WHO 50: 2003: Scream of the Shalka.

Animation Of all the false dawns during the wilderness years, Scream of the Shalka is perhaps the cruellest. Having been announced by the BBC as the official continuation of the series, treated as such by Doctor Who Magazine with a customary “Richard E Grant is the Doctor” cover and given much fanfare in the media on announcement, the overall impression being that since it was never coming back to television, someone had to do something, by a cruel irony in that very same issue of DWM there was a stop press news announcement on the cover that the show would be returning to television so the whole exercise was obsolete even before it began streaming.

But nevertheless, for all that, it did spawn one of the best articles about the making of some Doctor Who in the franchise’s history, in which Benjamin Cook who (apparently as a result) would later be treated like a king when visiting the set of the revived series (even to the point of eventually co-authoring a book with Russell T Davies) documents a morning spent trying to get interviews with the participants, some warier than others, and particular with Richard E Grant. Much of his time is spent in broom cupboards and car parks and the overall impression is of a man stuck in the same position as the journalist in ABBA: The Movie and trying to make the best of it.

You can read it yourself here, but the whole thing’s dripping with irony. Look, there’s David Tennant, at the BBC to record something else but having talked himself into appearing in Shalka as Caretaker 2 says, “It’s very hard not to get excited. I would kill to do more of these. […] My granny even knitted me a long Tom Baker scarf. And a cricket jumper. I used to jump around the back garden making up my own stories. As I got older, I’d make up my own seasons” just as REG is denying that he is the Doctor, distancing himself from the role even as he’s recording it (though not ruling himself out of more episodes).

There’s also the novelisation of the story, produced by writer Paul Cornell himself, in what was originally proposed to be a line of new BBC books slotted in with the past Doctor releases, which includes a thirty page section about the making of the adventure (and has a synopsis of Ben Cook’s day from the other side) and the original outline with interjections from James Goss, the BBC online producer whose idea it was to create a new continuation online and himself one of the best writers in subsequent, slightly more canonical spin-off projects, as well as the other creatives behind the series.

Plus, because no version of Doctor Who seems to be able to exist without some kind of extension, there’s Shalka’s own spin-off story, published to tie-in with one of BBC Cult website’s attempts to create original content, the Vampire Magazine, which is remarkably still available here. In the tradition of “unbound” spin-off stories, The Feast of Stone by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright doesn’t so much continue Shalka’s story, as present an idea of what this status quo might be like in an ongoing sense and it’s perhaps to the webcast and the author’s credit that it remains credible, especially in relation to how the robot Master and companion Alison might interact.

Now, very soon, we have the prospect of Shalka itself receiving a dvd release with all the bells and whistles and in a watchable format, since the webcast’s delivery now feels antiquated with its stop/start downloading gaps, destroying any sense of momentum. Despite the omnirumours, 2Entertain, BBC Worldwide or whatever they’re called now, are clearly sensing that the end of releasable Doctor Who is nigh and they’re looking for something to fill the gaps. While more of the Shalka Doctor seems unlikely, perhaps this dvd release will the vanguard of whole stories being animated. Perhaps that’ll be its final legacy.  Perhaps.

WHO 50: 1999: The Curse of the Fatal Death.

TV Hugh Grant. In his third ever production notes for Doctor Who Magazine, in issue 343, the one with Christopher Eccleston's interview in it, Russell T Davies reveals that they offered the part to Hugh Grant first, knowing full well that he or at least his agent would turn it down, but so that they’d at least tried. I subsequently heard that it's become a tradition and happens every time they have to cast the thing again.

Why would Hugh Grant be at the top of Doctor Who’s casting other than that he’s a brilliant actor?

The Curse of the Fatal Death. Because of the two minutes he spends playing the dying Doctor in The Curse of the Fatal Death.

Up until that point, Steven Moffat’s affectionate parody of the show’s tropes oscillates wildly between sitcom and something, which is a close approximation of what the classic series was actually like, especially during the Adams/Williams years, especially Roman Atkinson’s performance as the Doctor.

When the regeneration sequence begins, much of the comedy is in who they’ve got to fill in. During the wilderness years both Richard E Grant and Jim Broadbent were both touted as possibles and so it is of course hilarious to see them both finally playing it, albeit for laughs.

Then, as I remember shouting at the time, fuck me, it’s Hugh Grant.

Hugh Grant in 1999 was a massive star. Thanks to his tabloid-bating shenanigans he hadn’t been in films for a while, but the release of Notting Hill had returned him to pre-eminence and now here he was playing the Doctor.

Then, as I remember noticing at the time, fuck me, he’s taking this seriously.

Which he is. After emerging from the smoke, he’s suddenly giving one of the franchise’s best performances as the Doctor, making the most of the comedy prop, with rebellious chemistry with Julia Sawalha playing his wife.

Like all the best Doctors, but unlike either Grant or Broadbent, we instantly believe that he’s the Doctor, the same man fans had been watching since 1963. Watching back again for the purposes of writing this, it’s an interesting transition.

Atkinson’s very good at playing at being the Doctor.

Grant just is the Doctor.

Then just as the joy of that begins to sink in, he’s shot, he’s dying, back slumped against the TARDIS and he’s breaking our heart and the whole production is supporting that.

For a moment it looks like it’s going to once again be a parody of these kinds of scenes, ripping the piss out of Androzani or Logopolis.

Then somehow it, just, isn’t. Jonathan Pryce helps a lot. He dials down his performance as the Master from full on Ainley to the Delgado who fights to save the Doctor’s life in The Mind of Evil.

Moffat’s script is offering jewels too: “Look after the universe for me. I’ve put a lot of work into it.” If the Doctor ever does leave us, I can’t imagine a more fitting final line than that.

It’s still heartbreaking even knowing what’s to come.

Then he “dies” and Julia gets that speech, which she plays with much the same intensity as the haranguing her character gives Michael Maloney during In The Bleak Midwinter about what really matters. This speech:

“Doctor, listen to me. You can't die, you're too... You're too nice. Too brave, too kind and far, far too silly. You're like Father Christmas! The Wizard of Oz! Scooby Doo! And I love you very much. And we all need you and you simply cannot die!”

Which is also a blue print for how Moffat’s crafted his version of the character all these years later.

After that, Curse returns to the silliness of before, but for these brief moments, proper Doctor Who returned to our screens once again, with the best actor in the role we’ll never, probably, properly have.

Unless, of course, Moffat and the gang have asked him again, and for some bizarre reason he's said yes.

Imagine that. Hugh Grant.

The Curse of the Fatal Death.

TV For all of the humour, bad jokes and references that only a fan could get, what's amazing about The Curse of Fatal Death is that it still manages to feel like the real deal and in the dark days of the late nineties demonstrated to some of us that actually with a producer with a bit of imagination that a series could still be produced on a relatively low budget, making old style aesthetic a virtue. I suspect some money was spent to make those sets look cheap and it really works, particularly in the corridor sequence. And look thousands and thousands of Daleks half a decade before The Mill began rendering them!

What killed the original series in the end wasn't ropey effects or cheap looking sets - it was the quality of writing and the ultimate torpedoing of the spirit of fun which had been at the forefront during the golden eras. But they're all back in Steven Moffat's script which would have fitted perfectly in the Graham Williams era which much to the chagrin of the hard-scfi fans was when the show was at its most popular.

There are jokes but they're affectionate, playing on not only the general audience's assumptions about the series, but also on at the meta-level the fans assumptions of what the general audience's assumptions might be. But laced in there are references that only fans could get from calling the planet Tersurus and that this is the ninth incarnation (something that Lance Parkin apparently plays on in the final Eighth Doctor novel, The Gallifrey Chronicles, by saying that all three ninths, including REG and Mr. Eccleston are potentially canonical).

The real genius of this apparent spoof is how straight it's all played. Rowan Atkinson's portrayal is far from a parody perfectly capturing all of the elements of the good timelord, with even the fart gag rendered with a modicum of excitement and grit. Jonathan Pryce's Master isn't that far from Anthony Ainley at his most scenery chewing and Julia Swahala, bless her, totally getting that the role of the companion is to care deeply for the Doctor in a variety of ways.

The final few segments/episodes/whatever are the real tour de force though, presenting a succession of new Doctors, all of whom, with perhaps the exception of Jim Broadbent, would have been perfect Doctors demonstrating the maxim that anyone can play the Doctor in their own way. Richard E Grant notoriously hadn't seen an episode of Doctor Who before recording this and yet he's straight on point with the charisma as is Joanna Lumley proving that actually - the Doctor could be a woman.

Of course before broadcast little was really known about what to expect and there was genius in the casting of these mini-incarnations, largely casting actors who had been rumoured as appearing in the role at one point or another. But watching Hugh Grant appear was totally unexpected and he's such a joy, completely convincing as the dying man. I think Steven Moffat lists it as one of his favourite moments in all of Doctor Who and he's right, in those few a moments are a universe of promise, you can absolutely see how heroic his portrayal would be. Heartbreaking - and at the end of as I said, an apparent spoof.

I've always thought that my return to Doctor Who fandom was prompted by a trip to the exhibition in Llangolen, but it was probably this. It was Doctor Who as I remembered it being rather than the reality, filled to the brim with fun and not taking itself too seriously. I'm convinced that its success is what began the tiniest spark that led to its return and it would be a tragedy if it didn't show up on dvd at some point. Perhaps for next Red Nose Day.

Scream of the Shalka.

TV With so much new Doctor Who buzzing around at the moment in cd and book form, now is a great (and expensive) time to be a fan. The new online adventure Scream of the Shalka begins tonight and it's another fresh take which underlines simply how flexible this format can be. Something strange is happening in what looks like Lancashire, and The Doctor has been sent by powers unknown (I'm betting on The Timelords) to sort it out.

Can you see what I'm doing here? So that this blog doesn't fall foul of the EC quota for recycling, I'm reposting a review I wrote of Shalka from its original 'broadcast'.

Being a fan hasn't really become less expensive. If you're an old schooler, you're still shelling out for dvds and cds and books. The new tv series is the icing on the cake. But it's still flexible. Re-watching this, listening to the new McGann audio Time Works and reading the fun comic strip at the heart of Doctor Who Adventures Issue One it's amazing how they're all essentially the same premise, the same character, the same story, but they're all subtly different and could attract different fans. It's actually somewhat of a shame that the mysteries of this retrospectively monikered Unbound story haven't been explained.

Someone once wrote that The Doctor is a fool proof role that anyone can play. I've never really agreed with that. Imagine most actors in a room with Davros, Dalek creator and s/he'll be exterminated before they can get hissy. I'm pleased to say that Richard E Grant is still instantly The Doctor even in voice form. It's hard to believe he's never seen the show when he manages to cram in both a Pertwee-esque 'moment of charm' and that McCoy-like feeling that something else is going on that's none of our business. There is also real chemistry between Grant and new companion, Sophie Okenodo's Alison, and it'll be interesting to see what develops.

See what's happening at the top there. Eagle eyed readers by notice something familiar. On reflection, although there is some magnetism up front, Richard's performance becomes increasingly listless over time. Rather like latterday McCoy he lacks a dramatic impetous, a t factor which holds the interest of the viewer/listener. Actually, the best performance in the thing is Sophie, because it's a new, naturalistic approach to companion acting which makes sense and oddly enough less cartoony than anything seen in live action, even in the new series. Not sure about that chemistry though. I think I might have been grasping for complements.

They're really helped by Paul Cornell's script, which somehow manages to offer something new and different without dashing away from the essential spirit of the show. Although the opening echoes Pertwee's first story Spearhead from Space, this is a very urban story, the Timelord drifting through a much larger modern landscape, and ironically for a cartoon some of the characterisation is more realistic than the TV series managed at times. Cornell has always been one of the most flexible Doctor Who writers and on the strength of this first episode, it's clear he's worked out yet another way of French polishing the police box. Really do hope they give him an episode of the new TV series to play about with.

As Sean has quite rightly pointed out, it is interesting how much of this first episode parallels Rose and in fact before the new series was broadcast Cornell did mention how similar his and Davies' approaches were but also how they differed in significant ways. This is a much darker rendering. The Doctor seems to be in the thrall of some higher power rather than travelling for his own pleasure. I still think he had the timelords in mind what with the wierdness of the robo-Master (which was an excellent idea).

Was the new series announced before Shalka went out? I can't remember. But I was right about who would be writing episodes in that first season, although I thought Lance Parkin would be in there as well. I do hope Gareth Roberts gets a full episode or two in Season Three -- it seems a tad unfair that he should be isolated to mopping up webisodes and interactive episodes and comic strips when he's written for Saturday nights before. Sorry, have I gone off topic?

The look of the piece is a quantum leap from the Shada remake (still online). Animated properly by Cosgrove Hall, the framing brings to mind Garry Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury as well as some anime, in its use of static figures moving within a space. The character designs are also good, especially Alison although The Doctor seems quite arch to me -- perhaps this'll be explained in future stories when he find out what he's been up to.

I still stand by that Doonesbury reference, but I think it's in much the same way as the framing in Kevin Smith's Clerks mimics comic strips, it's the static nature of shots and scenes. I really wasn't a fan of the character design for this Nth Doctor -- too vamparic and artificial.

The Doctor is back ... again ... and he's looking really good for his age.

He certainly is. It's a shame Cornell couldn't continue this experiment. Any possibility that Big Finish might get the chance to resolve this story some time?