Absorbing Stuff?

With the Doctor and Rose virtually written out of "Love & Monsters", a strong cast was needed to take centre stage to effectively replace them for a week. Facially similar to Malcolm McDowell, Marc Warren took the lead as Elton Pope, an actor who'd probably make a better job of playing the Doctor than David Tennant, to be honest. He was terrific as PC Dougie Raymond in the first season and a half of "The Vice", alongside Ken Stott, and is now perhaps best known as con man Danny Blue whom he has played for the last three years in "Hustle". Shirley Henderson appeared as his sidekick, Ursula Blake, whom I best remember from the third and final season of the French-resistance drama "Wish me Luck" in which she played ill-fated Sylvie, executed by the Nazis after the war was declared over.

To complete the line-up a villain was needed and cast as Victor Kennedy was comedian Peter Kay, best known to television viewers for multiple roles in the two seasons of sitcom "Phoenix Nights" and its less successful spin-off "Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere". Victor is not what he seems, however, when it transpires he is distantly related to the Slitheen family preferring to go by the name of Abzorbaloff. The monster was created by nine-year-old William Grantham for a 'Design a "Doctor Who" monster' competition held by children's magazine programme "Blue Peter" last year, and his winning artwork is reproduced above. I think the design team did the boy proud. It was a pleasure to witness his excitement in "Doctor Who Confidential", immediately after episode 10 aired, on meeting the Bolton comic in costume.

Taking the target audience into consideration, RTD's script could've been a little more appropriate for family viewing. I'm not talking about the fart gag. Tedious though it is, I'm sure children everywhere will love that element as much as seeing Mr Blobby chasing Elton (thank God he wasn't called Cliff!) through the back streets of Cardiff. But, was it really necessary for Jackie to try and seduce the Pope by flashing her underwear in his direction in the launderette? One is left wondering if, like the TARDIS, her knickers are bigger on the inside (apologies to the more sensitive reader)! There was also reference made to the size of Camille Coduri's chest and worse at the climax of the story, in relation to Elton and Ursula's love life now that Miss Blake is reduced to a head in a paving stone!! You might say "Doctor Who" has reached rock bottom!!!

All Rise!

Last night's BBC Radio 2 documentary, "Doctor Who: Regeneration", exclusively revealed that the first of the four episodes to feature the long-awaited return of one of the series most popular adversaries is entitled "The Rise of the Cybermen". This will appear fifth in the run of thirteen episodes likely to air from the end of March 2006. The title of the concluding episode of this two-part story is still unknown while both episode titles of the Cybermen story that concludes the second season are now known. Episode twelve is called "Army of Ghosts", as stated in a previous post, and is followed by the apocalyptic sounding "Doomsday".

The first of the two two-part Cybermen stories is set on an alternate Earth doomed to disaster, making it sound like a reworking of the Jon Pertwee classic "Inferno" which incidentally is due out on DVD next year. The second outing sees the Cybermen awaken in our universe where they have allied themselves with something from the Doctor's past. All four Cybermen episodes are directed by Graeme ("The Caves of Androzani" and "Revelation of the Daleks") Harper, as seems likely is the other two-parter. Set on a nightmarish alien world, and opening with the episode "The Satan Pit", this would make a total of six episodes, almost half the season under the helm of the classic series director. Good news indeed.

Other news concerning the next run is that the Face of Boe, originally seen in second episode "The End of the World", will be making a return appearance and this time in a speaking capacity apparently having "some important words for the Doctor"! Stephen Fry's episode is being held over to season three because of the demands it makes on the effects department. His episode, the eleventh, is now being written by Matthew Graham. Episode ten will feature the Abzorbaloff, the creature created by a "Blue Peter" viewer.

Meanwhile, returning to the Cybermen episodes, Roger Lloyd Pack was worried he wouldn't be able to take on the role of enemy John Lumic after he fell down the stairs at home and broke a leg. Scripts have been rewritten to accommodate his injury and now sees him wheelchair-bound. Apparently, this has had the effect of adding to the mystery and intrigue surrounding his character! Let's hope he makes a speedy recovery.