Terry Nation started his career writing sketches for Tony Hancock; within two years of The Chase airing he would temporarily suspend Doctor Who‘s right to use the Daleks as he unsuccessfully shopped a big-budget series starring the nickel-plated Nazis around American networks. The Chase feels like a transitional fossil, caught between these two modes of […]
Graham Williamson
Senior Contributor
Doctor Who A-Z #15 – The Space Museum (1965)
Doctor Who fans have a pastime which is mean and unfair and very funny, namely spotting William Hartnell’s line fluffs. Some of these ‘Billy-fluffs’ are delightful; the very next story after this one has him warn his companions they’re about to become “burnt cinders floating around in Spain – in […]
Doctor Who A-Z #14 – The Crusade (1965)
I’ve mentioned a few times here that the rules that caused so much aggravation to writers of the pure historical serials – no changing history, no ascribing real-world actions to the Doctor or any of his companions – were written by David Whitaker in his initial series outline. What I […]
Doctor Who A-Z #13 – The Web Planet (1965)
Nothing dates faster than special effects, largely because their success is dependent on us not being accustomed to them. An effect which uses a brand-new process will always look more real to its initial audience than an effect which has been picked apart on countless behind-the-scenes featurettes. Which makes me […]
Doctor Who A-Z #12 – The Romans (1965)
The 2005 revival of Doctor Who inspired some transformative ways of watching the old series, none more dramatic than the one applied to the Hartnell era. Previously, the First Doctor’s early displays of bad temper, untrustworthiness and even violence were often read as straightforward mistakes, little out-of-character moments which the […]
Doctor Who A-Z #11 – The Rescue (1965)
It is currently easier to have a fresh watch of classic series Doctor Who than it has been since it was first broadcast. No need to consult a series guide to find out which episodes to watch first, no need to wait for a DVD or VHS release of a […]
Doctor Who A-Z #10: The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964)
For all that Doctor Who is famously a show that changes continually, its core tone, themes and concepts are remarkably durable. The show’s bank of ideas are often added to but rarely subtracted from: whereas there are many things in Ncuti Gatwa’s first season that wouldn’t happen in a Patrick […]
Doctor Who A-Z #09: Planet of Giants (1964)
If nothing else, Planet of Giants allows you to reflect on Verity Lambert’s pioneering genius. Doctor Who‘s first producer was pitched the idea of the TARDIS crew being miniaturised by C.E. Webber and Sydney Newman, who thought it would make a good first episode. Lambert thought it would be too […]
Doctor Who A-Z #08: The Reign of Terror (1964)
And so Doctor Who‘s first season ends as it began, with one of two “pure historical” stories not written by the subgenre’s mainstay John Lucarotti. The Reign of Terror is instead written by Dennis Spooner, who will soon take over as script editor from David Whitaker. As a script editor, […]
Doctor Who A-Z #07: The Sensorites (1964)
One of the questions this rewatch has made me reconsider is this: when did Doctor Who start to make its monsters complicated? In the new series, it’s commonplace: Peter Capaldi’s final season kicks off with five back-to-back episodes where an apparent monster turns out to be merely misunderstood. The trope […]