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”
Tag Archives: Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee)
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’”
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”
Spearhead from Space by Robert Holmes (1970)
The Shock of the new? Change and Spearhead from Space It is easy to assume that ‘Spearhead from Space’ came as a huge shock to existing viewers of the show in January 1970. It also fits perfectly into a narrative when writing about ‘Doctor Who’ in a marathon context, since the change of Doctor, formatContinue reading “Spearhead from Space by Robert Holmes (1970)”
A Journal of Impossible Things 