Celebrating Ilona Rodgers, who is 84 today. Multiple TV credits, including cult favourites ‘The Avengers’ & ‘Adam Adamant Lives!’. But for this viewer she continues to be best known for her role as the beleaguered Carol Richmond, who we first saw in the thrall of ’The Sensorites’ back in 1964.

A brilliant podcast - with three (extremely well informed) devotees of the show reflecting on times past & present, and in the process covering a wide range of topics with absolute ease. The collective memories of the VHS era in this episode was a heartwarming delight 🙂

Midday through ‘The Time Monster’ & I’m unreservedly engaged by its comic-strip playfulness. Blending the prosaic with the downright outlandish was always a great strength of the show - including demonstrating a handcrafted ’time flow analogue’ whilst our beloved motley crew pause for tea… 🙂

Remembering Donald Cotton, born OTD 1928. Celebrated writer of The Myth Makers & The Gunfighters, later reimagined (alongside ‘The Romans’) as some of the most original Target book adaptations of the 80s. Sadly, his pitch for a Target novel of the first Adam Adamant Lives! story never materialised.

HELLO! We’ve only gone and done an episode two. I don’t know if this nostalgic rambling is of any interest to anyone other than me and me pa but here it is! 🎬

On to ’The Time Monster’, and the spectacular way it opens with a brilliantly realised dream sequence, all on film, is still a joy to watch. Nicely framed low & high angled shots, with a towering Master & a perplexed Doctor, who has seemingly ‘awakened’ into his own nightmare. Such a great opening.

Marking the passing of William Henry Hartnell, OTD 1975. How heartening to know that those wonderful adventures in ‘abundance’ are still being enjoyed (and recovered!) 60 years on…

Remembering actor Mark Jones, born OTD 1939. His sole credit for the show remains one of the most memorable, with an absolutely riveting performance as Arnold Keeler in ‘The Seeds of Doom’. The tragedy of his character is never once overplayed - strong stuff indeed for teatime telly back in 1976…

The grand rewatch has brought me to ‘The Time Monster’, a story I first encountered via this intriguing synopsis in the 1973 Radio Times Special (a plot description the equal of anything that ran in the ‘Countdown’ Dr. Who comic strips of the same era). I just can’t help but admire its ambition...

OTD 1971. Director Christopher Barry & his crew commence the first of several days filming for ‘The Daemons’ at the Wiltshire village of Aldbourne - an event which would go on to firmly cement this location as a cherished space in the hearts & minds of fans for decades to come…

Celebrating the wonderful Louise Jameson, born OTD 1951. Her realisation of Leela was so flawless, she imbued even the smallest line of seemingly offhand dialogue with a memorable flourish. The delivery of ‘Thank-you’ & the immortal “That's Silly” in The Robots of Death always raise a smile… 🙂

OTD 1968. Jamie & the Doctor bid a sad farewell to Victoria Waterfield, as ‘Fury From the Deep’ draws to a close. Still works wonderfully as an audio only experience - but fingers crossed that one day we’ll be lucky enough to have this returned & delight in Hugh David’s carefully framed visuals..

Championing the underdog here, but having reached the final part of ‘The Mutants‘, I’ve been reflecting on how much I’ve enjoyed this story. Lots of striking imagery, a generous amount of film work, & enough familiar faces on hand (Palmer, Pravda & Hollis, etc.) to keep a seasoned devotee happy.

Remembering David Whitaker, born OTD 1928. Amongst his multiple credits, also the author of the very first Target book this avid reader picked up as a youngster. Just beautifully written from start to finish - and this particular passage, as we built up to the ‘reveal’, had me completely hooked…

🚨NEW EPISODE! 🚨 A conversation with friend of Gerry Davis, Anthony Clark, including a never before published interview with Gerry Davis himself! The archive interview has him sharing his memories of The Highlanders and The Moonbase. What a treat! Shares are much appreciated x Link ⬇️

Remembering David Whitaker, born OTD 1928. Amongst his multiple credits, also the author of the very first Target book this avid reader picked up as a youngster. Just beautifully written from start to finish - and this particular passage, as we built up to the ‘reveal’, had me completely hooked…

Remembering Peter Jeffrey, born OTD 1929. A superb character actor - including playing the perplexed Pilot in the thrall of Macra; the delightfully villainous Count Grendel; and the beleaguered SF writer Marsham Craswell denying the existence of the Daleks in a lost episode of ‘Out of the Unknown’.

As I happily work my way through the ‘The Mutants’, I note that this was the last Dr Who production graced by the music of Tristram Cary. For those interested, here’s an article from The Audio Annual, a 1971 publication that featured Cary’s studio set-up at the time he was working on this story.

On-screen credits that were always a hallmark of quality. Remembering Terrance Dicks, born OTD 1935.

The rewatch has brought me to ‘The Mutants’, which I know has attracted some… well, shall we say it has accrued its detractors over the years 🙂 Ironically there have been some stories (Underwater Menace, etc.) which I‘ve found far more entertaining than anticipated, so I continue to travel in hope…

My dad wanted an outlet to talk about his memories & projects, so we did a podcast! Relaxed chat & nostalgic meandering. If you wouldn’t mind giving it a nice rating and review, it would make him so pleased. 🙏 🍎 Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r... ✳️ Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/5Ql79bO...

Completed my rewatch of The Sea Devils today. We’ve certainly come a long way in restoration quality since the fondly remembered 1992 BBC2 repeats (ah, that Friday feeling I used to get 🙂), then via VHS, DVD & now a superbly crafted Blu-ray release. Still iconic, ambitious & thoroughly engaging.

🚨 NEW EPISODE! 🚨 The Daleks’ Master Plan episodes 1-3 commentary. Just for fun, join Tim, Gav and Rhys watching the episodes. IPlayer, YT or files at the ready! Links ⬇️ The podcast will stop at anything for shares!

Remembering television and theatre actress Sheila Dunn, born OTD 1940. Superb in her dual role in ‘Inferno’ - finely pitched performances throughout, perfectly displaying the growing conflicts experienced by both characters as their respective worlds slide into chaos.

OTD 1965. The 24 minutes & 51 seconds of small screen perfection that is ‘The Wheel of Fortune’, for many years the only extant episode of The Crusade. Admired this ever since picking The Hartnell Years VHS in 1991. Those performances, Camfield’s framing, Whitaker’s script - so much to appreciate.

OTD 1974. The opening of the now legendary Blackpool Doctor Who Exhibition, ushering in a fondly remembered 11 year run that would capture the hearts & minds of both long term fans & those discovering the show for the first time. This photo has an iconography that’s surely in a league of its own…🙂

Remembering Aubrey Woods, born OTD 1928. Amongst his multiple film/TV credits we have a very compelling performance as the Controller in Day of the Daleks. His character’s moment of redemption is a wonderful touch - subtly performed & also nicely staged by director Paul Bernard.

Noted that it was OTD 1967 that Episode 1 of ‘The Faceless Ones’ was broadcast. That wonderful opening sequence of the fleeing Tardis crew at Gatwick holds a special significance for this viewer, as this scene was the very first glimpse I had of this era on my first ‘bootleg’ tape in the 80s 🙂

NEW VIDEO!!!! 🧂 youtu.be/Gil-xzjz2pA?...

On to Episode 5 of The Sea Deviis & again I’m full of admiration for Michael E. Briant’s lively & kinetic direction. Always heartening to see that even when budgets, time constraints and unforgiving weather would conspire to stack the odds, he still took so much care over his productions.

Back again after finally recovering my fledging new account from last year. When everything came online and intact today, it felt akin to the Third Doctor‘s ”Eureka!” moment at the Cloven Hoof 😀 Anyway, ‘tis good to be back (again!).

OTD 1993. An exceptionally rare interview with the legendary Pat Gorman in the mini-feature “I was that Monster”. Five minutes of 30th anniversary goodness, with those recently discovered short clips from ’The Abominable Snowmen’ offering more cause for celebration 🎉

OTD 1993. Topping the 30th anniversary celebrations & enriching those ‘wilderness years’ was the documentary ‘Thirty Years in the Tardis’. A fabulously realised production by Kevin Jon Davies - with those meticulous recreations of several iconic scenes still in a league of their own.

OTD 1967: Roving Cybermats, Yeti Control Spheres (in glorious colour) & some tantalising clips from Episode 4 of ‘The Abominable Snowmen’. All captured in Joan Bakewell’s interview with Jack Kine for ’Late Night Line Up’. A fabulous snapshot of the early years of the BBC’s Visual Effects Dept.

My latest article: BBC PA Douglas Camfield, frustrated at not being offered a place on the director's course, investigated joining the SAS via the TA. Until fate intervened. You will also discover the third time he worked for Waris Hussein... michaelseely.substack.com/p/douglas-ca...

Happy 62nd. And I can think of no better image to mark the anniversary of this landmark piece of television than Alister Pearson’s striking 1990 VHS cover.

Remembering Verity Lambert, who we lost OTD 2007. Seen here making television history with Waris Hussein & Mervyn Pinfield in 1963. Having steered the show into becoming a phenomenal success, its heartening to know that 62 years on we are still celebrating her incredible legacy.

On to Ep 3 of The Sea Devils & I’m reminded as ever of the visual flair that Michael E. Briant brings to the production. His Blu-ray interviews are also a joy to listen to - always a lively energy & enthusiasm for the show. A great production photo here from Piccolo’s ‘The Making of Doctor Who’:

Remembering actor Bernard Horsfall, born OTD 1930. Such a reliable presence & so easy to see why David Maloney called on his talents so regularly. From the enigmatic Gulliver through to the tragic figure of Chancellor Goth, Horsfall was never anything less than entirely convincing.

Remembering William Russell Enoch, born OTD 1924. Forever our beloved Knight of Jaffa.

On to Ep 2 of ‘The Sea Devils‘, & I’m reminded again of the impact created by Malcolm Clarke’s wonderfully discordant soundscape. Easily one of his best known scores - & certainly now as iconic as the inspired design of the Sea Devils themselves by the combined talents of Briant, Snoaden & Fletcher.

32 years ago this week, ‘The Antique Doctor Who Show’ - my favourite of the mini-features that preceded the ‘Planet of the Daleks’ 30th Anniversary repeat run. Featured some eye catching animation courtesy of the talented Tony Clark, whose credits range from Target book covers to costume design.

Noted that it’s 60 years to the day that ‘The Nightmare Begins’ was broadcast. Viewing the surviving clips invariably takes me back to one of my strongest memories of buying DWB (‘Daleks Masterplan 1 - Film Footage Found!’) & their much anticipated inclusion on ‘The Early Years‘ VHS. Happy days.

Now revisiting The Sea Devils, whose mythical status was fuelled when I was a youngster by the likes of this striking image (& others that would grace the books & magazines for years to come). An archetypal image really - a resolute Dr with horror lurking in the shadows - no wonder we were hooked 🙂

OTD 1981. ‘The Five Faces of Dr Who’ season on BBC2 continues with ‘The Krotons’. Apart from a few brief glimpses in the ‘Whose Dr Who?’ documentary, this was my first real exposure to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor. Oh, how I made sure I was home in time to catch these episodes - just captivating. 🙂

On to episode 4 of ‘The Curse of Peladon’. I can easily say that repeated viewings over the years - from ‘Dr Who and the Monsters’, then via VHS, DVD and finally Blu-ray - certainly hasn’t blunted my fondness for this story. Though there was something inevitably magical about those 80s repeats 🙂

Remember, remember, the 5th of November. Well, I certainly recall this date in 1993 - 70s Dr Who in a peak-time viewing slot, due to a welcome repeat run of ‘Planet of the Daleks’. Along with those wonderful featurettes that preceded each episode, the VHS recorder was rarely idle during this time.

OTD 1966. Patrick Troughton’s first appearance as our beloved mercurial time traveller, as the first episode of ‘The Power of the Daleks’ is broadcast. A story that represents the first of twenty-one reasons over three memorable seasons to delight in his extraordinary performance as the Doctor 🙂

OTD 1992 - UK Gold is launched & this devotee of the show, desperate to view archive Doctor Who, begins stocking up on blank VHS tapes. This channel jingle quickly became synonymous with my first viewings of many surviving Hartnell episodes. Such a wonderful time.