I was only 3 years old when Series 10 of Doctor Who was first broadcast and yet it feels like an old friend, partly because it has been very well served for repeats over the years. The Three Doctors and … Continue reading On the Third Day: Doctor Who Season 10 Blu-Ray Review
There have been lots of ‘unofficial’ sequels to H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds. So much time has passed since the Godfather of Science Fiction single-handedly invented the alien invasion sub-genre in 1898 that many authors have adopted a … Continue reading ‘The Massacre of Mankind’ by Stephen Baxter
I dug up this piece, originally intended as the first part of a sprawling history of British Sci-Fi on film and television for the original run of Strange Skins magazine, and thought it might be of interest. Please excuse any … Continue reading A History of British Sci-Fi on Film and Television – Part One (1895 to 1955)
With the BBC currently filming a new version of Worzel Gummidge, starring Mackenzie Crook as the beloved scarecrow character from the classic series of children’s books written by Barbara Euphan Todd, there are inevitable comparisons with the fondly remembered early-80s … Continue reading The Forgotten Scarecrow: Worzel Gummidge Turns Detective
Originally published in Strange Skins 2013 #1 Sometimes, mythic historical characters are so vividly drawn in the public consciousness that they are believed, against the best evidence, to have actually existed; Robin Hood is a good example. More rarely, a … Continue reading Baron Münchhausen: The Truth Behind History’s Greatest Liar
In 1992, science fiction author Harry Harrison teamed up with esteemed cognitive scientist Professor Marvin Minsky to write a techno thriller about artificial intelligence and the possibilities of direct machine communication with the human brain. The Turing Option is now widely overlooked as a part of Harrison’s canon, yet it’s an astoundingly prescient look into the future that, in many of its predictions, puts the work of techno thriller giants such as Michael Crichton and Robin Cook to shame. Although it misses a lot of the important developments that would take place in the 25 years since its release, its … Continue reading ‘The Turing Option’ by Harry Harrison and Marvin Minsky
Originally published in Strange Skins 2013 #3 Who-oo-oo-oo is Dr Who? Where is he from? What does he do? These are the questions posed by Frazer Hines on his 1968 ‘hit’ record Who’s Doctor Who. A question to which the … Continue reading The Other Dr. Who
There’s a popular myth in Hollywood – in fact, in all media– that ‘dark’ equals ‘deep’. If you want to be taken seriously in the movie business, to be considered ‘grown up’, then you have to make your product as … Continue reading Beware of Darkness: The Curse of Hollywood Noir
WARNING: This piece features spoilers for the BBC TV series Gangsters. It was made in 1978, so you’ve had fair warning in the past 40 years, but if you do wish to watch it unspoilt, kindly do so before reading … Continue reading Once Upon a Time in Birmingham: Philip Martin’s Gangsters
Watch out for Whalefin, He’s a hell of a guy, Hits a storm right in the eye, Squeezes every dark cloud dry, Makes the cumulonimbus cry, Then kicks it back into the sky. Watch out for Whalefin, He’s a prince amongst men, Saved the world again and again, Conquers tyranny and then, Meditates for an hour or ten, On the profundity of Buddhism (Xen). Watch out for Whalefin, He’s practically a god, Okay, so his haircut’s slightly odd, But he’s so well-dressed and superbly shod, By Saville Row’s Mr Thaddeus Todd, (Couturier sublime and former Mod). Watch out for Whalefin, … Continue reading Watch Out For Whalefin
omnibus.home.blog 