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Doctor Who Season 17, Ep. 1 "City of Death: Part 1"

Paris, 1979. The Doctor and Romana are here on holiday, but something is disturbing the flow of time. Could the time travel experiments of Count Scarlioni be to blame?

Runtime: 25 minutes
Original air date: September 29, 1979
Network: BBC


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Episode 1, "City of Death: Part 1"

Synopsis: Paris, 1979. The Doctor and Romana are here on holiday, but something is disturbing the flow of time. Could the time travel experiments of Count Scarlioni be to blame?

Original air date: September 29, 1979

Runtime: 25 minutes

ASIN: B004C62B1O

Doctor Who Season 17

Synopsis: One of the longest running and most successful programs in television history, Doctor Who boasts an estimated 100 million fans in 54 countries.

Starring: Tom Baker, Lalla Ward

Supporting actors: Julian Glover, Catherine Schell, Tom Chadbon, David Graham, Kevin Flood, Peter Halliday, Pamela Stirling

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

Executive producer: Graham Williams

Network: BBC

ASIN: B004C3RDYM

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Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exquisite, simply exquisite! January 8, 2003

By Daniel J. Hamlow HALL OF FAME

Format:VHS Tape

The Doctor and Romana are on holiday in Paris, 1979, which among the vintage of years, is "more of a table wine. Lacks true distinction." They become involved in the doings of Count Scarlioni, a filthy rich art collector who has recently attracted attention by selling heretofore presumed lost masterpieces. He also seems to be selling genuine looking fakes, such as a Gainsborough and a Guttenberg Bible. Also investigating is Duggan, a dim British detective in beige trenchcoat who mainly likes thumping people.

Time suddenly jumps a groove for a few seconds, and it is the temporally sensitive Time Lords who notice and realize that something funny is going on. It happens for the second time in the Louvre and while the Doctor is looking at the Mona Lisa. He snatches an unusual bracelet from a pretty woman. Question: what is an Earth woman doing wearing a micromeson scanner, which could be used for detecting the Louvre's alarm system?

The Count is involved in conducting some time experiments with the help of the meek Russian scientist Theodor Nikolai Kerensky. For a sample of what he's working on, check the scene involving the egg and chicken.

This was the first of three foreign on-location stories, the other two being the Netherlands (Arc Of Infinity) and Spain (The Two Doctors). The story moves quickly in order to flesh out the Parisian scenery, but it's the snappy and witty dialogue that really uplifts this story. Example:

Romana: Shall we take the lift or fly?
Doctor: Let's not be ostentatious.
Romana: Let's fly then.
Doctor: That would look silly. We'll take the lift.

At least one Who book points out that Duggan sees the Doctor and Romana on the ground so quickly in the end, that from the time they left him, they must have flown from the tower....

More witty dialogue:

Romana: Where are we going?
Doctor: Philosophically or geographically?
Romana: Philosophically
Doctor: Philosophically, we're going to lunch.

And the first thing Romana says when the Doctor introduces her to the Mona Lisa is "how come she doesn't have any eyebrows?" Later, the woman who posed for the Mona Lisa is also described by the Doctor as "that dreadful woman with no eyebrows who wouldn't sit still."

The Countess (on the Doctor): I don't think he's as stupid as he seems.

The Count: Nobody can be as stupid as he seems.

Then there's John Cleese and Eleanor Bron's cameos in Episode 4, where they think the TARDIS is an objet d'art whose afunctionalism belies the fact that the art lies in the fact that it is here. When it vanishes, Bron says. "Exquisite, simply exquisite." Which this story is.

Other things: the cliffhangers to Episode 1 and 2 are superb. And well-known guest stars are Julian Glover (the Count) who played Richard Coeur de Lion in the Who story The Crusaders and was General Veers in The Empire Strikes Back. Catherine Schell (Countess) has two famous siblings: Maximilian and Maria Schell.
This story got the highest viewing figures for any Who story: 16.3 million viewers for episode 4 and an average of 14.5 million viewers overall! Episode 3 (15.4 million) broke the record set by Episode 4 of the previous story, Destiny of the Daleks (14.4 million) Finally, Douglas Adams wrote this story under the pseudonym David Agnew. Scaroth's ultimate goal was replicated in his novel, Dirk Gently And The Holistic Detective Agency.

If not the best Doctor Who story, probably the best and wittiest Tom Baker story. Read more ›

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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "What a wonderful butler, he's so violent!" May 4, 2001

By Brian May

Format:VHS Tape

This Tom Baker adventure is one of the most original and satisfying Doctor Who stories that has ever been my pleasure to enjoy. It looks wonderful, it is obvious the cast are all having fun, and the story has a terrific blend of humour and seriousness. It is co-scripted by Douglas Adams, which is an automatic sign that there is going to be a certain degree of zaniness in the story - which there certainly is, but not as convoluted as his previous Who effort, "The Pirate Planet". "City of Death" is more down to earth (putting it very loosely!), but it certainly has moments edging on the bizarre, including the central premise, which sees all human learning and endeavour as simply an alien being's means to an end (although not new to Doctor Who - see "The Daemons" and "Image of the Fendahl" among others - but given a more oblique edge). The chief plot device is the Mona Lisa and the attempts of the alien, Scaroth, to steal it. In my humble opinion, the idea of an alien intending to steal the Mona Lisa in order to achieve his goals (which, incidentally, will result in the human race never having existed) is such a wonderful diversion from the standard "alien invasion" plot; in fact, so wonderful that it verges on genius! The Doctor/Romana II combination of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward is at its peak here - in this story it is obvious they are such an ideal team, and probably the best indicator that an off screen relationship was developing between these two actors. The guest list in "City of Death" is also astounding. The brilliant Julian Glover excels as the alien Scaroth (and his various segments), especially so as the final chronological segment, Count Scarlioni.... Read more ›

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greats January 3, 2002

By Matthew L. Roffman

Format:VHS Tape

City of Death is considered to be one of the greatest Dr. Whos ever. This was when the Doctor had the 2nd Romana (and K9 although he doesn't appear in the story) as a companion. So instead of "I'm the Doctor and this is my companion" we have "we're Time Lords". Plus Tom Baker and Lalla Ward's chemistry shows up on screen (they married a year or two later, sadly it didn't last). They arrive in Paris 1979 (more of a table wine year) and proceed to enjoy the sites and sounds. They go to the Louve to see the Mona Lisa and stumble upon a plot to steal it involving some curiously advanced technology. Enter Scalioni (played by Julian Glover, General Veers in Empire Strike's back and Donovan in Indian Jones and the Last Crusade), a rich count with a secret. In reality he is the alien Scarroth, last of the Jagaroth. His spaceship exploded on the surface of prehistoric earth fragmenting his being into several personas throughout history. He is responsible for most all of man's great advances. Now in his last era, he strives to build a time machine to send himself back in time and warn himself of the explosion. Such a paradox would destroy the existence of man. This story is so enjoyable you don't notice some of the obvious plot holes. Thugs robbing the Doctor and companions at gunpoint in the middle of a crowded cafe. Scalioni on a whim telling his butler to kill the same thugs who later show up perfectly unharmed. Scallioni pulling a bundle of a million francs out of his pocket and waving it in a guys face (I laugh my butt off every time I see this scene). Y'see however, the bulk of this story was written by the late Douglas Adams (under a pen name) and it shows. Tom Baker is such a wonderful comedic actor. And Lalla Ward has some great moments of dry wit too. This is Dr. Who at it's best....

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