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8 September 2013 at 12:22 #17074
As I think we were talking about Terror of the Autons next, if anyone wants to buy it beforehand, it’s in the Mannequin Mania boxset, together with the first Jon Pertwee story Spearhead from Space (the first time we see the Doctor nicking clothes from a hospital, before he became a repeat offender). These are actually the only two stories that feature the Autons before Rose started the AG years. BBC shop £13.99 and Amazon for £11.25.
8 September 2013 at 12:07 #17071But I’m telling you, it wasn’t a regeneration. Davison’s Doc was whisked into the Matrix and Maxil was teleported in to impersonate the Doctor, with a view to extreme character assassination, culminating in a show trial.
While I like it a lot, I’ll stick with my own rationalisation in that Spectrox toxaemia was some pretty heavy shit that even Regeneration struggled with, and some after effects in the brain were apparent. Yes people – the only way I can rationalise the Sixth Doctor is to consider him the brain damaged one.
8 September 2013 at 11:57 #17070I was looking for the AG ‘golden glow’ of regeneration, and had to remind myself that this is a BG story.
It’s funny, but I read that comment as I was watching Big Bang, and I referenced it in my comment there. Having the established and consistent look for Regeneration in the new series facilitates that ending, because you immediately know what’s going on. In the old series, it was whatever effect the Production team had at the time and you’d have needed someone to actually say “Good Lord – that child appears to be Regenerating!”
This was Peter Davison’s episode and they put Colin Baker first on the closing cast list?
Yeah, the one thing I can believe about JNT was that his childish petulance overrode all common sense. As soon as Davison announced his intention to leave, he was “Yesterdays man”.
8 September 2013 at 11:36 #17067(Interestingly, though, David McCallum, in something like his character from Sapphire and Steel (any chance of putting a story from S&S on the site?)
Perhaps a superficial similarity from this short clip, but no, not much similarity as things progressed. Interesting idea for the S&S showing though. I embedded one on the blog about Sapphire and Steel, but if we have a long gap between Christmas and Series 8, perhaps a wider “Sci-fi/Fantasy” watch club? A hint of S&S, a dash of Quatermass, and a comforting sprinkle of Blakes 7? A lot of shows from the 50s to the 80s have a lot of Who related talking points in writers and production teams, etc. For example there was a short series by Robert Holmes for the BBC called The Nightmare Man. It features a youthful looking Celia Imrie and Maurice Roeves (who played Stotz in Caves above). Might be an idea to keep in the background if things go quiet.
8 September 2013 at 10:26 #17063@bluesqueakpip is quite right. Talking to yourself (even on the internet) should be considered the first sign of madness.
I could take you through why this isn’t a problem in the context of the long history of WHO but frankly I can’t be bothered. If Capaldi appearing in a guest role is a problem for you, then it remains your problem. The rest of us will bid you a fond farewell with a shrug.
The generation that Capaldi has to win over won’t remember him in Fires of Pompeii or Torchwood. They are a bit too young.
8 September 2013 at 10:17 #17061Love that version of The Scream by the way.
8 September 2013 at 10:16 #17060I agree that, initially the jump to three months later was jarring on first viewing. Impossible Astronaut had such a good cliffhanger ending you expected it to go from there, and instead you get the setup for more cliffhangers (being shot, jumping from the roof etc).
It’s such a good episode though, you soon lose yourself in it. Canton is great value, the jaunt through the haunted house of the orphanage creepy as hell. Rory in full nerd mode at NASA. Rory and the Doctor bonding over the loss of Amy and memories of Rome falling.
As showdowns go, River opening up an intergalactic can of whupass supported by the Doctor in the Silents TARDIS looks so cinematic.
I was convinced this episode would be revisited in some timey-wimey way further on in the series(like the jacket scene in Big Bang) but I guess that would really have been Moff repeating itself. The episode is set up for it though, especially that first knock at the door in the office of Renfrew in the orphanage.
And then the ending, which frankly blew me away. I read @bluesqueakpip s comments on the Caves of Androzani blog about the old regeneration effects (which were never the same) and it reminded me that this is the power of establishing a consistent look. As soon as you see the glow start, you knew what was coming, and your jaw dropped.
I think we all liked the sound of Twelfth Night for the Christmas Episode, but I suppose Silent Night can be an outlier if Moff wants to revisit the Silence to cap Elevens tenure?
7 September 2013 at 18:15 #17041And oh, how the fans of the show called Doctor Who did weep.
Indeed. By the end of Twin Dilemma, there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, thereof.
Just another note – the BFI showed Caves as the celebratory Fifth Doctor story, and the video for the Q&A after it can be found on the Faces strand here. Director Graeme Harper is on hand, but the companions featured all pre-date this story and talk in general terms about the Fifth Doctor period.
7 September 2013 at 18:09 #17040Ah Timmin. In the world of business, it’s always the quiet ones you have to watch out for. For all the bluster by Morgus at her “betrayal”, he was a dog-eat-dog kind of guy at heart. I’m sure he would have grown to approve of her actions, had he lived a bit longer.
Yes, it’s “virtually everybody dies” territory for this one, as the mixture of oafs (Chellak), greedy (Stotz and gang, Morgus) and revenge driven madman (Jek) get what they deserve. Holmes could be really good in introducing sympathetic elements to his villains (see comments on Chang in Talons) and Jeks care of Peri here, and his pitiful sobbing beneath the table as she reacts to his face certainly is another example.
I loved the introduction of a synthetic bell tolling in the incidental music as the Doctor goes off to milk a queen bat (no sniggering at the back there).
After the Universe threatening ends to the Third and Fourth Doctor, this seems small scale in comparison, but does work effectively, as the Doctor heroically saves his companion. It would be nice to think that those visions at the end didn’t distract him too much from Peri’s cleavage. I’m sure that, of all the ways to go, a vision of cleavage must be a more attractive alternative than the Master.
I started this story saying I had mixed feelings whenever I put this one into the DVD player, and the biggest one comes at the end. So long Five and, unfortunately, hello Six, and a period that tested my loyalty to breaking point.
6 September 2013 at 13:20 #17005@textingandscones @bluesqueakpip
Less Doctor Who, more Doctor “Why Don’t You?” (one for fans of a certain age there).
There are numerous ways of doing this, but most rely on a little bit of electronics. I’ll start with a “no tech” option.
“No tech” option.
Get an 11th Doctor Toy screwdriver and, in the four prongs near the head, drill small holes to accommodate 4 x 1mm Neodymium magnets. Make a sliding latch inside the box with a larger neodymium magnet and then use the screwdriver the draw the bolt back. That’s about as simple as it gets. Be warned though, you now have a pretty powerful magnetic device. Keep it away from electronic storage media or you may discover new screwdriver abilities like erasing data/rendering them useless.
Electronic options
To make it effective you need the activator in the screwdriver, but it’s the receiver that does all the work. Getting them configured will be the problem if you don’t have much knowledge. @bluesqueakpip s idea of a catflap is an excellent one, because you get the activator and receiver already configured. As well as the IR models, you can get the chip sensitive locking flaps, and magnet sensitive.
Just carefully disassemble the flap itself to recover the lock mechanism and battery pack (for IR and Chip models) to fit to the box. If batteries are needed you’ll need to modify the box so you can replace them from the outside. Just be warned, modifying a 9/10 screwdriver is a pain in the arse due to construction issues and the very tightly packed head which you can’t do much with. Go for an 11.
It’s worth asking about to see if you have any friends/friends of friends who are hobbyists. We don’t wear t-shirts because requests to fix stuff can become tedious. Leading questions like “I’ve heard the Raspberry Pi is interesting – know anyone who has one” will identify the nerd of your dreams. Increasingly popular in schools, so don’t forget students, who could ask teachers. Someone who dismisses the Pi as a toy is probably an uber nerd and should be challenged to do your project without one. He will accept just to prove he can. They should be able to rig up a bespoke IR system to the electronic actuated lock of your choice with parts for less than 20 quid. It’s even easier with either an existing TV Screwdriver Remote (expensive but easier to configure) or a Wii Screwdriver remote (cheaper but more work).
6 September 2013 at 13:13 #17004Good to see you back. Hope you had/have fun catching up.
First time I saw Neil Gaiman was at a signing for Good Omens in Leeds with Terry Pratchett. At that time no-one except comic book fans seemed to know who he was, so while Terry was signing mountains of his books, he was very laid back (he only signed Good Omens if people asked). I think MrsPhaseshift delighted him by asking him to sign a copy of Black Orchid.
I doubt he gets away with that these days.
4 September 2013 at 16:06 #16954I don’t know. You mention you wouldn’t mind Charlie Higson as a wild card writer, and then Armando Iannucci throws his hat into the ring, declaring he’d love to write for old mucker Peter Capaldi in the series. Would be fantastic if he did.
I can still remember my absolute surprise when other Sitcom writers like Simon Nye and Richard Curtis bashed out episodes like Amy’s Choice and Vincent and the Doctor for series 5.
4 September 2013 at 12:12 #16952I’m really intrigued by the choice of the writer for the Ninth Doctor celebratory novella. It’s Charlie Higson (of Fast Show fame) and successful writer of the Young James Bond books and The Enemy series. The Beast of Babylon seems to be set before Rose, with Nine meeting a young girl called Ali whose found a mysterious object.
The Guardian have an extract here:
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/interactive/2013/sep/04/doctor-who-beast-babylon-charlie-higson-extractHe says:
“I grew up with Doctor Who and have always been a massive fan so it’s a great honour to be involved in this anniversary celebration. Russell T Davies did a great job of rebooting the series with Christopher Eccleston so to be able to write the Ninth Doctor story was a great opportunity to say thanks to the Doctor and thanks to Russell.”
I always thought Higson would make a good wild card scriptwriter for the series. His work on Randall & Hopkirk had some interesting ideas and some elements may have informed the BBC on how to bring Doctor Who back. You can read my thoughts on the series on the blogs:
http://www.thedoctorwhoforum.com/television/blast-from-the-past-randall-hopkirk-deceased/
1 September 2013 at 21:59 #16899Who told you being strapped in was one of my hobbies!?
As for Terror of the Autons, as well as the Third Doctor, Autons and ROGER DELGADO, you also have the delights of seeing the Brig in his prime, and if you’ve seen the Sarah Jane Death of the Doctor episodes, you get to meet Jo Grant(well before she was “baked” as the Eleventh Doctor sensitively put it).
That’s one neat, sweet package of Who history, right there.
1 September 2013 at 01:31 #16870Before I nip to bed, Phelim O Neil had an interesting column on the Guardian in the week (missed it) on music in TV, with shows who picked a good choon for a scene. It largely centered on the use of “Games without Frontiers” in Tha Americans, but having watched the series, I can assure you that you were bashed over the head by eighties tracks in the show just to remind you that you were in the eighties. It’s a good choice, but undermined.
I’ve always thought the best were unexpected and throw you a curveball. One of the posts points out a great sequence at the end of Season 2 of Millenium when one of the most empathatic of support characters is driven out of her mind by visions of the four horsemen of the apocalypse in a really disturbing scene. You may not get it if you haven’t followed the entire series but the choice of Patti Smiths “Horses” is inspired.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03QT8ePPl_I
My own choice though is from Fringe. In a lonely and unforgiving future, Walter Bishop sits in a wreck, puts on a CD and re-evaluated life through the medium of a simple weed, and a remarkable track by Yazoo.
We really need John Noble in the WhoNiverse (this is an obligatory comment whenever I talk about Fringe).
1 September 2013 at 00:48 #16869You do have to love Marks entire “I KNOW who could play an older me… my dad”, because he knew his dad regretted having to turn down a role in the Pertwee era due to other commitments (his dad having appeared in the eighties version of Day of the Triffids and Babylon 5 as a Soul Hunter probably informed his son that genre was the true way to immortality, and his son made it an artform. 😉 )
Just to touch on your original theme of repeating memes, I think this and a couple of thoughts on RTD recently have made me appreciate how long Moff and RTD have been dwelling on their respective ideas. In the Faces blog, I revisited the Virgin New Adventure Novel Damaged Goods (writer RTD) in which the Seventh Doctor encountered the Tyler family on an estate, and saw a woman trapped at the heart of a Gallifreyan N-form (basically a giant stompy robot) wrecking havoc (cue thoughts of The Next Doctor).
Moff first postulated the idea that the label “The Doctor” had been bequeathed to space and time because of the actions of the Doctor on an internet platform. The Story of Amy/Mdm Pompadour is so similar (although one has the benefit of “the slow path”) it’s breathtaking. Although details change, I’m sure, the fundamental ideas are really long standing, and perhaps the power of the new series? When those ideas and views of what the Doctor is/are run out, perhaps that is the time for a well deserved rest?
I have to admit, if SM writes his experiences of the show in a “Writers Tale” kind of way, I’ll be at the head of he signing queue.
31 August 2013 at 21:28 #16860Looking at it, if you’re going for accuracy it does seem a little short and a little dark. Tweed is a bugger, because good tweeds aren’t that cheap anyway (but last for decades).
Sci-fi collector used to do a really good Harris replica from Series 5 (but at £275 – ouch). It was in this range but seems to have sold out.
This blog has some advice (pointing out the basic tweed did change), but still costly. I think a lot of effort can be put into getting the look exactly right (and a lot of snobbery from certain cosplayers if they don’t do it “their way”) but for me it’s always been if you can carry off the idea of the Doctors costume and perhaps customise it to suit you (the best female cosplayers seem to understand this when creating female versions of Doctor costumes).
If you go down the route of the darker tweed, there are a few treatments that can be used to gradually lighten it. The fixatives in tweed are ammonia based, and a couple of treatments with some conventional cleaning products that are ammoniacal based in diluted form can be gradually used to lighten the tone. If you decide to go down that path, let me know, and I’ll do my best (originally a chemist, studying in Bradford, and we had our own museum of colour chemistry in fabrics).
Above all – look in your local markets and second hand clothes shops (like charity shops). I was in Birmingham last year and saw an actual Harris tweed that wasn’t far away from the series 5 episode going for a (River) Song at £15.
Some additional advice specs on the question.Hope this helps.
31 August 2013 at 20:17 #16856The Confidential for the Impossible Astronaut. SMs comments that surely as a Time Traveller the Doctor knows his own grave is out there takes on a new meaning after “Name of the Doctor” and possibly shows ideas for Trenzilore were fermenting even back then?
31 August 2013 at 19:31 #16855Good/Bad old Morgus. After offing the President, the order of business is:
- Could have been worse. Could have been me.
- Can we have the elevator maintenance man shot?
The recapture of Peri seems really convenient as a short cut, but I’m willing to forgive it as Jek turns up the creepiness to 11. “I am mad…do you fear me?”
The end of this with Five cheerfully addressing “Stotzie” and apparently willing to crash down back to Andrazani Minor was really exciting at the time, and still seems thrilling to my older eyes. It all seems getting desperate with the stakes being raised for episode 4.
Shame about the extended shots of the magma beast at the start, but at least they are out of the way quickly.
31 August 2013 at 19:21 #16854Ah – the start of series 6, and a timey wimey murder mystery with the Doctor as the apparent victim. So much set up here, and I still love the idea of the Silence. The casual nature of Joy’s dispatch after the light humour of the entire “forgetting” thing.
I really hope that Mark Sheppard could be courted back at some point to play Canton. Or even his dad, Morgan, for an extended look at old Canton. I was actually stuck at inlaws who have been diagnosed Time Lord intolerant when it was first shown, and I can remember watching it on a really small portable in a Caravan. Not the best circumstances, but I can remember being really excited at the end of the show. A great cliffhanger as the threads to Florida find Amy, the Doctor, Rory and River (a great team) really in jeopardy at the end.
Like the wine the Doctor spits out, it’s a fine vintage this one.
31 August 2013 at 18:26 #16853Thanks for that. It can be surprising how few good interviews there actually are for Ecclestone on the role, but he has always struck me as one of those actors who is never entirely comfortable with the promo circuit idea.
A relatively good one is his appearance on Top Gear, as he is the “Star in the reasonably priced car”. All the modern Doctors have done this, so we can compare and contrast performance over the months!
31 August 2013 at 18:22 #16852The Ninth Doctor isn’t the Ninth Incarnation. He’s the Ninth Doctor. He’s somebody who was trying to rediscover the role; somebody coming back to ‘The Name of The Doctor’ after being deeply, profoundly lost.
I think this is a great way of looking at it, which is why I’m so drawn to the idea of HurtDoctor being his immediate predecessor. What actually strikes me is that both BG in 1963, and AG in 2005 start with Doctors who are arguably untypical to the conventional idea of “The Doctor” in different ways. They seem to stand out in a way. I think Tennant can be seen as a Troughton figure who was more likely to disarm an audience.
The 2005 series did seem to have problems in establishing a tone, but I guess everyone was feeling their way through it. If you look at the AI index, Rose was actually rated slightly less than the McGann Movie (and that’s not the whole truth – average AIs for drama had increased in the near decade since the Movie, so it was actually a bit more significant than one point).
31 August 2013 at 15:12 #16832Just before the show started, BBC Breakfast sent someone to interview Chris about the show, and he talks about his hopes for the show and his memories of its early years.
31 August 2013 at 15:06 #16831“Do you wanna come with me? ‘Cause if you do, then I should warn you — you’re gonna see all sorts of things. Ghosts from the past. Aliens from the future. The day the Earth died in a ball of flame. It won’t be quiet, it won’t be safe, and it won’t be calm. But I’ll tell you what it will be: The trip of a lifetime!”
The Ninth Doctor, the series 1 trailer
As I mentioned before, the BBC announced the return of the show shortly before the 40th anniversary. Naturally speculation started straight away on who would be the next Doctor, and seemed to go on and bloody on. It was six months before we had a name, during which time everyone seemed to be mentioned. Even bloody Timmy Mallet. March 2004 saw the BBC announce a bloke called Christopher Eccleston had won the part. Parts of the internet that concerned Doctor Who exploded.
You have to remember that memories of the show carried an awful lot of baggage of the worst aspects of the eighties. The gaudy light entertainment excesses and low production values. Announcing Christopher Eccleston was like a statement of intent by the creatives in that they were not pissing about here. Chris was a serious actor. They were taking this seriously. The teaser trailer for the show increased excitement. A northern Doctor?! Explosions!! A gorgeous looking TARDIS! A note of concern was ever present though and concerned the casting of former pop princess Billie Piper as the companion. The internet sulked about that one for months.
And so the show came back in 2005. In retrospect Series 1 is a mixed bag which seems determined to try everything in a bid to find its feet. There are real moments of greatness in it though. From my perspective Rose was a great intro but aspects like plastic Mickey and the burping wheelie bin just dragged me out of the story. The End of the World is fun and campy, but the ending with the Doctor trying to tell Rose how he experiences the Universe is magnificent. I thought The Unquiet Dead was a cracking yarn made complete with Simon Callow’s boisterous turn as Charles Dickens (a great choice, his one man shows as Dickens are a real treat).
I had real problems with the first two parter, Aliens of London/World War Three, largely because of the farting aliens thing. Dalek blew me away though, with the return of the old pepperpots being signalled by taking everything that was joked about their design and making it unpleasant again. Ecclestone really comes into his own here almost spitting with anger and anguish. Brilliant stuff.
The Long Game has its problems, but as a setup for future episodes and an introduction to the idea that there may be consequences of the Doctors actions and lifestyle, it does its job and is enlivened by a slimy turn from Simon Pegg as the Editor.
Father’s Day I still find an astonishing episode, containing a lot of emotional content that the old series would struggle with back in the day. It’s a great episode for both Ecclestone and Piper with a great sucker punch at the end. The Empty Child and Doctor Dances is a great double parter for me with another sparkling turn by Ecclestone, the intro for Captain Jack and a great couple of guest spots in Richard Wilson and Florence Hoath as Nancy. Again, it contains a lot of emotional depth with Nancy that I do think the old series would have veered away from.
Boom Town is a bit of a low point, but Ecclestone is still really engaging, especially in his dinner scene with the Mayor.
Bad Wolf could have raised blood pressure by featuring the Light Entertainment guests (Anne Robinson, Trinny and Susannah) that Who fandom had come to view with trepidation, but they actually come across as well observed pastiches with an underlying satirical view of that genre. The finale Parting of the Ways I thought well executed in the main, but really belongs to Rose. I think the final words of Doctor Nine are well chosen:
“Rose… before I go, I just want to tell you: you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And do you know what? … So was I!”
Because I think he was fantastic, in his way. Whereas other actors had problems with the baggage, he appeared to want to challenge it. To take the opportunity to go into territory he hadn’t really done before. To play charming, in his own words. In one short series, the cast and crew introduced a new generation to everything important about the show, including the excitement of regeneration. Recognisably Doctor Who, but informed by a host of other influences.
There seems to be aspects of fandom who are keen to portray him as some kind of villain these days. Largely because of his refusal to come back, and his lack of participation with fans, not doing the convention circuit, et al. I frankly couldn’t give two shits about that. We have a lot to thank him, and everyone who was involved in Series 1 for. So, from me, many thanks Mr. Ecclestone.
31 August 2013 at 15:04 #16830For the Ninth month, we focus on the Ninth Doctor played on screen by Christopher Ecclestone. Your thoughts on him, and any of his predecessors are welcome.
Rose debuted on 26th March 2005 with an audience of 10.81 million viewers and an AI of 76.
31 August 2013 at 15:02 #16829Many thanks for the reads. Don’t be put off by lack of response, as I think a lot of us made the decision to try to tackle one Doctor a month to stretch out this conversation to the anniversary, and we are just getting to the modern Doctors now.
@islek, if you’d like to give us your thoughts on Midnight, a better venue might be this blog about peoples 20 best “AG – After Gap” stories, as a couple of people have selected Midnight. It might revitalise the blog after a period of inactivity.
http://www.thedoctorwhoforum.com/sidrat/top-twenty-post-gap-adventures/
29 August 2013 at 18:49 #16780My friend, I live in awe at your and @whohar s ability to leapfrog around the planet. I hope you remembered to pack your replica Quantas Club lounge for erection at your new pad in time for the 50th.
I wish you every success in your move, and hope your access to Who continues to be timely. Happy retirement!
28 August 2013 at 17:19 #16767@danmartinuk enters dark territory with Colin Baker in his series of retrospectives, looking at Timelash. I don’t think we are in any danger of revisiting this as part of our own series recaps (which would be an act of masochism too far). So feel free to have a read.
He’s taken my advice and is covering Ultimate Foe next as a fob to the Colin devotees who mobbed his last column.
25 August 2013 at 12:55 #16641Just on CGI updates, Kinda had it’s own sorted for its DVD release. This clip compares the two side by side. Even the amount of video smearing they put over it in the original couldn’t hide the true awfulness of the prop (you may not get how truly awful the original was in such a small window).
25 August 2013 at 12:45 #16640I think everyone has covered most of what I was going to say. This and Snowmen are probably my favourites out of all the Christmas Specials (although I have no problem saying I enjoyed the others as well). Again, like the finale, I think it deliberately sets out to signal that we are in a new era. A return to contemporary Earth in peril was never going to be on the Cards (I’m not forgetting Next Doctor wasn’t in the mould, but I wish I could forget the big stompy Cyberman).
The dialogue crackles, you have great guests and a really Doctor heavy which Matt more than steps up for. It looks stunning and the music really matches the feel of the episode.
Can I just say as well:
Kazran: I’ve never kissed anyone before. What do I do?
The Doctor: Well. Try and be all nervous and rubbish and a bit shaky.
Kazran: Why?
The Doctor: Because you’re going to be like that anyway. Might as well make it part of the plan and then it’ll feel on purpose.Possibly the best advice any young chap could receive at that point?
24 August 2013 at 20:18 #16633Yeah, I was catching up on the comments of last weeks blog earlier and @jimthefish‘s comment caught my eye.
Unfortunately this story also has one of the other perennials of Davison’s era — the crap monster. The Myrka, the Ergon, the Garm — Davison really got a lot of duff monsters.
That really is a bestiary of ineptness right there. The magma beast is actually worse looking than the rat in Talons to a certain extent. The 80s were the era that the cheapness of certain effects really jarred. Kinda is a great story for its time, but that bloody snake at the end was ridiculous. Even as an 11 year old I went, “eh?”
24 August 2013 at 18:30 #16629You have to love the streak of sarcasm in Five. Most Doctors have it, but with Five it always seemed to be at the forefront of his armoury as he goaded his adversaries into apoplexy. The “just imagine Peri, perhaps we can go on picnics” business is hilarious.
The differences between the over the top Magnus Greel in Talons and the frankly disturbing portrayal of Jek here are really apparent. His obvious obsession with Peri is more than a little creepy. This is a guy who needs to get up to the surface once and a while to breath some fresh air, or take several cold showers. Christopher Gable really delivers a first class nutter in this one.
Hats off as well to Maurice Roëves as Stotz. Boiling but controlled anger. His humiliation of his suborbinate with the suicide pill is really visceral stuff.
Ultimately though – John Normington really carries those scenes as Morgus. The plotline about the mine disaster and the fact that the he proposes the unemployed get shipped off to “Eastern” labour camps to do the jobs that they have been doing for no money may ring true with more than a few people who have encountered … cough … workfare… spit.
Morgus really could be a poster boy for a certain set of politicians.
24 August 2013 at 12:51 #16606Talking of spy stuff with at least one link to the Whedon Universe, I spent some time away with a box set of Chuck. Probably still one of my favourite comedy action-adventure series. It’s so stuffed with geek references and big names willing to send up established personas. Adam Baldwin is brilliant as NSA ultra-agent John Casey. If anyone doubted he had a gift for comedy after Firefly, they should try to catch this series. Absolutely bonkers.
24 August 2013 at 12:49 #16605Delighted to hear that C4 is getting it. I still can’t believe the Fades didn’t get a second series. 🙁
24 August 2013 at 12:43 #16604I’m not sure how many followers of the audio we have, but if you want some recommendations that cover the Doctors available in this offer:
For Five, I’d recommend Spare Parts as mentioned above, and if you want a taste of those additional stories that expand the travels with Peri I mentioned on the Androzani blog try Red Dawn which features the Ice Warriors.
I have a well known problem with Six, but I will recommend Jubilee. It’s a Dalek story written by Robert Shearman and contains the seeds for what later became the Christopher Ecclestone Dalek story he wrote.
For Seven I’d stick with the Doctor and Ace partnership, and recommend Genocide Machine or Dust Breeding.
And for Eight, I’d recommend his initial story in which he meets his new companion Charley Pollard, Edwardian Adventuress (link to wiki). Storm Warning is interesting, and it’s follow up Sword of Orion, is very good – another Cybermen one.
23 August 2013 at 21:50 #16595Actually, if you get the opportunity at some point, I’d be interested to see your thoughts on Sandman. The main reason is, for all the suggestions that we’ve made in TV, books etc, I think you may be the first person to actually take one up from scratch.
If it’s not entirely positive, don’t hold back. I hesitated posting “Stick with it past the first graphic novel – that one has a couple of issues, but you need it” because that’s kind of offputting, although I think there is a bit of truth in it.
23 August 2013 at 21:43 #16593Those Splendid Chaps in Oz are at it again with another Podcast talking about Doctor Eight and the general subject of Science portrayed throughout the run of Doctor Who.
To those who have resisted, they come across like a superior Radio 4 comedy (in my mind a compliment), that’s pretty Doctor Who centric. The really interesting stuff comes in the second half of the show, with three scientists talking about how Science is portrayed. This and the Religion one last month are pretty good topics for conversation I think for blogposts, if anyone wants to listen and write something.
Unfortunately, this type of activity may lead to more of those long posts that seem to confuse @mintycyberman. I don’t know – with hundreds and thousands of internet portals to talk about WHO on, he has to sign in to this one, just about the only one populated by people who aren’t intellectually taxed by a post that’s longer than something “tweeted”.
What an unlucky Bastard.
23 August 2013 at 21:40 #16592Oh well, many thanks, I hadn’t seen those covered. I was hoping the AdLib stuff was going to be recorded for broadcast on R4 (with BBC Worldwide listed as an investor on the Chortle news coverage I linked to announcing it), but no sign so far.
The JK Rowling one is a funny one. Back in January when we talked about the First Doctor release by Eoin Colfer I said there were rumours about her involvement, but I’m buggered if I can remember where I read it now. I could really see her tackle 11 somehow, and that would be a big publicity coup for November.
23 August 2013 at 13:34 #16568Thanks, I’ll have a think about it, but I have a couple of other blog ideas I’m hoping I get the time to finish over the Bank Holiday. I’ve touched on a couple of the celebratory episodes over on the Faces strand (Dimensions in Time is available to view there as well). I agree with the sentiment of the article you posted though. In my own words “Pretty awful”, and I was being generous.
The same post though has a link to “More than 30 years in the TARDIS”. One of the best documentaries I think has been compiled on the BG years, with some specially filmed scenes (including the Brig coming under attack from Autons). Well worth 90 minutes of anyone’s time.
23 August 2013 at 13:05 #16563I posted about Big Finish doing their own “Five Doctors” anniversary release a good while back, but the details are a bit firmer now.
The Light at the End sees Doctors 4-8 thrown together, with a bunch of assistants in audio form. It’s released on CD, a special edition CD with more extras and a very limited edition vinyl run (500) with a marvellous lenticular image which can be viewed on this news story. Although priced at £99 that is still going to be snapped up.
The special edition CD is £40 (£25 for download), and the standard 2 CD set is £14.99 (12.99 for download).
I’ve speculated before that this venue may see some additional audio work done for the 50th Anniversary TV special.
By the way, if you’ve been put off sampling the audio adventures in the past due to cost, the first 50 produced by Big Finish are on promotion at the moment, available to download at £2.99. It includes the very well regarded Spare Parts which sees the fifth doctor at the creation of the original Mondasian Cybermen.
17 August 2013 at 18:26 #16326Thanks for the post. Putting aside the difficulties of transferring prose writers to screen writers, may I suggest that Jenny is a candidate for future episodes? She’s obviously as mad as a box of frogs and captures 11 brilliantly in “Dark Horizons”. Love to see her transfer to the screen, because she is so obviously “on” for it. As bonkers as you could possibly hope for.
I mean, if this is how she dresses to catch a flight at Heathrow, what more could you hope for?
17 August 2013 at 18:23 #16324Nice to hear you enjoyed the Nine Worlds convention from your perspective. I can remember reading about it in the runup and thinking it was an interesting idea.
Do you think it “worked” in knitting the various strands together?
17 August 2013 at 16:47 #16320OK – I’m going to refer people to my previous entry from January (a mere 2 posts above this) to see how I feel about this episode. It’s absolute magic. The more you watch it, the better it gets. Especially the scenes between 11 and Amelia at the end and Amy’s magnificent “Something Old, Something Borrowed, Something Blue” speech.
I think I giggled, laughed and sobbed my way through this one the first time. For all Who’s attempts to pull at my heartstrings in the past, 11 chocking on “I think I’ll skip the rest of the rewind – I hate repeats” is a brilliant display of Smith’s delivery in the series. Sometimes, understated does work. See here for an example.
To answer your question from The Pandorica Opens, the TARDIS was in transit when the critical event occurs. I think ejecting River into the vortex, or into orbit as she replaced the sun would have been a very … well, fatal thing. You have to admire the presence of mind of the TARDIS to isolate her in her own timeloop in the hope that her own personal madman made it back into the Universe.
17 August 2013 at 14:11 #16317Welcome to Caves of Androzani, and that was a magnificent intro @craig.
Whenever I slip the DVD of this into my player the same feelings come back. Great that it’s such a good story (for me anyway) but tinged with a couple of regrets.
Davison is on best form from the getgo in this first episode. His exchange with Peri about trying to keep a Diary (a nice call back to Troughton) and confessing that, as a time traveller, he never found the time is a nice touch. Also his sarcasm (to the point of goading) the commander with the “Sir” business is brilliantly underplayed. This is such an atypical Five episode for many reasons. Here he has one companion to play off for the first time, and the directness of communication in comparison with the squabbling of the earlier series is very refreshing. This is only the second outing for Nicola Bryant as Peri, but I think she communicates a nice mixture of intelligence and vulnerability in this one. I really regret how she was later written and presented with Six. I’m not surprised that a lot of spin off media has attempted to write additional stories for Five and Peri set between Planet of Fire and Caves. It’s a relationship with potential.
Holmes is also on great form. One of his last truly great scripts even if it does feature a couple of recurring tropes. The underlying concept of the “most valuable commodity in the Universe” being an anti aging treatment is probably borrowed from the Dune series. Spectrox = Spice. Holmes was a good satirical writer, and you have to remember the times he was writing in. In Talons, I’ve always got the feeling that the Police casual racism was reflecting real concerns about the Police in the seventies. It’s one of the reasons why Life on Mars was set in that period. Here he sets his story in the world of corporate power and its influence on Politics. No spoilers, but I urge viewers to follow the scenes with Morgus carefully. You may see so many resonances with political conversations that are going on today.
I also agree with @craig that Morgus breaking the fourth wall isn’t the mistake it’s made out to be. I think it’s done deliberately to make sure you follow what he’s saying. Viewers who have seen the original House of Cards with Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart will recognise the form. It’s a stylistic choice that makes you focus on him as a character.
Harper was a breath of fresh air as a Director. He “came through the ranks” of the BBC and this is his first directorial outing in genre, and doesn’t he have the eye? I wrote a post about the one series special Star Cops, in which, after directing the second block of episodes, the cast and crew protested about a decision to ignore what he bought to his episodes. They almost walked off the shoot. It’s no wonder he is highly regarded. He’s a low budget Ridley Scott, delivering miracles on a small budget. I’ll post this short clip, from “The Cult of Star Cops” just because it’s informative. I’ve read posts in the past which suggest you can see Davison thinking “why am I doing this?” in stories like Time Flight. I think I actually believe him when he says that this is the story that made him think – “am I doing the right thing in leaving?”.
12 August 2013 at 21:07 #15987I just cannot see what you both see so clearly.
While this is a tragedy, I believe it’s one I can cope with.
Well argued I think, on all counts.
There is an easy answer to the “River trapped in the TARDIS question” and relies on where the TARDIS ended up, and whether it would be safe to eject her at this point. I’ll address it in The Big Bang blog, where it belongs.
12 August 2013 at 16:41 #15969One of the main things about the Rose speculation is that there is a good fundamental case for it, especially if you consider Clara a (horror) “normal” girl.
A lot of people said they wanted a companion a bit more like Rose, and not another mystery to unravel. If you approach The Clara story from her timeframe (Belles onwards, then Asylum and Snowmen) , then it is a bit like Rose. A normal girl, one a nanny, the other a shop assistant. Both rescued by the Doctor in really bizarre circumstances (one from the GIs Spoonheads, the other the Nestene Autons). They go on adventures and have experiences that form them, and tap their strengths, and then at a critical moment both make a dangerous act of self-sacrifice to save the Doctor. One absorbs the time vortex and nearly kills herself (in the act spreading her message to herself through time), one actually spreads herself through time. The Doctor intervenes to save them. Nine forcing a regeneration, and Eleven … to be continued. It’s also not clear if Clara is unscathed at the end.
There are some curious parallels if you approach it this way. The main difference between the stories is that we meet a couple of the resulting claricles first, and that if she is a normal girl, he’s actually behaved pretty atrociously towards her by reducing her to a mystery. I can see the value in using Rose from series 2 in the 50th, if that was the direction they wanted to go in, because those girls have a lot to share. It may even turn out they collaborate in initiating contact between Clara and the Doctor, because they have had similar experiences, and wouldn’t change their decisions?
I also see value in 10 and Rose because in Series 2 it was often pointed out what a couple of giggling irresponsible oafs they could be on occasion (Queen Victoria comes to mind), and both 10 and 11 have had moments or particular irresponsibility. If the 50th is about the subject of responsibility and what you do “in the name of the Doctor”, then that may lead to a situation where you have the natural opportunity for a more mature Doctor, perhaps with a more parental role for Clara (if he is carrying some guilt over side effects to her experience). There are lots of ways to go with Clara that arise out of this experience, rather than anything adding to it.
11 August 2013 at 16:53 #15909Shada was the famous “lost” story from Tom Bakers period written by Douglas Adams. There have been a few different attempts to cover it (the most recent in novel form).
The BBC did a webcast series of it with Paul McGann as the Doctor and featuring Lalla Ward returning as Romana. You can still access it on the BBC website (you’ll need flash for video or real time for audio only).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/webcasts/shada/one/index.shtml (thanks to stevethewhistle for providing the link).
This is also quite funny and shows how animation techniques have developed as this is a fan effort. It is an short extract from one the audio plays “Orbis” and sees the Doctor talking about his age. And how confusing it may get.
11 August 2013 at 15:29 #15903Yes, I’m with you on the TARDIS question myself. I wrote a post on one of the blogs about it, which I may as well repeat.
@Shazzbot – In The Girl Who Waited the Doctor talks of the magnitude of paradox the TARDIS can contain, and her destruction if exceeded.
Now consider what we didn’t know at the end of season 5. We saw River fly the TARDIS with ease in the Angels two-parter. Far better than the Doctor.
Fast forward to Pandorica Opens, and the TARDIS starts struggling as soon as she gets in. What has changed? Her father has been erased from history. She’s a Paradox within the TARDIS, but perhaps a minor one. Her mother is alive, and an aspect of her father remains in Rory the Roman. River asks the TARDIS why it has bought her to Amy’s house. “What do you want me to see”. She explores and discovers the pictures of Rory the Roman, Amy and that something is up. The TARDIS was trying to tell her what her problem was. She was the problem. We (and the Doctor) didn’t realise this at the time.
Back in the TARDIS she’s struggling. In rapid succession her mother is killed, and the only person who has a vague possibility of resolving the paradox is thrown into a Stasis prison. River becomes a bigger Paradox and …. Bang.
A theory? Perhaps. But exhibit A here is helpful. A short that was developed from a competition that was run for schoolchildren. That Steve Moffat helpfully added a bit of cheeky dialogue to, and told the audience he’d added it.
You only have to watch the first little bit and listen.
“I can’t believe River blew you up” – as he throws a fez onto the console. I know a lot of people are still speculating on this, but the reason I don’t is that I think it has been answered, but the resolution places the emphasis on the audience to work it out. Others disagree.
11 August 2013 at 15:25 #15902I still think this is a rare treat, and I’d disagree that Moffat is channelling RTD for this finale. I think he’s subverting what had become a pretty stale two part finale where you kind of knew what to expect – Part 2 of the Dalek story, or Master story. Good stories for the most, but very little surprise. I think people had almost become programmed with an expectation for a big returning villain. I can still remember all the posts on the Guardian guessing who it would be (this is where the “It’s FENRIC” joking started).
It’s a cracking good yarn, from the breakneck rush through old characters from early serials delivering Vincent’s message to the Doctor, through those outstanding scenes in the Underhenge with the damaged Cyberman (the head attack and the skull falling out got a genuine shriek out of one small child I was watching it with).
I loved the reveal of the Romans as Nestene Replicants. Such a surprise and I just thought “oh you clever Bugger”. One of my pet bugbears with Rose was Plastic Mickey. I thought it robbed the Replicants of the genuine menace that anyone could be a Replicant – you only know when the hand falls away and they try to kill you.
After reminding us the very name of the Doctor can scare away people in Eleventh Hour, here he gives Matt another grandstanding performance shouting down the fleet – and it all goes horribly wrong. Pride comes before the fall is a repeating theme for 11, and doesn’t it feel good?
There was a goblin, or a trickster. Or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in all the cosmos. And nothing could stop it, or hold it or… reason with it. One day it would just drop out of the sky and tear down your world.
And that switch to show how his enemies see him is another lovely bit of subversion.
At the end of this episode, I genuinely had no idea what to expect in the second part. That was the really exciting thing about it.
10 August 2013 at 21:36 #15878You have to love Lindalee. She expressed a wish in her “who should be the next doctor” film for Tom Baker to come out of retirement to do the role.
She probably took one look at Peter and thought – “he’s OK, but just seems a little young for the Doctor”. 😉
On the other link you posted though, can I just express a wish (and this is a general one to everybody)?
I can laugh at the idiocy of teenagers, because I was one myself in the dim and distant past, and I recognise the form. I am also aware that there is an unfortunate tendency these days to post lampoons of teenage tantrums on the internet to deride and make the life of the unfortunate individual a living hell. To make them the joke, with malicious intent. I would ask anyone to consider carefully before they spread this stuff around. Persecution via the internet is a topic often ignored, and I don’t think we should encourage it. The comments BTL on that video are particularly hateful (even for YouTube).
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