Doctor Who: The Deadly Assassin (Story 88) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)What can be said about The Deadly Assassin? It's great. It's full of mystery and intrigue, action and suspense, and Tom Baker fortunately not having a companion to upstage him. I daren't talk about the story further; rather, I shall discuss both the DVD and the controversy the story created during transmission.
Ever hear of Mary Whitehouse? I suspect most Americans don't know her, but since this is a British show and she didn't really like it, I feel the need to talk about her. She was an ultra-conservative bint who complained from the 1960's through the 1990's about how so-called "depravity" in BBC programmes (that is, sex, violence and profanity) was culturally retarding the UK. Strangely, she never seemed to complain about anything on ITV (the other major UK broadcaster at the time); I guess it's because they aren't funded by the government, and therefore don't matter. Pink Floyd ripped on her in their album Animals in 1977 (and in America, Tipper Gore hilariously misinterpreted the line "Hey you, Whitehouse" from the album as anti-American).
She started to get her knickers in a twist about Doctor Who in the early 1970's (probably not long after Terror of the Autons was broadcast), but most people didn't listen to her. But then, after part three of this serial was broadcast, she unleashed a vicious attack. She was not very happy about the cliffhanger, where the Doctor's head is held underwater in a memorable freeze-frame shot. The BBC apologized and removed the shot from the master tape.
However, recordings made during the original broadcast exist with the original ending intact, and have been used to restore the ending for the DVD. Speaking of, the DVD includes an audio commentary featuring Tom Baker, Bernard Horsfall and producer Philip Hinchcliffe, along with three documentaries concerning the production of the story, the influence that "The Manchurian Candidate" had on the episode, and the most frightening moments in Doctor Who respectively. Whitehouse (who died in 2001) is featured in the former documentary; it should be a real hoot to hear her attack the show, like that footage of Michael Grade in The Trial of a Time Lord's special features.
All in all, a great episode wrapped up in a nice DVD package. Recommended.

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DOCTOR WHO:EP 88 THE DEADLY ASSASSIN - DVD Movie

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Doctor Who - New Beginnings: The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, and Castrovalva (Stories 115, 116, and 117) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you were a fan of DOCTOR WHO back in the 1980's and you lived in Maryland, then MPT was your home of DOCTOR WHO, and your daddy was Tom Baker... always. For years (and years) MPT would air the entire seven season run of Baker from ROBOT to LOGOPOLIS right up until Peter Davidson sat up tied in Baker's famous scarf and then regenerate again tomorrow back in Tom Baker... and it would begin again. For what seemed like forever DOCTOR WHO was just Tom Baker and it frustrated me to no end - leading me to believe that CASTROVALVA was a masterpeice of WHO fiction denied us. But, one day MPT announced that not only had they purchased the Davidson run, but the entire run of DOCTOR WHO as well... and there I was, at the end of LOGOPOLIS, Davidson sitting up tied in Baker's famous scarf and the next day...it was William Hartnell, and it was miles to go until LOGOPOLIS came around again.
Don't get me wrong. Being able to view the DOCTOR WHO from the beginning was pure magic, but in the back of my mind, I was counting down until, finally, at long last... CASTROVALVA began... and once again, here I am and all it takes now is for me to hit PLAY for the show to begin. Times have changed, as to my view of the final two stories of Tom Baker and the first for Peter Davidson, they've changed as well, but not by much.
THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN is a studio bound story high in design and simple in drama. The performances across the board are very good (with only Matthew Waterhouse not ready for prime time), and the story manages at once to be original, yet a copy as well. It doesn't take much to see where all this is heading and while that may sink most shows, here it frees you from having to pay too close attention, and simply enjoy the atmosphere - and TRAKEN has that in spades. From the casual, and comfortable, opening to the renewed battle between the Master and the Doctor, THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN is a solid peice of work. So much so that the Doctor manages to disappear from the story for a long while before you really miss him.
LOGOPOLIS is a stunning mess. There's no two ways about it. It's one of the most original ideas the series has had, and yet, it does almost nothing with it. The story strays, having been burden with not only the weight of continuity issues, the reintroduction of Nyssa, the introduction of Tegan, the battle between the Master and the Doctor and finally, the end of Tom Baker's run on DOCTOR WHO. For a story under constant pressure (I mean, it is the literally the end of the universe we're talking about), it all comes across like a walk in the park. It's simply the silliest armageddon ever.
CASTROVALVA follows on the heels of LOGOPOLIS, taking up the challange thrown down in the previous story in trying to make use of the idea that reality can simply be maintained, created and destroyed through math alone. And it almost works. What nearly kills the story is also one of its greatest strengths, and that's in the performances of the new TARDIS cast starting to work as a unit. Davidson was lucky enough to not have had to make his debut story until he had already made FOUR TO DOOMSDAY which meant he had a better idea and handle on just how this new Doctor was going to be played. It's breathing room he uses to great advantage here - but, it's given too much time, and what's left is not enough for the mystery behind Castrovalva. Davidson is good, but Anthony Ainley is better. The Master's final moments trapped inside Castrovalva are horrific and unsettling, leaving the last moments of the story with the Doctor in the saddle feeling a bit shallow.
As usual 2 ENTERTAIN have gone out of there way to back up these stories with a host of excellent extras. Commentaries across the board are well done and informative. On THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN it's something of a shame that Ainley has so little to say on the topic of the Master and his time on DOCTOR WHO. Someone dropped the ball here by not sitting Ainley down with a professional to mine those memories for future generations. As it is, he's comfortable, happy and delighted to be back among friends. Also, I simply can not priase Janet Fielding enough - whenever she's on a commentary, the tracks shine. She's pure brass, totally adult, and never afriad to speak her mind. For some reason it's the women of DOCTOR WHO that always bring something to the table (and they seem to be the only ones that can make Tom Baker sit up, take notice and be honest) which makes these tracks worthwhile. Text commentary is tight and informative, and worth your time. The MAKING OF... and various documentaries across all three dics are very good (with some repeat from the commentary tracks, but, that's expected now).
All in all, it's pretty much everything you could want spread over three DVD's. Three different, but creative stories, two Doctor's, one Master and a gaggle of companions. Now, I have CASTROVALVA, bring on ROBOT.

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These three stories saw the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy, The Master, as well as the transition from Tom Baker's Doctor to Peter Davison's. The Keeper of Traken: A distress call brings the Doctor (Tom Baker) to the tranquil planet of Traken, where a living statue poses a deadly threat. (4 eps, 98 mins) Logopolis: The Doctor's (Tom Baker) plan to enlist the help of Logopolis's mathematicians for a small favor become sidetracked when the Master's interference leads to disaster on a universal scale. (4 eps, 98 mins) Castrovalva: The Doctor's (Peter Davison) regeneration is failing, and his last hope rests with Nyssa and Tegan, who struggle to steer the TARDIS to the remote haven of Castrovalva. (4 eps, 96 mins) DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Anthony Ainley, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse and writer Johnny Byrne DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs Documentary:Being Nice to Each Other: A new 30-minute "making of" documentary that includes contributions from Sarah Sutton, Sheila Ruskin, Geoffrey Beevers, John Black, Johnny Byrne, Christopher H. Bidmead Interviews:Swap Shop: Noel Edmond interviews Sarah Sutton (11 mins) Music Only TrackOther:The Return of the Master: Geoffrey Beevers, Christopher H. Bidmead and John Black talk about the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy (8 mins) Trailers and Continuity Announcements (6 mins) Photo galleryProduction NotesAudio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Tom Baker and Janet Fielding and writer Christopher H. Bidmead DVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs Documentary:A New Body at Last: A new 50-minute documentary on the transition from Tom Baker to Peter Davison, featuring many of the actors and production team involved, plus exclusive behind the scenes footage of the regeneration Interviews:Nationwide Interviews with Tom Baker and Peter Davison (8 mins) Pebble Mill at One: Peter Davison interview (12 mins) Music Only TrackOther:BBC News Reports on Tom Baker's wedding, the announcement of Tom Baker's departure and Peter Davison's arrival (1 min) Photo galleryProduction NotesTV Spot:Trailers and Continuity Announcements (2 mins) Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary by actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, writer Christopher H. Bidmead and director Fiona CummingDVD ROM Features:1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs Deleted ScenesFeaturette:The Crowded TARDIS: 11-minute featurette with Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, John Black and Christopher H. Bidmead Interviews:Being Doctor Who: Peter Davison discusses how he approached this iconic role (13 mins) Directing Castrovalva: 11-minute interview with Fiona Cumming Swap Shop, Blue Peter: Peter Davison interviews (29 mins) Music Only TrackMusic Video:New remix of Peter Howell's Doctor Who theme music for 1980 in stereo or Dolby 5.1 surround Photo galleryProduction NotesTV Spot:Trailers and Continuity Announcements (5 mins)

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Doctor Who: Time-Flight (Story 123) Review

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(More customer reviews)Following Adric's death from the previous story, the Doctor decides to cheer Nyssa and Tegan by taking them to the Great London Exhibition of 1851, but something draws the TARDIS off course, forcing them to...of all places, Heathrow Airport in contemporary England, where Tegan wanted to return (q.v. The Visitation.) After using his UNIT credentials to get them out of trouble with airport security, he is then drawn into the strange disappearance of a Concorde Jet over the British Channel. To that end, he enlists the use of another Concorde to retrace the path of its twin. "The question is where but when" the plane has vanished, as he equates it with the TARDIS trouble they had earlier. The pilot, Captain Stapley, turns out to be a reliable and solid fellow throughout the adventure.
They find the answer in the Jurassic Period, which is where the time contour that hijacked them ends. The crew and passengers of the other flight are under some hypnotic influence, all that is except for a Professor Hayter, a university scientist specializing in hypnotism who was unaffected. He thinks that the plane was hijacked by the Soviets and that they are behind the iron curtain.
The sight of a crashed spaceship, a citadel, and a grotesque-looking Oriental magician named Kalid, leads the travellers to believe there's more to their predicament.
Nyssa plays a larger role by acting as a medium for some aliens divided into good and evil halves, and there's a kind of sixth sense about her, which may come from her being from Traken. And at least Tegan finally gets to be a stewardess, having worn her uniform all throughout the season.
I can't tell more without spoiling the rest. Paleontology seems to be a weak case in Doctor Who (q.v. The Silurians, The Sea Devils). 140 million years ago is indeed the close of the Jurassic Period, but then the Doctor says they must be near the Pleistocene Era. Two goofs: he must have meant the Cretaceous Era, and second, it should be the Pleistocene Epoch, which wouldn't occur for another 138 million years after.
Some credit should be given to British Airways giving producer John Nathan-Turner permission to feature the Concorde and airport authorities giving him the go-ahead to film at Heathrow.
Occasionally, the series has some stories that don't cut the mustard, and sadly, Timeflight is one of them. The regulars come out good as usual, with worthy performances from Richard Easton (Stapley) and Nigel Stock (Hayter). The main problem, though, is the concept of two Concordes being hijacked to the end of the Jurassic Period and the bad story idea and execution.

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All is not well aboard the TARDIS - in an attempt to cheer up Nyssa and Tegan after the recent death of fellow companion Adric, the Doctor plans a trip back to the year 1851 and a visit to the Great Exhibition in London. However, the journey is unexpectedly interrupted and the TARDIS mysteriously appears in Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport in modern-day London. At the same time, a routine incoming Concorde flight disappears without a trace... Are the two events connected? A second Concorde, carrying the Doctor, his companions and the TARDIS, is dispatched to follow the same flight path as the missing aircraft in an attempt to discover the fate of the passengers. But when this Concorde arrives back at Heathrow, they discover that things are not quite what they appear to be... What sinister force is behind the kidnapping of the Concorde passengers and crew? Is an ancient malevolent power at work, or something with which the Doctor is much more familiar?DVD Features:Audio CommentaryDVD ROM FeaturesDeleted ScenesFeaturetteInterviewsOuttakesPhoto galleryProduction Notes

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Doctor Who: The King's Demons (Story 129) Review

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(More customer reviews)Watching The King's Demons again, about 25 years after my first viewing, it's
actually hard to see why the story is so derided. Though not a classic piece of
TV by any stretch, it's still a fun way to spend an hour. In fact, compared to
many Doctor Who stories of the same period, this one has aged remarkably well.
As with the previous season's trip into the past, Black Orchid, the historical
setting helps in this regard, since (as the saying goes) nothing dates like the
future. As a result, there are few if any of the fashion victims that sometimes
make "classic series" episodes hard to enjoy, and even the interior sets feel
more substantial. All of this would be trivial, though, if the story itself
didn't have merit.
The faults are, not surprisingly, fairly easy targets. The Master's plot is (as
the Doctor points out) "small-time villainy", some of the historical background
is a bit shaky, and the resolution is somewhat lacking in drama. That said, the
process of getting to that resolution is quite enjoyable, especially the build
up of a historical mystery that takes place over the course of the first
episode. Some of that sense of intrigue falls by the wayside once the Master's
involvement is revealed, but even then there are enough questions posed to keep
things lively.
Ultimately, you get the impression that this lack of substance is the sole
reason for the story's bad reputation. If so, that's a shame because there's a
lot to enjoy here. Even though the BBC's golden-age of costume drama was a few
years past at this point, they still had the ability to create convincing period
settings that looked far more impressive than you'd expect with the kind of
tight budget a two-part Doctor Who story would have had. Better yet, both the
regulars and guest stars like Gerald Flood give very strong performances.
Of particular note is Peter Davison. Like many fans of my generation, raised on
Tom Baker's widely syndicated early seasons, I really didn't appreciate
Davison's lower-key Doctor until fairly recently. In some ways, lightweight
stories like this and Black Orchid are ideal showcases for Davison, because you
can appreciate the quiet conviction he brings to the role and how much he does
to hold the viewer's interest. In that respect, this story calls to mind, the
historical stories of William Hartnell's tenure as the Doctor, where budgets
were even tighter, and that's no bad thing.


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England, March 1215. King John is visiting the castle of Sir Ranulph Fitzwilliam. The arrival of the TARDIS disturbs a medieval joust, but the Doctor and his companions are proclaimed to be friendly demons by the King, who seems strangely interested in their \'blue engine." It soon becomes clear that neither King John or his Champion, Sir Gilles Estram, are who they pretend to be. One of the Doctor\'s oldest and deadliest enemies threatens the future of democracy on Earth, and he must be stopped!

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