The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: The Wheel In Space

The Wheel In Space - Part One (27/04/08)

Much better this week. Oddly, the Doctor and Jamie (and a non-speaking little robot) were the only cast for the first 20 minutes! I don't think we've had anything like that since the first episode of the story in the Space Museum (and even then there were four main cast and a host of silent extras!). It was quite refreshing!

The TARDIS has arrived on a 'Space Rocket' - the Silver Carrier - and the fluid link's buggered (again- is this a Hartnell story?) rendering the interior Police Box-sized and trapping the Doctor and Jamie.They explored the ship, slowly ascertaining where they were and dealing with the robot when it attacked them, but the Doctor banged his head and is now unconscious, leaving Jamie with the weapon-like Dimensional Stabiliser (it seems to be fitted with a laser). 

Meanwhile, some weird little spheres have left the ship and penetrated the hull of a nearby space station - the titular Wheel in space - the crew of which have been observing the Silver Carrier. Noting a drop in air pressure, the commander (yet another Robson, it seems - or Clent) has decided that the seemingly abandoned ship poses a threat (if, like he assumes, small, dense objects are being cast off it penetrating the Wheel's hull) and so he's going to blow it up.

After what seems to have been an eternity of Earth-based stories it's such a great change to be back in outer space! Unlike the last story, this was well written and interesting for all its minimalism, and reiterated that you don't need a big cast and loads of location filming to have a good story. I'm wondering if one of the crew will replace Victoria or whether they'll just continue with Jamie for a bit. There was a pretty, blonde Russian woman in the crew, so you never know! Very promising.

The Wheel In Space - Part Two (04/05/08)

Looks like the Cybermen are back. One appeared to break loose of a larger version of the spheres that infiltrated  the Space Wheel at this week's cliffhanger, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Jamie used the Dimensional Stabiliser to signal to the Wheel (it blasted the comms with static) and he and the Doctor were rescued. The Doctor wasn't in this episode (as such) so it mainly centred around introducing the crew of the Space Wheel and building their suspicions. The ship's doctor, Gemma Corwyn, immediately spotted Jamie was lying about how they'd arrived on the Silver Carrier - added to by Jamie calling the Doctor 'John Smith' after a piece of equipment in Gemma's office - and told Jarvis Bennett, the Captain, who now believes Jamie and the Doctor are saboteurs.

Jamie was sent on a tour of the Wheel with apparent genius librarian Zoe. They met Duggan, who showed them some plant life from Venus (!) and the X-Ray laser control. Then, back at the control room, Jarvis ordered the Silver Carrier destroyed now that they've ascertained there's nobody left aboard, Tanya Lernov asked Leo Ryan if she'd told him about her nose, Jamie snuck off to sabotage the X-Ray laser, and the Cybermen (although that isn't certain yet, but it sure looked like a Cyberman's hand punching free of the sphere) turned up.

Whilst the rest of this season's been generally good, I have to repeat myself by saying this story is a breath of fresh air. We've had historical mysteries, James Bond-style action, Hammer Horror, Day Of The Triffids and, okay, some Arctic-based Science Fiction, but this story finally feels like proper Doctor Who again with Space Stations and silly, futuristic catsuits and dodgy robots. It may or may not turn out to be a good story, but it's returned the variety to the series. One more Earth-based story in a row and I may well have given up!

The Wheel In Space - Part Three (11/05/08)

Quite a lot happened this week. Turns out the Cybermen have been exploding stars (why don't they ever come up with a simple plan?) to deflect a meteor storm at the Space Wheel. Meanwhile, they've deployed a group of Cybermats (yay!) to eat the Bernalium on the Space Wheel so that the X-Ray laser has no fuel rods to power it. Duggan found the Cybermats ('little space bugs') but thought they were harmless and didn't tell anyone in case they thought he was a nutter, then the Cybermats killed an annoying little extra and Duggan has been detained and relieved of duty.

Tanya went on about her nose again and continued to flirt with Leo. Zoe calculated that the Silver Carrier must have been refuelled and piloted to the Wheel after its disappearance as its original fuel load wouldn't have brought it so far and it couldn't have drifted so quickly. Jamie and the Doctor (now awake) are under arrest and being held in the sick bay, and Zoe failed to figure out that to find lout what was encased in the plastic cement they found by the dead extra's body (it was a Cybermat), all they had to do was X-Ray it.

Bennett is still determined to destroy the Silver Carrier, but has first sent two extras over to collect some Bernalium - but instead they've been got by the two Cybermen that 'hatched' on board at the start of the episode (by 'got'I mean by mind control).

Oh, and Gemma pieced together all the above plots points and explained them to Bennett, but he told her not to be so stupid. If there's one thing that can be said about David Whittacker and Kit Pedler it's that they don't skimp on plot!

The Wheel In Space - Part Four (18/05/08)

Another good episode. The Cybermen have been smuggled aboard the Wheel and have killed Chinese Extra, taken over Duggan and had him destroy the communications desk (but not before the crew discovered he was under the control of the Cybermen) electrocuting himself in the process. Bennett is going nuts, convinced everything's hunky dory. Tanya has been flirting with Leo. Again. Zoe's concerned she's inhuman but Gemma says she isn't. And the Doctor and Jamie (thanks to Bennett going loopy)are now free to roam the Wheel.

That's what makes this story so much better than the last one; okay, so at points the story is just not making a great deal of sense (I'm talking about the Cybermen and their plan, for a start) but there's so much going on with the characters. And, unlike Fury From The Deep, They're characters you care about, to some extent at least. Gemma, for instance, is extremely likeable. Even Chinese Extra (Chang, I think) elicited some sympathy when, after he'd been killed by the Cybermen, you found out via Tanya (without it being explicitly stated) that they'd put his body in the waste incinerator. And whilst Duggan was a prat, when he was killed off, his death triggered the right emotions. Aside from Van Lutyens, I doubt I'd've batted an eyelid had anyone in 'Fury' met a grizzly end!

And the pace of the story is so much better! There's a regular turn of events and something is always happening or being referred to. This is much better than most of the stories of late, simply by being a completely different creature. Whilst it was all very well 'Web' and 'Fury' being mysterious like The Abominable Snowmen, there was precious little excitement which is a criticism you definitely can't throw at this story.

The Wheel In Space - Part Five (25/05/08)

The Cybermen, it seems, have a vested interest in plundering Earth's minerals. Whatever. This is still a good story no matter what the bad guys' motives. Flannigan, the Irish crewmember, had a decent (and somewhat comedic) fight with a Cyber-controlled Human but was ultimately defeated and taken over himself. The Doctor and Jamie had some Cybermat trouble, but were helped by some sonic device from the control room. The Doctor realised he was missing the Dimensional Stabiliser which he could use to defeat the Cybermen, and it was most likely back on the Silver Carrier, so he sent Jamie and Zoe off to get it (because Jamie would have no idea how to spacewalk and Zoe was the only one free and qualified) so Gemma escorted them to the airlock.However, having sent them off (into a meteor storm, but never mind)she overheard a Cyberman order the air supply to be poisoned and was killed warning everyone in the control room.

This is Doctor Who back as its recognisable self - something it hasn't been for months - taking an established, likeable character in a story and killing them off in an act of heroism. I think the closest they've got this series is Fariah, and possibly Toberman and (was it?) Khrisong. But none were as rounded or likeable as Gemma. Her death quite overshadowed the cliffhanger, which is no mean feat!

The Wheel In Space - Part Six (01/06/08)

Not quite the exciting climax I'd hoped for, but nonetheless one of the better stories this season. As predicted, Zoe stowed away on the TARDIS at the end, asking to join the Doctor and Jamie on their travels and allowing the BBC to run a repeat of 'The Evil Of The Daleks' - er, I mean, allowing the Doctor to hook himself up to a monitor to show Zoe what kind of dangerous adventures she'd be in for. Probably a smart move given the way Victoria left.

Having learnt of Doctor Corwyn's death, Bennett went out to face the Cybermen and was killed. Then the Doctor went out and confronted the Cybermen but set up a forcefield to fend them off. Then, having retrieved the Dimensional Stabiliser, Jamie and the Irish guy went to the main airlock, killed a few Cybermen with quick-set plastic and the Doctor closed the doors before they got in.

Then they blew up the Cybermen's ship.

I don't know what's to stop the Cybermen from floating back to the Wheel and trying again... (I feel like I've written something similar before - see The Moonbase Part Four) but everyone aboard the Space Wheel seemed happy, and Tanya and Leo got to hold hands. So a bit of a let down, but a good one since the story as a whole was enjoyable. Almost the exact opposite of 'Fury From The Deep' in fact! Zoe seems a much better character than Victoria who, to be frank, was rather annoying most of the time. Fingers crossed for a good season to come!

Additional:

When I viewed these episodes back in 2008 I clearly only had access to the audio and the two remaining episodes available on the 'Lost In Time' DVD box set, since (on viewing the telesnaps on the BBC website for this blog) it's quite clear that 'Chinese Extra', despite being called Chang, is not played by a Chinese, or Oriental, actor. This belies a supposition on my behalf (and there is no reason why a Caucasian can't have the surname Chang) and one I felt the need to correct.

Also, whilst I did indeed re'watch' 'The Evil Of The Daleks' throughout June and July 2008 (due to its repeat transmission 40 years earlier), I won't be repeating my comments as I didn't bother keeping a log at the time. My next blog, therefore, shall see the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe encounter 'The Dominators'.