We’ve now watched both Macra-featuring television stories in TV Club and read along with the Macra Find Your Fate book, so it seems a good time to find out which Macra stories are people’s favourites, talk about the gas-guzzling crabs with the deep, sonorous voices and maybe even suggest what else you’d like to see them do in the show.
The original version was released on cassette and had Colin Baker narrating (the first five soundtrack releases all had a Doctor narrating). It was the first time I ever listened to the soundtrack and I loved it. It was then re-released in the CD range with Frazer Hines narrating when they’d moved over to having a relevant companion actor on duty.
I do like Macra, even if it doesn’t exist.
Of course the titular Story, that doesn’t exist, is great.
Especially its animation!
And while I do like them in Gridlock, I don’t feel all that strongly about them there. It’s a nice fun addition, but not necessarily one that was fully needed, still don’t think it does anything wrong with them.
I don’t think they need to return again on TV honestly, if somebody comes up with a great Idea for BF and or TV, then I am only happy to see it, but I don’t think they have the certain flair to be a somewhat semi-returning Monster like other Classic Who Beings. Don’t remember their Appearances in those Comic strips all that well, so no comment on those from me!
One thing I think is interesting is how people are saying that Gridlock isn’t really a Macra story but here’s a thought.
Both The Macra Terror and Gridlock are dystopian stories of a sort. The Macra Terror is a 1984-esque situation with a populace that is under secret control and forced happiness. No one knows the truth of what is really happening.
Gridlock also has a populace who don’t really know what is happening and have come to accept the situation they are in regardless of how ridiculous is actually is. Outsiders come into both worlds and disrupt the status quo, eventually releasing the ordinary people into a world of freedom.
I think what the few other stories with the Macra haven’t tapped into is the dystopian element related to them. Certainly The Claws of the Macra has them as ‘just another monster’.
Their use in The Multi-Faceted War is actually rather interesting, tying them into the Time Lord war against the Great Vampires and it is a story I would encourage people to seek out.
I’ve just watched Genesis of the Macra - it’s a cute little fan video made with Character Options figures. 13 travelling with Romana and a Zygon! They meet a scientist who is a Jagaroth and it turns out that - spoilers - he has genetically engineered the Macra!
And do you want to know why? Because he fell through a crack in time and ended up on Earth and fell in love with petrol cars. He doesn’t want them replaced by electric cars so to stop them being phased out he’s created the Macra to consume the car fumes and therefore negate the environmental damage of petrol cars!
It’s insane but brilliant! Kudos to the person behind it and it’s actually pretty well filmed.
