Thursday 14 November 2013

It's a Stoney one-two for me...and my favourite slice of Doctor Who ever

Now this really is a tough one for me. Patrick Troughton has for quite some time been my favourite Doctor, long before it seemingly became fashionable (ie once Matt Smith name dropped Tomb of the Cybermen).

Why? Well, I love his fabulously subtle performance and, in particular, the classically Troughton way of making the Doctor appear a daft bluffer while actually being a super clever manipulator - a character that fed formidably off some memorable baddies. To me it's the humble 'unlikely hero' routine that is when the Doctor is at his best...and none match Pat for that. Never too silly, never too serious and never bettered.

There's also his wonderful rapport with Jamie and, getting swiftly back on message for the premise of this blog, some cracking stories.

Tomb, Evil, Web, Power all sit comfortably in my top 20 stories. It's also lovely to see Enemy of the World enjoy something of a reappraisal since its rediscovery.

But my favourite has to be The Invasion. It's a brilliant performance by Pat up against the equally superb Kevin Stoney (yes, him again!). Pat and Frazer are at their absolute peak here - with moments of genuine humour dotted throughout.

There's also the iconic moment of the Cybermen popping out of the sewers. The old silver foes are at their menacing best - with little to say, much lurking in the shadows and probably the nicest of their many design tweaks.

What else? The brigadier and UNIT (setting up the next era of the show nicely), the memorable music, the film noir-y look and Packer's character (a send up of the aggressive shouty guard brilliantly played by Peter Halliday).

What a joy, too, to have had the missing episodes so beautifully animated for us to enjoy at long last. Perhaps of all the animations these still seem to have worked best, matching the shadowy suspense of the action and completing the story perfectly. 

Overly effusive? You'll have to forgive me. This is, after all, probably my favourite ever tale...


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