THE WATCHER IN THE TARDIS!

Deep in the heart of the TARDIS, within its decayed yet striking cloisters area, the mysterious being known only as 'The Watcher' confers with Adric on critical events that must be initiated by the Alzarian as the Fourth Doctor's ominous final adventure, Logopolis, continues...

THE MELKUR INHERITANCE!

Their web of harmony now broken, their inner sanctum invaded, and a series of union planets in great danger, the evil form of the centuries old Melkur being has now ominously become the Keeper of Traken, and only the Doctor has the capability of stopping it. But is there more to this alien being residing on the Keeper's chair than meets the eye? A great posed publicity image to the excellent The Keeper of Traken Part Four.

I always fondly remember the Part Three near cliffhanger ending, and squealing with surprise at the return of the Doctor's dreaded nemesis, the decayed form of the Master, as played by Geoffrey Beevers.

A MATTER OF SIZE...

Having followed the Doctor and Adric to the famous block transfer mathematics world of Logopolis, the recently rejuvenated Master has struck a deadly blow towards his nemesis, shrinking him and his TARDIS 'down to size' in front of a shocked Adric and other recent arrivals in Nyssa of Traken and the inadvertently kidnapped air hostess Tegan Jovanka.

A classic moment from Tom Baker's intriguing classic finale adventure.

WHEN A 'WHO' VETERAN RETURNED...

Time travellers old and new, as Jacqueline Hill (playing the character of Lexa) meets Lalla Ward.

Meglos, the second story of Tom Baker's finale season, may be primarily remembered for the series star's double duty as the Doctor and as his cactus-like nemeses Meglos, the last Zolpha Thuran, but let's not forget another key highlight of the love-it-or-hate-it tale, the return of actress Jacqueline Hill to the series since 1965, and in an altogether different role to that of the heroic Earth school teacher Barbara Wright, this time playing the dedicated high priestess Lexa, of the planet Tigella.

 

Another posed publicity image of Miss Hill with Tom Baker and Edward Underdown.

As always, Miss Hill gave a fine performance, having resumed her acting work after raising a family, and found the way Who was made in 1980 a far different experience than the one she had in her monochrome days, but no less enjoyable, especially working with Tom Baker and Lalla Ward.

BBC Enterprises promotional material for the story.

HELP THE AGED!

 

The Doctor soon discovers the perils and challenges of being an elderly citizen of the universe when he is deliberately aged whilst investigating the Tachyon Generator that is the power engine highlight of the mysterious Argolin created Leisure Hive...

Tom Baker wasn't happy with all the changes being made to the series and his established character with the show's new-look eighteenth season for 1980, and I'm sure he found the old age make-up for his opening story, a bold creative storytelling move behind the scenes, yet another major aggravation...

GOING BEYOND 'WARRIORS' GATE'!

Image composition by Clayton Hickman.

The intriguing E-space universe launched a superb avenue for story exploration during Tom Baker's final year as the Doctor, taking the show into potential-packed new and fresh science fiction directions, especially via Season Eighteen's unique trilogy closing adventure - the truly one-of-a-kind fan favourite Warriors' Gate, from accomplished genre favourite Stephen Gallagher and directed with thought and imagination by Paul Joyce (with Graeme Harper).

That special universe of time-sensitive Tharils, brutal Gundan robot enslavers and the strangeness of the ethereal Gateway station have lasted the test of time, and that realm is celebrated anew with the special printing of Gallagher's original uncut/unaltered version of his eighties story novelisation, alongside several new short tales from him also linked to the adventure, coming to BBC BOOKS all-new Target range of Who novels for the Sixtieth Anniversary, published on on July 13th, 2023. 

Essential and fascinating reading additions all, I'm sure you'll agree...

Get the book here (part of an all-new series of Who old and new Target Book releases): 

Doctor Who: Warriors’ Gate and Beyond (Target Collection): Amazon.co.uk: Gallagher, Stephen: 9781785948510: Books

The new Target releases for Summer 2023, and the 60th Anniversary celebrations.

HANGING ON BEYOND DOOMSDAY!

At the Pharos Project on Earth, the Doctor, having saved the universe (literally!) now perilously hangs on for dear life to a swinging power cable after his physical confrontation against the now escaping Master. A redone scene, much improved on the original, that made its debut as part of the special edition of Tom Baker's final classic story, Logopolis, for Doctor Who - The Collection: Season Eighteen.

HAPPY 58TH BIRTHDAY, 'DOCTOR WHO'!

We may not have had another excellent Special Edition from them in 1993's Thirtieth Anniversary year (Marvel Comics ultimately doing a great replacement job themselves), but at least the BBC's Radio Times magazine was able to capitalize on the show's superb Who-dom linked to the more-than-bonkers Doctor Who reunion fused with EastEnders 3D 'adventure' for the yearly Children in Need appeal: Dimensions in Time.

All of the Doctors looked great in this special individually posed but composited together cover image. What a shame, though, that the much talked about and now notorious The Dark Dimension celebratory adventure, primarily showcasing Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy's incarnations, never happened due to BBC internal and financial problems...

AN ENCOUNTER AT 'WARRIORS' GATE'!

At the end of E-space, at the gateway to past, present and future, the enigmatic leonine 'Time Sensitive' race known as the Tharils face a new destiny away from the slavery they'd ultimately brought to themselves, in this terrific art by Andrew Skilleter for Steven Gallagher's haunting and beautifully executed pure sci-fi gem Warriors' Gate, adapted by the respected author into an equally well regarded novelisation, that would also be released as an 'Extended Edition' audio book a year ago.

What happened to Romana after The Gateway? Well, find out more about her and K-9 Mark II's exploits in an all-new original tale from Stephen Gallagher: The Kairos Ring, out now from BBC Audiobooks.

More: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Kairos-Ring-Beyond/dp/1787538613/ref=pd_lutyp_crty_newr_5_5/261-9472210-8413345?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1787538613&pd_rd_r=038bb939-d821-46f0-a9c6-e6fa56dae390&pd_rd_w=BmUD5&pd_rd_wg=zrWQ5&pf_rd_p=47bcd7b1-b5b2-4f92-801f-60e231b9e92a&pf_rd_r=84G3ZY98Y7NCG6J0KRF4&psc=1&refRID=84G3ZY98Y7NCG6J0KRF4

WHEN SARAH MET K-9!

'A Girl's Best Friend' indeed as another K-9 variation is given to former Metropolitan journalist Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen, capably holding her starring lead own) as the ultimate present from The Doctor, together investigating a decidedly nasty case of witchcraft from their new home at Morton Harwood. An of its time little tale which could perhaps have been pacier and scarier, K-9 and Company's singular pilot may ultimately have not gone to series back in 1981 but at least its airwaves presence sowed the seeds for the two hugely popular characters return within the modern WHO era mythos by the 2000's.

'WHO' IS 'THE WATCHER'?

Surely one of the series cleverest and most haunting ideas linked to the regeneration of our Time Lord hero, the mysterious The Watcher (played by Adrian Gibbs) would mysteriously guide our fourth incarnation hero to his fateful destiny on Logopolis and finally to Earth. On screen, the white-clad, facially-embryonic character had an aura that was both enigmatic and sad, accompanied by a memorable theme from one of the eighties WHO era's finest freelance incidental music composers, Paddy Kingsland.

FROM SWAMP TO STARLINER!

Mistfall has come and the 'giants' have left the swamp, invading the marooned Starliner of the Alzarians (with a little help from a possessed Romana!) in another classic WHO moment, this time from the Season 18 adventure Full Circle, which brought us some fine monster mayhem in the shape of the Marsh Men creatures- surely a wonderful homage to that iconic aquatic Hollywood star, The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

TACHYON GAMES AND PARANOID PURSUITS!

A marvel of its time now in tourist decline, the Tachyon games of learning and enlightenment revealed and nurtured by the dying Argolin race, at their luxury resort deep in the heart of a war radiated world, are soon turned to more violent means, as seen in the glorious and visually innovative science fiction eighteenth season opener that was The Leisure Hive.

KILLER SCARECROW!

The decades-old Melkur statue of the Traken Union grove is certainly a mystery for Consul Tremas (Anthony Ainley) and the Doctor, but also an amusement for Tom Baker during filming of his penultimate gem of a story, the all-factors gorgeous studio-based story, The Keeper of Traken.

AT THE TIME OF ARISING...

Beneath their ominous Tower located on an unknown world of E-space, those blood-sucking former Astronauts turned vampiric slaves to The Great One, the Three who Rule, prepare to sacrifice their Time Lord enemy Romana in a great image from State of Decay.

The story may have been postponed from its originally planned-to-be-made 1977 date until 1980, but you can't keep a good Vampire story down, especially not one from distinguished WHO veteran Terrance Dicks. State of Decay is another gem from Tom Baker's final season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymoa3-11VNk

PRICKLY HEAT!

An unhappy Tom Baker's Time Lord persona had to age for his opening story of his final season, then endure further presumably equally uncomfortable make-up as the last Zolpha Thuran, Meglos, in the story of the same name. The transmogrification of Baker's Doctor was certainly a memorable publicity image for the all-new WHO of the eighties though, part of an overall series re-vamp that certainly caught my eye in a positive way during 1980. The scary thorn-covered image of Meglos also made for a great early cover to the official monthly magazine.