Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani Event & Q&A | BFI

[@mikebliss3153]

I love the sarcasm and candor of the Celery Quartet. Best TARDIS team: if not onscreen, then ABSOLUTELY offscreen.

[@parlinmains]

I love how Peter and Janet keep chirping at each other.

[@MaccamatBux]

Season 19 was fantastic.

[@CrystalblueMage]

Matthew seems like quite the charming and friendly guy. He certainly doesn't deserve to share the hatred of his character (the original Wesley Crusher)

[@lyricbot8513]

I agree wholeheartedly. I love Matthew so much, and Adric was my favourite character as a kid

[@fellowcitizen]

I loved Adric

[@lyricbot8513]

@Brandon Greenleaf hmh, his character does have the occasional sexist thing to say so i've seen people who like him then joke about "alas, my son, it is time to disown you for your crimes"

[@philfitnesspt6139]

Er no his character was very very annoying thankfully he was killed off in 5th doctor's first season can't imagine his annoying self for all of doctor's seasons 🙈

[@hollybigelow5337]

He does seem pretty decent, but to be fair, so is Wil Wheaton. Also, to be fair by all accounts most people who worked with Matthew in the early days say that he did have some ego issues and even just as an actor came off as a bit annoying, although perhaps not as annoying as Adric at times. I’ve often wondered if Matthew would have got on much better with Tom if he had joined earlier-say when Mary Tamm joined. I know several people struggled with Tom, but I think part of that is because Tom was a very Type A personality who really cared about the program, and he would say what he thought without softening any of it. And Matthew joined at the peak of problems when Tom and Lalla/Sarah were really not getting along on set, partly because they were dating off set and were starting to get on each other’s nerves being together so much, and even more because Tom did not get along with JNT, and Matthew was caught in the middle of this and also had the arrogance to come in and start giving Tom acting notes even though he was new to both the program and to acting. It was kind of a perfect storm to ensure they would have a terrible introduction, and then they didn’t really get enough time to iron out their differences. Louise Jameson struggled with him at first, but once she stood up to him and proved she also cared about the program and won Tom’s respect it got better. The same might have happened with all of these actors had they worked with Tom longer, but who knows. I will also say Adric seems to have been written for Tom’s doctor, and he works better when he’s paired with Tom. Adric is full of ego and is quite bratty, but Tom’s Doctor comes in and bullies him and puts him in his place and shows just as much ego - although it’s an ego that has been earned a bit more. I think the goal was to basically have Tom’s Doctor guide Adric into being more mature and more intelligent, and I can definitely see that working. Although Adric’s immaturity and brattiness and ego are annoying, I find myself feeling sorry for him and seeing him as human when Tom’s character humbles him. But Adric’s character just doesn’t feel the same against Peter’s Doctor. Peter comes off as the sweetest, most patient, fatherly, caring mentor, and every time Adric rebels against Peter’s Doctor it just doesn’t feel merited. Why would anyone need to push back on Peter’s Doctor? I know they kind of try to play up the idea that Peter’s Doctor spends more time mentoring the girls, but even that feels a bit hallow partly because it happens more off screen, but also partly because since when did the Doctor owe Adric ANY mentoring simply because Adric stowed away on the TARDIS? Tegan was accidentally kidnapped, and Nyssa doesn’t have a home planet to return to, and she at least ASKED to join before she was allowed to join, so the Doctor has some duty of care to both of them, but from my perspective the fact that Adric gets ANY mentoring from the Doctor means he should be grateful, and he gets plenty from what I saw. Anyway, I know it’s a bunch of what-if’s. Even with all of that, I actually kind of liked Adric growing up, even if he did annoy me occasionally, so I’ll agree with that half. The problem is, I also kind of liked Wesley Crusher growing up even if he occasionally annoyed me, too. So while I think Adric gets at least a partial pass, Wesley also gets one. But I will forever wonder with Adric if he would have gotten a better rap if he had stuck with Tom his entire run. And I will also forever wonder if all 3 would have liked Tom better if they had gotten to know the real him at a time when he wasn’t in the most stressful part of his run. I doubt they would have been best friends, but I doubt they would have hated him as much. And I hate to say it, but I think a lot of what many of Tom’s co-workers hated about him were the very things that made some of his episodes so good. Directors that gave Tom too much freedom were wrong, but so were the Directors that completely overrode Tom’s instincts and protective attitude towards both the program and the character. Of all the people he worked with, I think only Liz Sladen truly understood his intentions and that he wasn’t just trying to cause trouble, but was instead very protective of the character and program.

[@yumihoshiko496]

it wasn't Tegan's mother, it was her aunt.

[@SplotchTheCatThing]

After I watched "The Curse of Fatal Death" it was funny to go back to some of the Fifth doctor stories and notice how much he used the exact phrase "I'll explain later". I didn't notice it until I started looking for it but now I think it was his catchphrase.

[@mikebliss3153]

Six says it even more!

[@eclecticdog2k901]

I could watch Janet and Peter all day... 😂

[@ltrujillo1971]

Well, technically, Matthew, Sarah and Janet did appear during the regeneration scene. :-)

[@TerryTanktop]

This is brilliant having them all together. Thanks

[@timrob12]

When I saw Matthew pop up in the Doctor's revisited documentaries and the name sign underneath said: "Matthew Waterhouse - Adric". I was like: "Oh my god! Didn't expect him to show up again after all those years."

[@ltrujillo1971]

I would expect to see her at the Sixth Doctor event.

[@mksunofficial]

Matthew Waterhouse is looking really good. He's knocked about ten years off I reckon.

[@zbba416]

Peter Davison does clearly say that he worked with 'Tom' on All Creatures..' but I think he meant he knew John Nathan-Turner from the earlier show; JN-T was the production manager before becoming producer of Doctor Who

[@stephenpalmer9375]

You must be right, I don't think Tom ever appeared on ACGS

[@saskruffriders8234]

Caves of Androzani. Top 3 Classic Who episodes. You cannot beat that story and Peter Davison's send off. His last act was to sacrifice himself for his friend. And more importantly, no sappy music or three minute monologue that they've done in virtually most new who series.

[@htershane]

Yep, a deceptively simple story I.e. the dr and Peri just trying to get away, no saving the world, earth or the universe, no recurring monsters or baddies basically it’s “let’s just get the f out of here!” Culminating in the dr dying, accidentally, to save Peri . All the stars aligned in that story and it was a blinder.

[@saskruffriders8234]

@@htershane Exactly.

[@BFIEvents]

We've just published an excerpt of Peter Capaldi at BFI Southbank after our Deep Breath preview - watch here: Peter Capaldi on becoming Doctor Who | BFI

[@marciehatter]

A brilliant afternoon, best one yet!

[@jamie5659]

Nice to see Graeme Harper again, he seemed to vanish from the show post 2009.

[@briandipaolo9903]

Great episode, and a nice panel session. Kinda sad, though, to see that Janet Fielding has few-to-no happy memories of the show!

[@MALONEYCAMFIELD]

I've listened to DVD commentaries of all the eras of Classic Who, and I've said elsewhere that the Davison era people (specifically Davison himself, Janet Fielding and Eric Saward) are by far the most negative about the show. They clearly weren't at all happy with their time on it.

[@rnw2739]

She's a miserable, ungrateful hypocrite who stayed in this 'terrible part' almost as long as Davison did and plunged quite rightly back to obscurity when she left. The most despicable thing she did (at PanoptiCon 93) was to totally slag the show as sexist, outdated crap (even though its the only success she ever had) and when asked by Nicholas Courtney if the show should return, shook her head in the negative so vehemently it nearly fell off. Jump to today and what is the two faced slag doing? Yes, reprising her role. Going back to the hideous, women hating institution that she apparently detests.....why? Money of course. She is a fraud, a fake, and highly embarrassed to be associated with Doctor Who as you will discover should you pick her up on your cab (as I did).

[@jovetj]

This is fantastic! And hilarious! They're all great.

[@BFIEvents]

Thank you - an oversight!

[@19Scifi73]

if that's the case they should have showed an episode with the actors that were on the panel

[@h0lly_blue]

I wish Mark Strickson could've been there.

[@fellowcitizen]

Yes, these guys are great, but only Peter was in Androzani - and no sign of Mark or Nicola

[@sce2aux464]

"Wait.. HOLY CRAP THAT'S ADRIC!! :O" Exactly what I thought too. Damn Time, you scary!! I wish Nikki was there though.

[@edmund184]

is there any more?

[@hugodrax71]

Caves of Androzani is great but the best Who story of all is the Pyramids of Mars

[@19Scifi73]

Where's Peri????

[@rnw2739]

I'm sure Fielding is glad as should Nicola have been there, her grotesque, repulsive Australian freakish and crone-like face is shown up indefinitely.

[@TheTwillerZone]

Tom Baker was in an All Creatures Great and Small ep ?? which one ?

[@FJDurex]

Justin Johnson leads a discussion with actors Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding and Matthew Waterhouse and director Graeme Harper on the era of the Fifth Doctor and the making of The Caves of Androzani. Fixed that for you.

[@jamestheposh]

Great!

[@sqishybananananana4271]

Something I'm ashamed I never noticed was that Matthew's a lefty. I can't believe it didn't notice, he's seen writing on the show!

[@shoogamoogaman]

Wait.. HOLY CRAP THAT'S ADRIC!! :O

[@jemish16]

What is the best Doctor Who episode ever?

[@bondfool]

Earthshock perhaps? Androzani is such a good one, though.

[@eugeniamontoya6911]

Where is the panel discusion of bodyguard 🙄

[@iandennis1]

Too short

[@dickiegreenleaf750]

My second favorite season on all of Dr Who. Season before was okay but didn’t like Romana 2. Adric is the best!

[@Kaoruishere]

I'm just wondering... does Justin Johnson ever change his clothes? Or leave this chair?

[@daydreamer4902]

Feels like they did not really consider what was needed for their roles.

[@Zarathrustrasite]

NO;He is an auton;during the final nterview of the series he will use his gun hand to attempt to kill all of the doctors present

[@Cruithneach]

It's good, but it's no Genesis of the Daleks

[@petersmernoff9590]

THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI is a brilliant story--but I think the 'Greatest Story Ever' thing might be overdone. It's a hell of a lot better than any other Peter Davison TV story, which is why, for all of its excellence, its reputation is, I think, at least a little overinflated.

[@MALONEYCAMFIELD]

Interesting point. It was always obviously going to be "Caves" to represent the Davison era as it's the runaway favourite from that era. It's actually quite a damning indictment of the Davison era that it took the return of Robert Holmes for the first time since 1978 to give Davison a bona fide classic! Earthshock was probably the only other Davison that had a real impact if we're honest.

[@petersmernoff9590]

@@MALONEYCAMFIELD Yeah, the Peter Davison story was on the whole very mediocre...the Fifth Doctor as a kind of boyish New Age wimp, as Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor would also be, years later.

[@MALONEYCAMFIELD]

@@petersmernoff9590 I do have a bit of a soft spot for Enlightenment, though, as I find it quite a spooky, one-off kind of story, which has a slightly different feel (possibly because it was the only "Classic Who" both written and directed by women but thankfully without being the kind of PC overkill that has characterized 21st century Who).

[@petersmernoff9590]

@@MALONEYCAMFIELD Yeah, PC overkill has pretty much ruined the Jodie Whittaker era of DOCTOR WHO, at least for her first season, which, I thought, aside from the delightful "Kerblam" was poorly written, sanctimonious pig slop.

[@philfitnesspt6139]

@@petersmernoff9590 your crazy 5th doctor was brilliant my favourite along with 4th grew up with end of 4th & 5th before the terrible 6th when i stopped watching. Oh and matt Smith was also brilliant your mad lol