First vs Last: Season 24

[SiHart]

Colin was sacked. Sylvester employed and a season hastily commissioned. Not a great time for Doctor Who.

So, in September 1987, Time and the Rani started the season. The Rani was back to take on the new Doctor, with monsters, aliens and a colourful shininess that seemed wonderful after Trial.

Dragonfire closed the season with the return of Glitz, the departure of the much maligned Mel and the debut of a new companion, Ace, who would form a delightful team with the 7th Doctor.

But which do you prefer, first or last?

[wombatskidude]

Time and the Rani is the closest I've come to giving up on the series. Luckily, I'd only just discovered fandom and fanzines, and bootleg tapes, so there was a lot more to keep me interested that whatever happened to be on telly.

This was a story I watched from behind the sofa, out of sheer embarrassment. Watching O'Mara impersonating Langford, while McCoy performed comedy pratfalls, was excruciating viewing.

Dragonfire, on the other hand, was like a version of Alien made for children's TV, featuring the world's most unconvincingly written teenager. But it was still 100% better than Time and the Rani.

[Rob McCow]

Hmm!

Both stories have good monsters, good villains and pink stuff being tipped everywhere. It's a toughie once again!

[Larry]

well as some one who has found a recently new appreciation of season 24 I'm not sure which one is the best as I like them both. Time and the Rani, has it's faults but I think if you take out Mccoy's prat falls it's actually not a bad story. Dragonfire, on the other hand in Kane, has a good villain and the CGI, of his melting face is one of the best effects in the classic series. Mccoy, seems much more settled in the part plus we have the returne of the lovable rogue Glitz, so Dragonfire, gets my vote.

[Dino]

And even after 4 votes... the poll is split. I've got a feeling it's going to be this way for some time.

For me I voted for Time And The Rani. I lost touch with the show at the time during the Colin Baker years. And it was McCoy's first story that got me back into the obession of the show. (Yes, really!)
So for that alone, I had to vote for it. Plus although the cliffhangers aren't as impressive in TatR, they make more sense than Dragonfire's.
There's nobody looking into the camera for a start!

[stuartdg]

Dragonfire has the better plot albeit a quest story,and an impressive villain in Kane,not to mention the Dragon of the title,and Ace whilst a better character then Mel creates a somewhat juvenile first impression


Time And The Rani is great fun if you are in the right frame of mind and can forgive the haphazard plotting,Kate O'Mara's take on Bonnie Langford's Mel is pitched right,Sylvester is likeable if not exactly memorable and it has a better cliffhanger to part 1 and this is why it gets my vote!

[J.R. Southall]

Cripes, another one in which I find the choice almost impossible! I'm going to have to come back to this.

I'm with Larry, by the way. Season 24 is probably now my favourite season from the 1980s!

[Stuart Wallis]

the CGI, of his melting face is one of the best effects in the classic series.

I shan't spoil the effect further for you; suffice it to say that there wasn't any CGI used.

I've recently changed my mind about TATR; give or take the odd naff production value, there's something to be said for the story overall.

Dragonfire, on the other hand, is the dullest story of the season IMO; has one of the silliest cliffhangers in the show's history; and give or take the odd half-way decent production value, has very little going for it.

[SiHart]

Time and the Rani is a lot more fun than Dragonfire.

[Andrew Curnow]

Dragonfire is a rubbish story partly redeemed by a few good bits, whereas Time and the Rani is a marvellous story unfairly maligned for a few bad bits.

Vote goes to Time and the Rani, no question at all!

[J.R. Southall]

Wow, feel the love for Time and the Rani! That came as a surprise!

I have to admit for a real soft spot for Dragonfire as well, though. There are some fantastic performances and the dialogue is, for the most part, exceptional. I think it taps into a similar seam of pseudo-comic book mythicality as The Happiness Patrol, and I love the juxtaposition of bizarre ideas and mundane realisation. At the time, it felt rather 'trad' compared to the stories that had preceded it (and that felt like a blessing back then), but I'll admit it doesn't seem to have aged well in most people's estimations. However, that one cliffhanger moment aside (it might come out of nowhere, but it does play rather well if you can ignore that), there's very little to dislike about Dragonfire (I'm ignoring Ace here completely). So Dragonfire is getting my vote.

But it was close!

[Andrew Curnow]

However, that one cliffhanger moment aside (it might come out of nowhere, but it does play rather well if you can ignore that), there's very little to dislike about Dragonfire

Are you sure, JR? Speaking for myself, I can ignore the naff sets, but it just drives me mad that they let Sylvester slide around like he's on slippery ice, but nobody else. It make the Doctor look a complete idiot, and somebody (Producer, Director, take your pick) should have either made everybody do it, or made sure nobody did. Then there's some of the dialogue, which is pretty awful - from the very opening moment, with that dreadful "You lucky, lucky people... joining his army of mercenaries" drivel. There's that little girl, the lazy performance from the previously-excellent Tony Selby, Ace.... It just falls totally flat (for me anyway) and is a real waste of the superb Edward Peel.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Definitely Time and the Rani for me. As an eight year old seeing the Doctor regenerate was a magic moment. Dragonfire was also important for me as I grew to love the Doctor and Ace team but I actually remember being scared by TatR (the exploding bubble things not sure why Kane melting has never done it for me).

[Andrew Curnow]

Although it was forced on them, I really, really like the regeneration being at the start of the story. It, at the time anyway, almost gave it a "Look, we've done this - ANYTHING could happen!" feel to it.

[Dirk Gently]

Dragonfire.

[Rob McCow]

As the first story that I watched in it's entirety, my loyalties lie with Glitz and Kane.

That's what I've decided!

[Zbigniev Hamson]

Time and the Rani's rubbish, Dragonfire has a melting head. No contest.

[duncan]

What Mr Hamson said.

[Alex Me]

I have never seen Dragonfire, but Time and the Rani is massively underated, so it gets my vote easily

[Dave Tudor]

Surprisingly (to mysef), Im going to go for Time And The Rai - for years, I thought Dragonfire was the best of the season, until I saw it again, and realised that it's not actually that good. TATR has a lot of things wrong wth it, but it's fun, bright, and it feels like the start of a new era - actually, visually it's better than many stories and theb visual effects are not that bad. The script's a bit iffy, and I have to say, even now, Sylv's debut performance is a bit cringeworthy, but when I think about it, it's a story like no other. Possibly thankfully!

[Martin Curnow]

"A new time, a new face and a new adventure to a new far flung place. Sylvester McCoy is Doctor Who." or it was something similar the BBC announcer said at the time.

Gotta go for Time & The Rani.

[Anthony Williams]

Definitely TATR for me - it's just so much fun!

[Terry Leptil]

It has to be Dragonfire as Time and the Rani has to be one of the worst opening stories for a Doctor along with The Twin Dilemma.