Family Matters

The final instalment of the third season of “Who Do You Think You Are?”, the series in which celebrities trace their ancestry, follows actress Julia Sawalha on her voyage of genealogical discoveries. She comes from a multi-cultural family. Her mother is English but believes her side of the family is descended from French Huguenots. Julia begins a quest to find her family’s Huguenot heritage, and then embarks on a journey to Jordan, her actor-father Nadim’s homeland. His mother was a successful and well-known businesswoman who turned her back on the Bedouin tribal way of life, and Julia explores the context of her grandmother’s achievements. Unfortunately, the programme is on BBC1 on Wednesday 25th October at 9pm, the same time as the terrestrial repeat of “Torchwood” on BBC2, but is itself repeated on BBC2 on Thursday 9th November at 7pm and promises to be well worth watching.

Born in London on 9th September 1968, Julia made her television debut in 1989 in the role of Lynda Day, the editor of a school newspaper, in ITV children’s drama “Press Gang”. She played this no-nonsense character for five years but has since become better known as Saffy in anarchic sitcom “Absolutely Fabulous” alongside Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley. Regular work was found, with Lynda Bellingham, in ITV sitcoms “Second Thoughts” and spin-off “Faith in the Future”. Along the way, she appeared in costume classics “Martin Chuzzlewit”, in which, as Mercy Pecksniff, she ill-advisedly married pop singer Lily Allen’s dad Keith, the current Sheriff of Nottingham, and then ill-advisedly married again, as Lydia Bennet, a year later in BBC1’s extremely successful 1995 adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice”. Most recently, Julia has worked with Alan Davies on latter episodes of “Jonathan Creek” but is well-remembered by “Doctor Who” fans for her role as assistant Emma, to Rowan Atkinson’s Doctor, in the affectionate 1999 Comic Relief parody “The Curse of Fatal Death”.

Countdown 2 "Torchwood"

The press screening of episode one of “Torchwood”, “Everything Changes” by Russell T. Davies, took place in Cardiff earlier in the week. The above picture features five of the six regulars who we’ve been introduced to, with great rapidity, in the trailers. From left to right are Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Naoko Mori as Toshiko Sato, Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones and Burn Gorman as Owen Harper. David Tennant, Billie Piper and Noel Clarke, author of episode ten entitled “Combat”, all attended but Torchwood’s second-in-command Indira Varma as Suzie Costello doesn’t appear to have been present. There are no less than seven opportunities, all within the first week, to see the first two episodes of "Torchwood", six of them back-to-back; the first four and final two screenings on BBC3, beginning on Sunday 22nd at 9pm, with a terrestrial airing on BBC2 on Wednesday 25th, also at 9pm.

Since my two previous posts, episode four has changed its title from “The Trouble with Lisa” to the more obvious, and more revealing, “Cyberwoman”! No chance of keeping that little twist a surprise for the general viewing public now!! It reminds me of the “Doctor Who” story-title change, back in the mid-Eighties, from “The Androgum Inheritance” to “The Two Doctors”, the former being a much more inspired choice and the same is the case now. Anyway, “Cyberwoman” is directed by James Strong, who previously helmed “The Impossible Planet” two-parter, so the signs are good for this episode. Series regular Ianto is protective of the Cyberwoman because, before her part-conversion, Lisa and he were an item… This episode of “Torchwood” premieres on November 5th, the 40th anniversary, to the day, of Patrick Troughton’s debut as the Doctor. A fitting tribute, seeing as the Cybermen were this incarnation’s most frequent adversary!

Attack of the Cyberwoman

Obviously, I don’t know (yet) whether or not it’s a good or a bad thing but, certainly, one of the most interesting developments of the “Doctor Who” universe, in its spin-off series “Torchwood”, is the introduction to television of the first Cyberwoman. The female of the species has already appeared in comic strip form, gracing the pages of “Doctor Who Magazine”, and, in a few weeks’ time, is set for even greater stardom in Chris Chibnall’s “The Trouble with Lisa”, the fourth episode in the show’s opening season. If you read the synopsis in my previous post, the storyline does sound a little like the “Doctor Who” episode “Dalek”, or even “Paradise Towers” from back in the late Eighties, with Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd) fulfilling the role of billionaire collector Henry van Statten (Corey Johnson). As the face of the Cyberwoman has been left unmasked, the suggestion is that, as Christopher Eccleston’s sixth episode explored the feelings of the inhabitants of Skaro, “Lisa” will be an exploration of the emotional side of the Cyber race. Excellent! To begin with, she has a name. “I, Robot”, anyone? But, if you’re going to borrow, borrow from the best and “Dalek” is the finest single episode story of new “Doctor Who” to date.

Cast in the role of Cyberwoman Lisa is Caroline Chikezie. She is probably best known to television viewers for her role as Elaine Hardy in season three of “Footballers’ Wives” but, following a little research, I realise I’ve already seen her in Channel Four’s teen drama “As If” in which she played Sasha Williams. Caroline has also appeared in a two-part “Holby City” and an earlier episode of “Casualty”. She is not without SF credentials, however, having appeared on the big screen as Freya in last year’s “Aeon Flux” in which she does appear to be carrying something not dissimilar to a Cyber gun, circa “Earthshock”. I’m guessing RTD saw her in this role and thought of her for the part in “Torchwood”. The revealing nature of the Cyber costume also suggests that RTD is after something akin to Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in “Star Trek: Voyager”. Maybe the production team should cast Caroline as a regular!

"Torchwood" Episode Guide

EPISODE 1: 'Everything Changes' by Russell T. Davies
When Torchwood arrives on the scene of a brutal murder, WPC Gwen Cooper's burning curiosity is challenged. Their attitude, their approach and their technology is at odds with everything she believes in. But investigating the investigators leads her into a dark, paranoid world she never imagined existed.

EPISODE 2: 'Day One' by Chris Chibnall
An alien addicted to sex is let loose on Cardiff's nightlife. Torchwood must track down the creature's new host and in doing so, confront a violent new form of love in the 21st century.

EPISODE 3: 'Ghost Machine' by Helen Raynor
Torchwood discovers a machine that allows them to view the ghosts that walk among us. Using it, prompts Owen to investigate an unsolved crime - one that could change all their futures.

EPISODE 4: 'The Trouble With Lisa' by Chris Chibnall
There's a dark secret in the basement of the Hub. Even Jack is unaware of it, but Ianto knows. And he'll go to any lengths, sacrifice anything and anyone, to protect what's down there.

EPISODE 5: 'Small Worlds' by Peter J. Hammond
Jasmine is a withdrawn but intelligent child whose new 'friends' exploit her suppressed anger, and while investigating this, Jack encounters elemental enemies from his past that are determined to harm those closest to him.

EPISODE 6: 'Countrycide' by Chris Chibnall
Upon entering an apparently deserted village in the Brecon Beacons, the Torchwood team is separated. Finding his people are the prey in a savage game of cat and mouse, Jack faces a team of ruthless hunters far more skilled in surviving outside the confines of the city than he.

EPISODE 7: 'Greeks Bearing Gifts' by Toby Whithouse
Tosh gains the ability to read the minds of those closest to her but as she becomes party to their darkest secrets, she realises not only is this a powerful curse, but one impossible to break.

EPISODE 8: 'They Keep Killing' by Paul Tomalin & Dan McCulloch
Using alien technology to interrogate the victims of a serial killer, Gwen learns that the common link is dangerously close to home. And the resurrection device has a deadly secret of its own.

EPISODE 9: 'Invisible Eugene' by Jacquetta May
A hit-and-run victim, Eugene, was a bit of a nobody, and always convinced that aliens were coming to Earth, specifically to retrieve technology in his possession. Now Gwen finds herself drawn into his world and realises Eugene may still be helping her locate the 'aliens' - despite him being dead.

EPISODE 10: 'Combat' by Noel Clarke
The team discovers a ring who are kidnapping Weevils - wild alien creatures that have come through the Rift and are hiding on Earth - which leads Owen down a dark path to confront the future of his own existence.

EPISODE 11: 'Out of Time' by Cath Tregenna
A small passenger plane from the 1950s flies through the Rift and lands in Cardiff 2006. Torchwood is drawn into strong personal relationships as they help the three temporal immigrants adapt to contemporary life.

EPISODE 12: 'Captain Jack Harkness' by Cath Tregenna
Transported back to the Blitz, Jack and Tosh find themselves facing a dark secret from Jack's past, one he hoped and believed had been buried for good.

EPISODE 13: 'Apocalypse' by Chris Chibnall
The Rift is violently fracturing further, and Jack realises that Torchwood is destined to be drawn into one vast battle that will leave nothing and no one at Torchwood unchanged...

Cracked Actor

“Cracker” was back, for the first time in ten years, on Sunday evening for a one-off feature-length episode and written by its creator, the brilliant and extremely likeable Jimmy McGovern. Entitled “Nine Eleven”, it featured many of the trademarks of previous stories, revealing the killer early on, thus enabling the narrative to concentrate on the why rather than the who. Despite the title, the story centred on the aftermath of the Troubles of Northern Ireland for one particular ex-squaddie called Kenny, engagingly played by Anthony Flanagan, now working in the Manchester Police Force and with six years service behind him. Psychologist Fitz (Robbie Coltrane) returns to Manchester from Australia for the first time in seven years, for his daughter’s wedding, only to find the city redeveloped after the IRA bombing and becomes embroiled in the case, much to the annoyance of his long-suffering wife, played as ever by Barbara Flynn.

Richard Coyle, best known for sitcom “Coupling”, played Fitz’s new boss DI Walters and good though he was, especially when losing his temper, I did miss the sincerity and wisecracks of Ricky Tomlinson as DCI Charlie Wise, who joined the drama in its second series as the replacement for outgoing DCI David Bilborough played by Christopher Eccleston, together with the other original regulars DS Jane Penhaligon (Geraldine Somerville) and DS Jimmy Beck (Lorcan Cranitch). The latter, of course, committed suicide in quite spectacular fashion, in third season opener “Brotherly Love”, unable to cope with both the guilt he felt over the nature of Eccleston’s demise and the subsequent descent of his own character compelling him to rape colleague “Panhandle”. In the latest story, Belfast serves the same function as Hillsborough in that most highly-regarded of “Cracker” serials “To Be A Somebody”, the 1989 football disaster being part of the trigger which ignites the never-bettered Robert Carlyle as Albie Kinsella on the road to ruin, but “Nine Eleven” is still cracking stuff. Kenny, the copper with problems, driving his first victim’s Mother, and intended next victim, back to her residence is reminiscent of a scene in “Men Should Weep” in which taxi-driver Floyd Malcolm (Graham Aggrey), wanted for rape, gives a ride to a witness who, during their journey, fleetingly recognises her cabbie’s turn of phrase.

I do think the “radical departure from the norm of police procedural dramas” element has been overstated somewhat in the promotion of “Cracker”. There are a number of Hitchcock thrillers, Joseph Cotten as the Merry Widow Murderer in “Shadow of a Doubt” and Barry Foster dubbed the Necktie Murderer in “Frenzy” for example, that tell you who the killer is long before the resolution. But hype hasn’t detracted from the quality of the product. McGovern’s creation remains one of the jewels of ITV’s output and its resurrection hasn’t undermined what went before, back in the early Nineties. The new episode is available on DVD from the 9th of this month together with the entire back catalogue of stories, from the 16th, either individually or as a box set. I have a sneaking admiration for two of the non-McGovern penned stories, “True Romance” by Paul Abbott, featuring Emily Joyce as an unhinged admirer of Fitz’s, but especially “The Big Crunch” by Ted Whitehead, featuring the always excellent Samantha Morton as schoolgirl victim of creepy Head Teacher and Minister Jim Carter ably supported by ex-“Doctor Who” companion Maureen O’Brien as his wife. But if you want the essence of “Cracker”, go for “To Be A Somebody” or “To Say I Love You”.

Cover Versions

With David Tennant and Freema Agyeman adorning the latest front cover of the “Doctor Who Magazine”, Issue 374, in which you can win a talking K9 no less, I got to thinking about the covers and asked myself when was the last time they printed a full cover image relating to the original series? I discovered that since the magazine, published every four weeks, proudly announced “We’ve Regenerated!” on the front of Issue 352, and dispensed with the staple binding and adopted the new series logo, the answer is never. They got close with Issue 369 which heralded a “Blast from the Past”, and pictured Elisabeth Sladen as erstwhile companion Sarah Jane Smith with the aforementioned doggy, but this was simply to promote latest episode “School Reunion” and thus nothing to do with the original series.

I discounted images of the TARDIS, as seen on Issues 353 and 350, as these are generic and pertain to all eras of the programme. Dalek and Cybermen covers have been specific to the new series such as the gold Dalek featured on the cover of Issue 356, the Emperor on 358, and, more recently on Issue 370, the newly designed Cyberman, followed, on Issue 372, by the newly designed black Dalek. I want to know why there have been no pictures of Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker, for example? Is the magazine, consciously, only wanting to promote itself to those only mostly interested in RTD’s version of the programme, happy to lose those who have remained faithful to the publication while the show was off air? Or, are they hoping to draw fans of the new to the periodical and get them interested in classic “Who” through the articles within?

I do think the occasional cover harking back to the good old days wouldn’t go amiss. Would it really hurt sales that much to remind everyone that the series has a long and very fruitful history? I had to travel back in time almost two years to find a cover featuring something pre new series! Paul McGann and Daphne Ashbrook reunited eight years on from the TV movie, in Issue 351, published on 9 December 2004, to share their recollections with each other and the readership. This still, strictly speaking, isn’t classic “Doctor Who” I hear you cry! OK, then. Travelling back another couple of months to 14 October 2004, and Issue 349, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are on the front, promoting a major feature on the radio adventures of the Doctor and his associates. And, those still not happy that even this doesn’t refer to the television series, as seen on BBC1 between 23 November 1963 and 6 December 1989, then there are many covers to choose from prior to this one! I chose it because it’s the last front cover of a regular issue of “Doctor Who Magazine”, to date, to feature an actor who portrayed one of the first seven Doctors. Maybe it’s time for another McGann cover, this time with Sheridan Smith, but with the same headline as the Colin Baker issue, “Radio Activity!”.

Miller’s Tales!

Just for a brief moment last week, I actually found myself feeling excited again on hearing news pertaining to the “Doctor Who” universe. It was the announcement of eight brand new audio episodes, a season if you will, featuring the return of Eighth Doctor Paul McGann to BBC7, from New Year’s Eve, in a run of six stories. Produced by Big Finish, they have adopted the double length episode format of the recent TV revival and the mix of two part and single episode stories, so beloved across the Atlantic, that we have embraced here in order to conform and thus compete in the marketplace. The two two-parters open and close the season, the first featuring the Daleks, the latter the Cybermen.

It’s interesting to mull over the story titles. My favourite has to be Paul Magrs “Horror of Glam Rock”! Nice play on “Fang Rock” and certainly brought a smile to my face. I wonder if it’s about Gary Glitter? Anyway, that one follows the opening story “Blood of the Daleks” by Steve Lyons. Two stories (three episodes) have been written by Eddie Robson, the closing Cybermen tale “Human Resources” and “Phobos”, fourth in the sequence, presumably set on, or about, the larger and closest of the two satellites orbiting the planet Mars. The title of the preceding story, “Immortal Beloved” by Jonathan Clements, is intriguing. This was also the name of a film about a letter written by Beethoven to an unknown lover, starring Gary Oldman. So, I’m wondering if my wish, mentioned a couple of posts ago, that the Doctor should encounter a famous composer, is about to come true?! The penultimate story of the second McGann radio season of “Doctor Who” is “No More Lies” by Paul Sutton. I wonder if he’s related to Sarah?!!

As well as an impressive guest cast, joining the Doctor on this two-month aural extravaganza, just after Christmas, is new companion Lucie Miller. After two days of auditions, Sheridan Smith was chosen to replace India Fisher’s outgoing companion Charley Pollard from last year’s debut season. Following Doctor John Smith, Sarah Jane Smith, and Mickey Smith, does this mean we’ll finally have a real Smith aboard the TARDIS? Sheridan will be a familiar face to anyone who has ever switched on BBC THREE! She has played the part of Janet for well over fifty episodes in six seasons of sitcom “Two Pints of Lager & a Packet of Crisps” and, more recently, led the cast of similar sitcom “Grownups”, as Michelle, from the same writer and production team. I’m nothing, if not curious, as to how this pairing will turn out!

All Spooked Out!

“Spooks” returns next weekend, on BBC ONE, to begin its fifth season with the now traditional opening two-part story. Currently enjoying reruns of last year’s season on BBC THREE, now halfway through, and with the box set of the same season available from last Monday, September is definitely a good time to be a fan of this high octane spy drama. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a grown up version of the much underestimated 90s’ action adventure series “Bugs”. And neither that show nor this one would have existed without seminal 60s’ series “The Avengers”. That’s the lineage sorted!

“Spooks” went through a bit of a dull patch during its third season when it lost its three leading characters, Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen), Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo). But the production team seemed to start over with season four, despite opening with Danny’s funeral, in an excellent two-parter, “The Special”, that timely dealt with a terrorist bombing campaign in central London and featured a spunky performance from guest star Martine McCutcheon as Tash. She demonstrated such balls that, at the end of the story, I was disappointed she didn’t become a series regular.

All was not lost though as by the end of episode five of season four, an equally adroit heroine, Jo Portman (Miranda Raison), was invited to join the “Spooks” team by new leading man Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones). I love her introductory story, “The Book”, despite the plot holes and having to suspend disbelief over the number of coincidences, simply because the whole thing is carried off with such panache. Curiosity having got the better of her in following Adam, Jo shows great presence of mind when setting off car alarms to alert our agents to the proximity of assassins about to enter an MI5 safe house and, again, in dumping her mobile phone in the assailants’ getaway car in order that they may be traced. Beauty and intelligence are a winning combination.

Playing Devil’s Advocate!

The “Doctor Who” production team, having completed filming on the second Christmas special, “The Runaway Bride”, originally scheduled to be the second episode of the second season, is now busy recording material for season three. David Tennant and Freema Agyeman, as new companion Martha Jones, are on location in Coventry, doubling as Tudor London, for an episode in which they meet Shakespeare. I’m all for promoting the heritage of a once Great Britain but why does the Time Lord have to meet another author quite so soon after meeting Dickens? Yes I know there’s a difference in that dear old Bill was a playwright, whom the Doctor has already met incidentally, and Charlie boy a novelist but couldn’t RTD have gone a bit further afield and chosen a scientist or a musician?

I would find it interesting, for example, if the Doctor were to encounter Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Bringing him forward in time, to the present day, the Austrian might ponder over the evolution of the composition of his age into the modern music written by luminaries such as Hungarian born Gyorgy Ligeti, and you’ve probably all heard his scores in the Stanley Kubrick films “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “The Shining”, or the relatively-recently deceased Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski. Or Sir Peter Maxwell Davies if you want someone closer to home. Too intellectual for BBC1! If it happened we’d no doubt be treated to Mozza’s thoughts on Robbie or Britney!! Now, Beethoven and John Lydon would probably get along!!!

Knowing the Doctor’s predilection for meeting famous figures, surely the ultimate storyline would be if the Doctor were to “rescue” Jesus from the kiss of Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane. The TARDIS could again bring him forward in time to meet Richard Dawkins, for a bit of a chat, on one of Melvyn Bragg’s Sunday night religious discussion programmes! Too controversial for BBC1!! Actually, I’ve had the first part of that scenario in mind since I was a boy. I even started to write it at one stage…

The point I’m making is that there doesn’t seem to be much imagination coming out of BBC Wales for the third series. “Doctor Who” is an adventure so get adventurous! It all sounds as though RTD is resting on his laurels and content to dish up more of the same. Maybe “Doctor Who” has always been thus and I’m finally growing out of it. And yet, many older stories still excite me. Maybe, and in my bones I know this is a big maybe, but maybe Russell will surprise his doubters and come up with a terrific script involving England’s greatest writer. And even if the Bard himself might enjoy them, that means absolutely no infantile fart gags because they quite simply stink! What it does mean is more dialogue like Jefferson’s extremely moving monologue after the death of Scooti, in “The Impossible Planet”, or subtle touches like those remembered by acting-Captain Zack as “deceased with honour”, before our favourite science fiction programme dies in dishonour.

The Ood Couple

Because of where the three episodes, that comprise the two stories on this DVD release, are placed in the second series run, it is a little unfortunate that they have ended up on the same disc! Perhaps there is truth in the old adage “opposites attract”. What we have here, in the two-part black hole tale, is not only the best story of the second series but the best of both last year’s and the most recent combined, coupled with, in “Love & Monsters”, not only the worst story of the second series but also the worst of both series together. A marriage made in heaven then!

And BBC THREE have also managed to pull off the same remarkable feat, over the Bank Holiday weekend, with their recent season of repeats. On Sunday night they ran the opening episode of the two-parter, “The Impossible Planet”, concluding the story, with “The Satan Pit”, the following evening as part of a double bill with the previously disclosed offending episode! What a shame their schedules didn’t allow a better combination. Or maybe it was a ruse to get us to watch Marc Warren battling Peter Kay all over again. If it was, it didn’t work. This viewer’s viewing terminated at 8:10pm precisely. Though, I have nothing against the Electric Light Orchestra! And even Elton wrote some good songs, back in the early Seventies, before giving up rock ‘n’ roll for showbiz!!

Many “Doctor Who” fans are no doubt waiting for the box set of the second series but, putting that to one side, I would be more inclined to buy this release if it only contained the first two episodes. It’s such an odd pairing of stories that here I am actually asking for less for my money! Imagine buying a box set containing both “The Caves of Androzani” and “The Twin Dilemma”!! If I watch “Love & Monsters”, especially after “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit”, I end up feeling depressed over the state my favourite show is in after 43 years but if I switch off at the end of the two-parter I leave the experience on a high.

With this in mind, there’s no point in the Abzorbaloff episode being on the disc. I long for incompleteness! Well, at least in this instance. I have in mind a scene missing from the original omnibus video release of that other story featuring Gabriel Woolf, “Pyramids of Mars”, to do with getting in and out the Priory, which made little sense until the repeats on BBC2, early 1994, when something illogical suddenly became completely clear! A DVD without “Love & Monsters” would still be the length of many classic releases, such as the aforementioned Sutekh story, and I, for one, would be happier if this artistically Ood coupling went their separate ways!