Classic Who "City of Death" Parts 1&2 Reaction

[@TheElderBlotch]

City Of Death is top-notch Doctor Who, it's clever, creative, charming and fun in equal measure and the pièce de résistance of the Graham Williams era. You've got one of the wittiest scripts imaginable and Tom Baker, at his most magnetic, is having a ball delivering a plethora of killer lines, Lalla Ward who by her second outing is owning the role of Romana, excellent villains with the elegantly deadly Countess and the two-faced Count played by Julian Glover whose bad guy resume is a sight to behold and Duggan who's up there as one of the all-time greatest side-characters who would have made a hell of a companion. Even the seemingly generic title is a French pun and it's the first time the show filmed abroad so that Paris bouquet is bona fide! And the Jagaroth spaceship is one of the best special effects in the show. Timeless.

[@rogershore3128]

Really is top level on so many areas..... It's the scale of the story in what it does and it's very dark when you scratch the service...... I never get tired of it and it's as much fun as when I watched it in 1979....

[@GedUK]

@@rogershore3128 Have you read Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency? Douglas takes ideas from this story and Shada and merges them together, making the scope even bigger.

[@rogershore3128]

@@GedUK Yep. Still have my signed copy from him...

[@GedUK]

@@rogershore3128 awesome!

[@derrynfry]

Fun fact: This was the first episode filmed outside the UK. Also it is the most watched episode of all time. The UK television industry has a large amount of strikes at the time so a lot of programming was postponed. the days of only 3 channel's and the main competitor ITV was off air. it reached 16 million viewers. the UK only had around 40 million people at the time.

[@chrispalmer7893]

I remember watching it live as a four year-old. We were at my Grandad's house and he had a mini-Mona Lisa on the wall in the hall. My Mum had quite the time preventing me and my brother from trying to take Grandad's "mask" off...

[@frankie3041]

Google says UK population in 1979 was 56.25 million. 🤷🏻‍♂

[@derrynfry]

it was just a guess @@frankie3041

[@amelialikesfrogs5778]

​@@frankie3041not any less impressive though

[@Melancthon7332]

Y'know, every time I sit down to watch City of Death, I think, "is it REALLY that good? Or am I just nostalgic?" But then I get into it and yes, it really IS that good. Just about every single moment crackles and every cylinder fires. Watching that same delight cross your face is amazing. So awesome we're here.

[@AlmightyCRJ]

The scientist - it's David Graham, Parker from Thunderbirds!

[@therealpbristow]

...and the voice of many, many Daleks in the '60s. =:o}

[@SadBnnuy]

And Charlie the Bar man from The Gunfighters

[@UncleMilo]

I totally get where you're coming from - there are times in shows when you're just having such a great time with the characters, you don't really even need "plot" to happen because it's just so much fun just hanging with them in the fun moment they are in. I would absolutely be one who would sit and enjoy a day in Paris with the Doctor and Romana for a whole episode with you!

[@djashley2002]

A wonderful story. The original story planned for this slot (A Gamble With Time) wasn't working out, so in desperation Producer Graham Williams and Script Editor Douglas Adams (fresh off the success of the first series of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy) locked themselves away over a weekend and came up with this absolute gem of a story. It still has the highest viewership rating of any Doctor Who story (18 million), mainly because at that time there were only three channels, two BBC, and one ITV (made up of a number of regional stations), and ITV was in the midst of a protracted strike which knocked it off air for several months.

[@michaelinlofi]

Not only that, but Douglas Adams claims he and Williams were blind drunk the whole weekend they were writing it. I can't imagine being evn a quarter as clever as this after a couple

[@SuperWolsey]

1979 was quite a amusing year for both Doctor Who and James Bond regarding France location filming (the latter re: Moonraker). That plus Catherine Schell was in OHMSS as one of the girls at Piz Gloria (as well as Joanna Lumley) & Julian Glover later turning up in For Your Eyes Only two years after this serial

[@WheelsonRails728]

Whenever I see "City of Death", I always think that Tom Baker's Doctor and Lalla Ward's Romana (2) look like a college art teacher and his pupil who have started an illicit affair and run away together to Paris!

[@therealpbristow]

Not so far from the truth, either... =:o}

[@stevenmcmullan409]

One of my favorite classic Who arcs, written by the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, Douglas Adams. Adams is in fact the showrunner and will write several arcs moving forward, at least one uncredited. One thing I do want to mention is that there is a story coming up that isn't included in any of the regular seasons sets. The story is called "Shada", and it was written by Adams but never completed, after filming a full two-thirds of it, due to a labor strike. A few years back, they animated the missing sections and brought in the original cast to complete the story. It's well worth including in your watch through.

[@therealpbristow]

Correction/clarification: The job of showrunner" hadn't been invented then. Douglas and Graham Williams *together* did the job that nowadays would by one person, called the showrunner.. In terms of BBC hierarchy, the producer was in overall charge of the show, with he script editor being employed by them to come up with story ideas, find and recruit writers, and fix any script problems. Just like Robert Holmes before him. Douglas ended up doing a lot of rewriting of chunks of other people's scripts, but the only one from this season that is all his own work is Shada. With City of Death, it was a total rewrite of a story that Douglas had commissioned from David Fisher, with Douglas frantically typing actual pages of script while Graham Williams threw ideas into the pot and kept Douglas focussed on the job. And Ken Gieve ducking into the room at regular intervals and hosing them both down with coffee and booze, to keep the creative momentum going! =:o}

[@kivimik]

@@therealpbristow I thought it was Michael Hayes handling the coffee duties (at least according to him in one of the commentary tracks). Ken directed Destiny of the Daleks.

[@therealpbristow]

@@kivimik [SOUNDS OF FRANTIC GOOGLING] ... Ah, looks like you're probably right. Or at least, I'm definitely wrong. =;o} I know Douglas was living on Ken's couch for a while, but that must have been later, 'cos apparently they first got know each other during the filming of CoD. My bad.

[@kivimik]

@@therealpbristow I do believe that they became friends around that time because Destiny was filmed after (despite it being broadcast first). Ken did talk about going to lunch with Douglas in Paris on a whim.

[@therealpbristow]

@@kivimik [NODS] Douglas's version of the story includes not just lunch, but a long evening of drinking followed by "at 4am, wondering how you're going to get back to England". =:o}

[@stephensheridan1279]

Time heads, cracks in time, a character appearing in multiple eras of history… it’s like Series 5-7 all in one story!

[@ShelfWarmer]

I wish there was just a whole series of the Doctor and Romana2 having romantic jaunts. Lala Ward is so adorable and lovely in this, I am so smitten with her.

[@lancebaylis3169]

You can tell, a lot of the time, that they were dating in real life at the time.

[@GoombahYah]

As I'm sure I will not be the only to say, one of my favorite stories by one of my favorite authors. There is a particular synergy to Douglas Adams' sharp writing and Tom Baker's larger-than-life persona; coupling that with the fabulous supporting cast and stunning on-location photography made this story lightning in a bottle. And I agree the cliffhanger is easily a 4/5, if not higher! Looking forward to the (just as enjoyable) conclusion!

[@nocturne8333]

This is my favourite Fourth Doctor story, it’s such a gem of a story. I really wish Duggan had become a companion, he bounces off the Doctor and Romana so well.

[@johntaylor564]

City of Death one story I can watch time and time again without losing interest. Great guest cast with Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle in GOT,, Donavan in The Last Crusade, not to mention previously been in Dr Who as Richard The Lionheart) Catherine Schell (former Bond girl, best known as Maya in the 2nd season of Space 1999). This is another one I clearly remember watching when I was just 5 years old especially when Scarloni takes his human mask off.

[@BulbasaurRepresent]

It's funny that you made a game out of this cliffhanger specifically, because I think the part 2 cliffhanger is arguably the best in Classic Who! 5/5 This is my favourite fourth doctor story, but perhaps my favourite moment is when the six mona lisas are discovered. His first question isn't "How can six mona lisas exist?" or something along those lines, but instead "If you already have six mona lisas, why go through all the trouble of stealing a seventh?" I LOVE that kind of thought process in the Doctor!

[@rogershore3128]

Douglas Adams really understood the format and the characters and when i met him I asked him how the story came about. His reply to me "Desperation"...

[@mccpcorn2000]

This adventure has my favourite line in all of Classic Who: "I don't think he's as stupid as he seems." "My dear, NOBODY could be as stupid as he seems!"

[@rogershore3128]

@@mccpcorn2000 That whole scene is a masterclass in acting and script.... I"ve seen nothing in modern TV like it.... There are so many layers to that scene that I never or had observed until they were pointed out to me.....

[@mccpcorn2000]

@@rogershore3128 Agree! It's an absolute gem of Classic Who. Douglas Adams really was a genius. And a big shout out to General Veers for playing a superb antagonist!

[@rogershore3128]

@@mccpcorn2000 For reason I always remember him from Quatermass and the Pit... I was lucky to meet Douglas Adams and boy did he hate City of Death.....

[@Skeezer66]

This story is always in the Top 10 all time Dr. Who stories!! It goes in so many different directions, from heist story to other things! Duggan is a favorite one story companion, Julian Glover being the smooth criminal, and surprise guest stars! I don't know what it says about me, but Romana's outfit, oooh la la!! Hahaha!! The most Douglas Adams of all the Douglas Adams stories! Have a great time being wherever you are!!

[@whiteknyght]

City of Death and Pyramids of Mars and Talons of Weng Chiang (yeah, I know didn't age well, but still a great story) are the two stories that in the past I recommended to people to drop into Who for the first time. It is one of the best of Tom Baker's run.

[@timidwolf]

You might recognise Julian Glover from many things like Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back (General Veers), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Walter Donovan) and more recently Game of Thrones (Grand Maester Pycelle). Though you may not realise you've even seen/heard him in Doctor Who before as he played King Richard in the mostly missing story The Crusade! Nice to know the Doctor's stance on AI art.

[@rtozier2011]

Walter Donovan being the guy who chose poorly, in case anyone's forgotten his character name

[@ClintBandito]

Tom LOVED pretty much anything Douglas Adams wrote and just loved him in general. Personally this is a contender for my favourite 4th doctor story.

[@bananasaregood8655]

Def a solid 4/5 cliffhanger right there! This is often considered the second best tom baker story after genesis. That moment at 3:50 was used in 'the next doctor' when jackson lake is shown the info stamp with all the doctors in it.

[@whobp8]

The "Written By" credit for this story reads David Agnew, but there is no such person. David Agnew is a pseudonym for producer Graham Williams and script editor Douglas Adams who massively rewrote this story from an earlier script by David Fisher. (Fisher was unable to do rewrites himself at the time). It is a massively popular one and I believe you're right that Tom Baker was pretty happy during the time it was being made. Because (BBC rival) ITV was temporarily shut down due to a strike at the time, City of Death is also the highest rated Doctor Who story of the Classic series, the fourth episode is the highest rated of the story, with over 16 million people watching. I'm rating this cliffhanger pretty highly, as I think it'll leave you pretty eager to dip back into this story when the time comes. Enjoy your rest, Jess! You produce such fun content so consistently, you deserve it!❤

[@rogershore3128]

I'm sure it's the highest ratings of any Dr Who Story ever transmitted...... I think the Baker era was the first time since William Hartnell it was getting 12 to 13 million viewers on average especially during the Hinchcliffe era...

[@kevinsalt2719]

It helps that there was an ITV strike so nothing on the other side of watch.

[@rogershore3128]

@@kevinsalt2719 All the same it's impressive and remember Tom Baker stories were getting 13 million as early as Ark in Space when ITV wasn't on strike.

[@WaIkers]

What a one to take a break on! Douglas Adams wrote this one; author of Hitchiker's Guide. And iirc, They didn't have a license to film around the city, so they went over and took takes of them runnin through the city, then ran off to another spot before someone could catch them!

[@Lukecash2]

Tom Baker is my doctor, as he was the one most Americans were familiar with! One of the reason why I loved Matt Smith so much, was he reminded me of Tom Baker. Both were hilarious and could be deadly serious. The 50th scene with both of them together was special to me.

[@ooklathemokfan]

It's been mentioned that the bad guy is Julian Glover, who went on to be in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and became a Bond Villain. And this story was big back in the Classic Who days as being one of the few stories that was filmed outside of The UK. Originally, it was going to be all shot in-studio and on location in England, but Tom Baker pushed for it to be done in Paris. So they got their money's worth shooting locales to show off the expense.

[@pauldonald4676]

It's worth mentioning that Julian Glover also played King Richard in the William Hartnell story The crusades as well as the main villain in Indiana Jones and the last Crusade. His son Jamie Glover played William Russell who played Ian in an adventure in time and space and has played the role of Ian along with the rest of the main cast in several first Doctor Big finish audios.

[@moat9]

Lots of mentions for Julian Glover’s Count Scarlioni and a few for David Graham (Parker!)’s Professor Kerensky, but another face from earlier Who not mentioned is Peter Halliday, previously one of the officious Inter Minorians in Carnival of Monsters, but more memorably, Packer in the 2nd Doctor story, The Invasion .

[@markbelsom3174]

What can you say about City of Death, has a great cast, excellent story, fabulous location, Tom and Lalka are just brilliant. Cliff hanger 10/10.

[@dupersuper1938]

I love every second of the scene with all of them in the parlour.

[@timothyp8947]

The Countess is played by Catherine Schell who played Maya in Space 1999?

[@darynvoss7883]

Okay straight up this is my favourite story of the Classic Era. I love the humour, I love the story, I love Julian Glover... I even love Duggan. Douglas Adams later reworked this into a Dirk Gently novel.

[@darynvoss7883]

This was Glover's second role in Doctor Who, as he played Richard the Lionheart in the 1st Doctor story "The Crusades".

[@majkus]

I thought Dirk Gently was 'Shada' (sort of)?

[@darynvoss7883]

@majkus immortal character, spread across time, whose destruction caused the start of life on earth...

[@KeplersDream]

Comparing 1979 Paris to a table wine and then saying "Shall we sip it and see?" is one of the most beautifully written moments in all of Doctor Who. Douglas Adams was a real prize.

[@therealpbristow]

To be fair, that line might have been one of Tom or Lalla's additions.

[@KeplersDream]

True. I just feel it sounds more Adamsy myself, but it could be the talent upping their game I suppose.

[@keithsolley]

actually when this story was first released on Video in the early 1990's the Review in Dr Who Magazine was very negative,this is one of those Dr Who serials l that appears to have grown in reputation over time

[@colinmcdonough4034]

Glorious, absolutely glorious. Delighted that you're enjoying it so much. A story made for quoting and requoting.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

🍷⏰🌎 Jess, when you do visit Paris, or France, for your unique adventure,…the wine will have, a bouquet. The music you enjoy so much, with this story is by Dudley Simpson. Simpson composed a multitude for Who, back to the Hartnell era. This is one of his most admired scores. This would be the last season Simpson would work on, of Classic Who. He was Australian. There are a set of documentary, made for Who dvd, that interview Dudley, and cover his music career. 😊

[@JoeScottish]

This episode is one of the greatest ever, it's often in the top 10 polls of episodes ever.....and one of my favourites

[@timeofgifts]

As everyone else has filled you in about the story, just to say I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing holiday - just imagine you're in Sesska's spa. 1979 was the time I started watching Dr Who, at a friend's house, so Lalla Ward as Romana II was the 1st Dr Who companion I saw - nuff said.

[@johnnysure1]

Watching this episode, you might think "the actor playing the badguy would make such a great James Bond villain!" Well, apparently so did the people who make those movies, because he got the chance in the 1981 movie FOR YOUR EYES ONLY... and sadly was a much better Bond baddie in this show than in the real thing. In his defense, he again played a terrific Bond villain in 1989's INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. Well into his 80s now, he's still getting good roles, as he was Lydia Tar's mentor in TAR last year. For what it's worth, Duggan also got to be in a Bond movie, playing LeChiffre's accountant in CASINO ROYALE.

[@AubreySciFi]

This story was cowritten by "Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy" author Douglas Adams, so the comedy elements are top notch! Some of my favorite Tom Baker lines are in this story. Ex: "What a wonderful Butler, hes so violent!"

[@Lynxdoc]

The villain was also a villain in the Empire Strikes Back and Indiana Jones

[@jacobhogan3208]

"I would love to watch them just vacation in Paris." I would love a one-off story where The Tardis Team lands somewhere and hangs out, maybe helping out or getting into tiny adventures here and there but without any villains or aliens. It would be a classic case of a bottle episode. It can still be fun.

[@ianbuckley2347]

The cliffhanger gets a 4 out of 5 from me too. I'm really looking forward to you watching the next two parts. Enjoy your break Jess!👍😊

[@Jaketherobonrd]

Ok, can I just say I’ve been anticipating for this reaction for a long time coming. Not Because City of Death is one of the great stories in the show, but this was the Doctor Who story that really scared me the most. I remember when I was 7 or 8 years old and My next door neighbour of course at the time, had this story on vhs. I couldn’t watch it for many years because I was so so terrified of the monster in the story Scaroth, especially the Cliffhanger for part 1, that was the scene that really terrified me the most. (aliens dressed as masked men always scared me as a kid) It wasn’t until i brought the story on dvd many years later and i finally watched it, at my nans house. Today I think it’s a brilliant story and a great watch definitely. But back then this was definitely my big hide behind the sofa moment when I was getting into Doctor Who. So Scaroth last of the Jagaroth was definitely my scariest Monster of all time. Also it’s the first time this show was filmed outside of the UK, but in Paris. Plus the viewing Figures for this story were soaring up like crazy too.

[@pauldonald4676]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned David Agnew-. This was a pseudonym used by Graham Williams since as producer he couldn't put his own name to the writing. Basically it was a collaborative effort with Graham and the script editor at the time. In this case Douglas Adams. He used this name once before in Doctor Who with the then script editor Anthony Read in writing Invasion of time. One notable difference between the two stories apart from the script editor was that Invasion of time was created from scratch. Whereas City of death kept many elements of The gamble with time written by David Fisher.

[@Alexandrashepiro]

Finally! City of Death is here!! Been waiting for this one! This is one of the top best Fourth Doctor Stories EVER! PARIS, Co-Writer Douglas Adams, The Music, The Characters! The comedy! The story! Duggan is such a great one-off Characters, Romana's school girl outfit is sooo Adorable!! It's all FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That cliffhanger, I give it a solid 4! Douglas Adams + Doctor Who = GOLD!!!!!!

[@ethanburke1635]

One of my favourite stories. I’m glad you’re liking the humour of the 4th Doctor and the mystery of this story. Don’t forget Shada at the end of this series, an “unfinished” story due to strikes that was completed with animation many years later.

[@rogershore3128]

Simply one of the best cliffhangers ever. If you were confused already, that ending did it.... And in my day you had to wait a whole week and if you missed part 3, you had to wait until 1991 to see it on VHS tape as repeats didn't happen except for a few stories shown between seasons. Video tape machines didn't become common here in the UK until the mid 80's.....

[@Clayton-S.]

Fantastic story, absolutely love City of Death. The casting is so good and Count and Countess Scarlioni are a totally believable couple. Duggan is superb and the interplay between all the main characters is delightful. Enjoy your break Jess, you deserve it! 😆👍

[@Elitist20]

15:43 - 'I think that is exactly the question I ought to be asking you...Doctor!' I'd give it a 5!

[@kemmdog4444]

Always good to see Julian Glover who was in Game of Thrones.

[@JustB3NJI]

Probably my favorite classic story, glad to see you loving it.

[@SorchaSublime]

funny thing about this episode is that they didnt have permission to film in public and french law is quite stringent about it. they basically just took the actors out and about and tried to discretely record them. Especially now that theyre exploring a past period of parisian history it's honestly quite fascinating because when you see the Doctor and Romana gallivanting around 70s paris, it isn't a set. They are quite literally gallivanting around irl 70s paris.

[@TheHumanPalindrome]

Tom loved this story! He was very fond of Douglas Adams (who wrote it under a pseudonym). Have a lovely holiday ♥️

[@michaelstill5184]

My favourite episode. I've waited years for Jess to see it and there's a gap! I particularly like seeing Tom and Lalla getting to walk around Paris when they were in love. Spoilers but they've been divorced for years.

[@Wannabe_Baby]

I'm so happy you're enjoying this one so far. It's definitely a favourite amongst fans. 4/5 would be my rating for that cliffhanger too (5/5 is, obviously, the zoom in on the floor in that one Dalek episode that nobody remembers the name of). Hope you enjoy your break!

[@Alfwin]

Easily one of my favorite Doctor Who stories! It strikes that perfect balance of being very silly and humorous, while still having a compelling and well-written plot. And yes, the scenes of the Doctor and Romana just exploring Paris were very fun, and cute! Just a bit of trivia: in part 1, Romana lists a bunch of alien art galleries, and among them she names the Braxiatel Collection. At the time, that was just a random alien-art-gallery name Douglas Adams made up, but the collection's owner, Irving Braxiatel, is now a prominent recurring character in the expanded media (books, audio plays, &al.). I've always thought it was cool how they were able to take a random name from a throw-away line, and from it create an entire character.

[@saminusprime2746]

Really enjoyed your reactions so far & hopefully you enjoy your break!:) Will miss your content ☺️

[@Eltonlaleham]

City of Death was an awesome story in billions of ways.

[@Lynxdoc]

I love this story - "Quite Exquisite, Yes...." 🙃. I'm with you. I am jealous of the lady on the subway just casually in the scene in the middle of the Doctor who episode.

[@michaelhutton8668]

This is considered one of the best classic Who stories. I always crack up at Douglas Adams' taking a shot at France's obsession with Jerry Lewis with the character of the Professor. And I give the cliffhanger a 5 out of 5.

[@dannycheesums]

I’ve been really excited for you to get to this one. Probably the most influential old doctor who story when it comes to new doctor who

[@kevinsalt2719]

I would think some of the 7th Doctor stuff had a bigger influence.

[@matthewhearn9910]

I highly recommend reading Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, after you've watched this and Shada, the serial that closes out this season (in a reconstructed form). The novel's plot mixes elements of the two Adams-penned serials (more blatantly from Shada) with original content and an oddball human private investigator in place of the Doctor, and it's probably my favorite thing Douglas Adams wrote.

[@francisbartoszewski2284]

Nobody else going to bring up Julian Glover? One of the biggest actors to feature in classic Doctor Who.

[@SGlitz]

He played The King in Hartnell story..."The Crusade".

[@highvoltage7797]

Not seen it mentioned but the music is so great in this. Dudley Simpson at his best.

[@g1xrider13]

I love this story. The on location Parisian shots alone are wonderful.

[@stephensheridan1279]

Oh, look that artist gave Romana II one of those ‘time heads’ Amy was worried River might have! To be fair, River did have an enormous time head, I mean hair…. 😏🤣😂🤣

[@CaesiusX]

*"City of Death!"* Been so looking forward to this one! Sad it's only half. But it's reason to anticipate your return. 🙋🏼‍♂️ *EDIT:* Btw, it was co-written by *Douglas Adams!*

[@chrispalmer7893]

I think it's safe to say now that you've seen the first two episodes that this is the one I was waiting for right back when you started Classic Who all those years ago. Everyone is on the absolute top of their game. And don't worry, not just Tom Baker but the whole cast are having every bit as much fun as it looks like they are. The whole thing was made possible by the Line Producer (can't remember his exact title at the time) John Nathan Turner being able to demonstrate that they could shoot in Paris for the same cost as shooting in London if they took only a very small crew along. I note that purely because JNT is (often rightly) criticised for his work on Who so we should remember the good things he was involved in.

[@Lukecash2]

In all honesty, John Nathan Turner was in a no win situation. He had the misfortune going against BBC head that hated the show. So when JNT wanted to step away for the good of the the show, no other producer would pick it up because it was a marked for death show. He was pretty much told, if he left the show, it would be canceled. So he stayed on, hoping the show would survive.

[@chrispalmer7893]

@@Lukecash2 That’s fair. I think overall JNT gets judged too harshly. He’s responsible for the era of Who that I grew up loving and even though as an adult I can see all its faults, I still have great affection for it.

[@billthewhovian]

Most people love City of Death and I am among them, it's a great story. I really enjoy watching people's reaction to the 2nd part's cliffhanger.

[@firefly24601]

Quintessential Douglas Adams episode! Duggan is hilarious as the brawny comedic relief.

[@Problembeing]

It has to be in the middle of THIS story (one of the all time greats!)🤣🤣🤣 Have a lovely break. This story is just one long cliffhanger. Julian Glover and more to come. Pure Golden Era stuff. Douglas Adams is at his absolute best with Tom absolutely lapping up ever line.

[@chrisbrooker7260]

It’s just so good. Magical stuff, funny, beautiful dialogue, humour etc. Great

[@stephensheridan1279]

Rest up, you’re gonna need it for next month’s 60th Anniversary!!!! 💙💙🔷

[@ezragoldstein1870]

Julian Glover is no stranger to Dr.Who. He played Richard the Lionheart in the lost Dr.Who episode The Crusade. Catherine Schell who played Countess. Scarlioni was also in Space 1999 where she played Maya

[@simongiles9749]

Douglas Adams took bits of this, and bits of Shada, and re-used them in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Frugal man.

[@therealpbristow]

*Nods* Target asked him to novelise his Doctor Who scrips, and offered him the same standard fee as their other writers. At the time, he was earning more than ten times that per novel! It made no sense for him to delay work on his next blockbuster to write limited-audience novels for a pittance. Instead he re-used a character from one script (including his bad jokes!) and a scenario from another, and wove them together with a bunch of new ideas into a whole new, glorious (and very profitable!) thing.

[@robvanriot]

Did you have a time crack of your own at the 15:00 mark or was that my internet messing with me?

[@mauriceedwards9588]

This is the highest ratting for the show in the UK to this day mainly because ITV where on Strike,the writer legendary Douglas Adams wrote this story over a weekend.

[@AtariDad]

4:19 Of all the predictions about the future Doctor Who made, why did this one have to come true? 😞

[@leefox6589]

This story achieved the highest viewing figures of any classic Who ever.

[@alexfletcher5192]

I think Tom and Douglas Adams were probably of a mind towards the wit and humour of the piece - Robert Holmes being another obvious writer who could turn a colourful phrase. For his part, Adams later admitted that Tom - at least in this period, when he seemed unassailable in the role - alternated between being great company and being the sort of person 'you wanted to shove off a cliff'. An issue of ego that, to his credit, the actor has been at pains to acknowledge in later life.

[@SuperWolsey]

Thus beginning Tom Chadbon's Who legacy. From investigating Mona Lisa to Ravalox to riding a Vortisor named after Margaret Thatcher

[@joshuajoshua2732]

You should go to Paris it's quite a nice place to visit. I wouldn't go far as to saying the show doesn't take it's self too seriously it does it's a serious show but you have to add abit of fun into it of course. If you had an episode with the Doctor and Romana just going on holiday in Paris it would be nice to show the landscape i wouldnt necessarily hate it but there would also be no story so you have to add something to the story. During filming no one in France knew what they were filming as Dr. Who was not a familiar show in France at the time until 1989 when the series was finally released 26 years after it's debut. Julian Glover who plays the villain Count Scarlioni was previously in Dr. Who as King Richard the Lionheart from the previous 1965 William Hartnell story "The Crusade" you would probaly also know him as Grand Maester Pycelle in "Game of Thrones" and of course a villain from "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"(1989).

[@cameronmonaghan6883]

One of the greatest stories of all time. Brilliant plot, premise and one off companions. The concept explored is ingenious.

[@joeregan3322]

Loved the setting in Paris.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Douglas Adams repurposed one plot element from this for one of his "Dirk Gently" novels, which are hugely underrated in my opinion.

[@meropetied]

Doctor Who really doesn't get better than this. Certainly not Classic Who or 21st century Who. Endlessly delightful, witty, charming, and adorable, this is just the best. Great quotes all over the place. Hilarious. Gorgeous. Wonderfully produced. Makes you want to go to Paris. And Florence in the Renaissance. And to have a friend who can do witty banter constantly with you that also notices when the whole world takes a funny turn with you -- when no one else does. What's lovely too is that it was also just insanely popular always. Though there was no serious competition on TV when it first aired, it still was watched by nearly a third of the UK.

[@hornorsilk2901]

This is the story Tom and Lalla fell in love, so yes, Tom was feeling it.

[@vivalapsych]

Im glad ur taking a break. Why? Because your human and deserve it. Cmon. Love your content but I could never keep up with doing what u do. Also I’m extra lazy.

[@bobsteele9581]

Just over a year after this story, Tom Baker and Lala Ward got married irl. Their marriage only lasted a couple of years, but they always had great on-screen chemistry.

[@stevetheduck1425]

This story seems to be a parody of adventure stories: a high-class villain, an action man who knocks people unconcious, numerous disposable henchmen, a femme fatale who comes to a sticky end because the 'heroes' have no use for her, and so on. With a witty script and excellent performances, this could have been a feature film back then.

[@jpr0328]

Some people might recognize the villain from this as the villain from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (the guy who aged to death in five seconds)

[@stephensheridan1279]

When the count removed his human mask, it was like the reverse Scooby Doo reveal!😂

[@moreau1755]

"And I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for you meddling Time Lords!"

[@stephensheridan1279]

@@moreau1755 the rest of the Time Lords: we do not meddle in affairs of other peoples and planets… how dare you compare us to our dirty little secret who likes to rub our noses in the fact that we let him get away with it! 😒

[@alexfletcher5192]

Another beneficiary of the ITV strike which took out all the regional commercial stations in opposition to the BBC and left the UK with... two channels. Still, when it was two thirds of what you were used to, the hardship was not too great. But it did ensure a captive audience for one of Tom's best regarded stories today. And Scarlioni's reveal was quite enough to have my dad, reacting to my horrified expression, diving for the TV to switch over - no remote either...

[@SGlitz]

A classic of Classic Who

[@mccpcorn2000]

"You sit in Paris and talk of COMPUTER PICTURES!?" The Doctor bemoaning AI art almost 45 years before it happened!

[@wispa1a]

One of the best. Douglas Adams was involved in this.

[@TheGIJew.]

A shame we didn't actually get to see Leonardo da Vinci, but IMO this is the best Classic Who story

[@neilmcdonald9164]

First genuine foreign shooting,2 stars fell in love in real life on this...got married later,but that only lasted a year and a bit 🎩

[@DNulrammah]

... Duggan is THUMPING else. (heheh) I'll give it a 3.5. BTW, the "Countess" is being played by Catherine Schell (SPACE: 1999). Have a pleasant vacation.

[@Pablopax4]

You're a beautiful woman..probably..is one of my favourite lines in DW, it really reminds you he's an alien.

[@alexfletcher5192]

The elephant (or alien) in the room remains the Count's relationship with his wife. I mean, I am not the only one to have questions...

[@DaleRibbons]

When the Doctor was talking about computer pictures, it reminded me of the recent arguments about AI-generated art. And think, this was about 45 years ago!

[@EJDW]

If you go to a Doctor Who convention or meet other fans they have been known to say Bye Bye Duggan when parting.

[@Batanuhtanah]

Whoooo! Have fun on Vaca!