Behind the Sofa - The Collaborative Doctor Who Blog

Too Much Information About JoAnne Thrax

In preparation for my threatened review of "The Last of the Time Lords", here's that "get to know me" author profile thing everyone else seems to be doing. 

Name: JoAnne Thrax, though I also sometimes use the surname Pow!ers
Age: 34
Location: Madison, Wisconsin (in Amerika)
Occupation: Saxophonist
Earliest Dr Who memory: I don't know.  Probably something with Tom Baker and Daleks or Krynoids or Ogri or a giant robot or something.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: I'm not sure I have a favourite, and given the 20 years since I've seen most of them, I'll try not to pick one.  I do seem to be partial to Daleks.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: It's been a couple of decades since I saw most of the Pertwee-through-Colin-Baker episodes, so I'll probably have to go with "New Earth"...but "Time and the Rani" wasn't particularly good either.  Nor was "Fear Her".
Correction: My mistake.  Late-breaking "The Last of the Time Lords" news: it might be worse.
Favourite Doctor: Probably Tom, just because he was the first one I ever saw, but I like Chris a lot, too.
Favourite Companion: Sarah Jane Smith
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: There are Doctor Who Novels?
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Stereo.  I totally dig it in stereo.
Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one, of course.  And I kinda like www.projectdalek.co.uk
Favourite non-Who Website: I'm not sure I can grasp the idea that people actually have "favourite websites", so I'll just mention one I like: http://angryarab.blogspot.com/
Favourite Films (in arbitrary order): "The Battle of Algiers" (Gillo Pontecorvo), "Seppuku" (Masaki Kobayashi), "Touch of Evil" (Orson Welles), "La Strada" (Fellini), "Once Upon a Time In The West" (Leone), "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (Kubrick), "The Train" (Frankenheimer), "The Great Dictator" (Chaplin), "The General" (Keaton), "Bus 174", "The Ice Storm", "The Taking of Pelham 123", "The Devil's Backbone", "The Grand Illusion", "Serenity", "Yojimbo", "Little Otik", "The Mystery of Picasso", "The Thing From Another World", "To Be Or Not To Be" (1942), "Dancer In The Dark", "The Sweet Hereafter", "Zatoichi Monogatari", "Do The Right Thing", "One Million B.C." (1940), "The African Queen", "Casablanca", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Forbidden Planet", "The Legend of Drunken Master", "Brazil", "20 Million Miles To Earth", "I Am Cuba", almost anything with Harold Lloyd, and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre".  Oh, and "The Killer Shrews"...
I watch a lot of movies.
Movies Everyone Else Seemed to Like That Were Actually Crap: "The Matrix", "Kill Bill", "Sin City"
Favourite TV Show: I liked that thing with the planes that hit those buildings, but it was really only on for a couple of days.
I enjoy listening to: Peter Brötzmann, Alice Coltrane, Nina Hagen, Sidney Bechet, Helmut Lachenmann, Fela Kuti, Keiji Haino, Throbbing Gristle, Public Enemy, Crass, Merzbow, Albert Ayler, Milford Graves, Kaoru Abe, Masayuki Takayanagi, Eric Dolphy, The Need, Sofia Gubaidulina, The Lemon Kittens, Guenter Mueller, Voice Crack, European free improv, musique concrete, Indian classical music, funk and soul from the 70's, to name too many.
I enjoy reading: Well, yes, in theory...but it takes so much time.
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Firefly, Farscape, Deep Space Nine, Blake's 7, James Tiptree, Jr., Ursula K. LeGuin, a bunch of movies.  I hear the new "Battlestar Galactica" is better than the old one.
Things that irritate me: How much time have you got?  Fascism.  Religion.  Sexism.  Racism.  Homophobia.  Police officers.  Shitty movies.  Shitty food.  Shitty television.  The shitty U.S. media.  Hypocrisy.  Mormons.  Adverts (the commercials, not the band).  Stupidity.  Mosquitos.  Jingoism.  Children.  Rich people.  Capitalism.  War.  Humidity.  Jam-bands.  Drug laws.  Living in a country too crappy to have a health care system.   Having to watch "The Last of the Time Lords" again so I can review it.  I could go on...
Favourite joke: What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians?  A drummer!
Guilty Pleasures: I have pleasures, although I am unfamiliar with this "guilt" you speak of.   Here's a bunch of them, some of which you probably think I should feel more guilty about than others: Bleu cheese.  Trainwrecks.  Samurai movies.  New York Times sunday crossword puzzles.  Limes.  Drugs.  Sushi.  Fire.  Bogart movies.  Thunder.  Bittersweet-chocolate-and-apricot oatmeal cookies, Pirate Radio.  Explosions.  Movies about the Underground fucking with the Nazis.  Garlic.  Central Asian history.  "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" from 2005.  H.P. Lovecraft short stories.  Revolution.  "Pearls Before Swine" (the comic), Watching way too much football during the World Cup and then little-to-none for the next four years.  Eating at restaurants where I'm the only one there who can speak English.  Historical epidemiology.  Women with handguns.  Coconut milk.  Blue and purple hair.
Reasons for Blogging: Blogging?  Who's Blogging?

I used to have cats named Alice and Yoko (after Alice Coltrane and Yoko Ono), but they were almost named "Fire Escape" and "Bin Liner".  ("Dalek" had also been considered).

Becca Nugent

Name: Becca Nugent

Age: 18

Location: Essex

Homepage: The dreaded Myspace

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: I have no idea when this was, I just remember being really young and being in some kind of haunted house style "Doctor Who Experience" that you walk around in, at some British seaside resort. I just remember being terrified of the Dalek which was about three times my height at the time. Other than that, getting 3D glasses in the newspaper because they were showing a Doctor Who episode that night. Maybe I dreamt all this. Hard to tell with memories.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of All Time: I haven't yet watched any of the original stories, so I'm going to have to choose just from Nu-Who. From Eccleston-time, Father's Day, and from Tennant-time, Girl in the Fireplace, Doomsday and Blink. 

And on the opposite end: Love and Monsters. Gridlock. And I'm one of the apparently very few who didn't really like The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

Favourite Doctor: David Tennant (sorry, like I say, a Nu-who fan...)

Favourite Companion: Rose (again, Nu-who.)

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: I've only read one, and although it was good, I'm not going to say it was my favourite cuz I don't doubt there are better ones out there.

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven't heard any, I'm afraid.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one. I check it everyday, I just love reading the views of the other fans. Also Whofic.com.

Favourite Non-Who website: I can has Cheezburger, XKCD and Knitty.

Favourite Film: Moulin Rouge, Sin City, The Virgin Suicides, Anchorman. But I don't really watch many films.

Favourite TV Show: The only things I watch are Doctor Who, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty.

I enjoy listening to: lots of music. Tori Amos, Patrick Wolf, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Maximo Park, Incubus, The Killers (Hot Fuss rather than Sam's Town), Regina Spektor, Fall Out Boy...a bit of a mix.

I enjoy reading: historical romances, especially any set around Tudor times, fairy tales, and random things that fall into my path.

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Star Trek TNG. Absolutely loved it when I was about 13-14. Don't tend to watch much Sci-Fi nowadays though.

Things that irritate me: Rude people. And people who mis-spell things. Although I've probably just mis-spelt mis-spell. Good thing I like irony.

Favourite joke: I don't know...my mother-in-law(-ish) tells very good jokes though. I'll tell you one of hers sometime.

Guilty Pleasures: Doctor Who fanfiction. Especially when I'm supposed to be revising.

Reasons for Blogging: I am the only person in my immediate vicinity who gets very excited about Doctor Who (although saying that, my little sister is lately getting very into it), and all my boyfriend does is tease me about David Tennant, so I wanted somewhere to spout about it and see what everyone else thinks of an episode.

Liam Hutchinson

Age: 20

Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Homepage: I don’t have one.

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: Planet of the Daleks: the first story I ever watched. I was six at the time (ahhh, 1993, good memories. Well of Dr. Who. Real life was crap). The scene burnt into my memory was when they are climbing up the air-vent and the Dalek was (slowly) hovering up, after the Doctor and his gang. Had me gripped that did.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of All Time: It depends on the mood I am in. It fluctuates between The Caves of Androzani, Ghost Light, and Survival

And on the opposite end: The Space Museum makes me sleepy and it’s an effort putting Vengeance on Varos on.

Favourite Doctor: Peter Davison.

Favourite Companion: Ace, by a long chalk.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: The Shadow in the Glass

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven’t heard any, except Dimension in Time, which I did enjoy. Oh, I almost forgot Paradise of Death. I really enjoyed that.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: Tachyon TV. There was another one I liked but they deleted all my reviews. Bastards!

Favourite Non-Who website: Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins & Genesis

Favourite Film: Schindler’s List, Batman, Batman Returns, Lawrence of Arabia, Rabbit-Proof-Fence, The Message, The Godfather (I, II & III), Brazil and a few others.

Favourite TV Show: Yes, Minister, Yes Prime Minister, Blake’s 7, The Prisoner, Spooks, The Hustle, anything with David Attenborugh and of course, Doctor Who

I enjoy listening to: Baroque, Classical, Jazz, Blues, World and Rock

I enjoy reading: History, science-fiction/fantasy and anything political

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Blake’s 7

Things that irritate me: Loud noises, the Union Jack, anyone who covers The Beatles, nationalism, fascism, racism and two of my lectures who shall remain nameless. People who don’t reply to your texts (it costs me you know, and you have a good deal on your phone so there is NO excuse). Oh, and spell check. It is Doctor Who! NOT DOCTOR WHOM!!!!

Favourite joke: A bloke walked up to the barman and asked for double entendre so he gave him one.

Guilty Pleasures: Well, there are some songs that I like that I know should be illegal. One of which is Take on Me by A-Ha. I shall say no more than that.

Reasons for Blogging: All my mates aren’t really into Doctor Who (they have lives of some sort) so this is the only way to get my excitement out to other fans, short of going to a convention and you can stick that idea! I do have a little bit of a life and I plan to Klingon to it (awwwww, that is bad—perhaps I don’t)

Brendan Kennedy

Date of materialisation: 27/4/86

Location: Limerick, Ireland (colloquially known as the sticks).

Homepage: Not trendy enough to have one. Or, possibly, capable enough.

Favourite Doctor Who story: Oh, there are so many good ones. Do I love The Keeper of Traken for Tom's booger, or The Invasion for its ability to retain a sense of suspense over 72 episodes? No, I love a Colin Baker story: Revelation of the Daleks is a revelation (groan). It's exciting, frequently hilarious and has the best scenes of the Doctor and Peri verbally dueling with each other.

Least favourite Doctor Who story: There's one story whose appeal has evaded me for a long time. It's embarrassing, slow moving, has the worst performance from a companion ever witnessed and has a villain who the masses seem to adore, but I'm utterly indifferent to. I speak of The Curse of Fenric.

Earliest Doctor Who memory: Being cruelly dragged off to mass aged 5 or 6, instead of being allowed to watch Jon Pertwee UK Gold. I'm understandably an atheist now.

Favourite Doctor: It's a toss up between the Tenth and Sixth Doctors. I feel that Tennant's performance owes a lot to both Bakers. Colin Baker's television appears are decidedly hit and miss. Revelation, The Mark of the Rani and The Two Doctors are all wonderfully executed stories with some superb writing and direction, but as well as those, there's faecal matter like Attack of the Cybermen, Terror of the Vervoids, and The Twin Dilemma. Baker really excels in the audio plays.

Favourite Companion: It's either Lalla Ward's version of Romana or Zoe Heriot.

Favourite Doctor Who novel: I've read a very limited range of Who novels, simply because they're so difficult to acquire. Steve Lyon's The Crooked World, is a surprisingly effective exploration of guilt, responsibility, heritage and rules and it's got Scooby Doo and the Wacky Racers in it. Any writer that achieves that sort of balance between humour and drama deserves some major kudos.

Favourite Doctor Who audio: I quite liked Master and The Holy Terror. The Marian Conspiracy, is surprisingly riveting stuff, despite that possibility that at any moment it could slip into a dreadfully boring mess. It's that risk that seems to make it so exciting! Jacqueline Raynor is a very under-rated writer.

Favourite Doctor Who website: Predictably, Outpost Gallifrey.

Favourite non-who site:Barbelith , I came for the Grant Morrison, but stayed for the cat pictures.

Favourite Film: Brokeback Mountain still makes me weep like I've just been forced to watch the ending of Doomsday again. Moulin Rouge! makes me laugh like an idiot. Annie Hall is Woody Allen's best film (even better than the brilliant Manhattan). I have lots more, but those are the three best films ever made.

Favourite TV Show: I'm a bit of a TV-head, so excluding Doctor Who..Buffy, Angel, Firefly, LOST, Heroes, Big Brother, Six Feet Under, Battlestar Galactica, Grey's Anatomy.

What I listen to: I have very varied tastes in music. Some might say utterly random, but it's not for me. I likes what I likes. In no particular order, Christina Aguilera, System of a Down, Lily Allen, Tchaikovsky, musicals (The Sound of Music, Joseph being favourites), Audioslave, Manic Streets Preachers, Mika, shamefully Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Katie Melua, Norah Jones, ELO, Utada Hikaru..the list goes on.

Reading: I try to find time to read, but I honestly prefer writing than reading. Admittedly, it's not a good approach to the creative process, but I'm trying to improve. I'm currently reading Valis. I'm also a bit of a comics fan. Marvelwise, I love the X-Men, especially Grant Morrison's run on the comic. In the DC end of things, I like the Justice League, 52, etc. In between, I've loved The Filth, The Invisibles, what I've read of the Preacher.

I'm irritated by: Rude people, rude customers, specifically. Hateful, narrow-minded people. People who drink too much, Doctor Who being delayed by a week, the interminable wait between seasons.

Favourite Joke: How many molecules are in a bowl of guacamole? Avocado's number! Ahaha..haha..ha...ah.

What I do: I'm currently a student of science, but more precisely, a slave to chemistry. I also work in a hardware shop that makes me want to gouge my eyes, and the eyes of everyone else out.

Guilty Pleasures: Peeing outside (I'm an animal, I know), writing fan-fic, sleeping in til 3pm, staying up til 3am.

Reasons for blogging: Because so few of the people in my life are fans of Doctor Who (although the conversion is taking place gradually), I'm prone to point them to websites that show just how meaningful, enjoyable and silly the show can be. I'm blogging here to show them what the show means to me and of course, to vent about Chris Chibnall.

Daniel J Fox

AGE: 26

Location: Neston (near Chester)

Homepage: www.chatnoir-productions.co.uk

http://www.myspace.com/captaindjfox

 

http://www.myspace.com/dreamscape_themovie

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: The Cyberman invading the Tardis at the end of Episode one of Attack of the Cybermen, threatening the ever lovely Nicola Bryant!

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Any Sylvester McCoy Story, Twin Dilemma, Timelash etc, Aliens of London, World War 3, New Earth, Fear Her

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: The Caves of Androzani/Revelation of the Daleks- huge formative TV experienes, and the reason I went into drama directing. The stories are layers and textured in both narrative and character. They're also both embued with a particular perversion and coruption that gives them a wonderfully decadent feel, more adult than Torchwood could ever hope to be.
Other favourites: Genesis of the Daleks and most other Early Tom Baker. Patrick Troughton in general with special notes to Power and Evil of the Daleks.
For the New Series, Dalek, Fathers Day, The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, Tooth and Claw, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Shakespere Code.

Favourite Doctor: Early Tom Baker when he was dangerous and alien before he lost his edge.

Favourite Companion: Peri- I can give you two good reasons. Jamie perfect foil and support for the Doctor.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Only really read Target novelisations- loath New Adventures. Have a fondness for Rememberance of the Daleks- boy was the program a disapointment having not seen it before I read the book!

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Whisphers of Terror

Favourite Doctor Who Website: Tachyon TV by a mile.

Favourite non-Who Website: IMDB

Favourite Film: tough one. Alien Blade Runner, Billy Wilder movies, early Star Wars (especially Empire- practically perfect) Indiana Jones. Sweet Smell of Success, Outland, The Thing,The Empire Strikes Back, Payback, Leon, Cypher, The Sweet Smell of Success, Some Like it Hot, The Appartment, Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The Third Man,  Batman Begins, Deep Rising, The Fortune Cookie, Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Where Eagles Dare, Fear is the Key, When Eight Bells Toll, Get Carter (the original), Relic, Doctor Strangelove, The Incredibles, The Abyss, Get Shorty, Arsenic and Old Lace, Casino Royal, Pan's Labyrinth

Favourite TV Show: Farscape- by far the most imaginative Sci-fi show of the last ten maybe even twenty years. What started as muppets in space rapidly became a wonderfully textured, layered and heart breaking show. RTD eat your heart out.

I enjoy listening to: Dean Martin (and the Rat-Pack in general), Vangelis, Movie Soundtracks, especially by John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, John Barry, (early) James Horner, Roy Budd, John Debney, David Shire, Hank Marvin, Ben Folds, The Divine Comedy, The Beach Boys

I enjoy reading: Alistair Maclean novels, Bill Bryson, Robert Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Frank Hampson

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Huge Blakes 7 fan, Star Cops, any Anderson up to Space 1999, HG2G, Red Dwarf, TOS Star Trek (looks less dated than the crappy 80s series, The Prisoner,

Thing that irritates me the most: Bad drivers, Make-up artists who can't do their FUCKING JOB! Politicians

Guilty Pleasures: watching bad bad movies- research to stop me making the same mistakes

Meet the Authors: Salem

Age: 26

Location: Beaumont, Texas, America (ugh)

Homepage: sonicstapler.blogspot.com

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: State of Decay, after that my Da bought me Haining's Time Traveller's Guide, and it was all downhill after that.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of All Time: Remembrance of the Daleks - It's the glitter gun, has to be. And revelling in the Cartmel Masterplan.

And on the opposite end: None I really hate, but there's a few Pertwees that put me to sleep.

Favourite Doctor: McCoy, by far.  He's such a slick bastard.

Favourite Companion: Fitz.  Oh, poor, poor Fitz.  He just can't catch a break, can he?

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Algebra of Ice - C'mon! Aliens that take the form of maths!  How cool is that? Yeah, I'm a nerd..

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: After the Faction Paradox Protocols, I'd have to say probably a tie between The Harvest and The Next Life.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: bucking the norm, thevervoid.com, and the DW section of fiveminute.net.

Favourite Non-Who website: warrenellis.com, bloggorah.com, womenincomics.blogspot.com, wikipedia.org.

Favourite Film: Boondock Saints, Shaun of the Dead, Slither, Love Actually, a few others.

Favourite TV Show: hehe-erhm.  DW, Red Dwarf, 24, Scrubs, Sinchronicity, Life on Mars, 2 Pints, and the ORIGINAL Office.

I enjoy listening to: Sisters of Mercy, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Apoptygma Berzerk, VNV Nation, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, The Pogues, Johnny Cash, Tori Amos.

I enjoy reading: BBC and Virgin DW, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Gail Simone, Joseph Heller, Nietzche, Alan Moore

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Red Dwarf, ST:Deep Space 9, Stargate SG1

Things that irritate me(since there's too much for one):
Loud, sudden noises.
Poor grammar and/or spelling.
Stereotypes(ANY stereotype.  Except Irish. Leave us alone already!)

Favourite joke: Two guys walk into a bar.  The third ducks.
-ALSO- (wait until someone walks up close)...AND THE MONK PULLED A CANDLE OUT OF HIS ARSE!!

Guilty Pleasures: X-men comic books. And Deadpool.  Imagine Spiderman's attitude with no decency filter and no moral compass....AND HE KNOWS HE'S A COMIC BOOK CHARACTER!! Yay for breaking the fourth wall(stand up, Tom..)

Reasons for Blogging: have you BEEN to America lately?  The only people watching the show I know are the ones I've drafted into it! Can't exactly pop down to the pub at 9 on Saturdays to intelligently discuss the new episodes.

Meet the Authors: Paul Songer

I guess it's about time to post one of these. Especially as I intend to take part in Stripped Down Five.

Age: 31

Location: Peterborough, Cambs, UK

Homepage: Two (when i found out Firefox did that) Peterborough Local News and the online Government simulator Nation States

Earliest Dr Who memory: It was the Krotons, but from the "Five faces of Doctor Who" season. The bit with the acid jets and the umbrella!

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Blimey, urm probably Talons of Weng Chiang

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: God don't make me watch "Twin Dilemma"

Favourite Doctor: Oddly its now Ecclescakes who took the crown from McCoy (late version)

Favourite Companion: Nyssa, I'll be her daddy :D <cough> moving swiftly on.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Cooo its been a while, "The Left Handed Hummingbird"

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Never listened to many, I guess its Genesis.

Favourite Doctor Who Website:  Predictably Outpost Gallifrey

Favourite non-Who Website:  This Urban Exploration site has my eye at the moment

Favourite Film: The Crow, Unforgiven.

Favourite TV Show: Lost, Heroes

I enjoy listening to: Anything. Got a soft spot for some Metal though.

I enjoy reading: Ohhh Pratchett, King, Koontz you know the classics!

Other sci-fi I enjoy: NOT Galactica, Heroes floats my boat and I'm looking forward to Primeval.

Thing that irritates me the most:
The whole Vacuum Cleaner - Hoover thing. It's a brand name dammit.
The whole "Gay Agenda"
Female weather forcasters that seem to be constantly pregnant.
The DRM nonsense in files I have paid for that stop me playing it on my MP3 player simply because it is a cheap one!

Favourite joke: Sorry its very crude!

Guilty Pleasures: Doctors (the TV show) and chocolate.

Reasons for Blogging: Summat to do 'innit

Meet the Authors: Andrew Irwin

Age: 26

Location: Chicago

Homepage: myspace.com/feelk

Earliest Dr Who memory: The Tom Baker-era opening titles.  Particularly, the brown swirling vortex which reminded me, in my tender age, of swirling chocolate milk.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Stories:  Seeds of Doom, Inferno, The Invasion, The Deadly Assassin   

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Timeflight, The Web Planet, Fear Her, The Runaway Bride

Favourite Doctor: The Fourth, followed closely by The Second.

Favourite Companion: Sarah-Jane

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Who Killed Kennedy by David Bishop and James Stevens

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: N/A

Favourite Doctor Who Website: The Doctor Who Homepage at Nitro-9. I'm old-school.

Favourite non-Who Website: Youtube, Wikipedia

Favourite Film: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb

Favourite TV Show: The Young Ones

I enjoy listening to: Anything including, and/or related to The Clash

I enjoy reading: Hunter S. Thompson

Other sci-fi I enjoy: THX 1138, Blake's 7, and there was a time when I thought Red Dwarf was cool.

Thing that irritates me the most: Social alienation and the wastefulness which runs rampant throughout our western civilization. I also don't like waiting for busses.

Favourite joke:  "Compassionate Conservatism" (It's more of an oxymoron, I know...)

Guilty Pleasures: My obsession with a children's television show.

Reasons for blogging: I dunno.

Meet The Authors: James Coleman

Up until now, I have been content to lie in mystery, unobserved and unknown by all around me. This was partly to preserve some ambiguity, much like a certain character I could mention, but mostly because I couldn't figure out how to upload pictures. But now I'm determined to learn how to do it, and here is where I begin.

Age: 19
Location: Sheffield, UK
Homepage: Nope.
Earliest Dr Who memory: Must be a repeat, but the Doctor and Sarah leaving the TARDIS in a black and white Invasion of the Dinosaurs.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Oooh, that's a difficult one. I suppose for simplicity's sake, I'll say The Talons of Weng Chiang. The deerstalker just pushes it that far ahead.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways.
Favourite Doctor: I like them all! I suppose I have a fondness for Sylvester McCoy, but I don't know why...
Favourite Companion: Sorry it's obvious, but Sarah Jane.
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Nope. Someday I'll read them, but at the moment I think there's too many to get started on. I have a very addictive personality, and there's hundreds of them! My dad likes World Game.
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven't listened to many, but so far it's the new "I, Davros", the Innocence one.
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Tachyon-TV
Favourite non-Who Website: Wikipedia
Favourite Film: The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Favourite TV Show: Angel
I enjoy listening to: The Everly Brothers.
I enjoy reading: Douglas Adams, Philip Pullman
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Red Dwarf
Thing that irritates me the most: Things which are terrible yet incredibly popular. Plays which are meant to "challenge the actors" or "make the audience really think about the social/moral issue". When I'm in an audience, I want to enjoy the show!
Favourite joke: What's green and can't climb trees? A pool table.
Guilty Pleasures: I feel no guilt, but I suppose "The Bill" and "Coronation Street" have provided me with some shame over the last few years.
Reasons for Blogging: The chance to say what I want and not be told to shut up. It doesn't matter if no-one reads what I put, but at least I'll have put it!

Read Posts by James Coleman

Age: 19
Location: Sheffield, UK
Homepage: Nope.
Earliest Dr Who memory: Must be a repeat, but the Doctor and Sarah leaving the TARDIS in a black and white Invasion of the Dinosaurs.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Oooh, that's a difficult one. I suppose for simplicity's sake, I'll say The Talons of Weng Chiang. The deerstalker just pushes it that far ahead.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways.
Favourite Doctor: I like them all! I suppose I have a fondness for Sylvester McCoy, but I don't know why...
Favourite Companion: Sorry it's obvious, but Sarah Jane.
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Nope. Someday I'll read them, but at the moment I think there's too many to get started on. I have a very addictive personality, and there's hundreds of them! My dad likes World Game.
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven't listened to many, but so far it's the new "I, Davros", the Innocence one.
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Tachyon-TV
Favourite non-Who Website: Wikipedia
Favourite Film: The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Favourite TV Show: Angel
I enjoy listening to: The Everly Brothers.
I enjoy reading: Douglas Adams, Philip Pullman
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Red Dwarf
Thing that irritates me the most: Things which are terrible yet incredibly popular. Plays which are meant to "challenge the actors" or "make the audience really think about the social/moral issue". When I'm in an audience, I want to enjoy the show!
Favourite joke: What's green and can't climb trees? A pool table.
Guilty Pleasures: I feel no guilt, but I suppose "The Bill" and "Coronation Street" have provided me with some shame over the last few years.
Reasons for Blogging: The chance to say what I want and not be told to shut up. It doesn't matter if no-one reads what I put, but at least I'll have put it!

Read Posts by James Coleman

Meet the Authors: Jon Clifford

Age: 37

Location: Bath

Homepage: PeterClifford.co.uk (Undergoing extensive overhauls). It’s nothing about me, but it is a chance to give my brother a little more exposure.

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: I wrote something a long time ago in a fanzine about the memory of waiting to watch being far stronger than the programme itself. Having said that, I have vague memories of Jon Pertwee in what, I think, turned out to be Carnival of Monsters.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Most of the McCoy era can be written off as light entertainment nonsense and the TV Movie should be derided as much as the Star Wars Holiday Special is. Fear Her deserves special mention, too, for being the worst episode of the last two years. Overall, I think I’ll go for that one.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: City of Death was a great story but I don’t know if Father’s Day didn’t just beat for the sheer emotional power it had for me.

Favourite Doctor: Terrible outfit aside, I always had a fondness for Colin Baker. Special should go to Christopher Ecclestone for bringing the whole thing back so well, but I did like Colin’s verbose ranting.

Favourite Companion: It has to be Captain Jack. Despite tough competition from the likes of Sarah-Jane, I think he was the favourite.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Unless Target novels count (of which I have quite a few) the only one I’ve read was a gift from my bro. The Clockwise Man.

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: The only one I managed to hear all the way through was one of the BBCi productions in which Colin Baker battled the Cybermen.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: Would have to be Tachyon TV.

Favourite non-Who Website: Where to start? BBC for news, Overheard In Ney York for eavesdropping, Post Secrets for human interest and Office Humour for laughs. There are many others, but these are my regulars.

Favourite Film: Impossible question. Even if I were to list my fave film in each genre it would still be nigh on impossible. I’ve always loved Harvey, think that Michael Douglas gave a career best in Falling Down, really enjoyed The Mummy and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was fascinated by Short Cuts and Memento and could (and have) watch The Princess Bride many times over. This is a sample of those films that I consider great but which of these should my favourite. I wouldn’t like to say.

Favourite TV Show: I’m a fairly recent convert to the marvellous Scrubs. Fraiser is another all time great along with Buffy, Angel and 24.

I enjoy listening to: Music has never been much of a driving factor in my life. I tend to go for individual tracks rather than groups. Although I do like Frank Sinatra and Elvis. Then there’s the compilation that I have on my PDA for when I do feel like music. That has selected tracks from Queen, Bon Jovi, the Young Ones (With Cliff Richard), Del Amitri, the Toy Dolls and other varied and eclectic numbers.

I enjoy reading: To quote Hamlet "Words, words, words!" Or to put it another way, this is where my passion lies. I love reading. Favourite authors number among David Gemmell, Colin Dexter, Mike Gayle, Christopher Brookmyre, Stephen Fry, Terry Pratchett, the excellent Lee Child and the hugely clever, funny, weird and overall captivating Jasper Fforde. There are so many others that I could name, but I know I have to stop somewhere. The only genre that I avoid is, oddly, the ‘classics’. Once in a while, I do try to get on with the Penguin Classic series but fail every time. Oliver Twist was dull and nobody sang in it at all. The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Don Quixote were turgid nonsense. Moby Dick (which I’m sure you all know concerns a big whale) was so slow that it took Ishmael 120 pages to even get to the boat! I’ll stick to the contemporary stuff thanks. Oh and then there’s the comics. I’ve always been a Spider-man fanboy, but do like the JLA and Batman books, too. I’ve recently got into the Marvel ‘relaunch’ of their main characters under the Ultimate banner particularly Ultimate Spider-man run.

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Buffy and Angel were both very good. I was a huge fan of Babylon 5 and do enjoy Smallville.

Thing that irritates me the most: Being a miserable old bugger, I would have to say that pretty much everything irritates me to an equally massive degree. But if I had to pick something specifically, I’d have to say excessive negativity is a real downer.

Favourite Joke: There is one that I used to tell, but since I reformed I try not to gloat anymore. There is one joke, the punch line to which I use a lot.

A coach full of day-trippers gets a flat tyre the driver gets out and starts to replace it. However he’s having trouble loosening the wheel nuts. Eventually a young lady gets off the bus and in an attempt to help says to him

"Would you like a screwdriver?"

"Might as well" he replies "I can’t get this bloody wheel off."

Now almost every time I’m looking for a screwdriver, or have to use one I at least think to myself, if not actually say aloud, "Might as well. I can’t get this bloody wheel off." Which is very sad, but just the kind of guy I am.

Guilty Pleasures: You need a conscience to be guilty about stuff, so I’m pretty much in the clear here. Actually I’m kind of boringly straight up. Although, I suppose that Poker (both online and live) could be listed here.

Reasons for Blogging: I’ve always enjoyed writing. I had a staff appraisal once that said "Jon won’t use one word where ten will do". So the chance to practice that was very tempting and it does save my poor wife from having to endure endless discourse on the ups and downs of Who. So, I do it because it’s fun, I enjoy getting feedback on my views and it’s a humane act within my marriage

Meet the Authors: Felicity Anderson, "Flick"

Age: 19

Location: Edinburgh.

Homepage: I lack the expertise to make anything decent, I’m afraid.

Earliest Dr Who memory: I sort of watched the TV Movie and got very confused.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: City of Death.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Timelash. No one has ever managed to beat it.

Favourite Doctor: I hate to be obvious, but Tom Baker.

Favourite Companion: First season Rose.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Of the few I've read, Dying Days.

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Again, I've not heard many but Chimes of Midnight was a corker.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one.

Favourite non-Who Website: Pimp that Snack

Favourite Film: Withnail & I to be cheered up; Memento to be challenged.

Favourite TV Show: House, or any BBC comedy quiz show you care to mention.

I enjoy listening to: Pink Floyd, Flaming Lips, Ella Fitzgerald or pretty much anything that started before my time.

I enjoy reading: Douglas Adams, PG Wodehouse, Oscar Wilde, Louis de Bernieres.

Other sci-fi I enjoy: H2G2, Red Dwarf, and - oh the shame - Star Wars.

Thing that irritates me the most: People who order fruit scones in cafes. You'll know the type. Especially when they say, "Oh, but I came here specially" when they're told that sadly you're fresh out of scones.

Favourite Joke: Three men who were all hard of hearing sat in a train carriage. The first one asked:

"Are we at Wembley yet?" The second one replied:

"No, my dear fellow, it's Thursday" And the third one said:

"Me too. Let's all pop out for a drink afterwards."

Guilty Pleasures: The Archers.

Reasons for Blogging: I joined purely on impulse then never looked back.

Meet The Authors: Dave Sanders

Age: 36

Location: Norn Iron. Pity me.

Homepage: No blog, but http://ealadubh@deviantart.net showpieces a few artistic endeavours.

Earliest Dr Who memory: I definitely recall being present for Pertwee's last season in 1974, though I couldn't tell you which story.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Logopolis, if only for the brooding atmosphere and Paddy Kingsland music.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Delta And The Bannermen. Imagine all the worst bits of Love & Monsters, but laughing at the audience and itself rather than with them. NNNNNNNnnnnngh.

Favourite Doctor: Patrick Troughton. So wonderfully childlike.

Favourite Companion: K-9. What can I say? I was eight.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: The Seventh Doctor one in the Land Of Fiction. What was that called again?

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Do the 'Radio Collection' soundtracks of the missing stories count? Evil Of The Daleks if they do.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: The official BBC site for the episode guides, and this one for the reviews and podcasts. Can I have the money now Neil?

Favourite non-Who Website: Homestar Runner.

Favourite Film: At the moment, Wallace & Gromit.

Favourite TV Show: Well duh. Oh alright then, classic era Scooby-Doo if I must.

I enjoy listening to: The Goon Show, various videogame music soundtracks and Paddy Kingsland.

I enjoy reading: American satire books and 50s/60s MAD magazines.

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Blake's Seven.

Thing that irritates me the most: Asperger's syndrome, counting off a new midlife crisis every day of the week.

Favourite joke: "...and then the Dalek walks into a pub..."

Guilty Pleasures: Er, Scooby-Doo and Paddy Kingsland. :P

Reasons for Blogging: Feeding the ego by inflicting opinions on people. What else does one blog-review for? (joke)

Meet The Authors : Kevin Jordan

Age: 39
Location: Essex, UK (no jokes please)

Homepage: http://rubber-room.blogspot.com/ was my aborted attempt at a weblog. The first paragraph was good. That was as far as it got. One day...

Earliest Dr Who memory: Bits and pieces of various Pertwee's including Curse Of Peladon, but it was Planet of the Spiders when I became a true fan.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: The Deadly Assassin, with The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances on it's heels.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum:  God, Timelash by a mile.

Favourite Doctor: The one's that weren't Colin Baker. Oh if I must - Peter Davison.

Favourite Companion: Steven. Peter Purves was great.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Of the ones I have read, I seem to remember Love and War being resonably good.

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Minuet in Hell

Favourite Doctor Who Website: Outpost Gallifrey - Particularly for the great DVD covers section in the forum. Oh and this one for making me feel so welcome.

Favourite non-Who Website: So many... http://www.newsarama.com/ for comics (of which I have FAR too many), http://jelly.b3ta.com/ for humour and www.digitalspy.co.uk for TV.

Favourite Film: Moulin Rouge

Favourite TV Show: Old: GBH (Alan Bleasdale's masterpiece) or A Very Peculiar Practice. New: House.

I enjoy listening to: Tori Amos, The Flaming Lips, Chris Rea, William Topley etc etc.

I enjoy reading:  Stephen Donaldson, Terry Pratchett,Jasper Fforde, Peter F Hamilton, Tad Williams. I won't touch Robert Jordan though.

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Lost, Carnivale, Dead Like Me, Sapphire & Steel, DS9

Thing that irritates me the most: Feeling I am slowly turning into Victor Meldrew as I approach 40. Working too much so I can't post on this blog.

Favourite joke: A guy walks into the psychiatrist wearing only cling-film for shorts.
The shrink says, "Well, I can clearly see you're nuts."

Guilty Pleasures: DIY SOS and Neil Diamond

Reasons for Blogging: Feeling part of a community - and it's great fun.

Meet the Authors: John Williams

Age: 37
Location: Whitley Bay
Homepage: http://www.vintagetimes.org.uk is probably the nearest to my home page at the moment.  Designed by Q of course
Earliest Dr Who memory: The Sea Devils
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: The Caves of Androzani
And on the opposite end of the spectrum:  Of those I've seen probably The Twin Dilemma.  I haven't seen much of the McCoy era.
Favourite Doctor: Tom Baker
Favourite Companion: Sarah Jane Smith
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Never read one.  Novelisation - Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon. 
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Does Genesis of the Daleks count?
Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one
Favourite non-Who Website: http://www.the-mausoleum-club.org.uk/xmb/index.php but its glory days are in the past
Favourite Film: Performance
Favourite TV Show: The Singing Detective (but Bill Brand is coming up on the rails)
I enjoy listening to: The Streets, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin, Frank Sinatra, et al
I enjoy reading:  Yes, very much especially if it's obscure, difficult and bleak
Other sci-fi I enjoy: The BSG reboot, Blake's 7, small doses of Star Trek at infrequent intervals
Thing that irritates me the most: Me being irritable; an inability to blog about new Who
Favourite joke: How can you tell there's an elephant in bed with you?  By the big "E" on his pyjama pocket
Guilty Pleasures: There's nothing guilty about it, but I suppose Crossroads is the kind of thing you're after.
Reasons for Blogging: The nagging sense I haven't been creative or expressed myself enough over a large chunk of my wastrel life

Meet The Authors: Stuart Ian Burns

Age: 31
Location: Liverpool.
Earliest Dr Who memory: I have a very vivid memory of Leela with knife in hand picking her way through a corridor -- but I've never been able to put my finger on which story it's from. 
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time:   An Unearthly Child.  It's all gone downhill since then.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Isn't the Pertwee story The Mutants tedious?  Also The Web Planet
Favourite Doctor: I should say Tom, but everyone says Tom, so Paul McGann (Hah!)
Favourite Companion: Charlie Pollard.  It's the whole Victorian adventuress thing.  But if I absolutely have to pick a tv companion, Polly.
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Alien Bodies (although I do like The Witch Hunters)
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Neverland
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Outpost Gallifrey (since to pick this one would be pointless)
Favourite non-Who Website: Bloglines
Favourite Film:  You can't ask someone doing a film course that question because whichever peace of celluloid history they pick will be wrong.  But hey, what the hell, Three Colours Red
Favourite TV Show:  Y'know I've been watching random episodes of Buffy lately and it's amazing how well they stand up even after a few years.  But My So-Called Life, Friends, The West Wing, the usual scaboo.
I enjoy listening to: (glances at cd collection) female singer songwriters most of which no one's even heard of, movie soundtracks, world music, classical (particulaly Bach and Mozart)
I enjoy reading: Generally film books.  Funny that.
Other sci-fi I enjoy:  I was a Star Trek fan for years although since Enterprise finished I haven't doubled dipped.  Alias, Lost, Firefly, Buffy, Angel (I see a pattern).  Why no question about comic books?  Not that read many.  Only Astonishing X-Men.
Things that irritate me the most:  The conversational self-centred and perpetual non-ringers.
Favourite joke:  Not a joke really but something I read in a Carl Jung book yesterday.  "A mother took a photograph of her small son in the Black Forest.  She left the film to be developed in Starsbourg.  But, owing to the outbreak of way, she was unable to fetch it and gave it up for lost.  In 1916 she bought a film in Frankfort in order to take a photograph of her daughter, who had been born in the meantime.  When the film was developed it was found to be doubly exposed: the picture underneath was the photograph she had taken of her son in 1914!"  All true.
Guilty Pleasures: Property development tv shows and two year old pop music.
Reasons for Blogging:  Here or elsewhere?  Here because it seems like the thing to do to celebrate the fact that the series is back on television and I'm grateful even if some elements grate.

Link to my other blog: feeling listless: http://feelinglistless.blogspot.com/

Meet the authors: Jonathan Baldwin

Age: 35
Location: Brighton, East Sussex, UK
Homepage: Two: My 'professional' homepage and my blog
Earliest Dr Who memory: Planet of the Daleks, I think - distinct memory of a Dalek cutting through a door with Jon Pertwee on the other side. It wasn't until the repeat on BBC1 a few years ago that it clicked in to place. And it looked quite different, but the same. I was only 3, I think.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Genesis? No, hang on, City of Death. Or Fang Rock. Or did you mean the African swallow?
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Anything with Sylvester McCoy. Makes Twin Dilemma look like a classic.
Favourite Doctor: Gotta be Tom
Favourite Companion: Rose or Sarah Jane. I had huge crushes on both. (Still do with Rose).
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Alien Bodies, I think
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Mmm... Genesis of the Daleks. Wore it smooth, I did.
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Eye of Horus. Oh the irony.
Favourite non-Who Website: The Unofficial Apple Weblog, perhaps. I subscribe to so many RSS feeds it's difficult to say. Maybe PvP too. It's hilarious.
Favourite Film: Clueless. Yes, really.
Favourite TV Show: West Wing, Law and Order
I enjoy listening to: Anything and everything. Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Beatles, 1995 Britpop
I enjoy reading: Cultural studies books, Pratchett, good novels, trashy novels, history
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Getting into Firefly at the moment. B7 obviously, and Spaced (What? That was sci-fi in places).
Thing that irritates me the most:
People who can't put apostrophes in the right place, or get 'me' and 'I' mixed up.
Pedants (ha ha).
Tory MPs who go on about Media Studies without knowing what the f*** they're talking about.
24 hour rolling news channels.
The weather forecasters on local news who stand in front of Brighton so I can't see what's happening.
The fact the recycling service won't take plastic bags.
Paying good money for the Guardian and having to throw away the sports section, like sport is so important it needs its own section. Listen, if I wanted a sports paper I'd buy a sports paper.
Friends telling me to calm down before I have a stroke...
Favourite joke: Clean one: Why are there no pain killers in the jungle? 'Cos the parrots eat 'em all (paracetemol, geddit?)
Dirty one: email me!
Guilty Pleasures: Neighbours (the TV series, not the girl next door. Although...)
Reasons for Blogging: Narcissism.

Meet the Authors: Adam Stone

I know I haven't been doing this for long but I thought I would do one of these...

Age: 31

Location: Wigan, Lancs, UK

Homepage: None at present, but I would like one

Earliest Dr Who memory: It was the bit in Destiny of the Daleks when Romana fell down that chute. I would have been 5 years old at the time.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: City of Death

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Paradise Towers
Favourite Doctor: Christopher Eccleston, after his incomparable performances last year
Favourite Companion: Rose
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: The Adventuress of Henrietta Street
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Any by Rob Shearman (apart from Scherzo and The

Maltese Penguin)

Favourite Doctor Who Website: Either this one or Outpost Gallifrey

Favourite non-Who Website: Live Journal
Favourite Film: A Clockwork Orange
Favourite TV Show: Obviously Who is my favourite TV show, but I also like most other sci-fi shows, comedies (British and American), drama’s etc.
I enjoy listening to: Kate Bush, Morrissey, The Smiths, Classical music, Eurovision hits, TV themes
I enjoy reading: Biographies, autobiographies, horror fiction, TV and film tie-in novels, Doctor Who books, various magazines
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Blakes’ 7, Star Trek, Star Trek: TNG, Star Trek: DS9, Babylon 5, Red Dwarf
Thing that irritates me the most: Teenagers on buses especially when they playing music on their mobile phones really loud.
Favourite joke: Can't think of one.
Guilty Pleasures: Pizza, Real Ale
Reasons for Blogging: Something to do, and it’s fun!

Meet the Authors: John Paul Green (JP)

Age: 33
Location: Sunderland, UK (Brummie at heart)
Earliest Dr Who memory: 'The Brain of Morbius'
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of All Time: 'City of Death'
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: 'Time and the Rani'
Favourite Doctor: Tom Baker
Favourite Companion: Sarah Jane Smith
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: 'Nightshade' Mark Gatiss
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: 'Spare Parts' Marc Platt
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Outpost Gallifrey
Favourite non-Who website: BBCi
Favourite Film: Jaws
Favourite TV Show: Doctor Who of course, followed by The Prisoner
I enjoy listening to: David Bowie, Queen, Pink Floyd, Genesis, David Devant
I enjoy reading: Stephen King and Philip Pullman
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Quatermass (anything by Nigel Kneale), Sapphire and Steel, Babylon 5, Firefly
Thing that irritates me the most: Day time TV adverts for remortgages and personal injury claims
Favourite joke: Took the wife out for lunch yesterday. She didn't mind the tea and biscuits, but she hated giving blood.
Guilty Pleasures: The Golden Girls
Reasons for Blogging: Gives me somewhere to go and rant when everyone else has walked away.

Meet the Authors: Darth Marsden

Two things here. First, failing to find any Region One DVD covers for the story, I made my own DVD cover for 'The Ratings War'. Thanks to Simon at Shiny Art for the help he gave me with this (IE: the font he sent me).

Secondly: I never did one of these, did I?

Real Name: Chris Marsden
Age: 21, but younger at heart
Location: Rustington, West Sussex, UK
Homepage: I have two now. My initial website, which I stopped updating in July, and my blog, where I'm reviewing every Doctor Who story released on video or CD. It'll take me about two years to do them all, so stop by and support me, why don't you?
Earliest Doctor Who memory: The Curse of Fatal Death. I was about 12 when I saw it.
Favourite Doctor Who TV story of all time: I've hardly seen any, but I guess I'll go with the last 20 minutes of The Christmas Invasion.
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: The Long Game, but Boom Town is a close second.
Favourite Doctor: Colin Baker, but that may change once the new series gets underway - Tennant looks very good indeed. 
Favourite Companion: Haven't got one. Haven't even watched half of them yet.
Favourite Doctor Who novel: Again, haven't got one. I don't read them - I've got the audios, thank you very much.
Favourite Doctor Who website: Besides this one and my blog? Outpost Gallifrey.
Favourite non-Who website: Planet Phillip
Favourite film: The Empire Strikes Back, closely followed by The Bourne Supremacy.
Favourite TV show: Tricky, but I'll go with Doctor Who. :) South Park is another of my faves, as are Family Guy, Smallville, Nip/Tuck and Red Dwarf.
I enjoy reading: Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Comedy, with anything that combines all three taking top priority.
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Firefly/Serenity, Smallville (again) and Farscape.
Thing that irritates me the most: Cheap TV ads. And mobile phones with irritating tones.
Favourite joke: It's originally from Red Dwarf, and it's a bit long, but it's worth it.

One day a guy decides to buy a new pair of trainers, so of he goes to the local shoe stores. He can't find anything he likes though, and eventually he somehow ends up in a magic shop. There he finds the perfect pair - and they move of their own accord. He goes to buy them, and the man tells him that the trainers have been blessed with the gift of life. They'll clean themselves, tie it's own laces, everything. So the guy thinks "Sounds good to me!" and buys them.

Everything's great for a couple of months, but after a while the trainers start acting funny. Refusing to tie up, letting themselves get dirty, and before long it starts leaving the house of their own accord. The guy initially accepts this - after all, they are 'alive' - but after one particularly late night he confronts the trainers. The trainers respond by kicking him in the shin, and he lets rip at the shoes. Before he can do anything, they kick him in the stomach and jump out the window.  The next day, he awakes to find his car missing - it turns out the trainers stole it and ended up driving it into a telephone pole.

The man finds the trainers, torn, battered and apparently 'dead'. Distraught, the man returns them to the magic shop and tells the owner what happened. The owner puts his arm around the man and tells him that the shoes are at a place of peace. The man asks how he knows this, and the owner replies "Because those trainers had soles."
Guilty pleasures: Sweets, crisps, fizzy drinks... I'm a kid at heart.
Reasons for blogging: I wanted to share my latest obsession with other people. It's nice to know there are others who are even more mad about his program then I am.

 

Meet the Authors: Damon Querry

Age: 34
Location: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Homepage: Too many to own up to:
http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/damon.querry/ passes for my proper home page. But I'm also rather proud of some of my other web activities http://www.ugandandiscussions.co.uk/ and http://www.vintagetimes.org.uk/ to name but two.
Earliest Dr Who memory: Episode 3 'Planet of the Daleks', I swear. I was 18 months old.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Caves of Androzani
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: The Twin Dilemma
Favourite Doctor: Gotta be TomB
Favourite Companion: Captain Jack Harkness
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Don't really have a favourite but of the ones I've bought there is a bias towards Lawrence Miles and Lance Parkin.
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: The One Doctor (controversial, possibly, but I could - and have - listened to this again and again and again).
Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one, naturally.
Favourite non-Who Website: BBCi
Favourite Film: Withnail and I
Favourite TV Show: Way too many to mention, but lots of comedy and campy, OTT, American action series.
I enjoy listening to: The Divine Comedy, Queen, Jean Michel Jarre and anything remotely campy and OTT (themes are emerging).
I enjoy reading: Not a big one for reading but I do like Michael Marshall Smith and, of course, Douglas Adams
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Pretty much anything. And yes, I have been watching Star Trek: Enterprise.
Thing that irritates me the most: Serving suggestions on food stuffs. I swear, on a tub of rather yummy chocolate coated biccies from M&S the serving suggestion is to pile them three high, but wedge a half eaten one into the middle of the stack at an angle.
Favourite joke: (Possibly works better when told as opposed to read but...) Nelson Mandela is sitting at home watching TV and drinking a beer when he hears a knock at the door. When he opens it, he is confronted by a little Chinese man, clutching a clip board and yelling, "You Sign! You sign!". Behind him is an enormous truck full of car exhausts. Nelson is standing there in complete amazement, when the Chinese man starts to yell louder. "You Sign! You sign!". Nelson says to him, "Look, you've obviously got the wrong man", and shuts the door in his face. The next day he hears a knock at the door again. When he opens it, the little Chinese man is back with a huge truck of brake pads. He thrusts his clipboard under Nelson's nose, yelling, "You sign! You sign!". Mr Mandela is getting a bit hacked off by now, so he pushes the little Chinese man back, shouting: "Look, go away! You've got the wrong man! I don't want them!" Then he slams the door in his face again. The following day, Nelson is resting, and late in the afternoon, he hears a knock on the door again. On opening the door, there is the same little Chinese man thrusting a clipboard under his nose, shouting, "You sign! You sign!". Behind him are TWO very large trucks full of car parts. This time Nelson loses his temper completely, he picks up the little man by his shirt front and yells at him; "Look,I don't want these! Do you understand? You must have the wrong name! Who do you want to give these to?" The little Chinese man looks at him very puzzled, consults his clipboard, and says: "You not Nissan Main Dealer?"
Guilty Pleasures: Pork scratchings, Belgium fruit and wheat beers, anything Apple (Macintosh, that is)
Reasons for Blogging: Not too sure. It's always struck me as a rather self-important activity in the past. But I asked, was allowed in and it's been a blast.

Meet the Authors: 'e'

Age: 41
Location: Denver, CO
Homepage: Don't even ask.
Earliest Doctor Who memory: Howard daSilva's narrations. And I thought that Harry was dishy. (Go fig.)
Favourite Doctor Who TV story of all time: The "Last Time Lord" arc
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Any of the first three doctors. Man, how they dragged on and on and on. I'm such a child of the ritilin age.
Favourite Doctor: Although I'll always love T. Baker, Eccleston is my current fave.
Favourite Companion: Romana II. I wanted to be her when I grew up.
Favourite Doctor Who novel: I never really got into them much.
Favourite Doctor Who website: This one!
Favourite non-Who website: Geek Press
Favourite film: Don't really have one. Sorry!
Favourite TV show: Ditto. (Although I've enjoyed bits of Buffy, Farscape, Changing Rooms, House Doctor, etc.)
I enjoy reading: Words in a row. Honestly, I'll read the back of toothpaste tubes and shampoo bottles ("Lather. Rinse. Repeat.") if nothing else becomes available. I most enjoy funny 1st person travelogues (a la Bill Bryson) and witty stuff (Pratchett), but I'm pretty flexible as to what I'll read.
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Most everything.
Thing that irritates me the most: Intellectual dishonesty.
Favourite joke: So this man was at a formal dinner party--ties, tails, evening dress and all. Across from him, this woman was piling stewed carrots on her head. The man watched in mounting horror until he could bear it no more. "Madam," he said, "Why are you piling carrots onto your head?" The woman stopped and gasped. "Carrots?" she repeated "My gracious! I thought they were yams."
Guilty pleasures: I reserve my right not to be incriminated
Reasons for blogging: 3 children and very little sleep

Meet the Authors: Paul Hayes

Age: 21
Location: Norwich or West Sussex, depending on when you ask.
Homepage: http://freespace.virgin.net/pa.hayes - it's not been updated for a fair while, though. Sorry! I will do it soon, promise.
Earliest Doctor Who memory: The TARDIS being dragged into the Time Lord ship at the beginning of The Trial of a Time Lord.
Favourite Doctor Who TV story of all time: The Caves of Androzani, of course! You were expecting something else?
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Time and the Rani. Yeuch!
Favourite Doctor: Probably Tom Baker.
Favourite Companion: Harry Sullivan - crushingly underrated.
Favourite Doctor Who novel: Either The Dying Days or The Infinity Doctors - so basically anything by Lance Parkin!
Favourite Doctor Who website: Is there any better fansite for any show than Outpost Gallifrey?
Favourite non-Who website: Hmmmmmmm, very close between BBC.co.uk and Wikipedia.
Favourite film: Moulin Rouge.
Favourite TV show: Of all-time? It would have to be Our Friends in the North. And was way before March 20th 2004, before anybody starts!
I enjoy listening to: Lots of things really, but absolute favourites include Del Amitri, The Beatles and The Pet Shop Boys.
I enjoy reading: Again, lots of things. All-time favourite books include the likes of A Dance to the Music of Time, The War of the Worlds, Nineteen Eighty-Four, A Christmas Carol, The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I'll read anything, me!
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Sapphire & Steel, Quatermass... All the usual suspects, basically.
Thing that irritates me the most: Oh, I don't know... Idiots who stand together in little groups talking to each other right in front of doorways or across whole stairwells in public places?
Favourite joke: No idea.
Guilty pleasures: Hah! As if I'd tell you...
Reasons for blogging: I was asked nicely!

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Meet the Authors: Sean Alexander

Age: 33
Location: Holyhead, North Wales
Homepage: I just let more technically-minded people do it for me.
Earliest Dr Who memory: Episode Two of ‘Pyramids of Mars’, the cliffhanger for which I had to watch through my mother’s fingers.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Christ, so many. But it has to be a Tom with Hinchcliffe and Holmes at the reins - like ‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’, perhaps…
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Boring Pertwee or anything from Season 24
Favourite Doctor: Tom - all others were merely actors.
Favourite Companion: Sarah-Jane Smith - even without the character depth that Billie Piper currently enjoys
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: I remember really liking Eric Saward’s novelization of ‘The Twin Dilemma’. Do I need help?
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Not a big fan, but ‘Spare Parts’ by Marc Platt or anything by Rob Shearman is a cut above.
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Outpost Gallifrey, natch.
Favourite non-Who Website: www.play.com for some serious, DVD retail-therapy.
Favourite Film: Christ, don’t make it easy, will you? ‘Jaws’, ‘The Graduate’, ‘The Thing’, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, ‘Se7En’, ‘Educating Rita’, ‘Lost in Translation’, ‘American Beauty’, Fight Club’; I mean I could go on…
Favourite TV Show: Past - ‘Cracker’, ‘The Office’, ‘The League of Gentlemen‘; Present - ‘Little Britain’ and ‘Nip/Tuck’
I enjoy listening to: The Smiths, Morrissey (as you may have noticed if you’ve read any of my BTSA posts this year), Radiohead, The Beatles. Cheerful bugger, aren’t I?
I enjoy reading: Biographies and film and TV critiques.
Other sci-fi I enjoy: ‘Buffy’, ‘Angel’, ‘Babylon 5’, ‘Space 1999’ (series one only), ‘The Prisoner’, anything challenging and entertaining (so no ‘Enterprise’, then)
Thing that irritates me the most: Thoughtless people.
Favourite joke: ‘Why are there no aspirin in the jungle?’ ‘Because the Parrots-Ate-Em-All’.
Guilty Pleasures: Watching TV for idle entertainment is the same as masturbating when you have the chance to make love.
Reasons for Blogging: Shameless attempt to assuage the nagging sense that I should be doing this for a living.

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Meet the Authors: Neil Perryman

Age: 35
Location: County Durham, UK
Homepage: Watching Too Much Telly and Tachyon TV
Earliest Dr Who memory: Episode 3 of 'The Carnival of Monsters', Feb 10th, 1973. I was 3 and a half years old.
Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances'
And on the opposite end of the spectrum: 'Timelash'
Favourite Doctor: the 4th
Favourite Companion: Rose
Favourite Doctor Who Novel: 'Alien Bodies' by Lawrence Miles
Favourite Doctor Who Audio: 'The Chimes of Midnight' by Rob Shearman
Favourite Doctor Who Website: Outpost Gallifrey
Favourite non-Who Website: Digital Spy
Favourite Film: Jaws
Favourite TV Show: GBH (still unsurpassed)
I enjoy listening to: Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd and New Order
I enjoy reading: Neal Stephenson and Stephen Baxter.
Other sci-fi I enjoy: Farscape, Battlestar Galactica v2, Firefly, Babylon 5 and Blake's 7.
Thing that irritates me the most: mayonnaise on 95% of all sandwiches on sale in the UK. Ennui.
Favourite joke: What do you call someone who used to like tractors but doesn't anymore? An extractor fan!
Guilty Pleasures: 'Loose Women' (the TV show, of course), 'Hollyoaks' and American Reality TV shows.
Reasons for Blogging: a mixture of ego, discipline and an unrequited love for the show.

Read Posts by Neil Perryman