Doctor Who: Timelash
When this sixth Doctor story was announced as an upcoming DVD release, many a fan doubtless scratched their heads and asked “Why!?” After all, even as early as its original broadcast, Timelash had acquired a stellar reputation…for being one of the first volleys in what some fans considered the nadir of ’80s Doctor Who, a period encompassing The Trial Of A Time Lord, the firing of Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy’s uneven first season. As it turns out, BBC Video knew exactly what it was doing in giving this story a DVD release, for all of that makes for meaty bonus features.
The central featurette on this relatively “light” release is appropriately titled “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly”, and it pulls very few punches in analyzing Timelash’s successes (using young H.G. Wells as a character) and failures (some of Doctor Who’s lowest production values of the Colin Baker era, an occasionally incoherent script, and an admittedly hammy guest shot by Paul Darrow of Blake’s 7 fame). (more…)
