KOOL TV REVIEW: 'DOCTOR WHO - SCREAM OF THE SHALKA' DVD

Sound scares! The new DOCTOR WHO (Richard E. Grant) and friends face the Scream of the Shalka. Images: BBC.

DOCTOR WHO - SCREAM OF THE SHALKA

Starring Richard E. Grant as the Doctor

Written by Paul Cornell
Directed by Wilson Milam

Release date: 16th September 2013, from BBC WORLDWIDE


Reviewed by Scott Weller


Bringing a very definite looking Vampire/Goth aura to his travels through the fifth dimension of space and time, the alternate ninth DOCTOR WHO, as personified by Richard E. Grant in his first and only appearance as the Time Lord hero -fights a scaly new menace to mankind and the universe within the series first animated film, 2003's 40th anniversary celebration landmark Scream of the Shalka, now making its colourful debut on DVD from the BBC.

Arrival in a frightened town: Richard E. Grant's incarnation of the Doctor.

▶ DAVID PREVIEW OF DOCTOR WHO -SCREM OF THE SHALKA DVD OUT 16TH SEPEMPER 2013 - YouTube

Fan author turned respected TV writer Paul Cornell comfortably shapes the destiny of this four-colour version of the Doctor-a more grim looking, isolated and grim attitudes figure who, now firmly working for his Gallifrey superiors, arrives in England to discover just how grim being "Up North" can be when he discovers a Lancashire town gripped in fear by the presence of horrific underground creatures, the Shalka, whose terrifying screams resonate with power and destruction. Having landed on the planet via a crashed meteorite, the creatures soon have a huge plan for our shiny blue/green planet and its resources, hoping to turn humanity into its slaves. Not if the Doctor has anything to do with it though, of which hes ably assisted by youthful and adventurous new companion, Alison (Sophie Okonedo) , her boyfriend, Joe (Craig Kelly), and brave soldiers helping in the best UNIT tradition (led by Jim Norton as Major Kennet) . There's even a robot form of the Doctor's old enemy, the Master (nicely voiced by Derek Jacobi, long before he briefly inherited the part in the David Tennant era), stuck in the TARDIS to occasional help our hero and provide such much needed sardonic, if a little camp, wit. As the presence and plans of the Shalka are properly unveiled in the six-part story, alongside hitherto unknown powers, their malignant leader, Prime (Diana Quick, clearly relishing playing a WHO monster) proves a formidable enemy for our hero of the ages to lock horns with, and another fine female villain to add to the series historical roster. And talking of David Tennant, look out for his fun voice cameo!

The Shalka screaming starts!

Richard E. Grant can't help but channel parts of his earlier and beloved WITHNAIL & I performance into his portrayal of the Doctor, and feels slightly uncomfortable in early episodes, but by by the story's big face-off conclusion you can tell he's had a lot of fun ultimately playing the role and made it uniquely his own, bringing some genuine flourishes of drama and occasionally out there improvised comedy, too. its a shame that his planned for second story was terminated- despite being a big success on the BBCi webcast site, the animated series got very little publicity attention and resources from the BBC, who were, at that time focusing, quite rightly, on the impending arrival of the series live action return with Christopher Eccleston in the role, under the command auspices of new series guru Russell T. Davies. SCREAM's animation looks pretty basic then and now, what with its Flash animation- and was always supposed to be designed to be, for a time when the Internet and its technology was still very much in its infancy, but animators COSGROVE HALL- legends in the field for children's animated television programmes, do manage to sneak in some intriguing visuals and QUATERMASS-like atmosphere that also captures that essential British-ness of DOCTOR WHO.

The evil Shalka leader, Prime (voiced by Diana Quick).

On the DVD extras front, there's a solid behind the scenes commentary from writer Cornell, producer James Goss, and director Wilson Milam, a fascinating and revealing documentary, Carry On Screaming, introduced and produced by Goss (one of the main dedicated creatives on the project from the start) who outlines its inspired but also troubled making-a production concept with inspirational ideas that didn't always pan out (unused stories for a mini season and even the fascinating but bizarre idea of casting WHO fan Robbie Williams, then at the height of his popularity, in the lead role!), facing internal BBC management friction and their poor decision making (resentments from the corporation towards the WHO franchise in general still very much in evidence), plus the limited budget in the face of such a bold new experiment within new technology. And yet, amazingly, the small production time rides the Big Kahuna to deliver something very good for its time, and something still quite unique in the series history. Its a half hour well worth watching, especially for any future DOCTOR WHO producers out there!

TARDIS buddies: the Doctor and the Master (voiced by Derek Jacobi).

There's also another accompanying and excellent featurette, Interweb of Fear, which takes a look at how DOCTOR WHO has evolved to become such a vital part of the online community and been a key success for the BBC, from its early breaks into the Internet to what it is now, making the most of rapidly unceasing advances in website and archive playing (bless that old CULT TV site of theirs!). Furthermore, there are of their time interviews with the supporting cast (including Sophie Okonedo, Diana Quick, Jim Norton, and director Wilson Milam), the complete incidental music score, production notes, an animation photo gallery, and a trailer for the next Classic WHO release that takes us back into live action, and scary goings on at Scotland's Tulloch Moor, as Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor adds some tartan to his costumed get-up, once alongside UNIT, in the just in time release for the shows Fiftieth Anniversary, facing the Terror of the Zygons...

The Doctor and Alison (Sophie Okonedo): protectors of the Earth!

KOOL TV RATING: A nostalgic trip down animation lane, for an overall underrated and mostly satisfying animated project, worthy of a retrospective DVD release of its own- a project celebrating the old series strengths but also providing an early kind of blueprint for format changes, plot and character elements that would play such a vital part of the series modern success just a few short years later. 3 out of 5

Get hold of DOCTOR WHO: SCREAM OF THE SHALKA here:
Doctor Who - Scream of the Shalka [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Richard E. Grant, Sophie Okonedo, Derek Jacobi, Craig Kelly, Diana Quick: Film & TV

KOOL TV REVIEW: 'DOCTOR WHO - THE ICE WARRIORS' (2 DISC DVD)

Frozen frights await the Second Doctor Who (Patrick Troughton) in The Ice Warriors, out now on DVD. All images: BBC.

DOCTOR WHO: THE ICE WARRIORS (2-disc DVD set)

Starring Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, Frazer Hines as Jamie and Deborah Watling as Victoria

Written by Brian Hayles

Directed by Derek Martinus

Available 26th August 2013, from BBC DVD

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Patrick Troughton’s "Cosmic Hobo" figure of DOCTOR WHO is in for a chilly reception when he and his companions arrive in a snow encased Earth and get caught up in the frozen thawing of unwelcome hostile alien warriors. It's a welcome return to the monochrome era of the series in this special 2-disc DVD release of one of the Second Doctor era’s most fondly remembered adventures: The Ice Warriors - the latest classic BBC release getting a special restoration and completism with its two missing episodes visually restored via special animation.

Created by the late Brian Hayles in a script that couldn’t be more different to his last tale for the series- the penultimate story to William Hartnell’s era, the historical adventure of Cornish piracy, The Smugglers, his future Earth seen here is caught in a brutal environmental catastrophe- a second ice age tightly wrapped around the planet, and its peopled cities forced to retreat under huge protective domes in order to survive. Scientists and their new computer and weather controlling technology try to bring order and stop the glacial range and weather conditions from causing further flooding annihilation, but things are looking pretty grim for Homo Sapiens.

 

The Doctor and Jaime aid the Brittanicus Base team.

Into all this comes the timely arrival of the Doctor with loyal traveling friends, Jamie and Victoria, concurrent with the discovery by two of the Brittanicus Base’s scientific personal, at a critical juncture of their Ioniser technology’s possible malfunctioning, that a frozen warrior believed to be from Earth’s past is cut from the ice, when in actuality he/it turns out to be a dangerous and totally hostile alien creature from beyond the stars, freeing an also trapped brethren and soon given the nickname of The Ice Warriors!

Trailer: ▶ DOCTOR WHO - The Ice Warriors - COMING TO DVD TRAILER (SOMETIME) COPYRIGHT BBC - YouTube

As well as mixing in the requisite alien threat that makes it such quintessential WHO, there’s a nice moral message in this overall serious sci-fi concept, about how we, mankind, have become slaves to technology and caused the very problems that the planet are now facing- a hint of tragedy in the show’s first episode tells the viewers of when the world suddenly lost its Summers- a well acted, evocative and sad moment.

 

"Oh dear?!" Patrick Troughton as the Doctor.

Enjoying the story’s danger and monsters, Patrick Troughton, conveniently wearing his handy warm coat from his Himalayan adventure with the Yeti, is as splendid as ever- the heroic pixie mixing comedy (I love the scene like when he's at the door of the ice warrior spaceship and shouts out, “Anyone at home?”) and drama (standing up to the Ice Warriors and not being totally afraid of them in the same way that he is with the Cybermen and Daleks), backed up with that crafty intelligence, which makes his Time Lord interpretation so unique. Both Debbie Watling and Frazer Hines as Victoria and Jamie work well alongside him- both having interesting character hooks about them, themselves, what with their historical rather than futuristic backgrounds- the ultimate fish out of water-perhaps Victoria more so than Jamie, who takes it all in his stride. It’s no wonder that their mixture of humour, helplessness and jaunty heroism made them such popular companions of his era.

 

Varga (Bernard Bresslaw) threatens Victoria (Deborah Watling).

Jamie proves particularly playful in the opening episode, especially in his continuing flirty relationship with Victoria, whom he quite clearly fancies, before he’s mostly unconscious or not doing as much as he could in the story’s middle episodes. This is when it becomes the most remembered adventure for Watling and Victoria, trapped in the avalanches and chased or captured by the intimidating Ice Warriors, as screamy and vulnerable as ever with the monsters, but showing courage and initiative from time to time, even if her turtle-shelled captors are really going to kill her-using her as bait to trap the other Earthers.

 

Popular character actor Peter Barkworth as Clent. 

A very strong character acting guest cast spars with Troughton and his “family”, including Peter Barkworth as the often vain, arrogant and slightly out of his depth Leader Clent, George Waring as the doomed Ice Warriors discoverer, Arden, and a pre-Last of the Summer Wine Peter Sallis as his self-pariah scientist turned scavenger, Penley-one of the last hopes to save the country from the problems of the intense and building weather. Adding some French design inspired mini-skirted glamour as Clent’s right hand lady scientist, Miss Garrett, is popular TV guest star of the time Wendy Gifford.

 

Technical wonder! Wendy Gifford as Miss Garrett.

Whilst out in the wastelands, there’s also The Great Escape’s Angus Lennie as Storr, a bitter scavenger with looks like to rival Captain Caveman, giving up on technology and equally wary of scientists, carving out a unique bedfellow situation with Penley.

Victoria is cornered in an ice cave.

In a fifth season that very definitely lives up to its moniker as one of the shows classic monster eras, the big new threat coming after the popularity of such icons as the aforementioned Daleks and Cybermen, the Ice Warriors prove an ingenious new race to make the most of in years to come. Reptilian warriors – Terrapins beware!- that kids could copy on the playground with their unique walk and unusual voices, they are designed and created by Martin Baugh and Make-up expert Sylvia James with enthusiasm, though the production has a few moments of trial and error with its opening episodes, as the Ice Warriors original appearance changes between the period of early filming at Ealing and the confines of the BBC-the look of the two main Ice Warrior leaders (Varga and Zondal) prove better than those of their soldier brothers, whose heads prove too big for the rest of their bodies.

How to scare the kids, the Ice Warrior way!

Having been so used to seeing him in his comedic roles in the CARRY ON movies, often caught in embarrassing situations opposite hearty laughter making Sid James, we all forget how strong and serious an actor Bernard Bresslaw was until we see The Ice Warriors. Well cast by director Derek Martinus, here we see Bresslaw taking the challenge of being the green-scaled leader very seriously, bringing thought and physical dedication to his role as Varga, giving it/him character, intelligence and a streak of ruthless cruelty and menace within that difficult, hot, bulky yet magnificent costume, the leader determined to recover his avalanche frozen soldiers buried deep in the ice from the first Ice Age, whilst also determining whether this planet and peoples in their modern state should be invaded or destroyed by the warriors of Mars. Varga’s thawing at the end of part one is easily one of the series greatest, classic moments, too.

Bernard Bresslaw "suits-up" as Varga!

And after all these years, Bresslaw remains the king of the Ice Warriors, setting the style for the later versions of his race to follow. He and the other suited-up monster men may occasionally have, and show, some restricted movements throughout the tales location traversing, but their sheer look and presence shouldn’t be underestimated, nor their popular impact on the series at the time- they are certainly not the “Shit monster” that modern WHO series guru Steven Moffatt would have you believe (and a valid indication to the success of Mark Gatiss for bringing them back to the modern series, despite Moffat's earlier worries).

Then series regular, capable director Derek Martinus makes the most of his new creature feature, enjoying them and the story’s many challenges, and gets to experiment in other areas, with a different kind of scene-setting title sequence for the story, using stark ice wilderness stock footage and a female singing orator to create mood ahead of the storytelling, during a period in the show's life when it was constantly trying new things with title logos and other intros. A solid incidental music score by Dudley Simpson equally emotes some haunting moments, especially in the scenes deep in the ice caves with Victoria and the pursuing warriors.

 

An Ice Warrior stands guard to its spaceship entrance.

Keeping to the series strengths on a tight budget, the BBC drama makes ingenious and cost effective use of several large main sets to house the action (a regular idea through a lot of the Troughton era)- the Brittanicus Base interiors (mixing old world architecture with sci-fi tech) and the basic but moody interior of the Ice Warriors grounded spaceship, alongside some very nice film work at Ealing Studios representing the story’s ice caverns chilly exteriors, are well designed by a money deficient Jeremy Davies.

 

Jamie fights the thawed Varga!

The rest of Varga's frozen soldiers.

With Episodes Two and Three sadly missing from the BBC Archives, the WHO Restoration Team decide to fill in the gaps with faithful but not flashy animation from the Qurios company, with producers Chris Chapman and Niel Bushnellkeeping Martinus script stage directions intact- a commendable decision. The animation sometimes lacks dynamism and feels a little jerky, but there are many highlights to be enjoyed with the hybrid picture/sound medium, including Jamie's unsuccessfully taking on the newly awakened and angry Varga at the start of Episode Two, and its cliffhanger, where we see its other warriors entombed and ready to be awakened from their long slumber.

Brilliant likenesses of the Doctor and Clent.

Varga and the captured Victoria.

Some animation shots greatly improve on what existed from those episodes as shot via time of transmission telesnaps. Character likenesses are superb, especially the spot-on Troughton facial work, by a team of dedicated artists including character designs and animation director Chris Chatterton. It’s all well matched up to Graham Strong’s off-air soundtrack recordings. Here's hoping that this reconstruction is a big success, so that some further fully missing adventures can be realized in this manner.

 

The Doctor must work out an important formulae.

On the extras side, the audio commentary’s for the story are a veritable pot-pourri of listening enjoyment-Episodes One, Four, Five and Six feature Frazer Hines, Debbie Watling with other support cast and behind the scenes people, whilst Episode Two has crispy archive recordings and readings (from the likes of the late Brian Hayles (who talks about the genesis of his creatures), Bernard Bresslaw, and Derek Martinus), as well as brief new interviews conducted specially for the release. The best is saved for Episode Three, however, as Troughton’s son, Michael, affectionately talks about his late father, the way Dad played the Second Doctor, and being a 12 year old part of his universe during his three-year time on the series- this talk, conducted by Toby Hadoke, is a genuine highlight of the Troughton era DVD releases and their extras, with more apparently to come on a future Second Doctor DVD release.

 

The assembled Ice Warrior force.

Further little gems include Cold Fusion, a nearly half-hour documentary on the filming of the story, as James Bresslaw, son of the late Bernard, set designer Jeremy Davies (at the time of original filming unenthused by things, but happier in retrospect), Watling and Hines recalling the overall great fun and small budget challenges involved, and the featurette Beneath the Ice, which looks at the Qurios company’s dedication in animation for the story. (They also provide a nice little bonus- a clever reconstruction of the original 1967 BBC teaser trailer, starring Peter’s Barkworth and Sallis).

Keeping the retro style alive, there’s a fun look back to the hugely successful 1960’s BLUE PETER Design-A-Monster competition, together with the on-set realized winning entries (not to be confused with the shows then hosts-Peter Purves, Valerie Singleton and John Noakes!), plus Doctor Who Stories, concluding its lively 2003 archive interview with Frazer Hines, who reveals that, if asked, he would have loved to have stayed on with the Classic Series after his eighties return with both The Five and Two Doctors adventures, and that he and Troughton had so much fun together in the sixties they they’d likely have never left WHO in the first place if it hadn’t been for the nagging women in their lives wanting them to depart what they considered a kid’s show! A new facto to add to WHO fans databanks...

 

One of the original versions of an Ice Warrior.

Rounding things off, there are the lively production notes (kudos for all the time and research here), ingenious telesnaps and audio description combined links done for the story’s original VHS release, a brief, mostly B/W, photo gallery, PDFs of the RADIO TIMES listings for the story, and a trailer for Richard E. Grant’s colourful 2003 animated adventure as the Doctor- Scream of the Shalka.

KOOL TV OVERALL RATING (Story, new animation and extras): It may not be the most action-packed story of the season, but the solid central ideas, the always excellent Troughton (at his best throughout Season Five), and the new to the series monsters (remember to “Sss” along with them!), keep it moving memorably enough… 4 out of 5

Purchase The Ice Warriors here: Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Patrick Troughton, Frazer Hines, Deborha Watling, Derek Martinus, Brian Hayles: Film & TV

WELCOME TO THE TARDIS! THE NEW 'DOCTOR WHO' - PETER CAPALDI!

The new Time Lord on the block: Peter Capaldi is DOCTOR WHO. Image: BBC.

And so, after several hotly anticipated months and tremendous speculation, the identity of the twelfth actor to play the world popular sci-fi hero/ icon DOCTOR WHO in and after the shows Fiftieth Anniversary year, and the sad departure of Matt Smith, was finally revealed to expectant fans across the globe. His was a name that suddenly took prominence online and in magazines like RADIO TIMES a week or so ago-and he's a damned good choice in my book!- Scottish actor/writer/director Peter Capaldi, no stranger to drama and comedy, taking well-deserved control of the hexagonal TARDIS console at the end of this years likely apocalyptic Christmas special. And after experiencing several on and off years of disappointment with modern WHO seasons and its storytelling, KOOL TV feels very optimistic with the news and can't wait to see what happens next.

BBC One - Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi is Introduced to the World as the Next Doctor!

He may have been dubbed a safe choice in some circles, but Capaldi has the ranger and a perfect sense of the Doctor-ishness about him- he's tall, has a great expressive face and serious eyed, visually a mixture of WHO legends Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker about him, and, at 55, is just the right age in my opinion- they were getting too young. It's nice to get back to the spirit of the first four classic era Doctors- a more seasoned and commanding presence to play the role-hopefully the comedy and face guernying of the last two incarnations, no matter how beloved they were, will be played down and this new portrayal will have a more serious edge to him- a bit more of the dominant steel-eyed glance, but with room enough for some laughs along the way alongside the shows current perky companion, Clara.

New wave sci-fi/fantasy/TWILIGHT-esque female fans missing their David Tennant and Matt Smith's will be aggrieved by it all, but its time to abandon the youngism of TV when it comes to DOCTOR WHO, at least for this incarnation and a new exciting period of the shows history. Steven Moffat and the BBC have picked a winner of an actor with Capaldi -well done- and I can't wait to see him face down the Daleks and Cybermen. Though let's also hope that, having a very reputable lead star, with his OSCAR winning grounding as a writer and director in his own right, he'll have some great and classic adventures worthy of his incarnation and presence. As for how long he'll stay in the role, let's cross our fingers for three years, but considering his always in-demand status, though, worst case scenario, we could all settle for two full-length seasons and a couple of Xmas specials.

Regardless of the long and short-term, a hearty CONGRATULATIONS from KOOL TV to Mister Capaldi and the BBC Production Team!

WOULD YOU LIKE A JELLY BABY? 'DOCTOR WHO - THE FOURTH DOCTOR TIME CAPSULE' MATERIALIZES ON DVD

Dalek Enemy Number One: Tom Baker as the world's greatest incarnation of DOCTOR WHO. Images: BBC.

For seven momentous and enjoyable years from 1974 to 1981 there was no one else quite like Tom Baker on our TV screens. In his portrayal of the uniquely British Time Lord and sci-fi folk hero DOCTOR WHO he was the ultimate primer for classic seventies television viewing on Saturday nights, as he fought enemies on Earth and outer space in the most iconic and endearing ways possible for family audiences, especially adored by children, wearing his trusty multi-coloured flowing scarf, offering seemingly endless supply of Jelly Babies confectionery, and possessing a beaming face, radiating intelligence and a wide and happy grin that could make the world that bit more of a nice place to live in for the twenty-five minutes each week in which our hero appeared. DOCTOR WHO, with Baker's dedicated presence, was a TV series series at the peak of its power and imagination, as it weaved its adventuresome tales with horror, comedy and all-round style, often towering above all-too inadequate BBC funding, and helping to make it a ratings smash which most of today's show producers would kill to have (peaking at twelve million several times) and carving its future destiny as a worldwide success, particularly with the fickle American market.

Underneath Loch Ness, the Doctor encounters the Terror of the Zygons.

In this mighty and quite astonishing fifty-year anniversary of the shows longevity, Tom Baker and the era of the Fourth Doctor are getting a much welcome, much deserved time capsule box set honour that fans will surely lap up, out today in a sumptuous and mysterious Time Lord civilisation box design from BBC WORLDWIDE. Limited to just 5,000 copies, this unique collectible includes the first appearance on DVD of the classic 1975 adventure which launched Baker's second season, the horror story of alien infiltration in Scotland by the shape-changing Zygons, in Robert Banks Stewart's much-loved Terror of the Zygons, showing the star and companions Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter, as Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan, in equal prime alongside him. It's also the last full story to feature the UNIT set-up which had previously aided Jon Pertwee, and boasts the impressive titular creatures, soon to re-appear in the shows upcoming, so far untitled Fiftieth Anniversary story this November, created with unsettling and mind-lingering execution by later Oscar winning designer James Acheson. Directed with style by the late, always great Douglas Camfield, Terror is the story that fans have been waiting a long time for, and its picture and sound restoration is terrific.

Then and Now! Tom Baker talks all things WHO.

Equally important alongside the release is a lovely second disc featuring a sadly all-too short (25 mins) modern interview with Baker, who talks candidly, refreshingly, and, most of all, so entertainingly, about his time working on the series- how he was cast, being with his companions, the behind the scenes team he worked with but often battled against (all for the continuing good of the series and to prevent creative stagnation), and the whole general aura of his seven-year reign in the seventies, when DOCTOR WHO was such a big part of his life and for TV audiences.

The contents of the Fourth Doctor Time Capsule.

Rounding off this once in a lifetime set, for fans of soon-to-be rare merchandise, there's an exclusive post-regenerative Fourth Doctor action figure of high quality (beat my old Denys Fisher figure of Tom B. from back in the day!), wearing Jon Pertwee's trademark frilly shirt and velvet coat, an equally fine replica Fourth Doctor sonic screwdriver (but don't try and use it on Gallifrey!), an audio version of the classic Baker adventure Genesis of the Daleks (which works extremely well-totally atmospheric in the format), an original novel- Tomb of Valdemar by Simon Messingham (set during the Fourth Doctor's quest for the Key to Time- a 1978 season-long challenge much regarded by fans), a batch of nostalgic art/photo cards featuring all of the eras companions in their heroic best, and finally, a charming and heartfelt personal letter/dedication to fans from Tom Baker himself. All in all, it's a lovely package and a supreme anniversary treat. But where was the free bag of Jelly Babies?

Get hold of the Fourth Doctor Time Capsule here: Doctor Who: The 4th Doctor Time Capsule [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Tom Baker: Film & TV

KOOL TV REVIEW: 'DOCTOR WHO - THE GREEN DEATH' SPECIAL EDITION DVD

Of fungus and maggots! A disturbing ecological terror for the Doctor and Jo Grant in the new BBC DVD release of Classic DOCTOR WHO: The Green Death. Images: BBC.

DOCTOR WHO – THE GREEN DEATH (SPECIAL EDITION 2-DISC SET)

Starring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor and Katy Manning as Jo Grant

Written by Robert Sloman

Directed by Michael E. Briant

Available 5^th August 2013 from BBC DVD

Reviewed by Scott Weller

How green (death) was my valley!

They’ve been fighting all manner of weird and vicious alien invaders from outer space on and off during their previous three exciting years together, but now our heroic and exiled Time Lord DOCTOR WHO, and his ever faithful and lovely companion Jo Grant face an altogether different, but just as lethal, man-made adversary, in the intriguing, very 1970’s socially relevant story of pollution and ecological disaster-The Green Death-forever remembered as “the one with the maggots” to a generation of fans and regular viewers back in the shows tenth anniversary conclusion, as well as being a tale that crafts a fittingly emotional and satisfying send-off to UNIT’s finest dizzy heroine, and a firm family favourite, played with such delightful charm and zest by Katy Manning.

 

It's a case of mushroom mania for the Doctor (Jon Pertwee).

Conjured up by producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks at that time as the ultimate morality play for the series, wanting to stir up debate about what mankind and industry was doing, and is still doing even now, to harm our planet and its ecological balance, The Green Deathsees the serene and beautiful Welsh valleys threatened by the Global Chemicals company’s power mad ambitions to create a new, clean controlled energy source to aid our planet, when, in actuality, they are turning a blind eye to the lethal by-product emerging from their technological advances: a pollutant super-bug and its maggot infection carriers spreading their unnatural influence through the nearby coal mines and soon the entire area, of which even the resourceful Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (an always nicely pitched Sorting It Out the British Way performance from Nicholas Courtney) and his solid military forces of UNIT have trouble containing. As the Doctor and Jo, with new friend Dr. Clifford Jones  (a youthfully memorable Stewart Bevan) race to find a solution to the problem, a second threat emerges from the industry giant via the wavelength terrors of its globally immersed super computer, BOSS, wanting to establish itself as the Skynet of its time and take over the world/enslave humanity. Enemies to the left of them, enemies to the right of them, indeed…

Like a GOOD LIFE episode gone very, very rogue, Robert Sloman’s capable script, despite some heavy handed preaching early on, certainly has its heart in the right place, and is choc-full of strong characters, incident and memorable cliffhangers, with a pace that never flags or proves boring, shored up further by inventive and exuberantly experimental direction from the series then top WHO director Michael E. Briant. Only the BOSS aspects of the plot comes across as a little uninspired-at the same time States-side, Captain Kirk in STAR TREK was facing down bigger and better machine villains like this on a regular basis- but the overall confection is well worth the six episode duration.

 

Jo Grant (Katy Manning) and her new love, Dr. Clifford Jones (Stewart Bevan).

Star Pertwee has some fine moments of heroism and charm (and even gets to the indulge in some comedy drag!), but also proves to be a lot more vulnerable, too, especially by its close when he has to say goodbye to his dear friend Jo, coming of age and showing a more independent nature than we’ve seen before- the character and Katy Manning’s departure carefully and assuredly plotted through the story. Jo’s goodbye is a truly affecting and emotional moment for the actor and his role, as well as the viewers who have enjoyed watching the duo these past three years- its the closest the Doctor has had to a loving relationship with a companion at this point in the series history. As his “fledgling flies the coup”, its an end of an era for Pertwee’s time on the show, of which story seeds for his own departure are already in motion for exploration and exploitation by the conclusion of the following season (linked to the Doctor’s opening solo trip to the infamous Metebelis III- the famous blue planet of the Acteon galaxy, where he just about survives its environment and animalistic horrors in order to retrieve one of its infamous blue crystals- a piece of curiosity that would come back to haunt him with disastrous consequences, and the ultimate catalyst for his regeneration into Tom Baker).

 

A helpless Doctor and Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) watch as Dave (Talfryn Thomas) tries to save the mine-trapped Jo.

Primed with good scripts, a fine guest cast includes the aforementioned Stewart Bevan as Jo’s new beau, the younger but similarly enthusiastic and charismatic replacement to the Doctor in Clifford Jones, dedicated leader of a small group of hippy scientists in their “Nut Hutch” research home, winning her heart and dedication against the threat to mankind posed by big business and pollution, primarily in the controlling form of Jerome Willis as the manipulative, power playing Global Chemicals boss, Stevens, seemingly unconcerned about the fate of the Welsh landscape, and the world, about to be apocalyptically blighted with the deadly fruits of his labours. John Dearth, as the insane computer voice of the BOSS, and Steven’s ultimate behind the scenes puppet master and tormentor, clearly relishes his role, proving as devious and egotistic as the humans who created him and unwittingly launched its ambition onto the world.

 

The ingeniously created, memorable maggots of the story. Seventies BBC SPFX at their most inventive.

But by the beginning of episode two, its the creepy monster threat, uncovered in the mines by the Doctor and Jo, that prove to the most remembered and iconic aspect of the story. Praise should go out to the talented and versatile BBC special effects team of the time in bringing the grotesque and often disgusting looking maggot creatures to life through a variety of ingenious methods (including numerous types of puppets and the use of real-life maggots in large numbers). The effects may seem variable by today’s CGI standards but they were certainly good enough at the time to make a lasting impact on a generation of early fans. The creatures (alongside a metamorphosed giant red-eyed fly, making a brief appearance in the final episode) would quickly become the kind of classic WHO monsters that kiddie viewers would find instantly repulsive, yet endlessly fascinating.

For every success linked to the creatures, though, there are a few occasional other failures. Some of the Colour Separation Overlay scene techniques linked to some of the cave interior scenes look woefully inadequate, causing some pretty bad looking yellow line composition overspill, but, as is customary for so much of the original series, the overall conviction of the actors and the fast-paced directing quickly override such concerns.

 

Jerome Willis as the Global Chemicals power baron, Stevens.

Unleashed into the surrounding area, the story’s exterior filming in Wales counterbalances these problems, and is picturesque and effective- bad enough that the Coalfields would later be menaced by Margaret Thatcher, now they’ve got maggots and the Green Death! Meanwhile, back at Auntie Beeb’s then powerhouse Shepherd’s Bush studio empire, the production design around this horrible new threat is equally well assured- with all the caves and tunnels built for this story the designers name of John Burrows now seems quite apt, whilst the computer room of Global Chemicals has a very familiar feel to it, effectively utilising rented props from Gerry Anderson/ CENTURY 21’s then defunct UFO TV series!

Forty years on from its original viewing behind the sofa, this special release DVD’s picture quality re-mastering is assuredly an enormous improvement on its previous 2005 version-the aforementioned filmed location sequences being particular standouts.

 

A parting of the ways for Jon Pertwee.

All of the original extras from that 2005 set have been retained- the classic and affectionate audio commentary with Katy Manning, the late Barry Letts and cuddly WHO writing legend Terrance Dicks, single interviews with Stewart Bevan, Robert Sloman and visual effects assistant on the story, and maggot builder, Colin Mapson. Plus, Global Conspiracy, a fun if overlong documentary spoof looking at the story’s events and its after effects on the local community at Llanfairfach, from die-hard Pertwee fan Mark Gatiss (a huge admirer of this particular adventure), with the additional help of the story’s original supporting stars (including Jerome Willis and Tony Adams).

But the standout is the all-new documentary from stalwart WHO DVD talent Chris Chapman- appropriately titled The One with the Maggots- which has fresh and interesting contributions from Terrance Dicks, Michael Briant, Colin Mapson, then Assistant Floor manager Karilyn Collier, and, reunited at last, Katy Manning and Stewart Bevan (who, at the time the story was originally made, were a real-life item), happily and affectionately talking about what it was like to work together on the story, its importance to them and the behind the scenes aspects of the series, especially how the crew were all blubbing at the end when their favourite lady left the production and the series.

 

Katy Manning and Stewart Bevan cosy up for some brand new, lively reminiscing.

There’s also a new bonus audio commentary, as veteran WHO fan and Rory Kinnear lookalike Toby Hadoke puts on his best Pertwee style authoritativeness to moderate several episodes with Richard Franklin (whose character of Mike Yates has some lively spying business in the tale) and guest actress Mitzi McKenzie (who played fungus food growing scientist Nancy), plus Katy Manning and modern WHO series guru Russell T. Davies, talking about the importance to them, and the series, of the story’s final tear-jerking episode.

 

Pertwee has some fun on location in 1973- part of some rare behind the scenes footage on the DVD.

Other new brief gems for classic series veterans to savour include two news segments from the Wales Today programme: the first showing some silent, and very rare, colour footage of the filming of the story back in 1973 (really nice to see), followed by the late Pertwee returning to the location site in 1994 and opening the new country park built over the old colliery. As ever, Pertwee, one of WHO’s finest ever promotional ambassadors, is on enthusiastic form and his presence in both these short and sweet items makes us all miss him more than ever during the current Fiftieth Anniversary of the show. With the departure of Katy Manning, the DVD also bears a taster of what the actress did straight after WHO, becoming a presenter on an arts and crafts series of the day called Serendipity.Looked at with today's television-making techniques, it’s all very primitive, but Manning’s enthusiasm and delight at being at the shows helm, despite her clear to see inexperience, warmly radiates.

Bookend rounding off this welcome celebration of all things Manning is the actress contribution to the modern WHO series era through two 2010 episodes of its hit spin-off, the much-missed Elisabeth Sladen starring vehicle THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES. Specially written for her to appear by then series maestro Russell T. Davies, Death of the Doctor is a fine and dandy adventure story (and also the writers first and last scribbles for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor), where she and her grandson attend the so-called funeral of our Time Lord hero alongside her successor inside the TARDIS, Sarah Jane Smith- ultimately discovering that he’s very much alive and well, if stranded on an alien planet, and ready to fight alongside them against a strange group of Ostrich-like funeral director aliens with designs on Earth and time travel domination.

With Death, fans of SJA will greatly enjoy the accompanying and very revealing behind the scenes optional audio commentary from Manning and Davies, the latter revealing what might have happened to one of the series characters had the show continued and Miss Sladen not have been so sadly and tragically lost from us.

 

Jo returns to meet her successor, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen), in Death of the Doctor- a nostalgic adventure from THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES.

The overall Welsh flavor of the DVD continues, not only playing an important part of the shows classic era, its territories would also go on to define the modern WHO series as well, serving as the primary location base for the 2004 resurrected series. This DVD release goes into huge detail on the shows eventual return to our TV screens with the Doctor Forever! documentary, The Unquiet Dead, focusing on how a group of dedicated TV professionals, and fans of the series, finally managed to bring it back to the BBC despite overwhelming odds and notable dissent from top corporation higher-ups, including the series old eighties enemy Michael Grade and Mark Thompson. Then Head of BBC Drama Jane Tranter and new WHO Svengali Russell T. Davies, who make impressive contributions to the documentary, should be congratulated on their brave decisions and bold stubbornness at bringing back the show back to acclaimed heights in a new, more modern and more expensive looking way- You’d think that WHO’s out of the wilderness resurrection, quickly opening up a popular family viewing slot on Saturday nights, would have been a no-brainer decision for a wanting to get back on track, ratings seeking Corporation, but it ultimately proved a far more problematic and difficult task than anyone could have realized. The Unquiet Dead establishes itself as a genuine highlight of the entire WHO DVD series range, full of fascinating behind the scenes info (how original series veteran Tom Baker was going to be the star of the series all over again, how the Daleks almost never returned, and how the Canadians wanted to dub over Christopher Eccleston’s voice, being just some of the many intriguing revelations!).

Finally, there’s the always epic production information subtitles-worth digesting into your brain along with some tea and biscuits, and of their time RADIO TIMES magazine story listings, a solid photo gallery, some Easter Eggs to keep your eyes primed, and another exciting Coming Soon trailer: prepare for icy chills and avalanches galore when Patrick Troughton encounters unthawed Martian invaders in The Ice Warriors. "SSSS...."

KOOL TV RATING (Story and extras): Fondly regarded as quintessential WHO for the period, The Green Death has held up well for the most part: tea-time horror that doesn’t cross the borderlands of later years, whilst possessing a moral code emanating from its series characters that should be applauded and appreciated more than ever. 4 out of 5

Get hold of The Green Death here: Doctor Who: The Green Death - Special Edition DVD: Amazon.co.uk: Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, Nicholas Courtney, John Levene, Richard Franklin, Jerome Willis, Ben Howard, Mostyn Evans, John Scott Martin, Roy Skelton, Terry Walsh, John Dearth, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts: Film & TV