A new face for 'Dr Who'
- Publication: The Sydney Morning Herald
- Date: 1982-04-26
- Author: L. Brian Courtis
- Page: 2
- Language: English
BIG things are happening in 'Dr Who' tonight, with Tom Baker, that cauliflower head of curls sprouting from a scarf with a glandular problem, really struggling to prevent the god of the universe.
This time It's serious. Not the plain old Dalek sort of crisis. This time the doctor is battling with that arch fiend the Master, a character who runs around terrifying everybody by cackling like a crazy computer salesman,
There in a lot of running through time and space, more flashing lights than at a Space Invaders convention, and a script that. as usual requires adults to employ a nine-year-old interpreter.
'Dr Who' (Channel 2 at 6.30) demands loyalty. Having missed a few episodes. I was somewhat surprised to find that Romans had already dropped out of sight and Brisbane actress Janet Fieldale had made her debut as Tegan, the Australian air hostess who is to fly with the doctor.
Ms Fielding promises to maintain the high standard of hammy acting the series colors. Her BBC Or accent Is something akin to Chips Rafferty yodelling through a didjeridoo.
The doctor does seem to have become a little like the Pied Piper of space. He has acquired two other young assistants, Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) and Nyasa (Sarah Sutton). who help him run the Tanks and bother with such childish irritations as the distortion of the co-ordinate sub-system.
Somehow they ail get down to Earth tonight and prance around a huge radio dish, annoying the Brit security guards and arguing over cables and eonnee, tions.
Then the master makes his move. "Peoples of the universe, please attend carefully.' he broadcasts (in English). "The universe is hanging on a thread ... It's total annihilation or existent under my control:
'You're mad ... you're utterly mad.' says the doctor, all imaginative dialogue knocked completely out of his head.
There is a struggle, a fall and some cackling, and then a green glow as the doctor sheds his Tom Baker body and transforms himself into the fresh-faced Peter Davison from "All Creatures Great and Small".
There have been hundreds of episodes of 'Dr Who' since it was first launched in 1963, but none of the doctors — William Hartnell, Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton — quite managed to make the space fantasy as much fun as Tom Baker. He will be missed. Tomorrow night, In part one of 'Castrovalva' Peter Davison unravels the doctor's scarf and fits himself up with what appears to be a cross between cricketing creams and a costume from the ABC drama 'Outbreak of Love.'
"The doctor's very strynge, says Tegan the Terrible. She is right. He is strynge. But than how would you feel lending straight for the biggest explosion in history after a shaky regeneration? Very, very strynge indeed.
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.: Courtis, L. Brian (1982-04-26). A new face for 'Dr Who'. The Sydney Morning Herald p. 2.
- MLA 7th ed.: Courtis, L. Brian. "A new face for 'Dr Who'." The Sydney Morning Herald [add city] 1982-04-26, 2. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Courtis, L. Brian. "A new face for 'Dr Who'." The Sydney Morning Herald, edition, sec., 1982-04-26
- Turabian: Courtis, L. Brian. "A new face for 'Dr Who'." The Sydney Morning Herald, 1982-04-26, section, 2 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=A new face for 'Dr Who' | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/A_new_face_for_%27Dr_Who%27 | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | pages=2 | date=1982-04-26 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=25 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=A new face for 'Dr Who' | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/A_new_face_for_%27Dr_Who%27 | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=25 March 2025}}</ref>
