FIRST TIME WATCH REACTION - Doctor Who | Reign of Terror Part 5 : A BARGAIN OF NECESSITY

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

DW was being made almost continually throughout the year in the early part of its history, so the production team presumably only thought in terms of production blocks (howsoever called at the time). I don't know what the terminology at the time was for the show as broadcast, but then again perhaps there wasn't one, as the show was on for most of the year. I think it was in the 1970s, when organised fandom began to emerge, that the word "season" was adopted for the discrete blocks of broadcast serials. I believe a leading figure in the Doctor Who Appreciation Society happened to be an American living in the UK, so perhaps that influenced the terminology adopted. The BBC subsequently followed fan usage. I'm open to being corrected on any of the above! When the show was revived in 2005, the BBC internally and externally referred to Series 1, which provided a handy way for fans to distinguish between the classic and modern seasons/series (as already noted by another commenter). Thus the 1963/1964 broadcast block was "Season 1" but the 2005 broadcast block was "Series 1". Unfortunately the involvement of Disney has recently ruined this neat distinction for good (as what would've been Series 14 is officially referred to as "Season 1"), although to be fair the widespread influence of American television, the international reach of the modern show, and the fact that after nearly twenty years plenty of fans have only a limited familiarity with the classic era, means that the old system was breaking down anyway, with "Season 1" often being used for the 2005 series... 😢

[@anthonymunn8633]

Yes,the animations were made by the BBC for the DVD release. The main thing I remember from the DVD is that the original director had a nervous breakdown a few episodes in,and had to be replaced.

[@stephencoppins9467]

While the BBC commissioned the animated DVD releases, the animations themselves have been outsourced to various companies, so the style and quality vary from story to story. Initially they were released in black and white, but some have been re-released in colour, and the more recent releases in colour. With the more recent DVD releases, more edits have been made to stories (with some scenes being removed altogether, or Easter eggs to later, and modern era stories being included). Personally, I prefer the audios and telesnaps, but understand the appeal of the animations.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Some of the BBC's animations of lost episodes had additional funding from BBC America, whereas others didn't have that advantage, so you'll perhaps see shifts in "production values" when watching different animated episodes. As for the reconstructions, at this point in the show's history they have the fantastic resource of John Cura's "Tele-snaps" (photos captured from the off-air broadcast using specialised equipment). These were paid for by the production office. However, they weren't cheap and were dropped as an unnecessary expense by a subsequent producer, so you'll find the "production values" of the reconstructions also vary. It may be that the animations for some episodes are a better viewing choice in some instances? I'm no expert on the monochrome era, though!

[@CRINOTH]

It's pretty standard in classic Doctor Who to have a lot of scenes which don't feature members of the regular cast. The stories are often almost as much about the guest characters as they are about the regular characters. :)

[@MrPaulMorris]

"the season, or series as we say in England". In fact the convention adopted by fans (and endorsed by the BBC) is to refer the Classic Who "seasons" while the current revived show has "series". So 1963/4 was Season 1, while 2005 was Series 1.

[@matthewclarke4127]

Yes. We fans always say Season 7 or Season 18.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Although Disney have ruined the system! 😖

[@soupdragon1971]

I agree, mostly an okay-ish story with a few interesting, deeper elements. Barbara makes a good point which is particularly emotive as she had made a brief personal connection to Leon. The turbulent period after the French revolution illustrates effectively that in most human conflict it's not as straightforward as having 'good' guys and 'bad' guys. While some crave power, most individuals believe they are doing the 'right' thing. Ian also makes an equally valid point that the Tardis crew have become victims of circumstance and must deal with it as best they can. I feel it certainly helps elevate what could be a very dry historical story.