William Hartnell stars as the first Doctor in this classic four episode story from 1966, which pits the TARDIS crew against one of the most powerful enemies they have ever encountered.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The odd thing about Dr Who in the Sixties was that Bill Hartnell was forever going away on a fortnight's holiday! I've lost track of how many Dr Who releases the BBC have now done of Hartnell stories in which Peter Purves is left to carry the show single handed.
He has to do so in 'The Massacre', where Hartnell can't appear as both the Abbott and the Doctor; he has to do so in 'The Daleks Masterplan' when Hartnell is again absent; and also in 'The Time Meddler' - at a point at which he's only been in the Dr Who series for a mere 3 weeks!
If they could have squeezed the poor guy into 'Mission to the Unknown' (in which not only Hartnell but ALL of the regular cast was missing!) I'm sure they would have.
Happily, Peter Purves has real style and a ready wit, and never seems phased by what must have been rather a daunting prospect. Here, the Celestial Toymaker waves his hand and the Doctor becomes invisible for a couple of episodes (a pretty neat trick on an audio recording!), and is represented in the middle two episodes of this serial only by some occasional pre-recorded dialogue, leaving Steven and Dodo to give the Toymaker the runaround for a fortnight.
It's an enjoyable romp, enlivened too by the presence of Carmen Silvera (from the tv series 'Allo 'Allo) and that fine old character actor Campbell Singer, as our heroes' opponents in a series of deadly games, loosely based on children's nursery rhymes. And of course, to the youngsters in the audience in the 1960's, this gave the serial a particular edge - being menaced by their toys, which come to life and then try to kill Steven and Dodo.
On the surface, to us now as adults, the story is just a charming fantasy. But with playing cards, nursery rhyme characters and Billy Bunter all coming to life at the drop of a hat, and turning out to be lethal, it somehow didn't seem quite so harmless at the time...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Amon Avis
Format:Audio CD
Story: 8/10 (Doctor contracts invisibility in an immortal's deadly nursery).
Another lost story (only episode 4 of 4 survives) from the experimental third series, this sideways tale divides fans like few others. A tiny but top notch cast powerfully sell this truly sinister nursery tea. The often underrated Purves is on good dryly humorous form; Singer and Silvera make a strong double act; and Peter Stephen's overweight middle-aged schoolboy is thoroughly creepy! Best of all Gough is the embodiment of urbane evil as the Toymaker, the hints at the Doctor's past encounters are tantalising, and there's a real feeling that the Doctor's met his match.
In fact it was nearly the first "regeneration" story, as the then almost weekly changing production team wanted to move Hartnell on. He certainly is missed from the middle two episodes, roughly when you'll want to throttle Lane's Dodo for being quite so thick. If the games seem under powered (Blind Man's Buff, Hunt the Thimble, etc), for me their very English Victorian twee-ness is deeply unsettling alongside the increasingly violent means of dispatch on show. (NB There's a mistake in the narration in episode 3- Sgt Rugg is a soldier, not a policeman).
The indispensible Doctor Who - Lost In Time [DVD] [1963] contains episode 4, but the imagination probably exceeds the budget for the lost episodes. A great story for a listen.
Another lost story (only episode 4 of 4 survives) from the experimental third series, this sideways tale divides fans like few others. A tiny but top notch cast powerfully sell this truly sinister nursery tea. The often underrated Purves is on good dryly humorous form; Singer and Silvera make a strong double act; and Peter Stephen's overweight middle-aged schoolboy is thoroughly creepy! Best of all Gough is the embodiment of urbane evil as the Toymaker, the hints at the Doctor's past encounters are tantalising, and there's a real feeling that the Doctor's met his match.
In fact it was nearly the first "regeneration" story, as the then almost weekly changing production team wanted to move Hartnell on. He certainly is missed from the middle two episodes, roughly when you'll want to throttle Lane's Dodo for being quite so thick. If the games seem under powered (Blind Man's Buff, Hunt the Thimble, etc), for me their very English Victorian twee-ness is deeply unsettling alongside the increasingly violent means of dispatch on show. (NB There's a mistake in the narration in episode 3- Sgt Rugg is a soldier, not a policeman).
The indispensible Doctor Who - Lost In Time [DVD] [1963] contains episode 4, but the imagination probably exceeds the budget for the lost episodes. A great story for a listen.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Ben Frost
Format:Audio CD
I'm 13 years old and I hate the new Doctor Who series. Why not sit back and enjoy some light hearted and cheerful Doctor Who instead of the noisy, fast paced and modern rubbish? This story, The Celestial Toymaker, is a perfect example of the quiet and entertaining series that ignorant people don't understand. Don't let a few CSO effects and wobbly sets put you off a classic show that has been turned into a mess over 2006.
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3.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
again! again!
As usual the BBC give us a superbly presented soundtrack. The quality of the product and the linking narration is superb. Read more
Published on 21 July 2006 by Paul Tapner
1.0 out of 5 stars
A badly executed concept
I was aware that "The Celestial Toymaker", originally by Brian Hayles but extensively rewritten by two of the show's producers, had come to have a poor reputation in fandom before... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2006 by M. Wilberforce
1.0 out of 5 stars
A classic?!
I cannot understand why this story has so long been hailed as a classic. Bill Hartnell is on holiday for two episodes, the games become annoying and the whole mess just drags on... Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2001
2.0 out of 5 stars
Games but no fun
After leaving the planet Refusis, Steven and Dodo are amazed when the Doctor vanishes - but he is not gone, simply invisible. Read more
Published on 28 April 2001 by "grrreg"
5.0 out of 5 stars
the classic doctor who story
this is what early doctor who is about, strong characters a villan that you dispise and yet almost like and a third episode cliffhanger that really does leave you on the edge of... Read more
Published on 17 April 2001 by garethjohnhall@hotmail.com
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lost story dramatically brought to life on audio!!!
This is a fantastic audio of one of Hartnells lost stories. Only one episode exists on film so here is your chance to capture the other three. Read more
Published on 13 April 2001
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