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Doctor Who's Tragical History TourDoctor Who's Tragical History Tour
  • Nu-Who
    • Ncuti Gatwa
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  • Tweeners
    • John Hurt
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    • The Master List
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    • The Mystery Guest
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  • Colo(u)r
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    • Patrick Troughton
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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

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 2025

    RTD Has His JN-T Moment

    April 20, 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

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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

    The Demon Barber of Story Beats

    May 12, 2025

    The Bearable Light-ness of Doctoring

    May 10, 2025

    The Sunday Stratagem

    May 4, 2025

    Five Regenerations Past Midnight

    April 27, 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 Tom Baker

A Scarlet in Study

By -- DSWMarch 21, 201502 Mins Read
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Flair is not necessarily a word that springs to mind regarding ‘classic’ Doctor Who.  There were obviously on-camera performances that captured the eye and the imagination but how often did direction in Doctor Who make an impression one way or another.  That’s rare, and one reason why Graeme Harper was instantly lauded for The Caves of Androzani and the anticipation for his work in nu-Who Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel, thereby bridging the eras, was there.

The real stars of this weeks cap addition The Leisure Hive are producer John Nathan-Turner and director Lovett Bickford.  Anyone who had become inured to the production style and tone of Doctor Who through the seventies were in for a jolt right from the jump of The Leisure Hive.

New opening titles, a massive new arrangement of the theme.  This was JN-T immediately putting his imprimatur on the program.  And it continued right into The Leisure Hive where Bickford gave an almost completely studio bound show (although to be fair the most remembered sequence from The Leisure Hive is the filmed open on the beach with the very long, loving tracking shot to a sleeping Tom Baker just before K-9 got fried) a very different look to what had come before.  This was. along with Peter Howell’s incidental music, Doctor Who being pulled hard into the 80’s.

What’s obvious in retrospect about The Leisure Hive is that is was clearly a holdover script from the Graham Williams era, but was massively adjusted to fit the sensibilities of the new production team.  As a result The Leisure Hive runs really short for a four-part story with episodes 2, 3, and 4 running barely over 20 minutes apiece.  This was also when Tom Baker’s excesses in the role were being clearly reined in and draped tip to toe, in red.

The Leisure Hive is an exercise in style as much as anything else.  But it works really well … as do the new set of caps which vastly improve the Tour stable.

Time to close out another Wing of the Tour when Classic Capitology convenes …  next time.

Short Hops:

Red Sa(i)d Reflection The Fisher King A Tale of Two Toms
Tour Updates Tom Baker The Caves of Androzani Rise of the Cybermen The Age of Steel The Leisure Hive Classic Capitology
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On This Day in Doctor Who History

May 2025

Sunday May 18

1968: The Wheel in Space [4]
Recurs yearly
1974: Planet of the Spiders [3]
Recurs yearly
2013: The Name of the Doctor
Recurs yearly
2024: Boom
Recurs yearly

Monday May 19

1973: The Green Death [1]
Recurs yearly
2007: 42
Recurs yearly

Tuesday May 20

1967: The Evil of the Daleks [1]
Recurs yearly
1972: The Time Monster [1]
Recurs yearly
2006: The Age of Steel
Recurs yearly
2017: Extremis
Recurs yearly

Wednesday May 21

1966: The Gunfighters [4--The OK Corral]
Recurs yearly
2005: The Empty Child
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2011: The Rebel Flesh
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Thursday May 22

1965: The Chase [1--The Executioners]
Recurs yearly
1971: The Dæmons [1]
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Random Thoughts

4/3/2005

By -- DSWApril 3, 2005 Tour Updates 1 Min Read

BUS Bias

By -- DSWOctober 4, 2015 Tour Updates 1 Min Read

50 for 50 — The Greatest Stories in Doctor Who History — #14

By -- DSWAugust 21, 2013 50 for 50 2 Mins Read
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  6. ► The Story and the Engine
  7. ► The Colin Baker Miscellany
  8. ► City of Death
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  10. ► Planet of Fire
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