These Visual FX Aren't 70s (S9E1)

[@Problembeing]

"Oops, that wasn't the spacebar", she said.

[@Problembeing]

Trains had to slow down to a crawl or stop altogether whilst they were filming. There are photos of people looking out of the windows of the train onto the Daleks below.

[@TheZodiacz]

RIP to one of the two original Dalek voices, David Graham (1925-2024).

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

Peppa Pig's grandad, too...

[@curmudgeone]

This story was heralded by a beautiful Radio Times cover illustration by the great Frank Bellamy, featuring Pertwee’s Doctor and the Daleks with the headline “The Daleks are back!” it was anticipated as I think I recall in the back of the previous week’s issue with a teaser showing a cutout picture of one of the black-domed Emperor’s guard Daleks from The Evil Of The Daleks.

[@Problembeing]

Tbh, this version is definitely an improvement, and I say that as a hardcore Classic fan 🤣 Even Nick Brigg's insufferably camp Dalek voice is an improvement of the original, painfully slow one.

[@stephenreed2093]

The voices are an improvement, and the additional film inserts are sympathetic to the original material too. However, the new special effects and CGI are completely incongruous and totally spoil it. I would prefer it if they at least gave the option to have the new Dalek voices over the original episodes.

[@Problembeing]

@@stephenreed2093 I think that's a pretty fair assessment. Maybe one could do a fan edit and draw from both versions to make an ultimate cut.

[@johng5859]

Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks originally intended to bring the Daleks back in the Season 9 finale, but realised that they could be inserted quite easily into Louis Marks’ existing scripts for the season opener, which they both felt needed more of a hook to entice viewers. It’s a pity that the Beeb didn’t just put the original version on iPlayer, so that you can get the proper 1972 experience, but it has to be said the redone Dalek voices are a big improvement over the original ones, even if the updated visual FX aren’t all that impressive. Either way, this is an excellent story, up there among my favourite Pertwees.

[@Problembeing]

Side note, Pertwee hated the Daleks lol

[@gordonwebster2802]

It was indeed very exciting to see the Daleks again after all that time. The Dalek voices as broadcast were a downside, however. Peter Hawkins declined to return and Roy Skelton was otherwise engaged, so Oliver Gilbert and Peter Messaline performed the voices instead and, well, weren't particularly effective.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Yeh they’re pretty poor in the original.

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

The Dalek voices were redone by Nicholas Briggs for this special edition. It's worth listening to the original. I kind of like the bit at the end when they sing "They. Will. Be. Exterminated. They. Will. Be. Exterminated." You can almost dance to it. 😂 I don't like that they cut out the "No complications" Ogron line. Did they? I *love* that line. He's speaking so slowly and stupidly and then suddenly says, "No complications" completely normally. I can see the actor Aubrey Woods doing a John Cleese style double-take in response. He always reminds me of Commander Data, by the way. The music is quite good. It's the first score in quite a while that uses real instruments and isn't 100% electronic. And there are only 2 more single episodes aren't the original color, and neither are in this season. So we're past that for a while.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Yep, they cut that line. Even as a kid it stuck out like a sore thumb. Brilliant in its own way though 😂

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

@@TheShallowProclamation It's too funny to cut IMO! 😂

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

I'm sure I would have seen this as a little kid in the 80's when the ABC did its Pertwee re-runs, but what I remember is watching the omnibus VHS on Christmas morning, about 1988. Still one of my Top 5 Pertwee stories. The new FX mostly do not appeal to me, especially the futuristic vision of the future.

[@oldhollywoodfan2727]

Steven makes his first appearance in The Chase. John Byrne who co-wrote the X-Men comic storyline Days of Future Past was unconsciously inspired by this story.

[@htershane]

Oh btw Paul Bernard was supposedly the director and producer of a post McCoy/pre-TVM 8th Doctor series starring one David Burton, a z-list actor occasionally performing in small town pantos. Somewhere. Not a scrappiest scrap of footage, production photos, documentation, scripts, the merest whiff of a mention from the bbc has ever poked its head into the real world. No account from a single person involved in the supposed project: cast members, designers, cameramen, sound, music etc etc and all that would entail other than from Burton himself who only divulged this information after the one person he name-dropped, Bernard, had died. Burton basically did it as a stunt to blag a new motor. It is, of course, total bollocks (big heavy sweaty swinging ones) but some still run with it or milk it for clickbait, giving the man a sliver of attention. One of the dvds even had the guff as an extra with the loon himself being interviewed, supposedly to draw our own conclusions (where none needed to be really), still feeding the guys vanity. You may pick up that It’s kinda bugged me over the years.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

A complete debacle.

[@conscienceaginBlackadder]

When NuWho began, the BBC made 3 videos going through each decade of Classic in an hour, clips of each story paired with music of the time and used written captions to narrate. The 70s one, before this story, had a clip of Blue Peter trailing this season, presented by Peter Purves, ex Steven. He leads the kids on like they have no idea how it really works. He tell them "if enough people write in and ask the Doctor Who programme" for a new Dalek story, then "who knows, in the next DW adventures, the Daleks may well be there ".

[@paulhunter6178]

You can tell that the Daleks were added to this story, as they don't really add that much to the whole. Of course, they were added without the permission of their creator - Terry Nation.

[@johng5859]

Initially, but they did get his permission (and script approval) before it went out.

[@NaanProphet]

I recommend having Thomas close his eyes for every first episode that might have a big name drop. I've seen a few DW reaction channels do it and it really added to the surprise.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Yep good idea. Although I have a feeling he will constantly be saying "is it called ‘something of the Daleks?’"

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

@@TheShallowProclamation Yeah - it needs to be all in or none in. Watching Marie Clare going in blind has been fun. Or I should say - was - seems she finished her run, though now going again with her fiance, and making him go in blind.

[@htershane]

I was going to suggest, had this been the original, you watched the SE bits as a supplemental. This version is my default view now. What about upcoming stories that have been given similar treatments? I think this is where the SEs become more prevalent. I believe “Dalek Invasion of Earth” was the only one prior to this🤔

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Turns out Terror of the Autons was done too. We've gone back and had a look at it. The majority is pretty subtle changes to the background CSO, getting rid of fringing or replacing them with better images.

[@htershane]

@@TheShallowProclamation yes of course, so subtle in fact when I watched it a few weeks ago I was watching the SE edition and it just passed me by, even the big cgi squid at the end😂 (I may have had a few drinkies) For the purposes of this project I think it’s more in the spirit to stick to the TX versions and maybe comment on SEs if you feel they’re notable enough.

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Yep agreed. This just happened to be the default version on iPlayer

[@htershane]

@@TheShallowProclamation oh really? How odd. Perhaps they couldn’t bear the original Dalek voices either.

[@Concreteowl]

Unlike Lucas both versions exist and can be purchased.

[@ftumschk]

6:44 The actor playing The Controller is Aubrey Woods, who played the Candyman in the original Willy Wonka movie. The Candyman appearing in Doctor Who... who'd a thunk it?

[@TheShallowProclamation]

Yep we got there in the end. Who'd a thunk indeed!

[@davidbull7210]

Perhaps more controversial than the updated effects is the re-voicing of the Daleks, I think by Nicholas Briggs. They are a bit naff in the original tbh. The bridge we see carries the mainline / Elizabeth line to Paddington and is crossing the Grand Union Canal, around Hayes/Southall.

[@hbomb6775]

The original version of this story was scuffed as shit

[@joshuajoshua2732]

I'm probaly the only fan here but i much prefer the original version to that terrible cgi special edition it just looks too cartoonish to me ok the Dalek voices weren't the best but where they ever? I still prefer the original versions over Nick Briggs.