DOCTOR WHO MARATHON 53rd MEET-UP - TERROR OF THE AUTONS

Sunday 13th March 2016

Hello cheeky-chappy/chappess!  Well another Sunday and it had been a while since we had last met, but here we were ready for the start of Jon Pertwee's second season.  Gathering around Shaun's house, with Gavin AND Shana in tow, we started watching this four-part box of delights….

****************************************************************************************************

MJ: "Hello, I'm at Shaun's - we're all at Shaun's.  I've got a Beatles mug with, erm, a tea.  We've got Gavin here and Shana - just chatting to myself at the moment.... and we're watching 'Terror Of The Autons' - a four parter and the start of Pertwee's second season."
Mark: "Hello."
MJ: "Hello.  I've just given an, err, intro to this to tell us what we're doing."
Jason: "What we doing with the!"
Shaun: "I'd say at this point that we've got about a 20% chance of ANY more tea as my kettle just exploded!"
MJ: "Ahh."
Shaun: "I don't know why."
Gavin: "Have you got any saucepans?"
Shaun: "Oh yeah I can boil some water in a saucepan or something."
MJ: "Have you got a camp fire?!  Have you got a bivouac!!?"
Shana: "Haha!  A bivouac!"
MJ: "I like saying the word 'bivouac'."
Shaun: "Why would I have a bivouac?  I'm not Australian!"
MJ: "I don't think it's Australian?"
Shaun: "It definitely sounds Australian."
MJ: "It does SOUND Australian, but I don't think it's Australian."
Mark: "I think it is."
Jason: "You're thinking of a -"
Leigh: "- a Bunyip!"
Shana: "A bunyip?  I've haven't heard that word for a long time!"
MJ: "Aren't they vegetables that make you cry when you cut them, and they've got many layers?"
Shaun: "No, that's an onion."
MJ: *Laughing* "Oh right.  Isn't that a hard bit of skin you get on your foot??!"
Leigh: "A 'Bunyip' is like an Australian Bigfoot."
MJ: "Ahh, anyway we're going to start off!  We're back with the Autons...."

Photo 1:

Gavin, Leigh,

Jason (holding the sign AND THE BOOK),

MJ, Shana (holding the DVD Cover) and Mark

around Shaun's house.

*PART ONE GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "End of first part and The Master's in it (hooray) for the first time!"
Shaun: "But NOT the first time as he's indicated he has past history with the Doctor."
MJ: "Oh yes, they've got form!"
Shaun: "Yes.  What did he call him?  A rapscallion or something?"
MJ: "Rapscallion?  Yeah, was it?  What was it he called him, The Master?"
Leigh: "A jackanapes!"
Shaun: "Yeah."
MJ: "A jackanapes!  That's a great term.  I'll get more thoughts after" *Singing* "Episode Twoooooooo!"

Photo 2:

Gavin, Leigh,

Jason (holding the sign)Shana

Shaun, Shana (holding the DVD Cover) and Mark

around Shaun's house.

*PART TWO GETS WATCHED*

Leigh: "This has had some of the sh**test deaths!"
Shaun: "Oh yeah, but the Autons don't look as unbelievably terrible as they did the first time around!"
*Mark Laughs*
Shana: "I like the look of it though!"
Shaun: "The Master is tremendously cool!"
MJ: "He is!!  I think he's excellent!  He's just very suave and -"
Gavin: "And the look!"
Shana: "Yeah it looks more, well it looks like it's got - I dunno, it just looks better!"
MJ: "Mmm."
Shana: "I dunno obviously budgets..."
Shaun: "Who's the new assistant?"
MJ: "Jo Grant."
Mark: "Jo."
Shaun: "Ahh, has she learnt to act over her tenure or...?"
Jason: "There's arc - I'm sure there's an arc."
MJ: "HEY!  She's cool!"
Shana: "A mini Stevie Nicks."
MJ: "She is!  She looks like a, errr, 70's boy or something!"
*Laughter*
Shana: "A 70's boy!!"
MJ: "She does - well just the hair-cut!  But she's pretty cool.  And I like the various deaths we've had."
Shaun: "Being pretty cool doesn't help her act!"
Leigh: *Laughing* "All the deaths have been DREADFUL!"
Shaun: "Someone was unnecessarily miniaturised and yet also still dead in a lunch box."
Leigh: "Was he dead?"
MJ: "Yeah I think so, he'd been compressed..."
Gavin: "I think you had the Dad that was savaged by that, errr -"
Leigh: "- by the Troll-Doll!"
Gavin: "Exactly!"
MJ: "The Troll-Doll!"
Shaun: "Then someone was killed by a plastic chair."
MJ: "That guy played by Harry Towb."
Jason: "The Master is imaginative and a bit of an arse."
Shana: "Bit Zod-y."
Mark: " I liked the deaths!"
MJ: "I did!"
Mark: "Yeah, they were stupid."
MJ: "I liked being suffocated by a chair - I thought that was brilliant!  Being menaced and strangled by a little Troll-Doll thing!"
Mark: "Who DOESN'T want to see someone get suffocated by a chair!??"
Leigh: "And a man getting unnecessarily shrunk and put in a lunch box!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "That's fine!"
Mark: "Yeah!"
Jason: "I did want the guy, who got killed by the Troll-Doll, to have a fan next to him.  So the Troll-Doll would keep being heated, woken up and then collapsing as the fan cooled him again!"
*Laughter*
Shaun: "Just as the fan turns!!  I liked the fact that they took the time and the effort to make that horrible plastic doll thing, then get a guy in a costume to blue-screen doing it, for such a silly death!" *Laughter* " 'Cos really all he did at the end was just hold the plastic toy up to his neck - so you didn't need it moving at all!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "No."
Jason: "What, so you want it to just cutaway and it's there?  Cut back, it's there!  Cut back, it's there!"
*Laughter*
Shaun: "There's nothing they couldn't have done with a piece of string to make it look like it was getting up, rather than weird blue screen with a guy in a costume that didn't really look like the toy anyway!"
Jason: "I think the blue screen was him just standing around in the sets for most of it."
Shaun: "Oh yeah." *Laughing* "It was blue screen when she was in the telephone box!"
Leigh: "Have they just got a new blue screen?  Is that what it was!!??"
MJ: "It does look err.....yeah...."
Shaun: "But I'll let most of those things go 'cos it was the seventies."
Shana: "Let it go."
Jason: "Yeah.  It's like 'We don't need sets any more - we've got blue screen sets!  We can save so much money!' "
*Laughter*
Shaun: "I really liked the Time Lord that just appeared in the air and just came closer!  That was fun."
MJ: "Yes, the guy with the bowler hat."
Mark: "I liked that guy, does he come back?"
MJ: "I don't know that he does?  He wasn't even given a name - I don't think.  He was just like there to warn the Doctor that the Master was coming down."
Mark: "I also wish he'd turn up occasionally to condescend and then go!"
MJ: *Laughing* "And look bemused by everything."
*Mark laughs*
MJ: "He was like" *Posh voice* "'Yes, your mortal enemy is going to come down, errrrr, can't do anything about it, Old Chap, but I thought I'd let you know anyway!  Anyway, chin-chin!' "
*Mark and MJ laugh*
MJ: "Are you enjoying it Gav and errr..."
Jason: "Yeah, who am I??"
MJ: "JASON!" *Laughing* "Had you seen it before Jay?"
Jason: "I HAVE seen this before, yes.  Quite a long time ago, but I have seen it.  I remember the Troll, I remember the chair.  I can't remember what's gong to happen.  I imagine it's got something to do with heat, since we've already been told what their weakness is!  I'm pretty sure it's a lot to do with that!  If it's not I'll be bloody disappointed!!" *Laughing*  "Oh it's winter and they're all dead!!"
Mark: "Or surprisingly delighted."
MJ: "I'm pretty sure that Mary Whitehouse or her accolades did complain about the violence of either the guy getting suffocated by the (plastic) chair or the horror of the little Troll Doll."
Jason: "Well the Troll Doll makes sense because kids have things like that in their house.....and chairs as well!"
MJ: "Kids DO have chairs!"
Mark: "They do have chairs."
Jason: "Also they are aware of Policemen."
Mark: "Yes."
Jason: "And apparently THEY can kill you as well now, so watch out!"
Mark: "Watch out - don't ever trust a Policemen."
Jason: "THIS was the beginning of Society turning against Policemen.  Up until this point it was 'Ask a Policeman and they're your friend.'  At this point it was 'They're gonna kill you - with plastic faces'."
*Mark laughs*
MJ: "And with, err, is it the circus?  That's quite fun."
Jason: "I assume the circus just must have been around nearby -'cos they can't afford a lot of stuff but they can afford to re-create a circus!"
MJ: "Oh yeah I suppose.  There's a guy in this story, the big, black guy - he played Toberman in 'Tomb of The Cybermen'.  He didn't say much in that...and he doesn't in this I don't think!"
Jason: "Is he called Toby or something?"
MJ: "Haha!  He's still called the same is he?"
Jason: "Well in the book, he's just 'Strong Man', so..."
MJ: *Puts on voice* " 'You were Toberman in the last one so this one we're going to call you 'Toby'!  COMPLETELY different.' "
*Jason laughs*
Mark: "It could be one of his ancestors.  He was a strong man then again in the future."
MJ: "Yes on another planet."
Jason: "I can't remember where the other one was set in."
MJ: "Yes in the future!"
Leigh: "What about the future?"
Jason: "That's where 'Tomb of The Cybermen' was set."
Leigh: "Ahhh - so he's not the same person then?"
Mark: "No."
Leigh: "Same ACTOR but different CHARACTER."
MJ: "I reckon it's his ancestor!"
Mark: "Great-great-great-great-great-great-Grandad."
MJ: "TOBY!"
Jason: "Or NOT Toby."
MJ: "THAT is the question."
*Mark chuckles*
MJ: "Well I'm enjoying that it's been -"
Jason: "- We're just giving you more to type up!  Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer-"
*Laughter*
MJ: "Keep on at that and I'll Shake my Spear at you!  Heh. Penis."
*Laughter*
Leigh: "Good job you explained it - it was a bit subtle!"
MJ: "Mmm, that's my middle name - and John."
Leigh: "Michael John Subtle Fouldes?"
MJ: *Laughing* "That's right!  Well Michael SUBTLE John!"
Mark: "I think Michael John PENIS Fouldes!" *Laughing*
MJ: "That's my baptism name!  You get an extra one when you're baptised!  And Reverend Peter gave me 'Penis'."
Leigh: "I got baptised!  I didn't have an extra name?!"
MJ: "No, I'm joking - I making stuff up!!  Imagine that!"
Mark: "That's when you get confirmed - not when you get baptised."
MJ: "Yeah - then the Vicar came back in a said 'I can confirm that definitely IS Michael'."
Mark: *Laughing* "Penis Fouldes!"
MJ: *Laughing* "Penis Fouldes!"
Leigh: *Laughing* "Michael Penis Fouldes?!"
MJ: "You can identify me by the Penis Fouldes, here and here!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "This is GREAT stuff!  This is ALL going in, definitely!"
*Shaun and Shana come back in*
MJ: "Oh I was going to say 'Are you going to make another drink', Shaun.  But of course you can't!"
Shaun: "I am!  I'm boiling a saucepan!"
Jason: "Egg."
Shaun: "I am not boiling an egg!"
MJ: "Boiling some rags as well, 'cos I feel I'm going to give birth."
Shana: "Rags?"
MJ: "Yeah you boil up rags, don't you, to get ready for the birthing process."
Shana: "Maybe in the 1800s!"
MJ: "Yeah?  I live in the past!"
Mark: "Yes." 

Photo 3:

Jason (holding the sign and THE BOOK), Leigh, MJ,

Shana (holding the DVD Cover) and Mark

around Shaun's house.

*PART THREE GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "I had to stop it after Episode Three as we've just had the cliff-hanger of The Doctor being strangled by a telephone wire - an extra LONG telephone wire!"
Jason: "Probably the best cliff-hanger ever in Doctor Who, I would say!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "Still enjoying the story, Mr. Shaun?"
Shaun: "Erm, yeah.  It's quite good!"
Jason: "It's silly but it's good."
MJ: "It IS silly!"
Shaun: "The deaths are ridiculous, but that's fine!"
Leigh: "It's not!  It's not fine!"
Shaun: *Laughing* "It IS fine!"
MJ: "Okay on to Part Four!"

Photo 4:
Happy Jason (holding the sign)
around Shaun's house.

*PART FOUR GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "And that's the end of the fourth part and The Master's going to stay with them on Earth - 'cos the Doctor's nicked his de-materialism circuit!"
Jason: "He should carry spares with him!"
MJ: "He SHOULD carry spares, yeah."
Mark: "Or at least have, like, AA cover."
*Laughter*
MJ: "Surely that would be TA?  It's not an automobile is it?"
Mark: "Huh?"
MJ: "TARDIS, errrr, Association - if AA is the, err,  Automobile Association."
Leigh: "Green Flag!"
MJ: "Blue Flag!"
Gavin: "What about the RAC?..."
MJ: "So that was the end -" *Laughter* "- of 'Terror Of The Autons' - was that good?"
Jason: "It was alright - there were bits of it I didn't like - there were bits I DID like.  I DON'T like the fact that the villain, err, who obviously gets into a collaboration with another villain and then always in the last ten minutes goes 'Oh actually it was a bad idea all along - I'm going to change my plan!' "
MJ: "Yeah. 'I'll work with The Doctor now!' "
Jason: "Yeah."
MJ: "Well I think they'll learn from that and that will NEVER happen with The Doctor and The Master again!!"
*Laughter*
Jason: "Good!  I'm glad they've learnt there lesson."
Shaun: "I quite liked that particular way of going about it, because, yes, we've seen it happen a billion times before BUT it gives the Master, erm, kind of a level of antipathy towards The Doctor.  Basically his plan was to be on Earth, probably to f**k the Doctor's s**t up, then thought to himself 'Yeah...they're (The Autons) probably going to kill me as well, so I'll GRUDGINGLY work with you this time and the next seven times - but the TIME AFTER THAT my plan WILL succeed and you'll be destroyed!!!' "
*Laughter*
MJ: "Hah!  Do you like The Master in this one?"
Shaun: "Very much!"
MJ: "Yeah."
Shaun: "I thought he's great."
MJ: "I very much think so!"
Shaun: "I also like the re-designed Autons."
MJ: "Yes, I can't wait to see them again...in like FORTY years time!!"
*Laughter*
Leigh: *Laughing* "I want the plastic chair have it's own episode!?"
*Laughter*
Jason: "Maybe a radio drama."
Shaun: "I do think we should talk about that actually.  What was your favourite stupid death?"
*Leigh laughs*
Shaun: "Or attempted death?  Because I did like the phone cord one."
Leigh: "The phone cord was good, yeah."
Shaun: "They telegraphed it well, it was really stupid, it was easily resolved - it was pretty awesome!"
Jason: "The chair was the opposite of that because it was not telegraphed at all - other than 'We have a chair - take a seat.' "
MJ: *Master voice* "TAKE A SEAT!"
Jason: "There was no build up to it.  It was just - oh he's dead."
Shaun: "Yeah."
MJ: "I liked the little Troll man just running up and attacking and then his Missus coming in and going 'Arrrgghhh!' "
Jason: "I kind of like it but I think it could have been done better and -"
Shaun: "- You THINK it could have been done better?!"
*Laughter*
Shaun: "It is an absolute FACT that it could have been done better!"
*Laughter*
Jason: "It could have been a better model - it could have been a better effect."
Shaun: "Literally ANYTHING could have been made better!"
Jason: "It seemed to be the only one with any major, erm, weak points - it's temperature control."
Shaun: "Yeah and it was that they just shot it and it was destroyed."
MJ: "They shot it's arm off - bang bang bang!"
Jason: "Just the arm, yeah!"
MJ: "I liked the elaborate deaths of the UNIT soldiers!  They were acrobatic weren't they?  When they got shot at and they went 'Woooahh!' "
Jason: "Jumping off trampolines."
MJ: "Over the - well, yeah!"
Leigh: "Well UNIT did manage to recruit a load of people from the Circus!" *Laughter* "Which is why they died in acrobatic ways!"
MJ: "I suppose so."
Mark: "They're not really soldiers they're just trampoline people."
*Laughter*
MJ: "We never did find out what happened to the Circus people, did we?"
Shaun: "Yeah, they were all arrested by UNIT."
MJ: "Oh, okay right."
Shaun: "Lethbridge-Stewart mentioned that."
MJ: "So he did."
Jason: "What Circus people?"
Leigh: "The elephants."
Shaun: "Well The Master showed up and said 'I absolutely MUST have your help!' "
Jason: "Oh yeah."
Shaun: "And then, basically, the guy (the Circus owner) knocked out a guard and his TARDIS was near a Circus?"
Jason: "He let him have a parking space for a while."
Mark: "No, he was keeping it hidden though."
Shaun: "Yeah but his TARDIS can turn into ANYTHING!  Even so, it was a horse box so it could have been anywhere and not been MASSIVELY out of place."
Mark:  "It would have been CLEARLY suspicious anywhere else."
Shaun: "No!!"
*Laughter*
Leigh: "Like a farm."
Mark: "Yeah."
Leigh: "That would have been ridiculous!"
Shaun: "Really like I thought that was going to be important - it REALLY wasn't!  The guy who played The Master was good though!"
MJ: "He's very good."
Shaun: "I enjoyed him very much."
MJ: "Yes and I'm glad he's (possibly) going to be in it some more, yes.  But erm, Jo Grant?  What do you think of her?"
Shaun: "Who's that?  The new assistant?"
MJ: "Yeah."
Jason: " 'Who's that'?!  Good start!"
*Laughter*
Mark: "A real impact on Shaun there!"
Shaun: "She's nice enough to look at but she's not a very good actor, so..."
MJ: "Awww."
Shaun: "I hope she gets better!"
Leigh: "Rubbish."
Jason: "She's not Liz Shaw is she?"
Shaun: "She's ALSO not Liz Shaw!  That's not my MAIN problem."
MJ: "What about you, Mark, did you enjoy her?"
Mark: "I'd seen her before in other stories."
Shaun: "Yeah."
Mark: "And she's better than in this one I have to say, so yeah."
Jason: "I'm hoping she's got an arc."
Shaun: "Sorry?"
Jason: "So she can redeem herself - her acting."
Leigh: "An ark?  Like Noah?"
Shaun: "Yeah but you don't have a story arc that improves your ability to act."
MJ: "Who built the ark?"
Leigh: "Noah."
MJ: "Noah?"
Leigh: "Noah."
MJ: "Who built the ark?!  Brother Noah!??"
*Laughter*
Shaun: "Her story arc should concentrate on her character evolving."
Jason: "Well maybe she's not a bad actor.  Maybe her character was just silly at saying things."
Mark: "I think they didn't really know what they wanted her to be yet.  They were like 'Oh let's put a girl in' - "
MJ: "It's her first episode!"
Shaun: "That is a fair point."
Mark: "She's not much of a character yet."
Shaun: "Yeah but then on the other hand there was her looking in the window of the horse-box thing - no, the Circus caravan."
*Shana giggles*
Mark: "That was awesome."
Shaun: "That was really funny!"
*Laughter*
Jason: "She's MEANT to be a bit simple."
*Laughter*
Shaun: "Her character's meant to be a bit daft??!"
Jason: "Yeah!  Well the last one, Liz, had the qualifications of a Scientist and everything, and this one did O-Level Science!"
Shaun: "This one's essentially an intern!  Work experience!"
*Mark giggles*
MJ: "And the actress, later on, posed naked with a Dalek."
Jason: "She did."
Shaun: "Did she?  Hold on, let's have a look!" *Gets out mobile phone*
*Laughter*
Shaun: "What's her name?"
Mark: "Now he's interested!"
MJ: "Katy Manning."
Shaun: "Katy Manning!" *Types in on mobile*
Jason: "Katy with a Y."
MJ: "She's often replied to me on Twitter."
Shaun: "Has she?"
Jason: "Yes, 'Go away MJ!' "
Mark: " 'Stop asking for pictures MJ!' "
*Laughter*
MJ: "She always comes across as nice!  Apparently really terribly short-sighted as well!  She says a lot of times she couldn't see a thing of what was going on - "
Shaun: *Finding THE photos and laughing* "- She legitimately DID pose naked with a Dalek!!!"
MJ: "I told you!"
Gavin: "Really?"
Shaun: "Yeah, I'll bring it over!  There."
Gavin: "Oh yeah!"
Jason: "She's wearing boots!  That's not naked!"
MJ: "Aren't they glittery boots as well?"
Jason: "No they're brown."
MJ: "Brown?"
Jason: "Brown."
Leigh: "Braahhhhn!"
Jason: "All brown."
Leigh: "Like a brown rose."
MJ: "So that's nice isn't it."
Shaun: "Not even the first Doctor Who assistant I've seen naked."
MJ: "Who's that then?  The first one?"
Shaun: "That weird, thing - what was that weird show we watched The Wachowskis' show we watched on Netfilx."
Mark: "Oh yeah, I forgot about that!  Errr 'Sense8'."
Shaun: " 'Sense8'.  It has Martha in it as a lesbian in like a really forced 'LOOK we have LESBIANS in our show!!!'  And of course whilst TRYING to be feminist she gets completely naked."
MJ: "Wow."
Shaun: "Yeah."
Mark: "That doesn't stop."
Jason: "Basically 'Torchwood' then.  That had lesbians in it."
Shaun: "You don't act as if you're having a feminist point and then just get the women naked!" *Laughing* "That kind of negates itself!"
Gavin: "It could be worse, it could be the Wachowski brothers - now SISTERS - getting naked!"
Shaun: "Yeah, I wasn't the only one who saw that - the other -"
Gavin: "- We were discussing that with Mark."
Shaun: "- The other one's now having the Op now as well!"
MJ: "WHAT??!!  Who ARE these people!!??"
Shaun: "The Wachowskis."
Jason: " 'The Matrix'."
Shaun: "They made Sci-fi AFTER 1970, MJ.  You'll never have heard of it!"
MJ: "I've watched 'The Matrix' but I don't know anything about the Bulowskis!"
*Laughter*
Shaun: "Wachowskis!"
MJ: "The Russkies!  The film with, err, Joaquin Phoenix!"
Leigh: "Bulowski?  Wasn't he the landlord in, erm -"
MJ: "- Oh!  'The Young Ones'!"
Leigh: "Yeah."
MJ: "Alexei Sayle - it's something like that!"
Shaun: "Anyway!  We've strayed from the point of Doctor Who!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "I suppose we should give it scores - points out of ten!  Shaun?  He says...."
Shaun: "I'm going to give it six point three four murderous daffodils out of ten!"
*Laughter*
Shaun: " 'Cos I quite liked it - it could have been better, but pretty much all of the fundamentals were all right and, as ridiculous as they were, I did like the stupid deaths and the attempted murders!"
MJ: "Yeah that amused me too - I think I'll give it eight -"
Shaun: "- Wow."
MJ: "- I quite enjoyed it."
Gavin: "I'll give it eight as well."
MJ: "Eight from Gavin."
Jason: "Seven - it was entertaining but it doesn't deserve a bigger score."
Mark: "I'll give it seven point one metres of murderous phone cord!"
*Laughter*
Shana: "Brilliant."
MJ: "Excellent - Leigh?"
Leigh: "Six."
Shana: "Six point nine."
MJ: "Sixty-Nine!  Dude."
Mark: "Dude."
MJ: "So what did The Book think?"
Shaun: "What did we REALLY think!?"
MJ: *Mocking book-type voice* " 'Two, err, daffodils were actually made -"
*Laughter*
Jason: "I'd be surprised if more than one was made!"
MJ: "Actually I think it was from a real life thing at the time and they were giving away free plastic flowers away with detergent."
Jason: "It was from an advert!"
Shaun: "He did specifically reference that."
MJ: "Ahh well there you go then!"
Jason: "Everybody gets one and thinks 'Oh this might kill me'." *Reads through book* "Ahhh, stuff happens... that's not interesting....'Locations included Robert Brothers Circus, Leyton' - Oh I come from there!"
*Laughter*
Jason: *Reading* " 'Errr and Thermo Plastics, Dunstable.  New assistant Jo Grant, arch-villain The Master and the UNIT soldier Captain Mike Yates all made their début appearances'."
MJ: "Oh yeah, Mr. Yates!"
Shaun: "I meant to say something about him: He's a real non-entity - I hope he goes away!"
*Laughter*
Leigh: "Well, clearly NOT if it's his début appearance!"
Jason: "Well apart from Benton and the Brigadier, he's got more character than -  well he was doing stuff, he was a bit flirty -"
Shaun: "- No I KNEW he was a character who hung around for a while I did mean to say something about him but when I finally saw it I was like 'Urrr.' "
Mark: "He has more cocoa than any other character."
MJ: "Yes!"
Jason: "Oh WOW it's the shortest verdict ever!"
MJ: "Oh right?"
Jason: "I assumed the NEXT bit was the verdict but no - that's the NEXT episode!" *Reading* " 'The Autons barely feature in this tacky but more exciting remake of 'Spearhead From Space'.  The various plastic-related killings are gleefully inventive.  Eight out of Ten.' "
MJ: "Oh!  Same as me!  Me and 'The Book', yeah, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!"
Mark: "We're merging!"
Shaun: "We're all relatively positive.  I thought the book would be like: 'The phone chord was RIDICULOUS, The Autons were CRAP and The Master's first appearance was BARELY worth it - One out of Ten!' "
*Laughter*
MJ: "I liked him - I liked the floating Time Lord at the beginning."
Shaun: "By the way THIS one FINALLY did go full-Bond!  The Master showed up with his gun - he did the whole monologue."
MJ: "Yeah."
Shaun: "The Doctor had the part of his time machine - he was like 'Oh you CAN'T kill me!'  Yeah, it's been wavering towards full-on Bond for a while but it was nice to get it."
*Laughter*
Shana: "And of course Leigh with his amazing 'Quick to the UNIT mobile!' "
*Laughter*
Shaun: "Yes the really sh***y car!"
Mark: "I hope that turns up more."
MJ: "Yeah the little Maxi!  THAT'S not UNIT issue, is it??  SURELY!"
Leigh: "Well the reason they were SO intent on stopping the coach was that they had dibs on it!"
*Laughter*
Leigh: "As a troop transporter!"
Shaun: *Laughing* "Like the next one is going to be almost EXACTLY the same except whatever was painted on the side will be crossed out and 'UNIT' scrawled in black paint!"
MJ: "They'll be like 'Benton, all the tanks and stuff are in repairs at the moment - still, I've got my Nan's car!..."
*Laughter*
Shaun: "Well, no!  No.  HERE is why UNIT don't send out tanks, yeah:
Small hand guns - they're alright.
Grenades - smaller than a hand gun, they can actual kill sh*t.
The BIGGER the gun the more likely the UNIT person is going to be immediately killed!
This one was a perfect example - the guy with the machine gun, didn't even SEE the Auton, got shot in the chest!  The guy with the f**king Gatling Gun thing, THREE of them blew up behind that!  THAT'S why they don't have tanks!!  They would wipe out UNIT in it's entirety!  It would probably take Sussex with it!!"
*Laughter*
MJ: *Fierce voice* "TAKE SUSSEX!!"
Shaun: "I mean come on!  'So, Lethbridge-Stewart, why do we attach C-4 to our own guns?' 'Ssshh!  You look better when you're blown-up by the enemy!  Now get on that trampoline!!' "
*Laughter*
MJ: " 'And make the coffee!'  Important work.  And that is where I'll leave it for today!  Thanks for listening, Readershhh-whatever!"
Shaun: "Thanks for watching this, erm, this, this aerial display of the Circus of Nonsense."
 
*MJ sings 'The Magic Roundabout' theme....*

Photo 5:

Gavin, Leigh,

Jason (holding the sign),

Shaun, Shana (holding the DVD Cover) and Mark

around Shaun's house.

****************************************************************************************************

Phew well that was that - a delay in writing-up as these things take AGES to do!  Next time we meet it will be for a story I've not watched yet (and the DVD is still in the post to me!). The scores for this one - which we seemed to enjoy were:

Jason - 7/10
Leigh - 6/10
Mark - 7.1/10
MJ - 8/10
Shaun - 6.34/10
Gavin - 8/10
Shana - 6.9/10

Which gives us an average of 7.049 (etc) out of 10!

So not a bad start to our Third Doctor's second season!  The Master in particular was very popular.  We shall see if Jo Grant will become popular as well.  Well that's it - until the next time.

Until then, I shall return, yes I shall return
MJ - 29-03-16

DOCTOR WHO MARATHON 52nd MEET-UP - INFERNO

Sunday 21st February 2016

Howdy all you people!  Well it so was written that we all met around Jason's house on a funky Sunday at funky 1 o' clock!  Here's what the heck happened….

****************************************************************************************************

MJ: "Hey!  Well here we are at Jason's house and he's got a wonky telly - so he's actually got a mini spirit level out" *Leigh Laughs* "and Leigh and Shaun have been making sure that the telly's straight.  I thought this would add a bit more colour to the transcript-"
Shaun: "- BOOM!  That is one straight telly!  According to gravity and air and... how it works."
Mark: "I think that the ceiling's wonky."
Shaun: "The ceiling is definitely wonky!"
Leigh: "There is nothing we can do about the wonkiness of the ceiling."
Mark: *Giggling* "I think you should fix that."Leigh: "Jason have you got a sledge hammer!?" *Mark Laughs*
MJ: "I mean the video of 'Sledgehammer' will be equally fine."
Leigh: "That's not going to fix the wonkiness of the ceiling!"
MJ: "No but it's always fun to see stop-motion animation from the 80's!"
Leigh: "Of Peter Gabriel."
*MJ does impression of George Formby singing Sledgehammer*
Leigh: "Erm that's a different Peter Gabriel to the one I know!"
MJ: "Oh yes that's the George Formby Peter Gabriel tribute act!" *Jason comes in the room with a SQUARE TARDIS mug* "Oooo look at that one!  Wow.  That looks awkward to drink out of!"
Jason: "Yeah, I'm sure it will be!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "Jason has a TARDIS mug which is square which is going to be..."
Jason: "Look, look at the amount of detail that goes into this mug *spins it 90 degrees* Ooo. *spins it 90 degrees* Ooo. *spins it 90 degrees* Ohhhh!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "Three sides they've bothered to sculpt like the TARDIS and the back is just blank!  That's just - "
Gavin: "- They could have put the handle on the blank side!"
Mark: "That would have made sense."
Jason: "It's for going on a shelf isn't it..."
MJ: "Sounds like 'Blankerty Blank'!"
*Leigh Laughs*
MJ: " 'They could have put the handle on the BLANK side' " *starts singing 'Blankerty Blank' music*
Jason: *Referencing the DVD* "I think I've seen this one before" *opening the DVD case* "Ooo two!?"
MJ: "Yeah well it's a seven parter like the others - I think they may all be on Disc 1.  It may be just the extras on Disc 2 but we shall see!"

*RECORDING STOPPED AND RESTARTED*

Leigh: "- Yeah but the TV was wonky!"

MJ: "Once again Jason's trying to get the DVD player to start by blowing in it!"
Mark: "Are you recording his heavy breathing?"
MJ: "I am getting his heavy breathing, yes.   Helps to put a disc IN Jason..."
*JASON SORTS THE DISC*
*Jason singing "Doctor Whoooooooo!" at MJ*
MJ: "I'm not going to sing that today!"
Shaun: "Before coming here today I've found out I've nothing to do other than plot in 'Fallout IV' so I very, VERY much want to get back to that!"
MJ: "Ahh he wants to get back to his computer game.  So let's talk more about feelings!"
*Mark Laughs*
Shaun: "That's why I was hoping this was a four (parter), I thought it was a four!"
MJ: "Episode One let's go - This is 'Inferno' - Burn baby burn!"
Mark: "We can always stop it for an hour so you can go home and play."
Shaun: "Yeah!  That is LITERALLY what I would do if I could nip off for an hour - right f**k this!"
*Mark Laughs*
Jason: "If it was the old days we could set up another TV on that chair over there so you could play."
Shaun: "Nope I'm here for the Doctor Who!  I'm looking forward to watching it."

*EPISODE ONE STARTS*

Leigh: "Could you turn it up a bit!"

MJ: "Yes."
Shaun: "Then could you turn it DOWN a bit!  'Cos it's slightly loud!"
*Jason turns volume up*
Leigh: "That's too LOUD!!!"
MJ: "WHAT!!??"
*MJ Laughs*
Leigh: "I CAN'T HEAR!!"
MJ: "Look different titles - spewing lava!"
Leigh: "Ooooo!  Volcano!"
MJ: "Yes.  Blowing it's load."
Leigh: "Like some sort of INERNO?!"
Mark: "I still think it's too short a title."
Leigh: "If only it was 'The Inferno of Death'!"
MJ: *Reading off screen* "Doug Houghton, I don't know that name.  Probably a new writer."  *Noticing the 'Play/Pause' symbols are still on screen*  "Does that go away, the 'Play/Pause'?"
Leigh: "Yeah, why's that thing still there?"
MJ: "Ooo the Doctor's in his car singing so...."

*EPISODE ONE GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "End of first part!  Yay..."
Mark: *Reading titles and in reference to something MJ had said during the episode* "He WAS called Olaf Pooley."
*Leigh chuckles*
MJ: "Well I told you!"
Gavin: "Olaf Pooley?"
MJ: "Yeah.  I quite enjoyed that, I don't know what's going on."
Shaun: "Despite ALL of these episodes I've only JUST realised that it's 'Lethbridge-Stewart' not 'Leftbridge-Stewart'."
MJ: "Ahhh.  So which bridge do you prefer, the left bridge of the right bridge?!" *MJ and Mark chuckle* "So that was pretty good, we got some 'Primals' - I think they are called..." (They were actually called 'Primords')
Jason: "I'm not convinced by the make-up effects."
*Leigh chuckles*
Jason: "The 'Thriller' guy."
MJ: "Ah yes, the 'Thriller' guy with the moustache - he looked like Richard Pryor I thought."
Shaun: "I think that these first episodes have just become completely interchangeable."
*Mark chuckles*
Jason: "What?  Turn up -"
Shaun: "- There's a new big nuclear sciencey place... sometimes they drill... sometimes they're doing something a bit different... the Doctor's there... someone's killed."
*Jason laughs*
Shaun: "You know."
Jason: "Yep."
Mark: "There's a volcano in this one."
Shaun: "However the green werewolf (Primord) looked ridiculous so I thoroughly enjoyed that!"
MJ: "Do you like the new titles?  With the volcano spewing?"
Shaun: "Yes 'cos we had, erm, bespoke titles for the last couple as well, didn't we?"
MJ: "Yeah, all of this season have got bespoke titles for the beginning it's err.. quite interesting..."
Shaun: "But, yeah, as Leigh said - well one of the things Leigh said earlier (we'll come back to the other one later) - I did like, in the last one, it was 'Ambassadors.....OF DEATH!!!!!' "
MJ: *Laughs* "Yeah"
Jason: "Oh yes.  There's a less jerky ending - there's no 'Oh?  We've finished!' "
MJ: "There's no 'In...........FERNO'!!" *Laughs*Shaun: "Yeah!"
MJ: "Which would have been good.  Erm, the guy with the moustache, who I said spoke like Terry Jones,  he's either Jago or Litefoot if you've heard of them?"
Jason: "I have."
MJ: "Yeah they're later on and he also in the -"
Jason: *Laughs* "- I thought I recognised him - he's in Doctor Who! -"
MJ: "- you know the newer series one with Agatha Christie?"
Jason: "The new one?"
MJ: "Yeah 'The Unicorn And The Wasp' it was called, with David Tennant."
Jason: "Oh NEW Doctor Who."
Shaun: "Yes."
MJ: "Yeah well there was a Professor in a wheelchair who didn't really need a wheelchair, it's revealed at the end.  Well that's him as well."
Gavin: "He's a fake?!"
Shaun: "Well one of my recurring favourite, erm, reveals is 'Oh he didn't need the wheelchair after all!!'  Like Spike from 'Buffy' did it best and then just since then I always enjoy that little twist."
*Mark chuckles*
MJ: "It's pretty, pretty good.  Right I'll pause it there as it's only Part One and I've got to type this up!  Oh I do want to say that this is a new name to me - I don't know Don Houghton the writer."
Shaun: "But you know Don Houghton the lover!"
*Laughs*

 

Photo 1:

Gavin, Mark (holding the DVD Cover),
 Jason, MJ (holding the sign) Shaun and Leigh
around Jason's house. 

*EPISODE TWO GETS WATCHED*

Mark: (Partway through a chat) "- an alternate reality where they wear eyepatches?"
Jason: "Stop guessing it!"
MJ: "We don't know yet!  At the end of that the Doctor's just disappeared, with the car, with his TARDIS console."
Jason: "They do have eye patches in THIS reality as well!"
Mark: "No they have NO eye patches in this reality!"
Jason: "Oh okay."
Mark: "Only the OTHER one!"
Shaun: "Mark appears to have stumbled upon where the rest of the plot's going to go!"
*Mark laughs*
MJ: "Our... erm,  I forgot what I was going to say now!"
Jason: "Our...house?"
MJ: "In the middle of our street - oh there's the grumpy man in charge, who's fed up of the Doctor interfering, he's got infected by this virus which turns him into this..."
Shaun: "Green werewolf."
MJ: "Green werewolf thing." *Leigh laughs* "And so somebody else as got that as well - green on their hands - horrible."
Jason: "I kind of hope it's not transmitted by door handles because I watched both he and the Brigadier touch the same door handle!"
MJ: "So enjoying it so far?  That's the first question."
Jason: "Yes."
MJ: "Shaun?"
Shaun: "It's fine."
MJ: " 'It's fine!' "
*Leigh laughs*Shaun: "Well no, as I was just saying earlier, there's just a lot of overlap of stuff with the set-ups of the previous couple, so..."
MJ: "Mmmm."
Shaun: "It's fine so far. There's been some bad acting in this one - which I always enjoy."
MJ: "I hadn't really noticed?"
Shaun: "The Scientist and the UNIT Agent - they were both pretty bad, which was quite fun.  And I greatly think, once he became a werewolf, certainly in the fight scene, the first guy who got taken over was pretty, pretty dire!"
*Laughter*Shaun: "He'd just been shot and he looked kind of confused."
Mark: "Well you would be if you'd been shot!"
MJ: "Well he got turned into a werewolf and got shot - that would confuse my day as well!"
*SHANA ENTERS THE ROOM*
MJ: "Hello Shana."
Shana: "Hello - sorry, crashing again.  Had to escape."
MJ: *Really stagey* "Hey, so Leigh's got something to say before we carry on!"
Leigh: "Nuh-uhh."
MJ: "I can't even remember what the pun was now!  Perhaps Mark can regale us."
Mark: "No 'cos that would just be stealing his joke!  I wouldn't do that!"
Leigh: "Can we just carry on with Doctor Who?!"
MJ: "Okay we'll carry on with Part Three - Shana's here by the way!"
Shana: "Hi!"
MJ: "She missed the first two but she's here for" *singing* "Doctor Whooooo....Part Threeeeeeeee......"

*EPISODE THREE GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "Well that was the end of Part Three and the Doctor's in a parallel universe."

Jason: "Yes."
MJ: "There's a parallel Liz Shaw which Shaun's not keen on."

Shaun: "No, she has not been great in either universe in this serial!"

Gavin: "I prefer her in this universe."
MJ: "Yeah, you like her in jack-boots and, erm, angry."

*Leigh laughs*

Gavin: "And darker - oh yeah, yeah, yeah!"

*Mark chuckles*

Jason: He likes the DARKER ladies!"
MJ: "And the Brigadier's got an eye patch!  Which is fun - and a scar!  An eye patch and a scar.  There are a few hours ahead so that might be an important plot thing."

Mark: "It might be...."

Shana: "Have I got time to have a wee?"

Jason: "Yes."

Shana: "Excellent!"
MJ: "If we pause it!"

Jason: "Yeah we can always pause it!"

Shana: "No, no it's fine, you carry on."

Jason: "Pause your wee."

Shana: "Actually, saying that..."
Jason: "Yeah 'cos we're still talking!"
MJ: "Yeah we can pause it then."
Shana: "Have you, like, got an upstairs one, yeah?"
Jason: "We've ONLY got an upstairs one - don't use the downstairs one!"
MJ: "I made that mistake once...."

*Mark chuckles*

Shaun: "That's the kitchen!"
MJ: *Singing* "Burn, Baby, burn - Pause 'Inferno'!"

Mark: "There wasn't much of a Disco Inferno."
MJ: "Yes, there has been a distinct lack of Disco."

Mark: "There was, like, three seconds of Disco."
*MJ chuckles*

MJ: "That would be a rubbish sequel to that film, erm, 'So-many Days of Summer' - or whatever it was!"

Jason: "Five Hundred."
MJ: *Laughing* "Seven Seconds of Disco!"

*Mark & Leigh chuckle*

Jason: "Yeah, so you're still recording..."
MJ: "Well in case we have any insights - I don't think we do!"
Jason: "They are only MINOR problems!"
MJ: "They're all 'MINOR' problems'!  Hooray!"
Mark: "You stole that joke!"

Jason: "No!  It was the first on record!"
*Laughter*

MJ: "First time recorded!  Yep!  So it MUST be Jason that came up with that!!  What was the joke I made?  Oh yeah: 'Bums'!"

*Laughter*

MJ: "Pooey bums!"

Jason: "Bin Laden."
Leigh: "Big jobbies!"

MJ: *Scottish Billie Connolly-esque accent* "Big Jobbies!" *Normal voice* "Bin Laden??"

Jason: "Bin Laden!"
Mark: "'Cos the man on Doctor Who was hiding in the bin!"

Shaun: "No he wasn't hiding in the bin - he had a dustbin lid on his head and he was crouched by the other bins."

Jason: "Maybe he was pretending to be a China man."
Shaun: "WHAT!!??"

MJ: "You could do that back then."
Mark: "It was aloud back then."
Leigh: "Are we all racist now, Jason!?"

*Laughter*
MJ: "Mark's been rubbing off on Jason!"
Mark: "That's not the point of this conversation!"
*Laughter*
MJ: "Is it pacey enough for you, Mr. Shaun?"

Shaun: "Erm, well THIS part was fine, yeah, yeah."
Jason: "Car chases."
Shaun: "Yeah."
Jason: "Different reality, we think."
MJ: "Getting shot at!"
Jason: "The drill's not working."

Shaun: "Once again the Doctor's actually moved and got into the main plot which is somewhat different from previous weeks.  You know, it's an alternate reality - we haven't had one of them for a little while."
Jason: " 'What's wrong with the drill?'  'There's pea soup coming out of it.' 'Shall we turn it off?' 'NO!!' "
MJ: "Hold on!  You say 'we haven't had one of them for a little while'?  Have we EVER had them in Doctor Who?  I don't think we have!"
Shaun: "Yeah!  The one with the Time Lords, the ten-parter ('The War Games') they had loads of alternate realities smashed together didn't they?"

MJ: "Erm that wasn't really an alternate reality."
Shaun: "It's an alternate reality to have lots of time-lines crashing together!"
Jason: "I think that was one reality."
MJ: "That was one reality where they'd created false, erm, pretend things, like zones - yeah.  Like in 'The Crystal Maze' - as we said at the time!  I think this is the only time we've seen The Doctor cross into alternate reality - into somewhere different."
Leigh: "It's not an alternate reality!  There are no zeppelins!"

*Laughter*

MJ: "I wonder what LED him to that conclusion!?  Led Zeppelin..."

Jason: "Very good.  Well, I say 'Very good'...."

Mark: "Let's move on..."

MJ: "Yes let's move on to *Singing* "Parr-art Fourrrrrr, Parr-art Fourrrrr!" *Not singing*  "Ooo look at the explosion....in my pants!"

*Mark chuckles*

Photo 2:

Gavin, Mark (holding the DVD Cover),
 Jason, Shana, Shaun and Leigh (holding the sign)
around Jason's house. 

*EPISODE FOUR GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "Well I don't know what to say - I'm just enjoying the ride.  Giggerty!  So is this one alright for you, Leigh?"
Leigh: "Yeah it's alright!  It's not a proper alternate reality 'cos there are no zeppelins, but you know...!"

MJ: "You keep BANGING on about zeppelins!"
Shana: "I sense a theme!  Do you want zeppelins in this?"

Leigh: "ALL alternate realities have hot air balloons type things!"

Shana: "That's true."
MJ: Do they?  I know they did in the Doctor Who, 21st Century Cybermen one, but what other examples are there?"
Leigh: "Everything!  Look at a thing set in an alternate reality and it's got zeppelins in it!"

MJ: "That episode of 'The Golden Girls' set in an alternate reality!" *Laughs* "That had zeppelins!"

Shaun: "I don't remember them traversing the alternate realities!"

Shana: "In the 1970's you might have had Led Zeppelins - you never know."
*Groans*

Leigh: "No."

MJ: "I'm sure I made that joke earlier - well I mentioned Led Zeppelin."
Shana: *Disbelieving* "Did you?"
Shaun: "I did NOT make that joke!  I'd have made a much better and or worst joke!"

Shana: "I think it would have been a lot worse!"

Shaun: "We're not in the 70's are we?  Are we in the 70's yet?"
MJ: "Yeah!  This is 1970 this one!  In colour.  New decade, new Doctor, new colour."

Shaun: "I thought we were still '69 - Dude!"

MJ: "Well it may have been filmed in '69.  Jason will have to tell us in the book."
Shana: "I thought it was 1970.  The one that we watched was 1970.  So this must be."
MJ: "Oh it was definitely released in 1970."
Shana: "Oh right."

MJ: "Whether it was FILMED then I don't know.  I think it was filmed in 1970 - but I don't know.  Cuh this is FASCINATING!!"

*Shana laughs*

MJ: "DATING CHAT!!!"

*Laughter*

Shaun: "MJ I have a Doctor Who thing to say, as this is the thing that we are doing!"
MJ: "Cool."
Shaun: "Erm, I do think it's nice that they've pulled out a pretty basic plot into an alternate reality thing."
MJ: "Mmm."
Shaun: "Alternate realities are cool."
MJ: "They are, they are."
Shaun: "And this is quite fun."
MJ: "I don't think they've done it before - someone said it had but I don't think we've had alternate reality in Doctor Who previously."
Shaun: "We've had OUTSIDE of reality."

MJ: "We have had outside of reality, yes.  I think this one's a damn good story and it's thought of very highly as well.  There's lots going on - obviously there's some filler, I guess, but it doesn't FEEL fillery!"

Shaun: "I don't know, I thought the first two episodes we'd seen before several times."
MJ: "Fair enough then!"
Shaun: "But the alternate reality stuff's really fun."
MJ: "Yeah."

Shaun: "I like the fact that they've got all the core characters slightly different but largely the same.  It's quite good.  Where the Doctor was pointing out that alternate Liz Shaw wanted to be a scientist - that was quite a cool little touch."

MJ: "I don't know why they made her dark-haired 'cos the others have their normal hair!"

Shaun: "Well Lethbridge-Stewart's got the scar and the eye-patch."

MJ: "And no moustache!"

Shaun: "For some reason the Lead Scientist, what's his name?  The jerk!  He doesn't have a moustache but is dressed like a rock star!"
MJ: "Hah yeah!"

Shaun: *Laughing* "He's got sunglasses and a white suit."

MJ: "Hah yeah!  And he hasn't got a beard in the alternate reality.  So that must have been a false one they put on.  Erm, Stahlmann, is that his name?"

Shaun: "Yes that's it!"
MJ: "Cuh I'm not very good at remembering names and stuff usually!  But this DVD is one the early ones I bought - Pertwee.  So it's a long time since I have watched it!  But I do enjoy the alternate reality - and the're ahead as well, so I feel they;re ahead of the curve!"
Shaun: "They're not ahead are they?"
MJ: "They are a few hours ahead?"
Shaun: "No they're not ahead of our reality, just they got the machine working and functioning quicker!"

MJ: "Oh okay, right!"

Shaun: "Yeah.  It's probably 'cos (in the alternate reality) they've got the scientists at gunpoint!  'Cos they're obviously in some sort of interment camp kind of thing."

MJ: "It's like a fascist state instead of a, errr..."
Shaun: "And they've already pointed out that he's killed people - well that people have disappeared and had 'accidents'!  People who have impeded progress!"
MJ: "Yeah, when I say I've had an 'accident' and use quotation mark that usually -"

*Shaun laughs*

Shaun: "It means you've shit yourself!"

MJ: *Laughing* "Yes!  Let's go in!"

*They go in the house*

Shaun: "Funny how even talking innocently about Doctor Who can turn to shit!"

MJ: "Yes.  Talking about poo!"

Mark: "Why are you talking about poo??!"

MJ: "We're talking about people in the serial saying 'Let's hope he doesn't have an ACCIDENT'!"

*We explain out chat and seem to play musical chairs for a while*

MJ: *Reading end credits* "Sheila Dunn."
Leigh: "Sheila Dunn what?"

MJ: "Sheila Dunn NUTTIN'!!"

*Laughter*

MJ: *Reading* "That's Petra Williams - who's Petra Williams?  Bet she's a dish though!!"

Leigh: "Is that a kind of 'Petri Dish' joke!?"
MJ: "Yeah!"
Leigh: "That's awful!"

*Laughter* 
MJ: "Isn't she the scientist in the lab with the blonde hair?"
Shaun: "Yeah."
MJ: *Laughter* "It was awful but you're laughing now!" 
Leigh: "Only at the awfulness of it!"
MJ: "I've battered down your intelligence after all these years!  You'll laugh at the crappiest thing now!  You're conditioned!" 
*Leigh snorts* 
Mark: "You've dragged us all down to your level."
MJ: "Shampooed AND conditioned? *Sighs* Hurrrr, so that's her.  C'mon Jason!  Tea!  Ahh Shana, are you following it okay, seen as you missed the first two episodes?"
Shana: "Following it!!??"
Shaun: "It's a REALLY complex one!" 
Mark: "It's complex." 
Shana: "I just like the pretty colours!" 
MJ: "The pretty colours, yeah." 
Shaun: *Laughing* "Well you are one of those girls!" 
Shana: "And the lovely un-perverted company, it's great." 
MJ: "Of course." 
*after much un-related chat* 
Shana: "No more meat parties for us!"

MJ: "That's a good thing to walk back into the room to - isn't it Leigh!??"
Leigh: "It's what I've come to expect from you lot." 
MJ: "With that, fair Listener..." 
Shaun: "No-one's listening!"
MJ: "No one's listening - 'cos i don't put it up…"

*EPISODE FIVE GETS WATCHED*

Leigh: "...The crust of the Earth, can make the Earth explode.  Yeah penetrating." 
MJ: "This is Leigh not getting the Green Werewolf thing."

Leigh:*Laughing* "Where do the Green Werewolves come into it!!?" 
Shaun: "The green slime." 
Leigh: "Yes but what's the green slime!!??"
Shaun: "We don't know yet."

Jason: "It comes from the Earth's crust."
Leigh: "But WHY does it come from the Earth's crust!??  It doesn't make any sense!" 
Shaun: "We don't KNOW yet!  We've got two more episodes!!"

Leigh: "Yeah but ONLY two more episodes!!"
Jason: "I don't think they're going to explain it."
Shaun: "Oh they're called Primords!" 
MJ: "Primords, yeah.  I KNOW they don't explain it - it's just some stuff that's from the Earth from Prehistoric times."

Jason: "Right, well I'm going to make stuff up."
*Leigh laughs* 
Jason: "So, life on Earth was generated from Primordial Soup."

Leigh: "Right.  Which was green."  
Jason: "So now it's doing it again from a different kind of soup.  Without Krotons."

MJ: "Oxtail." 
*Leigh laughs*

Mark: "Is it a delicious soup?"
Shaun: "I'm just going to go with it's dinosaur guts, they're squishing dinosaurs with Silurians and that's turning people into Green Werewolves for some reason."
Leigh: "Oh I don't know, I think the Green Werewolves are unnecessary."

Shaun: "I agree."

Jason: "Maybe the centre of the Earth is full of Green Werewolves 'cos it's hot and they like that."
Leigh: "That's a well known fact about Werewolves."

Shaun: "It's kind of like, 'cos it started with the Green Werewolf thing - and then they obviously had the better idea of doing the alternate universe thing.  But then they STILL needed something in the way to just pad about - so they just left them in.  The costumes are quite nice on them."
MJ: "They are."
Shaun: "Better than the last couple of aliens we saw.I liked the broken space-suit thing, but not the Space-Vagina so much."

Shana: "Aww the Space Vagina!  There should be more Space Vaginas in everything!"
MJ: "And on that note!"

Photo 3:

Gavin, Mark (holding the DVD Cover),
 Jason, MJ (holding the sign), Leigh & Shaun
around Jason's house. 

*EPISODE SIX GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "End of Episode Six!!! *Reading* Olaf Pooley!  And, err, yes the alternate reality is being destroyed by lava-"

Shaun: "- No, not quite!"

Mark: "Not quite."
Shaun: "It's BEING destroyed."
MJ: "That's what I said!  It's BEING destroyed."
Shaun: "Oh I thought you said it has been!"
MJ:  "But the Doctor's got power to send his TARDIS back to his reality.  Thanks to the help of the others."
Shaun: "Or has he!?"

MJ: "Or has he?  Yeah we don't know.  We assume.  But it's been left, the cliffhanger, of lava flowing towards them - stock footage!"
Leigh: "Stock footage!!"

Jason: "Why is there NO Doctor in THIS parallel Universe!!??"

Leigh: "Yeah good point!  'Cos surely that should mess up the Space-Time Continuum!"
Shaun: "Not necessarily."
MJ: "No."

Shaun: "He's just not been there!"

MJ: "He's not been to that planet!"

Jason: "Everyone else is there!"

Shaun: "A different series of events."

Jason: "Even people who didn't follow the same job roles - have ended up working together in the same building but HE is just - no, I'm off!"

*Shana re-enters the room*

Shana: "What happened?"
Leigh: "Lava."

MJ: "Lava's flowing towards them and going to kill them all.  You saw the Brigadier getting shot didn't you?  Sorry, the Brigade-Leader!"

Jason: "Who shot him?  Did he shoot himself?"
Shaun: "Liz Shaw shot him."
MJ: "Yeah Liz Shaw - well the alternate one, yeah."

Shaun: "I mean that's probably what would have happened, I mean he did shoot that thing so he probably winged himself and thought 'No I can't show weakness at this point.  I'll pretend it didn't happen.' "

*Jason laughs*
MJ: "Yeah."

Shana: "You carry on I'm off for a 'Breath of Fresh air' (Cigarette)."

Jason: "With a death-stick?  I don't think so."
MJ: "Do you want to carry on or do you need a 'Breath of Thresh air' - I can't even say it!  A 'Breath of FRESH air' as well?

Leigh: "No I'm fine."

Shaun: "Let's power through."

MJ: "Power on!"

Shaun: "I enjoyed that last episode, I want to see the end."
MJ: "Yeah I want to see the end as well so I'll pause it there...."

Photo 4:

Mark (holding the DVD Cover),
 Jason, Shana, Shaun and Leigh (hiding behind the sign)
around Jason's house. 

*EPISODE SEVEN GETS WATCHED*

MJ: "So we've just watched that infernal 'Inferno' - Mark's had enough!"

Leigh: "He's dead!"
*Shana and Leigh laugh*

MJ: "So yes the Doctor got back to THIS universe and stopped the drilling and the Director man, whose name I've forgotten - Stahlmann?"

Jason: "Yeah."

Shaun: "Stahlmann/Stalin!"

MJ: "He turned into a wolfie man and went crazy."

Leigh: "And there was no explanation for it!"
MJ: "No.  No explanation for the Wolf Men."
Leigh: "No.  There was no explanation as to why Keith Gold came back from the dead!"
MJ: "Well he didn't die!!"
Shaun: "He was injured in his car."
MJ: "He had a sling - he'd hurt his arm."
Leigh: "No, he was dead!  Everyone could still talk to him even though he was dead!  It didn't make any sense!!"
Shaun: "Look there were several episodes and we've still not had an explanation as to why UNIT are the worlds worst soldiers!"

*Laughter*

MJ: "No.  The slime was good though!  I don't know if we've had slime before?"

Leigh: "I don't think we have had slime before."

Jason: "Well we haven't had colour before so it's not been worth it!"
Leigh: "That's true."
MJ: "Yes very true.  Otherwise it's grey gunk!"

Gavin: "We've had foam before."

MJ: "We've had LOTS of foam!"
Leigh: "Yeah I'm not sure slime was a step up from foam - as bad guys go!"

Shaun: "At least the foam was often explained!"

MJ: "It was bubbling hot-hot-hot, it's bubbling hot!"
Jason: "Ooo on the DVD there's Information Text!  That explains why there's werewolves!"
Leigh: "Right let's watch it ALL again with the Information Text!"

*Laughter*

MJ: "At the bottom it will say things pretty much like 'The Book' does - you know, 'There were three Werewolf costumes made'...  But overall did you enjoy it?  Was it a good one?"

Leigh: "No it annoyed me!!"
Jason: "It was alright.  I'm worried about my score as I didn't enjoy it as much as the other ones which I've given quite low scores."

*Leigh laughs*

MJ: "I felt I enjoyed this one more."

Jason: "I thought it was okay - it was better than some of the stories."

Gavin: "Yeah I liked it!"
Jason: "But compared to the last few, I thought it was on a par - if not slightly less."
MJ: "On a par."
Jason: "On a par."

MJ: "On-a Blackman."
Shaun: "I didn't enjoy it as much as the last one, but I thought it was better than the first two."
MJ: "So yeah that was his first season - and we have no more seven parters again!  So you'll be happy about that!"
Shaun: "Yay!!!!"

Shana: "That was Seven Parts?  What?!  That wasn't seven parts?"

Shaun: "Well you weren't here for the first two, remember?"

Shana: "Oh yeah, oh wow."
MJ: "Yes.  So, erm..."
Jason: "The first two parts were just a Science Lab drilling."
Shaun: "Yeah there were two parts of set-up, which was the same set-up in many, many others!"
Shana: "Shafting - all of that."
Mark: "All of that - and then mopping up afterwards."

MJ: "Oh and we had Charlie from Eastenders."

Shana: "And Charlie from Eastenders."

Mark: "Who?"

Jason: "It's not important but he's Kat's Dad."

Mark: "Kat's Dad?  Oh HE was in it!"
Shana: "Ohhh THAT'S Charlie?"

Mark: "Ahh okay.  I know who Charlie was!"

Jason: "I thought it would make things worse if I started talking about Cats!"
MJ: "You thought it was Charlie Chalk!  Charlie Chalk - who has a funny way of talking and a funny way of chalking!"
Shana: "I've got that on DVD somewhere."

MJ: "So we're positive all round really?  Let's see what 'The Book' thinks!"
Shaun: "We haven't done scores yet!"
MJ: "I know we haven't done scores - so what would you like to give that Shaun?  He says waiting for the..."

Shaun: "I'm going to give it five....point one three seven four!"

MJ: *Laughs* "Five point one three seven four for Shaun!  Mr. Leigh?"

Leigh: "Four."

MJ: "Four.  Oh you wasn't that keen on it overall?"

Leigh: "Didn't make sense!!"
MJ: "Didn't make sense?"
Jason: "A lot of it was carried along - you didn't worry about that?"
Leigh: "No, I worried about it!"
Jason: "Okay."

Shaun: "Yeah, the Werewolves were rubbish - absolutely rubbish!"
Leigh: "There was no need for them!"
Jason: "They just weren't part of the plot!"

Leigh: "Yeah!"

Shaun: "Yeah, that's the problem!"

Jason: "They were incidental."

MJ: "I really enjoyed it - I liked the alternate versions."

Jason: "If it weren't for the werewolves we wouldn't have saved the day at the end 'cos we wouldn't have seen the werewolf 

therefore they would have carried on drilling and the same thing would have happened (in this universe)."

Mark: "The Werewolf was important at that point."

MJ: "I thought it was fun to have the different versions of themselves."
Gavin: "I liked the alternate reality."

Shaun: "I like that all of the computers and all of the heat and everything was saying to stop doing this - but it took a GREEN werewolf to stop them!  'Oh look the guy in charge is probably not in his right mind - even though he's staring off into space and is clearly f**king mad!!' "

*Laughter*

MJ: "Yeah - with that I'll give it eight I think!!"

*Laughter*

MJ: "You described all the reasons why I liked it!  Mr. Mark?"
Mark: "I think six point seven eight!"

MJ: "How about Gav?"
Gavin: "Seven."
MJ: "Seven?"
Gavin: "Yes, like I said I liked all the alternative reality stuff."
Shaun: "Sure you don't want to add some decimals?!"
Gavin: "Seven point two three eight."

Jason: "I think I'll give it six - I think it's worth more than that but compared to the other scores I've voted low."

MJ: "And Shana came in so far through so..."
Shana: "I'll give it a five point three."
MJ: "Good girl."
Shana: "It was very..."

MJ: "So you enjoyed it more than the Ambassadors one."

Shana: "Yeah but it was very noisy the whole way through, but I really liked the fire extinguishers."

Shaun: "The sound levels weren't great in this one."

MJ: "That's his TV."

Shana: "But APART from that I enjoyed it - I definitely liked it better than the Space Vagina one."

MJ: "But this one you got a green gunk - slime!"

Shaun: "What's your actual score?"
MJ: "Eight - I just said.  So then Jason, The Book!  Hates it?"

Jason: "Okay - so does anyone remember what the cliffhanger to Episode Six was?"

Shaun: "Yeah that was the one with the lava coming in the door."
Jason: "Okay" *Jason reads the plot and various bits from his book I won't print it all!  Though we find six actors were made up as Primords!!  We carry on from here...* " 'The most successful Doctor Who story EVER!' "

Shaun: "WHAT!!??"
Jason: *Reading* " 'The gradual build up of tension is magnificently orchestrated, the ever-present noise of the drill means that everyone has to shout to be heard!' "
*Laughter*

Jason: *Reading*  " 'The cliffhanger to Episode Six is arguably the finest in the show's history!  Ten out of Ten!' "

MJ: *Gasps* "Oh!  Full marks??!"
Shaun: "Wow!"

Shana: "It is a book of lies!"

Shaun: "It doesn't even get marks knocked off for the first two episodes being exactly the same as the previous two serials!"

Jason: "It made up for Liz Shaw's shaking acting!"
MJ: "Ohh yes!  That was the fake shaking acting - that's method!  Brilliant."
Shana: "She was smirking throughout the whole thing as well."
Shaun: "She was."

Shana: "And you could even see the guy starting to go as well!"

MJ: "So yes, she does do that smirking thing all the way through - it's like she's got a private joke going on in her head."
Shaun: "Yeah but she was quite clearly cracking up in this one!  She probably saw that they didn't shake the camera and thought 'This is going to look so flipping stupid!' "
MJ: "So that's the end of this first season - that's Pertwee all going along quite well.  Sadly that's the end of Liz Shaw."

Shaun: "Is it really!?"
Jason: "You shouldn't have said that really."

*Leigh laughs*

MJ: "Well I I..."
Jason: "I mean it doesn't make any difference but it would have been nice to start the next one not knowing!"

Shaun: "That's a pretty damn big spoiler!"

*Leigh laughs*

MJ: "Yeah but it's pretty much told in the first second."Shana: "And she didn't say goodbye!"
Leigh: "Was Liz Shaw dead all along?"

*Laughter*

Mark: "They were ALL dead!"
Shaun: "If I'd have known that earlier on I would have enjoyed her a lot more in that final arc!"MJ: "The Producers behind the scenes didn't think she was working.  What they needed was someone who was - "
Leigh: "- A Green Werewolf!"

Jason: "Woahh - you're giving away MORE stuff!!"
Shaun: "Yeah how about we save this chat for the next one!"
MJ: *Sadly* "Okay."
Leigh: "MJ's been told off!"

Shaun: "Yeah - Spoilery Jim!"

MJ: "I did say she's only in one season before!"
Leigh: "We weren't listening!"
Shaun: "We clearly wasn't listening to that!  I didn't know that."

Mark: "It was a long time ago we forgot!"

MJ: *LOUD AND STROPPILY* "JON PERTWEE TURNS INTO TOM BAKER!!!!"

*Laughter* 
Jason: "Git!"

MJ: "You're all mean!"

Jason: "We still haven't had the bloody Master yet!"
Mark: "Yeah when's the Master coming into it?"
MJ: "OH!  Now you asking me!  Now you WANT me to tell you!!!??"

*Laughter* 
MJ: "Make up your bloody minds!!!" 
Jason: "We haven't seen a sinister guy with a goatee!" 
Mark: "There's been a sinister guy with a goatee in almost every episode." 
Shaun: "We've all sat there waiting for The Master." 
MJ: "You'll be happy to know that the next one for Pertwee is a Four-parter." 
*All cheer* 
MJ: "Well I'll think we'll leave it there! Cheers!"

********************************************************************************************************

Well there we are - blimey that took a long time to type up!  Thankfully I won't need to do another Seven Part story!
 
So here are the scores again:

Jason: 6

Leigh: 4

MJ: 8

Mark: 6.78

Shaun: 5.3

Gavin: 7.238

Shana: 5.1374

Which gives us an average of 

I type this up only a day before we next meet!  I hope you've enjoyed our witterings.

Until next time, I shall return, yes I shall return!
MJ - 12/03/16