Doctor Who: Classic 24x4: "Dragonfire" Parts 1-3 | FINALE REACTION!!

And now, here's Mr. Freeze! on Season 24 Serial 4 of Classic Doctor Who - Dragonfire Parts 1-3!
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
04:19 - Part 1: WHAT KILLED THE DINOSAURS?!
16:33 - Part 2: THE ICE AGE!!
28:05 - Part 3: CHILL!!
32:58 - Discussion
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[@davidpo5517]

"They couldn't understand how blowing up the art room was a creative act!" is a favorite line of mine.

[@Darren79]

The producer asked Bonnie Langford if she wanted to stay (she was expected to leave half way through the next season) but she didn't see the point in staying and had plenty in her career to get going with. So whilst the story was in production they cobbled together a quick leaving scene - and McCoy wanted to include bits from his audition. This season was made in a BIG rush due to being commissioned late.

[@Finbarzapek]

And now you’ve got the 7th Doc & Ace duo - my personal fav Tardis crew of the 80s.

[@jch13213]

In the 80s, I immediately clued into Delta and the Bannermen being a riff on the name of the 80s band, " Echo and the Bunnymen"

[@mark-s]

Yes the best dr and companion team of the 80s has now arrived

[@andrewbowman4611]

Sylvester McCoy is absolutely Scottish - British as well, come to that. His real name is Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith, his stage name coming from his days with the Ken Campbell Comedy Roadshow, where he was originally billed as Sylveste McCoy, the human bomb. He used to explode things on his chest, hammer nails in is nose and put ferrets down his trousers. Roger Rabbit actor Bob Hoskins was also part of the Campbell ensemble around the same time.

[@ftumschk]

... and Janet "Tegan" Fielding joined Campbell's troupe after Hoskins and McCoy had left.

[@keithsolley]

The Female Customer Ace pours the Milkshake over had previously played one of the doomed campers in the season 16 Serial The Stones of Blood

[@davidbull7210]

Didn't know that. Nice one

[@ftumschk]

Very perceptive of Dad to pick up on the Buster Keaton vibe. McCoy wasn't an actor, but got into acting after having been a physical comedian. His act involved banging 6" nails up his nostrils, getting slapped, pratfalling and stuffing live ferrets down his pants... that kind of sophisticated stuff. Anyhoo, Sylvester started to get modest acting parts on TV and the stage, eventually starring as the Pied Piper in a successful National Theatre production. John Nathan Turner went to see the show after McCoy had been suggested as a potential 7th Doctor, and he clearly made a strong impression.

[@Benji568]

The only story I can remember Ace leaving the Doctor was Love & War which was a Virgin New Adventures book in the 90s. It also introduced the character Bernice Summerfield, an Archaeologist from the 26th Century with a habit of getting drunk and sleeping around. Big Finish adapted this book in 2012.

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

Sophie Aldred as Ace was exactly what the show needed - someone with a heart of gold and yet is nobody's door mat. It was such a refreshing change to see a companion who followed in the footsteps of more progressive companions from previous eras (pre JNT) and then drop a nitro-9 into the mold. Ace! I used to cosplay as Ace at conventions around that time. I'm sure I've still got my jacket in storage; it might be time to get it out again for the upcoming convention season.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

the 7th Doctor, Percy James Patrick Kent Smith, born in Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland in August 1943,....became Sylvester McCoy in his comedy, stunts, acting, late 60's-early 70's.

[@DonnaLang42rockglobally]

If I remember correctly he got his stage name from a show he did called "An Evening With Sylvester McCoy, Human Bomb". Supposedly that show included a stunt where he stuffed live ferrets in his trousers. I recently also discovered that McCoy was in an Amnesty International event that was part of the "Secret Policeman's Ball" series of events. I think it was "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball", but it's been a while since I've seen it.

[@jonathanmurphy3141]

@@DonnaLang42rockglobally Did the Ferrets agree, with the activity? Were they under contract? Were the Ferrets well-fed, and live well? I also recall that Sylvester told how he briefly worked as a "bouncer" at a Rolling Stones concert.

[@Darren79]

The last comment from the guard that the Doctor distracts in part 2 is a quote from a weighty academic tome called Doctor Who the Unfolding Text😁

[@ErnstHello]

Yes, very good, and very perceptive. I believe the original idea is is that this is all about the study of film, and media generally. So, the Aliens and Indiana Jones references are intentional. However, there's also Glitz's spaceship being named Nosferatu, after the 1922 film. Then there's the main antagonist being called Kane, after the lead character in the most talked about "art" film of all time (though he's not exactly a "citizen"). There's Ace being called Dorothy as a very "on the nose" reference to The Wizard of Oz. There's the little girl being a direct visual reference to Shirley Temple. There's also the fact that so many of the support cast of characters (Bazin, Kracauer, McLuhan, Arnheim, etc.) are named after film / media / cultural theorists or critics that are regularly studied in courses on Film Theory or Media History. And, or course, there's also the fact that the end of Episode One is - literally - a "cliffhanger". I suppose, in the context of everything else, it's difficult for a writer to resist making that joke. Even though many of may wish they had!

[@Darren79]

Ian Briggs, the writer, was new to TV so threw in as many references to films, directors, writers, books etc as he could. There's a lot of deleted scenes from this story. And the novelisation expanded it even further (and suggested that Ace had had a "relationship" with Glitz!!!!!)

[@josephryan362]

I own dragon fire on dvd i got it with the ace adventure's box set that came with the happiness patrol

[@benjaminwilson2945]

9:38 McCoy had a background in physical comedy before joining the show. This will be demonstrated in a particular upcoming episode.

[@NaanProphet]

Originally, there was a different, younger character other than Glitz that was supposed to be in the story. And the idea was that the reason why Ace is so mad at him is that he physically took advantage of her recently (or something along those lines). Someone who saw it went "we've already got a character like that" and that is why we have Glitz... but the weird animosity is still there with Ace with no explanation.

[@benjaminwilson2945]

19:45 Scottish accents are British though. I assume you mean he sounded like he was trying to do some variety of English accent, although there are of course many, many accents in England, and even multiple unique accents within individual cities. McCoy isn't doing an English accent, he jus speaks with a different variety of Scottish accent from the ones people are probably more used to hearing.

[@benjaminwilson2945]

31:15 This scene reminds me of the burning window scene in "The End of the World" from series one.

[@domsquared9878]

The time storm will not be forgotten

[@Jaketherobonrd]

Ok This was another story like City of Death that I deliberately avoided for years because no surprise, Kane’s death at the end of part 3 freaked me out as a kid. I get it it’s a nod to the iconic face melting scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark but geez it really scared me back then (funny enough Ronald Lacey, who had portrayed Toht, was director Chris Clough's first pick to play Kane, but was unavailable.) I’m surprised they got away with it back then in 1987 because it’s pretty graphic today to show, in fact there is a deleted scene where the whole head melted entirely. Besides that, I did eventually watch the story when the season 24 box set came out and this is my favourite story from this season, it does have some silly moments and of course there’s that infamous cliffhanger part 1 as well. But I do enjoy this story and I really like the monster in this story, The Dragon biomechnoid. It’s such a pretty cool design.

[@flaggerify]

I think Steptoe and Son is on a higher comedic level than Benny Hill.

[@whobp8]

Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz is definitely an inspiration for Ace, though I don't really recall Dorothy ever calling anyone a bilge bag. 🤔 Ian Briggs even gave her the last name Gale in his character notes, though that name was never used. I don't believe she's ever given a last name on screen in the Classic series, though extended media has revealed her last name is McShane. Sylvester McCoy is Scottish, as were subsequent Doctors David Tennant and Peter Capaldi. McCoy's real name is James Kent-Smith. He appeared in Ken Campbell's theater troupe playing a character called Sylvester McCoy, an eccentric stuntman/daredevil and audiences mistakenly thought Sylvester McCoy was his real name, so he started using it professionally. Amongst the many badges Ace has on her jacket there are two Blue Peter badges. These badges were genuinely won by Sophie Aldred from the long running British Children's Show. Originally, the character of Ray in the previous story, was supposed to be played by actress Lynn Gardner. Gardner was hurt while rehearsing with the motorcycles and had to be replaced by Sara Griffiths. Gardner was paid for the role anyway and was given the offscreen role as the voice of the P.A. announcer in this story as a compensation. My personal theory about why Mel decides to go with Glitz is that she secretly fancies a bit of rough. 😂

[@YouTubeMrP]

Ncuti is also Scottish.

[@RubesGoodBrainCoffee]

Back in the 1980s, I was a huge Douglas Adams fan. He used to do, amongst his books and other media, text-based games for a company called 'Infocom,' and in the biography it would always note that Adams wrote for Dr. Who. Back then, I had little respect for Dr. Who. I thought it was just a low-budget show like Land of the Lost; but when I learned that Adams was involved I decided to search it out. I watched several stories in Series 24 without seeing much evidence of Adams' involvement -- until the philosophical guard in 'Dragonfire.' I decided: 'Yes, I can see Adams had something to do with Dr. Who. I've told this story on other reaction videos and once got a reply that the guard was a direct tribute to Douglas Adams. If true, then my recognition of a connection isn't entirely coincidental. (Just as a reminder: Douglas Adams did write for Monty Python in their final season, so the Python-Adams connection is also not entirely coincidental.)

[@elitepower4057]

Mel is a underrated companion brimming with potential that never gets explored because everything about the show was going wrong at the time. Bonnie Langford did the best with what she was given and regularly talks about wanting Mel to have done and been given more which I have no doubt she would have nailed but alas it was not meant to be. Mel doesn’t get an introductory story, her next story has to wrap up the season and deal with the script nightmare that was Robert Holmes’s death and Eric Saward’s pettiness, between seasons Colin Baker is fired, the budget has been decimated and by the time McCoy has been introduced the show is already searching for a new companion without bothering to think of a good exit for Mel. Compare the locations each companion visited. Romana got Paris, Tegan and Nyssa had Amsterdam, Peri had Seville and Lanzarote. Mel had a run down Welsh Holiday Camp and that is the most exotic place she ever got to go. I’m not saying all of the issues would have been solved if we saw Mel in say Greece or some other exotic location but it demonstrates the difference between what Mel and other companions had. Mel was introduced at a time of chaos for the show and pretty much no one bothered to do anything with her. Mel could be great, Bonnie was good and could have been better but for various reasons Mel was abandoned as an afterthought. Bonnie Langford does terrific work with both Colin Baker and Slyvester McCoy on Big Finish. When writers explore Mel’s dynamic with the Doctors and actually give her stuff to do, Langford rises to the opportunity and shows she was never the issues. Hopefully she shines on TV in the future as well and we really get to see the Mel we were denied all those years ago .

[@Darren79]

Re. the Ice slipping - in rehearsals they were all going to do it but by the time it came to studio, the others had got bored of the idea and thus McCoy was the only one to continue it.

[@nzrockboi]

Production needed cliffhanger so Sylvester said Hold my beer

[@joshuajoshua2732]

Goodbye Mel thankgod and Hello Ace 😊.

[@Darren79]

Sylvester McCoy was inspired by Buster Keaton in his earlier days as a visual comedian

[@DanielDiaz-um1xd]

If Indy told Kane to close his eyes, would it have worked?

[@joshuajoshua2732]

Sylvester McCoy is using his own scottish accent the first actor to do so.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

Part one cliffhanger is considered one of the worst cliffhangers of all time in Dr. Who fandom.

[@aidanschannel7183]

When you get to New Who Alex, are you planning to watch the spin-offs alongside it with your Dad?

[@7thHourFilms]

I don't know. They are kinda integral to the Tennant era but that's a lot of extra work. Also, Torchwood is just plain weird. Don't get me wrong, I loved it but it's not exactly the show you watch with your dad... at least that first season!

[@aidanschannel7183]

@@7thHourFilms 😆 Certainly the second episode of Torchwood would be an interesting one. It would be great if you did reactions, but yeah, it's a lot more content. Maybe you could watch most off screen but do reactions for key episodes? I just agree it does benefit the Tennant era. And I'd particularly love to see you guys watching certain Sarah Jane episodes now you'll have seen all of Classic Who.

[@alexthehunted]

So whats worse mels exit or dodos?

[@7thHourFilms]

Dodo's. She was kicked out of screen. At least Mel had a goodbye, just no real reason to leave.

[@benjaminwilson2945]

I hope that once Alex and Richard are caught up with doctor who, they will still release other reactions together. Still, that won't be for a few years anyway.

[@benjaminwilson2945]

I also hope Alex and Richard react to the spinoff shows together.

[@Darren79]

The Part One cliffhanger was scripted as the Doctor finds that he can't get any further with the way he was going - so has to climb down but the visual grammar of the execution got lost in translation and no one really noticed.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

I don't agree that Sylvester McCoy has William Hartnell in his Doctor because Hartnell was more grumpy and far too serious i see McCoy more of a Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker personality about him and had more the humour and were more the clown and very alien than Hartnell was.

[@bythebreach]

I've never really understood the labelling of William Hartnell as the especially grumpy and serious incarnation. Yes, he has these qualities but there are also many instances of him being full of humour, mischief and light-heartedness.

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

Bye-bye Mel and good riddance! Hello Doctor and Ace partnership and the series would never be so good again!

[@Rocket1377]

17:48 Really, you haven't watched the '90s X-Men cartoon? Professor Charles Xavier's name is pronounced X-zavier, not Zavier. You should definitely watch it if you haven't, and the X-Men '97 continuation.

[@MrPaulMorris]

I have to agree with the sentiment that Mel leaving is no great loss. Not only was the character under used and under-developed but Bonnie Langford, was just a terrible casting decision. Best known as a child actor/singer in the grating and piercing Shirley Temple mould (but without Miss Temple's charm) her previous highlight was as Violet Elizabeth Bott (in the television adaptation of the Just William stories) whose catch phrase was "I'll scream and scream until I'm sick" said with a pronounced lisp so, " I'll thkweem and thkweem until I'm thick". It seems that either she or the director couldn't shake off that characterisation. On a purely personal note, with apologies to any of Bonnie's fans, I find her voice just goes right through me; intensely irritating even in interviews. Welcome Ace; Dorothy brought to the land of Who by a whirlwind...

[@MuchWhittering]

Mel has, in my opinion, one of the worst exits in Doctor Who history. She didn't die, she didn't get married, she didn't have some traumatic event which made her leave. It was just..."Guess I should leave now". Like, come on guys, write SOMETHING other than that, especially after her complete lack of debut. But yeah, I won't miss Mel. Ace is SO much better. Bonnie Langford, for what it's worth, is probably one of the few Doctor Who stars to be more famous for something that isn't Doctor Who, so at least Mel isn't haunting her. My first time watching this story was in my 1st year student bedroom eating a fish finger sandwich. That's not relevant, it's just a lasting memory I have of this story. 19:50 Sorry Richard, I have to call you out on "Scottish trying to do a British accent". Scots are Brits! McCoy basically spent the 70s doing slapstick comedy, so I'd say a lot of it is definitely his influence.

[@alexthehunted]

I would argue dodo exit was worse

[@Rocket1377]

Bonnie Langford is a good actress. Her turn on Eastenders impressed me. It's just a shame she wasn't given much to do as Mel other than scream.

[@zagreus139]

One of the few stars apart from Jean Marsh(Upstairs Downstairs(,Peter Purves,(Blue Peter,Frazer Hines(Emmerdale Farm) & Louise Jameson(Bergerac,Tenko,Eastenders)...you mean

[@franohmsford7548]

@@zagreus139 apart from 4 others? So that makes 5 out of how many companions and reoccuring characters? They said "one of the few" not "the only"! Oh and Louise Jameson didn't join Eastenders till 98 and certainly no-one remembered her roles in Bergerac or Tenko at that stage! - As for Jean Marsh - I'd say her most famous role has to be Queen Bavmorda in Willow! - Frazer Hines is pretty equally known for Emmerdale as for Doctor Who but yes most people outside of Classic Who fans would not remember Peter Purves being in the show and would definitely know him more for Blue Peter. - Bonnie however was the only one to ALREADY BE a STAR prior to Doctor Who - A Child Star who was already known nationwide she was stunt casting in 86! After Bonnie William Russell would be the next most well known actor prior to his time on Who to play a companion or recurring role in the classic era and he wasn't as well known in 63 as Bonnie was in 86.

[@zagreus139]

​​@@franohmsford7548William Russell was also well known so that makes 5 for starters...so it's not a "few" and don't speak for everyone when you say most people as you clearly have no idea who was watching at the time and are just trying to score points