The Dark Places of the Inside – an introduction to Kinda ‘You will agree to be me, this side of madness or the other’ In the October 1982 issue of Doctor Who Monthly (issue 69), ‘Kinda’, the left-field Buddhist parable of forest worlds, empire and the dark places of the inside, came bottom of theContinue reading “Kinda by Christopher Bailey (1982)”
Tag Archives: Doctor Who
Image of the Fendahl by Chris Boucher (1977)
Hungry. It were hungry for my soul. There is something really rather wonderful about ‘Image of the Fendahl’, a sense of perverseness about its inception that really appeals to me. This arises from the fact that when faced with a direct order to tone down the horror and violence in the show, Robert Holmes insteadContinue reading “Image of the Fendahl by Chris Boucher (1977)”
Season 7 – A change of direction
One of the things that becomes apparent when watching season 7 after the black and white years, is just how good the direction is. It is brilliant by classic ‘Doctor Who’ standards – the show has a real sense of pace and urgency, of dramatic tension, a mix of interesting shots and with great actionContinue reading “Season 7 – A change of direction”
Spray of Death – Robert Holmes and the writeness of ‘wrong’
Sylvia, will you check Mister McDermott’s entitlement on termination of employment, please? There is a shift that happens in the writing of Robert Holmes which starts with ‘Spearhead from Space’, but becomes really apparent in ‘Terror of the Autons’ – a mining of horrific, macabre concepts and dark set piece moments, but one that isContinue reading “Spray of Death – Robert Holmes and the writeness of ‘wrong’”
I come to praise Terry Nation, not to bury him…
I’ve heard it said that ‘Terry Nation was a lazy, hack writer who re-cycled the same ideas, a stale set of clichés.’. Fandom these days seems determined to denigrate his role in the development of the show and his capabilities as a writer. All of which I think is a stale, clichéd and lazy pieceContinue reading “I come to praise Terry Nation, not to bury him…”
Planet of the Daleks by Terry Nation (1973)
Somewhere on this planet there are ten thousand Daleks! It is 1973, it is the 10th anniversary of ‘Doctor Who’. It is also the 10th anniversary of the creatures that gave ‘Doctor Who’ it’s longevity. Oh and the writer who pretty much defined what ‘Doctor Who’ would become. So, it is only fitting that theContinue reading “Planet of the Daleks by Terry Nation (1973)”
Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters Target Novelisation by Malcolm Hulke (1974)
“Okdel stood watching as the last of the young reptile men and women took their turn to go down to safety in the lift. The gleaming metal doors of the lift were set in rock; the doors slid open and shut soundlessly, taking another group of Okdel’s people to safety below the ground. Across theContinue reading “Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters Target Novelisation by Malcolm Hulke (1974)”
Doctor Who and the Silurians by Malcolm Hulke (1970)
Reptilian. Biped. A completely alien species. Liz, these creatures aren’t just animals. They’re an alien life form, as intelligent as we are. Look, Doctor, I’m not going down there to start a war, but I must know what’s going on. So, with the science out of the way, what of the story? Really, ‘The Silurians’Continue reading “Doctor Who and the Silurians by Malcolm Hulke (1970)”
Cave art and Continental Drift – The Science of ‘The Silurians’
‘This is the world as it was before the great continental drift, two hundred million years ago. And these notes, well, they’re calculations on the age of the earth, with particular reference to the Silurian era.’ Let’s get this out of the way, the geological and evolutionary timeline of ‘The Silurians’ doesn’t really work atContinue reading “Cave art and Continental Drift – The Science of ‘The Silurians’”
Zoochosis, environmental enrichment and stereotypical behaviour patterns – Life in Exile part 1
These are, to say the least, interesting times to live through. I started writing this piece during the UK lockdown in Spring 2020 and as I finish the piece now, we are heading back that way, with parts of the country already under heightened restrictions. If you take away the uncertainty for the future, theContinue reading “Zoochosis, environmental enrichment and stereotypical behaviour patterns – Life in Exile part 1”
A Journal of Impossible Things 