Doctor Who fans are a weird lot. They complain when Doctor Who's not on air because they think it should be as it's the best television show ever made, and complain when it's on air because it's crap - either it's not true Doctor Who like it used to be, or it's too much like it used to be. Therefore it's kinda interesting that this month's DVD release features a monster that has just appeared in the new series. Yes, the good old Sontarans in the only other story available for release. If I were cynical I might point out that a Sontaran box set (for this has also been released) coinciding with new episodes featuring the Sontarans is a tad like a marketing exercise, but, hey, more power to them. And at least this release has no new stuff on it, like the Davros box set - don't even get me started on that one.
My opinions on Doctor Who (and indeed James Bond as well) have changed over the years. As a child I thought they were all brilliant!!! Then I got older and cynical and began to espouse perceived fan wisdom ("Ahh yes, well the Graham Williams era of Doctor Who was, of course, very silly because it was all too comical"). Now, I enjoy all stories because they have something to recommend them, but I can still be realistic.
The Invasion Of Time has a lot going for it, but production wise it's a bit shoddy, and when you discover that it was a last minute replacement, and further it was made when the budget was pretty much drying up, you can begin to understand why it looks that way. I still have a problem with the interior of the TARDIS looking like...well a disused hospital, which is what it was, and the Sontaran mask is pretty ordinary. Indeed, Derek Deadman as the Sontaran Stor is really poorly cast as he cockney's his way through the last two episodes just sounding crap. The Vardans also look a bit silly, both as the cellophane wrapper monsters they start out as and then as the silly little men in green uniforms.
But all that aside, it has some amazing things going for it. Some of its cliffhangers are fantastic - the Doctor laughing evilly as he gives up Gallifrey to the Vardans, the appearance of the Sontarans at the end of Part Four, being sucked into a black hole at the end of Part Five - all great stuff. And the casting is also superb (aside from the above problems). John Arnatt is so good as Borusa - I used to think he was a bit ordinary, but he has some wonderful moments. Milton Johns is a scene-stealer as Castellan Kelner, and I love Hilary Ryan as Rodan. It's pretty obvious that she is the template for Romana, and as I watched the story a part of me wished she had gone with the Doctor at the end (I wonder why she didn't...was Leela's departure written in that late in the day?). And how shocked am I to learn that Gai Waterhouse is in this production??? Truly bizarre...
At this point in the series it's pretty clear that Tom Baker controls the show as not only does he take center stage on screen (even if he's to one side), he does things in this story that he would never do in others, especially under Philip Hinchcliffe as producer - the asides to camera would have been absolutely forbidden in his first three years. However, given that Baker's popularity was so huge, it's hard not to forgive him for this.
I have discovered that I genuinely enjoyed this story so much more than I used to, and as such, I can't wait to watch it again. This time with funky new CGI effects. Just done it, and it looks even better!! Love the Vardans this time round.
"A"
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