30 days of Doctor Who
Jun. 25th, 2010 04:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkitDay 06 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
As I said in yesterday's answers, I love the Second Doctor. Sadly, of his twenty-one serials, only six survive with all episodes intact, eleven have some episodes missing, and four are entirely lost. That's because the BBC used to have a policy of wiping its master tapes after a few years.
Lost episodes sometimes turn up in unexpected places (like the ones returned to the BBC by a collector who had bought them at a car boot sale). Short clips have been found in archives after having been removed by Australian television censors, and telesnaps generally exist. Best of all, audio of all episodes survives thanks to fan recordings.
This allows for reconstructions, which are in circulation for every lost or partially lost serial. So what tickles my fancy today is to tell you about my favorite lost story/reconstruction.
In "The Macra Terror," Two, Polly, Ben, and Jamie arrive at an ostensibly idyllic society that is (surprise surprise) covering up a big secret. The plot isn't bad as plots from this era go, but mostly I love the wonderful humor and character moments. Among other things, this story is the first to really incorporate Jamie, and it marks the beginning of his special rapport with the Doctor. I've got a more detailed discussion of "The Macra Terror" here, including an image.
The reconstruction I saw was very well done--I think it was one of the Loose Cannon ones, since it had their trademark descriptive captions for the missing visuals. It incorporated the surviving clips and reasonably clear tele-snaps.
I won't deny that reconstructions can be frustrating to watch. But they're better than nothing, and stories like "The Macra Terror" deserve to be seen.
The scripts for the Macra Terror are also available online, but I think a lot of the joy is lost if you can't at least hear the performances.
***
The once and future meme:
Day 01 - Your Favorite Quote
Day 02 – Your Favorite Classic Series Episode
Day 03 – Your Favorite New Series Episode
Day 04 – Your Favorite Doctor
Day 05 – Your Favorite Companion
Day 06 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 07 – Your Favorite Piece of Music
Day 08 – A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Happy
Day 09 – A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Angry/Sad
Day 10 – A Who-Related Photo That You Took
Day 11 – Your Favorite Season (Classic or New)
Day 12 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 13 – Your Favorite Villain
Day 14 – The Villain Who Scared You the Most
Day 15 – Favorite Who-Related Tumblr
Day 16 – Your Favorite Who-Related FanFic
Day 17 – A Piece of Who-Related FanArt
Day 18 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 19 – The Scene That Made Your Cry the Most
Day 20 – The Character Who Is Most Like You
Day 21 – Your Doctor Who OTP
Day 22 – A Who-Related Fan-Site
Day 23 – A Who-Related YouTube Video
Day 24 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 25 – Favorite Who Actor
Day 26 – Favorite Who Actress
Day 27 – An Episode You Wish Hadn’t Been Made
Day 28 – An Episode Idea You Created Yourself
Day 29 – Who You Think Should Be the Next Doctor
Day 30 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
As I said in yesterday's answers, I love the Second Doctor. Sadly, of his twenty-one serials, only six survive with all episodes intact, eleven have some episodes missing, and four are entirely lost. That's because the BBC used to have a policy of wiping its master tapes after a few years.
Lost episodes sometimes turn up in unexpected places (like the ones returned to the BBC by a collector who had bought them at a car boot sale). Short clips have been found in archives after having been removed by Australian television censors, and telesnaps generally exist. Best of all, audio of all episodes survives thanks to fan recordings.
This allows for reconstructions, which are in circulation for every lost or partially lost serial. So what tickles my fancy today is to tell you about my favorite lost story/reconstruction.
In "The Macra Terror," Two, Polly, Ben, and Jamie arrive at an ostensibly idyllic society that is (surprise surprise) covering up a big secret. The plot isn't bad as plots from this era go, but mostly I love the wonderful humor and character moments. Among other things, this story is the first to really incorporate Jamie, and it marks the beginning of his special rapport with the Doctor. I've got a more detailed discussion of "The Macra Terror" here, including an image.
The reconstruction I saw was very well done--I think it was one of the Loose Cannon ones, since it had their trademark descriptive captions for the missing visuals. It incorporated the surviving clips and reasonably clear tele-snaps.
I won't deny that reconstructions can be frustrating to watch. But they're better than nothing, and stories like "The Macra Terror" deserve to be seen.
The scripts for the Macra Terror are also available online, but I think a lot of the joy is lost if you can't at least hear the performances.
The once and future meme:
Day 01 - Your Favorite Quote
Day 02 – Your Favorite Classic Series Episode
Day 03 – Your Favorite New Series Episode
Day 04 – Your Favorite Doctor
Day 05 – Your Favorite Companion
Day 06 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 07 – Your Favorite Piece of Music
Day 08 – A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Happy
Day 09 – A Who-Related Photo That Makes You Angry/Sad
Day 10 – A Who-Related Photo That You Took
Day 11 – Your Favorite Season (Classic or New)
Day 12 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 13 – Your Favorite Villain
Day 14 – The Villain Who Scared You the Most
Day 15 – Favorite Who-Related Tumblr
Day 16 – Your Favorite Who-Related FanFic
Day 17 – A Piece of Who-Related FanArt
Day 18 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 19 – The Scene That Made Your Cry the Most
Day 20 – The Character Who Is Most Like You
Day 21 – Your Doctor Who OTP
Day 22 – A Who-Related Fan-Site
Day 23 – A Who-Related YouTube Video
Day 24 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
Day 25 – Favorite Who Actor
Day 26 – Favorite Who Actress
Day 27 – An Episode You Wish Hadn’t Been Made
Day 28 – An Episode Idea You Created Yourself
Day 29 – Who You Think Should Be the Next Doctor
Day 30 – Whatever Tickles Your Fancy
