The directors throughout the season cast their parts very carefully, with guest actors coming in to the show that can match Tom at the height of his powers. There’s very much a sense that Tom is a bit intimated by Mary Tamm to begin with, so he’s on his best behaviour (he’d had a famously stormy relationship with Louise Jameson over the previous couple of years) and with a bit of mutual respect the two form a great partnership. The respect he has for Beatrix Lehman shows in all their scenes together.Īlso great is his relationship with Mary Tamm’s Romana. There are other moments throughout the season where he’s thoughtful and reflective, and the warmth and charm he brings to his relationship with Emelia Rumford in The Stones of Blood is wonderful to watch. Although off screen Tom was perhaps less than happy, tendering his resignation during the making of The Armageddon Factor when his relationship with Graham Williams was rather stormy, this never shows on screen. His righteous anger at the Pirate Captain in The Pirate Planet for instance is generally considered one of Tom’s finest moments in the role. That’s not to say that the wit overtakes everything in his performance there are many moments where we see other facets of his character. During this season, we see his Doctor at his wittiest, Tom seems to be energised by the material and makes some very good choices with his performance throughout. Far from being tired and diminished, this season sees Tom at his best in the role. The Key to Time season was Tom’s fifth season as the Doctor. His righteous anger at the Pirate Captain is generally considered one of Tom’s finest moments in the role.” “During this season Tom seems to be energised by the material. His version of the show is intelligent and above all, fun. He deserves far more credit for that than he ever receives. He was able to get his vision of the show onto the screen and produce a highly imaginative, witty and clever series of stories. This was the one Williams season where everything fell into place and worked. These stories would often be small in scale which contrasted nicely with the bigger theme of the season. This is one of the brilliant things about the season although there’s a theme to the season as a whole, each individual story can still be enjoyed in their own right. As he said, “the concept itself was easy to get together, but I needed stories which could still be self-sufficient in their own right.” The new producer was just as concerned with the ongoing mythos of the show as he was with getting it on to the screen.ĭue to lack of preparation time when he took over, he was unable to put the theme together for season 15, but given a bit more time and the enthusiastic help of his Script Editor, Anthony Read, his second season would have the overarching theme he wanted. In Williams’ mind, the Doctor needed a purpose and that purpose would be a mission from the White Guardian which would see the Doctor and his companions hunting down the segments to help restore the balance between the forces of good and evil in the universe. Williams felt that the Doctor’s adventures were somewhat morally irresponsible he arrives, changes what he doesn’t like and then leaves. In his job interview, he presented a document that laid the foundations of the hunt for the Key to Time. Williams arrived with great hopes for the show. With the BBC worried about the fuss Mary Whitehouse was causing about the violence and horror in the show, Phillip Hinchcliffe was moved sideways and swapped assignments with Graham Williams. Graham Williams had taken over as producer at a crucial time in the show’s history. “The new producer was just as concerned with the ongoing mythos of the show as he was with getting it on to the screen.” Many people would have a hand in the season’s success both in front of and behind the camera, but there are six things without which it wouldn’t have been so good, so get your Tracer ready, let’s go back forty years and see if we can find six of the things that made the season such a success… Segment One: Graham Williams, Producer It would turn out to be one of Doctor Who’s most varied and inventive seasons. A quest that would take him all over the universe looking for the six segments of the Key to Time, a perfect cube that would restore the balance of good and evil across the universe. Many people would have a hand in the season’s success both in front of and behind the camera, so get your Tracer ready, let’s go back forty years and find six of the things that made the season such a success…”įorty years ago, the Doctor embarked on a quest. “The Key To Time is a highly imaginative, witty and clever season. ❉ An appreciation of the six segments that make up Doctor Who’s first season ‘arc’, broadcast Autumn 1978.
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