Doctor Who - Earthshock (DVD)

In Doctor Who standards Earthshock certainly was a shock. Some state that Earthshock is horrifically flawed, however to a Doctor Who newcomer Earthshock is a fantastic entry level story. From Earthshock onwards nothing should come as a surprise.

The Doctor (Peter Davison) arrives on Earth sometime in the future with his three faithful companions Adric, Nyssa and Tegan. Some serious tension is present in the Tardis. Adric has had a ...
...he asks the Doctor if he can be returned to his own place and time in the universe. After some debate the Doctor agrees, but insists that he first investigates why they have arrived on Earth. The Tardis picked up a signal coming from deep underground the Earths surface.

On the surface of the planet there is also some considerable tension, a group of scientists looking at rock under the Earth's surface have disappeared. Only one member ... more

In Doctor Who standards Earthshock certainly was a shock. Some state that Earthshock is horrifically flawed, however to a Doctor Who newcomer Earthshock is a fantastic entry level story. From Earthshock onwards nothing should come as a surprise.

The Doctor (Peter Davison) arrives on Earth sometime in the future with his three faithful companions Adric, Nyssa and Tegan. Some serious tension is present in the Tardis. Adric has had a falling out with the Doctor, and in a heated discussion he asks the Doctor if he can be returned to his own place and time in the universe. After some debate the Doctor agrees, but insists that he first investigates why they have arrived on Earth. The Tardis picked up a signal coming from deep underground the Earths surface.

On the surface of the planet there is also some considerable tension, a group of scientists looking at rock under the Earth's surface have disappeared. Only one member of the team had survived and she is telling a story too bizarre to believe. A group of soldiers have been sent in to investigate, but they believe that the survivor may actually be involved in foul play surrounding the missing people. The troops begin their investigation, and it's not long before they notice strange movements on the radar. Two of the troops come face to face with something very unusual, and blood curdling screams are heard through the radios of all the others. Then as if never there they disappear from the radar screens lost for ever.

In an unfortunate coincidence the Doctor, Nyssa & Tegan leave the Tardis near the location of the latest disappearance. Their presence on the radio signals a swoop of the area by some very angry soldiers. Unaware of the impending trouble the Doctor heads off in search of the signal; his interest in this however has attracted the actual attackers to the Tardis crew's location.

The soldiers almost upon the Doctor and his crew discover something quite unnerving, the melted remains of the two missing troopers. Now angry at the certain demise of their comrades the soldiers find and lash out at the crew of the Tardis, attacking before asking questions. In a moment of both relief and terror the squabble is broken up by the arrival of two faceless figures, these attack without warning. In a final attempt to convince the soldiers how to destroy these creatures as the weapons they have appear to be having no work, the Doctor only compounds the feeling that he has something more to do with events than he is letting on.

From deep in space a group of figures observe the events under the earth's surface, as they are revealed the first horrific shock is delivered to the audience.

A Background of Doctor Who

Doctor Who was first aired in 1963, the very first episode aired the day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Many families gathered around their television sets the night of the launch, expecting to see a medical drama. Doctor Who was far from this however, The Doctor was an intergalactic hobo enjoying a life as a recluse with his granddaughter. Two concerned teachers worried about his granddaughter's wellbeing find themselves in a vessel that can travel through time and space, the Tardis. The Tardis is disguised however as a Police Box (a means for police officers to communicate with other police, hold prisoners, or just take a bit of a break). The next big shock to the teachers was that the Tardis was much bigger on the inside than the outside.

Doctor Who continued from 1963 - 1984 without interruption, at the time of its first break from British Television 6 actors had played the Doctor. A unique way of changing the Doctors appearance was devised called regeneration. From 1963 - 1982 the popularity of Doctor Who increased and increased, Doctor Who was a cheesy escape from peoples lives, but watched by as many people as the likes of Eastenders and Coronation Street. However in 1983 the announcement of Peter Davisons departure, a slight change of format and a restriction of budget meant that the audience began to fade. In 1984 the BBC took the unheard of step of postponing a series. When Doctor Who returned in 1986 it still had a low budget, but a minor improvement in special effects. In 1989 the popularity of Doctor Who was on the increase again, however a fatal blow was given by the head of the BBC. He terminated Doctor Who, because he generally disliked it. In 1996 fans where overjoyed by the announcement that the Doctor was on his way back. A feature length pilot episode was made in the US for the Doctors return. Despite pulling in a massive audience in the UK, the US were not happy with its performance in its own country, so Doctor Who again faced the axe.
Then in 2003 fans were overjoyed to hear that Doctor Who was on his way back, the Writer of Queer As Folk stood at the helm. Russell T. Davies knew that for Doctor Who to be a success he needed the person to play Doctor Who to be someone known to the audience. In his mind he had the perfect actor a relatively unknown Doctor Who fan called David Tennant, but concerns were voiced that Tennant was not big enough. So they looked for another actor, they found the actor they needed but he would only commit to one year. So Davies put his original chosen performer on the back burn. Tennant spent 18 months establishing himself so that at the end of the 2005 series, he would be Doctor Who. Christopher Ecclestone was the returning Doctor, and the return was a big hit. In 2005 Doctor Who was the most watched (non soap opera) television programme in the UK, and 2006 seems sure to be bigger.

My View Of Earthshock

I remember watching Earthshock when it screened in 1982, at the end of the first episode I jumped out of my chair with excitement at the return of an enemy that had been a Doctor Who legend, although during my lifetime I had never seen them, they were something that was known about but for many never seen. The reason for the notoriety is that these bad guys, made the Daleks seem quite reserved and respectful. Then pair this off with the fact that these reintroduced bad guys had received more complaints from angry parents than any Doctor Who Baddie. This was not just a shock to me, as anyone watching the DVD's special features will become aware. Thousands of people across the land went through the same routine as me, some swearing at the television, wishing that the next episode was upon them. Watching the DVD of course should you decide to purchase it means there will be no wait for you reader. You'll notice I have not named these creatures; I'll leave that for you to find out about. This secret was one of the best kept television secrets ever on British television, the next time such a secret would be played out on was a few years later in Eastenders.

But this was not the only shock to Earthshock, an event was to take place that Doctor Who fans had not seen since 1965. And for many fans this event bought tears and happiness, as something that was believed to be unthinkable in Doctor Who had happened. I'll of course spare you this detail also, so you can find it out for yourself.

Another surprise for Earthshock was an unusual piece of casting, The Doctor and the soldiers leave Earth to search for the real bad guys, their search takes them to a giant space freighter. This freighter was commanded by a vicious heartless Captain, who in the acting world could fill such a role? Al Pacino, too unrealistic? How about Blakes 7 actor Paul Darrow? No?, Ian Richardson? We could play this game all day couldn't we? This heartless Captain was played by none other than Mooncat actress Beryl Reid!

If I'm to be realistic, when I look at older Doctor Who stories now, they seem quite bad. The acting could be pretty awful, as was the special effects. Nobody however can deny that the stories themselves were far better than the current incarnation of the show. Earthshock sticks in my mind as one of the most cinematic of the original Doctor Who stories. It had it all, Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction and not to mention the "true" cause of the destruction of the dinosaurs. Earthshock indeed plays out much like a movie, continuously moving from one location to another. The terror and tension builds throughout, and the particularly painful end to the story is met by something very unique. For the first and only time in Doctor Who history, the ending was so "upsetting" that the show played out to the sound of nothing. The familiar Doctor Who theme was replaced by silence.

The Special Features

The show has been remasterred for DVD, and more interesting still, all the special effects have been given a CGI wash over, replacing old cardboard tubes with glossy graphics.

There is an alternate audio soundtrack featuring commentary from the entire Tardis crew.

Putting The Shock In Earthshock, is a unique documentary explaining in detail each and every shock the viewer witnesses. A group of celebrities talk about their reactions as each shock was played out.

Previously unseen scenes from the story.

Did You See? An excerpt from the popular TV review show focusing on Doctor Who and what made this story so special.

An isolated music score lets you listen to the soundtrack for this story without vocals.

Episode 5, is a claymation possible view as to what could have happened after the shocking end of Episode 4.

Production notes which you can select from the menu that pop up through the story should you so wish, giving a unique incite to elements of the story.

Easter Eggs, plenty of hidden stuff floating around on this DVD.

Photo Galleries

The DVD is available for £14.99 from Play.com. But I advise a bit of careful shopping as at times of the year you can pick this up for about £7.00.
 

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