Doctor Who : Ghost Light

Starring: Patrick Troughton, William Hartnell Director: Chris Clough, David Maloney, Fiona Cumming, Michael E Briant, Pennant Roberts Original UK Premiere: 2004 Dvd Release: 20th September, 2004 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Both during the main run of the series from 1963 to 1989 & after its cancellation, numerous novels, comic strips, comic books & other material were generated based on the characters & situations introduced the show. These spin-offs continued to be produced even without a television series to support them & helped keep the show alive in the minds of its fans & the public. The programme is being revived in 2005. One aspect of Doctor Who spin-offs which makes them different from spin-offs from other science fictions franchises was that many of the television stars & writers have been directly involved in the production of the spinoffs & it has become very common for a former television character to reprise their characters in audio. The degree to which the spin-offs are canon is a topic of much discussion by Doctor Who fans.

Ghost Light is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in three weekly parts from October 4 to October 18, 1989. Thousands of years in the past, an alien spaceship came to Earth to catalogue all life on the planet. After completing its task & collecting some samples, which included a Neanderthal named Nimrod, the leader Light went into slumber. By 1881, events transpired such that a member of the crew, Control, became imprisoned by a creature who eventually took on the name of Josiah Samuel Smith. Smith also took over the house Gabriel Chase in Perivale, subjugating the occupants via some form of brainwashing. By 1883, Smith, having evolved into forms approximating a human & casting off his old husks as an insect would, managed to lure & capture the explorer Redvers Fenn-Cooper. Utilizing Fenn-Coopers association with Queen Victoria, he plans to get close to her so that he can assassinate her & subsequently take control of the British Empire. The Doctor & Ace arrive at Gabriel Chase.

Although broadcast order places SURVIVAL as the final DOCTOR WHO story - its really GHOST LIGHT that takes the final bow. While SURVIVAL ends with a more upbeat & open ended ending - its GHOST LIGHT that really helps to tie up some loose ends, character development & opens a lot more doors for the future. GHOST LIGHT is a great story - but within the WHO community there is a great divide between those that love the story & those that hate the story. I fall somehwere in the middle, but with a strong bias towards the love side of the arguement. Yes, there are problems with the story. What happens, why, how & to who & what for are often muddled. The story draws deep water on its Victorian roots, yet manages to whip around around the place like a over sugared two year old on skates - things just happen because they happen, with no real clear reason as to why. And by the end of the story were not so much left with an actual ending as a musing, a personal discovery. So, if youre looking for this story to follow the same path as previous DOCTOR WHO stories & have it simply handed to you... move on. But, if youre looking for atmosphere, tension, suspense, chills & ideas - then GHOST LIGHT is unlike many DOCTOR WHO stories that have come before it. Running only three episodes, its too short for all the material there, yet just long enough for it never to get too tired or simply run dry before the end . There just isnt enough time for the standard padding to fill it out... it just rolls on, taking you along for the ride. Its confusing. Its thought provoking. Its a cheat. Its a riddle. Its GHOST LIGHT, & its one of the best the series ever produced.

The DVD is outfitted with all the bells & whistles weve come to expect from the series. There is commentary & while solid, never rises to a boiling point . But there are some fun moments, & one glaring error as Sylvester McCoy is not present. Sophie Aldred does tell us that this is the story McCoy loved the most, so its a disappointment he could not be on hand to share his thoughts. Missing scenes add to the story & the highlight was SHOOTING GHOSTS a as it happened look at filming. Here we get to see everything happen at once... direction, actions, actors working on lines, marks, stopping & starting, laughs, mistakes, & everyone trying to beat the clock & get the day done. An excellent feature.

If youre a fan of DOCTOR WHO then GHOST LIGHT is a must... if not for the story, then as history marking the end of the original series. A great story, excellent performances & a well put together DVD. Highly recommended.

Patrick George Troughton was a versatile & prolific British actor. He is probably best known as the second actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, which he did from 1966 until 1969. He was also seen in the movie Jason & the Argonauts, in The Box of Delights & as Father Brennen in the movie The Omen. In 1983, Troughton was asked by then-series producer John Nathan-Turner to appear in the 20th anniversary story The Five Doctors. Troughton agreed & also went along with Nathan-Turner to appear on behalf of the series at conventions the world over. Apprehensive at first, Troughton was later so delighted at the prospect of appearing in support of the show that he readily agreed to appear one more time as the Doctor with Colin Baker s Sixth Doctor in The Two Doctors. Troughtons sons, David & Michael are both well-known actors on stage & screen. Posters Of The Omen

Editors Choice: Ghost Light, Doctor Who, Resurrection Of The Daleks, The Omen, Carnival Of Monsters, The Green Death, The Two Doctors, Tomb Of The Cybermen, View DVDology

William Henry Hartnell, a British actor, was the first actor to play the lead role of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who. Often known as Billy, he was educated at home & at Imperial Service College. After training as a jockey & boxing, he entered the theatre in 1924. The first of more than sixty film appearances was Say It With Music in 1932. Hartnell usually played comic characters, until 1944 with the robust role of sergeant Ned Fletcher in The Way Ahead. From then on, he played mainly policemen, soldiers & thugs, like Dallow in Brighton Rock. He appeared first on television in The Army Game from 1957-61 & in 1963 gave up movies & took the lead in Doctor Who, for which he is now most widely known. He was a tough person to work with, according to the documentation about him.

Editors Choice: Ghost Light, Resurrection Of The Daleks, Doctor Who, Carnival Of Monsters, The Green Death, The Web Planet, Pyramids Of Mars, The Ark In Space, View DVDology

David Maloney is a British television director & producer. He is best known for his work on various science-fiction series, directing several instalments of the hugely popular Doctor Who between 1969 & 1976. He also worked as a producer, overseeing the first three seasons of another popular BBC science-fiction series, Blakes 7, during the late 1970s & early 80s. He also produced the BBCs famous 1981 adaptation of John Wyndham s novel Day of the Triffids.

Editors Choice: Ghost Light, Doctor Who, Blakes 7, Resurrection Of The Daleks, Carnival Of Monsters, The Green Death, Spearhead From Space, Tomb Of The Cybermen, View DVDology

Micheal E Briant is best known as a British television director, but he is also a producer & actor. When Michael was 21 he joined the BBC as an assistant floor manager in the drama department & a year later became a Production Assistant. In 1966 he took a Directors Course & whilst doing so he directed series such as Z-Cars & Doctor Who. During his time on Doctor Who, he had directed episodes such as Revenge of the Cybermen, The Robots of Death & The Sea Devils. He also appeared in both Revenge of the Cybermen & The Sea Devils, though it was only his voice that was heard. In the 1980s he went onto working directing episodes of the soap opera EastEnders, working with Julia Smith & Tony Holland, whom he had worked with on Z-Cars. Micheal E. Briant at the Internet Movie Database.

Editors Choice: Ghost Light, Doctor Who, Resurrection Of The Daleks, The Five Doctors, Secret Army, Blakes 7, Carnival Of Monsters, The Green Death, View DVDology

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