Pyramids of Mars - A TARDIS Tale

The latest of the Tales of the TARDIS sees the Doctor and Ruby in the Memory TARDIS at some point after last week's episode, yet after the opening of the finale - so at some point during Empire of Death.

He's telling her about his previous encounter with Sutekh, which leads us into an edited down version of Pyramids of Mars. This has been given some new VFX, and the music has been mildly mucked about with. We get bits from Season 18, and inappropriately loud bits overlaying dialogue scenes which simply didn't need it (such as the Marconiscope scene).

I do think messing with a Dudley Simpson score should be a criminal offence.

The new VFX aren't too intrusive. A shot of the TARDIS in space and a new sarcophagus time tunnel effect. The energy barrier now showed a rippling effect when touched. The jackal-headed Sutekh was tidied up a little at the end.

I expected the trip to the possible 1980 to have been cut, or been given new FX, but it was retained as was, with just the CSO stabilised.

One way of cutting things down was to overlap scenes, such as how Sutekh's instructions to Marcus Scarman were played over non-dialogue shots of the Doctor and Sarah at the barrier.

The most noticeable deletions come from the concluding episode, where the pyramid puzzles are mostly dispensed with. 

The main story beats were still there, with the best known lines of dialogue of which there are many. The credit may be someone else's, but this is pure Robert Holmes.

Remastered picture quality was superb.

Back in the present, the Doctor tells Ruby that Sutekh has evolved and is now far more powerful.

Tales of the TARDIS: Pyramids of Mars

It has been confirmed that the new Tales of the TARDIS on Thursday evening (8pm, BBC Four) is indeed a condensed version of the Season 13 story which introduced Sutekh. Apparently it is going to be gaining some new VFX. The Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby provide the framing device - which of course provides some pesky canon problems. They can't surely be meeting up to review an old adventure in the middle of a crisis; nor can it be such a coincidence that they discussed Sutekh just before he shows up again; and if it's after the finale then that's somewhat undermining the drama of Empire of Death. 

RTD has begun second episodes after a considerable time has elapsed since the first, so it may fit in then.

Another Tale Of The TARDIS

Eagle-eyed fans will have spotted the "Memory TARDIS" from the Tales of the TARDIS in one of the Series 14 trailers. The BBC have now announced that there will be a new one of these Tales arriving on BBC Four at 8pm on Thursday 20th June - a day or so before the Series 14 finale.

It is said to feature the 15th Doctor and Ruby. 

These mini episodes were designed to top and tail an old story from the archives, so one wonders what story this new one might be linked with. 

The running time is 75 minutes - suggesting that it might simply be a repeat of one of the stories we have already seen this year. 

However, with rumours of Susan Foreman's return (the Susan twist), another possibility is something like The Edge of Destruction (which would be a nice nod to the late William Russell as well).

The third option is a condensed Pertwee story involving UNIT, as we have been told that something from UNIT's history is key to the finale.

However, the glimpse we saw in the trailer seems to show the Doctor and Mel in the Memory TARDIS - suggesting that it also features in the finale itself.

How significant is it that Susan Twist is going to be playing a character named Susan Triad in the finale - i.e. S TRIAD, an anagram of TARDIS? (But then Kylie played Astrid, who turned out to have nothing to do with the TARDIS). Just another RTD2 red herring?

Triad is another telecommunications company apparently. Davies has used these a few times - Archangel Network, Cybus, Naismith - as fronts for villains.

We know that the Big Bad is going to be a god-like power.  This has led some to think Sutekh or Omega (which would tie in with UNIT history. The Three Doctors is the only four-parter of that era which included a god-like villain and UNIT that could be condensed to fit a Tales of the TARDIS slot). 

The problem with Sutekh is that he was quite categorically killed off, whilst Omega only thinks he's a god. He's just a crazy Time Lord.

There was once a trio - or triad - of proper gods in the series, however: the Gods of Ragnarok.

The problem with them is that they are a trio, whereas the hints this year have been about "the One...".

Tales from the TARDIS (2. The Doctors)

The other half of the Tales has three of the surviving Doctors encounter one of their companions in the "Memory TARDIS", which is explained a little more here. It seems to be a sort of memory space for the ship and needs refuelling from stories - hence why it brings people here to sit and recall an old adventure round a little Thirteenth Doctor console room model which acts like a campfire. 

The producers insist it's canon, but I'm not treating it as such - at least not yet. In his interview for SFX magazine, RTD2 states that these will have some relevance in the next series. Will have to wait and see.

First up we have the Fifth Doctor reunited with Tegan. This one's written by RTD2 himself. The story they recall is Earthshock - one you'd think they would hardly have problems remembering. Their memory of events isn't quite the same as mine, as mine has better special effects...

(Whilst it's great that all this material is now on the i-Player, it can never beat the physical media releases, which offer all the extras - including the new CGI options).

In actual fact, they do remember the story, just try not to, due to the demise of Adric.

The Sixth Doctor / Peri instalment is written by Phil Ford. Their story is Vengeance on Varos. Now that the Doctors are involved, we get a bit more information about the "Memory TARDIS" and how it functions. This one ends with Peri and the Doctor heading off on a few more adventures before they have to return to their other lives. Peri wishes to get back to Thoros Alpha first, to take part in a memorial service for King Yrcanos.

If these things look familiar, then it's probably those trailers Pete McTighe creates for the Collection box sets. Whilst some of them can easily be seen as canon, others cannot, like the one for Season 23.

Some of the impact of these Tales has perhaps been lessened by the more recent appearances of characters in those trailers, and those sections of The Power of the Doctor where we saw certain reunions occur only a year ago.

McTighe provides the final Tale, and of the Doctor trio it's my favourite. That's because it is the only one that really feels like a genuine continuation of the era. As well as recalling The Curse of Fenric - the Special Edition version - they discuss a lot of their adventures. We also get a hint of the circumstances under which Ace left. This ties in with comments made in The Power of the Doctor which suggested some falling out.

Like the Sixth and Peri, they set off on one more adventure, and a nice touch is them recalling Sylvester's speech at the close of Survival, with Ace delivering a funny Scottish accent. Whilst the others go for the emotion of the situation, this one is a lot more fun.

On the face of it, the Tales are all about old companions, and some of their Doctors, remembering the past, but each then goes on to show how the companions benefitted from life in the TARDIS, and as much as it's nice to remember, they have new lives which are just as exciting. Look back by all means, but seize the day and live the life you've got.

I'm glad I watched these, but as I will prefer to rewatch these stories on Blu-ray in future, I can't see myself ever revisiting them. A harmless bit of fluff for the anniversary, to incorporate old Doctors and companions, it's a real pity they had to trowel on the emotion so thickly in most of them.

As well as the suggestion of links into the forthcoming series, it is also maintained by the producers that we may get more of these, framing other stories from the archives. These may not involve Doctors and companions, but rather guest characters who featured in them, where the original actors are still available. 

Children in Need 2023

As many of us had guessed, it's been confirmed that there will be a new scene featuring the 14th Doctor for this year's Children in Need event. This will be accompanied by the first edition of Doctor Who: Unleashed. CiN broadcasts over the evening of Friday 17th November. 

Tales from the TARDIS (1. The Companions)

A review of the first half of the Tales, covering the stories of the three Doctors who are no longer with us. These framing mini-episodes therefore feature only companion characters.

In each, the characters find themselves transported to what they all recognise to be the TARDIS, despite it being a weird hotchpotch of designs representing all eras. Bizarrely, the original console appears to be stuck on the ceiling...

As you watch each instalment you come to see that this is a metaphysical space rather the TARDIS itself - a sort of "memory-palace".

We start with Vicki meeting Steven Taylor. They catch up on their life after leaving the TARDIS - she marrying Troilus and settling down as farmers, rearing a family. Steven describes his becoming a king.

She then finds a Viking helmet, which prompts their memories of The Time Meddler. The story, like all of these Tales, is devoid of opening and closing titles, and has been edited into an omnibus version. I had thought they might have retained the episodes, and used the framing characters between, but they only feature at the beginning and end. 

By the conclusion of the story, they are longing to see the Doctor again, and it is hinted that he arrives just as we cut away (Vicki looks up and we hear the Hartnell chuckle). He appears to arrive because they both wish really hard to see him. This alone points towards this being a mental rather than physical space. 

This first piece is written by Phil Ford, who is best known for The Sarah Jane Adventures. He doesn't appear to have actually seen The Time Meddler as he has Vicki make a big thing of finding the Doctor's watch in this weird TARDIS - whilst episode two of the actual ,story has Steven state categorically that Vicki told him the Doctor didn't own a watch...

The Tale which accompanies The Mind Robber sees Jamie and Zoe reunited. This one's written by Pete McTighe. It's all about memory again - particularly relevant to the companions whose memories were wiped by the Time Lords. It's all a bit confusing, however, as Zoe seems to recall things before she has even arrived, whilst Jamie needs a bit of prompting.

We get another catch-up - both are grandparents, Jamie having 5 daughters and 19 grandkids, whilst Zoe has a son named James who is a scientist. He seems to be well-off, whilst she is actually a President, on her third term. President of what or where we don't hear.

At one point Zoe thinks they've been brought here specifically to get their memories back, as though organised by the Doctor (or the Time Lords? Continuity is out the window, so who knows where or when these fit in. Personally I can never see myself treating them as canon).

This one ends with the pair vowing that they will keep their newly rediscovered memories.

Ford is back for the third piece, which is by far the weakest of these first three Tales. (I suspect it'll be the worst of the lot. Can't see how any of the other three could be worse).

Rather than have Benton back to remember a Third Doctor / UNIT adventure with Jo, we have Clyde Langer from SJA. This is a most tenuous connection as Jo featured in just one story from that series. The opening is a bit silly, and then it turns thoroughly mawkish. Honestly, you'll need to brush your teeth after this one, such is the amount of schmaltz you'll have to digest. Jo recalls her dear departed hubby Cliff Jones, but instead of then giving us The Green Death, which would be the most fitting choice, we get The Three Doctors...

Clyde tells Jo that Luke and his boyfriend are off at a UNIT space station, whilst he hardly ever sees Rani. This one ends with Jo pleading, on her knees, with him to get back together with her because she knows he loves her and no-one lives forever and yadda, yadda, yadda... The syrupy emotion is laid on with a trowel.

I can confidently say that whilst I might revisit the first couple of Tales somewhere down the line, this third one I will never, ever inflict upon myself again.