The Blogtor Who Top 50 - No. 42

Here it is! Blogtor's personal countdown of his 50 favourite Doctor Who television stories, one a week till the big day in November 2013. Now, just to point out, this choice is purely my own. So don't expect reasoned debate or objectivity. Or even the need to please every fan out there. This is my list, and I stand by it. I will also add that I've seen every Doctor Who story released (at least twice), so I feel like I know what I'm talking about. Anyway, enough chittle of the chattle, let's begin...

 

The Fires of Pompeii
First broadcast 12/4/2008 starring David Tennant 

An almost perfect episode this one - for me. Barely a few stories into their run and Davey & Cathy T demonstrate just how good they are together - and just how they make for the most delightful and meaningful of Doctor/Companion relationships. It starts off all laughter and gags and ends in tears and compassion. But more of the Doctor/Donna later.

The rest of the cast in The Fires of Pompeii are an absolute treat. Peter Capaldi, so chilling and engaging in Torchwood: Children of Earth, brings his more friendly and familial side to the proceedings. Caecilius would have made an excellent addition to the TARDIS. His treatment of his offspring makes for a gigglesome watch and, indeed, the family are instantly likeable - which makes for their peril during the denouement so much more palpable.

And just check out the nasty Phil Davis, a formidable villain; the "seer-off" scene is a particular highlight as the actor hisses, "There is something on your back!" Chilling. Collectively, the Sisterhood impress too. It's got an old skool Who feel to it, evoking The Brain of Morbius, though the rock monster Pyroviles are something we could only have dreamt about back in the day. The stone bad-boys are terrifically realised, making for an impressive beast as they lump about underground.

But a gold star and a see-me-after-class for the hugely pleasing CG work throughout the tale. From the aforementioned underground rockery (which was one of the best bits of FX I've seen on the show) to the startling eruption - it's all flawless and integrated immaculately. Fires has the feel of a massive blockbuster, and this is complemented by the dramatic turn and moral questions raised by knowing the future (though, according to some writers, it can be rewritten *coughs*).

And this is where the Doctor/Donna relationship comes into its own as Chiswick's finest drives the moment, touches our hearts and even changes the Gallifreyan's mind. No mean feat! Catherine Tate's performance is heartbreaking, one of her most memorable moments for sure. The saving of the family may be up for moral debate (future timelines and all that) but aren't we glad The Doctor did? Watching them cower in the shadow of death was deeply distressing, making the Time Lord's U-turn all the more thankful.

It's a pity that The Fires of Pompeii was only given the forty-five minute slot as there is so much going on, and so much to enjoy and think about. James Moran's first and only contribution to telly Doctor Who (at the time of writing) is a self-contained joy that honours history and stretches the possibilities of the series.

See Nos. 50-42 HERE

Read More

Gaiman confirms ep title [UPDATE]

In an interview with themusic.com, writer Neil Gaiman confirmed the title of his Doctor Who Series 7 Part 2 episode and revealed some details about it. The Doctor's Wife author said:

"The episode is called The Last Cyberman. It’s about identity, it’s about responsibility and it’s about porridge.”

The Last Cyberman is the penultimate story of the series and stars Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders), Jason Watkins (Being Human) and Warwick Davis (Return of the Jedi). It is directed by Stephen Wolfenden.

Read the full interview HERE. 

ETA: Neil Gaiman has commented on this news on Twitter, saying: "Now that everyone's reporting the working the title of my next Doctor Who episode as News, I've just had an idea for a better title."


Blogtor's Guide to Doctor Who Series 7

Read More

DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE 457

Checkout the details and the cover for this month's edition of Doctor Who Magazine, which hits the streets tomorrow, priced £4.75.

JON PERTWEE, the actor who took Doctor Who to new levels of success in the 1970s, gave an extensive interview about his life and times to two young reporters back in 1994. The vast majority of the interview has remained unpublished - until now...

"I had no preconceptions about the programme when I joined it," says Jon. "I only knew I did not want to be like the Doctors who had gone before. However, the old producers wanted me to play it for laughs, you can see that in the first episode. The hat business. The shower. I had already decided I want to play it straight. Luckily those producers left after the first story and were replaced by Barry Letts who let me play it my way..."

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

Doctor Who's showrunner and head writer, STEVEN MOFFAT, replies to DWM readers' questions on Vastra's lips, River's name and his favourite story from each and every Doctor. Some of his answers will surprise you...!

IT MUST BE LOVE

Amy and Rory. The Doctor and Rose. Captain Jack and everyone. Yes, just in time for Valentine's Day, JONATHAN MORRIS turns down the lights, gets out the choccies and takes a romantic look at DOCTOR WHO'S GREATEST LOVE STORIES!

OLD SCHOOL

The Eleventh Doctor has the surprise of his lives, as he's reunited with Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in Coal Hill School! And the shocks don't stop there, as the latest comic strip, HUNTERS OF THE BURNING STONE by SCOTT GRAY, with art by MARTIN GERAGHTY, continues…

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!

DWM uses its beryllium atomic clock to turn back time to 1996, and the momentous evening that Doctor Who returned to TV, starring Paul McGann, as COUNTDOWN TO 50 continues.

CREEPY CRAWLIES

The Third Doctor faces certain death, while giant arachnids plot to invade the Earth! THE FACT OF FICTION brushes off the cobwebs from 1974's PLANET OF THE SPIDERS, Jon Pertwee's final adventure as the Time Lord, and uncovers a wealth of new information and rare photos.

PLUS!

All the latest official news, reviews and previews, a prize-winning crossword and competitions and much, much more!

Read More

The Daily Dalek

“It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for.”

As the Daily Dalek enters its last 100 strips it shows no sign of letting up in the slightest. Indeed its creator, Tone Cartoons, makes a mockery of Steven Moffat’s opinion that you can overexpose the public to Daleks on a daily basis.Tone brings a balanced mix of observational and visual humour to his strip as well the odd inspired pun. You’re just never quite sure which direction the Daily Dalek is going to be moving on any given day, free wheeling from one strip to the other.

The Daily Dalek stands out from other web comics like a Who obsessed offspring of ‘The Far Side’ echoing it’s sense of imagery and foregoing it’s competitors need for an ongoing narrative. Whilst the rest of us struggle to take one idea and stretch it over as many strips as we can manage Tone is unafraid to come up with a brand new idea for every day, taking the Daleks as a general theme rather than the plot point they might have become in less skilled hands.

Very few areas of geekdom have been left untouched by the Daily Dalek yet the strip still manages to surprise and entertain with each new strip.  Even slipping in the odd surprise game, animation and T-Shirt.

Many web comics nearing their natural end are mired in continuity and require an extensive knowledge of the archive to work out just what’s going on with each fresh strip. While The Daily Dalek will be as accessible on its last day as it was on its first. In fact there’s a incredibly high chance that you’ve seen one of the strips in your travels around the Whovian Net, even if they’re not always credited.

So, if you haven’t been reading the Daily Dalek then now is the time to dive in and catch up on the archive before Tone brings his creation into the final furlong.

Visit The Daily Dalek

Author: Alasdair Shaw

Read More

The Blogtor Who Top 50 - No. 43

Here it is! Blogtor's personal countdown of his 50 favourite Doctor Who television stories, one a week till the big day in November 2013. Now, just to point out, this choice is purely my own. So don't expect reasoned debate or objectivity. Or even the need to please every fan out there. This is my list, and I stand by it. I will also add that I've seen every Doctor Who story released (at least twice), so I feel like I know what I'm talking about. Anyway, enough chittle of the chattle, let's begin...

The Android Invasion
First broadcast 22/11 - 12/12/1975 starring Tom Baker 

This little gem, despite the lack of love it gets, contains numerous iconic scenes and holds a very, very special place in the cold calculating circuitry of Blogtor's double-shielded, dead-locked titanium heart - it was the first Target novelisation I ever read. And one of a number of Doctor Who stories that I read before I actually saw.

Thankfully, it lived up to my pre-teen's expectations when I eventually watched it some fifteen years later or so. The eerie evocation of the deserted village on page was lifted on to screen superbly (yes, I realise it was actually the other way around).

And those opening scenes are terrific stuff, with the location filming really sparking the tale. The jump of the UNIT soldier to his "death" is perfect and still a striking image after all these years whilst the android village is the epitome of classic Who.

But it's the personal touches that really make me lurve The Android Invasion, namely from Baker and Sladen - who are both at the pinnacle of their collective performances here. Just check out the fun they have as they first land on "Earth", namely the "eenie-meenie-minie-mo" sequence and the joy expressed at our beautiful planet.

And just check out some of the brilliant lines they get: Sarah Jane's ticklesome, "like a couple of 'nanas" and "we should've hoofed it while we had the chance"; Tommy B's oft-mentioned query, "Is that finger loaded?"; and, not to be outdone, Styggron gets in on the laughs with, "Resistance is… inadvisable!" (Possibly not intentionally funny that one though. Possibly.)

However, my ultimate favourite moment is: "Ginger beer". I simply adore the way Tommy B drawls the words in Episode Two; almost as if he's drinking the sounds in like the tasty beverage itself. Seeing The Doctor in such a traditional pub environment is also a hoot; with his awesome darts skills and appreciation of horse brass. That's the kind of place I'd like as a local!

I mentioned the memorable opening stunt sequence earlier and it's matched with the image of The Doctor tied to the cross statue (used so many times in its various covers) and the first two cliffhangers are sublime - the crazy Kraal eye reveal and Sarah Jane's "face" falling off. Up there with the best of so many other Doctor Who moments.

The Android Invasion often gets overlooked due to its more flashier (and, in some cases, better) neighbours - Season Thirteen is truly a belter - and perhaps the numerous potholes put some off but I heart it dearly. The Doctor and Sarah Jane are at their most loveable and it's crucial that their friendship is key to to the story here. A friendship that sucks me in and makes me feel like I'm their buddy too.

Check out Nos. 50 - 44 HERE

PS. Is anyone else grossed out by Guy Crayford's "recycling experiments"? I mean, he is drinking his own piss, right?

Read More

The Aztecs - DVD details

BBC Worldwide have announced details of the upcoming Special Edition DVD release of The Aztecs. It hits the streets in the UK on March 11 with an RRP of £20.42 and also includes Galaxy 4 - a shortened reconstruction of the missing story, using off-screen stills, audio recordings and animation plus the recently recovered complete episode three to tell the story. Click on the cover for a bigger version.

Disc 1
    •    4 x 25 mins approx monochrome episodes with mono audio. Optional Arabic soundtrack for episode four only.
    •    Commentary - stereo. With actors William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, producer Verity Lambert OBE.
    •    Remembering The Aztecs - Actors John Ringham, Ian Cullen and Walter Randall recall the production of the story and of television production in the sixties in general.
    •    Designing the Aztecs - Designer Barry Newbery talks about his work on the story, illustrated with many never-before-seen production drawings and photographs from his personal collection.
    •    Cortez and Monezuma - An extract from a 1970 ‘Blue Peter’, introduced by Valerie Singleton on location in Mexico, giving historical background to the Aztec belief in human sacrifice.
    •    Restoring the Aztecs - A short featurette demonstrating the restoration and videoisation effects used for the release. With subtitles.
    •    Making Cocoa - An animated guide to making cocoa the Aztec way, voiced in character by John Ringham as Tlotoxl and Walter Randall as Tonila, with both characters animated and presented in ‘South Park’ style…!
    •    TARDIS-Cam no.3 - The third of BBCi’s TARDIS-Cam shots.
    •    Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story
    •    Intro Sequences - The umbrella story title ‘The Aztecs’ does not appear on any of the episodes, so for (outdated now) BBFC compliance a caption card with the title has been provided. To add interest, six versions have been provided, each with a different voiceover, in character, from three of the actors involved in the production. The intention is that the disc will randomly select one of these six sequences and play it out at the appropriate point as the disc producer sees fit. One suggestion is that the caption plays out the first time an episode is selected for play.
    •    PDF Material – Ratio Times listings in Adobe PDF  format for viewing on PC or MaC
    •    Programme subtitles.
    •    Subtitle Production Notes (new for this release).

Disc 2
    •    Galaxy 4 – a shortened reconstruction of the missing story ‘Galaxy 4’, using off-screen stills, audio recordings and animation plus the recently recovered complete episode three to tell the story. Supplied as one compilation, please add chapter points as necessary, although no menu-driven chapter selection is really necessary. Certainly there should be a chapter point at the beginning of episode three, plus the usual five chapter points through that episode as normal, all others at the producer’s discretion.
    •    Chronicle – The Realms of Gold – John Julius Norwich’s superlative 1969 retelling of the story of the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the Aztecs, which also features music by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop .
    •    Dr. Forever! – Celestial Toyroom – the first of a new five-part series introduced by Ayesha Antoine looks at Doctor Who toys. With original series producer Verity Lambert, new series creator Russell T Davies, writers Mark Gatiss, Rob Shearman, Paul Cornell and Joseph Lidster, BBC Worldwide product licensing executive Richard Hollis, product approval executive Dave Turbitt and ex- range editor Steve Cole, Audiogo commissioning editor Michael Stevens, Character Options’ Alasdair Dewar, DWM’s toy reviewer Jim Sangster and last, but by no means least, Doctor Who’s very own Winston Churchill, actor Ian McNiece.
    •    It’s a Square World – the very first Doctor Who skit (as far as we can ascertain), with Clive Dunn in full First Doctor costume as a scientist demonstrating his new space rocket to Michael Bentine, resulting in Television Centre being launched into space! Features cameo appearances by Patrick Moore and Albert Steptoe.
    •    A Whole Scene Going – an excerpt from a recently recovered edition of the sixties music and arts programme, featuring an interview with director Gordon Flemyng and a behind the scenes look at filming of his movie Daleks’ Invasion Earth: 2150 AD.
    •    Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release.
    •    Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format.
    •    Programme subtitles.

Thanks to BBC Worldwide

Read More

50th tee designs

Dark Bunny Tees have announced the launch of the first two designs in their officially licensed, 50th Anniversary Eleven Doctor range, which will be available exclusively through the website from today. Visit the website HERE.

Dark Bunny Tees will be celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who by releasing two designs a month; one inspired by each of the Eleven Doctors and the other inspired by a classic & iconic monster. These strictly limited edition t-shirts will also come with an exclusive post card with 12 to collect throughout the year.

In January they celebrate The First Doctor, William Hartnell and the iconic Daleks, with designs inspired by the classic episodes An Unearthly Child and The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Available in both men’s and women's t-shirts.

Thanks to BBC Worldwide

Read More