In January 2024, Fourth Doctor companion Louise Jameson returned to Doctor Who in the short promotional film Leela vs the Time War for the release of the Season 15 Blu-ray boxset. It showed Jameson’s character on Gallifrey in the final moments of the Time War being threatened with extermination by the Daleks. “This is not how this ends,” says Leela, before transporting herself to the safety of the Tardis.
As reported by RadioTimes.com, writer/director Pete McTighe said at a BFI screening of 1977 episode “Horror of Fang Rock”, that he saw the new scene as “an opportunity to right [the] wrong” of Jameson’s character’s original exit, in which Leela was hurriedly married off to a Gallifreyan Time Lord.
McTighe has written increasingly ambitious promotional films for these series releases with original actors returning to play their roles, though the complexity of producing them means they won’t be done for every boxset.
As reported by RadioTimes.com, writer/director Pete McTighe said at a BFI screening of 1977 episode “Horror of Fang Rock”, that he saw the new scene as “an opportunity to right [the] wrong” of Jameson’s character’s original exit, in which Leela was hurriedly married off to a Gallifreyan Time Lord.
McTighe has written increasingly ambitious promotional films for these series releases with original actors returning to play their roles, though the complexity of producing them means they won’t be done for every boxset.
- 2/15/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
When it comes to Doctor Who, the character often wins over the audiences because they are kind-hearted and in many ways, are the saviour (or Doctor) we need. While a lot of focus does get given to the ‘new’ breed of Doctors, for fans of the old school we are spoilt for choice with who is the best. One that is high on my list has to be Jon Pertwee, which is why The Doctors: The Jon Pertwee Years was such a joy to watch.
A collection of interviews, The Doctors: The Jon Pertwee Years features Jon Pertwee himself, Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Caroline John (Liz Shaw), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), and John Levene (Sergeant Benton). Interviewed by the voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs. Each interview with the stars of Doctor Who is around one hour in length, so you can imagine how interesting the Jon Pertwee one is.
A collection of interviews, The Doctors: The Jon Pertwee Years features Jon Pertwee himself, Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Caroline John (Liz Shaw), Nicholas Courtney (The Brigadier), Richard Franklin (Captain Yates), and John Levene (Sergeant Benton). Interviewed by the voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs. Each interview with the stars of Doctor Who is around one hour in length, so you can imagine how interesting the Jon Pertwee one is.
- 3/8/2017
- by Paul Metcalf
- Nerdly
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Evil goatees, facial ticks and eyepatches… Remember these classic takes on TV’s ‘evil twin’ trope?
Warning: contains spoilers for Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who series 6, Knightrider, and a 1969 episode of Star Trek.
When it comes to shenanigans and shock value, it’s hard to go past the trope of the evil twin on television. It’s so much fun seeing old-school split-screen on the small screen, where the same actor plays two (or more) parts. It ramps up the fun and fantasy, or delivers a fabulous freak-out moment.
Science fiction feels like the natural habitat of doubles. The audience is already suspending their disbelief, so what’s one more?
Hands-down one of the best uses of twins (or multiples) is from the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica. Cylon hybrids were flawless versions of humans who looked, sounded, acted and believed they were just like you and me. It...
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Evil goatees, facial ticks and eyepatches… Remember these classic takes on TV’s ‘evil twin’ trope?
Warning: contains spoilers for Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who series 6, Knightrider, and a 1969 episode of Star Trek.
When it comes to shenanigans and shock value, it’s hard to go past the trope of the evil twin on television. It’s so much fun seeing old-school split-screen on the small screen, where the same actor plays two (or more) parts. It ramps up the fun and fantasy, or delivers a fabulous freak-out moment.
Science fiction feels like the natural habitat of doubles. The audience is already suspending their disbelief, so what’s one more?
Hands-down one of the best uses of twins (or multiples) is from the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica. Cylon hybrids were flawless versions of humans who looked, sounded, acted and believed they were just like you and me. It...
- 10/27/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
From the Queen Vic to the Tardis. As Eastenders prepares to mark its 30th anniversary, we look back at its encounters with Doctor Who...
Back in the mid-eighties an actor who played "Third Assistant" in a Doctor Who story called The Savages (1966) and the director of another Doctor Who adventure, The Underwater Menace (1967), came together to create one of the BBC’s most successful television shows.
And when they got together, it was murder. Well, not quite. (Though the first episode did feature a victim who would later die, fact fans.) But what they did create was Eastenders.
Broadcast on February the 19th 1985 (in between episodes one and two of The Two Doctors), this creation of Who alumni would go on to share numerous links with the long-running science-fiction for years to come. Even its time-slot owes much to the adventures of everyone’s favourite Gallifreyan.
In an interview in...
Back in the mid-eighties an actor who played "Third Assistant" in a Doctor Who story called The Savages (1966) and the director of another Doctor Who adventure, The Underwater Menace (1967), came together to create one of the BBC’s most successful television shows.
And when they got together, it was murder. Well, not quite. (Though the first episode did feature a victim who would later die, fact fans.) But what they did create was Eastenders.
Broadcast on February the 19th 1985 (in between episodes one and two of The Two Doctors), this creation of Who alumni would go on to share numerous links with the long-running science-fiction for years to come. Even its time-slot owes much to the adventures of everyone’s favourite Gallifreyan.
In an interview in...
- 2/12/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Digital Spy presents Doctor Who Week - seven days of special features celebrating the return of the world's favourite sci-fi series, and the arrival of a brand new Doctor - on August 23.
We've known he was coming since August 2013 - and he's officially been our Doctor since Christmas - but in a mere three days, Doctor Who fans will finally get the chance to size up Peter Capaldi's debut as a new, "more mysterious" Time Lord.
Between 1963 and 2014, the show's had 11 stabs at introducing a new Doctor - so before Steven Moffat's 'Deep Breath' is unveiled to the general public, let's take a look back at those other attempts - from the awesome to the audacious to the seriously misjudged.
The musical world of Doctor Who: From Ron Grainer to The Klf
An Unearthly Child
Aired November 23-December 14, 1963
Doctor Who fans accustomed to David Tennant...
We've known he was coming since August 2013 - and he's officially been our Doctor since Christmas - but in a mere three days, Doctor Who fans will finally get the chance to size up Peter Capaldi's debut as a new, "more mysterious" Time Lord.
Between 1963 and 2014, the show's had 11 stabs at introducing a new Doctor - so before Steven Moffat's 'Deep Breath' is unveiled to the general public, let's take a look back at those other attempts - from the awesome to the audacious to the seriously misjudged.
The musical world of Doctor Who: From Ron Grainer to The Klf
An Unearthly Child
Aired November 23-December 14, 1963
Doctor Who fans accustomed to David Tennant...
- 8/20/2014
- Digital Spy
Regular followers are probably aware that we here are at Sound on Sight are more than a little fond of an obscure British science fiction program that celebrated an anniversary of some kind last weekend. Anniversaries are always an excellent time to reflect upon and celebrate a show’s history and the lead up to last Saturday’s “The Day of the Doctor” saw the entire Whoniverse coming together to share their thoughts on everything from their favourite episodes, most beloved eras, and of course, “their” Doctor. I just love that a top ten list can be the beginning of a good conversation or a great fight, and I find that the most heat, and some of the best light, is generated when Whovians start talking about their favourite Companions. A Companion is more than just our surrogate, they’re a gateway and guide to the series who helps us...
- 11/29/2013
- by Derek Gladu
- SoundOnSight
Liz Shaw
Portrayed by: Caroline John
Doctor(s): Third Doctor
Tenure: 4 stories, from Spearhead from Space (Jan, 1970) to Inferno (June, 1970)
Background: Dr. Elizabeth Shaw is a scientist with a physics degree and a medical degree, among others. She’s an expert in meteorites as well and is initially brought in from Cambridge by the Brig to serve as Unit’s scientific advisor. Though initially skeptical, after encountering the Doctor and fighting the Autons, she stays on and becomes the Doctor’s assistant, after he takes the job initially offered to her.
Family/Friends: Little is known of Liz’s family, but during her tenure, due to the Doctor being grounded on Earth, the Unit team functions as the main characters in every story, allowing their relationships to develop and eventually build into a pseudo family.
Personality: Liz is highly intelligent and skeptical. She is scientific and analytical in her...
Portrayed by: Caroline John
Doctor(s): Third Doctor
Tenure: 4 stories, from Spearhead from Space (Jan, 1970) to Inferno (June, 1970)
Background: Dr. Elizabeth Shaw is a scientist with a physics degree and a medical degree, among others. She’s an expert in meteorites as well and is initially brought in from Cambridge by the Brig to serve as Unit’s scientific advisor. Though initially skeptical, after encountering the Doctor and fighting the Autons, she stays on and becomes the Doctor’s assistant, after he takes the job initially offered to her.
Family/Friends: Little is known of Liz’s family, but during her tenure, due to the Doctor being grounded on Earth, the Unit team functions as the main characters in every story, allowing their relationships to develop and eventually build into a pseudo family.
Personality: Liz is highly intelligent and skeptical. She is scientific and analytical in her...
- 11/7/2013
- by Kate Kulzick
- SoundOnSight
Digital Spy readers named David Tennant as Doctor Who's greatest ever Doctor - now, with just 10 weeks to go until the 50th anniversary, DS is embarking on a new quest... to list the top 10 Who stories of all time.
Jon Pertwee's third Doctor makes his second appearance in our top 10 this week; after 'The Daemons' scooped ninth place, an earlier Pertwee outing - originating from mid-1970 - takes up position number six in our list...
6. Inferno (1970) - Seven episodes - written by Don Houghton
"Listen to that! It's the sound of the planet screaming out its rage!"
Doctor Who's seventh season is one of the show's all-time greatest runs, comprising Jon Pertwee's thrilling debut 'Spearhead From Space', the thoughtful and terrifying sci-fi of 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' and the Quatermass-esque 'The Ambassadors of Death'.
But it arguably reached a zenith with its final tale – Hammer...
Jon Pertwee's third Doctor makes his second appearance in our top 10 this week; after 'The Daemons' scooped ninth place, an earlier Pertwee outing - originating from mid-1970 - takes up position number six in our list...
6. Inferno (1970) - Seven episodes - written by Don Houghton
"Listen to that! It's the sound of the planet screaming out its rage!"
Doctor Who's seventh season is one of the show's all-time greatest runs, comprising Jon Pertwee's thrilling debut 'Spearhead From Space', the thoughtful and terrifying sci-fi of 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' and the Quatermass-esque 'The Ambassadors of Death'.
But it arguably reached a zenith with its final tale – Hammer...
- 10/14/2013
- Digital Spy
Meredith Burdett is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Very sadly in the sci-fi world, we’ve lost quite a few major players in the last few years. Liz Sladen, Mary Tamm, Caroline John and Iain Banks have all been...
The post Help Evil UnLtd Beat Cancer appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Very sadly in the sci-fi world, we’ve lost quite a few major players in the last few years. Liz Sladen, Mary Tamm, Caroline John and Iain Banks have all been...
The post Help Evil UnLtd Beat Cancer appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
- 7/16/2013
- by Meredith Burdett
- Kasterborous.com
Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space | Robot & Frank | Arbitrage | Castle Freak | The Car
Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space
Jon Pertwee's first outing as the Doctor – and the first time his adventures were shown in colour – is something of an oddity in the show's long run. Due to industrial action in the BBC studios, this one was filmed largely on location and, unique for old Who, shot entirely on glorious 16mm film.
It sounds like a small thing but it made an incredible difference; this is the only one of the vintage stories to have the picture quality worthy of a HD transfer. The Blu-ray looks superb, as if they shot a (very) low-budget Doctor Who movie late in 1969, which is pretty much what they did. The sets look sturdier, more colourful and far better than their usual overlit, studio-bound video camerawork. Pertwee impresses, as does his short-lived partnership...
Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space
Jon Pertwee's first outing as the Doctor – and the first time his adventures were shown in colour – is something of an oddity in the show's long run. Due to industrial action in the BBC studios, this one was filmed largely on location and, unique for old Who, shot entirely on glorious 16mm film.
It sounds like a small thing but it made an incredible difference; this is the only one of the vintage stories to have the picture quality worthy of a HD transfer. The Blu-ray looks superb, as if they shot a (very) low-budget Doctor Who movie late in 1969, which is pretty much what they did. The sets look sturdier, more colourful and far better than their usual overlit, studio-bound video camerawork. Pertwee impresses, as does his short-lived partnership...
- 7/13/2013
- by Phelim O'Neill
- The Guardian - Film News
Review Andrew Blair 15 Jul 2013 - 06:09
An oft-released Doctor Who adventure gets a high-definition reissue. Spearhead From Space is well worth picking up, Andrew writes...
Spearhead From Space has been released several times (twice on VHS, four times on DVD, and it's on iTunes). Due to it being entirely on film as opposed to video (industrial action meaning it had to be filmed largely on location, where film would be used instead), it is the only story from the original run of Doctor Who that can be released on Blu-ray without upconversion, and so here we are.
I was unable to get a copy of the omnibus edition I rented from a video shop in Hereford in 1994 for comparison, but certainly the picture quality here is as crisp as Quentin or Quavers. Blemish free, it's never looked better, and it's always looked good. Derek Martinus and his camera and editing crew throw in flourishes throughout,...
An oft-released Doctor Who adventure gets a high-definition reissue. Spearhead From Space is well worth picking up, Andrew writes...
Spearhead From Space has been released several times (twice on VHS, four times on DVD, and it's on iTunes). Due to it being entirely on film as opposed to video (industrial action meaning it had to be filmed largely on location, where film would be used instead), it is the only story from the original run of Doctor Who that can be released on Blu-ray without upconversion, and so here we are.
I was unable to get a copy of the omnibus edition I rented from a video shop in Hereford in 1994 for comparison, but certainly the picture quality here is as crisp as Quentin or Quavers. Blemish free, it's never looked better, and it's always looked good. Derek Martinus and his camera and editing crew throw in flourishes throughout,...
- 7/12/2013
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Additional casting for the 50th anniversary Doctor Who special An Adventure in Space and Time has been trickling out slowly as filming has proceeded. Today it was revealed that the role of the second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, will be played by Reece Shearsmith, a member of the surreal comedy team The League of Gentlemen. The team also includes Doctor Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss, who wrote the anniversary adventure.
Reece Shearsmith (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I first asked Reece 12 years ago when I started thinking about this project.” Gatiss was quoted in the Mirror. “We were in the midst of League of Gentlemen and I just remember thinking, if anyone plays Patrick Troughton, it should be Reece. Like the Second Doctor, he’s small, saturnine and a comic genius. The complete package. He thought it was a fantastic idea and I’ve kind of nurtured it all this time.” While...
Reece Shearsmith (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
“I first asked Reece 12 years ago when I started thinking about this project.” Gatiss was quoted in the Mirror. “We were in the midst of League of Gentlemen and I just remember thinking, if anyone plays Patrick Troughton, it should be Reece. Like the Second Doctor, he’s small, saturnine and a comic genius. The complete package. He thought it was a fantastic idea and I’ve kind of nurtured it all this time.” While...
- 2/19/2013
- by Vinnie Bartilucci
- Comicmix.com
Midsomer Murders Death and the Divas
N Conrad
Midsomer Murders returned to ITV tonight with an entertaining little yarn in which real life imitated fiction. The aptly named Death and the Divas began with Dci John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) enjoying a quiet night at a screening of a 1960s Hammer horror style movie. One of the film’s stars just happened to be local resident Stella Harris (Sinead Cusack). However, the Barnaby’s date-night turned sour when DS Hughes uncovered a murder that seemed to have been inspired by the vampiric activities in the film Barnaby had been watching. Things really started to get interesting when Harris’ rather more famous sister Diana (Harriet Walter) arrived in town as the star attraction at the Midsomer Langley film festival. As Barnaby and Hughes began to unravel the murder mystery, the sibling divas soon became central figures in the investigation.
Death and the...
N Conrad
Midsomer Murders returned to ITV tonight with an entertaining little yarn in which real life imitated fiction. The aptly named Death and the Divas began with Dci John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) enjoying a quiet night at a screening of a 1960s Hammer horror style movie. One of the film’s stars just happened to be local resident Stella Harris (Sinead Cusack). However, the Barnaby’s date-night turned sour when DS Hughes uncovered a murder that seemed to have been inspired by the vampiric activities in the film Barnaby had been watching. Things really started to get interesting when Harris’ rather more famous sister Diana (Harriet Walter) arrived in town as the star attraction at the Midsomer Langley film festival. As Barnaby and Hughes began to unravel the murder mystery, the sibling divas soon became central figures in the investigation.
Death and the...
- 1/3/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
2012. It's as if you came and went in the blink of an eye. But very few years have been quite as quintessentially British as 2012 – it'll probably be mentioned in years to come in the same way that ageing, craggy-faced football pundits look back on 1966 with a tear in the eye and a sigh of nostalgia. Whether Mrs Maj pretended to look interested at the Take That man's aggregation of pop stars and comedians; whether countless medals were achieved at the Olympics; or whether the country had maybe one week of glorious sunshine, 2012 would probably boom “Britain. Britain. Britain.” Big Tom-style.
And one typically British aspect still made its presence felt this year. 2012 has been a bit of a mixed bag for Who aficionados – new episodes, new companions, but then goodbyes to past companions, both in the series and in the real world. Add in an ex Doctor attempting gangsta rapping...
And one typically British aspect still made its presence felt this year. 2012 has been a bit of a mixed bag for Who aficionados – new episodes, new companions, but then goodbyes to past companions, both in the series and in the real world. Add in an ex Doctor attempting gangsta rapping...
- 12/18/2012
- Shadowlocked
[rating 4]
(Warning: Significant spoilers follow!)
This is the last Big Finish audio story to feature actress Caroline John, who died a few months ago (sadly becoming one of four major Who actors to die in the last two years). John played the character of Liz Shaw in a mere four stories at the start of the Third Doctor’s era. Despite appearing in so few tales, the character remained popular, and has been in several Big Finish audios, as well as other bits of spinoff fiction.
This final story takes the form of a series of letters being sent back and forth between Shaw and her mother (Rowena Cooper). These letters make references to most of the TV stories Shaw appeared in, and the final part seems to take place just before her last TV story, “Inferno”.
In this story, people have been receiving letters saying something to the effect of...
(Warning: Significant spoilers follow!)
This is the last Big Finish audio story to feature actress Caroline John, who died a few months ago (sadly becoming one of four major Who actors to die in the last two years). John played the character of Liz Shaw in a mere four stories at the start of the Third Doctor’s era. Despite appearing in so few tales, the character remained popular, and has been in several Big Finish audios, as well as other bits of spinoff fiction.
This final story takes the form of a series of letters being sent back and forth between Shaw and her mother (Rowena Cooper). These letters make references to most of the TV stories Shaw appeared in, and the final part seems to take place just before her last TV story, “Inferno”.
In this story, people have been receiving letters saying something to the effect of...
- 11/10/2012
- by Chris Swanson
- Obsessed with Film
We go back to the manger to witness the .birth. of my favorite classic Doctor. Jon Pertwee takes over for Patrick Troughton and joins up with Unit. His earthbound exile would have the aliens coming to him, but also bring the series to a modern (1970s) reality. The regenerated Doctor (Jon Pertwee) was exiled to Earth by the Timelords. He arrives in his disabled Tardis at the same time that a sudden meteor also crashes down mysterious glowing spheres to Earth. The exhausted Doctor falls out of the Tardis and is found by Unit troops and taken to a nearby hospital. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) is recruiting Dr. Liz Shaw (Caroline John) to investigate the meteors but she doubts...
- 10/19/2012
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
(Warning: Significant spoilers follow!)
So here we have one of those rare Companion Chronicle stories with more than two actors, and while, as is frequently the case, only one of the actors has actually been on the TV series, in this case that actor is Sylvester McCoy, playing the Seventh Doctor. Yes, for only the third time in seven seasons, we have one of the Doctors actually acting alongside the companions. It’s a good thing.
Now this story ties in extensively with the recent “And Trilogy” monthly releases (“Protect and Survive”, “Black and White”, “Gods and Monsters). It features Sally Morgan (Amy Pemberton) and Lysandra Aristedes (Maggie O’Neill), narrating a story about their time with the Doctor, before they met up with Ace and Hex.
In said story, they attempt to infiltrate a train under the control of the Forge; a train which is...
(Warning: Significant spoilers follow!)
So here we have one of those rare Companion Chronicle stories with more than two actors, and while, as is frequently the case, only one of the actors has actually been on the TV series, in this case that actor is Sylvester McCoy, playing the Seventh Doctor. Yes, for only the third time in seven seasons, we have one of the Doctors actually acting alongside the companions. It’s a good thing.
Now this story ties in extensively with the recent “And Trilogy” monthly releases (“Protect and Survive”, “Black and White”, “Gods and Monsters). It features Sally Morgan (Amy Pemberton) and Lysandra Aristedes (Maggie O’Neill), narrating a story about their time with the Doctor, before they met up with Ace and Hex.
In said story, they attempt to infiltrate a train under the control of the Forge; a train which is...
- 10/6/2012
- by Chris Swanson
- Obsessed with Film
Like many people associated with Doctor Who for its nearly 49 years of existence, actors who’ve played companions to the wandering Doctor may choose depart from show, but they never fully leave it.
Yes, fandom is sometimes difficult. Science fiction fans are loyal, adoring and sometimes over the top, but in the end, they love the character as much as they love the actor who plays them, which is why, at this time, our hearts hurt to learn of their passing. And the fact that is, in the last eighteen months, Doctor Who has lost four beloved actors who played enduring roles on the cult show in the 1970s –Nicholas Courtney, Elizabeth Sladen, Caroline John and now Mary Tamm.
Tamm, who joined the show for season sixteen as Romanadvoratrelundar (Romana for short), passed away on July 26, after an 18 month battle with cancer. She was 62. Like Elizabeth Sladen, like Caroline John,...
Yes, fandom is sometimes difficult. Science fiction fans are loyal, adoring and sometimes over the top, but in the end, they love the character as much as they love the actor who plays them, which is why, at this time, our hearts hurt to learn of their passing. And the fact that is, in the last eighteen months, Doctor Who has lost four beloved actors who played enduring roles on the cult show in the 1970s –Nicholas Courtney, Elizabeth Sladen, Caroline John and now Mary Tamm.
Tamm, who joined the show for season sixteen as Romanadvoratrelundar (Romana for short), passed away on July 26, after an 18 month battle with cancer. She was 62. Like Elizabeth Sladen, like Caroline John,...
- 7/26/2012
- by spaced-odyssey
- doorQ.com
It's chucking it down with rain outside on the longest day of the year – and what's supposed to be a hot, sunny time of year. Rainy, windy weather is never very good for morale, and having clicked on the news websites, my mood's not exactly lifted when I find out that another Doctor Who legend has passed.
Caroline John, who played Liz Shaw, sadly died on 5th June 2012. Only 71 years of age. Inevitably, with all long-running TV and film series, the more time goes on, the older people get. But that's no small crumb of comfort to Who fans, and in particular fans of the Pertwee years, considering Barry Letts, Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen.
Liz Shaw may not always have been mentioned in the same breath as Sarah Jane or Rose – she only lasted one season, and regrettably never got a trip in the Tardis during her four adventures.
Caroline John, who played Liz Shaw, sadly died on 5th June 2012. Only 71 years of age. Inevitably, with all long-running TV and film series, the more time goes on, the older people get. But that's no small crumb of comfort to Who fans, and in particular fans of the Pertwee years, considering Barry Letts, Nicholas Courtney and Elisabeth Sladen.
Liz Shaw may not always have been mentioned in the same breath as Sarah Jane or Rose – she only lasted one season, and regrettably never got a trip in the Tardis during her four adventures.
- 6/24/2012
- Shadowlocked
Caroline John may not have been the most popular Doctor Who companion, but the template in which she created help the Doctor’s companions become less screaming females in distress as it progressed during its original run. John, who was 71, died on June 5th; however word of her passing was not released to the press by her family until after her funeral on June 20. Cause of death was not released. Caroline John joined Doctor Who for its seventh season, becoming the newly regenerated Third Doctor’s first companion in 1970. As Elizabeth Shaw she was unlike many of the preceding female companions of the Doctor, as Shaw was a doctor of science and understood much of the Time Lords technobabble. Sadly, it was that strength that became the characters downfall –the conceit of the companions was to ask the Doctor a lot of questions. But because Shaw and the Doctor were talking on equal levels,...
- 6/22/2012
- by spaced-odyssey
- doorQ.com
What my followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ saw today: • I'm no fan of Carr's, but come the fuck on. If David Cameron is gonna scold a celeb over *legal* tax avoidance, will he do the same for all the rich assholes running the country, running banking, in charge of all the things that have completely screwed the world? Where is the outrage, the shaming, of all the far richer bastards who dodge taxes *illegally*? How about all the megacorps that dodge taxes both legally and illegally? Goddamn fucking hypocrites, our leaders. I think the "evil or stupid" question has been settled. They're evil. Jimmy Carr and the morality of tax avoidance • Haven't seen the film yet, looks good, hope I like it. That said, no one needs to know any of these things. Have film bloggery and film fandom just jumped a shark? 5 Things You Should Know About the...
- 6/21/2012
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
British actress Caroline John, best known for playing scientist Liz Shaw during Doctor Who’s seventh season in 1970, died June 5 at age 71. Her death was reported by the BBC, after her funeral was held yesterday. The cause of death was not made public. The daughter of an actor and a dancer, John trained at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama before joining Sir Laurence Olivier's National Theatre in the 1960s, where she played Ophelia in the professional debut of Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead. She joined Doctor Who—alongside Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor ...
- 6/21/2012
- avclub.com
Doctor Who has lost one of his most beloved Assistants, with the death of Caroline John, aged 72.
The actress, who starred opposite Jon Pertwee as Assistant Liz Shaw, appeared in the BBC show for four episodes in 1970, and later reprised her role in the iconic 1983 episode, The Five Doctors.
Jon Pertwee with Caroline John, who has died aged 72
Her debut was with the newly-regenerated third Doctor in the episode Spearhead from Space. The Rada-trained actress went on to appear on our screens in TV shows including Doctors and Midsomer Murders.
Read more here on the BBC website
Here are some of the more surprising Doctor Who's Assistants...
The actress, who starred opposite Jon Pertwee as Assistant Liz Shaw, appeared in the BBC show for four episodes in 1970, and later reprised her role in the iconic 1983 episode, The Five Doctors.
Jon Pertwee with Caroline John, who has died aged 72
Her debut was with the newly-regenerated third Doctor in the episode Spearhead from Space. The Rada-trained actress went on to appear on our screens in TV shows including Doctors and Midsomer Murders.
Read more here on the BBC website
Here are some of the more surprising Doctor Who's Assistants...
- 6/21/2012
- by The Huffington Post UK
- Aol TV.
Former Doctor Who star Caroline John has died. The actress - who played Liz Shaw on the BBC sci-fi drama - passed away on June 5, the show's official Twitter account has confirmed. John featured in a single season of Doctor Who in 1970, appearing alongside Jon Pertwee's third Doctor. Born in York, North Yorkshire, England, her other credits included 2003 film Love Actually and episodes of Casualty, Midsomer Murders and Silent Witness. She also worked extensively in theatre, touring (more)...
- 6/21/2012
- by By Morgan Jeffery
- Digital Spy
I had no idea that Elisabeth Sladen was not the first actress cast to play Sarah Jane Smith alongside Jon Pertwee’s Doctor. Apparently not many people knew at all. From Radio Times: How it could have been: nearly 40 years later, the secret of who was originally cast as Doctor Who's Sarah Jane Smith has been revealed. It was April Walker, best known for myriad guest roles in Fawlty Towers, The Two Ronnies and Yes, Minister. ... Doctor Who producer Barry Letts cast Walker when Katy Manning left the role of Jo Grant, the Doctor's previous companion, and she worked in rehearsals for The Time Warrior. But allegedly the pairing of Pertwee's Doctor and Walker's Sarah Jane didn't work: she was a tall and more obviously strong character, along the lines of Pertwee's first companion, Liz Shaw (Caroline John). It's believed that Pertwee was unhappy with the decision but it...
- 1/19/2012
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
In 1983, no other sci-fi show had managed to reach the 20-year landmark and still be running. Come to think of it, not many other TV programmes full stop had achieved such longevity. The only other contender was - and still is - the Seventh Doctor's albatross, Coronation Street, a programme that's recently celebrated its 50th anniversary by killing off characters in a great big inferno.
So not a big party to mark the occasion then.
Doctor Who will probably mark its 50th anniversary with an ensemble adventure of past Doctors and companions. Sylvester McCoy has already expressed an interest, and it's a fair bet that Peter Davison, Colin Baker and David Tennant may come on board. This sort of story is common practice in Doctor Who-land. The Three Doctors reunited Pertwee with Troughton and Hartnell to overpower the shoutiness of Omega. And then in 1983, the pattern was repeated with the largely successful Five Doctors.
So not a big party to mark the occasion then.
Doctor Who will probably mark its 50th anniversary with an ensemble adventure of past Doctors and companions. Sylvester McCoy has already expressed an interest, and it's a fair bet that Peter Davison, Colin Baker and David Tennant may come on board. This sort of story is common practice in Doctor Who-land. The Three Doctors reunited Pertwee with Troughton and Hartnell to overpower the shoutiness of Omega. And then in 1983, the pattern was repeated with the largely successful Five Doctors.
- 1/19/2011
- Shadowlocked
Some comments on my review of the Doctor Who Christmas Special 'A Christmas Carol' got me thinking about how it came to be that everyone's favourite Time Lord can never seem to get any 'action', romantically speaking. It's not been for want of attention or admirers; even back in the William Hartnell days, The Doctor was capable of flirting and even having a matrimonial 'near-miss' in the 1964 Who outing 'The Aztecs', so Matt Smith's Doctor is breaking no new ground in running away from connubial bliss with the 1957 version of Marilyn Monroe in 'A Christmas Carol'.
Can 47 years of sexual tension ever be released without killing the fundamental dynamic of the show? I've come to believe that it probably can't - which, if true, puts the Gallifreyan rogue at least neck-and-neck with Star Trek's Mr. Spock in terms of 'attractive unavailability'.
When the show...
Can 47 years of sexual tension ever be released without killing the fundamental dynamic of the show? I've come to believe that it probably can't - which, if true, puts the Gallifreyan rogue at least neck-and-neck with Star Trek's Mr. Spock in terms of 'attractive unavailability'.
When the show...
- 12/27/2010
- Shadowlocked
During Doctor Who's 47 years, companions have come and gone and have stuck by the good Doctor through thick and thin. We've had all sorts of companions, from plucky journalists through to shifty non-public school boys; leggy swinging 60s dolls through to haughty Time Lady ice-maidens and trusty schoolteachers through to – erm, Adric.
For completism's sake, I'm including all the companions of The Doctor, so that means one-offs too, like Adelaide and Christina – they were described in the BBC press releases as companions, so they're fair game. There'll be the equivalents of bronze, silver and gold for each category, so let the tournament commence!
Best Journey
3. Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)
But after she's stowed away in the Tardis, Zoe goes from being Spock poster-girl through to a much more warm-hearted and caring companion. She still uses her total recall and whizzkid brain for defeating Cybermen fleets and finding her way through claustrophobic tunnels,...
For completism's sake, I'm including all the companions of The Doctor, so that means one-offs too, like Adelaide and Christina – they were described in the BBC press releases as companions, so they're fair game. There'll be the equivalents of bronze, silver and gold for each category, so let the tournament commence!
Best Journey
3. Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury)
But after she's stowed away in the Tardis, Zoe goes from being Spock poster-girl through to a much more warm-hearted and caring companion. She still uses her total recall and whizzkid brain for defeating Cybermen fleets and finding her way through claustrophobic tunnels,...
- 12/24/2010
- Shadowlocked
Eleventh Doctor Who Matt Smith appears at the Royal Court Theatre, London this Friday from 4pm in the afternoon for a reading of The Hotel Play by Wallace Shawn. While he may not stand out considerably among a cast of over 60, alongslide Matt Smith will be Geoffrey Beevers, who played the decayed Master in The keeper of Traken and is also married to Third Doctor companion Caroline John, who played Liz Shaw from 1970-1971. According to The Royal Court Theatre, the cast includes Geoffrey...
- 5/28/2009
- by Christian Cawley info@kasterborous.com
- Kasterborous.com
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