Same Same, But Different. Five EU Stories Which Show Doctor Who monsters in a New Light
See how different creators of Audio Plays, Comics and Books reinvent familiar monsters in unique ways
One of the paradoxes of being a Doctor Who fan is you want more of the same Doctor Who Monsters, but not in the same way. If you like a particular character or monster, you want them to come back, but with a second opportunity to explore a different perspective. However, even then for characters and monsters we’ve been seeing for sixty years, how many more angles can we see?
Luckily, the Doctor Who fan also has the Extended Universe. This mix of books, audio plays and comics across sixty years of entertainment have shown unique perspectives of monsters.
Today we’re going to focus on five Doctor Who Monsters, and their Extended Universe appearances. If there’s any Doctor Who monster or character I’ve missed of interest, please share in the comments.
The Silurians/Earth Reptiles
First introduced in 1970’s “Doctor Who and the Silurians” the Silurians aren’t aliens. Silurians are more Earthlings than humans. They predated humanity, but entered hibernation during the time the mammals evolved. After first menacing Jon Pertwee’s third Doctor, Silurians were reintroduced during the Eleventh Doctor’s era in 2010.
Since then, while rarely a main monster of a storyline, they have continued to make regular cameos. Most significantly, the reoccurring character of Madame Vastra, is a loyal Silurians acting as a detective in Victorian London.
New Interpretation – Bloodtide (2001)
Colin Baker’s Sixth Doctor is the best Doctor for the Big Finish Audio Range. Big Finish Audio range is the best example of the Sixth Doctor. With freedom from the difficult production era of the mid-eighties, and coupled with newcompanions like history professor, Evelyn Smythe, (Portrayed by the great Maggie Stables), the Sixth Doctor was given opportunities to be nicer and more definitively a hero.
Bloodtide sees the Doctor and Evelyn travelling to the Galapagos Islands. At the same time, Charles Darwin is developing his studies into what will eventually become his theory of evolution. However, there is another race on the islands, and their influence over humanity will challenge Darwin’s theories.
The relationship between humanity and the Silurians varies significantly across Doctor Who. Some stories suggest Silurians and human beings barely interacting. This story, however explores the idea of Silurians being influential in the development of humanity, with humanity akin to domesticated animals becoming feral. Also, instead of Silurians awakening on Earth, Bloodtide has Silurians already in control of a degree of humanity. This results in a story where we see how a Silurian ruled world would look like, albeit localised to an island.
Honorable Mentions
Blood Heat – This story is set on a parallel world where the Silurians successfully wipe out much of humanity with a virus. The Silurians now control the planet with only a minimal force of human rebels opposing them.
The Cybermen – A Doctor Who Magazine (DWM) comic strip which connects the creation of the Cybermen to a race of Silurians on Earth’s twin planet Mondas
Weeping Angels
The Weeping Angels are the only modern series monster that can really be considered a major reoccurring antagonist. In their first appearance in the story “Blink,” the Angels transport people to the past and feed of their time energies. Being able to move faster than a blink, but frozen when in view created a sense of terror for characters Sally Sparrow, and also the viewers at home.
In their first story, only four of the angels were present. Their second appearance in “Flesh and Blood” increased their danger, with the Eleventh Doctor visiting a world infested by Angels. In later appearances, the Angels farmed on human temporal energy, and turned the Thirteenth Doctor briefly into a Weeping Angel herself.
New Interpretation – Grey Matter from Twelve Angels Weeping
One of the limitations of a horror based Doctor Who monster like the Weeping Angels in Doctor Who, is that the Doctor must survive, and almost always wins. It’s hard to be too terrified when we already know the result, and that our hero would likely survive.
This story is different though.
On the Planet Gehanna, a plague has broken out among the twelve separate human cities. Our story starts on City One, the last remaining city free from the outbreak. Citizens wear specialized breath masks being work at all times to protect themselves from the outbreak. The Twelfth Doctor is quickly captured and interrogated by the City’s Chief Medical Officer. There, he meets the Medical Officer’s other prisoner, a tortured and disfigured weeping angel.
Despite this being a Christmas themed anthology, this story feels more like Halloween. While the Doctor will survive, defeating the Angels and saving the planet may not be possible. Angels are seen as victims initially here, but also vengeful, vindictive, and ultimately victorious. Fear inducing scenes convey an impact not seen since their initial appearance in “Blink”
Honorable Mention – The Weeping Angel of Mons
This story sees the Tenth Doctor finding the Angel using the cover of WWI to feast on humanity. This story seems like a natural sequel to “Blink” with intensity and involvement of angels increasing but only slightly.
The Cybermen
The Cyberman are considered one of the Big Two Doctor Who Monsters. These cyborg threats first appeared in 1966’s “The Tenth Planet”, the final story of the First Doctor’s era. The Cybermen were originally humanoids from the Earth’s twin planet, Mondas. Following their planet spiralling out of the solar system, they gradually merged with robotic and computer elements to become the emotionless Cybermen. Since then we’ve seen a range of Cybermen, from Telos ice vaults, to parallel universes, to the Twelfth Doctor introducing the idea that they are the natural evolution whenever a planet’s technology takes over. Throuhout the Cybermen consistently reject all emotions and aim to conquer and convert humanity.
New Interpretation: Killing Ground
The Cybermen in most of Doctor Who are seen as attempting to invade planets. Rarely do stories explore what would happen if they were successful. They’re not like Daleks, killing things because they honestly believe they should die. They’re not like Sontarans, using conquered planets as tools in their war against an enemy. Mostly during Cybermen stories their motivation is to survive, to take a planet in order to avoid extinction.
In the “Killing Ground” the Cybermen are still aiming for survival, but that is happening off page. In the outer context of the story, the Cybermen are weakened, after losing the Cyber-War. However, on this planet, the planet Agora, they have remained in complete control of the planet for almost fifty years. People are used as source material for Cybermen to develop more Cybermen to spread across the Universe. On Agora as most rebellions have been violently suppressed.
Onto this planet arrives the Sixth Doctor and his companion Grant Markham. Grant is a child refugee from Agora, who had escaped the future of being a Cybermen when he came of age.
It’s rare for a story to show any monster succesfully controlling a planet. Here, the Cyberman have maintained the control for decades. Beyond the fear of invasion, this story shows what a world would look like when Cybermen has eliminated all resistance. Despite being emotionless, the Cybermen can be as cruel with their logical responses as any tyrant.
Honorable Mentions
Throwback the Soul of the Cybermen -Similar to “Killing Ground” this also shows a Cyberman occupied planet, with limited resistance from human slaves. However, in this story we meet Cyberman Kroton, a Cyberman with a soul. Kroton aims to understand humanity and our emotions, rather than reacting to them.
The Flood – The last Eighth Doctor comic strip features the Cybermen attempting to invade Earth. The comic artist takes advantage of its medium to make versions of the Cybermen which can never be seen on TV. In addition, this story presents the Cybermen as benevolent. The Cybermem remove emotions removed due to an honest belief they cause distress, so removal will improve quality of life.
The Autons
Servants of the Lovecraftian Nestene consciousness, the Autons are plastic robots, with inbuilt hand weaponry, and skills in duplication. They first appeared in 1970, facing a newly regenerated Third Doctor. In the final episode of “Spearhead From Space,” they memorably burst out from the shop windows shooting. This scene was replicated for the relaunch, with the Ninth Doctor and Rose opposing the Autons and their Nestene rulers.
New Interpretation – Brave New Town
Originally, the Autons are connected to their controllers, the Nestenes, through Nestene crystal spheres which travel to Earth as meteorites. Usually if this connection to the Nestenes is cut off the Autons cease to be.
But what if they don’t? What would Autons be if they weren’t guided for a time by the Nestenes? Considering their skills for impersonation, could they impersonate so well they confused themselves?
This is the question asked in this Eighth Doctor Big Finish story. The Doctor and his companion Lucie Miller find the quiet town of Thorington is repeating the same day’s events. Soon they find the planet has many secrets, and its population having been used by monsters both otherworldly and Human.
Daleks
The Daleks are THE Doctor Who Monster. The Daleks are the first alien/monster opponent of the entire series, the second antagonist and second alien featured over all. They have fought against every version of the Doctor on television. The Daleks have also fought parallel universe Doctors in the Unbound Series and the movie version of Doctor Who, portrayed by Peter Cushing.
Daleks have appeared in Board Games, Video Games, Comics, Comic Strips, Books, Audio Plays, Stage Shows, and Escape Rooms. Any form of media that could feature the metal monsters from Skaro have featured them.
Many stories show their evil, their hatred for all other beings, their belief in Dalek supremacy. So, what is there left to explore?
New Interpretation – Children of the Revolution
In 1967, Patrick Troughton completed his first season as the second Doctor, with the story “Evil of the Daleks.”
This epic seven part story had the Doctor travelling between present day Earth, the Victorian era, and Skaro itself in search for the stolen TARDIS, and uncovering the Dalek plan to insert the Dalek factor into the human race.
The Daleks are defeated by the Doctor creating Daleks with the Human sense of fun, and the ability to question authority. In response, a civil war emerges between the rival forces of Daleks, and the Dalek city is destroyed
But what if the Daleks who were more human lost the war, but escaped? This is the question the DWM comic strip “Children of the Revolution” aims to answer.
The Eighth Doctor, and his companion Izzy, arrive on the water planet of Kyrol, where a crew of humans on a submarine are captured by the human Daleks, hiding to survive. While the Doctor tries to defuse tensions between the human prisoners and the Daleks he played a part in creating, outside enemies attempt to manipulate the situation for their own benefit.
This story shows a world of what would Daleks be if they used their intelligence for acts other that destruction. How would they view other races if they did not see them worthy of destruction? We see a Dalek race that invests in art, in scientific curiosity, but can also see the difficulty the Doctor faces in wanting to protect them, while also seeing the point of the humans who want to be free.
With amazing visuals of Daleks underwater, this is an amazing story and well worth a read.
Honorable mentions:
Jubilee – This audio play by Robert Shearman, was eventually adapted into the television episode “Dalek.” However, the original story is very different. The Doctor and Evelyn Smythe arrive on an Earth celebrating a hundred years since the failed Dalek invasion, one the Doctor and Evelyn stopped but have not recalled it at all.
Prisoner of the Daleks –
While we often hear of the massive Dalek armies of the Dalek war, due to budgets we rarely see them, instead usually seeing small Dalek forces attempting invasions or attacks of certain areas. Prisoner of the Daleks has the Tenth Doctor landing in a timeline prior to the Time War, where Daleks are a dominant force, with the Earth empire attempting to fight back by paying bounty hunters to destroy Daleks. The strength and intelligence of the Daleks in this story is impressive, with the Doctor largely being helpless to out manipulate or defeat them until the very end. Also, for a book from the BBC era which tended to be lighter, this is a dark world, with planets destroying themselves with nuclear weapons to prevent Dalek invasion and the survivors captured anyway by the Daleks who are not deterred by this act.
This article just touches on some of the Doctor who monsters and villains that can be appreciated in new ways in the Extended Universe. Of course there are many other ways to appreciate them, and many other monsters and villains to explore. Please share any characters you’d like to find out about their varied appearances in the comments below.
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The Modern Phoenix – Revisiting the first Regeneration in Doctor Who
In 1966 Television history changed forever as the Doctor changed from William Hartnell to Patrick Troughton. But how that came about, and the response is a very different story
Regeneration is one of the most distinctive elements of Doctor Who. For a series that has lasted for over sixty years, there’s been remarkably little change within “Doctor Who.” Yes, the cast changes routinely, and some seasons have an arc, but the bare bones of the series – a Time traveler travelling through time and space with human companion(s) exploring new worlds and helping people – remain as consistent in 1963-1964 as they are in 2024. A story like “The Daleks” or “The Aztecs” still covers the same ground that “The Giggle” or “Rosa” did sixty years later.
One of the few, and the most significant, exception to this, however, is regeneration. The idea that the Doctor can change his form when injured, or aged, was a significant shift in the series, and one that has become central to its longevity. I’d say only one other major change comes close to being as significant is the introduction of the Time Lords in 1969’s “The War Games.” However even that did not provide as much of an impact as regeneration.
Since the initial regeneration scene at the end of “The Tenth Planet” episode 4, we as fans have become used to it. Doctor Who fans go through the cycle when we hear of a new regeneration. First we are uncertain, accepting them, and then preparing for the time they too will regenerate. Regeneration is normal now – but what was it like for people back in 1966?
This article explores the multiple factors in Doctor Who that lead to the first Regeneration, or Renewal as it was initially known. In particular we will look at how audiences and texts of the time attempted to explain and understand the change.
Underling issues in 1965
The 1965-1966 season of Doctor Who was already a time of significant change. Verity Lambert, the original producer, left early in the third season. Most of the original cast of companions left throughout the second season. William Hartnell was now the longest running, and the most significant person involved in the making of Doctor Who. As a result, he had a certain ownership of the character of the Doctor, and the series itself.
According to a range of sources, William Hartnell had favourite people who could help manage his moods. Maureen O’Brien (Vicki) described her role as “laughing (Hartnell) out of his five or six tempers a day.” When William Hartnell had conflict with others, both William Russell (Ian) and Peter Purves (Steven Taylor) would mediate. According to Producers, Hartnell would be frustrated about the length of the script, and need to rehearse. According to castmates, Hartnell would be insisting on maintaining consistency in the series, such as by ensuring the TARDIS controls maintained the same use over all episodes.
During the third season, however, Hartnell began to slowly lose his supports throughout the cast. William Russell had already left the series in 1965 by choice. Other cast who shared Hartnell’s frustrations found their contracts not renewed. When Maureen O’Brien had her contract ended while she was on holiday. Peter Purves also had his contract not continued. Both actors had voices objections about the development of their characters, but were shocked to find this resulted in leaving the series. The abrupt nature of these exits further exacerbated conflict Hartnell felt towards the production crew.
This conflict came to a boil with 1966’s “The Celestial Toymaker.”
The Regeneration That Never Was
In “The Celestial Toymaker” the evil Toymaker forces the Doctor to play his games. Out of frustration for breaking rules, the Toymaker makes the Doctor invisible for most of the story. Producer John Wiles planned for the Doctor to be permanently changed in this process, with William Hartnell not returning. Only the objection of the Head of Serials, Gerald Savory, at the time prevented this plan from coming. John Wiles, and his script editor, Donald Tosh, finding the working relationship with Hartnell irreconcilable, resigned. They were replaced by Innes Lloyd and Gerry Pedler respectively.
Hartnell’s health was deteriorating also at the time, though it was not known. He had undiagnosed arteriosclerosis, a condition which restricted blood flow to the brain. This resulted in Hartnell experiencing difficulty remembering long passages and irritability from these memory gaps.
Hartnell disclosed some of these pressures in an interview to the Daily Mail on April 26, 1966. In this interview, Hartnell expressed feelings of irritation with people. Discussing the production team, Hartnell explained he knew his role and did not want their interruptions and alterations. The Producer at the time, John Wiles, was not aware of Hartnell’s illness. Subsequently, Wiles had seen Hartnell’s memory lapses and moods as an act, further antagonizing their relationship.
Despite these issues, Hartnell states in the interview the BBC would continue the series as long as Hartnell remained. Hartnell however wanted to have more time off, and more space to recover. Noticeably around 1966, Hartnell’s Doctor is frequently missing in episodes. Health issues and holidays meant Hartnell had a reduced role in most stories from “The Massacre” onwards.
Alongside these internal stressors, reviews externally began to criticize the program. The Daily Worker in 1966 described the series as “showing signs of age” and that “Youngsters are getting tired of it”
With Peter Purves leaving in June 1966, Anneke Wills as Polly and Michael Craze as Ben became the new companions. However, Hartnell did not establish a good relationship with his new co-stars. Interviews with the two actors reported Hartnell appearing very isolated and alone. Wills reported Hartnell would lose his temper quickly over ridiculous things, leaving her and the other cast very tense. She added the remaining cast supported each other apart from Hartnell. Reportedly, Hartnell complained about Wills sitting in his chair, and Wills responded by having her own chair available for all. By June 1966, the increased conflict in the production office and health concerns lead to discussions of replacing Hartnell. However, this time Producer Innes Lloyd had approval to look for a new Doctor. By 16th of July, Hartnell had told his wife that he had decided to leave the series.
But the way he was to change was still to be determined.
Introducing Regeneration
The term “Regeneration” itself did not occur at this time in the series. Two regenerations later in “Planet of the Spiders” this process was officially named as regeneration. Initially, in production discussions, the action was described as “Renewal.”
It is not exactly clear who first developed the idea of how the Doctor was to change form. However, it is most likely to have come from discussions between Innes Lloyd and Script Editor Gerry Davis. Production notes at the time focus mostly on the character of the new Doctor, with little about the change itself. What the Production team did envisage was a change which occurred every 900 years or so, feeling:
As if he has had the LSD drug and instead of experiencing the kicks, he has the hell and dank horror
Initial Interpretations of the First Regeneration
The Doctor Who Annual 1968 is a fascinating snap shot into how the change initially by the public of 1967. Annuals were produced around the middle of the year, to give to children at Christmas time. In the sixties, annuals were one of the few examples of Doctor Who media available. There were no books, very few novelizations, and definitely no audio plays. If you wanted further adventures with the Doctor, or to read about Doctor Who the series, the annual was almost your only option.
For the 1968 Annual, we have a few first ever events. It is the first time the Annuals would feature television companions alongside the Doctor, with Ben and Polly appearing. And of course, this is the first annual which featured Patrick Troughton’s Doctor as main character.
Reading through it, it seems the authors did watch Troughton’s first story “Power of the Daleks” but no further. Popular companion Jamie (Introduced in Troughton’s second story), does not appear. Troughton’s costume from his first story, features in all images, despite the costume not being used again.
Also in the annual, there is an article entitled “Phoenix in the TARDIS.” This article compares the mythological creature of the Phoenix from Arabic folklore, with the new Doctor as “Our Modern Phoenix.” The article describes the change as follows:
At the end of nine hundred years, a strange psychological storm rejuvenated his form, changing his character in many ways
The article describes the new Doctor as more “with it” and “switched on” to the 20th century. The Doctor is less likely to confide in companions, and more likely to be a man of action. Surprisingly, this article is the first time regeneration is used in Doctor Who, with the conclusion pondering “What lies ahead for the regenerated Doctor.”
What’s interesting about this article is how the act of regeneration isn’t seen as an event that will reoccur. Instead, this is an event that needs almost a millennia to actually come about. Troughton planned to leave the role longer than three years, but he also doubted the series would last this long. Troughton was interviewed later he admitted he thought the change to Hartnell would lead to a cancellation within a year. Even when Troughton did leave after three years, changing the Doctor again was only considered as an alternative to cancellation when suitable alternative series could not be found.
Audience reactions, gathered by the BBC were not positive to the change. Audience feedback during his first story reviewed Troughton as being miscast as the Doctor. The media, while initially curious about the change, became increasingly critical of Troughton during the first season. The Daily Worker on Janaury 25th 1967 reported that while Hartnell would bring dignity to the party in stories, Troughton’s clownish person only amplifies the nonsense. The radio times meanwhile interviewed a member of the public, decrying Troughton as turning the Doctor into “Coco the Clown”
Meanwhile, the ongoing Doctor Who comic strip in “Tv Comic” adapted to the change of incarnation but not mentioning it. The Doctor had been William Hartnell, and now was Patrick Troughton. He still travelled with the same companions of his Grandchidren John and Gillian, who did not seem to care that their Doctor was different, though no longer referred to him as “Grandfather” anymore.
Long Term Acceptance of Regeneration
Troughton’s Doctor was eventually accepted as his first season moved away from historical stories, and towards images of the future. The Cybermen’s return in “The Moonbase” in particular had some critics changing their appraisal of this new era. At the same time, cast changes, with Frazer Hines, joining the cast, added to reasons audiences enjoyed the series more.
However, that does not mean regeneration was accepted as normal. After three years, Troughton announced his departure from the program. With six full years completed, the BBC discussed completing the series, and replacing with something new, with an idea of being influenced by the new series “Star Trek” being discussed.
What saved “Doctor Who” at the point was lack of suitable options, with only Doctor who able to start relatively simpler and be adaptable to what the channel needed. However, budgets did need to be cut, leading to the Third Doctor’s era being largely earthbound for the first three years. This necessity of reduced exploration lead to a series with a larger regular cast, going beyond the Doctor and his companions, and including regular allies in UNIT, and a regular enemy in the Master. This regularity meant that when the Doctor faced his third regeneration, the first to be described as a regeneration, the threat of cancellation with actor departure was no longer considered.
Instead with “Planet of the Spiders” we have the first regeneration where the process was paid attention to. The idea of regeneration coming about when a body faces significant damage or trauma is first referenced in this story. The idea of being reborn rather than rejuvenated is expressly stated in this story.
Final Thoughts
Looking back at the production notes for Hartnell’s final story, it’s surprising how little information or consideration went into it. Even now, we’re not entirely sure who exactly came up with the idea of regeneration. Likely no single person can ever claim credit to the full idea. John Wiles original idea of the Doctor being transformed by the Celestial Toymaker undoubtedly had an influence by raising the idea of changing the Doctor but keeping the series, even though the change only occurred after he had resigned.
When looking at the past, it’s important to remember that while regeneration for the modern series is just a process of adapting to a cast change, in 1966, regeneration was a risk taken by a series trying to survive. The producers wanted little attention to be focused on the change, and instead to move on quickly with a new actor, and hence very little description or detail went into the change.
And that, in part, is why for Doctor Who regeneration was so successful, and determined the longevity of the series to this day. If William Hartnell had been replaced by the Celestial Toymaker, with the process being a consequence of running afoul of an evil God like character, such a precise process would have been difficult to repeat for later cast changes without being obviously repetitive. By keeping the idea of regeneration in Doctor Who vague it allowed mythology to develop around it as needed either by a production crew, or as needed for a story.
Regeneration was created for Doctor Who to respond to an actor’s decaying health, and intense conflict within a production team. But it continues by allowing a constant refresh and re-invigoration of the series, while keeping its base format the same.
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Win the Game, or Here You’ll Stay – Reviewing “Doctor Who: the Celestial Toymaker” New Animation
It’s been an interesting journey for the story from 1966 – from lost myth, to scandalous disappointment. Will this new animated version allow a reappraisal?
“The Celestial Toymaker” as a serial has had quite a mixed history in fandom circles. It was first broadcast in April 1966 as part of the third season of Doctor Who, and like most of the stories of that season, the original episodes were eventually wiped from the BBC. While Episode 4 – “The Final Game” was found in Australia in 1986, there was twenty years it existed as a fan memory, with information shared in fanzines based on these memories celebrating the creativity and fantasy elements of the story. There was even a plan in 1985 to bring back the character for the cancelled original season 23 story “The Nightmare Fair” where he would use video games and theme park threats to menace Colin Baker’s sixth Doctor.
After the final episode was found in 1986, there slowly was a reappraisal of the story. While early Doctor Who special effects and staging were never seen as a strength, the original story’s budget was basically a shoestring. A retrospective by Doctor Who Magazine in the early 2000’s called it boring. In 2011, Elizabeth Sandifer in their Eruditorum Press blog, highlighted the racist aspects of the story, such as the use of a racial slur spoken by a minor character in episode two (thankfully concealed from all media releases), and the character of the Toymaker himself as a Fu Manchu style Asian stereotype. The term “Celestial” itself, while often taken to mean “From the sky” is also an old time slur for the Chinese. Russell T Davies in the lead up to the Toymaker’s return in “The Giggle” acknowledged he was aware of this in interviews, and had the character play with accents using race as an attack against others.
So like with many of the very lost stories of the sixties, it’s been an interesting journey for how “The Celestial Toymaker” has been seen. And the last time I sat down to watch the surviving episode, my partner lasted five minutes into watching characters throw dice on the floor before leaving the room and not returning. And she had a point.
But this review isn’t about the original 1966 production. In light of the Toymaker’s triumphant return in 2023’s “The Giggle” a newly animated version of the original 1966 story has been released to allow fans to have better access to this returning villain.
Story Outline
As was standard with the series in 1966, the story begins at the conclusion of the previous story “The Ark” with the Doctor (William Hartnell) suddenly becoming invisible and warning his companions Steven (Peter Purves) and Dodo (Jackie Lane) they were in grave danger. Exiting the TARDIS, the Doctor finds his form has returned, and after being tempted by windows displaying their memories, they are confronted by the Toymaker (Michael Gough). The Toymaker says in order to leave they must play his games, the Doctor being transported away to play the Trilogic Game (Better known as Towers of Hanoi), with Steven and Dodo completing several other games in order to find the TARDIS.
Each of these games is a variation of popular games of the time, such as Blind Man’s Bluff, musical chairs, and hunt the thimble, but with the threat of failure resulting in Steven and Dodo becoming eternal play things of the Toymaker. Meanwhile the Doctor is unable to assist his companions, as the Toymaker demonstrates his power by removing his speech, and reducing him to one hand, operating the game.
While the concept is interesting, and demonstrative of the wide variety of story styles in a series that didn’t have a set format a yet, in practice, watching a bunch of character actors play simple games is a slow and dull spectacle to watch. This isn’t helped by the last episode featuring the game “TARDIS hopscotch” where characters roll dice, and jump from base to base.
Production Turmoil
Behind the scenes, this is an era of Doctor Who of inner turmoil. William Hartnell’s health was declining, with his as yet undiagnosed condition of arteriosclerosis resulting in memory lapses and irritability. Previous production teams, who had known how to work well with Hartnell, had been replaced, alongside much of the cast that he had been close with. As a result, there was a new production team which did not have a good working relationship with Hartnell, and Hartnell often taking extended breaks within stories. Towards this part of Season 3, almost every second story had the Doctor somewhat incapacitated or absent, and in “The Celestial Toymaker” the Toymaker reduces the Doctor to just a hand for most of the first three episodes.
As regeneration would not be created as a plot device until the following season, there had been a plan to have the Toymaker change the Doctor’s appearance when he becomes visible again, and have the new recast Doctor become the main character following. While this plan was vetoed (And the producer who had the plan subsequently left the production of this story), some elements may have lead to the idea of what we now know as regeneration.
There had also been issues raised about the new companion of Dodo Chaplet, introduced five episodes previously. Originally developed as a down to earth modern girl with a Cockney accent, her accent was changed to BBC standard English from this story until her departure at the final story of the season. This was evidence of a different view between the production team wanting to move the series to reflect a youth audience, and the policies of the BBC of the day to only allow certain accents. However, by the end of the season, with the introduction of cockney sailor Ben Jackson as a companion, diversity of accents was eventually accepted.
Missing Stories
In the 1960’s there was not a view that television need to be stored. Home video was two decades away, repeats were rare, and tape was expensive and a fire hazard to store. As a result, many shows had episode, or entire seasons, wiped by the production teams of the time. Doctor Who is one of the most known series effected by this decision, but definitely not the only one, with series like “The Avengers” “Hancock’s Half Hour” and many more having most of their seasons almost entirely lost.
Fans of the time, while unable to record video, were able to record audio tapes of each episode, and this has meant that “Missing stories” have been able to be enjoyed by fans today either as narrated audio, or combining these audio tracts with existing pictures of the story.
Since 2006, the BBC had looked into animation studios to created animated reconstructions of these missing stories. Originally just attempting to recreate stories as they would have been shown in the 1960’s, since 2019 animation studios have increasingly tried to make a new version of the story, based on the ideas in the script, rather than the limits of what was possible in the budget of the day. The result of that is stories, such as 1967’s “The Macra Terror” featuring far more expressive and mobile monsters than were possible originally.
While the decision to change the stories somewhat substantially was a controversial one, it’s a decision I’ve very much approved of. Rather than make an animated reconstruction which will never match with what the original broadcast episodes would have looked like, instead a new story is created. In cases where these stories and their plots have been known for decades, there is an excitement in finding a new way to make them, and seeing what the animators have been inspired to make from the script.
The New Updated Animated Version – Pros and Cons
“The Celestial Toymaker” is the newest of these animations, and with a style that is quite distinct from most animations that have occurred before. Whereas most of the last productions were producing simple flash style 2D animation, the style used for Celestial Toymaker seems more three dimensional, with textures and crevices more noticeable on the faces of the cast.
This new style of animation has its drawbacks, and at first glance in the trailer earlier this year, the visualizations of the main cast was off putting to me. The way the mouth of most characters move seems not to match the sounds, with often just the lower lip moving to give the impression of speech.
Each human character, no matter their age, seemed to have old, tired eyes. While I reminded myself that no Doctor Who animated feature has been amazing when it came to showing human expression and emotion, the portrayal of the human cast in “The Celestial Toymaker” is a good example of the uncanny valley – they have ceased looking like a cartoon, but instead look like people with something wrong.
However, the animation team for this project have also used “the uncanny valley” for their benefit. Because while out of context, the animated versions of the human cast look wrong, for this particular story, in this particular context, looking uncanny makes sense. The Celestial Toyroom is an uncanny place – it’s meant to be outside of time and space, a world where the only rules are those determined by a God like creature obsessed with games. And this new animated version really reflects it.
Starting with the non-regular cast, not having to use a physical human being for a cast has freed the team to create a range of characters that would not be possible to feature easily in Doctor Who, even today. A comical chef character in episode three is now a life size knitted doll, and the movements which look awkward on an animated human, look sensible on a doll filled with stuffing. Dancing dolls which were originally just human dancers are now wooden dolls, with the wood grain visible on each face. The Toymaker himself seems to shrink and grow to giant sizes on a whim. The playing card characters in episode two, previously just actors dressed to look like the Kings and Queens appearing on a playing card deck, are now cards with stick arms and legs.
The settings also show a world where physics do not make sense. Steven completing an obstacle course can suddenly be walking on the ceiling. Transition between games occurs by crossing toy blocks seemingly hovering above a mist of nothingness. The game of jumping from shallow platforms across the floor, is now jumping through the air, with electrical sparks threatening the cast below.
The best example of how these themes combine is in episode three. As Dodo and Steven enter the dancing floor, there is a musical interlude where the dancing dolls as scripted finish their routine. It’s quite a long musical number, and nothing happens in it. The animated version instead has Dodo and Steven drifting through a void, falling through the Toymaker’s mouth, onto a form of the TARDIS, only to be reformed at the end of the musical montage. The creativity shown in this scene makes it, in my mind, the greatest piece of animated Doctor Who ever made.
While most animated reconstructions have allowed fans to appreciate and enjoy stories which are now lost, with “The Celestial Toymaker” we actually have a reconstruction which enhances on the original. The settings are exciting, the characters visually interesting, and the threat is apparent throughout the animation where it was not before. While no further animations are announced, if this is the new bench mark on what could be aimed for, I hope we see more of this in the future.
In particular, get this team of recreate “The Space Pirates” from 1969, and let them go to town to recreate a space opera without relying on 1969’s model effects.
(4 / 5)
