GALAXY FORUM

Your views on everything going on in the hectic world of Doctor Who...

Last issue, Jonathan Morris looked back at The Space Pirates, a 1969 Second Doctor tale, now mostly missing. Boy, it got a lot of you writing in...

Underrated!

◼ DANIEL PASKOWITZ (41) MILWAUKEE

Without disputing the many fair points raised by Jonathan Morris’ review, I must speak up on behalf of The Space Pirates. It does start slowly, but hardly more so than many better-regarded serials of its time; and the end is worth the wait, as the story eschews the usual Troughton-era formulas in favour of some engaging human drama with well-drawn characters.

Madeleine Issigri is a welcome and unusually strong female protagonist for Doctor Who. Her despair, and Milo Clancey’s gentle compassion on learning what has been done to his old friend Dom Issigri, are genuinely moving. And if the best Doctor Who has the best villains, Caven is among the best the show has ever offered: vicious, brutal, played without melodrama, and all too believable.

◼ ADRIAN PORTER EMAIL

I was startled at the revelation that the correct title of the Second Doctor's penultimate story is actually “The Space Pirates” (with quotation marks). Intrigued, I went back and checked my DVD collection and discovered that “The Krotons” and “The Invasion” from the same 1968-69 series have been similarly misnamed over all these years! With the quotes, it certainly paints these stories in a new light!

◼ ANDREW BOWMAN DERBY

Having read the review of The Space Pirates in DWM 502, I was wondering if Big Finish had any plans for a ‘Milo Clancey: Space Ranger’ spin-off series? How about it, Big Finish? Go on, you know you want to! Meanwhile, elsewhere in DWM 502, there was a sad farewell...

Bye bye, Jac!

◼ CHARLIE EVANS (14) EMAIL

It’s sad to see Jacqueline Rayner’s column in DWM, Relative Dimensions, is finishing – but all good things must end eventually. I can remember when DWM was revamped, at the very start of 2013, and this great feature was brought in. It’s been a lovely part of every issue to find out what’s been happening with Husband, Non-Fan Twin and Fan Twin. Thanks for three-and-a-half years of Doctor Who goodness! (We will get those Dalek Delegate figures, one day!)

◼ JACOB LOCKETT EMAIL

I’m deeply saddened by the news that Relative Dimensions will no longer continue to grace the pages of DWM. When I discovered this terrible truth on the last page of issue 502, I was surprised to say the least – it was by far my favourite feature. From the beginning, Relative Dimensions gave us an intimate, warm, and humorous look into the life of a mother raising two young Doctor Who fans. It was relatable and refreshing in every possible way, and it was an absolute joy following Jacqueline’s hilarious adventures with her family throughout the years. DWM, in my honest opinion, will never be the same without Relative Dimensions!