'Fenric' may be the most ahead of its time Classic Who story, so much so that I could imagine it being produced in the RTD era (I always noticed similarities between it and Human Nature/Family Of Blood). Other than that, it is just a great story with a highly original villain, some atmospheric location filming, and an extremely strong guest cast. Also, the scene where the Doctor basically tells Fenric that he can kill Ace is still the greatest WTF moment in the show's history.
Perhaps you already know, but I'll say it anyways, RTD didn't write that one. The series of books Doctor Who Virgin New Adventures picks up following after the last Classic Who episode "Survival," and the 38th of the 61 original novels is called "Human Nature." The Human Nature/Family of Blood story from Series 3 is a TV adaption of that book, and the book features the 7th Doctor, not the 10th.
I love that when presented with a sentient machine, Millington's first concern is "Whose side would they be on?" Let's you know just how he sees the world.
Fenric is easily my favourite 7 story. it’s just got this amazing eerie quality to it. it’s the best way to unfurl a mystery. i think it’s got something profound to say about the nature of faith but also about addressing fears and hatred and moving on. It’s excellent
Love Curse of Feneric (even though I’d have to say Ghostlight is my favourite Seventh Doctor story) just a fantastic season overall. Glad you’re bringing more appreciation to this story.
@@alexbruckshaw1448 yeah, though it’s understandable why it doesn’t get as much love as other 7th doctor stories, you have to really think about it to let the plot sink in. It’s got a lot of complicated elements that are presented in a really nuanced way.
@@HywelapDafyddCurse of Fenric is still my No.1 DW story of all time, though I wouldn't recommend it to people who want to get into Classic Who and/or be introduced to 7+Ace. It works best when you're more familiar with the TARDIS team (and Ace's progressing arc). Then, my 2nd favourite is Greatest Show, then Remembrance, then Ghost Light + Happiness Patrol. Ghost Light feels like "Doctor Who vs the Resident Evil Mansion". Even when I had no idea what was going on, I absolutely loved the atmosphere and vibe, as it reminded me of one of my favourite PS1 games of all time, and it definitely gets better on re-watch. However, it's still being followed by a 'confusing' reputation, and the editing doesn't help - but I'd still happily re-watch it any day of the week.
I've always regarded 7+Ace as the first 'modern' Tardis team, despite also being the last classic. In fact, Curse of Fenric feels like a revival episode created with an 80's budget, and Ace has always been considered the original template for modern companions. Compared to Season 25, stories like Remembrance have very modern pacing, snappy dialogue, and an explosive quick-moving plot laced with constant throwbacks, and it's arguably the absolute best bridge between New + Classic Who -- whereas Curse of Fenric is the type of slow-burn that is more rewarding if you are keeping up with the TARDIS team. Sure, they cooked up the arc using throwaway elements from past stories (the timestorm in Dragonfire, chess references in Silver Nemesis and Battlefield, etc), but there is nothing inherently wrong with picking up past elements and putting them to use. Without it, Ace's backstory would be "failed chemistry experiment whisked her to another planet where she worked as a waitress until she met the Doctor". Now, you get to add Fenric and his scheme as further backstory.
Fun bit of trivia. The little girl who shows up on the scanner in Dragonfire as "Hostile intent" is an epoch of Fenric - hiding in an innocents body. The Dragon protects her, but the smile she gives as Ace is taken off with the Doctor in the TARDIS is a bit of a dead give away!
I literally just watched this amazing episode, searched up a video on it to see if I can get a better understanding of it. And this video comes up, Amazing timing.
just finished watching the curse of fenric with my parents this evening, we’d all seen it before but this time, something just clicked for us, we were GLUED to the screen for the entire runtime, i was just absolutely ecstatic as iconic moment to brilliant concept to instense drama was thrown at us constantly, it’s just so good !! i needed to watch a video of someone talking about fenric just to feel some release of how amazed i was watching it, this video was exactly that, thank you sir you’ve earned a subscription :)
Mccoy and Ace are my first childhood Dr Who experience. Love them till today and fenric is my favourite episode. love the atmospere, the hemophores, the evil side of the doctor (at the end, when he talks bad about ace), the chess game, the fenric legend. i love it!
This video is perfect. I was searching for someone reviewing this masterpiece. You just forget to mencione The God Complex, when 11th did the same thing with Amy
Curse of Fenric has always been a favourite of mine. I always got the impression the Doctor was bluffing when he said he knew Ace was a wolf of Fenric all the way from Dragonfire. Or at least he wasn't being fully honest. I think it more likely he pieced it together as they travelled with his suspicions becoming confirmed during Silver Nemesis. After that point he knew he had to set up his rematch with Fenric if he were to ever save Ace from her dark destiny.
That is something I wish they'd brought back for the modern New Series. They keep changing things, like the whole Timeless Child thing, to bring back the mystery when all you had to do was give Gallifrey and Time Lords their mysterious air back. The 11th doctor saw Clara as a mysterious enigma, because these days we have to identify with the Doctor. The 7th doctor was a god who knew exactly what he was doing, and we identify with the companion because he's beyond us mere humans.
Hey Chimp, great videos on Doctor Who that is Doctor Who. If you see this classic very carefully. It’s pretty much the Keep(1983). WWII, a secret Acient Evil being locked up which is like a Vampire. And a near immortal hero and savior is destined to go against It.
When I heard of the casting of sylvester McCoy I was disappointed! Man was I wrong he became my favourite adding a bit of darkness a bit of mystery to the role! I thought he was brilliant.
I noticed something in the episode the two East end girls when they die have a kinda bluish beard thing what words well the start of what the other Haemovores have as they have started to become more like the other Haemovore when they are killed. a small detail that isn't easy to make out but it just shows how this episode was the peak of Classic Doctor who's special effects & another reason why it would've made the best finale as it would have left the final episode being a strong one & with some of the best effects. The ancient one has a kinda breathing in the odd gill things that just shows how great the costume is.
I've just watched this again with the new Tales of the TARDIS framing. I thought I'd already seen the extended cut, but there was quite a bit of either forgotten or hadn't seen. It seems to also have a lot of inspiration from Night of the Living Dead, but honestly i found this even more gripping. Great review. I've still not got my head around all the plot elements, but it feels cohesive and earns multiple viewings. Can anyone give some details as to what was added in the extended version?
Part of me wishes this was the final episode of the seventh doctors era. As cheetah Planet ain't bad its just feels like mid-season filler & it'd have been so much better for this to have ended an Era its spiritually the season finally but the way the episodes played it ended up being the second last story. It was the perfect end to the seventh doctor. I really am glad that its part of the easy to access stuff for the newer fans to the classic era. As its fitting I got this on DVD in 2013 when I was young round the 50th due to me having a magazine that talked about a bunch of stories & this one caught my eye & at the time it kinda went over my head & I tried to relive it last year or so but my disk was scuffed & the DVD is outta print. Was planning to watch it on iPlayer when it came out & decided to watch the tales of the Tardis form which is alright but I feel like it doesn't open with as much mystery when ACE spoils it. But other than that its great. I shall come back to this review once I've finished watching it again. I just came to comment because the internet is being a bit annoying & I am just waiting for it to work before I post this & return. Edit: this has been eating at me for a while but I've heard enough of your speech to make me think that you're Northern Irish like me. Never heard anyone outside of NI say Babi like other words have been used but none like Babi which makes me just think you are Northern Irish. Love from the beaches of Strangford lough where Vikings once where fitting to the episode.
This is about where I stopped watching classic. It got a bit weird from here on. I was never keen on McCoy as the Dr and they carried the theme over into the VNA’s. I do appreciate it more these days. I don’t think 18 year old me got what they were trying to do. 51 year old me does. Now the Hand of Fear, that’s an unappreciated gem.
'Fenric' may be the most ahead of its time Classic Who story, so much so that I could imagine it being produced in the RTD era (I always noticed similarities between it and Human Nature/Family Of Blood). Other than that, it is just a great story with a highly original villain, some atmospheric location filming, and an extremely strong guest cast. Also, the scene where the Doctor basically tells Fenric that he can kill Ace is still the greatest WTF moment in the show's history.
Perhaps you already know, but I'll say it anyways, RTD didn't write that one. The series of books Doctor Who Virgin New Adventures picks up following after the last Classic Who episode "Survival," and the 38th of the 61 original novels is called "Human Nature." The Human Nature/Family of Blood story from Series 3 is a TV adaption of that book, and the book features the 7th Doctor, not the 10th.
I love that when presented with a sentient machine, Millington's first concern is "Whose side would they be on?"
Let's you know just how he sees the world.
Fenric is easily my favourite 7 story. it’s just got this amazing eerie quality to it. it’s the best way to unfurl a mystery. i think it’s got something profound to say about the nature of faith but also about addressing fears and hatred and moving on. It’s excellent
Love Curse of Feneric (even though I’d have to say Ghostlight is my favourite Seventh Doctor story) just a fantastic season overall. Glad you’re bringing more appreciation to this story.
Thanks, and yes, it is a great season through and through!😀🙉
Finally, another ghostlight fan we are few and far between
@@alexbruckshaw1448 yeah, though it’s understandable why it doesn’t get as much love as other 7th doctor stories, you have to really think about it to let the plot sink in. It’s got a lot of complicated elements that are presented in a really nuanced way.
Ghostlight is awesome.
Fenric is my favourite Doctor Who story closely followed by Ghostlight.
@@HywelapDafyddCurse of Fenric is still my No.1 DW story of all time, though I wouldn't recommend it to people who want to get into Classic Who and/or be introduced to 7+Ace. It works best when you're more familiar with the TARDIS team (and Ace's progressing arc). Then, my 2nd favourite is Greatest Show, then Remembrance, then Ghost Light + Happiness Patrol.
Ghost Light feels like "Doctor Who vs the Resident Evil Mansion". Even when I had no idea what was going on, I absolutely loved the atmosphere and vibe, as it reminded me of one of my favourite PS1 games of all time, and it definitely gets better on re-watch. However, it's still being followed by a 'confusing' reputation, and the editing doesn't help - but I'd still happily re-watch it any day of the week.
Absolute banger of a story. I don't know how people say Doctor Who was running out of steam at the end when it put out this masterpiece.
I've always regarded 7+Ace as the first 'modern' Tardis team, despite also being the last classic. In fact, Curse of Fenric feels like a revival episode created with an 80's budget, and Ace has always been considered the original template for modern companions.
Compared to Season 25, stories like Remembrance have very modern pacing, snappy dialogue, and an explosive quick-moving plot laced with constant throwbacks, and it's arguably the absolute best bridge between New + Classic Who -- whereas Curse of Fenric is the type of slow-burn that is more rewarding if you are keeping up with the TARDIS team.
Sure, they cooked up the arc using throwaway elements from past stories (the timestorm in Dragonfire, chess references in Silver Nemesis and Battlefield, etc), but there is nothing inherently wrong with picking up past elements and putting them to use. Without it, Ace's backstory would be "failed chemistry experiment whisked her to another planet where she worked as a waitress until she met the Doctor". Now, you get to add Fenric and his scheme as further backstory.
Fun bit of trivia. The little girl who shows up on the scanner in Dragonfire as "Hostile intent" is an epoch of Fenric - hiding in an innocents body. The Dragon protects her, but the smile she gives as Ace is taken off with the Doctor in the TARDIS is a bit of a dead give away!
I literally just watched this amazing episode, searched up a video on it to see if I can get a better understanding of it. And this video comes up, Amazing timing.
just finished watching the curse of fenric with my parents this evening, we’d all seen it before but this time, something just clicked for us, we were GLUED to the screen for the entire runtime, i was just absolutely ecstatic as iconic moment to brilliant concept to instense drama was thrown at us constantly, it’s just so good !! i needed to watch a video of someone talking about fenric just to feel some release of how amazed i was watching it, this video was exactly that, thank you sir you’ve earned a subscription :)
Thanks for doing this video. This has been my fave Doctor Who story for decades.
Mccoy and Ace are my first childhood Dr Who experience. Love them till today and fenric is my favourite episode. love the atmospere, the hemophores, the evil side of the doctor (at the end, when he talks bad about ace), the chess game, the fenric legend. i love it!
I think it's also worth noting that this is the only classic serial was set during the second World War.
From the future! I liked the centenary and 60th, both dragged a bit at times, but were overall engaging! A solid 8/10 for both-
The beep, Weeping Angels, and Toymaker was cool, as well as seeing the 15th doctor before 14s regeneration
This video is perfect. I was searching for someone reviewing this masterpiece. You just forget to mencione The God Complex, when 11th did the same thing with Amy
"Vicarlas Parsons"😂... You sir, just gained another subscriber!
This story really required reading the novelisation to make more sense for me.
Curse of Fenric has always been a favourite of mine.
I always got the impression the Doctor was bluffing when he said he knew Ace was a wolf of Fenric all the way from Dragonfire. Or at least he wasn't being fully honest. I think it more likely he pieced it together as they travelled with his suspicions becoming confirmed during Silver Nemesis. After that point he knew he had to set up his rematch with Fenric if he were to ever save Ace from her dark destiny.
Great stuff chimp. This is my favourite story of classic Who with dare I say the best cliff hanger ever….”we play the contest again timelord”
Love how that line turns the story on its head.😁🐵
Great work as always Sir Chimp! The 7th Dr. is one of my favorites!
That is something I wish they'd brought back for the modern New Series. They keep changing things, like the whole Timeless Child thing, to bring back the mystery when all you had to do was give Gallifrey and Time Lords their mysterious air back. The 11th doctor saw Clara as a mysterious enigma, because these days we have to identify with the Doctor. The 7th doctor was a god who knew exactly what he was doing, and we identify with the companion because he's beyond us mere humans.
Hey Chimp, great videos on Doctor Who that is Doctor Who.
If you see this classic very carefully. It’s pretty much the Keep(1983).
WWII, a secret Acient Evil being locked up which is like a Vampire. And a near immortal hero and savior is destined to go against It.
0:38 10 years since the joy of the 50th, and now I am emotionally dead inside because I fucking hate them
When I heard of the casting of sylvester McCoy I was disappointed! Man was I wrong he became my favourite adding a bit of darkness a bit of mystery to the role! I thought he was brilliant.
The Curse of Fenric is my favourite classic Who story.
I noticed something in the episode the two East end girls when they die have a kinda bluish beard thing what words well the start of what the other Haemovores have as they have started to become more like the other Haemovore when they are killed. a small detail that isn't easy to make out but it just shows how this episode was the peak of Classic Doctor who's special effects & another reason why it would've made the best finale as it would have left the final episode being a strong one & with some of the best effects. The ancient one has a kinda breathing in the odd gill things that just shows how great the costume is.
One of my fav episodes, lots of interesting bi-ways. Wish more of this kind of story existed. Though it has no type.
I need to rewatch this serial now! Haven't seen it since I was a young lad
Yes, one of the greatest stories of the "Classic Era".
I've just watched this again with the new Tales of the TARDIS framing. I thought I'd already seen the extended cut, but there was quite a bit of either forgotten or hadn't seen.
It seems to also have a lot of inspiration from Night of the Living Dead, but honestly i found this even more gripping.
Great review. I've still not got my head around all the plot elements, but it feels cohesive and earns multiple viewings.
Can anyone give some details as to what was added in the extended version?
Brilliant stuff. I shall share it on my Doctor Who fan page. Gx
Thank you very much, Gerry.🙂🙂🐵
great video, The Curse Of Fenric is my favorite McCoy era story, what's the name of the music playing from 8:58 to 11:40?
Great story, it got everything right and showed how grown up the show could be.
Hey hey the dalek time controller here from the future to say those speacial were excellent and amazing
Great! Looking forward to them.😉
I never forgot it .
Part of me wishes this was the final episode of the seventh doctors era. As cheetah Planet ain't bad its just feels like mid-season filler & it'd have been so much better for this to have ended an Era its spiritually the season finally but the way the episodes played it ended up being the second last story. It was the perfect end to the seventh doctor. I really am glad that its part of the easy to access stuff for the newer fans to the classic era. As its fitting I got this on DVD in 2013 when I was young round the 50th due to me having a magazine that talked about a bunch of stories & this one caught my eye & at the time it kinda went over my head & I tried to relive it last year or so but my disk was scuffed & the DVD is outta print. Was planning to watch it on iPlayer when it came out & decided to watch the tales of the Tardis form which is alright but I feel like it doesn't open with as much mystery when ACE spoils it. But other than that its great. I shall come back to this review once I've finished watching it again. I just came to comment because the internet is being a bit annoying & I am just waiting for it to work before I post this & return.
Edit: this has been eating at me for a while but I've heard enough of your speech to make me think that you're Northern Irish like me. Never heard anyone outside of NI say Babi like other words have been used but none like Babi which makes me just think you are Northern Irish. Love from the beaches of Strangford lough where Vikings once where fitting to the episode.
This is about where I stopped watching classic. It got a bit weird from here on. I was never keen on McCoy as the Dr and they carried the theme over into the VNA’s. I do appreciate it more these days. I don’t think 18 year old me got what they were trying to do. 51 year old me does.
Now the Hand of Fear, that’s an unappreciated gem.
'two and a half decade hiatus'
Was going to watch but the intro told me to touch grass!
Forgotten by who?
0:43 🙋♀
Audrey. Millington. 😋
This is inspector gadget welcoming the latest virtue signalling
Sorry that's my bashing done
No signalling I assure you. Straight from the heart.😉
@@TheChosenChimp maybe not from mccoy
But firstly ncuti isn't Scottish he was born in rwanda, just because he was raised in Scotland doesn't strickly make him scottish
Secondly ncuti couldn't go 1 interview without bringing up diversity
Its rtd, we know it's going to be diverse, dont fu©King say it
Thirdly, how did they announce the companion, first trans companion
Fourth, David tennant to draw back fans