Terry Nation: The Man Who Invented The Daleks (Book)

Tuesday, 17 May 2011 - Reviewed by Darren Allen

Terry Nation: The Man Who Invented The Daleks
The Strange Worlds of Terry Nation
Alwyn W Turner
Aurum Press (Book)
RRP £20.00
To be clear from the outset; this is not strictly a biography of Terry Nation. Whilst it does examine his life to a large degree and contain a fair amount of biographical detail, it is more of an examination of his work in context of the times, both social and political. And whilst the book’s approach is not always linear and often groups together Nation’s work for better comparison, in doing so it takes an honest and objective approach to the subject.

Unlike the previous book on Terry Nation, Bignell and O’Day’s very disappointing Terry Nation (Manchester University Press 2004), this admirable tome covers the whole spectrum of Nation’s work, across the media on TV, Radio, film and his two novels, rather than just his three main SF creations. So we travel from his tentative early radio work to his final few pieces for American television. Obviously there is much coverage of Nation’s SF work and in particular the Daleks. Not surprising, given the importance of their creation and reappearances in Nation’s life, but the book also gives a detailed examination of his work on ITC series (The Saint, The Champions, The Persuaders and the like) and the final series of the original The Avengers.

As I mentioned earlier, the book is not a detailed biography of Terry Nation. At times it is rather brief on some personal details. His wedding to Kate and the birth of his son Joel are only mentioned in passing. Whilst the birth of his daughter, Rebecca, is not mentioned at all! In fact you would only know that he had a daughter, because of the book that he wrote for her: Rebecca’s World. But Turner is accurate in his belief that it is one of Nation’s best pieces of work.

It was good to read the details behind Nation’s 1972 Drama Playhouse episode The Incredible Robert Baldick. A programme that I have always viewed as ‘the one that got away’, as it had series potential, and it is good to see that Turner agrees. The format of a gentleman adventurer travelling Victorian England, investigating the supernatural was sadly ahead of its time and is ripe for rediscovery.

Whilst Turner is correct in championing Nation’s legacy and that his three big creations (Daleks, Survivors, Blake’s 7) all enjoyed a renaissance after his death, he is a little anti the new Survivors, which is odd given what producer Terence Dudley did to the original series after Nation’s departure. His assertion that in the second series of the remake “there was little left resembling Nation’s original work” is rather sweeping. I personnally felt that the second series was more coherent as a whole and that it did contain some Nationesque themes. Particularly, the fourth episode wherein Tom and Greg are put to work in a mine by feudal overlord Henry Smithson (Christopher Fulford); a scenario that would have fitted in with Nation’s original first series perfectly.

As Turner observes, the great tragedy of Nation’s life is that having moved to America in 1980, he was to spend the last seventeen years of his life caught up in the studio system and sadly only notch up four writing credits.

In such a work, there are always likely to be a couple of mistakes or omissions. Such as in the précis of Nation’s second series Blake’s 7 episode Countdown, where he has Blake, rather than Del Grant defusing the bomb with Avon.

Also, in covering Nation’s desire that the Daleks did not become figures of fun (goodness knows what he would have made of his agent’s u-turn since 2005), Turner details the one exception to this: The ‘Pakistani Daleks’ sketch in Spike’s 1975 Q6 series. Although he is correct that Nation allowed it as a favour to Milligan, he somewhat surprisingly omits mention of the fact that Milligan was initially turned down by Nation’s agent and it was only when Milligan personally wrote to Nation (and reminded him of how he had helped the younger, struggling Nation) that the sketch went ahead. This is a very surprising omission given the sheer amount of research that Turner has done and the information on Nation’s work that he does include.

As these are the few examples of what is wrong with the book, they certainly do not detract from what is one of the best books concerned both with Doctor Who, and British television in general, published for many years.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone either with an interest in Terry Nation or television production from 1960 to 1980. And although you might not always agree with Turner’s comments, they are strongly put. One final thought: In nearly 300 pages of text (plus a thorough list of Nation’s writing credits), there is not one mention of Terry Nation’s predilection with the name Tarrant. Refreshing!




FILTER: - Book - Biography

Genesis of the Daleks (CD)

Thursday, 10 February 2011 - Reviewed by Darren Allen

Genesis of the Daleks
Vintage Beeb,
AudioGo (CD)
RRP £6.10
Purchase from our Amazon Shop
The latest batch of BBC Vintage Beeb releases (the third), wherein BBC LPs/tapes of the 1970s are reissued on CD, in some cases for the first time, includes another outing for Genesis of the Daleks. This is its fourth release; following the original LP/cassette release in 1979, the BBC Radio Collection double cassette pairing with Slipback in 1988 and the expanded CD release of 2001 paired with Exploration Earth.

I have two problems with the Vintage Beeb range. The first concerns the very concept of a 'Vinyl replica'. Now to me, like a lot of people, this means a faithful replica of the original album sleeve in cardboard. This is something that the Japanese have been doing with albums for nearly twenty years; releasing faithful reproductions of many albums in exact detail with gatefold sleeves, embossed sleeves, cut outs, inserts etc. Even with some EMI albums of the early 1980s they have exactly replicated the paper inner bag complete with the "home taping is killing music" logo and slogan! (Apologies for those readers under forty for which this will mean nothing. But believe me it shows attention to detail!)

Unfortunately to BBC Audio/AudioGo, 'Vinyl replica' just means a reissue of a title onto CD in a standard jewel case but now with the original sleeve artwork/photo used on the booklet and a black CD. The latter is a nice gimmick, but it hardly makes the release a replica!

The second problem is that whilst we are seeing some long unavailable albums such as I’m Sorry I’ll read that Again released onto CD, this range still contains a number of titles previously released on CD as part of the BBC Radio Collection. Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Magic Roundabout and Genesis of the Daleks to name but three. The question on a lot of peoples’ lips is "When are we going to see a CD release for the themes albums that were a mainstay of the BBC Records and Tapes range of the 1970s?" I would dearly love a re-mastered copy of 1979’s BBC Space Themes as my original tape is showing its age... but then it is thirty years old! I suppose the problem here is that is easier to clear the rights for BBC shows, rather than music collections.

I remember buying the original release of Genesis of the Daleks back in 1979, when it was timed to coincide with the screening of Destiny of the Daleks. At the time it was hoped that it would be the start of a series, but despite being a consistent seller it was sometime before we got a range of Doctor Who audio releases!

Even now, Tom Baker’s opening line "I stepped from the TARDIS onto a bleak planet..." is as great a hook as ever, drawing the listener in to a breakneck version of the original TV story. Although the ensuing argument with the Time Lord about interrupting a transmat beam jars somewhat! The linking narration fits very well, filling in the gaps of story inherent in condensing a six-part TV story down to under an hour’s worth of LP. And Tom’s reading is superb, as we move from one memorable scene to the next. Only being an hour long, such a short version should not work; but it does and all credit to Derek Groom who produced it back in 1979.

There is one difference to the original audio release though. That annoying jump cut at the end of side two of the original LP, wherein the theme cuts in halfway through the Dalek’s closing line resulting in "we will take our rightful place as the supreme power of the univer", has been rectified in line with the previous CD release, so you now get "universe" in all its glory. Whether this is a good thing or bad, I leave to individual choice!

Despite problems with presentation, to quote Destiny of the Daleks, "Its what’s on the inside that matters." This is still a very valid release and heartily recommended for two reasons. Firstly, it does reproduce the original 1979 release complete with end of side one cliff-hanger. And secondly, it can be ordered online for not much over £4, making it very good value!




FILTER: - Audio - Fourth Doctor - Series 12

Meglos (Region 2 DVD)

Monday, 17 January 2011 - Reviewed by Anthony Weight

Meglos
2|Entertain Ltd (DVD Region 2)
RRP £19.99
Purchase from our Amazon Store
Poor old Meglos always seems to be the overlooked, under appreciated child of season eighteen. Sandwiched between the new-look relaunch story The Leisure Hive and the TARDIS crew-changing trilogy of the E-Space stories, its lack of any particular hook or event which makes it an important part of either the mythos of the show or the nature of its production means it tends to be rather forgotten about.

Which is a great shame, and I hope its turn to be released on DVD sees it getting a little more recognition than it hitherto has. Although it does have some of the po-faced faux-science that runs through all of season eighteen (why not just call it a “Time Loop”, rather than a “Chronic Hysteresis”?), it runs at a much faster pace and has a much more involving story than its immediate predecessor, with John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch doing a good job of creating an interesting story of science versus religion with characters who you actually want to know what happens to them.

Nowhere does their ability to create worthwhile characters come across more than the main villain, Meglos, who is possibly the most interesting villain to turn up anywhere in this season. His first appearance, as the random cactus with the disembodied voice, ought to seem utterly absurd and ridiculous, but somehow the vocal performance lends a genuine air of intellect and menace. As the story moves along, Tom Baker’s performance as Meglos impersonating the Doctor also works well.

Admittedly it does have to be said that Meglos impersonating the Doctor creates one of the weak points of the story, when the Tigellan scientists are so ready to accept that the Doctor has been impersonated, and to believe his story. It’s a shame that in a script where they generally do so well that Flanagan and McCulloch do lapse into some lazy writing every now and again – another case in point being Romana leading the Gaztaks, who hitherto been interesting and funny characters, round and round in circles through the forest like a bunch of space morons. And on another note, why didn’t they recognise her from their watching of the Chronic Hysteresis on Meglos’s screen, anyway...?

Quibbles aside, the aforementioned forest is one of the better ones to have been attempted within the confines of a multi-camera studio on Doctor Who down the years. In fact, the whole of Meglos looks pretty damn good – Terence Dudley having perhaps his finest outing as a director on the programme. He’s able to get the infamous lighting levels down for some of the Gaztak spaceship and Deon worship scenes, and he’s lucky enough to have great support from make-up (the Meglos cactus facial make-up on Christopher Owen and Tom Baker) and the more technical departments (the excellent Scene-Sync work).

There’s a very good guest cast been recruited, too – notably Bill Fraser, Frederick Treves and yes, even Jacqueline Hill coming back to a series that must have been so bamboozingly different from that little programme she left back in Lime Grove all those years ago. She’s let down by Lexa’s death scene, though – which is rushed, pointless and basically thrown away.

If you’ve not seen Meglos before, or if you haven’t given it a look for some time, I’d recommend picking this up if you get the chance. You might be pleasantly surprised – it’s a reminder that even in its uncelebrated instalments, Doctor Who can provide more entertainment than an average piece of television.

Extras


As always, we’re spoiled on Doctor Who, with even a “run of the mill” story such as Meglos receiving a bonus feature package which puts most feature films to shame. The commentary, which features Lalla Ward, John Flanagan, Christopher Owen and Paddy Kingsland, probably doesn’t contain anything startlingly insightful, but is amiable enough, and it’s interesting to note how on occasion Ward seems to slip into a moderator-type role, leading the discussion and asking questions of the others.

My favourite of the bonus features was Meglos Men, an interesting way of looking at the writing of the story. Rather than simply being talking heads in a studio, Flanagan and McCulloch meet up and travel around some of their old London haunts in a very nicely-shot and interesting feature which even sees them pop round Christopher H. Bidmead’s house. I don’t think they’re writers who will be as familiar to most Who fans as some others who have worked on the series, so it’s worth a look to find out a bit more about the background to the writing of the serial.

The Scene Sync Story is an interesting look at the technology behind the innovation which helped make the Zolfa-Thuran scenes of Meglos look so good, locking two cameras of a Chromakey shot together. I am very interested in this sort of behind the scenes, production history nitty-gritty, although I appreciate it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

The Jacqueline Hill documentary, A Life in Pictures, is very welcome, although I couldn’t help but feel it would have been nice for it to have been longer, and to have included some more clips of her work outside of Doctor Who. I appreciate that this probably would have involved clearance costs, though, and doubtless the money was better spent elsewhere on the release.

I didn’t like Entropy Explained very much – this sort of ‘educational’ type feature may be an interesting idea for a different type of extra, but I just don’t think it works. It’s Doctor Who, after all, not real science, and exploring the real scientific concepts stories may sometimes play with probably only flags up how dodgy the science of the stories often is. Plus it doesn’t seem to be able to decide if it’s trying to be serious or funny, with the presentation style playing it straight, but the captions throwing in Hitch-Hiker’s Guide jokes and shampoo advert references.

There are the usual goodies in terms of production note subtitles, a photo gallery and PDF materials to be had, too – all-in-all, the typical very high standard we’ve come to take for granted on the Doctor Who discs.




FILTER: - Fourth Doctor - Blu-ray/DVD - Series 18 - B004ASO950

Doctor Who: Series 5 Soundtrack

Monday, 8 November 2010 - Written by Stephen Willis
Written by Stephen Willis

Doctor Who: Series 5
Music written by Murray Gold
Silva Screen
UK release: 8 November 2010
Like the Series 4: The Specials release, this album is also a 2-disc set. The result of this is that it really feels like a soundtrack, like a journey from A to B with a wealth of characters and themes in between, rather than the more “pick ‘n’ mix” approach to the first few releases.

We begin with Doctor Who XI – Murray Gold’s brand new rendition of the Doctor Who Theme, for a brand new era of the show. And it is stompingly good! The brass fanfare over the introductory bars took a few people by surprise (myself included), but it’s perfect for the tone and feel of the show in Steven Moffat’s hands, and it matches the opening titles very well, too.

What follows is a selection of tracks from the opening story, The Eleventh Hour. This episode had to introduce a new Doctor, a new companion (at two different ages) and a brand new feel for the show. Even a new TARDIS! Murray Gold brilliantly does the same thing in his music. This episode features some of my favourite tracks from the series; the haunting, sweet little melody for Little Amy, the exuberantly comic Fish Custard, the devastatingly beautiful Can I Come With You?, the magical The Mad Man With A Box, and, of course, I Am The Doctor.

As a theme, I Am The Doctor is excellent; its quirky, syncopated 7/4 beat and wacky, playful woodwind melody is perfect for Matt Smith’s Doctor, while the relentless strings and cyclic horn chords show us a darker side. The “B section”, as featured in The Sun’s Gone Wibbly, is also a fantastic tune, a rousing chorus as the Doctor encourages people to be their best. The theme’s rendering on this album (in its original form on Track 9) is slightly disappointing, because of the intrusively percussive guitar line which didn’t feature in any screened version, but the other versions such as Onwards! and at the end of Amy In The TARDIS more than make up for this. The theme’s frequent use in the series is echoed by its many guises on the album – no complaints from me, though, as it’s a superb composition.

Amy’s Theme does not appear until the beginning of episode 2, The Beast Below. As with Rose’s Theme in Series One, it’s almost as if travelling with the Doctor has unlocked the song in Amy’s heart, as we hear it for the first time here as she floats above the TARDIS gazing at the stars. This creates an emotional connection for the audience, so that, when the theme is developed in later episodes, we are able to simultaneously call back to the beginning of Amy’s journey and look forward to the future of her character arc.

One particular standout track is The Vampires of Venice. It’s very Danny Elfman in its use of the “dark fairytale” sound-world (tremolando strings, fluttering flutes, celesta and “floaty” choir). It’s magical and mysterious, and builds to an epic action sequence with crash cymbals and very loud “Hah!”s from the choir!

There is also some nice material from Amy’s ChoiceThis is the Dream reminds me slightly of the McCoy era music, such as Dominic Glynn’s score to Survival. The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood begins with a lyrical valley theme, setting the tone at the start of the episode, while the Silurian theme contains hints of the old-style Pertwee era music (Malcolm Clarke’s bizarre electronic sounds of The Sea Devils). Orchestral power builds up with the taste of war and aggression, with a deeply unsettling undertone.

Onto Disc 2! There is some fantastic music in Vincent and the Doctor, in its own world of clarinets, saxophones and mallet percussion, most notably in the beautiful “With Love, Vincent” from the end of the episode, a lilting waltz with a pang of sadness, yet ending on a positive outlook.

Gareth Roberts’ The Lodger was unique, fresh and FUNNY! And so is Murray’s score. The tune for Craig and Sophie (Friends and Neighbours), is lovely, gentle and wistful, while the next two tracks have a distinctly silky clarinet solo, suggesting the strange impact the Doctor has on these ordinary lives.

Most of Disc 2 is dedicated to the series finale, The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang. And quite right, too – the score to these episodes is hugely cinematic, with great scale and depth. Beneath Stonehenge is a track John Williams would be proud of, while the following track, Who Else Is Coming? is simply crazy in its escalating panic and mayhem! The bombastic horns give a sense of drama and danger, and the energetic strings and flourishing woodwinds keep an undercurrent of fear, while complementing Matt Smith’s quirky, edgy performance as the Doctor.

At the climax of the first part come two tracks, Words Win Wars and The Life and Death of Amy Pond, which are based on character themes and have both been given similar treatment. The former is the stirring, rousing reprise of I Am The Doctor played during the Hello, Stonehenge! speech, and the latter is a fully orchestral version of Amy’s Theme, which wouldn’t be out of place in a ballet or opera; it’s as if a moment of time has been frozen, as we watch with pity as the Doctor is dragged into the Pandorica, and the universe seemingly disappears from existence as Rory hopelessly clings onto the dead body of Amy Pond.

For me an underrated track, Roman Paradox is a perfect madcap moment as the Doctor appears in front of Rory at the start of The Big Bang. The Patient Centurion is also excellent, as a poignant reflection on Rory’s devotion to Amy. This cue was used earlier in the series as well, so by now it has a strong emotional connection to the characters involved.

Both The Sad Man With A Box and You And Me, Amy feature variations on The Mad Man With A Box, a secondary, more emotional and mysterious, theme for the Eleventh Doctor. You And Me, Amy is perfectly gentle and touching, as the Doctor resigns himself to his fate and tells little Amelia a final bedtime story. This is surely one of Matt Smith’s finest performances in the series, accompanied by the perfect score.

Overall, this album is superb; it tells a story with such depth and sensitivity, exploring a wide range of genres and sound-worlds. The album finishes with Onwards!, another reprise of I Am The Doctor, which is perfectly placed and executed, finishing on an imperfect cadence, a musical cliffhanger as the TARDIS team fly off, laughing, with promise of more adventures to come.

Stephen Willis is the creator of The Doctor Who Fan Orchestra.




FILTER: - Music - Series 5/31

The Mind Robber

Wednesday, 22 April 2009 - Reviewed by Robert Tymec

Delightfully surreal. Delightfully cool. 

That pretty well summarises this classic "oddball story". Long before the bizarre tales of the McCoy era that were officially given this term by fandomn, we have "The Mind Robber". A tale that was years ahead of its time. Of course, it's still not the first true oddball story - that award goes to "Celestial Toymaker" but it's another fine example of just how great the series can be when the writers are allowed to just let their imaginations totally run wild.

Atmosphere and imagery have a huge role to play in this story. And most of the tone here is creepy. Really creepy, actually. Possibly some of the most chilling moments the show has ever produced. And a lot of it is done very subtly which is what makes it even more unsettling. Nice little touches like the Master of the Land of Fiction chuckling evilly after the Doctor tosses the book into the wishing well. Every time I watch that, even though I know it's coming, it still gives me the slightest of shivers. And that's a testament to how well-crafted some of those sequences are. 

The overall "flow" of the story is another great strongpoint. Aside from the first episode (which I will gripe about at some later juncture), the way the plot unfolds is masterfully executed. Intrigue and suspense are distributed in perfect measures. Along with neat liberal doses of comedy to offset things wonderfully. The fictional characters weave in and out of the tale at all the right moments. Sometimes helping the plot out, sometimes just adding atmosphere. It's all done so stylishly that you can't help but become completely engrossed with what your seeing. 

Even the leads seem to notice that they've got a very special story on their hands and are putting a lot more into it than normal. And "normal" with the Doctor/Jamie/Zoe team is already superb. But here, they shine all the more brightly. Of particular noteworthiness is Troughton, himself. I love the way he's made the Doctor genuinely fearful throughout the tale. The moment he finds himself forced to activate the special device in the console, we see him become genuinely skittish. He's a well-travelled man but, for once, he's going somewhere he's never been before at all and has no clue what it will be like. And he doesn't like that. The way he jumps moments later when Zoe goes to see him in the engine room is a clear indicator of this. This sentiment continues throughout his journeys in the Land of Fiction. Only as he fully understands what this dimension is about and what the plans of the Master-Brain are, does he revert to his traditional hero status and take proper arms against his enemy. And it was a gorgeous touch for Troughton to put into his performance that gave the story that much more of an edge to it. 

Now then, let's tackle my one little "beef" with the story. If memory serves, The Mind Robber wasn't originally meant to be a five-parter and that first episode was added on almost superfluously. It's not quite a total piece of annoying padding. There is, again, a sufficient dose of atmosphere and creepiness. And it almost manages to sustain the episode. But not quite. I get just a little bit tired of Jamie and Zoe seeing illusions of home over and over again in order to fill in those few extra minutes. I recall on my first viewing actually being a bit less receptive of the whole thing because we had to wait a whole episode before getting into the real meat of the story. And if it wasn't for a few minor plot points that are made in episode one, you can almost start watching the story from episode two onwards. And, in my book, this problem is a big enough "taint" on the story to stop it from receiving the status of "classic" that so many of you bestow upon it. It's still an amazing story, but the blatant padding of the extra episode does work a little too much to its detriment. 

But, aside from that one problem, we really have a magnificent story. Like a lot of other great Who stories - it is loaded with moments in it that remain forever etched in one's memory. The children gathering around the Doctor to taunt him with riddles, Jamie's fights with the red coat, the first time we meet the Master of the Land of Fiction and, of course, the climactic battle toward the end with the Doctor and the Master using various fictional characters as pawns in a duel. And these are just a few of the stronger examples of such moments. The story is loaded with these kinds of sequences. Making the whole adventure truly fantastic and incredibly creative. 

And, just to really make the story great, all of Gulliver's dialogue is taken right from the novel. It's like the writers didn't think they could just impress us with their imagination, they had to show they were willing to actually do some real research too. How's that for "icing on the cake"?!





FILTER: - Television - Second Doctor - Series 6

The End Of The World

Monday, 1 October 2007 - Reviewed by Shane Anderson

I’ve seen this episode twice now. It grows on me with repeat viewings.

“The End of the World” is a fabulous looking episode of the type we could only have imagined in Doctor Who prior to CGI. Just look back at “The Ark in Space” for an example of a space station orbiting the Earth in the old days. The opening shots of the ships docking at Platform One with the Earth in the background and the expanding sun beyond that are vistas that really make the imagination soar. I was never put off the old show because of sub-par special effects, but when they’re good I certainly appreciate them. So we have a convincing backdrop for the story.

Anyone get the feeling that Mr. Davies had “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” in mind when he came up with the setting?

There are a lot of good ideas in this episode. The slow reveal of the Doctor’s history continues with the revelation that Gallifrey (never named as far as I can recall) burned like the Earth, “gone before its time”. I don’t like the loss of the Time Lords and Gallifrey, but so be it. Moving on, we also get the explanation about the TARDIS’s ability to get inside someone’s mind and translate, which Rose takes offense to because it was done without her permission. The visual demonstration of this is fun too: the little blue alien hands the Doctor a claim ticket written in some alien script, but when the Doctor looks at it, we can see just what it says. A nice touch. Rose having the sudden realization that she’s gone off with someone she knows nothing about and looking slightly panicked is a pretty good moment as well.

The aliens are suitably weird and varied, though mostly humanoid. I don’t quite buy the idea of sentient trees though. Not even in 5 billion years will trees have arms and legs and civilization. Cassandra is a suitably nasty villain, with a believable motivation when it comes to money. 

One plot concern: why would the reset switch for the shields be across a walkway that is blocked by the fans? I can accept that there’s probably another way to the switch, and that the Doctor simply had no time to go and find it, but that still doesn’t explain away the proximity of the fans to the walkway. They seem to exist simply to provide an obstacle for the Doctor at the climax of the action, and as such are not too credible.

The coda at the end where the Doctor and Rose stand on the streets of a planet they’ve just seen die, and ruminate about the fleeting nature of life is a good one, with music that is quite appropriate to the mood and setting. After the massive spectacle of the sun expanding and the earth dying, we come down to earth for some chips. The contrast between the fantastic and the mundane is a staple Doctor Who ingredient, and it’s presented quite well here.

All in all, a lightweight, fun little action episode, with an imaginative setting. 8 out of 10.





FILTER: - Series 1/27 - Ninth Doctor - Television