Doctoring the Tardis by Ebony McKenna

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Ebony McKenna

Articles

- Music to build a world
- Doctoring the Tardis

Book Excerpts

- Gravity's Force

Doctoring the Tardis
by Ebony McKenna

Page 1 of 1

Known to many for its cheap sets, zippered costumes and sometimes questionable acting, Doctor Who was a show that defied its low budgets and the unfashionable nature of sci-fi to became one of the longest running TV shows in the world.

It was tacky, at times confusing, noisy and over the top, and it was best viewed between your fingers as you cowered behind the sofa.

Thanks to advances in technology, Doctor Who episodes are being re-released on high quality DVDs. No doubt this will make a fortune for the BBC, and might even attract a few new converts to the show, but if you thought this move would make the fans happy, think again. Instead of being pleased, fans around the world fear the show will be "doctored".

What might have looked awesome on television in the 60s, 70s and 80s, will look awful on DVD. The sets, lighting, costumes, make-up and special effects were never meant to be seen in the detail DVD offers.

To give them their due, the BBC is going back to the source material what little of it survived the infamous BBC purge to make sure the transfer to DVD retains the quality of the original broadcasts. For many fans, it will be the first time they've seen the show in such clarity. We'll see all those shaky sets, the tacky knobs on the Tardis console and the polystyrene "stone" walls.

But most of all, we'll see how very ordinary the special effects appear, by today's standards. In The Awakening, writer Eric Pringle envisaged The Malus as a terrifying entity that fed off people's psychic energy. In reality its physical manifestation was on par with a stick-on Garfield doll, clinging to the inside of the Tardis wall.

Graham Harper, director of The Caves of Androzani, has already succeeded in having special effects shots remade for this story's April DVD re-release, because he was unhappy with the original end product. He was using '984 technology which resulted in an alien sky that unfortunately wobbled around, which many people today would find distracting - but only if they'd never seen Dr Who before. To the fans it would be a trip down memory lane. This begs the question - who are the DVDs for, loyal fans or newcomers?

The restoration team working on the DVD releases says via its website that it is "aware that some fans may see this as tampering with the programme, but it is something that Graeme Harper strongly felt that we should rectify. It may be possible to present both versions on the disc and let the viewer decided which one to watch."

But Doctor Who is more than a show, it's a piece of television history. In the very first episode, An Unearthly Child, there is only one edit, as the cast move from a set to the inside of the Tardis. That one edit looks terrible - because the two-inch master tape had to be physically cut with a pair of scissors! Do we dare "polish" this? And if we do, are we denying the truth that the show, despite its shortcomings and meagre budgets, still managed to produce a quality product?

This act of "polishing" has already been evidenced in the re-release of Star Wars. Director George Lucas said this was how the film was always meant to look. He tidied up the "edges" of ships so they didn't have a thick black outline around them, and he fixed the stereo mix. But he also diddled with the scenes, chopping away some of the more violent aspects of the film.

In the original release, Han Solo shoots a henchman by the name of Greedo, because he's sick of explaining why he can't repay his debt to Jabba the Hut. Solo is obviously a kind of "shoot first, ask questions later" kind of guy. In the re-release, it's Greedo who gets off the first shot, but misses, therefore Solo is acting in self defence. This re-edit reduces Solo's stature and makes Greedo look stupid. I mean, how could he miss from such close range?

This is the kind of thing I fear most - that previously strong scenes in Doctor Who could be tamed, to suit the changing mood of the day. And it may have been that at the time of making the show, time constraints and budget cuts resulted in episodes not entirely to the director's liking, but that's the nature of the industry.

So go ahead BBC and put out the DVDs, just don't polish our history. The restoration team might think they're doing the right thing by sprucing up the look of the show to make it more contemporary, but they're not doing justice to the fans.

After all, was anybody thanked for colourising Casablanca?

Ebony McKenna is the author of Gravity's Force, a science fiction thriller, published by Red-e2.com. Her website is www.ebonymckenna.com

...and here's a message from the The Doctor Who Restoration Team
I just wanted to let you know that we share your concerns about the possible conflict between restoration and tampering... which is why the DVD release of 'The Caves of Androzani' allows the viewer the choice of watching either the original or remade version of the planet surface matte shots.