So…have you ever wondered about the origins of our beloved show? Well, now you can read all about it. The BBC Archives have released documents from the conceptual beginning of the show. Did you know that The Doctor’s granddaughter Susan was originally a human girl named Biddy? The BBC Science Fiction Report at the time noted that “Inherently, SF ideas are short-winded. The interest invariably lies in the activating idea and not in character drama.” …I expect that they’ve learned differently by now. The Follow Up Report was adamant that they not end up with “Bug-Eyed Monsters” and that the central characters should never be tin-robots.

Check it out for yourself. You’re sure to find something that amuses you. They even offer some photographs to browse through.

Well…see for yourself…

Journey’s End - Alternate Ending Clip:

This second YouTube offering is a music video using Snow Patrol’s song What if This Storm Ends? (from their new album A Hundred Million Suns.) It’s fairly Doctor/Rose-centric, but I really like the way it’s been put together. …And I adore the song. I admit it.

What if This Storm Ends?

Doctor Who, Journey’s End, Snow Patrol

(Like me, Mooker Strabinski is glad to have the good Doctor back on television. Oh, those terrible drought years! Do you have a My First Doctor story that you wish to share? Please e-mail it to me by using the “Contact Me” link near the top right of the blog. Thanks for telling us your story, Mooker!)

My First Doctor: by Mooker Strabinski

I first saw Dr Who in or around 1977, on PBS, out of Chicago. I remember watching it with my brother, staying up late one Saturday, since my parents were out.

When the theme music came on, we looked at each other. I had never heard anything like it, and from that first episode, we were hooked.

Jon Pertwee was my first Doctor, since new episodes were never shown here. I believe that the first episode that I saw was Day of the Daleks.

Someone at PBS seemed to favor Tom Baker, as he is the only Doctor that I saw for quite a few years to come, in many, many reruns.

When PBS pulled the good Doctor from their lineup, I was beside myself. Unable to watch anymore, and there was nothing that I could do about it. It wasn’t until I finally got BBC America a few years back that I was able to catch up. I was without the Doctor for nearly 15 years…the horror, the horror.

Image Source: BBC Doctor Who Site

My First Doctor, Jon Pertwee

John Barrowman at Birmingham Christmas Lights 2008
(From WireImage.com, Photo by Jules Annan)

Have I told you folks about Torchwood Babiez? It’s like a combination of Muppet Babies and the Whoniverse in comic format. You can find it over at tw_babiez on Livejournal. The reason I mention it now in particular is that part 3 (of 4) has just been posted. I’m loving it, and I hope that part four isn’t that many months away.

Speaking of comics, it looks like Sheldon is a Doctor Who fan, or perhaps it’s artist Dave Kellett who’s the fan. Either way, this is the second time I’ve seen the show mentioned in his comic strip.

The Children in Need TV event is on tonight, 14 November 2008, at 7pm. And what can we expect to see with relation to the Whoniverse? Well, apparently we will be treated to a clip from the Doctor Who Christmas special. In addition, there are rumours floating around that the next Doctor will be named during the show. I wonder if they’re actually talking about the name of the Christmas special, which is “The Next Doctor.” Who knows? I guess we’ll find out tonight.

Doctor Who series four is currently playing on BBCAmerica if you want to catch it again. It’s playing on Saturdays at 9(8c).

How did you first encounter Doctor Who? One of the things I haven’t done on this blog for a while is My First Doctor. Who was your first Doctor? Where did you see your first episode? Tell me your story and I’ll post it here. (You can see the previous ones here.) You can either comment with your story, or send me an e-mail using the Contact Me link near the top right of the blog.

Torchwood Babiez, Sheldon, Doctor Who

And now, a bit of fun. This is the third of the series two Sarah Jane Adventures stories. For those of you that can’t wait for the show to come to the US…here you go. Just watch quickly. These things have a way of disappearing.

SJA: Secrets of the Stars -
Part 1:

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Sarah Jane Adventures, Secrets of the Stars

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series two - The Mark Of The Berserker (part 2).

Well, it took me a bit longer than I had hoped to see this episode. Normally I watch it on my computer (which is a bit under construction at the moment.) I moved it over onto the main computer…and promptly discovered that said computer had lost all sound capabilities. It turns out that the cats managed to unplug some cord or other in the back. Le sigh. So here, at last, is my reaction to part two. If you would like to read my usual meandering views, click past the spoiler barrier.

Okay, I just have to say that I’m glad that the gang reacted as they did. They didn’t stupidly try to do it all on their own. When trying to reach Sarah Jane failed, they contacted someone else for help. Yay for Maria and her Dad! I was so very glad to see them. Good thing that Mr. Jackson is a hacker extraordinaire, yeah? It was really nice to see them. They’re like the U.S. outpost of the team at this point. I love Alan’s two monitor computer set up. Even without knowing the buffalo password he still managed to get the information that they needed.

Clyde’s dad was really out of control. I can’t say that I’m pleased with him in general. He’s not that good at the interpersonal relationships, is he? I’m glad that he snapped out of it in the end, but…well…I hope he makes a better dad and partner the second time around. And also stays out of Clyde’s life. Clyde’s poor Mum. It’s sad that Clyde had to use the pendant on her to make her forget, but I suppose that it’s just as well. She doesn’t need to know about what the team gets up to.

I loved that Clyde still knew Sarah Jane when she showed up, courtesy of the Jacksons. Forgot to erase Clyde’s memories sufficiently, eh Paul? I was also glad to see that Clyde was still thinking, even with the restrictions placed upon him by the pendant. A good character development story for Clyde.

Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, The Mark Of The Berserker

This week on The Pocket Project we are looking at episode five of Doctor Who series one - Boom Town. What will The Doctor produce from his seemingly endless pockets this time? What will he use the Sonic Screwdriver for? Let’s find out. (I managed to find a wee “best of” for the episode this time. As per usual, be sure to watch it soon. These things have a way of disappearing. )

The Pocket Project: Boom Town - 1.11

1. Cell Phone - You have to wonder where he got it. He certainly never pulls it out of his pocket again.

2. Sonic Screwdriver - Used to reverse a teleport.

3. Breath Spray? - Something that looks like breath spray that is used to neutralize Blon’s poisoned breath.

Total Items: 3

Hey, now Jack is pulling things out of thin air, too! Do we even want to know where those handcuff bracelet things were hiding? For all that this is not my favorite of episodes, it does have some interesting moments. “Only a killer would know that” for example. The Doctor first recognizes the constant reappearance of “Bad Wolf.” And, of course, the thing that we don’t find out for a couple of years: This adventure is directly responsible for Torchwood’s invisible lift.

Boom Town (a best of)

The Pocket Project, Doctor Who, Boom Town

This is the Reaction Post for The Sarah Jane Adventures series two - The Mark Of The Berserker (part 1).

Hello all. Sorry for the gap there. Only I could call a comment contest and promptly get sick. Luckily, before I got too ill I got a chance to visit with some friends, and we all watched this episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures together. Don’t worry. I’m on the mend now.

Come on past the spoiler barrier to see what the group thought of this one…

Elisa:
This episode quite freaked me out. This alien artifact provides the show with a way to show the most dangerous things that can happen when you have absolute power over someone. The character development afforded by allowing us to learn more about Clyde’s life was nice, but now I’m all worried about Clyde and his poor Mum. I wonder if this was the episode that corresponded with the filming of the last two episodes of Doctor Who series four. That would certainly explain Sarah Jane being gone. Good to know that the kids can carry the show in her absence, though. I hope that everything works out okay next week.

Michael hadn’t watched any episodes of the series before, and felt it was interesting that the show is called the Sarah Jane Adventures and there was very little Sarah Jane in it. He also noted that the greedy adult didn’t see the magic of the alien tech and interactions, just the profit.

Debbie liked it, but felt that it was painful and awful, but terribly realistic when it comes to a fifteen year old boy trying to prove something to his absent father. Yes there was an alien threat, but the real threat was an Adult human.

The Vig thought that the excellent pacing made the episode freaky. They managed to keep his attention with just the kids. He also liked that it wasn’t the end of the world stuff, but there was still tension building in a more subtle way. He felt that it was a really strong episode for the series, and they haven’t had that many that can do that. He liked the fact that Luke and Clyde were just hanging out and Clyde is finally getting up to speed. Good character development.

What did you all think of the episode?

Reaction Post, The Sarah Jane Adventures, The Mark Of The Berserker

David Tennant on BBC Breakfast:

David Tennant, Doctor Who

His Name is ‘The Doctor’ by seduff: