Rev. Wainright is also amazingly good. I only knew Nicolas Parsons as a camp game show host so I was really surprised.

I don't know if it was cut from the episodic version as I haven't seen it that way for a while but in the restored movie style DVD version at least it's explained that they are trying to steal a particular componant rather than all of it.

I do find most of Star Trek TNG pretty dull, formulaic and lacking in ideas or daring though. And the Borg are cybermen with more money. I'd rather watch something with ambitious ideas and poor effects than something safe with a huge budget.

The vikings played an old version of chess. I think it was called King's Table (something like that.) Also Fenric/ Fenrir wasn't just some wolf who roamed around eating hands, he was the embodiment of the end of time, confined in chains by the gods. On the day of Ragnorok he would break his chains and devour the sun.…

Good stories all, and The Empty Child/Doctor Dances was written by current showrunner Stephen Moffat, so an obvious way in if you like the current run. He also wrote The Girl In The Fireplace, Blink (which is great and introduces The Weeping Angels and Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead which you should…

I really like this one and The Black Guardian Trilogy generally, and shockingly this is my favourite series of Doctor Who! (I've noticed that it comes in for a fair bit of stick.) Turlough is my favourite classic companion. The idea of having a traitor in The Tardis always appealed to me. After all, the Doctor seems…

Then again, I preferred Colin Baker to David Tenant and was upset when Adric died, so you never know… But, yes,dot about trying different periods and if you don't like one try another. Isn't there an AV Club beginners guide  or something or did I imagine that?

Wow. Wallace vs. Nurse Gladys!

If there was a Supreme Guardian who combined good and evil, he could have a badger on his head.

I also assumed the Doctor was playing along rather than being thick.

I'm not sure any part of it works as a stand alone story. I love Enlightenment, but if I hadn't seen this I'd be wondering who the cackling maniac with the bird on his head was and what was going on with Turlough

The entire Black Guardian Trilogy is only two episodes longer than The War Games from 1969. Also it was on twice a week, so it was done and dusted in six weeks; the same as almost every Pertwee story.

I can't see how the production design is any sillier than 70s Doctor Who. Sea Devils in string vests, The Nimon, that giant talking shrimp… this is not particuarly bad.

I don't know when it started, but in the late 80s and early 90s at least French was compulsary in British schools. Of course it was a token effort taught to a really low standard. I got a B and can't speak French to save my life.

Thirded. That was the other sci-fi when i was a kid with Star Trek being a distant third.

Classic payback.

Sadly they would've not known what to do with her and written her out like Liz Shaw.

It isn't out yet? What are they doing?

That's what I thought. I don't think the Jagaroth was actually all that good at organising this stuff. I wonder how many duplicates of forgotten non-famous paintings he had stashed away?

I don't know, I thought the war games had a good repeating theme. Some of the electronic burping noises in the early 70s were pretty distinctive but I don't think that's what you meant.