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)
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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As I have disk two of Doctor Who series 1
I know that people are a bit negative about AOL, and I suppose it is not in the same class as Dalek, but it is very entertaining none the less, even the farts are bearable. And the acting is great. I love David Verray and Rupert Vansittart as the sligheen brothers, not to mention the fabulous Annette Badland as Margaret Slitheen. And the possibly even more fabulous Penelope WIlton, as Harriet Jones MP for Flydale North.
Plus it has Andrew Marr, who had one of my all time favourite lines (which he delivers brilliantly) “Oh thats Joseph Green, MP for Hartley Dale, he’s chairman of the Parliamentary Commission on the monitoring of sugar standards in exported confectionary…” How does Russell think of them?
I accept the point about the super speedo CGI slitheen perhaps being a bit silly, but on the whole it is a very enjoyable episode. In fact, if you will excuse me, I think I will now watch World War Thee.
Mind you, they don’t seem to have invited Keith Boak back to direct again.
Do you remember when we all watched that first series of New Who back in 2005, there was a moment when we all realised that this was not just going to be good, it was BRILLIANT! That moment was when we watched Dalek. Somehow Dalek took the show to new heights. It re-introduced us all to the Daleks, told us a bit more about the ‘last great time war’ and the Doctors part in it. And it was great drama.
The story starts when the Tardis arrives in a strange ‘great big alien museum’ in Utah, USA, 2012. Exhibits include a stuffed slitheen claw, the mileometer from the Roswell spaceship, and a cyberman head. But thats not what called them there. That was something else, reaching out, calling for help … The Doctor touches the Cyberman case, and suddenly they are surrounded, and Rose points out that if its aliens the museum owners are after, he will be exhibit A.
After the credits we meet Henry Van Statten. He appears to be the owner of the compex, is obviously wealthy and powerful, and has a strong interest in the extra terrestrial. He has agents buy alien artifacts at auction for him, but has just has just the one living specimen. He named it ‘the metraltron’, although he would prefer to find out its real name. He invites the Doctor down to see it.
Van Stratten is obviously a nasty piece of work. People who do not agree with him have their memories removed and are slung out on the street, He shows no respect for an alien musical instrument, bought by his employee Adam at auction for $800,000, throwing it aside once he has worked out what it is, and he tells his staff that the Doctor is not to be let out of the ‘cage’ until he has a ‘result’.
The next few minutes are some of the most powerful in the series. The Doctor, coming face to face with a representative of the race that destroyed his, goes mad and tries to kill it. Christopher Eccleston’s acting is truly superb here, you feel his pain, and know just the moment when he decided to kill…
But Van Statten is not going to lose his living specimen so easily. ‘Get him out’ he orders, and hurries in to the cage. ‘And now I know your name’ he says gleefully, “Dalek’. However Van Statten may own the internet, but the Dalek refuses to speak. “My name is Henry Van Statten, now recognise me” he cries in frustration, but the blue eye just stares at him. ‘Make it talk’ he orders the torturer, Simmons, ‘Whatever it takes”.
Meanwhile, Rose is chatting to Adam, upstairs. This is a lovely scene beautifully played by both actors, and beautifully and artistically shot. Rose is obviously taken with Adam, even though he nearly started world war three, which she clearly does not think is funny. However he reminds her of the Doctor when he says “Fantastic”.
Adam confesses to being a genius who believes that the world is just teeming with life, but Rose is unimpressed. “What and you just sit here and catalogue it?” How can be be content to do this when Van Statten has a living creature downstairs? However when Adam patches them into the comms system to take a look at it, what they see is the creature being tortured. Rose demands to be taken down there, and so starts the whole tragic course of events.
In the meantime, with the Doctor and Van Statten we are learning a bit more about Daleks in general (genetically engineered to remove every emotion except hate) and this Dalek in particular. According to Diana Goddard it has been on earth for over 50 years, moving from one collection to another, having fallen to earth on the Ascension Islands like a meteorite, burning in its cradle for three days before anyone could get near it. Of course one thing that no-one ever mentions is what it ate and drank during all this time – Daleks being organic, presumably they need to consume something to keep them alive, But perhaps food is manufactured for them by their casing, from the air.
As predicted by Rose, once Van Statten realises that the Doctor too is an alien, he seeks information, and is not too choosy with his methods of obtaining it. Only the crisis started by Rose forces him to keep the Doctor free. For Rose, seduced by Nick Briggs dulcet tones, has touched the Dalek, allowing it to regenerate itself using her DNA, and free itself from its cage. Although the Dalek’s ‘suckering to death’ of Simmons is no great loss to the world, the fate of the rest of the base personnel is more worrying.
In view of what happened later, it is a pity that Rose and Adam did not make a bolt for it there and then. It is only when the Doctor shouts at her to get out and Di Maggio is given the job of getting them to safety that they leave. Meanwhile the Dalek is repairing itself by draining the power supply of western United States and absorbing the internet. Not that it does it much good. However it enjoys itself having an orgy of killing, while Van Statten orders his men not to put a scratch on its bodywork, until he realises that he is speaking to dead men.
One of the writer, Robert Shearman’s briefs for this story, was to deal once and for all with age old jokes about the Daleks, This scene makes it quite clear that Daleks are superb fighting machines. The next makes it equally clear that they can now climb stairs (and playgrounds the following day echoed to “Elevate!” the length and breadth of the country).
One question which I have not heard raised is the Doctors responsibility for the deaths of the men in the weapons testing area – the main battle ground of the program. It was he who suggested all personnel (including the technicians, the lawyers, everyone) be given guns to fight, as an alternative to sealing off the area and therefore trapping the Dalek with Rose. Was he also morally responsible for their deaths?
He was certainly given a good view of it all as the Dalek kindly put the power back on so he can view it all via video link. After watching so many being killed it is perhaps understandable that the Doctor would lose his cool and tell the Dalek to kill itself. Leading to the unanwearable “You would make a good Dalek” before it cut out the power and makes its way up the stairs. And then the Doctor tells them to seal the vault.
It is obvious watching Adam and Rose run upstairs and along the last corridor, that Rose is not going to make it. Adam manages to slide under the door at the last moment but Rose is left to face the Dalek alone.
But the Dalek has troubles of its own. Why has it not killed Rose? Why is she still alive? He can feel her fear, but Daleks do not fear, must not fear. She gave him life, but what else did she give him? He is contaminated. He opens communications with a delighted Doctor and orders him to open the bulkheads. For ‘what use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?” The Doctor opens the bulkheads.
So. The Dalek is moving steadily up the stairs with Rose. Van Statten is panicking in his office. While Adams takes the Doctor to his room (now lit quite differently) to find some weaponry which will work against the Dalek. After rummaging through broken guns and hair dryers, a big gun is found, while Rose accompanies the Dalek, still questioning itself, up in the lift.
And at last, on arrival in his office, the Dalek finally acknowledges Van Statten and speaks to him, However as the word used is ‘Exterminate’ he is less than happy about it. Only the intervention of Rose saves him. ‘You don’t have to do this any more, there must be something else, not just killing, what else do you want?” she asks him desperately, and the Dalek answers, probably to its own surprise ‘Freedom”,
So to the last scene with the Dalek, when the Doctor confronts it with the gun, Rose won’t let him kill it, and we see the Dalek revealed in all its slimy horror. The Dalek is changing, mutating into something new. But for a Dalek that is bad, so it orders Rose to order it to self destruct. Which reluctantly she does. Leading to some nice CGI effects as the Dalek blows itself up.
Right through the story, Diana Goddard has been there, respectful to Van Statten but obviously sympathetic to the Doctor. At the end however she takes over, how or why we are not told. Still “200 personnel dead and all because of you, sir”, is not a bad reason, for taking a man away, wiping his memory and leaving him by the road someplace, in San Diego, Seattle, Sacramento, or someplace beginning with S”.
So all that is left is for Goddard to order the base be closed down and filled with cement, while Rose and the Doctor leave in their small blue box with a rather puzzled Adam, for us to meet again next week on on satellite 5.
As well as being a fantastic story and drama, this episode is also an artistic triumph. I particularly admire the lighting (from director of photography Ernie Vincze, who writes movingly about light in the 2nd series confidential here) which unerringly picks out Rose’s hair and creates beauty out of a rather utilitarian set. The music is also superb, and chilling in the way it creates a mood of menace, as the Dalek alternately plots and despairs – the last Dalek (for this episode anyway).
However it all stems from the superb script from writer Robert Shearman. We could do with some more from him. Mr Moffatt?
Dalek is sold as part of Doctor Who – The Complete BBC Series 1 Box Set [2005] [DVD]
Well I have read the survey results in DWM and I’m not happy with it. I don’t think the Caves of Androzani is the best Dr Who of all time. Its just the favourite of the sort of blokes (and its bound to be blokes) who read DWM.
Mind you, I should speak really, we did mean to send in our lists but never managed to finish ticking all the boxes. But there you are – this list is made up of the likes and dislikes of the people who did manage to finish it. Says it all really.
Looking at the list in a bit more detail, there are a lot of inconsistencies. Numbers 200 – 101 (described disparagingly in DWM as ‘clunkers’) had the Doctors-Daughter-in-a-tight-green-top at number 140! What happened there? And Fear Her, a reasonable episode although admittedly not my favourite, was number 192. How can this be considered worse than the Macra (137), now only visible as a selection of photos connected by narrative on the BBC web-site?
The trouble also about lists like this is that it seems to indicate that those at the bottom of the list are bad. Or ‘clunkers’, to quote DWM. But I really like loads of the ‘clunkers’ at the bottom. Even Time Flight (196), which everyone is rude about, last time I watched it I really enjoyed it. Is that not the test of a good program? Even if it does have rubbish props and effects. And I have always been rather fond of the Krotons too (166).
Jumping ahead, what about the top 10?
10. Bad Woolf – yes OK;
9. Robots of Death- hmm, not as good as others, e.g. The Fires of Pompeii (56) IMHO;
8. City of Death – yes definitely one of the best;
7. Pyramids of Mars – mmmyes all right;
6. Human Nature/Family of Blood – great episode;
5. Empty Child/Doctor Dances – of course, brilliant;
4.Talons – yes, yes, all right;
3. Genesis of the Daleks – no, sorry that has never rung my bell, too gloomy;
2. Blink – great of course but not actually my favourite Moffat;
1. Caves – no, not my favourite.
So what is my all time fave? I suppose, thinking it over, it is the Library (24). Which is probably why I felt I wanted it for my first review.
Just got this months DWM.
We got the one with the cover of Peter Davison, which is sort of appropriate as we are watching the Black Guardian Trilogy just now (see my review of Mawdryn Undead here).
However actually I think the Caves of Androzani is my least favourite of the four episodes featured. Not sure though which of the other three I like best (City of Death, The Empty Child or Human Nature). It is a tough choice.
But no more now, I must read my magazine …
With my new persona as a Dr Who Blogger, what I really need to do, I decided, is a bit of research. So I have had a very pleasant time over the past few days, re-reading one of my very favourite Doctor Who books, Doctor Who – The Inside Story: The Official Guide to Series 1 and 2
This nice thing about the whole Doctor Who experience, is that so much information is available about the making of the program and all the different people who make it what it is – one the of the best programs on British television. This book also takes us behind the scenes and introduces us to all sorts of people.
It starts with an introduction from David Tennant himself, a general introduction about the series, and then looks at the process of bringing back Doctor Who, from periodic pitches made by Russell T Davies in the 1990′s, through to Lorraine Heggessey and Jane Trantor making the decision to bring it back and then how the various key people were put in place.
First to be installed were the triumvirate of executive producers – Russell T Davies as showrunner, Julie Gardner in charge of sorting everything, and Phil Collinson, in charge of making it all run smoothly and to budget.
Then we look at the casting of the major characters, then the various key people involved in the production of the series. The two costumer designers, Lucinda Wright (series one) and Louise Page (series two), and the various makeup artists (including Sheelagh Wells (formerly of the classic series). The Mill in charge of CGI, Neil Gorton of Millennium FX in charge of prosthetic costumes, Mike Tucker (another of the few from the classic series) determined to do as much of the modelling as he can, and the wonderful art department headed by Edward Thomas.
Then there are the writers, and the scriptwriters (including a very interesting interview with Helen Raynor, now a regular writer who hopefully will also be writing for series 5), all very important. The wonderful music from Murray Gold, Paul McFadden doing the sound, and Tim Ricketts mixing it all up at the end. The book also touches on the various directors, although they are discussed more in the episode descriptions.
I would like to have heard a bit from the photography and lighting people (particuarly Ernie Vincze), and also from the other special effects people (i.e. those in charge of explosions), but all in all it is a fascinating insight into the making of a TV series.
The second part of the book is an episode by episode description of all the episodes in series one and two, plus a peek into the (then) future by looking at the Catherine Tate Christmas episode and the start of series three. Gary Russell tends to concentrate on the more technical aspects, but that is great as we would not be able to find that information out otherwise.
I really enjoyed reading this book again, and would like to see something similar for series three and four. And of course for series five, under the new administration …
I was sorry to hear of the death of Iain Cuthbertson (reported here). He was absolutely brilliant in the (1978) Ribos Operation (a fourth Doctor story), where he played con man Garron. In fact I would go so far as to say that his performance is one of the best things in this episode (although this is not to say that the rest of it is not brilliant too). You get the feeling that he really enjoyed playing the part.
The Ribos Operation, you will remember, is the first in the quest for the key to time series, where Garron trys to sell the planet Ribos to the Graff. The key to time is disguised as a …. But you will have to watch to find out.
I’ll do proper review when I can get hold of the DVD. It is sold as part of the (rather expensive now if you can get hold of it) Doctor Who: The Key to Time (Limited Edition Numbered Complete 7 Disc Box set) [DVD] [1978]
Mawdryn Undead
I was given the Black Guardian Trilogy for my birthday recently, and tonight we watched the first one, Mawdryn Undead.
Sort of mixed views about it really. It was great to see the Brig again, I had heard about his teaching job so it was nice to see what that was all about. I also liked the way they had two of him (shades of Inferno), and used this in the plot. But on the other hand shouldn’t the Doctor have known what would happen when the two Brigadiers met and touched, and why didn’t he think of sorting the problem that way himself, rather than have it happen by accident?
It was also interesting to see how Turlough was introduced to the Tardis, having met him in later episodes, and also having heard about how he had been a secret assassin. I thought he overacted a bit when talking to the Black Guardian though. I also did not like the way he acted with the crystal particularly, although after listening to the commentary and hearing about how he had a wire up his arm and down his leg with a car battery at the end held by a man who had to keep out of shot, with the crystal burning hot after a few seconds, I realise they were not the ideal acting conditions!
I also found the Black Guardian a bit unbelievable somehow, not sure why (although it could have had something to do with the bird on his head). I think I would have preferred to see another actor in the part as he did not fit my mental image of the Black Guardian, although he had a great voice.
The spaceship was a rather fabulous set, although in reality apparently it was rather small. It was a shame it had to blow up in the end, although our son said he thought that was the best Doctor Who episode ending ever!
The original appearance of Mawdryn in the Tardis was a bit scary, and I must also confess to being a bit nervous when the undead were walking around the ship, before I knew who they were – the unknown is always more scary that the known. I quite liked the way they all glided along – was that a sort of echo of the Daleks, who always glide smoothly, do you think?
This episode is important, by the way, as being the one where it is confirmed that Timelords only regenerate twelve times. How are they going to get over that one, when the actor after the actor after Matt Smith decides to hang up his sonic screwdriver?
The commentary was great fun (Peter Davison – the Doctor, Mark Strickland – Turlough, Eric Saward – script editor, and Nicholas Courtney – the Brigadier), you really felt they were all enjoying themselves, as well as watching the show. Nicholas Courtney was right however, I didn’t notice his bald patch until he mentioned it.
Mawdryn Undead is sold as part of Doctor Who – The Black Guardian Trilogy [DVD] [1983]
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