Andrew Blair Nov 13, 2019
Andrew argues that one of the most influential episodes of Classic Who can act as a litmus test for the show's fandom...
This Doctor Who article originally appeared on Den of Geek UK.
Doctor Who contradicts itself. It contains multitudes. Thus, not everyone likes it for the same reasons, and one of the best examples of this is "The Moonbase." Broadcast in February - March 1967, this is the fourth story to feature Patrick Troughton in the lead role and the second ever Cyberman story (broadcast only four months after their debut). Two episodes of it exist in the BBC archives with the missing episodes animated for DVD release.
There are plenty of reasons to enjoy "The Moonbase." There are a few reasons to roll your eyes at it too. This article will look at the different aspects of the story and how fans respond to them.
The...
Andrew argues that one of the most influential episodes of Classic Who can act as a litmus test for the show's fandom...
This Doctor Who article originally appeared on Den of Geek UK.
Doctor Who contradicts itself. It contains multitudes. Thus, not everyone likes it for the same reasons, and one of the best examples of this is "The Moonbase." Broadcast in February - March 1967, this is the fourth story to feature Patrick Troughton in the lead role and the second ever Cyberman story (broadcast only four months after their debut). Two episodes of it exist in the BBC archives with the missing episodes animated for DVD release.
There are plenty of reasons to enjoy "The Moonbase." There are a few reasons to roll your eyes at it too. This article will look at the different aspects of the story and how fans respond to them.
The...
- 11/13/2019
- Den of Geek
Pete Dillon-Trenchard May 6, 2017
Doctor Who series 10 strikes gold with Knock Knock - and there were some interesting references in it, too...
This article contains lots of spoilers for Doctor Who.
See related Power Rangers, boob armour, and impractical costumes
Knock, Knock is a real treat - a spooky, atmospheric tale with an emotional core and some brilliant guest performances. And in a sense it’s a real treat for this writer too, as it’s one of those Doctor Who episodes that’s so fresh and unlike anything the series has done before in its 54-year history (intentionally or otherwise) that this article is significantly shorter than usual; we hope that’s okay. But as ever, if you think you’ve spotted something we’ve missed, please do leave it in the comments below...
Poirot’s Last Case
We’ll start with a reference that wasn’t - in...
Doctor Who series 10 strikes gold with Knock Knock - and there were some interesting references in it, too...
This article contains lots of spoilers for Doctor Who.
See related Power Rangers, boob armour, and impractical costumes
Knock, Knock is a real treat - a spooky, atmospheric tale with an emotional core and some brilliant guest performances. And in a sense it’s a real treat for this writer too, as it’s one of those Doctor Who episodes that’s so fresh and unlike anything the series has done before in its 54-year history (intentionally or otherwise) that this article is significantly shorter than usual; we hope that’s okay. But as ever, if you think you’ve spotted something we’ve missed, please do leave it in the comments below...
Poirot’s Last Case
We’ll start with a reference that wasn’t - in...
- 5/6/2017
- Den of Geek
Feature Alex Westthorp 9 Apr 2014 - 07:00
In the next part of his series, Alex talks us through the film careers of the second and fourth Doctors, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker...
Read Alex's retrospective on the film careers of William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, here.
Like their fellow Time Lord actors, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker also shared certain genres of film. Both appeared, before and after their time as the Doctor, in horror movies and both worked on Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films.
Patrick George Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London on March 25th 1920. He made his film debut aged 28 in the 1948 B-Movie The Escape. Troughton's was a very minor role. Among the better known cast was William Hartnell, though even Hartnell's role was small and the two didn't share any scenes together. From the late Forties, Troughton found more success on the small screen,...
In the next part of his series, Alex talks us through the film careers of the second and fourth Doctors, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker...
Read Alex's retrospective on the film careers of William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, here.
Like their fellow Time Lord actors, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker also shared certain genres of film. Both appeared, before and after their time as the Doctor, in horror movies and both worked on Ray Harryhausen Sinbad films.
Patrick George Troughton was born in Mill Hill, London on March 25th 1920. He made his film debut aged 28 in the 1948 B-Movie The Escape. Troughton's was a very minor role. Among the better known cast was William Hartnell, though even Hartnell's role was small and the two didn't share any scenes together. From the late Forties, Troughton found more success on the small screen,...
- 4/8/2014
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
When watching An Adventure In Space And Time, I noticed one feeling dominated all others. It wasn’t excitement at seeing early Doctor Who recreated in high definition colour. It wasn’t admiration in the playing of the lead actors (all wonderful), nor even some fannish desire for accuracy (I let several anachronisms of speech and behaviour slip by, suspending my disbelief in the spirit of the piece).
The overwhelming feeling I had was one of protectiveness. I felt protective towards Verity Lambert, Waris Hussein, even Sydney Newman, the old so-and-so. But I felt especially protective towards William Hartnell. As an actor his reputation is pretty much intact, despite a few swipes at his memory from those too ignorant to know better. But as a man I felt that he had been much maligned, and An Adventure In Space And Time could either support the myths, or set the record straight.
The overwhelming feeling I had was one of protectiveness. I felt protective towards Verity Lambert, Waris Hussein, even Sydney Newman, the old so-and-so. But I felt especially protective towards William Hartnell. As an actor his reputation is pretty much intact, despite a few swipes at his memory from those too ignorant to know better. But as a man I felt that he had been much maligned, and An Adventure In Space And Time could either support the myths, or set the record straight.
- 11/24/2013
- by David Martin Farmbrough
- Obsessed with Film
Cybermen
To truly appreciate BBC America’s November 19 release of Doctor Who: Tenth Planet, you need to understand a little bit about the context of the story. At the time, Doctor Who had been on the air for three years but the ratings were slipping and William Hartnell’s health was deteriorating. The powers-that-be told producer Innes Lloyd to try and revive the show with or without Hartnell. Script editor Gerry Davis, came up with the bold and highly controversial idea of replacing Hartnell with a new lead actor — Patrick Troughton. They’d explain this change to the viewers by introducing the concept of regeneration through which aliens can discard an old form and adopt a new one in much the same way that a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Needless to say, there were no guarantees that the public would buy into Davis’ idea. Therefore, the very future...
To truly appreciate BBC America’s November 19 release of Doctor Who: Tenth Planet, you need to understand a little bit about the context of the story. At the time, Doctor Who had been on the air for three years but the ratings were slipping and William Hartnell’s health was deteriorating. The powers-that-be told producer Innes Lloyd to try and revive the show with or without Hartnell. Script editor Gerry Davis, came up with the bold and highly controversial idea of replacing Hartnell with a new lead actor — Patrick Troughton. They’d explain this change to the viewers by introducing the concept of regeneration through which aliens can discard an old form and adopt a new one in much the same way that a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Needless to say, there were no guarantees that the public would buy into Davis’ idea. Therefore, the very future...
- 11/11/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
It should be noted going into this question- pretty much the entirety of Doctor Who is at the deep end of the weird pool, if you compare it to just about anything else on television. And there’s a simple reason for that: That’s what it was specifically designed to do.
As different as the Verity Lambert era is from the Innes Lloyd, John Nathan Turner, or Russell T. Davies eras, the one thing that they all have in common is that they fundamentally exist to show you unusual places, things, and people (who are also sometimes things.)
So you could randomly select 10 30 second clips from any point in Doctor Who’s history and have a reasonable assumption that they are going to be fairly bat-s**t crazy compared to, let’s say, Hot in Cleveland. (although sometimes Betty White surprises you…)
What I’m getting at here is...
As different as the Verity Lambert era is from the Innes Lloyd, John Nathan Turner, or Russell T. Davies eras, the one thing that they all have in common is that they fundamentally exist to show you unusual places, things, and people (who are also sometimes things.)
So you could randomly select 10 30 second clips from any point in Doctor Who’s history and have a reasonable assumption that they are going to be fairly bat-s**t crazy compared to, let’s say, Hot in Cleveland. (although sometimes Betty White surprises you…)
What I’m getting at here is...
- 6/27/2013
- by Mikey Heinrich
- Obsessed with Film
If you've ever seen the classic 1973 Christmas Special of The Goodies (called The Goodies And The Beanstalk), then you'll probably remember that bit at the end when the down and out trio come across an abandoned lamp in the street. As soon as they rub the lamp – bingo! A puff of smoke and then John Cleese in a turban. Cleese then bellows “Kids' Show!” after the Goodies tell him to clear off.
I suppose that some people regarded The Goodies as the crazy younger brother of the more adult Monty Python's Flying Circus – on the surface, with its speeded-up action sequences, giant kittens, Dougals and Zebedees, I suppose you could say it's a show that's targeted towards younger ones. But then how do you explain the satirical swipes at the Royals, advertising commercialism, talent shows or apartheid?
Which neatly brings me on to Doctor Who. I was wondering this the...
I suppose that some people regarded The Goodies as the crazy younger brother of the more adult Monty Python's Flying Circus – on the surface, with its speeded-up action sequences, giant kittens, Dougals and Zebedees, I suppose you could say it's a show that's targeted towards younger ones. But then how do you explain the satirical swipes at the Royals, advertising commercialism, talent shows or apartheid?
Which neatly brings me on to Doctor Who. I was wondering this the...
- 8/14/2012
- Shadowlocked
How ironic. The historical was about to become a thing of the past by 1966. Up until that point, historical adventures had been an integral part of Doctor Who - especially in the first couple of seasons, when historicals and sci-fi went hand in hand. However, new producer Innes Lloyd was rumoured to be less than fond of this genre. I guess with a brand new actor playing the lead role, why carry on with the old tradition?
The Highlanders has that air of the final Highland fling about it. Sadly, it’s not in the all-guns-blazing historical epic, more the muffled cough of a granny getting her false teeth caught on a piece of shortbread.
Like its historical predecessor The Smugglers, The Highlanders doesn’t trace its roots back to a historical crisis or meet a familiar historical figure. The Doctor takes Ben and Polly back to the Highlands, just...
The Highlanders has that air of the final Highland fling about it. Sadly, it’s not in the all-guns-blazing historical epic, more the muffled cough of a granny getting her false teeth caught on a piece of shortbread.
Like its historical predecessor The Smugglers, The Highlanders doesn’t trace its roots back to a historical crisis or meet a familiar historical figure. The Doctor takes Ben and Polly back to the Highlands, just...
- 5/5/2010
- by admin@shadowlocked.com (John Bensalhia)
- Shadowlocked
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