Doctor Who, season 3 continues …

Of the final two episodes of The Celestial Toymaker, only the final episode exists in the BBC archive.  For the other, I’m relying on the CGI recreation by Who Recons.

The the live-action episode does help to lift the adventure up a peg or two, but that’s also helped by it being the final episode of the serial.

The CGI episode had difficulty showing what was going on in the kitchen, between the cook and the soldier, and with Steven and Dodo looking for the key.  Likewise, the “dancing floor” game made no sense whatsoever.

In all, though, and even with the live-action final episode, I can’t help come away from this story quite disappointed.

It’s another one I’d always wanted to see in its entirety, yet it comes across like four episodes of padding.  The Doctor taking four episodes to play the trilogic game, while Steven & Dodo play more physical games – all the time pretty much ignoring the clues given to them by the Toymaker.  Not even Michael Gough’s talents can do much with a character that has no depth, and no real motive.

Still, the end of the final episode (now that Hartnell’s returned from limbo) with the Doctor outwitting the Toymaker, mimicking his voice, the panic of the TARDIS escaping the massive explosion, and the Doctor pondering when he’ll meet the Toymaker again, makes for an excellent finale.

It’s just a shame the rest of the story didn’t serve the ending very well.

It’s no wonder it took so long for the Toymaker to come back to the series (in Colin Baker’s “missing” season) – because there really wasn’t anything to the character.

In fact, it wouldn’t be unfair to compare The Celestial Toymaker to the later Troughton story, The Mind Robber, but if you do, you’ll realise how much better the Troughton adventure is.

Next time … A Holiday for the Doctor