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One of the first things I learnt when I first started getting Doctor Who Magazine back in... 1991, I believe, was the fact that every Who fan hates "The Gunfighters". It's part of Who tradition. Love Who? Hate "The Gunfighters". It's hugely silly, apparently. A misfiring attempt at comedy. It has a bad soundtrack, it's cringeworthy, excruciating - all that sort of thing. Any Classic Who fan will have heard the argument at some time. Basically, it's bad. And so says everyone. So obviously I've always wanted to see it. Watched episode one last night. And? Well, so far it's terrific. I love it! Okay, so I can see The Ballad Of Last Chance Saloon becoming very annoying eventually, but based on episode one at least, I don't know what all the fuss is about. It's a bit daft, certainly, but the soundtrack is fitting, the acting is fine, and whereas it's all a bit stagey, that's frequently how sixties TV is. There is a fine measure of silliness, I'll grant you; but for heaven's sakes, in no way is it comparable with the awful forced "comedy" of the Sainted Baker Years. Why's he allowed stupid jokes and awful acting, when anybody else who tries it within the confines of Who is damned for life?!
We start with a bunch of cowboys coming into town, with such a fabulous collection of appalling accents between them that it's quite remarkable. They're the Clanton Gang, and they're after Doc Holliday, who's just set up a dental practice in Tombstone. The Doctor arrives shortly afterwards, with Steven and Dodo in tow. I've never met Dodo before, except in the Targets. Based on this episode, she's great, and I'd like to see more of her and Steven together. The only Steven I've seen rather than read was in "The Time Meddler". Good story, but he was partnered with Vicki in that, and I've never really liked her all that much. Dodo seems lovely, though, and the pair of them caper about in huge excitement when they realise they're in the Wild West, dressing up in absurd cowboy costumes, and generally acting like daft tourists. The Doctor, meanwhile, is moaning about toothache. To those of us used to the stronger Doctor of later years, this seems a bit odd. A powerful Time Lord, bothered by toothache?! But of course it was all different in the First Doctor's time. Hell, imagine Ten getting a toothache. Not the super-powered, godlike Doctor of the RTD era. If he got a twinge in his tooth, the people of the world would think happy thoughts, make him glow, and make all the Bad Tooth Fairies vanish.
Ouch, listen to me. I didn't realise how much some of RTD's ideas for the show bug me. Ah well...
Anyways, the Doctor goes to Doc Holliday's place for a tooth extraction, but afterwards is mistaken for the doctor himself, and invited to the Last Chance Saloon by the Clanton Gang. He goes along there without realising that he's just been cordially invited to an ambush. Meanwhile Steven and Dodo, under the aliases thought up on the spur of the moment by the Doctor - probably to explain their brilliantly OTT cowboy get up - register at the saloon as a pianist and singer; and immediately get roped into a duet by the Clanton Gang, who want to make sure that Steven can't get the drop on them whilst they're going for the Doctor. Ha. The poor boy can hardly draw his gun straight without throwing it across the room.
The episode ends there, which is a damned shame. Looking forward to episode two. Perhaps that's when the bad stuff starts, that's had fandom foaming at the mouth for forty years? So far it's perfectly enjoyable stuff. Peter Purves is great, even if he isn't especially believeable as a futuristic spaceman. Not sure why they didn't just say he was as contemporary as half the others were. Still, who cares. I like Steven. He's no Ian, but then who is?
Hooray!
Some cowboys with fabulously dodgy accents.
The gang arrive in Tombstone.
Steven and Dodo caper in glee, whilst the Doctor moans about his tooth.
Steven and Dodo in their new costumes.
Wyatt Earp.
Doc Holliday.
"Doctor Caligari" talks with "Steven Regret", noted tenor.
Episode two later, hopefully. :)
We start with a bunch of cowboys coming into town, with such a fabulous collection of appalling accents between them that it's quite remarkable. They're the Clanton Gang, and they're after Doc Holliday, who's just set up a dental practice in Tombstone. The Doctor arrives shortly afterwards, with Steven and Dodo in tow. I've never met Dodo before, except in the Targets. Based on this episode, she's great, and I'd like to see more of her and Steven together. The only Steven I've seen rather than read was in "The Time Meddler". Good story, but he was partnered with Vicki in that, and I've never really liked her all that much. Dodo seems lovely, though, and the pair of them caper about in huge excitement when they realise they're in the Wild West, dressing up in absurd cowboy costumes, and generally acting like daft tourists. The Doctor, meanwhile, is moaning about toothache. To those of us used to the stronger Doctor of later years, this seems a bit odd. A powerful Time Lord, bothered by toothache?! But of course it was all different in the First Doctor's time. Hell, imagine Ten getting a toothache. Not the super-powered, godlike Doctor of the RTD era. If he got a twinge in his tooth, the people of the world would think happy thoughts, make him glow, and make all the Bad Tooth Fairies vanish.
Ouch, listen to me. I didn't realise how much some of RTD's ideas for the show bug me. Ah well...
Anyways, the Doctor goes to Doc Holliday's place for a tooth extraction, but afterwards is mistaken for the doctor himself, and invited to the Last Chance Saloon by the Clanton Gang. He goes along there without realising that he's just been cordially invited to an ambush. Meanwhile Steven and Dodo, under the aliases thought up on the spur of the moment by the Doctor - probably to explain their brilliantly OTT cowboy get up - register at the saloon as a pianist and singer; and immediately get roped into a duet by the Clanton Gang, who want to make sure that Steven can't get the drop on them whilst they're going for the Doctor. Ha. The poor boy can hardly draw his gun straight without throwing it across the room.
The episode ends there, which is a damned shame. Looking forward to episode two. Perhaps that's when the bad stuff starts, that's had fandom foaming at the mouth for forty years? So far it's perfectly enjoyable stuff. Peter Purves is great, even if he isn't especially believeable as a futuristic spaceman. Not sure why they didn't just say he was as contemporary as half the others were. Still, who cares. I like Steven. He's no Ian, but then who is?
Hooray!
Some cowboys with fabulously dodgy accents.
The gang arrive in Tombstone.
Steven and Dodo caper in glee, whilst the Doctor moans about his tooth.
Steven and Dodo in their new costumes.
Wyatt Earp.
Doc Holliday.
"Doctor Caligari" talks with "Steven Regret", noted tenor.
Episode two later, hopefully. :)
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