9. "Aren't You Supposed To Be Offering Me A Last Toffee Apple Or Something?" (The Stones Of Blood)
Even in his lesser celebrated serials, Tom often conjures up one or two great moments. The Stones of Blood, for examples, features one of the shows great dialogues on time travel (Im more from what youd call inner time) despite otherwise being nothing more than a fun bit of nonsense. Theres another moment, later in the serial, that perfectly demonstrates Toms penchant for comedy, an integral and often maligned aspect of his portrayal. Transported to a prison ship hovering invisibly above Stonehenge, the Doctor and Romana are confronted by flying biomachines called the Megara who administer galactic law by vaporising wrongdoers. Theyre deeply silly, and not to mention far from convincingly realised, and Tom is at the point in his run where hes no longer on speaking terms with serious acting. Nevertheless, the trial sequence is a wonderful showcase for his off-kilter style of performance. Because the Megara were added in post-production, hes effectively acting alone in these scenes, holding the audience through sheer bonhomie and grandiloquent, theatrical gesticulations. And hes not entirely playing for laughs, either. Over the course of ten or so minutes, the Doctor goes from exasperation at the Megaras inflexible laws to gentle mockery of them, to numb acceptance of his impending death and then finally to impassioned defiance. Far from the over-ripe ham of critical legend, Tom reveals himself to be a nimble actor perfectly capable of playing the major and minor comic notes in quick succession.
I am Scotland's 278,000th best export and a self-proclaimed expert on all things Bond-related. When I'm not expounding on the delights of A View to a Kill, I might be found under a pile of Dr Who DVDs, or reading all the answers in Star Wars Trivial Pursuit. I also prefer to play Playstation games from the years 1997-1999. These are the things I like.
