Tag Archives: tom baker

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – Season 18 Summary

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series is a significant season. It was the first one of the 1980s, the first one under producer John Nathan-Turner’s reign, and it was seventh and final season of Tom Baker’s era as the Fourth Doctor. This is also a season with its own behind-the-scenes issues. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Logopolis’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

And thus ‘the moment has been prepared for’, as we come to the finale of Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series as well as the end of the seven-year Tom Baker/Fourth Doctor era. Today, it’s time for ‘Logopolis’, a four-part story by Christopher H. Bidmead. This story introduces us to Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, an Australian air hostess who accidentally joins Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric aboard the TARDIS. It also features the return of Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, who becomes a proper ‘Doctor Who’ companion here, as well as the return of Anthony Ainley as the evil Master. ‘Logopolis’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Keeper of Traken’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

Here we are on my favourite story out of Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. It’s time for us to check out ‘The Keeper of Traken’, a four-part story by Johnny Byrne, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. It also introduces us to my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ companion – Sarah Sutton as Nyssa of Traken. This story also features the Melkur, voiced by Geoffrey Beevers and we’re introduced to Anthony Ainley as Tremas, Nyssa’s father. ‘The Keeper of Traken’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Warriors’ Gate’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

We’ve come to the end of ‘The E-Space Trilogy’, but not the end of Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. It’s time for ‘Warriors’ Gate’, a four-part adventure by Stephen Gallagher, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana, K-9, voiced by John Leeson, and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. This is quite an unusual and mind-boggling story to check out in Season 18. Does it end ‘The E-Space Trilogy’ on a satisfying conclusion? This story also features the departure of Lalla Ward as Romana and K-9 Mark II. ‘Warriors’ Gate’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox.

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‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘State of Decay’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for the second story of ‘The E-Space Trilogy’ and the fourth story of Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series! 🙂 This is ‘State of Decay’, a four-part story by Terrance Dicks, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana, K-9, voiced by John Leeson, and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. This is a story full of blood-curdling proportions, as it features the villainous Three Who Rule, who turn out to be vampires. ‘State of Decay’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Full Circle’

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

We now begin ‘The E-Space Trilogy’ (or ‘The E-Space Season’, depending on how you judge these stories with there being more made by Big Finish recently). Today, it’s the third story of Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘Full Circle’, a four-part adventure by Andrew Smith. In this story, Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana and K-9, voiced by John Leeson, end up in a pocket universe called E-Space where they visit the planet Alzarius and meet new companion Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. This story also features George Baker as Login and we have the Marshmen as our monsters. ‘Full Circle’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Meglos’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for the second story of Season 18 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series with Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Today, it’s time for ‘Meglos’, a four-part story by John Flanagan and Andrew McCulloch. This story has Tom Baker’s Doctor, Lalla Ward’s Romana and K-9, voiced by John Leeson, visiting the planet Tigella, where they get tangled up in a web of trouble caused by the shapeshifting cactus called Meglos, who becomes a double of Tom Baker’s Doctor. The story also features special guest stars Bill Fraser and Jacqueline Hill (who played Barbara in the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series with William Hartnell’s First Doctor). ‘Meglos’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Leisure Hive’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

The 1980s have arrived! Welcome to the seventh and final season of Tom Baker’s era as the Fourth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’ – Season 18. 🙂 This is also the first season of producer John Nathan-Turner’s era of the classic TV series. We start off Season 18 with the four-part story ‘The Leisure Hive’ by David Fisher. It features Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana. K-9 briefly appears in this story and is voiced by John Leeson. There’s also special guest star David Haig, who also appeared in ‘The Moon Stallion’ with Sarah Sutton. ‘The Leisure Hive’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – Season 17 Summary

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

This is considered a divisive season in the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Season 17 was script-edited by Douglas Adams, well-known for being the author of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. He previously wrote ‘The Pirate Planet’ in ‘The Key to Time’ season (Season 16). I enjoyed checking out Season 17. 🙂 Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Shada’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

How fitting that on the 8th of May – my birthday as well as a Bank Holiday – we look at another one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ stories from the Fourth Doctor era as well as the actual finale to Season 17 of the classic TV series. This is ‘Shada’, a six-part adventure by Douglas Adams, featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Lalla Ward as Romana and K-9, voiced by David Brierley. This story was never shown on TV in 1979, but thankfully it has been completed with animation and was released in 2017. You can check out the feature-length 2017 film version of ‘Shada’ on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox and you can check out the exclusive six-part 2021 version of the story on Blu-ray. Continue reading