The Monster Vault

Lately, Doctor Who non-fiction books (at least the BBC's own ones) have tended to be aimed at the more junior end of the age spectrum. They also, at times, seem to forget that the series began earlier than 2005.

Now comes The Monster Vault, edited by Paul Lang, which has a much wider appeal. 

The book is essentially an A to Z of monsters, going from him:

To them:

- all of which have appeared throughout the entire history of the programme, from the first Dalek story to the most recent Cyberman one.

Every entry has a full page colour image accompanying it, which I had thought were going to be original art works but prove to be photographic in origin, although enhanced in terms of colour and background. (If they are paintings, they're remarkably good ones). For most entries, this image is accompanied by a single page of text, with some photographs from the relevant story / stories.

Many of the entries, however, are for monsters which have appeared in multiple stories, so their page count increases accordingly.

The emphasis is, as the title says, on monsters although this seems to include robots and androids as well. Humanoid aliens and individual humanoid villains are (mostly) absent, so we get an entry on the Quarks, but none for the Dominators, for instance. Where there is a link between monsters, robots or aliens, this is reflected in the text. What constitutes a monster is a bit arbitrary.

Some monsters aren't quite important enough to get an entry by themselves and so are grouped together in a sort of box-out, such as with various creatures from Skaro other than the Daleks (Magnedons, Handmines, Varga Plants etc.).

Oddly, one of these groupings is for Androzani creatures, and includes the Wooden King and Queen from The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe. Whilst the Foresters came from Androzani Major, there was no mention on screen that the tree entities came from there as well.

There are some interesting extrapolations as well - other facts that were never mentioned on screen. Best example is that the Raston Warrior Robot derives its name from 'Rassilon's Automaton', and these killing machines were built specifically for the Death Zone on Gallifrey.

One minor gripe is that a little too much emphasis is placed on the most recent incarnations of the more famous monsters. The Cybermasters and Ashad get more prominence than the average Cybermen, and the DIY reconnaissance Dalek from Resolution gets more prominence than the ordinary ones which feature series in, series out. I suppose they want to push these newer models due to the current production team, but it is a little insulting to see the original Ray Cusick Dalek relegated to one tiny black and white photo, when the dustbin version gets the full page colour image. Likewise with the Cybermen - those of the classic era get barely get a mention and the greatest Cyberman design (the early Troughton one) gets only a small single image also.

The last section of the book is a selection of images, with captions only, relating to the design and making of the monster costumes / props, and the classic era is well represented.

We've come a long way since the Target Doctor Who Monster Book, which is this volume's ancient ancestor. Certainly worth buying for newcomers, as an introduction to the Doctor's monster foes since 1963, but equally worth a purchase as a nicely illustrated coffee table type book for those of us who are already fans and like to focus on just the TV series itself.

I is for... Inquisitor

 

The Inquisitor was a senior Time Lord judge who was tasked with overseeing a judicial inquiry into the recent conduct of the Doctor. He was removed from time and brought to the tribunal, which was to take place on a giant space station, by the combined mental powers of the Time Lord jury. The Doctor elected to conduct his own defence, whilst the High Council employed the Valeyard as prosecutor. The Inquisitor found the two men constantly sparring with one another and disrupting court proceedings, and often had to step in and remind them of the seriousness of the affair - especially once the inquiry turned into a full blown trial.

Even after the shock reveal that the Valeyard was a future incarnation of the Doctor, employed by a corrupt High Council to stop the Doctor meddling in their crimes, the Inquisitor maintained that the trial should proceed. It transpired that she and the jury members were also marked for assassination by the High Council. After the Valeyard had apparently been destroyed, and the High Council deposed, the Inquisitor suggested that the Doctor resume his old role as Lord President, but he recommended she take on the role herself. Tricked into thinking his companion Peri had been killed, the Inquisitor was able to inform the Doctor that she had survived, and was now living with King Yrcanos.

Played by: Lynda Bellingham. Appearances: Trial of a Time Lord (1986).

• Unnamed on screen, the Inquisitor has been given a name in spin-off media - Darkel. She has appeared in numerous books and audio adventures.
• Despite a lengthy career on film, stage and TV in the UK, Bellingham was best known for her role as the mum in a long running series of commercials for Oxo stock cubes (she made 42 of them between 1983 and 1999). Towards the end of her life (she died in 2014), she was also well known as a presenter on the day time chat show Loose Women.
• Prior to this story she had been considered for another Time Lord role - that of Thalia in Arc of Infinity.

I is for... Ingram, Ruth

 

Dr Ruth Ingram was the more senior of the two assistants to Professor Thascalos at the Newton Institute near Cambridge. She worked with Stuart Hyde on the professor's TOMTIT machine - Transmission Of Matter Through Interstitial Time. Strongly feminist in her views, she was often incensed by her employer's somewhat patronising comments. She coerced Stuart into conducting an experiment with TOMTIT without the professor's permission - reasoning that they had done as much work on it as he had. Thascalos was, however, really the Master - working on a scheme to take control over a powerful Chronovore named Kronos, who was imprisoned in ancient Atlantis. After the Master had frozen the Brigadier and his men in time, Ruth joined forces with Stuart and Sergeant Benton to try to undo the effects of the machine, but their attempts only caused Benton to revert to babyhood. On is return from Atlantis, the Doctor was assisted by Ruth in putting time back on track.

Played by: Wanda Moore. Appearances: The Time Monster (1972).

I is for... Ilin

 

Ilin was the wealthy backer of the infamous Rally of the Twelve Galaxies. This race was extremely hazardous, and by the time it had reached the planet Desolation, the final stage, there were only two competitors left - Angstrom and Epzo. They had just rescued the Doctor and her companions after they had become suspended in space whilst attempting to reach the Doctor's missing TARDIS.

Ilin was found in a luxurious tent on the planet, but he and his surroundings proved to be just a hologram. He gave them their final set of instructions to reach the end-point - the "Ghost Monument". This turned out to be the TARDIS, which was materialising and dematerialising randomly at a site elsewhere on the planet.

As founder of the race, Ilin was not interested in the fate of the Doctor and her friends. Once the goal was achieved, Ilin appeared by hologram once more. Angstrom and Epzo had been encouraged by the Doctor to work together rather than compete, and at first Ilin refused to allow joint winners of the rally. He eventually relented, but failed to transport the Doctor and her companions when he took Angstrom and Epzo off the planet. Fortunately, the Doctor was able to retrieve her TARDIS.

Played by: Art Malik. Appearances: The Ghost Monument (2018).

• Born Athar ul-Haque Malik in Pakistan, he first came to fame in the 1984 Granada TV adaptation of The Jewel in the Crown. Big screen appearances include playing the villain opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies, and as Kamran Shah, the Oxford-educated Mujahideen ally of Timothy Dalton's James Bond in The Living Daylights.

I is for... Ikona

 

A member of the Lakertyan race, Ikona was a rebel amongst his people as he refused to submit to the Rani when she conquered their world, aided by her Tetrap allies. Ikona was in love with Sarn, daughter of the Lakertyan leader Beyus, who worked for the Rani at her laboratory headquarters. He witnessed Sarn's death when she ran away from the laboratory and fell into one of the Rani's lethal traps. Ikona found the Doctor's companion Mel and decided to take her hostage, believing her to be another ally of the Rani. Mel was able to convince him that she was not an enemy when she saved him from one of the traps, and he later returned the favour when she was caught in one of them. Ikona then joined forces with the Doctor against the Rani and the Tetraps. After they had been defeated, the Doctor gave him an antidote to the poisonous insects which the Rani had left behind. He was now the leader, following Beyus' death. He poured it away - determined that the Lakertyans had to solve their own problems from now on.

Played by: Mark Greenstreet. Appearances: Time and the Rani (1987).

• Greenstreet first came to fame in the 1985 BBC crime drama Brat Farrar. In 1986 he auditioned for the role of James Bond after Roger Moore had stepped down, losing out to Timothy Dalton.
• He is the great-nephew of Hollywood star Sidney Greenstreet (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon).

I is for... Idris

 

Idris was a young woman who lived on the planetoid known as House, which existed in a bubble universe. House was really a hostile gaseous entity which fed on TARDISes, which it lured to its world. In order to consume the TARDIS energy House had to first remove its matrix - the sentient part of it which could attune itself telepathically with its operator. This was downloaded into an organic being, who would soon burn up and die. When House captured the Doctor's TARDIS, House transferred its matrix into Idris. Her own personality blotted out, she effectively became the TARDIS, and for the first time the Doctor was able to communicate with his ship as though it were another person. She revealed that rather than he stealing her, she had stolen him - wanting to explore the universe as much as he did. When he complained about the ship never going where it was supposed to go, she explained that it went where he needed to go. She was unhappy that he always ignored the "Pull to Open" sign on the doors, always pushing them open instead. Idris helped the Doctor put together a makeshift TARDIS from the remains left on the planetoid after House departed in the Doctor's ship with Amy and Rory trapped on board. Idris was able to make a telepathic link with Rory to guide them to one of the old console rooms, as she had saved them all. Soon after the makeshift TARDIS materialised within the Doctor's ship, Idris began to die. However, the matrix was now back in its home and was able to re-establish itself there, destroying House. Just before she died, Idris was able to give the Doctor a clue which would lead to River Song's true identity.

Played by: Suranne Jones. Appearances: The Doctor's Wife (2011).

• Jones had earlier appeared as the living Mona Lisa portrait in the Sarah Jane Adventures story Mona Lisa's Revenge. She first came to prominence as a regular on Coronation Street.
• The "Pull to Open" on the TARDIS door actually refers to the telephone cabinet, not the main doors.

Inspirations - Delta and the Bannermen

 

It's the old, old story.

Boy meets girl. Girl turns out to be alien fleeing from other aliens. Boy turns himself into human-alien hybrid so they can be together. Both fly off together into the twin sunsets, to live happily ever after. We've heard it all so many times...

Romance of one kind or another has been part of Doctor's Who's DNA ever since Ganatus fell head over heels for Barbara Wright. She was mostly lusted after (Vasor, Nero etc), but this was proper love with Ganatus, though sadly - for him - unrequited. There can't be many fans who don't believe that she eventually married Ian Chesterton. Or that Ben Jackson went on to marry Polly. (Personally, I think the reason Dodo left the Doctor so abruptly was because she had the hots for that tough guy from the Inferno Club...).

There have been lots of romantic subplots in the programme (Jo Grant was another one who had Thals falling for her, as well as Peladonian monarchs), but a romance has never really been a central part of the plot before.

Delta and the Bannermen puts the love affair between the title character and holiday camp odd jobs boy Billy at its heart. Despite already having a girlfriend - Ray - he falls madly in love with the aloof Delta on first sight, and isn't at all fazed to discover that she has an egg which hatches into a green lizard baby. In fact, he wants her so much he's prepared to turn himself into a green lizard / human hybrid so that they can be together. Don't feel too sorry for Ray - I think she fancied Billy's motorbike more than him, and she gets to keep that when he flies off to the stars.

This story is a love story, albeit one with a bizarre guest cast, as well as the obligatory villains to provide a perilous situation every twenty two and half minutes.

As well as a love story, it is also a bit of a musical. There is a lot of music in this story, tying it to its 1950's Rock 'n' Roll setting. The first time music in the series was more than just incidental would probably be The Gunfighters. Then, the "Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" featured as incidental music, commentary on the plot, and as heard and played / sung by characters within the story itself.

Likewise The Macra Terror, where the annoying jingles of the colony aren't just for the benefit of the TV audience, but are experienced by the characters themselves.

There are few other stories where the music is feature of the story itself (as in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, with its music hall numbers, or The Masque of Mandragora and its dance music). On a couple of occasions we have had chart hits playing (which have usually had to be edited out for the subsequent VHS or DVD releases due to copyright issues). As well as appearing on the Space-Time Visualiser in The Chase, the Beatles could also be heard playing in the coffee bar in The Evil of the Daleks, and the factory workers in Spearhead from Space are listening to Fleetwood Mac.

Delta and the Bannermen features some Rock 'n' Roll loving aliens who are on a trip to Disneyland, but get side-tracked to a Welsh holiday camp after colliding with a satellite above the Earth. Luckily they are still in the right time zone, and the aforementioned Billy is lead singer with the camp's resident band. (The guitarist is Keff McCulloch - arranger of the McCoy theme music, and incidental music composer for several McCoy stories. He's following in the footsteps of the late great Dudley Simpson, who cameo'd as the music hall conductor in Talons).

As well as McCulloch's incidental music, the era is also brought to life by a rendition of Devil's Galop on the soundtrack - the theme music to BBC Radio's Dick Barton - Special Agent (1946 - 1951). Within the story itself, we also hear radios playing music from the times - such as the theme to Worker's Playtime. That ran from 1941, launched to increase productivity in factories and so help the war effort, to 1964.

The villains of the piece are the Bannermen, led by a man named Gavrok. These were inspired by the samurai films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, some of which were in turn inspired by the works of Shakespeare - Ran (1985) is King Lear, Throne of Blood (1957) is Macbeth. He then went on to inspire some famous movies of the Western genre - with Yojimbo (1950) being remade as A Fistful of Dollars, and Seven Samurai (1954) becoming The Magnificent Seven (and later still the Star Wars cash-in Battle Beyond The Stars).

In Kurosawa's samurai movies, various factions are represented by their having colourful flags and pendants which they wear on their backs.

The main inspiration for this story, however, is probably its writer's childhood experiences of stays at holiday camps.

A uniquely British experience, the holiday camp was born back in 1936 when a man named Billy Butlin bought a site at Skegness, on the east coast of England, and built cheap accommodation - to provide affordable holidays for families. The plan was to have all the amenities on one site, so families lived, ate and were entertained without having to set foot outside the complex - usually at a single, all-inclusive price. There was no problem if you had small children - you could still spend the night in the Hawaiian Ballroom, as staff were employed to patrol the site and listen out for crying babies. Entertainments ranged from beauty contests to knobbly-knees competitions. We were easier to please back then, obviously.

After the war, Butlins expanded to other locations thanks to some abandoned army camps. Butlin also ran some proper hotels, both in the UK and in Spain, and even ran the revolving restaurant at the top of the Post Office Tower (sharing the space with WOTAN?). These holiday camps were hit hard by the relative cheapness of the package holiday - with a little more sun in Spain than could be guaranteed at Skegness. There was also competition from one main rival (or imitator) - Pontins. During the 1970's and 1980's, the holiday camps kept themselves going by hosting weekend music events, providing much needed exposure to otherwise forgotten singers and bands. A whole nostalgia-music scene grew out of this. The camp used for filming this story was real one, though one that was closed for refurbishment. You'll notice that the grass between the chalets is very long. The cast and crew stayed on site, and reported that the place was overrun with rats. After it was demolished, the location featured again in Doctor Who, for filming on The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances in 2005.

You can't watch this story, if you are British, without being reminded of the Jimmy Perry / David Croft sitcom Hi-de-Hi!. This was also set in a holiday camp of the 1950's - this time a fictitious one called Maplins. Butlins had Redcoats, Pontins had Bluecoats, and Maplins, like here, had Yellowcoats. These were the young camp staff who provided all the entertainments, and quite a few UK singers and comedians started their careers as Redcoats (e.g. Des O'Connor, Michael Barrymore, Jimmy Tarbuck). A certain Bradley Walsh was a Bluecoat, as was Lee Mack, who guested in Kerblam!.

 Hi-de-Hi! ran from 1980 to 1988, so was contemporary with the broadcast of this story. One of its stars was Ruth Madoc, who had been married to Doctor Who guest artist Philip Madoc. Her character used to play jingles and sing to the campers, just as one of the "Shangri-La" camp staff does here.

As for that bizarre guest cast? Well, as the Toll-Keeper we have Ken Dodd, that well known comic, singer and tax avoider. Fans were furious at his casting, thinking it the ultimate in JNT's stunt-casting of light entertainment figures (to boost publicity, whether they were right for the show or not). We do get to see him gunned own in cold blood, however. He is joined by Stubby Kaye as CIA agent Weismuller. Kaye was a famous Broadway and Vaudeville musical star. Brian Hibbard, of the acapella singing group The Flying Pickets, is the bounty hunter Keillor. Then we have Hugh Lloyd, another comic actor, as the enigmatic Garonwy, who some fans think is another Time Lord in self-imposed exile on Earth. As Burton, head of the camp, we have yet another comic actor - Richard Davies, who was best known for the sitcom Please Sir!. Don Henderson, as Gavrok, at least has a history of playing villainous types.

The last thing we should say about this story takes us back to Ray (Sara Griffiths). Bonnie Langford had made it clear that she was only going to do one year on the show, so a new companion was needed. It was decided to test out two characters, in this story and the next. Ray was one, Ace the other...

Next time: Aliens meets Star Wars meets The Wizard of Oz meets Space Truckers, on the Planet of the Film Theorists...