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From: John Hall <john_nospam@jhall.co.uk>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho,uk.media.tv.sf.drwho
Subject: The War Games
Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2024 10:43:13 +0000
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Last night the BBC showed "The War Games", the final story of the second 
Doctor's tenure which was originally broadcast in 1969 (I think). It was 
on BBC 4, if you are in the UK but missed it.

In its original form it had run to as many as ten episodes, but they had 
cut it down to 90 minutes, so must have left out an awful lot. That 
probably explains why it felt confusing and disjointed in places, but I 
still enjoyed it. (I suppose it's also possible that one or two of the 
original episodes might not have survived, which would have contributed 
to the disjointedness.) They also had colorised it, and that was very 
well done.

As many of you will know, it was a very significant story in the show's 
history, in that it introduced us to the Time Lords, though in the 
version shown last night that part seemed rather rushed given its 
significance. I can't recall if that was also true in the original. I 
noticed that at that point their home planet was still unnamed.

The War Chief, a renegade Time Lord, seemed rather like a prototype for 
the Master. He wasn't the Master, though, as we saw him being 
dematerialised for his crimes.
-- 
John Hall
                "I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
                 will hardly mind anything else."
                                            Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)