#graeme harper

[tvmigraine]

FORGOTTEN LIVES: Graeme Harper

Before we begin! Remember to get a copy of the Forgotten Lives Omnibus at this link! We're six Doctors in now, if you're interested, then preorder at the link before the end of August - that's only a few more days!

One Doctor is down for the day, we're onto the Doctor I shamelessly admit to find the most fascinating. By this point we've started in a supernatural world and taken a walk back into stories like we'd expect from Doctor Who, returning to sci-fi. Aditya Bidikar takes us back to the fantasy genre that the Barry Doctor started us in through more than just the setting, but through a Doctor that walks in the realm of fables and grandiose concepts... and comic books.

Graeme Harper (1945) is currently the one and only director for Modern and New Series Doctor Who. With his earliest credits being The Caves of Androzani and Revelation of the Daleks before returning for the RTD era for events like Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel and The Stolen Earth / Journey's End, no doubt we're all familiar with their work in some way.

Aditya Bidikar brings a unique side of the Doctor out, I'd argue one of the more standout incarnations overall. While still noticeably and clearly the Doctor, there is a presence that I haven't seen since Sylvester McCoy's portrayal. The Harper Doctor very well may be the other side of the coin that McCoy portrayed - where one is a dark trickster in an unsuspecting from, the other is a wanderer in the unknown that marvels at every step. The pair are the only Doctors that I could picture being able to talk to higher concepts such as Death, which both incarnations prove to do.

While I've focused a lot on the main authors in these posts, I have to give great credit to Cody Schnell and their story - "Scene to Uncover" steps up to Bidikar's universe flawlessly, showing a moment we don't often get to see in Doctor Who while feeling right at home. They take full opportunity of the themes and fairy-tale like stories to paint their own fascinating glimpse of greater beings at work.

Even the TARDIS, designed as always by Paul Hanley, perfectly captures what this era could be. The darker blues and purples of the interior make it feel relaxed and cosy, while the library at the back could practically sum up this entire Doctor. Their adventures feel exactly like what "Forgotten Lives" should be, stories pulled off of a dusty shelf that haven't been read in so long that it's like you're experiencing them for the first time all over again.

One interesting note of design involves the Doctor's ambiguous gender. There are multiple references throughout their era about how this Doctor must be a man because they've got a beard (which may not be entirely accurate). Apart from just adding some well needed variety to the Morbius lineup and unwittingly making Graeme Harper a gender non-conforming icon for the book, this feels very in line with what could've been done at the time. Considering the disgusting reaction that Jodie Whittaker's debut as the Doctor caused from certain corners of the internet, having a woman debut as the Doctor over sixty years ago could've led to an equally gross reaction. One way that it might've been worked around is by simply implying the Doctor had become a woman while presenting as a man, an implication carrying a hundred words and a dozen queer readings as a result (I personally love how older media would get around harsher reactions by simply implying what they wanted, so this detail grabbed my interest quick).

Graeme Harper was a fun roadbump when it came to the Morbius Doctors as his photos wasn't taken with everybody else, instead being retrieved from elsewhere. What went into designing this Doctor is too much for me to shorten and sum up in a single post - Paul Hanley managed to crack the long standing mystery of where Harper's Morbius photo originally came from and you can find that in his post detailing how he made the outfit. Of course, the outfit of this Doctor would've ended up quite different if they had used the one in the actual photo - an Adjudicator costume. So instead, Paul Hanley had the unique chance to design his own outfit befitting of this Doctor specifically. This, of course, leading to the ultimate addition to an outfit - a psychic beard.

For more insight into the creative process of every author that worked on Forgotten Lives, you can go to @forgottenlivesobverse and find interviews from everyone involved across the books. If you're looking for the incredible journey of finding an obscure photo of Graeme Harper, you can go to Paul Hanley's Patreon and find what went into designing each Doctor.

Prepare to watch the Doctor embrace the birth of the known universe and choose to go against Death itself in the following stories.

VALHALLA MUST FALL! by Aditya Bidikar

IN THE LAND BEYOND THE RIVER by Aditya Bidikar

RETROGENESIS (Part Six) by Philip Purser-Hallard

SCENE TO UNCOVER by Cody Schnell

Our next Doctor will be Robert Holmes, with a series of stories that best shows how cruel the Time Lords can really be when they want to. Enjoy a darker period of the Doctor's life when we dive into this next time!

#forgotten lives obverse #forgotten lives #obverse books #doctor who #the brain of morbius #graeme harper

[denimbex1986]

'James Strong (director of episodes featuring the Tenth Doctor, and Torchwood, 2006-2009) My favourite moment is from the 2007 Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned. Aboard the stricken Titanic, the Doctor convinces the survivors why he’s the one to lead them to safety. David Tennant looks so good in his dirty tux and as the ship explodes around him, he looks straight at us and delivers: “I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord. I’m from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I’m 903 years old and I’m the man who is going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?’ ‘No.’ ‘In that case, allons-y!’”

Graeme Harper (director during the classic and revived series, 1966-2009) When Rose and the Doctor have to say goodbye to each other at the finale of series two, as Billie Piper was leaving the series. We had to complete it in a very short space of time. The first take was so moving, beautifully controlled by Billie, holding back the tears until she says, “I love you”. But we had to go again, and I was embarrassed to ask Billie to repeat it. The wind blew so strongly her hair wrapped around her face, it was a nightmare. But when I looked back at the recording, I was so moved.

Nick Hurran (director of episodes featuring the Eleventh Doctor, 2011-2013) Blink is an all-time standout episode which made the Weeping Angels a classic foe. In the later episode The Angels Take Manhattan, the moment when the Doctor, Raggedy Man, has to witness Amy Pond choose to blink rather than live without her beloved Rory is a moment that stays forever in my memory.

Jane Tranter (former BBC head of fiction and executive producer of the 60th anniversary specials, 2005-2023) Journey’s End – I never fail to feel emotional over the return of all the Russell T Davies-era companions rallying together to save the Doctor and consequently the universe. They are given the name the Children of Time by Dalek Caan and Davros, and they make me think of myself, Julie Gardner, Phil Collinson and the team working to Russell’s vision. It was the last episode I properly oversaw before leaving for a new life in LA, and a moment that felt fitting to be my final one with Doctor Who. But here we all are in 2023 working on it again for one more adventure!'

#Jane Tranter #Russell T. Davies #Blink #Weeping Angels #The Angels Take Manhattan #Amy Pond #Journey's End #Julie Gardner #Phil Collinson #Nick Hurran #Graeme Harper #Doomsday #Rose Tyler #Billie Piper #James Strong #Voyage of the Damned #David Tennant #60th Anniversary #Doctor Who

[nerds-yearbook]

On December 3rd, 1926 the mystery writer Agatha Christie is staying at a country estate and confronted to solve a real murder mystery (professor peach, in the library with a lead pipe) along with a party crasher known as the Doctor (Doctor 10) and his companion Donna. Unlike the murders in her stories, this one appears to be committed by a giant wasp disguised as a man. This adventure happened on the date she historically (in real life) disappeared for a week and half. ("The Unicorn and the Wasp" Doctor Who, TV)

#nerds yearbook #sci fi tv #time travel #dr who #doctor who #doctor 10 #10th doctor #david tennet #donna noble #catherine tate #bbc #agatha christie #graeme harper #gareth roberts #fenella woolgar #felicity kendal #tom goodman hill #christopher benjamin #felicity jones #adam rayner #december #1926 #timelord #david quilter #bee #alien #daniel king #ian barritt #leena dhingra #charlotte eaton

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Exclusive Interview: Doctor Who Director, Graeme Harper

Exclusive Interview: #DoctorWho Director, Graeme Harper

Director Graeme Harper is always interesting to listen to. You’ll know him for his extensive directorial credits, including The Caves of Androzani, Utopia, and Turn Left/ The Stolen Earth/ Journey’s End. I caught up with him at Neil Cole’s Museum celebration, chatting with Pete Jorysz (Baptist Minister and knowledgeable fan) about Warriors’ Gate. I joined in… Graeme: [Warriors’ Gate] had its…

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#David Tennant #Graeme Harper #Journey&039;s End #Logopolis #Margot Hayhoe #Museum of Science Fiction #Neil Cole #Paul Joyce #Revelation of the Daleks #Rise of the Cybermen #RTD #Russell T. Davies #Tenth Doctor #The Age of Steel #The Caves of Androzani #The Stolen Earth #The Waters of Mars #Turn Left #Warrior&039;s Gate

[doctorwho-rewind]

S2 E13: "Doomsday"

Earth becomes a battleground for the Daleks and the Cybermen. With the whole planet at stake and the Genesis Ark activated, how much will the Doctor sacrifice in order to end the war?

Episode: S2, E13: "Doomsday" Date: July 8, 2006 Writer: Russell T. Davies Director: Graeme Harper

Doctor: 10th Companion: Rose Tyler

–

I watched this like a week ago and just haven't been able to write this post until now because I didn't know how.

I forgot how much this episode hurts.

It was the worst possible ending for Rose, in the best possible way – what I mean by that is storytelling wise, it was heart-wrenching and made for an incredible, twisty end to the episode. The fact they couldn't even properly say goodbye is painful, and I think there's a part of me that will never forgive Russell T. Davies for ripping everyone's hearts out and stamping on them.

I'm not ready for a new companion, aaah. I'm not ready to move on. But at least we had the entertaining end to the episode, with Donna suddenly standing inside the TARDIS, to bring us some light at the end of the darkness.

–

⬅️ Previous episode: S2 E12: “Army of Ghosts” ➡️ Next episode: Christmas Special (2006): “The Runaway Bride”

#series 2 #10th doctor #rose tyler #daleks #cybermen #russell t davies #graeme harper #doctor who #doctor who rewatch

[doolallymagpie]

depending on how well-established the “martin jurgens” cover identity was, there’s a non-zero chance that the doctor is (still) a legitimate member of the guild of adjudicators

depends entirely on what their policies on dying on the job and coming back are

#this is something i'm using for my own stuff btw #doctor who #colony in space #morbius doctors #graeme harper #martin jurgens

[forgottenlivesobverse]

‘Scene to Uncover’

Cody Schell, our cover designer, also wrote ‘Scene to Uncover’ for Forgotten Lives 2, a story of the ambiguous Graeme Harper Doctor. He tells us more…

What made you want to write for Forgotten Lives 2?

I’ve always loved the idea of the mysterious, and at one time apocryphal, Morbius Doctors, and the mystery they embody. It’s also a worthy cause to fight an illness that has affected my family.

What's your story about?

A darkened theatre in a liminal space in which the Doctor is able to interact with a performance that is actually a two-way communication from the deep past, just after Event One.

What did you most enjoy about writing for this version of the Doctor?

Funny enough, I had some influence on the idea of how this Doctor was developed.  Paul Hanley and I frequently have rambling conversations where we talk about our ideas for characters and fictional worlds, things we will probably never have a chance to write. In light of the Jodie Doctor, we were sort of bemoaning the lack of diversity amongst the Morbius Doctors (although now they feel all very different, after Forgotten Lives 1 and 2)  I jokingly suggested that maybe one of the Doctors was actually female and sometimes wore a ‘slightly psychic beard’ on her adventures. Paul ran with this idea when drawing the Harper Doctor, which in turn influenced Aditya Bidikar’s story in Forgotten Lives 1.  It was great for me to then be able to be influenced by Aditya’s version of this Doctor. It was fun to give this Doctor some backstory, and maybe more importantly explain why we see this lack of gender diversity in Time Lord culture.

What were the influences on your story, and what genre were you writing in?

I loved the idea of doing something about pre-film entertainment, but also something sort of Twilight Zone-ish, where there’s something weird happening and it’s not necessarily sci-fi.  I thought about how unreal the Celestial Toymaker feels and wondered, what if he came from some street outside of time, a street with a toy store, a theatre, a cafe. This is the story of the Fountain Theatre and the Usher in charge of it. Just as the Toymaker has his realm, so does the Usher.

Aside from the one you've used, which of the Forgotten Lives Doctors is your favourite?

The Camfield Doctor is my favourite design of Paul Hanley’s, and I remember Cold Fusion felt like such a special book at the time.  Just in general, Obverse Books tries to carry on the whimsical, experimental weirdness of the ‘Wilderness Years’ more than anyone else publishing Who-y stuff, although the Gary Russell era of Big Finish did a good job of that too. It’s things like Cold Fusion, Verdigris, Scherzo, The Year of the Pig or Sky Pirates! that really made me interested in writing Who-ish stories for myself.  

Can you describe your story's Doctor in three words?

Curious, Pensive, Delighted!

#graeme harper #morbius doctors #forgotten lives 2 #doctor who

[go-to-the-mirror]

if you are not just a little bit obsessed with tenrose, then you're doing it wrong

#why are they LIKE THAT #graeme harper god a fuckin quad bike so they could run towards each other at full speed what the fuck #they fucking #AAA #tenrose #tenth doctor #rose tyler #i say this as a ninerose enjoyer #you have to be obsessed with ninerose to be right about tenrose

[raineszramski]

The two aspects of the Graeme Harper Doctor, with and without "psychic beard."

(Again, based on Paul Hanley's character designs and the Forgotten Lives books.) Also: this incarnation was ginger! I think the Doctor has since really missed the ginger hair. 😁

#doctor who fan art #sketchbook stuff #morbius doctors #forgotten lives #graeme harper doctor #brain of morbius

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

obsessed with the only 5 seconds of face-to-face interaction ten and jacobi!master have

#finishing the s3 confidentials #pls can we get graeme harper again at least for 1 little jaunt #the man has such sensibility for getting the right iconic performances #60threwatch

[hobgoblinns]

guys look at these shots from the unicorn and the wasp

#graeme harper im onto you #doctor who #tenth doctor #the jesus imagery never stops #i was going to say 'angel' imagery but i think christ is more what they were going for #hob.txt #stills

[thienvaldram]

Forgotten Lives Digital Release

Limited Digital Release has just been put up for Forgotten Lives 1, 2 and 3 (@forgottenlivesobverse) at Obverse Books @obversebooks.

This is a limited release so don't miss out. (I really sound like an ad but I swear these books are worth it)

#forgottenlives #forgottenlivesobverse #forgotten lives #obverse books #obverse #christopher barry doctor #robert banks stewart doctor #christopher baker doctor #phillip hinchcliffe doctor #douglas camfield doctor #graeme harper doctor #robert holmes doctor #george gallaccio doctor #morbius doctors #the brain of morbius #dweu #doctor who

[casasupernovas]

martha is so cute here

the entire opening to '42' lives in my head rent free.

#doctor who #martha jones #tenth doctor #tenmartha #42 #10th doctor #chris chibnall #thank you graeme harper #david tennant #freema agyeman

[peapod20001]

GEEZ how many of my ocs are fathers

#random post #Harley Charlie (wjen with Michael) Michael Ozzie Max Blondee Goose August Brandon James Ben Ash Rory Dawn Scott (on technicality) Harper #Emmet Doug Ciarán Adam Diego Sébastien Daniel technically all the poly bfs Phoenix is referred as dad sometimes Ike Ellie Thomas Shirley #Mark did I mention Dawn already? Joseph Graeme did I mention Rex?? Félicien Teuflisch Frances Nick Tercero Dan &James dad Hallows dad Ero’s #dan & janes dad* #dad. goose’s dad all the other dads that aren’t named #did I say frances??? she’s not a dad but also she kinda is idk. there’s so many I’m getting lost lmfao #are there others? maybe?? I can’t recall rn but you get the idea I think lol

[thedoctorwhocompanion]

Exclusive Interviews: Margot Hayhoe, Graeme Harper, and Neil Cole

Exclusive Interviews: #DoctorWho's Margot Hayhoe, Graeme Harper, and Neil Cole

Margot Hayhoe (Assistant Floor Manager, Production Manager) has worked for decades in countless BBC productions, including Doctor Who (on various stories from The War Machines to Snakedance), and The Triffids (1981). Neil Cole has just beautifully restored an original miniature from that iconic adaptation, for his Museum of Classic Sci Fi. I spoke with her exclusively for the DWC. DWC: From all…

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#Barry Lets #Bergerac #Billie Piper #David Tennant #Doomsday #Fury From the Deep #Graeme Harper #Margot Hayhoe #Neil Cole #Rose Tyler #Snakedance #Tenth Doctor #The Caves of Androzani #The Day of the Triffids #The Triffids #The War Machines #Z Cars

[doctorwho-rewind]

S3 E7: "42"

On a spaceship headed straight for the centre of the sun, the Doctor only has 42 minutes to save Martha and the ship's crew from an inevitable doom.

Episode: S3, E7: "42" Date: May 17, 2007 Writer: Chris Chibnall Director: Graeme Harper

Doctor: 10th Companion: Martha Jones

–

As I mentioned in my last post, I watched a couple of episode in December before taking a bit of a hiatus on this because I've been so busy, but I forgot to write posts about them. So I'm doing this from memory!

There's no big introduction in this episode – we're thrown right in as the Doctor and Martha land on a ship that is falling into the Sun and has only 42 minutes left. But someone or something on board seems to be taking out the crew members one by one...

I really like this episode. Great cast, and the episode in general gave me Satan Pit vibes. It keeps the tension up all the way through, and you wonder what the hell is happening, just how I think a DW episode should be – constantly keeping you guessing. Also, seeing them all getting uncomfortably hotter and hotter as the temperature rises makes me almost grateful for all the cold weather we've been having.

⬅️ Previous episode: S3 E6: "The Lazarus Experiment" ➡️ Next episode: S3 E8: "Human Nature"

#doctor who #doctor who rewatch #series 3 #10th doctor #david tennant #martha jones #chris chibnall #graeme harper