Doctor Who has become quite a tradition around the holidays. The latest Christmas special just aired on Tuesday and featured the Doctor in Sherlock Holmes garb and some very 'cool' snowmen villains! The show first appeared on television in 1963 and has continued to tell the story of a time lord who faces mysteries, ghouls, and villains throughout the universe. The character can regenerate his form when damaged, giving way to 50 years of actors sharing the role. And despite some of the low-budget camp that might not appeal to everyone, it remains a pioneering time-capsule of each era of production. The music and sound FX developed by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop is especially worth exploring. In 2009 the official magazine posted the top-200 episodes. The top on everyone's list was TheCaves of Androzani (available on Netflix streaming). This 1984 episode includes a fiendish villain and leader of an android army named Sharaz Jek, who wears a creepy mask and skin-tight bodysuit reminiscent of Danger Diabolik and Kriminal.
According to the buzz on-line, the role of Jek was originally offered to David Bowie, but the production coincided with his Australian and Asian Serious Moonlight tour-dates. The Caves of Androzani is pretty edgy and fast-paced for classic Doctor. In fact, the Doctor is mortally wounded at the end, sending him into regeneration. As a way of introduction for Spy Vibers who have never seen this kind of thing, here is a fun tribute to the episode using the Die Another Day Bond theme by Madonna. Try to imagine Bowie in that suit- it would have been amazing! The image above is from Ain't it Cool.
