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Reviews for The Highlanders

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Cracking Adventure!

By:Sean Gibbons, Ireland
Date:Thursday 10 May 2007
Rating:   10

This is a cracking adventure! Full of fun, humour, playful intrique, this is a swashbuckling, character-filled, action-packed, witty take on material like R L Stevenson's classics, "Treasure Island" and "Kidnapped". Twinned with the equally gung-ho and enjoyable Doctor Who tale, "The Smugglers", these two stories represent the 60's Doctors at their most historically adventuresome best!



Early, Experimental Troughton

By:Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA
Date:Monday 10 September 2007
Rating:   3

I'm sorry to knock this one, but the rating I'm giving it is my honest opinion. It may have to do with being from the States and just not getting it, but The Highlanders just didn't make it for me.

It seems clear that this was a highly experimental story. It seems that the producer and writers were still feeling their way around how the new Doctor should be played, or alternatively, it could be that this was just a left-over story. In its structure, The Highlanders was very much a Hartnell story - a sort of yawny historical, though in this case, rather bad history, apparently. Supposedly, the Jacobite rebellion of the story was *not* an Anglo-Scottish conflict, as portrayed in this story, but one of a series of more internal power struggles that were attempts to restore the Stuart kings to power in Scotland and England.

Even aside from this criticism, this is just not a great story. But it does serve to make Patrick Troughton's new Second Doctor known as "the clown" - he does do a lot of clowning around here, which provides a few amusing scenes. Passing himself off first as a German doctor, complete with hammy German accent, then disguising himself in turn as an old wash-woman and a Redcoat soldier, the funny voices and dress-ups establish him as being a rather different character than his predecessor.

The Highlanders has the distinction of being the story that introduced the popular and long-running companion, Jamie. Unfortunately I'd say that it was a lackluster debut, though Jamie's character himself is well-handled.



Far better than loads of others!!!!!

By:Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom
Date:Wednesday 8 September 2010
Rating:   10

I must say I totally disagree with Doug, but he is certainly allowed his own opinion!!! We are all different and itd be a boring world if we were all uniform like the cybermen wouldnt it?

I have to say this is a cracking good piece of light relief after the hard sci fi of The Power of the Daleks.

Patrick Troughton is on excellent form, and although he doesnt really take part in the bulk of the action, he does amusingly dress up and act his socks off to very great effect. This is one of my favourite storys of Pat's.

I love his old woman! It had me in fits the first time i heard it. It prooves what a great actor he was and it truly is sad that he is no longer with us now.

And Polly gets a lot more to do than just scream for once. Shes gets a meaty part, and is strong and decisive and even manages to overpower Ffinch, I like the series when it gives the women far more stronger roles rather than just screaming all the time, although it does at times have its place.

And this story also introduced Jamie, wonderfully brought to life by Frazer Hines. he is by far my favourite companion so far. Although its amusing to hear that after his strong accent in this, he goes down to a far more english scots vocal after this story!! But after all, one of the most charming things about Doctor Who is its discontinuity and flaws. Its just plain good television.

And there are a good amount of horrible scenes too, like the hanging and the running through of the redcoat right at the beginning of the tale. Its so sad that none of this story survives. Its a real pain in the butt.

The history may not be 100% right, but the entertaining value of this gem of a tale can not be denied.



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