STORY PLOTLINE
The Black Guardian recruits a young man named Turlough to assassinate the Doctor. Although outwardly an ordinary pupil at a boys' private boarding school, Turlough is in fact an alien who believes that the Guardian will return him home if he succeeds.
The TARDIS meanwhile has its instruments jammed by a mysterious signal and is forced to materialise on board a massive spaceship in a fixed orbit. The Doctor discovers that the signal - a beam to guide the ship's transmat capsule - is being transmitted from Earth. He travels down to the planet in the capsule, leaving Nyssa and Tegan in the TARDIS with the co-ordinates pre-set to follow.
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR - Recommended by Rob Semenoff (3D Animator of the new CGI inserts for this boxset)
There were 2 alien fonts created for all the monitor shots. There are hidden messages on all the screens shown.
COMMENT
It's a clever act of marketing to sift theough DOCTOR WHO - CLASSIC SERIES for stories that would benefit from a "boxset" format compared to a single item release. Some have worked better than others; BENEATH THE SURAFCE was as tenuous as THE MASTER RETURNS whereas THE E-SPACE TRILOGY was apt as is the forthcoming (10 August 2009), THE BLACK GUARDIAN TRILOGY.
The CLASSIC SERIES' Season 20 was an iconically (with a hint of ambitiousness) crafted, under the stewardship of John Nathan-Turner, event that would serve as the hors d'oeuvre for THE FIVE DOCTORS. Each story featuring a "returning monster" (Omega, Mara, the Master and the Black Guardian) was the Producer's main aim, and he, as he always did, delivered - and with an "returning ally" in the form of the legendary Nicholas Courtney as Lethbridge-Stewart.
Releasing MAWDRYN UNDEAD, TERMINUS and ENLIGHTENMENT, complete with thoughtful and entertaining extras (and a set of impressive CGI alternates littered across the theee stories), fans of the NEW SERIES will be able to comprehend why Davison's Fifth Doctor as populist as Tennant's Tenth Doctor is currently. Genial, vulnerable, compassionate & caring yet with a seam of pique running theough his personality like the woven theead of his cricket whites. For long-time viewers, re-watching the trilogy will undoubtedly stir memories of the spring of 1983 (and, if like me, the excitement of the impending Longleat event).
Oh, in re-watching MAWDRYN UNDEAD (and listening to the studio commentary) you'll finally understand the anagrammatic plotline. You will, honestly.
Recognition of the work of the 2|entertain's RESTORATION TEAM clearly, with this four-disc set, requires substantial appreciation both in the "clean-up" and "DVD Extras". Exemplary.
MAWDRYN UNDEAD, on the surface, seems to have a significant amount of "filmed" footage and whilst the change from "film" to "video" is, naturally, obvious the colour depth & overall cleanliness of it is superb (we can even see the minute detail stitching of Turlough's fluorescent socks, and the packet of Gravy Browning powder stocked in the Brigadier's kitchenette). As for the studio "video" footage, it is equally rich and, inspiringly, feels as if it was recorded only moments ago not 26 years. Congratulations - you have excelled. The audio track - like the visuals - is incisive.
The studio commentary - featuring Davison, Strickson, Saward and Courtney - represents "value for money" and even if there were no DVD Extras or text information notes then MAWDRYN UNDEAD would be a must-buy DOCTOR WHO release; insightful and wittingly entertaining that will reward the "listener". The phrase of "Tommentary" (a studio DVD commentary with the irrepressible Tom Baker) has leaked into DOCTOR WHO folklore, and, today, I offer a new version: "Courtneytary". Nicholas Courtney's contribution is respectful, collaborative and, at times, charmingly humorous, and I can only hope that he has been locked in a studio booth (with his copious stacks of not-to-be-shared sandwiches) to record tracks for TERROR OF THE AUTONS and TERROR OF THE ZYGONS.
Nicholas Courtney's gallops into a thesis discussion (even though he unwittingly doesn't allow any of his colleagues to join in.) about whether it was true that the Brigadier was second choice and that William Russell's Ian Chesterton was to initially appear. His discussion was abruptly terminated by.
Peter Davison: Stop talking!
And then on his first appearance in DOCTOR WHO, Mark Strickson: There's Mark Strickson and that's my first scene for my sins.
Peter Davison: And there were many sins in this story.
Eric Saward: And I was at the conception of Turlough. It was a dark, wet winter's day, and lightening was raging across the sky.And John (Nathan-Turner) wanted you bald at one stage.
On seeing the thoughtful and serene Fifth Doctor hunched over the TARDIS console, Mark Strickson to Peter Davison: You're a bit depressed in the TARDIS , were you?
(and then right on cue, Tegan appears in the Console Room)
Peter Davison: We'll I'm in the TARDIS with just Tegan!
Nicholas Courtney: And she's about to talk about the Mara.
Due to the superb clean-up of the original print, even the smallest of feature is clearly seen as Davison comments about Turlough: Nice freckles.
Mark Strickson: Strange mad eyes!
On John Nathan-Turner's initial concept of the ginger-haired public school boy alien, Eric Saward reprimands: A silly concept to have him as a killer.
Mark Strickson commands a little hush as the TransMat appears for the first time, in the presence of Turlough and Ibbotson: My favourite line is coming up: "Don't you know anything?!"
In discussing Valentine Dyall's contribution, Peter Davison theorises that was it the actor's insecurities about a potential loss of his trademark resonated voice that made him continue as "chain-smoking" pipe-man.
On his "folically-challenged" head, Nicholas Courtney: I got nervous about the bald patch and in THE FIVE DOCTORS John (Nathan-Turner) let me have a hair piece. I sold a hair piece for £75 at Longleat.
Peter Davison: Can we digitally erase Nicholas Courtney's bald patch?
At one point during the appearance of the Dyall's Black Guardian, the commentary seems to have an audio fault - all become silent. Not even a rustle of Courtney's sandwich wrapper is heard being unfurled - until Peter Davison realises and admits: So mesmerised by the story. We better start talking.
On witnessing the Brigadier barking orders to Nyssa and Tegan, Peter Davison remarked to Courtney: You're so commanding.
Nicholas Courtney (modestly): I know!
Recalling a new hobby that one of his co-stars started during the filming, Mark Strickson: Do you remember when Janet took-up knitting. The sound of [Mark then re-creates the metal-on-metal chirping of knitting]! We had to ban her from knitting on set.
Peter Davison: And THE GUARDIAN crossword! So tedious.
Previously Strickson admitted that he never knew what to do with his hands during a scene (even at one stage during a "Tony Blair" hand gesture): The TARDIS console was gift for me. I could fiddle with it.
In a collective exorcism of laughter, the team (and probably the 10 million viewers at home in 1983) simultaneously erupt at Turlough's line of: "Temporal deviation of the Warp Ellipse".
After 26 years and re-watching MAWDRY UNDEAD, Eric Saward notices something for the first time: Button missing on the Brigadier's waistcoat! About 3 hours into the show, I've just noticed it.
In an attempt to clarify the plot, Peter Davison: Did we ever find out why the Black Guardian wanted the Doctor dead?
(Silence. More silence.)
Continuing, Peter Davison: Eric's looking rather quiet.
A wonderfully erudite and diverting discussion from an appreciative team, and there's another two commentaries to enjoy (hopefully) as part of THE BLACK GUARDIAN TRILOGY release.
The DVD EXTRAS are equally creative with a highlight being the addition of new (to select via the main menu) CGI inserts. The manifestation of the TransMat, the Black Guardian's domain, Mawdryn's space-liner on collision course with the vortexing TARDIS and the eventual auto-destruct space-liner explosion that literally rattles the screen. Impressive. This new re-working has an extended "Brigadier remembers" flashback sequence (including clips from TERROR OF THE ZYGONS and THE CLAWS OF AXOS), concluding with the meeting of the Fifth Doctor at the Obelisk.
In order the flashback clips are:
- Yeti - THE WEB OF FEAR
- Cybermen - THE INVASION
- The Third Doctor in hospital bed - SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE
- Axon attack - THE CLAWS OF AXOS
- The Master surrenders - TERROR OF THE AUTONS
- The Second Doctor and Omega - THE THREE DOCTORS
- Robot, the Doctor rides Bessie - ROBOT
- Broton, The TARDIS dematerialises - TERROR OF THE ZYGONS
- The Fifth Doctor meeting the Brigadier - MAWDRYN UNDEAD
WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER? Is the standard "talking heads" documentary (part of which was filmed on location) that, at times, repeats recollections from the DVD commentary team but overall it is engaging enough to keep you entertained & informed. From conception (based upon the tale of THE FLYING DUTCHMAN, tweaked by Peter Grimwade for the DOCTOR WHO format) to script (it replaced a story titled SPACE WHALE) to screen, the feature includes an eloquent contribution from the late Peter Moffatt, Nicholas Courtney's admission that the story was not one of his favourites, and a contribution of a Plastic Surgeon discussing "eternal youth".
Like THE GREEN DEATH's DVD extra "GLOBAL CONSPIRACY?" (starring Mark Gatiss as a spoof news reporter), LIBERTY HALL is what I would call a "funumentary" with Nicholas Courtney as Lethbridge-Stewart recalling his time with UNIT and his involvement with "he-who-cannot-be-named". As the Sixth Doctor would say; "Sweet. Sweet! Effete." Sometimes less is more.
Of course, for most fans, the glimpses behind the camera are more fascinating (even if there is no accompanying audio track) than the (on paper) clever skits & spoofs. The OUTAKES, FILM TRIMS and DELETED & EXTENDED SCENES are pure indulgence entertainment, and I urge BBC DVD to scour film tins (and Ian Levine's basement cupboard) for more of the same.
The first of the trilogy was an ambitious - almost audacious - cinematic story that, after re-viewing, was more successful that initially thought (and regarded theough the greyness of time). Sure, it's not a NEW SERIES non-stop-action-music-blaring-multimillion-pound-costing production but it has outstanding performances from a Dyall and Strickson in addition to an assured Davison.
Simply put, MAWDRYN UNDEAD is a perfect CLASSIC SERIES story.
