...Beryl Reid as a comedian actress came in and played the role dead straight
...
She could have easily have made the part an over the top role like Lynda Baron did with Captain Wrack
...
Ken Dodd simply didn't, as he was more or less just playing himself. But to be fair to him, he is a stand up comedian and not an established actor so I guess it would be too much to expect otherwise.
Loads of interesting stuff here, Davey!
The Killing of Sister George is a fantastic film, with Beryl as a closeted lesbian soap star whose girlfriend is about to leave her just as her soap character is being killed off. It's a towering performance: really strong, powerful and angry.
Beryl's dramatic acting gets a bit forgeotten in light of her comic acting and the fact that she carved a niche for herself as a dotty old dear on panel shows.
I love Lynda Baron as Captain Wrack. It's exactly the right performance, and there's no need to subtlety. All that Captain Wrack and Captain Briggs have in common is that they are flying a spaceship.
Ken Dodd is great as the Tollmaster. I hated it when I was 12, and love it now I am less seriousa s a grown-up. It's just a shockingly horrible moment when Gavrok shoots him in the back. It really underlines what a totally evil bastard Gavrok is! I think Ken Dodd has done Shakespeare, so he's not a total acting novice. Again, as with Wrack, the Tollmaster needs a "big" performance, and Doddy delivers.
I loved Earthshock first time round, but on rewatches I can't shake the feeling that none of it makes much sense.
But that said, Adric is surprisingly good in it, the peoplepuddles are spooky, and the Cyberleader is (no pun intended) excellent.
Like a lot of Saward stuff, the script is a mess and the storyline is a bit illogical. Mind you, I often think the Cybermen's plans are a bit weird. They're supposed to be the most logival beings in existence, but they never quiote get their planning correct.
Adric is good in this. His death had a huge impact on me at age 7, and still packs a punch now for people who don't know what's coming. I rather like the Adric/Nyssa/Tegan line-up and (I've said it before and will say it again) I don't feel that Waterhouse is any better or worse an actor than Fielding or Sutton. The character's a bit whiney, but far more interesting than Nyssa (I know so little about telebiogenesis" ... oh you boring cow).
Nowadays the death of Adric would have been leaked months ahead of transmission.
As Mark Gatiss said on one of the mini-documentaries on the DVD release these days the end credits of the last episode of Earthshock would be squeezed to one side of the screen and a continuity annnouncer would be talking over them
The Killing of Sister George is a fantastic film, with Beryl as a closeted lesbian soap star whose girlfriend is about to leave her just as her soap character is being killed off. It's a towering performance: really strong, powerful and angry.
Beryl's dramatic acting gets a bit forgeotten in light of her comic acting and the fact that she carved a niche for herself as a dotty old dear on panel shows.
I love Lynda Baron as Captain Wrack. It's exactly the right performance, and there's no need to subtlety. All that Captain Wrack and Captain Briggs have in common is that they are flying a spaceship.
Ken Dodd is great as the Tollmaster. I hated it when I was 12, and love it now I am less seriousa s a grown-up. It's just a shockingly horrible moment when Gavrok shoots him in the back. It really underlines what a totally evil bastard Gavrok is! I think Ken Dodd has done Shakespeare, so he's not a total acting novice. Again, as with Wrack, the Tollmaster needs a "big" performance, and Doddy delivers.
Like a lot of Saward stuff, the script is a mess and the storyline is a bit illogical. Mind you, I often think the Cybermen's plans are a bit weird. They're supposed to be the most logival beings in existence, but they never quiote get their planning correct.
Adric is good in this. His death had a huge impact on me at age 7, and still packs a punch now for people who don't know what's coming. I rather like the Adric/Nyssa/Tegan line-up and (I've said it before and will say it again) I don't feel that Waterhouse is any better or worse an actor than Fielding or Sutton. The character's a bit whiney, but far more interesting than Nyssa (I know so little about telebiogenesis" ... oh you boring cow).
If I may return the compliment, lots of interesting stuff in your post too! Didn't know Ken Dodd had done Shakespeare, but how many others would have known that at the time he played the Tollmaster? Agree absolutely that his shooting at Gavrok's hands really was nasty.
I wasn't criticising Lynda Baron either, Wrack was a very different type of character from Briggs, much more wicked and over the top where Briggs was much more serious. In essence she was still playing against type because though she was known for a comedy role in Open All Hours even though it was more or less a foil to Ronnie Barker's Arkwright. I thought she brought just the right amount of villainy to Wrack without going outright bonkers like Richard Briers did later.
Adric, Nyssa and Tegan are my fave team after Peri and Doc 5 as they were my first that I watched, always have fond memories of them all together but I will have to disagree Adric was better than Nyssa. I suppose I can see your point that as he was so annoying that he had more personality than Nyssa but it was just the fact he was so annoying I preferred Nyssa as a character. However, he did show some courage towards the end of Earthshock so at least he should be given some credit for that!
If I may return the compliment, lots of interesting stuff in your post too! Didn't know Ken Dodd had done Shakespeare, but how many others would have known that at the time he played the Tollmaster? Agree absolutely that his shooting at Gavrok's hands really was nasty.
Malvolio in Twelth Night back in 1971 and Yorick in a flashback in Ken Branagh film version of Hamlet
D'you know, I really didn't like Adric much.
He spent far too much time whinging and whining....
but..
On re-watching Earthshock, Adric was bearable, even good.
Makes you wonder what he would have been like if he'd had the one-to-one with The Doctor in the early days of his existence.
Beryl Reid is great in this and even though at this point her reputation was mainly for comedy and panel shows she was still doing serious work. She won the Bafta for best actress in 1983 for Smiley's People.
I have to admit, I was never a fan of the Cyberman design that became the standard from "The Invasion" on, I think I don't like the size of their heads, but there's something about how they look in "Earthshock" that makes them one of my favorite designs they've ever had.
On re-watching Earthshock, Adric was bearable, even good.
Makes you wonder what he would have been like if he'd had the one-to-one with The Doctor in the early days of his existence...
Well. he's pretty good in Logopolis part 1. MW seems more at ease in those scenes that are just him and Tom.
But in general he's a fairly wooden actor. However, MW wasn't helped by the fact that Adric was an annoying little tit of a character - it's hard to see how anyone could have made him believable and sympathetic. Sarah Sutton, who was equally as wooden as Matthew Waterhouse when it came to acting chops, is far better remembered, as Nyssa was a much more likeable character, and she was much prettier than Waterhouse.
Very, very over-rated. It's shock value over quality drama.
Have to disagree. The last episode for me was as tense as it could ever be and I find that sort of tension very rare in Classic Who. This was helped by the fact The Doctor was very helpless for the majority of two episodes and that's very rare too, it was difficult to imagine at the time how he was going to get out of it.
Then there was the cost of his eventual victory, Adric. And again, how often does The Doctor win at the cost of a companion's life? Only a handful of times. That's what makes it a stand out story.
And as for the shock value, give me that anytime over the crap that's been served up recently. And I like a bit of a shock on TV now and again, keeps things exciting and refreshing and if we had known the Cybermen were coming back before, the end of Part 1 wouldn't been nowhere as good. For me those sort of cliffhangers beat the Doctor in peril ones every time.
Comments
Well, he's a noble hero....but she could be a bit annoying. Maybe he was weighing things up.
"That's not possible"
"It is when you have an alien machine over-riding your computer"
Apparently.
Of course, it wouldn't be silent nowadays. We'd get some high-energy voice over telling us Strictly was next.
I long for the new series to do a Cybermen story to match the terror and sense of invincibility they bring here.
But that said, Adric is surprisingly good in it, the peoplepuddles are spooky, and the Cyberleader is (no pun intended) excellent.
Episode one is the spookiest the show has ever been. Genuinely creepy and gory.
Mrs Chuff and I remarked on that while watching The Tenth Planet last night. Ben and Polly and well down the cast list!
Loads of interesting stuff here, Davey!
The Killing of Sister George is a fantastic film, with Beryl as a closeted lesbian soap star whose girlfriend is about to leave her just as her soap character is being killed off. It's a towering performance: really strong, powerful and angry.
Beryl's dramatic acting gets a bit forgeotten in light of her comic acting and the fact that she carved a niche for herself as a dotty old dear on panel shows.
I love Lynda Baron as Captain Wrack. It's exactly the right performance, and there's no need to subtlety. All that Captain Wrack and Captain Briggs have in common is that they are flying a spaceship.
Ken Dodd is great as the Tollmaster. I hated it when I was 12, and love it now I am less seriousa s a grown-up. It's just a shockingly horrible moment when Gavrok shoots him in the back. It really underlines what a totally evil bastard Gavrok is! I think Ken Dodd has done Shakespeare, so he's not a total acting novice. Again, as with Wrack, the Tollmaster needs a "big" performance, and Doddy delivers.
Like a lot of Saward stuff, the script is a mess and the storyline is a bit illogical. Mind you, I often think the Cybermen's plans are a bit weird. They're supposed to be the most logival beings in existence, but they never quiote get their planning correct.
Adric is good in this. His death had a huge impact on me at age 7, and still packs a punch now for people who don't know what's coming. I rather like the Adric/Nyssa/Tegan line-up and (I've said it before and will say it again) I don't feel that Waterhouse is any better or worse an actor than Fielding or Sutton. The character's a bit whiney, but far more interesting than Nyssa (I know so little about telebiogenesis" ... oh you boring cow).
As Mark Gatiss said on one of the mini-documentaries on the DVD release these days the end credits of the last episode of Earthshock would be squeezed to one side of the screen and a continuity annnouncer would be talking over them
If I may return the compliment, lots of interesting stuff in your post too! Didn't know Ken Dodd had done Shakespeare, but how many others would have known that at the time he played the Tollmaster? Agree absolutely that his shooting at Gavrok's hands really was nasty.
I wasn't criticising Lynda Baron either, Wrack was a very different type of character from Briggs, much more wicked and over the top where Briggs was much more serious. In essence she was still playing against type because though she was known for a comedy role in Open All Hours even though it was more or less a foil to Ronnie Barker's Arkwright. I thought she brought just the right amount of villainy to Wrack without going outright bonkers like Richard Briers did later.
Adric, Nyssa and Tegan are my fave team after Peri and Doc 5 as they were my first that I watched, always have fond memories of them all together but I will have to disagree Adric was better than Nyssa. I suppose I can see your point that as he was so annoying that he had more personality than Nyssa but it was just the fact he was so annoying I preferred Nyssa as a character. However, he did show some courage towards the end of Earthshock so at least he should be given some credit for that!
I still to this day remeber being a young lad watching thus episode. The shock reveal was amazing, great story
Malvolio in Twelth Night back in 1971 and Yorick in a flashback in Ken Branagh film version of Hamlet
He spent far too much time whinging and whining....
but..
On re-watching Earthshock, Adric was bearable, even good.
Makes you wonder what he would have been like if he'd had the one-to-one with The Doctor in the early days of his existence.
And the death scene was actually quite moving..
Really? Even the infantile hissy fit at the start of Episode 1? Or do you just mean after the action starts properly?
On the second, it's probably safe to say he didn't have any dialogue? So they got an elderly comic to play a fellow of infinite jest?
Malvolio's obviously quite a different thing, being the target of a lot of japes rather than himself being directly comic. Kudos to Dodd.
Well. he's pretty good in Logopolis part 1. MW seems more at ease in those scenes that are just him and Tom.
But in general he's a fairly wooden actor. However, MW wasn't helped by the fact that Adric was an annoying little tit of a character - it's hard to see how anyone could have made him believable and sympathetic. Sarah Sutton, who was equally as wooden as Matthew Waterhouse when it came to acting chops, is far better remembered, as Nyssa was a much more likeable character, and she was much prettier than Waterhouse.
Have to disagree. The last episode for me was as tense as it could ever be and I find that sort of tension very rare in Classic Who. This was helped by the fact The Doctor was very helpless for the majority of two episodes and that's very rare too, it was difficult to imagine at the time how he was going to get out of it.
Then there was the cost of his eventual victory, Adric. And again, how often does The Doctor win at the cost of a companion's life? Only a handful of times. That's what makes it a stand out story.
And as for the shock value, give me that anytime over the crap that's been served up recently. And I like a bit of a shock on TV now and again, keeps things exciting and refreshing and if we had known the Cybermen were coming back before, the end of Part 1 wouldn't been nowhere as good. For me those sort of cliffhangers beat the Doctor in peril ones every time.