The Season 25 Collection - Remembrance of the Daleks

 

The popular conception of Doctor Who in the second half of the Eighties is of a series in terminal decline yet the material in this latest Collection set contradicts that notion in quite a significant way. In fact, the last three seasons of what has become known as Classic Doctor Who show a new creative energy invigorating the series and it was outside problems rather than artistic ones that would lead to the cancellation. Had Doctor Who enjoyed more support from BBC management and been scheduled properly this story could be looked back on nowadays as the starting point of a successful comeback. This box set offers different versions of each story so I thought I’d look at the newest version of each plus also some highlights from the extras.

Picking up from the seeds of promise that the last two stories of season 24 had offered, this season kicks off with one of the most in your face adventures the old series ever did. In many ways it is not that far from being how the show was when revived in 2005. By some margin the best story since `Caves of Androzani` four years earlier it buzzes urgently with activity and must rank as one of the coolest Doctor Who stories ever. Mixing comic strip action with some serious underlying points `Remembrance` is directed with a flourish by Andew Morgan and includes the jaw dropping use of a full-size spaceship landing in the school playground at the climax of episode three. To put this into context it had never been attempted before- frequently the show would utilise the latest computer effects or model work or there might be a portion of a ship that had already landed. This was something altogether more awesome; the full-size ship was seen landing in broad daylight. This is the tip of the iceberg though in a story that contains more bang for your buck than most; in fact, Margan overspent by so much he wasn’t allowed to work on the show again. Clearly the BBC undervalued what the series needed. This special edition uses improved effects but to be honest they didn’t need much improving.

The pyrotechnics are generously deployed, furious in sound and bright orange in a way that explosions never used to be in Doctor Who (do you recall the coloured stage style flash pots of the 70s?). Once the Special Weapons Dalek glides into view these detonations are even bigger, even louder! There are also some of the trickiest stunt sequences, notably Ace’s leaping across chemistry benches and through a window. The incidental music is a work of art in itself. Drawing from Eighties synthpop Keff McCulloch writes anthems for the Daleks and the Hand of Omega  (these are solemn but catchy) while the now familiar orchestral stabs have rarely been better deployed. There are other fantastic touches; one that is less often commented on is when we see Davros in grainy monochrome ranting at the Doctor and he has never seemed so odd. The updated effects are subtly added- the last Dalek is more orange, there’s a better hover field under the floating Daleks, the electric baseball bat has more sparks. Best of all the wonky coffin with the Hand of Omega inside that looked a bit poor in 1988 glides smoothly now even outside. A few tiny cuts have been made notably the announcement on the tv about a new science fiction series which is a good decision.

 

Of course, all this flashiness would mean little were it not to support a narrative of equal measure and Ben Aaronovitch, probably unknowingly at the time, creates a blueprint that is still in use to this day in the series. That is to say a narrative that is presented with fast cut, a deeper subtext, little tricks the Doctor pulls that go unexplained, scenes of contemplative musing, a potential romance, and undercurrents of broader concern. These sorts of things have each been addressed in more detail separately in other stories since but this is really where Doctor Who starts to catch up with the real world. Ever since it began the show seemed to operate in a parallel place or `the near future` but this season is where it starts to pull away the metaphors and show the reality. So while there is a parallel between the Dalek civil war with racial purity being the reason why the two factions fell out, we also get short but important moments like Ace finding the sign in the window of the B&B, Ratcliffe’s references to the war and Mike’s motivation for fighting the Daleks. It is indeed interesting that when this story was first shown fandom was very supportive of these elements yet zoom forward to 2024 and you find the same sort of thing more likely to be disparaged as “woke”.

 Unlike later clumsier attempts to integrate with established lore, `Remembrance` doesn’t overdo it despite being set in Coal Hill School and the vicinity. There’s no big pan towards the IM Foreman sign for example, it’s just there if you know and if you don’t it makes no difference. I suppose the most controversial aspect at the time was the Doctor’s storyline which sees him proactively playing the sides off against each other. This was a fresh approach too; traditionally the Doctor would arrive just in time to help people but here he is already in play before episode one. Not only this but his ultimate aim was to destroy Skaro. Perhaps there could have been a conversation with Ace over the rights and wrongs of this especially as the Doctor’s concerns over genocide had been such a famous scene thirteen years earlier. Some have asked how could the Doctor have known about the Daleks when he was on Earth in 1963 as he didn’t meet them till afterwards but I would say he didn’t but now he does so he remembers he left the Omega device there.

A great cast tie the bow with generous time for a lot of them considering it’s a larger than usual one but the Doctor and Ace are front and centre in a dynamic manner. Their friendship is refreshing even if Ace’s playground language can be a tad irritating at times. Both actors are at the top of their game here. Sylvester McCoy has improved strongly since his pratfalling debut a year earlier and become a Doctor who just seems better every time you see him. His expression and gestures add a strangeness yet there is also a warmth. The scene in the café (the full version is in this edition) where he debates the ramifications of decisions was something new at the time and although Ace still does the companion thing of asking a lot of questions you can see she also absorbs information and learns on the go. Sophie Aldred is able to go deeper into the character, her hurt when she realises Mike’s true intent is really well played. Together the Doctor and Ace are consistently fun to watch.

Elsewhere a busy cast includes Simon Williams' straight faced Colonel Gilmore who is in some ways a precursor to the Brigadier (in fictional terms I mean) but the actor stakes his own character. Pamela Salem and Karen Gledhill’s characters are to some extent hidebound by period convention but they each their moments. As the Dalek controlled schoolgirl Jasmine Breaks does a great job being menacing and mysterious in equal measure while Dursley McLinden manages the switches in his character really well. Terry Malloy gives Davros an even more manic demeanour than usual complete with black bile coming out of his mouth.

I must have watched this story a number of times since its first airing and each time I find it gets that little bit better. Dalek stories are always hit and miss but this is a big hit and Sylvester McCoy’s first true classic. Had it not been scheduled when it was I am sure it would have gone a long way to restoring the programmes cache in the wider world.

Looking for Dursley

These `Looking For` strands always seem to bring new information and this latest addition is no exception. Dursley McLinden was a rising star when he appeared as Mike in `Remembrance of the Daleks `and for a moment in time he seemed ubiquitous as the film Just Ask for Diamond was around as was a prominent advert in which he features. Yet only seven years later he died having contracted HIV at a time before any life saving treatment was available. These being facts we already know the documentary seeks out family and friends for some enlightening reveals as to what Dursley was really like and how he dazzled in company.

We learn about his early life in the Isle of Man where homosexuality was still illegal meaning he escaped to London aged just sixteen and attended the Mountview  Academy of Dramatic Arts. He went on to appear in London stage productions of Phantom of the Opera, Gigi and Follies. Though there’s no footage, photos clearly show he had a big on-stage presence. Just Ask for Diamond was written by Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War, Alex Ryder) and was followed in 1991 by a six part tv series called The Diamond Brothers- South by South East. It was never shown again or released though IMDB has a large gallery of stills.  This seems to be the last  major project he filmed though he carried on working on stage productions almost until his death. The lead character in the recent drama It’s a Sin was partly based on Dursley whom Russell T Davies (interviewed in his documentary) knew.

There is some previously unseen film of him with friends during a trip to the US. There is stuff we never knew such as Nicola Bryant’s influence on his casting and also the fact he was a big Doctor Who fan. The documentary is assembled with respect and love for its subject and finds those who remember him more than willing to speak warmly about him. All the way through his buoyant presence seems to come alive once again with even the latter day photos showing how he clung onto life as long as he could. Given how long ago classic Doctor Who was we’re used to documentaries ending with their subject being deceased but the hard part of this one is that Dursley McLinden would only be sixty now and as all interviewed here attest would be a big West End star- and maybe more.