HIGHLIGHTS: Terror of the Autons E1 - Doctor Who

[@samwilkes75]

Roger Delgado is definitely my favourite Master, he's excellent in this and only gets better as he continues in the role

[@binrotheheretic8174]

Thomas will have seen Jo in the Power of the Doctor as one member of the companions group.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

True, but she’s quite a bit older and I doubt he will have recognised her.

[@ftumschk]

The character in Mind Robber was retrospectively dubbed "The Master of the Land of Fiction", to distinguish him from *_The_* Master.

[@TheMoonRover]

Alternative title: Doctor Who and the Ham-Fisted Bun Vendor.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

I’d watch that. Probably better than Space Babies.

[@kemmdog4444]

We lost Richard Franklin , AKA Mike Yates,fairly recently .😢

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Yes, very sad.

[@TheZodiacz]

Roger Delgado wasn't Spanish, he was a cockney- born within the sound of Bow Bells at Whitechapel in 1918. His full name was Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto. His father was Spanish and his mother was Belgian. He reached the rank of major in the second world war.

[@ftumschk]

I always like the coincidence that the best Masters (imho) were both played by actors of Iberian ancestry - Roger Delgado Spanish and Michelle Gomez Portuguese.

[@ftumschk]

11:29 Given Delgado's hispanic roots, perhaps it's Colour Separation Underlay... as in "Underlay! Underlay! Arriba! Arriba!"

[@mark-s]

Omg a classic season introduction of Jo and the master this was my favourite era of classic who

[@philippaine2169]

We are back to my favourite season of third doctor and what a great story to start it. The master played by the greatest actor and still the best Roger Delgado 😊

[@Problembeing]

Back for some more Golden Age Doctor Who 🙌 Delgado is THE Master.

[@curmudgeone]

I think Nicholas Courtney came down with a nasty gastroenteritis bug whilst on location for this serial; also, what has since become known as ‘the UNIT family’ was being built, with the introduction of Captain Mike Yates and the increasing presence of Sergeant Benton in addition to the Brigadier and new ‘assistant’ Jo Grant.

[@curmudgeone]

May I amend this comment; I thought Nicholas Courtney was physically unwell but from comments on subsequent episodes it may be that he could’ve been experiencing anxiety/panic attack - but I imagine that this was downplayed as attitudes to mental wellbeing had not progressed to how it is more often viewed today.

[@keithsolley]

it was Fury from the Deep that showed the Roger Delgado Master,The Faceless Ones Showed the Sacha Dhawan Master

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Ah, thanks!

[@Paul-gh6ng]

Did Thomas recognise a couple of returning guests stars? Christopher Burgess who played Professor Phillips was Swann in The Enemy of the World. Michael Wisher, Farrell Jnr was TV reporter John Wakefield in The Ambassadors... Of Death! Andrew Staines, Goodge, was also in The Enemy of the World as Sergeant to Benik

[@Polyglot85to90]

There was the reference to Liz's departure in this episode (from 12:55) but you completely talked over it!

[@neilmcdonald9164]

The Circus was set in fields off the Lea Bridge Road in London 🎩

[@AndyRossism]

Oh ! Good to be back to it! Another one of my Comfort Whos actually!

[@TheZodiacz]

The Autons were a hit. All 4 episodes of Spearhead from Space had viewing figures over 8 million. This episode of Terror of the Autons was the lowest rated at only 7.3 million, but the next 3 also reached 8 million+.

[@paulrichards4452]

Roger Delgado is the perfect Master. I’m sad Liz is gone but love Jo Grant. Great opening to the season. Wouldn’t that be a great title for a story, Dr.Who and the intergalactic bum hole! 😂 Loved your reactions.

[@colinbayley6764]

Can you resume putting the episodes like you've previously done them. A strip of the bottom part of the episode is just crap. It's nice to be able to see what bit your talking about.

[@paulhunter6178]

Ahh, Season Eight! And so beings one of classic WHO's greatest mysteries, and one that is never truly explained. Last season seems to establish UNIT HQ being in central London (somewhere underground), yet here there is (thankfully) a window in The Doctor's lab and a body of water (The Thames?) outside. In two seasons time, HQ is in the middle of a huge lawn and the lab certainly doesn't have a water feature outside it's window as Benton climbs through it. As the Doctor himself might say, "Well Jo, it's all rather curious."

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Never even thought about this. Someone should write a story about it.

[@paulhunter6178]

@@TheShallowProclamation Judging by the painted backdrop shown in the window, I'd say this looks Southwest coastish. Perhaps having the TARDIS inside the building means the HQ moves within the UK to where it needs to be?

[@sg-zd8eb]

Yay at last back to PROPER Doctor Who. And what a great story this was, the Met Police told the BBC not to make the Police look scary after this story was shown.

[@ShamrockParticle]

Proper Doctor Who definitely ended when Verity Lambert left. Since then it's been a wide variety of formats. But the eras that take themselves seriously tend to be more fun 🙃

[@jamesa.fitzpatrick1566]

You were wise not to let Thomas speak. ;) Of all the modern Masters, Missy had the most hypnotic eyes, just right for the character.

[@stuartwho]

Your list of returning monsters to date you forgot the Silurians, The Yeti haven’t returned but the Great Intelligence did. The Macra and Cybermats also returned. Wasn’t keen on your framing of the episode, like to see what you’re reacting to. Roger Delgado the original and the best - never puts a foot wrong and his scenes with the Doctor are a delight. We also have the return of Michael Wisher as Farrel following his last appearance in The Ambassadors of Death. Also sad seeing Mike Yates as Richard Franklin has recently passed away.

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

The Silurians haven't returned yet in their viewing history. They were talking about who has returned so far in the classic series.

[@stuartwho]

@@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio Must have misheard then, thought it was which classic monsters had returned in new who so far. Makes sense regarding The Monk and Yeti.

[@johng5859]

As Paul says, this story is effectively a soft reboot of the Pertwee era, as producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks finally took full control of the show’s creative direction and moulded it more to their preferences. The very adult, gritty style of Season 7 is therefore replaced by a more family friendly tone, with Jo Grant intended to be a more relatable companion for the younger members of the audience than Liz. She is certainly likeable, though her gaucheness and clumsiness does feel a little regressive after Zoe and Liz. Mike Yates was introduced both to provide the Brig with a regular second in command, after various UNIT captains had come and gone in previous stories, but also to be a potential love interest for Jo, though in the end that idea was never developed. The Autons were brought back here because Spearhead had been the highest rating story of the previous season, while Letts and Dicks conceived of the Master as a Moriarty to the Doctor’s Holmes, a character of equal intelligence and ability who had gone to the dark side, and could be a formidable regular antagonist. The War Chief was a kind of proto-Master, and indeed in retrospect he could conceivably be an earlier incarnation, but this is the Master’s official debut. Roger Delgado was the first choice of Barry Letts for the role, as he had acted alongside him in the past, and it was inspired casting. Roger remains for me by far the best Master, villainous but also very smooth and charming, a world away from the hammy craziness of many of his successors. Incidentally, Paul is correct that as part of his producer’s contract Letts had been given permission by his bosses to direct one story per season, even though it was normally frowned upon for a producer to be the director on his own show.

[@curmudgeone]

Jackanapes gets used again in Classic Who in the 1980s; keep your ears pinned back for it. 😉

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Of the prattling variety!

[@curmudgeone]

Prattling Jackanapes also sounds like a 1990s UK pop band, a small village in a Miss Marple story or a firm of solicitors.

[@icantthinkofagoodusername4575]

Has he already seen The Sea Devils?

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Not in the classic series but he has seen the one in the Chibnall era.

[@icantthinkofagoodusername4575]

@@TheShallowProclamation it’s just the way he was talking about the music. I thought he was talking about the Incidental music from the 1972 story

[@htershane]

Back to the Troughton theme opener again? wtf was going on then?

[@ShamrockParticle]

Reducing episode film runtime by extending the credits sequence back?

[@chrisbrooker7260]

I’ve always wondered why some people so strongly love the Pertwee era. I do like the era, there’s some strong stories but also a lot of dross. (Season 7 is the best of it, though I also like season 10). At this point the Unit family are still establishing themselves but they do become way too chummy and cloying for my liking later on. It’s also the era of total overuse/misuse of CSO. Add in that’s it’s too parochial (why are aliens only ever invading south east England?) and the third Doc’s occasionally shocking arrogance and rudeness…. I suppose for those of an age a few years above mine it’s that period they feel comfortable remembering as ‘classic’ Classic Who

[@AndyRossism]

I ADORE this Doctors rudeness, eso to authority figures ! This story is a brilliant example of that, with the Civil Servants etc . And its always the south because their in London, The BBC I mean , so lots of easy access locations. They couldn't realistically do foreign set stories without extra challenges and cost. I would rather they played to the BBC strengths and found an excuse to time travel a bit, for eg the Third Doctor would fit in perfectly in say, an Edwardian setting, and it would look brilliant set and costume wise. Not sure why they didn't do that he could have used some device or 'do hickey' to temporarily time travel , some bit of the Tardis. Like what sort of happened in Inferno.

[@htershane]

Thomas?

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

But were his house Letts in Barry ?