Have You Been Watching...? Doctor Who: The Daleks In Colour (2023)

 

Doctor Who, that familiar TV series with the time-travelling Police box TARDIS and its quirky alien pilot The Doctor, turned 60 years old in 2023. To celebrate, the BBC broadcast a re-edited and re-jigged version of its seminal 1963 adventure The Daleks. The Daleks themselves, alien mutants in miniature individual “battle-tanks", were to become an iconic adversary to the Doctor and it made sense for this adventure to be the first to undergo such a transformation. Plodding along at 7x25 minute black & white weekly episodes, the story is now condensed to a mere 75 minutes, and now it’s in colour for the very first time.

Until now, the only way to see this story in colour was via the 1965 heavily adapted movie version starring Peter Cushing, as the genial grandfather Dr Who, which runs for only 5 minutes more than our new TV edit. This one features the original TARDIS crew of William Hartnell as The Doctor, Guinness World Record holder William Russell as Ian Chesterton, Jaqueline Hill as Barbara Wright and Carole Ann Ford as Susan.

If you are completely new to the concept of Dr Who, then this may not be the best jumping on point as literally nothing is explained about our lead characters. In context, the series was heavily serialised in the sixties, with every episode leading on to the next so there would be no need to explain at this point, which would have been episodes 5-11 of the original run.

This new special edition opens with a new version of the classic theme tune, which sounds slightly faster and with new additional sound effects and a technicolour hue. The story then begins in true Wizard of Oz style with a short black and white scene before developing into colour. The story itself is basic enough, The Doctor and the crew come across a technologically advanced city on an alien world, occupied by the Daleks who are at war with the peaceful Thal race. The war ended hundreds of years previously following the detonation of a neutron bomb. In the intervening years, the Daleks have mutated and reside in their metal casings, while the blonde Thals have become peaceful farmers. On the verge of starvation due to their crops failing, the Thals are trying to get help from the Daleks, hoping they too have evolved into peaceful beings. Spoilers - They haven’t (hey, it’s been out there for 60 years – it’s not really a spoiler).

The Doctor we see in this adventure, is not the same as the one we have grown to know. He doesn’t want the teachers around and is sneaky and manipulative. The circumstances he creates to get to view the city is the whole driving point of our plot, and people die because of the decisions he has made. The two teachers have no choice in their situation. It all leads to very strange and somewhat uncomfortable situation. It will be a while before The Doctor mellows to his new companions.

The work on this project is fascinating, and there are pros and cons to this experiment. The source material is 60 years old. It wasn’t the best material from the outset, but the cleaning and colouring has worked very well. It’s not sharp and glaring or in high-definition, but it does have an almost “dream-like” sheen on the image. The colour choices are bright and bold, and it’s clear why this story was the one given the colourisation treatment. The crew behind the scenes have gone for a very sixties style suitable to the time it was made. Long term fans can moan that the Tardis console is, in fact, green in real life and the floor wasn’t blue, but that takes away from the sheer joy of this project. The episodes have been given a very modern “editing” style, with fast shots and flashbacks. Sometimes, these don’t quite work as well as they’d hope and it only feels like minutes ago since we saw the clip that’s being “flashed back” to. The musical score and sounds have been re-done, seemingly with modern TV sensibilities, resulting in it being quite overbearing at times, and drowning out the actual speech. Some effects have been updated, so now the original Daleks do indeed fire laser beams.

It's a very strange experience, especially if you are already well familiar with the original version. Apparently, the whole idea was to re-cut the episodes as a “modern” episode would do it. In this respect, then the experiment is a success! The lengthy script from Terry Nation (Blake's 7, Survivors) has been chopped right back and pretty much all of the padding removed making it rattle along at a lightning pace, very reminiscent of modern episodes. 

There are hints that this may be the first of many re-versions of old Dr Who Black and White episodes. Hopefully, this one can be seen as a starting-off point, learning what works and what didn’t and lessons can be learned, but overall, this is a wonderful new addition to Doctor Who productions and an extra-special treat for the anniversary.

Year: 2023

Availability: BBCiplayer from 23^rd November 2023

Rating: 7/10

 

 

Have You Been Watching...? Out Of The Unknown: The Machine Stops

 

Out of the Unknown was a BBC sci-fi anthology series broadcast between 1965-1971, comprising 4 series. The first two in black and white and the last two in colour. As seems to be the case with numerous BBC gems, the series is mostly missing from the archives, but thanks to the BFI, we have a DVD set featuring all the surviving episodes, and a few reconstructions of others from remnants of footage, telesnaps and even scripts.

Fortunately, one of those episodes that survived the mass junking is The Machine Stops, adapted from the short story by EM Forster (better known perhaps, for Maurice, A room With a view, Howard’s End and A Passage to India) . I have selected this episode, which was from the second series, for inclusion on “Have you been watching…?” due to it’s pertinence to today’s society, even though the original story was first published in 1909.

The story apparently predicts numerous things we take for granted today, the internet being one, social media being another. In this story, and indeed episode, people live alone in pods, communicating via screen. They all live underground due to the inability to live on the surface. Everything is controlled and provided “The Machine”, a human made construct very similar to today’s World Wide Web. People’s only activity is learning from The Machine.  New ideas are few, indeed people take others ideas and pass them off as their own (sound familiar?). Travel is permitted, but no one likes to travel. Walking even seems to be a chore and their multi-useful chair moves around the pod for them.

The story concentrates on the relationship between Vashti and her son Kuno, who live on opposite sides of the world. The relationship is cold, and more functional than loving. Vashti appears to have children just to ensure the species continues, rather than to love and inspire.

However, Kuno is different. He is bored of their current existence and seeks more, even venturing outside. As time progresses, he comes to the knowledge that The Machine is breaking down, civilisation as they know it will come to an end.

The Out of the Unknown adaptation stars Yvonne Mitchell (Crucible of Horror/The Corpse, the Trials of Oscar Wilde) as Yashti, and Michael Gothard (For Your Eyes Only, Lifeforce and The Three Musketeers) as Kuno, and was directed by Philip Savile (Life & Loves of a She-Devil). It’s an absolute gem to watch. Given the clear budget restraints of 60s BBC, what they have managed to achieve with this one-off story is nothing short of phenomenal. It’s a work of art. The set designs are clever and multi-functional, if occasionally suffering from wobbly-set syndrome, and the outside location work wonderfully conveys Kuno’s reactions to this new world he has found. It’s movie quality stuff, coupled with 60s psychedelia. The script, with such few cast, is long and talky, but never boring and certainly worth paying attention to.

The episode was submitted to the fifth “Festival Internazionale del Film di Fantascienza”, the fifth International science-fiction film festival in Trieste in July, where it won first prize.

If you can look beyond the budget restraints, you will find here a film that will enthrall you and show you the perils of “online life” as predicted over 100 years ago.

Year – 1966

Series count – 4

Episode count – 20 surviving (including reconstructions) out of 49

Availability – DVD (7 disc boxset – deleted in February 2022)

Have You Been Watching...? Threads (1984)

 

At the time of writing, the world seems all doom and gloom. We are still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, monkey pox is on the rise, Russia went to war with Ukraine, the costs of living and energy are continually on the rise, life is gloomy and scary, so of COURSE it’s the best time to watch 1984’s nuclear holocaust drama Threads.

First broadcast on Sunday 23^rd September 1984 at 9.30pm, it was compared with The Day After, an American TV Movie from 1983 along similar themes. That’s really where the similarities end. While The Day After is unashamedly American, Threads is unashamedly British. This means grit, drama and a bit more working class. While not particularly gory, Threads is much more horrific than The Day After.

Threads did not cast major stars in it’s main roles, but some are recognisable. Reece Dinsdale (from Home To Roost and many other now well known dramas) stars as Jimmy Kemp, one of the main leads. David Brierley (known to Dr Who fans as the second actor to voice robot dog K9) stars as Jimmy’s dad Bill Kemp. TV presenter and Adventure Game “mole” Lesley Judd appeared as the newsreader.

I won’t go into the plot too much as there’s so much more in the film to see. The film tells the story of Jimmy Kemp and his girlfriend Ruth Bennett, who live in the city of Sheffield. Ruth discovers she is pregnant and she and Jimmy plan to marry, much to the concern of both sets of parents. As the soap opera elements of our story unfold, in the background, in heard radio reports and TV newscasts, slowly a war begins in eastern Europe. Most of this of course, bypasses our two families who are much more consumed in their own affairs, much like any other family. As time progresses, we see the rest of the country HAS been paying attention. As the Kemps and Bennetts try to get to grips with what’s going on in the world, they face panic buying and looting. As the warnings loom in the media, they begin to make preparations for Worst Case Scenario. Nothing prepares them for what’s to come. As tensions rise in the east, nuclear weapons begin to be deployed. One eventually targets an RAF base outside of Sheffield, and Jimmy observes the tell-tale mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion. Sheffield is destroyed. People die in their millions due to fallout and nuclear winter, as the sun is obscured by dust and debris in the atmosphere. Temperatures plummet. Money has no value, only food. As time goes on, The Kemps and Bennetts perish like most others, except for Ruth, and she becomes the focus of the story and the horror of nuclear winter unfolds. She gives birth to her child, a daughter she calls Jane, in a dirty outbuilding as a tied up Alsatian dog watches on. She must bite through the umbilical cord as there’s no one to help. Ruth story continues, as she must toil in fields for food. She survives. As the years progress, Ruth eventually perishes when Jane is 10. Jane barely notices. Jane then continues to scrabble and scrounge to exist, joining a pair of lads, one of whom get shot as they steal. Jane and remaining lad end up sleeping together. The movie ends months later, as Jane gives birth to her own child, and looks in horror at the baby.

Threads is really unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s rarely repeated (I recorded it from only its THIRD showing on British TV in 2003, thank you BBC4). It apparently has only been shown twice since then. Threads is relentless. There’s no holding back on what this film shows you. The film’s format makes this easier to digest. It has a “docu-drama” feel to it, with narrator and captions explaining what goes on, providing information and statistics before cutting back to the drama. We see people die by the bucketload. We see minor characters in local councils suddenly burdened with a responsibility they are way too out of their depth to manage. We see people trying to do their best in hopeless situations. Shot on film, it gives the movie that extra grittiness and realism which only adds to the soul crushing despair.

Threads has been described as one of the most terrifying movies ever made, and it’s hard to disagree. The use of working class people and their day to day problems as the device to bring the viewer in, is a masterstroke of genius. It makes the whole movie relatable and terrifying. We can image these people being US, our families, our friends. Going to our job in the morning and the world going to hell by teatime.  What would WE do? More importantly, if we were to survive such an attack, would we WANT to? Is the story of Ruth and the survivors better than death? Legend has it that US President Ronald Reagan changed his nuclear policy in 1985 having watched Threads.

Overall, it’s an excellent movie, a thought-provoking and downright terrifying tale. Of note, there have been several home media releases for this, but if you seek one out to watch, go for the Simply Media blu-ray, which besides looking magnificent (increasing that grittiness) it also has a number of special features (including a director approved widescreen edition and a commentary from director Mick Jackson) and the original soundtrack.

YEAR: 1984

Availability: DVD and Blu Ray (updated 20^th August 2022 – now available to stream on Britbox)

HYBW rating: 9/10

Have You Been Watching...? The Terror: Infamy

 

Have You Been Watching…? The Terror: Infamy

The Terror is an American anthology series, where each season is a self-contained tale. Each has it’s own cast, storyline, beginning, middle and end with no threads run through tying them all together. “Infamy” is the second series of The Terror. I was not enticed by the plot of series 1, two ships stuck in the ice between 1845-1848, based on the true story of Captain Sir John Franklin’s “lost expedition” to the Arctic. This second series appealed much more, due to its Japanese horror influence (The original Ring movie is one of my all time favourites).

Infamy is historical again, but this time set in the second world war, days before the Pearl Harbour attack. The historical side of the series shows a side of American history I was previously not aware of but makes it all the more horrific and not just in the supernatural way.

The cast of the 10 part epic includes scifi stalwarts such as George Takei (Star Trek), Hiro Kanagawa (Star Trek Discovery, iZombie, Man in the High Castle), C Thomas Howell (with a strong of genre credits to his name!) and Naoko Mori (Torchwood & Dr Who) and relates the story of the Nakayama family, just prior to and immediately after the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941. Following the attack, the American authorities round-up any Japanese person, families, children and all, and intern them in prison camps. Our main protagonist is budding photo-journalist Chester Nakayama, an American born to Japanese parents. It IS important to recognise that given what happens to the family as the series progresses. In the midst of these human rights tragedies comes a spectre from Japanese folklore, terrorising the Japanese community and taking a particular interest in Chester. Our protagonist is played by Derek Mio, whose credits include the movie GBF, Gay Best Friend. He is great as Chester, conveying the despair, devotion, helplessness and heroism. He is very much the backbone of the series and he carries it well.

The series begins with a suicide and continues in a slow build up from there as events overtake the family. As the story progresses, the gore does increase, so be warned! It might be slow paced, but believe me, every second is watchable, both for the antics of the spirit, and the behaviours of the authorities toward innocent people who have done nothing wrong, other than be from, or born to, a different race. “Any drop of Japanese blood” is a phrase used within the series. Historically, some 120,000 people of Japanese descent were imprisoned in these camps with about two thirds of them being actual American citizens. You will have to forgive my accuracy with these facts as I said previously, this phase of American history is new to me, and I gleaned this info from the world wide web, so it’s open to debate. Either way, it happened, and it is still horrific.

The series is very much a jigsaw puzzle and as the pieces start to fall into place, it all begins to make sense. This is one of those series that the ending doesn’t disappoint. In fact, there’s very little about The Terror: Infamy that disappointed at all. We begin to see everything come together the same time Chester does, so we don’t skip ahead, and the series works better because of this. Also, stay with the end credits, you won’t regret it.

Fans of The Terror will no doubt already know that it is executively produced by none other than Ridley Scott and it shows. The cinematography and settings are wonderfully realised, be it the grit of a prison camp or a period fishing village. I won’t say too much more as I don’t want to spoil things, but it is as great to look at as it is horrific.

You might not want to watch this in a dark room on your own, but if you do have the time, you might want to consider investing it in The Terror: Infamy, especially if you are as fan of Japanese horror.

Year: 2019

Episode count: 10

Season count: 1

Availability: Currently free to stream on BBCiplayer (as of July 2022).

Have You Been Watching...? The Nightmare Man

I’d heard of the Nightmare Man many times before, from friends who are much more versed in Telefantasy than I am, so after finally getting a good deal on a second-hand DVD, I settled down to watch it and see what all the fuss was about.

So what did I think of it? Well, I could tell you, but I’d rather you read all the other stuff I’m writing about it too, so either wait ‘til the end, or scroll down to it.

The Nightmare Man is a 4 part thriller from the BBC broadcast in 1981 on Friday nights. I say “thriller” but to say more would be a spoiler. Oh go on, then. The series covers a variety of genres in one, from thriller, to cold war shenanigans and horror to science-fiction. It’s based on the novel “Child of Vodyanoi” by David Wiltshire and released in 1978 but it was adapted for television by Dr Who legend Robert Holmes. Indeed the serial’s connections to Dr Who are broad: In front of the camera, we have an early turn from National Treasure Celie Imrie (The Bells of St John), James Warwick (Earthshock), Maurice Roeves (Caves of Androzani), Tony Sibbald (Terror of the Zygons), Jonathan Newth (Underworld), Tom Watson (The Underwater Menace), Jeff Stewart (Kinda) and Pat Gorman (too numerous to mention).Of course you’ll recognise a number of these from other shows too, like Jeff Stewart in The Bill as Reg Hollis). Dr Who links behind the camera, besides Holmes, include Director Douglas Camefield, Producer Ron Craddock worked on the series in 1964 as production assistant, make-up artist Fran Needham, and assistant floor manager David Tilley. I’m sure there’s more. The series was once described to me like a Dr Who adventure without the Doctor, and it’s probably true. I should also add, that even though there’s a lot of Dr Who talent on screen, there’s also some non-Who talent, including Game of Thrones’ James Cosmo and Bread’s Ronald Forfar.

The series begins with a murder on a remote Scottish island, and the subsequent investigation by the local police, a dentist that assists them (yes, indeed we don’t have enough Dentistry heroes on TV) and a rather mysterious Army colonel. Celia Imrie plays Fiona Patterson, who just happens to be the island’s go-to person for literally everything. Maurice Roeves plays Inspector Inskip of the local police, and is absolutely wonderful on screen, stealing every scene he is in, bringing a necessary groundness to the bizarre goings-on.

As the gruesome murders continue, and a strange craft is located, the islanders begin to realise the murderer might not be one of our own species, let alone one of their own community.

The series was also filmed using outside broadcast equipment, which gives the series a unique “look” to it that contemporary programmes lacked. This does help with the atmosphere of the story. The murderer’s reveal is slow, and we don’t see much of the murder at all until later in the run, the only times we do, is from a red screen point of view as the murderer conducts their deeds.

I didn’t see The Nightmare Man on it’s first transmission, and I hadn’t heard of the Child of Vodyanoi novel, so I was pleasantly going into the with no pre-conceptions. I watched part one on a Saturday and binged the rest over the same weekend. With the episodes being nice 30min chunks, it made it much easier as there’s only 4 of them. For only a 2 hour run time, though, I wouldn’t watch one after the other. Take a break between each and savour those cliffhangers!  I watched this on the BBC DVD edition of the story, which is quite difficult to track down these days. It was released in 2005, so may be out of print now, although it can be located on various internet sites for inflated costs, so shop around.

Overall, I did enjoy this. It’s a product of its time, but on the whole, it stands up well today. At the time of writing this though, some of the plot threads are remarkably current!

Year – 1981

Series count – 1

Episode count – 4

Availability – DVD (if you can find it)