Jon Pertwee's era could've been better
Firegazer
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1. The overuse of the Master was terribly excruciating. There were stories that he appeared him that he didn't even fit into, it was like he was just there. I'm currently at The Daemons (I'm watching the entire classic series), and the end of every single story of the eighth season has been about The Master getting away, then suddenly he's back on the next episode. I feel like they carried him on for too long, a three story stint would have been enough to get across the point of the Master.
2. Earth exile. Sure, it was fine at first - but this drags across through nearly four seasons. Why? Were the BBC on budget cuts? The stories ended up being very repetitive and although they managed to get the odd space story in it wasn't at it's finest.
I feel like Pertwee didn't get much of a chance apart from in his last season to show off what he can do. Throughout Season 7 we saw weak Pertwee exiled to earth, spending every single episode trying to get away. I would have loved to see Pertwee travelling with Liz Shaw or even the Brigadier. His era just had so much more potential in my opinion.
2. Earth exile. Sure, it was fine at first - but this drags across through nearly four seasons. Why? Were the BBC on budget cuts? The stories ended up being very repetitive and although they managed to get the odd space story in it wasn't at it's finest.
I feel like Pertwee didn't get much of a chance apart from in his last season to show off what he can do. Throughout Season 7 we saw weak Pertwee exiled to earth, spending every single episode trying to get away. I would have loved to see Pertwee travelling with Liz Shaw or even the Brigadier. His era just had so much more potential in my opinion.
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A three story stint would have have been fine but five story's was excruciating? Wow, doesn't take much and as one of those two extra stories was The Daemons it wasn't so bad. Yes he was overused, that's been conceded by the production team involved but let's not go over the top.
The exile lasted for three seasons not four, let's not exaggerate and even then after the 1st year he did get to travel each year.
Doctor Who was on the point of cancellation at the end of Season 6, because Pertwee and Season 7 was so great. It continued - hurrah!!! Season 7 remains one of the best years in Doctor Who history.
Sure I suppose Pertwee could have been even better but on the other hand he could also have been Sylvester McCoy or Colin Baker or a wet vet.
I'll settle for him and his era being brilliant!
Not to mention he appeared in Season 9 and 10 as well, and I meant it lasted through four seasons, not four complete seasons. It ended during his fourth season.
I agree! I think he was a brilliant Doctor and some of the storylines were very well planned out! Season 7 was a very good season. But the points I made I will still stand by. Although each story was on par, the seasons on a whole just lacked variety.
The exile ended after the 1st story of the 4th season, a story that involved him going to a different planet so no not really.
And yes The Master appeared in 3 more stories after the 8th season. Eight stories in total. Not overuse in the end just in one season and as The Daemons remains one of the greatest stories in Doctor Who history not excruciating.
You have a right to stand by your points, just as I have a right to point out that you are wrong.
Totally disagree. The Pertwee era, for me, is the peak of Who. The Third Doctor is by far my favourite. The exile scenario worked extremely well (remember, the show was in very real danger of being cancelled after Troughton left, so radical changes were needed). And Pertwee was hardly weak in Season 7. On the contrary, pound for pound, I think Season 7 is the best ever season of Who, Classic or Nu.
I'll settle for him and his era being brilliant!
Couldn't agree more.
I think to a certain extent, yes. But also remember the time period - this was an age of the Avengers and Jason King and The Prisoner, this is what they were trying to tap into, rather than high fantasy and bleeping robots.
The Prisoner (the original series) is so awesome and so underrated. I still don't completely understand the final episode, but it is still a great series.
Having just finished watching the Pertwee Era last night, I feel this is a brilliantly timed thread for me.
Your first point about The Master I disagree with. I think Letts and Dicks both have gone on record saying they regret the overuse in the every story but even with that, Delgado's performances were so good you could overlook it. Not only that, as I said in one of the story threads recently, the scenes between The Doctor and The Master are always for me what elevated the story to a higher level and there were times it was so good it distracted nicely from an otherwise not so good story. However, the fact The Daemons was in that Season just means I can't agree with you. The story wouldn't have been the same without the character.
You second point about the exile scenario I agree and I don't. I think it's well known I hate the whole exile thing but I would not go so far as to say it was repetitive. I think Season 7's exclusive Earth Bound nature certainly didn't help but take later season for example. You have an Earth Unit story, followed by a studio bound story on an alien planet then back to Earth with extensive location filming.
And Season 11 which I've just finished watching. You have a Pseudo-Historical story, an up-to-date one, one set on an alien planet and then back to Peladon before it's back home for tea on Earth and a variable setting story for the Third Doctor's swansong.
Even the earlier Pertwee stuff set on Earth varies in content.
I also disagree he was weak. He had a few, vulnerable and passive moments in his debut story but after that he was very much the authority figure, and in Season 7 he was arrogant with him. I don't see where you can class as weak really. What I did notice about him, though, was that towards the end of the Series, he did lighten up in some stories. Maybe that's because he knew he was leaving then,
I agree I would love to have seen Liz and The Brig in the TARDIS. It was always unlikely to happen though. As for saying the Era could be better, this isn't exclusive to Pertwee, you could say that about any Era of the show.
The master is only used in 8 stories. That is a 3rd of his tenure and in some instances don't even appear till half way through the story. I don't see it as overkill. The earth exile isn't so bad as people think. Even when stranded he still travels into space and past/future/alternative.
Season 7: 2 on modern day earth, 1 on modern day earth with some space travel and 1 modern day earth with a huge chunk set in an alternative earth
Season 8: 3 set on modern day earth, 1 set on earth with a small bit set in an alien spaceship/space, 1 set on a colony.
Season 9: 1 set on modern day earth, 2 set on different planets, 2 set on modern day earth with time travel (1 in future 1 in past)
Season 10: 1 completely set in modern day earth, 1 set on earth with a good chunk set in another universe, 1 set on future earth with a lot of space travel, 2 set on different planets
Season 11. 1 historical, 1 modern day earth, 2 set on different planets and 1 set in modern day earth with a wee bit set a different planet.
There is more variety than people think
Pertwee`s run is arguably the best sustained sequence Dr Who has ever had. Tom edges it for me in turns of fave Doctor but Pertwee is very close behind (it`s the ludicrous Venusian aikido that I just can`t let slide!).
I may be biased though as Pertwee was the Doctor I watched as a kid. I'm currently re watching it for the first time since seeing it live and am currently on Inferno. Let's see if my re watch 40 years later is as good as It was back then.
I think some of the poorer stories from the 3rd Doctor were actually the few that were set in space &/or time -like Colony in Space, The Monster of Peladon, The Mutants (although I quite like parts of it like the caves & the Mutants themselves, & The Time Monster (fantasy/ historic, okay, yes, there were parts set in 20th century UK with the Brig, Benton etc in this one).
I think fans of the 3rd Doctor might be in for a treat with what might be about to be on our screens
How *dare* you mention Jason King in the same sentence as The Prisoner and The Avengers. >:(
Jesting, obviously. (Department S is quite good. Think the spin off is pretty rubbish.) Season 7 is definately a bit Avengers-y. Not as much as The Seeds of Doom, though!
Never tire of watching the Pertwee Years.
Personal fav's being the Autons and the Sea Devils.
Interestingly enough, just as the Pertwee years were my favourite era of Doctor Who, so that's my favourite Tom Baker story. Obviously infected by the Avengers bug, I guess!
Yes, I think during the Anniversary year last year, Pertwee fell under the umbrella a bit. Hartnell got some screen time after the AITAS Drama. Troughton got airtime because of the rediscovered stories from his era.
Tom Baker's appearance in Day Of The Doctor gave him airtime and the remaining Doctors were always somewhere to be seen on interviews, documentaries and the Fiveish Doctors reboot.
So yes, he does seem a bit out of fashion, I agree, but as far as this forum goes, there has been a lot of Pertwee about lately. Know a few posters on here aside me who are doing reruns so that's all good.
It's been about Tom Baker for a long time I think, especially with the adults - because he was on it for a long time, it's likely that more people grew up with him on their television screens, than say, Patrick Troughton, or, dare I say his name, Colin Baker
i think the problem with a lot of classic Who, is that it does appear to get measured by todays standard, which is perfect for 'this' time.
i prefered the Baker years but Pertwee was my first Doctor and i hold his stories in high regard.