Just like City of Death, Shada is a standout from the last couple of seasons. After seasons 15 and 16 were, Tom's 4th and 5th season, kind of just being fine plodding along, season 17 has felt a bit fresh on this rewatch. An interesting story, the music, the location sets all make this feel like a big impressive finale.

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Pyralis Effect

This story marks the end of many things, it's the conclusion to televised Season 17 and while it was supposed to be aired in 1980, it was technically the last story produced in the 70s. It's the final 6-parter, the final story with Graham Williams as producer and Douglas Adams as script editor. It's essentially the finale to the 70s. While I wouldn't say it delivers on that, it's still a very solid story.

The animation is absolutely brilliant. While it was distracting at the start, seeing it switch from live-action to animated, you quickly get used to it. I think Tom Baker gives an excellent performance, in both the animated and live-action parts. This story is also an excellent display of the chemistry between Baker and Ward.

The supporting cast in this story are outstanding, Professor Chronotis is such a unique character and it's always fun to see a character that equals the Doctor. Both Chris Parsons and Clare Keightley are really enjoyable characters and help balance out the number of time-lords in this story.

And the scene at the end with Tom Baker, absolutely brilliant.

Next Story: Babblesphere

Season 17 Review: 8.5/10

Televised Season 17 was an interesting one, it had some of the greatest highs in Classic Who so far, City of Death and Shada, it also had some real lows like Destiny of the Daleks. It's not a season without it's faults but even in the dull stories the chemistry between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward gets you through. Douglas Adams as script editor also helps a ton, it's some of the best written dialogue of Classic Who.

📝8/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

This time: The Last Missing Adventure!

MY SCATTERED AND TOTALLY IRRELEVANT NOTES:

Originally intended to conclude Doctor Who's Season 17, the six-part serial Shada, written by outgoing script editor Douglas Adams, was never completed due to a union strike and thus never aired. Over the years, Shada has been revisited in various formats, including an audio drama, a novel, an animated webcast, and a hybrid version that combines existing footage with animation and narrated inserts to bridge the gaps. This review focuses on the 2019 reconstruction, which incorporates newly animated segments to complete the story. This version aired on BBC America in 2018 and was later released on Blu-ray.

The serial begins with one of the series' most memorable opening scenes: a mysterious space station where white-clad figures awaken in a striking control room before one departs for Earth. This evocative sci-fi setting transitions into the heart of the story—a Cambridge college featuring the delightfully eccentric Professor Chronotis, who keeps a TARDIS hidden in his study.

Douglas Adams' script introduces significant elements to the Doctor Who universe. The Time Lord prison planet, Shada, is unveiled, along with Professor Chronotis, a retired Time Lord living quietly as an academic on Earth. Adams even cheekily refers to young Time Lords as "Time Tots." True to his signature style, the script is packed with sharp humor, quirky characters, and offbeat sci-fi concepts, including the mysterious white orb, Skagra’s mind-stealing ship, and the eerie process of extracting consciousness from a body.

The story unfolds with a leisurely pace in the first part, establishing characters and mysteries in a cozy yet engaging manner. The second part deepens the intrigue, building tension around a missing book and culminating in the memorable cliffhanger featuring the ominous "Ball of Doom" and Tom Baker's classic comedic reaction. The third and fourth parts offer standout moments, such as the Doctor and Romana interacting with an invisible spaceship and deciphering gibberish from a Time Lord text. However, these episodes slightly drag as they tread water narratively. The final two parts pick up the pace, bringing more action and momentum, delivering the excitement expected of a season finale. The resolution sees the Doctor and Romana face off against Skagra and his henchmen in a satisfying conclusion.

Tom Baker and Lalla Ward are in top form as the Doctor and Romana, their chemistry elevating every scene. K9 gets several moments to shine as well. Denis Carey’s portrayal of Professor Chronotis is delightful, reminiscent of an older Patrick Troughton—warm, bumbling, and endearing. Although his character initially seems to serve as a plot device, a late twist involving the legendary Time Lord criminal Salyavin adds depth to his role.

Among the secondary characters, Parsons stands out as a fun, well-meaning “third wheel,” akin to Harry Sullivan. Clare only becomes significant in the fifth part, stealing the spotlight from Romana, who spends much of the middle episodes sidelined. Wilkin, though entertaining, feels somewhat extraneous. Skagra makes for a memorable villain—equal parts ridiculous and menacing—with Christopher Neame exuding a Julian Glover-like charisma. The Krarggs, his brutish minions, look better in animation than live action and provide K9 with a worthy challenge.

The 2019 reconstruction impresses with its updated visual effects, particularly the striking white orb, and its crisp, clear picture quality. The integration of animated segments with the original footage is seamless, though the voice performances, recorded decades later, betray the actors' ages. The Cambridge location shots shine, and the Shada set effectively conveys the eerie grandeur of the prison planet. The final scene—newly filmed with Tom Baker reflecting on his legacy before flashing his iconic grin—adds a poignant touch to the reconstruction.

This serial is a fascinating piece of Doctor Who history, combining Douglas Adams' wit with ambitious sci-fi storytelling. Despite some pacing issues, the reconstructed version offers a satisfying glimpse of what could have been. For fans of classic Doctor Who, this is a must-watch—both for its historical significance and its sheer entertainment value.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• Shada holds the distinction of being the last missing serial of Doctor Who, albeit for entirely different reasons than the 1960s episodes lost to archival purges.
• It is also the final six-part serial in the show’s history, as subsequent seasons favored shorter formats.
• Professor Chronotis’ claim that retired Time Lords are forbidden from owning TARDISes is an intriguing detail that hasn’t been explored further in other Doctor Who media.

You want "missing" or "incomplete" Doctor Who to be better than this don't you? Shada is funny in parts, very well acted and home to some excellent characters but boy is it overlong. There is simply not enough plot to drive the story and the plot there is is mildly interesting at best. Had Douglas Adams had the freedom to make this a four part story not only would it be tighter - they might actually have finished it before strike action took hold! It would be nice to think that if Shada actually got finished it would have been a more well rounded production, but the animation does a good job of realising how the story most likely would have panned out.

In fairness my enjoyment was most likely hampered by watching it in its extremely lengthy omnibus form. The upside of this 2017 production is getting to see the modern day Tom Baker appear in all his glory at the end, it is charming. It reminds me that the real joy of Shada is seeing Lalla and Tom in action. Lalla Ward is an exceptional actor. Season 17 in the hands of many other companions would have been totally lifeless, but she made a season of, on the whole, perfectly acceptable scripts truly shine. Romana II and The Doctor are a match made in heaven. Thank goodness this extra piece of their time exists - even in this uneven form.

The finale to the TV Williams Era! And boy, does it go out with a bang! Also, a little Five Doctors moment! I have to say though, I'm not a massive fan of the animation - it does look a bit bizarre, and it's especially jarring when it switches from TV to Animation.

The Fourth Doctor and Romana are having so much fun together - it's nice to see them relaxing on the river, before visiting an old friend. There's still a lot of that Baker magic, possibly for the last time in his run. A particular favourite moment is when he convinces the computer to betray its master - that's so wonderfully Doctory! Douglas Adams just captures the fun and excitement of this Doctor so perfectly, and this is the kind of Romana that I was expecting - fun, strong, independent and a fantastic companion! Thank god this is the last time we see the false K-9. He's used well, but since it's not the real K-9, it doesn't count. In my headcanon, Shada gets interrupted by the Time Scoop from the Five Doctors, and when they return, Romana claims to have heard voices, as a result of the Time Scoop.

The orb effects are pretty good for 1979! Skagra is an odd villain, and I'm not exactly sure who he was, but what he wanted was interesting - an omniscient lifeform to control, studying and stealing the minds of important people - and his main target is Shada! It's an interesting plan, which keeps the audience engaged for six parts, which is impressive - not many stories are able to do that. However, I feel like the way Skagra was defeated was a bit silly and far too easy.

I've already said that the animation was a bit odd, but I think that the ship sets would look so much better animated than in live-action. The location shots for Cambridge look excellent and beautiful, and it's nice to see them realised at long last.

The side characters that we meet over the course of the adventure are original and interesting - a Time Lord living on Earth, teaching at Cambridge - I wonder if this in anyway inspired the Twelfth Doctor to work at St Luke's in Series 10. The two other members of staff at Cambridge are nice additions - they're nothing too special, but they're fun to have around as they get used to life in the TARDIS, and just take it in their stride even though you can tell it's blowing their mind.

The score is reminiscent of City of Death - there's a few variations on that theme, it's nice and jaunty, keeping the tale light-hearted, and at some point in the episode, I think I heard a twist on Big Finish's Fourth Doctor theme - if that was intentional, I applaud them!

This is a great end to the Williams era on TV! I'm not overly fond of everything, but at least it ended on a high! Exciting, fun and wonderfully witty, Douglas Adams shows off everything that made this era what it was! I won't do the comparisons until I finish the fifth season of the Fourth Doctor Adventures on audio, because that's when the Williams era properly ended, and the JNT era began - Ooh, that's going to take a while to get through!

if this story was made i fear it wouldnt be as well received

edit: ratings gone up after watching the definitive edition having it split into parts really helped my engagement

Fully lives up to its reputation. A delight. Does drag a little plotwise at some points (the Doctor spends a LONG time trying to figure out Skagra's plot), but Baker and Ward are more than charming enough to make up for it. Also, I love Professor Chronotis.