DOCTOR WHO MARATHON 14th MEET-UP - THE CHASE

Sunday 11th August 2014

And thus it was declared that the Four Whoresmen Of The Apologetic Nature & Jim (with added Shaun) should meet only a week after their last viewing.  For, it was written, that the rest of August was a bitch and people were busy all month!  So our intrepid gang marched over to Jason's house to watch the next story in their very long quest.  It was thusly called:
"THE CHASE"!

Photo 1: Michael, Mark (with the sign), Shaun (holding the DVD cover),
Jim & Leigh around Jason's house.

This time we had another complete story (i.e. no recons) and this time with added Daleks!  the story continued on from previously with the Doctor having taken a Time-Space Visualiser from the Space Museum.  This could show them various places in time or space.  Indeed they do by watching various bits from history including Queen Elizabeth I in court (the first of many appearances by this colourful monarch) and The Beatles performing ("Classical music" according to Vicki!).  This prompts some awful Dad-dancing from "with it" Ian - though it is very amusing!

Photo 2: Jason, Mark (with the sign), Shaun (holding the DVD cover),
Jim & Leigh around Jason's house.

So the TARDIS lands on a desert planet (which included location filming - which looked pretty impressive).  The Doctor and Barbara, for some bizarre reason, think that this is a GREAT time to sunbathe!  And so lay out in the sun whilst Ian and Vicki leave to explore the desert wilderness.

Photo 3: Leigh (excited to be let out of the house again)
around Jason's house.

Of course this all goes pants up and after a short while Ian and Vicki find an ancient trap door in the sand - and of course go in a get trapped!  Pretty much immediately they are set upon by hostile tentacle creatures called Mire Beasts.  Great big wobbly, dodgy looking things - which we've come to expect from this series.  We'd be disappointed otherwise

Photo 4: Michael, Mark (with the sign),Shaun (holding the DVD cover)
& Jim around Jason's house.

The Doctor and Barbara, for some bizarre reason, think that this is a GREAT time to sunbathe!  And so lay out in the sun whilst Ian and Vicki leave to explore the desert wilderness. After a short while they find an ancient trap door in the sand - and of course go in a get trapped!  Pretty much immediately they are set upon by hostile tentacle creatures called Mire Beasts.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Barbara interrupt their sunbathing to look at the 'Visualiser' and see a "broadcast" of the Daleks preparing to give a report.
The Daleks' plan to follow "the enemy time machine" (the TARDIS) to the Sagarro Desert on the planet Aridius (get it!?  'Cos it's an arid desert planet.  It's clever...!).  The Daleks plan to take the TARDIS, find the Doctor and his companions, and exterminate them.  The Doctor and Barbara watch these Daleks embark and de-materialise.  Of course the Doctor immediately realises that, as these events happened in the past, the Daleks may already be here! They must find Ian and Vicki and leave immediately!

Photo 5: Mark (asleep with the sign!) & Shaun holding the DVD cover)
around Mark's house.  Plus parts of Jason & Jim!

 
Anyhow lots of stuff happens from then on - threats from Daleks, sand storm burying the TARDIS etc etc.  Suffice to say they all get away in the TARDIS and then begins the ACTUAL chase through time and space!

We then have a lot of fun as they visit various places in history including the Marie Celeste, the Empire State building (where we see a hillbilly character played by Peter Purves - more of him later....!) and a haunted house!  Seeing "Dracula" facing a Dalek whilst the Dalek pronounces "I AM A DALEK" is equally glorious and stupid at the same time!

Photo 6: Michael, Mark (asleep with the sign!), Shaun holding the DVD cover),
Jim and Leigh around Mark's house.

The story settles into one place as the TARDIS crew lands on the jungle world of Mechanus, however they leave poor Vicki behind!  So she has to stow away on the Dalek time machine.  It's here that she spots the Daleks evil plan.  They create a robot replica of the Doctor - unconvincing double Doctor "indistinguishable from the real thing" according to the Daleks.  Well it certainly was when they used Hartnell himself for the close-ups, but the actor looked nothing like the Doctor.  They could have done this a LOT better by using Hartnell in all the scenes where there was only one "Doctor" needed.  The rest of the time (when both Doctors were needed) they could have gotten away with it by just having the double's back showing.

Anyhow the soon sort it out and meet up with NEW robots called the Mechanoids - the most cumbersome robots ever!  (the production company thought that maybe THESE would take off like the Daleks did....!)  And they meet up crashed astronaut (and soon-to-be new companion) Steven Taylor and his toy Panda.
Anyhow Daleks defeated, city set on fire, companions escaping down a long cable etc etc.
And Lord knows where Steven and his Panda went...

The main thing that makes this episode stand out is the leaving of companions Ian and Barbara - who take The Daleks time machine to get back to England.  It's sad to see them go as they have been there with us from the beginning and seemed to be very popular with all of us.  It adds a bit of poignancy to an otherwise exciting set of episodes.

Well we have a wait now as everyone's busy the rest of the month, so September will see our first adventure without Ian and Barbara.

Until then I shall return, yes, I shall return....


MJ 11-08-14