Doctor Who has thousands of unproduced story concepts. Indeed, the first ever story ‘An Unearthly Child’ was based on a completely different idea: C.E. Webber’s ‘The Giants’, in which the Doctor and co. would have been shrunken down and faced comparatively massive Earth insects, was in an original series document produced for Doctor Who, and had Rex Tucker assigned to direct.
‘The Giants’ was vetoed for a combination of technical reasons: the small and outdated studio assigned to Doctor Who wasn’t up to the task of giant insects. Said insects drew the ire of Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman, who famously disliked bug-eyed monsters – you can’t get any more bug-eyed than literal bugs. Aspects of it ended up in the Season 2 story ‘Planet of Giants’, and the opening scene – where teenager Sue and her teachers Cliff and Lola meet Dr Who (sic) in the fog – was adapted...
‘The Giants’ was vetoed for a combination of technical reasons: the small and outdated studio assigned to Doctor Who wasn’t up to the task of giant insects. Said insects drew the ire of Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman, who famously disliked bug-eyed monsters – you can’t get any more bug-eyed than literal bugs. Aspects of it ended up in the Season 2 story ‘Planet of Giants’, and the opening scene – where teenager Sue and her teachers Cliff and Lola meet Dr Who (sic) in the fog – was adapted...
- 4/16/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
The origins of electronic music in cinema go back to the first half of the 20th century. This mix is a homage to some of those moments.It begins with a 1930s Pathé archive example of an early version of what would become a synthesizer, before moving into Dmitri Shostakovich’s first use of theremin on screen in the 1931’s Alone, directed by Grigori Kozintsev. Originally a silent film, Alone gained a soundtrack by Shostakovich just before release once film sound was made available in Russia. Bernard Herrmann’s iconic use of the theremin in The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) has a wonderful moment in this mix wherein we hear the studio sketches of this score’s creation. Taken from the 2018 reissue of the score, this recording presents studio outtakes and rehearsal moments during the production. Herrmann can be heard in the background prompting different actions from his orchestra.
- 3/28/2022
- MUBI
Some Doctor Who characters are intended for greatness; some are intended to be killed off at the end of their first episode. Writers have a lot more control over the second than the first. What remains true for all characters, is the tension that exists between their function in the story and their potential to affect it. Even a guard who simply runs into a room to get shot could have dragged the story in another direction, should they be allowed (this stock background character was the inspiration for Terry Pratchett’s City Watch novels).
Successful one-off characters aren’t necessarily those who break away from their function,, but those who make a story soar to another level entirely. More often, what makes them work is when their function in the story is disguised. There are plenty of ways to do this and most of them intersect: casting, costume, dialogue,...
Successful one-off characters aren’t necessarily those who break away from their function,, but those who make a story soar to another level entirely. More often, what makes them work is when their function in the story is disguised. There are plenty of ways to do this and most of them intersect: casting, costume, dialogue,...
- 2/25/2021
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
To be abundantly clear: the first Doctor Who Christmas Special was ‘The Christmas Invasion‘ in 2005. However, the first time the show was broadcast on Christmas Day was in 1965, the seventh episode of ‘The Dalek Master Plan’. The previous two years also had also seen Dalek stories at Christmas, with the first ever Dalek story starting broadcast in December 1963 and the final episode of ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ arriving on Boxing Day 1964, because Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a volcanic eruption by the Home Counties.
‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ capitalised on the initial success of the first Dalek story, and boosted the show’s ratings. The plan for the following series was to capitalise on that and so another six-parter was scheduled for the same time of year. As Season 2’s ‘Planet of the Giants‘ had been edited down to three episodes from four the BBC gave the...
‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ capitalised on the initial success of the first Dalek story, and boosted the show’s ratings. The plan for the following series was to capitalise on that and so another six-parter was scheduled for the same time of year. As Season 2’s ‘Planet of the Giants‘ had been edited down to three episodes from four the BBC gave the...
- 12/2/2020
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
By Darren Allison
100 Greatest Science Fiction Themes
Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic and London Music Works, this comprehensive 6 CD collection features music from the latest Sci-Fi blockbusters; from Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Blade Runner 2049, all the way back to 1950s classics The Day The Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet.
This release brings together the best selection of science fiction music spanning almost a century, through a thorough overview of musical styles, themes and techniques. It spotlights music from Hollywood heavyweights and classically trained legends, electronic experimenters (Bebe & Louis Barron, Vangelis) and jazz-influenced composers to the new generation, who combine orchestral sounds with electronics
100 Greatest Science Fiction Themes is released in both physical and digital format on 31st August 2018.
The Invasion
Don Harper’s soundtrack to the 8-part Doctor Who story The Invasion was made and transmitted in 1968 starring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor.
100 Greatest Science Fiction Themes
Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic and London Music Works, this comprehensive 6 CD collection features music from the latest Sci-Fi blockbusters; from Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Blade Runner 2049, all the way back to 1950s classics The Day The Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet.
This release brings together the best selection of science fiction music spanning almost a century, through a thorough overview of musical styles, themes and techniques. It spotlights music from Hollywood heavyweights and classically trained legends, electronic experimenters (Bebe & Louis Barron, Vangelis) and jazz-influenced composers to the new generation, who combine orchestral sounds with electronics
100 Greatest Science Fiction Themes is released in both physical and digital format on 31st August 2018.
The Invasion
Don Harper’s soundtrack to the 8-part Doctor Who story The Invasion was made and transmitted in 1968 starring Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor.
- 8/22/2018
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
One of the most legendary writers of all time created the most adventurous fantasized and romanticized novel of all time Ivanhoe. Later in the timeline of movie making, several movies of this story were made, including an Australian cartoon movie from 1986. In 1982, a British movie maker Douglas Camfield created a television movie together with the writer John Gay. Douglas was born in 8th May in India, got adopted by English parents in London, he sadly passed away the 24th January 1984. His Ivanhoe movie is claimed to be one of the best version of the story and in Sweden when it got released it became so popular that it is broadcast on tv even today as a new year tradition every 31 December....
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/14/2016
- Screen Anarchy
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The Yeti attack at Covent Garden in recently recovered Doctor Who episode, The Web Of Fear, is a masterwork. Here's why...
The Web Of Fear was commissioned after a positive response to The Abominable Snowmen by then Story Editor (soon-to-be Producer) Peter Bryant, with the intention that it would close out Doctor Who’s fifth season. Rewrites for Fury From The Deep resulted in it becoming the penultimate story (one of many variables that resulted in Nicholas Courtney playing the role of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart). Previously available as an audio soundtrack narrated by Fraser Hines, the film of The Web Of Fear was returned to the BBC archives in 2013.
I first experienced The Web Of Fear as a Target Novelisation at some point in the Nineties (I can’t remember if it was in Uddingston Library – so many Targets, so many Asterix books – or my primary school’s...
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The Yeti attack at Covent Garden in recently recovered Doctor Who episode, The Web Of Fear, is a masterwork. Here's why...
The Web Of Fear was commissioned after a positive response to The Abominable Snowmen by then Story Editor (soon-to-be Producer) Peter Bryant, with the intention that it would close out Doctor Who’s fifth season. Rewrites for Fury From The Deep resulted in it becoming the penultimate story (one of many variables that resulted in Nicholas Courtney playing the role of Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart). Previously available as an audio soundtrack narrated by Fraser Hines, the film of The Web Of Fear was returned to the BBC archives in 2013.
I first experienced The Web Of Fear as a Target Novelisation at some point in the Nineties (I can’t remember if it was in Uddingston Library – so many Targets, so many Asterix books – or my primary school’s...
- 1/19/2016
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
We had a feeling that An Adventure in Space and Time would be aired over the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who celebration weekend, but the exact day and time were still to be specified. We have confirmation of that now, November 22nd at 9/8c on BBC America. Wouldn’t want to miss it. Here’s the official press release.
Doctor Who’s First Doctor Regenerated in BBC America’s An Adventure in Space and Time Premiering on November 22 The story of how it all began stars David Bradley, Jessica Raine and Brian Cox
What do you get when you mix C.S. Lewis with H.G. Wells, and sprinkle in a bit of Father Christmas? An alien Time Lord exploring space and time in a Police Box spaceship called the “Tardis” (Time And Relative Dimension in Space). On November 23, 1963, a television legend began when the very first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC One.
Doctor Who’s First Doctor Regenerated in BBC America’s An Adventure in Space and Time Premiering on November 22 The story of how it all began stars David Bradley, Jessica Raine and Brian Cox
What do you get when you mix C.S. Lewis with H.G. Wells, and sprinkle in a bit of Father Christmas? An alien Time Lord exploring space and time in a Police Box spaceship called the “Tardis” (Time And Relative Dimension in Space). On November 23, 1963, a television legend began when the very first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC One.
- 11/5/2013
- by Jess Orso
- ScifiMafia
Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with just 10 weeks to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.
Jon Pertwee's third Doctor makes his second appearance in our top 10 this week; after 'The Daemons' scooped ninth place, an earlier Pertwee outing - originating from mid-1970 - takes up position number six in our list...
6. Inferno (1970) - Seven episodes - written by Don Houghton
"Listen to that! It's the sound of the planet screaming out its rage!"
Doctor Who's seventh season is one of the show's all-time greatest runs, comprising Jon Pertwee's thrilling debut 'Spearhead From Space', the thoughtful and terrifying sci-fi of 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' and the Quatermass-esque 'The Ambassadors of Death'.
But it arguably reached a zenith with its final tale – Hammer...
Jon Pertwee's third Doctor makes his second appearance in our top 10 this week; after 'The Daemons' scooped ninth place, an earlier Pertwee outing - originating from mid-1970 - takes up position number six in our list...
6. Inferno (1970) - Seven episodes - written by Don Houghton
"Listen to that! It's the sound of the planet screaming out its rage!"
Doctor Who's seventh season is one of the show's all-time greatest runs, comprising Jon Pertwee's thrilling debut 'Spearhead From Space', the thoughtful and terrifying sci-fi of 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' and the Quatermass-esque 'The Ambassadors of Death'.
But it arguably reached a zenith with its final tale – Hammer...
- 10/14/2013
- Digital Spy
Review Andrew Blair 30 Sep 2013 - 08:15
Andrew checks out the DVD release of Tom Baker story Terror Of The Zygons...
This review contains spoilers.
It's aptly named, is Terror of the Zygons. Its opening episode is a slow-build towards one gloriously unexpected shock moment. Even now, when you know it's coming, it's a brilliant moment of jarring editing. A sudden reveal, a scream, a zoom into a shadowy monstrous face, cue credits. You don't quite have time to process it before its over.
That's after some enjoyably ripe Hammer horror scene-setting in the north-east of Scotland. Tales of ancient horror are spun to incredulous newcomers, and we occasionally cut away to ineffable alien eyes. Most formidable of all, of course, is Tom Baker. Here he's in prime unnerving form amidst a lot of competition. Perhaps there was a competition between him, Lillias Walker and Robert Russell. That would certainly explain a lot.
Andrew checks out the DVD release of Tom Baker story Terror Of The Zygons...
This review contains spoilers.
It's aptly named, is Terror of the Zygons. Its opening episode is a slow-build towards one gloriously unexpected shock moment. Even now, when you know it's coming, it's a brilliant moment of jarring editing. A sudden reveal, a scream, a zoom into a shadowy monstrous face, cue credits. You don't quite have time to process it before its over.
That's after some enjoyably ripe Hammer horror scene-setting in the north-east of Scotland. Tales of ancient horror are spun to incredulous newcomers, and we occasionally cut away to ineffable alien eyes. Most formidable of all, of course, is Tom Baker. Here he's in prime unnerving form amidst a lot of competition. Perhaps there was a competition between him, Lillias Walker and Robert Russell. That would certainly explain a lot.
- 9/30/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Top 10 Andrew Blair 20 Sep 2013 - 07:00
Andrew counts down Doctor Who's 10 best Cyberman stories from across the TV series, audio dramas and comic strips...
Cybermen; Doctor Who's other monster. The one no-one knows quite what to do with, who show glimpses of what they can do, but don't look like dislodging the upper echelon from its perch.
They're Arsenal, basically. What is Nightmare in Silver if not Mehmet Ozil? A big name attached with lots excitement generated, and sure there are some clever ideas, but ultimately it's not what was necessary. I'd apologise to Arsenal fans but what are they going to do? Throw a trophy at me?
Like the Cybermen presumably do between their on-screen appearances, the writers will be heading back to the drawing board to discuss what they've learned. Meanwhile, here's our list of the top ten Cybermen stories across the entirety of Doctor Who.
Andrew counts down Doctor Who's 10 best Cyberman stories from across the TV series, audio dramas and comic strips...
Cybermen; Doctor Who's other monster. The one no-one knows quite what to do with, who show glimpses of what they can do, but don't look like dislodging the upper echelon from its perch.
They're Arsenal, basically. What is Nightmare in Silver if not Mehmet Ozil? A big name attached with lots excitement generated, and sure there are some clever ideas, but ultimately it's not what was necessary. I'd apologise to Arsenal fans but what are they going to do? Throw a trophy at me?
Like the Cybermen presumably do between their on-screen appearances, the writers will be heading back to the drawing board to discuss what they've learned. Meanwhile, here's our list of the top ten Cybermen stories across the entirety of Doctor Who.
- 9/19/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
In preparation for the 2013 Montreal Comiccon, taking place this weekend at the Palais Des Congres in the downtown area, Sound on Sight got a chance to sit down and talk with Frazer Hines. Perhaps best known for his role as Jaime McCrimmon, one of the most loved companions ever to travel through space and time on the hit television show Doctor Who, Hines has over sixty credits in film and television to his name. Counting down the days until the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Hines gives us his thoughts on the much anticipated BBC special.
****
Sound On Sight: So the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who is coming up, any thoughts? Excited about it?
Frazer Hines: I can’t believe the show I did when I was a kid. It started off as a children’s show; five fifteen on a Saturday. And to me it was just four episodes,...
****
Sound On Sight: So the 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who is coming up, any thoughts? Excited about it?
Frazer Hines: I can’t believe the show I did when I was a kid. It started off as a children’s show; five fifteen on a Saturday. And to me it was just four episodes,...
- 9/13/2013
- by Caitlin Marceau
- SoundOnSight
Review Andrew Blair 8 May 2013 - 06:29
A classic Doctor Who story gets another re-release. But is this newly-minted Inferno DVD a worthy purchase? Andrew takes a look...
The main reason for buying this re-release of Pertwee-era serial Inferno is its improved picture quality. It's instantly noticeable when compared with the 2006 release, and makes the film and video transitions less jarring. It is so sharp that it could be mistaken for the Third Doctor's dress sense, although he gets somewhat rumpled in this one.
Inferno, for a seven-parter, largely manages to avoid feeling padded. Season seven had its production schedule imposed on it by the outgoing Troughton-era team; the new regime of Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks were concerned that the two seven-parters scheduled might drag on a bit, and came up with sub-plots that could keep the momentum going and re-energise the narrative. In Inferno's case, this resulted in a...
A classic Doctor Who story gets another re-release. But is this newly-minted Inferno DVD a worthy purchase? Andrew takes a look...
The main reason for buying this re-release of Pertwee-era serial Inferno is its improved picture quality. It's instantly noticeable when compared with the 2006 release, and makes the film and video transitions less jarring. It is so sharp that it could be mistaken for the Third Doctor's dress sense, although he gets somewhat rumpled in this one.
Inferno, for a seven-parter, largely manages to avoid feeling padded. Season seven had its production schedule imposed on it by the outgoing Troughton-era team; the new regime of Barry Letts and Terrance Dicks were concerned that the two seven-parters scheduled might drag on a bit, and came up with sub-plots that could keep the momentum going and re-energise the narrative. In Inferno's case, this resulted in a...
- 5/7/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Feature Cameron K McEwan 5 Apr 2013 - 07:00
Cameron selects ten tremendous Doctor Who series openers, from Rose to Ribos, and Tomb to Terror...
Over the years, Doctor Who has suffered from what is commonly known as "Sos" or "Season Opener Syndrome". There's been some stinkers like Destiny of the Daleks, Attack of the Cybermen and Arc of Infinity and some mundane instalments such as New Earth, Robot and The Dominators. But there are some genuinely good ones out there too - some damn good ones. So here's ten of the best season openers over the last forty-nine and a bit years of Doctor Who.
10. Partners In Crime (2008)
Despite the levity of the episode, and we're talking about the Adipose here, this Russell T. Davies beauty managed a couple of mean feats. Firstly, he re-introduced us all to the mighty Donna Noble again (The Doctor and Donna's meeting through the windows...
Cameron selects ten tremendous Doctor Who series openers, from Rose to Ribos, and Tomb to Terror...
Over the years, Doctor Who has suffered from what is commonly known as "Sos" or "Season Opener Syndrome". There's been some stinkers like Destiny of the Daleks, Attack of the Cybermen and Arc of Infinity and some mundane instalments such as New Earth, Robot and The Dominators. But there are some genuinely good ones out there too - some damn good ones. So here's ten of the best season openers over the last forty-nine and a bit years of Doctor Who.
10. Partners In Crime (2008)
Despite the levity of the episode, and we're talking about the Adipose here, this Russell T. Davies beauty managed a couple of mean feats. Firstly, he re-introduced us all to the mighty Donna Noble again (The Doctor and Donna's meeting through the windows...
- 4/4/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Well now, it's been a while since we've had a truly boring Doctor Who story. By my reckoning and my hazy memory, the last real snoozefest was when I reviewed The Mark Of The Rani , a pondersome ramble in Killingworth with waggling trees, incomprehensible dialogue and endless point scoring between two ageing Time Lords. Ever since the reboot of Doctor Who came about in 2005, we've had the occasional calamity, but never has a story been so boring.
Step forward The Doctor's Daughter – the big turkey of Tennant's third season and probably one of the worst duffers of the era. Don't be fooled by the title – in no way does The Doctor suddenly realise he's misplaced a long-lost daughter in the constellation of Canthares or some other obscure location. There's no jaw-dropping revelation that The Doctor had some late night fumblings with either Romana, Todd or even Rose. No – all that...
Step forward The Doctor's Daughter – the big turkey of Tennant's third season and probably one of the worst duffers of the era. Don't be fooled by the title – in no way does The Doctor suddenly realise he's misplaced a long-lost daughter in the constellation of Canthares or some other obscure location. There's no jaw-dropping revelation that The Doctor had some late night fumblings with either Romana, Todd or even Rose. No – all that...
- 8/6/2011
- Shadowlocked
Nicholas Courtney: 1929 - 2011
Very sad news for all Doctor Who fans: Nicholas Courtney, the one and only Brigadier has passed away at the age of 81.
Born in Egypt on December 16 1929, Courtney came to England where he studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Following this, he became a recognisable face on TV in shows such as The Saint, The Avengers and The Champions.
However, it was Doctor Who that was to prove to be his big break. He was cast as Bret Vyon in the mammoth Daleks' Master Plan in 1965. Following this strong performance, Douglas Camfield cast him as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart in The Web Of Fear. His character was so popular that he was invited back for The Invasion, which in turn served as a dummy run for a regular stint in Jon Pertwee's era as The Doctor. The rest as they say, is history.
So...
Very sad news for all Doctor Who fans: Nicholas Courtney, the one and only Brigadier has passed away at the age of 81.
Born in Egypt on December 16 1929, Courtney came to England where he studied at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Following this, he became a recognisable face on TV in shows such as The Saint, The Avengers and The Champions.
However, it was Doctor Who that was to prove to be his big break. He was cast as Bret Vyon in the mammoth Daleks' Master Plan in 1965. Following this strong performance, Douglas Camfield cast him as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart in The Web Of Fear. His character was so popular that he was invited back for The Invasion, which in turn served as a dummy run for a regular stint in Jon Pertwee's era as The Doctor. The rest as they say, is history.
So...
- 2/23/2011
- Shadowlocked
A day in the life of The Doctor. Get up. Have breakfast. Land on an alien planet. Suffer lots of silly "What does it all mean?" questions from assistant. Meet aliens. Get captured. Escape. Save the universe. Go to sleep.
In the case of The Caves Of Androzani, the daily masterplan gets somewhat lost in translation. Even though it starts off as a harmless investigation on the planet of Androzani Minor, The Doctor and his new friend Peri rapidly find that they have only one mission statement: To stay alive.
Inevitably, being a regeneration story, you know what's going to happen. But since The Doctor encounters more scrapes than a paint stripper, the question on everyone's lips is how does he buy it this time? Death by firing squad? Death by shuttle crash? Death by Magma Beast?
In the end though, it can only be Death by Spectrox Toxaemia, after...
In the case of The Caves Of Androzani, the daily masterplan gets somewhat lost in translation. Even though it starts off as a harmless investigation on the planet of Androzani Minor, The Doctor and his new friend Peri rapidly find that they have only one mission statement: To stay alive.
Inevitably, being a regeneration story, you know what's going to happen. But since The Doctor encounters more scrapes than a paint stripper, the question on everyone's lips is how does he buy it this time? Death by firing squad? Death by shuttle crash? Death by Magma Beast?
In the end though, it can only be Death by Spectrox Toxaemia, after...
- 2/2/2011
- Shadowlocked
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