The Celestial Toymaker yet another one of those serials with a polarising reputation; for many, this is either as good as Doctor Who comes or the absolute bottom of the pit. For me, it's a wonderful breath of fresh air that introduces a dose of mystery, horror under the guise of childish innocence, and one of my personal favorite recurring villains of Doctor Who: the Toymaker. Plus, Dudley Simpson's soundtrack for this serial is one of my personal favorites of his.
Out of the many, many William Hartnell serials I love, this has to be the one most stripped away from the man himself; he was on holiday for half the time, and there had apparently been an idea to replace the man in a rather undignified way before the idea was scrapped (just imagine the Doctor becoming visible again in episode 4 only for the camera to pick up Patrick Troughton!). It's always a pity to have less of Hartnell — the class act that he is — but it says something about the quality of the serial in general when I still consider it a resounding success. I've always found life-size dolls and living, breathing toys terrifying concepts, and so something that relishes on these childish fears feels tailor-made for me (what can I say, I like being scared). This was apparently a production-level disaster, but you'd never be able to notice it; the sets, while certainly studio-bound, are all bursting with character and you could absolutely believe they were brought to life from children's toy sets. Plus, the minimalist nature of it all (and bound by a studio set) adds to the claustrophobia of the Celestial Toyroom. The Loose Cannon recon works wonders again, and this time the CGI adds to the almost uncanny-valley level of discomfort the serial strives for.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
Fascinating stuff all round, this. I know there are quite a few people who find this serial full of faults, and I'm sure they have much more logical arguments than I do. For me, The Celestial Toymaker is a fantastically designed, conceived and performed oddball piece that shows just how versatile Doctor Who can be even in the vague realm of science fiction. Michael Gough is a menacing presence, and offers the kind of performance that leaves whispers of untold history that blossoms inside the mind with wilder, more expansive stories bigger than the small screen could ever house. Yes, this is exactly the kind of stuff for me, and to hear rumors of Neil Patrick Harris apparently playing the Toymaker for the sixtieth special fills my heart with joy.
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