Doctor Who Rewind - The Space Pirates

A few days ago I passed a huge milestone in my Doctor Who marathon, a project where I am watching every single classic story...

Can it really be? Yes it bloody can, The Space Pirates marks the very last partly or completely missing story (only one episode remains in the archives). Which means this is the last story which requires the viewing of a Recon. After I'm done with this it's the bonifide genuine article all the way through to McGann's 1996 TV movie.

I binge watch almost the entire Space Pirates story (episodes 2-6) one afternoon lying in bed sick with flue, somehow the lethargic nature of my illness compliments the viewing and I storm my way through it. I fire up youtube and find all the Loose Cannon reconstructions.

The first thing you notice about the serial is the unearthly warbling female vocal theme (similar to that classic Star Trek theme) which starts every episode. It really doesn't conjure up pirates, more like spectres and ghouls.

It's all very haunting, and I realise that it may not be completely unknown to me. Back between March & April 1969 when this was first broadcast, i was three or four months away from being born, and if mum had been near a TV on a Saturday evening, I could well have caught an earful of that strange lament - it could explain quite a lot actually!!

So, in a nutshell, what we have in the story is thus. A gang of ruthless criminals (headed up by Cavern) are going around blowing up space beacons and plundering them for their precious argonite. They are being pursued for this by The Earth Space Corps cruiser V41 with
General Hermack and Major Warne in charge.

After what seems an eternity, the TARDIS materialises on one these beacons, just before (as it happens) the pirates are due to take it out themselves. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe get trapped in one of the exploded parts of the beacon. With oxygen levels falling, and the Doctor unable to get back to the TARDIS. Fortunately they are rescued by eccentric space pioneer, Milo Clancy (pictured above), who is suspected to be a Space Pirate by General Hermack.

The Doctor doesn't quite know how to react to Clancy, and if he can be trusted. He takes them to the nearest planet, called Ta, which is home to the Issigri Mining Corporation, whose leader is Madeleine Issigri. Clancy has been suspected of murdering Madeleine's father Dom who has been missing.

General Hermack visits Madeleine as he suspects Clancy to be a pirate and will make for the planet. Clancy does just that putting his old ship down near the mines. After requesting them to stay put, Clancy goes off by himself, growing nervous the TARDIS crew soon venture out through the mines. They soon stumble on the pirates, who are using the mines as their HQ. They are momentarily captured but released and saved again by Clancy.

Meanwhile Cavern orders some of the beacon pieces to be rerouted to Lobos, the world where Clancy is based, in order to further convince the Space Corp that he is one of the pirates. Hermack sees through this ruse, but it takes some time.

The Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Clancy meet with Madeleine and realise she has teamed up with Cavern. They are locked in the study of Dom Issigri who is still alive after being kept captive by Cavern for years.

When Madeleine learns her father is still alive she tells Cavern she no longer wants to help him, but he threatens to kill her father. She contacts Hermack and tells him to get to Ta as quick as possible.

The Doctor and co break out of the study and make for Clancy's ship, which has been adapted to automatically take off by the resourceful Cavern. With only Clancy and Dom aboard, the ship takes off leaving the rest on the planet. When in orbit, Cavern orders the Oxygen supply cut. With only minutes of oxygen left the Doctor manages to stop the remote device which controls the ship and re-engage the oxygen.

Desperate, Cavern threatens to blow up the Ta base, as he escapes in his ship. With time counting down the Doctor must stop the triggering device in time for the arrival of Clancy's ship which is on its way back down to the planet.

This story has a reputation as a bit of a stinker but it's by no means the worst recon I've had to sit through. Some of the characters are a bit one dimensional though, like General Hermack who could do with an injection of enthusiasm.

I think I read somewhere that there was a lack Tele-snaps for this story so most of the stills for the recon are used from the existing second episode. This limits things slightly, for instance every time Cavern is on screen we get the same shot of him looking slightly gormless, with a silly smile plastered across his face.

Milo Clancy's character (played by New Zealand actor Gordon Gostelow looks like he's just walked off the set of some old Weston, it's like he doesn't even belong in this time, and, for that reason I found him highly watchable, his humour and energy really brought a bit of life to the whole thing.

So no more missing episodes, and I feel I should commend Loose Cannon's efforts at filling the gaps with their wonderful reconstructions, which really have helped me to appreciate those stories which hopefully, one day, may be found.

Next time on Doctor Who Rewind we reach another major milestone with the end of the black and white era, but before that it's the mammoth ten part War Games to contend with.