Earlier this year Whotopias most prolific

contributor, Gary Phillips, passed away.

This special edition of the fanzine is dedicated to Garys memory, and presents his
final article in which he explores Roger
Delgados Master the definitive interpretation for Gary, and I for one wouldnt
disagree.
One thing that makes a fanzine tick is a
strong team of regular contributors. In
Gary we had the linchpin of that team; a
reliable and hard-working fellow who delivered multiple pieces issue after issue,
and never lost his enthusiasm. In fact,
long before I discovered Whotopia Gary
had already carved out a unique place for
himself in the fanzines writing base. He
contributed to the first eight issues, and
aside from the odd break here and there
he continued to be the go-to writer until
his untimely death in March.
When I think of Gary a number of qualities
come to mind: dedicated, committed,
reliable. All in all, he was a model contributor. He took his writing seriously and
always gave his articles careful thought
before putting pen to paper. Many was
the time that I found myself bouncing emails back and forth with him over some

detail or another. Whenever that happened he was always available, always

ready with an answer and always happy to
be edited even if that meant turning his
mammoth essay into a slim-line onepager.
Usually I communicate with Whotopias
writers via e-mail, but in Garys case I also
had the opportunity to speak with him on
a number of occasions, striking up lively
discussions on the state of the series, writing or everyday life. He was kind, open
and never shy in raising his opinion however controversial it may have been! I
looked forward to our conversations, and
the banter never ran dry.
In the time that I knew Gary, as a writer
and later as a friend to whom postcards
were sent and telephone chats enjoyed, I
was privileged to learn about some of the
whys and wherefores of fandom and fanzines, from a gentleman with far more
experience in the field than myself. Indeed, in one of his last e-mails he was
debating the focus of a proposed article
with a sense of care which only reinforced
for me his genuine interest in writing
about a programme which was so very
clearly a lifelong passion for him.

Gary was a very special person, and his

passing has seen us lose an irreplaceable
member of the Whotopia team. We will
never forget him.
Goodbye my friend. God bless.
Jez Strickley, Editor

WHOTOPIA | Summer Special

Distribution | Jigsaw Publications

Publisher | Jigsaw Publications

Senior Editor | Bob Furnell
Editor | Jez Strickley
Design & Layout | Jack Drewell, Bob Furnell
Cover | Jon Wesley Huff
Back Cover | Jason Fletcher
Graphics | Jack Drewell, Alex Lydiate
Whotopia Logo | Robert Carpenter
Contributors | Bob Furnell, Jez Strickley, Richard Farrell, Nick
Mellish, Paul Ferry, Jon Wesley Huff, Gary Phillips, Ian Wheeler
Callum McPherson, Krista Wilson, Paul Mount, Thomas Cookson
Jon Arnold, Matthew Kresal, Michael S. Collins, Greg Bakun
Ian Cai Mercer, William Young, Triona Guidry, Rob Mammone
Thomas Spychalski, Chris Kocher, Patrick Furlong, Addison Court

www.whotopia.ca | [email protected]
Subscriptions are free and available by entering your name and email address in the
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Whotopia is published by Jigsaw Publications. All material herein 2013 Jigsaw Publications.
No part herein may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the editor
and/or publisher. No attempt is made to infringe upon any existing related copyrights.
Doctor Who, Torchwood, Sarah Jane Adventures are BBC.

The Fans Have Spoken

Bob Furnell reviews the results to our 50th Anniversary Series Survey

The Indomitable Fourth Doctor

Thoughts on the fourth Doctor by Paul Ferry

The Top 10 Monsters & Villains

More survey analysis, this time with Jon Wesley Huff

A Mind of Evil
Gary Phillips last article focusing on the iconic Roger Delgado

The Top 10 Companions

Ian Wheeler looks at the most popular companions according to survey results

Accessing the Sarah Jane Adventures

Callum McPherson explores the legacy of the Sarah Jane Adventures

Reviewing The Top 25 Stories of All Time

Our special review panel considers those stories singled out as the 25 best of the best

4
12
16
22
26
30
40

he fans have spoken. The votes are in. The ballots have
been counted. The results have been examined; and now
the time has come to reveal the results to Whotopias
Doctor Who Fiftieth Anniversary Series Survey.

One thing I would like to mention before we go any further. The

results to any survey can be interpreted, or manipulated, in any
way, shape or form, that analysts want them to be. The following
opinions, commentary and assessments of the survey results are
my own. The results have not been sent to, or shared with, any
professional analytical firm or personnel. I dont claim to be a
professional who analyses survey results for a living. The analysis
of each question results are strictly my own. You may interpret
the results differently, and you might totally disagree with my
assessments. Thats your prerogative. Im just offering one
persons opinions on those results.

We wanted to do something a little different to celebrate the

series fiftieth anniversary, and thats where the idea to conduct a
series survey came about. We wanted to know what you, the
fans, thought about Doctor Who in this anniversary year. So we
set about designing a special survey where we asked ten specific
questions. We published the survey and asked you to take five
minutes of your time to answer our questions. And, answer our
questions you did. A whopping 246 of you responded and shared Anyway, to the results
your opinions with us. Thank you to all of you who took the time
out to participate in the survey. The results made for interesting Question 1: When did you start watching Doctor Who?
reading.
It appears from the response to our very first survey question that a
Speaking of the results, lets get down to business and reveal large number of you only started watching Doctor Who since its
them to you, the readers. I have to admit that I was rather return in 2005 (ref: Figure 1) - 13.1 percent in fact, while 1981 (5.3%)
surprised by some of the survey results. Questions where I seems to be the next year when most of those who took the survey
thought wed get typical responses to we didnt, and others I was started to watch, (that includes myself). Equally another 13.1
rather taken aback by the responses. What I do know is that I percent of you started watching in the mid-seventies covering the
think youll find the results quite interesting and rather indicative period of 1973-75.
of modern twenty-first century Doctor Who fandom.

Question 2: Who is your favourite Doctor?

A no brainer really. Tom Baker is the clear
winner in this category and it's no surprise
that 32 years after his fourth Doctor left
television screens that his Doctor remains the
most popular of all eleven.
Doctors two, ten and eleven are all in a close
race but its Matt Smith's portrayal of the
eleventh Doctor that ends up being the most
popular of the three. While fandom may be
divided on the opinion of the stories of the
eleventh Doctor, Matt's portrayal has
definitely proved to be quite popular with the
fans.
I'm disappointed by Paul McGann's eighth
Doctor's last placing as I thought despite only
one outing in the role, he made for a far
better Doctor than sixth Doctor Colin Baker or
even the eighth placed Christopher Eccleston.
If youre a fan of the fourth Doctor, you may
want to check out Paul Ferry's overview of the
fourth Doctor's era to be found elsewhere in all time favourite. Elisabeth Sladen made this As for the rest; wow, what can I say? Donna
this very issue.
role her own from the very first moment she Noble in second place? Interesting. I knew
she was popular, even I'll admit to liking the
character - well I kind of lie cause I absolutely
hated her when she first appeared in The
Runaway Bride - didn't all of us? - but I think
when they brought her back to travel with
David Tennant's tenth Doctor, and mellowed
the character from her earlier brash rude
portrayal, the temp from Chiswick quickly
grew on you. Despite the change and the new
found popularity, second place?
Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.
Third place hey? Good on you. About time
Nicholas Courtney got some credit for the
part, so it's nice to see the fans finally
recognizing him.

QUESTION 3: WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE appeared in the third Doctor story, The Time
COMPANION?
Warrior. Liz imbued Sarah Jane with a special
quality that no other companion before or
Who else did you expect to win this category since has been able to come near. She was
(ref: Figure 3)? There is no doubt that Sarah everyone's favourite and always will be.
Jane Smith would come out on top as the fans
6

Another surprise result is the rather high

placing of Rory Williams, fifth, and the low
placing of Amy Pond, tied tenth. I would have
thought it to have been the other way around
but I get a slight feeling that Amy wasn't as
popular as some of those press reports had
you believe. While Rory's fifth place kind of
makes sense as I think his undying love and
devotion to Amy struck a romantic chord in
many a female, and maybe even a few male
fans. I think the notion that there might be
someone out there in all of time and space
that would wait for you and to wait for a
thousand years shows a character, no a

person, who truly does love you no matter

what. The notion that someone loves you
truly madly deeply made Rory very popular
with viewers.
And while I liked River Song and Wilfred
Mott, I have to admit that neither would
come anywhere near my personal top ten.
Good characters yes, great definitely not.
Also good to see a few of my personal
favorites - Ace, Leela, and Romana - make
the top fifteen.
QUESTION 4:
WHICH IS YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE
MONSTER/VILLAIN?
The Daleks win by a pretty good margin and
it doesn't surprise me. The metal dustbins
have been popular since they debuted in
The Daleks way back in 1963 and even with
recent crap stories like The Daleks In
Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, and
Victory of the Daleks their popularity
monsters, and kind of creepy if I think about
doesn't seem to be on the wane.
it - but what is with the Silence and the
Most of the results in this category aren't a Ood? Neither of these are what I'd call
surprise to me. However, I have to admit classic monsters and neither are they
that I am rather taken aback by the rather anything to get excited about.
Both
high placing of modern Who monsters the monsters are rather bog-standard, much
Weeping Angels, the Silence and the Ood. I like most of modern Who, and really seem
might be willing to give credit to the one-note. I didn't find the Silence scary or
Weeping Angels - good but not great creepy, while the Ood were a good idea, I

do feel they were hampered by poor writing

and bad stories.
And speaking of the monsters and villains of
Doctor Who, why not check out Jon Wesley
Huff's expos, "Doctor Who's Top Monsters
and Villains" in this very issue.
QUESTION 5: WHO IS THE BEST MASTER?
Roger Delgado makes mincemeat out of the
rest of his competition (ref: Figure 5) and
easily takes top spot as the best Master. As
far as I'm concerned, and I think many of
you reading this will agree with me - Roger
Delgado is the Master. His portrayal is the
definitive version and no one, and I do
mean NO ONE comes even close to his
interpretation. But what's this with John
Simms manic over-the-top version in second
place? Please! You've got to be kidding me.
His over-the-top and off-the-wall, hammy
performance has, in this observers opinion,
got to the worst portrayal of the character
ever in the history of Doctor Who. Even Eric
Roberts TV movie Master was better if you
ask me. Sorry folks.
If you'd like to know why Roger Delgado is
so highly regarded in the part, please check
out Gary Phillips piece entitled "The
Definitive Evil" featured elsewhere in this
issue.
7

better than classics like Caves of Androzani or

Genesis of the Daleks. Mind you, I haven't
watched Blink since I purchased the series
three DVD box set back in 2007, so my
opinion of that story may be somewhat hazy
or clouded. I'm not saying Blink isn't a great
story, but just not the all time best story in
the history of Doctor Who.
Anyway, it really doesn't matter what I think,
but I'm sure you'll be interested in reading our
contributor appraisals of each story in the top
25. You'll find these reviews contained
elsewhere in this issue.
QUESTION 8: WHICH ARE THE ALL TIME
WORST DOCTOR WHO STORIES?

Question 6: Which is your favourite series/ the poll with 46 percent of nu-Who episodes
season of all time?
making up the results, while the remaining 54
percent belonging to classic Doctor Who
A real mixed bag of results here with Matt stories. Ten of the eleven television Doctors
Smith's first season (series 5) just barely to date have stories represented in the top
squeezing out David Tennant's last full season fifty - only Paul McGann's eighth Doctor
(series 4) for the top spot. Don't get me wasn't represented, (McGann's sole story, the
wrong, I like both Matt Smith and David TV movie, ranked 137th). David Tennant's
Tennant but sadly I wouldn't put any of their tenth Doctor occupies eleven of the top 50
stories, not even any of Christopher spots (22%), closely followed in second spot
Eccleston's stories, in the same league as the with Tom Baker's fourth Doctor represented
stories from the classic 1963-89 series. But with ten stories (20%). Current and eleventh
hey, that's just my opinion. It's interesting to Doctor Matt Smith is represented with nine
see that 50 percent of the top 10 is occupied stories in the top 50 (18%). These three
by the new series, which if you think about it, incarnations represent the bulk of the stories
makes sense considering that 13.1 percent of nominated in the top 50. But not to worry,
those who responded to the survey only the remaining six incarnations manage to be
started watching Doctor Who since the series represented in the top 50 with second (Patrick
return in 2005.
Troughton), third (Jon Pertwee), and fifth
(Peter Davison) Doctors each scoring four
QUESTION 7: WHICH ARE THE ALL TIME BEST stories apiece, while ninth Doctor
DOCTOR WHO STORIES?
(Christopher Eccleston) manages to have
three stories placed. Both the first (William
The fans have cast their votes for the Top 50 Hartnell) and seventh (Sylvester McCoy) are
All Time Best Doctor Who Stories [see represented in the poll with two stories
opposite page] and season 29s Blink written apiece.
by current show-runner, Stephen Moffat has
been voted as the best of the best. Wow!
I'm sure most of our regular readers know I
prefer the classic series to the new, but I'll be
I think that you'll have to admit that the the first to admit that the top 50 results come
results of the Top 50 make for interesting as a complete surprise for me. While I will
viewing. There is a broad spectrum of both agree with the voters that Blink is a fantastic
classic and current series stories populating story, I'm not entirely convinced that it's
8

If you scan the results to the Top 25 All Time

Worst Doctor Who Stories, [see page 10],
you'll note that 60 percent of the stories
nominated are nu-Who episodes, while the
remaining 40 percent is made up of classic
Who stories. Eight of the eleven Doctors are
represented in the results with no stories
from the second, third and eighth Doctor era's
appearing in the top 25. (Second Doctor
story, The Dominators, ranked 41st; with the
TV movie ranking 42nd; and The Mutants, a
third doctor story ranking 43rd.) Of all of the
stories to appear in the top 25, nine tenth
Doctor/David Tennant stories appear,
followed by the eleventh Doctor/Matt Smith
(5), seventh Doctor/Sylvester McCoy (4), fifth
and sixth Doctors (Peter Davison and Colin
Baker) with two apiece and with one story
each from doctor's one, four and nine
(William Hartnell, Tom Baker and Christopher
Eccleston) era's appearing.
What can I say about the Top 25 All-Time
Worst Doctor Who story results? Once again
I'm somewhat surprised by the results. I do
find these results interesting especially when
you compare them against the top 50 best. I
find it highly interesting that not only did the
fans vote a tenth Doctor story as the "all time
best" but that they voted not one, but two,
tenth Doctor stories as being indicative of the
worst stories of all time.
Taking that
observation a step further, if you scan the
results, there is a total of nine tenth Doctor
stories (36%) voted as being the worst stories
of all time. Rather interesting dont you
think? Not only did the era of the tenth
Doctor produce some of the best stories ever,
but that very same era also produced some of

Question 7: The Top 50 All Time Best Doctor Who Stories

Blink
Caves of of Androzani
Genesis of the Daleks
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
Human Nature/Family of Blood
The Doctor's Wife
The Talons of Weng Chiang
Dalek
City of Death
Vincent and the Doctor
The Girl In The Fireplace
Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead
Midnight
Pyramids of Mars
The Eleventh Hour
The Robots of Death
The War Games
The Waters of Mars
Inferno
An Unearthly Child (Episode 1)
The Curse of Fenric
The Deadly Assassin
Remembrance of the Daleks
The Girl Who Waited
Earthshock
The Angels Take Manhattan
Turn Left
Utopia
The Seeds of Doom
Ark In Space
The Five Doctors
Horror of Fang Rock
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
The Invasion
Asylum of the Daleks
The Tomb of the Cybermen
Spearhead From Space
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
The Power of the Daleks
Kinda
Terror of the Zygons
School Reunion
The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
The Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone
Revelation of the Daleks
Doctor Who and the Silurians
The Daleks
The Three Doctors
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End

147
120
119
112
111
110
107
103
101
100
98
96
94
93
92
87
87
85
83
83
82
82
81
77
77
76
76
76
75
75
74
74
73
72
72
71
71
69
66
66
65
65
64
62
62
62
62
60
58
56
0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

QUESTION 8: THE TOP 25 ALL TIME WORST DOCTOR WHO STORIES

Fear Her

97

Love and Monsters

The Twin Dilemma
Time and The Rani

89
83
74

Time-Flight
The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
Timelash

64
63
62

Underworld
The Daleks Take Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks
Delta and the Bannermen

58
57
56

The Curse of the Black Spot

Aliens of London/World War Three
Victory of the Daleks

49
47
47
46
45

The End of Time

The Doctor's Daughter
Silver Nemesis

45
44
44

Planet of the Dead

Warriors of the Deep
The Idiot's Lantern

41
40
40

Voyage of the Damned

The Web Planet
The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood

40
39
38

The Wedding of River Song

Paradise Towers
The Lazarus Experiment

37
0

QUESTION 9: WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPINOFF SERIES?

This was a really close race in this category, but
the eventual winner went to the Sarah Jane
Adventures (42.4%), which just ever so slightly
out placed Torchwood (41.2%) for the top spot.
It's obvious that both shows are the most popular
of all the spin-off series produced to date with
both K-9 and Company and K-9 rating nowhere
near as popular as the first two. What I do think
makes for interesting observation is that 10.2
percent responded "None of the above".
Obviously there is a good portion of fandom that
does not like any of the four spin-off series. Oh,
and before I forget, if you're a fan of the Sarah
Jane Adventures, you'll definitely be interested in
reading Callum McPherson's assessment of the
series.
10

20

40

60

80

100

120

QUESTION 10: WHAT IS IT ABOUT DOCTOR quintessential flavour.

WHO THAT YOU LIKE BEST?
the hero (though brilliant) is an outsider
We asked this question because we wanted to and a drop-out who makes things up as he
know what it was about Doctor Who that goes along and just does the best he can.
appealed to or attracted the fans to the
series. Why did they watch the show? A total The extent to which it lends itself to your
of 181 survey respondees told us what they imagination.
thought, and it is at this point we turn the
survey analysts over to them so that they can How unique and British it is and how versatile
share their thoughts on this question.
it is, also the episodes are always different.
There is something undeniably appealing
about a show that can take place whenever
and wherever. The concept really allows
writers to be as imaginative (or
unimaginative) as they see
fit.

The fact that the lead character can be

changed. It makes the show unique and
immortal.
The fact my life would be a pointless waste of
space without it.
Its long history, broad mythology, and
general awesomeness.

The mix of fantasy, drama and the ability to

I think it is the Doctor himself--this quirky, pull off some really emotional scenes.
charming man flying through Space and Time,
confronting the impossible and the The Doctor is timeless, a hero, who would
improbable, and (usually) finding hope and rather solve a crisis peacefully than through

Its quintessentially British,

and has a format where
absolutely anything goes,
and a perfect premise for
changing the entire cast of
a regular basis to keep it all
fresh.
The Doctor represents
everything that I hope to
be: brilliant, courageous,
adventurous, wise, funny,
and loving. Unlike other
heroes, though, The Doctor
seems approachable. Hes
not always perfect or
handsome
or
musclebound. In some odd way he
seems more real than a Superman or a James goodness and love in the most unlikely
Bond type of character, and he is far less places.
disturbed than a brooding Sherlock Holmes.
The Doctor could be one of us.
It can be mind-expanding viewing, good for
the imagination, and the heart, and keeps
The capacity to tell any story, from historical inspiring new writers and new fiction.
to futuristic, from high farce to tragic drama,
the infinite variety of the format.
With every new producer the show reinvents itself and so is constantly changing.
The way it can be anything in the world and Sometimes its for the better and sometimes
the morals and values it teaches children.
for the worse but it means Doctor who is
always surprising.
Above all its brave, and audacious
determination in trying to tell grown up adult The mix of horror, humour, satire, adventure
storytelling and drama, while at the same and science fiction combined with one of the
time avoiding the superficial aspects of adult great TV characters.
drama (sex, swearing, violence and gore.
Likeable characters, excellent writing and
Its almost infinite ability to reinvent itself direction, and a backdrop that features all of
while at its best still retaining its time and space!

violence. He is also flawed, and fallible. He

endeavors to remain passionate about life and
the wonders of the Universe, Time, and
Space.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Those were the results
to our series anniversary survey. What did you
think? Did you agree, or disagree, with the
results? Whatever your thoughts are on the
survey results, I think youll agree that they
made for interesting reading. Having said
that, wed like to hear from you, our readers.
Why not type up a quick email and send it to
our regular contact address and let us know
what you think. Wed love to hear from you.
| Bob Furnell
Artwork by Atrarial
11

I wasnt surprised to hear that the fourth

Doctor had been voted into top place in
Whotopias poll of favourite Doctors. For
many people over many years, Tom Baker was
the definitive Doctor Who. Not just in the UK,
where his immense popularity cemented the
success of the already popular series, but in
many overseas territories where the series
had previously failed to even create a blip on
the radar. For many US viewers, Tom Baker
was the first Doctor, because his predecessors
had failed to get a significant airing.
Tom Baker was my first Doctor too. I was born
in 1970 and have only the vaguest of
memories of Jon Pertwee, but I have strong,
vivid memories of Toms first season. I
remember drawing a picture in infants school
of the fourth Doctor being throttled by a
Kaled mutant in Genesis of the Daleks. Quite
what my teachers thought of that Ive no idea,
but it shows the impact that new Doctor
instantaneously made on even a five-year-old.
Im happy to admit that the Doctor, Sarah and
Harry remain to this day my very favourite
TARDIS crew, even though they appeared
together for just over one series.
Looking back over Tom Bakers seven years in
the role, its clear to me now that his era is
divided into three distinct periods. Theres the
classic Fourth Doctor period, series 12 to 14,
in which Tom Baker established a strong
presence in the lead roll. Then there are the
salad days, series 15 to 17, where he is firmly
established enough to have much more fun
with the part and presents a lighter, sillier
Doctor. And finally there are the dark days,
Toms last series season 18, where he
presents a quieter, more pensive Doctor. Lets
look at each era in turn.
Tom Baker hit the ground running as the
Doctor, more so than any of his predecessors.
Both Troughton and Pertwee took a few
stories to grow into their Doctor, but Robot is
the only story where Tom feels like hes
finding his feet. By the time we hit The Ark in
Space, he is incontrovertibly the same Fourth
Doctor that we will enjoy for the next seven
years. His relationship with Elizabeth Sladens
Sarah Jane Smith sparkles from day one. With
Pertwee, Sarah always felt like a bit of a Jo
substitute, but with the Fourth Doctor she
grows into the more rounded character that
we know and love (though not necessarily the
same character that we see in Sarah Jane

Adventures but thats a controversy for let it show on screen. The Henry Higgins/Eliza
another time).
Doolittle relationship between the Doctor and
Leela always rises to the needs of the story
When Harry departs in Terror of the Zygons, and never fails to entertain.
the Doctor-Sarah relationship really takes
flight. From Planet of Evil all the way through I dont know whether or not its the star
to Elizabeth Sladens departure in The Hand of throwing his weight around with the new
Fear, the dynamic between the two leads is producer, but theres a noticeable change in
just solid gold and has rarely (if ever) been Toms character when Graeme Williams takes
matched in the shows fifty-year history. Gone over. He plays it fairly seriously in The Horror
is the type of fatherly (or grandfatherly) of Fang Rock, which comes across like a
relationship that earlier Doctors shared with hangover from the Hinchcliffe era, but from
their companions and Baker and Sladen The Invisible Enemy onwards the ticks and
present the image of two strong platonic eccentricities are all ramped up that extra
friends, joined in their love of adventure and notch. Certainly the introduction of K-9 into
exploration. Although the stories represented the series allows Baker free reign to
by the Hinchcliffe and Holmes era are dark accentuate the Fourth Doctors physical
and frequently distressing, theres a palpable comedy. He takes every opportunity to crouch
sense that the Doctor and Sarah enjoy their or get down on his hands and knees when
travels together and that enjoyment filters communicating with the robot dog. Sure, this
through to the audience.
is a necessity of interacting with what was in
essence a terribly impractical prop, but it
The Fourth Doctors second and third seasons lends the character an extra unpredictable
are replete with classic stories: Pyramids of skittishness as he bobs up and down
Mars, The Brain of Morbius, The Seeds of throughout the episodes like a giant yoyo.
Doom. Even when Sarah departs, to be
eventually replaced by the entirely different Its hard to pin down the relationship
Leela, the classics continue to roll: The Deadly between the Fourth Doctor and the First
Assassin, The Robots of Death, The Talons of Romana. She certainly puts him in his place
Weng-Chiang. Theres barely a clunker to be more so than any previous companion and
seen. Even weaker instalments like The that possibly contributes towards an increase
Android Invasion have a freshness and vitality in his clownish behaviour. The arrival of
that stands up to watch after watch. Douglas Adams as script editor in Season 17
Apparently, Toms relationship with Louise adds even more comedy to the format,
Jameson was soured by the fact that he felt compounded by the arrival of a second
he didnt need a companion, but he doesnt Romana in the form of Lalla Ward, for whom
13

Tom has an obvious affection. Baker, Ward

and Adams are well matched as a triumvirate
of witty and literate intellectuals. The
cleverness that they jointly bring to the series
is occasionally detrimental but very often
downright wonderful. City of Death is the
pinnacle of the trios time on the series.

I wasnt surprised to hear that

the fourth Doctor had been
voted into top place in
Whotopias poll of favourite
Doctors.

Unfortunately, Season 17 is dogged by poor

budgets. Doctor Who was trying to match the
big-screen science fiction boom started by
Star Wars, but sadly lacked the wherewithal
to live up to it. Stories like Nightmare of Eden
and Creature from the Pit are desperately
clever and full of sparkling dialogue but
inspire mockery from a modern audience for
their noticeably poor production values.
Fighting against the cheapness of it all, Tom
Baker and Lalla Ward are utterly compelling
together. Its a completely different type of
relationship to the Doctor and Sarah or the
Doctor and Leela, but it works to scintillating
effect on screen.

look for it hes just lacking the energy to give

it his all. Stories from the studio floor tell of a
palpable atmosphere between Tom and Lalla,
who were still some time away from their
turbulent off-screen relationship. Additionally,
John Nathan-Turner had arrived and Tom was
very aware that he was being politely ushered
out after seven years in the role.
Theres a revolving door of companions
towards the end of Toms time on the series;
in comes Adric, out go Romana and K-9, in
comes Nyssa and Tegan. There is little effort
by Tom into forming any significant
relationships with the newbies; theyre not his
companions hes getting ready to leave.
Nevertheless, there are some very good
stories in the Fourth Doctors final season.
The Leisure Hive and State of Decay echo the
passing of the old era of the show, whereas
Full Circle, Warriors Gate and The Keeper of
Traken point towards fresh new possibilities.

Its often applauded that Tom Baker gave a

more nuanced performance in his final series
but looking at the stories in question with an
open mind, its quite clear that hes just no
longer interested in the role. I dont think he
was consciously presenting a darker portrayal
of the Doctor theres plenty of silliness and
pratfalling to be found in Season 18 if you Tom
14

Bakers

final

story,

Logopolis,

is

something of a curates egg. Although it

contains many good ideas and has the kind of
scale one would expect for the finale of the
longest-running Doctor, it is totally
unrepresentative of the Tom Baker era and
feels like hes being pushed out of a universe
into which he no longer fits.
To many people, the archetype of Doctor
Who is still the long scarf, the curly hair and
the jelly babies of Tom Baker. Its easy to
sweep this aside with a glib claim that this is
because he was in the role for the longest
time to date, but its much, much more than
that. His era of the show was the pinnacle of
success for the classic series and is imprinted
upon the public consciousness like no other.
Its not until David Tennant stamped his seal
on the new series that anyone else even came
close to capturing the same degree of public
recognition associated with the name Doctor
Who.
Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor fully deserves
his place at the top of this poll because, when
you strip away all the back story, all the
continuity and all subtextual nonsense that so
often clouds the vision of we fans, his stories
stand proud as magnificent works of
television drama and just damn fine
entertainment!
| Paul Ferry

1987 will forever be a milestone year in my

own life. For this is the year that, at the
tender age of eight, I became a fan of both
Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next
Generation. It is popular to think of Star
Trek aliens as, basically, humans with
wrinkly noses or foreheads. And, to be
honest, thats not far off. Part of the reason
for this is budgetary, but it is also because
they often used aliens as stand-ins to
explore modern-day issues. They looked

very human because they wanted them to

be relatable. Doctor Who rarely seemed to
have this agenda, and if they did they didnt
let it affect the design of their villains and
monsters. To an eight year old, that made
all the difference. Doctor Who had robots
and horrific monsters. He had foes from the
past and foes from the future. To my
younger self, The Next Generation just could
not keep up in this area, (with the early
exception of Q), and really didnt come that

close until the introduction of the Borg

some years later. If anything, there are
times when the good Doctor has almost
been overwhelmed by the popularity of his
enemies certainly one group of them in
particular.
In celebration of the fiftieth historic year of
Doctor Who baddies, the following is a list of
the top ten monsters and villains in Doctor
Who, as voted by the readers of Whotopia.

10. Sontarans (18.9%)

far been able to utilize the Sontarans best greatly benefited the story because they were
First appearance: The Time Warrior (1973/74) when focusing on just one of their race versus so alien. Even though they were so alien and
an army of them.
inhuman looking, it was clear that some of
them wanted to pursue a peaceful path. Its
9. Silurians (21%)
easy to understand the Doctors anger with
First appearance: The Silurians (1970)
the Brigadiers actions at the end. When they
were reintroduced, the production team
seems to have bought into the Star Trek
mentality I mentioned earlier, where the
aliens must be more like us in order for us to
empathize with them. Although there is a lot
to like about the redesigns, its hard not to
feel like they missed the point of the original
concept somewhat. Like the Sontarans, the
new Silurians have found a great deal of
success in the form of a singular member of
their species: the Victorian detective Madame
Vastra.
Nothing beats a great first impression, and
the Sontarans made a memorable one. They
had a unique and recognizable silhouette
right from the start. However, the Sontarans
immortality as one of the Doctors great foes
is truly achieved during the big reveal of what
lies beneath their domed helmets. When Linx
takes off his helmet and reveals a grotesque
dome shaped head underneath, its
unexpected, slightly ridiculous and thoroughly
unsettling.

8. Ice Warriors (21.8%)

First appearance: The Ice Warriors (1967)

Whatever one (or the series) might want to

call them, the Silurians have actually menaced
the Doctor very few times. In fact, I believe
only one other monster/villain on this list has
featured in less stories. Part of their
continuing appeal must surely stem from the
brilliant concept that, unlike every other
enemy on this list, they arent extraterrestrial
in origin. In fact, they are the original
inhabitants of Earth. Its hard to think of a
more interesting motivation for an enemy,
but it could also explain why weve seen very
little of them over the years, at least on the
television series. Once youve played through
that story, the only way to take them in new
directions is to either let them win the battle
against humanity (for a time) or send them off
planet. And the moment you do the latter,
they become just another alien race.

Their status as a race of clones, locked in

battle with the mysterious Rutans, has added
a lot to their appeal over the years although
there is a lingering sense that were still
waiting for the definitive Sontaran story. In
the new series, the Sontarans have benefited
from one of the most successful redesigns the
series has attempted. Again, their new series
debut episode was not necessarily the
strongest. Still, as a reintroduction to their
race it was certainly a successful one and
proved the central concept still has a lot of
appeal. Interestingly, it seems like the series The Silurians also had a wonderful and unique
(and spin-off Sarah Jane Adventures) has so look in their opening adventure and this

Doctor Who introduces little green men from

Mars, but they arent called Martians and
they certainly arent little. The series gives us
little tantalizing glimpses of their culture, but
with only four appearances in the series to
date, they remain largely unexplored.
Although introduced as adversaries in their
first appearance, by the time they appear in
17

the role of villains, but that could be seen as a

political move by a splinter group. In fact, the
Tenth Doctor calls them, in a brief mention in
the Third Doctor story The Curse of Peladon
they are a force for good. Yes, the next story
to feature them does put them back in the
role of villains, but that could be seen as a
political move by a splinter group. In fact, the
Tenth Doctor calls them, in a brief mention in
The Waters of Mars, a fine and noble race
who built an empire out of snow.

With their vacant eyes and expressionless

faces, they were sure to make viewers pause
the next time they visited their favorite
department store. Of course, the Autons were
more than just shop dummies. The Nestene
Consciousness also controlled troll dolls,
telephone cords and even inflatable chairs!

Not only are the designs of them intriguingly

alien with their bulky, sucker-encrusted
heads, but they also have a great gimmick by
being shape shifters who need to keep their
original body imprints intact. Add to that a
pleasingly squishy biotech spaceship and
wonderfully bizarre lactating monster, (that is,
basically, the Loch Ness Monster!), and you
It was this sense of being grounded in have a recipe for an intriguing and memorable
modern times that made the Autons the villainous race of aliens.
perfect though far from obvious choice for
a villain in the 2005 reinvigoration of the (Editors note: it has been announced that the
series. The new series went to great lengths Zygons are due to appear in the fiftieth
to make Doctor Who seem contemporary and anniversary special in November.)
relevant to the here and now, and employing
a villain who worked seamlessly in this 5. The Silence (28.4%)
context helped a great deal. Since then, the First appearance: The Impossible Astronaut
Autons have largely been relegated to the (2011)
background, as even their reappearance in
The Pandorica Opens was really more about
introducing the concept of the Nestene
Duplicate Rory (the modern series has never
used the word Auton on-screen) than it was
about the Autons themselves.

Their continuing appeal seems to rest a great

deal on their visuals. Their bulky armor
(which, I always took to be their bodies until I
was later corrected) gives them a striking
visual and does a great job of giving them a
wholly-alien shape. Its hard not to wonder
what they might look like underneath these
bulky exoskeletons, although judging by the
Ice Lords it seems they are very human-like in
structure. As of this writing, the Ice Warriors
have just been announced as returning to the
new series, and their update is very much in
the spirit of their original look, sans the hair
and clamp hands.
6. Zygons (28%)
First appearance: Terror of the Zygons (1975)
7. Autons (22.6%)
First appearance: Spearhead From Space
(1970)

The Autons are a great example of how

Doctor Who can take an idea that sounds
fairly ridiculous on paper (Shop dummies
come to life!) and make them a credible
threat. The Autons, especially in their guise as
department store dummies, are creepy. They
tap into the same fear-space that the
Weeping Angels would later exploit, where
every day objects (that some of us are already
slightly disturbed by) come to life and attack.
18

The popularity of the Zygons, and their

remarkable placement at sixth in this poll, is a
testament to their brilliant design. And, its
made even more remarkable when you
consider they have only appeared in one story
in the series. I can relate, personally, because
Ive only seen Terror of the Zygons twice,
while watching the series on PBS (its one of
the few remaining episodes not yet out on
DVD, and the VHS tapes were far too
expensive for me back in the day) and they
are still one of my favorite aliens. In their lone
appearance, they made a lasting impression.

The greatest mystery of the Silence who

exactly are you referring to and how do you
spell it? It seems like there is a lot of
confusion out there in Doctor Who fandom,
so let me break it down as I understand it. The
Silence is a religious order/movement whose
members consider themselves the sentinels
of history. The Silents are an alien race that
leads this order. However, people have taken
to referring to the alien race as The Silence
when referring to them in plural form. Which
leads to some people using the term The
Silence interchangeably for both the order
and the aliens that lead it. Im going to
assume for this poll most people were
thinking of the alien race rather than the
overall movement. After that assumption, to
me, it doesnt really matter how you spell
their name. All you have to remember is
they are grayish-pink aliens in business suits
who shoot lightning as their freakish gaping
almost-mouths scream at you.

Oh, and as soon as you turn away from them,

you forget they were there. The Silents are
the most recent creations to make the list
and its clear why they made it. They hit all
the buttons. They are horrific, with faces
influenced by both the Gray aliens often
reported by UFO abductees and Munchs The
Scream. They have just the right dash of
Doctor Who whimsy thanks to their attire.
And they have one heck of a gimmick. Itll be
interesting to see if they can stand the test of
time as a great Doctor Who villain, but for
now they made a sufficient enough impact to
rocket up this list.

impressive but reduced the body horror of 2. Master (49.4)

the original concept somewhat. After a fairly First appearance: Terror of the Autons (1971)
successful re-launch in the new series, the
Cybermen have felt a bit listless and
underused recently, but thats supposed to
change in this anniversary year.
3. Weeping Angels (48.6%)
First appearance: Blink (2007)

4. Cybermen (39.9%)
First appearance: The Tenth Planet (1966)

Poor Cyberman always the bridesmaid and

never the bride. Although they have been
some of the most popular monsters in Doctor
Who history, theyve always trailed the
Daleks by just a hair. And now two other
villains have knocked them even further
down the board. But weep not for the
Cybermen, (for they would not weep for you)
as their core concept is so strong that they
will surely persevere into the one hundredth
anniversary and beyond. The idea of humans
slowly replacing their parts one by one until
theyve destroyed their humanity is a
horrifying one. It was such a great idea that
Star Trek would later pay homage to it
(knowingly or not) with one of their most
popular villains, the Borg.
The Cybermen started off showing a lot of
evidence of their former humanity, with
exposed human hands and bandaged human
heads. Over time, this gave way to a more
robotic look, which looked sleeker and more

Flash has the Reverse Flash. Adama and the

crew of the Battlestar Galactica had Admiral
Cain and his crew on the Pegasus. Even Sam
in Quantum Leap had an evil female Leaper
to contend with. The concept of the opposite
(but equal) counterpart to the primary
protagonist is a very old one and the
examples Ive mentioned are a very tiny
selection. So what is it about these fractured
mirror counterparts of our heroes that prove
so popular? Perhaps its because a villain
equal to the hero by his her or its nature
should prove a real challenge for the hero,
which is always appealing. If everything is too
easy for a hero, we get bored. The extreme
villainy of an antagonist who is, in some ways,
very much like our hero, can serve to
highlight the heroic traits of the main
character. But, perhaps most importantly, it
can shine a light on the worst aspects of the
hero, too.

The Weeping Angels are, without a doubt,

the most successful new monster in Doctor
Who since its return in 2005. Its interesting
to think that Steven Moffat sometimes gets
criticized that his era of Doctor Who feels a
bit monster light at times, yet hes created
the two most memorable and popular new
monsters in the modern era of the series. The
Weeping Angels share some characteristics
with the Silents, in that they have both a
striking visual and an interesting gimmick (or
hook, if gimmick seems too crass a word for
it) that is both clever and also plays on some
of the same basic human fears of invaders
lurking just out of sight or memory. Its
something one of his other successful I believe its this concept that is perhaps the
creations (the Vashta Narada) shares as well. most powerful for the audience. All of us
have had those moments where we were
Of course, as noted before, the Weeping tempted to do the wrong thing. Perhaps
Angels also share one of the more chilling weve even indulged our baser instincts and
aspects of the Autons in that they may have done it, before pulling ourselves back.
children looking twice at (and, perhaps, Because of this, its natural to wonder what
avoiding) everyday objects. Even the way might have happened if one chose or
they dispatch their enemies is unique and continued down that path. So we wonder
somewhat appropriate for merciful angels in the same about our heroes, if they are of
that they send them back in time and dont sufficient complexity to warrant the
simply destroy them. It was unfortunate that brainpower. Villains such as the Master allow
they turned to simply killing their foes in their us to see that possibility made flesh. What if
follow-up story, but they went back to their the Doctor didnt do the right thing? What if
original modus operandi in Angels in he was selfish? What if he used all the power
Manhattan.
hes had in his hands over the years to carry
19

out his own desires? This is the question the

Master answers. In his original form in the
guise of Roger Delgado, the answer is
intriguing. He is cold and calm to Pertwees
energetic (and occasionally stern and
impatient) Doctor. The Third Doctor wears
clothes that are showy in an old-fashioned
way. The Master (with a few exceptions)
prefers a sleeker, more modern look. The
relationship between the Master and the
Doctor has shifted a great deal as they change
bodies. Sometimes their opposition to each
other is more apparent, and sometimes they
feel more like variations on a theme rather
than direct opposites. John Simms portrayal,
for instance, actually matches the manic
energy of Tennants Tenth Doctor, but twists
it toward a psychopathic mania versus casual
quirkiness. Although the last we saw of the
Master he seemed to have trapped himself in
the time lock with the rest of the Time Lords,
its doubtful that the Doctors longtime
enemy is gone for good.
1. Daleks (58%)
First appearance: The Daleks (1963/64)
Ah, the Daleks. The Doctors first enemy (well,
unless you count a bunch of cave people,
which most would not) has also been his most
popular and most enduring. They have been

so popular that they threatened to eclipse the

Doctor himself. It also makes writing about
them somewhat more difficult. What to say
that hasnt been said a million times before?
Their origins, their Nazi-like qualities, the
unique pepperpot shape youve probably

do with it. Over the years, the series has

struggled to maintain the wow factor of the
Daleks. As Steven Moffat recently said, there
is a great danger in overusing the Daleks. The
more you use them, the more they could lose
their credibility as enemies because the
Doctor defeats them time and time again.

Its hard to imagine how different the modern

Doctor Who series would be if the deal to use
the Daleks had fallen through with their
creators estate. Instead, we would have had
robotic spheroids (the concept of which
would be used later as the Toclafane) as the
enemy in Series One. Considering that Dalek
so effortlessly reintroduced the Daleks to a
new generation of viewers, and made them
seem scary and formidable again, it would
have also been a great shame. Its intriguing
that Davros, the Daleks creator, did not make
this list. Davros was quite popular in the
1980s and still has a number of fans, but
perhaps its an acknowledgement that the
read it all before. Doctor Who tried any Daleks work best on their own, without their
number of new robotic enemies over the master around to undermine their menace.
years to try to match the menace of the
Daleks, but never succeeded. Although there
| Jon Wesley Huff
are many opinions as to why the Daleks work
so well, the failure of so many other attempts
Monster Montage and Icons
suggests that the design, the voice and the
by Jon Wesley Huff
timing of their introduction had a large part to

Artwork (Left): Clara Urech [claribelle.deviantart.com]

Artwork (Top): Helen Beeston
Artwork (Bottom): Richard Farrell

he Master made his first appearance

in Terror of the Autons (1971) as a
Machiavellian figure, dressed in the sort
of suit favoured by the former Indian
Prime Minister Nehru. Intent on conquering
the Earth and killing the Doctor in the process,
he has stolen the Nestene energy unit placed,
oddly enough, on display in a museum, and
arrived at Luigi Rossinis circus in his TARDIS,
disguised as a horsebox.
Even in this opening scene
Delgado, as well as having a
wonderfully sinister face,
also had superbly sharp and
expressive eyes, which added
all the more to the depth he
gave the character.
Very soon we discover the
Masters murderous qualities
when he heads for the radio
telescope which he uses to
send out the signal to
awaken the Autons. There he
kills Professor Phillips, and
soon afterwards we see the
effects
of
his
tissue
compression eliminator (TCE)
when he murders the
technician, Goodge.
Later, the Master, posing as
Colonel Masters, brings Rex
Farrell under his control as
he seeks to use Farrells
factory to produce a hideouslooking troll doll. However,
Rex insists:
My father would never hear
of it!
The Master intones: Dont
worry about him, youre
under a new thumb now.
He
callously
murders
McDermott with a plastic
chair which suffocates him
and, having discovered Jo on the premises,
hypnotises her into believing that everything
is all right. He later kills Farrell Senior with a
troll doll which he claims is part of the
companys new range.

almost succeeds in strangling the Doctor with

the telephone cable. The Master does show
his sympathetic side, however, when he visits
the Doctor at UNIT. The Doctor asks if he has
come to kill him to which the Master replies:

to the top of the telescope to destroy the

signal, and later escapes in the circus bus
having killed it driver and disguised himself
an act he would repeat in The Sea Devils
(1972).

Yes, but not without considerable regret. I In his next outing, The Mind of Evil (1971), we
have so few worthy opponents, when theyre see Delgados Master both at his most evil
gone I invariably miss them.
and his most vulnerable. Here he is posing as
Professor Emil Keller, inventor of
the Keller Machine which can
supposedly extract evil from
prisoners minds. In fact, the
whole thing is a cover for the
Masters real intention of
destroying
an international
peace conference and thus
starting a third world war.
For the early part of the story the
Master is a shadowy figure, using
the Chinese Captain Chin Lee to
kill delegates at the conference
when she fails to resist the his
hypnotic powers. As usual, the
Master uses the vulnerability of
lesser minds.
The Mind of Evil is perhaps the
best and most adult of all
Delgados stories, adding a sci-fi
element to what were then
contemporary issues and, as
such, it would have been at
home in Season Sevens more
weighty line-up.
The Claws of Axos (1971) again
shows a somewhat vulnerable
the Master, who is not the allpowerful being he would have us
believe. When we first see him in
this story he is the Axons
prisoner, and later he has to
persuade his fellow prisoner, CIA
agent Bill Filer, to help them
both escape.

The feeling is that the Axons

One cannot imagine any other incarnation of dont trust him, and it says a lot for these
the Master coming out with a statement like particular aliens that, upon his second
this, and it is this which makes Delgados capture, they free him but retain his TARDIS.
Master so endearing.
The Masters hypnotic victims in this story are
For the first time, the Master realises his mostly military. He hypnotises an army truck
Disguised as a telephone engineer, the Master mistake in trying to help the Nestene driver into bringing the Doctors TARDIS to
dials UNIT and, using a special transmitter, Consciousness and, with superb agility, runs him, although this operation is less than
23

After the Doctor has trapped Axos in a time

loop the Master escapes once more in his
TARDIS. This really is the fault with the
Delgado Master era: his escapes are often
far too easy.
Colony in Space (1971) is perhaps the
Delgado Masters least distinguished
appearance in Doctor Who. One might
suggest that he appears in the story simply
because it needs a villain. Indeed, he
impersonates an adjudicator in a dispute
between a group of Earth colonists and the
Intergalactic Mining Corporation (IMC) on
the planet Axarius. Unsurprisingly, he rules
in favour of IMC.
But why does he involve himself in a local
dispute? In fact, having stolen the plans for
the Time Lords Doomsday Weapon, the
Master is on Uxarieus to find it. More, he
claims to have come to restore Uxarieus to
its former glory. Again, the Masters getaway
is far too easy as he escapes during a final
battle between the Colonists and IMC men.
But the Masters greatest (or darkest) hour
was yet to come.
The Daemons (1971) is the finest Delgado
Master story of all, perhaps the finest
Master story ever. In the village of Devils
End he is posing as the new vicar, Mr
Magister, and is intent on using the occult
festival of Beltane to awaken the Daemon
Azal, from whom humankinds popular
image of the Devil is derived. We can assume
that the Master has killed the incumbent
priest, Cannon Smallwood, as the local white
witch Olive Hawthorne describes:
Dear Cannon Smallwood who left without
saying goodbye
successful as the Master discovers, seems quite affable and, for the first time,
describing the TARDIS as an antiquated displays that undefinable something that
museum piece and that:
makes Roger Delgados Master so
charismatic.
You may as well try and fly a secondhand
With Axos apparently destroyed, the Master
gas stove!
asks UNIT and Hardiman for their
When UNIT captures the Master, he tries to congratulations. None are forthcoming. UNIT
blackmail the Brigadier by offering to stop is now well aware of the Masters antics.
the Axons destroying Earth if the Brigadier The Brigadier tells him:
will give him his freedom, a request which
the Brigadier refuses. Whether or not the We dont know what youve achieved yet
Master realises he has overreached himself
with the Axons it is hard to tell, but here he Has indeed the Master achieved anything?
24

Despite the reassertion of his powers in this

story, the Master has a formidable adversary
in Miss Hawthorne, who resists his attempts
to hypnotise her. He is more successful with
the male villagers and even uses blackmail
against them (eg asking one man if his wife
was still at her sisters and would she ever
return, thus implying that the man had killed
his wife).
The Master almost succeeds in his plan as Azal
grants his power to him. However, before this
can happen the Daemon is thrown into
confusion when, having threatened to kill the

Doctor, he is confronted by Jo who asks Azal

to kill her and not the Doctor. In his confusion
Azal destroys the church and presumably
himself. If this story has a fault it is the ease
with which the Master is captured by UNIT,
with respect to how easily he made his
escapes in the previous four stories.

the Chronovore. One point certainly worth

raising is the Doctors pleading for the
Masters life when Kronos threatens to kill the
renegade (what with the awakening of
Kronos, and the Doctors attempt to save the
Master, there are echoes here of The
Daemons).

performance as an all-but immobile Master

intent on renewing his broken body. This
decrepit version reappeared five years later in
The Keeper of Traken (1981), this time
portrayed by Geoffrey Beevers, before being
given full mobility by stealing the body of
Consul Tremas, portrayed by Anthony Ainley.

Season Nines opener, The Sea Devils, finds

the Master being held prisoner in an island
prison governed by Colonel Trenchard. This
story shows us an amusing but oddly nave
side to the Master, as he is fascinated by an
episode of The Clangers which he describes
as:
An
intelligent
life
form and is
quite
disappointed
when Trenchard
informs
him:
Theyre puppets
you know for
children.

In his final story Frontier in Space, the Master

is trying to provoke a war in the far future
between Earth and Draconia, by using a
hypnotic device which makes Earth ships
appear as Draconian battle cruisers and vicea

Anthony Ainleys Master (1981-1989) perhaps

could have equalled Roger Delgados, but he
only really showed his potential in Logopolis
(1981) and Survival (1989), owing to
successively weak
direction
and
increasingly
poor
stories. The least
said about Eric
Roberts
camp
portrayal in the
1996 TV movie,
whilst John Simms
portrayal of a
psychotic Master
in The Sound of
Drums/Last of the
Time Lords (2007)
and The End of
Time (2009/2010)
is nothing to
write
home
about.

The Master uses

Trenchards
patriotism as part
of his plan to
awaken the Seas
Devils,
aquatic
cousins
of
the
Silurians. Again, his
hypnotic skills are on
display here when,
having been caught
in a storeroom by
one of the prisons
personnel, he claims
to be doing an audit
versa.
for the Ministry of
In previous adventures, despite the scope of
Defence. The officer in question is vulnerable his plans, the Master seems to have
to the Masters hypnotism, who tells him:
mellowed. Here, however, we find his cruelty
fully returned when he wishes the Doctor to
You have seen my pass.
see the universe in ruins before he kills him.
At the close of the story, his disguised escape
in a hovercraft is basically a carbon copy of his
hijacking of the circus bus at the climax of
Terror of the Autons.

Frontier in Space was to be Roger Delgados

final story as the Master. Tragically, in June
1973, he was killed in a car accident in Turkey.
The Master had been scheduled to appear
just once more in Doctor Who, in a story in
I wont dwell too much on Delgados which he would be killed and the Doctor
penultimate story The Time Monster suffice it mortally wounded. Alas, it was not to be.
to say that here the Master is posing as
Professor Thascales (inventor of TOMTIT: The character of the Master finally returned in
Transmission of Matter Through Interstitial The Deadly Assassin (1976), this time played
Time) and is intent upon awakening Kronnos by Peter Pratt, who gave a credible

Its said that the

first is often the
best, and Roger
Delgados
Master certainly
proved to be a
tough act to
follow. Indeed, he really was the definitive
article the original you might say!!!
| Gary Phillips
Editors Note: This was Garys final article for
Whotopia. He passed away in March 2013. A
true friend, he will be sorely missed.
PICTURE CREDITS
A Master of Puppets (Page 22):
Magdalena Kloska
orookayasu.deviantart.com
Delgado Portrail (Page 23):
Tom Denham
I Am The Master You Will Obey Me (Page 24)
Jason Fletcher
www.jlfletch.deviantart.com

25

On the face of it, seeing Sarah

Jane Smith at the top of our
poll for favourite companion
shouldnt be any kind of
surprise. But that doesnt
make
it
any
less
remarkable. Sure, Sarah
has
been
the
undisputed fan
favourite
for
many years and
the fact that she had her own successful spinoff series (and a host of audios) wouldnt
have done her any harm. The very sad death
of Elisabeth Sladen may have come into play
here as well. But there have been some very,
very popular (and very modern) new
companions since Doctor Who returned to
our screens in 2005, so for Sarah to still reign
supreme is no mean feat. Yes, this is a poll of
Doctor Who fans and not of the general
viewing public but even so well done Sarah
Jane.
The nice thing about Sarah Jane is that shes
everybodys companion. Shes classic Who
and new Who and everything in between, be
it K9 and Company, Downtime or her own
series, Sarah Jane Adventures. A remarkable
character who had a fictional life beyond that
she had with the Doctor. Im sure fans will
continue to love her for many years to come.
At number two
we will really
do have a
surprise.
If
youd
have
asked me to
predict
the
most popular of the new generation of
companions Id have gone for Rose, with Amy
snapping at her heels. Both are classic (in the
sense of typical) companions: pretty, feisty
and frankly quite generic. Donna Noble on
the other hand is atypical. Shes a mouth on
legs: the Tegan of the twenty-first century.
Donna is the marmite companion and

whether you like her or not (I dont

particularly sorry) she never fails to make an
impact. She deserves this place and I
congratulate Whotopia readers on being
prepared to like something different. Donna
is hard to ignore and maybe thats why shes
made such a big impression on you all,
whereas memories of Rose are starting to
fade a little and even Amy has perhaps
already been overshadowed by the new girl,
played Jenna Louise Coleman. So thank you
Donna for daring to be unique.
Brigadier
A l i s t a i r
G o r d o n
L ethb rid geS t e w a r t
continues to
make
an
impact over
forty
years
after he first
appeared in
Doctor Who.
Its debatable
whether
he
even counts as a companion and for my
money he doesnt. He stands on his own
rather than being the usual mere assistant,
the Doctors equal and confidante in many
ways. But he did take the odd trip in the
TARDIS so Im happy to see him in the list;
and with such a high percentage its clear that
Who fans are extremely fond of him. It was a
very sad loss when actor Nicholas Courtney
passed away not so very long ago and this is a
nice tip of the hat to him. I knew Nick
thorough my associations with the Britishbased Doctor Who Appreciation Society and I
think hed be pleased at this placing. My
favourite memory of him is going on the
Millennium Eye in London with him, along
with other members of DWAS. Later, we sat
in a pub by the Thames watching tennis and
drinking beer, with Nick reminiscing about
working with Frankie Howard! You cannot
buy memories like that.

Jamie McKrimmon knew the Brigadier of

course and here he is snapping at his old
friends heels
with 36.7% to
the Brigs 38.8%.
Fraser Hines has
quite a high
profile at the
moment, doing
lots of good
work for Big
Finish and his
appearance on the
quiz show Pointless,
so its good to see
that he still has a place in Doctor Who fans
hearts. He has a natural advantage having
done so many episodes but for him still to be
so popular so many decades after appearing
in the programme is pretty remarkable. It was
interesting to watch him in The Two Doctors
with Colin Baker in 1985 and to see how
effortlessly he stepped back into the role
after so many years. As he recently said in
DWM, hed have welcomed the chance to
step back into the TARDIS permanently!
At number 5 we
have Rory Williams.
Sorry, Im not a fan.
I think Amy was
always far more
interesting
when
Rory wasnt around.
But I know hes
popular so fair
enough it was
certainly a new
dynamic to have a proper couple living in
the TARDIS. The whole River Song / baby
storyline did nothing for me, however,
although I realise Arthur Darvill has a big
following and you cannot deny he is enjoying
a very successful career. I wish him well.
Ian Chesterton is placed at number six and I
for one am delighted. Those first episodes of
Doctor Who established the template for
27

everything that
followed and
Ian played a
large role in
that.
Doctor
Who was more
of an ensemble
piece in those
days. We had
an older, less
physical Doctor
and
we
therefore
needed
a
younger, more dynamic man for the action
sequences. Ian and Barbara were the eyes
and ears of the audience, the ordinary
humans who stumbled upon an extraordinary
secret. William Russell continues to be hugely
popular with all the Big Finish work that hes
done, and its gratifying to know that hes not
forgotten half a century after he appeared on
the show. Hes been in some classic
programmes and movies as well as that staple
of BBC afternoon viewing, The Great Escape.
Next we have
Ace,
a
character
who is very
m u c h
overlooked
these days.
Its hard for
you nger
viewers
to
f u l l y
appreciate
just what a
kick up the
backside Ace
gave to the
programme.
Okay, her clothes and dialogue are very dated
these days but the same could be said of Jo
Grant and many others. After Bonnie
Langfords Mel (who really wasnt as bad as
many people have said) we needed a dynamic
new companion and Ace arguably became the
focus of the show more than the Doctor. She
was a companion with issues and the writers
made the most of her. Ian Briggs, a writer
who could have made a massive impact if
hed written for a more popular era of the
show, did a great job creating her.

was the one I

mainly grew up
with so Im glad
to see her
listed here. Her
chemistry with
Tom
was
obvious
and
the fact they
ended
up
getting married
was arguably
no surprise. Its
often said that a cleverer companion doesnt
work (Barry Letts certainly felt that with Liz
Shaw) but the quick-fire dialogue between the
Time Lord and Time Lady was great fun, giving
the series an X-Files dynamic. The relationship
between the Eighth Doctor and Dr Grace
Holloway later in the TV Movie was arguably
similar. Its a pity the story Shada was never
completed because they had some
particularly nice interplay between them, but
at least we do have those scenes that were
shot.

Ive been lucky enough to interview Louise

Jameson (she bought me lunch!) so Im very
pro-Leela. The character was tougher than
any before and the idea of a noble savage
being educated by the Doctor was a strong
one. The production team handled the
character well on the whole and managed to
avoid being patronising in their approach. Socalled primitive peoples arent stupid; they
just know different things to the things we
know. Philip Hinchliffe and co. understood
this and gave us a great companion. I know
Louise didnt always have an easy time with
I like both versions of Romana but Romana II Tom, but their recent work on Big Finish
28

seems to have brought them together so that

is good to know.

Finally, we have another relative newcomer in

the form of Wilfred Mott, brilliantly played by
Bernard Cribbins, who is very much a national
treasure in the UK, having appeared in so
many classic films and television programmes.
Those final scenes between him and the
Tenth Doctor in David Tennants final story
were incredibly well acted and very moving.
For someone who many might argue is a
supporting character rather than a true
companion, he has done very well indeed and
he belongs in the top ten.
Overall, Im pleased that this poll has
produced such a mixed set of results with no
single era of Doctor Whos history coming out
on top. Doctor Who fans know what they like
and have great taste it would seem! Was
there anyone else I might have expected to
see here? Katy Mannings Jo Grant perhaps or
Mary Tamms Romana. Maybe Tegan or Peri
from the 1980s. But tastes change so maybe
their day will come again.
| Ian Wheeler

The first episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures

I ever saw was The Last Sontaran, the Series
Two opener, in 2008. Its always an odd
experience coming to a new television series
with no prior knowledge, like eavesdropping on
strangers. Who are these people? What
relationship do they have with each other?
Who are the regular characters, and who are
the guest stars? Having not become a proper
Doctor Who fan till 2007, I didnt know a lot
about Sarah Jane herself, either, only that she
was someone from the Doctors past.
Nearly five years on, I feel I know this show
more than any other more, even, than Doctor
Who (although thats hardly surprising,
considering how much longer the latter has
been around). Between live television, iPlayer
and repeats, I have now seen every episode of
The Sarah Jane Adventures (or SJA, as it is often
abbreviated to) that was ever made.
When I first started watching, I was still just
about within the target age range, but now Im
30

an adult, I dont regard SJA any less highly. Ive

seen some people dismiss it as a childrens
programme, which is a shame. Elisabeth Sladen
was clearly very fond of the show and always
took it seriously, pouring her heart and soul
into it, just as she had done during her time on
Doctor Who. It would be tragic if this huge
body of her work went unnoticed.

Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) is a true

Doctor Who legend, and was one of the longest
-running companions, starring with the Third
and Fourth Doctors from 1973 to 1976. So after
the characters hugely popular one-off return
in School Reunion [DW 2006], showrunner
Russell T Davies couldnt resist giving Sladen
her very own spin-off series, and the first
episode premiered less than a year later, on
Even if SJA, as a whole, isnt your cup of tea, New Years Day 2007. Davies insisted that it
there are a few particularly special stories wasnt a pilot episode; by then the upcoming
which every Doctor Who fan should see. As first series had already been commissioned.
Sarah Jane herself would say, you just need to
know where to look.
Invasion of the Bane, a sixty-minute special cowritten by Davies and Gareth Roberts, is a very
In this article, Im going to be investigating entertaining romp. We are introduced to Maria
every SJA story that was broadcast, but will Jackson (Yasmin Paige), a normal teenage girl
reference a couple of Doctor Who stories along who is in a situation many young viewers can
the way, too. To avoid confusion, these are relate to her parents recently divorced, she
marked with DW and the year of broadcast in has moved into a new house on Bannerman
square brackets.
Road with her dad, Alan (Joseph Millson). But
in the middle of night she is woken by a strange
glowing light, and discovers strange goings-on
Invasion of the Bane

with Maria; Sarah Jane wants him to lead as

normal a life as possible. But the ensuing
events throw that idea out of the window
the teachers are Slitheen in disguise.
Another student, Clyde Langer (Daniel
Anthony), gets dragged along for the ride,
and soon finds himself tangled up in Sarah
Janes life.
Clyde would become one of SJAs longestrunning and most popular characters,
appearing in every single story except
Invasion of the Bane. A welcome
replacement for Kelsey, Clyde is far more
natural and likeable. He loves his one-liners
and is often the comic relief of the group,
but Daniel Anthony balances this with a
more subtle, emotional side, ensuring his
character is always believable, and someone
we can relate to.

and a mysterious woman at the house subsequent series would be based. We are
across the road
introduced to so many key characters and
concepts, yet its all woven seamlessly into
And heres the interesting thing. Sarah Jane, the story. We are also introduced to Sarah
in many ways, is not the central character in Janes attic, the centre of operations for all
this episode. We see the story through her alien investigation, which is filled with
Marias eyes, and Sarah Jane is presented as mysterious artifacts from her travels. And
a mysterious, slightly enigmatic figure.
thats only the start
Maria and Sarah Jane get tangled up in an
alien plot to take over the world with fizzy
drinks, naturally. Samantha Bond is
irresistible as the villainous Mrs Wormwood,
leader of the one-eyed, squid-like Bane.
Perhaps less fondly remembered, however,
is Marias acquaintance Kelsey Hooper (or
Harper, but lets not go there), who was
originally intended to become a regular
character but, possibly due to poor
reception, was never seen again.
And then, of course, theres the Archetype
(Tommy Knight). The Bane are taking DNA
samples of every visitor to the Bubble
Shock! drinks factory, and use these to
create a genetically engineered human the
perfect human being on which to test their
drinks. The Archetype escapes, befriends
Sarah Jane and Maria, and with his
superhuman intelligence, plays a key role in
the Banes downfall. Sarah Jane adopts him
as her son, and names him Luke Smith.

Mr Smith, I need you! Sarah Jane exclaims,

and in a triumphant, musical fanfare, smoke
billows, and the attic wall opens up. Mr
Smith (voiced by Alexander Armstrong) is
Sarah Janes greatest secret her very own
alien supercomputer. Mr Smiths fanfare,
as it would become affectionately known,
parodies the over-the-top Windows start-up
theme.

The series continues with Eye of the Gorgon,

a more thoughtful, slower-paced affair. It
draws inspiration from the ancient Greek
legend of the Gorgon, a monster with the
power to turn people to stone. But there are
also some very real issues presented here;
one of the key guest characters is an elderly
woman with Alzheimers. With this being a
sci-fi series, it must have been so tempting
to have her magically cured at the end, but
this doesnt happen; instead, she finds inner
peace
and
fulfillment in spite of
h e r
illness,
which
m a ke s
her story all
t h e
m o r e
poignant.

We are also briefly acquainted with K9,

although since the rights to the character
belong to Bob Baker, appearances of the
metal dog were only fleeting during the
early days of the show. K9 is in the process
of sealing off a black hole, and due to this
can only communicate with Sarah Jane
occasionally, appearing in times of need.

Series One (2007)

While Invasion of the Bane is a one-off
hour-long special, all subsequent
stories are two-parters, split into halfhour episodes with a cliffhanger in the
Invasion of the Bane builds the foundation middle. In the opening story, Revenge
on which the first series and all of the Slitheen, Luke is starting school
31

This is balanced with a comedy subplot and

this is a good opportunity to take a look at
another regular character, Marias mum Chrissie
(Juliet Cowan). Despite having divorced Alan,
she still visits him and Maria frequently, but
shes a little suspicious of Sarah Jane. So when
the Gorgon temporarily turns Alan to stone in
Sarah Janes house, Chrissies suspicions are
apparently confirmed when she finds a statue of
her ex-husband in Sarah Janes living room!
emotional script from Gareth Roberts, and SJAs
first foray into timey-wimey territory.
Warriors of Kudlak picks up the pace again, and
marks the shows first trip into space or a When Sarah Jane was a girl, her friend Andrea
spaceship, anyway. And a man points a gun at Yates fell off a pier and drowned. The Trickster
Sarah Jane! In a kids show! The alien species a faceless, black-cloaked menace rewrites
introduced in this story would later appear time, so that Sarah Jane drowned instead. Maria
briefly in The Pandorica Opens [DW 2010], as a wakes one morning to find an adult Andrea
member of the Alliance imprisoning the Doctor living in Sarah Janes house, and as far as
everyone else is concerned, shes always lived
beneath Stonehenge.
there Maria is the only person who can
Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? is the first remember the original timeline. A lethal
true masterpiece, however; a dark, clever and asteroid is approaching Earth, which only Sarah

Whatever Happened to
Sarah Jane? is the first
true masterpiece

32

Jane and Mr Smith can stop but if the course

of history is put right again, so that Sarah Jane
survives, Andrea will die. Alan Jackson gets
involved, and uncovers the secret his daughter
has been keeping since they moved here.
The Trickster would go on to become Sarah
Janes recurring nemesis, returning in the
second and third series. Played by Paul Marc
Davis, hes a scary, genuinely threatening
adversary, who would surely work equally well
in Doctor Who. Sadly, this is unlikely to happen,
although the Time Beetle in Turn Left [DW 2008]
was a member of the Tricksters Brigade, so its
not completely out of the question.
The Slitheen return in the series finale, The Lost
Boy, and we also learn more about Mr Smith. A
sentient Xylok crystal discovered by Sarah Jane,
and housed in a giant computer, Mr Smith has
been secretly waiting for the right moment all
this time. More Xylok are trapped deep inside

the Earth, and Mr Smith plans to release

them by bringing the Moon crashing into
the Earth. The combined efforts of Sarah
Jane, Luke, Maria, Clyde, Alan and K9 put a
stop to his plans, and he is reprogrammed
with a new purpose: to protect the Earth.
Series Two (2008)
In the first few years of SJA, it was traditional
to feature a monster from Doctor Who at the
start and end of each series. With the Slitheen
taking centre stage in Series One, now it was
the turn of the Sontarans. Well, one Sontaran.
The Last Sontaran, in fact.
Commander Kaahg is the last survivor of the
Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet, which the Tenth
Doctor defeated earlier in the year, in The
Poison Sky [DW]. Sarah Jane has a long history
with the Sontarans, having encountered them
in her very first adventure, The Time Warrior
[DW 1973-74]. Kaahg is out for revenge,
intending to wipe out humanity using Earths
own satellites.
But as is often the case in SJA, the alien threat
is only half the story. At the time of filming
Series Two, Yasmin Paige needed to spend
less time acting to focus on her education,
and in The Last Sontaran, Maria is written out
of the show. Alan has found a job in America,
and the Jacksons looming departure forms a
major subplot.
This was a risky move for the show, seeing as
Maria had been the central character the
audience identification figure in the
beginning. But by now, Sarah Jane is no
longer the enigmatic figure she was at first.
We, the audience, have grown more
comfortable and familiar with her, and with
Maria gone, the rest of Series Two is shown
more from Sarah Janes perspective.
In fact, in The Day of the Clown (a genuinely
creepy story, one of SJAs scariest), its almost
a complete reverse of the original scenario.
Rani Chandra (Anjli Mohindra) and her
parents move into Marias old house, and
with Sarah Jane now a familiar face, the
Chandras are the intriguing new characters
we want to find out more about. Sarah Jane is
keen to keep her alien investigations a secret
from Rani, and asks Luke and Clyde to keep
quiet. But inevitably, Rani does eventually get
caught up in the action.

The Jackson family was an integral part of

Series One, and following in their footsteps is
no mean feat, but the Chandras answer up to
the challenge. Much like Sarah Jane, Rani is
an aspiring journalist; by the end of the series
she steps confidently out of Marias shadow,
and settles into the group. But in later series
she would reach even greater heights; a
warm, witty and laid-back presence, and one
SJAs best loved characters. Mina Anwar is
delightful as Ranis mum, Gita, while Ace
Bhatti is brilliantly deadpan as her dad,
Haresh, who becomes the new headmaster of
the local school.

sinister astrologer tries to control the local

population using their birth signs, but his
plans are scuppered by the artificially created
Luke, who doesnt have one. The Mark of the
Berzerker is the first SJA story to be written by
the excellent Joe Lidster, who here explores
Clydes relationship with his father, and has
Sarah Jane take a back seat for a while.

The Trickster returns in The Temptation of

Sarah Jane Smith. For the first time in Doctor
Who canon, were introduced to Sarah Janes
parents in the 1950s. Their daughter
interferes with history, sabotaging their car to
save them from their fatal accident, but this
And no, despite her name, Rani has disrupts the time stream. Exactly how this
absolutely no connection
causes the Earth to become a barren
with
a
certain
wasteland ruled by the Trickster is
infamous
Time
never fully explained perhaps if
Lady from the
Sarah Janes parents hadnt
1980s!
died, she would never
have met the Doctor,
In Secrets
and helped him protect
of
the
the Earth?
Stars, a
The finale, Enemy
of the Bane, is a
momentous
occasion for both
SJA and Doctor
Who.
Mrs
Wormwood and
the
Bane
return,
now
allied
with
Kaahg
the
Sontaran

and Nicholas
Courtney
guest stars as
the
legendary
Brigadier
LethbridgeStewart, in what
would be his last
ever
appearance,
and the final
time

33

Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen appeared on

screen together. At the of time of broadcast,
this story was a special treat for fans. But
now, after the passing of both Courtney and
Sladen, Enemy of the Bane has become an
even more priceless treasure to be cherished.

thus appears in six of the twelve episodes this

series. Theres also a nod to the Time War,
and foreshadowing of a very special arrival in
the next story

Its the Tenth Doctor himself! David Tennant

guest stars in The Wedding of Sarah Jane
Early the following year, a special mini- Smith, bursting into the registration office
episode From Raxacoricofallapatorius With shouting, Stop this wedding now! The
Love was produced for Comic
Relief, guest starring comedian
Ronnie Corbett. Im still unsure
whether or not this brief
adventure can be considered
canonical, as it contains several
outside references to Corbetts
real-life work, despite him
playing
a
very
different
character.

of the action takes place in a haunted house

and it almost feels like a completely different
show. Its a classic ghost story with a sci-fi
twist, and easily one of the scariest stories
from SJA. The house is arguably even spookier
than the one recently seen in Hide [DW
2013]! Another highlight is Professor Rivers
(Floella Benjamin), playing a major role here,
compared to her more fleeting appearances
in previous series.
A school trip to an art gallery in
Mona Lisas Revenge sees the
famous painting come to life, in
human form, played with relish
by Suranne Jones (who also
played Idris in The Doctors
Wife [DW 2011]). Exactly how
this ties in with the This is a
fake shenanigans of the
Fourth Doctor in City of Death
[DW 1979] remains to be seen,
but its loads of fun.

Series Three (2009)

Prisoner
of
the
Judoon
introduces perhaps one of SJAs
most
successful
original
monsters. Androvax the Veil
realised, in proper Doctor Whostyle, with prosthetic make-up
has the unique ability to slip
inside the bodies of other life
forms and control their actions.
Writer Phil Ford has a lot of fun
with this, and gives the main
cast some interesting material
to work with. Androvax is an
escaped prisoner and the
Judoon are hot on his trail; the
chaos that ensues is exciting and
funny in equal measures. Gita
and Haresh even get their own
plot
strand,
when
they
encounter
the
Judoon
themselves. When they insist to
Sarah Jane that theyve seen
aliens, she simply smiles and
pretends to know nothing.
Joe Lidster returns to write his second story,
the little gem that is The Mad Woman in the
Attic. In the year 2059 (the same year in
which The Waters of Mars [DW 2009] is set),
an elderly, lonely Rani Chandra sits in Sarah
Janes old attic, telling a young boy the story
of how her life went wrong. The unnerving,
surreal complexity takes SJA to whole new
heights. Another clever plot device allows K9
to return an alien ship needs K9s black hole
as fuel, so he no longer needs to guard it, and
34

The series concludes with The

Gift, in which we meet the
Slitheens
more
orangecoloured
cousins,
the
Blathereen. Befriended by
Sarah Jane, they give her an
alien plant that could end all
the worlds famine although
not too surprisingly, it turns
out to be deadly. As a story it
pushes all the right buttons,
but as a finale it doesnt quite
work for me, and is the only
SJA story that ever properly
disappointed me. It does,
however, feature one of my
favourite one-liners from the
show

when
served
shepherds pie at Bannerman
Road, one of the Blathereen
asks, Are shepherds a delicacy
whole thing is a trap devised by the Trickster:
Sarah Janes husband-to-be, Peter Dalton
(Nigel Havers), shouldnt even be alive.
Heartbreaking but also brimming with wit and
charm, this story is obviously a must for any
Doctor Who fan.
The Eternity Trap takes SJA into very different
territory. Its the only story in the history of
the show not to feature Bannerman road, the
attic, or Mr Smith, and Luke is strangely
absent (more on this a bit later); the entirety

on Earth?
You may have noticed that Luke has
significantly less screen time in this series;
this was due to Tommy Knight taking exams.
Sadly, some of his absences feel a little forced
in The Eternity Trap, Luke is apparently
scared of haunted houses and chooses to stay
at Bannerman Road, and he spends most of
The Mad Woman in the Attic lying on a bed
and staring at the ceiling! He plays a major
role in Mona Lisas Revenge, however, which

explores the relationship between him and

his mother. Since adopting Luke, it has
always been Sarah Janes aim to help him
lead a normal life, attending school and
socializing with other young people his age.
So when she begins criticizing him for not
tidying his room, he retorts with, You want
me to be perfect again? The way the Bane
made me?

And the Slitheen promptly explodes, in a

symbolic moment for SJA. Its as if the writers
wanted to say, No more big green aliens,
were doing something different this year.
This was the last time a Doctor Who monster
would make a major appearance in the show.

The Nightmare Man is Joe Lidsters third and

final script for SJA. In keeping with his first
and second stories, which focused on Clyde
and Rani respectively, this story puts Luke in
centre stage. He is contemplating going to
Oxford University a year early, and breaks the
news to Sarah Jane in the midst of fighting
a Slitheen!

Interestingly, Luke was not replaced with a

new cast member, as was the case when
Maria left this time, the adventures
continue with just Sarah Jane, Clyde and
Rani.

The tone then shifts to much darker affair,

with much of the action taking place in a
string of inventive and unnerving dreams
But the following year, with Tommy Knight created by the Nightmare Man (Julian Bleach,
now finding even less time for acting, a who also played Davros in The Stolen Earth/
decision had to be made. At the start of Journeys End [DW 2008]). Luke departs for
Series Four, Luke leaves home!
Oxford at the end in a shiny yellow car, and
takes K9 with him, who presumably still
Series Four (2010)
resides there to this day.

Androvax returns in The Vault of Secrets, and

were also reacquainted with the android Mr

Dread, who made his debut in the 2009

Doctor Who animation, Dreamland! Theres
some more development for Gita and
Haresh, too the former finally discovers
Sarah Janes secret life of alien investigation,
although sadly, she then forgets everything
she has learned.
Death of the Doctor is another SJA story
every Whovian should add to their must
watch list. Matt Smith guest-stars as the
Eleventh Doctor, and for the very first time,
Sarah Jane comes face-to-face with the Third
Doctors former companion, Jo Grant (Katy
Manning). Whats more, its written by
Russell T Davies himself, for the first time
since Invasion of the Bane! Theres a quick
visit to an alien planet (a first for SJA),
undertaker vultures called the Shansheeth,
archive footage of Jon Pertwee and Tom
Baker, and a heartwarming scene where we
learn what happened to some of the Doctors
other companions even Ian and Barbara.
Its all incredibly self-indulgent, but in the
best possible way.
35

Clyde and Rani really come into their own in

The Empty Planet, when they find themselves
the only two humans left on Earth. Theres a
fun storyline involving robots and an alien
prince, but the real gem here is the lead
performances both Daniel Anthony and
Anjli Mohindra have grown so much since
joining the show, and the chemistry and
dialogue shine bright. Clyde even suggests
that they might have been chosen to start a
new race of humans on Earth the new
Adam and Eve to which Rani promptly
responds, but with a laugh, Shut up!
In Lost in Time, we meet the mysterious
Shopkeeper (Cyril Nri) and his parrot, who
send Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani to three
different periods of history. Each of them is
given the same mission: to collect a precious
artifact, made from metal forged in the Time
Vortex. This results in three separate stories
being told alongside each other, with each
character going on their own little personal
journey. Sarah Jane helps a young girl in a
haunted house, Clyde confronts Nazis in
wartime Norfolk, and Rani finds herself in the
Tower of London in 1553, befriending Lady
Jane Grey just days before her execution
this was the first time SJA had featured a real
historical character. The issues presented
here are handled sensitively, but also with a
sense of realism that takes childrens
television into bold new territory. Writer
Rupert Laight jumps effortlessly between the
three time periods, keeping the tension high.
The finale, co-written by Gareth Roberts and
Clayton Hickman, was originally intended to
be a sequel to Planet of the Spiders [DW
1974]. Due to plot problems, however, this
was replaced with a completely different
story cast over the years, it was a surreal
moment, and it took me a long time to fully
take it in. Elisabeth Sladen, gone? Forever? It
seemed impossible. Shed always been a
constant, reassuring presence; whatever
happened, she was always there. How could
she be gone?
The entirety of Series Four feels
tremendously confident compared to
previous series, exploring themes of comingof-age, and pushing the main characters to
their limits. And this all comes to a head in
Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith. Sarah Jane, Clyde
and Rani meet another alien investigator,
Ruby White (Julie Graham). Ruby is one step
36

Stephen-Daly) has developed Sky to use as a

weapon a living bomb to destroy the
Metalkind. But Sky still a baby at this point
winds up on the doorstep of 13 Bannerman
Road. After miraculously aging into a twelveyear-old girl (No birthdays? Clyde exclaims.
Thats rubbish!), she faces a choice: should
she listen to Sarah Jane, or fulfill the purpose
she was created for, and destroy the
Metalkind? One things for certain she is
very strong-willed on not keen to do what
Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith did bring with it a shes told!
terrible irony, however, as it was last story to
be broadcast before Elisabeth Sladen passed Sarah Jane adopts Sky as her daughter. This
away.
whole story mirrors Invasion of the Bane, and
brings SJA full circle. While the introduction
The news hit us four months later, just days of a younger cast member does, in some
before The Impossible Astronaut [DW 2011]. ways, feel like a step back for the show after
Having grown very attached to this show and the development of Series Four, it creates an
its cast over the years, it was a surreal interesting dynamic between the characters.
moment, and it took me a long time to fully Clyde and Rani, now young adults, act almost
take it in. Elisabeth Sladen, gone? Forever? It as parental figures to Sky; the wise older
seemed impossible. Shed always been a siblings.
constant, reassuring presence; whatever
happened, she was always there. How could In an interesting twist, the Shopkeeper
she be gone?
makes a return, and we learn that he was the
one responsible for leaving Sky at Bannerman
Road. This was clearly intended to be part of
Series Five (2011)
A decision was made to air the first three, an ongoing story arc, but since the fifth series
complete stories of Series Five. Initially I was was never completed, this is the last time we
almost reluctant to watch them; they were see the Shopkeeper, and he will always
too priceless, too precious to watch. Once Id remain something of a mystery.
seen them, that would be it no more
Elisabeth Sladen, no more Sarah Jane, ever. While Sky echoes the earlier days of the
How would I react to seeing her on screen show, The Curse of Clyde Langer employs a
grittier approach, much like the majority of
again, one last time?
Series Four. In the local museum, a sentient
I did watch them, of course, and what totem poll curses Clydes name; anyone
surprised me was how quickly I was sucked hearing it turns against him. Cast out by his
back into Sarah Janes world again. I enjoyed friends and even his mother, Clyde is forced
the stories, and laughed at the jokes, just as I to live on the streets, in a surprisingly moving
always had. The fictional character, Sarah story about homelessness. Its left up to Sky
Jane, was still there, just like she had always to help put things right again being from
another world, she is unaffected by the
been.
totem poles curse.
Sky introduces the wonderful Sinead Michael
as the title character. Sadly, her tenure on When Series Five was broadcast, many
SJA would be short-lived, but her limitless, people mistakenly believed that the third
bubbling joy and enthusiasm is easily the story, The Man Who Never Was, was
highlight of this series. She settles into the originally intended to be the sixth story, the
cast so naturally it seems like she was always finale. However, it had always been intended
as the third story. Despite this, it still
there.
somehow feels like a finale, and is a worthy
Much like Luke, Sky is created artificially. For send-off for the show. The plot, concerning a
centuries, the Fleshkind have been locked in sinister computer company, is classic SJA.
a war with the robotic Metalkind (another Luke returns once more, and meets his sister
SJA design classic), and Miss Myers (Christine Sky face-to-face; the whole cast is united
ahead of Sarah Jane in every way shes
younger, fitter, and her portable
supercomputer, Mr White, makes Mr Smith
look dated. Sarah Jane is becoming
increasingly tired and forgetful, and begins to
question her ability to defend the Earth.
While it occasionally goes over-the-top, this
is easily one of SJAs most emotional stories;
an incredible finale to the shows strongest
series yet.

to save the Earth one

last time.
SJA was always at its
best when utilising its
entire cast, giving each
character their own role
to play, with Mr Smith
the
centre
of
operations;
a
race
against the clock as
Sarah Janes entire
family worked together
to bring down the
villains. The Man Who
Never
Was
is
a
celebration
of
everything that made
this show work so well,
on so many levels; not
just as a Doctor Who
spin-off, but as a
programme in its own
right.
Sarah
Jane
Adventures stands as a
wonderful testament to
Elisabeth Sladen, both as
an actress and as a
person.
At the very end of The
Man Who Never Was, a
montage of moments
from
Sarah
Janes
adventures provides a
sense of closure, but the
final on-screen message
leaves the rest up to our
imaginations.
And the story goes on
forever.

| Callum McPherson
Artwork
SJA Montage (page 26)
Karen Kalbacher
Sarah Jane Smith
Portrait (page 28)
Miran Roh

Used by permission

37

EARTHSHOCK

1982/FIFTH DOCTOR/9.33m/ERIC SAWARD

The Cybermen. I have this thing
about the Cybermen in that they
are, by quite some distance, my
favourite Doctor Who adversary
(though Ive always had a strange
thing for the Weed Parasite) in
that, in the right hands, they feel
unstoppable. Theyre strong,
emotionless metallic ghosts of
humanitys past, cold and
rational when striking you dead
with quite some pain on your
part and little effort on theirs.
The Tomb of the Cybermen is a
story that always grabs me
because of this. Perhaps its the
monochrome
or
the
claustrophobia of those Telosian
tombs, but you feel they could,
and will, grab you, killing you
gasping, whilst you have no
chance of escape or so it is in
my memory, because when I rewatch that story, theyre not
quite like that; not quite as scary,
the sets not quite as cramped,
the odds of survival not quite as
short.

2011/ELEVENTH DOCTOR/7.6m/TOM MACRAE

say better, than how it is when Amy Pond. The Girl Who
Waited. I had a strange journey
actually watched.
with Ms. Pond throughout the
But not so Earthshock. You see, course of the series. I found her
Earthshock is the story that gets initially intriguing, but there
were times when her character,
it right. Its the story that echoes
or at least her character arc,
Logopolis in reminding you that
seemed so scattered that I had a
Adric can be an okay character; hard time relating to her any
the story where the caves are as more. There were points where
claustrophobic as you remember she didnt feel like a real human
them, the Cybermen as all- being, and the quirks that were
powerful and ruthless, the death part of her charm began to
count as painful and high as grate. Bringing Rory into the mix
youd imagine. When the Doctor h e l p e d
t he
character
slays the Cyber Leader at the immensely, but it wasnt really
end, it isnt an easy kill: he has to until this episode that I fully
really work to dispose of him. Its got Amy Pond. It was here that
all the more terrifying that our I think she cemented herself as
hero does just that. He sweats one of the truly memorable
buckets in the effort of killing off companions and, in my mind, all
inconsistencies
were
just one, knowing that Adric past
forgotten
or
at
least
forgiven.
cannot be saved.

Yes, like Tomb the script has its

problems. No, Im not so big a
fan of the emotional register in
the former Mondasians voices:
but my word isnt it tense, and
scary, and deadly, and all the
things the Cybermen promise
I worry about the Cybermen. The themselves to be.
concept of them looms greater
than the execution so often, and It may not be the perfect story,
however fantastic Tomb is (and it but it is home to the perfect
is, whatever those disappointed Cybermen. Its as close as the
may have you believe), its show has ever got to making all
possibly fair to say that my they could be all they are.
memory of it or, more
accurately, my memory of it from Excellent.
childhood is scarier, and dare I
[Nick Mellish]
40

THE GIRL WHO WAITED

The episode itself has many

charms. The stark set design is
great. Some of the locations are
starting to feel a bit familiar,
even with a good amount of
redressing, but I think that can
be chalked up to architectural
styles being shared across
various planets in a spacefaring
age. There are some magical,
almost surreal moments that
really sell the beauty of the
facility, even if its nature is
horrific to us because of what
its doing to our main
characters. The garden Amy
visits in particular is a stand-out.
The robots in this are simple
and incredibly effective on a

visual and story level, especially

as their motivations are pure.
But
they
work
on
a
psychological level, as well.
When their gleaming surfaces
reveal needle-riddled interiors,
it plays on the nagging doubts
we can have about our
healthcare providers or the
healthcare industry in general. Is
there something sinister lurking
beneath
the
white
and
antiseptic facade?
Of course, the most powerful
element of the story is the
emotional core of it. In a way
that few Doctor Who stories do,
the story really puts the main
charact e rs
t hroug h
an
emotional ringer. Its a real
credit to the writing and the
performances (Karen Gillans in
particular) that the viewer feels
truly conflicted in the end. If we
hadnt been properly sold the
plight of Older Amy, the
resolution would have been
pretty simple. Grab our Amy
and go. But its precisely
because Gillan sells us on the
fact that Older Amy IS our Amy,
just significantly changed, that
makes the ending so powerful
despite the fact that, in the back
of our minds, we knew this is
how it would have to play out. If
anything, this makes the
episodes even more tragic on
repeat viewings.
[Jon Wesley Huff]

REMEMBRANCE OF THE DALEKS

1988/SEVENTH DOCTOR/5.4m/BEN AARONOVITCH

Shortly after a series or two of

the new series, I was a young
fresh fan who loved the Daleks
(who doesnt) and in the gap
between these series, I turned
to the classic series for more
adventures.
I
discovered
Remembrance of the Daleks
looked quite exciting. Daleks
check. Davros check. Daleks
fighting each other super
check! I remember getting the
story, lying down on a bed and
watching it at a grandparents
house for the first time. I was
there for some time, so I
managed to watch the whole
story in one go and I must say I
love it.
The story is very similar to the
new series: it takes its time to
slow down and deal with some
human issues, something the
classic series does in short yet
often brilliant (see Tomb of the
Cybermen) bursts. Perhaps
Remembrance can achieve this
because it is a long story over
multiple episodes, but I like to
think it is because it is well
written! A notable area it covers
is the Doctor talking about
consequences with Geoffrey the
Butler, from Fresh Prince of Bel
Air, in his local caf; although
its not actually him, just the
same actor, Joseph Marcell. I
only recently found that out, so
had to tell someone. I miss a lot
of obvious things. This is a great
scene with some great acting
which is often quoted when
talking of this era.

idea that seems to permeate

through the history of Doctor
Who, from the recent Silence
arc of the girl in the spacesuit to
Susan herself through the eyes
of Ian and Barbara. It is no
surprise to see it covered here.
Especially when they are back
visiting Colehill School! Excellent
self-referencing check!
Remembrance concludes with a
large fight between the Daleks
wit h
e xp lod ing
g at e s,
disintegrating
Daleks
and
strange new variants in short,
it teases the arrival of a new era
of bigger effects. Fitting this, the
Imperial Dalek shuttle is a lifesized prop. Life-sized! Not a
miniature. This is also preceded
by an effects shot of the
Imperial Dalek Mother-ship
looming over earth; one of the
few pre-title sequences in the
original run of the show and a
chilling way to start the episode.
I love pre-title sequences, so
this was a nice surprise and
again shows parallels to the new
series.
And we even get to see a Dalek
tackle stairs head-on!

I love this story and it is one of

my favourite classic adventures.
This may just be nostalgia
clouding my judgement, but
again I like to think it is because
it is well written! And if you
havent watched it yet, Id
recommend joining me in my
Grandparents
house
and
watching it with the same
It also covers Aces love interest, excitement and love I did. Good
Sgt Mike Smith, who turns out adventure check!
to be a baddie which affects her
greatly
before
he
gets
[Addison Cort]
unceremoniously killed off by a
Dalek-possessed school girl. Ah
yes, hold on, Creepy Child
check! Creepy Children is an

THE DEADLY ASSASSIN

1976/FOURTH DOCTOR/12.2m/ROBERT HOLMES
When the Time Lords are introduced as
the Doctors people in The War Games,
they are aloof and dispassionate
almost god-like figures monitoring the
universe but rarely stooping to get
involved with mere mortals. Subsequent
appearances in Terror of the Autons, The
Three Doctors and Genesis of the Daleks
do little to undermine that first
impression.
Its not until the Doctors first televised
visit to Gallifrey (finally given a name in
The Time Warrior) that writer Robert
Holmes must have decided that a cast of
Time Lords based on that template
would make for a pretty boring story.
Instead, he makes them clueless,
obstinate, scheming and petty. One of
them is even willing to sell out his own
planet over a political grudge. In other
words, he makes them more human.
The Deadly Assassin is, in fact, better
drama because the characters are not all
-knowing goody-two-shoes. Holmes also
goes a step further by presenting a
culture in decay that doesnt even know
how their own technology works and
how it is powered. They think the Eye of
Harmony is a myth, and they dont
understand that their ceremonies once
had practical reasons behind them.

lives? Not exactly sure. Perhaps Holmes

had unlucky 13 in mind.
The Masters motivation of seeking a
new lease on life would reverberate
throughout the rest of the original
series, particularly in The Keeper of
Traken and The Five Doctors, as well as
in the Eighth Doctor TV Movie. Similarly,
the idea of only 13 lives for Time Lords
played a key role in Mawdryn Undead
and the TVM and as the Doctor nears
the end of his eleventh life, it certainly
will come up again (if only to be brushed
away with a timey-wimey plot
convenience).
Then theres the Matrix, ostensibly a
repository for all dead Time Lords
memories that allows their knowledge
to be tapped and the future to be
predicted. When the Doctor and
Chancellor Goth are connected to it
through the APC Net and meet inside
the Matrix, they find a virtual world and
do battle, with the consequences
affecting their physical bodies out in the
real world.

The Matrix is seen several other times in

the original series, including Arc of
Infinity and The Trial of a Time Lord,
although its never quite the same each
time. Also, if the Wachowskis didnt
watch Doctor Who as kids and steal the
In addition to this new take on Time idea for The Matrix movie series, Id be
Lords, its amazing to think how many very surprised.
other pieces of Doctor Who mythology
come from The Deadly Assassin:
The Deadly Assassin is also notable for
being the only Doctor Who story without
We first learn of the legendary a companion or a companion surrogate
Rassilon, the venerated founder of Time although, arguably, Castellan Spandrell
Lord society who gave them mastery and Co-ordinator Engin are partners in
over time and space. His name would be solving the mystery of who assassinates
invoked in numerous stories after this the outgoing president and how to save
one: Items are named for him (the Sash, Gallifrey from destruction. Actor Tom
the Rod, the Great Key, the Harp, the Baker, in one of his ego moments,
Tower, the Tomb, the Imprimatur, the suggested he could carry the show
Key, the Seal and so on), we encounter without a companion and while it does
his ghost in The Five Doctors and we work here, it clearly would limit story
may even meet the genuine article in possibilities if the Doctor went solo on a
The End of Time, although writer Russell permanent basis.
T. Davies is typically vague about that
one. (In Big Finishs Eighth Doctor As with most Doctor Who writers
audios, Rassilon is an undeniably evil (especially for the original series),
figure who manipulates the timelines so Holmes likely wrote The Deadly Assassin
that any rivals to Gallifreys power are with little thought about how it would
essentially strangled in their cradles.)
shape the shows greater mythos. I
doubt, for instance, that he could have
The 12-regeneration limit for Time predicted a day when the Doctor himself
Lords is first established here as the might be up against the 12-regeneration
central plot point of the story. Because limit. Hindsight, though, allows us to see
the Master has reached his thirteenth what a milestone this story really was.
incarnation, he is little more than a
decaying husk and seeks the power of
[Chris Kocher]
the Eye of Harmony to give himself a
new cycle of regenerations. Why 13

41

THE CURSE OF FENRIC

1989/SEVENTH DOCTOR/4.13m/IAN BRIGGS
Nicholas Parsons as Reverend
Wainwright.
Parsons,
who
apparently is better known in the
UK for his more comedic roles and
game-show hosting, gives one of
the best supporting performances
of the era as a vicar who struggles
with his faith and pays for it. There
is a wonderful scene in the church
where he is giving a sermon to an
empty church that illustrates this
beautifully, and gives Parsons his
Any good production must have a strongest moment. All together
good cast and this one has one of they form one of the shows best
the best of the series. The casts.
performances start with the
regulars: Sylvester McCoy as the Then theres the heart of it all: the
Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace. script. It is a story about war and
McCoy gives his single best Doctor faith that explores the nature of evil
Who performance in this story as and the lengths one must go to
he strikes just the right balance fight it. On top of all that, there is
between his more comedic Doctor the obvious horror aspect in the
of Season Twenty-Four and the form of the Haemovores. The
more serious Doctor of Season writer, Ian Briggs, also manages to
Twenty-Five and earlier in Season tie together stories from the McCoy
Twenty-Six. Just look at the final era to explore the background and
episode to see McCoys Doctor at character of Ace.
his televised best. Sophie Aldred
also gives her best televised More than this, Fenric is a sort of
performance as Ace. This was the chess game between the Doctor
middle story of what has become and an ancient enemy named here
known as the Ace Trilogy and this as Fenric. The Seventh Doctor has
gives Aldred a chance to show off become known as a grand
her skills as an actress with a strong manipulator and here one can see
performance as the companion why: hes a man playing a
who discovers that her past is mammoth chess game with the
interlinked with events unfolding various characters (and indeed his
around her.
own companion) as the pieces, and
with the stakes being nothing less
The supporting cast is also strong. than the fate of the world. This is an
Theres Dinsdale Landen as Dr adventure where one must watch
Judson, the crippled computer to get everything that is going on,
scientist who unleashes the title making it one of the shows most
and effectively embodies it; Alfred cerebral stories.
Lynch as the obsessive Commander
Millington who grows more and Fenric is defiantly the best story of
more paranoid as the story the McCoy era with its strong
unravels;
an d
e x c e l l e n t performances, good production
performances from Tomek Bork as values and gripping script. Yet
Soviet Captain Sorin, plus Joann theres more to it than this, as it
Kenny and Joanne Bell as the two showed that there was potential
teenagers Jean and Phyllis. Even the yet in what some called a tired, old
smaller roles are filled with good show. Above all else then, this
actors and actresses like Anne Reid story is one thing: a last moment of
(Nurse Crane), Steven Rimkus greatness before the (temporary)
(Captain Bates), Janet Henfrey (Mrs end.
Hardaker) and Raymond Trickett
[Matthew Kresal]
(the Ancient One). The true
highlight of the supporting cast is
Conventional wisdom has it that by
1989 Doctor Who was in its death
throes. Indeed, both Sylvester
McCoys Doctor (and indeed the
very series itself) found itself
coming to an unexpected end just
as the series was featuring some of
its best and most original
adventures. Leading that charge
across four weeks in October and
November was The Curse of Fenric.

42

AN UNEARTHLY CHILD
1963/FIRST DOCTOR/4.4m/ANTHONY COBURN
A policeman walking his beat in
foggy London, in 1963. Hes
walking down a street and
checks a junkyard (in those days,
policemen
would
check
locations like this) and notices a
police box, not what you would
expect to find in a junkyard, but
it might have been sold as scrap.
Not the start you would imagine
to a series that has now lasted
fifty years. Although you see the
police box in this opening scene,
you
have
no
idea
the
significance of this until later on
in the episode even though as
the title captions are shown, you
can hear it hum. You dont even
see the Doctor until at least halfway through the episode. In
programmes like Quatermass,
Blakes Seven or the various Star
Trek series, you meet the heroes
in the first scene before or after
the opening credits.
The opening episode sets up the
primary characters: Ian and
Barbara being teachers which
leads to the educational remit of
the series; Susan, the unearthly
child who leads Ian and Barbara
on what would turn into two
years in the TARDIS; and the
sinister Doctor, played brilliantly
by the late William Hartnell,
who seems to have an innocent
child locked up in a police box in
a junk-yard.
Then we enter the TARDIS, a
spaceship bigger on the inside
than the outside, an idea never
before done on TV and never
again until a second season
episode of Star Trek: Enterprise
(and the writers admit to using
the idea from Doctor Who). All
we see in this first episode is the
control room: a huge white
room with a six sided console.
We are introduced to the Doctor
and Susan, both aliens but we

dont learn much. It isnt until

The Time Meddler, the closing
story of the second season that
the Doctor isnt the only time
traveller roaming the universe
so we are led to believe the
Doctor is the only one out there.
The scientific and educational
angle is used for the Doctor to
try and explain the interior of
the TARDIS, but then his sinister
side is shown as he would rather
escape Earth than risk their
secret being exposed. The
episode makes nice use of the
title graphics to show the
TARDIS going through the
vortex; and we are also
introduced to the famous
whooshing noise of the time
machine that graces the series
to this day.
The ending of the episode,
showing the TARDIS in a desert,
sells the idea of a time and
space machine but the
shadow of an unknown being
sells the idea even more. Who is
the watcher? Did he see the
TARDIS materalise? Is the
watcher friend or foe? Before
we can find out, the end credits
start to roll and it would be
another week before we found
out that the shadow belonged
to the caveman, Kal.
The people behind this first
episode would never have
believed it if someone told them
that it would still be made
today; and the producer Verity
Lambert did get to see three
seasons of the revival before her
sad death.
An enigmatic beginning to an
incredible journey.
[Patrick Furlong]

INFERNO
1970/THIRD DOCTOR/5.6m/DON HOUGHTON

THE WATERS OF MARS

2009/TENTH DOCTOR/9.9m/RUSSELL T DAVIES & PHIL FORD

Back in the days before home video, Inferno was a story that rarely got
talked about. You might get the odd eye patch anecdote at a convention
or a grainy photo of a Primord in Doctor Who Monthly, but generally it
was regarded as one of those not-terribly-good early Pertwee stories. It
was the slow influx into the UK of pirate copies of Inferno from
Australian TV in the late 1980s that began to change all that.
For years, the privileged few in the high end of fandom hadnt really
pushed the story forward as a classic but, as fans became able to see
the episodes for themselves, something wonderful happened. This
disregarded little story from the early days of the Third Doctor stated to
attain cult status.
Without the benefit of being able to see it, you can almost understand
why Inferno was overlooked. The main monsters of the story, the
Primords (never named as such on screen), dont look great in the
photos that were doing the rounds and the storys complex, political
plot doesnt lend itself well to being effectively summarised. The main
attraction seemed to be the alternative universe angle and the Brigadier
in an eyepatch, but out of context even that isnt enough to make you
suspect the story might be great.

Sometime in 2008 it was decided that

Doctor Who would take a small rest the
following year for a couple of reasons. Not
only would it give the audience a little time
away from the show to appreciate it a little
better, but it also gave star David Tennant
time to work on other projects besides
Doctor Who.
However there would still be Who on
television over the next year. It would
consist of five specials to begin with the
now annual Doctor Who Christmas episode
on Christmas Day in 2008. Each special
would feature a one-off companion and
would climax with the end of Tennant's
reign as the Doctor as well as final episode
made under Russell T Davies watch as
executive producer.

Ideas for the various specials were moved

around and changed as time went on, with
the number of specials finally settled at four
in April of 2008. The Waters of Mars was
originally intended to be the Christmas
But great it is. Theres a certain hardness to Pertwees first season that episode, previously going by the titles
works well in some stories and less so in others. Inferno is a terse Christmas on Mars and Red Christmas.

ecological thriller to which the harder edge contributes greatly. It would

be difficult to imagine the more child-friendly Second Doctor in this kind
of story. The one time that they tried it in his era The Enemy of the
World could hardly be said to be a roaring success. But Pertwee fits
perfectly into this sort of thing; an urbane mixture of John Steed and
Bernard Quatermass in a story with all of the quirk of the former and all
the creeping dread of the latter.

However, budget issues plagued the special

and the episode was almost abandoned,
with Davies rallying to include the Mars
adventure.

plan.
Add this to the fact that Captain Brookes
death is a fixed point in time that the
Doctor is forbidden to interfere with and
this episode has gravitas in spades.
The special also really delves into Doctor
Whos history as well. Not only in name
dropping the Ice Warriors a couple of times
but also in the fact that at the end, when
Captain Brooke tells the Doctor to leave
Bowie Base One, you can see the torment
on the face of the Time Lord who never
could stand just to watch and observe when
lives were at stake. It makes the episode all
the more powerful and it is done admirably
well by David Tennant, who despite a little
too much yelling does a hell of a job as the
Time Lord Victorious.
I think that as far as endings of Doctor Who
adventures go, only the false regeneration
at the end of The Stolen Earth and Adrics
death at the end of Earthshock actually
made me as speechless as the Doctors
actions at the end of The Waters of Mars.
The Doctor showed both the strain of
knowing about his own death and the
virtues that made him the hero and god-like
figure he had become by this time. You can
almost hear the Doctors thoughts that if he
can save an important historical figure like
Captain Brooke then surely he could also
find a way to possibly save himself from his
own fate.

Eventually, it was said to be the long

rumored Halloween special, which suited
the overall tone of the scripts. Sadly, it was
Liz Shaw, greatly underused in a lot of her stories, is given a lot to do in broadcast almost two weeks past
Halloween, crushing my dreams of seeing
Inferno. Not only as her real-world self, but also in a variety of wigs as
the Doctor acknowledge my favorite The Waters of Mars is also a script that,
the alternative universe version of herself. Its a shame that Caroline holiday.
besides the modern continuity, could have
Johns meatiest role in all of her four stories is as Section Leader
been made in 1975 just as easily as 2008.
Elizabeth Shaw rather than plain old Liz, but on the other hand it does Thankfully, this made little difference to the The running through corridors, the base
end product, which was everything a fan under siege, the monster of the week and
show just how great an actress she was.
waiting for good old fashioned scary Doctor the fate of the Earth in the balance all
classic elements that, although touched on
Inferno isnt infallible of course; at seven episodes it is at the very least Who could wish for.
since the series returned in 2005, never felt
an episode too long, but it holds its course a lot steadier than a lot of
Doing things right is always a tricky thing, as similar as they did in The Waters of Mars.
other stories of a similar length and the alternate universe element
especially when you are talking about the
definitely contributes towards holding the viewers attention. Theres tastes of the Doctor Who fan, an eclectic Doctor Who works best when it makes you
an interesting paucity of music in Inferno, which puts it at the opposite bunch to be sure, with some people loving think a bit about going in the Underground
end of the spectrum to the intrusive warbling of The Sea Devils, but episodes others despise.
to catch a train or makes passing shop
helps to build up the sense of bleakness and tension.
window dummies at night a little more
The Waters of Mars hits all of my personal uneasy. The Waters of Mars is saturated
Although he was forced to bow out in later episodes due to illness, buttons as far as quality Who goes; it is with this factor and is dripping with the
little moments that I loved as a kid and
Douglass Camfields stamp is all over the beginning of this story, epic, dark, poignant and best of all, scary.
when I let my imagination get the best of
demonstrating what a great movie director he might have been if that
Horror stories only work if there is me.
same illness hadnt taken him away far too early. The pace is steady and significant and realistic story behind the
the frequent action sequences never seem to have been crowbarred in, monster to make it scary in your mind as Excuse all the bad water puns, its just that
a common failing of many early Pertwee stories.
well as in your soul. The stakes in this one its started to rain and after I finished
are high. If the Flood reaches Earth, with all writing this review I was going to get a
Inferno is by no means a typical Doctor Who adventure, but it is a vital of its water, it will mean the end of the coffee was.
Doctor Who adventure because it represents vividly the sheer diversity human race. It will also mean that Captain
Adelaide Brooke will inspire her grandchild Water always wins.
of stories of which the format is capable.
to be one of the first pioneers in deep space
[Thomas Skychalski]
travel when she dies preventing The Floods

[Paul Ferry]

43

THE WAR GAMES

The futuristic design of the War Lords headquarters is rendered well,

with plenty of different but easily identifiable sets that help viewers
1969/SECOND DOCTOR/4.94m/TERRANCE DICKS & MALCOLM HULKE keep track of the action. Between the funky eyewear and the guards
in the frogmen outfits, I wonder if the costume designers were
Until Part Eight of The War Games, the Doctor is human or might as influenced by The Prisoner (especially the trippy final episode, which
well be.
aired in February 1968).
Sure, he says hes 450 years old and was renewed into a different The main problems seem to be the usual budgetary ones. For
man when his original aging body wore a bit thin, but those all instance, considering all the zones for various time periods, we really
could be benefits of traveling in his wondrous space/time machine.
see only three of them: World War One (well-rendered on Sheepcote
Rubbish Tip), the American Civil War (inside a barn mostly) and the
But its not until episode No. 251 long after any other show Roman Empire (with clips of an attacking legion and no interaction).
(especially an American one) would have explained the hell out of its We do meet a few characters from the other zones, such as the
heros origins that we even learn for sure that the Doctor isnt an unfortunately stereotypical Mexican Arturo Villa and the redcoat from
Earthling at all, but is a Time Lord on the run from his own people and the Battle of Culloden. Im assuming budget reasons also meant that
their vow of non-interference in the universes affairs.
the same War Lord with the facial scar and monocle (David Garfield)
gets to be the German World War One commander and the (poorly
I have a confession: Although Ive been a Doctor Who fan for more accented) Southern Civil War commander.
than 25 years and had previously seen the final episode of The War
Games, I watched the whole thing only a few months ago. It always The Doctors plea to the Time Lords has become the stuff of legend,
seemed too daunting somehow. How could a story that long be words that have been paraphrased by every incarnation since: There
anything but boring somewhere near the middle?
are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible
things. Things which act against everything we believe in. They must
While Malcolm Hulkes and Terrance Dicks scripts contain a fair share be fought. Sadly, its not enough to prevent his exile to Earth.
of the old get captured/escape/get captured trope, the pacing is
brisk and the supporting characters are engaging particularly Lady Then, in the final moments, Troughtons cosmic hobo spins away into
Jennifer (Jane Sherwin, who disappears about half-way through for no the distance.
good reason) and Lt. Carstairs (David Savile).
When Doctor Who returned six months later, in January 1970, the
The standout performances, of course, are Edward Brayshaw as the show had changed in nearly every way imaginable: new James BondWar Chief and James Bree as the Security Chief, who spend the like Doctor, new companions, no TARDIS travel (for a while, anyway),
middle of The War Games circling each other waiting for weaknesses color instead of black and white. And, for good or ill, the Time Lords
to pounce on. Its easy to understand how some fans might see the would become an integral part of the shows mythology always in
War Chief as an earlier version of the Master, who would be the background, sometimes in the flesh. Even their absence as in
introduced to the Doctor Who rogues gallery only five stories later.
the new series and the BBC Eighth Doctor novels could be a central
motivator of both plots and angst.
Among the main characters, its clear that Patrick Troughton, Frazer
Hines and Wendy Padbury have the Doctor/Jamie/Zoe relationship In short, its hard to imagine Doctor Who without them and it all
down to a well-oiled machine so its a shame they had to break up started in The War Games.
at the end. Among the horrors of war, the trio supplies many light
moments.
[Chris Kocher]

THE ROBOTS OF DEATH

1977/FOURTH DOCTOR/12.73m/CHRIS BOUCHER
Doctor Who has always been able to pull off homages to all kinds
of storytelling genres by virtue of the shows immensely flexible
format. Over the past fifty-odd years it has allowed for both subtle
and dramatic twists on established storytelling in various forms of
media. The Robots of Death is no exception, with the action
playing out in such a manner that it might have been created by a
futuristic Agatha Christie. Written by Chris Boucher, the author
that had also penned the previous adventure The Face of Evil, it
was indeed conceived with the 1939 Christie novel Ten Little
Indians in mind.

44

The traditional trappings are all there, from the rogues gallery of
potential murder suspects and the mounting body count as the
mystery progresses, to the shocking reveal of the true villain at the
end.
The murder-mystery angle is well performed by both cast and
crew all the way around, with the suspense and mystery
maintained through the first three episodes quite nicely.
It also evokes feelings more firmly rooted in traditional science
fiction, such as the human reaction to robots as part of their daily
lives. This aspect of The Robots of Death echoes some as Asimovs
greatest works on the subject of robotics, such as I Robot, with the
three classes of robots in the serial having rules about interacting
with the human miners. In fact, as Mover Poul points out during

during the adventure itself: They have

rules for everything.
However, like any other artistic
endeavor that draws comparison to
other works that have inspired it, it is
the execution of those ideas that
counts.

THE ELEVENTH HOUR

2010/ELEVENTH DOCTOR/9.6m/STEVEN MOFFAT
Stepping into someone elses shoes is never an
easy task. It was hard for Patrick Troughton to
take over a defined role from William Hartnell,
and yet he had the safety net of his own belief
that the show was destined to be canceled
anyway, so just went for it. And the result is we
still have Doctor Who, nearly fifty years on. Even
with the concept of regeneration now well worn
in to the public psyche, there still remains the
problem for new Doctors, especially those taking
the role from popular actors. Can they be the
Doctor, as their predecessors? How swiftly can
they shift their position from the new guy to
the Doctor?

Besides being ripe with nods to printed

fictional works, The Robots of Death is
also a classic Doctor Who tale from the
wonderfully dark and gritty Phillip
Hinchcliffe era. Leela makes her first
journey in the TARDIS memorable with
an excellent performance from Louise
Jameson, including a great scene at the
start of Part One where the Doctor
attempts to explain the ships
dimensionally
t r a n s c e n d e n t a l Matt Smith takes the mantle from David
construction.
Tennant, the most popular of the New Series
Doctors, in a changing of the guard most danger
This is also a strong outing for Tom ridden since Tom Baker left. Yet within seconds
Baker as the Fourth Doctor, with his of appearing on screen, the audience is thinking
confrontation with Taren Capel and his David Who? as we are left to appreciate this
interactions with robot detective D84 new beast at the centre of our favourite shows.
among some of Bakers best moments. For whilst The Eleventh Hour will never be
regarded as an all time classic, or a plot of great
As far as the episode feeling dated or substance, it presents itself as the showcase for
silly, The Robots of Death still feels our new lead, and he knocks a home run right
fresh. The production values, although out of the gate. So well, in fact, it becomes hard
not perfect, still resonate and can be to believe that Smith had so little confidence in
appreciated by a modern audience his ability to nail the role; he had to phone his
raised on a CGI diet. This is a testament dad in a crisis of confidence during the filming.
to the excellent work of the resident Who fans owe the dad a debt of credit: he
Doctor Who design team over thirty-five convinced his son to keep going and the rest is
years ago.
history.
Combining these factors makes the
episode great fodder for that ever
elusive bridge episode that so many
new Doctor Who fans seek out to really
sink into the classic years of the series.
The Robots of Death is certainly one of
the most popular episodes of Doctor
Who ever produced, and with good
reason. This is one that everyone should
see; it is a fine example of how ahead of
its time Doctor Who was in terms of
televised science fiction.
Unless you are bedridden with
Grimwades Syndrome, this is one hell
of fine example of classic Doctor Who.
[Thomas Skychalski]

One of the things to note about The Eleventh

Hour is, immediately into the story we can tell
that this is a new era of Doctor Who. Not just a
new doctor, new producer and new show
runner, with Steven Moffat taking over from
Russell T Davies just as Smith took over from
Tennant. We still have Murray Golds music to
guide us your feelings on that may vary as
one constant from the last series. But the feel of
the show is entirely different. The style of Doctor
Who, as imagined by RTD, was very modern,
gritty. Doctor Who, within the first minutes of
Steven Moffat, seems more fantastical. We even
start with the familiar RTD drop in on Earth from
space, yet the colours used seem darker, more
vivid, and when we land in Amys back garden,
the direction seems to take on a Tim Burton feel.
There is a sense of other worldliness in this most
human of settings. Its clearly done purely with

lighting, but the effect is like watching an

entirely new show.
The new companion, in all her incarnations,
makes a good first impression on the show.
Karen Gillan had been seen on TV before,
notably in the CBBC horror The Well (a bit like
The Ring for kids). However, she was not the
name actress that Catherine Tate or Billie Piper
had been. She too knocks her role out of the
park. (Not too sure on her kissogram
background, however.) Her younger cousin,
Caitlin Blackwood, plays younger Amelia as
though they could easily have been the same
person, and a further career in acting beckons.
The story is pretty much the standard
Companion Introduction fare of New Who,
neither pressing nor offensive. We have a nice
cameo from the national institution (and sadly
recently departed) Sir Patrick Moore, in a scene
where the Doctor addresses the great scientific
minds of the world via laptop. The wonderful
Annette Crosbie, better known to audiences as
Victor Meldrews long suffering wife in One Foot
in the Grave, makes the most of her limited onscreen time as Mrs Angelo. Arthur Darvill, who
comes across as a one-off character this early on
if anyone is to make it a return it seems to be
Jeff shows early promise too, though he gets
more chances to shine later on in the series.
We have the set up of the many key events to
the series arc. We see, briefly, Amys wedding
dress set us on the journey which leads to River
Song shooting the Doctor. Spoilers! We hear
about the duck pond without any ducks, which is
something I am so used to from Govanhill that it
took me a few episodes to realise this was a plot
point! And of course, we met that troublesome
crack, which is to show up time and time again.
The Prisoner Z plot, meanwhile, is a bit one note.
Its Smith and Jones in a quiet country village
minus Anne Reid, space rhinos or tension.
At the end of the day, its mere side dressing for
the real substance of the story. Our introduction
to the new Doctor and his new companion, on
which this new series will rely. What a relief
then, that they seem so promising.
[Michael S. Collins]
45

THE PYRAMIDS OF MARS

1975/FOURTH DOCTOR/10.73m/ROBERT HOLMES & LEWIS GRIEFFER

The other element that impressed me as I watched the story was

that of loneliness. From when the Doctor tells Sarah rather
portentously he walks in eternity, to the end where we see Sutekh
die alone in the far future, loneliness is a theme which constantly
The standard review of this story is wonderful first three crops up.
episodes, let down slightly by the run around that is episode four.
This is more or less true, though my strongest memories of the The Doctors comment about walking in eternity reveals a
story from first seeing it in the 1970s were mostly of episode four. mindset about how he sees himself; a lonely traveller burdened
Watching Pyramids of Mars again after an interval of at least a with knowledge and experiences no one else can ever know. But
decade, and probably longer, has awakened some new thoughts. loneliness is also felt at the level of the viewer. We have the Arab,
Ibrahim Namin, living alone in the Priory, awaiting orders from
For those who read horror, the writer HP Lovecraft needs no afar. Collins the butler, the only servant in the house, is
introduction. His finest tales, written late in his life, probe deeply murdered. Doctor Warlock dies alone. Laurence Scarman loses his
the idea the insignificance of humanity against a panoply of vastly only remaining family member without even knowing it, and is
powerful cosmic entities from beyond the dawn of time. Sounds then killed, again alone, by Marcus. Clements the poacher (the
familiar? The indifference of these beings to our ephemeral lives irony of the hunter becoming the hunted should be lost on no
gives a terrifying power to his stories, something Robert Holmes one) dies alone in a gruesome fashion. Sarah, confronted with a
achieves with Pyramids. Sutekh is vastly powerful and vastly blasted version of Earth in 1980, has to face the prospect that if
indifferent to the lives of those he uses in his efforts to free every other point in history exists at the same time as the one she
himself from the shackles imposed on him by his people.
is currently in, then until Sutekh is defeated, she is the very last
human alive. And finally, Sutekh, the last of his people, dies the
Watching Pyramids again reminded me of a series of nightmares loneliest death of them all.
that plagued me when I was ten or eleven. In them, I found myself
surrounded by monstrously huge creatures looming miles and Looking at the two elements above, it is easy to say that you can
miles above me. Its doubtful these were beings from beyond the pick a story to pieces to find aspects of it to fit a theory. It is to the
dawn of time (thankfully!), though Im sure an acolyte of Jung credit of this story, and to the era of which it is part, that the
would have a field day. The essence of these dreams, and what production team offers up something to the audience that can be
Sutekh represent, resonated when I re-watched the story again. I read on any number of levels. The mixture of mythology and
distinctly remember waking with fright from these dreams, and science has long been a key part of the series appeal. Pyramids
being unable to convey to my mother exactly what it was the cleverly hitches its wagon to the intense interest in the 1970s to
Egyptology, but also the wild theories of Erich von Daniken and
scared me so much.
his Chariot of the Gods hypothesis.
Watching Pyramids brought back an echo of that old terror for
me. Consider Sutekh a being so awesome even the Doctor is Finally, you have a production team that is firing on all cylinders.
terrified of the Osirian and the cosmic havoc he could wreak. His The pairing of Tom Baker and Lis Sladen was a golden time for the
abilities, his absolute disregard for all life, tower well above show. You sense a real rapport between the two actors. Sladen is
anything the Doctor has had to reckon with. This is something a particular delight to watch many actors these days seem to
new for the series. Up to this point in the series, the nature of the have pre-programmed responses, whereas as Sladen gives the
evil the Doctor faced could be reasonably prosaic sure, Daleks audience a naturalistic performance that makes her more than a
will conquer you, Cybermen will assimilate you, the Master will mere character reciting lines. Baker, of course is peerless. As
hypnotise you, but only Sutekh promises to eradicate every single mentioned before, the sense of real fear he injects into the
living thing in the universe simply because he can. Thats true evil. character is a credit to him, adding another level to the character
of the Doctor. The supporting cast is wonderful the script allows
Oddly enough, this fear/terror is part of the reason for the each to shine in key scenes, and Sheard is particularly affecting as
popularity not only of this story, but also of the era as a whole. the brother who cant quite believe that his brother is dead, and
For some reason, many people enjoy being scared/unnerved/ pays a terrible price for it.
terrified, but understandably, only as long as it is in the safety of
their own living room. And this era serves fare like Pyramids up on So, all in all, a great three episodes with a final one that doesnt
a plate week after week, year after year. The images, the themes quite live up to the rest. But Pyramids of Mars continues to
and shock value seared themselves into the collective memory of resonate down the years and that is to the credit of all those who
a generation of children. Is it any wonder that these three years worked on it.
under Hinchcliffe and Holmes are considered the high point of the
[Rob Mammone]
shows history?
46

MIDNIGHT
2008/TENTH DOCTOR/8.1m/RUSSELL T. DAVIES
However much the Doctors adventures are
innovative, certainly some are more
experimental than others. Thats the magic
of Doctor Who. Its format is so versatile that
the production team can tinker with it no
end, giving us one new departure after
another. Sometimes the invention lies in an
overarching theme, like the UNIT stories of
the Pertwee era; or its the production style,
as in the location-only filming of The
Sontaran Experiment (1975), and the
intense direction of The Caves of Androzani
(1984). On other occasions its the script
which rings the changes. A companionless
Doctor in The Deadly Assassin (1976) and
the rather Doctor-lite approach of
Revelation of the Daleks (1985) each set a
precedent in how the Doctor and his
companion can be used. Since 2005,
atypical stories have become a little more
common, so it isnt quite so unusual to find
the Doctor travelling solo, or his companion
enjoying the spotlight sans Time Lord.

Tours shuttle reveal just how far they are

willing to go to protect themselves, when an
invisible threat turns their claustrophobic
world upside down.
Staying on the right side of family viewing is
seldom easy where scare-making is
concerned, but Davies script deftly
navigates this line, revealing that less is
more by using our imaginations to fill in the
gaps far more effectively than any amount
of actual horror. It is perhaps the mark of a
confident writer, and showrunner for that
matter, that a less complex production
proves to be so very successful a point
which any good writer should bear in mind.
Indeed, it is the simplicity of the tale which
makes it so hypnotic. A mysterious force (is
it a single alien or something more
nebulous?) possesses the body of a
passenger, Sky Silvestry (played to
perfection by the fantastic Lesley Sharp),
who proceeds to copy word-for-word the
utterances of all those around her, until,
most chillingly of all, her voice overtakes
the Doctors and their roles become
reversed, with the Time Lord forced to
repeat the words of the apparently-free Sky.
As proceedings reach critical point, it is the
shuttles anonymous hostess who finally
defeats the alien threat but at the expense
of her own life.

The 2008 episode Midnight is a prime

example of the companionless or more
accurately companion-lite adventure.
Much more crucially its pacey, well plotted
and tightly directed. Indeed, it just may be
one of the very best episodes from the
Tennant era. That it finds itself in the top
half of the fifty best Doctor Who stories,
according to the Whotopia survey found
elsewhere in this issue, comes as no
surprise to me.
The hostess sacrifice is powerfully
portrayed, as she becomes the one person
Midnight, and the subsequent episode Turn who not only understands what is
Left, form a pair of rather uncommon happening, but also has the means,
stories towards the latter end of Series opportunity and, above all, courage to act
Four. The former presents the Doctor upon it. In the aftermath of her heroism, the
largely without his companion, Donna brute fact that no one including the
Noble, whilst the latter sees Donna in a Doctor knows her name adds to the
universe where she never met the Doctor. poignancy of her selflessness.
Of the two, it is Midnight which, for me,
steals the honours, if only by a hairs Given the somewhat two-dimensional
breadth. As a storyline it is sharply told, and backdrops of the shuttles passengers, it is
as a production it is utterly compelling. noteworthy just how much the guest actors
Playing the psychological horror or near invest in their performances. Consider the
horror card, Russell T Davies takes us on a candidates: Professor Hobbes and his
journey into the darker side of human assistant Dee Dee are the stereotypical
nature, as the passengers of the Crusader pompous senior academic and bright-but-

unappreciated young assistant; the Canes

are the common or garden awkward family;
Sky Silvestry is the lone traveller with a
secret or two; the Hostess is the jaded
service professional; and Driver Joe and
Mechanic Claude inhabit a solitary scene in
which the caution of the former is
contrasted against the frank inexperience of
the latter. As characters they are hardly the
stuff of which acting awards are made, yet
they are imbued with a purpose and an
individuality which makes the viewer care.
They are not simply victims-in-waiting or,
worse still, vacuous ciphers in yet another
sci-fi thriller. They are people with lives and
aspirations and flaws flaws which become
all too clear when the pressure starts to
build.
Along with a great ensemble cast and taut
plotting, it is the remarkably well-used
single set, directed to such great effect by
Alice Troughton, which gives this adventure
a quality edge. Such a minimalist approach
is not without its dangers, but in the case of
Midnight the bare interior of the shuttle
adds to the intensity of the unfolding
mystery, lending it an even greater sense of
claustrophobia.
An invisible threat, manifested through a
disturbing voice-stealing conceit, is just one
of several ingredients that go to make this
episode a veritable little masterpiece. Still
further, given the more grandiose nature of
the subsequent Tenth Doctor installments,
Midnight is every bit the final no strings
attached story, which showcases the
versatility and appeal of Tennants Doctor in
a small scale context, and is all the more
potent for it.
Worth its place in the top fifty for its
compelling viewing alone, Midnight is a
story that leaves you speechless which is
all very, if its deadly alien threat is anything
to go by.
| Jez Strickley

47

SILENCE IN THE LIBRARY/FOREST OF THE DEAD

2008/TENTH DOCTOR/7.05m/STEVEN MOFFAT
Steven Moffats take on Doctor Who
follows in the great tradition of Nigel
Kneales Quatermass by secreting the alien
within the familiar: statues, gasmasks and
now it had to come the thing every kids
frightened of already: the dark.
Moffats second Who two-parter really
shakes up the fourth year of the
rejuvenated series with its non-stop
wordplay and stream of revelations about
the characters. The script harks back to
themes explored in Moffats previous
episodes: the nanogenes of The Empty
Child/ The Doctor Dances and the clockwork
robots of The Girl in the Fireplace, both
automatically carrying on with their set task
while lacking any intuition or feeling. Just
like a computer in fact. His fondness for
catchphrases is again in evidence Are you
my mummy is followed here by Hey, who
turned out the lights?. Then theres the
clever and crucial play on words in this
case its all about saving.
Setting the story in a library is apt for a
story that has the interpretation of words
at its core. This library is the size of a
planet, crammed with millions of books
which are full of facts and knowledge,
dialogue and importantly words, which can
be interpreted in a number of ways. As
Moffat notes, the books have their own
smell, their own texture something a
digital version will always lack. The focus
echoes Douglas Adams love of books so
evident in the stories of Season Seventeen;
Doctor Who likes books the Doctor
himself has a 500 year diary (some of the
time) and River Song has her own diary too
this one full of events that havent yet
happened. This story shows us the dark side
of what you find in the pages of books
whether thats the reason for mentioning
Jeffrey Archer and Bridget Jones I couldnt
say (it struck me as a little crass, so much so
that I prefer to think it came from someone
elses pen). Its books that are the root of
this story, with the threat having been
carried to the library from the trees in a
particular forest via the paper of the books
themselves (back to the theme of the alien
within the familiar).
48

The story also looks at our perception of

what is real, particularly when viewed
through the prism of a TV screen. In part
two, Donnas life is played out on the young
girls television (suggesting theres a
fictional element to her experiences). Now
with a husband and children, she is
regarded as fully integrated, another term
loaded with double meaning. Her life fastforwards in the same way as a drama on
screen, with the dull parts edited out. She
thinks about going to the park the next
scene has her there, in the park. The young
girl watching at home thinks this is all
fiction, but her own worldview is turned on
its head by Doctor Moons revelation that
the real world is a lie a theme familiar
from stuff like The Matrix, Space: 1999s
Bringers of Wonder and They Live (1988)
the latter based on a short story by Ray
N e ls on E ig ht O Cl o ck i n t he
Morning (1963). In John Carpenters film
version, aliens manipulate humankind via
television transmissions, using the media to
send subliminal messages and conceal their
true appearance. The corrupted version of
Miss Evangelista warns Donna that the
world is wrong she has learned the
absolute truth because of her appearance
and increased intellect, being brilliant and
unloved; without intelligence she was
ignored, without beauty she is shunned.
Donna discovers that it was a virtual reality
construction (in the manner of The Matrix)
and totally unreal. The compression of time
in Donnas fictional life reflects what a life
in front of the TV can do something I
know from experience!

seemingly unrelated plot strands, the young

girl and the library how on Earths he
going to marry these together? but sure
enough Moffatt slowly does just that. As if
that wasnt enough, were introduced to a
new character who knows the Doctor yet
he hasnt met her at all. Ingenuity comes as
standard.

Like a lot of Moffats work, it hinges on

suspense and a series of revelations the
repeated play on words, the mystery of
River Songs origin which of course have
less impact second time round but thats
not really the point. This two-parter keeps
you glued to the screen it has the scope of
a feature film with constant suspense,
surprises about the characters and two very
changed time travellers at the end.

The story stands out from others not just

from the same season but generally
because it breaks free of the generally
linear plotting, firing off in several
directions at once. It demands that the
viewer pays attention to keep up with all
the twists and turns, and delivers a
memorable pay-off thats up there with the
best the series has offered in half a century.
Its all meat, no gristle.

Its not just the content of the episodes

thats so rewarding, but also their pace and
structure. The teaser draws us in with two

[Richard Farrell]

Some of the aspects of the story which are

mere ly good are the cent ral
performances, which in the first part at
least are a little OTT but in their defence
theyre having to compete with the music
which just doesnt let up. The unrelenting
Harry Potter-esque soundtrack can deaden
moments of real drama quite effectively.
Tennant is back to his best in the second
half, especially in his final scene with River.
The Doctors stock response of Im so, so
sorry also does tend to grate after a while
too. But these are minor quibbles.
Moffats one of few writers who has
incorporated the series central conceit
the ability to travel in time into his
plotting. Yes, it does make it a little
convoluted, but surely thats the inevitable
end result when you travel back and forth
along your time stream. Its in tying up
these strands that Moffat really excels
himself the pathos of Donna missing out
on her perfect man, the revelation of Cals
identity and the Doctors triumph at being
able to save River, depositing her in some
sort of afterlife in the computers
memory; so much happens it those last ten
minutes.

THE GIRL IN THE FIREPLACE

2006/TENTH DOCTOR/7.9m/STEVEN MOFFAT
What nightmares do monsters have? In The imaginary childhood friend. As she observes,
Girl In The Fireplace, were reminded that all The Doctor is worth the monsters.
children need an imaginary friend, and even
Rose and Mickey rejoin the Doctor, and they
the scariest monsters fear the Doctor.
find that the ships engines are powering time
We begin in the eighteenth century, in windows that follow the life of one JeanneVersailles, France, where the denizens of the Antoinette Poisson, aka Madame de
royal court are being menaced by an unknown Pompadour. She is destined to become
force, and a woman calls out to the Doctor mistress to King Louis XV. Through one of the
windows the Doctor sees Reinette in danger
through the flames of a fireplace.
from a clockwork android and rushes through
Meanwhile the TARDIS lands aboard a fifty-first the time window to help.
century spaceship, to the delight of Mickey,
who joined the Tenth Doctor and Rose at the The robot will only respond to Reinette. She
end of the previous episode (School Reunion). orders it to answer all questions. The spaceship
The ship is lifeless, save the engines, which are in the future is damaged, and the androids are
on full throttle. The Doctor warns everyone not searching for spare parts. Theyve already used
to wander off, then proceeds to do exactly the crew, hence the camera-eye and the heart
that. In his wandering he discovers an wired into machinery.
eighteenth-century French fireplace that leads
Reinette may be a human from the eighteenth
to a little girls bedroom.
century, but she is a woman beyond her time.
This is what Doctor Who does best: playing Her intelligence and intuition surprise even the
upon our fears of mysterious things in the dark. Doctor. When he makes telepathic contact with
Dont put your hands or feet over the edge, her to find out what the androids want, the
the Doctor tells young Reinette, offering contact goes both ways; she senses his extreme
traditional advice as he checks for monsters loneliness, even flashes of his childhood. This
under her bed. When the monster appears, he makes Reinette unusual in being one of the few
reassures her that even monsters have who can read the Doctors mind without his
knowledge. Out of compassion for her lonely
nightmares... about him.
angel, she invites him to dance.
While he stops the android with a fire
extinguisher, Rose gets Mickey up to speed on David Tennant is brilliant in the scene
being a member of Team TARDIS. Never mind afterwards, as he comes strolling in,
the Doctors admonitions not to look for the presumably drunk, to rescue Rose and Mickey
clockwork robots; time to grab a fire from the clockwork androids. Except the drink
extinguisher and explore! But the spaceship is is anti-oil, and the robots are down for the
hiding dark secrets. Theres a camera with a count. It seems that the androids need one last
human eye, and a heart wired up to machinery. component to repair the ship and for some
reason only the brain of Madame de
Returning to the past through another time Pompadour will do. Theyve been opening time
window, the Doctor discovers that Reinette is windows and scanning Reinettes brain, waiting
all grown up. This is how the Doctors friends until shes the right age before they strike.
live, on the slow path, as Reinette puts it.
From his perspective, hes known her only a The androids, overcoming the anti-oil, find the
few minutes. To her, hes no stranger but a right time window and vanish into the past.
The Doctor is forced to chase after them,
friend shes known for a lifetime.
eventually sacrificing his own return to the
Here we can see writer Steven Moffats future by smashing through a time window to
exploration of the Doctor as a childs imaginary rescue Reinette and the royal court.
friend, a theme to which he will later return as
showrunner. Theres more than a little Amy This raises a dilemma for Rose, who has only
Pond in Reinette Poisson. Like Amy, Reinette started to process the lessons from School
spends her life waiting for the return of her Reunion. There, she learns that she is not the

50

first, nor will she likely be the last, of the

Doctors companions. His infatuation with
Reinette drives home her realization that
eventually he will leave her, too and that
someone else will take her place.
And now the Doctor is gone, having sacrificed
himself for someone who could end up being
Roses replacement. Once again she is faced
with the fears that arose during his
regeneration in The Christmas Invasion and
culminates in Army of Ghosts / Doomsday:
What will she do when her time with the
Doctor is over?
There are a few shout-outs for fans of both
classic and new Who. The Doctor echoes his
ninth incarnation: Bananas are good! He also
plays the harp, in a nod to The Romans and The
Five Doctors, and laments the loss of his Zeus
plugs.
Sophia Myles is excellent as Madame de
Pompadour, joining a pantheon of close-butnot-quite-companions that will include later
Moffat characters such as Sally Sparrow and Liz
Ten.
In light of Eleventh Doctor episodes, it may be
of interest to note that Reinette asks the
famous question: Doctor Who? Its more than
just a secret. She and the Doctor remark upon
the meaninglessness of names like The Doctor
and Madame de Pompadour. In some ways
she understands him better than anyone, a
precursor to River Song.
The Girl In The Fireplace is among those
episodes where you wind up mysteriously
getting something in your eye at the end. The
tragic ending is heightened by the fact that
neither the Doctor nor Reinette ever learn the
true reason why the androids were after her.
Murray Golds haunting score, combined with
period-detailed costumes, enhances its
poignancy. Its not hard to see why this episode
was nominated for the 2006 Nebula and won
the 2007 Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation,
Short Form.
[Triona Guidry]

VINCENT AND THE DOCTOR

2010/ELEVENTH DOCTOR/6.3m/RICHARD CURTIS
Every now and then, Doctor Who brings in a
historical figure for an adventure. In the past,
weve had Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare
and Agatha Christie. Moving away from the literary
world, Vincent and the Doctor sees the Doctor and
Amy Pond visiting Vincent van Gogh.
Its not often that a writer as prominent as Richard
Curtis gets involved with the show and having the
man behind Blackadder (as well as several highly
successful feature films) contributing an episode
was a prospect to savor, and I wasnt disappointed
the result is a complete success!
While a bare plot summary the Doctor meets
Vincent van Gogh and helps him defeat a giant
chicken from outer space might suggest a lessthan-serious episode, Vincent and the Doctor is in
fact a deeply felt piece of work, with a wonderfully
complex portrayal of its central character and
plenty to say about topics that Doctor Who doesnt
normally touch.
Richard Curtis gets the character of the Doctor just
right, with Matt Smith playing up to the mixture of
passion and curiosity, awkwardness and wisdom in
one of his best performances of the series.
We get to see the more thoughtful, compassionate
side of the Doctor this season, whether hes gently
attempting to reason with Vincent, comforting the
dying Krafayis or consoling Amy at the storys
conclusion. But this adventure is a prime example
of why Matt Smith was the perfect choice for the
Eleventh Doctor he turns in a performance thats
he sidestep his eventual suicide.
full of understated charm and charisma.
His touching concern for Amy, even though she
doesnt know why, his expression as he looks at
the monster mysteriously overlooked by a century
of art scholarship, the reprise, just as well
delivered as before, of Bowties are cool..., his
delivery of Ministry of Art and... Artiness, and
thats just in the first three minutes.

Van Gogh was riddled with self doubt, under

appreciated in his own time, and plagued with
feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. Yet, he could
see real beauty in the world. The night sky
morphing into Van Goghs The Starry Night was a
prime example of him seeing riches in the
darkness.

A major plus is Tony Curran as Vincent van Gogh.

Resisting the urge to deliver a broad performance,
Curran is by far the best thing about this story as
he plays out the complexities of the troubled artist
perfectly. His gentle flirtation with Amy is both
amusing and playful (though less amusing and
playful when you consider that Van Gogh was
suffering with syphilis at the time this story is set).

It's just a shame that, despite being in awe of the

worlds splendour, eventually, he couldnt bear to
be a part of it. With the Doctor and Amy there he
was able to fight monsters, but with them gone, his
struggle with anxiety and mental illness,
unfortunately, overwhelmed him.

Rather than follow the well worn path of setting up

Van Gogh as some chirpy, quick witted stereotype,
Richard Curtis, instead, gifted him with completely
human character traits. He didnt shy away from
Van Goghs well-documented depression. Nor did

Amys benefit.
Even Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) ups her game in this
episode, with a little less shouting and a little more
honesty in the emotion than usual.
Bill Nighy makes the most of his un-credited cameo
quite why he doesnt receive an on-screen
mention is anyones guess, but he injects whats
potentially a throwaway clich with a lot of heart.

Vision is a major theme in Vincent and the Doctor

and it was an interesting development that the
monster (called a Krafayis), could only be seen by
Vincent van Gogh emphasizing the mans
incredible use of vision. Even more interesting was
that the creature itself was blind, which serves to
As for his physical appearance, thats simply contrast with the painters ability to see things
perfect at one point hes holding up an actual beyond what humans, and even the Doctor, can
Van Gogh self-portrait next to his face, and the see.
resemblance is amazing. The one obvious
divergence from the real Vincent Currans An important and fabulous scene which shows us
Scottish accent is elegantly covered with a good the way Van Gogh sees the world is when the
joke implying that the TARDIS is translating him for Doctor, Amy and Van Gogh all lie on the ground

51

and hold hands, while the artist explains to

them and us how he sees the night sky,
which then slowly transforms into his
famous painting The Starry Night simply
beautiful and magical.
The real monster of the story, however, was
not the alien. The real monster was Van
Goghs depression, which would ultimately
lead to the painter taking his own life only a
few months later. Though a delicate subject
matter (especially coming from a TV show
that is aimed for kids), it was the real big
unseen monster in the room, and no matter
how positive a difference Amy and the
Doctor made in the painter's life, the
monster ultimately won, and the Doctor,
who travels through space and time and
who sometimes save people, could not
change the painters fate.
In the end, he still terminated his own life
(presumably for different reasons, but the
outcome was the same). What a pity things
couldnt have turned out differently, but, of
course, a happy ending would have been to

meddle with real history, and Richard Curtis inducing references to the crack, and in a
probably wisely steered clear of that.
season full of timey-wimey conundrums, this
is a much more personal story that comes
But it wasnt all about sadness, and the alien from the heart just as much as from the
storyline did provide some very funny brain. It isnt afraid to shirk away from
scenes. For example, the Doctor trying to Vincent van Goghs depression. Nor is it
fight the alien which he doesnt see at all afraid to tug on the heartstrings throughout.
by swashing a stick blindly in the air and in
the wrong direction. Or when he used a In conclusion, Vincent and the Doctor is an
funny-looking gadget with some kind of rear absolutely brilliant episode of Doctor Who
view mirror, which enabled him to see the simple, kind, and bitter-sweet featuring an
Krafayis, and at the same time provide some extremely moving performance by Tony
very useful analysis.
Curran as the greatest painter to ever live.
Even the sight of Amy in Van Gogh's garden,
surrounded by sunflowers in a gentle
attempt to nudge the artist toward his iconic
paintings of sunflowers was gently funny.
The fact that the artist then claimed to
dislike the flowers was brilliant too.

Its a wonderful, emotionally powerful story

what it lacks in plotting complexity, it
makes up for in characterization and sheer
artistry, and I have no problem in ranking it
among my favourite Doctor Who episodes of
all time!

In the context of this season, Vincent and

the Doctor sticks out like a sore thumb for
two key reasons. One is the fact that it can
be pretty much taken on its own as a
standalone story there are no headache-

[William Young]

CITY OF DEATH
1979/FOURTH DOCTOR/14.5m/DAVID AGNEW
This Tom Baker/Fourth Doctor story was one
of a number used by Russell T Davies to
pitch the new series.
A spaghetti-faced alien called Scaroth sits in
a spaceship, warning his crew about taking
off with engines disabled, but they go ahead
regardless and the ship explodes.
The Fourth Doctor and Romana are taking a
holiday in Paris in 1979 when they
experience time jumping a track, repeating
itself. They go to the Louvre and encounter
Countess Scarlioni in front of the Mona Lisa.
Followed by private investigator Duggan,
they examine a bracelet which the Doctor
nicked off the Countess. Realising it is not
Earth technology, they are captured and
taken to meet Count Scarlioni, discovering
his time experiments and copies of the
Mona Lisa in the cellar, all part of a plan to
finance Scarlionis, actually Scaroths,
attempt to change history. However, Duggan
knocks him out and his opportunity is
missed.
The Doctor and Romana resume their
holiday and Duggan enjoys the sights from
the Eiffel Tower.
This is a charming, comedic romp; Doctor
Whos first overseas filming, a lot of running
round and ticking off locations like the Eiffel
Tower, the Louvre, the River Seine and so
on.
City of Death has some wonderful and witty
moments, such as when John Cleese and
Eleanor Bron appear as art critics in the
Louvre. The studio scenes fit in with the
locations and the Jagaroth spaceship is quite
a cool model.
There is much humour here, thanks to script
editor and co-author Douglas Adams, and
Tom Baker making the dialogue sparkle like
a good bottle of champagne. It is one of the
best of the series and still enjoyable after 34
years, showing that even a table wine can
still have considerable flavour. A true classic.
[Ian Cai Mercer]
53

DALEK
2005/NINTH DOCTOR/8.6m/ROBERT SHEARMAN
I think few fans could ever have imagined the
sheer success Doctor Who has enjoyed since
it returned to our screens in 2005. A big part
of this success can be attributed to a monster
that was also instrumental to its early success
in 1963: the Daleks. Their character, design,
and ability to frighten everyone made them a
worldwide icon. When the series returned, it
was assumed that they would be back to fill a
new generation of children with terror like
they previously did in the classic series.
Tragedy struck! It was announced in July of
2004 that the BBC and the estate of Dalek
creator Terry Nation could not come to an
agreement to use the Daleks in the new
series. The estate believed that the BBC was
deviating too much from the original concept
of the Daleks. It looked as though while the
Doctor would be returning the Daleks would
be stuck in the proverbial time eddy.
This review of the Christopher Eccleston story
Dalek would not have been possible if the
BBC or the Terry Nation estate couldnt come
to terms for a new agreement. In fact, the
script Rob Sherman was writing for the first
series was in jeopardy if he had to remove
this classic monster and replace it with
something else not nearly as cool. Of course
to me, nothing is as cool as the Daleks! The
story Dalek goes back to 2003 with the Big
Finish story Jubilee. Jubilee was a Sixth Doctor
story which featured a lone Dalek in captivity.
New Doctor Who executive producer Russell T
Davies loved this story and relied on a lot of it
for his pitch to the BBC to revive the series.
When the time came to write the first Dalek
episode of the new series, Russell looked to
Rob to help him out and to adapt the Big
Finish story.

intruder. Soon, Van Statten tells the Doctor of

his greatest piece in his collection. It is a living
alien that Van Statten calls a Metaltron. The
Doctor agrees to see it and goes to the cell
where the Metaltron waits. In the dark room
the Doctor introduces himself and tells the
poor creature he is there to help. To the
Doctors horror the Metaltron is actually a
Dalek and wants to execute the last soldier
from the Time War. Cue theme music Oh
wait, this isnt episodic!

genuinely frightened of it. The Dalek is

menacing and generally awesome and I loved
every minute of the Dalek on screen.
For me, what we see from the lone Dalek in
this episode is the real highlight of the story.
The new design is pretty spectacular. It is
instantly recognizable as a Dalek but it has a
bronze-gold look to it and the creature looks
like a miniature tank. The prop has weight
and depth to it. In short it is gorgeous. When
we meet the Dalek, its in pretty poor shape.
It had been tortured by Van Stattens staff.
Thanks to a touch from Rose, who has Time
Energy in her DNA, it rejuvenates and
becomes unstoppable. This is an amazing
sequence. Although the Dalek is killing
everyone in sight it is clear that the Dalek is
just having fun. Its getting used to being free
and once again being a killing machine.

Dalek was the single story I couldnt wait to

see when the series returned. Looking back at
the first series, it made total sense not to start
the series off with a Dalek story. Since the
start of the new series, we slowly got pieces
of information that gave us clues to this story
arch called the Time War. All of this brings
Dalek takes place beneath Salt Lake City in anticipation to the sixth episode of this new
2012. The Doctor and Rose land in an series. How would the Daleks work in the
underground complex that houses a massive twenty-first century?
There are some moments that I am not a
collection of alien artifacts. These range from
huge fan of in this story. Pretty much every
stuffed aliens to musical instruments from One of the biggest things I adore about this human that appears in this, with the
another world. The owner of this amazing story is how one Dalek is a serious threat to exception of the Doctor and Rose, isnt very
collection is Henry van Statten. Van Statten is everything. The Doctor believes that the one good. Adam and Van Statten are all right but
a very powerful man who is able to replace Dalek in captivity is able to destroy the whole idea of Van Statten as a character is
the President of the United States and also everything. Salt Lake City is finished. The not believable to me. The worst are the
apparently owns the Internet. He captures conversation in the cell between the Doctor soldiers working for Van Statten. Yes, I am
Rose and the Doctor but quickly realizes that and the Dalek is also quite good as for the looking at you De Maggio! Granted some of
there is more to the Doctor than just being an first time in a long time the Doctor is the lines she was given were pretty lame.
54

Such treasures as, Now

get out! Dont look back.
Just run. and I accept
that we imprisoned you
and maybe that was
wrong, but people have
died, and that stops right
now. The killing stops.
Have you got that? Plus
the idea of owning the
Internet, replacing the
President without an
election and having the
Dalek download the
Internet are cringeworthy moments for me
in the story. The Dalek
has downloaded the
Internet! Big deal! I hope it enjoys its porn!
Now, if it were written as the Dalek has
accessed the US Defence System or
something along those lines, I would have
enjoyed that more. There is some ropey CG
but yet the episode is trying some pretty
complex things with a full CG model of a
Dalek.

I felt the Dalek

opening up its
casing was very
much like Darth
Vader having his
helmet removed.
We had never
seen
anything
quite like it before
in the series.

Finally, there are some really nice touches in

this adventure. I love the Cyber-helmet in the
case at the beginning. Especially when the
Doctor is looking at it and the reflection of his
head fits perfectly into the Cyber-helmet. I
love that the Dalek had a more emotional
side to it. In fact I got teary eyed at the end
when I first watched it when the Dalek was
basking in the sunlight. Watching it this time,

Dalek is one of my
favourite stories
of the first series
but really only
because of the
Dalek. The Doctor
and Rose put in a
grand performance with some of the guest
artists not having as much luck with the lines
they were given. For new fans to the series,
first impressions are very important. I think
the Daleks first outing in the new series was
a fantastic first impression!
[Greg Bakun]

THE TALONS OF WENG CHIANG

1977/FOURTH DOCTOR/10.35m/ROBERT HOLMES
Lets start by focusing on what makes The
Talons of Weng-Chiang unpopular. Well, first
there is the stuff out of the same drawer as
Sutekhs hand and the Skarasan, namely the
cuddly rat which threatens Leela and the
Doctor. Then there is the elephant in the
room, the use of a yellow faced actor in lieu
of Asian actors for the role of Chang, with
the actual Chinese actors left as bit-part
heavies. There is the
justified air of society
marching on in that regard,
and yet, I cant help but feel
we notice it more as the
story itself pokes fun at
racist conventions, showing
them for the ill-educated
prejudice they are, yet the
way it was shown up is now
seen as unacceptable itself.
Something about the road
to hell, good intentions, etc.
Having mentioned the flaws
so we dont get accused of
ignoring that subject what
are the highlights of Talons?
Well, almost everything
else. Take a Robert Holmes
determined to go out as
script editor on a high. Add
a
Shakespearean-trained
companion, and a popular
Doctor at the height of his
powers. Stir in a time period
that bleeds in atmosphere,
measuring in enough tropes
the
audience
wi l l
immediately recognise, and
covering the sets in enough
fog to convey a very Spring
Heeled Jack effort about the
place. Raise this mixture to
room temperature, adding
in a strong cast, and sprinkle
with some wonderfully witty
and repeatable dialogue. Set
to six episodes, hand to one
of the most respected
directors in the BBC, and
await Mary Whitehouse
complaints in the morning.
56

The cast is universally superb. Christopher

Benjamin, no stranger to Doctor Who (he
was previously in Inferno, and would later
show up in The Unicorn and the Wasp) is
sublime as the theatre impresario Henry
Gordon Jago, the Rock of Gibraltar himself.
At turns a wise cracking coward, others a
would-be man of action, Benjamin sells every
Jago line exactly. Trevor Baxters Litefoot is

the perfect gentleman, as seen in the

charming scene where he eats meat off the
table so as not to offend Leela. Benjamin and
Baxter spark together well, and you can see
why Big Finish brought them back together
thirty years on. I believe it is in the fan
contract to refer to such things as the classic
Holmesian double act. What we have is two
fine characters brought to life by two equally
wonderful character actors
whom it is a delight to
spend time with.

...what are the highlights of Talons?

Well, almost everything

The villains are as equally

well rounded. In Chang,
we have the desperate
drug addicted charlatan, a
smooth talker with a
desperate
secret,
seemingly the master of
any
si tuation
but
dependent on his masters.
John Bennetts superb
performance only adds to
the ethical dimension I
mentioned earlier! In
Greel himself, Michael
Spice
gives
strong
dimensions to a character
that relies solely on the
voice to carry it. And what
a character we gets hints
of his real character, and it
reminds one of the bit in
Vampires in Venice, when
Matt Smiths Doctor asks
what could be so terrifying
it disguises itself as a
vampire? Here we have a
war criminal akin to a
Mengele or a Heydrich
disguised as the Phantom
of the Opera preying on
the life forces of young
girls. Of all the Tom Baker
era villains, he might be the
most vile. And yet of all the
Tom Baker villains, Mr Sin
might be the most sinister.
For he acts merely on
instinct,
and
yet
is
seemingly instoppable and

immoral as a result. The evergreen Deep

Roy plays him, and plays him in such a way
youd be forgiven for thinking Sin was a
prop himself, it is a very alien performance,
which makes the creature all the more
unsettling.
This is another reason Talons is so popular
with fans. What we like is well written
characters. Here we have three strong
villains, two strong allies and our main
TARDIS crew. Even the bit parts are
memorable. My favourite is the delightful
old woman who points out the body in the
Thames to the police, ready to take her
share of the spoils, only to be sickened by
the grotesque leftovers of the corpse.
It is a very literary story. Much has been
said of the Sherlock Holmes connection,
though to be fair it would be fairer to say it
deals in the mythos of Holmes. None of the
deerstalker caps etc. appear in Conan
Doyles stories. Though, given my mum
recently uncovered a judges memoir from
India that read: Sherlock Holmes with his
magnifying glass might have reconstructed
the whole story out of wheel tracks and
footprints in the wayside grass, but no one
expects an Indian police officer to rise to
such heights. And that was from 1930!
Those myths have been with us a while.
We do have Holmes referencing literature
left right and centre. He wanted a spin on
Jack the Ripper, done via Doctor Who, with
allusions to the Yellow Peril films of the
1930s. In a moment which has particularly
resonance with myself, the Doctor quotes
The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God, a
poem by J Milton Hayes which I still recall
vividly from covering in primary school
some twenty years ago. Theres a one
eyed yellow idol to the North of
Kathmandu says the Doctor, and I smile,
and think of Mad Carew, for whom things
ended rather stickily when trying to
impress his young lady friend. Look it out,
youll see why it stays in the young mind.
Its also a wonderful reference, as you
dont need to know what it is, to get the
reference. Its a little aside, and comes
across as the Fourth Doctors madcap
babbling style, so if you know the
reference, its an added layer to
proceedings, and if you dont, well, Tom

Much has been said of the Sherlock Holmes

connection, though to be fair it would be fairer
to say it deals in the mythos of Holmes.

Baker has been amusing. Talons is full of Holmes, our most celebrated Who script
these moments, and that is one that writer, to play with the language. And the
appeals to me.
more flexible attitude to the budget
certainly appealed to David Maloney, who
Another great moment is that we got it at even got a night shoot out of it.
all. It was late in the day that Robert Banks As a result of all these elements, it is
Stewart found himself, via promotion, Doctor Who that looks like it has had cash
unable to continue work on the Foe from spent on it. It looks the proverbial million
the Future. As both Hinchcliffe and Holmes bucks, and has a script to match.
were leaving, Holmes got carte blanche to Circumstances which created a classic here
write whatever he wanted in the finale, as couldnt be replicated all the time. Yet
long as he didnt make the Master the when they are, they produce the goods.
villain! I find last minute rush jobs so often
become fan favourites Pyramids of Mars, So we continue to love Talons, despite its
City of Death and The War Games come to flaws, because it is that damn good.
mind. Talons is no different, and it could be
argued that the production team letting
[Michael S. Collins]
their hair down played a large part in it.
Certainly, the relaxed script allows Bob
57

THE DOCTORS WIFE

2011/ELEVENTH DOCTOR/8.0m/NEIL GAIMAN
some things are bigger on the
inside than they are on
the outside. And,
perhaps,
some
people are bigger
on the inside than
they are on the
outside, as well.
Neil Gaiman, from the
foreword to Eye of the
Tyger, August 2003
For better or worse we
live in the Age of the
Fan. Many of the
key creative
personnel,
f r o m
Doctors
to
executive producers to
designers work on the
show thanks to a deep
and ingrained love for a
rackety old telly show
that might have been
low on budget but was
always
high
on
imagination. As that
foreword to a Telos
novella put it, its like
an infection you can
never shake off and
cant help but infect
others with. In that
way were all fan zombies

creative, high-functioning
zombies but zombies nonetheless. And
that zombiehood means were endlessly
fascinated with Doctor Who itself,
mutating the infection into new
patterns. Were writing variations
on the theme rather than coming up with
new pieces. Arguably that all started with

1969s The War Games, where the show

abandoned the central characters air of
mystery and instead put his background at
the heart of the series. We now had that
background to explore and play with,
something more than battling monsters. And
the infection grew, taking a firm grip with the
rise of organised fandom and Ian Levines
semi-official role with the production office. It
began to take an irrevocable hold in the dying
years of the TV show, with Andrew Cartmel
and his team of new writers playing around
with the elements of what we knew, but it
took the advent of the New Adventures to
cement the status quo. The creative engine
behind the Doctors stories became almost
entirely drawn from the fan community.
Increasing numbers of stories knowingly
played with the shows past, just about every
foe the Doctor had faced on screen earning a
return bout. We got the Missing Adventures,
Past Doctor Adventures, the Big Finish
ranges... instead of facing forward and
discovering new territories (and with a
TARDIS, these territories are infinite) we were
looking back to tell the Doctors story.
Even Russell T Davies revival depended on
the shows history to an extent. While it
reformatted the show to take account of the
way television had developed it still depended
on the shows history to a degree while
Davies took care to remove the weight of the
past from the Doctors shoulders by
essentially wiping out the Time Lords the back
story of the Time War still depended on the
shows past, turning it from the mundane
background detail it had become into a near
mythic backstory of wars between gods. But
as the seasons crept forward the long shadow
of the shows past encroached once more.
After the uncredited Nestenes in Rose the
Daleks came back then the Cybermen, the
Macra, the Master, the Sontarans with the

We now had that background to explore and play

with, something more than battling monsters.
58

likes of the Face of Boe and Cassandra the

new series even looked to its own short past
for inspiration. The infection of ideas, the
meme of Doctor Who, had infected the show
to the point it was eating itself.

...this is the perfect story for modern

Doctor Who

In those circumstances you have three

options. You can battle the infection, trying
to relentlessly inject new ideas and concepts.
You can succumb to the disease, happily
regurgitating an ideal of Doctor Who. Or you
can take a different path and mutate the
disease, approaching all those familiar ideas
from an unfamiliar angle. Its this approach
that became more common through the
1970s and 1980s as the first generation
growing up with pop culture got charge of
the toys theyd enjoyed as kids. In particular
it became a big deal with comics which, like
Doctor Who, depend on a writers take on
the show. The biggest success stories of the
1980s the likes of The Dark Knight Returns,
Watchmen and Sandman all came from Michael S Collins reminded us in Whotopia
this approach, a reinvention dependent on a 25, the trick of a true genius is to see an
strong authorial voice.
obvious idea no-one has had as yet (or, in
this case, not fully exploited the odd story,
Its here that the lines converge irresistibly such as the Brief Encounter Time, Love and
on Neil Gaiman, Doctor Who fan and author TARDIS in DWM and certain New Adventures
of that foreword and therefore inventor of tread similar ground to less effect). And he
that disease analogy I used earlier. Oh, and wraps this concept in whats essentially his
just about the most successful fantasy love letter to Doctor Who.
author currently working. Gaimans most
successful trick as an author is that Houses little universe is almost a metaphor
reinvention, different angles on familiar for Doctor Who itself, patchwork characters
concepts. Sandman utterly overhauls a minor on a sentient patchwork planet which
DC character, putting him at the heart of an devours the stories of Time Lords. Its no
epic tale of gods and heroes. Good Omens, accident that this all starts in a junkyard. This
with Terry Pratchett, plays the Book of isnt all simply a Morbius-like hybrid of things
Revelation for laughs; Neverwhere takes all weve seen before, though. In particular
those evocative London tube station names Michael Sheens suave House is a fine villain,
and builds a very English mythology from particularly when playing with Rory and Amy
them; and American Gods transplants old like a half-bored cat waiting to pounce on a
mythologies into the New World. All this mouse, but hes essentially a sentient
made Gaiman the most famous and McGuffin, the instigator of the suddenly
successful author invited to write for Doctor physical strange love story playing out in the
Who, (Douglas Adams not having made his bubble universe. Matt Smith, it goes without
name before writing for the show). And saying, is as effortlessly wonderful as ever
heres where the appeal of The Doctors Wife but here hes more than matched by
is so simple. Gaiman reaches back as far as Suranne Jones managing the near impossible
he can go, to before when we knew anything and creating a convincing interpretation of
about Gallifrey, two hearts, Time Lords or the role of an impossibly ancient, impossibly
even Daleks and he gives the story one intelligent time machine who cant quite
simple twist. He imagines the whole story of come to grips with the strangeness of life as
Doctor Who from the point of view of the humans and Time Lords experience it. She
Doctors only constant companion, the suggests, as Gaiman originally wrote in that
TARDIS. Its a simple, brilliant idea, but as foreword, that shes bigger on the inside too,

bigger than we can possibly conceive. And by

the end, as made explicit in the lines shes
given, theres the notion that she finally
comprehends that sentient, transient beings,
for all the shortness of their lifespan, are as
infinite as she is with their short-lived fragile
bodies. For a few brief moments shes
literally and metaphorically humanised. And
its a heartbreaking but joyous realisation
from our and her point of view. In whats
essentially a love story about a boy and a
vintage car, from the car itself is what ends
up breaking your heart.
Essentially then this is the perfect story for
modern Doctor Who, the right story in the
right place at the right time. Its by a selfconfessed fan, and while it wont be any
more off-putting to a modern audience than
a Minotaur in a hotel or Cybermen in a
department store, its more rewarding with
fannish background knowledge. It
consciously acknowledges the shows past,
and draws on it as a strength. Yet it avoids
being slavishly derivative, instead fashioning
something new from those old parts. It
crams the love story of two near infinite
lifetimes into forty-five minutes and has you
re-evaluating what you thought you knew.
Like all the best things, its bigger on the
inside.
[Jon Arnold]

59

HUMAN NATURE/THE FAMILY OF BLOOD

2007/TENTH DOCTOR/7.45m/PAUL CORNELL
Looking at the list of stories and episodes on
this list, it would seem that fans believe that
Doctor Who is at its best when it is being
atypical. Stories like Blink (2007) and The
Deadly Assassin (1976) are different from
anything else in the canon of televised Doctor
Who. Perhaps though there is no story on
that list that is more atypical of what the
series usually does than the Series Three twoparter Human Nature/Family of Blood.
For starters, it is the first time the television
series had done a full-on adaptation of a
previously existing, albeit non-televised,
Doctor Who story. The new series, and
showrunner Russell T Davies, showed an
interest in reaching into the stories written
and produced during the wilderness years as
shown by how both Dalek (2005) and the
Series Two Cybermen two-parter pulled ideas
from the Big Finish audios Jubilee and Spare
Parts. While those episodes mined for ideas
more than anything, Human Nature/Family of
Blood presented a much more faithful
adaptation of Paul Cornells 1995 Virgin New
Adventure Human Nature, a novel widely
regarded as perhaps the best Doctor Who
novel yet written.

novels version was in fact plotted by none

other than future showrunner Steven
Moffat); theres a schoolboy named Timothy
(though with the surname of Dean in the
novel instead of Latimer) who plays a pivotal
role by finding the device holding the Doctors
Time Lord identity; and the little girl with the
red balloon and even the final scene can be
found in both versions. Last but not least, in
an ironic piece of unintended foreshadowing,
theres a scene where Bernice Summerfield
meets an Aubertide claiming to be the Tenth
Doctor who is looking in on his past! So while
there are definitely changes between the
novel and the screen version, Cornells
original novel is still felt and for the most part
faithfully presented.

This two-parter is also atypical because, like

Blink, its the Doctor Who universe seen
through the eyes of ordinary people who find
themselves caught up in an extraordinary
situation. Human Nature, for most of the
actual episode, could almost as easily be as
much a period drama about a school teacher
named John Smith who falls in love with a
matron named Joan Redfern, as it is about a
human-looking alien from an extinct race who
travels around in time and space. Indeed, it
Of course it isnt a word-for-word focuses not on the Doctor but his human alter
reproduction of what was on the page, either. ego, John Smith.
The novel was done as part of a range that, at
the time at least, featured the Seventh Doctor By focusing on John Smith, David Tennant
and Bernice Summerfield, so the television gives what might well be his best
version automatically updates for the Tenth performance from his entire time on the
Doctor and Martha. More, the novel saw the series. For while Smith has the face and voice
Doctor taking on human form for reasons that of the Doctor, he is an average person from
were less than clear (being the Seventh 1913 and as result the Doctor, or the man
Doctor, perhaps this comes as no surprise), weve come to know as the Doctor, says and
before the bulk of the story taking place at does things we would never expect him to do.
the Hulton Academy for Boys and the Norfolk Theres the rather casual way he gives
town of Farringham in April 1914, where a permission for Latimer to receive a beating
group of shape shifters called the Aubertide for example, something that upset a portion
arrive seeking the Doctors Time Lord identity. of fandom who simply couldnt believe that
So, the two versions feature different
Doctors, different companions, are set at
different schools a year apart and change
villains amongst others details.

the Doctor would allow such a thing. They

missed the point: this isnt the Doctor at all,
but a man who is a product of a time when
such things were common place as is the
casual racism displayed when Smith dismisses
Marthas claims as simply being cultural
differences. Yet Smith also has moments
where the Doctor seems to shine through,
such as the cricket ball scene in Human
Nature or his decision not to fire his rifle
during a particularly haunting scene in Family
of Blood. In the end though, Smith rises to
become something both greater and yet also
more tragic as he faces a life and death
situation where he must decide between
living as an ordinary man with the woman he
loves and the future before them, or to
sacrifice all of that to once again become the
Last of the Time Lords and save the day. The
final scene in the Cartwright cottage, as Smith
at first struggles and then finds the strength
to make a decision is perhaps Tennants single
strongest scene as the Tenth Doctor.
Watching this story again, its hard not to be
struck by how much this story takes what
seems to be an honest look at both the
classism and racism of the period. Just a few
episodes earlier in the Dalek two-parter the
series conveniently skirted around the issue
of racism in 1930s America, a time when the
real world saw the infamous Scottsboro Boys
trial taking place in Alabama. But this twoparter doesnt shy away from this, as
illustrated not just by the two
aforementioned examples involving Smith,
but also in the scene early in Human Nature
where Baines and Hutchinson talk to Martha
and Jenny and end the conversation with a
racist joke. Even Joan Redfern, Smiths love
interest, isnt above this herself. Initially we
see her telling off Martha for being too close
to Smith. Later, however, Joan goes even
further when she has a hard time believing

...its hard not to be struck by how much this story

Yet, for those changes, the broad strokes and

even some of the finer details of the novel are
present. Both feature John Smith creating a
story inspired by the Doctors adventures (the
62

takes what seems to be an honest look at both the

classism and racism of the period.

that Martha could be a doctor in saying:

Women might train to be doctors, but
hardly a skivvy and hardly one of your
color.

with which, I suspect, many a fan can

identify) to the heartbreaking final scene as
both they and the viewer see their potential
future flash before them that is, alas, not to
be. Smith and Joan are the literal heart and
Indeed, the Doctor once said that: The past soul of the narrative as it is their relationship
is another county and this two-parter and its climax that really makes this
certainly proves that.
stand out.

when they do and for all the happiness they

do find, it ultimately doesnt (and perhaps
even cant) end well. Look beyond the genre
trappings, be they action/adventure in the
case of James Bond or sci-fi for Doctor Who,
and theres tragic love story to be found
beneath it all that separates them from their
more typical entries.

There is perhaps no better reason for why

this story is both so atypical and well
regarded than by the element that makes it
stand out more than any other: its a love
story. For whatever the reason the Doctor
becomes human, in both the novel and the
televised versions there is one thing he does
not expect to happen: he falls in love.
Cornell wrote the relationship between
Smith and Joan but it really is sold by the
chemistry between Tennant and Jessica
Hynes. The two actors make the whirlwind
romance between the schoolteacher and
the school nurse believable from moments
of Smiths initial nervousness (something

Human Nature/Family of Blood remains not

only memorable but one of the best
offerings either the post-2005 series or
indeed televised Doctor Who as a whole has
presented us with. It is a tale taken from the
era between the screen adventures
faithfully brought to the screen (albeit with
changes both big and small), with a strong
period feel and a doomed love story at its
heart. Youd be hard pressed to find both a
more atypical or better example of what
Doctor Who can be at its best.

Its hard not to think of this two-parter as

being a Doctor Who equivalent to the James
Bond film On Her Majestys Secret Service
(1969). Both are by and large faithful
adaptations of well-regarded paperbound
adventures and both are held in high regard
by their respective fans as a result. Looking
further than that, though, both Bond and
the Doctor are characters who constantly go
around saving the day from dastardly villains
and do so with beautiful women by their
sides. They may become somewhat attached
to those women but the one rule they seem
to have is that they never fall in love with
them. This is the story of what happens

[Matthew Kresal]

63

THE EMPTY CHILD/THE DOCTOR DANCES

2005/NINTH DOCTOR/7.0m/STEVEN MOFFAT
Theres an infamous interview with Steven
Moffat conducted in the mid-1990s where he
roundly dismisses the show up to that point:
Nothing from the black and white days, with
the exception of the pilot episode, should
have got out of the building and once you
get to the colour stuff, some of its watchable,
but its laughable. Of course, karma being
what it is, as soon as the show returned in
2005 Moffat was put in the position of writing
his own Who story. No pressure then. As its
poll position here indicates, its a challenge he
rose to admirably. Because after forty-one
and a half years we finally got the perfect
Doctor Who story.
Think about pretty much any story broadcast
to that point, including those under Russell T
Davies, and theres a significant weakness or
flaw, whether it be an unintentionally cuddly
giant rat, dodgy performances or budget
limitations showing through. Theres none of
that with this story. Every element here is in
near perfect harmony. No dodgy effects, no
forced writing, no poor performances or flat
direction.
Lets start with the writing. There was a
certain worry at the time of what a writer
famed mainly for sitcoms would make of an
adventure series. It was groundless. Moffat
used his comedy experience as a strength, the
story being as tightly plotted as any of the
farces hed presented in shows such as
Coupling or Joking Apart. Just have a re-watch
and see how many of the pieces of the puzzle
are presented in The Empty Child its all
there, from Florences mothering of orphans
through to Jacks attempted con and the deft
introduction of the concept of nanogenes.
The situation and solution are right there in
front of us, but Moffats smart enough to
ensure we lack the framework to put it all
together. This may be a linear story set in one
time period but its as tightly plotted as any of
the timey-wimey temporal twisters that
would become a trademark. And the tone is
perfect, comedy and horror blended in a way
no-ones quite managed since Robert Holmes.
On paper this story shouldnt be going out on
Saturday teatime, what with seemingly
omnipotent evil children and zombies
everywhere but humour, rarely too far from

the surface in a Moffat story, makes this all

palatable for prime time. Even the setting is
vital to the story, the morals of wartime
Britain feeding into the plot at several crucial
moments.
On to the casting. Much of the work has
already been done, with the story already
being graced by Christopher Eccleston, still
the finest actor to take the lead role. Years
before it becomes central to Matt Smiths
performance you can see the awkwardness of
the Doctor when dealing with emotions, the
one territory he hasnt got a clue how to
conquer. Then theres John Barrowman.
Barrowman might have limits as an actor,
often cruelly exposed by the adolescent angst
of Torchwood, but hes never better than
here, his cheesy wisecracking charm perfectly
suited to Jack Harkness as envisioned by
Moffat. While Billie Pipers largely reduced to
the role of rope in the tug-o-war between
Jack and the Doctor, theres still a strong
female role here, Florence Hoath absolutely
nailing the difficult part of Nancy. She
manages to convey Nancys vulnerability,
guilt, maternal nature and inner strength
without ever resorting to actorly tricks.
Without the quality of her performance,
which a rewatch will tell you is full of subtle
clues as to her role in the central mystery, this
story would have failed. The cherry on the
cake is a slightly spooky turn from Richard
Wilson, who colludes with Eccleston to turn
five minutes of exposition into something
quite gripping.
And then, bringing everything together,
theres the climactic scene. Id been watching
Doctor Who since I was five, Id seen, read
and heard everything of the show I possibly
could up to this point. Id never actually got
up off the sofa and punched the air before.
Its a fair criticism of Ecclestons Doctor that
hes often not proactive, that others often
save the day for him. This was where that
criticism was utterly refuted, where it became
clear it was part of a character arc. This
Doctor had clearly been damaged by the Time
War, to the point where he was almost
paralysed by his past at crucial moments. Hes
been very much reactive here too, being
given pieces of a puzzle whilst Jack plays the

man of action. Yet at the crucial moment,

surrounded by zombies and with nothing but
his wits he finds the solution to the mystery,
puts all the pieces together. He comprehends
the emotional clues Florence has been giving
out. And, wonderfully, he not only solves the
mystery, he gets to save everybody. Watch
that scene again and try telling me that those
moments where, just this once, everybody
lives, arent among the most glorious and
uplifting moments in the shows history. This
is the redemption of the Ninth Doctor, the
last, most vital piece of the jigsaw of his
character slotted into place ready for events
on the Gamestation a mere fortnight later.
Theres so much more too the brilliantly
unsettling moments where expectations are
confounded (the ringing of the TARDIS
telephone, Richard Wilson, on paper the
major guest star, being dispatched to
zombiehood after a mere five minutes), the
inventive monsters eye view James Strong
uses to render the Empty Child more
unsettling, the genius in the simple resolution
of the cliffhanger, the spookiness of the
childs catchphrase, the way every rewatch of
the story lets you piece together the clues
youve missed its a feast. But that only
touches where the true genius of this story
lies. This season, the first since 1989,
everyone at BBC Cardiff was learning to make
Doctor Who again. For the first time in
decades all bets are off as they figure out
what theyre doing, trying to figure out what
the show can do. What Moffat does here,
better than any other writer in the season, is
take his knowledge of the show, a template
for a story that could have been used at
pretty much any time in the shows history,
and proves that it can work on modern
television, that Doctor Who as Robert Holmes
might have written it is not out of place in the
twenty-first century. Russell T Davies proved
the show could be something different and
still work; Moffat proved it could be the same
as it had been and still appeal to modern
sensibilities. This is the past taken, reshaped
and made fit for the future. This, above all, is
the story that summed up the glory of just
what the series achieved in conquering the
world in 2005.
[Jon Arnold]
65

GENESIS OF THE DALEKS

1975/FOURTH DOCTOR/9.6m/TERRY NATION
Genesis of the Daleks is where it really all happen in the end would be an
began for me. This is the story that back in understatement.
1993 first made me a fan.
Now, to longer term fan viewers who
I was 11 years old when the BBC was running remembered, or at least shared a folk
repeat seasons of Doctor Who throughout memory, of the days of Dalekmania, it was
1993, the thirtieth anniversary year. I had probably obvious and taken for granted that
been intrigued by trailers for the Friday night the Doctor was never going to succeed in
reruns of The Daemons and The Sea Devils, erasing the shows cash cow from existence.
and also by the recent release of the new But to me, it was dramatic stuff that signalled
Commodore Amiga computer game, Dalek the discomforting truth that this was a series
Attack which looked like the coolest game where sometimes the hero could lose; that
ever. But I had had to miss most episodes of there were ongoing horrors in the world and
the repeat run because they clashed with in the wider universe that the Doctor couldnt
Boys Brigade.
just make go away; and which made his
victories all the more precious and important.
But then came a night that I didnt go to Boys
Brigade. Perhaps it had been cancelled that It is for me the crucial starting point in terms
night, or I hadnt been able to get my uniform of understanding who the Doctor is and why
ready and so ended up being too late to the universe undoubtedly needs him.
bother going, and so me and my dad stayed in
and, at his coaxing, we ended up watching Genesis overall filled me with a sense of fear,
Part Five of Genesis of the Daleks instead.
and an inner conflict between repulsion and
fascination. I wanted to see more Doctor
It was all thrilling stuff, in stark silver Who. I wanted to see the Doctor win, and the
minimalist corridors. Sarah and Harry were Daleks defeated, but I was very reluctant to
being tortured to force the Doctor to talk and see this episode again. To my 11 year-old eyes
reveal future Dalek defeats. The Daleks were this episode seemed almost dangerous. It
rampaging through the Thal city leaving no- didnt conform to the rules of safe childrens
one alive. Davros was proving that he actually entertainment I was used to.
could go crazier when leaping on the
hypothetical virus as the power of gods. The It is where it always begins for me. I know the
Doctor came close to shutting down the main purpose of this issue is to celebrate the
Daleks forever only for Nyder to whack him anniversary year, but at the risk of heresy,
unawares, hinting that fate was definitely just as much I am a paid-up member of the
against the Doctor this time. By the time the scarf brigade and I feel that Doctor Who really
episode ended on a killer cliffhanger with the ended when Tom Baker left the show, I often
Doctor bursting out of the incubator chamber feel that Doctor Who really began here. Dont
being mauled and choked by Dalek mutants, I get me wrong, there were plenty of
just knew I had to see what happened next.
exceptional episodes before this point and
the show had clearly done well to last as long
Next week I set the recorder, came back to as it had before coming to this point. But I
watch it and was horrified and gobsmacked cant help seeing the run prior to this point in
by what I saw: the Doctor refused to destroy the show as the period where the show was
the Daleks when he had the chance; the noble
Gharman and his fellow rebels who seemed
so sure of victory were all killed and the
Daleks won; the Doctor simply left at the end,
knowing the Daleks were destined to cause
havoc and destruction for millions of years to
come.

still a work in progress, and that this story

really represented the point of full maturity
and completion.
It was, of course, building on what had gone
before, but it was a more adult somehow. It
had its Terry Nation clichs, but it felt sharper
and denser with more political weight than
anything hed written before for the series.
And it felt brought to the screen with the
freshness of a production team that
understood how to work with writers, who
knew this show from long familiarity, but
could sharpen the vision into something more
pacey and snappy, which had the effect of
making the Daleks themselves seem
especially deadly and volatile. Dalek speeches
were done away with in favour of showing
the Daleks at their most terrifyingly quick to
kill without a thought. Silent but deadly.
And whilst I dont want to labour too much on
this point, Genesis is arguably every bit a
success of the time it was made in. Had the
story been made ten years later, it would
have probably been trimmed to incoherence
and lashed with more needless bloodshed for
the sake of cheap shocks.
If it were made today, however, there are
plenty who say that by modern standards
Genesis is more than a little lengthy and talky,
and even padded and could probably do
with being trimmed down into a typical New
Who two parter and being better and tighter
for it. Indeed, many are quick to point to the
edited audio version as proof that the same
story could be told in 90 minutes, at two
thirds of its length.
This is a charge that I utterly refute. In fact, Id
say theres enough storyline to have
potentially gone on for another four episodes,
and Id have been happy to see it play out

Sarah and Harry were being tortured to force the

Doctor to talk and reveal future Dalek defeats.

To say this wasnt what I expected to see

67

This is a charge that I utterly refute. In fact, Id

say theres enough storyline to have
potentially gone on for another four episodes,
and Id have been happy to see it play out
longer. I dont think that the New Who format
and length is generally conducive to stories
being all they could be, or for the real
experience of being on an alien world, and
Genesis would certainly suffer for losing that.
Here Skaro is a nightmarish landscape that
needs to be experienced in full. It is an
encompassing vision of hell; a world without
compassion, scarred by horrific deformities
and where the purest evil is born and
nurtured. But its unmistakeably our world
too. A world where somehow all the worst
periods and wars in human history had been
anachronistically brought together and thrust
at each others throats. Thats why I think the
story works just as well in the 1990s in the
age of the Gulf War and the atrocities in East
Timor, as it did for the generation that still
remembered Nazism.

Skaro is a nightmarish landscape that needs to be

experienced in full. It is an encompassing vision of
hell; a world without compassion, scarred by horrific
deformities

Besides, if were talking about the audio

version, huge chunks are cut (eg. much of
Bettans part, despite her being responsible
for the closest thing to victory that the good
guys achieve; and even a substantial segment
of the Doctors Do I have the right? speech),
which diminish the characterisation and,
hence, the story as a whole.
Even the supposed padding I would say
crucially matters to the story and to its heart.
Its the very escape-and-capture routines
which mark apart the Doctor and his
companions by their determination and
defiance, whilst emphasising the inescapable
scope of the war and tyranny. Even the
landmine scene is crucial in its own way. Its
still a breath-holding moment of suspense to
watch, but its also one of Harrys finest
moments of being heroic, and a potent
metaphor for the Daleks: volatile, mechanical
machines of war designed to destroy
indiscriminately, and which continue to do so
long after the war is over. More, you could go
further and suggest that the Doctor is walking
some kind of minefield all throughout the
story.

vicious conflict. A journey in which the Doctor

ultimately dares to wonder if maybe, just
maybe, its better to let evil live, and that our
warlike nature be exercised in a nobler fight
against a worthy cause: the defeat of true
evil. And if, per chance, the one and only
thing that could genuinely bring harmony
between warring cultures is a greater mutual
foe who compels the forgings of alliances and
burying of hatchets.

In the final scene, where the Doctor and his

companions clutch the time ring and spin off
into the stars, it always baffled me how the
Doctor, Sarah and Harry could share a grin
and moment of whimsy, and enjoy their pyric
kind of victory so heartily at the end of such a
But it all combines to make the Do I have the grim series of events.
right? speech what it is. The story is an
existential and explicitly violent expos of the Clearly I was witnessing heroes of a rare spirit
savage and bestial nature of man, and his and stoicism, possessing a self-assurance that
propensity for intolerance, brutality and was unfazed even in the face of so much
68

death and cavalier brutality, and who had

learned a way of navigating through it;
navigating toward hope, against even the
worst odds and the worst premonitions. Ive
always wondered how they did it, and Ive
always wanted to be as brave and spirited as
them. I think the Doctors strength is a belief
in the higher consciousness, in positive
energies connecting and galvanising us at the
right time, and a trust in our better angels
enduring, even in the face of the worst
adversity and fear. Its that which makes the
show so inspiring, and makes us follow it
beyond our childhoods, in the fictive
footsteps of a rare and special hero indeed.
[Thomas Cookson]

STARRING

PETER DAVISON NICOLA BRYANT MAURICE ROEVES JOHN NORMINGTON

INTRODUCING CHRISTOPHER GABLE AS SHARAZ JEK

PRODUCED BY John Nathan-Turner DIRECTED BY Graeme Harper WRITTEN BY Robert Holmes MUSIC BY Roger Limb

THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI

1984/FIFTH DOCTOR/7.27m/ROBERT HOLMES
In retrospect and with the benefit of the
hindsight we now have regarding the
haphazard and rudderless production of
Doctor Who in the 1980s its not only
amazing that The Caves of Androzani was
made at all, but that its actually rather
amazing. Nearly thirty years have done little
to dull its brilliance; back in 1984 the serial
was a revelation purely because so much of
what had gone before in the last couple of
years had been so lacklustre. Caves itself was
preceded by Tourist Board advertisement/
cure for insomnia Planet of Fire so in all
likelihood pretty much anything would have
been in improvement. But what we got and
it seemed like a miracle even then was a
Doctor Who serial which actually looked as if
it was written and directed by people who
actually gave a damn about the show. Here
were four episodes which grabbed Doctor
Who by the scruff of its cricket lapels and
made it relevant for the first time in years.
This was a serial directed by someone who
wanted to make a mark, not some
inappropriate time-serving BBC in-house
director who cared little for science-fiction
and understood less. Caves was directed by
former floor assistant/production assistant
Graeme Harper, a fizzing fireball of energy
and creativity and he gave the show the
dynamism, style and sense of purpose it had
been lacking for too long. Harper was
fortunate enough to also be gifted four new
scripts by Doctor Whos greatest script writer,
Robert Holmes, back in from the cold (with
some reluctance from producer John NathanTurner, who didnt like the old guard getting
involved with his show again) after an
absence of some six years (fans feared that
the dreary The Power of Kroll would turn out
to be his swansong). Holmes too knew
instinctively what needed to be done to get
Doctor Who back on its feet again and he
absolutely pulled out all the stops in crafting a
tour de force finale form Fifth Doctor Peter
Davison, whose dissatisfaction with his own
second season had caused him to turn down
the option of a fourth.
Caves just oozes class, despite its now-jarring
studio-based
multi-camera
recording
techniques. This, remember, was a time when
the BBC was still producing their own in-

house, in-studio dramas, often combining

exterior VT filming with studio footage to
often jarring effect. But Harper scarcely
seems phased by the prospect of creating a
world of caves, mud, ruthless gunrunners,
androids and scheming businessmen in the
cramped studios at TV Centre. His world is
beautifully-realised, a grim and grey place
where a war has been waging for six months
between the renegade Sharaz Jek and his
army of androids, and the soldiers from
Androzani Major under the leadership of
General Chellak. For once the studio sets are
sympathetically lit and reduced lighting allows
for lots of shadows and corners and hideyholes which make the caves actually seem like
caves. Other sets Jeks hideout, the
Generals quarters, even the duplicitous
Morgus office are functional, bland and
their eerie ordinariness adds to the sense of
stark reality inherent in Holmes scripts.

terrible revenge against Chellak. We may

have some sympathy for him but hes clearly
a man on the edge, a man who has nothing to
lose and who is willing to fight to the end. But
in the end he does the right thing; with all
around him falling apart, he offers the hand of
help to the Doctor as the Time Lord sets off
on what look like a hopeless rescue mission,
to find the vaccine which will cure Peri of the
deadly poison she succumbed to right back at
the beginning of the story.
Within minutes of the first episode beginning
both the Doctor and Peri are dying. During
their investigations on the surface of the
planet (Harper again excelling by using plenty
of long-shot which generally serve to make
the familiar sandpit location actually look like
a barren alien world except for the odd shot
where we can see tree-lined cliff tops in the
distance), Peri stumbled into a growth of raw
Spectrox and she immediately seals the fate
of the pair of them. The Doctor tries to brush
the web-like substance from her and he too is
infected. From this moment on the pair are
living on borrowed time and its a fascinating
conceit which informs the rest of the serial.
As an audience we know that this is Peter
Davisons last serial, we know whats coming;
but we want to know how and when, we
want to see just how hes going to save his
new companion. But the story is so denselyplotted that, whilst it references the
travellers condition, it doesnt have time to
actually address the problem until well into
the final episode when everyone else is either
dead or ruined. The Doctor, of course, the
noblest hero of them all, ends up sacrificing
his life theres only enough vaccine for one
of them for a girl hes only recently met.

And what scripts! Holmes, always a lover of

the English language, pours his heart and soul
into his words here. Jek may remind us briefly
of Magnus Greel from The Talons of WengChiang, but Holmes turns what could be a
routine, stereotypical murdering villain into a
tragic, sympathetic figure who has been
terribly wronged and terribly disfigured. In
Peri he sees the opportunity to remind
himself of true beauty, and whilst his
intention to keep her his captive forever so
that he may rejoice in her beauty may repulse
Peri and horrify the audience, its really not
that hard to understand where hes coming
from after the hardships and privations hes
endured, burying himself in the network of
caves below the surface of Androzani Minor
with only a bunch of faceless androids for
company. Jeks tortured and tormented but
hes ruthless too; he instructs his androids to Davison is on fine form throughout the story;
tear the Doctors arms out; he delivers a its almost as if this is the exact storyline for
vicious swipe to the Doctors face; he exacts a which hes been waiting for three years.

Sarah and Harry were being tortured to force the

Doctor to talk and reveal future Dalek defeats.
71

Davison is on fine form throughout the story; its almost as if this is

the exact storyline for which hes been waiting for three years.
Holmes writes the Doctor as if hes still Tom Baker Jek describes him
as a prattling jackanapes and certainly Davison is, in the first few
episodes, on untypically chirpy form, subverting Jek and Chellak with
wry quips and comic asides. But in the end he becomes the action
hero one suspects Davison never managed to set free; racing across
sand dunes chased by machine-gun wielding thugs, rolling and
tumbling across the sand,
wrenching control of a spaceship
and sending it back on a crashlanding course because he owes
it to his new friend to just try to
save her. Holmes nails the
Doctor, Davison finally nails the
Doctor and Harper allows the
actor to take the character to
places hed never had the
chance to take him across the
previous three frustrating years.
A lot of classic Doctor Who
needs to be viewed these days in
a you had to be there frame of
mind and much of it really
doesnt stand up to modern
scrutiny. Caves is one of the few
exceptions. Everyone is on their
best behaviour here and the
guest cast is all reacting to a top
quality script. Maurice Roeves
brings a wonderful unpredictable
edginess to the potentiallythankless role of gun-runner
Stotz; his slaughter of his
remaining henchmen in Part
Four is one of the most brilliantly
-shocking moments in Doctor
Who history. John Normington
plays the self-serving Morgus
with all the oiliness of your least
favourite politician and his
occasional bon mots to camera
are a magnificent stylistic touch
which effortlessly breaks the
fourth wall without destroying it.
But everyones giving it their all here, from Martin Cochrane as
Chellak, a young Robert Glenister as Salateen and Barbara Kinghorn,
cold as ice as Frau Timmin. Their performances are enhanced by
Harpers fluid, vivid direction, his camera probing and swooping, the
storys moments of ugly violence presented starkly and with an
almost documentary-style realism. Even Roger Limb, whose
radiophonic incidental scores are usually horribly repetitive and
tuneless, ups his game here with a chiming, funereal score which
perfectly suits the gritty, uncompromising and, for the Doctor,
ultimately fatal, storyline.

But even the very best Doctor Who classics lose a mark or two and
have the side let down by some dodgy visual effect or other and sadly
Caves offers up a monster costume right up there with Weng-Chiang
and its cuddly giant rat and the then more-recent Myrrkha from
Warriors of the Deep for ineptitude. This is a story which really
doesnt need a monster at all and yet were offered the Magma
Beast, a biped dragon creature which lumbers about the place like
well, a man in a not terribly convincing costume. Its one of the first
things we see in the serial and it
doesnt bode well for what might
be in store; fortunately its
appearances are kept to a
minimum but Harpers failure to
keep the thing in the shadows or
out of plain sight is really his only
directorial misstep in the entire
serial. At one point Salateen tries
to tell the Doctor and Peri how
terrifying this beast is and how
no-one ever survives a close
encounter; all thats left are its
table leavings he informs them
gravely. Sadly, by now weve
seen the thing moving at a snails
pace and roaring ineffectually
and we know that any chance of
it being even remotely terrifying
to even the most unsophisticated
child who might be watching is
pretty close to zero.
The Caves of Androzani is
probably the last great Doctor
Who story of the original series
run. Its a fine example of how
the show can really only thrive
when the people bringing it to
the screen are absolutely
committed to making the best
possible programme they can
and that the thatll do approach
of many of the jobbing BBC
directors who both directed and
wrote for the show in the 1980s
did it no favours at all as it
struggled to find its place in a
changing, faster-moving TV world. Its a story full of beautiful
triumphs, a story which reminded those jaded fans who saw it at the
time of quite why they fell in love with Doctor Who in the first place
and that it might well be worth persevering with after all. Perhaps the
greatest tragedy of The Caves of Androzani, which offered a
tantalising hope of a sensational renaissance to come, was that the
serial which followed it was The Twin Dilemma and never has the
gulf between what the show can do and what it should never do been
so aptly demonstrated.
[Paul Mount]

72

BLINK
2007/TENTH DOCTOR/6.6m/STEVEN MOFFAT
Dont blink. Dont even blink. Blink and
youre dead. They are fast faster than you
could believe. Dont turn your back, dont look
away, and dont blink. Good luck.
The Doctor
With these cryptic words a new monster was
born and the episode Blink was catapulted to
iconic status. It is now cited as one of the
best Doctor Who episodes ever made. In fact,
if you ask any Whovian which five episodes
they would recommend to a new viewer,
their answer will invariably include Blink.
Written by Steven Moffat and aired on 9 June
2007, Blink has won the respect of fans and
critics alike and as a result of his work on
this episode, Steven Moffat was awarded the
BAFTA Craft and BAFTA Cymru Awards for
Best Writer in 2008. In 2009 Blink was voted
by Doctor Who Magazine readers as the
second best episode of all time, coming in
second only to The Caves of Androzani.
It is fascinating then to know that for the
most part, this intensely popular episode is
largely missing one very important element:
the Doctor.
Blink is the story of a young woman who is
recruited by the Doctor to help him retrieve
his TARDIS while he and his companion,
Martha, are stuck in 1969. Now, Im not going
to give you a blow-by-blow account of what
happens in this episode. If you havent
already seen Blink then you probably
shouldnt be here. You should be either
watching it right now or sitting in the
corner to think about what you have done.
But I digress
Filling in for the Doctor as the lead character
is Sally Sparrow, a contemporary young
woman who takes photos of old things
because they make her sad and sad is happy
for deep people.
Carey Mulligans performance sustains the
entire episode and is only magnified by a
brilliant supporting cast. Carey is outstanding
in her portrayal of Sally, an endearing
character whose attributes are often treated
74

as an impossible contradiction when writing Perhaps what is most relevant to the

and casting for female leads.
episodes popularity, though, is the very
strong sense that Sally Sparrow could be any
Sally relates easily to the feelings of others one of us. Told entirely from her point of
yet she does not let her empathy incapacitate view, the Doctor becomes the enigma that
her. Instead, it is this sensitivity which drives walks into her life seeking help a fantasy of
Sally to action. She is not nave and does not many fans.
simply fall into line when confronted with a
claim that most of us would recognise as This is what makes it so exciting to watch as
impossible. Sally does not immediately Sally uncovers a personalized message from
believe that her friend Kathy had been the Doctor. Many watching that scene would
transported back in time. Yet faced with the undoubtedly smile and nod sagely as they
evidence, Sally does not remain in a witness the Doctor reaching out across time
paralyzed state of denial.
to choose an assistant. This time it was Sally.
Maybe next time it might be one of us?
This is where Sally is at her best. She is willing
to shift her own definition of reality so long Sallys physical distance from the Doctor
as her personal experience supports any echoes our own distance, creating the
claim made by others. She accepts that her impression that this story is firmly grounded
worldview must change and accepts the in our reality not just within the
responsibility of taking action to help others. Whoniverse. His absence during most of the
scenes only serves to highlight that distance,
Yet Sally is also a young woman trying to so when the Doctor shows up at the end of
make her way in the world. She introduces the episode there is an incredibly strong
herself as Sally Shipton to DI Billy Shipton, sense that the Doctor has just walked into
revealing a romanticism and awkwardness our own lives into our world. When the
that almost everyone can relate to at some Doctor arrives, carrying a bow and striding
stage in their lives. Conversely, she also larger than life through modern-day London,
demonstrates a healthy dose of self- the experience feels surreal. The Doctor is
assurance when dealing with both Larry thoroughly alien and out of place and it is
Nightingale and the Doctor. This is no more brilliant.
obvious than when she challenges the Doctor
Im clever and Im listening. Now dont Blink also sees the introduction of the
patronize me, cause people have died and Weeping Angels, a NuWho monster that
Im not happy.
takes the form of statues that can only move
when they are not being observed. They do
Indeed Sally Sparrow is clever and intuitive, not kill you outright. That would be too easy.
and capable. She stands firmly on her own Instead with a single touch they can send you
two feet and it is she, rather than the Doctor, hurtling back in time to live out the rest of
who is the true hero of this episode. Sally is your days. The Angels then feed on the
prime companion material and is often temporal energy of the life you would have
touted as the companion that never was lived had you stayed in your original time
an apt description.
stream.

...this intensely popular episode is largely missing

one very important element: the Doctor.

Unfortunately this also means that the

Weeping Angels are immune to the primary
defense system of younger Doctor Who
viewers: hiding behind the couch.
It is through these kinds of mind tricks that
Steven Moffat has managed to defictionalize
this monster. Viewers are drawn into the
experience, sometimes directly; and in some
scenes where no characters are watching the
Weeping Angels, there is a strong suggestion
that the only thing keeping the Angel
quantum-locked is the audience.
Yet there is much
more to this episode
than
likeable
characters and scary
monsters. Doctor Who
is not just a show
about a time travelling
alien, yet when done
right, time travel is

one of the most important elements that its more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly
every fan wants to see. Blink delivered the timey-wimey stuff.
time-travel plot that fans had been waiting
for.
The conversation in which this particular
phrase is spoken is the highlight of the
This tightly scripted episode is hinged on episode. The recorded message with its
Steven Moffats favourite plot ploy the seemingly random comments has been
temporal paradox and no one describes this hidden within seventeen DVD releases and
idea better than the Doctor himself: has baffled Larry and his fellow internet
theorists for some time. It isnt until Sally
People assume that time is a strict realizes the message is for her that she is able
progression of cause to effect but actually, to learn its purpose. The Doctor is reading
from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint one half of a transcript that he has on an
autocue. Sallys comments while watching it
fit in with the script
and so an excited
Larry begins to write
in her responses,
therefore completing
the transcript that
the Doctor is reading
from. See? Timeywimey.

...there is much more to this episode than likeable

characters and scary monsters.

75

This phrase, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey,

along with other catchphrases spawned by
the episode, has become part of the Doctor
Who vernacular.
The Doctor, unable to explain the mysteries
of time travel in a way that humans might
understand, resorts to humourous imagery
that is now being used by fans to describe
everything from the
show
itself
to
anything that the
speaker is having
difficulty explaining.

A year later, Sally is running a video store

with Larry. She is trying to move on with her
life but is unable to do so because there are
still so many unanswered questions. When
she suddenly sees the Doctor and Martha get
out of a taxi in front of the shop, and they
dont recognise her, Sally realises that it was
she who gave the Doctor the information he
needed all along. Sally tells the Doctor that

usual format of Doctor Who and yet perfectly

demonstrates some of the shows most
important foundations.
As an entry-point into the series, Blink is
perfect. Potential viewers are often
intimidated by the legacy of the show and
what they perceive as the complexity of the
50 year story arc. Indeed it is difficult to
explain to people
what Doctor Who is
about and what
makes it so great.
Perhaps Neil Gaiman
(author
and
scriptwriter) said it
best:

wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, along with other

catchphrases spawned by the episode, has become
part of the Doctor Who vernacular.

Steven Moffat, with

his tongue in cheek
a w a r e ne s s
of
Doctor Who fandom
also gave us the
phrase, The Angels
have the phone box then followed it up with
some cleverly inserted dialogue by Larry who
said, Ive got that one on a t-shirt. Within
days the t-shirts began appearing online.
Then of course there is: Dont blink also
on a shirt.

one day he will be stuck in 1969 and gives

him the completed transcript and the photos
she took in the abandoned house.

The Doctor is in a hurry to deal with well,

four things and a lizard and so the scene is
brief. But Sally is able to get the closure she
Finally we are treated to a scene which wraps needs and is now free to pursue her
up the storyline while also giving us a glimpse relationship with Larry.
into the kind of adventures that the Doctor
has when we are not watching.
The success of Blink will always have an air of
mystery about it. It is so different from the

No, look, theres a

blue box. Its bigger
on the inside than it
is on the outside. It can go anywhere in time
and space and sometimes even where its
meant to go. And when it turns up, theres a
bloke in it called The Doctor and there will
be stuff wrong and he will do his best to sort
it out and he will probably succeed, cos hes
awesome. Now sit down, shut up, and watch
Blink.
-Taken from Neil Gaimans online journal
[Krista Wilson]

A collection of essays describing individual fans' relationships with Doctor Who.

Sequel to You and Who and released simultaneously with Contact Has Been
Made: Volume 2.
For the last fifty years, the series has been inspiring and engaging audiences in a
way that no other television programme has ever managed, with an inimitable
format that allows for an infinite number of interpretations, both in its presentation
and in its reception. Contact Has Been Made! is a diary of that relationship, a
record of the way that Doctor Who has impacted upon us as fans and as
individuals, and a chronicle of the fifty year journey that we have allowed the series
to take us on.
But most importantly, Contact Has Been Made! is a window into that world as
experienced by the viewers, the fans. Whether on a television screen or the big
screen, in books and comic books or in the form of audio plays, Doctor Who has
always but always managed to set the imagination whirling, the pulse racing, the
mind buzzing, and Contact Has Been Made! is a unique history of the show and its
importance in the lives of those that watch it, as recorded by those fans themselves.
Featuring essays by Whotopia contributors: Bob Furnell, Jez Strickley, Nick
Mellish, Michael S. Collins, Grant Bull, Jon Arnold, Ian Wheeler
Now Available from MIWK Publishing

CREDITS

This issue wouldnt have been possible

without the assistance of the following
individuals
Artwork & Design
Robert Carpenter
for the Whotopia 10th anniversary logo
Jon Wesley Huff
for this issues fantastic cover
Artwork
Richard Farrell
www.andersonic.co.uk
Atarial (aka Michelle)
atarial.deviantart.com
Clara Urech
claribelle.deviantart.com
Helen Beeston
Magdalena Kloska
orookayasu.deviantart.com
Tom Denham
Jason Fletcher
jlfletch.deviantart.com
Karen Kalbacher
Mark Hyland
Eugenio
Miran Roh
Peter Clarke
Emily Brigg

dalekmercy.deviantart.com
John-Gordon Swogger
johngswogger.wordpress.com
Movie Posters
Kevin Mullen (page 61, 66, 73)
Alex Lydiate (page 64, 70)

Written Word
Jon Wesley Huff
Jez Strickley
Richard Farrell
Paul Ferry
Gary Phillips
Ian Wheeler
Callum McPherson
Krista Wilson
Paul Mount
Thomas Cookson
Jon Arnold
Matthew Kresal
Michael S. Collins
Greg Bakun
Ian Cai Mercer
William Young
Triona Guidry
Robert Mammone
Thomas Skychalski
Chris Kocher
Patrick Furlong
Addison Cort
Nick Mellish
Special Thanks
Big Finish
David Richardson
Issue 26 out Fall 2013