Latest / A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast / Talks to Si Hart about his choice of Full Circle (3/4)
Transcript
- 0:43Which I've now lost count of how many times I've said that in my
- 0:46life. It's quite a lot.
- 0:48I'm hello. We're back for part. 3 of Full
- 0:50Circle. Hello Joe.
- 0:52Hello. I'm did you tell Dexter that I
- 0:54did? I'm good.
- 0:56Is he still with us only? Just not for much longer.
- 1:03Some would say it's just as others, you know?
- 1:05Absolutely Baker certainly would If you have a type of you've to
- 1:11work out with me, beginning of this episode.
- 1:14Well, as I said, this was a story that I had on cassette.
- 1:18So we recorded the soundtrack to This, and me and my sister used
- 1:22to play a game in the living room, where we would throw all
- 1:25the cushions on the floor. And then we would play the
- 1:31Cliffhanger to Part 2 at the start of part 3, where you can
- 1:35hear all the spiders scuttling around and we'd have to jump
- 1:38from all. Christian's.
- 1:40The spiders didn't gets us. Pretty much the same as hot.
- 1:53Lava only with spiders, you know, my God glowing eyes, jump
- 1:59up, only spiders. Let's play a game of it now.
- 2:03Oh no. I've already spilled water on
- 2:04your carpet. I don't want to break your
- 2:05soldiers grave. Well looks I I believe there is
- 2:12a fair amount of exposition. It is we're going to get a lot
- 2:16of information from the heart. Yeah so you pay attention, I'm
- 2:20paying attention because I need you to absorb it and then put it
- 2:23across to me in a way that I'll understand.
- 2:25Okay, that's fine. My audio cassette of this story
- 2:31eventually broke but part 3 for some reason survived and managed
- 2:35to copy pop free before the tape disintegrated.
- 2:39So they got chewed up because they were played so often.
- 2:42So part three. I know incredibly well.
- 2:44So we're okay. You have tape.
- 2:46Recordings of all stories. No, for zolly.
- 2:50I only ever did this one and then you never did any others.
- 2:54I did a few later on. So when I got a copy of the
- 2:58green deaf, which was lent to me by a school friend of my
- 3:01sisters, I had to give the tape back.
- 3:04So I recorded that. So my dad, as I said had the
- 3:08stereo connector It's a to the TV, so I could record the
- 3:11soundtrack to that. And I did a couple so that I
- 3:14could listen to them when I was a teenager.
- 3:16And so I can't remember which are so I did.
- 3:22But of robots of death was one Robles.
- 3:25Definitely, definitely. One always going to say, what
- 3:27the hell did stay a Decay ever do to you?
- 3:30Well, I had the talking book of of State of Decay, which was dr.
- 3:34Hall, State of Decay, read by Tom Baker.
- 3:39Doctor and his two companions Romana, and canine were lost.
- 3:43It wasn't the first time that they didn't know that adric was
- 3:46there. And I enjoy the fact, does he
- 3:48barely feature in that book? He's yes.
- 3:51My canine he doesn't feature a lot.
- 3:53So very strange name. So yeah.
- 3:55So I but yeah, bizarrely. We never fought to do this and
- 3:59actually we got a video, recorder recorder fairly early.
- 4:02So we got one ready for must have been around Christmas 1982.
- 4:10So I'm from Arc of infinity onwards.
- 4:13I was recording each night's episode watching it recording
- 4:17the next episode over that one because we only had a few
- 4:20technology. Yes, I've heard your Tales of
- 4:22tragedy. Yeah, so using the endings of
- 4:24stories and then I was allowed to keep the five doctors because
- 4:29that was such a special story that I was allowed to be kept on
- 4:31tape number two. So that was, that's why, you
- 4:34know, that one is that, I don't know.
- 4:35Exactly. Because I just watch them.
- 4:37Watch them, watch them, watch them.
- 4:38Watch that. That's okay but so this part
- 4:42three of this one, I know. No really.
- 4:43Well well there is a fact, you know that for the 60th
- 4:49celebration. I am thinking of doing some with
- 4:51the five doctors you know how to keep it under my hat run right
- 4:54now but basically I'm evolving you.
- 4:57All right, okay. That's very happy to be there.
- 5:00I can pretty much rope you in 20.
- 5:03Just tell me and I'll be there. Well sighs, should we head into
- 5:06part 3? Do it and find out what Is all
- 5:09the mysteries of the Starliner. Well, you better kept me in jail
- 5:13in five, four, three, two, one off we go.
- 5:21Here we go. I can remember as well.
- 5:25There was a review in sfx magazine for the East, based
- 5:28Trilogy. And the like the conclusion of
- 5:34the review was this isn't just sticky back plastic.
- 5:39Officer, who is that? You remember, fondly and sort of
- 5:41pattern, its head? This is genuinely great
- 5:44television. And I read that before I watched
- 5:48it, and I was like, really. And I just remember being blown
- 5:52away by the production value of Full Circle, State of Decay and
- 5:55warriors gauge true and they're all all brilliant in different
- 6:01ways. That's what I love.
- 6:03There's no story quite like Warriors Gates.
- 6:06Interestingly, this is the smoothest production, isn't it?
- 6:09Yes, State of Decay went through revisions.
- 6:11Yeah. As Christopher H bid, Mead and
- 6:13Terrance dicks battled it out and Tom Baker and lalla Ward,
- 6:16battled it out as well. Or having a Marvel.
- 6:19Yeah. Depending on what they are.
- 6:21Yes and then obviously Warriors Kate was a absolutely there too?
- 6:25Yeah. Awesome.
- 6:25Now. Yes.
- 6:26So actually this one was quite smooth as Paul Joyce and Graham
- 6:30Harper and anyone that knows all right.
- 6:32I'll talk just picked up the camera and said well let's
- 6:35direct this thing, you know. And I'm in Matthew waterhouse's,
- 6:41amazing book, blue box, boy. I'm he talks about problems, he
- 6:46had sat in the third person, he's pretentious and it's
- 6:50wonderful. I love it.
- 6:52But he says about the problems, he had with Peter grimwade and
- 6:57the direction, and the tensions because it's Grandma was
- 7:01neurotic and difficult, think you can hear it in their
- 7:04commentary, you know, because Waterhouse It's p.m. off it up
- 7:09both in the commentary haha and he's having a go at him in that.
- 7:12Yeah, no not Peter Moffat. Peter grimwade.
- 7:16I'll Peter greenaway. Oh okay.
- 7:21Thank you fancy do. I think that might have been
- 7:23part of the problem here because you know what is also very
- 7:26pretty inside that those Dreadful pajamas?
- 7:29No no, you see him in a leather jacket.
- 7:31Back in the huh? He was very cute.
- 7:33A few Wars. Yes, it's got a little snug
- 7:35knows, he's me that camera just glided effortlessly across that
- 7:39course, dude. There's some dynamism in my
- 7:45audio recording in that scene where we're addressing.
- 7:48I don't know. I think we're you can hear me
- 7:51saying, I think they're going to Gallifrey attention to what was
- 7:56going on. None of this survives.
- 7:58No, you can't hit my dad singing, along with the theme
- 8:01tune, when he came in and, and things like that.
- 8:05So we could, we could sell these.
- 8:07We can Market these things now, you know.
- 8:10Okay. So the doctor is starting up to
- 8:13Easter. Yeah, look at the looks Tom's.
- 8:15Giving him a bit of good. Good side I going on there.
- 8:22Immediately realized there's something up.
- 8:24Yeah and he's working it out. That's the bit.
- 8:28We obviously get so angry. He has to go to the sides and
- 8:31then he goes, it's been ready for years and even towards us
- 8:36files, doesn't he? And you see this panel
- 8:38underneath? I said, I drive.
- 8:40Ya ready to go? Yeah.
- 8:42I think actually this is the episode with all the big drama
- 8:45is. Yeah.
- 8:46This is the drama that the confrontations.
- 8:49Yeah. Which is quite good for a pulp
- 8:52free because usually that's all a part for things.
- 8:55So it seems running around the spot more, lots of information
- 8:59but it's quite a lot of running around in part 4.
- 9:03I still had those drama there though because they've put
- 9:06family link between a drink involved.
- 9:07Yeah and there's the danger. I just don't think that if you
- 9:12will ask can sell. No sadly not.
- 9:15It looks very sad for a second and he goes, oh, I've got this
- 9:18bit of equipment for you. I guess you're fucking Brother
- 9:21for God's sakes. Never mind.
- 9:25He's very jolly in a state of decay.
- 9:27Jesus considering, yeah, pop it away in the console room.
- 9:30Like, that's just because he can't walk properly on camera.
- 9:34Has this fella George Baker. Has he been in another dr.
- 9:38Justo. No, he never did another
- 9:39dumpster who but and he he sort of the lighter side of the
- 9:46decide yesterday and he's obviously curious dads and he's
- 9:49had to renounce us that he could be a decider.
- 9:53I'm on it is covered in spider. Yes, that icky.
- 9:57Oh, no location were calls on us to show that they're on their
- 10:02way to keep reminding that they're using CSO as well.
- 10:08Yeah, it makes not to make it look, long hard or yeah, that's
- 10:12great. Because it's really interesting
- 10:16the other day I was watching Jim Henson's the Storyteller.
- 10:21Yeah, right. Hmm, which was made on like a
- 10:24film budget and it's all done. The single camera.
- 10:27Every shot is lit to Perfection with the most sort of Exquisite
- 10:33up-to-date special effects. You could find.
- 10:34Yeah, that was made. I think me it's too late 80s,
- 10:40and we did have a discussion about Doctor Who and how it
- 10:42looks so much better than Doctor.
- 10:44Who Bots. Then it made me sit back and
- 10:49say, actually, what they achieved on Doctor?
- 10:52Yes, when it was on a hundredth of the budget, the same three
- 10:57weeks overdue through these stories in the studio is, that's
- 11:00what real Valentine said. The amount of dogs are who they
- 11:02made compared to storytellers, only like they ever sewed,
- 11:06sacrifice. And then we don't build over
- 11:07like a month, you know? Making 28 episodes here.
- 11:11Ted. This quality always got lovely
- 11:13hairy chest. I don't know.
- 11:15No. But I bet he's got his is flap
- 11:17open on a sure. Hope this is this is yeah on
- 11:21what he's saying Romano Romana. And it's great.
- 11:27Our bewildered all the kids. Yes.
- 11:29When they come out. You think after the first or
- 11:34second time, we just tear his way in there, you know, where is
- 11:36she? So that's nice as well as you
- 11:41got Kira and Logan who are father and daughter.
- 11:47Thank you. So those family elements.
- 11:51Yeah, that's nice. It that is all the way through
- 11:54season 18, isn't it? We ask you got Miss and her
- 11:56father, you've got meaner and angle and more it.
- 12:01Although that's turned out to be a face yet.
- 12:03False family link, doesn't it? It's really family in my closet
- 12:09everywhere is No sign of Decay is all the peasants do.
- 12:12Yeah. Yeah.
- 12:13It's yeah. It's Ivo.
- 12:15And his son taken away. Some or is Caterers and Keep On
- 12:19Truckin there, definitely is. And to get on her, auntie.
- 12:23And those are, those are sort of all the emotional moments
- 12:25because someone always ends up dying.
- 12:27Yeah, that was fun enough time on Vanessa ends up dying Vash
- 12:31ends up dying. So all they made family members
- 12:34specifically for the purpose of creating some drama, this is a
- 12:38great bit of music as well where it comes out.
- 12:40Here. I think that case that would
- 12:45benefit from being shot on film. Yes, but their film work has
- 12:49been extraordinary in this, so I won't complain too much.
- 12:55Oh, that's why I said I do, they do some experiments.
- 12:57I don't know. They do experiments on the
- 12:58spider. Obviously, Dexter does the
- 13:00experiment on the monster child. And it's interesting because if
- 13:06that didn't happen. Yeah, then we wouldn't get our
- 13:10twist know exactly. So it moves the plot along and
- 13:16it basically even the doctor has a terrible reaction to it.
- 13:20That's the missing piece of the puzzle.
- 13:22So it kind of having a morally ambiguous character like Dexter
- 13:26in this prevents the doctor from having to do something appalling
- 13:29exactly in order for the plot to make sense.
- 13:36And we also got the mystery of what's happening to Romana.
- 13:39So we just have to see whether doctors going to collect her.
- 13:42So she's she's conscious and talking.
- 13:45But she doesn't know who the doctor is.
- 13:47Who are you? Yeah, that's really eerie
- 13:49because Yeah, or just because she should know who he is.
- 13:57So as a child that was really, I think don't like it is scary.
- 14:01Colorful veins. Yeah, face.
- 14:03That's really creepy and she gives one of the most phenomenal
- 14:07screams in the whole of the when the marshals yanked up bald.
- 14:12Yeah. They love their Tardis scenes
- 14:17inside. Susan, don't like that.
- 14:18Was a lovely shot from the interior door.
- 14:21Looking into the console room to be fair.
- 14:24You didn't need to have that shot.
- 14:25I know you could have just come in this room, but there's a
- 14:27sense of going from one place. Yes, exactly to another.
- 14:31Yeah. And to be fair Doctor Who has
- 14:34been doing extended Tardis things way back to season Once.
- 14:38Yeah, exactly. There's a lot of those when we
- 14:40did the web Planet. Remember those are my keys in
- 14:44there for two. To episode how she's the come
- 14:46down from the wall. Yeah, it's all I we haven't seen
- 14:51root of a sort of rest rooms and bedrooms in the Tardis before.
- 14:56It's so interesting that he can't show the appropriate
- 15:00amount of sort of said, no concerns for he Taps.
- 15:04Her doesn't it? Because some other doctors
- 15:07Woods. Yeah.
- 15:08But Tom, isn't that kind of doctor?
- 15:10And he, he set that up. And this is someone you've been
- 15:15He cares really deeply for because you can see it.
- 15:20And it, I know some of that is real life leaking over into
- 15:23that. But now he still nowadays that
- 15:26it we are well over. Yeah, and you wouldn't, but it's
- 15:28just that and that for Toms doctor is a huge amount of
- 15:32emotion, shooting for a screen. Yeah.
- 15:35Lovely. We were saying that includes the
- 15:37death with. Yeah, it's almost at a bit of
- 15:40texture. I've got a bit of camera
- 15:42movement in a scene that would be very static, otherwise, Three
- 15:48decide only free time. So it's basically saying, can I
- 15:53go ahead and you know that he's got the permission?
- 15:56Yeah. But they for those.
- 15:59Yeah. So does he want to share the
- 16:03secret? I don't know.
- 16:05It's interesting. Isn't it?
- 16:06Because that might the the burden see the Mast child there
- 16:11with the veins without strong light on it.
- 16:13That looked like a real creature.
- 16:15Well, as much as these things can oh yeah, what I really like
- 16:20in James Breeze, performances, that you've got moments like
- 16:24this where he's obviously troubled and but also he turns
- 16:30on leadership bit when when the scrutinies on him, but I do love
- 16:35it when he's like it goes look for that whole rigmarole of
- 16:38like, you know, you've disobeyed orders.
- 16:41There will be no punishment. Yeah.
- 16:45It is great and that. Again it's all about the
- 16:55ceremony and then being above everyone else.
- 16:59Look at this shot now. Yeah, the camera moves through
- 17:03the crowd pass as a over the kids.
- 17:08You take some the whole set. Your I wonder if Greenway sky
- 17:12and I walk I might as well a little yeah, than b cinematic
- 17:17because it does old cookie. If you ever seen him interview,
- 17:20yeah, it sounds very intense, Blasco, not full of nervous
- 17:23energy and apparently that was on the set as well.
- 17:26Yeah, there's a very funny scene where he's trying to placate
- 17:29Barrel read in a video. Darling, darling.
- 17:35We'll be going in a minute. But again, you're shooting up at
- 17:43them so they look more powerful. And shooting down.
- 17:48Come on, the kids. At what point did you realize?
- 17:54Doctor Who had a smaller budget than other shows, not till I was
- 17:59a teenager. So what was the one thing like
- 18:02like when was your first Bad Doctor, Who story?
- 18:04I like, oh, that wasn't as good as I feel, you know?
- 18:07Yeah, that that moment you have when you're like a teenager just
- 18:11Patrol was he really so cheap? It was that was the first time.
- 18:17So you went through all of trial of a Time Lord.
- 18:20She's 22 deciding. I'm going to talk about this.
- 18:24Sorry, but this is Tom at his most ferocious.
- 18:29He says, what is it? That's not scientific curiosity
- 18:31as cold-blooded murder. Yeah, Dexter does.
- 18:37Yeah it does say, I know you can't from the marshmallow,
- 18:40open, his eyes to lalla Ward, her eyes, and you've got the
- 18:43link then between them. And here she goes.
- 18:47I didn't listen to this scream. That's, that's ugh.
- 18:52That's a proper. Primal scream.
- 18:57That is the only thing that's Paul's is seen is I think
- 19:00Matthew will ask looks like he's not quite sure.
- 19:02Why is there? No, he looks a bit confused.
- 19:07I'm my mom watching this scene. As he smashed up the stair.
- 19:10During this is a bit violent, isn't it?
- 19:14It is. He was gonna kill him.
- 19:18Yeah. That's it.
- 19:21They love the, I'm Greenway does, as does a similar scene in
- 19:24Kinder. Yeah, that's right.
- 19:26Yeah, when he has hidden door smashing up the set as well, I
- 19:28think you really knew how to get the drama across.
- 19:30It's just this little bit of poignancy where he sees the
- 19:33doctor on the screen and that's why she always.
- 19:37I'm sorry I'm laughing but it's There's there's a, there's a
- 19:42sort of tragic irony. Yeah.
- 19:43That is that the one person that's been kind to him and he
- 19:46doesn't understand, then he screams.
- 19:50Yeah. They say now yeah, told Micah
- 19:57angry get out of the way everybody.
- 20:00You're all in trouble. Look at that.
- 20:01Look Not an alibi deciders. That's like we're spending
- 20:12because I'm certainly it, fits him again.
- 20:16Yeah. Well as it sort of golf Tim, I
- 20:19think when he was Ill in State of Decay and make loss here,
- 20:24he's feeling it again and it looks marvelous.
- 20:29He's day. What he's literally.
- 20:31I'm going to blame somebody for. Yes.
- 20:35I bet it's not the way he angry. Yeah, I'm so folders out the way
- 20:41round and round. So we're in this should now all
- 20:53way. Uh-huh.
- 20:56This Starliner isn't going anywhere.
- 21:01It's been really for years. I'll Century.
- 21:12So yeah. Not just years.
- 21:16Wow. The green button gentleman.
- 21:23But also is interesting that Logan men sides with the doctor
- 21:27against the other two and he's down on the attack as well.
- 21:31Jutsu. Yeah they've all been made monks
- 21:33of And that's what's so wonderful, is that?
- 21:37So fucking arrogant? Yes.
- 21:39And all they lack is, is the one Vine college and that's
- 21:45wonderful because suddenly it makes them poignant as well.
- 21:53I swear there's a critique on authority figures here though.
- 21:57Absolutely. Because they're all picking
- 21:59themselves up and it's very interesting that knee Fred says
- 22:06earlier on in the stories that that Logan is actually the most
- 22:09respected person in the community above everyone else.
- 22:13And that's why they've once a lighting with dr.
- 22:16Yeah. And he's got a thing.
- 22:17Yeah, he could take this whole civilization down.
- 22:23No one knows how to Pilot this ship, the doctors fights.
- 22:27Uh-huh. But it's such a great twist.
- 22:31Yeah. And it's an interesting way of
- 22:34telling a story because doctor who does, he doesn't usually
- 22:37come from like shocked Concepts that I know it's usually false
- 22:41Jeopardy. Yes.
- 22:42And when it does shocked at, like, you remember the pirate
- 22:44Planet when he realizes the full scale of?
- 22:47Yes, monstrosity about technology, it's great.
- 22:51Every time the show does that, It just doesn't do it.
- 22:53No no usually it's you know kill them now and we haven't gone.
- 23:00As a cliffhanger in this story where it's Jeopardy.
- 23:05Now, the next thing is lalla Ward.
- 23:07Sorry. Oh, man, yeah, and it's not a
- 23:12kill the moment, it's not, it's the drop.
- 23:15The suspense is to come. Yeah, you know, you know, Spider
- 23:20goes look, very like a sponge, Shredded Wheat, is it?
- 23:30But now okay, I'm going to ask you though because I think some
- 23:33people would say the doctor just playing around with a
- 23:36stethoscope. Not netskope was cool
- 23:38microscope. Thank you microscope for a
- 23:40couple of minutes now. Figuring out the plot.
- 23:43Well, that's not the most exciting Doctor Who's ever been
- 23:45no, but it's, it's needed. That's another thing as well.
- 23:57That happens in Keep On Truckin. We're says, the tree mess.
- 24:01Yeah. And he says, although no, I only
- 24:02know you could die with your honor intact care.
- 24:05Only the console's. Know that if Yashin, there's a
- 24:08lot of familiar truck, they're all there.
- 24:11You don't think about them, for what I because this is quite a
- 24:16clinically told story. Yes, whereas Keep On Truckin is
- 24:19sort of lyrically told, isn't it?
- 24:24whereas Waris gate is just hypnotically it is say, it decay
- 24:29operatically told visually, told I look at the state of this room
- 24:50but it's because She smashed the room up because the marsh child
- 24:58has smashed the lab up so it's that we're making that link.
- 25:03Yeah. She's going downstairs here
- 25:06again is making the noise level. Yeah and the proper industrial
- 25:10stairs which I like Yeah. This is really nice because it
- 25:15is definitely the dangerous to come.
- 25:17Yeah, rather than the danger is now, and it's live up to its
- 25:23promise because we get a whole episode of them tearing their
- 25:27way for something. This is Paul's versus waistcoat
- 25:31from Nightmare of Eden ripped in half.
- 25:36Yeah. Broken image translator.
- 25:40So, he steals one later. Cheeky little rascal She's gonna
- 25:48do. She's got out that door.
- 25:50I'm letting me know, huh? You never did answer my question
- 25:55though. I never did.
- 25:56Did I about Matthew Waterhouse when you think he was his worst?
- 26:01And what's his best performance? Oh, oh, oh, speaking of the,
- 26:07he's never around when you want to him as one of his mother
- 26:10smokes Innovations. The worst.
- 26:13But is it actually fall to Doomsday because no one's good
- 26:15in Fulton tombs day. People are staring chloride,
- 26:19please. GE GE.
- 26:22Give me the Tardis key. No, it's best.
- 26:30I think it's best might be of shop.
- 26:34I think you might be look or police.
- 26:36We've got, he's very good in the populace Universe.
- 26:38Yeah. And something about him.
- 26:42Just him and Tom. What?
- 26:43Plus that sequence where he hides under the bike?
- 26:49I think. When he and Tom are alone, he
- 26:52obviously has got a yes, or a no.
- 26:54Sorry, as much as much as he's actually possible.
- 26:57Yeah, I do think he's good in this.
- 27:00I think he's had bits to it and stay at the K.
- 27:02Yes. I think it's already first lady.
- 27:05What am I not storage for you already?
- 27:07Yeah, I say one's enough. First-night nerves may be the
- 27:14first one in front of the camera.
- 27:16He suddenly realized he's a lead in a show that he loves and he's
- 27:22worked out. The Tom Baker is a monster he's
- 27:24not getting on with lalla Ward he's in trouble with everyone.
- 27:27He's not being looked after and it does sound like when you read
- 27:31that blue box where it was a toxic environment sounds like it
- 27:34was Waitin, Sarah Sutton and Janet Fielding both say as well.
- 27:37Don't know that things weren't great.
- 27:39No. And they were coming in after
- 27:42Lord gone. Well, so I are you ready for
- 27:46Matthew Waterhouse to not remote as his brother dies in episode
- 27:524? Yep, I am, and I say, contrary
- 27:56to something you said earlier about a lot of running around
- 27:58them. So for I think he's a really
- 28:00strong. I've been is, I think this is
- 28:02very strongly plotted story throughout.
- 28:05Yeah. Okay, well let's do it.
- 28:07Let's do it. And they were coming in after
- 27:42Lord gone. Well, so I are you ready for
- 27:46Matthew Waterhouse to not remote as his brother dies in episode
- 27:524? Yep, I am, and I say, contrary
- 27:56to something you said earlier about a lot of running around
- 27:58them. So for I think he's a really
- 28:00strong. I've been is, I think this is
- 28:02very strongly plotted story throughout.
- 28:05Yeah. Okay, well let's do it.
- 28:07Let's do it.