The Unwilling Warriors

"I think that they're as afraid of us as we are of them."

Well, what did you think? I thought it was an extremely good second episode (ah, that difficult second episode) that really built on the first. This story so far really reminds me of 'An Unearthly Child', the very first episode of the series. It has a modern feel and gives us a lesson in chemistry from Ian and one on cats eyes from the Doctor.

Stephen Dartnell is great as John who, it turns out, is the ship's meteorologist and has discovered something the Sensorites would rather keep secret. It's very effective when he's with Barbara and Susan and looks upward, straight to camera, when he's communicating with the Sensorites (rather like Turlough and the Black Guardian years later) and I like the way their motivation is partly explained. It makes them curious and three dimensional. It's amusing the way John has the same unkempt scarecrow look as Richard Hammond and there's a great gag about there being nothing wrong with having white hair from the Doctor.

Based on these episodes, it's a great shame that there was never another story from Peter R. Newman who, from I what I can gather, seems to have committed suicide in the late sixties. Perhaps John's turmoil reflects his own struggle with depression in some way, I don't know.

There are a couple of cruel bits of dialogue for the actors. Of all the minerals that could have been found on the Sense-Sphere fancy giving William Hartnell molybdenum! Everyone's hearts must have been in their mouths the whole story. Equally harsh was requiring someone in a monster mask to say "a fearful affliction"! I had to rewind just to make out the line. Did you?

It's great when Ian says "Come on, Barbara, let's find them." Here we have the two teachers taking control of a situation and going monster hunting. The slow mime that Ian does when he encounters the Sensorites preserves their mystery even longer. I hate it when baddies cough up the plot on their first encounter. I'm really not sure whether 'The Unwilling Warriors' of the title are the humans on the ship, our friends from the TARDIS or the two Sensorites sent up to investigate.

Finally, the Sensorites enter the bridge,

Susan and the Doctor reveal telepathic abilities, and there's a glorious scene when the Doctor demands the lock to the TARDIS back from them. Here we are again, another physical barrier to their escape. The episode ending feels believable and a natural next step in the plot - Susan is to be taken to the planet below.

Next episode: Hidden Danger

Strangers in Space

"We must be careful. There's been some kind of catastrophe here."

So says the Doctor during a lovely opening scene in the TARDIS as our intrepid foursome review their past adventures and we hear about the Doctor's encounter with Henry VIII. "Do you know, he threw a parsons nose at me!" "What did you do?" asks Barbara. "Threw it back of course!" is the glorious reply. Here our travellers look relaxed and refreshed; some time has obviously elapsed since their hurried exit from Mexico and the Aztecs. They talk easily and warmly and you have the sense, really for the first time, that they have become friends.

I love new stories and first episodes and I really, really like this opening episode. It has menace and atmosphere and genuinely surprising moments. It's the first story ever to be set on a spaceship (not counting the TARDIS itself in 'Beyond the Sun') and the new setting is well utilised with bulkheads and corridors, vibrating control decks and near misses with the planet below.

This episode is directed by Mervyn Pinfield, the show's Associate Producer who was there because of his technical knowledge. He directs this brilliantly and my absolute favourite scene, amongst many, is when the camera literally follows the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara through the TARDIS doors and into the spaceship beyond. Genius.

The tone of the piece is not technological, as it might have been, but creepy and mysterious as we try to learn what has happened to the crew. And what exactly are the Sensorites? What do they look like, what do they want, and where are they?

The moment where the Sensorite eventually appears, not through an airlock as we might expect, but outside the spaceship's window with no spacesuit or other protection, is a genuinely surprising and frightening moment.

Next episode: The Unwilling Warriors

The Day of Darkness

"You couldn't save a civilisation, but you did save one man."

I have the same bitter-sweet feeling on reaching the end of The Aztecs as I did with Marco Polo. Some relief at being able to move on from a historical story, but regret at leaving such well drawn characters as Cameca, Autloc and Tlotoxl. All of these characters are still alive at the end of the story. Cameca's farewell to the Doctor is so moving, "Think of me, think of me." William Hartnell later acts beautifully in the scene in the tomb where the Doctor puts down what Cameca has given him, only to snatch it up again as he enters the TARDIS.

Autloc, delicately and intelligently portrayed by Keith Pyott, maintains his dignity throughout and effectively leaves the Aztecs to their fate as he begins his secular life in the wilderness.

And Tlotoxl finds himself in a stronger position than ever.

I was pleased that Ian had the presence of mind to scoop up the pulley that the Doctor makes to open the tomb; I wonder what the Aztecs would have made of it? Not being able to change history is the main tenet of the story and so, perhaps, they would just have seen it as a meaningless symbol of a false god, who knows?

This story is another example of all elements of the production coming together to make a wonderful whole. Costume, lighting, set design, music, writing, acting and direction all combine admirably. With hindsight, this is unsurprising when you look at the calibre of the people listed in the end credits.

If you've been watching the DVD as I have, do make a cup of tea and enjoy the extras. Barry Newberry is delightful, and insightful, and 'Remembering the Aztecs' is very revealing. Walter Randall, by his own admission, can't act and isn't very engaging, but John Ringham more than makes up for it and does a great turn as an experienced thesp. I most enjoyed lovely Ian Cullen who is engaging and positive and really 'gets' Dr Who. Recorded a few years before the astonishing revival of the series, his last comments prove very apt.

And so it's a rather sad goodbye to the Aztecs for us, but a very welcome one for the occupants of the TARDIS, who have rarely looked keener to escape a situation.

Now, for me at least, this is where it gets really interesting. I have a love for the earliest Dr Who stories which has, as I've mentioned before, resulted in a little overfamiliarity with them. This is no bad thing, but now I start to enter less well known territory. The next escapade is a science-fiction story which adds to the excitement. And, as I recall, it has one of the best opening episodes. I have a huge fondness for parts one of classic Dr Who stories which I shall explore with you as this blog progresses. Join me soon for,

Next episode: Strangers in Space

The Bride of Sacrifice

"In all humility, I beg you. Do not deceive me or prove false to me."

What a cracking episode. It brims with clever and dramatic dialogue, and there are some marvellously touching moments between Barbara and Autloc as we all come to realise that it is Tlotoxl who is the norm in Aztec society and Autloc the exception. Barbara is deflated by this and sad to deceive Autloc, but our four must do everything now to gain entrance to the tomb.

The Doctor does his bit by charming Cameca; a little too much as it turns out as he unwittingly becomes engaged. It's amusing to see him take this in his stride and even be prepared to use it to his advantage. Another hint of his alienness here, he is entirely focused on getting to the TARDIS with little thought for the sincerity of Cameca's feelings.

It's great to see the gloves come off between Barbara and Tlotoxl - she confesses to him alone that she is false and then dares him to face ruin by revealing her. He in turn tries, rather clumsily, to poison her.

At last there is an, albeit watery, tunnel into the tomb and we sense that everything is drawing to a climax in:

Next episode: The Day of Darkness

The Warriors of Death

"They call me the Doctor. I am a scientist, an engineer; I am a builder of things."

Doesn't she look magnificent in this beautiful 'Sun God' costume? Absolutely fantastic.

This episode starts with the Doctor dressing down Barbara in a full scale row. He is harsh, annoyed that she has jeopardised them all. To him, Ian and Barbara must seem almost as primitive as the Aztecs. Only when she gets upset does he soften, and we see the real affection he has developed for her.

I forgot to say last time that our heroes are once again barred from leaving in the TARDIS by another physical barrier, a hallmark of the early days of the series. Here the Doctor tries gamely to get his hands on the plans of the Temple to discover the mechanism for opening the sealed tomb from the outside. I like that his machinations, and indeed his later intervention, both lead to poor Ian being drugged by Ixtar.

The direction is again complex and clever; there's a memorable ultra-close two shot of Tlotoxl and Barbara as they vie for power. The picture quality has improved with the new cameras which are also able to take longer shots than in Lime grove, making the Temple set look even more impressive. And a note about the engaging and atmospheric music, an early work by the film composer to be, Richard Rodney Bennett.

I'd like to touch on the quote at the top of this piece and the notion of the Doctor as an engineer and 'a builder of things'. This became a little lost as the series developed, and indeed I think the Doctor himself would describe himself nowadays more as an 'Adventurer'. But this line gives a hint to his origins, and his life on Gallifrey before he 'stole' the TARDIS. The line, and William Hartnell's delivery, suggest to me that he might just as easily have been called 'the Fixer.' It is touched upon again eventually in 'Remembrance of the Daleks', a great favourite of mine, as we see the Doctor perhaps as a former stellar engineer and manipulator of the 'Hand of Omega', the Time Lord equivalent of the hand of god. If he works on that scale, it is no wonder that he wants to explore the Universe, and treats the TARDIS, at which we marvel, as merely a form of transport.

Next episode: The Bride of Sacrifice

Nicholas Courtney

Today came the frankly heartbreaking news of the death of Nicholas Courtney. As observed by The Guardian newspaper, this has struck genuine sadness throughout the world of Doctor Who and indeed the world at large.

Although he has yet to appear on these pages, his contribution to Doctor Who, both on-screen and off, was simply enormous and he will be dearly, dearly missed by all of us.

Next episode: The Warriors of Death

The Temple of Evil

"You can't rewrite history. Not one line!"

That legendary quote is this story in a nutshell. As with 'The Daleks' I am blissfully over-familiar with John Lucarotti's second historical script for this first season and its high production values.

The aspect that has stood out most for me, watching it for the umpteenth time again this afternoon, is the direction. The whole episode, from the opening shot (pictured above) onwards, is beautifully and ambitiously directed by John Crockett. It makes me wonder if the fourth, and only, episode of Marco Polo which he directed might actually have differed in style quite considerably from Waris Hussein's.

The camera is hardly ever still; no mean feat with the heavy, clunky machinery of Lime Grove's Studio D. What is truly remarkable, however, is the choreography. Guards and processions and characters moving in and out of shot are all superbly handled in this real tour de force of 1960s drama. Consequently, it is a real pleasure to watch. I'm very interested to see if it gets noticeably easier to accommodate this fluid style in the ultra modern, for the time, Television Centre Studio 3 in the next instalment.

So much for the technicalities, the story itself belongs to Barbara, and to Jacqueline Hill:

If you've followed this blog from the beginning, you'll know how much I adore this companion and this actress. The depth she brings to the character of Barbara is just phenomenal. You can actually see on Barbara's face the moment when she makes her mind up to challenge the status quo and reform the Aztecs, much to the Doctor's horror. I honestly don't think that we meet another companion who will stand up to the Doctor quite as strongly until Tegan, and it is of course upon the original line-up that John Nathan-Turner would base his companions.

Amongst all this, the Doctor charms and is in return charmed by Cameca, Ian finds he is to challenge the established warrior champion, and John Ringham gives a remarkable and malevolent turn as Tlotoxl who proclaims at the end of the episode, "She is a false goddess, and I will destroy her!"

Gripping stuff. Stand by for:

Next episode: The Warriors of Death

Article: Nicholas Courtney

Robin Phillips

Sadly, Robin Phillips passed away on 25th July 2015.  He had a long and distinguished career as an actor and director.

The Keys of Marinus

"I don't believe that man was made to be controlled by machines."

After a great performance of sobbing in front of Barbara and then laughing when she has left, Kala slips up and is unmasked as the kidnapper of Susan and murderer of her husband.

Our travellers set off with the keys for home; in vision this time against a black backcloth.

They find Arbitan looking a bit thinner and behaving rather shyly until he is revealed as Yartek, leader of the Voords!

Stephen Dartnell gives a great performance here as the man inside the mask.

He returns in a months time to play John in 'The Sensorites'. I can't wait.

The Voord masks are really well done and I feel I must flag up their significance as the first masked humanoid 'monsters' of the series, a successful template that was to be repeated literally hundreds of times in Dr Who. The Daleks design is superb, but they are a brilliant one-off. A few attempts were made to repeat their success, the Mechanoids and the Chumblies, but the Daleks were always so much better because of the genius of Ray Cusick. No, the most enduring and oft-repeated model for a Dr Who monster is the rubber-suited Voord.

And so Yartek is deceived by the fake key and blows himself and the other Voords to pieces. There is a touching scene between the Doctor and Sabena as the old man talks about the death of Arbitan, her father. We really see the Doctor as a father and grandfather here.

Of course we can't leave this story without one more shot of those wonderful legs...

And so our travellers depart silently in their tiny model TARDIS again and a second story finishes without a cliffhanger allowing us to imagine unseen adventures before one of my absolute favourites...

Next episode: The Temple of Evil

Article: Robin Phillips

Sentence of Death

"Who? He's the Doctor."

Yay, he's back! Look, down there on the right. 

Just in time to try to save Ian from certain death. Another huge change of scene for this episode as we find ourselves caught up in a not very alien courtroom drama. The only significant difference is that people are guilty until proven innocent in this society. It strikes me that, apart from the radical change of location at the end of 'An Unearthly Child', this is perhaps the only story where the location changes every week along with the episode title. It must have been a very different experience watching Dr Who in the early sixties, not knowing how long each story was going to be.

Some more of Ray Cusick's set photographs...

Two of my favourite Dr Who actors appear together in this episode; the lovely Martin Cort who returns to the series in 'The Seeds of Death' and gives a wonderful turn as the terrified Locke. And Fiona Walker, later to delight us as Lady Peinforte in 'Silver Nemesis'. Here, she is wonderful as the dark and manipulative Kala, the series' first female villain. Hurrah!

Poor Aydan (Martin Cort), keeps giving himself away rather easily, but then they do only have an episode to get through this. The themes are adult; a death sentence, murder, perjury, domestic abuse and kidnap. Blimey. I love the scene where Aydan is murdered by an unknown assassin and the camera pans slowly across all of the shocked faces in silence before Kala (Fiona Walker) rushes forward, distraught.

As Gareth Roberts pointed out, "So weirdly like Lee Harvey Oswald that bit. And so soon!"

The trial continues:

A couple of lovely colour photos from the trial scenes....

We end with rather a good and chilling phonecall from Susan, "They're going to kill me."

Next episode: The Keys of Marinus

The Snows of Terror

"You don't kill people in this country. The cold and the wolves do that."

Brrr. Poor Ian and Barbara get rescued by Vasor the Furrier, but it's a case of out of the fridge into the freezer as the trapper makes some decidedly horrible moves on Barbara when Ian goes to find Altos. He finds he has bitten off more than he can chew (my metaphors are getting out of control) when she, well, bites him as she tries to get to the door.

Good on yer, girl!

The scene where Barbara tenderly rubs the feeling back into Ian's frostbitten hands is touching and the one where Ian does the same to Altos's legs (I'm not obsessed, I'm not) is borderline hysterical, particularly when you consider that Altos, as one reviewer rather marvellously puts it, 'is as gay as a goose'.

I quite like this episode with its caves and snow and ice soldiers and stock footage of the wolves.

Talking of stock, the music used over the rope bridge scenes seems to bear no relevance to the action and sounds like an alternative 60s ensemble playing rather loudly in the next cave. There's a bizarre moment when Susan, who screams at her own shadow, doesn't utter a peep when she's actually in real danger crawling across the three feet wide abyss.

Here's Verity watching Ray Cusick set up the 'bridge'.

When everyone gets back to Vasor's shack (love the all too brief little model shot of it in the snow, complete with smoking chimney)

I couldn't for the life of me work out why Ian and co hadn't taken the keys and the travel bracelets with them the first time until I realised that it provides a rather graphic revenge moment. Serves Vasor right, the nasty beast.

And so they pop off, out of vision again, to the next location. This one is rather inspired because Ian arrives next to a freshly murdered body and is soon bludgeoned and set up with the murder weapon. Great fun, and our anticipation is increased by...

Next episode: Sentence of Death

You know, I'd forgotten that the Doctor is supposed to be in this programme! Don't worry though, he's back next week.

"And now on BBC1..."

A small, but interesting snippet. The episode below, 'The Screaming Jungle', was the first ever episode of Dr Who to be shown on BBC1. Yes, really, because BBC2 was launched on the Monday following 'The Velvet Web' and up until that time BBC1 as we know it now was simply BBC-tv. And in 1963-64 when Dr Who began it was usual to have 'in-vision' continuity announcers such as the lovely and much lamented Anne Gregg, seen here when she was just 24.

Next episode: The Snows of Terror

The Screaming Jungle

"This whole place is one big booby trap!"

And she's not wrong. This is a lovely linear episode, moving from left to right around Lime Grove's Studio D. We start in the jungle where Susan hears voices and noises and decides to have a nervous breakdown. Maybe it's the thought of another jungle. And she did so well on Skaro.

There are some lovely set designs by Ray Cusick...

Then we move through the arch and find the statue with the human arms.

We're just wondering if this is stretching believability a bit far when there's a fabulous moment of realism as the soldier statue takes a swipe at Ian, even leaving an imprint of its axe on the paving slab. Great stuff, and unknowingly prescient of the marvellous Gundan robots far, far in the series' future.

While Ian goes to get an iron bar and ends up behind a load of them, Barbara moves through a door and finds herself in a chain mail net under a descending ceiling bristling with sharp sticks!

Luckily our trap setter gets to her in time and we move through the next door in time to rescue him from his own botched experiment.

I know it was his own silly fault, but I felt rather sorry for Darrius (in the picture above with Barbara). He's obviously lived alone for ages and then when genuine people turn up he pops his clogs within five minutes of meeting them. (The actor does reappear, however, in several future stories playing William Hartnell's double.)

Through one last door to my favourite scene with Ian and Barbara looking for DE302 in Darrius's laboratory as the jungle encroaches.

I was taken right back to the two of them in Ian's own laboratory in Coal Hill School and reminded that their utter realism is so important in order to contrast with the alien worlds around them. And I count our own past and the Doctor and Susan amongst those. Two great actors playing two strong and well-drawn characters.

They find the key and escape in the nick of time only to find themselves freezing to death in...

Next episode: The Snows of Terror

Article: And Now on BBC1...