Come on Down to the Kraal Corral

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Jan 152012
 

For fans of a "certain age" here in the U.S. "our Doctor," as the saying goes, is no surprise, Tom Baker.  Ol' Scarf Boy.  So it's with some interest when one of the stories of one of the classic series golden eras, namely Seasons 13 and 14, finally comes to DVD. 

We've made mention on these pages before about neglected gems, stories which, through no fault of their own, get outshone by more celebrated neighboring tales (we often cite Planet of Fire as an example of this). 

The Android Invasion is part of a string of great stories which begin with Terror of the Zygons and runs all the way The Talons of Weng Chiang so it's kind of easy, especially directly following The Pyramids of Mars, to overlook this little gem.  Terry Nation has only two non-Dalek stories in his Doctor Who resume, the other being The Keys of Marinus for William Hartnell, but this story boasts some of the best Tom/Lis interaction in their time together.

Watching this story once again, as has been remarked upon here before, is like an afternoon with an old friend.  We'll be posting some stills and a set of vastly improved caps from this story in the near future, but if you've got a fellow fan who's somewhat dismissive of the classic series, preferring the new to the old, you could do a lot worse in stating your case than sitting down for The Android Invasion.

 Posted by -- DSW at 5:12 pm

M.E.H. (Matt Enjoyed Himself)

 New Who for You, Tour Updates  No Responses »
Dec 312011
 

When it comes to Christmas specials Doctor Who fans are often caught in the trap of knowledge.  While fans understand inherently that a program tailored just for fans is not and cannot be sustainable in the long term, fans also don't want the program to be so broad that it loses it's niche appeal. 

This is doubly true at Christmas time where Doctor Who has held the prestige spot on the BBC's Christmas day schedule for a few years now.  The delicate needle that must be threaded, at least for fans, makes for hit or miss evaluations as to story and overall importance to the larger mythos of the show.  One need look no further than The Runaway Bride as evidence of this.

All of which brings us to this years outing.  It should be stated clearly here that there is nothing inherently bad about The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe.  Performance by one and all was uniformly fine.  Matt Smith was at his fizzy best but the sense of scale was missing this time around, kind of like The Next Doctor in that respect.  Still we shouldn't judge too harshly.  It's the last new Who for 9 months we figure so if history is our guide we'll probably be more kindly disposed to The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe come late spring or early summer when anticipation will be mounting yet again. 

For the sake of completeness here's our revised list ranking the Christmas specials:

Images and caps for The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe are now online.  BTW even though the view here at THT Towers is that "Doctor Who Confidential" had served it's purpose and run it's course, didn't you miss it too?

 Posted by -- DSW at 2:12 pm

Happy Holidays from Doctor Who’s Tragical History Tour

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Dec 252011
 

 Posted by -- DSW at 1:34 pm

The TARDIS whirled on it’s way again…

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Dec 252011
 

The TARDIS whirled on it's way again. The Doctor listened to Sara and Steven as they recovered from their recent exertions. Sara asked, "Whatever was that place?"

     "I've no idea," Steven replied, "Let's hope we never land there again." He heard a tinkling sound and looked up to see the Doctor carrying a silver tray with three crystal wine glasses, brimful. "we so rarely get a chance to celebrate," remarked the Doctor at their unspoken questions.

     "Celebrate?" the mystified Steven asked.

     "Don't you remember? In the Police Station – it was Christmas."

     "So it was," smiled Steven, taking the proffered glass.

     "Here's a toast. A Happy Christmas to all of us," said the Doctor, bending a benign smile on his young companions. Then he raised his glass high, saluting a host of Absent Friends and turned away.

     "And incidentally – a happy Christmas, to all of you at home."

 Posted by -- DSW at 2:00 am

These are a WHO of my Favorite Things #6

 Tangential Tardis  No Responses »
Dec 242011
 

It's hard to say whether the last item in our Who Holiday Countdown counts as Christmas-sy or not, after all the two Doctor Who Proms were performed and recorded during the summer prom season, but it's broadcast during the run-up to Christmas sure makes it feel as though it's a Christmas event.

Oh how we love the Who Proms here at THT Worldwide, especially the first one back in late 2008 with Freema and Catherine Tate. 

Probably just the novelty of it all we suppose, still it was wonderful to hear many of those too familiar cues and themes played out orchestrally in that venue and before a big audience.

Here's to hoping there's another one coming as part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary in 2013.

 Posted by -- DSW at 2:00 am

These are a WHO of my Favorite Things #5

 Tangential Tardis  No Responses »
Dec 232011
 

The last string in our odyssey of Doctor Who-related Christmas events is the most directly related.  As part of run-up to The End of Time Pt I David Tennant was engaged in a few special projects, one of which was this great BBC ident for the 2009 season.

It's an unadulterated joy.  I doubt anybody does this kind of stuff better than the Beeb.  Just try and disagree.

 Posted by -- DSW at 2:00 am
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