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Doctor Who's Tragical History TourDoctor Who's Tragical History Tour
  • Nu-Who
    • Ncuti Gatwa
    • Jodie Whittaker
    • Peter Capaldi
    • Matt Smith
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    • Christopher Eccleston
  • Tweeners
    • John Hurt
    • Paul McGann
    • The Master List
    • Regeneration X
    • The Mystery Guest
    • The Hand of Fear
  • Colo(u)r
    • Sylvester McCoy
    • Colin Baker
    • Peter Davison
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    • Jon Pertwee
  • Monochrome
    • Patrick Troughton
    • William Hartnell
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  • Nu-Who
    1. Ncuti Gatwa
    2. Jodie Whittaker
    3. Peter Capaldi
    4. Matt Smith
    5. David Tennant
    6. Christopher Eccleston
    7. View All

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 2025

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    B-Bye Bradley

    October 6, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    2024Kristmas #4 – Twice Upon the First

    December 21, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (18→13)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (42→37)

    October 5, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (12→7)

    November 17, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (30→25)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    2024Kristmas #3 – The Man With All The Toys

    December 16, 2024

    2024Kristmas #2 – It’ll Be a Wild Blue Christmas

    December 10, 2024

    2024Kristmas #1 – Seasons Beastings

    December 3, 2024

    Pre-Embering the Fireplace

    May 5, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (42→37)

    October 5, 2023

    The Dark Jacket Dimension

    November 13, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Tweeners
    1. John Hurt
    2. Paul McGann
    3. The Master List
    4. Regeneration X
    5. The Mystery Guest
    6. The Hand of Fear
    7. View All

    Hurt So Good: A Doctor and His Umbrella

    April 27, 2023

    Who Told You There Wouldn’t Be Any Math?

    December 5, 2022

    Svelte 16

    May 8, 2022

    Ten’ll Get You Five

    September 4, 2020

    Double Doctor Dastardly Danger

    April 25, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    McGann Before McGann

    May 26, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Ghost Re-Write

    November 16, 2021

    The (W)hole Ruth

    January 31, 2020

    Dup-topia

    January 29, 2020

    The Glue Guy

    June 24, 2018

    Doctor on Doctor ACTION!

    November 19, 2017

    The Wheel in Cheese

    August 10, 2014

    The Hurt Locker

    May 25, 2013

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Colo(u)r
    1. Sylvester McCoy
    2. Colin Baker
    3. Peter Davison
    4. Tom Baker
    5. Jon Pertwee
    6. View All

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    A Studio Film (or rather a film in the studio)

    June 9, 2023

    … And All That Yaz

    November 16, 2022

    Fivey at Forty: The First Companion Death of 1982

    March 16, 2022

    Sweet, not Effete

    April 5, 2025

    Arguably Arguable

    August 19, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (60→55)

    September 15, 2023

    The End of Enlightenment

    January 13, 2025

    What’s in a Number? Occasionally Everything

    November 23, 2024

    A Spot of Gray in a Sea of Color

    November 19, 2024

    ⅔ of a Magic Number, but None Too Shabby Either

    October 1, 2024

    The Truth That Supports the Lie

    March 15, 2025

    The Golden Sweep of Tom Baker Begins

    December 28, 2024

    Déjà Who, All Over Again

    February 8, 2024

    XCited for Tom

    January 27, 2024

    Living Day-to-Day with The Candy Man

    July 31, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (6→1)

    November 23, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (30→25)

    October 28, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (48→43)

    September 28, 2023

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Monochrome
    1. Patrick Troughton
    2. William Hartnell
    3. View All

    Stock(s) Company

    September 9, 2024

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (18→13)

    November 13, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (24→19)

    November 10, 2023

    60 for 60 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — (36→31)

    October 12, 2023

    The TARDIS whirled on it’s way again…

    December 24, 2024

    Have a Feast @ Doctor Who’s Tragical History Tour!

    December 6, 2024

    Quarter Zip

    July 21, 2024

    Roll Without the Rock, or the Schlock

    July 15, 2024

    Sold For a Song

    May 21, 2025

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025
  • Tour du Jour
    • On This Day in Doctor Who History
    • The House of Holmes
    • 60 for 60
    • 50 for 50
    • The Randomizer
    • THT Rand-o-pix of the Day
    • The Feast of Steven
    • Tour Notz
    • The Watcher
    • Contact the Tour
Doctor Who's Tragical History TourDoctor Who's Tragical History Tour
Tour Updates Classic Capitology William Hartnell

A Mad Box with a Man

By -- DSWAugust 30, 201302 Mins Read
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Those rascals over in Classic Capitology seem to have too much time on their hands of late.  Fresh off the gothic mélange of Ghost Light they careen all the way back to a Hartnell curiosity.  Okay that might not be fair.

On the DVD extra for The Space Museum Robert Shearman succinctly summed up the problems for this story.  In short (and paraphrasing) he said there were only three, and that they were episodes 2, 3, and 4.

He was absolutely right.  The first episode, especially for a Hartnell, is suitably strange with dollops of backwards time and intangibility of objects, including the TARDIS, all of which leads to the cliffhanger of the quartet of travelers seeing themselves encapsulated for display.  It’s a neat image, and the kind of surrealism all-too-rarely seen in the program regardless of era.  After that though…  The remaining three episodes feature drab officialdom, rebels without a clue (hands on hips for this one), and mandatory companion separation syndrome.  Vicki gets the best of these, although to see Hartnell impishly fencing with Lead Morok Lobos is rather fun.  Just as in The Seeds of Death as couple of cap-posts ago, Hartnell takes episode 3 off and that’s okay.  He didn’t miss much.

The Space Museum looks and feels like the cheap end even of the Hartnell era and, unfortunately, the direction by Mervyn Pinfield (a substantial figure in the early shaping of the program) does nothing to liven the proceedings, hence the number of caps for a four-episode story is abnormally low.

One curious piece of trivia about the story is that The Space Museum author Glyn Jones is one of only two people to both write for and act in Doctor Who, Mark Gatiss being the other.  Endlessly fascinating!

The caps for The Space Museum are a pure add for the Tour. Who knows where Classic Capitology will go next?

Short Hops:

Quarter Zip Beatle Ood Crusader Habit
The Space Museum The Seeds of Death Classic Capitology Tour Updates William Russell William Hartnell Mark Gatiss Jacqueline Hill Maureen O'Brien
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On This Day in Doctor Who History

May 2025

Friday May 23

1964: The Aztecs [1--The Temple of Evil]
Recurs yearly
1970: Inferno [3]
Recurs yearly

Saturday May 24

1969: The War Games [6]
Recurs yearly
2025: Wish World
Recurs yearly

Sunday May 25

1968: The Wheel in Space [5]
Recurs yearly
1974: Planet of the Spiders [4]
Recurs yearly
2024: 73 Yards
Recurs yearly

Monday May 26

1973: The Green Death [2]
Recurs yearly
2007: Human Nature
Recurs yearly

Tuesday May 27

1967: The Evil of the Daleks [2]
Recurs yearly
1972: The Time Monster [2]
Recurs yearly
2006: The Idiot's Lantern
Recurs yearly
2017: The Pyramid at the End of the World
Recurs yearly

Wednesday May 28

1966: The Savages [1]
Recurs yearly
2005: The Doctor Dances
Recurs yearly
Random Thoughts

Bring Me the Head of Patrick Troughton!

By -- DSWMay 16, 2022 Roundel Roundabouts 1 Min Read

50 for 50 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — #10

By -- DSWSeptember 18, 2013 50 for 50 2 Mins Read

The Quest is the Quest … for the Rest

By -- DSWMarch 21, 2022 Tour Updates 1 Min Read
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  6. ► The Story and the Engine
  7. ► The Colin Baker Miscellany
  8. ► City of Death
  9. ► The Giggle
  10. ► Planet of Fire
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