The War Games - Available in all Time Zones now!

[Pip Madeley]

Better than packing software

[SiHart]

I'm packing.

I've been dispatched

Si xx

[stuartdg]

Mine was shipped yesterday morning but as I'm off to Wimbledon Thurs/Fri I shant get to see it til the weekend anyway...

[Simon R]

I'm not overly familiar with this story and have only seen it twice or thrice and not for 5 years or so (apart from when we watched Episode One last year because a boy who shall be nameless demanded it). As such I've been reading the Target novel in preperation. It's amazing how a ten part story can become a 147 page book and only 20 pages more than a standard four part adaptation! I know the novel cuts out the bit with the incredible shrinking Sidrat is cut from the book but it'll be interesting (ish) to see what else has gone.

[Wayne]

I've been dispatched

Yay, me too now!

[shada pavlova]

Mine's arrived!

[Stuart Wallis]

I've been dispatched

My apologies, The Lads were due to do away with the people next door...

[Andrew Curnow]

I must admit I thought this was out Monday week (13th) not 6th, and in light of last Monday's news was going to cancel it...

...but apparently the lads at Play.com have already shipped it, so that's my weekend viewing sorted out I think! I was in them middle of watching this story when we moved into this house, which was 10 years ago next week, so it's a decade since I've seen The War Games, and I'm really looking forward to it!

[shada pavlova]

Today I watched Part 1, Part 10 with commentary, Talking About Regeneration, and the sock puppet thing.

You'll find out eventually...

[Simon R]

Curiously they had "The War Games" DVDs on sale in Forbidden Planet in London today.

Someone tell the police!

[Rob McCow]

Someone tell the police!

Why, does Sting want a copy?

[Rob McCow]

Our copy just arrived - like the design work on the actual discs.

[Simon R]

Ours has come too. Why are the Timelords and Warlords not on the image on the inlay booklet. What is that thing in the place of the Timelords under Jamie?

We can't watch this until we've finished the "Death Seeds".

[SiHart]

The picture restoration absolutely stunning!

Si xx

[Milky Tears]

Popped through my letterbox about an hour ago. I'd forgotten that this was out and couldn't even remember ordering it!

[Wayne]

Mine's arrived, but i've no time to watch it until probably Monday. :wayne
Well chuffed at 3 discs for £12.99 though.

[Captain Tancredi]

Hmm, nothing here- although I tend to get Saturday post depending on whether the local delivery office can be bothered or not, there's no birthday card from my Auntie Rose either and she's normally very reliable. So I suspect some Fridayitis in Royal Mail somewhere along the way.

[Si Hunt]

It's lovely to finally find out what Pertwee was doing immediately before he stepped out the TARDIS in "Spearhead from Space" - gurning!

Si.

[Milky Tears]

Pertwee is The Gurning King. He even tops Ecllessccleessstoneee.

[Andrew Curnow]

Mine came this morning too!

I haven't watched the story yet, but I have seen a couple of the extras that I was particularly looking forward to - the piece on Regeneration, and the first On Target, dealing with Mac Hulke.

I enjoyed them both (although I think they could have done with some kind of narration, particularly the Target one). With the Mac Hulke piece it was about ten minutes in before they had any extracts from his books - I had come to the conclusion that they weren't going to include any (which would have been a bit bonkers!) when on came Peter Miles doing the prologue to The Cave Monsters. It wasn't anything very radical, or incisive, but it worked for me!

The regeneration piece was entertaining enough, and it was nice to see PS' own Mr Lidster making an appearance! Not sure it gave much insight, and it might have been nice to have, for example, some comment from Terrance as to why the Pertwee regeneration was technically so brief, etc. But it was a good 'beginners guide' to regeneration. My one beef (probably no great surprise) is the reiteration of this idea that Time and the Rani is the worst and oddest piece of TV in history. Even Gareth Roberts starts p***ing on it - "Mark Greenstreet in make up looks at the sky, then the TARDIS lands, then the Rani walks in" he says, as though it is three totally random elements with no connection at all... Surely that's just 'the first three scenes in a four part story'?

But that aside, I enjoyed them, and I particularly enjoyed the contributions from Joe & Robert Shearman - the former's observation about the unusual camera movement in Logopolis was very interesting and not one I'd thought of before (and its reuse in Androzani also). And Rob's "it should have been, "Kamelion?!" made me laugh!

[Si Hunt]

dealing with Mac Hulke.

Sounds like someone plotting to bump him off!

Even Gareth Roberts starts p***ing on it - "Mark Greenstreet in make up looks at the sky, then the TARDIS lands, then the Rani walks in" he says, as though it is three totally random elements with no connection at all... Surely that's just 'the first three scenes in a four part story'?

Great, pointless eighties abuse to look forward to in this one then!

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

To be fair, either Roberts or Clayton (the latter I think) claims TATR is one of the most wonderful things about Who, and he'd forgive it anything (or words to that effect) in the same piece, so it's not all bad. And Androzani's farewell is as complimented as Pertwee's, if not more. So it's not mindless 80s bashing, I'm relieved to say.

[Andrew Curnow]

Another good point that Rob Shearman makes is regarding the original plan for Pertwee's finale. Namely, if Delgado had lived then the story would have killed off the Master as well as regenerating the Doctor - Would Pertwee have been all that happy with his swansong effectively being a finale for both himself and Roger Delgado, rather than just himself?

Watched part 1 tonight, the picture restoration is really impressive on the VT sequences, it's amazing. Pip in particular will be impressed with the detail on Wendy Padbury's rear when she's hunting for the keys in Smythe's room!!

[SiHart]

We loved Sidley Dumpson and his little feature. The man's looking good and well and rememberes so much about the music he wrote (aside from the Ice Warriors, The Space Pirates and The War Games it seems!). I loved the fact that his wife maintains The Seeds of Death was one of the best he wrote!

Stripped for Action was as brilliant as ever!

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

amely, if Delgado had lived then the story would have killed off the Master as well as regenerating the Doctor - Would Pertwee have been all that happy with his swansong effectively being a finale for both himself and Roger Delgado, rather than just himself?

It seems a bit of a leap of a conclusion, since they hadn't really sorted out what was going to happen - the Master might well have escaped, with the Doctor heroically giving up his life to foil his plan and save the Universe (as in "Logopolis").

Stripped for Action was as brilliant as ever!

Cybermen on ski's!

Si.