Doctor Who Club of Australia

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 216 Location: Canberra

What do people make of this 1982 story written by Eric Saward?

This is the analysis from the official BBC website (WARNING! SPOILERS):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/earthshock/analysis.shtml

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4111

Steve O'Brien from SFX was among those interviewed on the documentary included in the Earthshock DVD and therefore gets a mention in the SFX review of it by Dave Golder. It would have been curious if O'Brien had written the review himself but obviously they needed someone to be objective about the DVD.

On a related note just finished the Little Britain series 1 CD which included David Walliams playing a "Matthew Waterhouse".

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 604 Location: Brisbane

this one is so sad, as we lose Adric.

(oh, in case you cant tell, i was being sarcastic)

Dougy · Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:50 pm Post subject:

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4111

From the Earthshock DVD notes regarding the helmets:
"The design was inspired by the helmets worn by the Colonial Warriors in the US TV show Battlestar Galactica."

In the commentary when Tegan says to the Doctor "Breathe deeply and relax", Janet Fielding says "What the hell...?"

When the Doctor says that Tegan's ancestors were "Primitive, very primitive", it could easily be a vague reference to the cavemen in the very first Doctor Who serial, which is something that the DVD notes did not seem to notice.

Antony Root is credited here as script editor but in reality he did not act as such as that was an excuse to allow the real script editor Eric Saward to be credited for this story although Saward would get both writer and script editor credit for Resurrection of the Daleks & Revelation of the Daleks later on.

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 604 Location: Brisbane

Interestingly, this story occurs just 14 years before the Pertwee story - Frontier in Space. (No mention of the Draconians Sad

)

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 660 Location: Perth

Another very good episode from this season. I like the fact you don't know the Cybermen are behind the Androids until the last second of the episode. Was also quite gruesome in parts (snyder) and was also very suspenseful. I loved the arguement between the Doctor and Adric.

dunmall · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 117

yeah at least they didn't muc kit up by calling it "The Something of the Cybermen" and then trying to surprise you at the end...like half of the dalek stories Smile

I really enjoy this one, and speaking of confused contiunity (frontier in space) the Doctor never mentions that the dinosaur era also produced the silurians and the sea devils.... Razz

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 660 Location: Perth

Just a quick question in relation to tonights episode that I am hoping somebody can answer. Have the "Minyans" that were mentioned tonight, featured in any other Doctor Who stories? They sound familiar.

Dougy · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 12:28 am Post subject:

I really loved the flashbacks of the previous doctors in tongihts ep! Great stuff.

Greg · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 7:33 am Post subject:

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 604 Location: Brisbane

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4111

In Earthshock Part 2 we hear "Braveheart, Tegan" for the first time. Apparently this was something that Peter Davison came up with rather than Eric Saward.
The Cyber leader, as we see a clip of Pat, mentions the events of Tomb of the Cybermen. That clip actually came from Wheel in Space Episode 6, since Tomb was still lost at that time and wouldn't be found until nine years later. Given the fact the DVD has the option of seeing the CG1 effects, I'm surprised there wasn't an option to substitute that clip with Tomb as well.
Quite nice to see Tom in that clip from Revenge of the Cybermen Part 3 but it has been pointed out that there is absolutely no way that the Cyberleader would have known about that event since it takes place in their future.
Upon seeing the clips which began with Bill in The Tenth Planet Episode 2, Matthew Waterhouse in the commentary asked why there was no Jon Pertwee. He was then told that Jon did not have a Cybermen adventure during his official tenure. Vanessa Bishop in her review of the DVD in DWM asked that if Waterhouse was such a fan of the show why didn't he know about it already.
Dave Golder in his review of the DVD in SFX says that Beryl Reid was miscast as Briggs. I honestly cannot see how she could have been played by anyone else. Amazingly she had never heard of Doctor Who upon taking the gig even though she is obviously British.

Dougy · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 10:59 am Post subject:

I was thining this morning - is it just me or do the Cyberman in this ep sound more "human" than usual?

Aslo, did anyone notice that the CyberLeader completely missed the button on his console yet the sound effect still beeped.

dunmall · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 117

i missed ep 2! stupid vcr! lol

rundoctoritsthegatherer · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject:

A much over rated story by most IMHO. The atmosphere is great and the cliffhanger to episode 1 is one of the best ever, but I think most people tend to get caught up with Adric at the end that they completely miss the fact that there are plot holes galore (there would be more holes than plot). Beryl Reid is one of the most obvious examples of JN-T's obsession with getting well known actors on to the show whatever it took - even if they didn't suit the role he set aside for them.

Liam · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 85 Location: Sydney

I agree this story has some terrible plot holes (indeed more than plot lines) and some bad continuity errors... the Cybermen again show emotions, and make decision that don't seem logical...

This is the first story I remember seeing and it is the first story on my old re-runs... I love it, what can I say??

Greg · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:04 pm Post subject:

Hmm. Earthshock is pretty much Greatest Hits of the Cybermen. Large chunks of it are lifted from The Invasion (Cybermen being transported deactivated; the 'mad' Cybermen on a rampage, not too mention the Doctor and co teaming up with a military group); and, to a lesser extent Tomb of the Cybermen (the archaeological setting at the start), The Wheel in Space (the Doctor and crew arrive unexpected on a spaceship, the ship's crew is suspicious and discounts stories of the Cybermen), and even Revenge of the Cybermen (the human traitor, the loading up of the vessel with bombs and launching it at the enemy planet). There are other parallels, but many Cybermen stories borrow from their predecessors, so I'd be repeating myself.

The there's the Doctor using a gun. I mean, really!

rundoctoritsthegatherer · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:12 pm Post subject:

I can sort of agree with you Greg, but I don't think it's as bad as that. The Doctor was just wondering who was controlling the androids only moments before the big revelation. They could have done it better, but who can forget watching it for the first time not knowing the Cybermen were in it. That was fabulous.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4111

During Part 3 on DVD, the notes lists James Warwick (Scott) acting appearances which includes a guest stint on Babylon 5 but the notes in which the DVD was released in 2003 did not mentioned his guest stint in Alias in 2001 which is one of today's well known shows.

In the commentary Matthew Waterhouse said that it was not established before that his badge was made of gold. It only became gold because it was convienient to do so.

Now I saw this episode last night on my small TV with an aerial which means that a lot of the times reception to the ABC is quite sketchy. However the good thing about watching this episode on that TV is that I did not notice trainee Production Manager Elinor Carruthers being caught in shot in the background as well as not noticing that the metal door is obviously made of wood.