A Review by >Stuart Gutteridge
This tongue in cheek documentary (of sorts) tries to establish whether Doctor Who was sexist. Featuring Nicholas Courtney, James Bree and Mark Strickson as court officials aboard a space station, this is very reminiscent of The Trial of a Time Lord. If you were to show this to a non-Doctor Who fan, they probably wouldn`t be very impressed as it is a self indulgent product for the fans, featuring as it does a plethora of continuity references and series in-jokes.And in this it succeeds admirably.
Appearing as themselves are Sophie Aldred and Katy Manning, who both vehemently defend Doctor Who as not being sexist, whilst Terrance Dicks and Gary Russell, give defining overviews of the series in general. Most interesting however is John Nathan-Turner giving a credible performance under a series of obviously blatant remarks from Mark Strickson`s sneering and excellently portrayed prosecutor.
Unfortunately, the tape neglects to mention the inclusion of both Grace Holloway as a companion and the series various female villains; also it doesn`t reach any definite conclusion. Having said that though it does say not to be taken seriosly on the video cover, which is probably just as well.
Was Doctor Who sexist? Or is it just cashed in on? by Tim Roll-Pickering 23/2/03
Doctor Who has often been accused of sexism over the years and the debate seems set to go on forever. This video from Reeltime seeks to explore the arguments through the fictional setting of a court in the far future. Such a setting allows for a more rigorous examination of the arguments for and against than a more detached documentary but it also burdens the programme with numerous in-jokes, especially from Nicholas Courtney and Mark Strickson as they refer to their roles in the television series, as well as getting close to parody - both the judge and Sophie Aldred openly question the point of the whole trial.
There are a number of 'examinations' of witnesses including Terrance Dicks, Gary Russell, John Nathan-Turner, Sophie Aldred, Nicholas Courtney and Katy Manning as well as brief extracts from interviews with a number of other actresses who played female companions. There are some interesting revelations, such as John Nathan-Turner explaining that the reason for Nyssa apparently 'dropping her skirt and stripping down to her underwear' in Terminus was actually because the costume was designed as a suit that could quickly drop away to a summer dress and that in the script Nyssa felt a lot of pain in her stomach as she incubated the disease. Several of the charges and defences are put directly to the witnesses and a mixture of responses emerge.
Whilst the idea behind the video may be a good one, it is unfortunately poorly executed. There is very little real tension in the courtroom, with the calling of witnesses feeling more like interviews than the rigorous analysing of evidence. The climax does feel suspiciously like the writers choosing not to answer the question but instead resorting to a rebellion to quickly finish things off due to tiredness and so leaves a sense of dissatisfaction. As a result this tape doesn't find its feet as a court drama or a documentary analysis or a look at the use of sex and so feels tedious to watch. Definitely one to avoid. 3/10