DOCTOR WHO MARATHON 43rd MEET-UP - THE INVASION

Sunday 13th September 2015

This time we had a moment of madness!  We were coming to a story that had 8 parts - The Invasion!  Now we'd not watched this many in a row - 7 had been the most and that had been a bit of a slog.  I offered the group the option of watching 6 parts and then watching the 2 parts next time - along with 4 parts of the next story.

However Shaun, who was to host, suggested to me that we meet at 12 o' clock and then bash out all 8 in one go!  I was up for that, especially as Gavin would be along to join us and this meant he would see all the parts!

So, much to Leigh's hatred, we all decided to meet early to watch this lovely 8 part story IN ONE MASSIVE GO!

Photo 1:

MJ (holding his copy of the DVD Cover),
Leigh (holding Jason's copy of the DVD Cover), Shaun,
Gavin (holding the sign) and Mark around Shaun's house!

So The Invasion is a story I love (even Jason has a copy of the DVD - which he brought over (in case we needed it!)).  6 parts of this story exist and 2 have been animated by the late, great animation company Cosgrove Hall.  When I was a child I'd loved Cosgrove Hall's cartoons "Dangermouse" and "Duckula" and expected high things of this story when I first saw it.  So, as we put in the disc to watch the first (animated) episode I certainly wasn't disappointed.  The characterisation was excellent, the movement and look of the whole thing flowed really well.

The story itself continues on from the last one where the reformed TARDIS has left the Land of Fiction.  It appears in space - just by the Moon - where a missile is suddenly launched at it!  They manage to avoid this by making an emergency landing but then they aren't sure where they've landed!  A face of a friendly cow on the monitor tells them they are in a field on Earth!  That's all good but in making an emergency landing they've damaged the visual stabiliser - which makes the TARDIS invisible!  They all decide to try to find Professor Edward Travers (of The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear) to seek his assistance.  So they hitch a lift to London with a lorry and the driver tells them that they are on private property of International Electromatics, the world's largest electronics manufacturer.  The lorry doesn't go unnoticed and soon they are followed and stopped by two shifty fellows on motorcycles (wearing sunglasses).  The driver shows his pass, whilst our crew hide and, when the motorcyclists have gone, the driver takes them outside the compound.

Sadly we'll never see the real actor playing the animated driver, as soon outside the compound he gets stopped by the motorcyclists again, who shoot him DEAD!!

Photo 2:

Jason (holding his copy of the DVD Cover),Leigh, Shaun, Gavin (holding the sign)

and Mark (holding MJ's copy of the DVD Cover)

 around Shaun's house!

Sinister stuff - not so sinister is when we arrive at the flat which is supposed to belong to Professor Travers.  He's not there (he gone away travelling) but a young lady (who's trying to take photographs of herself and is quite annoyed by the interruption) answers the door.  This is Isobel Watkins who tells us the flat now belongs to her Uncle, Professor Watkins. She explains that the her Uncle disappeared, after he worked on an invention for International Electromatics. The Doctor asks if there is a phone number they can ring for International Electromatics and he is pointed to the wall in the Hall - this is where Isobel writes all her notes down as "You can't lose a wall"!

So, whilst Zoe stays and poses for photos, the Doctor and Jamie go to International Electromatics's head office in London to investigate.  When they get there a computerised receptionist won't let them past, which infuriates the Doctor "Stupid Machine!!", and they seek out another way in.  However they fall unconscious after being gassed, and are taken by security chief Packer to see International Electromatics's Managing Director, Tobias Vaughn.  Vaughn apologises for the rough treatment they have endured - but they DID try and break in!

Photo 3:

MJ (holding his copy of the DVD Cover),
Leigh (holding Jason's copy of the DVD Cover), Shaun,
Gavin (holding the sign) and Mark around Shaun's house!

Vaughn explains that Professor Watkins was engrossed in a delicate stage of his work, and agreed to remain on site.  The Doctor seems happy with this and leaves the circuits behind as Vaughn has offered to fix or replace them for him.  After they leave, Vaughn opens a hidden panel in the wall of his office, revealing an alien machine!  OoooOOooooOOoo!I think Vaughn is great!  He's played by the great Kevin Stoney who played Mavic Chen in The Daleks Master Plan.  In this story he's calm, smooth, charming and pretty much a James Bond villain!  In fact the whole story could be a James Bond spy thriller - even some of the music sounds spy-like!

Also in this story we get re-introduced to Colonel Lethbridge Stewart (from the Yetis on the London Underground in the story The Web of Fear) - he's now a Brigadier and works for U.N.I.T. aka United Nations Intelligence Taskforce!  They've been investigating

International Electromatics for a while, watching lots of people going in....but not many of them come out again!

Photo 4:

Jason (holding his copy of the DVD Cover), Leigh, Shaun,
Gavin (holding the sign)

and Mark (holding MJ's copy of the DVD Cover)

around Shaun's house!
All of them trying to do Tobias Vaughn faces!

Anyhow we have a bit more to-ing and fro-ing until the end of Episode 4 where we finally see who Vaughn is in league with....The Cybermen!  In fact the very end of this episode is the only time those poor animators get to have a go at drawing the Cybermen!  Oh well.  So this time the Cybermen want to take over the Earth and have promised that Vaughn can be in charge of a vast part of it!  Will that actor never learn?!  When he was Mavic Chen he went in league with the Daleks and was promised he could rule once they'd won - and then they betrayed and killed him!  Now he's Tobias Vaughn he's doing the same thing with the Cybermen - will it end the same?...  (Spoilers - Yes it will!)

Photo 5:

Mark (holding the DVD Cover), Shaun, Jason (holding the sign)

and MJ around Mark's house!

As I said I am a big fan of this tale and there are so many parts I like.  I like the introduction of UNIT (even with that funny little tune that seems to accompany their movements) and the re-introduction of the Brig.  I think the Cybermen look well designed AND I can make out what they are saying pretty much ALL of the time - which is a first!  I really loved when Vaughn used his new weapon on a semi-aroused (easy!) Cyberman to give it the emotion of fear!  It ran through the sewers SCREAMING in terror and attacking anything it came across (Cybermen or humans)!  I felt both sorry and creeped out by it!  Poor Cyberman!  It was all down to nasty Vaughn!  Ahh Vaughn!  Now I'm a big fan of him and his sidekick PACKER!  As I said classic boss villain in the Bond vein.  During the first few episodes he just oozed charm and if stuff went wrong he would just dismiss it casually - often with a smile or laugh!  It was only later, as the story moved on, we saw an angry Vaughn - and sometimes PETULANT!  When he found out the Cybermen were going to betray him he sulks like a spoilt child, angrily saying to the Doctor " I'll help you to destroy them because I hate them!"  Then rather sadly (and with lip sticking out) follows up with "They destroyed my dream."

Awwww, poor Vaughn!

The animation was superb - the first and best of the whole lot of animations.  I thought the locations were good - we got to see helicopters, aeroplanes, trains and lots of different locations.  The whole story seemed BIG!

So that's our last LONG story for a while - I'm glad we got through it in one go and this time we all scored:

Jason - 8.5/10

Leigh - 7/10

Mark - 7/10

MJ - 9/10

Shaun - 7/10
Gavin - 8.5/10

So it gave us an average of 7.83 out of 10!

So, a popular story!  Okay next time we're back for a shorter tale with a four parter tale with South-African robots....!

Until then, I shall return, yes I shall return

MJ - 17-09-15