sparacus: Oh Dear.... 'Delta & the Bannermen' is out on DVD in June

Saturday, 14 March 2009

Oh Dear.... 'Delta & the Bannermen' is out on DVD in June

Probably the worst ever classic series Doctor Who story. I expected it to be left until last along with 'Paradise Towers'. I will buy it as I wish to collect them all however I'd rather have any of the remaining stories than this turkey.

9 comments:

Youth of Australia said...: I dunno what your problem with D/B is. It's tightly written, well-acted, decent special effects. It's a retelling of a famous Bible story, with ecological subtext, likeable characters, not to mention the graphic murder of harmless tourists and dwelling on the emotional love triangles of young people. OK, Ken Dodd might act it up, but look at the character he's playing: a hyper traffic warden having the most fun he's ever had. Not to mention the cold suspicion that Delta is not the innocent fugitive she appears, especially as she admits that her species consumes other races...

What exactly is WRONG with it? It seems to be what you ape at every time you write a story...; 14 March 2009 at 17:34
sparacus said...: I do not remember it in the way you describe. I recall a lightweight romp with unbelievable characters and too much comedy.; 15 March 2009 at 08:54
Youth of Australia said...: Too much comedy?

Buses exploding with tourists dying screaming? Mass attacks by bees? People collapsing in agony with their eardrums burst?

WHEN exactly did you last see it, Spara? Cause you seem to have bought in to its undeserved reputation rather than the reality. It's better plotted than Dragonfire, the science makes more sense than Time and the Rani, and the acting is better than Paradise Towers.

You shouldn't be so closed-minded, it's hardly setting the standards and telling it like it is.

If it was, after all, SO bad, they wouldn't have released it this soon, would they?; 15 March 2009 at 18:24
Cameron Mason said...: I'm looking forward to the DVD release.

The story is such a breath of fresh air after all the nastiness off camera that destroyed the Sixth Doctor.; 16 March 2009 at 15:58
Anonymous said...: Wow - do you really like Delta and the Bannermen that much? Or is it an excuse for a 'you say black, I say white' discussion? Only asking.

It might be worth remembering that some such as Sparacus and myself were 'lucky' enough to see DatB on it's first week by week transmission. Along with the rest of that season. There's probably a pretty foul taste for us about DW that year that's always going to linger. That's the reality for us - judging it on it's merits when we saw it ourselves rather than it's reputation.

As I recall Ken Dodd was probably the best bit about it. It kind of went downhill after that. A strange reflection of the times at cramming in so many characters with possibly interesting storylines but then largely ignoring them and just have them tagging along. And the massacre of the tourists was so cheaply executed to make it look like a crass gag from the Roland Rat show.

If it wasn't for people like Sparacus collecting every DVD regardless then perhaps some of these stories wouldn't be getting a release so soon. There's plenty of good stories waiting to get a realease. Maybe they're being held back to get higher sales figures after a time when these lesser stories can bring in good sales which they wouldn't otherwise do without DW's current popularity.

So in other words Spara me old china, you may have your own completist tendencies to blame for the release of this story so soon. Where the hell is Kinda? 'You can't mend people'!; 17 March 2009 at 08:02
Bernie Fishnotes said...: Buses exploding with tourists dying screaming? Mass attacks by bees? People collapsing in agony with their eardrums burst?

Is this Delta and the Bannermen, or Spara's works?; 17 March 2009 at 17:32
Youth of Australia said...: Wow - do you really like Delta and the Bannermen that much?
Yes I do. Ray's great, and the plot ties in with the Shadow Proclamation of the new series.

It might be worth remembering that some such as Sparacus and myself were 'lucky' enough to see DatB on it's first week by week transmission.
I was lucky enough to see it a year later on Australian TV. The point being?

Along with the rest of that season.
Again, yes AND?

There's probably a pretty foul taste for us about DW that year that's always going to linger.
Well, it was considered a blessed release after the Tedium of a Time Lord that had no decent plot, companions, monsters or ending and relied on misremembered continuity details from 1976.

Season 24 was embraced for its lack of pretension, its ruthless edge and its incredibly cool monsters - bloodsucking four-eyed bats, insane cleaning robots, HR Gieger dragons, men made of ice! Season 24 was the only one to merit action figures!

That's the reality for us - judging it on it's merits when we saw it ourselves rather than it's reputation.
If anything it's reputation now is improved. Many find it better than Dragonfire, which in 1987 was considered the best of the bunch.

And the massacre of the tourists was so cheaply executed to make it look like a crass gag from the Roland Rat show.
...so what? Who sits down to Doctor Who and goes, "Ooh, I want Hollywood production values?!" The point was the tourists WERE massacred, that the so-called 'light and friendly' season contains more carnage than the seasons on either side of it.

Where the hell is Kinda? 'You can't mend people'!
Were you, like I, stunned that when the Tegan Box Set came it out DIDN'T contain the Mara stories but Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity?!; 18 March 2009 at 18:41
Colin said...: Anonymous - like you, I saw Delta on its first transmission, and I don't have a problem with it at all. In fact, it was the only story broadcast that year that didn't make me completely embarrassed to be a fan of the show.; 22 March 2009 at 06:49
Drew said...: I don't see the issue. I love Delta and the Bannermen and will try and get it on DVD when it comes out here. It's a nice bit of fun that's also a surprisingly effective story, and it's the best story of the underrated debut season of the best doctor.; 10 August 2009 at 20:20