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My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.


The Friendly Dalek
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The Two Doctors- So much wasted potential. Seeing Troughton and Hines back together is brilliant, and I love how they interact with Colin and Nicola. 

The other supporting characters are ok, they are memorable but not particularity interesting. Shockeye stands out, but that cliffhanger to episode 2 involving him is really creepy, perhaps unintentionally. Why is this story 3 episodes long? It really doesn't need to be draged out that much, and the padding really does start to show in the 3rd part I think.

The Sontarans are wasted again. They don't look or sound very good, and seem kind of useless in this story. 

The set and location design is nice, with the location visuals looking excellent.

Overall- 4/10.

The leads are great, and it is nice to see Troughton and Hines again. Some of the supporting characters are interesting, and the acting is good overall. The story itself is bland and dragged out a lot.

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Timelash- This is a bad story. Not as bad as some people describe it, though. I frequently hear that it is one of the very worst Doctor Who stories of all time. I think there are certainly worse stories, but this is still a very bad one.

The acting and dialogue is very bad. The story is bland and unmemorable, but it surprisingly isn't dull. I wasn't bored, but the story doesn't really do anything that makes it stick in my mind. Its a strange one. I think it is bad but I don't get bored watching it. The Borad is visually interesting, but has nothing more to him to be honest. A very forgettable villain. The other characters aren't great either. The visuals are ok.

My favourite author, H.G Wells, appears in a Doctor Who story? Excellent idea. Pretty poorly executed. The character seems wasted. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are decent but the script doesn't do them justice.

Overall- 2/10.

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Revelation Of The Daleks- This season ends on a high note with a great Dalek story as the finale. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are excellent, and by this time the character of The Doctor has mellowed a fair amount, and he is clearly much nicer than he was at the start o this season. The supporting cast are very good, and the characters are well written. The only character which I find very annoying is the DJ. The dialogue is wonderfully dark, yet also somewhat comedic at times. The story is very macabre, especially when you find out what Davros's plan is.

Terry Molloy excels as Davros once again, and the Daleks themselves are well utilised in this story. As evidence that it all works so well, I usually forget that The Doctor and Peri spend the first half of the story walking around, they literally do nothing, however it works because the other characters are so compelling that you don't even notice that The Doctor isn't involved. 

The interactions between The Doctor and Davros are wonderful once again. Interestingly. this is the first story in which a Dalek is seen to levitate (Davros does it as well). I just thought I should mention that. :D

Overall- 9/10.

Overall rating for Season 22- 4/10.

Unfortunately Colin's first Season was a poor one in my opinion. I love Vengeance On Varos and Revelation Of The Daleks, but every other story this Season is meh to bad. Colin is an excellent Doctor, and Nicola Bryant is a good companion, but they are constantly let down by mediocre scripts. 

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Trial Of A Time Lord (parts 1-4) - I think the concept of this season is great. It makes sense why The Doctor is on trial in the first place, and the court sequences are always entertaining, and are the best things about this season. Colin Baker, Lynda Bellingham and Michael Jayston are fantastic throughout the whole season.

This first segment of the story isn't great in my opinion. Everything in the court is exceptional, but the story about the planet The Doctor has gone to really isn't interesting in my opinion. The characters are bland and unmemorable, with the exception of Glitz, who is wonderfully played by Tony Selby. The main villain, Drathro, looks impressive, and the interactions it has with The Doctor are interesting, but other than them no characters stand out. The story itself is rather dull, which is a rarity for a Robert Holmes story.

Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are at their peak in terms of their on screen relationship. The Doctor is far more likeable and mellow in this season, and Nicola Bryant gets good material to work with as well. 

Overall- 4/10.

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Trial Of A Time Lord (parts 5-8) - This segment is my favourite part of this story. The return of Sil is a welcome one, although I do feel he is underused, mainly stuck in the background behind Kiv, who I think is a less interesting character to be honest. 

Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are fantastic in this one. Brian Blessed is also very good, and very entertaining. The rest of the cast is also good. The visuals and set design in this story are interesting and well done. The story itself is unique and the writing and dialogue is great. 

The trial scenes in this story are even better than those in the previous one. The interactions between The Valeyard and The Doctor are incredibly good. The ending is brilliant and very powerful (I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it). Colin's delivery of the final lines in this story is amazing. Honestly I have no issues with this story.

Overall- 10/10.

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Trial Of A Time Lord (parts 9-12) - This is another strong segment for this story. The performances are mostly good. Colin Baker is great, and Bonnie Langford I actually don't mind. She is likeable in this story (to be honest I like her in most of her televised episodes). I'm also not big on some if the costume design.

The Vervoids are the villains of this segment. I think they are effective for what they are. This story feels like it could fit right into the Troughton era, due to the claustrophobic location of a space ship. The Vervoids fit this type of story well, picking people off one by one. The only problem I have with them is their design, which I'm not a fan of.

The trial sequences are great again. The cliffhanger are actually surprisingly effective as well.

Overall- 8/10.

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Trial Of A Time Lord (parts 13-14) - This is an unfortunately messy conclusion to an otherwise strong season. I think the first half of part 13 (the stuff in the courtroom) is perfect. Colin's speech taking about the Time Lords is one of his shining moments. Anthony Ainley is again great as The Master. The reveal of The Valeyard being the physical manifestation of the darker side of The Doctor's nature is an excellent idea and a great twist in this story, which is why I think it is a real shame that this story with The Valeyard has never fully been resolved on television (I know there are some Big Finish audios about The Valeyard but I'm yet to get them).  Bonnie Langford is still good in my opinion, and Toby Selby is very entertaining as Glitz. 

Sadly this story falls to bits as soon as the characters enter The Matrix. The actual resolution of this story is very underwhelming and slightly confusing (espaiclly with the cliffhanger at the end of part 14). To make matters even worse, it undoes the brilliant and shocking end of Mindwarp (parts 5-8).

Overall- 3/10 (thanks to the trial scenes and the performances from Colin, Tony Selby, Anthony Ainley and so on).

Overall rating for Season 23- 5/10.

The concept of this season is a great one, and it makes sense why The Doctor is on trial in the first place. The trial sequences are brilliant, but the stuff outside of the trial is mixed in terms of its quality. I've been praising Colin's performance throughout his stories, because I do think he is an excellent actor and I love how he played The Doctor. It is truly unfortunate that this was his final story on television. But as one excellent Doctor departs, another arrives, and Sylvester McCoy is equally brilliant in the role.

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
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2 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Trial Of A Time Lord (parts 13-14) - This is an unfortunately messy conclusion to an otherwise strong season. I think the first half of part 13 (the stuff in the courtroom) is perfect. Colin's speech taking about the Time Lords is one of his shining moments. Anthony Ainley is again great as The Master. The reveal of The Valeyard being the physical manifestation of the darker side of The Doctor's nature is an excellent idea and a great twist in this story, which is why I think it is a real shame that this story with The Valeyard has never fully been resolved on television (I know there are some Big Finish audios about The Valeyard but I'm yet to get them).  Bonnie Langford is still good in my opinion, and Toby Selby is very entertaining as Glitz. 

Sadly this story falls to bits as soon as the characters enter The Matrix. The actual resolution of this story is very underwhelming and slightly confusing (espaiclly with the cliffhanger at the end of part 14). To make matters even worse, it undoes the brilliant and shocking end of Mindwarp (parts 5-8).

Overall- 3/10 (thanks to the trial scenes and the performances from Colin, Tony Selby, Anthony Ainley and so on).

Overall rating for Season 23- 5/10.

The concept of this season is a great one, and it makes sense why The Doctor is on trial in the first place. The trial sequences are brilliant, but the stuff outside of the trial is mixed in terms of its quality. I've been praising Colin's performance throughout his stories, because I do think he is an excellent actor and I love how he played The Doctor. It is truly unfortunate that this was his final story on television. But as one excellent Doctor departs, another arrives, and Sylvester McCoy is equally brilliant in the role.

I agree Trial Of A Time Lord was an excellent concept. Brilliant in parts but very poorly executed in others. 

Proof that undoing a companion's death is not a recent idea.

I loved Colin's portrayal of The Doctor. He is my joint third favourite doctor. It's a shame that some of the writing would ultimately lead (albeit temporarily) to the end of Doctor Who. At least the audio adventures give Colin and the 6th doctor the chance to shine. He was badly let down by the BBC.

I also enjoyed Sylvester McCoy in the role but the momentum was definitely waining since the heyday of the seventies and early eighties.

Interested to see what you think of the seventh doctor's series. 

 

 

 

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9 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

I agree Trial Of A Time Lord was an excellent concept. Brilliant in parts but very poorly executed in others. 

Proof that undoing a companion's death is not a recent idea.

I loved Colin's portrayal of The Doctor. He is my joint third favourite doctor. It's a shame that some of the writing would ultimately lead (albeit temporarily) to the end of Doctor Who. At least the audio adventures give Colin and the 6th doctor the chance to shine. He was badly let down by the BBC.

I also enjoyed Sylvester McCoy in the role but the momentum was definitely waining since the heyday of the seventies and early eighties.

Interested to see what you think of the seventh doctor's series. 

Although reversing a companion's death is not a new concept, I still really dislike when it is done. To me, this story and Hell Bent are the worst examples of this. Previous stories build up an emotional and fitting climax, only for a later sorry to undo it and remove the impact that previous story had. It isn't restricted to Doctor Who, I'm not a fan of any film or tv series doing that, but that's just me. :lol:

I agree that Colin was let down by poor scripts and bad behind the scenes decisions during his television era, and thankfully Big Finish have allowed him to prove just how good he is when the scripts are strong enough to compliment his portrayal of The Doctor. 

I really want to say something about my thoughts on the McCoy era now, but to quote a certain someone from modern Who, "Spoilers." ;)

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9 hours ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Although reversing a companion's death is not a new concept, I still really dislike when it is done. To me, this story and Hell Bent are the worst examples of this. Previous stories build up an emotional and fitting climax, only for a later story to undo it and remove the impact that previous story had. It isn't restricted to Doctor Who, I'm not a fan of any film or tv series doing that, but that's just me. :lol:

Couldn't agree more :coolthumb:

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Time And The Rani- A poor start to the McCoy era. I actually enjoy McCoy's comical performance in this season, but the dialogue is so much worse in this story compared to the others that McCoy simply isn't able to make it entertaining.

Bonnie Langford isn't good in this sorry either. She tries, but he constant screaming in this story is grating and annoying. Kate O'Mara is also wasted in this story. Her character deserved so much better, and her acting ability is so much greater than what this story allowed her to show.

The regeneration at the start was very poorly done. The story itself is dull and uninteresting. The supporting cast are bland and forgettable.

Literally the only thing I like about it is McCoy in some scenes and the title sequence/theme.

Overall- 1/10.

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5 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Time And The Rani- A poor start to the McCoy era. I actually enjoy McCoy's comical performance in this season, but the dialogue is so much worse in this story compared to the others that McCoy simply isn't able to make it entertaining.

Bonnie Langford isn't good in this sorry either. She tries, but he constant screaming in this story is grating and annoying. Kate O'Mara is also wasted in this story. Her character deserved so much better, and her acting ability is so much greater than what this story allowed her to show.

The regeneration at the start was very poorly done. The story itself is dull and uninteresting. The supporting cast are bland and forgettable.

Literally the only thing I like about it is McCoy in some scenes and the title sequence/theme.

Overall- 1/10.

This is quite possibly the weakest start to any era. I think it's even worse than Colin's first episode.

The regeneration - well you can hardly blame Colin for not coming back but you'd have thought they could do better than a badly fitting wig!

I was never a fan of Bonnie Langford's character. I found the screaming annoying all the way through her tenure :lol:

The Rani and Kate O'Mara were worth so much more. 

Wasted opportunities for all concerned.

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7 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

This is quite possibly the weakest start to any era. I think it's even worse than Colin's first episode.

The regeneration - well you can hardly blame Colin for not coming back but you'd have thought they could do better than a badly fitting wig!

I was never a fan of Bonnie Langford's character. I found the screaming annoying all the way through her tenure :lol:

The Rani and Kate O'Mara were worth so much more. 

Wasted opportunities for all concerned.

If I had to choose between this and The Twin Dilemma, I would much rather watch the latter. :lol:

As I've said, I don't mind Bonnie Langford's character, but there are definitely moments where her character could be annoying. Unfortunately this is basically an entire story showcasing the worst side of her character.

I'm yet to listen to any Big Finish stories featuring The Rani but I've heard that they did the character justice.

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Paradise Towers- This story is bonkers, and I love it. :lol:

Sylvester McCoy is great, and this time the script plays to his comedic strengths, giving him some great and memorable moments. Bonnie Langford is also good. Richard Briers and Clive Merrison are hilarious as the caretakers, and the other supporting characters are also entertaining. 

The sets in this story have a uniquely run down feel to them, and it really does sell the idea that the area has been in a state of disuse of a long time. I like the design of the cleaning robots (sadly the same can't be said for the robot crab in part 4...). The story itself is intriguing and it doesn't drag at all.  

The story is crazy, but hugely entertaining, and I think it also manages to strike a great balance between humorous and horror elements (see the cannibalistic old ladies). I think the story slightly loses this balance in the final episode, but it is still enjoyable to watch. 

Overall- 9/10.

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Delta And The Bannermen- This is an enjoyable story, but unlike Paradise Towers, the comedy isn't as strong and the story isn't as well written. The supporting characters are mixed, some are entertaining and some I find annoying. The regulars are good, but they aren't given very strong material, so they try their best but the dialogue lets them down.

The villain, Gavrok, is perhaps the weakest element in this story. The performance was over the top and the character's dialogue was generic and uninteresting. 

Ken Dodd is the most entertaining guest star in this story. He is great. 

Overall- 5/10

This story is fun. It is a very enjoyable time. Unfortunately there are issues with the script and characterisation which bring it down.

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I fell out of love with Who during the McCoy era and stopped watching it so haven't seen any of these.

I discovered pubs around that time so these things are probably related!

Will check out some of the stories based on your ratings.

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29 minutes ago, Bumper8 said:

I fell out of love with Who during the McCoy era and stopped watching it so haven't seen any of these.

I discovered pubs around that time so these things are probably related!

Will check out some of the stories based on your ratings.

Some of the McCoy stories are well worth watching, especially in the later two seasons of his era. Some of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever in my eyes are from this era. :thumbup:

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Dragonfire- This is a better story than Delta but no where near as good as Paradise Towers in my opinion. 

The return of Glitz is a nice surprise and Tony Selby is excellent. Kane is a very good villain. Unfortunately I didn't like any of the other supporting characters. 

The story has serious tonal issues, and it can't seem to decide if it wants to be comedic or more horrific. The cliffhanger to episode 1 is a perfect example. Dkesote these tonal inconsistencies it is never boring, which I find surprising. 

Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford are both decent, but neither are great. Sophie Aldred, on the other hand, is brilliant as Ace. 

The story is actually interesting but it is executed poorly. It is always entertaining though.

The whole final sequence in the TARDIS is great. Bonnie Langford's departure is well done, and McCoy gets some excellent lines there.

Overall- 6/10.

Overall rating for Season 24- 4/10.

This is one of the worst seasons of classic Who. The stories seem so desperate to be comedic that they often come across as forced and don't work. The writing is pretty bad throughout those season (with Paradise being the exception). Sylvester McCoy is good, but his era only goes upwards from here. :D

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Remembrance Of The Daleks- This is my favourite story of the McCoy era, and one of my all time favourites. 

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are fantastic. The supporting characters are well acted and well written, and are very memorable. The dialogue in this story shines. 

The Daleks themselves are at their peak in this story. The Dalek civil war story is a wonderful idea and it is executed perfectly. Davros is also a wonderful inclusion in this story. 

The action sequences are epic, and the budget really went to good use in this story. Lots of explosions and battle sequences, and the spaceship prop looks excellent. This story is excellently paced as well.

The ending of this story is brilliant. Standout scenes in this story include the cafe scene, and McCoy's speech when he confronts Davros, but the entire thing is great. Also, the cliffhangers are fantastic.

Overall- 10/10.

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25 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Remembrance Of The Daleks- This is my favourite story of the McCoy era, and one of my all time favourites. 

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are fantastic. The supporting characters are well acted and well written, and are very memorable. The dialogue in this story shines. 

The Daleks themselves are at their peak in this story. The Dalek civil war story is a wonderful idea and it is executed perfectly. Davros is also a wonderful inclusion in this story. 

The action sequences are epic, and the budget really went to good use in this story. Lots of explosions and battle sequences, and the spaceship prop looks excellent. This story is excellently paced as well.

The ending of this story is brilliant. Standout scenes in this story include the cafe scene, and McCoy's speech when he confronts Davros, but the entire thing is great. Also, the cliffhangers are fantastic.

Overall- 10/10.

This story plays to Sylvester's strengths. It certainly ranks as one of my favourites.

I think Ace is a far better companion for the 7th Doctor. As a teenager I enjoyed her attitude. :lol:

The action is perfectly blended with the humour.

Davros and the Daleks are used to their full potential.

I love the links to Doctor Who history.

Interestingly I remember reading that the director for this story went so far over budget on the special effects that he was barred from directing any more Who! However it was definitely worth it. :coolthumb:

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3 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Interestingly I remember reading that the director for this story went so far over budget on the special effects that he was barred from directing any more Who! However it was definitely worth it. :coolthumb:

I never knew that, thanks for letting me know about that. :thumbup:

 Well I knew it went over budget but I didn't know the directed was barred from working on the show again. 

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