Into The Vortex: Seasons 1 - 22 (1963-1985)

[Antony Cox]

That's OK, you'll be first in the queue for the DVD then won't you?

Yes......

.......at the charity shop in 6 months time when they'll have a shelf-load at 50p each!

[Jonno]

A strange season at the time - it was nice having it back on Saturdays after four years, but I didn't like the 45 minute episode format (how things change!), feeling that the episodes really dragged big time. I still feel that, and with a fairly unlikeable Doctor and a whiney companion who made you wonder why she wanted to stay travelling (!), it made for frustating viewing on the whole - especially after the consistently very good Davison era.

Attack 8/10 - My fave Colin this - some good stuff in the sewers, and although there is padding, it's largely bearable and there's lots of red-hot Cyber action, even if they are disposed of far too easily - a handgun being the worst example. Perhaps a little too OTT with some of the violence, but it gets away with it! Once again (as seen as recently as mere days ago) sewers work very well in Who!

Varos 5.5/10 - I do like Sil, one of the rare successes of mid 80s Who for me, but overall this is very slow paced, a bit dull and dreary. Martin Jarvis is good though, as is the cliffhanger.

Mark 7/10 - The only pseudo-historical for the Sixth Doctor, and come to think of it his only story set entirely on Earth! Given my preference for Earthbound settings, the lack of them in his era is another reason this is my least favourite era. The Rani was a good new character, but the Master contributes nothing and plays second fiddle to her. Would have been much better without his annual visit.

Two Doctors 6/10 - Sounds great on paper, but this is so slow that when I bought the DVD I could only watch one episode at a time, spread over a few days. The Sontarans look awful, and act strangely. It's probably Colin's finest performance for me, and it's nice to have the 2nd Doctor and Jamie in it. And Jackie Pearce is delightful. A real curate's egg overall.

Timelash 4/10 - Marginally better than Twin Dilemma, but even so - yuck! Everyone knows why it's woeful, so I'm not going to bother typing it all out. This is the first DVD release I'll be waiting for the bargain bucket for - nuff said!

Revelation - 7.5/10 - Again, woefully slow paced for the first hour - the Doctor and Peri don't even get to their destination until what would be part 3 of 4 - jeez! However, most of the supporting characters are interesting enough - Tasambeker excepted! - and once it gets going, about an hour in, the last half hour is extremely good and watchable. And it's certainly a great Davros story - he's so much better here than the ranting, raving one in Resurrection!

That year, I taped the three stories with the famous monsters, then watched them and my other three stories ad nauseum for the next 18 months!

[MacNimon]

I think Season 22 is a rather under-rated season, imo it's one of the strongest of the 80s. It's mostly silly things like lighting (not to mention the odd dodgy story) which drag this season down a bit. I've wondered before if the way the series was filmed was a reflection of Colin's coat, and that if he had had the chance to wear a darker coat, maybe like that drawn in the Real Time BBC webcast (which I believe he would have preferred, iirc) this season may not have been as brightly lit, and may have appeared a little darker which would have suited some of the stories better. Admittedly it wouldn't have changed the scripts any, but the final product may have been just a little bit more subdued, less in your face as it were. But then again, I'm probably just talking nonsense here ...after all, bright lighting was also something the Davison stories suffered from as well. It just seemed worse in Colin's era.

No matter, Season 22 combined with Season 21 was the strongest run the series had from Hinchcliffe's departure, to the end of the original series imo. There's obviously a few poor stories there, but that's only to be expected.

Attack Of The Cybermen 6/10 Not a great story by any means, it's a bit too contrived for my liking, but I still find this pretty enjoyable if you can put your brain in neutral.

Vengeance On Varos 6/10 Not a favourite either, but watchable. Much better than it's sequel

Mark Of The Rani 8/10 I've always had a soft spot for this, but then I like pseudo-historicals in general. Despite the Rani...I'm just not a huge fan of the character. Still, one opf the highlights of the season for me.

The 2 Doctors 7/10 It's not as bad as some make it out to be, but it's still a bit long and is something of a wasted opportunity. Could have been better. Good fun, though.

Timelash 4/10 It's been such a long time since I saw this, I saw it on original broadcast and have had no particular to watch it again in a hurry. But maybe after 20 years or so, it's about time to reassass this...

Revelation Of The Daleks 7/10 I wasn't a great fan of this first time round, mainly because I found Alexei Sayle's DJ a bit annoying. But on it's repeat several years later, I found this to be a surprisingly gripping story...and that's even with Davros around. The best 80s Dalek story, imo.

[MacNimon]

OK, let's just close it at the moment if that's OK with you. I'll start a new thread right now!