The Doctor Who Thread

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

'Planet Of The Spiders' is a great 4 part story

Exactly!

[Gothmogxx]

ROBOT.


My first thought about this story is how different it is to Spearhead From Space. Not plot-wise but the execution, which is more like Power of the Daleks. Spearhead From Space was not a safe guarantee. It took risks. It practically re-invented the show by introducing UNIT as a full time part of Doctor Who. Also unlike this and Power, it had no returning character companions. The Brig yes but not someone like Jamie or Zoe. Point is, it wasn't safe.


Robot is very safe. 4 years on from Spearhead and it uses the exact same formula that Spearhead established. In essence this is very much a Pertwee style story, just without Pertwee. However its not an issue. I've made no secret of my love for the UNIT stories and of how successful it was as an organisation in aiding even the weaker Pertwee tales, strengthening them more than they would have been. So adopting that style again, even if it is a new Doctor, gives Baker a chance to settle in before embarking on his own style of story. I'm three episodes into Ark in Space and the tone and style differences are striking.

I love Baker having to choose his costume. Very funny scene.

UNIT have sadly begun to fade away. Even the Brig seems to get it, complaining about how he has no one to talk to and how he misses having the Doctor about. It was all fine when Pertwee was trapped on Earth because UNIT were a necessity. Even when he got free he still dropped in a lot and died within their lab. But Baker wants to get away from Earth. As such with Hinchcliffe's control UNIT are becoming less and less important. They have one more true Story to go but Robot is the last time we ever get to see those corridors or the Doctors lab etc. Bit by bit they are getting removed...

The Robot is a great design and a decent character in itself, developing feelings due to Sarah and coming across as a good threat.

The effects sometimes get complains but it looks much better than say Planet of the Spiders.

The Tardis crew is near perfection. I love Harry and Sarah. Harry, like the Doctor, is still getting a grip on things but by the next Story their dynamic is much improved.

A decent Story. But the best is yet to come.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Gothmogxx

UNIT have sadly begun to fade away. They have one more true Story to go

Don't forget Battlefield.

[Susan Foreman]

June 7th: Today in WHO-story

Births
1924 - Dolores Gray (Mrs. Remington in Silver Nemesis)

1927 - Dick Shadples (writer of the unmade TV story-turned-Big Finish audio Prison in Space)
1936 - Dwight Whylie (Radio Announcer in The War Machines)
1938 - Ann Beach (Deacon in the Big Finish audio Night Thoughts)
1940 - Ronald Pickup (Physician in The Reign of Terror; Big Finish Productions actor - Kestorian in Time Works, Elder Banes in Spaceport Fear and the Old One in the twelfth series of the Doctor Who spin-off Jago & Litefoot)
1968 - Sarah Parish (Empress of the Racnoss in The Runaway Bride)

Deaths
1991 - Eric Francis (First Elder in The Sensorites) aged 79
2010 - Eric Mason (Green in The Mind of Evil and CPO Smedley in The Sea Devils)

Episodes
1969 - The War Games, Episode Eight: 3.5 million viewers
2008 - Forest of the Dead: 7.84 million viewers

Documentaries
2008 - Doctor Who Confidential: River Runs Deep

Releases
1993 - The Invasion and The Keeper of Traken (VHS Tapes)

1999 - Unnatural History and Storm Harvest (BBC Books)
2003 - The Tomorrow Windows (BBC Books)
2005 - The Leisure Hive and Ghost Light (DVD - region 1)

2007 - Issue 31 of Doctor Who Adventures (BBC Magazines)
2010 - Series 5, Volume 1 (DVD and Blu-ray - region 2)
2012 - Issue 272 of Doctor Who Adventures (Immediate Media Co.)
2017 - Torchwood: torchwood_cascsde_CDRip.tor (Big Finish); issue 4 of Twelfth Doctor Year Three (Titan Comics)

Behind-the-Scenes
1973 - After two Dalek props were stolen from the BBC, children's programme Blue Peter ran an appeal to have them found and returned.

Within 24 hours, they were found. Unfortunately, one of them was damaged

2011 - Recording of the Big Finish audio The Curse of Davros took place
2012 - Recording of Big Finish's sixth series of the Doctor Who spin-off Jago & Litefoot took place
2017 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Static took place

[Susan Foreman]

So, Chloe recently had a job interview at Elephant And Castle, and I decided to tag along and visit the FOPP Shop in Covent Garden and do a bit of Doctor Who Location Filming sightseeing...

I came out Waterloo Station and turned left towards Waterloo Bridge. Just before reaching the bridge, I passed The South Bank Centre, which was extensively used in 'Frontier In Space' as the Earth prison where The Doctor and Jo were held captive

On Waterloo Bridge, I turned to my right, and saw The London Eye, The Queens Walk and Westminster Bridge, all of which featured in 'Rose'. The Bridge was also used in 'The Dalek Invasion Of Earth'. At the end of the Bridge, albeit covered in scaffold and tarpaulin was the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, otherwise known as Big Ben, memorably destroyed by a spaceship in 'World War III'

Continuing straight ahead, along Wellington Street and Bow Street, which contains The Royal Opera House as seen in 'The War Machines' when Ban walks past it on his way to Covent Garden Market.

I then reached Long Acre and turned left, which was where the excitement started to mount.

Halfway along Long Acre is Covent Garden Underground Station. Although a studio set used during the filming of 'The Web Of Fear' instead of an actual location, it was still thrilling seeing it!

Opposite the station entrance are Old Brewers Yard, Shelton Street and Neal Street all of which were featured in the story during the fight between the UNIT soldiers and the Yeti

After a quick visit to FOPP, I moved down to Covent Garden Market, the location for both 'The War Machines', showing the hustle-and-bustle of the area before one of the machines arrives and also 'Invasion of The Dinosaurs', when it is used early in the story to show deserted London

It was them back to Long Acre, where I turned right to retrace my footsteps. When I reached the end, I continued walking into Great Queen Street, where a still photograph was used during a News announcement warning people to stay off the streets away from the 'The War Machines'

At the end of Great Queen Street, I turned right, and walked along Kingsway, which brought me almost opposite Australia House, which was seen in 'The Invasion' depicting a quiet area of London before the Cyberman invasion starts

As I returned to Waterloo Bridge, I passed Somerset House, which appeared in the Torchwood story 'Fragments' being used as stock footage, counting down to the new millennium

then back to the Station, over Waterloo bridge where The Doctor rode his motorcycle in 'The Bells Of St. John'

**NOTE - All pictures used are from stock. Sadly none of them were taken by me

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Ergon from Arc of Infinity (1983)

Apology for the watermark. The best pic of the Ergon i'd used for an earlier post.

[trebor8273]

has there been any update on the season 12 blu ray set,it's out a week Monday and not seen any updates or previews at .

[JAMIOUSE]

Originally Posted by trebor8273

has there been any update on the season 12 blu ray set,it's out a week Monday and not seen any updates or previews at .

I was expecting World Wide to have stuck a video on youtube by now demonstrating the improved visual quality and showing off the new cgi effects.

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by JAMIOUSE

I was expecting World Wide to have stuck a video on youtube by now demonstrating the improved visual quality and showing off the new cgi effects.

the silence doesn't fill me with confidence.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Margaret the Slitheen (Annette Badland) in human form in the 2005 story Boom Town.