Warning: contains spoilers for all episodes mentioned.
In some respects Doctor Who in the 1960s had an advantage over the rest of the show: it was brand new, it built in the loss of the lead actors into the format, and it was largely free of mythology weighing it down. Indeed, with the reveal of the Doctor’s backstory in the final story of the decade, it stands apart in the Doctor remaining a genuine mystery throughout.
It was also a time of experimentation, when Doctor Who tried different styles and genres to see what it could get away with. Occasionally the show coagulated into a consistent format, but there was also the variety of Season 2, probably the show’s most successful attempt at grimdark storytelling in Season 3, and the occasional subversive or anarchic flourish as Patrick Troughton’s Doctor shone outside a more standardised action/adventure format.
While the...
In some respects Doctor Who in the 1960s had an advantage over the rest of the show: it was brand new, it built in the loss of the lead actors into the format, and it was largely free of mythology weighing it down. Indeed, with the reveal of the Doctor’s backstory in the final story of the decade, it stands apart in the Doctor remaining a genuine mystery throughout.
It was also a time of experimentation, when Doctor Who tried different styles and genres to see what it could get away with. Occasionally the show coagulated into a consistent format, but there was also the variety of Season 2, probably the show’s most successful attempt at grimdark storytelling in Season 3, and the occasional subversive or anarchic flourish as Patrick Troughton’s Doctor shone outside a more standardised action/adventure format.
While the...
- 11/6/2022
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
BBC
Despite the many fan attempts to fuse them together, Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who are set in two entirely different fictional universes. Behind the scenes, though, the two shows hold much in common.
As one might expect, they share writers such as Terry Nation, Robert Holmes and Chris Boucher, incidental music from Dudley Simpson and special effects genius Matt Irvine. Starting his career as a production assistant on Doctor Who, David Maloney went on to produce Blake’s 7 and direct episodes of both programmes.
At times even the props and scenery came in useful between shows. The eagle-eyed will spot Federation helmets in the Peter Davison story Frontios.
Famously Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor, played the evil Bayban The Butcher in City at the Edge of the World but with Doctor Who running for so many years longer, and with such a massive range of spin off plays in its trail,...
Despite the many fan attempts to fuse them together, Blake’s 7 and Doctor Who are set in two entirely different fictional universes. Behind the scenes, though, the two shows hold much in common.
As one might expect, they share writers such as Terry Nation, Robert Holmes and Chris Boucher, incidental music from Dudley Simpson and special effects genius Matt Irvine. Starting his career as a production assistant on Doctor Who, David Maloney went on to produce Blake’s 7 and direct episodes of both programmes.
At times even the props and scenery came in useful between shows. The eagle-eyed will spot Federation helmets in the Peter Davison story Frontios.
Famously Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor, played the evil Bayban The Butcher in City at the Edge of the World but with Doctor Who running for so many years longer, and with such a massive range of spin off plays in its trail,...
- 2/17/2015
- by Paul Driscoll
- Obsessed with Film
Feature Andrew Blair 19 Nov 2013 - 06:39
In this week of Doctor Who celebration, Andrew salutes just a few of the individuals whose talent and hard work made the show what it is...
In the history of Doctor Who there are many names in the end credits that always seem to stand out. For some reason, I always look out for Alec Wheal in Eighties Who credits or, since 2005, the Script Editor. Over the years there have been hundreds of unsung contributors behind the scenes, and this article seeks to celebrate a handful of those who put in one helluva slog for our benefit.
Oh, and in researching this article I discovered that Dorka Nieradzik – who worked on Logopolis, Revelation of the Daleks and Silver Nemesis to name but a few – now appears to be Clive Owen's personal Hair and Make Up Artist.
It's not really relevant or anything, but...
In this week of Doctor Who celebration, Andrew salutes just a few of the individuals whose talent and hard work made the show what it is...
In the history of Doctor Who there are many names in the end credits that always seem to stand out. For some reason, I always look out for Alec Wheal in Eighties Who credits or, since 2005, the Script Editor. Over the years there have been hundreds of unsung contributors behind the scenes, and this article seeks to celebrate a handful of those who put in one helluva slog for our benefit.
Oh, and in researching this article I discovered that Dorka Nieradzik – who worked on Logopolis, Revelation of the Daleks and Silver Nemesis to name but a few – now appears to be Clive Owen's personal Hair and Make Up Artist.
It's not really relevant or anything, but...
- 11/19/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with less than three weeks to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.
After paying heed to 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang', this week we've opted for another Tom Baker tale - the third greatest Doctor Who story of all time transports us to the battle-ravaged planet of Skaro, where a war between two races culminates in the creation of a scientific abomination...
3. Genesis Of The Daleks (1975) - Six episodes - written by Terry Nation
"Do I have the right?"
Yes, the giant clam is rubbish.
With that out of the way, let's get about appreciating everything that's amazing about 'Genesis of the Daleks' - without question, Terry Nation's best Doctor Who script and indeed one of the show's finest ever serials.
After paying heed to 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang', this week we've opted for another Tom Baker tale - the third greatest Doctor Who story of all time transports us to the battle-ravaged planet of Skaro, where a war between two races culminates in the creation of a scientific abomination...
3. Genesis Of The Daleks (1975) - Six episodes - written by Terry Nation
"Do I have the right?"
Yes, the giant clam is rubbish.
With that out of the way, let's get about appreciating everything that's amazing about 'Genesis of the Daleks' - without question, Terry Nation's best Doctor Who script and indeed one of the show's finest ever serials.
- 11/4/2013
- Digital Spy
Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with less than a month to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.
Appropriately enough, slot number four is filled by the fourth Doctor. Tom Baker's first entry in our 50th list is a fan favourite tale penned by one of the show's most acclaimed writers, the esteemed Robert Holmes...
4. The Talons Of Weng-chiang (1977) - Six episodes - written by Robert Holmes
"Let the talons of Weng-Chiang... Shred Your Fleee-aaaa-eeesh!!"
The finale to Doctor Who's 14th series is a wonderfully lurid, Penny Dreadful-inspired piece of drama, where the fog-strewn streets of London are littered with severed limbs and innocents meet a gruesome demise.
'The Talons of Weng-Chiang' features not one but two iconic villains."Slathering, gangrenous vampire" Magnus...
Appropriately enough, slot number four is filled by the fourth Doctor. Tom Baker's first entry in our 50th list is a fan favourite tale penned by one of the show's most acclaimed writers, the esteemed Robert Holmes...
4. The Talons Of Weng-chiang (1977) - Six episodes - written by Robert Holmes
"Let the talons of Weng-Chiang... Shred Your Fleee-aaaa-eeesh!!"
The finale to Doctor Who's 14th series is a wonderfully lurid, Penny Dreadful-inspired piece of drama, where the fog-strewn streets of London are littered with severed limbs and innocents meet a gruesome demise.
'The Talons of Weng-Chiang' features not one but two iconic villains."Slathering, gangrenous vampire" Magnus...
- 10/28/2013
- Digital Spy
Interview Louisa Mellor 3 Sep 2013 - 07:00
Philip Hinchcliffe, Doctor Who producer 1974 - 1977, chats about Tom Baker, villains, visual FX, companions, the 2005 revival, & more…
A week or so ago in a Brighton basement, Den of Geek attended a fun evening organised by the - aptly named, in this instance - arts and entertainment group, Space.
A regular Brighton-based event, Space regularly welcomes luminaries from the creative world to talk to its intimate group. Past guests have been from the world of film and television (Mark Gatiss, Toby Whithouse, Nicholas Roeg, David Morrissey, The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception visual effects artist Paul Franklin, Star Wars, Superman and Raiders of the Lost Ark production designer Norman Reynolds), literature (Ian Rankin), and music (William Orbit, Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Goldie).
There are two Q&As per event, and opportunities to ask questions in an informal, friendly and geeky atmosphere, making the nights well worth the £8 advance ticket price.
Philip Hinchcliffe, Doctor Who producer 1974 - 1977, chats about Tom Baker, villains, visual FX, companions, the 2005 revival, & more…
A week or so ago in a Brighton basement, Den of Geek attended a fun evening organised by the - aptly named, in this instance - arts and entertainment group, Space.
A regular Brighton-based event, Space regularly welcomes luminaries from the creative world to talk to its intimate group. Past guests have been from the world of film and television (Mark Gatiss, Toby Whithouse, Nicholas Roeg, David Morrissey, The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception visual effects artist Paul Franklin, Star Wars, Superman and Raiders of the Lost Ark production designer Norman Reynolds), literature (Ian Rankin), and music (William Orbit, Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Goldie).
There are two Q&As per event, and opportunities to ask questions in an informal, friendly and geeky atmosphere, making the nights well worth the £8 advance ticket price.
- 9/3/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Bernard Horsfall has died at the age of 82. The actor starred in several movie and TV roles, including multiple appearances in Doctor Who serials directed by David Maloney. [Bernard Horsfall in an 1981 episode of Crown Court] Horsfall is reported to have passed away this morning (January 29). He was perhaps best known for playing Chancellor Goth opposite Tom Baker in 1976's The Deadly Assassin. He had previously appeared as Lemuel Gulliver in The Mind Robber (1968), a Time Lord in War Games (1969) and (more)...
- 1/29/2013
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Apologies for having re-posted John Bensalhia's earlier (transmission-time) review today. Here's the real 'look back'... (Ed.)
Blake's 7. Doctor Who. Having written 50 out of 52 reviews for the classic space opera (which I guess makes me the Peter Tuddenham of Blake's 7 reviewers), coming to the task of reviewing Doctor Who in its TV entirety makes me wise to how similar the two programmes can be at times. Many of the Blake's 7 production team had already cut their teeth on Who whether it was writer Chris Boucher, producer David Maloney or a list of directors too long to mention. Most of the actors, regulars or guests, had turned up in Who at some point. And even some of the stories bear comparison with its grand older brother.
I only mention this because I'm plonked in front of the latest wacky Who adventure called The Lodger. On the surface this doesn't really have anything...
Blake's 7. Doctor Who. Having written 50 out of 52 reviews for the classic space opera (which I guess makes me the Peter Tuddenham of Blake's 7 reviewers), coming to the task of reviewing Doctor Who in its TV entirety makes me wise to how similar the two programmes can be at times. Many of the Blake's 7 production team had already cut their teeth on Who whether it was writer Chris Boucher, producer David Maloney or a list of directors too long to mention. Most of the actors, regulars or guests, had turned up in Who at some point. And even some of the stories bear comparison with its grand older brother.
I only mention this because I'm plonked in front of the latest wacky Who adventure called The Lodger. On the surface this doesn't really have anything...
- 11/18/2011
- Shadowlocked
Amy's Choice. Hmmm, sounds like a brand new drink that you'd get down the pub – you know, the sort of dayglo alcoholic fizzy pop that would turn your insides out after three bottles. Or maybe it's a slightly flat bitter with a potent but unpleasant after-taste.
Well, it sounds simple, but there's a bit more to it than that. If there's one thing that I've learned about the worlds of Doctor Who, it's that nothing is as easy as it seems. Just like disentangling Amy's Choice itself. It's actually for me personally one of the better stories of a decidedly mixed season. Which is something of a damning indictment, given that it still feels like something of a missed opportunity. Like The Vampires Of Venice , there's the feeling that this story could be so much more. So! Much! More! Sorry, I'm reminded of the Tenth Doctor's final few hours in...
Well, it sounds simple, but there's a bit more to it than that. If there's one thing that I've learned about the worlds of Doctor Who, it's that nothing is as easy as it seems. Just like disentangling Amy's Choice itself. It's actually for me personally one of the better stories of a decidedly mixed season. Which is something of a damning indictment, given that it still feels like something of a missed opportunity. Like The Vampires Of Venice , there's the feeling that this story could be so much more. So! Much! More! Sorry, I'm reminded of the Tenth Doctor's final few hours in...
- 11/9/2011
- Shadowlocked
Tom Baker talks about Lis Sladen at his Web site: Lis Sladen was very important to me, you know. When I joined the little world of Doctor Who, Lis was already a star. She had an enormous success with Jon Pertwee. She was good pals with the Brigadier, our beloved Nicholas Courtney; she knew all the regular directors.... So when I replaced Jon Pertwee, it must have been an anxious time for Lis; it was a very anxious time for me. Following in the big footsteps of Jon was daunting. Tom Baker? Never heard of him. And so we started on the first story under Barry Letts as director. We did the location stuff first and I just obeyed orders; running about, with the Brigadier and that silly car Bessie Trotwood, I think it was called: too small for me, but also in its own way a "character". Jon loved cars.
- 4/21/2011
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
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