Monday, 6 July 2020

Who Reviews Shada by Matt Rabjohns



Once upon a time there was a man named Douglas Adams. He had a story he had written for Doctor Who as the season closer for 1979. It was named Shada and it would be a six-part tale of epic proportions. It would have a villain who basically did not wish to control the universe, rather just want to make the universe one in his image. His name was Skagra and he would have been a truly unique and menacing foe. He was to have been aided by monstrous creatures named Kraargs. He would have had a special sphere that extracts the entirety of people's minds and the Doctor would foil the villain by letting the sphere take a copy of his mind, but not the original. In the end the Doctor would defeat Skagra's nefarious plan and Skagra would be imprisoned in his own ship for the rest of eternity.

The story began production and many scenes were shot, directed by Pennant Roberts. But then a stumbling block hit the production. There was a strike and sadly the story was then shockingly abandoned and the story would fade into the echelons of forgotten wonders of the show. Soon a video special of the incomplete serial would be released with linking narration performed by Thomas Stewart Baker. Then at the turn of the new century Paul McGann would star in a specially adapted audio version of the story for Big Finish productions. It would then get the full novelisation treatment by Gareth Roberts, who would embellish and streamline the story somewhat. But it would not be until sometime later that some bright sparks somewhere had the notion of making new animation for all the unrecorded scenes and splicing them then together with the recorded footage to at last make a complete story. Douglas Adams sadly would not live long enough to see his story completed, but his memory would at last be honoured.

That is the long and protracted history of Shada in a nutshell basically. 

Shada most avidly did deserve to finally be completed. It is a very ambitious story with a truly unique villain. It was a stroke of genius to have veteran actor Christopher Neame portray the soulless Skagra in this story. When the serial opens with him walking in a suitably ludicrous flowing white cape and over the top costume through the streets of Cambridge, he is totally scene stealing. Skagra comes over as one of the most self-centred and eccentric egomaniacs ever to be on the show. His drive for the single universal mind could have portrayed for laughs, but Christopher chooses to wisely play the role totally straight, and he is all the more memorable and brilliant for that.

Dennis Carey is very wonderful in the role of the dotty Time Lord Professor Chronotis, who has a dark secret which he has kept for centuries. He is so superb in the role, playing the absent-minded Professor with much aplomb and making him a pure delight to watch.

Daniel Hill is also very very good as Chris. He portrays the out of his depth every day Joe remarkably. Honestly, he had a strength of character good enough to make him a companion. The same can also be said for the performance by the wonderful Victoria Burgoyne as Claire Keightley. All the characters in this story are extremely well formed and it’s wonderful that the cast was so adept at appearing to each be made for the roles they played.

One of the other small delights is the excellent performance given by Gerald Campion as Wilkin. He is a man who knows the Doctor of all from his past visits to the college. I like his stoicism and that he is not even shown to be put out even by the sight of Skagra in an incongruous voluminous costume or the sight of a room that has been stolen!

One of the added extremely special extras for the new release of the completed story too is the treat of having Tom Baker back in full garb as the Doctor for the final scene of the show. This is an incredible scene and truly displays the fact that Tom most definitely still has all the magic in the role of the Doctor. This was such a great surprise and wonderful way to end the story. Although the only slight oddity is for this scene, they use the wrong costume, for in the majority of Shada he has his dark brown coat, yet here is depicted in his light brown coat. Not that I am complaining much though. The scene is still total Doctor Who awesomeness.

The Kraargs too look extremely effective as a monster. Fashioned from something alike to molten rock and the red/yellow glow off their skins makes them such a striking design. It is beyond me yet again why this brilliantly designed alien was not ever brought back again for the show later on, it deserved too.

Through the thrill and elation of having Shada finished it is hard to pinpoint any flaws in the story or the scripting. Scenes of the memory sphere chasing the Doctor through the city are very very well shot and tense. I love the little scene of the boys choir singing in the streets whilst the Doctor pedals past on bicycle with sphere in tow and none of them seem to notice this irregular oddity!

Had Shada been completed originally it would have been such a fresh and vibrant story with which to finish season 17. It has humour in the storytelling, but it is not grafted on, it springs from the drama and is there for memorable and successful. Season 17 comes in for a hard time of it in my opinion actually. Some say this is the season where Tom Baker grew out of control in the role of the Doctor and just was never hemmed in and so became increasingly hammy and ridiculous. Nonsense! The Doctor is just always the Doctor, even in this season.

It is a true joy therefore for fans that Shada has returned from the annals of myths and legends and grown finally into the completed serial it always deserved to be. Now we don't just have the scene of the Doctor and Romana punting on the river in the Five Doctors, now it is a complete and excellent addition to the Doctor Who mythos. And long may Shada and that mythos continue.

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