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Post by Richard Tipple on Jun 20, 2016 20:29:23 GMT
Hi all,
I have a confession to make: I always found Galaxy 4 quite difficult to get through,
Despite this, when the news filtered through that Air Lock had be found I was delighted. Like any Doctor Who fan, the idea of watching material thought lost forever was tantalising. For decades all we had of Galaxy 4 were those precious few minutes of episode one to pour over.. not any longer.
I knew the story, a classic 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.' job - what could 'Air Lock' possibly bring to the party? Well, as it turns out, an awful lot! The Rills! Stephanie Bidmead's performance! THAT flashback sequence. I wasn't expecting much, which made it even more impressive.
I've heard similar stories from fans that considered 'Tomb' the holy grail, and - while delighted with it's return - felt it didn't live up to it's mythos. Indeed, I always struggled with Enemy of the World - and was blown away by it when I watched it. It's one of my favourite Troughton's!
So a question for you all, what 'unfashionable'* episode do you believe to be a secret firecracker?
*By unfashionable I mean not, TP4 or Power 1, but Space Pirates 5, or The Smugglers 2.
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Post by Paul Edwards on Jun 20, 2016 22:29:37 GMT
Nice question!
For mine, Savages 4 -- suspect the design work of the city of the elders is better than what we believe, excellent companion send-off, and it would be fun to watch the destruction of the lab.
IN second place would be one of the Troughton's -- I can't remember which one, but I think it's from Macra, to solve the mystery of Polly's haircut.
Cheers,
Paul
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Post by mattplace on Jun 21, 2016 2:39:11 GMT
Very good question,
I too was amazed how great enemy was, maybe as my expectations were lower,I've watched it more than Web as well since the return.
.As for a secret firecracker, "The Warlords" or "the knight of jaffa"... I really love this story. Still hoping for a animated or photosnap dvd release if nothing is found.
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Post by thomgray on Jun 21, 2016 5:04:11 GMT
Awesome question! Enemy of the World is probably in my top three 60s serials, so I can relate to this question a lot as I really wasn't expecting much from it when it was found. Turns out I was very wrong!
Personally I found the audio book of the Abominable Snowmen unbearable; I've pretty much erased my memory of it due to sheer boredom. Yeti just aren't engaging when all you can hear is the rustling of fur. Hopefully one day I'll be raving about the story in the same way as EOTW, as I can imagine it being good once there is something to look at!!
On a slightly different note, thinking about the Celestial Toymaker, which story would be the most upsetting to discover it was actually terrible?! (NB: I actually love the orphan Celestial Toymaker episode, but I know when it was discovered many were alarmed how much it mismatched the legend!).
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Post by Richard Tipple on Jun 21, 2016 8:09:00 GMT
On a slightly different note, thinking about the Celestial Toymaker, which story would be the most upsetting to discover it was actually terrible?! (NB: I actually love the orphan Celestial Toymaker episode, but I know when it was discovered many were alarmed how much it mismatched the legend!). Oh nice twist. I think, for me at least, it would have to be Marco Polo. Imagine after all the hype it just didn't translate well! |
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Post by Will Weller on Jun 21, 2016 9:48:30 GMT
I've always thought that The Space Pirates would be more popular if it was found, as apart from Episode Two, we don't really have any idea what the rest of the story even looks like, so I think that if it ever is found in full the visuals will redeem it.
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Post by Darren Jones on Jun 22, 2016 0:56:09 GMT
I've always thought that The Space Pirates would be more popular if it was found, as apart from Episode Two, we don't really have any idea what the rest of the story even looks like, so I think that if it ever is found in full the visuals will redeem it. I quite agree. I've always enjoyed 'The Space Pirates' on audio but the extant episode just doesn't grab my attention. It was the same with 'The Enemy of the World'; I loved the audio but the one remaining episode dragged a bit as it was viewed out of context. Now though, the story just gets better with the visuals to match and ep 3 fits nicely into the story. To answer the original question: I would like to have 'The Massacre' ep 4 (The Bell of Doom) back as it sounds great and we all know how well the BBC did/does 'costume drama'. |
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Post by richardwoods on Jun 22, 2016 18:45:11 GMT
Any of the Savages episodes for me or how about one of the Highlanders for good measure.
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Post by Daniel Smith on Jun 23, 2016 18:45:19 GMT
The Massacre ep 4 for me. There is no better historical in terms of background, plot, realism, acting, etc. For anyone who'd dismiss Hartnell as an old fluffer ham, listen to his solo scene at the end, it's breathtaking.
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Simon Collis
Member
I have started to dream of lost things
Posts: 536
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Post by Simon Collis on Jun 23, 2016 21:15:14 GMT
Since starting watching Space:1999 it's gone back to being Marco Polo for me. I'd love to see Zeinia Merton in a pre-Benes role, and Who would be the apex of that for me  |
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Post by richardwoods on Jun 24, 2016 15:17:38 GMT
Since starting watching Space:1999 it's gone back to being Marco Polo for me. I'd love to see Zeinia Merton in a pre-Benes role, and Who would be the apex of that for me I think she was in an episode of The Saint too IIRC |
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Post by M J Fouldes on Jun 24, 2016 15:24:35 GMT
So a question for you all, what 'unfashionable'* episode do you believe to be a secret firecracker? *By unfashionable I mean not, TP4 or Power 1, but Space Pirates 5, or The Smugglers 2. Well in our marathon watching group we watched all the missing stories with the Loose Cannon recons. For the most part we agreed if something seemed good or bad (we all really rated Marco Polo and all did NOT get on with The Space Pirates) but The Massacre was the one that caught my interest. Opinions were divided and I felt that if we could SEE it, then it could be a very good episode. There were a lot of a silences and I reckon that a lot was said with knowing looks! So one of these episodes with scenes in the throne room would be great! |
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Ace St.John
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Posts: 139
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Post by Ace St.John on Jun 24, 2016 15:25:51 GMT
Hi all, I have a confession to make: I always found Galaxy 4 quite difficult to get through, Despite this, when the news filtered through that Air Lock had be found I was delighted. Like any Doctor Who fan, the idea of watching material thought lost forever was tantalising. For decades all we had of Galaxy 4 were those precious few minutes of episode one to pour over.. not any longer. I knew the story, a classic 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.' job - what could 'Air Lock' possibly bring to the party? Well, as it turns out, an awful lot! The Rills!o Stephanie Bidmead's performance! THAT flashback sequence. I wasn't expecting much, which made it even more impressive. at the end of the final episode Galaxy 4 also has a cliffhanger leading into Mission to the Unknown. Code: T/A The scene was recorded in the same recording block as Mission to the Unknown and both Mission and Galaxy were made by the same production team. Daleks Masterplan is the serial I most want to see complete. I had read the John Peel novelizations and viewed lots of production photos from DMP. The two episodes that had been recovered for years eps 5 & 10 always met or exceeded my expectations; unlike the previous Dalek story: The Chase which was an overall dissapointment for me. Upon the return of DMP Episode 2: The Day of Armageddon my expectations for DMP became more realistic however (cameras crashing into set etc lol) overall altho yet with the stunning 35mm filmed inserts such as the Daleks in the jungle of Kemble, the production exceeds expectations and further raises the bench mark . The production standards are far superior to The Chase especially in terms of technical achievement. Ep 5: The Traitors is a landmark of special effects, pacing and action. The desert scenes of Ep 10; Escape Switch and the Egyptians fighting the Daleks are excellent. The atmosphere throughout the extant eps is tense, eerie and gripping: great television viewing and the acting is intense. |
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Post by johnstewart on Jun 26, 2016 14:13:02 GMT
I've always thought that The Space Pirates would be more popular if it was found, as apart from Episode Two, we don't really have any idea what the rest of the story even looks like, so I think that if it ever is found in full the visuals will redeem it. I quite agree. I've always enjoyed 'The Space Pirates' on audio but the extant episode just doesn't grab my attention. It was the same with 'The Enemy of the World'; I loved the audio but the one remaining episode dragged a bit as it was viewed out of context. Now though, the story just gets better with the visuals to match and ep 3 fits nicely into the story. To answer the original question: I would like to have 'The Massacre' ep 4 (The Bell of Doom) back as it sounds great and we all know how well the BBC did/does 'costume drama'. That's an interesting comment on 'Space Pirates' as I recall that one from the time. What put me off the story; as Pat Troughtons been quoted also saying was the initial pace. The discovered space walk film insert demonstrates an extremely slow pace that I recall being typical of the first episode. The story was established with space shots on film of the beacon which looked to my eye like the wheel in space again. Most of the activity seemed to revolve around the TARDIS crew landing inside and running around it. What is notable is how authentic the space shots look. I myself found episode 2 impressive compared to what I recall of the story. In my opinion the way that episode isn't that representative of the rest of the story as I recall it. It was a six parter and dragged in places. The space pirates don't feature in episode 2. As I recall them they were portrayed in the operatic/comedic style the Milo Clancey character also is. A kind of intergalactic Dastardly and Muttley. The side kick simpering by the side of Dudley Fosters dry humoured and sarcastic Caven. Tilting his head to one side and talking down to his companion. Rather comic strip style. It also had the typical creeping along a corridor and peeping round it with a gun Dr Who scenes cropping up. In retrospect I think the model work is exceptional for Dr Who at that time. The existing episode is quite polished certainly not low budget looking. It would be nice to see at least one scene of popular character actor Dudley Fosters Caven. At the time for a young boy the spaceships would have entertained but the slow pace made it hard work. Many of us were waiting for a hint of a monster to appear at the end of the first week and if not might yawn a bit. The thirteen years olds would have given it more time. In terms of drama episode 2 is quite spectacular visually and fast; but hints at some of the comedy approach that I felt gave the serial a lack of tension and menace. I think my conclusion is that maybe every Dr Who really is deserving of a review and second opinion; even the 'sideline' ones may have something to offer. And some we expected to be quieter stories can be strikingly well shot or designed. |
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Post by Richard Marple on Jun 26, 2016 18:37:11 GMT
IIRC The Space Pirates was originally a 4 parter that had to be stretched to 6 out due to the various script commissioning problems the production team had in season 6.
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