Doctor Who: Classic 21x6: "The Caves of Androzani" Parts 1-4 | FINALE(ISH) REACTION!!

[@7thHourFilms]

REMINDER: Next week we will be doing a 5th Doctor retrospective video giving final thoughts on the era. After that will be a 1 week break due to Christmas and then we'll be back with Season 21 Serial 7: "The Twin Dilemma" to begin the 6th Doctor's Era.

[@MuchWhittering]

And here I thought you'd be starting The Twin Dilemma on Christmas Day. You're sparing us that Christmas "joy".

[@AmyWarriorPrincess]

In my opinion, the 6th Doctor, himself, is very underrated.

[@keithsolley]

I agree,been re-watching his stories recently and thoroughly enjoying them❤

[@MrJ.Smith1234]

His first impression in The Twin Dilemma isn't the best but apart from that, I think he's a great and different sort of doctor.

[@MetalPharoah]

We got Peter Capaldi who is almost the same

[@BernardJKD]

Survive Colin's first story if you can. It gets way better immediately after The Twin Dilemma.

[@MetalPharoah]

@BernardJKD I actually like it very much, then again I know the behind the scenes 10 year story that was planned and quite written for his Doctor Who. 5th regeneration went wonky and Doctor Who regenerated into the opposite of who he is very unhinged. It was to end with him finally back to who he used to be, and along the way tons of old villains were to return including The Toymaker.

[@Duncan_Hart]

I remember watching this one as a child on its original transmission. The regeneration was so incredibly exciting. I was 4 when I watched Logopolis which up until this point was my favourite episode - but it was only sporadically stored in my young memory. I remember watching this - knowing that it was the end of the 5th. I absolutely LOVED this regeneration. It remains one of my favourite episodes of classic. The next season, we got a VHS recorder, and maybe that's why I have such a soft spot for Colin - who is hugely underrated, in my opinion. Anyway. Thanks for the reaction. Always a joy to rewatch an old favourite with you both. Hope you've both had a good Christmas and looking forward to the reactions to come. Here's to 2024! Cheers!

[@BulbasaurRepresent]

The Fifth Doctor is, to me, the most underrated Doctor. And that's a word that gets thrown around a lot - but I do sincerely believe it. Personally, I think the Fifth Doctor has a very clear character arc, and I love it. He starts as completely logical. He's fascinated by the 'magic' of the coin trick Adric performs in Kinda. In The Visitation, he makes the logical conclusion that you only build stairs to lead somewhere - in that case, it is Nyssa who gets the traditionally more Doctory line "as a rule." That sounds like such a Doctor line, doesn't it? But no, instead the Doctor is the one who is stuck in his logical reasoning and not thinking outside the box as much. But, he is quickly urged to change - the Cybermen. Utterly logical creatures, a force of evil, who take Adric's life. That is when the Doctor re-evaluates this outlook on his new persona, and as a result kind of retreats into this gentleman personality, which most people associate with the Fifth Doctor. I think that this is an unfair way to view him - watching season 20, it feels obvious to me that this is simply a mask for him. He is not naturally 'kind' and 'human-like.' I'd argue that he is one of the most alien incarnations of the Doctor - his relationship with his companions seems totally alien. Not as in he doesn't like them - far from it, he clearly shows a fondness towards each of them - but his way of expressing it seems so different. This might be me projecting, but in this state, it seems like he's autistic. An alien adapting to a world built for humans, because he realised that his way of thinking is not compatible. As a result, he tends to be more reserved - more passive. And this causes a LOT of death, as seen in Resurrection of the Daleks. And this is finally the straw that broke the camel's back for Tegan - her exit is beautifully tragic, my favourite of at least the classic era. This is the Fifth Doctor's wake-up call, and I think in both Planet of Fire and Caves of Androzani, we see a much more active version of him - someone truer to himself, someone embracing his differences to be a cause of good rather than evil. And just as he finds himself... he dies. It is again, heart-breaking and tragic. My only wish is that Frontios was moved from before Resurrection to after Resurrection. Tegan does not feel necessary to the story, and Five feels much more like his post-resurrection self. But that is why I absolutely adore the Fifth Doctor, and I feel like his stories really benefit from being watched in order.

[@BernardJKD]

Short version: he is a great.

[@phantomsidious2934]

Hes a great Doctor

[@normallynormal3573]

I love this reading of him. Mine is quite similar. He is by far the best doctor the show has ever had in my opinon.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

The Director, Graeme Harper, started working on Who backing in the 1970’s during the Pertwee era, as technical staff. He worked under the guidance of Douglas Canfield, into the Tom Baker era. He earned his stripes as a Director. He will return in “classic”…and, then about 8 times during David Tennant’s era.

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

(4) This story is a masterpiece; all areas of the production are firing on all cylinders. The sets, costumes, special effects and especially the acting, music and direction are all superb. Roger Limb, who did the music, and Graeme Harper, who directed this story, contribute massively to this story. Limb’s music is incredibly atmospheric, moody and brilliantly sets the dark and oppressive tone a story like this requires. Harper’s direction feels years ahead of its time and is groundbreaking for DW. He injects a pace and dynamism previously unseen in DW and it’s a shame story in the next season would be his last for classic Who, but it wouldn’t surprise y’all to know that Graeme Harper is the only classic Who director to return and also direct episodes of modern Who. He didn’t just direct on or two either, he did Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, 42, Utopia, Planet of the Ood, The Unicorn and the Wasp, Turn Left, The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End AND The Waters of Mars. All of these are some of the best looking episodes of the modern era, which says a lot about Harper’s talent that he could return 20 years after he last worked on a show and is able to adapt to the demands of modern TV. He’s easily among the best four or five directors to ever work on the show. Both Limb and Harper’s efforts combine to make this story a truly cinematic experience and they both deserve huge credit for achieving what they did on a 1980s BBC budget. Peter Davison also gives an extraordinary performance as the Doctor, one of the best anyone has ever given in the role. Totally commanding and owning every second he’s onscreen. Funny, intense, emotional, he goes through the whole gamut in this story. He really saves his best for last. Most of all though, it’s the legend that is Robert Holmes who deserves the most praise. After being away from the show for six years, he casually strolls back in to write not just his best story, but one of the show’s greatest ever stories period and cements his status as perhaps the greatest DW writer ever in the process. He puts forth a scathing commentary on drug addiction, corporatism and the military industrial complex and how these things can destroy a world, and one of the best character studies of the Doctor ever put to screen at the same time. It really is astonishing how he could be away for so long and be entrusted with something as important as a regeneration story and do the best possible job anyone could do. As brilliant as The Caves of Androzani is, it’s true strength lies in its simplicity. The goals and motivations of all the characters are straightforward and easy to understand. The story remains logical and consistent throughout, there aren’t many sharp turns or plot twists, which gives this story a sense of a slow steady march towards tragedy and that it will unavoidably end in a crescendo of destruction. The shot of Stotz, Morgus and Jek all dead in the same room (I love how Jek collapses into the arms of the emotionless robot Salateen, very eerie) and the violent mud bursts going off around the TARDIS as it dematerialises get the idea across very effectively that Androzani was always a doomed planet. The Doctor and Peri were lucky to escape. It’s easy to see why The Caves of Androzani has such a huge reputation in the annals of DW and has received unanimous critical acclaim. It always finishes in the top five of any story ranking poll and has frequently finished at the very top of such lists and it fully deserves to. It’s just an extraordinary story.

[@davidbull7210]

Well said

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

(2) All of this is why The Caves of Androzani is the perfect regeneration story for the fifth Doctor. Many people describe him as “the nice man faced with a universe of horrors” and no other story portrays this better than this one. The fifth Doctor starts out very humble and affable. He simply wanted to have fun and explore the wonders of the universe, but there was also a real vulnerability to him. You could almost say he was a centrist because of the way he wanted to please all sides and avoid conflict because he was scared of it and desperately wanted to avoid it, but this approach only made things worse for him and people around him and his era becomes defined by chaos, death and destruction. His indecisiveness and inability to take control of a situation like his predecessors were able to led to a lot of people dying in his wake. Even Davros called him out on his lack of conviction earlier in the season, and he was right in some ways... By his last season he’s become much more aggressive, impatient and cynical, and he’s pushed to taking extreme measures, such as gassing all the Slurians and Sea Devils or being prepared to kill Davros. Clearly he’s been changed by everything he’s gone through and this leads perfectly into this story. All this context is important because all of that is the main driving force for the Doctor’s actions in this story. He will not allow another person to die in his care and is willing to do anything to prevent that from happening, especially because he knows and admits it’s kinda his fault. Usually a story begins with the Doctor and companion/s landing in a mysterious place and the Doctor letting his curiosity get the better of him and explore against his better judgement. I love how this story takes this general premise and brutally critiques it and shows how the Doctor’s lifestyle inherently puts him and people around him in danger. It’s so interesting how within the first ten minutes of the story the Doctor and Peri fall into the Spectrox nest and poison themselves and from that point onward they’re slowly dying throughout the rest of the story. It’s great that this isn’t something caused by the villains either, it’s all their own doing and a seemingly innocuous incident that spirals out of control. I also really like the slow realisation the Doctor and Peri have that something is seriously wrong. It gives this story a jolt of jeopardy right from the get go. It’s a great way to build suspense and give the story a sense of forward momentum, like it’s building up to something huge. The Doctor is beaten and bullied throughout this story and he finally snaps. The episode three cliffhanger is brilliant and perfectly sums up the Doctor’s mindset in this story. He holds off his regeneration, risking permanent death because he knows he can’t risk regenerating now, not before he’s set things right and saved Peri’s life. The shot of his face, scrunched up in fear as the spaceship is crashing to the planet (a parallel to Adric’s death) is one of the most excruciatingly tense moments in DW history! After everything he’s been through in his life, the fifth Doctor has finally had enough and stands up for himself to try and save his and his companions life. He risks it all and goes through hell all to save a woman he barely knows, which shows his bravery and selflessness. The regeneration scene itself is poignant and tragic, with the Doctor realising there’s only enough antidote for one person and, without any hesitation, he gives all of it to Peri all while trying to reassure her and keep her spirits up, despite being in agonising pain and unsure if he’s going to regenerate or just permanently die. Finally, his body gives out after all he’s been through and he begins to hallucinate and sees visions of his companions willing him to not die. I love his forlorn “Adric” after he sees him, which ends up being his final word. It’s a heartbreaking moment and a fitting final line because it reveals the Doctor’s true motivation in this story. The Doctor never forgave himself for Adric’s death and he wanted to repent and saving Peri was his way of doing so. This Doctor’s era is for many people defined by the first ever death of a (long term) companion, so it’s very fitting that it ends with him saving one. I also love that amidst all his companions encouraging him to keep going on, the Master comes bursting through urging him to die, which is very interesting considering what happened in the last story. The Doctor has a guilty conscience over failing to save the Master as well, despite everything the Master has done to him, but I think it’s also to remind himself why he must keep living. There’s evil out there that needs to be fought. It speaks volumes about their relationship and how complicated it is that the Doctor would think of the Master in a moment like this, it’s a great touch.

[@dcsignal5241]

It's always interesting to me that the story I feel is the best Doctor Who story doesn't feel like a Doctor Who story at all.

[@rayvenkman2087]

But yet it exemplifies the greatest act of heroism from the Doctor: Saving the one life in spite of everything being so grim and vicious.

[@jacobhogan3208]

Just finished the great Christmas episode and am very excited to jump into this.

[@davidbull7210]

There was a cut scene at the beginning that took place in the TARDIS. We only catch the second part of the conversation in what was broadcast.

[@NaanProphet]

So I'm one of those people who have this as a favorite of all time. I won't say it's the "best" because different facets of Doctor Who mean different things to different people. Dad brought up the "do I have the right" part of Genesis as a good marker of who the Doctor is and why he thinks that story is better. Very fair. But to me, the image of the dying Doctor carrying Peri to the Tardis with explosions everywhere, not giving a flying F about fixing the problem on Androzani is quintessentially the Doctor at his finest and that's a big reason why it's my favorite. Alex mentioned it might need rewatches. It benefits from a rewatch more than you can possibly imagine. The way the plot works, knowing Morgus is playing both sides just makes it even better. Knowing the Doctor has absolutely no chance of winning and seeing him try so desperately just to save Peri... And my favorite moment of the entire story is one that was cut out in this edit. Right before the episode 3 cliffhanger, the Doctor actually holds back his regeneration so he can concentrate to save Peri. It's subtle, but just look for the same regeneration effect when he's flying the ship. So when he says "I don't know" regarding it, that's why... Because he thought he missed his chance. Also, this was by Robert Holmes as a triumphant return to the show. He and Eric Saward became fast friends while he tried to write for the 20th anniversary. Holmes didn't understand Davison's take on the character so he was told to write for Tom Baker in mind. He also felt like he "had it easy" so Saward instructed him to put him through absolute hell.

[@Jaketherobonrd]

Merry Christmas Alex and to your dad as well. But Okay we’ve been waiting for this episode a long time coming. This story is highly regarded one of the all time favourite episodes of the show. Personally I do like this story definitely. But it doesn’t have much impact on me honestly, for me it will always be Genesis of the Daleks as my favourite story but this story is definitely a fan favourite and excellent swan song to Peter Davison’s Doctor. And of course the legend himself Robert Holmes wrote this story. The last Bob Holmes wrote for the show was Power of Kroll and that was 5 seasons ago, so it’s good to have him back!

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

(1) The Caves of Androzani is probably the darkest and most brutal Doctor Who story ever. Robert Holmes does an astonishing job of world building and making Androzani the most convincing hellhole in all of Doctor Who. This is a society rife with drug addiction and where no can trust one another. Everyone is in it for themselves and will gladly stab anyone in the back if it benefits them. There are no good guys and it’s hard to root for anyone, besides the Doctor and Peri and that’s crucial to the success of the story. This is also a world where the government is ruled by money and corporations and that’s where Morgus comes in. It’s no surprise that a man like Morgus rose to the top of the totem pole in these conditions, but his actions are causing tensions between him and the President, who depends on Morgus’ financial aid and unbeknownst to the public is merely a ceremonial figure of power and the real power lies with Morgus. His actions threaten to destroy the public image of the president, who wants to find a way to balance a good reputation with the businesses keeping him afloat and these frustrations between them will come to a boil later in the story and Holmes does a really good job of setting the stage for what happens. There’s no moral ambiguity with Morgus whatsoever, Morgus might just be the most unsympathetic and evil character in DW history. This is a man who exploits the rampant drug addiction and patriotism of people like Chellak to stage a proxy war that fills his own pockets, closes down mines to transfer workers over to ones he personally owns to work for little to no pay (a clear allusion to Margaret Thatcher…) and remorselessly (and as we later learn, foolishly) kills the President by pushing him down a lift shaft, when he suspects the president might be working against him and then (kinda hilariously) orders the lift technician to be executed for incompetency! This man exemplifies all that is wrong with Androzani. Even Morgus gets betrayed in the end though. I love how the moment his assistant deposes him and takes over isn’t presented as a triumph and a good guys winning the day type of moment. There’s no suggestion that she’s going to make any drastic changes to the system, she’s just going to replace him. If she truly wanted to change things on Androzani, she wouldn’t have taken his position. She would’ve just dismantled the whole system that allowed a man like Morgus to be in control. It shows how the faces may change, but the system never does. An incredibly cynical way to view things, but it’s not too far from the truth. I also love how once Morgus realises he has lost everything, he throws caution to the wind and travels to Androzani Minor and breaks the impasse with Sharaz jek, just so he can get his hands on as much Spectrox as possible. Morgus’ desperation and greed lead him to a final confrontation with Jek and ultimately his death. I love how we’re shown the other side of the coin with the man Morgus betrayed to reach the top, Sharaz Jek. He’s by no means an angel and in many ways just as bad as Morgus, but because of his backstory and actions and the reasons for those actions, there’s, unlike with Morgus, ambiguity and layers to his character. First of all, he saves the Doctor and Peri from being executed and not for any nefarious reasons. No, he did it just because he’s desperately lonely and wants the companionship of someone like Peri because she’s beautiful and he was robbed of his beauty because of what Morgus did to him. She’s also uncorrupted and pure of heart and that draws Jek to her too. Sure it’s creepy as hell and his behaviour around Peri makes my skin crawl, but it’s also pitiful and in a strange way makes him sympathetic. I mean, let’s be honest, without Jek to look after her, Peri would’ve probably died long before the Doctor was able to get the antidote for her and Jek was the one to tell the Doctor how to get the antidote in the first place. He’s also the one to finally give Morgus what he deserves. However, Jek is still the man who made an underhanded deal with Morgus and seeked to profit from drug smuggling and those decisions led him to the terrible existence he endured. He made the mistake of trusting Morgus and he paid for it. He’s also working with gunrunners and using them to fight a petty war against Morgus, not realising they’re in fact his hired guns and he’s still being manipulated by Morgus so he can become even richer. Sharaz Jek is a brilliant study in how greed can destroy a brilliant intellect and degenerate them into a pitiful monster and how revenge can be all consuming and self destructive. He’s such an interesting character and Christopher Gable brings him to life with a stellar performance. Fully embodying the phantom of the opera inspired characterisation and bringing real pathos and an unnerving presence whenever he’s onscreen. He’s considered one of the greatest one off characters the show has ever had and for good reason.

[@paulrichards4452]

I adore this story. It’s so wonderfully bleak and very mature in tone. I think the reason there’s a story with the next Doctor at the end of this season is because the producer at the time John Nathan Turner didn’t want fans to have to wait a whole year to see the new Doctor. This is one of my top 10 Doctor Who stories. 10/10. The producer of today should look at this and take inspiration as this is a terrific regeneration. Very impactful but also mature storytelling and sinister. The cliffhanger at the end of part one was very dramatic and for part 3 as you can see a tunnel effect in the Doctors vision and we thought at the time that he was going and by part four it could be a new Doctor. That made it even more exciting. Wasn’t Peter Davison just wonderful. Great reactions. Onto the next Doctor.

[@Mrazmatmahmood]

(3) Ultimately, with the help of visions of his companions, the Doctor fights through it and manages to complete his regeneration, but it’s clearly a traumatic experience, both for him and the viewer. The way they execute the regeneration with all the trippy effects really gets across how difficult this particular regeneration is for the Doctor and it’s very disturbing to watch. He even says that “it feels different this time”. The fact that we see inside his head and see that he’s using his friends as motivation to keep on living is beautiful and tragic all at the same time. It shows the importance of the companions and how each of them have an impact on the Doctor. It’s one of the best and most interesting regeneration scenes ever imo and it also goes a long way to explaining why the post regeneration trauma is so severe for the sixth Doctor and his volatile personality in general. It’s also poetic irony that the fifth Doctor spends most of his tenure being passive and trying too hard to please all sides in order to avoid conflict, and when his patience finally runs out and he takes the fight to the bad guys, it kills him. Brilliant. I also love how despite the Doctor being portrayed as incredibly vulnerable and having a tortuous experience in this story, the story still makes sure to show what an anarchic force of nature he is. Throughout this story, the Doctor’s only goal is to survive, save Peri and get the hell out of here. He does not get directly involved in the politics and affairs of Androzani at any point, and yet The Doctor manages to affect massive political change without any intention of doing so. His arrival begins a chain of events that lead to the collapse of Morgus’ empire. It drives him to assassinate the President on the mistaken belief he’s plotting against the business mogul with the Doctor’s help, and leads to the arrest of the CEO of the largest corporation in the system, never minding pushing a long-running conflict to a bloody and bitter climax and possibly disrupting the supply and distribution of spectrox, none of which is intended by the Doctor. Even Morgus observes at one point that “something is happening I don’t quite understand” and that’s the beauty of it all. It goes to show how these corrupt systems are built upon a house of cards and one unexpected and foreign element is enough to disrupt the careful balance of power because of the paranoia and impulsiveness of people like Morgus. Inevitably, they will sow the seeds of their own destruction. This story was originally meant to be called “Chain Reaction” and I wish they went with that title instead because it perfectly encapsulates what this story is doing. It also makes me think that this story seems to be saying the fifth Doctor is ill equipped to deal with such a brutal universe. His whole era is filled death and the Doctor failing to save people. Tegan left because she couldn’t take it anymore and of course, Adric died in his care. Quite possibly the two moments that define the fifth Doctor’s time on the show. It’s true that he was able to bring down an entire system, but he didn’t intend any of it and he dies in the process. The sixth Doctor’s louder and more bombastic personality seems like a reaction against the quieter and more contemplative fifth Doctor. Did the Doctor choose to regenerate into this kind of personality because he feels it’s better suited to deal with the harsh realities of the universe and it’s what he thinks he needs to be? It’s an interesting thought. There couldn’t have been a more perfect story to end on for this Doctor. it’s brilliant not just because of what it does for the fifth Doctor’s character, but also because of how it sums up the Doctor’s character as a whole by showing who they are and what they strive to be.

[@kierenevans2521]

5:10 Actually this is carry over from a cut scene. The starting voice-over material is partly based on it. Peri is taking the mickey of the british pronunciation. 36:50 So the actual reason is a cynical production reason. The previous season had lost its finale due to industrial action (The Return which was reworked into Resurrection of the Daleks) and there were memories of Shada. Thus it was decided to have a 'sacrificial' final story in case of industrial action. You see it claimed that the reason for it not being the finale was to give the audience a taster of the new Doctor, but that wasn't really the case. 51:05 I'll be honest it doesn't really get much better for Peri. But more of that later...

[@whobp8]

This is a great Doctor Who story. The categorizing of any single story as the "greatest of all time" is, of course subjective. We all have our individual tastes and if you asked a dozen different people to name a greatest book or movie or television episode you'd probably get a dozen different answers. In the Doctor Who Magazine poll published in issue #413, Androzani came in first after tabulating the votes of everyone who participated in the poll. An earlier, similar poll had Genesis of the Daleks at number one and the most recent poll had Heaven Sent. Other polls have produced different results. Producer John Nathan Turner decided to have the Doctor regenerate in the penultimate story of the season so viewers wouldn't have to wait a full year to find out what the new Doctor was like. Interestingly, if you count the Doctor's regeneration as a sort of death, it's only the two female characters in this story who don't die. This was directed by Graeme Harper, the only director to work on both the Classic and Modern series of Doctor Who Salateen is played by actor Robert Glenister. Glenister and Peter Davison had played brothers on the sitcom Sink or Swim and had difficulty looking at each other during filming scenes in this, as they kept making each other break out in laughter. Glenister would later play Thomas Edison in a Thirteenth Doctor story.

[@Rocket1377]

Peri was being sarcastic, that's why her accent changes when she says the word Glass. It was a deliberate acting choice, not a mistake. Nicola Bryant's faked an American accent to get the part on Doctor Who in the first place, and had to maintain that fiction to everyone the entire time she worked on Doctor Who, including on talk shows. She also had to hide the fact that she was married (at the behest of producer Jonathan Turner). The only person on the crew she eventually revealed her real accent to was Colin Baker, and not until she was invited to his home for dinner.

[@Talisguy]

Daleks in Manhattan and The Gunfighters mean that Peri's accent wouldn't make it into Doctor Who's top fifty worst American accents, but she has a tendency to slip between different American accents.

[@BronyDanProductions]

Merry Christmas 7thHourFilms. The reason for why this is not the final story of Season 21 was because John Nathan-Turner had felt that, having dealt with Tom Baker’s departure’, that having the audience wait months to a year before seeing what the new Doctor was like was not a good idea. Remember, it had only ever happened once before when Jon Pertwee left, so JNT decided to give the final, story of the season to Colin so that the audience could have an idea of what his Doctor will be like in the new Season. Theoretically, it’s a good and clever idea, they just need a strong story to help them…

[@garycullen7390]

BIG FINISH have made several stories set between PLANET OF FIRE and THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI featuring 5 and Peri

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

I know this story inside out, partly because we got a VCR when it was repeated here in Oz circa 1988, and so I was able to watch the hell out of it. I was however then amazed a decade later when the episode was released by the BBC, and the Australian censors by then were not as concerned about the violence in the story - and I got to see it all for the first time! The Doc being roughed up by the Androids, Stots killing his men, and the earlier suicide pill scene, much of the climax in Jek's caves - had all been removed/heavily cut down. Anyways - Yes, you'll probably appreciate the story more on rewatching it... and picking up on all the nuances. Perhaps that is a reason that actually works against this being considered a great story, but for me - I can sit and watch Caves any day and just love it to pieces. "Adric?" being 5's final word was haunting (even if Adric was a bit of a twat).

[@johnjeczalik8960]

Can’t wait to start the new year (maybe a little later than expected) with Colin’s Doctor! He takes a little getting used to concerning his personality, but you’ll get used to it. Also another chance to see Vengeance On Varos.

[@alexthehunted]

Haven't started the video yet. You know this story regularly tops doctor who best stories so no pressure

[@alexthehunted]

Robert homles was given free rain on this story was only given two conditions. It had to be doable on a doctor who budget and it had to have a regeneration

[@DamnQuilty]

Bye, Five! Hello, Six! (Both are tied for my Doctor, Classic, Big Finish and novels)

[@EvHervey]

Oh, I don't want to go here... (sigh) It also makes sense that the Tractators wouldn't be on that planet because of the volcanic layout. So, even if they had somehow found their way there, (stowaways, eggs what-have-you) they wouldn't have (likely) survived long, leaving the crash survivors safe. Damn Christmas, I shouldn't have had time to think about that, let alone type it out...

[@davidbull7210]

This was the last Who story to be affected by industrial action. It was meant to be in the can before Christmas but some kind of strike led to the regeneration scenes being filmed in January.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

In interviews, and documentary of this story, Peter D’ has a critique of his regeneration. The Director G.Harper thought of the orchestra flash of The Beatles “a day in the life” for the rush effects. Peter tells, the camera, as he was going to regenerate, the camera shows Nicola’s “cleavage”….Nicola has agreed. Like, my Doctor is ending, she’s a Woman - exit! They were under pressure to finish filming. The BBC had a policy of Union process, if the production didn’t finish filming by 10pm, “lights and power off” - and the regeneration was filmed minutes before.

[@stickytapenrust6869]

The BBC didn’t have a policy of union process, it was the law that their staff had to be unionised and trade unions had much more influence on Government policy, though shortly after this Margaret Thatcher would start breaking this power and influence.

[@alexthehunted]

Alex bit of channel lore for you the actor who played Salateen is the same actor who played gene hunt in life on mars and ashes to ashes. He also did a 13th doctor story nikola tesla night of terror as Thomas Edison

[@michaellevenson2200]

Philip Glenister was in Life On Mars, this is Robert Glenister as Salateen.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

He and Peter D’ had worked on a BBC show before, too.

[@iangreen4572]

I'm torn between Genesis of the Daleks and Earthshock. The Doctor's refusal to interfere and save Adric is compelling tv.

[@kyletaylor3255]

2 seasons had been unexpectedly cut short because of industrial action, the one where Shada was not completed, and the most recent one, which was intended to finish on a Dalek story (in which Kamelion was intended to have a major role, but that would have been another problem.) John Nathan Turner was terrified the same thing might happen this season and he would lose the regeneration story. Peter Davison was only contracted for 3 seasons and he had declined an extension, because he was asked at a time when it wasn't going well and he wasn't enjoying the job, so getting him back one more time just to do a regeneration scene could have been a problem. He could have just said 'No' and viewers would be robbed of an on-screen regeneration. So it was to avoid that awkwardness that they settled on doing the regeneration story at this point, and give the new Doctor one story this season to establish himself. Not a bad idea, but the Sixth Doctor's first story would have to have been a story that really sold the new guy to the audience, and it wasn't. Normally, I'd avoid typing things that might influence your ideas about future stories, but you already know it's unpopular, and you'll see why what they ended up doing was a bad way to introduce the new Doctor. As it happened, Davison loved The Caves of Androzani, and said that if there had been more scripts of that quality he would have stayed longer. By then, of course, Colin Baker was already cast, so it was too late to change his mind.

[@icantthinkofagoodusername4575]

The final story of the season is with The Sixth Doctor because The producer wanted to give The audience a taste of the new Doctor rather than making them wait 10 months.

[@alexthehunted]

and this decision could have worked if they didn't mess it up so badly

[@kierenevans2521]

Actually, there's another reason. After loss of the final story over previous season due to industrial action and memories of Shada, it was decided to made the regeneration story not the planned final one of the season in case it was lost.

[@joshuaverran9443]

David Bowie was the original choice for Sharaz Jek.

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

I remember reading about that, but don't remember if there was a scheduling conflict or what exactly prevented him from playing that part.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

Great story and Peter Davison considers this story the best he's ever done during his tenure as Dr. Who and his personal favourite story according to Peter Davison during an interview at the time when they showed the regeneration scene instead of the dying Doctor most of the male audiences focus was Peri's cleavage. Without giving away too much in regards to Colin Baker, producer John Nathan Turner not only wanted to bring back the Hartnell attitude of the Doctor which I wouldn't think works nowadays not even in 1984 he wanted a totally tasteless Doctor.

[@MuchWhittering]

I like that this story doesn't claim it's Peri's first trip in the TARDIS. It's meant we can have TONS of extra adventures with 5 and Peri between last week and this week, and indeed we have, Big Finish have had whole other companions joining them. This story is good, but I probably wouldn't rank it as among the best. But that's only because there are so many others I love. That whole hallucination during the regeneration, Big Finish have, of course, explained it. As the Master trying to kill the Doctor, and Nyssa, stuck in a dreamworld, has to rally the other companions telepathically to encourage the Doctor to regenerate. I dunno, that's what I remember from it, it's called Circular Time, it was an odd concept.

[@Lumibear.]

Personally, I’ve never been big on these more wordy morality/power play ones, politics in space, mature themes, etc. I just don’t think it’s Who’s USP. Great Who, for me, is when it’s not too silly or serious, a bit scary, with a core of morality and heart, but overall, quirky charming nerdy fun. May the new season bring that back.

[@phantomsidious2934]

Still the best regen story of the entire show and the characters and performances are stellar and so much better than New Who.

[@bananasaregood8655]

The idea was to give the audience a brief look at the next doctor. Unfortunately the debut story was SO bad it ruined people’s excitement for season 22. Androzani major was mentioned in the matt smith xmas special, the widow and the wardrobe. Also davison requested for his final story to have the celery explained. Also he liked caves so much he wished he could have stayed for another season

[@stevenedwards8353]

That's actually kind of sad when you think about it. "Surprise! This Doctor tries to kill his companions! See you next season!"

[@bananasaregood8655]

@@stevenedwards8353 an odd choice. They even adress how bad his outfit is in the very first episode. Its like they wanted it to fail

[@imafgc]

Sorry for who fans hyping this up so much, it's pretty much an impossible task for who fans on youtube to not spoil the show

[@Paul_1971]

To me this is where hardcore classic Who ended - I like 6th & 7th too but its not quite the same level & comes across a bit more cheap & pantomime.

[@FarazIFM]

amorgus

[@sirsamfay99]

Thanks for all the reactions to classic Who over the last few years. As the 4th Dr ends I am leaving the classic Who train. From Colin Baker the series descends into cheap pantomime and it sucks! I will be back for season 26 though as the series finds it's feet again! 😁

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

No, your opinion. Every era of Who can vary - I’m a fan of Who since 1981 -let these two men make up their own minds viewing. There are diamonds, and some rocks.

[@sirsamfay99]

I can say what I like!@@jonathanmurphy3141

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

I never get wth everyone sees in this story: and this when Davison is my favourite Doctor. It seems one of these crowd psychology ways to be cool. Okay the ep 3 cliffhanger is right to admire, but that's all. It's another of the boring business stories that afflict later Classic. It neither ties up nor starts any arc. It has no returning aliens or characters except hallucinated in the regen. Colin's first lines to Peri are unfriendly and I'm with many folks in disliking them. When he is losing the ability to stand, from dying from a poison, it's silly implausible writing that he holds his strength up enough to carry Peri through caves and running across a battlefield, and start the tardis.

[@chrisbrooker7260]

Each to their own, but I will say that returning ‘monsters’ never make a story better, nor does being part of a story arc, so not sure why these are black marks against it? (Sound like a new Who younger fan comment tbh) Why I like this story is: it’s bleak, almost everyone dies, the Doctor sacrifices himself to save someone he’s not known for long, the characters are wonderfully awful & amoral (on the whole), the acting is great, the direction is astounding, it’s written by the great Robert Holmes, Morgus’s asides to the camera are a wonderful breaking of the fourth wall, the cliffhanger to ep 3 is one of the very best in the show’s entire history, Nicola Bryant looks genuinely terrified in the scenes with Sharaz Jek, it all has real consequence, the Doctor arrives too late to do anything but extricate himself and Peri, and he fails to fully do that (the Doctor failing, or not entirely winning is usually a sign of great Who). Is that enough?

[@flaggerify]

It's overrated.