DOCTOR WHO-THE TELEVISION SERIES
---------------------------------------------------------------
November 23rd 1963 saw the first screening on BBC Television of the longest running Science-Fiction programme in the history of the medium. Being largely the creation of Canadian Sydney Newman DOCTOR WHO was intended as a programme for the whole family with a specific focus of interest for the younger audience. It was Newman's intention for children to be both thrilled and educated by the adventures of an eccentric time traveller and his companions as they became embroiled in plots in the past, the present and the future. With this basic concept being passed into the hands of producer Verity Lambert DOCTOR WHO as we now know it began to take shape. The first adventure saw the Doctor, played by William Hartnell, travel back to the Stone Age. It was with the Doctor's second adventure however that the phenomenon, that has spanned five decades, was truly created. Writer Terry Nation introduced to the World The Daleks a tyrannical, mutant race forever condemned to life within fearsome robot-like armoured casings. The Doctor now had an arch-enemy and these two forces of good and evil would cross swords across the aeons, and hundreds of hours of television time! When each actor portraying the Doctor decided to move on from the role the character was simply 'regenerated' into a new physical form. Sometimes older, sometimes younger, always different but somehow always the same. The Doctor is brave, resourceful, just and righteous and these are the characteristics which make him so appealing to all generations. Over the past forty years Doctor Who has appeared on stage, on the cinema screen and on radio. His adventures have been chronicled on the printed page, in comic books and more recently as an on-line Internet animated series. Currently in his ninth 'regeneration' the Doctor is soon to appear on television screens once more in the shape of actor Christopher Eccleston. It is the character's fourth incarnation however, in the form of actor Tom Baker, that many regard as the definitive. It was with this embodiment of the Doctor in mind that Mego created one of their most highly sought products when they produced for British company Denys Fisher an incredible line of action figures.
DOCTOR WHO-THE CONCEPT
----------------------------------------------
A mysterious runaway Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey known only as the Doctor. Travelling through time and space as a champion of the oppressed in his incredible machine, The Tardis, the Doctor journeys to all manner of planet and time period inquisitively seeking adventure. With a travelling companion at his side the Doctor offers his phenomenal wealth of intellect, wisdom, diplomatic skills and technological wizardry to those in need of his talents without reward. During the course of his exploits he has aligned himself with many peaceful races whilst making sworn enemies of others including the warlike Daleks, Cybermen and Ice Warriors. Preferring to use his wits to thwart a nefarious scheme the Doctor will however use his considerable physical abilities if required. With a liking for humans the Doctor spent many years acting as a guardian of Earth during a period which saw a number of attempted invasions by hostile alien races. Possessing a unique ability to regenerate himself should his body become damaged beyond repair the Doctor has sacrificed his then latest physical form on numerous occasions for the benefit of those for whom he cares. The Doctor is in a word a hero.
DOCTOR WHO-THE DENYS FISHER/MEGO ACTION FIGURES
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Summer of 1977 saw the Mego produced Denys Fisher DOCTOR WHO line hit stores across England. Like Palitoy before them, Denys Fisher had nurtured a relationship with Mego repackaging their products for distribution in the United Kingdom. Similarly the company approached Mego to produce figures for them exclusively and these would include those inspired by the BBC medical series ANGELS and, of course, DOCTOR WHO. The packaging for each figure in the series was of the 'box and flap' variety similar to that which had been used by Louis Marx Toys for their 'LONE RANGER' figures a few years earlier. The official DOCTOR WHO logo made for a visually impressive backdrop to artwork representations of each character on its respective main box front. The flap however featured different, more dynamic, artwork courtesy of British comic book legend John Burns. The reverse of the packaging introduced the rest of the figures to potential buyers each authentically rendered as drawings except Leela who was seen in the form of a publicity photograph of actress Louise Jameson with a 'wash' applied to suggest an artist's hand.
The entire line was an immense success for Denys Fisher with the most popular figure being obviously the Doctor himself. Using the previously seen FLASH GORDON 9 Inch body the figure represented the actor Tom Baker just as he looked when first introduced to the public during a photo-shoot at BBC Television Centre some two years previous. This new scale was proving not unpopular with a number of lines being produced to this height specification including the previously mentioned FLASH GORDON as well as a variety of global sport-related lines such as MUHAMMAD ALI, FRANZ BECKENBAUER and STEVE GOALGETTER. Wearing a soft plastic hat, covering a shock of realistically sculpted curls, the figure's facial likeness is very commendable portraying the Doctor in one of his happier, rather than more sombre, moments. The trademark scarf is authentically coloured and of considerable length, as was the one worn by Baker. A burgundy faux-corduroy jacket covers a one piece sleeveless tunic representing a white, collared shirt and 'Fair Isle' sweater. A thin claret tie completes the Doctor's upper clothing. A pair of elastic-waist black and grey trousers offer an almost herringbone effect to the observer. With black formal shoes, not dissimilar in style to those worn by 'The Wizard Of Oz', and his trusty Sonic Screw-Driver the figure is fully realised as a very pleasing likeness of the legendary Time Lord. (This figure alone was issued in Italy by the company Harbert.)
As would become tradition within the television series itself the Doctor generally travelled with a companion. More often female the relationship was always platonic and included almost every type from schoolgirls to scientists, Victorian ladies to street-wise 'punkettes' with each bringing a dash of glamour to the programme. The fourth Doctor's first new female companion was the beautiful, savage Leela. Played by actress Louise Jameson the character first appeared in DOCTOR WHO in January 1977, looking much as she did when presented by Denys Fisher/Mego some six months later, remaining as the Doctor's ally for just over a year. The figure portrayed Leela as she is best remembered by most male DOCTOR WHO enthusiasts. Scantily clad, ready for action, knife at the ready, chestnut-brown hair cascading alluringly about her shoulders. Some action figure!! For many the facial sculpt is a highlight. Mego's Leela displays piercing blue eyes. Ironically Louise Jameson's own naturally blue eyes were in fact covered by brown contact lenses when she first played the role. With boots moulded into her lower leg and only her upper limbs offering full articulation Leela, in all her 'leatherette' glory, is still very detailed with her beautifully stitched tribal outfit, loin-cloth and accessories capturing perfectly the essence of one of the Doctor's most memorable companions.
The first menace to confront the Doctor, during Tom Baker's lengthy tenure in the role, was the title character of the Terrance Dicks story 'Robot' screened in December 1974. Referred to on Denys Fisher's packaging as "The Robot That Controls The World!" the hulking man-machine was in fact little more than the witless pawn of those with more malevolent intentions. Despite this misconception by Denys Fisher the figure is a remarkable interpretation of BBC designer Ian Rawnsley's stunning original vision of the Robot. Lacking full articulation, much like its full-size counterpart, the Robot nonetheless makes for an imposing figure. Children were able to replicate perfectly actor Michael Kilgarriff's 'clunking' robotic movement. Boasting claws that actually gripped it is fair to say that the figure is the most authentic of the three 'villains' in the DOCTOR WHO line. Rarely found loose the figure is much prized especially if still bearing the often lost or discarded shoulder 'shields'. The Giant Robot is certainly one of Mego's most perfectly realised figures based on any licensed property.
By the mid-1970s The Cybermen had established themselves as one of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, perhaps second only to The Daleks. The inclusion of one of their number in the Denys Fisher line was therefore inevitable. Having originally appeared in 1966, wearing costumes designed by Sandra Reid, the fearsome silver giants from the 'Tenth' planet Mondas evolved physically over the years. The version used as the basis for the design of Mego's figure was first seen in November 1968 in the now legendary 'Invasion' story arc. The fourth Doctor would face them only once when 'Revenge Of The Cybermen' was screened in April 1975. The figure itself makes for a rather less intimidating version of writers Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis' creation than some might have hoped. The nose, mittened hands and ill-fitting costume rather dilutes the general image one usually associates with this cold hearted race but the charm of the figure is only heightened. The chest piece, arm and leg attachments, often missing from remaining modern examples, are nicely sculpted and represent authentically that which viewers of DOCTOR WHO were by then well accustomed.
In all DOCTOR WHO lore there is no race more ruthless and evil than The Daleks. Having rightfully claimed the title of the "Doctor's Enemy No.1!", splashed across box artwork by Denys Fisher, Mego's Dalek at just a little more than 6 Inches in height is perhaps too small to truly represent the ferocity of Terry Nation's classic creation. However the overall shape of the 'slow friction' driven native of the planet Skaro is excellent far surpassing many previous attempts to reproduce in miniature Ray Cusick's now classic design. Having seemingly taken elements of each of the various Dalek incarnations seen over the years on television, in comic books and on the cinema screen, this version offers little to concern even the most staunch critic. For some 'Dalek-Maniacs' the dome could have perhaps exhibited the same silver-grey livery seen on the main body rather than the more visually disturbing red. Even this minor alteration however would do little to change what is already a very true representation of one of Science-Fiction television's most iconic creations.
With DOCTOR WHO enjoying one of its most popular periods on television it made sense to exploit this interest and expand the action figure line. The second wave of product however only included a single character introduced in the spring of 1978, the Doctor's latest companion the robot dog K-9. Having appeared originally as the 'pet' of another character, Professor Marius in the story 'The Invisible Enemy', K-9 loyally accompanied the Doctor on many adventures from October 1977 until his departure from the programme in January 1981. The character proved popular enough with younger DOCTOR WHO viewers to enjoy the luxury of his own TV 'Special' later that year when K-9 AND COMPANY aired during the festive season. Given their understanding of current popular tastes it is unsurprising that Palitoy also recognised the appeal of DOCTOR WHO during this period and launched a number of their own related products. Their 'Talking' Dalek is often mistakenly referred to as a Mego/Denys Fisher product whilst their 'Talking' K-9 is similarly confused. The Mego K-9 is smaller in stature, almost perfectly scaled to match his 'Master', and only offered children its ability to travel using the similar 'slow friction' action used to give motion to the Daleks. Despite lacking the sophistication of Palitoy's offering Mego's K-9, with its tartan collar and recognisable shape, gave younger DOCTOR WHO/ K-9 enthusiasts little need for disappointment.
Any self-respecting wanderer in the fourth dimension requires a vehicle in which to travel. The Doctor employed one of the most spectacular, at least conceptually, in all Science-Fiction. With the capability to travel through both space and time, change its shape to blend with local surroundings and appear smaller on the outside than within, the Tardis is a truly wondrous invention. For ease of use Time And Relative Dimensions In Space, or Tardis, was given the form of an early 1960's London Police telephone box many of which could be found on streets during the period in which the Doctor first appeared on television. Suffering from a variety of sometimes irritating defects the Tardis became locked in 'Police Box' mode and has remained in this form becoming yet another iconic image of the series. Denys Fisher's Tardis is a good representation of the famous vehicle despite its largely cardboard construction. Scaled to fit perfectly the figure of the Doctor, the 13 Inch replica employed the same novel 'spin and disappear' action seen previously in both THE WIZARD OF OZ and STAR TREK play-sets. With the figure placed inside a spin of the 'lamp' atop the Tardis followed by a press of the red button and the Doctor would disappear. Another spin and press of the green button and the Doctor would return. A simple vaudevillian trick to some but to many youngsters, magic! This very word could justifiably be applied to both DOCTOR WHO the television programme which had inspired the line and also Mego the company responsible for its creation! |
