ANALYTICAL - DOCTOR WHO: "THE DELICATE YEARS" - EPISODE ONE: THE DYING DAYS

So this would be another idea for an entry that just, sort of, came to me from out of nowhere. I'm not entirely sure how interesting other fans might find this analysis. We'll see....


A LITTLE BACKGROUND....
When I re-watch the show from my DVD collection (still haven't made the switch to Blu-Ray - gonna fight it for as long as I can), I tend to just watch individual stories in little or no particular order. I might watch The Time Warrior one day and The God Complex, the next. And then Arc of Infinity after that. I love to just jump all over the spectrum of the program.

Every once in a while, however, I'll go back to watching the show chronologically. I'll just pick a specific spot in the series and watch episodes continuously for a while...

Recently, I started watching the show in this fashion at Episode One of Trial of a Time Lord (aka The Mysterious Planet) and just kept viewing from that point, onward. Sadly, Six complained about carrot juice three times over and then transformed, quite unconvincingly into Seven. I then continued with Sylvester McCoy until he strolled off into the distance with Sophie Aldred while performing his final voiced-over soliloquy. But I didn't stop there. I enjoyed the stories that take place or are meant to take place in the Wilderness Years and even watched a season or two of New Who.

Then, suddenly, I felt I'd watched enough. I was ready to go back to just random viewings. I wondered why I chose to stop when I did. And then I realized it. I was watching the episodes that were made when Doctor Who was at its most delicate time. I started exactly when the show moved into an era where it faced the risk of being cancelled. I then observed its struggles to come back to life. Finally, I watched it truly get back on its feet and start firing on all cylinders, again.

I'd now like to go over those specific periods in greater detail and explain what they represented in terms of the show's demise and recovery. Normally, when I write in this blog, I prefer to stick to explorations of the mythos of Doctor Who. On this occasion, however, it's gong to be an examination of behind-the-scenes dynamics.


SEASON 22: NOT QUITE IN THE DELICATE YEARS - BUT CERTAINLY THE CATHARSIS
As we look at this period of fragility in the show's history, some would like to believe that it began in Colin Baker's first full season. But I would be inclined to refute that. The fact of the matter is, Season 22 possesses many attributes of a television program that is doing quite well for itself. Its most obvious trait would be the fact that it contains all the episodes that a season of Doctor Who normally has. To me, the greatest sign that the show was in trouble was the sudden and harsh reduction of episodes that we only see after this season concludes.

It should also be noted that the season brought us quite a few of its greatest returning villains and/or monsters. Which gave it some pretty respectable ratings. But it didn't just rest on its laurels. It also introduced two new characters (Sil and the Rani) that were so well-appreciated that they would be seen again in future stories. While I could list several more positive traits, it would just be easier to say that, overall, the season went over fairly well.

However, several key executives in the BBC were tired of the show. They felt funds at the Beeb should be directed towards newer and fresher projects rather than be used on older programs. Despite the fact that these older programs were institutions that were generating tonnes of income for the television station through merchandising and oversea sales. These execs had an axe to grind with Doctor Who and they needed some kind of catalyst to begin its demise.

They managed to find one flaw about the series that they could blow out of proportion. Season 22 is grittier and more violent than usual. Some believe that certain action elements went too far in terms of gratuitousness. But, in all reality, that's highly subjective.There's far more objectionable stuff, for instance, during much of Tom Baker's earlier days. Condo getting his stomach blown open by Solon's gun in Brain of Morbius, for instance, was an unnecessarily graphic sequence that is far more disturbing than anything Season 22 had to offer. But there were still some objections about the violence in the Sixth Doctor's debut season. This was all that  BBC executives like Michael Grade and Jonathon Powell needed to begin their campaign to kill off the show.


SEASON 23 - WHERE TROUBLE TRULY BEGINS
Overemphasising the disdain experienced by some of the darker tones of Season 22, the Powers-That-Be at the BBC declare a hiatus on the show so that it can go through extensive re-tooling. In reality, little or no attention is given to the program while it is off the air. This was done more as an attempt to get the show out of the public's attention for a bit so that it would, hopefully, suffer lower ratings when it did come back.

In order to make the blow as crippling as possible, Doctor Who is also allocated half the episodes it regularly receives when it does return to air. Not only did fans not get their favorite program for over a year, but, as it does return - it's not around for very long before it's gone again for a while.

This is, truly, the beginning of the end. Amazingly enough, the show does keep going for another four installments. But the Fourteen Episode Season is the final nail in the coffin. The body inside the casket kicks and screams for quite some time. But, eventually, it does get lowered into the earth and buried.

The one positive that comes from this decision is that the program is still receiving, more or less, the same budget it had when it was required to make twenty-six episodes. With less content to make but still plenty of money to throw at it, the production value definitely improved. The cheap effects that the show was, generally, mocked for became less frequent. Doctor Who really starts looking good. We see the best evidence of this in the beginning few seconds of the first fourteen-part season.


TRIAL OF A TIME LORD - DOOMED FROM THE START
While the opening sequence of Trial of a Time Lord is visually stunning, it's not the only shock that Season 23 creates. The biggest surprise about the whole story is its actual premise. One would expect the production team to repeat what they did in their last outing and bring us lots of recurring villains/monsters to attract viewers. But, instead, they take a very different route.

They make several bold choices. The biggest and most obvious being the decision to create an "art imitates life" piece. The show, itself, is being put on trial by the BBC executives to see if its worth keeping alive. The Doctor goes through a similar experience as he is subjected to the judgement of his peers. The opening lines of dialogue between prosecutor and defendant ("At last, Doctor." "Am I late for something?") are even meant to mirror fan reaction to the whole hiatus we had just suffered through.

But that's not the only brave decision made by the creative team. While The Key to Time was the first attempt at an umbrella themed season, it was nowhere near as tight in continuity as Trial of Time Lord was. It really was necessary to watch, pretty much, every single episode of the season to truly understand what was going on. Even modern-day Who uses enough stand-alone and/or "filler" episodes to make it a bit more accessible for the casual viewer. Trial of a Time Lord made no allowances for this. In many ways, one should admire the integrity of those that created this season.

Unfortunately, a lot of people didn't. Fandom, at the time, was going through a bit of a vicious cycle. One that happens in any franchise, really. For a time, fans will become impossible to please. Everything about what they love is picked apart and placed under the harshest of microscopes. Every fan seems to now fancy themselves as being producers, writers, directors and actors and has to tell everyone how "they would have made it better" rather than enjoy the content given to them (ironically, some people with this type of personality end up dabbling in fan fiction and we often see how much worse they would have made things!).

This was the state of fandom when Trial of a Time Lord came out. While the season is not perfect (not any season is), the problems it did have were grossly exaggerated by many of those who watched it upon its initial release. In many ways, it didn't matter what the production team made that year - it was going to get bashed pretty hard. It is,in fact, quite satisfying to hear the term "some serious re-evaluation required" being frequently used by reviewers of this season over subsequent years.

However, at the time, Trial of a Time Lord was not well-received by many. Which added, quite strongly, to its imminent demise.


THINGS COULD NOT GET WORSE - UNTIL SEASON 24!
As if dealing with BBC politics and difficult fans wasn't enough, John Nathan-Turner also had to face a slew of problems within his own team structure as Season 23 concludes.

For several years, tension between the producer and script editor, Eric Saward, had been growing. Both creatively and professionally, they seemed to be having problems seeing things eye-to-eye. It is difficult to tell whether there truly was a "good guy and bad guy" in this debacle. Personally, I'm more inclined to think JNT was the nicer fellow - but that's just me! Either of these men could have done a lot of wrong in this fight. Both, in terms of how they were treating each other and handling the show.

Things finally come to a boil between them while Trial of a Time Lord is still under production. After the death of Robert Holmes, Saward is forced to pen the final episode of the saga, himself. In a fit of pique, however, he withdraws the script and quits the show. Hastily, the producer must commission Pip and Jane Baker to come up with a finale of their own. They, literally, have a writer's briefing with a lawyer present to ensure that none of Saward's ideas are stolen. There could not be a tenser way to end a season-long opus. Interestingly enough, the final episode still holds up quite well. And, if you happen to read up on what Saward had planned, the ending devised by the Bakers is considerably more upbeat. Had they gone with Saward's bleaker version, this might have been the opportunity the BBC executives were looking for to not renew the show.

The position of script editor during the Classic Series is a crucial one. They are, pretty much, what the Head Writer is, these days. Saward quitting so abruptly was going to make finding someone to fill his shoes all the more difficult. They would be coming in to the creative team without any guidance from their predecessor.

This, however, is nothing compared to the other major internal problem.

In their continuing quest to gaslight the program in any way they can, Execs from the Beeb also decide that Colin Baker is just not suitable for the part. They refuse to renew his contract but still want him to come in and film one more story so that they can regenerate him in the final episode. Quite reasonably, Baker tells them to shove their offer where the sun don't shine. While Colin admits many years later that he did wish he had filmed a proper swansong for his character, no one can really fault him for the choice he made. He was being treated deplorably by the BBC and had every right to do what  he did.

But, ultimately, Season 24 must now be created without the presence of two key positions in its staff. This has a huge detrimental influence on the quality of the series.


THE PAINFUL BIRTH OF A NEW ERA
While Season 23 seems to survive internal politics and still produce something quite decent, the same cannot be said for the next outing.

Almost frantic, JNT gets very lucky with all of his new hires. Andrew Cartmel is a young but very inventive script editor who will go on to bring the show to one of its most creative highs. Sylvester McCoy will also create a brilliant interpretation of the lead role.

But, before either of them can do that, there are some serious teething problems.

Many of them are clearly evident in the very first story of the season. While I think it's actually okay, Time and the Rani is not liked by most people who have seen it. Admittedly, there are some aspects to the plot that are difficult to swallow. The Rani disguising herself as Mel is, probably, one of the more bitter of pills. But there are other problems, too. Sylvester McCoy's entrance into the character is the most embarrassing of visuals that also doesn't make much sense (death by exercise bike?!). He also plays the part a bit too comedically in his first adventure. Although, admittedly, his antics are quite fun to watch. Even his twisted proverbs create some genuine amusement.

Part of the real problem with this particular tale is the fact that Pip and Jane were commissioned to write the story and then thrust upon the new script editor. One can understand why the husband-and-wife writing team got the job. They had pulled Trial of a Time Lord out of the flames and JNT was hoping they could get lightning to strike twice. But Cartmel just didn't feel the script supported the direction he wanted to move things in and there was, apparently, a lot of bickering between the editor and the scribes. Pip and Jane Baker would never return to the show. Unfortunately, because of creative differences, they left behind a fairly clunky script.

As Cartmel continued on, he attempted to bring in a number of writers that he felt would revive the show and make it fresh, again. And he was right in his choice. However, he was a script editor trying to find his own feet while, at the same time, grooming a group of fairly green writers. Which meant a heavy number of misfires before things really started to go right.


PRETTY MUCH, UNIVERSALLY REVILED
Many consider Season 24 to be one of, if not, the worst seasons of Doctor Who. Fan reaction was so negative, in fact, that quite a few people stopped watching the show at this point.

I would contest that quite a bit of this backlash happened because Fandom was still in its darker phase of being overcritical of everything. Time and the Rani is passable. I actually think Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannermen are quite strong. To me, the only real "stinker" in this line-up is Dragonfire. And, even then, it shows some promise. Particularly in the introduction of Ace - one of my all-time favorite companions.

When I compare this to another season that rates lowly - say, Season 17- then I have to wonder what all the fuss was about. Destiny of the Daleks and Nightmare of Eden are passable. I actually think City of Death is a bit over-rated. Horns of Nimon is only redeemed by the fact that it is a bit of a guilty pleasure (https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/05/book-of-lists-top-five-guilty-pleasures.html) - but that does mean it's still quite bad. And then Creature from the Pit is, perhaps, the greatest embarrassment the show has ever produced. This is a hideously bad story that even makes something like Dragonfire gleam like a gem.

Season 17's greatest sin, however, spans all of its stories. It is pushing the laughs way too hard. This no longer seems like Doctor Who. But, rather, a cruel parody of the show where nothing is ever being taken seriously anymore. Even when things are meant to be terrifying, they come across more as camp.

If I could delve even more into my own personal opinion, I consider most of what happened in the Pertwee era after Season 7 to be quite sub-standard. There are tales like Mind of Evil that manage to rise above much of the formula-driven, preachy, over-padded nonsense that drives most of this period. But, overall, I would take Season 24 over much of what is offered during Seasons 8 to 11.

So, to me, the rumors of Season 24's death have been greatly exaggerated. It's still troubled, in places. No doubt of that. But I'd hardly call it the worst. Not if I can find, just off the top of my head, five other seasons that I enjoy less.

This is, of course, my own opinion. Many still hold Season 24 in very low regard. This lack of love for the season does incalculable amounts of damage to the show's future. Things do get better in the last two seasons of the Classic Series. But, for many: it's too little, too late.


THE LAST TWO SEASONS: WHO CARES ANYMORE ABOUT GRABBING RATINGS?!
While the show continues to gasp its final breaths, little complaint can be laid at its doorstep about the quality of its content. As Season 25 opens, both Sylvester McCoy and Andrew Cartmel have settled nicely into their positions. The Seventh Doctor's character is now very thoroughly fleshed out and this is reflected in both the writing and the performance of the part. The scripts, in general, have improved dramatically (even though some of them were still doing quite well in Season 24). Stories like Remembrance of the Daleks, Ghostlight and Curse of Fenric are not just great Who tales, they are some of the most impressive feats of television, ever.

There is some divisiveness over certain stories like Happiness Patrol or Greatest Show in the Galaxy because they are going for a slightly more camp sensibility. But it's still evident that they tackle some pretty clever themes and ideas. Even weaker stories like Silver Nemesis and Battlefield have enough redeemable qualities to them that nothing can truly get snubbed by the fans.There are some great action sequences in Nemesis and the Brigadier is, pretty much, at his absolute coolest during Battlefield. This new stable of writers that Cartmel assembled are truly flourishing and the show almost seems to be heralding a new Golden Age.

It is almost as if everyone has stopped caring about trying to get a mass appeal and just wants to produce some really sophisticated television. The creative team seems to be hoping that people will be impressed enough by the intelligence of the content and not worry so much, anymore, about fan-pleasing gestures. Such a tactic is a pretty big gamble, of course. But it's difficult not to respect the High Road that gets taken, here.

Sadly, the risk doesn't pay off. Doctor Who has evolved so well during this period that a lot of what it's accomplishing is going over the heads of its audience. Quite a few of these stories will take a few years before they truly get the appreciation they deserve. Particularly a script like Ghostlight. Where the style of plot was just too far ahead of its time to be properly understood when it was initially transmitted.

And so, as the magnificently-layered Survival is aired, a decision is made to finish the season on a very poetic but conclusive note. In the adventure's final scene, Ace and the Doctor are shown strolling off into the sunset as Sylvester McCoy delivers a beautiful monologue in voice-over. The impression is given that their adventures will continue - we just won't be watching them anymore.

To all intents and purposes, Doctor Who is done.







As usual, my word-count is getting the best of me. I just had too much to say about this turbulent time. This seems to be a good place to leave things off. We'll re-join the tale as a new version of the show tries to rise from its own ashes.  

Again, delving so deeply into the behind-the-scenes drama is not something I usually do, here. Hope you're enjoying this.