Hello, dear listeners, and welcome back to Flight Through Entirety
the only Doctor Who podcast made more or less for the exclusive
use of the people of Harcole.
That's in the star system rifter, you know, I'm Brendan.
I'm Nathan.
A saleable slice of English period effect charm vomiting green
wallpaper paste from a paper mache rock face in a church crypt for
this one.
As usual, as usual.
And uh, that means it's... all you need to know. the next story?
This year's 2 part story The Awakening.
This one's mine.
Hurrah.
Do you like it?
Not at all.
At the time, I thought, oh, lovely, shiny, Dennis still, Pretty
Fox, this is the 80s.
This is totes 80s kids, and we didn't even say that then.
What did we say in the 80s?
Pretty much that.
Yeah, whatever it was.
You still deal with young people?
outrageous, truly, truly, truly outrageous.
Is that what we said in the 80s?
That's what Gem and the hologram said.
I prefer the updated person that is also available on streaming
that I don't think I can even mention on this podcast.
In fact, I recommend you watch that before you watch the Awakening
to get real flavour, what the 80s was all about, B. Arthur and
cross-dressing.
There's a lot of both of that kind of thing.
I actually think that the face of the malice is very much a
storgeti in the Golden Girls with the gray hair and the stony.
Although looking a lot like Betty Whiter, she is now.
Well, the guard who's defending Tegan, who is Joseph Willow, when
she won't change into the dress.
He says, he says, you change into it.
I'll do it for you.
Now, there's 2 ways to read that either he's being a bit rapey or
he actually just wants to frock up and get out of these tights.
Yeah, no, no, he wants her to look fabulous.
Yeah, the malice is actually more about pageantry and morris stick
self-throttling than it is wanting to take over.
But when it wants to take over, It wants to do it in with period
drama.
It's the very 80s villain.
It really is mostly about overseas sales, this monster.
I actually think that it's doing a sort of sapphire and steel
thing.
You know, the issue is that there are anachronisms caused by the
war.
Very sapphire and steel.
And in that the past is always buried just under the present in
some sort of alchemic relationship and with only the writing
incantations or the right thinking or reenactment process, you can
bring the past and ghosts into the present.
And I also think that like Sapphire and Steel, a lot of the
special effects are just achieved with lighting and sound and, you
know, a weed machine.
And barely paid actors and barely paid actors and maybe a couple
of asterisks on the BBC microscreens superimposed.
Can I just say, when I was, when I was 10, those asterisks looked
amazing. they looked amazing at least once to someone.
You know, as a kid, it was really effective.
And those simple lighting effects, especially in the 2nd episode
with all the apparitions that appear in the church and so they're
in sort of very pale blue costumes with very pale blue makeup and
under a single spotlight.
It's really white scary.
We should point out to the listener at this point that Brendan
exists outside of normal space and time.
Yeah, that's true.
His own B universe. in that I quite enjoy this.
Well, you were 10 when you 1st saw this when I was 14 when I saw
it go out for the 1st time.
Oh yes, of course, because I, this is another one that I saw in
the 1993 repeats season. and Nathan, you saw it when it 1st came
out as well. at the same time as you.
But I'd be surprised if I'd seen it very often since then.
Maybe when I bought the DVD, I watched it again, but Did you read
the book?
It's Eric Pringle, isn't it?
No.
It is, I really know, you know, the chips.
Yes, I know.
He made a four. why he stopped writing, man.
And now he's changed the size of the tin and you can't fit your
hand in there and it's just ridiculous.
And I have tiny hands.
I know where this is going.
They're orange.
So not Brenda, just the chips.
So this started life as a four-part outline.
Yeah.
Which, for once, Eric Seywood said, there's not enough plot.
Make it 2 parts.
It could have been quite charming as a three-parter because it has
some nice exposition.
Polly James.
Paul James is one of the original liver birds with, go on, you get
to say it.
That's it with nearest Hughes.
What fun, what thrill.
And Molly Sugden played the mother. of one of them back in the
day.
I remember this from watching it as a child.
Why do we not have Molly Sergton opposite Peter Davis?
Brad, wasn't she in this?
We've had Beryl.
And we've had Ingrid.
I really think she could have played a lovely malice.
She's got the hair.
We'll have Joan in a couple of years, for God's sake.
Why not more Lisa?
She actually does drama really nicely, like all comedians do.
So, yeah, it could have worked well and she was smart and she
would have actually known what was going on and like everyone else
we've previously mentioned.
Well, Jane does a terrific job, I think.
Polly James.
Yeah, yeah, she's good.
No, she's lovely.
This is another one of those stories when the doctor just seems to
be so thrilled from getting to be able to get away from his own.
Do you also notice since we're talking about the church cryptan?
This is Barry Newberry's last work.
The Doctor Who.
Beautiful work on Marco Polo and the early days.
Yeah, this is his last one.
Newby's did a lot, did a lovely job on this.
And I think it makes it very convincing.
I think what's very sad, again, for the BBC is overreaching itself
and it always was about going further than you can.
The expectation wise, but the physical effects of the malice
coming out of the, you know, the wall, the whole thing.
It just doesn't, and everyone's standing around waiting for a
reaction.
It's the same thing as sea devils waddling around with a natural
strap to their fronts.
It's not quite as menacing as you'd imagine that to be.
It's very funny that the monster is just part of the set.
Maybe do you think that's an ontological thing about how Doctor
Who is just so trapped in a television studio and it's actually
we're being destroyed, cancerous like from the from within, by the
set?
Yeah, by the actual structure of the program itself.
Can we mention people that, again, the doctor is very happy for
the 1st time ever, that I can remember the doctor says, no, no
it's, I won't go up.
We won't leave the TARDS, boys and girls, it's much too
dangerous.
You stay in here where it's safe.
Then the monster actually, Sutek wise, like my cat projects right
into the console room and starts, you know, and threatens them
with green wallpaper paste.
He knew that was going to happen and he's really tired of both of
them.
And I only noticed this this time around with that malice
apparition.
They key it, so it's the same colour as the Tartar Walls.
It's like it's growing out of the walls.
Oh, I never got that.
Yes, it is going out of the wall.
In the same way that it grows from the stone of the creek.
Yeah, yeah, very clever.
It looks it looks really good.
And that didn't come across on the screen.
Yeah, and we've got, um, we've got 2 minutes because that's really
all the time any of us could be bothered.
I was just going to say with that one, I love that.
I was just going to say that this seems like one of those grooming
episodes, cough, cough, doctor, where you seem to be looking for
new people to travel with.
If Will Chandler, and Jane, Polly James, had joined the TARDIS.
I dont think I would have shed any tears.
Wouldn't that have been awesomeness?
And especially her with Peter.
They're lovely.
They've got the same quality he had with Neris.
And there's that wonderful bit where he sort of explains what's
happening to her.
And as he's about to walk out, she grabs his almonds.
You must stop him Yes, I know.
And we'll almost...
Actually, what happens?
They take Will home.
You really think at the end of this?
Oh, okay, he's in the next story.
Nah, not even a minute.
There's been a there's been a short trips story with Will, which
yeah, sort of Tegan and Turlo stay behind with Tegan's grandad and
the doctor and Will have an adventure.
You think that's the, that's the short story where Andrew Verney
says to his granddaughter.
So, your aunt Vanessa, how's she going?
And also the last time, who's the other relative?
Yeah, and Colin. how's he doing now?
Yeah, I think I think it's you, Tegan.
I think I don't think it's us. think it's you.
I'd like to think the Tartars chose her and that there was a whole
way before Clara.
There was a whole, there was a whole string of probable victims
that the Tartars are saved by removing Tegan from her.
Janet.
Oh, dear.
I was thinking about that myself.
I like to think that his grandfather must be from the other side
of the fanboy.
Yeah, so maternal grandfather, isn't it?
Yes.
Yeah I think so.
Well, we presume to.
Yeah, because, wouldn't he?
Yeah.
Auntie Vanessa is implied to be a paternal aunt because she says
like, your father's farm was hardly the outback, and it sounds
like, you know, she's talking about her brother rather than her
brother. dresses like a babushka doll, so...
So I think that's all we've got to say about the awakening.
I like this story, Dan.
Go on, why?
It has a real filming approach to the outdoor stuff.
It looks like an adamant video, doesn't it?
Yeah, yeah.
And, you know, the 1st scene is Jane peacefully wandering around
these stables and then horses hoops, horses, hoops, horses hoops
peacefully wandering, horses hoops, and you think something
terrible is going to happen, and then it's all this war game, and
Glyn Houston shows up again.
You know, we haven't had him in years.
Yeah, exactly.
We have a cliffhanger, which is, you know, it's a stupid someone
screams doctor long enough for the theme to kick in.
It's like a brave screen.
She's really good.
And, you know, unlike some other companion screams, it doesn't
just sound like I'm screaming for a cliffhanger.
It's, it's like, you're disappearing in a cloud of smoke to a
giant alien mouth.
I'm a bit scared by this.
Even though if you step 3 feet back, you're fine.
What's it gonna do?
All you need to do.
Oh, you haven't seen that tongue?
Just put your hand in front of your face.
Yeah, it's a bit like what Dr. Solo should have done last week
instead of trying to karate chop the murker.
A brisket will get you away.
All of them, actually.
The entire base was, you could have avoided the invaders just by
you know, yeah.
I think they like to think that malice tongue could wrap around
that church 3 times over and still leave room for a tickling
stick.
So, yeah, you weren't that safe.
I, you know, you said, Richard, that this story is about
presenting us with 2 far more interesting, Patty characters, and
the doctor then literally sends Tegan and Turlow back into a
cupboard so he can take Will around a graveyard.
With Chameleon in this story.
Who's Chameleon?
I reckon Chameleon is Joseph Willow, the...
Is that plague face guy?
No, he's he's the camp guy who threatens her.
Oh, so George's boyfriend.
Yeah, yeah, that's right.
And the funny thing is I was watching this going, you know, Sir
George is being twisted by the malice and whatnot.
And it's like, but Willow, Willow, Willow's just a dick.
Yeah, yeah, but we forgive him.
Yeah, yeah.
Within a relationship, or do you mean?
But yeah, yes, at the end, no recriminations.
He was arranging to burn Tegan at...
You know we all have bad days.
You know, I...
I think he must run the post office or something.
Because they're often very short-tempered people.
No, he's got something on everyone.
He's been reading Sir George's mail.
He runs the telephone exchange as well.
This is one of the few Doctor Who's that could very easily have
been directed by Mel Brooks without any sensible dramatic change.
I actually think you could drop this as a single episode story in
the new series. and it would feel completely in place.
It's not, you know, it's not blink.
It's more Lazarus experiment, but...
Lazarus.
Oh, so do I. You know, it, you know, the science in it is
bobbins.
This is a bit bot.
It is Doctor Who.
Yeah, that's true.
I will say, though, I did have another chameleon thought, which is
when Turlo 1st sees Will and just goes, who is that?
So you think that's...
Will could be Chameleon.
Why not?
Apparently Chameleon was going to get out and wander around the
place.
Well, they filmed a scene.
They committed another corridor moment.
Yeah, pretty much...
Mark Strickson to do the voice or something.
Yeah, well, it was recorded and Chameleon's accent.
Yeah.
Chameleons accessing the computer terminal. in the TARDIS and
Tegan says, are you sure you should be doing that?
And he responds in the doctor's voice.
And she says, don't do that.
And oh, would you prefer this?
He responds in Turlo's voice, that's even worse.
Oh, God.
And it's, it's the scene.
It's the scene just before Tegan comes into the console room and
what's wrong?
you know, et cetera, et cetera.
Because Chameleon says to her, oh, there's something weird
happening with the TARDIS.
You should go to the console room.
You know, bug her off.
So it was it was really just a fluffy scene to say, yeah, yeah, we
know we still got the robot.
Turlo's solution with everything is to bash someone with a rock
have you noticed?
Who does he bash with a rock?
He bashes he bashes the people trying to get into the Tartars
after he escapes with Andrew Verney.
They come back to the Tartarson Willow and a bloke is trying to
get his.
So Turlo, Turlo whacks him on the head with a rock, just like he
tried to kill the doctor in modern undead. first.
There are certainly problems.
There's a problem which started a bit in season 18 and it's
absolutely ridiculous this season.
Caves of Andrazani is the only story where other people don't go
into the Tartars.
Yeah, I hate that.
I'm sick of that And he's constantly going.
I mean, next week he'll be going, quick, you know, come into the
Tartars.
It's like, yeah, you know, it's that thing where he uses it to
prove his innocence.
Like in Black Or...
Oh, God.
I mean, that's that's that's terrible.
But, you know, last week it was kind of understandable and Preston
did actually have an actor's reaction.
This week, Jane has a bit of a reaction.
Wolsey has a bit of a reaction.
Tegan's grandad just goes, oh, okay.
There's about 20 people in there.
Yeah, final scene, all just standing around in front of the camera
all on one side of the console so that we can get them all in
shot.
It's really bad.
They're boring and it's like 5 minutes from the end.
I will say one other thing I would change about this story.
You've got that bit where Willow and his mate have been knocked
out and his mate wakes up and goes upstairs and gets decapitated
by the Malice's last projection.
It should have been Willow.
Yeah.
Because, you know...
He'd just been nasty and unpleasant.
He's not under any mental influence.
It really should have been him instead of some nameless guard.
Yeah.
You know?
So remind me how he defeats the Malas.
I have a feeling that the doctor sits in the TARNIS and presses a
whole bunch of buttons.
Yeah, he texts the text and explodes.
Yeah, he he, he, he texts the tech.
I believe the explanation is that he cuts off the conduit for the
malice to receive emotion and because the malice feeds on emotion
that killed it.
But it was essentially pressing a lot of buttons and then telling
us something had happened.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
At least Joe got up in front of his arm and said, no, sacrificed
me.
Thou shalt not pass.
You know, that was stupid, but it was at least someone doing
something.
So stupid that it was the turning point of the entire plot.
And then Azal has like a mental feedback loop and goes, oh, we
blow.
Whereas here, the mala switch doesn't have a character, all it
actually does is vomit and sort of breathe.
It's really just your basic 15 year old fan.
Yeah, goes...
More fat.
So it actually is on a matapeic for Chundering, isn't it?
According to certain fans.
Yeah.
So, well, that's really all we've got to say about the awakening
today.
It's Michael Owen Morris's 1st gig directing Doctor Who, he boars
a PA on Pirate Planet, which is not as rude as it sounds.
Is this the point to mention that Pirate Planet is now out as a
pre-ordering thing?
one is excited about that.
Well, he did a terrific job of City of Death, I thought.
He did a lovely job, E. Jobby.
Lovely jobies. on that.
This story was also called Poltergeist. and wargain before I
remember being called.
So I think that we kind of know what it was reaching for. and
where maybe it didn't get.
Do you think they were looking at what successes we've had again
we're talking about Doctor Who, really looking at what it, what it
is this year and what it has been and being, I think, just a
little bit too post-modern, self-referential, saying we had
success with the visitation.
Let's do that. and let's also do a bit of what, I mean, poltergeist
and war game.
They're really name checking what's been successful in the
movies.
Yeah, yeah, at the time.
I mean, war game would have been vetoed by, did Ian Levine have
anything to do with things now?
Yes, yes, he did. war game given that there was the war games
earlier on.
Yeah, he would have just had hissy fit.
I think the greatest tontological threat in this is actually the
presence of Tegan Chevanka, she obviously brings destruction, ruin
carnage and leaves ashes where she dreads in those stupid shoes.
She's wearing the same thing from last week, so she hasn't
changed.
She's been through a giant mask.
Maki cow.
I do, at least she changes her frocks.
I wonder if Turlo actually ever changes his knickers or indeed
even wears any.
Tegan does add a handbag. for this story.
In fact, it gets naked. entire...
Handbag.
How the handbag got nicked is immaterial.
Yeah, it's added simply so it can get nicked and so the doctor
knows that the plague face victim.
Yes, is really into lady's accessories.
I've never seen.
Second floor Grace Brothers.
Are you being served?
I've never seen Tegan with a handbag before.
Oh, yes, yes, you have, as a stewardess.
She had her... that's true. carry-on, but that's just the mace and
the cattle prod and the knockout, you know.
But this isn't the same handbag.
This is one of the doctor's handbags that she's borrowed from
inside the TARDIS.
Yeah, it is actually interesting that, you know, since the doctor
it could have been one of Susan's handbags. as well, you know.
It's this little round, red number.
But it's probably dimensionally transcendental.
No, it was Pur to his handbag, for sure.
We had it in the time monster.
She gives herself a fair whack in the face with it at one point as
well.
Like, she sort of face palms of bitch you can't forget she's
carrying a handbag.
It's a strange Well, the thing is, it's entirely done so the guy
can reach it to frame it.
Are we playing the game of which at which point does Janet and or
Mark decide they're they're also leaving?
I don't think they're any stories?
Well, it was it was actually all planned out from the beginning of
the season. like during during the development of Warriors are the
deepest when Colin and Nicola were signed on and I believe that
Peter, Janet, and Mark's contracts.
I think Peter's contract actually ended with the end of the
season.
I think Janet and Mark's contracts actually ended with Planet of
Fire, but it was agreed they'd go earlier but still get paid.
Uh-huh.
So Janet was paid for Planet of Fire.
Yeah, she didn't turn off.
But that's why she then came into do a cameo for And Rosani.
That was how the contract was honoured.
But yeah, and I really haven't watched that since the 80s, so...
But it was also decided to stagger the departures so each of the 3
got something with emotional resonance.
And, you know, I think I think that is the 3 departures are one of
the more successful parts of the season.
Yeah, no, they do.
They finally get that stuff right.
I actually quite like this season.
Are we jumping ahead, yeah.
Yeah, well, there's nothing to say about this stupid story.
Well, a lovely horse.
With a death wish for others because it cracked the ribs of, what
not Glynn or Dennis?
It, you know, it did a horrible thing too.
I think they should have just covered that in green paint and had
it as a murderer.
Because in the studio.
It's the Litchgate scene.
Yeah, yeah.
That famous scene.
So if you haven't seen it, dear listener.
It's on the TVD extras, yeah.
They still show it.
Yeah.
Yeah, they, it was a male horse riding up.
They put a mare on the other side of the gate so it would ride up
to the gate and the shot.
It's like the last episode of the 1st season of Kath and Kim.
The shot.
The shot in the episode is actually the shot from the blooper just
cut before the horse stops at the gate for a moment.
Everyone jumps down and starts going through the gate and then the
horse continues through the gate and demolishes it.
Thankfully, I believe the gate was a set piece set up by the BBC.
It wasn't real.
So it doesn't matter in a way that it was destroyed.
That already filmed everything with it.
But yeah, that's a famous Doctor Who blooper, along with Sylvester
McCoy not being able to get a single line out in that scene of
Delta and the Bannerman, which is again on the DVD.
Look forward to that one.
So, and that one with Bonnie Langford swearing her head off.
Oh, that's, that still makes my eardrums peel to this day.
That's really shocking.
That was just when she sees my cosplay.
So, okay, you guys have asked me why I like the story.
Why don't you like it?
What story are we talking about again?
The Awakening.
Okay.
Um...
That's too, personally, it's too much of a pastiche of everything
else with nothing fresh.
I do like the supporting actors and I think there's there's a
great do.
It looks lovely, and there's a lot of good performance work in
this, and people are obviously enjoying themselves, let down by
the effects let down by, I think, just think the oversimplicity of
a pretty hackneyed plot and script that doesn't really do
anything.
It's really just really forgettable.
You know, there's really like, there's nothing particularly
memorable about it.
The marlis isn't that well realised.
The plot is really, really badly resolved.
As I said before, you know, pressing the kill the mala switch on
the TARDIS console is how we resolve it.
And it doesn't really have any memorable visuals.
It does mention a pteraleptyl, but it doesn't have a pteraleptyl
in it.
You know, I just, it doesn't, so that always gets a minus score
from you, doesn't it?
Yeah, except for the actual visitation, which gets a massive minor
scores for having terror left.
Yeah, no, I just think there's really just nothing much going on
here.
And I'm almost certain that watching it for the podcast was the
1st time I've watched it since buying the DVD.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I got home and discovered that
the DVD was still shrink wrapped because I was watching a
electronic version.
I may never have opened the DVD.
Well, have you opened the Gunfighters DVD?
Yeah, then you would have opened this one because it came in a
box.
Set with the gunfighters for no readily.
Yeah, it's like 2 stories that no one very much cares about.
That's actually how it was described.
Yeah, the box set was called Earth story. story. what's that
Because much like Peladin Tales, these are the only 2 Doctor Who
stories set on Earth.
Okay.
No, well, that makes sense. literally.
Nothing they have in common beyond that. call it floor sweepings
except the gunfighters is really good.
It really is.
Yeah, they might as well have paired the gunfighters up with
enlightenment because it got Linda Baron in it.
Linda Baron's story.
That would be a thing.
Actually, I do.
So we'll be getting her for a convention.
Actually, a lot of the stories this year have either been released
or re-released in box sets. like Warriors of the Deep was in the
beneath the surface set.
This was in Earth story.
Resurrection of the Daleks and Caves of Andrazani were both re
released in revisitations packs.
And Planet of Fire was released in the Chameleon Tales box.
So the only story is to get individual releases this season with
full-blown special features and everything.
Um, Frontios.
And twin dilemma.
Resurrection and Caves did have individual releases, but they were
early on not as many special features, et cetera.
That's true. got the early on version. stamped by Janet herself.
This is riveting this stuff about DVD. much more exciting than
much on the show, isn't it?
This is the kind of proper hardcore trivia that the FDA audience
come to us for.
Well, I kind of wanted this to be in a box set.
Like when beneath the surface came out and it was the 1st box set
of non-contiguous stories.
People were suggesting, well, hold on.
Why not put Black Orchid, Kings, Demons, and the Awakening in a
box set and have like 3 Davis...
Terrible historical adventures.
This is our last 2 parter of the Davidson era, and we've had 2 in
the lead up to it.
I'm not counting Resurrection of the Dots as a two-party.
Yeah, yeah, that kind of is.
And none of them have been particularly successful, have they?
I think, I think this is the most successful, but even, even I
agree, the ending of this is rushed and it's rushed down, just
down to push the buttons, Max.
We've had that often before though, haven't we?
King's Demons has probably the most desultory ending of any
story.
Yeah, I said it.
I said at the time, King's Demon's ending feels like a part 2
cliffhanger.
We should have part three.
I agree that this could have actually been just expanded a little
bit and made into a three-parter because we get that bit where
Will Crash tackles Dennis Lil into the malice anyway.
And it's like, well, why couldn't that have just been the thing
that killed the malice?
You know, its focus is gone.
And really, if you're pushing its focus into itself.
That, you know, you can easily say, well, that creates a feedback
because now he's terrified, but he's terrified within the terror
and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And yeah, it's still a bit of word peril, but it's not just the
doctor going, oh, flicker switch. it's dying now.
No, it's an action, though. do you know what I mean?
It is a quiet word peril.
You'd have to kind of sell it, but at least someone's performing a
positive action that means something.
Yeah.
And I will also say in this story, the death that occurs and the
violence that occurs is actually commented upon, which quite often
in this era, when someone dies, you might get someone having a
momentary reaction, but that's it.
Well, because usually so many people are dying.
You just don't have time.
Whereas this, I think, we just have the 2 deaths.
We have that nameless guard, who I mentioned earlier, and
everyone's horrified by that and they're screaming and what have
you.
And then there's Sir George's death.
And I think what's really effective about that is the fact that
Will does it, but then, like, is stumbling over himself to justify
what he's done.
And the doctor has to reach out to him and say, no, look, it's
okay.
You're all right.
Um, yeah, and that is actually, it's, it's quite effective because
you get the moment of the villain dying, but you will, it's not
just throwing gatherer hate off the roof and having a laugh about
it.
It's a real human has done this action. and has done it for what
he believes to be good and it does destroy the creature.
But at the same time, yeah, he's still a young lad.
And he's been, he's said through all the way through the story
that he's scared of fighting and the fighting's going to come here
and he's seen death and he's seen a queen and the may burned at
the stake.
The toast of little Hodcombe.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
True Tom.
By the end of it.
That's Pete, you know, everyone sort of thinks Pete's sort of
really bland and inoffensive, but that's probably the sort of
grimest thing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And more and more, he's getting sort of grumpy and exasperated and
running around the place.
I think he's really good in this.
We said he was good last week.
I think that he's terrific in this.
I love him exasperated.
I think everyone knows how he feels.
There's there's a wonderfully silly moment in this.
It's a doctor trying to sneak through the village.
So he tries to go through the middle of the village where everyone
is gathered up and then he gets captured.
And so George says, it's a pity you've seen this display of 30
people in the middle of the village where all roads make.
Yeah, it's we're obviously trying to hide it.
It's not exactly a Wicker Tegan, you know?
It is a Wickerman, isn't it?
I mean, you know, again, maybe that's why this story sort of
feel.
I love when Doctor Who plays homage, but not when it falls into
pastige, and there just isn't enough rebooting or isn't enough
heart of what we're doing here.
Because there's some very strong weaker moment.
I love that that Janet Fielding is Edward Woodward for this story
pretty much.
She's playing the same part.
I'd like to see her reboot Callen, yeah.
Does that make...
Does that make Keith Jane Jenny Agatha?
Because he does flash his chest about when he's running away.
Yes, he does.
And we have a Python-esque moment where he falls down into long
grass and then comes up again.
He is so adorable in this.
And I don't I don't just mean he's cute.
I mean, genuinely his performance is adorable and endearing and
sweet, and it really puts paid to that idea that historical
companions are difficult to write.
He's the 1st fresh, alive, real person.
I've seen, apart from Polly James, you know, pretty much all
year.
It's just interesting that they both turn out to not be given any
more continuity in the show.
He would have been.
Yeah, he's the Jamie we should have had all the time.
I would have found it.
Do you like it?
Yeah, I think that would have been tires.
He would have dropped it, like Fraser, did you?
he would have mellowed out and perhaps even had a wash.
Mind you, I think we do see with 80 era companions, and really, we
can say JNT era companions.
He tended to come up with the character sketch.
They they sort of they get their character development in their
1st and last story and then in between their kind of anything.
This is true, isn't it?
They just stand about mouth, yeah.
Do you know who I don't think?
I think it's not true of Turlow.
I think Turner gets vastly less to do once his trilogy is over, but
he still gets to be sort of cowardly and he still gets to be
unprincipled.
In other words, just ginger.
We've had to deal with your ginger phobia on this podcast before
Richard.
Just wait till we get to Bonnie Langford.
I do have to agree with you there, and I don't think it's in the
script.
I think it's in Mark's performance that, especially this season, he
starts off being very cowardly, but he gets more and more
reluctantly brave as the season goes on.
But he still gets devious and furtive things to do and his body
language always really sells that in a terrific way.
I think he's good. in a way that the high concept companions, as
you point out, rarely are.
They're, you know, introduced and they've got this sort of big
backstory and then they're being tied to railway tracks and
menaced by Daleks.
He's into math afterwards.
Maths is interesting.
She knows very little about jelly.
They tend to just be shaved or skimmed off characters.
So I guess they're, yeah.
Yeah, so it might be kind of a relief that we never got.
That we never got Todd, as in Neris Hughes, um, Mariner, um, Will
Chandler, Jane Ham.
Finnish series, yeah.
Yeah, with thumb with...
Yeah, yeah.
It's the 1st time Baroosa was experimenting with the time scoop
and he picked them all up and, you know, pit them against each
other in a battle to the death in the death.
That's a lovely segue to revive day poll industries.
Action figures.
Chandler and Hampton and Strax.
Brilliant.
With Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Silurians.
Go on, do the voice.
Do the excellent.
Excellent, weird Chandler.
See, it was.
It's like it's alive in your very own listening room.
Kill it.
Kill it now.
Set fire.
Poor Janet.
I don't think it's going to end well for her. do you think?
No, she'll be fine.
All the relatives are keeping well away.
She's the Jessica Fletcher.
Just without the cross-dressing nephews.
Oh, I don't know.
Jeff Conaway.
I was thinking Colin, but that's actually a cousin, but yeah, yeah
that's true.
Jeff, Zach Allen of Babylon 5.
Conaway was one of Jessica Fletcher's many nephews, and in his 1st
appearance, his girlfriend, who, Jessica Fletcher, find out to
meet him and his girlfriend, his girlfriend thinks he's having an
affair, but actually, he's performing drag in a club to save up
money for the wedding.
Oh, that's lovely.
To Angela Lansbury, it was a memory.
I mean, he's no longer with us.
He was he was an odd, oddly attractive man.
A bit a bit skinny.
Terrible.
Horrible looking.
It might be thin shaming.
Terrible woman.
Jeff Conway.
Are we done?
There's a marvellous word to say about this.
There's a lot to say. is a marvellous website called Angela
Lansbury tattoos.
I think whose side is?
You can go on to it. just Google it.
You can go on and see people who have had Angela Lansbury
tattoos.
We'll have I've got one now.
Yeah, yeah, we could, yeah. we speak, yeah.
So there is a lot to say about this story.
Well, we'll have to send that website to friend of the podcast, Joe
Ledster, who is a fan of Angela Lansbury and biceps.
He's a good writer too.
He is a very good writer.
Didn't write this.
Not even Eric Pringle wrote this.
Chips are too small. salty and unpleasant.
They're actually worse than the awakening.
I agree.
I like that they're covered in green pea vomit.
Salty and unpleasant.
The Eric Saban story.
Oh, I'm not having the ship's biscuit.
Thank you.
Yeah, no, I'll have the spam.
I don't know.
What would it be called?
It's all Gile would be better directed against the enemy, doctor.
It's all John's fault.
Well, as we deal with audience complaints from having blown up
another church, we're about to be, uh, sucked down into the depths
of Christopher Hamilton bid me script cupboard for Frontios next
week.
Until then, you can find us online at flightthroughentirety.com
flight through entirety on Facebook and iTunes and at FTE podcast
on Twitter.
Please leave us reviews on iTunes.
We love to get them and I, in particular, am a whore for
attention.
I heard that.
Speaking of which, don't forget Doctor Who in 10 seconds, which I
may update shortly on YouTube.
Until next week, may none of you have difficulty explaining to
your relatives why your aunt has been shrunk down to the size of
an action man.
Thank you very much for listening and good night.
Good night.
That works, flag through entirety with Nathan Bottomley, Brendan
Jones and Richard Stone.
This episode, Angela Lansbury Tattoos, was recorded on November 19
2016.
The next episode will be released on December 4th.
If you'd like your very own piece of Tin Klavic, just combine one
part Mercury to two parts Play-Doh, wrapping cling film and make
sure your health insurance is up to date.
Okay.
Oh, Christ, I've just looked up Angela.
We have to do this with, yeah, they're really good, aren't they?
I mean, that goes on the website.