The Cybermen did become less convincing as a threat in their last few appearances. I don't think they've really worked since the sixties-somewhere along the way, the underlying horror of what these people had done to themselves got lost, and they became little more than generic robots. They still are, really.:(
Earthshock was excellent (including Rodney Bewes' "Acting") compared to their current reboot.
Terry Nation's a classic example of "all mouth and trousers".
He's a brilliant Ideas Man (Blake's Seven, Survivors, Daleks), but his scripts are generally atrocious. Daleks, B7 and Survivors are all at their best when written by other people. So many TN scripts are just "lots of running about", "some explosions in some corridors", "some goodies and some baddies shooting at each other".
When TN handed in the script for Genesis of the Daleks, Barry Letts (Producer at the time) thanked him, but said TN's previous half dozen scripts were very similar to the new one. As a result, it got totally rewritten into the storty we all know and love.
TN = Money For Old Rope (generally).
His scripts are generally atrocious? What rot! Have you not seen "The Daleks" or "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"? How much of "Masterplan" he wrote may be open to debate (officially 6 episodes) but it remains the best ever Doctor Who story. Barry Letts didn't reject "Genesis" - it was another story which was then replaced by Genesis.
Very true. Terry's major contribution to Who was the Daleks, and I'd say the majority of the credit for them should go to Ray Cusick. Without his iconic design, I doubt they'd have caught on as they did. And the best Blake's 7 writer, I think, was Chris Boucher.
I refer you to your own post #42 made only hours earlier!!!!
Terry Nation's a classic example of "all mouth and trousers".
He's a brilliant Ideas Man (Blake's Seven, Survivors, Daleks), but his scripts are generally atrocious. Daleks, B7 and Survivors are all at their best when written by other people. So many TN scripts are just "lots of running about", "some explosions in some corridors", "some goodies and some baddies shooting at each other".
When TN handed in the script for Genesis of the Daleks, Barry Letts (Producer at the time) thanked him, but said TN's previous half dozen scripts were very similar to the new one. As a result, it got totally rewritten into the storty we all know and love.
TN = Money For Old Rope (generally).
If you remember that thread I started on Terry Nation not so long ago, I thought Terry Nation is the most repetitive writer I've come across. Not only has he duplicated a lot of his stuff in Doctor Who, i've seen in duplicated several more times over in other TV Series he has written. If it hasn't got radiation or crawling through air vents of some description in it, isn't a TN story!!!!!
While TN's ideas are brilliant, his execution of those ideas is often rather less than brilliant. Dalek Invasion Of Earth is one of my very favourite DWs, but is the exception that proves the rule. The Daleks is terribly overlong and padded (they get back to the Tardis, then realise they've forgottent eh fluid link and have to spend three episodes looking for it); Marinus and Chase are both made up on the hoof and get progressively cheaper and sillier; Masterplan has brilliant bits, but Dennis Spooner wrote half of it, and Donald Tosh wrote half of Nation's haolf; Planet of the Daleks is rubbish; Destiny of the Daleks is rubbish (again nice ideas: Movellans, the time destructor thingummyjig, etc).
There's an awful lot of "same old same old" in TN's scripts. Blake's 7 and Survivors included. I would draw your attention to Survivors Series 1. The first episodes, setting everything up, are v well done (TN at his best: establishing his well drawn characters and clearly outliningt he concept). After that, his scripts are generally crap. "Something Of Value": some goodies and some baddies shooting at each other over posession of a petrol tanker. Compare other people's scripts: "Law and Order", in which a murder leads to decisions about capital punishment.
As TN gets more and more established in a series, his scripts get weaker and weaker.
While TN's ideas are brilliant, his execution of those ideas is often rather less than brilliant. Dalek Invasion Of Earth is one of my very favourite DWs, but is the exception that proves the rule. The Daleks is terribly overlong and padded (they get back to the Tardis, then realise they've forgottent eh fluid link and have to spend three episodes looking for it); Marinus and Chase are both made up on the hoof and get progressively cheaper and sillier; Masterplan has brilliant bits, but Dennis Spooner wrote half of it, and Donald Tosh wrote half of Nation's haolf; Planet of the Daleks is rubbish; Destiny of the Daleks is rubbish (again nice ideas: Movellans, the time destructor thingummyjig, etc).
There's an awful lot of "same old same old" in TN's scripts. Blake's 7 and Survivors included. I would draw your attention to Survivors Series 1. The first episodes, setting everything up, are v well done (TN at his best: establishing his well drawn characters and clearly outliningt he concept). After that, his scripts are generally crap. "Something Of Value": some goodies and some baddies shooting at each other over posession of a petrol tanker. Compare other people's scripts: "Law and Order", in which a murder leads to decisions about capital punishment.
As TN gets more and more established in a series, his scripts get weaker and weaker.
You're right.
I think Barry Letts did the best thing ever in forcing Terry Nation to come up with something different with the the Daleks, hence we got Genesis Of The Daleks, probably one of the best Dalek scripts that he wrote.
The whole radiation thing really bugs me though. Even in The Android Invasion you couldn't get away from it and his last dalek story set back on Skaro had it again. I watched an Avengers episode he wrote and even that had radiation in it. I think he was obsessed with it!!!
I've never watched Survivors, but would I be right in assuming radiation is involved somewhere?!
One thing that annoys me (slightly) every time is how daft Jamie is. He's always knocking stuff over at the wrong time or pushing the big button marked "Do Not Push" like Father Dougal.
Another thing I just realised recently on watching it is in The Silurians with JP the Doctor says to one of them "Are you a Silurian?" Hows does he know if it's the first time he's encountered them?
If you remember that thread I started on Terry Nation not so long ago, I thought Terry Nation is the most repetitive writer I've come across. Not only has he duplicated a lot of his stuff in Doctor Who, i've seen in duplicated several more times over in other TV Series he has written. If it hasn't got radiation or crawling through air vents of some description in it, isn't a TN story!!!!!
A character called Tarrant, Taron or something similar is usually a dead giveaway, too.
Another thing I just realised recently on watching it is in The Silurians with JP the Doctor says to one of them "Are you a Silurian?" Hows does he know if it's the first time he's encountered them?
I think Barry Letts did the best thing ever in forcing Terry Nation to come up with something different with the the Daleks, hence we got Genesis Of The Daleks, probably one of the best Dalek scripts that he wrote.
The whole radiation thing really bugs me though. Even in The Android Invasion you couldn't get away from it and his last dalek story set back on Skaro had it again. I watched an Avengers episode he wrote and even that had radiation in it. I think he was obsessed with it!!!
I've never watched Survivors, but would I be right in assuming radiation is involved somewhere?!
Nope, but it has another TN hallmark - you guessed it -- a deadly plague
What I meant was how come he knows that there is such a thing as Silurians in the first place? I don't believe the name is ever mentioned prior to that. I could be wrong though. I must rewatch it to find out.
You're not the first person to spot this!! (Are they Eocenes? Or Earth Reptiles? I can't remember what they were called when they reappeared this year. My biggest concern about that story is why the village only had a population of 3).
What I meant was how come he knows that there is such a thing as Silurians in the first place? I don't believe the name is ever mentioned prior to that. I could be wrong though. I must rewatch it to find out.
He mentions the Silurian era earlier, when investigating what happened to the potholers. Logically, the creature has to be a Silurian (or would have to, if he hadn't gotten his eras mixed up).
Hadn't noticed that. Must be his signature, eh? Terry-N.
I would think so. Offhand, I can think of Taron in Planet of the Daleks, another Taron in Blake's 7 series one (can't place the episode offhand), Jill Tarrant in Death to the Daleks, Dev Tarrant in the first episode of Blake's 7, and Del Tarrant in seasons three and four of Blake's 7, but there are probably more.
He mentions the Silurian era earlier, when investigating what happened to the potholers. Logically, the creature has to be a Silurian (or would have to, if he hadn't gotten his eras mixed up).
Comments
Depends what you do with it Dgem....
bahaha typical christmas at the Dogg house
Earthshock was excellent (including Rodney Bewes' "Acting") compared to their current reboot.
His scripts are generally atrocious? What rot! Have you not seen "The Daleks" or "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"? How much of "Masterplan" he wrote may be open to debate (officially 6 episodes) but it remains the best ever Doctor Who story. Barry Letts didn't reject "Genesis" - it was another story which was then replaced by Genesis.
I refer you to your own post #42 made only hours earlier!!!!
If you remember that thread I started on Terry Nation not so long ago, I thought Terry Nation is the most repetitive writer I've come across. Not only has he duplicated a lot of his stuff in Doctor Who, i've seen in duplicated several more times over in other TV Series he has written. If it hasn't got radiation or crawling through air vents of some description in it, isn't a TN story!!!!!
While TN's ideas are brilliant, his execution of those ideas is often rather less than brilliant. Dalek Invasion Of Earth is one of my very favourite DWs, but is the exception that proves the rule. The Daleks is terribly overlong and padded (they get back to the Tardis, then realise they've forgottent eh fluid link and have to spend three episodes looking for it); Marinus and Chase are both made up on the hoof and get progressively cheaper and sillier; Masterplan has brilliant bits, but Dennis Spooner wrote half of it, and Donald Tosh wrote half of Nation's haolf; Planet of the Daleks is rubbish; Destiny of the Daleks is rubbish (again nice ideas: Movellans, the time destructor thingummyjig, etc).
There's an awful lot of "same old same old" in TN's scripts. Blake's 7 and Survivors included. I would draw your attention to Survivors Series 1. The first episodes, setting everything up, are v well done (TN at his best: establishing his well drawn characters and clearly outliningt he concept). After that, his scripts are generally crap. "Something Of Value": some goodies and some baddies shooting at each other over posession of a petrol tanker. Compare other people's scripts: "Law and Order", in which a murder leads to decisions about capital punishment.
As TN gets more and more established in a series, his scripts get weaker and weaker.
You're right.
I think Barry Letts did the best thing ever in forcing Terry Nation to come up with something different with the the Daleks, hence we got Genesis Of The Daleks, probably one of the best Dalek scripts that he wrote.
The whole radiation thing really bugs me though. Even in The Android Invasion you couldn't get away from it and his last dalek story set back on Skaro had it again. I watched an Avengers episode he wrote and even that had radiation in it. I think he was obsessed with it!!!
I've never watched Survivors, but would I be right in assuming radiation is involved somewhere?!
Rodney Bewes was in Resurrection Of The Daleks not a Cybermen story!
Dur....... that's the one.
Can't believe I got me Daleks mixed up with me Cybermen !!
Another thing I just realised recently on watching it is in The Silurians with JP the Doctor says to one of them "Are you a Silurian?" Hows does he know if it's the first time he's encountered them?
He doesn't, that's why he asks.
Hadn't noticed that. Must be his signature, eh? Terry-N.
Hadn't noticed that one but it proves my point!!!:)
Nope, but it has another TN hallmark - you guessed it -- a deadly plague
That's quite refreshing for a TN storyline.....not!
Was there any climbing through some ventilation systems then?:D:D:D
You're getting a bit desperate to criticise TN now - that was the whole basis of the series!!!
He mentions the Silurian era earlier, when investigating what happened to the potholers. Logically, the creature has to be a Silurian (or would have to, if he hadn't gotten his eras mixed up).
I would think so. Offhand, I can think of Taron in Planet of the Daleks, another Taron in Blake's 7 series one (can't place the episode offhand), Jill Tarrant in Death to the Daleks, Dev Tarrant in the first episode of Blake's 7, and Del Tarrant in seasons three and four of Blake's 7, but there are probably more.
And yet after all these years, her brother Kev Tarrant is still shamefully ignored!