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 Entering The Eighties When I was first watching Doctor Who in the late 1970’s, I wasn’t even aware that there had been any other actors playing the lead role prior to the amazing Mr Baker. In fact, I knew nothing at that time about the Doctor’s ability to regenerate until Logopolis was broadcast in mid 1981. Even then, I naturally assumed that this was the first time it had happened and therefore to me, Peter Davison was the second actor to play the part as I still have no recollection of watching The Five Faces repeat season. I remember my stepfather mentioning whilst we were watching The Omen a couple of years later that Patrick Troughton, who played the part of Father Brennan in the film, used to play the Doctor on television. Well, this was certainly news to me, and consequently my whole understanding of the programme’s history began to change. I can’t really remember when I first learnt about William Hartnell, but by that time I was a well and truly devoted fan.
One of my most vivid memories of the show from the mid-eighties is of the Doctor and Peri walking through the streets of Acton from Attack of the Cybermen, and in particular the scene where one of the police constable’s helmets gets stepped on as he tries to emerge from a manhole. Heaven knows why that particular scene sticks in my mind, though knowing me the presence of helmets and holes probably has something to do with it. I don’t recall any of the remainder of Season 22, although I’m sure I already knew that the Daleks now had their white and gold livery prior to their appearance in Remembrance, so I must have watched at least some of Revelation. More vague memories come to mind from The Trial of a Timelord but I only really remember the courtroom scenes. During these periods I was also a regular viewer of The A-Team and Knight Rider, and I can distinctly remember often choosing to watch these two programmes over my now beloved Doctor Who if they clashed! Knight Rider, as I recall, was broadcast on Thursdays at some point during its transmission, so this must have been when the Peter Davison stories were shown during the week rather than on Saturdays. The A-Team, on the other hand, was definitely shown on Saturday evenings, so this conversely must have been during the Colin Baker era. How I wish I could jump into my own TARDIS and go back and stop myself pressing the button…….. ……..on the remote control to change the channel to ITV.
Next Episode: Discovering BBC Videos – and other Doctors!
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It’s
ironic that I can actually remember very little of watching Doctor Who
during the early and mid-eighties. My earliest specific memory of the show
is the first episode of The Leisure Hive in 1980, but I have very
few conscious memories of watching the Peter Davison era. I certainly
remember watching Logopolis very clearly, especially the
regeneration sequence and the scenes leading up to it, and I can recall
precisely where I was living at the time and can almost see myself
watching it. I vaguely remember seeing some of Earthshock, but
these are just fairly blurred images of Peter Davison and Cybermen, but
I’m sure I recall a space ship of some sort in this story so I couldn’t
have been confusing it with The Five Doctors. I was also able to
recall various bits of Genesis of the Daleks years before I
obtained a copy of the story on video, and this had always confused me
slightly as during its original transmission I was only two-and-a-half
years old. It was not until a few years ago when I learnt that it had been
repeated in 1982 that I was able to solve that particular mystery. I
distinctly remember the announcement on the BBC’s 6 o’clock News on
20th August 1983 that Colin Baker was to be the new Doctor, and
thinking to myself that he was a good choice of actor, so I must have been
watching the show regularly even if I can’t remember many specific
stories. Resurrection of the Daleks is the next story I recall on
watching on it’s original transmission, as I remember it seemed a very
long story, though my only reasoning for this was the fact that it had
been originally transmitted in two 45-minute parts and so it was only the
episodes that were longer.