Elvis Tunes And Area 51: A Review Of 'Dreamland' Animated Webcast

By Shanon Lush

December is the month for 'Doctor Who' fandom to flex their democratic muscles, it seems. Fans can vote for the current series on TV.com's 'best of television' poll, as well as give their collective nod likewise to The People's Choice Awards. Former Sixth Doctor Colin Baker sadly fell short in his quest to be crowned this season's winner of the British reality TV series 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here', though he 'did' manage a few respectable vote tallies during some of the individual contests. While Americans were occupied last month with deciding who would be the 'most powerful man in the world', Whovians this month are busy voting in more important matters, helping to secure 'Doctor Who' in its rightful place as a pop culture institution. Besides, every card-carrying Whovian worth their TARDIS key chains already 'know' the good Doctor is 'really' the most important in the world, or even the universe.

Who A'Ween: Cryptids, Monsters, And Legendary Creatures In 'Doctor Who'

by Shannon Lush

Writer's note: This particular blog entry was patched together, must like Frankenstein's Monster, over a period of time. For several days, I had suffered from debilitating stomach flu, and was only able to write sporadically, if it all. Thus, if some of the narrative appears disjointed at times, please factor in, it was written at various times through a period of almost two weeks. Thanks, hope you enjoy it, and Happy Halloween!

For a television series such as 'Doctor Who', based on the premise of a time traveling alien who encounters and opposes all manner of devious and demonic monsters, the idea of utilizing classic monsters as antagonists 'should' have been a slam-dunk. After all, the modest budgets allocated each season were stretched to their limits in creating new and unique alien monsters every week; why not present home-grown versions of classic cryptids such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, Dracula, etc.? Not only would it save valuable exposition, as the vast majority of the viewing audience were no doubt familiar on 'some' level with these legendary creatures, but the design work was, essentially, already done for the production team, as the basic visual framework for these characters existed within the public mind already. On paper, then, it is odd that more stories involving these creatures were not pitched, and even odder that there was such a relatively small amount of appearances that did make it to the screen.

Why I Hate The Eleventh Doctor

by Shannon Lush

As the leaves wither and die on the trees and the kids prepare their costumes, I contemplated a Halloween-themed blog this week. Then I decided, since many have cause to question my reasoning, to detail, finally, the 10 reasons I hate the Eleventh Doctor, instead.

'Some Of Them Die': Companions Who Get Killed

By ShannonLush

This week, in honour of the on-screen deaths of Amy and Rory in the mid-season finale episode 'The

Angels Take Manhattan', we take a special look back at the companions of the Doctor who have been

killed, directly or indirectly as a result of traveling with the Timelord.

The Moment Has Been Prepared For, Part Two: From Question Mark Apparel To Half-Human..On My Mother's Side!

by Shannon Lush

Last time, we took a peek at the first four actors to play The Doctor on TV, and appropriately, we ended on Tom Baker, the most popular actor to this day. This week, we shift our focus to the glitzy, superficial 1980's, and we will end off on the era that could have been, the so-called 'American Doctor Who', headed by Paul McGann.

The Moment Has Been Prepared For: The Inside Stories Of The Casting And Departures Of The Doctors

By Shannon Lush

The casting of the role of The Doctor is, inarguably, the most important decision undertaken by anyone involved in 'Doctor Who', on any level. Stories were commissioned and placed in an early phase of pre-production, first by the show's story editors, and then later, by script editors, the job title being altered to more accurately reflect the individual's duties. But these scripts always featured a vague, undefined 'Doctor' absent the mannerisms, personality traits, even physical descriptions that can only come with an actor cast in the role. Terrance Dicks, former script editor of the show during the early to mid 1970's, reflected that it was only after meeting and speaking with Tom Baker upon his official acceptance of the role did he begin to explore the character possibilities of the Fourth Doctor; prior to that, the stories did not jump off the page.

'Slippin' Back'

 By Shannon Lush

The foggy mists of time always reveal some hidden gem from the expanded Whoniverse, notable for its rarity, its whimsical nature, or sometimes for the guilty pleasure value it holds. Prior to the BBC's attempt at mature and adult-oriented spinoff material, which began in earnest with the 'New Adventures' series of novels, most 'Doctor Who'-themed spinoff and expanded Whoniverse offerings pandered to the lowest common denominator. 

Scream Of The Whovians

By Shannon Lush 


**Note: I wrote this in the late evening/early morning hours while a torrential downpour of rain spattered off the roof and beat against the windows of my humble abode. It provided the perfect atmosphere and mood by which to write. It is one of the joys of being a long-serving Whovian: the mere mention of titles of stories and actor's names and big events that surrounded their creation and transmission cause good memories to come pouring forth faster than the rain. I hope you enjoy this blog entry as much as I did crafting it!**

'Doctor Who' fandom, in addition to boasting the longest running television science fiction series in history, also can beat its collective chest over its expanded universe of spin-off material. From original novels to comic books and strips, audio and even stage plays, the quirky, low budget series that captured imaginations from day one has, for almost 50 years now, presented diverse stories for fans to enjoy. Today we will be reviewing 'Scream Of The Shalka', a 2003 flash-animated adventure first transmitted on BBCi, or BBC Interactive, the corporation's official website.

An Interview with Colin Baker

By Shannon Lush

From the archives of The Whostorian Quarterly, the original fanzine that evolved into the Podcast we have today, we present, an until now unpublished interview with Colin Baker.

Colin Baker portrayed the sixth incarnation of The Doctor on the classic BBC 'Doctor Who' series, from 1984 to 1986. Here he is interviewed by one of his biggest fans!

Mastermind Review

By Shannon Lush

Long before the BBC took matters into their own corporate hands to provide fans of the good Doctor with fresh material, a small yet exuberant group from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, created the next best thing; their own adventures.

The Sixth Doctor Handbook

Sixth in the series of Handbooks by Howe, Stammers and Walker

A review by Shannon Lush

The "Handbook" series of non-fiction reference guides contained an ingenious idea, which was proudly spelled out from the start: "Doctor Who, Doctor by Doctor". This concept intrigued fans. Finally, readers could discover the minutia and facts behind their favourite era of the programs.

Welcome

Welcome to the Whostorian Blog.
This page will supplement The Whostorian Podcast with articles and reviews from Shannon Lush and Steve Lake.  Stuff that we want to expand upon but don't have time in the podcast to get into the right level of detail. 

You've enjoyed the podcast so stick around for our musings, ramblings and writings, right here on The Whostorian Blog.

- Steve

Webpage: http://thewhostorian.ca
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Email: thewhostorian@gmail.com