Fun fact: Peter Davison specifically requested that he be credited as playing "The Doctor" rather than "Doctor Who" as with previous actors. This change lasted right up until the 1996 TV Movie, but reverted to "Doctor Who" in the revival. His future son-in-law David Tennant then made exactly the same request in 2005, and actors have been credited as "The Doctor" ever since.
I only found that out recently, possibly from the Wiki page of this episode which I looked at yesterday after watching this. I hadn't noticed that the Doctor's credits were "Doctor Who" again for 2005. I'll have to go and look out for that now I know.
The decision to have the Doctor impersonate his previous incarnations was made during rehearsal when Peter Davison presented impersonations as part of his preparation for taking on the role; his interpretation was intended to combine elements of the past Doctors.
I recently met Peter Davison and Janet Fielding at a convention in Pensacola. They're great and I'm glad I got to tell them how much I enjoyed the stories they were a part of (including "Power of the Doctor")
Peter Davison was the first Doctor to have grown up watching Doctor Who which makes those callbacks, especially to Patrick Troughton, really special and fun to watch. Davison was also my first Doctor and I'll always be grateful to him for that.
@@rogvortex58 with no basis from before or reason to think so from their performances. So it was placed onto them by another writer just because he felt like it. I was glad Chibnall didn't include it, Davies had no right. Later everyone
The Fifth Doctor begins! I've always been a fan of Fivey, he's often known as the 'nice' or 'bland' Doctor but he could be equally snarky and sardonic as other incarnations, he just acted pleasantly enough to get away with it. Casting Peter Davison, someone distinctly unlike Tom Baker, was the right move and a breath of fresh air. A thing to appreciate about Castrovalva is that it shows the 'crowded Tardis' dynamic can be done well if the companions are all utilised - in this case Nyssa and Tegan doing the heavy lifting during the Doctor's regeneration crisis while Adric is used to power the Master's traps (It's hilarious you picked up the BDSM vibes there, not the first time I've seen people make that connection!) Castrovalva also boasts another gorgeous score by Paddy Kingsland, except gone is the doom and gloom of Logopolis and instead are lighter, sunnier melodies symbolising rebirth and the dawn of a new era.
I think a lot of people who call 5 bland are doing it with the context of having a bunch of other young, energetic Doctors in modern who, 5 stands out quite a bit from his first 4 incarnations.
As far as 'bland' goes... I think Doc 5 gets that bad rap because he doesn't have a forceful personality like the others. Doc 1: grumpy grandfather Doc 2: cosmic hobo Doc 3: dandy action hero Doc 4: bohemian goofball. To me, having an even keel is not a bad thing. Like you said, if anything Doc 5 is more of a mellow Doc 1. He gets uppity/ tetchy at times but quickly gets over it.
I know the older fan base have names for the classic Doctor Who's. 1st- The Old Man 2- The Cosmic Hobo 3- The Dandy 4- The Wildman 5- The Friend 6- The Unhinged 7- The Manipulator 8- The Wanderer
"...he could be equally snarky and sardonic as other incarnations, he just acted pleasantly enough to get away with it." This is exactly right (and honestly one of the reasons Five is *not* my favorite); his reputation as the 'nice' Doctor is largely unwarranted - 'the passive aggressive Doctor' is much more accurate!
The "Farewell Sarah Jane" audio presentation that was done during the pandemic (Sarah Jane's funeral) described Tegan and Nyssa as "a nice couple from Australia", so other people liked their chemistry too.
Nyssa and tegan together works, bc they complement each other so well. Tegan connects emotionally with situations, and won’t take crap or give up. But nyssas calm intellectual approach steadies Tegan when she panics while Tegans irrational defiance prevents nyssa succumbing to death by logic at times. Their deep trauma forged bond feel real to me. Supposedly, part of the previous doctor impersonations is Davison not knowing how he wanted to play it originally. It gives him time to feel out his character a bit. But that not knowing yourself immediately thing feels right to me too. If u like this vibe you’ll enjoy this season!
They filmed this first series out of order, four to doomsday came first. The idea was that Davison wanted to get a handle on his performance before getting into the story where he had to portray his Doctor being confused and disoriented. I think Castrovalva came third or fourth. (location sequences, as always were done before studio sessions) They do this quite often, either holding one show over from the previous block (Terror of the Zygons) or filming out of broadcast order - you can tell, for instance, that Creature from the Pit is the first show that Lalla Ward filmed as Romana II - because she is kinda doing an impersonation of Mary Tamm in the role, and the designers also haven't hit their stride with her costume yet (again, her costume in that one is more like the way they would have dressed Mary Tamm)
"Davison not knowing how he wanted to play it originally" - That's a common misconception, but this was actually the 4th of his stories in production, so he'd pretty much got a handle on how he would be playing the part by now. That was deliberate, so that he could go into this story with a clear idea of "who" was going to gradually emerge out of his confused state at the start of the story. The first story he actually played the Doctor in was "Four To Doomsday", which aired second (i.e. straight after this one): *THAT* was his "hit the ground running and figure out how to play this guy as we go" experience. =:o} (You'll notice he has much shorter hair in that one, as he was still growing it out from his "All Creatures Great and Small" cut.)
P.S. totally agree with you about Nyssa and Tegan. It's a rare example for the time of two female characters in a TV show relating to each other simply as great friends (and passing the Bechdel test with flying colours!).
@@therealpbristow I'm not a fan of the Bechdel (anyone can just write godawful female characters even if you pass the test) but I've always loved these two as female friends in the TARDIS. I checked and was pleased to see that the situation coming up (5th, Nyssa, Tegan) is one of only two times ever when female regulars outnumber males, the other being 13/Yaz/Dan
Welcome to the Fifth Doctor! He's one of my favorite Doctors. I've watched his stories many, many times. Until Matt Smith, Peter Davison had been the youngest actor to play The Doctor. Also, David Tennant is married to his daughter. The previous two stories, "Keeper of Trakken" and "Logopolis", along with this story are referred to as the "Return of The Master" trilogy. Obviously, because this is where actor Anthony Ainley took over the role and would play him until the end of the original series.
Can't wait until her reactions to two stories of the 5th Doctor era in particular. (And for those who know her and knows the 5th Doctor era, you know which two I'm thinking of.)
@@bertholdt well I assume most people are waiting for the reaction to Kinda next week and the other one I don't want to spoil but think about a huge event during the 5th doctor era.
I'm seeing this for the first time in over 40 years and I feel it stands out, from the first episode, what a good actor Davison is. Not to take away from any of the others, but the way he immediately establishes his own personality, while at the same time calling back to the previous Doctors, is very good. This is where I came in (apart from a series of repeats from previous doctors that the BBC showed before this) and I was immediately taken. The image of the Doctor, physically frail, being carried around in a box by two pretty girls was something I found strangely appealing.
And now we start the Fifth Doctor's Era, with some stories being truly brilliant and others not so much. Peter Davison exudes energy and, while starting off slow and a bit meandering, the cerebral plot is fascinating as it unfolds, featuring a wonderfully realised alien culture. Davison was quite a popular actor at the time, appearing in shows like All Creatures Great and Small and Sink or Swim, yet his casting as the Doctor was something of a surprise to everyone, especially considering he was coming after the legendary Tom Baker. Having been played by an older actor in the past, Davison was the first younger actor to take on the role, pacing the way for future young actors like David Tennant, Matt Smith and now Ncuti Gatwa. With Baker's large shoes to fill, Davison approached the role with huge trepidation and has related many times since that he struggled a great deal with developing the characterisation of his Doctor, not helped by the new costume which he felt was too gimmicky, overly-designed and manufactured, and has stated since that he would have still kept the outfit but would've preferred that he added some individual flair to it, as previous Doctors have done in the past.
I'm so glad that Tegan has been getting a re appraisal in the last few years, she had such a negative reputation when I was a kid. The writing doesn't always serve her the best but her frustrated sarcasm speaks to me.
Castrovala, except for the castle seen on the hill, is a real place. Tunbridge Wells High Rocks: the town of Tunbdridge Wells in Kent, England, has a park in the middle of the town with enormous rocks in it, they've been there since the glaciers deposited them. The High Rocks are a similar but larger set of large rocks outside of town in a forest. Have been there a few times during my lifetime.
Wow, is it May already? Glad you're back! I love how Nyssa and Tegan are just left together to figure it out without the Doctor for a while; they do good together. It's a weird first story, but I love this season because of this TARDIS crew, new Doctor included.
This was my Doctor, even thought I'd seen some Baker episodes, he terrified me, I started watching the show with the fifth Doctor. His stories are for me very engaging and the show gives us some great characters to go with him along the way.
Since Jess is such a fan of the TARDIS spa, she'll be glad to know that her/our beloved Jon Pertwee starred in a popular radio comedy called "Waterlogged Spa" in the late 1940s.
One thing few fans mention, that this Doctor is very much Peter, but his Doctor was Patrick Troughton and so he echoes a lot of that, in terms of him not being always across and in control, often on a back step, worried even. There’s a lot of Pat in it just very nuanced. He’s still the weird very mannered old man in a young body. He’s properly acting the role for truth too.
You've now reached the era I grew up with. The Fifth Doctor is under-rated, partly I think because some slightly older fans disliked the contrast with the Fourth Doctor they in turn had grown up with and had gotten very used to.
Another fave story and face Doctor for me -- Peter D was the current Doctor when I was at the height of my fandom. It was also the first time they had hired someone who was under 30 and cute, which was a bit daring back in the day.
When you finish the fifth doctor’s first season you should DEFINITELY do a rewatch reaction to the mini sode ‘time crash’ where the 5th dr met the 10th
5th Doctor, My favourite classic era for 3 reasons: 1) Nyssa and Tegan 2) run-ins with Anthony Ainley's Master 3) Best episodes (Earthshock, Arc of Infinity, Enlightenment, The Five Doctors and The Caves of Androzani)
The Adric left behind by the Master who then boarded the TARDIS was a block transfer computed copy of Adric. The Master is using Adric's math powers to create/recreate new realities.
Ive always enjoyed this one - its a quirky as hell, inventive nuts kind of fun story. nothing definitive but a lot of crazy fun with some awesome callbacks. love this era really. more serious and scientific and ambitious but with better observed character moments as well imo, and i adore it for all that.
I really love the fifth doc era. It wasn’t all great by any means, but he was always fantastic (never understood the criticisms) and there are some real high points. Overall it’s a pretty consistent era, and this season follows on nicely from season 18. This is actually, despite the often annoying Adric, a pretty good Tardis team. Nyssa is one of the most underrated companions and Tegan is a force of nature. This era is a wild ride…. Hope you enjoy it. I think you will
I know that the debut story planned for Peter Davison was originally a completely different story called Project Zeta Plus and it was scrapped because the writers refused to include the Master as the principal villain and therefore Cstrovalva was written up in its place.
'Tom Baker is leaving Doctor Who... How do you feel about taking over?' - These were the words a startled Peter Davison heard on receiving a phone call from Dr Who producer John Nathan-Turner. The two men first became aware of each other on the BBC's bucolic Sunday night drama 'All Creatures Great & Small', on which Nathan-Turner had served as a Production Associate. Davison's role as the young and disingenuous vet Tristan Farnon had turned him into a house-hold name in Britain, but it was a far cry from his beginnings. Born Peter Moffet, in Streatham (London) in April 1951, Davison had toyed with a career in music before his acting career took off. His first TV role was as a trigger-happy 'Space Cowboy' in a now notorious instalment of ITV's teen sci-fr serial 'The Tomorrow People - alongside future wife Sandra Dickinson (the mother of Georgia Tennant). However, despite a vague ambition to be in Dr Who, he had never seen himself as the lead. Indeed, the longer than usual break between Seasons 18 and 19 (Castrovalva - which was actually recorded fourth in the production schedule - aired in January 1982 rather than the previous autumn) proved vital in trying to establish a new characterisation for the Doctor. The actor's instincts were to pull from Hartnell and Troughton; the Doctors he knew from his teenage years. But it may have been a chance remark on the BBC's daytime magazine programme 'Pebble Mill at One' that provided the key. Upon humbly asking for advice from an audience of fans, one suggested he play the part '...like Tristan, but brave'. And the new, breathlessly out-of-sync-with-events Time Lord may have been born right there...
The best part of this story is Peter Davison being Doctors 1-4, and the unravelling of the 4th Doctor's scarf is powerfully symbolic. The other best part is Tegan and Nyssa learning to work together! The rest of the story . . . well. In a way, this is the 3rd part of a Master trilogy, Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, and now Castrovalva. As the most unusual regeneration, it makes sense it doesn't go as smoothly as most times. Nyssa had to switch from the fancy skirt she used to have to more practical pants.
I love Tegan and Nyssa as a pair - they’re very contrasting. This was my first ever Doctor who VHS as a kid. I was obsessed with the cover image for some reason.
OK thanks to my old memory not being what it used to be, and me having posted some erroneous info, I've deleted my original post. Thanks to various people for pointing that out. So I'll just say this instead - Great to have you back Jess. Hope you enjoyed your break. Interestingly it was at this point in classic Who that the BBC began broadcasting it on week days rather than every Saturday. Not a popular decision among fans at the time including myself.
I recently watched Castrovalva on blu ray. The picture quality was really good in all the on location scenes. I think it’s because they shot it on film. While all the studio stuff was shot on tape.
Yes, that’s correct. All the original film for S19 exists the only season of classic Who where that is the case. That’s why the location scenes look so good this season.
The Tardis is doing the best it can to nurse the Doctor, dumping medicines on him and sending a wheelchair. A bit like trying to minister to a sick cat. One thing about the Fifth Doctor: due to regenerating from a head injury, this incarnation winds up telepathically blind. The Master seems to find this hilarious. (Time Lords seem to treat telepathy about like a sense of smell. Training it to bloodhound levels is an ancient mythical thing nobody bothers to do anymore, and these days you mostly just try not to impose yourself on those around you.)
I've always believed the Doctor's regenerations are difficult because they're triggered by trauma. Remember most Time Lords never leave Gallifrey, so when they regenerate, it happens under controlled conditions. Also, the Sisterhood of Karn mentioned in the "Brain of Morbius", that their Elixir is used by Time Lords to aid in difficult regenerations.
I agree with you that the TARDIS looks beautiful nestled in the greenery. It's always been one of my favorite images of the TARDIS. Five was the first Doctor that I saw their whole run. I think I came to the show around the end of Four's run. At that time it was shown on our local PBS station which didn't get episodes until at least a year after they originally aired in the UK. When they reached the end of what they had of the current era they'd start showing older ones again, usually starting with Three.
Welcome to the 5th Doctor’s era. He has some great stories in all of his seasons (and a few poor ones), but overall I would say the great and the good stories certainly outweigh the bad. Glad you liked the call backs to previous Doctor’s incarnations and it is in this era that the producer, John Nathan-Turner started to pander to the fans a lot more (you’ll understand what that means as you go through five’s seasons), but overall I would rate the fifth Doctor’s era 8/10.
This wasn't the first one they filmed in this season, they wanted Peter Davison to be more comfortable in his first appearance so they filmed one of the later stories first to let him get into the role before filming this.
The location for this story is awesome, I still think it was a shame neither Sarah Jane or Leela came back for the 4th Doctors to oversee the regeneration from the 4th to the 5th.
Regarding the draggy parts of the second episode, you’ll notice a lot of that moving forward. During this era of the show the producer, script editors and directors seemed to have a lot more trouble scripting an episode to time than in the past. This was producer John Nathan Turner’s first time as producer, and his inexperience might have had something to do with it but I’m not sure the issue improved with time. They would shoot, then find when they put it together that the episode was significantly under running or over running and they’d have to either stretch things out so they’d make the running time or cut things to the bone, as the situation called for. Anyway, something to keep in mind. 🙂
My favorite Doctor! He gets overlooked a lot but he's honestly great, his arc is interesting. He gets away with being a sarcastic lil jerk a lot because he smiles so nicely. Goes over a lot of peoples' heads, so they think he's not interesting. Those people are what I like to call wrong. ;) Can't wait for you to get more into his stories!
For anyone wondering the Watcher probably left the clothes there for the Doctor , since the watcher is an entity that exists between the fourth and fifth incarnations he would know what five would like to wear
If you harken back a few years in your viewing experience to Matt Smith’s time; in “The Doctor’s Wife”, the Doctor converts parts of the Tardis to thrust. This (unless I’ve missed a step) is the episode where that concept was introduced.
Bear in mind, everything in these two eps is happening literally *one day* , from Tegan's perspective, after she and Aunt Vanessa broke down on the way to Heathrow. Tegan must have had quite a power-nap at the Pharos Project while the Doctor was working on the computer, because otherwise she'd be dead on her feet! And likewise, Nyssa only realised the Master had killed her father sometime yesterday afternoon/evening. They've not had time to even *start* grieving. (Not that the show really went in for reflecting such emotional realities at this time, anyway... Can't have the kiddies at home thinking too deeply about death! =:o1 )
Zero room smells like roses: Perhaps because the first Doctor is last seen in a rose garden? Fifth Doctor's impressions of the earlier Doctors: 1: 'who would I be if I were me, hmmm?' 2: 'Fit as a fiddle, Vicki! and Jamie, you go back!' 3: 'Not far now Brigadier, unless the Ice Warriors have got their first!' '4: 'Now... normal spaces, - ' and the rambling about dimensions.
The location footage survives so a new transfers have been taken and put in the DVD/blu-ray versions. Looks like this version is based on the DVD one. One reason why it looks so nice.
If the Doctor’s going through post-regeneration blues that badly, he’s more than welcome to pay a visit to Sesska’s Spa. Then again, you did say that the Doctor gets bored in the spa because “There’s very little adventure in the spa. Relaxing and lazing around can be so dull and boring” as I believe you described the Doctor’s view on Sesska’s Spa. This also means that there is great concern on your end and mine that the Doctor would delete Sesska’s Spa. But don’t worry Jess, I suspect the TARDIS has some safeguards in place to prevent that; the old girl’s got your back.
Here is proper start of the 80s dr who with the fifth doctor a breath of fresh air compared to the poor last fourth doctors few seasons but back to this story its more of a tegan nyssa episode as number 5 gets himself together
Castrovalva is a good intro story and does have an interesting focus on the TARDIS crew. But it does feel less of a plot than the previous season. But love the Zero Room and The Master's scheme. Jess touched on the companion dynamic that I really miss from the classic series: multiple companions of different times and places.
Don't get me started on that. Having nearly every companion in modern who be from the UK and usually a younger female is so unimaginative. That's definitely something classic who did better. It's only Nardle and Jack who broke the mold, and neither was the main companion.
I started on big finish during the Chibnall era as I wasn't enjoying it as much, and there were some big gaps between series. It has definitely made me appreciate 6 more, and there are some great companions. Evelyn is a favourite.
Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and Louise Janeson (Leela) were each asked to reprise their companion roles in order to ease an audience, many of whom had only ever known Tom Baker as the character, into a new Doctor. Each of the actresses declined.
It's interesting watching this reaction on the evening when the new series is due to go out in roughly the same transmission format (albeit through streaming), because it's also broadly analogous to how contemporary viewers in England would have seen 'Castrovalva' at the time. For the first time in 19 years, Doctor Who abandoned it's Saturday night slot for broadcasts twice-weekly. This caused a minor furore in the press, who hate change of any kind. Actually, it was due to the BBC scoping out the best time-slot for their forthcoming soap opera 'EastEnders' - which would finally air three years later and is still running today.
This was my Doctor, accidently caught his regeneration on my local PBS station and I was hooked. Others will disagree but I always liked his companion rotation the best Turlough, Peri and even Adric is redeemed with his exit.
From the 60s to the end of Tom Baker's run , Dr WHo was on early Saturday evenings..... the Peter Davison reign was changed to twice weekly (Monday and Tuesdays), no idea why, but as a kid it kind of annoyed me at the time..... 🤣
Poor ratings during Tom’s last season. The show got clobbered by Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on ITV. DW got its worst ratings in over a decade with two episodes dipping below 4 million. It got moved to an earlier time slot from Warrior’s Gate onward and ratings did recover somewhat but were still lower than the show usually got. Thus the decision to move it from Saturdays to weekdays.
It was because the BBC were trying out half hour dramas twice weekly as a testing ground for feasibility of doing a soap opera. Triangle and Angels were two other series that got such treatment. The trial worked and became EastEnders, starting in February 1985.
@@The2ndGreatCornholioThe ratings weren’t the reason as ratings improved from Warrior’s Gate onwards (earlier time slot and Buck Rogers having finished).
I do not know if you know this, but David Tennant is married to Peter Davisons Daughter Georgia, who was in the episode "The Doctor's Daughter" in 2008 where she played Jenny the cloned daughter of David Tennants Doctor.
of course when peter davidson he was really starting to get noticed as an actor , He was in another successful show as well All creatures great and small
"That’s the trouble with regeneration. You never quite know what you're going to get."
Pretty accurate way of describing it.
unless you crash land on Karn
Fun fact: Peter Davison specifically requested that he be credited as playing "The Doctor" rather than "Doctor Who" as with previous actors. This change lasted right up until the 1996 TV Movie, but reverted to "Doctor Who" in the revival. His future son-in-law David Tennant then made exactly the same request in 2005, and actors have been credited as "The Doctor" ever since.
I only found that out recently, possibly from the Wiki page of this episode which I looked at yesterday after watching this. I hadn't noticed that the Doctor's credits were "Doctor Who" again for 2005. I'll have to go and look out for that now I know.
If I ever become The doctor i'm going to be asked to be credited as
Dr who/the doctor/that idiot with the police box
The decision to have the Doctor impersonate his previous incarnations was made during rehearsal when Peter Davison presented impersonations as part of his preparation for taking on the role; his interpretation was intended to combine elements of the past Doctors.
I recently met Peter Davison and Janet Fielding at a convention in Pensacola.
They're great and I'm glad I got to tell them how much I enjoyed the stories they were a part of (including "Power of the Doctor")
The fifth is like a breath of fresh air, loved him
Peter Davison was the first Doctor to have grown up watching Doctor Who which makes those callbacks, especially to Patrick Troughton, really special and fun to watch. Davison was also my first Doctor and I'll always be grateful to him for that.
Tegan and Nissa make an excellent team. So glad you’re enjoying them.
RTD outted them as a couple. Too bad Chibnall didn’t confirm it on the show.
@@rogvortex58 Really? Where? =:oo
(I know it's a popular pairing for, you know, certain kinds of fanfic. =:o} )
@@rogvortex58 with no basis from before or reason to think so from their performances. So it was placed onto them by another writer just because he felt like it. I was glad Chibnall didn't include it, Davies had no right. Later everyone
I live in Brisbane…I can assure everyone Tegans analogy was quite accurate
Especially in the 1980s!😀
Loool
Why do you live there then
@@space1999 because everything and everyone I know is here
Part if it 'charm' was the fact it was not the 'center of the social universe'. I moved back their later in life.
Davison channelling Hartnell, in particular, gives me chills.
The Fifth Doctor begins! I've always been a fan of Fivey, he's often known as the 'nice' or 'bland' Doctor but he could be equally snarky and sardonic as other incarnations, he just acted pleasantly enough to get away with it. Casting Peter Davison, someone distinctly unlike Tom Baker, was the right move and a breath of fresh air. A thing to appreciate about Castrovalva is that it shows the 'crowded Tardis' dynamic can be done well if the companions are all utilised - in this case Nyssa and Tegan doing the heavy lifting during the Doctor's regeneration crisis while Adric is used to power the Master's traps (It's hilarious you picked up the BDSM vibes there, not the first time I've seen people make that connection!) Castrovalva also boasts another gorgeous score by Paddy Kingsland, except gone is the doom and gloom of Logopolis and instead are lighter, sunnier melodies symbolising rebirth and the dawn of a new era.
I think a lot of people who call 5 bland are doing it with the context of having a bunch of other young, energetic Doctors in modern who, 5 stands out quite a bit from his first 4 incarnations.
As far as 'bland' goes... I think Doc 5 gets that bad rap because he doesn't have a forceful personality like the others. Doc 1: grumpy grandfather Doc 2: cosmic hobo Doc 3: dandy action hero Doc 4: bohemian goofball. To me, having an even keel is not a bad thing.
Like you said, if anything Doc 5 is more of a mellow Doc 1. He gets uppity/ tetchy at times but quickly gets over it.
I know the older fan base have names for the classic Doctor Who's.
1st- The Old Man
2- The Cosmic Hobo
3- The Dandy
4- The Wildman
5- The Friend
6- The Unhinged
7- The Manipulator
8- The Wanderer
"...he could be equally snarky and sardonic as other incarnations, he just acted pleasantly enough to get away with it."
This is exactly right (and honestly one of the reasons Five is *not* my favorite); his reputation as the 'nice' Doctor is largely unwarranted - 'the passive aggressive Doctor' is much more accurate!
He's my favourite, with Tom Baker a very close second.
The 5th Doctor Era is really FANTASTIC! Great Tardis Team! Great Stories! Peter Davison is Fantastic as The 5th Doctor.
I love how Sesska says (pun intended😂) "Here we go again!" In a regeneration story. 🤣
The "Farewell Sarah Jane" audio presentation that was done during the pandemic (Sarah Jane's funeral) described Tegan and Nyssa as "a nice couple from Australia", so other people liked their chemistry too.
Nyssa and tegan together works, bc they complement each other so well. Tegan connects emotionally with situations, and won’t take crap or give up. But nyssas calm intellectual approach steadies Tegan when she panics while Tegans irrational defiance prevents nyssa succumbing to death by logic at times. Their deep trauma forged bond feel real to me.
Supposedly, part of the previous doctor impersonations is Davison not knowing how he wanted to play it originally. It gives him time to feel out his character a bit. But that not knowing yourself immediately thing feels right to me too.
If u like this vibe you’ll enjoy this season!
They filmed this first series out of order, four to doomsday came first. The idea was that Davison wanted to get a handle on his performance before getting into the story where he had to portray his Doctor being confused and disoriented. I think Castrovalva came third or fourth. (location sequences, as always were done before studio sessions)
They do this quite often, either holding one show over from the previous block (Terror of the Zygons) or filming out of broadcast order - you can tell, for instance, that Creature from the Pit is the first show that Lalla Ward filmed as Romana II - because she is kinda doing an impersonation of Mary Tamm in the role, and the designers also haven't hit their stride with her costume yet (again, her costume in that one is more like the way they would have dressed Mary Tamm)
"Davison not knowing how he wanted to play it originally" -
That's a common misconception, but this was actually the 4th of his stories in production, so he'd pretty much got a handle on how he would be playing the part by now. That was deliberate, so that he could go into this story with a clear idea of "who" was going to gradually emerge out of his confused state at the start of the story.
The first story he actually played the Doctor in was "Four To Doomsday", which aired second (i.e. straight after this one): *THAT* was his "hit the ground running and figure out how to play this guy as we go" experience. =:o} (You'll notice he has much shorter hair in that one, as he was still growing it out from his "All Creatures Great and Small" cut.)
P.S. totally agree with you about Nyssa and Tegan. It's a rare example for the time of two female characters in a TV show relating to each other simply as great friends (and passing the Bechdel test with flying colours!).
@@therealpbristow I'm not a fan of the Bechdel (anyone can just write godawful female characters even if you pass the test) but I've always loved these two as female friends in the TARDIS. I checked and was pleased to see that the situation coming up (5th, Nyssa, Tegan) is one of only two times ever when female regulars outnumber males, the other being 13/Yaz/Dan
Welcome to the Fifth Doctor! He's one of my favorite Doctors. I've watched his stories many, many times.
Until Matt Smith, Peter Davison had been the youngest actor to play The Doctor. Also, David Tennant is married to his daughter.
The previous two stories, "Keeper of Trakken" and "Logopolis", along with this story are referred to as the "Return of The Master" trilogy. Obviously, because this is where actor Anthony Ainley took over the role and would play him until the end of the original series.
Brisbane is a city in Australia, which is where Tegan is from.
Can't wait until her reactions to two stories of the 5th Doctor era in particular.
(And for those who know her and knows the 5th Doctor era, you know which two I'm thinking of.)
Well, there is one very obvious story that I pray doesn't get spoiled for her, but that's a while off yet.
@@cooluncle4242 which one?
@@bertholdt well I assume most people are waiting for the reaction to Kinda next week and the other one I don't want to spoil but think about a huge event during the 5th doctor era.
I'm seeing this for the first time in over 40 years and I feel it stands out, from the first episode, what a good actor Davison is. Not to take away from any of the others, but the way he immediately establishes his own personality, while at the same time calling back to the previous Doctors, is very good. This is where I came in (apart from a series of repeats from previous doctors that the BBC showed before this) and I was immediately taken. The image of the Doctor, physically frail, being carried around in a box by two pretty girls was something I found strangely appealing.
Aaah mt favourite era of the show is here. So happy this is coming out heading into the summer
And now we start the Fifth Doctor's Era, with some stories being truly brilliant and others not so much. Peter Davison exudes energy and, while starting off slow and a bit meandering, the cerebral plot is fascinating as it unfolds, featuring a wonderfully realised alien culture.
Davison was quite a popular actor at the time, appearing in shows like All Creatures Great and Small and Sink or Swim, yet his casting as the Doctor was something of a surprise to everyone, especially considering he was coming after the legendary Tom Baker. Having been played by an older actor in the past, Davison was the first younger actor to take on the role, pacing the way for future young actors like David Tennant, Matt Smith and now Ncuti Gatwa. With Baker's large shoes to fill, Davison approached the role with huge trepidation and has related many times since that he struggled a great deal with developing the characterisation of his Doctor, not helped by the new costume which he felt was too gimmicky, overly-designed and manufactured, and has stated since that he would have still kept the outfit but would've preferred that he added some individual flair to it, as previous Doctors have done in the past.
Tom Baker was fairly young when he took the role.
@@matthewclarke4127 Baker was 40 in 1974. I guess that's younger than Pertwee or Troughton were.
I'm so glad that Tegan has been getting a re appraisal in the last few years, she had such a negative reputation when I was a kid. The writing doesn't always serve her the best but her frustrated sarcasm speaks to me.
Janet is Tegan 🤗
_Castrovalva_ is a piece by the artist M C Escher (famous for his pictures of geometrically impossible buildings).
Castrovala, except for the castle seen on the hill, is a real place.
Tunbridge Wells High Rocks: the town of Tunbdridge Wells in Kent, England, has a park in the middle of the town with enormous rocks in it, they've been there since the glaciers deposited them.
The High Rocks are a similar but larger set of large rocks outside of town in a forest. Have been there a few times during my lifetime.
I've never been to Tunbridge Wells, and had no idea that was used for this location footage!
Wow, is it May already? Glad you're back!
I love how Nyssa and Tegan are just left together to figure it out without the Doctor for a while; they do good together. It's a weird first story, but I love this season because of this TARDIS crew, new Doctor included.
Welcome to the Fifth Dr era. He’s still my favourite Dr. His era is very consistent. Love this Tardis Team.
He's My Doctor and still my favourite.
I love Peter Davison's portrayal of the Doctor. He is a brilliant actor and his imitations of the previous Doctor's immediately won me over.
Castrovalva is... Definitely an oddball story. Glad to see you're enjoying it.
This was my Doctor, even thought I'd seen some Baker episodes, he terrified me, I started watching the show with the fifth Doctor.
His stories are for me very engaging and the show gives us some great characters to go with him along the way.
This story for the 5th Doctors debut having the Master as the main enemy was part of a trilogy of stories.
Welcome back & welcome to the 5th Doctor era! There's some of my favorite stories coming along I can't wait for you to get to 😀
Since Jess is such a fan of the TARDIS spa, she'll be glad to know that her/our beloved Jon Pertwee starred in a popular radio comedy called "Waterlogged Spa" in the late 1940s.
Good to see you hit the Davison era (this is where I came in). Looking forward to your reactions.
Welcome back Sesska!
One thing few fans mention, that this Doctor is very much Peter, but his Doctor was Patrick Troughton and so he echoes a lot of that, in terms of him not being always across and in control, often on a back step, worried even. There’s a lot of Pat in it just very nuanced. He’s still the weird very mannered old man in a young body. He’s properly acting the role for truth too.
You've now reached the era I grew up with. The Fifth Doctor is under-rated, partly I think because some slightly older fans disliked the contrast with the Fourth Doctor they in turn had grown up with and had gotten very used to.
Another fave story and face Doctor for me -- Peter D was the current Doctor when I was at the height of my fandom. It was also the first time they had hired someone who was under 30 and cute, which was a bit daring back in the day.
When you finish the fifth doctor’s first season you should DEFINITELY do a rewatch reaction to the mini sode ‘time crash’ where the 5th dr met the 10th
5th Doctor, My favourite classic era for 3 reasons:
1) Nyssa and Tegan
2) run-ins with Anthony Ainley's Master
3) Best episodes (Earthshock, Arc of Infinity, Enlightenment, The Five Doctors and The Caves of Androzani)
& don't forget 'Terminus' for a couple of reasons 🤣
According to River there are multiple Spa's in the TARDIS, also hot tubs and roller disco rinks.
So glad you've got to my favourite doctor. Hope you enjoy his run as much as I do Jess.👍
The Adric left behind by the Master who then boarded the TARDIS was a block transfer computed copy of Adric. The Master is using Adric's math powers to create/recreate new realities.
Yessss. Welcome back! This was my teenage Doctor and I adore this era. Hope you enjoy!
Ive always enjoyed this one - its a quirky as hell, inventive nuts kind of fun story. nothing definitive but a lot of crazy fun with some awesome callbacks. love this era really. more serious and scientific and ambitious but with better observed character moments as well imo, and i adore it for all that.
I really love the fifth doc era. It wasn’t all great by any means, but he was always fantastic (never understood the criticisms) and there are some real high points.
Overall it’s a pretty consistent era, and this season follows on nicely from season 18.
This is actually, despite the often annoying Adric, a pretty good Tardis team. Nyssa is one of the most underrated companions and Tegan is a force of nature.
This era is a wild ride…. Hope you enjoy it. I think you will
I know that the debut story planned for Peter Davison was originally a completely different story called Project Zeta Plus and it was scrapped because the writers refused to include the Master as the principal villain and therefore Cstrovalva was written up in its place.
'Tom Baker is leaving Doctor Who... How do you feel about taking over?' - These were the words a startled Peter Davison heard on receiving a phone call from Dr Who producer John Nathan-Turner. The two men first became aware of each other on the BBC's bucolic Sunday night drama 'All Creatures Great & Small', on which Nathan-Turner had served as a Production Associate. Davison's role as the young and disingenuous vet Tristan Farnon had turned him into a house-hold name in Britain, but it was a far cry from his beginnings. Born Peter Moffet, in Streatham (London) in April 1951, Davison had toyed with a career in music before his acting career took off. His first TV role was as a trigger-happy 'Space Cowboy' in a now notorious instalment of ITV's teen sci-fr serial 'The Tomorrow People - alongside future wife Sandra Dickinson (the mother of Georgia Tennant). However, despite a vague ambition to be in Dr Who, he had never seen himself as the lead. Indeed, the longer than usual break between Seasons 18 and 19 (Castrovalva - which was actually recorded fourth in the production schedule - aired in January 1982 rather than the previous autumn) proved vital in trying to establish a new characterisation for the Doctor. The actor's instincts were to pull from Hartnell and Troughton; the Doctors he knew from his teenage years. But it may have been a chance remark on the BBC's daytime magazine programme 'Pebble Mill at One' that provided the key. Upon humbly asking for advice from an audience of fans, one suggested he play the part '...like Tristan, but brave'. And the new, breathlessly out-of-sync-with-events Time Lord may have been born right there...
I actually love the Fifth Doctor era. Excited for these reactions 😍
The best part of this story is Peter Davison being Doctors 1-4, and the unravelling of the 4th Doctor's scarf is powerfully symbolic. The other best part is Tegan and Nyssa learning to work together! The rest of the story . . . well. In a way, this is the 3rd part of a Master trilogy, Keeper of Traken, Logopolis, and now Castrovalva. As the most unusual regeneration, it makes sense it doesn't go as smoothly as most times. Nyssa had to switch from the fancy skirt she used to have to more practical pants.
"Brave choice, I mean, not everyone can pull off decorative vegetable!"
I love Tegan and Nyssa as a pair - they’re very contrasting. This was my first ever Doctor who VHS as a kid. I was obsessed with the cover image for some reason.
OK thanks to my old memory not being what it used to be, and me having posted some erroneous info, I've deleted my original post. Thanks to various people for pointing that out.
So I'll just say this instead - Great to have you back Jess. Hope you enjoyed your break. Interestingly it was at this point in classic Who that the BBC began broadcasting it on week days rather than every Saturday. Not a popular decision among fans at the time including myself.
My Doctor began in this story. I was 7.
Did you know Peter Davison daughter is married to David Tennant and also appears in modern Doctor Who... Georgia Tennant
I love the fith era. My favourite classic doctor
I recently watched Castrovalva on blu ray. The picture quality was really good in all the on location scenes. I think it’s because they shot it on film. While all the studio stuff was shot on tape.
The original negatives exist for the film sequences hence the high quality on Blu-ray
Yes, that’s correct. All the original film for S19 exists the only season of classic Who where that is the case. That’s why the location scenes look so good this season.
Can't wait for part 3 where we meet the Portreeve played by Neil Toynay.
A story that for me becomes far more interesting in the next two episodes. 😎
5th doctor is so underrated in my opinion but I love his doctor so much
Been watching you channel for years of and on and just joined! Love Peter Davison run as the doctor.
The Tardis is doing the best it can to nurse the Doctor, dumping medicines on him and sending a wheelchair. A bit like trying to minister to a sick cat.
One thing about the Fifth Doctor: due to regenerating from a head injury, this incarnation winds up telepathically blind. The Master seems to find this hilarious.
(Time Lords seem to treat telepathy about like a sense of smell. Training it to bloodhound levels is an ancient mythical thing nobody bothers to do anymore, and these days you mostly just try not to impose yourself on those around you.)
I've always believed the Doctor's regenerations are difficult because they're triggered by trauma. Remember most Time Lords never leave Gallifrey, so when they regenerate, it happens under controlled conditions. Also, the Sisterhood of Karn mentioned in the "Brain of Morbius", that their Elixir is used by Time Lords to aid in difficult regenerations.
I agree with you that the TARDIS looks beautiful nestled in the greenery. It's always been one of my favorite images of the TARDIS. Five was the first Doctor that I saw their whole run. I think I came to the show around the end of Four's run. At that time it was shown on our local PBS station which didn't get episodes until at least a year after they originally aired in the UK. When they reached the end of what they had of the current era they'd start showing older ones again, usually starting with Three.
Welcome to the 5th Doctor’s era. He has some great stories in all of his seasons (and a few poor ones), but overall I would say the great and the good stories certainly outweigh the bad. Glad you liked the call backs to previous Doctor’s incarnations and it is in this era that the producer, John Nathan-Turner started to pander to the fans a lot more (you’ll understand what that means as you go through five’s seasons), but overall I would rate the fifth Doctor’s era 8/10.
This wasn't the first one they filmed in this season, they wanted Peter Davison to be more comfortable in his first appearance so they filmed one of the later stories first to let him get into the role before filming this.
The location for this story is awesome, I still think it was a shame neither Sarah Jane or Leela came back for the 4th Doctors to oversee the regeneration from the 4th to the 5th.
Regarding the draggy parts of the second episode, you’ll notice a lot of that moving forward. During this era of the show the producer, script editors and directors seemed to have a lot more trouble scripting an episode to time than in the past. This was producer John Nathan Turner’s first time as producer, and his inexperience might have had something to do with it but I’m not sure the issue improved with time. They would shoot, then find when they put it together that the episode was significantly under running or over running and they’d have to either stretch things out so they’d make the running time or cut things to the bone, as the situation called for. Anyway, something to keep in mind. 🙂
My favorite Doctor! He gets overlooked a lot but he's honestly great, his arc is interesting. He gets away with being a sarcastic lil jerk a lot because he smiles so nicely. Goes over a lot of peoples' heads, so they think he's not interesting. Those people are what I like to call wrong. ;) Can't wait for you to get more into his stories!
For anyone wondering the Watcher probably left the clothes there for the Doctor , since the watcher is an entity that exists between the fourth and fifth incarnations he would know what five would like to wear
The Watcher never made a lick of sense to me.
@@dupersuper1938 I do like his youtube channel, though.
If you harken back a few years in your viewing experience to Matt Smith’s time; in “The Doctor’s Wife”, the Doctor converts parts of the Tardis to thrust. This (unless I’ve missed a step) is the episode where that concept was introduced.
Replying to myself: I was wrong. It’s mentioned (at least a bit) in /literally/ the previous episode when Four jettisons Romana’s room.
Bear in mind, everything in these two eps is happening literally *one day* , from Tegan's perspective, after she and Aunt Vanessa broke down on the way to Heathrow. Tegan must have had quite a power-nap at the Pharos Project while the Doctor was working on the computer, because otherwise she'd be dead on her feet! And likewise, Nyssa only realised the Master had killed her father sometime yesterday afternoon/evening. They've not had time to even *start* grieving. (Not that the show really went in for reflecting such emotional realities at this time, anyway... Can't have the kiddies at home thinking too deeply about death! =:o1 )
not long now until THAT episode.... counting down the days
I love this era. It's different from what came before and has a special something.
The Tennant\10 prototype. A vastly underrated Doctor imo.
Zero room smells like roses: Perhaps because the first Doctor is last seen in a rose garden?
Fifth Doctor's impressions of the earlier Doctors:
1: 'who would I be if I were me, hmmm?'
2: 'Fit as a fiddle, Vicki! and Jamie, you go back!'
3: 'Not far now Brigadier, unless the Ice Warriors have got their first!'
'4: 'Now... normal spaces, - ' and the rambling about dimensions.
The location footage survives so a new transfers have been taken and put in the DVD/blu-ray versions. Looks like this version is based on the DVD one. One reason why it looks so nice.
If the Doctor’s going through post-regeneration blues that badly, he’s more than welcome to pay a visit to Sesska’s Spa. Then again, you did say that the Doctor gets bored in the spa because “There’s very little adventure in the spa. Relaxing and lazing around can be so dull and boring” as I believe you described the Doctor’s view on Sesska’s Spa. This also means that there is great concern on your end and mine that the Doctor would delete Sesska’s Spa. But don’t worry Jess, I suspect the TARDIS has some safeguards in place to prevent that; the old girl’s got your back.
Jettisoned.... 😂
Here is proper start of the 80s dr who with the fifth doctor a breath of fresh air compared to the poor last fourth doctors few seasons but back to this story its more of a tegan nyssa episode as number 5 gets himself together
Castrovalva is a good intro story and does have an interesting focus on the TARDIS crew. But it does feel less of a plot than the previous season. But love the Zero Room and The Master's scheme.
Jess touched on the companion dynamic that I really miss from the classic series: multiple companions of different times and places.
Don't get me started on that. Having nearly every companion in modern who be from the UK and usually a younger female is so unimaginative. That's definitely something classic who did better. It's only Nardle and Jack who broke the mold, and neither was the main companion.
@@cooluncle4242 exactly my point. Have you heard of some of the expanded media companions? They are equally crazy and brilliant
I started on big finish during the Chibnall era as I wasn't enjoying it as much, and there were some big gaps between series. It has definitely made me appreciate 6 more, and there are some great companions. Evelyn is a favourite.
Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) and Louise Janeson (Leela) were each asked to reprise their companion roles in order to ease an audience, many of whom had only ever known Tom Baker as the character, into a new Doctor. Each of the actresses declined.
Happy Opening Day of Cricket Season!
Yesss Tegan and nyssa are great together
It's interesting watching this reaction on the evening when the new series is due to go out in roughly the same transmission format (albeit through streaming), because it's also broadly analogous to how contemporary viewers in England would have seen 'Castrovalva' at the time. For the first time in 19 years, Doctor Who abandoned it's Saturday night slot for broadcasts twice-weekly. This caused a minor furore in the press, who hate change of any kind. Actually, it was due to the BBC scoping out the best time-slot for their forthcoming soap opera 'EastEnders' - which would finally air three years later and is still running today.
Every Dr's run was shorter than 4's.
Hooray! My third favorite post-regeneration story (right behind "The Eleventh Hour" and "Spearhead from Space")
This was my Doctor, accidently caught his regeneration on my local PBS station and I was hooked. Others will disagree but I always liked his companion rotation the best Turlough, Peri and even Adric is redeemed with his exit.
Peter Davison personally hates celery.
Welcome back i hope you had a lovely break 😁👋🏻
6:14 "There are strong dimensioning forces this deep in the TARDIS, tends to make one a bit giddy."
11 said that to Clara. Twice.
“GIDDY”, a word the 2nd Doctor use to like to say a lot(Stop, you’re making me giddy!).
Also I had to apologise to Janet (Tegan) because one time I said Adric is caught in the Masters sex dungeon.
I wonder, boy, what would you do if you were me, hmm?
5 channeling his inner 1. Great nod to Mr Hartnell
All the parallels with the 13th Doctor … younger, blond, a lot of companions.
I love this one myself.
Find it trippy.
Welcome back!:) Hope you enjoyed your break!:)
They gave Davison a great first episode. Even when later episodes start to drop in quality it's a good tardis team.
From the 60s to the end of Tom Baker's run , Dr WHo was on early Saturday evenings..... the Peter Davison reign was changed to twice weekly (Monday and Tuesdays), no idea why, but as a kid it kind of annoyed me at the time..... 🤣
Poor ratings during Tom’s last season. The show got clobbered by Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on ITV. DW got its worst ratings in over a decade with two episodes dipping below 4 million. It got moved to an earlier time slot from Warrior’s Gate onward and ratings did recover somewhat but were still lower than the show usually got. Thus the decision to move it from Saturdays to weekdays.
It was because the BBC were trying out half hour dramas twice weekly as a testing ground for feasibility of doing a soap opera. Triangle and Angels were two other series that got such treatment.
The trial worked and became EastEnders, starting in February 1985.
@@The2ndGreatCornholioThe ratings weren’t the reason as ratings improved from Warrior’s Gate onwards (earlier time slot and Buck Rogers having finished).
"A landing's a landing" really isn't something an air hostess should be saying, Tegan.
Gimme Five! Good to see you enjoying your break and welcome back
I do not know if you know this, but David Tennant is married to Peter Davisons Daughter Georgia, who was in the episode "The Doctor's Daughter" in 2008 where she played Jenny the cloned daughter of David Tennants Doctor.
of course when peter davidson he was really starting to get noticed as an actor , He was in another successful show as well All creatures great and small