Battlefield
Joe Siegler
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Battlefield
This Story: Season 26, Story 1. Production Code 7N
Overall: Story 153, Episode 688-691
Airdates: 6 Sep 1989 – 27 Sep 1989
Written by Ben Aaronovitch
Directed by Michael Kerrigan
Notes
- The brief scene at the start of this story inside the Tardis is the only scene inside the Tardis for the entire series. The set had fallen into disrepair, and if there was a 27th season in 1990, the set would have been rebuilt.
- Jean Marsh (one time real life wife to third Doctor Jon Pertwee) played Morgaine here. She was last in Doctor Who in 1966 as Sara Kingdom in “The Daleks Master Plan“.
- This was the last televised appearance of the Brigadier (by Nicholas Courtney) in Doctor Who (although he made an appearance after this in a Sarah Jane Adventures episode).
- This was the first proper UNIT story (excluding a minor cameo in The Five Doctors) since 1976’s “The Seeds of Doom“.
Links
[ Wikipedia | Tardis Data Core | SPS Historium | Amazon US DVD | Amazon UK DVD ]#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 688 - Battlefield 1/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 6 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 18, 2023
This story has a bad reputation, & I do NOT understand that. This story was all kinds of fun, well written, nods to show's history (Hi Bessie, Brig, & Liz Shaw), has a fun time with the pic.twitter.com/pDeNmGi6ke
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 688 - Battlefield 1/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 6 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 18, 2023
Arthurian legend. Probably comes from the fact that ep1 has the lowest rating of any classic Who episode ever. Tardis scene the only one in the entire 26th season due to set disrepair. pic.twitter.com/TeqwwkicQq
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 689 - Battlefield 2/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 13 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 19, 2023
Morgaine enters. Played by Jean Marsh, one time companion to the First Doctor, her entrance also adds a supernatural feel to the story, which I oddly liked, as I normally don't. They pic.twitter.com/GZUPljUNl1
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 689 - Battlefield 2/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 13 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 19, 2023
lay into this "The Doctor is Merlin" stuff a lot. The cliffhanger here had real life implications for Sophie Alfred, who could have died in the water tank due to a set accident. pic.twitter.com/4XaTvR0x1D
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 690 - Battlefield 3/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 20 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 20, 2023
Lethbridge-Stewart finally gets into the story proper, saving the Doctor. Meets another incarnation. Two brigs at once is funny. There's a great scene at the bar when Morgaine pays for pic.twitter.com/XQthxzcgnV
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 690 - Battlefield 3/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 20 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 20, 2023
her son's bar tab by giving sight to a blind woman. The Doctor is shown to be able to hypnotize people just by looking at them, something Roger Delgado's Master could do. Cliffhanger👍 pic.twitter.com/vS3sNxeeVn
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 691 - Battlefield 4/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 27 Sep 1989 1/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 21, 2023
The last ep for the Brig in #DoctorWho. They played up the pre-airing press that he was going to die quite well. The Destroyer was a great visual effect, one I think holds up 34yrs later. Ending pic.twitter.com/Eupj1vVO0c
#DoctorWhoMarathon Ep 691 - Battlefield 4/4 (Serial 7N Story 153) - 27 Sep 1989 #DoctorWho 2/2
— jᎾᎬ sᎥᎬᎶᏞᎬᏒ (@JoeSiegler) May 21, 2023
was kind of weird - Morgaine just "gave up" and allowed herself to be arrested - made no sense to me. Other than ending I adored this story, especially when Ace got her own companion. pic.twitter.com/EOiCs5bava
