The Sylvester McCoy Years in Review
Okay, this review may not go down so well for many; especially those who consider Sylvester McCoy to be 'their' doctor. I have thought long and hard about what it was that bothered me about this era, as it did bother me in more ways than one.
Look, for me it's not down to the actors who played the Doctor or his companion Ace; they did a fantastic job. I really do think it boils down to the production and the direction they wanted to take Doctor Who at the time, or lack or production (which equals to no money allocated to the show by the BBC) and direction (as in too much was watered down to please too many people who shouldn't have been pleased in the first place; for example a lot of Ace's lines were cut because they were considered too "street!"). So in the end we got late 80's Who at it's worst and at it's best all in the one lump--which translates to when it was good it was good, but when it was bad, it was absolutely terrible.
All in all, as I watched the seasons of the McCoy years unfold with promises of a darker Doctor and deeper, I couldn't help but think about how I was watching a poor reflection of what Who once was. That darker and deeper stuff just wasn't delivered. I suppose many others thought that, too. The show was cancelled or 'put on the shelf' after the last episode of Survival aired on the 6th December 1989...not to return until May of 1996 with a TV movie...then cancelled again...
Time and the Rani 3/10: Oh dear, not a good start! Mel annoyed in a mess of a story.
Paradise Towers 5/10: Dodgy support acting and that terrible robot cleaner prop didn't help.
Delta and the Bannermen 3/10: Nice idea. Terrible execution and plot holes so large the TARDIS could slip right though them.
Dragonfire 2/10: What a mess. Shit monster. Shit sets. Screaming bloody Mel.
Remembrance of the Daleks 8/10 Finally something good! Great story that restored my faith...for a little while.
The Happiness Patrol 6/10: Not bad. The Candyman was a great monster if not all that well realised.
Silver Nemesis 3/10: Back to the doldrums we go! A poor copy of Remembrance.
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy 8/10: Another bright spark in the dark. Quirky and memorable. That clown was brilliant and will haunt me forever!
Battlefield 5/10: This score for sheer nostalgia value. The Brigadier's final hoorah.
Ghost Light 6/10: Interesting with some fantastic ideas. Not enough, however, to sway the opinion of the rabid hordes who wanted Doctor Who dead.
The Curse of Fenric 7/10: Another gem in the mud. Great monster. Great story. If only there were more of these!
Survival 4/10: Well...those cheetah people! Oh my! Good story with crap production due to no money and no interest from the BBC.
The end! Or is it? The TV movie in review next time :)
Look, for me it's not down to the actors who played the Doctor or his companion Ace; they did a fantastic job. I really do think it boils down to the production and the direction they wanted to take Doctor Who at the time, or lack or production (which equals to no money allocated to the show by the BBC) and direction (as in too much was watered down to please too many people who shouldn't have been pleased in the first place; for example a lot of Ace's lines were cut because they were considered too "street!"). So in the end we got late 80's Who at it's worst and at it's best all in the one lump--which translates to when it was good it was good, but when it was bad, it was absolutely terrible.
All in all, as I watched the seasons of the McCoy years unfold with promises of a darker Doctor and deeper, I couldn't help but think about how I was watching a poor reflection of what Who once was. That darker and deeper stuff just wasn't delivered. I suppose many others thought that, too. The show was cancelled or 'put on the shelf' after the last episode of Survival aired on the 6th December 1989...not to return until May of 1996 with a TV movie...then cancelled again...
Time and the Rani 3/10: Oh dear, not a good start! Mel annoyed in a mess of a story.
Paradise Towers 5/10: Dodgy support acting and that terrible robot cleaner prop didn't help.
Delta and the Bannermen 3/10: Nice idea. Terrible execution and plot holes so large the TARDIS could slip right though them.
Dragonfire 2/10: What a mess. Shit monster. Shit sets. Screaming bloody Mel.
Remembrance of the Daleks 8/10 Finally something good! Great story that restored my faith...for a little while.
The Happiness Patrol 6/10: Not bad. The Candyman was a great monster if not all that well realised.
Silver Nemesis 3/10: Back to the doldrums we go! A poor copy of Remembrance.
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy 8/10: Another bright spark in the dark. Quirky and memorable. That clown was brilliant and will haunt me forever!
Battlefield 5/10: This score for sheer nostalgia value. The Brigadier's final hoorah.
Ghost Light 6/10: Interesting with some fantastic ideas. Not enough, however, to sway the opinion of the rabid hordes who wanted Doctor Who dead.
The Curse of Fenric 7/10: Another gem in the mud. Great monster. Great story. If only there were more of these!
Survival 4/10: Well...those cheetah people! Oh my! Good story with crap production due to no money and no interest from the BBC.
The end! Or is it? The TV movie in review next time :)