25th February, 2022.
Right …
As I write this introduction, it’s a Friday … and I’m just about to have dinner.
Then … ?
I’m going to watch the first episode of the recently reconstructed William Hartnell Dr Who story, Galaxy Four: where clones speak in hideously exaggerated RP accents!
Hopefully?
I’ll be able to finish my written and video reviews by tonight.
If not?
You’ll be reading this by tomorrow!
In another corner of the Control Room … ?
Vicki (Maureen O’Brian) is giving new companion, Steven (Peter Purves), a haircut.
Once the ship’s safely down … ? The Doctor activates the scanner: to show Vicki and Steven a planet that seems to have no inhabitants …
Until the team realise there’s a robot, a robot that Vicki immediately dubs a Chumbley*, exploring the out side of the TARDIS.
One that seems very keen to take the Doctor, Vicki and Steven to meet its unknown leaders.
Whilst it’s taking them to where it wants them?
We find that there’s two groups of people on the unnamed world.
The Chumbley’s owners are one.
The beings that disable it, another.
It seems this latter group, a pair of Drahvins?
Are equally as keen to speak to the Doctor and company …
~≈👽≈~
The Drahvins are led by a woman called Maaga (Stephanie Bidmead): who tells the Doctor and company that their ship had been shot down over the planet: by a ship owned by a species called the Rills.
And … ?
That there is little they — the Drahvins — can do to repair it.
Their only hope of getting off the planet? Is by capturing the Rill ship.
Within two weeks.
That — according to the Rills — is when the planet is going to be destroyed …
~≈👽≈~
Now …
What do I think, so far … ?
As you possibly know, many of the 1960s era Dr Who episodes are missing: much like Power of the Daleks†, Fury from the Deep, and Evil of The Daleks.
Others — like The Web of Fear, The Reign of Terror or Tenth Planet — are partly complete: some episodes are missing.
Galaxy Four? Is one of the latter: but where Tenth Planet has one missing episode — the last — that has been animated, Galaxy Four has three missing episodes, and only one — episode three — that survived.
Unlike Tenth Planet? For the Galaxy Four blu-ray and unlike Tenth Planet, the animators have animated all four episodes of the serial: and, as with the last few Patrick Troughton stories, done both colour and black and white versions of the story, and telesnap reconstructions of the missing first, second and fourth ones.
The version of Episode 1 that I watched? Was the colour version: I’m going to be watching the colour version of the whole story over the next few weeks: and possibly catching the surviving third episode, another time.
This opening episode?
Is an interesting watch.
The unnamed planet that provides the setting is interesting to see, the colours nice and strong: and O’Brian and Purvis play their parts well.
The Drahvins? Are as big a bunch of mildly comedic Neo-Nazi Amazons as a body could hope to meet.
In all fairness? While they’re not referred to as clones — I don’t think the concept had much traction until the 1970s — you can see Galaxy Four’s the first time the idea was used in Doctor Who.
The TARDIS … ?
I mentioned, in my reviews of Evil of The Daleks, how I found the detailing of the Daleks absolutely ravishing.
The Daleks aren in this story: obviously!
But the detailing I found in them, is used in Galaxy Four: on the TARDIS.
This animated version looks genuinely mottled: as though the animators have gone to quite a bit of effort to make the machine look battered.
I love it!
Hartnell … ?
Wasn’t necessarily a well man, at this point: although — as far as I could see from the animated version? — the arteriosclerosis was affecting him badly.
His performance is … something to see, I think.
To be frank? With so much of his seasons missing, I’ve not seen as much of his version of the Doctor as I’d like.
Seeing episode one, last night, with its suitably doomy cliffhanger? Waiting for the next three, over the next few weeks?
Should correct that.
I don’t know if Four Hundred Dawns is a stunner of an episode … but it is one I’m happy to have seen.
I’m also going to be watching the next episode on Friday, 4th March: and will hopefully get my review up by Saturday, 5th March.
I’ll see you then!
Four Hundred Dawns.★★★☆
† You know, I thought I’d reviewed that: but, apparently not.
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