Product Description

The TARDIS lands in the Wild West in this classic BBC TV soundtrack starring William Hartnell, written by Donald Cotton and with linking narration by Peter Purves. 'So come, you coyotes, and howl at the moon'til there's blood upon the sawdust in The Last Chance Saloon...' It's 1881 and, in the Wild West settlement of Tombstone, there are three strangers in town: 'Doctor Caligari', 'Steven Regret', and 'Miss Dodo Dupont'. They've arrived in a 20th Century blue police box, and they're about to wander into a whole heap of trouble...The Doctor is in need of a dentist, but the sort of anaesthetic Doc Holliday uses comes out of a liquor bottle. He's in the middle of a feud with the Clanton family, whilst Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson try to keep the peace. This isn't the place for a relaxing holiday, as the TARDIS crew soon discover...Tombstone's not the most happily named of towns, and it seems it may live up to that name any day now. There's a gunfight at the OK Corral brewing and, if the Doctor and his friends aren't careful, they're going to be caught in the crossfire...In a bonus interview, Peter Purves, who also narrates this remastered soundtrack, recalls the making of The Gunfighters for television. A special 10-minute bonus music segment is also included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #332231 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-05
• Released on: 2007-02-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

Synopsis
The TARDIS lands in the Wild West in this classic BBC TV soundtrack starring William Hartnell, written by Donald Cotton and with linking narration by Peter Purves. 'So come, you coyotes, and howl at the moon'til there's blood upon the sawdust in The Last Chance Saloon...' It's 1881 and, in the Wild West settlement of Tombstone, there are three strangers in town: 'Doctor Caligari', 'Steven Regret', and 'Miss Dodo Dupont'. They've arrived in a 20th Century blue police box, and they're about to wander into a whole heap of trouble...The Doctor is in need of a dentist, but the sort of anaesthetic Doc Holliday uses comes out of a liquor bottle. He's in the middle of a feud with the Clanton family, whilst Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson try to keep the peace. This isn't the place for a relaxing holiday, as the TARDIS crew soon discover...Tombstone's not the most happily named of towns, and it seems it may live up to that name any day now. There's a gunfight at the OK Corral brewing and, if the Doctor and his friends aren't careful, they're going to be caught in the crossfire...In a bonus interview, Peter Purves, who also narrates this remastered soundtrack, recalls the making of The Gunfighters for television.

A special 10-minute bonus music segment is also included.

Customer Reviews

What's the point?
This was once slated as the "worst ever Dr.Who" story. I cannot agree. It is an all too rare historical adventure which is quite entertaining. However, I do not understand why this has been released at all. The Dr.Who audio collection has been very useful in plugging gaps where the video of the original stories have been wiped. However, all the episodes of this story survive and have been released on video.

There'll be blood upon the sawdust...
BBC Audiobooks' latest offering; The Gunfighters, is a welcomed addition to any Doctor Who fan's audio collection. It begins with the familiar Ron Grainer Doctor Who theme tune, which immidiately makes the listener feel he/she is watching the actual episode itself.

The Gunfighters sees a slight break from tradition of previous Doctor Who adventures, as it's in the style of a black comedy, veined with the slight feeling of a musical, with Tristram Cary's; 'The Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon' played at regular intervals throughout.

You really feel the build-up to the cliffhangers, and any urge to press the pause button to make yourself a cup of tea is quashed as you can't wait to hear the resolution in the next episode.

Peter Purves provides the linking narration with fluidity and excellent pace. It's also a comforting thought that he was in the story itself as Steven, which really makes you feel that bit closer to the action.

The quality and clarity probably makes The Gunfighters one of the best produced from BBC Audiobooks Hartnell range, thus far. It is digitally remastered and boy can you tell! Kudos to Mark Ayres for his hard work here.

Overall, an extremely enjoyable package, accompanied by a well presented and striking cover, designed by the fabulous Max Ellis.

What Is The Point Of This Release...For Doctor Who Fans That Is
As a Doctor Who fan I really cannot see the point in the BBC releasing material on audio that exists in full on video and is a contender for a later release on DVD. These discs are primarily aimed at Doctor Who fans and is just another way to make an extra few quid out of the fans who will buy the disc and then have to buy The Gunfighters again when the DVD arrives, I should think that most Doctor Who fans have already got the VHS video that came out a couple of years ago, so a waste of time for those people.

Now onto the pluses for releasing the discs. There are very worthwhile reasons for releasing an audio version of a TV drama, the use of the discs for the blind or the visually impaired for instance, to sit back and listen to good drama and comedy can be very nice and relaxing for them. Or for the general public that like to listen to radio in preference to television or if you want to listen to a drama or comedy in the car or jogging, there are many activities what can be done while listening to audio productions.

As a reviewer I have to balance the value of the items between fans and non-fans of Doctor Who, each has valid points for weighing up the worth of the discs, but as a life-long Doctor Who fan myself I am drawn towards that point of view, but can see the other side's view also.

The story itself is an oddball, it's one of the very few occasions that Doctor Who is played as a farce and in someways this actually works, all the regulars are on fine form and the story moves along at a cracking pace. The story takes place during the infamous events of the shootout at the OK Corral, the feud between the Clantons and the Earps and is reputed to have been suggested by William Hartnell himself and is one of his finer performances as the Doctor. The story is moved along by a ballad which is sung during lulls in the action, now this was a little distracting on TV but at least we have the pictures to supplement it on TV but on audio it's just intrusive and to be blunt, annoying. This ballad is released in full on the disc as an extra, it's bad enough to have the extracts of the thing in the show itself but to listen to the full length version is a total pain. The disc also boasts another extra, an interview with Peter Purves, who discusses the making of this story and his time on Doctor Who in general and is very nice.

This is a classic case of good material being released in the wrong format, the source material itself is fine, that isn't the problem it's the presentation of that material that is at fault, however if the release does help at least one person who cannot see the story to enjoy it then it's worthwhile, but for Doctor Who fans don't waste your money and wait for the inevitable DVD.