Robocop Daleks, Blurred Lines Pastiche, Tom Baker Talks (A Lot) & Moffat Bigger Than Bono

Andrew Reynolds 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.

Truth seekers! It’s time once again to take your tired old news to one of our news gurus and get a flashy, brand news upgrade including Mircosoft’s robo-apocalypse, Steven Moffat: Rock God, and a few snap shots of Doctor Who history.

Dystopian Dalek Future Unveiled

Borrowing a dystopian nightmare or two from your DVD collection, Mircosoft have gone all Skynet and hired Dalek-style Robocops with Pre-Cog abilities to guard their Silicon Valley HQ.

The Knightscope K5 robot security guards are fitted with lasers, GPS and heat-detecting technology, and can predict where criminals will strike next and the likelihood of future crimes.

The 5ft tall robots are designed to operate without human control and are equipped with surveillance cameras and sensors, a thermal imaging system, scanners that can read 300 car registration plates a minute, and odour detectors because crime stinks.

But like their Dalek counterparts they share one common weakness: stairs.

Rachel Metz, a reporter for MIT Technology Review, said: “I noticed that a K5 in the distance had somehow toppled over the edge of the sidewalk onto the parking-lot asphalt several inches below. A couple of Knightscope folks were needed to pull it upright.”

So criminals beware, if you’re going to limit your crimes to mostly flat level, ground floor thievery; your days are numbered!

Blurred Lines/Time Lines/Word Crimes

Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ (well Pharrell William’s ‘Blurred Lines’, well, actually, Marvin Gaye’s ‘Blurred Lines’) the misogynistic hit of 2013 which has already been expertly parodied by ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic has been given a Doctor Who make over by Triple Threat Produx.

‘Time Lines’, which features a cast of Doctor Who characters attempting to sing the confusion of time travel away, was chosen by Krypton Radio as their Video of the Day and is, of course, a lot of very silly fun.

If it doesn’t work for you, however, the ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic version might. It certainly works for us.

Steven Moffat “Bigger Than Sting” In Mexico

Sure he might not have the shades of Bono nor the off putting mental images of tantric sex that haunt Sting but, according to Peter Capaldi, Steven Moffat commands the same kind of frenzied adulation of Rock stars down Mexico way.

That’s right, I’ve just replaced Sting in your off putting mental images of tantric sex with Moffat. Once you’ve imagined it, you can’t unimagine it! You can thank me later…

Speaking to the Radio Times, Capaldi revealed Moffat is the primary object of Mexican Whovians affections on Earth Conquest, a 45 minute film that documented the Doctor Who World Tour that kicked off the eighth season since the 2005 re-launch of the long-running BBC sci-fi drama.

“[W]e went on stage in Mexico and [the reaction to Moffat] was like Sting or Bono,” says Capaldi after earlier saying that Moffat plays down his popularity despite the evidence to the contrary.

Jenna Coleman goes on to add that Moffat is indeed a golden god: “Steven is more popular here. I went outside the hotel yesterday to sign [autographs], and they were like ‘Where’s Moffat?! Where’s Moffat?!’”

In the documentary, some Mexican fans of Moffat are interviewed and asked to explain their love for him: “We all in Mexico adore, admire, Steven Moffat, because he’s a hell of a writer…We all love to him to play with our feelings.”

Earth Conquest is a part of a number of DVD extras for the Series 8 box-set.

Early Behind The Scenes Photos

The Green Box have some lovely images of the men behind the monsters from several early serials of Doctor Who.

The photos – which include William Hartnell joking around on set, some handcrafted Daleks under construction and a Zarbi receiving some TLC – were all taken in 1965 and are utterly charming.

2004 Dalek Test Image Released

Dalek 6388 – a website dedicated to telling the story of the Dalek props – have posted this enticing image of a fleet of invading Daleks at the old, iconic Television Centre courtesy of author and Visual Effects Designer for The Model Unit, Mike Tucker.

The image is of a frame render from the test footage done by the BBC 3D and Digital Effects Department as part of their pitch for Doctor Who back in 2004 and if nothing else will make you pine for that old colour scheme.

It was modelled by Andy McNamara and composited by Ian Simpson.

Thanks Mike!

Tom Baker Talks For 90 Minutes At Timey Wimey One

This Sunday saw Tom Baker reminiscing with Toby Hadoke about a life with the Doctor at the Timey Wimey One convention in Brighton, along with other famous faces from the show’s 51 year history.

Joining him were Louise Jameson, John Leeson, Wendy Padbury, Sarah Sutton and Sophie Aldred who all took part in interviews, chose their favourite episodes and provide some live commentary, answered fans questions and also signed a few autographs.

Proceeds from autograph sales and a merchandise auction went to the Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Services (DAVSS) charity and the Brighton-based abuse charity Rise.

The event was set up by Louise Jameson, the actress who played Leela and a patron of DAVSS, and Matt Evenden, the director of Timey Wimey Events.

Mr Evenden said: “The idea came from Louise as she normally attends these events and thought it would be good to host one to raise money for DAVSS.”

Stamping On Doctor Who

And finally, Members of Lanarkshire Philatelic Society enjoyed a fascinating talk that illustrated how stamps, postmarks, air letters and postcards have dealt with the fourth dimension – and who tends to stroll about in that very dimension? Why the Doctor of course!

The topic of time keeping and postage intertwine with developments such as sundials, the invention of the marine chronometer, and finally the depiction of the millennium all proudly adorned on stamps, postcards and postmarks.

The talk, chaired by the society’s Elsie Miller, ended with covers depicting Star Trek and the Doctor and his TARDIS

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