The Evil Of The Daleks
WOW! What an incredible story. It's one that I had absolutely no knowledge of, apart from seeing the existing episode 2 - I was too young to see the original transmission, I don't have the Target book, I have not heard the storybook version and I have never seen the telesnaps - and it blew me away
It's an incredible story, and the three hour run time flew by. I cannot really comment on the animation because I found the actual story engrossing. Alongside 'Fury From The Deep', it is now the story that I most want to be found
However...I do think that the final battle on Skaro fell a bit flat, but that maybe because I was so overwhelmed by the story. I also think that the animation didn't do full justice to Marius Goring's incredible facial hair!
One thing I did notice early in the story...The Doctor and Jamie are walking along an alley. On the walls of the alley are bands and concert flyers. One of these posters seemed to be advertising a concert by The Who at The Birdcage on June 11th (1967?). Now, the only 'Birdcage' that I know of where The Who used to play regularly was the one in Portsmouth, but why would a Portsmouth concert be advertised in London? Either I saw it wrongly or the person who animated the scene came from Portsmouth and was having an in-joke. Either way it's wrong because the band didn't play The Birdcage on June 11th 1967 - they played Northern Ireland on June 9th and Cambridge on June 12th [Maybe the concert on the 11th was cancelled!]
Shada
Shada is the infamous never completed or screened Tom Baker story. It's one I have in my collection, but I have only bothered watching the VHS release once and the (original) DVD release the same amount of times. It bores me, and I find that Tom Baker's linking narration was tiresome, so when I saw a copy of the latest Blu-Ray release in CEX I was in two minds whether I should get it or not - the completist in me said 'yes', while the sensible head (with an eye on the [lack of] money in my purse) said 'no'!
I went with my heart and got it!!
The Blu-Ray is a lot better than the previous releases. With the part animation, the story makes a lot more sense now and, while it is no masterpiece, is it certainly watchable
I do think that it was a mistake to release it as a single 138 minute episode though. It should have been available as a six part adventure like it was intended to be seen
It also reminded me why I fell in love with Lalla Ward at such an early age!