There's obviously a certain frisson when you come to watch a story that you know is a big landmark.
Apart from the fact that The Highlanders is the first story for Jamie McCrimmon, probably the most prolific Doctor Who companion ever, in terms of seasons, stories and episodes, and is played by thespian and bloody nice bloke Frazer Hines. But as well as that this story is out last proper historical for about 20 years. Boo, hiss etc. So let's enjoy this one. No pressure…
The Doctor and chums land in the middle of Culloden Moor during a bit of a set-to. Obviously they side with the nice Scottish over the horrid English who are trying to skewer them. The Doctor finds a stupid hat and adopts a stupid accent and we’re quickly introduced to Jamie and his Celtic pals.
The honest truth is there isn’t a huge amount of story. Some nasty Englishman is trying to sell off Scottish rebels into slavery is about the size of it. But despite having a pretty basic plot it moves at a decent speed and really does trot along nicely.
The story is very violent. There is one clip that was saved by weak-kneed Australian censors that shows several people about to be hanged and their feet starting to lift off the floor. This is actually quite a grisly sight and the story doesn’t really pull any punches when it comes to violence. Episode 2 ends with a man’s body being dumped at sea and episode 3 ends with Ben being drowned. Well, almost.
Jamie is an instantly likeable character, though considering this is his debut and his time zone, he does feel a little underused. His entry into the TARDIS seems like a bit of a con as well as he seems to think he’s off travelling the Highlands with some nice people but is never actually told he’s about to pop into time and space.
Troughton’s Doctor still seems quite unsettled. I’ve never really engaged with his early stuff, due largely to the amount of it that has been lost, but the Doctor doesn’t seem much like he ends up in the later stories of his reign that I have seen and loved. He also puts on a terrible German accent in this, which does get quite bloody annoying by the end.
Ben is very insightful in this and is a great driving force. Polly too is given some great scenes. I love these two as companions and it’s another crying shame so much of their work is lost to us.
There is something slow about how the story progresses through Parts 2 and 3 but it never feels as though it’s dragging.
I honestly can’t put my finger on why but I really, really enjoyed this story. The villain is a nasty bugger, all the companions get good scenes and there is a healthy dose of violence. I know this is often seen as a bit of a dull one by fans but I love it. It’s only slightly marred by some silly accents and the Doctor not feeling quite “there” Yet but I haven’t enjoyed a recon this much since The Myth Makers and it’s definitely now very high on my “Stories I’d love to see recovered from someone’s attic” list.
8/10
Apart from the fact that The Highlanders is the first story for Jamie McCrimmon, probably the most prolific Doctor Who companion ever, in terms of seasons, stories and episodes, and is played by thespian and bloody nice bloke Frazer Hines. But as well as that this story is out last proper historical for about 20 years. Boo, hiss etc. So let's enjoy this one. No pressure…
The Doctor and chums land in the middle of Culloden Moor during a bit of a set-to. Obviously they side with the nice Scottish over the horrid English who are trying to skewer them. The Doctor finds a stupid hat and adopts a stupid accent and we’re quickly introduced to Jamie and his Celtic pals.
The honest truth is there isn’t a huge amount of story. Some nasty Englishman is trying to sell off Scottish rebels into slavery is about the size of it. But despite having a pretty basic plot it moves at a decent speed and really does trot along nicely.
The story is very violent. There is one clip that was saved by weak-kneed Australian censors that shows several people about to be hanged and their feet starting to lift off the floor. This is actually quite a grisly sight and the story doesn’t really pull any punches when it comes to violence. Episode 2 ends with a man’s body being dumped at sea and episode 3 ends with Ben being drowned. Well, almost.
Jamie is an instantly likeable character, though considering this is his debut and his time zone, he does feel a little underused. His entry into the TARDIS seems like a bit of a con as well as he seems to think he’s off travelling the Highlands with some nice people but is never actually told he’s about to pop into time and space.
Troughton’s Doctor still seems quite unsettled. I’ve never really engaged with his early stuff, due largely to the amount of it that has been lost, but the Doctor doesn’t seem much like he ends up in the later stories of his reign that I have seen and loved. He also puts on a terrible German accent in this, which does get quite bloody annoying by the end.
Ben is very insightful in this and is a great driving force. Polly too is given some great scenes. I love these two as companions and it’s another crying shame so much of their work is lost to us.
There is something slow about how the story progresses through Parts 2 and 3 but it never feels as though it’s dragging.
I honestly can’t put my finger on why but I really, really enjoyed this story. The villain is a nasty bugger, all the companions get good scenes and there is a healthy dose of violence. I know this is often seen as a bit of a dull one by fans but I love it. It’s only slightly marred by some silly accents and the Doctor not feeling quite “there” Yet but I haven’t enjoyed a recon this much since The Myth Makers and it’s definitely now very high on my “Stories I’d love to see recovered from someone’s attic” list.
8/10