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15 March 2013 at 15:55 #3197
I think I’d agree with your assessment. I suppose the other aspect is that Julie Gardner was already based in Wales at the time, rather than being imported. Julie was top quality. I love her reaction to having a police escort in this video diary:
15 March 2013 at 15:38 #3195Thanks @craig, a pain in the backside I’m sure. Good luck with the project.
@IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan (@pedant)
It’ll be interesting to see if the kickstarter model takes off. I saw this article on Joss Whedon’s reaction to the news which was interesting.
Personally I’d welcome a few recommendations and longer posts on shows to watch. I think my point was more that if you’d like to write something we could use that as the start of a blog, giving other people something to bounce off if you will. I know @juniperfish is busy at the moment but I’d love to see if she could write something to tempt me to watch “The Vampire Diaries”. š
14 March 2013 at 14:58 #3183I’m afraid Broadchurch is on my increasingly large PVR “to watch” list ( I’ve still not watched Black Mirror). I’ve heard a lot of good reports though, including yours.
If there are any fans of the quiz show “Pointless”, apparently next weekend will see a Doctor Who special with Bernard Cribbins, Louise Jamieson and others. A bit like the Weakest Link special they had a few years back.
That’s a bizarre thought. Two Doctor who quiz specials hosted by people who have actually had a credit on the programme. Anne Robinson as the voice of the Anne-Droid, and Alexander Armstrong.
Now that deserves to be some kind of geek pub-quiz question.
14 March 2013 at 14:43 #3181@IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan (@pedant)
Hiya – What type of thread were you thinking about? I think it was generally agreed to keep things to general threads until a topic that came up got a fair few responses and was spun off into a more specific thread.
I have to admit total ignorance about Veronica Mars (although I saw a link about the story on the G just now when I looked to see if the next Dan Martin old Who episode was up).
If your up for it, do you want to write a blog introducing the uninitiated to the undoubted delights of Ms. Mars? Why it’s good? Favourite episodes? A smattering of YouTube clips? I have something I hope to complete for the weekend but if you fancy a bit of advocacy on what I’ve missed, I’d enjoy reading it.
Unfortunately “The Power of Mod” doesn’t enable me to do anything about the minor incursion of Spam overnight. I must perform a spell to raise the mighty and powerful KeyMaster @craig (Praise Him).
13 March 2013 at 16:13 #3173To be honest Jim, the “public face of the show” role wouldnāt really be a barrier to Whitehouse. Heās effectively done that for Being Human for five years. While not as high profile a gig, it therefore doesnāt get nearly the same amount of support from Worldwide.
But heās been at places like SDCC for the last 4 years plugging away at bigging up his show in a territory thatās remade it with more resources and kept a loyal fanbase enthused. Itās a more guerrilla approach, using internet Q&As, links to bloggers and other avenues, but I donāt think many who are into the show would fault him for commitment. Heās also fielded lots of Who questions at these events (he announced āGod Complexā at a Being Human SDCC panel).
13 March 2013 at 16:10 #3171Afternoon all. Trouble at tāMill?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Doctor-Who-Executive-Producer-Moves-On
11 March 2013 at 13:29 #3149There was an interview with Toby Whitehouse on SFX (really about the end of Being Human) in which they asked …. the question. The interview is here, but I’ve just repeated the specific question on DW.
http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/03/10/toby-whithouse-on-the-end-of-being-human/
What about these rumours about whatās going to happen with Doctor Who after the 50th anniversary? If Steven Moffat goes could you see yourself as showrunner?
āI have heard the rumours. Iāve been hearing them for years now. In terms of what Matt and Steven are planning after the anniversary, I do know the answers to those things, but there is absolutely no way I can tell anyone.
āIn terms of my future on Doctor Who, this kind of speculation only takes place in the heads of the fans. Iām going to be busy doing The Game for however long that lasts and I think Steven is doing incredible work on Doctor Who and Iād much rather he stay there. No-one from the BBC has said anything to me. Whether or not itās something the BBC is considering, I genuinely have no idea. Iād be lying if I said I wasnāt intrigued by the idea, but also it would be terrifying. Itās definitely something Iād be really tempted by but Iām genuinely not in any hurry to do it. And why do people assume the BBC would want me? Iām sure there are much stronger contenders than me!ā
11 March 2013 at 13:24 #3147Ah well ā so long Being Human.
The apocalypse was always going to look a bit spartan on a BBC3 budget, but in what felt like a rushed, condensed final series, I enjoyed the end of the road.
I wish weād had more time with this cast, and an extended period of Phil Davies/The Devil. His dandyish look and sly humour in the finale immediately made me think of Peter Cook in Bedazzled (a compliment as far as Iām concerned).
I loved his address to the nation (which I think had some echoes of the one in V for Vendetta), and the notion that he may have been driven mad by the banality of evil in humans. The running joke of the headlines of his newspaper throughout the series (āARE UNIONS GIVING US CANCERā, āIS HEALTH AND SAFETY TURNING BRITAINāS FARMERS GAY?ā, etc) really played into that notion.
Above all ā I love an ambiguous ending as it tends to prolong the memory of a series. So thanks to all involved for an enjoyable five years.
8 March 2013 at 23:30 #3087Yes, it’s very tempting. I had the opportunity to book tickets for the BBC convention last year in Cardiff, ummed and arred for a couple of hours, went to book and was too late. I’ve regretted it ever since as I heard it was well worth the relatively expensive cost.
I’ve tried to sign up for the newsletter, but not got far. I’ll try again over the weekend. I think Juniperfish is right in saying this one will be a sellout, so it’ll be look at the detail and make an immediate decision.
My birthday’s a few days later, which nicely ties in!
8 March 2013 at 15:09 #3081Thanks for confirming that Trek was in DW’s slot. I was a toddler at the time and didn’t realise that was the case.
I was quite surprised to hear that “Spearhead” is going to get a Blue Ray release. It’s being prepped now because it was the only classic to be shot on film. I can’t help but think that high def won’t be kind on the special FX for the tentacle acting though!
8 March 2013 at 15:05 #3079In the clip, Pertwee talks about being challenged on its legality (it was legal ā just). It is in Private hands now. There is an article about it here (the story of how it left his hands echoes other stories Iāve heard about his generosity).
http://www.retrothing.com/2010/08/the-fate-of-the-whomobile.html
I love the fact it ended up being classified as an āinvalid tricycleā by the DoT. It could do 100mph!
Loving the new avatar BTW.
8 March 2013 at 14:56 #3077Welcome to the weekend people! Good to see @whohar back on the scene. Congrats on the successful move.
I posted a link to the announcement of a convention over the 50th weekend on the news thread, and said:
Iām torn on this. On the one hand I think it would be great to go to a communal event like this, with dressing up and everything. On the other, I think Iād want to absorb the special in a more intimate soiree in the comfort of my own dungeon wherein I can smoke my pipe, drink outrageous amounts of wine and generally be my disgusting self. Hmmmm. Be interesting to hear what other people think.
So any thoughts?
Iām trying to compile a Who based party soundtrack for if I go the dungeon party route. If anyone comes across tunes on tāinternet Iād be grateful for recommendations. Stuff like this from āChameleon Circuitā.
8 March 2013 at 14:51 #3075Janette! It think thatās the first time Iāve seen you go potty mouth. Well done. š
I know what you mean though ā I watched it all. The early series were more miss than hit. I really liked Children of Earth, but by the time Miracle Day ended I didnāt care if it came back at all.
8 March 2013 at 14:50 #3073A few news links that I donāt think have been covered.
In the Doctor per month books range, Marcus Sedgwick has written āThe Spear of Destinyā for the Third Doctor.
The Guardian have an extract here.
It seems one of the biggest parties for the 50th will be occurring in London with a three day convention over the weekend beginning Friday 22nd November. Announcement here.
http://www.doctorwho.tv/whats-new/article/doctor-who-50th-celebration-weekend-announced-for-november
Iām torn on this. On the one hand I think it would be great to go to a communal event like this, with dressing up and everything. On the other, I think Iād want to absorb the special in a more intimate soiree in the comfort of my own dungeon wherein I can smoke my pipe, drink outrageous amounts of wine and generally be my disgusting self. Hmmmm. Be interesting to hear what other people think. Iāll repeat the question on the Sofa thread.
3 March 2013 at 16:50 #3029Itās funny looking back at how āSpearheadā was received at the time (link to AI report). New Doctor, in colour (for those that had sets), and the return of the Brigadier (who had been very popular judging by feedback from āThe Invasionā) and the main response from viewers seemed to be āwell ā itās no replacement for Star Trek, is it?ā
People at the time also seemed to express some dissatisfaction that heād been restricted to Earth. You could imagine how an announcement along those lines would go down these days on various internet sites.
I’ll agree with @janetteb that the stories did seem to get stuck into a more obvious template at one point, especially with The Master stories, but I have to forgive them for this because Delgado is a joy to watch in the role (I would say that, wouldnāt I).
I think Pertwee bought into the role lock, stock and barrel. The production team really indulged in his pet loves, especially innovative transport solutions. He used to do an amazing amount of public events in character, the first one of the Doctors to really do that. Thereās a great clip of him here discussing the creation of the Whomobile.
2 March 2013 at 16:13 #3009Interesting from Louise. Initially I wondered if she might be referring to the “Big Finish” anniversary 5 Doctors, which she is cast in, or some kind of Documentary/retrospective.
John Barrowman seemed to have caused a disturbance in the Force with this story:
John Barrowman urges caution about ‘Doctor Who’ 50th role: “Stay calm”
I think some of these things may not be for the actual special, but for anniversary programmes around it. Hmmmmm.
2 March 2013 at 15:34 #2997Itās the Third month of the Year, and so surely a time to examine Jon Pertwee.
It was 1970, the Doctor entered the world of colour with a Doctor who was a bit more action hero. A bit more John Steed perhaps, with a love of transport of all types, fine wines, spiffy clothes and more fisticuffs than you could shake a fist at.
It seems a role Pertwee was made for, having served in Naval Intelligence during WWII with Ian Fleming. Anyone wanting to read up on him, his wiki entry is a good place to start.
Iāll post some of my other thoughts on him later, but just to leave you with the inevitable. Jon, doing for Who what Shatner & Nimoy did for Trek:
2 March 2013 at 14:52 #2995Iām not sure what is more delicious ā having this poster to graze over OR the knowledge that in 28 days time ITāS BACK!
I suppose itās shards from The Shard, but it does feel āshatteredā as @bluesqueakpip says. There may be life in the āone person fragmented through timeā theory yet.
Other stuff:
After a costume that many said riffed on the first two Doctors for the Christmas Special, is it just me or does the purple coat and motorcycle seem to be a little homage to Pertwee? Wonder if we’ll get scarfs ‘n’ jellybabies, sticks of celery, etc. in subsequent episodes.
The reflections/mirroring in the glass fragments. Well there is a fair bit to chew on in there.
As they are now mentioned specifically on the BBC website, Iāll just say that the images of the Ice warriors in the shards look very cool, and having seen a behind the scenes shot of the new Cybermen, I am now officially over-excited with the potential for this next run.
If only it was 28 days later (without the rage filled suspiciously zombie like people).
28 February 2013 at 23:32 #2955That’s a splendid find you have there. I’ll use it next time anyone complains about the wibly-wobley timey-wimey line in the future. The Doctor is nearest the mark – it’s official!
not a fan of Mickey magic??!!?
I think it was an allergy.
I don’t know – It appears I’m surrounded by creative types. Writers, artists, modellers. If you all decide to get together to create something, about the only thing I could volunteer to do is to manufacture some great explosive squibs to destroy it all. :-))
28 February 2013 at 18:32 #2943Iāve always harboured suspicions that MM was in fact an early Cyberman design that was thankfully rejected
…..the horror…….
By the way – by some miracle you can now actually see the text of your comments on your profile page, rather than a series of html links. Things will gradually be improved until they work nearly as well as the old profiles!
28 February 2013 at 18:20 #2939The details for this years prom season aren’t released until late next month (I think) but at the Liverpool sales thing (see Al Jazeera story) they did a mini-prom for the buyers.
There is a report about it here, so perhaps Ben Foster is warming up his baton?
I still hope the rumours that there will be a mini-tour turn out to be true. As much as I like the Proms, London can be a pain in the arse around that time.
28 February 2013 at 18:08 #2937mm ā now I look more closely itās not a cyberman is it ā itās the K1 robot from Tom Bakerās first story, right?
You lucky lucky person. I take it you never encountered any “Metal Mickey” magic in your youth? (apologies if you’re a fan @whisht).
28 February 2013 at 15:16 #2931A couple of of Who news stories that caught my eye:
Australia and New Zealand to have cinema experience of Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon. I take it this may be looking at the mechanics of the planned anniversary screenings?
A real WTF? Moment: Al Jazeera buys series 5, 6 & 7 of Doctor Who. I canāt help thinking some editing will take place for those broadcasts.
28 February 2013 at 15:05 #2929Afternoon all ā an early finish for me. Just loads of housework to do.
All this talk of ānestingā ā I see what you are doing. Your trying to make me explode into one of my rants arenāt you? I saw the Chris Elliot article you mentioned when it was launched but thought ā āwhat the hell is the pointā, and managed to ignore it.
Complaints about nesting seem to have reduced since the absolutely abysmal implementation of the new profile pages though. You canāt find anything.
I noticed Dan has a new episode blog up on Dalek Invasion of Earth . I quite like Danās style so may make a comment later to give him moral support. I think comments from @scaryb and @blenkinsopthebrave, who remember it the first time would provide a valuable counterbalance to some heāll get. After all, we would not want to leave him just with asgill to play with would we?
I wanted something new and Who related for this forum and started customising a figure but the figure went AWOL before I got to doing the hair and by the time I found it the moulding clay had dried up so it remains a work in progress
Iām intrigued when you say custom figure. Do you base them on the 5ā models they release?
24 February 2013 at 15:26 #2881Oh – forgot to mention. Apparently there are some changes in our Guardian profile pages about to be implemented. Article about it here.
I only noticed bacause I was thinking of adding a link to here within the profile page (which I hadn’t set up for Phaseshift).
Hard to tell how the change will impact how you use them, but I’m taking the precaution of backing up some of my who related comments, just in case it all ends up as a horrible catastrope.
24 February 2013 at 15:21 #2877That’s a good link, cheers! If you just cut and paste a youtube address into the text box, and don’t use the link function, the site will automatically display the video in box. The wonders of the modern internet!
Yes, I’d noticed all the easter stuff as well. I think we’ve managed to make the time pass a little swifter with some eggs-cellent links and discussion.
OK- I’ll get my coat.
24 February 2013 at 14:18 #2869Well done @miapatrick!
In a party spirit, I’ll post this video the cast and crew of Doctor Who did for the wrap party at the end of DT’s run. Always puts me in a party mood.
24 February 2013 at 14:05 #2867I hope Ray got to see the photos of his marvellous design recreated for the Westminister Bridge shot.
Back when BBC4 was BBC knowledge that had a series on “Design Classics” in which a group of “expert” talking heads nominated great examples of design from various decades. In the 1960s edition, in amongst the Mini, the E-type Jag, the cover of Sergeant Pepper and other stuff, the Daleks came up. Which only seemed right a it’s now outlived many other icons of that era.
Also agree with regard to his mistreatment over the rights issue.
22 February 2013 at 18:56 #2825With me being elsewhere during the week for the last month or so, I have all six episodes of Utopia and now 2 of Black Mirror to watch on my recorder. At the end of the week I’ve felt in the mood for lighter material recently, but I think I’ll give them both a go on Sunday all being well. At least I’ll be able to fastforward over C4’s ads, the density of which are increasingly annoying.
I’ve been making time for Being Human on Sunday, which has been pretty fun. The new cast has really gelled for me, so I am disappointed this will be the last series. Hal and Tom are a great double act, and watching Phil Davis as “Captain Hatch” in it has reminded me how his appearance in Who was a bit squandered in retrospect.
22 February 2013 at 18:21 #2815Fan of Lindalee? Missing her episode guides?
Well she is truly a fan now, after having her first convention experience. She meets adults dressing up, a strange man who was the 7th Doctor and many more:
22 February 2013 at 18:17 #2813Thanks for the link to the interview. Interesting on a number of points. I guess this more or less confirms series 8 for next year, but it does sound like there is more to the anniversary than meets the eye.
Afraid I’m not MG though. Good job – I’d be mad with power right about now!
btw I think I read that Steve Moore was a bit of a mentor to (the unrelated) Alan.
Yes, I read he ceased to contribute over a point of principle that one of Steve’s strips had been re-used without his permission? It must have took some confidence at that stage of his career. It’s interesting you mention his 2000AD stuff because I bought a collected edition of his future shocks and other shorts last year. It’s a shame that they couldn’t do something similar with those Who B-strips, some of which were of a similar nature to the future shocks, and are well worth a re-read.
I really would love “…by Alan Moore” to appear in the TV episode titles. I honestly don’t know what he would come up with, which is half the attraction.
My only reservation is that Moore wrote the Cybermen as strangely emotional ā all that āblood of my ancestorsā stuffā¦
It does seem a little odd (even though the Cybermen in Revenge and Earthshock seemed a little emotional), but I thought the idea that the Apocalypse Device had reactivated the notion of fear in the Cybermen was a least established early and I didn’t really dwell on it.
You have to thank those strips for introducing Moore and Lloyd though.
20 February 2013 at 18:31 #2775Itās frustrating isnāt it, with regard to those retrospectives.
They are produced by BBC Worldwide, which exists to promote and establish the BBC brand and get best value from broadcast content.
Now they have their own stations ā BBC wherever and are filming their own content, they appear to be upstaging BBC home in their appreciation of the worth of Who.
I think what we are seeing is another internal pissing contest over our favourite show. Such as:
BBC Worldwide: āLook ā this is a valued brand that gives you how many millions per year in return for investment and is the best performing non-soap drama periodā.
BBC 1 Controller: āBut it costs a lot!ā
BBC W: āIt costs no more than any other hour of drama ā you do it no favours! Thatās why the cast list is usually in single figures, to cover the post filming costs.ā
BBC 1 C: āYes, but it counts as 14 hours of our budget and we have other issues to considerā
BBC W: āHavenāt we set you up with co-sponsorship? First with the Canadians, and then with us, though BBC America (where itās going down a treat and is a record breaking show)ā.
BBC 1 C: āBut you see ā we have to up-front our investment, which is fiscally difficult. We can split a series over two years, and still see an upturn in our later sales from you. Those sucke ā sorry, loyal fans will still buy all that tacky shit you produce for the 50th wont they?ā
BBC W: āYou are actually mad, arenāt you?ā
BBC 1 C: āYes! Have you seen the other shit Iāve commissioned recently?ā
20 February 2013 at 18:26 #2773Iāll certainly backup @jimthefish on the Alan Moore front. I think people can get a little confused because there was another writer, Steve Moore, who also wrote at the time (credits used to just go to “Moore”). Alan (it was early in his career) wrote back stories, which were usually monster based and didnāt feature the Doctor except as a narrator. He wrote a couple of gems in āBusiness as Usualā (a story about an industrial spy infiltrating a factory producing Auton Toys, which has a bleak ending, and a variant of this story would produce a great Christmas special ā āKids ā your new toys are all Autonsā) and the Cybermen strip āBlack Legacyā. Itās funny that years later RTD used the āDeathsmiths of Gothā from this story in a piece about the TimeWar in the first new-who annual.
These stories resonated.
His other three strips, Star Death, Black Sun Rising and 4-D War give an interpretation of Time Lord history, and their endeavours to gain mastery over time. Star Death sees the story of Omega, who is betrayed by Fenris. It should come as no surprise that Andrew Cartmel was a massive fan of Moore, and has admitted he showed āThe Ballad of Halo Jonesā to writers at the time as an example of the writing he wanted. Certainly, the later period of the McCoy era (where even I thought it was improving) owed a lot to his work.
Unfortunately, they have not been reprinted in the UK which seems a bit criminal.
There is an electronic version of Black Legacy here, from a colourised US Marvel reprint (The original B&W was beautiful I think). I think both Jim and I would like to see āThe apocalypse deviceā presented on screen. We have patience.:-)
My one hope is that with Neil Gaiman writing for Who, we may entice Moore into doing it. His aversion to screen transfers, he suggests, is because he writes for the medium to be used. If he wrote a screenplay ā heād object to it being turned into a prose novel or a comic. Itās an interesting argument, but I think itās more to do with loss of control over the idea for him.
16 February 2013 at 14:35 #2707@jimthefish and @craig
Have to share the love for the DS9 episode. It really is an astonishing piece of work. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen some of the colourisation experiments, but some are quite good.
The alternative might be to do a homage in black and white. I half thought that inserting Matt into the Laurel and Hardy sketch might have been an experiment with that kind of thing.
15 February 2013 at 22:45 #2699I realise this got more than a bit of flack on the blogs, but I must admit to jumping up and down with excitement during it. I think the relationship with “the gang” did it for me. I still can’t look at the scene where Mdm Vastra questions the Doctor about the “S-E-X” question, and he goes off about sexy vampires, and spitfires in space like an interplanetary James May, while she looks at him with actual pity, and more than a little despair. I find it very funny.
My nephew, who is now in his twenties (but I turned him into a geek – so “Ha” to my Brother) turned me onto this. It’s very new metal, but a good mesh for the dramatis personae:
15 February 2013 at 22:29 #2697With The Master and Ming the Merciless as moderators the trolls will not be a problem.
Damn right. We’ll jab at them with our weapons grade goatee’s until they surrender!
Sad to hear you’ve had those real time issues as well. Bloody real life – coming over here to steal our internet time. I ask you!
The “Dan Brown” error made me laugh out loud at the end of the week, honestly – you therefore deserve some sort of medal! All praise Blenkinsop!!
15 February 2013 at 16:16 #2669and Dan Brown did bring us altogether
It’s heresy to suggest that I have ever read the Da Vinci Code. š
As @chickenelly points out – I thnk it’s unheard of for a blog on the Guardian to be open that long. Look at how many of us have requested something similar in the past!
I might nip along later and make a quick comment regurgitating something from our “Faces” thread, but, in the meantime, I have to catchup on a weeks worth of comments here. Hopefully, I will have more time this weekend to post. I had some bizarre thoughts about “The Snowmen” and Oswin that I wanted to post, but will have to think them through a bit.
15 February 2013 at 16:06 #2665Add a “plus one” for entire disinterest in the 3-D special. I’ll be watching the old fashioned 2-D spectacular on normal HD thanks.
It does occur though that the BBC has a separate fund for 3-D filming that can be drawn on by any department (last year Wimbledon, a couple of Olympic events, the Queen’s speech and “Mr Stink” at Christmas. May be a way to secure additional funding to chuck some more money at the screen. The limited theatrical release may also enable some additional funding to come through Worldwide, so who knows?
9 February 2013 at 01:15 #2517Sorry for the delay in replying, caught in some kind of time eddy! I agree with so many points though.
Steel was chilling. But I always liked him.
I really did as a kid, he was so reassuring. I think it’s only if you grew up in an environment (which even in the 80s was common) of a father being a bit distant, you could recognise that these days.
Even so – he could be so cynical and cold!
I think so many of these shows had a legacy though. Blakes 7 was referenced in Bablyon 5 and Firefly, but Sapphire and Steel was referenced by Farscape. They wanted an alien being who understood time. David Kemper, in an issue of SFX indicated they put a grey human in a smart suit, blacked his eyes and tried to conjure the spirit of S&S. I think they acheived it:
About your OU demands – so sorry! I did my PG study with the OU in happier times when it was cheaper. I looked at the cost recently and shuddered.
9 February 2013 at 00:33 #2515While I donāt particularly relish the prospect of a changeover, I think the signs seem to indicate it is coming. Chibnall (@jimthefish will be delighted to hear) has a show on the go and had to downdrade his involvement in this series from 3 episodes to 2. Toby Whitehouse, although Being Human has been cancelled, also has another show in development. Gatiss has made suggestions he doesnāt see the āshow runnerā road is one heād relish because of theatre work. All could be obfuscation of course. This is the BBC!
Then we have the rogue elements. Neil Cross (Producer and Writer for āLutherā) is writing 2 episodes this series. Apparently he and Moff had a lengthy in-depth discussion on āstory ideasā in the states last year, when they were both due at some awards ceremony. After his scripts had been delivered.
9 February 2013 at 00:27 #2511Oh….TFI Friday!
The second book in the sequence of anniversary specials this year is written by Michael Scott. The Second Doctor encounters āThe Nameless Cityā.
The news story is here.
and the Guardian had a couple of pages preview here a few days ago, in which the 2nd and Jamie discuss a book that Jamie has found (familiar to Evil Dead fans everywhere).
Not really encountered Michael Scott before, so if anyone has, I’d be interested to hear opinions.
5 February 2013 at 02:19 #2405I think I was the same – there are no pictures of me as a teenager. “Adventure 4” stops long in the memory for those who saw it. I thought it interesting that PJ Hammond revisited the idea to an extent in one of his Torchwood episodes (From out of the Rain), Which featured a bizarre (is there any other kind?) turn from Julian Bleach.
Yep, the one with the soldiers is the Railway station one. Again, it’s haunting, as Steel has to relive those deaths hanging on barbed wire or suffocating in a submarine. The most chilling scene is his little “jig” at the end of a job well done (more later).
No eye candy I’m afraid, but as I know you are prepared to listen to Doctor Who audio, give this a whirl. It’s adventure 4. Others may be available. You will need 90 minutes of your life.
I’d urge @miapatrick not to read this if she has not watched it yet, but the thing that disturbed me as an adult is:
As @bluesqueakpip mentioned it finished on a low note, a bemusing “up in the air” finale. But the only really happy ending occurred in the first serial, with the children. I think this lured us kids into a false sense of security.
Adventure 2 finishes with Steel negotiating a pact with “the shadow”. He’ll trade his living comrade, who has helped him throughout, for Sapphire and the dead ghosts. As his scream echoes around, Steel gives a high kick of satisfaction of a job well done. Adventure 3, adventure 4 and 5 see similar bitersweet endings, with the team making some hard choices.
It’s like an eternal cold war with the collatoral damage not being relevant in the slightest to the team, but most especially Steel, who is portrayed as an utter bastard. Sapphire critices him as especially cold, and in the final series he displays a rare element of compassion and tries to help someone. It’s a trap, and he and Sapphire are left trapped in a limbo like prison constantly accelerating into the far future to die.
I can’t help but feel they thought kids were made of stronger stuff in those days!
4 February 2013 at 22:25 #2387Also – if your mum was interested in Sapphire and Steel, she is a woman of intelligence and taste š
It ran between when I was 9 and 12, and I bought the DVDs on their first release in two box sets (stories 1 – 3, and stories 4-6). I found it creepy as a child and adult, but for slightly different reasons.
It really does have a budget that old Who would have probably laughed at, but some of the filming makes it look like you’re watching an actual play in some of the more subdued interior sets.
I think my favourites have to be 4 – The man without a face who exists in every photograph ever taken (the screams as one of the photographs in burned still send a chill down my neck), and 2 – with the shadow creature feeding of the resentment of the dead soldiers. The end of that one is something I doubt you could get away with these days.
As it started in the year you were born, I’m guessing you have only watched it recently, and I’d be interested in what you think of it.
4 February 2013 at 22:14 #2385Thanks for the Guardian reference – I forgot to look, although managed to catch the episode late last night.
I thought it was a good opener. Lots of humour, and a few chilling scenes to get things started!
2 February 2013 at 13:26 #2315After watching The curse of the Black Spot on the repeat yesterday I dug out my recordings of this.
I adore this story and find that it really does reward repeat viewings. Surrane Jones is delightful as the Tardis in human form. Also I think this is a great showcase for Matt Smith who is on blistering form.
After Christmas, Neil Gaiman was talking about the episode and apparently his first script (originally intended for series 5) had the Great Intelligence as “House”, and Moff asked him to change that “because he had something else in mind”. Which may indicate that he has been playing a long game and the GI will become a recurring menace.
1 February 2013 at 21:54 #2273I think that clip says it all about Troughton. Impish humour – trying to build up his companions. On reflection he was so lucky to have Jamie as a companion, and have had that chemistry.
When you look at The Doctor and companion vibe over the years, and try to associate each with a pivotal character, I think the second and Jamie seem the odd couple in the mix. I’ve rewatched the episodes availble and it is an astonishing how well they gel.
I recommend “The Invasion” DVD release. With a couple of episodes recreated by Cosgrove Hall, it really is a must see. The Cybermen in London, in Black and White. I watched it with Ms Phaseshift who doesn’t allways get old Who, and she was charmed. The scene with the Doctor and Jamie in a canoe (with Pat working only when Jamie is looking at him) is very funny.
1 February 2013 at 19:16 #2269I thought Pat was a fantastic Doctor. Not growing up with him, my first experience (outside the books) was a reshowing of “The Krotons” in the 80s as part of the anniversary celebrations. It’s not the best story, but I loved the humour of his incarnation (his competative streak with Zoe in the Gonds test is hilarious).
I know comparisons between Troughton and Smith used to infuriate HTPBDET but, he’s not around, and this is my post.
There is something akin. Both are very physical performers. Troughton loves to do things with his hands. Flicking though his 500 year diary, playing with his recorder, etc. There is an intensity about his performance which I think Smith has also adopted (or is part of him). In the moments of casual humour, it’s often the more low key scenes where he becomes serious that stay in the memory. While Smith had his “the old man who stole a magic box” scene, Troughton had this equally memorable scene with Victoria, as he talks about family.
1 February 2013 at 18:58 #2265They are fascinating in their way. I allways try to read them in a Mr. Chumley Warner type voice, and they become charming somehow.
The reason I’ve posted the text is that I’m not sure if our overseas posters can access that part of the BBC site. I found this interesting – a “pitch” on how the second Doctor should appear. Reading it, it actually sounds a little more like the sixth Doctor to me.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/changingwho/10305.shtml
If anybody is interested and cannot access the page, let me know – I’ll do a copy and paste.
1 February 2013 at 02:40 #2245“Being Human”, the supernatural show by Toby Whitehouse (School reunion, Vampires in Venice, God Complex) returns at the weekend, on BBC3, Sunday at 10pm.
I think @jimthefish used to watch. Any others?
Dan Martin used to do a series blog up to series 3 with some enthusiastic support (although not as popular as the Who blogs). Last year they just did an “hey the new series is about to start” blog. If they do something similar this year might be an opportunity to draw some other posters into our web.
Mwahahahahahahahha!
1 February 2013 at 02:26 #2243Reading some of that criticism above – I cannot help but think of our beloved Guardian blogs. “Matt Smith is Shit – bring back Tennant!” This new Doctor is just a clown!
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
In addition, I am convinced that if the BBC have a careful look at their letters from 1963 they will find one saying “With the second episode of Doctor Who (“the Cave of Skulls”) may I venture that Verity Lambert has ruined the show and should be sacked?” :-))
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