No Who Zone

Well, that was really nice!

A few days in the Algarve, and your editor is fully refreshed and raring to go for another few months into and beyond Christmas.

A very massive thanks to Mr Simon Mills for his Kopic's Newsround news updates to keep the candle burning in my absence, and to Anthony Dry for keeping the ship afloat.

Also, thanks very much to all of our visitors over the past few weeks, who have confirmed that there's more to Doctor Who than just new news.

So - what did I learn while hanging around Albufeira?

Well, lots of things. For instance, soft Cornettos are rather nice, strawberries taste strawberrier on the continent and swordfish is a remarkable tasting fish.

More importantly though - I didn't see any single reference to Doctor Who anywhere.

Now I'm pretty certain I've read that Doctor Who has been dubbed into Portuguese, but it seems that it doesn't translate into the same sort of fanaticism over there that it does over here.

This wasn't just a television/book/magazine thing either. There wasn't even any poorly made replicas amongst the poorly made replica Transformers and Star Wars toys.

Quite literally, Portugal seems to be a No Who Zone.

In fact, I didn't even refer to David Tennant, Daleks or the TARDIS in conversation while on holiday, and nor did I dream about Freema Agyeman. 

(I've been having that dream for a while now, and I'm starting to miss it!)

I'm delighted to say, however, that thanks to Mr Brian Terranova, I did get the Issue #1s of both of IDW's Doctor Who series, Doctor Who and Doctor Who: The Forgotten - both waiting for me on my doormat when I landed yesterday.

Cheers, Terra!

Paul McGann Back in the TARDIS!

OK - so there's no confirmation from the BBC as to whether this is true or not... but imagine it!

David Tennant's Tenth Doctor recalling in flashback the Time War... and in his flashbacks, the Doctor is as played by Paul McGann - more than likely (99% we reckon) without the curly wig.

Paul McGann, as the Doctor, fighting Daleks! Exactly how does this rumour get any better?

We Kasterborites have a lot of time for McGann - he's a bloody nice chap, for a start off, and as normal as the bloke in the pub. He just happens to be one of Britain's best character actors, certainly of his generation.

Even if McGann is in this particular special, and whatever its plot, for 5 minutes, it will be watched and rewatched over and over again here at K Towers.

"Why?" I hear you ask. "He only did one episode!"

It's simple - without McGann's Doctor, regardless of his limited screen time that will hopefully soon be doubled, many of us over say 25 wouldn't be Doctor Who fans anymore. We certainly wouldn't have stuck with the show during the downtime from 1996-2005 (see what I did there, anyone?).

McGann's portrayal was so distinct and engaging during his 50-odd minutes of screentime that a whole sub-industry of novelisations was launched on the back of it, and his popularity with fans was such that Big Finish launched a series of audio adventures for the Eighth Doctor, which continue to this day.

Even if this rumour turns out to be empty - we older Doctor Who fans who hoped for much more McGann in the TARDIS have had a magical day of mind-racing Whovian fantasy.

He's that good.

So I've got this new phone...

It's called a HTC Touch Diamond, and it's totally magic.

I haven't got hold of any Sonic Screwdriver-esque applications for it yet (although it does have a lightsaber), but it is jolly nifty for writing blog posts on.

That's how I'm writing this post.

And it's all part of the wonderful web of Doctor Who, that enables me to listen to (and conceivably record) podKasts with a K, send blog posts, view any Doctor Who website I care to on my Windows Mobile phone courtesy of the Opera browser, receive blog posts and news via a handy RSS reader and listen to Doctor Who audio adventures, view videos and even record footage of conventions and other wonderful Whoey stuff.

How the hell did we ever get by before all of this?

When I was a wee lad, it was all Doctor Who Weekly and Target novelisations, perhaps a vinyl audio adventure starring Tom Baker is you were lucky!

We have it luxurious these days, nothing like the age of transistor radios, televisions that had to "warm up", telephone boxes costing 2p and computers that took up entire rooms... in come cases buildings.

The world is marching on, and technologically speaking we're light years ahead of the mid 1990s... so it's a massive relief to see that while older, equally successful shows as Doctor Who are struggling to remain relevant or attract new fans that the Doctor is still with us, fighting injustice with the power of intelligence and ingenuity. He's gadget-mad, has the greatest vehicle in fiction and stands up for all that is right, true, and often the underdog.

Did I mention I have a new phone...?

Vworp Vworp!

Wahey! It's September - which means we're into the final stretch of the year, closer to a new Doctor Who episode and with lots of interesting stuff coming up.

Most importantly to us right now, however, is the upcoming comic appreciation event at The Lass O'Gowrie pub in Manchester.

Vworp Vworp! Comic Book Adventures in Time and Space is just 7 weeks away, taking place on Saturday October 18th - and your very own Christian Cawley (that's me, by the way) has been asked by organiser Gareth "Prof Peach" Kavanagh to look after one of the panels...

So - having not run anything like a panel or discussion in a good few years (since college) and not having sent anytime before an audience since by abortive stand-up days, I'm in the market for hints, tips, cheatsheets, reminders, encouragement and advice on how not to get too drunk before an event like this!

I can't wait to go, however - the event affords Ceri and me a weekend away for her to shop loads and me to meet up with lots of folk, new and old. And sample the wonders of draft bitter in a Manchester pub.

With a superb guest list, it's going to be a grand day!