Sunday 1 April 2018
The Name's Shakespeare, William Shakespeare Review
Matthew Moir from the Whoniversals YouTube Channel, revists the 'worst doctor who story ever made' from Season 39, it's the Name's Shakespeare, William Shakespeare.
Monday 3 December 2007
The Empty Child - Shooting Script - What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed
Please Note - This is a script from the What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed Series which explores an alternate timeline where Doctor Who Wasn't Axed. To view it click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfK7Qf8yhwwtvwIY3G09-015UqzHXiML
So here you go the script to 'The Empty Child' from Season 44. This script will be the first of many to be shared on this blog so please read and enjoy it. Particularly the character of Lt. Fassile, the Doctor and Angela platonically dancing and the cheeky Leftover cameo towards the end.
Click this link to download the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1omy3ReFZusbaIPsf0urNoWkMeGyshmqB/view?usp=sharing
So here you go the script to 'The Empty Child' from Season 44. This script will be the first of many to be shared on this blog so please read and enjoy it. Particularly the character of Lt. Fassile, the Doctor and Angela platonically dancing and the cheeky Leftover cameo towards the end.
Click this link to download the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1omy3ReFZusbaIPsf0urNoWkMeGyshmqB/view?usp=sharing
Saturday 10 February 2007
(What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed?) DWM 378 - TONY REDSTON Interview
Please Note - This is an article from the What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed Series which explores an alternate timeline where Doctor Who Wasn't Axed. To view it click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfK7Qf8yhwwtvwIY3G09-015UqzHXiML
“Doctor Who is mad, exciting and bold. We can do anything and travel to anywhere and that’s why it’s the best show ever made.” ~ Tony Redston, 2003
With, Doctor Who: Revelation on the horizon, Producer, Tony Redston looks back on his time on the show…
“Doctor Who is mad, exciting and bold. We can do anything and travel to anywhere and that’s why it’s the best show ever made.” ~ Tony Redston, 2003
With, Doctor Who: Revelation on the horizon, Producer, Tony Redston looks back on his time on the show…
TONY REDSTON Interview
Interview by BENJAMIN COOK
It’s the early evening of 17th May 2006, and outside a café in Cardiff Bay, a group of normal people are sitting having a drink, chatting about Doctor Who. Nothing too unusual about that. However these people include Doctor Who Producer Tony Redston, Script Editor Paul Cornell, Executive Producer Ira Steven Behr as well as myself and fan and former writer of Doctor Who Clayton Hickman who also happens to be editor of this very magazine.
Half an hour ago, today’s filming concluded on Doctor Who: Revelation and tomorrow’s scenes are set to be recorded for both Doctor Who: Revelation and the final episode of Season 43 which you will have seen many months ago, by the time this interview is published. It’s also daunting as in less than two months time, the cameras will capture Anthony Head’s final scenes during the last block of principal photography for Doctor Who: Revelation. The Eleventh Doctor’s era will be over. Not only that but the Tony Redston era will be over. There is still the small matter of the new Doctor which Tony is keeping ‘top secret’ as once again no one will know until they see it in the cinema. Right now, it seems only me and Clayton don’t know who the new Doctor is as we look over the smug faces of the other three men looking over at us.
Earlier this afternoon, when Tony agreed to do this interview, this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.
“Shall we do it in the Panopticon?” Tony suggests. Tony is of course talking about the brand new Panopticon built for Season 42’s Everlasting War and used from then on. The Panopticon has been a standing set since Doctor Who: The Movie and with the Redston era coming to a close, one would think that it would be pulled down soon. However Tony says that it won’t be pulled down as they have something in the works that may require the Panopticon. More Gallifrey stories in Season 44 and beyond? A Gallifrey spin-off, perhaps? I ask, yet get no response.
As it turns out, the Panopticon isn’t particularly good for conducting interviews as when we arrived we were greeted with the stern face of, director, Graeme Harper, who told us that a pivotal scene was about to be recorded. Tony offered to let me watch and as a fan, I could hardly refuse. The interview could wait until later.
Now outside that café in Cardiff Bay, a couple of hours later, I ask Tony how he feels now that his time on Doctor Who is coming to an end. Back in issue 337 he told us of hints of what was to come in his era. We knew that the Doctor would be President with the Rogue and the Rani at his side guided by the mysterious Keeper but not much else.
“Yes, simpler times. Doctor Who has been a wonderful journey for me. From working on the Mark of the Rani back in 1984, I think, to Doctor Who: Revelation in 2007, it’s been one hell of a journey. Yes, there was a gap of sixteen years, I think, but, yeah, it’s been wonderful,” he tells me.
Was your intent always to do Doctor Who: Revelation as well or did you just want to do the television series, I ask him.
“How could I do the television series and not do a movie?” he exclaims, “the truth is, as great as Gary [Russell, incoming producer] is, I wanted to be the one to send Anthony [Head, the Doctor] off.”
Gary Russell, unlike Tony, is not a consulting producer on Doctor Who: Revelation as Tony was on Doctor Who: the Movie.
“We asked Gary, however he wanted to focus on his era of Doctor Who and he said honestly that he didn’t care how we ended it. He did have one or to suggestions about things he wants to set up and we were more than happy to include them.”
As we chat, it’s been three months since the transmission of the spin-off, mini-series, Rebel Zero. It’s fair to say that the series, as a whole, went down very well and help explain to a lot of viewers the backstory of the mind-blowing events of Season 42. Viewers have loved Ace, played by the brilliant Sophie Aldred with Fen Do’nel and Francs performing terrible deeds for the good.
“Well the idea behind Rebel Zero was to act as a prequel to the final two episodes of Season 42,” he remarks, “the intention was to always do Rebel Zero and Season 42 was made with it in mind and naturally production went straight from Doctor Who to Rebel Zero.”
And, what of the bold decision to make Ace a terrorist? Some fans have expressed concern at this revelation and were not too happy with it in the finale of Season 42.
“Have you seen Dragonfire or Season 25?” Tony laughs, “Ace is always there with her Nitro-Nine ready to blow up what ever comes her way. She beats up a Dalek with a baseball bat for goodness sake. Her being brainwashed into being a terrorist isn’t much of a stretch.”
At the end of On the Eve of War, Here I Stand, the final episode of Rebel Zero, the Master [played by Geoffrey Bayldon] appears to save Ace, Francs and Fen Do’nel and takes with him and then at the end of Auribus Teneo Lupum, the finale of Season 42. Francs was revealed to be the Master’s side.
“The inclusion of the Master was because we wanted to have a proper villain in Season 43 and who better to have than the Master. After the Daleks and the Cybermen, he is probably the most well-known Doctor Who villain,” Tony remarks, “We loved Geoffrey so much in Leftover last year that we just had to get him on the main show.”
Geoffrey Bayldon previously appeared as the Master in Leftover Series Four in the episodes the Future’s Truth and Mastermind, Parts I and II. Geoffrey’s Master was controversially introduced as a future incarnation of the Doctor in the Future’s Truth only to be revealed that he was actually the Master.
“That was Ira [Steven Behr, Executive Producer] who came up with the Master returning for Leftover and originally that was all it was supposed to be. The Master was supposed to be the main villain of Leftover going into Series Five, however as you know Paramount decided that Leftover’s time was up,” explains Tony, “It would’ve been a missed opportunity not to use the character especially as we were on Gallifrey.”
A lot of people have criticised Tony’s Who in the past due to the sheer amount of continuity references in the series as supposed to previous eras.
“I won’t deny that I embrace continuity,” admits Tony, “and yes, some people don’t like that, some people don’t like the show being set on Gallifrey, and I get that but we decided the show would be set on Gallifrey and stay in one place and with that consequences happen. The Doctor can’t just move on the next week to another time and another place. Stories from one to another affect each other and if that means that something that happened in 1976 effects 2006 Doctor Who then it does.”
Let’s turn our attention to Revelation. Earlier today, down on set, we were watching the Eleventh Doctor, Anthony Head, perform a scene in the Panopticon, as you know, which takes place towards the end of the film. But lets talk about Anthony Head’s Doctor and the journey we have seen him be on since the Movie through Season 41 and through Season 42 and into Season 43.
“The planned journey for Anthony Head’s Doctor, always has been a journey from being reluctantly President of Gallifrey to embracing that position to leaving Gallifrey in a safe and stable state as well as getting over the events of the Movie and the death of Sandra Armstrong. Anthony’s Doctor is the Doctor that can’t move on which is exemplified by the fact that he is stuck in one location. He’s always moving but going nowhere and his journey is from going nowhere to going somewhere.”
I suppose that the Keeper’s death played a big part in that as the Keeper was the reason that the Doctor was stuck on Gallifrey. How likely do you think, after the Keeper’s death, would it had been if the Doctor just got in the TARDIS and left Gallifrey?
“The Doctor never wanted to be President in the first place but he got attached,” he explains, “the Doctor is a compassionate old man who believes in kindness and he wouldn’t abandon Gallifrey at such a turbulent time. That just isn’t who the Doctor is. Yes, he’d rather not be there but he has started something and now he has got to end it and he can’t just run away. It’s more about responsibility than anything and us killing the Keeper and keeping the Doctor on Gallifrey shows that he is responsible but also lets him feel free as he could just leave whenever he wants.”
In Tony’s first Doctor Who story in recent years, Doctor Who: the Movie, the Doctor met six of his younger selves. So I’m curious… what would Tony Redston say if he could meet his younger self? Let’s say a version of himself from early 2003, when he first excepted the position of Doctor Who Producer.
“I was actually talking about this with Gary [Russell] recently actually,” he considers. “The truth is really, don’t p**** off Steven Moffat!” he jokes. Steven Moffat was Script Editor of Doctor Who between Season 35 and Season 38 with Chris Sanderman as Producer however Steven has been in recent years very critical of Tony’s Who. Speaking in DWM 340, Steven tells us: “I’d chuck out all gratuitous continuity because it’s dull – and all that yawn-inducing Gallifrey rubbish with it. I don’t care where the Doctor came from or why he travels the universe – I just want him out of those TARDIS doors and having adventures.” So why did you invite Steven to write for the show in Season 42.
“To prove him wrong,” Tony states bluntly, “He did some wonderful things on the show, I won’t deny and Blink is one of my all-time favourite episodes but he didn’t get my Doctor Who. Maybe because he didn’t like it or maybe because he didn’t like Gallifrey or whatever but it didn’t work. I wanted to prove Steven wrong, I wanted to give him a fascinating human story about the Doctor and the Keeper’s relationship, which he wrote brilliantly, but he, through that process, complained about it being set on Gallifrey and kept banging on about how brilliant an idea he has for the Doctor in World War Two is. It didn’t work, it just didn’t and you can see how different our two Who’s are.”
Some would describe Steven’s outspokenness about Tony’s Who rude but Steven said earlier this year in DWM 371 “I am just expressing the views of fans who just long and yearn for the Doctor to return to outer-space and explore the universe in the TARDIS.”
“The thing is,” explains Tony, “is that Doctor Who is a show that is constantly changing and evolving and we go through different eras. My era is the one that stayed in one place… but no, this isn’t the first time that this has happened. In the early ‘70s, the Doctor was stuck on Earth, so why should it make a difference if it were on Gallifrey.”
Between 1970 and 1972, Jon Pertwee spent three series on Earth almost solidly with an ensemble cast including: the Brigadier, Sgt. Benton, Captain Yates and of course Liz Shaw and later Jo Grant. And then even in his final two years and in some later stories, UNIT adventures continued with these same characters. So is the Redston era much different from the Letts era?
“In concept it is the same idea. The truth is Doctor Who was getting a tad stale by the end of Chris’ era and for the good of the show we needed to change it up a bit. The thing is I would have loved to do Doctor Who with Anthony Head and some dashing young assistant roaming the universe but when I took over, I knew that we needed something different – some energy. We’d already done Earth with Jon Pertwee and we wanted to have a shot at serialisation so it was mutually agreed between me, Ira [Steven Behr], Julie [Gardner], Russell [T Davies] and Stephen [Garwood] that we would set Season 41, at least, on Gallifrey.”
You made an interesting point out serialisation. What exactly drew you to taking that route?
“Well, when we were making the first rough plans for Season 41 in 2003 (isn’t that a long time ago), we drew on three main influences: Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica mini-series; Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. All three of these used serialisation in significant ways and to keep Doctor Who new and fresh, we felt we needed to use it.”
Ira Steven Behr, who was the show-runner of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, of course, became an Executive Producer on Doctor Who in 2004 with Season 41 as well as Ronald D. Moore becoming a recurring writer for the show in recent years. Did these influences have anything to do with it?
“Most certainly,” he exclaims, “Ronald was, of course, already signed up to be a writer for Season 40 and I was delighted. I phoned up Russell straight away when I found out trying to find out as much information about his story as possible. Naturally, when it came Season 41, I was the first to ask Ronald to become a Staff Writer for us and help as craft the Season and it has worked tremendously.”
“As for Ira,” he explains, “Paramount were already keen to get one of their lot on the show, quite rightfully as they own half of it, and they gave me a choice of some of the people that they thought would be good on Doctor Who and Ira was on that list. As soon as I saw that, a plan formulated in my head and whatever happened, we had to get Ira in. And you know what, he has been brilliant. He has been better than me, truly, and I am so glad that him, Ronald and Julie are staying on with Gary to face a bold new era.”
Obviously, for you first two seasons you worked with Russell T Davies as Script Editor, however for Season 43, you are working with Paul Cornell. How did this come about and how does it differ working with the two different writers?
“Well, Russell, was already there when I joined having, previously, done Seasons 39 and 40 with Chris and I was very much the new boy, Russell had a fantastic way of humanising space which he did with the Bellonsions expertly and that’s something that he was very keen to continue. Naturally, Russell would have preferred to do a few more Earth-y stories and he is brilliant at them. His first story [that he wrote, second broadcast] Damaged Goods, was a brilliant tale set in a contemporary housing estate and what Russell was able to do with Gallifrey was humanise it to make the Rogue, the Rani, Leela and the Outsiders like Presta feel just the same as characters like Winne Tyler in Damaged Goods but still give them a distinctly alien feel.”
Before taking up Doctor Who full time in 2001, Russell had great success with television series like Queer as Folk and Bob & Rose however with Doctor Who as a full time job, this type of television seems to have been somewhat neglected.
“That’s mainly why Russell left. He loved doing Doctor Who but he wanted to go back to doing that sort of thing. He never got to do a Queer as Folk 2 due to his commitments to Doctor Who as a writer and then as Script Editor, so that is something he said he’d really love to do.”
And what of Paul Cornell, how is he different to Russell?
“Well, Paul is great. I have loved working with him on Season 43 and Rebel Zero and he certainly gives Gallifrey a different flavour. Season 43 is much darker, as you’d expect with the Master controlling the President and the Doctor and the Rogue as fugitives. Paul has also done a fantastic job at wrapping up the series and has given characters the send-offs they really deserve.”
Paul is, of course, writing the screenplay for Doctor Who: Revelation with Robert Shearman [acclaimed writer since Season 40] can you give us any taste of how this combination came to be and the mood of the script.
“Well, Paul wrote the finale of Season 43 with Robert and we were blown away. Everyone sat there at the read-through was just delighted with it and Siobhan [Redmond, the Rani] was the funniest as she had not read the script in advanced so she was reacting to everything. Anyway, that script was just amazing and it is a lot of pressure to make Paul write a movie on his own so we asked Robert and he delightedly said ‘yes’ As for the mood of Revelation, the only word I can say to describe it is melancholy.”
Finally, Tony, what was your best memory producing Doctor Who?
“It would have to be when I was at the premier of Doctor Who: the Movie and I watched the audience gasp as they saw Richard E Grant turn into Anthony Head. It was delightful! After the screening, I had an all manner of journalists, celebrities, actors, writers, you name it, come up to me and say how happy they are that Anthony is the Doctor (or as the unenlightened muggles say, Doctor Who). It was a truly joyous experience and I hope that Gary experiences that same feeling in February when the Twelfth Doctor is first shown tot he world...”
Are you still not going to tell us who it is?
“I’m the producer of Doctor Who! Of course not!” DWM
Half an hour ago, today’s filming concluded on Doctor Who: Revelation and tomorrow’s scenes are set to be recorded for both Doctor Who: Revelation and the final episode of Season 43 which you will have seen many months ago, by the time this interview is published. It’s also daunting as in less than two months time, the cameras will capture Anthony Head’s final scenes during the last block of principal photography for Doctor Who: Revelation. The Eleventh Doctor’s era will be over. Not only that but the Tony Redston era will be over. There is still the small matter of the new Doctor which Tony is keeping ‘top secret’ as once again no one will know until they see it in the cinema. Right now, it seems only me and Clayton don’t know who the new Doctor is as we look over the smug faces of the other three men looking over at us.
Earlier this afternoon, when Tony agreed to do this interview, this wasn’t exactly what he had in mind.
“Shall we do it in the Panopticon?” Tony suggests. Tony is of course talking about the brand new Panopticon built for Season 42’s Everlasting War and used from then on. The Panopticon has been a standing set since Doctor Who: The Movie and with the Redston era coming to a close, one would think that it would be pulled down soon. However Tony says that it won’t be pulled down as they have something in the works that may require the Panopticon. More Gallifrey stories in Season 44 and beyond? A Gallifrey spin-off, perhaps? I ask, yet get no response.
As it turns out, the Panopticon isn’t particularly good for conducting interviews as when we arrived we were greeted with the stern face of, director, Graeme Harper, who told us that a pivotal scene was about to be recorded. Tony offered to let me watch and as a fan, I could hardly refuse. The interview could wait until later.
Now outside that café in Cardiff Bay, a couple of hours later, I ask Tony how he feels now that his time on Doctor Who is coming to an end. Back in issue 337 he told us of hints of what was to come in his era. We knew that the Doctor would be President with the Rogue and the Rani at his side guided by the mysterious Keeper but not much else.
“Yes, simpler times. Doctor Who has been a wonderful journey for me. From working on the Mark of the Rani back in 1984, I think, to Doctor Who: Revelation in 2007, it’s been one hell of a journey. Yes, there was a gap of sixteen years, I think, but, yeah, it’s been wonderful,” he tells me.
Was your intent always to do Doctor Who: Revelation as well or did you just want to do the television series, I ask him.
“How could I do the television series and not do a movie?” he exclaims, “the truth is, as great as Gary [Russell, incoming producer] is, I wanted to be the one to send Anthony [Head, the Doctor] off.”
Gary Russell, unlike Tony, is not a consulting producer on Doctor Who: Revelation as Tony was on Doctor Who: the Movie.
“We asked Gary, however he wanted to focus on his era of Doctor Who and he said honestly that he didn’t care how we ended it. He did have one or to suggestions about things he wants to set up and we were more than happy to include them.”
As we chat, it’s been three months since the transmission of the spin-off, mini-series, Rebel Zero. It’s fair to say that the series, as a whole, went down very well and help explain to a lot of viewers the backstory of the mind-blowing events of Season 42. Viewers have loved Ace, played by the brilliant Sophie Aldred with Fen Do’nel and Francs performing terrible deeds for the good.
“Well the idea behind Rebel Zero was to act as a prequel to the final two episodes of Season 42,” he remarks, “the intention was to always do Rebel Zero and Season 42 was made with it in mind and naturally production went straight from Doctor Who to Rebel Zero.”
And, what of the bold decision to make Ace a terrorist? Some fans have expressed concern at this revelation and were not too happy with it in the finale of Season 42.
“Have you seen Dragonfire or Season 25?” Tony laughs, “Ace is always there with her Nitro-Nine ready to blow up what ever comes her way. She beats up a Dalek with a baseball bat for goodness sake. Her being brainwashed into being a terrorist isn’t much of a stretch.”
At the end of On the Eve of War, Here I Stand, the final episode of Rebel Zero, the Master [played by Geoffrey Bayldon] appears to save Ace, Francs and Fen Do’nel and takes with him and then at the end of Auribus Teneo Lupum, the finale of Season 42. Francs was revealed to be the Master’s side.
“The inclusion of the Master was because we wanted to have a proper villain in Season 43 and who better to have than the Master. After the Daleks and the Cybermen, he is probably the most well-known Doctor Who villain,” Tony remarks, “We loved Geoffrey so much in Leftover last year that we just had to get him on the main show.”
Geoffrey Bayldon previously appeared as the Master in Leftover Series Four in the episodes the Future’s Truth and Mastermind, Parts I and II. Geoffrey’s Master was controversially introduced as a future incarnation of the Doctor in the Future’s Truth only to be revealed that he was actually the Master.
“That was Ira [Steven Behr, Executive Producer] who came up with the Master returning for Leftover and originally that was all it was supposed to be. The Master was supposed to be the main villain of Leftover going into Series Five, however as you know Paramount decided that Leftover’s time was up,” explains Tony, “It would’ve been a missed opportunity not to use the character especially as we were on Gallifrey.”
A lot of people have criticised Tony’s Who in the past due to the sheer amount of continuity references in the series as supposed to previous eras.
“I won’t deny that I embrace continuity,” admits Tony, “and yes, some people don’t like that, some people don’t like the show being set on Gallifrey, and I get that but we decided the show would be set on Gallifrey and stay in one place and with that consequences happen. The Doctor can’t just move on the next week to another time and another place. Stories from one to another affect each other and if that means that something that happened in 1976 effects 2006 Doctor Who then it does.”
Let’s turn our attention to Revelation. Earlier today, down on set, we were watching the Eleventh Doctor, Anthony Head, perform a scene in the Panopticon, as you know, which takes place towards the end of the film. But lets talk about Anthony Head’s Doctor and the journey we have seen him be on since the Movie through Season 41 and through Season 42 and into Season 43.
“The planned journey for Anthony Head’s Doctor, always has been a journey from being reluctantly President of Gallifrey to embracing that position to leaving Gallifrey in a safe and stable state as well as getting over the events of the Movie and the death of Sandra Armstrong. Anthony’s Doctor is the Doctor that can’t move on which is exemplified by the fact that he is stuck in one location. He’s always moving but going nowhere and his journey is from going nowhere to going somewhere.”
I suppose that the Keeper’s death played a big part in that as the Keeper was the reason that the Doctor was stuck on Gallifrey. How likely do you think, after the Keeper’s death, would it had been if the Doctor just got in the TARDIS and left Gallifrey?
“The Doctor never wanted to be President in the first place but he got attached,” he explains, “the Doctor is a compassionate old man who believes in kindness and he wouldn’t abandon Gallifrey at such a turbulent time. That just isn’t who the Doctor is. Yes, he’d rather not be there but he has started something and now he has got to end it and he can’t just run away. It’s more about responsibility than anything and us killing the Keeper and keeping the Doctor on Gallifrey shows that he is responsible but also lets him feel free as he could just leave whenever he wants.”
In Tony’s first Doctor Who story in recent years, Doctor Who: the Movie, the Doctor met six of his younger selves. So I’m curious… what would Tony Redston say if he could meet his younger self? Let’s say a version of himself from early 2003, when he first excepted the position of Doctor Who Producer.
“I was actually talking about this with Gary [Russell] recently actually,” he considers. “The truth is really, don’t p**** off Steven Moffat!” he jokes. Steven Moffat was Script Editor of Doctor Who between Season 35 and Season 38 with Chris Sanderman as Producer however Steven has been in recent years very critical of Tony’s Who. Speaking in DWM 340, Steven tells us: “I’d chuck out all gratuitous continuity because it’s dull – and all that yawn-inducing Gallifrey rubbish with it. I don’t care where the Doctor came from or why he travels the universe – I just want him out of those TARDIS doors and having adventures.” So why did you invite Steven to write for the show in Season 42.
“To prove him wrong,” Tony states bluntly, “He did some wonderful things on the show, I won’t deny and Blink is one of my all-time favourite episodes but he didn’t get my Doctor Who. Maybe because he didn’t like it or maybe because he didn’t like Gallifrey or whatever but it didn’t work. I wanted to prove Steven wrong, I wanted to give him a fascinating human story about the Doctor and the Keeper’s relationship, which he wrote brilliantly, but he, through that process, complained about it being set on Gallifrey and kept banging on about how brilliant an idea he has for the Doctor in World War Two is. It didn’t work, it just didn’t and you can see how different our two Who’s are.”
Some would describe Steven’s outspokenness about Tony’s Who rude but Steven said earlier this year in DWM 371 “I am just expressing the views of fans who just long and yearn for the Doctor to return to outer-space and explore the universe in the TARDIS.”
“The thing is,” explains Tony, “is that Doctor Who is a show that is constantly changing and evolving and we go through different eras. My era is the one that stayed in one place… but no, this isn’t the first time that this has happened. In the early ‘70s, the Doctor was stuck on Earth, so why should it make a difference if it were on Gallifrey.”
Between 1970 and 1972, Jon Pertwee spent three series on Earth almost solidly with an ensemble cast including: the Brigadier, Sgt. Benton, Captain Yates and of course Liz Shaw and later Jo Grant. And then even in his final two years and in some later stories, UNIT adventures continued with these same characters. So is the Redston era much different from the Letts era?
“In concept it is the same idea. The truth is Doctor Who was getting a tad stale by the end of Chris’ era and for the good of the show we needed to change it up a bit. The thing is I would have loved to do Doctor Who with Anthony Head and some dashing young assistant roaming the universe but when I took over, I knew that we needed something different – some energy. We’d already done Earth with Jon Pertwee and we wanted to have a shot at serialisation so it was mutually agreed between me, Ira [Steven Behr], Julie [Gardner], Russell [T Davies] and Stephen [Garwood] that we would set Season 41, at least, on Gallifrey.”
You made an interesting point out serialisation. What exactly drew you to taking that route?
“Well, when we were making the first rough plans for Season 41 in 2003 (isn’t that a long time ago), we drew on three main influences: Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica mini-series; Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. All three of these used serialisation in significant ways and to keep Doctor Who new and fresh, we felt we needed to use it.”
Ira Steven Behr, who was the show-runner of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, of course, became an Executive Producer on Doctor Who in 2004 with Season 41 as well as Ronald D. Moore becoming a recurring writer for the show in recent years. Did these influences have anything to do with it?
“Most certainly,” he exclaims, “Ronald was, of course, already signed up to be a writer for Season 40 and I was delighted. I phoned up Russell straight away when I found out trying to find out as much information about his story as possible. Naturally, when it came Season 41, I was the first to ask Ronald to become a Staff Writer for us and help as craft the Season and it has worked tremendously.”
“As for Ira,” he explains, “Paramount were already keen to get one of their lot on the show, quite rightfully as they own half of it, and they gave me a choice of some of the people that they thought would be good on Doctor Who and Ira was on that list. As soon as I saw that, a plan formulated in my head and whatever happened, we had to get Ira in. And you know what, he has been brilliant. He has been better than me, truly, and I am so glad that him, Ronald and Julie are staying on with Gary to face a bold new era.”
Obviously, for you first two seasons you worked with Russell T Davies as Script Editor, however for Season 43, you are working with Paul Cornell. How did this come about and how does it differ working with the two different writers?
“Well, Russell, was already there when I joined having, previously, done Seasons 39 and 40 with Chris and I was very much the new boy, Russell had a fantastic way of humanising space which he did with the Bellonsions expertly and that’s something that he was very keen to continue. Naturally, Russell would have preferred to do a few more Earth-y stories and he is brilliant at them. His first story [that he wrote, second broadcast] Damaged Goods, was a brilliant tale set in a contemporary housing estate and what Russell was able to do with Gallifrey was humanise it to make the Rogue, the Rani, Leela and the Outsiders like Presta feel just the same as characters like Winne Tyler in Damaged Goods but still give them a distinctly alien feel.”
Before taking up Doctor Who full time in 2001, Russell had great success with television series like Queer as Folk and Bob & Rose however with Doctor Who as a full time job, this type of television seems to have been somewhat neglected.
“That’s mainly why Russell left. He loved doing Doctor Who but he wanted to go back to doing that sort of thing. He never got to do a Queer as Folk 2 due to his commitments to Doctor Who as a writer and then as Script Editor, so that is something he said he’d really love to do.”
And what of Paul Cornell, how is he different to Russell?
“Well, Paul is great. I have loved working with him on Season 43 and Rebel Zero and he certainly gives Gallifrey a different flavour. Season 43 is much darker, as you’d expect with the Master controlling the President and the Doctor and the Rogue as fugitives. Paul has also done a fantastic job at wrapping up the series and has given characters the send-offs they really deserve.”
Paul is, of course, writing the screenplay for Doctor Who: Revelation with Robert Shearman [acclaimed writer since Season 40] can you give us any taste of how this combination came to be and the mood of the script.
“Well, Paul wrote the finale of Season 43 with Robert and we were blown away. Everyone sat there at the read-through was just delighted with it and Siobhan [Redmond, the Rani] was the funniest as she had not read the script in advanced so she was reacting to everything. Anyway, that script was just amazing and it is a lot of pressure to make Paul write a movie on his own so we asked Robert and he delightedly said ‘yes’ As for the mood of Revelation, the only word I can say to describe it is melancholy.”
Finally, Tony, what was your best memory producing Doctor Who?
“It would have to be when I was at the premier of Doctor Who: the Movie and I watched the audience gasp as they saw Richard E Grant turn into Anthony Head. It was delightful! After the screening, I had an all manner of journalists, celebrities, actors, writers, you name it, come up to me and say how happy they are that Anthony is the Doctor (or as the unenlightened muggles say, Doctor Who). It was a truly joyous experience and I hope that Gary experiences that same feeling in February when the Twelfth Doctor is first shown tot he world...”
Are you still not going to tell us who it is?
“I’m the producer of Doctor Who! Of course not!” DWM
Monday 17 November 2003
The Other Review (What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed?)
Please Note - This is a review for the story the Other from the What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed Series which explores an alternate timeline where Doctor Who Wasn't Axed. To view it click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfK7Qf8yhwwtvwIY3G09-015UqzHXiML This review is written as if it's a review from the time of this episode’s transmission written by a fan. Please enjoy!
The Other
written by Russell T Davies
directed by Nicholas Meyer
Broadcast - 25th October-15th November 2003
Review Written by: Aiden James
So… with the 40th anniversary present of the incoming movie(!) on its way for Sunday the 23rd of this month, I must look back at the last story of the current season with a certain glee in my mind.
With the whole season this year being all about remembrance, I had the thought in my mind that the final story of this season would be a lot like The Five Doctors or The Dark Dimension as we headed towards the big day. However, as soon as more information about the feature film was released… this had proved to be wrong. So, going into this was a bit of a different experience this time.
What I had surely being missing during the season was the progression of our current Doctor, Richard E. Grant. As much as I have liked the other stories with the past incarnations, I think we have been a little bit taken away with only having Grant for two of these stories. But he is still on top form here as he never disappoints for even a second on screen.
Russell T Davies returned as Script Editor this year and so he gets the final story, once again. After the failure of his heavily ‘Chris Sanderman-ised’ story last year “The Name’s Shakespeare, William Shakespeare”, things have been stepped up a game here certainly. This story was very captivating to watch as a viewer and a fan of the Gallifrey based stories I believe, RTD certainly does Gallifrey very well and makes it much more interesting and lively than perhaps it was in ‘Arc of Infinity’ and has given it a much more human element. A lot of the moments in this story, especially when Grant’s Doctor goes into the past events of Gallifrey, have been standout for the Sanderman era. Our standout guest star of course was Patrick Stewart, playing a younger version of Omega - a few months before the experiment with the Hand of Omega. Also we have another standout guest star in the form of Don Warrington playing a new time lord called ‘the Keeper’ who by the end of this story has become acting President of the Time Lords which is quite an interesting turn of events and will come to be important in the movie.
However, it isn’t all praise to this story as it does have its fair share of flaws to be pointed out.
One of them must be done with Rassilon (played by past Doctor Who actor of the Troughton and Pertwee era, Donald Sumpter) and how in his resurrection, he wants to destroy Gallifrey. Yes, you could argue in fact that since he his resurrection, he has had different thoughts since his previous incarnation, but RTD hasn’t made this entirely clear in the story, so it either it was written in an earlier draft of the script or possibly was edited out to make him more a threat.
Another one of my gripes is the inclusion to add the previous incarnations of the Doctor as a device to remind the current Doctor about ‘The Other.’ I think this was not a conscious Russell choice and more of a studio/Sanderman choice to include them for the 40th anniversary, which would be fine if the whole point of the season was NOT to showcase new adventures of past Doctors. I also got reminded of “The Prophets” of Deep Space Nine whilst this was happening, so that was also an annoyance whilst watching.
My final one and biggest of all was that looking forward to the film, I did help to wonder a little that this story was just a ploy to be a prequel for the film. I have read the main plot synopsis in DWM lately and it seems to make sense, which sort of wastes the point of having this be the last story as the film will touch on it a little (because it now has to cater to a lot of movie-goers that won’t have watched this episode) or be the main focus (which confuses a lot more people unless you have watched this story.) of the film.
But time will tell when the film premieres on Sunday in the United Kingdom to see if any of my last complaint will be false or not.
Wednesday 25 July 2001
The Sleepers of the Earth Review (What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed?)
Please Note - This is a review for the story The Sleepers of Earth from the What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed Series which explores an alternate timeline where Doctor Who Wasn't Axed. To view it click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfK7Qf8yhwwtvwIY3G09-015UqzHXiML This review is written as if it's a review from the time of this episodes transmission written by a fan. Please enjoy!
The Sleepers of Earth
written by Christopher Chibnall
directed by Ashley Way
Broadcast - 30th June 2001-21st July 2001
The Silurians are back and they’re not as good as they used to be.
As the story aried, I actually enjoyed it far more than it deserved. The Pertwee tributathon, with the Welshness and the drilling and the Green Veins Of Death and all, was an easy win. And we’ve come to realise that whatever rubbish is onscreen, if Richard E Grant’s Doctor is in it it’s going to be sprinkled with sparkly magic dust that lifts the material far higher than it actually rates. Also, they do a much better job of showing the utter terror of being dragged down through the earth than Frontios manages. But despite all that, as the episodes unspooled the horrible reality was creeping through to us. It’s actually pretty awful. And think about it even for a second and it crumbles to dust.
Christopher Chibnall is a new writer for Doctor Who and it seems a shame his first shot is a remake of Doctor Who and the Sillurians and not something more original. All it does is make us dismiss him as a writer when he maybe able to write some crackers for all we know. Sleepers of the Earth do not, shall we say, display much originality.
Take the characters. The teaser’s actually very nice, with some good characterising stuff between Mo and his son, so that we actually care when Mo slithers away into the dirt. Then they chuck all that away when we don’t see Mo for, like, ever, and when we do he could be anybody. Elliot is a really great kid (and since we have a low nausea threshold for adorable little tykes that’s high praise from me), and his interaction with the Doctor is great, but again, it all comes to nothing.
None of the others are any better, either. Whatever’s good about Meera Syal’s character Nasreen - the warmth, the realness - comes from her: the bad bits - the total lack of sciences, not to mention the confusion about what kind of scientist she actually is - come from the script. Tony is a complete nonentity (apart from one weird moment we talk about later) and we’re not buying his apparent relationship with Nasreen for a second. And Ambrose (Ambrose?) is just plain terrible.
Nor do the Silurians escape. Who do we have? The psychotic twins, literally played by Davros, on one side, cuddly Stephen Moore on the other. Not what you’d call light and shade, is it? The one Silurian who isn’t one-note, the scientist, doesn’t make any sense whatsoever - he seems terribly nice, doesn’t he, and the Doctor clearly likes him a lot, but wait a minute. Isn’t this the same guy whose hobby is vivisection? What the hell’s that about?
That’s the trouble with the plot, too. Half of it’s smack-you-in-the-face obvious, the other half is utterly loopy. And not in a good way. The Doctor and Sammy investigate the drilling operation Watch out for the magic dust, because Richard E Grant is sprinkling it on deliciously. Then, in the charm of the exchanges between the Doctor and Elliot, you can almost forget the silliness of the Doctor insisting on them gathering in the church (wouldn’t the TARDIS be a lot safer, even if it can’t take off?). Or the hilarity of them setting up a CCTV network that covers the entire village in twenty minutes flat. And admiring the steel behind the Doctor’s smile as he asks Ambrose to put away the weapons nearly makes you forget how unreasonable the Doctor’s being: if you’re going to “temporarily incapacitate” somebody with a sonic pulse, what’s the diff between that and biffing them with a cricket bat?
And ooh! Little green men! Or Silurians with included horribly CGIed tongue. And the Doctor in sunglasses, which is lots of fun, and then it’s apparently okay to squirt someone in the face with a fire extinguisher even if you disapprove of cricket bats. Oh yes, Sammy. But never mind her, because the Doctor’s talking to Davros – umm sorry – Alayd the Silurian. Terry Molloy gives an exceptional performance through all those prosthetic which I’m glad they updated but not competently changed and kept the same feel of the Silurians.
The interrogation scene is, thanks to the actors involved, very nice indeed. We love Alayd’s lizardiness, and while we could do without his one-note foamy-mouthed attitude, Terry Molloy brings complete conviction to it. The Doctor-style interrogation is also great, and it’s not all jelly babies either: the Doctor shows his teeth more than once. It’s a great two-hander.
Then off we go with the good old Silurian Question. It’s their planet, too, so what are we going to do about it? You’d have to be a lot less cynical than we are to envisage an answer to this question that doesn’t involve a good few rivers of blood, but it’s always worth a ponder. Of the four times Doctor Who has now had a go at said pondering, the first time was the most interesting and complex (and shocking): this, alas, is the least. We know Bad Things are going to happen to Alayd when the Doctor leaves her alone with assorted humans: it’s just a question of when.
That’s not helped, of course, by a script that makes Tony, whose grandson is being held hostage and whose life might depend on a prisoner exchange, suggest that they dissect her. Dear God. Yes, it’s supposed to be all parallel and stuff, but it’s ridiculous. Also, is the dome thingy gone or not? If it’s not, why does the Doctor suddenly think it’s OK to use the TARDIS when he didn’t before? And if it is, now that the door’s open, wouldn’t you think the others, whose loved ones’ lives are in the balance, would suggest TELLING SOMEBODY about this mysterious scourge from below rather than indulging in a spot of impromptu surgery themselves? What the hell good would finding the weak spots do for this bunch?
Oh, well. Onwards and downwards. (They said it, we didn’t.) Sammy manages to pick lovable old Dr Mengele’s pocket while having her hand completely clamped down, and Richard E Grant turns in some really excellent screaming and writhing. And we don‘t say that lightly: practically every other Doctor has gurned their way horribly through torture scenes. Back on the surface, there’s a really odd moment with Tony and Alayd in which he offers to let her go if she cures him. Shouldn’t this be a character-defining thing? After all, his grandson’s life might depend on keeping Alayd, so he’s trying to trade Elliot’s life for his. Despite this, it’s never referred to again and he keeps cruising on as one of the good guys. Huh? Similarly, Ambrose zaps Alayd just because of a bit of taunting, thus endangering her entire family, and Tony has the cheek to reprimand her when a few minutes before he was going to let Alayd go. Consistency? Not so much. This isn't character shading: it's picking incidents out of a hat.
The Doctor proposes a swap, and Restoc, instead decides on a clear message. Yawn, another fanatic. Not exactly ringing the changes, are they? But it’s insanely nice Eldane to the rescue, who negotiates with Amy and Nasreen despite having sensibly asked whether they have any authority and getting an accurate answer. Very heart-tugging but also very stupid. Also very stupid is Sammy’s brilliant plan to plonk all the lizards in the Sahara and the Outback and the Nevada Plains because they’re deserted. Right, Sammy, we pick you to tell the Tuareg and the other 2.5 million people who actually live in the Sahara. And the indigenous Australians living in the Outback. Not that we really need to take them into consideration, of course. After all, they’ve only been there for tens of thousands of years.
And then oops, here’s your minion who’s just a tiny bit dead. The Doctor assures Eldane that humanity are better than this, although considering his previous Silurian outings we’re not sure where he’s getting that idea from. Tony declares his love for his grandson - shame he didn’t remember him when he was trying to release Alayd, isn’t it? The toxic fumigation, a mad scheme if ever we’ve heard of one, kicks off.
It’s not 100% terrible. We think I can safely predict that nothing with Richard in as the Doctor will ever be that. But it’s profoundly, depressingly unoriginal. The dialogue clunks like a Clunk-O-Matic 2.0. The characters remain sadly random and/or undeveloped. And the plot machinery keeps poking through the holes in the tissue of gauze stretched across the top. In so many ways, it’s far from the Silurians’ finest hour. It might set out to be a homage, but instead only reminds us of how far we’ve come - the wrong way down the street.
Tuesday 22 August 2000
Who Killed Kennedy? Review (What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed?)
Please Note - This is a review for the story Who Killed Kennedy? from the What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed Series which explores an alternate timeline where Doctor Who Wasn't Axed. To view it click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfK7Qf8yhwwtvwIY3G09-015UqzHXiML This review is written as if it's a review from the time of this episodes transmission written by a fan. Please enjoy!
Who Killed Kennedy?
written by David Bishop
directed by Barry Letts
Broadcast - 29th July 2000-19th August 2000
What an inspired episode. It’s almost as if this were an anniversary special. It certainly seems that way with it’s use of multiple Doctors – McCoy and McGann – and archive footage of Jon Pertwee. It’s certainly a treat but perhaps not such a treat for non-fans but I believe it still makes some sense. The idea to go and follow a new character for the majority of the run time that is finding out about the Doctor is certainly original and interesting however I do find it a missed opportunity not to have made James a companion.
David Bishop obviously knows Doctor Who extremely well. He can write Doctor Who fluently and unlike some other stories so far this season – Cough, Cough, Never Eat Shredded Wheat Cough, Cough – this story is not only just held up by McGann’s and the rest of the cast’s acting but also the terrific writing. It’s just well plotted, hard as nails drama that is aimed straight at your heart.
Why was this so good then? Well the very premise is one that should be admired for its audacity. Basically the story follows reporter James Stevens throughout the early seventies, a man obsessed with his work and uncovering the secrets hidden in the government. He becomes aware of a secret Intelligence service known as UNIT as more and more terrorist actions are taken against the UK, dummies massacring people in the street, a plague at a London train station, the loss of Mars Probe seven... and sets out to expose this UNIT and their frightening ability to cover up these incidents. The public have a right to know they are being manipulated and James is determined to be the one who writes the full scoop on this UNIT and their mysterious scientific advisor known as the Doctor...
What a brave, brilliant idea to have a story focussing on the public's reaction to the bizarre happenings during the Pertwee era. It is a lot of fun to see how easily the media rationalise the Auton invasion, the Silurian Plague, etc, and it is also nice to see just how many casualties there were during these adventures... a point that is skipped over in most of them after the menace has been fought. What David Bishop manages to do is to see many of the early Pertwee stories in a different light, videos that we have watched again and again now have a new angle to explore. What a clever man, I have already re-watched Inferno and The Mind of Evil since watching this episode on Saturday.
But even cleverer than that is his ability to slip his character into those TV stories. Go watch The Silurians, when the Brig picks up the phone and says "The daily what? How did you get this number?" ...well that's him! You see a strange looking man examining the Keller machine in The Mind of Evil, well it seems that’s Mr. Stevens too. You have to admire the man for his audacity, to find all this possible appearances must have taken some work but it pays of handsomely... I was grinning like an idiot.
The use of all these continuity references - Dodo, Watkins, Sutton, Petra, Black Thursday, Wenley Moor, Mars Probe, Stalhman, Liz, Jo, plastic daffodils, the Keller Machine, Magister, Ogrons... the links to previous Doctor Who episodes are relentless but amazingly this does not matter because the story was designed to slip into these stories and have a nose around. That is the very purpose of the story, rather than just slipping in references to old Who episodes for the hell of it (Mr. Moffat!) this Who Killed Kennedy takes established continuity and embellishes it, improves it. I shall certainly never look at any of these stories in the same light again.
And anyway it is one of the greatest mysteries about Doctor Who; it is fun to speculate just what happened to the companions and friends of the Doctor after he has left them. Dodo is done extremely well here. She is played effortlessly by American actress, Nana Visitor, it it really works. Dodo was packed of to the country in The War Machines and never to be seen again, Who Killed Kennedy takes advantage of her ambiguous exit and weaves her effortlessly into this story, having had her brain-washed and living in total poverty it seems only natural this elfin and sweet young lady could provide a touching romantic interest in James Stevens.
Which brings me to the man of the hour, James Stevens. Whoever decided this story should be shown from James’ point of view and not the Doctor and Sammy’s deserves a big kiss! He manages to see conspiracies everywhere and as a result the story takes on a dark, oppressive tone that is really gripping. James is never a saint, he is a reporter, which means he's out for the dirt and will ruin your life for a good story and acts like a complete twit at times. But he is still the hero of the piece and you never doubt his good intentions once he thinks UNIT is a genuine threat to the world.
One of my favourite aspects turns up here and that is abusing of the characters in an almost pleasurable way. Stevens goes to hell and back during this story and it is possible to see Bishop taking an almost perverse joy in making the guy's life more and more miserable. Losing his wife after being set up with another woman is one thing, the numerous beatings he gets is another but to let him find true love with Dodo and to have her killed by the man Stevens released and then to have his work ridiculed on live telly straight after leaves Stevens ready to put a gun to his head and end it all. It is torturous stuff for Stevens and t is for the audience too. And this may have been the very reason this story has received so many complaints during it’s airing but it is great television and it feels far removed from the Kids Show feel of McCoy’s first season which nearly killed the show. In Who Killed Kennedy you feel close to Stevens because of the pain he is put through, because you know he is wrong about UNIT and the suffering he is going through trying to prove they are bad business is for nothing. The moment HE realises this is tear-jerking stuff.
For a good while I was convinced that it would be the Doctor who killed Kennedy. I was also convinced that the title of this story was all wrong because although the story opens with a dramatic sequence in the White House Kennedy plays no real part in the story. The real shock comes when the story flowers open to reveal just how far the Rogue is willing to go to destroy the Earth, we know about his brainwashing techniques and Private Cleary but I never guessed he would send the guy back in time to stop the assassination. Such amazing storytelling, this is the stuff of proper Who as Stevens is forced to shoot the President just to make sure history is put on the right track. Sheer genius and an ending most stories would die for, the moment he looked through the sights to shoot I had goose pimples all down my spine.
However the Kennedy assassination is just the icing on the cake. This goes to prove just how well Doctor Who can be without much of the Doctor. Blink from McGann’s first season featured the Doctor less but still had him playing a major part, but here you can just have the Doctor and Sammy in it for about 20 minutes spread across the four episodes and it really works.
Another great aspect of Who Killed Kennedy is the title sequence. It’s wonderful! Although I think the ‘Starring Paul McGann as the Doctor’ and ‘Jennifer Lien as Sammy Thompson’ is slightly misleading but it gives you a real sense of the story. Also can we please have that Jazz theme full time?
Who Killed Kennedy is a masterpiece, a story that grips you throughout. I have seen the whole thing three times now and it’s just an utter joy. It was such a shock when Sylvester McCoy appeared at Dodo’s funeral and it was great to see him back, although I expect it was probably filmed at the same time as the Lazarus Project from last year. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and anyone who loves their Who a little bit more dangerous than usual.
Monday 29 May 2000
The Most Questionable Decision in the Universe Review (What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed?)
Please Note - This is a review for the story the Most Questionable Decision in the Universe from the What if Doctor Who Wasn't Axed Series which explores an alternate timeline where Doctor Who Wasn't Axed. To view it click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEfK7Qf8yhwwtvwIY3G09-015UqzHXiML This review is written as if it's a review from the time of this episodes transmission written by a fan. Please enjoy!
Since their first appearance in The Tenth Planet back in 1966, fans have been debating the origins of the Cybermen, the half human half machine race from Earth’s long lost win planet Mondas. So it seems natural that the show would eventually take the Doctor and companion, who in this case is Sammy, to Mondas at the point of the Cybermen’s birth. What doesn’t seem to be natural is what writer Marc Platt did with the story. The Most Questionable Decision in the Universe, yes that is it’s real title, isn’t just another Doctor Who adventure by any means. It’s a compelling blend of science fiction and drama in a story that asks one of the most basic questions of human nature: how far would we go to survive?
The performances from the regulars are nothing short of astonishing. Paul McGann is at his best as the Ninth Doctor, going from reluctant innocent abroad to the man trying to change history for the better. Late in the story there’s a plot twist that shocks the Doctor and Cybermen battle to its core and McGann plays it incredibly well. Spurring him on is companion Sammy, played to perfection by Jennifer Lien who also gives her single best performance in the role. In fact it is Sammy’s friendship with the Hartley family that makes her force the Doctor to make that change. The performances of these two give the story much of its emotional depth and make it even more compelling.
The supporting cast is just as phenomenal. The Hartley family as played by Paul Copley (as the Dad), Kathryn Guck (as the optimistic and sickly Yvonne), and Jim Hartley (as the impatient Frank) serve as a microcosm of the people of Mondas, trying to remain hopeful in a world fast running out of hope. On the other side of the spectrum is Darren Nesbit as the spare (body) parts dealer Thomas Dodd, the shady businessman thriving on the pain and suffering. Yet he’s the sane one when compared to Doctorman Allan (Sally Knyvette) and Sisterman Constance (Pamela Binns), just two of many scientists and doctors slowly converting the population into Cybermen for work on the surface…or so it starts out. Then there’s the voice of the Cybermen, Nicholas Briggs. Briggs provides the voice not just for the various Cybermen but for the Central Committee who runs the city and there’s something about the voices (the Cybermen’s based on their voices in The Tenth Planet and the Central Committee’s on the Cyber-Controller’s voice in Tomb of the Cybermen) that sends chills down the spine.
If the performances weren’t enough, Marc Platt’s script is enough reason to consider this story amongst the best for the show. Platt made the smart choice not to do a Cybermen version of the Tom Baker story Genesis of the Daleks but to do a story entirely different. At its heart Spare Parts is the story as old as history of a civilization on the verge of collapse desperate to survive by any means possible. The means in this case is the use of saws and laser scalpels to remove emotions and insert cold logic, in essence the death of humanity and the birth of machines with human bodies.
In fact, the most chilling sequence of the story comes when a member of the Hartley family finds themselves in the assembly line for that process. To hear those saws and lasers coupled with screams, tears, and cries for help makes for a moment where even the most hardened television viewer stops to feel the shiver going up one’s spine. Platt plays the horror of that and when coupled with how closely Mondas is like our own world in the mid-1950’s (a fascination with television and even a form of Christmas) there’s only one description for it: chilling. The dilemma faced by the people of Mondas is only slightly different from the questions we face regarding genetics and other scientific advances that give us reason for pause.
The fundamental question of the Most Questionable Decision in the Universe is how far must we go to survive and what must we sacrifice to do so? Marc Platt’s script asks that question and gives us a horrifying answer. That script, when coupled with the excellent performances, makes for one of the best Doctor Who stories ever. Science Fiction works best when its not just adventure but a question of moral importance. It’s disturbing and glorious. Marc Platt has given the show a great story to add to it’s history and I’m sure this will be remembered for years to come.
Next Week, however, we have an odd story called Never Eat Shredded Wheat and from it’s title and DWM Preview alone, I am going to have wild stab in the dark and predict it’ll be a bit rubbish.
The Most Questionable Decision in the Universe
written by Marc Platt
directed by Gary Russell
Broadcast - 6th May 2000 - 27th May 2000
Since their first appearance in The Tenth Planet back in 1966, fans have been debating the origins of the Cybermen, the half human half machine race from Earth’s long lost win planet Mondas. So it seems natural that the show would eventually take the Doctor and companion, who in this case is Sammy, to Mondas at the point of the Cybermen’s birth. What doesn’t seem to be natural is what writer Marc Platt did with the story. The Most Questionable Decision in the Universe, yes that is it’s real title, isn’t just another Doctor Who adventure by any means. It’s a compelling blend of science fiction and drama in a story that asks one of the most basic questions of human nature: how far would we go to survive?
The performances from the regulars are nothing short of astonishing. Paul McGann is at his best as the Ninth Doctor, going from reluctant innocent abroad to the man trying to change history for the better. Late in the story there’s a plot twist that shocks the Doctor and Cybermen battle to its core and McGann plays it incredibly well. Spurring him on is companion Sammy, played to perfection by Jennifer Lien who also gives her single best performance in the role. In fact it is Sammy’s friendship with the Hartley family that makes her force the Doctor to make that change. The performances of these two give the story much of its emotional depth and make it even more compelling.
The supporting cast is just as phenomenal. The Hartley family as played by Paul Copley (as the Dad), Kathryn Guck (as the optimistic and sickly Yvonne), and Jim Hartley (as the impatient Frank) serve as a microcosm of the people of Mondas, trying to remain hopeful in a world fast running out of hope. On the other side of the spectrum is Darren Nesbit as the spare (body) parts dealer Thomas Dodd, the shady businessman thriving on the pain and suffering. Yet he’s the sane one when compared to Doctorman Allan (Sally Knyvette) and Sisterman Constance (Pamela Binns), just two of many scientists and doctors slowly converting the population into Cybermen for work on the surface…or so it starts out. Then there’s the voice of the Cybermen, Nicholas Briggs. Briggs provides the voice not just for the various Cybermen but for the Central Committee who runs the city and there’s something about the voices (the Cybermen’s based on their voices in The Tenth Planet and the Central Committee’s on the Cyber-Controller’s voice in Tomb of the Cybermen) that sends chills down the spine.
If the performances weren’t enough, Marc Platt’s script is enough reason to consider this story amongst the best for the show. Platt made the smart choice not to do a Cybermen version of the Tom Baker story Genesis of the Daleks but to do a story entirely different. At its heart Spare Parts is the story as old as history of a civilization on the verge of collapse desperate to survive by any means possible. The means in this case is the use of saws and laser scalpels to remove emotions and insert cold logic, in essence the death of humanity and the birth of machines with human bodies.
In fact, the most chilling sequence of the story comes when a member of the Hartley family finds themselves in the assembly line for that process. To hear those saws and lasers coupled with screams, tears, and cries for help makes for a moment where even the most hardened television viewer stops to feel the shiver going up one’s spine. Platt plays the horror of that and when coupled with how closely Mondas is like our own world in the mid-1950’s (a fascination with television and even a form of Christmas) there’s only one description for it: chilling. The dilemma faced by the people of Mondas is only slightly different from the questions we face regarding genetics and other scientific advances that give us reason for pause.
The fundamental question of the Most Questionable Decision in the Universe is how far must we go to survive and what must we sacrifice to do so? Marc Platt’s script asks that question and gives us a horrifying answer. That script, when coupled with the excellent performances, makes for one of the best Doctor Who stories ever. Science Fiction works best when its not just adventure but a question of moral importance. It’s disturbing and glorious. Marc Platt has given the show a great story to add to it’s history and I’m sure this will be remembered for years to come.
Next Week, however, we have an odd story called Never Eat Shredded Wheat and from it’s title and DWM Preview alone, I am going to have wild stab in the dark and predict it’ll be a bit rubbish.
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