Latest / A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast / Talks to Si Hart about his choice of Invasion of the Dinosaurs (5/6)

Transcript

Talks to Si Hart about his choice of Invasion of the Dinosaurs (5/6) · A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast

0:45
I'm sigh ha and I've been allowed to introduce two
0:48
episodes of this story now, which is doesn't no one else
0:51
gets to do this. Hello.
0:52
So I'm back with Joe. I feel like I should just like,
0:57
do a snippet of you introducing every episode and I'll just put
1:00
it at the beginning of every single.
1:01
One thing is, people love to hear your voice.
1:05
So ease them into any episode, really, really beautifully.
1:09
Let's not be pigs. Say thank you sigh.
1:14
I have a present for you. Okay.
1:18
As you may recall at some point during episodes 124, I made a
1:21
promise. Oh, oh yeah, you did home.
1:27
Yes, I haven't done it. I have yes, because just to let
1:30
you know, Beth behind the scenes is about five days later from
1:33
episode one, we recorded episode 4 because doing six-part we have
1:38
chosen, one day is probably a lot.
1:40
Yeah. Particularly late at night.
1:42
What was that promise? I I've made you said and what?
1:47
I challenged you stupidly as it turns out probably to write
1:53
lyrics for Going Underground related to this particular
1:56
Doctor Who Adventure. That's right.
1:59
And I've done it and they're really terrible because I looked
2:02
it up in about five seconds. Okay, you ready for this?
2:06
Okay I'm ready, I'm ready. This song is devoted to my dear
2:12
friend Simon heart known to his friends as PSI my God.
2:18
Okay. Some people want to roll back
2:24
time to better times. They want to do it with a fake
2:27
spaceship, something's happening in central London.
2:31
It's for love dinos, and they're mad as hell.
2:34
And I'm so happy. And you're so fun.
2:37
We're doing six episodes and we're nearly done.
2:40
Have just get what hamsters one but I don't know what these
2:44
hamsters wants. We're Going Underground with the
2:48
brick and the dork and the Triceratops, we going under
2:51
Around the face left-wing Nazis and their evil skis for tomorrow
2:57
la la la la Dino action Galore and we want more, we're going on
3:05
the ground. Okay, that's enough.
3:07
That is enough. Yeah, that was really, really,
3:13
really terrible. But you are welcome.
3:16
But is that the only time anyone's Jesus, serious song
3:25
about anything being really dull?
3:28
Oh okay, good. Be like the road is long.
3:36
Anyway, why are we here? What we doing about to do,
3:41
episode 5 of invasion of the dinosaurs and what happened at
3:45
the end of the last episode that we talked over completely?
3:49
There's your traitor, Brigadier caught in the act.
3:53
Damn those up on. Okay?
3:57
Right. The doctors got to be on the
3:58
Run. Are you ready for this?
4:00
I'm ready. I'm ready to I'll count as in
4:03
them in five, four, three, two, one.
4:09
Let's go. Oh yes, the great Pertwee title
4:14
sequence. Yeah.
4:19
Oh, he's magnificent. I'm sorry.
4:21
Every time I say it Yeah, like I said before, he's the only
4:25
Doctor Who Could Fly Through the time Vortex with no help
4:30
whatsoever but you know who else can do that?
4:32
Don't you who's that? Captain Jack.
4:35
He does that in how he does that Utopias.
4:38
Yeah. Oh my God.
4:41
It's a Stegosaurus. Giving the stegosaurus was
4:45
pretty good. I think that's all right.
4:47
Yeah, it's okay. Destiny.
4:53
See, that's a big moment. Do you think that Brigadier
4:55
saying, doctor you're under arrest?
5:00
That should have been the Cliffhanger that would have been
5:03
yeah seconds more and close up on the Brigadier doing that, I
5:08
would have been and then Pertwee being manacled by been told or
5:11
something. You know.
5:14
With the last time we went here wasn't it was Inferno when we
5:17
had the doctor on the run from unit.
5:19
Yes but obviously that was an alternative Universe.
5:24
Yeah. You have we haven't had real
5:27
Inez that the pit where they're all under arrest in cause Axl's
5:30
for that's not nearly as dramatic as this, you know, you
5:35
can have to say a lot of things now to distract me from the
5:37
tightness of my extra marks. Cheers.
5:39
Okay, well, I was reading in the Doctor Who complete history.
5:44
I don't know where you're going with this.
5:48
Apparently lists layden's genes were also incredibly tight
5:52
because they gave out a size too small.
5:56
Okay, maybe that was just me. Everyone is in a size too.
6:00
Small here. This sliding does not have like
6:03
an awkward thing between her legs.
6:04
So she know. Well that's very true.
6:08
I mean it's very rare to have, you know, something like that to
6:11
look at. So I'll just enjoy it.
6:15
Oh, this episode has like Benton's finest moment, doesn't
6:18
it? It does.
6:21
It's Sarah Cohen tree fort with John Levine.
6:24
There should be for this episode.
6:27
Have you ever heard this contract, trousers and stuff?
6:31
That just doesn't fit anywhere crippled, but world of his own.
6:35
I'll tell you what those countries that he does on Comedy
6:37
gold. And his Jon Pertwee.
6:42
He's looking mighty fine he's got a lot of hair Nick oh we're
6:46
doing it. Okay.
6:47
Yeah and look right now, as I stand in the back of the scene,
6:53
I'm stiffening a little bit right now because that's me
6:56
showing how shocked I am. But the doctors being arrested,
7:06
It's like he's just he just like, doesn't help him.
7:13
Yeah. So this is kind of my other
7:17
little people say, this is the padding, but this is where a lot
7:19
of good stuff is, you know, like yeah between the regulars on me.
7:25
Could my Gates look any more Shifty.
7:30
Oh yeah, you can see the realization in precise there and
7:35
look, Benson is like what's going on.
7:40
Does this have your team, an init this episode?
7:43
Or a big game must be arriving his he's great.
7:50
I'll know he does do a commentary on this because he
7:53
talks about this saying he does this Ali the fact like yeah he's
7:57
intense confusion. Might get scared betrayed them
8:01
and how this is the apotheosis of his character Arc.
8:06
Benson, you can always rely on Benson, he's always going to do
8:08
the right thing. I almost find, you know, the
8:12
fact that John Levine is so idiosyncratic, and that is a
8:15
perfect word, it almost makes me love Benton, even more.
8:21
Yep. It's like when I, you know, you
8:23
know, when you find out like Tom Baker was like a massive ass in
8:27
his later Seasons or yeah, I do mrs.
8:31
Remington fan on Twitter was telling me that Delores gray was
8:34
a complete ass. Soul winning and it just makes
8:37
me love the character more. I think of it either.
8:40
Oh, there we go. So he's had his venusian,
8:43
Hoosier done. He's rubbing his hands together.
8:52
Like I do obviously preparing to podcast podcast.
9:03
Listen to Martin job is do that. Listen to my job is read
9:06
anything really? So have you did you say that
9:09
you've heard the target? Not like that?
9:12
Yeah, yeah. So good Heelys job on that one
9:16
but he's made a kind of a career out of audio work as me.
9:19
Definitely. Yeah, and he's So well yeah.
9:22
He's just one of one of the best.
9:24
You could listen to him read anything and basically you
9:27
probably find him breathing anything.
9:28
If you look hard enough, getting in episode 2, when I got all hot
9:32
and bothered over both CSO and special effects and slow motion.
9:40
Yeah, well, we're going for it again here.
9:42
We're going for it again. Oh, well, yeah.
9:44
Oh, my word. You ready for this?
9:48
Oh, oh my God, I'm getting hot and bothered ill.
9:53
Here we go. Whoa and it's got Martin Jarvis
9:56
lounging against the side as well.
9:59
I mean that is Pete docter who right there.
10:02
That's a nice effect though. That's really well.
10:05
Done. This about They do the same
10:08
thing. A specific request of at the
10:10
early stages of video effects here, particularly in color.
10:13
That's, that's a great effect. Why does my job is have that
10:17
smile in his eyes? Like, he's in some 70s porn
10:19
movie and he's about to take his clothes off.
10:21
Like, I feel like he knows something but nobody else knows.
10:26
Yeah, maybe he's just in a completely different adventure
10:28
for everyone else. Okay, so Sarah is going to bring
10:33
down the spaceship Cheryl now does she know?
10:40
Or she yet to find out. Yeah, she's worked out.
10:43
Has achieved from the bruise on. Our heads are not quite what
10:47
they see, and that flimsy door. She's a basket for Don't you
10:53
love the the big camera? Did you see that massive like,
11:05
danger pressurized side? I love Doctor Who because they
11:09
do these. Huge melodramatic signs.
11:15
There's a lot of danger, inducting basis.
11:18
I the funniest one is in his word to me, where it says, Exit,
11:22
but it's EG G. SI t.
11:26
That's the way. She's very gingerly presses.
11:29
All those buttons. Like she doesn't know if they're
11:32
going to do something. So she's going to press it just
11:34
in case and if it doesn't, she's always acting, isn't she?
11:38
She's like another Act of wouldn't do that, but she's
11:41
always performing, you know. Yeah, she's thinking it through
11:44
all the time. Oh God.
11:47
He was watching that dreary documentary.
11:48
There wasn't he? At school, you know, we were
11:54
forced to watch something like that environmental documentary.
11:58
Yeah, that takes me back, but you know what?
12:00
They were so boring. I wanted to go out and, you
12:03
know, get an aerosol can and these people watch those
12:07
documentaries for fun. That tells you something about
12:10
the kind of people you've got on this operation, golden age are
12:14
truly evil Toy. Yeah, they really are.
12:20
That's my mind, a documentary, you know, but it's got have a
12:22
bit life to it. Definitely.
12:26
That's a great line from the break there.
12:28
What did he say? Don't just stand there.
12:31
Bedroom. God, put yourself under arrest.
12:33
Oh, they're so cute. At this point.
12:36
I don't know what we call and he knows.
12:40
And then they're not fooled by this story at all, but they have
12:43
to go along with it. It's weird, you know, because
12:45
you always feel kind of safe with the break and you always
12:48
feel safe with Benton. I've never felt that way about
12:51
Yates know. That's there's always something
12:54
about, whether I think it stems from a making cocoa in the
12:59
doctors lab because you just don't do that with his lunch.
13:01
That's another story as well. Stealing Fenton's food.
13:06
Oh, yeah, entire the Daleks? Yeah.
13:11
Exactly. So yeah, what does he say rho p?
13:16
Yeah, rank has its privileges the game, right?
13:19
Makes you a prick more like, you know, and then he vanishes for a
13:27
bit, doesn't it? Like, he's not in the three.
13:29
Doctors is a nice. Not Richard, Franklin went off
13:33
directing or something. And then he turns out gap
13:38
between that and the the time monster and the green death and
13:42
we're getting around is like the latter stage of the degree.
13:44
Death wasn't ladylike in. Absolutely.
13:51
He's always The Outsider and now, he's proven it.
13:55
And he's the outsider to the end because he's still The Outsider
13:58
in that Buddhist Monastery, in Thailand, spiders.
14:01
Yeah. But he seemed so much more
14:04
comfortable doing that than he does playing the unit Captain.
14:08
It's really bizarre. You made a great observation in
14:13
episode 4. I don't delete.
14:14
Jeremy, corbyn. Here is on the spaceship.
14:18
Do you figure? This is where we were heading if
14:20
Jeremy Cordon had been elected and they buried got him.
14:24
That's a big question. There are some that will say he
14:29
is a left-wing fascist. It's entirely possible.
14:37
Oh, look this I sign there if they're either he's in chizik,
14:40
he is This is best not to think about where he's driving all
14:46
through this because he, I think he's spans the whole of London
14:51
and look in this in this Warehouse, they feel so much
14:55
stuff here in the 70s, so it's this weird Death Watch was, is
14:59
this where Terrence brother for that person?
15:02
Yeah. Yeah.
15:03
But I have the gun fights. It's terrific, isn't it?
15:06
Yeah. And loads of episodes of The
15:08
Sweeney and all the action series of filming here because
15:11
it's just, just So full of atmosphere, did you see that?
15:15
That was so Scooby-Doo. The doctors car poked into that
15:17
hole. He came through and then the
15:19
doctors car pokes out, and then drove off got away from now.
15:26
But there's some terrific, like aerial shots from a helicopter
15:31
across the countryside in this. What do you think my face there?
15:36
That's great. Do you think this is padding or
15:39
do you think this is like worthwhile material?
15:44
Again. You can look at it both ways
15:47
because it is basically just a big chase like will get in
15:52
Planet of the spiders but it's the doctor being chased by unit,
15:56
which is something we've not seen before and so that takes it
16:00
into some instances of new territory.
16:02
So these are basically his friends and colleagues who are
16:06
after him, so that that changes it.
16:09
So the very people that are chasing about after and probably
16:12
were alongside him. And if so to what they like,
16:16
Sitting here exactly. And we've never seen something
16:18
like that before. So, this is another example of
16:21
the story sort of wrong, footing, you and taking you out
16:27
of your comfort zone in a, in a season that's supposed to be
16:30
very comfortable and easy, and no one's really thought about it
16:34
and the writings all bad through the year and it's not all those
16:38
not really at all. Well I'll tell you what though,
16:41
if this was a different sort of show, I think it's just to say
16:46
This was tortured say it was tortured.
16:47
Yeah, that was chasing him. I think you'd see scenes like
16:52
from the point of view of one of these units soldiers that yeah,
16:55
it has beef with the doctor and is looking.
16:58
Is it actually because, you know, he's so arrogant and he's
17:01
always do the Lord in their overall.
17:03
And that he's really enjoying going after him and making it a
17:06
bit, a bit darker, and a bit more kind of sadistic Where is
17:10
it said? What we get is just a lot of
17:12
nice pretty action. Yeah, could have done that
17:17
someone out for vengeance work because his mates been eaten by
17:20
the T-Rex. That's a dolphin sort of happens
17:23
or even if although it's lovely that Benson believes in the
17:29
doctor so much that he's on there.
17:31
Just imagine if it was been to meeting the hunt against them,
17:34
it'll be Wicked. I like just sort of fallen for
17:38
the story because he's generally told him and the brakes, the
17:41
only ones from defending him that there's yeah, you could
17:44
have done that. Goddamn it Saul.
17:46
You're writing a better version of this lace.
17:52
I'm just going to operate my old age, go back to 1973 and rewrite
17:56
this story before, it gets their instincts, that is a very Doctor
18:00
Who fan having to do, you know, you've got a time machine.
18:02
And that's what you choose to do this first stop 1964 to report
18:07
all the stories that were missing second, stop pop
18:11
two-tone sticks, his office and just redraft this it puts up
18:13
with you know what I'd do if I had that same machine.
18:16
Can I borrow just for one day? Is that all I can I borrow it
18:21
for one day? Your time machine?
18:23
Yeah, of course I'm gonna pop back to 1987 and hang out with
18:27
Kate Amara during the filming of time of the ride.
18:32
I'm going to be giving her props pretentious as the word just
18:39
make it a bit more Camp cake. Go a little bit more, it's not
18:44
melodramatic enough. Just look at these shots are
18:49
amazing and the fact that's all stock footage, all the
18:54
helicopter stuff, but it's interesting location
18:56
brilliantly. Yeah, yeah,
19:14
it just doesn't it. Yeah, it does.
19:22
Takes me back to being at school and playing doctor whom.
19:25
And we had a wooded area at the end of our playground where we
19:29
always play Doctor Who. So it just fits, I love stories
19:34
of your childhood. I'm going to convince you to
19:35
write your autobiography is that the time we went on school trip
19:39
in 1987 and it turned out. We went to but sahil where they
19:44
filmed the mysterious Place some of months after they'd been on
19:48
TV. But we think I did seek in those
19:51
woods. Yeah.
19:55
What was it called? What the location?
19:58
Yeah. But so he'll so it's a natural
20:01
Iron Age village and they still have it now and there's still
20:05
people living in it. Like they're in the Iron Age.
20:07
Can I ask you a personal question?
20:09
Yeah, did you conceal yourself in a muddy crevice.
20:14
Always. Oh you're filthy honestly
20:26
someone smoking a fag. Yeah, that never happens.
20:30
What happens very rarely and up to and what's her name is from
20:34
Caesar? Do mad?
20:35
Why didn't she do that? And the people on the spaceship
20:40
in Resurrection, of the Daleks and the really hot soldier that
20:44
gets bitten by the Dalek Move, Ya.
20:46
Fag We look at him. Yeah.
20:51
Obviously, the recent chocolate unit, guys are not smoking.
20:54
This is the episode where we see unit behind the scenes, what
20:57
they're doing when they're not saving the Earth, slacking off,
20:59
and having a fag. It's no wonder.
21:01
They're quite incomprehensible. But, I'm literally sneaks up
21:07
behind him. That's astonishing that that
21:10
match to the, to the footage is, yeah, astonishing.
21:14
That's pretty Russell again. Proving that she knows her
21:17
stuff. Can we just take a second right?
21:20
To praise Paddy. Russell for the work that she
21:23
put into this story because I think like, if she hadn't with
21:28
the performances with her Direction, as a whole, this
21:31
would have just fallen over a cliff.
21:34
Oh definitely. And she can't sit so well.
21:36
So you again, like she said me. I think we covered it before
21:40
that. She said moment, we're in the
21:42
studio. I can't direct you.
21:44
You it'll all be the special effects.
21:46
We've got to get this done. So she casts act as she can
21:49
trust so she's getting good performances out of them the
21:52
whole time and that works really well.
21:55
I think that's, that's great stuff.
21:58
If you're happy, am I was talking about this fear in all
22:01
of our stories here. Mi talks about that in the
22:04
Coventry things like and we all had cracking.
22:06
Good parts. He's another brilliant
22:11
eccentric. Yeah, he really was.
22:15
It once in one story. He like I think it's, I think it
22:17
is this one. It's like I followed the career
22:21
path of Nicholas. Courtney beat by beat, except I
22:24
never went to Jersey. I turned down a job there and it
22:28
doesn't explain why I like what he's got against Joseph.
22:34
Oh, he's that, man. Here's a team.
22:35
And a cup of tea. Sarah would love a cup of tea.
22:40
Do you always like, oh, she could murder a cup of tea.
22:44
Yeah, See, the only real kind of padding.
22:50
I feel is Sarah's always choosing the wrong person.
22:54
Tell about the plot just to get her back to where she was.
22:59
All we needed over to what they could, hang a lantern on that by
23:02
her going. Oh sake, everyone this guy as
23:12
well. She is a terrible flirt, you
23:13
know. Maybe she just likes a man in
23:18
authority. Season 11, it's as much agency
23:38
if she ever had. She loses quite a lot of that.
23:42
I've been here a bit later on because he is, she's very much.
23:47
The second lead of she's really pushing the story forward all
23:52
the time. She's yeah, she's on it and you
23:55
know, Oh, and like, yeah, Tara's dicks is known for his
23:58
outrageously. Gently playfully sexist
24:02
comments, but he has gripped, Edison her hair and Bob Holmes
24:05
took over when Bob Holmes took over.
24:07
She's suddenly like a victim, a lot.
24:10
Yeah. Oh absolutely.
24:11
I look at what happened to her in season 12?
24:13
She goes through the ringer box and you think I'm not getting
24:17
back in that time itself to being, she's even given the
24:20
option, ice tired dangled off the top of them, the rocket,
24:24
which is just, that's Really nasty after you've fallen off
24:28
and you're scared of hi. Yeah.
24:30
Well at the end of Tara's like on, she's given the option and
24:33
she's like, oh, right, I'm coming.
24:35
What just laugh it off. I'm staying with Harry super
24:40
handsome. Yeah.
24:43
How are you smart enough? He's seen enough by that point.
24:45
He's like, yeah, you're right and he hasn't had nearly as bad
24:49
a time of it as she sat. Yeah.
24:51
You remember in episode 2, there was a map on the wall with
24:56
cabinet room and I said, I wonder if they'll be a scene
24:58
with cabinets yet and who we are.
25:01
Well, there's a full of cabinets, just so happens to be
25:05
the secret lift. Oh, for fuck's sake.
25:08
Yes, two beef. Although anyone she talked to
25:14
her in this is is in on it as am.
25:17
Yeah he gets to have another great stand up with either for
25:22
the minute I think. It's not have resigned.
25:29
She has to it, all looks well, she's been up and down a few
25:33
times. If I have to go in that Bloody
25:37
lift one more time, I'd Schneider, I think they are a
25:49
great set of villain. So these three yeah I've been so
25:52
they're all very distinct as well.
25:54
They're all very different. I just love Grover, he's just,
26:02
he's really slew, isn't it? Even when even when he's out
26:06
stood? He still smooth.
26:07
And he's like we just going to take you back to her and I was
26:10
the place you know? Like yeah.
26:12
Nothing is boxing him. He's a yeah, he's a proper
26:15
politician. Actually should we get into that
26:21
right now? There's been an awful lot of
26:22
promises are not allowed to Livery.
26:25
Yeah. But okay, but he's not like a
26:27
polishing at all because he was going to deliver on his promise.
26:31
Well yeah there is that yeah he's seeing this through to The
26:34
Bitter End piske Time Lords and get in the way and that's
26:37
friends. Do you think hope empathizes
26:45
with the villains in this? I'm not sure I'd wonder, I think
26:51
I said this sort of earlier on whether he's sort of looking at
26:55
the politics of the brain dead and thinking this is fine, but
26:59
it's really that. You're so optimistic that the
27:04
people behind all the green stuff are the goodies.
27:08
And you could take this one step further and say, well actually,
27:12
no, they're not and I wonder whether he's satirizing.
27:17
The parallettes is views a bit and saying well if you push it
27:24
too far, this is what you're going to end up with Barry.
27:26
Look at this. You haven't thought this
27:28
through. You can end up with loads of
27:29
dinosaurs is that true love? Oh my word.
27:33
There he is. Look at his little arms.
27:35
That's so funny. But some of those again some of
27:39
those models look fairly good. Then I thought.
27:41
Yeah. We had like you said, it's the
27:46
look at the road, they've created with the little cones in
27:49
the middle. And the fact it matches the
27:52
location so brilliantly. Oh, we've had this Cliffhanger
27:56
before. I don't recall, always reminds
28:01
me of that bit in more than 30 years in the Tardis.
28:04
Oh yeah, we're currently driving around in the in the whom erbil
28:07
and suddenly turned round and oh good Great Balls of Fire.
28:18
Oh my, that's okay so that technically was the padding
28:22
because the dogs are kind of escaped and then came back of
28:27
his own for it's kind of like it's kind of forgotten about it.
28:29
The next episode, isn't it? Yeah.
28:32
Wow and he's back to roughly where he started last time back
28:37
at the same underground station. So yeah, and it's quite circular
28:42
is a shame that they don't entertaining, but I don't
28:44
highlight a different dinosaur. The Cliffhanger, that would be
28:46
really nice. Nice.
28:47
If it was like the Stegosaurus but yeah, it was still fun
28:52
though, wasn't it? Yeah.
28:55
Yeah, they're doing a great job. It's rattling along nicely for a
28:58
Pertwee, sick, Sparta and what you?
29:00
Okay? Just before we head off into
29:02
episode 6, what do you have to say to these invasion of the
29:06
dinosaurs detractors that have poisoned fan Consciousness over
29:11
all these years? You're wrong.
29:15
Well, wait wait. We're we're not telling you what
29:19
to think, but you're wrong.