6. Terror Of The Ming Mongs (1987)
Sometimes longer isnt necessarily better. One of the shortest of Doctor Who spoofs, Victoria Woods Terror Of The Ming Mongs, is also amongst the finest. Compared to the overly long Beadles Hotshots sketch, in little over one minute, this parody deconstructs its source with great aplomb. Both the Doctor and his adversary, Crayola, are mishmashes of the shows past. Jim Broadbents Doctors costume contains elements from each of the Doctors incarnations, coupled with one or two unique twists. The luminescent green Crayola parodies several monsters of the show and could be described as a Vervoid on wheels. Broadbent would make a far more suitable lead for a remaking of the Cushing Dalek movies than he would a TV Doctor. Nonetheless, he has the distinction of having played the role in two spoofs. Despite technobabble being the central object of ridicule, a remarkable number of aspects of the show are set up (whether in reality or popular perception). Sadly, the legacy of this brief sketch is not an altogether positive one. Wood refers to fans of the Doctor as 'ming mongs' - a poor choice of terms but one used innocently for comedic effect. It quickly descended into a derogatory label after Russell T Davies controversially used it to describe over enthusiastic fans who frequent online forums. In the sketch the ming mongs represent fans as deluded followers of the Doctor who will always stand by the show, blind to its deficiencies. In sharp contrast, for Russell T Davies the term signifies those fans with non supportive, negative agendas - those keen to pick holes in it or see flaws in the current production. The slight has been watered down in some sections of fandom to become a retort against any individual or group of fans with whom they disagree. This little gem is available as an extra on the DVD release of McCoys The Greatest Show In The Galaxy. Wood is not the only comedienne to have created a Doctor Who spoof. Fans of French and Saunders can find, on The Vengeance On Varos special edition DVD, an unscreened sketch from the set of Trial of a Time Lord which features the double act dressed as Silurians. Charlotte Church in her brief foray into light entertainment also starred in a surprisingly good little Doctor Who themed piece and Catherine Tate, having left Donna Noble behind, returned to her comedic roots when, as guest presenter on The Sunday Night Project, she dressed as the Tenth Doctor.