Latest / A Hamster With a Blunt Penknife - a Doctor Who Commentary podcast / Talks to Mark Rawlins about his choice of The Mind Robber (4/5)
Transcript
- 0:39Welcome back to campus of a blunt penknife the Doctor Who
- 0:43commentary podcast Mark. I've got a question for you.
- 0:47Oh, go ahead. It's unusual for me to do that.
- 0:50Very unusual. Very unprecedented.
- 0:56You have a base spaghetti, you've been taking your brain
- 0:58juice today? Could you please rank for me the
- 1:04stories of season six from best to worst Esther worse?
- 1:10Okay. So we well, we've got the mind,
- 1:12Robert best. Okay.
- 1:15And then it's tough at your that I would say the war games.
- 1:20I would not disagree, then I would say the Invasion.
- 1:29Okay. The god, well, then it gets a
- 1:34bit Caesar, doesn't it? That's not.
- 1:39So, you know what? I'm gonna be the evasion, okay?
- 1:45Caesar death. Space pirates, really protons?
- 1:50And the Mane is because I have got a soft spot for the space
- 1:54pirates, you know. It's not as bad as everyone
- 1:56thinks, why'd you ask, is it? Why?
- 1:59Because it is a good story. It's fun.
- 2:00It's just because it doesn't exist.
- 2:02It's very difficult to consume that actually, I love Madeline
- 2:06and Dom under the table. I've said, many a time before,
- 2:09it's a good story and I'd rather watch that.
- 2:11Then the dominators again or the croutons doesn't really get em.
- 2:15Get me. You better go.
- 2:17You keep going on about the dominators Fraser Gregory's
- 2:20going to come after you. I know literally, every time I
- 2:23mentioned the doorway, as I just know that he's got a straight
- 2:28man on this world is so hard about the quarks and phrases
- 2:32clothes that I don't know. I know, I know he likes that one
- 2:36Android Invasion and you love that.
- 2:39Yeah, there's a ton of people do love time in the Ronnie and I
- 2:42fucking love that and I bet there's a lot more people.
- 2:47Collectively don't like the dominators so that it's more of
- 2:50a consensus is. Now those are people with taste
- 2:52though, aren't they? You know.
- 2:55Yeah, but no, I would choose the space pirates over the
- 2:57dominators, definitely. Can I do the same thing?
- 3:00Yeah, go for it. So I'd say WarGames number one
- 3:04Invasion. Number two, mind robber, number
- 3:06three, but I think their alternate ends, but I will try
- 3:10the Emirate. Why are You The Invasion though?
- 3:12Because I think the invasion is probably the best directed story
- 3:16of the season. And I love it.
- 3:18I just love it. I think it is sustains a
- 3:20episodes. I think it's got a great
- 3:22villain. Fantastic monsters.
- 3:24Brilliant set pieces. As funny as dramatic.
- 3:29I could pull ten scenes out of a hat that I love.
- 3:33Okay, okay. Then the Mind Robot then seeds,
- 3:36the deaf. Then the crow Tom's.
- 3:41Then the space pirates and then the Dominator.
- 3:44So, yeah, it's kind of, in the same order, really, you'd put
- 3:48the space pirates above the dominators as well.
- 3:50I had put anything above the dominators.
- 3:55I'm sure there are positives with dominate is.
- 3:57I'm sure there are a few things there, shall we destroy?
- 4:02Shall we? Yes, Hawks.
- 4:06Do you know where they fall over?
- 4:09I like the cool way that they do that when they get the doctor
- 4:12and Jamie on that table or whatever.
- 4:14And if they're up against the wall and then suddenly is like,
- 4:16and then he's like, oh yeah, that's quite.
- 4:19And they do some funny business in episode 2, the pair of them
- 4:22plus, it is the best gay romance and those who between Rago and
- 4:25Toba, I just don't like yeah, this just I do, maybe I'll try
- 4:31that the target book or something instead always Boring.
- 4:35That's the trouble with it is boring.
- 4:38In stark contrast to this, the don't hang around long enough to
- 4:40be boring. Well, we should be thankful that
- 4:43the dominators wasn't six and we had an extra episode of the Mind
- 4:46robber. I think we should.
- 4:48I think everybody would agree that the dominators shouldn't be
- 4:5060. I mean, maybe if this was six,
- 4:55maybe that would forget a little bit because actually, three and
- 4:59four. Well, two and three in this are
- 5:02a little bit similar, aren't they?
- 5:04It is dragged out a little bit but because it's so creative and
- 5:07interesting. Nobody Minds that into.
- 5:09It's all like game is safe and well, Forest of words in the -
- 5:15huh - oh free its Medusa and it's the horse and I don't know,
- 5:20I just think this this just keeps giving an injection site
- 5:24lesions. Yeah.
- 5:25So now if we go into like the Mast we meet the master for the
- 5:29first time don't we? This episode Marshall and a
- 5:33fiction not it's like he's with Andy Master.
- 5:35That's right. The master land of fiction is
- 5:37such a powerful All that, you know?
- 5:38I mean I'm used to take a mouthful, but that is a mouth.
- 5:41Oh God. I mean, this was gonna be the
- 5:43non rude episode and he really was already.
- 5:46I want. No, that's okay.
- 5:47That is your one. No more.
- 5:48No more things. We shall be all be listening
- 5:50out. This is everybody - namely
- 5:52friendly this week. This is, this is a
- 5:54family-friendly episode apart from just staying, okay, right.
- 5:58Okay, so we getting, let's go in.
- 5:59Yeah, oh, excuse me, I've always a family-friendly live going.
- 6:06Oh no, be family-friendly. Only in your mind right about a
- 6:12those dates like that as well. Let's go in Oh my account in.
- 6:21Okay, three two, one, go. Here we go.
- 6:30Oh, so this episode yet is 19 minutes long.
- 6:36It is Shalon. They are full time.
- 6:41I should I think the last episode of this is even sure.
- 6:43I think episode 5 is even shorter really sure.
- 6:47Yeah, so many people watch the Mind Rubber and go.
- 6:50Wow, that flew by. Well, there's a reason.
- 6:53Yeah, these must be surely. These must be the shortest in.
- 6:56Don't he's history, Shirley She's but I should you think
- 7:01that maybe Doctor Who should be 15 to 20 minutes, whatever in
- 7:06the classic series. I mean, imagine some okay, just
- 7:09taking something out the a imagine Armageddon factor and
- 7:12they rule liked, they all had five minutes taken off them.
- 7:16Nobody would miss that would be a bit more Pacey.
- 7:19In fact, I'll do you. Okay, I just picked that out
- 7:26because it was a long drawn-out 6 episode story in my mind.
- 7:30Or Zippy zany, wacky, fun, 6, episode 6, power in my Rx.
- 7:38Any what? Any gray Williams to on the
- 7:41worry could be, could be done with some editing.
- 7:45Arthur yogurt ahead, Ryan Williams, you know, be surprised
- 7:48at how good it is. We'll see when we get there.
- 7:50Yeah, maybe re-evaluate it. But at this time and fabulous,
- 7:53Sarah to is going to watch Greg Williams and change your mind on
- 7:56it at time of recording. This, I am not a fan of the
- 8:00grain Williams nearer, apart from Keys time.
- 8:03Nobody's Perfect. Here we go.
- 8:09Look at his reflection in the polished shield.
- 8:13Have you noticed again? Jamie's cut off from him it's a
- 8:15Doctrine. Zoe yeah we need them sort of
- 8:18split up don't because Jamie is reading these things.
- 8:21So is the rule, okay. Sometimes confuses me if it's
- 8:25written. So they get turned into fiction.
- 8:28If it's written down before it happens, is that the rule there,
- 8:34some kind of rule in this, isn't there?
- 8:36Because the doctors are bad too, because he's about themselves
- 8:39within the land of fiction. So he goes to write.
- 8:42And fiction featuring himself. So if he it is on down on paper
- 8:48as a fictional character, then the land of fiction can control
- 8:51you. That's it.
- 8:53Yeah, but here isn't Jamie reading the doctor and Zoe were
- 8:56defeating me juicer. Oh yeah, maybe this.
- 9:01If I thought it was self, if you write it yourself.
- 9:04Yeah. Because it was something because
- 9:05later on he's about to write isn't any.
- 9:07Can't do it and I wasn't sure what the rules were about.
- 9:10I don't know if he does make sense.
- 9:12I love that line yet. Cancel, cancel, cancel, doctor,
- 9:16and Zoe test report failure. We are Gulliver again.
- 9:22I do like that sensor on the door.
- 9:24That's nice. Simple trick.
- 9:26But then you get that bit where Zoey blunders for it.
- 9:28It's really bad. Well, of course, of course,
- 9:31she's gonna do that. Well, was she supposed to be
- 9:33brainy one, you know? But she's a bit that that's her
- 9:37in this. She's a bit panicky and a bit
- 9:40over the top. That's can you hear that noise?
- 9:46And you know by now, yes they're on their way.
- 9:48Is this the soldiers? All the robots, the robots.
- 9:52Yeah. Does it get hot?
- 9:56You the guest cast is quite small in this budget wise.
- 9:59I bet what you got? Gulliver Rapunzel.
- 10:02Okay. Yeah, you've got all those other
- 10:03people at the end but it's only three or four is there's not a
- 10:07big cast. God still relies even you know
- 10:11you carry on is still relying on your three regulars throughout
- 10:14this whole story to make sense of it.
- 10:16Everyone else just sort of pops up in is a monster robots are
- 10:19really Sinister, you know. I've been a great.
- 10:22I think it's the faces so I'm reliably informed me, you know,
- 10:26you have a toy one of those. And then it's right here, it's
- 10:29wonderful. There's a valet is, there is
- 10:34such a great design. I'd like to see what the
- 10:38original eats out of the unknown episode.
- 10:40Is that something that still exists?
- 10:41So, yeah, yeah. I'd like to see how they used in
- 10:47that. Jamie says more, Scottish this I
- 10:57got in. Okay.
- 10:58But how do I get out? Maybe he's, maybe he was
- 11:02listening to Hamish Wilson the other week.
- 11:04I was like, I need to up my Scottish accent, The Citadel,
- 11:09that's clearly just a picture. It's just a painting isn't here.
- 11:12I think the carcass is the most muscled, man, you know, in all
- 11:16of who we are and it's good as creative as well.
- 11:19We there's fictional characters that we don't know.
- 11:21Either doctor doesn't know. They've gone into the future as
- 11:24well and had some that. It's a good idea.
- 11:26They'd get in the thing is right.
- 11:28It's time I no sense whatsoever because he knows the second he
- 11:31says, you don't exist. He's told her the rules of this
- 11:36so he knows it. All he's got to do is say you
- 11:38don't exist and they wouldn't be in danger anymore.
- 11:39Basically is going well. Of course, when I don't know
- 11:42him. You think it doesn't know him.
- 11:43Yeah. But he doesn't know him.
- 11:44So he can't say, I get that. I understand that he can't
- 11:48believe it. I think he just said about the
- 11:50gun and the gun vanish so he knows that he can stop him and
- 11:54Mark is great because then Zoe gets to beat the shit out of
- 11:57him. And that's really for this stunt
- 11:59is a little bit row position. He's funny rolls tonight.
- 12:09I mean, it's good. It's good for his good piece for
- 12:11Zoe. It's a good story for Zoe
- 12:13overall. Actually, she does it.
- 12:14She gets a lot to do, you know something?
- 12:17I mean, you know, a minute. I shall tear.
- 12:21You. Limb from limb sometimes dates.
- 12:24I had when I was younger when I, when I, when I didn't bring them
- 12:26back. That's what, that's for
- 12:28messages. They send me.
- 12:33I'm surprised. There hasn't been a.
- 12:35Maybe somebody can tell me if there has been.
- 12:38Why haven't? Hasn't there been a spin-off has
- 12:42not had a carcass comic strip in Doctor Who magazine or a
- 12:44spin-off carcass Adventures comic strip.
- 12:48Surely that is ripe for your skin on the world.
- 12:53Okay. Go for it.
- 12:54You gonna do it that character. Well, they've got, you know,
- 12:57recently there's this, the Lipton comic strip.
- 12:59There's the paradise. Towers one.
- 13:01Do you read? No, I'm just surprised no one's
- 13:09decided to do this as it is an actual comic strip from Doctor
- 13:12Who. Why is he wearing his route like
- 13:14foamy muscles? So do you think there's too many
- 13:19spin-offs just generally from Doctor Who stuff?
- 13:23I think there's going to be more where Rusty Davis comes along.
- 13:25I think there's going to be about 45 TV spin-offs from the
- 13:29mainland main dog. Do you think do you think that's
- 13:31just Joe just generally everything.
- 13:33I mean it's great. That we've got so many different
- 13:36things but you could have every single story.
- 13:40Well, that's that that's not, that's the great thing about it.
- 13:42Every single story you can have your own spin-off world and go
- 13:46into a whole series of. I mean, if you could have
- 13:53Amazing Adventures. Well, the court that their
- 13:58Adventures, didn't they Asian? You could have the Further
- 14:02Adventures of Isabel and her dolly Soldier.
- 14:04Exactly. Yeah, I've seen this now.
- 14:08So the croutons are gone who's left on The croutons.
- 14:11Was it Varner or whoever was Ivana?
- 14:13No, just follow like the head Croton.
- 14:16As he goes around closer yet, the croutons fighting the
- 14:19mechanizing, the Daleks or something like that space.
- 14:22Don't ask his mechanoids would be.
- 14:24I'm yeah. What the ice where it says that
- 14:27mr. Misskelley would have the
- 14:29misskelley. Scientific Adventures.
- 14:31Yeah the war games casters later Jennifer go often investigate
- 14:37different War zones, of course, best of all the Milo Clancy
- 14:42Adventures. Exactly.
- 14:44Yeah, I mean, you could do it for everything in the universe
- 14:46trainee. Do you get Imagine if they took
- 14:54the inspiration, not from The Invasion for the poeira, but for
- 14:59the space pirates and he was exiled into that future and he
- 15:04was like scientific adviser to. I am General Nikolai her mac and
- 15:10went off on spaceships all over the place and in every story
- 15:13catches up with Milo Clancy's, like spare me another slice of
- 15:16bread. Yeah, I don't think it would
- 15:19have been a successful somehow. You just follow my fan,
- 15:24honestly, although I do love the space pirates teyla.
- 15:28I got a question for you now, 10, so if there is other
- 15:32spin-offs coming, hmm, what would you like to see what
- 15:37actual main TV shows? Yeah, because I would absolutely
- 15:40do Jo G doing a Sarah Jane style thing but it would be a bit
- 15:47quirky and a bit. Kooky and Sarah, Jane.
- 15:50And she would go, and she would team up with a Every now, and
- 15:52again, and you team up with other know, like, she could meet
- 15:57all the classic companions, you know, I think something like
- 16:01that would happen. I think.
- 16:02Yeah, I don't know. It just depends because he said,
- 16:04they'd never do it because after this mislaid died, they wouldn't
- 16:06go back and do, but I do know this.
- 16:08I think maybe there's been enough time now, for something
- 16:11like that, make it really kooky because you can't get your
- 16:14writing is a bit quirky. So make it a very quirky than.
- 16:17So Sarah Jane Adventures was like, it was like dr.
- 16:20Who lie wasn't it? My dogs who you could have a
- 16:24literally, you know, having these really mad like written by
- 16:27Paul Mars. You know like mad Adventures.
- 16:30Yeah. Oh I think they would do
- 16:31something like that. I would like to see well I don't
- 16:34know with Russell T. Davies is the time right?
- 16:38Would Billie Piper do a wrote that Rose spin-off that they
- 16:41were talking about? Some has it been long enough for
- 16:44her to come back and do her own? I think something I that is
- 16:47definitely possible. I don't think they would just
- 16:50do. Yeah, I do.
- 16:52Don't think you couldn't just take the, you know, like mr.
- 16:54Or whatever and do because I don't think well no that's the
- 16:58parallel or Series in it her and Teagan.
- 17:01They are a couple now and I know they know they said there were a
- 17:05couple in there for the doctor. Yeah.
- 17:07But didn't say they were like that, they're just sit.
- 17:11There were a couple has a life where they said, this is a
- 17:15sisters. I'm telling you anyway, back to
- 17:19the Mind robber. Oh, here we go.
- 17:26Zoe's just run through the thing and she's being stupid that.
- 17:31And that's the one thing that annoys me about classic who, but
- 17:33they don't really have in the new series, is you have these
- 17:36moments where I've been behave, ridiculously out of character,
- 17:39like, stupidly in order for them to be in danger.
- 17:43Well, yeah, but that's all you classic, because if you think of
- 17:45Zoe throughout this whole, she's they are up there different from
- 17:48wheat. A week, different from story to
- 17:50story, depending on what's needed.
- 17:52You know, if he was in the death zone in Gallifrey or in that
- 17:54quarry from Android Invasion, I mean you'd be looking in front
- 17:57of you, you would not be falling down those Souls.
- 18:00I'm telling y'all shallow Oh my God, the robots.
- 18:09Here we go. I'm gonna meet, we still haven't
- 18:11seen by this point by episode. For this master land, a fiction.
- 18:14We've seen the back of his head and exert a voice.
- 18:17We're going to make this is really you.
- 18:19Now we're going to go and meet him and I think is needed by
- 18:22this point in the story this week.
- 18:24Yeah there's just a lot of weird shit going on with no
- 18:30expectations and there's another name for that.
- 18:32It's called lost. I gave up in season 2.
- 18:36I did all of last. But I did do all the lost but I
- 18:40was just so bored waiting for the exclamations, but I remember
- 18:43that series one, where they're finding out all.
- 18:45I looked really School scary at the time trying to when you find
- 18:48out all these different things. It's I really like that name.
- 18:52I know he went on too long. It went on to say, what was the
- 18:55answer in the end? It's some weird afterlife.
- 18:58Yeah, didn't really understand that but what is friendly,
- 19:00money's a lost man. Yeah, we've been here.
- 19:05All that weird bit of spit in the corner of his are and now I
- 19:09know once you see that you can't unsee again, he's there.
- 19:12Yeah, it's just a must've been hot in the studio.
- 19:15Is there all night. You need to drink.
- 19:17I know no one's like just mouth. Someone should have just cut and
- 19:20said, come on. We need to wipe your mouth and
- 19:23they realize how easy they need to keep it there.
- 19:26I know, but I just, I'd love his great performance, but I just
- 19:29zoned in on that B p--. I can't help it.
- 19:31I'm so sorry. It's that poor actor.
- 19:34I just could I just staring at that white bit in his mouth the
- 19:37whole time. I'm so sorry.
- 19:39So, you know, like the bit where Tim if you don't want spits and
- 19:42then the time oh God, is this a new dirty book?
- 19:49I'm writing spitting. Dr. Drew well, no, this is me
- 19:52leading up to you asking you what?
- 19:53You don't like a bit of spit play then.
- 19:56Oh, this is the good episode of the family-friendly episode.
- 20:02What the hell? You talk about spots spit play
- 20:05anymore? I don't even want to know.
- 20:06That's something out. Know.
- 20:07Please. No, opening his mouth.
- 20:11Oh well you can you do that with the muscle under FixMeStick
- 20:14plenty of society? Jesus Christ?
- 20:22Yeah. Hmm.
- 20:23I've written 5000 first words every week for all those years.
- 20:27Yeah, OG that isn't you on my God, you're the muscle and a
- 20:31picture. I'll let you have ridden in my
- 20:32blog. All right?
- 20:34I've written 2000 reviews over A thousand words.
- 20:38Each other know how many words that he is?
- 20:40There's a lot I called you are you are him.
- 20:42You've written all those words. You love spit play.
- 20:45You are the most talented efficient going to do the sums
- 20:52right now on Mike. Hang on.
- 20:55I've written at least two million words at least who
- 20:59really were right? Okay.
- 21:00Yeah. And that's called doc.
- 21:02I do reviews of anyone would care to go and have a look.
- 21:05They have some nice big finish reviews on that Aunt Edie
- 21:07reviews. Mm-hmm.
- 21:09You've read some of you. I have a very good.
- 21:11Whoa, did you give them on Trapper?
- 21:15I think I give it 10 out of 10. Oh yeah, good.
- 21:19I'm sorry. Normally you are here with me
- 21:22about my scores. This is the point where the
- 21:26doctor starts figuring out the rules.
- 21:29Yeah, yeah, all you with this with this guy after he had all
- 21:35this build-up. What do you think of this
- 21:37character here? Is it a bit disappointing that
- 21:39it's just this guy or is that part of the charm of it?
- 21:43That it is just some right? A guy after because because
- 21:46earlier on he's been taking over, isn't it?
- 21:48He's being controlled. I know.
- 21:51But early Ronnie just seemed like this Mastermind Chancellor
- 21:54head in with his by row type thing, and then actually, it's
- 21:58not. Not like, I've just pulled out
- 22:00my review of the my rubber, would you mind if I just read it
- 22:02to you very quickly, some of it? Yeah, there's not long.
- 22:06All right. Okay, sorry.
- 22:08Okay, what's up every season of Doctor Who as a Class Act in it,
- 22:11one that shines Above the Rest, despite how good the rest are
- 22:15trout on, who is a little more fortunate than the rest in his
- 22:17last season, he was graced with free, absolute belters.
- 22:21But you can determine what they are.
- 22:23And depending on which day of the week, it is depends on which
- 22:26one I would endorse just a little higher than the others.
- 22:29The only convincing argument I ever remember hearing that pans
- 22:32the mine drawbar was from somebody who truly despised the
- 22:35fantasy genre fair enough. But on any conceivable level
- 22:40writing Direction performance, this is brilliantly.
- 22:43Done a constantly surprising adapting.
- 22:46Giving story that manages to Thrill scare and amuse in equal
- 22:49measure stylish Li directed to with David Maloney shooting, the
- 22:53story in unusual ways, to highlight its real nature.
- 22:57My favorite experience of the and Robber wizard with a non
- 22:59hoof at Fan, friend of mine who I showed the first episode 2.
- 23:03And he as he asked to see an example of a black-and-white
- 23:06story, we went out and he was desperate to get back and watch
- 23:10the rest. Usually he lost his head off a
- 23:12classic Who sometimes with good reason.
- 23:14He did a Squatch, Paradise Towers.
- 23:16But he enjoyed this immensely and was able to see it through
- 23:20and I was able to see it through new eyes.
- 23:22Those of you who write off this story and only praise the first
- 23:25episode. Shame on you, if Doctor Who's
- 23:28Greatest weapon is Imagination. Than this is one of the finest
- 23:31examples of how far it can stretch that along with the
- 23:35show's format 10/10 very good. Yeah, sums up very well.
- 23:42Well, you know, I'm very succinct, how long you know when
- 23:45you write your blog? How long does it take you to do
- 23:47a review a review at two hours? Two hours?
- 23:50Well yes I usually watch them bash it out the same time, brush
- 23:54out the reviews That's the Mantra.
- 24:01Here we go. Oh no, Jamie Zoe, no, it's
- 24:06great. That image of them in the book
- 24:08that's coming up. Oh my God, classic and it's
- 24:11very, yeah, very expensive to do really.
- 24:14We got to do is make a big book. He see, make them all the time,
- 24:18they do, you reckon w-would? You absolutely would do you
- 24:23reckon that? They just did one page of worth
- 24:26of work. Words though.
- 24:27The rest is all blank. Oh yeah, I think so.
- 24:30It's a solid thing which is the words.
- 24:32Yeah. Happen to this massive book when
- 24:34they were done with it. Somewhat.
- 24:37Yeah. What did they do?
- 24:38Did it get used for something else?
- 24:40Or is there a hole in one side there?
- 24:42Because that little must be, ya know, must be.
- 24:44Yeah, there's a hole on the left.
- 24:46That was a hole on the left and they go in very creative felt so
- 24:51quick that episode Yeah, that's it.
- 24:55That's it. I mean, these episodes are
- 25:00zipping by a, right? And not.
- 25:02So I would say absolutely, yeah. Well we gonna get to the climax
- 25:08in episode 5 with all the all the other characters coming in
- 25:12and that in the battle of wits, the battle of the land of
- 25:17fiction.