30 Years of a Fan: 2008

[SiHart]

Today marks the 30th anniversary of when I first saw Doctor Who. Over the next few weeks I'd like to commemorate this with a look back over each year of my life with doctor Who- share some memories with you and hopefully inspire you all to join me on my journey from 1979 to the present day.

Please feel free to comment on my memories, add your own memories along the way or just talk about the stories etc from each year if you like.

So lets take a trip back to when Tom Baker was at the height of his popularity, when ITV was on strike, and when a young Mum sat down with her son to watch Destiny of the Daleks...

1979

I found myself wondering recently what I thought about Doctor Who the very first time I saw it. Wouldn’t be amazing to know what I thought of those first few episodes after all these years? Wouldn’t it be great to pinpoint exactly what it was that made me fall in love with the show all those years ago? I can’t really remember anymore you see. I can’t even really be sure when it was I first saw the series. I always thought it was the 1980 repeats, because I can definitely remember being on the floor at Grandma and Grandad’s house in Bath watching Destiny of the Daleks and City of Death there, but then I found I could remember something from most of the other season 17 stories, so I probably saw most of the Doctor Who that was shown in 1979.

Let’s get a few facts in here before we start. I was four in the July of 1979. We lived in Weymouth then, and we almost certainly didn’t have a colour TV, so my first few stories would have been in glorious black and white. There were just the four of us then, this being 3 years before my brother was born, and my sister was 3 in the December of 1979. My sister was something of a livewire, and had terrorised me since she started to walk and talk. There was very little let up from her! I’m told that watching Doctor Who was something that me and Mum did together to make amends for the times we couldn’t always do what I wanted!

So we watched Doctor Who together, more than likely sat on the old orange sofa that we had for so many years, and I’m told I was hooked very quickly. Indeed both Mum and Dad have commented a couple of years back that my nephew’s love of Daleks reminds them very much of the way I was at the same age, so maybe it was the Daleks that did it. I can’t remember ever really obssessing about the Daleks, but perhaps that’s something that has gone with my early memories of the show too?

Destiny is often derided for many, many reasons, mostly because the received wisdom is that season 17 is rubbish. It’s sad really then that people can’t look beyond the tatty Daleks and David Gooderson’s Davros and see how brilliantly and stylishly this story is directed by Ken Grieve (why did he never come back to the show?) It has menacing shots of the Daleks shot from beneath, at least two brilliant cliffhangers, sparing use of some spangly Dudley Simpson music and despite this being the year Tom went over the top a very restrained performance from him. He’s grave in all the right places, which helps the atmosphere a great deal.

Now maybe it was Tom that did it. His performance in this season is mesmerising for me. Others like the gothic early Tom, or maybe Middle Period Eccentric Alien Unpredictable Tom, but I like Season 17’s version best of all. He just looks like he’s having so much fun and he’s a Doctor I’d want to travel with. He’s very much the central figure of the season, such a huge magnetic presence on screen and I know that he very quickly became my hero. He still is. I stride to work like he does down corridors to this day! What more is there to say about Tom Baker? The silliness never seemed like silliness to me, he was the Doctor, a reassuring presence against the monsters. If he was serious when facing them I knew it was something really bad he was facing. He had that knack of just sort of making you feel that, something very special, for me at least.

City of Death was of course scary and wonderful. I was rather obsessed with this story even when I was small. There’s wonderful notebook somewhere among the old toys and schoolbooks in my parents’ loft with some of my drawings from around this time, and a big favourite thing for me to draw was Scaroth. I was terrified by the first cliffhanger as Count Scarlioni pulled off his face to reveal the Jagaroth face hidden beneath. That image stayed with me for a long time, no doubt reinforced by the repeat the following summer. That and the Egyptian scroll the Countess unrolls in Part 4 with the picture of Scaroth at the end. That was one of those strange bits of Doctor Who that hides in your head for years for no real reason. Over the years I’ve written a great deal about why this particular story is the best Doctor Who story ever, so I won’t go into all that again here, I just know it’s my favourite and probably always will be. I don’t have to say much more than that.

The following stories are all something of a blur really. There were bits and pieces I remembered, K9 being webbed by the Wolfweeds, the Mandrells wandering around the yellow corridors of the Empress, The Doctor, Romana and K9 walking through a tunnel in space to get onto the Skonnan ship, nothing much, but those images confirm I did at least see the rest of the season. Maybe they just suffered from not being seen again the next year or just the vagueness of a 4 year olds memory.

I think more than anything K9 was my favourite thing in Doctor Who at this time. There was something truly magical about him that captivated me. Some might argue that he’d had his day by this season and was past his peak and certainly David Brierley was not a patch on John Leeson, but there was still that certain something there. It’s a love that’s still there to this day, and I’m waiting to see if there’s still that magic there and he has the same effect on my nephew next year as he did on me in 1979.

Season 17 will always be a set of stories that divides fandom. Too silly, not serious, badly made we’re told, but there are good stories at the heart of it. I might not ever be able to tell you what exactly it was about the show that got into my head and caught my imagination, or what I thought at the time about it all, but I do know I’ll always defend it because if it hadn’t been for these imaginative, exciting, funny stories I wouldn’t be writing this today. I love 1979 and I always, always will.


Si xx

[Paul Clement]

Destiny is often derided for many, many reasons, mostly because the received wisdom is that season 17 is rubbish. It’s sad really then that people can’t look beyond the tatty Daleks and David Gooderson’s Davros and see how brilliantly and stylishly this story is directed by Ken Grieve (why did he never come back to the show?) It has menacing shots of the Daleks shot from beneath, at least two brilliant cliffhangers, sparing use of some spangly Dudley Simpson music and despite this being the year Tom went over the top a very restrained performance from him. He’s grave in all the right places, which helps the atmosphere a great deal.

Now for me, the directing is what's wrong with Destiny of the Daleks. Two cliffhangers were, as far as I'm concerned, spoilt by being directed poorly. There could ahve been far more suspense if one hadc been cut shorter and the other allowed to remain going for a few seconds more.

[SiHart]

I think you might have a point actually Paul- I take it you mean a shorter take of the first cliffhanger and a longer take of the second? The first one could definitely do with a trim of a few cseconds to tighten it up, but I think part 2 works really well. the moving fingers bit is really creepy and stuck in my mind for years afterwards.

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I'll see your Destiny and raise you a Genesis ...

[Antony Cox]

Very interesting reading, Si!

Having been through this journey myself and written extensively about it a few years back, I know how nice it is to wallow in the nostalia and recall all those early memories, or more precisely as you've pointed out, struggle to recall those memories!

What you've highlighted to me is just how different we percieve things as kids. Nowadays we're all experts on how good or bad Doctor Who is throughout its history, and Tom's descent into silliness is a popular example. But when we all watched the show during this period I'm sure that the 'silliness' was very appealing and just added to the magic of the character; perhaps as kids we warmed much less to him during his early days?

[Paul Clement]

I think you might have a point actually Paul- I take it you mean a shorter take of the first cliffhanger and a longer take of the second? The first one could definitely do with a trim of a few cseconds to tighten it up, but I think part 2 works really well. the moving fingers bit is really creepy and stuck in my mind for years afterwards.

Si xx

Yes, once the Dalek arrives and threatens Romana, I always felt it should have stopped after one 'do not move', but it goes on for a bit too long. My description for episode 3 was something like, '28 seconds left??? The Doctor could save Romana, the universe and have time for a cup of tea in that time'.

[SiHart]

Yes, once the Dalek arrives and threatens Romana, I always felt it should have stopped after one 'do not move'

After three was probably fine too- but as you say, it does go on too much.

The third cliffhanger is an odd one though. I never quite know what to make of that, or the fact that they couldn't make the countdown beeps match with the numbers as they count down to 0.

Si xx

[Philipnet]

So lets take a trip back to when Tom Baker was at the height of his popularity, when ITV was on strike, and when a young Mum sat down with her son to watch Destiny of the Daleks...

1979
...

I was born in 1979!
So that's what was going on then. I never knew.

[Carol Baynes]

I'd been watching Doctor Who for three years by the time season 17 was shown, so its even more vivid the first time round than it probably was for Si. For all its shortcomings I tend to see its strengths more readily, for similar reasons to Si. Season 18 took some getting used to after this!

[Si Hunt]

I don't really have any memories before "Time and the Rani" Episode 3, the episode during which I was born.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

I know you're currently experiencing a time difference, Si, but really...

I'm looking forward to reading Si's thoughts on other years, as although I'm a few years older I think we have similar tastes in Who. Certainly, as I may have mentioned once or twice in the past, I l-o-v-e 1979. It wasn't my first time, but it is the first really vivid, week-in-week-out, memories of watching the show, and of becoming really obsessed with it.

Chez Curnow, it was the first time we had a cassette recorder (courtesy of Gran & Grandpa) which meant that we could relisten to episodes for the first time (albeit we only had one tape and had to record over older episodes every other week). I can vividly remember both me & bruv being really eager to relisten to the cliffhanger to Destiny part 2! And to this day I can hum the incidental music that closes Creature from the Pit part 1, due to having heard it over and again.

On the 'is it rubbish or not' argument, I fall definitely on the NOT side, I think it's a great set of stories, brimful of ideas more than at any other time in Who's history, and as a kid it really set my imagination alight. I love it!

[Jonno]

I did think of you actually, Si, when I realised that today was the 30th anniversary of Destiny Part 1 - amazing! Great idea for a thread too.

Although I started watching 5 years earlier (or at least that's where my earliest memories kick in!) the only story I watched in 1979 was the repeat of the Pirate Planet in the summer! That's because we lived in Africa but came back for two months. We went again a couple of days after the first part of Androids of Tara and I graciously let my sister watch the showjumping on the other side as I didn't want to start watching a story that I'd never see the rest of - how chivalrous of me!

We returned for good in May 1980 so I caught the repeats of Destiny and City and really enjoyed them both. It was still recognisably the same show - Tom was still the Doctor, K9 was still there (though I was disappointed we saw so little of him in the two repeats!) and of course the title sequence and music was still the same.

So my first experience of the other three stories of the season would have been reading the Targets some time in the early 80s, of which Nightmare of Eden was by far my favourite and really caught my imagination. I still very much enjoy the story to this day, much more so than the other two.

perhaps as kids we warmed much less to him during his early days?

Sorry Ant, I just don't agree with that! As someone who saw all of Tom's early stories starting aged 5 1/2 for Robot, I can assure you it made the same mark on me as those of you like Si who came in later in the era.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I have warm memories of the anticipation for Destiny of the Daleks. I think I'd bought my Doctor Who weekly before and it heralded the return of Davros and the Doctor.

It was obviously coming towards the end of the Summer holidays. I remember picking up my copy as we went to the Rec to play, mainly in our little secret den off the stream, doing all the mad kinds of things the H&S generation don't do - like trying to swing across the stream, sliding down mudbanks etc. All the time, me kind of wishing I'd left picking up my magazine until later, as it was likely to get ruined before we got home.

Me and my best friend Shorty were kind of hoping for a bit of a K9-vs-the Daleks face/off. Although looking back on it, K9 wouldnt have stood a chance ...

Oh yeah, and remember at this point Davros had been killed in Genesis, so we were wondering how he was going to come back. Back in 1979 being dead meant staying dead unless you were Jesus or Walt Disney (who my friend Shorty told me was in suspended animation). Now we're used to everyone from Superman to Buffy to Bobby Ewing to Dirty Den coming back from the dead.

Part of me the moment I read this kind of had this strange desire to find that secret den again. But I'm guessing it's probably now a housing estate or something dire.

[Antony Cox]

Sorry Ant, I just don't agree with that! As someone who saw all of Tom's early stories starting aged 5 1/2 for Robot, I can assure you it made the same mark on me as those of you like Si who came in later in the era.

I wasn't suggesting it was a fact, Jonno! (hence the 'perhaps' and the '?' ). I was just wondering how the kids of the time would have perceived the Doctor differently between the two periods.

[SiHart]

I think there will elements of his season 17 Doctor there in his Hinchcliffe portrayal, it's just that the season 17 version exaggerated certain parts of the fourth Doctor's character and played less on some other aspects. Look at him in Robot, and I think it's safe to say this is the same character as in Nightmare of Eden for example. He never lost the unpredictability really.
In some ways I think the season 18 Doctor might be the definitive version of the fourth Doctor- as through the season he shows off all the various traits he's displayed through the six previous seasons, but blended with a kind of weariness as he comes closer to the end of this life.

Si xx

[Jonno]

have warm memories of the anticipation for Destiny of the Daleks. I think I'd bought my Doctor Who weekly before and it heralded the return of Davros and the Doctor.

I'm afraid your memory's cheating there! DWW launched in October while City of Death had already started.

Ant - hope my reply didn't come across too brusquely - I just felt you were crying out for a response from an old fogey like me!

[Andrew Curnow]

I must admit, I though DWW launched in September - BUT without ever mentioning Davros before the episodes had aired.

[Si Hunt]

In some ways I think the season 18 Doctor might be the definitive version of the fourth Doctor- as through the season he shows off all the various traits he's displayed through the six previous seasons, but blended with a kind of weariness as he comes closer to the end of this life.

I sort of agree in the sense you mean it Si - all the facets are there. But I don't like Season 18 Tom as much - at times he's very dour and seems miserable simply to be the Doctor. I'd like the think the "definitive" fourth Doctor was sometime after Tom grew in confidence, but before he started sending the part up. So "The Androids of Tara", maybe.

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I'm afraid your memory's cheating there! DWW launched in October while City of Death had already started.

Might have been Look In then! I remember it cos it's the start of my slight obsession of keeping my magazines in decent condition!

[Pip Madeley]

Great to read Si! Of course I won't really be able to join this thread with any contemporaneous memories until 1996 but I'll certainly be reading with interest

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I'm all nostalgic now!!!

I think my first proper memories of the show would also be this season, as I don't really recal any of the companions prior to Romana (version 2). Like Si, I vividly remember being a big K9 fan at the time - it would have been my favourite aspect of the show if certain other aspects of the show didn't appeal to me even more - I'm afraid the theme music, title sequences (shut it, Curnow!) and TARDIS will always be my very favourite things about the show......sometimes, even the Doctor himself makes it onto that list!!!!

I say Season 17 contains my first 'proper' memories of Doctor Who. However, even though I've no memory of anyone other than Lalla Ward being Romana, I do clearly remember watching the Stones of Blood (mainly because it terrified me)........which is weird - was it ever repeated??? If not, then I was obviously watching the show prior to 1979.

[SiHart]

I don't think Stones of Blood was ever repeated (though I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong) so you may well have been watching before 1979.

I'll be coming to title sequences sometime on this journey through 30 years, have no doubt! It might even be next time- you never know...


Si xx

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I'll be coming to title sequences sometime on this journey through 30 years, have no doubt! It might even be next time- you never know...
Si xx

Hmmm, well as the next year is 1980 and a whole new feel to the show (including a brand spanking new title seqence) was introduced in that year, I think there's a small chance that title sequences will get a mention in the next edition of the Si Hart Memoires!!!!
Will a certain Lesiure Hive (or was it Season 18) trailer get a mention too??

[SiHart]

Will a certain Lesiure Hive (or was it Season 18) trailer get a mention too??

Do you want to write the next one or something?

Si xx

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

Do you want to write the next one or something?

Si xx

Nah, I'm rubbish at writing (I am responsible for 50% of the Tamaras Crisis script after all).

I just had a feeling that you will be mentioning that trailer, along with a certain cliff-hanger from Season 18 that you may have mentioned once or twice that you really like!!!