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Pertwee's first season |
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#1 |
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Pertwee's first season
Just finished a re-watch of Ambassadors of Death. Considering the writing process was a huge mess with David Whitaker only writing the first 3 parts and then Malcolm Hulke stepping in to salvage the project with some help from the assistant script editor and the director, it is surprisingly cohesive and is wonderfully creepy and suspenseful in the first couple of episodes..
The thing that I am really struck by in watching this and Inferno, as well as the Silurians to some extent is how refreshingly mature, intelligent, serious-minded and adult-oriented the show was in Pertwee's first year than it had ever been before. I think Jon Pertwee's doctor was certainly at his authoritative best in this season and Pertwee's acting skills also seemed far superior here compared to later seasons. Caroline Shaw also made a great addition to this more serious and grown up tone. A pity she left due to pregnancy (though I read Barry Letts didn't think this companion was working out very well) The contrast in the quality is marked. It is almost like the producer and powers that be then deliberately changed tack and went straight back to it becoming primarily a younger children's show as the following seasons progressed. The chummy, twee repartee of the UNIT family is an example of that. |
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#2 |
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Season 7 is a difficult one for some, because you're going from the clownish Patrick Troughton whizzing around the galaxy fighting all sorts of whimsical menaces, to the much more serious Jon Pertwee grounded on earth and fighting more scientific and politically-inspired threats in stories that are generally a little longer and heavier, while teamed up with the militaristic UNIT. Sometimes that contrast is what Doctor Who needs and I think it was a great step for the show back then. Quality storytelling with all four stories, I loved the UNIT characters and their chemistry with the Third Doctor, and Liz was a very unique companion back then.
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#3 |
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Personally not a big fan of this Season nor the character of The Doctor who at times was rather rude and arrogant. I prefer the later seasons where he had mellowed slightly.
Season 7 does have a good fanbase though, I'm just not one of them, finding the stories overlong and too similar at times and never been a fan of the Exile Format. Inferno is good though, will say that.
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#4 |
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Join Date: Apr 2011
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I just can't get into Ambassadors of Death.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Dec 2010
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I have sympathy with the writing and production team that they got stuck with seven episode stories, which Barry Letts acknowledged they did not want and struggled to flesh them out.
The Ambassadors of Death has a decent overall idea and theme, but is a good example of it being too long overall. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Jun 2015
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Quote:
The contrast in the quality is marked. It is almost like the producer and powers that be then deliberately changed tack and went straight back to it becoming primarily a younger children's show as the following seasons progressed. The chummy, twee repartee of the UNIT family is an example of that.
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#7 |
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Join Date: Apr 2004
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i watched inferno for the first time last week and thought it was brilliant. i wish the show was still as serious actually. the alt universe characters were great and a very bleak ending for them all
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#8 |
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Join Date: Dec 2015
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I think it is an excellent season, only problem as mentioned before some episodes were a bit too long. Ambassadors could have been made a 4 part episode tbh but i still enjoyed the story and Silurians was also another good story which could have also been made at least as a 6 parter. But Inferno was perfect.
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#9 |
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Join Date: May 2005
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Posts: 8,406
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Quote:
Season 7 is a difficult one for some, because you're going from the clownish Patrick Troughton whizzing around the galaxy fighting all sorts of whimsical menaces, to the much more serious Jon Pertwee grounded on earth and fighting more scientific and politically-inspired threats in stories that are generally a little longer and heavier, while teamed up with the militaristic UNIT. Sometimes that contrast is what Doctor Who needs and I think it was a great step for the show back then. Quality storytelling with all four stories, I loved the UNIT characters and their chemistry with the Third Doctor, and Liz was a very unique companion back then.
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#10 |
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Inferno is a fabulous story, the highlight of a transitional season.
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#11 |
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I love this season and its tone.... Inferno is brilliant as others have said, but love Spearhead and Silurian's as well....
I prefer to have the Doctor travelling about the universe as that's pretty much the point of the concept of the show, but I do think having a couple of season's where the Doctor is trapped in one place is a neat idea to play with (and of course was necessary at the time) and it works really well in this season and at other times in the Pertwee era... Jon Pertwee's Doctor is wonderful, he just has the unexplainable quality where you just like watching the person be them, there's something about them.. Tom Baker has this too, and Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock is another example.. |
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#12 |
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I agree. The ratings still weren't that great and the show was still at risk of being cancelled. The changes they made in Season 8 guaranteed better ratings. That's what the public wanted for better or worse.
The Silurians and Ambassadors of Death (at least until episode 6 were all around 7 - 8.5m with episode 4 of Ambassadors getting 9.3 million. They did tail off from episode 6 of Ambassadors and all through Inferno but it was obviously enough of an improvement to get a season 8 and in general considered a vast improvement. I like season 7 but agree with the changes, the stories were just too long. |
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#13 |
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Bearing in mind that the latter half of The War Games didn't get above 5m, (episode 8 only 3.5million) Spearheads 8.4m, 8.1m, 8.3m & 8.1m were significantly better.
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#14 |
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Season 7 is the best season
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#15 |
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Join Date: May 2004
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I have always loved the seven part stories. The six parters get bogged down with padding, while the seven parters give the writer opportunity to do new stuff and tell several stories in one go. This is one of my favourite seasons: the gritty, serious, doomy atmosphere is very welcome, and Liz Shaw is one of my favourite companions. Of course, it couldn't last, as the role of the companion is to hand the Doctor his test-tubes and ask questions. The next season is far more traditional and far less original because of it. (still fun though)
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#16 |
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Liz Shaw was the Donna Nobel of her day. Apart from the being gobby bit.
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#17 |
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Quote:
Personally not a big fan of this Season nor the character of The Doctor who at times was rather rude and arrogant. I prefer the later seasons where he had mellowed slightly.
Season 7 does have a good fanbase though, I'm just not one of them, finding the stories overlong and too similar at times and never been a fan of the Exile Format. Inferno is good though, will say that. ![]() |
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