Hello dear viewer, and thank you for tuning in to watch Part 18 of our documentary series! I can't believe that we've finally reached the end of the Tom Baker era! Season 18 is such a fascinating set of adventures to look at and disect! And the viewing figures... well you'll have to watch and find out! For those who don't know, my channel recently got completely de-monetised by RU-vid. I should be able to re-apply for monetisation in the near future, but in the mean time, if you wish to help support myself and the channel, you can via either Ko-fi or Patreon! There's absolutely no obligation to do this, but any support would be immensely appreciated! Ko-fi - ko-fi.com/adammartynamtv Patreon - patreon.com/adammartynamtv Thanks again for tuning in, and I'll see you next time for the beginning of a brand new era for the programme, as we kick off the Peter Davison Years, with Season 19!
I'll always love the star field title sequence. I love most of the title sequences and I really like the rest. I really like this seasons tone, it really lays the groundwork for the 5th Doctor's era. Also, love Tom's outfit. One of my favourite Doctor costumes. I never could finish Leisure Hive, but I'm due for another attempt.
Tom's outfit in this season has grown on me massively as the years have gone by! Definitely give the Leisure Hive another go! One of my favourites of the season 😊
Nice review!! The funniest part is that season 18 has dated for better than disco dancing Buck being chased by Royal Princess Ardala. But I always liked this season, especially when it first came out and I was 8... Gotta wonder which episode of Buck was aired opposite the individual episodes that rated lowest. Or maybe not, if it was a bad episode of Buck... As a reviewer it's also got to be a bit tedious to say the same bit of "available in the complete season 18 box set"...
Tom Baker was the Doctor that I grew up with and I was glad to be a part of that era. I still say he was the best Doctor in the Doctor Who series. He had that wit that charm that defines the intellect of a Time Lord. 😁
Meglos and to a lesser extent Leisure Hive give the impression of being written for Graham Williams/Douglas Adams but subsequently having all their humour sucked out by the new team before going before the cameras. I think that’s what Meglos is missing.
Yessss I don't remember chuckling too much during Meglos! I understand the new production team wanting to scale back the humour somewhat, but the shows always been funny, gotta have one or two giggles along the way!
Impressive review. Tom Baker's regeneration was the first episode I saw as it originally went out. I'm always amazed at the detail of your reviews both for classic Doctor Who and for 80s music on the Now/Hits series. Whilst you can't have been born in that era, it's as though you lived through it. You even suggest alternative tracks that should have been included which I happen to remember were current at the time. Excellent research!
Thanks for your kind words Joe! 😊 I do love me some 80s music, and I'm glad that you enjoy my Now/Hits work too! I know many of my track suggestions weren't there due to rights but we can all dream!
Another fascinating installment, Adam. What this proves more than most is that even the mightiest Classic Doctors could fail to capture a decent slice of the viewing public. So many episodes in this Season floundered at the bottom of the charts, with many falling outside the Weekly Top 100... and (sort-of spoilers!) Season 18 is by no means alone in that. This should give pause to those critics of the current era's viewership, where not one single episode has failed to reach the Top 40, and most have secured a much higher chart placement than the vast majority of Classic Who stories would have dreamt of.
Season 18 is one that I really enjoy, although I don't feel it gets properly into gear until Full Circle. It's just very distinctive, both in look and thematic approach and musically. And an interesting example of strife and conflict behind the scenes leading to good drama in front of it. A real shame the ratings were so low for this. How it goes sometimes, and not a reflection on quality in this case. Thanks again for the latest installment of these viewing figure videos!
I've got most of season 18 on DVD, only missing The Leisure Hive and Meglos. Must get round to watching the ones I do have, as I have seen and heard the season spoken of in a generally positive light, even being a particular favourite of Who Chaser, I believe. Also, Peter Howell's arrangement is probably my favourite Classic Who theme. So full of synth, I love it!
Thank you so much James! Pleasure to have you with us at AMTV! 😁 a fan of 40+ years wow! You may remember some of the competing shows and events we continue through the series! 😊
A brilliantly paced and at times and places, quite emotional journey. Your content has the same fan warmth and researched clarity as Clever Dick Films. I look forward to this series of shows as much as I do the actual series. Wonderful! Gx
Thank you so much Gerry! To be compared to Richards fantastic work is an honour! 😊 It's funny isn't how emotional looking back at this show can be! There will be many more emotions flying round as the 80s progress that's for sure!
@@AdamMartyn It’s that intellectually astute emotional contact you bring to the table. The fandom seems to be in some endlessly spiralling disintegrating schizoid schism. The show isn’t always firing on all creative cylinders, there’s historically always peaks and troughs, but the reason we can reference the good or bad, is that it exists. You’re telling us it in whatever form it’s presents, it should exist and why it’s important generations of children and adults need a hero figure like The Doctor. We need more content like this, mainly because it’s superb but also to communally cherish what we love about a telly program not only changing but emboldening our lives. Gx
So does Keeper of Traken and Logopolis, but Logopolis is rather disappointing to the fact that Tom Baker left Doctor Who and his death is not as surprising to this for his regeneration scene sadly
Another top-rate video!! Really well done with these. If I may though - one small "correction": "Logopolis" was actually the final repeat in "The Five Faces" season (so the good viewing figures ended with it rather than "progressing"...) and the dates for it's BBC transmission were from Monday 30th November to Thursday 3rd December 1981 (The dates you've listed here were the ones filled by "The Krotons" from Troughton's era.) I enjoy your videos so much, I feel a bit curmudgeonly about offering corrections, but I hope you find it useful! :)
Sorry I'm going to have to do an 9th Doctor here - FANTASTIC - keep up the great work Adam.... got to go to work but looking forward to watch this over the weekend.
After Leela left, City of Death, Destiny of the Daleks and Logopolis are the only ones left worth watching with Tom Baker. Even me as a die hard fan found the quality a little wonky and even the books were uninspired. It was good to get an overview again. So thanks for that. The burning question, where’s Buck Rodgers now!
The first season that really introduced me to Doctor Who (I've got vague early memories of Destiny of the Daleks and City of Death from S17). I remember watching The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis (and Castrovalva from S,19) like it was yesterday, That's when I became hooked on Doctor Who.
Another stellar video Adam. These numbers were really crazy and kinda weird. Even though I’m not much of a fan of Season 18, it still physically hurt to watch. How Full Circle Part 2 got 3.7 compared to the 5 million surrounding it still baffles it! Also, did someone say Foamasi?
That Fomasi quote is one of my favourites even though it's really corny 😂 I'm surprised at how odd and crazy the numbers were too! It's only gonna get crazier as the 80s progress!
Yenno what this series is genuinely wayy more interesting than you'd expect with "viewing figures". They talk about ratings decline all the time in other classic who retrospectives, but it's genuinely fascination to see it in real time.
Things were a-changing as we went into the 80's, and not just with Doctor Who. The whole emphasis of television had shifted somewhat and viewers were expecting a bit more than what had previously been on offer in regard to quality of programming. Some of the US imports that were around at the time kind of put the UKs output to shame and it was noticed. Particularly with anything associated with sci-fi/futuristic fantasy a certain degree of sophistication, as far as props and quality of camera work, was fast becoming expected as a norm. Doctor Who tried to keep up, but it was never going to be as good as the US imports of the time which were positively cinematic in comparison. Story-wise, Doctor Who was still very much on point, however, and if those who watched were able to put their willing disbelief into touch and concentrated more on the plot rather than the aesthetics, then there was still plenty to be had. As a 12 year old, I was still glued to the TV when these shows originally aired and wasn't distracted at all by the comparison of set values to the American counterparts, 'on the other side.' To me, what I saw was intrinsically UK styled sci-fi that didn't necessarily need lots of bells and whistles to set the scene of what was going on. Another series which would often run concurrent to Doctor Who was also in the same look and style, namely, 'Blake's 7', that kept the interest in such thing going for part of the weekly schedule. As I remember, that show used to be broadcast on Monday evenings. Tom Baker had grown weary of the part, and it kind of showed during this season. I think it was probably time for a change of personnel, but initially, I personally didn't take to Peter Davidson as the Doctor, but I think that's more to do with the first storyline than anything else, but that's for next time...
Thank you for sharing your thoughts pal! I do agree that Tom's weariness for this season absolutely shows in places. I would argue it works for stories like Logopolis, but other times it's such a shame! I definitely need to get round to Blakes 7 at some point too!
Just found your channel and really enjoying it! One thing perhaps not mentioned is that around this time the VCR (video recorder) was becoming much more affordable and popular, so for the first time many viewers were able to watch one programme live and record the other at the same time. With shorter episodes, Doctor Who may well have been the easiest one to record and watch later. Don’t know but suspect these views weren’t yet counted in figures at that time?
I've looked through all the comments and am going to be the main dissenting voice on this on I think I love this season immensely. It is my single favourite series of Dr. Who, classic or modern. I think all the stories are really enjoyable, and it really kicks off from the E-Space trilogy. I'm so sad to hear it got such a poor response in 1980/81. Everyone was missing out. I say this as a fan who started with the modern series and only really explored classic who in the last couple of years. Sad it failed to connect back in the day
Interesting question. Just on viewing figures alone, roughly from 10 million on average without it to 9.41 million with. So, even with this season having such a tough time, not actually such a huge drop overall. Shows how strong his ratings were beforehand, hell, in a funny way maybe even balances out given the artificial boost Season 17 got from the ITV strike.
At this point, RU-vid is gonna put my comments in the spam section because yet again, a marvellous video Adam. Season 18 is a very interesting season and for the most part I really like it. The leisure hive in my opinion, is one of my least favourite stories ever, I cannot stand it. Meglos isn’t great, but I find it a fun romp, the same can be said for full circle. State Of Decay is a story that I quite like, feels right at home in the Hinchcliffe era. Warriors Gate is very strange, but that’s what works about it. And Keeper of Tralee and Logopolis are great stories. It’s such a shame the viewing figures were as bad as they were, but as one Doctor Falls (quite literally) another will rise. Can’t wait for the next part
Ah, S18 - the funeral season, and one with all the "fun" taken out of it. I do like this run, but it's just so bleak - especially in comparison to S17. It smacks of people trying too hard to make the show serious 'again'. I do remember Full Circle freaking me out as a kid, though! Another great instalment in your series, Adam!
Thanks matey! The whole season does have a very bleak and morbid tone to it, I think it mostly works for the better but there are moments where it's a bit too much!
No doubt Buck Rogers had an effect on these low viewing figures, but I have to say I remember watching two episodes of the Leisure Hive back in the day and just gave up on Dr Who. I would have been 9 and was just disappointed with it, Tom Baker just didn't seem the same and I never came back to the programme until the 20th Anniversary special. I appreciate it and JNT's very long turn as producer more now, but it's no surprise his take on Dr Who was not popular and too jarring and camp for most.
Season 18 of Doctor Who is when the very low viewing figures knocked the legs out from underneath the show. Buck Rogers In The 25th pulverized the amateurish production values of Doctor Who. After Tom Baker's last season, the show was moved from its late Saturday afternoon time slot to twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. However, my personal favorite Tom Baker story, The Keeper Of Traken, is in this season.
Biddy biddy biddy, ok Buck! Luke... I am your Father! ...Classic year for sci fi! Then there was dusty old Baker, Romana, Adders, in a show that was part of the furniture - a sagging pouffe, maybe, with the stuffing poking out, or a portable b/w telly - all the rage, once, now a creaky, skanky, barely serviceable leftover from a bygone era. It's easy for de yout of today to see Doctor Who as all the same, it's so peculiar and unlike modern tv. But the difference was written all over it, to those who were there. The Golden Era of Who was truly over, the show was treading water, clearly drowning, barely waving... think of these past couple of series as that last "specials" season of Tennant, that strange, not quite working, outstay of welcome, after he really should have moved on. Coming next, the equivalent of the Matt Smith era: interesting to begin with, but a show out of all recognition, to many. Loyal fans would hang in there out of habit, the metaphorical portable still flickering, with it's long-gone aerial now just a wire coat hanger bent and barely recieving, the pouffe an odorous reminder of evenings of dad with his holey-besocked feet up, snoring and farting in front of the football results... Doctor Who was extinct but we couldn't let it go. We lived, us lifelong fans, in hope... If only we knew then, that after this "Tennant" analogue had done flogging the dead horse, the next "Smith" would become a "Capaldi," would lead inexorably to "Whittaker" ...by which of course I mean their 20th century counterparts, obvs. But we were there, all several dwindling millions of us, week in, week out, no matter what. Or Who. Some things never change - or rather, it's probably just history, repeating, after all ;) As cynical as all that sounds, these videos are a wonder - bless you Adam Martyn: if these pieces are your calling card to the industry of your choice, then your future is bright, Sir! Keep up the excellent work
Thank you so much for the kind words mate, I really do appreciate that you and others enjoy this series of mine 😊 Also loved the analogy you gave for the show at this time in its life! It was certainly going through a rocky period that's for sure!
Great video as always. I look forward to season 19 hopefully in a couple weeks time. Season 18 isnt one of my fave baker seasons, but i hav fun with it. Baker is a bit out of place in 80s doctor who, but his performance and new costume are great! Unfortunatly i find his swansong logopolis pretty dull and only rele enjoy episode 4. I think meglos is underrated and i have more fun with it than 'leisure hive', 'keeper of traken' and 'logopolis'. Its daft, but fun i think. 'The leisure hive' - 3/10 'Meglos' - 7/10 'Full circle' - 6/10 'State of decay' - 8/10 'Warriors' gate' - 8/10 'The keeper of traken' - 5/10 'Logopolis' - 4/10
Thanks for watching Jay! Richard's work is marvellous and an inspiration to many of us in the fandom! I hope my passion for the subject matter comes across just the same 😊
@@normanby100Indeed. Some heroes and legends are better left remembered at their prime rather than being continued on as a has-been. I think maybe Richard Marson was right that the only reason the BBC kept it on in the 80's was that it was easier than coming up with something new to fill the schedules (a bit like the modern Simpsons)
I always thought tom baker should have left a few seasons before the opening story was poor compared to other seasons a lot of the season had poor stories which was only saved by the last two stories
It really is a shame that Tom’s last season had such low viewership. Tom’s my favorite Doctor, but this is my least favorite season. I honestly don’t really like any of the stories after State of Decay. Logopolis isn’t that bad, but it’s like watching a funeral. Also, I get a bit peeved that a new companion is introduced in Tom’s last story. I kinda feel like she took some of the spotlight away from the Doctor & as it’s his last story the spotlight should have been completely on him. But, maybe that’s just me. I’m actually looking forward to see how up and down the ratings are going to be for the rest of the 1980’s.
The ratings will certainly be all over the place that's for sure! Thank you for your comment and thoughts Kirstin! 😊 I know many stories in S18 feel bleak in tone, I certainly have to be in the right mood for them!
