There, up in the sky!

It seems like everything interesting in the sky is red these days. Not only has Pluto turned out be considerably ruddier and more interesting than first anticipated, but this past week we've had a blood moon eclipse and some exciting news about the planet Mars. I didn't deliberately wake myself for the eclipse, considering how disappointing space phenomena can be when shrouded by English weather, but it's been beautifully clear the last few days and I generally wake up between three and five anyway, so I got up and wandered out around four a.m. I didn't see the total eclipse but I caught a beautiful view of the waning umbra, with the Moon split into a glowing white crescent and a hazy umber shadow. It was an astonishingly clear night, too, even with the street lights that are part and parcel of living in a town centre. Orion and the Pleiades dominated the central sky, while Venus positively blazed above the eastern horizon.

Just a few days after this, we received news that compelling evidence of liquid water has been found on Mars. NASA have, irritatingly, gone down the "announcement for an announcement" route that's so popular with TV and movie studios these days, but still, it was worth waiting for. Where there's water, there's hope of life. Off to seek the Yip Yips.

In news more terrestrial in origin but interplanetary in imagination, Obverse Books has just released their eighth Iris Wildthyme collection, The Perennial Miss Wildthyme. I'm not in this one, which means there's space for only really excellent authors and not cheeky upstarts. It's edited by Paul Dale Smith, who wrote such brilliant bookages as Doctor Who: Heritage and "The League of Extraterrestrial Gentlemen" for Shelf Life. The hardback run is nearly sold out, though, so get £15 out and head to the Obverse.

My old comrade Mr E.G. Wolverson has written a joint review of the third and fourth Red Dwarf novels, Last Human by Doug Naylor and Backwards by Rob Grant. The original two novels were written by both authors under the pseudonym Grant Naylor, before they parted ways and went on to start their own projects. I devoured these books as a teen, and have read all four of them at least six times (along with the Hitchhikers "trilogy," they were my favourite books as a developing geek). For my money, Backwards was the best of the lot, although I'm hard pressed to argue with Wolvie's view of its conclusion.

The great Who-head Neil Perryman and his good wife Sue are now raising funds for the third volume of their book series The Wife in Space, following on from their popular blog. These books always make tremendously fun reading, and given Sue's less-than-positive views on Pertwee as he takes over, The Pompous Tory should be a treat. They've already hit their target so the book is definitely going ahead, but funding through the Kickstarter campaign is the most cost-effective way of getting the book. It's a fiver for the ebook and £18 for the paperback, and there are lots of extra bits and bobs that can be purchased exclusively through the campaign as well. I'm going for the Sapphire & Steel book as an extra, myself.

Dan Freeman, one of the prime movers behind the acclaimed audio series The Minister of Chance, has a new production in the works. An audio movie like its predecessor, The Light of September is a science fiction epic with a truly impressive cast, that includes such luminaries as Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager, InnerSpace), Tuppence Middleton (Sense8, Jupiter Ascending), Tamsin Greig (Black Books, The Archers) and Sylvester McCoy (the seventh Doctor and Radagast the Brown in The Hobbit). At time of writing it's 60% funded, so more backers are needed to assure its production. If it's anything as good as The Minister of Chance it'll be something to look forward to. There also appears to be a picture of me being foolish on the main page.


Other than this, what's new? It's the beginning of the new TV season in the States, which means Agents of SHIELD, Supergirl, The Flash and Gotham, so my torrent will be torrenting torrentially over the next few weeks. (Plus Fear the Walking Dead for my zombie enthusiast of a flatmate). The Beeb has just announced a new spin-off for Doctor Who, entitled Class, which will arrive next year. It's a dreadfully dull title, but the prospect of kids investigating alien activity in Coal Hill School sounds appealing, like a cross between Grange Hill and The Sarah Jane Adventures. I won't be happy unless Ian Chesterton appears, though. Plus, I've been busy with my best friend indoctrinating her children into the world of Doctor Who, starting with "Rose" and "The End of the World." Skipping those episodes we consider too scary, though. One of them is only three, the middle one is especially sensitive when it comes to movies and TV and the eldest is terrified of living statues, so we'll have to be careful.

Finally, another friend just messaged me to say she'd been "facefucked by a cobweb." I adore my friends, such a way with words.

News from the Whoniverse

Firstly, some sad news. Maggie Stables has passed away after a period of illness. Doctor Who fans may know her as the voice of companion Evelyn Smythe in the Big Finish audio series. In addition to other roles for the company, including the revolting Ruthlie in their first Doctor Who release, The Sirens of Time. She first appeared as Evelyn in the story The Marian Conspiracy, opposite Colin Baker, and continued as the companion of the sixth Doctor for many adventures, including the BBCi webcast Real Time. She was an excellent actress, but I shall leave it to others more eloquent than I to pay tribute.

DWW tribute to Maggie  Doc Oho article: Why I love Evelyn

In rather happier news, there are some new projects from the worlds of DW fandom. Perhaps most exciting is a brand new short story anthology from Declan May: Seasons of War. With contributions from such notable authors as Paul Magrs, Jenny Colgan, Lance Parkin, Kate Orman and many more from Doctor Who prose fame, plus new authors, Seasons of War will chart the events of the War Doctor's life. It is being published in memory of Paul Spraggs who died earlier this year, in order to raise money for www.caudwellchildren.com. A full press release can be found here.

The talented chaps at www.ministerofchance.com have begun a Kickstarter fundraiser to finance the production of a full-length Minister of Chance film. A prologue has already been produced, but funds are needed to create the full movie. The plan is to create the film in four chapters, each to be made available to backers upon completion. Starring such talents as Julian Wadham, Lauren Crace, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy and Jenny Agutter, The Minister of Chance promises to be a phenomenal piece of work - providing it secures funding.

Finally, Obverse Books' have no released Iris Wildthyme of Mars, featuring several wonderful authors, and me. It is available in hardback at £14.95 and ebook for £6.99. I'm an orfer!

Pinched from Tumblr

REVIEW: The Minister of Chance - Movie Prologue

Today was a Paul McGann sort of day. As well as listening to the second half of Big Finish's new release, Dark Eyes 2, I got to watch the online premiere of the highly anticipated 'micropilot' of Radio Static's The Minister of Chance.


Previously, The Minister of Chance has been an audio only affair, a radiophonic serial with a seriously impressive cast. A powerful tale of science-fantasy, The Minister of Chance has gone on to win awards and considerable acclaim. Dan Freeman and Clare Eden, writer-director and exec. producer respectively, have now made the first part of what will, hopefully, be a full-length cinematic adaptation of the series.


As with the audio original, the first release is a prologue, setting up the background of the main story. Nonetheless, the short works perfectly as a film in its own right, telling a tight, compact story with the promise of huge consequences. The geopolitical landscape of a completely unreal world is laid out in minutes, and is at once easy to grasp and totally believable. The visual effects compliment the location work beautifully, the music is even better with a visual accompaniment, even the costumes are wonderful (I want McGann's cloak).


It would be nothing without its cast, though, and what a cast. With only two speaking parts, the cast has to be perfect. Thankfully, it is. As well as Paul McGann returning to his role as Durian, the terrifyingly amoral ambassador for the nation of Sezuan, we have Tim McInnerny as the King of Tanto, the island nation that is unfortunate enough to find itself the setting for the unfolding events. If there was one problem with the audio series, it was that, on occasion, the sound design became overwhelming and lost some clarity. The translation to film is a benefit, for now much of the work can be done visually. The remainder of the cast perform in silence, but are no less impressive for it, ably supporting the talents of McGann and McInnerny. Simon Bugg as Major Apper, and Richard Oliver as the Spider (the Bugg and the Spider?) have great presence, and the tiny, impossibly cute Scribble steals it as the young princess who is the real focus of the film.



Like the audio series, the movie is being crowdfunded, with various perks for those who contribute, including early viewings for the members of the Ministry – the film has yet to be released to the public. Don't let the method of financing fool you; this is a professionally made and astonishingly well done production, one that deserves to be seen through to the end. If you're not a member, to see the prologue will require the purchase of a virtual ticket from the Ministry website. If contributing to the production of the film is not something you wish to do, then try downloading the audio series for free. I've a feeling that will change your mind.

Visit the Ministry for more information and to download the audio series.
A short teaser for the prologue is now available here.

Whos in Brief

So, in the last week, the American government broke, the Gambia withdrew from the Commonwealth because the president is scared of gays or something, and scientists finally cracked nuclear fusion for power, but at least there was some important news.

Because, yes, it's true, the BBC really have secured some lost sixties Doctor Who episodes. After all the rumours and vague reports, they finally went and released an official statement. I was quite happily poo-pooing all suggestion of missing episode recovery, and then it goes ahead and becomes true. We've even been promised that we'll be able to buy and download the things soon. We used to have to wait years for episodes to make it onto scratchy old video. We still don;t know how many episodes have been found, although the Radio Times suggested two before amending this to 'some.' They are believed to be Patrick Troughton episodes, although, as yet, this is still rumour.

UPDATE: The nine episodes discovered are confirmed as the five missing episodes of The Enemy of the World and four of the missing episodes of The Web of Fear (ep 3 remains lost).

Still, that's quite a few runaway rumours that have been proven true this year: Tennant is back for the special, Matt Smith is leaving, Peter Capaldi is his replacement. One person who won't be in the anniversary is Karen Gillan, though. From the Radio Times, again:

"I’m not in it, just to put that out there. I think I’m going to be in America, so I’ll probably round up all the people who like to watch Doctor Who in the area. We’ll probably watch it and drink PG Tips and eat Jammy Dodgers, if I can get them."

One person who is desperate to return is Kate O'Mara, who played the Rani in 1985's The Mark of the Rani, 1987's Time and the Rani and the 1993 crossover classic Dimensions in Time. From Sci-Fi Now:

"I would love to come back. I have white hair now, but a lot of it, and I’m still very glamorous and so I won’t disappoint, I hope! I’ll still be wearing the tight leather trousers and high-heel boots, regardless of what age! That’s what the fans are expecting, so that’s what you’ve got to give them."

Beyond television, other exciting news includes:

Honest-to-goodness classic serial City of Death by the late Douglas Adams and Graham Williams is to be novelised. This 1979 serial is quite simply Doctor Who at its finest. It's to be novelised by Gareth Roberts, who previously did the same for Adams's aborted serial Shada,. It will be released next year, as will a second eleventh Doctor novel by Jenny Colgan, Into the Nowhere.

Radiostatic, creators of the Parsec Award-winning audio series The Minister of Chance, are well into the process of making their new cinematic version of the story. As well as reuniting their principle cast, that includes Julian Wadham, Lauren Crace, Paul McGann and Jenny Agutter, they've only gone and cast Tim McInnerny as the king. This promises to be something very special indeed. Radiostatic productions are funded entirely by fans, and they are currently halfway towards their goal for raising £30,000 to produce the first part of the movie. If you want to help out, click this link here. You can also find out more about the production, and download the original audio series for free.

And did I mention that you can still buy the Doctor Who Information Network's new short fiction anthology? Myth Makers: Golden Years features stories by such talented folks as Blair Bidmead, Kelly Hale, Cody Quijiano-Schell and, um, me. Plus it has some cracking artwork and extra contributions by all manner of wonderful people. You can order it here.

The Minister's Movie

Groundbreaking 'sonic movie' The Minister of Chance, starring Julian Wadham and Lauren Crace, completed its five episode run earlier this year to great acclaim. The audio original is still available to download free at the Ministry website.

However, the story doesn't stop there, for the ambitious folks at Radio Static have now embarked on a campaign to fund a movie version of the story. They need £30,000 by September to make the first segment of the film. It's a tall order, but it's achievable. The crowdfunding scheme has a variety of perks for donations from £15 and upwards, from the chance to appear as an extra in the film, to special website privileges, to merchandise, to direct funding of costumes and props which will then be your own property once filming is complete.

The movie version of The Minister of Chance will see the core members of the cast return, including Julian Wadham as the Minister of Chance, Lauren Crace as his companion Kitty, Sylvester McCoy as the Witch Prime and Paul McGann as Durian. If Radio Static achieve the funding they need to go into full production, this should be something special.

REVIEW: The Minister of Chance episode 4: 'The Tiger'

WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY DAN FREEMAN

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: CLARE EDEN

Today, the Minister returns, stepping through a door cut into the very fabric of space and time and into your download folder. It’s the fourth and penultimate episode, but it’s been a while since we last heard him, so a brief reintroduction and recap might be in order:

The Minister of Chance is a powerful and mysterious being of undisclosed origins, although, unofficially, he is in fact a Time Lord. In his current incarnation, in this radiophonic production, he is played by Julian Wadham, having toughened up somewhat since his debut appearance in the Doctor Who webcast Death Comes to Time, played by Stephen Fry.

Having arrived in the land of Tanto on a distant world, the Minister investigates terrible events that portend to an unwelcome future. The Sezians have invaded Tanto and are enforcing their cultural hatred of science upon the locals, and all the while gearing up for war against the neighbouring nation of Juro. However, this seemingly local affair threaten to have repercussions far beyond, and other forces are at work here…

Really, though, it’s all about Kitty.

‘The Tiger’ launches straight into high gear as relations between the neighbouring nations grow ever more precarious. There’s action from the off, grippingly evoked by some ingenious sound design. It’s worth re-listening to episodes one through three before taking on part four. The listener has little opportunity to pause to get their bearings, and this is a refreshingly complex story – not one to half-listen to while doing the ironing. Thankfully, all episodes are available for free on the Ministry’s website, so there’s no excuse not to catch up from the beginning.

The cast is as impressive as ever, but what less can you expect when the likes Julian Wadham, Paul Darrow, Paul McGann and Jenny Agutter are taking part? Agutter shows just what a talented actress she is as her character, Professor Cantha, becomes hugely important to the events in Tanto, building on the foundations laid by earlier instalments. Her championing of science is nothing new in a science fiction setting, but is portrayed with more thought and reasoning than in many stories. The Sezians’ belief in magic is a thinly-veiled commentary on the nature of theistic religion, with the ‘stuff just happens’ approach unable to stand up against the relentless logic of empirical enquiry.

The religious parallels are equally clear in the presentation of the higher echelons of the invaders’ society. Sylvester McCoy gives the impression his theocratic (thaumocratic?) leader, the Witch Prime, would be a canny opponent undermore ordinary pressures, but he cannot stand up to Paul McGann’s Machiavellian Durian, continually climbing the ladder to ever greater reaches of power. He may, however, have exceeded his reach this time. Paul Darrow steals every scene he’s in, and, although his appearances are tantalisingly few in this episode, his viperous character the Lord Rathen drives events from the background.

As the Minister himself, Julian Wadham is perfectly cast, combining an educated superiority, a natural charm, and a ruthlessness of purpose into a convincing portrayal of a god amongst men – one whose powers we are only now realising the extent. He’s a more dangerous character than his original incarnation, and, much like the production of a whole, succeeds because he is no longer beholden to the Doctor Who universe. Stepping out from its progenitor series, The Minister of Chance can take its inspiration in any direction its producers choose.

Peter Guinness is equally impressive as the Horseman, a dark figure whose motives are only now becoming clear. Finally, this frightening character is given not only a proper confrontation with his equal number in the Minister, but is afforded some development. His part in things starts to become clear as the complexities of his character become apparent.  Also worth singling out for praise is Tamsin Greig, whose character, the Sage of the Waves, provides further commentary on the trappings of religion and power.

However, it really is all about Kitty. Lauren Crace brings this captivating and hugely entertaining character to vivid life. Seemingly nothing more than an innocuous, if uncompromisingly assertive peasant girl, Kitty has slowly revealed hidden depths as the serial has progressed. A woman of great strength and resourcefulness, and a seemingly limitless supply of swearwords, Kitty is far more important than she may first appear, and her presence as the Minister’s companion is surely no accident.

‘The Tiger’ builds on the foundations of the earlier episodes, teasing us with answers to earlier questions before challenging us with yet more mysteries. Events lead to a thrilling cliffhanger, and episode five looks set to be a gripping conclusion.

Download episode four from the Ministry here.

Paludin Fields

Episode Three of The Minister of Chance is now available for download, free of charge. All you need to do is click here, and you can get an hour-long audio drama in either iTunes-friendly or basic MP3 format.

What more can I say about The Minister of Chance? Well, it's a crowd-funded professional radiophonic production featuring some truly immersive soundwork and some fabulous concepts. The Minister is a defrocked Time Lord, originally played in the Doctor Who webcast Death Comes to Time by Stephen Fry, now regenerated into the tougher, but no less sardonic form of Julian Wadham. Apparently, these are in fact his third and fourth incarnations, leaving at least two more Ministers unheard. Don't worry, you don't need to be a Who Head to love The Minister of Chance; it takes place very much in its own corner of the universe, but what a fascinating corner that is. Doors access the bridges between worlds; powerful travellers stride across them, interfering in the affairs of lesser civilisations; warrior cultures ruled by witches invade and destroy societies based on rationality and science.

Episode Three, 'Paludin Fields,' sees the political situation of the nation of Tanto become more complex, and sets the Minister further on his path to confront his nemesis, the mysterious Horseman. It also introduces the wonderful Tamsin Greig as the enigmatic and irascible Sage of the Waves, and features an impressive cast of regulars: Jenny Agutter, Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, Lauren Crace, Beth Goddard, even Simon out of 'Trev and Simon.'

It's well worth a listen, and it won't cost you a penny.

Dreams, Doorways, Daleks

Some cool things to view or listen to:

First, today sees the release of episode two of Power of the Daleks, the fan-made re-imagining of the classic Doctor Who story, starring Nick Scovell as the Doctor and Nick Briggs as the Daleks. You cna watch episode two here. Of course, episode one is still available too, and you can read my review of that on this very blog. Part two is great, and I can't wait for the conclusion.

Also up today is the re-released prologue to the magnificent The Minister of Chance, entitled 'The Pointed Hand.' This is a professionally made audio series available for free. 'The Pointed Hand' stars Paul McGann and can be heard on YouTube or downloaded directly from the site. You can also listen to episodes one and two, free of charge, and in one week's time, the third installment, 'Paludin Fields' will be released. The Minister of Chance stars such names as Julian Wadham, Jenny Agutter, Lauren Crace, Tamsin Grieg and a host of others.

And, and, and, truly exciting news: Neil Gaiman has revealed that he is writing a prequel The Sandman, his truly epic, utterly beautiful graphic novel series. You can watch his ComicCon announcement here. I'm very excited about this. Prequels are ten-a-penny these days, and if anyone else were writing this, I'd be very dubious. However, this is Gaiman himself, stepping back to write a lost chapter of the Sandman story. I can't wait.

So, November 2013: the 25th anniversary of The Sandman and the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who: surely it's time for that crossover, Mr G?

I will show you how a Time Lord dies

Sorry for the tease last night, but we Minister of Chance fans like to be mysterious. Check out the new teaser trailer from Radio Static. Share it with your friends, and help drum up support for episode three!

I will show you how a Time Lord dies

This is just one of those posts that covers a variety of things I've been into over the last few weeks. It won't get nearly as many hits as my Sherlock review, my most popular post by far. Is this due to my erudite comparison of the two modern iterations of the Sherlock Holmes archetype? Or is it because it shows up quickly on Google image searches for Lara Pulver as Irene Adler? I'm not sure, but I'm going to stick a picture of her in here as an experiment.

There, that should do it.

Since I last blogged, the web has been buzzing with speculation concerning Sherlock's miraculous return from death. Suffice to say, we've all got our own theories, but we'll have to wait till next year to find out. Think yourself lucky - back in 1893, when "The Final Problem" was published, readers had to wait ten years to find out that he'd even survived! These days, of course, everyone knows he makes an ingenious escape, so both The Reichenbach Fall and A Game of Shadows have Holmes falling to his death only to appear again before the end credits. The fun this time round is working out how. Having studied the previous work of Mr Moffat, I deduce that the Sherlock Holmes we saw fall was, in fact, nothing more than a Sherlock-shaped robot from the future, filled with tiny people. Nonetheless, we must wait patiently for the new adaptation of "The Adventure of the Empty House." Have you heard the story of "The Empty House?" Don't worry, there's nothing in it.

Back in 2011, my sister and I embarked on a televisual quest to watch the entirety of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. We got as far as the halfway mark of Angel's fifth and final season before we both got too busy to continue for a while, but this week found time for a three day viewing session and finished it off. I shall, in good time, write a list of my favourite episodes from each series, with brief reviews. On the whole, though, I think Angel, at its best, was better than Buffy. So hunt me down those who disagree. It was a great journey through the highs and lows of life in a supernatural world, watching as Buffy got ever skinnier and more uptight, Xander got beefier, Willow got sexier, seemingly ageless vampires got older, and, unxepectedly, Wesley became the coolest character in the entire franchise. Blimey, though, there were tears at the end.

You may recall my earlier wibbling on about The Minister of Chance, and audio drama spin-off from Doctor Who. Well, Radio Static have now kindly made the first two episodes available for free. Just visit the official website and you can download them in MP3 or subscribe to them on iTunes. Work has begun on the third episode, Paludin Fields. Radio Static have decided to try financing this instalment through the IndieGoGo system, which allows like-minded people to make a contribution in return for perks and treats. Visit this site and take a look, and see if you can spare a few quid to help make the third part of this epic adventure a reality. Time Lords don't pay for themselves, you know.

Meanwhile, I have not been entirely idle. One project that has already produced something readable is my new job of reviewer for Television Heaven. This website, run by Mr Laurence Marcus, aims to catalogue sixty years worth of cult television. I have so far written reviews of the original three Quatermass serials, which can be read on the site now. Just click on these links for reviews of The Quatermass Experiment, Quatermass II and Quatermass and the Pit. It was a treat watching these again and analysing them, and in the coming month I'll be reviewing some classic Sixties Doctor Who. With next year the 50th anniversary of Who and the 60th of Quatermass, we need to celebrate these early serials.

Shut Up, Hitler!

Well, Doctor Who returned tonight with a deeply strange, but extremely fun episode. With a title like Let's Kill Hitler, it had to be a bit of a barmy one, but I wasn't expecting it to play out like it did. Some beautiful performances, great writing, a strong mix of humour and pathos, and some important forwarding of this year's ongoing storyline. Strange that after all the drawn out mystery of the past series-and-a-half, more seemed to happen to drive things forward in this one episode than in the last seven. I won't go into details here; not only will a lot of people not have watched it yet, but I'll be penning a full review for Whotopia magazine over the next few days. Make sure you catch it if you already haven't, though - it's a cracking episode.

Along with the trailer for next week's spooky-looking episode, it's boding well for a fine second half of the season. Far better than the current Torchwood revamp. That's not to say I'm not enjoying Miracle Day, but it's been hugely flawed so far. The central concept is sci-fi gold: what would happen if, one day, eveyone stopped dying? A deceptively simple high concept, taking to its logical conclusion to explore human nature - that's what science fiction's all about. So it's a shame that the actual series has had so much wrong with it. The plotting's all over the place; sudden twists and revelations pop out of nowhere at the end of episodes because it't time for another surprise, not because the plot demands them. The core character's are all deeply stupid, handing over vital evidence to obvious villains, and phoning their families in the middle of major crises, despite being on the run. In fact, the writers seem to forget that the main characters are fugitives for several episodes at a time. John Barrowman and Eve Myles really can't compete with the new American cast, either. Actors like Bill Pullman, Alexa Havins and Lauren Ambrose really up the game for a show like this. Having Eve Myles throwing a Welsh wobbly in the middle of an episode brings it all crashing back down again.

And, while I'm all for more gay sex on television, the sexy dialogue thrown about here should never have made it to paper, let alone film. Still, applause for the truly nasty elements on show. It's nothing compared to most horror films these days, but there's been some strong stuff for prime time TV.

Whatever, I'm deeply involved in it now, and there are only three episodes left. It finally feels like we're getting somewhere with the mysteries behind the Miracle. I'll watch it to the end, and no doubt enjoy it; it just seems like a drop in quality after the superb Children of Earth. Probably the best Who spin-off out there now is The Minister of Chance, which I'm glad to say is gearing up to produce a third episode. Check it out - it's only £1.29 an episode, and the prologue's free!