Weekly Who #16 Is a Fan Production

The Doctor who fandom is prolific. There are a lot of fan works being made in the Whoniverse. My aim this week is to highlight some more interesting corners of this wide world.

Fan Films:

  • Downtime: An unofficial 1995 sequel to the classic serials The Abominable Snowmen and The Web Of Fear. Downtime is about the Great Intelligence trying to use computers and brainwashing to conquer the planet and the lengths Sara Jane, The Brigadier and Kate Stewart go to to stop him. While not officially canon the fan film written by Marc Platt and directed by Christopher Barry is the first appearance of Kate Stewart who has gone on to fill her dad’s shows in the revived series. I have seen this movie (you can find it on DVD in region 2 or on YouTube.) It is pretty good fun seeing a lot of the Third Doctor Era companions back in the saddle and The Great Intelligence is as fun as he always is.
  • Devious: This as of this writing unfinished fan serial serves story wise as a bridge between The War Games and Spearhead From Space it is also the very last thing Jon Pertwee filmed at least in the role of The Third Doctor (he died in Connecticut a year after filming his part) all the live action filming has been done but the series has been cooking in post for over a decade. The first episode is up on YouTube so you can see part of it at least. It’s a little ropier than say Downtime (not like being ropey is new for the franchise or anything) but there is that sense of can do attitude and fun of all good fan films.
  • Zygon: When Being You Just Isn’t Enough: This rather curious oddity from BBV (a company that will get it’s own article about all the crazy and unethical shit it got up to) is both a paranoia conspiracy thriller and a softcore porn flick starring the shapeshifting B-listers The Zygons. It isn’t good but it is hilarious. If you can find it (I had to bum the DVD off a friend from highschool) and like bad movies it is a good time.

BBV_Zygon_Cover

Audio Dramas: Q: What is the longest uninterrupted run of Doctor Who content? A: The 30+ year running fan production known as The Doctor Who Audio Dramas. Starting in 1982 and releasing their latest episode a few days ago DWAD has carved out it’s own canon complete with 7(!) all original Doctors (The TV Show Doctors do exist in that canon the numbering of the DWAD Doctors is left purposefully vague.) True to form for Doctor Who they too have “missing episodes” with most of Vincent Savage’s and David Segal’s eras not available on the website. As I just found out about them I haven’t really heard any of their work. If any of you have please let me know how it is. https://dwad.net/wordpress/

Music (Trock is getting it’s own article later):

  • Doctor Who by Mankind: This1978 Disco hit (Reached Number 25 in the UK) is goofy cheese and I love it so.
  • Doctorin The TARDS by The KLF: The KLF got a number 1 single with this song using samples from the Theme Music, the Daleks, and some bits from Rock and Roll part 2 by uh Gary Glitter (ew)
  • Who is The Doctor by Jon Pertwee: Going back to the Third era is this single released by Pertwee and Rupert Hine which is a spoken word brag poem about The Doctor over an upbeat remix of the original theme.

Well that’s all I have for today. If there’s any fanworks you want to shout out please do so in the comments below!