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)
Happy Election Day for all those who choose to celebrate. I was originally planning to run down the list of the most extreme American Presidential portrayals featured in Doctor Who. However I quickly realized this would not be possible. This is because most times when the American President appears in Doctor Who, the series treats them nicely.
Sure, the Eleventh Doctor said Richard Nixon was “Not one of the good ones” in “The Impossible Astronaut,” but that was the limit of the criticism. The very real Harry S Truman, and the very fictional Tom Dering, were manipulated into almost starting a nuclear war. However the Doctor in both cases sees them as victims of the manipulations of beings arriving from outside of Earth. Since Donald Trump’s election in 2016, most references to him in Doctor Who media have been jokes on the basis of his appearance.
Compare this to how the series treats the role of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We’ve had Prime Ministers who wanted to start a nuclear war, for no clear reason, in Roger ap Gwilliam. One Prime Minister was secretly a Sea Devil in the comic strip Clara Oswald and the School of Death. Prime Minister Greyhaven acted as a Quisling to the invading Ice Warriors The Dying Days. And of course, the Master as Harold Saxon became Prime Minister of England, and proceeded to wipe out ten percent of humanity.
So unlike the leaders of the UK, Doctor Who tends to be slightly more respectful when it comes to Presidents of the United States. So there’s not a lot of terrible, weird, or dangerous Presidents to discuss.
Except for one. And to discuss this one, we need to talk about the world of Faction Paradox.
Faction Paradox – Origins
The year is 1997. The TV Movie from the previous year introduced the world to the Eighth Doctor as portrayed by Paul McGann. However, a new series, or sequel following on from that did not appear. Instead, the ongoing story of Doctor Who continued in the world of BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures.
This series developed in response to the Movie, allowing people to see what the Eighth Doctor did next. Initially the series focused on safer and familiar Doctor Who story tropes. Previous series had tried to push the boundaries and concepts for a more mature audience, but the BBC returned to attempts to replicate the TV series.
Until “Alien Bodies” written by Lawrence Miles was published. This book introduced the Doctor Who Universe to the world of Faction Paradox.
Who are Faction Paradox?
To put it imply, The Faction Paradox, also known as just the Faction, are a time traveling voodoo cult. The Faction live in opposition to the views and beliefs of the Time Lords. Time Lords aim to keep timelines pure and free of contradiction. Therefore, the Faction seek paradox and disorder in time. They wear skulls that are bigger than their faces, because their skulls are bigger on the outside. While the Time Lords are based in Gallifrey, the Faction Paradox mostly claim their home in the Eleven Day Empire – the eleven days “skipped” when England moved from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian Calendar.
While the Faction opposed the Time Lords, they were rarely direct enemies of Gallifrey. Instead they tended to manipulate and take advantage of factors effecting the Time Lords. In particular, with the Faction Paradox we see also the first Great Time war.
This is not the same Time War we see in the TV series between the Time Lords and the Daleks. Instead, in this earlier war we know the Time Lords will be eventually fighting a war with an unknown enemy. While this war has not started yet, elements of this future war are drifting backwards into our present time. The Doctor purposefully tries not to find out too much about this war, in particular who the Enemy is. By doing this, he hopes of keeping the war a hypothetical reality, rather than a pre-determined future.
However, the Doctor was unable to avoid the technological changes the impending war would bring. For example, the Doctor begins to see the development of future sentient and humanoid TARDISes. While still being a time and space vessel, carrying Time Lords within them through the vortex, they appear as people. Able to hold conversations and physcially walk, they are both time ship and companion in one. Eventually, the Doctor rescues one humanoid TARDISes from being sent to a breeding camp, drawing parallels with slavery imagery.
Faction Paradox leaves the Mainstream
Faction Paradox continued to be a major theme in Doctor Who books up until the release of The Ancestor Cell. This story ends with the Faction Paradox invading Gallifrey. Subsequently, the Doctor destroys Gallifrey to prevent the war (They got better).
Controversially, Peter Anghelides and Stephen Cole wrote “The Ancestor Cell,” not Lawrence Miles. Miles created his own “Faction Paradox” spin off series of books, comics, and audio plays in response. This series continues the concepts he created in “Alien Bodies,” in being explored in the way he had planned.
However, Miles does not have the rights to directly reference Doctor Who concepts. So instead of the Time Lords, we have the Great Houses. Instead of the TARDIS we have “Time ships” And instead of the Master we have the “War King.” And through the “War King” we get to know Lolita.
Who is Lolita?
Faction Paradox as a series has to be coy, as it is not able to directly reference the Doctor Who series without breaching copyright. But it is still able to use the concepts Lawrence Miles created, including the sentient humanoid TARDISes.
Lolita, originally known as Lillith, is one of the first of these sentient Time ships. While she was originally said to be bonded to the War King, how much he actually controlled her is unclear. In “Toy story” she states she chose the dangerous looking Time Lord to flee with prior to becoming humanoid. She also says in this story that some of her adjustments to become human were due to her own choices, not the Master.
However, as she realizes her power of sentience she flees Gallifrey to develop her own plans. She attempts and fails to form an alliance with her sister, implied to be the Doctor’s own TARDIS. The Master then brings her back to Gallifrey, to ally with the Time Lords.
However, Lolita does not feel any connection to any side in the war. Instead, Lolita decides to become history itself. She starts by consuming most of the Faction Paradox inside her internal dimensions. She thenputs herself in various points of history, guiding human history to her own whims. This includes becoming Queen Charlotte, consort to King George III of England. In modern times, her new persona became Lola Denison, Congresswoman for the State of Arizona.
Lola Denison – Path to the White House
Lola Denison was originally a Republican, was criticized for her Libertarian beliefs, and became an independent. Matt Nelson, former Democrat and Presidential candidate for the new Radical Party, sees a common vision, and invited her become her running mate. She accepts this offer, and gains prominence in the campaign due to her direct speaking. However, during this time young women connected to the campaign were found dead, drained of blood. Rumours developed that Nelson was a Vampire, killing these women.
Nelson did win the election, and was inaugurated as President, with Denison inaugurated as Vice-President. However, the rumours of Nelson being a vampire lead to him being assassinated shortly after inauguration. Thus, Lola Denison, really Lolita, really the Master’s TARDIS becomes President of the United States.
Immediately upon becoming president, Denison places restrictions on the media to avoid any space for dissent. Her main policy involved developing energy independence by drilling into the Earth’s Core. While the story does not directly reference Doctor Who, this plan is similar to “Project Inferno” which the Doctor sees results in the destruction of a parallel world in Inferno.
End of Lolita
Eventually the combined forces of the surviving Faction Paradox Members, the Master and the Osirans are able to defeat Lolita. However prior to her defeat, she is able to entirely consume the Master and taking full control of Gallifrey. Only a trap left by the Master allowing her few remaining opponents to unite against her prevents her ultimate victory. A peculiar statue of pure black Onsidian in the shape of a beautiful woman is all that is left of her at the conclusion of her battle.
And thus ends the story of the only truly evil American President, ever seen in any form of Doctor Who fiction.
Doctor Who
Looking Back – The Doctor Who Movie
The Doctor Who movie (1996) was meant to launch a new series, but didn’t. Nine years later the series returned successfully. Why did one attempt succeed so well, and the other fail to start?
The Doctor Who Movie (1996) was the first completed attempt to return the classic Science-Fiction Series to televsion in seventeen years. In 1989, the Doctor (as played by Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (played by Sophie Aldred) walked off to the TARDIS to have further adventures, but not to be seen again.
And that’s how it remainder on screen for the next eight years. Off screen, many things were happening. Doctor Who Magazine continued making comic strip adventures for the Seventh Doctor and Ace. Virgin Publishing gained the rights to create the very successful “New natures” series of books. Unofficially fan groups and production companies created short movies and audio series which attempted to fill the need new Doctor Who content.
Also behind the scenes were discussions around a Doctor Who movie. Discussions around a possible American co-production for Doctor who commenced in the 1970’s. In the 1980’s Walt Disney Corporation attempted to purchase the entire franchise in the early 1980’s. In 1992-1994 the BBC and Steven Spielberg’s production company had intense negotiations about a new co-production. This developed into a rebooted series, disregarding the previous series. Instead, the story line featured the Doctor searching for his long lost parents while eluding his half-brother, the Master. This original plan changed again into becoming was eventually changed again to be a single ninety minute film made for television, continuing directly from the 1989 tv series.
The movie was completed and broadcasted in 1996. This movie remained the last official piece of Doctor Who being broadcast from 1989 until Christopher Eccleston appeared as the Doctor in 2005. However, it was never meant to be that way. Instead the movie was hoped to lead to further movies, and potentially a series co-produced across England and America.
So…why didn’t it? Why did this attempted relaunch of the series in 1996 fail to lead to anything further? Why did the relaunch in 2004 result very quickly in a successful series which has continued until the present day?
These were the sort of questions I asked myself after a recent re-watch of the movie. By the end I could see a fairly good idea of why the movie failed to completely relaunch Doctor Who for the modern era.
Plot Summary
The movie begins with Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor en route to Gallifrey with the remains of the recently exterminated Master. The Master, surviving as a snake like creature, forces the TARDIS to land in San Francisco. After the Doctor is shot by a street gang, he appears to die at the operating table of surgeon Grace Holloway (Portrayed by Daphe Ashbrook). Later that night, the Doctor regenerates into the Eighth Doctor (Played by Paul McGann). In his new form, he must join forces with Grace to stop the Master, who is attempting to regain his physical form.
Respose – Visuals
The sets are so detailed, and the picture so clear. It looks more cinematic in its detail than anything the series had provided thus far. I love the classic series, but visually they cannot compare to the opening shots of this movie. And that hits you as you start watching it. But that’s an American co-production for you-even their worst television series look better than anyone else’s television.
Initial Fan Reaction
Not this is not the worst television series. It’s not even the worst doctor who story, and it’s surprises me how much hate it gets. I have watched all existing Doctor Who stories, and only ever hated one story. I have found some stories boring. Others I find had plots that didn’t make sense. However, I never hated them and often could find something to enjoy.
However, for a long time, the fan community hated the Doctor Who TV movie. The TV series “Queer as Folk” joked that Paul McGann’s incarnation of the Doctor didn’t count. There was substantial criticism of the romantic references between the Doctor and Grace. When a series failed to materialise, a later planned relaunch suggested forgetting the movie ever happened.
So I re-watched the TV movie aware of the stigma but also not easily hating anything. And, to me, it’s not a horrible story, but it’s not a great story either. If this story had been in the middle of a series, it would be a completely acceptable standard story. The movie in this context would be an acceptable filler story, not a masterpiece.
But this story needed to be impressive, not just average. New audiences needed to be won over by the story on first viewing to for a series to proceed.
This shows partially why “Rose”was successful in comparison. The TV Movie needed to get everything perfect first time. “Rose” in comparison just needed to get people to gladly watch one more episode. “Rose” could build an audience, the movie needed to win an audience. The movie needed to get everyone demanding more episodes. It needed to attract not just fans, but newcomers to the series as well. And the film is not strong enough to achieve that.
Cons – No Central Character to Follow
I wondered while I was watching this – who are we meant to be following in this story? The first voice we hear is the eighth doctor giving an opening narration, but he doesn’t physically appear yet. The Film focuses instead on a largely silent Seventh doctor, until he is shot by a gang. Shortly afterwards, he changes into a new person without explanation. Fans may know this is the same character. New views to Doctor Who would be entirely lost.
Of course, the other human characters are easier to identify with. But Grace is introduced long after the seventh Doctor is shot. Change Lee, who witnesses the Doctor be shot, is a better choice for audience surrogate. He first meets the Doctor when he arrives on Earthis involved in the story from as soon as the TARDIS lands until the end of the story. However he spends most of the story allied with the Master. Potentially this alliance to the Master the story could have worked if he was the central character.
Change Lee’s story would be of being a gang member meeting an alien and helping him restore his bodies. Over time Chang could slowly start having doubts, before realising he is supporting the wrong Time Lord. This would allow better audience engagement for people unfamiliar with Doctor Who. However, the film instead focuses on Grace and the Eighth Doctor. By doing this, most of the first fifth of the film does not feature the focus characters.
Monsters vs the Master – a bad choice
While the Master is a long term villain in Doctor Who, he rarely works alone. In most Master stories, he mostly he works with alien allies, monsters, or robot companions.
The Master is an odd choice for a launch story. I understand the character is affordable as a villain, just requiring an actor, no monster design required. But the Master works better when he has a bit of force behind him. The Master is more of a threat when they have a power behind them, compared to the Doctor operating alone. Having the film just be about two duelling time lords, also leads to one further problem.
How is the Doctor a Hero?
The Doctor is usually our hero, in the movie as he was in the TV series. His name is the title of the movie after all. Once he regenerates, the new Doctor provides massive information dumps to Grace to introduce his character to all of us. But once we learn who the Doctor is, what does this movie say he does?
He saves the Earth! And what does he save the Earth from? His own TARDIS! Which is threatening the entire Earth because the Master left it open. And the Master is only on Earth because the Doctor accidentally brought him there.
Other stories have the issue of the Doctor only solving a problem he created, like this Movie does. However, the movie, in wanting to launch a series, needed to not have problems.
For a familiar fan, you know this is another episode in the ongoing fight between the Doctor and the Master. For a new viewer, though, Earth is just a casualty in a feud between two aliens. Instead of being a hero we need, Earth would have been better off without either the Doctor or the Master arriving. Therefore the Doctor’s actions come off as careless, resulting in deaths and the near destruction of Earth.
What happens next?
At the end of the movie, I wondered “Would I enjoy a series continued from this movie?”
I’ve asked this before, with varied answers. Sometimes I think a new series based on the TV movie would be exciting. Or sometimes I feel a series would esemble other nineties Sci-Fi like the X-Files, and I think I would not enjoy. But this time I realised, I have no idea. Because I have no idea what the series based on this would be like.
The main villain is (apparently) dead. Grace is choosing not to travel with Doctor for a reason I still don’t understand. Perhaps the writers did not want to bring in a new companion if they weren’t certain if there would be an ongoing series. However, other companions had left without explanation, such as Ace in the seventh Doctor era. We’ve got the Doctor traveling without a reason. All the movie has said about his motivations so far is that he transports dead Gallifreyans to Gallifrey.
Potentially the next episode could be nothing to do with this story, using new characters and settings. However, this would mean the next episode would need to completely reintroduce the series again. Alternatively, if it wishes to keep Grace and other concepts of the series, any such episode would need to copy a lot of the TV movie. The doctor is would be drawn back to San Francisco to fight an alien menace and see Grace. While this could end with Grace joining the Doctor, it would otherwise be the same general story outline of the first movie.
Not knowing what will happen next can be exciting. Literally having no idea of what the purpose of the characters you are watching is, is not .
The immediate follow up to the TV movie in other media, the Doctor Who Magazine Comic Book and the BBC Book series, both chose to avoid this problem by immediately sending their version of the Eighth Doctor to places the classic fans would be familiar with: Stockbridge fighting the Celestial Toymaker in the comics, and visiting each of his previous incarnations in the book series
What would have been better if the story ended with the Doctor showing Grace and Chang Lee his home planet Gallifrey on the scanner, and saying “Let’s go!” The next episode would still need to be entirely different from what we had seen before, but this way would build on what has happened before, and give viewers an idea what to expect for the next one, what the Doctor does, and have something to get excited about. And excitement means we want to see the next movie, rather than would merely accept it if it arrived.
What Rose Does Right
So with that in mind, what did “Rose” do right? Why was Rose an instant hit, and the movie was not?
As mentioned before, Rose had the benefit of not having a lot riding on it compared to the movie. No one needs to completely decide whether or not they like Doctor Who by the end of “Rose”, because there are another twelve episodes coming either way. However, “Rose” succeeded regardless.
Partly that was because they did choose to focus on the character of Rose, a fairly easy to understand earth woman. This focus only really shifted towards the Doctor towards the end of the first series, and then once the Ninth Doctor regenerated the focus returned to her. While this lead to complaints of “Rose Show featuring the Doctor” this method was successful in appealing to new fans. If someone had never watched an episode of Doctor Who before, they would learn everything you need to know through Rose, gradually and naturally, without need for info dumps of the kind the TV Movie had in abundance.
This method of introducing the series was used successfully twice before. First we learned of the Doctor through regular schoolteachers Ian and Barbara in 1963, and to a lesser degree we learn of the Doctor through regular earth people the Brigadier and Liz Shaw in 1971.
There was also a clear focus on monsters from the start. Some of them weren’t that amazing, but they had a look which got people excited. The Doctor has a purpose and motivation – to defeat the Autons and save the day. In “Rose”, the Doctor saves the Earth. What he does is save people, not just fixing up his own mistakes. And knowing this is the Doctor’s purpose, we have an idea of what he will do next, creating excitement for the next installment.
Final Thoughts
So, the movie was never terrible, but a good looking production with many problems. It’s big success is showing the later relaunch what not to do which later production teams learnt from. And by bringing us a new Doctor, there was a spark in fandom which may have kept it going for as long as it did, leading to creations such as Big Finish audio series featuring the Eighth Doctor still continuing to this day.
Doctor Who has had a larger amount of output post hiatus than most other stories. Usually there’s a bit of excitement for a few years, then people move onto different things. I noticed in the lead up to the new series in 2004, there was a significant winding down in fan interest, with the BBC Book series slowing production, and Big Finish trying to permanently free itself from regular continuity with the assumption that there would be no regular continuity to ever return to.
Could Doctor Who have survived from 1989 to 2004 relying on only novels, and comics to sustain their fandom? Thankfully, we’ll never ever find out.
(3 / 5)
Doctor Who
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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