After a nice solid month of deep analysis, I thought it might be nice to go back to an opinion piece. I've noticed you all seem to be enjoying my lists, of late. Any time I post one, it seems to get a high number of hits. I always like to give my audience what they enjoy, so here's a new one:
It's a popular topic in discussion forums with fans who are familiar with New and Old Who: "What's something from the Classic Series that you'd like to see come back in the modern version of the show?" We've gotten a lot of the great stuff back, already, of course. Baddies like: Daleks, Cybermen and the Master. Or old friends like Sarah Jane Smith and K9. Hell, we've even gotten the Macra! Whoever expected them?! But with a range of twenty six seasons, there's still plenty more stuff to draw from if the New Series wanted to.
I don't usually participate in these discussions. I can never settle on just one thing. There's always, at least, four or five elements from Old Who that I'd like to see come back. And I don't want to just itemise briefly what it is I want to see. I want to take some time to explain why I want to see it. But most people on these Fan Pages get turned off by long answers (myself, included). So I don't usually jump into the comments section with my feedback on such a topic.
The nice thing about a blog, of course, is that people that go to them are expecting a bit of wordiness. You're meant to be digging a bit deeper and going into heavier detail. So, rather than blather on in a Fan Group, I'll discuss my feelings on the matter, here:
5: Chancellery Guards In Their Old Uniforms
I totally get why New Who changed the uniforms of the Gallifreyan military. They needed to look bad-ass for the Time Wars. Those bright red uniforms with flowing white capes and ornate helmets just weren't going to cut it.
But the Time Wars are over, now. I would have loved if episodes like Hell Bent had gone back to the old look that we saw all the way through the Classic Series. A bit of an update might have been nice, of course. Nor do they have to go with the ridiculous hat that they made Colin Baker lug around in Arc of Infinity. But it would have been really cool to see that particular style of uniform make a return now that Gallifrey is back in a time of relative peace.
Of course, Gallifrey currently lies in ruins. So we're probably never going to see that. But, as some fans have pointed out, Rassilon and various members of the High Council were banished when the Doctor escaped the torment he went through in his Confession Dial. They could be out in the Universe, somewhere, and could make a return appearance, someday. Might they have taken a few guards with them? And might those guards be decked out in traditional garb?
It would be nice to see...
4. Neomorph Cybermen
Just in case you're not sure what that is, it's a term that was created in a special book that was written about Cybermen way back in the day. It refers to the model we saw in Earthshock, The Five Doctors, Attack of the Cybermen and a slightly "more silvery" version in Silver Nemesis. Essentially, it's my favorite costume they've used for them.
We've seen stories like Asylum of the Daleks and Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar use models of Daleks from the Classic Series. We've even seen Mondasian Cybermen in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. So it's not unheard-of to bring back these older versions with a slightly updated look so they don't appear too laughable by modern-day standards. Although, I do think those 80s Cybermen looked pretty damned good and would still stand up well. So let's bring those babies back for a story.
A return appearance of Neomorphic Cybermen could be easily justified. They do seem to be the version of the species that are most adept at time travel. They stole a time machine in Attack of the Cybermen and tried to use it to prevent the destruction of Mondas. While it's not explicitly stated in Earthshock and Silver Nemesis, it's my theory that these were also Cybermen from the future who travelled back into the past to tamper some more with history (I explain this in greater detail in one of my "History of the Cybermen" entries. https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2018/02/chronologies-and-timelines-history-of_27.html).
So it would be quite easy for the Doctor to detect some sort of temporal disturbance and go investigate it. And up pop those nasty Neomoprhs - out to make more trouble. Maybe she even finds a glitter gun for Yaz and she kicks some Cyber-ass the same way Ace did with her slingshot and gold coins!
3. Ogrons
While we only ever saw them in the Pertwee Era, by no means were the Ogrons an obscure one-time-only monster. They appeared in three different stories (only very briefly in Carnival of Monsters - but it still counts!). Whenever they were included in a story, they were always very interesting. I particularly like that they looked ape-like but the creative team didn't go for something really obvious by getting the artistes to imitate primates in their movements. They were squat and brutish - more like thugs than gorillas. Even when one is given a banana in Frontier In Space he doesn't know what to do with it!
They are another great example of a costume that has stood the test of time. Little would need to be done to upgrade their look. In fact, it would be a shame to change them much. They really are a very convincing-looking alien.
Since they function as "guard dogs" for Daleks, it would not be hard to bring them back. Just re-introduce them in a Dalek story. Having to deal with Daleks and Ogrons in the same story would certainly increase the sense of peril in an adventure. Although, really, the Ogrons are meant to be grunts-for-hire. So they could show up alongside any militant race. Or they could have even evolved to a point where they can fight for themselves and be featured independently. The possibilities are endless.
The Ogrons are more than just scary alien monsters. We do learn a bit about their social order when their homeworld is visited in Frontier In Space. We even see that they seem to have a sort of religion. So there is a three-dimensional quality to them. I think it's especially interesting that they are meant to be very slow-witted but can still accomplish highly technological tasks like flying a spaceship. It's an interesting social dynamic that we need to explore more deeply.
2. Question Marks?
Admittedly, we have gotten this a bit in the New Series. Osgood has been wonderful enough to put question marks on her collar and wear the notorious McCoy Sweater (and/or Jumper) on certain occasions. When she engaged in a discussion with Doctor Twelve about this particular fashion accessory, he claimed that he does still wear them on his underwear. Somehow, I doubt we will ever get this properly validated!
Tom Baker first started wearing question marks on his funky lapel-like shirt collar during Season 18. Davison wore a more traditional dress shirt that also featured them on the collar. As did Colin Baker. Sylvester McCoy, of course, went even crazier with the look. Not only was his torso, more or less, covered with the punctuation mark, but the handle of his umbrella was made to look like one too. The joke was sometimes made that if the progression had been allowed to continue, Doctor Eight would have dressed like the Riddler!
At the time that all of this was going on, many fans complained about this particular fashion choice. They felt that it made things too obvious that the Doctor was meant to be a mysterious character. Or some sort of nonsense like that. I'm not sure. I actually just thought it was cool that he wore question marks. Even in his seventh incarnation when the motif was, pretty much, taken to its ultimate extreme - I still really liked the look. As did other friends who were into the show with me. But this is one of those instances during the ultra-criticism of the 80s where a lot of us just elected to keep our mouths shut about it rather than state an opinion that contradicted the highly-vocal negative fans that were out there. Even now, with quite a bit of water under the bridge, you still tend to get fans calling you stupid for liking the question marks.
But it would seem that quite a few of us did enjoy them. I, for one, would love to see them make a comeback of some sort. Perhaps it could be really understated. Maybe just one question mark pinned to a lapel. It could be quite small and dark in color so that you don't even notice it all that well in most shots. That would be a nice compromise for all those question mark haters. They would only have to acknowledge it if they looked really hard.
1. Ace!!
Admittedly, the return of any Classic Who companion is more-than-welcome. Even Jackie Lane reprising Dodo would be a delight! And we have gotten a few, now, when you think about it. Not just Sarah Jane Smith and K9 (if you consider robots to be an actual companion - that's a debate in itself! https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/05/point-of-debate-should-we-consider.html). We got a really cool flashback sequence in Twice Upon a Time that brought back Ben and Polly, too. It's even heavily implied that Ian Chesterton was still around Coal Hill School during Day of the Doctor. And, of course, the Brigadier does come back - but only as a Cyberman!
For various reasons, I'd love to see Ace come back more than any other companion. Probably the biggest would be that she's an excellent character. She did really cool stuff like blow things up with Nitro-9 and kick the asses of some of the most fearsome aliens in the Universe. On top of that, though, she was magnificently-written. They gave her all kinds of interesting layers and even moved her through a growth process of sorts. Sophie Aldred also did a great job of portraying the character. Making her a tough street kid who still possessed a certain degree of naivete and earnestness. In many ways, she was a perfect storm. They just "got everything right" about her.
But there are other companions who I am deeply fond of for similar reasons. Jamie, Leela and both versions of Romana also received similar treatment by the production teams that created them. I even have some eccentric tastes that go against Popular Fan Opinion (Surprise! Surprise!). I absolutely adore Turlough, for instance. I do actually think he's put through a very good redemption arc throughout the course of his era. Not just in the Guardian Trilogy, but I also like how he finally faces up to his past in Planet of Fire. And, although he's - pretty much - just a generic 60s male companion, I really like Steven, too. Not even entirely sure why. I just think Peter Purves does a really good job with what he's given.
So, there are a lot of other companions that I'm in love with - why does Ace triumph over all of them? Why do I want her to return more than these other ones? Well, that's where my second major reason comes into play. All the other companions I've mentioned were all given decent farewell scenes (well, maybe not the First Romana - but that's the way regeneration goes, sometimes!), but Ace just disappeared into the woodwork during the Wilderness Years. Even Sylvester McCoy got to return briefly in the 96 Telemovie to get a proper send-off. But we never got to know what happened to Ace.
A return appearance for Ace would just be wonderful cause she's an awesome character and it would be great to see her again. But we would also assume that Ace coming back would involve an explanation of what happened to her between Survival and Doctor Who - The Movie. And that inner completist that is always screaming from the back of my head wants to know so badly why she left the TARDIS.
So, between Ace's incredibleness (totally a word) and my insistent need to know her fate, she is the one thing from the Classic Series that I want to see the most in New Who. Which is why she's placed at Number One. Nothing would warm my Hardcore Fan Heart(s) more than for the Doctor to somehow stumble into her and pick things up where they left off for an episode or two. Maybe Ace was returned to Earth where she went on to live a very happy life. Or maybe she's out among the stars, exploring the Universe and righting wrongs when she finds them. Or maybe it's something between these two extremes. Either way, I'd like to know...
Are you reading this, Chibbers? If so, make a fanboy's pipe dream come true.
Bring back Ace.
Another quick easy list complete. Do you like shorter ones like these? Here's a few others:
Five Unpopular Opinions I have about Doctor Who:
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2020/03/book-of-lists-five-unpopular-opinions-i.html
Traits you need to become a Recurring Villainess in Doctor Who
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-of-lists-traits-you-need-to-become.html
Five "Not as Bad as They Say They Are" stories
https://robtymec.blogspot.com/2015/07/book-of-lists-5-not-as-bad-as-everyone.html
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