Thursday, April 29, 2010

Dirty WHOers Podcast - Episode 8

More time consuming tequila-powered self-referential tosh.


This week we tried to talk about Moffet's latest, Time of Angels, but we all had the same opinion, Fuschia was jet lagged, Sen finally gave up on the others and evolved into pure energy, Terry had a headache so wasn't drinking, and Sputters went off on a 30 minute rant about how Alpha Centauri was the best 'companion' ever and the show needs more giant green willies to bring it back to the core family values of the 70s (which we had to cut out).

I'd give it a miss if I were you, and go check out Cyber Testicle, Podshock, Happiness Patrol or something cool from Podcast Alliance.

You were warned. Abandon hope all ye who download here. At least it's mercifully short. Please throw any comments in the usual place.

This is one of the LOST DirtyWHOers Episodes, no longer available for streaming from iTunes etc., but is available for download from our Dropbox archive HERE.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Very Special Indeed

While avoiding editing the next podcast, I found this on the hard drive in a folder called 'Who Shit'.


I don't actually remember ever owning a folder called 'Who Shit' and if I did own one it would likely contain avi's of the Davidson years, not a priceless piece or art like this.

Where did it come from, no idea. If anyone can shed a light on the origins of this I'd love to know, give the maker a link, and hail them as a comedy god.

I found several other bits of tat in there too, which I'll post at some point when I stop laughing and can take my eyes off this anim.

It's kinda mesmeric, like a lava lamp...

NB: A quick update on this. While we've not tracked down the original maker, 'The Angel' (oi, oi , Lady Angelica) sent us this link to Doctor Who at the Roxbury on Youtube, which certainly adds something ;-)

Hawking’s Who Marathon

After saying that Humans should fear aliens, the Huffington Post reported of Stephen Hawking that:

"He suggests that aliens might simply raid Earth for its resources and then move on: "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonise whatever planets they can reach."


And then we get the REAL STORY from The Daily Shame as they report:

"Friends of boffin Stephen Hawking have admitted that his Doctor Who marathon weekend was “probably not a good idea” and may have clouded his judgement. The hyper-intelligent space guy spent the entire weekend watching box sets of Doctor Who, starting with the William Hartnell days, and interjected with Matt Smith episodes on BBC iPlayer."

Get the rest of this scoop by going to the article itself.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Pixie Pocket Review

So you thought you'd escaped my take on things, did you? Just because I forgot to set my alarm for Volcano Day...

For the record, I was not "riding with the Mounties", whatever that might mean (although I wouldn't say no to this particular one, ahem)



I was, in fact, introducing Who-ey goodness to the Colonials, who took it very well, with the appropriate level of giggly squeeing.

So thanks to the shennagins in Iceland, I missed two episodes which I have diligently caught up with. Jet-lagged is definitely not the best way to watch Dr Who, even RTD penned episodes, so I went back and watched "The Beast Below" again for good measure. It was pretty good, though not as dynamic as "The Eleventh Hour". Still, how can you hate an episode with the line "This isn't going to be big on dignity" in it?

The Smilers were creepy, but not there enough to be truly menacing in the same way as the Weeping Angels. And there were holes in the plot, which I don't expect from Moffat. Still, better than most of the RTD era. Sadly, that isn't saying much and I think that although I liked the episode, for once I'd have to agree with Sputters' battle cry of it not being written for me. Matt Smith did a lovely job with what he had and Amy is shaping up to be a good companion. So, mostly disposable but inoffensive.

Now, the Daleks. It wasn't that bad, guys. Seriously. Yes, the back of the new Dalek does look like a French car, but I'm sure there are logistical reasons for that (making them, CGI-ing them, getting people in and out, etc.) Nice to see some colour again, though, eh? And yes, not the best Winston Churchill-a-like ever, but you're going to have to go some way to beat Siegfried Farnon, aren't you? (Dr Who tie in there, folks. Robert Hardy played both Winnie and the chief vet from All Creatures Great and Small, where he was Peter Davison's big brother).

Still, Bill Patterson was great, loved the WWII Daleks and their cute-as-a-death-ray black-out covers on their lickle-widdle lights. In terms of story, Mark Gatiss can be a great writer (Unquiet Dead was superb) but has his wobbles (Idiot's Lantern not so hot), so maybe Moffat was just too nice to say what had to be said in the story department. Personally, I'd have preferred to see something along the lines of the Batman Animated Series story about Harley Quinn atempting to go straight, but Batman's constant suspicion and hounding driving her back to her old ways. That would have been far more interesting: Dalek's who had forgotten their programming and turned over a new leaf only to be forced back into their old ways by the Doctor's inability to change (not theirs).

Mostly, there were too many interesting ideas in there for any of them to receive the necessary attention. Daleks helping Churchill to win WWII? That would have done nicely, thank you. Creation of a new race of Daleks? That needed an entire episode to itself. I was pleased with the whole getting away thing, though; at least this time no-one attempted to pretend that they'd all been destroyed. That particular duck in the machine was beginning to lose its quack.

The Prof made a very interesting point as we watched the denouement: this incarnation of the Doctor seems very good at spotting a solution, but its a very negative one. Its efficient, but cold. Amy, on the other hand, sees the positive, more human note and runs with that instead. With the Star Whale, the Doctor was going for a lobotomy, having not understood what he'd seen or heard. With the cyborg (and just how cyborg was he?), he tried to make him angry and full of hate. Amy understands what she's seen and uses it, with compassion. All I could hear the Doctor saying, over and over again, was the line from School Reunion: "I used to have so much mercy".

Has he really lost his empathy? Has all that travelling alone caused him to become as emotionally stunted as some of his greatest enemies? Only time will tell...

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Dirty WHOers Podcast - Episode 7

So, here we are again. Another 35 minutes of interruptive alcohol abuse, under the tenuous question mark umbrella of Whodom.

This week we look at the latest offering from The Moff, penned by Mark Gattis, Victory of the Daleks, with redesigned "new paradigm" Kaled wheel chairs and some fine British actors whos agents should probably know better.

Comments welcome, below ;-)

This is one of the LOST DirtyWHOers Episodes, no longer available for streaming from iTunes etc., but is available for download from our Dropbox archive HERE.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Tenth Doctor: The Musical

Excellent video created by "di0br", whose YouTube channel you can subscribe to here. The editing, scene selections and musical choices are tops! An entertaining and inventive tribute to the 10th regeneration's era. Kudos!


Thank you to @thirtysix who originally tweeted this.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Sonic Screwdriver Cocktail

While looking for something to see us through another podcast recording, something to "triplicate the flammability" of a bottle of port, we came across this: The "Sonic Screwdriver". Apparently invented by Liz Mulhern of Omaha Nebraska, as a "companion" drink to go along with "her favorite TV show".

This recipe stays true (flavor wise) to the standard highball Screwdriver (Vodka and OJ, Tegan's tipple of choice at the garden party in Black Orchid) but utilizes Vanilla Vodka for sweetness, Blue Curacao for orange flavor, and clear lemon/lime soda instead of the juice (to keep the blue color of the Curacao and that important citrus taste). The end result is still a (rather palatable) orangey flavored vodka drinkie, but it's now sweeter, bubbly, and a striking blue color that matches the business end of the 2005-2010 instrument in question (plus generates a suitable buzz).
  • 1 1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka
  • 1 1/2 oz Blue Curacao
  • 6 oz Clear Lemon-Lime Soda
Half-fill a clear 12 oz. glass with ice. Pour 1.5 oz Vanilla Vodka, 1.5 oz of Blue Curacao, and a 6 oz. slosh of that CLEAR lemon/lime soda, over the ice. Stir a bit. Add paper question mark umbrella. Enjoy.

It tastes pretty good, but we're gonna experiment a bit and we'll let you know how it goes. There's more than one Sonic Screwdriver (we're already gettin' ideas for 'Fury from the Deep') so there's space for 'experimentation'. If anyone gives this a go themselves, or any other Who cocktails, send us a photo and we'll try out your recipe on one of the podcasts ;-)

If you're curious, there's a 'Book of Lists' worthy collection of Boozy Whos from episodes up on Wikipedia.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Would You Care For Some Tea?

Yes it's the patriotic army green ones with the Union flag! Last time you'll ever see a Dalek looking cool, judging by the new Ikea 'Plunjar' versions with the ass-end like a Renault McGann (don't get us started).



Brought to you by Nodster Tardis, also the author of "Ludicrous Weapons Dalek". For more information, visit the new Dalek shop in Katrina [SLURL], Second Life, or you will (apparently) be EXTERMINATED. Beautifully detailed and multi-functional, they more than hold up to the guys usual amazing build standard.

Oh, and, partially unrelated: Dalek Dance (Slide n Glide Mix) for your enjoyment.

Ludicrous Weapons Dalek

Whilst chatting away about Doctor Who in Second Life, HBK, ShortPieceOf String, and Nodster Tardis (yes, these are people) and others were showing off their staggering Dalek creations. These guys REALLY know how to build.

I threw together a quick poster for "Ludicrous Weapons DALEK"(created by Nodster Tardis). The amount of weaponry on this thing is ....uhm... ludicrous. Drop into Katrina (one of the most active Doctor Who sims) and check out the Dalek shop there, including a whole Dalek base for roleplay on an upper level.

Friday, April 16, 2010

"There's no such thing as the Eleventh Doctor"

“There is no such thing as the Eleventh Doctor. There’s the Doctor and his Eleventh face,” said Moffat. From an article at Newsarama.com. Now ya talkin'! All hail the Grand Moff. ;-)


Click here for more of this article.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Vote DALEK!

Radio Times Dalek Covers

The most recent edition of the Radio Times features the Daleks. The magazine is available in 3 different covers featuring 3 different colored Daleks. Go to their website to see more (they've included a lovely variety of images from all their Dalek related issues throughout the history of Doctor Who).

Monday, April 12, 2010

Dirty WHOers Podcast - Episode 6

A fast turn-around on this one.


This week, poor James Naughton (of Podshock fame) is roped in to help us shoot the breeze on The Grand Moffs latest offering, The Beast Below. Will we turn him to the dark side? Can we get the guy with the 'voice like buttah' to 'go potty mouth'? Who's drinking what, and just how hot is The Queen (god bless her)?

Let us know what you think in the comments below, we've no idea if anyone actually listens to this shit, and enjoy.

This is one of the LOST DirtyWHOers Episodes, no longer available for streaming from iTunes etc., but is available for download from our Dropbox archive HERE.

Matt Smith Charicature

So to celebrate Matt's Smith Debut, here's another fabulous charicature-portrait from artist extra-ordinaire Jon Pinto (visit his website for more amazing goodies).

Click the pic for a larger version :


Got any good Who art links of your own? We like our Who art. Let us know in the comments so we can take a look! :-)

Crash Matt


Matt Smith, from the new Crash Doctor Set, arrived in the mail this morning for a bargain £13.99. There he is on the right. All gangly, tweedy, bow-tied, and totally soniced-up. A very nice sculpt, using the fancy Artec 3D scanner system in the video below, but a bit po-faced and not as 'Tommy Cooper' as he could be. I'm sure we'll be seeing more with all important braces/suspenders variants and/or light-pipe eye twinkles etc. in the coming months.



Just McGann to go now for the full set. In fact, isn't that Mr. McGann in the background of the video around 0:58? Nice.

Oh, and some assistants wouldn't go a miss, one for each Doc, and Bessie if anyone's listening.


Friday, April 9, 2010

Dirty WHOers Podcast - Episode 5

Yeah, yeah, it's a bit late, it's taken a week, but these things are a frackin' nightmare to edit.

So, we got a new Doctor, and all that comes with him. Remember: "
Amy Pond, there's something you better understand about me, 'cause it's important and one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box!"


Let's froth!

This is one of the LOST DirtyWHOers Episodes, no longer available for streaming from iTunes etc., but is available for download from our Dropbox archive HERE.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Adventures in Time and Space

For fifty minutes one cold November day, I was Sally Sparrow.


Perhaps an explanation is in order: I’ve been a roleplayer for a very long time now. To be frank, most of us have. And I don’t mean the corporate team-building type of stuff (or, ahem, anything else). Anyone who’s ever daydreamed or told stories, placing themselves in the hero’s shoes, has roleplayed, just a little bit. All those games you played as a child, tearing round the school playground pretending to be someone else? That was roleplaying, too. But when you say roleplaying to a lot of people, the first thing they think of (okay, maybe the second thing) is Dungeons and Dragons.

D&D, by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, is recognised as the first codified roleplaying game (or RPG). Down the years since its first appearance (1974, a fine year, seeing as it was also the year that Tom Baker took over as the Doctor), there have been many descendants, some good, some bad, some original, some taking well-known licences and attempting to adapt them to the roleplaying format.

There have been three Dr Who roleplaying games. The first was published by FASA (1) in 1985 and has Tom Baker and Leela on the front cover, even though neither of them was still in the show. The second was “Timelord” by Virgin (2); unusually for the time, it was printed as a standard paperback and marketed as such to fit in with their line of novels. It includes the following classic piece of advice for novice roleplayers: “Role-playing is like acting: some people are good at it and others are appalling. There are some splendid examples of bad acting in the television series, so a player who cannot throw himself into a role is hardly setting a precedent – in fact he is making an accurate contribution to the adventure!”

The latest is by Cubicle 7 (3). I’ve known one of the people behind this for almost 17 years and was thrilled to bits when I heard his company had the licence, because I knew that he was a safe pair of hands. I also knew that the BBC were being incredibly co-operative, giving the writers virtually unlimited access to materials to make sure that everything was right in the finished game. We pre-ordered our copy the same day I got to play Sally Sparrow (and won a Dalek standee, but that’s another story) because the display boxed set was eye-poppingly gorgeous.


Yes, I said boxed set. Many of the early RPGs came as multiple booklets in a box with a few dice. They then graduated onto A4-ish hard or soft-backs. Others, like Timelord, have been published in a smaller, more recognised format. Like its FASA predecessor, Cubicle 7’s game has gone for the traditional boxed set, but not for the same reasons. Licensing intellectual property is a very complex area these days; someone else already has the licence to produce Dr Who books, so the designers have been forced to be creative and return to the game’s roots all at the same time. And yes, it has dice in it. They have TARDIS blue dots on them.

It also has a lot of other stuff in it: a Player’s guide, a Gamemaster’s guide, an adventures book, character sheets, pop-out gadget cards, story point counters and a four sided rules summary, all very similar to James Wallis’ favourite game of all time, the hugely influential Ghostbusters (4). And that’s one of the new game’s strengths: it has learnt from the best of the past and given the players a fast, simple way into the game that doesn’t necessarily require several days’ reading first. You can pick up the quick start guide (helpfully labelled “Read This First!”) and the pre-generated character sheets (Tennant’s Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Martha, Donna, the decent, non-Touchwood version of Captain Jack, Sarah Jane and the tin dog) and just get on with it. There’re not many games that you can say that about.

Let us return briefly to the look of the thing, rather than the feel of it. It is beautifully produced. Everything is in glorious colour, with great production stills scattered liberally throughout the book (everything up to the end of the fourth New Who series). Interestingly, there are as many pictures of Sally Sparrow as there are of Mascara Girl, who had two whole series compared to Sally’s one episode. This leads me to suspect that, like many of us, the writers had a real soft spot for Mr Moffat’s heroine. It’s as visually stunning as a game needs to be in these days of attention grabbing high competition and roleplayers like shiny things as much as the next man. Well, probably more so, actually.

I’ll go over the crunchy stuff in Part II, but here’s a few first impressions. The short demonstration game I played at Dragonmeet last year was fast, fun and very organic. It involved a little bit of maths (rolling two dice, adding them together then adding two more numbers to that, comparing it to a difficulty and seeing if you’d beaten it and by how much), but there are far more complex rules systems out there and it didn’t get in the way of the most important part of the game – the storytelling. Yes, I might not have enjoyed it quite so much if I wasn’t playing Sally, but overall I went away with the conviction that I’d done the right thing in ordering the game.

As an aside, the next day, sitting in the pub at a post convention get-together, we decided (rather cynically) that the only thing that could make the game better was the inclusion of RTD points to counter balance the story point mechanic (story points allow you to influence the game in a positive direction if the dice decide they hate you). These RTD points would be traded in to make sure that you could end the story in the most unsatisfying way possible, or drag it off into the realms of domesticity just as it was getting interesting. To be fair, we had all just seen “Waters of Mars” and were justifiably peeved at the way you-know-who was frittering away all of the good will he had accrued during series four. Having seen Matt Smith’s first outing, I’m not sure we’ll need them anymore.

The Prof played in a much longer game a few weeks ago in Edinburgh. He ended up being the Doctor because everyone else was a little bit daunted about playing him (not the Prof, he’s done this sort of thing before, in full Colin Baker costume, for his sins). He thoroughly enjoyed himself and whilst attempting not to be too much of a geek, tried to make sure that he got in as many RTDisms and canonical nods as possible. He too thoroughly enjoyed himself and came away with a big daft grin on his face, spending a large amount of the train journey home telling me just how much fun he’d had.

In the next instalment, we’ll look at just what’s in all of the other books in a bit more detail. But I can tell you already that a Regeneration set is due in the Autumn to allow people to play as Matt Smith’s Doctor and companions and that at around the same time, original series Doctor boxed sets will start to be released, beginning with William Hartnell’s. There is also a UNIT source-pack on the way earlier in the year that covers all of the TV material, for fans of the Brigadier and the most useless bunch of soldiers in the known universe. There is no word yet as to whether it contains a UNIT timeline…

1 – The Dr Who Role Playing Game: Adventures Through Time and Space (1985) FASA
2 – Timelord: Adventures Through Time and Space (1991) Ian Marsh & Peter Darvill-Evans; Virgin
3 – Dr Who: Adventures in Time and Space, the Role Playing Game (2009) David F. Chapman et al; Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd
4 – Ghostbusters, a Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game (1986) Sandy Petersen, Lynn Willis & Greg Stafford; West End Games

Friday, April 2, 2010

Dirty WHOers Podcast - Episode 4

Finally, another 30 minutes of prime bobbo about sweet FA. This episode we're joined by our Second Life buddy Mechagliel Gears to talk about 'the best episode' of Who ever.


When Doctor Who magazine asked 1000s of us which was the best episode it was bound to put a Sycorax amongst the pigeons. Allegedly, it's supposed to be The Caves of Anrozani. Do we agree? No, of course not. Do we have our own opinion? Yes, and tequila.

Plus, we take a look at all the new stuff the Beeb have been throwing at us for the new series and try not to touch ourselves while looking at TARDIS pics.

Let's get this out of the way before the new season starts, then we can get into some serious ranting.

This is one of the LOST DirtyWHOers Episodes, no longer available for streaming from iTunes etc., but is available for download from our Dropbox archive HERE.

WebMaster: Terry Lightfoot
WebDoctor: Oolon Sputnik
Blog by Terry Lightfoot
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