I remember borrowing this story from my next door neighbour. Invasion of Time is pretty interesting story I say, When Tom Baker raises he’s voice in theses episodes it pretty chilling and scary.
This was one of my favourites when I was younger, the endless jelly baby jokes kept me laughing whilst Tom Baker's snappish, volatile performance as a treacherous Doctor had me in suspense. Other highlights are Milton Johns as craven Castellan Kelner and John Arnatt as sly Borusa whose mentor-student interactions with the Doctor are as charming as ever. Now, not so much. Still a fun watch with some ambitious ideas, but among many shortcomings, this definitely felt like the moment the Time Lords jumped the shark and lost their mystique.
I think a main problem with the Time Lords is that they only have one story. Every time the Doctor shows up there he gets arrested, or claims the Presidency, or both.
This story was a last minute replacement for a story called Killers of the Dark, which was also going to be set on Gallifrey. Killers of the Dark was abandoned as the scripts called for things that were far beyond the show's budget. As you might have surmised from the Vardans literally being made of aluminum foil, the show was involved in a bit of a budget crunch at the time. The upside of this was, if you were also a fan of the British Children's program Blue Peter, where they occasionally made arts and crafts projects inspired by Doctor Who out of items like pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks or aluminum foil, you could make a super realistic model of a Vardan.😂
Hah! That's an upside that never occurred to me. =:o} (I'd kinda grown out of making such things by now. 12 years old, and transitioning from Lego to electronics. =:o} )
I'm sure by now you've noticed a trend since Season 13 that seasons have been comprised of 5 4-part stories with the final story being 6-parts. Just thought I'd point it out as it's an interesting structure throughout the Tom Baker era. And also, not sure if you noticed or if it's mentioned in the story but you met Borusa last season in The Deadly Assassin played by a different actor. I quite like that they reuse a character for Gallifrey stories to keep some kind of continuity and familiarity despite it being another actor.
Tom baker was a hell of an actor, he plays scary really, really well, you should check out his Rasputin, WoW, he has such a wide range, and yet always seems to be Tom baker, gota love him.
Alot of people dislike this one i personally love it i love seeing more of Gallifrey and exploring around the planet alittle more i love Tom Baker doing the crazy William Shatner (Captain Kirk) acting and the fourth wall breaking i love it even the tin foil creatures i love that K-9 has alot to do and Leela doing her own thing when you say it drags it does but it takes patience and keeps the suspense going where use to shows now where things have to go fast, fast, fast but i personally don't mind abit of slow.
This Story is sooo GOOD!!!!!!!! A Bit Long...But Ohhh Sooo Good!! The "Even The Sonic screddriver won't get me out odf this one" an Epic 4th Wall Break! You will recognize part of Leela following the Doctor down the corridor. The same scene was in "Name of the Doctor". It that, it was Clara, But this is the real scene, with Leela!!
This was one of the first classic stories I saw and is one of my favourites. It seems to be the best use of Gallifrey in the franchise and explores a different side to the Doctor. He's now a leader and a traitor. That evil laugh at the end of episode two is one of my favourites (another appears latter on) John Arnattt is my favourite incarnation of Borusa. It's the perfect blend of politician, teacher and reluctant friend
The interactions between Tom as the Doctor and John as Borusa is what makes this serial quite good. I love the subterfuge of not knowing what the Doctor is up to that keeps us guessing. I personally like this serial quite a lot because of all this mystery and how it adds to the lore about Gallifrey.
Always nice to see how much you enjoy K9 and Leela. :) I really like Leela's line "I will try" when asked not to kill anyone. I don't like those tin foil creatures introduced at the end. I never had a problem with the bubble wrap being used for the monster in "Ark in Space" but the tin foil does bother me.
I seem to remember Chris Tranchell (Andred) on children's TV growing up. He seems dashing enough, but has to play second fiddle to Milton Johns (now sans eyepatch) as - presumably - a different Castellan to the one we saw before. This is the problem with Gallifrey stories: you could trip over a brick in the morning and be somebody else by lunchtime.
THIS story!! There is plenty of controversy over parts of it, but this start, with The Doctor seemingly evil. is great! When you think back to The Deadly Assassin, just going to Gallifrey was reason enough to get Sarah-Jane to leave. That's also when he was elected President, so now he returns to claim it. That he's doing so much to keep Leela out of it shows how being on Gallifrey used to be! As time passes, that part of it goes away. Some of these Gallifreyan characters will return, and one will inspire a whole new character!!
The Actor Milton Johns who plays Kelner is no stranger to Dr.Who. He first appeared in The Enemy of the World as Benik. He also appeared in The Android Invasion as Crayford.
That bit with Leela locked out of the TARDIS and the Doctor with his hands over his ears as she can be heard pounding on the door: quite revealing, and very well acted. Both Baker and Leeson as K-9 not answering, suggests something is known to them that they can't tell Leela (because her mind can be probed?). Loved this one, especially how the Vardans actually epitomise the 'tinfoil aliens' that low budgets bring out, while actually being...
You’re right about the story being dragged a little in the first two parts, but that’s mainly an issue because they needed to make it a 6-parter. The next 4 parts is where the action is. The first two parts sorta serve as a kind of introduction to the setting, if you can say that…
K9: Speak! Tardis: Beep boop! K9: You are a very stupid machine! Nah but K9’s b*tchy rivalry with machines is so funny especially knowing how he’d eventually be with Mr Smith. I like the first few parts of this story but then it kinda loses its way for me with the remaining parts.
I found this story intriguing when I first watched it, but found that it hasn't stood up well on re-watches. This is also an episode too long imo. Will be interested to see your reactions to the later episodes.
My sister and I first saw this when we were kids in the 80s. We still quote lines from it to this day. It's genuinely good and cheesy at the same time. Definitely a classic. PS Excellent review! Nice to see younger people enjoying classic sci-fi.
If you think the ceremony looks strange and archaic, perhaps you should try out the state opening of parliament here. This is lightweight by comparison.
At times this episodes feels like 3-in-1. Like the writers just used leftover elements form other episodes, mashed them together, then said good enough. That said... a guilty pleasure of mine. Lmao.
An intriguing opening to a story that should be an epic, but is nonetheless restricted to Wood Lane. But, unlike his immediate predecessor, you can actually believe that this Doctor might be turning bad. Whether this is down to Tom Baker's capacity to do villains as well as he does this famous boho is up to the individual to decide. But he's definitely grown in confidence since his last meeting with Borusa - more stuffy and dignified than before.
This Doctor possibly turning bad does make some sense. In the 20th anniversary, the original pitch, before Baker opted out, was to have the Fourth Doctor betray the others.
My intro to the Doctor was at the end of Pertwee's run and the beginning of Tom Baker. From then on I was hooked. Most fans today don't like the old series because it can't match the modern effects, it is a bit dated and hokey, but it is so much fun. Thanks for doing a retro run and letting us share with you. BTW, you can order your own batch of Jelly Babies from the Internet.
I can't ever not see the cliffhanger to part two as being Tom Baker corpsing and pissing himself laughing at the 'special' effect of the Vardans. Even though he obviously couldn't see it on set at the time. They really are laughable villains.
Ah! Attack of the Tinfoilians! Unfortunately, what is a perfectly good story is derailed buy both rampant inflation destroying the budget and strikes at the BBC forcing the production team to make some unfortunate scenery choices.
These Gallifrey based stories in the Tom Baker era were hard to like. Lots happens but you spend most of the episodes wondering "what the hell is going on". I don't think I'd have ever been able to watch this or Deadly Assassin one episode per week. Too random and very little to latch onto that'll pull you through the whole thing. The recurring Time Lord characters are nice though.
I was so excited to watch this when I got it on DVD. Then I watched it and was highly disappointed. Granted I wasn’t used to Classic Who at that stage. But I was massively let down by this story on a first watch. It’s so cheap and mundane for what it is.
It’s a mess. I know they had to extemporise and had all sorts of behind the scenes headaches, but it just doesn’t work in any level. It is more interesting than Underworld though, as damming with faint praise as that is
I find this story is let down by the second half, which is a real shame as these first two episode are good. This story is just too long, lacking enough substance to fill all six parts. I place this story at the lower end of the 4th Doctors adventures. Such a shame as its a landmark story, an end of an era story that just fizzled out.
I remember borrowing this story from my next door neighbour. Invasion of Time is pretty interesting story I say, When Tom Baker raises he’s voice in theses episodes it pretty chilling and scary.
This was one of my favourites when I was younger, the endless jelly baby jokes kept me laughing whilst Tom Baker's snappish, volatile performance as a treacherous Doctor had me in suspense. Other highlights are Milton Johns as craven Castellan Kelner and John Arnatt as sly Borusa whose mentor-student interactions with the Doctor are as charming as ever.
Now, not so much. Still a fun watch with some ambitious ideas, but among many shortcomings, this definitely felt like the moment the Time Lords jumped the shark and lost their mystique.
I think a main problem with the Time Lords is that they only have one story. Every time the Doctor shows up there he gets arrested, or claims the Presidency, or both.
This story was a last minute replacement for a story called Killers of the Dark, which was also going to be set on Gallifrey. Killers of the Dark was abandoned as the scripts called for things that were far beyond the show's budget. As you might have surmised from the Vardans literally being made of aluminum foil, the show was involved in a bit of a budget crunch at the time. The upside of this was, if you were also a fan of the British Children's program Blue Peter, where they occasionally made arts and crafts projects inspired by Doctor Who out of items like pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks or aluminum foil, you could make a super realistic model of a Vardan.😂
Hah! That's an upside that never occurred to me. =:o} (I'd kinda grown out of making such things by now. 12 years old, and transitioning from Lego to electronics. =:o} )
I'm sure by now you've noticed a trend since Season 13 that seasons have been comprised of 5 4-part stories with the final story being 6-parts. Just thought I'd point it out as it's an interesting structure throughout the Tom Baker era. And also, not sure if you noticed or if it's mentioned in the story but you met Borusa last season in The Deadly Assassin played by a different actor. I quite like that they reuse a character for Gallifrey stories to keep some kind of continuity and familiarity despite it being another actor.
The Doctor channelling Boris Johnson in these episodes.
Tom baker was a hell of an actor, he plays scary really, really well, you should check out his Rasputin, WoW, he has such a wide range, and yet always seems to be Tom baker, gota love him.
Alot of people dislike this one i personally love it i love seeing more of Gallifrey and exploring around the planet alittle more i love Tom Baker doing the crazy William Shatner (Captain Kirk) acting and the fourth wall breaking i love it even the tin foil creatures i love that K-9 has alot to do and Leela doing her own thing when you say it drags it does but it takes patience and keeps the suspense going where use to shows now where things have to go fast, fast, fast but i personally don't mind abit of slow.
I LOVE this story. Tom is on FIRE.
4:05 Before K9 Mk IV and Mr Smith, there was K9 Mk I and the TARDIS 😅
This Story is sooo GOOD!!!!!!!! A Bit Long...But Ohhh Sooo Good!!
The "Even The Sonic screddriver won't get me out odf this one" an Epic 4th Wall Break!
You will recognize part of Leela following the Doctor down the corridor. The same scene was in "Name of the Doctor". It that, it was Clara, But this is the real scene, with Leela!!
The first ever Doctor Who story that I remember. In 1978 I was about three years old.
You were born in 1963
Tom Baker gave his most aggressive performance as the Doctor in this story.
I still wonder how many fans at the time shouted 'A Woman!' when Rodan appeared. She provides such a contrast to Leela...
I don't recall much fuss at all - I was a member of DWAS at the time.
I love how crazy this one is.
It's wild. A constant parade of crosses & double crosses.
This was one of the first classic stories I saw and is one of my favourites. It seems to be the best use of Gallifrey in the franchise and explores a different side to the Doctor. He's now a leader and a traitor. That evil laugh at the end of episode two is one of my favourites (another appears latter on) John Arnattt is my favourite incarnation of Borusa. It's the perfect blend of politician, teacher and reluctant friend
The interactions between Tom as the Doctor and John as Borusa is what makes this serial quite good. I love the subterfuge of not knowing what the Doctor is up to that keeps us guessing. I personally like this serial quite a lot because of all this mystery and how it adds to the lore about Gallifrey.
Always nice to see how much you enjoy K9 and Leela. :) I really like Leela's line "I will try" when asked not to kill anyone.
I don't like those tin foil creatures introduced at the end. I never had a problem with the bubble wrap being used for the monster in "Ark in Space" but the tin foil does bother me.
I seem to remember Chris Tranchell (Andred) on children's TV growing up. He seems dashing enough, but has to play second fiddle to Milton Johns (now sans eyepatch) as - presumably - a different Castellan to the one we saw before. This is the problem with Gallifrey stories: you could trip over a brick in the morning and be somebody else by lunchtime.
This was Tranchell's 3rd story after The Massacre and The Faceless Ones (currently being reacted to by The Shallow Proclamation)
THIS story!! There is plenty of controversy over parts of it, but this start, with The Doctor seemingly evil. is great! When you think back to The Deadly Assassin, just going to Gallifrey was reason enough to get Sarah-Jane to leave. That's also when he was elected President, so now he returns to claim it. That he's doing so much to keep Leela out of it shows how being on Gallifrey used to be! As time passes, that part of it goes away.
Some of these Gallifreyan characters will return, and one will inspire a whole new character!!
The Actor Milton Johns who plays Kelner is no stranger to Dr.Who. He first appeared in The Enemy of the World as Benik. He also appeared in The Android Invasion as Crayford.
That bit with Leela locked out of the TARDIS and the Doctor with his hands over his ears as she can be heard pounding on the door: quite revealing, and very well acted.
Both Baker and Leeson as K-9 not answering, suggests something is known to them that they can't tell Leela (because her mind can be probed?).
Loved this one, especially how the Vardans actually epitomise the 'tinfoil aliens' that low budgets bring out, while actually being...
You’re right about the story being dragged a little in the first two parts, but that’s mainly an issue because they needed to make it a 6-parter.
The next 4 parts is where the action is. The first two parts sorta serve as a kind of introduction to the setting, if you can say that…
K9: Speak!
Tardis: Beep boop!
K9: You are a very stupid machine!
Nah but K9’s b*tchy rivalry with machines is so funny especially knowing how he’d eventually be with Mr Smith.
I like the first few parts of this story but then it kinda loses its way for me with the remaining parts.
I found this story intriguing when I first watched it, but found that it hasn't stood up well on re-watches. This is also an episode too long imo. Will be interested to see your reactions to the later episodes.
It feels like two stories stitched together. The first half is the better part, but once the true antagonists show up, it falls to pieces.
@@Rocket1377 Spoilers!
My sister and I first saw this when we were kids in the 80s. We still quote lines from it to this day. It's genuinely good and cheesy at the same time. Definitely a classic.
PS Excellent review! Nice to see younger people enjoying classic sci-fi.
Quite like this story, you've gotta love the 4th Doctor in this one.
If you think the ceremony looks strange and archaic, perhaps you should try out the state opening of parliament here. This is lightweight by comparison.
Ah yes the infamous the invasion of time can’t wait how the rest of your reaction to story goes
At times this episodes feels like 3-in-1. Like the writers just used leftover elements form other episodes, mashed them together, then said good enough. That said... a guilty pleasure of mine. Lmao.
An intriguing opening to a story that should be an epic, but is nonetheless restricted to Wood Lane. But, unlike his immediate predecessor, you can actually believe that this Doctor might be turning bad. Whether this is down to Tom Baker's capacity to do villains as well as he does this famous boho is up to the individual to decide. But he's definitely grown in confidence since his last meeting with Borusa - more stuffy and dignified than before.
This Doctor possibly turning bad does make some sense. In the 20th anniversary, the original pitch, before Baker opted out, was to have the Fourth Doctor betray the others.
Just a reminder Borusa was The Doctor Mentor at the Academy I think a part of him is disappointed in the Doctor
My intro to the Doctor was at the end of Pertwee's run and the beginning of Tom Baker. From then on I was hooked. Most fans today don't like the old series because it can't match the modern effects, it is a bit dated and hokey, but it is so much fun. Thanks for doing a retro run and letting us share with you. BTW, you can order your own batch of Jelly Babies from the Internet.
The deadly tinfoil strips. 😂😂
“They put an amber alert on me! On me? Cheek!”
If that doesn’t sum up how the Doctor feels about Gallifrey nothing else will.
I can't ever not see the cliffhanger to part two as being Tom Baker corpsing and pissing himself laughing at the 'special' effect of the Vardans. Even though he obviously couldn't see it on set at the time. They really are laughable villains.
Favorite story of the season
PLEASE watch the rest of this with the CGI effects.
OH MY GOD! You're HERE! So happy!
Ah! Attack of the Tinfoilians! Unfortunately, what is a perfectly good story is derailed buy both rampant inflation destroying the budget and strikes at the BBC forcing the production team to make some unfortunate scenery choices.
"the Doctor gone bad???" of course not but what the hell is going on?? this plot device needs to used again it just works
We will never look at tin foil the same way again.
Always felt this should have been a four parter it had a lot of filler in parts that could have cut out two parts
Whooo!
We're still looking for the Teapot of Rassilon
When I first saw this, I was like, "What in the **** is going on?"
I think because Dr Who was SO popular at the time the producers felt they could spread the episodes more thinly and save money. 😟
We are all.waiting for one thing arent we all?? 😂😂😂Next time.
This story is very draged out over 6 episodes, if it was re-edited for a modern Dr Who retelling it would be far shorter.
[NODS] It suffers a lot from being rushed together at the last minute. The core ideas and plot are brilliant, but there's an awful lot of padding.
I fear we are going to hear a lot of those "just WHAT?" comments in the future...
The special edition of this story is much better as there is less tinfoil in it.
extraction movie ❤
These Gallifrey based stories in the Tom Baker era were hard to like.
Lots happens but you spend most of the episodes wondering "what the hell is going on".
I don't think I'd have ever been able to watch this or Deadly Assassin one episode per week.
Too random and very little to latch onto that'll pull you through the whole thing.
The recurring Time Lord characters are nice though.
Spread a little thin. Hang with it though.
I Like Doctor Who
I was so excited to watch this when I got it on DVD. Then I watched it and was highly disappointed.
Granted I wasn’t used to Classic Who at that stage. But I was massively let down by this story on a first watch. It’s so cheap and mundane for what it is.
It’s a mess. I know they had to extemporise and had all sorts of behind the scenes headaches, but it just doesn’t work in any level.
It is more interesting than Underworld though, as damming with faint praise as that is
I find this story is let down by the second half, which is a real shame as these first two episode are good. This story is just too long, lacking enough substance to fill all six parts. I place this story at the lower end of the 4th Doctors adventures. Such a shame as its a landmark story, an end of an era story that just fizzled out.
Two episodes too long. Ruined Gallifrey and Time Lords almost as bad as Russell T. Davies in TEOT.
You over react
Tom Baker was scary in this his screaming and anger