Over the last couple of days I've been catching repeats of Doctor Who, with Jon Pertwee (Third Doctor) – one of the best stories from that era, 'The Daemons'. I've seen it before, but it's so good. You know how some old TV has novelty or nostalgia value, but you wouldn't actually want to watch it again? Not true with this story (it's true for some old Doctor Who eps, however).
It has –
It has –
- Morris dancing.
- EVIL Morris dancing.
- Villagers closing windows and pulling small children indoors, a la the classic western cliché, when the Evil Morris dancers go past.
- The Master being sleek and suave and fabulous. And wearing the Goatee of Evil. And hypnotising people by staring down his nose at them.
- Evil stone gargoyles coming to life (hah! Familiar?).
- The Brigadier! *loves as much as Hammond, and in much the same way* Ordering one of his men to shoot at the gargoyle: "Chap with wings there - five rounds rapid."
- Geeks with exploding machinery and soot on their faces, from reversing the polarity of the diathermic energy exchanger.
- Morris dancing as a happy ending. Captain Yates: "Fancy a dance, Brigadier?" Brig: "I'd rather have a pint!" Both: *head for pub*
Jon Pertwee isn't my absolute favourite Doctor – nor my absolute favourite 'old' Doctor (I like Tom Baker even better) – but when he's good, he's brilliant. If you're ever looking for a perfect example of Jon Pertwee era DW, I'd recommend The Daemons.
And over the weekend I bought The Hand Of Fear on DVD (Tom Baker era, last episode with Sarah Jane Smith, my absolute all-time favourite companion, and I've not seen it before), 'cause it was on sale in the shop. I foresee icons in my future.
Comments
Have you seen any of the new Sarah Jane Smith programme? It's good! Obviously aimed at kids, but still entertaining for adults.
I've not seen the SJS programme, no - I heard vague details about it, but I've never actually tried to track it down. I might give it a go.