@H@330 YEARS IN THE TARDIS REVIEW
@A@2The Bargee
@FHnewcentury24
@FAbeton13
@FMdarkparticle08
{2@1
1As soon as I heard that the documentary `30 Years in the Tardis' was to be
1released on video, re-edited to almost twice the length, I knew I wanted this
1video. I was expecting it to be good and so I bought the fist copy I saw in
1WH Smiths. Just picking up the video I could see it was going to be good. The
{1BBC had gone to the expense of using @2shiny red@1 lettering and great Andrew
1Skilleter art work. I think it's fair to say I had high expectations, very
1high expectations, very, very high... I can honestly say that this video (as
1they say in that advert) exceeded my expectations.
1
1After the copyright, the BBC logo and some Moonbase 3 adverts I awaited some
1poorly put together intro (a sad box, highly pixelised, opening or something)
1,but to my surprise up popped Patrick Troughten telling everyone to get the
1show on the road (the quality of this clip was excellent, it could have been
1recorded yesterday). After this I was a little disapointed. The video seemed
1to begin just like the TV programme with this kid running around. He met the
1Autons, Londeners flee and... whats this Cybermen ? The first of many cuts
1that dogged the TV show, restored to the video. This reconstruction idea
1continues through the video. I was aware that the TV show had gone to the
{1expense of recording new material and then throwing it away, but `@7Great balls@1
1of fire' you just won't believe how much excellent material was wasted on TV,
1until you see this tape.
1
1The video has been divided into 3 sections: `Doctor Who and the Daleks',
1`Monsters and Companions' and `Laughter and tears behind the scenes'. After
1each section (about half an hour each) we are presented it with a cliffhanger
{1- The third doctor in the @3Whomobile,@1 being attacked by a dinosaur, or 
1Sylvestor and Sophie being attacked, in the Zap Zone, by a Haemovore. Then up
1comes the credits and it's commercial break time ! - Doctor Who relaited, of
1course. The breaks are amoung some of the best moments of the tape. There is
1an advert for Skyray Icelolly, starring a ridiculously bad immitation of the
1second Doctor (complete with big hat and flute) and there are also 2 adverts
1(which I have been wanting to see for ages) of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward
1selling us Prime Computers, in their authentic Doctor Who costumes. These
1adverts are excellent and very funny (especialy the second one).
1
1The interviews seem to have grown a bit since the TV version. All the 
1interviews are now much longer (with the sole exception of Toyah Wilcox, who
1has, thankfully been cut down). In this version of the documentary, we see
1Sylvestor MCcoy, Sophie Aldred, Phillip Hinchcliffe, Douglas Adams, Gerry
1Anderson and Fraiser Hines, who is at last able to speak. Why these 
1interviews were cut altogether, I will never know, but then the BBC is a 
{1strange organisation. Elizabeth Sladen and Roberta Tovey are allowed @7massive@1
1scenes, which make up for their 2-3 seconds on TV. Also the video has
1splashed out on a new name bar at the bottom of the screen. No crummy little
{1Tardis picture, with flashing light this time, now @4it's a rotating model@1
{1Tardis, @7semi-transparent@1 bar and a picture of a Dalek to top it off, for good
1measure. I was, however suprised that Kevin didn't take this opertunity to
1add a new picture each section. E.g. Dalek, K9 and a Pair of Scissors.
1
1Other stars interviewed on the tape include Deborah Watling, Barry Letts,
{1Terrance Dicks,@2Nicola Bryant,@1 Eric Saward, John Nathan-Turner and Ken
{1Livingston, Mike Gatting and Mary Whitehouse (!) from @7the celebrity front.@1
1Countless other stars appear throughout the video (mentioned later in
1article). There are also a few of the ordinary fans (well famous ordinary
1fans, anyway !), like Gary Russel, from DWM and John Levene who has been
1slotted in from one of those Planet of the Daleks mini intros. Incidently,
1while I'm on the subject, why don't the beeb stick one of these intros on
1each new video release, a real fan pleaser.
1 
1Perhaps the only major problem with this tape is that ocassionaly it seems
1to loose direction. `Doctor Who and the Daleks' was, I suspect one of the
1larger sections. We go through the first three Doctors in detail, looking 
1through William Harnell's Scrapbook with his granddaughter, watching Patrick
1Troughten discribe his character on Pebble Mill at One, Tom Baker telling us
1about Jon Pertwee looking like a light bulb and then suddenly change of 
1subject, and the last 4 Doctors are slot in, quite out of place in `Laughter
1and tears behind the scenes'. Another example of this kind of thing is in
1`Monsters and Companions'. Leela is discribed as
{1@3"Popular with the dads, because she came on after the sports result, wearing
{3next to nothing"@1, Phillip Hinchcliffe defends this acusassion, except his 
1link wanders off into how he wanted to create an action, adventure serious
1and then we are treated to a clip from the Deadly Assassin, with the Doctor's
1foot caught in the railtracks - hardly monsters or companions. There are more
1instances of this through out the video, luckily I was too engrosed on the
1first few viewings to spot them all.
1
1Another of my favourite parts of the video is the newly filmed action 
1material. Kevin Davies has filmed many new scenes based on past adventures,
1including: Spearhead from Space, The Invasion, The Evil of the Daleks, Terror
1of the Autons, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Invasion of the Dinosaurs, both
1Dalek films and more. Also Kevin has produced new Who: Liz Sladen and a
1Sontaran, Carole Ann Ford taking control of the Tardis, William Hartnell's
1granddaughter meeting the Daleks, TV Comic's flying Daleks etc. Generaly all
1this new material is top rate, putting much of the Doctor's past to shame !
1The new Who tends to be a bit on the abstract side, however...
1
1The clips in this documentary are first rate. I am confident that fans of the
1sixth and seventh Doctor will be happier, after the disgraceful cuttings that
1they got in the TV version. A lot of material has been added, although the
1ratio between clips and new material is much better than the TV version and
1this time alot more of them don't just come out of video releases. The video
1relies a little less on `Resistance is Useless', though it still seems a pity
1that they couldn't film there own material in this instance.
1The other clips, from other shows are also brilliant. It's nice to get this
1opertunity to see clips from Pebble Mill, Whicker's World, Blue Peter et al
1that we would never have even known about unless Keviin had treated us to
1them. My favourite clips from these shows are mainly from Blue Peter. Their
1design a monster competition is absolutely ridiculous and all of the winning
1entries are crap (apart from the Hypnotron - possibly !). The BP clip
1advertising The War Machines is also laughable
{1@5"Look at the power in those arms !"@1, yeah right Chris.
1There is however one funnier clip, which I won't spoil too much. It's from
1`Good Morning with Anne and Nick' and has Jon Pertwee turning their Dalek
1competition into a complete cock up.
1
1My favourite section is definately `Laughter and tears', which also is sadly
1the shortest. As you might expect this section contains all the leftovers -
1the cuts, the out takes, new found materialand clips from other shows (e.g.
1Tom Baker leaving the show on `NationWide'). I always love this kind of stuff
1and just as I was getting into it the credits roled up. Luckily the out takes
1continued above the credits for a few minutes, but this wasn't good enough
1for me. I wanted to see behind the scenes on The Claws of Axos, Ghostlight,
1Planet of Fire (interesting this clip !), Carnival of monsters etc. Why
1couldn't the BBC have made it full screen, longer clips and with sound ?
1Tight with there money as usual. This last section could easily have
1supported a video on it's own. Why can't Doctor Who fans enjoy a video like
1Red Dwarf Smeg Ups ? - there's certainly enough material.
1
1The video finaly ends, after a cresendo of cliff hangers with the long 
{1awaited @2Evil of the Daleks reconstruction@1 and Tom Baker waving us with a 
1smile and a
1"It's very good isn't it."
1
1All in all one of the greatest releases ever to come out of BBC Enterprises.
1Kevin Davies fought long and hard for this extended release and his time was
1not wasted. Of all the special releases (The years, early years etc.) this is
1the finest video. Because of it's TV showing, it might not have had the 
1impact of the restored Shada, but I believe that it is better than even that
{1(Better than Shada, @7better than sex ?@1). Every Doctor Who fan should, no must
1own this video. Every science fiction admirer should own this video. Even the
1casual viewer can gain alot out of it. This is the release that will drag
1you into to the Whonivere and you'll never want to leave.
1
1Now the BBC have sold the show off to the Americans, it is pleasing to
1think that proberly the last great Who the BBC will ever make is so good.
{1Kevin Davies deserves a medal (or a least a @7rubber Dalek suit@1) for this
1excellent documentary.
1
{1Biased verdict @396%
X0*]