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

“The Celestial Toymaker: A Game Show in the Void, But Does It Play Well?”

The Celestial Toymaker begins with an ambitious concept: the Doctor and his companions are trapped in a surreal domain outside time and space, forced to play deadly games by the enigmatic Toymaker. While the premise teases limitless potential, the execution fails to deliver a satisfying or engaging narrative.

Rules of the Game: Pacing Issues and Missed Opportunities

The serial’s core problem lies in its overlong and repetitive structure. Each game, from the tedious chair-picking challenge to the nonsensical kitchen sequence, feels unnecessarily drawn out. What could have been an exhilarating two-parter is stretched into four episodes, testing the viewer’s patience. The games lack variety and stakes, undermining their potential to generate tension or excitement.

The Toymaker himself is another missed opportunity. Michael Gough’s (Alfred in the 90s Batman films!) performance hints at a fascinating, powerful adversary, but the character remains frustratingly passive. His vague Oriental-inspired villainy, complete with harmful stereotypes, has aged poorly, detracting from his intended mystique.

Pieces on the Board: Companions Left in Limbo

Steven and Dodo are positioned as the story’s leads during the Doctor’s partial absence (his invisibility was going to be used to write Hartnell out and replace him with a new actor, but was dropped because Hartnell’s contract was renewed), but they’re given little to do beyond reacting to the games. Their interactions lack depth, and their potential character development is sacrificed to the serial’s rigid focus on the tasks at hand.

Dodo’s overconfidence, which could be a compelling trait, instead comes across as grating, while Steven’s resourcefulness is largely wasted. The lack of meaningful development for either companion leaves them feeling static and underutilised.

The Playing Field: A Lifeless Setting and Uneven Performances

The visual design of The Celestial Toymaker is a significant letdown. The minimalist sets fail to evoke the surreal wonder and danger that the story requires, while the missing episodes leave reconstructions struggling to convey the intended atmosphere.

The supporting cast, with characters like the squeaky clown Clara and the unsettling Cyril, veer into the realm of the irritating and unintentional nightmare fuel. Michael Gough’s restrained performance as the Toymaker stands out, but even he is unable to elevate the lacklustre material.

Final Moves: A Lack of Tension and an Underwhelming Climax

The serial’s conclusion brings some light tension, particularly in the final moments of the Doctor’s Trilogic game. However, the resolution feels anticlimactic, and the Toymaker’s threat never materialises into anything tangible. The cliffhanger leading into The Gunfighters provides a brief spark of interest but does little to redeem the preceding story.

Verdict: A Concept with No Winning Strategy

The Celestial Toymaker is a rare example of a four-parter that feels too long, its potential squandered by lacklustre writing, poor pacing, and uninspired visuals. While the premise offers glimpses of creativity and ambition, the end result is a tedious and problematic outing that fails to live up to its promise. 

📝40/100

An intriguing but flawed experiment that leaves little lasting impression, The Celestial Toymaker plays all the wrong moves.

Some fun costumes, but ultimately a slow story where the stakes are never as high as they try to make them seem

“We’ll never see him again, will we, Doctor ?”

Avec son Michael Gough absolument électrisant, The Celestial Toymaker a un sacré potentiel, mais force est de constater qu’il ne l'accomplit jamais. 

C’est déjà, comme il ne reste rien des trois premières parties, un artefact presque irregardable aujourd’hui, mais même quand - enfin ! - ça bouge, c’est juste très fastidieux et sans vie.

En fait l’histoire n’arrive jamais à être aussi bien que tout ce que son univers coloré promet.

C’est que du remplissage entre deux autres histoires … mais au moins son seul cadre repousse de nouvelles limites.

 “Lady luck will show you the way, win the game, or here you stay.” 

Rewatched this with the new animated reconstruction. The low rating is for the story overall, as I actually quite liked the animation style and how it fitted with the story.

Much like the previous story in this season, it’s got good ideas and concepts, but the overall execution and story is rather boring. The Toymaker is a brilliant idea for a character, and Michael Gough an excellent choice, but he’s not even in the story much. Him and Hartnell get a few moments, but it seems such a waste when the Doctor is off screen for so long.

We’re left with an awkward story with different segments and different games for the companions to play again different sets of characters. It’s really hit and miss, some of the side characters, like the clowns, are extremely irritating and while one or two of the games are entertaining, it’s mostly fairly repetitive and leaves you with a sense that it could have been more.

Not a favourite, it’s a shame as the ideas are all good.

The Celestial Toymaker in a nutshell:

Steven/Dodo: gets annoyed at one of the Toymaker's minions
Dodo/Steven: Don't get annoyed it's just one of the Toymaker's minions
Steven/Dodo: gets annoyed at one of the Toymaker's minions
Dodo/Steven: Don't get annoyed it's just one of the Toymaker's minions
Steven/Dodo: gets annoyed at one of the Toymaker's minions
Dodo/Steven: Don't get annoyed it's just one of the Toymaker's minions
Steven/Dodo: gets annoyed at one of the Toymaker's minions
Dodo/Steven: Don't get annoyed it's just one of the Toymaker's minions

Also Dodo is written to act like a stupid child for some reason, and this has the most stilted dialogue I have ever heard in anything official, boy this whole thing is a mess!

2/10