Whatever Power Has Taken Hold of the TARDIS Has Taken Your Pen!

Oh my word, we are in a pickle.

I've such a backlog of entries to write it's unbelievable. I knew I wouldn't do that 30 Doctor Who things meme in 30 days!

But anyway I shall start with the present and then catch up; after all if the show messes around with it's chronology on a weekly basis I suppose I can too.

On Saturday Leslie and I went to the Winter Warmer hosted by The Flashing Blade Podcast at The Fitzroy Tavern.

For those who don't know 'The Tav' was something of a Mecca to Doctor Who fans back in the day before t'internet where a huge group of them would meet up regularly. It's tailed off since then though I'm lead to believe a few still attend on the first Thursday of every month. Past regulars were the likes of Steven Moffat and Paul Cornell and as you'll know from Tony Gallichan's Private Lives column in TTZ8 that the first drafts of Timewyrm: Revelation were passed round the Tavern as Mr Cornell worked on them.

Saturday's event was a follow on from The Flashing Blade's hugely successful summer picnic and was of course timed to take place around Doctor Who's anniversary. Leslie and I had had a great time at the first one and it was so wonderful to talk about Doctor Who all day with people who were so passionate about the show.

I've never been to the Tavern before despite living in London all my life (Though to be fair I was still a kid when it was in its heyday of being the hub of fandom) but I had a reasonable idea of where it was. As it turns out I was almost right. I confidentally took Leslie to the Fitzrovia which was just round the corner and it was amusing to walk in and find absolutely nobody in there.

Although the outside temperature was a bracing 1C and thus scarves were of course highly justified, once we finally got to the right place, even if we hadn't of recognised people from last time, the sheer number of very long scarves in one corner of the room would've given the game away. Not to mention that Tony was dressed as the Fourth Doctor circa Season 18 (Though as some wag had it, the Fourth Doctor as in Dimensions in Time!).

People we'd met before were Tony of course, his two co-hosts Robert and Rob (Jo! came towards the end of the evening), Adam (the best dressed man in Fandom) from Staggering Stories, Craig (aka Mister Chinn from the Ministry) and Lee from That 1963 Show Podcast (Wyn joined us later), Tim from Tim's Take On and Martyn from the Bad Wilf Podcast plus other faces that I sort of recognised from last time but hadn't really had a chance to speak to them / been properly introduced.

There's also the weird element that some were people who I later learnt I've spoken to on Twitter like Luke from The Minute Doctor Who Podcast but hadn't made the connection whilst there. A couple of people were still tweeting whilst there and using the #fbwinterwarmer hashtag so I sort of worked out who some people were.

Another Tony turned up, he had seen me tweeting about the event and so as a result of that decided to come down and we chatted for most of the evening. Melissa (also published in The Mythological Dimensions of Doctor Who) arrived not long after us and would be staying with us for the weekend as we were to have a belated Thanksgiving on the Sunday.

It was nice to be recognised as the team behind The Terrible Zodin and to get positive feedback for the zine. Discussions with other Who fans gave me ideas for future articles and Tony C. is already so passionately defending The Web Planet that he's gonna have a shot at the next No! Not The Mind Probe! And whilst you don't know what that is yet, all I can say is stay tuned for it's debut in TTZ9.

Tony G. had dared Leslie and I to wear our costumes for Halloween which reminds me that I never did post it on here. So that's another entry pending. Ditto I need to write an entry about my Draculasaurus t-shirt but I hope he'll be pleased to note that people did get the joke.

Highlights of the evening for me were:

* A chap called Andrew wearing an authentic Seventh Doctor question mark jumper

* Lots of Doctor Who lego figures

* Fans comparing sonic screwdrivers

* Everybody shouting "HELLO LILIBET!" down the phone to Florida

* Learning that one shouldn't wear a long Doctor Who scarf when on the toilet

* Playing the "first Doctor Who memory" game and having to sheepishly say "Dalek flying up the stairs in Remembrance versus other people's memories of Magnus Greel having his mask ripped off and the giant maggots advancing upon Jo.

* The unfortunate phrase "Daniel Redcliffe pulled off Equus" considering the subject matter of the play

* Shouting "Zarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrbi" across the bar.

* Planning a series of graphic novels of the missing Hartnell and Troughton stories though knowing the purists will try to burn down our publishing empire if we put the colorful Victory Daleks in The Dalek's Masterplan or have Mavic Chen interviewed by the Bad Wolf channel.

* Speculating about who River Song is / What will happen in the next series of Torchwood / What's in store for Season 6

All in all I had a very fun evening and I hope I'm invited to the next one.

PS: Tony you've got till Friday to get that column in for the next issue!

All of Time and Space, Everywhere and Anywhere

Happy 47th Birthday Doctor Who! And Happy 2nd Birthday The Terrible Zodin!

I know I suck at updating this blog. As compensation have a video!

We're Going To The Year One Hundred Trillion!

A few years back during a typical British summer (i.e. it was non stop pouring with rain) my Dad and I thought about doing a Doctor Who marathon to pass the time. He suggested the straightforward option of going from An Unearthly Child through to (at that point) Army of Ghosts but I suggested we approach it in a different manner. I said "Why don't we do it from the beginning to the end.... but from the beginning of the universe through to the end of time!"

In the end we didn't get very far before time being what it is flew by and it was time for him to go back to school and time for me to get off my unemployed arse and find a job. But I always liked the idea (bet you can tell I love Lance Parkins History of the Universe) and so when The Terrible Zodin came along and Leslie solicited my ideas I pitched this voyage through time to her. This was before we started dating so I can say with confidence that the idea was accepted on its merits rather than nepotism towards her boyfriend by giving him his own regular feature!!

It was Leslie I believe who coined the title "Back2theWhoture". It was always the intention that this being a shared experience and so I invited two of my friends Sebby and Big Al to join us. In particular I was keen to have fresh eyes on the show in all its guises as although both were fans of the new show they hadn't seen much of the originals; Sebby had seen a smattering of repeats in the mid 90s starting with The Sea Devils and has since borrowed many of my DVDS, and Al's first experience was Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 one Sunday morning on Channel 4.

Personally I have enjoyed having them on board and without having their brains hardwired full of lists and stats and opinions from absorbing all the Peter Haining and Jean-Marc Lofficier books during The Wilderness Years it has lead to some very enlightening view points. I loved Al's theory when we watched Time Flight that maybe the villain was Adric who'd survived Earthshock and sworn his revenge on the Doctor for abandoning him! It's not something I'd have thought of in a million years and its because I've known the plot to Time Flight, read the novelisation, read countless interviews with the cast and crew nearly 20 years before I finally ever saw the story. But, and it's a big but, because I came with low expectations I actually ended up enjoying the story a lot more than I thought I would which is a bonus.

We're going two stories at a time (more or less) and given that we come out quarterly it'll be a long journey to the end of the universe but I'm looking forward to it.

If you fancy doing your own such marathon you're more than welcome to use the below playlist as a guide. I don't make any claims for it to being definitive and dating stories are subjective in many cases. I did use reference books by Parkin and Lofficier for guidance but the final order was mine and is subject to constant rejigging. It's proved a talking point too, there are some who think I should've started with Terminus, and others who disagree with my placing of The Androids of Tara. And as for the UNIT era....

Once the back issues are up, feel free to peruse the adventures we've had so far, they're printed in TTZ3 onwards. Readers comments are always solicited, there's still time to get in comments for The Keys of Marinus, The Romans and The Fires of Pompeii if you wanna be in TTZ9 (deadline's 20/11/10), otherwise send your comments for The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang and The Time Meddler for TTZ10, the Spring 2011 issue.

Enjoy!

***

Castravalva
Edge of Destruction
Time Flight
Time and the Rani
An Unearthly Child
Genesis of the Daleks
The Time Monster
The Myth Makers
The Horns of Nimon
The Keys of Marinus
The Romans
The Fires of Pompeii
The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
The Time Meddler
The Time Warrior
The Crusade
The Kings Demons
Marco Polo
The Masque of Mandragora
The Aztecs
The Massacre
The Androids of Tara
The Vampires of Venice
The Shakespeare Code
The Visitation
The Smugglers
The Highlanders
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Reign of Terror
The Mark of the Rani
The Next Doctor
Evil of the Daleks
The Unquiet Dead
Tooth and Claw
The Gunfighters
Ghost Light
The Talons of Weng-Chiang
Vincent and the Doctor
The Celestial Toymaker
Horror of Fang Rock
Enlightenment
Pyramids of Mars
Human Nature / The Family of Blood
The War Games
Black Orchid
The Unicorn and the Wasp
Carnival of Monsters
Daleks in Manhatten / Evolution of the Daleks
The Abominable Snowman
Victory of the Daleks
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
The Curse of Fenric
The Idiot’s Lantern
Dreamland
Delta and the Bannermen
Remembrance of the Daleks
Planet of Giants
The War Machines
The Faceless Ones
The Underwater Menace
Fury from the Deep
The Web of Fear
Image of the Fendahl
The Pirate Planet
The Stones of Blood
City of Death
Shada
The Invasion
Spearheads from Space
The Silurians
The Ambassadors of Death
Inferno
Terror of the Autons
The Mind of Evil
The Claws of Axos
The Deamons
The Sea Devils
The Three Doctors
The Green Death
Invasion of the Dinosaurs
Planet of the Spiders
Robot
Terror of the Zygons
The Android Invasion
The Seeds of Doom
The Hand of Fear
Meglos
The Keeper of Traken
Logopolis
Four to Doomsday
Arc of Infinity
Mawdryn Undead
The Awakening
Resurrection of the Daleks
Planet of Fire
Attack of the Cybermen
The Two Doctors
The Tenth Planet
Father’s Day
Silver Nemesis
Survival
The Eleventh Hour
Battlefield
Doctor Who – The Movie
The Mind Robber
Rose
Aliens of London / World War Three
Boom Town
The Christmas Invasion
School Reunion
Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel
Love & Monsters
Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
Blink
Turn Left
The Runaway Bride
Smith and Jones
The Lazarus Experiment
The Sound of Drums / The Last of the Time Lords
Time Crash
Voyage of the Damned
Partners in Crime
The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky
The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End
Planet of the Dead
The End of Time
The Lodger
Dalek
Fear Her
Amy’s Choice
The Enemy of the World
The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood
Power of the Daleks
The Waters of Mars
The Moonbase
The Seeds of Death
The Wheel in Space
Warriors of the Deep
Nightmare of Eden
The Space Pirates
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Day of the Daleks
Paradise Towers
The Leisure Hive
Midnight
The Daleks
The Twin Dilemma
The Macra Terror
Vengeance on Varos
Colony in Space
The Tomb of the Cybermen
The Happiness Patrol
The Rescue
Earthshock
The Space Museum
The Chase
Frontier in Space
Planet of the Daleks
Death to the Daleks
The Sensorites
The Power of Kroll
Revenge of the Cybermen
Kinda
The Mutants
The Ice Warriors
The Beast Below
The Ribos Operation
The Robots of Death
The Caves of Androzani
Galaxy Four
The Brain of Morbius
The Curse of Peladon
The Monster of Peladon
Mission to the Unknown
The Daleks Masterplan
The Infinite Quest
The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit
42
Planet of the Ood
Destiny of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks
Snakedance
The Invisible Enemy
Born Anew
Time of the Angels / Flesh and Stone
Silence in the Library / The Forest of the Dead
The Doctor’s Daughter
Terminus
Full Circle
State of Decay
Warrior’s Gate
Ark in Space
The Sontaran Experiment
The Face of Evil
The Web Planet
Planet of Evil
The Long Game
Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
The Sun Makers
Timelash
The Dominators
The Deadly Assassin
The Invasion of Time
The Five Doctors
The Trial of a Time Lord
Dragonfire
The Ark
Frontios
The End of the World
New Earth
Gridlock
The Savages
The Krotons
The Creature from the Pit
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
The Armageddon Factor
Underworld
Utopia

Oh, You're Celtic? There's Lovely.

Transcript of the Back2theWhoture team livetweeting The Fires of Pompeii for inclusion in TTZ9

This is Back2theWhotures first foray in to the new series. Hold on to your togas for The Fires of Pompeii

Well ok so the new series has the budget for it, but plunged straight in to the market, it's like The Romans

I think Donna's reasoning about the TARDIs translation device is pretty good actually

Ohhh its Amy Pond!

"That fire had nothing to do with me..." even funnier after watching this off the back of The Romans

Ohh it's Volcano Day!

Ohh it's Frobisher!

Anchoring the tale with your typical Roman family adds to the poignancy of the tale

Donna's growth evident immedietely, her first instinct is to save everybody in Pompeii

"I am Spartacus!" "And so am I!"

I love love the scene with the volcano rumbling in the background as the Doctor and Donna are told the future

"Doctor, she is returning. And you... daughter of London. There is something on your back" - Always sends tingles down my spine

"Ipso facto..." "Look... you?"

I always call it T K Maximus now as a result of this episode.

Haha sorry, I'm enjoying it so much I'm not typing anything

The Doctor armed with a water pistol FTW!

Lucius Pextrus sounds like he said "Summon the C**ts of Vulcan", That along with the Sisterhood chanting "peadophile, peadophile"...

Is this first confirmation that the Doctor percieves reality in 5 dimensions?

I'd forgotten to check this scene out when I wrote my Adric article but it fits my theory that the Doc knew about his death in advance

Donna running around Pompeii. Getting all hot and... glistening. Oh my.

Haha! Al just realised that Pyrovillia was one of the planets stolen by Davros at the end of the season

The most terrible choice...

The Doctor says nothing can survive the explosion, not even them. And yet they do. Ok then!

Donna sharing the Doctor's burden. This scene is amongst the best in Doctor Who

The Fires of Pompeii doesn't let up on the full horror of the explosion. I defy anyone to watch this without feeling the punch

Is the Doctor really going to leave Donna behind?

Although this is one of my fave episodes I kinda wish they'd had the conviction to have the Doctor leave without going back for anyone

Of course it would've been impossible for Donna to continue travelling with The Doctor is that happened.

Why that family though? How could the Doctor change time for them?

Al speculates that Caecellius and go move in to the villa seen in The Romans

When I first saw this I honestly thought Captain Jack would make a cameo at the end, just as Rose did at the end of Partners in Crime!

RT @thanatos_kalos RTD has said that John Frobisher is the distant descendent of Caecilius and his family. Consider your ? in that light..

So what do you all think of The Fires of Pompeii?

That Your Excellency Would Be An Impossibissity!

Transcript of the Back2theWhoture team livetweeting The Romans for inclusion in TTZ9

Right. Togas on folks, doormice and honey for snack food at the ready. We're about to begin our livetweeting on The Romans #doctorwho

The Slave Traders!

Ian lounging in the villa is reminiscent of the fantasy in The Keys of Marinus

Vicki scampering along looks very happy to be in ancient Rome

The design work on the Roman market is fantastic

Ohhh look at that harp playing old geezer, he looks a bit like Hartnell...

Scenes of the TARDIS crew in the villa are so lovely, the crew all getting along fantastically

The First Doctor loves his food doesn't he? nom nom nom

"What do you think I am? A goldfish!"

Haha the Doctor calls Ian "Chesterfield", Barbara corrects with "Chesterton" and the Doc repies "There you are boy Barbara's calling you"!

Ohhhhhhhhhh Ian and Barbara are sooooo in love!

Oh no! Barbara hits Ian!

The Doctor disarms the Roman Centurion with wit and bluster FTW!

"She keeps an eye on all the lyres!" hahahaha

Oh, that ended a bit suddenly!

All Roads Lead to Rome

Hahaha Hartnell kicks ass!!

ROMA! Yeah that doesn't look like a model.

Ok I take it back, the Roman Galleon is impressive!

It's the oldest trick in the book.... and that's why the Roman slave master doesn't fall for it!

Haha I bet the stage hand who got to throw the bucket of water over them had fun!

It's interesting how it plays with the comedic conventions of farce despite the somewhate brutal setting

Hahaha Hartnell and Nero are a hoot together!

"That your excellency would be an impossibissity!" #billyfluffs

Stock footage lion montage as cliffhanger!

Conspiracy!

Boom mic in shot when Nero and Poppea are discussing the banquet

Is that Nero trying to hide his boner?! That's a bit risque for kids TV!

The Doctor naked in a sauna! Alas for the fangirls it's Hartnell not Tennant!

Is the Doctor going to be poisoned? Time for the HARVEY WALLBANGER!

Would Vicki really be so naive as to risk such a massive alteration to the timeline?

Priceless moment at Nero poisons his hapless slave!

So actually Vicki is responsible for Locusta's death?

Fantastic scene as the Doctor plays the lyre for everybody. "He's alright but he's not all that good!"

Now that Ian's seen Barbara he's determined to fight for his freedom but he still has that basic decency that he can't bring himself to kill

Pausing for tea and birthday cake before we go on to Inferno (Ep 4 of the Romans if you're just tuning in, not the Pertwee one)

Right on we go

Huzzah, Ian and Delos both escape!

"I've got a friend who specialises in trouble. He just dives in and usually finds a way"

Ohhh the Doctor has his specs! Didn't realise this was a Hartnell thing

Haha Hartnell is clearly having a whale of a time in this story! "I'll make it a roaring success!"

"I'll have you killed over and over again!"

Did the Doctor set fire to the plans on purpose?

So Tavius was a Christian all along!

Vicki's enjoyment of seeing history come alive is a delight

The Doctor's protestations about interferring with history seems to be a rule he constantly breaks anyway!

So what do you all think of The Romans? #doctorwho

The Editor was expecting it to be hilarious based on reputation and wasn't prepared for the quite strong brutality

Its an interesting juxtoposition between high farce and the darker elements, particularly Ian & Barbara's subplots

Al notes that Doctor Who always has such imagination and the few b&w ones he's seen are just as good as the color

Huzzah for Hartnell!

Right in a few minutes we're going to time travel 15 years in to the future and visit Pompeii in 79AD

RT @m_robertson_UK Without the veneer of comedy, stories of slavery, torture, rape, murder and sadistic violence could never be shown

If You'd Had Your Shoes On My Boy You Could Have Lent Her Hers!

Transcript of the Back2theWhoture team livetweeting The Keys of Marinus for inclusion in TTZ9

The Sea of Death!

#DoctorWho of old seemed to enjoy making buildings out of tobelerone!

Why did the TARDIS land silently?

Haha nice line about the Doctor not having colour television!

Ohhh creepy acid fish thingies, almost proto-type Cybermats.

"Impossible at this temperature. And besides its too warm!" #billyfluffs

Why hasn't Ian changed out of his togs from Marco Polo but the rest of the TARDIS crew have?

RT @perfectchichi Ian kept his Marco Polo clothes on cause Barbara likes them XD #doctorwho

Scuber diver from hell!

Won't Ian's shoes be really stinking if they've been trekking through the Gobi desert for months?

That submarine looks pretty flimsy to travel through acid seas

Who said story arcs were a new invention? Barbara talking about architecture.in Central America forshadows The Aztecs in the next story

Haha all the TARDIS crew falling through revolving walls!

Voord attacks Susan. It's the Radio Times Front Cover!

Why was the Voord with a knife in his back just hanging around waiting to attack someone. Shouldnt he be trying to pull the knife out!

Arbitan looks like Mr Copper! #voyageofthedamned

RT @The_Arn Arbitan's the only actor to appear in Doctor Who and Citizen Kane by the way...

On the other hand isn't Yartek the hero? Everyone on Marinus was under mind control? Are the Voord bad just cuz they're slimey?

RT @m_robertson_UK Strong parallels with The Keeper of Traken. There might be no evil, but does anyone have free will?

Is Ian wearing eyeliner?!

The Velvet Web!

It's the psychedelic city of Morphoton

The incidental music is all very dreamlike...

The First Doctor loves his fruit doesn't he! nom nom nom

Nice little chat between Ian and Barbara about applying their humancentric standards to alien cultures,

Creepy old head - ancestor of the Face of Boe

Kudos for the POV shots between Barbara's perspective and the rest of the TARDIS crew.

The brains in the jar are Bug Eyed Monsters - very anti Sydney Newman

How blind are they not to see Barbara!?

No machine can ever replace the human body. So much for the Cybermen!

"I will explain all in good time" #doctorwho

Hmm they didn't really make it clear what the first key was

The Screaming Jungle!

I thought the Doctor was jumping ahead with Altos?

Creepy creepers!

Ohh Barbara got ass grabbed by the grotesque idol. Clever idol!

It's very Indiana Jones before there was Indiana Jones

PIVOT! #pointlessfriendsreference

Ian just want to be alone with Barbara, he luuuuurves her

Tiime for Ian's ass massage

Ohh very Warrior's Gate with the falling axes

"It's pretty solid" Ian says of a wobbly door

Why doesn't Ian go fetch the axe?

Eww Ian's sex face!

But Arbitan didn't warn them about all the traps. I think he really is the villain

It's like they're in a homicidal B&Q!

Oh no, they've gone from bad to worse! It's the Snows of Terror!

And... we're stopping there for a tea break. DVD paused. Thanks to everyone who's chipped in their comments so far

The Keys of Marinus is a completely new story to me. I'm really enjoying it so far. I'd always been under the impression that it'd be dull

That opinion based on "recieved fan wisdom" but also Philip Hinchcliffe's dire novelisation which I never finished. #doctorwho

Ok and we're back now with The Snows of Terror, episode 4 of The Keys of Marinus

Eeep Wolves!

No wonder Altos is freezing, he's got no pants on!

Yay! Ian kicks ass!

Well that rope bridge wouldn't meet my Health & Safety standards

Hmm Terry Nation is already recycling The Daleks, ravine to jump across? Check!

RT: @ParrotKnight ISTR the story was written in a hurry after Mac Hulke's Hidden Planet fell through - Verity etc. turned up at Terry's house and wouldn't leave until he accepted the commission.

Ice Sword Fighting! Cool! (If you'll excuse the pun)

It seems a bit out of character for Ian to grin as one of the Ice Warriors (No relation) plumments to their death!?

Oh no! Ian boffed on the head by assailant(s) unknown!

During a heist?

Now - The Sentence.... of DEATH!

Probity check. Sounds painful

A character called Tarron. How very Nationesque

Ian's been charged with murder! This episode takes an interesting turn

It's the Doctor! Yay! (Billy's back from holiday then)

Murder Most Rare! would be a good title

#linesthatneverhappened Ian - "What can I do?" Doctor - "Don't go murdering anybody else hmmm?"

"I can't improve..." #billyfluffs

He's a rubbish murderer!

RT @crassuswild is it the first Who instance of the false accusation of murder?

@crassuswild Of a TARDIS crew member? I think yes. In general? No, Za was falsely accused of killing Old Mother in the 1st story!

#Cherchezlafemme So it was her all along!

She's going to brain Susan with a hairdryer?!

I bet the key is inside the mace!

Isn't it mighty convenient that every time they need to use the travel bracelets there's a black curtain to stand in front of?

Ah the old wear a hood over my head and pretend you can't come near cuz I have a deadly disease trick!

If you mean the machine is going to blow up then just say that!!!

What's up with the gyrating Voord in the back ground?!

And that's the end of that! #DoctorWho The Keys of Mariunus

Fiona Walker?! Karla was Lady Peinfort!!! #doctorwho

Give Them a Hygiene Chamber And They Store Fossil Fuel In It

Credit where credit is due. I forgot to say that the wonderful Drashig Hear Be Spoilers banner (which several people have already commented they'd love to see on a t-shirt) was designed for Issue 8 of The Terrible Zodin by Steve Sautter, stalwart writer of the zine since issue 2. He has his own infrequently updated Doctor Who blog called Blog High For Happiness which incidentally is the name of his roving column which has appeared both in TTZ and FF&C.

Despite the potential for it to have gotten awkward on account of Steve being best friends with my ex girlfriend, we've remained friends for more than 5 years now on account of shared appreciation for all things Doctor Who.

So credit where credit's due. When TTZ Confidential gets round to that bit (Honestly it will happen, it's a planned series!) I'll talk about why I commissioned this piece for TTZ8 and my opinion of spoilers and their application in general.

Until then... revel!

All Things Will Soon Be Mine!*

That Was The Who That Was!

A round up of the Doctor Who that I have been watching, reading, listening to etc etc!

The Rescue

Omitted this one from the the last TW3. Leslie expressed the opinion that Vicki was one of her favourite companions. I have to say this is a view not shared by me or by fandom at large but I am always in favour of watching stories with a fresh eye and it's been years and years since I saw Vicki's debut. As Leslie had never seen it before it was something of a no brainer.

William Hartnell is at his eccentric best in this one and comes across as a much more cuddly Doctor than his earlier performances. That opening scene where Barbara tells him "the trembling's stopped" and he beams "I'm so glad you're feeling better my dear" is a gem.

Design wise Koquillion is a triumph but his backstory is a little unexplained. There was a great review of this in DWM upon the DVD release of The Rescue which ruminated that for Who fans we've become jaded and spoilt by decades of programme guides etc and we KNOW that Koquillion is Bennett so we feel bored because there is no mystery or intruige for us. It was a very telling review and a very salient point. The first time I saw this story (mid 90s when my Aunty used to tape them off UK Gold for me), it's true that thanks to Jean-Marc Lofficier I already knew the twist. Thus I concur that it's hard for me to try and view this story impartially but when we eventually get round to doing this story on Back2theWhoture I will be interested to see what Big Al or Sebby make of it.

Vicki still didn't win me over and I don't think Maureen O'Brien did a terribly great job... BUT I liked her a lot better than I thought I would and I'm open to a reappraisal. I am actually quite keen to hear the Companion Chronicle Frost Fire and meanwhile The Romans is coming up on the next B2TW which we're probably gonna watch on my birthday. Huzzah!

Head Games

Conundrum has always been one of my favourite NAs but it seems odd that I've never read the sequal. Spurred on by recently rereading it and by Lori's review in TTZ8 I was ready to give Head Games a chance.

I liked the concept (It's an evil doppelganger set up only the twist is our Doctor is the evil one!) but I wasn't overly keen on the execution. I'm not sure I can put my finger on it exactly. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Steve Lyons prose but I found the alien planet Detrios really quite dull and it's only once the plot moves on a bit and we get involved with Dr Who trying to polish off past companions like Mel and Ace that it gets moving.

In many ways this novel is both a critique and a defense of the Seventh Doctor; the master chess player who will sacrifice pawns and play for big stakes and it makes it interesting by having both Mel and Chris turn against him but it never quite satisfactorily addresses the central point - Is the Doctor an anti-hero making cold hard choices for the greater good or actually have we also been duped into thinking the Doctor is great when actually he's pretty crap. The short story Continuity Errors (by Steve Moffatt and set in a planet sized library...) does it better but then it plays it for laughs.

This was obviously written in the mid 90s when Mel's character was still quite loathed amongst fandom and before her Big Finish rehibilitation. Head Games along with the Missing Adventure Millennial Rites were the first to make steps towards this. Unfortunately although it was written years later I read The Quantum Archangel first and that also features Mel horrified with the Sixth Doctor for destroying a whole planet due to miscalculation so it sits oddly that if she could forgive him them (as she obviously must have done because she carried on travelling with him in to his next persona) she ends up hating him here.

Not a bad book and maybe better if read in context but I wouldn't recommend it as a standalone and would point new comers to the next release The Also People instead.

Fish Fingers and Custard #2

I wonder if there's Cyberman fever about? TTZ, DWM and Rassilon's Rod all seemed to have Cybermen on the cover in close proximity whilst FF&C2 has a Cyberman on the back cover! Fantastic Cyberman it is too!

The cover for #2 is brilliant, clearly one of a kind (How on Earth did you bag such a photo?) but also highlights the whole ethos of the zine; it's cheeky, it's quirky, it's naughty and all a little bit sexy. People buying second hand copies of #2 in 2026 won't get the topical humour of Ace putting a cat in the bin but it made me howl with laughter!

The season 5 reviews were great as eskewing a story by story look it allowed the band of writers to focus on the themes and imagery of the season as a whole and there were many fresh takes. My favourite was Martin Marshall's take on the Daleks second guessing the Doctor and devising the perfect trap and boy did it work. That's the kind of fan thinking that makes fanzines worth reading.

The Endgame of Rassilon was a fascinating what if article. Whilst I don't necessarily agree with all the points it was a joy to read and really engaged the brain and gave fresh insights to The Five Doctors. I admit that I used to love it as a kid, think its a bit crap as an adult but after reading this I'm quite inclined to give it another watch. At the very least I can watch it to cheer when The Terrible Zodin gets mentioned!

TV Pizz and the slash scenarios were funny. I thought the prom review was too long actually and I'm afraid I still hate the new theme tune!

All in all I highly recommend this zine. I'm glad I got the paper copies as although I already skim read it on PDF, having a copy on the tube after a hard days work was just perfect.

Can't wait for #3!

For more details on Fish Fingers and Custard visit their website here

Silver Nemesis

I promised I'd treat myself if I ever got TTZ8 done and whilst it came out late I think I can be proud of the 104 page beast! Because of all the Cyber artwork I decided therefore to get the Revenge of the Cybermen / Silver Nemesis box set.

Again it's been a long while since I've seen this one as despite being a big fan of the Seventh Doctor I do think some of his stories are less enjoyable; this one in particular. I remember it as being pretty much codswallop. So has my opinion changed?

Well no... BUT it was nonetheless enjoyable. Positive things the Cybermen have never looked better, The Doctor and Ace are great together, Lady Peinfort and Richard are an absolute hoot and surely contenders for their own spin-off series and the concept of dazzling Cyber transmissions with jazz is great. There's also some great SFX with the space ship landing and the Nemesis statue.

Unfortunately in to the mix we have to acknowledge that the Cybermen are pretty crap villains and are usually used terribly in Doctor Who stories with the exception of Tomb of the Cybermen. We've a bunch of cliched Nazis who add nothing to the plot, a non cameo by the Queen and the terrible skinheads who think Peinfort and Richard are social workers. WTF?!

Rewatching though did give me pause to wonder if Steve Moffat has a sneaky liking for this story? Not only does it have copious uses of time travel, with implied wibbly wobbliness (Future Ace in 1788, whoever is moving the chess pieces on the board, unless it's meant to be Fenric) but also with a curly haired woman who knows the Doctor's secrets and a scene where the Doctor dons a fez and carries a mop!

Cryptically Nemesis tells the Doctor he'll need her again in his future. Now I don't actually believe for a moment the following is true because I don't believe Moffat is bereft of ideas and I'm sure the identity of River Song is something so brilliantly bonkers that we've not thought of it before... but go with me here. What if she is a descendant of Peinfort who has been passed the secret of the Doctor (including that he is more than just a Time Lord?). Alternatively what if she is the Nemesis statue herself?

If it turns out to be true then you heard it here first! (I think I'll expand upon this for TTZ10!)

The Five Doctors (Special Edition)

I've seen The Five Doctors hundred and hundreds of times. My VHS copy is all but worn out. I've never though seen the special edition with rejigged scenes and SFX and never really saw the point. It's not that I think I'm a purist because I'm really not, it's just, whilst I freely admit the plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny and it's all a load of twaddle it is tremendous fun and I'm not sure what changes would do to it.

I'll start with the special effects then. Hated them. I know the black triangle is feeble looking but actually it was a darn sight better than swirly translucent cone. The thunder bolts are improved in the sense that they seem to actually hit the spot where a physical explosion happens but other than that I didn't like them. The Dalek's extermination effect was lame, trying to emulate Remembrance of the Dalrks but failing. Rassilon is made all but unintelligable. About the only decent tarted up effect was the chess board of death, again, mainly because the bolts of energy now matched the explosions.

Some of the rejigged scene work. There is more of an air of mystery by starting with omnious shot of the Tower of Rassilon before going on to the Eye of Harmony and even then letting that set the mood before going in to the way to bright TARDIS. Other bits dropped in to the piece don't necessarily detract but don't seem to overally add much either. I can't say my experience was greatly enriched by an extra three seconds of Patrick Troughton clambering over rocks, or of President Borusa striding through the Capitol.

I guess I'm probably too attached to the original but it's certainly the one I'm going to watch in the future. Give me black triangle, less Cybermen and the bonkers music any day.

It's getting late so I'm gonna cut this short (!). Tomorrow hopefully I'll finish off with a review of Issue 2 of dinky little fanzine Panic Moon, plus The Shakespeare Code, Gridlock and the season 4 premier of The Sarah Jane Adventures - The Nightmare Man

* They surely will honey, they surely will!

I Will Teach You The Folly Of Your Ways!

Thirty Days of Doctor Who Meme*

Q: What is your favourite classic Doctor Who story?

That's a difficult question there are so many to chose from!

Even the crap ones usually have some redeeming features. Take The Time Monster for example, even that has the charming scene where the Doctor and Jo are locked up facing impeding doom and the Doctor trying to cheer Jo up gives her his "daisiest daisy" speech.



Many stories are perennially popular and frequently top the polls. City of Death and The Caves of Androzani are usually safe bets and they are amongst my favourites too, but I also have a sneaky love for the less well thought of stories. Nightmare of Eden and The Claws of Axos spring to mind. Indeed I think those two serve in many ways to be simultaneously show casing the best and worst of Doctor Who. Both have well written scripts with ambitious ideas and bundles of imagination, well drawn characters and some excellently cast actors in the roles. Unfortunately it also has some very crap actors in the other roles, the budget limitations are evident with wobbly sets and duff special effects and you feel slightly cheesy for enjoying them.

If forced to pick just one story, I think I'd have to plump for my very first Who. After all it's what got me hooked in the first place.

Remembrance of the Daleks, first broadcast in 1988 and featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace. It is a wonderfully written tale, full of zinging lines, brilliant set pieces and a guest cast to dream for. Set in 1963 the Daleks are a metaphor for racism and never has this been more explicit than when their stooges on Earth really are Nazi sympathisers. It has that magic scene in the cafe and the mystery of the engimatic Doctor and the cute and feisty Ace is the reason all these years later I'm still in love with the show.




* I make no guarentee I'll do one a day!

What A Predictable Response

Thirty Days of Doctor Who Meme*

Q: What is your favourite Doctor Who quote?

Difficult one. After all there is more than 40 years to chose from.

I doubt I'm alone in this but I find myself quoting Doctor Who a lot in every day life. Usually though it's lines which by themselves aren't necessarily the funniest, cleverest or wittiest but they seem to fit the situation. I'm also a good mimic/impressionist so I usually put on the right voice for it.

Luckily my girlfriend is a big Doctor Who fan as well so luckily she gets most of my quotes and why and sometimes she'll even do them back to me.

It's hard to describe exactly but an example of the things I'll say to her at random junctions include:

"Abase yourself you grovelling insect!"

"Light burning bright in the heart of the interior!"

"I heard a cry."

"The reading is free if you have red hair."

"Surely it's Susan."

"This was OUR world first!"

"FERMENTED CURDS!"

It's not surprising of course, I'm on a group on Facebook called Oi! 'Arry! Customer! which is dedicated simply to quoting lines from Remembrance of the Daleks. And rightly so because it's full of choice lines. It's a rare a day goes by that something doesn't trigger me quoting from there, whether "It is not good!", "Nothing so mundane" or "Davros... I should have known."

Though it may be hard to believe these quotes are usually triggered by a context.

Take earlier for example. Leslie and I were discussing groceries as we placed our order for Tesco online and it gave me cause to squeal "PICKLED ONIONS! YEAH!" in an impression of Jackie Tyler in the episode World War Three.

Speaking of the Tylers, I frequently put on a comedy old ladies voice and pretend to be Ma Tyler from Image of the Fendahl, though usually I have her say obscene and explicit things because I love to see the shocked look on Leslie's face when I do. If I can make an innuendo out of it I will ("Ted Moss has trimmed my verges") but most of the time I'll just say a rude word which always sounds funnier in a mummerset bumpkin accent.

I also like doing the sound effects. Wendy Padbury noted this on one of the DVD extras for The War Games - "Boys like making noises", as Fraser Hines on retelling an anecdote put in lots of sound effects. The one I do most often is from The Five Doctors, the silly sting that occurs when the Master walks down the musical staircase (If you're a true hardcore Doctor Who nut, you'll know what I mean!

But anyway? My favourite quote. There are so so many to chose from like I said and so many gems. But for sheer bloody poetry and because for a very long time it did seem like it was the final word, I was always very fond of the Doctor's monologue as he and Ace walked off in to the sunset at the end of Survival.

"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, and the sea is asleep, and the rivers dream. People made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace; we've got work to do."

* I make no guarentee I'll do one a day!

New Teeth. That's Weird.

Happy David Tennant Day!

(Coz it's 10/10/10 I assume).

To celebrate here's a pic of me as the good Doctor himself and yes the reason I look so young is it was taken the day after my 25th birthday party (November 2006) and my friend Sebby had bought me a sonic screwdriver!

I Can Decide What Happens to Spike & Lynda!

That Was The Who That Was!

A round up of the Doctor Who that I have been watching, reading, listening to etc etc!

The King's Dragon

This was my first Eleventh Doctor novel. I will freely admit that chosing it as the first was determined by the fact that Leslie has secured an interview with author Una McCormack for TTZ9 but I do also own one of her Deep Space Nine novels (My second fave show after Who) which I've not finished yet but have enjoyed what I read.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the Eleventh Doctor in print. Like the Second Doctor so much of his performance is the physical; the shifting eyebrows, the baby giraffe gait, the hands all over the place. However McCormack captures it perfectly as there is the constant sense that not only does her Doctor sound right he moved right, an impressive feat given we're talking about prose. Also well captured are companions Amy Pond (With insight in to her insecurities and abandonment issues from childhood) and Rory (who is also quite a physical character).

The story is simple but not simplistic and echoes the fairytale feel of the Moffat season as we have a storybook town with a castle made of gold and natives in the sort of timeless psuedo medieval garb that they seem to have in such stories. Oh and there's a dragon of course!

I read the book almost in one sitting on a Saturday where very unusually I was working. The reason for that was to do with the beaurocracy of my job so I couldn't help but raise a wry smile at the scenes towards the end of the book where the Doctor leaves the fairytale world below and has to deal with space beaurocrats. Amy makes sure to steal a space pen for Rory.

All in all a great start for my experience of the Eleventh Doctor in print. Whilst I was a bit concerned that the size of the books have grown but the amount of pages seems to have shrunk, implying they're being aimed at an even younger audience still, as with the best children's novels they don't patronise and are thus rewarding for us tie wearing accountants who also wish for a space pen.

State of Decay

Wibbly Stoopid Timey Saywhatnow?!

Phantasmagoria

Leslie and I are very very very slowly working our way through Big Finish's back catalogue. This is only the second release so you can see how slowly!

The Fifth Doctor and Turlough are an interesting combination, they work so much better when the squabblesome Tegan isn't around. I also think that Turlough is a very interesting character who could have been used to greater effect in the series.

This seemed to me very influenced by Blackadder the Third, especially the episode Amy and Amiability. The setting was interesting though and the late Jacobean period isn't one that's been too often visited in Doctor Who.

I personally don't rate David Walliams much as an actor so his voice irritated me throughout as he played a cowardly gentleman but the rest of supporting cast were interesting enough to hold the interest. Peter Davison does sound a lot older than his onscreen incarnation but that's fine, his presence is greater and more Doctorish. I certainly imaged him as the Fifth Doctor from Time Crash rather than from Resurrection of the Daleks.

Conundrum

When the first of the recent tube strike occured I had to plan a route to work that took me southwesterly to Balham and then back north to Shepherd's Bush via national rail, rather than my usual route of north to Canada Wate and then west to White City on the underground. I rather naively thought I'd have time to read and so asked the Twittersphere to recommend two good Who novels for me to take on the commute. Jon Arnold of Shooty Dog Thing was first in with Conundrum and Managra.

Conundrum was always one of my favourite NAs. I first read it on holiday in Portugal six months after it first came out. Although I wasn't planning to I enjoyed rereading it so much that I ended up writing about it for TTZ8 in the New Adventures recommendation article in addition to The Highest Science and The Also People.

The colourful cast of characters is deliberate of course; the local white witch, the kid adventurers, the private dick, the comic book superhero... This is a Doctor Who story that can only work in print and is a worthy successor to The Mind Robber. See my review in TTZ8 for more on that but there's so much else from the scene where Ace gets attacked by flying copies of New Adventure novels to the Doctor playing scrabble in impossible ways, this is just a great book and despite being part of an arc, I think you can read it as a standalone.

Managra

I've not read this book since it first came out and I don't think I was the right age at the time (14) to fully appreciate it. Early this year I read Decalog 5 and enjoyed the two Stephen Marley short stories so was looking forward to rereading this and seeing whether I was not better able to get it, my 14 year old self having labelled the story boring.

Well yes is the short answer, I did enjoy this. The sheer imagination and attention to detail in creating 33rd Century Europa was amazing. I also have a better understanding of history and so could appreciate more the various historical "reprises" like Byron and Casanova, though I'm sure that there are many many more references that went over my head.

My only criticisms of the book are the rushed seeming ending but more importantly the character of the Doctor. He just doesn't sound like Tom Baker, even allowing that in his earlier years like Season 13 (This novel is set between Planet of Evil and Pyramids of Mars) he is a lot more moody and alien, the Doctor in Managra has the odd flash of humour but on the whole is very secretive and overly verbose. The rhythm just seems wrong and I couldn't hear Baker's fruity voice at all.

Given that criticism I would still nonetheless recommend this book, Europa ia a world I'd like to revisit.

As an aside, was it ever mentioned in the TV series that Sarah Jane's parents died or was that an invention of the novels? If the latter is the case then it's been canonised by The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Black Orchid

This was my first time seeing this and I always love watching a "new" Classic Who. This story is short and sweet but more importantly, it's fun! What comes across very strongly is how much potential this TARDIS crew had, which was squandered by endless scenes of them arguing all the live long day. Here they're all relaxed and all getting on with each other and having a whale of a time travelling. Tegan actually laughs and smiles throughout this! Sure Adric does whine but not in an annoying way and Sarah Sutton clearly relished the chance to get out of the confines of the straightlaced Nyssa and has a ball as Ann Talbot.

I loved that for once the Doctor having to prove his innocence for being accused of murder does so by showing the police officers the inside of the TARDIS. I actually really wanted Sgt Markham and PC Cummings to come aboard permanantly as companions. The latter in particular already had a catchphrase which could be used throughout his travels - "Strike me pink!"

The Waters of Mars

I rewatched this as research for my Adric article in TTZ8. The article has been brewing for almost a year because the seeds were born the first time I watched this. The fantastic scene where the Doctor talks about fixed points in time to Adelaide I immedietely wondered if the Doctor had always known that Adric would die.

Opinion on this episode is split here at TTZ Towers. I love it, Leslie hates it. Then again I also love The Fires of Pompeii and she doesn't and I think the two stories have a lot of thematic similarities. I like episodes that are future historicals and that the Doctor can't just save the day because a future fact is every bit as significant as the Great Fire of London.

I was a bit wary of The Time Lord Victorious as the end and you can't help but wonder that if the Doctor was inclined to take this route he'd surely have done it sooner (not letting Rose slip through his fingers for example) but on the whole I think it made sense.

Earthshock

It's been years since I rewatched this and again it's down to the memory of it being quite boring. The memory cheats as it did end up being quite watchable but it was far from a fantastic story.

I think because I had rewatched every Adric story prior to this as background to my article I was really looking for stuff to back up my theory and so a lot of scenes took on greater significance for me, like the argument the Doctor and Adric have in the TARDIS followed by the Doctor seemingly desperate to keep Adric close by at all times.

As ever the Cybermen are pretty rubbish and the crew of the freighter were all pretty poorly acted. I also didn't get why if the Cybermen had already been to Earth and planted a bomb that they didn't therefore plant several bombs in case one failed? I also had cause to wonder just how much uncharted caves there will be left for archeologists to explore in the 26th century...?

I've never been a fan of Adric and think that his only great performance is in Full Circle, though he's not bad in Black Orchid. His death in Earthshock just doesn't have that much of an impact upon me but maybe I'm as cold hearted as the Cybermen.

The Lodger

I don't usually watch the repeats on BBC3 so soon after a series has aired but I was home alone one evening and this was a pretty funny so I sat down for it. I do enjoy Gareth Roberts work (Will he be the next producer after Moffat?) and this was a fun little episode and the perfect calm before the storm of the finale.

I've never seen Gavin and Stacey so only know James Corden as the fat kid from Teachers. I therefore didn't have any preconceptions about him as an actor and thought he nailed the part of Craig perfectly. Matt Smith was at his comedic best with the air kisses and the various faux pas, and yet the Doctor is not so blind that he can't see Craig and Sophie are in love with each other.

When the episode first aired I did have cause to wonder whether the Doctor really would be so clueless about day to day life as a human, even ignoring that it's his favourite planet and he has a preference for travelling with humans, he was exiled to Earth for quite some time in the 1980s (Yes, that's where I sit on the UNIT dating debate). Did the Third Doctor never socialise with his colleagues? Did he never sup a pint with Benton or have a curry with Jo? Surely he didn't lock himself away in his laboratory the whole time?

Of course that's overthinking things and I do think the Doctor works better as an alien than when he seems like just a very smart human.

I can't wait for Meglos to come out on DVD, that's another classic Who I've not seen.

Made of Steel

I know it's fashionable these days for Who fans to bash Terrance Dicks but I have really enjoyed most of the original novels he's written like Timewyrm: Exodus, Blood Harvest, Shakedown and Players. I can see from my rereadings of the novelisations (they're easier to carry on the tube) that they can at times be formulaic but they served their purpose at the time.

However Revenge of the Judoon was one of the worst Who novels I've read and I was thus wary of Made of Steel. I finished it very quickly and whilst it's not terrible, it is very boring.

The plot, such as it is, sees a few surviving Cybermen trying to lure the Doctor in to a trap so he'll reopen the Void and restore the Cyber army. Snooze!

I appreciate and applaude the Quick Reads initiative and love that Doctor Who is a part of that but I don't see that as excuse to just rattle off something quickly. The only other Who quickie that I've read was The Sontaran Games and that was a lot more interesting and whilst not Earth shattering at least felt like a decent if short read. This just seemed rushed, as though Uncle Terry wasn't even trying.

Ace! The Inside Story of the End of an Era

This is a fantastic full colour hardback book by Sophie Aldred with Mike Tucker that forms something of a memoir to the final two and a bit years of the original series of Doctor Who. Aldred covers the anecdotal side of things in a friendly and enthusiastic manner with everything from rehersals to filming and all her co-stars. I remember she used to write semi regularly for DWM with her remanicess of the show and I do remember Ghost Light being a particular favourite (No, not because of the topless bit!). It comes across that she was a young actress who'd finally made her big break and who whilst excited remained very humbled by it and tried not to take it for granted.

Tucker comes from a different angle and is all about the special effects. This is technically interesting and you have to admire his skill in coming up with all these things on Who's microbudget but it can read a little dry in comparison with Aldred.

The main draw of the book though will be the gorgeous photos, many published here and nowhere else, coming as they do from Aldred's personal collection. There's also a few done especially for the book from the great Rememrance-esque cover to Ace in her space bitch gear as seen in the New Adventure novels. Although Aldred looks dang hot, you can appreciate that had the NA's ever been filmed, she would have ended up looking pretty silly in the long run.

Thanks for reading. The next TW3 should be shorter as I'll aim to do these once a week. Next time we'll definitely have a review of Head Games, Silver Nemesis and issue 2 of Fish Fingers & Custard fanzine. I hope to also watch Revenge of the Cybermen and The Five Doctors this weekend and there's been talk of Underworld and Planet of Giants. Oh! I recently watched The Rescue, how could I forget! Ok that'll go in next time, plus I just bought my second Eleventh Doctor novel Night of the Humans.

Street Corner. Two in the Morning. Getting a Taxi Home

Well hopefully if you read this blog then you'll know already that my issue of The Terrible Zodin is now up and running and ready for free download.

If you didn't know then get ye too it quick! HERE

As promised in the issue I will begin a series of posts describing how the issue was put together and perhaps it may inspire some of you out there to do your own fanzine!

A word of warning first though, it has to be a labour of love. Because there comes a point where you think it may drive you insane or crazy but you push through because you love it.

I had a blast putting the issue together don't get me wrong but right at the very end everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The formatting went weird if you made changes to fonts in one section it would change fonts completely unrelated in another section. Ad nauseum! Paragraphs went askew for no discernable reason. Word kept crashing. The file got corrupted. It wouldn't convert to a PDF. Internet connection went down. When we finally converted it that was corrupt too. Readers couldn't download a copy.

I took Annual Leave from work to ensure it would go out on time but then something happened at work (can't really talk about it) which meant a huge chunk of my time off was nontheless spent on my day job because I had to check in with my staff and get updates on the situation etc.

It was a very frustrateing 48 hours, the zine came out late, I felt demoralised and like I'd let Leslie down and the readers down. I wanted to tear my hair out and/or throw myself out a window. The version that is uploaded has only been spell checked up to Page 73, I keep cringing at all the typos after that but everytime I go to the original on Word it crashed if I try to make changes after that page.

Now that it's out there and the feedback has slowly been trickling in and it's generally positive. I guess people need time to read it all and absorb it but I did get guilty of sitting there hitting refresh dying for someone to leave a comment.

I will do another one one day but I better appreciate now just how much work Leslie put in to it in the past and how much graft it is putting it all together. The positive comments and the willingness of people to contribute to the zine and to keep contributing (We've already had several people contact us about being in #9) really does help. I really was blue on Saturday morning and feeling like I'd wrecked the zine and no one would ever read it again.

Don't let any of that put you off! That was just the final 48 hours and was due to stuff outside my control. The rest of the time spent putting it together, contacting people, reading the submissions and generally being emmersed in the zine was fab and allowed me 19 years after I first thought of doing so, to put together a Doctor Who fanzine.

I'm very thankful to Leslie for entrusting me with The Terrible Zodin. I hope you all enjoy the issue.

Saving the Universe Using a Kettle And Some String!

Sorry I've been quiet on this blog. I do intend to update it fairly regular but of course as of late I've been very busy trying to put together the final edit on issue 8 of The Terrible Zodin. Once that's all done I'll have the freedom to talk more about Doctor Who on here and already have topics lined up. I will also take requests.

Additionally once you've all had time to read and hopefully enjoy TTZ8 (And I really would welcome your honest feedback) then I'd quite like to do a behind the zines feature and show how the zine was but together. Also as I'm on the editing team but thankfully not overall editor on every issue (I don't know how Leslie's done it 7 times!) I will also comment on the making of future issues as and when I can.

But in the meantime and to whet your appetite before TTZ8 we're happy to promote the competition, so here's a list below as far as I can ascertain of all current Doctor Who fanzines out there. Some are free, some you gotta pay, some are downloadable PDFs and some are photocopied A5 paper zines.

Enjoy (And make sure you tell em we sent you!)

**Last updated 29/05/11**

***

Blue Box (No longer active)

Celestial Toyroom

Comfy Chair

Enlightenment

The Finished Product

Fish Fingers and Custard

The Hub (Torchwood zine)

Inferno

Myth Makers

Panic Moon

Planet of the Ming Mongs

Rassilon's Rod (No longer active)

Reverse the Polarity

Shooty Dog Thing

The Third Zone

This Way Up

The Tides of Time

Time Space Visualiser

Venusian Spearmint

Vortex

Vworp Vworp!

Whotopia

You Could Try Trusting Me

I've only ever seen one episode of Blake's 7 and that was only very recently and a poor quality copy on YouTube.

I've always had the impression that Blake's 7 was probably a show that had some good ideas but was let down by the impression that it was full of dodgy acting, wobbly sets and atrocious special effects. In short rather unfairly I gave Blake's 7 the same kind of prejudiced stigma in my mind as most of the general public gave Doctor Who in the 80s.

The episode (Terminal) didn't overturn all of those preconceptions but I did enjoy watching it and I was curious enough that I might consider raiding the back catalogue at some point.

Which brings me to my main point, for this is something of an advertising interlude. My girlfriend Leslie (Otherwise known as The Editor of The Terrible Zodin) has teamed up with Melissa Beattie to produce a new series of online Blake's 7 comics.

If you're a fan of the show then why not check them out over at Comic Liberation. You're in for a treat.

It's not the first time these two have teamed up. I'm proud to announce that their one shot comic The Ballad of Ianto Jones makes it's online debut in Issue 8 of TTZ which, fingers crossed should be out on 30th September 2010.

The Tea's Getting Cold

Originally printed in The Terrible Zodin # 1

It's all my Dad's fault really.

5th October 1988. I was six years ago. Flicking through a copy of that weeks Radio Times, Dad noticed an article about the new series of a show he'd watched in his youth and one he didn't realise was still running. And so it was that we sat down to watch episode one of Remembrance of the Daleks. My life would never be the same again.

Doctor Who was the best thing EVER! Straight away I was sucked into the adventures of this funny mysterious man with a straw hat and an umbrella who was running around saving the world from the evil and hidious Daleks. And who can forget that cliffhanger - "The stairs!". I was hooked and as those weeks went by I knew I was going watch forever.

One of my earliest memories is drawing a picture of a Dalek in school. It wasn't very good, a triangle with a dome on top and the two gun sticks but I remember the class bully saw it and was very impressed. Daleks were followed by the Kandy Man, the Cybermen and the Gods of Ragnarok, all of whom were immortalised on scraps of paper by my childish hand in the week long enternities between episodes.

Dad had told me of course that there had been many Doctors before this one and many adventures but I hadn't really payed attention engrossed as I was by this Doctor. My Doctor with his frowns one minute and smiles the next. I even thought his question mark jumper was the epitomy of cool and so when Mami knitted me one I refused to wear anything else. I walked around with a hat and an umbrella which Dad had taken a blow torch to and melted it into a vaugely question marked handle. I would scurry around the house fighting the Daleks in my mind, deliberatly tripping up on the stairs and wishing my wardrobe was blue and would whisk me away to the farthest reaches of my imagination.

I wanted to be the Doctor, he was my hero and with callous disregard I ditched the previous holder of that title. Who wanted to be Arthur Fonzarelli when I could be Doctor Who? Sure the Fonz had all those girls but the Doctor had Ace and she was the prettiest girl EVER.

With a whole year to wait for the next series after The Greatest Show In The Galaxy ended, I was ready to discover the other Doctors my Dad had told me about. My local library had a very battered copy of Doctor Who: The Making Of A Television Series, with its spine held together with masking tape. Inside were my first glimpses of the other five Doctors (At the time both Dad and I were ignorant that there had even been a Colin Baker). There was a very grumpy looking old man, a funny man in a fur coat, Worzel Gummidge, a man with curly hair and boogling eyes and the young man who also had a straw hat. But the best part of all was the monsters. Those colourful dread inspiring creatures; Kraals! Nimon! Marshmen! Voc Robots!

The book was in such bad condition that the librarian offered to sell it to me for 50p, which was more than three weeks pocket money and meant forgoing my usual Mars bar but it was worth it. Now I had those adventures with me always and when we went to Colombia that year the book came with me and after dark when Abuelos garden took the form of a nightmarish jungle, I would wonder if there were Mandrells lurking out there.

The year of waiting for the next series had my imagination blossoming. It would be inaccurate to say that my path as a writer began then, because it began long before that from the days when I first learnt to write my own name. But nonetheless adventure after adventure would be scribbled by me, written in fluent gibberish and usually involving the Doctor fighting all those aliens which had appeared in that colour double spread in The Making Of...

Finally now however the new series was here and every Wednesday night I was enthralled by the Destroyer, by the Husks, by the Heamovores and finally by the Cheetah People. As the Doctor and Ace walked off into the sunset a few weeks before Christmas 1989, my hunger for all things Doctor Who was insastiable and I remember clearly that I felt deep concern that the continuity announcer hadn't said that the show would be back next year...

As it turned out we had to wait 14 years before the series came back properly.

Nonetheless in the wilderness years there was plenty to keep this Doctor Who fan happy. My local library had plenty of the novelisations of past adventures for me to read and read I did with a religious fervour, so much so that my school teacher had to request that if maybe just once when we did our weekly book reviews I could chose something that wasn't written by Terrance Dicks.

I saved up my pennies for months on end, counting them everyday longing for the day when I finally had nine hundred and ninety nine pennies so that I could go to W H Smith and buy Death to the Daleks or The Five Doctors or City of Death or which ever cover grabbed my attention that week. Death to the Daleks won the honour of being the first video I ever bought and how could I resist, the cover had an exploding Dalek!

Of course with time came my teenage years and I had to hide my fandom from the world. Being a Doctor Who fan wouldn't win me the heart of the girls who were no longer strange alien creatures in their own right but were now alluring creatures undergoing their awkward transformations which required a constant tugging down of my jumper to hide my own transformations.

Like an addict with a shameful secret I would bend the covers of the books I read so the Doctor Who logo wasn't visible. I no longer proudly expoused about the scariness of the Sea Devils, or shake my hand in a withered Davrosesque manner, nor did I associate monks with the word meddling or pretend when drinking a glass of milk that it was spectrox, the most precious substance in the galaxy!

Only my best friend Big Al, back in the days before he became Big Al, knew of my secret though being an African refugee he had no idea what the programme was about but he understood even though he himself was an out and unapologetic Star Trek fan.

Later still when I finally went away to university, with no hope of Doctor Who ever coming back, and with me now playing with those grown up toys of cynicism, criticism and disillusionment I turned my back on Doctor Who. I didn't bring any of the books or videos with me and whilst I didn't have the heart to cancel my subscription to Doctor Who Magazine I skipped over the articles with a detached interest. Doctor Who was just a silly programme I'd watched as a kid. It was full of wobbly sets, rubber monsters and bad acting. I had much more important things on my mind like sex and whisky.

When the news that fandom had been waiting for ever for broke, that the series was coming back my reaction was minimal. I could well remember the empty hollow feeling I had that Bank Holiday weekend back in '96 when Paul McGann had had a crack at the whip.

As it got nearer and nearer to the time however I took the time to start reading through the back copies of DWM, read a couple of books, even watch a video now and again. And then I came across the comic strip Doctor Who and the Fangs of Time. The plot? The Doctor pays a visit to a 20 something who loved the show when he was 6 but thinks he should have grown out of it by now.

It did the trick. I was hooked all over again and as the new series approached I could feel all my fan boyishness coming back and I rejoiced.

The Doctor still was and always had been my hero. Never cruel, never cowardly as the cliche goes. He wasn't like James Bond or Captain Kirk, he didn't save the day with his fists and he certainly didn't get the girl and that's what made him better than all those others. He was just somebody who wanted to travel, someody who was rootless with no home of his own, flitting about wherever and whenever he wanted. He never sought out trouble and when he did become involved in such situations it was his brains that won out, his ingenuity, his inventiveness. He did what was right. Not what was good but what was right.

I'm no longer ashamed to call myself a Doctor Who fan. I was wrong. For every set that wobbles, there are the ones that don't, for every unconvincing alien there is a breath takingly real one and for every camp performance is one so straight and earnest that you really believe in the danger. If you were to ask me my favourite story I could be ready to trot out such safe bets as City of Death or The Caves of Androzani but the truth is it's joint place between Nightmare of Eden and The Claws of Axos. Both have wobbly sets and poor acting. But alongside they also have ambitious designs, strong performances and cracking scripts. I think they could simultaneously fall into the Best and Worst categories and I love them. And that's why I love Doctor Who. It can be anything and it is everything and when it's at it's best it's fun and it's exciting, ultimatly it's a great way to spend an hour on a Saturday evening.

I'm [26] years old but I tell you when I put on my battered brown leather jacket, I strut down the street and pretend I'm Christopher Eccleston. When no one's looking and I'm in Earls Court, I'll stop and touch the police box and I'll wonder if the doors will open and I'll be whisked off to Skaro or Peladon or Raxacoracafallapatorious.

Wait Here Susan, I Won't Be Long

Or context is all with my Doctor Who firsts.

First Doctor Who Seen: Remembrance of the Daleks on original broadcast in 1988. I was six years old. I was introduced to the show by my father who'd watched the show since the William Hartnell days but lost touch with the show. I may reprint my first ever article in TTZ which elaborates on this.

First Doctor Who Seen on VHS: My primary school friend Daniel Halliday had The Robots of Death on video and I was invited round one Saturday to watch it. Thus Tom Baker became my first out of sequence Doctor, and I saw this in the year long break between The Greatest Show in the Galaxy and Battlefield. The Doctor getting buried in sand, the Voc Robots advancing menacingly and Leela having her voice changed all stuck in my head and stayed in my imagination. It was almost 20 years later that I saw the story again when I bought the DVD.

First Doctor Who Missed on Original TX: Battlefield Episode 1. I was in Colombia. Finally saw it three years later when it was repeated on BBC2.

First Doctor Who novelisation: I believe it was Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons bought as a birthday present by a friend of the family who no doubt had been informed by my parents that I was now a Who nut.

First Doctor Who VHS bought: Death to the Daleks which I bought with my own pocket money having patiently saved up nine hundred and ninetynine pennies. I chose this one because of the exploding Dalek on the cover. I don't remember how excited I was when I first watched it (I rememeber being scared of the swamp root cable thingy) but my memory of the story now is that it's pretty boring. It's been years since I watched it and I quite likely won't rewatch it till it comes out on DVD

First Issue of DWM: #170 from January 1991. I was in W H Smiths in Lewisham and happened to spot the logo. Colin Baker was on the cover as the Sixth Doctor which is why I didn't spot it earlier because for a long time I thought Davison was McCoy's predecessor. That was due to a combination of The Making of a Television Series book only going as far as 1982 and because my Dad hadn't kept up with the show he didn't know either. Without digging up the issue (I've still got them all), off the top of my head I remember that there was an interview with Johnny Byrne (and thus the Doctor Who? cartoon was The Keeper of Traken themed), an interview with Jon Pertwee, a feature on Search Out Space and part two of The Mark of Mandragora.

First Doctor Who Toy (As a kid): I'm guessing now but I'm fairly sure it was the grey coated version of the Seventh Doctor from Dapol.

First Doctor Who Companion Crush: Ace of course. I fancied Sophie Aldred rotten. Still do.

First Doctor Who Celebrity Met: Deborah Watling when I attended the opening of the Doctor Who shop in East Ham. I guess that was around 1992. She signed my copy of John Peel's The Gallifreyan Chronicles. Victoria was my Dad's Doctor Who companion crush.

First Doctor Who Convention: None! I've never been to one. I wanted to go to one as a kid but could never persuade my parents to take me then when I was old enough that I could've gone by myself I had entered the stage where I thought I'd outgrown Doctor Who and wasn't as interested and then once I was properly back in the opportunity has never come up. This year my girlfriend and I were considering Whooverville and Swansea Regenerations but unfortunately both clashed with other commitments. So I remain a convention virgin and the nearest to a Doctor Who gathering was attending The Flashing Blade Picnic. I have been to the Fitzroy Tavern once but as a civilian not a Who fan (It was the nearest pub to where a mate was doing summer working experience)

First Doctor Who Fanzine: Believe it or not, it is actually The Terrible Zodin. Why? Well you'll have to wait for my Editorial in TTZ8 for that one.

First New Adventures Novel: Timewyrm: Genesys. I read it whilst on holiday in Cali, Colombia.

First Doctor Who Audio Play: Slipback. I can't remember how I got a hold of it. Was it repeated? I do remember thinking the Computer was pretty funny.

First Doctor Who DVD Bought: Remembrance of the Daleks. I bought it second hand off my mate Davros (Not his real name obviously). I couldn't resist as it was the story that brought me to this carnival in the first place.

First New Series Doctor Who Missed On Original TX: Rose. I had just transferred to a new job within the company I was already working for and I'd just been on Annual Leave so I had zero opportunity of making an advance request on the rota. I managed to finally see it three days later.

First Doctor Who Toy (As an adult): I was given a sonic screwdriver for my birthday. Subsequently I've also aquired a fob watch. But honestly those are the only two things! I've still got my Dapol toys but they're far from mint. I played with them so much that Mel has no arm, the Tetrap has no leg, the Dalek is completely emasculated and K9's tail is held on with sellotape.

Ok I think I've wittered on enough for today but if there are any more firsts you wanna know about just ask.

Behold The Terrible Zodin

Originally written 18/02/10.

Although it's not something that comes up in conversation very often I am something of a Doctor Who fan.

Yes I know, I know you're all staggering back from that shocking confession.

Haha ok but seriously, I'm a Doctor Who fan. An unabashed and unashamed one. Like anything people are passionate about whether it's sports or opera, it is a part of my life that consumes me. The clue is there in the word fan which is an abbreviation of fanatic after all. Doctor Who isn't just some show that I watch on TV for 13 weeks and then forget about until it comes back on the following year, it's not something I just casually enjoy, it's something I eat, drink and sleep.

And I love it. I'm happy that I've something so fun and exciting and silly and ridiculous and loving and romantic and frothy and perplexing and mind blowing and cosmic and dizzy and frantic and energetic and barmy as my hobby obsession.

It's everywhere in my day to day life. When I wake up one of the first things I see is my Doctor Who calender, I've got framed posters on my wall, above my bed is the bookshelf groaning under the weight of the novelisations, opposite my bed is a cabinet with the DVDs... and hey you if you think I'm hardcore trust me there are even bigger fans than me whose collections would make mine look like a couple of tatty comics in a cardboard box at a jumble sale.

My head is full of useless Who related junk. Take the Zygons for example. David Tennant's favourite monster apparently. I've never seen them in the original series myself but I know the plot, I've read the novelisation (and insist on calling the novelisation Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster), I own the original 10th Doctor novel Sting of the Zygons and I know which other novels, comic strips, audio plays, direct to video movies and computer games they've been in. I know more about a rubber monster from 1975 than is healthy. I can't help it, this stuff just sticks in to my brain.

It was quite lonely being a Doctor Who fan when I grew up as I first got in to the show in 1988 and in 1989 it was cancelled, and barring one US attempt at a reboot in 1996 I had to wait 15 years for it to come back. I read DWM and bought the novels when I could afford them but I was isolated from the other Doctor Who fans who must have been out there (After all I doubt DWM's circulation was only me!)

It's why these days I'm happy that the show is a success and that my friends are in to it and that if it comes up in general conversation it's not with perplexed looks as to why someone should care so much about such a silly thing. And it's why I'm so glad to be part of the team that makes The Terrible Zodin fanzine.

In some ways TTZ has almost become a seperate love. It's Doctor Who of course but now it occupies a lot of my time and my imagination as an entity in itself. I actively recruit new writers and artists, I keep the facebook group looking lively, I run the Twitter feed and I'm constantly thinking about how to expand the readership and get more publicity. Article ideas are always popping in to my head and I scribble them down - I've a word document full of stuff that could take me through another 20 issues even if I just did one article per issue and dropped Back2TheWhoture.

Maybe its silly but I often wish TTZ was my full time job, that rather than a lot of it being email ping pong from London to Swansea to Albuqueque to San Francisco I do fantasise about myself, Leslie, Lori and Steve working in a Press Gang* style office and of course Evan, Adi, Tony, Paul and Simon are there too.

I think we can have just cause to be proud of TTZ, the hard work of everyone who has contributed their time for free to work on it is appreciated and I think we've produced a wide range of articles from indepth analysis to punning silliness. Although the original intent was that the magazine was for female fans by female fans, Leslie very wisely noted that actually the beauty of Doctor Who is its all inclusive philosophy. It's still aimed as being more female friendly than other zines have been (though don't for a moment think that's a stereotype in itself and that the mag is for 'shippers and slash fic and full of squeeeee) but I think its appeal does go beyond that. I like that we've contributers from both the UK and US (and exemplified in the fact that our editor is from New Mexico but lives in Swansea) but also further afield as Finland!

We seem to be hitting our stride at the moment. Issue 6 (The 8th Doctor special) is due out in less than a month and we've already started planning Issue 7, whilst further beyond we've tenantively pencilled in themes for Issues 8 & 9. We've been advertised in the new Shooty Dog Thing book, and once I finish writing the damn thing, thanks to TTZ I'm gonna appear as one of those blurb reviewers on a forthcoming non fiction Who book.

If you haven't already then please do check us out, there's 5 back issues to browse through and like I said TTZ6 is out in mid March. We're on Twitter & Facebook too and our discussion board is very lively and from there there are links to other zines such as SDT, Vworp Vworp, Whotopia and to podcasts like The Flashing Blade, Staggering Stories and the forthcoming Professor Dave's Ark in Space.

As ever we're on the look out for contributers to the magzine and that doesn't just mean article writers, that includes artists too and even if you're not confident enough in writing something yourself, let us know your ideas and we'll see what we can do with them. Whatever you want to see in the zine we'll find someway to incorporate it. Our only restriction is that we do aim to be family friendly so anything too adult is likely to be excised (And the editing team is not exempt, I had salacious references to the Rani's breasts toned down in an article I submitted and Steve had to cut the last part of his Genesis of the Daleks haiku due to its oral sex innuendo). Finally of course, if you like the zine tell all your friends about it!

I admit, when Leslie first floated the idea of a 'zine and was casting about for names I had reservations about The Terrible Zodin. I thought something with the word 'terrible' in the title might just be tempting fate. But I was wrong and once things were underway for the first issue I just knew it was gonna be right, and I've loved watching each episode go from strength to strength.

Huzzah!

* Seriously you need to watch this, best kids TV drama ever.