This archive article from 1999 contains several out of date links. It is presented here in its original form as a historical document.
THE DISUSED YETI
THE NEWSLETTER ON EARLY DOCTOR WHO
ISSUE 19
20 June 1999
Edited by Bruce Robinson (robinsba@ozemail.com.au)
- BEN : (noticing Polly’s attire) What’s this rigout in aid of?
- POLLY : They were going to turn me into a fish.
- BEN : (laughing) Into a fish?
- POLLY : It’s not funny!
(The Underwater Menace:1)
| THE LION ROARS AGAIN … PART THREE |
| CRUSADE TELESNAP DISCOVERY |
| MISSING EPISODE AUDIO NEWS |
| EVIL & FURY STUDIO FOOTAGE “DISCOVERED” |
| NOTHING AT THE END OF THE LANE – HOW TO ORDER! |
WELCOME!
Sadly, Robert is far too busy to be joining us for this issue – as a result, you’ll just have to put up with my company for the next 6000 words or so!
Due to yet another problem with my PC, I’m currently in the process of typing up most of this issue in the old DOS “edit” program (and finding the lack of word-wrap to be a real nuisance!). Unfortunately, after nearly four years of solid use, my PC is now starting to say that it’s on its last legs.
As a result, it’s a real battle at the moment to even have a single COI reconstruction finished – however, by the time you read this, I’m hoping that The Abominable Snowmen will be completed, or just about completed. PC problems aside, yet another technical hitch, requiring about 20 hours to fix, has affected the recon (don’t worry, I won’t bore you with all the details).
I’m hoping to have a new PC by the end of the year, but for now, I’m more interested in saving up the money for the UK trip which I’m about to make in about … oh, two weeks time! So don’t be surprised if issue #20 of The Disused Yeti is a little bit later than usual.
By the way, now that I have this issue to myself, I’m tempted to reveal something embarrassing about Mr Franks (especially as a result of his claim last issue that I “boogie-down” to an Ian Levine tune). However, I will not sink that low – for now, your secrets are safe with me Robert “Mountain Dew” Franks.
Enjoy the issue!
Bruce
RECONSTRUCTION UPDATES
MARCO POLO [COI3 enhanced] (update by Bruce Robinson)
This will most likely be the next release after The Abominable Snowmen. I am currently in the process of preparing all the slides in the “new” COI format (ie full-screen images, shaded boxes behind the text … or just have a look at The Abominable Snowmen for the end result!). Style changes aside, there is also the distinct chance of even more photographs being available for the recon.
THE CRUSADE [COI7] (update by Bruce Robinson)
I’ve now decided to make The Crusade number 7 in the COI series, when previously, it was intended to be the sixth release. For obvious reasons (the discovery of the first episode AND telesnaps for all episodes), the recon will be delayed so that the new material can be fully utilised for the reconstruction of episodes 2 and 4. As a result, the recon has fairly much reached a stand-still – in fact, don’t be surprised if something like The Daleks’ Master Plan appears first.
THE DALEKS’ MASTER PLAN [COI8] (update by Bruce Robinson)
With most of my attention being focussed on The Abominable Snowmen and Marco Polo, it has unfortunately meant that not as much time as hoped has been devoted to Master Plan. Nevertheless, the process to gather further photographic material is continuing, and arrangements are currently underway to prepare a high-quality (and unedited) version of the soundtrack.
THE UNDERWATER MENACE / THE ICE WARRIORS [JV5] (update by Robert Franks)
These two stories, which have both been previously reconstructed by Richard Develyn, are now available as JV recons (both stories must be obtained on a single tape – it will prove too inconvenient for the distributors to release the two stories separately). In the case of Ice Warriors only the two missing episodes are included on the tape – the existing episodes (1,4,5,6) are now available in the UK and Australia from BBC Video (with the North American release to follow in September). Under NO circumstances will we be providing copies of the existing episodes as part of the Ice Warriors recon.
THE MOONBASE [JV7] (update by Robert Franks)
The finishing touches are currently being made on The Moonbase, which is another story previously reconstructed by Richard Develyn. The updated version has been completed in-between other projects – the story should be released at roughly the same time as Fury from the Deep.
THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN [COI6] (update by Bruce Robinson)
Due to a number of technical problems, more frustration has been caused as a result of being unable to complete a recon which is essentially complete (and has been complete for at least nine months now!!). Nevertheless, the last of the technical problems is currently being sorted out, and it is hoped the Michael Palmer should strike no further problems in putting together the reconstruction on his PC. If nothing else, this whole endeavour has been a very useful learning experience for both Michael and myself, meaning that future efforts should be nowhere near as problematic.
[Stop Press – The Abominable Snowmen has now been completed, and copies are currently being arranged for the dub-sites.]
FURY FROM THE DEEP [JV6] (update by Robert Franks)
Both the reconstruction and Richard Bignell’s documentary are near completion. With the reconstruction, we hope to incorporate more cliff-hanger recreations (ie in the same style which proved popular with The Wheel in Space). Currently, we are waiting for some final material for the recon, and this should hopefully be available by early August
.LOOSE CANNON RECONSTRUCTIONS (update by Rick Brindell)
Recently completed The Power of The Daleks and soon to be completed The Highlanders should be ready for release some time in June. The John Peel interview is currently being edited and will be released at the same time.
The Celestial Toymaker is still waiting a few more photos before completion, however this is now imminent and I hope to release the recon very soon.
Galaxy 4 is still in pre-production (ie preparing the source materials), but should hopefully be ready by August/September.
For more info, please go to www.recons.com. If you would like to join the LC mailing list, please email me at brindellr@erols.com.
TELESNAP DISCOVERY
Before we make a mention of the discovery, here’s a quick overview of the telesnaps for those not quite familiar with the details …
During the sixties, a freelance photographer by the name of John Cura was hired by the BBC to take off-air photographs from numerous episodes of the time. These “telesnaps” were then sold to the cast or crew to provide them with a visual record of the work they performed. As reported in issues 14 and 15 of ‘Disused Yeti’, fans Marcus Hearn and Stephen James Walker were responsible for discovering a significant portion of telesnaps in the BBC’s Written Archives Centre – the collection consisted of all episodes (bar The Enemy of the World:4), from The Gunfighters to The Mind Robber. Unfortunately, while Cura did take telesnaps for stories prior to Gunfighters, only a minority of these still exist (thanks mainly to director Christopher Barry, who diligently retained copies of all his work).
Recently, another collection of telesnaps was unearthed. This collection came to light when DWM reporter Peter Griffiths interviewed George Gallaccio, one of the production managers during the seventies era. In fact, this interview took place last year – as Peter recalls “I didn’t pay much attention then [to the possibility of telesnaps existing], but it’s been at the back of my mind ever since”. Recently, Peter made contact with George again and enquired about the telesnaps – “He rang me back the next day with a vague description of what was on them, and when he mentioned Warlord, I thought, ‘Ah.’ I met up with him at the BAFTA in Piccadilly that evening to sort through them, and he had complete collections of various episodes.”
According to George, the telesnaps were simply picked up by him at the time when he noticed they were about to be thrown out (in fact, all of the telesnaps obtained were from stories that George did not work on). The production office were simply performing a clean-up of one of their filing cabinets, and George decided to take the telesnaps when no-one else expressed an interest in them.
The collection itself consists of five separate stories – The Crusade, The Time Meddler, The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase and The Evil of the Daleks (episodes 3 to 7). Of course, the major discovery is that of Crusade, as no telesnaps previously existed at all from the story. Unfortunately, all the other telesnaps discovered are from episodes that currently exist (ie, Time Meddler) or episodes that are already covered by telesnaps. Regarding the format of the discovered telesnaps, they all exist as thumbnail “contact sheets”, similar to what is held by the BBC’s Written Archives Centre.
The Crusade telesnaps will be published in DWM #280, to co-incide with the BBC Video release of episodes 1 and 3 (which will appear alongside The Space Museum). Incidentally, the video release, originally scheduled for June, has now been postponed to July due to a number of problems with the packaging.
MISSING EPISODE AUDIO NEWS
After an absence of nearly six years, the BBC releases of the missing episode audios will shortly re-commence with a release of The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve. The audio will feature narration provided by Peter Purves (who played Steven). Further details about the restoration work required on the audio will appear in a future issue (in the form of an interview with Restoration Team member Mark Ayres).
In other audio news, Mark Ayres has indicated that another stash of missing episodes audios has recently been unearthed. At this stage, only sketchy details are known, but it is believed that a fan by the name of Allen Wilson (who lives in the UK Midlands area) recorded a number of serials in the 1960s. At this stage, it can be confirmed that Allan does possess high quality copies of Galaxy 4 and The Daleks’ Master Plan. Further details to appear soon …
EVIL & FURY STUDIO FOOTAGE “DISCOVERED”
Continuing the trend of recent DOCTOR WHO discoveries, another breakthrough find was recently made by UK fan, Richard Bignell. A detailed account of the discovery will appear in a future Disused Yeti, but briefly, Richard has successfully managed to locate the person responsible for filming the studio footage currently existing from The Evil of the Daleks and Fury from the Deep (snippets of the footage appeared on The Ice Warriors release). Richard’s contact still possesses the original film reel, resulting in the BBC now being able to remaster the footage from the actual source, as opposed to a VHS video copy (which was all that was available for Ice Warriors).
THE LION ROARS AGAIN … PART THREE
So far, we’ve talked to both Paul Scoones and Steve Roberts in regards to the discovery of The Lion. This issue, we turn our attention to another NZ fan involved in the discovery – Neil Lambess. Unfortunately, Neil’s contribution is often overlooked when talking about the discovery – this is a shame as Neil was the person mainly responsible for all the leg-work in tracking down the episode. In fact, it is doubtful that the episode would have been discovered when it was, if it wasn’t for Neil’s persistence.
In the previous issue, it was reported that this would be the final part in the interview series on The Lion – however there is now a chance of a fourth interview in the series taking place. Either way, all will be revealed in the next issue!
(1) Neil, how did you first find out about the possibility of The Lion existing in New Zealand? What was your initial reaction?
When I first heard the rumour, I was instantly excited … and then instantly disappointed when I realised that The Crusade had never been screened in New Zealand. Cornelius Stone, who was the first person to mention to me that an episode of The Crusade might exist, was certain that it was a middle episode. However, he conceded that it was probably the episode that already existed (ie episode 3), so I was doubtful that this would come to anything. Despite my skepticism, Corn agreed to put me in touch with the owner of the film reel (unfortunately, this in itself took three months to achieve).
(2)Once you suspected that you may have discovered a missing episode, what did you do next?
About two weeks after my initial meeting with Corn, I re-read Andrew Pixley’s Archive on the story in DWM, and discovered that TVNZ HAD bought screening copies of The Crusade after all. Therefore, I decided to get in touch with my old friends Paul Scoones and Jon Preddle, and mention to them, “Hey guys, guess what?!” Of course, they replied something to the effect of “Oh no, not again!”
I then got in touch with Corn again to find out more … and the lengthy negotiation began. This shouldn’t be construed as anything negative about Bruce Grenville or Corn – but it is important to realise that if you are tracking down a film print, people DO have lives. What may initially seem to be a very simple thing, can still take a long time. Also, some collectors are very cautious of the public finding out what items are in their collection (possibly because they suspect some of their items may have been stolen in the first place – although in this case, the print had been purchased for $NZ5 at a film fair). Therefore, the moral to all this is, if you think you have a lead on a missing episode, always be EXCEPTIONALLY patient and TOTALLY professional.
Anyway, on the morning of January 3 1999, I was finally told over the phone by Bruce that he had “Episode 1 of a Hartnell story called The Lion“. At that point, I instantly realised that it wasn’t a hoax.
(3)In issue #17, you may recall Paul Scoones stating that “Neil is someone whom, albeit in the nicest possible way, is forever coming up with new rumours and conspiracy theories about missing episodes”. Surely this can’t be true?!
Well, I’m not certain that I’ve had THAT many conspiracy theories! And I accept that Paul’s comments were good-natured (in fact, he even ran them by me for approval first). The thing to remember is, out of the large majority of people in New Zealand fandom, I seem to have been the only one who believed that something had to survive. And true, I have chased up on many leads which have turned out to be dead ends. For example, I have video copies of TIMESLIP which feature the old NZBC leaders at the start of the episodes. These episodes don’t appear on any of the documentation for the known archive dumpings, so obviously, the episodes managed to escape somehow.
When I was at primary school, I have a very clear memory of a school sports day which was cancelled. In its place, we were shown a number of films in the assembly hall. I remember seeing a documentary about speed-boats, as well as another documentary about ice sculpture in Japan (featuring an iced Thunderbird-2 actually!). And then, as a special treat, we received a screening of a complete B&W DOCTOR WHO story. Up until recently, I thought that this story was The Macra Terror – however, I now realise that the dates don’t match up (the date on which I saw it would have been around the time it was screened in New Zealand). The reason I’m not certain which story it was is because I was much more interested in THUNDERBIRDS at the time.
When I was about 13, my best friend and I collected all the Target books. One day, we met up with my best friend’s older brother, who happened to work for the TVNZ studios in Avalon. Naturally, we asked him if they were going to ever screen DOCTOR WHO on TV again (at that point, it had been “off-air” for quite some time). He then told us that they still had some DOCTOR WHO episodes in the vaults – in fact, he recalled watching one a few weeks earlier which was all about Scotsmen. Well, assuming this is The Highlanders that he’s talking about, it at least means the serial was still in the Archives in 1977 or 1978.
From the research carried out by NZ Dr Who fans (such as Graham Howard and Nigel Windsor), we now know something about the dumping procedures of TVNZ. And it is possible that some stuff could still be intact in its original film cans – and who knows, it may still be sitting in a rubbish dump somewhere! (perhaps if somebody could lend me a ground imaging radar system, a dozen volunteers and a load of shovels … only joking!)
The important thing is that I still believe that there are missing episodes out there. When you look back at the fan’s obsession with the show, and the places where material have turned up (such as churches and car boot sales), there HAS to be more out there. Unfortunately, the episodes may only turn up in a thousand years’ time when archeologists dig up our rubbish dumps to find out how we lived!
(4)And finally, what are your thoughts on the episode itself?
The thrill of watching the first part of the Hartnell opening titles, as projected on Bruce Grenville’s screen, will stay with me for a long long time. As for the episode itself, I love Douglas Camfield’s fast paced atypical direction, as well as the superb production values and excellent acting. Similar to all other WHO, it does have its slightly dodgy moments, such as the oddly misplaced cliffhanger (I’m sure Hartnell either fluffed his line or is trying to fluff William Russell!). But yeah, I love the episode to bits … I just wish I’d found the rest of it!!
NOTHING AT THE END OF THE LANE – HOW TO ORDER!
With the first issue of Nothing at the End of the Lane almost complete, we are now able to accept pre-orders for the magazine (just as a reminder, the magazine, which consists of 64 “glossy” pages, will contain a large variety of articles on DOCTOR WHO research and restoration). As is the case with most other printed publications, the print run for the magazine will be limited, so if you are interested in purchasing a copy, you are advised to order yours as soon as possible!
For further details on making an order, please E-mail me at robinsba@ozemail.com.au or visit the following web-page :
http://home.earthlink.net/~telesnapguy/lane.htm
Note that distributors for the magazine will be set up in three countries – the UK, the USA and Australia.
RECON RAMBLINGS – THE CAMERA SCRIPTS
To continue our irregular series of mini-articles on the reconstructions, we take a look at the part played by the camera scripts. What exactly are the camera scripts? And just how useful are they when putting together a missing episode reconstruction?
Firstly, a quick definition. The camera scripts are simply the final version of the script which is used for the actual recording of a DOCTOR WHO episode. This means that apart from all the usual dialogue and descriptive text which one would normally find in any form of television script, the script also contains all the camera directions down the left-hand side of the page. In addition, other odds-and-sods can also be found within, such as full details of the cast, props requirements, and recording dates.
From reading the above definition, it may sound as if the camera script would be an invaluable tool in creating a recon – it would allow you to ensure that all the picture changes are more or less consistent with the camera directions (eg “BCU WHO” would tell you that a “big close-up” of the Doctor should appear at that point); as well as ensuring that the narrative and dialogue (the latter being relevant for COI recons) was consistent with what appeared in the actual production.
Regarding the camera directions, some benefit can be obtained by determining the exact position the camera was pointing during certain scenes. However, in practical terms, due to the limited amount of material that exists from any one serial, it is a near impossible task to match up precise camera angles with the available images. Still, the scripts are handy for certain passages, such as highlighting exactly where the film inserts appeared (eg, in the Marco Polo example discussed below, the camera script reveals that part of the dialogue was spoken over a film insert of a snow-covered mountain landscape).
The dialogue is perhaps the area of greatest difference – this is not surprising considering that much of sixties DOCTOR WHO was recorded under tight schedules, resulting in actors finding it difficult to deliver lines with pinpoint precision. Of course, lines may also be altered due to last minute changes by the script editor, or due to technical problems experienced in studio. To demonstrate the “so-close-yet-so-far-nature” of dialogue in camera scripts, here’s an extract from the camera script of Roof of the World (Marco Polo:1):
~~~~~~~~
(The Doctor looks at the footprint in the snow)
THE DOCTOR : That. I’m afraid I’m not impressed. My only concern is to leave here. I’ve got some work to do.
(The Doctor re-enters the TARDIS)
IAN : You know, Barbara, I wonder. If only it were the earth. It couldn’t be the Alps, could it?
BARBARA : Might be the Andes
SUSAN : The Himalayas – the top of the world.
IAN : It feels like it Susan. If we’re on Earth. Let’s face it, the Doctor isn’t exactly reliable.
~~~~~~~~
Now, compare this to the dialogue actually spoken …
~~~~~~~~
(The Doctor looks at the footprint in the snow)
THE DOCTOR : That? Oh, I can’t see anything without my glasses. Anyway, I don’t like this place – you’ll have to excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work to do first.
(The Doctor re-enters the TARDIS)
IAN : Barbara, I wonder, do you think it could be the Earth? If it were, where do you think we could be? In the Alps?
BARBARA : Or it could be the Andes.
SUSAN : The Himalayas – the roof of the world.
IAN : The roof of the world? I wonder … if only … well, the Doctor isn’t very reliable you know, mustn’t count on it.
~~~~~~~~
So while the finished production is more or less conveying the same plot elements as presented in the camera script, the actual delivery of the lines is an entirely different matter!
Therefore, while the camera script may be useful for clarifying unclear lines of dialogue (a good example of this is what Susan and Ping-Cho are REALLY saying during the sandstorm in the second Marco Polo episode), they are not really useful for copying down whole lines of dialogue verbatim. In fact, there is only one true way of obtaining a perfect (or near-perfect) transcription – and that is simply by listening to the audio recording, and writing down everything that’s said … it’s as time-consuming as it sounds!
So to sum up, camera scripts are indeed a useful tool when it comes to creating the recons, but they cannot be regarded as the definitive article. Besides from what’s been discussed above, the camera scripts are also of enormous benefit when it comes to researching the episodes in general. However, this would require an article of at least 15,000 words to adequately cover all the major points … fortunately, such as article, written by Andrew Pixley, will appear in the first issue of Nothing at the End of the Lane!
(BRUCE ROBINSON)
STORY GUIDES
SEASON 2 STORY 5
N : The Web Planet
(a) GENERAL
6 episodes
| Episode | TX | TI | DU | VA | CP | AA |
| The Web Planet | 13 Feb 65 | 17.40 | 23’57” | 13.5 | 7 | 56 |
| The Zarbi | 20 Feb 65 | 17.40 | 23’20” | 12.5 | 12 | 53 |
| Escape to Danger | 27 Feb 65 | 17.40 | 22’52” | 12.5 | 11 | 53 |
| Crater of Needles | 06 Mar 65 | 17.40 | 25’50” | 13.0 | 9 | 49 |
| Invasion | 13 Mar 65 | 17.40 | 26’04” | 12.0 | 12 | 48 |
| The Centre | 20 Mar 65 | 17.55 | 24’32” | 12.0 | 14 | 42 |
Total Duration = 146’32” (approx)
Average Viewing Audience = 12.6
Average Chart Position = 10.8
Repeat Screenings – nil on BBC1, although the story has been repeated on BSB and UK Gold. The BSB broadcast was not part of the DOCTOR WHO weekend over 22 & 23 Sep 1990 – instead, the serial was screened in an episode-per-week format from 29 Jul 1990 to 02 Sep 1990.
Countries Sold To – Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Chile (Spanish), Costa Rica (Spanish), Dominican Republic (Spanish), Ethiopia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Mauritius, Nigeria, Sierra Leona, Singapore, USA, Venezuela and Zambia.
(b) VIDEO FOOTAGE
Status – all six episodes currently exist as 16mm telerecording negatives. When the Film & Video Tape Library was audited in 1978, only episode 2 was held at the time. Film prints were subsequently recovered from BBC Enterprises (also in 1978), however the prints for episodes 1 and 6 were edited. In 1985, complete prints of all six episodes were recovered from Nigeria.
Clips – n/a
Notes –
The story was released on BBC Video in 1990 (BBCV 4405) as a double tape set. CBS/Fox released the story on a single tape in 1994 (8142) – the Australian release was also on a single tape. All versions were episodic and featured a cover painting by Alister Pearson. The end of episode six was edited to remove the “Next Episode” caption (the closing credits were also recreated).
(c) AUDIO RECORDINGS
n/a
(d) RECONSTRUCTIONS
n/a
(e) PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL
elesnaps – PasB (Programme-as-Broadcast) documentation does not provide any indication of John Cura’s services on the serial. However, it is probable that telesnaps were taken for all six episodes.
Behind-the-Scenes Shots – unknown
Publicity Shots –
05 Jan 65 – photocall at Ealing Film Studios, Stage 2 (Zarbi and Menoptera)
22 Jan 65 – photocall at Riverside Studios, Studio One (Zarbi outside the TARDIS)
(f) AUSTRALIAN CENSOR CUTS
| Episode | DR | FT | RA | CUTS |
| The Web Planet | 16 Dec 65 | 908 | G | no cuts |
| The Zarbi | 16 Dec 65 | 883 | G | no cuts |
| Escape to Danger | 16 Dec 65 | 867 | G | no cuts |
| Crater of Needles | 16 Dec 65 | 976 | G | no cuts |
| Invasion | 16 Dec 65 | 988 | G | no cuts |
| The Centre | 16 Dec 65 | 928 | G | no cuts |
(g) OTHER NOTES
- Working titles – Centre of Terror (final episode)
- Recording for all six episodes occurred at Riverside Studio One between 22 Jan 1965 and 26 Feb 1965. Film inserts were produced at Ealing between 04 Jan 65 and 08 Jan 65, with some filming also occurring on 11 Jan 65.
- Novelised by Bill Strutton, Doctor Who and the Zarbi was originally published by Frederick Muller Ltd as a hardback on 16 September 1965 (cover and interior illustrations were provided by John Wood). The book was reprinted by Allan Wingate Ltd (hardback) and Universal-Tandem (paperback) in May 1973 – both featured a cover by Chris Achilleos. The book was also issued in hardback by White Lion in 1975 (the cover art featured Tom Baker’s likeness). In 1982, the paperback was given the number 73 in WH Allen’s DOCTOR WHO library. Then, in 1990, Virgin Publishing reissued the paperback using the Andrew Skilleter artwork from the BBC Video. The book was also released in Holland as Doctor Who en de Zarbis in 1974; and a Portugal edition was released as Doutor Who e os Zarbi in 1986.
- Two versions of the final episode were prepared – apart from the normal version with the “Next Episode” caption of The Lion, a second version (with a “Next Episode” caption of The Space Museum) was also prepared for those countries not purchasing The Crusade.
- The average viewing audience of 12.6 million viewers per episode is the highest attained by a sixties DOCTOR WHO story. The rating attained by the first episode (13.5 million) is also the highest for an individual episode in the sixties.
REVIEWS AND COMMENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE UNDERWATER MENACE / THE ICE WARRIORS [JV5]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If ever a reconstruction had an uphill struggle to win over its audience, then surely the Joint Venture team must have felt that they were at the foot of Everest when embarking on The Underwater Menace.
Never considered to be one of Troughton’s classics, Geoffrey Orme’s tale of mad professors, fish people and, most worryingly, bushy eyebrows, treads water among the series’ all-time lows. Episode 3’s survival does not help the serial’s reputation, with its flagrant acting and dialogue excesses guaranteeing a place in DOCTOR WHO folklore for all the wrong reasons. When Professor Zaroff (the usually dependable Joseph Furst) orgasmically proclaims that “Nothing in the world can stop me now!”, viewers could easily mistake The Underwater Menace for a FLASH GORDON serial of the thirties. Zaroff’s harebrained scheme to demonstrate his genius by blowing up the world is laughable at best (laying bare the B-movie aspirations of the story), and plot-holes abound. For instance, I’d be interested to hear how the Atlanteans have survived for 2000 years on a diet of plankton … not heard of scurvy, Mr Orme?
Fortunately though, all is not lost, for we are treated to a terrific bonus on this tape – as a compliment to the recent BBC Worldwide release, the two missing episodes of The Ice Warriors have been given the JV treatment, and are included here. More extensive than the BBC’s reconstructions (which, in effect, were edited highlights only), these are a most welcome treat from an excellent adventure.
Both stories had previously been reconstructed by Richard Develyn, one of the JV team members. The new versions are an indispensable update and greatly improved, the main innovation being the skillful incorporation of rediscovered censored sequences into The Underwater Menace. It was good seeing these on the BBC’s Missing Years tape, but even better to view them in context. For both stories, the audio tracks are excellent, with the recording of episodes 1, 2 and 4 of Menace being beautifully clear and detailed (courtesy of Michael Palmer’s diligent work).
The Ice Warriors is a JV first in that it is designed to be played alongside the CD from the BBC boxed set. However, the countdown for playing the CD would have been more helpful had it commenced from “5”, not “2”. Unsurprisingly, all the telesnap scans are also greatly enhanced – the recent JV and COI releases have seen consistent improvement in this area – and picture scripting is generally effective. One particularly illuminating telesnap, which I had overlooked in the Marvel telesnap archive, depicts the Doctor’s scribbled note to Zaroff in The Underwater Menace:1. I was fascinated to learn that he had signed it “Dr. W.” … maybe the only time in the series where the Doctor has utilised his unofficial moniker? Visual touches of this kind, lost on an isolated soundtrack, make the reconstructions all the more valuable to me. Conversely, two telesnaps in Menace were painfully indistinct and confusing to the eye, leading me to wonder whether John Cura’s less successful shots should be omitted rather than included for the sake of completism.
In terms of their presentation, the JV releases continue to impress. The introductory sections feel more “epic” each time. Of the two on this tape, The Ice Warriors had the more satisfying teaser, comprising some amusing interview footage of Debbie Watling recalling her memories of Bernard Bresslaw (the Ice Warrior, Varga). The “Previously on Dr. Who” reprise of the existing first episode was also carried off with style and panache. The otherwise pleasing introduction to The Underwater Menace was compromised by the dreadful picture quality of the Michael Craze convention footage. Plainly, the material was included more out of the need to mark his tragic death, than for any real relevance to the story it was meant to illustrate.
In conclusion, these two productions are excellent additions to the steadily expanding library of reconstructed stories. Yet again, they have been crafted with professionalism, care and imagination – JV and COI productions display these qualities in such abundance that it is easy to take them for granted. It’s just a pity that, occasionally, the original stories don’t reflect these standards also.
(ALAN HAYES)
LETTERS AND OPINIONS
Recently I purchased a copy of Carnival Of Monsters, and in this (Australian) release, there is a scene cut from the end (this is a much longer sequence involving the head official betting more and more on the seed game, leading into the Doctor’s line about not having to worry about the Lermans too much). This scene exists on an old copy of the story I taped off the telly years ago.
After noticing the discrepancy with Carnival Of Monsters, I wonder what other scenes may be cut from the official releases and if there are other, or longer, scenes in black and white copies of Pertwee’s stories. Maybe this could be put to Disused Yeti readers?
(ANDREW IRVINE)
~~~~~~~~~~~
Does anyone know why the release of The Rescue & The Romans has the end of Desperate Measures edited (the final episode of Rescue), but not Inferno (the final episode of Romans)? Bear in mind that The Rescue has its subsequent story on the same tape, whereas The Romans does not.
(MARTIN DUNN)
THE MEMORY CHEATS
I was fourteen years old when DOCTOR WHO started, so I never went through the “hiding-behind-the-sofa” stage. I can clearly remember watching the first episode at my grandparents’ house – and becoming immediately hooked. Right from the beginning, I knew that this programme was something special.
My memories from the first season are fairly hazy. Most of the episodes still exist, of course, and I’ve seen them again since. I remember being disappointed with Marco Polo – it seemed to drag on for weeks with not very much actually happening. Marco Polo is a good story, but I’ve always felt that it would have been better made as five episodes instead of seven.
Most of my school friends were fans of the programme too. The main topic of conversation at school on Monday mornings was the previous Saturday’s episode. When the first series ended and the TV announcer told us that it would return on October 31st, I was horrified (like many other people). How would I cope without my favourite programme for six weeks?
When the show returned, it was worth the wait. The second series seemed even better than the first. One thing that everyone remembers is the Dalek rising from the river at the end of episode one of The Dalek Invasion of Earth (although no-one has ever satisfactorily explained why a Dalek was in the Thames – having a bath, perhaps?). I remember being quite happy when Susan stayed behind at the end of the story – I had always found Susan a very irritating character and was glad to see her go.
I’m looking forward to seeing The Lion again when it is released on BBC video. I don’t remember much of The Crusade although I can remember Ian being staked out in the desert. Also, I clearly recall episode one of The Chase, not because it was particularly good, but because it was shown on my 16th birthday!
The programme returned after its summer break with Galaxy Four. By this time, Saturday tea-time in our house was planned around DOCTOR WHO. My mother had come to realise that it was a waste of time putting food on the table while the programme was on, so we ate either before or after it (my Dad was a fan of the programme as well). If my sister brought her boyfriends home on Saturday evenings, they were usually more interested in watching DOCTOR WHO than paying any attention to her!
I didn’t enjoy Galaxy Four as much as some of the stories that had gone before it. I remember Steven being trapped in the airlock at the end of episode three, and the Drahvins trying to reach the TARDIS as the planet starts to disintegrate in episode four. The Myth Makers, however, was hilarious – there seemed to be more humour in the programme by this time.
The Daleks’ Master Plan sticks in my memory. I really enjoyed it. The Christmas Day episode was very funny and somehow appropriate – a short festive break from the main story. I can remember the Monk’s TARDIS materialising as a block of stone in ancient Egypt and the Doctor then changing it into (amongst other things) a covered wagon and a motorbike. Curiously enough, I don’t remember the much quoted scene in episode eight of the Monk’s TARDIS materialising on Tigus as a rock. I think this may be a popular myth – there is certainly no materialisation sound in the audio recording of the episode. I vividly remember Sara aging and dying at the end of the story, which came as a shock. I wasn’t expecting it as the Doctor had already lost two companions in this story.
My main recollection of The Massacre is of the Abbot’s body lying in the street at the end of episode three. This story is rather odd in that most of the historical adventures in DOCTOR WHO have been set in well-known periods in history (for example 1066, Troy, the French Revolution etc.) whereas I doubt that most viewers were aware of the Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve before the story was broadcast.
Back then, in the sixties, I always assumed that when I had children of my own, they would share my love of DOCTOR WHO. Sadly, this is not the case. My 17-year old daughter has no interest in it at all. Her favourite TV programme is … SUNSET BEACH! Where did I go wrong?
(DAVID BUTLER)
Part II of David’s Memory Cheats article will appear in a future issue.
REQUESTS
Paul Cryer’s web-site, The Three Doctors, features a load of information on the reconstructions, including reviews, a discussion forum / messageboard, the latest news, and further info on Paul’s own efforts to reconstruct missing episodes. Although the site has been mentioned previously in this newsletter, it’s recently undergone a revamp (in both style and content). If you’d like to take a look, click on the link below :
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~cryer/DW.HTM
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to the following for help with this issue : Mark Ayres, Richard Bignell, Rick Brindell, David Butler, Robert Franks (!), Peter Griffiths, Alan Hayes, Dominic Jackson, Neil Lambess, Simon Moore and Michael Palmer.
BORING STUFF
The DOCTOR WHO reconstructions are fan-produced endeavours completed without the consent of BBC Worldwide, BBC Television, or any holders of the DOCTOR WHO licence. No infringement on any such copyright holder is intended nor are the tapes produced for any sort of monetary compensation. Tapes are distributed through the worldwide DOCTOR WHO fan network. Support the BBC releases!
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