The final cap addition before our September to remember is arguably Sylvester McCoy’s finest story, certainly the one with the most obstacles to overcome, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Surrealism, though used sparingly in Doctor Who, usually seems to work as The Mind Robber and The God Complex more recently have shown. Ace was right that clowns can be creepy, and in Greatest Show they are used to great effect.
It’s also a marvelous showcase for McCoy, who gets to ‘clown around’ himself in ways that befit both the story and his stage persona.
The behind-the-scenes turmoil is equally compelling, persevering through an asbestos scare and JN-T’s not-so-subtle poke at the fans in the form of Whizz Kid, but never mind all that. Consider how different Season 25 was from the chaos of the previous year. Not all of the stories in 1988 landed well, we’re thinking of Silver Nemesis here, but the trend line was on the way up.
Too bad it couldn’t have continued for that much longer.
Classic cap-itology will return in October. More importantly, Asylum of the Daleks airs in less than a week!
