First today, an episode of Postman Pat – Postman Pat and the Midsummer Market.
One of Alf’s pigeons has settled on the church belfry, which is causing a problem for the town, because they need to ring the bell to announce the Midsummer Market.
The children try flying their kite nearby to try to get it to leave.
Pat tries a Cuckoo Clock.
Chasing it with nets.
The reverend tries playing various musical instruments.
Eventually it’s his piano playing that lures it down.
Media Centre Description: Children’s animation. Postman Pat and his cat Jess deliver the post to residents of Greendale. It’s time for the traditional Midsummer Market but it can’t start until Alf’s pigeon, Cedric, comes down from the church belfry.
BBC Genome: CBeebies Sunday 06 August 2006 18:15
Next, it looks like they’ve started repeating Series 1 of new Doctor Who, as here we have Doctor Who Confidential – Bringing Back the Doctor. I’d thought that my only recordings were old TiVo rips on a drive somewhere (which I’m sure I’ll get around to investigating sometime) but here’s the full length episodes right from the start, which is great.
Christopher Eccleston is very interesting in his reasons for wanting to be involved. “I like the idea of of a writer as intelligent and rigorous as Russell writing for children. And because I think if you can get them young with good stuff, as they grow older, they’re going to demand good stuff of their television.”
Julie Gardner: “I came back to the BBC as head of drama, BBC Wales, and it was my first meeting with Jane, the Drama Commissioner, and she just came out with it and said how would you feel about bringing back Doctor Who?”
Russell T Davies didn’t even think an actor like Christopher Eccleston would ever be interested in Doctor Who. But out of the blue, Russell got an email from him (they had worked together on The Second Coming a couple of years before) asking he he could be considered for the part.
As Controller of BBC One, Lorraine Heggessey was probably the most important person when it came to saying yes to the show returning. It’s really interesting that three of the most pivotal people in the show’s return, Heggessey, Gardner and Jane Tranter, are women. For a show (and a genre) that has (wrongly) been seen as something for boys, that it was brought back by a trio of women is interesting, and beautifully mirrors the show’s creation, led by producer Verity Lambert. I do have a slight confession to make, though. When Lorraine Heggessey started as controller, I saw an interview with her where she said her greatest achievement was putting Eastenders on four nights a week, and I thought that wasn’t much of an achievement (apart, presumably, for the poor actors and crew whose workload doubled) but I’m nothing if not selfish, so all is forgiven for bringing The Doctor back.
Producer Phil Collinson is on location on Westminster Bridge, filming the scene opposite the London Eye for Rose.
Keith Boak was the director chosen to bring back Doctor Who. But after his three episodes (Rose, Aliens of London and World War 3) he has never been asked back to direct more. I’d quite like to read an unexpurgated history of these early days, as I’ve seen so many oblique references to the first shooting block being rather chaotic.
Here’s then-editor of Doctor Who Magazine, Clayton Hickman, so you know that the programme is going to be looking at the prehistory of New Who, otherwise known as the Classic Series.
I’m really glad the show talks to the previous Doctors, like Sylvester McCoy.
We also hear from Colin Baker. Have I ever shared my Colin Baker story that doesn’t really involve him directly? I was in Forbidden Planet, leafing through a Doctor Who fanzine, and a Whovian (I’m fairly sure that’s how he would refer to himself) approached me and asked “Are you a member of the society?” I was thrown slightly by the fact that his voice sounded like someone doing a parody of an SF fan. Anyway, I admitted I was only a casual viewer. He asked “Have you heard who the new Doctor is going to be?” (This was at the time that Peter Davison had announced he was leaving.) I said I didn’t. And at this point, I swear, he looked behind himself, left and right, and said “Just making sure John Nathan Turner isn’t over my shoulder.” At which point he told me that Colin Baker had been cast. He didn’t seem to be happy about this, describing him as a “Thug”, which seems to suggest he didn’t entirely grasp what it is an actor actually does. And that’s the fascinating anecdote about how I found out who the sixth Doctor would be.
We also hear from Peter Davison, who sings the praises of Patrick Troughton (as is right and proper).
Katy Manning was my first companion, so I’ll always have a soft spot for her. She talks about Jon Pertwee’s love of gadgets, that spilled over into his Doctor.
Although Pertwee was my first Doctor, and I did love his stories, Tom Baker’s tenure remains my favourite of the classic series. And Tom is always good value.
The Paul McGann TV movie is discussed. Sylvester McCoy admits that it was probably not a good idea to start the movie with him, and then regenerate him into Paul McGann, if the film was supposed to re-introduce the character to a new audience. I totally agree. When I first watched it, I was sad when he regenerated, as I wanted to see much more of him. Russell also addresses the lack of regeneration from McGann into Eccleston. “It would be madness to start with a leading man and then change him 10 minutes in. I mean, you’ve got to think of this as a new program. We’re being marvellously faithful to its history and mythology, but within that, you’re mad if you think that at 8 years old you’d watch Paul McGann walk on screen, get hit by laser bolt and turn into someone else. Every story has got to make sense emotionally. When you get to love the 9th Doctor, Chris Eccleston, when he changes, then you will love him, then you will feel it happening. That’s when regeneration works, when you feel it.”
The programme also looks at the ways the programme was kept alive by fans, including Gary Russell, who started producing unofficial, Who-adjacent audio dramas, and were then approached by the BBC to do official Doctor Who audio adventures featuring the original actors, which have continued to this day.
Costume Designer Lucinda Wright discusses Eccleston’s costume.
Billie Piper talks about the dynamic between the Doctor and Rose.
Here’s the episode (although going by the running time this is several minutes short compared to my recording).
Media Centre Description: Behind-the-scenes look at the new series of Doctor Who, following the production team, writers and cast as they bring the Time Lord back to the screen. Narrated by Simon Pegg. This episode looks at the inspiration behind Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor.
BBC Genome: BBC THREE Sunday 06 August 2006 19:00
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