This ought to be a quick one, as it is Season 7 against Season 23 - two of the shortest seasons as far as number of stories go. Season 7 is a full 28 episodes, but comprises only four stories, and technically Season 23 is just a single story, albeit one 14 episodes long.
Season 7 sees a number of firsts - Jon Pertwee becomes the Doctor, the programme moves to colour, and there is a format change, in that the Doctor is now exiled to Earth, without the use of his TARDIS. There is a clean break with Season 6 as companions Jamie and Zoe have also left, so we have a new assistant in the form of Liz Shaw, a scientist. The only connection with the past is the return of Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart of UNIT (last seen in The Invasion).
There are changes behind the scenes as well, as Derrick Sherwin produces only the first story, with Barry Letts taking over for the remaining three (though he is inheriting Sherwin's commissions). Terrance Dicks remains, however, as Script Editor.
Spearhead From Space is written by Robert Holmes, and sees the introduction of Liz as companion, and the Nestene and Autons as the monsters. the story - and Pertwee - benefit from strike action at the BBC. The story is made on film and on location, rather than on video in studio, so it looks great - and this type of filming was more familiar to Pertwee, who had very little TV experience.
The Silurians is the first of his stories to be made in studio, though there is a sizeable amount to location work as well. This story is by Malcolm Hulke, as a response to concerns that the new format might only deliver alien invasions or mad scientists. The Silurians are already on Earth - its original inhabitants. Like the Autons, the Silurians would prove so successful that they would still be going strong in the second decade of the 21st Century.
The Ambassadors of Death had a very troubled gestation - and this shows in its disjointed nature (a brand new villain turns up out of nowhere halfway through the story). The story is credited to David Whitaker - his last - but there is very little of his work left after rewrites by others, mainly Hulke.
Finally we get Inferno - often appearing in Top 10 polls as the fan-favourite Pertwee story. The story is best remembered for its alternative universe episode, where the UNIT regulars get to play evil versions of themselves.
If Season 7 has a problem, it is the seven episode format which Sherwin imposed on it. Spearhead is a more comfortable four episodes long, but the other three stories are stretched to seven for budgetary reasons (only three lots of sets, costumes and guest artists required for 21 episodes). 'Padding' is necessary - a plague sub-plot in The Silurians, a space mission in Ambassadors, and that alternative universe in Inferno.
Season 23 had been carefully set up, on the model of Season 22, when the upper echelons of the BBC decided to put the programme on hold. It was really an attempt to cancel it by stealth, but the public outcry meant that it was announced it was only on hiatus for one year - the money required for extending the TV day, and a new soap opera.
What had been planned included potential return appearances by the Celestial Toymaker, Sil, the Rani, Ice Warriors, the Master and the Tractators. With the series on trial by the BBC, it was decided to tear up the planned stories and start afresh with a single storyline, in which the Doctor would be put on trial by the Time Lords (again). The season was drastically reduced to just 14 episodes. The trial would be broken down into sub-sections - pieces of evidence based around Dickens' A Christmas Carol (elements from the Doctor's past, present and future).
Robert Holmes wrote the opening four episodes, usually known as The Mysterious Planet. This reworked elements of his very first story, The Krotons. Philip Martin brought the popular villain Sil back in Mindwarp, which saw the Doctor and Peri visit his home planet. This story ended with Peri's apparent demise. Pip & Jane Baker then contributed Terror of the Vervoids - an adventure from the Doctor's future where he was now travelling with Melanie Bush (played by Bonnie Langford). Holmes was then to have wrapped the story up in episodes 13 and 14, but sadly died before he could complete Part 14. An argument over this final episode between producer (JNT) and Script Editor (Eric Saward) spilled over into the public domain as Saward quit and let all his frustrations with JNT be known. The Bakers had to step in and write a new concluding episode.
The public were not impressed by Trial of a Time Lord, and not were the BBC. The most prominent victim was Colin Baker, whose contract was not renewed for a fourth year.
Two periods of transition - one intended and successful, the other unplanned, and ultimately a failure. Season 23 is a poor one, no matter what way you look at it, whilst Season 7 contains a much better standard of writing, and of performances. There was only ever one possible outcome for this particular contest - the Pertwee season beats the Colin Baker one hands down.
No comments:
Post a Comment