You mean the DVD commentary. I loved the bit at the end of the first episode. Peter, indignantly. He shot me. Colin: Long overdue in my opinion. Not to mention Sarah recalling the chase scenes and all the running over cobblestones. When they returned to London her thighs were very sore. Colin: So in summary you went to Amsterdam and returned with sore thighs.
It's important to remember that this story was written by Johnny Byrne who also wrote Nyssas's first story Keeper of Traken. The way he reasoned it was Nyssa had lost her fathet, friends, whole world , everything. Adric had been killed. They had parted company with Tegan at the time. The Doctor and the TARDIS were her whole universe. Hardly surprising that the threat of losing the Doctor would make her become quite desperate and do things normally very out of character for her.
Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi were two Doctors who watched the very first DW episode on original broadcast and were big fans of the show before appearing in guest roles and later the star. Reportedly Baker played Maxil as if he was the main character prompting producer JNT to tell him "It's called Doctor Who, not The Bloke Who's a Guard in the Background". The DVD commentary for this one, and most of this era really, is a joy to listen to. Some other trivia: Michael Gough (Hedin) was the original Toymaker, Leela was originally meant to appear and her action moments were given over to Nyssa hence why she's so kickass in this and this is the third appearance of Borusa and I've always liked that every time we see him he has a different face whilst being higher on the Time Lord totem pole. Even though it's likely due to actor scheduling conflicts I like how it supports the idea that advancing in Gallifrey politics is Machiavellian and dangerous.
Colin's answer to JNT for me is what later got him the role. When JNT said "The show is Doctor Who not The Maxil show mate." Colin replied with "Yes but Maxil doesn't know that". Or words to that effect.
@@paulhammond6978 From what I always heard it was later at a party seeing how entertaining Colin was that decided it for JNT. Colin himself said on the video for the Colin Baker years," I was labouring under the misapprehension that this was the Commander Maxil show and the other characters were all peripheral.JNT thought it was a very arch performance and nicknamed Colin Archie.
_"Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi were two Doctors who watched the very first DW episode on original broadcast and were big fans of the show"_ I've no reason to doubt Colin watched the first episode, and maybe a few others, but I don't believe he was a fan as such. As a trainee solicitor/lawyer in his early 20s at the time, he was hardly the sort of person to have been a devoted follower of a children's teatime programme like Doctor Who. In contrast, Peter Capaldi was 5 years old in 1963 - the ideal age to get hooked on the show. Capaldi was a fan from the beginning, and remained so for years to come.
Michael Gough who plays Hedin was the original actor to play the Toymaker and also married to Anneke Wills who played Polly. Michael Gough was also Alfred the butler in the 80's/90's Batman films.
With Time-flight being the last story of season 19, the producer thought it was a good idea to end on a cliff-hanger (hence Tegan's surprise departure). The first story of season Twenty to be filmed was studio based so they were able to keep Tegan's return hidden from the public - however, it was during filming in Amsterdam there was a photoshoot to show the new companions costumes and so it was at this point fans knew Tegan was coming back. There was a nine month gap between Time-flight and Arc of Infinity on screen. Nyssa is served very well by this script - mainly because the writer on this story created the character way back in The Keeper of Traken. Also, it's good to mention Michael Gough as Hedin - who previously (and thanks to the 60th Anniversary) is probably best remembered as The Celestial Toymaker. I was waiting for your reaction to Tegan's return - it wasn't as loud as I had imagined.
It’s one of the first manifestations of an increasingly common New Who trait, deciding on a ‘big’ unresolved cliffhanger with a big reveal/twist resolution but forgetting about the actual plot or production around these
Long before modern Doctor Who - Where Amy Pond was "The Girl Who Waited" and Clara Oswald was "The Impossible Girl", Tegan Jovanka was "The Loudly Complaining Girl Who Kept Blundering Into The Doctor's Adventures." 😂
Colin is a criminally underated Doctor, always gives a powerful performance. I was lucky to meet him at a comic con, huge guy, and extremely nice and approachable.
Tegan’s cousins friend is possibly the dampest character in television history. What a performance! Who can’t find a hostel in Amsterdam!! The hostel capital of the planet! His fear of roving bands of passport police is pretty insane. Loved your reaction to Tegan’s return, just mad mad plotting, and I think you’re one of the only people in history who had the surprise maintained
The passport thing is so stupid! As a very wet-behind-the-ears youngster on my very first trip abroad, I lost my passport. This was in France where it's technically a requirement to have formal ID on you at all times. Anyway, I went to the police, I explained what had happened, they asked various questions, and they issued me with a temporary identity document. I was able to continue with the rest of my holiday without any difficulty. This was only about ten years after this episode was broadcast.
Thankfully they didn't discuss abandoning Tegan last story so Big Finish can find a nice spot for plenty of 5/Nyssa adventures. Also while there has been continuity following stories this era, there was obviously a year gap between the seasons so it's a bit more understandable they wouldn't bring it up since it wasn't something that just happened last week. Oh and Borusa makes his third appearance with this story (first appeared in The Deadly Assassin and then The Invasion of Time), it's been a while so understandable you wouldn't recognise the name and they recast a different actor again.
18:56 the Timelord on the left was played by Michael Gough who also played the original Celestial Toymaker as well as Alfred, butler to Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne.
It was Colin Baker's performance as Commander Maxil (which, according to Colin, producer John Nathan-Turner repeatedly told him to "tone down") that first brought him to the attention of the production office. Shortly after production wrapped on this story, Lynn Richards (the Assistant Floor Manager), invited Colin to her wedding reception. Amongst the other guests were Ron Jones (director), Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Eric Saward (script editor), John Nathan-Turner and Gary Downie (JNT's partner). Baker has stated since that it was his entertaining form at the wedding party that directly led to his eventual casting as the Sixth Doctor. He basically was Peter Capaldi before Peter Capaldi! Despite this major casting, I was never a fan of Arc of Infinity. Bland direction, loud music and stilted dialogue. This and Time-Flight make a nightmarish double bill.
Some time has passed since they left Tegan, you'll notice Nyssa looks older. This gives a lot of space for the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa's Big Finish audio adventures.
Nyssa not being human, and Trakenites apparently having longer lifespans (wasn't the Keeper over 300 years old?) we really don't know how long the interval was between Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity. Could be months...could be decades...
@@captmurdock Since Nyssa is probably a lot older than she looks, let shake up the whoniverse and say they became lovers during those years. I would love the fans to react to that storyline.
Coin Baker always wanted to play the Doctor so when he was offered the part of Commander Maxil he was unsure. But his agent said, "Come on Colin. The chance of you playing the Doctor is extremely unlikely. Take the job"
I was waiting for a "Oh these bundles of joy." When the Time Lords arrived. You'll notice that Colin never puts his helmet on, that's because the helmet and feather plume made him too tall to walk through any door, so he had to hold it. Colin called the helmet Gertrude and made chicken noises around the set.
Every time you watch one of these that feature the Time Lords, I always remember you watching "The Three Doctors" and going, "Oh, these bundles of joy!" 🤣
Colin Baker had played a villain in another sci-fi series from the late 1970s to early 1980s, he was awesome in that role and also it is worth seeing the series Seska it was made by Terry Nation who invented the Dreaded Daleks.
This is like Peter Capaldi being in Fires of Pompeii and Torchwood before being Doctor. There is a great Big Finish audio where Colin Baker is a guest star, and you think the Doctor will be in it, and the twist is it is Maxill. They've done this with Romana once too, they had Princess Astrid return with a similar fake-out. I think the Staser blasts are greyish-pink on stun, and full red on kill based on prior shots fired, so pretty sure guards were just stunned by Nyssa.
In the 1982 Hound of the Baskervilles, with Tom Baker as Holmes, the guy playing Dr. Mortimer REALLY reminds of of Capaldi....I'm not sure if it's him or not, not even Tom himself was sure on the DVD commentary.
Colin Baker accepted the job. as an actor, yet he believed (interviews) that he would therefore never have a chance to be cast as The Doctor. And, that he didn't go off to film in Amsterdam. This is the second international location to film, after Paris,France in 1979. On the recent Blu-ray collection of the 20th Season, (delayed filming, like 2 years, due to Covid travel) our TARDIS team returns to Amsterdam to check locations. They have fun. I studied in Europe, and further travels,....I've visited more of the Netherlands, and have a Dutch friend here in Ohio,...Amsterdam, is a fine city, even without the indulgence. (museums, food, beer,)
“Arc of Infinity” seems to get a bad rap from a lot of Who fans, but I thought it was a good story to open the 20th season of Doctor Who. The Time Lords are back! Tegan is back, and the villain is… well, let’s just say there are a lot of “blasts from the past,” in this season (naturally with it being the shows 20th anniversary) and there’s only two stories I feel are below par, making it a slightly lesser season than season 19 (where “Time-Flight,” for me was the only below par story). Your reaction on seeing Colin Baker and Janet Fielding’s return as Tegan was great. “Arc of Infinity” was the 2nd classic Doctor Who story to be filmed abroad (after season 17’s visit to Paris in “City of Death,”) but using Amsterdam as a location was a very tenuous story link to justify going there in the story, as well as giving the cast and crew a good holiday “knees up,” no doubt.
When I first watched this story, I was sure that Maxil was the 6th Doctor in descise. Especially because Colin Baker portrayed both characters like the same person in different ways. 😄
Although he is happy with Nyssa. Dont worry (and its no spoiler)Tegans not going anywhere for a while yet Jess. But the Doctors face at the end of the story is hillarious. 😂
"Stop answering back!" My parent's (and many others in England) constant refrain. The Doctor doesn't like companions who answer back, i.e. argue with him. So he dumped Tegan at the earliest opportunity.
As we've entered the 20th season, so too have we reached the 20th anniversary. As such, you'll notice various callbacks, references, returning monsters, characters, and even a glimpse into the shows future with one actor. Get ready for a whole bunch of stuff this season.
This is one of the best! Always nice to see Gallifrey in the Classic series! We really see how pompous the Time Lords are and Why the Doctor Left Gallifrey so long ago! Yup..Tegan is Back! New hair, Nice clothes. This is her Pat Benatar/Sheena Easton Phase! You'll understand more later!
Janet Fielding's new haircut was a result of producer John Nathan-Turner wanting her to have a distinctive hairstyle when she joined the series. It ended up frying her hair! So, she got a pixie cut between seasons to prevent her hair from being messed with again.
Surprise It’s Colin Baker before playing the Doctor! Of course many years later same thing happened to Peter Capaldi when he played a character in the show before becoming the doctor. My experience with Arc of Infinity is this was another story i got from Oxfam charity shop again on vhs. I don’t mind Arc of Infinity i do quite enjoy but never followed the story that well. Btw i met Colin Baker twice, first met him at Comic con in Worcestershire many years ago and I’ve met him again this year at Gloucester he signed my copy of season 22 lovely man
Nice reaction Jess. I was glad to see Tegan return as well when i first watched this story. Mind you, the teenage me did have a massive crush on her at the time!!😁
Colin Baker reportedly was disappointed to be cast as Maxwell int his. When his agent asked why, he apparently responded that he wouldn't ever get to play the Doctor now. (I think that's something Colin Baker's said in an interview or commentary, but I'm not certain of that)
Always liked Arc of Infinity, quite an interesting story. Also don't look at the title of the last story in this season, will be more exciting for you.
Leonard Sachs (The Chancellor?) was most famous in the UK for being the Maitre Dee of the old time music hall entertainment show 'The Good Old Days'. Think Henry Gordon Jago.
A fairly good story, which I remember buying when it was first released on VHS, at a signing by Sarah Sutton! Sadly I was too shy to talk to her so that was something I've regretted for years... Oh well! Jess bringing up Nyssa at the end and trying to be invested in her distress is interesting-- it's clear from Nyssa's actions but this is one of those stories that did happen at the time-- there's almost no dialogue to establish character, it's all very functional. Nyssa is pretty much there to offer observations and build the plot with everyone else, there's not even a brief scene about her relationship with the Doctor, who she is, what motivates her etc, which you'd think would be a chance they'd take here, especially with her original creator coming back to write. It's not terrible but it's slightly lacking, is all.
Pierce Brosnan was supposed to play Colin Baker's part of Maxil or maybe The Castellan but Brosnan got cast in Remington Steele. The Nyssa with a gun scenes were meant to be Leela with a gun but Leela actress Louise Jameson wasn't booked.
I'm not sure whether that's true because Pierce used the proceeds from his bit part in The Long Good Friday (1980) which was probably filmed in 1979 to travel to America where as you say he landed Remington Steele which first screened in 1982 so I don't think he would've still been applying for English roles as he would've been gone by the time they filmed this and already under contract for Steele by 1981.
@@BernardJKD time to get the facts right then, so Pierce has always said he used the money from his minor role in The Long Good Friday to fund his trip to America, that was shot in 79, released in 80 and Remington Steele started in 1982 so he might've been down through casting agents for other British roles but for Doctor Who which probably shot this series in 1980 themselves he couldn't have been available cos he would've been in America by then. As there is really only a year between him finishing the film then getting Remington Steele which he would've secured by 1981.
@@Jeremy-f3s This was filmed in mid-1982. I know zero about Brosnan's career at that stage. It may have been that JNT put feelers out to his agent who hedged his bets. There's nothing to stop Brosnan flying back to do a Who. He was a jobbing actor who had very few lines on his cv by then.
@@BernardJKD Nah the way Americans do business if he had landed a starring role in their show his contract wouldn't be allowing him to do external projects. Nor would he have any need to. Remington Steele was a lead role in a show that became a success, by the 90s he never had to do TV again, he'd graduated to just movies and has never looked back. That was probably a booking made before he got the RS role.
Maxill is interesting because Colin Baker had mainly played baddies and will be important in a season and abit after being entertaining at a wedding party John Nathan Turner decided he'd be the 6th doctor.
Of course the reason the Ergon (the giant chicken) is bald is because Maxil has plucked it clean to use the feathers on his helmet. Colin Baker must have made a bit of an impression. During rehearsals, head honcho John Nathan-Turner came up to him and asked 'Do you know the name of this show?' - to which Baker replied 'Doctor Who' - 'Oh, it's not called Maxil then?' the Producer rejoined. Baker's spritely mind sprung into action and he explained how, in all our lives, we are the main character. Little did he know...
Like Peter Capaldi before him nobody knew not even Colin Baker ever thought in a million years that he would become the next Doctor. Also i'm very surprised you hadn't recognised Omega who first appeared back in "The Three Doctors".
Time changes how we view a story. Back then, it was an entirely different actor in this story that made older fans go 'Hang on a minute...'. This adventure is not exactly 'The Giggle' but it does feature a returning companion, the first appearance of a future Doctor (let the conspiracy theories run amok there) and even The Toymaker (Councillor Hedin is played by Michael Gough - occasional 'Alfred' in the Batman films, plus the former husband of Anneke 'Polly' Wills - and the previous face of that God-like being back in 1966). But I was 10 and new to fandom and it flew right over my head...
Arc of Infinity, another 5th Doctor story I'm fond of, I've long had a fun fan theory that (retroactively) Commander Maxil was indeed actually the 6th Doctor, acting in incognito or something, sent back down his time-stream, possibly on a secret mission for the future Time Lords, maybe (possibly the 5th Doctor realised this then they met)... I mean, wouldn't that be a great crossover 6th Doctor "missing" story, running parallel with Ark of Infinity, possibly one featuring a certain villain of his era you've yet to meet, crossing paths with the villain of this story, perhaps trying to hijack this villain's plot..?
Oh come on, Jess, what could possibly go wrong when spending the night in a crypt in a Doctor Who episode? In a foreign country. When you've lost your passport. Your reactions to both Tegan coming back and Colin Baker made this reaction so great to watch. :) It is so weird that the Doctor and Nyssa don't mention Tegan even once in these first two parts. Even though she comes back, they don't know that. It makes the Doctor come across as kind of a jerk, not saying goodbye and not even acknowledging she's gone.
I like to believe there was a bit of a gap in time between seasons where the 5th Doctor and Nyssa had various adventures in the Big Finish audios, so Tegan leaving hasn't recently happened.
For those who follow these reactions regularly, I suspect we might recall your response to Sarah Jane Smith suddenly up and leaving at the end of 'The Hand of Fear' (which, in real time, was something like 6 and a half years before this) and how you couldn't be certain if that was a permanent break. Hence all the carefully guarded comments last week!
Since 12 and 14 both subconsciously chose their faces in order to send themselves a message, you've gotta wonder what 6 was trying to tell himself by taking on the face of the dude who shot him.
Unlike today, where the location shooting ranges from Utah to.... South Wales.... Dr Who in the olden days really didn't travel far outside of southern England. This is only the second exception - after Paris in 'The City of Death'.
This story gets a hammering from a lot of fans, and I'm not entirely sure why. I don't think it's a brilliant story, but it's okay. That said, I have no idea what they were thinking when they came up with that "giant chicken"! (And it's crazy the same team came up with such a great look for the antagonist.)
I do tend to think that, if Leela really was still on Gallifrey at this time, nothing would keep her from coming to see the Doctor again. And, if she found out what the Time Lords were planning to do to him, she would have made Nyssa's response look like a vicarage tea party.
My Teenage Crush Story - This takes place before I started highschool. Even though I live in Philadelphia, PA, I went to a comicbook shop that sold Doctor Who Weekly!!! One day I went in and on the cover was Tegan with her new hairstyle and this outfit!! ZAP!!!!! Hahaha!! I don't know how long I stared at the cover, but for years afterward, you know I owned every issue with her on it! I never even liked that style before I saw her, but to this day, short hair can look good to me! The Big Bad is a villain we've seen before, but he had a slightly different look. This was a story that would have been better either as a 6 parter or keeping it set on Gallifrey, but everyone got to go to Amsterdam and film, whatcha gonna do?
I think one of the most impressive things is that the classic era of Doctor Who lasted as long as it did on the premise that 98% of the time an alien species is on-screen, it should be accompanied by the most shrill, brain-piercing sound effect that technology is currently able to produce. I love the show but they sure went out of their way to find new methods of creating agony in my earholes.
That is the 6th doctor yes, but the trouble was is that they've never explained throughout classic who why the 6th doctor appeared here and then eventually became the 6th doctor later on.
I Haven't watched your reactions yet but as a person who have seen the whole of the classic series i know you got a few surprises as to who appears in the story. I am not a person who minds spoilers as it usually enhances my enjoyment of what is to come snd as a person who rewatch es a lot of my favourite programs it dosn't really bother me. Looking forward to your future Who reactions.
ALERT...ALERT...Arcane season 2 will be on Netflix November 2. According to some stories, this will be the final chapter of a truly great story, and the final season of the show. Mark your calendars!
I remember reading about this story and really looking forward to it, but watching it and discovering that it mainly takes place in Amsterdam left me disappointed. I was hoping for a Gallifrey mystery
Some wag said that there's only ever one story with Time Lords, in stories where Gallifrey appears, from Troughton's final episodes onwards, there is always a traitor. I guess that's true. At least Leela got a nice mention here. I wonder what K-9 mark I is up to?
Colin Baker was known for playing alot of arseholes before he got the Doctor, before this he was known as one of the main antagonists of a drama called The Brothers in the 70s so he was no doubt cast as that character cos they needed another arsehole type.
While it’s nice Tegan never went away really, this is so bad. Amateur hour production (with some very amateur acting ). The second abysmal story in a row
*Maxil shoots the Doctor* Peter Davison: "Talk about going after your job!"😂- _Arc of Infinity commentary_
You mean the DVD commentary.
I loved the bit at the end of the first episode.
Peter, indignantly. He shot me.
Colin: Long overdue in my opinion.
Not to mention Sarah recalling the chase scenes and all the running over cobblestones. When they returned to London her thighs were very sore.
Colin: So in summary you went to Amsterdam and returned with sore thighs.
Even today, hundreds of tourists go to Amsterdam every year to find themselves grabbed by the chicken.
In Amsterdam, the Chicken chokes YOU
You mean Pakistan?
Grabbed by the chicken, is that a euphemism? If not it should be.
It's important to remember that this story was written by Johnny Byrne who also wrote Nyssas's first story Keeper of Traken.
The way he reasoned it was Nyssa had lost her fathet, friends, whole world , everything.
Adric had been killed. They had parted company with Tegan at the time. The Doctor and the TARDIS were her whole universe.
Hardly surprising that the threat of losing the Doctor would make her become quite desperate and do things normally very out of character for her.
Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi were two Doctors who watched the very first DW episode on original broadcast and were big fans of the show before appearing in guest roles and later the star. Reportedly Baker played Maxil as if he was the main character prompting producer JNT to tell him "It's called Doctor Who, not The Bloke Who's a Guard in the Background". The DVD commentary for this one, and most of this era really, is a joy to listen to.
Some other trivia: Michael Gough (Hedin) was the original Toymaker, Leela was originally meant to appear and her action moments were given over to Nyssa hence why she's so kickass in this and this is the third appearance of Borusa and I've always liked that every time we see him he has a different face whilst being higher on the Time Lord totem pole. Even though it's likely due to actor scheduling conflicts I like how it supports the idea that advancing in Gallifrey politics is Machiavellian and dangerous.
Colin's answer to JNT for me is what later got him the role.
When JNT said "The show is Doctor Who not The Maxil show mate." Colin replied with "Yes but Maxil doesn't know that".
Or words to that effect.
Bwark, bwak bwak bwak, bwark!
@@paulhammond6978
From what I always heard it was later at a party seeing how entertaining Colin was that decided it for JNT.
Colin himself said on the video for the Colin Baker years," I was labouring under the misapprehension that this was the Commander Maxil show and the other characters were all peripheral.JNT thought it was a very arch performance and nicknamed Colin Archie.
Didn't know about the Nyssa/Leela bit👍🎩
_"Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi were two Doctors who watched the very first DW episode on original broadcast and were big fans of the show"_
I've no reason to doubt Colin watched the first episode, and maybe a few others, but I don't believe he was a fan as such. As a trainee solicitor/lawyer in his early 20s at the time, he was hardly the sort of person to have been a devoted follower of a children's teatime programme like Doctor Who.
In contrast, Peter Capaldi was 5 years old in 1963 - the ideal age to get hooked on the show. Capaldi was a fan from the beginning, and remained so for years to come.
12:59 "I'm the Doctor."
"Oh yeah? Well, I'm gonna be the NEXT Doctor!"
"And just to make sure, I'll shoot the current incumbent".
Michael Gough who plays Hedin was the original actor to play the Toymaker and also married to Anneke Wills who played Polly. Michael Gough was also Alfred the butler in the 80's/90's Batman films.
Colin Baker named the helmet he had to carry,Esmerelda.He had to carry it around because he had to duck through every doorway.
Michael Gough who played Councillor Hedin previously played the original Celestial Toymaker.
With Time-flight being the last story of season 19, the producer thought it was a good idea to end on a cliff-hanger (hence Tegan's surprise departure). The first story of season Twenty to be filmed was studio based so they were able to keep Tegan's return hidden from the public - however, it was during filming in Amsterdam there was a photoshoot to show the new companions costumes and so it was at this point fans knew Tegan was coming back.
There was a nine month gap between Time-flight and Arc of Infinity on screen.
Nyssa is served very well by this script - mainly because the writer on this story created the character way back in The Keeper of Traken.
Also, it's good to mention Michael Gough as Hedin - who previously (and thanks to the 60th Anniversary) is probably best remembered as The Celestial Toymaker.
I was waiting for your reaction to Tegan's return - it wasn't as loud as I had imagined.
It’s one of the first manifestations of an increasingly common New Who trait, deciding on a ‘big’ unresolved cliffhanger with a big reveal/twist resolution but forgetting about the actual plot or production around these
Colin is the only Doctor who got the job by shooting the previous one. 😄
And lost it by . . . spoilers!
Long before modern Doctor Who - Where Amy Pond was "The Girl Who Waited" and Clara Oswald was "The Impossible Girl", Tegan Jovanka was "The Loudly Complaining Girl Who Kept Blundering Into The Doctor's Adventures." 😂
By her own admission "The mouth on legs"!
Colin is a criminally underated Doctor, always gives a powerful performance. I was lucky to meet him at a comic con, huge guy, and extremely nice and approachable.
Tegan’s cousins friend is possibly the dampest character in television history. What a performance! Who can’t find a hostel in Amsterdam!! The hostel capital of the planet! His fear of roving bands of passport police is pretty insane.
Loved your reaction to Tegan’s return, just mad mad plotting, and I think you’re one of the only people in history who had the surprise maintained
The passport thing is so stupid!
As a very wet-behind-the-ears youngster on my very first trip abroad, I lost my passport. This was in France where it's technically a requirement to have formal ID on you at all times. Anyway, I went to the police, I explained what had happened, they asked various questions, and they issued me with a temporary identity document. I was able to continue with the rest of my holiday without any difficulty. This was only about ten years after this episode was broadcast.
Talk about trying to create a reason for him not to tell anyone his friend was probably dead, you're right
Well, he was a kid who probably was just panicking. Sometimes desperation overcomes reason.
Thankfully they didn't discuss abandoning Tegan last story so Big Finish can find a nice spot for plenty of 5/Nyssa adventures. Also while there has been continuity following stories this era, there was obviously a year gap between the seasons so it's a bit more understandable they wouldn't bring it up since it wasn't something that just happened last week. Oh and Borusa makes his third appearance with this story (first appeared in The Deadly Assassin and then The Invasion of Time), it's been a while so understandable you wouldn't recognise the name and they recast a different actor again.
18:56 the Timelord on the left was played by Michael Gough who also played the original Celestial Toymaker as well as Alfred, butler to Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne.
It was Colin Baker's performance as Commander Maxil (which, according to Colin, producer John Nathan-Turner repeatedly told him to "tone down") that first brought him to the attention of the production office. Shortly after production wrapped on this story, Lynn Richards (the Assistant Floor Manager), invited Colin to her wedding reception. Amongst the other guests were Ron Jones (director), Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Eric Saward (script editor), John Nathan-Turner and Gary Downie (JNT's partner). Baker has stated since that it was his entertaining form at the wedding party that directly led to his eventual casting as the Sixth Doctor. He basically was Peter Capaldi before Peter Capaldi!
Despite this major casting, I was never a fan of Arc of Infinity. Bland direction, loud music and stilted dialogue. This and Time-Flight make a nightmarish double bill.
That is Colin toning it down. This one goes to 11. ( kidding)
Some time has passed since they left Tegan, you'll notice Nyssa looks older. This gives a lot of space for the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa's Big Finish audio adventures.
Nyssa not being human, and Trakenites apparently having longer lifespans (wasn't the Keeper over 300 years old?) we really don't know how long the interval was between Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity. Could be months...could be decades...
@@captmurdockIt does my nut why everyone wants aliens who we won't get to be, to have longer lifespans
@@captmurdock Since Nyssa is probably a lot older than she looks, let shake up the whoniverse and say they became lovers during those years. I would love the fans to react to that storyline.
@@SKIP-yj3xp
Literotica Dr who fanfiction
Coin Baker always wanted to play the Doctor so when he was offered the part of Commander Maxil he was unsure. But his agent said, "Come on Colin. The chance of you playing the Doctor is extremely unlikely. Take the job"
Councillor Hedin played by Michael Gough who appeared earlier as the Toymaker....this episode SO very Timey Wimey
And wibbly wobbly.
@@darthken815 definately wibbled and wobbled
Nissa: "So anyway, I started blasting..."
Nyssa
@@Jeremy-f3s Nescafe
@@jasoncaldwell5627 you spelt her name wrong, it's Y not an I
@@Jeremy-f3s I used the Gallifreyian spelling. Her name means "math nerd".
@@jasoncaldwell5627 the Gallifreyans would call her Nescafe?
I was waiting for a "Oh these bundles of joy." When the Time Lords arrived.
You'll notice that Colin never puts his helmet on, that's because the helmet and feather plume made him too tall to walk through any door, so he had to hold it.
Colin called the helmet Gertrude and made chicken noises around the set.
Colin Baker once joked that the only way he could get Peter's job was by shooting him haha - I also forgot The Toymaker's actor was in this one.
Every time you watch one of these that feature the Time Lords, I always remember you watching "The Three Doctors" and going, "Oh, these bundles of joy!" 🤣
Colin Baker had played a villain in another sci-fi series from the late 1970s to early 1980s, he was awesome in that role and also it is worth seeing the series Seska it was made by Terry Nation who invented the Dreaded Daleks.
This is like Peter Capaldi being in Fires of Pompeii and Torchwood before being Doctor. There is a great Big Finish audio where Colin Baker is a guest star, and you think the Doctor will be in it, and the twist is it is Maxill. They've done this with Romana once too, they had Princess Astrid return with a similar fake-out.
I think the Staser blasts are greyish-pink on stun, and full red on kill based on prior shots fired, so pretty sure guards were just stunned by Nyssa.
In the 1982 Hound of the Baskervilles, with Tom Baker as Holmes, the guy playing Dr. Mortimer REALLY reminds of of Capaldi....I'm not sure if it's him or not, not even Tom himself was sure on the DVD commentary.
Colin Baker accepted the job. as an actor, yet he believed (interviews) that he would therefore never have a chance to be cast as The Doctor. And, that he didn't go off to film in Amsterdam.
This is the second international location to film, after Paris,France in 1979. On the recent Blu-ray collection of the 20th Season, (delayed filming, like 2 years, due to Covid travel) our TARDIS team returns to Amsterdam to check locations. They have fun.
I studied in Europe, and further travels,....I've visited more of the Netherlands, and have a Dutch friend here in Ohio,...Amsterdam, is a fine city, even without the indulgence. (museums, food, beer,)
13:35 Michael Gough the original Celestial Toymaker.
And Alfred from the old Batman movies!!
“Arc of Infinity” seems to get a bad rap from a lot of Who fans, but I thought it was a good story to open the 20th season of Doctor Who. The Time Lords are back! Tegan is back, and the villain is… well, let’s just say there are a lot of “blasts from the past,” in this season (naturally with it being the shows 20th anniversary) and there’s only two stories I feel are below par, making it a slightly lesser season than season 19 (where “Time-Flight,” for me was the only below par story).
Your reaction on seeing Colin Baker and Janet Fielding’s return as Tegan was great. “Arc of Infinity” was the 2nd classic Doctor Who story to be filmed abroad (after season 17’s visit to Paris in “City of Death,”) but using Amsterdam as a location was a very tenuous story link to justify going there in the story, as well as giving the cast and crew a good holiday “knees up,” no doubt.
When I first watched this story, I was sure that Maxil was the 6th Doctor in descise. Especially because Colin Baker portrayed both characters like the same person in different ways. 😄
Although he is happy with Nyssa. Dont worry (and its no spoiler)Tegans not going anywhere for a while yet Jess. But the Doctors face at the end of the story is hillarious. 😂
“Er, have you seen this face before? It’s funny, because... I’m sure that I have.”
"Stop answering back!" My parent's (and many others in England) constant refrain. The Doctor doesn't like companions who answer back, i.e. argue with him. So he dumped Tegan at the earliest opportunity.
As we've entered the 20th season, so too have we reached the 20th anniversary. As such, you'll notice various callbacks, references, returning monsters, characters, and even a glimpse into the shows future with one actor. Get ready for a whole bunch of stuff this season.
This is one of the best!
Always nice to see Gallifrey in the Classic series! We really see how pompous the Time Lords are and Why the Doctor Left Gallifrey so long ago!
Yup..Tegan is Back! New hair, Nice clothes. This is her Pat Benatar/Sheena Easton Phase! You'll understand more later!
Janet Fielding's new haircut was a result of producer John Nathan-Turner wanting her to have a distinctive hairstyle when she joined the series. It ended up frying her hair! So, she got a pixie cut between seasons to prevent her hair from being messed with again.
Surprise It’s Colin Baker before playing the Doctor! Of course many years later same thing happened to Peter Capaldi when he played a character in the show before becoming the doctor. My experience with Arc of Infinity is this was another story i got from Oxfam charity shop again on vhs. I don’t mind Arc of Infinity i do quite enjoy but never followed the story that well. Btw i met Colin Baker twice, first met him at Comic con in Worcestershire many years ago and I’ve met him again this year at Gloucester he signed my copy of season 22 lovely man
Nice reaction Jess. I was glad to see Tegan return as well when i first watched this story. Mind you, the teenage me did have a massive crush on her at the time!!😁
Nyssa with a gun goes so hard
Colin Baker reportedly was disappointed to be cast as Maxwell int his. When his agent asked why, he apparently responded that he wouldn't ever get to play the Doctor now.
(I think that's something Colin Baker's said in an interview or commentary, but I'm not certain of that)
Always liked Arc of Infinity, quite an interesting story.
Also don't look at the title of the last story in this season, will be more exciting for you.
Leonard Sachs (The Chancellor?) was most famous in the UK for being the Maitre Dee of the old time music hall entertainment show 'The Good Old Days'. Think Henry Gordon Jago.
A fairly good story, which I remember buying when it was first released on VHS, at a signing by Sarah Sutton! Sadly I was too shy to talk to her so that was something I've regretted for years... Oh well!
Jess bringing up Nyssa at the end and trying to be invested in her distress is interesting-- it's clear from Nyssa's actions but this is one of those stories that did happen at the time-- there's almost no dialogue to establish character, it's all very functional. Nyssa is pretty much there to offer observations and build the plot with everyone else, there's not even a brief scene about her relationship with the Doctor, who she is, what motivates her etc, which you'd think would be a chance they'd take here, especially with her original creator coming back to write. It's not terrible but it's slightly lacking, is all.
This I found great as nyssa was the main companion in this story plus the return of omega after all these years 😊
Pierce Brosnan was supposed to play Colin Baker's part of Maxil or maybe The Castellan but Brosnan got cast in Remington Steele.
The Nyssa with a gun scenes were meant to be Leela with a gun but Leela actress Louise Jameson wasn't booked.
I'm not sure whether that's true because Pierce used the proceeds from his bit part in The Long Good Friday (1980) which was probably filmed in 1979 to travel to America where as you say he landed Remington Steele which first screened in 1982 so I don't think he would've still been applying for English roles as he would've been gone by the time they filmed this and already under contract for Steele by 1981.
@@Jeremy-f3s you are probably right but that's been the official story for decades.
@@BernardJKD time to get the facts right then, so Pierce has always said he used the money from his minor role in The Long Good Friday to fund his trip to America, that was shot in 79, released in 80 and Remington Steele started in 1982 so he might've been down through casting agents for other British roles but for Doctor Who which probably shot this series in 1980 themselves he couldn't have been available cos he would've been in America by then. As there is really only a year between him finishing the film then getting Remington Steele which he would've secured by 1981.
@@Jeremy-f3s This was filmed in mid-1982. I know zero about Brosnan's career at that stage. It may have been that JNT put feelers out to his agent who hedged his bets. There's nothing to stop Brosnan flying back to do a Who. He was a jobbing actor who had very few lines on his cv by then.
@@BernardJKD Nah the way Americans do business if he had landed a starring role in their show his contract wouldn't be allowing him to do external projects. Nor would he have any need to. Remington Steele was a lead role in a show that became a success, by the 90s he never had to do TV again, he'd graduated to just movies and has never looked back. That was probably a booking made before he got the RS role.
Maxill is interesting because Colin Baker had mainly played baddies and will be important in a season and abit after being entertaining at a wedding party John Nathan Turner decided he'd be the 6th doctor.
Of course the reason the Ergon (the giant chicken) is bald is because Maxil has plucked it clean to use the feathers on his helmet. Colin Baker must have made a bit of an impression. During rehearsals, head honcho John Nathan-Turner came up to him and asked 'Do you know the name of this show?' - to which Baker replied 'Doctor Who' - 'Oh, it's not called Maxil then?' the Producer rejoined. Baker's spritely mind sprung into action and he explained how, in all our lives, we are the main character. Little did he know...
Like Peter Capaldi before him nobody knew not even Colin Baker ever thought in a million years that he would become the next Doctor.
Also i'm very surprised you hadn't recognised Omega who first appeared back in "The Three Doctors".
"He (Colin Baker) is intense."
Oh, Sesska, you haven't seen anything yet...
Time changes how we view a story. Back then, it was an entirely different actor in this story that made older fans go 'Hang on a minute...'. This adventure is not exactly 'The Giggle' but it does feature a returning companion, the first appearance of a future Doctor (let the conspiracy theories run amok there) and even The Toymaker (Councillor Hedin is played by Michael Gough - occasional 'Alfred' in the Batman films, plus the former husband of Anneke 'Polly' Wills - and the previous face of that God-like being back in 1966). But I was 10 and new to fandom and it flew right over my head...
Honestly I think the 5th would have been even better with just Nyssa as the sole companion as part of this story shows.
Arc of Infinity, another 5th Doctor story I'm fond of, I've long had a fun fan theory that (retroactively) Commander Maxil was indeed actually the 6th Doctor, acting in incognito or something, sent back down his time-stream, possibly on a secret mission for the future Time Lords, maybe (possibly the 5th Doctor realised this then they met)... I mean, wouldn't that be a great crossover 6th Doctor "missing" story, running parallel with Ark of Infinity, possibly one featuring a certain villain of his era you've yet to meet, crossing paths with the villain of this story, perhaps trying to hijack this villain's plot..?
I hate all this garbage head canon.
@@BernardJKD sorry about that
Oh come on, Jess, what could possibly go wrong when spending the night in a crypt in a Doctor Who episode? In a foreign country. When you've lost your passport.
Your reactions to both Tegan coming back and Colin Baker made this reaction so great to watch. :) It is so weird that the Doctor and Nyssa don't mention Tegan even once in these first two parts. Even though she comes back, they don't know that. It makes the Doctor come across as kind of a jerk, not saying goodbye and not even acknowledging she's gone.
I like to believe there was a bit of a gap in time between seasons where the 5th Doctor and Nyssa had various adventures in the Big Finish audios, so Tegan leaving hasn't recently happened.
Also the Doctor does tend to move on from companions pretty quickly 😂
Peter Davison Always Said He Would Of Loved To Come Back As A Guest Star In Doctor Who Just To Shoot Colin Baker
Lots of both new characters and old memories in this season.
That new outfit Tegan has on looks not very stable with no support. We'll get to that in a later episode!
One of my personal favourite 5th Doctor stories
For those who follow these reactions regularly, I suspect we might recall your response to Sarah Jane Smith suddenly up and leaving at the end of 'The Hand of Fear' (which, in real time, was something like 6 and a half years before this) and how you couldn't be certain if that was a permanent break. Hence all the carefully guarded comments last week!
Since 12 and 14 both subconsciously chose their faces in order to send themselves a message, you've gotta wonder what 6 was trying to tell himself by taking on the face of the dude who shot him.
The Celestial Toymaker returned as Councillor Hedin lol
Unlike today, where the location shooting ranges from Utah to.... South Wales.... Dr Who in the olden days really didn't travel far outside of southern England. This is only the second exception - after Paris in 'The City of Death'.
Love your reaction to Tegan returning ! You are going to love this 2nd series as it goes on.
I forgot that Michael Gough (the Toymaker) returns for this story.
This story gets a hammering from a lot of fans, and I'm not entirely sure why. I don't think it's a brilliant story, but it's okay. That said, I have no idea what they were thinking when they came up with that "giant chicken"! (And it's crazy the same team came up with such a great look for the antagonist.)
I'd love an explanation about why the sixth Doctor looks like maxilon, In universe.
I do tend to think that, if Leela really was still on Gallifrey at this time, nothing would keep her from coming to see the Doctor again. And, if she found out what the Time Lords were planning to do to him, she would have made Nyssa's response look like a vicarage tea party.
Ah, the 20th anniversary season. So many old friends and enemies...
I forgot it was the anniversary season. Hopefully, no one gives any spoilers away.
My Teenage Crush Story - This takes place before I started highschool. Even though I live in Philadelphia, PA, I went to a comicbook shop that sold Doctor Who Weekly!!! One day I went in and on the cover was Tegan with her new hairstyle and this outfit!! ZAP!!!!! Hahaha!! I don't know how long I stared at the cover, but for years afterward, you know I owned every issue with her on it! I never even liked that style before I saw her, but to this day, short hair can look good to me!
The Big Bad is a villain we've seen before, but he had a slightly different look. This was a story that would have been better either as a 6 parter or keeping it set on Gallifrey, but everyone got to go to Amsterdam and film, whatcha gonna do?
I think one of the most impressive things is that the classic era of Doctor Who lasted as long as it did on the premise that 98% of the time an alien species is on-screen, it should be accompanied by the most shrill, brain-piercing sound effect that technology is currently able to produce. I love the show but they sure went out of their way to find new methods of creating agony in my earholes.
That gun sounds exactly like them 1980s electric gun's.
That is the 6th doctor yes, but the trouble was is that they've never explained throughout classic who why the 6th doctor appeared here and then eventually became the 6th doctor later on.
I just got this week was season 20 on blu ray and just watch this story the other day. I like it. Tegan new hair cut and out of her cabin crew outfit.
7:15 That creature reminds me of Metroid's space pirates.
Drama on Gallifrey... I love it.
Love Nyssa in this
The leaving behind of Tegan always was a ploy to make viewers tune in the next season...Tegan never was going to leave the show then!🎩
I Haven't watched your reactions yet but as a person who have seen the whole of the classic series i know you got a few surprises as to who appears in the story. I am not a person who minds spoilers as it usually enhances my enjoyment of what is to come snd as a person who rewatch es a lot of my favourite programs it dosn't really bother me. Looking forward to your future Who reactions.
Welcome back Tegan
ALERT...ALERT...Arcane season 2 will be on Netflix November 2. According to some stories, this will be the final chapter of a truly great story, and the final season of the show. Mark your calendars!
Colin Baker is one of the best people on planet Earth!
Really curious to see what you made of the final shot of part 4.
I remember reading about this story and really looking forward to it, but watching it and discovering that it mainly takes place in Amsterdam left me disappointed.
I was hoping for a Gallifrey mystery
I forgot the celestial toymaker actor was in this!!!
Some wag said that there's only ever one story with Time Lords, in stories where Gallifrey appears, from Troughton's final episodes onwards, there is always a traitor. I guess that's true. At least Leela got a nice mention here. I wonder what K-9 mark I is up to?
Charging
INFINITY
I like how bouncy Nyssa's has was in this one. :3
"Foreigners get lost all the time" keep in mind jess this was 1983 you have to look at this in context not 2024.
Season 20-the season of surprises. can't wait for the rest of your reaction to this season. Tegan returning was the first. sorry spoilers.
Good episode, but my god the music, so repetitive and annoying.
Your craziness is confirmed as being independent of the facts contained within this episode.
Yes,it's very obvious who the Gallifrey traitor is as the actor's dislike voice us barely disguised🙄🎩
Have you skipped the 5 doctors ? 20th anniversary episode one of the very best 👌👌
The Five Doctors is after Season 20, not before.
Colin Baker was known for playing alot of arseholes before he got the Doctor, before this he was known as one of the main antagonists of a drama called The Brothers in the 70s so he was no doubt cast as that character cos they needed another arsehole type.
6…
Noticed lots of spoilers about Colin.
Calm it down peeps, shes not that far yet.
She literally him as the doctor in 13ths last story 😂😂😂😂
@@KentuckyBrad
O yeah true.
Forget she's going backwards.
The Doctor left Nyssa's girlfriend behind!
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While it’s nice Tegan never went away really, this is so bad. Amateur hour production (with some very amateur acting ). The second abysmal story in a row