Day 39 — February 8th 2021
The Death of Doctor Who and The Planet of Decision
The Death of Doctor Who (The Chase — Episode Five)
I’ll tell you what; I may not have enjoyed The Chase, but it does have some great episode titles. The Death of Time. Flight Through Eternity. Journey into Terror. The Death of Doctor Who. They’re proper evocative, and it’s a shame the episodes themselves haven’t lived up to the titles.
Today was going to be different. I assured myself of that. The first four episodes had left me cold, but today we were getting Daleks vs Mechanoids, and that was something I was sure I liked. I’d forgotten that none of that actually happens until Episode Six, and that I needed to get through all of the stuff with the robot Doctor Who first.
Oh lord, what on Earth were they thinking? The idea itself is solid — probably one of my favourite ideas in this story. An enemy creates a robot double of our hero and sets him off to ‘infiltrate and kill’. It’s a bit pulpy, but it works in theory. The problem is that they’ve got to achieve it in studio in 1965, and they simply can’t. Edmund Warwick doesn’t bear even a passing resemblance to Hartnell, and while it might be fine for long shots they have to keep cutting to him in close up. The thing is, I reckon they could have done it. We’ve seen clever use before of filming little bits at the start of the evening’s recording which can be dropped in later — they’ve done it for scenes where they need to strike the set as early as possible, or when they won’t have time to get an actor in place for a reaction. So why not shoot a couple of brief cutaways, like the above shot of ‘Doctor Who’ with Vicki and Barbara, using Hartnell, and then drop them into the episode during recording?
My other gripe today is that the idea of Vicki getting left behind is another great idea wasted. As with so much in this story, you feel as though there’s no real danger to any of the regulars. Vicki has to stow away aboard the Daleks’ time machine, but they never get close to discovering her, and she just waltzes out again when they land. It’s not even a problem trying to meet back up with her friends — they all discover each other really quickly. 3/10.
The Planet of Decision (The Chase — Episode Six)
Much like the Voord, the Mechanoids are always touted as being something that the production team hoped would catch on just like the Daleks had. But once again, I’m not overly convinced by that. Certainly there was an attempt to create some Mechanic merchandise, but I think that was more just eager companies cashing in on a popular series. Certainly, the Mechanoids only turn up for this final episode, and surely if you wanted to push them as the next big thing you’d give them a bit more screen time in the story?
That’s not me complaining, by the way; I really like the Mechanoids, and they do help to give this story a bit of a boost in the final episode. Their entirely-on-film fight against the Daleks is great, with some brilliant close up shots, and the flamethrowers looking genuinely cool. I think it’s fair to say that the flamethrower Daleks seen in their next outing were likely inspired by Nation looking at this and deciding that it’s an awesome addition to make with the Daleks.
I’ve heard some people complain about the Mechanoids’ voices, but i think I quite like them! Yes, they’re basically incomprehensible, but they’re fun to listen to and imitate. I’ve been wandering around the house all afternoon pretending to be a Mechanoid, and I can assure you that the wife has found it hilarious*. And I can’t deny I’ve got my eye on an Eaglemoss Mechanoid figure on eBay because I think it’ll look brilliant next to the various Dalek Invasion of Earth models I bought a couple of weeks ago.
But anyway, this episode isn’t really about the Daleks and the Mechanoids, is it? It’s about saying goodbye to Ian and Barbara. I sometimes wish I could watch Doctor Who and not know all the facts about it. I can sit and rattle off the title of every Old Testament story in order, and list the episodes in which companions join or leave, or when favourite monsters pop up. But I’d love to watch this and be genuinely surprised by the departure of our two regulars.
Because it does come a little out of the blue. I’m not saying it doesn’t make sense — they have access to a working time machine, so of course they’re going to take the opportunity to go home — but it’s a shame it’s not touched on a little earlier. ‘If only we could get our hands on…’, that sort of thing.
It’s a surprisingly touching departure, too. Hartnell seems genuinely angry about their decision (I think I’m right in saying that he didn’t understand why Russell and Hill would want to leave the series), and there’s some genuine emotion to their final scenes. I used to think it was a shame we didn’t get to go inside and see their actual farewell, but now I’ve changed my mind. There’s something beautiful about it being just between Doctor Who and them.
By that same token, I must be about the only fan in the world who never wants Ian and Barbara to come back. I see calls for Ian to return in New Testament Who all the time, and I just think it’s wrong. I really love that Ian and Barbara have such a ‘pure’ vision of Doctor Who. They never find out about Gallifrey, or Time Lords. They never know about regeneration! For them, Doctor Who is a little old man flying around the universe in a time machine he created. There’s something about the idea of them meeting another incarnation that just feels wrong to me. It somehow spoils them as characters.
I’ve one exception to my rule of never wanting them to come back, but we’ll talk about that when we get there in a few weeks’ time.
Their departure is also home to one of my favourite Doctor Who facts; the garage they land in on arrival back in London 1965 is now home to The Model Unit — the team responsible for creating loads of great models and effects for Doctor Who in the 21st Century. There’s something a little bit magical about the fact that this building has been connected to the TARDIS for over 50 years!
There’s one interesting Police Box thing to note about their departure, too; it’s the only time that a genuine Metropolitan Police Box has appeared in Doctor Who. The box was situated on the south side of Bayswater Road, and was demolished in late November 1970, though the air raid siren visible behind it on screen still stands to this day.
It’s just a shame that Ian and Barbara leave the series in a story that I’ve thought so little of. If it weren’t such an important story, you might be able to skip over it. Their departure raises the score a little, but only to another 4/10.
I’m going to miss the silly old fusspots.
*Okay, no, she hasn’t.
