gwynnega

I'm starting to really covet that Key to Time boxed set, because so far I've absolutely loved the series. The Stones of Blood provided much needed distraction in the midst of this horrifying week.

What a marvelous story, full of stone circles and Celtic mythology and smart, strong women. On the commentary track, Darrol Blake (the ep's director) and Mary Tamm said that David Fisher had been instructed to create stronger women characters (which is why Romana was introduced), and this story has three: Romana I, a no-nonsense septuagenarian archaeologist (played marvelously by Beatrix Lehmann), and her assistant Vivien Fay, who is actually a 4,000-year-old alien criminal masquerading as a hag goddess.

(Turns out I have a novel by Beatrix Lehmann - Rumour of Heaven, in the Virago series - which I really must read!)

Tom Baker has never been funnier than in this story. At one point, he brandishes his sonic screwdriver to open the seal of a space ship compartment. Instead of turning on the sonic screwdriver as expected, he gives the seal a fierce whack with the screwdriver and breaks it! Hee.

Another tidbit from the commentary track: the ep was originally supposed to include a birthday party for the Doctor on the TARDIS, complete with K9 rolling out with a birthday cake on his back and singing happy birthday off-key. But the edict came down that the scene made the Doctor seem too human. If the Doctor ate cake, that meant he'd also have to go to the loo! ::boggles:: Too bad they had to cut the scene...