History Recap / DoctorWhoS25E4TheGreatestShowintheGalaxy

* BrokenAesop: Whizzkid was intended as a TakeThat to fans who criticised 1980s ''Doctor Who'' by saying it wasn't as good as it used to be in a time they couldn't possibly remember. The problem here is that Whizzkid's similar opinions about the titular Psychic Circus are shown to be absolutely correct. Consequently, all Whizzkid does is vindicate the same fans the character was supposed to be chastising. What also doesn't help is that there are moments of SelfDeprecation within the episode that suggest that Whizzkid had a point.

* {{Novelization}}: The episode's writer, Stephen Wyatt wrote the novelization.

* SelfDeprecation: Because the Psychic Circus is a metaphor for ''Doctor Who'' and its relationship with the audience and the BBC, some elements of the episode can seem self-deprecating.

* TotallyRadical: The Ringmaster tries to entertain the Gods of Ragnarok by poorly rapping. As part of the episode's {{Postmodernism}}, this is essentially the show acknowledging that it may struggle to keep up with times: British hip hop was becoming popular around this time hence the Ringmaster's poor rapping skills.

* DumbMuscle: Nord isn't long on gray matter, but manages to wow the audience with his strongman performance.

* BitingTheHandHumor: The whole serial is a massive TakeThat to Creator/TheBBC. All the performers at the Psychic Circus are paraded in front of cold, unfeeling cosmic figures with a penchant for destroying anyone who fails to entertain them, a reference to the BBC executives seeking to cancel ''Doctor Who'' at the time. The Doctor does simple tricks to bide for time, but once he gets a chance to destroy the Gods of Ragnarok, he takes a bow and casually strolls out of the exploding circus, showing up all the other performers and proving once again why he's a walking Moment of Awesome. It ain't called '''Greatest Show in the Galaxy''' for nothing. Sadly, the show's newfound confidence (and storytelling quality) would be cut short, as under a year later, it would be cancelled until 2005.

* CannotTellAJoke: Nord's strongman act's impressive, but he gets fried when he's suddenly put on the spot to wow the judges with humor.

->''"You're just an aging hippie, Professor."''

Written by Stephen Wyatt. This serial first aired December 14, 1988-January 4, 1989.

* LamePunReaction: After the Doctor's "Just the ticket" line (see BondOneLiner above), Ace shoots him a "Did you really just say that?" look.

Written by Stephen Wyatt. This serial first aired December 14, 1988.

* SpotOfTea: Captain Cook is taking tea in every scene in which he appears. Even when the party is attacked by a HumongousMecha.

The one with the rapping ringleader.

* CircusOfFear: It's surprising that it took ''Doctor Who'' 25 years to do this.

* MsFanservice: Ace herself wears a crop top that shows several inches of her stomach whenever he moves her arms.

The amulet gets destroyed, which takes out the circus in a giant fireball of evil gods and creepy clowns, and Creator/SylvesterMcCoy [[UnflinchingWalk walks unflinchingly]]—both in-character and in real life—just a little bit on fire because the BBC pyrotechnics crew screwed up. [[note]](They planned to do the explosion with an air blast, but brought the wrong equipment and ended up having to do it with real pyrotechnics. There are conflicting reports as to whether [=McCoy=] was told about this.)[[/note]]

The amulet gets destroyed, which takes out the circus in a giant fireball of evil gods and creepy clowns, and Creator/SylvesterMcCoy [[UnflinchingWalk walks unflinchingly]]—both in-character and in real life, and just a little bit on fire because the BBC pyrotechnics crew screwed up. [[note]](They planned to do the explosion with an air blast, but brought the wrong equipment and ended up having to do it with real pyrotechnics. There are conflicting reports as to whether [=McCoy=] was told about this.)[[/note]]

* ContinuityNod: While Ace's looking for her rucksack in the TARDIS wardrobe, she throws the Fifth Doctor's coat to the floor and emerges a while later, wearing the Fourth Doctor's scarf. Mel's blue-and-white polka dot blouse from "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS24E2ParadiseTowers Paradise Towers]]" is also visible.

* TotallyRadical: The story features (and opens with) a rapping circus ringmaster whose rap falls somewhere between hilarious and "Oh God, my ears". Fortunately, he's balanced out by the CircusOfFear and {{MonsterClown}}s. Even the Doctor (briefly) gets in on the act.

The Doctor and Ace get junk mail in the TARDIS and head off to a circus that has, inexplicably, set up shop on a desert planet. They poke around a bit -- buying gross food from a travelling vendor, chit-chatting with self-important adventurer Captain Cook and his punk companion Mags, trying to flag down a ride from a ''Film/MadMax'' extra -- and utterly fail to notice that this is the sort of circus that people run away ''from''.

In fact, the CircusOfFear has adopted the innovative cost-saving practice of imprisoning its customers and making ''them'' perform, with a penalty of death if the audience -- who consist solely of a jaded CreepyMonotone trio of mother, father, and little girl -- are bored. So it is that Ace and the Doctor promptly find themselves backstage, in an unusually well-secured green room together with Captain Cook, Mags, the BadassBiker guy, and a starstruck über-fan named [=WhizzKid=].

The amulet gets destroyed, which takes out the circus in a giant fireball of evil gods and creepy clowns, and Creator/SylvesterMcCoy [[UnflinchingWalk walks unflinchingly]] - both in-character and in real life, and just a little bit on fire because the BBC pyrotechnics crew screwed up. [[note]](They planned to do the explosion with an air blast, but brought the wrong equipment and ended up having to do it with real pyrotechnics. There are conflicting reports as to whether [=McCoy=] was told about this.)[[/note]]

* EvilCounterpart: The Captain and Mags are a dark mirror for the Doctor and Ace, if the Doctor were a self-serving, abusive coward. In Mags' case, however, she's less evil and more an abused glorified hostage who the Doctor helps free.

* {{Foil}}: Captain Cook and Mags serve as a parallel to the Doctor and Ace, with the difference being that Cook is a pompous coward who can't actually walk the walk the way the Doctor can.

* NewAgeRetroHippie: Kingpin, Bellboy, Flower Child, ''et. al.'' Stephen Wyatt has said that the story was consciously intended to be partly about the failure of 60s hippie ideals in the 70s and 80s.

** Captain Cook is the Doctor's EvilCounterpart and consequently be read as a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype critique of the character]] as he is relatively unheroic and uses his intelligence to [[ItsAllAboutMe save his own hide]]. Likewise, Mags, Cook's ally, is an obvious stand-in for the Doctor's companion, who is mistreated by Cook and used as a weapon against Cook's enemies.

** Nord is an aggressive biker, who tries to [[DoctorWhoS21E7TheTwinDilemma choke Captain Cook]] at one point and gets killed by the Gods after his audition fails to impress them.
** Captain Cook is the Doctor's EvilCounterpart and consequently be read as a critique of the character.

* ThemeTuneRap: The Ringmaster

* BrokenAesop: Whizzkid was intended as a TakeThat to fans who criticised 1980s ''Doctor Who'' by saying it wasn't as good as it used to be in a time they couldn't possibly remember. The problem here is that Whizzkid's similar opinions about the titular Psychic Circus are shown to be absolutely correct. Consequently, all Whizzkid does is vindicate the same fans the character was supposed to be chastising. What also doesn't help is that there are moments of SelfDeprecation within in the episode that suggested that Whizzkid had a point.

* FanBoy[: [=WhizzKid=] was, yes, a sly parody of ''Series/DoctorWho'' fans.

** While they primarily represent Creator/TheBBC executives, the Gods of Ragnarok can be read as the general audience at large. In the circus tent, they're presented as a rather dull family with no imagination of their own who just sit disinterestedly in front of a parade of entertainment moaning about how nothing's ever good enough to interest them no matter how creative it is, and anything they vote down is pretty much wiped out of existence.

* ThemeTuneRap
* TotallyNotAWerewolf: Mags.

* {{Animorphism}}
* AssholeVictim: Does anyone really mourn for [[JerkAss Captain Cook]] after Werewolf!Mags mauls him?

* BerserkButton: Captain Cook doesn't mind being called a scoundrel or a meddling fool, but "[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne crushing bore]]" cuts him to the quick.

* BrokenAesop: Whizzkid was intended as a TakeThat to fans who criticised 1980s ''Doctor Who'' by saying it wasn't as good as it used to be in a time they couldn't possibly remember. The problem here is that Whizzkid's similar opinions about the titular Psychic Circus are shown to be absolutely correct. Consequently, all Whizzkid does is vindicate the same fans the character was supposed to be chastising.

* DoubleEntendre: The Doctor comments to Ace that the robot was "just a device to get us involved". This is a triple-entendre - it's a "device" (a robot), a "device" (a plot device), and a "device" (a manipulation).

* FanBoy[=/=]StrawFan: [=WhizzKid=] was, yes, a sly parody of ''Series/DoctorWho'' fans.

* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Mags is an alien with no control over her transformations.

* StylisticSuck: The Ringmaster's raps, according to Wyatt on the DVD, are meant to be bad and indicate his diminishing artistic abilities. Although this may be an excuse.
* TakeThat:
** The whole serial is a massive Take That. All the performers at the Psychic Circus are paraded in front of cold, unfeeling cosmic figures with a penchant for destroying anyone who fails to entertain them, a reference to the people seeking to cancel ''Doctor Who'' at the time. The Doctor does simple tricks to bide for time, but once he gets a chance to destroy the Gods of Ragnarok, he takes a bow and casually strolls out of the exploding circus, showing up all the other performers and proving once again why he's a walking Moment of Awesome. It ain't called '''Greatest Show in the Galaxy''' for nothing. Sadly, the show's newfound confidence (and storytelling quality) would be cut short, as under a year later, it would be cancelled until 2005.
** The Captain has been alleged to be based on the convention behaviour of certain well-known ''Doctor Who'' figures.
* TakeThatAudience: Whizzkid was intended as a slap in the face to obsessive ''Doctor Who'' fans. He enjoys the Psychic Circus a bit too much to be tolerable, but claims "it's not as good as it used to be" (a common fan gripe at the time), despite not having even ''seen'' it in the past. He meets a nasty end without even meeting the Doctor.
-->'''Whizz Kid:''' Well yes, of course. I've never been able to visit it before now, but I've got all sorts of souvenirs. Copies of all the advertising satellites that have ever been sent out. All the posters. I had a long correspondence with one of the founder members too, soon after it started. Although I never got to see the early days, I know it's not as good as it used to be but I'm still terribly interested.
** The Gods of Ragnarok can be read as this to the general audience at large. In the circus tent, they're presented as a rather dull family with no imagination of their own who just sit disinterestedly in front of a parade of entertainment moaning about how nothing's ever good enough to interest them no matter how creative it is, and anything they vote down is pretty much wiped out of existence.

The one where Sylvester [=McCoy's=] back catches fire.

** The whole serial is a massive Take That. All the performers at the Psychic Circus are paraded in front of cold, unfeeling cosmic figures with a penchant for destroying anyone who fails to entertain them, a reference to the people seeking to cancel ''Doctor Who'' at the time. The Doctor does simple tricks to bide for time, but once he gets a chance to destroy the Gods of Ragnarok, he takes a bow and casually strolls out of the exploding circus, showing up all the other performers and proving once again why he's a walking Moment of Awesome. It ain't called '''Greatest Show in the Galaxy''' for nothing. Sadly, the show's newfound confidence (and storytelling quality) would be cut short, as under a year later, it would be canceled until 2005.