Goodbye from Blink

This is the hardest post I have ever written, and I’ve been planning it for some time. I’m sorry to inform you that this blog will no longer be posting news after today, as although I do enjoy posting Doctor Who news, it simply takes too long to keep the blog updated with posts everyday.

‘Blink’ was opened exactly a year ago today, on 20th February 2010 at 13:30pm, and so it seems appropriate to close it on this date and time. When I began the blog twelve months ago, I could not have imagined that it would have last this long or have been so popular with visitors.

Although this blog is ending, I am not going to suddenly vanish from the Doctor Who community, and I will continue to visit and support everyone’s blogs and fanfic series. I have recently written scripts for both Captin Franko’s and Jay Burke’s new animated Doctor Who series, which you will be able to view when they are released in the next few months. I also have plans of creating my own fanfic series, which if it goes ahead will be released on a new blog later this year.

Before I go, I would like to thank everyone who has ever visited this blog and hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed running it. I have had a lot of fun during my year of blogging, and have met some really great people who I hope to keep in touch with in the future.

It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for… Geronimo!



Captin Franko has released this cinema trailer for his upcoming second season, which is kindly dedicated to Blink.

Doctor Who Interview with Jay Burke

Earlier in the week I also conducted an interview with the creator of The Writer’s Blog, Jay Burke, who discussed his love of Doctor Who and what inspired him to create his own new animated series with the Doctor and his companion Eve Miller…

B: When did you first watch Doctor Who, and what makes it special to you?

JB: Well, I first began watching Doctor Who when it returned to our screens in 2005, and ever since then my love for the show really has grown. I think what makes it such a great programme to me is the whole concept of Time Travel and how your stories can be set anywhere in space and time; it really does add variety. I’m also a fan of the writing on the show. They get some fantastic writers and they really do make each adventure its own. I love it!

B: What inspired you to initially create your own animated Doctor Who series, and what do you hope your series can offer fans?

JB: Captin Franko has been a huge inspiration to me! His series really did spark my enthusiasm in creating my own series and hopefully the positive influence from his series will spark some enthusiasm for others in my own series. As for what I hope I can offer fans, well, its more Doctor Who for a start! Its gonna give you an entirely new take on the Doctor and his companions and I think that adding voice actors to the series will really enhance the story-telling and your connection with the characters.

B: As well as scripting your own animated series, you have worked on other projects such as Captin Franko’s series – how does writing for your own series compare with writing for other peoples’ series?

JB: It’s quite funny, but I think I prefer writing for another’s series! I really enjoyed working on the ‘Picnic at Asgard’ script (not saying I don’t enjoy writing my own!) and I think having Captin Franko there to look over what I’d written and point me in the right direction really enhanced the script. It’s very different to writing for your own series because for me now there’s so many variables to take into account and the story-telling is pretty limitless, whereas writing for someone else you’re slightly more restricted and refined.

B: James Hall has said that his interpretation of the Doctor will be more serious than the recent Doctors on television – had you always planned to show a more serious Doctor, or were you simply impressed with James’ portrayal?

JB: I’m not too sure about this question, to be honest. It was Captin Franko’s script idea that really got me thinking about a darker Doctor, and I think James managed to tap into this and see where he was coming from. James’ portrayal is going to be more serious in some aspects but he will still have a light hearted side when it comes to his companions. I say this, but I’m pretty much in the dark about what James specifically wants to do with the character! I’m just waiting to hear what he makes of the lines on the page; I’m as excited to hear him as you!

B: What were the challenges you faced when designing the stories for this upcoming series, and what surprises are in store for the Twelfth Doctor and Eve Miller?

JB: The most difficult thing in designing the series has got to be the episode scheduling! You’ve got to account for so many things; making sure the two-parters are distanced enough, making sure you haven’t got two episodes set in the past, present, or future next to each other. I’ve found that to be the most difficult thing.
Surprises… well I can leak a few I suppose! The Doctor and Eve will be facing a variety of enemies, both new and old. We can expect to see Daleks stranded in the Wild West, Cybermen planning their next invasion in Devon, and the Oblivion drawing closer!

B: Thank you for taking the time to complete this interview Burkey, and I wish you all the best with the release of your first series!

Doctor Who Interview with Captin Franko

Earlier in the week I conducted an interview with the creator of Christel Doctor Who, Captin Franko, who discussed the success of his first series and also what we can expect to see from the Doctor and Tabitha in his upcoming second series...

B: What inspired you to initially create your own animated Doctor Who series, and what do you hope your series offers fans?

CF: When Doctor Who returned to the Television in 2005 I was immediately hooked (again) and I had been doing some little bits of writing on and off in my spare time. It really didn’t take long to put my two hobbies together. I began to write a number of short stories about the Ninth Doctor and Rose but when David Tennant came along I stepped up my plans and decided to see if I could put a whole series together. My initial ideas were very grand and completely ‘un-writeable’.

The series that you see today is probably about the 18th version of what I originally started out with. As the series has developed I hope that it has given people the chance to experience Doctor Who in a slightly different way. I wanted to put my own slant on it and so I wrote in my own version of the Eleventh Doctor. This was a Doctor that I could shape and not have to worry about what was happening in the real ‘canon’ of the television series. Obviously I try and stay as close as possible but it gives me more freedom to play about with the Doctor, and more obviously the interior of the TARDIS.

B: The first full series of episodes were released last year, and proved to be a great hit with fans – what do you think was your best achievement when creating the series?

CF: If I had to pick one thing out from the series as a whole it would probably be the plot arc that I managed to weave into the whole 13 episodes. It was subtle, yet it worked, and completely took people by surprise. I had people sure that Davros was coming back... so when Rassilon walked up to the TARDIS doors I would like to think that it took a lot of people by surprise! I must say some of it happened as spur-of-the-moment writing. I knew where I wanted to get to but the way that I did it was changed with pretty much every episode I wrote. In the end it all worked out fine.

B: Your spectacular spin-off series ARNIE is coming towards the end of its first series – what inspired you to create the idea of the mysterious android, and had you always planned to create a whole series about him?

CF: If I’m honest ARNIE was born out of a need for a sixth episode for Series 1 and a considerable amount of luck. I had written 12 stories and still had a space. I also had a number of ideas to choose from. When I eventually chose to tell ARNIE’s story I began fleshing the back story of the character out in my head and decided that it was something that was just not going to fit into a single episode. Thus, the spin-off series was born. The whole idea that he somehow knows the Doctor and the Doctor does not know him plays nicely in hand with the fact that he does not know who created him. Plus I have also been able to use the series to seed certain plot arcs for upcoming stories that will span the entirety of the Christel Doctor Who universe.

B: If you were given the chance to go back and change anything from Christel Doctor Who, would you decide to do anything differently?

CF: I wouldn’t change any of the stories, because I think as a series of stories they play well together. The changes I would make are more aesthetic. I would have uploaded the episodes through YouTube from the start. Yes, it would have meant splitting them in half, but with the quality you get it is more than worth it. ARNIE Series 1 has proved that and indeed I shall be uploading Series 2 of Christel Doctor Who through YouTube. I would also change the subtitles in the first few episodes, as they took a while to get right and I can’t help but worry that it took away a little from the storytelling side of things.

B: What were the challenges you faced when designing the stories for the upcoming second season, and what surprises are in store for the Doctor and Tabitha?

CF: Probably the biggest worry for me at the moment is that Series 2 will be as well received as Series 1. I got some really good reviews for Series 1 for which I was very grateful, and I am working my hardest to make sure that Series 2 is even better. As far as surprises go... that would be telling, but I can tell you that this is the year of the Trojan and that the Doctor’s hearts will be broken. The plot arc is a lot less subtle this time around, but should hopefully smack you clean between the eyes when all is revealed. This is also why the finale to this series runs to 3 parts instead of the traditional 2. Oh, and of course, nobody knows just what those pesky guardians of time are up to yet!

B: Thank you for taking the time to complete this interview Captin, and I wish you all the best with the release of your second series!

The Pandorica Answers: Regenerations

The first story to mention how many regenerations a Time Lord has was the Fourth Doctor story ‘The Deadly Assassin’ in 1976.

The Fifth and Tenth Doctors were both forced to regenerate from radiation poisoning, and the Eleventh Doctor said he was capable of having 507 regenerations in ‘Death of the Doctor’.

The Pandorica Puzzles: Regenerations

What was the first story to mention how many regenerations a Time Lord has, what caused the Fifth and Tenth Doctors to regenerate, and how many regenerations did the Eleventh Doctor say he was capable of having in ‘Death of the Doctor’?

Please post your answers in the comments section below.

Doctor Who Maxi Bust 8” Third Doctor and Weeping Angel

The official Forbidden Planet website has revealed information about two new highly-detailed maxi busts of the Third Doctor and a Weeping Angel, the latest editions to the exclusive maxi bust range.

“This beautifully-sculpted 8" maxi-bust of Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor captures the most flamboyant incarnation of the Time Lord in all his velvet-jacketed, bouffant-haired glory.”

“This maxi-bust of the Weeping Angel captures every detail of The Tenth Doctor's stone nemesis from the classic ‘Blink’ episode. Don't close your eyes!”

These new figures are available to pre-order at the discount price of £49.99 each from Forbidden Planet, and are expected to arrive at their warehouse on 28th August this year.

The Pandorica Answers: Philip Madoc

Philip Madoc appeared in ‘The Krotons’, ‘The War Games’, ‘The Brain of Morbius’ and ‘The Power of Kroll’ in the classic era of Doctor Who, but was first involved with the programme when he appeared in the film ‘Dalek – Invasion 2150 AD’, which starred Peter Cushing as the Doctor.

The next Pandorica Puzzle will be available to view on Friday from 10:00.

The Pandorica Puzzles: Philip Madoc

Which stories in the classic era of Doctor Who has Philip Madoc appeared in, what was his first involvement with the programme, and who was the first Doctor that he acted alongside?

Please post your answers in the comments section below.

Doctor Who Customized Barbra Streisand

Although this is not specifically Doctor Who-related, I thought I would post a link to a fun website I’ve just discovered as there is very little news today. The website allows you to customize your own ‘Barbra Streisand’ song by typing in any text of your choice!

I’ve made a customized Doctor Who version to demonstrate which can be heard here.

"A Renaissance Tale" Script Complete

After a couple of months of hard work, I have finally finished my script for the fifth episode in Jay Burke’s new animated Doctor Who series, which has the title of ‘A Renaissance Tale’. The story sees the Twelfth Doctor and his companions Eve and Wesley Miller visiting the Province of Florence during the Renaissance era, where they meet the legendary Leonardo Da Vinci.

A full synopsis of the story will be released on Burkey’s blog in the next few weeks, and the series is expected to begin in early Spring. More information about the series can be found here, including videos from the actors who are playing the Doctor and Eve Miller.

The Pandorica Answers: Double Trouble

The evil Salamander looked identical to the Second Doctor in ‘The Enemy of the World’, which saw Patrick Troughton taking on both roles. ‘The Android Invasion’ showed the Kraals create a fake Earth, and ‘The Androids of Tara’ had Mary Tamm playing Romana, Princess Strella, and their two android doubles.

The next Pandorica Puzzle will be available to view on Friday from 10:00.

The Pandorica Puzzles: Double Trouble

Who did the evil Salamander look identical to in ‘The Enemy of the World’, what story saw the Kraals create a fake Earth, and what four characters did Mary Tamm play in ‘The Androids of Tara’?

Please post your answers in the comments section below.

The Pandorica Answers: Douglas Adams

The first script by Douglas Adams to appear in Doctor Who was ‘The Pirate Planet’ in Season 16. Adams wrote under the pseudonym of David Agnew for the Season 17 story ‘City of Death’, and became world-famous during this time for ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’.

The next Pandorica Puzzle will be available to view on Friday from 10:00.

The Pandorica Puzzles: Douglas Adams

What was the first script by Douglas Adams to appear in the Doctor Who ‘Key to Time’ season, which pseudonym did he write with for ‘City of Death’, and what is the name of the world-famous series of stories that he created?

Please post your answers in the comments section below.

The Pandorica Answers: Sil Stories

The two stories to feature Sil in the classic era of Doctor Who were called ‘Vengeance on Varos’ and ‘Mindwarp’, and starred Nabil Shaban. It was planned for Sil to appear alongside the Ice Warriors in ‘Mission to Magnus’, which was eventually abandoned when the series was put on hiatus.

The next Pandorica Puzzle will be available to view on Friday from 10:00.

The Pandorica Puzzles: Sil Stories

What were the names of the two stories to feature Sil in the classic era of Doctor Who, who played the character, and what enemy was it planned for Sil to appear alongside in the abandoned Season 23 story ‘Mission to Magnus’?

Please post your answers in the comments section below.

Burkey's Doctor Who Animated Series Videos

Burkey has released two new videos on his blog with introductions from the actors who will be voicing the Twelfth Doctor and Eve Miller in his animated series. Each of the videos features a brief discussion about how the characters will be played in the series, and also gives an insight into the journey they will be taken on.

I am currently writing a script for the sixth episode in the series, which has the title of ‘March of the Assassins’, and will see the Doctor and Eve meeting up with a very famous historical figure. I will reveal more information about the story nearer to the time of release on Burkey’s blog.

The Pandorica Answers: Cyberman History

The first story to introduce the Cybermen in the classic era of Doctor Who was ‘The Tenth Planet’, and the last in the classic era was ‘Silver Nemesis’. The Patrick Troughton story ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’ was the first to feature the Cybermats, and David Banks played the Cyber-Leader between ‘Earthshock’ and ‘Silver Nemesis’.

The Pandorica Puzzles: Cyberman History

What were the first and last stories to feature the Cybermen in the classic era of Doctor Who, which was the first to feature the Cybermats, and who played the Cyberleader from ‘Earthshock’ onwards?

Please post your answers in the comments section below.

The Pandorica Answers: New Millennium’s Eve

The Doctor Who story that was set on New Millennium’s Eve can either be referred to as ‘The TV Movie’ or ‘Enemy Within’, and starred Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor with Eric Roberts as the Master and Daphne Ashbrook as Dr Grace Holloway.

The next Pandorica Puzzle will be available to view on Friday from 10:00.