The Doctor's Companion Blog

Having spent much of today setting up this blog in its new format, it is only right that I should relax with a sausage sandwich.  In homage to Professor Emilia Rumford and the aptly named Vivien Fay from fourth doctor story, the Stones of Blood, in the Key to Time series.

Although sadly I don’t think the good professor finished her sandwich in the episode.

I bought myself the box set of the Doctor Who – The Key to Time recently as an extra Christmas present for myself.  It is one of my favourite Doctor series.

So far I have just re-watched the first two.  The Ribos Operation is, for me, made by the wonderful performance of Ian Cuthbertson as Garron.  He is just perfect as the confidence trickster who loves his work.

Then the Pirate Planet is such a wonderful explosion of inventiveness from Douglas Adams, so clever the subtle way he introduces the nurse and the whole idea of planets mining planets.

To come, the excitements of earth and the Kaliad, the Androids of Tara and the rest.  People are often a bit disparaging about the power or Kroll and the Armagedden Factor, but I have always enjoyed them.  The whole series is great, with the wonderful Tom Baker, the marvellous Mary Tamm (the perfect ice queen) and the brilliant K9.

Excuse me, I must go now.  I have a series to watch.

Well I have read the survey results in DWM and I’m not happy with it. I don’t think the Caves of Androzani is the best Dr Who of all time.  Its just the favourite of the sort of blokes (and its bound to be blokes) who read DWM.

Mind you, I should speak really, we did mean to send in our lists but never managed to finish ticking all the boxes.  But there you are – this list is made up of the likes and dislikes of the people who did manage to finish it. Says it all really.

Looking at the list in a bit more detail, there are a lot of inconsistencies.  Numbers 200 – 101 (described disparagingly in DWM as ‘clunkers’) had the Doctors-Daughter-in-a-tight-green-top at number 140!  What happened there?  And Fear Her, a reasonable episode although admittedly not my favourite, was number 192.  How can this be considered worse than the Macra (137), now only visible as a selection of photos connected by narrative on the BBC web-site?

The trouble also about lists like this is that it seems to indicate that those at the bottom of the list are bad.  Or ‘clunkers’, to quote DWM.  But I really like loads of the ‘clunkers’ at the bottom.  Even Time Flight (196), which everyone is rude about, last time I watched it I really enjoyed it.  Is that not the test of a good program?  Even if it does have rubbish props and effects.  And I have always  been rather fond of the Krotons too (166).

Jumping ahead, what about the top 10?

10. Bad Woolf – yes OK;
9. Robots of Death- hmm, not as good as others, e.g. The Fires of Pompeii (56) IMHO;
8. City of Death – yes definitely one of the best;
7. Pyramids of Mars – mmmyes all right;
6. Human Nature/Family of Blood – great episode;
5. Empty Child/Doctor Dances – of course, brilliant;
4.Talons – yes, yes, all right;
3. Genesis of the Daleks – no, sorry that has never rung my bell, too gloomy;
2. Blink – great of course but not actually my favourite Moffat;
1. Caves – no, not my favourite.

So what is my all time fave?  I suppose, thinking it over, it is the Library (24).  Which is probably why I felt I wanted it for my first review.

I was sorry to hear of the death of Iain Cuthbertson (reported here).  He was absolutely brilliant in the (1978) Ribos Operation (a fourth Doctor story), where he played con man Garron. In fact I would go so far as to say that his performance is one of the best things in this episode (although this is not to say that the rest of it is not brilliant too).  You get the feeling that he really enjoyed playing the part.

The Ribos Operation, you will remember, is the first in the quest for the key to time series, where Garron trys to sell the planet Ribos to the Graff.  The key to time is disguised as a ….   But you will have to watch to find out.

I’ll do proper review when I can get hold of the DVD.  It is sold as part of the (rather expensive now if you can get hold of it) Doctor Who: The Key to Time (Limited Edition Numbered Complete 7 Disc Box set) [DVD] [1978] and so far as I am aware, is not available on its own.