Land of the Free!

I’m assuming that this pair of screen caps is from the season three two-part Dalek adventure set in New York, working title “Daleks in Manhattan”, given that the Statue of Liberty is pictured on the monitor behind Martha (Freema Agyeman). I’m also assuming, therefore, that common or garden authenticity isn’t, in any way, important to the Production team. There are two mistakes in the monitor’s caption. There are no motorways in the United States, just freeways and highways! Secondly, across the pond, centre is spelt center!! Surely this is common knowledge? Russell’s forever telling us that “Doctor Who” has to be grounded in reality if we’re to believe the unbelievable! Apart from those glaring errors, however, it’s looking good but then it always does until you hear the scripts!!

Reasons to be Cheerful...

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!

Several Holidays for the Doctor!

At 6.35pm, 41 years ago, “Doctor Who” was broadcast on Christmas Day. It looked as though “The Feast of Steven”, episode seven of the twelve-part epic “The Daleks’ Master Plan”, would remain the only episode of the series afforded that privilege. Until last year. Forty years on, “The Christmas Invasion” became the second time of such an illustrious event. On this occasion, it wasn’t simply because the next Saturday’s episode just happened to fall on 25th December. It was a bona fide special. Now, here we are with the second specially prepared episode, “The Runaway Bride”, making it a hat trick and pitting the tenth Doctor against more killer robot Santas than you can point a sonic screwdriver at! Especially from a moving TARDIS down the M4!! But that original Christmas episode wasn’t without acknowledging the fact. Realising that they never got a chance to celebrate Christmas during their recent visit to Earth, the Doctor produces a bottle of champagne and some glasses…

The Doctor: “Here’s a toast, a happy Christmas to all of us.”

Steven: “The same to you, Doctor, Sara.”

The Doctor: “And incidentally, a happy Christmas to all of you at home!”

Santa’s little helpers!

Well, entering into the festive spirit, I thought these four stills from the 2004 American teen comedy “Mean Girls” might help keep up the Christmas cheer! You probably all recognise Britney’s new best friend, the lovely Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, amongst the quartet of beauties. Also dressing to kill are Rachel McAdams, seeing red, as Regina George, Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners and Amanda Seyfried as the rather unusually named Karen Smith! The film is all about fitting in. The heroine, at first, becomes a hit with the Plastics, the A-list girl clique at her new school, and then falls from favour through, yes… you’ve guessed it, making the mistake of falling in love with the wrong boy - sorry, guy. He’s the ex-boyfriend of alpha Plastic Regina, which helps explain why she’s a scarlet lady! Anyway, never having seen the film, I can’t tell you if it’s any good. I just thought the pictures were a bit seasonal!!

Empressive!

Undoubtedly looking very impressive, though not as attractive as at the Baftas last year, Sarah Parish, with a little help from monster-maker Neill Gorton and some elaborate prosthetics, certainly cuts a striking figure as the menacing half-spider, half-human Empress of the Racnoss. It’s enough to put the fear of God into the hardiest of arachnophobes! My first thoughts when I saw the pictures were of the Destroyer from the Sylvester McCoy story “Battlefield” which, in turn, owes a debt to Tim Curry’s Darkness from the Ridley Scott film “Legend”. The twist in “The Runaway Bride” appears to be that, this time, the part is being played by an actress rather than an actor. Sarah’s triumphant voiceover at the end of the 20-second trailer is also rather imposing as she declares, “I shall descend upon this earth and shine.” Wallpaper-size versions of these five images, which have been published overnight, can be found on the BBC’s “Doctor Who” website. In six days, all will be revealed.

Count Yule Blessings!

Don’t believe a certain newspaper critic! As well as “Doctor Who”, there is plenty to look forward to on television over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Much of it has connections with recent episodes of our favourite time-travelling drama, admittedly, but that’s by-the-by. To begin, Elisabeth Sladen is returning in her very own spin-off adventure series, reprising her role as Sarah Jane Smith, on New Year’s Day in an hour-long pilot episode entitled “Invasion of the Bane”. You can catch Billie Piper, once again seeking to answer the questions surrounding her father’s death, on this occasion as Sally Lockhart in Philip Pullman’s “The Ruby in the Smoke”, on 27th December, both on BBC1. There’s also the final three episodes of “Torchwood” premiering on BBC3 for the last time as next year’s second series has found a new home on BBC2. Noel Clarke’s episode, “Combat”, can be seen, initially, on Christmas Eve with “Captain Jack Harkness” and “End of Days” debuting on New Year’s Day. But, one of the dramas I’m most looking forward to watching, over the festive period, is BBC1’s new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire novel, “Dracula”, on 28th December.

“Dracula” has appeared on both the big and small screens on numerous occasions. I grew up watching Christopher Lee’s, for me, definitive portrayal of the Count in seven Hammer Horror versions of the saga. He began making them in the late Fifties with Peter Cushing as his nemesis Van Helsing in the original and best film. They were only reunited for the final two but set in the present day of the early Seventies! My personal favourite is the fourth, “Taste the Blood of Dracula”, which might even qualify as my favourite movie of all-time. The character did appear in an eighth Hammer outing, “The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires”, but not played by Mr. Lee. And, despite the title, the earlier “Brides of Dracula” does not feature the Count but still beautifully combines the gothic with the romantic. Many may sight Bela Lugosi’s interpretation as the one by which to judge all others. Eight years before he became the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy appeared in the Laurence Olivier version starring Frank Langella with Donald Pleasance and Trevor Eve. And, more recently, Gary Oldman has played the part opposite Anthony Hopkins and Winona Ryder in Francis Ford Coppola’s operatic treatment of the story.

It’s been a while since the BBC last made a version of “Dracula”, nearly thirty years! The “Doctor Who” production team of the time had to shelve plans to make what eventually became the vampire story “State of Decay” to avoid a conflict of interests. Ironically, produced by ex-“Doctor Who” director Morris (“The Tomb of the Cybermen”) Barry, this 1977 television version of Stoker’s fable was directed by Philip Saville. It starred “Gigi” and “Octopussy” actor Louis Jourdan in the title role with Susan Penhaligon and Judi Bowker as his intended victims while Frank Finlay is out to stake him through the heart. In the BBC’s new rendering, directed by Bill Eagles, “The Vice” and “Hustle” actor Marc Warren takes the lead, forgiven for the dire “Love & Monsters” episode of “Doctor Who”, Lady Penelope and “The Girl in the Fireplace” actress Sophia Myles plays Lucy (pictured at the top under the mesmeric influence of Dracula) while her innocent friend Mina (pictured above with Lucy on the sands at Whitby) is played by Stephanie Leonidas. Timothy Spall’s son Rafe plays solicitor Jonathan Harker who travels to Transylvania to sell Dracula a London property but never returns and, topping it off, is “Poirot” actor David Suchet as archrival Abraham Van Helsing. “Love never dies.”

Nice Day for a White Wedding

So, that most special of days is almost here. No, not my wedding day! And, as well as it being Christmas Day, the 25th December 2006 is the day of the second “Doctor Who” Christmas Special… the third if you count “The Feast of Steven”. Following on from last year’s story, “The Christmas Invasion”, “The Runaway Bride” sees the return of the brass instrument-laden deadly killer Santas, and this time with redesigned masks. Oh, the horror! More importantly, perhaps, this is the first episode since the return of the series last year that won’t co-star Billie Piper as the Doctor’s companion, Rose. Love it or loathe it, her story has been the binding factor, the continuity if you like, from episode-to-episode over the last two years. The question is, therefore, how will the Doctor fare without her? Why not sidestep the issue with a suitable diversion? Then, when the series returns, viewers will have, hopefully, forgotten the question ever arose and move on without further ado…

Thus, before settling down with new sidekick, Miss Jones, the Doctor faces a brief encounter with bride-to-be Donna, as played by actress and comedienne Catherine Tate. I’m not familiar with her sketch show but you’d have to have been living as an exile on the planet Gallifrey not to know her catch phrases. The best known of these was being repeated, ad nauseam, in the DVD department of one of the local supermarkets a few weeks ago whilst I was out tracking down Bond, James Bond. You might think Sainsbury’s wouldn’t be the place to uncover a secret agent but you’d be wrong! Anyway, I best know Catherine from her brief appearance in episode four of last year’s BBC production of “Bleak House” in which she played Mrs. Chadband. Others may recognise her as Mitzi Kosinski from ITV1’s “Marple: A Murder is Announced”, also from last year, and which coincidentally featured Cassandra actress Zoë Wanamaker.

Starring opposite David Tennant, in “The Runaway Bride”, is actress Sarah Parish playing the sinister Empress of the Racnoss, seen here together at the Bafta Television Awards, 2005. They’ve also worked together before on “Blackpool” and, perhaps of some interest, Sarah has additionally worked with Ms. Piper but not on “Doctor Who”. They both appeared in last year’s reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” and, if you don’t already know, no prizes for guessing which playwright pops up in the second episode of next year’s new season of Time Lord adventures. I reckon they eat a lot of Chinese takeaway in the television industry, influencing them to use few ingredients but in every possible permutation! However, the publicity for this year’s Special seems focused on Ms. Tate so, as it’s Christmas, I’ve prepared another ten-picture gallery for your delectation. After all, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without one of Mr. Davies’ famous plum puddings!!

The “Tate” Gallery

Trading Places

I don’t know how interested readers of this Blog are in stills from science fiction television series but I seem to amass them fairly rapidly, more than I can ever possibly use. I suspect it’s a continuation of collecting sweet cigarette and bubble-gum cards from when I was a child but without that teeth rotting element! I can remember a shop keeper going through her entire “Thunderbirds” stock, in a little newsagents in Paignton, during a summer holiday long ago, looking for that one elusive card to complete my set of fifty. She didn’t find it but I bought a packet anyway. I must have found it eventually, although where and when eludes me, as I still have them stored away for posterity. I actually have two sets of the first series, possibly one belonged to my brother, and a single set of the second. I prefer the latter, being made up of photos as opposed to artists impressions of the vehicles and characters. I also own a set of the sixty-four “Captain Scarlet” bubble-gum cards which mix artwork with photos and when collectively reversed make a single image.

Moving effortlessly on from Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles to a certain Sport-Utility Vehicle, I have to admit that, despite some reservations, my imagination seems to have been captured a little by episode seven of “Torchwood”. In a parallel universe, there might well be a set of trading cards for the series although, considering what I assume to be the age of the intended audience, that seems less likely than for “Doctor Who”! With this in mind, I’ve put together a little ten-picture gallery featuring the two leads from “Greeks Bearing Gifts”. It was Tosh’s episode but benefited greatly from the guest star, Daniela Denby-Ashe as Mary/Philoctetes, appearing throughout, rather than briefly at the story’s conclusion as was the case with Owen Teale in “Countrycide” and Gareth Thomas in “Ghost Machine”. The first of the set is above showing the moment our heroine first tries on the alien pendant with the remaining nine directly below in a separate post. Pictures two through six continue the exchange that took place in the Cardiff bar with the remaining four from the story’s climax at the heart of the Hub.

A “Gift” of a Gallery