Doctor Who's Greatest Moments: Part Two - The 70s

Following on from last month's walk through memory lane at the best moments in Sixties Doctor Who, now we turn to, you've got it, the seventies, which saw two very distinct eras go by (or almost, in Tom Baker's case). While the sixties are usually seen as the show's experimental decade, playing with what the series could do, the early seventies were really far more so. With a whole new look for the show - the Doctor now finally travelled in colour, as well as through time and space - Doctor Who was also made into a contemporary thriller series; marooned on present-day Earth, the Third Doctor is attached to a division of the army dedicated to thwarting alien threat. By the later seventies, however, the show went back to its roots - with the Doctor once again a hobo in space - but retained the Third Doctor's era's rousing sense of adventure, arguably becoming the most assured era of the series' original run. Whatever your viewpoint, the seventies certainly contains some of Doctor Who's greatest stories - and, by extension, some of its greatest moments.

10. In Paris, City of Death

Near the beginning of Douglas Adams' City of Death, one of the show's greats, comes a low-key but special moment. Making the most of the episode's overseas filming, we are shown a medley of the Doctor and Time Lady Romana, enjoying themselves around the city, accompanied by Dudley Simpson's memorable score (recently heard at this year's Doctor Who at the Proms). In a story full of great comedy moments and a rather fabulous monster reveal, this beats the lot by giving us something a little rarer in Who; the chance to see the Doctor and his companion having a good ol' time away from extraterrestrial shenanigans. And, you know what, they look like they're having fun.

9. The Doctor in the shower, Spearhead from Space

In the previous regeneration up to this point, the Doctor had changed from Hartnell to Troughton with virtually no problem whatsoever, going off to defeat the Daleks and be back inside the TARDIS in time for tea. However, for a long while after the Third Doctor's 'birth' he remains unconscious in a hospital bed before crying out for his shoes and, later, indulging in a spot of singing in the shower. Apart from the fun seeing comic actor Pertwee larking about in a role that he usually played straight, this moment's also significant for being the first of the post-regeneration 'silliness' scenes, in which the still-cooking Doctor will be rather hyperactive. Nowadays, every regeneration is accompanied by something reminiscent of this scene but it remains the original and one of the best.

8. Alternate 1980, Pyramids of Mars

From the moment the Fourth Doctor discovers that Sutekh the Destroyer is trying to break his bonds, his signature toothy grin is nowhere in sight; it is clear this is a fierce opponent. Knowing how much trouble they could be in, Sarah Jane suggests they get in the TARDIS and leave. In answer, the Doctor does just that and returns to Sarah's hometime of 1980 - and it is a barren wasteland. This is the future of the Earth, the Doctor tells her, unless they stop Sutekh. It's a brilliantly effective scene and one that perfectly captures who the Doctor is. Despite the danger posed to himself, he will do anything to ensure that human - or any - lives will be saved. In short, he's a hero. And gawd bless him.

7. The Many Faces of Doctor Who, The Brain of Morbius

We may know that the Doctor's a hero but, as a fantastic moment in Fourth Doctor story Brain of Morbius shows us, we don't really know much about him at all. The Time Lord criminal Morbius, his brain inhabiting a mish-mash alien creature, has engaged the Doctor in a battle of the minds and is pouring through his thoughts. We see all four of his faces appear on screen and then - what?! - several more. 'How long?' the creature cries. 'How long have you lived?' The idea of the Doctor living more lives than those we have seen is a tantalising one - and something I'm glad to see is being explored in the coming The Day of the Doctor. This is such an important scene as it reminds us of that eternal question; Doctor Who?


6. A dandy and a clown, The Three Doctors

Multi-Doctor stories are always great fan-pleasers - what could be better than several incarnations of your favourite hero coming together in a big nonsensical celebratory bash? And for seventies viewers who watched the first occasion this happens on screen, in The Three Doctors which marked the show's tenth - aw, bless - anniversary, it must have been simply the best. Brought together by the Time Lords, the Second and Third Doctors argument is cut short by the appearance of the First Doctor on the TARDIS scanner. However, he doesn't treat his other selves with much more respect. 'So you're my replacements,' he says. 'A dandy and a clown', thereby creating one of the most famous of Doctor Who quotes. This November's 50th anniversary shindig will hopefully provide some fun multi-Doctor moments but it will be hard pressed to beat the first. The original, you might say.


5. 'Where there's life, there's a...', Planet of the Spiders

Realising he is to blame for the attack of the Eight Legs, a race of giant spiders (see number 3), the Third Doctor returns to Metebelis III to stop the Great One and her plans to rule the universe (don't alien monsters ever want a quiet life?). With the spider destroyed, the Doctor returns to his TARDIS having saved  the world - but at a cost. He has been hit with a deadly dose of radiation. Arriving at UNIT HQ, watched by Sarah Jane and the Brigadier, the Third Doctor dies and a new man rises from the ashes. With its Buddhist undertones and many facets that would be used in later deaths of Doctors - accepting their own passing for the greater good, for instance - this is a superior regeneration scene.

4. 'Do I have the right?', Genesis of the Daleks

At the climax of this Dalek-origins story, the Doctor has a tough decision to make. At Davros' incubation room - the birthplace of all Daleks - the Doctor has only to connect two wires to destroy the room, and the Daleks will be wiped from history. But the Doctor's moral conscience is too great. He would be committing genocide - surely making him as bad as the Daleks themselves. Thankfully, though, the decision is taken out of his hands as the Doctor and his friends are found. Not only a brilliant character moment for the Doctor - Russell T Davies has said that the Doctor's meddling in the Daleks' creation sparked the Time War - it also embodies a thought-provoking philosophical and moral question. What would you do in that situation?

3. A Parting Gift, The Green Death

Companion exits are always among the most memorable and, let's admit it, emotional of Doctor Who moments and the time the clumsy but lovely Jo Grant decided to leave the Doctor's side is sure to tug at any Who fan's heart. At a UNIT celebration, Jo announces she is getting married to another adventuring scientist, Professor Cliff Jones. Cut up, the Doctor gives Jo her wedding present, a crystal from Metebelis III (a crystal the spiders of the planet will later want back...) and, as the rest of the party congratulates the couple, the Doctor slips quietly away. The scene is played to perfection, with so much left unsaid by the pair. Sadly, the Doctor is used to goodbyes...

2. 'Don't Forget Me', The Hand of Fear

After a trying adventure, Sarah Jane is feeling tired of travelling the universe.And, at the same time, the Doctor receives a call from Gallifrey, where he must go alone. Departing on good terms, the Doctor and Sarah Jane say farewell. 'Don't forget me,' she tells him. 'Oh, Sarah Jane,' he replies, 'don't you forget me.' A masterclass of underacting, Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen are both excellent here. As with Jo's leaving scene, both the Doctor and his companion know their time together is up. They have grown-up. And the Doctor can't stand to see that happen; the one thing he can never do. Overall, this is a bittersweet ending to perhaps Doctor Who's best TARDIS team.

1. Indomitable! The Ark of Space

The moment from seventies Doctor Who I'm naming as the best is not a fond farewell to a much-loved companion or a heartbreaking death of a Doctor, but is in fact a moment of reflection by the Time Lord on his favourite species. Finding themselves on Nerva Beacon, the last refuge of humanity in the far future, the Doctor and Harry discover countless humans cryogenically frozen, sleeping until they find a new world. 'Homo Sapiens,' booms the Doctor, beginning a speech that waxes lyrical about the invincibility of the people of the Earth. We know that the Doctor loves Earth but in this scene we get to see the full extent of his admiration for us. He's almost proud, like a father pleased with how his children have turned out. 'They're indomitable,' the Doctor wraps up. 'Indomitable.' Much like Doctor Who itself, really. No matter how much it changes, it just keeps going. Ready to outsit eternity...? Who knows.

DW50 Countdown: The Third Doctor (Part Two)

Welcome to the newly-re branded 'The Scribble Emporium!' It's the same blog just with a different name! Now, don't get hysterical, everyone, things are renamed all the time to help boost their popularity like when whatever-the-old-name-for-Snickers-was changed its name to Snickers or when the toilet tissue Charmin' became Cushelle. Ok, probably not a good idea to compare my blog with toilet roll. Hmm, moving swiftly on...

As you may well know, I've set myself the task of watching a Doctor Who story featuring a different Doctor every month that is not traditionally seen as one of the programme's best examples and still show how it's excellent TV nonetheless! This month it was the Third Doctor's turn. Any old-school Who fans among you may know I've cheated a little here as Curse is actually quite highly-regarded but I had seen it recently for the first time so thought I should review it here. What drew me to watch it was that it's a rare example of a 'classic' Who story that comments on a contemporary (for the time) issue in its mirroring of the UK's joining of the European Union in the 70s. Yeah, I know the idea of watching a science fiction serial based on a forty-year old political event doesn't get me jumping for joy either but The Curse of Peladon takes that as its central idea and runs with it, turning it into a showcase of memorable alien creatures, a great-example of world-building and a gripping whodunit to boot! Only in Doctor Who!

The other stories I have chosen to watch for this countdown so far have all had excellent opening scenes - and Curse is no exception. The first shot is a rather impressive model version of the Peladon Citadel, all medieval Gothic, sitting top a great mountain under a thundering sky, we're then taken inside where the put-upon King Peladon is being shouted at by his pushy High Priest Hepesh for inviting a meeting of the Galactic Federation to be held on Peladon, something which betrays the planet's traditions apparently. Hepesh warns that welcoming the Federation delegates to Peladon will incur the wrath of Aggedor, the fabled royal beast. It's a great example of how to start a Doctor Who story, giving us the situation, a bit of exposition about the world we're on and a monster. And it does all this without resorting to that awful exchange that features at the beginning of several Who stories, that goes something like: 'As you know, Prigtact, our planet has been ruled over by the Marmidons for a hundred years now...'. What we also get from this opening is the knowledge that Hepesh will be talking in portentous caveats for the next four episodes; a particular zinger being 'the ancient curse of Peladon will be FUL-FILLED!'
The story begins proper when the Doctor and Jo arrive - the TARDIS taking a holiday down a cliff face when it topples over - and are mistaken as the Federation agents from Earth, and get to cosy up with the delegates. Ah, the delegates! The leading diplomatic aliens who have been sent as ambassadors to a new world. This is obviously a tender situation and needs careful negotiation. So who do the Galactic Federation send? A nervy cardigan-wearing rather naughty-looking octopus thing, a withered head in a jar who sounds like a Dalek and a pair of asthmatic, shifty-looking Ice Warriors. No wonder Hepesh is a bit distrusting.
Seriously though, the idea of putting a bunch of disparate aliens together is a great one and works well here, most probably thanks to the 'hemaphrodite hexapod' Alpha Centauri her/himself for being so endearing. She/he's a brilliant creation, proving to any doubters that Doctor Who was camp long before Russell T Davies took over. Talking of which, for new series lovers, Davies was obviously a fan of this serial as his episode The End of the World is clearly based on thi,s even having it's own high-pitched jumpy alien in the Moxx of Balhoon. The Ice Warriors, Lord Izlyr and Ssorg, are NOT the villains this week although the Doctor spends about two episodes holding their race's belligerent history against them. Although Arcturus is a bit squawking, Izlyr is actually quite well-drawn; you actually feel something for him while watching which is hard seeing as he takes an age to utter a sentence due to incessant hissing. A highlight, is his offering to help Jo save the Doctor because the Doctor did the same for him earlier on. . It shows the Warrior's most interesting trait; their nobility, which sets them apart from most other Who monsters. I think they're long overdue a comeback.

And it's not just the aliens who are well-developed here. Son of Patrick, David Troughton is excellent as King Peladon, well-playing the youth and vulnerability of the character. However, our leading man and lady steal the show here, which is quite hard to do, playing opposite Alpha Centauri. Pertwee is on top form through the whole serial; a proper leading man doing everything one should do; investigating a mystery, overcoming a monster, engaging in sword fights etcetera. My favourite moment of his, here, is the Doctor's singing of a 'Venusian lullaby' to calm Aggedor; 'klendu klatch naroon naroon naroon.' Pertwee's delivery is quite inspired, putting a sort of Hindi twang to the 'words.' Katy Manning, needless to say, is exceptional. Having not seen any of her original stories for a while, I was impressed that she went a whole story without screaming once, the norm for companions back then (even Amy screams quite a bit now). She's such a strong character and plays off the others brilliantly throughour the development of her half-romance with Peladon, her acceptance of the Ice Warriors and, best of all, her relationship with the Doctor. There's a real bond between them; when he thinks Jo might stay behind he's visibly sad. One of my favourite TARDIS pairs.

Overall, Curse of Peladon works as a really well-done story. At four episodes, it's the perfect length, the plot never sags or is needlessly padded out and flows nicely. Any longer and it would have been ruined. However, the cliffhangers are all fairly pedestrian, involving the Doctor having a gun pointed at him or some such, except for Episode Three's which could have been a great reveal but is botched and over in seconds before you know what's happened. Also, Hepesh is not going to go down into the Hall of Fame for Doctor Who villains. His melodrama itches after a while and even when he's dead, if you look carefully, he continues to breath. I'd like to be there when the TARDIS disappears and the haughty High Priest gets back up again to make some havoc.

DW50 Countdown - The Third Doctor (Part One)

As Doctor Who's 50th anniversary is only eight months away, let us take Bessie for a drive down Gallifreyan memory lane as we look at the Third Doctor. Great Balls of Fire!

'Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.'

                                                                              The Doctor (Jon Pertwee)

In 1970, when comic actor Jon Pertwee first became 'the New Doctor Who', the show was going through a lot of changes. Under threat of being axed, Doctor Who not only changed its leading man but also its secondary performers (companion actors Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury left with previous Doctor Troughton) and the large portion of its production staff. It's something that wouldn't happen in the show again until Matt Smith took on the mantel. The reason for its success? The scripts were perhaps better than ever, tapping into topical issues like pollution and immigration as well as telling barnstorming stories, and the decision to 'ground' the Doctor on Earth, stripped of the use of the TARDIS, gave the show a root and a host of returning characters i.e. the lovable Brigadier's band of alien-busting UNIT soldiers. However, the real reason is Pertwee's skill and command of the role.

The Third Doctor, in character, was quite a departure from his predecessors. In his frilly shirt, velvet jacket and bouffant hair, he was wildly flamboyant and preferred to stand out of the crowd. Like all Doctors, he was witty and courageous but was far more straight-faced than before -in great contrast to Doctor Two's clownish behaviour - letting the injustices of the universe play on him hard.

However, the Third Doctor's defining characteristic, setting him apart from his fellows, is how he is far more an action-hero than any other Doctor. Familiar with 'Venusian Aikido', he didn't hold back in a full-on fight with his enemies; often coming out the winner. He was also a fan of gadgets and cars; producing no end of scientifically brilliant - and handy,too! - gizmos and partaking in cascade of car chases. While he enjoyed his space-age car (known as 'the Whomobile' by fans), the Doctor's pride and joy was his old-fashioned roadster affectionately called Bessie - which he, of course, gave a few Tine Lord-y appendages to.

While Doctors One and Two surrounded themselves in a gaggle of young people, male and female, the Third Doctor preferred the company of a single young woman; cementing his state as the James Bond of Doctors. Excellent scientist Dr Liz Shaw was less a companion and more a hired assistant but was still a valuable friend. He also befriended fan-beloved intelligent, independent journalist Sarah Jane Smith - being her first Doctor - later in life. However, his longest-lasting companion was clumsy but endearing Jo Grant. Initially displeased with her attitude, the Doctor grew extremely fond of Jo; becoming visibly sad when she left him to marry Professor Jones for a life of exploring the world. Throughout his tenure, though, the Third Doctor had a comrade and, simultaneously, sparring partner in the indomitable Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart; who often disagreed with the Doctor's diplomatic approach to things but had to admire his results. The two held a friendship which spanned several (of the Doctor's) lifetimes. When the Eleventh Doctor heard of his death in recent episode 'The Wedding of River Song', it comes as a massive blow to a man so used to losing friends.

Overall, while the show had been testing the waters throughout it's first decade, it leapt in full throttle during the Third Doctor's time. Introducing elements of the show that would be felt throughout the many following years; expanding on the mythos of the Time Lords, the creation of UNIT and the introduction of the Doctor's greatest enemy, the Master. However, the greatest gift these years gave to Doctor Who was the Third Doctor himself. Proving so successful he not only caused a flourish in the show's popularity in the short term but played a huge part in ensuring the show continued for another forty years and beyond.