SUN EXTINGUISHED!

Bonkers UK rag THE SUN is set to be glanced at for the last time, report insiders.

The comic, bastion of white van men across the UK and Spain, is set to be pensioned off as its editor can’t think up any more rubbish.

A close confidante of owner Rupert Murdoch told us
“They just can’t keep to the standard. Years of revealing soap and drama plots, living up to the plot of a James Bond movie, following Billie Piper, the Royals and Skeletor have started to take their toll.”

It seems editor Rebekah Madely and senior staff have hatched a plan to make the last issue – Friday June 1st – the greatest yet, with the following insane stories:

• England Manager Steve McClaren to remain coach for next 10 years
• Wayne Rooney to appear as a SONTARAN in series 8 of Doctor Who
• War on Terror admitted to be a HOAX as US forces hire terrorists to fight for them on Iranian soil
• Nadine from Knaresborough has 3 breasts, ALL OF THEM 36DD!

TYPE PHWOARTY!

Mr Doctor, sir!

Ah... Human Nature - I've been looking forward to this one, with its rich colours, lush sets and David Tennant apparently in his element (and native accent).

And then I look at the episode count - this is Episode 10! Where have the last 10 weeks gone?!

Still, it could be worse - we could be about to see the last episode of Series 3... a series which has trounced the two previous ones in terms of consistency and quality of stories. A series which has seen David Tennant shrug off the shadow of his predecessor's relationship with the Companion Who Should Remain From This Moment Onwards Nameless, a series which has seen a dark conspiracy (well, dark for Doctor Who) interwoven into several stories creating an atmosphere... a new layer... n almost tangible semblance of fear.

Mr Saxon's presence seems to hang there in every episode, and was particularly well executed in last week's 42, as shady agents attempted to trace Martha's call. The phonecall itself was an interesting parallel to the one made by The Companion Who Should Remain From This Moment Onwards Nameless in The End of the World - with very different reactions from the individual mothers, despite their initial similarities.

Of course, this parallel can also be drawn with real life. Two years ago there were soldiers descending on the Powell Estate to grab the Doctor and utilise his skills. Now we see shady agents and machiavellian intrigue. All very post 9/11, and all very true of the current geo-political climate...

So thank goodness for some post-Edwardian escapism this weekend!

And Relax...

...as there’ s no Doctor Who this weekend, we can enjoy the weather, our gardens, online games, cleaning the car, taking the kids to the pool, walks in the country, knocking through walls in new houses, looking for someone (anyone?) who believes Gordon Brown should be Prime Minister and rocking out to some monster riffs.

Or perhaps that’s just me.

It does offer us several opportunities to judge the series so far, with this halfway stage of an exciting season posing questions about Mr Saxon, the Face of Boe’s legendary last words, whether Mrs Jones deserved her husband to leave her for a younger model as well as whether a sexy female twosome might be better than just Martha – why not let lovely Tish into the TARDIS too?

I'd like to close this news item with a mention of the Who at the Cavern event which I attended on Saturday. While there were several events - also of note was the Forbidden Planet signing attended by Justin Richards and Steve Cole - Who at the Cavern is an event that possesses a certain feeling of optimism.

After the pushme-pullyou of Dimensions (a wholesale event with huge swathes of consumers being pushed fom one room to another and then back into queues for autographs) Who at the Cavern was a total breath of fresh air. A lovely atmosphere, 20something totty, a bar and a sense of history made this an event not to forget. Add the fact that I spent an hour in the immediate presence of Anneke Wills then this is possibly the best few hours I've spent away from home, worth the 36 hours away from Ceri (she's coming next time!) and the 9 hours on National Express (I'll be driving next time!).

If they can get Daphne Ashbrook next time, it would be perfect...

Doctor Who fandom is a funny thing. Every one of the fans love this show so much that we feel so very protective of it.

All over the internet you will see people ranting and raving about the new series. There will be complaints and there will be praise. There are factions who agree with each other ready to start a war with the factions that think differently. Then you have the other groups ready to convert those who disagree or they will be sure to get their accounts “DELETE”-ed.

But the beautiful thing about fandom is the diverse opinions. Sure it’s nice when someone agrees with you, but if that were always the case, what fun would there be in chatting about the show?

What gets me though are the people who watch the new series every Saturday only to come online and post about how bad it is. If it’s so bad, then why are you watching it? Clearly it has captivated them in some way that they can’t stop watching it. Perhaps these are the “The glass is half empty” fans?

Either way it’s just one more group of opinions towards a show that has the magic to bring people together.

Were it not for Doctor Who and the fans’ ability to chat about all the different aspects of its many facets I would never made new friends across the Atlantic. Christian, Anthony and Kasterborous would never have existed to me. I would never have made it to England for a second and third time were it not to see them.

This is the power of Doctor Who and it’s fans.

I am very proud of our forum, for the years it’s been up it has been a brilliant place to chat about the show, share all sort of opinions, but without the wars or the factions ganging up on each other. Every day there are new members and new opinions and everyday they are welcome.

So, if you’re a fan and you have opinions come on in, the door’s open.

Brian Terranova

Christian Cawley is watching YOU