The Doctor Who Thread

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Where did you get your info from, Susan?

Actually that's to promote the Doctor Who exhibition at Blackpool. Don't believe me, note part of the helmet is missing, the overhead tram lines behind the street lamp and the sea shore behind.

Stumphole Cavern is in the Peak District.

And Wookey Hole is in Somerset

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

And Wookey Hole is in Somerset

It was you who mentioned Stumphole Cavern, not me. Look at your OP.

[Susan Foreman]

Stumphole Cavern, which takes it’s name from the crippled prostitute who plied her trade there in the 17th century, is a well known place for television shows. For example, in 1974 you couldn’t move down there for Cyber Men. In fact, in an amusing incident, Tom Baker sprained his ankle on a rock, which just goes to show how easily these accidents happen.

They've had all the celebrities down there – including the late Don Henderson of Bullman fame, The Chuckle Brothers (who left an autograph in the ticket booth) and Michael Buerk and the '999 team!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

Stumphole Cavern, which takes it’s name from the crippled prostitute who plied her trade there in the 17th century, is a well known place for television shows. For example, in 1974 you couldn’t move down there for Cyber Men. In fact, in an amusing incident, Tom Baker sprained his ankle on a rock, which just goes to show how easily these accidents happen.

They've had all the celebrities down there – including the late Don Henderson of Bullman fame, The Chuckle Brothers (who left an autograph in the ticket booth) and Michael Buerk and the '999 team!

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Stumphole Caverns are not the same as Wookey Hole. Doctor Who hasn't filmed there but the League of Gentlemen has. Two totally different parts of the country.

Whoever said the above was wrong. To be honest i'm not sure why you even mentioned it.

Not sure why you can't admit you made an error captioning your pic. Besides it's still Blackpool where the pic was taken and nothing to do with Revenge of the Cybermen filming.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

Stumphole Caverns are not the same as Wookey Hole. Doctor Who hasn't filmed there but the League of Gentlemen has. Two totally different parts of the country.

Whoever said the above was wrong. To be honest i'm not sure why you even mentioned it.

I'm aware of this. I was quoting from the Mick McNamara monologue from The League (1st series, 5th episode: 'Love Comes To Royston Vasey') which details the filming of 'Revenge Of The Cybermen' at Stumphole Caverns, when it was actually filmed in Wookey Hole caves in Somerset

Of course the picture wasn't taken at either of those places - none of the Cybermen used in that story were smokers!

[Gothmogxx]

And that's The Space Pirates DONE. I have now seen every Episode of 60's Who (War Games I already saw in the Summer of 2015, however as part of the marathon I'm buzzing to watch it again).

Normally I'd spend time thinking about what to write here but honestly I don't want to think about it. I've been putting off watching this since 2012 but cause of the marathon I had to and... The Space Pirates might just be the single worst story I've ever seen. Putrid in almost every sense. The only redeeming factor was the character of Milo. EVERYTHING else was terrible. Even the main TARDIS crew is in it less than usual so you don't even have Troughton around as much as you'd like.

Episode One - Doctor and companions get briefly chased by pirates (having no other interaction with them) and wind up in a part of the beacon by themselves.

Episode Two - Doctor and companions spend entire episode in small room of detached beacon with no interaction with other characters.

Episode Three - Doctor and companions spend most of the episode on Milo Clancey's ship until they get briefly chased by pirates (having no other interaction with them) until they fall into a pit.

Episode Four - Doctor and companions spend most of the episode in a pit, eventually escaping and finally meeting the villain at the end of the episode (with whom they have minimal interaction).

Episode Five - Doctor and companions spend most of the episode locked in a room with Milo and the sobbing, wailing Issigri. They have minimal interaction with the villain of the piece or the other pirates.

Episode Six - Doctor and companions scenes all shot on film on presumably minimal sets with a few other actors. They have no real interaction with the villain of the piece or the other pirates.

It feels like some kind of hybrid between a practically Doctor-less story (Family of Blood, Blink) and every other Episode to have him. He's there but he's not the main part of the story. He just feels badly written in. In the two mentioned above it works because of the plot but this doesn't.

I mean look at The Web Planet. Is it bad? Yes but the first episode is very atmospheric and it was very ambitious: the execution was the problem. This has both no ambition and very bad execution.

There I only intended to write a few sentences at most and I've had a full scale rant. The only reason I binge watched Episodes 2-6 were to get it over with. From here on out for a long time I'm in for nothing but good Who. War Games is a good send off for Troughton (pretty sure I watched all the Episodes in a day) but its been a while so that should be fun and then its Pertwee! UNIT! Liz, Jo, Sarah! The Brig! The Master! Benton! Yates! Autons! Silurians! Alternate realities! Daleks (in stories much better than most of the 60's ones), Sea Devils, the Mutants (I'm gonna enjoy explaining why I like that very under-rated Story when it comes), Three Doctors working together, monsters in the Miniscope, Draconians, Maggots, Commander Linx, Dinosaurs (ehhh okay they suck but everything else in the story is great), Peladon... And a regeneration story I haven't seen in 6 years it isn't fresh in my mind which is good. I have also refrained from watching The Time Monster for months so I could watch one Pertwee that I haven't actually seen (yeah its apparently bad but its got UNIT and The Master so hopes up).

The marathon is going to get good and stay that way for a while and even then I didn't mention the brilliance that's coming from Hinchcliffe after the fact... Or The Key to Time... I like 70's Who.

[Demoncrat]

I'll be revisiting TWG at the weekend. Found a few more novels whilst shifting some stuff so counted them in total. 83. Not as many as some ... but there's only a couple of doubles.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

I'll be revisiting TWG at the weekend. Found a few more novels whilst shifting some stuff so counted them in total. 83. Not as many as some ... but there's only a couple of doubles.

A pic of your novels would be nice, D.

Do you know anyone who could take it for you?

[Demoncrat]

I shall post one a week ... that should keep me busy ...

[Susan Foreman]

May 1st: Today in WHO-story

Births
1918 - James Copeland (Selris in The Krotons)
1937 - Una Stubbs (Flo in the Big Finish audio Horror of Glam Rock)
1946 - Joanna Lumley (Alternative Thirteenth Doctor in the Comic Relief special The Curse of Fatal Death); Hugh Spight (Dalek in Remembrance of the Daleks)

1963 - Stefan Schwartz (Knight Commander in Battlefield)
1971 - Mike Lambert (stunt performer on Dinosaurs on a Spaceship)
1987 - Matt di Angelo (Fitz Kreiner [Eighth Doctor companion])

Deaths
1985 - George Pravda (Alexander Denes in The Enemy of the World, Jaegar in The Mutants and Spandrell in The Deadly Assassin) aged 65
2002 - John Nathan-Turner (Doctor Who producer [1980-1989]) aged 54

2008 - Bernard Archard (Bragen in The Power of the Daleks and Marcus Scarman in Pyramids of Mars) aged 91

Episodes
1965 - The Space Museum, Episode Two ('The Dimensions of Time'): 9.2 million viewers
1971 - Colony in Space, Episode Four: 8.1 million viewers
2010 - Flesh and Stone: 8.49 million viewers

Documentaries
2010 - Doctor Who Confidential: Blinded By the Light

Releases
1980 - Issue 30 of Doctor Who Magazine (Marvel)

1997 - Oh No It Isn't (Virgin Books)
2000 - The Space Age and Grave Matters (BBC Books)
2003 - Issue 330 of Doctor Who Magazine (Panini UK); I, Who 3 (Mad Norwegian Press)
2006 - The Christmas Invasion and New Earth (DVD - region 2)

2008 - Issue 62 of Doctor Who Adventures (BBC Magazines); In-Flight Entertainment (online comic strip); issue 395 of Doctor Who Magazine (Panini); 3D Monster Masks, Mini-Monster Sticker Book and A Tale of Two Time Lords Sticker Guide (Penguin Character Books)
2013 - Smoke and Mirrors (Big Finish Productions and AudioGO); Toby Hadoke's Who's Round 16 (Big Finish)
2014 - Issue 473 of Doctor Who Magazine (Panini)
2015 - Toby Hadoke's Who's Round 118 (Big Finish)
2017 - The Evil of the Daleks (Obverse Books)

Behind-the-Scenes
1969 - David Whitaker was commissioned to write The Carriers of Death, later retitled The Ambassadors of Death
1974 - The regeneration scene from the Third Doctor into the Fourth Doctor was recorded

2012 - Recording of the Big Finish audio The Wrong Doctors took place