vivdunstan: Sidney Paget drawing of Holmes and Watson in a railway carriage (sherlock holmes)
Recently I reread "The Musgrave Ritual" story in the Sherlock Holmes canon. I blogged my thoughts then. In a nutshell it's one of my favourite all time Sherlock Holmes stories, revolving around an old riddle and a treasure hunt. I mentioned in that blog that I planned to rewatch the Jeremy Brett version, and newly watch the Basil Rathbone film version. I've done that now, so will jot down some brief thoughts. Note there are some spoilers in here, though light.

Firstly I rewatched the Jeremy Brett TV version from 1986. This takes some liberties with the plot, which in the original story involved a young Holmes on his own in the past, but here was changed to Holmes and Watson going together to a countryside manor for Holmes to recuperate. There are lots of little elements even early on retained and reworked from the original story, such as Holmes having a big box full of old case papers that tantalise Watson. The TV version puts the story of the manor's butler firmly in the forefront, and we see this back story play out early on. James Hazeldine as butler Brunton is extremely effective, and carries his scenes very well. A few small changes are made to the treasure hunt itself, but the story is otherwise largely faithful. And those changes that are made are effective for transferring it to a TV episode. Good stuff.



The Basil Rathbone 1943 movie version is a much looser retelling, but charming in its own way. Here Watson - during WW2 Britain - is working in a Northumberland convalescence home for servicemen suffering from shell shock. And a series of murders lead him to call in Holmes for help. In this version of the story there are three members of the Musgrave family to meet, not one as in the original story, plus a characterful group of wounded servicemen, who are superbly written and acted. The butler Brunton is retained, though here with a wife. And there's another medic, and also the American airman that Sally Musgrave is in love with. The ritual is totally reworked, not really recognisable from Conan Doyle's original. Rather than a hunt around the physical grounds of the manor, this ritual leads to a giant chess game in the house, with the inhabitants playing the chess pieces as Holmes shouts out moves. Ultimately the secret treasure is uncovered and there is a satisfying ending. But it doesn't feel much like the original story. But, as I said, I like it. The direction is dynamic, with sometimes amazing special effects for 1943. The cast of British and American actors generally do a great job, with only a few dodgy accents (London-born Dennis Hoey as Lestrade has a surprisingly poor accent). The film is a little over an hour long, but full of incident and interest, and kept my attention throughout.



So two fun but different retellings of this Arthur Conan Doyle story. My favourite is the Jeremy Brett version, which is more faithful, and also features my all-time favourite Holmes and Watson pairing of actors. But the Basil Rathbone version is a delight in its own way. There's also a 1912 short silent film version of the story, that can be viewed on the story's Wikipedia page.
vivdunstan: Scene from The Greatest Enemy episode of Robin of Sherwood (robin of sherwood)
Newly arrived in the post, the newly published 1987 annual for Robin of Sherwood from Chinbeard Books. This looks fantastic! They still have a few copies of this one-off limited print run left to order.





vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Prompted by the Broughty Ferry Guide and Advertiser going partially online.

Searching for our unusually named street (which has a couple of spellings, including in the past two sets of differently spelled street signs!) finds lots of references to one set of neighbours especially, including advertisements for beauty classes and hair styling, planning permission for a conservatory, their daughter marrying in 1992 with a huge photo and very lengthy report, and a 1982 impromptu charity fundraising jumble sale held by their kids and others held in their drive and the drive of neighbours over the road from us.

For our other immediate neighbours we find a big wedding photo for their daughter. And for our house find the death notice of the 1986 husband of the couple here. His widow lived here for many years after then before we moved in.

Charmed by the extra insights and glimpses into life in the street before we moved in here 21 years ago. And not just the street, but our very immediate neighbours, the two couples living either side of us, and also the couple directly over the road. Who are all still living here today.

Note some of these reports were found in the newly digitised Broughty Ferry paper, but others were found in a more general search of the British Newspaper Archive e.g. for "15 unusual street name", which turned up more references in other local papers, especially the Dundee Courier.

P.S. Also just found the report of a 1992 wedding + photo of a daughter of the couple immediately over the road (the ones where the 1982 jumble sale was partially held in their drive), and also a 1992 engagement notice for their other daughter.
vivdunstan: (fourth doctor)
Another in this slow going series from me, and this time I'm going for the easiest fandom of all for me to tackle!

I first started watching Doctor Who in 1978, aged 5, very shortly to be 6, with "The Ribos Operation" and the Key to Time 16th series with Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor paired with the glorious Mary Tamm as the first Romana. I was vaguely aware of Doctor Who before, but don't think I'd ever properly watched it. Certainly when I got my first Doctor Who annual, which featured Louise Jameson's Leela, I was utterly baffled. Though happy to go with the flow.

From that moment on Doctor Who was a fixed viewing point in our house, with Dad and me both hugely enjoying it. I loved the first version of Romana, but was shocked by the second - my first experience of Time Lord regeneration. And then we got to Logopolis, and yes, that was a shock too. Though I recognised Peter Davison from All Creatures Great and Small, and quickly took to his version of the Doctor with no problems.

I continued as a fan throughout the 1980s. Dad was often exasperated by some of the 1980s Doctors, especially Sylvester McCoy, but I remained a fan throughout. Loved the often bonkers storytelling. It did feel very much of its time. I continued to get a Doctor Who annual most years, but never joined fan organisations then like DWAS. Though I was generally reading Doctor Who Magazine every month throughout the 1980s.

I do remember trying to see a Doctor Who exhibition at Burntisland. My parents and I travelled the long distance up from the Scottish Borders by car, then got a train near Edinburgh to go over to Fife for the day. And there was supposed to be a Doctor Who exhibition there. But it wasn't there when we got there. I was disappointed. Though I do remember enjoying a helter skelter!

And then we got to 1989, and the end of TV Who. And I fell away. I remember joining a Doctor Who fan club at St Andrews University in 1990, but had a really unpleasant experience as a female fan and immediately left. It's just possible that it was a more generic scifi fan club, though if so I think it was still heavily Who leaning. I never knew about the Virgin New Adventures novels at the time, and completely stopped reading Doctor Who Magazine.

Then, somehow, and I still don't know how it happened, I completely missed that there was going to be a new Doctor Who TV Movie in 1996. I didn't even know it was on. Martin also failed to notice that - he would have mentioned it if he'd seen it. So we completely missed it. I also had no idea for many years that Paul McGann had played the part.

And that was how things remained, until 26th September 2003, and the news that Doctor Who was going to return with a new series. I saw that news on Ceefax, and it was like a total bolt out of the blue. And prompted me to return to the series, check out some books that had come out, start reading Doctor Who Magazine regularly again, and try my first Big Finish audio: The Chimes of Midnight, with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor I'd never heard or seen before. Listened to on my own in our new home in 2004. Magic.
vivdunstan: Test card (tv)
Finally starting our annual rewatch. The remastered Bluray arrived this afternoon. We’re going to slowly rewatch the six episodes over the coming weeks (we would normally have started 8 days ago) and save the 100+ minute new documentary for just before Christmas. First impressions from the remaster are good. Much is still relatively soft in appearance, but there’s a limit to what they could do with the original filming stock. But many moments now pop out of the screen. Very happy viewers in this house 🙂

vivdunstan: Test card (tv)
Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, The Box of Delights much loved TV version was first shown in 1984 by the BBC, starring Devin Stanfield and Patrick Troughton. I adore it, and mention it here a lot!

It is getting a remastered new Blu-ray and DVD rerelease next week, including a very lengthy new "making of" documentary. But it's also going to be aired on the telly again, in the weeks running up to Christmas, starting with two episodes on the night of 7th December 2024. More details at the Radio Times article about the repeat. There is also a full page article about the programme's anniversary in next week's Radio Times print issue.
vivdunstan: Scene from The Greatest Enemy episode of Robin of Sherwood (robin of sherwood)
Currently enjoying listening to the newly rereleased Robin of Sherwood album Legend from Clannad. Newly remastered and extended with tracks long lost. Both Martin and I had the original version of the album as youngsters.

vivdunstan: Muppet eating a computer (computer)
Me just now: “I wonder what my 3rd favourite computing book would be?” I rediscovered my 2nd favourite today, complete with school prize bookplate in there. I had form for spending school prizes on computing books! Even a 5th year French prize on a Pascal programming book 😜 Will ponder. Then probably blog about it. So far we’re talking 1980s though.
vivdunstan: Test card (tv)
OMG! The 1984 BBC version of "The Box of Delights" is coming out on Blu-ray in November! Including new special features, such as "Time And Tide – Making The Box of Delights". We rewatch this series every year in the run up to Christmas!

vivdunstan: Photo from our wedding in Langholm (wedding)
Another 3-card past/present/future spread, using the Urban Crow oracle deck. And musings on how these might relate to my current circumstances.

Gifts / Commitment / Play. Generally the guidebook for the cards suggests viewing them non literally, more symbolic/metaphorically. But in this case I'm just going to go for the literal approach.

It's my birthday imminently, and I've already started getting some treats. Today I got an almost birthday present for self, that I would have asked for as a present, but it was selling out so quickly on a limited print run, so I ordered it anyway. It's a book about Commodore 64 SID music composer Rob Hubbard, famed for legendary 1980s British computer music such as "Monty on the Run". There are still some copies left to buy, but it is selling well, and won't be reprinted.

Looking simply at the Commitment card I'm reminded of our upcoming 30th wedding anniversary. I have been extremely lucky with my choice of husband, and despite my ill health it's been a happy 30 years together. It hardly seems any time, certainly not that long! To be fair I still feel 21! But we will be remembering the day 30 years ago in September when we eloped, aged 22 and 23.

And Play, well I need to still make an effort to have fun. I am severely disabled from my progressive neurological disease, and largely bedbound now. Happy working on academic research projects and journal papers. But I need to have fun too. That's important.

vivdunstan: Scene from The Greatest Enemy episode of Robin of Sherwood (robin of sherwood)
Irish musicians Clannad composed the unforgettable music to TV series Robin of Sherwood 40 years ago. At the time they released album Legend, containing some of the music. But there were more tracks, lost for many years. This year they are rereleasing Legend, adding 11 unreleased extra tracks. It is available to buy on double CD or double Vinyl album. I have just preordered us the double CD. And will aim to buy it digitally on iTunes too.
vivdunstan: (tolkien)
I'm lining up some Tolkien animated films for us to watch. I have seen the 1978 animated Lord of the Rings before. Long, long ago in the 1980s. And I can't remember much of it. I have never seen the 1977 Hobbit, or the 1980 Return of the King. Martin has never seen any of them.

Frustratingly of these only the 1978 LOTR is available for streaming in the UK. I've previously nabbed that for us in iTunes, so we can watch that easily.

However I'd like to watch The Hobbit film first. Which isn't streamable in the UK. But I'm now nabbing a Spanish-released DVD. Which includes the original English language audio.

As for sourcing animated Return of the King, well that remains elusive, at least without a region-free player.

But yup. Animated Hobbit and LOTR coming up soon for us. This may be *interesting*.

vivdunstan: Photo of little me in a red mac at Hawick (hawick)
Crikey just found this in the British Newspaper Archive. The Southern Reporter, 1988 June 30. That's me on the left. I do not remember that photo being taken.

vivdunstan: (sapphire and steel)
I thought I'd write up some brief thoughts on these, ranging over the TV series, Big Finish audios (which are now newly rereleased), the annual book and Look-In comic strips. Note there will be slight spoilers below, so beware. As a reminder Sapphire & Steel was a British spooky/scifi TV series, airing on ITV between 1979 and 1982. Lots more information is available on its Wikipedia page

From the original TV series, which had six stories, two of them are strongest for me. The second story, set in an abandoned railway station, and the fourth story, the one with the man without a face. Both unnerved me far more than anything else in the TV series, and leave thoughts of lingering horror long after! This is a good thing though. The series achieved its aims. But it is also terrifying. The railway station is one of the stories with some of the darkest plot elements in it. And the images in the other story, especially for a young child as I was when first watching, are almost primal in their horror.

From the Big Finish audio series there are a number of stories that stand out for me. The first is the opening one, The Passenger, where we newly meet the recast Sapphire & Steel on a train journey. In many ways it's a best of, with lots of familiar elements from the TV series reused well. But it also acts effectively as a great introduction to the new series. And nicely introduces an ongoing fellow element, Gold, played by Mark Gatiss.

Another highlight story early on in the audio series for me was All Fall Down. This was set in a historical archive, where objects are potential triggers for the past. Obviously this appealed to a historian like me. But it's also a really good storytelling idea for Sapphire & Steel, giving a tight location combined with atmospheric triggers leading to the past. Nicely we also encounter Silver, another element from the TV series, again played by David Collings.

My two favourite stories from the second Big Finish audio series are The Surest Poison and Water Like A Stone. The first revolves around the history of a valuable old watch, and again includes shifts through time. The other story is set in an abandoned theatre, and introduces yet another element, Ruby, played by Big Finish stalwart Lisa Bowerman. Who recurs in stories after this one.

The third season of the audio series was more of a mixed batch, though I did like the experimentation of opening story Second Sight. But for me the strongest stories were definitely in the earlier years. And I would highly recommend any of the audio series to TV series S&S fans.

I reviewed the 1981 Sapphire & Steel annual for a fan publication, so have detailed notes on that too. It is - like Doctor Who annuals from the same era - plagued with some seriously dodgy artwork and non likenesses. Like them it was a World publications book! However there were some nice text stories. And I'd like to especially mention the fourth story set in an astronomical observatory, but again with historic elements. This was the strongest story for me in the book, and very atmospheric.

There was also an ongoing series of Sapphire & Steel comic strips in Look-In children's TV magazine. I loved these, but haven't seen them for many years. There used to a (dodgy) digitised version online, but I think that vanished long ago. Fingers crossed for a reprint, perhaps from Chinbeard Books who have reprinted the Robin of Sherwood Look-In comic strips. I have an especially vivid memory of one of the Sapphire & Steel comic strips involving a ship in a bottle, and Sapphire and Steel somehow getting trapped on the ship. But I'm not sure how reliable that memory is. It was a great series of strips though.
vivdunstan: Scene from The Greatest Enemy episode of Robin of Sherwood (robin of sherwood)
I thought it might be nice to do a series of blog posts about fandoms I engaged with at a very early stage. I was born in the early 1970s, so as a youngster particularly enjoyed TV from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s.

First up it's Robin of Sherwood, the ITV version of the legend that aired from 1984-1986. I loved this: an intoxicating mix of myth, folklore, magic, action and romance. All in gorgeous countryside too. And made even better with a soundtrack by Irish folk group Clannad. Just fab stuff. Though I'm very much more of a fan of the first Robin incarnation played by Michael Praed. I struggled when Jason Connery took over. It was rather similar to how I felt when Romana regenerated in Doctor Who, even if I did get used to it.

In terms of organised fandom I was a member of Forest, a Robin of Sherwood fan club based in Glasgow, Scotland, that existed from 1986-1988. I never attended any events in person, but got a regular fanzine through the post. I also entered their competitions, and won a script from "The Swords of Wayland", signed by series creator and writer Richard Carpenter. My original prize went missing in the post, but when I queried it later Richard (or "Kip") sent me a replacement himself.

It was many years before I saw Robin of Sherwood again after the series ended. I am part way through a rewatch again now (it's on Britbox, and there is a Blu-ray release). It's still magic. The best TV or film version of the Robin Hood legend for me. And absolutely a product of the 1980s.

vivdunstan: Test card (tv)
Tonight we'll start our annual rewatch of the 1984 BBC TV version of The Box of Delights. Every year we watch it on the 6 Sundays before Christmas. Looking forward to it! It's the most wonderfully festive thing ever. This year we will be digging out the DVD again (image below) because it's no longer on Britbox.

vivdunstan: Test card (tv)
I've been working through some of the old TV programmes on Britbox. Many still to watch, time and energy permitting. One I'm currently watching is Bergerac, a UK crime drama which ran from 1981-1991 and was a fixture on BBC TV throughout the 1980s. Set on Jersey, and starring John Nettles who would later go on to star in Midsomer Murders on ITV.

I initially started to watch Bergerac on Britbox from the beginning. Back in the 80s I started watching from series 3, so hadn't seen the very start. It has some charms, but I was really struggling with the acting by the initial love interest. So my strategy now is to cherry pick episodes throughout the whole run. Last night I was watching the first of the Philippa Vale ones, featuring recurring guest star Liza Goddard as a jewel thief. I will definitely watch all of those. Next I've got the first episode in series 4, which sees the introduction of Louise Jameson's long-running character Susan. And we'll see where I go beyond that. Though this web page will be a big help.

I have always loved the accordion-based theme music of Bergerac, written by George Fenton. More recently I did my own accordion arrangement of it, and enjoy playing it immensely. The TV version of the theme was tweaked over the years, but here is a nice early version. Note that isn't the full opening titles. But it's the best version I've found online of the original theme tune audio.

Misty

Sep. 28th, 2023 05:36 pm
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Just arrived, newly published today, the “45 years of fear” essential collection of British cult horror comic for girls, Misty. I never read this as a youngster, despite around that time watching Hammer and Amicus horror films from a young age! Oh and many Roger Corman Vincent Price ones with my dad. I really missed out re Misty!



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vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
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