Doctor Who The Pilot Review

Tags

Bill Potts, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 10, Doctor Who The Pilot Review, Jennifer Hennessy, John Simm, Lawrence Gough, Matt Lucas, Movellans, Nardole, Pearle Mackie, Peter Capaldi, Stephanie Hyam, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Master, Time For Heroes

Doctor Who The Pilot

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

We’ve had two Christmas Specials and a hiatus between series, but now the waiting is finally over as Doctor Who’s tenth series gets underway with: The Pilot. Worlds collide when the Doctor meets Bill Potts! There’s a girl with a star in her eye, a race across the universe, and old enemies lurk in the shadows as Bill joins the Time Lord and Nardole on board the TARDIS for a whole new series of adventures in time and space!

Even though series ten will be a year of big changes for Doctor Who, with it being Stephen Moffat’s sixth and final year as Doctor Who show runner, and Peter Capaldi final season as the 12^th Doctor, The Pilot begins the series’ journey towards a new era with what is effectively a soft-reboot for the series, and of course the introduction of Pearl Mackie as the Doctor’s and Nardole’s new travelling companion – Bill Potts.

If you thought you’d have to wait for series eleven and Moffat’s successor as show runner, Chris Chibnall, to revamp Doctor Who, then you’d be mistaken, as Steven Moffat’s somewhat cheekily entitled series ten premier The Pilot actually turns out to be very effective and refreshing reboot of the series’ overall format. It ticks all the right boxes, there are lots of fun references for long term fans to enjoy, but just as importantly the episode also provides a good jumping on point for new viewers, and serves as a great introduction for the new companion Bill as she becomes embroiled in the Doctor’s madcap timey-wimey adventures.

Pearl Mackie makes a great debut as Bill Potts, a bright, geeky, twenty-something who lives with her foster mum, Moria (Played by Jennifer Hennessy, who also appeared as Valerie in the 10^th Doctor story, Gridlock, in 2007), Bill also works at the canteen in at St Luke’s University, in Bristol, where she’s fallen for a girl that she’s been serving extra sized portions of chips to in the canteen. There’s a scene were Bill looks in a box containing old photos of her late mother is also especially touching, it gives us further insight into Bill’s life, and is really well played by Mackie. Of course, The Pilot still has all of the familiar tropes that we’ve come to associate with the series – since its return in 2005 – when a new companion joins the TARDIS: such as a contemporary present day setting, with the explanation for the TARDIS being bigger on the inside than on the outside, and its chameleon circuit malfunctioning Police Box exterior, touching all the necessary bases. Indeed, Bill asks all the right questions, and some rather new and unexpected ones as well! Because of Bill, and in another first in the series‘ history, we also get to learn where the TARDIS toilet is located! While it might take Bill a little while to get to grips with the TARDIS and its amazing interior dimensions, she gets there eventually. Her first moments inside the TARDIS are a joy to behold, and Bill’s introduction makes the Doctor’s world feel all the more richer for her presence as she brings a very real sense of fun, innocence, and wonder along with her.

Naturally, it goes without saying that Peter Capaldi is as superb as ever. The Doctor is now giving lectures at the university, but what is the real reason for his mission on Earth? Capaldi’s eminent Professor becomes Bill’s tutor after he notices her sneaking into his lectures, there’s a great teacher / student dynamic between them, and Pearl Mackie’s scenes with Peter Capaldi are beautifully scripted as the Doctor and Bill explore the mystery of the strange puddle that’s far more dangerous and powerful than anyone could‘ve suspected. Following his appearance in the last two Christmas Specials, Matt Lucas also returns as the alien Nardole, and he’s been helping the Doctor investigate the mysterious Vault they seem to be guarding at the university. Nardole pops up intermittently over the course of the episode, but still has a key role to play, and he gets all the best jokes!

Superbly directed by Lawrence Gough (whose previous television work includes episodes of Misfits, Atlantis, and Endeavour), The Pilot sends the new TARDIS crew on frenetic chase across the world to Australia, before embarking on a voyage to the other side of the universe, and back again. There are a some scary moments with Heather (Stephanie Haym), the mysterious girl with a haunting connection to a liquid spaceship, strange pools of water prove deadlier than they seem, romance blossoms in a war zone, a Dalek battle – featuring the same three minute Friend From the Future scene which was originally shown during half-time of the FA Cup Final last April that announced Pearl Mackie‘s casting as Bill Pott’s – is another highlight and the exciting and emotional finale that will leave you eager to see where the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole’s adventures will take them next.

There are plenty of fun and nostalgic links to past to look out for in this episode as well. The Doctor’s study in the university is reminiscent of Professor Chronotis’ study at Cambridge from Shada (the abandoned story from the Classic series’ seventeenth season in 1979/ 80), framed pictures of River Song and the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan, adorn his desk, there’s even a pot filled with a collection of the Time Lord’s old sonic screwdrivers, and the “Out of order” sign on the TARDIS door is a nice throwback to the one used in The War Machines (1966). The Movellans, a race of robots that waged war on the Daleks, last seen in Destiny of the Daleks ( 1979), also make a blink-and-you’ll-miss- it appearance. The Pilot also has numerous hints towards the modern series as well, especially with its depiction of Bill’s everyday life, which seems reminiscent of Rose Tyler’s introduction in Rose (2005). Most notable though, is when the Doctor attempts to wipe Bill’s memories at the end of The Pilot, which clearly mirrors the moment when the 10^th Doctor took Donna Nobel’s memories away to save her life in Journey’s End (2008), but the Doctor’s change of heart and Bill’s subsequent avoidance of this fate uncannily resonates with previous companion Clara’s decision to erase the Doctor’s memories of her during the 2015 season finale: Hell Bent – a point accentuated further by the short inclusion of Murray Gold’s score for Clara’s theme.

But it is the closing moments of The Pilot after the next time trailer for Smile, where the addition of a tantalizing coming soon mini-trailer featuring none other the return of The Master himself, played by John Simm, that really provides the icing on the cake that elevates the excitement surrounding this new series to a whole new level. John Simm’s gave David Tennant’s 10^th incarnation of the Doctor a run for his money when he played the Master in 2007’s Utopia, The Sound of Drums, and The Last of the Time Lords, and The End of Time Parts 1 & 2 (Dec 25^th 2009 / Jan 1^st 2010). Simm’s return is even more thrilling because we also know Michelle Gomez is returning as Missy, so, thanks to the wonders of time travel it looks like Peter Capaldi’s Doctor will be confronting two incarnations of his old nemesis this series. If that wasn’t enough, the coming soon trailer also seems to provide a startling glimpse of Peter Capaldi’s Doctor swathed in even more regeneration energy than we‘ve seen in pervious trailers! Could this momentous event be happening sooner than we think, or are we just being teased?

Posing almost as many questions as it does answers, chiefly the mystery surrounding the vault that the Doctor and Nardole have been watching over at the university and why the Doctor wants to keep his true identity there a secret, The Pilot gets series ten off to a really exciting start. Boasting some impressive special effects, this fast-paced adventure has a decidedly more upbeat tone, along with an energetic sense of fun, and the Doctor even belts out a smattering of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony on his electric guitar for good measure too. The Pilot makes the Doctor Who universe feel fresh and invigorated again, a palpable sense of anticipation has built up around this new series, and there is a great rapport between The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole. One things for sure, if the rest of series ten is as good as this episode we are going to be in for one hell of final jaunt around the universe with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor!

Images belong BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

Advertisements

Doctor Who Series 1 Dalek Review

Tags

9th Doctor, Big Finish Jubilee, Billie Piper, Christopher Eccleston, Dalek, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Dalek, Doctor Who episode Dalek, Doctor Who series 1, Doctor Who Time War, Henry Van Statten, Robert Sherman, Rose Tyler, Russel T Davies, Skaro, TARDIS

Dalek

Review by Paul Bowler

Once seemingly forgotten and unloved by the BBC, Doctor Who was lovingly resurrected from the enforced exile of cancellation in 2005 by Russell T Davies, Julie Gardener, Mal Young, and Phil Collinson. Together they crafted a new vision of the world’s longest running Science Fiction programme, capitalizing on their heartfelt love of Doctor Who and its rich mythology to successfully regenerate the concept in a way that would appeal to fans of the classic series whilst simultaneously capturing the imagination of a whole new generation of fans.

One crucial element, however, was initially missing – the Daleks. So when the TARDIS brought the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) to Henry Van Statten’s vast underground museum of alien artefacts near Salt Lake City, Utah, in the series one episode Dalek (2005), we watch transfixed as the Doctor is led to a gloomy cell for an encounter with the proprietors prized exhibit – The Metaltron – little knowing that the hate-fuelled horror trapped inside will prove to be a terrifying reminder of his own not-so-distant past in which he sacrificed everything to save the universe from a war of eternal oblivion…

It’s hard to believe now, that this momentous moment almost never happened. The BBC had initially been unable to gain the permission of Terry Nation’s estate to use Skaro’s eponymous metal mutants in the new series of Doctor Who. Thankfully the matter was soon rectified, allowing Russell T Davies to incorporate Robert Sherman’s own adaptation of his Big Finish audio Jubilee – a story which quite rightly instigated a renaissance for Colin Baker’s undervalued 6^th Doctor – as well as providing this seasons “Big Bad” for Christopher Eccleston’s battle hardened 9^th Doctor to fight.

The episode Dalek effectively stifled any chance of a mid-season lull by whipping up a frenzy of speculation with a trailer that was little more than a strangled voice in the dark: “DOC-TOR…” The Daleks were back, and with them in place the enduring legacy of Russell T Davies’ bold vision was assured, Doctor Who would soon become an unparalleled success – spawning two spin-off shows, Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures (with new spin-off Class (2016) set in Coal Hill School begin the most recent addition to the Doctor Who universe), animated adventures, merchandise galore, and critical accolades from around the world.

The Doctor’s initial terror at being trapped in the Cage with the Dalek quickly dissolves into pious joy as he realizes the Dalek is unable to exterminate him; although the ranting diatribe which then ensues between the mortal enemies almost chews up the scenery, we, like the Doctor, are all too aware of the destructive capabilities even this solitary Dalek could pose to humanity. The war of words culminates in a chilling realization for both Time Lord and Dalek – for without orders to govern it the Dalek is devoid of purpose or function, while the Doctor, bereft of his people, has been left broken by the terrible consequences of his actions.

To coin a phrase, Christopher Eccelston is absolutely “fantastic” in this episode. His embittered portrayal of the 9^th Doctor’s fury is almost palpable here, matching Nicholas Briggs superb delivery as the voice of the equally war ravaged Dalek antagonist word for word, and it is only now in hindsight that we realize how just pivotal this moment was for the new series. Bear in mind that at this point in the new shows mythology the Doctor and the Dalek were as much in the dark as we were, having already learned of the cataclysmic fate that befell Gallifrey during The End Of The World (2005), but nothing more beyond that point.

Of course, the Daleks with all their ingenuity have indeed managed to survive the Time War: The Emperor has been rebuilding his Dalek Empire in orbit above Earth in the far future (2005‘s Bad Wolf & The Parting of the Ways), the Cult of Skaro have escaped into The Void (2006‘s Army of Ghosts & Doomsday), even Davros’ ship somehow evaded destruction after being consumed by the maw of The Nightmare Child (2008‘s The Stolen Earth and Journey‘s End), but perhaps most audacious of all is the lone Dalek Cruiser that travelled back in time to become part of Winston Churchill’s war effort during the Blitz (2010’s Victory of the Daleks), infiltrating Churchill’s War Room with tea-making “Ironsides” in an ingenious ploy to trick the Doctor into activating The Progenitor – effectively resurrecting the Dalek race with a pure genetic matrix unblemished by their past defeats.

Besides the Doctor, the only Time Lord who initially seemed to have evaded the apocalyptic demise of Gallifrey was The Master in Utopia, played initially by Derek Jacobi before he regenerated into John Simm’s incarnation of the renegade Time Lord for The Sound of Drums, and Last of the Time Lords (2007), but a small handful of Time Lords also became stranded in a pocket universe The Doctor’s Wife (2011) where they, and their TARIDS’, unfortunately succumbed to the interstellar parasite known as House. Even Rassilon (played by Timothy Dalton) and the Time Lords would later use their esteemed power and knowledge to attempt to transcend the laws of time to escape the all consuming Time Lock of the final conflict as Gallifrey burned along with the ten million strong Dalek Battle-Fleet in The End of Time Parts 1 & 2 (Dec 25^th 2009 / Jan 1^st 2010)

So, in retrospect, when the Doctor confides in Rose Tyler that he would be able to sense if any of his people had survived; a point which further emphasises this 9th incarnation’s inherent loneliness. Interestingly it is this one inherent weakness of the Doctor which the imprisoned Dalek in the Series One episode Dalek uses here to its advantage: “And the coward survived…” it grates during their initial encounter in the Cell, then later deflecting the Doctor’s incandescent fury after it has ruthlessly exterminated the security teams sent to cover Rose and Adam’s escape by stating: “You would make a good Dalek!”

Of course, one of the big mysteries in 2005 was how did the 8^th Doctor regenerate into the 9^th Doctor? It wasn’t until the 50^th Anniversary special min-episode The Night of the Doctor (2013) that we learned the exact nature of the 8^th Doctor’s (Paul McGann) regeneration and how his role evolved into something far darker in the Time War. The catalyst for this most ignoble of the Doctor’s incarnations regeneration, however, also became entwined with a hitherto unknown aspect of the Time Lord that actually existed before Christopher Eccelston‘s 9^th Doctor, after John Hurt was revealed as another incarnation of the Doctor – The War Doctor – in the Season Seven finale: The Name of The Doctor (2013). The Time War itself was finally realised in all its glory on screen in The 50^th Anniversary special The Day of the Doctor (2013), effectively rebooting the series once more, with the Time Lords later granting the 11^th Doctor (Matt Smith) a new regeneration cycle in The Time of The Doctor (2013), and fuelling the quest to find Gallifrey that would ultimately lead to the 12^th Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) eventual rediscovery and return to his home world for the Series 9 finale Hell Bent (2015).

But it is in the episode Dalek where the genesis of these tangled plot threads inadvertently rests. Of the supporting cast in Dalek, Cory Johnson plays the suitably odious billionaire Henry Van Statten. For all his wealth and power, Van Statten has been unable to capitalise on his most treasured exhibit from another world – the Dalek. Even though it has been tortured remorselessly by the sadistic Simmons (Nigel Whitmey) the Dalek steadfastly refuses to talk to Van Statten. The entrepreneur has built his fortune on the back of extraterrestrial finds such as this, but he also has a contemptible attitude towards his staff – wiping the minds of those who fail him and turning them into homeless junkies. It is perhaps fitting then that he suffers the same fate at the end of the episode when his PA Diana Goddard (Anna Louise Plowman) usurps him and closes the facility down.

Then we have Adam (Bruno Langley) a teenage genus who claims to have almost started WWIII on his home computer. Whether or not Adam was just showing off to impress Rose, it seems he was plucked from obscurity by Van Statten to serve as his personal scientific advisor – cataloguing and discerning the use of every exhibit. Indeed, when the Doctor shows Adam and Van Statten how to play a strange musical instrument, we see a faint glimmer of a potential in Adam, but it’s soon quashed when Adam is revealed as something of a misguided and gutless wannabe after his one – and only – journey in the TARDIS (2005‘s The Long Game).

When the Dalek crash landed on the Ascension Islands it burned in a crater for three days, screaming helplessly within the chaotic embers of a decaying temporal shift, leaving it critically damaged and at the mercy of Henry Van Statten. It soon took pride of place in Van Statten’s collection, which also includes a Slitheen arm and the head of a “Revenge” style Cyberman, where it was tortured to within an inch of it life. The new Dalek design is chunkier than the “classic” version we all know and love: enhanced with ablative armour plating, a wider, more angular “skirt”, and bedecked with a golden livery that belies this Daleks role as a ruthless weapon of mass destruction. Even in this damaged state, the Dalek is mightily impressive to look at. The new eye stalk is particularly unsettling with its blue optics and dilating iris. Once regenerated by Rose’s touch this Dalek displays a wealth of new abilities: it bristles with enhanced firepower, a rotating mid-section, astonishing computational skill, and most sensationally of all – the power of flight. Yes, that age old joke about the Daleks and stairs is finally laid to rest as Rose, Adam, and De Maggio (Jana Montana) make their escape – looking on in horror as the Dalek gracefully rises into the air to follow them up a staircase.

De Maggio sacrifices herself to buy Rose and Adam more time to escape from the Dalek, but Rose becomes trapped in the Vault with the Dalek. The Dalek may have tricked Rose into touching it, thus enabling it to absorb the energy of a Time Traveller and escape, but it didn’t bargain on the exchange being a two way street! Rose notices the change in the Daleks behaviour, even stopping it from killing Van Statten, before leading the Dalek towards the upper levels where it blasts a hole in the concrete overhead. The sun pours in through the gap as the Dalek opens its casing to reveal the mutant inside. It basks in the sunlight a moment, perhaps lost in some latent Kaled race memory, to a time before Skaro was consumed by war…

Rose is horrified to see the Doctor train the energy cannon he is carrying on the Dalek. Billie Piper gives a magnificent performance here, as Rose makes him see what has really happened to the Dalek, how it has been changed by her DNA, and the Doctor almost falls to his knees with the horror of what he has become. The Dalek asks Rose, in another standout moment for Billie Piper, if she is afraid, as if seeking some bizarre recompense for the contamination that her DNA has caused it. She realizes how horrific it must be for the Dalek to survive in this state, so she complies, and orders the Dalek to self-terminate so that it’s twisted; miserable existence might finally come to an end.

Dalek is one of the major highlight of Doctor Who Series One, but its also the episode that really made us all see the Daleks as more than just mindless killing machines. Brilliantly directed by Joe Ahearne, it also featured a critical juncture in the relationship between the Doctor and Rose, reaffirming the vital role which the companion plays in providing the light that tempers the Time Lord’s steely resolve. Dalek is still my favourite episode from Christopher Eccleston’s brief tenure as the 9^th Doctor, it stands as a powerful portent of the many adventures that followed, and indeed those that no doubt are still to come, and remains a landmark event in Doctor Who’s triumphant return!

Follow @paul_bowler

Doctor Who Series 10 Trailer Released!

Tags

12th Doctor, Chris Chibnall, Cybermen, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Bill, Doctor Who Series 10, Doctor Who Series 10 trailer, Ice Warriors, Mark Gatiss, Matt Lucas, Mondasian Cybermen, Nardole, Pearl Mackie, Peter Capaldi, Series 11, Steven Moffat, TARDIS

Doctor Who Series 10 Trailer Released!

Check out the awesome new Doctor Who Series 10 trailer! Staring Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, with Pearl Mackie as new companion Bill, along with Matt Lucas as Nardole, Doctor Who Series 10, begins on Saturday 15th April 2017! I think it’s a great looking trailer, lots of locations and monsters, can’t wait for the new series!

Images Belong BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

Doctor Who The Power of the Daleks Animated Release Confirmed!

Tags

2nd Doctor, animated power of the daleks, animated power of the daleks trailer, Anneke Wills, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Power of the Daleks, Doctor Who Season Four, Michael Craze, Patrick Troughton, Power of the Daleks, Power of the Daleks animated, regeneration, The Power of the Daleks, Vulcan

The Power of the Daleks Animated Release Confirmed!

We will get our power! We will get out power!

BBC Worldwide has announced that a brand new animated version of the missing Doctor Who story The Power of the Daleks is to be released exclusively via the BBC Store, and then on DVD. This classic six-part adventure from Doctor Who’s Fourth Season, has often been one of the original series’ most celebrated, and was originally broadcast in 1966.

The Power of the Daleks was Patrick Troughton’s first story as the Doctor following the departure of William Hartnell from the lead role during the final episode of The Tenth Planet (1966) – with the first ever regeneration of the Time Lord! Power of the Daleks saw Patrick Troughton’s newly regenerated 2^nd incarnation of the Doctor, along with his companions Ben (Michael Craze) and Polly (Anneke Wills), arrive on the planet Vulcan for an adventure set in a fraught Earth colony where they would confront the Doctor’s ach enemies – the Daleks!

Although sadly The Power of the Daleks, along with many other classic Doctor Who episodes, ended up being junked by the BBC, now this renowned story has now been lovingly reconstructed, produced by the same team behind the successful animation of the lost Dad’s Army Episode: A Stripe For Frazer (released on the BBC Store in February this year), as a brand new six-part black and white animated version, together with an original audio recording, to allow this classic story to be released 50 years to the day after the stories original broadcast.

The producer and director of The Power of the Daleks animated version is Charles Norton, with character designs from acclaimed comic book artists Martin Geraghty and Adrian Salmon. Charles Norton said, “The Power of the Daleks animation is the most ambitious Doctor Who archive restoration ever attempted and we’re all very honoured to be a part of such a an exciting project. Intelligent, suspenseful and magnificently staged, Power of the Daleks is one of the great lost classics of 1960s television and a superb example of the black and white era at its finest.” Paul Hembury, Executive Producer, BBC Worldwide says, “Charles and his team are remarkably talented and passionate about Doctor Who and we are thrilled that fans will soon be able to enjoy this rather sinister but wonderful, classic story.”

Now at long last we will be able to enjoy Power of the Daleks in a format that will be about as close to experiencing the original episodes as possible. It will be great for fans old and new to experience Patrick Troughton’s first story as the Doctor in animated form, it’s a fantastic story, and to see it come to life with animation like this will be amazing!

Check out the trailer for the new Animated version of Power of the Daleks!

Doctor Who: The Power Of The Daleks will be released on BBC Store

on Saturday 5^th November 2016 followed by the DVD on Monday 21^st November.

• Register your interest in the BBC Store download
• Pre-Order the DVD From Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Power-Daleks-DVD/dp/B01LOC83Y2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1473256207&sr=8-5&keywords=the+power+of+the+daleks+dvd

On Saturday 5^th November there will be a special screening of episodes 1-3 of Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks at BFI Southbank, London which will also include a Q&A with Anneke Wills, Charles Norton and Frazer Hines. More information will be available from bfi.org.uk from Monday 19^th September.

Images Belong BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

 

Doctor Who The Witch’s Familiar Review

Tags

Clara Oswald, Colony Sarff, Daleks, Davros, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Sereis 9, Doctor Who The Witch's Familiar Review, Hattie MacDonald, Jemma Redgrave, Jenna Coleman, Kate Stewart, Michelle Gomez, Missy, Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Witch's Familiar

The Witch’s Familiar

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

The Doctor is trapped and alone at the heart of the Dalek Empire on the planet Skaro, surrounded by Daleks from throughout the ages. Having witnessed Clara, Missy, and even the TARDIS suffer maximum extermination at the orders of the Supreme Dalek, the Doctor now faces Davros simultaneously on the eve of his death, and via an uncanny twist of destiny, on a pivotal moment from when Davros was a child. Will the Doctor now kill this child, or will mercy prevail, as the Time Lord endeavours to risk everything to save his friend?

The Witch’s Familiar continues the two-part opening story of Series 9, with an even darker episode, written by show runner Steven Moffat, and directed by Hettie Macdonald (The director of 2007’s Blink). The cliff-hanger “Exterminate” ending of the Magician’s Apprentice left us all on the edge of our seats, when the Doctor appeared on the battlefield strewn with Hand-mines in Skaro’s distant past to exterminate the young Davros with a Dalek gun-stick. Now in The Witch’s Familiar, the story builds from this crucial moment as fate, compassion, and evil collides with far flung consequences as the Doctor confronts Davros on Skaro.

With the loss of Clara, Missy, the TARDIS, and without even the Sonic Screwdriver to help him, the Doctor must faces his ultimate challenge on Skaro as he wrestles with his conscience at the gates of Davros’ beginnings. The heart-stopping quandary of the cliff-hanger with the young Davros (brilliantly played by Joey Price) holds this episode on a constant knifes edge, while in the future, protracted, almost heart-felt exchanges unfold between the Doctor and Davros as the old enemies debate the Daleks ultimate defect and the fate of Gallifrey. This really plays to the strengths of Peter Capaldi’s Doctor, his performance is totally compelling, especially when the Doctor realises the Life Support / Hyperspace Relay in Davros’ chamber can touch the beating heart of every single Dalek on Skaro – once again presenting the Time Lord with the temptation of inflicting genocide on the Dalek race. Julian Bleach brings a cold, rasping, cocktail of evil and emotion to this ancient version of Davros, as the Daleks creator’s heinous scheme finally become apparent. Indeed, The Witch’s Familiar shows sides to the Doctor and Davros unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.

Naturally enough Clara (Jenna Coleman) and Missy (Michelle Gomez) were not killed during the climatic moments of The Magician’s Apprentice. Missy’s gleefully casual explanation quickly alters Clara’s perspective on their escape from extermination, with a gloriously psychedelic classic Doctor story / energy manipulating / teleporting just-in-the-nick-of-time solution. Clara’s uneasy alliance with Missy continues as they find a way into the Dalek city, where the Time Lord has gone AWOL from the Infirmary in Davros’ own chair, but his audience with the Supreme Dalek is cut short as the coils of Davros’ grand design ensnare him once more!

Much of The Witch’s Familiar revolves around the epic face-off between the Doctor and Davros, there are several moments here that revisit classic elements from Genesis of the Daleks (1975), and every scene between Capaldi and Bleach in the infirmary crackles with tension as the Time Lord confronts his arch-enemy. Peter Capaldi is excellent, he brings so much gravitas to his role as the Doctor, but it is Julian Bleach as the wizened Davros who makes for the most riveting viewing in this episode with a outstanding turn as the Daleks creator that is almost on a par with Michael Wisher’s magnificent original performance as Davros from Genesis of the Daleks. Indeed, when Davros asks the Doctor “Are you ready to be a God?” there are echoes of a similar debate that Davros once had with the 4^th Doctor (Tom Baker) in Genesis of the Daleks – about unleashing a virus that could destroy all life in the universe – and the Dalek creator even eschews the 12^th Doctor’s own mission statement from Series 8 when he asks the Time Lord “Am I a good man?”

The Daleks are at their ruthless best once more, cold, calculating, and extremely protective of Davros. We also get to see a lot more of the Dalek city in this episode, a glorious re-imagining of the original 1963 sets and city model designed by the late Raymond Cusick, where Daleks now fly amongst its gleaming futuristic spires and towers. Scenes in these eerie corridors also resonate powerfully with the Daleks classic debut story. Putting Daleks from different eras of Doctor Who together on screen was an inspired move for these episodes, the Supreme Dalek and his new & classic Dalek minions make a formidable sight, and director Hettie Macdonald ramps up the horror as Clara and Missy descend into the grungy Dalek sewers where we discover even more disturbing qualities about these mad Skarosian tanks of bubbling hatred.

Jenna Coleman is exceptionally good here as Clara. Missy’s plan, to hijack a Dalek and then get into the city with Clara hiding inside the Dalek’s casing, is also reminiscent of the very first Dalek story, when Ian (William Russell) hid inside a Dalek, and we really get a sense of Clara’s fear as the casing closes around her – chillingly echoing the soufflé girls fate in Asylum of the Daleks (2012). Michelle Gomez is brilliant as the evil Missy, her incarnation of the renegade Time Lord is wickedly enchanting, and Missy’s summation of the genetically hard-wired Dalek remains condemned to rot in the sewers leads to a startling lesson in Dalek vocabulary for the Impossible Girl. Perhaps most unexpected of all is the comparison Missy makes with the Cybermen to explain how the Daleks reload, which like much said here in the Dalek sewers, certainly offers us plenty to dwell over…

After their ploy to reach Dalek control succeeds, Missy treacherously begins to bargain with the Daleks, and offers Clara “gift wrapped” inside the Dalek casing. Meanwhile, it seems the Doctor has been foolish enough to look into his enemy’s eyes, and believing him sincere, he willing uses a fraction of his regeneration energy to power the Hyperspace Relay and grant Davros his dying wish – to live long enough to see the sunrise on Skaro. But to the Doctor’s horror his regeneration energy is suddenly leeched away by Colony Sarff (disguised as the coils of the machine) where it is transferred into every Dalek on Skaro, making them into Dalek / Time Lord Hybrids, while also simultaneously revitalising Davros during the process! Perhaps inevitably Colony Sarff (Jami Reid-Quarell), the serpentine henchman of Davros, does get a little overshadowed by everything happening in this episode, but his menacing presence is still used to great effect.

The exciting finale has Missy arriving in the Infirmary to assist the Doctor at a critical moment, the Doctor reveals that he knew what Davros was planning, and soon generations of decaying mutant Dalek hatred – revitalised by the Doctor’s regeneration energy – is bubbling up from the bowls of Skaro to wreak havoc on the Dalek Empire! If that wasn’t exciting enough, everything is rounded of with a magnificent scene where the Doctor has to see through Missy’s deceptions to save Clara from her Dalek casing. A showdown with the Supreme Dalek follows just as the revolt of mutant sludge strikes the Dalek city, while Missy also has a really good idea at an opportune moment, and the Doctor and Clara are finally reunited with the TARDIS thanks to the Hostile Action Dispersal System – first used in the 2^nd Doctor story The Krotons (1968/9) and more recently in 2013’s 11^th Doctor story Cold War – and a very nifty pair of sonic shades. Soon the Doctor and Clara are ready to leave Davros and the Daleks to their fate. The contents of the confession dial remain a secret for now. But the question of how a tiny sliver of mercy managed to find its way into the DNA of Clara’s Dalek remains, and it is this startling moment of realisation that provides the Doctor with the impetus to complete one life-changing task before they set off on their adventures in time and space…

The Witch’s Familiar saves an exciting time-twisting surprise for the last moments of this opening two-part adventure. Steven Moffat ushers in some big timey-wimey developments in this episode. Some will admire the scale and ambition of Moffat’s vision, others will no doubt balk at his playing fast and loose with the rich tapestry of the series’ mythology, but this is still probably one of Moffat’s most ingenious storylines, and the pay-off is all the more powerful because of the Doctor’s unwavering sense of compassion and mercy.

The Witch’s Familiar certainly lives up to the expectations of this first half of this new season opener. I found this episode to be just as exciting, if not more so because of the face-off between the Doctor and Davros, there were moments here that seemed like a natural extension of classic scenes from Genesis of the Daleks, the Daleks were well served by the story, and the conclusion was outstanding! Series 9 is already shaping up to be one of the best yet, I really like the dynamic between the Doctor and Clara now, they make a great team, Missy was also excellent in these episodes, and the return of the two-part stories make for most a welcome – and long overdue – addition to the programmes format. Roll on the rest of Series Nine!

Images Belong: BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

 

Doctor Who The Magician’s Apprentice Review

Tags

Clara Oswald, Colony Sarff, Daleks, Davros, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 9, Doctor Who The Magicians Apprentice Review, Hattie MacDonald, Jemma Redgrave, Jenna Coleman, Kate Stewart, Michelle Gomez, Missy, Ohila, Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Magicians Apprentice, The Sisterhood of Karn, UNIT

The Magician’s Apprentice

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Doctor Who series 9 begins with the blockbusting premier episode The Magician’s Apprentice, where the skies of Earth have succumbed to a strange alien power as a desperate cry for help echoes from the past, and Clara Oswald needs to find her old friend the Doctor. But the Time Lord has gone missing, is this really the Doctor’s final night, and what terrible event could have driven the Doctor into hiding? Clara must join forces with the most unlikely ally of all if she is to find the Doctor, dark secrets from the past return, old foes will be confronted, and soon the Doctor will have to face the most impossible challenge of all …

The Magician’s Apprentice is about as epic and cinematic a series premier as Doctor Who has ever had, written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie Macdonald (director of the highly acclaimed 2007 episode Blink), the opening moments alone quickly establish what we can expect from this the dark and ominous two-part story – and indeed the new series itself.

A blanket of fog swirls over a battlefield on a distant world as a child of fate runs though a mud-strewn land covered in Hand Mines… But what is the secret shame of this awful place that has made the Doctor take to the shadows, and who is the mysterious cloaked figure – Colony Sarff – that has been searching for the Doctor? When a bizarre alien force strikes the Earth, freezing passenger jets in the skies, not even Clara, Kate Stewart, and UNIT can locate the Doctor. So, when the Doctor’s old enemy Missy inexplicably reappears in a foreign locale, with a Confession Dial that holds the Doctor’s last will and testament, Clara must form an uneasy alliance with Missy to find the missing Time Lord. Their journey will take them across space and time, but the Doctor is already proceeding along a dark path of destiny, one that will soon lead him into the most terrible danger of all and a confrontation with his deadliest foes – the Daleks!

Peter Capaldi’s performance in the Magician’s Apprentice is little sort of superb, Capaldi seems completely at ease now in his role as the 12th Doctor, and his commanding presence permeates though every aspect of the episode. His incarnation of the Doctor is clearly not afraid of making difficult decisions either – or accepting the consequences of his actions. Jenna Coleman is also on fine form as Clara Oswald, and the erstwhile Impossible Girl once again proves she is as confident and resourceful as ever. Michelle Gomez returns as the new gender-swapped incarnation of the Master, Missy, to meddle in the Doctor’s and Clara’s lives again – while gleefully glossing over her apparent demise in the Series 8 finale Death in Heaven (2014) – and Gomez excels herself here as the Doctor’s wickedly evil nemesis. It’s also good to see Jemma Redgrave returning as Kate Stewart, along with UNIT, to deal with the crisis Missy has engineered to get their attention.

The Magician’s Apprentice is a big, bold adventure, set on a grand scale, and the pace doesn’t slow for a moment as time ladies Clara and Missy team-up to find the Doctor just as he is about to face his greatest moral dilemma and most ruthless adversary. The story travels between numerous locations in time and space: including a grim battlefield in the past, an alien bar, the grand fortress of the Shadow Proclamation, the planet Karn, an outlandish medieval tournament in Essex 1138 AD, and a very familiar looking city on the Daleks original home planet of Skaro…

The character of Ohila (Claire Higgins) from The Night of the Doctor (2013) also returns along with the Sisterhood of Karn (Last seen in the 1976 story The Brain of Morbius), and Ohila’s tense scenes with Colony Sarff (Jami Reid-Quarell) resonate powerfully with her appearance in the 1^st online prequel for Series 9. Jami Reid-Quarell is also very menacing as the snake-like Colony Sarff, a strange creature with a message for the Doctor, whose quest has taken him to the Maldovarium, the planet Karn to address the Sisterhood of Karn, and even the mighty Shadow Proclamation, but nobody seems to know where the Doctor is. The Magician’s Apprentice weaves a complex path through Doctor Who’s mythology – past and present – juggling extensive nods to the past and a wealth of continuity references, with some perhaps far more pertinent than others, along with a few surprise voices from the Doctor’s own past as well!

It seems the mad man in the blue box has really disappeared this time, because even the Daleks are looking for him! Yes, the Daleks are back with a vengeance in The Magician’s Apprentice. Daleks from throughout all of time have assembled to wreak havoc on the Doctor in a story that harkens right back to their origins. Nearly every type of Dalek that you can think of is here for this ultimate Dalek team-up! Seeing the original classic 1963/64 slivery-grey Dead Planet style Daleks, a black domed guard from Evil of the Daleks (1967), along with a grey Renegade and the Special Weapons Dales from Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), in the same scenes as gold / bronze modern era Daleks, a Dalek Sec style Black Dalek, overseen by the gleaming red and gold Supreme Dalek from The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End (2008) and its like all our fan-boy dreams have leapt from the pages of the old TV Century 21 comics to unleash maximum extermination on TV!

The Dalek city in The Magician’s Apprentice has been beautifully realised on screen in this episode, a clear homage to the original 1963 Dalek city on Skaro designed by the late Raymond Cusick, and its been reimagined here in exquisite detail. The design of the Daleks control room in this episode – whilst containing nods to Cusick’s designs – also provides a delightful throwback to the Peter Cushing Doctor Who films, Dr Who and the Daleks (1965) and Daleks’ Invasion of Earth 2550 AD (1966). Even the 12th Doctor’s revised costume has a hint of 60’s era of Doctor Who about it, especially the Hartnell style check trousers.

Ok, here we go. BIG SPOILER ALERT! The Daleks are back, Missy is back, but there’s one more old adversary vying for the title of the Doctor’s arch-enemy – much to Missy’s consternation – in this episode, Davros! Yes, the creator of the Daleks, the Dark Lord of Skaro, is dying, and he has sent Colony Sarff to bring the Doctor to his chamber on board a medical space station. Julian Bleach reprises his role from 2008’s The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End, giving a blood-chilling performance, and the malevolent creator of the Daleks certainly has a few nasty surprises for the Doctor! The lines between past and present blur constantly as the young boy Davros, played by Joey Price, cries for help ring out across time to haunt the Doctor, and I can’t think of one instance in the history of Doctor Who where sound of the TARDIS dematerialising has ever sounded so cruel…

The Magician’s Apprentice is a great start to the new series. In fact, there’s so much going on in this first episode of the opening two-part series premier that it actually feels more like a series finale! Steven Moffat has gone for big spectacle, high drama, and full timey-wimey overload for The Magician’s Apprentice. Drawing heavily on the programmes past, the intricate plot is dark, intense, and even the 4^th Doctor’s iconic “If someone who knew the future, pointed out a child to you, and told you that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives… could you then kill that child?” speech from 1975’s Genesis of the Daleks takes on a whole new perspective in the context of the Doctor’s actions in The Magician‘s Apprentice – setting up some interesting themes that will no doubt impact on the ongoing narrative of new series. There are moments of wry humour too, particularly when Missy and Clara are working together, the way Missy compares the Daleks plan to destroy the TARDIS with a certain part of a Dalek casing is another standout moment, and it’s clear that the Doctor’s bond with Clara is now even stronger than ever.

Exciting, if initially a little bewildering, The Magician’s Apprentice, while somewhat grim at times, also has a great sense of adventure and fun – especially when the Doctor makes a surprise – if somewhat superfluous – rock and roll entrance with an electric guitar! It’s a story that probably needs multiple viewing to fully appreciate every nuance of the storyline, even the Sonic Screwdriver has an unexpectedly significant role to play, but despite the slight overloading of the script there is still a lot to enjoy here. Once all the characters have been drawn together, a space station that isn‘t quite what it seems leads to a fittingly epic face-off between the Doctor and Davros, and the build up to that first glimpse of the Dalek city and then the Daleks themselves are both breathtaking moments.

Minor quibbles aside, I really enjoyed this first episode, and thought it got the new series off to a fantastic start. The Magician’s Apprentice races towards an incredibly exciting cliff-hanger, the stakes get raised impossibly high as the full horror of the Daleks plan actually sends the Doctor to his knees, and you will be left wondering how those nerve-jangling final moments can possibly be resolved in the conclusion of this two-part story – The Witch’s Familiar.

Images Belong: BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

 

New Doctor Who Series 9 Trailer 2

Tags

Clara Oswald, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 9, Doctor Who Series 9 Trailer, Jenna Coleman, Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Doctor, Zygons

New Doctor Who Series 9 Trailer!

Check out the New Doctor Who Series 9 Trailer 2!

Wow! another fantastic trailer, can’t wait for series 9!

Doctor Who returns to BBC One on Saturday 19th September 2015

Follow @paul_bowler

Doctor Who Into The Dalek Review

Tags

12th Doctor, Ben Wheatley, Clara Oswald, Daleks, Danny Pink, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Into The Dalek, Doctor Who Series 8, Jenna Coleman, Peter Capaldi, Phil Ford, Samuel Anderson, Steven Moffat, TARDIS

Into The Dalek

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

In a remote corner of the galaxy a Dalek Saucer hunts down a lone spacecraft. The Doctor saves a soldier, Journey Blue, seconds before the vessel is destroyed and returns her to the rebels command ship, the Aristotle. The rebel’s hidden base contains the human forces last hope of survival, a Dalek captive, one afflicted with a bizarre malfunction. The Doctor must travel into darkness, on his most dangerous adventure yet. A miniaturised squad of troops, along with the Doctor and Clara, begin a fantastic voyage into the Dalek. With the Dalek fleet closing in, the Doctor must look to his conscience as he confronts a decision that could alter the Dalek race forever…

Into The Dalek takes the Doctor to one of the most dangerous places in the universe, a place where even he’s weary of visiting, the inside of a Dalek itself! With its exhilarating story by Phil Ford (co-writer on The Waters of Mars (2009), writer of the animated Dreamland (2009), and contributor to the Sarah Jane Adventures) and show-runner Steven Moffat, and Directed by filmmaker Ben Wheatley (Kill List and Sightseers), Into The Dalek sees the new Doctor confronting his old enemies, the Daleks, and the Doctor finds he needs Clara by his side now more than ever.

Returning to Earth to collect Clara from Coal Hill School, the Doctor and Clara are soon back on the Aristotle. The humans last chance rests with their “patient”, a Dalek, one so battle damaged that it has actually become good. The Doctor and Clara are taken to meet the Dalek prisoner. Intrigued by this Dalek’s unusual behaviour, the Doctor agrees to help them and find a way to use this malfunction against the rest of the Daleks. The Doctor, Clara and a special team of soldiers are miniaturised and injected into the damaged Dalek through its eyepiece on a mission to find the cause of this sickly Dalek’s altered moral state. The Dalek seems willing to cooperate, but can it really be trusted?

No Doctor ever really seems like the Doctor until they’ve battled the Daleks. Peter Capaldi’s first run in with the Daleks in this second story of series eight is a fittingly action-packed adventure. Capaldi delivers a towering performance as the Doctor. Faced with a chance to strike back at his old adversaries, the Time Lord must soon confront some unpleasant home truths about himself, while also getting miniaturised and sent on a mission inside a Dalek to boot! Of course, this isn’t the first time that Doctor Who has ventured into the realm of The Fantastic Voyage (1966), Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor and his companion Leela (Louise Jamerson) also got miniaturised and injected into the Doctor’s brain to defeat the Nucleus of the Swarm in the 1977 story: The Invisible Enemy. Into the Dalek sees the Doctor placed in the most dangerous situation imaginable. The scenes inside the Dalek are really effective, offering a fascinating new perspective on the universes most feared supreme beings, and Peter Capaldi brings so much gravitas to the role of the Doctor that you are left hanging on his every word after he’s miniaturised and sets about exploring the Dalek’s interior – where he gravely surmises the technology that has refined hatred into an evil beyond all imagining.

Into The Dalek is another good episode for Clara, as she is miniaturised along with the Doctor and the soldiers, and quickly finds she’s right at the heart of the action when their mission becomes a desperate battle for survival. Jenna Coleman is excellent Clara, and she’s involved in many of the stories key moments. The scenes in the TARDIS where the Doctor asks her if her to be a “pal” and tell him if he’s a good man, which featured so prominently in the series eight trailer, is finally put into context here, and there is a nice moment of levity between Capaldi and Coleman as well, when the Doctor later introduces her as his carer! Clara is still getting used to the new Doctor, there’s a really interesting dynamic developing here, and she’s not afraid to stand up to this more argumentative incarnation either. There’s also a hint of romance in the air back on Earth for Clara when new maths teacher, and ex-soldier, Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson), starts work at Coal Hill School, and despite the awkwardness of their first meeting, she eventually asks him out for a drink.

The crew of the Aristotle: Journey Blue (Zawe Ashton), Colonel Morgan Blue (Michael Smiley), Gretchen (Laura dos Santos), and Ross (Ben Compton) are all fairly well developed characters, and you get a real sense of how desperate the situation has become as these human survivors make their last stand against the Daleks. Once miniaturised and inside the damaged Dalek, nicknamed “Rusty” by the Doctor, there are some really tense encounters with the Dalek antibodies along with a heroic act of self-sacrifice as well.

Into The Dalek initially conjures up memories of the Robert Shearman episode Dalek (2005), from series one, which also featured a lone Dalek prisoner. Into The Dalek, while not exactly peppered with references to other Dalek stories, certainly embodies aspects from a few episodes that immediately spring to mind: that familiar Dalek heartbeat sound effect, a mainstay of nearly every Dalek story since their first appearance, which begins once the miniaturised team are inside the Dalek, seems even more ominous in this setting, the Doctor also reflects on his first encounter with the Daleks on Skaro, Rusty screeches “Death to the Daleks” at one point, the title of the third Doctor story that featured the Daleks in 1974, and we see moments of destruction from Journey’s End (2008).

The moment that really strikes a cord happens after the Doctor repairs the Dalek, and its original moral setting gets inadvertently restored. Clara gets to see a much darker side to this Doctor, especially after they’ve fallen into the Dalek’s organic refuse disposal, the way she challenges the Doctor when he’s about to give up on Rusty is superb, she also plays a key role in helping reboot Rusty’s memories, enabling the Dalek to once again experience the miracle of seeing the birth of a star and the endless rebirth of the universe. The Doctor manages to link into the Dalek’s mind, helping to open its thoughts to accept the truth of the Daleks, but Rusty is soon overwhelmed by the Time Lord’s ingrained hatred of the Dalek race. Rusty turns against the Daleks attacking the Aristotle and exterminates them, before leaving in the Dalek ship to continue its mission to destroy the Daleks. Though victory may be his, the Doctor is left troubled by the hatred the Dalek saw within him.

The Daleks are back, as hell-bent on universal domination as ever, and exterminating everything in sight. Phil Ford’s and Steven Moffat’s exciting scrip, with its intriguing central premise, engineers some fantastic moments for Capaldi’s Doctor, as he confronts a fascinating moral dilemma. With its disturbing insight into the concept of Dalek purity, unnervingly friendly lone Dalek (Barnaby Edwards), and titanic showdown between the Daleks (Voice of the Daleks by Nicholas Briggs) the Doctor’s old enemies are as menacing and as ruthless as ever.

Journey Blue endures the loss of her brother and her adventure inside the Dalek is fraught with challenges. Through it all she finds an unwavering trust in the Doctor, she asks to join the Doctor on his adventures, but he sombrely declines because she’s a soldier. With Clara taking a shine to Danny Pink it will be interesting to see what the Doctor makes of his companions blossoming relationship with this former soldier. There is also another brief interlude featuring the mysterious Missy (Michelle Gomez), a bizarre character who seems to be gathering up people that have recently died or sacrificed themselves for the Doctor.

With excellent Direction by Ben Wheatley, Into The Dalek fully embraces the darker tone of series eight, the underlying tension between the Doctor and the captive Dalek is positively electric, and Capaldi’s performance is riveting. The miniaturised crew’s exploration of the Dalek’s interior provides some really tense and claustrophobic scenes; there are moments of dark psychological horror, and some great character development for the Doctor and Clara. The special effects and big action set-pieces are truly spectacular, and by the time the Daleks begin gliding through the airlock you’ll be completely immersed in the spectacle of it all.

Into the Dalek provides a great second adventure for Peter Caaldi’s new Doctor, with its bold storyline, great dialogue, and impressive visual effects this episode is a sure fire winner. Dalek stories are always something special, the trick is finding new ways to feature them and keep them interesting, and Into The Dalek with its good script and excellent direction provides a fittingly action-packed adventure for the return of the Daleks!

Images Belong To BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

Doctor Who Classic Series Revelation of the Daleks

Tags

6th Doctor, Colin Baker, Daleks, Davros, Doctor Who, Eric Saward, Graeme Harper, Nicola Bryant, Peri, Revelation of the Daleks, Season Twenty Two, TARDIS, Terry Molloy

Revelation of the Daleks

Review by Paul Bowler

The Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) arrive at Tranquil Repose on the planet Necros, where a facility run by Mr Jobel (Clive Swift) is used by some of the wealthiest people in the galaxy to cryogenically freeze their remains, until a time where the aliments that caused their deaths can be cured. The Doctor wants to pay his last respects to his old friend, Professor Stengos (Hugh Walters). However, when they are attacked by a horrific mutant (Ken Barker), the Doctor’s suspicions about Stengos’ death are confirmed.

When they arrive at Tranquil Repose the Doctor is almost crushed by a huge memorial that has been fashioned in his own likeness. Once inside Tranquil Repose the Doctor is captured by a new breed of white and gold Daleks that have been created by Davros (Terry Molloy). The creator of the Daleks has adopted the identity of the Great Healer so he can use the frozen bodies stored at Tranquil Repose to secretly build a new Dalek army.

Davros runs his operation from deep in the catacombs. His head is stored in a tank, which now acts as his life support system, and he can monitor everything that happens on a sophisticated bank of computer screens. When Jobel openly challenges his authority, Davros has the chief embalmers assistant, Tasambeker (Jenny Tomasin), brought to him. Davros manipulates Tasambeker into helping him, using her infatuation with Jobel get her to kill him.

Peri manages to avoid Jobel’s lecherous advances by making friends with the facilities resident DJ (Alexi Sayle). The Doctor finds himself imprisoned with Stengos’ daughter, Natasha (Bridget Lynch Blosse), and her friend Gregory (Stephen Flynn), who broke into Tranquil Repose so Natasha could find out what really happened to her fathers body. After finding his cryogenic chamber was empty, they later discovered his severed head growing inside a transparent Dalek casing. In a moment of lucidity, Stengos begs his daughter to kill him, rather than let himself become a Dalek. Natasha used her gun to vaporise her fathers head, but afterwards she was captured along with Gregory, and tortured by Takis (Trevor Cooper) and Lilt (Colin Spaull).

It would seem that Davros has made some great enemies during his stay on Necros. Having invented a food substitute to eliminate famine throughout the galaxy, by processing the corpses frozen in Tranquil Repose, the Great Healer forged an alliance with Kara (Eleanor Bron) and her assistant Vogel (Hugh Walters) to manufacture the food paste in her factory complex. But she has grown tired of Davros’ demands, and decides to kill him. Kara hires an assassin from The Grand Order of Oberon, Orcini (William Gaunt), and his squire Bostock (John Ogwen), and gives him a bomb to destroy the Great Healer and Tranquil Repose.

Kara’s plan is quickly discovered by Davros, he sends a squad of Dales to bring her to him, killing Vogel when he resists. After defeating a patrolling Dalek Orcini breaks into the facility, freeing the Doctor, who leaves Natasha and Gregory to destroy the incubation room – but they become trapped and are killed by a Dalek. Peri and the DJ try and hold off the attacking Daleks, but the DJ is killed and Peri is captured by the Daleks.

Orcini and Bostock attack Davros in his lair, but the head in the tank is actually a decoy, and the real Davros is hovering behind him. The Daleks attack Bostock and shoots off Orcini’s artificial leg, leaving Davros to swoop in and blast Orcini with bolts of energy from his hand. The Doctor and Peri are brought before Davros, who gloats about his imminent victory, Kara’s treachery is also revealed and Orcini stabs her in the heart. Bostock manages to shoot off Davros’ hand before he can activate his Dalek army. The Daleks kill Bostock and rush to protect Davros. Chaos ensues as a squad of Daleks arrive from Skaro, having been called by Takis and Lilt, and it transpires that the Dalek Supreme wants Davros taken alive so he can be punished for his crimes.

The Daleks from Skaro overpower Davros’ new Dalek force and capture their creator. As the Daleks escort Davros back to their ship, Orcini stays with Bostock’s body in the catacombs, giving the others just enough time to get away before he uses the bomb to destroy Davros’ Daleks. Although they were unable to prevent the Dalek ship leaving with Davros, the Doctor and Peri manage to escape. Before he leaves the Doctor suggests that the survivors cultivate one of the planets flowers, which are rich in protein, and process it as a replacement for The Great Healers gruesome food supplement. As they leave the Doctor decides it time he took Peri on a holiday, and he knows just the place to go…

Season Twenty Two was Colin Baker’s first full season as the 6th Doctor. His new Doctor was initially quite unstable, and constantly at odds with his travelling companion Peri, but by the time of Revelation of the Daleks (1985) they are getting along much better. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant give terrific performances here, there is a touching moment where the Doctor is confronted by his own gravestone, and Peri proves to be just as resourceful as the Doctor when they are separated at Tranquil Repose. The Doctor also has a great confrontation with Davros, where the Time Lord is visibly disgusted by what lengths Davros has gone to build his new Dalek Empire.

Eric Saward’s script for Revelation of the Daleks contains elements of Evelyn Waugh’s The Loved One, a satirical novel about a funeral business. Revelation of the Daleks is also bleak and full of graphic horror. The scene where Natasha and Gregory discover Stegnos’ head growing inside the transparent Dalek are some of the most horrific in the shows history. Add to this the morbid setting of Tranquil Repose, the unsettling way Jobel behaves towards his staff, and the horrific practice of corpses being used to create Dalek mutants and processed food in Kara’s factory, it becomes clear why Season Twenty Two was heavily criticised for its excessive levels of violence. Much as I enjoy the grittier stories in Doctor Who, sadly this trend of increasingly dark stories also led to the show being put on hiatus by the BBC at the end of the season, so we lost the stories already in development for Season Twenty Three – they were replaced by The Trail of a Time Lord when Doctor Who returned in 1986.

Revelation of the Daleks has an impressive guest cast, many of whom play a pivotal role in the action. Tassambeker’s unrequited love for the slimy Jobel is quite unsettling, and Jenny Tomasin and Clive Swift really hold our attention as their macabre relationship is manipulated like a plaything by Davros in his lair. Elanore Bron is supremely elegant as the scheming Kara, whose plan to kill Davros takes up most of the story, and ultimately leads to her being killed by the very assassin she hired to do her dirty work for her. William Gaunt steals the show from everyone as Orcini, a Knight of the Grand Order of Oberon, who, along with John Ogwen as his faithful squire Bostock, accept Kara’s mission for the honour of killing Davros.

Terry Molloy is simply magnificent as Davros in Revelation of the Daleks. When we first see the decoy in the tank, it would appear that this is all that remains of the Daleks creator. It’s quite chilling to observe him as he watches events unfold around him, with Davros sitting in the middle of events like a great spider in a web, slowly drawing his victims to their doom. Admittedly, his plan to lure the Doctor into his trap does seem somewhat extravagant, but having worked in secret for so long it would seem that Davros has become even more deranged. He cackles maniacally, spitting orders as his head swivels in its tank, manipulating everyone around him. Of course this is all a ruse, the head is just a decoy for the assassins bullet, and when Davros is revealed his chair can now float and he can shoot bolts of energy from his hands and sensor array. Molloy exudes pure evil as Davros, especially in his exchanges with the Doctor, and it seems he has been monitoring the Time Lord for some time. Even after he loses his remaining hand, Davros refuses to give up, ranting at the Daleks loyal to the Supreme Dalek, telling them that he can make them all supreme Daleks if he so desires.

The forty five minute formant adopted for this season really plays to the strengths of Revelation of the Daleks, there is virtually no padding in this story, and the plot thunders towards its epic climax in the second episode. A sudden snowfall meant that the location scenes were filmed in the snow, which really helps build an eerie atmosphere, and it makes the Doctor and Peri’s encounter with the Mutant even more terrifying. The Doctor and Peri also wear striking blue cloaks for the early stages of the story. Once we reach tranquil repose the interior sets are also impressive, especially Davros’ lair deep in the lower levels of the catacombs. The action set-pieces where both factions of Daleks are fighting are brilliantly choreographed by director Graeme Harper; you really get the sense that you are in the thick of the action, and the body count it shockingly high.

Although it takes a whole episode for the Doctor and Peri to get involved in the story, this is still one of their best adventures, and it really gives Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant a chance to shine as they battle against the Daleks. Eric Saward’s story is full of fantastic characters, all trying to outwit and deceive each other, yet ironically nearly all of them end up being killed. The new white and gold Daleks look really good as well, although their voices are strangely muffled. Graeme Harper often films them close up, making them seem even more menacing, especially when they glide around inside Davros lair.

Revelation of the Daleks is my favourite 6th Doctor story, it’s an incredibly dark and violent adventure, and it should have paved the way for another great season. As it is we will never know what could have been. Soon the show would face a long hiatus, production difficulties would disrupt The Trial of a Time Lord, ultimately leading to the recasting of the Doctor. I think it’s a real shame that Colin Baker’s tenure ended so abruptly, as it would have been great to see the 6th Doctor battling the Celestial Toymaker and the Ice Warriors. Fortunately the Big Finish audio adventures have given us the chance to enjoy Colin Baker’s Doctor once more, with scores of memorable stories; they have helped create the legacy that the 6th Doctor so rightly deserves.

Follow @paul_bowler

 

Doctor Who The Time of the Doctor Review

Tags

Clara Oswald, Cybermen, Daleks, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Christmas Special, Jenna Coleman, Matt Smith, Orla Brady, Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat, Tasha Lem, The Doctor, The Silence, The Time of the Doctor, Trenzalore, Weeping Angels

The Time of the Doctor

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

The 50^th Anniversary of Doctor Who draws to a close as Matt Smith takes his final bow and hands over the key of the TARDIS to his successor, Peter Capaldi, in the 2013 Christmas special: The Time of the Doctor. The 2013 Christmas special, the ninth since the series returned in 2005 is also the programmes 200^th episode, and it’s a seasonal spectacular packed with monsters and adventures where the Time Lord must face his darkest hour.

The fall of the eleventh is nigh and the clock is already ticking twelve’s as the Doctor (Matt Smith) arrives to whisk Clara (Jenna Coleman) away from her family Christmas diner for one last adventure, to answer the call to a distant backwater world, where the Doctor meets his old friend Tasha Lem (Orla Brady), and his deadliest enemies have also arrived having been drawn to this planet by a mysteriously indecipherable signal echoing through the depths of space.

The Doctor must discover what this signal heralds for his fate, and that of the universe itself, as their journey takes them to the planet below, Trenzalore, the place where it is foretold the First Question will be asked and the Doctor will ultimately fall. The snow covered streets will lead to the Doctor‘s final battleground. Soon the trap is sprung, as the Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, and the Silence, begin to attack, the Time Lord stands defiant and becomes a hero to the people of this small town. The Siege of Trenzalore has begun and the Doctor; his many lives now all but spent, must make his final stand and confront the inevitability of his own mortality…

The Time of the Doctor is the third adventure in a broadly linked trilogy of stories, that began with The Name of the Doctor, and then continued spectacularly in the 50^th Anniversary special The Day of the Doctor. The Time of the Doctor also marks a return to Trenzalore, the planet first mentioned in The Wedding of River Song (2011), which has since often been spoken of in hushed whispers and dark prophecies. We know Trenzalore is where the Doctor will die, his body is buried there, and in the Name of the Doctor he even saw his own tomb in the future. Dorium Maldovar told of the question that must never be answered, a religious order called the Silence are determined to ensure this never happens, and even the Great Intelligence knows the Doctor’s time was almost up.

Having linked a severed Cyberman head “Handles” to the TARDIS console to decipher the signal coming from the unknown planet, that has left half the universe in terror, the Doctor is first confronted by the Daleks before being attacked by Cybermen and escaping in the TARDIS as the Cybership attacks, when the he suddenly gets  a call from Clara on Christmas Day. She needs help cooking the Christmas dinner for her family, so the Doctor makes a quick detour to lend a hand. After helping with lunch and meeting Clara’s family: Dad (James Buller), Linda (Elizabeth Rider), and gran (Sheila Reid), the Doctor offers Clara a respite from the festivities while the turkey cooks, and together they set off to investigate the signal coming from the planet where his enemies ships are gathering, which Handles bizarrely identifies as Gallifrey. The TARDIS is intercepted by a giant vessel of The Papal Mainframe, where they are taken aboard and greeted by the Doctor’s old friend, Tasha Lem, and her troops, Colonel Albero (Mark Brighton) and Colonel Meme (Sonita Henry). At the behest of Tasha Lem, the Doctor and Clara set out to explore a town called Christmas on the planet below, which is blanketed by a truth field, where they encounter Abramal (Rob Jarvis) and Marta (Tessa Peake Jones), and a young boy called Barnable (Rob Jarvis).

Some of the Doctor’s most feared enemies have also heeded the call to Trenzalore, gathering together on this remote world to oversee the demise of their greatest adversary. The Daleks are as formidable as ever, stalking the Doctor until the bitter end, while the Cybermen introduce a wooden upgrade to counteract the effects of the Time Lords defences. The Weeping Angels are more ruthless than ever, lurking in a snow storm, they will stop at nothing to prevent the Doctor’s escape, and  we will finally lean why the Silence is so determined to ensure that the question they have protected so incessantly is never, ever answered.

The issue of the Doctor’s remaining regenerations is also tackled in The Time of the Doctor as he approaches the end of his natural lifespan. It is well known fact that Time Lords can only regenerate 12 times, a rule established by the 1976 story The Deadly Assassin, which over the course of a number of stories, has subsequently become so engrained in the mythology of the series that it is now the one, indefatigable rule that cannot be ignored. However, as well as the 10^th Doctor’s somewhat truncated regeneration in Journey’s End (2008), since the events of The Day of the Doctor, it is the quandary posed by the introduction of the War Doctor (John Hurt), an incarnation that existed during the Time War between the Doctor’s 8^th and 9^th regenerations, that has now actually made  Matt Smith’s 11^th Doctor the Time Lords final incarnation.

The Doctor and Clara teleport to the planet, they arrive in a town called Christmas, where the Doctor discovers a crack in time, the same one that originally featured in Season Five, where the message is being transmitted from. The message is the same question repeated over and over: “Doctor Who?” It is the question that must never be answered, it is from the Time Lords of Gallifrey – who were transported into a pocket dimension in The Day of the Doctor – and if the Doctor speaks his name they will know this is the place where they can try and return.  But if this should ever happen the alien forces circling the planet will burn this world, a world Tasha Lem informs him is Tranzalore, and that the Time War will start all over again. The Siege of Trenzalore will begin and untold chaos and destruction will be unleashed throughout the universe. The Doctor then tricks Clara and sends her back home in the TARDIS, while he remains to defend the town and enforce the stalemate.

The Time of the Doctor starts out as a fun Christmas adventure for the Doctor and Clara, before events quickly take a darker turn, when the Doctor explains to Clara that he has no more regenerations and his time is almost up.  There are some fun moments to be had though, especially with the Doctor helping Clara to cook Christmas dinner, and meeting her family, but once the TARDIS arrives on Trenzalor a brooding air of menace begins to pervade this bizarre winter wonderland as the Doctor’s enemies prepare to strike. Tasha Lem is a very intriguing character, a being with an uncanny knowledge of the Doctor, played by  Orla Brady who gives a great perforce as the strange alien. We discover that Tasha Lem is the supremely powerful Mother Superious of the Papal Mainframe, an old friend of the Doctor, she knows him very well and is extremely loyal to him.. However, her friendship with the Doctor later proves crucial, as her will alone is strong enough to resist Dalek conditioning, especially with a little help from the Doctor and Clara after the Dalek reinforcements have arrived.

Fortunately with Clara Oswald around, the past, present, and future never  seems to be set in stone, as the Impossible Girl stubbornly refuses to be sent home, gripping the sides of the TARDIS, she forces the Time Machine to return her to the Doctor, now an old man, who has been defending Christmas and its population for over three hundred years. The Doctor explains to Clara that he has reached his final regeneration. They are transported back to the Papal Mainframe, where they learn the Silence are really genetically engineered priests, and that it was the Kovarian chapter who broke away from the Papal Mainframe to prevent the Doctor ever reaching Trenzalore by destroying his TARDIS (The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang) and engineering a child, who would grow up to be River Song (The Impossible Astronaut / The Day of the Moon / A Good Man Goes To War / Let‘s Kill Hitler / The Wedding of River Song), to assassinate  him. It seem that the Daleks have returned, Tasha and her crew have been taken over and transformed by the Daleks, but she manages to resist and helps the Doctor and Clara escape, before Clara is tricked again by the Doctor into going home for a second time.

Back in her flat with her family after Christmas lunch, Clara hears the TARDIS return. She rushes out only to find that it was Tasha flying the TARDIS, she does not want the Doctor to die alone, and together they return to Trenzalore where Clara is reunited with the Doctor, now extremely old and facing the end of his life. He still refuses to release the Time Lords, only the Daleks now remain to oppose him, and the Doctor has been fighting them with the aid of the Silence. As the Doctor goes to the Clock Tower to face the Daleks attack, it is then that Clara desperately appeals to the Time Lords of Gallifrey through the crack in the wall, she begs them to reach out and help him as she speaks his name.

The crack in time vanished from the wall before suddenly reappearing in the sky above Trenzalore as The Time Lords bestow the Doctor with the energy of a new regenerative life cycle, which he then unleashes on his enemies to destroy them as his 13th regeneration begins. After the battle Clara goes back inside the TARDIS to find the Doctor is young again. He begins to see images of the young Amelia Pond as he waits for his regeneration and new life cycle to begin. The adult Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) appears to greet her raggedy man in his final moments. Clara watches in awe as the Time Lord rapidly regenerates into the new Doctor (Peter Capaldi), who quickly says “kidneys, I‘ve got new kidneys!” before turning to her as the Time Machine lurches in flight and asking her is she knows how to fly the TARDIS.

Matt Smith is superb as the Doctor in this story, looking positively Troughtonesque in a new variation of his costume, delivering a show stopping performance that is simply brilliant. You get a real sense of the Time Lords plight as he is faced with the certainty of his impending death as he begins to age over the course of the episode. This time there is no more running, and nowhere to hide. Ever since Matt Smith’s gangly tweed clad, fez loving, 11^th Doctor burst onto our screens with a cry of “Geronimo” he has charmed us with his carefree spirit of adventure, bow ties, jammy dodgers, and fish fingers and custard. His adventures have been some of the most complex and timey wimey in the shows history. The companions were many, Amy and Rory, River, the Paternoster Row gang, and finally Clara, were all swept up in the Doctor’s adventures. Matt Smith also managed to convey the Doctor’s great age and more alien eccentricities, enthusiastic and almost frivolous one moment, his steely gaze held centuries of wisdom that belied his youthful appearance.

Jenna Coleman is also excellent as  Clara Oswald, her journey as the Doctor’s companion has seen her life become entwined with the very fabric of the Doctor’s time line, she has meet all of the Doctor’s incarnations at one point or another, saved him on many occasions, and played a significant role in helping the Doctor remember the promise he made when he took his name so he could find another way to save Gallifrey during the Time War. I have really begun to warm to Clara as a character now, to begin with it sometimes felt like we were always meeting Clara for the first time, only to have her snatched away again before we could even get to know her. Fortunately when Clara became a full time companion in The Bells of St John (2013), we finally got to know the Impossible Girl a lot better. Jenna Coleman also had great chemistry with Matt Smith’s Doctor, her character still has plenty of potential, and it will be interesting to see how Clara adjusts to Peter Capaldi’s new Doctor.

Steven Moffat brings the 11^th Doctor’s era to a rousing, if highly complex, close with The Time of the Doctor, bringing together various plot threads, some of which reach as far back as The Eleventh Hour (2010) itself, including revelations about the Silence, the Seal of the High Council which he took from the Master in the Five Doctors, as well as revealing what the Doctor saw in The God Complex (2011) when he looked into room 11, and even the question that must never be asked is finally revealed. Director Jamie Payne skilfully balances the darker elements of the story, interspacing them with a couple of very funny moments – when the Doctor and Clara have to cook the turkey and when she later finds him naked in the TARDIS – as well as some particularly emotional scenes for the Doctor and Clara, and the final showdown is explosive and shocking. I do feel that The Time of the Doctor is a tad overlong, the regular episode length would have probably been sufficient, and the story effectively reboots the series – paving the way for an entirely new era of the show to being. Peter Capaldi also makes a strong debut as the new Doctor, the rogues gallery of monsters bring added menace to this Christmas episode, and Matt Smith’s heartrending final moments as the Doctor will resonate long after the credits have rolled. The Time of the Doctor is a brilliant Christmas special, it rounds off the 50^th Anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who in fine style, and provides a triumphant finale for this youngest ever incarnation of the Doctor.

Images Belong To BBC

Follow @paul_bowler