ARCHIVE: THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE - 'TV FIRST' MAGAZINE 1993

From the October 31st, 1993 edition of the People newspaper's TV First colour magazine supplement, celebrating the show's Thirtieth Anniversary and the following Friday's then launch repeat of Planet of the Daleks on primetime 7.30pm BBC-1. Though there was no new Who on the horizon at that time, the nostalgia audiences were ready for the repeats that would successful conclude the Anniversary year...

ANIMAL CRACKERS!

With the mysterious realm of the Cheetah people about to be ravaged by volcanic fire, the Doctor's physical conflict with the animalist Master takes a new turn as even our hero experiences a taste of the savage within his being, in this memorable moment to Survival's finale episode, and the end of the original Classic Series of Who.

DAY OF THE GASTROPODS!

Having taken over the peaceful world of Jaconda, the evil super slug Gastropod known as Mestor begins his disgusting plan to take over the galaxy via the spreading of vile pods, as captured in this great art by Andrew Skilleter for The Twin Dilemma, Colin Baker's less than totally successful first entry as the Doctor. Indeed, this piece was interestingly a second attempt used for the Target Book's novelisation (from Eric Saward), the first, also from Skilleter, and showing a great in-character portrait of the star, incredulously not cleared for use at the time. 

CELEBRATING FORTY YEARS OF SEASON TWENTY!

With the huge success of his debut season with both the British viewing public and the series growing fan base, Peter Davison's second year as the Doctor may have been plagued with industrial action/rescheduling problems towards the end of its run, but there was no denying that the selection of stories this 1983 season were just as diverse and interestingly chosen as before, including a very special and interesting spin on sailing competitions in Barbara Clegg's effective fantasy, Enlightenment. 

This special Anniversary year promised much and delivered for the most part: there was a fun run-around on Gallifrey and in the streets of picturesque Amsterdam celebrating the return of the tragic anti-matter villain Omega (a deliberate nod to his first appearance in the series' Tenth Anniversary season opener, The Three Doctors), plus the return of other implacable old foes: the mysterious Black Guardian, once more played by Valentine Dyall, obsessed with the destruction of the Doctor over a three adventure arc, plus one fun short duration bout with the Master (Cheshire cat grinning Anthony Ainley) set in England's past unintentionally ending the season's run early. Plus antagonistic power-grabbing from a more recent but no less deadly foe in the evil Mara creature, once more taking mental control of returned companion Tegan Jovanka (and giving us the chance to relish another fine performance from Janet Fielding) in the fan-praised Snakedance.

The Doctor, Tegan and new companion Turlough in the spruced up TARDIS set during Terminus.

As young biochemist Nyssa (the always delightful Sarah Sutton) departed from her skirt and the TARDIS to assist in the running of a galactic leper colony in the under-rated hard concept sci-fi drama Terminus, new companion Turlough (a strong and edgy performance from Mark Strickson) would make his mark in three middle tales as the anti-hero Turlough, coerced into trying to kill the youthful Doctor by the returned, vengeance-fuelled the Black Guardian (Valentine Dyall). One final addition to the Time Lord's gang would be in place by the end of the season: the Kamelion android, capable of shape-changing into anyone in his task as a former invader weapon (an idea that was great but beyond the capabilities of the BBC's then effects teams in realising adequately) and whom was pretty much forgotten about (deliberately) until its demise at the near end of the following year. Other old friends returning from the show's notable past would include the much welcome Nicholas Courtney playing two sides of his iconic Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the effective time mystery Mawdryn Undead, and a brief appearance from Cyril Luckham as the Black Guardian's antithesis for good, the White Guardian, in the aforementioned seminal fantasy tale, Enlightenment.

Sadly, the return of the Daleks and their evil creator Davros, planned to appear in a glorious and action-packed celebratory season closer, The Return (aka Warhead), written by series script editor Eric Saward, was shockingly cancelled due to the infernal vagaries of BBC politics and in-fighting, eventually appearing in Davison's third and last season instead. The idea of at least one Dalek appearing in the Anniversary year did thankfully happen, however, what with its incorporation into that glorious ninety-minute special wrapping up this never to be forgotten time of nostalgia, from the trusted stalwart Terrance Dicks: The Five Doctors. But more on that another time...

Doctor Who: Take a glimpse behind-the-scenes 40 years ago | Radio Times

Look out for more celebrations of Season Twenty on this site during the show's landmark Sixtieth Anniversary...

DISCOVERING THE ZYGON GAMBIT!

In their eerie biotechnological ship located under the infamous Loch Ness, the wounded Harry Sullivan discovers more about the mysterious Zygons and their unique abilities, in this great visual moment from the ever-excellent Terror of the Zygons, featuring the superb and chillingly unique foetus-monster design of later Oscar-winner, James Acheson.

Original costume design art by James Acheson.

CELEBRATING FIFTY YEARS OF SEASON TEN!

Art by Lee Binding for the Doctor Who - The Collection: Season Ten release, available on Blu-ray. Image: BBC STUDIOS.

Honouring the B/W past whilst celebrating a colourful future, the Tenth Anniversary season of Doctor Who was a spectacular and acclaimed success for series star Jon Pertwee during 1973, at a time when the 'dandy' heroic Doctor engaged in new battles of morality and physicality against the dreaded Daleks, the lumbering Ogrons and the splendid Master, as played for the sadly final time by Roger Delgado. 

Starting the season off in grand style, there was a superb amalgamation of the three Doctor incarnations combined to challenge, in their own inimitable style, the ominous threat of the tragic Time Lord figure of Omega, and there were new faces for millions of viewers to find wonder, delight and amusement with, including the so far one and only appearance of the noble Draconians, the satirical bureaucrat idiots of Inter Minor, and the charming Robert Holmes-created double act of interplanetary carnival entertainers Vorg and Shirna. And what a season ender to remember, with the unleashing of the Green Death, in a tale putting out a worthy ecological message to viewers concerning the horrors of nasty, over-sized poisonous maggots and industrial pollution, whilst also giving the series long-term companion Jo Grant, played by the ever-delightful Katy Manning, a truly poignant, if also very sad, departure from the series...

A new dawn awaited the series as the Doctor drove off in Bessie, but his adventures within Season Ten remained enduringly original, action-packed, impressive and distinctly brilliant! 

Look for more celebrations of Season Ten to come on this site during the 2023 Sixtieth Anniversary...

THE FINAL FRONTIER - 'WHO' STYLE!

In science fiction and fantasy, the realms of deep space have often been likened to the wild and woolly frontier of the old American West, its environs as equally rife and intriguing transferred to the future, featuring pioneers, lawmen, commercial exploiters, and, on the very bad side, the equivalent of hostile marauders in the space pirates!

The much-maligned Troughton adventure may have been overlong at six episodes (an act of behind the scenes necessity), but the story did find some acclaim from critics (both then and now) for its filmed model work. Examples of the spacecraft seen in those sequences are notably captured in this fine art (by Phil Bevan) for the An Adventure in Space and Time and Space magazine's dedicated coverage of The Space Pirates back in the mid-eighties.

THE FIRST 'ACTION DOCTOR'!

Always quick to action when his life is in danger, the Doctor is more than capable of looking after himself, even against an assassin, as seen in this memorable moment from the Dennis Spooner comedy/adventure gem, The Romans.

I always enjoyed Hartnell's so-called pacifist Doctor during his occasional violent moments- from knocking out a peasant overseer in The Reign of Terror, to zestfully duelling his evil Dalek-created double (and I say 'double' loosely!) in The Chase.

Back to The Romans, I'm looking forward to hearing the all-new voice cast adaptation of Donald Cotton's splendid original Target novelisation, coming out January 5th, 2023 on BBC Audiobooks, as part of their year-long epic Sixtieth Anniversary celebrations for Who.

Get it here:

Doctor Who: The Romans: 1st Doctor Novelisation (Audio Download): Donald Cotton, Tim Treloar, Jamie Glover, Dan Starkey, Jon Culshaw, Maureen O'Brien, Louise Jameson, Clare Corbett, BBC Audio: Amazon.co.uk: Books