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The New Beginnings Box set brings together three stories from the end of the Tom Baker era and the start of the Peter Davison era. It is the beginning of the association of John Nathan Turner with the series. There was a belief at that time that Doctor Who was past its best and needed new life breathing into it. New titles were introduced, a new look for The Doctor, with the maroon coat, hat and scarf, and the question marks on the shirt. SOME people thought it was a breath of fresh air. Others thought it was the final nail in Doctor Who’s coffin. But all these were cosmetic changes. The proof was in the scripts themselves.
It is not a particularly complicated story, which
is just as well as the two that follow ARE very complicated. It eases
us into the trio. The idea of the Melchur, a statue that embodies
evil, looked after by good people is a charming one. The corruption
of that charming idea and of Traaken itself, by The Master is a sad
inevitability. There are few real utopias. Doctor Who has been proof
of that all along. This one, too, failed as soon as evil entered it.
9/10
All that stuff about block transfer computation went right over my head at the time. It still does, although I know understand the basics of the Second law of Thermodynamics. It strikes me looking back that it was a strange idea to introduce into a programme still essentially for family viewing. The average family don’t know a lot about Thermodyamics. I think that is one reason why it is not regarded as a favourite in retrospect. But it IS a very good story when you have the time to sit and watch it and understand it. The essential battle between good and evil represented by The Doctor and The Master is set against the strange world of Logopolis and works more or less well. It has a beautiful musical score which is worth listening to on its own, and that helps carry it. It is also Janet Fieldings debut as Tegan, another beginning. Her scenes lost in the TARDIS are very good. And when she does meet The Doctor her stroppy, angry attitude is perfect. Tegan is not always regarded as a favourite companion, but that is doing her down badly. 9/10 Castrovalva – 9/10
Extras Disc One Commentary – Anthony Ainley, Sarah Sutton, Matthew Waterhouse. This commentary was recorded before Anthony Ainley died, and as such is a treasure in itself, a record of a great actor. Sara and Matthew are both intelligent speakers in addition. 10/10 Sarah Sutton on Swap Shop – Not as horrible as it sounds. She talked first about playing a blind girl on The Moon Stallion, her previous work on BBC children’s TV, and then her new role as Nyssa. In both cases she is intelligent and easy to listen to and Noel Edmonds doesn’t butt in too often. The children on the telephone are annoying, as always, and I don’t think we really needed to watch her picking the winners of the competitions, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. 8/10 Being Nice To Each Other – A thirty minute documentary about the Making of Keeper of Traaken. Thirty minutes is just about long enough to do that without dragging. It goes into detail about the commissioning of John Nathan Turner as producer and Christopher H. Bidmead as writer as well as other decisions that represented change in the fate of Doctor Who. 10/10 The Return of The Master. Geoffrey Beevers who played the ‘degenerated’ Master talks about his role. 10/10 Music Only Option – curiously satisfying. The music of Keeper of Traaken is very pleasant to listen to without the dialogue. 10/10 Trailers and Continuity Announcements – WHY do they insist on putting these on? The only interest they have is in recalling how the BBC logo used to look back in 1981. 7/10 Radio Times Listings – (DVD ROM) Again only of nostalgic interest – to see what was on TV the same night! 7/10 Doctor Who Annual 1982 (DVD ROM) The last to feature Tom Baker as The Doctor. Must have!!! 10/10 BBC Enterprises Literature (DVD ROM) Printed Sheets produced by BBC Enterprises for selling the series abroad. Presumably they now send a CD ROM. Interesting reading for fans. 10/10 Photo Gallery – Pictures from filming etc. As standard. 10/10 Production Subtitles – Interesting alternative to the standard commentary. 10/10 Disc Two Commentary by Tom Baker, Janet Fielding and Christopher H. Bidmead. Excellent as always. Janet Fielding is especially intelligent talking. Tom is his irascible self. Christopher talks from a writer’s point of view. They ALL complain about the question mark collars. 10/10 A New Body At Last. A look back at Tom Baker’s career as The Doctor and Peter Davison’s takeover of the role. 10/10 Nationwide interviews with Tom Baker and Peter Davison. – Less patronising than Blue Peter or Swap shop, but in some ways, only just. 8/10 Pebble Mill at One with Peter Davison. Again just a bit patronising as all magazine shows tend to be. And repeating much that was already said in the other interviews. Why both? 8/10 BBC News reports on Tom Baker’s wedding, Tom’s departure and Peter’s casting in the role. Interesting from a historical point of view. 7/10 Music Only Option – a very good musical score, well worth listening too while you work. 10/10 Trailers and Continuity Announcements – WHY????? 7/10 Radio Times Listings – (DVD ROM) Again only of nostalgic interest – to see what was on TV the same night! 7/10 Doctor Who Annual 1982 (DVD ROM) Same as the first DVD.Why not a different one or something else instead? 2/10 BBC Enterprises Literature (DVD ROM) Same as the first DVD. WHY? 2/10 Photo gallery. As standard 10/10 Production Subtitles – Interesting alternative to the standard commentary. 10/10 Disc Three Commentary with Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Christopher H. Bidmead and Fiona Cumming, Director. – Peter HATES the question mark collars and asks if they can be digitally removed. One of the completely honest comments that make it worth listening to the commentary. 10/10 8/10 Peter Davison on Blue Peter! Begins with a potted history of Doctor Who which isn’t as bad as it sounds. They ask reasonably intelligent questions about his role. It could be worse. 8/10 Directing Castrovalva – Fiona Cummings’ view of making the episode. Because she is talking on her own it drags slightly at times, but is informative and intelligent. 9/10 Being Doctor Who – Peter Davison talks about his role in retrospective in a recent interview. He is enthusiastic and nostalgic and seems to have genuinely enjoyed his experience. He talks well, as an actor should. 10/10 The Crowded TARDIS – About the three companions that accompanied Peter Davison. 10/10 Deleted Scenes. A rarity on classic Doctor Who
DVDS. Few deleted scenes have been saved. These are worth watching. 10/10 Theme Music Video – A beautiful extended version of Peter Howell’s theme with extended title screens accompanying. 10/10 Music Only Option – another very good musical score. The music for the city of Castrovalva is especially haunting. 10/10 Trailers and Continuity Announcements – AGAIN WHY????? 7/10 Radio Times Listings – (DVD ROM) Again only of nostalgic interest. 7/10
2/10 BBC Enterprises Literature (DVD ROM) Same as the first DVD. WHY? 2/10 Photo gallery. As standard 10/10 Production Subtitles – Interesting alternative to the standard commentary. 10/10
In total, an interesting collection. Some of the extras are a let down. I feel the space could have been used better than pulling together so many old Swap Shop and Blue Peter clips, and the continuity announcements are frankly boring. The music only option is a nice idea. So is the PDF annual, but why not different ones on the different DVDS? Or perhaps the novelisations? Overall… 9 out of 10
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Keeper
of Traaken was an ambitious story. It is most memorable for being
beautifully filmed, with colourful sets and costumes. It is also remembered
for Nyssa’s first appearance, and also the first appearance
of the NEW Master – another new beginning. 
Logopolis.
Oh dear. It took me a long time to actually understand this story.
At the time, in 1981, I definitely didn’t. All I remember from
the first broadcast is those wonderful, sinister views of The Watcher,
on the banking by the road, on the bridge over the Thames, and so
on. At the time there was a whole lot of speculation about who The
Watcher was. Not as much as there would be now, with the internet
to fuel the fire. But nobody guessed until the last minute that he
WAS the ‘spirit’ of the future Doctor, warning him of
his impending death.
Always
before The Doctor had been a little erratic in his early regeneration,
but awake and functioning more or less. This time he is a very sick
doctor who needs to be looked after by his companions. We have never
really seen as much of the TARDIS interior as we would have liked,
so the Zero Room was a treat. Sadly, a short lived one as it is jettisoned
in order to save the TARDIS from disaster. They then arrive in Castrovalva,
a fantastically beautiful set and again the costume designers went
out of their way to be as alien and different as possible with their
otherwise humanoid Castrovalvans. The plot, of course, had The Master
playing everyone again, disguised once again as a Castrovalvan until
exposed by The Doctor. 
Peter
Davison on Swap Shop – Not as bad as it sounds. He works well
with the children on the phone.
Doctor
Who Annual 1982 (DVD ROM) Same as the first DVD.Why not a different
one or something else instead?
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