(no subject)

[neadods]

"I've been too clever for myself by three quarters."
"You never seem to do anything by halves."

If you like Douglas Adams, and/or you like Dr. Who - you're gonna love the audio adventure Shada. I've been giggling like a loon all morning.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

It is the lost episode, with a new prologue to explain why the Eighth Doctor is doing it instead of the Fourth Doctor. I'm about to blaspheme against my first Doctor, but Paul is way better than Tom at doing "Doctor as manic wheedling puppy." (And there's a whole "I'm stupid, really I'm so stupid" scene that, while not part of the canon, leads quite naturally to Eccleston's casual, "Look at me, I'm stupid" line.)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I'm quite enjoying the audios. Wouldn't have given them a second thought until recently, but they're loads of fun, and McGann has certainly proved his right to be part of the Doctoral lineage in them; the movie script underserved him, but he's pure Doctor in the audios.

[wiliqueen.livejournal.com]

It's also one of the Beeb website's first experiments with Flash:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/webcasts/shada/

I'm pretty sure the soundtrack of this is the audio adventure.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Neato!

[heleneotroy.livejournal.com]

Ah, 'Shada'! Lots of controversy over that one, there is. I still think its a good script, all in all.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

What's the controversy? It's a decent script, it's in character (when the Doctor is being a loon, at least) and it's funny as heck.

[heleneotroy.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not up on all the drama (my automatic drama-sensors turn my brain off as soon as drama starts up nearby), but it has something to do with the episode being filmed (with Tom Baker) and then being lost. I think there was some elements of the script that the BBC wanted changed and Adams refused. Anyway, the version you're listening to is not the version that was filmed, but something reconstructed from what Adams originally wrote.

But don't quote me on that.

abates or whomiga or audioboy would have all the dirt. Or, if you do IRC, stop by #drwhochat on irc.anime-chat.net and I'll introduce you to my cohorts there. We don't talk about Dr. Who very much, but we can occasionally be persuaded to.

[heleneotroy.livejournal.com]

Or, I could have just made all that up. Anyway, when it was first available, I know it raised a lot of hackles.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Not on IRC, but thanks for the invite. I'm not sure I care that much about the history of Shada - I'm enjoying the audio and that's all that's important in the end.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Ooh!

I am thoroughly, thoroughly enjoying the Pertwee-voiced "Paradise of Death". The original actors for the Doctor, Sarah Jane, and the Brigadier; first-rate writing; a villain who chews every bit of scenery within reach, and snarking by all. Go, buy.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Where? Don't recall anything by Big Finish going back to Pertwee; is it something I could get on Amazon.co.uk?

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

These aren't Big Finish; they date back to Pertwee himself lobbying for audio plays in the early '90s, and they were written by Barry Letts, an actual Who writer. Paradise of Death and Ghosts of N-Space.

I got mine on E-bay.
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&catref=C6&satitle=paradise+of+death&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=94070&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=

If you're willing to pay shipping, you can go with amazon.co.uk; be sure to search by title rather than by "Pertwee".

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Oooo, ta! Have put in an ebay bid because I'm impatient, but if that falls through, I can add it to the amazon.co.uk order I've already got, having preordered all the new September tie-in novels.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

Egads, I hope they're better than the abominable Barry Letts Blake's 7 audios.