Welcome to what may be our last (or, more likely, second-to-last) ‘occasional’ Docback before the arrival of DOCTOR WHO Season/Series 9.
If I were a betting man, I would’ve predicted that S9’s debut would occur sometime in late August. However, DW Producer Nikki Wilson’s recent (and quickly deleted) Tweet indicating that the show would be ‘back in September’ suggests I would’ve lost some money if I’d placed such a bet. Which is why I tend not to gamble.
Between now and then, however, it’s a safe assumption that we’ll finally be seeing some material from the new Season/Series - which appears to be rather efficiently ‘locked down’ in terms of leaks and information at the moment After last S8’s spectacular and highly publicized debacle, which leaked work prints onto the Internet, I can’t say I’m terribly surprised that this Season is locked down something fierce - probably with the DW equivalent of one of those FURY ROAD chastity belts which have chromy, jagged teeth around around its inviting, unporkable orifice.
We’ll cover whatever S9 news rolls around in either independent posts here on AICN, or possibly in mini ‘official’ Docbacks depending on the substance of the material being posted. And, obviously, when S9 begins…we’ll resume or normal weekly, episodic Docbacks for the run of the show (there should also be a dedicated Docback for the Christmas episode, as usual).
So now, onward to explore a few WHOish happenings…
THAT’S THE MOFF...OBE...TO YOU, BUDDY!!
Sherlock and Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat is set to receive an OBE in the Queen's birthday honours.
…says THIS piece at BBC.
Responding to the honor, Moffat indicated…
"I never thought I would get something like this. I’m astonished and more thrilled than I ever thought someone like me would be. I’m not the least bit cynical, or the least bit trying to be cool about it. I’m just really, really happy."
Meanwhile, I won tickets to see FURY ROAD in our local IMAX. That’s pretty cool, too. So take that, Moffat!
I wonder which figure he’ll carry in his pocket to ceremonies and whatnot? I’m kinda thinking an Ood. And maybe one of those little Dalek LED flashlights? Can an OBE be Knighted in addition to being an OBE? Or is it one, or the other? ‘Sir Moff of Jaconda,’ or something like that, maybe? The Moff running around with a sword. There’s a thought…
In all seriousness, I’d like to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Moffat. What an amazing feeling it must be to receive such a lovely and prestigious honor. A sincere and respectful tip of the hat, sir.
BEHOLD THE FUNKY AWESOMENESS OF THIS FAN MADE LEGO DOCTOR WHO ‘GAME’…
Apparently, I’m not the only person obsessed with the notion of a DOCTOR WHO LEGO Game. As evidenced by YouTuber BlobVanDam’s fan estimation of what one might be like.
It’s important to be clear here: the material below does not represent gameplay from the forthcoming DOCTOR WHO integration into the LEGO DIMENSIONS game which arrives later this year (more details about that HERE and HERE). What you see here is some rather fine work by an independent fan, and is completely unrelated to the official Dimensions release.
Although, these reels do a lovely job at really, really making one wish for a full-on, proper LEGO game set in the WHO verse. If ever a franchise was rich enough (and versatile enough) to support such a notion…
I mean…imagine…switching characters like LEGO games allow you to do? You could spontaneously regenerate into any of the Doctors!
Here’s BlobVanDam’s ‘What if…’
THAT ‘ART & DESIGN OF DOCTOR WHO’ BOOK I’VE BEEN WHINING AND BITCHING ABOUT FOR AGES…IS FINALLY HAPPENING!!
Longtime readers of the Docback may recall my my frequent expression of snarky dismay and bewilderment regarding the almost complete absence of material devoted to the designs and concept art of DOCTOR WHO.
What made this oversight so glaring and egregious is that various ‘Making of…’ reels across the last decade or so have featured some amazing DW concept art/design work from both the ‘Classic’ shows as well as the 2005+ iteration. Making it plainly, almost embarrassingly, evident that tremendously cool material was readily available to toss into some kind of book or App or something. This also begged the question: with so, so many TV shows and movies publishing similar books, why hasn’t such an obvious contender as DW gotten around to doing so?
Well, it’s looking like this deficit is about to be corrected - perhaps spectacularly so.
Per a listing on Amazon, DOCTOR WHO: IMPOSSIBLE WORLDS: A 50 YEAR TREASURY OF ART AND DESIGN will be a 288 page hardcover that’ll be…
An intimate, behind-the-curtains tour of the sets, costumes, spacecraft, alien planets, creatures, weapons, and gadgets used to create the stunning world of Doctor Who.From distant galaxies in the far-flung future, to ancient history on the planet Earth, Doctor Who is unique for the breadth of imaginative possibilities it offers the artists charged with bringing each episode to life. Mining the depths of the BBC archives, Stephen Nicholas and Mike Tucker have compiled this breathtaking collection of rare and never-before-published images that are interwoven with fascinating insights from the show’s writers. Showcasing the work of Doctor Who’s remarkable designers, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds pays tribute to the care and attention to detail essential to creating the look of the show, from the characters themselves—including recurring villains like the Daleks or the Cybermen—to the smallest hand prop featured in the briefest of scenes, to the TARDIS console room and other regularly used sets.
Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds explores how the art department works together with costumers and make-up and special effects artists to produce a coherent look for a diverse range of alien worlds; reveals how the artists’ relationship with the computer graphics department allows them to create locations far grander than possible in the real world; and shows how today’s creative artists have built upon the designs produced by their predecessors—the pioneers of the program’s “classic” era whose legacy has delighted audiences since 1963.
Divided thematically, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds examines the history of the program and its art and set design, and highlights how various re-occurring designs have evolved over time. Chock full of surprising, illuminating, and fascinating information, photographs, and trivia, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds is essential for every Whovian, whether you're an established fan or are new to the show.
The cover for it is even on-line…
This is being brought to us by Harper Design, who recently realized a lovely book called DOCTOR WHO: THE SECRET LIVES OF MONSTERS, which I discuss below.
IMPOSSIBLE WORLDS may be a pretty great release for WHO fans, or an amazing Christmas gift for a WHOlover in your life (especially given its late October release date). Note that Amazon is also offering a Kindle edition of the release on its product listing, which can be found HERE.
As an avid proponent of these kind of titles in general, I’m sooooooooo stoked for this book. Many thanks to the always awesome MOV for the heads up about this!
HORNORSILK REVIEWS THE DOCTOR WHO : DAMAGED GOOD BIG FINISH AUDIO
Doctor Who: Damaged Goods
Based on the original 1996 New Adventures novel by Doctor Who writer and executive producer Russell T Davies.
Written By: Russell T Davies, adapted by Jonathan Morris
Directed By: Ken Bentley
Cast
Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Travis Oliver (Chris Cwej), Yasmin Bannerman (Roz Forrester), Michelle Collins (Winnie Tyler), Denise Black (Eva Jericho), Georgie Fuller (Bev Tyler), Tayler Marshall (Gabriel Tyler), Richard Hope (Harry Harvey), Daniel Brocklebank (David Daniels), Peter Barrett (The Capper), Robert Duncan (Mr Thomas), Damian Lynch (Scott Delaney)
Truth be told, I stopped reading the New Adventures before this story came out. It’s been a long time and my copies of the novels have long been sold, so either my last New Adventure Novel was Warlock (which I know I read), or Set Piece (which looks familiar and I think I read it but if I did, I don’t remember it). I never got to Chris and Roz, and had to learn about them from other sources (such as Wiki), and, although it was written by R.T. Davies, I never got Damaged Goods to read, even after the show was brought back on the air. (While Doctor Who remained my favorite television series, I rarely watched or read or listened to anything related to Doctor Who for a few years before Big Finish released Neverland and I somehow got a copy of it sent to me; the only exception was the BF release of the Sirens of Time which at the time did not appeal to me).
For this reason, I do not know exactly how much of the novel has been changed for Big Finish. Clearly a few changes have taken place, such as the inclusion of Torchwood, because I read commentary on the novel before writing up my review to make sure Torchwood was not in the original. But it seems that adaptations which have been used to connect the novel to New Who have a foundation in the original novel, albeit now changed and adapted to fit the new Doctor Who universe (Torchwood was originally some other malevolent institute, I suspect). Time has been rewritten.
The Doctor and companions Chris and Roz (adjudicators, apparently police from the 30th century) arrive in 1987 at a working-class estate, to find a young 14 old girl, Bev Tyler, watching the Doctor. He discovers that she had seen him ten years prior, as a young girl, with an incident she could never forget: after watching her mother (Winnie) cry after an encounter with a “Tall Man,” she saw the Doctor looking at her with a very sorrowful gaze. This sets the Doctor into a frenzy. He knew something bad was going on, that there was a powerful, probably alien-influenced drug known as Smile which had been leaving a trail of death behind its use. But, with his encounter with Bev, he finds out that his adventure had been partly set up. He established a flat for himself and his companions, and he knows his encounter with Bev was to be a sign for himself that not only something was up, but this time, he sensed desperation behind his own “set-up” from his future.
The Doctor soon finds out that Bev Tyler’s mother, Winnie’s son, Gabriel, was unusual: he had a latent psychic ability which made everyone favor him, like him. He knew that whatever was going on had to include Gabriel into the equation. But what was it? Gabriel’s talent made the kid likable but also rather sinister, as he seems to be involved with powerful forces, and making people do things for his own unknown plans.
Now, this story is important for Doctor Who lore because it was written by RTD. And there are several themes and ideas within it which we find in New Who. For example, his companions Chris and Rox think that the Doctor is likely to establish himself in a new situation by helping someone win a lottery, so that he can take their place (setting up the joke as it has been used many times now in New Who). There is the working-class Tyler family, with Winnie having a very similar personality as Jackie Tyler. Sexual morality in the future appears to follow the guidelines RTD established in the first season of New Who (with Chris establishing a relationship to make that point). And, from listening to this story, it would not be difficult to see the Doctor even taking the role of Santa Claus, as suggested by New Who (where RTD had the notion that the Doctor acted as Santa for Rose Tyler).
Now, the story has many points of interest in its own right, outside of its placement in Who history, however, as a story goes, I believe it is quite average – not good, nor bad, yet with ideas and qualities which fit in both of those categories. And overall, the many elements come together in an almost haphazard way – it feels that each of the Doctor’s companions are off on their own side-adventures, which though connect to the overall problem, only intersect properly at the end (Chris is involved with the search for Smile, and Roz with the Tyler family, discerning what is up with Gabriel).
The Smile story deals with drugs, drug pushers, and has behind it an other-worldly entity calling itself the Capper which seems to be able to take control of people (the original Capper dies early on, to have the entity take over another person).
The Tyler story deals with the revelation of what happened when Winnie was crying, and what Gabriel has to deal with the title of the story, “Damaged Goods.” For those who do not know the answer, I will not reveal it because it is one of the “mysteries” of the story which does not have to be given away to discuss the story.
I am not sure if I really think the origin and point of Smile, once it is revealed, makes sense when considering it from a big picture, and I think it makes even less sense than in its original form, because it is now tied to the Time War. But, given its origin, I think the Doctor should have an easier time than he does in dealing with it once he learns what it is and how it works. While it is central to the story, it is also the weakest part of the story once its essence is revealed. And it makes, at least for me, a rather muddled ending.
On the other hand, how RTD deals with the working class and their plight, is where RTD is at his best, and we can see it here. There are elements of his story, especially concerning Chris, which I am not a fan of, but it fits with RTD and RTD’s general perspective. But as a whole, I find the attempt to make the story “big” by connecting it to some sort of Time War was not needed: it would be better if Smile had been made and established for other reasons (in Big Finish lore, for example, have Torchwood make it as a response to the FORGE, and there you have a better story, more consistent with the tech and problems I would expect with such a conflict). But of course, RTD was not the frontrunner of New Who when this was written, and I think elements of the story fit in the overall arc set up for the New Adventures, and so the desire to have Smile transcend the Earth probably makes sense in its original context. And it certainly helps keep the darkness of the Seventh Doctor’s remain with the New Adventures.
This was my first encounter with Chris and Roz, and, once again, one of the weak elements of this story is highlighted with them: they feel, like Ben and Polly, to be good characters wanting to come out but yet stuck in a story which doesn’t give them that opportunity. They are not bad, but they are not great – they just feel very generic, despite their non-generic origin as adjudicators from the 30th century. I would expect more to differentiate the 20th from the 30th century than we see here, especially after RTD set up a standard with the Doctor and Rose, having the Doctor tell Rose she needs to think beyond the dictates of 20th century humanity if she wanted to be his companion.
Given the attempt to have big themes in a work which feels small, and not fit for those themes, we have at best, the average Doctor Who story. I would give it 7/10. There are several elements to the story which I have not gone through which help give it this rating (most of what I discussed is what took away some of my own points for my rating), but I did not want to discuss them because, for the new listener to the story, they are best approached fresh to give them their full effect and value. I feel anything I said of them would make them appear better (or worse) than they are: so it is best to say this is an average story with an average rating, with some big themes that don’t’ work too well, and yet smaller set pieces which work exceptionally well (and make this memorable if nothing else). It’s a dark story, especially once the story ends and one considers all the collateral damage done, but that, again, is to be expected with a New Adventure story.
— HornOrSilk
GLEN REVIEWS DOCTOR WHO: THE SECRET LIVES OF MONSTERS
Gorgeously presented on 287 pages of high-quality paper stock, Harper Design’s DOCTOR WHO: THE SECRET LIVES OF MONSTERS (hardcover) is, essentially, a high-end scrap book encompassing much of the run of both Classic and NuWHO.
While newest Doctor Peter Capaldi is featured prominently on its cover (see above), the book doesn’t appear to feature much material past late 2013’s Day of the Doctor - a reality which would seem to portend the possibility of an updated version of this title being announced somewhere down the road.
At face value, this should be frustrating given that this book only arrived in the US late last year. BUT…and fortunately…this theoretical update will be more than ‘worth it’ if the quality of its first iteration is an indicator.
Justin Richards (who previously authored a number of DOCTOR WHO ancillary titles, as well as Big Finish audios) here provides breezy insight, context, and pseudo-narrative to whatever subjects are being assessed at any given time. He juggles an enormous amount of material with approachable and brisk clarity and pacing - no small accomplishment given how expansive and perplexing the WHOverse can occasionally be.
Sometimes this is handled in a straight-forward, informative manner. At other points, the book offers simulated newspaper articles, simulated confidential memos, etc. There’s a great deal to glean here - and a great deal this book will help you remember. Especially if you’re like me, and enjoy viewing DOCTOR WHO as, first and foremost, an ‘experience’…and only later like to backtrack to fret about pesky little details and nuance.
Which leads to my only significant uncertainty about this publication: there are tons of photos from throughout the history of DOCTOR WHO - production photos and concept art from vintage episodes I don’t immediately recall seeing before, for example. Which grounds SECRET LIVES with a legitimacy and gravitas that can’t be denied.
On the other hand, it’s never implicitly clear to what extent one should consider some of the information presented here as ‘canonical.’ In SECRET LIVES, there’s plenty of discussion about happenings we’ve pointedly seen on the show. Does this also ‘legitimize’ the pictures found on pages 182-3, for example, which feature Silence standing on-stage with The Beatles, or next Hitler at a Nazi rally? Or did I forget some part of the series? That lack of clarity can sometimes be a tad disorienting here.
Or, at the end of the day, do such concerns really even matter? Are we merely meant to take DOCTOR WHO: THE SECRET LIVE OF MONSTERS as the hugely entertaining and exceptionally well presented diversion that it is is? And accept it as something of a fusion between canon, and ‘just for the fun of it?’
Whatever the case, this title comes highly recommended. It’s dense without feeling off-putting, and expansive while never feeling inaccessible or intimidating. It works wonderfully not only by way of the ‘scrapbook’ / ‘Making of…’ approach mentioned above, but as something of a yearbook. SECRET LIVES gives readers the ability to sit down, flip through pages, and recall ___ episode, remember ___ character or creature, and discover anew that which many of us may have already seen, even if we don’t remember that we’ve done so. And to do so in a new light, though a new experience and context. Like a high school yearbook. “I remember this person!” “I remember that!” Considering it’s such a plus-sized undertaking, the experience of exploring this book is surprisingly intimate and nostalgic.
DOCTOR WHO: THE SECRET LIVES OF MONSTERS is available HERE (best price I could find), and would probably make great fodder for an interactive kindle/ebook some day. Hopefully they'll get around to making this happen someday - I think it would very much be worth it...
————
Glen Oliver
“Merrick”
DOCBACK CODE OF CONDUCT
1) a Docback should be about completely open and free discourse regarding all things WHO with, obviously, some variation on subject matter from time to time - the real world intervenes, discussions of other shows are inevitable, etc....
2) converse, agree, disagree, and question as much as you want - but the freedom to do so is NOT a license to be rude, crass, disrespectful, or uncivilized in any way. Not remaining courteous and civil, as well as TROLLING or undertaking sensational efforts to ignite controversy, will result in banning. Lack of courtesy may receive one (1) warning before a ban is instigated. Obvious Trolling or Spamming will result in summary banning with no warning.
