Who's taken to the cleaners!
- Publication: Radio Times
- Date: 1987-09-05
- Author: John Craven
- Page: 3
- Language: English
Who's the real McCoy
"He's not as tall as the other ones," quips Sylvester McCoy (who's all of 5ft 6in) when asked what's going to be different about his new Doctor (Doctor Who, Monday, BBC1). It seems people have been telling him for years that he should play the part: "I don't really know why -- maybe it's because I've got a slightly mad quality. Perhaps it was just a way for producers to get rid of me!"
But it's not all change for the Doctor -- he'll still have Mel (Bonnie Langford) to lean on.
Who's taken to the cleaners!
JUST WHEN Melanie (Bonnie Langford) thought it was safe to dip her toes into the swimming pool, she got a nasty shock ... from a robot crab! It's just one of the many monsters - mechanical, humanoid and just indescribable - that rear their unpleasant heads in the new series of Doctor Who (Monday BBC1).
The creepy crabs are supposed to keep the pool clean, but they suddenly become human seeking - and Melanie is the nearest human! But you'll have to wait a few weeks before they and other metal menaces like, of all things, robot cleaners, threaten the Doctor (now played by Sylvester McCoy - see Upfront, page 3) and Melanie when they arrive at Paradise Towers. All the baddies are new for this series - not a Dalek in sight! - and the only returning archenemy is the Rani (Kate O'Mara), the renegade Time Lady who is as evil as the Doctor is good. New monsters to watch out for in the weeks read include the fearful Bannermen, alien humanoids with red eyes and mouths, led by actor Don Henderson, and the Bio-mechanoid, an enormous, very bony, flat-headed thing that habits the Iceworld.
Other features of the series include new versions of the theme tune and opening titles, and appearances by stars like Ken Dodd and Richard Briers, who plays his first TV baddy. In this week's opening episode, there's the first glimpse of the latest generation of monsters the Tetraps, bat-like people from the planet Lykertya, who team up with the Rani.
All you will see of them is a strange-looking hand - very similar to the one that's creeping to the bottom of this page. Aaagh!!!
Caption: Dirty deeds! The Doctor helps Melanie fight off a crabby cleaner, but there are more monsters to face
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Craven, John (1987-09-05). Who's taken to the cleaners!. Radio Times p. 3.
- MLA 7th ed.: Craven, John. "Who's taken to the cleaners!." Radio Times [add city] 1987-09-05, 3. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Craven, John. "Who's taken to the cleaners!." Radio Times, edition, sec., 1987-09-05
- Turabian: Craven, John. "Who's taken to the cleaners!." Radio Times, 1987-09-05, section, 3 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Who's taken to the cleaners! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_taken_to_the_cleaners! | work=Radio Times | pages=3 | date=1987-09-05 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=30 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who's taken to the cleaners! | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who%27s_taken_to_the_cleaners! | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=30 March 2025}}</ref>
