Reality Check: Being Doctor Who

With another season of the show currently over, Alex Fitch looks at the enduring legacy of Doctor Who in a trio of interviews originating at a ‘Who’ convention in the Home Counties. Alex talks to former Doctor Sylvester McCoy, former Time Lord nemesis (and honorary Doctor) Michael Jayston, and also to San Franciscan cosplay expert Johanna Mead about her creating Who inspired costumes and contributing to the anthology ‘Chicks dig Time Lords’.

A soslovie of ersatz Doctors gather outside a replica TARDIS at the Time Quest 2 convention in Theobalds park

For more info about this podcast and a variety of other episodes you can download, please visit the home of this episode at www.sci-fi-london.com

Links: Wikipedia pages on Sylvester McCoy and Michael Jayston, a.k.a. The Valeyard

Listen to the accompanying podcast featuring an interview with Doctor Who writer Rob Shearman also recorded at Theobalds park

Doctor Who audio trailer archive

Johanna Mead‘s website – www.skaro.com

Buy Chicks dig Timelords featuring Johanna Mead from www.madnorwegian.com

Buy He Jests at Scars starring Michael Jayston and ‘season 27’ starring Sylvester McCoy at www.bigfinish.com

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Reality Check: The Problem of SF film making part two

In the second half of a panel discussion recorded live at last year’s London Science-Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival, Alex Fitch discusses the challenges of creating engaging and convincing SF scenarios on film with a quintet of eminent low budget film directors – Marc Caro (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children), Cory McAbee (Stingray Sam), Gerald McMorrow (Franklyn), Stuart Hazeldine (Exam) and Richard Jobson (A Woman in Winter). The panel was sponsored by The Directors Guild of Great Britain and Mr Caro’s translator was Virginie Selavy. In this second part, the panel discuss the importance of lighting and sound to low budget cinema and the need to double up crew members [part two of two]…

Stills from Franklyn, A woman in Winter, Exam, Stingray Sam and The City of Lost Children

Originally broadcast as the second half of a ‘Clear Spot’, 17/03/10 on Resonance FM

For more info, please visit the home of the podcast at www.sci-fi-london.com

Sci-Fi London 9: Life in 2050, April 28th - May 3rd, 2010

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Reality Check: The Problem of SF film making part one

In a panel discussion recorded live at last year’s London Science-Fiction and Fantastic Film Festival, Alex Fitch discusses the many aspects of creating engaging and convincing SF scenarios on film with a quintet of eminent low budget film directors – Marc Caro (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children), Cory McAbee (Stingray Sam), Gerald McMorrow (Franklyn), Stuart Hazeldine (Exam) and Richard Jobson (A Woman in Winter). The panel was sponsored by The Directors Guild of Great Britain and Mr Caro’s translator was Virginie Selavy. [part one of two]

From left to right, Gerald McMorrow, Richard Jobson, Stuart Hazeldine, Cory McAbee and Marc Caro, photos by Chris Patmore

Originally broadcast as the first half of a ‘Clear Spot’, 17/03/10 on Resonance FM

For more info, please visit the home of the podcast at www.sci-fi-london.com

Sci-Fi London 9: Life in 2050, April 28th - May 3rd, 2010

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Reality Check: Fall Out – The Prisoner in other media

Celebrating 42 years of the cult TV show The Prisoner – Alex Fitch talks to a couple of writers who have continued the adventures of Patrick McGoohan’s iconic character No.6 in other media. 1980s Doctor Who script editor Andrew Cartmel has written a new Prisoner novel ‘Miss Freedom’ while Sophia Cacciola from the band ‘Do not forsake me, oh my darling’ has written an album of songs based on each episode of the TV show. Also, actress and comedienne Jessica Fostekew reads from the novel accompanied by sound effects and music from the show… (originally broadcast in an edited form as part of a Clear Spot on Resonance 104.4 FM)

From left, cover of the novel Miss Freedom by Andrew Cartmel, Sophia Cacciola and Michael Epstein a.k.a. Do not forsake me, oh my darling and No.6 painting by Simon Palmer

Links: Info about Andrew Cartmel’s The Prisoner: Miss Freedom
Info about Do not forsake me, oh my darling
Info about The Prisoner on Blu-Ray

For more Sci-Fi London podcasts, please visit www.sci-fi-london.com

Listen to Alex’s interview with Ian Rakoff about writing Living in Harmony and co-editing It’s your funeral and The General

Recommended events:

Dante’s Inferno Premiere

Sci-Fi London are delighted to present the UK premiere of the brand new animated movie DANTE’S INFERNO which has been produced to coincide with the Electronic Arts game.

Crusader Dante returns home to discover that his beloved Beatrice has been murdered, and her soul dragged into Hell. Refusing to give her up, he steals Death’s scythe and chases after her… into the Inferno.

Featuring the voice talents of Mark Hamill, Victoria Tennant and Vanessa Branch, the movie is Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery!

There is a goody bag for all those attending! Book by calling 020 7451 9944 or www.apollocinemas.com Doors open 7pm and the screening starts at 7.30. Tickets are £13.00 and £9.00 concs. – If you quote “SCI-FI-LONDON” you can qualify for a 10% discount on each ticket!!!

7.30pm, Tuesday 2nd February, Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, Lower Regent Street, London

Ian Rakoff Lecture on 20th Century Comic Strips at the V & A

Former writer of cult TV show The Prisoner and the primary source of The Rakoff collection at the V and A, Ian Rakoff is giving a free talk about 20th Century Comic Strips at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington, London on February 3rd 2010. Ian will be discussing the impact comic strips such as Little Orphan Annie had on popular culture and the shaping of the American identity over the last 120 years.

FREE, 1.15pm, February 3rd 2010, The Sackler Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL
More info at www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events
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