Doctor Who The Collection Season 14 (Tom Baker's 3rd Season)

[elvisranger]

The Home Assistants of Death?! | The Collection: Season 14 Announcement Trailer | Doctor Who - YouTube

[Aclea]

Come April people will be complaining that they got sent Leela's dinged copy.

[derek_1999]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Come April people will be complaining that they got sent Leela's dinged copy.

Damn - another pre-order done, just love Talons... Classic Who reminds me why I used to love this series

On the promo, I expected a slightly different end shot -

[Show spoiler]cut to a pile of previously malfunctioning 'assistants' - all dispatched in a similar way... and then back to Leela's quote I suppose thy only had one costume, so they'd have to have done a VFX shot...

[Dougling]

Originally Posted by thecooldud

Here we go.
PC whining begins in 3, 2, 1...

And then it didn't

[Sifox211]

Pre-ordered!

So I've a question: sorry if it's obvious or answered elsewhere, but: this is the third release of Tom Baker Who series, with previous ones being 12 (his first) and 18 (seventh)? Why the strange order?

Right when this started, I had cancelled my original series 12 order in a fit of cost cutting and when I tried to order it again a week later it was too late

When I realised there was a season 7 out, it was already OOP. I must try harder

[Dougling]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

Pre-ordered!

So I've a question: sorry if it's obvious or answered elsewhere, but: this is the third release of Tom Baker Who series, with previous ones being 12 (his first) and 19 (seventh)? Why the strange order?

Right when this started, I had cancelled my original series 12 order in a fit of cost cutting and when I tried to order it again a week later it was too late

When I realised there was a season 7 out, it was already OOP. I must try harder

It's down to the new extras, I think. They want to get people who were involved in the show involved in extras where they can, and so this becomes dependent on people's availability (and to some extent probably age and health).

[Si Parallel Universe]

Bought and paid for

I wonder if the Talons Disc will include the documentary where they go to the schools and interview the kids. Its a treasured extra to me as it features my School.... Smallwood Infants and Juniors in Tooting. In the sequences where they show the playground I am front and centre playing with my friends

[2-J]

Pre-ordered!

[pottyaboutpotter1]

Originally Posted by thecooldud

Here we go.
PC whining begins in 3, 2, 1...

I don't think it's PC whining to accurately say that Talons is very racist and is an uncomfortable watch for modern viewers because of it. It's still a great story (although hampered somewhat by Magnus Greel not being revealed as the Master as was originally intended) but the portrayal of Chinese people and culture have not aged well.

[SD-Blu]

Originally Posted by pottyaboutpotter1

I don't think it's PC whining to accurately say that Talons is very racist and is an uncomfortable watch for modern viewers because of it. It's still a great story (although hampered somewhat by Magnus Greel not being revealed as the Master as was originally intended) but the portrayal of Chinese people and culture have not aged well.

It's not racist. Are people unable to contextualise anything? It's a pastiche of the Fu Manchu Sax Rohmer stuff. John Bennet is in yellow face as it was commonplace at the time, particularly in the theatrical tradition that British television draws from. Peter Ustinov was still doing it in the 80's. Li'Sen Chang is a sympathetic three dimensional character. In fact Talons avoids a common stereotype as the true villain of the piece is NOT a yellow peril Ming the Merciless type at all. It draws from attitudes of the Victorian era and popular early 20th century fiction inspired by it. It is what it is.

Here's the definition of racism - prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

There is no evidence of that in Talons. It is clear what the intent of the production team is. The police constable character displays a condesending attitude of the Chinese. That is a character. This does not make the seriel 'racist'. It would be disengenuos NOT to have at least one character display these attitudes.

[SD-Blu]

It is a reflection of the time it was made and the period and style it seeks to evoke. Stop applying modern attitudes to things that cannot possibly be in line with them. People are looking for things that aren't there, reasons to be offended. Get off your high horse and enjoy something for what it is and what was intended.

[Billz]

Originally Posted by Sifox211

Pre-ordered!

So I've a question: sorry if it's obvious or answered elsewhere, but: this is the third release of Tom Baker Who series, with previous ones being 12 (his first) and 18 (seventh)? Why the strange order?

That's been happening since the VHS days.
It's nothing new.

[MrChristoph]

Supposedly Talons' depiction of the Chinese has been an issue since 1980 (granted, that might not be accurate as it's sourced to a contemporary newspaper). Including racist attitudes without comment or consequence makes the series itself seem complicit with those attitudes, and Chang being played by a white actor in 'yellow face' isn't acknowledged by the story itself (IIRC. Correct me if I'm forgetting something). Imitation is not criticism.

Acknowledging these issues isn't the same thing as refusing to enjoy the serial. It's been a while since I watched my DVD, but I remember enjoying the action and magic show scenes, finding the opening location stuff really atmospheric and thinking that maybe it should have been a four-parter. It probably helps that the story is obviously from a different time technically (being mostly shot on video and whatnot) as well as socially.

[jason00]

Originally Posted by openviews

Maybe it'll be Louise Jameson that gets interviewed by Matthew Sweet for this season.

It's Phillip Hinchcliffe this season. Not sure who will be the season 13 interview since Sladen, Nick Courtney, and Robert Holmes have passed away, and Tom Baker was on season 12. I would guess that Jameson gets season 15.

[SD-Blu]

Originally Posted by MrChristoph

Supposedly Talons' depiction of the Chinese has been an issue since 1980 (granted, that might not be accurate as it's sourced to a contemporary newspaper). Including racist attitudes without comment or consequence makes the series itself seem complicit with those attitudes,

Except The Doctor does comment on it, gently mocking those attitudes. It is acknowledged in the serial and thus by the production team.

[Murray Futterman]

Originally Posted by jason00

It's Phillip Hinchcliffe this season. Not sure who will be the season 13 interview since Sladen, Nick Courtney, and Robert Holmes have passed away, and Tom Baker was on season 12. I would guess that Jameson gets season 15.

I wonder if they'd already recorded one with Terrance Dicks before he died that could go on a set (maybe season 7)?

[Bobbyjoe766]

Originally Posted by pottyaboutpotter1

(although hampered somewhat by Magnus Greel not being revealed as the Master as was originally intended).

I’m glad the Master has nothing to do with this classic (having just appeared in another classic, The Deadly Assassin. Magnus Greel is a fantastic villain in his own right.

[themanchestergamer]

Originally Posted by Murray Futterman

I wonder if they'd already recorded one with Terrance Dicks before he died that could go on a set (maybe season 7)?

Oh I really hope they did. I'm guessing they'll do a Lalla Ward one for S17. Not sure who they could do one with for S13 or S16.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by Si Parallel Universe

Bought and paid for

I wonder if the Talons Disc will include the documentary where they go to the schools and interview the kids. Its a treasured extra to me as it features my School.... Smallwood Infants and Juniors in Tooting. In the sequences where they show the playground I am front and centre playing with my friends

The trailer shows that it's in HD and has a new Revisited feature presented by Tony Hadoke, returning to interview the children now.

[Si Parallel Universe]

Originally Posted by CelestialAgent

The trailer shows that it's in HD and has a new Revisited feature presented by Tony Hadoke, returning to interview the children now.

As long as it includes the original. I wasn't interviewed myself but they filmed other kids playing in the playground