Tuesday, 13 May 2014
How to choose a Doctor
New Radio Times day! With a BAFTA special and as a result a fairly gratuitous Peter Capaldi Doctor cover and Steven Moffat reflecting on the award-nominated Day Of The Doctor and the requirements of casting the key role, something he has now done three times, albeit once for one night only.
Monday, 12 May 2014
Dorothy Hodgkin
Today’s Google Doodle marks the 104th birthday of Dorothy Hodgkin (nee Crowfoot), the only British woman so far to win a Nobel Prize for science due to a lifetime of study and breakthroughs in chemistry and establishing protein crystallography.
Plot hook? One obvious one: her expertise could be vital in battling a crystalline alien. No doubt with some stuffy male disapproval to fight as well.
Plot hook? One obvious one: her expertise could be vital in battling a crystalline alien. No doubt with some stuffy male disapproval to fight as well.
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Douze Points!
I was going to create adventure hooks from Eurovision, but found Effie’s player and her husband, arguably bigger Whovians than me, have already done so. So I republish their efforts with gratitude.
They won’t all work as adventures for Doctor Who (some would work for Fiasco) but have been included for the record.
As well as the full-on-Who (check out the blue swirly vortex) they also nod to Lord Of The Rings, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Frozen, DC Comics, and Austria’s winning crossdressing Bond theme.
They won’t all work as adventures for Doctor Who (some would work for Fiasco) but have been included for the record.
As well as the full-on-Who (check out the blue swirly vortex) they also nod to Lord Of The Rings, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Frozen, DC Comics, and Austria’s winning crossdressing Bond theme.
Matthew and Edith present Eurovision 2014: Adventures In Time And Space!
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
One for the record books
The Four Minute Mile by Sir Roger Bannister was sixty years ago today, with a fair wind and a track modern elite athletes wouldn’t want to have a go at. A milestone in human physical achievement that was well publicised and so drew a fair crowd, something time travellers could sneak in to... and like the scaling of Everest or the first flight of the Montgolfiers, something time travellers seeking to squash a moment of pride could easily disrupt.
And you could probably put together a fake Doctor Who episode trailer from Matt Smith’s role in Bert And Dickie. Why is the Eleventh Doctor making sure Britain wins a rowing medal at the Austerity Olympics? Makes a change from Ten lighting the 2012 cauldron, the big showoff. ;)
The 2012 torch relay crossed through Holy Corner here, past the Eric Liddell Centre honouring Edinburgh’s greatest sporting hero, who had a remarkable life on and off the track with just the first part shown in Chariots Of Fire.
Which record or achievement would you like to see the TARDIS land in? We’ve dropped the travellers in horror and SF and war, why not a sports biopic or true-life Ripping Yarn? It could be anything from the labours of Hercules to the first Olympic event on the Moon. (And I say this as someone who might watch some of the Olympics and that’s about it sports-wise.)
Something with room for adventure like the first car race across America, or Nelly Bly testing modern transport against Around The World In Eighty Days.
And you could probably put together a fake Doctor Who episode trailer from Matt Smith’s role in Bert And Dickie. Why is the Eleventh Doctor making sure Britain wins a rowing medal at the Austerity Olympics? Makes a change from Ten lighting the 2012 cauldron, the big showoff. ;)
The 2012 torch relay crossed through Holy Corner here, past the Eric Liddell Centre honouring Edinburgh’s greatest sporting hero, who had a remarkable life on and off the track with just the first part shown in Chariots Of Fire.
Which record or achievement would you like to see the TARDIS land in? We’ve dropped the travellers in horror and SF and war, why not a sports biopic or true-life Ripping Yarn? It could be anything from the labours of Hercules to the first Olympic event on the Moon. (And I say this as someone who might watch some of the Olympics and that’s about it sports-wise.)
Something with room for adventure like the first car race across America, or Nelly Bly testing modern transport against Around The World In Eighty Days.
Monday, 5 May 2014
Onze Points!
New Doctor Who Magazine!
Exciting and slightly alarming comic adventure, big article about how the Seventh Doctor era was a partially-successful attempt to modernise the show (scuppered by being opposite Corrie), Marcus Wilson, Christopher Barry, confirmation of a War Doctor novel, lots of plugs for the collected Ninth Doctor comics (and Steven Moffat prose story) The Cruel Sea which I have all of but will still be getting in heftier format, Mona Lisa like picture of India Fisher on the back cover whose expression seems to change with the angle you look at it...
... and a big bit in the back about the Eurovision Song Contest. “Eurovision condenses an entire season of Doctor Who into one single, delirious Saturday night - precisely the same fan rituals - The embrace of camp, the delicious thrill of possible disaster, the air-punching moments of triumph. And the ever-present chance that, just like Doctor Who, the proceedings will be interrupted by Graham Norton.”
I haven’t been in a proper scoring-so-well-I-was-told-to-stop-drinking Eurovision party since the heady days of The Watch House, not least because that one nearly killed me, and there was the possibility that Lordi would appear as special guest NPCs for one episode.
But to this day the weird mix of styles and presentations does have me thinking of adventure ideas and there will be the occasional visual that suggests a scene or a monster. Any similarly random collection of art could of course have this effect, but this one is on BBC One on Saturdays, occasionally knocked Doctor Who off the schedules by a week, inspired the Big Finish adventure the DWM article refers to (as well as a legendary episode of Father Ted) and does tend to feature shiny surfaces, flashing lights and wind machines in its effects repertoire.
So if twenty adventure hooks with onomatopoeic titles appear here at the weekend, you’ll have some idea why...
Exciting and slightly alarming comic adventure, big article about how the Seventh Doctor era was a partially-successful attempt to modernise the show (scuppered by being opposite Corrie), Marcus Wilson, Christopher Barry, confirmation of a War Doctor novel, lots of plugs for the collected Ninth Doctor comics (and Steven Moffat prose story) The Cruel Sea which I have all of but will still be getting in heftier format, Mona Lisa like picture of India Fisher on the back cover whose expression seems to change with the angle you look at it...
... and a big bit in the back about the Eurovision Song Contest. “Eurovision condenses an entire season of Doctor Who into one single, delirious Saturday night - precisely the same fan rituals - The embrace of camp, the delicious thrill of possible disaster, the air-punching moments of triumph. And the ever-present chance that, just like Doctor Who, the proceedings will be interrupted by Graham Norton.”
I haven’t been in a proper scoring-so-well-I-was-told-to-stop-drinking Eurovision party since the heady days of The Watch House, not least because that one nearly killed me, and there was the possibility that Lordi would appear as special guest NPCs for one episode.
But to this day the weird mix of styles and presentations does have me thinking of adventure ideas and there will be the occasional visual that suggests a scene or a monster. Any similarly random collection of art could of course have this effect, but this one is on BBC One on Saturdays, occasionally knocked Doctor Who off the schedules by a week, inspired the Big Finish adventure the DWM article refers to (as well as a legendary episode of Father Ted) and does tend to feature shiny surfaces, flashing lights and wind machines in its effects repertoire.
So if twenty adventure hooks with onomatopoeic titles appear here at the weekend, you’ll have some idea why...
Thursday, 1 May 2014
The Silver Surfer issue 2
... presses the new book’s built-in Doctor Who buttons even more than issue 1.
Above the title we have the tagline “Anywhere And Everywhere - Hang On!”
“Earth. It’s always someone from Earth.”
The Surfer is a bit more casual than the full-on portentous dialogue he often comes with. Likewise, the Incredulous Zed is very much a funny villain.
The Queen Of Nevers is the current ultimate threat - and I could imagine an on-screen version of the Couldhavebeen King having the power she uses.
Dawn’s actions in the space prison are pure catching-on-quick companion.
Above the title we have the tagline “Anywhere And Everywhere - Hang On!”
“Earth. It’s always someone from Earth.”
The Surfer is a bit more casual than the full-on portentous dialogue he often comes with. Likewise, the Incredulous Zed is very much a funny villain.
The Queen Of Nevers is the current ultimate threat - and I could imagine an on-screen version of the Couldhavebeen King having the power she uses.
Dawn’s actions in the space prison are pure catching-on-quick companion.
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Further historical connections
It’s also Shakespeare’s 450th birthday.
And probably World Book Night.
And the day when... wait. Why do I have tally marks on my hands?
And probably World Book Night.
And the day when... wait. Why do I have tally marks on my hands?
The Doctor, St. George, And The Dragon
And the Google Doodles just keep on coming. How cool is this one?
Avoiding the nationalism issue, the obvious plot hook for St. George is The Dragon. But for a bit of variety, in eastern Europe he is better known for fighting the undead. To play that straight(ish) there are plenty of other games, as covered on my other gaming blog which you should also be reading, but there’s plenty of room for dragons, vampires, knights and saints in the Whoniverse.
A chatty Smaug-ish dragon (from space, or from the depths of the Earth and the Silurian era) would be a nice change from the usual. The above from IDW’s Doctor Who: A Fairytale Life, previewed here before it came out.
Primeval had an anomaly deposit a Dracorex Hogwartsia in the Crusade era and bring it and the pursuing knight (Tony Curran, Who’s Vincent Van Gogh) to the Notting Hill Carnival, so team historian Sara had to get them both back without causing any further paradoxes. Which was a bit of a shame as a knight joining the team would have been great fun.
Avoiding the nationalism issue, the obvious plot hook for St. George is The Dragon. But for a bit of variety, in eastern Europe he is better known for fighting the undead. To play that straight(ish) there are plenty of other games, as covered on my other gaming blog which you should also be reading, but there’s plenty of room for dragons, vampires, knights and saints in the Whoniverse.
A chatty Smaug-ish dragon (from space, or from the depths of the Earth and the Silurian era) would be a nice change from the usual. The above from IDW’s Doctor Who: A Fairytale Life, previewed here before it came out.
Primeval had an anomaly deposit a Dracorex Hogwartsia in the Crusade era and bring it and the pursuing knight (Tony Curran, Who’s Vincent Van Gogh) to the Notting Hill Carnival, so team historian Sara had to get them both back without causing any further paradoxes. Which was a bit of a shame as a knight joining the team would have been great fun.
Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Titan's comic companions
Alice Obiefune and Gabby Gonzalez join the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors on their new comic adventures.
They join a lineup of non-televised heroes dating back to John and Gillian appearing in comics at the end of the first year of the show and taking in the likes of Nick from TV Action (a black companion for the Third Doctor), Frobisher and Izzy jumping over to Big Finish and more. Welcome aboard - I can’t wait to see your adventures!
They join a lineup of non-televised heroes dating back to John and Gillian appearing in comics at the end of the first year of the show and taking in the likes of Nick from TV Action (a black companion for the Third Doctor), Frobisher and Izzy jumping over to Big Finish and more. Welcome aboard - I can’t wait to see your adventures!
Happy Earth Day!
Brought to you according to Google by the Rufous Hummingbird, Veiled Chameleon, Puffer Fish, Dung Beetle and Japanese Macaque.
Quick - which of these have good gimmicks for monsters? The Puffer Fish inflation thing and the Dung Beetle rolling its prized possessions around in a ball, perhaps? Maybe odd but friendly monsters...
Quick - which of these have good gimmicks for monsters? The Puffer Fish inflation thing and the Dung Beetle rolling its prized possessions around in a ball, perhaps? Maybe odd but friendly monsters...
Monday, 21 April 2014
The Brontës
As well as Easter (with no new Doctor Who!) today is also, according to a Google Doodle, Charlotte Brontë’s 198th birthday. Best known for Jane Eyre (which this short article spoils the end of!) she was part of a familial movement for Gothic tragedies, as well as a childhood fantasy shared world involving maps and miniatures and waitaminute...
Who-wise, I have previously suggested the Brontës for a Celebrity Historical about windswept moors and dark secrets, and that was before they visited the DWM comics as android copies wielding blaster rifles to help save the world.
Who-wise, I have previously suggested the Brontës for a Celebrity Historical about windswept moors and dark secrets, and that was before they visited the DWM comics as android copies wielding blaster rifles to help save the world.
Monday, 7 April 2014
Who is the Other? You are number seven.
Heading into New Adventures territory here.
As I understand it from explanations of the incomplete Cartmel Master Plan, the Other is the mysterious trickster of the Rassilon/Omega era, and was a pre-Hartnell, pre-regeneration-cycle Doctor. Or maybe all the pre-Hartnell Doctors. Or...
He partially manifests in the Seventh Doctor, which is why he’s “far more than just another Time Lord.”
Or something like that.
So what if this is something Time Lords could do, back in the day? Like storing their power in a Chameleon Arch, or taking the potions of Karn.
They could program themselves - or their descendants - to regenerate into specific forms under specific circumstances.
And since not every Time Lord has much control over their regenerations (the Doctor far less than most, it seems) they might not even know about it until it’s too late.
As I understand it from explanations of the incomplete Cartmel Master Plan, the Other is the mysterious trickster of the Rassilon/Omega era, and was a pre-Hartnell, pre-regeneration-cycle Doctor. Or maybe all the pre-Hartnell Doctors. Or...
He partially manifests in the Seventh Doctor, which is why he’s “far more than just another Time Lord.”
Or something like that.
So what if this is something Time Lords could do, back in the day? Like storing their power in a Chameleon Arch, or taking the potions of Karn.
They could program themselves - or their descendants - to regenerate into specific forms under specific circumstances.
And since not every Time Lord has much control over their regenerations (the Doctor far less than most, it seems) they might not even know about it until it’s too late.
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Night Terrace
The makers of Australian Whovian podcast Splendid Chaps seek to branch out into related fiction, with the adventures of retired world-saving time traveller Anastasia Black and her unwelcome companion Eddie.
Wednesday, 2 April 2014
Where would you take the TARDIS?
A question that’s always worth asking.
SF Signal asks a variety of people including Paul Cornell, Trudi Canavan, Erica Ensign and Patrick Hester, providing a variety of interesting places to go and people to meet.
There are solid bases for quite a few adventures here (including one chosen by Carole Barrowman which I’ve already run!) as well as reflections on what the chance to travel would bring.
SF Signal asks a variety of people including Paul Cornell, Trudi Canavan, Erica Ensign and Patrick Hester, providing a variety of interesting places to go and people to meet.
There are solid bases for quite a few adventures here (including one chosen by Carole Barrowman which I’ve already run!) as well as reflections on what the chance to travel would bring.
Tuesday, 1 April 2014
Brigade Temporelle
Spurred on by a question about which international Marvel heroes would be fun to feature in the movies, related to my recent post about Marvel UK, I also looked up Cool French Comics for their local superheroes including those next to Marvel reprints... and coincidentally found Time Brigade.
It’s a classic time police setup (see also TimeQuake, and Pelgrane’s Timewatch RPG) in French. Which always makes me wonder what else we’re missing due to its creation starting in other languages.
And I note that the early 2000s revival mentioned at the bottom is written by Big Name Fans and revivers of Professor Gamble the Lofficiers. Also the curators of Cool French Comics. Small world.
It’s a classic time police setup (see also TimeQuake, and Pelgrane’s Timewatch RPG) in French. Which always makes me wonder what else we’re missing due to its creation starting in other languages.
And I note that the early 2000s revival mentioned at the bottom is written by Big Name Fans and revivers of Professor Gamble the Lofficiers. Also the curators of Cool French Comics. Small world.
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