What made the Fourth Doctor’s first seasons so successful?

Producer Philip Hinchliffe receives praise from all his surviving showrunner successors in this month’s Doctor Who Magazine.

From the launch of the Fourth Doctor’s era in Season 12, with the return of Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and new villains, the show was regenerated.  A new Doctor, a new companion, and a new producer with Philip Hinchliffe.

But why was this season so venerated? And what was Philip Hinchliffe's contribution to Doctor Who history? Read on to hear what Russell T Davies has to say.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine (DWM) is on sale as of Thursday 7th November. It is available to order as a subscription, either physical or digital, here

 

Russell T Davies on the genius of seventies producer Philip Hinchcliffe…

“There’s a marvellous darkness to Philip’s stories – stark and sonorous. It fits the studio. If you’d doubled their budget and made it all on film, I don’t think it would have worked as well. Philip Hinchcliffe and (script editor) Robert Holmes belong in the dark shadows of melodrama, of sets, of studios.

“What’s more, they did it with an amazing sense of humour. Is it Condo (servant to Solon in 1976’s The Brain of Morbius) who opens the door to the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane (Elisabeth Sladen), and they’re standing in the rain and the Doctor says, ‘Can you spare a glass of water?’ It’s Frankenstein’s castle, and these two nutcases turn up. You see Tom and Lis so making that work – and Philip Hinchcliffe – with absolute commitment. It’s so confident in what it’s doing.”

Read the full feature with showrunners Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall and the TV Movie’s producer Philip Segal as they talk about Seventies Who and how it inspired them, as well as an interview with Philip Hinchliffe himself in this month’s Doctor Who Magazine.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Philip Hinchcliffe - the Ultimate Interview! The man behind Fourth Doctor classics such as Genesis of the Daleks, Terror of the Zygons, The Seeds of Doom and The Robots of Death reflects on his career – sharing his views on what makes essential Doctor Who – and reacts to episodes of this year’s series.
• Showrunners Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall and the TV Movie’s producer Philip Segal talk about Hinchcliffe Who and how it inspired them.
• As the first series of Blake’s 7 arrives on Blu-ray, we examine how it crossed over with Doctor Who.
• John Kane – who played the loveable Tommy in 1974’s The Planet of the Spiders – gives a rare interview about his part in the series.
• The Fact of Fiction – delving into the detail of Tenth Doctor story The Doctor’s Daughter.
• This Month In… 1967. How Carry On actor Bernard Bresslaw became an Ice Warrior!
• Comic strip action with the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby.

REGULAR FEATURES

• Gallifrey Guardian – full details of the new Dalek partwork launching next year, plus the latest book news.
• Shelf Life – including a review of the Season 25 Blu-ray boxset, plus books, action figures and audio releases.
• Other Worlds – the essential guide to new stories in Doctor Who’s expanded universe.
• Prizes to be won including Blake’s 7 on Blu-ray!

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine (DWM) is on sale as of Thursday 7th November. It is available to order as a subscription, either physical or digital, here.