Doctor Who Club of Australia

[ADAMK]

What do people make of this 1982 story written by Peter Grimwade?

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

[Dougy]

The first ep was OK, but as thats all I've seen I guess Ican't really comment.

[SharazJek]

I really, REALLY wanted to like this one, as I have cool memories from it's original screeing.

I got up early to watch it's 4.30am transmission in 1983, and my alpha rythmns must have been doing something wierd with the radiation from the tv, because I found the whole experience surreal. I saw it not sleeping, but not awake. I was, for 25 minutes at least, the embodiment of Paul Atredies. After that I didn't bother getting up early for the next 3 episodes, but maybe I should have.......

I thought the Kalid costumes was cool, but episodes 2-3 did drag on a little.

The one consolation is that we got to see Adric again.

[Theta Sigma]

Given that it takes place on an airplane and at an airport Time-Flight could easily be a homage to the mostly missing Second Doctor story The Faceless Ones.
The Doctor being asked to open the TARDIS in the airport is so topical to today's security environment.
Time-Flight being the last story of season 19 gets a couple of references that obviously meant to bookend the season with Nyssa mentioning Castrovalva and the Doctor wishing that he still had his scarf which he discarded in that story.
Somtime after I bought the video of Time-Flight I walked into an Angus & Robertson shop which had an ABC Centre incorporate in it and when I came in the ABC Centre was playing the Time-Flight video. The part that I walked in on was when Nyssa and Tegan steps out of Concorde to see the fake Heathrow Airport.

[hallhotdogma]

Time Flight is one of those that no matter what has happened I have never seen it!!! Frontios falls in to the same for me. I remember when I was a teenager and the book came out I wanted to see it, but the dice havent rolled that way yet. btw -- only got to see the last five minutes of episode 1...typical me - but I will be dedicated for the rest of the week!

[Wester]

All I can say is that a plane landing on a terrain like the one we see in the first episode would have completely damaged it for good. They should have explained it that some source landed it by tractor beam

[hallhotdogma]

The bubble bath shot were pretty good weren't they?!?! That's one low budget. Peter Grimwade is redeemed though with Mawdryn Undead - but there's no need to go any further ahead than that...All I can say is thank goodness for Nicola Bryant!!!

[Dougy]

I think I just found my new favorite companion!

Well, I didn't see the end of that one coming. the Master and all, very cool!

[meglos]

THANKYOU! hallhotdogma

[Theta Sigma]

Way too early for those pictures hallhotdogma but hey I am not complaining.

Matthew Waterhouse made that cameo as Adric partly because he could get a billing in Radio Times without revealing that Adric had been killed off in Earthshock.
The Melkur was obviously a clue of the Master's presence. Whatever the merits about the Master disguising himself as Kalid at least it is much more convincing than the Portreeve in Castrovalva. Hence the bookend for the season.
Kalid was credited to Leon Ny Taiy which is an anagram of Tony Ainley. SFX review of the video wasn't too impressed with the disguise and when they listed Leon Ny Tait in the cast caption it wrote "Yeah, right."

[Dougy]

Seeing Adric in this ep was good becasue I got to watch him "die" twice!

Yes, I am sick and twisted.

[Wester]

Thanks for the pictures of Nicola - which is a great reminder that she isnt too far off.

I agree about the bubble bath threat to Nyssa - very low budget and not very convincing. But hey its Dr Who!

cheers

[dunmall]

shocking story.....but hey Nicola...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy

[Liam]

I don't want to sound like a wet blanket, but why the pics of Nic?? Thanks anyway tho

[meglos]

Not one of Doctor Who's best. I was a bit bored actually

[Wester]

Not surprised that only 3/10 gave the story a decent rating.

[SharazJek]

I'VE GONE BLIND!!!

[Davros]

[Theta Sigma]

In the DVD notes for Part 2, when the Doctor tosses a coin but ignores the coin's decision, it says that it was one of the trademarks of the Peter Davison Doctor. I don't remember him doing that in any other story and surely it was something that was done by the Second Doctor Patrick Troughton.

[Theta Sigma]

In the DVD notes for Part 3 it says that among Nigel Stock's roles prior to Time-Flight he appeared in the series Quiller in which he played a pompous manager directing the search for a missing plane. Ironically as Professor Hayter in Time-Flight, Nigel Stock was a passenger on another missing plane.

The notes also said that Andrew Morgan was first approached to direct Time-Flight but was not impressed with the script and passed on it. He instead directed the series Squadron which was also about aviation. The notes however did not mention that Morgan did eventually directed on Doctor Who for two stories for Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy. The first for the Seventh Doctor debut story Time and The Rani and the 25th anniversary season opener Remembrance of the Daleks.

When Nyssa reacted to hearing the Master's name, the notes said that she was reacting to the Master having murdered her father and destroying her homeworld. I thought it would have been more effective to the audience's understanding of Nyssa's character had it also mentioned that not only had the Master killed Nyssa's father (Tremas) but also taken over his body as well. Since it is not something that would ever occur in reality, it is hard to imagine how anyone would feel if he or she were to see his or her father's body inhabited by the being who killed him. Not only would be a constant reminder of his death but also the manner of how he died.