The Doctors - The Peter Davison Years

Reeltime Pictures are now producing these sets at increasingly regular intervals and this latest instalment is dedicated to Peter Davison – the 5th Doctor Who. Once again we have six interviews covering two discs with the ever- dependable Nicholas Briggs, putting it all together with Keith Barnfather producing and directing.

We kick off with acclaimed 'horror' writer Stephen Gallagher ('Chimera' and 'Oktober') interviewed at the 2007 Nottingham Fantasy Con. Manchester-born Gallagher informs that he never looks at his own stuff or when he does he is never satisfied with it. As to whether this is a good thing, who really can say. A working-class boy from Salford he was fortunate that his plumber father was sympathetic to his creativity. His mother - a police telephonist - he credits with supplying him with a number of useful scenarios as a result of her job. Gallagher wrote two Dr Who's: 'Warrior's Gate' and 'Terminus'. As with all of these interviews they provide an intriguing insight as to exactly what goes on behind the scenes and invariably are far from shallow. Gallagher hadn't actually seen Peter Davison when he wrote 'Warrior's Gate' and admits that the end product was nothing like he'd envisaged it - his own inspiration had been Cocteau's classic 'La Belle et La Bete'! He regarded Davison as more of a matinee idol type and Tom Baker ('Terminus') more of an eccentric and he would not be the first to say this.

Next up is former actress Barbara Clegg who studied English literature at Oxford but wanted to go into theatre. Interviewed by our Nick she mentions working with Wilfred Pickles and tells us Mabel (Wilfred's wife) “wasn't very good". There is an appealing honesty about Clegg who comes over as a kindly aunt. It should be pointed out that the dear lady had had a stroke some few years previously. Two men, namely Francis Price and Aaron Gregson, help Clegg go through her 'memory box' - a shoebox containing old photographs, letters and playbills etc. To cut to the chase: Clegg wrote one Dr. Who episode ('Enlightenment') and explains that she was not happy with Linda Baron's female lead. Far from it, she would have liked Glenda Jackson (some chance). Sadly she fell out with the somewhat controversial producer John Nathan-Turner and her other script treatments were completely overlooked. The last entry on Disc 1 is with writer/director Peter Grimwade. You will notice a difference in picture quality in this interview as it is from an old videotape - a one-to-one with a young Nick took place at cat-loving Grimwade's own home in 1987 (Peter Grimwade died only 3 years later). Grimwade is the most intense of the interviewees and if you analyse the interview he doesn't really have a lot of good words for anyone - directors in particular get short shrift. He had been involved with DR. WHO in one way or another since the Pertwee days, directed four serials with Tom Baker and wrote three for Peter Davison. Like Clegg, Grimwade also had an eventual falling-out with John Nathan-Turner. This interview is intercut with Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) reading extracts from Grimwade's novelisations. Grimwade, it could be said, got his own back with the Dramarama production 'The Comeuppance of Captain Katt’ which some would claim was based on his Dr. Who experiences.

Director Graeme Harper is first up on Disc 2. He had the good fortune to meet one-time BBC overlord Shaun Sutton in his infant acting days and after getting rejection slips from the Beeb regarding job applications he finally wrote to Mr. Sutton and that great big door opened… It was the beginning of Harper at the Beeb. Harper is both enthusiastic and impassioned, so much so that he often forgets Nick's original questions. Harper has many good words to say about many. His great inspiration as a director came from Douglas Camfield and Martin Campbell. It was Harper who ushered in a new approach - seeing most TV as too static (how right he was) and suggested moving the camera for a wide angle. He also injected much more pace. Second up is Margot Hayhoe. One of the nice things about these interviews is the fact that such a wide spectrum of people involved is covered. Hayhoe being very much a case in point as she was the assistant floor manager on a great many episodes starting out as an assistant back in 1966 on the Hartnell episode 'The War Machines'. This is a brand new interview recorded apparently in 2022 (by the look of it in her kitchen). That said, the interviewer is NOT Nick but on this occasion Scottish Whovian Robert Dick. This is the longest interview clocking in at about 64 minutes (make yourself a cuppa before watching it). Dick mentions the hot weather - he changes his t-shirt halfway through. In case you have always wondered about what an Assistant Floor Manager actually does (just about everything it would seem) then Hayhoe is about to enlighten you. This is not the easiest job in the world and for many it is a stepping stone before going on a director's course. Hayhoe gives the impression of a jolly and down to earth type of person and is quite discreet on the whole. Pat Troughton is referred to as a gorgeous darling and former actor turned director Hugh David she had a crush on and how ‘lovely’ John Nathan-Turner quickly made his mark. She does not exactly enthuse about Peter Grimwade “He didn't give you space”. Anthony Ainley was touchy about people knowing about his toupee - well, Ainley is long gone now, so it hardly matters. Hayhoe worked officially on six serials and was production manager on ‘Castrovalva’.

Last entry is Kentish man Dick Mills who informs us that he worked on the series from '71 until the finish. Mills holds the title of 'The person with the most Dr. Who credits' - he only discovered this for himself after a visit to a MOMI Exhibition. As a young man he'd been working as a disillusioned insurance clerk. The stiff routine was far from appealing for him until he saw an ad... the BBC were looking for technical assistants. As luck would have it they offered him a job and it wasn't long before Mills established himself as a highly competent sound engineer. Seeing a notice at the BBC Office for an assistant in the Radiophonic workshop he applied and got that job. This interview was conducted in 2006 when Mills was 70 and practically retired. He laments as a fan of the new series (David Tennant as the then Doctor) how he'd like to get involved “but these days it would be like getting into Fort Knox. If Mark Ayres (the electronic composer) can't get in, what chance have I got?” Indeed, very sad that things just get harder and harder all the time but it shouldn't be too hard for you to acquire this insightful DVD-set.

Please note this 2-Disc DVD Set is limited to 1000 copies only!