Doctor Who Club of Australia

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

What do people make of this (Season 24) 1987 story written by Malcolm Kohll?

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

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

I think it's great! Time tourists, alien soldiers, a Mouseketeer, Welsh accents, mysterious old men... all the best ingredients!

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4242

This morning in the original edition of the Legend book, read "INCIDENTAL MUSIC" about the incidental music on Doctor Who. It mentioned that composer Keff McCulloch appears in Delta and the Bannermen as a member of the band the Lorrells.

Since it starts today it is quite incidental. (Pun intended.)

As to the serial itself there are few things I remember about upon last seeing it back in 1998.

Greg · Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 4:18 pm Post subject:

I think it's a mess! Time tourists, alien soldiers, a Mouseketeer, Welsh accents, mysterious old men... too many ingredients that just don't gel into a coherent story!

[Apologies to Beatly for the plagiarism.]

arturo · Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 78 Location: Toowoomba

Reasons Delta is Crap

1. Mel
2. The Bannermen, arguably the most ridiculous costume for an army Ive seen in a long time. My sister wants to know if they fly their flags at half mast when someone dies.
3. Crap action. There is a shot in the skirmish in the beginning where a soldier is flung into the air by an explosion, it is so obviously a dummy that my 5yo neice giggled and said it looked like the goodies (who did that sort of thing all the time). The fizzles when gun shots hit the ground look like happy little firecrackers which looks kinda fun and unthreatening.
4. Mel
5. The dodgy American spies calling the us from a police box in the middle of nowhere saying they are calling from "Wales in England"
6. Ray's accent makes me thing of Myffanwy from Little Britain
7. The bike search for Billy and delta was the worst case of let's ride around and build the excitement since Planet f the Spiders
8. Why are the Bannermen out to destroy all of the Chimeron anyway
9. Mel
10. Dr Delta Dolittle who can talk to beez, after all they are the rulers of this planet and really live in another dimension where they are conducting an experiment with humanity....ooops ...wrong 80's SF

dunmall · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 117

i agree, what idea decided to include the two useless Yanks?
other than to set up the satalite, which surely could have been a news announcement on a local radio or something... plus they are traking the thing? Haven't they heard of telescopes???

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

I voted fair for this one (how fake was the green baby!)

I think if the Doctor was more of a cad - things would be a whole lot more interesting. For example - when little cutie was crying because her boy was interested in Delta - why didn't the Doctor put his arm around her and say "Oh, forget about him - I'm here . . ." they could have even got it on in the towel room Wink

Just my opinion.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4242

dunmall · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 117

i would suggest that the "wales, in england" line was there to suggest that americans are dumb, as they are often portrayed in English shows and more than a few times in Dr. Who.
I did find it odd that he said something along the lines of "get me the White House in Washington, security code 145"...presumably to an english operator?!?

Wow the bannermen are equiped with weapons just as "lethal" as the Knights from Battlefield!

How does Mel, (who is from the year 2986 correct?) Recognise a 1950's summer camp?

Oh and I dig the green baby "suit/skin" with no toes!

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4242

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 667 Location: Perth

When I first watched this as a kid I thought that Ray was going to be the Doctor's new companion, having been dumped by Billy. It was probably just wishful thinking. Any excuse to get rid of Mel Smile

dunmall · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 117

arturo · Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 78 Location: Toowoomba

adamclark83 · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 3:58 pm Post subject:

I would've liked to have seen Ray become the new companion. I've never seen this story before but I have to say that she is pretty. That bow she had in her hair looked like cat ears.

Odnet · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 61 Location: Mudgee

I found this to be incredibly lame. I just can't wait to see the end of Mel, The screaming is killing me.
As for The Doctor, well he's growing on me (just like he said) I think I'm going to really like him.
It's just amazing how different the lead actor can be and the show is still the same show. To think that just one season ago we had The Sixth Doctor and Peri and now The Seventh and Mel. What a contrast!

dunmall · Joined: 02 Aug 2005 Posts: 117

but such cute cat ears!!! Very Happy

Sulp Niar · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:45 pm Post subject:

Bah, this show was lame, with awful 80s direction that made it so obviously 80s - as opposed to other Doctor Whos which are timeless - and such awful and mostly inappropriate, sappy music that I almost cried with how bad it was getting. The plot was cack. Mel is now my least favourite companion, worse than Adric. Even Sylvester, who I am liking a great deal so far, couldn't save this story.

The Bannermen, as already mentioned, are incredibly crap. Not only does the leader have to walk all the way over to the goat before he notices it has the tracer around its neck - patronising the audience's intelligence as well, as if no-one had already realised this - and when they did the final attack, I noticed that he and a couple of his men took cover behind a big, fake plastic pig. Why did they take cover anyway for god's sake? Not only did the goodies have no guns whatsoever, but wasn't it obvious that the baby thing (yes, I paid that little attention to the plot, I was so bored) used screaming as a weapon? Some sophisticated warriors - they can't even invest in ear plugs.

This goes down as one of the worst stories ever.

charlie · Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:18 pm Post subject:

Still the theme in the incidental music.

The people in the 50s accepted the idea of aliens and time travel way to easily and I found it totally unbelievable. I really liked that princess with the strange cries and speedy growth.

I didnt get what was going on with bees. First the Bannermen walk into a room and all the honey drops on them and they are discouraged from going on any further and then turn back. After that the bees conveniently show up and attack them.

Through the whole thing I was yelling in my head for Mel to shut up. I hate her.

By the end of episode two I was convinced that Ray would become one of the Doctors companions. She followed the usual companion pattern of her ties to her time being cut loose and then following The Doctor around for the rest of the story. It was a big surprise for me when she chose the bike over the Doctor.
Having three parts struck me as odd.
Overall I thought it was a fair story but not something I would go out and buy.

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

arturo said something about "the most ridiculous costume for an army Ive seen in a long time"

Firstly - let me just say I agree with absolutely everything else everyone has said about this lame story - except that.

Yes, the suits look like Luke Skywalker's jump suit (and does anyone else think their spaceship looks like a Klyngon battle cruiser?), but as for the banners they wear, well, the Samari of Japan wore those in battle - so they are not that dorky, as great warriors of earth use to wear them.

I apologise for the spelling, please don't pick on me.

Sean · Joined: 27 Jun 2005 Posts: 70

Mediocre and amateurish. So badly directed that no-one cares about such blatant continuity mistakes like seeing McCoy wearing glasses when riding the motorcycle (considering Davison's Doctor used spectacles on occasion it could have been written into the script). And the period setting....I've seen episodes of Happy Days that were more convincing. And the dialogue...McCoy had one good bit about love but the 'angry' stuff he had to deliver was just awful. It's the sort of script that Tom Baker would have understandably thrown across the rehearsal room.