Series Launch and An Exercise In Not Crying

It's been a while since the last blog post and there is now much to talk about. I won't say too much because then I run out of anything to say on the podcast, and we can't be having that now can we?

Since the last blog post another of our great heroes has gone to join the great UNIT family in the sky. Elisabeth Sladen, you will be so sorely missed. The quote from Planet of The Spiders ("A tear, Sarah-Jane...") keeps going 'round my head, and I suppose if we look on it in no other way, at least The Doctor, The Brig, Harry and Sarah-Jane are all reUNITed once more.

Yesterday, the 23rd April 2011, Series 6 (6A?) premiered on BBC1 and on various channels internationally. The Impossible Astronaut was seen the world over, but for a group of fans it was seen in a small pub in Farringdon. Courtesy of Jeremy Bentham, a launch party was arranged and I was lucky enough to go along. To have fans about a hundred strong all as one toasting Lis and Nic and then settling down to watch that first episode was sort of a thing of beauty. It felt like this was how ALL Doctor Who should be watched. After the episode (see, no spoilers here!) CBBC channel showed a tribute documentary to Lis and I found myself, in a full pub, crying hot angry tears that something as horrible as that which took Nic, Lis and so many members of my family could still exist today.

Jeremy had one of the most difficult jobs of the evening. Sadie (Lis' daughter) sent Jeremy a letter to read to us all. Part of the shock for us all I think was not knowing she was even ill and so not being able to say goodbye or at least try and remove ourselves emotionally from it; to try and prepare ourselves for the moment when the news might break. Part of what Jeremy read told of Lis' wish that no one was to know she was ill because then Sarah-Jane would always live. She would be in our minds as not a woman who had run down and been exhausted by her fight but as the strong, brave hero of Bannerman Road.

I'm sure that can happen. To have a pub full of fans cheer at her name, laugh at as David Tennant put it "the Andy Pandy outfit" from The Hand of Fear and toast her arrival in School Reunion, I think that shows hope.

One of the most fitting tributes came from a child posting on the Newsround website:

"She was the BEST monster hunter EVER. :( "

Nyah, aged 10 in Plymouth, we salute you too.

I owe a special deal of thanks to many people: to Jeremy Bentham for arranging the launch party, to the staff of The One Tun pub in Farringdon, to Helen Thomas for inviting me along and for looking after me during the evening, to all the fans that made that night so warm and so special, to The Pharos Project and the Bad Wilf podcast boys for making the concept of a group hug less-than-awkward but simultaneously more so, to Dr Phil of the Adventures in Time, Space and Music podcast for producing not only the superb new logo for the podcast, but for creating the phenomenal banner across the top of the page (another perfect tribute), to my partner Rebecca for helping me through this difficult time and to Lis and Nic for giving a small boy heroes when he needed them.

Goodbye Sarah-Jane Smith.

JOIT: The Podcast - Episode Four

The Live Special!



It has arrived. About bloody time too frankly. For the most part I think it's taken me so phenomenally long to get this episode out because I've been dreading the edit on it!

The finished episode comes in at just over an hour! Not overly happy about that, but there's very little I can do to reduce it any more. Sorry! I promise I won't do many that are this long!

So, content:

-Introduction
-Brigadier tribute
-Rassilon Cutaway
-Thanks to Eaglestriker for closing credit music
-Twubcrawl coverage (that goes on and on and on and...)
-Helen Thomas (of Brit Movie Tours and Snacksacoricofallapatorius) joins us as our first guest!
-Brit Movie Tours Breakdown
-Shoutouts to other podcasts and Twitter users

Photos to correspond to the audio of the Twubcrawl:

The Invasion Conspiracy


Cyberman Sewer (present day)


Cardinal Cap Alley (from Doctor Who Locations website)


Gray-Am (The Staggering Stories newest friend alongside one of Helen's cakes)


Group Photo at Shad Thames (thanks to Tim Drury)


Can these be described as show notes? Oh dear... Am I doing this podcast malarky properly?

Also have a read of this:

http://britmovietours.com/2011/doctor-who-news/twubcrawl-the-first-doctor-who-twitter-pub-crawl

and this:

http://thepharosproject.libsyn.com/pharos-project-44-the-colour-for-twubcrawls-is-gween

or this:

http://timstakeon.libsyn.com/tim-s-take-on-episode-63-the-dr-who-twubcrawl-

Twubcrawl Aftermath

It didn't end as messily as I thought it would, though man, those shots of milk were an absolute killer!

A full blog post on the events that happened will accompany a podcast on the subject.

A bumper podcast! Features include:

-Feedback and shoutouts
-Top Ten Countdown of Best Brig moments
-The boys at Radio Rassilon take over... Briefly...
-Twubcrawl Coverage, live on location and with linking narration (shall have to break out my best Peter Purves voice!)

Here on the blog will be some lovely written coverage, photos of the event, and you know what, why not, just this once, SHOW NOTES!

An amazing time was had by all. Thanks to @Nelle_Macbeth and @DW_Tours for the great fun of being on tour!

Visit www.britmovietours.com for information on how you too can go on a Doctor Who tour.