Oh, it has its charm I guess. Mel spinning off in an explosion bubble was a pretty brilliant cliff hanger at the time.
There is some saving graces in Time And The Rani.
Some of the acting from Kate O'Mara, Wanda Ventham and Donald Pickering just tower above the appalling script.
I like the fact that, as with the Matt Smith, McCoy's Doctor had hardly any recuperation at all and was flung straight into the thick of it with The Rani.
The Seventh Doctor, unlike his predecessor, did at least come across as likeable(if not overly clownish) and he didn't try to strangle anyone!
The Seventh Doctor, unlike his predecessor, did at least come across as likeable(if not overly clownish) and he didn't try to strangle anyone!
He did attempt to pull Mel's hair off at one point (he did think it was a wig, though).
What's really interesting about Time and the Rani is the massive step change from what had come before - not just the Colin Baker years but the Peter Davison years too. This was suddenly a show that was light, bright and at times silly. Even the opening credits had taken a more comic-book style. I can't think of a time when the show underwent quite such a dramatic overhaul with only the lead actor changing.
He did attempt to pull Mel's hair off at one point (he did think it was a wig, though).
What's really interesting about Time and the Rani is the massive step change from what had come before - not just the Colin Baker years but the Peter Davison years too. This was suddenly a show that was light, bright and at times silly. Even the opening credits had taken a more comic-book style. I can't think of a time when the show underwent quite such a dramatic overhaul with only the lead actor changing.
I think going from the Second Doctor's era to the Third was an even bigger overhaul. Season 24 dropped the darker tone of Colin Baker's tenure and went for a lighter, sillier take, but it still had that campy aesthetic and McCoy initially retained many of Colin's traits.
Going into Pertwee's tenure, we suddenly saw the show focus much less on the science fantasy side, travelling through the weirdest parts of time and space, and go for a much more grounded and realistic approach, with UNIT taking a very large role and stories that were mostly a lot more mature and science-heavy. The Doctor went from the scruffy and humorous oddity akin to a character from Alice in Wonderland, to a much more serious and classy action hero who was generally more arrogant and abrasive than his predecessor.
Whilst I really like the episode that is ahead in the poll, I am TRULY upset that only I have voted for 'Castrovalalva'....grrrr. Got 9ish million viewers and successfully replaced a hugely popular Doctor. You cads! You have no taste!
Okay. Different taste. Weeeell, I'll let you off then.
Whilst I really like the episode that is ahead in the poll, I am TRULY upset that only I have voted for 'Castrovalalva'....grrrr. Got 9ish million viewers and successfully replaced a hugely popular Doctor. You cads! You have no taste!
Okay. Different taste. Weeeell, I'll let you off then.
But then we aren't able to rank the stories 1 to 12, and can only vote for one story!!
Castrovalva isn't bad actually, Adric should have been kept in bondage
Whilst I really like the episode that is ahead in the poll, I am TRULY upset that only I have voted for 'Castrovalalva'....grrrr. Got 9ish million viewers and successfully replaced a hugely popular Doctor. You cads! You have no taste!
Okay. Different taste. Weeeell, I'll let you off then.
It's not my number one, but it's definitely very high up for me. It breathed some new life into the show, something they'd failed to do the season beforehand, and was a very trippy but moreish story.
Strange that my least favourite Doctor of the classic series has one of my favourite intro stories and my absolute favourite regeneration story.
An UnEarthly Child - not only introduces The Doctor but the whole program. Its wonderfully atmospheric and uses its minimalistic-ness to great advantage.
If the story was really just the one episode (which it was really aside from being lumped together with the other 3 episodes (which I recall were really "A tribe called gum" or something)), then I think I'd be tempted to agree with you, The only thing I didn't like by the earthbound opening episode was it was just that -1 episode. it would have been great if they extended it out to 2 or 3 episodes and kept it separate to the caveman story.
Because of that, I voted for Robot. Sure it was too much like a Pertwee story with Letts & Dicks being still in charge -that's one of the things I loved about it!
If the story was really just the one episode (which it was really aside from being lumped together with the other 3 episodes (which I recall were really "A tribe called gum" or something)), then I think I'd be tempted to agree with you, The only thing I didn't like by the earthbound opening episode was it was just that -1 episode. it would have been great if they extended it out to 2 or 3 episodes and kept it separate to the caveman story.
Because of that, I voted for Robot. Sure it was too much like a Pertwee story with Letts & Dicks being still in charge -that's one of the things I loved about it!
I think the first episode was fine as it was as an opener to the show. I think any longer than that you wouldn't have got that awesome journey in to the TARDIS, probably one of the best there's ever been, for maybe a few extra episodes and that would taken away some of the joys of the first episode without that.
I think it worked as it was and some of the stuff did carry over into the following episode anyway before the crew left the ship so I think it worked as it was. Yes, a different story aside the cave man one would have been better but it served it's purpose of setting up the show without being that great a story.
Comments
Oh, it has its charm I guess. Mel spinning off in an explosion bubble was a pretty brilliant cliff hanger at the time.
There is some saving graces in Time And The Rani.
Some of the acting from Kate O'Mara, Wanda Ventham and Donald Pickering just tower above the appalling script.
I like the fact that, as with the Matt Smith, McCoy's Doctor had hardly any recuperation at all and was flung straight into the thick of it with The Rani.
The Seventh Doctor, unlike his predecessor, did at least come across as likeable(if not overly clownish) and he didn't try to strangle anyone!
And, erm, that's about it really!
He did attempt to pull Mel's hair off at one point (he did think it was a wig, though).
What's really interesting about Time and the Rani is the massive step change from what had come before - not just the Colin Baker years but the Peter Davison years too. This was suddenly a show that was light, bright and at times silly. Even the opening credits had taken a more comic-book style. I can't think of a time when the show underwent quite such a dramatic overhaul with only the lead actor changing.
I think going from the Second Doctor's era to the Third was an even bigger overhaul. Season 24 dropped the darker tone of Colin Baker's tenure and went for a lighter, sillier take, but it still had that campy aesthetic and McCoy initially retained many of Colin's traits.
Going into Pertwee's tenure, we suddenly saw the show focus much less on the science fantasy side, travelling through the weirdest parts of time and space, and go for a much more grounded and realistic approach, with UNIT taking a very large role and stories that were mostly a lot more mature and science-heavy. The Doctor went from the scruffy and humorous oddity akin to a character from Alice in Wonderland, to a much more serious and classy action hero who was generally more arrogant and abrasive than his predecessor.
Okay. Different taste. Weeeell, I'll let you off then.
I'm not old enough to remember
But then we aren't able to rank the stories 1 to 12, and can only vote for one story!!
Castrovalva isn't bad actually, Adric should have been kept in bondage
It's not my number one, but it's definitely very high up for me. It breathed some new life into the show, something they'd failed to do the season beforehand, and was a very trippy but moreish story.
Strange that my least favourite Doctor of the classic series has one of my favourite intro stories and my absolute favourite regeneration story.
eta It's kinda unconditional. Oh, and speaking of which, don't start me on Kinda!
Kinda, what a good story, even with that snake.
If the story was really just the one episode (which it was really aside from being lumped together with the other 3 episodes (which I recall were really "A tribe called gum" or something)), then I think I'd be tempted to agree with you, The only thing I didn't like by the earthbound opening episode was it was just that -1 episode. it would have been great if they extended it out to 2 or 3 episodes and kept it separate to the caveman story.
Because of that, I voted for Robot. Sure it was too much like a Pertwee story with Letts & Dicks being still in charge -that's one of the things I loved about it!
I think the first episode was fine as it was as an opener to the show. I think any longer than that you wouldn't have got that awesome journey in to the TARDIS, probably one of the best there's ever been, for maybe a few extra episodes and that would taken away some of the joys of the first episode without that.
I think it worked as it was and some of the stuff did carry over into the following episode anyway before the crew left the ship so I think it worked as it was. Yes, a different story aside the cave man one would have been better but it served it's purpose of setting up the show without being that great a story.