Eleven plots from David Bowie’s Low

For David Bowie’s birthday and now monthly, adventures based on his studio albums’ song titles, working backwards.

After album titles, ★, The Next Day, Reality, Heathen, Hours, Earthling, Outside The Buddha Of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, Never Let Me Down, Labyrinth. Tonight, Let’s Dance, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Lodger, “Heroes”...

Low playlist

Low from 1977 is the first of the Berlin trilogy, Bowie working with Iggy Pop and Brian Eno among others after he and Pop moved to get clean, and some of the songs reflect on that directly.

Although the album before “Heroes”, started at the Chateau d’Hérouville in France, which is probably not an influence but I’ve always wondered.

Speed Of Life

One of the travellers gets to attend his own funeral. And it’s not at a grand old age.

Breaking Glass

A solar power satellite threatened by robot assassins sent by the backers of a rival power source.

What In The World

The TARDIS lands and everybody around notices. It and the travellers are regarded with a natural level of curiosity for how odd they are instead of being casually shrugged off by most people as usual. What’s that about?

Sound And Vision

October 1955 and someone is trying to stop the broadcast of Quatermass II. It couldn’t be an alien conspiracy worried about being uncovered, could it? Hint: Yes it could be that.

Always Crashing In The Same Car

How do you save someone who seems fated to die, reality shifting to make it happen again and again? (It reflects the song’s feeling of making the same mistake and having to break the cycle, while of course I make it way more literal.)

Be My Wife

The Stranger finds herself in a vital diplomatic marriage between two space civilisations. How long can she stick out being a queen?

Or

The travellers help a Victorian family with an interdimensional monster problem, and the eldest son is quite taken with one of the travellers.

A New Career In A New Town

The travellers have to get jobs in a publishing office to make sure a world-changing book gets published.

Warszawa

Poland 1981, with the Solidarity union and movement already active in the shadow of the USSR and threatened by both modern and future forces wanting to crush freedom before it starts.

Art Decade

1920s Berlin, the Weimar Republic, a hotbed of artistic and political activity about to be snuffed out by history, but attracting art enthusiasts from across time and space. A chance to go behind the scenes of a great lost Expressionist film, and maybe save a copy when you stop some time travelling art thieves stealing it.

Weeping Wall

An isolated house in the country and a haunting effect that focuses on one part of one wall. Is it a Stone Tape recording or something else? (Optionally a Celebrity Historical with Charlotte Perkins Gilman.)

Subterraneans

Silurian episode! Maybe with pale blind Sea Devils. And a scene of the travellers having to stay quiet to avoid detection. But ending up helping them.

Bill Oddie

Bill Oddie, of The Goodies and therefore one of three Doctors at the same time for me.

The Commonwealth Games 2026

Judging the how the opening ceremony started, the BBC bid to show the Commonwealth Games really did fall through pretty late, huh?

(Glasgow still has TARDIS style police boxes, though they’re now coffee shops and the like. Edinburgh always had wider ones.)

Sylvester McCoy from his official Bsky

Ten plots from David Bowie's "Heroes"

For David Bowie’s birthday and now monthly, adventures based on his studio albums’ song titles, working backwards.

After album titles, ★, The Next Day, Reality, Heathen, Hours, Earthling, Outside The Buddha Of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, Never Let Me Down, Labyrinth. Tonight, Let’s Dance, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), Lodger...

“Heroes”, from 1977, second of the Berlin trilogy, is of course one of the icons here. Largely extemporised in the studio and half instrumental mood pieces, it was still a big hit, and the title track became possibly Bowie’s most beloved song.

Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time, as the Disney version puts it. I also rambled about the tale and the 1980s TV series on ye main blog. Doctor Who has done riffs on this legend a few times, from the Jean Cocteau references in Warrior’s Gate to companions dealing with Doctors transformed by regeneration. But have we had someone trapped by a seeming monster hoping for love to break a curse and going about it badly?

Joe the Lion

Ringling Bros. Greatest Show On Earth is on tour in the 1890s, and one of the animal acts has a problem: a locked room mystery where the room is a lion’s cage, how did he get out?

“Heroes”

An alien probe shot down by the Berlin Wall on the eve of President Kennedy’s speech. Can the travellers and people from both sides get the visitor to safety?

Sons of the Silent Age

The late 1920s, and the talkie is taking over from the silent movie. But as seen in Singin’ In The Rain, switching from silent to talkie brings a host of problems. And in this case a group of aliens who would prefer no to have their voices recorded...

Or

Two generation after the Wall of Sound used in the Seventh World War, some grandchildren of the original victims are being born with hearing intact. And raised by deaf parents and grandparents, they don’t know that they shouldn’t be able to hear that.

Blackout

A refugee colony on a planet with very little sunlight, and a solar storm about to plunge it into darkness for weeks... and someone hunting them.

V-2 Schneider

The V-2 was the first ballistic missile, and a lot of German scientists got into the US space program(me) after working on it. So it would mess up the Space Race if somebody came back in time and stole one.

Sense of Doubt

A psychic shockwave hits modern London, leaving everyone unable to make guesses. Society comes to a halt as everybody stops to analyse everything just to be on the safe side.

Moss Garden

One of the breadbaskets of the Eleventh Great And Bountiful Human Empire, a planet they really don’t want taken over by Daleks.

Neuköln

Neukölln (two Ls) is a Berlin district, West Berlin at the time of the recording, home to a number of visitors, artists, spies for various nations...

The Secret Life of Arabia

The travellers find themselves in another folktale as they have to keep a king entertained through a long night...

250 years

The United States of America has a rich history and, from this British POV, a lot of mythmaking stories to use.

One of those Doctor fantasy cast ideas...

And someone suggested Emma D’Arcy. And... yes.

July

Happy Canada Day for one!

Regeneration time again

Charlie Jane Anders on some ways to make Doctor Who new again. And not just posted because she agrees wth me about one major reason the 1996 version failed and the 2005 version succeeded.

Update on plans for the future of Doctor Who

Update on plans for the future of Doctor Who at BBC.co.uk

Russell T Davies on departing, being positive about the unknown.

Roundup at Empire.

Christmas (special) is cancelled.

“the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year.”

The CBeebies cartoon is still happening. Beyond that,,,?

Ten plots from David Bowie's Lodger

For David Bowie’s birthday and now monthly, adventures based on his studio albums’ song titles, working backwards.

After album titles, ★, The Next Day, Reality, Heathen, Hours, Earthling, Outside The Buddha Of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, Never Let Me Down, Labyrinth. Tonight, Let’s Dance, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)...

Lodger from 1979 concludes the Berlin trilogy with some experiments like two songs with basically the same chord structure.

Fantastic Voyage

Well this has to be about miniaturisation, doesn’t it?

“How can we be in here? How do we fit?”

“Miniaturisation ray.”

“How would you know that?”

“Well, there was a ray, and then we were miniaturised.”

Amy and Rory, Let’s Kill Hitler

Doctor Who has done this a few times, including going all-in on the submarining through a body with a Dalek. The Master uses a version of it to kill people and turn them into action figures.

So maybe shrink the travellers down to the size of toys - or miniatures, to be even more meta - and make them get around a house much like the one you’re playing in.

African Night Flight

The travellers visit 1920s Nairobi and the opening celebrations for a flying school. A dashing veteran scout pilot, some romantic complications, and a time travelling saboteur.

Move On

One of the travellers has a bad break-up, and the Stranger suggests speed dating through time travel.

Yassassin

The title comes from the Turkish Yaşasın, meaning ”Long Live”, so the spelling to echo assassin adds to the joke. And now rather than in 1979, “Yass” is a purposely camp positive. So... a secret agent in the Manchester Village?

Red Sails

Pirates! And probably some aliens as well.

D.J.

The travellers have to save a pirate radio station in 1963 from censors and music-hating aliens.

Look Back in Anger

The Stranger has to stop her last incarnation doing something disastrous..

Boys Keep Swinging

The travellers have to help evacuate an underground swing club in 1930s Berlin.

Repetition

One of the travellers finds himself living through the same disastrous day, can he change the ending?

Red Money

(Recycling a Relics item) The Chinese tradition of giving money in red envelopes promises good luck and prosperity for new year and other occasions like weddings. And this year every envelope given pays out double. What’s going on, and who wants to profit from it?

Doctor Who Title Card Generator

Doctor Who Title Card Generator inspired by the Star Trek one from last week.

Back in the day I had to screencap the background and add text myself. Kids today.

Ten plots from David Bowie's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

For David Bowie’s birthday and now monthly, adventures based on his studio albums’ song titles, working backwards.

After album titles, ★, The Next Day, Reality, Heathen, Hours, Earthling, Outside The Buddha Of Suburbia, Black Tie White Noise, Never Let Me Down, Labyrinth. Tonight, Let’s Dance...

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) from 1980 provides the title for the second of the Gene Hunt time warp police series, Ashes To Ashes, as well as an X Files episode named after the title song. And he once performed it on The Jack Docherty Show backed by the show’s mouse mascot.

It’s No Game (No. 1)

The travellers investigate disappearances and get trapped in an alien VR game, or an escape room, or possibly an RPG. Nah, silly idea. Maybe a LARP because the monsters from Rogue were larpers rather than cosplayers. Or a game against the Toymaker. Or a chess match with Fenric. Or a football match with invaders. There’s a lot of this kind of thing, you know?

Up The Hill Backwards

The travellers are caught in an avalanche, which doesn’t seem to be natural.

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

The Stranger finds herself the subject of a horror film about a shapeshifting kidnapper who can appear out of any door. This seems a tad unfair. Who made it?

Ashes To Ashes

One of the companions gets to attend his own funeral. And the date says he should be dead already.

Fashion

The travellers discover a sinister conspiracy pushing youth fashion and other trends wait that’s Josie And The Pussycats oh well do it anyway.

Teenage Wildlife

Young people being targeted by alien big game hunters. How close these are to (a) Predator or (b) fox hunters depends on the point we want to make.

Scream Like A Baby

A baby monster emerges and starts calling for its parents. Given the baby is ten feet long that could be a health hazard. Yes that’s The Abominable Snow Baby oh well do it anyway.

Kingdom Come

A Biblical apocalypse. Angels and demons fighting in the skies over the Earth. And this definitely didn’t happen in the year 1999, so what’s that about?

Because You're Young

A circle of rich old men using an alien medical device to siphon the youth out of people.

It’s No Game (No. 2)

The second round of whatever that game ended up being. But now it’s Sudden Death!

Gerry Anderson's Project SWORD

On the subject of Gerry Anderson and SF toys and saving humanity, Lizbeth Myles of Telefantasy Time Jump has written a comic based on Project SWORD, a TV series Anderson produced toys and comics for but never made the show.

Gerry Anderson's Doctor Who - a thought exercise

As a result of seeing an ad for the official Gerry Anderson channel on YT and Fireball XL5 already featuring on Telefantasy Time Jump, and looking for connections of which there are a few, got to thinking what Gerry Anderson getting to produce Doctor Who would have looked like.

Probably his live-action era, UFO and Space: 1999 and others (so we know what his Star Trek would look like) or later in the Wilderness Years.

I’d imagine lots of monsters, spaceships and miniature sets that get destroyed in great detail.

Maybe something like the UNIT era but with more futuristic and merchandisable vehicles.

But maybe with some of the Thunderbirds focus on rescue fiction in amongst alien invasions like Captain Scarlet and more?

An observation caused by an adventure

Modern Doctor Who character meeting Daleks: “Oh no, Daleks! They invaded Earth a bunch of times!”

Modern Doctor Who character meeting Cybermen: “They invaded Earth a couple times and went emotional and gave up after a day. Let’s see if they’re ready to negotiate.”