Time And The Rani @ 20

[Rob McCow]

Perhaps Mel's high pitched screaming scrambled the electronics?

[Darren]

Rani: Hi, is that Customer Service? Those bubble traps...er.. I trapped Mel in one, it bounced off a cliff then landed in the water and didn't go off. Didn't you think about the effect water had on it? What do you mean you weren't expecting them to be used around water? I'm on a planet with a breathable atmosphere, so of course there's going to water around. What?... yeah I've got the receipt somewhere....etc.

I expect she Argos'd it.


TATR isn't exactly the best slice of Who, but I quite like it. It's the sort of thing to watch on a lazy evening, and I love regeneration scenes/ new titles.
The bubble trap effect is very good and McCoy's debut- backward tumble aside- is excellent. Kate O'Mara's Rani is a campy pantomime villain, not as good as in Mark of the Rani. And they should have used Bonnie in dual roles, instead.
I loved the way The Rani underestimated the Doctor again, failing to realise that the giant brain would absorb his eccentricites aswell as his intelligence.

And they should have used the original title, Loyhargil.

[Andrew Curnow]

Elsewhen, lines from Time and the Rani that I like to use in everyday speech are:

Names which are meaningless to us/Geniuses every one of them.

You wouldn't say that if you met my uncle.

Less of the pessimism Mel.

[Jim]

I slip "The proof of the pumpkin is in the squeezing" in at this time of year.

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I've just found this thread. I rather liked TATR on it's first transmission. It's not a 'classic' but like most stories that end up being panned in general I don't find it as bad as all that (mind you, I even like TimeLash so maybe I shouldn't be commenting at all).
I think the bubble traps looked excellent, I love the Lakertyans costumes (what's wrong with them?) I loved the pink sky (all the best Who stories have pink skies you know) Keff's music for once isn't too bad (I remember some lucky git won a 'one-off' cassette tape of TATR music in the first mini convention that Ant Cox and I ever attended). I liked the title sequence - though I wasn't keen on the new version of the theme music.
I may be wrong here but I'm fairly sure that the majority of Season 24 was written before Slyvester McCoy was actually cast. The writers were either writing for an unknown Doctor or I believe some thought they were writing for Colin Baker - someone correct me if I'm wrong.
As others have said McCoy wasn't a good actor but this season wasn't written with him in mind (I think), so this may explain why his later work is better as by the the writers would have had a better idea of how McCoy would play the scenes etc.
As for Mel, Ant Cox has got a point about her being annoying, and therfore rather well played by Bonnie, but for me there was just too much screaming - at one point in TATR her screams are on a loop and you can hear the same screems over and over again!!!!
I like the sets in this one and Kate O'Mara and Urak are a great double act.
Overall, I quite liked it at the time and still like it to this day.

[Antony Cox]

I know this isn't strictly to do with TATR, but I was watching Remembrance last week and it struck me that whilst I don't rate Sylv much as an actor, I really do like his character as the Doctor and I think it's something which he brings over very strongly, regardless of how good an 'actor' he is or isn't.

Whereas David Tennant wins hands down on the acting front but I don't care for his characterisation much.

[Si Hunt]

I may be wrong here but I'm fairly sure that the majority of Season 24 was written before Slyvester McCoy was actually cast. The writers were either writing for an unknown Doctor or I believe some thought they were writing for Colin Baker - someone correct me if I'm wrong.

That's certainly the case for "Time and the Rani". I think by the last two stories he'd been cast though.

Si.

[Simon R]

On a similar note, does anyone else think the Doctor's line in "Spearhead From Space" are written for Patrick Troughton's Doctor, more so than Jan Putrids?

[stephenhannan]

Ah The Rani. Now theres one character from the Doctors past I would not mind seeing again

[FlyingBeastie]

Love the Rani, but besides her and the Doctor, the rest of the episode made me feel terribly depressed...oh, and TIRED lol

That, and Paradise Towers made me more than just a little less enthused about McCoy...