History YMMV / DoctorWhoS3E7TheCelestialToymaker

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Toymaker's only appearance in the classic series was in ''this one'' story, of which three of its episodes are now lost, but he's still one of the most iconic villains in the franchise. In fact, he is so iconic that he was originally planned to be brought back at the start of Season 23, had it not been for the feud with Michael Grade and consequent 18-month hiatus that motivated Creator/JohnNathanTurner to retool the season into ''The Trial of a Time Lord''.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Toymaker's only appearance in the TV series was in ''this one'' story, of which three of its episodes are now lost, but he's still one of the most iconic villains in the franchise. In fact, he is so iconic that he was originally planned to be brought back at the start of Season 23, had it not been for the feud with Michael Grade and consequent 18-month hiatus that motivated Creator/JohnNathanTurner to retool the season into ''The Trial of a Time Lord''. It wouldn't be until the 60th anniversary specials in 2023 that the Toymaker would be brought back, this time played by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris.

** The King of Hearts casually uses an older version of the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme which uses the n-word in place of "tiger". On Creator/TheBBC's soundtrack release (due to it being a MissingEpisode), Creator/PeterPurves' narration is deliberately timed to obscure the offending word. Of note is that the n-word [[https://twitter.com/The66Ramblers/status/1530509444907520001 isn't actually in the script]] -- the corresponding stage direction simply reads "the king closes his eyes and Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Mos" -- but the fact that the actor deliberately chose a racially-charged version of the rhyme without repercussion is indicative of British views on race in the '60s.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Toymaker's only appearance in the TV series was in ''this one'' story, of which three of its episodes are now lost, but he's still one of the most iconic villains in the franchise. In fact, he is so iconic that he was originally planned to be brought back at the start of Season 23, had it not been for the feud with Michael Grade and consequent 18-month hiatus that motivated Creator/JohnNathanTurner to retool the season into ''The Trial of a Time Lord''.

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was regarded as one of the lost greats of the Creator/WilliamHartnell era; largely because the highly influential 1983 reference book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration'' gave it a very positive review. After the sole surviving episode and the audio from the first three episodes became more widely available, fans were able to see it was actually a rather dull story with tons of long, boring {{Padding}} and featured old white guy Creator/MichaelGough done up like a Chinese Mandarin (presumably to make the villain more exotic and inscrutable). It's now often considered to be one of Hartnell's worst stories, as likely to be known for being the story where a side character, played by a white actor, casually dropped the n-word as for anything else.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: The title character was considered one of the show's best antagonists for decades thanks to reviews that praised the lost serial as a forgotten classic; there were even plans to bring him back for Season 23 before a BBC-imposed 18-month hiatus led to the season being completely rewritten. However, after a reconstruction of this serial released and sank the story's reputation (with many now knowing it for its copious {{padding}} and racist elements), the Toymaker would decline into curiosity status at most, with people praising Creator/MichaelGough's performance but considering his character an Orientalist relic of the show's EarlyInstalmentWeirdness in the '60s (presumably leading to the character's design and presentation being heavily retooled when he ''did'' finally return in 2023).

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Toymaker's only appearance in the TV series was in ''this one'' story, of which three of its episodes are now lost, but he's still one of the most iconic villains in the franchise. In fact, he is so iconic that he was originally planned to be brought back at the start of Season 23, had it not been for the feud with Michael Grade and consequent 18-month hiatus that motivated Creator/JohnNathanTurner to retool the season into ''The Trial of a Time Lord''. He'll finally reappear on TV in the Fourteenth Doctor's specials, ''fifty-seven'' years after his debut, albeit reimagined due to his outfit really not aging well.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: The title character was considered one of the show's best antagonists for decades thanks to reviews that praised the lost serial as a forgotten classic; there were even plans to bring him back for Season 23 before a BBC-imposed 18-month hiatus led to the season being completely rewritten. However, after a reconstruction of this serial released and sank the story's reputation (with many now knowing it for its copious {{padding}} and racist elements), the Toymaker would decline into curiosity status at most, with people praising Creator/MichaelGough's performance but considering his character an Orientalist relic of the show's EarlyInstalmentWeirdness in the '60s.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The Toymaker's only appearance in the TV series was in ''this one'' story, of which three of its episodes are now lost, but he's still one of the most iconic villains in the franchise. In fact, he is so iconic that he was originally planned to be brought back at the start of Season 23, had it not been for the feud with Michael Grade and consequent 18-month hiatus that motivated Creator/JohnNathanTurner to retool the season into ''The Trial of a Time Lord''.

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was once regarded as one of the lost greats of the Creator/WilliamHartnell era; largely because the highly influential 1983 reference book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration'' gave it a very positive review. After the sole surviving episode and the audio from the first three episodes became more widely available, fans were able to see it was actually a rather dull story with tons of long, boring {{Padding}} and featured old white guy Creator/MichaelGough done up like a Chinese Mandarin (presumably to make the villain more exotic and inscrutable). It's now often considered to be one of Hartnell's worst stories, as likely to be known for being the story where a side character, played by a white actor, casually dropped the n-word as for anything else.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The Toymaker is Creator/MichaelGough, nowadays best known for playing Alfred Pennyworth in the ''Film/BatmanFilmSeries''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The Toymaker is Creator/MichaelGough ([[Film/Batman1989 Alfred Pennyworth]]).

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was once regarded as one of the lost greats of the Creator/WilliamHartnell era; largely because the highly influential 1983 reference book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration'' gave it a very positive review. After the sole surviving episode and the audio from the first three episodes became more widely available, fans were able to see it was actually a rather dull story with tons of long, boring {{Padding}} and an old white guy Creator/MichaelGough done up like a Chinese Mandarin (presumably to make the villain more exotic and inscrutable). It's now often considered to be one of Hartnell's worst stories, as likely to be known for being the story where a side character, played by a white actor, casually dropped the n-word as for anything else.

** Similarly, the word "celestial" is itself an old (mainly American) slur used to describe the Chinese. While [[https://twitter.com/The66Ramblers/status/1530511149732712448 contemporary production notes]] indicate that the use of the word is in the more innocuous sense (i.e. the Toymaker's ethereal and otherworldly nature), the juxtaposition of it with the Toymaker's "Mandarin" getup (itself meant to tie in with his Towers of Hanoi puzzle) has given more than a few retrospective analysts pause.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: The title character was considered one of the show's best antagonists for decades thanks to reviews that praised the lost serial as a forgotten classic; there were even plans to bring him back for Season 23 before a BBC-imposed 18-month hiatus led to the season being completely rewritten. However, after a reconstruction of this serial released and sank the story's reputation (with many now knowing it for its copious {{padding}} and racist elements), the Toymaker would decline into curiosity status at most, with people praising Creator/MichaelGough's performance but considering his character an Orientalist relic of the show's EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in the '60s.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The Toymaker is [[Film/Batman1989 Alfred Pennyworth]].

** The King of Hearts casually uses an older version of the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme which uses the n-word in place of "tiger". On Creator/TheBBC's soundtrack release (due to it being a MissingEpisode), Creator/PeterPurves' narration is deliberately timed to obscure the offending word. Of note is that the n-word [[https://twitter.com/The66Ramblers/status/1530509444907520001 isn't actually in the script]] -- the corresponding stage direction simply reads "the king closes his eyes and Eeny-Meeny-Miny-Mos" -- but the fact that the actor deliberately chose a racially-charged version of the rhyme is indicative of British views on race in the '60s.

** Similarly, the word "celestial" is itself an old (mainly American) slur used to describe the Chinese. While usage of the term has since heavily declined, to the point where naïve modern viewers could think "celestial" simply refers to the Toymaker (possibly) being an alien, this is nonetheless the first episode to include a slur in its title.

** The King of Hearts casually uses an older version of the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme which uses the n-word in place of "tiger". On Creator/TheBBC's soundtrack release (due to it being a MissingEpisode), Creator/PeterPurves' narration is deliberately timed to obscure the offending word.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: The title character was considered one of the show's best antagonists for decades thanks to reviews that praised the lost serial as a forgotten classic; there were even plans to bring him back for Season 23 before a BBC-imposed 18-month hiatus led to the season being completely rewritten. However, after a reconstruction of this serial released and sank the story's reputation (with many now knowing it for its copious {{padding}} and racist elements), the Toymaker would decline into curiosity status at most, with people praising Michael Gough's performance but considering his character an Orientalist relic of the show's EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in the '60s.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: The title character was considered one of the show's best antagonists for decades thanks to reviews that praised the lost serial as a forgotten classic; there were even plans to bring him back for Season 23 before a BBC-imposed 18-month hiatus led to the season being completely rewritten. However, after a reconstruction of "The Celestial Toymaker" released and sank the story's reputation (with many now knowing it for its copious {{padding}} and racist elements), the titular villain would decline into curiosity status at most, with people praising Michael Gough's performance but considering his character an Orientalist relic of the show's EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in the '60s.

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was once regarded as one of the lost greats of the Creator/WilliamHartnell era, largely because the highly influential 1983 reference book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration'' gave it a very positive review. After the sole surviving episode and the audio from the first three episodes became more widely available, fans were able to see it was actually a rather dull story with tons of long, boring {{Padding}} and an old white guy Creator/MichaelGough done up like a Chinese Mandarin (presumably to make the villain more exotic and inscrutable). It's now often considered to be one of Hartnell's worst stories, as likely to be known for being the story where a side character, played by a white actor, casually dropped the n-word as for anything else.

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was once regarded as one of the lost greats of the Creator/WilliamHartnell era, largely because the 1983 book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration'' gave it a positive review. After the sole surviving episode and the audio from the first three episodes became more widely available, fans were able to see it was actually a rather dull story with tons of long, boring {{Padding}} and an old white guy Creator/MichaelGough done up like a Chinese Mandarin (presumably to make the villain more exotic and inscrutable). It's now often considered to be one of Hartnell's worst stories, as likely to be known for being the story where a side character, played by a white actor, casually dropped the n-word as for anything else.

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was regarded as a lost classic, on the basis of a positive review in the 1983 book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration''. Then, as the surviving Episode 4 and the audio for the first three episodes have become widely available for public consumption, its reputation has plummeted to the point where it is now often ranked as one of the worst First Doctor stories.

* CondemnedByHistory: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was regarded as a lost classic, on the basis of a positive review in the 1983 book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration''. Then, as the surviving Episode 4 and the audio for the first three episodes has become widely available for public consumption, its reputation has plummeted to the point where it is now often ranked as one of the worst First Doctor stories.

* HypeBacklash: For a long time, before it was possible to watch or even listen to any episodes of this story, it was regarded as a lost classic, on the basis of a positive review in the 1983 book ''Doctor Who: A Celebration''. Then, as the surviving Episode 4 and the audio for the first three episodes has become widely available for public consumption, its reputation has plummeted to the point where it is now often ranked as one of the worst First Doctor stories.

** Some, including [[http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/the-most-totally-closed-mind-the-celestial-toymaker/ El Sandifer]] and WebVideo/DiamandaHagan criticised the story for being racist due to the titular villain appearing in {{Yellowface}} (although this isn't true, as can be seen from the number of colour publicity stills taken at the time) and being dressed like a Chinese Mandarin.

** The King of Hearts casually uses an older version of the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme which uses the n-word in place of "tiger". On Creator/TheBBC's soundtrack release (due to it being a MissingEpisode), Peter Purves' narration is deliberately timed to obscure the offending word.

* {{Narm}}: As El Sandifer pointed out, the Trilogic Game is basically the Towers of Hanoi, a game that children younger than the show's own target demographic can master, yet the Toymaker presents as a challenging game for the mind.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The story would generally be remembered as a middle-of-the-road MissingEpisode once previously upheld as a classic thanks to faulty reviewers, if not for the fact that it contains a scene where a minor villain, played by a white actor, utters the word "nigger" during a game of "eeny meeny miney moe." Creator/TheBBC have had to go out of their way to censor the offending word in official releases of the story's surviving audio recording, but despite this the slur still dominates it, in part because while the Classic Series is no stranger to ValuesDissonance, this is by and large considered the most blatant example by both fans and analysts.

** The King of Hearts casually uses an older version of the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme which uses the word "nigger" in place of "tiger". On Creator/TheBBC's soundtrack release (due to it being a MissingEpisode), Peter Purves' narration is deliberately timed to obscure the offending word.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The story would generally be remembered as a middle-of-the-road MissingEpisode once previously upheld as a classic thanks to faulty reviewers, if not for the fact that it contains a scene where a minor villain, played by a white actor, utters the n-word during a game of "eeny meeny miney moe." Creator/TheBBC have had to go out of their way to censor the offending word in official releases of the story's surviving audio recording, but despite this the slur still dominates it, in part because while the Classic Series is no stranger to ValuesDissonance, this is by and large considered the most blatant example by both fans and analysts.

** The King of Hearts casually uses an older version of the "Eenie Meenie Miney Mo" rhyme which uses the N-word in place of "tiger". On Creator/TheBBC's soundtrack release (due to it being a MissingEpisode), Peter Purves' narration is deliberately timed to obscure the offending word.