Christian Cawley's Blog, page 69

Cubicle 7 Updates Doctor Who Roleplaying Game

Josh Maxton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Ever wanted to be the Doctor? Of course you have!

Cubicle 7 recently updated their Doctor Who Roleplaying Game (formerly Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space) with a fresh new look for the Twelfth Doctor!

Imagine you could go anywhere. This world or countless others, encountering strange alien races, new cultures or hostile environments. Now imagine you could travel to any time. Meet Robin Hood (and duel him with a spoon!), discover what terrible monster lives under your bed, journey inside a Dalek or travel to the end of time itself. Where would you go?… The Doctor Who Roleplaying Game is a set in the universe of the world’s longest running science fiction show on TV – the BBC’s Doctor Who. This new edition of the rulebook, fully updated with imagery from the Twelfth Doctor’s adventures, presents all the rules and background you need to have your own adventures in time and space in a single volume…

You might want me to give you a good reason why you should spend your money and buy this scrumptious new item. I’ll leave it to Cubicle 7 to give you five reasons!

The new edition of the Doctor Who Roleplaying Game is available to pre-order from Cubicle 7, but if you already own the previous release, there’s no need to upgrade (although a free PDF with the new rules is likely).

You can find the various source books that are a part of this game on Amazon US and on Amazon UK!

The post Cubicle 7 Updates Doctor Who Roleplaying Game appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: We Are The Daleks

James McLean is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It has to be said the Daleks are a formidable foe in several senses of the word. Most certainly they are a foe to the Doctor, who finds his encounters with these genocidal maniacs a little infuriating.

To the little man, the Daleks are just a wee bit of a foe given such pedestrian fellows are the perfect fodder for chemical warfare, indoctrination, transformation, and occasionally, extermination. But most of all, Daleks are formidable beasts for all types of writers. Be they show-writers looking for new perspectives to re-use/re-hash mechanical pop-cultural icons, or writers of Dalek-based story reviews, desperate to find a vaguely interesting opening to talk about a race that has (probably) had far too much attention.

I said probably.

Big Finish have released the latest in their line of ever perpetuating pepperpot stories, the Seventh Doctor adventure titled We Are The Daleks, written by veteran Who writer Jonathan Morris and starring Doctor Who fans sworn enemy, Melanie Bush.

There are some Daleks in there too.

The main focus is the golden artisan era of video games, before the giants swooped into the playground and industrialised video games to the scale and complexity we saw in the next decade.

In the past few years, the traditional rhetoric from Who fandom has seen some much needed revisions. As with the Sixth Doctor, and maybe even Adric, Melanie Bush has seen a renaissance of appreciation from fandom, thankfully again due to Big Finish. Original cast members have the opportunity to show audiences they can bring to a part that might have been lost in translation in the 1980s. It could be an act of purification through retrospection; a chance to give a character a revisit in a production aware of past limitations with an intent to overcome past mistakes. I’m happy to say We Are the Daleks is good for Melanie Bush, and given that I imagine there will be some still caught in the stigma of her less fleshed out television appearance, we’ll start by talking about her character involvement.

There were two startling errors in the creation of Melanie Bush. First and foremost, she had no origin story; no point of reference for actor, character or audience to root and ground the character. Second, she was a computer programmer who never showed any indication of either computer competency or interest in computers. We Are the Daleks cannot help serve the first issue, but it does give Mel a scenario in which the character can explore some of her character roots.

We Are the Daleks is, as the behind-the-scenes explains, a Dalek story set to be contemporary to the McCoy era. While McCoy had the excellent Remembrance of the Daleks as his Dalek story, it was set back in 1963. Here we have a vision of the Seventh Doctor battling the Daleks in the materialistic 1980s.

The main focus of the story, beyond the obvious antagonists, is the golden artisan era of video games, before the giants swooped into the playground and industrialised video games to the scale and complexity we saw in the next decade. The Daleks become bound in the ideas of the growing gaming fever and crass capitalism, offering up a new perspective upon our old enemies.

By and large, this all works. There’s a little reflexive humour in there for Daleks and the 1980s alike, with the Daleks chanting “Daleks invest and return” opposed to their usual seek, locating, and exterminate, and offering in a Power of the Daleks/Victory of the Daleks in-reference, “would you like a prawn cocktail?”

We Are the Daleks plays home and away from Earth with a nice range of twists and characters to keep the audience entertained. McCoy plays his lighter version of the Seventh Doctor with comfort, and Langford gets good opportunity to give Melanie depth and range. The supporting cast give warmth to a few common eighties archetypes and Briggs brings his usual Dalek versatility to the story’s nemesis.

If there was to be one criticism, it never quite feels like a 1980s story. The production make comment how Remembrance of the Daleks looked back to 1963 as this 2015 production looks back at 1987. As such Remembrance may reflect the 60s, but as a story, it has the framework of a 1980s script. Likewise, the same differential could apply for We Are the Daleks. The heavy application of multi-player interactivity carries a contemporary topicality and little relevance to the games market of the era, though this is indeed noted in the story. Without visual imagery to remind the audience of the era, the application of contemporary video game concepts sometimes pull you out of the date setting, particularly as part of the story is already set away from Earth.

By and large, this is quite a conventional little tale that fits the characters and offers a smart little re-exploration of the Daleks and the eighties. There are some plot-turns in this story, though no massive revelations. The behind the scenes segment is worth a listen on its own as Bonnie offers some very candid personal criticism about her time on Doctor Who that I think is pretty damn brave and worthy of respect.

We Are the Daleks is not essential Who, but it embodies what makes interesting Who; it explores an era and its own creations dually through a retrospective lens in a manner that is entertaining and engaging. It may not offer anything particularly shattering in terms of Dalek or Who continuity, but as a stand-alone tale, it’s worth your interest, especially if you’re an eighties boy like me!

We Are The Daleks is out now on CD and download from Big Finish.

The post Reviewed: We Are The Daleks appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Now on EBay: First Doctor Who Annual Autographed by William Hartnell

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Well, it’s not often that something quite as astonishing as this turns up – a signed copy of the first Doctor Who annual, with a dedicated signature from William Hartnell himself – has been listed on eBay by a Kasterborous reader.

Signed examples of this book are quite rare, and as you’ll see from the seller’s story, he’s made some checks to verify the autograph’s authenticity.

Here are the details of the listing:

This is a good copy of the first William Hartnell annual. Inside the pages is an autograph by the first Doctor, William Hartnell, signed to a Peter in 1965. I have checked with online sites and groups such as the Facebook Doctor Who Autograph Collectors Club – DWACC on July 3rd for some verification.

The message reads – “To Peter Here’s to a happy Christmas yours [or from?] William Hartnell Dr “Who” 1965. My mum bought this for me from a second hand book shop or charity shop in Sheerness when she was teaching there in the 80s. I already had all the Doctor Who annuals she got me from there, but this was in better condition than the one I already had, so I kept this. It was months later that I noticed the autograph after a friend pointed it out. It is written in blue pen (that does not indent on the other side of the page).

Now, you’re not going to get an item like this cheaply. If you’re interested, head to eBay to get your hands on it!

The post Now on EBay: First Doctor Who Annual Autographed by William Hartnell appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Could Doctor Who Move to an On-Demand Platform? Steven Moffat Thinks Not

Jeremy Remy is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

With the ongoing growth of online television programming through services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant, as well as the success of full series runs arriving in one binge-worthy blast online, the future look of televised media is clearly in flux.

At this year’s Edinburgh International Television Festival, Steven Moffat was asked if the changing face of television would eventually alter the way Doctor Who was brought to audiences. While he does see online television services as essentially bringing the same model of television, albeit in a slightly different way, he claims “I still feel Who is more of a once-a-week thing.”

That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes to the format of the program as the show goes on, however. Moffat mentioned the desire to use several two-part episodes throughout the upcoming season: “It allows you to go into more detail in the story. To take your time a bit. Although, it’s a blessing and a curse, because it allows you to make a movie, but you’re also required to make a movie.”

While working on such a filmic scope may be daunting, Moffat seems to enjoy working with star Peter Capaldi. Both men are lifetime fans of the program they now head, but Moffat wanted to make it clear he was the more knowledgeable Whovian. “His love,” Moffat states of Capaldi, “we can compete on that, just let it be understood. But in a face-off, in a head-to-head, he’s nowhere bloody close. I’m ahead on knowledge. I am. Honestly.”

What do you think about a future where Doctor Who moves to an on-demand platform? Do you think Who works better once-a-week, or would you prefer to binge? Perhaps most importantly, in a face-off, in a head-to-head: Capaldi or Moffat?

The post Could Doctor Who Move to an On-Demand Platform? Steven Moffat Thinks Not appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Frazer Hines Added to Time Eddy Line-up!

Josh Maxton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Earlier this week, we shared that an additional guest would be announced for the Time Eddy convention (October 2nd to 4th) of Wichita, Kansas, and now it is confirmed: Ladies and gentlemen, former companion Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon) is coming to Kansas!

Frazer Hines, now voicing Jamie and the Second Doctor for Big Finish, remains a beloved actor to many Whovians. Kieran Kinsella (showrunner of Time Eddy) was more than excited when he revealed the additional guest over Facebook:

“…I am delighted to announce our final guest for Time Eddy. Having appeared in 117 episodes, he is the most prolific companion in Doctor Who history. He is also a huge UK soap star, a funny guy, and a fan favorite. He will also be a great addition to photo opps featuring Deborah Watling and Bill Breuer. Ladies and Gentlemen; Frazer Hines”

Frazer Hines will be joining a wonderful line-up of guests for the convention, including Colin Baker (the Sixth Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri Brown), Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), and Ellis George (Courtney Woods). For a few of Time Eddy’s guests, this will be their first time coming to Kansas. In our exclusive interview with Kieran, he explained that they had virtually no issues getting the celebrities to come:

“What we found out is there weren’t really any issues with getting the guests to come out; that side of things was pretty easy. Everyone thinks there would be issues though. I think they liked the sheer novelty of Kansas. What I mean is, everyone with the exception of Daphne Ashbrook is English – and, I think, pretty much ever since they started having TV in the UK, they’ve shown the Wizard of Oz every year at Christmas. So pretty much everyone from 80 years down has the Wizard of Oz ingrained in their heads!”

For more information on Time Eddy, visit the official webpage or Facebook.

 

The post Frazer Hines Added to Time Eddy Line-up! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Something for the Weekend: Make A Time Lord Collar with Doctor Who: The Fan Show

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

You’re bored. It’s raining. You have some spare card lying around and have always wanted to strut around like Tom Baker in The Deadly Assassin.

So what do you do? You build a Time Lord collar, of course!

Requiring liberal use of papier mache and a glue gun (as well as card, cutting tools, decorative piping, and gold paint, natch), Christel Dee of Doctor Who: The Fan Show demonstrates in the video above how to build one of those stunning, bishop-esque headdresses first seen in the solo Fourth Doctor adventure back in 1975.

If your cosplay budget is low, this is a good place to start. Don’t forget to steal Gold Usher’s gown!

The post Something for the Weekend: Make A Time Lord Collar with Doctor Who: The Fan Show appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Time Travel TV Re-Releases Classic Spinoff Wartime

Jonathan Appleton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Exciting news for UNIT fans with the announcement that independent Doctor Who spin-off drama Wartime is to be available on DVD for very the first time!

Produced back in 1987, the film features fan favourite John Levene returning to play Benton, still serving with UNIT, who takes a spooky journey into his own past… Wartime’s cast also includes Michael Wisher, Nicholas Courtney in voiceover and an early appearance from Nick Briggs.

The drama was made by Reeltime Productions and was the first production of its kind from the world of Doctor Who. It also has the distinction of being the only independently produced drama to be made whilst the parent show was still itself in production.

The new release has been digitally remastered with a digitised stereo mix from Mark Ayres, and includes a special documentary feature covering the history of independent Doctor Who-based dramas. The first 500 buyers will be treated to a reversible inlay featuring both the original artwork and an action-packed new montage by Martin Baines.

Legend has it that production of Wartime was interrupted by a visit from local police who were responding to a report from a concerned local who’d spotted a truck filled with guns on a quiet country road in Lancashire.

Wartime is one of ten September releases from Time Travel TV, joining a number of their long-running Myth Makers series on next month’s release schedule.

More details at Time Travel TV.

Thanks to John Freeman who shared Keith Barnfather’s photo on Facebook.

The post Time Travel TV Re-Releases Classic Spinoff Wartime appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Bernice Summerfield Returns to Licensed Book Range

David Power is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Extended universe fans of a slightly older persuasion may recollect that fan favourite archeologist and Big Finish regular Bernice Summerfield originated from the New Adventures novel series, released during The Wilderness Years.

The creation of the New Series Adventures range in 2005 cemented Doctor Who novels as important parts of both the Doctor Who universe and the brand.

New information has recently surfaced about the upcoming Twelfth Doctor novel Big Bang Generation written by Gary Russell. Now, the name Gary Russell may be familiar to some of you as he wrote some Bernice Summerfield novels back in the day, such as Deadfall and Adorable Illusion. Oh and he edited Doctor Who Magazine, and was script editor on Doctor Who in the second half of Russell T Davies’ tenure.

Well that connection has not gone unnoticed, as Paul Cornell, creator of Bernice Summerfield recently tweeted this announcement:

I might as well say it. @twilightstreets ' forthcoming 12th Doctor novel Big Bang Generation features Prof. Bernice Summerfield!

— Paul_Cornell (@Paul_Cornell) August 26, 2015

This announcement was also accompanied by the reveal that the audio-book version will be read by Bernice’s Big Finish actress Lisa Bowerman!

The audio version of the book will be read by @TheLisaBowerman Benny appears by permission of me and Big Finish, and we're delighted.

— Paul_Cornell (@Paul_Cornell) August 26, 2015

Lisa herself also tweeted the announcement:

'I'm an archeologist, but probably not the one you were expecting… Does this make me canon?' #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/PHGomNQEkY

— Lisa Bowerman (@TheLisaBowerman) August 26, 2015

How exciting is that?! So, let us know, are you excited about the approaching encounter of the Twelfth Doctor and one of his old companions?

Available on Amazon, Big Bang Generation is released on September 10th, along with two other books as part of “The Glamour Chronicles”, Deep Time and Royal Blood.

The post Bernice Summerfield Returns to Licensed Book Range appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

What Can You Expect from The Magician’s Apprentice? [SPOILER-FREE]

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Doctor Who Series 9’s opening episode The Magician’s Apprentice was screened in Edinburgh last night. So, dear readers, we have entered the Spoiler Zone, during which hints, teases, and knowing looks are replaced by actual facts (or rubbish masquerading as fact) designed to spoil – or seriously impede upon – your enjoyment of the show.

Fortunately, what we’ve found on Twitter has been more… subtle, and appreciative, without giving anything away. Well, one thing has been given away: that Doctor Who Series 9 kicks of with a far more serious approach to dramatic storytelling…

So, The Magician's Apprentice. SPOILER-FREE musings: hands-on seriously ballsy storytelling, felt so much like a finale, finale-like stakes.

— Patrick Sproull (@Grumblenook) August 27, 2015

The pace is brisk, zips around a lot at the start but slows to some incredible drama. It felt like new Doctor Who, had a fresh flavour #TMA

— Patrick Sproull (@Grumblenook) August 27, 2015

Capaldi, Gomez and Coleman give us a different Doctor, Missy and Clara. It's very different to series 8. Felt like *serious* drama #TMA

— Patrick Sproull (@Grumblenook) August 27, 2015

Enjoyed the premiere of #DoctorWho The Magician's Apprentice at @Filmhouse tonight. A nice foreboding pace to it, and unexpected shocks!

— Ben Morris (@benmorrisillo) August 27, 2015

This is all very positive and exciting, isn’t it? Naturally, we’ll have to wait until September 19th to get the full facts, but it looks as though there is plenty to look forward to in the Doctor Who Series 9 opener.

The post What Can You Expect from The Magician’s Apprentice? [SPOILER-FREE] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in New York Cancelled

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

While no one would say this is as upsetting as the time the BBC cancelled Doctor Who back in the 80s, there are going to be some upset Whovians in the greater New York area. The Barclay Center has announced that the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular show that was set to come to town in October has been cancelled. The Barclay Center and the production company, Vision Nine, have issued a statement:

“Vision Nine regrets to announce that the two Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular shows, scheduled to be performed at Barclays Center on October 7 are cancelled and there are no plans to reschedule them at this time. Ticketmaster will begin processing refunds for all online and phone orders immediately. Refunds will be processed automatically to the card used for the relevant purchase and no further action is required by Ticketmaster customers. Remaining refunds will be available at point of purchase.”

No other details have been released at this time, but given the very limited exposure this show was going to have here in the US, this is disappointing. Especially for those who had already spent their money and made plans to attend the show. While events get cancelled all the time without any fanfare, it is also frustrating that the reason for the cancellation is unknown and that rescheduling the show wasn’t an option.

The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular combines the amazing music from the long running television programme, especially the fantastic work of Murray Gold, with the characters and monsters from the show. The performances in Brooklyn were also going to feature Michelle Gomez (Missy/the Master) as the host of the event.

What say you, dear readers? Were any of you planning on attending the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in New York? Let us know!

The post Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular in New York Cancelled appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.