[blenkinsopthebrave @replies]

@juniperfish

Many, many thanks indeed. Not for anything you said, you understand, as I seem to have found my way to Doctor Who by, well, magic…But many thanks.

So, that was my first experience of Chibnall ‘s Who and Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor. It was brilliant. As @jimthefish said, it is an instant classic.

I don’t think there was anything about it that I could fault.

Could it be the best historical Who ever? (And that is from someone whose views on this site about The Aztecs are well known.)

More later.

Well, before I go…the reference to Stormcage. Excellent.

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OK, I have resisted entering the fray up till now, as I am cruelly deprived of easy access to Who in the wilds of Canada. But as one who has no problem with spoilers, I have enjoyed the weekly discussions, and am looking forward to my inevitable (if seemingly distant) viewings.

But that is not what has warranted this post.

@pedant

(1) For our colonial(2) cousins

As a colonial cousin who grew up in Australia but now lives in Canada, It may surprise you to learn that the cultural history of the colonies was not uniform. While Canadians may well have been deprived of Blue Peter (as they are of so much of British popular culture today (did I mention the lack of easy (free) access to Who?) Australians were (for the last 60 years and more) blessed (or inundated, depending on your point of view) with British popular culture. So, I for example, grew up with ready access to The Goons, to Who, and to…(what a surprise) Blue Peter. But Canadians of my age did not.

The colonies are, in fact, a trifle more complex that might be appreciated.(1)

(1) sorrynotsorry

 

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OK, here I am on the right thread.

The trailer for the next episode…Historical, well, excellent! Rosa Parks…well, brilliant!

I am really looking forward to the Fox News and Daily Mail reviews of that one!

 

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Greetings from the world beyond Doctor Who…Canada.

Well, beyond if you are not prepared to sign up to streaming services designed to deplete your retirement funds.

So, I have been watching the breadcrumbs released by the BBC. I like the new opening credits and theme! The theme seems to hark back, subtlety, to BG Who. Or, at least, to be not as full on as the Moffat and RTD years.

And the trailer for the next episode seems…whoops! Wrong thread.

 

 

 

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@thane16

Hi Puro. Many thanks, and yes, the jelly babies are standing by, and the chocolate, and, of course, the coffee. In fact, there is a brilliant florist-and-coffee shop only a short walk away that makes divine affiagtos (affigati?) with soft serve ice cream and brilliant espresso.

@scaryb

Many thanks as well, from the outpost of Empire. But at least, unlike the wife of the US president, I do not wear a pith helmet in my outpost of empire.

@mudlark

Your support is greatly appreciated, although I fear I may have undercut my victim status [Note to self: too much context]

@craig

Many thanks. Your secret is safe with me…

 

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@pedant

Vinette Robinson was Sgt Donovan on “Sherlock”. She was very good at being very annoying…

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I come to you with a sad tale. A few years ago we used to live in Australia. And for all it’s problems (horrible racism, right-wing governments that would make you puke) it was so easy to watch Doctor Who. And then we retired to an island off the west coast of Canada. In many respects, wonderous. But…because it does not have the BBC, or the ABC, or even BBC America,  it means that the only access to Doctor Who is through a streaming service that requires you to both sign up to it as well as sign up to a TV carrier. All for one show…which means we will have to wait for the DVD.

The only compensation for this is the Blenkinsop cellar.

But I genuinely hope you all really enjoy the new season, and we will follow with great interest and enthusiasm the discussion and bonkers theories.

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@craig

Welcome back!

The font on “The Woman Who Fell to Earth” seems strangely washed out. A bit hard to read for these ageing eyes.

 

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@janetteb

I read that article and, to be honest, I find the question being asked to be more relevant to bean counters or marketing types, than to people actually watching the show. It is not just Dan that does this, as there are seemingly countless articles that obsess about ratings and the size of the audience.

For me, the questions are: Will I need to hide behind the sofa? Will I laugh? Will I cry? Will I go “squeee!”

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I have not seen it on a UK site, but just noticed this forthcoming in Canada and the US:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07GJ397JH/ref=s9u_newr_gw_i3?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07GJ397JH&pd_rd_r=9668721b-c32a-11e8-8c83-4b5374535bb4&pd_rd_w=y0CSf&pd_rd_wg=MUC4c&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=T8B5BZE5BB9DVH66T6Z7&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=55538ffa-441d-460c-84b9-2c288ed3cc7c&pf_rd_i=desktop

 

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Posting here as not sure if this is BBC approved or not.

Jodie Whittaker on Taking Over ‘Doctor Who’ and Why She Knows She’s Getting Equal Pay

No previous monsters, no 2-partners, all stand alone episodes.

 

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@jimthefish

Yes, you are probably right. As for JNT feel, I was more struck by the way it consisely telegraphed the relationship of the three companions to the Doctor. If, as you say, the clips are from the early episodes, it seems to indicate a quick and uniform acceptance of the authority of the Doctor. A sort of “Team Who” feel. With previous Doctors there has often been a certain distance prior to acceptance by the companions. Here, the acceptance and recognition of authority seems to come early. A conscious decision, perhaps, to award a female Doctor authority and acceptance in the eyes of the viewers from the get up and go?

 

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Well, the all the running feels like Who, and it does establish the Doctor with an air of authority. I can tell that it is going to take a while for me to accept the music, though. We did get (I assume) a couple of shots of the inside of the Tardis (white and pale green), although not the console room. If those shots are of the Tardis interior, they reminded me a bit of the recent movie version of Star Trek’s Enterprise, which I wasn’t expecting.

 

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@pedant

ARSEy? No, I think not.

On the other hand, it might help to understand where I come from if I explain that there was a line in one of the funniest films ever made, “A New Leaf”, starring and directed by the incomparable and brilliant Elaine May, where the manservant says to his fussy and demanding upper class employer (played by Walter Matthau) who has fallen on hard times:

“Sir, in your own lifetime, you have managed to keep alive traditions that were dead before you were even born.”

I have always been inspired by and aspired to that statement.

 

 

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@bluesqueakpip

I applaud your research and I take your point, as I do @pedant‘s point about the shattering of the glass ceiling. But we are still left with the tune! And it is a tune that will certainly appeal to a particular market demographic, but I wonder if that demographic includes me. I assume this is what the BBC suits mean by “relatable”. Nothing about AG Who has ever made me feel old. But this teaser did.

Still, it’s only a teaser. I wait for October. With a slight feeling of trepidation.

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@pedant

OK, the visuals show that it is not just running around rock quarries (which, at the time, I liked  actually) but, oh dear, the musical background is, well…awful…is the word that immediately springs to mind.

 

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@pedant

Crikey! The classic quiz was brutal!

 

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@wolfweed

idiosyncracy versus relatability.

hmmm…not sure what to make of that. I have always felt that a defining feature of the Doctor in all the incarnations from Hartnell to Capaldi was that they were identifiably “alien” rather than “relatable”.

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@mudlark, @winston,

the wildlife in your gardens sounds delightful. Round here at Chez Blenkinsop we have begun to share the garden with some neighbours I wasn’t really expecting–deer.

yes, it is a leafy suburb, but they have drifted in from further up the island because of urban expansion and dryer summers.

For the most part, humans and deer co-exist, and human adaptation is to plant flowers and shrubs that the deer tend to shun. Occasionally, a bunch of vibrant yellow will bloom on a Wednesday, only to disappear by Thursday. But as the owner of our local  garden shop noted, we should as unexpected pruning.

The first time I noticed the deer after moving here was when walking through a historic cemetery close by, to be confronted by the sight of an enormous buck with huge antlers, quietly resting between the headstones. And this was across the road from the local supermarket, and adjacent to the sea. So I think they are here to stay.

 

 

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it may provide meagre food for discussion here, let alone material for bonkers theorizing.

@mudlark. Egad! That is an awful prospect, but I can see only too clearly the logic of your reasoning. This has been a Moffat-oriented site. While there has been rich discussion of BG Who, the bonkers theorizing has been in direct response to the complexity of Moffat’s approach to the show.

Time for a glass of red. You may have driven me to drink, my friend!

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@winston

Totally agree with your interpretation of The 11th Hour.

Thanks for asking. Mainland British Columbia is having a terrible time. We are off the coast, so it is not so bad, but the upper island has already been affected. While we are is still protected, there is a constant haze in the sky. Hopefully there will be a change.

 

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@ichabod

Well, the episode I am referring to was “Identity Crisis”, or, as I fondly refer to it: “Geordie turns blue”–which will only make sense if you have seen it.

It isn’t rated particularly highly on fan lists of best episodes, but there is something about it that I love. The premise is unusual for the show–an event experienced by a group of Starfleet personnel (including Geordie) on a distant planet in the days before Geordie joined the Enterprise is starting to affect all the members of that scientific team.

It has perhaps the best use of the holodeck in any episode, where it is used to unlock the puzzle, and it has a really touching study of a relationship between Geordie and a former colleague.

If you can access it, watch it. You might enjoy it, particularly since it was one of the few episodes that the Counsellor, Deanna Troi, did not appear in!

 

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@ichabod It was, in fact, @janetteb who provided us with the reflection that you quote, not I.

But I tend to agree with your assumptions, particularly the section on “seeding a new child audience”. Of course, even back in the days of early BG Who it was a show that could be appreciated by parents as well as children. Still, I confess to being a trifle nervous of what is in store.

 

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Mrs Blenkinsop and I just re-watched “The 11th Hour.” Not only a wonderful episode by itself but a brilliant introduction to Matt Smith’s Doctor. It sets the bar really high for Chibnall’s introduction of a new Doctor.

But I am really looking forward to it!

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@ichabod.

Oh my, “Darmok” holds a very special place for me. I am sure you know all this already, there is something strangely satisfying about simply speaking these lines:

“Darmok and Jilad at Tanagra”

“Darmok and Jilad on the ocean”

“Temba, his arms open”

“Shaka, when the walls fell”

“Picard and Dathon at El Adrel”

and so much more.

What a fabulous episode. But…not my absolute favourite. That shall have to wait for another moment.

 

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@pedant

Wow! That looks great. A bit of a bummer that I am resident off the west coast of Canada, and it would be a trifle expensive to go over for dinner. But on the other hand, who needs retirement savings anyway?

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@janetteb. No, I wasn’t referring to the post above. The picture of the presumed leak was only uploaded today on multiple sites. It is still available. Google will take you there, if you want to go.

My use of the word “unique” wasn’t meant to be necessarily negative, it was meant to imply a very, very different approach to the design from anything seen thus far.

I am being necessarily vague, as I am not sure that whatever has been leaked is genuine. When it is confirmed, then I ‘ll be back with a more definite personal assessment.

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Well, I stumbled across the supposed new Tardis interior on the web. It certainly is…unique!

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Have just been reading that Patrick Stewart is reprising Jean Luc Picard in a new TV Star Trek show.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2018/aug/04/patrick-stewart-to-reprise-role-as-star-treks-jean-luc-picard

He talks about the need for an inspirational figure “in these dark times”. Couldn’t agree more. And who can do inspirational better than Jean Luc Picard?

My idea for the show is that the Federation has been taken over by a race called “the deplorables” ruled by “the Orange One”, whose sole purpose is to undo all the achievements of the Federation. And Picard will be the rational voice of the resistance.

Looking forward to it!

 

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@thane16 and puro, well, that was Harlan Ellison’s opinion of Close Encounters, not mine. I have a really soft spot for it. Mainly because it is so wonderfully optimistic.

@janetteb, actually, I have the same opinion of the original 1960s Star Trek–it was so optimistic.

And god knows, we need a huge dose of optimism these days.

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@craig What an awesome story! (Not the bit about your employment woes…that bit is a bummer.)

But the fact that you should run into Matt Smith and give him directions in space and time. Fabulous!

Clearly, you are our Emperor for many reasons!

 

 

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@thane16

Hi Puro,

Great to hear from you! Cold Brisbane?…almost hard to believe. My memories are very different!

A Doctor without a memory. Why not? I sometime feel that way about my own doctor.

One thing about the new show I am hanging out for (and it is close to what you know) is the music. We have been told about a new composer, but, like everything else, we haven’t been allowed to hear the music.

Could it be as good, say, as the theme music to “Where Eagles Dare”? Well, probably not, as nothing can rise to those Olympian heights.

Oh well, I can always listen to that again while I wait…

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@jimthefish

What struck me about the trailer was how low tech the images were. When you think of the Moffat and the RTD years, the visuals (particularly of space ships) were spectacular. There has been none of that in what we have seen so far. It almost seems like a return to running around rock quarries from the very early years.

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Trailer at last! Thanks to the wonderful denizen of twitter, @wolfweed!

And what does the trailer reveal? Surprisingly little, actually. Certainly no monsters, and no sign of the Tardis.

I suspect that what we are to be given over the next few weeks/months will be agonizingly contained, like two or three drops of water to a person parched for water in the desert.

Is so, not entirely sure I approve.

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this is only the first part of a campaign that won’t even kick off properly before San Diego.

https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2F45.media.tumblr.com%2Fa3089ab014467cb9425e26ae3c93e01b%2Ftumblr_o012rpMT9z1qg1mbqo10_r2_250.gif&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Frebloggy.com%2Fpost%2Fdoctor-who-river-song-mine-2-new-eleven-x-river-series-5-doctor-x-river-dw-gif-b%2F137238648343&docid=8I0ORdB7LYoCOM&tbnid=6_u2GgxlUBQAkM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwjc9cK2w6ncAhUIE4gKHeibDJ0QMwg2KAEwAQ..i&w=245&h=140&bih=662&biw=1366&q=blue%20boringers%20gif&ved=0ahUKEwjc9cK2w6ncAhUIE4gKHeibDJ0QMwg2KAEwAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8

<note to self: one day I will learn how to post a gif>

 

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Well, I woke up this morning, to another dearth of information about the upcoming iteration, and decided that I should nonetheless not deny myself the opportunity to bonkerise.

The best I could find by way of information (a notch above zero) was:

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-07-16/doctor-who-series-11-monsters-all-new-chris-chibnall-jodie-whittaker/

I then started to wonder if something could be made of the very absence of information. Could Chibnall be preparing to give us a quite radical re-envisioning of the show?

“You don’t need to know anything that’s come before.”

What might this mean in practice? When the third Doctor was expelled from the Tardis in 1970 we had a Tardis-free show for a while. Jodie Whittaker’s first appearance is to be expelled from an exploding Tardis. Could they…? Probably not. But, could they deviate from the established practice of presenting a new Doctor and a new Tardis interior in a joint makeover which stays true to the original template? Well, maybe they could.

After all, why are we being given so little information and so few images…? And how does it relate to the line: “You don’t need to know anything that’s come before”?

Given that they went to so much trouble to break free of the established “12 Doctors life-cycle” in order to give us a 13th Doctor, could this mean a quite radical break from the past? Could, for example, Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor have no memory of the previous cycle of Doctors, for instance?

Or, something…?

Time for a second cup of coffee.

 

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@bluesqueakpip

Agree. As I watch it, (the pattern of the glasses shaking, the lights, the ever-so-brief glimpse of the Doctor passing, and the the look of recognition(?) on each of the companions) I am wondering if it is meant as a signature card calling the companions…somewhat similar to the card that Steed left for Emma at the start of each episode: “Mrs Peel, we’re needed”

 

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Thanks, @wolfweed!

Well, that was…short.

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Hurrah!

And thanks to @wolfweed, I won’t even have to watch the World Cup!

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No actual spoilers here, but news of spoilers (and the hint that we may be getting official news soon…)

BBC Goes To Court Over “Doctor Who” Leak

 

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Hi @janetteb. While I agree with Ellison on Doctor Who (what civilized person wouldn’t?) I do think he is a little harsh on the original Star Trek. Ellison’s work was brilliant, but he was not what you would call optimistic. And that was the core, and the strength in my opinion, of the original Star Trek. It imagined a world that was better than the one we lived in, and, as a teenager, I really responded to that. I still do.

There. That’s my contribution to your blog….

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Damn. That quote above should have read: “the greatest science fiction series of all time”

[I blame it on the head cold…]

And actually, there is a great story behind the transition of that Star Trek episode from page to TV screen. It is quite easy to find Ellison’s original script and Gene Roddenberry’s revised shooting script with a quick search on Google. Ellison was famously furious with Roddenberry’s changes.

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The writer Harlan Ellison died a couple of days ago. An amazingly prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy. And a man of strong opinions who didn’t suffer fools gladly. But I thought I would share this quote of his (made to a convention audience, I believe):

Star Wars is adolescent nonesense; Close Encounters is obscurantist drivel; Star Trek can turn your brains to purée of bat guano; and the great science fiction series of all time is Doctor Who. And I’ll take you all on, one by one or in a bunch to back it up!

If you are unaware of his writing, he was responsible for arguably the most brilliant episode of the original series of Star Trek — “The City on the Edge of Forever”.

 

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What great fun! Actually, I do not remember this from the day, but what I like about it is that it seems so obviously based on allusion to either Oxford or Cambridge cultures or/and the Church of England. And because I do not remember it from its original screening,could the story be alluding to “The Manchurian Candidate”?

No idea, but looking forward to the next instalment.

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@thane16

My memories of Brisbane are sort of vague (like most of my memories these days, but we won’t go there…) but I vaguely recall a place called 3 (or 4?) Frogs, and also the Moo Restaurant (?).

These days we go to a new cafe around the corner that caters to the locals (which means 70 year-olds who sit around with an espresso and work on their laptop, like a seniors version of a millennial), or we cross the road to feed the seals who are resident at the Marina and have worked out how to play the crowd.

 

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@janetteb

“of its time”

I so totally agree. My memory of cuisine in Australia in the 50s and 60s (ie, when I was living at home) was of the dreaded “chops, peas and potatoes” where the chops were over-done, the peas were from a tin and the potatoes were…well, I try to block it out. And then there was “dessert”. Which, in the young Blenkinsop home, constituted a hideous flavour of jelly–sometimes with overcooked and stringy rhubarb. The horror!

 

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As it is April 1st, I thought it would the appropriate time to share what is widely, and justly, regarded as the best April Fool’s Day sketch ever done (by the BBC in 1957):

 

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What an absolutely wonderful story! And I totally agree, @craig, it is such a pity that the show’s current format does not allow for stories told over multiple episodes any more. Although who knows what Chibnall has in store for us.

And it was also brilliant to be 13 again, for those 4 episodes!

It also had a lot in common with one of my favourite modern Who stories “Vincent and the Doctor” in that the were both really effective (and both ultimately poignant) reflections on time and time travel. They represent, for me, the best of Doctor Who.

 

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@pedant

Brilliant!

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