Lost In Time: The Celestial Toymaker

The Name of the Game

The Celestial Toymaker

Written by Brian Hayles

Doctor Who Series three serial seven

Episode 4: The Final Test transmitted BBC1 23 April 1966

Episodes 1-3 missing

Synopsis

Trapped in the fantasy world of The Toymaker, the Doctor (made invisible and mute, so we only see his hand) must win the Trilogic Game, whilst Steven and Dodo must beat Cyril at a deadly game of hopscotch (fall off the platforms and you get electrocuted). Cyril cheats however.

Review

Sadly only the last episode of this surreal Play School type fantasy exists, probably the strangest Who story until the similar themed Second Doctor tale The Mind Robber. Michael Gough is charmingly sinister as the Toymaker, whilst Peter Stephens as the Billy Bunter-type Cyril is all naughty schoolboy. The games might be a bit silly, but the threat isn't. Fail, and they will join the Toymaker's world as 'toys'. At the end the Doctor realises that once he makes the last winning move of his game, the Toymaker's world will disappear including everything inside it. The Toymaker is immortal so won't die, but the Doctor and co will vanish. His 'ruse' at the end is a bit contrived, but it'll do.

A studio bound adventure, I'm not sure what the initial audience (and it got 7-8million) thought of four weeks of silly games, but I imagine the games would have to be imaginative enough, and the threat real enough, to be convincing. We only have this episode, so hard to tell. Interesting, but not brilliant, this was the first Who script by Brian Hayles, who would later invent the Ice Warriors, so has a special place in Doctor Who fans hearts.

TARDIS rating: 3/5 (not used for overall First Doctor rating).

Credits

Doctor Who ........................................................... WILLIAM HARTNELL

Steven Taylor ........................................................ PETER PURVES

Dodo Chaplet ........................................................ JACKIE LANE

Toymaker ............................................................... MICHAEL GOUGH

Cyril ....................................................................... PETER STEPHENS

Title Music ........................... by RON GRAINER with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop

Incidental Music .................................................... by DUDLEY SIMPSON

Costumes .............................................................. by DAPHNE DARE

Make up ................................................................ by SONIA MARKHAM    

Lighting ................................................................. FRANK CRESWELL

Sound ................................................................... ALAN FOGG

Designer ............................................................... JOHN WOOD

Story Editor ........................................................... DONALD TOSH

Producer ............................................................... JOHN WILES

Directed ................................................................ by BILL SELLARS