There’s been a whole lotta’ buzzin’ on forums over the past few months about the who / where / how’s of the final two-parter special. Mainly who. Which has now been answered in a stunningly spoilerific way.

 

CLICK HERE to see what would have to be one of the biggest spoiler photos to leak since… well… the last one (and before everyone gets up in arms i.e. the Sec / squid reveal a few years back, we are now officially warning you that this is a BIGGIE!).

 

If you decide to take the plunge, read on below in inviso-text:

 

Well…. talk about plot spillage! Dalton is looking more like Michael Gough by the day! And by coincidence (unless he’s being cast as Hedin?) the costume he’s wearing looks a little familiar… Simm seems to be reprising a look from a previous part.

 

 

Looks like it’s building to quite the climax… Are we finally going to see Gallifrey ret-conned back into existance as foretold by the Zeus Blog team not once but twice! And by Al both times if I recall… Mr Hughes, you might finally be right!

 

JP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, last week we went to Oliver!. Many cherubic angels singing in the workhouse… so that’s where they got them from for The Next Doctor. I surprised they didn’t break out in Christmas song when being herded along by the Cybermen.

 

A flight of fancy, especially as it all works out for little Oliver in the end (awwwwww).

 

A few Who luminaries are performing to full magnificence – funny man Rowan ‘Fatal Death’ Atkinson, Julian ‘Richard Count Scarlioni Lionheart’, Julian ‘new Davros’ Bleach. However, when Fagin mentions Bill Sykes, something suddenly pops in my head…I’m sure I’ve heard that somewhere before…some comment on a previous Zeus Blog post?

 

Ah, yes, it IS him. Burn Gorman strides onto the stage as the nasty Bill. It appears that he has bulked up a bit, or perhaps it is suit padding, however he does have a damn nice haircut. Bad burglar Bill flogs some pretty shiny things off to Fagin and then leaves while I whisper to my partner “that’s Owen from Torchwood”. Alas, Sha didn’t realise despite sitting next to him for the previously mentioned haircut.

 

In the second half, Burn gets his single solo musical outing with My Name and while visually rousing, is not the best showcase of his talents. With his singing voice not being a highpoint, you only really notice it when he sings with others later on. Compare and contrast people, compare and contrast.

 

At curtain call, he was the only person to be booed, but this was for him being a bad bad man (poor Nancy), not a bad singer (he admits as much on one of the videos on the Oliver! website). Bill had a great death scene too – falling off a chimney certainly beats being drowned in nuclear reactor coolant.

 

In other news…

 

Doctor Who Discount 1 – Seems no one wants Lazlo! Poor Lazlo. His Character Options figure has been reduced to 99p at Forbidden Planet. I guess pig faced humans aren’t as popular with the kids as they used to be. Or maybe it’s the swine flu?

 

Doctor Who Discount 2 – It’s not just Lazlo who is getting the short shrift. At nearby Modelzone, mini busts of Jabe (ooh err) and a Slitheen have been reduced from £40 to £10. Even poor mister Cyberman has been reduced, but only to £20. Your stock will be DELETED.

 

Doctor Who Discount 3 – Ever wanted to build your own TARDIS? Well, now you can. The Airfix TARDIS model has been reduced from £25 to £10 and even comes with the paint, brushes AND glue. But wait, there’s more – it also includes electronic lighting and sound effects. Just remember kids – it’s a lot more embarrassing to go hospital with a TARDIS stuck to your nose than a model aeroplane. (Actually, either would be embarrassing).

 

DWM Special 200 Golden Moments – I can’t find this anywhere. Have tried four book stores with good magazine selections and even Forbidden Planet doesn’t have it. Who stole all the issues? Very mysterious indeed.

 

With all the discounts going on over here, it seems that it really is a case of ‘Who Will Buy’!

Foo

JINGS!
And so the Scottish Invasion of Doctor Who continues. And we approve, even if we know a little less about Karen Gillan than some of her predecessors. It might be no bad thing – after PiperTategate fandomia didn’t exactly distinguish itself with good behaviour based on preconceived notions. Mind you, we knew so very little about Freema, didn’t we? But so long as Karen doesn’t have to film a scene where a fish drowns she should be fine.

TENNANT’S EVICTED
A surprisingly muted farewell last week with the last of the Tenth Doctor’s scenes having been shot (bar the odd pick-up post production – still time for another “Whatwhatwhat” Russell!) And so a dignified, muted that’s yer lot – au revoir, Doctor, it’s been fab!

MORE TENNANT TO COME YET
Except to say that there was also that special segment he shot for John Barrowman’s dreadful variety show.  Nothing wrong wiv dat, Sylv did it for the kids, and Jon made a post-telly career out of it. All the best, David.

TENNANT CLINGING ONTO ROLE LIKE A LIMPET
Coming later this year of course is Dreamland, the new animated Who special, featuring David Tennant as the Doctor. Well, these are tough times and the money will be handy whilst one is in LA perusing the Hollywood dailies, right?  

“…FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS” – TENNANT
A Doctor Who movie rumoured to be in the works, scripted by RTD and starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor? Cheese and crackers, man – run for your life! Did Eccleston teach you nothing?

PIPER RELIEVES BLOGGER
Hmm. If latest rumours are to be believed then the Rose’s return might not be that gratuitous. As you were, everyone.

TOBY HADOKE: “KIWIS FED MY DOCTOR WHO HABIT”
Amidst the local excitement of Toby Hadoke’s award-winning Clayton Hickman impression came related news that during the performer’s own ‘wilderness years’ his hunger for old school (i.e. not yet released) Who was fed by, shall we say, buccaneers of the south seas in Australia and NZ fandom. Cribbins! Can you imagine the tripe he must have got from here then? Nth generation copies of something so ridden with dropouts and static it resembled little more than a blur in a smudge factory. I wonder if he ever met Chr*s M*****y?

LATEST ISSUE OF MAG REACHES LETTERBOX. STOP PRESS!
Thanks guys, that sort of news completes our day every bloody single time you post it.

DWM 405 ODDLY NOT THAT RARE, COLLECTABLE ANY MORE
In fact we hear they’re going for a song on Ebay these days. Right, Jono?

and finally…

THE CLINTON EFFECT
You know, we have been cads when it comes to fan message boards, linking to the ridiculous and sometimes pathetic for a cheap laugh. As if we know any better. But message boards and fora are, largely, homes for the most drossful waste of time and bandwidth in christendom; wretched isles upon whose shores are daily swept tides of frippery, bile and squee.

But the recent and untimely passing of Clinton Spencer, observed with sensitivity and some sentiment recently on the NZDWFC Message Board provided an opportunity to see such devices work well, perhaps even fill the function for which they were originally intended. With a (likely) end of year date of the next TSV being probably too late to mark a notable fan’s passing (although a suggested obituary would still in our minds be wholly appropriate) the immediacy of these online communal spaces provides the perfect space for coming together and, well, sharing. We’ve said this numerous times, but fandom is community first and foremost, and despite being for the least happy of reasons, it was good to see local fan media being used for the best as well.

All the best, everyone.

And this is she… 21 year old Karen Gillan (sans Soothsayer makeup).

Nice to see a red head in the TARDIS. Haven’t had one of those in a while…

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I went to Little Shop of Horrors (the musical)…

…on Saturday for the Matinee performance.

A certain Mr McCoy was Mushnick (the flower shop owner) and was simply brilliant. Who would have thought the champion ferret in pants record holder could sing as well! At the end of the performance, the voice of the plant came out onto stage and lo’ it was Morvin Van Hoff (Foon’s husband) from Voyage of the Damned.

Actually, the original cast had Sheridan Smith as Audrey, but this time it was someone different (Claire Buckfield). Of course, after googling her, turns out she has been in three Doctor Who audios. I think everyone in theatre has been in Doctor Who or an audio at some point in time.

Anyway, all up, a fantastic performance and Sylv really looks good for his age.

SB

Moths Ate My Dr Who Scarf.
Written and performed by Toby Hadoke
BATS Theatre, Wellington. 12 May 2009.

Perhaps the most telling thing about the show is that we almost missed seeing it.  Who would’ve ever thought Doctor Who would sell out midweek in Wellington?

 

First, it probably pays to clarify what the show isn’t:  It’s not standup, it’s a comic monologue about one man and his life, growing up with (and without) Doctor Who. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very very funny; but the humour is wit and whimsy, based on personal experience and feeling, rather than belly laugh topical humour.  As a result there are some items that may not quite get lost in translation to a New Zealand audience, but do have some of their power diminished (most obviously the initial disbelief in Billie Piper’s casting, and references to the BNP and football hooligans – we can understand them second-hand, but may lack the experience that really gives them punch), but I’m not really sure I would want them changed as this is very much a personal work, and it’s very much about event’s in Toby Hadoke’s life and his reactions to them.  In this opening night performance some kiwi friendly references were thrown in, and there was some nifty ad-libbing though minor technical difficulties (a cordless mike would be invaluable for future frenetic paced shows), but the show does revolve around scripted set pieces (the first sight gag was a great surprise) and the story Toby wants to tell.

 

Secondly, it’s not really a show for hardened fans, not exclusively anyway.  Some of the biggest laughs were for sections of the audience who obviously had to live with Us, while We just smiled knowingly.  Moths is for Doctor Who, what Fever Pitch is for football.  There are other gags on other topics (I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought “Friday – five oranges” at one point, and everyone can have a laugh at Star Wars) but while “those who know” will enjoy a modern interpretation of Death to the Daleks, this really is a show to take your wives, girlfriends or partners to.  It’s “Doctor Who – the secret life of fan obsession” seen knowingly and lovingly from both sides of the coin.  Highly recommended.

DR

You hear a lot about Smith in the new series. Doctor John (both of them we guess), Sarah Jane, Mickey, Mister – it’s a regular Smith City. Also Joneses – the whole fandamily of them. Noone ever mentions the Browns, and that among a few other things is what’s wrong with NuWho, because if you neglect the Browns you miss out on the great stuff our new cub reporter in the UK, Stu ‘Foo’ Brown sends us. A cut above yer actual Metro article and Chiswick zeppelin, that boy Foo knows how to rock the party. Viz this scoop:

 ”So, my partner is out having a haircut at a salon in London, just around the corner from Forbidden Planet. I get a text message saying “You are going to be so jealous” followed by “I’m sitting next to Owen”. Owen who? Ohhh, THAT Owen. I ask her to get his autograph with the text “You ducking joking. Ask for an autograph. Please. And say that he was my fav”.

Half an hour later, text received “It all done” and lo, I am the proud holder of an autograph (no hair though).

It also turns out the stylist’s wife does the hair of Tosh. A case of hair together, die together? I’ll let you know if I manage to get Naoko Mori’s autograph!”

He signs his name “Blu”? Who knew?

Foo has sent us more great stuff which we’ll post soon!

Just a quick one this month, folks, as Foo has an update coming along and of course besides Planet of the Dud and someone inflating a Dalek in Chiswick last week, not a lot happened in April.  So…

Geek Maggot Bingo!
Some fun recently with Public Address’ thread on general spookiness on the small and large screen. Excellent. Ask me about my zombie weekend sometime! Anyway, good news for Old School Who as some of the golden oldies come out and indicate that those touchstones are well and truly embedded down here in NZ as well. Krynoids! Maggots! Daleks! And to show we’re in good and scary hands for future stories, yes, Weeping Angels and Empty Children too.

But Blog barometer cooling on BTS?
Yeah, no link this time just a gripe. We’ve had our fun taking the mick out of Kasterborous’ occasional Ian Levine-esque chair arm thumping editorial asides. But dammit, they’re still a lot more fun than Behind the Sofa, and more frequent too. Sure, BTS has clawed itself back into validity a little with their recent reviews of Dubai Double Decker Trouble, but have’t we all? On the other hand, BTS’s tweets are sweet, even if Twitter appears to be on the wane…

Plus Kasterborous put us onto the Tainted Love Dalek. Sofa haven’t pointed us towards anything fun since Farmergeddon.

Stripping Back the Years
But this is fun - a set of very cool and witty strips detailing the history of the good Doctor. Maybe not for the squee squad, this one…
Part1, Part 2, Part 3

Oh, it had to happen…

The Next Doctor – inevitable spoof

and finally…

MasterCard mash-ups

1 and 2

Thanks to Dave for a lot of these!