New children’s storybook series

Some exciting news. Leanne and I are on the verge of setting up the website for Hickory Hippo, our first children’s storybook as a husband and wife team. Hickory Hippo will be a series of adventure stories for young readers, telling the tale of the titular Hickory, an anthropomorphic hippo who has a number of fantastical adventures with his friends. Inspirations included Carl Barks’ work on Uncle Scrooge and Alfred Bestall’s Rupert Bear books. We hope to have the website launch in March and begin taking preorders on the print edition of the first story in the series.

Watch this space!

Adventures in Space and Time – Hartnell Misconceptions

Later this month, the BBC will air a special docudrama about the origin and production of the sci-fi series Doctor Who. Adventures in Space and Time stars David Bradley, as William Hartnell and recreates the 1960s era British Broadcasting Corporation behind the scenes. However, writer and long time fan, Mark Gatiss, is expecting a fan backlash and “howls of protest” toward what he has described as his “love letter” to the show. The script cuts some key moments and characters involved in the show’s beginnings such as script editor, David Whitaker.

“Writing Doctor Who, you don’t give a monkey’s. You write it for your audience, not for the people who will watch it anyway. Doctor Who fans exist for the minutiae. They’ll complain about everything. They’ll probably complain about Verity Lambert’s shoes. But I made it for everybody and I hope it’s very touching. I don’t mean to sound contemptible at all – I’m a fan so there are a lot of things that I want to nod to or embrace – but you can’t be ruled by that. Here, this is holy writ; they’re real people.”

It’s easy for Gatiss to feel that way. After all, he is a fan who is writing for the show and working in the television industry, whereas 99% of fans are not. But that doesn’t mean that any fan who finds fault with his own choices, should have their opinions devalued as mere whinging. There is a lot of pettiness in all fandoms, but that doesn’t mean that those criticism aren’t sometimes justified.

Gatiss chose to conflate Mervyn Pinfield and David Whittaker into one person. I understand the difficulty in time and narrative constraints, but actually merging two people together effectively blurs facts and changes history. While I am disappointed that this was deemed necessary, I am much more concerned about the portrayal of William Hartnell that has historically lacked a vital factual component.

There is a bit of a myth surrounding Hartnell being cantankerous by his own nature and I’m concerned this will simply be perpetuated in the upcoming biopic. For anyone that has done any reading on Hartnell, they will be aware he was suffering from arteriosclerosis causing his arteries to harden and a great deal of pain. For anyone who has lived with someone suffering from a debilitating disease, or has one themselves, they will have some idea how this would have contributed to Hartnell’s occasional touchiness. Both the pain itself and the frustration that come with memory loss must have made his ability to continue as star of the show extremely challenging. He had to work a 48-50 episode per year shooting schedule. This context, I think, is crucial to giving an honest and sympathetic perspective on Hartnell that is long overdue.

William Hartnall & Maureen O'Brien as the First Doctor and VikiMuch of the criticism that exists about Hartnell comes from a small group of people who only knew him briefly. I am sick and tired of hearing Anneke Wills’ extremely finite view on Hartnell. Together with Michael Craze, she was the last co-star to work with Hartnell on the show. Considering everything that had been going on behind the scenes during the tumultuous tenure of John Wiles and Donald Tosh that directly preceded them, WIlls never had the full picture. She only recorded three serials with Hartnell before he was forced to leave the show, so her judgments on the actor have always been very narrowly biased all these years.

Before Anneke Wills arrived, producer John Wiles and script editor Donald Tosh had been actively trying to get Hartnell removed from the show. Neither of them cared for the show in its current format and Hartnell did not agree with their plan for future. The actor presented a major obstacle to their television ambitions. Hartnell was not alone in giving them feedback they disagreed with. They effectively fired Maureen O’Brien, the actress that played Viki, reportedly upsetting Hartnell and no doubt contributing to the flame up that occurred between him and the producer during Master Plan.

There was a LOT of drama behind the drama, and my fear is that the comments by actors and people who came into the show fleetingly, or late during Hartnell’s era, never had the bigger picture. And today, their comments continue to provide only half truths about the man himself. It’s important, in my view, that something of this is addressed, even if it is simply the mention of his battle with a debilitating disease. I think it helps paint a much more heroic view of Hartnell than the often simplified one that has proliferated over the years.

I am very excited to see Hartnell, and an era of Doctor Who that I hold in such esteem, being celebrated with a special television drama on the show’s 50th anniversary. I just hope that it manages to present Hartnell’s passion for the program along with his health struggle.

Lou Scheimer, a visionary!

Lou Scheimer has passed away. Scheimer is an unsung hero of American entertainment and animation. So often, people like Walt Disney steal that limelight, but Scheimer helped keep American animation alive through the 70s and 80s while other production companies turned to cheaper overseas studios. Scheimer had an imagination, a talent with voices, and the ability to lead and feed a team of dreamers and artists. Five years ago, I interviewed Lou over the phone several times for a book I was working on. Lou was warm, gracious and full of stories. I know he had been struggling with his health for some time. By strange coincidence, I have been re-watching He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and realizing that the man behind one of the most prominent voices in that show is now gone, a man so kind to me, is hard to take. He will be remembered by all fans of American animation as a visionary!

Enemy of the World is one of Troughton’s Best!

Doctor Who Enemy of the World art

On October 11, 2013, the BBC announced that 11 episodes of Doctor Who, 9 of those missing from the archives for over 45 years, had been returned, restored and made available over iTunes. Discoveries of missing episodes are rare, and there are still 97 missing from the Black & White era of the classic sci-fi show. However, I’d like to say that contrary to popular opinion, I think the better of the two stories returned is Enemy of the World and not Web of Fear. While both stories give us an ascendant 2nd Doctor at the height of his powers, it’s Enemy that is worse for wear. Enemy showcases Patrick Troughton’s range, gives an entertaining adventure / suspense story, with quality acting and plenty of twists and turns.

Doctor Who Web of Fear cover

The story also gives us VERY strong female roles, in the form of Mary Peach as the female James Bond of the piece Astrid Ferrier. Astrid is easily a sex symbol, not only for her fashionable beehive and leather / PVC outfit, but the way in which she is never treated like a powerless victim. Instead, she is an emancipated heroine who retains her feminine qualities. She is a great model for future companions and would have made a great replacement for the terrified and out-of-her-league screamer, Victoria. Unusually for the period, a black actress is given a prominent role in the form of Carmen Munroe as the jaded and vengeful food taster, Fariah. She is one of the stars of the story, with her dialogue and performance hinting at her exploitation at Salamander’s hands. Both characters are delightfully interesting and real, but thankfully are not alone among this serial’s selling points.

Web of Fear follows on directly from this story, and while Troughton is excellent, along with Colonel Lethbridge Stewart and the action packed battle in episode 4, Web flops about a bit with padding, irritating cultural stereotypes and hammy possession acting toward the end. Nevertheless, later in the series, Troughton began playing the role more for humor and became a little predictable and less inspiring, so I’m therefore very pleased to have two of his best stories available again to the masses!

Enemy of the World is the underrated gem here, and I hope now that it’s fully available, more people will revise their opinion of the serial and place it among this era’s very best. Leanne and I were both surprised how much more we enjoyed it and how well it held up to our previous viewing.

Doctor Who Web of Fear cover

We have watched the entire classic series together, from start to finish — including fan made recons. Over the years, several of the stories perceived to be classics have lost some of their shine after viewing them more objectively. Fury from the Deep for example, is a solid story, with plenty of little moments, but it is not as exciting as some of the others. Frequently I see Web of Fear top the charts ahead of Evil of the Daleks on people’s lists, yet in recent years I’ve come to appreciate Evil of the Daleks far more. Here we see Jamie and the Doctor’s relationship at its most engaging, and Victoria is where she belongs — a guest character. And for the record, Web of Fear episode 4 was at the top of my list of episodes I wanted to see returned because of the action segment involving Lethbridge-Stewart and the Yeti in London. Having been a fan for going on 30 years of my life now, I am still blown away by the fact we have just received a windfall of missing episodes to enjoy like fresh new stories. I got chills watching them live once again. But on our previous viewing we also noted how good Enemy of the World appeared to be, and the recovery of the episodes has confirmed and reinforced that. In my opinion, Web, the story most revered, while riveting, can never sit comfortably on the pedestal upon which many fans have placed it. Power, Evil and Enemy are just too good for it be there alone.

The BBC Shop will be releasing two commemorative t-shirts in November with original artwork for both stories. These are available to pre-order now. The more money the BBC makes out of these recovered episodes, the better treatment for possible future releases. I know I’ll be getting one.

Here’s hoping my personal favorite, Marco Polo is in the works…

America’s Cup thoughts: New Zealand’s Youngest Sibling Syndrome

America's Cup 2013

Other than the unspoiled, dramatic landscapes, there are two things New Zealand is known globally for. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and the All Blacks international rugby team. They put NZ on the map. Made people aware that, metaphorically, there’s a quite handsome kid standing in the shadow of Australia. But a good deal of NZers seem to think there is a third: the America’s Cup. And they are wrong.

Most people over here in the USA don’t know what the America’s Cup is. In the last month, it seems practically the whole of New Zealand have suddenly become huge sailing fans again, so long as it looked like we would win the America’s Cup yacht race over the last couple of weeks. The fact is that when Emirates New Zealand lost to Oracle Team USA the other day, it was the first time it even got any air time on the radio over here, and that is simply because of the amazing comeback which is impressive from a historical sporting point of view. Outside of San Francisco, the America’s Cup is almost completely unknown.

My mother called me from NZ last weekend. She told me that while she was shopping at a department store, the music was interrupted by an in-store announcement that Team New Zealand had won the latest race. A cheer went up throughout the store. New Zealand is obsessed. But why?

It’s a sport for yuppy yachting circles. The NZ government had to pitch in to just compete with the American sponsors of Team USA. Although Emirates played a financial part too. It’s not a particularly noble or heroic stage to gush with national pride over. The perception that NZers seem to have of this being a prestigious event that shines a global spotlight on NZ is really misplaced. Perhaps, my being outside of NZ for so long has helped me see that. But what pisses me off is the attention this fair weather fandom takes away from other, more deserving things. It sucks the air out of the room.

Our boys, the All Blacks, are over in Argentina for this weekend’s clash, and South Africa a week later. In Argentina we build NZ and rugby as a brand, and continue to build on worldwide audiences who tune in to watch the cream of the rugby crop. These guys represent NZ on a global scale and carry the brand of NZ on their backs, and have been doing so since 1903. Rugby is a global sport and the All Blacks are NZ’s ambassadors. Working men, whose blood, sweat and sacrifice both on the field of play and the field of battle in World War I, should command more respect and admiration than a yuppie yacht race ever can.

I get that yachting is another area of expertise to be proud of, but the America’s Cup is elitist, no matter how much you try to play up the “little man” aspect of Team New Zealand. Money was spent on both sides. Lots of money.

NZ crew members were counted among both Team USA and NZ, so perhaps the patriotic nod is in name only. NZ’s maritime engineering, essential to the design of both yachts, has won big, and that’s all that really matters. Part of me is glad NZ lost so that all this hype and expectation can get a reality check back home. I think this groundswell of bandwagoneering is really shortsighted. NZ needs to stop craving attention like the kid waving his hand at the back of the crowd and realize that some battles don’t earn the accolades they believe.