While some bands loudly extol their own virtues through splits, reformations and 47th farewell tours, there are other bands that just tick along in the cultish shadows being quietly magnificent. Sparks are the epitome of such a band. Formed in … Continue reading Past Tense: The Best of Sparks
Like many people, I became aware of the adventures of investigative journalist I.M. Fletcher, known more commonly as ‘Fletch’, through the pair of movies made in the 1980s, Fletch and Fletch Lives, starring Chevy Chase in the title role. But … Continue reading ‘Carioca Fletch’ by Gregory Mcdonald
Drift among the bulrushes, Each sweet and scented flower, Lace wings that blur into life, cascading, Miniature dewdrop shower. Tiny body, matchstick arms, The unknown minutiae stroke and feel, Falling hair like spun gold cobweb, A thing of nature, quite unreal. Alight upon a flower’s petal, Walk a path along its stem, Little men and tiny ladies, In worlds invisible to them. So, fly away into the sunrise, Summer’s here, the meadows sing, Lighter than air, as fleet as fancy, Simple disappearing thing. (c) Paul Ferry 2005 Continue reading Lighter Than Air
In 1972, Arthur C Clarke wrote Rendezvous with Rama, which was an incredible success; second only to the mighty 2001: A Space Odyssey in terms of popularity. The story of a massive, mysterious alien cylinder entering the solar system captured the imaginations of readers and earned Clarke both Hugo and Nebula awards, but it would be another 17 years before he wrote a sequel to the open-ended novel. By then, Clarke was working with scientist and screenwriter Gentry Lee, whom he had met whilst working on a screenplay for underwater aliens drama Cradle. The movie version of Cradle never happened, … Continue reading ‘Rama II’ by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee
Season 23 may not be my favourite year in the long history of Doctor Who, but it does represent a pivotal point in my life as a fan – and indeed my life in general. On the Saturday morning of … Continue reading The Catharsis of Spurious Morality: Doctor Who Season 23
The original version of the Electric Light Orchestra released their final album Balance of Power in 1986; it was a contractual obligation album, Jeff Lynne was desperate to get out of his contract with Epic Records and concentrate on producing. … Continue reading Jeff Lynne’s ELO – From Out of Nowhere
This feature was originally published in Issue 1 of Strange Skins 2013 in… erm, 2013. There’s a commonly held misconception that Doctor Who underwent a steady decline in its public profile during the last years of its original run. The … Continue reading A Funny Little Renaissance: Doctor Who in the Late 80s
Spawn of the Deep has now ceased production. This post dates from October 2019. Spawn of the Deep is the first TimeBase Doctor Who fan video in over 15 years, produced to celebrate the silver anniversary of the company. Principle … Continue reading On Location with Spawn of the Deep: Days 1 & 2
Today we’re pleased to announce that The Universal Omnibus is broadening its horizons and branching out into the wonderful world of YouTube. We’ll be using the channel to show some of our films and special features, as well as the … Continue reading Tubular, Dude!
They called it ‘The Battle of the Bonds’. The year was 1983 and Eon Films were about to launch the thirteenth in their long-running and highly successful James Bond films, Octopussy, loosely based on a short story by Ian Fleming. … Continue reading Spy vs. Spy: Octopussy and Never Say Never Again
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