Rose in “Real Life”- Part Two

This is the second in a series of Doctor Who in “Real Life” posts. The idea is that I shall discuss how episodes work from a real world perspective. This might be from a science point-of-view, from a historical point-of-view or simply real-world elements of the episode.

In this post, I look at the events of Rose themselves.

The earliest evidence of the events of the London incident come from security cameras in a restaurant in Kennington, South London. The footage is unclear but it appears to show Rose Tyler, 19, and her boyfriend Mickey Smith. It appears the Doctor was also involved.

This image appears to show the London Eye becoming a wheel of fire:

Approximately a minute after this plastic dummies rampaged the streets. Here are a few shots taken by passers-by, although they are unfortunately quite blurry:

Various people reported witnessing this event. Here are some of them:

Mark Fraser-Betts: I was in Chelmsford High street having coffee with my girl friend. She dropped her coffee and I thought she was mucking around but then I saw the dummies coming towards us, we just ran out of there. I thought we were going to die.

Billy Hopper: I was patrolling (im a policeman) when I saw the man in the photograph followed by a young lady run down by the Thames. I decided to tell them that they were not allowed there so I followed them into a big room. There was some molten lava stuff moving around and the man started talking to it. It was moving. Then the place started to rumble and shake and plastic dummies came and grabbed the man. I think I passed out at that point. A couple of hours later I woke up and found that the lava stuff was gone and everyone had gone. I told the sergeant but he didn't believe me. Am I mad or did I see that stuff?

Dr. J. Smith: As a spokesman from the Meteorological Office, I can confirm that this is nothing more than a combination of mass hysteria, and hallucination brought on by the Earth passing through the electromagnetic tail of a large comet. Equally, the explosion at Henrik's department store, which some have claimed is connected with the so-called rampage was caused by a gas leak. Thank you, and I hope you all continue to maintain such refreshing interest in extraordinary phenomena.

SG1981: Didn't see it myself, though my mate Dave swears blind his sprite bottle tried to eat his face. This isn't the first time this has happened, either. I heard rumours of a government cover-up of something similar in the 70s. Or was it the 80s? Anyway, sorry to hear about Clive. Keep fighting the good fight!

UNIT published the following press release after the incident:

A conspiracy site reported 78 dead and 300 wounded. Henrik’s Department Store was rebuilt and the store started a large advertising campaign, running big Christmas promotions and advertising across the city.

^{Cab with Henrik’s Advert}

Next week I’ll be looking at The End of the World, where I shall be taking a more scientific approach on things!

^{(Again most of the material here comes via here. The cab was seen in The Runaway Bride, as was the store itself complete with Christmas sale. Small adverts for Henrik’s have appeared various times during the RTD era.)}

Rose in “Real Life”- Part One

This is the first in a series of Doctor Who in “Real Life” posts. The idea is that I shall discuss how episodes work from a real world perspective. This might be from a science point-of-view, from a historical point-of-view or taking elements of episodes and making them “real”. You’ll gradually see how it works.

Today I am taking a look at Rose, or more specifically things that happened before Rose. Sort of. It’s timey-wimey complicatedness as ever but you’ll see.

The Ninth Doctor was sighted various times across history. The earliest of these comes from an 1883 sketch from Sumatra. It is believed to be from 26th August of that year when the volcano Krakatoa began erupting. It was one of the biggest volcanic eruptions humanity has ever witnessed and had devastating effects. The official death toll was 36,417 although some sources estimate in may really have been as many as 120,000. The eruption also had major effects on the climate, causing the average summer temperature in the Northern Hemisphere to drop as much as 1.2°C (2.2°F).

In 1912 the Ninth Doctor was photographed with the Daniels family in Southampton. The family were due to board the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic but for some reason never boarded.

The next sighting of the Doctor was on 22nd November 1963 when he was spotted in a crowd in Dallas, Texas. The crowd had gathered to watch the motorcade of president John F. Kennedy pass through the city and were shocked when he was fatally shot. The official verdict was that he was shot  by Lee Harvey Oswald, although there is much evidence to suggest this may not have been the case.

At some point in the early 21st Century a man called Clive began to collect evidence of the Doctor and created the website www.whoisdoctorwho.co.uk.

Many people contacted Clive through his website with possible sightings of the Doctor. Here are a selection of the postings:

Steven Hudson: I saw him a couple a years ago outside a new building development in Totters Lane, East London. The guy seemed really confused and keep muttering, "They’re all gone, I'm the only one left". The man was either a complete loon or was drunk. Looking back I think he was probably drunk as he looked as if he'd been to a fancy dress party. He was wearing some old Edwardian outfit, not a leather jacket.

Venna: I saw him a few months ago before a performance of "1776" at the Ford's Theatre here in Washington DC. He seemed a little confused when I told him President Lincoln had been dead for a very long time but he could see the museum in the basement full of Lincoln's things. I spotted him down there during intermission, hovering in a darkish corner (the museum was undergoing rennovations at the time and it was very shadowy and spooky). He was gazing at the empty pedisals where the busts are usually kept. He had a very odd sort of look on his face, I thought it best not to bother him...

Sarah Jane Smith: I am a reporter doing a story on the Doctor. I am looking for an exclusive interview. I would appreciate if anyone could contact me immediately at the Daily Mail, if they see him in London.

Mr. Yates: I think it might be in your best interest to not concern yourself with the Doctor or his doings. He is not the man you think he is and he is not involved in the manner you think he is. I should know, he changed my life completely. The Doctor is protected by friends in high places.

Samuel Wilkinson: I once saw him on the tube, reading A Brief History Of Time and laughing heartily.

Peri Brown: He walked into my life one day, and right out of it. Interested in getting back in touch. Any information?

In other areas of interest, The Official UNIT website has a press statement about events in January 2005 on the Russian Steppes:

Another hint about the event can be found under the “anniversaries and dates section” of the UNIT website:

There will be more “real life” later in the week when I look at the events of Rose themselves. Lots of good stuff coming in that one!

(^{The photos and info about them come from the episode itself. Much of the content of this post comes via here. The historical bits are mostly from my own knowledge, with the odd statistic from Wikipedia.)}

A Handful of Stardust

The collected edition of the Time Trips short stories was released recently. I’ve reviewed each story here as they were released individually but I missed this one by Jake Arnott out.

Arnott's Time Trips story stars Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor and companion Peri. They meet Dr. John Dee and soon discover the Master is pulling his strings and has big plans for a supernova in the constellation of Cassiopeia.

This really captures the Sixth Doctor's era well, as well as the 16th century. We have an egotist Doctor here, but it's the Master who really shines. I really thought the Master was captured as a proper nasty villain here. There's also a clever throwaway line which links to something revealed about the Master in the New Series which I thought was a brave but effective thing to do.

Dee was also well characterised- it's nice to see him portrayed as something other than a villain for once. His apprentice, John, is also well used and the reveal of who he really is is excellent. It really felt like 16th century science when magic and science were interchangeable.

It probably could have done with being a little longer but I thought this was one of the best Time Trips stories and I really enjoyed it.

My Top 10 New Who Episodes

This week sees the 10th anniversary of Doctor Who returning to our screens. A lot of people seem to have done a list like this and I thought it would be fun to do one too. So, here are my top 10 favourite new series Doctor Who episodes.

10: Blink (2007- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring David Tennant and Freema Agyeman)

Many people regard this as the best Doctor Who episode ever. I wouldn’t quite go that far but I have to agree that it is excellent. I think the big reason this idea is so good is the villains, the Weeping Angels. Statues that move but only when you are not looking. It’s a terrifying idea. It’s also notable for the fact that the Doctor barely appears so it’s a case of him solving things from afar. Guest star Carey Mulligan, now quite the famous actress, is superb as Sally Sparrow here too. A real joy.

9: Turn Left (2009- Written by Russell T. Davies, Starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate)

Another Doctor-lite episode, this one is a sort of celebration of New Who up to this point. Thanks to Donna not saving the Doctor’s life in a parallel timeline, this sees what happens to Earth when the Doctor is not around to save it. Basically, things don’t go well. It’s a great idea and there are some really deep emotional moments, like when Wilf realises history is repeating itself.

8: The Parting of the Ways (2005-Written by Russell T. Davies, Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper)

This was the Ninth Doctor’s last stand. I adore the Ninth Doctor and this is his greatest moment. The companion/Doctor relationship is shown to be perhaps the strongest it has ever been- the Doctor saves Rose by sending her home but then Rose stubbornly returns and saves the Doctor by looking into the time vortex. The Ninth Doctor’s recorded message is incredible, there are loads of daleks and there’s the wonderful first appearance of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor.

7: Father’s Day (2005- Written by Paul Cornell, Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper)

An episode all about a companion, this one. Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to the day her Dad died and proceeds to save his life, thus changing history. Monsters happen. It displays the daughter/father relationship beautifully and in a way conventional drama can’t do. The monsters are pretty good, in my opinion anyway, the Doctor sacrifices himself and the resolution is heart-breaking.

6: The Doctor’s Wife (2011- Written by Neil Gaiman, Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill)

Neil Gaiman gave the TARDIS a voice in this wonderful episode. That’s a great idea in itself but the whole idea of a sentient asteroid is brilliant and there’s some terrifying scenes in the TARDIS corridors featuring Amy and Rory. For me, those are perhaps the scariest scenes Doctor Who has ever had. Suranne Jones is brilliant as the TARDIS and there’s also an Ood there too to make things more fun.

5: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring David Tennant, Billie Piper and Noel Clarke)

I would adore this episode simply for the scene where the Tenth Doctor stumbles into a spaceship, apparently drunk, and tells the monsters they are thick. That is my favourite scene in all of New Who. The whole premise of this episode is wonderful, Sophia Myles makes a wonderful Madame de Pompadour and the pay-off at the end of the episode revealing the connection between the spaceship and 18th century France is a staggering silent reveal.

4: Asylum of the Daleks (2012- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill)

I’m not quite sure why I like this episode so much. In terms of a dalek story, it’s not great but it is a brilliant story in terms of the show’s main characters. The Doctor having to solve a typical Doctor-ish problem whilst trying to save Amy and Rory’s marriage is a wonderful idea. It leads to Rory being at his sarcastic best and some really touching relationship drama. Not to mention the whole Oswin being a dalek thing and a gorgeous soundtrack!

3: School Reunion (2006- Written by Toby Whithouse, Starring David Tennant, Billie Piper and Elisabeth Sladen)

I’ve never liked this episode because it saw the return of Sarah-Jane and K9. That’s like an additional bonus. Sarah-Jane’s return shows us the best of Rose Tyler and her relationship with the Doctor. I love the scene where Rose and Sarah-Jane try and compete with each other and the Doctor having to defend the way he treated Sarah-Jane. I also think the Krillitane are the best aliens created for New Who and would really, really like to see them return.

2: The Day of the Doctor (2013- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt)

How could I not include this celebration of fifty years of Doctor Who? For a start there’s two brilliant Doctors, Smith and Tennant, together. Plus a whole new one, John Hurt, who turned out to make a truly wonderful Doctor. A heart-breaking decision for the Doctor and the pure triumph of him being able to fix his greatest regret. It’s a great celebration, topped by the presence of Tom Baker as the Curator.

1: The Eleventh Hour (2010- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan)

Only two episodes in New Who had to completely reinvent the show. The first was Rose, which whilst excellent has some truly awful bits in it (plastic Mickey, that wheely bin). This though sees a hilarious introduction to a new Doctor and a sad one for a new companion. The fairly tale feel of it is really something special- there’s no way this story would have felt the same in a London suburb. Apart from the whole thing of introducing all the new stuff, the standalone plot is superb. I still think the line “the human residence will be incinerated” meaning the whole world rather than a house is so very clever and so sinister. In my eyes, this was an hour of perfect Doctor Who.

This list is of course simply my own opinion. I’m quite pleased that I’ve got quite a range of Doctors and surprised that as many as half of my favourites were written by Steven Moffat. I haven’t deliberately left out the Twelfth Doctor but I feel for an episode to be a true favourite it needs time and repeated viewings. It’s always fun to discuss these things so if you agree or, God forbid, disagree with my list then please do let me know with a comment!

Oh, and to celebrate ten years of New Who over on my blog Classic Who Catch Up I am about to start looking at the Ninth Doctor era. Please do take a look!

Season One Trailer

Legendary Doctor Who Youtuber BabelColour has been doing his magic again. His latest work is a trailer for the very first series of Doctor Who, “season one” as it is known these days. There are thousands of fan-made trailers on YouTube but this one is special. Not only is it done in the style of New Who trailers, but the entire thing is in colour. BabelColour has colourised every single shot he uses in the trailer. The mind boggles at long this must have taken.

It got me thinking what the black and white era of Doctor Who would have looked like in colour. Rather excellent if this is anything to go by. I wonder if one day we will see completely colourised 60s episodes? Perhaps the technology needs to make the process a bit quicker first, but you never know.

A Companion Piece: Steven Taylor

For some time now I've been writing Classic Who Catch Up, a blog where I watch every classic Doctor Who story. I eventually got to a point where I watched all the existing stories and am currently going back and watching reconstructions etc of the stories that are mostly or entirely missing.

In this process, I found a new hero. Steven Taylor. There are plenty of Doctor Who companions that have a high status in the eyes of most fans, like Ace, Sarah-Jane and Jamie. There are others which are almost universally disliked. And then there's Steven Taylor, one of hardly gets talked about.

The trouble is most of Steven's stories were in season three, which is mostly missing. The two Steven stories that exist in their entirety from season three are The Ark and The Gunfighters. The Ark is not great and Steven spends most of it barely conscious due to illness. And The Gunfighters is just awful. Most of the missing stories are understandably less well-known that the existing ones and I fear that poor Steven Taylor is one of the many victims of the BBC's policy of throwing away old TV shows.

Poor Steven first appears as a prisoner in the closing stages of The Chase. He does his best to survive in a warzone and is nearly killed by the daleks destroying the Mechanoid City. Few companions have had such a dramatic life prior to meeting the Doctor and the fact he is still around at this point is pretty impressive.

He quickly adapts to life with the Doctor and has lots of fun. There's a wonderful line from him in The Time Meddler: "That rock over there looks just like a blue box". In Galaxy 4 he makes a real stand against the deadly Drahvins and is very nearly killed when they remove the air from an air lock he is trapped in. He shows real bravery in trying to escape the Drahvins and nearly suffers the ultimate price for it.

In The Myth Makers Steven becomes the legendary Greek Diomede. In the Illiad Diomede is said to be one of the best Greek warriors, behind only the great Achilles. It's unclear where Steven gets his expertise with a sword from but it seems he was really rather good. Maybe he was just a natural.

Steven showed much more than brawn though. He endures the horrific events of The Dalek's Master Plan as three of his allies are violently killed. He questions the Doctor whether the loss of all the lives was worth it to defeat the Daleks. And then in the next story Steven becomes really angry when the Doctor doesn't save anyone from the events of The Massacre and very nearly walks out on the Doctor forever over it.

He's not needlessly sentimental though. Whilst Dodo treat The Celestial Toymaker's creations as real living things, Steven sees them for what they are- a figment of the Toymaker's imagination and something stood between him and freedom.

Steven's journey comes to an end when he is the only man suitable to lead a society that needs reforming in The Savages. The First Doctor was not exactly known for his kind words but not only does he express that he will miss Steven but he also says that is his proud of him. Few companions are given such a noble exit and we can only assume that Steven would have thrived as the leader of a new civilisation.

In my mind Steven showed all the best qualities of the Doctor's companions. He could fight when he needed too but like the Doctor, and even more so at times, really believed in the sanctity of life and would stand up to something if he believed it was wrong.

We all hope that more missing episodes will be found and I really hope for more Steven Taylor episodes to be found. Steven is a great character, wonderfully portrayed by Peter Purves, and I think more people ought to see that.

It may sound silly but you can't go far wrong in life if you think "what would Steven Taylor do?"...