OUT OF THE FRYING PAN...

 

It looks like the young Jamie McCrimmon, his Scottish Laird Colin McLaren, and the Doctor are in for a distasteful hanging from British Redcoats, but the shady Royal Commissioner Grey has other plans for the captured party...  A tense moment from a fast-paced and generally exciting first episode to the last purely historical adventure, and a much underrated one: The Highlanders.

Oh, to have properly seen Troughton's evolving into the part of the Doctor back in the day, partaking in wearing various disguises through only his second on-screen adventure - the actor still experimenting with his new role...

Despite a couple of surviving Australian censored clips, The Highlanders still remains missing in its four-part entirety from the BBC Archives, likely never to be recovered. Here's another feature to enjoy on the elusive lost stories...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sasKUUbeQM&feature=push-fr&attr_tag=XoHK5Nx4LMbXSAC0%3A6

1066 AND ALL THAT...

Someone's been mucking about with Earth history, most notably at Hastings in the year 1066, as the crafty and manipulative The Meddling Monk (brilliantly personified by Peter Butterworth) makes his first devious appearance within the Hartnell era. In some ways, the Monk is almost as clever and humorously mischievous as the Doctor - even perhaps a kind of early prototype for Patrick Troughton's later incarnation of our TV hero. The fact that Dennis Spooner crafted this clever and amusing story, and did rewrites on Troughton's first story, The Power of the Daleks (tasked with quirkily enhancing the newly renewed /regenerated Time Lord's character), are surely not coincidental.

Radio Times preview.

A TASTE FOR THE GOTHIC! 'THE ESSENTIAL TERRANCE DICKS - VOLUME TWO' - OUT NOW...

Art by Chris Achilleos.

The power of the evil universe destroyer Sutekh has been accidentally reawakened on Earth, of which  his robot servitors (disguised as hideous man-crushing Egyptian Mummies) now wander the English countryside ready to do his bidding. Only the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith stand in the way of newly unleashed Armageddon in Robert Holmes superb ratings-winning gothic horror drama, The Pyramids of Mars, brought to life so well with its Target book adaptation by Terrance Dicks from 1977, and which makes a welcome and most deserved inclusion in the all-new tribute to the popular script editor/writer from BBC BOOKS: Doctor Who - The Essential Terrance Dicks two-volume set, available from August 2th, 2021, and whose ten tales were specially chosen by fans via a special online poll.

KOOL TV set review:

https://kooltvblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/time-lord-ing-tales-doctor-who.html

Get Volume Two here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Terrance-Dicks-2/dp/1785947354/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=THE+ESSENTIAL+TERRANCE+DICKS&qid=1630252547&sr=8-2

Get Volume One here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Terrance-Dicks-1/dp/1785946641/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=THE+ESSENTIAL+TERRANCE+DICKS&qid=1630252590&sr=8-1

'SPEARHEAD'-ING A SUCCESS STORY! 'THE ESSENTIAL TERRANCE DICKS - VOLUME ONE' - OUT NOW!

Art by Chris Achilleos.

A newly regenerated hero and a new and unusual foe from the far depths of space are the catalysts for an incredible new colour era of Doctor Who entering the 1970's on BBC One. Equally important to fans of the then seven-year running show, Spearhead from Space would have the superb distinction of launching the first of the all-new Target book range of Classic Series adaptations from 1974 onwards (Spearhead being the natural choice to launch the range properly after a trio of successful William Hartnell reprints, becoming more well known as the publishing-catchy The Auton Invasion). Leading from the front with a superb and thrilling writing/adaptation style that would delight and enthrall readers of all ages for years to come, the talents of the series then recently seat-vacated script editor Terrance Dicks would be cemented with this incredible and populist phase of his career.

Voted specially by online readers poll, the all-new Doctor Who - The Essential Terrance Dicks - Volume One (of two) brings about the first five (of ten) collected adaptations, published by BBC BOOKS. Available from August 26th, 2021. The Auton Invasion is a well deserved inclusion, for a collected book that will surely be a much-loved and rapid sell-out.

Get it here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Terrance-Dicks-1/dp/1785946641/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=doctor+who+the+essential+terrance+dicks+collection&qid=1625579762&sr=8-1

'WEB' WEEK FINALE - COLLECTING COBWEBS!

The classic 1990's cover art for The Web of Fear's Virgin Books label re-issue. Art by Alister Pearson.

We hope you've enjoyed our week-long celebration of The Web of Fear and the many elements that continue to make it such a deserved All-Time Classic with fans. 

In case you've missed any of the blog entries, here are the links for the entire celebration:

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/08/welcome-to-web-of-fear-week.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/08/web-week-day-2-going-underground.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/08/web-week-day-3-caught-in-web.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/08/web-week-day-4-attack-of-yeti.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/08/web-week-day-5-attack-of-yeti.html

https://whoadventuresfifthdimension.blogspot.com/2021/08/web-week-day-6-puppet-on-string.html

Cover art by Lee Binding. Image: BBC STUDIOS.

The story is now available in a brand-new Special Edition, featuring a specially animated episode 3 and a strong collection of special features.

Get it here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Web-Fear-DVD/dp/B08NYCWS7K/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+web+of+fear+special+edition&qid=1627750279&sr=8-1

Also available as a very Limited Edition Steelbook release.

'WEB' WEEK - DAY 6: PUPPET ON A STRING!

Very much the support figure needed to keep Captain Knight's soldiers in check and maintain their readiness in fighting against against impossible odds, Army Staff Sergeant Arnold can certainly be relied upon in a crisis, and is a much-trusted and respected man. But as The Web of Fear drama plays out toward its final episodes, all is not what it seems...

A popular and reliable stalwart British actor best known for playing tough old bird types and gruff but lovable army men, not unlike the parts played by fellow acting veteran of the same time, William Hartnell (in his pre playing of Doctor Who days), Jack Woolgar's playing the character of Arnold is excellently realized on screen- his reveal as a pawn of The Great Intelligence ultimately proving both sad and shocking to viewers watching the story's tense final episode in March 1968.

The final gambit between The Great Intelligence and its captive, the Doctor.

It's clear that Woolgar's performance in the story is a highlight worth celebrating, as will be seen in a special featurette showing his voice testing recording for playing the Great Intelligence on the all-new BBC STUDIOS Special Edition release of The Web of Fear. available from August 16th, 2021.

'WEB' WEEK - DAY 5: ATTACK OF THE YETI!

Jamie, Captain Knight, Staff Sgt. Arnold and others are captured in the underground tunnels!

More formidable than ever, especially when manipulated by their unseen master in the Great Intelligence, and via an equally ethereal but just as dangerous traitor operating within the human's underground army base, the new-look robot Yeti of The Web of Fear are a fierce opponent against the human soldiers led by Captain Knight and the newly arrived Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart. 

Soon enough, the army are overwhelmed and annihilated, if not by the Yeti's overwhelming physical strength but their equally murderous web gun weaponry, in action sequences well-staged and shot in studio and on location by military-loving director Douglas Camfield...

The Yeti cement their human slaughter in an attack on Goodge Street.

The Yeti with the captured and now possessed Professor Travers.

Full credit too behind the scenes to director Camfield's choosing of the men inside the bulky Yeti costumes, bringing them to believable life across six episodes: John Levene, John Lord, Gordon Stothard, Colin Warman, Jeremy King, Roger Jacombs