Join The Infinite Quest - The Gunfighters

This week over on the forum, the featured story is The Gunfighters. Come on over and give us your thoughts and opinions on this classic First Doctor adventure from 1966.

Arriving in the town of Tombstone, the First Doctor finds himself involved with gunmen, out to kill Doc Holliday...

The Gunfighters was the eighth story of Season 3 of Doctor Who. Its final episode, "The O. K. Corral", was the last individually-titled episode until The Five Doctors, the ninety-minute 20th Anniversary special.

This story saw Doctor Who's take on the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. William Hartnell would later claim that the Wild West setting was his idea, a statement which was confirmed on the DVD bonus features. The director, Rex Tucker, was originally chosen to direct An Unearthly Child but filming interfered with a holiday he had booked. This was Tucker's only Who credit.

The Gunfighters was the only serial to have a song written especially for it until The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, decades later. "The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon" was sung off screen by Lynda Baron who would later appear in Enlightenment and Closing Time.

The role of Johnny Ringo was offered to veteran actor Patrick Troughton, but he was too busy. Troughton would later be asked back, and won the role of the Second Doctor. The actor playing Doc Holliday, Anthony Jacobs, brought his son, Matthew Jacobs onto the set. Matthew would later write the telemovie.

The poor AI ratings received by The Gunfighters strengthened Donald Cotton's argument that historical stories should be axed. 

The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum 

Join The Infinite Quest - Meglos

This weeks story in The Infinite Quest is Meglos.

On Tigella, two opposing faction are irrevocably divided over one fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious object which provides the entire planet's energy.

With the Savants and the Deons locked in a crippling stalemate, and their civilisation on the brink of collapse, the Tigellan leader, Zastor, seeks the Doctor's help. But the Doctor and Romana have been trapped aboard the TARDIS in a time loop by Meglos, the last of the Zolfa-Thurans, who will stop at nothing to steal back the awesome power of the Dodecahedron. 

Come on over to the forum today and join in with the discussion by clicking HERE

Join The Infinite Quest - Delta And The Bannermen

This weeks Infinite Quest story over on the forum is Delta And The Bannermen...

The time: 1959. The place: Shangri-La holiday camp, South Wales. The Seventh Doctor and Mel want time out. The hedonistic alien Navarinos want to catch some vintage rock and roll, and two CIA agents want to know what happened to their country's missing satellite.

When the beautiful Chimeron princess Delta shows up on the scene, the murderous Bannermen soon follow in hot pursuit. The stage is set for a fiery showdown that will decide the fate of an entire civilisation.

Delta and the Bannermen was the third story in the twenty-fourth season of Doctor Who. It was the first serial since Planet of Giants to utilise a three-part format, and was the first to do so intentionally. Following Delta, the three-parter would become a standard feature of the McCoy era.

While under the working title Flight of the Chimeron, it was originally scripted that Mel should leave at the end of this story; she was to be replaced by a character called Ace. Ultimately Langford chose to stay and Ace's character became Ray. The name Ace was used for a companion who joined in the following story, Dragonfire.

To join in and have your say on this classic Seventh Doctor story, come on over to The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

Join The Infinite Quest - The Rescue

For this weeks story we go back to the First Doctor and the introduction of Vicki in The Rescue.

The Doctor, Ian and Barbara arrive on the planet Dido where a crashed ship is terrorised by the monster Koquillion, but things are not what they seem...

The Rescue was the third story of Season 2 of Doctor Who. Maureen O'Brien joined the cast as Vicki in this story, making it the first story to have a new companion join since the start of the programme.

This story saw the first use of a prologue, opening not with the main characters, but with Vicki. The Rescue also saw the first use of the word "materialised", in reference to the TARDIS. The Doctor claims that he's been to Dido before. This is the first time he had done this, except for Earth.

It was originally envisaged that Jenny from The Dalek Invasion of Earth should join at the end of that story. However, the actor they envisaged for the part pulled out so the idea was abandoned and a new companion was drafted. Many names were suggested for the new companion such as Valerie, Millie, Tanni and Lukki before Vicki was chosen. Her character was designed to contrast with the responsible figures of Ian and Barbara.

The Rescue had higher viewing figures than any previous serials and it continued to hold this title for many years after. Desperate Measures made the top ten most watched programs list for 1965. This was notable for being higher than the preceding Dalek story.

Come on over to The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum and join in with the discussion of this and other stories by clicking the link HERE 

Join The Infinite Quest - The Brain Of Morbius

We return to the Fourth Doctor for the latest story in the run, and this week it is the turn of The Brain Of Morbius.

Mad scientist Mehendri Solon is building a body from spare parts to house the disembodied brain of the evil Time Lord Morbius, and fancies the Doctor's head as the final piece...

The Brain of Morbius was the fifth story in season thirteen of Doctor Who. It saw a number of references to the Doctor's past and featured the controversial Morbius Doctors. The story was noteably influenced by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the classic Hammer Horrors.

The next story will be announced on July 30th. Come on over to the forum today and join in with the discussion of this classic story by visiting The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

Join The Infinite Quest - The Twin Dilemma

This weeks story in The Infinite Quest has been revealed, and it is our first foray into a Sixth Doctor story with The Twin Dilemma.

A race of giant Gastropods has taken over the planet Jaconda. Their leader, Mestor, now intends to cause an enormous explosion in order to spread his people's eggs throughout the galaxy, and he kidnaps juvenile twin geniuses from Earth to work out the necessary mathematical equations. Space fighters led by Lieutenant Hugo Lang are dispatched to get the twins back, but they soon come under attack...

Meanwhile, a newly regenerated Doctor and Peri become involved and help Jaconda's elderly former ruler Professor Edgeworth to defeat Mestor and free the planet's bird-like indigenous people from the gastropods' reign of terror.

The Twin Dilemma was the seventh and final story of Season 21. It was the first full story to feature Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor. It was also the last story to feature half-hour episodes until Season 23.

Come on over to the forum this week to join in with all the discussions, rate the story and have your say on The Twin Dilemma by visiting The Doctor In The TARDIS

Join The Infinite Quest - The Romans

 

This week in The Infinite Quest we are covering the First Doctor story, The Romans...

The four time travellers are enjoying a rare holiday, staying at a villa not far from Rome in the year A.D. 64. The Doctor soon becomes restless and sets off to visit the city, taking Vicki with him. In their absence, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped by slave traders.

Having been mistaken for the famous lyre player Maximus Pettulian and asked to perform at the Emperor Nero's court, the Doctor has to devise ever more elaborate schemes to avoid revealing that in fact he cannot actually play the instrument.

Ian meanwhile becomes a galley slave, while Barbara is sold to Nero's slave buyer Tavius at an auction in Rome.

Come along and join in the fun with us at The Infinite Quest section of The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum 

Join The Infinite Quest - The Dalek Invasion Of Earth

This weeks story in The Infinite Quest is The Dalek Invasion Of Earth.

The TARDIS materialises in London sometime after the year 2164. Dalek invaders are now ruling the Earth with the aid of humans converted into zombie-like Robomen, but they are opposed by a group of resistance fighters led by the wheelchair-bound Dortmun.

The travellers discover that the Daleks have established a huge mine in Bedfordshire, their aim being to remove the Earth's core using a huge bomb and replace it with a powerful drive system so that they can pilot the planet around the galaxy. Ian manages to create a barrier in the shaft in order to intercept the bomb. The resulting explosion destroys the Daleks and their mine and creates a huge volcanic eruption.

Susan has fallen in love with resistance fighter David Campbell, and the Doctor decides to leave her on Earth to find a new life with him, while he continues on his travels with Ian and Barbara.

Come on over to the forum, where you will find the videos for this story if you don't own the DVD's and watch along with us. The story will change in seven days so you have a whole week to watch and post your thoughts and opinions.

To join in, check out The Infinite Quest Section of The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum