Doctor Who (1963) 14.06 Extras (Part 4)

Blue Peter Theater (1977)

25 minutes

John Noakes, Peter Purves, and Lesley Judd demonstrate how to build a puppet theater that you can use to put on your very own Doctor Who performances. They get some help from Dick Mills, a sound effects expert who worked on Doctor Who.

Peter Purves played the part of Steven Taylor, a companion of the 1st Doctor. He was in a total of 10 stories in the second and third seasons (1965-66) that the show was on the air. The second of those stories was The Time Meddler.

Interview with Philip Hinchcliffe (1977)

12 minutes

This interview was originally aired as part of Pebble Mill at One, a BBC program. It aired not long before Whose Doctor Who. Philip Hinchcliffe, the outgoing producer of Doctor Who, was asked questions about the violence and monsters on the show. They show a couple clips from the show including the one where the Doctor fights with Goth in the matrix in The Deadly Assassin. 

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06 Extras (Part 3)

Whose Doctor Who (1977)

59 minutes

This is a BBC documentary about Doctor Who. It was made around the time that the Talons of Weng-Chiang was being made. There are clips from Doctor Who episodes of all 4 Doctors up to that point. There is some behind the scenes footage from Talons of Weng-Chiang showing Mr. Sin's mask, the dragon (from the final episode), and the workings of the giant rat.

There are lots of interviews interspersed with the clips of Doctor Who. Children, parents, teachers, and others are filmed talking about what they like about the show and what stands out in their minds. Tom Baker (Doctor Who) and producer Philip Hinchclife are also interviewed for their takes on the program, its appeal and what makes it work. 

Thoughts

This documentary seems as though it is probably aimed at parents who aren't certain as to whether they should let their children watch Doctor Who. It is introduced by Melvyn Bragg whom I know best as the host of In Our Time, a BBC4 radio program.

I don't consider this to be essential viewing. It really didn't add much in my opinion especially considering how long it is and the content of it.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06 Extras (Part 2)

Moving On (2010)

4 minutes

Philip Hinchcliffe talks about plans that were never realized for the next season of Doctor Who.

The Foe from the Future (2010)

7 minutes

The Foe from the Future was an idea for a Doctor Who story that Robert Banks Stewart wrote. There were a few elements from it that were used in The Talons of Weng-Chiang but it was its own, unfinished story. Robert Banks Stewart left Doctor Who before work began on The Talons of Weng-Chiang. He and Philip Hinchciffe talk about their memories of the original idea for the story and the connections between it and The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

Now and Then (2010)

11 minutes

This is a look at some of the locations where The Talons of Weng-Chiang was filmed. They show both what the locations look like in 2010 and what they looked like in 1977 when The Talons of Weng-Chiang was filmed. Some of the locations don't exist anymore or were in the process of being demolished in 2010. Other locations look more or less the same.

Look East (1977)

4 minutes

This is a news featurette that was filmed, presumably for the BBC, while Talons of Weng-Chiang was being filmed. It includes a minute or two of Tom Baker talking about the character of Doctor Who.

Victoriana and Chinoiserie (2010)

References in The Talons of Weng-Chiang

8 minutes

Philip Hinchcliffe and Dr. Anne Witchard talk about the origins of some of the elements of The Talons of Weng-Chiang. There is a heavy emphasis on popular and urban myths of the Victorian Era.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06 Extras (Part 1)

The Last Hurrah (2010)

33 minutes

This is a "Making of" documentary about the making of The Talons of Weng Chiang. They cover a lot of territory in a half-hour: origins of the story, casting the guest stars, Jago and Litefoot's relationship, the various shooting locations, mishaps and challenges that emerged

The people interviewed for this documentary are

Cast

• Tom Baker, The Doctor
• Louise Jameson, Leela
• Trevor Baxter, Professor Litefoot
• Christopher Benjamin, Henry Gordon Jago

Crew

• Philip Hinchcliffe, producer
• Roger Murray-Leach Designer
• David Maloney, Director
• John Bloomfield, Costume Designer

Director David Maloney passed away before this documentary was made but there is some footage from an interview with him done in 2003. All of the actors get several opportunities to talk about their experiences. They touch briefly on the fact that Li-H'sen Chang was played by a British actor. It was great to see Jago and Litefoot once again, years later.

This was a fun watch. Worth a look especially if you enjoyed The Talons of Weng Chiang. 

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06.06

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Part 6

Leela fights back but she is knocked out with a rag soaked in chloroform. Weng-Chiang demands that the Doctor hand over the key to the time cabinet. The Doctor agrees to to do so but only after they have reached the House of the Dragon. Leela gets left behind. She wakes up after they leave, grabs a knife, and goes after them.

The Doctor and Weng-Chiang talk at the House of the Dragon. The Doctor insists that Jago and Litefoot be released before he will hand over the key. Weng-Chiang agrees but then he breaks his promise. Mr. Sin shoots the Doctor with a laser beam than emits from the glass eyes of a large bronze dragon. The Doctor is then locked up with Jago and Litefoot while Magnus Greel, Weng-Chiang's real name, makes plans to return to the future.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06.05

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Part 5

The Doctor and Leela find Professor Litefoot just as he is recovering. The time cabinet is gone. The  Doctor starts to put more of the pieces together. His words don't make any sense to Leela or Litefoot. He speaks of the Peking Homunculus, a creature that looks like a short man but that is made of the cerebral cortex of a pig and computer parts. It's actions in the year 5000 almost caused World War VI. 

The Doctor and Leela go looking for Weng-Chiang. Their quest leads them to an opium den where they find Li H'sen-Chang. One of his legs was gnawed off by a giant rat. He tells them to look for the House of the Dragon and to be beware of the eye of the dragon. He dies before he can tell them where to find the House of the Dragon.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06.04

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Part 4

The Doctor shoots the giant rat with the large rifle that Professor Litefoot loaned him. The rat is killed and Leela is saved. Leela wants to show the Doctor where to find the rat's master but then they hear another rat coming and decide otherwise.

Mr. Jago is heading out when he runs into Mr. Chang. Jago tries talking him into extending his stay at the Palace Theater. Chang is evasive and they don't come to a decision one way or the other.

Leela tells the Doctor what she saw in the layer of the masked man. Leela gets dressed in an outfit that Professor Litefoot bought for her. The Doctor and Professor Litefoot talk about the cabinet while Leela is changing.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06.03

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Part 3

Leela throws a knife at Mr. Sin. It strikes him in the neck but it doesn't stop him. He keeps walking towards her with another knife in his hand. She dives out the window.

The Doctor arrives just in time to hear the commotion. Li H'sen Chang takes a shot at the Doctor with Professor Litefoot's pistol but he misses. The Doctor tells Leela to stay put and he goes looking for the professor. Leela doesn't do as he tells her. She instead follows Chang and Mr. Sin back to the Palace Theater.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06.02

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Part 2

The Doctor and Leela flee from the gaint rat and climb out of the sewer. They return to the police station where they discover that Professor Litefoot left a message for them. They go round to see him at the morgue. They talk about the body of the cabbie and then head back to his place.

Li-Hsen Chang returns to the theater. He goes through a secret passage where he is confronted by a masked man whom Chang calls master. The masked man is from the future and talks of a missing time cabinet. He wants to go look for it.

Doctor Who (1963) 14.06.01

The Talons of Weng-Chiang - Part 1

Henry Gordon Jago, theater manager, witnesses a cab driver accuse Li-Hsen Chang, a magician, of abducting his wife. Chang tries unsuccessfully to talk some sense into the cabbie. The cabbie leaves promising to call the cops.

The Doctor and Leela arrive in London in the late 19th Century. They are on their way to the theater when they hear the cry of someone being attacked. They follow the sound and discover five Chinese men carrying a body. The men attack the Doctor when he starts asking questions. Leela joins the fight but she and the Doctor are outnumbered. Four of the men take off with the body after they hear a police whistle.