The Gunfighters

 Gunfighters (episode 1)

I don’t remember exactly when I first realised there was a thing such as Doctor Who in the world. I used to joke that my first word was Dalek. I recall vividly seeing the inside of a video cover, which promoted Doctor Who videos and being terrified by Jon Pertwee’s face. Strange how you remember things like that, yet don’t remember what you had for tea last week!

Eventually, I saw The Moonbase (yes), The Green Death (terrifying), Pyramids of Mars (more so) and Genesis of the Daleks (you wouldn’t believe quite how terrifying). I was hooked. I even remember finding out that my hero, Jon Pertwee, had died just before a primary school parents night, and for lots of concerned adults to think I was upset about the teachers comments, only for me to cry: “No, Doctor Who died!” I was nine.

Sadly, something even worse threatened to drive a wedge between me and this beloved show.

I think its called “being a teenager” in scientific circles.

I stopped watching the show.

And then, one evening in 2002, I was channel flicking and UK Gold came on. They were showing The Pirate Planet. I remembered it being rubbish.

Five minutes later, I was thinking: “this isn’t so bad!”

Two hours later, Doctor Who and I had been reunited.

The Celestial Toymaker

 Celestial Toymaker

(part 1)

OK, I'm not going into this one with great expectations.

To start I'm taken aback that the pictures move. Then I realised it was a replay of the end of The Ark.

Ah, there are the pictures alone. We're back in missing episode territory.

The Ark

 The Ark

(part 1)

Right, let's crack on with this one and see what it gives us.

It's a monitor lizard on a sandy floor.

The lizard stands so still you might think it was a recon photo until suddenly a toucan crashes down into the shot screeching. Roll over Exorcist III, we've got a new jump scare champion in town!

The Dalek Master Plan

Dalek Master Plan (part 1)

Steven lies on a makeshift bed on the TARDIS floor, dying. I'm sure things can only get better in this, the grimmest Dr Who story ever written, surely?

The Nightmare Begins, the title card reassuringly tells us.

Steven needs specialist drugs to live so the Doctor is going to land in the future to get some.

We cut to... Brian Cant and Nick Courtney!!!!

Brian Cant lies injured on the ground, while Courtney tries to unleash an SOS beacon much like we saw another chap try to do a few weeks previously. In a very familiar looking jungle.

Meanwhile, Nick's desperate SOS is missed because at HQ, the people meant to be watching, Roald Dahl and Lizan Phil, are arguing over what to put on the TV, the football or The Guardian of the Solar System's Speech.

Hey, maybe we should look out for that missing agent, thinks Roald, before getting distracted.

The Myth Makers

 Myth Makers (part 1)

We open up on a right old sword fight between two men. Well, that's a start.

I have Who Recons CGI recon and my Loose Cannon audio but they two don't mesh together very well so this is a one off experiment.

The two men have a lengthy sword fight across a lot of location scenery, and then the TARDIS shows up right in front of them.

STEVEN: That's hardly surprising in the circumstances. Why do you suppose they're fighting?
DOCTOR: I haven't the remotest idea, my boy. No doubt their reasons will be entirely adequate. Yes, I think I perhaps I'd better go and ask them where we are.
VICKI: Doctor, be careful! They look terribly fierce.

The Time Meddler (and S1/S2 Oscars)

The Time Meddler (part 1)

The first Doctor Who episode without William Russell or Jackie Hill. Will we be able to cope?

The Doctor and Vicki talk about how much they'll miss the school teachers, and William Hartnell gives a sigh as if to acknowledge he is the last original left standing. The Doctor is worried Vicki might want to leave too, but she keeps getting distracted and talking about other stuff. Oh that Vicki!

DOCTOR: I just wanted to ask you, are you sure you didn't want to go home too? I didn't give you very much time to consider now, did I? I should hate to think that you're just staying for the sake of an old man.
VICKI: Oh, Doctor! I made my decision. I wanted to stay.
(all quotes come with thanks from the Doctor Who Transcripts Page)

But then, a rattle from beyond the doors. A Dalek got on the ship? Hartnell flickers a worried look.

The Chase

The Chase (episode 1)

We are reminded that the Daleks now have time travel and are after the Doctor and friends. This is followed by music far too jaunty for the occasion, and the Doctor whistling as he fixes things in the TARDIS. He then tells off Vicki for joining in.

Ian is reading a book called "Monsters from Outer Space" and calls it far-fetched. We are in Terry Nation jokes land.

"I am a useless person," says Vicki who sits on a seat which collapses onto Barbara's project. The much vaunted Terry Nation character writing skills on display here as he waits anxiously to get his pepperpots into action.