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PATRICK TROUGHTON 1966-69
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SECOND DOCTOR | THE INVASION

 
"...The world is weak, vulnerable, a mess of uncoordinated

and impossible ideals.

It needs a strong, single mind, a leader..."

STORY PLOTLINE

The TARDIS materialises in England in the 1970s and the time travellers meet a girl named Isobel whose uncle, computer scientist Professor Watkins, has recently gone missing. The Doctor offers to help track him down, starting at the place where he last worked - the London HQ of International Electromatics, the world's major supplier of electronic equipment.

His initial suspicions about IE's managing director, Tobias Vaughn, are confirmed after he becomes reacquainted with Lethbridge-Stewart, now promoted to Brigadier and in charge of the British branch of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), and learns that there have been other disappearances at IE premises.

DVD EXTRAS

A two-disc REGION 2 release.

  • Studio Commentary: Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines, Nicholas Courtney and production assistant Chris D'Oyly-John (Episodes 2 to 8) and
  • Studio Commentary Episode 1 only: animation director Steve Maher, BBCi's James Goss and audio restoration expert Mark Ayres
  • FLASH FRAME: a featurette on the creation of the animated episodes
  • LOVE OFF AIR: an affectionate tribute to all those people who ever held a microphone quite near a TV speaker to capture the audio in the days before video recorders
  • CHARACTER DESIGN: A featurette showcasing Steve Maher's character design drawings and animation tests for the animated episodes
  • EVOLUTION OF THE INVASION: making of feature with cast & crew
  • LINKS 1993 VHS: Nicholas Courtney's links to camera from the 1993 VHS release, in which he fills in the story from the two missing episodes
  • Photo Gallery + 2 x Animation trailers + Programme Subtitles + Subtitled Production Notes

COMMENT

COMMENTARY GEMS

Episode 1 (animated)

The studio commentary from Ayres, Goss and a bloke from Cosgrove Hall examine how the genesis of the animation evolved but, sadly, the level of 'geekness' (yes, not a real word but it will do) will not sustain the interest of general viewers let alone the ardent fan.

However, it is the infrequent insights into the animator's logical approach into realising the episode that makes sticking with the commentary worthwhile. For Cosgrove Hall, the episode is an appreciation into 1960s film noir and gangster flicks such as THE IPCRESS FILE (1965), aided by the punctilious incidental music from composer, Don Harper. And the approach is both commendable and accurately determined - dark, brooding and menacing. A prime example of this the cold-blooded murder of the van driver by the IE security guards.

Of course, there are the interesting fan-facts to note. In the early scenes, Zoë's 'cat suit' had been correctly replaced for the outfit she later changes into at Travers' house (as she adopts the role of fashion model for Isobel). There are two Cosgrove Hall in-jokes within the episode; (1) The number plate of the car that eventually takes the TARDIS crew to London represents the calendar date of the first DOCTOR WHO episode, and, for some strange reasoning (2) the phrase, Bad Wolf, is scrawled on the hallway wall in Traver's house.

Episode 2

Actors, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury and Nicholas Courtney are joined by Production Assistant (and Location Manager for THE INVASION), Chris D'Oyly John for episode two's the "live action" commentary.

It is evident that the contributors relish reliving the 1968 episode, as did I.

Not surprisingly, Courtney is in commanding form. On Kevin Stoney's characterisation of Tobias Vaughan, Padbury comments:

Padbury: Sensational.
Courtney: He clarity and phrasing was an object lesson in acting.

On the Cyber voices of 1968 compared to those of 2006, Courtney ruins his final opportunity to guest-star in the NEW SERIES:

Courtney: I think our Cybermen sounded clearer.

Of course, mischievously, Frazer Hines points out the "low-brow" aspects to the episode, including a snatched-glimpse of Zoë's knickers as she is guard-handled out of the IE Reception. However, he redeems himself by commenting that Derek Sherwin's inclusion of a very small IE pocket-radio pre-dated the iPod by some theee decade.

It was Douglas Camfield's exacting direction & management of filming that each commentator were duly (rightly so) commendable of. As with all the episodes, Camfield's contribution was taut, logical and cinematic, using a battery of intense close-ups & "depth of field" set-ups in a way that would make the NEW SERIES directors stand-up and applaud.

Episode 3

A few interesting fan-facts to shame your friends into ignorance with.

Derek Sherwin lives (at the time of the studio commentary recording) in Thailand.

Guest star, Kevin Stoney was born in 1921.

The Doctor uses the main part of his musical recorder as an attachment to his spyglass to make a useable telescope.

Episode 4 (animated)

More interesting fan-facts to shame your friends into ignorance with.

To save on animation costs, Cosgrove Hall frequently "flipped" animated images (so that a character can either look left or look right without having to be 're-drawn'). Frazer Hines spotted that Tobias Vaughan's animation was often 'flipped' as the two buttons on his shirt's flap often changed from one scene to the next.

Whilst canoeing, the Doctor and Jamie's position in the vessel changes between the live action episode and the reprieve in the animation.

Patrick Troughton used to refer to a quick sip from his hip flask as a "noglet".

Episode 5

You would expect the commentary team to be 'flagging' by now but the veterans continue to provide the dedicated viewer with witty gems and acute observations. However, the delightfully dry Courtney still seems to be concerned with his taupe uniform's inability to fit well; "Don't look at the backside. Not a good look".

This episode includes one of the all-time classic DOCTOR WHO lines, which, suitably, garners both the silence it warrants and the applause from the commentary team it deserves.

In order to test his cerebration machine, Tobias Vaughan requests that a Cyberman is revived: Just enough to bring it out of its cocoon.

Courtney adds that there is often confusion around the mortality of Kevin Stoney: He had a car accident, and that twice people had thought he'd died. But he's still with us.

Such a moribund subject is balanced with Courtney's regression back to the topic of "bottoms" and "knickers". Quite right so.

However, both Padbury and Hines add to the frivolity with a tense dissipating repartee at the episode end as the 'rogue' cyberman stumbles theough the sewer.

Wendy Padbury: Very emotional.
Frazer Hines: Too much Guinness!

Episode 6

Rejoining the commentary team, Chris D'Oyly John recalls that due to the limitations of Lime Grove's Studio D (and a single elevator) many of the scenery 'flats' were often delivered & set-up minutes before recording making the life of Camfield difficult.

One interesting fan-fact that Hines reveals is that he nearly missed the fact that Tobias Vaughan sports a spotted handkerchief that the animators omitted.

One the most chilling scenes from THE INVASION is the attempted murder of Tobias Vaughan by a gun wielding Professor Watkins, more so as Vaughan taunts him into pulling the trigger. He does, at point blank range, only to reveal that his target is "undamaged" by the bullets power. Finally, Vaughan is uncovered as a Cyber-hybrid.

Revealed by the commentary, another fan-factoid is that before recording a scene Patrick Troughton used to proclaim as part of a warm exercise, Shakespeare-like, "I have grave news, my Lord".

D'Oyly John comments that Douglas Camfield was very unhappy with the BBC Visual Effects Department contribution to the episode's cyberman spaceship footage. Unfortunately, it would have been too expensive to re-shoot the footage.

Episode 7

Nicholas Courtney agreed with Chris D'Oyly John that Douglas Camfield cosseted his actors against criticism, giving them support in their contribution to the story.

This is demonstrated by the subtle performance of Troughton as his character discusses, with Vaughan, the cybercontroller's intentions. He almost withdrawn, pensive and Zen-like that proves that, when it comes to acting, less is more; something that the shouty-pointy Tennant Doctor could take a note from.

The episode commentators discuss how the political content of the episode is at odds with the political balance in 1968, where cooperation between the UK and the Soviet state was unthinkable.

Final episode

From out of the blue, Frazer Hines bellows that the cyber controller's voice is like Sir Ian McKellern.

He reveals that Camfield use to allow the cast to do "comedy runs" to relieve the tension of studio recordings and to get the giggles out of the way. The "comedy runs" rehearsed blocks of scenes in one go and at a pace (i.e. a 15 minute scene completed in 5 minutes). According to Hines, Troughton would frequently adopt a regional British accent such as welsh for these rehearsals. However, Courtney regarded the "comedy runs" as a waste of time and did not like them.

Frazer Hines recalls how the DOCTOR WHO team due to political and unbalanced quips could have extended the Cold War when they attended a Soviet Embassy drinks party.

DOCUMENTARY: FLASH FRAMES

A fascinating insight into the how the two missing episodes were created for the DVD release, including details on the craftsmanship of creating a Police-style identikit of facial expressions.

And even the "cheats" are discussed - how did missing episode action pieces become reality?

The only disappointment that Cosgrove Hall admits was the issue with a lack of cybermen in their episodes. However, the DVD release contains the two "promos" created by the animators to demonstrate to the BBC that the animation format would achieve substantial success.

DOCUMENTARY: LOVE OFF-AIR

In some ways this is the "gem" of the EXTRAS in a self-poking-fun, expose of fans (exclusively male, and probably maybe homosexuals) coming out of the portable tape recorder closet, eulogising the now defunct magnetic tape cassette as the essential kit for DOCTOR WHO fans. Recording the TV show's soundtrack by placing a microphone near to the telly on Saturday nights was the de rigour if you wanted to relive the adventures of the TARDIS. And, yes, former BIG FINISH employee, Gary Russell recalls that, to his shame, the first story he recorded was THE HORNS OF NIMON .

And for David Holman, thank you. Thank you for so dedicated (critics may have a different word for it - "weird" or "crazed" or "obsessed") in recording the off-air sound of numerous DOCTOR WHO stories which, little did he know, have now been lost in a BBC skip or magnetic tape wiping machine decades ago.

And for Mark Ayres, thank you. Ayres continued genius commitment in producing definitive soundtracks for BBC AUDIOBOOKS. His technical expertise often seems minimal as you slip a CD into the machine and listen to, say, MARCO POLO or THE WEB OF FEAR but as this documentary demonstrates the work to clean-up soundtrack copies (and sometimes copy of a copy recorded off-air) is extensive - and frequently inspiring.

I should let BBC WALES know that I have kept a copy of LOVE & MONSTERS just in case crazed DOCTOR WHO fan mercenaries breach the security and destroy your master-copy.

DOCUMENTARY: TRAILERS

Cosgrove Hall "here's what we can do" mini-trailers demonstrated that DOCTOR WHO could be so much better than THE SCREAM OF THE SHALKA .

Next story to re-animate - THE ICE WARRIORS .

DOCUMENTARY: EVOLUTION OF THE INVASION

This mini-documentary was quite rightly a love-fest for the work for Douglas Camfield - think Euros Lyn from the NEW SERIES and his contribution and that would be the pit of the comments - even with Nicholas Courtney commenting that both of me wanted to find the reality & humanity in the character, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

Frazer Hines: "By late 1967 the series had waning popularity but gaining ground".

On Patrick Troughton, Terrance Dicks: "Patrick created a "Doctor", commenting that as soon as he took off his bow tie and frock coat he became Patrick Troughton the jobbing actor.

Contributions from DOCTOR WHO stalwarts Kevin Stoney - such a "villainous face" as co-lead, Wendy Padbury points out - and Peter Halliday added to the excitement of revisiting 1968.

Even the gem that the Troughton story, THE MIND ROBBER was originally titled, MANPOWER, was a revelation.

EOH CONTRIBUTOR
MATTHEW WALTER
EOH RATING

EOH RATING 5/5

INFORMATION

DOCTOR WHO - PATRICK TROUGHTON is the Doctor
DOCTOR WHO - THE INVASION
ENLARGE IMAGE

DOCTOR WHO - THE INVASION - DVD GRAPHICS MENU

DOCTOR WHO - THE INVASION - Cosgrove Hall animation error - Zoe's dress is wrong

DOCTOR WHO - THE INVASION - Cosgrove Hall animation in-joke - The licence plate is the first episode date

DVD Released 06.11.2006

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