The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon

Doctor Who - A Land Of Fear (08/08/04) A very dramatic and quite violent episode this week. The TARDIS has landed in Revolutionary France (apparently the Doctor's favourite period in Earth's history!) and, following a bit of exploring, the travellers came upon an abandoned farmhouse which was being used as a stop off point by French nobles trying to flee the country. Having a look upstairs, the Doctor was knocked unconscious by a hiding refugee and Ian, Barbara and Susan, having discovered a chest containing clothes (which they changed into), maps and documents signed by Robespierre, were confronted by the young nobleman and the man running the escape. However, a group of Revolutionaries turned up hunting for the nobles and the young man, already hysterical after having his entire family executed, ran out to try and escape. They caught him, and the guide, and shot them both; the young guy after kicking the shit out of him off screen!  The Revolutionaries (Citizens) found Ian,...

Doctor Who - Hidden Danger (11/07/04) No episode last week because of the Tennis, but interesting developments this week and a somewhat obvious plot and cliffhanger. The Doctor wasn't impressed with Susan's decision to go down to the planet with the Sensorites, but seemingly more because she didn't include the others in her decision making. The Sensorites agreed to cure John and return the TARDIS lock in exchange for the Doctor's help curing a disease which has affected the Sensorite people since the previous Human visitors left in their ship which exploded in the atmosphere. Since the disease only affects the commoners and not the Sensorite Elite, it's obvious that the water the commoners are drinking is poisoned (I think it'll be radiation from the exploded ship) because the Elders all drink water from a special spring the First Elder found. This is underlined by Ian drinking some of the normal water and immediately coming down with the illness. Also, the ...

Doctor Who - The Bride Of Sacrifice (06/06/04) A Lot happened this week! Barbara stopped Ixta killing Ian by holding a knife at Tlotoxl's throat; Tlotoxl teamed up with Tonila (some learned bloke) to prove Barbara was a false god by poisoning her but Ian had warned her something suss was going on and she demanded Tlotoxl drink first, then smashed the pot and confessed to him that she was mortal - didn't see that coming! Then she threatened to destroy him if he said anything! She's getting very brave and confident, but then she's always been a very strong character. Susan refused to marry the Perfect Victim and is to be publicly punished at the coming eclipse, and there were some great scenes with the Doctor and Cameca (who is a little besotted with him) where he inadvertently got engaged to her by preparing some coffee. Those scenes were really well written and you could tell that Bill Hartnell and Margot van der Burgh were really enjoying playing them. The Doct...

Doctor Who - Sentence Of Death (09/05/04) Better this week, although it got off to a rocky start. Having visited Renaissance Italy, a jungle and Siberia, we're now in the USA (or the Marinus equivalent) - a place with stupid laws and terrible hats. It seems Altos' mate Eprin got himself a job as a security guard at the vault where the leaders of the city of Millennius were keeping the last key for Arbitan. Eprin had arranged with the Doctor to steal the key (rather than just say "I'm here to collect the key on Arbitan's behalf. Can I have it please?") but acted early and was killed by the relief guard who is in league with another Guardian, Eyesen, who wanted to steal the key for themselves. Ian found the body, but Aydan (the relief guard) knocked him out, made it look like Ian had killed Eprin and claimed to have been first on the scene having hidden the key. There was a charming scene where the Doctor worked all this out, but as Ian is guilty until proven ...

Doctor Who - The Sea Of Death (11/04/04) That was a bit odd. Terry Nation, the bloke who wrote the Dalek story, is back but this wasn't quite so well written. It's an interesting set up; TARDIS has brought them to Marinus and landed on an island in a sea of acid with a pyramid on it where an old man called Arbitan is the last guardian of The Conscience Of Marinus - a machine which was so powerful that it was able to control the thoughts of everyone on the planet so that evil was eliminated. I'm not entirely sure that's a good thing, but somehow a man called Yartek found a way of over-riding The Conscience's control, and he and his rubber-suited followers have been intermittently laying siege to the island ever since so they can destroy the machine or use it to make everyone corrupt. I think. It's all a bit vague. Anyhow, Arbitan took the control keys out and hid them in various places on Marinus (presumably meaning that everyone can think for themselves n...

Doctor Who - The Wall Of Lies (14/03/04) A very intriguing episode this week! Having rescued Barbara, Marco's caravan travelled further toward Shang-Tu, but there's friction between the travellers. Barbara claims she followed Tegana to the Cave of Five Hundred Eyes but Tegana says he was only there the one time, after everybody else arrived. Marco obviously believes 'important emissary of Peace' Tegana over the four strangers, but Ping Cho has realised that Tegana mentioned a passage way he couldn't have known about and so must be lying. Tegana has already sewn seeds of doubt about Susan's influence over Ping Cho so they've been separated and, after Tegana saw the Doctor entering the TARDIS and alerted Marco, the four travellers (upon the Doctor leaving the ship, the repairs having been completed) have been held prisoner in their own tent, the original and the new key in Marco's possession. Not only that, but Tegana had arranged for his warlord allie...

Doctor Who - The Brink Of Disaster (15/02/04) That was a very confusing episode and I'm not altogether certain it made a great deal of sense, but it has been an interesting exploration of the main characters. Ian seemed to be in some kind of daze, probably brought about by the 'mild sleeping drug' the Doctor gave him. Turns out he was trying to stop the Doctor going near the console because he thought the Doctor would be electrocuted. The Doctor threatened to throw both Ian and Barbara off the ship, then it turned out the ship would be destroyed in five minutes, then they worked out that it was all down to the Fast Return Switch getting stuck and everything that's happened was the TARDIS trying to warn them that it was hurtling back through time. Or something. Anyway, Ian forgave the Doctor for being a twat, but Barbara was less forgiving. Nevertheless, this led to a sweet little scene at the end where the Doctor apologised and everyone seemed to sort out their diff...

Doctor Who - The Expedition (18/01/04) Some very dubious ethics on show this week! Unable (or unwilling) to go back to the Dalek city and get the fluid link themselves, the Doctor and Barbara wanted to convince the Thals to help them, but as Ian pointed out, once they've got it what are they going to say to the Thals - "Thank you very much! This bit of machinery is what you've fought and died for."? The Thals are pacifists and refuse to fight. Nonetheless, Ian decided to get Alydon to fight by threatening to take Token Speaking Girl Dyoni to the Daleks in exchange. Alydon punched him. I can see the reasoning  - that if the Thals aren't willing to fight and the Daleks leave the city to kill them they'll all be slaughtered, but it's a bit of a stretch! Anyhow, the Thals were convinced and a small task force including Ian, Barbara, Ganatus (who's getting on very well with Barbara) and Ganatus' brother have headed off to break into the city from ...

Doctor Who - The Dead Planet (21/12/03) What a brilliant episode! It started off very oddly with a panning shot of the petrified jungle they've landed in filmed in negative, then turning normal as it arrived on Barbara, Ian, the Doctor and Susan walking out of the ship. Great atmosphere and emphasis on Ian and Barbara coming to terms with arriving on an alien planet and the possibility of not being able to get back home. The exploration of their surroundings was wonderful, with them encountering the strange bit by increasing bit: first the petrified, stone-like trees, then a preserved alien flower, then a weird metal lizard which was dead but not fossilised , then a huge, gorgeous alien city shown in a composite shot of the travellers viewing it from the top of a cliff. The Doctor obviously wanted to have a closer look but it was getting dark so they went back to the ship, and on the way 'someone' touched Susan's shoulder - but no one believed her. The Doctor sho...

Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child (23/11/03) Well, here we go with the very first episode of a new Science Fiction series: Doctor Who! It didn't start off very Science Fictiony, with a mystery surrounding the weird behaviour of a schoolgirl (Susan Foreman, the Unearthly Child of the title) and the investigation by her History teacher, Barbara Wright, and her Science teacher, Ian Chesterton. The nosy buggers followed her home after Barbara became concerned about her welfare after finding out Susan's address was a junk yard. It seems she lives there in a Police Box called a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) with her rather grumpy Grandfather who's a doctor (the Doctor of the title). After finding the Police Box and hearing Susan's voice call from inside, Ian and Barbara assumed her grandfather was holding her inside so they forced their way in, only to find out that it's a spaceship that also travels through time! However, Doctor Foreman thinks Ian and B...