Russell Davies has won acclaim for It's A Sin, written the EMMY-winning A Very English Scandal and been at the helm of Doctor Who in its Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant era - however, the screenwriter has claimed that one of the upcoming episodes of the BBC's long-running family SF drama is 'one of the greatest things' he's ever made. Big Rusty, who has returned to Doctor Who as showrunner for its sixtieth anniversary (you knew that, right?), teased the new episodes on Michael Ball's Radio 2 programme, saying that he's 'very happy' with how the new series has turned out. When asked whether he had started work on Doctor Who, Davies said: 'I have - I sat here and I watched episode four last night and I think it's one of the greatest things I've ever made in my life so I'm very, very happy with it. It's looking so good ... I love it,' he added. That particular episode was directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. Retweeting Davies's interview, Williams wrote on Twitter yesterday: 'As the lucky man who got to direct this incredible script, I've got to say I'm very excited about what we created.'
More details are emerging about the planned Doctor Who spin-offs, one of which - according to Deadline - 'is set to feature Jemma Redgrave.' So, if it doesn't then you know whom to blame. Since striking an international distribution deal for the BBC's popular long-running family SF drama with Disney+, Big Rusty has been clear that spin-offs will be on the agenda. One of those spin-offs will be based on military research organization UNIT and will star Redgrave as Kate Stewart, alleged - but, suspiciously anonymous and, therefore almost certainly fictions - BBC 'sources' allegedly confirmed.
The Lord Thy God Steven Moffat (OBE) is, allegedly, 'set to make a sensational return to Doctor Who and write adventures for new Time Lord Ncuti Gatwa.' Mind you, this is according to someone of no importance at the Daily Mirra a newspaper with a history of talking complete crap about Doctor Who as long as a very long thing. Remember their exited 2017 allegations that an alleged 'insider' had told them Kris Marshall had been cast as Peter Capaldi's replacement when he, you know, hadn't or anything even remotely like it? Like that risible example of Mirra crap, the latest claims - made by 'Showbiz editor' Mark Jeffries - is claimed to be an exclusive. One that was a headline Stephen Moffat Set For Doctor Who Return As Russell T Davies Asks For New Episodes. which, at the very least, proves that the headlines writers at the Mirra don't know how to spell 'Steven'. 'The sixty one-year-old screenwriter acted as showrunner on the BBC One series between 2010 and 2017, having previously been a writer on the show during Russell T Davies' original tenure,' the Mirra continue, which is factually accurate. 'Russell has taken control of the TARDIS once again after being the man responsible for bringing Doctor Who back to screens in 2005, after it was cancelled in 1989 and he has asked his friend Moffat to create some episodes for Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti for the 2024 series. Before he was in charge of Doctor Who, Moffat was responsible for writing fan favourite episodes like The Empty Child, The Girl In The Fireplace and Blink ... and Davies wants Moffat to be part of the Doctor Who revolution now that the BBC has teamed up with Disney+ to take the show around the world on an unprecedented scale.' Of course, it's always worth remembering that the Daily Mirra used to be a much more reliable source of accurate reportage when they used to hack people's phones for stories.
Chris Chibnall has revealed that Doctor Who almost returned to a Christmas Day slot during his time as showrunner, but that the episode was moved after being considered 'too scary.' The BBC's popular, long-running family SF drama broadcast Christmas Day episodes every year from 2005 until 2017, after which Doctor Who's festive specials went out on New Year's Day instead. The Chib, who left the show with Jodie Whittaker at the end of last year, recently told the Radio Free Skaro podcast that he wanted to bring back the Doctor Who Christmas Day episode in 2019, but was discouraged by BBC executives. 'I know some people are really like, "Why is there no Christmas special with Jodie?" as if it's a militant policy and it was we had a conversation at the start,' he said. 'The BBC was saying, "There’s been a lot of Doctor Who Christmas specials, there's been a lot of stories with snow in. Also a lot of their big dramas were premiering on New Year's Day. Sherlock would play there, Dracula would play there, Happy Valley plays there now. So it's like, well, let's try that the first year and see what happens.' He added that Spyfall, which was shown on New Year's Day in 2020 and saw Sacha Dhawan make his debut as The Master, was due to be broadcast on Christmas Day but was considered 'too frightening' for the slot. 'It's not like I hate the Christmas specials,' Chibn continued. 'I love them! And, actually Spyfall was going to go out on Christmas Day and then it was too scary. It was the editorial policy. Also, where do you put the second part? So there was a moment where that was gonna be Christmas Day [and] Boxing Day.' While Doctor Who hasn't had a specific Christmas Day special in six years and it is not yet known if this year's debut for Ncuti Gtawa will got out then (the BBC have merely said it will be 'during the festive period') Big Rusty has announced that he is intent on writing one for 2024.
This blogger has often - and continues to be - somewhat critical of some of the writing about Doctor Who at the Radio Times (which used to be run by adults). Nevertheless, proper praise where it is due, Louise Griffin's fine thinkpiece Jodie Whittaker & Jo Martin Can't Be Doctor Who's Last Female Doctors, which you can read here, is a well-written and passionate piece of thoughtful analysis. And, is well worth a few moments of your time, dear blog reader. And, for what it's worth, Louise can relax as this blogger is pretty certain Jodie and Jo won't be the last female Doctors.
Speaking of really good pieces of TV journalism, From The North favourite Louisa Mellor's review of the Endeavour series finale last Sunday at the Den Of Geek website is a little thing of beauty and (as with her review of the previous episode mentioned in the last From The North bloggerisationism update) says pretty much everything that this blogger would've said about the climax of this fine series. And, as a bonus, Louisa also wrote a companion piece article, The Endeavour Ending's Inspector Morse Tributes & Easter Eggs, here which is, also, a fascinating and well-researched read.
Another of the blogger's favourite Den Of Geek writers, Laura Vickers-Green, has written a really good piece on the forthcoming TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novel Anansi Boys. Anticipation for Anansi Boys predates The Sandman, Good Omens and even American Gods when it comes to Gaiman TV series. It was first reported that an adaptation was in the works in 2014, but this project never came to be (parts were eventually incorporated into American Gods), so fans were excited to discover an Amazon Prime Video miniseries was in production in 2020. Filming wrapped in Scotland in May 2022 and, whilst there's been no official announcement of a release date as yet, the article suggests that we should expect it sometime this year.
John Simm has confirmed that plans for a Life On Mars sequel are still in place, although the project is currently stuck in 'development Hell. ' Or, if you're in America, 'development Heck.' The original BBC drama, which was part police procedural drama, part science-fiction fantasy, followed John Simm's Sam Tyler, a Manchester police officer from 2006 who, seemingly, time-travelled back to 1973 after he was hit by a car. You knew that, right? Apparently, stuck in the 1970s, he began working alongside the brash and abrasive DCI Gene Hunt, played (magnificently) by Philip Glenister, with the pair often clashing over their very different attitudes towards policing. Simm left the drama after two quite remarkable series. A - really rather good - sequel, Ashes To Ashes followed, which paired Glenister with Keeley Hawes and ran for three series. There are plans to reunite the original cast in a show called Lazurus. Yet despite the script being written and the cast keen to begin work, there is no news on why (or, even, if) production will begin. 'These things move slower than tectonic plates,' John Simm said during a recent press event to mark the launch of the third series of his ITV drama Grace (which begins on Sunday 19 March in the slot recently vacated by from The North favourites Vera and Endeavour). 'I have no idea [when we'll be doing it],' John continued. 'It's in some development Hell somewhere. Someone's got it and they want to do it and the script was great and we said yes. But now it's just taking forever. We'd love to do it, that would be amazing, but the wait is interminable!' John also confirmed that Lazarus, if it ever gets made, will not be a BBC production. 'Someone else picked it up,' he said. 'I don't know if I'm allowed to say who though.' In April 2022, Life On Mars co-creator Matthew Graham confirmed that he and Ashley Pharoah had finished a script for the pilot. 'It contains the words "Hanging, Boogie, Creme Fraiche,"' he tweeted. Last year Simm also told The Big Issue how excited he was at the prospect of returning to the character of Sam. 'The idea is really good - there's a lot of travelling in time and car chases. I adored the job, loved the part, loved playing Sam Tyler. I don't regret only doing two [series] - maybe there would have been a backlash - but I would have done another series if they'd set it in London. I had a small child and the workload was so intense. There was a point where Phil Glenister and I did everything together. It was like it was in the contract. But we haven't worked together for a while so we'll see what happens with Lazarus.'
This blogger has been rather enjoying the latest (and, seemingly, last) series of Picard - it is certainly a vast improvement on the 'all over the place' second series. That said, he was somewhat less impressed with the Baby-Yoda-Jellyfish aliens which were central to the plot of one recent episode.
And now, dear blog reader, as previously threatened, the beginning of a new, semi-regular From The North feature. Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number One: Welcome To The Hellmouth.
Followed, not in the least bit improbably, by Magnificently Daft Lines From Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003). Number Two: Innocence.
Just over a year ago, dear blog reader, the future of From The North appeared to be limited as this blogger struggled with serious bouts of ill-health and depression. Since then, this blog has seen a quite remarkably steady increase in daily traffic, as this here graph demonstrates. This blogger, therefore, wishes to send his most sincere thanks and gratitude to all dear blog readers - long-standing and new-in-church - for their continued support. It really does mean a lot. Well, all except for From The North's persistent but now, thankfully, silenced online stalker. Him, I could do without.
All of which doings bring us, with the tragic inevitability of the tragically inevitable, to that part of From The North dedicated to this blogger's on-going medical malarkey. Or, strictly speaking, malarkeys as there have been - and in fact still are - several. For those dear blog readers who haven't been following this on-going fiasco which appears to have been on-going longer than the building of the pyramids, it goes like this: Keith Telly Topping spent some weeks around New Year 2022 feeling rotten; experienced five days in hospital; was discharged; received B12 injections; then more injections; somewhat recovered his missing appetite; got an initial diagnosis; had a consultant's meeting; continued to suffer fatigue and insomnia; endured a second endoscopy; had another consultation; got (unrelated) toothache; had an extraction; which took ages to heal; had another consultation; spent a week where nothing remotely health-related occurred; was given further B-12 injections; had an echocardiogram; received more blood extractions; made another hospital visit; saw the insomnia and torpor continue; received yet more blood tests; had a rearranged appointment for his sick note; suffered his worst period yet with the fatigue. Until the following week. And, then the week after that. Oh, the fatigue, dear blog reader. The depressing, ceaseless fatigue. He had a go on the Blood-Letting Machine; got another sickie; had an assessment; was given his fourth COVID jab; got some surprising news related to his assessment; had the results of his annual diabetes check-up; had another really bad week with the fatigue; followed by one with the sciatica; then one with the chronic insomnia; and, one with a plethora of general cold-related grottiness. A plethora of general cold-related grottiness which continued over the Christmas period and into the New Year. Then, there was that whole 'slipping in The Stately Telly Topping Manor Plague House bath and putting his knee through the side' thing. And, the nasty night-time leg cramps. Plus, the 'getting new spectacles' travails.
Last Friday afternoon at The Stately Telly Topping Manor, dear blog reader. Let's just say this is a visual representation.
At this point Keith Telly Topping would say 'knock, knock', 'Who's there?', 'inforrrrma, ya no-say dad'y me snah me stab sah-mebody doon de layyyyyne, a licky boom-boom dahn' but, to be honest, it's Snow joke. Oh, suit yerselves.
A pub thought to be Britain's wonkiest gaff has been put up for sale by its owners. The Crooked House on Himley Road, near Dudley is one of sixty one freehold pubs being sold by Marston's PLC. It comes as part of a nationwide review by the Wolverhampton-based company, which owns about fifteen hundred pubs across the UK. The Eighteenth Century Crooked House has been a popular attraction in the region, with visitors flocking to see the distinctive leaning building. It was first built in 1765 as a farmhouse, but due to mining in the area during the early Nineteenth Century, one side of the building began to gradually sink. This week, Marston's announced it had instructed a business property adviser to sell the Crooked House along with seven other of its freehold pubs across the West Midlands.
Now, what do Mister Pertwee, wacky funster Kenny Everett, Diddy David Hamilton, Vincent Price and Arthur C Clarke have in common, dear blog reader? Answers on a postcard. or a paperback, if you prefer.
A definite contender for the latest From The North Headline Of The Week award is the Huddersfield Examiner's ITV Good Morning Britain Viewers Fuming After Blunder At Yorkshire Sausage Factory. And, they all had a jolly good reason to fume. Probably.
Moving onto ecumenical matters, now dear blog reader. Finally, it would seem, we have confirmation of something that we've all suspected for many a good long year.
Moment Of The Week: Jamie Lee Curtis's Oscar acceptance speech. A class act, that lady. In a moment of personal triumph, remembering to thank fans of her genre work for their support throughout her long movie career. This blogger thought that was brilliant.
And, finally dear blog reader, something from the Only In Scotland column.
