Doctor Who: Other Dimensions - The Sixth Doctor's Last Adventure

The 'Doctor Who: Other Dimensions' series continues as we take a look at the story behind what we saw on TV...
 

'I'm a Time Lord who's out of time.'

Doctor Who: Other Dimensions - Dr Who And The Daleks

Everyone knows it's the Doctor, not Doctor Who! Well, everyone except the makers of this cinematic version of our favourite show...

With it being a constant rumour nowadays that there might be a Doctor Who film in the works, it is often forgotten that there already have been two motion pictures based on Doctor Who. Produced at the height of 'Dalekmania', the two movies, titled Dr Who And The Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD adapt the two first Dalek serials to the big-screen. With one important exception. Our hero is called Dr Who! Now, now, put down that sucker arm and let me explain why And The Daleks is actually a charming film.

Firstly, Peter Cushing - a great actor who played nearly as many iconic roles as his good friend Christopher Lee e.g. Dr Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, Van Helsing, a Star Wars villain - is very endearing in the role. In a time before regeneration was invented (which makes Cushing the first second Doctor, if you see what I mean), he gives his own impression of Hartnell's incarnation but with less of the crotchety and more of the cuddly. He might not have the depth of our Time Lord hero but his absent-minded professor is a perfect fit for the film's tone. Likewise, his granddaughter Susan, who is much younger than Carole Ann Ford's version, is likeably played. Both - no disrespect to either Hartnell or Ford who grew into their roles - are perhaps more immediately appealing than their TV counterparts.

In terms of storytelling, the film retains the best ideas of the serial (the Eloi-Morlock rivalry of the Daleks and the Thals, the petrified jungle...) and improves on it, cutting out much of the padding from the 7-part original story. It also dares to correct history by making the Doctor's (sorry, Dr Who's) first journey in time and space be to face the Daleks, rather than cavemen.

But, of course, the true stars here are those pesky pepperpots. A joy to behold in all their technicolour glory, these are probably the most beautiful Daleks ever. That said, the Skarosians somewhat lack the intelligence of the TV versions - and some of the key features. Instead of death rays they shoot incapacitating gas and, unbelievably, they never utter the word 'exterminate!'

Which leads nicely on to what stops this and its (superior) sequel being beloved byWho fans - the many minor but significant changes to the source material. Rather than a mysterious alien, Dr Who is a human inventor whose time machine is Tardis, (no the) which doesn't make the iconic 'vworrp vworp' when it lands. Whereas the original Ian is the true hero of the show's early years, the film version is sadly played for comic relief. And let's not forget the dated, jazzy music in place of the show's greatest theme tune ever.

Yet despite the films' blasphemy, I can't help but smile when watching them. They're simply harmless, good old-fashioned fun. So contrary to popular opinion, as long as you are not expecting the Doctor Who we all know and love, the Daleks films really aren't a bad way to exterminate an evening.

The Daleks corner Dr Who, Susan and Ian - probably to ask them about all the odd continuity changes.

Doctor Who: Other Dimensions - Engines of War

Last month we looked at the birth of the Cybermen in Spare Parts but now we turn to another great chapter in Doctor Who history that wasn't shown on TV - the Last Great Time War...

'No more.'

Ever since it was first mentioned in 2005, Doctor Who fans have been clamouring for a glimpse of the fabled Last Great Time War. We got something in 2010's 'The End of Time' and even more in 'The Day of the Doctor' when we met the War Doctor, a whole new incarnation of our hero. It was thought that was it for that massive period of the Doctor's life but then, to the surprise and excitement of many, George Mann's Engines of War came out - another adventure with the War Doctor! It had better be good...

Thankfully, Engines is a truly commendable achievement. I think every Doctor Who fan would simultaneously jump at and reel away from the chance to properly document such an oft-discussed but hardly seen piece of Who lore. In light of that, Mann does a remarkable job of weaving together most of the strands that we've heard about it alongside every fan's own idea of what it was like to create a very convincing realisation of the Time War. It may leave out some of the tantalising hints we've been told over the years - The Could-Have-Been King and his army of Meanwhiles, anyone? - but we see enough of the horror and the scale to totally believe in it. 

Yet there's much more to the novel than merely filling in a gap. It really is a unique piece with a feel very different from any other Who story. It certainly has a much bleaker outlook than most - the notion that everything and everyone is corruptible is a quite a prevalent idea here - yet hope still exists in the form of the leads. The War Doctor and Cinder make for a great partnership - both are jaded, battle-weary soldiers but they still believe there's something better out there than just the War. 

The War Doctor as a character is much like we saw on screen - a broken man but still with the Doctor's eccentricities and bravado peeking through - and it's easy to see and hear John Hurt while reading. His companion Cinder - who gets her name from her auburn hair as well as the fact that she was found in the ashes of her family home as a girl - is surely the most memorable one-off companion introduced in a novel. Actually, scratch that, she's probably one of the most memorable of any one-off companions. Thankfully, despite being very much involved in the conflict, she never feels like simply a boring hard-nosed soldier type but a believable person who has had a terrible life but still has a sense of humour and a strong heart - like all the best companions, really. 

Completely engaging and satisfying, if a story of the Time War needed to be told I am glad it was this one. Due to its unique angle and fascinating setting, it could even be the best Doctor Who novel out there. It is certainly the most significant. We can but hope that there is more of the War Doctor still to come but if his catchphrase turns out to prescribe his number of appearances at least there is Engines of War.

Before the Moment - Engines of War sees the War Doctor at an earlier point in his life.

Doctor Who: Other Dimensions - Spare Parts

Fairly uniquely amongst television shows, Doctor Who has an incredibly diverse range spin-off media, in literally any medium you can think of. Other franchises might have the odd tie-in novel or comic book series but none of these stand on their own two feet as much as those in the Whoniverse. For instance, in this post, I take a look at one of the most significant of all Doctor Who stories - and it was never even on the telly...

I have a confession to make that may seriously damage my credentials as a Doctor Who fan - I don't often listen to the Big Finish audios. Don't get me wrong, I love hearing the Doctors and companions returning to their roles as much as the next person (or more, actually, as this metaphorical 'next person' is statistically unlikely to be a Who fan) but I don't purchase them regularly so I've missed out on some great adventures. Recently, I set out to rectify this by catching up with this story from 2002 which later influenced the revived series by filling in a previously-unseen part of the Whoniverse. The Genesis of the Cybermen.

Much like 'The Fires of Pompeii' and 'The Waters of Mars', the (Fifth) Doctor arrives in a place he never wanted to visit - Mondas, Earth's twin planet that he knows will become the homeworld of the Cybermen. He can't interfere this time, lest mess with established history, yet like always he really rather does.
Mondas is a planet on the edge of destruction. What's left of the populace is fooled with propaganda into offering themselves to the workforce - the heroes of Mondas who brave the planet's frozen surface. Really, the unfortunate souls are converted into... Cybermen.

Before we get to those silver giants, it needs to be said that the story makes great use of its TARDIS team. The Doctor and Nyssa as a pair works much better than the TARDIS-cramming gang that accompanied the Fifth Doctor on television. Their dynamic is somewhat reminiscent of the Fourth Doctor and Romana as it's a relationship of equals more than hero-sidekick like most Doctor and companions. And, unlike the TV stories, the heartache Nyssa has been through since meeting the Doctor - the death of her father and Adric, not to mention the destruction of her homeworld - are addressed here, helping to make Nyssa feel like a real person.

All right, let's talk about 'em. First and foremost, Spare Parts reminds you of how good the Cybermen can be when used correctly. In the modern series, the Cybermen's primary goal has been to upgrade and convert humanity. When they were first introduced, however, their aim was the survival of their species - converting others into Cybermen was just a by-product. Spare Parts rectifies this change and spins a scarily believable tale about the Cybermen being born from a species on the brink of extinction, desperate to survive - at whatever the cost.

This is the thinking of the scientist behind the Cybermen. Though this story goes against the expected idea of creating a Cyber-Davros - just as the TV series did in 'Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel' in John Lumic - it retains their creator as an important character, as well as giving the Cybermen a greater autonomy. She's certainly a more layered individual than Lumic's selfish Bond villain and suits the more tragic backstory of the Cybermen. These are not genetically-engineered monsters like the Daleks. The Cybermen are us.

For all its plusses, though, the audio has its flaws. While the world-building is well done, the smaller character moments which are meant to really ram home the horror of the Cybermen are not handled with as much emotion as they were in, say, The Age of Steel. That said, Spare Parts gets the most important thing right - the Cybermen. Returning to those strange squawking voices from 'The Tenth Planet', they are an impressive piece of characterisation through sound. For any Doctor Who fan wanting to upgrade to Big Finish, this is the story that will convert you.

Fun fact: the Cybermen's ear handles conceal headphones which constantly play Big Finish audios to keep them motivated.