Month: July 2006

Events

Event review: Adam Adamant Lives! at the NFT

11 July 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

The NFT

Just for a change, I’m going to review an event (Ooh, Rob went out the house!). Two, in fact.

Yesterday saw a double-header at the NFT, designed to coincide with the release of a couple of DVDs in a week or two. The first saw an airing of the Adam Adamant Lives! episode Allah is Not Always With You, followed by a Q&A with stars Gerald Harper and Juliet Harmer. The second featured the one remaining episode of the original version of A for Andromeda, followed by a Q&A with star Peter Halliday and producer/director Michael Hayes – I’ll deal with that one separately.

So, new thing, new style. Here goes…

Continue reading “Event review: Adam Adamant Lives! at the NFT”

Events

Event review: Andromeda at the NFT

11 July 2006 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

Julie Christie as Andromeda

Event: Andromeda at the NFT

Date: 10th July 2006

Host: Richard Hollis

Guests: Peter Halliday, Michael Hayes

Series summary: British scientists pick up a message from the Andromeda galaxy. After decoding it, they find it contains instructions on how to build a computer. They build it and after an accident that kills a lab worker, the computer creates a new life form in her image, which the scientists call Andromeda.

Episode summary: Episode six, The Face of the Tiger, sees the computer become ever more valuable to the government after it develops anti-ballistic missile technology. The computer, however, is starting to assert its own agenda through Andromeda, who is becomingly increasingly human.

Continue reading “Event review: Andromeda at the NFT”

David Tennant covering fire

10 July 2006 Rob Buckley 15 Comments

To protect myself from any backlash stemming from my review of Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who, I thought I’d point you all in the direction of this not particularly pleasant piece in the Daily Mail. It’s about David Tennant on the beach and asks (because like Jeopardy answers, all Daily Mail headlines must be in the form of a question) “Is this the palest man in the galaxy?”

Hmm. Someone who spends all his time in Wales, Scotland and TV studios looks a bit pale? What are the chances of that happening?

News

Survivors may be back

10 July 2006 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

SurvivorsRemember Survivors? No? It was kind of a dark version of The Good Life, in which everyone in the world bar a couple of ‘lucky’ survivors is wiped out by accidental germ warfare, leaving those behind to eke out an existence for themselves by growing their own vegetables.

It degenerated after a while, but was a good show and it had one of the most chilling title sequences ever (you’ll need RealPlayer to watch it).

It turns out the BBC is considering reviving it, according to the Media Guardian (free registration required). Interesting choice for the next revival: I’d have gone with Blake’s 7 because the whole “terrorists or freedom fighters?” thing would work quite well right now, but I suspect Survivors would cost a whole lot less to remake. The question is, does self-sufficiency still resonate the way it did during the 70s?

UK TV

Review: Doctor Who – 2×13 – Doomsday

10 July 2006 Rob Buckley 22 Comments

Doomsday

Cyberman: Dalek?

Dalek: Cyberman?

Cyberman: Did your sensors detect the fluid that I just expelled from my right lateral articulator joint?

Dalek: My probes observed the phenomenon

Cyberman: Are they able to analyse it?

Dalek: They report it is composed of waste oil and grease and certain biochemical solutions

Cyberman: Where is it now?

Dalek: It is sinking into the floor where it is being absorbed by human excretions such as dandruff and hair

Cyberman: That’s your void ship that is. Your mum made that. It’s like the best thing she’s ever done.

Dialogue from Doctor Who episode Doomsday.

So it’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for. The Daleks and the Cybermen had a great big fight and Rose is stuck in another universe. And it was all just so mediocre.

I wanted to like this. I really really wanted to like this. But I was bored. I may reconsider if I ever get round to watching the episode again. Already, my brain is trying its hardest to filter out the dross and crud surrounding the few good things in the episode.

But nothing can alter the fact that from about 7.20pm on Saturday night I was clock-watching.

Continue reading “Review: Doctor Who – 2×13 – Doomsday”