Rate and Discuss: Time and the Rani

[duncan]

It seems that way. On my forum I'm the odd one out when it comes to Pertwee's first season as I don't like that either but most of the others do

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I think this got my goat from the off with the way they got rid of Colin's Doctor. And it didn't get any better. Mel just kind seemed so annoying in a way that hadn't been so bad in Trial of a Time Lord. But she was very trying now ...

[MacNimon]

Yes, but why Kenny. What's actually so bad about it?

Right, where to start? I'm probably repeating much of what has been said above, but still...

Part of the problem was that I had really been looking forward to this. I was disappointed that the BBC had decided to get rid of Colin, as despite his costume I had rather enjoyed his performance. But script-wise the Trial season had been a bit of a let-down and I was now anticipating a fresh exciting new start with a new lead. Also, although nothing to do with the BBC or Doctor Who, boosting my expectations had been the revitalised 007 movie franchise; The Living Daylights had been released just a few months earlier with a new 007, Timothy Dalton. I just felt that it had been a good omen for some reason...if James Bond could be so revitalised with just a new lead actor but with basically still the same people producing/writing/directing the films I was confident that Doctor Who was about to be similarly revitalised.

I can still clearly remember sitting down to watch the first episode of TATR; feeling really confident about the series future and having the usual anticipation and excitement about the unveiling of a new Doctor. I was a bit disappointed at the weak regeneration scene, but shrugged it off given the circumstances behind the scenes. Then a new title sequence...great stuff! Not as good as previous versions, but still fresh all the same. But then the story itself started and we were introduced properly to the newly regenerated Doctor...I felt embarrassed watching this; McCoy's performance I felt was absolutely awful, it was the most poorly-acted episode of Doctor Who I had ever had seen...the pratfalls and playing the spoons didn't help in any way, but combined with the poor acting he didn't exactly endear himself to me. The lines he was asked to deliver didn't help him either...some of them just didn't sound natural, but melodramatic as if they had been lifted from a poorly-written comic strip.

I enjoyed Kate O'Mara's Rani first time around, and in the Trial season Bonnie Langford wasn't as annoying as I had expected her to be; unfortunately she more than made up for it here, she was easily the most annoying companion ever to grace our screens at this point with all her screaming. And Kate O'Mara's impersonation of Mel was just as embarrassing to watch. What a waste...

It's just the overall combination of poor writing and poor acting which I find so annoying about this whole thing. It gets 1/10 from me...for the closing titles of episode 4!

I always felt that the "fans" expected Doctor Who to grow up with them. When it went back to being for kids, they didn't like it. Why should Doctor Who have got "a bit more serious"? There were a whole generation of pre-teens coming through that deserved their own version of the series. Fortunately we loved it!

Si.

Not at all, Si. I had, or have, absolutely no objection to Doctor Who being made for kids. The only stipulation I have in that regard is that they do it well...and sadly in that respect, TATR spectacularly fails to deliver. It's possibly the most amateurish Doctor Who story that I've ever had the misfortune to ever see...

You've got a fair point about a new generation of kids coming through who enjoyed this story for what it was. But could this possibly be down to the fact that they were too young at the time to really know any better? I don't mean to insult anyone by that so please don't take it the wrong way, but what I mean is that in those days there was very little in the way of old Doctor Who repeats on tv to compare it with, and the video range was in its infancy so they would more readily just accept what was on screen without questioning its quality? Of course every era has it's share of good and bad stories, including McCoys, and the good old days of Pertwee and Baker had their fair share of stinkers. But nothing that was as poorly made as TATR.

[duncan]

Right, where to start? I'm probably repeating much of what has been said above, but still...

I can still clearly remember sitting down to watch the first episode of TATR; feeling really confident about the series future and having the usual anticipation and excitement about the unveiling of a new Doctor. I was a bit disappointed at the weak regeneration scene, but shrugged it off given the circumstances behind the scenes. Then a new title sequence...great stuff! Not as good as previous versions, but still fresh all the same. But then the story itself started and we were introduced properly to the newly regenerated Doctor...I felt embarrassed watching this; McCoy's performance I felt was absolutely awful, it was the most poorly-acted episode of Doctor Who I had ever had seen...the pratfalls and playing the spoons didn't help in any way, but combined with the poor acting he didn't exactly endear himself to me. The lines he was asked to deliver didn't help him either...some of them just didn't sound natural, but melodramatic as if they had been lifted from a poorly-written comic strip.

I enjoyed Kate O'Mara's Rani first time around, and in the Trial season Bonnie Langford wasn't as annoying as I had expected her to be; unfortunately she more than made up for it here, she was easily the most annoying companion ever to grace our screens at this point with all her screaming. And Kate O'Mara's impersonation of Mel was just as embarrassing to watch. What a waste...

It's just the overall combination of poor writing and poor acting which I find so annoying

I think you said what I wanted to say far better than I actually did Kenny. My main problem with this whole era of the show was the sudden poor quality of acting. It isn't helped by the time Ace comes on board but I'm getting ahead of myself.

When this was aired, I had already been at work for 4 years, so it wasn't a case of me wanting Doctor Who to grow up with me. I was definitely aware that the show was for kids, but, they must have wanted the grown ups to watch too hence the time slot.

[SiHart]

I didn't like Mel very much at the time, but she's grown on me since. I don't think she's very well written in TATR though- all that standing around and screaming when she'd be bettr off running, very fast isn't good.

Si xx

[Larry]

i have to be honest I have recently found my self liking season 24 a lot better - Time, is not a great story but I would rate it better than most of seasons 15 to 17. my only real two gripes with this story aree mel's constant screaming and the Doctor's falling over take that out of the story and it's not actually that bad.