By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
copyright Owen Quinn
While the Incredible Hulk was enjoying great ratings and success, an attempt was made to bring Spider-man to the small screen as a live-action series. This was a brave move because technology could only do so much in those days; there was none of your CGI enjoyed by Toby Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Hol,land.
Between 1977 and 1979 there were two seasons which, between them, consisted of thirteen episodes, including television movies like the last episode the Chinese Web, a two-hour special. Over the course of the episodes, Spiderman never fought any of his iconic enemies. The closest he got was an evil clone of himself and the telekinetic Mandak in the Curse of Rava. It was the lack of supervillains that brought heavy fan criticism, who also disliked changes to the comic book storylines and a reluctance from the network CBS to be known as the superhero network meant the show didn’t get the support it needed, despite solid ratings.
It probably also didn’t help that Spider-man creator Stan Lee disliked the show and was very vocal about it despite the fact he had a credit as a script consultant. The show was far from a failure and was cancelled at the behest of the CBS executives who cancelled Spider-man and Wonder Woman at the same time. The Incredible Hulk survived due to being so well loved by a broad range of audiences.
They did a great run at keeping Spidey’s powers as close as possible to the comics eg his spider sense and spider tracers which were a fan favourite. Even the webbing looked quite good but it was hard to disguise the fact he was swinging on a rope between buildings or ledges just like a stuntman but what could you do? It remained the only live action Spider-man until the movies.
What a difference the years make; there was superhero shows storming the ratings in the late 70s and the networks were frightened of being labelled like some sort of geek channel Now they are scrambling over themselves for the latest superhero property. Rumours abounded that they were going to amalgamate the cast of the Incredible Hulk and Spiderman for a new show. As I told you in my Hulk article, the Hulk made several TV movies that brought in other Marvel characters such as Thor and Daredevil. Spider-man and She Hulk were due to feature next but it never came to pass.
Did you know that the Spider-man comics were read by 84 million people back then? That is astounding, so putting time and effort into a top notch Spider-man show would have been brilliant but again we have to remember that technology was against the makers back then. There really was only so much you could do especially when the abilities that Spidey had in the comics – the aerial acrobatics – would be difficult, not to mention dangerous, above the streets of New York.
Nicholas Hammond, a child star most famous for being one of the Von Trapps in the Sound of Music, became the first face of Peter Parker. Although he seemed slightly older than the teenage Peter in the comics, he did manage that same life hates me attitude especially when he came up against newspaper boss J. Jonah Jameson played by David White in the pilot, then Robert F Smith in the series. However no other characters from the comic books appeared. This was fine for the Hulk, but the supporting cast of the Spider-man comics were vital to the entire structure of the Spidey-verse. This, and the pretty standard storylines, did the show no favours and 13 episodes over three years isn’t a great thing. It’s little wonder the webslinger fell by the wayside; the victim of stigma rather than popularity and ratings.For this young fan though it was truly amazing!
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Despite the success of Mark Ruffalo as Banner and the Hulk in this year’s Avengers movie, for many there has always been and always will be only one face for Bruce Banner and his green rage filled alter ego, the Hulk.
In the seventies, amid a whirl of bionics, Hardy Boys, Spider-man and Wonder Woman twirls, came the idea for an Incredible Hulk television series. Kenneth Johnson, responsible for the success of the bionic duo at the time, wrote the pilot which aired in November 1977 and oversaw the series using the same qualities he brought to all his shows and his greatest weapon was to humanize the characters. How else would we fall in love with a raging green giant monster?
None of your jolly green giants ramming sweetcorn down your throat here. The role of Doctor David Banner (no Bruce, his comic name here) was taken by Bill Bixby, a well loved actor who had just finished his role as the Magician.
The only choice for the role, Bixby gave the perfect portrayal of Banner as a dedicated scientist devoted to his wife as much as his work and desperate to prove his theories as to why human strength increased in times of great stress, something he failed to gain when his wife was killed in a car crash. Everyone knows the story which leaves Banner, believed to be dead by everyone bar a determined reporter, Jack McGee (played by Jack Colvin), travels alone in search of a cure to his affliction.
McGee would plague Banner, desperate to prove to the world who the Hulk is and gain him the greatest story ever. He knew no bounds to get what he wanted but on occasion even Jack had to admit, the Hulk was one of the good guys. The trademark green eyes just as Banner transforms is still burned into the public consciousness to this day. It was homaged even in the new movies, the Hulk and the Incredible Hulk both of which featured cameos from big green himself, bodybuilder, Lou Ferrigno.
Ferrigno was actually second choice to play the Hulk. For the first week it had been played by Richard Kiel, Jaws of James Bond fame. Kiel had the height but not the bulk while Lou had the bulk but not the height but that’s what camera angles are all about.
Another interesting fact was that the famous Hulk growl was provided by Ted Cassidy, Lurch from the Addam’s family and who played Bigfoot in the bionic battles. He also provided the opening narration which was kept when he died, aged 46, before the series aired.
Now, the series ran for 82 episodes over five seasons from 1978 -1982, yet never had any other superhero elements until the later TV movies alongside Thor and Daredevil. Instead, Banner would help people from evil landlords, drug dealers and criminals with entries into sci-fi territory a rarity. One episode the First saw Banner meet another man who had become a Hulk years previous, leading to a Hulk fist fest in the climax. To be honest the other Hulk looked like something out of Carry On Screaming making it laughable to today’s audiences but to this young fan it was amazing. The other episode two parter entitled Prometheus. This classic saw Banner trapped in mid-transformation with only a blind girl to help him. Dogged reporter Jack McGee was closing in. McGee, you see, believes the Hulk to be a murderer and that Banner is still alive. He would go to any lengths to prove it, including in this case, screwing with a hostile secret military establishment. Despite the lack of sci-fi fantasy elements, the Hulk is highly regarded as a classic and, for many, the definitive version.
In the two-part story Prometheus the stakes have never been higher for Banner as he is stuck between transformations after being exposed to a meteorite that is giving off vast amounts of gamma radiation. The military are tracking e meteor as they believe it is actually a UFO. We begin when David rescues a blind lady, Kathleen (guest star Laurie Prange), from drowning in the wilderness where she lives alone, having lost her sight only seven months previously. They form a strong friendship before a meteor smashes into the forest. Investigating alone, David is exposed to the radiation and, when attacked by bees, transforms into the Hulk who is then also exposed when he touches the meteor. However, unknown to both of them, the military are on their way to retrieve the meteor and they have Jack McGee tagging along.
Finding his way back to Kathleen’s house, David reverts back to human form. Almost. He finds himself stuck in mid change with the aggressive rage of the Hulk and unable to speak properly. He cannot remember the name for a meteor calling it a ‘rock from the sky’ and things get worse when the soldiers arrive to evacuate Kathleen, leaving David trapped and alone. This scene is electrifying on so many levels, evoking the comic strips and allowing Bixby to be the opposite of his usual calm, collected David.
His slips into rage before reining himself back in are edge-of-your-seat stuff. David has become an almost semi-sentient caveman, struggling with words as his very intelligence has also been affected by the locked transformation. His voice is deepened and he becomes a shadow of his former self. The dialogue is wonderful as Bixby retains the green skin and slightly muscled body along with those iconic green ‘the Hulk is coming’ eyes. Every fanboy and girl wet themselves when those iconic green eyes stayed on screen for as long as they did. You know this is Kenneth Johnson writing – and also directing in this case – because he goes for epic every time, Here not only does the Hulk fling trees like matchsticks but takes on a trio of helicopters in the first episode’s climax, preceding the movies by years.
The military have a huge red metal dome hanging from the bottom of one of the helicopters to airlift the meteor but instead use it as a Hulk trap. They think he is an alien and their theories that the meteor was piloted seemingly are indeed correct. This really is comic strip stuff as the Hulk and the helpless Kathleen are hoisted into the air, stuck in the dome which the Hulk cannot break.
Transported to an underground lab designed for alien containment, experts on aliens are called in to see his new discovery with Jack McGee still in tow. The Seven Million Dollar Man himself, Monte Markham, is the complex’s chief, who traps the Hulk in a holding field made of microwave particles.
This complex is the titular Prometheus, a place created for the day alien contact was made and where it could be contained in the event of hostilities. Slipping in undercover, McGee is able to access deep into the complex where he finds the very monster he has been searching for. However, attempts to communicate end up with an enraged Hulk smashing through the floor, when exposed to a piece of meteor, and escaping.
McGee takes Kathleen but she refuses to betray David to his nemesis. The Hulk manages to rescue her from his clutches and evade the complex personnel. For once, Magee shows he isn’t all bad when he stops the all out assault on Banner and tries to persuade him to come peacefully to try and cure him. But the military do learn two things; never fire tranquilizer darts at a half-formed Hulk or hurt his friends. In a final rage filled smash up, the Hulk manages to cause a massive explosion which destroys Prometheus in truly spectacular fashion allowing him and Kathleen to escape. Free from the gamma filled meteor, David is able to revert to his human form once again. Kathleen gains the confidence to return to the city and David takes to the road once more to the tune of those solitary piano keys that can bring a tear from a stone. Any wonder this show was a runaway success?
Sometimes the best ideas come from the simplest of questions and this epic came from a very simple one. What if people thought the Hulk was an alien? And this is epic as only Kenneth Johnson could do it. He brought a hurricane down on the bionic heroes and here uses the elements of the Hulk mythos to great effect. The huge dome he is trapped in, the caveman mid-transformation, unable to break through microwave shields but can rip a floor up, toss a tree and bring a chopper down with one flick of his muscles.
This stands as a great example of sci-fi superhero TV that has lasted the test of time. Everything from the green radiation Hulk eyes to the lonely piano theme that broke our hearts week after week to the fact that the Hulk always morphed into pants that fitted. In the last years, when Hulk returned for the made-for-television movies we saw the introduction of Thor, Daredevil and the Kingpin.
The attempt was already being made for the Marvel universe to interact with itself and the Hulk television series did it first. I for one have no doubt a certain Mister Whedon had Bixby and Ferrigno in his mind when he was writing the script for the Avengers…
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Photo copyright BBC
Once again, it’s Owen’s weekly look back over the legacy of characters who inhabit the worlds and universe of Doctor Who. We look at the characters, some you’ll know, many you won’t, who have formed the Doctor and his legacy…
It was the swinging sixties and the then producers of Doctor Who decided to reflect this in the Tardis crew. The character of Dodo had not really worked, so plans were made to write both her and Steven, played by Blue Peter’s Peter Purves, out of the show. With the imminent departure of William Hartnell, the producers felt the show needed a more relevant time-wise companion set. So seaman Ben Jackson was brought in, the boyfriend of glamour girl Polly Wright.
This new trend to set the Tardis in modern day settings really began in the War Machines, Ben and Polly’s debut story. It is common nowadays, but back then the show was changing direction to regain dwindling audiences. To this end, it was believed that bringing the Doctor closer to every day settings and landmarks such as the newly built Post Office tower, would help modernise the show and make audiences relate to it better.
Ben Jackson was an action man, naval to the back bone and would do anything to protect his friends. There is something magical about a sailor sailing the tides of time with the woman he loves by his side, an almost epic Greek story thread. He continued in the role started by Ian as the Doctor’s muscle, the action man ready to defend the old man at a moment’s notice. They first meet Smugglers in ancient England before being the first companions ever to hold a very special position. They not only meet the Cybermen for the first time in the Tenth Planet but are there to see the Doctor’s first regeneration. Ben has a hard time with it, seeing this new Doctor as an impostor but Polly isn’t so sure; she bonds with the second Doctor quickly as they face a new Dalek threat in Power of the Daleks. By the end of the story, Ben has come round and placed his loyalty with this new Doctor.
Ben and Polly’s presence here was probably one of the most vital in the show’s history. The producers had taken a massive gamble in changing a popular leading man and were not sure the gamble would pay off with the audience accepting Patrick Troughton in the role. This was despite William Hartnell declaring that there was only one man in England capable of replacing him and that was said mister Troughton. To put the first regeneration into perspective, it was a gamble on the scale of Bobby Ewing coming back in the shower and dismissing an entire season as a dream. So having Ben and Polly serving as two sides of the same coin in their reactions to this new man was a brilliant device for any audience uncertainty too.
Russell T Davies has always said the human companion is the doorway through which the audience enter the Doctor’s world. They ask the questions the audience have about any given story and in the Power of the Daleks, this had never been more important. By having the Doctor suddenly pop up in a new body, refer to himself in the third person and watch sadly as the jewelled ring favoured by the first Doctor slipped from his finger, it threw the audience whose questions and distrust were reflected in Ben, with the other accepting half being represented by Polly.
Over the next few adventures, Ben and Polly face the Underwater Menace where Polly is almost turned into a fish person in a hideous experiment before picking up new companion Jamie in the Scottish highlands in the Highlanders.
But the producers wanted change with this new Doctor again and the end was nigh for both of them. Jamie was never intended as a companion but something in Frazer Hines’ performance made them stop and look twice. He had a chemistry with this new Doctor that was missing from Ben and Polly. This new introduction was never more obvious than in the Moonbase where Jamie is unconscious for much of the story and Ben’s dialogue is spread between them.
After battling the Cybermen in the adventure The Moonbase, Ben and Polly find themselves back on Earth the day they left in the Faceless Ones. Ironically they leave in a story that once again reflects modern day London using Gatwick Airport and the then rage of package holidays. But ‘leave’ is a term I use loosely in this case because here the producers let the characters down badly. They had no exit story. They simply disappeared half way through and left a note for the Doctor, just as Dodo had done in their debut story. For me, this is sad and poor judgement on behalf of the production team. Viewers have invested time and emotion with these characters, billed as representing the new modern-day stance on Doctor Who and to simply have them have an off screen exit is insulting to the viewers and the fans. It was also a slap in the chops for both actors who proved popular and got caught up in the politics of behind the scenes changes.
Michael Craze, who played Ben, died a few years ago but was a convention regular and fans lapped his appearances up, especially when he appeared alongside Patrick Troughton who rarely ventured onto the convention circuit until his later years. Anneke Wills, glamour puss Polly, moved to Canada following her divorce from Hammer legend Michael Gough who played the Celestial Toymaker (and Alfred in the Burton and Schumacher Batman movies). She was so far away she didn’t realize the fondness people held for the show and her time in it.
Immediately she was swamped with convention requests and soon settled back into the fan adoration. When making the Doctor Who TV movie, Sylvester McCoy visited her as part of his making of video and for those that have never met her, it was a great opportunity to discover new things about an era that is mostly lost due to the BBC wiping of old episodes.
She has not only returned in novels like most others, but has literally single-handedly represented her era in the Companion Chronicle series for Big Finish which fans lap up.
Anneke has also released her autobiography which gives a good insight into her life and era.
Her contribution is vital since very little still exists of a very important era and it seems apt that one of those missing, presumed lost, episodes has been found. The Underwater Menace isn’t a great story but the recovery of one of its episodes is a valuable asset in completing the picture of the second Doctor’s lost era, especially those early days when Patrick Troughton took over one of the world’s most revered roles.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
copyright BBC
Once again we look back through the long history of TV’s longest running sci-fi show and spotlight one of the characters who helped form the character of the Doctor. This week, Harry Sullivan.
Harry Sullivan saw the first time a Doctor had travelled with the Doctor, the Time Lord being the definitive article as they say.
Played by Ian Marter, Harry would enter television history as part of the dream team in the golden era of the show.
Ian had previously appeared in the show as an officer on a ship terrorised by a sea monster in the third Doctor story Carnival of Monsters. When Pertwee decided to leave the show, the search for the fourth Doctor was a long and arduous one. It looked like the Doctor would be played by an older man so the producers came up with Harry who would be the action hero figure ala Ian Chesterton. However when Tom Baker was cast, it was obvious the character had to change.
Harry was assigned to look after the Doctor and he knew Sarah Jane Smith so when the Doctor decided to go on a trip, he took Harry along with him. He was charming, affable and a genuine nice guy except he had a terrible tendency to cause accidents and almost bring about disaster. As the Doctor claimed, having fallen down a ravine, ‘Harry Sullivan is an idiot!’.
He was very old-school and a gentleman, visibly shocked as Sarah Jane rebuffed his attempt to help her when she stumbled. Harry quickly became a fan and viewer favourite as he helped the Doctor battle Daleks, Sontarans, Wirrn, Zygons and Cybermen. Along with Sarah, he was the first to encounter Davros and his medical skills came into practice when the Doctor needed to dissect the dead body of the insectoid Wirrn which laid its young in human bodies on the space station Nerva. He was a cautious man but not afraid of facing these alien terrors.
But it is the story Terror of the Zygons that sticks in people’s minds when a Zygon disguised as Harry tries to kill Sarah Jane with a pitchfork in a hayloft before plummeting to his death that sticks in the mind. The fact that this scene disturbed so many people shows how endeared Harry had become to everyone and how brilliantly Ian played him.
Having stayed on Earth at the end of this story, Harry would return once more in the Android Invasion by Terry Nation, recently released as part of the UNIT files DVD boxset with Invasion of the Dinosaurs. The fourth Doctor, Harry and Sarah jane were the team to beat with all three turning on Blackpool Illuminations and attending countless promotions for the show.
Harry would never return to the show again as Ian died from a diabetic related heart attack but he was a convention favourite. He and Tom even wrote a Doctor Who movie script called Doctor Who meets Scratchman but nothing ever came of it. His photograph is in Sarah Jane’s attic in the Sarah Jane Adventures and is fondly remembered by her. In Mawdryn Undead the Brigadier told the Doctor Harry is doing undercover work.
Harry is also one of two companions, Turlough being the other, that had their own novel entitled Harry Sullivan’s war, a book series that attempted to show life for companions after the Doctor. The fact that he was chosen to launch this short lived series speaks volumes about him and the place he has in people’s hearts.
But he will forever live in that golden time when kids settled down on a Saturday evening to go with Harry, Sarah and the Doctor to places far beyond time and space. The bumbling gentleman lives on.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
The surprise appearance of Star Trek Insurrection on the tv the other day made me think of the first time I saw it. I also remembered the “fans” that automatically said the even numbered movies were better based on box office takings etc and this led me to wonder what they were thinking. Trapped in an illusion that Star Trek in whatever form would run forever, it was the in thing to do to diss an upcoming odd numbered Trek movie before anyone had seen it.
And this gets on my nerves. Judge after you watch something and be bloody grateful there is sci fi of any sort on the big and small screen. I remember the day when a choice of sci fi was few and far between. If you missed an episode that was it, you had missed it for good.
So this trend of blasting odd numbered trek movies astounds me. It was the first one I watched with absolutely no foreknowledge of what was to come which was a first for me ever. So I watched the thing as raw and was surprisingly delighted at the outcome.
Insurrection is a really strong narrative, tackling issues that are as relevant to today more so than back then.
Each layer of the story unfolds at a great pace, slowly drawing the viewer in as the characters learn of the mystery. Data has been injured while observing a new culture in a duck blind. Picard and co are called in to stop their now rogue officer but learn things are not as they seem, Bad Starfleet Admiral O’Doherty is working with a race called the So’na, secretly trying to relocate the peaceful Ba’Ku from their world via a hidden holoship. It turns out that Data was shot to prevent this being discovered.3 Picard and crew find themselves warming to this world and its people especially when they discover that this world is in fact bombarded by a type of radiation that keeps them young forever.
The themes are so relevant to today eg slowing down to see the beautiful moments in life to help keep you grounded, the plastic surgery necessities of the So’na race, the preservation of an unspoilt nature to keep our humanities intact and not to let technology overrun us. In this day and age the rat race consumes us and most people never stop to literally smell the roses. Plastic surgery has never been more prevalent and the simple act of playing has become lost as we try to make ends meet.
Here every character discovers something about themselves that they have lost over the years; Troi and Riker’s old feelings for each other resurface like love sick teenagers, Picard is taught to stop and enjoy the moments before they pass, Data learns to play, Worf goes through puberty but the most touching is Geordi, whose eyes grow back and he is able to see a sun rise for the first time. The movie is filled with panoramic views, the director completely making the most of the snow capped mountains and lakes along with the stunning sun rise skies. We know it’s Earth but for once it feels like the ideal world that could support the Fountain of Youth.
Remember we are witnessing a crew hardened as the Dominion War sucks them in and thousands are dying every day in the battle. So to see them find an oasis amid this carnage is perfect for the movie. We saw the effects of the war in Deep Space 9 and how traumatic they were but here, the war is a story book away as the Enterprise crew find a new lease of life; one that could very to a renewed strength that could win them the war.
After years of following orders, Picard’s insurrection comes as no surprise. His moral compass just as it did in Drumhead, cannot stand by and let these people be forced off their homes especially when the same thing nearly caused a massacre between Cardassians and Native Americans in the episode Journey’s End. Everything the crew does here fits in perfectly with the surrounding Trek universe and the situation they find themselves in.
The effects are particularly outstanding here too from the battle in space between theEnterpriseand the So’na ships to the energy collector that will destroy the world it has nurtured all these years. Even the scene when Picard is taught to slow down and see moments for what they are is excellent with the visual of the hummingbird.
Even the actors involved are heavyweight award winners and fan favourites. Ru’afo played by Murray Abraham is outstanding as the movie’s main villain and not just any madman. His evil is fuelled by revenge against his people, the Ba’ku themselves as in another cracking plot point we discover both races are one and the same and the fight here is one based on family rather than territory and strategic locations as the Federation thinks. This ties in with Picard’s family, theEnterprisecrew, standing by his side no matter what as opposed to Ru’afo’s struggling to believe his actions are for the good of his crew as they still have family among the Ba’Ku. His hatred of his loved ones ends with him and Picard trapped aboard a burning collector as theEnterprisedesperately speeds ahead of the exploding station to save him. And he can give Shatner a run for his monry in the famous “”KHANNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!” stakes.
This is a movie of parallels cleverly written and woven into a solid mystery that unfolds a layer at a time. The interaction between the leads is flawless, a real family with plenty of humour that springs naturally from the story eg Data testing the theory that Riker’s newly shaven chin is as smooth as an android’s bottom and Data becoming an underwater explorer. Beautifully acted, beautifully shot, Insurrection is the perfect Trek movie to remind us that life can consume us and to slow down as well as to appreciate those around us as well as the world itself.
The end shot of the crew standing together as they beam back to the Enterprise with a renewed determination to fight the Dominion and protect their own paradise is as classic as Kirk and co beaming back to the Enterprise at the end of City at the Edge of Forever.
So the next time anyone tries to tell you the odd numbered Trek movies aren’t so good, stop a moment and take another look. You might just be surprised at how good this one really is.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Doctor Who: 1001 Nights Published by: Big Finish Starring: Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton
Peter Davison has often said he would loved to have had Nyssa as his solitary companion in the television series and thanks to the cliffhanger at the end of his first season where Tegan was left behind on Earth at Heathrow airport, there is a gap in the canon where the fifth Doctor and Nyssa were the only occupants of the Tardis. Big Finish has taken this opportunity to tell tales of these stories and 1001 Nights is no exception.
Here we find Nyssa at the hands of a Sultan played by Deep Space 9 and Primeval star Alexander Siddig. To keep the Doctor alive, Nyssa must tell the Sultan stories of monsters and far away lands to keep him entertained. But at first glance they may seem a parochial tale to tell other shorter stories but it turns out to be much more. Even the opening scene which sees the Doctor and Nyssa battling a rock monster with magic and flying carpets is a nice nod to exaggeration in storytelling. The events must be made more fantastical to keep the Sultan’s attention. Sarah Sutton does a great job of portraying a girl from a placid society standing alone in the face of adversity. She must break through the Sultan’s arrogance to convince him that his land is facing a terrible danger from demons; demons that only the Doctor can defeat.
The Ganther have left a beacon behind in the Sultan’s palace somewhere and the aliens they work for are on their way. But this matters not to the Sultan; all he wants to know about is stories about the travellers’ adventures in time and space. But, with the Doctor locked in a dungeon, can Nyssa survive long enough to buy the Doctor enough time to escape? As Nyssa faces her own mortality, the Doctor discovers prisoners that hate their cells being broken into and something else. But don’t be fooled thinking this is just Nyssa telling story after story. When you least expect it, the story kicks off in a new direction which spins a new take on an old theme.
Peter Davison does his usual sterling job (loved his line, ‘I’m quite good with corridors’), Alexander Siddig lights up anything he is in (having met him in real life, I am slightly biased) and Sarah Sutton adds layers to Nyssa that should have been done on television. Often the companions of those days fell foul of sloppy and lazy writing and, with the crowded Tardis, Nyssa was lost in the crowd of Adric and Tegan and then Turlough. Thankfully the Big Finish range has taken these characters and made them all what they should have been all along.
Overall, a very entertaining story that has left me with a burning desire to see a certain person in the role of the Doctor. Listen and see if you agree with me…
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
This week it’s one of the most recent companions, the very lovely Martha Jones…
Photo copyright BBC
I have to say from the get go that I love Martha Jones. Rose and her love sick pining just didn’t do it for me so when Martha, a trainee doctor, met the tenth Doctor when her hospital was transported to the moon, we knew from the start Martha was destined for other things.
Her mum and dad were separated, her dad having met a blond bimbo, and in a scene for her sister’s birthday the Jones showed they had their own problems and follies.
Martha, played by the beautiful Freema Agyeman, impressed the Doctor right from the start with her attitude and reasoning. Having her hospital pulled to the moon and filled with rhino policemen simply didn’t faze her. She faced down the Judoon and fought the Doctor’s corner even though they had only just met. If it hadn’t been for Martha, the Doctor and everyone else would have died on the moon.
When the Doctor was attacked by a Plasmavore, Martha had to perform CPR on him in order to stop an MRI machine exploding wiping out half the Earth. She broke though the Doctor’s grieving over losing Rose and in that meeting she found herself falling for this strange alien in a police box. William Shakespeare fell in love with her as they battled deadly witches, the alien Carrionites. She was present when the Face of Boe died and brought New New York back to life from an eternal traffic jam in Gridlock where the Doctor admitted to her the story of how the Time Lords died. In Daleks in Manhattan the Doctor trusted her enough to work out what the Dalek building requirements for the Empire State Building really meant and her medical skills were put to good use. She became a fully fledged time traveller in the Lazarus Experiment and was almost plunged into a sun in 42.
And although the Doctor never noticed her feelings for him, I would argue she was the Doctor’s most trusted companion in a long time. Never before had he placed his own safety in another’s hands as he did in the two part Family of Blood story where he had to turn himself into a human to hide from aliens that wanted to feed off his Time Lord energy. Martha posed as his maid to keep him safe but she faced prejudice and racism and never once complained. The Doctor was her friend and no one was going to hurt him on Martha’s watch. And all the while she secretly hoped he would look twice at her and maybe return her feelings for him. But Martha carried the greatest responsibility of any companion ever when she was tasked with walking the Earth spreading the word of the Doctor when the Master and the Toclafane devastated the Earth. Her family were slaves aboard the UNIT ship, the Valiant, along with Jack Harkness and the Doctor who was aged hundreds of years and kept in a cage.
All the while, she was hunted by the Master and it’s all credit to her that she managed to avoid being captured and single handedly spurred the resistance on to complete the Doctor’s plan. She saw whole continents burned to a crisp and mass extermination of the human race but she ploughed on. That the fate of the world lay with a trainee doctor speaks volumes about how much she trusted the Time Lord. She became as much of a legend and light in the darkness to the human race during the year that never happened as the Doctor did.
It also says a lot that not even the Master, who knew every one of the Doctor’s tricks, failed to find her, despite a global man hunt. These events were covered in the novel from BBC books, Martha’s story. But in one of the best departures ever, she told the Doctor how she felt and her family were now her priority having witnessed the destruction of millions. Although the Doctor managed to reset time so none of it happened, those aboard the Valiant remembered everything, to the point where her mother Francine was prepared to shoot the Master for his crimes. It also brought Martha’s estranged parents back together, having rediscovered their love for each other while as slaves to the Master. But that was not the end of Martha’s story. The Doctor didn’t want her to leave but accepted it. Ultimately he felt guilty over not being able to return her unrequited love. To make amends, he got in contact with UNIT allowing Martha became a fully qualified doctor and securing a job with them. But before she was reunited with the Doctor in the Sontaran Stratagem, Martha had a stint in spin-off series Torchwood, helping Jack with a trilogy of cases. The bond they both shared having seen the Earth destroyed at the hands of the Master bound them in ways no one else could appreciate. She had also gotten engaged to Doctor Tom Milligan, whom she had met in the other reality where he gave his life to save her from being executed by the Master. This was a more confident and secure Martha that could deal with anything, including being aged by death itself.
The Doctor’s treatment of Martha obviously bothered him as he told Donna Noble all about it as shown when they were reunited in the two part Sontaran Stratagem. Martha called the Doctor back to Earth to solve the problem of Atmos, a car system being used by the Sontarans to change the atmosphere in order to turn the planet into a new cloning facility to produce millions of new troops. Donna was appalled that Martha had become a soldier working for UNIT, wondering if life with the Doctor left all his friends like that but the Doctor said he needed people like Martha in such organisations to help keep them human and change the military mind from within. Donna was intent on travelling with the Doctor forever but Martha warned her that life with the Doctor could burn her more than she realized. Seeing the Doctor again, she knew she had made the right decision to leave but was flung into another adventure when the Tardis took them to meet the Doctor’s Daughter where the needless death of an alien ensured Martha could not stay anymore. As much as she missed the Tardis, it ensured, in her head, that she had made the right decision. She returned home once more, but fate would decree that she would cross paths with the Doctor once more.
The Dalek invasion of The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End story forced her to become centre stage again. Taking in both Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures, all the Doctor’s companions and friends came together to stop Davros from detonating a reality bomb, Martha had the most difficult decision of all. She was ordered by UNIT to activate a device that would destroy the Earth completely by detonating a series of nuclear bombs under the surface, effectively breaking the planet apart.
The Doctor was appalled, but Martha had learned from him and gave Davros the chance to retreat and return Earth back where it belonged. The fact she that was prepared to wipe out her homeworld gives her bigger balls than any companionbefore or since and her story arc was beautifully evolved. Who would have thought the young doctor would be capable of such an act? But her travels had shown her that aliens rarely had such moral views. So to protect humanity she would wipe it out. The memories of the Master’s dictatorship clearly left deep scars.
She also refused a permanent place in Torchwood, instead teaming up and marrying Mickey Smith to fight aliens once more as seen in the end of time. And, as far as we know, she is still out there keeping her family – and ours – safe.
What do writers have in common? What are the challenges and how do they overcome and get their work published and broadcasted. Join Owen Quinn and Laurence Doherty in today’s conversation of Belfast Writers .
Every hero needs their equal arch enemy. the Doctor has the Master. Sherlock has Moriarty. So the Time Warriors have The Collector.
Long before I knew the Marvel Universe had their own collector, I grew mine from a simple premise. I’ve been collecting sci fi merchandise for years and have seen just how far some collectors will go to complete or add to their collections. So what if I took that to the extreme where entire planets were seen as collectibles? And what if OI personified it in a man of mystery called The Collector? How far would one person go to secure the most prized of possessions?
In Book one First Footstep we meet the Collector in the story Tombs of Ether. When Tyran is kidnapped by an alien organic drop ship, she finds herself alone and cut off from the others on the impossible world of Ether. The native species have been subjugated by the alien mercenary armies of the Vorg. They are under contract with the Collector whom has an intense interest in the reptilian inhabitants of Ether.
Tyran finds herself in the middle of a war for knowledge, of histories long forgotten; of universal secrets that lie within the very minds of the Etherians themselves. Therr is nothing humble about the Collector. When he wants something he takes it no matter what the cost to others. He wants the Etherian species and Tyran is an obstacle to that goal. Below is his entrance into the story.
This one was different.
His stride was confident, his frame possessing an arrogance that matched his stature.
His shoulder length white hair swung proudly around the red skinned face which made the full mouth of teeth shine like the moon over the Katarsis Lakes on the Vorg home world.
The nose was slender but gave him a regal air. The perfect skin, the intense blue eyes, betrayed nothing but determination. The clothes were a rich fabric the General had not seen since the fall of his civilization. A gorgeous royal navy shirt clasped at the neck by a gold pin matched his fitted black trousers, tucked into shiny knee length boots was completed by a long cloak of a deep saffron color, its edges trimmed with gold lilt.
He called himself the Collector, his real name a mystery and his attire gave one the impression he only liked the richest, most luxurious things in life.
He considers himself above all other beings in the universe taking great pleasure in taunting General Tork of the Vorg army. The Vorg were decimated in a war and now are restoring their world by hiring themselves out for hire. Against Tork’s better instincts he has agreed to a work for the Collector for a very handsome price that will go far to restoring the Vorg homeworld.
This turn in misfortune only serves to give ammunition for the Collector to lord it over his employees. His reaction to tyran is very different. There is an attraction there for him. With Tyran firmly on his radar he takes it as a personal insult when she manages to turn the tables on him and force him off Ether without his prize.
There is a cold determination that runs through the Collector. He has seen much and possesses tech that has been collected from other species. He has the ability to force time forward which he does on helpless Etherian triggering a change that brings him one step nearer to securing the Etherian secret.
Defeated he leaves Tyran with a chilling warning; that he knows where Earth is.
This time round we find him a prisoner of the Cavalandrians, lemur type empathic creatures that are on the verge of being exterminated by the fur trading Karosians. This time he has changed his hair and skin colour but still retains that flamboyant style and sharp tongue. and On the surface the Collector seems to be genuinely trying to save the Cavalnadrians from this fate. He offers them a refuge in his collection which will allow them to survive and thrive free from fear of being skinned. The arrival of the Time Warriors and their mistrust of him confuses the issue for th Cavalandrians. It delays their decision and the Karosians attack. Such is his passion Tyran begins to doubt he is being his usual nasty self. Could it be The Collector really is the ebst hope for the Cavalandrians?
Forced to fight together, the Time Warriors and the Collector cause more destruction than good. By the end of the story the Collector is one unhappy bunny with the Time Warriors. There is no doubt he intends to pay them back for their interference.
I know when the Collector is coming back and I can’t wait to write it because this time we are going to see what he is all about. Roll on The Time Warriors Vengeance.
One of my earliest memories is going to my uncle’s house late at night. They were watching one of the old Dracula black and white movies starring Bela Lugosi. I was terrified and they turned it off just for me.
However, scared as I was I couldn’t help but be lured back by these movies. The more I watched them the more questions I had about vampires. Barlow in Salem’s Lot absolutely terrified me as a kid and still does right up until this very day. But I wondered why he moved as he did. Why send Straker ahead to establish a foothold before consuming the entire town? It was clear he had travelled all over Europe repeating this behaviour. But to what Purpose? He had enough for an army of vampires to go forth and convert all humans but that wasn’t his plan. So what was his purpose? Why did Dracula always go after virgins? Did they have signs on their heads? Did vampires have a ‘I’ve not had sex ever’ radar? What was their purpose? Skulk about the world in secret feeding on the innocent didn’t seem to be a reason to be for any species so in those moments not only was the Time Warriors universe born but so was one of their biggest and deadliest foes; the Veldrox.
But there have been many different vampires over the years with various drives, motives and appearances. For one, in Dracula 2000 we learned that Dracula was in fact Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. While not the greatest movie, it utilises the lore of the vampire to explain their aversion to silver and all things religious. But I had to come up with an unique angle that would deliver vampires we all know but give us a different and new dimensions that would fit only the Time Warriors universe but give us a base to build upon for future encounters. Enemies have to be unique as possible and avoid being carbon copies of other races already established in other sci fi shows eg the Klingons and Kazons in Star Trek. It’s not easy given the wide history of aliens in science fiction and fantasy.
Photo copyright Owen Quinn
The Veldrox make their debut in the full length novel, Venom. Following the events in Tempest, a newly reunited Michael and Rachel head off to the Irish seaside town of Ballybraken for some much needed time together. However it isn’t long before they discover the local monastery is harbouring a dark secret that threatens the safety of the entire planet. Bally braken is more than just another family holiday destination. It is the launch pad for an deadly invasion.
The Veldrox are an ancient species scattered across space who drift from planet to planet in a crystalline cocoon they spin from their own bodies. Once they land on a planet they begin reaching out to those mentally vulnerable and recruit them to their cause. Those of us who feel isolated or suffering from the loss of loved one are easy prey for a Veldrox. It takes those feelings of depression and pain and give you a way out. It promises to stop the pain and before you know it you have fallen under its influence. It doesn’t want to outright kill anyone as the entire populace serves every facet of its plan. However that doesn’t mean it won’t kill anyone that gets in the way as the Time Warriors find out. In appearance they are broad muscled creatures with bat wings. Facially they are a cross between a wolf and a bat. Their bite is enough to infect a victim with the venom that will change them into a subservient drone.
The monks are all in fact servants of the Veldrox who have kept their master hidden in the catacombs until they can release him onto the world. They can only do that by getting the crew of a nearby gas rig to dig something up that is buried in the seabed where they are drilling and sacrifice Rachel to their master. Her unique biology makes her the perfect vessel to restore the Veldrox.
With Rachel gone Michael, Varran, Tyran and Jacke must fight as the townspeople are bitten and become Veldrox drones as depicted on the book cover. But as I said, these are vampires with a difference. As the Time Warriors begin to fall and Varran finds his home is no longer his castle the Veldrox launch their attack. With only the head of the gas rig and mysterious lighthouse keeper as their only allies, Varran must face down a town of vampires and their Veldrox master before the rest of Earth falls.
The Veldrox are what I call ‘eloquent evil,’ a phrase I heard Clive Barker use to describe villains. They are master manipulators of the human mind twisting our very religions to convince us their way is the right path. Pain and loss and suffering can bring down the best of us to the point where we will do anything even reverse time to get back what we have lost. Unlike the vampires of 30 Days of Night the Veldrox have no interest in drinking your blood or ripping you from limb from limb; they are only interested in converting you to a drone that will infect as many other humans as possible. The destruction of Earth is not their goal; they are going to turn it into a food factory and bring the remaining Veldrox to Earth to restore the species. When they discover that Varran has in his possession a fully working time machine their plans seem set to succeed. Who are the Cult of Veldrox? Why are the legendary crystal skulls the most dangerous thing on the planet? What is the legacy of the Veldrox?
Their mythos deepens in the story The Skull when Jarvis Cochrane, a scheming millionaire’s son and ancient grave robber steals a crystal skull from Peru.He flees to Europe to Brussels where women begin disappearing. A serial killer is at large in 1975.
Varran and the others are called to help transgender police detective Catalina in the seventies find the killer. However when mysterious natives from the Peru arrive to find the skull themselves and Jacke disappears changing the original timeline, the race is on to stop the resurrection of the Veldrox.
There is still a lot more to learn about the origins of the Veldrox but these two encounters have left a deep mental scar on the Time Warriors that they will carry for the rest of their lives.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 
