The Mothership The Life and Career of Jon Pertwee by Matt Rabjohns

John Devon Roland Pertwee was born in Chelsea, London on the 7th July 1919. His surname Pertwee was an anglicisation of the French surname "de Perthuis de Laillevault"! He was the son of screenwriter and actor Roland Pertwee and also the distant cousin of actor Bill Pertwee. His Mother, Avice Scholtz, broke up with his father when Jon was still young. The actor Henry Ainley was a close friend of Jon's father, and coincidentally was the father of Anthony Ainley who would of course one day act as the Master in Doctor Who, including a special 20th anniversary tale, The Five Doctors, where he appeared alongside Jon on screen. ​

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John went by the name Jon Pertwee through his acting career. He reportedly used this spelling as he was fed up of his name always being misspelt by all and sundry. Jon was also an avid fan of sports, particularly water sports. ​

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Jon was educated at several schools, and most of which he was also expelled from! His schools included Frensham Heights School in Surrey, and Sherborne School in Dorset. Soon after he completed his schooling Jon joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) where he was also to wind up being expelled because he did not wish to be cast as a Greek "Wind" during one of the lessons. Jon claimed this to be nothing short of a waste of his time and his father's money. He was also accused of writing graffiti about his tutors on the lavatory walls!

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Jon also performed for a short time in a school's circus where he rode "The Wall of Death" on a motorbike with none other than a toothless lion in the passenger sidecar. After a small stint in repertory theatre he was then contracted by the BBC as as actor.

With the event of the Second World War Jon spent six years working in the Royal Navy. He served aboard HMS Hood and he was transferred off the ship just three days before it was sunk by the German Battleship Bismarck, where all but three men of the crew tragically lost their lives. Jon was then seconded to the very secretive Naval Intelligence Service where he worked with none other than James Bond creator Ian Fleming. His work within this service also meant he reported directly to Winston Churchill and the Deputy Prime Minister Clement Atlee.

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Jon in an interview is quoted as saying: "I did all sorts. Teaching commandos how to use escapology equipment, compasses in brass buttons, secret maps in white cotton handkerchiefs, pipes you could smoke that also fired a .22 bullet. All sorts of incredible things."​

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It was soon after the war ended that Jon first became associated with comedy. Perhaps his most fondly recalled comedy show for radio that he recorded for over 17 years was The Navy Lark. During these years his main role was that of Chief Petty Officer Pertwee. Other stars of huge renown who appeared with him in The Navy Lark included Ronnie Barker and Judy Cornwell. In a funny coincidence, one of the lesser known characters Jon played in The Navy Lark was a villainous character called the Master, the self-same name given to the Doctor's long-time arch enemy in the BBC's Doctor Who! ​

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Another notable film appearance for Jon was as Charlie Stirling in the 1953 movie “Will Any Gentleman?", which coincidentally also featured future first Doctor Who William Hartnell as Inspector Martin. ​

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On the stage, he played the role of Lycus in the 1963 London production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Frankie Howerd and he then appeared in the slightly smaller role of Crassus in the 1966 film version. He appeared as Sidney Tait in the comedy film "Ladies Who Do" (1963). In 1966, Jon starred alongside Donald Sinden in the original West End production of the long-running comedy "There's a Girl in My Soup" and in this period appeared in several of the world renowned Carry On films: Carry On Cleo (1964), as the soothsayer; Carry On Cowboy (1965) as Sheriff Earp; and Carry On Screaming! (1966) as Dr. Fettle. (Carry On Columbus, with Jon in his fourth and final Carry On role, this time as the Duke of Costa Brava, was released in 1992). In 1967, he was first chosen by Dad's Army producer David Croft for the role of Captain George Mainwaring, but Jon declined the role – because he preferred to extend his role on Broadway in There's a Girl in My Soup​

Jon also appeared in the Avengers Episode "From Venus With Love" and with the Goodies in the episode "Wacky Wales."

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Then in 1969 just prior to his relinquishing his producership of the series of Doctor Who, Peter Bryant cast Jon as the Third Doctor, to take over from Patrick Troughton who was set to leave the show with a ten-episode epic story "The War Games". Jon was originally Peter's second choice for the role, but his first choice, Ron Moody proved unavailable and so Jon took on the mantle of the Doctor. Jon imbued his Doctor with a love of gadgets and cars.

The yellow Roadster Bessie being one of his most famous vehicles, although there was also the Whomobile. He also had an intensely moral core, and also was more than any of the Doctor's previously a man of action. He also locked horns with several unsavoury political types to which he constantly gave short shrift! His embodiment of the Doctor was one of the first I truly fell in love with as a child. I can never thank Jon enough for how his dashing dandy character did good in the universe up until the events of his swansong, Planet of the Spiders in 1974. During Jon's era the show's popularity skyrocketed, with audiences of ten million frequently tuning in to watch his wonderful escapades under the affirmed and superb producership of Barry Letts. The Jon era to this day is fondly recalled as one of the best and most enduring periods of the show’s history. He struck up an instant rapport with all his co-stars, especially Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), The Master (Roger Delgado), John Levene (Sergeant Benton) and Richard Franklin (Mike Yates). It was in fact mainly down to the tragic death of Roger Delgado that Jon finally felt compelled to leave the role of the Doctor and the fact that Katy Manning left the show in 1973. ​

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Jon would return to the role again though for the aforementioned twentieth anniversary special The Five Doctors. He would also be instrumental in helping to get Doctor Who into the radio medium. The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N Space were the only two stories for radio Jon managed to complete before he sadly passed away. Jon also appeared in the stage show "The Ultimate Adventure", which went down as a bit of a pantomime but hugely enjoyable nonetheless. One amusing incident Jon related in interview sometime was how the TARDIS console on stage started to slide all over the place and he, still in full Doctor but ad-libbing valiantly, ordered it to return to him! Due to poor health though Jon had to sadly bow out of the Ultimate Adventure half way through its run, and Colin Baker, the sixth Doctor actor, took over the part of the Doctor. He also graced the spin off The Airzone Solution playing the character Oliver Tretheway in 1993. And several of his lines from the show were used in the Lego Dimensions Games released in 2015.  ​

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Jon also appeared in the Children in Need Special "Dimensions in Time" where he helps to foil a scheme by Kate O Mara's Rani. ​

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Shortly after completing Doctor Who, Jon became fascinated with the character of Worzel Gummidge. After several attempts to gauge interest in the character from several TV stations, he finally found a willing receptacle in Southern Television, who saw the potential of the character. Under the superb guidance of James Hill as producer, and the wonderful scripting craft of Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, an instant hit show was born again. Worzel was mischievous and naughty, but immensely lovable. His unrequited love for Una Stubb's love to hate Aunt Sally frequently brought tears to my eyes. Jon was utterly captivating and alluring as Worzel. Indeed, Jon himself stated frequently that Worzel was the best character he had ever been given the chance to play. I still frequently watch his adventures today and still find my heart stirred by his wanting Cups O' Tea and Slices O' Cake!

Worzel Gummidge still is one of the strongest and most enduring children's programmes ever made. ​

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Jon's talent didn't just come to the small screen. He was in several films, the first, A Yank At Oxford, from 1938, to his final film appearance in Cloud Cuckoo in 1994. He presented a whopping 41 episodes of the well-known sleuth Game Show Whodunnit. And he famously appeared as a fiend of the fanged kind in the well-known Horror Film The House That Dripped Blood with scream Queen Ingrid Pitt in 1971.  He was also the face of a special Green Cross Code road safety advert! ​

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And believe it or not but Jon was also a pretty decent singer, and he had several albums released during his lifetime, including a wonderful single WHO IS THE DOCTOR! for Purple Records. Which was basically him doing a narration piece over the theme music from the show. He also contributed to several children's albums, namely "Children's Favourites" in 1966! He also collaborated with June Whitfield on the album "Wonderful Children's Songs" in 1972. His Song "Worzel's Song" from the album Worzel Gummidge Sings, even got to Number 33 in the hit charts in 1980. ​

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John was married twice during his life. Firstly, to actress Jean Marsh in 1955. He then divorced Jean in 1960 to quickly marry Ingeborg Rhoesa. Together Jon and Ingeborg had two children who would both also grow up to be actors. Daughter Dariel, was born first in 1961 and then son Sean in 1964. ​

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Jon wrote two autobiographies of his life and career. The First Moon Boots and Dinner Suits, focused mostly on his career before Doctor Who. The second book, I Am The Doctor - Jon Pertwee's Final Memoir was worked on from 1995 to 1996, and featured Jon reminiscing about his Doctor Who years and subsequent career onwards from that time. ​

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Jon was an avid attendee of conventions. He almost always appeared in full Doctor's costume at several venues all over the world. Some where he would hilariously clash with Patrick Troughton, on one occasion chasing after the poor second Doctor with a full jug of water!

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Just a short time before his death Jon appeared in full Doctor's costume for the last time in an episode of Cilla Black's "Surprise Surprise" where a young fan was treated to a meeting with the dashing dandy and a dalek! ​

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Jon very sadly passed away from a heart attack whilst asleep on the 20th May 1996. He was 76. His death was keenly felt by the Doctor Who fraternity and of course all Worzel Gummidge lovers everywhere. At the time of his death, his successor in the role of Doctor Tom Baker is quoted as saying ​

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""I am very sorry to hear the news. I was a great admirer of such a stylish actor.". ​

Sixth Doctor Colin Baker also reminisced sweetly on Jon's wonderful memory, saying ​

"He was a man of such presence and stature. I can't believe he has gone – it is a great shock. Of all of the interpretations of the Doctors his was the most straight in terms of avoiding comedy"​

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Another small posthumous special moment was when Jon's voice was incorporated in the Fortieth Anniversary Radio Doctor Who adventure "Zagreus", after his wife Ingeborg apparently gave her blessing for Big Finish Productions to incorporate lines John spoke from the fan made Doctor Who spin off video "Devious". This was such a touching moment for me to hear. Whilst for the most part Zagreus was a bit of a mess and far too long winded for my liking, I had a real lump in my throat when I listened to Jon speaking. It was wonderful to hear his voice so many years after his bittersweet passing from this world. Since Zagreus also, Big Finish have produced The Third Doctor Adventures, where Jon's role is performed by actor Tim Treloar. Tim gives a very decent and wonderful interpretation and memorial to this most amazing of characters.

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And more recently, footage of Jon's Doctor has frequently been utilised in the modern era revival of Doctor Who. Yet another lovely re-iteration of Jon's amazing and wonderful legacy.

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John was cremated at Putney Vale Crematorium with a toy figurine of Worzel Gummidge affixed to his coffin, this being at Jon's own request. A poignant and fitting last act from a man who brought joy and happiness into so many households through his wonderful work on screen, disc, radio and film. The Doctor Who Appreciation Society then also honoured Jon with a blue plaque at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2016.   ​

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He had a massive presence wherever he went, a colourful and very, very funny man who endeared himself to countless people. His presence on TV screens cannot go understated, as Tom Baker rightfully quotes​

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"Jon was like a tall light bulb, he glitters!"​

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Long may his wonderful memory live on and light up us fans hearts and lives. ​

Beyond The TARDIS The Worzel Book by Matt Rabjohns

Written by Stuart Manning

There are not many factual books based on TV series nowadays that explore, absolutely, everything you could think of to do with the series they are written for! Even with a series such as Doctor Who there are countless avenues to explore because of the boundless format of the show. Then there are other series, that may not have had as long a series run as shows like Doctor Who, but are still just as splendid and marvellous today as they were back when they were first made. They are fondly and avidly remembered by thousands across the globe. Some factual books tend to focus on one area of a programme, and miss a huge deal from all the other avenues left untouched. But that is most certainly not the case with Stuart Manning's absolutely sublime loveletter to that wonderful children's show, Worzel Gummidge.

The Worzel Book may just be the most thorough and beautiful factual book that has ever been written about ANY TV show. There is nothing that is not dwelt upon in this TARDIS interior of a book. From Barbara Euphan Todd's original books, to the other stage and radio plays that have been performed since the infancy of radio. From the development of Jon Pertwee's masterstroke of a character into the incredibly successful series it was to the New Zealand "Down Under" series that followed after the first four series in the UK.

This book is a magical maze of the amazing. The photography is something one would have thought could only be dreamed of. The black and white photos or the rich colour plates are lovingly displayed. The depth of production information is boundless. Even each individual episode's goofs are written up and described, as are the dates and transmission times of every single episode. There are some wonderful interviews with the surviving members of the cast. Honestly cannot fault the breadth of sheer knowledge encased within these pages.

Stuart Manning must have taken such a massive amount of time whilst compiling this book. It is most certainly not a churn them out in a few months’ effort. This book has had time taken over it, to make sure it is the best it could possibly be. It most certainly surpasses all other factual books on programmes that I have ever read. It's a veritable monster among books.

Perhaps, maybe, this book is definitely aimed at the mature fan though. Children would easily get lost within the huge amount of information found in here. But if, as I, you are a keen and avid fan of Worzel Gummidge, then the old cliché that this is a "Must have" could not be truer if it tried.

It's time to revisit the good old days of Children's TV at its best. To see the late great Jon Pertwee don his carrot nose and moth-eaten scarecrow jacket and run amok in either Scatterbrook or Zoo Neeland! If you are a Worzel fan, and you don’t have this book, then you are missing the cream of your collection. A Worzel Gummidge collection without The Worzel Book is like a salad without watercress....

The Worzel Book is more than just a mere book. It is the ultimate compendium of all things Worzel Gummidge. It's a testament to Barbara Euphan Todd, who created the character. It's a testament to Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall, who adapted the show for TV. It's a testament to James Hill, who directed almost every episode of the cherished show. It's also a fine memorial to Jon Pertwee and Una Stubbs, forever immortalized as Worzel and the mean old Aunt Sally. This is the Bible of Worzel Gummidge, yes that is the nearest decently descriptive word I can give to fully explain how good this book truly is....

The Mothership In Celebration of Jon Pertwee's Centenary in July 2019.

ODE OF THE THIRD DOCTOR

By Matt Rabjohns

So, I am to be exiled to one planet, Earth

A broken TARDIS for so long being of no worth

Caged in and bitter, but yet I must learn

To control my deep resentment and the fires that burn

At least the planet is not dull or boring

And strangely alien attempts to conquer are not found snoring

Seldom a day of my punishment goes by

Without me having to defend humanity as evil will try

To clear this sphere of all its useful life

So, it seems they need a dashing hero to quell the strife

Autons and axons, Silurians and Daemons come

And the Brigadier can be so annoying, and then some

But oh, dear Lis Shaw and then my wonderful Jo

They at least help the days end with a smile to go

At least the lab as well gives me time to tamper and tinker

Though the problems with the chameleon circuit ain’t half a stinker

But I live in hope that very soon, one day

Those bureaucratic oafs the Time Lords will send a reprieve my way

And the secret of my ship will be returned to me

And to roam time and space again I'll be happy and free

But for now, stuck here I will still do my best

To be here for when UNIT are in trouble, and all the rest

And I may have some relief, in the form of tussles with the Master

Sorry, have to go now, Jo's ruined an experiment, oh blast her!!!

Who Reviews Frontier in Space by Tony J Fyler

Tony Fyler blinks first.

Frontier in Space is an odd one. There’s a school of thought that says it’s two episodes too long, its six parts full of back and forth, and classic Hartnellian shenanigans and separations, including a spell in an inescapable penal colony on the Moon. And there’s another school of thought that says ‘Oh my God, did you see the Draconians? How cool are they?! And whoah, totally didn’t see that coming, the Master!’

Is either school right? Well yes, technically both are. The Draconians certainly are a fantastic mask and make-up job, and when you see Roger Delgado’s Master in a different context to his usual Earth-based environment, there’s a thrill that makes you realise the potential of the character, an ‘OMG he really is a Time Lord!’ moment that makes you do whatever the 1970s, less acceptable equivalent of squeezing is.

And yes, with a tighter edit, you could turn Frontier In Space into a very solid, pulse-thumping four-parter. But I would argue if you did that, all you’d end up with Is a pulse-thumping four-parter, whereas the reasons we all really remember Frontier in Space – the reasons we still put it in our DVD players so many years after it was broadcast – are actually what fills the additional space. It’s one of those rare cases in Doctor Who where you know there’s filler, but the filler’s so good, you don’t dare to touch it.

Yes, there’s a lot of toing and froing in Frontier in Space, but all that toing and froing actually develops the layers and the texture of the world in which the story is set – we get to see the attacks on shipping first hand, and know almost from the outset that there’s a third party playing both sides against each other. The subsequent passing back and forth between the Earth government and the Draconian embassy functions act both as filler and as extra butter, adding to the richness and gloss of the situation. The point being that without this deeper understanding, the plot is pretty paper thin, and we discover it early on: two great powers, at an uneasy peace for years after a previous war, and someone else stirring up tension – that’s it. The only way Frontier in Space works is to give us that texture, to let us feel the entrenched mindsets, the strained relationships, the arguments on which the fate, and the ‘soul’ of humanity rests. It’s basically a replaying of the Cuban Missile Crisis, only in space – and the only way you make that exciting is to go beyond the rhetoric of giant space fleets poised to kill each other, and take us into the tense, sweaty, real world of the players. Do we need the penal colony on the Moon and the Master involved? Well, the penal colony shows us that this is not a simple conflict, as perhaps it would have been in the Hartnell or Troughton eras: we can’t simply side with the people who look more like us, because they’re not perfect either – they’re locking up peaceful dissidents, and throwing away the key, and even the reasonable figure of Earth’s president consigns the Doctor to this fate without a trial when he becomes just one problem too many on her plate – a moment of weakness for which it would be easy, albeit likewise too simplistic, to condemn her.

When people remember the Draconians so fondly, as Jon Pertwee did, citing them as his favourite alien, it’s not because of the great make-up and mask-work – at least, not wholly. We remember them for their complex backstory, their elegant though equally flawed government, and particularly, for looking like they should be monsters, but actually being the equals of the human protagonists in terms of complexity, subtlety and suspicion. It might be a little bit of a stretch, but you could make a case for the Draconians being the best example of ‘monsters’ not being monstrous in Doctor Who. Perhaps the best candidate to defeat their claim would be the Silurians – another complex species created by the same writer, Malcolm Hulke. Hulke was never afraid of putting his own left wing politics into his writing, and in both the Silurians and the Draconians he pushed the agenda of looking beyond the obvious differences between races to find the nobility beneath, and warned us as humans (and Western humans particularly) to check our superiority complex at the door if we wanted to make good diplomatic decisions. Stories would rarely if ever take the easy path in Hulke’s hands, and they certainly don’t in Frontier in Space. Given the time to do so, he shows us the complexity of General Williams’ history, both with Draconia and with the President. He makes us invest in the Draconians as a sympathetic equal power, and indelibly burn them into our curious minds forever – leaving their lesson of not judging by appearances or even necessarily by cultural differences instilled in us in the process.

It’s only really in the resolution of why the two great species are on the brink of war that the wheels start to come off Hulke’s plot, as he’s built the layers of the scenario up and up, and towards the end, the weight of Ogrons, the Master and the Daleks proves a little too much for credulity, especially given that the Daleks turn up, shoot some humans and then fly off again, leaving them, and Delgado’s final scenes, feeling like a relatively lightweight ending to a story that has been complex, twisted, deep and realistic for most of its run time.

Frontier in Space is not a story to slip into your DVD player if you’re going to be doing much else along the way. Certainly you can watch it that way: it’s not Tolstoy, you won’t lose track as such, but what you will lose is the weight of pressure, personality and culture that actually makes it deliver above its class for most of the way along. That the ending seems rushed and a little senseless is unfortunate, as it does a disservice to the time Doctor Who did high-stakes political drama at its finest. In some ways, Frontier in Space and The Caves of Androzani have much in common, but while Androzani would later keep the focus tight and the consequences personal, Frontier in Space attempted to show the grand scale of international (or interstellar) politics, and the importance of calm and rationality in their conduct. It was a lesson the world had not long before learned for real, and it still had a visceral analogue in the real world as the Western and Eastern Blocs continued building up their nuclear arsenals, just waiting for a wrong word, a wrong move to provoke if not a space war, then at least a third and probably final world war. As the proliferation of nuclear weapons continued, Malcolm Hulke and Doctor Who showed us all how important it was to keep the itch in our trigger fingers at bay. More than forty years on, and with the theatre of conflict shifted, the lesson of Frontier in Space is still worth learning.