It's lovely. Absolutely lovely. Plenty of laughs, a bit of tension, an Billy Hartnell is rarely better. Calling Wyatt Earp "Mr Werp", having no idea that Doc Holliday has stitched him up ... great fun. The shooting of Charlie the barman is a shocker. Kate the dollybird is great fun and very believable. Stephen and Dodo come out of it very well.

Loved it.
chuff.x.

I liked it too (though I don't think they do on the episode guide on the BBC DW website).

About 20 years ago it was cited as one of the contenders for worst DW story ever, along with 'The Horns of Nimon', but then McCoy came along! I'd rather watch 'The Gunfighters' than most McCoy story any day of the week personally!

I'm a big Sylv fan, so can't really agree on that point. However, I agree it's odd that The Gunfighters has such a poor reputation. Some of it is laugh-out-loud funny; the song, repeated throughout, is a very unusual and involving idea. One of Billy's best, I think, and not nearly as dated or creaky as some Old Who. Far better than Nimon, too.

chuff.x.

I love the Hartnell/Troughton stuff - boo to UKGold (oxymoron ) for refusing to show them any more.

I've always thought the comedy in The Gunfighters was great - some of Hartnell's best acting too as he has no idea he's being stitched up for most of it.

After my last post I went on the episode guide as mentioned above. They don't have a lot of time for 'The Gunfighters', but don't have too many bad words for 'Time and the Rani' (surely the worst story of all time?!) and describe 'Delta and the Bannermen' (marginally better) as 'a step in the right direction'! With views like that I won't be looking at that anymore!

Ropey though Time and the Rani was, I don't think it was the worst DW story of all time; personally, I loathed some of the mid-Tom Baker stuff (Destiny of the Daleks, Horns of Nimon) because it was all so self-indulgent (but, then I have to admit I'm a Pertwee man myself).

Having said that, the first McCoy season was dire, but things picked up somewhat after that. And surely no-one could argue that The Curse of Fenric is anything other than an all-time classic?

As for The Gunfighters; it's poor reputation was largely down to the Peter Haining book, but I agree with others that I think he was very wrong.

I enjoyed "The Gunfighters"

Sorry, but I hate it when people say things like that. It's possible to argue almost anything, especially when it comes to taste, which is subjective. George Bernard Shaw famously (infamously?) said that he didn't think much of Shakespeare's work, for example. Personally I think that 'Fenric' is a reasonable story, but an 'all time classic'? No way! (I also rate both Shakespeare and Shaw, but know which one I think is better, and he wasn't Irish!).

I'm also a Pertwee man, he being the first Doctor I watched on TV that I can remember (I am late, late 30s and not for much longer alas!) and hated much of the Graham Williams era, as you seem to do. That said, I can watch 'Horns of Nimon', etc., whereas I find 'Time and the Rani' virtually unwatchable. To my mind it has no endearing qualities and is cringe worthy in so many places (especially Kate O'Mara doing Mel!), which is why I rate it as the all time worst story.

But hey, we're all different and I know Den is a keen fan of McCoy, for example. I can accept that, but please be careful about using terms such as I've quoted here in future.

You're quite right to pick me up on The Curse of Fenric. What I should have said is that it's generally regarded as a classic - which is not the same thing at all. But it was late and I was tired, so that's my excuse.

Glad to find someone else who loathes the Williams-produced era as much as I do. But, again, it's all subjective.

I thought a lot of McCoy's earliest adventures were dire, but things started to pick up for me once Remembrance of the Daleks came along.

My real admiration of McCoy's Doctor came from the New Adventure novels, where this Doctor was shown as a dark and devious cosmic manipulator, quite capable of playing his 'cosmic chess games' over many sections of space and time simultaneously.

The 7th Doctor (in most of the books) had a much more in-depth character than was ever shown on-screen. Maybe (because they were never written to be broadcast) I shouldn't count the books, but I will always remember at least some of them as some of the best stories about Doctor #7 that McCoy never got to act.

For anyone who's interested, RTD, Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead) and Paul Cornell (Father's Day) wrote several of these between them.

I, too cringed at Kate's impersonation of Mel - it was bad enough having one Bonnie Langford onscreen, without the need for a double

I think that UKTV Gold want to wash their hands of Dr. Who, in refusing to show the first three Doctors (rumours state that they may even be skipping Tom next time around). I'm very suprised that they (or the BBC) are not showing the oldies particularly when there are loads of new fans created by the new series and are discovering the original run.

You may well be right - UKGold seem to be shipping off most of their 'drama' (it's a broad church in their vocabulary) onto the other channels, in an effort to concentrate more on comedy (going by UKGold's responses to emails that people have posted in other threads.)

I've noticed for a while now that when they get to Tom's era they miss out stories. I'm sure they skipped Robot, for example - and they didn't show the Key to Time series either (missing out Romana mark 1 completely.)

As you say, in light of the success of the new series, it seems very short-sighted on Gold's part.
Last edited by DenWatts : 19-08-2005 at 18:26

Hey, no worries - you should read some of the stuff I write when I'm tired, and especially when I'm both drunk and tired!

It's ironic that 'City of Death' is part of the Williams era, as it normally figures in the top 10 best stories. I certainly enjoy it and am looking forward to seeing it on DVD.

Den's point re the McCoy novels is interesting. I've only ever read one of those, which showed what had happened to a previous companion (without wishing to give anything away). It was OK, but not great.

That said, one of my issues with McCoy is his acting, which I don't rate at all. So books wouldn't be a problem! However, I've found him to be OK in the audio adventures of his to which I've listened.

I don't know how that happened!

(Please ignore this - post my last post 3 times on the same post, but fixed via an edit).
Last edited by Muad'Dib : 19-08-2005 at 22:51

Remember taping this whe the original re showings happened on the old B SKY B channel in the very early 90s
Only memory I have of it is Steven Taylor (Peter Purves) being forced to sing very quickly at gunpoint.

If I ever get round to tidying my room I may give this one another go

Thank Rassilon I taped them all first time round then

I'm surprised at the toasting that the BBC website gives to The Gunfighters! There are far worse!

Time And Yer Auntie is a bit poor. The Rani-as-Mel scenes are a scream, though! Possibly the campest bit of telly ever produced! Kate O'Mara impersonating Bonnie Langford! Who'd'a thunk it?!

I'm quite fond of Delta and the Bannermen. It tells quite an adult story (love, etc), and is great fun and full of imagination.

The Graham Williams stuff tends to leave me a bit cold. Just watched Nightmare of Eden, and it's occasionally very good (again full of imagination). Don't un derstand all the fuss about City of Death: the Tom/Lalla or Doctor/Romana relationship is very loveydovey, and breaks the rules of DW in my book!

chuff.x.