More Master Planning

·19 min·1 clip

A 13-year-old watches the recovered Daleks Masterplan episodes with no prior awe, offering a fresh take on classic Doctor Who.

The episode is a special edition of The Doctor Who Podcast, labeled DWP Special 38A, featuring host Phil and his 13-year-old son Scott. They react to watching episodes 1 and 3 of 'The Daleks Masterplan', which were recently recovered and released on BBC iPlayer. Scott provides a teenager's perspective, having no prior exposure to the episodes or reconstructions. They watched episode 2, 'Day of Armageddon', in between for narrative context. Scott critiques the story's pacing, noting it feels slow with excessive explanatory dialogue. Phil and Scott discuss the audio and visual quality, observing clean picture but some sound dips. They analyze William Hartnell's performance, describing him as impish and mischievous, contrasting it with his later role in 'The Tenth Planet'. The conversation covers Nicholas Courtney's appearance as a different character from the Brigadier. They mention Brian Cant's role and his later work on children's shows like Trumpton. Scott expresses mixed feelings about the First Doctor, finding him less interesting than later incarnations. They critique Katerina's character, noting her uncomfortable performance and 1960s hairstyle that clashes with her Trojan origins. The episode's planet-hopping structure is praised for its epic scope. They discuss Terry Nation and Dennis Spooner's writing contributions, comparing the story to 'The Chase' and 'The Keys of Marinus'. Mavic Chen is analyzed as a cool, calculated villain akin to a toned-back Master. The Daleks' 1960s design and frequent appearances in Hartnell's era are mentioned. They note the shift from bald men to hairy savages across episodes. The episode ends with Phil and Scott inviting listener feedback via social media and email.

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