It's totally sonic

Saturday 9 January 2016

Last night we watched a repeat of City of Death on the Horror Channel. It's an episode that still stands up well as one of the all time greats, in my opinion.

But observing the sonic knife in the rehearsal of the Mona Lisa heist got me thinking about all the different sonic devices that have appeared in the series:

• Sonic screwdriver
• Sonic shades
• Sonic cane
• Sonic lipstick (in the Sarah Jane Adventures)
• Sonic pen (Miss Foster in Partners in Crime)
• Sonic trowel (River, in The Husbands of River Song)

What next, I wonder?  A sonic toothbrush?  Come to think of it, they have sonic showers in Star Trek.

Doctor Who Festival 3

After lunch, we were back in the main theatre for the Writers’ Panel with Steven Moffat, Toby Whithouse and Jamie Mathieson, introduced by Matthew Sweet.  Someone beat me to it and asked about the sonic screwdriver. Steven Moffat replied that it would definitely be coming back at some point. (Though Moffat, like the Doctor, often lies, I think this is a pretty safe bet. The question is how soon.)

The shades were specifically for the Magician’s Apprentice, where the Doctor needed to have a device in Davros’ sick room, which couldn’t be the screwdriver, because Davros would recognise it. He kept them for a while to annoy Clara. Apparently.

A writing tip from Jamie Mathieson is to just keep writing things down.  Eight out of nine times it will be rubbish, but the ninth time makes up for it.  (Readers of this blog may feel that he has underestimated the amount of rubbish that can be generated.)  As with the 50^th , there was a signer on stage, though fortunately no one had cause to mention Nicola Bryant’s cleavage this time.

A deaf member of the audience made a point of thanking Toby Whithouse for including a deaf character in Under the Lake/Before the Flood.  I think the great thing about this was that it wasn't just tokenism - the scene where Cass was being followed up the corridor by a ghost dragging an axe was the creepiest part of an otherwise creepy story.

The final panel was the highlight of the event: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Michelle Gomez in a brilliant Doctor Who Fair Isle sweater, Ingrid Oliver and Steven Moffat (presumably to keep an eye on them), introduced by Toby Hadoke.  

Peter Capaldi was asked about the question mark underpants (as I believe he had been asked at previous sessions). He claimed that the costume department provided question mark boxer shorts for him that day, but wouldn’t say whether he wore them.  I didn’t believe a word of it.  Michelle Gomez was just as mad in real life as the roles she plays in Green Wing and Doctor Who.

Some of the questioners from the audience took the opportunity to deliver a speech rather than ask a question. I have noticed this 'ego trip' type of question at academic conferences as well.  I find it annoying.

At the end, Peter Capaldi presented Jenna with a huge bouquet.

 

I've Redecorated! (No I don't like it either)

14 November 2015

Another issue of the excellent Doctor Who Magazine came out this week.  At my age I really shouldn't be reading it, but it's so much more interesting and with more to read than women's magazines.  I mean, who really cares about this season's new shade of lipstick (unless, of course you are River Song, and the lipstick in question is psychotropic).  

Anyway, the reason I mentioned it was that Jacqueline Rayner had the same problem I did with the repair chip in The Girl Who Died. I think it is a weakness of making programmes that can bear repeated watching that crucial points can be missed first time round so you actually need to watch more than once in order to understand what is going on.

In a packed schedule today, I have to:

a) take my elderly mother shopping; and
b) resolve whatever domestic crisis she has for me this week (they vary from 'I can't work the CD player' to 'the roof has blown off the conservatory');
c) pick up husband and travel in to London and out again to Dulwich in order to see the Escher exhibition (Castrovalva, anyone?)
d) travel back in to London and to Excel Centre to check in to hotel and have dinner before Doctor Who is on.

Yes, tomorrow we are going to the Doctor Who  Festival. I'm not sure how a festival differs from a convention, but I suppose it sounds more suitable for respectable middle-aged ladies.  [I'll be the one in the pink 'Hello Sweetie' T Shirt].

My German colleague has asked me to tell Steven Moffat that the sonic shades are 'an abomination'.  I'll let you know how I get on.