The show mentions a lot of the cliches that made Doctor Who the show it was. To avoid program discontinuity or lengthy answers to questions, there's "I'll explain later." Then there's the escape up the ventilation shaft, endless gravel quarries. That's not to say the Comic Relief special disrespects Doctor Who, but merely has a lot of fun with it.
And talk about intentionally ridiculous dialogue! "The deadly vengeance of deadly revenge." And my personal favourite, "Prepare for 300 miles of fear and feces."
The end of episode I is a gag lifted from a scene in the revamped Star Wars, the part where Han Solo chases some stormtroopers on the Death Star and then...
Jonathon Pryce plays the Master (Evita, Tomorrow Never Dies, Stigmata) and probably has the most fun in this special. With the widow's peak and goatee, he's clearly modelled after Roger Delgado's Master, but he is really OTT, bringing about a manic megalomania that's exaggerated to amuse. He has the best lines here as well.
If they ever bring the show back, I'd nominate Julia Sawalha as a companion or a regular. Perky, gentle, bubbly, she's got the right stuff. I liked her here and in A Midwinter's Tale. More thrilling than an army of cybernetic slugs? Definitely. In simple terms, the most warm and lovable companion since Jo Grant.
And Rowan Atkinson or Hugh Grant would be perfect candidates to play the Doctor, although Hugh Grant has Hollywood commitments, and as much as I like the man, Rowan Atkinson seems to have peaked with Mr. Bean. Unless the show is spectacular and remains essentially British while still catering to Americans, a new series seems unlikely.
Wait, there's more. There's a making of documentary, Comic Relief Uncovered, that's about 26 minutes long. It's full of bloopers, behind the scenes stuff, interviews with the cast and crew, and clips from the original stories. I even found out how they make cobwebs, glue sprayed from an aerosol can. There are also scenes from amateur Doctor Who productions, and people who make TARDIS consoles and Daleks for them. It's a passion more than a mere hobby for these dedicated people.
Then there are three Who sketches from British TV programs--French and Saunders, Victoria Wood On TV, and The Lenny Henry Show, all which total 14 or so minutes. We are so isolated from what little we get of British comedies, except for more successful ones like Monty Python, Are You Being Served?, Allo Allo, Keeping Up Appearances on PBS or A&E, or the few video releases without esoteric references that only a Briton would understand, that anything else seems exotic.
Anyway, the French and Saunders sketch sends up Colin Baker's Trial Of A Timelord story, with jabs at program continuity, and the robot dog K9. French and Saunders play two silly, flibbertigibbet actresses playing Silurians who give the director of the story headache after headache. Comment: the actor is obviously doing the Tom Baker Doctor, but he seems to have stolen his scarf from Harry Potter.
The Lenny Henry sketch of Oct. 1985 is another jab at the Colin Baker era, especially the cancellation crisis, technobabble, Cybermen, and Margaret Thatcher. It's brief but fun.
Any Doctor Who or Rowan Atkinson fan will appreciate this spoof special. I know I did.
