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Douglas Adams' Doctor Who
Blue Stone writes "As you probably know, the "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" author, Douglas Adams, wrote a number of Doctor Who episodes. The BBC in its wisdom has turned one of his stories "Shada" into a Flash animation. Although the animation is rather primitive, I found the story very entertaining (you can always minimize the window and just listen.)"
Instead of re-creating existing episodes, why not create new episodes. There are tons of scripts available (not fanfic, actual scripts written and submitted by Dr Who writers) that were never produced.
I used to be a hardcore Whovian, and I still enjoy watching it on PBS. However, how about some new Red Dwarf or Blackadder episodes? I'd be willing to pay for flash animated new Red Dwarf episodes. And it would work very well with Red Dwarf too.
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova
Now *THAT* is "news for nerds, stuff that matters"
;^)
;D
Finally this site produces something that is worthy of that slogan.
(And I'd damn well expect every post after this to filled to the brim with Dr Who and HHGTTG quotes & references
Now I'd better go and read the article and sneak a peek at the animation
..are his contributions to childrens cartoon Dr. Snuggles and Monty Python's Flying Circus!
Check IMDB!.
When your hiding behind the sofa..
The original Shada episode was never actually finished and aired due to a strike at the BBC.
While a "special edition" video was released where Tom Baker read the missing portions of the script out, it was very difficult to get a real feeling for the story because so much of the action was missing.
I haven't watched the flash animation yet, but hopefully it brings some life to this neat story that never really got told.
BTW, another great Douglas Adams Dr. Who that actually was completed and aired was "The Pirate Planet", the second of the key to time series.
std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
The Beeb didn't get to transmit Shada. They then did a made for video release, with Tom Baker linking the bits they had in the can. Now the Beeb makes it again but not for tv, recasting the Doctor and some others! Like, what the..?! :-)
Meantime, some of us are awaiting new episodes! Yet in the 40th anniversary year, we are offered the audio remake of a so-so story that was never broadcast, but which has been accessible for some time now. DW's been off the air for years, and this was considered just what the fans want?! How many remixes of the same damn thing do we need?!
So will the 8th Doctor (the Paul McGann version, last seen on screen in the '96 telemovie) already recall having been in this adventure when he was Tom Baker? Maybe they should rename the show Doctor Which?!
It'd be interesting to learn what Adams made of McGann's Doctor. I know he thought highly of Baker's portrayal...but would he have felt #8 was right for this story, especially when it had already seemed a finished product to many of us for some time? Given Adams's own views on "Shada" itself, it's a point to ponder.
This is the THIRD such Doctor Who webcast (though the first based on archive material): the previous ones (Death Comes To Time, Real Time) have been released on CD.
The animation is just plebdazzle: it was (re)written as an audio play for the 8th Doctor (Paul McGann).
I haven't seen all of the Dr. Who episode, but so far they've mentioned Professor Chronotis at St. Cedd's College, Cambridge. The Professor is a main character in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (the first DG novel), and he resides at the College (which is fictional btw). The book was published in 1987 and set at a similar time, so 8 years after this script was written.
:)
Thought it was an interesting thing to point out
Someone tell me again why I'm not allowed to like Flash? And is it safe to like Homestar Runner? Or is that only for farkers?
We really need an official "Slashdot Manual of Ethics and Conduct" to spell out exactly what we can and cannot like. I mean, like what if I happen across some Anime, but its in Flash!?!?!
I don't wanna lose my badge!!
Why not just go off and read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency instead? It's basically the same story.
"Information wants to be paid"
I was actually fortunate enough to be lent a copy of Shada. Basicly there was so much film footage missing that Tom baker read the script. It was *enjoyable* but rather difficult to watch.
Fortunatly they have a time travel machine to cover the inconsistancy with Ramana being with the 8th doctor Paul McGann traveling back to 1979, understandable that Tom Baker is dead as a can of spam. (I can't rightly remember if the VHS edition took place shortly after the "Keys of Time" sequence)
The animation is a touch static, no attempt to make mouths move, but as with most doctor who stuff, video was secondary to the audio effects which was something the BBC was always briliant at. Should be BBC actually decide to go over their old scrips of eps that they lost their masters to, i'd be MOST happy to watch the flash animation. Hell in my region, the local PBS station took 10 years to actually repeat the 7th doctor stuff, and the first time around, they skipped many episodes.
Not to speak of the radio only productions they have done
I'd be happier if the bbc in their wisdom decided to continue the series primetime, real life or animated.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
According to his website he's seems very much alive, however the site will soon be dead has we here at slashdot slashdot it.
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
I have a very rare Dr. Who (old VHS tape) at home, I recently ripped to SVCD, one not too many fans seem to have heard of, called "The Curse of the Fatal Death". It's a hilarious Dr. Who spoof episode made by the actual producers and set designers of the old T.V. series for Comedy Relief.
It stars Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean, Blackadder) as The Doctor, and Jonathon Pryce (Brazil) as The Master. It also has guest cameos by Hugh Grant (Media Darling) and Joanna Lumley (Ab. Fab.), and, of course, The Daleks.
It runs about 20 minutes in 2 parts, and has "The Making Of..." footage, and 3 other older Dr. Who spoofisodes afterward.
This is REALLY funny stuff, if you like that sort of thing (Dry British humor and Dr. Who In-Jokes) and I'd highly recommend finding a copy. I would hope they've released it on DVD by now.
-- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
The BBC's internet-only radio service BBC7 carries radio versions of Dr. Who periodically. Currently they are airing a story called "The Ghosts Of N Space" weekends at 18:00 and Midnight GMT. Check out their Sci-Fi schedule at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/drama/7thdimension.shtml .
For anyone else thats downloaded them all Directly to their HDD instead of watching them from the BBC site to get around the big "You Can't watch this unless its at its original source" thing just play it in quicktime.
Read Errant Story.
I'm curious to know what you think Adams' views on Shada were.
He didn't want Shada to ever be aired in any form by the BBC (after the strike had happened, etc), and was pretty annoyed (to put it mildly) when the BBC got the rights to do it (basically via an error/misunderstanding in a later contract).
Tim
Douglas Adams has been my favorite author for quite some time. I've read everything of his that I could come across. Some of his lesser known stuff is on his website, articles that I think you'll particularly enjoy:
Little Dongly Things
How to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet
Frank the Vandal
The Private Life of Genghis Kahn
He was a geek, though he knew he couldn't begin to pursue it as far as he wanted to, and his death distressed me quite a bit. Those are my favorite extracts from the archives.. Enjoy!