Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Locked thread
Davros1
Jul 19, 2007

You've got to admit, you are kind of implausible



DoctorWhat posted:

...no.

Big Finish is not as good or as revolutionary as it once was, unfortunately. Hell, in the handful of years between Peri and the Piscon Paradox and The Widow's Assassin, BF took a considerable nosedive in terms of being radical or subversive, both of which Who should really be.

An Ordinary Life :colbert:

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

DoctorWhat
Nov 18, 2011

A little privacy, please?

Davros1 posted:

An Ordinary Life :colbert:

Haven't heard it, but it's by Fitton, and Fitton owns, so I assume it's good. Fitton's really only gotten better.

Astroman
Apr 8, 2001



This is literally the most excited I've been since at least the 50th, maybe even since 2005. :dance: :swoon:

Jerusalem posted:

I always hoped they'd get Tennant to do Big Finish Doctor Who stories, but never in my wildest dreams did I think they'd get the best revival Who companion back on board as well. loving awesome.

Yeah this is just the goddamn icing on the cake. If you'd asked me who I'd want back, it would always be Donna over Rose or anyone else.

Of course, we can also get some Captain Jack/10 action as well (but not the kind he or you are thinking :colbert: )

It's good to know David Tennant's constant pestering of Big Finish and the BBC has finally paid off!

ewe2
Jul 1, 2009

^^^^^ This is just awesome news. Please let it be the adventures of Doctor Donna.

computer parts posted:

The Doctor regenerates into a quipping half Asian (by name only) girl with Kung Fu Powers.

And everybody dies.

egon_beeblebrox
Mar 1, 2008

WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING IN LIFE.



I would like a Tom/David team-up. Two most popular Doctors in one audio? Bigfinish.com would crash again.

RunAndGun
Apr 30, 2011

Burkion posted:

Let's be fair

JNT wanted to go

There just wasn't anyone to replace him

Yes, true. It's just that we hear "X" has to go every few years. And I know, that people should move on, but it just seems like I hear "X has to go" like every year, no matter who's in charge.

... and is it possible they're might've been "no one" to replace him, because they weren't looking, really?

computer parts
Nov 18, 2010

PLEASE CLAP

RunAndGun posted:

... and is it possible they're might've been "no one" to replace him, because they weren't looking, really?

I thought that was more or less it. Either he stayed or they cancelled the whole thing.

Rochallor
Apr 23, 2010

ふっっっっっっっっっっっっck

DoctorWhat posted:

...no.

Big Finish is not as good or as revolutionary as it once was, unfortunately. Hell, in the handful of years between Peri and the Piscon Paradox and The Widow's Assassin, BF took a considerable nosedive in terms of being radical or subversive, both of which Who should really be.

Exactly. And even when they were reliably putting out great material, Big Finish was never really good at serialized storytelling. They're more or less okay at telling one-off "safe" stories that slide right into established material.

Every time somebody suggests Nicholas Briggs for showrunner I wince a little. It will never, ever happen, for a number of reasons, but it's really not a good idea.

TL
Jan 16, 2006

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

Fallen Rib

Jerusalem posted:

the best revival Who companion back on board as well.

They didn't announce Rory is coming back.

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

TL posted:

They didn't announce Rory is coming back.

When they do, I promise to be excited about the second best revival Who companion coming back :)

In all seriousness, Rory was part of the best trio - it's like comparing the Troughton/Jamie/Zoe trio to Sarah-Jane. One may have been the best single companion, but the other was in the best group dynamic.

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!

RunAndGun posted:

Yes, true. It's just that we hear "X" has to go every few years. And I know, that people should move on, but it just seems like I hear "X has to go" like every year, no matter who's in charge.

It comes up because Moffat himself keeps saying that he's closer to the end of his tenure than the beginning.

Tim Burns Effect
Apr 1, 2011

Ten meets Jamie and they get strapped into a machine that makes them swap accents.

egon_beeblebrox
Mar 1, 2008

WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING IN LIFE.



Tim Burns Effect posted:

Ten meets Jamie and they get strapped into a machine that makes them swap accents.

I'm down.

CobiWann
Oct 21, 2009

Have fun!

Tim Burns Effect posted:

Ten meets Jamie and they get strapped into a machine that makes them swap accents.

Kilts EVERYWHERE.

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

Eventually I want Jamie to have been a companion for every Doctor.

That means we need to legitimately invent time travel so he can do a show with Hartnell too, and we'll get him to pick up the missing episodes while he's back there. Win-win.

Astroman
Apr 8, 2001


Or alternately, every companion gets a one shot with 6!

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!

Astroman posted:

Or alternately, every companion gets a one shot with 6!

Clearly the best solution. Everyone was all excited by T.Bakes showing up last week that they totally glossed over the superior Baker on the viewscreen.

CobiWann
Oct 21, 2009

Have fun!


Returning to Earth, the Doctor, Sarah and Harry arrive in the Scottish Highlands to investigate the mysterious destruction of several oil rigs in the North Sea.

Local superstition speaks of a deadly threat that lurks in the mists on Tulloch Moor, but the truth is even more disturbing; the legendary Loch Ness Monster is a terrifying cyborg beast which is controlled by the Zygons, an advanced alien race who are desperate to ensure their own survival, at any cost...

Tom Baker is the Doctor in Terror of the Zygons.

X X X X X

Cast
Doctor Who - Tom Baker
Sarah Jane Smith - Elisabeth Sladen
Harry Sullivan - Ian Marter
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - Nicholas Courtney
RSM Benton - John Levene
Duke of Forgill/Broton - John Woodnutt
Sister Lamont - Lillias Walker
The Caber - Robert Russell
Angus - Angus Lennie
Huckle - Tony Sibbald
Munro - Hugh Martin
Radio Operator - Bruce Wightman
Corporal - Bernard G. High
Soldier - Peter Symonds
Zygon - Keith Ashley
Zygon - Ronald Gough

Producer: Philip Hinchcliffe
Writer: Robert Banks Stewart
Director: Douglas Camfield
Original Broadcast: 30 August – 20 September 1975

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cmj12piWog

X X X X X

Terror of the Zygons serves to both kick off Tom Baker's second season as the Fourth Doctor while also closing the book on the UNIT era of the Third Doctor and is everything about classic Doctor Who distilled into a single serial. Silly looking aliens that also serve as intriguing protagonists. Special effects that both help and hinder the overall story. Tom Baker as the Doctor in word and deed. A female companion in constant peril. A lot of running around. A disused Welsh quarry. And somehow, thanks to some fine directing, production work and an memorable alien menace, it all clicks together to form a solid and memorable story.

After the events of Revenge of the Cybermen, the Doctor, Harry, and Sarah Jane find themselves called to the moors of Scotland by the Brigadier. UNIT is currently investigating the destruction of several oil rigs in the North Sea by a force strong enough to completely demolish the structures in a manner of minutes. While the Doctor navigates local politics, Harry and Sarah run afoul of a strange alien force – one who can assume the shape of their victims and have plans for the destruction of humanity, with the aide of a creature of Scottish mythology...



I'm honestly surprised to find that it took Doctor Who almost twelve years to tell a story involving the Loch Ness monster. Inspired by the global interest in the mythical monster that swept the world in the 1960's Robert Banks Stewart started out penning a serial called Loch Ness/The Loch Ness Monster/The Secret of the Loch/The Secret of Loch Ness/Secret of Loch Ness, but as the script writing process progressed, Philip Hinchcliffe suggested a change in both the story's focus and the story's title. In order to work around the special effects limitations of showing the Loch Ness Monster (called the Skarasen), Stewart rewrote the script with the hostile aliens as the central foes, and as such the story was renamed Terror of the Zygons. This was definitely for the best, as the Skarasen's SFX were easily the weakest part of the episode while the biotechnology of the Zygons was one of its most interesting features. The change allowed Stewart to ground the script with a sense of realism, but one has to first realizes that from the very beginning of the story, this script is as Scottish as all hell. Aside from the moorish filming location (Scotland by way of West Sussex), we've got a small Scottish village with bagpipe music playing over the first 30 seconds of dialogue, accents a plenty, an innkeeper with “second sight,” Scottish nobility with a manservant literally nicknamed “Caber,” and even the Brigadier himself in a kilt (no surprise as his name IS “Lethbridge-Stewart”). There's a also a hint of current 1970's events as well; Terror of the Zygons aired the very month the first barrels of North Sea crude oil were pumped from several new oil rigs dotting the coast, causing tensions between the longtime fishing industry and the booming oil business. The story itself is very basic – an alien race has infiltrated a small Scottish village with the overall goal of conquering the entire Earth via humanity's total destruction. There are a few moments of action, a few moments of humor, some good cliffhangers including a smash bang one in the first episode that reveals a Zygon in all its front-suckered glory, and a satisfying conclusion with a moment tacked on that brings it down slightly. If one were to look at just the script, Terror of the Zygons would probably fall squarely in the middle in terms of quality – some good moments, a few bad ones, but nothing that would make it stand out overall.

What makes this story special is primarily the production work by the staff. Director Douglas Camfield and cameraman Peter Hall both do a superb job in presenting the action. Camfield keeps the Zygons hidden away during the first episode, with close-ups of their claws and eyes adding to the mystery until the big reveal during its cliffhanger, while Hall does a great job keeping everything and everyone in shot, especially during the “running around” scenes that UNIT and the Doctor do so well. Camfield also makes more mundane moments, such as a conversation between Benton and Angus being intercut with closeups of the Zygons spying on them. The true standout moment is during the second episode, where Harry's alien duplicate is hunting Sarah Jane through the hayloft of a barn. For a few moments, Terror of the Zygons goes the route of Peeping Tom as Camfield shoots the nail-biting scene like a tense slasher movie.



In many ways, Terror of the Zygons serves as the swan song for the UNIT era. During the Third Doctor era, many an adventure focused from the Doctor's time with the international organization as their scientific adviser. Although UNIT would feature in several other Fourth Doctor stories, this serial serves as the final regular appearance for both Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and John Levane as Sergeant Benton. Philip Hinchcliffe decided that UNIT's presence meant less time on-screen for the Doctor and wanted to focus more on Tom Baker's larger than life persona. Perhaps realizing that this was the proverbial end of the road both men are in fine form here, with Benton being the everyman soldier who does as ordered and does it very well and the Brigadier as the officer who does what he does for Queen and Country, including doing everything he can to steer the Doctor on track towards the destruction of the oil rigs (“(Harry) will be fine. He just needs time.” "Yes, well, time is the last thing we have, Doctor. Another rig's just been destroyed."). We would see Benton one more time in The Android Invasion, but this is truly his final story, while the Brigadier would pop up in The Mawdryn Undead, The Five Doctors, and Battlefield as well as a handful of Big Finish audios.

Terror of the Zygons would also be Harry Sullivan's last story as companion (aside from a throw-away appearance in The Android Invasion). The writers and Hinchcliffe had originally expected an older actor to be cast at the Fourth Doctor and picked Ian Marter as someone who could take on the majority of the physical work. With Baker able to handle his own stunts, Hinchcliffe went against the advice of script editor Robert Holmes and wrote Harry out at the end of this story. While this did give us the absolutely classic Four/Sarah Jane dynamic that defined Tom Baker's run, it's a bit of a shame because I enjoyed Harry's time on the show. Ian Marter nailed the quintessential old-school British man, and for all the talk of him being an imbecile during his time in the TARDIS, Harry was capable (smashing the Zygon console to save the Doctor in the third episode), brave (assisting a fallen oil rig survivor while under rifle fire) and determined to do the right thing, as well as being absolutely demonic during his scene in the barn. In the end, Harry was a fine one-season companion, and I'm bummed that we didn't get a few Big Finish audios with him as Ian Marter passed away from diabetic complications in 1986.

I've joked that Sarah Jane often seems to be the damsel in distress, from her kidnapping in Robot to her constant state of despair in The Ark in Space, but this has been mixed with moments of leadership and bravery as seen in Genesis of the Daleks. Terror of the Zygons sees Sarah as both captive (locked in a compression chamber) as heroine (rescuing Harry from the heart of the Zygon's ship). But also seen an inquisitive Sarah Jane as she investigates the Duke's records, as well as...well, Elisabeth Sladen being “cute” as Sarah Jane sticks her tongue out at the Duke behind his back in a nice moment of charm. Sarah Jane's turn her helps set the stage for her upcoming time as Four's lone companion, and it's a very bright future indeed for the duo.



The second season of Tom Baker's time as the Doctor was where the Fourth Doctor was truly established. His larger than life onscreen presence was one of the reasons that UNIT and Harry Sullivan were written out, to ensure as much screen time for Baker as possible. Baker's Doctor is much more alien than his predecessor, having to be convinced by the Brigadier that the destruction of the oil rigs should be of vital interest to him. There's also a very creepy scene (well shot by Camfield) where the Doctor hypnotizes Sarah to slow her breathing down that adds to the Doctor's aura of mystery. What Baker really sells are the Doctor's sudden mood swings and his on-purpose overreaction to the simplest of comments (Duke - “I do believe your serious.” Doctor - “OH, YES, VERRRRRRY”), going from deadly serious to flippant and jaunty in a moment's notice (You can’t rule the world in hiding. You have to come out on to the balcony sometimes to wave a tentacle – if you’ll pardon the expression!”) without any effort on his part. The Doctor's brilliance is on display as he single-handedly sets the Zygon's ship to explode, after a moment where he uses his own body to channel an electrical current to short-circuit a doorway (and it's here that viewers get a first hand listen at Baker's loud screaming that will continue throughout his tenure) as well as giving a hint of his physicality during his final confrontation with Broton.





The weak point of Terror of the Zygons is easily the Skarensen model. The Loch Ness Monster was supposed to be the central focus of the story, but the special effects just...weren't very good. In Robot, the Chroma Key inserts of the Robot didn't take away from the plot itself, but here the Skarensen is just so off-putting that it distracts from the overall story. The climax of the story, where the creature swims up the Thames and attacked a gathering of politicians, is done via the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry starring off-camera, with a few inserts and a lot of piped in screaming, before the Skarensen swims away, and that's the end of it.

The titular Zygons themselves are easily the high point. Despite only appearing in this story during the classical era, the Zygons made enough of an impression on viewers and fans to have made numerous appearances in the expanded media, as well as playing a key part in the 50th anniversary story The Day of the Doctor. The Zygons' home planet was destroyed by an unknown catasrophe (later clarified at the Time War), and a colony fleet is on the way to Earth to turn it into their new homeworld, utilizing their ability to shapeshift in order to The Zygons' plot is a little silly (destroying oil rigs? Six Zygons using the Loch Ness Monster to convince the world to surrender to their awe-inspiring might?) but there's no denying just how gruesome they look.



James Acheson did a wonderful job creating the costume, crafting a unique looking creature that simply oozes with what I can only describe as “biology.” What could have been a silly costume is enhanced by the prominent pyramid/cone shaped head and the multitude of suckers adorning their body. The set designers go one step further by infusing their technology with a biological element – a lot of arteries and veins, knobs overflowing with skin and muscle and bone...the control panel actually made me queasy a few times while watching this episode, not because it was disgusting, but because it was disturbing and VERY well done. It all added to the Zygons' uniqueness, added by the performance of John Woodnutt, who acted in several Who episodes as well as numerous other science-fiction series, as the Zygon leader Broton. While Broton is your standard alien warlord who refuses to admit he's been beaten, Woodnutt adds a level of menace that shines through the costume and makeup. The Zygon's shapeshifting effects are well done for the era, adding a level of paranoia to the proceedings as the viewer doesn't quite know who is a Zygon and who isn't (Sister Lamont's murder of Angus the innkeeper is another well done and incredibly terrifying scene, kudos to Angus' actor for his small but memorable part).

Cygnia posted:

I wanted to take a few moments to deal with the season premiere tonight before approaching this classic episode.  I'm not spoiling anything, don't worry.

MOTHERFUCKING COCKSUCKING SON OF AN UNNAMED WHORE!

*ahem*

Now that that's out of the way, "Terror of the Zygons" was an episode that really stuck with me growing up, mainly because I am of Scottish heritage.  So, kilts and Loch Ness?  I'm all over that!  But it was the Zygons themselves that had that impact, even though they only appeared once during the classic series (fun fact: there was supposed to be a Zygon in the lost episode "Shada"!).  They were insidious, hissing and wet, like poisonous mushrooms growing in the rot.  And they could take the form of us -- hiding in plain sight!  That's a pretty primal fear, coming from the same company that gave us green-tinted bubblewrap.

And then Moffat had to hike his leg up and pee on everything in his attempt to mark every story in "Who" as his.  But I digress...

Other scenes that stuck with me: Zygon!Harry trying skewer Sarah Jane with a pitchfork, saying nothing.  The beacon stuck to the Doctor, calling out for the Skarasen to eat him.  And the Doctor hypnotizing Sarah Jane to survive the compression chamber (Cobi's right -- that WAS pretty drat creepy).

I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Sting of the Zygons" by Stephen Cole and featuring the Tenth Doctor and Martha.  Very cool book and a nice twist reminiscent of early Fantastic Four with the Skrulls.  Seek it out if you get the chance!

Random Thoughts
- Doctor - “Oil an emergency? Huh! It's about time the people who run this planet of yours realised that to be dependent upon a mineral slime just doesn't make sense. Now, the energising of hydrogen...”
- While filming the escape from the Zygon's ship, the crew placed the model of the ship almost directly in front of the camera and placed the actors on the other side of the quarry, where the truck they were jumping out of was hidden by the model. Very well done.
- Sarah grabbing the UNIT phone as it rings before sheepishly handing it over to Benton.
- Sarah - “How do I know you're not a Zygon?” Harry - “Come on, old girl.” Sarah - *relieved*
- As I said before, this story is simply as Scottish as gently caress].

Cobi's Synopsis - Terror of the Zygons is a solid story all-around, with good acting, good production values, a good script with a handful of memorable moments and an alien menace that makes an immediate and lasting impression.

Next up – The Doctor and Sarah answer an intergalatic distress call that takes them to a far flung planet at the edge of the universe...

Tom Baker is the Doctor in...Planet of Evil.

Jerusalem
May 20, 2004

Would you be my new best friends?

In a perfect world, Revenge of the Cybermen's place would have been taken by Terror of the Zygons and given us a near-perfect season. But then this season wouldn't have as strong a start as it did, which would be a shame, it's just that Revenge of the Cybermen is such a let-down :cripes:

Rhyno
Mar 22, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 10 years!

Jerusalem posted:

In a perfect world, Revenge of the Cybermen's place would have been taken by Terror of the Zygons and given us a near-perfect season. But then this season wouldn't have as strong a start as it did, which would be a shame, it's just that Revenge of the Cybermen is such a let-down :cripes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgLgE0Ok3LI

The_Doctor
Mar 29, 2007

"The entire history of this incarnation is one of temporal orbits, retcons, paradoxes, parallel time lines, reiterations, and divergences. How anyone can make head or tail of all this chaos, I don't know."
Terror of the Zygons is one of my favourite classic Who stories. Despite being filmed in Sussex, it really manages to capture the sense of isolation in the Highlands well. A lot of Scotland is beautifully desolate and empty, just with small pockets of civilisation here and there outside the cities. We see an inn, a clinic, a castle, roads, but aside from our regulars and a couple of stragglers, there's a very real sense of emptiness about the place.

I had Terror on VHS as a kid, where it was edited into one long Hammer-esque film, and I loved it. One of its main reasons being that it is so drat creepy. Harry and Sarah-Jane in the hayloft, as mentioned above is a very human horror moment, as ostensibly it's one person trying to kill another in a rather brutal way, not just an alien trying to bloodlessly zap someone.

Special praise must be given to the casting of the Sister, whose bulging eyes make her all the more unsettling. The shot of her in the woods after the reintroduction of long-running companion Mr. Rock especially stands out, looking around to see if anyone has seen what she's done.

The Zygons themselves are a great design, and I'm surprised it took NuWho so long to bring them back (as well as the fact that they never came back in the Classic era either). I was especially pleased that Nick Briggs managed to copy the sibilant whispering of their speech so perfectly. "Immediately, commander."

It occurs to me that I now own it on dvd, but haven't yet watched it at all. Time to fix that. :allears:

MrL_JaKiri
Sep 23, 2003

A bracing glass of carrot juice!

CobiWann posted:

Terror of the Zygons

Did you notice that the Zygon gives them a lift in the first episode when he had no reason to

The_Doctor
Mar 29, 2007

"The entire history of this incarnation is one of temporal orbits, retcons, paradoxes, parallel time lines, reiterations, and divergences. How anyone can make head or tail of all this chaos, I don't know."

MrL_JaKiri posted:

Did you notice that the Zygon gives them a lift in the first episode when he had no reason to

:aaa: Huh. I never clocked that until now. Maybe it was the real duke? Presumably they actually let the real people out now and again, otherwise why bother keeping them dressed?

CobiWann
Oct 21, 2009

Have fun!
I chalked it up to the real Duke turning out to be an OK guy once rescued, and the Zygon was just keeping up appearances.

PriorMarcus
Oct 17, 2008

ASK ME ABOUT BEING ALLERGIC TO POSITIVITY

Rhyno posted:

It comes up because Moffat himself keeps saying that he's closer to the end of his tenure than the beginning.

When he last said that he was actually closer the start than the end. Seriously.

Wheat Loaf
Feb 13, 2012

by FactsAreUseless

HERAK posted:

If i ever win the lottery I'm paying to get the Laundry Files adapted for tv, Game of Thrones style. There are a few British scifi/fantasy authors i would love to either contribute a story idea or write a full script. It has worked before: we briefly had Douglas Adams.

Yes, I've been reading that series. I'm about to start the third one. It's good.

I would also be interested in seeing what Ben Aaronovitch might do if he was given another go at it (I read the most recent Rivers of London book a couple of months back).



I hope you don't mind me saying (I enjoy reading your reviews but never really have much to add, I'm afraid) that this Cygnia fellow you quote each time always seems awfully cross. Maybe he or she should have a lie down? :v:

CobiWann
Oct 21, 2009

Have fun!

Wheat Loaf posted:

I hope you don't mind me saying (I enjoy reading your reviews but never really have much to add, I'm afraid) that this Cygnia fellow you quote each time always seems awfully cross. Maybe he or she should have a lie down? :v:

Cygnia is one of my best friends and someone who has seen drat near as much classic Who as Boston’s PBS channel ever aired. She’s also a drat good writer who has been out of work for a very long time. I asked her to contribute her thoughts to my reviews as both a non-goon opinion and a way to get her writing, even for a little bit.

She also LOATHES Moffat as a misogynistic type who can only write women when they’re being coy and flirty towards his male characters and really wants Chris Chibnall to take over as showrunner and…well, she has an outlet now. But I’m willing to take the good with the bad…

(And your statement with your avatar just makes it even better)

MikeJF
Dec 20, 2003




CobiWann posted:

She also LOATHES Moffat as a misogynistic type who can only write women when they’re being coy and flirty towards his male characters and really wants Chris Chibnall to take over as showrunner

HE WROTE CYBERWOMAN

CobiWann
Oct 21, 2009

Have fun!

MikeJF posted:

HE WROTE CYBERWOMAN

Oh, no, no, no, no. :ohdear:

No, I meant Paul Cornell, the guy behind Human Nature/Family of Blood and Father’s Day. She’s a huge fan of his.

I blame the Pope’s visit. With all these street closings my morning commute has been shot all to hell and so has my routine. I’m having my morning coffee at 7:30 instead of 5:30 so I'm more brain fried than usual.

And More
Jun 19, 2013

How far, Doctor?
How long have you lived?

MikeJF posted:

HE WROTE CYBERWOMAN

Hey, he also wrote Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. :colbert:




Yeah, that's all I've got.

The_Doctor
Mar 29, 2007

"The entire history of this incarnation is one of temporal orbits, retcons, paradoxes, parallel time lines, reiterations, and divergences. How anyone can make head or tail of all this chaos, I don't know."

Wheat Loaf posted:

I would also be interested in seeing what Ben Aaronovitch might do if he was given another go at it (I read the most recent Rivers of London book a couple of months back).


That would be great to see, loving the RoL series.

If anyone here hasn't read the Rivers of London series, get thee to a bookstore, they're very, very good. Chock full of Who references, too.

Wheat Loaf
Feb 13, 2012

by FactsAreUseless

CobiWann posted:

Cygnia is one of my best friends and someone who has seen drat near as much classic Who as Boston’s PBS channel ever aired. She’s also a drat good writer who has been out of work for a very long time. I asked her to contribute her thoughts to my reviews as both a non-goon opinion and a way to get her writing, even for a little bit.

I see. I did not mean to be rude, of course.


The_Doctor posted:

That would be great to see, loving the RoL series.

I believe Aaronovitch has actually mentioned he pictures Nightingale as being played by Paul McGann.

CobiWann
Oct 21, 2009

Have fun!

Wheat Loaf posted:

I see. I did not mean to be rude, of course.

Didn't seem rude at all. No need to apologize!

She also pointed out to me this morning that the DVD of The Two Doctors is out-of-print and going for nearly $200 bucks now thanks to Jimmy Savile...hopefully it'll be re-released by the time I make it that far in my classics watch.

Forktoss
Feb 13, 2012

I'm OK, you're so-so

CobiWann posted:

Didn't seem rude at all. No need to apologize!

She also pointed out to me this morning that the DVD of The Two Doctors is out-of-print and going for nearly $200 bucks now thanks to Jimmy Savile...hopefully it'll be re-released by the time I make it that far in my classics watch.

The R1 release? I bought the R2 version just the other week for ten bucks. Sounds to me like the money you'd save in Who serials alone would make up for the cost of a region-free DVD player!

Wheat Loaf
Feb 13, 2012

by FactsAreUseless
"The Two Doctors" is one of the older ones - the second Colin Baker story released on DVD, I believe. Surprised it hasn't had a special edition re-release yet, when stuff like "The Green Death", "The Claws of Axos", "The Ark In Space", "The Visitation" and "Resurrection of the Daleks" all have, when they were released either alongside it or after it.

That being said, I don't know whether they released a special edition as part of the Sontaran box set that came out after they showed up in the revival.

egon_beeblebrox
Mar 1, 2008

WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING IN LIFE.



Forktoss posted:

The R1 release? I bought the R2 version just the other week for ten bucks. Sounds to me like the money you'd save in Who serials alone would make up for the cost of a region-free DVD player!

Yeah, that's been my plan for a while. Just can't seem to convince my wife that it's totally worth the cost of yet another DVD player, and then the costs of importing English DVDs.

Teek
Aug 7, 2006

I can't wait to entertain you.
My original copy of Two Doctors on DVD had a borked third episode. Something in the original encode caused the video to go to crap and lock up whatever DVD players I was using. E-mailed the manufacturer's support line and they actually sent me a replacement for free. This was subsequent to it going out of print too, I didn't have to send the original back or anything. Lucky me I guess.

IceAgeComing
Jan 29, 2013

pretty fucking embarrassing to watch
I thought they'd re-released The Two Doctors without the Savile clip - I bought my copy after all the Savile revelations came out and it doesn't have the offending clip on it...

After The War
Apr 12, 2005

to all of my Architects
let me be traitor

CobiWann posted:

Didn't seem rude at all. No need to apologize!

She also pointed out to me this morning that the DVD of The Two Doctors is out-of-print and going for nearly $200 bucks now thanks to Jimmy Savile...hopefully it'll be re-released by the time I make it that far in my classics watch.

"Thankfully" most of them only seem to be moving around $70-$100 on eBay. But of all the episodes...

I'm going to choose to believe this is because everyone really wants to see the Robert Holmes documentary extra feature.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Wheat Loaf
Feb 13, 2012

by FactsAreUseless
You can sometimes find codes online that'll allow you to set your DVD player to Region 0.

After The War posted:

I'm going to choose to believe this is because everyone really wants to see the Robert Holmes documentary extra feature.

Was that not on "Horror of Fang Rock"? (Might be thinking of a different writer.)

  • Locked thread