Deserted London - Doctor Who - BBC classic sci-fi

[MrClassicDoctorWho]

wow 3:19 is pretty graphic for Doctor Who in the 70s. AND its only in B&W! haha

[MarkAJAgi]

The phone number 0 was for the operator, so you could not use 000 as you where connect to the operator before dialing the second zero.

With the pulse system you could phone a number by tapping the handset rest button.

Now you need to whistle at the correct frequencies. (Like listening to an old computer modem)

I'm guessing your American and use 911.

999 was first introduced in London on 30 June 1938.

911 was first introduced in Haleyville (Ala.) in 1968.

[anothercanofworms]

R.I.P Elisabeth Sladen

[Thoroughbred17]

Something I've never understood was WHY, in the time of rotary phones, was the emergency number 999? That takes FOREVER to dial!

[Baz76]

@Thoroughbred17 It was supposed to be easier to find the 9 hole by touch on the rotary dial in case of an emergency (like a house fire where you would be blinded by the fumes). I think there used to be a metal stop at the end of the dial so it was just a case of feeling one hole up from the stop,something similar to the idea of a dimple on the number 5 key on most modern keypads to help blind people.

[Thoroughbred17]

@Baz76 Ahhh... I definitely didn't think of that. You'd think 111 would be easy enough, too, and that would take far less time to dial. That really does make sense, though. Thanks! :D

[MarkAJAgi]

@Thoroughbred17

Getting a bit technical here.

We now use pitches to send the phone number down the line,

but in the 70's we where still using pulses to send a number down the phone line.

1 is one click, 2 two clicks ... 9 nine clicks and zero is ten clicks.

If the wind blow two telephone lines together that would cause one click (Or dial 1)

On a windy day if the line hit 3 times that would dial 111, which would be a lot of false calls to the police.

999 was 9 clicks space, 9cl space, 9cl

[YorikoSakakibara]

ahhh, rotary phones.  I feel old.

[Smallvillenerd]

call me a new series fan but i dont think lis sladen is THAT great. I mean she is one of the better companions but there others i like better. In the Five Doctors she kinda annoyed me but other then that i just like others better, Like Jamie or Ace or Zoe

[63DW89A]

@Smallvillenerd Sarah is poorly written in "The Five Doctors", and is not at all the Sarah Jane of Seasons 11-14. Watch all her original 18 stories from "Time Warrior" through "Hand of Fear" and you'll quickly see why "Sarah Jane" ranks so highly in WHO companion polls. She's simply the most capable companion in WHO history and that includes the New Series with all its cartoonish superhero-type goofiness. New Who is aimed at children, while Classic Who knew it had a large adult audience.

[Smallvillenerd]

@63DW89A Yeah she is good but in my opinion there are better companions. Like Jamie, Zoe, Ace

[63DW89A]

@Smallvillenerd Understandbly there are different companion preferences; it would be a boring world if everyone thought the same! But it is worth noting that In this "Invasions of the Dinosaurs" story alone, Sarah accomplishes more on her own than most other companions do in their entire WHO career! VERY few other companions would be as competent as Sarah in debating the Dr's moral dilemma in the famous scene in Genesis of the Daleks. One of many critical WHO moments involving Sarah!

[Smallvillenerd]

@63DW89A I understand but my opinion i dont think she is THAT great as everyone says, my opinion okay? Ace is my favourite she just seems so fitting with the 7th doctor and she is not the typicla or average companion

[63DW89A]

@Smallvillenerd You are entitled to your opinion, as am I. Ace fit Dr#7 well, but Sarah meshed well with Dr#3, 4 &10. By the time of Ace & Dr#7, DW had become a "Kid's Cartoon" averaging 4 Million viewers per episode if lucky. In the Sarah Jane era, Season 11-14, DW was quality Sci-Fi appealing to adults, and 37 of her 80 episodes pulled 10 millon viewers or better, a feat that no other era of WHO has been able to accomplish.

Lis Sladen is a BIG reason those high ratings happened!

[63DW89A]

Oh, almost forgot. Sarah also meshed well with Dr#11, in the "Sarah Jane Adventures" episodes of "Death of the Doctor". Brilliant two episodes by the way. SJA, in many ways, is more "Dr Who" and on par with Classic Who at its best, than the New Series. As a matter of fact, Sarah's first 6 shows in Season 11 & 12 of Classic Who, look much like a "Sarah Jane Adventure", she is so independent of the Dr, her actions directly affecting the stories!

Sarah was never a "tag-along" companion!

[Smallvillenerd]

what killed him? It was a dinosaur!

[TARDISDOWNUNDER]

that first episode is so atmopheric, so well filmed a paced. Brilliant stuff.

[IRISHREM1234]

No no no no no this is wrong. I never saw the episode but I am also aware that the episode 'war games' starring patrick troughton was the last clip in Doctor Who ever shot in black and white.

[flashrobbie]

Yes, IRISHEM1234, it was, but only black and white versions still exist of some earlier Pertwee episodes, the colour ones being missing - not sure if this is one that still only exists in black and white or if the colour one also still exists .

[hcvang]

@flashrobbie if colour existed, that would be used here instead of the black and white film cut.

some of us are working on colorising the episodes, bringing them back to their former glory, y'know...

[hcvang]

@IRISHREM1234 you meant to say that The War Games is the last STORY in black and white. The War Games consists of TEN EPISODES, not one.

[IRISHREM1234]

@hcvang Dear God are you still fretting over this? I posted that comment 8 months ago. Try ignoring old comments and, I don't know......get a life?

[hcvang]

@IRISHREM1234 Sorry if I dont reply to your comments the second you post them, Irishrem. I dont sit around on Youtube every day, mate.

[Smallvillenerd]

@IRISHREM1234 No this and episode 1 of the Mind of Evil i think only exhist in Balck and White.

[IRISHREM1234]

@Smallvillenerd sorry to say, and I'm not being rude, but I posted that comment months ago. I mean like over a YEAR ago. I don't even know what I said. Would you kindly let it rest? Thanks.

[Smallvillenerd]

@IRISHREM1234 yeah sure

[Yetaxa]

@Smallvillenerd The ENTIRE Mind of Evil exists only in Black and White apart from about 5 minutes of clips that have been found.

[Smallvillenerd]

@Yetaxa Damn straight!

[britfrenir]

I first saw this in 1986 and on a b/w set so I could not tell it was a b/w copy. Also, the parts were put together and iread that they were edited.

[pandaphil]

I'm glad to get a chance to see part of episode one. When they showed this on PBS many years ago they left off the first part because it was in b&w. :(

Story I always heard was that the color film version was destroyed along with a lot of early episodes because the person sorting film mistook it for part of an old Troughton episode called 'Invasion'. Understandable since they left the '...of the Dinosaurs' part off episode one so as not to spoil the surprise.

[maccagrabme]

The old ones are much better than the new stuff. More mysterious and slower paced without all the gloss. I've not seen this one before but it held my interest unlike the new version.

[hcvang]

@maccagrabme it's all doctor who to me. love it. the books, the comics (though not the american ones), audio dramas.. love it.

actually dont like series 5 very much, though. didnt get good for me, until 'the hungry earth'... i'm in the minority, I know.

[Smallvillenerd]

@maccagrabme MMMm the new ones are far more average and boring, especially in the RTD era when the writing was pretty bad. I really like your comment becoz everyone agrees and i agree to. I HATE it though when people say the old dr who was crap becoz it had bad special effects and some of the actors over did it and stereo types are always like: Dr who with stuid monster s and aluminium foil! Old who was mysterious and really got your attention. You read about an old ep and wanted to see it.

[ianmax69]

the beeb restored the colour version of one of the missing colour episodes of Dads Army.. Could episode 1 Invasion of the Dinosaurs be next on the list?

[CommisarTeds]

BBC, your the best!!

[ianmax69]

Fancy that.. Deserves to get cornered by a dino if he nicks a motor thats a dino at cornering!!

[swollower]

but wouldnt it be coolif london was deserted. o more nobbies

[MALONEYCAMFIELD]

I read that this black and white film print was quite badly damaged when it was returned to the BBC in 1983. This clip doesn't look bad at all.

[dramaticguy]

I remember reading in the early 80s,episode 1 was missing,didn't know it had been returned until UK Gold showed it,I have it on vhs,epiosde1 is great quality but in b and w.Sure it will be colourised.

[MALONEYCAMFIELD]

It was returned to the BBC in 1983 and its return meant that the BBC had copies, either in black and white or colour, of all Pertwee episodes. What's unusual about this episode is that it is actually just a 16mm engineering print which some engineer presumably walked off with - then brought it back. All the other black and white Pertwee episodes were actually 16mm prints done for commercial sale abroad, hence they were considered better quality picture than this one.

[dramaticguy]

Thanks for that info,very interesting,thanks,

[MALONEYCAMFIELD]

That's OK. Actually I got it all from the Outpost Gallifrey website, which has information on the archive status of all the old Doctor Who episodes. Well worth a look.

[glnelson1956]

This is an excellent story. Many viewers like to harp on the limited special effects, and forget to actually look at the otherwise great production of INVASIONS OF THE DINOSAURS.

The comment about the great team of Pertwee/Sladen is right. Teaming with Lis Sladen makes any Doctor better, and DrWho would have lost much had she never appeared in the program.

[hcvang]

@glnelson1956 yeah, thats the trouble with modern viewers - they havent any imaginations. hell, even something being in black and white is enough to frighten off most people under 25. none of them can actually bother to follow the story, if they could, they'd get engrossed soon enough..

well, not all, but you get my drift.

[cybertaylor]

@hcvang i agree though only being a young fan i think dr who was best in b/w due to the mysteriousness and atmosphere the seemed darkness of it tomb is a perfect example one of the best who storys to date

[hcvang]

@cybertaylor good for you, you belong to the intelligent minority who dont focus primarily on empty special effects and hot babes with big tits. Please tell me you hate Transformers: The Movie? lol

Indeed Tomb... is one of the best Doctor Who stories ever. Absolute classic.

[cybertaylor]

@hcvang i like the cartoon movie yes as well as the show

[latindancer4ever]

oh what! it ended! what happened? was it dinosaurs?

[doctorwhoboff]

thanks for adding

love the old doctors :)

[Jakewantsausername]

I wants moar :(

[amazingrandy900]

This is a case in point that alot of early who works better in black in white, even if, like this, it was unintentional and because of an accident. Honestly, watch Spearhead from space in Black and white, its amazing.

[MALONEYCAMFIELD]

Also, the difference in picture quality between film exteriors and video interiors, which was always quite obvious in colour, is not anywhere near as obvious in black and white like this episode.

[Engwadur]

omg, I want to watch more V.V

[TARDISDOWNUNDER]

that's the best episode of that story. Really gritty and atmospheric.

[ChristopherVideos]

I love doctor who

[DMCDW]

brillient!!!, pertwee and sladen a brillient doctor who compaionship,:)