tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10873408.post1068403148410177235..comments2023-06-23T14:59:03.552+01:00Comments on TimeWarden’s Journal: Warden’s Watch: The Invasion (or… Lifting the Lid on the Cybermen!)TimeWardenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06853837867256272087noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10873408.post-30741075660485595952008-04-20T03:31:00.000+01:002008-04-20T03:31:00.000+01:00Yeah, there are lots of things I should've kept fr...Yeah, there are lots of things I should've kept from childhood, Steve. I had a black and gold Dalek badge from Woollies which may not be worth much but I wish I still had it! I'm sure there must be Lego collectables, too, but the important thing is to retain the packaging otherwise the object's value decreases.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the compliment, Simon, and your much-appreciated detailed response. I'm glad you enjoyed "The Invasion" and, if you're looking for another Pat Troughton story, I'd recommend "The Tomb of the Cybermen".<BR/><BR/>Kevin Stoney is, indeed, very good in both "The Invasion" and "The Daleks' Master Plan" which was also directed by Douglas Camfield. Douglas seemed to get all the epic stories to direct back in the '60s, and rightly so! Sadly, Kevin passed away earlier in the year although he was once amused that The Times published his obituary whilst he was still in the land of the living!!<BR/><BR/>Funnily enough, I watched John Levene earlier in the week, as an Interceptor Pilot, in a rerun episode of "UFO" on ITV4!<BR/><BR/>Agreed on the missing episodes. I would give a helluva lot to see "Fury from the Deep" again, not to mention "The Power of the Daleks" and "The Evil of the Daleks". Then there's "The Web of Fear", again directed by Douglas Camfield!<BR/><BR/>Regarding the Cybermen of "The Invasion", I loved their indestructibility. You shot one, it made no difference and just kept on coming! By the time of "Attack of the Cybermen", a small firearm is enough to dispose of the enemy!!<BR/><BR/>Not sure who's written this year's Xmas Special, yet, but I can tell you they're filming night scenes for it at Gloucester Cathedral this week... It's front page news in the local rag! It's where some of the school scenes were filmed in the "Harry Potter" movies and just three miles from where I live, so I'll be able to pop down and tell Catherine Tate just how much of a fan I am!! Seriously though, I hope it's good too. I'll certainly be pleased to see the Cybermen back on television, after two seasons' absence, considering how often the Daleks have been wheeled out!TimeWardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853837867256272087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10873408.post-47713257367098532822008-04-19T17:40:00.000+01:002008-04-19T17:40:00.000+01:00Nice review Tim. I don't think I mentioned it befo...Nice review Tim. I don't think I mentioned it before but I purchased the DVD of "The Invasion" a short while ago at a bargain price! My first Patrick Troughton story on DVD...I've watched all of it now and really enjoyed it. An obvious thing to say is, on watching it, realising just how much the production standards of Dr Who have changed since then! <BR/><BR/>For me there are a lot of positive elements in the story. First off, Kevin Stoney's portrayal of Tobias Vaughan - an excellent villain, even if he does "turn" a bit too quickly toward the end. He's cold, calculating and has some good dialogue. <BR/><BR/>Nicholas Courtney is great as the Brigadier and its interesting to see UNIT in its early days. <BR/><BR/>I actually really liked the character of Sergeant "Jimmy" Walters (played by James Thornhill - good looking fella too!) and it's a shame he wasn't retained for future UNIT outings. Instead they kept on John Levine's Benton. No bad thing but I thought Walters had potential. <BR/><BR/>Pat Troughton is on form too - such a pity many of his stories don't exist in the archives in complete form any more.<BR/><BR/>And of course there's the Cybermen - I agree with you Tim, this is definitely one of their best stories. ("Revenge of the Cybermen" for instance, which I think is the story that Steve is referring to, was pretty dire). The Cybermen's redesign in this story is excellent - I love their faces/helmets and suits (I never really cared for the "cloth kit" versions in their debut story) and the scenes in which they emerge from the sewers, walk down the steps of St Pauls etc are of course iconic. The only thing I didn't care of much was the Cybermen's voices - rather incomprehensible and so wise to keep their dialogue to a minimum.<BR/><BR/>All in all though, classic Who!<BR/><BR/>Oh and I hope the forthcoming Cyber-Xmas Special does them justice. Is erm, RTD writing again??!Old Cheeserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17871751335676050949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10873408.post-50116896744272805972008-04-19T08:52:00.000+01:002008-04-19T08:52:00.000+01:00Alas, I didn't particularly look after them and th...Alas, I didn't particularly look after them and they went the way of the dodo sometime in the early eighties... bang goes another opportunity to appear on Cash In The Attic!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10873408.post-29253430771421776072008-04-18T22:52:00.000+01:002008-04-18T22:52:00.000+01:00I hope you held onto the figures, Steve, as they'r...I hope you held onto the figures, Steve, as they're probably worth a few bob! I sold a few bits and pieces back in the '80s, in a specialist shop in London, and they fetched £50 then, so they'd no doubt be worth even more today!!TimeWardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853837867256272087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10873408.post-67596832726618498532008-04-18T07:35:00.000+01:002008-04-18T07:35:00.000+01:00I agree - the whole idea of Cyberman only works if...I agree - the whole idea of Cyberman only works if their dialogue and interactions are minimalist in nature. I don't think I ever say the Cybermen in the earlier versions of DW (I only ever saw a few Tom Baker episodes) but I always knew who they were thanks to a freebie from Weetabix - little stand up cards with various characters from the show on them.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.com