rich_jacko

It's perhaps tempting fate, with a relatively unknown new covid variant now circulating, but I want to record how good it feels, now that social and entertainment events have been starting to get back to normal.

Friday pub socials are now happening two or more times a month, and we're getting a pretty good turnout. It's great to be able to relax and spend time with each other over drinks once again.

Just over a month ago, I went to see Tim Peake talk about his career at City Hall. Much of it was things I already new, but some of it was fresh (I'd never previously thought about the difficulty of getting to sleep in zero-g!), and there's nothing like the personal touch of having Major Tim talk through it all in person. It was basically the best PowerPoint presentation ever!

November saw two big birthday parties on consecutive weekends, for Cis and Liz's 50ths. I only paid a brief visit to Cis's, at Trippets Lounge Bar, but it was great to see so many people there and catch up with faces I'd not seen in a long while. Liz's do, at Walkley Community Centre, naturally featured an enormous buffet, as well as party games and dancing into the night (well, 11pm). I had a wonderful time.


A week later, I went with Gillian down to Telford for Wales Comic Con. I'd never have spotted this was on if Gillian hadn't mentioned it to me, and I'm glad she did. We went to a Q&A talk with Doctors 5 through 8, and racked up a few autographs and photo shoots between us. There were a lot of cosplayers to admire too (We were ticking off Doctors). It was a good day out and fairly, if not entirely, successful - The organisation of the event left a lot to be desired and we had a long delay on the trains back. You can read Gillian's post here.


On Monday this week, I was back at City Hall for another space-themed show, this time Return of the Jedi in Concert - the film, up on a cinema screen, accompanied by a 70-piece live orchestra. It sounded fantastic, though at times I had to remind myself to pay attention to the live music, not just get lost in the film!


This coming weekend will also see my final running event of the year, the Percy Pud 10k. This one is a bit of a Sheffield institution. I've never entered it before. The course is through familiar territory, but it'll be a different experience running it as part of a big event, with celebrations (and Christmas puds!) at the finish.

Looking further ahead, I remain hopeful for a much more fun festive season than last year.

I am still cross with the last episode of Doctor Who. For so many reasons, chief among them that it squandered all the ingenious concepts and twists of World Enough and Time in favour of a tired "The Doctor defends a village from the monsters" non-story; the lazy conlectus ex machina ending; and the Doctor's inexplicable refusal to regenerate.

That last one is a real shame. How fantastic would it have been to learn the identity of the 13th Doctor by actually watching her regenerate during the show, rather than through a pointless media circus and dialogue-free trailers?

Ah well, we are where we are.

So, Jodie Whittaker. As I said over on that Facebook, it's nice that we finally have a Doctor who's from Yorkshire. ;o)

My immediate reaction to the casting was the same as it has been for most of the recent Doctors (Peter Capaldi excepted) - "That's interesting. Who's she?" I neither think this is the best thing ever to happen to the show, nor the worst thing. As always, I reserve judgement until I see what she's like in the role.

The reactions to the change in gender have been entirely predictable. But you'd have to have been seriously not paying attention if you hadn't noticed any of the many ways this moment has been prepared for.* Frankly, it would have been a surprise if they hadn't cast a female Doctor this time. But complaining about the choice of new Doctor is nothing new. I'm not sure the sexism about the 13th being female is fundamentally any different from the ageism about the 12th being too old or the 11th being too young. People will always find something to whinge about, especially online.

* No, it's not the end, any more than it was in 1981. ;o)

I am absolutely certain that in four years' time or whenever it's announced, the choice of 14th Doctor will be met with either:

"How could they cast another woman? Does this mean we'll never have another male Doctor again? It's an outrage!"

Or:

"How could they go back to casting another man? Does this mean we'll never have another female Doctor again? It's an outrage!"

Heh. This is what I said in 2013 in response to complaints that the 12th Doctor wasn't cast as a woman:

• "The Doctor is firmly established as a male character. There have been one or two throwaway lines, but I don't think there's ever been a serious suggestion that Time Lords can change sex when they regenerate. None of those we've seen in multiple regenerations (the Doctor, the Master, Romana, River (part Time Lord!), Borusa, etc.) appear to have ever done so."

Funny in hindsight. I have (and indeed had) no objection to there being a female Doctor; the important thing is that they cast someone who's right for the role. But I didn't buy into the view that casting another man was some sort of snub, when it had never been firmly established that, in-whoniverse, changing gender during regeneration was actually a thing which could happen. (Those who wanted it to be clung strongly to the Corsair, but one throwaway line by a guest writer is not a lot to go on, especially given Rule 1...).

The show has, of course, moved on a long way since then. Re-gender-ation is now a firmly established part of the mythos. The fact that we hadn't come across it previously is explained in that remaining the same gender still seems to be the most common outcome. However, changing gender happens frequently enough to be cause for no more than mild surprise (see the General's regeneration in Hell Bent as evidence for both these points). That's more than fine with me. And it did build the case that there should be a female Doctor sooner or later.

Am I nervous about the next series? Of course I am. There's a new Doctor and a new head writer at the helm, and that's always cause for uncertainty. I am sorry to see Peter Capaldi go, as he has been an excellent Doctor. And while Steve Moffat seems to have been running out of ideas for a while now, Chris Chibnal's record as a Whoniverse writer is rather mixed, to say the least - 42? Superb episode. The Hungry Earth / Cold Blood? Hmmm, not bad. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship / The Power of Three / Pond Life? A bit too soapy for my tastes. Torchwood series 1 and 2? Probably best forgotten...

I also worry slightly about how the change in gender is going to be handled. I really hope they don't make some dreadful attempt to "feminise" the character. So long as Whittaker's Doctor continues to be eccentric, reckless, brilliant, alien, the smartest person in the room, filled with a powerful sense of justice, ruthless to those who deserve it, compassionate to everyone else, full of wonder at the universe, young and old all at once, and a mad woman with a box, she'll do alright. :o)

My other worry is that we get a whole series of "girls are better than boys" gibes. One is fine, as a humorous way of acknowledging the change in gender, before moving on (see Missy, and the General again). But I fear they may decide to make it a running gag, which would just end up pandering to gender stereotypes and offending everyone. Let's hope not.

As I said earlier, we shouldn't pre-judge. Change has been an essential part of the show throughout its 54 years. The dawn of a new chapter in its history is always cause for excitement as well as trepidation. This one is no different in that respect. I wouldn't have it any other way.

The clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in, which means it's time I hosted some big screen evenings again. It also usually means new Doctor Who, but the Beeb are making us wait until Christmas. So I'm filling in the gap with a double bill. Over the course of two Saturday evenings (with a week off in-between), we'll go through the whole if River Song's story, in her timeline order*. Will it all make sense? Will it raise more continuity questions than it solves? To be honest, I'm not sure. Let's find out!

* Well, mostly, and for as long as she's Alex Kingston. If we did it properly, including her whole childhood, in order, we'd end up watching several episodes in pieces and a few of them twice. That would be ridiculous. Oh, and I've taken this timeline from Doctor Who Confidential, so if you don't agree it's right, take it up with them. ;o)

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Part 1: From Berlin to Big Bang 2.0 - Saturday 12th November from 4:30pm

Hats, guns and weddings. The end of the universe, twice. Silence will fall. Life with the Ponds is never dull.

• Let's Kill Hitler (Series 6, episode 8) - "You've got a time machine, I've got a gun..."


• The Wedding of River Song (Series 6, episode 13) - "Look into my eye..."


• First Night / Last Night (Series 6, bonus mini-episodes) - "Does anyone agree to wear that dress?"


• A Good Man Goes to War (Series 6, episode 7) - "Good men don't need rules."


• The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon (Series 6, episodes 1 & 2) - "It's locked, how's a girl suppose to resist?"


• The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang (Series 5, episodes 12 and 13) - "What in the name of sanity have you got on your head?"

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Part 2: From the Maze of the Dead to the Doctor's tomb - Saturday 26th November from 4:30pm

Three Doctors, lots of Angels, and quite a few goodbyes. Who turned out the lights?

• The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone (Series 5, episodes 5 & 6) - "She's Mrs Doctor from the future, isn't she?"


• The Angels Take Manhattan (Series 7, episode 5) - "She's got ice in her heart, a kiss on her lips, and a vulnerable side she keeps well hidden."


• The Husbands of River Song (Series 9, Christmas special) - "I think I'm going to need a bigger flowchart..."


• Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (Series 4, episodes 8 & 9) - "Count the shadows..."


• The Name of the Doctor (Series 7, episode 13) - "He doesn't like endings."

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We will break for food at some point each evening. As always, it would be useful to get a rough idea of numbers, so let me know if you're planning to come.

The first Friday in January is New Year's Day. However, it seems a bit unlikely that everyone will be up for our regularly-scheduled pub social when they may still be nursing hangovers from the night (year?) before. (Just what am I implying here?)

Ju and I therefore made an executive decision at the Nightingales' party yesterday - Just for this month, we'll make it a Second Friday Social. Hope to see you at the Walkley Cottage on the 8th! :o)

And to my team of junior master builders - I have Doctor Who Lego which will need building...

I will be hosting another Doctor Who evening next Saturday (28th), from 4pm, to mark the tenth anniversary of "New Who". Yes, it really has been ten years since the Ninth Doctor blew up Rose's shop and Mickey got eaten by a wheelie bin. Time to celebrate all things Time Lords.

A triple bill of Tenth / Eleventh Doctor stories this time, which fit rather neatly together:

4:00pm: Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords
Captain Jack comes storming into the Doctor's life again. The TARDIS is thrown to the end of the universe itself, setting in motion events that lead to Harry Saxon becoming Prime Minister. But his dark ambitions reach beyond the stars. With the Doctor and Jack held prisoner, only Martha Jones can save the world...

6:30pm: break for food

7:00pm: The End of Time
Christmas Eve, and the Doctor is reunited with Wilf, to face the return of an old enemy. The Doctor faces the end of his life, as the Master's victory unleashes the greatest terror of all. At the end, he will knock four times...

9:30pm: The Night of the Doctor / The Last Day / The Day of the Doctor
In 2013, something terrible is awakening in London's National Gallery. In 1562, a murderous plot is afoot in Elizabethan England. And somewhere in space, an ancient battle reaches its devastating conclusion. All of reality is at stake as the Doctor's own dangerous past comes back to haunt him.

11:00pm: end

Let me know if you're planning on coming to some or all of the above!

A few people have been asking when I'm going to do another Doctor Who evening. How does Saturday 31st January sound? (That's ten days away, not this coming Saturday.)

We'd be watching a double-bill of Patrick Troughton epics from 1968. I've chosen them as they feature the first appearances of one Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart and UNIT, but they are also absolute classic stories in their own right.

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4.30pm: The Web of Fear
In order to escape an attack in space, the TARDIS makes an unscheduled landing and ends up deep inside the London Underground. Here, the travellers soon find themselves engulfed in a thrilling battle with the Great Intelligence and the Yeti, a deadly enemy set to invade the Earth. But as events take a turn for the worse, it becomes clear that the golden prize is not just the Earth, but the Doctor's mind too...

7:00pm: break for food

7:45pm: The Invasion
Investigating the disappearance of an eminent scientist, the Doctor and his companions follow his trail to the London headquarters of International Electromatics, a global supplier of electronic equipment, run by the formidable Tobias Vaughan. Teaming up with the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskforce (UNIT), under the command of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, it soon becomes apparent that Vaughan is working to his own sinister agenda. As Cybermen invade in cities all over the world, can the Doctor convince Vaughan to help him defeat their plan for global domination?

11:00pm: end

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Sadly, a great many of Patrick Troughton's episodes are, as the BBC euphemistically puts it, "currently missing". Whilst most of each of these two stories are intact, one episode of "Web" is reconstructed with telesnaps and two episodes of "Invasion" with animation. This shouldn't spoil your enjoyment though. The animation in particular is very well done by Cosgrove Hall. All the reconstructed episodes use the original TV audio tracks.

Please let me know if you're planning to come along. Turn up from 4pm.

Thank you to Adam, Ju, Jamie, the family Chivers, the family Wengraf, Frank, Gillian, Gary, and the family Nightingale for coming round yesterday and making my Lego party epic! I had a brilliant day (It was also really nice to catch up with Cathy over brunch at the Riverside beforehand.)

You all dived in and built lots of old school space Lego, Adam and Gillian getting particularly creative. Thank you also for giving generously to charity... even if it did mean I got a bit wet! There are videos on facebook but I don't think I can link to them here.

We watched the Lego Movie, which was great to watch with several folk who'd never seen it before. We were all entertained by Toby singing that song. Topping it off was one of the cleverest and spookiest Doctor Who episodes for a long while. The party eventually tailed off at around half ten, which is very respectable given that it started about ten hours earlier!

In short, everything was awesome yesterday :o)

I've just finished watching 'The Time Monster' on DVD, which turned out to be an unexpected gem. It's a Jon Pertwee story I knew nothing about. It doesn't come up in any lists of fan favourite Doctor Who serials and doesn't seem to be very well regarded. I thought it was brilliant.

Roger Delgado at his suave, Bond villain best; lots of inventive wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey shenanigans; plenty of UNIT action; a really strong story for Jo Grant; two TARDISes fighting it out in the time vortex; ancient Atlantis; and some great cliffhangers. What's not to like? Plus "TOMTIT" ;o)

Okay, some of the "slo-mo" acting is laughable, and the 1970s TV attempts at feminism are often a bit clunky. Also, like a lot of Doctor Who of that era, the ambition over-reaches the budget, but that's part of the charm and something that should be praised, not criticised.

I may need to think about hosting more Doctor Who evenings once the nights start drawing in...

Looking forward to Peter Capaldi's debut episode in two weeks time! :o)

I promised I'd do one last Doctor Who evening (at least for this year!), so here it is:

Doctor Who evening: Round 11: Merry Christmas, Doctor
Saturday 28th December, my place from 4:00pm*
* Or earlier, if you're bringing Lego with you ;o)

I'm not pre-deciding the schedule this time. We'll be watching a selection of the Christmas specials, but as there's only a limited number, I'll let folks choose. Not 'The End of Time' though - It's too long and I have other plans involving that for a future evening. But that still leaves a choice of four specials for each of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors:

The Christmas Invasion
It's Christmas Eve and high above London, the alien Sycorax are holding the Earth to ransom. The Doctor must recover from his regeneration in time to save the human race from enslavement.

The Runaway Bride
A bride beamed aboard the TARDIS while walking down the aisle, killer Santas, exploding baubles, an alien spaceship shaped like a giant star - Christmas with the Doctor is anything but a silent night.

Voyage of the Damned
A spacecraft set on an apocalyptic collision course with Earth, a host of killer robot angels and an evil severed-headed mastermind - It's just another Christmas for the Doctor.

The Next Doctor
Christmas 1851, and Cybermen stalk Victorian London. The Doctor discovers a spate of mysterious deaths, and is surprised to discover anothere Doctor. Are two Doctors enough to stop the rise of the CyberKing?

A Christmas Carol
In the Eleventh Doctor's first Christmas special, he has just one hour to save a crashing spaceship and a miser's soul - but what lurks in the fog?

The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
Evacuated from war-torn London, Madge Arwell and her two children are greeted by a madcap caretaker whose mysterious Christmas gift leads them into a magical wintry world.

The Snowmen
Christmas Eve 1892 and a chilling menace threatens humankind, but with the Doctor in mourning, it takes old friends and an unorthodox young governess to get him fighting to save the world again.

(Before this, we can watch a trio of mini adventures featuring the Paternoster gang - Demon's Run: Two Days Later, Vastra Investigates, and The Great Detective. Because everyone knows they're the real stars of this series.)

The Time of the Doctor
If it's good enough to watch again within a week, there's Matt Smith's swansong as well. The massed forces of the universe's deadliest alien species are drawn to a quiet planet by a mysterious message echoing out to the stars.

I don't propose to watch all those; there are just too many and we won't have time. As I say, I'll take votes (although my personal votes include 'The Next Doctor' and 'The Snowmen' in particular). I will provide snacks and we can do the usual break for takeaway, although if anyone wants to bring along leftover Christmas goodies, they'll be more than welcome.

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It has also been suggested to me that Sherlock on the big screen on New Year's Day might be a good idea. So if anyone wants to come around and watch that, feel free to come round any time from 8pm (It starts at 9pm).

Hope to see you here, on one if not both days!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOCTOR WHO! :o)



Thank you to everyone for coming round and making it a memorable 50th anniversary party! (And especially to Clare for the amazing cupcakes!)

That was a fantastic episode, full of unexpected twists and turns and with some truly wonderful surprise appearances. I think I'm going to have to watch it again tomorrow. (At the cinema, 12:45 if you're interested!) But I wouldn't have watched it any other way than with you all this evening. (Look, the show's gone and made me go all soppy...)

Peter Davison's Five(ish) Doctors Reboot was excellent too, and a complete surprise. So many brilliant gags. I think I nearly died laughing at the bit with John Barrowman's car ;o)

Here's to the next 50 years!

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be wanderers in the Fourth Dimension? Have you? To be exiles? Susan and I are cut off from our own planet, without friends or protection. But one day, we shall get back. Yes, one day..."