The ultimate season although the next three seasons were all superb. Tom though is relishing the role, and the trio dynamic of the Doctor, Sarah and Harry is probably the best in the entire shows run - old and new. Ina Marter should be given greater respect. Alongside Elisabeth Sladen their friendship is so genuine on screen without any gush we get these days. Yes, Revenge is the weakest of the season but that just shows what an incredible run of episodes it comprised. The cybermat attacking Sarah and the luminous veins when bitten by one is very effective. The only thing I didn’t care for were the Vogans - those masks and golden costumes were garbage. But that really doesn’t damage the story in anyway. Revenge also gave us that iconic image we see quite often with the starry-eyed Doctor being approached from behind by a cyberman about to strangle him - I’m sure you know the one.
I love Season 12 but Season 13 and 14 are definitely where Tom hits his stride. Still Ark in Space and Genesis are two all time classics that I often want to go back and watch.
I feel like there almost is no "Tom Baker" era - Hinchcliffe, Williams and Nathan Turner are so different to each other, and each season is trying and suceeding or failing! at different things, so it never quite becomes normal! 70's Doctor who is all over the place really...!
@@chris_stokes I agree, it's not really until Tom's third season that it feels like it's hit its stride and is firing on all cylinders - then it's over!
@@chris_stokes really interested to hear your thoughts..! Personally I think there's a case to be made that Tom did the show damage by dominating the role as long as he did, but that's a topic for another time!
@@jameswhitaker12 For real! Season 14 is definitely my favourite Tom Baker season (although I still haven't seen the first two episodes of that Season!)
Thank you for this review. I've never seen Season 12 in this way before- as a cautious step forwards, but after watching your reviews and recently rewatching most of Season 12, I really see it in that light now. I want to offer two possible explanations for why Season 12 feels like a timid start to a brand new era, rather than a bold start to a new era. 1. (I think I'm right in saying that) Many of the production decisions for Season 12 were already made by Letts and Dicks. I'm pretty sure that Letts & Dicks had already commissioned Terry Nation to write a Dalek story, and I'm pretty sure I watched on one special feature that Letts challenged Nation to write something original, and Letts I believe was the one who suggested that Nation write the Dalek's origin story. You also shared how 'Robot' was pretty much imposed upon Holmes by Dicks. I think a lot of the production decisions for all the episodes were made by the previous team. I think a similar thing happened in Season 24, when most of the decisions had already been made by the 'emergency provisional government' before Andrew Cartmel was installed as the script editor, so he had little say over the direction in his first year. Therefore, I think the fact that the new team were working to the drumbeat of the old team (the old team having worked on the show in the Troughton era as well) might have led to this partial new beginning, rather than a full blown new beginning. In general in life, although sometimes transition periods when there is a handover from predecessor to successor can be good, sometimes its not helpful for the predecessor to be hovering over the successor's shoulders. It like putting new wine into old wineskins. You end up with the new wine ruining the old wineskins. 2. The popularity and unparalleled success of the Pertwee era. Although I am more of a Hartnell fan than a Pertwee fan, the Pertwee era was the first era of the show to end with higher viewer ratings than it began with; and it was the first era not to end with the production team, crew and cast shattered and exhausted from a variety of production issues, as both the Hartnell era and Troughton era ended. Doctor Who had already reached a high in popularity under Pertwee (and it laid foundations for the Doctor's moral standpoints, as well as many key villains and monsters!) that I think the production feared that making too many changes at that point they could risk losing the good thing they had; they could've risked losing the shows fan base by making the wrong changes. I think Steven Moffat faced a similar challenge when he took over from Russel T Davies in 2010, when the show in that current form had become a cult phenomena. I think that too might explain the hesitancy to make drastic changes. Hinchcliffe, Holmes and Tom Baker didn't have the hindsight we have now that people would look back at Seasons 12-14 as a 'Golden Era' of the show's history. I still have a soft spot for this Season. Here is my ranking of the episodes from this Season: 1. Genesis of the Daleks- 9/10 2. Revenge of the Cybermen- 7/10 3. The Ark in Space- 7/10 4. The Sontaran Experiment- 6/10 5. Robot- 3.5/10 I look forward to your marathon marching on, as it plows into the Ham-Horror Season of Doctor Who.
I wonder how well series 12 would have worked, had Jon Pertwee stayed the Doctor for a 6th series of Dr Who and would Harry Sullivan have ever appeared in the show
The Letts /Dicks team were stretched too thinly with Moonbase Three. There was a real sense of dilution of the existing established format but no sense of real development with seasons 11 and 12. I was 4 at the time and was riveted by it all. Bang on again.
Interesting comparison between season's seven & twelve which can easily be extended to the Pertwee & T Baker eras as a whole! Always had a soft spot for season 12, as that's when I first really got into the show! But I think both seasons share the fact that their initial planning was done by the previous production time, resulting in different decisions from what the incoming teams would become renowned for, most notably with season 7's 7 parters, which nevertheless overcame their difficulties well. I suppose season 12 was more uneven but I think that's very much the new team finding it's feet, that Troughton era feeling being because, as we went properly back into space (and perhaps because, "Curse Of Peladen" aside, Pertwee's ventures into the stars really weren't his best stories) I suppose Baker seems a little tentative precisely because we're five years further on, with "Doctor Who" now very clearly as popular as ever, with ratings far higher than the sixities, meaning there was far more at stake than earlier. Of course, the next few years would see the ratings get even larger, cementing both Baker and the new production teams confidence!
Are you ill? Firstly, don't even mention the travesty of the latest desecration of the programme with any mention of the supposed storyline. Second, Tom is the Doctor from the second he appears and speaks. Most fans would say this and it does not take until Genesis. What about the homosapiens speech from Arc. Or the final message to the Sontarans. He found the character immediately. And never changes until the G Williams era. What were you watching?.....
The ultimate season although the next three seasons were all superb. Tom though is relishing the role, and the trio dynamic of the Doctor, Sarah and Harry is probably the best in the entire shows run - old and new. Ina Marter should be given greater respect. Alongside Elisabeth Sladen their friendship is so genuine on screen without any gush we get these days. Yes, Revenge is the weakest of the season but that just shows what an incredible run of episodes it comprised. The cybermat attacking Sarah and the luminous veins when bitten by one is very effective. The only thing I didn’t care for were the Vogans - those masks and golden costumes were garbage. But that really doesn’t damage the story in anyway. Revenge also gave us that iconic image we see quite often with the starry-eyed Doctor being approached from behind by a cyberman about to strangle him - I’m sure you know the one.
I love Season 12 but Season 13 and 14 are definitely where Tom hits his stride. Still Ark in Space and Genesis are two all time classics that I often want to go back and watch.
I feel like there almost is no "Tom Baker" era - Hinchcliffe, Williams and Nathan Turner are so different to each other, and each season is trying and suceeding or failing! at different things, so it never quite becomes normal! 70's Doctor who is all over the place really...!
@@jameswhitaker12 Yeah I think I agree with that. Even splitting it like that though, I still think the Hinchcliffe era takes a while to gear up.
@@chris_stokes I agree, it's not really until Tom's third season that it feels like it's hit its stride and is firing on all cylinders - then it's over!
@@jameswhitaker12 Exactly this! I'll get into it as we go on but it's why I find Tom's time at the helm... Uneasy to say the least
@@chris_stokes really interested to hear your thoughts..! Personally I think there's a case to be made that Tom did the show damage by dominating the role as long as he did, but that's a topic for another time!
@@jameswhitaker12 For real! Season 14 is definitely my favourite Tom Baker season (although I still haven't seen the first two episodes of that Season!)
Thank you for this review. I've never seen Season 12 in this way before- as a cautious step forwards, but after watching your reviews and recently rewatching most of Season 12, I really see it in that light now. I want to offer two possible explanations for why Season 12 feels like a timid start to a brand new era, rather than a bold start to a new era.
1. (I think I'm right in saying that) Many of the production decisions for Season 12 were already made by Letts and Dicks. I'm pretty sure that Letts & Dicks had already commissioned Terry Nation to write a Dalek story, and I'm pretty sure I watched on one special feature that Letts challenged Nation to write something original, and Letts I believe was the one who suggested that Nation write the Dalek's origin story. You also shared how 'Robot' was pretty much imposed upon Holmes by Dicks. I think a lot of the production decisions for all the episodes were made by the previous team. I think a similar thing happened in Season 24, when most of the decisions had already been made by the 'emergency provisional government' before Andrew Cartmel was installed as the script editor, so he had little say over the direction in his first year. Therefore, I think the fact that the new team were working to the drumbeat of the old team (the old team having worked on the show in the Troughton era as well) might have led to this partial new beginning, rather than a full blown new beginning. In general in life, although sometimes transition periods when there is a handover from predecessor to successor can be good, sometimes its not helpful for the predecessor to be hovering over the successor's shoulders. It like putting new wine into old wineskins. You end up with the new wine ruining the old wineskins.
2. The popularity and unparalleled success of the Pertwee era. Although I am more of a Hartnell fan than a Pertwee fan, the Pertwee era was the first era of the show to end with higher viewer ratings than it began with; and it was the first era not to end with the production team, crew and cast shattered and exhausted from a variety of production issues, as both the Hartnell era and Troughton era ended. Doctor Who had already reached a high in popularity under Pertwee (and it laid foundations for the Doctor's moral standpoints, as well as many key villains and monsters!) that I think the production feared that making too many changes at that point they could risk losing the good thing they had; they could've risked losing the shows fan base by making the wrong changes. I think Steven Moffat faced a similar challenge when he took over from Russel T Davies in 2010, when the show in that current form had become a cult phenomena. I think that too might explain the hesitancy to make drastic changes. Hinchcliffe, Holmes and Tom Baker didn't have the hindsight we have now that people would look back at Seasons 12-14 as a 'Golden Era' of the show's history.
I still have a soft spot for this Season. Here is my ranking of the episodes from this Season:
1. Genesis of the Daleks- 9/10
2. Revenge of the Cybermen- 7/10
3. The Ark in Space- 7/10
4. The Sontaran Experiment- 6/10
5. Robot- 3.5/10
I look forward to your marathon marching on, as it plows into the Ham-Horror Season of Doctor Who.
You got the job at DWM. Congrats.
@@sg-zd8ebThey still make that? That's insane, people have been saying "print is dead" for like 30 years now lol.
I wonder how well series 12 would have worked, had Jon Pertwee stayed the Doctor for a 6th series of Dr Who and would Harry Sullivan have ever appeared in the show
The Letts /Dicks team were stretched too thinly with Moonbase Three. There was a real sense of dilution of the existing established format but no sense of real development with seasons 11 and 12. I was 4 at the time and was riveted by it all. Bang on again.
Interesting comparison between season's seven & twelve which can easily be extended to the Pertwee & T Baker eras as a whole!
Always had a soft spot for season 12, as that's when I first really got into the show! But I think both seasons share the fact that their initial planning was done by the previous production time, resulting in different decisions from what the incoming teams would become renowned for, most notably with season 7's 7 parters, which nevertheless overcame their difficulties well.
I suppose season 12 was more uneven but I think that's very much the new team finding it's feet, that Troughton era feeling being because, as we went properly back into space (and perhaps because, "Curse Of Peladen" aside, Pertwee's ventures into the stars really weren't his best stories)
I suppose Baker seems a little tentative precisely because we're five years further on, with "Doctor Who" now very clearly as popular as ever, with ratings far higher than the sixities, meaning there was far more at stake than earlier. Of course, the next few years would see the ratings get even larger, cementing both Baker and the new production teams confidence!
❤❤ I really love this season this little marathon of from robot all the way to Revenge the side of man is really great
It gets going in season 13 to 16 I have a soft spot for season 17
@@akshaytrayner1960 I actually think 13's debatable. 14 definitely but, in all honesty, I find it gets really rocky again after Fang Rock
@@chris_stokes I can see you point the android invasion annoys me and planet of evil is a bit dull accept for the production design
its a good season slightly letdown by its bookends
Are you ill?
Firstly, don't even mention the travesty of the latest desecration of the programme with any mention of the supposed storyline.
Second, Tom is the Doctor from the second he appears and speaks. Most fans would say this and it does not take until Genesis. What about the homosapiens speech from Arc. Or the final message to the Sontarans.
He found the character immediately. And never changes until the G Williams era.
What were you watching?.....