Not one, not two but three actresses all with one thing in common. Yes, they’re all about to appear in “Doctor Who” for the first time but, more particularly, they’re also all about to do battle with the Daleks. At the top is Sheridan Smith who must be so drunk by now, after all those pints, that I don’t think she’ll even be able to see those mutants from Skaro. We won’t either. She’ll join eighth Doctor Paul McGann as his new companion Lucie Miller from New Year’s Eve on BBC Radio 7 in the first of a two-part story, “Blood of the Daleks”. The narrative follows on from the 1996 TV movie rather than the previous Big Finish audios and is written by Steve Lyons. The new episodes are being released on CD one a month, from round about now, and this first story also features “Hellraiser” Ken Cranham, fresh from his appearance in the unsatisfying “Doc Martin” Christmas Special, and Queen guitarist Brian May’s other half, ex-“EastEnder” Anita Dobson.
In the middle is Freema Agyeman, in a screen cap taken from the Season Three teaser at the end of “The Runaway Bride”. She has three episodes to settle in, as tenth Doctor David Tennant’s new companion Martha Jones, before coming face-to-face with the metal meanies. This means only four episodes separate the Daleks next appearance, in another two-part story, from their previous one in “Doomsday”, which fleetingly saw the Black Dalek escape. Their return, however welcome, strikes me as somewhat hasty. It smacks a little of must have the new girl meet the old baddies as soon as feasibly possible! Before then, the time travellers will face the dreaded Sontaran look-alikes the Judoon in opening episode “Smith and Jones”, battle fearsome flying witches in “The Shakespeare Code”, and in a return to New Earth, in the third as yet untitled episode, encounter the Face of Boe for the third and final time, assuming he’s a man of his word!!
Appearing with David and Freema, in the fourth story of the third season of new “Doctor Who”, is “Spooks” actress Miranda Raison, pictured above as Jo Portman in a screen cap taken from episode five of the recently transmitted fifth season (the story which saw the emotional departure of Ruth Evershed). I love the way Miranda’s character was introduced last year, it was like a breath of fresh air, but have been disappointed in how Jo hasn’t really developed in the latest series. She seems to be in the show, almost solely, to provide backup and make up the numbers. I do hope the lack of good writing for her in this year’s “Spooks”, coupled with her up-coming appearance in “Doctor Who”, doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of her in the spy drama. However, Miranda is playing a New York showgirl in her “Who” adventure, set in the 1930s, and I have to admit to being quietly chuffed, as I bet she is, that her appearance in the programme coincides with the inevitable return of the exterminators!
3 comments:
I'm looking forward to seeing how Freema shapes up as the new companion. I know what you mean about the Daleks re-appearing again, any more Dalek stories and they will start becoming the pedestrian monsters of old. When the black Dalek vanished in "Doomsday" it clearly paved the way for another return, but I was kind of hoping it might be a little longer before that happened! Still as you say, there are lots of new aliens to look forward to. And if rumour is correct, there's another old enemy due to make an unexpected return ... could it be the Zygons? (A Dr Who Zygon novel is due for release early next year, so fuelling this piece of speculation). And they're certainly one of my favourite monsters ...
The Zygons were a really great design. I’d heard that it might be the Ice Warriors. The Master rumours are doing the circuit again but, as the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords, surely an impossibility? The Doctor could just go back to a time before the Time Lords’ demise though, surely?!! Couldn’t a Time Lord come forward in time and seek the Doctor out? If the laws of time travel are so restricting, aren’t we missing out on some good storylines? Should continuity get in the way of an original idea?
True, nothing to stop other Time Lords from travelling forward and meeting the Doc! And who knows, maybe one or two Gallifreyans did survive the Time War, after the Dr assumed the Daleks had been totally wiped out and look what happened there, eh?
Post a Comment