Today it has been announced that brilliantly gifted and best selling author Neil Gaiman is the writer of the eleventh and final short story in Puffin’s series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Each story in the series is written by a celebrated children’s author including the likes of Eoin Colfer, Charlie Higson and Malorie Blackman, so it is only fitting that Gaiman be the last author.
Gaiman is no stranger to Doctor Who with his awarding winning episode The Doctor’s Wife being highly acclaimed and adored by the fans. The man himself had this to say about his story:
[quote]‘Nothing O’Clock stars the Eleventh Doctor, the Matt Smith Doctor, with Amy Pond as his companion. I set it somewhere during the first season of Matt Smith, mostly on Earth, in our time now and in 1984, but also somewhere else, a very, very long time ago. I had never created an original monster for Doctor Who and really enjoyed getting to create a creepy Doctor Who monster of the kind that we haven’t quite seen before… I hope that the Kin will get out there and occasionally give people nightmares. And that you will be worried if a man in a rabbit mask comes to your door and tries to buy your house.’[/quote]
Here is the official and intriguing synopsis of Nothing O’Clock for your perusal:
[box_light]Thousands of years ago, Time Lords built a Prison for the Kin. They made it utterly impregnable and unreachable. As long as Time Lords existed, the Kin would be trapped forever and the universe would be safe. They had planned for everything . . . everything, that is, other than the Time War and the fall of Gallifrey. Now the Kin are free again and there’s only one Time Lord left in the universe who can stop them![/box_light]
The final e-book priced at a very reasonable £1.99 will be available internationally from the 21st of November. Also available from that date will be an anthology of all the stories Doctor Who: 11 Doctors, 11 Stories available as a paperback or audio books.
The second film made from J. R. R. Tolkien’s one book, the Hobbit, is due to come out soon. A new trailer has been released to whet your appetites, and blades, for the coming release. In it, we we that Glamour Dwarf Thorin Oakenshield is annoying pretty much everyone with his quest, and that we might actually see Smaug. We should certainly hear him, given the end of the trailer.
Hopefully it will be somewhat better, and less indulgent, than the first film…
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug releases on December 13th.
[quote]The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.[/quote]
With news of Clive Barker’s upcoming Hellraiser remake still reverberating around the Horror community, another Hellraiser related project has appeared: Hellraiser Origins.
Paul Gerrard and Mike Le Han have conceived a completely new take on the world of Hellraiser, including a new look for Pinhead. Alongside concept art and promo posters, they’ve also produced a trailer for their concept (see below).
The trailer is well produced, and the pair have clearly utilised their experience within the industry. Quite how ‘Hellraiser Origins’ would fit with Barker’s own announced remake remains to be seen. Changing Pinhead’s look is a first in the history of the character, with the leader of the cenobites one of the most recognisible characters in horror cinema thanks to the make up FX of Bob Keen, based on Clive Barker’s original concept.
From Paul Gerrard (Wrath Of The Titans, Battle LA, TMNT) and Mike Le Han (Mrs Peppercorn’s Magical Reading Room) comes a re-imagining of the Hellraiser world. A teaser was produced to accompany a pitch document which has many more conceptual designs that revision Hellraiser. Paul designed the new look for Pinhead and was production designer on the shoot and Le Han pulled in all of his film resources and directed the teaser on the new Alex 4:3 camera with anamorphic lenses.
It may have been two years since fans saw Jude Law as Dr. Watson alongside Robert Downey Jr as Sherlock Holmes, but good news comes today as Jude Law sheds some light on the third film.
The film hasn’t been officially confirmed as of yet but Law told Digital Spy that a meeting took place earlier this year and he thinks that “[the script’s] being written now”. Warner Bros. hasn’t agreed to fund the film yet but the actor said “I think they want to!”
Guy Ritchie has signed on to direct the third film, basing the production in Los Angeles, and producer Dan Lin confirmed that Iron Man 3 writer Drew Pearce is penning the script. So although it may be too early for fans to start getting excited, there’s definitely light at the end up of the tunnel, although who knows how long the tunnel will be…
Fifty years ago this month the first episodes of Doctor Who were aired. It’s a rare thing for a series to last the years so well and appeal just as much to us today as it did back then. So this month some of the writers at Geek Pride will be writing retrospect’s on all of the faces of the Doctor! I look forward to what the other writers have to show us but I am going to start the ball rolling with the very first incarnation of the Doctor!
William Hartnell
8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975
Prior to playing the Doctor, William mainly played comedy roles in film and it has been reported recently that William Hartnell’s initial views on playing the Doctor where not that of a positive nature and that William was reluctant to play the very first Time Lord but this seemed to be a general consensus with many of the people involved. Waris Hussain who directed ten episodes of the series failed to see the potential of Doctor Who and a big part of the BBC did not want to venture into science fiction. So the TV show was doomed to fail from the very beginning? 50 years later I’m guessing not!
Memoirs of a wee bairn
So, at this point I’m sure you are looking at me, a 23 year old woman, wondering how I even know of the existence of this incarnation of the Doctor because (I am both generalising and stereotyping here) most young female fans of Doctor Who are in it for the eye candy of David Tennant and Matt Smith (which I am definitely not denying is one of the many bonuses of those particular Doctors). You will have to bear with me for a few moments as this may get ramble-y but I feel it is something that I need to say about my experience of the first Doctor.
I have fond memories from my childhood of watching Doctor Who with my father (‘Aww’ photo of the both of us to the right) who would reminisce about how, as a child, the appearance of the Daleks terrified him! While I sat there as young as he was then, wondering just why he was scared of these silly fake monsters. But I guess that’s what you get from living in a time where TV isn’t new and the special effects are at least 30 years ahead.
I remember to this day sitting with him and watching ‘The Daleks’ a seven part story, with William Hartnell’s incarnation of the Doctor, that first aired from December 1963 to February 1964. It was one of the defining moments in my time as a Doctor Who fan. This story was set on the planet Skaro and I was entranced with the alien environment and the beauty of the indigenous people; The Thal. In my young mind it just all seemed to glitter and glow, it was perfect and beautiful and even the Daleks weren’t as scary as my dad had made out. It intrigued me that it had had such a profound effect on him when he was a similar age to me, that he had become so involved in these story lines that he had been scared of the Daleks.
I also shared the relationship my dad had with the Doctor in these episodes. He was old, frail and wiry and wasn’t much to look at yet he was a protector, bit of a vigilante and somehow an authority figure and me and my dad loved him for it. I wasn’t aware at the time that he was the first to play the Doctor but he seemed important and also stood out from the rest… Why? I don’t know. I guess for me he reminded me of a grandfather figure, he was somehow reassuring and strong.
To this day I would not even wish to re-watch these episodes, though a million things have tainted my memory since my youth and I cannot remember exact story lines and episodes. I do not want to let go of the memories I have because I know that my adult mind would not translate these early episodes as well as I did as a child.
This is why I felt that I wanted to delve into some of the facts of the first Doctor and write this article, to show that you didn’t need the facts to have loved the series in such a profound way that only Doctor Who seems to produce in its fans.
William Hartnells enactment of the Doctor
So other than me gushing over how awesome I thought the first Doctor was; at first we didn’t even know who or what the Doctor was, we could assume that he was some kind of being not of earth or possibly from the future as it is clear he is not from this time or place but no back story or anything more is given we are left awash in a sea of mystery and guess work (These are the best kind of seas)
During the series he forms into this entity that seems to have multiple layers, it’s hard to grasp just where his emotions lie and what his morals are. It is obvious he cares for his Granddaughter Susan but everyone else seems to be a bit of a hindrance, he has his odd moments where he shows how much he needs the company but all in all it’s different from the companions of today’s Doctors; everything just seems so much more simple and straight forward, he is bossy and very much in charge.
His enactment of the Doctor is perfect for me, his acting skills are brilliant and he seems to take to the role like a duck to water.
The First Episode
William Hartnell went on to play the Doctor for three years between 1963 to 1966, his very first story line as the doctor was titled ‘An Unearthly child’ also known as ‘100,000 BC’ which introduced him as a frail looking elderly man, with a strict yet mysterious personality and a very vast knowledge of everything scientific. We are led to him by his granddaughter Susan’s teachers, Barbara and Ian, when they decide to follow her ‘home’ after she gets frustrated with what she is learning in school. Susan’s home happens to be the TARDIS.
In his fury at the intrusion of the two teachers the Doctor kidnaps them and they end up travelling to a prehistoric scene, where they come across a tribe of cavemen who have kidnapped the Doctor to be sacrificed to return the fire to their village. After lots of prehistoric village politics and lots of running back and forth and being captured and escaping the Doctor manages to trick the villagers and escapes to the TARDIS and onto the next adventure!
Well… Me and my partner watched this story line a while back and we weren’t overly impressed by it. It seemed to lack a certain lustre and the story line was a bit repetitive and not all that exciting. But you can certainly see some of the routes of the Doctor in this storyline. There certainly is a lot of running and chasing, which seems to be a signature occurrence in Doctor Who and there is a few inventive tricks carried out by the Doctor!
So from the first story line it seemed to get better, I don’t know about Doctor Who fans in general, but I much prefer an episode of Doctor Who to have a good alien story line in it! I not much for one seeing the Doctor run around with humans on the hunt for fire…
The two longest standing and notorious enemies of the Doctor were created with William Hartnells incarnation. The second instalment of the first Doctor saw the introduction of the Daleks, this is one of the episodes I mentioned above, that I would not re-watch because of its overwhelming sentimental value to me. Soon to follow but at the end of Williams reign were the cyber men who would be impressively scary if for the fact that they looked like blokes in gimp suits!
The writers also created a TARDIS episode. I love a good TARDIS episode because the wonders of the TARDIS are endless, which was made apparent in this first TARDIS storyline, where it causes the Doctor’s companions to act oddly to warn them that it is heading to its own destruction!
The Companions
The teachers, Barbara and Ian were the first of the ten companions, including Susan (his Granddaughter), he had during his three year reign and were also his longest lasting, Barbara and Ian staring in 16 episodes each. The fourth companion Vicki, seems to have a very similar story line to Susan, the Doctor takes her on board, perhaps because he misses Susan and soon Vicki meets and falls in love with someone and again the Doctor loses a companion!
We are also introduced to the death of the people who come into contact with the Doctor, two of his companions dying in quite horrific ways, Katarina ejecting herself into space and Sara Kingdom ageing to death.
Regeneration “This old body of mine is wearing thin” William Hartnell’s Doctor finally regenerated when the toll of many years of life put too much strain on the Doctor’s older body and after the battle with the Cybermen in ‘The Tenth Planet’ he collapsed in the TARDIS and in front of his companions at the time Ben and Polly, he regenerated into the second Doctor played by Patrick Troughton!
Unless you’ve been stuck in the time stream for the past year (if you are, thank you for choosing Geek pride as part of your time stream entertainment) then you will no doubt be aware that the 50th anniversary of one Doctor Who is rapidly approaching at the speed of a T.A.R.D.I.S . November 23rd will a monumental day for Whovians worldwide, with promised appearances from the 10th, 11th and 8th Doctor incarnations in one episode. One Whovian in particular is greatly looking forward to the date… a sprightly young gent by the name of Tom Baker.
That is one chill Mo-Fo
Baker told BBC news yesterday that he has never watched a single episode of Doctor Who, despite playing The Doctor for 7 years. His illustrious role as the 4th captured the imaginations of fans, almost doubling the fanbase during his time on air. With his winning smile and bohemian dress sense, Baker stood out amongst the previous iterations.
Baker stated that he will be making an exception for the 50th anniversary, however:
“I hope it’s going to be terrific,it’s such a landmark. It’ll be a big, emotional thing, but I don’t know what they’ll do – I’ll make an exception and watch that.”
Anticipation is getting to fever pitch, and with Capaldi ready to step into the next Doctor role, this year is looking to be absolutely huge. And hell, if the 4th can sit down to watch it, what’s your excuse not to?
Who would you most like to watch the Anniversary with? drop us a comment below!
As it seems I am imminently to be made redundant in the next month, I thought I’d look up some tips and tricks on how to get a good job by thinking outside the box… Here are my Top 5
By the way if you want to employ me, get in touch, I’m totally awesome… ask my mum
Number 5
The direct approach:
Toupe is totally my favourite colour as well!
A tank, a monkey and a Dino rider…. YOU’RE HIRED!
Number 4
Time to be a bit more serious but think outside the box… The telly box that is! This is a great online and interactive CV by Zef Narkiewicz. Check it out HERE
Number 3
Ordinary looking chap, but when Phil Dubost decided it was time to get a new job, he thought big pimping was the way forward! Check it out HERE
Number 2
“I’ve got £500 left, I’m unemployed, WHAT DO I DO!?”
Well, if you are Adam Pacitti, you spend that money on a billboard and set up a website called EMPLOYADAM.COM
Number 1
And finally, my number one ‘Thinking out of the box’ way to get yourself hired is brought to you by Robby Leonardi: click the picture and see why!
I like the CW network, I really do. For one, their shows are riddled with good looking people (in such an amount that my expectations of reality have severely increased). Secondly, some of these shows are actually good: Arrow, The Tomorrow People, and Supernatural… I’ll stop there because that’s about all I watch from them, but that might change with their fall line-up.
Star Crossed is just one of the shows that have been announced for a mid-season launch, featuring a story as old as time. That of (I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now) star-crossed lovers. They took it one step further, having them actually be from different planets. Here’s the synopsis: The Atrians, aliens from an unknown world, end up on Earth, causing panic and the most common human reaction: violence. They are rounded up, and taken to camps where they are slowly taught about humanity and our world in general. One of the younger Atrians had once been saved by a little human girl, before being taken away with the other aliens. Years later, during a social experiment meant to check if humans and Atrians can live together in peace, they stumble into one another.
Okay, it sounds a little cliched, given that they also fall in love, but I’m hopeful it will prove to be more than Romeo and Juliet with a dash of space adventures. The show features a cast of mostly young actors from shows such as Friday Night Lights, Pretty Little Liars, The Secret Circle, The Vampire Diaries, How I met your Mother and more, while the producers have worked on hit shows such as The Good Wife, Golden Boy or Life on Mars. They really had me at Golden Boy.
While the show sounds like a combination of Roswell and a bunch of other young adult oriented series, I’m actually keeping my fingers crossed that I will end up surprised. It’s been known to happen, particularly when it comes to the CW, where writers seem to love torturing their characters and viewers until at least one of them breaks. All in all, let’s hope for the best.
And if the show sucks? Well, at least there’s eye candy for everyone.
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