Out today from Demon Records come another LP Classic Doctor celebration, this time showcasing Peter Davison as the cricket loving, celery lapel wearing Fifth incarnation, who brought new life to the series in the early eighties. The stylish all-new 4 LP Collector's Edition album yields two diverse stories from his era - Kinda and Warriors of the Deep (both read by Davison himself), as well as bonus feature interviews. It's a lovely purchase that will certainly bowl fans over!
The legends of the mythical Yeti roaming the snowy Himalayas have always been of a shy yet benevolent species. A situation seemingly no more as the alien force that is the Great Intelligence, intent on capturing the Earth for itself, make's its mark against humanity via deadly robot facsimiles, bringing chaos and destruction in their wake.
A terrific piece of art linked to the lost gem that is The Abominable Snowmen. If anyone knows the artist behind it, please get in touch.
The Doctor's return to his favourite planet, Earth, in search of the third segment of the all-powerful, universe-changing Key to Time, of which his new companion Romana (or 'Fred', as The Doctor almost calls her!) plus the stalwart K-9 are along for the ride, proves to be another dangerous and thrilling affair - our iconic trio soon thrust into the machinations of a malevolent alien criminal, Cessair of Diplos, hiding within human history, and protected by blood-sucking Ogri monsters (helping to conceal her precious identity), cultivating an eons old secret society at the ruins of a mysterious and aged stone circle. Can our heroes avoid being manipulated and sacrificed so as to win both the day and the segment?
Terrance Dicks' brisk Target Books adaptation of David Fisher's adored 1979 story blending humour and horror in satisfying ways, The Stones of Blood, makes its way onto BBC Physical Audio, of which experienced Who guest veteran Geoffrey Beevers brings subtly effective menace with his five-hour vocalisation (and John Leeson back as our favourite metal pooch too!). It's a tale best listened to with the curtains drawn as the Autumn nights close in... and make sure there are none of those vampiric stone Ogri lurking outside the front door!
Having not been on screen for three years, the always ratings-winning Daleks make for a fine return alongside Sylvester McCoy's Doctor, launching the show's milestone 25th Anniversary in style with Remembrance of the Daleks, of which the new white and gold legion of Davro's Daleks certainly dressed to impress!
Art by Alistair Pearson.
Ben Aaronovitch's acclaimed adaptation of his story - one of the finest in the original Target Books range - is excellently brought to BBC Audio, read by Davros himself, actor Terry Molloy.
The Krynoid menace awakens to threaten extinction. Artist by Sean Longmore.
"... the size of St. Paul's Cathedral. After that it will multiply itself a thousand fold until it takes over your entire planet."
20th Century Earth. A research team based in the Antarctic unwittingly digs up two mysterious pods which have laid buried in the snow for twenty thousand years.
Yet the identity of the pods is no mystery to the Doctor. That they are Krynoid - a hostile, alien species of plant life, there can be no doubt. And his fears are confirmed when one of the pods opens and attacks a scientist.
Unfortunately, the Doctor is not the only one interested in the seeds - an insane millionaire, Harrison Chase, is desperate to get his hands on a pod at any costs- even murder. But why?
Events spiral out of control as the remaining pod reaches England, splitting open to reveal a ferocious Krynoid carnivore. Can the Doctor arrest its development? For, as its strength grows every moment, it threatens to turn Earth's vegetation hostile too. It's germination could jeopardise the security of mankind itself..."
Official BBC VHS synopsis - 1994
It's the end of an era in many ways for Classic Who as its finest director Douglas Camfield and writer Robert Banks Stewart bow out with this All-Time Classic adventure, which featured heavy contributions for the story's opening episodes by Robert Holmes, We even might have lost Elisabeth Sladen with this story too, what with the end of her contract. Thankfully the production team, who didn't really want to lose her, would persuade Miss Sladen to stay on for a few more classic tales in Season Fourteen.
I enjoyed The Seeds of Doom greatly as a six year old, what with its air of monster mayhem (I always thought the large Krynoid was nasty, if a bit wobbly, though!) amidst a story that wouldn't have been out of place in The Avengers. Our exuberant, action-packed Doctor was almost like John Steed, and Sarah almost like Emma Peel (if not in combat mode) as they took on the looney planet aficionado Harrison Chase (the superb Tony Beckley, who died far too young) and later Boycie icon John Challis as the mercenary Scorby. All of the story remains vivid from the time and its always fun to revisit it, especially with last year's Season Thirteen Collection release.
Great Frank Bellamy listings promo in the Radio Times.
The Krynoid pod soon takes control and absorbs its first human victim in the Antarctic.
The Doctor and Sarah travel to the Antarctica base to confront and help destroy the first Krynoid pod discovery.
"A pity. I could have had two pods!" The insane Harrison Chase (Tony Beckley, in a superb performance) is determined to lead a plant revolution against the Human vermin!
Chase is keen for the captured Sarah to be the second Krynoid pod's victim. But it all goes wrong thankfully, when the Doctor interferes.
The pod infected Keeler (Mark Jones), soon to become the ultimate threat to animal kind.
The second Krynoid lurks across the grounds of Chase's mansion.
Don't look behind you!
The Doctor and Sarah confront the beast in a classic publicity image.
Our heroes, with one of the UNIT troops and the soon dead mercenary Scorby (John Challis), witness the creature's expanse.
The Krynoid is ultimately destroyed by the firepower of the RAF!
Behind the scenes of the BBC model filming in 1976.
Elisabeth Sladen looking gorgeous on location.
The ever-reliable Douglas Camfield, in his final work for Who, and producer Phillip Hinchcliffe.
US Pinnacle Books release cover art by David Mann.
The first Krynoid is the cover star to the In-Vision fan coverage of the story from the 90's.
UK VHS cover art by Colin Howard.
The UK DVD release. Composition by Clayton Hickman.
UK DVD Files magazine release from the 2000's.
Doctor Who Magazine issue 443's memorable cover.
Target Books tribute art by Philip James Allison.
Original Target Books cover art by Chris Achilleos.
Get the BBC Audio adaptation of the Philip Hinchcliffe Target novel adaptation here:
When is a theme park not a theme park? When it's the staging point for a unique alien incursion of Earth! The mostly Earthbound Third Doctor with his relatively new companion in plucky magazine reporter Sarah Jane Smith and his trusty UNIT sidekick in Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart investigate a mysterious and savage murder discovered within the spacious and intriguing grounds of the brand-new Spaceworld theme park, full of diverse alien creatures to wow the potential crowds and two strange behind the scenes managers orchestrating unusual events during the pre-opening press launch for the much-anticipated attraction, located on the grounds of the popular Hampstead Heath. Soon enough, our heroes go beyond Earth and find themselves in all kinds of danger on the far-off realm of Parakon...
Barry Letts' radio drama turned novelisation from 1993 (which fondly brought back icons Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen and Nicholas Courtney, this time to a London recording studio) - The Paradise of Death - enjoyably translates itself to an all-new BBC Physical Audio release. Despite his once producer-ship position, Letts' new story doesn't quite fully re-capture the nostalgic flavour of the Pertwee era to which he once held such a firm and capable creative grip during the early seventies (further hindered by an unwanted new assistant to Sarah Jane - the irritating 'Jeremy'), and it also proves a little overlong in its plotting (breaking established TV series continuity in several places), but there's enough fine sequences to carry it through (including the idea of the TARDIS not landing in the right place when vitally needed (and the consequences that follow from it!), plus the Brigadier (in best 'Colonel Blimp' fashion) going into battle on an alien planet no less, atop a Pterodactyl!). Ongoing Who fan and vocalist supremo Jon Culshaw once again does a fine job capturing the inimitable voices of our main trio within his experienced and enthused telling of the tale.
Newly arrived on the stark desert world of Metebelis III, Sarah's courage is tested to the limit when she confronts one of the realm's most dangerous and powerful Spiders, the creature planning to use the female human for its own purposes in garnering the much-wanted Great Crystal now located on Earth.
Another impressive posed publicity image taken for Planet of the Spiders.
King Richard (Julian Glover) faces trouble from his sister Joanna (Jean Marsh).
In the troubled Jaffa-based court of the fiery King Richard the Lionheart (Julian Glover), his sister Joanna (Jean Marsh) is implicated in a special marriage arrangement conceived as a peace gesture by her brother with the Saracen leader Saphadin, done without her knowledge and consent, during explosive events within the middle episodes to The Crusade.
One of the all-time greats, with two surviving episodes, this superb historical story by David Whitaker has been poorly treated by the BBC this past thirty years. The audio release had poor sound quality (likely the best that could be done at the time, but which might be improved now), it failed to get a full DVD animation release (due to costs) and its part of The Collection - Season 2 Blu-ray proved underwhelmingly represented at best. Lets hope that this situation changes for the better at some point in the years to come...
It's Spearhead from Space - The Next Generation, as the evil alien race with a special affinity for all things plastic, the terrifying Autons (accompanied by their wax work-like servants), return to Earth and fight the Seventh Doctor and Ace within modern day London, as effects genius and writer Mike Tucker returns with an an all-new audio adventure, House of Plastic, that satisfyingly captures the spirit of the special McCoy/Aldred era of 1988-89 (which he originally worked on back in the day) yet updates it too, giving the Autons' latest invasion an all-new and believable spin as they work to achieve their subtle and stealthy goals in absorbing humanity, this time via a revolutionary new plastic recycling company. It's a unique enterprise that soon attracts our heroic TARDIS pairing's attentions as they discover what the ingenious enemy, first seen in the Jon Pertwee/UNIT phase, is now up to.
Aided by an elderly civilian from a nearby East London-based retirement home, the prime instigator to the story, this new invasion goes deeper into society than can ever be imagined. Could the Autons' plan actually succeed? Will plastic conquer over flesh?
Former Davros inhabitor and radio drama veteran Terry Molloy tells the fun and lively story with spright efficiency, of which fans of this era's quirky Earthbound stories will be happily content.
The Seventh Doctor has fallen foul of bizarre types of authority again, and this time he's suffering the full force of the deranged, possessed Chief Caretaker languishing within the dangerous and dilapidated Paradise Towers, as top-tier guest star Richard Briers hams thing up with relish, and it's all very enjoyable!
The inimitable First Doctor, with his loyal companions bolshy Steven Taylor and perky Vicki, arrive at a vital communications installation, protected by a force shield, located on a radioactive alien world in the Fourth Sector. But their arrival soon proves non-coincidental, as the trio find themselves caught up in a battle against the dreaded Daleks, of whom a battered but effective group of the Skaroan monsters is trying to penetrate the base's defences and capture it. Could there be a Dalek Agent at work amongst the small band of trapped humans? And just how important a role will Steven play within a tense and brutal situation that has a seemingly irreversible, time-related fixed point?
Long-time Who scribe Steve Lyons returns with an intriguing and edgy adventure that effectively showcases Steven, and also fleshes out some of his background before his onscreen introduction in the series. As ever, the Daleks, once more voiced by Nicholas Briggs, prove a worthy, murderous foe - the true antagonists of the First Doctor, whilst Maureen O'Brien clearly and confidently enjoys being the storyteller and bringing the characters to vocal life. After years away from Who pursuing other career/life interests, it's nice to see her making more contributions to the series mythology.
Meeting his demise in the best Frankenstein's Monster tradition, the evil rebirth of the Time Lord megalomaniac Morbius is now at an end, as the mind/creature falls over a cliff within the spooky, lightening-lashed world of Karn, challenged by the fierce determination of the local Sisterhood witches. Great art by Tom Connell, a commission that appeared in one of the early UK DVD files magazines for the Classic Series.
My memories of The Brain of Morbius from its original transmission are near complete, especially the opening episode, many of the scenes with the Sisterhood of Karn, and the grisly moments that would make Mary Whitehouse boil over with rage, including Condo's brutal shooting and Morbius's brain glooping out of its container!
Caught in a Temporal Cycle Overrun, the TARDIS deposits the Seventh Doctor and Ace on a mysterious Earth space station precariously kept in place, by time manipulation, around an unusual neutron star. The station's meagre crew, the majority of whom have prior disappeared in mysterious circumstances still being investigated, hope to harness the unique powers of a mysterious object removed from the star that could ultimately help solve Earth's ongoing energy crisis. But there's more to this 'object' than meets the eye, as the Doctor soon discovers the shocking truth about its function and history. Can the building crisis around them be stopped before the annihilation factor begins?
Beware the Time Decay. Beware the shadow!
Adam Christopher delivers a technobabble heavy but enjoyable space adventure story for the Seventh Doctor's era that is well told by the versatile fan favourite Sophie Aldred, who effectively brings out a fun Scottish burr in vocalising Sylvester McCoy's unique and enigmatic Time Lord.
It's well known that there are all kinds of nasty things within the legendary London River Thames, but who could ever in their wildest dreams (or nightmares!) expect an iconic patrol Dalek emerging from its depths...
A genuinely classic scene from The Dalek Invasion of Earth, which I'm sure excited audiences young and old enjoyed no end back in the day, hungry for their return phenomenon..
Within the strange environs of Marb Station, on the planet whose strange underground inhabitants refer to it as 'UK Habitat', the Doctor faces a brutal stoning for accidently traversing the human's cultural water conservation. Luckily, his umbrella saves the day for our colourful hero, from the colony's most-eager-to-kill residents.
The late Robert Holmes scripts for episodes 1-4 of The Trial of A Time Lord may have taken an undeserved structural battering from the idiots of the BBC's then Sixth Floor, but the story's intriguing and quirky opening episode was nonetheless a triumph and warmly received by critics and viewers on its original transmission.
The Sea Devils and Silurians have begin their attack on the troubled Sea Base Four of 2084, firstly by unleashing the aquatic terror they possess that is the Myrka, of which The Doctor and an injured Tegan are now isolated and trapped in its fierce company, during the Part Two cliffhanger to Warriors of the Deep.
"That thing's gonna kill us!"
The rushed to production story, and its 'pantomime horse' operated creature (which I originally thought looked good in close-up and some front side shots), proved a disappointment to many fans on its original transmission, and was most likely the story that initiated the ever malignant Michael Grade into wanting to cancel the show for good beyond 1985. Now, with the remastered, re-edited story as part of The Collection - Season 21 Blu-ray set, with its now more fearsome Myrka, we hope fans minds are more positively directed towards the story. And we hope Michael Grade has received a viewing copy too!
The all-new fearsome Mykra of the Warriors of the Deep - Special Edition, from 2026.
Great work by Chris Stephens Creations and the BBC team.
It could be the end of the universe (again) as the bolshy Sixth Doctor Who and his American companion Peri Brown find themselves trapped on the Vipod Mor survey spaceship, full of diverse shady characters (including an on-the-run criminal and a vile, disease-ridden captain), plus a hideous carnivorous monster that's running amok in its ventilation ducts. All this, whilst later caught in the deadly machinations of an unstable split-personality computer. The Slipback has begun...
Not regarded by fans as one of Classic Doctor Who's finest spin-offs, nor one of writer Eric Saward's finest scripts either, Slipback proves a cannibalised mish-mash of previous ideas from his mostly excellent time as series Script Editor, here trying too hard to emulate the kind of humorous universe building prior done better by Douglas Adams ten years earlier. Nonetheless, this adaptation of the original 1986 Target novel isn't too bad, of which actor/former Spitting Image puppets impersonator Jon Glover (who also starred in the original radio series)does an effective job of telling the lengthy story, handling the numerous characters' vocal interpretations well, especially Colin Baker's lead incarnation.
Slipback is definitely for the completist's collection only, with far better classic tales in the range for overall fans to listen to and enjoy first.
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