Reaction Post: Shada - Douglas Adams (Revised by Gary Russell)
< a href="http://persiflage-1.livejournal.com/136030.html">Reaction Post: Shada - Douglas Adams (Revised by Gary Russell) by < lj user=persiflage_1>
I made this icon myself from Lee Sullivan's gorgeous artwork for the webcast of Shada, which can be found on the BBC's website.
Shada is an unaired story from the 1979-80 season of Doctor Who which was never finished owing to a BBC strike during filming. In 1992, its recorded footage was released on video using linking narration by Tom Baker to complete the story. It was then remade as an audio play produced by Big Finish and webcast on BBCi. It's now available to watch in animated form on the BBC site (linked above) or to listen to as an audio only, or in an audio play from Big Finish. I opted to listen to the audio-only version via the BBC's wevsite (though I fully intend to watch the animated version at some point in the not-too-distant future).
There's a terrific cast of actors providing the voices in the re-worked story: Paul McGann plays Eight (of course) and Lalla Ward reprises her role as Romana II, they're joined by Andrew Sachs (Skagra), Susannah Harker (Clare Keightley), Melvyn Hayes (Wilkin the porter), James Fox (Professor Chronotis) and Hannah Gordon (as the voice of Skagra's ship).
The story opens with Cambridge student Chris (Sean Biggerstaff) turning up to borrow a book from Professor Chronotis - and he goes off with The Ancient and Worshipful Law of Gallifrey - not the book he intended to borrow, and which Chronotis had no business bringing to Earth from Gallifrey.
Meanwhile, the Eighth Doctor turns up on Gallifrey to beg Romana and K9 to accompany him on a trip to Cambridge to meet Chronotis after he receives a telepathic message from the old Time Lord. The trouble is that when they get to Cambridge, Chronotis initially has no memory of summoning the Doctor, and then when he does remember why he sent out the summons, he's unable to hand over the book since Chris has taken it.
It turns out, however, that the Doctor's not the only one who's interested in Chronotis: a criminal called Skagra is also after him, and he's accompanied by a mind-draining sphere in which he hopes to trap Chronotis' mind. Skagra also wants the book which Chris has already borrowed.
Eventually Skagra manages to get hold of the book after his sphere chases the Doctor through the streets of Cambridge. Skagra then kidnaps Romana. He wants the book because it's the key to how to get to Shada, the ancient prison planet of the Time Lords. Skagra wants to obtain the mind of a criminal called Salyavin who was incarcerated there.
However, it transpires that Chronotis used to be known as Salyavin, and that he escaped from Shada years ago and has lived peacefully in Cambridge ever since. The Doctor prevents Skagra's plans for domination by winning a mind battle against him and his alien allies the Krargs, who are living silicon-based creatures (think of the Pyroviles in Fires of Pompeii).
This story is a little slow in places - it doesn't really need to be six episodes long, although I suspect it wouldn't seem quite so slow in animated form than in the purely audio form. But it retains the trademark Douglas Adams humour, which I think is particularly suited to the Eighth Doctor, who quite often seems remarkably laid back. I loved his battle of wits with Skagra's AI-controlled ship, in which he defeats her with logic, and then she nearly kills him with logic!
Having said that it's slow, I did enjoy it and I will definitely make the time to watch the animated version - and I can't help wondering why the BBC doesn't release it, together with the original story as it was released on video (ie with Tom Baker's narration), on DVD. The Infinite Quest has surely proved there would be a market for it?
I made this icon myself from Lee Sullivan's gorgeous artwork for the webcast of Shada, which can be found on the BBC's website.
Shada is an unaired story from the 1979-80 season of Doctor Who which was never finished owing to a BBC strike during filming. In 1992, its recorded footage was released on video using linking narration by Tom Baker to complete the story. It was then remade as an audio play produced by Big Finish and webcast on BBCi. It's now available to watch in animated form on the BBC site (linked above) or to listen to as an audio only, or in an audio play from Big Finish. I opted to listen to the audio-only version via the BBC's wevsite (though I fully intend to watch the animated version at some point in the not-too-distant future).
There's a terrific cast of actors providing the voices in the re-worked story: Paul McGann plays Eight (of course) and Lalla Ward reprises her role as Romana II, they're joined by Andrew Sachs (Skagra), Susannah Harker (Clare Keightley), Melvyn Hayes (Wilkin the porter), James Fox (Professor Chronotis) and Hannah Gordon (as the voice of Skagra's ship).
The story opens with Cambridge student Chris (Sean Biggerstaff) turning up to borrow a book from Professor Chronotis - and he goes off with The Ancient and Worshipful Law of Gallifrey - not the book he intended to borrow, and which Chronotis had no business bringing to Earth from Gallifrey.
Meanwhile, the Eighth Doctor turns up on Gallifrey to beg Romana and K9 to accompany him on a trip to Cambridge to meet Chronotis after he receives a telepathic message from the old Time Lord. The trouble is that when they get to Cambridge, Chronotis initially has no memory of summoning the Doctor, and then when he does remember why he sent out the summons, he's unable to hand over the book since Chris has taken it.
It turns out, however, that the Doctor's not the only one who's interested in Chronotis: a criminal called Skagra is also after him, and he's accompanied by a mind-draining sphere in which he hopes to trap Chronotis' mind. Skagra also wants the book which Chris has already borrowed.
Eventually Skagra manages to get hold of the book after his sphere chases the Doctor through the streets of Cambridge. Skagra then kidnaps Romana. He wants the book because it's the key to how to get to Shada, the ancient prison planet of the Time Lords. Skagra wants to obtain the mind of a criminal called Salyavin who was incarcerated there.
However, it transpires that Chronotis used to be known as Salyavin, and that he escaped from Shada years ago and has lived peacefully in Cambridge ever since. The Doctor prevents Skagra's plans for domination by winning a mind battle against him and his alien allies the Krargs, who are living silicon-based creatures (think of the Pyroviles in Fires of Pompeii).
This story is a little slow in places - it doesn't really need to be six episodes long, although I suspect it wouldn't seem quite so slow in animated form than in the purely audio form. But it retains the trademark Douglas Adams humour, which I think is particularly suited to the Eighth Doctor, who quite often seems remarkably laid back. I loved his battle of wits with Skagra's AI-controlled ship, in which he defeats her with logic, and then she nearly kills him with logic!
Having said that it's slow, I did enjoy it and I will definitely make the time to watch the animated version - and I can't help wondering why the BBC doesn't release it, together with the original story as it was released on video (ie with Tom Baker's narration), on DVD. The Infinite Quest has surely proved there would be a market for it?