The Doctor's Companion Blog

Prior to watching Delta and the Bannerman I had not really understood why some Who fans were so negative about Sylvester McCoy, or indeed why Dr Who the program was held is such disdain at the end of the classic period.  Then I watched Delta and the Bannerman.

I suppose it is not the worst thing I have ever seen, but there is no getting away from it  It is dire.

Sylvester McCoy himself is more or less all right.  I like Sylvester McCoy. But:

1. Mel is truly awful (although she is quite good at screaming)
2. The actress playing  Delta is incredibly wooden
3. Billy is pretty dire too

For example, I find it impossible to believe that he could accept a green baby coming out of an egg and growing up within 24 hours without a blink, even if he had fallen desperately in love with Delta.  And whats all this about him changing his species just by sucking on a tube?

I think that the fault probably lies mainly with the dreadful script.  However the whole thing is completely unbelievable, and the only way you can make sense of it is to treat it as nonsense, and just enjoy it as that.  It is not completely unenjoyable, but it is not good Who.

Although, strange to say, Ken Dodd, compared to the rest of it, is really not that bad. At least he gets killed off early on.  Would that the same fate could have befallen Mel.

Doctor Who – Delta And The Bannermen [DVD] [1987] can be bought online from Amazon.

If you feel like a good book for Halloween, you could do a lot worse than read the 10th Doctor and Martha book, Forever Autumn by Mark Morris.  Set in the “sleepy New England town of Blackwood Falls” (to quote the blurb on Amazon) it is rather a fun little book, featuring tall lanky stick like monsters who can possess people and whose space ship is buried beneath the town.  Needless to say they must be prevented from using it, as its lift off would kill most of the towns inhabitants.

The Hervoken have some similarities to the Carrionites (seen on screen in the Shakespeare Code), although the Hervoken do not take human form (other than by possession).  Apparently they are the Carrionites were enemies until ‘the Eternals’ took steps against them both. I’d like to know more about the Eternals – Mr Moffatt??

The author cleverly brings the Doctor and Martha to life, very much as they are in the television series, all the catch phrases along with at lot of witty 10th Doctor banter.  The other characters are quite pleasant too, the three boys, Etta Helligan, and poor old Doctor Clayton.  The Hervoken however are not, with their long stick like bodies, high pitched giggly voices, and long vine like tentacles stretching beneath the town (slightly reminiscent of the citidel’s roots from Death to the Daleks).  And they enjoy crunching up Mr Everson.  Not nice.

The climax is even worse, but I won’t tell you as it will spoil the surprise for you.  But the Doctor manages it in the end as he always does, and then wants to slope off without saying goodbye.  I can’t help wondering if the Moffatt/Smith doctor will be quite so adverse to proper endings, hopefully not.

But the book is an enjoyable Halloween read. Doctor Who – Forever Autumn (New Series Adventure 16) can be bought from Amazon as a paperback, either on its own, or more economically as part of a boxed Martha and the 10th Doctor set: The All New Doctor Who Collection ; [10 volume cased set ] ;The Pirate Loop , Wetworld, Sting of the Zygons , The Art of Desruction , Wooden Heart , Wishing Well , Sick Building , The Last Dodo, The Price of Paradise, Forever Autumn.

We have a new logo for the Doctor.  The new administration are obviously keen to sweep very new, as it is quite different from the  Russell era one.  Its blue for a start. Its very clever with its 3D tardis but I have to say that I will rather miss the orange one.  It was nice and warm whereas the new one is a bit cold and midnightish. For the new, new, new Doctor.

Still no doubt I will get used to it in time.

The BBC Doctor Who site also has a video showing all the past logos, together with a slide show also showing all the old logos, and a video about the design of the 2005 logo.

I think I like the 2005 one best,  mainly because I like the warmer colours.  Which one do you like best?

The BBC has kindly allowed us all to embed a short video showing the new tardis/logo landing, so who am I to refuse an invitation like that?  And the new logo is growing on me already …

It was interesting to read (a while back now) that Richard Curtis has been commissioned to write (or rather has already written) an episode for the new Who from Moffatt/Smith.  He is a great writer, and it will be interesting to see what he comes up with.

I think it unlikely (as some have speculated) that Blackadder will feature.  Blackadder is a powerful personality, who I do not think would fit well in the Doctors world.  Anyway he has already done time travel.

There are also rumours that the old Stephen Fry episode, which was supposed to be part of the (if I remember right) second series, but which got put aside, might be revived.

The writers are important as they create the mood and think up the storyline, (although in the past apparently often heavily edited by Russsell – it will be interesting to hear how heavy handed Moffatt is with the red pen).

Mind you, I would like to see a few more by past Doctor Who authors. Mat Jones for example, who wrote the wonderful Impossible Planet/Satan Pit duo.  Toby Whithouse who wrote the fantastic School Reunion, which brought back everyone’s favourite ‘classic’ companion, Sarah Jane Smith (plus K9).  And of course the brilliant James Moran, who wrote the Fires of Pompeii, not to mention Sleeper for Torchwood, as well as being joint writer of the extraordinarily powerful week long Children of Earth episodes (his being episode 3).

Is there anyone I don’t want back?  Well I have to say that I am not hugely keen on Chris Chibnall’s writing.  42 is perhaps my least favourite of all New Who, and I was not terribly keen on a lot of his Torchwood writing either (although some were good). The series one finale he did was abysmal.

What new writers would I like to see?  Well I would really like to see what sort of episode Noel Clarke would do.  I liked the episode he did for Torchwood, and I am sure he would do something interesting with the Doctor.  After all he did win a BAFTA.   It would be nice to see Mickey back in the program too.

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