Latest / A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast / Talks to Steven Alexander about his choice of The Robots of Death (4/4)

Transcript

Talks to Steven Alexander about his choice of The Robots of Death (4/4) · A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast

• 0:42
  Steve, what are you doing here? What are you doing here?
• 0:52
  Welcome back to a hamster with a blunt penknife the Doctor Who
• 0:56
  commentary podcast, not the only Doctor Who commentary podcast
• 1:01
  but one of many, a lot of money. Yes.
• 1:04
  Oh, I've got a return question for you, which I didn't think on
• 1:06
  time. What were you doing in the
• 1:08
  scoop? You don't want to know, trying
• 1:15
  to get out. Now.
• 1:16
  That was because they were ball for five minutes.
• 1:19
  That's okay. Yes, I believe you want to play
• 1:24
  a game with me. Yes, it's called, I Robot.
• 1:28
  So, the idea is that every, every character in this story
• 1:31
  has a very distinctive voice and even if I do a terrible
• 1:35
  impression of the characters in this story, you still will be
• 1:38
  able to guess who it is. But There's another, another
• 1:42
  level of challenge to this. I'm only going to say the word
• 1:44
  robot. Okay, let's do it.
• 1:48
  Come on. Let us first.
• 1:49
  Start with an easy one. Robot!
• 1:55
  Oh no, Tom Baker, the doctor? Yes.
• 1:58
  Yes, the doctor. Okay, I'll start with all due to
• 2:02
  a robot. Oh, that's right.
• 2:06
  Croucher robot. That's Yvonne off.
• 2:14
  That's Russell Hunter. Oh no, that was supposed to be
• 2:17
  pull. What's it has two Scottish to or
• 2:23
  to Birmingham to Okay, I already got one more actually.
• 2:29
  Okay, that one again, please. I can't hear you.
• 2:35
  It's not coming off the scary side.
• 2:37
  Is that okay? I usually older.
• 2:42
  Yeah. Okay.
• 2:48
  That was fun, wasn't it good? Well then everyone voices, you
• 2:53
  know it's good enough to take out been trying to say the word
• 2:58
  ventriloquism, ventriloquist impersonations.
• 3:02
  Ins. But we did have some fun in this
• 3:06
  entire country has been fabulous.
• 3:08
  This. Yeah, I know you and I could
• 3:09
  have so much fun being in a chord.
• 3:13
  We don't have to disagree, you know, it's like you don't have
• 3:16
  to drink to enjoy yourself. You don't have to disagree to
• 3:19
  enjoy yourself. Just get on with it.
• 3:20
  I'm signing you up for another one.
• 3:22
  We've got a difference of opinion on next time.
• 3:24
  All right. It is low because I don't think
• 3:28
  about doing all the doctors I want to do.
• 3:30
  I want to do a troughton that no one asked.
• 3:32
  Analysis else to do. It could be a missing one.
• 3:34
  I don't mind doing a missing one.
• 3:36
  Is that a Trenton that has fallen off the radar for you?
• 3:39
  Yes, definitely license. Nobody is after do that.
• 3:44
  I love the faceless ones. I don't like it at all, so that
• 3:47
  might be an interesting one for us to do.
• 3:49
  All right? Okay.
• 3:50
  So it's sort of a shorthand Shake virtual handshake all
• 3:56
  done. Yes.
• 3:56
  Okay, we are going to dive in to episode 4 of the It's death.
• 4:04
  I mean, we've already decided that this is so utterly perfect.
• 4:09
  We're being very nitpicky. If we are picking nits, aren't
• 4:12
  we? Oh yes.
• 4:14
  Yes, well II. There's very few nips.
• 4:15
  I mean, I the three knits. I was born.
• 4:18
  It's actually, so there's the straps that don't really work as
• 4:22
  the reflectors, there's the marigolds and there's the odd
• 4:25
  movement of leader in episode 3 where she seems to get into
• 4:28
  places without arriving there and it's bit confusing and
• 4:31
  that's a bit of a mess. Everything else, right?
• 4:33
  I'll probably add 0 to crying as well but that's it, that's it.
• 4:37
  Yeah, gonna forget it. We got on a murder spree.
• 4:40
  Now on the sand Miner was, it's 1/4.
• 4:43
  How it's all mine for. Yes, I'm gonna bring back Robo
• 4:46
  Steve for the countdown. You go then.
• 4:49
  Are you ready, Rosie? Yeah.
• 4:51
  I am ready to do a countdown. Would you like me to start from
• 4:55
  700? No, no, no, no, no, Steve.
• 4:59
  It. All kids, you know I'm gonna get
• 5:03
  in so much trouble. Five, four, three, two, one.
• 5:10
  Go. Okay.
• 5:12
  It's not as disturbing. As when you started off.
• 5:14
  Practice, a goes by screaming out, practice tires like
• 5:17
  sharpener and blowing out the speaker's.
• 5:19
  You won't chew your ear that you can barely go.
• 5:21
  You're so loud, well, it's a good thing that they do
• 5:25
  automatic compression on these things.
• 5:27
  So, yeah. So we've got this, we've got
• 5:29
  this fantastic crew of people who all very ants teach.
• 5:33
  And they're also, they're all really good-looking.
• 5:36
  I mean, they are all incredibly good-looking.
• 5:38
  So there's a missing part to this equation, which is our they
• 5:43
  are. Is anyone sleeping with anyone
• 5:45
  else on This Crew? Oh yeah.
• 5:47
  Tosin Yvonne off for sure. I think so.
• 5:51
  I think probably borgen's Elder as well.
• 5:56
  I think I, I suspect given the decadence nature of the society
• 6:00
  that there is another class of robots.
• 6:02
  Upon this ship, go ahead the XD and xv7 class.
• 6:13
  Yeah, but we have plenty weirdos, like Paul use those 11
• 6:18
  redevelop Robo phobia so quickly.
• 6:22
  The cat is out of the bag. Now, write clearly everybody
• 6:26
  knows the robots are killing and this poem.
• 6:28
  Yeah, we can see all the screen. So what this means is, you get
• 6:32
  On the set piece after another now.
• 6:34
  So you've got the robot attack in the doctor in a second.
• 6:37
  I think to so opens a door and she's a quarters of a Lila's
• 6:41
  attacked as well. Like it's all going on now.
• 6:44
  Yeah yeah and I it's some it's classic Doctor Who it's like
• 6:49
  power of the Daleks where it's been building up and building up
• 6:51
  and now it's going to be a great big runaround.
• 6:55
  But the great thing about robots of death is that this doesn't
• 6:58
  disappoint when the robots actually go into full-on Siege
• 7:00
  Massacre mode. Cuz you get this kind of
• 7:04
  one-upmanship and they have a little way of fighting back with
• 7:08
  the zipper E9, electron units. And I got a bit of explosive.
• 7:13
  Yeah, I think Doctor Who has gotten quite close to being very
• 7:19
  uncomfortable in his treatment of women.
• 7:21
  The think close-ups of a woman being strangled in her bed.
• 7:26
  It's good. This could be number one, you
• 7:28
  know? Yeah.
• 7:33
  Isaac as a kid, it doesn't bother you as a grownup.
• 7:36
  It's like, no, do not, do not do that.
• 7:40
  Maybe you could imply that or show it in the far background or
• 7:44
  cut the camera away, but it just really goes in for it's quite
• 7:47
  terrifying and this business moment of comedy, Now where Tom
• 7:51
  Baker dresses up, one of the ones in his hat and scarf.
• 7:55
  I like is that robots having a bit of a turn, isn't it?
• 7:58
  Because he's got the laser some Pope start this is this is, this
• 8:01
  is Perfect. Doctor, Who isn't it?
• 8:03
  You've got three Unstoppable, killing machines.
• 8:06
  And like, in any other show, you'd have a garden or a phaser,
• 8:10
  and you'd stop them, but no, he puts his hat and scarf on.
• 8:12
  They get confused over which ones wish, and they start
• 8:14
  fighting each other. It's, it's perfect.
• 8:18
  The fact that the robot says, do not kill me.
• 8:23
  The doctor there is there is something though, I think dast
• 8:29
  mustard program, the robots. To kill people slowly because
• 8:35
  that robot could have literally just snapped his neck.
• 8:38
  Yeah. They everything else applying
• 8:41
  the pressure and he's really making a panic and struggle.
• 8:44
  You know, Joe our commander says that humans, feel pained, which
• 8:49
  is actually also one of most terrifying lines, isn't it?
• 8:52
  Because the implication is that they will just go and torture
• 8:55
  the shit out of the humans for ages, I will kill the others.
• 9:03
  We're going to give people nightmares.
• 9:04
  Like, yeah, well, but then we can just throw hands at them
• 9:07
  until they wake up. Oh, that's such a lovely live,
• 9:10
  isn't it? Yeah, I'll tease the safe.
• 9:12
  Nice robot. You can just relax around and
• 9:16
  and you know he's not going to turn evil.
• 9:17
  Like the others told there is another little nit pick as well
• 9:20
  in this episode in that year when they turn all the robots
• 9:23
  off, bless them, the actors have a little trouble staying still.
• 9:27
  I think that's one that shows up a little bit more on the Blu-ray
• 9:31
  that it would have done it. It's in 70s, First Watch.
• 9:35
  That's one for the Doctor Who found to nitpick over actually,
• 9:38
  actually all of them apart from the reflectors, the marigolds I
• 9:41
  didn't spot until they are pointed ale.
• 9:43
  The wobbly people in the set, I didn't notice, you know, it's,
• 9:47
  it's, it's rarely, as bad as people think to leave, watch it
• 9:50
  20 times. I mean.
• 9:52
  So she just said, I haven't seen you run off and ask.
• 9:56
  And then, there's the bit later on where desk is banging on the
• 9:58
  door saying. Let me in there.
• 10:00
  Cut it off to me, and 22 and 26. I'll quickly better.
• 10:04
  Let him in like no one's actually figured out its here
• 10:06
  but by no one's done that deduction.
• 10:11
  Yes. Because all of the characters
• 10:12
  are there but but dude, the only people who don't know.
• 10:18
  I'll to and Lila, and they may not necessarily know that
• 10:24
  somebody is behind the robots. Going out of control.
• 10:27
  They might just have an emergency with robots.
• 10:30
  The doctor is very naughty because he has figured Out.
• 10:32
  And he says Nina. Yeah, dusk.
• 10:34
  He's the one that's done. It doctor, who does this?
• 10:40
  Sometimes it doesn't tell His companion.
• 10:42
  What's going on? And it's very naughty at your
• 10:45
  rights, very naughty of him. This really scared me when I was
• 10:48
  younger, you know why? Because they are literally
• 10:50
  trapped inside that Hopper if those reports got and I remember
• 10:53
  watching as a child being like, Oh my God, if they go in,
• 10:56
  there's literally no way out for them.
• 10:58
  Yeah, there's then become Co-op the conquer down, and I did.
• 11:02
  Such a nice bit of tension where he says, I should have a look
• 11:04
  at. No, don't have a look in there.
• 11:06
  Okay, already. Oh, yes, thanks then.
• 11:12
  But this is a, the hiding. This is very, I like Paul hiding
• 11:16
  under the table because if I was in a doctor who story, that's
• 11:20
  kind of what I would do, I would find a place.
• 11:23
  When nobody would think of look, I would be under that table.
• 11:27
  Probably, not with company, fucking Tardis, are you?
• 11:32
  Okay, so she can continue with anything after the sontaran
• 11:43
  experiment is a mystery, isn't it?
• 11:44
  Because you just need years of therapy, I'll just Lila.
• 11:48
  No that isn't sv7. This is it might be another red
• 11:55
  and what actually what Lila's wrong.
• 11:59
  She's just, she's just wrong. It was SP seven, and it didn't
• 12:04
  know if some reason and she's just making it up as a big red
• 12:07
  herring. But it know that that's my
• 12:09
  theory and we all know is she says my voice in the choir
• 12:12
  program? Why didn't you recognize it?
• 12:15
  Yeah, wasn't sb7. That's a great line.
• 12:19
  Yeah. Well who was it then?
• 12:20
  Because it's not, it's models fothergill doing the voice that
• 12:24
  bit, isn't it? That's all I'm doing a good
• 12:26
  impression of sv7. Somebody who's taken his
• 12:28
  elocution lessons with those fields worried about Armand.
• 12:32
  I can see those robots warp, little bit but the idea just
• 12:35
  sort of Frozen, I think, Not one of them is working.
• 12:44
  Yeah, just undermines it so brilliantly.
• 12:46
  Hi, yeah. I this is base really theatrical
• 12:49
  has been with them all coming on and on to that big set and I'm
• 12:52
  the view. We've got through the Arches
• 12:54
  I'll be like shooting through things doesn't mean he's so
• 12:57
  good. Like we haven't discussed at
• 12:59
  all, you know, that's how this is probably.
• 13:02
  Correct me if I'm wrong. The ultimate base Under Siege
• 13:06
  story Yes, it is a very good Doctor Who base.
• 13:13
  I and they do the bass, the bass gets smaller and smaller.
• 13:17
  So they've got all the bedrooms, are they got the run of the ship
• 13:19
  and then they just get contracted down until they're in
• 13:22
  this control room. And that's all they've got and
• 13:25
  you get that fantastic bit with the door, the other door, the
• 13:29
  door they forgotten about with the robot pressed up against it
• 13:32
  flapping its arms, but I think this might be the only one
• 13:35
  because I remember I've gone back and saw a looked at some of
• 13:38
  those based on this. A story, some of the trout and
• 13:39
  time. Yeah.
• 13:41
  They just at some point in the story, they leave the base.
• 13:44
  Yeah, the base. So the tension is kind of gone a
• 13:47
  bit in art Warriors. They their back and forth
• 13:50
  between that and the ice Warriors ship in abominable.
• 13:52
  Snowmen, they're off out on the Hills.
• 13:54
  Yeah. In theory, from the teep, the go
• 13:57
  there up and helicopters. Also this is one based on the
• 14:00
  seashore where they just never leave the setting.
• 14:03
  It's really claustrophobic throughout.
• 14:06
  Yeah. Yeah, they're always there.
• 14:08
  I mean, They're mostly in this room for the rest of the episode
• 14:10
  but I think Tom gets out because they because he gets his
• 14:14
  Showdown with desk and I'm Lila. But yeah, it's is very
• 14:20
  claustrophobic despite being quite a lot to say, you know, a
• 14:23
  very, very nice place to be claustrophobic in, finally,
• 14:26
  we're getting the back story about Yvonne off and still does
• 14:28
  brother. So you kind of need it, like
• 14:34
  would have been interesting if it was left ambiguous, but
• 14:37
  actually the way he tells the story.
• 14:38
  He's really interesting. Yeah.
• 14:41
  And this is the bit where he wins, you over, isn't it?
• 14:43
  Because he's been quite opportune quite antagonistic and
• 14:47
  suddenly, he's got that kind of like, it was so sad.
• 14:49
  There was nothing I can do. Kind of aspect to his character.
• 14:52
  He sighed and ultimately they are this this this receptor.
• 14:55
  So we know you're all in that one space Bears will give up
• 14:58
  because we're just going to kill you all.
• 15:02
  Yeah there's no hope for the humans at this point and yeah
• 15:05
  well that's just great, isn't it?
• 15:07
  It's just like In terms of like tension and suspense, often
• 15:12
  this, I do think this is the best place on The Siege story.
• 15:15
  Yeah, yeah, yeah. And they did it so many times in
• 15:17
  the trailer, that's an error and they never got it as good as
• 15:20
  this. No.
• 15:22
  I think they did well with the trial and error.
• 15:24
  There's yeah. I mean yes, the Spencer most
• 15:26
  stories. Yeah.
• 15:28
  Oh God. Look at the purple bruises on to
• 15:30
  his neck, that's so horrible. You know, Steve My Tribe has a
• 15:35
  saying if you're needing look for a man.
• 15:38
  Skulls. Yeah, okay, I don't quite buy
• 15:45
  that one because he survived a lot of things and he knows how
• 15:49
  to look after himself. But also he's got into a lot of
• 15:51
  trouble. He's a bit of a dick because it
• 15:53
  keeps getting all these girls all the time.
• 15:55
  I think the idea is that man's healed or he live.
• 15:58
  Yeah, he's healed because you guys I'm off to the robot
• 16:03
  Mortuary. That's a great line as well.
• 16:05
  Yeah, well we've all got scars, haven't we?
• 16:08
  Yeah. Not all of our physical ones
• 16:10
  though. Actually yeah and even even the
• 16:13
  littlest, okay. The even the design of these
• 16:15
  little explosives is so Art Deco and beautiful because they're,
• 16:20
  they're sort of that Chevron shape and they come in, they're
• 16:23
  nice pack with a fan out and it's pretty, you know, what in
• 16:27
  any other story will be shit. But you don't likely Brian does
• 16:30
  fucking slow motion explosions. They look amazing Sparks, but
• 16:38
  when it's in slow motion, it's like a fire Firework go mad in
• 16:42
  his chest. Yeah.
• 16:45
  Yes, I'd love to sit not too. So when did when did you first
• 16:49
  see? When do you remember the first
• 16:50
  time you saw it? Or can you remember get if I
• 16:54
  would have been what seven or eight?
• 16:57
  Maybe? Yeah I was I was quite young and
• 17:01
  it was very, very bloody hell. Look, he's dead makeup on.
• 17:06
  If you heard the story about David Bailey, that he thought it
• 17:09
  was done for the day. And he went to his makeup, try a
• 17:12
  tiny and they had all the makeup taken off, and then they
• 17:15
  realized I hadn't shot. One bit that make up a taken two
• 17:18
  hours to put on and he phone. Pamela Salem has said, you just
• 17:23
  keep him talking. I'll get it on.
• 17:25
  I'll get the makeup the minutes. They managed to do.
• 17:29
  What they did two hours before just to Russian back to the
• 17:31
  studio. The Slappy old.
• 17:33
  It's fine. Yeah but it is really, really,
• 17:36
  it's really good makeup that one of the questions we had.
• 17:39
  I don't know, we did was how if How difficult is to do, that
• 17:42
  kind of makeup. Would you say I'm doing robot
• 17:44
  makeup? Do that?
• 17:48
  Well, I've seen because I went to the Transformers convention
• 17:52
  last year, actually my profile pic on Twitter at the moment,
• 17:56
  which I haven't changed in ages. But it's me standing next to
• 17:58
  this person who was dressed up as a robot as Armada Starscream.
• 18:02
  And they've got this fantastic evil grin but they've done the
• 18:05
  full robot makeup and I just think it's really.
• 18:07
  It looks really impressive, looks really cool.
• 18:09
  So yeah, like a bit of silver face.
• 18:11
  Ice flake always looks great. I love the fact that the doctor
• 18:16
  Prix at dusk by saying all, you losing your cool.
• 18:20
  That's not, that's not your robot Precision that you remove.
• 18:25
  Its is the doctor using, the only weapon he has his disposal,
• 18:28
  which is his voice and his ability to undermine enemies
• 18:32
  without a sense of humor. Because desk certainly doesn't
• 18:36
  have a sense of humor. This is also while just like the
• 18:42
  discussion of the TARDIS and the dimensions was really cute
• 18:44
  between through that discussion about body language.
• 18:47
  There was so economic. Mmm.
• 18:50
  Yeah, and it's been threaded through the whole story to an
• 18:54
  extent. Hasn't it?
• 18:55
  Because yeah, because he moves like a hunter and the body
• 18:57
  language of the robots. It really make it really makes
• 19:00
  you think about what the difference is between the robots
• 19:02
  of the humans? Well, yeah, actually makes you
• 19:04
  think about how you carry yourself as well.
• 19:07
  Yeah, oh, I'll grab substrate. Now you maybe think about pot?
• 19:10
  Everyone say everyone at home listening to this, think about
• 19:13
  your posture, sit up straight. Make imagine a bit of string.
• 19:16
  Coming up the top of your head less about posture out, more
• 19:18
  about sort of how you carry yourself to other people.
• 19:21
  You know, I was probably quite sort of open with my body
• 19:24
  language. Yeah, yes.
• 19:30
  Some people lest I was never very tactile until I was in my
• 19:36
  20s, really. You know, hugging was something
• 19:39
  that we didn't really do much of but yeah, I do hugs now it's
• 19:45
  fine. I'm not bothered by it is
• 19:47
  marvelous most fantastic hugger but with strangers it is awkward
• 19:51
  as fuck. Watching it.
• 19:52
  I'll tell her I'll I just don't don't go in for it.
• 19:55
  It's just painful to watch it. Is that something is it?
• 20:00
  Because he doesn't, it gives because it doesn't involve
• 20:03
  weight after be touching them. But if they do, you say Like
• 20:07
  Phil, he's English enough to feel compelled to um you know I
• 20:13
  got that silhouette of that robot against that screened.
• 20:16
  Yeah. Scary.
• 20:18
  Look look sir. I'm the lighting behind those.
• 20:20
  Well, the colored lights flashing behind.
• 20:22
  I don't know what's in that room though.
• 20:23
  I mean, what where does that lead is?
• 20:25
  It doesn't make any sense. It's just like, is it covered
• 20:27
  with robot in? It's totally CSO behind the now.
• 20:30
  Yeah, it is. Yeah, you're right.
• 20:31
  Is seriously about grow, that's really effective.
• 20:34
  You have got any Fringe in there.
• 20:36
  Yes. Is effective because I like, I
• 20:38
  did, I watch this 100 times, and I barely notice it.
• 20:41
  So yeah, it's pretty damn good. You have to die.
• 20:45
  All of you. That is the order.
• 20:50
  So polite, as they are me, I do not because like all the Smoky
• 21:00
  Char loads of smoke Arts, fantastic are, but that sounds
• 21:04
  like a double attack there. Wasn't it was the robot there
• 21:09
  and then it was desk at the other door.
• 21:12
  Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I yeah, so that
• 21:14
  they're off out now. They're going robot hunting.
• 21:18
  Yeah, I the chance to strike back at these Invincible robots
• 21:22
  have been throttling off the crew.
• 21:25
  Actually Brian said that David Bailey was doing some pretty
• 21:29
  Prestige acting before this likely done play for the day and
• 21:32
  things like that. Like, you know, there's sort of
• 21:33
  the best acting jobs you could get on television.
• 21:36
  And he was shocked when he said that.
• 21:38
  Yeah, I'll do this for your special low BBC fee.
• 21:44
  Brilliant toy maker as well for big finish.
• 21:48
  He's passed away no served in it but um yes to start a couple of
• 21:53
  sort of Solitaire. Yeah and your Chronicle and the
• 21:56
  magic mouse trap and he was excellent.
• 21:58
  Oh. And obviously the nightmare fair
• 22:01
  is that the is he in the one? Where it's a rose Charlie?
• 22:05
  Pollard is the companion Chronicle Solitaire.
• 22:07
  Yeah. That's brilliant that.
• 22:09
  I think that's a really good first or second script is It's
• 22:14
  genius. Okay.
• 22:15
  So in the, in the production notes for this story, they say
• 22:19
  that David Bailey got lip cancer at one point and he lost the
• 22:23
  ability to speak and then he went on to play the mute
• 22:26
  character in parts of the Caribbean.
• 22:28
  What it doesn't say is that, by that point, he had actually
• 22:31
  relearn how to speak. There's a kind of implication
• 22:34
  that you never got his voice back but he definitely did
• 22:36
  there's an interview with him on here.
• 22:38
  They definitely got his voice back.
• 22:39
  So just want to clear that one up.
• 22:41
  It is clever as well because I've explained my voice is in
• 22:44
  the command program, so we know this how the robots recognize
• 22:48
  people. So using it should be
• 22:51
  ridiculous. Using the, what about the
• 22:53
  helium? But kids, but we squeaky is,
• 22:57
  yeah, but actually I think it works very well.
• 23:01
  She said, yeah, Tom Baker, acted that, they're how that robot
• 23:03
  punched him and he made it seem like the most pain and she could
• 23:07
  possibly have, he doesn't, he does a lot of that later in the
• 23:10
  seeds of Doom, doesn't he? Well, he's getting beaten.
• 23:13
  Up all over the place. Yeah, he's so good at that but I
• 23:16
  thought so but he left me out and there's so much interesting
• 23:20
  stuff about body language and the power of the voice.
• 23:23
  It's like active in. Well stuck like somebody's been
• 23:25
  freelancing masterclass and thought how can we make this
• 23:27
  into a TV show? It's almost like all of this all
• 23:32
  of the classes and The Uncanny Valley robots as humans body
• 23:38
  language you know, vocal inflections.
• 23:41
  It's like this story is Throw up all these things up in the air
• 23:44
  waiting to be discussed. I think that every Doctor Who
• 23:48
  Saw is working on these levels. No I honestly I don't think this
• 23:53
  one is either. It's just it's just there.
• 23:55
  It's just presented for you to think about.
• 23:57
  So it's a fascinating area of a lot of Concepts to young
• 24:02
  children, you know? Yeah.
• 24:04
  Yeah you've got ideas. Ate so much better, expiration
• 24:09
  of robots and Robotics than a lot of other TV shows.
• 24:14
  Like mentioned and probably, I don't think even very Commander
• 24:18
  Data, rarely reaches these levels of interest in terms of
• 24:22
  his character. Little overrated, actually,
• 24:25
  after couple named you have a podcast quite a lot.
• 24:27
  We do love it. It is a terrific confrontations
• 24:30
  in. This is two.
• 24:31
  This is one thing that is clear. I got very right, is there a
• 24:34
  well-acted villain and Tom Baker?
• 24:37
  Going up against each other. I'm talking Gabriel wolf.
• 24:41
  Okay, Michael spice. And he, and Philip Maddock, you
• 24:44
  know, like Harris and Chase. All right.
• 24:47
  Look, look Tom, that's some. You can do heroic, lying down
• 24:51
  Tom. Don't worry about it.
• 24:53
  You can be brilliantly heroic. Oh yeah, it's much more easier
• 24:57
  to read a line down. Yeah, he's getting his brain
• 25:02
  fried now. Plucking the crystals from his
• 25:05
  snowflakes. One by one.
• 25:10
  Yeah, here we go. He's really freaking item here.
• 25:13
  That's not the world way. It's your verbal and physical
• 25:15
  Precision that they've me spots you.
• 25:17
  Ah, so that's how he knew. Yeah, that he was.
• 25:22
  So, it is so slightly robotic in the way he was talking and he
• 25:27
  probably doesn't use contractions.
• 25:28
  I bet that's it. I bet he doesn't.
• 25:30
  I don't need to watch it again. Now brother.
• 25:33
  I do have a brother. Yes.
• 25:34
  Have you ever had to release him from bondage?
• 25:39
  Thankfully, no, I'm going to his wedding later this year, but
• 25:42
  yeah, that's going to be cool. Oh, no, this is, I'm sorry.
• 25:46
  This is how you do self-sacrifice.
• 25:48
  Oh dear, he falls head, blows up.
• 25:53
  Yes. I we're all sad to see dat for
• 25:55
  go and not go. I think everyone else.
• 25:58
  Why isn't Daz for a companion? May think that walking around.
• 26:03
  Victorian London? No, you can't.
• 26:06
  I think Within Two episodes. They de found a way to get him a
• 26:10
  human body and they have done some kind of transference to
• 26:13
  make it work. Hey no, no they can't make the
• 26:15
  robot work. Yeah.
• 26:18
  But if you've got some ideas, you've always ideas for just
• 26:21
  saying the Tardis do some dusting.
• 26:23
  It's not really it's not really, you can do that with canine
• 26:25
  because he's a dog but date Falls person.
• 26:28
  There is something a bit funny about is what?
• 26:30
  Yeah, I remember. That is II.
• 26:35
  Yeah, I did want to get some helium for this podcast.
• 26:37
  Cast. So I could let it Loose this
• 26:39
  point reach its going on. But slightly you have to make an
• 26:45
  effort. One.
• 26:46
  Last shot of to spin strangled POV shot from sp7.
• 26:51
  I think. Yeah, knocks about that.
• 26:53
  You know, he's a little just stabs him in the head with a
• 26:58
  needle. Yeah.
• 27:01
  Well I it's like kids copying that because everybody knows how
• 27:04
  you do that as a special effects because everybody's had, you
• 27:07
  know, the Rappelling graphite pencil.
• 27:09
  When you got your foot in CTU propelling pencil all the way
• 27:12
  you stick it in your arm and it's like I was that my pencil
• 27:15
  in well you must have done that, probably not a school.
• 27:19
  I used to flick half polos with elastic band at people's heads.
• 27:24
  It's very painful. Yeah, I've got somebody in the
• 27:26
  eye once. Oh God, I'll school, they used
• 27:29
  to so that the elastic bands. And what they do is they get a
• 27:32
  bunch of blue Tack and they'd get a safety pin.
• 27:34
  And they'd flick that the people that was Is awful.
• 27:38
  But there are bastards of our school.
• 27:40
  Kids are horrible. It's very odd.
• 27:42
  You know that we don't see to sanjeevani fault if we should
• 27:46
  just go. That's it.
• 27:47
  They're lying they're well ice. It's kind of like horrifying
• 27:50
  rock. Is there ever?
• 27:51
  He's like except a couple of people are still alive.
• 27:53
  They're lying there. Unconscious their wake up
• 27:55
  eventually. Surrounded by dead people and
• 27:56
  death robots and they'll be fine.
• 27:59
  It does seem to be a little bit of an oversight that given that
• 28:02
  we've got to know these people really well?
• 28:05
  Yeah, but don't a doctor who doesn't do talk to you.
• 28:07
  Hang around to say goodbye to people Doctor Who just flies off
• 28:10
  to another adventure when when the dangers over hate to
• 28:13
  contradict, you know. But there is a very lovely
• 28:15
  taxing in talents Wing, Cho Chang and that's the end of the,
• 28:20
  that's the end of the series that and that is actually
• 28:22
  lovely. And we do love Jay Gould, light
• 28:24
  for. And they, like, I like this
• 28:26
  story, they went on to more, didn't they?
• 28:30
  There is very interesting that sort of season 14 does have a
• 28:33
  very good hit rate. I mean, Gallifrey went on to
• 28:37
  have it. Our own spin-off show.
• 28:38
  Oh yeah, after being properly introduced in Deadly Assassin,
• 28:42
  and then robots are deaf, tell us Wing Chun hyang, there's
• 28:48
  something here. There's some magic going on
• 28:50
  here, isn't it? Yeah.
• 28:51
  It's it's the height of his is overspending and Wrecking.
• 28:55
  The grain. Wish you was here earlier, but
• 28:58
  they had imagination as well. Yeah, yeah.
• 29:01
  That's a fabulous women which this area didn't have at all.
• 29:06
  Steve, that's the end of our journey for robots, a deaf.
• 29:10
  Now we are in the I'm going to say advantageous position of
• 29:14
  choosing three things, a piece recommend this story to people
• 29:21
  and I'm going to let you go first.
• 29:25
  Why? Why come back to Jason story,
• 29:28
  actually? Why would you choose robots of
• 29:30
  death? Because it is a story where I
• 29:34
  miss Ben rocks on several times where everything comes together.
• 29:38
  It's entertaining all the way through it's got, and you can
• 29:44
  drill point is you can show it to almost anyone and they will
• 29:48
  enjoy it. Find me go and find me a reply
• 29:52
  to this in a tweet. Tell me, finally the person who
• 29:55
  doesn't like robots of death, okay, that's number one because
• 29:58
  it's a gonna do it. I would they.
• 30:01
  Yeah, it's not somebody doesn't like it.
• 30:03
  Okay, well my first thing is going to be I think the smarts
• 30:10
  in the script that we've talked about.
• 30:12
  Yeah, like you say, isn't coming down on the side of any of those
• 30:17
  Concepts is not giving us a definitive answer on any of it
• 30:22
  but it is throwing it all up there.
• 30:24
  Are in the Zeitgeist and and allowing us to sort of examine
• 30:27
  it and to have conversations about it.
• 30:31
  And I think any Doctor Who story that stimulates conversations on
• 30:34
  those subjects is doing something right.
• 30:38
  Okay, another reason to watch Robots of death is he's on real
• 30:43
  reason. These are just just
• 30:44
  observations, I think. But um, because I, when did you
• 30:48
  last watch Robots of death then yeah.
• 30:53
  Well you what about maybe a couple of years?
• 30:56
  Because because for some reason it stands up to repeated viewing
• 31:00
  you can watch. It's one of the ones you can
• 31:02
  watch again. And again, I did on the VHS, I
• 31:03
  watch it again and again and again and it doesn't go.
• 31:07
  I actually managed to quote this thing you and I have watching.
• 31:11
  I know I'm usually quite bad at quotes but yeah, but we got a
• 31:14
  heck of a lot with this one. So yeah so he's it is infinitely
• 31:17
  rewatchable. My second thing is this is Mike
• 31:22
  Lee. Brice best Direction.
• 31:24
  It's where he chips out the series and leaps over to Blake 7
• 31:27
  before going to the classic cereals.
• 31:30
  He's just got it at this point, hasn't he every element just
• 31:34
  works perfectly the suspense? Pacing the costing how he shoots
• 31:41
  the sets, the CSO special effects works, the model work,
• 31:45
  he just knows how to make doctor and it's a shame that often
• 31:50
  producing something. This fine a never directed a
• 31:53
  doctor again. Yeah.
• 31:56
  I again yeah. You want to do one reason you
• 31:59
  end up with 30 because everything works so well
• 32:01
  together, don't you? So I want to pick up on I'm
• 32:06
  thinking. That I try to think of one
• 32:08
  Little Tikes. I've said all the vague big
• 32:11
  things about, I want to pick up on one little tiny, tiny detail,
• 32:16
  and I'm going to say, watch it for the watch it, for the, the
• 32:22
  lasers and probe holder with its nice.
• 32:27
  Little lasersohn logo written in lovely script that is, is quite
• 32:32
  70s. But not, that 70s.
• 32:34
  And under lovely way. The light comes through it.
• 32:36
  And it's Little pattern on it and the delays and Probst those.
• 32:40
  Some produce it in it, so nicely, watch it for that.
• 32:43
  That's just that's such a nice bit of design.
• 32:45
  There we go. There's a little tiny thing.
• 32:48
  I'm Gonna Save my last thing. Then we, you've got a doctor Han
• 32:54
  companion at the height of their powers, both of them the
• 32:58
  companions. Second Story, the doctors thirds
• 33:02
  nearly disability towards the end of his third season and it's
• 33:05
  just two actors that have come together.
• 33:06
  Tom Bacon Louise Jameson absolute magic at this point,
• 33:12
  you know, as well as the guest cast that are in this?
• 33:15
  I just think they're performers is sort of stand tall as
• 33:21
  noticing this story in face of evil and in tongues wagging
• 33:24
  trying as well. But it is just, it's a fantastic
• 33:28
  time for both doctors and companions.
• 33:32
  The, the 70s, I think. For our yeah, nobody's sending
• 33:36
  it up. No one's being overly ik, silda
• 33:40
  arguably, but but everybody's doing it as as they would
• 33:44
  Shakespeare. So it's just, they are treating
• 33:48
  it with respect and it's just working fantastically so well
• 33:52
  done, them creepy as fuck as well, the whole story robots
• 33:59
  used to terrify me as a kid but this one some reason II don't
• 34:03
  know. Maybe because I wash it when I
• 34:04
  was about 11 or 12, it didn't have that effect on me.
• 34:06
  If I you when I was younger. Maybe well Steve it is a fact
• 34:11
  that I am from the town of Crawley which is adjacent to
• 34:19
  Gatwick where our believe Sinister goings-on.
• 34:26
  Have occurred back in the 1960s. Our I'd love to help you out.
• 34:32
  Joe Bob lost my face in a big explosion, old went up in that
• 34:36
  plane. It turned into a rocket and I
• 34:38
  ended up in out of spice. Oh, yes, yes.
• 34:43
  The Prelude to evil of the Daleks episode pray.
• 34:47
  You'd help me brother Brian bricks.
• 34:52
  Oh God, I'm already looking forward to it.
• 34:53
  The faceless ones, yes, I look forward to certainly talking
• 34:58
  about. Maybe it maybe it's worth me
• 35:00
  giving this a bit of a re-evaluation.
• 35:01
  I was that a bit slow and a bit lacking.
• 35:06
  Some Austin's. But you know what?
• 35:08
  If anyone's going to convince me, I'm wrong.
• 35:12
  I've already got are mostly white arguments as we speak.
• 35:17
  Well, we'll determine a date for that.
• 35:19
  I just leaves me to say a massive.
• 35:21
  Thank you. This has been a mammoth, almost
• 35:24
  three-and-a-half hour recording, but we've done here, we've done
• 35:29
  more than that. It justice.
• 35:31
  Oh, I hope so. I think but I think I think at
• 35:33
  the same time we could just go on talk about rebels of death
• 35:36
  for another hour, at least it's the loads more to be a.
• 35:39
  Thank you very much Joe. It's been an absolute pleasure.
• 35:41
  Sure, and yes, a squeaking in the cabinet Mouse.