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steer February 14 2008, 00:32:25 UTC
*grin* I also loved The Pyramids of Mars... it's delightfully creepy isn't it?

I think The Time Warrior shows some of the better side of Pertwee as a doctor although it's far from my favourite of his episodes. Have you seen any of the more grand-themed ones he stars in when he gets to do his whole "secret agent" thing with running, jumping, shooting and venusian karate? I think he's at his best when he's being a sort of 60s spy type character.

I've been rewatching some of the Colin Baker era episodes myself. Interesting to see them because they were so reviled at the time.

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strange_complex February 14 2008, 16:05:26 UTC
Any particular recommendations for Pertwee-as-Bond episodes? Although I think I just find the Venusian karate thing a bit laughable and annoying...

There are certainly those who defend Colin Baker to the hilt, and consider him vastly under-rated. I'm kind of neutral to uninterested on him at the moment - but I guess I'll give him a go at some point.

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steer February 14 2008, 17:06:50 UTC
I think the Sea Devils is perhaps his most gadget-tastic -- but the monsters are awful. Then again, if you find Dr Who turning backflips and dodging minefields to be less than ideal you probably would not like it. It's been a while since I last watched it but I think perhaps Inferno is your ideal "all action" third doctor (I'm not sure how much Liz is in that one though).

You might enjoy The Daemons -- slightly kitsch horror of the Dennis Wheatley school -- though it's not him in full James Bond mode.

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strange_complex February 14 2008, 17:17:56 UTC
I have seen and enjoyed Sea Devils, but it was half a lifetime ago. And I do really enjoy the sort of action sequences Tom Baker does. But I think the difference is that they seem really quite hard and gruelling, and often he's clearly having a pretty rough time of it at the hands of whatever villain he's grappling with. From what I know of Jon Pertwee: Action Hero!, though, it seems all rather more cartoonish.

Kitsch Wheatley-esque horror sounds ace, though!

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big_daz February 14 2008, 08:34:27 UTC
Pyramids is a classic, and Sutekh has the creepiest of voices.

I remember being scared at the end of part 1 of the Tiem Warrior where he takes off his helmet to revela that his head is the same shape! Who'd have predicted that then?

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strange_complex February 14 2008, 16:06:59 UTC
Ah, well the helmet-lifting thing was kind of lost on me, 'cos I'd already seen The Sontaran Experiment. But I did think it was quite clever the way they left you guessing about what he actually looked like for ages, and then had the 'big reveal' as the cliff-hanger for the first episode.

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swisstone February 14 2008, 14:33:00 UTC
Point of order on 'Pyramids': The Doctor mistakes Sarah for Victoria, not Vicki - Victoria was a companion of the Second Doctor.

You are the only person I've ever encountered who likes 'The Android Invasion'. I think it's the weakest story by far of that season, and a throwback to the Pertwee era. (Not that I don't love the Pertwee era, but by '76 its time was done, and Baker had moved on to other types of story.)

Yes, I did take that line from 'Time Warrior'. And yes, Sarah is great in it, and pretty good the rest of the season. 'Monster of Peladon' has a marvellous Sarah bit in the middle, which is the only reason for watching that story.

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strange_complex February 14 2008, 16:11:10 UTC
1. Oh, yes - that makes much more sense, because the style of the dress is entirely in keeping with what Victoria wore, and not Vicki at all. I really thought he'd said 'Vicki', but I must have misheard.

2. Yes, I found some quite negative reviews of it, browsing around the place, which mainly focussed on holes in the plot, and the implausibility of various of the characters' actions. But although I like those elements to be at least vaguely watertight, it's not the primary reason I watch Who - I'm in it more for the development of the Doctor and the companion as characters, and the general exploration of alternative worlds and concepts. Both of which this story had in plenty, I thought. Also, I didn't think the plot-holes were that gaping, and in fact thought the whole thing was quite carefully worked out and structured.

3. Will look forward to the rest of the season, then!

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strange_complex August 24 2008, 11:28:53 UTC
The Doctor mistakes Sarah for Victoria, not Vicki

Purely for the record, I'm just watching this story at the moment as part of the Sci-Fi channel's Bank Holiday Doctor Who marathon, and I can see now how my misunderstanding over this arose. When Sarah first comes into the console room wearing the dress, the Doctor actually does say "Hello, Vicky" - but he then goes on to explain that the dress belonged to Victoria, who used to travel with him. So I wasn't completely tripping when I thought I'd heard him say 'Vicky' (or 'Vicki') - it's just that he was using it as short for 'Victoria'.

Just clearing that up!

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swisstone August 24 2008, 13:12:35 UTC
(Checks DVD.)

So he does. Which suggests that Bob Holmes had forgotten that there'd been a Vicki and a Victoria in the show's history.

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