The Doctor Who Real Time Marathon: A Pertwee Era Overview
I never liked the Third Doctor. Arrogant, flamboyant, prone to his 'moments of charm' and surrounded by a ridiculously camp military team that couldn't army their way out of a shoe box and, for the most part, a dumb blonde companion who was the epitome of 'The Screamer'. Yes, his first story was a Classic - everybody knew that - but after that first series the show descended into silly childishness with too much CSO, an alien invasion every week and a daft arch-nemesis dressed as Evil 70s Guy who was always the one behind it all.
Granted, I only started watching the show in 1987, so my first exposure to the Third Doctor would likely have been the repeat of 'The Dæmons' following that episode of 'Tomorrow's World' which explained the colourising process. Over the next few years, I'd get to see 'The Sea Devils', 'Planet Of The Daleks' and 'The Green Death', and whilst these are all regarded as some of the very best Pertwee serials I can't say I was impressed. By the mid-90s, my dad was recording the episodes off UK Gold every Sunday and sending them to me at University. Most of them were watchable, 'The Mind Of Evil' and 'The Ambassadors Of Death' in particular stood out, but possibly because they were in Black and White and had more in common with Pertwee's gritty debut story than the likes of 'The Claws Of Axos' or 'The Three Doctors'.
So, as 2010 loomed on the horizon following a particularly difficult couple of years trying and failing to entirely warm to Troughton's Doctor, and with the RTD/Tennant era coming to an end in the real world, it was with trepidation that I embarked on the next leg of my Doctor Who Marathon. Two days after watching the Tenth Doctor burst into flames and turn into the bloke with the big chin I was watching his predecessor stumble out the TARDIS and fall face-first into a clump of bracken. The first story was as excellent as I expected, although watching it an episode a week was an enlightening way of viewing it (something I had become accustomed to over the last 6-odd years), but would the rest of the series, indeed the rest of the era, be as unexpected?
Part of me feels that my reaction to the Matt Smith era had much to do with my reaction to the Pertwee era as I was watching them side by side. It's hard not to make that comparison. In the real world the Eleventh Doctor crash-landed in Leadworth midway through my viewing of 'The Ambassadors Of Death' and by the time Three had found himself on a parallel Earth I had taken a serious dislike to the vile Amy Pond and was finding Eleven just a little wearing. Over the next three years I'd find myself wandering from the largely terrible series transmitted on BBC1, whilst at the same time absolutely loving the adventures of the Third Doctor I'd watch on DVD for the first six months of the year.
But it isn't just a reaction against the Smith era. The Pertwee era actually is fantastic. Watching it in order, as seen by millions in the early 70s, it's very obvious why it was such a massive hit. That first series is a brave and bold re-imagining of the show, but it was far from sustainable. It has a grittiness and a charm, and UNIT are far more like a real military group than what they would become, but by making the show more adult it somehow lost that element of joy that makes Doctor Who a 'Family Show'. The Doctor is crabby and rude most of the time, the Brigadier very serious and organised, and Liz is a very efficient, likeable, but also intelligent and grown up companion. I adore Season 7 - it's one of the very best Doctor Who has had - but things had to change.
And so, with Season 8, we reach The Jo Grant Years. I honestly think this was the highlight of the 70s (Yes, Mike, there really was a Golden Age) and I think a lot of it was down to the presence of Katy Manning. Jo, granted, did her fair share of screaming but my initial analysis that she was the epitome of 'The Screamer' completely ignores the character and her development. I think that was the biggest surprise of the Pertwee era; that Jo Grant develops between 'Terror Of The Autons' and 'The Green Death', and not in a suddenly-maturing-in-her-final-story way. There's a subtle development where she actually grows up on screen throughout her three series. She gets sassier, smarter, braver; she learns things in one story and its referenced in later serials and it's this kind of attention to detail which permeates the era thanks to the excellent work of Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks. It helps that the Doctor and Jo work so incredibly well as a team, and are so very ably supported by the UNIT cast - the UNIT Family which I mocked in the 90s is what makes the stories so watchable. The ensemble cast of Pertwee, Manning, Courtney, Franklin and Levene, so regularly teamed with the brilliant Roger Delgado, is so much more interesting than the minimal Doctor/Companion teams of later years. A larger cast allows for a more interesting narrative and evolution through their interaction, and the UNIT stories are now amongst my favourites.
Over three years you see the Brigadier mellow, Benton become more than just the comic relief, and Mike Yates ends up having one of the most surprising story arcs the show has produced. I really love the fact that in Pertwee's final season Mike becomes a traitor, and it's all because of what he's learnt from the Doctor. He goes from being a reliable, dependable Captain to betraying his friends because he's listened to the the Doctor's lessons on environmental concerns, on how we're negatively affecting the planet we live on, and he's got involved with the wrong people - liberal extremists. That this is a partial result of his experiences at Global Chemicals and leads to him being instrumental in Pertwee's final adventure is a more measured, interesting and cleverly plotted arc than anything that happened during the Smith era where it appeared that no forward planning occurred at all! No seeds were sown at any point by Moffat, meaning that characters we'd never heard of suddenly appeared and were treated as if we should already know about them ('A Good Man Goes To War' and 'Let's Kill Hitler' being the most obvious example of this). I'm not saying that Letts and Dicks did plan all this ahead, but if they didn't they were far more skilled in developing a narrative flow than Moffat could even dream of! Which I guess goes without saying. But enough Moffat/Smith bashing.
I think that Season 9 is the pinnacle of the Pertwee era. Season 7 is excellent - that goes without saying - but is less fun and more dramatic. Season 8 establishes the new direction for the show, and perhaps overdoes it with all the COLOUR and CSO, but is nonetheless great to watch, introducing our first alien planet in COLOUR. Season 9 brings us two alien planets along with some pretty stark political allegories, the return of the Daleks, adventures with the Navy, and a fun and fabulous finale that takes us back in time for the first time in five years ('The War Games' doesn't really count) and gives us time experiments and Buddhism. There's everything here that you want from a series of Doctor Who, and it all looks pretty great. They've even toned down the COLOUR a bit! Season 10 is great, but not quite as varied, although the Barry Letts lessons in morality, ecology and spiritualism continue. The Anniversary season also sees the Doctor gain his freedom, and therefore loses some of its cosiness. It all comes to a conclusion with Jo's swan song by which time Letts and Dicks had really got a hold on how important a Series Finale was. The final scene had me in tears and I still well up thinking about the Doctor downing his drink and leaving the engagement party, and Jo's forlorn expression.
Season 11 is where things start to come apart. It's still great TV, but the Dalek story really hammers home the fact that Terry Nation is just a hack churning out the same old crap simply because he can. As owner of the Daleks, it's clear that (following 'Day Of The Daleks') he saw that this was an easy way to make a buck. 'Planet Of The Daleks' just about gets away with being a mashup of his greatest hits, but it's obvious with 'Death To The Daleks' that he really isn't even trying. Followed by a poorly paced and underwhelming return to Peladon, this is the nadir of the Pertwee era. Unsurprisingly, the three serials featuring UNIT are far, far superior. Not only that, but they set up Sarah Jane Smith, Jo's replacement, as a fairly promising companion. It's just a shame that she isn't as immediately likeable. She certainly contrasts, being forward, bolshy, rude, nosey, and the owner of a much drabber wardrobe, but in her defence she's a career woman and a journalist, so those attributes work in her favour for the three Earth based stories. Lis Sladen does a good job of making her a well rounded character regardless of my opinion, and she has an interesting relationship with the Doctor starting off as suspicion and developing into curiosity and respect. There isn't the spark that Pertwee and Manning had, but she fits in with the UNIT set up very comfortably, and I especially like her relationship with Mike. It's a huge shame that they didn't choose to bring him in as the male companion for Season 12 (although I wouldn't lose Harry for the world!). It all comes to a head with a Swan Song which is only rivalled by 'The End Of Time' for being epic and self-indulgent. It's perfectly fitting that 'Planet Of The Spiders' is a collection of Pertwee's best bits and really is a celebration of an era. When the season is released on BluRay I really want Katy Manning to record a voice over for her letter returning the Metebilis crystal as Katy's absence is the only fault I can find with the story (if I ignore Jenny Laird's contribution).
The Pertwee era wasn't one I expected to enjoy and it's testament to everyone involved that watching it as transmitted completely changed my opinion of it. Despite my criticisms of 'Death To The Daleks' and 'The Monster Of Peladon', there isn't a story that I can't watch and enjoy. Even though those two are pretty awful, it's always a pleasure to watch Pertwee in action - he could make a shopping list seem exciting! He went from being one of my least favourite Doctors in 2009 to one of the very best. It's absolutely no surprise that his characterisation was such a strong influence on Peter Capaldi's performance! I got quite emotional during those final scenes in the UNIT lab with the Brigadier and Sarah. Jon Pertwee's tenure had been a rollercoaster ride, bold, bright and fun, and one of the most enjoyable to watch - so far.
So, as 2010 loomed on the horizon following a particularly difficult couple of years trying and failing to entirely warm to Troughton's Doctor, and with the RTD/Tennant era coming to an end in the real world, it was with trepidation that I embarked on the next leg of my Doctor Who Marathon. Two days after watching the Tenth Doctor burst into flames and turn into the bloke with the big chin I was watching his predecessor stumble out the TARDIS and fall face-first into a clump of bracken. The first story was as excellent as I expected, although watching it an episode a week was an enlightening way of viewing it (something I had become accustomed to over the last 6-odd years), but would the rest of the series, indeed the rest of the era, be as unexpected?
Part of me feels that my reaction to the Matt Smith era had much to do with my reaction to the Pertwee era as I was watching them side by side. It's hard not to make that comparison. In the real world the Eleventh Doctor crash-landed in Leadworth midway through my viewing of 'The Ambassadors Of Death' and by the time Three had found himself on a parallel Earth I had taken a serious dislike to the vile Amy Pond and was finding Eleven just a little wearing. Over the next three years I'd find myself wandering from the largely terrible series transmitted on BBC1, whilst at the same time absolutely loving the adventures of the Third Doctor I'd watch on DVD for the first six months of the year.
But it isn't just a reaction against the Smith era. The Pertwee era actually is fantastic. Watching it in order, as seen by millions in the early 70s, it's very obvious why it was such a massive hit. That first series is a brave and bold re-imagining of the show, but it was far from sustainable. It has a grittiness and a charm, and UNIT are far more like a real military group than what they would become, but by making the show more adult it somehow lost that element of joy that makes Doctor Who a 'Family Show'. The Doctor is crabby and rude most of the time, the Brigadier very serious and organised, and Liz is a very efficient, likeable, but also intelligent and grown up companion. I adore Season 7 - it's one of the very best Doctor Who has had - but things had to change.
And so, with Season 8, we reach The Jo Grant Years. I honestly think this was the highlight of the 70s (Yes, Mike, there really was a Golden Age) and I think a lot of it was down to the presence of Katy Manning. Jo, granted, did her fair share of screaming but my initial analysis that she was the epitome of 'The Screamer' completely ignores the character and her development. I think that was the biggest surprise of the Pertwee era; that Jo Grant develops between 'Terror Of The Autons' and 'The Green Death', and not in a suddenly-maturing-in-her-final-story way. There's a subtle development where she actually grows up on screen throughout her three series. She gets sassier, smarter, braver; she learns things in one story and its referenced in later serials and it's this kind of attention to detail which permeates the era thanks to the excellent work of Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks. It helps that the Doctor and Jo work so incredibly well as a team, and are so very ably supported by the UNIT cast - the UNIT Family which I mocked in the 90s is what makes the stories so watchable. The ensemble cast of Pertwee, Manning, Courtney, Franklin and Levene, so regularly teamed with the brilliant Roger Delgado, is so much more interesting than the minimal Doctor/Companion teams of later years. A larger cast allows for a more interesting narrative and evolution through their interaction, and the UNIT stories are now amongst my favourites.
Over three years you see the Brigadier mellow, Benton become more than just the comic relief, and Mike Yates ends up having one of the most surprising story arcs the show has produced. I really love the fact that in Pertwee's final season Mike becomes a traitor, and it's all because of what he's learnt from the Doctor. He goes from being a reliable, dependable Captain to betraying his friends because he's listened to the the Doctor's lessons on environmental concerns, on how we're negatively affecting the planet we live on, and he's got involved with the wrong people - liberal extremists. That this is a partial result of his experiences at Global Chemicals and leads to him being instrumental in Pertwee's final adventure is a more measured, interesting and cleverly plotted arc than anything that happened during the Smith era where it appeared that no forward planning occurred at all! No seeds were sown at any point by Moffat, meaning that characters we'd never heard of suddenly appeared and were treated as if we should already know about them ('A Good Man Goes To War' and 'Let's Kill Hitler' being the most obvious example of this). I'm not saying that Letts and Dicks did plan all this ahead, but if they didn't they were far more skilled in developing a narrative flow than Moffat could even dream of! Which I guess goes without saying. But enough Moffat/Smith bashing.
I think that Season 9 is the pinnacle of the Pertwee era. Season 7 is excellent - that goes without saying - but is less fun and more dramatic. Season 8 establishes the new direction for the show, and perhaps overdoes it with all the COLOUR and CSO, but is nonetheless great to watch, introducing our first alien planet in COLOUR. Season 9 brings us two alien planets along with some pretty stark political allegories, the return of the Daleks, adventures with the Navy, and a fun and fabulous finale that takes us back in time for the first time in five years ('The War Games' doesn't really count) and gives us time experiments and Buddhism. There's everything here that you want from a series of Doctor Who, and it all looks pretty great. They've even toned down the COLOUR a bit! Season 10 is great, but not quite as varied, although the Barry Letts lessons in morality, ecology and spiritualism continue. The Anniversary season also sees the Doctor gain his freedom, and therefore loses some of its cosiness. It all comes to a conclusion with Jo's swan song by which time Letts and Dicks had really got a hold on how important a Series Finale was. The final scene had me in tears and I still well up thinking about the Doctor downing his drink and leaving the engagement party, and Jo's forlorn expression.
Season 11 is where things start to come apart. It's still great TV, but the Dalek story really hammers home the fact that Terry Nation is just a hack churning out the same old crap simply because he can. As owner of the Daleks, it's clear that (following 'Day Of The Daleks') he saw that this was an easy way to make a buck. 'Planet Of The Daleks' just about gets away with being a mashup of his greatest hits, but it's obvious with 'Death To The Daleks' that he really isn't even trying. Followed by a poorly paced and underwhelming return to Peladon, this is the nadir of the Pertwee era. Unsurprisingly, the three serials featuring UNIT are far, far superior. Not only that, but they set up Sarah Jane Smith, Jo's replacement, as a fairly promising companion. It's just a shame that she isn't as immediately likeable. She certainly contrasts, being forward, bolshy, rude, nosey, and the owner of a much drabber wardrobe, but in her defence she's a career woman and a journalist, so those attributes work in her favour for the three Earth based stories. Lis Sladen does a good job of making her a well rounded character regardless of my opinion, and she has an interesting relationship with the Doctor starting off as suspicion and developing into curiosity and respect. There isn't the spark that Pertwee and Manning had, but she fits in with the UNIT set up very comfortably, and I especially like her relationship with Mike. It's a huge shame that they didn't choose to bring him in as the male companion for Season 12 (although I wouldn't lose Harry for the world!). It all comes to a head with a Swan Song which is only rivalled by 'The End Of Time' for being epic and self-indulgent. It's perfectly fitting that 'Planet Of The Spiders' is a collection of Pertwee's best bits and really is a celebration of an era. When the season is released on BluRay I really want Katy Manning to record a voice over for her letter returning the Metebilis crystal as Katy's absence is the only fault I can find with the story (if I ignore Jenny Laird's contribution).
The Pertwee era wasn't one I expected to enjoy and it's testament to everyone involved that watching it as transmitted completely changed my opinion of it. Despite my criticisms of 'Death To The Daleks' and 'The Monster Of Peladon', there isn't a story that I can't watch and enjoy. Even though those two are pretty awful, it's always a pleasure to watch Pertwee in action - he could make a shopping list seem exciting! He went from being one of my least favourite Doctors in 2009 to one of the very best. It's absolutely no surprise that his characterisation was such a strong influence on Peter Capaldi's performance! I got quite emotional during those final scenes in the UNIT lab with the Brigadier and Sarah. Jon Pertwee's tenure had been a rollercoaster ride, bold, bright and fun, and one of the most enjoyable to watch - so far.
I won't go on at length, since I mostly agree with you. The contrast between your initial disdain and more recent embracing of the era though puts me in mind of early '90s fandom, when for some reason - in Australia at least - it became fashionable among the 'in crowd' for a time to absolutely abhor the Third Doctor and thus the entire Pertwee era. Then again, these were the same upper echelons of fandom who then turned on a sixpence, decided the era was actually fine and then spent the next couple of years giving the Sixth Doctor and the Colin Baker era the same treatment. (With far more justification, arguably, but even so.) All I would say at this remove is that I don't *think* I feel the Pertwee era was as much of a success overall as you seem to - I'm certainly not as enamoured of Season 9 as you are, for one. But on the whole, it is a strong five years with great characters and development for both them and the show.
ReplyDeleteI'm probably excessively appreciative of the era for a number of reasons, and don't get me wrong - it certainly had its flaws. I'd found the Troughton era quite underwhelming on the whole (again, there are great stories, great companions, great ideas but these sit alongside and within repetitive storylines, overlong serials and excessive childishness. Plus I'm not a huge fan of Troughton's portrayal although I appreciate it for what it is) and from 2010 - 2013 we saw some of the worst stories in the show's history acted out by an increasingly terrible Doctor beside the most unpleasant companion ever (and her husband) then a companion who didn't even have a defined character! I almost stopped watching the show during this period so the Pertwee era was proof for me that I wasn't a fan of a show that was utterly shite.
DeleteBut regardless of that, I genuinely mean everything I said above and think that the Pertwee era really was one of the best the programme has seen, and clearly set in motion the success that would continue throughout the Hinchcliffe era.
My overview probably comes across as excessively positive because, when it boils down to it, the Pertwee era makes me happy. I can watch any story and enjoy it because it's Jon Pertwee and he's just so damn fun to watch. He's better with Liz and Jo, moreso when accompanied by UNIT. The era has the same sense of joy, colour and adventure that the RTD era did (and is a clear influence).
And as far as fandom in the 90s goes, yes, Pertwee was derided in the UK too. I don't know why - I've never really been a part of 'Fandom' - but it seems the era was universally unpopular. Whether that had an effect on how I viewed it I don't know; I had no interaction with other fans throughout that decade and only repeats and DWM to go on. And '30 Years In The TARDIS'. So it's anybody's guess. Having grown up with McCoy, perhaps I felt Pertwee was too garish and brash, too unsubtle. Something to think about, I suppose.