“I couldn’t bear the thought of being tied, to one plant and one time”

Having being exiled to 20th Century Earth by the Time Lords, the next time we meet the Doctor he has changed yet again. This time it is Jon Pertwee who plays the time traveller. His version of the Doctor is very different to the approach of his predecessor. After the rather muddling second incarnation of Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee brings back the authoritative figure that the Doctor once was. Once again he is a man who speaks his mind.

In Spearhead from Space Jon Pertwee puts in a performance that sets the tone for the rest of the season. He is truly brilliant as the Doctor and gets lost in the role. His sense of urgency towards the Nesten Invasion draws the viewer in. His sharpness to brand a lesser intellect an idiot, is a perfect example of the authoritative figure that Jon Pertwee was. He brings a refreshing approach to the role and it is only the shadow of a fantastic era to come. 

The Earth bound Doctor’s first companion is Liz Shaw (Caroline John). At first Liz is very sceptical of the Brigadier’s stories about little blue men with three heads. (Who wouldn’t be?) As the story progresses she learns to trust and respect the Brigadier and the Doctor. Caroline John puts in a great performance as Liz Shaw which continues into the season.

Spearhead from space is the return of UNIT. It is once more lead by Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart. Nicholas Courtney’s approach to the character is at its best here. He is respected and highly regarded by all members of UNIT. However it is unfortunate that this does not last for the entire era. In this story Courtney really does shine.

The Nestenes are a fantastic foe for the new Doctor. Hugh Burdens Channing is very creepy and naturally looks like an alien. The faceless Autons with their concealed guns makes an extremely convincing and spooky effect. 

Of course due to this story being the only Doctor Who episode made entirely on film, it gives a unique and realistic feel.

In conclusion it is a beautifully constructed episode. It makes a fantastic debut for Jon Pertwee and a great start for the season to come!

Carnival of Monsters is such an entertaining, imaginative story that somehow it is very hard to review. There are problems with the production, but I am prepared to be lenient on these issues because on the whole this is so enjoyable. 

The basic premise, of a machine in which whole worlds can be stored and played for the viewer's amusement, is on it's own rather clever, but Robert Holmes doesn't stop there, parodying 1920s fiction, the entertainment industry, and adding in a little politics. What would you expect from a man who most consistently deserved the accolade of best writer on the show out of all those who wrote for it?

The performances are all commendable. Jon Pertwee gets a chance to stretch his acting talents a little more than usual, now that the Third Doctor is no longer confined to Earth. It's a surprisingly varied performance and goes some way to trouncing the view that he was a somewhat one note Doctor. Michael Wisher is the best of the rest of the small but strong cast.

The production design is a tad tacky, but I won't hear a bad word said about the dinosaur who appears at the end of episode 1. Well, actually I've heard a lot of bad words said about it, but at least it makes only a minimal appearance, so no major damage is done. The Drashigs work marvellously thanks to the Radiophonic Workshop, who supply them with horrifying, eerie screams.

Carnival of Monsters will probably not worry The Caves of Androzani or The Talons of Weng-Chiang in the story polls, but I defy anyone to watch it and not get caught up in the sheer fun of it all. Good stuff!

Creature from the Pit is one of those stories that I have fond memories of enjoying in my youth. I remember showing friends the episode as an example of good Doctor Who when they used to ridicule my watching the series. They admitted there were some good points, but they found Erato to be a little too phallic and thus laughable for their tastes.

Sadly, years later as I watch the story again, I cannot find the charm or be reminded of what I found good about the story as a younger man. The concept itself is great; a monstrous ambassador from another world with a translator is separated from his device as a power-crazed woman throws him into a pit. The Doctor arrives and he tries to piece together the elements that make up this little mystery.

Unfortunately, the plot, while great, is too thin to hold up the entire story. Other elements, such as the thieves and Karela’s schemes are just rehashes of Lady Adrasta’s. Just when you think the story should have been over with Adrasta’s death, Karela tries to form and alliance with the thieves. And then the additional tack on of the destruction of the planet only seals this story’s fate as being less than good.

There is also the simple matter of the lack of any real acting in this story. We have Lalla Ward’s awful lament over K9 being attacked by the wolfweeds. We have Karela’s way OTT acting in most scenes. It’s not as if she chews up a scene as rather she destroys it in an annoying way.

And finally, I still, after all these years, cannot get over how phallic Erato is. He really is.

There is always that anticipation when a sequel to anything we hold in high esteem comes along. There are great expectations of how one is going to top what is considered a great work of literature or television or cinema. In the sixties, Terry Nation created the Daleks and with their first story, set them out as becoming as popular a character as the Doctor himself. When they returned one year later in the story, Dalek Invasion of Earth, Nation managed to create another epic that stood side by side with his original story. 

In the seventies, Nation wrote Genesis of the Daleks, a story that was supposed to reinvent, of sorts, the history of the Daleks. In creating the character Davros, Nation once again created a character that has proven as popular as the Doctor and the Daleks themse lves. And that’s where Destiny of the Daleks and most future Dalek stories fail. 

Davros, while indeed a great character and when written correctly can be a great foil for the Doctor, tends to overshadow the Daleks whenever he is used in a story. The Daleks become mindless drones with one obsession - restoring Davros so as to help them in their war with the Movellans. The Daleks have conquered earth and have developed their own form of time travel with an understanding of transcendental dimensions, and yet they keep coming back for Davros, looking for help. The Daleks don’t appear as threatening as they did in the sixties. 

This does present an interesting plot twist in the story though as the Movellans try to even the sides by engaging the Doctor for his aid. We are given some great moments as the Doctor explains to the robotic race how they will always be at a stalemate with the Daleks through the demonstration of the game, “Paper, Rock, Scissor s.” The interplay between the Doctor and Davros is excellent once again, but David Gooderson doesn’t drip with evil the way Michael Wisher or Terry Malloy does in their turns as the Daleks’ creator. So we not only have the Daleks watered down, but Davros’ presence isn’t strong enough to strike some tension into the story. 

The lack of music throughout most of the episode, in particular during some of the more dramatic scenes, also tends to take away from the story, especially when you add Gooderson’s performance into the mix. It appears as though Tom Baker’s trying desperately to make it work, but he hasn’t anything to interact with effectively. 

Lalla Ward premieres in this story as the character of Romana. Having played Princess Astra in the previous season, she is trying to find her way into the character and she appears more as the demure Astra then as the more outgoing Romana in this story, though we see some hope with her stopping the Movellan commander f rom detonating a nova device in episode four. 

I also found it jarring to see the BBC wardrobe department being raided to clothe the slaves of the Daleks. I spotted outfits from The Mutants, Colony in Space and Frontier in Space. I also believe Michael Keating wore Tyssan’s outfit in an episode or two of Blake’s 7. 

Overall, Destiny of the Daleks is a great idea with a great story, but it becomes only a good story when you consider what it has working against it. This is not a sequel that stands up to the original, Genesis of the Daleks as Dalek Invasion of Earth did with The Daleks back in the sixties. Not the best way to lure viewers into the 17th season of a long running television series.

Let’s get a few things out of the way right at the start. The Daleks are in a shocking state. Broken slats, wobbly, ill-fitting domes, chipped paintwork. They’re less supreme conquerors of the universe, more earthbound, ropey BBC props. Secondly, Romana’s regeneration. The worst thing is that the pace is a bit off; it feels like a rehearsal rather than a take. But, otherwise, it’s quite fun. It’s an appropriate appetiser for the new team, Tom and Lalla, the intergalactic sophisticates. I really can’t get worked up about it at all. But surely nobody does anymore, do they? 

Anyway, look, Episode One’s great! It’s really rather eerie. I know it’s Terry’s well-worn first episode template but so what? It’s well done here. There’s precious little dialogue or incidental music throughout, which feels really odd, but it works. The location filming’s great. That lovely tracking shot when they’re talking about concrete. None of this I appreciated at the time, of course. I was only five. Romana fell down the shaft, the Daleks burst through the wall and I almost dropped dead from fright. 1st September 1979. I was petrified.

And the Movellans. I love the Movellans. They look unlike anything else that ever appeared in the series. What does the Television Companion say? Their appearance leaves a little to be desired? Who are these people? They look great. I love the whole 1979-ness of this story: the white leatherette and bent aluminium tubing. That’s exactly what their spaceship would look like. It’s the future. It gleams, it dazzles. The TARDIS in the 1996 TV Movie should have looked more like this and less like the Batcave, but that’s by the by. The exterior looks great as well; it really imposes itself on the quarry. And then they find Davros. And when their backs are turned he wiggles his fingers. I couldn’t breathe. 8th September 1979. I could not breathe.

Now, Davros is rubbish, I’ll give you that. Not then, of course. God, not then. But now… well. Look, Michael Wisher wasn’t available, so there we are. It’s all been said before. Have we talked about Romana’s costume, though? It’s the best joke of the season (well, we’ll always have Paris). It’s witty and stylish. I love it. And Lalla’s great too: world-weary and aloof but look at the way she goes for Sharrel at the end. Can you see Mary Tamm doing that? No, quite. 

But before that they stick her in a tube with a bomb! Ken Grieve is inspired here. The Steadycam stuff is fantastic. It looks wonderful and makes you wonder why it wasn’t used more often on the programme. 15th September 1979. Can’t remember that one at all. But, come on. It’s the least terrifying cliffhanger, to be fair, and just meant I had something to look forward to when I was older. And to an adult eye it’s the most satisfying. So everyone wins!

Now, what haven’t we mentioned? Well, Roy Skelton spends most of the story veering perilously close to Zippy – just listen to Romana’s interrogation in Episode 2. The prisoners die in a really rubbish way. I suppose they’ve been shovelling rock and they’re exhausted and that’s why they… flop. But, still. And spot-the-costume’s an old game but it’s still funny to see the one dressed as Jon Pertwee walking around. And there’s the Chinese Detective! And one of the Movellans is called Cassandra. Just… Cassandra! (I love daft credits. What’s that other one? ‘Tarpok – Vincent Brimble’. Terrific!) 

So that’s about it, isn’t it? It was my first story proper (I remember running away from the title sequence prior to this and have vague memories of Roy Castle – that confused me for years) so of course I love it. I don’t always like it but I’ll always love it. It’s brilliant. It is. Oh, if you don’t agree you can just spack off.

Let me begin by saying that I have never understood why so many fans dislike ‘Timelash’. Personally, I really like it. Sure, it is undoubtedly the worst story of the otherwise excellent Season 22, but who cares’

Boasting a superb Doctor, an easily followed plot, a wonderfully hammy performance from Paul Darrow, an android that’s sucked in too much helium, and a quite ridiculous script, it is, in short, ninety minutes of great fun. Not a morbid classic like ‘Revelation of the Daleks’, nor a breathtaking epic like ‘The Two Doctors’, ‘Timelash’ is a disposable little story with a fair amount going for it.

Before I go any further though, I shall briefly outline the plot:

The TARDIS lands on Karfel, a planet ruled by an evil tyrant called the Borad. Now, although a hideously deformed mutant (half Karfelon/half Morlox), he’s also a bit of a randy nirk and soon decides to take Peri for his mate. Not only that, but the Borad also plans to destroy all Karfelons by provoking a war with their neighbours, the Bandrils. The Doctor, however, foils these plans, saves Peri and makes peace. 

Colin Baker (my favourite Doctor) is, as always, absolutely excellent. By the time of ‘Timelash’ (the fifth story of Season 22), the Doctor’s personality is fully stabilised and he really does come across as an articulate, exuberant, slightly bombastic, if rather fallible, eccentrically endearing character, roaming the galaxy doing good and righting wrongs. His performance is faultless, and you certainly get the impression that Baker is an actor whom relishes his role. Nicola Bryant is also quite good as Peri. Although she’s the sort of actress that one can always tell is acting, she imbues Peri with a bubbly enthusiasm which constantly entertains. Not only that, but her little jibes at the Doctor are also amusing - usually serving to prick the characters pomposity and bring him back to reality. Overall, the Doctor and companion team operating in ‘Timelash’ are never less than a pleasure to watch, blending perfectly into the story.

The other characters are a fairly two dimensional bunch. Paul Darrow delivers an amusing performance as Tekker - wringing every ounce of ham from the cheesy and silly script: ‘Save your breath for the Timelash, Doctor - most people depart with a scream.’ David Chandler is also good as a young H G Wells: he is suitably enthusiastic and jolly, if not a tad irritating. Clearly, the Doctor finds him annoying, and the banter between the two provides many a smile. Robert Ashby is fine as the Borad, although I shouldn’t imagine that sitting in a rubber costume looking angry requires much acting skill anyway.

When it comes to special effects, ‘Timelash’ is a mixed bag. The rapid ageing of Renis in episode 1 is actually rather impressive, and the way his brittle body crumples onto ground is really quite disturbing. On the other hand, the Bandrils and Morlox simply look absurd - pathetic puppet creations that, quite honestly, look like something out of ‘Splitting Image’. Mind you, ‘Doctor Who’ has never been a show brimming with fantastic special effects, and cacky ones should not be allowed to detract from the viewer’s overall enjoyment. If anything, I would suggest that the odd crappy effect adds tremendously to the programmes charm. 

Pennant Roberts’ direction is certainly nothing special - but, thankfully, does not detract from the story. In fact, he brings some of the sequences to life really rather well; for example, there is a very effective (if not slightly grotesque) scene in episode 1 in which an old man that is meant to be the Borad turns around to revel a head crammed with wires. Some of the shots are a bit clumsy, however: do we really need long drawn-out shots on a completely unconvincing looking Morlox’ 

I also like Liz Parker’s incidental music - flippantly eerie, it’s perfectly suited to the story.

In conclusion, ‘Timelash’ has it all: silly plot, ridiculous dialogue, absurd villains, tinsel sets - the lot! However, the central performances of Baker and Bryant are excellent and the story zips along, delivering many an unintentional smirk as it goes. This is not serious ‘Doctor Who’. To watch this story and enjoy it, you do need a sense of humour. And, as long as your humour is on stand-by, the much criticised ‘Timelash’ could well turn out to be a pleasant surprise.