Coventry outlines credentials to become the new Gallifrey. Central shopping centre to be demolished and replaced with the new Panoptican. Local branch of PC World claims to have started work on reconstructing The Matrix by daisy chaining three Acer netbooks, a blender, and a 44″ plasma TV. Dave Ross, of nearby Kenilworth, quoted as being less than impressed with the plans and certain to lodge a complaint with the county council.
Category: Media and Tie-Ins
Not a complete surprise, but sometimes it feels like these decisions get strung out. I got the feeling when the Shakespearean hiatus cropped up that David would get the urge to roam – but it took a little while longer for the final announcement.
To some extent, the fact Russell and David leave at the same time means the show can start with a clean slate – but, does that necessarily represent a good thing. I have no doubt about Steven Moffat’s credentials in taking over, but to have him do that with a completely new actor – a completely new cast, for that matter… unless they choose to have a companion tag along from one of the four feature-length episodes from 2009/10.
Only time can tell – and in the meantime, it will be interesting to see where Russell takes the storyline during the specials. I would hope that these episodes have some meaning, and that they don’t simply serve as storytelling fluff to fill the void. I want to see progress in the overall arc of the Last of the Time Lords, and the promise of something substantial and meaty, whether within the episodes or as a forerunner of the events to come in the fifth season. The Doctor should never regenerate in a hollow act… the sacrifice should be noble, dramatic and significant, with all the meaning that the story can muster.
You can discover an excellent new addition on the BBC Doctor Who website – in the form of some fine pictures to colour in. The set includes individual characters – like the Doctor and Martha – as well as a couple of hectic action scenes that should keep the children (and open-minded adults) engaged for hours.
I’ve been listening to ‘Neverland‘ on the way to work – another excellent 8th Doctor adventure from Big Finish.
The Doctor and Charley have to face up to the reality of their situation – Charley should have died when the R-101 airship crashed in the 1930s. The Time Lords intend to make the Doctor answer for his interference, but is that all they desire? In truth, their interest lies with Charley more than the Doctor, as she represents the key to accessing a domain outside of time and the possibility of the return of a hero of Gallifrey… or, perhaps, its final doom.
While you can’t honestly get the most out of this adventure without listening to some of what has gone before – you can’t fault it for entertainment value. As well as Romana and other Time Lords, the story features Battle TARDIS and temporal torpedoes that put me in mind a few BBC line books where the Time Lords of the future showed their truly warlike tendencies under pressure from Faction Paradox.
Excellent stuff!
On a roadtrip over the weekend, so added a few more songs to the memory stick I take with me for entertainment. I had an urge for Who tie-ins – so, I downloaded and ‘burned’ Monster by The Automatic (used during Dr Who adverts last year, I think), Voodoo Child by Rogue Trader (‘Here… come… the drums!’) and I Can’t Decide by Scissor Sisters, from the album Ta Dah!
It’s a bitch convincing people to like you
If I stop now call me a quitter
If lies were cats you’d be a litter
Pleasing everyone isn’t like you
Dancing jigs until I’m crippled
Slug ten drinks I won’t get pickled
Wonderful stuff. When you have a somg like this and Voodoo Child, you wonder whether the songs came before the script… or whether Russell T had them running on in the background while he was typing…
Given the dubious stories coming out of the gutter press about the end of the Time Lord, I thought Steven Moffat summed up a fine response: “Here’s an answer that people should listen to. No broadcaster lets go of a show like Doctor Who. They’d have to be out of their f–king minds.”. I doubt you could sum it up better than that!
“There’s nothing wrong with being slobbered on…” – or so says John Barrowman, who appeared this morning on Animal Rescue Live, interviewed by Selina Scott.
I have to admit, I didn’t even know Selina was still working! However, here she was talking to Captain Jack with his dogs – Tiger (ni Teegan) and Lewis. Apparently, John and his civil partner wanted to select a dog as a wedding gift – and went looking at the rescue centre to which John serves as patron. Teegan had arrived at the centre recently, and John couldn’t resist the Doctor Who connection… given that Teegan was companion to the fourth/fifth Doctor.
Good to see John and his dogs… apparently they travel a lot with him. Great to see a Who-niverse connection with pet rescue!
Stumbled across a great arrangement of the theme from the TV Movie, remixed by a guy called Hardwire. Highly recommended – and you can download the mp3 file from several places online – including this one at whomix.
The BBC Doctor Who site rested the Human Nature e-book running up to the TV version of the story, but now it’s back. As well as the whole New Adventures novel, with pictures and notes by Paul Cornell, you now also get your hands on a new article about how he adapted the novel for television. Enjoy it!
Isn’t it great when by pure chance you come across something you didn’t expect. I hadn’t seen the reference to this short story on the Doctor Who site… I just happened to get the Sunday Times because, well… it had a picture of the Doctor on the front.
Paul Cornell (who I met in the early 90s at a book signing session in Leeds) writes a fine short story about the Doctor who chances upon a 4 year old boy under inexplicable circumstances. Short, enjoyable and with a poignant ending that seems to suit the current Doctor’s mood perfectly, I’m very happy to have got it!
Wonder how much this little keepsake will be on eBay soon!