Pat Magee, Nick Pond and Kate Coates are fabulously, bizarrely spot-on with their production of Every Episode Of Doctor Who Ever.
They’ve set themselves quite a mammoth task in trying to reproduce 41 years of television in one hour (they even cover the long hiatus), but somehow they manage it with only marvelous accents, simple costumes and the occasional DIY prop.
They begin at the beginning. The very beginning. And even for those audience members who have only been fans post-revival (me) and those who have never watched an episode in their lives (my companion), it’s engaging, well-paced and funny. It’s esoteric, yes, but they are careful to make it accessible with contemporary references, a bit of silly humour and a few jelly babies.
They whizz through the Doctors at a cracking pace, regenerating from one to the other with simple costume changes, like the addition of a multicoloured scarf or a fez, and by taking on their accents, catchphrases and even mannerisms. It’s really quite amazing.
Because they are so convincing as the Doctors, they are able to jump out of character and play themselves talking about the series without confusing the audience, which stops the content getting too dense and helps to keep the non-Whovians in the loop.
They’re clever, they’re talented and if you sit close enough to the front they might give you a jelly baby. Head along to this Sydney Comedy Festival show, and spend the next few hours watching old Doctor Who clips on YouTube to warm up.
3.5/5 stars
Every Episode Of Doctor Who Ever is part of Sydney Comedy Festival 2014 and it’s at the Seymour Centre until Saturday May 10.
