BAOKllST
The iollowing otters are open to Clyde Card holders only.
STAliliLAilli Two tickets tor the price oi one ior David Greip’s Stallnland at the Citizens Theatre, Stalls Studio on Monday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays iron: 13 Oct-G iiov at 7.30pm. Tickets
all Tlcketllnk outlets.
Oil JEKYLI. AND Mil HYDE
Two tickets tor the price oi one ior The Strange Case Ci Dr Jekyll at the Citizens Theatre, Circle Studio on Mondays, Tuesdays
at 7.30pm. Tickets irorn Ticket Centre, 041 227 5511 and all Ticketlink outlets.
ROYAL SCOTTISH
NATIONAL OPERA Two tickets tor the price oi one tor this winter season concert oi reusic by Machnn, flecflillan and Mackenzie, at the Glasgow iioyel concert liall on Saturday 23 October. Tickets irotn Ticket Centre, 041 227 5511 and all Ticketliui outlets.
IPHIOENIA Ill
Two tickets ior Golden Age Theatre’s production oi Iphigenia In Tauris at the Arches Theatre irom 25—30 Oct at 7.30pm. Tickets irorn Ticket Centre, 041 221
STEP
AEROBICS Free membership (£5) pins £1 oil the price oi your iirst class. Mondays and Wednesdays, 5.30pm, Pollokshaws Burgh ilali, Glasgow. Contact See ianpton, 041 838 3519.
To take up one oi these oiiers present your Clyde Card to the venue box
I oiiice. Alloiiers sublect to
! availability.
i CLYDE é flllm I. i
listen to Clyde 1 and Clyde 2 ior L iurther details.
ironr Ticket Centre, O“ 227 5511 and l
and Wednesdays iron 14 Oct-6 ilov .
mums I
55" and 8“ “ekefllnk om'w' degree of loyalty if you consider how it
i
i I i
Relative dimensions
Being a devotee of cult television invites a mild form of social stigma, with Doctor Who one of the most notorious examples. Gavin Inglis strayed out to the fringes
9 of time and space to bring
back this report.
For many fans, it’s a hollow thing. celebrating the 30th anniversary of a programme which has been cancelled for four years. Behind-the-scenes BBC politics and volatile speculation by the fan press mean a great deal of uncertainty about whether a new series of Doctor Who will ever be made. The slightest rumour from any vaguely authoritative source is seized upon and blown out of all proportion. Such was the way with The Dark Dimension - a proposed anniversary story reuniting all the surviving Doctors. it was never made — largely because of
’ incompetence among the production ' team, according to the actors
themselves in a recent interview with Starburst magazine. One doubts that BBC Enterprises'
contribution to the celebrations _— releasing the latest in a line of Videos
with increasingly high price tags — will be a source of unrestrained joy to the average fan, although it will certainly fill the Enterprises coffers, a sizeable chunk of the BBC‘s income these days. The boxed sets start at £30 for two stories.
it is perhaps easier to understand why
- the programme inspires such a high
; has entered into our national culture. Q Most people you ask will have a : favourite Doctor. The tatty blue police
boxes which still survive are often
female companions with ones a little more liberated and capable. Rudeness to guests is another phenomenon visible at conventions; possibly after hours of repeated viewing some fans feel familiar with the actors. forgetting that the private individual need have nothing in common with their screen character. Or perhaps it‘s just easy to lose control when you realise you’ve sat down right next to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.’
referred to as ‘Tardises’. And who over , The positive Side of fanS' dedication
the age of four doesn't know what a Dalek is?
So what of these fans? The stereotypical Dr Who enthusiast is a chubby. socially inept male, wearing a grubby anorak. This is, indeed, a stereotype. While such people certainly exist. and can be seen without having to look too hard, a convention crowd is a much more balanced social mix than legend would have us believe.
Fandom does have a negative side. Mindless devotion to a programme which has been around for years inhibits the creation of any new sci-fr series. with a different background and fresh ideas. Janet Fielding, who played the Australian companion Tegan in the series, risked lynching at London's recent Panopticon '93 convention by
: suggesting fans should switch their
campaigning efforts towards getting
3 some new programme on BBC, ! replacing Dr Who's ‘terrifred screamer’
goes beyond keeping the actors in pocket money for one-hour convention slots. What better appreciation of your efforts as writer, producer, actor or whatever than a legion of people who know your work intimately and still continue to watch it and build on it?
The truth is, despite its cancellation, Dr Who is very much alive. An original radio story featuring the Pertwee cast, The Paradise of Death, premiered on Radio 5 recently. Highly organised amateurs have produced several original videos with ex-members of the Who cast, as close to authentic new stories as they can get without infringing copyright — one series, The Stranger. stars Colin Baker (Doctor 6) and Nicola Bryant (Peri), with the double edged by-line ‘Who is The Stranger?'.
The list goes on. The comic Doctor Who Monthly continues to sell. despite a £2.50 cover price. Two short episodes
of ‘Dr Who Meets EastEnders' are being recorded by the BBC for Children in Need. Virgin Books publish The New Adventures, novels continuing from where the series left off. Now the latest rumours are of an impending relaunch funded by an American company. with production values on a par with Star Trek: The Next Generation. That is, expensive.
Finally, there are the conventions. The closest is ‘Doctor Who 30’ — an event in Paisley this weekend. The two star attractions are Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy. the fourth and seventh Doctor. Both have a great deal ' of stage presence, Baker’s calm, warm intensity providing a good contrast to McCoy‘s manic spoon-playing entertainer. A decent number of other actors and production staff will be in attendance also.
A significant army of costumes and props will be on display at Paisley, including. yep, a Dalek. indeed fans are encouraged to bring their own collections to exhibit. if you don’t have a collection you can probably start one with the array of merchandise on sale. Dr Who 30 is at Paisley Town Hall on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October and admission costs £30 (£25) for both days or £20 (£15)for one day only. Tickets and further information are available from Paisley Arts Centre on 041 887 1010.
so The List 22 October—4 November 1993