The Doctor Who Thread

[Susan Foreman]

June 22nd: Today in WHO-story

Births
1918 - David Ellis (co-writer of The Faceless Ones)
1937 - Richard Hampton (Villager in The Visitation)
1953 - Ian Levine (Doctor Who's continuity advisor during the 1980s)

1964 - Paterson Joseph (Roderick in Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways and Victor Espinosa in the Big Finish audio Earth Aid)
1987 - Joe Dempsie (Cline in The Doctor's Daughter)

Deaths
1983 - Daphne Heard (Martha Tyler in Image of the Fendahl) aged 78
1993 - Victor Maddern (John Robson in Fury from the Deeep) aged 67

1997 - Don Henderson (Gavrok in Delta and the Bannermen) aged 65

2010 - Pennant Roberts (director of The Face of Evil, The Sun Makers, The Pirate Planet, Shada, Warriors of the Deep and Timelash) aged 69

Episodes
2007 - The Infinite Quest, Episode Eleven

Releases
2006 - Issue 371 of Doctor Who Magazine (Panini Comics UK)

2009 - Torchwood: Series 2 (Blu-Ray); Delta and the Bannermen (DVD - Region 2)
2017 - Toby Hadoke's Who's Round 205 (Big Finish Productions)

Behind-the-Scenes
2005 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Live 34 took place
2012 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Wirrn Isle took place

2015 - Recording of the Big Finish audio The Waters of Amsterdam took place

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

An Ice Warrior from the 1967 story The Ice Warriors.

[Susan Foreman]

June 23rd: Today in WHO-story

Births
1925 - Mary Ridge (director of Terminus)

1929 - Kristopher Kum (Fu Peng in The Mind of Evil)
1942 - James Marcus (Peasant in Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Rask in Underworld)
1957 - Leee John (Mansell in Enlightenment)
1958 - Nigel Miles-Thomas (Pudovkin in Dragonfire)
1986 - Willis Chung (Chinese Man in the Torchwood story Miracle Day)
2000 - Caitlin Blackwood (Younger Amy Pond in The Eleventh Hour, The Big Bang, Let's Kill Hitler and The God Complex)

Deaths
1986 - Nigel Stock (Professor Hayter in Time-Flight) aged 66
1990 - Frank Gatliffe (Ortron in The Monster of Peladon) aged 62
2004 - Peter Birrel (Draconian Prince in Frontier in Space) aged 68

Episodes
1973 - The Green Death, Episode Six: 7.0 million viewers
2007 - The Sound of Drums: 7.5 million viewers

Documentaries
2007 - Doctor Who Confidential: The Saxon Mystery

Introductions
2007 - First appearance of the Master's wife Lucy Saxon

Departures
1973 - Conclusion to the tenth series of the 'classic era' of Doctor Who; Katy Manning's final regular appearance as Jo Grant

Releases
2005 - Issue 358 of Doctor Who Magazine (Panini Comics UK)

2011 - Touched By an Angel, Paradox Lost and Borrow Time (BBC Books); issue 223 of Doctor Who Adventures (BBC Magazines)
2016 - The Second Doctor: Volume One (Big Finish Productions)
2017 - The Horror of Hy-Brasil (Big Finish Productions)

Behind-the-Scenes
2001 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Project: Twilight took place
2005 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Live 34 took place
2008 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Brotherhood of the Daleks took place

2010 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge took place
2015 - Recording of the Big Finish audio The Waters of Amsterdam took place

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

An Ogron as seen in Frontier in Space (1973)

[Andra Jai]

Finally finished my Doctor Who unit which currently holds

all of the classic series dvds, The 60s, 70s, 80s and Vault books plus a set of all the doctors to date along with the Tardis set

now do I buy the classic series blu-rays or just stick with what I have?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Andra Jai

Finally finished my Doctor Who unit which currently holds

all of the classic series dvds, The 60s, 70s, 80s and Vault books plus a set of all the doctors to date along with the Tardis set

now do I buy the classic series blu-rays or just stick with what I have?

Very smart. I like.

Personally i think the dvd's look great together. The seasons may not all get blu releases, as yet we don't know, it depends on sales. I certainly wouldn't sell your dvd's of the seasons anyway. Plus if it's a season a year it will take a hell of a long time to release them all...even at four a year you'd be looking at nearly seven years.

[Andra Jai]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Very smart. I like.

Personally i think the dvd's look great together. The seasons may not all get blu releases, as yet we don't know, it depends on sales. I certainly wouldn't sell your dvd's of the seasons anyway. Plus if it's a season a year it will take a hell of a long time to release them all...even at four a year you'd be looking at nearly seven years.

There was never any chance of me selling the dvds at least not until I had a full blu-ray collection and by then dvds would be pretty much worthless anyway.

I used to have a full set of the VHS tapes and sold them when I started on the dvds and sometimes regret not keeping them as well so I don't mind having more than one copy of something.

I was thinking of buying the blu-ray sets as well, although I would like to see how the packaging turns out as I would have preferred standard sized amaray blu-ray cases.

[Gothmogxx]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

An Ogron as seen in Frontier in Space (1973)

"no complications". Simply outstanding, why a re-take of that scene wasn't done I will never know.

[Gothmogxx]

Revenge of the Cybermen is quite significant. The last 2/3rds of the Episode are amongst the first of the Classic series I saw, all the way back in 2008! Alongside Tomb of the Cybermen, The Mutants, Terror of the Autons, the end of Ark in Space Episode 2 and all of Pyramids of Mars Episode 1...

But yeah, this is another one that gets a bad reputation. I've never seen it that way. It has some glaringly obvious questions that need answered (WHY are the Cybermen a threat when they teleport onto Voga? Or rather HOW are they a threat: its the planet of gold! Surely the Vogans would have some kind of weaponry that could destroy a Cyberman. The glittergun anyone? but if you take it for what it is, its very fun. And its probably the Story I have re-watched the most out of them all (make of that what you will)

The start is very atmospheric: not as much as Ark, but the dead mannequins-sorry, dead humans on the floor is a good start. Something nasty has happened. Nice plague threat, later revealed to be a much improved Cybermat.

Another little scene I like is the fuss the Doctor goes through just to escape Kellman's room. Its not a long scene but its the little things...

I love this TARDIS crew. Harry shouldn't even be there because he was only needed if it was an older Doctor but he just works somehow. In fact he and Sarah form a great partnership in Episode 2 and 3, and some of the location work is really good and atmospheric. The Doctor is good as usual "HARRY SULLIVAN IS AN IMBECILLE!".

I like it when Harry, the Doctor and Lester tackle the Cybermen. Nicely done fight scene, with a good sacrifice from Lester.

Speaking of the Cybermen they get a good showing here. I don't understand why people don't like these ones. The design is an improvement on the Invasion one: the headguns in particular are a nice addition and the noise they make is iconic. One of the best scenes in this, or any Cyber story, is the massacre of the Vogans (which they absolutely deserve for not having the common sense to utilise the resources from a planet of gold to take out two Cybermen). Just the vicious way its done, with that wonderful music when they stroll past the bodies in good darkness, which helps their iconic look. The way they barge into the station and take over is done well too.

It ends well with the missile threat and the destruction of the Cybermen, as the Doctor and Sarah pilot the Beacon to dodge the planet as UNIT call in for help against some wonderful, shapeshifting aliens. More on that next time...

[Gothmogxx]

Season 12 rankings-

1. Genesis of the Daleks
2. Revenge of the Cybermen
3. Robot
4. The Ark in Space
5. The Sontaran Experiment