vivdunstan

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.

On to the extra long final audio in season 4 of Big Finish's Benny audios. And this one is rather unusual, starting in media res, following a dramatic setup only covered in print in the Big Finish book of short stories Life During Wartime. ( big spoilers ... )

Overall a really strong audio, though I think the book/audio mix wasn't fully effective, even if it was far less of a problem for me than I expected it to be.

Many more books finished since last time, so I need to do a catch up! Luckily easy for me to do, since I note the books I've read, plus a rating, in Goodreads.

I'd been slowly reading the Sisto and Marchese Middle Earth book, and finally finished. An absolutely brilliant book, for both the newcomer to Tolkien's worlds, and old timers. So much useful reference material I even bought myself a print copy after finishing the Kindle version.

I continue to adore the Insomniacs After School manga series. It probably helps that one of the lead characters looks uncannily like a schoolboy version of my husband! But it's a charming and gentle slice of life, including hefty astronomy elements. I expect to read all of this.

I learned about Intellect Books' Fan Phenomena range of books from the Glasgow Worldcon dealers' room, which I was browsing from a distance. The Lord of the Rings book is very out of print sadly. But I've got the Doctor Who one to read, and first read a bargain copy (£3) Game of Thrones one I picked up secondhand. A huge range of essays exploring different perspectives of fandom. Worked even for me who has never properly read or watched Game of Thrones.

A Darker Shade of Magic got better and better for me as I read it, after a slightly rocky start. I expect to complete the trilogy. And probably go onto the sequel trilogy that is newly starting.

The Phantasmagoria magazines/books were things I'd picked up a while back. Print on demand books from Amazon, large format, collecting a huge range of articles, art work, reflections, and fiction by and about the subjects. The MR James one was a solid 5/5 stars for me. I am keeping it.

The Girl From The Other Side manga wasn't a hit for me. Just too strange, though it got more interesting on the way through.

( earlier books )
1. Why We Love Middle-earth: An Enthusiast’s Book about Tolkien, Middle-earth & the LOTR Fandom by Alan Sisto and Shawn Marchese
2. Insomniacs After School (manga) volume 3 by Makoto Ojiro
3. Fan Phenomena: Game of Thrones edited by Kavita Mudan Finn
4. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
5. Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #3: M.R. James
6. Phantasmagoria Special Edition Series #2: The Lovecraft Squad
7. The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún (manga) volume 1 by Nagabe

Browsing the Glasgow Worldcon programme items I’d noted as want to watch tomorrow. I highlighted 20 for just that one day alone! But luckily only 1/20 isn’t being recorded for later replay/catch up watch. So if I’m awake tomorrow afternoon I’ll watch it live. I am using the online streaming part of my attending ticket to view these.

I haven’t tried using this Worldcon’s remote viewing service RingCentral before. But am crossing fingers that it works well enough! I don’t expect to watch many programme events live. But will be watching a huge number - health permitting - on catchup until the end of 2024.

Envious of my friends (including some St A CS folks!) who are heading to the Glasgow Worldcon this week. Sadly though we have in person attending tickets we can't go. I'm far too seriously ill now to manage it. Plus the infection risk is too high for severely immunosuppressed me. We can use the streaming part of our tickets though, both during the event, and on catchup after through to Christmas. So will get to see lots. Have fun folks going!

I've been a member of Doctor Who fan forum Gallifrey Base since it started. And before then its predecessor Outpost Gallifrey. As part of my profile there I listed my favourite Doctor etc. And thought that might be of interest here too. Some of my answers fluctuate with time, but most are pretty stable.

My favourite Doctor is David Tennant, specifically the Tenth Doctor version rather than the Fourteenth Doctor, who I felt was pretty unnecessary, albeit likeable, and also handled badly re the bi-generation after. My second favourite Doctor is Tom Baker. Followed by Paul McGann, due purely to the Big Finish audios.

My favourite companion is Sarah Jane Smith. Others I'm fond of include Romana I, Ace and Clara.

My favourite Master fluctuates, but - and again in part due to Big Finish audios - is currently Derek Jacobi. Even if he was barely on screen in that specific role.

My favourite Classic Doctor Who story is City of Death. I watched this on original UK broadcast in 1979, at a very young age, and was awestruck. It was many years before I saw it again, but I had a vivid memory of a spaghetti-faced man and witty goings on in Paris.

My favourite New Doctor Who story is the two-parter The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances. Though I also have a very soft spot for The Girl in the Fireplace, Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead, Blink and Human Nature / The Family of Blood. Yup, I really like the original David Tennant era. And also early stories written by Steven Moffat.

I ordered some Robin of Sherwood goodies and they were posted in Birmingham yesterday morning. I expected them to come on Tuesday, after the Monday bank holiday. Sent Royal Mail Tracked 24, and the Royal Mail estimated delivery on Tuesday. But amazingly a postie turned up with them this afternoon. On a Sunday. Not even from our usual postal depot, Dundee East, but from the other far side of the city, Dundee West depot. Gobsmacked. Maybe the posties were trying to clear some stuff before tomorrow's bank holiday. When Martin and many other people here in Scotland will be working as usual, but we will have no post.

Here is the main item that was in the package. I also got a couple of RoS fridge magnets.

I'd been planning to write this for a while. But was reminded by Roger Corman's recent passing.

These were the first horror films I fell in love with. My dad adored them, and encouraged me to watch them with him from a very young age. Probably too young an age! But I was quickly hooked, and like him loved them. Vincent Price's acting in these films is hammy and arch in many places, but perfectly suited to the material and treatment. And that combined with the exaggerated Edgar Allan Poe (usually) plots and lurid technicolour experience made them quite unique. I was far too young to be taking drugs or drinking alcohol, apart from a very small ginger wine at Christmas. But these were as close as I came to a hallucinogenic experience from a very young age.

Watching them again as an adult I'm much more critical, not least of the acting - and here I'm not so much talking about Vincent Price, but the guest cast - and ultimately it does feel like style over substance in places. But overall I am still delighted by them, and hope to continue to rewatch them for a long time to come. I am currently having fun introducing them to my husband, who'd never seen them before getting together with me. Next up in our watch/rewatch is The Raven. I was tossing up between various Price/Corman films we have recorded, but fell back on the rather nebulous "But it's culturally significant!" At which point he realised exactly which one I had picked.

Just in case this is useful info for anyone else out there this year will see a 40th anniversary celebratory Robin of Sherwood convention in May. It's taking place in Chepstow in Wales. Full details are available through the convention's Facebook page.

Reminder for fellow UK people especially, and of those Scottish based folks in particular: this year's Worldcon Science Fiction Convention is to be held in Glasgow this summer. Attending memberships can be bought for the whole thing, or will be available on a per day basis. And there is an online ticket option. Hotel rooms are being booked up now.

Martin and I were intending to go stay for the whole thing this year, but due to my progressive neurological illness and repeated 3-month long neurological flares after twice yearly Covid vaccines we can't possibly manage it now. Also the risk to immunosuppressed me from Covid infections on site is still far far too high. So we don't think we will be going in person at all.

We plan to keep our very reduced price (Scottish residents) attending memberships, in case we decide to drop in briefly (unlikely but ...). But will be mainly using online access available to us.

Anyway if this Glasgow con is something that might appeal to you check it out. The event will be full of panels, chats and author meet ups, plus a chance to mingle with fellow SFF fans. Also a very active traders' room. It will also host the Hugo Awards ceremony, though I hope this year's World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) Business Meeting looks to address some of the concerns from last year's Hugo Awards. Which seem to have been problematic, expressing it politely.