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Presented by Jon Pertwee.
Produced by John Nathan-Turner. |
Troughtonesque by Carl West 7/1/99
This tape's first episode is its best: The Abominable Snowmen, Part 2. Although I have recently seen the full reconstruction of The Web of Fear, the single existing episode from Snowmen leaves me with the impression that the Yeti's debut story was superior to their return story. The Yeti seem so much more interesting in the Himalayan Mountain setting of Snowmen than in the London setting of Web. The most memorable element from the Snowmen episode is that gentle yet haunting voice of the High Lama (whom we never see), very similar to the eerie voice of the Great Intelligence used in The Web of Fear.
It is great to see more of Victoria, although she is not given much to do in the episode. Jamie has some great moments as he devises a plan with the monks for capturing a Yeti. There is also a funny, classic Troughton scene in which the Doctor shows no small degree of anxiety after the monks have tied him up outside of the monastery, and the Yeti slowly begin to approach...
The next episode on The Troughton Years is The Enemy of the World, Part 3. This episode does not seem to be near the top of many fans' lists of favorites-- director Barry Letts has described the existing episode as "naff" and unrepresentative of the story-- yet I have honestly enjoyed this episode every time I have seen it. The real joy is seeing Patrick Troughton in the character of Salamander, with that great European accent (I love the way he says the name "Fedorin"). Jamie is quite a pleasure to watch as he assumes the role of a loyal soldier under Salamander. Another high point is Milton Johns (Crayford of The Android Invasion fame) as the "meanie" who allows his soldier to break all of that poor man's crockery.
The Troughton Years ends on an unfortunate low note: The Space Pirates, Part 2. I do not even wish to go into very much detail on this episode-- from the insultingly ludicrous cowboy Clancey to the Captain who does a dreadful job of trying to sound "masculine" when he speaks his lines, this is Doctor Who at its worst. Probably the only thing that makes this episode worth sitting through is Wendy Padbury.
For its first two rare gems, though, The Troughton Years is definitely a worthwhile purchase. I would love to see the BBC release the surviving episodes from The Faceless Ones and The Web of Fear as The Troughton Years Volume Two. However, with The Faceless Ones Part 3 being in a reportedly poor shape, and the other two episodes being Part 1's rather than episodes that are in medias res, that seems like wishful thinking from an early Who junkie.
Come to think of it, are we ever going to see a Davison Years tape?
A Review by Stuart Gutteridge 9/1/99
This is one of the better compilation tapes, celebrating the various eras of each incarnation of The Doctor. The Patrick Troughton era is more interesting because, with less visual material available, there seems to be a desire to seek out more information. Presented by Jon Pertwee, The Troughton Years makes for enjoyable viewing because of Pertwee`s anecdotes of working alongside Troughton and appearing with him at conventions.
The opening episode, part 2 of The Abominable Snowmen, an example of Doctor Who`s monster season and with it an example of a classic and fondly remembered monster in the Yeti. This is the best episode on the tape due largely to the atmosphere of the story.
Following this is the third part of The Enemy of the World. What this does best is showcase the acting abilities of Patrick Troughton in his dual roles of Salamander and The Doctor, and is a good example of David Whitaker`s writing for the show (even if it is a little unrepresentative of the season five and Doctor Who in general).
Closing the tape is the second episode of The Space Pirates, a strange choice considering that The Doctor doesn`t feature a great deal in the story. It does show the beginnings of the characterisation Robert Holmes would become reknowned for in the person of Milo Clancey, and also features some great model work for the time.
Overall, The Troughton Years could have done with a wider selection of episodes, one from each season perhaps, but this doesn`t detract greatly from the quality of the end result.
My trek through the Years tapes Part 2 by David Barnes 4/8/02
Those of you who have read my review of The Hartnell Years will know I was not particulary enamoured with that tape. Fortunatly, The Troughton Years is a bit better.
The tape is narrated by Jon Pertwee, whose affection for Troughton shows... when he is allowed the chance. Jon is very wooden throughout as he is required to read cuecards almost all the way through, and little more. Sylvester McCoy was a lot better as presenter in The Hartnell Years, even though he had hardly anything to do with Hartnell and Jon was a personal friend of Troughton. But Jon does get one good bit; his anecdote about a convention and waterpistols. It is in this bit that Jon's affection really shows through.
The tape, like the one before it, is really just a chance to showcase 3 episodes from incomplete stories. But for an era that was labled "The Monster Era", it is suprising to find that only one of the three episodes has any monsters in it.
The Abominable Snowmen episode 2 is a rather simple affair (which could be said about the adventure overall). The Yeti are not required to do much, and don't even roar for some reason. The guest cast are quite good but none really stand out (Travers is rather two-dimensional). The real stars are Patrick Troughton (which is just as well as this is his tape!), Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling. The Doctor dosn't meet Jamie or Victoria until the end of the episode, but all three sparkle and bring life to their lines. The episode is a good representation of Troughtons abilities: he is cunning, bashful, innocent and shows a fierce intelligence.
The next episode, The Enemy of the World part 3, shows Troughton's abilities at playing other characters, but isn't a very good example of how he played the Doctor (the Doctor only appears in one scene). But Salamander is a superb villian, brought to life with a wonderfully OTT Mexican accent, supplied by Troughton. Jamie and Victoria are forced into roles in which they don't really belong but are quite good all the same. The characters all have personalities, and I particullary liked George Pravda as Denes. The episode is very badly edited though; at the end of the episode, some characters are running from some guards, and one pushes a table into some. Then suddenly, the characters are all in another room with Salamander! But overall, the episode is more entertaining than The Abominable Snowmen part 2.
The third and final episode on this tape is the much lamented The Space Pirates part 2. Personally, I rather liked this episode! Granted, all the accents are atrocious but that just adds to the fun. Milo Clancey is wonderfully entertaning and is the best part of the episode. The downside is that, once again, the Doctor is given little to do; he and his companions are trapped in one room on board a beacon. Patrick Troughton does well with the lines he is given though and the episode is rather good.
The tape also includes some clips from all 3 multiple Doctor tales and The Web of Fear. My main complaint from the last tape was that all 3 of the episodes were available in another medium. This does not affect this tape as much, as the stories from all three episodes can only be represented by audio. The Abominable Snowmen has been released as a double CD, with The Enemy of the World to be released later in 2002.
Overall, the tape is much better than The Hartnell Years. Jon Pertwee could have been given more time to share his views and the episodes could have been more carefully picked but The Troughton Years merits a 7/10.