The Dæmons

Decided to have a re-watch (and in some cases a first time watch) of some earlier Who, to fill in some of the Who-less weeks. I was going to leave "The Dæmons" until later, but I remember it as being particularly good, so I thought I'd start with it instead. Haven't seen it since it got that repeat on BBC2 back in the nineties. 1994, was that? I seem to remember watching it in the common room at college, but I'm not sure. (Nope, just checked. It was 1992). Anyways, what a great start to the re-watch! This is fabulous, fabulous stuff. Creepy village setting, weird goings-on, gradual build up of tension and events - stuff we've never seen in the new series. I love New Who, sure (except for "Last of The Time Lords"), but with most of the stories having to tell themselves in forty-five minutes, there's little of this sort of dramatic build up or pacing; and RTD claims that stories set in small villages are irrelevant. You're wrong, RTD. There's nothing irrelevant or dated about setting a story in the countryside for a change. Nothing at all. "The Dæmons" isn't one of the most popular Who stories ever for no reason. And the great thing? I've watched two episodes, and I still have another three to go.

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