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

Day 511: The Stones of Blood, Episode Three

Dear diary,

It could simply be that I’m having another Pirate Planet incident, where I’m simply not paying enough attention to follow the plot, but I’m not entirely sure what’s happening now. As I say, I don’t know if that’s my fault, or an intention of the script that I should be left slightly in the dark at this point. I understand that the ship is based in Hyperspace, which is in a different dimension to our own. I get that Vivian has been around on Earth for some 4000 years, and thus she’s worshipped by these local people as some kind of goddess. What I don’t yet understand is how these things are related. The Doctor speculates that the Hyperspace ship is a prison ship… I’m assuming Vivian was a prisoner? How did she escape? Did the Ogri come with her from the ship, or were they already in place? Do you see? I’m lost! So many questions!

And yet, I have to admit that I’m still rather enjoying this one. Is it the best that Doctor Who has ever offered us? No, not by a long shot. Is it a decent 25 minutes of the programme? Yes, I’d say it is. In many ways, it feels like an odd sort of hybrid between the type of story that the series used to do - you know, back when the Doctor travelled the universe with Sarah Jane - and the kind of thing it likes to play with these days. It’s such an odd hybrid of the horror elements (and more on those in just a moment), and the kinds of outer space tomfoolery that feels like it’s on the increase. I wonder if that’s where some of my confusion is coming from: the story’s not following my expectations of either style.

If any one side of the story is winning out over the other, I’d have to say that it’s the horror elements. We’ve a sequence in today’s episode where some seemingly post-coital campers encounter the titular ’Stones of Blood’ and are reduced to skeletons, while the screen fades to a deep red. It’s straight out of a Hammer Horror film, and it feels like a while since that was true of Doctor Who. I have to admit, I was starting to wonder if I’d imagined this scene, because I’ve long remembered it as being the very first moments of the story. Of course, it works much better coming over halfway though, once we’re already used to the moving stones as a threat. Suddenly, they’re not only capable of crushing people and damaging K9, but they can harvest the blood they need in a horrible way.

On the other side of the Hyperspace divide, aboard the ship, I’m not enjoying it as much as I expected to. I remembered the Doctor opening the door to find a Wirrn in a much more exciting fashion (actually, thinking about it, I remembered him opening the door and then my mind cuts to the first cliffhanger from The Ark in Space, in which the dead creature falls out and startles everyone), and I have to admit that I’m actually a bit bored by all these sequences. That said, there’s some lovely model work, and we’ve got the return of the ‘live action shot inserted into the model work’ that I’ve been longing for more of since The Robots of Death. It just helps to make it feel as though the Doctor really could be aboard that ship.

I think the biggest success of all, though, is that the Doctor spends so much time paired off with Amelia Rumford. Beatrix Lehmann is one of those actors for whom Tom Baker really ups his game, and it’s great to watch the pair of them spark off each other. There’s a longstanding anecdote that during the production of this story - and because of the fun he was having with Lehmann on board - Tom suggested that the next companion should be a lady of a similar age. Frankly, I’d love to see more of this pair together, and I’m hoping that they get the chance to share a bit more screen time in tomorrow’s episode, too. I’m not all that familiar with Lehmann’s work outside of Doctor Who, but I do know that this was her final acting role, and that she died less than a year later. It’s nice to think that she seems to have had such fun with her final character! 

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

Day 510: The Stones of Blood, Episode Two

Dear diary,

It’s been a while since I’ve trotted out my regular complaint that I’d love Doctor Who to all be made on film rather than video tape. The Stones of Blood is just one of those stories which really does make me long for film, though. It doesn’t help that it’s a story with lots of exteriors and location work that’s all been confined to videotape, too, and I think I’m right in saying that this is the first time we’ve seen a night shoot for the programme which hasn’t been shot on film.

There’s some beautiful lighting in the location work - especially during the scenes of the Doctor and Amelia Rumford in the stone circle - but it just feels a bit flat by being shot on videotape. It don’t have any of the depth that film would give it, and it’s a real shame. I’m also thrown by the wildly different lighting in several sequential shots throughout the night - it seems to shift from midnight to late evening from shot-to-shot, which I’d guess was a casualty of the filming schedule. It shouldn’t irritate me as much as it does, but I just found it very distracting!

Not quite as distracting, though, as the fact that they’ve changed the cliffhanger between episodes! As scripted, Episode One ends with Romana seeing the figure of the Doctor at the cliff’s edge before he pushes her over to her doom. I believe that Tom Baker refused to film this sequence because he didn’t feel it was right for the Doctor, so instead we have Romana following the Doctor’s voice, and then simply losing her footing and falling over the edge. This episode, though, continually refers to Romana seeing the Doctor push her over the cliff (she’s even horrified when the real Doctor appears to save her), and they quickly speculate that someone has discovered a way of using they Key to transform their appearance. It all just feels at odds with what we saw yesterday, and that left me a little confused!

All I’ve done so far today is complain about things, but that’s not to say that I’ve not enjoyed the episode. Those few small niggles left me a little disheartened, but there’s plenty of other things in the story that I am enjoying. Curiously, coming after a story from Douglas Adams which is supposed to be funny, there’s a number of lines in today’s episode which left me laughing - particularly the Doctor’s insistence that K9 had always wanted to be a bloodhound! The you’ve got pretty much anything that’s said by Vivien Fey or Amelia Rumford. Thelatter in particular is amusing me because she seems to be playing the part as Patrick Troughton playing the Second Dr Who! There’s numerous little mannerisms in her performance that can’t fail to put me in mind of some of his stories - especially those early Season Four ones, when he was especially giddy!

It’s not all light-hearted, though. You’ve got the Doctor being offered up as a sacrifice, the death of a so far fairly important figure, and the set of the Big House gets completely trashed. Perhaps most effective is that they pretty soundly destroy K9. Coming only a few episodes after he duked it out with the Polyphase Avatron, I really believe that the Ogri have great strength to be able to sound the Doctor’s best friend in such a way! Then there’s the reveal that Vivien Fey has been around for a long, long, time. I knew it was coming, but it still really works for me, and it’s nice to see little hints being dropped along the way, such as Romana noticing the line of women who’ve owned the land, and the missing paintings. I’d forgotten that this revelation came so early in the story, but I guess it signals that we’re going to be off in a different direction soon enough… 

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

Day 509: The Stones of Blood, Episode One

Dear diary,

Until I moved out of home at seventeen, I used to live in a small village about 20 miles from Norwich. When I talk in the Diary about visiting the farm or seeing my family, it’s still the place I’m returning to. All that time I spent living there, and some of it as a Doctor Who fan, and I never realised that only about a fifteen minute walk away lived a man who - whisper it - had actually written adventures for Doctor Who. In fact, I didn’t actually discover this fact until some years after I’d moved out (and even crossed the country to live in Cardiff), and I was sent a clipping from the local newspaper about a ‘local man’ who was writing a Doctor Who ‘radio play’.

Of course, that ‘local man’ was David Fisher, and the ‘radio play’ was the audiobook of The Stones of Blood. While Terrance Dicks had been responsible for the original Target book in 1980, Fisher wrote a new version of the tale to be read for the CD. Suffice to say, I couldn’t believe that an actual Doctor Who writer - and a man responsible for what I’ve long considered to be my favourite segment of the Key to Time season - had been living almost on my doorstep! David Fisher will be responsible for several stories over the next few seasons, and he’s one of that small group of writers who get to contribute two consecutive stories on their first outing.

I can’t really tell you why I’ve thought of The Stones of Blood as my favourite Season Sixteen story for so long, I simply recall it being the one which grabbed my attention the most when I first watched them all. Truth be told, I can’t even recall a great deal about the story - I know it involves stones which kill, and about halfway through we’ll relocate from the rural setting to some kind of advanced space ship… but that’s all I can tell you! Oh, and a character dresses up in that bird costume at some point, but I remember that more from photographs of the outfit than from my first viewing of the story itself!

Certainly, we’re off to a decent start in this episode. The opening recap of the whole arc is perhaps a little too much of an info dump (although I rather enjoy Romana nodding along and pointing out that she knows much of the information), but I’m mostly glad that we get to see them piecing together the segments of the Key. Things were left a bit up in the air during the last story, so it’s nice to see that they did actually manage to retrieve the segment. I’d always assumed that the actual retrieval of the Key would be a key scene in each of these stories… but perhaps not! Curiously, I could remember what the segment was for The Pirate Planet, but I can’t recall what it’s disguised as in this story, or the next one. I think I rather like that - because it adds a bit of excitement to them!

We’re also back to the BBC trying to do the kinds of sets it does best. The main hall at ‘the Big House’ is just lovely, and the use of the stairs here really allows a few interesting camera angles, too. There was a moment - only a moment, mind - when I even wondered if it had been shot on location. The sets in the last story didn’t really do it for me, so I’m glad to be back on more familiar ground with these ones. I’m also really interested to see how they compare to the spaceship sets coming up letter on, and see if those are kicked up a gear by work on settings such as this one.

I’m also loving the continuation of a running theme across this series so far: Romana being the one in charge. It starts as far back as The Ribos Operation Episode One, with her giving the Doctor instructions on using the Tracer, and being responsible for creating the hole in the TARDIS. It’s continued into The Pirate Planet with her piloting of the ship, and being the one that the locals are willing to speak to when they first touch down on a new world, and here she’s the one who can both fit the segments of the key together, and suggests that they get on with looking for the next segment. The Doctor’s reaction to this last incident is particularly amusing!

It’s a good thing that we’re getting moments like these, because for the rest of the episode, she’s reduced to what I’d call your typical ‘companion’ role. She’s left to complain about things, wear inappropriate shoes, ask questions, and even gets left behind when the Doctor goes off to explore. The fact that she’s the one lured into peril during the cliffhanger should come as no surprise! I’m hoping that she gets to continue taking the upper hand before long, though, because Romana really doesn’t shot the typical ‘Doctor Who girl’ role… 

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

Day 508: The Pirate Planet, Episode Four

Dear diary,

Well… I’m tempted to say that everything fell into place and started to make sense in this final episode, but actually all I mean is that the bits I phased out for yesterday suddenly make sense to me. The old woman they found in the bowels of the bridge was the evil queen who ruled the planet, and all that stuff about a black hole was the Captain’s cunning plan to dispose of the woman. Right, fine, I’ve got that now, thanks. Where I’m left confused is when this episode starts to descend into the Doctor and Romana spouting various kinds of technobabble at each other, and planning to go pick up the bit of Key later on (after the episode has ended, it seems!)

I also found myself completely lost by the reveal that the real power behind the throne is the nurse! Because - aha! - she’s not a nurse, but the reincarnation of the evil queen, who might be a hologram (but she isn’t really. At least, not any more), and is actually using the Captain as some kind of front. Looking back, there are hints peppered across the tale, and Rosalind Lloyd even points them out during the special features on the DVD, but I can’t say that I really picked up on them as I’ve been watching. I think the fact that I’ve failed to bet interested by The Pirate Planet has led to me missing all the clues that might have made it more interesting!

It’s nice to see the Captain being revealed as more than simply a blustering villain, though. It’s a fairly arch performance throughout, but I think it’s worked for me better than a lot of the story has. The design of the character is interesting, too, and it’s quite fun to watch him doing battle with Tom Baker. There’s little wonder that the Captain is one of the more fondly recalled villains from Doctor Who’s long history.

On the whole, I’m sorry to say that The Pirate Planet has really disappointed me. I don’t know what I was expecting from the tale, but I’ve found myself being mostly bored throughout all four episodes. This tends to happen from time-to-time, and I wonder if it might be that old foe of mine - burnout. Watching Doctor Who at the pace of an episode per day is usually quite a nice way to experience the series, and I’ve found that it’s immeasurably helped a number of stories improve in my estimation. Now and then, though, you just find yourself seeing more and more of the same, and start to tire of it!

I think perhaps the best bit of the episode is the explosion at the end. It feels like quite a long time since we had a really decent exploding model shot to round off a story, and it’s good to see that the effects team haven’t lost their touch in the interim. It’s not all a loss, either - although I’ve not cared all that much for the last few day’s episodes, we’re onto The Stones of Blood next, and I’ve always thought of that one as being my favourite segment from the Key to Time…

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

Day 507: The Pirate Planet, Episode Three

Dear diary,

I’m like a yo-yo with this one. Episode One really didn’t do it for me. Episode Two put things back on track somewhat. Today’s episode has just left me… cold. I’m not sure what it is, really, because there’s a lot in the episode that I really should be enjoying. The dialogue continues to be quite witty (indeed, I think it’s here that the story is really working), there’s some nice design work on display, and today we even get to watch K9 have a fight with a metal parrot! All that, but I’m still finding my attention wandering. There were a few moments during today’s episode where I actually zoned out, leaving me somewhat confused as to what’s actually happening (The Captain is sucking the life force out of these planets, yes? The result of this is that a black hole will be formed, maybe? That’s where I’d started to let my attention lapse a bit, so I’m not completely sure…

To that end… I don’t really have all that much to say on the subject of today’s instalment. All my notes are centred around the dialogue, taking down exchanges that at least raise a smile, if not produce a genuine laugh. I think the highlight has to be “You don’t want to take over the universe, do you? No, you wouldn’t know what to do with it. Beyond shout at it…” There’s plenty of other lines I could happily quote for you here, but I think I’ll leave it at that. It’s tricky not to mention Tom Baker’s cry of “THEN WHAT’S IT FOR?!?!?”, though…

There came a point during today’s episode where I wondered if I just didn’t ‘get’ Douglas Adams’ sense of humour, and if that might be what was stopping me from enjoying the story as much as I’d like to. A quick call round to a friend later and I found myself listening to the first episode of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio series. Hitchhiker’s is obviously Adams’ most famous work, and it’s particularly pertinent to this story, because he was writing the first series interchangeably with the script to The Pirate Planet - both commissions having arrived at once. Due to the different lead times in production, the radio series made it to air a little bit quicker than this story did, and the first episode was broadcast between Parts Five and Six of The Invasion of Time.

I’m pleased to report that I really enjoyed the episode, and soon found myself letting the CD run on to the next episode, too. And then the one after that. I’ve heard the first three now, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I’d imagine that I’ll take the opportunity to have a listen to the rest of this first series at least, and then I might even venture as far as hearing some of the later ones, too. It’s easy to see the links between his radio work and this story (Indeed, there’s a few lines which I’m sure crop up in both!), so it’s just a shame that his first foray into Doctor Who is leaving me so cold… 

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

Day 506: The Pirate Planet, Episode Two

Dear diary,

I was cautious going into today’s episode. Having not enjoyed the first instalment of The Pirate Planet, I spoke to a couple of friends to gauge their reaction to the story. One confirmed that they were ‘bored stiff’ throughout, while the other told me that the direction did a dull story no favours. It worries me when things like hat happen, because I fear that I’m heading for another one of those stories which I just can’t get into - the Dominators and Cure of Peladon type tales, which are destined to languish somewhere towards the bottom of my ratings no matter what.

Thankfully, though, I’ve actually liked this episode a lot more than yesterday’s one! One of the things that I’m quite enjoying (sorry, Nick!) is the direction of things! I don’t know if that’s because my mind is trying to consciously enjoy it more knowing that I’m not supposed to, but little moments - like the way the Captain wanders down a line of his workers and then leans around them - really appeal to me. I’m even quite impressed with the effects work on display, too! The first time we see the Polyphase Avatron rise from his owner’s shoulder and fly off to attack someone is well realised, but it then left me with another worry…

I suddenly remembered being less than impressed with the flying car sequences in the story. Sure enough, it’s only a few minutes before Romana is led to a flying car by a set of guards. But you know what? I thought those scenes came off rather well, too! Perhaps more noticeable during the later sequence of the Doctor in one of the vehicles, it’s things like the wind blowing through the character’s hair which really sells the effect to me, and there’s a lot less fringing on them than in stories such as Horror of Fang Rock. Is it just that I’m tired today, and therefore not noticing the bad bits, or am I completely wrong and it’s not even CSO? Either way, I’m impressed.

I’m even somewhat amazed at how well things are being dropped in to help you piece things together. I did know that this planet materialised around others and robbed them of minerals, but I love the way it’s threaded through the tale. Romana gives a basic description of how the TARDIS works (dematerialising in one location, travelling through the vortex, and dematerialising in a new location - the Ninth Doctor manages to give an even more succinct version of that in a later story), and that same description, or a variation if it, comes back into play later when discussing the planet. Then you’ve got Romana realising what the broken component of the machine is, and the discovery that it’s similar to a bit of TARDIS tech.

And yet, there’s still things that don’t quite work for me. I can’t make myself like the power plant section of the high-tech base - it just doesn’t feel in-keeping with the rest of the design in the story. There’s also the mine workings, which look just too much like 19th - 20th century Earth mines. Oh, sure, they add in a few lines about the fact that it used to be done like that and no one in living memory has used the equipment, but then it still feels out of place.

There’s everything to play for with The Pirate Planet, I fear. I doubt it’s ever going to come out with a stellar score, but it could either claw its way up to ‘average’, or sink right down to the bottom. I genuinely have no idea which way it’s going to go…

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

Day 505: The Pirate Planet, Episode One

Dear diary,

I really need to start today’s entry with something of a confession. As much as I’m bound to be scoffed at for this: I’ve never actually experienced The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. What I mean by that is that I’ve never read any of the books, or heard the radio play, or seen the TV series. I have seen the movie that they did a few years ago, but I can remember so little of it that I genuinely can’t remember a thing - I may as well not have seen it. To this end, I don’t really know of Douglas Adams outside of the fact that he worked on Doctor Who in the 1970s. I’ve seen City of Death, his other (finished) contribution to the programme, and I know that he was Script Editor for a time, but aside from that, I’ve got nothing. Sorry.

It’s perhaps because of that fact that The Pirate Planet has entirely failed to grab me with this opening episode. To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from it. This is a story which I know the basic premise of, I know who a few of the characters are, I know what the segment of the Key to Time is disguised as… but they’ve always been simply facts, stored away in the back of my head somewhere. I must have seen the story before, on that watch through when the series first came out on DVD, but six years on, those memories are about as useless as the ones for the Hitchhiker’s film.

Now, I can’t really claim that it didn’t grab me at all. There were a few lines which managed to raise a laugh from me (K9’s suggestion that Romana has better luck with the locals because she’s more attractive than the Doctor, for example, really got a hoot - I’m glad that in his new ‘incarnation’, the tin dog has lost none of his sarcastic edge). Then there’s the Doctor’s question ‘excuse me, are you sure that this planet is supposed to be here?’, and everything about Romana trying to learn about piloting the TARDIS properly (complete with the Doctor ripping pages from the manual). There’s lots of little bits which did work for me, but they were sadly few and far between.

I think I was turned off almost from the start. There’s some model shots which are far from being the programme’s best, and much of the episode is filled with the kind of bland sci-fi nonsense that I just don’t care about. Coming from The Ribos Operation, in which we were presented with a world full of history, and culture, with a religion and a social hierarchy that I could really believe in, this feels like something of a slap in the face. People talk of the good times coming back, there’s strange mystical nonsense going on, and the costumes are leaving little to be desired.

And then, seemingly from nowhere, we cut to a group of the characters walking across a field! I have absolutely no context for the field. We’ve seen parts of the city. There’s a large square (which, if a little bare, is actually an impressive set due to the sheer size of it), and some spacious living accommodation. There’s the high-tech lair of the half-robot Captain and his metal parrot… and then there’s suddenly a field from absolutely nowhere. It feels out of place, and having spent so long praising the world of Ribos, I’m really struggling to get behind this one. Still, it’s early days yet, and I’m hoping things will pick up once our heroes are really caught up in the story.

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

Day 504: The Ribos Operation, Episode Four

Dear diary,

Looking back over the last couple of days, I think I’ve been a bit too harsh on Tom Baker. I’ve complained a lot recently about him not really taking the programme seriously, and I think that I’ve broadly come to equate any scene where he smiles too broadly with that sense of not doing his job. But, actually, it’s all a part of this Doctor’s character at this point. He can sit, and smile, and laugh with Garron when they’re imprisoned, safe in the knowledge that K9 is on the way to rescue them. It feels somehow right that he can fit in with this kind of person, in much the same way that the Third Doctor doesn’t feel out of place when interacting with high-ranking members of society.

I guess what I’m really waiting for is the Doctor to take a fall. It’s that same thing that I discussed under The Invasion of Time - when he starts getting too sure of himself (and I’m sure that the Fourth Doctor has), then it’s time for him to go. I’m wondering if that means Season Eighteen will come as a real breath of fresh air in a couple of months time? I’m hoping so, because as much as I can enjoy this version of the Doctor, I fear that it’s starting to grate a little.

Still, this story does boast quite an impressive guest cast - and they’re really giving their all to the roles. It’s going to sound like I’m beating the same old drum over and over again, but they really help to imbue Ribos with a sense of being something more than just This Week’s Planet. I think chief among the guest cast has to be Timothy Bateson as Binro. He only joined the cast halfway through the story, and has what is really a minor role in the story, but I genuinely care for the character when he dies. It’s not often that you find that with the guest characters, so I think it points to being something truly special with this one. It’s fair to say that the part is somewhat hammy and over-played at times… but I think that’s all a big part of the charm, and it actually works.

Someone else that I need to draw attention to today is George Spenton-Foster on directing duties. This is his second and final Doctor Who story, and I’ve had relatively little to say about his work on this occasion, in stark contrast to Image of the Fendahl, in which his role in the story was all I could talk about! The direction of this story has felt far more run-of-the-mill than it did during the last one, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In Fendahl, I thought the direction actually distracted me from the story, whereas here it’s just helping to tell the tale. He’s really managed to marshall the troops to make the best out of this one, too, and while I’m sure being the first story into production for the year must have helped (I dread to think what the budget will be like by the end of the season), he’s certainly done a fantastic job.

I think I was most impressed right at the end of the story, as the Doctor and Romana turn the lump of Jethrik back into a segment from the Key to Time. It sits on the table in front of them, as the camera pulls in to remove it from the shot. I assumed that when we pulled back out, a stage-hand would have swapped the prop with one of the crystal segments, but that’s not the case - we actually get to see the transformation a few minutes later. Is it the best effect the programme has ever achieved? Well, no. Is it a passable one? It is. As the Doctor says - that’s one down, and five to go. We’re off to a good start for this long story… 

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

Day 503: The Ribos Operation, Episode Three

Dear diary,

Because The Ribos Operation is a Robert Holmes script, I’m supposed to be telling you how ‘wonderful’ the double act of Garron and Unstoffe is, but that’s not really grabbing me all that much. For a start, I think that Jago and Litefoot may have managed to steal all the thunder on that front! No, I’m still more interested in the planet of Ribos itself, and everything that comes as a part of that.

I mused yesterday that because it’s styled as being a historical adventure that just happens to take place in the history of a planet other than Earth, it feels far more realistic than something in sterile white corridors and with bizarre ‘space’ make up would give us. The connection to Russian style of centuries past simply helps to reinforce the fact that this is real, identifiable history. But then today’s story really takes the fact that this is an alien world and runs with it. Put simply, this is the most rounded alien planet that Doctor Who has ever given us - certainly up to this point in the series, and I’d make the case for it being the most rounded location ever.

It’s mainly helped by the introduction of Binro the Heretic in today’s episode. There’s something wonderful about the idea that every world needs to go through that ‘Galileo moment’, and that certainly helps to add to the idea that we’re looking at a civilisation with a rigid set of beliefs. Simply from the guard’s recognition of the man, and Binro’s later description of the events taking place some time ago, you get a real sense that events were happening on Ribos long before the TARDIS touched down here. I really feels as though he has a history in this world, and his later descriptions of the way the people of this world believe in the various gods and the way that their religion works really do help to create a world that’s different to the norm.

This has quickly become my favourite aspect of the story, and I think it’s the finest writing that Holmes has ever crafted for the series. While he’s never been short of good concepts, unique characters, or sparkling dialogue, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so adept at creating a very real world, populated by very real people. Even when we make it down into the catacombs and are given legends that they were built so long ago that no one really knows how far they stretch it all feels very true to me, and I can’t really convey what an effect that’s having on me.

It’s a shame, then, that I’m not all that struck by the story that’s populating this rich and vibrant world. The Doctor has slipped back into being a bit of a smug know-it-all again (and it certainly feels like Tom Baker going overboard again, All that restraint he was showing so well when faced with the Guardian the other day seems to have been completely swept out of the window), but I’m loving the fact that his relationship with Romana has already started to thaw out. There’s some beautiful shots in this episode when the pair put their heads together for private conversations, and it feels both friendly, and completely different to the kind of thing I’d expect from Leela, or even Sarah Jane. It’s lovely to watch this relationship forming, and I hope it continues to grow over the coming stories in the season.

We’ve also got the first instance I’ve found of K9 being a bit of a cop out. The Doctor and his companion are locked up! There’s a massacre about to occur! There’s little chance of making any kind of escape…! But it’s ok, because the Doctor has got a new dog whistle, and K9 is able to come to the rescue, immobilising the guard for them and then becoming their bodyguard as they move into the catacombs. While there’s a part of me which looks forward to the idea that we might get to see him fight with a shrivenzale in the next episode, I can see how this kind of get out could start to become very wearisome…

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

Day 502: The Ribos Operation, Episode Two

Dear diary,

During The Sun Makers, I pointed out that - with very few modifications - it could almost be a historical story, set at any time in Earth’s past. The Ribos Operation is, if anything, even more like a story from history. Obviously, the setting takes cues from Russian design, particularly in the costumes, and the entire serial can only really be described as ‘lavish’. Looking back, only Peladon has really had the same ‘historic’ vibe in a ‘space’ story, and even that is somewhat stepped on by the presence of the Federation and all their various aliens. This is the first time that we’ve ever really been given a world that’s set out among the stars, a setting that would usually be all shiny and high-tech, or at least futuristic, and presented it to us as going through its own middle ages period of history. It’s really quite fun to watch.

I love a good castle set, and the BBC always do them so well. Here, we’re being treated to a miriad of different rooms that all really do feel like they’re part of the same architectural style. It’s always easier, I find, to connect with the Doctor’s adventures when they’re set in a location thats identifiably ‘real’, and this is one of them. For all the talk of ‘Jethrik’, and cosmic alliances, this is a story set on a developing world, into which these space-age characters have simply been dropped.

I think ‘dropped’ is certainly the right word to use describing the Doctor and Romana’s presence in this story. They’ve not really found an awful lot to do yet - struggling to get their hands on the segment they need by conventional means, and planning to swipe it from someone they think might well be their rival in proceedings. Indeed, I think it’s almost a shame that we know the Doctor is wrong about that - because it might actually add some much-needed tension to the story. So far, even during the cliffhanger to the first episode, in which Dr Who’s assistant is menaced by the traditional green monster, it doesn’t feel like there’s any real threat.

It feels as though things might be starting to gain traction from here, though. I know there’s several characters in the story who have yet to put in an appearance, so I’m guessing that the tale will be veering off in a slightly different direction from tomorrow. Actually, and for the first time in ages, I’m looking forward to seeing how the Doctor gets out of the current cliffhanger. He looks genuinely surprised to see that they’ve been captured (even more surprised than when the Sontarans part-way through the last story), and I’m actually excited to see where we go next. Perhaps more importantly, I’m looking forward to seeing how they finally get their hands on the segment of the Key that they need before leaving Ribos. At this point, I’m staking my bet that they simply end up swiping it during a struggle in the final episode and leg it to the TARDIS, but I’m hoping there’s something a bit more cunning involved than that! 

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

Day 501: The Ribos Operation, Episode One

Dear diary,

The Doctor might describe some days as being ‘Temporal Tipping Points’ - special days which are so full of important (in some sense of the word) events. For me, there’s always 24th September 2007. Not only was it my very first day of University, but it was also the first episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures Series One (following the pilot episode some nine months earlier). As if all of that wasn’t exciting enough, it was also the release date for not one, or two, or even three new Doctor Who DVDs… but for six of them! 24th September 2007 was the release date for the set of Key to Time stories, Doctor Who’s entire Sixteenth Season. But there was a problem.

The fact that the set contained six brand new releases was special enough (and more than had been collected together at any other point in the range), but it was also a limited edition, in a nice box designed to look like the Key to Time itself. Ah, but the internet was awash with rumours. No-one was quite sure exactly how many sets there were going to be, and people who worked in various entertainment stores confirmed that they’d only be getting one or two copies in, and that they’d been unable to order any more, because the suppliers had run out already. There was no way I was going to miss it, which meant that I’d have to hurry up to Woolworths before heading off to University first thing. The only problem was… Woolworths didn’t actually open until the exact minute that my very first day of Higher Education was supposed to begin, and there was no way I could possibly be late for my very first day!

Well, we can all guess what happened. Nine o’clock came, and I was waiting outside Woolworths. Degree be damned. To be fair, all these years on, I can’t even remember what grade I achieved at University. I passed, that’s good enough for me. I sat through the day as they explained the way the course would work for the first year, then hurried him in time to catch Miss Smith battling the Slitheen. And then I settled in to start watching Season Sixteen. I decided to ration myself - a few episodes a night. Yes, this was the most ‘new’ classic Doctor Who I’d ever bought in a single hit before, but there was no point in rushing through it all too quickly!

I can’t recall mush of the season, looking back. I know that The Stones of Blood was my favourite of the bunch, and I’m sorry to say that I know I was thoroughly bored by pretty much everything else. Ever since then, I’ve consciously skipped over these six stories if choosing a Doctor Who DVD to while away a Sunday afternoon. General reception seems to be pretty mixed, all told. Some people swear by the season (indeed, some claim that it’s the programme’s final hurrah before getting steadily worse from here on out), while others think that it’s tedious, and dull, and everything I seemed to think that it was back in the day.

And yet… I think I’ve rather liked today’s episode. I’ll warn you now that I’m not really going to be discussing the story or anything too much like that in this entry - there’s another three days in which we can get around to all that! - I’ll be focussing today, really, on the first ten minutes or so of the episode. It’s something of a brave voice to introduce the entire arc of the season in what is effectively a massive info-dump right at the top of the first episode (hey, kids! Doctor Who is back on TV, and he’s chatting to an elderly man in a chair!), but there’s a lot to enjoy about it. That shot of the TARDIS being plunged into total darkness before the roundels become backlit and a blinding glow floods through the doors is beautiful, and it’s always been my favourite image of the ‘classic’ style console room. Back when I used to make up Doctor Who stories and take photos of the action figures acting them out, I always found excuses for the TARDIS to look like it does here.

And then I even quite enjoy the exchange between the Doctor and the Guardian. As I’ve said, it really boils down to a massive explanation of what this season is going to be about, but there’s some nice little moments in there. I love the threat that if the Doctor doesn’t co-operate then nothing will happen to him (…ever), and there’s something quite surreal, and perfectly Doctor Who about the most powerful being in the universe sipping his drink in a wicker chair while he explains the stakes to our hero. Most of all, though, I love that the Doctor is brought down to size, almost. Right the way through his conversation with the Guardian, the Doctor is trying to keep his flippant arrogance in check (not very well, it has to be said), while remembering that he’s addressing, basically, God. I’ve mused before about the fact that the Doctor is getting s bit big for his boots, and Tom Baker is starting to think of himself as being irreplaceable, so it’s nice to have a moment like this which cuts him down a little.

Then there’s Romana! Mary Tamm has massive shoes to fill following on from Louise Jameson (though the pair were contemporaries at drama school, so I have high hopes!), and I’m not sure she’s made the best first impression. Romana is tricky to judge so far, because she’s supposed to be slightly unlikable and superior, and that’s exactly how she’s coming across. I’m going to enjoy watching her own character arc unfold across the season (and beyond, once she’s regenerated), and see how much I like her by the end…

AudioGO have sent DWO the cover and details for the forthcoming Doctor Who CD release of City of Death.

Whilst sightseeing in Paris, 1979, the Doctor and Romana notice a series of unexplained temporal disturbances. When a visit to the Louvre lands them in hot water, they realise that a certain Count Scarlioni knows more about advanced technology than a 20th Century Parisian should.

With British detective Duggan in tow, the time travellers become embroiled in an audacious plot to steal the Mona Lisa and sell it on the open market. Not only that, but Count Scarlioni appears to have more da Vinci masterpieces at his disposal - each one apparently genuine.

What time experiment is Scarlioni forcing a genius professor to undertake? What is behind his suave persona, and what are his plans for not only Paris but the whole world?

The Doctor and his friends must discover the answers before time itself runs out.

Lalla Ward narrates this classic TV adventure, and in an exclusive bonus interview she recalls her time as Romana in the BBC TV series.

+  City of Death is released on 6th December 2012, priced £13.25 (CD) / £9.19 (Download).

+  Compare Prices for this product on CompareTheDalek.com!

[Source: AudioGO]

It is with deepest regret that DWO announces the passing of Classic Series Doctor Who Actress, Mary Tamm.

Mary was best known to Doctor Who fans for playing The 4th Doctor's companion; Romana I. Mary appeared as Romana in a total of 6 televised stories which formed the Key to Time series of adventures:

The Ribos Operation
The Pirate Planet
The Stones of Blood
The Androids of Tara
The Power of Kroll
The Armageddon Factor

The actress, who was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, fought a long battle with cancer and died in hospital in London.

Agent Barry Langford, who confirmed the news, said she had a "zest for life".

Tamm's stage and screen career also included films The Odessa File and The Likely Lads, as well as recurring roles in EastEnders and Brookside.

DWO would like to extend our sympathies to Mary's family and friends.

On announcing the news to the @DrWhoOnline Twitter followers, we asked for some of your comments to include in our obituary, of which we have added a small selection below:

@yeles - @DrWhoOnline really sad news. All my thoughts to family and friends.

@UKVampire - @DrWhoOnline #RIPMaryTamm will forever live on in our hearts as Romana - Thoughts go out to friends and family during this difficult time.

@Blackadder345 - @DrWhoOnline A wonderful actress and companion, will be sadly missed. Shall never be able to watch the Key to Time again without a tear.

@TheGazulator - DrWhoOnline Great chunks of our past, detaching themselves like melting icebergs. :( RIP, Mary Tamm. Thoughts and prayers with her family.

@TheOldLondoner - @DrWhoOnline How awful that the wonderful Mary Tamm has passed away. She was the very best of actresses & my favourite Dr Who assistant

@Deensey - @DrWhoOnline Romana was the first thing I loved about Doctor Who. I was about 6 and watched with my big brother

+  You can leave messages of condolence in the DWO Forums thread, here.

[Source: BBC]

Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: Peter Anghelides

RRP: £8.99

Release Date: 31st May 2011

Reviewed by: Matthew Davis for Doctor Who Online

Review Posted: 16th May 2011

What if the search for the Key to Time wasn’t as easy as we once thought? What if the Fourth Doctor and Romana took a few detours along the way? This intriguing idea is a highly appealing factor about this latest Companion Chronicle. 

Set between The Stones of Blood and The Androids of Tara, The Doctor and Romana arrive in a small quiet village in Norfolk, following a strong signal that will lead them to the next segment of the Key.

In their search they stumble into the observatory of former US astronaut and recently widowed Lady Millcent Ferril. Lady Ferr il is a woman with her eyes fixed firmly on the stars, who has created rather grotesque metal sculptures in the gardens of her estate and that is not the only thing that is made of metal. The Lady has plans of a maliciously cosmic kind and she quickly realizes that the Doctor and Romana are the only ones who can help put those plans into action, whether they like it or not.

As a two hander between Romana and Lady Ferril, the play’s greatest strength is the point of views given between our heroic protagonist and antagonist. To hear events unfold through the villain of the piece is a lovely idea and Lady Ferril is deliciously evil creation played fantastically by Madeline Potter. To have her as an American character helps with the transition between Romana and Ferril’s grasps of events which can happen quite suddenly and unexpectedly throughout. The Doctor spends some good portions of the story out of sight and the bulk of the narrative falls between the leading ladies. Mary Tamm shines as Romana and her tired slightly annoyed tone at the high jinks of the Doctor are one of the play’s highlights.

As a story, it is quite a strange tale but feels genuinely like it could have slotted itself easily into the Key to Time sequence as writer Peter Anghelides captures the feel and tone of that season very well.

Lady Millcent’s ability to control metal makes for some rather gruesome moments but the main criticism that I have about this release is the rather confusing and disappointing ending. To reveal the nature of my disappointment would spoil play but let us just say that to have the majority of your play told by two people in hindsight and have one remaining after dispatching the other with no clear resolution is very confusing and a real let down. I kept waiting after the closing music to hear if there would be an epilogue but sadly not and I felt that it might mar a listener’s overall enjoyment of the story as a whole.

All in all Ferril’s Folly is a very enjoyable tale, with two excellent performances but it loses marks for its baffling and disappointing ending.