Doctor Who Club of Australia

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 217 Location: Canberra

What do people make of this (Season 26) 1989 story written by Rona Munro?

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

Beatly · Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Posts: 375 Location: London

I rated this as "Excellent", but it is in my opinion the weakest serial in the season. Slightly silly, and I can't remember all of it, but it's still of sock-blowing quality. The 7th Doctor was evolving from the embarrassing clown of season 24 into possibly the finest mysterious character since William Hartnell's depiction, and the Master was back to being a decent villain again. It's a shame it all had to end - but what a way to end!

Come on Ace, we've got work to do.

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 898 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Yes I first saw this at the very first Whovention. It ended with the additorium bursting into tumultuous applause. I was blown away. Oh, it was the first story of the season I actually saw too.

It defies belief that the program was cancelled at this particular point, being such a high point, but WOW, what a way to go!!!

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4254

I was thinking upon seeing the first episode again that Ace accompanied by the Seventh Doctor returns to her hometown after a long time away is exactly what happened when the Ninth Doctor returned Rose home in Aliens of London some fifteen and a half years later.

Anthony Ainley returns as the Master for the first time since the last two episodes of The Trial of A Time Lord, three years earlier in 1986. This is his longest gap between his appearances in the series.

Nice cameo by Hale and Pace.

A Star Wars reference - as "Darth Vader" is a plumber in Perivale who married one of Ace's friends.

In this episode Sylvester as the Doctor chases a strange cat. Perhaps coincidentally movie Doctor Who, Peter Cushing starred in the 1977 film The Uncanny in which he played a writer telling stories of very scary cats. The Uncanny was shown on the ABC last year and I was only reminded about it last week at a video library when I spotted a DVD of it. This was last Thursday exactly one week before Survival Part 1 came on.

Beatly · Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Posts: 375 Location: London

Terribly off topic here, but... this movie The Uncanny with the scary cats - does it happen to involve a sequence in which a woman in a big house gets eaten by her own cats, and someone (possibly the woman's daughter) finds the half-eaten corpse on the bed? I saw a film with that sequence in it years ago and haven't been able to track it down.

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 610 Location: Brisbane

Oh the sadness! The last story in the classic series of Dr Who. Cant believe its all coming to an end.....for now.
Thanks ABC!

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4254

charlie · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 8:26 pm Post subject:

Survival was a tiny bit silly with the cat people but I still managed to enjoy it. The Master was hidden quite well behind the cloak of darkness but I think it was the second time he was shown that you could see the outline of his hair and I think fans would have figured it out by the third. It was a shame that I did, the surprise would have been great. I think that bringing the master back was a cliched event but you have to have an event to end something like Doctor Who. If the Master had regenerated it wouldnt have been lame at all despite the cat people. I dont like that the Doctor has regenerated thrice and the Master hasnt once.
Why was the Master on the planet anyway (assuming that he wasnt being hunted) and if he was controlling the cat people that can teleport anywhere why didnt he have them take him somewhere else?

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 898 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

Greg · Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:34 pm Post subject:

Points to the future - Survival feature Lisa Bowerman as Kara. Lisa was cast as the voice of Professor Bernice Summerfield when Big Finish first launched itself. Bernice was a companuion of the Doctor in the Virgin New Adventure novels, and continued in her own novels after the BBC took the Doctor Who novel licence back in house. Big Finish licenced the haracter of Bernice from her creeator, Paul Cornell, and the first Bernice novel from its publisher, Virgin, and produced Oh No It Isn't! on audio. This, and later Bernice audios, convinced the BBC to grant Big Finish the licence to proiduce Doctor Who audios and the rest, as they say, is history!

So, Survival introduces a pivotal person in the future of Doctor Who - but little did we know!

Lara Croft · Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 99 Location: Canberra

I loved this story - I actually thought the cheetah people were cute (but I like big cats.

I realised that was the Master straight away (as if is wasn't obvious enough) And thought "Excellent - he's back. What the hell was he doing there? Who cares, he's back!"

Even though the series was not meant to end there - it was a nice way to end the series after all, no big finishes or out with a bang - it was just nice.
Unfortunately we don't know what happened to Ace [there were many possible futures for her including patrolling her own little part of the galaxy on her space motorbike, or going to Gallifrey to learn how to become a Timelord (that is going a bit far, I think)] - but what the hay, at least she didn't die. So sad the series has ended, but at least I have seen them, and I knoe there is always someone I can talk about Doctor Who.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4254

A known fact to us Doctor Who fans is that Sylvester, Sophie and Ainley have the same birthday - August 20.
Perhaps not as noticeable is the transmission dates for Survival Parts 2 and 3 is the same for Ainley's two Trial episodes but three years apart. The Trial of A Time Lord Parts 13 and 14 were aired on
November 29 and December 6 1986 respectively while Survival Parts 2 and 3 in 1989 were also aired on November 29 and December 6 respectively. Trial of A Time Lord began and ended the first 14-episode season while Surivival ended the last 14-episode season. Both stories also turned out to be the last regular appearances of a Doctor. The Trial of A Time Lord saw the end of the Colin Baker era while Survival ends the series with McCoy still as the Doctor.
Composer Dominic Glynn also began work on the series with Trial and ended in Survival.
Disruption of the end credits for Part 2 with a still of Grumpy Old Men. "Grumpy" is perhaps the right word to describe watching this disruption.
As Greg mentions Lisa Bowerman later played Benny on Big Finish. It's funny Survival is the last story of season 26 because as I mentioned when Battlefield the first story of season 26 was on, Robert Jezek who appeared in that serial had like Lisa went on to play a non-TV companion (Frobisher) on Big Finish as well.
Although Sylvester played the Doctor in the 30th anniversary skit Dimensions In Time in 1993 and regenerating into Paul McGann in the 1996 TV Movie, McCoy's official tenure is from 1987 to 1989.
When the first McCoy story Time and The Rani came on I said that McCoy becoming the Doctor in 1987, the same year that Timothy Dalton became James Bond, a year after the both of them appeared on stage together. Dalton made his second Bond film Licence to Kill in 1989. This means like McCoy as Doctor Who, Dalton's tenure is also 1987 to 1989. Like Survival for Doctor Who, Licence to Kill was the last James Bond in quite a while. Funny how things turn out for the both of them.
"Survival" seems to be a common name used for episodes of other TV shows (including "Survival Instincts" for Voyager) and documentaries.
Doctor Who Magazine I remember browsing through one issue years ago made their interpretation of what the name Survival means for Doctor Who fans. I think it was something like that since the Doctor is gone you can still survive without him.

The voiceover in the credits said that this was the "final in this series of Doctor". Hopefully this means that new series 2 is definitely coming to the ABC.

David John (Derek) would later work with Sylvester and Sophie again in the Big Finish story The Rapture. He played a character who turned out to be

SPOILER

Ace's brother.

END OF SPOILER

charlie · Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:35 pm Post subject:

Was anyone else reminded of Mr Bean when the Doctor put out the cat food and then climbed along the wall? Rolling Eyes

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 610 Location: Brisbane

T.s - thanks for all the info. I had no idea about the birthdays - which makes them all Leos.

Was it true about the over dubbing on the last words for the episode. They are nice words anyway - even if they are an afterthought.

Lara Croft · Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 99 Location: Canberra

Yes, Charlie.

Very good.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4254

kalid · Joined: 29 Sep 2005 Posts: 37 Location: Geelong

theres this thing in my book (doctor who - the eighties) about the end of survival - from the original script - im bored so i might as well type it all out

'the Doctor and the Master returned to Earth together after their confrontation on the Cheetah planet, and the following exchange took place:

Master: The planet...?
Doctor: It isn't there any more. It's...destroyed.
Master: How?
Doctor: It was too old...too dangerous. And I said we were an explosive combination.
(The Master stares at the Doctor with growing realisation)
Master: Yes, but how did it happen? How did we get back here? Who are you?
(The Doctor looks at him quizzically)
Master: What are you?
Doctor (Grins): We were at university together. Remember?
(The Master shakes his head)
Master: You're not a Time Lord!
(The Doctor winces. He doesn't want to get into this)
Doctor: Well strictly speaking...that is to say...well not just a Time Lord. We all have to evolve a bit, as the years go by.
(He looks at the Master, murmurs)
Doctor: Evolve or become extinct.
Master: What are you?
(The Doctor draws himself up. He grins wickedly)
Doctor: Shall we just say I'm multi-talented?

'The Master was then to have used a Kitling to escape to fight another day. Nathan-Turner, however, thought this scene went too far in undermining the Doctor's established history and decided that it should not be included.'

What is this implying? - i've read about Sylvester McCoy's character becoming darker or something in the missing adventures or big finish or whatever came next but i havent read/listened to any of them. Is this idea ever expanded on? Is the doctor 'just' a time-lord? or what else is he.

Robbie

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 610 Location: Brisbane

kangamac · Joined: 09 Feb 2006 Posts: 2757

Did anyone else find it ironic that the final story in the original series of Doctor Who was called "Survival"?

Beatly · Joined: 24 Jul 2005 Posts: 375 Location: London