Robot
daveyboy7472
Posts: 16,415 Forum Member
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So here we go then. The Tom Baker Era has arrived and to kick things off, it’s his debut adventure. And what a debut it was. Unlike some other Doctor’s, The Fourth Doctor takes very little time to get over his Regeneration and almost instantly strikes up a rapport with Sarah which would continue throughout the rest of their time together on the show. I also like the rewritten shoe scene from Spearhead From Space and the nose gag in the mirror as well. Plus the introduction of Harry was also quite funny. It was also good to see The Brigadier back on form in this and even Benton gets a promotion!
What I really like about the early Tom Baker stories is the fresh and engaging way he portrayed the role. There is none of the domineering façade that would come later on. It’s just a straight forward, humourous portrayal that was as radically different from Jon Pertwee as you could possibly get. The sprawling, mucking about with random things disguised his intelligence and his eccentricity always makes me feel from watching this that The Doctor was well and truly back after five years away. No over-moralising, no sickening speeches, it’s almost back to The Doctor from the 60’s.
Much as I hate the Earthbound stories, I think it was a good idea to start the Fourth Doctor’s Era of with an adventure that was Pertwee-esque in nature. Had this been a Pertwee Era story, I’d very much have rated it as one of the better ones. Professor Kettlewell is an excellent, if flawed character, and I love it when he told The Brig to keep quiet! Miss Winters is the first in a superb line of female villains from Tom Baker’s Era and off course, the King Kong parody between The Robot itself and Sarah was an interesting one.
The one big thing that lets the story down is the effects. In some stories, you can overlook it if they are bad but it’s difficult not to in this one. The superimposed tank at the end of part 3 is just awful. The CSO to realise the Robot at it’s enormous size is dodgy, including the puppet Sarah.
The last scene was a superb set up for the rest of the Season. The biggest shame for me is that we didn’t ever get to see Harry inside the TARDIS mucking up the controls between now and the next adventure.
Not a bad debut story for the Fourth Doctor. It wasn’t the best one Baker ever did but it wasn’t the worst either.
What I really like about the early Tom Baker stories is the fresh and engaging way he portrayed the role. There is none of the domineering façade that would come later on. It’s just a straight forward, humourous portrayal that was as radically different from Jon Pertwee as you could possibly get. The sprawling, mucking about with random things disguised his intelligence and his eccentricity always makes me feel from watching this that The Doctor was well and truly back after five years away. No over-moralising, no sickening speeches, it’s almost back to The Doctor from the 60’s.
Much as I hate the Earthbound stories, I think it was a good idea to start the Fourth Doctor’s Era of with an adventure that was Pertwee-esque in nature. Had this been a Pertwee Era story, I’d very much have rated it as one of the better ones. Professor Kettlewell is an excellent, if flawed character, and I love it when he told The Brig to keep quiet! Miss Winters is the first in a superb line of female villains from Tom Baker’s Era and off course, the King Kong parody between The Robot itself and Sarah was an interesting one.
The one big thing that lets the story down is the effects. In some stories, you can overlook it if they are bad but it’s difficult not to in this one. The superimposed tank at the end of part 3 is just awful. The CSO to realise the Robot at it’s enormous size is dodgy, including the puppet Sarah.
The last scene was a superb set up for the rest of the Season. The biggest shame for me is that we didn’t ever get to see Harry inside the TARDIS mucking up the controls between now and the next adventure.
Not a bad debut story for the Fourth Doctor. It wasn’t the best one Baker ever did but it wasn’t the worst either.
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Comments
I have always admired Prof Kettlewell's coiffeur, and Miss Winters is an A-List baddie.
Kettlewell's hair is the greatest. Looks like a failed experiment in human flight.
I wonder how many other people on here got the 'Robot' toy for christmas? -- great great times in my life and what a priceless childhood for me
The production team (Letts and Dicks), who had been in charge for most of Pertwee's tenure, decided to play it safe and essentially offer up a typical 3rd Doctor/UNIT story - if viewers were unsure about the new Doctor at least they were reassured by the presence of SJ, the Brig, Bessie, Earth setting, etc.
Robot is good fun - an Earth-based romp featuring a group of baddies wanting to take over the world; similar in many ways to 'Invasion of the Dinosaurs' from the previous season. Yes, the CSO lets it down badly (as it did with Dinosaurs), but this doesn't detract from what is essentially a solid, if uninspiring, story.
As a story, it's a very typical UNIT/3rd Doctor-type tale - and definitely signals the end of that particular era.
There a very noticeable stylistic change with the ensuing (Hinchcliffe-produced) stories...
Fast forward to 2007 and I finally got to watch it. I loved Baker from his first scene, and it was interesting to see that after watching so many of his subsequent stories, and indeed his exit, before seeing Robot.
The story itself I find a little boring, but I do love the presence of UNIT in Baker's first story, the introduction of Harry, and of course Sarah Jane off on her own getting in trouble without The Doctor.
So in general I find Robot an enjoyable enough serial, and the pros out weigh the cons.
It is Tom Baker who effortlessly carries the story, as I could take or leave all the stuff about the robot and Think Tank. I like the robot when it is making the mysterious break-ins and stealing the equipment, but it becomes rather annoying when it starts having its 'emotional' breakdowns.
The characters interacting with eachother is the main highlight. I especially like the moment when the Brigadier and Benton are checking out the wire fence that has been broken through, while the Doctor is a few feet back instead checking out a dandelion. Initially it makes it seem like the Doctor is simply trying to deliberately wind the Brigadier up, but then when he makes his assessments it helps show off the Doctor's eccentric side while still being a useful ally to UNIT.
Overall it's a very enjoyable nod to the Pertwee era, but also gets me excited knowing that things are about to move on.
A silly attempt to inject pathos.
I was five when this was first on, and I have to admit I did not have a clue what the plot was all about. However, I found the robot quite spectacular and enthralling, particularly when it grew to full height. I hadn't seen King Kong yet, so did not know the ending was a rip-off of that.
As asaid this story is a nice nod to the previous five years and in essense is a Pertwee, but has all the promise of what is to come. The Doctor has a great rapport with Sarah Jane, and with Harry as well, indeed this is my favourite combo of Doctor and companions in the shows history. Can't believe now that it has been pointed out that we never see Harry in the TARDIS!.
The last scene of Part Four is my favourite, he's eccentric, funny, childish even. He rants on a bout the Brigadier wnating him do do this and that and slams his hand down, Sarah says "Doctor, you're being Childish", to which the Doctor replies: "Well of course I am, there's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes", then offers Sarah a Jelly Baby. Love it! Harry then comes along and the rest is history as they say.
agreed Tom certainly hits the ground running and you instantly fall in love with Ian Marter's bumbling Harry Sullivan -. The Robot design is one of the best seen n the classic story but for me it's probably the dullest of debut stories.
Jon Pertwee's debut story was shot entirely on film - and looked classy. If I remember rightly - Tom Baker's debut story was all on videotape - which ,IMO, cheapened it drastically. (and I was only 14 at the time.....turning into a nerd!!)
It was OK I suppose - but I just wanted him to get back in that bloody Tardis - and get on with what he used to do!
Actually, after spending several months watching Jon Pertwee, I really have to disagree with you on that. I feel the debut of Tom Baker gives the story an energy that was missing from a lot of Pertwee's stuff because his Doctor has zap and humour than his and scenes like when The Doctor first meets Miss Winters, you could never imagine the Third Doctor doing that in a million years. In fact, most of the stuff in this story he wouldn't have done-and that's the point. The contrast makes the story for me.
Same here, it is a brilliant last scene which I think which just said this is me, this is who I am now. Enjoy!
Both Barry and Terrance decided to stick with the UNIT formula for Robot in order to ease viewers into Tom's tenure gently. So the basic story isn't far removed from the sort of thing we'd been watching over the past few years, with the Brig and Benton and familiar situations - with some tweaks I think it could have easily been a Pertwee adventure.
But the addition of Tom Baker to the cast, and his approach to playing the Doctor (which was, initially at least, quite carefully planned by Baker and Dicks), shakes the whole thing up enormously. While the basic story of Robot could have worked with Pertwee, Robot as broadcast, is a significantly new beast. And with perhaps the partial exception of Terror Of The Zygons, Doctor Who rapidly moved far away from the cosier Pertwee UNIT family approach.
Robot shows the programme in transition, but most of the changes are in place right from the start.
Basically this is the approach used in nearly all the first stories of new Doctors. Keep a few familiar faces, or situations to reassure the viewers that it's still the same show. This is what Moffat has done with Deep Breath. A new Doctor, an new way of doing things, but with a familiar companion and the Vastra team to remind us that it's still the same show.
Can't really disagree at all here. Having watched all of the Pertwee era previously I'd imagine this would seem all but Pertwee but in name. Tom's sprinkling of his particular character lifts it or changes it into something different that it would have been if Jon had been there.
For the audience of the time a bit of familiarity such as UNIT and the type of story, is a clever way of easing in a new lead actor. Not that it is the only way, see The Twin Dilemma for example. Here there is a new look more alien type Doctor so it is quite understandable.
As for the story, I'll start at the end as it were, with the line about being childish as an adult. This as daveyboy says is a great way to announce what is too come. With the fore knowledge of what is to come, for me from Ark in Space until Horror of Fang Rock is the finest of any Doctor Who that there has been, at worst there is a few good to very good stories. So this line fills me with excitement as I about to sample them all again!!!
Watching Robot I picked up on how much Winters is a fine villianess, which I did not quite notice as much on my only previous watch of Robot.
Hmm... also was the Robot itself a bit naff and clunky. I'm on about production values et al again but I did notice it this time. However, I still stand by my original comments that it was enjoyable, as events palpably close in towards the end, I found this effective as sometimes it is rushed.
All in all a nice starter, but in style and the Tom Baker era as I remember is about to begin in the next story Ark in Space.
Mrs Chuff and I watched it last night, and I must confess that overdosing on the mother-in-law's mince pies meant I nodded off. Despite that, I was struck by how quickly the Doctor takes charge. 10mins into ep.1 and it's all about Tom Baker. Brilliant. None of that faffing about that happens now.
A decent story is set up quite quickly. Sarah is on top form. The Brig ad Benton get stuff to do., Harry makes his mark (although is forgotten midway through ... twas ever thus).
As I said more than 2yrs ago: Kettlewell is the star, and Miss Winters is an A-Lister.
If you haven't seen it, give it a ago!
Sheeeet!!! 40 years?? 40 Blummin' years??? Seems like yesterday.
I remember watching part one of Robot SO clearly. And not being entirely convinced by Tom Baker. My friends weren't sure either - we all agreed that he seemed too goofy, too silly. We missed the commanding persona of Pertwee.
But, and this too I remember very clearly, by the end of Robot we loved Tom Baker. He took charge, he battled the Robot, he was still mates with Benton and the Brig, he got the job done, he was still the Doctor AND he was a bit silly too - Brilliant!
By half way through the Ark In Space (specifically that brilliant cliffhanger to part two - you know, when Noah realises that his arm is covered in bubble wrap, sorry, I mean Wirrn goo) well the Great Jon Pertwee was a fading memory. And by Genesis of the Daleks - it was like there had never ever been another Doctor. Tom was the Man.
Hail Tom Baker. Without you, I'd not be typing this now. Without you my life would have been massively different.
40 years ago. I can scarcely believe it.
Slipped it in the DVD player tonight on my Tom Baker watch and two episodes in I'm really enjoying it.
I didn't realise how charming the early Tom Baker scenes are at UNIT
when he's just regenerated. It really helps that you've got these familiar faces
with the Brigadier and Harry and Sarah. Tom Baker plays it literally straight and authoritative with that little bit of eccentricity that would probably overwhelm him a little bit in later seasons. He's quite mesmerising immediately.
I also enjoy the back story with the think tank and the robot and the struggle against its prime directive. I enjoy these types of who stories where we look behind Shady organisations.
So much drama these days seems to have really complicated motives for its characters but I like the kind of simplicity in the double act of Miss Winters and Jellicoe to control the robot. Dammit I like seeing the 1970s in Who. My growing up years.
I'm going to try the episode a night thing although in these days of binge television it's really hard. May post back when I finish the whole story.
It was nice that they wrapped up the missiles story and then still had time to deal with the robot. I can see Uncle Terrance couldn't resist the King Kong reference!
I felt sorry for the robot but also for the man inside the costume. Clumping around on location must have been difficult.
Visually I think the interiors are well lit so there are dark areas. Not so keen on the location filming which seems very bright but it's a small thing.
Strong debut for the new doctor