Day Fifty-Seven: Flashpoint (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Six)

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

Day Fifty-Seven: Flashpoint (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Six)

Dear diary,

When I started on this experiment, I was looking forward to today. Susan had long been, in my mind, a bit of a useless companion, and not one that I really was relishing the thought of spending almost two months with as I worked my way through the series. Actually, though, I'm genuinely left a little sad now.

It's really nice to reach this point in the programme's run and realise that my opinion of Susan thus far has been coloured somewhat by a few extreme examples (Reign of Terror, I'm looking at you…). On the whole, she's been quite a fantastic character, and it certainly feels strange to see the TARDIS fading away with Susan left behind.

What's also nice, coming to it having spent every day since New Year's with Susan in tow, is just how affecting this final scene is. I'd argue that it's one of the most famous scenes in Doctor Who's long history (or, at least, Hartnell's speech is), but that's all it's ever been to me; a scene at the end of Susan's time on the show. It's never really been that full of emotion before, or anything all that special - it's just something that happened in Doctor Who way-back-when.

In many ways, then, today has proved to me that all my reasons for wanting to undertake this marathon, to shut myself away from other areas of Doctor Who and focus on watching it in order - in context - from the start at a set pace have been valid. The way I described it to another fan back in December, just before I started on the project was that companions - and Doctors - come and go, but they always feel sort of ephemeral. I can watch a Susan story on DVD one day, then a Tegan story the next, before skipping back to a Sarah Jane, then purchase a Big Finish audio with a brand new adventure starring the Seventh Doctor and Ace.

Watching in this way is akin to watching the show as it goes out now - you form a bond with the companion and with the Doctor, and it's genuinely moving when their time in the TARDIS comes to an end. The point of what I'm trying to say here is, yes, watching Susan leave was actually a bit emotional. Sure, she overplays it a bit when telling David that she can't stay behind on Earth with him, no matter how she feels, but it's all very real, and far more real than we often see in the show.

I'm also pleased to see Hartnell at his best here, too. The Doctor knows that this is the time he'll have to make a difficult decision, and he almost falls to tears when he takes Susan's shoe and realises that this is the end for the pair of them. Watching him let her go is simply wonderful, and I'm genuinely going to miss her.

I'm still desperate to hear a West Wing-styled series from Big Finish, though, featuring her and David as they try to start re-building the Earth!

Elsewhere in the episode, it's nice to see the defeat of the Daleks given the scale that it so sorely missed in their first story. The shot of the Robomen and the slaves turning on the Daleks and charging at them from out of the mine is fantastic, and it really does feel like a fitting finale. It's a shame that it's over with s quickly, but it's a definite improvement from the last time around.

I've little else to add, really, about The Dalek Invasion of Earth, except to say that it really has surprised me. For a long time, I've always just thought of it as just another story from the Hartnell era, which was ok but nothing special, but actually, I've loved it from start to finish. One of the best stories we've had so far.

It's a shame that the story is likely to be tainted to me somewhat by the sad association of Raymond Cusick's death, but I'm pleased that I've been so impressed by a story featuring his - frankly wonderful - designs.

I'll be rating this episode,

Next Episode: The Powerful Enemy

(NB; you may have noticed, from Planet of Giants onwards, I've not been rating the store has a whole at the end. I've found that I'm usually summing the story up in the last episode as I go, leaving little to say for a summary at the end. I'll be putting all the average scores together at the end of each Doctor's era for a bit of a retrospective, so I can summarise the eras as a whole).

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

Doctor Who celebrates its 50th anniversary with plans of some specially commissioned dramas, one off episodes and a few other treats along the way, but what about the fans?

Doctor Who’s older enthusiasts that have risen through the ranks of the BBC have been bringing the show to life on television. Other fans have been looking after the production of Doctor Who Magazine, the Big Finish Productions and all sorts of other Doctor Who related things! Then there’s you – the fans who have been keeping the passion of the show alive by watching it, buying it and talking about it until your face literally turns a TARDIS shade of blue!

Independent production company FTS Media are getting involved in the celebrations, with their film ‘Doctor Who: Celebrating 50 Years Of Fandom’. They say on their website:

‘Doctor Who fans are like no other, devoted to the Time Lord and his companions, but vilified for their passion. We want to know why. Why so much enthusiasm, and why do people think it’s so different to any other hobby? Where other documentaries have lingered on the negative side of fandom, we want to celebrate the passion that lies within fans of Doctor Who, and how their passion managed to keep the’ show alive. We’ll explore how Doctor Who fans have incorporated their devotion into everyday life, from writing blogs and books, to those who make it their mission to collect every TARDIS Teapot, Dalek Duvet and Cyberman Clock!’

FTS Media will be speaking to Who fans from all over the world as well as well-known Doctor Who faces, such as Robert Shearman, and the most recently announced Louise Jameson who played Leela, companion to Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor. They’re also planning on speaking to Adventures with the Wife in Space creator Neil Perryman and also ‘The Wife’ herself! 

They launched a funding campaign on Kickstarter, which has been a great success – but they are still looking for a little bit more! With just 4 days left at the time of writing this, they still have some fantastic rewards available in return for your support, ranging from key chains and pin badges to signed books and beautifully hand crafted items! They also have a range of specially commissioned art prints titled the ‘Doctor in the Dark’ series, and these are definitely worth getting your hands on!

If you want to find out more about the contributors, or to pledge your support to this fantastic project, just visit http://bit.ly/FTS-DW50.

+  Follow FTS Media on Twitter.
+  Like FTS Media on Facebook. 

[Source: FTS Media]

 Day Fifty-Four: Day of Reckoning (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Three)

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

Day Fifty-Four: Day of Reckoning (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Three)

Dear diary,

It's fitting that I've started on this story this week, since SUnday morning just gone saw Mark Gatiss and the team behind An Adventure in Space and Time take to the streets of London to record a version of the shots from this episode (mainly, the Daleks on Westminster Bridge) to use in their drama.

I've always like the idea of the 'Yeti on the loo in Tooting Bec' aspect of the series, but never more so than during the 1960s stories. There's something just a little bit magical about seeing the Daleks gliding around the streets of London (or, later on in the series, the Cybermen at St Pauls, or the Yeti in Covent Garden, the TARDIS parked outside the Post Office Tower…). The one thing that lets this example down a little though is… well… the shots of the Daleks in the capitol aren't all that great.

Shush, now. Calm down. Stop throwing fruit, too, taa. Don't get me wrong, the shots are perfectly adequate, and they look good enough, but they don't work as well as I'd like. When we're watching Barbara, Jenny, and Dortmun running down deserted streets, or dashing round corners to escape the Daleks, it looks great. Really, truly, fantastic. Those shots have such pace and energy, and they add to that feeling I had during Episode One of this tale; Doctor Who has never looked quite this good, or been on quite this scale.

But then these action shots are intercut with the footage of the Daleks just milling about. One trundles up to some stamps on the Embankment, looks around a bit with tunnel vision, then heads off again. Some more meet up at the base of Nelson's Column, appear to have a bit of a natter (it looks like the equivalent of when you run into friends-you-don't-really-like in the middle of Ikea, and make awkward small talk), then go their separate ways.

There's no sense of urgency to the shots of the Daleks, that's what I'm trying to get at. Barbara and her new comrades are trying with all the effort they can muster to get away from the Daleks, who just don't seem all that bothered by them. It'd be interesting to see a version of this scene cut together with a bit more thought - it could be a fantastic scene, as iconic as some of the others I'd listed above.

Where the action does work for this episode, though, is in the fight with the Daleks early on. It carries on from the one we saw in yesterday's episode, albeit on a much grander scale. There's plenty of smoke effects, and flashes of bombs. People - and Daleks - dart back and forth across the screen, and Ian and Babs even get a brief moment to see each other through the chaos, and assure the other that they're all right.

What's great is that this is the battle against the Daleks that we should have seen at the end of The Daleks (The serial, not yesterday's episode…). There we got a few chaps in ripped trousers pushing the pepper-pots over. here, we actually get the impression that they're a force to be reckoned with. It's nice to see them given more status.

Mind you, I can't take them seriously with those bumpers. They look like they've been placed on little pedestals!

It's also nice to see Susan being set up for her departure. She muses early on that she's never really felt like she belongs anywhere in time or space, and David gently tells her that one day, she'll be forced to stop travelling (Next Tuesday). Later on, the Doctor notices as she starts to break away from him and move toward David. It's nice to see it being set up early on in the story. A lot of future departures won't be given this much thought…

Now, crank yourself closer to the screen in a jerky motion - like the bizarre, but great camerawork on the cliffhanger - as you read the score…

Next Episode: The End of Tomorrow

 Day Fifty-Three: The Daleks (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Two)

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

Day Fifty-Three: The Daleks (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Two)

Dear diary,

The image of the Dalek rising from the river is justifiably iconic in the history of Doctor Who. It's created well, but it never quite lives up the the way I see it in my mind. It's a stunning moment, but one which isn't given much room to breathe at the end of Episode One. Ian and the Doctor turn around, and stop in their tracks, but we've cut back to the real star of the show, the Dalek, before we can see their reactions properly. This gets resolved here, with plenty of time spent dwelling on it, but it's still a shame.

Perhaps the bigger shame, though, is the way the shot of the Dalek plays out here. There's no incidental music, which rather leaves it looking like the Doctor and Ian are just casually watching as the Dalek gently strolls out of the waves and onto the bank. It fells a little bit too flat for me, I'm afraid.

Perhaps a bigger shame, though, is that it's almost impossible as a viewer in 1964 to not know the Daleks were coming back. Before the last episode, I watched the trailer for the story which is included on the DVD - it's hugely focussed around the return of the Daleks, since they were so popular the year before. Even the Radio Times ran it as a cover image. The cliffhanger would have such an impact coming out of the blue, so I'm sorry to know that didn't happen.

As it is, I think I'd be rather miffed, after all the build up, to know I'd not got a Dalek until the last thirty seconds or so! Give me my pepper pots! We get paid back in spades here, though, and there's Daleks a-plenty. There's a wonderful shot toward the end of the episode, while the battle against the Daleks is going on, where we've got five of them moving about, plus a few more cardboard cut-out versions (which here, as in The Daleks - the serial, not this episode! - almost work, but not quite. It'd help if they didn't keep shining the spotlight directly at them…)

Something that I have found interesting throughout this episode is the Doctor's reaction to encountering the Daleks again. He doesn't panic, or fear them, he simply responds to their bold assertion that they're the masters of Earth with a glib comment ('Not for long!') and comments to Ian that they need to put their wits together and defeat the creatures.

Throughout the stories of the first series, I often spoke of the Doctor growing more and more into the character we know from later in the series. I think this surely has to be the crowning moment of that transformation. The Doctor discovers that an old foe is behind the events they've encountered, and decides that it's up to him to stop it. It's fitting that the Daleks should be the creatures to make him see this, considering that they're the first monster to return to the series after their initial debut. No wonder they became his arch nemesis!

It's also good to see some throwbacks with the Doctor's character, too, though. While locked up in a cell on the Dalek ship, he's very friendly with Ian, discussing space-age science with him and wondering if they'd taught it at Coal Hill, while being thoroughly dismissive of Craddock. He's not quite as harsh with the man as he was with Ian and Barbara when they first encountered him, but there's flashes of the Doctor's more guarded persona that we don't see often any more.

Next Episode: Day of Reckoning

 Day Fifty-Two: World's End (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode One)

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

Day Fifty-Two: World's End (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode One)

Dear diary,

When I'm watching an episode of Doctor Who for this blog, I tend to make notes. Not lots of them, just things that I might want to mention while I'm writing up my thoughts for the day's entry. Some days, there's very little (glancing at my sheet, I've written absolutely nothing for Dangerous Journey, and only a single line of Hartnell's dialogue for Crisis…), and other times, I write quite a lot.

Today is an example of a day that I've written quite a lot, and it's probably quite a good thing that I've used the word 'great' three times. Once in full caps.

I've never really paid all that much attention to The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It's just one of those stories that's just sort of… there. It's another that I picked up on DVD quite early on, watched once, maybe twice, then just left to sit on the shelf. It's got a pivotal place in Doctor Who history for a number of reasons, but it's just not all that special to me.

That is, until watching through the series in order. Because, blimey, this is a massive leap from the stuff we've had so far, isn't it? I mused the other day that I'd pictured the audio-only Farewell Great Macedon as being entirely studio-bound, because that's what I'd been used to. A brief stroll sown a country lane aside, Doctor Who just hadn't done location work.

All of that gets blasted right out of the water here, though. The episode is full to bursting with location footage - and it really helps to sell the story as being part of something epic. The silly thing is that the moment that's perhaps most effective for me from a location standpoint is a simple scene in which the Doctor and Ian climb a set of stairs… and they just go up and up! There's a scale to this that you just don't have in any of the stories we've seen before.

It's also some great stuff when we watch Barbara running through decaying industrial structures, with collapsing buildings that stretch off into the distance and a world completely over-grown. It doesn't look anything like Doctor Who, but it looks better than Doctor Who. This looks like a real drama, with a gritty sense of reality.

But it's not only the locations that work really well. The initial shots of the TARDIS arriving on the banks of the river and the crew exploring their surroundings is fantastic, and a selection of high shots and low shots really help to sell the sheer size of the setting. This really is the most ambitious episode we've had to date, and I'm simply floored by it.

I'm also surprised to find, as we start our tenth 'regular' story, that they're still using the idea of a first episode focussed mostly around the regular team exploring. We're slowly drip-fed new characters throughout the twenty-five minutes, but it's not until the end that we have several other faces on screen - this is mostly about the TARDIS crew and their reactions.

Staring at my notes, there's so much more I could talk about, but I'll save it. There's sure to be an opportunity during the later episodes of the story. Suffice to say, I'm impressed.

Next Episode: The Daleks

DWO have recently learned of an online scam offering missing Doctor Who episodes in exchange for credit card access to an online porn site.

The site, which is hosted by 'RogueCyberman' an online blogger and Twitter user, claims to have missing episodes such as 'The Faceless Ones' and 'The Macra Terror', and offers them as 'bonus content' when you sign up to Time Girl Katie's porn site.

The blogger, who remains anonymous, claimed the following:

"All of the missing episodes recently recovered from an anonymous collector in Kent have been successfully digitised and are now available to download as bonus content in Time Girl Katie's free private members area."

We would like to extend our thanks to Robert Lenko who obtained screengrabs and access to the site in question, with proof (pictured-right), which has since been pulled from RogueCyberman's blog. We have also learned that when similar screengrabs showed up on a Tumblr page (owned by someone trying to expose the scam), RogueCyberman issued a DMCA takedown notice...

This news item has also come about as a result of DWO receiving a number of emails from Doctor Who fans claiming that their children (looking for missing Doctor Who episodes) stumbled across RogueCyberman's blog and were subjected to the adult imagery from Time Girl Katie's site, from which his blog directly links to in promise of the episodes.

DWO would like to assure fans that there is no Doctor Who content at all on the website, and should be warned not to give any credit card details to the site.

Our friends over at SFX Magazine posted a similar article warning fans back in 2012, read what they had to say here:
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/03/12/beware-naked-doctor-who-fangirls/

The BBC have been informed and we will report further when we have more news.

UPDATE - Friday 22nd February 2013 @ 8:30am

In a typical display of fan unity, fellow Doctor Who sites; Blogtor Who, Kasterborous, Outpost Skaro & Companions Of The Doctor, have all shown their support in exposing RogueCyberman. We encourage you to click on the links to view their take on the story.

There has also been an immense show of vigilance from fans via Twitter, with hundreds unfollowing RogueCyberman within a matter of hours.

DWO and other sites have taken the extra steps to report both his Twitter and Wordpress sites, and we will of course keep you posted as to further developments.

UPDATE - Saturday 23rd February 2013 @ 5:30pm

DWO are pleased to report that both RogueCyberman's Twitter account and blog have now been taken offline. It is worth noting that he did this for a couple of months last year when things got heated, but with the extra measures all the fan sites have taken, were hoping that this time he will be gone for good.

We would like to thank all of the fans who helped with Retweets and reposting, this was truly a joint effort!

[Sources: DWO; Robert Lenko]

Following a critically acclaimed run at Salford’s The Lowry Theatre in May 2012, Kill The Beast Theatre’s The Boy Who Kicks Pigs is making its London debut at London’s Jacksons Lane Theatre from 5th March 2013 for 2 WEEKS ONLY.

You may know Tom Baker as the fourth incarnation of The Doctor in Doctor Who, as well as the voice of Little Britain, but he’s also responsible for a blackly comic novel entitled The Boy Who Kicked Pigs – a story that has now leapt off the page to splash bloodily onto the London stage.

The Boy Who Kicked Pigs is a macabre, cult children’s classic about an evil thirteen year old named Robert Caligari; a boy who wants to take over the world, cause deadly mayhem and, for reasons of his own, kick pigs. This March, you’ll have the chance to see the tragedy unfold gloriously in front of your eyes. 

If you know the book, you’ll know the challenges in adapting this maniacal tale - as Tom himself said in his recent newsletter: 

“I wondered how a small theatre company could stage my story - which has a cast of hundreds, and includes a motorway pile-up with coachloads of people. I also wondered how they would manage to make my tale of evil horror funny, as I intended it to be” – if you want to find out, you’ll have to come and see for yourself!

Tickets are available from the Jacksons Lane website. Murderous teens, shark mutilation, a nasty incident with weed-killer cornflakes and a potential apocalypse – dare you come along for the ride?

View the trailer for the production, below:

[youtube:CX3rNxjjiJ8]

Reviews:

“Possibly the most well-delivered moment of black humour I have ever seen on stage” - The Public Reviews  *****

“Many deliciously funny moments … Almost constantly, there is laughter throughout.” - What’s On Stage *****

“Distinctive, fully-realised comic characters and a style that carries right through flawlessly from the construction and delivery of the dialogue to the pace of the scene to the whole look of everything: costume, make-up, scenery, projections and physicality.” - The British Theatre Guide 

+  For further information call the Jacksons Lane Theatre Box Office on 020 8341 4421.

+  Follow @Kill_Beast on Twitter.

+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

[Source: Kill The Beast Theatre]

A new image posted by professional photographer Phoebe Arnstein, shows a reconstructed scene featuring the Classic Series TARDIS Set in Mark Gatiss' upcoming Doctor Who biodrama 'An Adventure In Space And Time'.

The image (pictured-right) features the Classic Series TARDIS control room, with The Doctor (David Bradley), Ian (Jamie Glover), Barbara (Jemma Powell) and Susan (Claudia Grant).

UPDATE - Thursday 21st February @ 11:00am

Another picture has been posted (pictured-right) which appears to be Totters Lane Junkyard.

The confirmed cast list for An Adventure In Space And Time is as follows:

David Bradley as William Hartnell (The first Doctor)
Brian Cox as Sydney Newman (BBC head of drama)
Jessica Raine as Verity Lambert (Doctor Who’s first producer)
Sacha Dhawan as Waris Hussein (Doctor Who’s first director)
Lesley Manville as Heather Hartnell (William’s wife)
Reece Shearsmith as Patrick Troughton (The second Doctor)
Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield (Doctor Who’s associate producer)
Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker (BBC producer)
Ian Hallard as Richard Martin (Doctor Who director)
Jamie Glover as William Russell (companion Ian)
Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill (companion Barbara)
Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford (the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan)
Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire (musician at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop)
William Russell (the original Ian Chesterton) as Harry
Reece Pockney as Alan

+  An Adventure In Space And Time is due to be broadcast on BBC One later in the year.

[Source: Instagram (pap_d); Ian O' Brien]

 Day Fifty-One: Crisis (Planet of Giants, Episode Three)

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

Day Fifty-One: Crisis (Planet of Giants, Episode Three)

Dear diary,

I've made no secret in the last six weeks that I tend to think the six-parters in Doctor Who run on a bit. They all seem to start strong, sag badly, then return to form at the end. The same can be said, on some occasions, for the four-part stories, too. All things considered, when it comes to twentieth century Doctor Who, I tend to think of three-episode stories being just about right.

Which is why this story seems to end at just the right time. There's just enough incident in this final episode to wrap up the story nicely. It doesn't feel like the story has been drawn out any longer than it should have been, and equally it doesn't seem at all rushed. So it's always fascinated me that when it was first made, this story was four episodes long!

The DVD version of Planet of Giants contains a recon of the original episodes three and four, with William Russell and Carole Ann Ford coming in with some impersonators to re-record lines for the missing parts of the tale. This is then put together with some clever use of other footage to restore it to full-length.

I'm sad to say that I tried watching the recon when the DVD first came out, but it just wasn't to my taste. I got most of the way through episode three, but the thought of having to sit through any more of it was too much. Watching the story over the last three days though, I can't help but feel that, actually, I don't want to experience this one as a four-parter - it's just right here and now!

I seem to have been on a constant loop of praising the effects in this story over the last few entries, so I won't dwell on them too much here. Suffice to say that they finish up looking as good as they have all along, and I love the idea of the Doctor taking the seed back to the TARDIS with them to see if they've returned to normal size once more.

I also like that the story wraps itself up quite neatly in the end, even though the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan don't actually get involved. The only real impact they have on the plot is the unhook the phone and the blow up the can - but Hilda and the policeman were already suspicious enough as it is, so things would likely have reached the same conclusion.

In some ways it comes back to what I was saying yesterday about the story feeling so indistinct that it could fit anywhere, not just into Doctor Who. It's been an interesting, three-episode interlude, but it's just felt like a bizarre (and not entirely successful) experiment.

Still, we've got Daleks coming up tomorrow, and there's not many things more 'Doctor Who' than a Dalek…

Next Episode: World's End

 Day Fifty: Dangerous Journey (Planet of Giants, Episode Two)

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

Day Fifty: Dangerous Journey (Planet of Giants, Episode Two)

Dear diary,

I can't quite make up my mind with this one. On the one hand, as I'm watching, I'm thinking about discussing how the story is quite dull. On the other hand, though… it's keeping me interested. I've not found myself getting distracted at all while I watch, and indeed I'm quite enjoying it. I don't know what it is, but there's something just not right about this one.

I did wonder if it might just be that the Doctor and friends are so disjointed from the story going on in the rest of the episode - they've only interacted with the guest cast when a briefcase has been moved and a tap has been turned on (again, another cliffhanger you could only get in Doctor Who!), but then at the same time, I'm enjoying the story that's going on in the background.

It feels almost as though it could be placed in any number of 1960s television - I can picture an Adam Adamant Lives! adventure that involves the DN6 scandal, and the same is true for The Avengers. Or for Danger Man. Or The Saint, or…

Actually, maybe that's it? This doesn't feel like proper Doctor Who because it isn't Doctor Who. The idea of the TARDIS crew being shrunk to an inch high is a fun one, but it's not especially what I expect from the series, and it's not a type of story that we often get in the following 49 years, either. Cliffhangers aside, this could just be A. N. Other programme.

Something that I do find interesting is that this was originally intended to be the very first episode of Doctor Who, or at least a version of it. Initially, the story was to have followed the first episode of An Unearthly Child by shrinking the TARDIS and its new occupants down, and dumping them down in the Coal Hill School science lab.

I wonder if that would have helped the story to feel less generic than it does here? The only reason, I think, that I'm struggling to connect with the DN6 plot line is because it's so unlike anything else we ever get in the programme; a story about insecticide and government permission not being given. Even the presence of a murder feels a bit mundane for Doctor Who.

There's a part of me that feels like I'd have rather seen it as a two-episode story following on from that very first one, with the Doctor and his friends exploring the lab. There's elements here that could still fit in there (Ian's musing on the litmus paper, for example), and you could still have Barbara's poison scare, by having her handle some dangerous chemicals.

I guess it's one of those strange little parts of Doctor Who history; a side-alley never taken…

The effects are still the best thing this story has, though. Frankly, they're brilliant. The way the camera pulls back to show a (moving!) fly menacing Barbara is fantastic, and a great example of aha the show could achieve in the early days when it really set its mind to it. It's certainly one of the better effects we've had so far. I'm also impressed with the way the large scale sets match the regular sized ones. You really do get the impression that you're watching the Doctor and co running around, tiny, in this world.

So, so far, it's good, but it's just not Doctor Who…

Next Episode: Crisis

 Day Forty-Nine: Planet of Giants (Planet of Giants, Episode One)

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

Day Forty-Nine: Planet of Giants (Planet of Giants, Episode One)

Dear diary,

You have no idea how lovely it is to get back to an actual, real, episode. Much as I've enjoyed my side-step into the world of 'what-if?' this last week, it's great to actually see the story as well as to listen to it. The episode has simply flown by, and it helps that there's a lot to look at.

It's been said many times over the years, but the design of the 'props' (if you can call them that) in this story is top-notch. The effect of the packet of Night Scented Stock is striking, as is that of the matchbox. The model ant is rather impressive, too, though the earthworm is a bit plain for my liking.

The most interesting aspect of the visuals, though, comes from the direction. there's a lovely shot when the travelers have deduced that they're now only around an inch high, when the camera pulls back from the model of the TARDIS to show the path it's sat in, and the house beyond. It's a great image, and one which deserves to be better remembered than it is.

We've also got Ian (and later the rest of the crew) being super-imposed onto a shot of the dead man's face. Though watching a freshly-VidFIREd copy of the story shows up one or two spots of overlapping in the images, it's still one of the most impressive shots that we've had in the series, and mush have looked great on a 1960s television set.

The downside to the story? Well… it's a bit… slow, isn't it? Planet of Giants wasn't originally intended to become the second season opener for Doctor Who, instead being just 'one of the run'. Moving it to this position, though, as the triumphant return of the series after a few weeks away from screens is a slightly odd decision, though.

I mean, yes, there's plenty to look at. Yes, there's a bit of a mystery to be had. Yes, it serves as another of those early episodes that is hung mostly around our regular cast… but it's all just a bit 'bog-standard-Doctor-Who. Knowing what's to come in a few days time, it feels almost as though this is the main course that you need to sit through to reach dessert.

Still, 'bog-standard-Doctor-Who is still better than several things in the world; where else do you find a cliffhanger based around your four main characters seeing a cat!? I'm just happy to be back where I can see everything on a screen again - I really have missed these four!

Next Episode: Dangerous Journey

Reece Shearsmith has been confirmed as playing Patrick Troughton in Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who biodrama 'An Adventure In Space And Time'.

The confirmation, comes from Radio Times, with Mark Gatiss explaining the casting:

“I first asked Reece about 12 years ago when I started thinking about this project. We were in the midst of League of Gentlemen and I just remember thinking, if anyone plays Patrick Troughton, it should be Reece. Like the second Doctor, he’s small, saturnine and a comic genius. The complete package. He thought it was a fantastic idea and I’ve kind of nurtured it all this time.

Reece has a funny relationship with Doctor Who – mostly to do with impressions of the Borad from Timelash! He and a friend were obsessed with Season 22 [Colin Baker’s Doctor, 1985]. One of my earliest memories of Reece is him going, ‘I am the Borad!’ He’ll do the whole of Timelash at the drop of a hat. Which is a strange qualification. He’s not steeped in Doctor Who like I am, but has been lightly dipped over the years. I know he’s delighted to be a part of An Adventure in Space and Time.”

Reece Shearsmith, speaking to DWO via Twitter, said:

"Very excited to be part of it."

At 43, Shearsmith is only three years younger than Patrick Troughton was when he took on the role as The Doctor. Shearsmith is known for his ability to portray a wide range of contrasting characters - as anyone who watched The League of Gentlemen or Psychoville can attest to.

The confirmed cast list for An Adventure In Space And Time is as follows:

David Bradley as William Hartnell (The first Doctor)
Brian Cox as Sydney Newman (BBC head of drama)
Jessica Raine as Verity Lambert (Doctor Who’s first producer)
Sacha Dhawan as Waris Hussein (Doctor Who’s first director)
Lesley Manville as Heather Hartnell (William’s wife)
Reece Shearsmith as Patrick Troughton (The second Doctor)
Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield (Doctor Who’s associate producer)
Andrew Woodall as Rex Tucker (BBC producer)
Ian Hallard as Richard Martin (Doctor Who director)
Jamie Glover as William Russell (companion Ian)
Jemma Powell as Jacqueline Hill (companion Barbara)
Claudia Grant as Carole Ann Ford (the Doctor’s granddaughter Susan)
Sarah Winter as Delia Derbyshire (musician at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop)
William Russell (the original Ian Chesterton) as Harry
Reece Pockney as Alan

+  An Adventure In Space And Time is due to be broadcast on BBC One later in the year.

+  Follow Reece Shearsmith on Twitter!

[Source: Radio Times]

 Day Forty-Eight: Farewell, Great Macedon! (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Six)

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

Day Forty-Eight: Farewell, Great Macedon! (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Six)

Dear diary,

There's a moment in this episode, just after Alexander's death, where his eyes are closed, and it is declared that he now 'belongs to history'. Actually, that's a very good description of Farewell Great Macedon as a whole.

The story has focussed very much - especially in its earlier segments and this last one - on the idea of not changing history, picking up on things that have been present elsewhere in Doctor Who's first series and running with them as a real focus to the story. Sure, you've got all the evil scheming and plots to take control of the throne, but that's just there as a background to the real story.

In many ways, I'm glad that I've opted to listen to this story during the gap between the first two seasons of the show, because it forms part of a natural through-line in the Doctor's historical adventures, from The Aztecs, where he states with absolute certainty that they can't change history ('not one line!'), via The Reign of Terror, in which we get Ian and Barbara musing on the futility of their actions, as they know they're on the losing side, and then we end up here.

This takes the most interesting aspects of those two stories and combines them together. The Doctor is very well aware that he can't alter history, and he's more than well informed enough that Alexander will die here on this day. Still, he's determined to help the man because he is a Doctor, after all, and therefore he has a moral oath to at least try to spare his life.

Dovetailing with the discussion in the TARDIS at the end of the last story, about what would happen if they tried to change history, here we get to see it in action; the Doctor has devised a potential survival plan for Alexander and Ian has built it, but the Grecian himself refuses it because the Doctor's knowledge of the future gives him nothing to live for.

To be honest, I'm a little pleased with the way that things turned out. Early on in the story, when we're first told that the king will die during his stay in Babylon, I mused that it changed the story to being about when and how he would die. But, truth be told, I've worried all along that they wouldn't actually show it. I'd feared that they'd have shied away at the last minute and cut away before it could happen.

To see it coming about in this way, with so much emphasis on the ideas of changing history? Wonderful. It helps that Alexander's - and then the Doctor's - speeches here are so good; they really help to sell the moment.

It's not all sunshine and roses, though. This final episode clocks in at a whopping 44 minutes - almost twice the length of the episodes that I've been watching for the last six weeks. I'm not going to lie; it was a bit of a struggle to keep up my attention to the end here. Indeed, that's been true of the story all along. It's been very good, but it's just been too long.

Still, I wanted to listen to it here and now, because I wanted to see how it would feel integrated into the stories that were intended to be it's stablemates. I'm pleased to say that it really does work. As I've said, it forms a perfect continuation of the narrative building up over the historical stories, which gives the feeling of almost a story arc forming. Definitely a detour worth making on a marathon from the start.

That said, I'll not be making too many of these on the way along. I can't tell you how excited I am to be getting back to moving pictures tomorrow!

And an overall story rating of;

Next Episode: Planet of Giants

 Day Forty-Seven: In the Arena (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Five)

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

Day Forty-Seven: In the Arena (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Five)

Dear diary,

I've become too ingrained in the Doctor Who of 1964. As part of the process of immersing myself fully into the marathon, I'm only watching the episodes as they come up, day-by-day. The only exemption I'll be making to this is when the new episodes begin to air in the spring. There's no way I'll manage to avoid watching them!

This means, though, that the only exposure I've had to Doctor Who for the last six weeks is via the early Hartnell episodes, and… it's started to have an effect on me. Here I am, listening to this episode as I do the washing up (what? I have to do it *sometime*…), with some great incidental music, and the sound of a vast crowd cheering Ian on as he partakes in the wrestling, in what's sure to be an enormous arena, with several gladiators, and a blazing hot sky overhead…

And it all looks - in my mind's eye - as though it's been shot on film at Ealing. In my head, as Ian left his companions to join the championship, the look of what I was imagining shifted to film. And actually, thinking back on it (though I may be attaching more to it now that I've noticed) the whole thing in my mind has been rather small-scale in terms of the setting, when there's the opportunity for it to look grand and vast on a scale I've not been seeing yet with the series.

That's probably a testament to how in-keeping with everything else in the series to date this story has been. I'm glad that it seems Big Finish have stuck closely to what was written in the 60s, as this truly does feel like a 'lost' episode of Doctor Who.

I've spent a bit of time this week competing this story to Marco Polo, but actually, in this episode, things shift slightly so that it's more in keeping with The Aztecs. You've got the aforementioned situation in which Ian has to prove himself through a contest of strength (and it's those scenes with Ixta on the temple which have formed much of my vision during the final five minutes or so here), while his friends watch on.

Elsewhere, you've got the Doctor using his knowledge of science to produce what could almost be called magic - there he gives poison to help win in a fight, and here he makes his feet perspire so that he can walk back and forth across the coals. The only downside, really, is that William Russell doesn't attempt to mimic Hartnell's laugh, but merely narrates that the Doctor does so…

I must admit, one of the things I'm enjoying the most is the idea of the TARDIS team being used to cover up the murderous plot line. During the first episode, when 'evil' characters all sat around spouting stuff about killing four people to become king I thought it was going to be blatantly obvious what was going on, even if they were going to frame our regulars.

Actually, though, through the use of the bad omens being prophesied, and the way that the blame has been pinned to the good guys rather late on in the story, it's managed to avoid feeling too much like an obvious ploy. It's hanging together quite nicely for the baddies at the moment… if only they wouldn't whisper so obviously about poisoning the king about three feet away from him!

Next Episode: Farewell, Great Macedon!

 Day Forty-Six: The World Lies Dead at Your Feet (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Four)

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

Day Forty-Six: The World Lies Dead at Your Feet (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Four)

Dear diary,

There's some elaborate titles in this story, aren't there? I've been working from a list proposed by Moris Farhi, but you have to wonder if these would be the titles had the episodes actually made it to screen. An alternative to the title for Episode Two was The Wrath of the Greatest Grecian of Them All!, which seems very elaborate by the standards I've gotten used to throughout Season One!

The further into this story we get, the more it reminds me of Marco Polo - which isn't such a bad thing! Alexander is a rather complex character, a kind we've not really seen much of outside the scripts by Lucarotti so far. There's a scene early on where he orders the Doctor and his friends to be put under guard, but advises that they shouldn't be harmed. This is exactly the kind of relationship that they had with Polo.

Equally, he turns on them in the blink of an eye when the evil member of his party suggests that they're behind some foul deed. Perhaps it's because I'm familiar with the way that Doctor Who works, or perhaps it's because I've been watching through in this way, so that the similarities to earlier stories are apparent, but it seemed clear to me the second Hephaeston left his torture that our regulars would be accused of involvement in his pain (and subsequent death).

The pacing of the story bears similarities with Marco Polo, too, with the Doctor and co getting back to the TARDIS a good few episodes before the end of the story, only to have their freedom snatched away from them during the cliffhanger. I've said it before, but I'd really love to see someone undertaking this 'episode-a-day' marathon who doesn't know the format of these early stories. I'd love to see if this could really hold up as a potential 'end of the story', or if it's clear to everyone that there's more to come.

On the whole, this episode has seen something of an improvement from the last. It's still conforming to the same format - one of Alexander's friends is killed, Barbara complains about the fate of history etc - but it seems to add in a decent amount of other action. Something I am enjoying is how easy it is to picture all of this in the style of a 1964 episode. There's a moment when Barbara turns way from the group with a pained expression - and I can visualise the shots perfectly. The audio is doing a really good job of capturing just the right feel…

Next Episode: In the Arena

 Day Forty-Five: A Man Must Die (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Three)

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

Day Forty-Five: A Man Must Die (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Three)

Dear diary,

The one downside to this story being completed on audio, and with only a few voices to spread across the cast, is that it's not a format that easily lends itself to a script with a great number of characters.

Here, we've got three (four?) 'conspirators'. In my head, they're all being called 'Tegana', because I can't remember their names, and they seem to fulfill the same role in this script as he did in Marco Polo. You've then got Alexander, and his rapidly decreasing set of successors. Add to them the four regulars and we're building up quite the party!

With such a large cast, it's becoming tricky to keep track of just who's who. Add to that the fact that we seem to be entering a period of 'middle-of-a-six-parter-drag' and it could start to become a bit of a chore. I'll admit, much as I'm still enjoying the story, today's episode was a bit of an effort.

That's not to say that there weren't moments in there that I loved. As we begin, Ian is ruminating on the death in the last episode. He holds himself responsible, since it came from an argument that he stirred up. While Ian talks of his guilt at being a catalyst for the death, were presented with an interesting viewpoint; Barbara knows from history that the death always has happened like that - regardless of Ian's involvement.

It's interesting, and definitely a continuation of the themes we saw building up in the last episode. I wondered then how the story would continue to deal with this subject, so I'm glad to see it being tackled head-on so early here.

Then we've got the Doctor acting as… well… a doctor. He examines his patient and prescribes blood transfusion, before setting up the whole operation. It's interesting that he asks Barbara to stay in the tent with him (as opposed to scientist Ian), but it allows for some more awkward moments with her having to hide her knowledge of events.

Overall, I'm still enjoying the story, though we seem to have settled into a format, now. There's a death within Alexander's party (or, as here, very nearly), and then a cliffhanger involving a spear. Yesterday's cliffhanger was big and bold - the threat of a suicide, something with lingers over this episode, too - and today is another bold one, with the spear headed for Ian, who has stirred up trouble again, despite his earlier worries.

I'm excited to move forward, but I'm a little worried that this story could become very stale very quickly. Here's hoping that it regains some of the majesty of yesterday's episode as we move forward…

Next Episode: The World Lies Dead at Your Feet

Attention Collectors! The Unique Auctions Fine Antiques & Collectors Sale in Lincoln on Sunday 24th February, features a full size Red Edwin Hall Dalek.

The Edwin Hall Daleks were made in the mid 1960s and this ride (pictured-right) originally cost 20p and has room for a child to sit inside.

DWO spoke to the Auctioneer, Darryl Kirk, who had the following to say regarding the auction:

"We receive many interesting items every month ranging from collectables to Fine Antiques. The arrival of the Dalek stopped the general auction work, everyone came out to see it being lifted in. A full size Dalek cannot fail to impress, and we are looking forward to seeing it working. We have an electrician currently looking at the Dalek.

I remember playing on one these in the 1970s, and I am sure it will bring back memories for many others."

In May of 2006 a non-working Edwin Hall Dalek was sold at auction at Bonhams for £1560 inc. premium.

+  For further information call UK +44 (0) 1522 690444 or visit http://www.unique-auctions.com.

[Sources: Unique Auctions; Darryl Kirk; Terry Woodcock]

 Day Forty-Four: Oh, Son! My Son! (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Two)

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

Day Forty-Four: Oh, Son! My Son! (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode Two)

Dear diary,

A few years ago, while we were writing some text for the Doctor Who roleplaying game, my co-writer and I came across something of a sticking point. It was centered around Susan. Basically; What is her name?

I mean, 'Susan' seems pretty obvious. She's always referred to as 'Susan', even by her grandfather. No, more specifically, the debate centered around her surname. She's always referred to as 'Susan Foreman' (Indeed, that's the name she uses to introduce herself in this episode), but we didn't think that really was her name.

We'd both assumed that during An Unearthly Child, when Ian and Barbara discuss her as 'Susan Foreman', it was because she'd made the name up to enroll at Coal Hill. The TARDIS is parked at I.M. Foreman's junkyard, after all, so pairing the two together on the paperwork should avoid any awkward questions (unless, of course, two curious teachers come a-knocking on your police box).

I'm only brining it up because it really made me think when she used the name in this story. What's everyone else's thoughts? Is that her name? Really? Really?

Anyway; In other news, I'm really enjoying this one. I mused yesterday that it reminded me of John Lucarotti's stories, and that's a comparison that only grows stronger with this episode. The story is rich with history, but it doesn't feel as thick and impenetrable as it did during The Reign of Terror. It may help that I've only recently seen the section on Alexander the Great in Andrew Marr's History of the World, so some of these events and references are fresh in my mind, but it just feels more educational that all that French Revolution stuff.

Plus, who can fail to love an episode in which Barbara 'fangirls' over a historical figure? I said during The Aztecs how much I loved her role as a history teacher being put to use. The same is true, here, and there's a lovely description of her 'suddenly realising - remembering! - what was about to happen'. Granted, there's a strong chance this line was added during Nigel Robinson's adaptation for the story for Big Finish (it's a part of the narration, rather than the dialogue), but it really encapsulates everything I'm loving about the story.

It's an interesting approach to take, really. You've got the Doctor reminding his companions that they can't get involved with changing events, and Barbara telling us outright that Alexander will die at some point during his visit to Babylon. Where as we'd usually be playing the game of 'will he die?', we're now left with a game of 'when will he die?'. It's an interesting way of doing the story, and I'm keen to see it evolve.

Next Episode: A Man Must Die

 Day Forty-Three: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode One)

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

Day Forty-Three: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Farewell Great Macedon, Episode One) 

Dear diary,

I hope you'll forgive me this little side-step into slightly different territory. I started this marathon with the express intention to watch all of televised Doctor Who, one episode a day, from the start. It's been going well! I've just finished the first season! The thing is… this was too tempting to miss.

Farewell Great Macedon was a story written by Moris Farhi in 1964, to be included as a part of Doctor Who's first run. For one reason or another, it didn't end up getting made, and sat there as one of those things talked about in whispers of Doctor Who fandom for many years.

But then, in 2010, Big Finish produced it as a part of their 'Lost Stories' range of audios - it's the main feature of their First Doctor box set. Now, I love Big Finish. I even wrote a book all about the Eighth Doctor's adventures with my friend Nick Mellish. Knowing that this story was out there, a script written at the time of the first season, with that mindset… I had to include it as a part of the marathon.

Originally, the plan was that I'd just give it a listen between the first and second seasons. Maybe split it over a couple of nights to enjoy, while this blog just kept chugging along toward the Planet of Giants. Thing is, I've really been enjoying the pace of the marathon so far. Watching at the rate of one installment per day, the stories really get a chance to breathe.

So here we are! Slightly off the beaten track of Doctor Who, but still very much following in spirit. I won't be taking these side-steps between every season, but there are one-or-two others to take as I go along (and we'll come to them when the time is right). Mainly, I'm interested to see how well this story fits in with what's around it. I want to see how much it feels 'of the era' that it has come from.

Now, obviously, the script has been adapted for its audio release. The sad loss of William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill means that we'll never have it quite as we would have done in 1964. Add to that the fact that things need to be slightly more 'described' on an audio play, and we're going to encounter differences.

Know what though? This first episode is pure, 1964 Doctor Who. I'm so pleased! I worried, plugging the headphones in this evening, that I'd find it a bit of a shock. I thought there was a risk that things would feel incredibly out of place compared to all the stuff I've been watching, but this just fits right in.

The story is mainly carried by William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, who play Ian and Susan as normal, but also provide much of the linking narration, and one-or-two other voices. I've never noticed before, listening to any of the Big Finish Companion Chronicles, but having just come from forty-two days of seeing these characters, their voices really do sound 50 years older!

That's not a complaint, though. It's still very recognisably them, and they slip back into their respective roles with a great deal of ease. Susan is still very much in the over-the-top mode she spent most of The Reign of Terror portraying. Early on, when the power drains from the TARDIS and strange music filters in, she shrieks that they might be dead. That's a cheery teenager for you.

Elsewhere, the script contains plenty of humour, and it's very much in keeping with the stuff we've seen in the show recently. Upon Susan's suggestion that they could be in heaven, the Doctor protests that they can't be, as he doesn't know the way. It's a great moment, as is a scene later on in which our regulars encounter a lamb being sacrificed, and the Doctor steps in to give some tips on cooking it!

Perhaps most noticeable, though, is how much the story feels like one of those from the first era of Doctor Who. We've got a historical setting, a character famous from history (in this case Alexander the Great - a presence which awes Barbara. It's good to see her back in history-teacher mode again), and a plot from a few stock 'evil' characters.

When the priest makes portents of a 'Four-headed tragedy' falling across babylon, I made a note to say that they'd link it to the TARDIS team before the third episode was out - it doesn't waste time, though, they make the connection for the cliffhanger to this one!

In all, it's a sting start to the story, and reminds me of Lucarotti's work from earlier in the season. That can only be a good thing!

Next Episode: O, Son! My Son!

 Day Forty-Two: Prisoners of the Conceiergerie (The Reign of Terror, Episode Six)

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

Day Forty-Two: Prisoners of the Conceiergerie (The Reign of Terror, Episode Six)

Dear diary,

I thought it was going to be a bit of a culture shock to go from two day's worth on animated episodes back to the regular live-action footage, but I'm glad to say that it doesn't jar at all. It feels perfectly natural, and the story still just carries on through.

Unfortunately for me… I'm still just not taken by the story itself. There's still a few nice moments (which I'll get to in a moment), but as a whole it's really just dragging for me.

Reign of Terror has very much been the most overtly 'educational' story from this first season, but whereas others have relied on giving history in odd drips, here it feels almost as though you need to have a working knowledge of the French Revolution in order to follow what's going on.

There's several moments where they reference other events and other people, seemingly assuming that we're going to pick up on them and know the context, but it's just not there for me, I'm afraid. I know enough to get by, but not enough to follow the plot as well as I'd like. Frankly, I've lost track.

What I have enjoyed, though, is the way that this episode examines the extent to which you can't change time. It's lovely when Barbara laughs with the Doctor that they're having to try and stop events that they know are going to happen, but that they have to go through the motions anyway, in order to get Susan back and return to the TARDIS.

Equally nice is the discussion once they have reached the ship, where Ian speculates on what would happen if they tried to alter things. I love all the little suggestions that if they'd written Napoleon a letter then he would have lost it, or forgotten it, or thought it fantasy. Even Barbara's suggestion that if they'd tried to shoot him, then the bullet would have missed… It's stuff that's not really new coming to sci-fi from a 2013 perspective, but it's nice to see it cropping up in the early days of Doctor Who.

It's also good to see that the show is sticking to its own internal logic on the subject for now. In The Aztecs, much of the story hinges around the inability to change history, no matter how much you try, and it's good to see that referenced here. 50 years on, and history has become far more malleable (perhaps as the Doctor has learnt more about the hows and whys of the Web of TIme?), but it's good to see it being held firm at the beginning.

 ----------

It's another situation where I won't spend much time summing up - I've discussed my thoughts on the story as a whole over the last couple of days, so I'll leave you with the final score;

Next Episode: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

 Day Forty-One: A Bargain of Necessity (The Reign of Terror, Episode Five)

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

Day Forty-One: A Bargain of Necessity (The Reign of Terror, Episode Five)

Dear diary,

Perhaps the greatest praise I can give the animation on the DVD release of The Reign of Terror is that by five or six minutes into this episode, I'd sort-of forgotten about it. It still looks as lovely as it did in the last episode, and there's still plenty to marvel at, but it just becomes a very good way of telling the story.

Once you're used to the style of it, and the way that the direction has been handled, it soon becomes apparent that this is much easier to follow than a tele-snap recon. Despite there being some fantastic examples of those out there, I'm a little sorry that I won't get any more animated episodes for months and months (right the way through until The Invasion, unless rumours of others on the way shortly hold true…)

The one gripe that I did have with the animation in this episode; it didn't hold still for the title! It's become something I enjoy about the series through to this point that while the episode title (and usually for the writer's credit, too) is on screen, everyone pauses and hold their position for a bit. Yesterday's episode held true to this convention, with the Doctor and co standing still for a few seconds while the captions played out, but today's title is placed over quite a bit of movement. It's only a little thing, but it's still a bit of a shame.

As for the story… well… I'm sorry to say that I'm still not quite as into it as I'd like to be. There's been more to entertain me in today's episode; the Doctor trying to outwit the jailer is a particular highpoint, and it's a partnership that I've been enjoying right the way through the story. It's nice to see it still in motion here.

I'm also rather liking that character's keep asking the Doctor how he managed to escape from the burning farmhouse - first Barbara in yesterday's episode, then today Ian asks for the information from her, and Susan makes it her first question to her grandfather. It seems like quite a little thing, but it's a nice touch. The cliffhanger with the burning house was several days ago, and on original transmission, it would have been more than a month before this point, so it's good to see it being brought in.

It's also a lovely moment when Barbara confides in Ian that she's so 'sick and tired of death', but that she 'never seems to be able to get away from it'. I mused the other day how these two had taken to traveling and the adventures, but they've been through quite a lot. The recap at the start of The Sensorites made it all sound like something of a jolly romp, but they've seen a fair few harrowing things over the last few stories.

Another beautiful thing between the two schoolteachers is the debate over sides in the Revolution. I have to confess that I've rather struggled to keep up with who's on what side during all of this - especially in regards to Jules (it's nice that he explains his position here; he's on neither side, really, just acting for 'the middle' to ensure the best for France.)

It's nice to see that the character's are able to express their own voices, and that the programme isn't taking one specific side over another. I don't know if it's going to remain so flexible into the final part - will one side be seen to win? Or will we just leave with the Doctor and his companions slipping away to leave the revolution in full swing?

Next Episode: Prisoners of the Conciergerie

 Day Forty - The Tyrant of France (The Reign of Terror, Episode Four)

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

Day Forty - The Tyrant of France (The Reign of Terror, Episode Four)

Dear diary,

Right then, let's get this bit out of the way first, shall we? I'm going to have to mention the animation. Of course I am, it's only been available on DVD for a couple of weeks, so it'll look a bit remiss if I just ignore it! Do bear in mind, though, that my episode score is based on the episode itself - not the animation.

It has to be said - I loved the look of it. The details on the faces (especially that of the Doctor) is gorgeous, and the movement is extremely fluid. It perhaps doesn't look so good when it cuts out to a wider shot - Barbara closing the door, for example, or another character putting on his coat. Without the emphasis on the faces, the detail gets rather lost in those moments.

The one thing that I've seen listed as the biggest complaint about the episodes is the style of the cutting back-and-forth between shots. I've seen it heavily argued that it's so out of keeping with the surrounding episodes as to be completely jarring to the experience. I can see where the argument comes from (though, really, the only time I found it noticeable was during the first wine-pouring scene), but I can't say it bothered me that much. Having just come from five weeks of 1963/64 vintage Doctor Who, this didn't feel too out of place.

In all, it's a great way of plugging the missing episode gaps, and at this stage, I'm really hoping that we'll see some more of the animations. I've enjoyed this one, so if they get even better with time, then that's only a bonus.

Anyway! The episode itself! Well, I've had plenty of opportunity to examine the animation because things plot-wise are all a bit boring, aren't they? It's a tricky one, because I'm liking the setting of the story, and it's great to have a number of well-sketched charters, but… well… the story itself just feels too bloated.

You've got the Doctor having an in-depth discussion with Robespierre about the state of Paris, Susan's illness getting progressively worse, and the situation between her, Barbara and the Physician (though it's nice to see, as I'd hoped yesterday, that Susan feeling unwell does have a bearing on the story), Ian being recovered and then led into a trap…

There's plenty going on, I just don't care about any of it. I'm hoping that it's merely a result of fourth-episode-sagging, which we had with The Sensorites, too. After that point, the story got better again.

I wonder if part of the problem here is that it feels too well researched. In Marco Polo, or The Aztecs, the history felt vivid and real - it was more than clear that Lucarotti knew his stuff about the two periods - but it was just sort of there in the background. Here, it feels like the hard work that has gone into researching the period is just being stuffed into the character's mouths.

Still, I'm crossing my fingers that things improve for me with Episode Five. Taking the beautiful visuals out of the equation, I'm going to have to give this one;

Next Episode: A Bargain of Necessity

Jemma Powell has been confirmed as playing Jacqueline Hill in Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who biodrama 'An Adventure In Space And Time'.

The confirmation, which comes from Powell's PR agency website, now completes the principal cast which comprises the original TARDIS team.

Powell has a list of credits including; Foyle's War, Hex and Alice In Wonderland.

[Sources: Flash Forward Publicity]

Jamie Glover has been confirmed as playing William Russell in Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who biodrama 'An Adventure In Space And Time'.

The confirmation, which DWO hinted at in our news report from 30th January, comes from Glover's agency website, leaving the casting of Jacqueline Hill as the only remaining name from the original TARDIS team yet to be cast.

Jamie Glover, son of Julian Glover (The Crusade, City Of Death), has a list of credits including; Casualty, New Tricks, Holby City and Waterloo Road.

[Sources: Curtis Brown]

 Day Thirty-Nine: A Change of Identity (The Reign of Terror, Episode Three)

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

Day Thirty-Nine: A Change of Identity (The Reign of Terror, Episode Three)

Dear diary,

There's something of a conception of the First Doctor as being a bit of a fuddy-duddy. He's often thought of as a bit of a bumbling, kindly grandfather figure, who's not quite the Doctor, but fills the same role. It's not helped by the regular occurrence of 'Billy Fluffs', either.

Here, though, the First Doctor is absolutely fantastic. The way he handles himself in the clothes shop, and the way he them presents himself to the jailer, it's an image of a man who's in full control. It's easy enough, when looking at these scenes, to imagine the 'old man' stuff is little more than an act - a way to disguise a devilishly intelligent man, who knows how to manipulate the situation to get what he wants.

Of course, it all seems to have backfired come the final scene, in which the ring that the Doctor has bartered away comes back to haunt him.

It's also nice to see the series starting to make use of its new ability to shoot in TV Centre itself. Though a few episodes I've already been through were made there, this is the first time, really, that the full implications of this can be seen on the screen. An early scene of a busy French street, into which the Doctor enters is fantastic - it's grander than I'm used to seeing on the show, and really does help to make this story feel bigger than usual.

The shots of William Russell's scenes, still shot on film (he was, presumably, still in Spain!) continue to look like something from a production other than Doctor Who. In this episode, he makes an escape from his prison cell, and the more I watch it, the more I lament that fact that more of the show doesn't look like this. The film really does give these scenes a rich texture that's sadly lacking in other places. Mind you, they still remind me of early Eastern European cinema!

I'd not considered it when writing yesterday's entry, but a lot of that feel may come from the director himself. I'd forgotten that Henric Hirsch had directed the story, and was from Hungary. There could well be intention behind the style, rather than it simply being a side-effect of shooting these scenes early on. It's almost a shame that we'll be loosing this style.

Oh, and all right. I didn't want to mention it too much yesterday, but let's be honest; Susan is rubbish in this story, isn't she? I'm wondering, now, if this may be where my entire dislike for Susan had come from. All the way through this marathon, I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've taken to her - but here…!

All she's done so far is whine and moan… here, she nearly ruins their only chance of escape by complaining instead about her headache and her bad back and how tired she is… I'm hoping this is all leading somewhere, or there's no reason to be kicking up such a fuss! If she'd not been on holiday back during The Aztecs, I'd think they were getting ready to pack her off on one now!

Tomorrow is going to be interesting; I'll finally reach one of the new animated episodes! I've been excited to see them for quite some time, so I'm sure it's going to be a sleepless night, tonight. It's like Christmas Eve - I'm waiting for Santa to come!

Next Episode: The Tyrant of France

Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD, originally released in 1965 and 1966 have been completely restored by the current owner, Studio Canal, to create new High Definition versions.

As well as being scheduled for release on Blu-ray, cinematic versions have also been made, and Riverside Studios in association with the Doctor Who Appreciation Society will be amongst the very first to premiere the new versions.

On Sunday 26th May 2013 both films will be shown in HD on the big screen at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. The afternoon, co-organised by DWAS will be a fun packed afternoon Dalek-themed fun.

Tickets are just £10-50 for the double bill with discounts for children and other concessions.

Full details can be found at the DWAS website by visiting www.dwasonline.co.uk and clicking the ‘Dr Who at the Movies’ link.

[Source: DWAS]

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

Day Thirty-Eight: Guests of Madame Guillotine (The Reign of Terror, Episode Two)

Dear diary,

All the regulars have managed a bit of a break for a trip to Spain, now, then! I'm surprised that I've never noticed it before, but the last four stories have each seen time taken off by one of our regulars. I think watching in order like this makes things more apparent, as does the shift between videotape and film. There was a time that I'd never really noticed the shift, but now I spend more time watching archive telly than modern stuff (I don't even own a television!), I've become more accustomed to it.

The absence of William Russell from the story is done in a slightly odd way; it's a mixture of the 'cutting right out of the story' that we had in The Keys of Marinus and The Sensorites with a bit of the 'only there for pre-filmed inserts' seen in The Aztecs. I say this because Ian still appears in his cell, and during a brief shot early on, but there's some bizarre attempts to hide him in other scenes.

One particularly noticeable one starts with Ian having just been chucked in the cell, and not responding to Susan's calls. I'm a bit surprised they didn't at least play in a recording of William Russell reassuring her or something!

I think it's also quite noticeable simply because of how different the Ian bits of the story look. The fact that they're shot on film, combined with what seems to be an unusually high exposure rate make them look like Russian cinema of the 1920s (my specialist subject at degree level. That came in useful…). It's never more noticeable than when we cut to a reaction of Ian while they're trying to appeal - you almost expect it to cut away to a caption!

All of this sounds like I'm complaining, which I'm not, really. This has been another episode I've enjoyed, although I'm not overly sure that a lot has happened. In many ways, this feels like the second half of an Episode One - everyone is being moved into the right position, and the strands of the story are being introduced. On the one hand, we have Ian being given a mission to seek out James Stirling. Susan and Barbara are being carted off to meet the Guillotine (setting up, I'm sure, a daring escape for tomorrow's episode!), and the Doctor is making his way to Paris.

With the Doctor's part in the story, we're given the series' very first location footage - and it's really quite good! The shots linger on a bit, perhaps; there's one show of the Doctor crossing a cornfield that seems to hold on just to say 'look! It's not a painted backdrop! He can keep walking!', but they're all really effective. The locations chosen are great, and it's pretty easy to picture them as being in France. It helps that the weather seems to have stayed nice for the day!

A lot gets made of the scene in An Unearthly Child, where the Doctor considers using a rock to smash a caveman's skull. It's often cited as an example of the Doctor's callousness at the very start of the series. I even talked about it for this very blog about a month ago (and concluded that, actually, it's not as bad as people make it out to be).

Why, then, does no one mention this episode? The Doctor - in an attempt to escape from a captor and get back on with his mission - tricks him into bending down… then whacks him with a shovel! You could argue that he just knocks him flat on the back, but that doesn't seem to be the implication from the way its been directed. Crikey! This is by far the most violent we've seen the Doctor so far. I'm baffled that it doesn't get brought up more often!

Oh, and I don't want to dwell on it, but blimey, Susan must be driving Barbara mental.

Next Episode: A Change of Identity

Doctor Who star Matt Smith will be taking the male lead Ryan Gosling's directional debut picture 'How to Catch a Monster'.

The story is set against the surreal dreamscape of a vanishing city and centered on a single mother of two being swept into a macabre and dark fantasy underworld while her teenage son discovers a secret road leading to an underwater town. Production is set to start this spring.

Christina Hendricks and Eva Mendes will co-star in the movie which is produced by Marc Platt (not the Doctor Who Author), Adam Siegel, Michel Litvak, David Lancaster and Ryan Gosling.

Since the news broke, fans are already wondering where this leaves Series 8 of Doctor Who, questioning his involvement and sparking regeneration rumours.

DWO would like to point out that Smith was recently quoted in an interview with The Sun newspaper as saying:

"His first episode sounds great. It hasn't been written yet but the idea is as brilliant and as mental as you'd expect from Steven. So there's a lot to look forward to.

When Steven was going to pitch the next season to me not long ago, he said, 'Are you ready to cry?".

It is likely that the filming schedule for Series 8 will be a tighter one than normal, and could very well be transmitted in the Autumn of 2014. This is yet to be confirmed by the BBC.

[Source: Variety]