So I've come to the end of what you could call an equivalent of a Sci-Fi panto, that being Sylvester McCoy's debut as the Doctor, "Time And The Rani".
And Kate O'Mara's character was definitely the equivalent of a panto villain and I'm certain she's appeared as a wicked Queen for at least one Christmas.
Basically, the story involves the Doctor and Melanie crash landing in Lakertya, causing the Doctor to regenerate. To make things more confusing the Rani injects a drug into him causing short term amnesia in order for him to assist her in setting up a piece of equipment to enable her plan of putting together a large brain consisting of the minds of geniuses throughout time including Louis Pasteur and Einstein.
During the process, she disguises herself as Mel and the Doctor in his bumbling persona goes ahead gradually realising what's really happening.
The real Mel befriends escaped Lakertyan Ikona who refuses to be one of the Rani's hostages in her evil plans although it's difficult for her to do at least one scene without screaming.
No wonder the series was in deep do-do around this time.
The conventions of the episode include the Doctor getting his sayings muddled up
such as "Fit As A Trombone", and "Absence Makes The Nose Grow Longer".
After the first episode aired, it didn't go down with the viewing public with Nina Myskow of the Sun giving McCoy the infamous title of "Wally Of The Week".
If I had been watching at my current age back in 1987 I doubt I'd have been impressed either, particuarly with the regeneration sequence which was played before the titles rolled, quite rare in those days of Doctor Who.
Colin Baker had refused to appear, so they resorted to Sylv wearing a blonde wig in the Sixth Doctor's costume.
Writers Pip and Jane Baker explained that it would have looked silly to show the regeneration after the opening titles, which for this series were probably the most ambitious and featured a computer generated face of McCoy winking.
An image that stuck in mind from an early age.
The pair later went on to write the amusing CBBC sitcom "Watt On Earth" in the early 90s.
Keff McCulloch who re-arranged the theme music, provided the episode's incidental music which I thought had quite an overdose on orchestra hits, and synth choirs.
On a more positive note, the line at the end of the final episode is rather amusing;
Doctor: "Well, time and tide melts the snowman"
Mel: "Waits for no man!"
Doctor: "Who's waiting, I'm ready!"
Mel: "You're going to take a bit of getting used to"
Doctor: "I'll grown on you Mel, I'll grow on you!"
It definitely was a hint of what was to come but by the end of the series Bonnie Langford made her departure and was replaced by a companion who was a thousand times better and more ballsier, Sophie Aldred as "Ace".
It will probably be at least 10 years before I decide to view this episode again.
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