Doctor Who Club of Australia

ADAMK · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 220 Location: Canberra

What do people make of this (Season 22) 1985 story written by Pip and Jane Baker?

This is the analysis from the official BBC website (WARNING! SPOILERS): http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/markrani/analysis.shtml

The Master_BeyondTheGrave · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 41

THE RANI,

Who is interested in DVD-copies of 2-Horror movies that
Rani (kate o'mara) was in;

The Horror of Frankenstein (1970).
The Vampire Lovers (1970).

Also, if anyone is interested i can also offer a Horror-movie called; "The House That Dripped Blood"
which featured Jon-pertwee!

Here's some pictures from those movies;

The Vampire Lovers

http://members.fortunecity.com/noops067/fcnoops_vampire_lovers_cleavage.html

http://members.fortunecity.com/noops067/fcnoops_vampire_lovers_cleavage0002.html

http://members.fortunecity.com/noops023/madeline_smith049.jpg

The Horror of Frankenstein

http://members.fortunecity.com/noops043a/kate_omara006.jpg

http://members.fortunecity.com/noops023/madeline_smith051.jpg

Kerr Avon · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 478

haven't seen this one before.

I just watched the first half and unless things go seriously downhill tomorrow night this might just be my new favourite televised Sixth Doctor story.

jolly good stuff!

Greg · Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject:

Can you get the ABC now, Andrew?

My thoughts on The Mark of the Rani aren't quite so favourable.

I always found the Master to be an uninspired villain (and certainly preferred the sinister bonhomie of Roger Delgado to teh usually over the top portrayal by Anthony Ainley), so adding in another rogue Time Lord who is effectively just the Master again didn't do much for me - although Kate O'Mara actual portrayal opf the character, particularly in some parts of this story, is better.

One of my big problems with the Rani is that the only way that Pip and Jane Baker seem to know to tell us how brilliant she is is by the Doctor and the Master telling us, over and over again, just how brilliant she is. It's a pity she doesn't do anything to properly demonstrate it (the closest being her setting her TARDIS to operate automatically - a few more things like this and I might have been more impressed.)

But then we get to... the tree. Sorry, but all those people who get on here and piss and moan about The Web Planet, I hope you are watching for something that is not only worse in terms of depiction but infinitely more stupid in its initial conception. The Taran Beast and the Magme Beast have been known to get together over drinks and laugh at how ludicrous the tree is!

One of the strongest attractions to this story is that we're spared some of the cut-price set decorations that festoon many of the other stories of this season - and sometimes the characters act fairly sensibly. But then Anthony Ainley turns up and twirls his moustache (he may as well, give his performance) and tells us just how brilliant the Rani is again and the crap that is the constant through this season breaks the surface yet again.

A half-decent story that is sadly overpowered by the other, crappily written, half.

Kerr Avon · Joined: 15 Jul 2005 Posts: 478

I'm now getting the ABC nice and clear via AUSTAR which I've had connected for my kids for the holidays.

SharazJek · Joined: 12 Aug 2005 Posts: 932 Location: Hobart, Tasmania

There are many aspects of this story that are great.....the period in particular is a very interesting one and it's as close as we get to a historical story intil the end of the series. I also think Colin Baker does another fine job as the Doctor, and thank goodness he get to cover up the costume, even if it IS with a trench coat and a heap of dirt! The Rani is a good villain until the Master turns up, and Kate O'Mara brings a lot of amoral meance to the role.

On the negative side, while some explanation is given in 'The Kings Demons' as to how the Master escapes, absolutetly NOTHING is mentioned about how he maight have escaped his obvious fate in 'Planet of Fire'. And why is the Master here in the first place? There is no reason for it other than revenge, and with no other plans than to 'get' the Doctor, it makes for a very boring appearance. P&J Baker also thought it was very clever for the Master to look at the camera and say 'The Mark of the Rani' twice throughout the play, as if the audience it too unintelligent to work it out for themselves.

And WHO dressed Peri? This would be the worst of her costumes during her appearance in the series. DREADFUL!! Her terrible script doesn't help either.

And yes, the tree was not only terribly realised, it was a terrible idea from the start, as were the dinos in the final scenes in the Rani's Tardis.

Good, but awful at the same time.

meglos · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 670 Location: Perth

I completely agree with ShrarazJek. It's good and bad. I really don't know what to make of it Confused

Fred · Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 27

parts of the story I really like, like the Rani's character, the setting, the other characters. I love the Rani's TARDIS, brilliant. Wish the Doctor's was like that, it could look old with all that grey. I like the console much better then the current one.

Things I didn't like about it, story was a bit slow, should have never brought the master back, Rani could of made a great replacement villan. Perri was very annoying, the Doctor got too cranky over nothing.

I wish it was out on DVD, I've love to see it in it's proper format.

hugs

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4566

Davros · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 148 Location: Skaro

The Master_BeyondTheGrave · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 41

Also if anybody is interested, In relation to the other post of mine,

'If any of you people do trades i've got,
some Pat Troughton-related stuff on DVD:

SCARS OF DRACULA
http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/product.asp?sku=D24679++&mscssid=FGN4A33JCH888MNW623WKT6E8D772N6D

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL
http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/product.asp?sku=D44911++&mscssid=FGN4A33JCH888MNW623WKT6E8D772N6D

"This movie featured Peter Cushing with PAT as well...
I guess you could kind of say, that was the 2-Doctors in a way, For those of you who have seen the Dr who-movies with PETER CUSHING Idea

[/i]

The Master_BeyondTheGrave · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 41

Greg · Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2005 4:37 pm Post subject:

Davros · Joined: 29 Jun 2005 Posts: 148 Location: Skaro

Wester · Joined: 04 Aug 2005 Posts: 610 Location: Brisbane

Sort of reminded me of the Masque of Mandragora with the gathering of scientific minds.

Liked the Rani's Tardis.

Theta Sigma · Joined: 26 Jun 2005 Posts: 4566

Part 3:
In reference to what Peri was wearing, the Doctor says "pretty dress". Yeah right.
The effect with the picture of the volcano is very good.
Part 3 ends with a shot of Ravensworth and Peri, as Ravensworth says in reference to the Doctor, "Now what he's up to?". More like a what next kind of ending than a cliffhanger.

Part 4:
The part when the two miners were carrying the Doctor on a pole before they got turned into trees, meaning that the Doctor got stuck on the pole between them, was shown during the Inside the TARDIS show.
As he is stuck on the pole the Doctor says that it was "a matter of balance". "A Matter of Balance" happens to be the name of a Space: 1999 episode written by The Mark of the Rani writers Pip and Jane Baker.

charlie · Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject:

Im sorry but Im an idiot and failed to pick up what the rani was doing with the Tyrannusauri Rex and have forgotten what she was doing with the Brain fluid.

I really liked her TARDIS, particuarly the console.