A Tribute to Kate O'Mara (The Rani Tales)

On 30th March this year legendary actress Kate O'Mara passed away in Sussex after a short battle with cancer. She was 74. A stalwart of British acting and a firm favourite she appeared in everything from 'The Saint' to 'The Brothers' and achieved lead roles in classic series such as the BBC's ill fated 'Triangle' to the hugely successful 'Dynasty' filmed primarily in Los Angeles, her career was varied and extensive. For me though I always associate O'Mara with her two appearances in 1980's Doctor Who, the Colin Baker story 'The Mark of the Rani' in 1985 and Sylvester McCoy's debut 'Time and the Rani' broadcast on BBC One in September 1987 in which she played the evil Timelord 'The Rani' a character created by regular mid 80's Who writers, husband and wife team Pip & Jane Baker. Hardly regarded as a high point in the series' history I nevertheless have a great fondness for both stories, the positive greatly outweighing the negative in my view, although I'm sure the 80's Doctor Who haters who gleefully pick apart stories from the period with biol and vitriol on internet forums across the world (even today) will disagree with me. This however is my honest and I hope objective review of the appearances O'Mara made in Doctor Who written from the perspective of a great fan of the classic series of the show who has seen every existing episode of the programme. I'll also be touching on the DVD releases of these two stories, released in 2006 and 2010 respectively, featuring a hoard of special features and points of interest in regards to this review. 

Note: This review is mostly commenting on behind the scenes trivia and production details, not plot details or synopses.

Colin Baker as the Doctor with Anthony Ainley as the Master and Kate O'Mara as the Rani

THE MARK OF THE RANI

This story has two 45 minute episodes, as was the format for this experimental season breaking away from the shows original 25 minute episode format that had been the norm since the show first aired on 23rd November 1963. This story follows 'Vengeance on Varos' a classic of the Colin Baker era and is part of his first full season as the Doctor. His companion Peri (played by Nicola Bryant) had been with the series since 'Planet of Fire' the penultimate Peter Davison story aired the year before. The story has a wonderful start, developing the Victorian setting (filmed primarily at Blists Hill Victorian Park in Madeley, Shropshire) with some excellent accompanying music from Jonathan Gibbs. 

John Lewis (friend of ex Radiophonic Workshop musician and the originator of the TARDIS sound Brian Hodgson) was originally hired to score this story but he sadly died of AIDS after completing a score for Part One. His work was ultimately dropped in favour of the continuity of having Jonathan Gibbs write a score for both episodes. The location work orchestrated by director Sarah Hellings is overall very impressive. A newcomer who would later direct episodes of 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' (previously reviewed on this blog) amongst other celebrated series for Granada she had previously filmed at the location for an outside broadcast feature on 'Blue Peter' as confirmed in the DVD extras. She directs the story with considerable flair which sets it apart from some of the more banal direction of this season of Who (the 22nd season). The Doctor and Peri’s cantankerous relationship is beginning to soften at this point of the series which is a relief, but there a still a few unnecessary moments of argument between them!

The Mark of the Rani demonstrates a consistent certainty with many BBC productions, namely give the Beeb a period drama and they will nail it! Aside from the fact that the Master’s tissue compression eliminator looks like a black dildo and that this was probably Anthony Ainley’s least favourite Master story, his rapport with Kate O’Mara as the Rani and the balance of contempt but also respect they have for each other is both entertaining and effective. The Master fears the scheming nature of the Rani and this caution and frailty is interesting when we consider the Master’s previous portrayals. As Pip & Jane Baker explain in the excellent accompanying documentary 'Lords and Luddites' the Master and the Rani are distinctly different, as the former is immoral and the latter amoral. At this stage of the series Anthony Ainley had been starring as the Master for four years and would return to the series in the following season and then again for the final broadcast classic Doctor Who story 'Survival' in 1989. This is the Rani's debut story and Kate O'Mara's first appearance both in the series and as this character. She had originally been asked to appear as Miss Dawson in the early Jon Pertwee story 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' but she was unavailable and the role ultimately went to Thomasine Heiner. Her role as the Rani is fondly remembered in what would become Doctor Who's most troubled period. During the transmission of the following story 'The Two Doctors' featuring the return of Patrick Troughton as the Doctor it was announced that the series was to be 'rested' for 18 months. The official reason for this was that the BBC needed more money for new programming, such as a soap opera called 'Eastenders'. I wonder happened to that? Of course, as is well known by the Doctor Who fan base the new BBC One Controller Michael Grade and new Head of Serials Jonathan Powell had no liking for the programme, despite its success. They had originally planned to axe the programme, but due to public outcry this was changed to a mere hiatus. 

Colin Baker as the Doctor with Peri as played by Nicola Bryant 

Getting back to the story, one of my problems with it is the cliffhanger to Part One and reprise in Part Two. This is the only example in the shows history of what I will term a 'cheat cliffhanger' in that what we see at the end of Part One differs from what happens in the reprise. However I can forgive this in part due to the excellent visuals achieved from a mixture of tracking shots, close ups and and minicam work from Hellings. The dialogue and the story by Pip & Jane Baker is not bad at all and of the three stories they wrote ('Terror of the Vervoids', 'Time and the Rani' and also 'The Ultimate Foe Part 2') it's probably the strongest. One criticism of their writing though would be the limited part they write for Peri, the Doctor seemingly spends a lot of time telling Peri to go away and keep out of danger. From a design point of view the Rani’s Tardis (although overlit, like most of the studio sets) is really quite good. The Tyrannosaurus Rex embryo’s aren't too bad in long shot but the full ‘growing’ version looks rubbery and lifeless and lets down the production a tad towards the end as do the slightly wobbly fake trees, the by-product of one of the Rani's traps at Redfern Dell. 

In regards to the 2006 DVD release the special features represent a time when the Restoration Team and 2 Entertain were at their peak (unlike the last few releases which were transparently affected by a considerable budget cut), a full 45 minute documentary called Lords and Luddites, a Now and Then location film, deleted scenes, a look into the music produced for the story, a chance to hear John Lewis’s score for the first episode and Saturday Superstore and the Blue Peter feature Sarah Hellings directed in the late 1970's which influenced her location choices for this story. As with all of the Who DVD releases a commentary (featuring Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Kate O'Mara) is included. 

At the 2006 commentary track recording for the story. From left to right Nicola Bryant, Colin Baker and Kate O'Mara

TIME AND THE RANI

This story is the first to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and the last featuring Kate O'Mara as the Rani. Colin Baker had been dismissed by Michael Grade and Jonathan Powell from the role of the Doctor following the 14 part story 'The Trial of a Timelord' broadcast from September - December 1986. The programme's schedule was also changed as it was put up against Coronation Street on Tuesday evenings (in another blatant attempt to kill the show). It would continue however for another two years with McCoy at the helm. 

This story is one of four to feature a pre title sequence (in this story it is the Doctor's regeneration) the others being Peter Davison's debut story 'Castrovalva' in 1982, the 20th Anniversary story 'The Five Doctors' and the Season 25 opener 'Remembrance of the Daleks' broadcast a year after this. This story like 'The Mark of the Rani' has the benefit of some good location work at three quarries in Frome, Somerset and some exciting direction from former Blake's 7 director Andrew Morgan (his first story for the series, his last would be the following season's 'Remembrance of the Daleks'). The Lakertyan make-up is very effective, as is the design of the Rani's bat like slaves the Tetraps and some excellent special and video effects (achieved by Colin Mapson, Mike Tucker and Dave Chapman) make the episode rather stylish for Doctor Who standards, marking the first time the series used CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). 

The Rani (Kate O'Mara) with a Tetrap

Kate O’Mara is on top form here, clearly relishing the opportunity to have a story to herself and be the Doctor's only enemy for this story. This story also marks the debut of a new title sequence and theme tune for the new Doctor, the latter being arranged by Keff McCulloch who also provides some sparky incidental music which helps what is otherwise a rather ridiculous regeneration sequence, the reasons for the Doctor's regeneration being somewhat confused, compounded by Colin Baker not being present for the changeover, forcing McCoy to wear his ill fitting costume and a curly blond wig! Less than 15 minutes in Sylvester McCoy plays the spoons, a talent the actor had that had been recognised by producer John Nathan-Turner who wanted it included in this story and also highlighting his initially comedic portrayal of the role which would get much darker as his tenure progressed. 

Kate O'Mara doing her Mel impression with Bonnie Langford as Mel and Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor

Much of this story requires The Rani to pretend to be the Doctor's companion Mel (as played by Bonnie Langford) which is totally ridiculous but O’Mara’s engaging performance makes it bearable and actually very well observed and funny. The line “You don’t understand Regeneration Mel, it’s a lottery and I’ve drawn a short plank’ sums up the difficult regeneration the Doctor has in this story, hence his initial confusion to who Mel is and who the Rani is!  McCoy picking his new costume in the TARDIS is not unlike Tom Baker’s opening story ‘Robot’ and he notably tries on both Tom Baker's final costume (designed by June Hudson for Season 18) and Peter Davison's Doctor costume. The cliffhanger to Part One is very effective with a real sense of peril, the Rani’s traps wonderfully realised on screen, much better than they had been in ‘The Mark of the Rani’. The gun carried by the Ikona complete with glitter effect is a bit silly however! Mel as a companion is better than everyone says but her screaming is a very annoying in this story, she seems to have digressed from her character development in 'The Trial of a Timelord' stories 'Terror of the Vervoids' and 'The Ultimate Foe' where she is gutsy in the face of the Doctor's adversaries. The lighting in this story is a mixture of overlit and soft but it works well in this rather flamboyant production. Aside from my misgivings about Langford's performance in this story, the background of Mel as a computer expert is nicely used in ‘Time and the Rani’ unlike any other story, she has worth and the Rani recognises it! 

The Rani is deliciously evil, her costume in particular is better here than in the previous story in which she featured. Costume Designer Ken Trew (who died on January 11th this year) worked on this story, and he has the notable distinction of designing the Master's first costume in the series, for the 1971 story 'Terror of the Autons' the character then being played by Roger Delgado, and the final costume for 1989's 'Survival' the role then being helmed by Anthony Ainley. This blog post is also dedicated to him and the wonderful work he did for the series. A bit of trivia worth noting is that the title sequence is different in Part 4 when darker version of Sylvester McCoy’s winking face was used by mistake. This had originally been a test sequence of the titles that were dropped by producer John Nathan-Turner who feared that they were not distinctive enough, meaning that the image of McCoy's face was brightened for the final version. This mistake was corrected for the video release of this story in 1995, but the Restoration Team (thankfully) have restored this error for the DVD version remaining true to the original version.

Whilst it is true that the production fails in some respects (notably director Andrew Morgan was very unhappy with it) overall 'Time of the Rani' is an unfairly maligned story that overcomes many of its initial challenges from a time when the Beeb well and truly wanted Doctor Who dead (it is important to note that this series was thrown together in about half the time as would of been the norm). 'Time and the Rani' is great fun and a nice break from the overbearing, overlong elements of the previous story ‘The Trial of a Timelord’ and its main highlight is Kate O'Mara's superb performance as the Rani, only second to the Master as a classic foe of the Doctor's. Again the 2010 DVD release is superb, the picture clarity is excellent and there are a hoard of special features and a commentary from Sylvester McCoy, Bonnie Langford and writers Pip & Jane Baker with Kate O'Mara featuring in three of the special features 'The Last Chance Saloon' a documentary focussing on the shows troubled times during the making of the story, a small feature called 'Hot Gossip' in which O'Mara discusses her long term friendship with co-stars Wanda Ventham and Donald Pickering who feature in 'Time and the Rani' and the onset shenanigans that occurred on set and a 1987 Somerset news feature looking at the filming of the story on location.

Sadly, although O'Mara was keen to reprise the role of the Rani in an episode of the grossly overrated new series she never had the chance before her untimely death. Her personal life was sadly full of tragedy and the death of her son less than two years ago cannot of helped her own fragile health (she had been poorly since 2012) and it is perhaps unfortunate that this supremely talented film, television and theatre actress is most remembered for her short lived starring role in 'Dynasty' and the BBC's lamentable 'Triangle' series. She was much loved by her colleagues for being a warm, gregarious and funny person who was devoted first and fore-mostly to the theatre and of course to her legions of fans. The hundreds of tributes to O'Mara from people in the industry is a testament to that. Her output was so prolific that I look forward to coming across more performances from O'Mara as I look through my vintage film and television collection and add to it! A wonderful character actress, performer and by all accounts person, O'Mara will be sorely missed and I regret the fact that of the many actors I have met O'Mara was not one of them. This blog post is dedicated to her. 

Kate O'Mara in 2013 

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to the BBC and 2Entertain. The next review will be on the much loved ATV series 'Timeslip'. 

Star Maidens (Battle of the Sexes in Space!)

Star Maidens is a curio amongst the crowded halls of science fiction television. An Anglo-German production featuring a mixture of both English and German actors, Star Maidens was produced by Portman Productions and distributed by German and Scottish companies. Filmed at Bray Studios (famous for being the original home of Hammer Horror) in Berkshire, the show was made by a number of personnel who had been involved with 'Space: 1999' the big budget science fiction drama that premièred in September 1975, most notably special effects designer Brian Johnson who worked in the same capacity on 'Space: 1999' who, here creates a similar look and tone, just on a massively reduced budget. Gareth Thomas who would later appear in the excellent 'Children of the Stones' and play the lead character Roj Blake in 'Blake's 7' plays Shem the reluctant male escapee from Medusa in this programme, with Derek Farr playing Professor Evans (he would later guest appear in 'Blake's 7). Two of the show's female leads Judy Geeson (Fulvia) and Lisa Harrow (Liz Becker) had also guest starred in 'Space: 1999' before they appeared in Star Maidens.

Adam and Shem, the two male domestics wishing to escape the constraints of Medusa, as played by Pierre Brice and Gareth Thomas

Star Maidens links with other classic science fiction series makes it of great interest. Created and often written by Eric Paice (who had previously written for 'The Avengers') the show is a sex comedy which follows the exploits of two male domestics Adam (played by French actor Pierre Brice) and Shem as they escape from the dominant rule of their home planet Medusa by women. The programme explores the theme of role reversal in great depth, the initial episodes setting up the story of Adam and Shem as they arrive on earth after stealing a Medusan spacecraft, the later episodes dealing with the predicament of Rudi Schmidt (Christian Quadflieg) and Liz Becker (two scientists from earth) as they are taken hostage and live out their lives in the peculiar society of Medusa.

Judy Geeson and Lisa Harrow with a Medusan robot 

This thirteen episode mini series, each episode running to 25 minutes in length is often a little light on story, the second episode 'Nemesis' is essentially a run-around as the earth's police force fail to catch Adam and Shem and notably features the hilarious line "There are two funny men stealing our apples" as Adam and Shem raid a local farm for food, but the whole thing has a certain charm and is overall very enjoyable.

The late Dawn Addams and German actress Christiane Kruger also had key roles in the series

 
Despite the low budget, the production values aren't too bad, the Medusa set for example is quite expansive and visually interesting and there is plenty of earthbound location footage (all shot in Berkshire). The Medusan women (and many of the men) are gorgeous and Judy Geeson is excellent as Fulvia (long before Inseminoid!) but the curious blond streaks in the male domestics hair takes some getting used to, particularly if your used to seeing Gareth Thomas (a particular victim of the hair dye) in his Roj Blake persona. It's a pity that the series was shot on cheap 16mm colour film as the results are a bit jumpy when viewed today, but this series all in all is very good fun. Sit back, relax and don't take it too seriously, this is well worth purchasing on DVD!

The sizeable main set of the planet Medusa built at Bray Studios for the series

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to Portman Productions Delta Entertainment and ITV. The first seven of my Screenprick reviews are edited and embellished versions of reviews I have previously published on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) under the account name 'The Valeyard'. Reviews Seven and Nine will be brand new reviews posted on this blog first! The next review will be a tribute to the late actress Kate O'Mara who died on 30th March. I will be reviewing the two Doctor Who stories she appeared in 'The Mark of the Rani' and 'Time and the Rani'. 

Adam Adamant Lives! (An Edwardian Avengers Shot On Videotape!)

Adam Adamant Lives! is very much a product of its time. Produced by Verity Lambert who had acted as producer on the first two seasons of 'Doctor Who' and created by 'The Avengers' creator Sydney Newman (who also created Doctor Who) the show was made on a shoestring budget by the BBC on a disorientating mixture of film and videotape, as was the industry norm at the time. With one episode being produced every week the production is understandably often shaky and rushed (demonstrated by the behind the scenes takes released as a special feature on the exemplary DVD release) but nonetheless some excellent material was produced during its short run between 1966-1967. 

A frame from the title sequence of the show, Gerald Harper starred as the lead Adam Adamant in the series

The shows central protagonist is the wonderful Adam Adamant, a hero from Edwardian times, who during an encounter with his mortal enemy 'The Face' is cryogenic-ally frozen and remains hidden in this frozen state for 64 years, eventually being re-discovered again in 1966. The casting is excellent, Gerald Harper gives a wonderful performance as Adam Adamant, a hero from the Edwardian era, unaccustomed and often outraged by the starkly different society he has been thrown into. Harper plays the character as a pure gentlemen, a charmer to the ladies despite his naivety of modern times, and they often serve as a enticement towards danger for Adamant in the series! Juliet Harmer makes an excellent sidekick in the form of Georgina Jones, a young woman who is the epitome of the swinging sixties and the wonderful Jack May as the Butler Simms who always can be relied upon to add a touch of humour to the programme.

Gerald Harper and Juliet Harper as his trendy young sidekick Georgina Jones

The show is quite rightly regarded as a cult, its premise is nothing less than inspired and certainly extremely memorable, earning the programme much following during its forty odd years existence. The opening episode 'A Vintage Year for Scoundrels' with a guest performance from the brilliant Freda Jackson is good fun and sets up the story nicely. Unfortunately the following episodes are generally quite poor, both 'More Deadly Than The Sword' and 'Allah Is Not Always With You' feature dreadful racial stereotypes which date the programme considerably. Thankfully the series improved as it went along with the excellent 'The Sweet Smell of Disaster' by Robert Banks Stewart, no doubt an influence for the classic Doctor Who story 'Terror of the Autons' and the Brian Clemens script 'The Terribly Happy Embalmers' which put the programme as close as it has ever been to 'The Avengers' territory, Clemens notably being a regular writer and later producer for 'The Avengers'. Many see Adam Adamant Lives! as a attempt to emulate the success of the aforementioned programme, and there are certainly many similarities. In terms of production values Adam Adamant Lives! could never really compete. As the programme stuck rigidly to the common practice of film and videotape production, 'The Avengers' had just premiered its fourth season with Diana Rigg's Emma Peel as the new sidekick and new glittering production values which included an extra week for production (every episode was recorded in two weeks) and with American backing behind them, 'The Avengers' team also had a lot more money behind them. Adam Adamant Lives! could never afford the slick style of 'The Avengers'. As a result of this the direction of the programme is quite often industry standard for the time, making it easily distinguishable from the polished direction of 'The Avengers' or any of the ITC action series it was competing against during its original run. However, there are some exceptions. The excellent Ridley Scott shows off some of his early talent in the only surviving episode he directed 'The League of Uncharitable Ladies' which comes complete with some slick location footage and freeze frames aplenty and the late Paul Ciappessoni also directed some memorable work, as did the excellent Moira Armstrong who helmed probably the finest existing episode 'Black Echo' an early episode from the second season with a guest appearance from legendary actress Gladys Cooper, who had recently returned to the UK from the States where she had an extremely successful career, appearing as a guest star in the original 'Twilight Zone' and 'The Outer Limits' amongst other classic series. Other notable guest stars include Patrick Troughton (soon to be the second Doctor in 'Doctor Who') television favourite T.P McKenna and John Le Mesurier from 'Dads Army'.

Patrick Troughton guest stars in the classic episode 'D for Destruction', the final episode from the first season

The show ran for two seasons and 29 episodes before being cancelled in 1967 after it failed to continue with any considerable success. Verity Lambert would later consider the show as a bit of a failure and it's a shame that it was never given the chance to grow on audiences, and perhaps more importantly that it was never given a bigger budget. Certainly the 17 episodes that remain are a mixed bag of the brilliant, to the quirky to the downright awful. Other than the episodes already mentioned, essential viewing includes 'The Last Sacrifice', 'Sing a Song of Murder', 'The Village of Evil' and 'A Sinister Sort of Service'. It is a tragic shame like so many other series that 12 episodes of Adam Adamant Lives! are missing, only two episodes exist from the Second Season and seeing as they are two of the best it is a great disappointment that more does not exist. Despite its flaws Adam Adamant Lives! is a fascinating piece of 60's television, one which brilliance often lies with its fantastic premise and solid performances from the lead actors rather than its execution. Not a classic, but worth a watch. To use that old cliché 'They don't make them like this anymore!'.

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to BBC Television. The first seven of my Screenprick reviews are edited and embellished versions of reviews I have previously published on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) under the account name 'The Valeyard'. Review Eight will be a brand new review posted on this blog first! The next review will focus on 'Star Maidens'. 

Star Trek: The Animated Series (A Curio of the Star Trek Franchise)

Star Trek The Animated Series came about in 1973 following the cancellation of the original live action series in 1969. Produced by Filmation under the direction of animator Hal Sutherland the series closed a gap in between the cancellation of the original series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture which was produced in 1979. The show was born due to Star Trek's increasing popularity following its repeats through syndication in the early 1970's. With a considerable potential audience the Animated Series of Star Trek was a smart move at the time, with Paramount unwilling to finance a brand new live action series. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and later George Takei, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett were all keen to return to voice the characters they had played in the original series and original series writer and script editor D.C Fontana was brought in to ensure a knowledgeable hand had control over the scripts brought in for the series. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry acted as a 'Executive Consultant' and original series writers including David Gerrold, Samuel A. Peeples and Margaret Armen wrote for the programme. Walter Koenig was not able to return as Chekov due to budgetary restrictions, but he did pen the excellent episode 'The Infinite Vulcan'.

The crew of the Starship Enterprise as seen in Star Trek: The Animated Series

Theoretically the animated series allowed the production team to be more imaginative in its creation of monsters and alien worlds, achieving results that would be impossible for a live action series. The show is certainly atmospheric, the limited animation is generally used to great effect and the layout artists do a fantastic job of conjuring unearthly settings. The writing is generally top notch, the stories rarely simplified for the younger audience it was largely intended for, with many adult themes running throughout. The fantastic 'Yesteryear' the only script contributed by D.C Fontana for the series is truly brilliant, a fascinating insight into Spock's childhood which one could imagine as an Original Series episode. The programme is often harshly criticised for its crude animation (an industry trait at the time) which admittedly is very repetitive. The reuse of certain monsters does become noticeable, certainly the usage of monsters is considerable, countering the limitations the series had experienced in its live action format and certainly a good monster or two will keep the children entertained. Another criticism usually levelled is at the music in the series. I consider that criticism to be particularly unfair, the incidental cues (although recycled ad nauseum) are generally excellent, and the theme is a worthy homage of Alexander Courage's iconic original. Worthy of note is the initial unease of William Shatner and DeForest Kelley in the first few episodes with the voice-over format. Both fail to inject much emotion and enthusiasm into the performances initially but greatly improve by later episodes. DeForest Kelley later acknowledged that he found the voice work very difficult, not being able to interact with other actors. 

The three original Star Trek leads, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the late DeForest Kelley at a script read through for Star Trek The Animated Series 

The show is also noteworthy for its sequels to Original Series episodes, most notably the excellent 'More Tribbles, More Troubles' and 'Mudd's Passion'. Star Trek The Animated Series ran for two seasons between 1973 - 1975 with 22 episodes being produced. It remains a considerable curio in the Star Trek universe, finally being released on DVD in full in 2006. Generally the short twenty minute episodes are of excellent quality, if less developed than the original series episodes. Favourites include 'Yesteryear', 'More Troubles, More Tribbles', 'The Survivor', 'The Infinite Vulcan', 'The Magicks of Megas-Tu', (featuring a rare Stateside voice-over from 'Captain Scarlet' & 'UFO' actor Ed Bishop) 'The Abergris Element', 'Bem' and 'The Pirates of Orion', but the whole series makes a truly enjoyable watch.

It is a great shame that Gene Roddenberry would later 'decanonize' the animated series, as he did for a couple of the later Star Trek feature films. In many ways it is far better than later Star Trek spin-offs and features some truly excellent stories and visuals. More recently it has been remembered with greater affection and has become something of a cult. It is, despite its flaws a good piece of television and in my view a worthy addition to the Star Trek franchise. 

The Star Trek crew wearing their life support belts which premièred in the animated series 

Hal Sutherland, who directed the Season 1 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series. A fine animator, he started work with Disney and notably worked as an animator on 'Sleeping Beauty' in 1959. He was a founding member of Filmation and worked on many of its series. In semi retirement from the mid 1970's onwards, Sutherland concentrated on fine art painting and his work appeared in many galleries across the United States. He died on 16th January this year, aged 84. This blog entry is dedicated to him. 

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to Filmation & Paramount Pictures. The first seven of my Screenprick reviews are edited and embellished versions of reviews I have previously published on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) under the account name 'The Valeyard'. Review Eight will be a brand new review posted on this blog first! The next review will focus on  the classic BBC series 'Adam Adamant Lives'. 

Sapphire & Steel (A British Television Classic)

Sapphire and Steel follows a long line of great creativity in 1970's programming. The series had an incredibly short run, was shown on the rapidly dying ATV Network at a crisis time and was made on an very small budget. However, this never stopped it becoming one of the most memorable science fiction series ever made. There are so many reasons for this, and I will attempt to explain some of them in this brief summary. P.J Hammond was and is an incredibly intelligent and skilled writer, never one to talk down to his audiences, Hammond had contributed scripts to the highly successful Ace of Wands series and the anthology series Shadows before pitching the idea of Sapphire and Steel - or as it was originally known 'The Time Menders'. The idea took some time to catch on, but eventually it was picked up by ATV and filming began in January 1979. The series would run on ATV from 1979 to 1981 with Assignment Six being broadcast under the new 'ITV' name in 1982, although it had been filmed 18 months prior. At this stage ATV Productions were being amalgamated into the much larger Central Television Network, whose title cards appeared in replacement of ATV's when the final four episodes of the series were broadcast. 

Joanna Lumley as Sapphire and David McCallum as Steel

The appealing factors for ATV concerning Sapphire and Steel was the fascinating concept, the idea of two time travellers (elements from the stars) called to solve dangerous breaks in time, no one knows who they are and where they really come from, but they simply appear when they are needed. The other factor is that P.J Hammond was happy with the show being a low budget production, this in many ways was always the original intention. The strength of this lies in the nature of the material written by P.J Hammond and later writers Anthony Read and Don Houghton in Assignment Five. No major special effects were needed, sets could be small and few in number, the beauty of the concept is that it actually relied upon small, claustrophobic, poky settings to work and that's why in so many ways the series has stood the test of time. Throughout its three year run, the programme was (despite the restrictions) extremely well made, the excellent sets and wonderful low key lighting standing out as making the production particularly creepy and mysterious, in an era when television lighting tended to be hideously over-lit (you only have to look at early 1980's episodes of Doctor Who to realise that!) P.J Hammond's strength was working with the power of suggestion. No violence and very little blood is ever seen and yet the series was (and is) extremely frightening to audiences.

David Collings portrayed 'Silver' in the series.

Cyril Ornadel's marvellous music is also a highpoint. Subtle, often beautiful and deeply sinister, the music was a key ingredient that complimented the other qualities of the series perfectly. Another essential ingredient was the excellent casting. The programmes ITC connections allowed the series to hire two leads that many low budget shows would never have dreamt of. David McCallum is excellent as the cold and ruthless Steel, playing all of his scenes with astonishing conviction and subtlety, complimented by the excellent Joanna Lumley as Sapphire, a more compassionate character, but equally as sinister and unnerving in many instances. The series most sinister and alluring aspect is its consistent ambiguity! 

With two very solid lead actors at the helm, performances throughout the series are exceptionally good (the only exception being the woeful child actress playing the little girl in Assignment One). The supporting artists were never big names like the leads but they still gave tremendous performances. The excellent David Collings as Silver, a superb, quirky actor (now also known for his terrific performances in Doctor Who and Blake's 7) John Golightly, Edward De Souza and the particularly excellent Gerald James, who plays Tully in Assignment Two (one of the finest stories). The final sequence where Steel gives up Tully for sacrifice is a highlight of the series. The scene is heart wrenching, tense and poignant, with actor Gerald James easily matching the marvellous acting talents of David McCallum as he has an inkling of his impending fate. Beautifully directed and acted, with exceptional music, the audience have a real sense of sympathy for Tully, by all accounts a nice individual, an ordinary man who is ultimately consumed by darkness. Steel watches and listens emotionless as Tully gives a final wave, and screams. Probably the most memorable scene (that and Sapphire's mind being taken over by Darkness - in Assignment Two) in the entire series.

Our protagonists in Assignment Two 'The Railway Station'

Generally speaking every story is memorable, thought provoking incredibly complex and intelligent, and therefore deserves a huge amount of respect. The writing and the excellent direction (often the supremely talented Shaun O'Riordan) is top notch. From a modern day perspective the series is admittedly very slow in its pacing, but this is part of the overall style, the laboured realisation of ideas adds to the suspenseful tension and intrigue of the story lines. This is also not a series to watch if you want answers (much is left to the imagination) the lead characters are an enigma themselves, and to this extent the series can be likened to the equally excellent 'The Prisoner' or 'Children of the Stones'. But if you want intelligent, memorable and thought provoking drama, with wonderful elements of science fiction and fantasy, Sapphire and Steel is the one for you. Essential watching includes Assignments Two, Three, Four and Six, but all have something to offer.

On location on a rooftop in London! The only outside broadcast footage to feature in the normally studio bound series. This still comes from 'Assignment Three'. 

Assignment One suffers from its toned down nature (the programme was originally scheduled in a 5pm timeslot!) Assignment Five (penned by Anthony Read & Don Houghton) is more standard fare than the P.J Hammond episodes but all beat the hideously generic, repetitive and self obsessed drama that is modern day television. P.J Hammond has more recently written for Torchwood (which is a fine showcasing of all of those negative qualities). 

Because of its very nature many of the episodes stand up better now than some Doctor Who stories (which always tried to be more ambitious with a similar budget) in production value terms and equally well in the script writing quality as say Doctor Who or Blake's 7. Like the latter series Sapphire and Steel had a poignant downbeat ending. A remarkable, well acted series, a fine example of television of its era, an era we may sadly never see again.

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to ITV Television. The first seven of my Screenprick reviews are edited and embellished versions of reviews I have previously published on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) under the account name 'The Valeyard'. Review Eight will be a brand new review posted on this blog first! The next review will focus on 'Star Trek: The Animated Series'. 

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Farewell Jeremy Brett)

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes marks the end of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett. Collectively the series ran for ten years and in its time picked up a huge following from devoted Doyleans to the general public seeking a good evening drama to pass an hour with. The performances of Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes and Edward Hardwicke as Dr. Watson (who took over the role from David Burke in The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1986) were and are widely celebrated as the best Holmes and Watson, Brett mastering the darkness of Holmes, as well as his warmth for his friend Dr. Watson, his astute deductive powers and extraordinary charisma. Edward Hardwicke (my personal favourite Watson) ably followed on from David Burke's previous characterisation, making the character intelligent, observant and loyal to his best friend Sherlock.

Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke, the definite Holmes and Watson in the first episode of the Memoirs series 'The Three Gables' broadcast in early 1994.

The Granada series was the most faithful, most detailed Sherlock Holmes production ever made, almost without exception Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories were respected to the letter. The six episode Memoirs series however was beset with problems during its production, and had the misfortune to directly follow on from a shaky era in the Granada franchise. Following the previous series 'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes', Granada departed from the usual fifty minute episode format for the programme and instead commissioned three two hour feature length episodes from the material that was left of the original Doyle stories. Although 'The Master Blackmailer' was widely celebrated by fans of the series, as it remained generally faithful to the original, the following two feature episodes 'The Last Vampyre' and 'The Eligible Bachelor' based on two more of Doyle's weakest short stories received harsh reviews from the critics and Holmes devotees alike, due to its general abandonment of Doyle's original text. This damaged the reputation of the Granada series and it was only due to a gap in the schedules that producer June Wyndham Davies was able to go ahead with a new six part series, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, which much to the delight of Jeremy Brett, who began to dislike the two hour adaptations, returned the series to its original fifty minute format. Brett had also ensured that the series maintained its faithfulness to Doyle's stories due to his insistence that he would never play the role again unless the programme was loyal to Doyle's writings. The return to the original format helped the programme get back on track, but sadly the writers were still stuck with the barrel scrapings of the short stories.

What the production team produced with this material is, in my view, nothing short of inspiring, the Granada Sherlock Holmes series as a whole is of such outstanding quality that it is difficult to imagine a better television drama, let alone a better adaptation of a cultural icon. Memoirs however does suffer from various production problems which producer June Wyndham Davies fought endlessly to get the series completed. The first episode produced 'The Golden Pince Nez' had to be made without Edward Hardwicke as Watson. He was unavailable as he was working on a feature film at the time so he was replaced by the wonderful Charles Gray as Mycroft Holmes, a role he had played twice before in the Granada series. This was a minor hurdle, but worse was to come. Jeremy Brett's health had greatly declined after The Casebook series and during Memoirs he was very unwell. A sufferer of manic depression and a heart condition, during 'The Three Gables' he collapsed on set and his hospitalisation delayed filming for some time. He later became even more unwell after 'The Dying Detective' so for the adaptation of 'The Mazarin Stone' (which due to shortage of material includes material from another short story 'The Three Garridebs') Charles Gray returned to the series as Mycroft Holmes, Mycroft's part filling in entirely for Sherlock as Brett was once again hospitalised. 

Charles Gray played Mycroft Holmes in two episodes of Memoirs 'The Golden Pince Nez' and 'The Mazarin Stone'

Jeremy Brett returned to the role for 'The Cardboard Box' the finale of the series, which is arguably the finest episode of the production. Unsurprisingly this would mark Jeremy Brett's final appearance as Sherlock Holmes. Despite its production problems The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes continues the high standards that we would expect from a Granada production. The visuals are stunning, with the excellent directors Peter Hammond and Sarah Hellings chosen to helm the series. 'The Mazarin Stone' despite its affected production looks marvellous on screen, the final sequence in which Mycroft closes in on Count Sylvius is beautifully shot, the ethereal presence of Jeremy Brett's Holmes in a dark night mist provides an excellent conclusion to an uneven narrative of cobbled together short stories. Crucially also, the series is generally faithful to the original text, something which had been lacking in the previous two feature length episodes. I give this series ten out of ten for overcoming all odds and maintaining a high level of quality as fantastic television drama. I'd recommend the series to all Holmesians and fans of good television, every episode has something to offer. Despite his illness Jeremy Brett gives another superb performance as Sherlock Holmes, a part which he made his own, and arguably brought to life better than any other actor. Edward Hardwicke is equally brilliant as Dr. Watson and one feels sad that no more episodes were made. But perhaps, with the best material gone, it was for the best. What we have left is truly special. The Granada Sherlock Holmes series, is, in my view, one of the finest television drama series ever made and marks the end of a wonderful era for Sherlock Holmes, that may never be bettered.

The final episode of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, 'The Cardboard Box' was aired on 11th April 1994. Aside from small roles in two further feature films (unrelated to Holmes) it would be Brett's final work. He died of heart failure on 12th September 1995 aged just 61. Edward Hardwicke died on 16th May 2011 at the age of 78. Upon Brett's death his obituary in the New York Times would comment "Mr. Brett was regarded as the quintessential Holmes: breathtakingly analytical, given to outrageous disguises and the blackest moods and relentless in his enthusiasm for solving the most intricate crimes". Benedict Cumberbatch would study Brett's performance when preparing to take on the famous role for the first series of 'Sherlock' which made its debut on BBC One in 2009, brought to life wonderfully for the digital age by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. 

Although Brett himself felt he was always one step behind the character many would agree he made a perfect Holmes. It is of no surprise that casual viewers today associate Sherlock Holmes with either Basil Rathbone, the latest portrayer Benedict Cumberbatch or Jeremy Brett, the three actors who have arguably made the most indelible marks on the franchise. It'll be interesting to see whether Cumberbatch's impact on the character is as far reaching as Brett's has been. Either way Holmes's legacy is assured, and Jeremy Brett's contribution to that legacy is currently, in my opinion, unsurpassed. 

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to Granada Television and ITV c 1994. The first seven of my Screenprick reviews are edited and embellished versions of reviews I have previously published on IMDb (Internet Movie Database) under the account name 'The Valeyard'. Review Eight will be a brand new review posted on this blog first! A review of 'Sherlock' by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss will follow later in the year. The next review will be on the classic late 70's to early 80's ITV science fiction series 'Sapphire and Steel'. 

The Outer Limits (The Classic Series) A Review

The Outer Limits was (and is) a total rarity in the crowded halls of Science fiction. Produced on a very low budget by Daystar Productions (the production company owned by the series creator Leslie Stevens) and broadcast in America by ABC between 1963-65 as a contender to the hugely successful Rod Serling fantasy anthology series 'The Twilight Zone', the series explored some fascinating concepts (usually deep routed in a science fiction context) and was admirably non conformist in its execution. Far more intelligent and thought provoking than other enjoyable mainstream science fiction fare such as Lost in Space or even Star Trek, The Outer Limits challenged dominant ideologies beautifully in a number of episodes, 'Nightmare' being the finest example. 

The first season's production team of Leslie Stevens, Joseph Stefano (the man behind the screenplay for 'Psycho', and largely responsible for the series Gothic style) and Dominic Frontiere (whose chilling music characterised the Gothic nature of the series) the show was extremely well made. This was largely helped by a fantastic line up of directors, such as Byron Haskin, James Goldstone, Gerd Oswald and Laslo Benedek, and also Leslie Stevens himself who was responsible for the iconic opening, which has been parodied in so many series, even The Simpsons! Due to the flexible format of the series it could be almost anything, from a typical science fiction plot line to one of a Gothic horror (like the deservedly celebrated The Forms of Things Unknown). 

Like most series, however, there were some poor episodes along the way, such as the very poor and confusing 'Production and Decay of Strange Particles', 'The Hundred Days of the Dragon' and 'Specimen: Unknown' but all in all the first season of The Outer Limits was breathtakingly new and exciting, well written and well made. It is very hard to achieve this level of quality in any television series, but Leslie Stevens and his team had succeeded with relative ease. 

James Shigeta encounters the Ebonite Interrogator, played by the late John Anderson in the classic first season episode 'Nightmare'.

The most notable episodes from the first season include 'A Feasilibility Study', 'Fun and Games', 'Nightmare', 'The Galaxy Being', 'The Man Who Was Never Born', 'The Chameleon', 'Corpus Earthling' and 'The Guests'. Unfortunately like most things that are bold, new and most importantly non conformist the first season failed to live up to the expectations of the ABC executives and when a Second Season was commissioned the budget was drastically cut and the programme makers were ordered to make the show a more generic/mainstream fare. Joseph Stefano (who had worked extremely hard on achieving the look and quality of the first season) was understandably outraged by these suggestions and left immediately. He was followed by Dominic Frontiere and a number of the original production team that had all been crucial in the originality and success of the first season. This had a very negative effect on the following season.

Bizarrely, ABC chose Ben Brady (producer of Perry Mason) to replace Joseph Stefano for the new season and implement the desired changes. Brady turned the series into an unusual combination of Science fiction and Perry Mason, with the episodes 'The Expanding Human' and 'I. Robot' being the most blatant examples. The one excellent choice Brady did make was hiring Seeleg Lester as Story Consultant for the second series. Lester was an extremely talented television writer, and had a notable understanding of what The Outer Limits was all about. Perhaps because of him a number of the episodes are of fantastic quality. Some other benefits of the second season was that Brady was able to keep many of the original directors, including Byron Haskin and Gerd Oswald and a number of new writers were drafted in to provide scripts. The most notable of these is of course Harlan Ellison who provided two top notch stories 'Soldier' and 'Demon With A Glass Hand', the latter of which won two prestigious awards including 'Best Script for an Anthology Series'. Lester himself would also provide the excellent 'Wolf 359' and other classic episodes include 'The Dupicate Man', 'Cold Hands, Warm Heart', 'The Inheritors' and 'Keeper of the Purple Twilight'. Also, composer Harry Lubin produced some excellent, mysterious and moody music for the new season, and a memorable new theme (incorporating the eerie vibrations of the theremin (the ultimate electronic instrument) - even if a certain percentage of the music was recycled from his scores for the earlier anthology series 'One Step Beyond'.

Ikar from the second season classic 'Keeper of the Purple Twilight' 

Despite these successes however the series had lost its visual intensity and moral drive. Put in competition with the hugely successful 'Jackie Gleason Show' (in another attempt by ABC officials to kill the programme) the second season was axed after 17 episodes, ending on the mediocre episode 'The Probe'. Thus, one of the finest science fiction series ever produced had come and gone in a very short space of time. Maybe if the impatient ABC officials had waited a little longer when the programme was under the control of Stevens and Stefano the show would have lasted, but like so many television series, this was never allowed to be. 

Thankfully though, once the show entered syndication it picked up many new fans and gathered a cult status. Due to this, today the series has a considerable fan following, and a 1990's revival to keep its spirit alive. This is all thanks to the creative talent and genius of Leslie Stevens, Joseph Stefano and later Seeleg Lester for making a totally different series, one with many moral messages and one that was beautifully told, from the gothic art house film feel of 'Forms of Things Unknown', the fairytale like execution of 'The Guests' to the claustrophobic and shadowy 'Demon With A Glass Hand' each episode has something to offer. Truly television at its very best. The Outer Limits is a fine example of an era in television we may never see again.

Taking a left turn from television Science fiction my next blog review will be looking at 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' the last Granada series featuring the great detective to star the late Jeremy Brett in the lead role. This review originally posted on the Internet Movie Database in 2009 is being posted as a reflection on the increased interest in the character since his stories were re-imagined by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss for the digital age. A review of their Sherlock stories, the most recent series having received its début at the beginning of this year will be posted later in 2014. 


NOTE: I don't own the copyright to the pictures used in this blog post and all pictures are copyright to Daystar Productions and MGM.

The first seven of my Screenprick reviews are edited and embellished versions of reviews I have previously written and posted on IMDb (The Internet Movie Database) under the account name 'The Valeyard'. Review Eight will be a brand new review published on this blog first!