E-Space Trilogy on DVD (out now!)

[Simon R]

We've finished "Full Circle in the Sand" just now and all it's extras an t'ing.

It's a solid disc. Shame there was no interview with Varsh or Keera (is it?)on the "making of" but at least we got dear George Baker.

I like "Full Circle" but I can't love it. It looks great (mostly) but it's a bit bland and like all of season 18 it suffers from too much technobabble and it all feels a bit "blah". Tom is on great form and reminds me of Season 12.

[Pip Madeley]

"Full Circle" is peppered with lots of nice little moments, such as the unveiling of the Deciders with the OTT music and Tom's superb grin as he says "And I'm the Doctor!". Then there's the "Not an alibi, Deciders!" (Tom was just great in this story) and the lovely synth-tastic music.

However I agree, there's something about it that just doesn't quite work for me: the Marshmen picking up the TARDIS causing the inside (which is in another dimension) to rock around, the crap spiders, Lalla's portrayl of the infected Romana is a bit hammy and some of the fight scenes are crap (the death of Tylos is hilarious).

Mixed bag of pick n' mix.

[SiHart]

Lalla's portrayl of the infected Romana is a bit hammy

But on the plau side she gives the must gut wrenching scream ever heard in the show in the middle of the tremendous Marshchild op scene.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I found that "Full Circle" had many good qualities - it's a gentle story, the eighties Radiophonic music hits one of several peaks this season, and the location scenes all look very lush. On the downside, the studio sets look less inspired - very cheap and lifeless. It's got an all-star cast but despite never being bland they never bring the story to life. The Marshmen likewise look great on location, but very fake indoors. I didn't like the scene where the Marshchild smashes up the laboratory, as the performer involved seemed to be approaching it like a human, with the effect that it just looked like a bloke in a cheap rubber suit. Contrastingly, the excellent 'alien' quality the actors playing the other Marshmen had when the padded through the doors of the starliner weilding clubs made me suspend my belief.

Far more off-putting to me this time was the 'geekiness' (for want of a better word) invading the story - too many old men speaking long lines and, well, things that made it seem all very unfashionable and a bit dull. As if the production team had addressed all the 15 year old Maths students and said "Now THIS is for you, everyone else can look away". In short, it's very thoughtful but also very unexciting. It really is for the thinkers, and anyone after a bit of good old fashioned fun must have been dissapointed.

So I wasn't so keen on this story this time around, which is a shame as it's always been quite high up in my opinions. The music is still excellent, the locations and some of the camerawork lush and the cast interesting... but Simon is right, somehow it doesn't quite gel, and bits of it seem to be working AGAINST keeping people watching, rather than the other way round. A story, and a production team, with their own agendam perhaps.

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

I haven't seen it in a few years, I'll admit, but last time I watched Full Circle I enjoyed it as much as ever. The outsiders cave is a pretty weak set, and the Starliner model is even worse, but other than that I think it's a great story, which has such a strong atmosphere, and some great set-pieces. I'm not sure I'd agree that it's unexciting - we've got men dragged into swamps, monsters, spiders, companions being taken over... And I love the opening moments which set the audience up for a Gallifrey story before bang! showing a lush forest instead.

the Marshmen picking up the TARDIS causing the inside (which is in another dimension) to rock around

I might be wrong, but doesn't this also happen in (at least) The Web Planet when Vicki is inside the ship? I certainly don't think it's an 'invention' of CHB/JNT.

[shada pavlova]

the Marshmen picking up the TARDIS causing the inside (which is in another dimension) to rock around

it also happens in Castrovalva, The Rescue, The Invasion of Time and Time-Flight. Those are all the examples i can think of in which the movement of the outside of the TARDIS causes the inside to move as well.

[Pip Madeley]

It's still stupid.

[Andrew Curnow]

Well, there must (just talking about it as if it's real for a moment) be some connection between the inner & outer dimensions - the door, for example, or the scanner. The outer police box must 'contain' and be linked to the interior, regardless of size - so, to me at least, it makes perfect sense for the TARDIS interior to shake at the start of Pyramids of Mars just as the outside does.

[Wayne]

My E-Space arrived. As it happens i'm in the mood for a bit of Dr Who this weekend. And vampires to boot.

[Tom Simpson]

Hoping to get this soon... but won't be watching it for a few weeks, anyway.

[Larry]

it also happens in Castrovalva, The Rescue, The Invasion of Time and Time-Flight. Those are all the examples i can think of in which the movement of the outside of the TARDIS causes the inside to move as well.

and Logopolas...

[Jonno]

this is the first DVD release I'm truly excited about for some 2 years!

So said I on 04/12/08. I bought it today in Sainsbury's for a very decent £24.97 which matched the best I'd seen online and saves me having to go and collect it from the sorting office.

I shall probably now push it ahead of Morbius and War Machines which have sat sealed on my shelf for some 4 months. And push it ahead of the nu-Who S1 boxset, of which disc 1 of 5 is now complete.

[Doctor Vendetta]

I've been rather surprised to see the odd line appear on the screen in episodes of State of Decay. They seem to be video artifacts rather than digital, which suggests that they're on the original tape, but I would have thought the Restoration Team would have caught them.

[Wayne]

I'm very impressed with the extras on 'State of Decay' in particular. There are several features on vampirism, particularly from a literary point of view, including genre afficiando's like Christopher Frayling & Kim Newman talking about everything from Bram Stoker, & Dracula, to Salem's Lot & the books of Anne Rice.
The story itself holds up remarkably well. It has a great atmosphere with an undertone of menace, & the sets look suitably gothic.
I haven't watched a Tom & Lalla story since 'Destiny' came out on dvd, but they're both good in this one. And i still don't think Matthew Waterhouse is half as bad as he's made out to be. I refuse to subscribe to that particular fan myth. He may not ocar winning calibre, but he just isn't that bad!
The incidental music sounds a bit too twee in parts, but it's minor gripe in what for me is easily the best story of the set.
'Full Circle' is also worthy of another outing, as i've only ever seen it once, & it's a reasonable if not spectacular story. I'll give that a go tomorrow.
I'm not sure i can cope with 'Warriors Gate' though.

[Si Hunt]

I think Matthew Waterhouse has a brilliant quality - he looks eternally curious and alien. He has two main faults - (1) his hair/wig now looks awfully dated and (2) he can't walk convincingly. When stood still, he's quite convincing, then he waddles accross the console room and everything is lost.

Nice to see that although they couldn't stretch to any of the actors who played the Three Who Rule in "State of Decay", then did get Frank the Butcher, the Goth woman and that annoying bloke who kept on about eating his own blood.

Si.

[SiHart]

Well two of them are dead, which makes it tricky getting them in.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Oh no! Which two? The blokes?

Si.

[Logo Polish]

Yes. Emrys James and William Lindsay both died in the 80s, it seems. Rachel Davies still appears in things fairly frequently though. She was in an episode of New Tricks last year, and was in the first episode of that series on ITV1 where Peter Davison plays a detective.

[Rob McCow]

I've been rather surprised to see the odd line appear on the screen in episodes of State of Decay. They seem to be video artifacts rather than digital, which suggests that they're on the original tape, but I would have thought the Restoration Team would have caught them.

I agree, that seems a very easy thing to correct. Haven't noticed them myself though.

[Simon R]

The blood documentary thing seems a little pointless to me but I suppose it's good they're trying more original style of extras.

[Jonno]

I made a start today and have done all of Full Circle with info text. I still love the story, I'm sure I gave it a 9/10 for Mac's series rankings and it still holds. It's got a great cast, with the regulars all in very good form too. Lush location filming, loads of TARDIS scenes (I only realised today that every episode has TARDIS interiors!), pathos, great cliffhangers and great music.

Never knew that the chap who played Varsh went on to marry Kate O'Mara some years later!

[Simon R]

He's 18 years younger than her too. Scandal!

[shada pavlova]

Some people get all the luck...

[Ian Lethbridge-Stewart]

I'll be getting this set just as soon as I can cobble the funds together.
Looking back over this thread, even I can't tell which star field has been used for the cover...I think they've just recreated the effect rather than using stills from the existing ones..just a guess. Now I feel bad because I don't know the answer...."I have failed, self destruct, I have failed, self destruct, failedeefaileedfayayayayayayayayayayererererereemm mmm"

Also Si (Hart) are you sure you've got that opening speech from the "Tom Baker reads State of Decay" exactly correct? I haven't listened to it in ages but I don't recall the words 'steering mechanism' ever being in there. Go check it now.....you know you want to!!! - If I'm wrong then I'll gladly eat humble pie!

[SiHart]

Also Si (Hart) are you sure you've got that opening speech from the "Tom Baker reads State of Decay" exactly correct? I haven't listened to it in ages but I don't recall the words 'steering mechanism' ever being in there. Go check it now.....you know you want to!!! - If I'm wrong then I'll gladly eat humble pie!

I only wish I could. I don't have a copy that I can play any longer alas.

Si xx