A Pocket for Doctor and Companion

I love the Third Doctor's velvet jackets so much, though I wish he wouldn't so often pair them with shirts that are just lighter shades of the same colour. This is from Carnival of Monsters, a 1973 Doctor Who serial, in which the Doctor and Jo find themselves shrunk and put in a sort of ant farm, to use the Doctor's analogy. It's a particularly fun story and I love the two alien carnies who keep the miniature menagerie.

Perhaps their fashion choices are less defensible than the Doctor's (Jon Pertwee) but I love the colourful antennae ball tiara worn by Shirna (Cheryl Hall). One of the advantages of her scenes being shot on sound stage is that you can hear the little balls clacking against each other while she lectures Vorg (Leslie Dwyer). I also like how genuine her reactions to Pertwee seem to be.

Directed by series producer Barry Letts, this serial also features a number of remarkably nice close-ups. I like this one of Jo Grant (Katy Manning).

She and the Doctor just happen to be wearing high black boots that prove perfectly sensible for the muddy puddles they encounter on an alien marsh.

Jo's colours are a little more nicely complimentary--surprising given she usually looks like a gender swapped Mick Ronson, which gets no complaints from me.

Carnival of Monsters features Ian Marter in a supporting role, the actor who would go on to play the Fourth Doctor's companion Harry Sullivan. He's a 1920s ship's officer in another pocket of the ant farm along with a sweet 1920s Major (Tenniel Evans) and his pretty daughter (Jenny McCracken). I love how quickly the Doctor slips into their uppercrust lingo but is utterly baffled by Vorg's use of Polari. The dandy Doctor indeed.

Twitter Sonnet #1405

A carpet question lingered past the wall.
The ancient phone was torn beside the sheet.
A second bet was placed to roll the ball.
Entire pants were caught beneath the seat.
A sudden sleep is all the water needs.
Above the mask surprise betrayed a list.
A wealthy world returns in form of beads.
The buttered tennis ball was widely missed.
A glitter shadow lodged below the eye.
The absent speaker plugged the music late.
A team of cherries filled the baking pie.
Enlisted crew should weighted the second rate.
A bigger puppet came of smaller hands.
The soldiers saw a glowing bunch of bands.