they think it is. The Doctor goes to explore (a concept that I praised quite a lot during An Unearthly Child and The Daleks), before they’re captured by the natives.

Once inside their city, the trio are treated like royalty. In many ways, it put me in mind of Morpheton from The Keys of Marinus, and despite what you might be thinking… that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Enough time has passed since then for me to quite enjoy it feeling similar in tone.

Crucially, though, there’s an added extra level to the proceedings here. The Elders of this civilisation aren’t just reacting to the arrival of the Doctor and his companions – they’ve been actively waiting for it: Plotting the TARDIS’ journey across time and space, and predicting his arrival (Interesting, since the ship until now has seemed fairly random in its landings. Is there a greater pattern to them that we perhaps can’t see?). It even leads to a great title being given to the Doctor - ‘You are known to us as the Traveller From Beyond Time’ – which helps to mythologise him even more to these people. It’s an interesting twist in the format, and one which really helped to drag me in pretty quick. I’ll be interested to see where they’re going with this, and if we discover any more about the way they’ve followed the Doctor’s adventures up to now (maybe they can pick up BBC transmissions, and his arrival was signposted by that week’s Radio Times?)

Steven and Dodo are paired away from the Doctor again, here. Surely they must be the companion team that spend the least amount of time actually with the Doctor? They’re relatively close-knit during The Ark, but spend only about ten minutes of The Celestial Toymaker together, and not a great deal more in The Gunfighters. Here, they’ve been separated as soon as we’re done with the cliffhanger reprise, and only briefly reunited later on.

It’s probably a good thing, then that they get plenty to do anyway. It’s through this pair that we first get our real exposure to the titular savages, and its via their tour of the city that we really get to see that there’s something sinister going on that’s neatly tucked away behind all this gloss and happiness. The best way I could think of describing it when Peter Purves’ narration talks of a guard slipping out of a concealed door was the ‘Utilidors’ at Disneyland – a hidden network of tunnels and staff areas tucked away from prying eyes for the use of the staff and accessed through secret doors dotted right across the park.

I’m hoping that the rest of the story continues in this vein – the Hartnell tale that I – probably – know the least about, and it could turn out to be the surprise hit of the run!

9/10 

The overnight viewing figures are in for 7.11: The Crimson Horror.

The episode achieved a figure of 4.61m viewers, with an audience share of 25.2%, and Doctor Who was the third most-watched programme for Saturday, once again winning its time-slot for the evening.

Top Overnights - Saturday 4th May:

1 - 10.13m - Britain's Got Talent - ITV1 (Includes +1)
2 - 7.99m - The Voice - BBC One 
3 - 4.61m - Doctor Who - BBC One

Final BARB ratings will be available within the next 10 days.

Series 7 Part 2 Final BARB Ratings roundup:

7.6: The Bells Of Saint John = 8.44m
7.7: The Rings Of Akhaten = 7.45m
7.8: Cold War = 7.37m 
7.9: Hide = 6.61m

+  What did you think of the episode? Rate / Discuss in the DWO Forums!

[Source: Andy Parish]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 124: The O.K. Corral (The Gunfighters, Episode Four)

Dear diary,

The big draw of this episode, of course, was always going to be the gunfight. I don't know all that much about the 'Wild' West, but I know enough to understand that in a Western film, the O.K. Corral is associated with a big fight. I also understand enough about Doctor Who in this period to know that it'll either be a triumph or a real letdown.

Thankfully, it comes out as the former. It doesn't hurt that it's all been done on film, and therefor instantly looks better than it could have done in Riverside studios. The real star of the gunfight surely has to be Doc Holliday, who really comes into his own here. Throughout the story, he's been used as a kind of comic relief. From pulling the Doctor's tooth in Episode One, through to being 'held up' by Dodo in yesterday's episode, he's never really carried too much of a threat.

And yet we keep having characters turn up to seek revenge against him for being a cold killer. The story opens with the Clantons out to get him, and Johnny Ringo joins in at the halfway point. We've seen the Doc kill before now and he spent some time at the start of the tale manipulating people into thinking that our Doctor was him, so that people could shoot first and he'd slip away scott-free.

Here, though, we finally get to see some of his true personality. During the gunfight, he's cooler than Johnny Ringo! We even get to see that demonstrated when he kills the man. The whole sequence is well played, and really tense - it's everything that you'd expect from a Western gunfight. It's almost a shame that the Doctor doesn't keep Holliday's 'Wanted' poster, though. I like the idea that he'd have kept it hung up in the TARDIS somewhere.

Speaking of the Doctor, I've yet to mention just how good he looks in this story. His costume has always been about right for this era, but it's surprising how much the addition of a stetson and a Sheriff's badge makes it look spot-on. It could have been designed especially for this story and it wouldn't look out of place. It's also surprising how comfortable the Doctor looks in the Old West. There's a moment in the Sheriff's office where he's leaning against a pillar and he looks more cool and relaxed than I think we've ever seen him.

On the whole, it's fair to say that this story easily defies its long-standing reputation as 'The Worst Doctor Who Story Ever'. With the exception of Episode Two (which may have just been an off-day for me), I've been hooked right the way through. There's been a perfect mix of comedy and drama, and it really does surprise me that it took them until last year's A Town Called Mercy to return to this type of setting - it suits the programme so well! It's the kind of place I can imagine the series going in the 1980's very easily, and I'm a bit saddened that it never happened!

Perhaps most notably, though, this is the last time in the classic run that the series uses individual titles for each episode! I have to admit that I've never really thought all that much of them: it was just something that the programme did for the first couple of years, and then dropped out of doing. Having actually watched all these episodes like this… I've realised how much I like having the individual titles! It adds something fun to the end of the episodes, and I'm going to be missing those 'Next Episode' captions.

But for today, we do have a 'Next Episode' caption, so for the last ('official') time…

Next Episode: Dr. Who and the Savages

Next Episode: Dr. Who and the Savages 

Episode #290 of the DWO WhoCast, Doctor Who Podcast is Out Now!

In this week's episode of the DWO WhoCast...

A great mind and a beautiful young woman whose relationship is the matter of speculation are joined by their thuggish associate as they watch The Crimson Horror, the latest episode of Doctor Who written by Mark Gatiss and starring Matt Smith, Jenna Louise Coleman and Dame Diana Rigg.

Listen to Episode #290 of the DWO WhoCast in the player below:

+ Rate / Review the DWO WhoCast on iTunes!
+ Rate / Review the DWO WhoCast on the DWO Forums!
+ Follow the DWO WhoCast on Twitter!
+ Like the DWO WhoCast on Facebook!

[Source: DWO]

DWO’s spoiler-free preview of episode 7.12 Nightmare in Silver:

When The Doctor takes Clara, Artie, and Angie to Hedgewick’s World of Wonders, the greatest theme park in the galaxy, they find themselves in a run-down world, where a group of soldiers stand guard, and the only attraction is a shabby collection of ‘wonders’ from across the stars. But the time travellers aren’t the only visitors to this world. Unusual insects climb the walls, relaying data to ensure the re-emergence of the Cyberiad… 

It may seem like an odd decision to pit The Doctor against The Cybermen in the penultimate episodes of both the Sixth and Seventh series, but the role they play in events are wildly different between the two stories. Whereas 2011’s Closing Time features a group of tin soldiers who were on their last legs, Nightmare in Silver is very much about looking to the future, and creating the next phase of The Cybermen. 

Writer Neil Gaiman recently commented that he was asked to write the episode with a brief to make The Cybermen scary again:

"I thought, 'Let me see what I can do when I take the 1960s Cybermen and [incorporate] everything that's happened since'. So that's what I'm trying to do. I don't know if it will work."

We're pleased to report that not only does it work, but it works brilliantly. The episode is littered with references to the Cybermen’s past - with design elements from The Tomb of the Cybermen bleeding through into the new design of a Cyber-ship, to references concerning the creatures’ previous allergies and leaders. For a fan of the 20th century version of Doctor Who, this episode is a real treasure trove. 

The Cybermen themselves have had a complete design overhaul, too, which makes them more streamlined that the version the programme has used since 2006. This new design takes in elements from the earliest versions of the creatures, while fully updating them to look sleek and modern. The design also brings with it some new forms of attack, and takes the opportunity to re-appropriate the idea of a Cyberman ‘upgrade’.

But the new-look Cybermen aren’t Nightmare in Silver’s only big draw. The episode boasts a fantastic cast, including Jason Watkins (best known for his role as vampire leader Herrick in Being Human), and a long-overdue appearance in the series for Warwick Davis, Who shines in the role of ‘Porridge’. 

As ever, the episode allows plenty of time to showcase its two lead stars, even giving Matt Smith plenty of time to share the screen with himself, as he battles with the impending threat of a cyber-war. Jenna-Louise Coleman gets to show us what Clara is really made of, when The Doctor leaves her in charge of a platoon of soldiers with two simple instructions - stay alive, and don’t let anyone blow up the planet.

Stephen Woolfenden makes his directorial debut for Doctor Who with this episode, having worked as a second unit director on four of the Harry Potter films, and as a First Assistant Director on Gaiman’s Neverwhere in the 1990s. He brings a bold new look to the series with this episode, and it’s hard not to get swept up in the epic style of the episode. 

Speaking of Nightmare in Silver at the MCM Expo Comic Con in London last year, Matt Smith predicted that the episode would be a ‘fan’s favourite’, and we don’t think he’s going to be wrong!

Five things to look out for...

1) It’s not the Moon.

2) “We all know there are no more living Cybermen…”

3) The Doctor encounters the 699th Wonder of the World.

4) Time Lords invented chess.

5) Nobody needs rescuing from anything. 

[Sources: DWO; Will Brooks]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 123: Johnny Ringo (The Gunfighters, Episode Three)

Dear diary,

One of the things that often seems to be cited for people disliking The Gunfighters is the singing narration. I can't say it's really been bothering me too much (if anything, it adds a certain amount of character, and certainly makes the story stand out!), but today's episode is starting to try my patience with the idea - there's an awful lot of recapping everything we've just watched.

This episode is also home to the best use of the singing narration, though. It comes once we've seen Charlie the barman shot, and the narration plays out over a shot of his lifeless body slumped across the bar. The camera pulls back slowly from the image, toward the top of the stairs. It really leaves Charlie's death to linger, in a way that many in the series don't.

His death, along with that of Warren at the end, and one of Doc Holliday's 'old friends' off screen really paint a picture of the Wild West being a dangerous place - just as dangerous as any alien planet that the TARDIS might land on. It's great to see this, and I have to admit that I'm enjoying the period more than I thought I would - I've never been the biggest fan of Westerns (there's nothing wrong with them, I've just never been all that keen), but this one is really drawing me in.

It helps, I think, that the sets are so nice. I think I'm right in saying that this was the first time a Western of this scale was mounted as a fully studio-bound production in the UK, but I don't think you can tell. The style of the piece certainly feels like a stereotypical Western, and all the right boxes are being ticked. The only thing I could take issue with is that the hotel the Doc, Kate, and Dodo stay at has a corridor set that's near identical to one from a Fawlty Towers story. That doesn't half lower the tension.

Praise also has to be given to the man this episode takes its name from - Johnny Ringo. He's, again, fairly stereotypical as a 'bad' cowboy, dressed head-to-toe in black, strolling into the Last Chance Saloon and lighting his cigarette over one of the lamps. He says very few words to begin with, but it's enough to leave Charlie quivering in his presence… and then he shoots him dead anyway.

He's arrived in the tale at just the right moment, in time to perk things up for me a bit when things were in danger of dragging on. He brings with him a new backstory for Kate, and a new angle towards the various vendettas against Doc Holliday. The next episode's title gives a good indication as to what's coming, but I must confess that, as has often been the case with historicals of late, I've not got much knowledge of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Frankly, anything could happen and I'd be none the wiser.

Next Episode: The O.K. Corral

Next Episode: The O.K. Corral 

Our friends over at The Westminster Collection have just sent us details of their band new framed collection of Doctor Who Royal Mail Stamps.

With this year being the the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who - the world’s longest running science fiction series - Royal Mail have celebrated with the launch of a special set of 11 new stamps. Now you can own them ALL in one superb Limited Edition Framed Presentation - officially licensed with BBC Worldwide Ltd.

The stamps feature each of the actors who have played The Doctor over the last five decades - from the present Doctor, Matt Smith, through David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Tom Baker, Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton, to the very First Doctor, William Hartnell.

Significantly, ONLY 9,500 collections have been postmarked with the special TARDIS postmark on their First Day of Issue – 26th March 2013 with a specially designed TARDIS postmark – and each will arrive individually numbered and professionally framed, ready to hang in your home.

We already have one hanging in our office and I know they are selling quickly, so please make sure you don't miss out by ordering today!

+  Order The Westminster Collection Doctor Who Framed Stamps Collection.

[Sources: The Westminster Collection]

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world’s longest running sci-fi series Doctor Who in 2013, Toys ”R” Us will launch a special 5-inch action figure collection that includes all eleven reincarnations of the Doctor alongside his most infamous foe – the Daleks.

Commencing from May 2013, 11 limited edition commemorative twin packs will be launched, each featuring a different Doctor together with the Dalek design that he faced in his adventures.

The first three packs will be available to pre-order from 1st May and comprise of;

The Second Doctor played by Patrick Troughton and the Silver and Blue Dalek he faced in The Evil of the Daleks.

The Sixth Doctor played by Colin Baker and the White and Gold Dalek he encountered in Revelation of the Daleks.

The Tenth doctor played by David Tennant and the formidable Bronze Dalek that attempted to exterminate the universe in The Stolen Earth.

The 5-inch figure sets are incredibly detailed and expected to be hotly sought after by fans. Each set is only available for a limited time, and will be replaced by another three sets from this unique series in the summer, details of which will be announced soon.

Mike Coogan, Marketing Director at Toys “R” Us commented:

“We are delighted and excited to be able to offer our customers this commemorative Doctor Who action figure collection. There are so many fans of the Doctor and collectors from the past 50 years who will be eager to own mementos of the anniversary year and these prestigious twin packs will have special meaning to them, whatever their age.”

The first three exclusive Doctor Who Doctor and Daleks sets at Toys “R” Us will be priced at £19.99 and fans will be able to pre-order online from 1st May 2013. Updates on expected delivery of sets will be notified via the Toys ”R” Us UK Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/toysrusuk.

[Sources: Character Options]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 122: Don't Shoot the Pianist (The Gunfighters, Episode Two)

Dear diary,

I think The Gunfighters is going to be one of those odd ones where I don't quite know what to make of it. Yesterday's episode was pretty good, and I enjoyed it, but today… I just couldn't really get into it. In the end, I watched the first 15 minutes a bit half-heartedly, went away for an hour or so before dragging myself back to finish the episode off. I don't know what happened, but it did the trick - I was really caught up in the last ten minutes of the story!

There's still an awful lot to like about all of this - Peter Purves is still on top form playing up the comedy in the situation. His American accent may not be great, but it's fun enough to listen to, and it's a darn sight better than many of the others that we've got on display. It's a shame that Dodo isn't being given much to do, though. She spends most of this episode locked up in her hotel room asking questions to further the plot quicker.

Actually, while I've briefly mentioned it… why have they got hotel rooms? The TARDIS is parked just up the street, and at the point yesterday that they decided to book them there was nothing preventing them from returning to the ship. It also came before the Doctor decided that this could be something of a holiday, so it's not as though they'd made an active choice to stay outside the ship. Not that it really matters, of course, but it just seems like an odd excuse to give Dodo her hiding place.

I'm growing to quite like the guest cast in all this, too. Doc Holliday was good enough yesterday during the scene where he pulled the Doctor's tooth (are Time Lord teeth just like human ones? I guess they must be…), but he continues to be great here. Praise especially to the moment he comes down the stairs of the Last Chance Saloon, admits that he's the Doc, and shoots a cowboy. It's moments like that one that helped to bring me back into it toward the end of the episode.

Wyatt Earp is making less of an impression on me (and it doesn't help that every time he turns up on screen, I can't help but wonder why his 'Alien Attax' card is so much more common than the others. I must have about ten of him!), but he's providing a nice sounding board for Hartnell. There's some great dialogue for the Doctor again today ('People keep giving me guns, and I do wish they wouldn't!'), and Hartnell gets to pull a priceless facial expression over the closing credits.

For now, I'm willing to say that I still disagree with the 'worst story ever' moniker (really, Jeremy? Worse that The Space Museum? Really?), but I'm hoping that the second half is as engaging as the latter part of today's episode - I don't want this to be one of those tales that becomes a struggle to enjoy.

Next Episode: Johnny Ringo

Next Episode: Johnny Ringo 

Earlier this year, Topps released their new Doctor Who Alien Attax Trading Cards, and DWO recently got a chance to check them out.

The 240-card set is full of high quality trading cards featuring both the new and classic series of Doctor Who, with a broad range of Doctors, Companions, Monsters, Villains and other notable characters from the series.

You can kick-start your collection with the Doctor Who Alien Attax Starter Pack, which retails at £4.99 and includes a collector binder, game guide, game mat and a packet of cards, plus a limited edition Animotion card, to help you get straight into the action. The binder itself looks fantastic once you populate it with your cards (back to back), and serves as a great momento in this 50th anniversary to be able to look back over the many characters the show has produced over the years.

You can also get the Doctor Who Alien Attax Multipack for £5, which comes with 5 card packs and a limited edition Weeping Angel card. There's one more limited edition card available in the Doctor Who Alien Attax Tin, which includes 26 x Regular Cards, 3 x Mirror Foil Cards, 1 x Rainbow Foil Card and 1 x Animotion Limited Edition Card changing between David Tennant and Christopher Eccleson.

It's then up to you to get more packs (just £1 each for 9 cards), swap with friends and keep your eyes peeled for special promotional cards in places like Doctor Who Adventures Magazine.

DWO caught up with Topps' Entertainment Marketing Manager, Anup Dave to talk about the series:

How have you found the reaction to your new Doctor Who Alien Attax Trading Card series?

In a word: Fantastic! The response has been phenomenal, so much so that we sold out of the Doctor Who Alien Attax Collector Tins online and have since had to rush around to see if we can get our hands on as much stock as possible. It’s the fastest selling tin product we have had and at retail, sales have been strong. In fact, upon its launch, Doctor Who Alien Attax was the number one selling entertainment title in several retail chains. 

We have hugely positive feedback on the quality of the collection, from consumers as far away as Australia. The trading card collection is colourful, vibrant and not many product lines can showcase the fact that they feature 50 years of Doctor Who in one complete set.

Topps have had a long and respected reign as producers of trading cards, how did the Doctor Who license come about and did the company ever wish to produce Doctor Who cards before now?

Topps has previously produced the Doctor Who Sticker Collection, from which we launched four fantastic collections, so it was a natural progression for us to seize the opportunity to work with such a renowned, and of course iconic, British show and be able to bring to market an all-new, exciting and compelling trading card game. You could say it was on the cards!

Are there any plans for future additions to the series?

Yes! It’s the 50th Anniversary of the Doctor Who TV show this year, so definitely stay tuned. We would love to reveal more, as we are very excited about the 50th Anniversary, but we are currently at the planning stage to make things happen for a very compelling and exciting product….watch this space!

Fancy winning one of 10 Doctor Who Alien Attax Starter Packs? Head on over to the DWO Competitions section!

+  For further information about the Doctor Who Alien Attax cards, visit www.toppsdirect.com.

[Sources: DWO; Topps]

Will Brooks’ 50 Year Diary - watching Doctor Who one episode a day from the very start... 

Day 121: A Holiday for the Doctor (The Gunfighters, Episode One)

Dear diary,

“To the pain that is a toothache,
the Doctor's not immune,
Now there'll be blood upon the sawdust,
at the Last Chance Saloon”

Ah, The Gunfighters. The worst Doctor Who story of all time. That's the common thinking, isn't it? The story was pretty much declared as the worst in the mid-70s (based on low viewing figures, I believe) and that label has kind of stuck over the years. As with much of Season Three, I've never seen it, so I'll be making my mind up as I go along over the next few days.

It has to be said, if we're basing things on this first episode alone, we're far from scraping rock bottom. We're firmly back in comedy territory now, and it works. It's hard to believe that this is the same show that only a handful of episodes back gave us something dark like The Massacre - we've swung wildly in another direction here.

There's humour to be found almost from the off, with Steven and Dodo thrilled by where they've landed. It's nice to see that, actually, as it's become rare of late. Often, the format this year has been 'Where are we Doctor? Oh really? Let's get on with the adventure, then!'. The reaction here puts me in mind of Barbara's happiness at meeting Marco Polo, or finding herself in an Aztec temple - it helps to make the companions seem real.

Dodo's pretty quick to go an raid the TARDIS wardrobe again (though Steven's gone for something pretty outlandish today, too), and it seems more-and-more as though that's her gimmick. She models the outfits available to the discerning time/space traveller. It seems an odd thing to say, but I like that they actively have to go and change once they realise where they are - it, again, makes it feel like they're exploring rather than just being dumped down somewhere and heading off to take part in the story.

In the End of the Line documentary on this DVD, Peter Purves comments that he “hated [The Gunfighters] so much” when they were making it (though he's changed his mind since then). It seems strange, because he's on fine form here. Steven tries so hard to fit in as a rough, tough cowboy, but he's constantly undermined when he trips over his spurs, or the step to the Saloon. Purves is given a chance to be really quite funny here, and that's nice to see.

The same can be said for Jackie Lane - this might be the best we've seen from her so far. I think it's fair to say that Dodo is even more useless than you remember while playing the Toymaker's games in The Celestial Toymaker, so it's nice to see her given more of a chance to shine here. The song that Steven and Dodo perform at the end of the episode (one of the things people often complain about in relation to the story) is fantastically fun, and the pair are working really well together.

Hartnell's being given plenty of comedy here, too, and it's fun to watch him during his encounter at the dentist. It's not been all that long since I spent a few days dealing with a dreadful toothache, so I can quite easily sympathise with the Doctor's pain. My notes for the episode are filled with little bits from that dentist scene that I could quote at you, but let's just say that I really enjoyed it.

One quote I can't let pass without mention though is his comment to Steven and Dodo in regards to their cover stories: “You can't walk in to a Western town and say you're from Outer Space!” - Love it.

Next Episode: Don't Shoot the Pianist

Next Episode: Don't Shoot the Pianist 

He may not be in the 50th Anniversary Special (as far as official confirmation in this month's Doctor Who Magazine goes) but thanks to a YouTube user, you can now watch some unseen footage of Paul McGann as The Doctor in his audition video for the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie.

The video includes scenes that didn't make it into the final script, with some rather surprising revelations concerning Borusa and The Master, in a rare glimpse into what could have been.

Watch Paul McGann's audition video below:
[youtube:hq5A3HRTfuc] 
[Source: YouTube]

Doctor Who Showrunner Steven Moffat reveals secrets about the explosive series finale, The Name Of The Doctor, exclusively in Doctor Who Magazine 460.

“We’ve only just finished shooting the actual completed ending – it’s ridiculously secret – but it’s quite a thing, hopefully,” says Steven, about The Name of the Doctor. “There’s often an element of throwing in some lovely names, and then figuring it out later, but I’ve always had a sort of plan for the Doctor and Trenzalore. Things will be resolved. Things I’ve left hanging in plain sight – and sometimes not in plain sight – will be tied up…”

Also this issue:

NEW EPISODE PREVIEWS!

DWM previews the final three episodes of the latest series – The Crimson Horror, Nightmare in Silver and The Name of the Doctor – and talks exclusively to writers MARK GATISS and NEIL GAIMAN, and returning guest stars NEVE MCINTOSH (Vastra), CATRIN STEWART (Jenny) and DAN STARKEY (Strax).

OLD FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

The Doctor reflects on the many battles he has had throughout his lives, and must travel to the past to save the future of the Earth… Don’t miss the penultimate chapter of our comic strip epic, HUNTERS OF THE BURNING STONE, written by SCOTT GRAY, with art from MARTIN GERAGHTY, DAVID A ROACH and JAMES OFFREDI.

FAREWELL TO THE CREATOR

DWM takes a look at the life and career of the late RAYMOND P CUSICK, and pays tribute to the man who designed the Daleks back in 1963.

100, NOT OUT!

Gaffer MARK HUTCHINGS is the only person to have worked on every single episode of Doctor Who since its return to production in 2004. With more than 100 episodes under his belt, Mark shares his memories of working with three Doctors over nine years…

CHILDISH QUESTIONS

Doctor Who's commander-in-chief STEVEN MOFFAT responds to readers’ queries – and reveals not only how the Statue of Liberty made it to Winter Quay without being seen, but also how what changes he would have made if he’d script-edited the very first episode, An Unearthly Child…

MARTHA NOT ARTHUR

It's 2007 – the Tenth Doctor is joined in the TARDIS by Martha Jones and together they confront the Macra, the Daleks and the Master! DWM’s journey through five decades of Doctor Who continues with Series 29 in COUNTDOWN TO 50!

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE!

The Fourth Doctor and Leela find themselves on a remote island defending a lighthouse from attack by an alien Rutan in HORROR OF FANG ROCK. THE FACT OF FICTION takes a long, hard look at the four-part adventure from 1977, and reveals a wealth of fascinating new facts about the story. 

DALEKS USA!

THE TIME TEAM travel across the Pond to 1930s America where Chris, Emma, Michael and Will discover that the Daleks are responsible for the construction of the Empire State Building in the two-part adventure, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks.

EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE

Writer, passionate fan and mother of twins JACQUELINE RAYNER reveals that when it comes to choosing favourite moments and episodes, everyone in her family has their own personal choices in her latest candid column, RELATIVE DIMENSIONS.

TRUE BLUE

The Watcher reveals how Margaret Thatcher had a lasting influence on Doctor Who in A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objects; challenges readers with The Six Faces of Delusion, champions another Supporting Artist of the Month and provides deliciously culinary theme to Ristorante Italiano Top Ten. All this and more in this issue’s WOTCHA!

PLUS! All the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword and much, much more!

+  Doctor Who Magazine Issue #460 is out Thursday 2nd May 2013, priced £4.75.

+  Subscribe Worldwide to DWM from just £29.99 via CompareTheDalek!

+  Check Out The DWO Guide to Doctor Who Magazine!

[Source: Doctor Who Magazine]