Doctor Who: 5 Things To Learn From Classic Series & 5 Things That Are Better

5. The Pacing and the Padding

So, yeah, I just gave the New Series a rough ride. But it does a lot right too. As anyone who's sat through the Classic Series episodes can tell you, this is one point it's hard to dispute. ESPECIALLY if you came to them after the New Series. The usual disclaimer (and it's a fair one) is that the Classic Series often had stories spread out in 24 minute episodes over a course of 4 (sometimes 6 or more) weeks. They were NEVER meant to be watched in one sitting. (Tellingly, by the time VCRs really became a "thing" the 6th and 7th Doctor's outings tried to fix this problem....unfortunately, the budget didn't help them. As in, they barely had one.) However, even then, some slight flaws begin to show. Let's look at Tom Baker's classic "The Talons of Weng Chiang".

This story is really, REALLY good. Can't stress that enough. In fact, it had more spent on it than usual, and it shows. Baker's at the top of his game, and his companion - Leela - had a better character spec than "She's pretty and digs the Doctor". She was a descendant of a crashed future earth expedition, and very primitive and barbaric as a result. In this outing, the Doctor was showing her her Victorian Ancestors, when a Time-Travelled criminal from the 51st Century - Magnus Greel - turned out to be murderously causing trouble. (AGAIN, Torchwood, where the hell are you? And seriously, this guy's even Jack's Time Agent contemporary - Was he too busy nailing the girls in bloomers and having his tarot read?) Anyway, the Doctor befriends a theater owner and (medical) doctor, Jago and Litefoot. They get captured. The Doctor goes to rescue them, whilst they try and escape. They get captured again. The Doctor and Leela show up, and they get captured - Leela is to be killed for her "essence" (Greel has a thing for stripping girls and draining them of this), while the Doctor and Jago and Litefoot, captured, are locked up and... wait for it... Escape!!! And save Leela and defeat Greel. This happens in the course of one episode's time. Which, I guess, is realistic. (Jago and Litefoot aren't exactly stealth agents) But in terms of "Things happening", if the writing wasn't as sharp as it was, and the characters weren't as good.... It'd get a bit repetitive. And sadly, the writing was NOT always as good as "Talons". If this was a David Tennant episode, Jago and Litefoot would be captured, the Doctor and (fill in pretty girl or Donna here) would chase Greel at breakneck speed to his lair (probably via coach). There'd be a tense faceoff and probably a witty riposte or two. After a distraction, the Doctor effects some sabotage and Greel's evil midget robot (YES! There is one!) would misfire a laser and blow up the lair while the Doctor and crew escape as things went up in a blaze. Sorted!

"Talons" works in the 4th Doctor's time because everything's such high quality that you don't notice the improbabilities or padding (Let's call this "The Dark Knight Effect"). But the more efficient and exciting solution, that'd work even with ho-hum casting/writing and Tennant (or any Doctor) on autopilot? That'd be the hypothetical Tennant solution. It seems exciting just reading it. And keep in mind, I prefer the Baker story to most Tennant-era ones. Even a lesser Tennant story - I always pick on "Fear Her", so let's say, "New Earth" - still keeps things moving and has enough set pieces that it's only after the event that you realize it wasn't up to much. There's travelling with Rose to New Earth! The Cat Nurses at the Hospital! The Face of Boe! Cassandra captures Rose! Body-switching! The Doctor discovers the cultivated humans! The Diseased humans escape and attack! Ladder shaft climb! This really makes this episode sound exciting and layered. Er, no. But it does keep moving pace-wise, I can't dispute that. Even when "Running up and down Corridors" happens a story later with Tennant in "Tooth and Claw", it's still done in a pacy and exciting way. Each stop in the chase sees a new development or reveal. In the classic series, fleeing the enemy sometimes meant "Walking briskly while giving exposition (maybe) across the same set several times"

People used to joke that "Doctor Who" was pantomime horse monsters making the Doctor run up and down (the same) corridors on wobbly sets. That NEVER happens anymore, and it's firmly a feather in the New Series' cap. Well done.