Shada - Is It Any Good?

[Si Hunt]

Shada never really goes away does it? This month we've had the book and the audiobook, shedding even more light on this mysterious, lost story. But the question which nobody seems to agree on is, is it any good?

Or rather, this story usually (these days) gets a BAD write-up. Perhaps it was inevitable given the expectation of a lost Tom Baker story that nobody had ever seen. But I'd rather have it than just about anything else in Season 17 apart from "City of Death".

What I love about Shada is it's mystery. Appropriately, the lost story seemed to become like "Shada" itself, erased from memory and forgotton. Before it came out on video I don't remember ever seeing a picture of a Krarg, despite there being props and footage existing. Who knew anything about it? It was like the adventure had been wiped from our minds as efficiently as Salyavin wiped the minds of the Time Lords.

But this story has it all - a lost Time Lord prison planet, two TARDISes flying in space, lashings of lovely Cambridge location filming, a great villain... I love the way it's secrets are revealed one twist at a time, something that maybe gets overlooked these days. It's also full of great ideas, and the idea of putting your mind inside everyone elses until one Universal Mind existed is a really inventive one.

I can't imagine that if "Creature from the Pit" or "Nightmare of Eden" had been missing, we'd be imagining the lost "Bandit" scenes with quite as much wonder.

And how magical that Shada itself, the magical lost planet of the Time Lords, the object at the centre of the mystery, will now never be revealed, the missing recording sessions being largely those set there. It'll always be a mystery.

Si.

[J.R. Southall]

Well, you're probably all aware that I've been lucky enough to have seen the Ian Levine-sponsored animated version of this, and so in answer to your question I can happily say that I thought it was wonderful.

It's not as fast and as sparky as City of Death, but it's more consistent then most of the rest of Season 17, and while it does still suffer from several of the problems that others might feel let down the Graham Williams/Douglas Adams season, Shada (and you kind of get this from the incomplete version and the alternatives that are out there) is something of a slow-burning treat. Being able to watch it play out more-or-less as it was originally supposed to, you definitely get a much better understanding of how it worked contextually (as the finale of said season) than you might with the McGann for instance; I've not read the Gareth Roberts version yet, so I can't comment on that.

But I absolutely 'rediscovered' Shada when I saw the more complete version, and it's now gone up in my opinion from being a bit of a dull, damp squib of an ending to one of Doctor Who's maddest periods, to a story that actually ought to have been something of a crowning glory for the 1970s. It would never have been completely wonderful - like I say, it's filled with the Season 17-ness that so divides fans' opinions, and so would never have been bound for universal appeal - but it is far more like a patient, unravelling treat (a more laid-back City of Death) than you might realise from the Tom Baker links on the VHS.

[J.R. Southall]

You just knew I'd be first to reply to this thread, didn't you...?

[Si Hunt]

Just re-read your excellent article on Levine's Shada JR. Just wish I could see it somehow

Si.

[J.R. Southall]

Maybe one day. I'm still hopeful! Which is to say, I just don't see how it can remain unused forever, it's far too good - and far too good a way of completing something that can otherwise never be complete - to just stay as a private project. It needs to be seen!

[SiHart]

I want to love Shada but I find it very difficult.

[Ssarl]

I'm surprised it hasn't been bootlegged all over the shop already, really.

I recently read Gareth Robert's book version and thought that was lovely. He's embellished some bits which felt a bit 'first draft' before, and it never feels out of place. It's very witty - never a laugh-out-loud sort of book but perhaps a slight chuckle and a 'that's clever!'.

However, the book can't change the biggest problem at the heart of Shada - very little happens in it. It's absolutely absurd how little event there is in the first two episodes. It picks up a little speed as it goes along, eventually reaching the giddying pace of parts 3-5 of an overlong Pertwee. Saliyavin is a great villain who is dispatched with insulting speed and ease; Skagra is a well-written, very hateable villain who essentially takes six episodes to steal a map and take a taxi to Shada. Clare sits around in flats waiting for other characters to arrive. There's the seeds of a fantastic plot and some great characters to inhabit it, but somehow this never quite leads to anything terribly exciting happening.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I've just finished the audiobook (which is an unabridged reading of the book and despite her rather dodgy Tom voice Lalla reads superbly and having occasional interjections from John Leeson as K9 adds to the fun) and whilst I really enjoyed it to the extent this it manages to feel a lot more complete than I remember the Big Finish version being (having 10 CDs rather than just 2will do that I guess) I'd agree that it is rather slow moving and whilst she is quite pivotal towards the end of the story Claire in particular doesn't have much to do although I can imagine Victoria Burgoyne would've enjoyed sitting around looking pretty for lots of scenes.
I must give the McGann version another whirl to see how it compares as it's been a while.

[Si Hunt]

I don't think it has any less incident than other stories. The bulk of the gorgeous location filming is in the first 2 episodes so it's natural that they want to show it off with the bike chase, we get to meet Chronotis, see the Think Tank, meet Chris and Claire etc. In fact, I think it's remarkable how much is given away in the first scene, where they unleash Skagra, the Sphere and the premise of the story quite quickly. It's certainly no less of a scenic joy-ride than City of Death.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

There is a slight lack of action and the monsters are crowbarred in for no-real-good-reason, but it doesn't matter. The action is replaced by the flurry of amusing dialogue and bizarre ideas. The location filming that exists is a key example of this. The wonderful scene of Tom and Lalla - sorry, the Doctor and Romana punting down the Cam could go on for hours and it would still be entertaining.

The 'Ancient University Don is secretly a Time Lord' plot-line is perfect Doctor Who. The villain's plan is essentially the same as the one in Planet of The Spiders, yet it feels fresh and exciting in the way it's presented. There's even a spot of genuine horror with the victims of the Think Tank stumbling around in the darkness.

Then there's the casting. It's hard to imagine that Christopher Neame would have been anything but brilliant in his confrontations with the Doctor; same with Dennis Carey. The existing footage shows that the cast weren't sending it up at all, they were playing it straight down the line - I doubt there would have been any ridiculous ranting a-la Horns of Nimon. The scene where the Doctor gets together the bits to make his ridiculous hat might have veered into being far-far-too-silly land though.

However, having read GRoberts' marvellous adaptation I'm probably far more inclined to liking this story than ever before. The webcast version was pretty good, but the book is superior in every way and brings out the best possible Shada!

I really wish they had made this at the time though. Even cutting it down to four parts and replacing one of the stories in Season 18... Meglos springs to mind as the obvious candidate.

[Anthony Williams]

I'd heard that Levine's version had leaked to a torrent site, but it was caught quickly, and legal action taken. How true that is, I don't know...

Frankly, I first saw the VHS release when I was about 7. And I loved it. Perhaps it's now a nostalgia thing, but I still love that version. I love seeing Tom prowling around the Museum of the Moving Image Doctor Who exhibition. I love his linking narration. I love the footage that exists. It's a shame that more of the story doesn't exist. The only downside I can think of about this version is Keff's incidental music, which just doesn't seem right for the story.

And then there's the McGann version. I had a soft-spot for this story prior to hearing this. I found out about it slightly earlier than the rest of fandom, thanks to a friend's mother working for BBCi as a solicitor. My affinity for this story, combined with my love of the Eighth Doctor? I was destined to love it, and it just didn't disappoint!

I haven't yet heard or read Roberts' adaptation, but I'm sure that'll happen in time. As for Levine's Shada... well, I would LOVE to see it. I hope that one day, I'll be able to (just as I hope I'll get to see his extended Dimensions in Time edit...)

[J.R. Southall]

I'd heard that Levine's version had leaked to a torrent site, but it was caught quickly, and legal action taken. How true that is, I don't know...

It is true (although I don't know about the 'legal action' part).

However, it was Ian's version of something else that was leaked! As far as I'm aware, the only "public outing" of his Shada was when someone showed it to a bunch of fellow fans at a convention (eta: this happened in private in a hotel room) and one of the invited "guests" blabbed about the experience on Gallifrey Base. I'm pretty sure Shada remains torrent-free - although I could be wrong!

And while it would be nice if it were leaked so that everyone could see it, it would also categorically rule out any chance of a future DVD presentation, and that's a hope I'm still holding out for!

[Anthony Williams]

And while it would be nice if it were leaked so that everyone could see it, it would also categorically rule out any chance of a future DVD presentation, and that's a hope I'm still holding out for!

That would be absolutely lovely, but I would think that since BBC Worldwide/2|Entertain/whatever they're calling themselves this year have already decided that they're not going to be releasing Ian's Shada anytime soon.

[J.R. Southall]

That would be absolutely lovely, but I would think that since BBC Worldwide/2|Entertain/whatever they're calling themselves this year have already decided that they're not going to be releasing Ian's Shada anytime soon.

There's slightly more to it than that, though (although I know far from the full story myself).

It seems the person who is most likely to be the one who said no was only in her job temporarily, and there's a suspicion that once she's gone, attitudes might change.

Not a big chance, certainly - and with the release of the non-animated version imminent, then a second release becomes even less likely.

But it's a little ray of hope.

[Andrew Curnow]

As a huge fan of season 17, I'm sure that if it had aired, I would think of Shada as the perfect finale to a great year - it would have all the good things it actually has, plus a healthy dose of nostalgia.

As it is, there's still a nostalgia, but for the VHS release (crikey, 20 years ago - Shada was only 12 years old then!!); the story itself is, IMHO, full of the same invention & imagination & sense of surprise that epitomises season 17. A retired Time Lord! A book that time moves over! A timelord prison! The room is a TARDIS! It's marred, slightly, by the fact that Lalla Ward is rather weak in some of the recorded footage; and maybe by Pennant Roberts' slightly basic direction. But I still can't help but love it - there's some lovely dialogue ("And twenty-thirdly..." etc) and some great little moments... So yes, I think it IS pretty good!!

[Ssarl]

I heared it was Dimensions in Time that leaked, although there might have been separate incidents of course. And he definitely wasn't happy about it.

If you want a sample of the wonders, there's Ian Levine's 15 minute Special Edition of A Fix With Stonarans - and strictly in the George Lucas sense. Thrill at the insertion of some Sontarans standing mutely in a field staring at nothing! Marvel as they're intercut with existing scenes, ruining the pacing of the jokes! Gasp as one Sontaran actor appears on the screen five times through the wonders of Quantel! Groan as literally the exact same shot of the Sontarans interupts the skit once again!

I am told that his DiT is along these lines. The 'deleted scenes' are obviously dropped in from a VHS bootleg (rather than a cache of new footage as implied) and there's a scene at the beginning like one of those Ten Doctor videos, where the Doctors are timescooped out of The Celestial Toymaker and The Mind Robber and the Rani and friend exchange single-word lines that are awkwardly cut out of their real dialogue.

It's always the exact same clip of The Celestial Toymaker, for some reason.

[Simon R]

Surely this is the definitive article you might say where Shada is concerned...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68uzR...f=results_main

[Si Hunt]

Amazing.

I don't know what they're doing with "Shada", but given the proven availability of most of the cast members, the existence of an animated version, and the fact they have not much else to work on, if they simply bung the 1992 version out on DVD, I will be bitterly, bitterly disappointed. Shame on them, if they do.

Si.

[J.R. Southall]

This Legacy box set could have provided a home for any number of 'orphaned' bits and pieces from throughout the show's history, maybe concentrating on the latter years with things like the webcasts, The Curse of Fatal Death and a completed Shada.

As it stands, it looks like it will contain nothing more than the single edit of 30 Years in the TARDIS and an unreconstructed Shada (albeit with a documentary), and that's such a waste of what could have been an exceptional release.

[Anthony Williams]

This Legacy box set could have provided a home for any number of 'orphaned' bits and pieces from throughout the show's history, maybe concentrating on the latter years with things like the webcasts, The Curse of Fatal Death and a completed Shada.

Indeed - particularly since BBC Worldwide/2|E have shown that they're willing to work with Big Finish, it could've been quite a set. It's a shame that whatever happened with it, Dimensions in Time is pretty much a no-go. I suspect that most people's copies are looking pretty ropey these days...

[J.R. Southall]

Also the animated Mission to the Unknown, easily good enough to be released professionally, would have found the only available home for it (pending an animated DMP of course) in this set. Ah well.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

As it stands, it looks like it will contain nothing more than the single edit of 30 Years in the TARDIS and an unreconstructed Shada (albeit with a documentary), and that's such a waste of what could have been an exceptional release.

I assume the dvd release will include More Than Thirty Years... rather the original broadcast version of Thirty Years...

I've been watching the Big Finish version of Shada this afternoon. It's a lot of fun and it would make a great accompaniment to the DVD release of the original footage even if it's not entirely faithful to the original story.

[J.R. Southall]

I assume the dvd release will include More Than Thirty Years... rather the original broadcast version of [I]Thirty Years...

Yeah, that was the edit I meant.

Although the "More Than" tag becomes irrelevant by this point, as it's now a) "Nearly 50 Years" and b) if they only include one edit on the disc, there's no "regular" 30 Years from which to distinguish it. So the extended edit might just as well be called "30 Years in the TARDIS" without all this More Than nonsense.

Funnily enough, Kevin Davies agreed with me.

[Anthony Williams]

It'd be nice if they added an addendum on the end of the original documentary, that brought the history of Who up to 50 years... but we shall see

[J.R. Southall]

'Fraid it's pretty much a given that that isn't going to happen Anthony; the original is essentially a history of the classic series, and its production is very much of its time. Any addition would be so out of keeping with the original, it would be better to do a separate documentary covering 1993 - 2013 and include it on one of the releases next year.