Return of the Daleks' Masterplan!!

      Just this past week the world has learned that two more missing episodes of Doctor Who have been found, thanks to the invaluable work of Film is Fabulous! Even more exciting, it was the first and third episodes of the Daleks' Masterplan! This is amazing because that story was not sold overseas, therefore there are not as many copies to start with. These episodes, alongside the other found episodes (2, 5, and 10) give us the first quarter of the story as well as the first appearance of Nicholas Courtney in Doctor Who. This also gives us a better look at the alien Delegates and almost all of Adrienne Hill's screen time as Katarina. Previously we only had the clip of her death that was used on Blue Peter. Kevin Stoney makes his debut as the malevolent Mavic Chen, will return later with Patrick Troughton's Doctor as Tobias Vaughn. 

     I have read the novelizations from Target, a two part extravaganza written by John Peel. Later I acquired the audio from BBC Radio, which was amazing but also fueled my curiosity. What did the delegates look like and what was the action like? The audio was sourced from off air recordings of dedicated fans who would set up audio recorders to capture there favorite program!

     The big question here is, if the episodes were not distributed to other countries then where did these come from? It renews my hope that more of these may be out there, if I but dare to dream! I would like to reiterate the this is made possible by Film is Fabulous, who have done the heavy lifting here so that fans the world over can enjoy and appreciate not just Doctor Who, but many items thought lost. If you are able to, please donate to this charity to help ensure that treasures such as these are not lost to time.

     

    One final thought, for awhile this was the only place to see those clips and episodes that had been found. Hopefully they become part of future season Blu Ray releases. I will endeavor to not get my hopes up, though this recent activity has me excited. I watched the second episode (Day of Armageddon) and am rereading the Target novelization. 

What do you folks think, is this exciting news or not you thing? Let me know in the comments, please?

Doctor Who: thoughts on twelve

     Here we are, less than three hours away from the big announcement of who will be the next Doctor! I am really excited, but I have no opinion on who it should be. That may be because I am here in the States and am a bit unfamiliar with some of the "contenders", though I recognize three. It is hard to pick one, since this part is really unlike anything these actors have done, and when someone gets it, they usually do a 180 bring something different to it, even if they are modelling off an earlier incarnation.

     Hartnell was known for tough guy parts, but when he played a down on his luck sports agent Verity Lambert knew he could pull it off. Patrick Troughton had a several film and television roles, but nothing major. One idea Troughton had was to play it as a "Tough sea captain", but thankfully Sydney Newman (creator of Doctor Who) suggested he play it as a "Cosmic hobo, in the mold of Charlie Chaplan." Jon Pertwee was known for his comedic roles, such as Chief Petty Officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark. His first couple of seasons in the role found him playing it very serious. Tom Baker was almost an unknown quantity at the time of his casting, and has gone on record stating he played the role as himself. Peter Davison had only a few television roles, the biggest being Tristan from All Creatures Great and Small. At the time he was the youngest person cast as the Doctor (he was 29 at the time) and very unlike his predecessor. Colin Baker also was in only a few television roles, his most notable being Paul Merroney from The Brothers and Bayban the Butcher in Blake's 7. Visually a train wreck (and yet so eighties), he played it very alien to the point of violence (accidental at times) and a lot of arguing. Number seven, Sylvester McCoy was known primarily as a comedy actor with a vaudevillian flair, some of which he brought to the role (spoon playing) but once he settled in he played it with a dark thoughtfulness.

     Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the story behind Paul McGann's casting. I thought he played the part well, and continues to do so in the Big Finish audio dramas. Mr. Eccleston was a big name that helped bring legitimacy to the rebooted program, at times comedic and other times deadly serious.While David Tenant had a bit of a following, it was Doctor Who that really made his name as an actor.Matt Smith was a relative unknown, but is insanely popular now as we move towards number Twelve!

     Any opinions out there, I personally would be excited if Idris Elba got the role, guess we will see soon. Take care.