By Roy Mathur, on 2021-11-09, at 23:51:56--00:37:54, for Captain Roy's Rocket Radio Show, Listen
After a long, long hiatus we are back.
I was a little burned out from doing so many (too many) Doctor Who themed shows, but personal circumstances played a part too. I'm dealing with a most of the household tasks, and a current lack of car; it's been manhandled in the garage for over a week now. Boo hoo hoo, I know, but the family, including myself, are also dealing with a variety of minor ailments. The entire situation is trying and it's wearing me out.
Not a good excuse because work comes first, but as I've said before, if no one supports the show, my motivation understandably crumbles. Honestly, me droning on about this week-in, week-out, is a dull litany; a dirge. So, if you want more, support me with good reviews and ratings, and tip me a few quid if you can.
Incidentally, the microphone upgrade situation is laughable. I now have several mics, and another is soon to be delivered. At that point I will make a final decision. Until then, to keep a couple of mics I may return pristine, I will be using my Shure SM58 hanging from my new Elagato Wave Mic Arm. I'll review the desktop boom arm and the mic shenanigans/shambles in a future pod.
Fourth Doctor: Tom Baker
Companion(s): Romana: Mary Tamm, K9: John Leeson
Director: Darrol Blake
Writer: David Fisher
Producer: Graham Williams
Location: Warwickshire and Oxfordshire (the King's Men stone circle) in June 1978, BBC Television Centre (Studio TC3) in July 1978.
Broadcast: Story 100/serial 3 of season 16, 4 x 25 minute episodes, 28 October--18 November 1978, following The Pirate Planet covered in pod 405.
Summer Nights from Grease, by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John is number one for far too many weeks (five, I think). But I can hardly scoff as I remember my mother taking me to see Grease earlier that same year and we sat through it three times in a row. That would be unthinkable nowadays.
Also, Gwendoline Christie, Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones, is born in Worthing.
Annoyed that Romana can assemble the pieces of the crystalline structure making up the Key to Time, the Doctor and Romana continue their quest for the third piece in modern-day Cornwall. Before they exit the TARDIS, a voice says, "beware the Black Guardian", and the Doctor tells Romana that she was not assigned by the President of the Time Lords, but by the White Guardian. Romana chooses strappy sandals for her excursion outside the TARDIS and they meet a pair of archaeologists, Professor Emilia Rumford and Vivien Fay, studying a megalithic circle. The Doctor notices blood and is told about a De Vries's cult of modern druids, who are worshippers of Cailleach, a Celt goddess of war. Leaving Romana behind because of her unsuitable footwear, the Doctor investigates the nearby home of De Vries.
The Doctor is rendered unconscious by De Vries and almost sacrificed by the cult. Meanwhile, after almost being chased off a cliff, Romana finds Fay activating some stones with blood, Fay takes her to a spaceship hidden in hyperspace. The Doctor recognises the stones as Ogri from the planet Ogros. The silicate-based beings are the source of myths about ogres. Building a hyperspace projector, the Doctor pursues Romana and Fay to the ship, hidden for 4000 years, and meets the justice robots called the Megara who put him on trial.
K9 helps the professor fix the projector and the pair rescue Romana, but unfortunately also bring back one of the stones, which chases them to a cottage where the archaeologists were based. Romana finds evidence that Fay is an alien and returns to the ship.
The Megara are looking for a criminal called Cessair, who stole the Great Seal of the planet Diplos. The Doctor suspects Fay is Cessair, but is disbelieved by the Megara until she is accidentally blasted, and her memories scanned while unconscious. The Doctor retrieves the Great Seal worn by Fay/Cessair (the third piece of the crystal key of time), and together with Romana's evidence, she is sentenced to enternity as a standing stone.
The Doctor rigged the ship to automatically return to Diplos before leaving and so escapes the Megara, and they take their leave of the professor. On board the TARDIS, the Doctor again struggles to assemble the three pieces.
The camera really lingers on Romana's strappy sandalled feet. I said before how the camera lingered on her legs and Mary Tamm was a very attractive woman, but still...
The tightly written story proceeds at a fast pace, cramming a lot into four episodes.
Beatrix Lehmann (Professor Rumford), does a good impression of a crusty old archaeologist of any gender. I should know, I've been around enough of them.
I enjoyed the usual Tom Baker clowning, particularly when he Matadors one of the murderous stones right off the side of a cliff.
This wasn't Beatrix Lehmann's last role, but she died a year later.
The audio book of this story was read by Susan Engel who plays Fay/Cessair.
With all this faffing about with the audio setup, please let me know if you feel the sound quality is improving or degrading.