Doctor Who: Classic 12x1: "Robot" Parts 1-4 | PREMIERE REACTION!!

[@7thHourFilms]

Watch the FULL LENGTH Reaction Here: www.patreon.com/posts/doctor-who-12x1-67040309

[@ItsShaz1]

:)

[@iansmith4023]

The scarf became hugely long due to a misunderstanding - it was knitted by a woman named Begonia Pope (no..really); and they sent her masses of wool. They meant for her to use enough to make an average-length scarf; but she thought they wanted her to use the whole lot - so she did. The costume department were going to cut it down,but Tom Baker loved it and felt that it characterized his Doctor.

[@MetalPharoah]

For my 23rd birthday a friends mother wanted to knit me a scarf. She had me pick out colours and knitted all summer long. In the end she made it much larger by mistake and now it's my Doctor Who scarf being so long people laugh with me using it

[@stephencoppins9467]

I believe for the regeneration scene Tom Baker’s naturally curly hair was permed to look a bit more like Jon Perwee’s bouffant permed hair. The Fourth Doctor’s line about his nose being “a definite improvement,” was a dig at Jon Pertwee, who was a bit sensitive about his “mighty nose.” However, Terrance Dicks who wrote this story would give Jon a chance to get his own back, when he stole Sarah Jane’s line describing his successor as “teeth and curls,” in The Five Doctors.

[@alexthehunted]

what i do like about this story is that it's a 3rd doctor story with the wrong doctor in it showing how different this doctor is

[@kemmdog4444]

Exactly

[@ItsShaz1]

@@kemmdog4444 I like that to

[@billthewhovian]

The whole Robot/ King Kong thing was deliberate, incoming Script Editor, Robert Holmes loved the old Hammer Films and things of that nature and this was a heavy influence on his writing and was the horror direction he wanted the show to go in and rather fortunately for him, incoming producer, Philip Hinchcliff was also keen for the show to go to in that direction.

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

Jelly babies aren't jelly beans, they're quite a bit different. The shell isn't as tough and the middle is chewier, also they're sort of kewpie doll shaped - the best way I can describe them is that they're like a better tasting gummy bear with a soft sugary coating. And now I'm craving Jelly Babies, lol. Good thing they sell them on Amazon. ^_^

[@Indigo_Polarity]

When they were casting the Fourth Doctor, the initial plan was to go back to an older actor in the vain of William Hartnell. The character of Harry was created to be similar to Ian and Steven. Taking up the more physically tasking roles an older Doctor wouldn't be able to manage. However, Tom Baker stole the show and ended up being the youngest actor to play the role yet, leaving Harry as something of a spare part (though not an unwelcome one. Four, Sarah and Harry are one of mine and many other's favourite TARDIS teams).

[@RoundTheArchives]

'Robot' notes : Part One: Viewing figures = 10.8 million. Chart position = 25. Part Two: Viewing figures = 10.7 million. Chart position = 17. Part Three: Viewing figures = 10.1 million. Chart position = 22. Part Four: Viewing figures = 9.0 million. Chart position = 30. Transmission dates : 28 December 1974, 4, 11, 18 January 1975. Studio sessions : May/ June + October 1974. Studios : TC3 + TC7. For the first time on 'Doctor Who' the outside scenes are shot on videotape cameras (portable versions of the ones used in studio) rather than film, ensuring that the whole production has a uniform look and allowing the giant robot scenes to blend rather better than similar scenes in 'Invasion Of The Dinosaurs', although the reflective nature of the robot costume caused a few problems... Industrial action scuppered the first planned studio sessions, with scenery not being taken down, resulting in an edition of 'Blue Peter' being recorded on the 'Doctor Who' set, allowing viewers a glimpse of the production quite a few months in advance of transmission. The October session consisted of reshoots of some Sarah / Robot material as Barry Letts was unhappy with some effects shots. Tom Baker's scarf was originally intended as a normal length scarf of multiple colours, so costume designer James Acheson supplied knitter Begonia Pope with several different balls of wool. However, she misunderstood what he wanted, so used up the entire supply!

[@ftumschk]

Trivia: The location scenes in Robot were filmed at the same venue as Spearhead From Space, i.e. Wood Norton Hall. Both the 3rd and 4th Doctors made their débuts on the same stage, as it were :)

[@kemmdog4444]

At the time that Harry was chosen as a companion,the Fourth Doctor hadn’t been cast yet and who might have been an older actor.

[@robertbrown569]

The oft-told story of the scarf is that a free-lance knitter by the name of Begonia Pope was contracted to knit a long scarf for the new Doctor. The BBC delivered a large selection of different coloured wool to her so that she could make a tasteful selection. She, however, assumed that they wanted her to use all of it. Tom Baker, with his usual preference for elaboration, claims that when the BBC turned up to collect the item, they could hardly get into Begonia's house because of the scarf. They decided to accept the item and trim it down to size, but Baker persuaded them to leave it as it was. Also: Jelly beans and jelly babies are two different products, with the former having a slightly crispy shell.

[@ftumschk]

... and they look like little beans, whereas Jelly Babies look like babies :)

[@MrPaulMorris]

In the UK forces Warrant Officers are addressed as 'Mister' by commissioned officers (and civilians), and 'Sir' by NCOs and other ranks.

[@t43iavmoi]

The Tank that appeared at the end of episode 3 was bought from a toy shop. I had one in the 1970's. The Tank was made for the toy doll called Action Man. The American version of Action Man is G.I. Joe.

[@ItsShaz1]

This story may not be the best but I still enjoyed it since Tom Baker is just a joy in this!

[@josefschiltz2192]

Our little problem seems to have grown! . . Ah, no . . not the robot! The scarf!! Oh, the Sinbad film was The Golden Voyage of Sinbad and Tom played the evil magician Koara. He had written to Shaun Sutton, Head of Serials at the time, saying, "I haven't worked in some time . . Was it something I said?"

[@whobp8]

This is where I came in! This was the first Doctor Who story I ever saw, in the U.S. probably around 1979/1980? (The memory cheats.) I was hooked from the moment Tom Baker said the line, "(something) that will kill a man as casually as it crushes a dandelion." Parts of this story were filmed at the same time as Planet of the Spiders, so this was produced by Barry Letts, who cast Tom Baker in the role, while Barry's successor takes over with the next story. Originally, Barry Letts had the idea of casting an older actor as the Doctor, in a return to the Hartnell, grandfather type, and at one point he actually offered the role to Richard Hearne, who was well known at the time for playing a character called Mr Pastry. Letts had second thoughts when he realized Hearne was apparently planning to play the role exactly like Mr Pastry, a doddery old man. When someone recommended Tom Baker to Letts, Letts went to see Baker in the film The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (which you reference at the beginning of this reaction) in order to see an example of his acting. The character of Harry Sullivan was conceived when Letts was still planning for the Fourth Doctor to be an old man, as a strong young male companion to handle any fight scenes. Obviously with a Doctor younger than any of his three predecessors, this turned out to be unnecessary. The Fourth Doctor's outfit was inspired by the Toulouse Lautrec painting of Aristide Bruant, wearing a wide brimmed hat and long scarf. Costume designer James Acheson, (who would go on to become an Academy Award winning costume designer) commissioned a woman named Begonia Pope to knit the scarf. Knowing little about knitting, Acheson provided her with far more yarn than she would ever need, and was astonished when he returned for the finished product, to discover she had knitted it all, resulting in an extraordinarily long scarf. The production team decided the scarf was too hysterical to not use, and the rest is history. Tom Baker's hair naturally hung in much looser ringlets than Pertwee's, and they deliberately used curlers to tighten up Tom's locks, to make his hair look more like Pertwee's, with the idea that, as the curls gradually loosened over the course of the story, it would create the impression of the full regeneration taking a while to run it's course.

[@alexthehunted]

4th doctor era is some amazing stuff and also they cut down on the six parters

[@bananasaregood8655]

Just after the doctor regenerates he mutters 'typical sontaran...stop it linx, perverting the course of human history!' which is a line capaldi said in a similar way in 'listen' and 'the doctor falls' 'sontarans, perverting the course of human history!!'

[@ftumschk]

10:55 The robot K1 is named after its creator, Kettlewell. The famous "tin dog" K9 is indeed a pun on canine, as dad intimated.

[@thevirgologychannel6215]

Tom’s costume was based on a poster by Toulouse Lautrec. Also Jelly beans and Jelly babies are vastly different. Quintessential British sweet like dolly mixtures and pear drops. Just to say that it’s a bit churlish to criticise SFX from BBC 1974. It’s been said that one Star Wars SFX would pay for an entire series of Doctor Who. I understand reacting to an old series with the eyes and attitudes of 2022 is the point at the same the time I believe a slight suspension of disbelief is required.

[@stephencoppins9467]

Star Wars only had the budget of one season of 1970s Doctor Who!?! 😳😜

[@ftumschk]

Indeed, it was Lautrec's poster for a show by cabaret artist Aristide Bruant. The poster can be seen on Bruant's Wikipedia page.

[@TheZodiacz]

Ira Levin wrote the Boys from Brazil in 1976. (He also wrote Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives). The movie with Gregory Peck came out in 1978. Bruno Ganz had a role in the film too for any Downfall/Hitler rants fans.

[@MrPaulMorris]

SRS are reminiscent of Klieg's "Brotherhood of Logicians" back in Tomb of the Cybermen.

[@kemmdog4444]

Her headscarf was definitely fashionable at the time.Alex probably never watched Rhoda.😊

[@moreau1755]

The Sinbad movie you mentioned is what convinced the producers to give Tom this role. He'd been suggested as an option, and the producers were told he could be seen in as the villain in that movie, so they popped along to the cinema to watch it.

[@stephencoppins9467]

Incidentally, Patrick Troughton appeared in another Ray Harryhausen film - Jason and the Argonauts.

[@moreau1755]

And he went on to appear in a Sinbad movie, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, which also had Harryhausen effects.

[@MrPaulMorris]

'Jelly Babies' are actually shaped like babies rather than the smooth oval of jelly beans.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

Tom Baker was born to be Doctor Who the hat and scarf was his idea and is the most iconic and recognisable Doctors of the Classic run.

[@randomfox7261]

fun facts related to this episode jelly babies are a different sweet to jelly beans (they are humanoid shaped & taste different, there are also 2 kinds I think) Tom Baker said he wanted a long scarf but nobody told the scarf maker how long to make it so she used ALL OF THE YARN to make the longest scarf ever and Tom just decided lets not cut it down (extra fact throughout his time as The Doctor he apparently trips on the scarf in outtakes many times) Harry was originally going to be like Ian & Steven (the smart fighter type) because they thought The Doctor was going to be another old man but Tom Baker was cast (no idea why Benton didn't become a companion but my theory is that he counted his UNIT time and didn't want to travel with The Doctor?)

[@daveofyorkshire301]

Tom Baker was Dr Who from 1974-1981, the internet was created in 1983... There was no internet to switch off... You do know Edgar Wallace was the creator of King Kong, a British writer. _Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace was a British writer of sensational detective, gangster, adventure and sci-fi novels, plays and stories. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12_ They didn't lose the plot, the idea was the robot went insane unable to resolve the conflicting instructions - as was demonstrated earlier, which is why all humanity became the enemy...

[@imafgc]

I'm sure someones already commented but jelly beans and babies are two different kind of sweets you can get (jelly babies are soft and chewy that are shaped like people whereas beans are bean shaped and usually have a bit of a hard outer layer)

[@neilmcdonald9164]

The Kettlewell actor also played a professor in the Troughton story The Invasion (in which he was clean-shaven)🎩

[@thetasigma5270]

Jelly Babies and Jelly Beans are different sweets. They’re the same kind’ve chewy sweet, but they’re shaped literally like little men.

[@michaellevenson2200]

Trivia- we have jelly beans in the UK, but Jelly Babies are different, soft candy pieces shaped as a baby. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGq4g3uAg7ygaaM

[@adambesley4455]

15:17 Dad wears a Stetson now. Stetson's are cool!

[@maximisationisreal439]

The faces were completely priceless when they realised that Robot expanded

[@flaggerify]

Good work, guys. Look forward to these each Monday.

[@CRINOTH]

The RAF didn't do anything in the Vietnam war as the UK wasn't involved in the conflict. The then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, refused to get involved.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

Still got Bessie:this story was originally written with the third Doctor in mind and,Tom's performance aside,this feels like a Pertwee story in many ways...🎩

[@scottredding7357]

I love the skipping rope bit.

[@bcsr4ever]

I like the way the rest of this series is tied together. Some good stories as well.

[@josephryan362]

Tom baker is my sixth favourite doctor who and robot is my favourite tom baker doctor who story of his era as the fourth doctor.

[@Jamestopboy]

The fact that 4, perhaps the most alien Doctor, wins Sarah Jane over by being *human* is incredibly heartwarming.

[@barriehull7076]

I may have missed the mention but Harry was in the Carnival of Monsters as Lt John Andrews.

[@kemmdog4444]

The Fourth Doctor is the bohemian Doctor.

[@kemmdog4444]

The actor in the robot suit is the same actor who played the Cybercontroller in Tomb of the Cybermen.

[@Darren79]

A production note: This is the final story with Terrance Dicks as Script Editor and Barry Letts as Producer - Robert Holmes takes over as script editor and Philip Hinchcliffe as Producer.

[@gus4u2c]

Actually Robot is the 1st story with Robert Holmes as Script-Editor. Look at the end credits

[@Darren79]

@@gus4u2c Ah, yes, quite right. My mistake. Short of giving Dicks an "I want this kind of story" brief, I doubt he did much with it though.

[@EvHervey]

Jelly Babies are a different thing. I got my boss some for his birthday one year. Similar to Sour Patch Kids, without the bitter coating. They're actually really good.

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

Man, Tom Baker comes storming in and gives a performance as the Doctor unlike anything we've ever seen before. He immediately commands the screen, completely owning the role. As great as he is in this story though, this almost entirely comedic performance couldn't carry on beyond this story and the new producer and script editor (Phillip Hinchcliffe and Robert Holmes respectively) knew this and clearly reigned Tom in from the next story onward. Tom added a dark, brooding edge to his Doctor to go along with the wit and humour in the next story and it worked wonderfully, that is how he would play the Doctor for the next three and half seasons. It's a shame that as soon as Robert Holmes left as script editor mid-way through season 15, he slipped back into playing the version of the Doctor we saw in Robot. In fact, he was even more out of control! There was no longer anyone to reign in his excesses and instead of it being charming like it was in Robot, I personally found a lot of it to be quite annoying. Perhaps my opinion will change once I rewatch those stories? That's a story for another time though.... For now we can all enjoy Tom Baker giving some of the best performances anyone has ever given as the Doctor over the next three and half seasons. In some of the greatest stories ever too. The Hinchcliffe era is a time of supreme consistency, great story after great story. Let me put it like this, no other era boasts a good/bad story ratio as good as the Hinchcliffe era.

[@brucesimmons5517]

This is exactly my opinion and it's so nice to see other people share it.

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

@@brucesimmons5517 If Tom had left with Robert Holmes (or even a few stories previously with Phillip Hinchcliffe), he might be one of my top 2 Doctors with Tennant. Unfortunately, a lot of his performances in the Williams era drag him down a bit. Thankfully JNT got him back to somewhere close to his best for his final season. It's ironic that it's because of JNT trying to reign him in that Tom finally left in the end...

[@brucesimmons5517]

@@Mrazmatmahmood Haha, yeah my thoughts exactly. Honestly if Tom had left with either Holmes or Hinchcliff, he wouldn't just be in my top two, he would be my favourite.

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

@@brucesimmons5517 With all that being said, Tom is still an excellent Doctor. And despite what I said, he does have a few great performances in the (post Robert Holmes) Willaims era. From memory (I haven't watched any of these in quite a while) he's great in The Ribos Operation, The Pirate Planet and of course, City of Death.

[@brucesimmons5517]

@@Mrazmatmahmood Oh, yeah, for sure, I would never claim that Tom Baker is a bad Doctor or that he became terrible after Hinchcliff/Holmes left, it's just that he was so perfect during the first three seasons that it's a shame that couldn't continue.

[@Darren79]

Costume designer Jim Acheson was inspired by Toulouse-Lautrec's poster of Aristide Bruant for Tom Baker's look. The jacket is a 60's safari jacket.

[@kemmdog4444]

He actor is playing Jellicoe also played Osgood in the Daemons.

[@MuchWhittering]

Sorry Richard, I have to object. Jelly Beans and Jelly Babies are totally different products. Look up pictures of Bassetts Jelly Babies and you'll see why they're called that. (They're very overrated though. The Haribo knock-off ones are a lot nicer.) Although this is Season 12, this was produced as part of Season 11 (The Season 13 opener likewise was produced in Season 12). Because of this, it's the final story for Producer Barry Letts and Script Editor Terrance Dicks, both of whom had been around since Doctor Who and the Silurians. We now have a new Producer Phillip Hinchcliffe until the end of Season 15, and Script Editor Robert Holmes until mid-15. Holmes was a frequent writer on Classic Who, writing plenty of stories from Season 6, all the way through to his death in the middle of writing the Season 23 finale. 3:15 Funny you should say that, you do actually have "The Robots of Death" coming up in Season 14. 6:17 Another memorable Tom Baker appearance is as the insane Captain in the Blackadder episode "Potato". He's also the narrator for Little Britain. Harry was actually referenced in Planet of the Spiders, when the Brigadier phones for a medic. They mention he's named Sullivan. 10:34 Virtually everything's been back in the audios. The Voord from Keys of Marinus came back. Although I just checked, and they've never brought the Chumblies back. 42:05 At my old school girls still have to wear skirts/dresses, although most modern school uniforms let girls wear trousers.

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

Hinchcliffe left at the end of season 14, not 15.

[@MuchWhittering]

@@Mrazmatmahmood So he did. I had in my head that Graham Williams came along with Romana.

[@RonanCormack]

One question, when you finish Classic Who sorry I know that's a bit far ahead of thinking 😂 would you be driving straight into New Who? Or watching the Brand New Classic Who Animated Releases that have yet to come out?

[@alexthehunted]

and..here..we...go

[@joshuajoshua2732]

I loved the King Kong scene I'm a big fan of the original 1933 movie and the toy tank yes while I agree the effects aren't perfect but at the same time I love it simply for the campiness that's the charm of Classic Who. The effects isn't what makes the show it's the stories they are the most importance.

[@tokublwhovian]

If you like classic stuff, I recommend checking out the original Ultraman series. Either Ultra Q (Twilight Zone-like) or Ultraman (1966)

[@somthingbrutal]

my first ever episode of Who back in 1974

[@tokublwhovian]

Doctor Who does Kaiju (before The Next Doctor)

[@purpleduke3193]

classic who used to be on Internet Archive, but was all taken down on legal grounds a few months ago

[@7thHourFilms]

Something got taken down from Internet Archive? I didn't know such a thing could happen!

[@bananasaregood8655]

Ah the beginning of the tom baker era. His first three seasons are fantastic! I love how his first story is just like a standard pertwee adventure (that was the intention to ease audiences with this new doctor) but it kinda makes me miss pertwee 😢 The scarf wasnt meant to be that long, the woman who was given the wool wasnt told how long to make it, so she used it all. Tom baker apparently said they couldn’t use it but the producers said just go with it pretty much. I love harry, he’s a great companion. Tragic that the actor ian marter died of a heart attack on his 42nd birthday in 1986

[@alexthehunted]

got to say while robot isn't that great a story tom baker comes out on all cylinders

[@kemmdog4444]

This is the only classic season in Blu-ray I have.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Is it funny that she compared them to people who believe in flying saucers... When they're in a world we're flying sauces are real!

[@jacobhogan3208]

I remember watching Robot for the first time a few years back in the middle of a really nice day with the window open and that vibe has always stuck with me and given me a positivity bias on this story.

[@Byle1990s]

You two have watched the eras of knowledge to be able to start an series about the missing episodes more heavily. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKTEpH6LiseYh68

[@DavidDr1]

When you release more reactions to Tom Baker Doctor Who stories?

[@7thHourFilms]

Every Monday. Just like always.

[@sirsamfay99]

There is something to be said for getting the worst out of the way first ,and Robot ,at least for me does just that. I cannot find any redeeming aspects of this story at all. From the obvious paralells stolen from other well troden story lines ,to the rubbish special effects, to Tom Baker still groping around trying to find how to portray the Doctor ,to the stupid comic sequence of the Doctor changing costumes. It is by far the worst 4th Doctor story. Now that is out of the way ,we can look forward to the true golden era of classic Doctor Who. I can think of at least 5 outstanding stories straight of my head and of the rest ,the worst can be at least said interesting. The richness and variety of stories including concept is equal to no other Sci - Fi. Your in for a treat begining with The Ark in Space.

[@davidbull7210]

Worst 4th doctor story? You obviously haven't seen many. Underworld? Horns of Nimon?

[@sirsamfay99]

@@davidbull7210 It is a personal opinion ,and I have seen all of the 4th Doctor stories.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

I love Robot and the comedic side of the Doctor it shows how very alien he is Tom Baker has straight away settled into the role.