Doctor Who has thousands of unproduced story concepts. Indeed, the first ever story ‘An Unearthly Child’ was based on a completely different idea: C.E. Webber’s ‘The Giants’, in which the Doctor and co. would have been shrunken down and faced comparatively massive Earth insects, was in an original series document produced for Doctor Who, and had Rex Tucker assigned to direct.
‘The Giants’ was vetoed for a combination of technical reasons: the small and outdated studio assigned to Doctor Who wasn’t up to the task of giant insects. Said insects drew the ire of Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman, who famously disliked bug-eyed monsters – you can’t get any more bug-eyed than literal bugs. Aspects of it ended up in the Season 2 story ‘Planet of Giants’, and the opening scene – where teenager Sue and her teachers Cliff and Lola meet Dr Who (sic) in the fog – was adapted...
‘The Giants’ was vetoed for a combination of technical reasons: the small and outdated studio assigned to Doctor Who wasn’t up to the task of giant insects. Said insects drew the ire of Doctor Who co-creator Sydney Newman, who famously disliked bug-eyed monsters – you can’t get any more bug-eyed than literal bugs. Aspects of it ended up in the Season 2 story ‘Planet of Giants’, and the opening scene – where teenager Sue and her teachers Cliff and Lola meet Dr Who (sic) in the fog – was adapted...
- 4/16/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
There was some sad new in the Whoniverse recently. Victor Pemberton, creator of the sonic screwdriver, just passed away. The sonic is the Doctor’s tool of choice, and has unlocked many a door, handcuffs, opened robots, and even been used to go fishing after a fashion. The sonic is almost it’s own character, and plays a vital role in many of the Doctor’s adventures, it is in fact of the most recognizable items from the show, despite frequently changing designs. In honor of this man’s great contribution to the show we all adore, and one of its signature items, here
Some of the Most Memorable Sonic Screwdriver Moments...
Some of the Most Memorable Sonic Screwdriver Moments...
- 8/22/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
America’s newest Doctor Who convention will return in 2016 by popular demand. Over 1,100 fans packed into the Best Western North Wichita this October to meet a host of stars from the shows’ past and present including Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Peter Purves, and Ellis George. The venue will remain the same for next year’s convention but the vendor’s area will be expanded, the events line-up enhanced, and beer and wine will be available for the over 21 crowd.
Other exciting additions include a Doctor Who musical extravaganza, a sci-fi mystery dinner, and more participatory events involving guests and attendees. You can save $25 on three day passes and vendor tables by entering the discount code K9 on the registration page. This huge discount is only available until Thanksgiving 2015. We are assembling an amazing array of guests and events so don’t delay, buy your Time Eddy II tickets today.
Between...
Other exciting additions include a Doctor Who musical extravaganza, a sci-fi mystery dinner, and more participatory events involving guests and attendees. You can save $25 on three day passes and vendor tables by entering the discount code K9 on the registration page. This huge discount is only available until Thanksgiving 2015. We are assembling an amazing array of guests and events so don’t delay, buy your Time Eddy II tickets today.
Between...
- 11/11/2015
- by Edited by K Kinsella
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.
We kicked off proceedings with William Hartnell classic 'The Aztecs', while Jon Pertwee's 'The Daemons' filled the number 9 spot. This week, we're heading into the Patrick Troughton era for a stone cold classic once thought lost forever...
8. The Tomb Of The Cybermen (1967) - Four episodes - written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
Series 5 of Doctor Who is often referred to as one of the show's all-time great runs, but it would have been so easy for Patrick Troughton's first full series as the Doctor to get off to a rocky start. While 'The Tomb of the Cybermen' saw the return of fan favourites the Cybermen, it also...
We kicked off proceedings with William Hartnell classic 'The Aztecs', while Jon Pertwee's 'The Daemons' filled the number 9 spot. This week, we're heading into the Patrick Troughton era for a stone cold classic once thought lost forever...
8. The Tomb Of The Cybermen (1967) - Four episodes - written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
Series 5 of Doctor Who is often referred to as one of the show's all-time great runs, but it would have been so easy for Patrick Troughton's first full series as the Doctor to get off to a rocky start. While 'The Tomb of the Cybermen' saw the return of fan favourites the Cybermen, it also...
- 9/30/2013
- Digital Spy
Child radio star of the 1940s and 50s best remembered for playing Richmal Crompton's Just William
David Spenser, who has died aged 79, was the pre-eminent child radio star of the 1940s and 50s and will be best remembered for his portrayal on air of Just William. The author Richmal Crompton cast him in the role, in a series of dramatisations of her novels about the raucous but endearing 11-year-old outlaw.
This was in 1948, when David turned 14 and was already a seasoned radio actor – performing more than one play a week, he once told me. He had come into acting through a ruse set up by his ambitious mother and a BBC friend: he was lured into Broadcasting House and found himself in a studio being auditioned by the Children's Hour producer Josephine Plummer. For playing the lead in Just William he received the standard juvenile fee of four guineas...
David Spenser, who has died aged 79, was the pre-eminent child radio star of the 1940s and 50s and will be best remembered for his portrayal on air of Just William. The author Richmal Crompton cast him in the role, in a series of dramatisations of her novels about the raucous but endearing 11-year-old outlaw.
This was in 1948, when David turned 14 and was already a seasoned radio actor – performing more than one play a week, he once told me. He had come into acting through a ruse set up by his ambitious mother and a BBC friend: he was lured into Broadcasting House and found himself in a studio being auditioned by the Children's Hour producer Josephine Plummer. For playing the lead in Just William he received the standard juvenile fee of four guineas...
- 8/2/2013
- by John Tydeman
- The Guardian - Film News
Cybermen in The Invasion
Kieran Kinsella
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, we’re taking a stroll down memory lane with some of the actors, directors, script editors and writers who worked on the show. In part one, we get a behind-the-scenes insight into the Cybermen!
Peter Hawkins (Cybermen voice Tenth Planet)
“When we did voices for the Cybermen we had to rely on this strange contraption that was made by a dentist who specialized in helping people after throat operations. It consisted of a buzzer and a hearing aid. The buzzer was mounted on a palate between your jaws and a lead ran out of your mouth. It was rather like being on the end of a fishing line. Saliva kept clogging up the buzzer. You silently mouthed words but you couldn’t use your soft palate. All the consonants sounded the same and it was very...
Kieran Kinsella
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, we’re taking a stroll down memory lane with some of the actors, directors, script editors and writers who worked on the show. In part one, we get a behind-the-scenes insight into the Cybermen!
Peter Hawkins (Cybermen voice Tenth Planet)
“When we did voices for the Cybermen we had to rely on this strange contraption that was made by a dentist who specialized in helping people after throat operations. It consisted of a buzzer and a hearing aid. The buzzer was mounted on a palate between your jaws and a lead ran out of your mouth. It was rather like being on the end of a fishing line. Saliva kept clogging up the buzzer. You silently mouthed words but you couldn’t use your soft palate. All the consonants sounded the same and it was very...
- 7/31/2013
- by Edited by K Kinsella
N Campion
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
This weekend 48 years ago, the people of Britain and the rest of the world were still coming to terms with the death of JFK when the BBC One announcer introduced a new kids show about an elderly man and his mysterious granddaughter. It was called Doctor Who and was only supposed to last for a few months but 48 years later Doctor Who is still going strong. We have been lucky enough to have interviewed many of the people who helped make the show great during the past five decades and you can read those interviews by clicking on the links below. Also, you probably have your own views about the best Doctor Who stories but you can click the video links below to see which stories we regard as the best of the Whoniverse.
Click here to friend Best British TV on Facebook or here to follow us on Twitter.
This weekend 48 years ago, the people of Britain and the rest of the world were still coming to terms with the death of JFK when the BBC One announcer introduced a new kids show about an elderly man and his mysterious granddaughter. It was called Doctor Who and was only supposed to last for a few months but 48 years later Doctor Who is still going strong. We have been lucky enough to have interviewed many of the people who helped make the show great during the past five decades and you can read those interviews by clicking on the links below. Also, you probably have your own views about the best Doctor Who stories but you can click the video links below to see which stories we regard as the best of the Whoniverse.
- 11/18/2011
- by admin
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of Fantom Films, readers of the Doctor Who News page are being offered a special opportunity to win a variety of their products!
Utopia is their flagship event of the year, and takes place over the weekend of 15th/16th May at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire. We are pleased to be able to offer a pair of tickets to the convention as first prize in a competition, with a number of items of merchandise produced by Fantom for the runner ups.
First Prize:
A pair of weekend tickets to Utopia 2010, giving full access to all interview panels, autograph sessions, workshops, evening entertainment, and much much more!
Second Prize:
A limited edition hardback edition of Mary Tamm's first autobiography First Generation, signed by Mary, and an audiobook from our wide selection of titles.
Third Prize:
A copy of interview CD Cult Conversations, featuring Deborah Watling and Gareth David Lloyd.
Utopia is their flagship event of the year, and takes place over the weekend of 15th/16th May at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire. We are pleased to be able to offer a pair of tickets to the convention as first prize in a competition, with a number of items of merchandise produced by Fantom for the runner ups.
First Prize:
A pair of weekend tickets to Utopia 2010, giving full access to all interview panels, autograph sessions, workshops, evening entertainment, and much much more!
Second Prize:
A limited edition hardback edition of Mary Tamm's first autobiography First Generation, signed by Mary, and an audiobook from our wide selection of titles.
Third Prize:
A copy of interview CD Cult Conversations, featuring Deborah Watling and Gareth David Lloyd.
- 4/12/2010
- by Chuck Foster
- The Doctor Who News Page
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