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theultimatenonbinarynerd · 13 days

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New Who Kid Watches Classic Who: Genesis Of The Daleks

Introduction

Classic Who is something I owe a lot too even though I have never seen it. Without Classic Who my Grandma never would have gotten my Mum into Doctor Who and without my Mum getting into Doctor Who I never would have become obsessed with New Who. Its a generational cycle in my family that only my brother has broken.

With all of Classic Who being put on BBC I Player well most of it. (I'm gutted about an unearthly child) I decided it was time to get into the era that thrived my Grandma (Rip) and Mum's love for scifi. But before I started from the beginning there were three episodes I knew I needed to check out, let's say they were for lore curiosities sake. The TV Movie, Genesis Of The Daleks and The Five Doctor's. I'll share my thoughts on The TV Movie and The Five Doctor's in separate blogs, for now I gotta talk about Genesis Of The Daleks. It's gonna take me a white to get use to the 6 part stories and dramatic cliffhangers but I'm willing to give it a chance.

Okay I will say as a disabled person I see what Russell T Davies means but he needs to rewatch this episode as The Disabled Villian trope becomes worse if the character is motivated by their disability Davros isn't. I completely understand the thoughts though I just hope that skit was non cannon or an alternate universe and they treat him with respect. He was a manipulative menace in this episode and its pretty ironic that in the end he got out manipulated. I hope his other appearances are just as good and they explain his survival well.

What I Liked

There's a lot I loved throughout this six parter it was very tense and climatic. I also thought our tardis team of The Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry Sullivan worked together masterfully. Whilst The Ponds reminded me of A Married Couple Babysitting their goofy Son, These three reminded me of Two Siblings trying to keep up with their Older Wise But Mad Sibling. It's the first time I've seen Sarah with a Doctor other than 10 and 11 and they work together beautifully.

Firstly I have to praise the incredible cinematography. Man the shots despite this episode being filmed so long ago are absolutely beautiful even on a wide screen TV. The angled shadowy shots of the Daleks are really menacing and it adds to the dark tone of the story as it is. All the settings including the clean white aesthetic of the karld labs create a deeply unsettling feeling in your stomach. I also think the cuts to Davros make you very uneasy as well, his introduction and reveal was absolutely magnificent.

Secondly I have to praise the incredible themes and philosophy incoperated into this story. Toxic Fans like to scream and yell at Moden Doctor Who calling it woke when it always has been. Terry Nation crafted a really good story about the ethics of war and genocide even if you know that the very think you plan to stop might become an earth shattering unempathetic killer. It was very heartbreaking but seeing all the karld scientists wiped out by the Daleks was so important to include as it shows the deep juxtaposition between Davros and The Doctor which makes them brilliant rivals. Despite all the Daleks will do The Doctor can't bare to initiate a genocide of them in their earliest form, a mistakes that will haunt The Doctor's character for many years to come. Whilst Davros would happily kill his own men and play a Palpatine chess like game between The Karld's and The Tharls just for the survival of his creation. Its a story with very important messages and themes that the audience need to evolve. Its also a bold one as we finally get to see the orgins of The Daleks and why they are so Heartless. My mum pointed out but I already knew that the Daleks are definitely a metaphor for a certain group in World War 2. The Cybermen too you could argue.

Finally I have to praise the high stakes and thrills. My mum stared at my gasps and started laughing when I said that Classic Who seems to be more of a blood bath than the New Series. I know Bad Wolf and Parting Of The Ways was brutal but this story is just on a whole other level. As well as laughing with me she did hold my hand too I was absolutely heartbroken at some of the deaths and was routing for The Doctor, Harry And Sarah to survive and over come everything. Not to mention the cliffhangers showing this deep danger are characters were in. I was glued to my seat anticipating what might happen next. Nobody was safe and I definitely felt for all the characters that fell to The Daleks peril. This story is definitely worth it for The High Stakes alone.

What I Disliked

Okay so it might be because it's early days of me watching but I didn't like the cliffhangers as they felt disruptive to the flow of the story and very repetitive as half of the cliffhangers were are tardis team in peril or being kidnapped. My mum saids its just the fever of being a new who baby and that it was exciting at the time but for me it was a bit frustrating.

Secondly I feel like Sarah who was beautifully written in New Who didn't get much too do at all. It feels like she was running around for the sake of it and I would have loved her to play an even bigger role then she did. Whilst Harry got to help The Doctor rescue Sarah I felt like Sarah only got to hang around with other characters for the sake of it. I loved Elizabeth Sladen and will forever miss her so I want to see more awesome moments with a younger Sarah.

Conclusion

So those are my first thoughts after watching Genesis Of The Daleks. It was a really good story arc to the point I can tell why it haunted The Doctor so much even in The Time War. Poor Eight especially was haunted by it. I think it still holds up well despite the effects. My mum's right I just gotta lose myself in the story considering it's media that came out during her time. Very invested though. I can see why so many people like Four but like how everyone loves Ten he's probably not gonna be fav Classic Doctor as I tend to route for the underdogs.

Davros is so menacing and I generally can't wait to see his other appearances in Classic Who apart from the one where he's a floating head as I do think that's problematic and it makes me uncomfortable. I seriously admire the boldness of the stories and can see how they've shaped New Who. I hope New Who can make the Daleks as scary as they were in this episode. I miss when the Daleks weren't just a running gag.

I'm gonna definitely be excited when I get back to this Tardis Team. Sarah and Harry are companions that beautifully compliment the 4th Doctor. I really am excited for this journey though as a whole.

This has been Mel with a classic who review over and out.

-Melody-

They/Them

#doctor who #classic who #new who #4th doctor #tom baker #sarah jane smith #harry sullivan #fourth doctor #davros #the daleks #genesis of the daleks

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script-a-world · 4 years

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Do you have any recommendations or thoughts about how to divest interplanetary travel from sci-fi? I've been trying to build this universe forever, and i think having multi-species interaction would be cool, but I'm not entirely drawn to a fantasy world where all the 'species' are confined to that planet, and would love to have a species on a moon. But the thought of spaceships and advanced tech has never felt right. I feel stuck!

Delta: On principle, it is possible to include “space travel” in a fantasy-genre story. The line between science fiction and fantasy is pretty blurry to begin with, in many cases, so having a world that “feels” fantasy, but includes some kind of space travel is very possible, and all in the delivery.

I think the answer to your question is going to depend on the level of technology you have in the rest of your world. Depending on that, there are numerous options that could get a group of people from one planet to another. One idea include some kind of magic teleportation (as seen in fantasy like The Witcher), which usually operates on a planetary basis, but there’s no reason your universe couldn’t expand it to interplanetary travel (and won’t seem particularly un-fantasy-like in my opinion, simply new and unique). Another option would be some kind of solar sail, that uses sunlight (or rather, the radiation or light photons that it’s composed of, if you want to be scientific) to propel them from one planet to another. In real life, this is a genuine theoretical proposal for human space travel, and has been used in other science fiction films, such as Treasure Planet. Treasure Planet also did something interesting in that “space” in that movie is not a vacuum, so there was no need to pipe air through a closed spaceship. You could play with a redefinition of space like that, where it is either less lethal or not a vacuum or something like that.

Finally, regarding delivery, if you make the rest of your story feel like fantasy, then it will be fantasy, regardless of whether or not your characters travel from planet to planet. This will depend on everything from the style in which you write to the rest of the worldbuilding you do. I would recommend looking at fantasy stories that are your favorites, picking out the reasons you like that kind of fantasy, and seeing how you can add that style or “aesthetic” to your own story, to retain the feel that you’re looking for, while still exploring the full extent of worldbuilding you want to do.

Tex: Science fiction, to very broadly generalize, does its socio-political commentary under the guise of advanced technology - this usually pushes the setting to the future (or its sub-category of “once upon a time”), because of the awareness that one’s audience doesn’t already have the aforementioned level technology. It’s a method to suspend disbelief, and makes it easier to broach contemporaneous, controversial topics.

Fantasy behaves the same way, but in the ostensibly opposite direction of supernatural/paranormal. Science fantasy is a combination of the two, though admittedly the Wikipedia article is more of a stub that leads to other avenues of research. The teleportation that Delta brought up is an excellent idea - Wikipedia’s list on teleportation outlines the many methods that have been used in the past, with quite a few of them abstaining from a technological standpoint entirely.

I would, however, like to point you in the direction of Arthur C. Clarke’s Three Laws, particularly the third one:

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

As many examples in the list on teleportation point out, there are feasibly-believed technologies available to worldbuilders that from a Watsonian perspective could be perceived as “magic”, and thus fulfill your wish to find a middle ground between “fantasy” and “sci-fi”. The world of Hellboy, I think, meets many of these qualifications, and in particular how the live-action 2004 film showed people moving between “realms” while having a mix of steampunk-esque and modern, mundane technology.

The world is your oyster in this regard, because of the plethora of ways you could accomplish your vision. I think you have a great idea on your hands, and it should be interesting no matter what you decide on.

Further Reading

List of science fiction themes - Wikipedia

Category: Science fiction themes - Wikipedia

Clarke’s Three Laws - Wikiquote

Constablewrites: The TV Tropes page on Science Fantasy is significantly more developed than the one on Wikipedia. Loads of tropes linked from that page that can take you in more specific directions. The page on other dimensions also links to loads of subtropes about fantastical places that aren’t other planets. See if any of that resonates and go from there.

Feral: Portals have been a staple of the fantasy genre for decades. Although TV Tropes refers to this as “Trapped in Another World,” there’s nothing inherent about portal fantasy that says you can’t freely travel between the worlds. Although Chronicles of Narnia and Alice in Wonderland are probably the best known portal fantasies, a different take on the genre is the ABC show Once Upon a Time, in which the characters travel (only as freely as the plot needs, tbh) between different universes through a variety of methods including the Dark Curse, magic tornadoes, magic beans, magic hats, and Genie wishes.

There is also Diane Duane’s young adult series Young Wizards, in which the characters travel totally freely between different worlds in our solar system, galaxy, and universe via magic portals called worldgates. There is a hub of worldgates known as the Crossings, which is a spaceport but with magic portals instead of space ships. I recommend Young Wizards to pretty much everyone, but I think this specific series could definitely help jog some ideas for the brand of fantasy you’re going for - just a heads up that the interplanetary travel aspect is given a nod in the first two books, So You Want to Be a Wizard and Deep Wizardry, which take place respectively in a parallel universe and the bottom of the ocean, but really gets going in the third, High Wizardry.

Another weird take on the portal fantasy/science fantasy niche crossover genre is Doctor Who. Yes, aesthetically speaking, Doctor Who is much more sci-fi than what you might be interested in, but we’re talking about the mechanics of space (and time) travel, and the TARDIS is a magic blue box that you enter and then a minute later you exit and are in a different place and/or time.

#pylons #space travel #planets #space #Anonymous

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being-of-rain · 7 years

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Who Movie Viewing #1009 and Thoughts

This got so much longer than I expected. Good.

-The opening of the film, with the music and the graphics and the voiceover and the logo... it’s just so incredible. It always gets me hyped and I unironically love it to death.

- “It was a request they should never have granted.” Did Eight really try to blame the Daleks right then. They did... the least... in this entire film... Doctor you just made a deal with the Daleks and the Master at the same time...

- “I was finally beginning to realise that you could never be too careful.” That is never gonna happen.

-Can you believe that I almost forgot how beautiful the gothic Tardis is???????? Don’t worry tho, my love has been reignited now.

-Lee is looking beautiful tonight.

- “Is he rich? Cause where we’re going he better be rich.” Ah yes, this is one of those eps where they go to a dystopian human colony. This time its called America and has awful health care

-The shot of running down the hospital corridor in full ballgown with opera over the top is one of my favourite things ever and is also the most iconic thing I’ll ever see.

-Grace is looking beautiful tonight.

-Brian is such a dick. @Grace dump him.

-Sylvester McCoy literally spent half his time in the film lying down playing dead.

-I haaate gratuitous operation/hospital scenes, and this is horrible, and the fact that I still like this movie so much is amazing.

-Who decided the goo snake was a good idea because its so freaking weird and i do not like it. They should have just made it Crispy crawling around. Then again if I had to watch Crispy crawl into Bruce I would die right here and now.

-Here’s my boy. Eight is looking beautiful tonight.

-The first words anyone spoke to my beautiful boy; “Oh my God. GOD NO!” @the universe, what is your damage

-omg for some reason I’m not sure I had ever noticed Eight was humming to himself before???? As he shambles around the hospital. Is it the same music he heard when he died?? That would make sense

-Eight is literally the most pure and innocent person to ever appear on film??and all I want in my life is for someone to wrap him in warm clothes and love him.

-What does he even do all night?? Does he go Tenth Doctor-esque catatonic?? In the middle of a soaking wet, shattered glass-littered abandoned hospital wing????? I REPEAT: SOMEBODY GIVE MY BOY A HUG AND SOME LOVE

-The dramatic music when Eight picks up the Nixon mask gets me every time. AU where he bonds with it and wears it as part of his outfit, and everywhere he goes people assume he’s a serial killer.

- “What would you like me to call you then?” “Master will do.” Bruce’s wife does not deserve to be kinkshamed in her own home, so I’m going to kinkshame the Master instead who absolutely deserves it, no matter where the fugk he is, for choosing the name in the first place.

-Underrated Gem from the Movie #78001; *Pete is freaked out after having freaked out because he saw the Doctor come back to life* Pete: Y’know what? I’m going home. Grace: Hey Pete, stop off at a psychiatric and pick up more mind-altering drugs. Pete: *completely serious* okay sure. Grace: *looks incredibly concerned*

-I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again; Eight’s outfit looks so comfortable. I want it.

-What the heck is with the guy just glaring at Eight in the hospital waiting room. What is his damage.

-This hospital guy is is crazy, burning all the evidence so that the operation never happened... he’s straight up gonna kill all of those visitors who watched it. This is an episode of CSI in the making.

- “You’re tired of life but afraid of dying.” Eight you’re like 8 hours old, no one gave you the right to be this Real.

-Eight covering his ears when Grace shouts at him is still the cutest thing ever

-What was that one post that was like “Brian took the couch but not his shoes??” because big mood

-Eight and Grace are drop-dead gorgeous in the scene in Grace’s house.

-The Doctor’s apparent ability to know everyone’s future is something added to the movie that’s just as odd and out-of-keeping with the rest of the show as the “half-human” line. One of the EDAs mention that Eight has a special gift to see people’s timelines and stuff that’s unique to this regeneration or something? That’s pretty neat.

-The Master being in the TARDIS when Lee enters means that (a) he knows the Doctor so well that he knows where the spare key is (and had to get a box or hypnotise a passer-by to help him reach it) or (b) while Lee did that quick stunned walk around the outside, he bolted in and played it cool when Lee came back in. Either option is kinda hilarious to me

- “It took me a while with the walking and the talking” Same.

- Lee is looking incredible in this Tardis scene.

-Eight when he gets excited is the cutest thing ever.

-JKLDSJCOSDIVDSCJO The most underappreciated part of the “THESE SHOES” joke is that Grace stares right at the camera like she’s in the Office

-I love the conversation Lee and El Maestro have when they stick their heads in the holes in the Tardis pillars cause that’s a great use of set??? It is literally a crime that this set was never used again and I want an exact copy as my new bedroom.

-In case someone doesn’t know, according to the EDAs the bats in the Tardis are called Jasper and Stewart and they’re twins and adorable.

-So do all ambulance medics look like the Terminator in America or

-Has anyone else read the Wife in Space blog, because the TV Movie one has the line “is the Eye of Harmony making it rain chickens” and honestly #iconic

- “I can’t make your dream come true forever but I can make it come true today!” Like my favourite line in the movie.

-So the Master and Lee don’t do anything while Grace and Eight get the bike. The Master’s like “Scuse me, I gotta wipe this fire extinguisher guff off. You follow them.” and Lee is like “sure bro, just gotta wait for this traffic.

-Talking of #iconic, the music in The Chase.

- “I wish I had my sonic screwdriver” “What?!” Doctor please stop throwing scifi terms at poor Grace.

- “I told you it was small.” “What is it they say?” “Yeah they say that on my planet too.” I can guarantee you that poor Ace Eight does not have a single clue what Grace actually means.

-So the Master just throws up over everyone now huh. That’s his gameplan now huh. Someone please put him out of our misery.

-We’re back in the Tardis and, Those angles..... That lighting........

-Have I mentioned that I love Eight’s hair yet? Because I love Eight’s hair. Also it’s kind of red in some shots and kind of not in others?? idk

- “We haven’t got any time to waste.” “But time to change!” SPEAKING OF ICONIC; “I always” *snap to close up* “Drezzzzzzzzz, for the occasion.”

-Eight: Lee, this is my Tardis. This is my Eye and I'm in my own body! Master: *the fakest laugh I have ever seen* I’m sorry Lee but how did you ever fall for the Master’s lies.

- “In 700 years no one has managed to open the Eye. How did you do it?” I mean, the last person to open the Eye was probably the Master as well? In the Deadly Assassin? (another face wowee. Just goes to show; to enjoy Dr Who all you gotta do is ignore the logic and “science”)

- “What do you mean it won’t work?” *scientist shrugs* Mood.

- “WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF LAST CHANCES” “MORE THAN YOU” I looove the camera shots for those lines, with both of their faces n stuff.

-Lee: YOU LIED TO ME! Master: I can’t believe... my own son...

-Just How Necessary Was The Master / Grace Kiss Exactly 2k17

- “I’M BLIND!” (Oxygen, 2017)

-Grace just saved the planet by hotwiring an alien time machine she has spent 2 minutes on... when will your fave ever

-This climax never has and never will make any sense, but it sure is editted nicely! Very dramatic.

- “What’s a temporal orbit!” Same

-Eight, calmly: Your life force is dying, Master. The Master, the most dramatic shit you’ll ever meet: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

-Omg where is that post of just Eight’s leg. Because #iconic

- “You’ve both been somewhere I’ve never been” Doctor you were dead exactly one (1) day ago.

-Grace, Lee and Eight are such a beautiful Tardis team, and between the “I definitely wouldn’t live through that again” scene and the final goodbye scene, they absolutely go on a bunch of adventures together.

-Lee could 100% have just walked away with that gold and Eight obviously wouldn’t have stopped him. But he chose to offer it back to him,, when will your fave

- “See you round Grace!” I bet Lee goes to meet up with Grace again and acts like they’ve been through a lot together, and Grace very quickly cycles from “yes we have” to “wait you straight up tried to get me killed” to “why do you even want to talk to me” to “okay wait I have no one to talk to about this, you can stay”

- “Thank you Doctor.” “No thank You doctor.” What a couple of precious cuties. btw they’re both looking gorgeous and beautiful in this scene, and so was Lee. Just in case you were wondering.

#my posts #long post #dream tardis #doctor who tv movie

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circular-time · 7 years

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Hi! I'm trying to go through Classic Who and was wondering what some good serials to start off with would be, in your opinion? From a variety of Doctors, if that's okay.

Great question. It’s hard for me to boil 27 years into a quick watchlist, but I’ll do my best to give you a good sampler with good stories, watershed events, and most classic companions. I’ll boldface my top rec for each Doctor.

My suggestion is to try 2 top-recommended stories for each of the classic Doctors, and then watch more of whichever Doctor/companions catch your fancy.

Rec list below the cut:

First Doctor

I always wrestle with where to start newbies.

Unearthly Child is such a good launch, especially the first half hour. It establishes that the Doctor has a lot to learn from humans! But if you find the later episodes of that story a bit draggy, it's okay to skip ahead to when the show hits its stride.Here:

The Aztecs (Barbara, Ian, Susan): First TARDIS team, classic historical, first to grapple with ethics of altering history. Excellent story.

The Romans (Barbara, Ian, Vicki): Lighthearted historical with a lot of moments to make you grin.

The Time Meddler (Steven, Vicki): Another fun one, first to introduce another Time Lord (although at the time, the showrunners hadn’t decided that the Doctor wasn’t human; the “Time Lord” concept was introduced in the second Doctor’s final episode.).

Second Doctor

I know this era the least, because almost all its episodes were lost when I was a kid, and I still need to catch up on recons and recovered stories. A pity, because Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Peter Capaldi all look back to Patrick Troughton as their Doctor.

I’m still playing catch-up, but I warmly suggest:

Power of the Daleks (Ben, Polly) I’m not quite sure about this rec. It’s the first regeneration story ever, totally lost apart from the soundtrack, recently reconstructed using 1960s-comics-style animation. The visuals may not be your cup of tea, but it’s a good story. I guess this is another, “Try it, see if it works for you, and if not, move on.”

Enemy of the World (Jamie, Victoria) WATCH THIS. NO SERIOUSLY. It’s alarmingly topical, and Pat Troughton is amazeballs. Remember it’s 50 years old now.

The Mind Robber (Jamie, Zoe) a goofier, more lighthearted entry than most of my suggestions, but if you have a sense of humour, it’s a lot of fun. It reminds me that (a) Who was primarily a kids’s show smart enough for the whole family to enjoy and (b) early television was like watching a stage play; you had to suspend disbelief, tolerate flat sets and basic props, and fill in the rest with your imagination. Our minds were the CGI of early TV.

Third Doctor

Three was my first Doctor, so from here on it gets difficult for me to be choosy.

Spearhead from Space (Liz, Brig) for sure; it’s the intro of the UNIT era and a good regeneration story. Keep in mind what a radical departure this was; not only was it in colour, but it was the first time the Doctor and companions had left at the end of one season and been replaced with an entirely new cast in the next. The Doctor was now Earthbound, working with UNIT. The Time Lords had just been established in the previous (10 episode long!) serial.

Inferno (Liz, Brig) is widely regarded and a heck of a story, with some unforgettable moments, but it’s another that’s about one episode longer than it needs to be according to modern tastes.

Terror of the Autons (Jo, Brig, Benton) introduces Jo AND the Master. Good story. Watch it. :)

The Three Doctors was the tenth anniversary special, and I love it, goofy monsters, ham acting, campy villain and all. William Hartnell passed away not long after.

Fourth Doctor

This is especially hard to pick and choose because Tom’s era spanned seven years, and he had so many good companions and watershed stories. You don’t have to hit all of these; I just have trouble choosing.

Genesis of the Daleks (Harry, Sarah Jane) for sure, introduction of Davros. Unusually dark but important story, a real watershed.

The Brain of Morbius (Sarah Jane) is a solid Four-era adventure introducing the Sisterhood of Karn and another problematic Time Lord. It’s not a pivotal story so much as “this is absolutely classic classic Who, and good entertainment.”

Hand of Fear is Sarah Jane’s final story. It’s a good sendoff, even if the writers had forgotten she was a tough bird; she shrieks more than I’d like. The final scene is embedded in the hearts of all Whovians of my generation. Our Sarah Jane.

The Deadly Assassin (just about the only solo Doctor serial): I waffle on whether to recommend this because it’s slow in spots, but it probably did the most to establish Gallifrey canon of any story, since it’s the first story that takes place on Gallifrey.

The Face of Evil introduces Leela. And you can skip it. No really, it’s simply a good adventure, and I hate for you to miss Leela altogether.

The Pirate Planet (Romana I, K9) is hilariously over the top, a farce penned by the inimitable Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker’s Guide. Bonus: drinking game with the phrase “MIISTER FIBULIIIII!” Except that might land you in a hospital, so never mind.

The City of Death (Romana II) contains a lot of running through the streets of Paris and Tom Baker and Lalla Ward flirting shamelessly. Nevertheless, it’s a good story with an unusually good secondary cast. A fan favorite. Watch for the John Cleese cameo!

Drat, that’s too many Tom Bakers already, so I guess I shouldn’t say Keeper of Traken. But I’m gonna, because I’m biased. (It’s Nyssa’s intro, a Shakespearean tragedy with an interesting villain. More importantly, Anthony Ainley, the next Master, plays her father.)

Fifth Doctor

Castrovalva is the best regeneration story. Yes, I’m biased, but that sequence with Peter Davison wandering around the TARDIS imitating the Doctors he grew up watching is a great intro.

Earthshock (Adric, Tegan, Nyssa) I haven’t given you any Cybermen stories yet, have I? Watch this one. I refuse to spoil why; I’ve already spoiled the first cliffhanger (it had been seven years since the previous Cybermen story, and nobody was expecting them).

The Five Doctors (Tegan, Turlough, and everybody else) is the 20th anniversary special that brought back as many Doctors, companions and monsters as it possibly could. Pure fanservice, but fun for all that. Plus more Gallifrey worldbuilding.

Caves of Androzani (Peri) is often voted the best classic Who story ever. Not sure about that, but the directing in this one is so much better than most of the era it hurts. Even if modern audiences are no longer used to characters addressing the camera; it was a convention back then.

Sixth Doctor

Poor Colin; I love his audios but I haven’t gone back and watched his TV serials since the 80s. The two I remember as especially good are:

The Two Doctors (Jamie, Peri) - Colin Baker collides with Patrick Troughton. Not to mention Jackie Pearce, who played the arch-villain of Blake’s 7.

Vengeance on Varos (Peri) - keep in mind that so-called Reality TV was almost two decades away

Seventh Doctor

I loved the quirky first season of the Seventh Doctor era, but most people don’t. Delta and the Bannermen (Mel) was apparently penned under the influence of recreational substances, and I love it, but again, most people don’t. Happiness Patrol is another “I love it, but most people don’t” story.

These are safer, quality bets:

Battlefield. (Ace) WATCH IT. NO SERIOUSLY. Last Brig appearance on classic Who. A+ would recommend, if nothing else for the fact that Who clued in to having a diverse (and good) cast. Watch for Ace’s gal pal of the week. ;)

Remembrance of the Daleks (Ace) was originally meant as the 25th anniversary special. The Doctor returns to Coal Hill School for the first time since Unearthly Child. There’s Daleks and the famous Unlimited Rice Pudding speech. Ace kicks Dalek ass.

Survival. Last classic Who ever. A Master story. Ace’s gal of the week is none other than Lisa Bowerman (Big Finish director, also plays Bernice Summerfield) disguised as a furry. Despite the naff costuming, it’s a good story, and the scriptwriter was slipping in as much lesbian subtext as she could get away with in the 80s (according to an interview).

Eighth Doctor

By all means, watch the TV movie, despite its flaws. When it came out, my friends compained, “Stop trying to appeal to Americans by making Doctor Who more American! We’re Anglophiles!” And I lamented, “This is the opposite of Doctor Who: The FX are superb [well, they were then] but the dialogue is mediocre!” Nevertheless, we all loved Paul McGann as the Doctor and were angry on his behalf that he hadn’t been given a better script to reboot the franchise.

My opinion of the 1997 movie has risen considerably over the years, but it’s still a bit rocky.

And of course you have to see Night of the Doctor, but it’s only seven minutes. Perfect Paul.

Edited to add: Nobody is grading you on your hobby. Or if they are, F ’em. You are allowed to pick and choose! There is so much Who now that it’s pretty much impossible to see, read and listen to all of it. Different eras of the show have different styles and appeal to different tastes. So watch what gives you joy. Just remember there are overlooked gems in every period.

#recommendations #recommendation #newbie guide #classic who #your mileage may vary of course

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Time Fracture: ‘It’s a Love Letter to All of Doctor Who, From William Hartnell to Jodie Whittaker’

https://ift.tt/355f6vX

Doctor Who has spun off into so many different mediums you’d almost need a 500-year-diary to contend with it all. There are books, graphic novels, stage shows, annuals, computer games, board games, and full-cast audio adventures, to name but a smattering. Unbound from the strictures of television, this multiverse of shared pocket universes offers experiences and crossovers the likes of which those first children to huddle behind their sofas in fear of a black-and-white Dalek could only dream. The only thing a Doctor Who fan can’t do is physically inhabit the Who-niverse and feel a little of the excitement, intrigue and danger of what it is to be the Doctor or one of their companions.

Until now.

Doctor Who: Time Fracture, newly opened in London’s Bond Street, is an immersive theatre experience that pits its participants against a smorgasbord of baddies across space and time, giving them the chance to team up with, or become, their greatest heroes in a race to save the very universe. But what exactly is it; how does it work? What can people expect? And how did it come to be? Den of Geek spoke to the show’s writer Daniel Dingsdale to find out.

A Different Show For Every Visitor

Our Zoom chat begins somewhere deep within the bowels of Time Fracture’s sprawling facility, but the signal keeps cutting out and rendering us in pixelated slow-motion – probably the Cybermen running interference – so Daniel swiftly whisks my avatar out onto the London streets. There’s a UNIT sign on one of the exit doors, the first of many Easter eggs in the Time Fracture tool-kit.

The background cacophony of cars and people serves as a stark reminder that life is slowly returning to normal here, a far-cry from the locked-down dystopia that saw Time Fracture’s original premiere date scuppered in 2020. Some things, though, are worth the wait.

“The entire show is a love letter to Doctor Who,” he begins, “and that’s not just the modern iteration from 2005: it’s a love letter to all of Doctor Who, from William Hartnell in the 1960s right through to Jodie Whittaker right now. That being said, we’ve also designed this to be a show that you can walk in off the street having never watched an episode of Doctor Who and still have yourself a really cool, fun romp through space and time. David Bradley said it very well: if you’re not a Doctor Who fan when you come in, I’m pretty sure you will be when you leave, and I agree with David.” David Bradley – Whodom’s latest First Doctor – is just one of a raft of Doctors to have been confirmed as appearing in the show.

Gleaning precise details about Time Fracture proves difficult. Not because Daniel is reticent to provide them. Far from it. He speaks quickly and excitedly, full of fervour for the show and its army of exceptional creatives. But because… well, it would spoil the surprise.

“Obviously we want to tantalise people and let them know that what they’re going to see is going to be worth their time and worth their money, and be exciting and engaging, but we really do want to keep as much back as possible, because you only get that joy – that surprise, that emotive response – once. Exploration is so key to this experience. We want you to explore, we want you to engage with the characters.”

This is what differentiates the show from regular theatre – with its rows of seats or proscenium arch – and makes it truly immersive: the expectation that the audience members will be “complicitly involved in the action that’s unfolding around them”. In this case, that means roaming through a vast studio landscape that’s populated with 42 different characters, spread across 17 fully-realised worlds, moving through a story that’s both rigorously planned and gloriously open-ended.

“The narrative has a defined beginning, middle and end, and an over-arching plot that will always happen,” explains Daniel. “However, how that happens is very much down to the audience and how they engage with that narrative – which characters they talk to, who they follow, who they choose to ally with – and as a result the show will be different for each and every audience member.”

An Adventure in Space and Time

The logistics of the experience have altered due to social distancing requirements, but, nevertheless, 300 people will arrive at each performance of the show, heading into the fray in staggered waves of 90. Each group will then explore a cluster of worlds and their mysterious inhabitants for 45 minutes at a time, before heading on to the next piece of the puzzle to make way for the plucky adventurers at their backs, and so on to the end, over a total performance-time of two hours and 15 minutes.

It must be both exhilarating and exhausting for the actors, to put it rather mildly. Daniel agrees. “When we’re in the second act of the play, there’s about 18 different narratives running concurrently next to each other, all locked together in different ways. Our 42 actors are not only delivering narrative in text and script, but are also improvising with the audience, because all of their lines are basically a massive monologue – the other part of the scene isn’t there yet. It’s a really big job, but they’re doing amazing work in the show.”

I put it to Daniel that Time Fracture director, Tom Mallen, must teeter daily on the cusp of a nervous breakdown. Daniel smiles. “Tom’s a brilliant immersive director. He’s wonderful at working with actors and shaping these kinds of stories. He’s got a great knowledge of the medium and a wonderful way of rallying the team, steering the ship.”

Tom and Daniel are veterans of the medium, having worked together on a great many projects, including an immersive production of The Great Gatsby in which Daniel – acting rather than writing this time – was directed by Tom.

Graduating to writing duties on such a vast project as this, and with a plot as rich and as complex as Doctor Who by its very nature demands, undoubtedly presented a great challenge to Daniel. How did he approach it? What was the creative process, from start to finish?

A Brief History of Time Fracture

“It started off with a huge, deep dive into everything Who: watching hundreds of hours, right through from the 1960s to today, to find and to pull out the things and go, ‘Well, that’s definitely got to be in; that’s definitely got to be referenced in there’. I mean, we’re going from the idea that this is only happening once – this is the one, this is THE Doctor Who immersive show – so what would fans be disappointed if they didn’t see? And then, from there, coming up with an over-arching, big, broad narrative for the entire thing; all of the locations and characters, and how that all ties together, which eventually became the eponymous time fracture; this rift in space and time, which helps us link all of this stuff together.”

“And then it starts to break down into smaller and smaller bits: so the cast, on their first day, were presented with this huge document which we call the Beat Sheet, which has all the beats for each individual character in very, very great detail, and how they all slot together and spiderweb. And from there we start working with the cast, making those beats, creating those scenes, which then becomes set text.”

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A mammoth undertaking. It’s easy to imagine some suit sitting in a dimly-lit office somewhere, nursing a bottle of whiskey, flicking through the script and occasionally stopping to spray out their drink in an apoplexy of panic. ‘HOW many different bloody planets has he written into this? FORTY-TWO alien costumes!! Why did I ever say no to producing that one-man play, ‘THE VOID’??’

Did Daniel have to beg, steal or borrow in order to realise his artistic vision?

“The producers, Immersive Everywhere, were amazingly supportive of the creative process. Almost nothing was said no to. We also had a lot of conversations with our creative partners over at the BBC. There was a lot of back and forth over, ‘These are the worlds we want to use; these are the characters we want to include’. Some of those are incredibly precious to them.”

But a session in Cardiff, on the set of the TARDIS itself, with the BBC’s Jeff Parker, during which Daniel outlined the show from start to finish, was met with enthusiastic approval.

“And from that day we haven’t had to make any changes. So everybody’s been really generous, both the BBC and our producers, in terms of helping realise this thing, and it’s all the better for it.”

A Long Line of Doctors

So what about Daniel’s Doctor Who credentials? Did he grow up cowering behind the upholstery too?

“I grew up in the Wilderness Years, just after Sylvester McCoy had gone off of the TV, but I still had the annuals. You still played it in the playground. I still had a favourite Doctor.” And that was? “Jon Pertwee. He had the frilly shirt and the cloak, and I thought he just looked really cool, and I liked his white hair. You know, I was seven, he just looked the best.”

Daniel enjoyed the Paul McGann movie, but it wasn’t until New Who that he started really paying attention. “I caught ‘The End of Time Part 2’ on New Years’ Day. It was when David Tennant regenerated into Matt Smith, and it was the last line that got me: ‘I don’t want to go’. I found myself crying. I had no real relationship with this character, but I was so moved, and I thought, ‘I’ve got to keep watching this’. And so I started from that. By the time Jodie was the Doctor, I already knew I was doing this, and I was right back at the beginning, right back in the 1960s, working my way through.”

What about his favourite Doctors now, both classic and contemporary?

“It’s potentially a cliché, but it’s a cliché for good reason, so I have to say my favourite classic Doctor is Tom Baker. I love the cosmic hobo nature of it; the smartest person in the room who is – what’s the quote – yes, ‘What’s the point of being an adult if you can’t be a little childish sometimes?’ Tom encapsulates a lot of what is quintessentially Doctor-y. Although a very close second is Patrick Troughton.”

For his contemporary choice, Daniel leans towards a spikier breed of Doctor. “Peter Capaldi is my Doctor. I was incredibly excited when he was announced, because I thought, ‘That’s a very different energy’. And he didn’t disappoint. He’s also in my favourite episode, ‘Heaven Sent’, which is just a beautiful soliloquy. One actor, one character, just talking their thoughts out loud for 45 minutes, and having it be so engaging and emotional.”

Daniel assures us that every Doctor will be represented in Time Fracture, in some form or another. Even the living ones who weren’t available to contribute. “Some of the Doctors everyone will see. Some of them you would have to be part of a certain story, talk to a certain person, to discover these things that are hidden around in parts of other stories. The performers who are no longer with us have been realised in a different way, but all of the doctors are present – either in video or vocally – because, again, this is a love letter to all of Who, and it was really important we got all of those voices together.”

Daniel issues a wry smile when de-ageing is suggested. “So, there are obviously people within the show who don’t look like their characters anymore, so they’re realised, perhaps vocally, or with something else you’ll be able to see when you’re there.” You won’t ever be stuck for Doctors when you attend the show. Not as long as there are hard-core fans out there with wardrobes stacked to bursting point with trench coats, bow-ties and multi-coloured dream coats.

“We’ve had several David Tennants. A couple of Patrick Troughtons. We’ve had some Peter Davidsons in. We’ve had a lot of Tom Baker scarves, but we haven’t had a full Tom yet. People are making an amazing effort; they’ve put on all of this stuff, got on the Tube dressed as a Doctor, travelled across London – probably getting some side eyes on the train – but when they come here, it’s a wonderful signifier to our performers that they’re ready to play. Really, if you want to come to Time Fracture and be the Doctor: we’re gonna see that you feel like the Doctor.”

You might even be lucky enough to share your evening with a bona fide star of the TV show. Several of the Doctors who filmed contributions for Time Fracture declined the offer of a tour, signalling instead that they’d prefer to come along themselves – some with their children or grandchildren – and participate as a punter: albeit an incredibly famous and potentially-storyline-altering one.

Losing John Barrowman

Next, we come to John Barrowman. The Captain Jack actor had previously publicly apologised for his backstage behaviour on the set of Doctor Who, but when allegations of sexual harassment were made against former co-star Noel Clarke, Barrowman again fell under the media spotlight. The renewed fallout saw him removed from both ongoing Big Finish productions and Time Fracture (he had already filmed a segment as Captain Jack). How did Daniel feel about this? How did the team adapt to losing Barrowman’s contribution?

“I’m here as a writer of the script, telling those stories, and, you know, it’s not a decision that I make nor am involved with. That being said, when that decision was made there were changes made within the story to fill that – that section – and there’s something very exciting that’s happening – that is indeed at this moment happening. We’ve got some more filming to do, which I think people will be very excited about.”

So anyone peeved at the exclusion of a long-standing fan favourite – whether their ire is justified or not – can at least take heart from the fact that something special and unexpected looks to be rising from the ashes.

The Future, and a Legacy

At present, the booking period for Time Fracture stretches into 2022, and London is its one and only hub. But there exists a scintilla of a chance that the show might tour. “We adore it, and we would love to be transferring it,” says Daniel. “I mean, Doctor Who‘s got fans all across the world, but it’s early days. We’ll get London bedded in first and then we’ll start conversations about Doctor Who somewhere else.”

London might seem as distant as Gallifrey to those living further afield in the UK, but this potentially once-in-a-lifetime chance to enter the Doctor’s world seems a shoo-in for anyone, anywhere, who has even a smidgeon of Who in their hearts. As Daniel explains:

“Every costume, every prop, every evocative light or piece of original score or sound design, it’s all been put together by a hive mind of extraordinary creatives. A lot of love has gone into creating the show, and we really hope that love is translated into the audiences’ experiences. It’s also important to say that this is a family show. We’ve already had children coming through the show having a whale of a time. You’ll find children who are 8 years old, standing next to someone who is 58 years old, and they’re both getting something out of it.”

This inclusive, multi-generational aspect of Doctor Who has always been one of its core strengths, but its core message, too, resonates strongly with Daniel.

“I think the whole thing about Who is decency, and kindness. To be a hero what you need to do is think, and talk. You need to be a good person. You don’t run around with a gun; you don’t fight your way out of something: you reason your way out of something, you think your way out of problems. And you make the best choice…You make the right choice.”

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Tickets for Doctor Who: Time Fracture are available to book here.

The post Time Fracture: ‘It’s a Love Letter to All of Doctor Who, From William Hartnell to Jodie Whittaker’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

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