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Shazam!
Do you prefer listening to us rant about episodes we really liked or disliked? Coolio, then head on over to the stats section and find an episode we rated exceptionally highly/incredibly disparagingly!
And there are PLENTY of ways to get involved beyond listening to the show and exploring the article archives. Point your eyestalks at some of these links to learn more! - Merch!
I found it a little hard to review this story fairly due to the later material but here goes
Likes:
This is the final story for the late great Douglas Adams, and you can see his humour all over this and there’s lots of great lines.
Where Skargra goes into the invisible ship – it’s very Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Denis Carey is brilliant as the scatter-brained Professor Chronotis
Beefs:
If some weird scar faced space dude with a cloak approached me for a lift, I’d be off like a shot and certainly not letting him in my car! That driver clearly didn’t listen to his stranger danger videos in school!
WTF is that piece of red carpet doing there by the invisible ship? Does it come out with the ramp? I mean what’s the point of an invisible ship if you’re gonna put a welcome mat outside it?
After returning to his ship Skagra comes out in regular clothing – why did he not wear that in the first place, surely it would’ve been more inconspicuous?
The scientists on the Think Tank – how have they survived? Do they have food and water? If so, how are they feeding themselves with fingernails like that?
Fun Fact:
The choir seen in the bicycle chase weren’t originally written into the story. The director Pennant Roberts and crew were in a pub when one of the barmen overheard them talking and asked if his choir could be in the show. Due to a combination of alcohol and exhaustion the director agreed. Pennant had forgotten by the morning and got a bit of a shock when the choir turned up!
Overall, this could well have been one of the all-time classic serials but the story feels a little confusing and too long. I’m not sure whether this is the fault of the story itself or the later added content, but on the whole, I do enjoy it.
I award this story 3.7 brain-draining spheres out of 5
PS: I’ve based my review on the version currently on Britbox (with animated scenes) and the VHS version.
Likes:
Beefs:
Summary: Recreated Shada didn’t quite meet the expectations of, say, the legendary missing Seventh Doctor’s Season 27 recreated in Audio Who, but it was pretty darn good nonetheless.
Rating: [rating incomplete due to industrial strike action against Who Back When for not reviewing any Seventh Doctor Audio Adventures]
The entrance into the invisible ship did indeed remind me of Star Trek Voyage Home… i do wonder considering the Shada scenes were shot in 1977 and the ST scenes were shot in 1985 if Star Trek writers and special effects persons did not get some sort of inside influencing from Doctor Who?
This is the one with as many versions as there are episodes in the story, an invisible spaceship, lumpy milk, and a master criminal who seems like such a nice old man. Here we go!
Having recently re-watched the original VHS version, struggled through part of the McGann animated version, then the Ian Levene fanimation version, and yes…then the official 2017 release…I still found that I preferred the original version with Tom Baker’s narration (his cameo appearance at the end of the 2017 was impressive but not enough to make the rest of it truly palatable).
This story, had it been completed in the first place, would’ve been remembered as the crown jewel 6 parter of the Tom Baker era if not the series as a whole, and would’ve been deemed the reason no other 6 parter came after it…as none could compare with the abundance of quality within this marvellous adventure.
Shada holds a unique place in my life as it would’ve been transmitted just before I was born. I greatly enjoy, and prefer, the music used in the VHS version than what came after, the 2017 version sounding a bit too much like a bad copy of the incredible music used in City of Death.
In conclusion, when reflecting upon the uniqueness of this story, it’s lack of completion and many versions are significant, but it’s also the only adventure to then have 2 actors playing The Doctor and 2 actors voicing K-9, depending on the version.
4.5/5
Hey John,
Thanks for the mini. I’m afraid we had already recorded (and Future-Me’d) this episode by the time it came in. Good stuff, though. FYI, we post upcoming recording dates on the homepage as soon as we’ve pencilled them in.
Cheers,
L
Yes, the recording date for this story was dated as being prior to the release of the previous original series story…so I took a shot.
I could only find the VHS version. I wish I could see a different one, in hopes it would improve my opinion of this story.
There’s an interesting correlation here between this cancelled production, and the recons, which for the most part, I love. Recons feel like a story done in a different style. This one however feels like something’s missing, like it’s incomplete, and that’s probably because it is. It’s not fully realized. I suspect if production had been finished properly, many of its issues would have been resolved.
I find much of Shada plodding. It certainly doesn’t help that most of the action scenes are missing. What we see of the directing is simplistic and uninspired, and the writing leads the audience like Scooby Doo.
Tom’s recaps of the missing scenes are fine, but it’s barely an adequate summary, when we could have gotten a dramatic reenactment. It’s a total missed opportunity. As for Skagra, are you really a villain if all you do is walk around in garish clothes and a handbag wanting to playing ball? Finally, a special nod goes to the annoying music which does nothing to successfully enhance anything resembling an appropriate mood.
It’s a total shame, because I love the professor, the concept, and the dialog, but a sugar gag is just not enough to carry a story. The good news is I liked Shada more on this rewatch than ever before, probably because it was sped up. For the VHS timeline, 1.5
Hey Peter!
Sorry, our review had already dropped when your mini arrived in the inbox. Would have made for a controversial entry in the episode (see ratings above). For what it’s worth, I totally understand. If I had only seen the VHS version, my rating would probably have hovered somewhere around yours, too.
Rock on!
L
Leon challenged me to give it another chance so….
Shada (Ian Levine Remastered Edition)
Well, wish granted, sort of. I concede that in many ways I enjoy Shada much more overall. However it still just isn’t a great production.
How is it I feel like some scenes are still missing essential linking moments (like how the doctor escapes the vortex), and yet I also feel it’s now one or even two episodes too long? The music is still annoying, and inappropriate for a serious drama. Romana has a lot to say, but little to do. Victoria Burgoyne is excellent in bringing out as much of Claire as is possible. Unfortunately both Claire and Bristol are one dimensional characters. I have little attachment to them. It’s close, but neither ever truly develops emotionally or grows internally.
While I appreciate, respect and applaud the brilliant remastering effort, it does little to change my opinion that the animation style choices lessen the impact of serious drama. I’ll probably be berated for this, but I don’t feel it’s done to a standard the show requires. Have you seen the Kraag’s walk? My Atari 2600 animated more ominous movement. Further, the Kraag’s constant lame growling makes them annoying, and the new scenes make them uselessly inept, and now lacking intimidation.
The remastered version is far superior to the VHS version, but Shada still doesn’t do it for me, it’s still lacking. It’s messy and disjointed, it needs better direction and a refined, shortened script that adds in the essential moments and character sparks that are sadly still missing. 2.0