British Science Fiction Series

[Sir Creep 7,013]

19 hours ago, Bibliogryphon said:

The same Twitter source has just also claimed Rod Stewart is dead. 

Don't know if it happened, but on September 28, 2018, Stewart was supposed to release his 30th studio album, Blood Red Roses.  Shoulda named it Bloody Pushing up Daisies.

[Bibliogryphon 8,662]

2 minutes ago, Sir Creep said:

Don't know if it happened, but on September 28, 2018, Stewart was supposed to release his 30th studio album, Blood Red Roses.  Shoulda named it Bloody Pushing up Daisies.

 

He is being heavily played on Radio 2 over the past few weeks so I think there is new material. I just try to avoid listening to it.

 

[Toast 14,844]

1 hour ago, Bibliogryphon said:

 

He is being heavily played on Radio 2 over the past few weeks so I think there is new material. I just try to avoid listening to it.

 

 

Yep, new album and tour. 

I noticed because he is playing St Mary's Stadium Southampton.  Having seen the Stones there earlier this year, I said it was a nice venue and very well organised and they should put on more gigs.

[YoungWillz 19,080]

Nicola Bryant is 58 today!

[YoungWillz 19,080]

Katy Manning is 72 today.

[CoffinLodger 1,247]

On ‎14‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 13:49, YoungWillz said:

Katy Manning is 72 today.

and may she live for many decades to come ! 

[YoungWillz 19,080]

Johnny Barrs, who played Fuller in the Doctor Who 1971 serial Mind Of Evil, dead at 85 as far back as August 31. https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/his-natural-environment-was-on-the-stage-northampton-actor-and-entertainer-dies-aged-85-1-8634884

 

Few other minor roles but wrote for Flanagan and Allen.

 

[YoungWillz 19,080]

Meantime, happy 77th birthday to Anneke Wills!

[msc 17,762]

Rick James (actor, not the other guy) died last month in Antigua aged 78, apparently.

 

Had a bit of notoriety as was once unanimously considered the worst actor to ever appear in Doctor Who and Blake's 7. Yes, out of all of them, naysayers.

 

However, if you click that obit you'll see, away from the eyes of Anorak Clad Wankers (Loaded magazine term for Who fans, did you know?), James had a towering rep in his homeland for promoting theatre work, journalism and free elections! All of which is a far better legacy than 3 episodes of The Mutants!*

 

 

 

*Small aside, The Mutants is fucking awful, and name checked by Salman Rushdie as an example of racist TV, showing that for all his chin stroking he couldn't see an anti-apartheid subtext when its written for mentally deficient 7 year olds. And did any SF fan put a fatwa on the idiot? Anyhow, I digress...

 

[CoffinLodger 1,247]

On 24/10/2018 at 11:55, msc said:

Rick James (actor, not the other guy) died last month in Antigua aged 78, apparently.

 

Had a bit of notoriety as was once unanimously considered the worst actor to ever appear in Doctor Who and Blake's 7. Yes, out of all of them, naysayers.

 

However, if you click that obit you'll see, away from the eyes of Anorak Clad Wankers (Loaded magazine term for Who fans, did you know?), James had a towering rep in his homeland for promoting theatre work, journalism and free elections! All of which is a far better legacy than 3 episodes of The Mutants!*

 

 

 

*Small aside, The Mutants is fucking awful, and name checked by Salman Rushdie as an example of racist TV, showing that for all his chin stroking he couldn't see an anti-apartheid subtext when its written for mentally deficient 7 year olds. And did any SF fan put a fatwa on the idiot? Anyhow, I digress...

 

Apparantely he went into politics and became the leader of the Antigua Freedom Party . I hope he was a better politician than he was an actor ! R.I.P to a Dr Who legend.

[msc 17,762]

Pointless Celebs tonight have Peter Davison, Katy Manning among others in a SF special. It also has first TV appearance of Paul Darrow since near-death heart problems in 2015. Sounds a bit rough, and obviously wheelchair bound/no legs, but mentally with it and his usual amusing self.

 

Pics of them and 71 year old Michael Keating (Blake's 7 but he's been in everything as an actor) below (the other woman is Holly from Red Dwarf)...

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,132]

I did not know who Paul Darrow was by name, only by face.

I was quite shocked, I never watched Blakes 7 but remember him in loads of other roles, he was quite an imposing kind of actor.

He has to be one to watch.

[En Passant 2,953]

26 minutes ago, msc said:

the other woman is Holly from Red Dwarf

Hattie Hayridge, she's a stand-up.

I once saw her for free in a 'try out new material' gig in a pub basement in Camden in the late 80's. Taught me why they need try-out sessions, some of it/them missed by a mile despite a lot of the crowd being utterly wankered.

[msc 17,762]

24 minutes ago, Lord Fellatio Nelson said:

I did not know who Paul Darrow was by name, only by face.

I was quite shocked, I never watched Blakes 7 but remember him in loads of other roles, he was quite an imposing kind of actor.

He has to be one to watch.

 

He's a delightful chap. Very fond of scenery chewing!   Had an aortic aneurysm in 2015, very very lucky to still be breathing. Afraid he probably is on the clock now.

[Bibliogryphon 8,662]

2 hours ago, msc said:

 

He's a delightful chap. Very fond of scenery chewing!   Had an aortic aneurysm in 2015, very very lucky to still be breathing. Afraid he probably is on the clock now.

 

I didn't expect him to outlive Jacqueline Pearce.

[Deathray 2,933]

On 24/10/2018 at 11:55, msc said:

Rick James (actor, not the other guy) died last month in Antigua aged 78, apparently.

 

Had a bit of notoriety as was once unanimously considered the worst actor to ever appear in Doctor Who and Blake's 7. Yes, out of all of them, naysayers.

 

However, if you click that obit you'll see, away from the eyes of Anorak Clad Wankers (Loaded magazine term for Who fans, did you know?), James had a towering rep in his homeland for promoting theatre work, journalism and free elections! All of which is a far better legacy than 3 episodes of The Mutants!*

 

 

 

*Small aside, The Mutants is fucking awful, and name checked by Salman Rushdie as an example of racist TV, showing that for all his chin stroking he couldn't see an anti-apartheid subtext when its written for mentally deficient 7 year olds. And did any SF fan put a fatwa on the idiot? Anyhow, I digress...

 

 

Worse than that lad who played Adric? Or is that why he "was once" considered rather than is? 

 

Edit: Shit just realised @YoungWillz has Adric as is avatar. *takes cover*

 

[msc 17,762]

3 minutes ago, Deathray said:

 

Worse than that lad who played Adric? Or is that why he "was once" considered rather than is? 

 

Edit: Shit just realised @YoungWillz has Adric as is avatar. *takes cover*

 

 

Can't comment on Waterhouse given Willz...

 

Via David Howe's Doctor Who Guide:

 

Quote

Undoubtedly the worst is Rick James as Cotton, who puts in a strong bid for the title of worst performance ever seen in Doctor Who. His woodenness and apparent inability to deliver his lines with any degree of conviction unfortunately tend to undermine every scene in which he appears, while Christopher Coll as his partner Stubbs struggles gamely to make the script work. Even the weakest elements in a story can have their admirers, however, and Dallas Jones took a rather different view in A Voyage Through 25 Years of Doctor Who, dated December 1988: 'The story had two characters I thoroughly enjoyed watching, namely Stubbs and Cotton... It was nice to see Cotton played by a black actor, especially as the story could be seen as commenting on the South African apartheid problem.'

 

The twins in Twin Dilemma are strong contenders for me, as is Jenny Laird in Planet of the Spiders, which is weird as she was a highly regarded actress in her time (in Black Narcissus, and got acting awards named after her) but it's as if she's never seen a script in her life for some reason...

[YoungWillz 19,080]

Nobody understands.

 

Waterhouse's acting is accidental genius. I don't need to explain it. If you can't see it, you never will.

 

I just know...

[Deathrace 1,099]

12 hours ago, msc said:

Pointless Celebs tonight have Peter Davison, Katy Manning among others in a SF special. It also has first TV appearance of Paul Darrow since near-death heart problems in 2015. Sounds a bit rough, and obviously wheelchair bound/no legs, but mentally with it and his usual amusing self.

 

Pics of them and 71 year old Michael Keating (Blake's 7 but he's been in everything as an actor) below (the other woman is Holly from Red Dwarf)...

Awful to see Paul Darrow literally legless. Very brave of him to continue to make public appearances. Is he still working as the Voice of Jack FM? 

 

On the other hand, Davison looks very good for someone in his late 60s. He could easily pass for ten years younger. 

[YoungWillz 19,080]

Matt Smith is 36 today.

[YoungWillz 19,080]

On ‎08‎/‎11‎/‎2016 at 15:01, msc said:

Producers are easier. All classic era producers dead except Derrick Sherwin (b. 1936) and Philip Hinchcliffe (b. 1944).

The Twittersphere is announcing the death at 82 of Derrick Sherwin.

 

Sad if true. Creator of UNIT and possibly the Time Lords (according to Terrance Dicks).

[msc 17,762]

6 hours ago, YoungWillz said:

The Twittersphere is announcing the death at 82 of Derrick Sherwin.

 

Sad if true. Creator of UNIT and possibly the Time Lords (according to Terrance Dicks).

 

True, apparently, Tom Spilsbury's reporting it:

 

 

tbh a really awful producer/script-editor, but through being so lousy, Terrence Dicks got a chance and became one of the great Who writers/show runners, so.. RIP.

[CoffinLodger 1,247]

Very sad news.He was responsible for my  favourite era of Doctor Who ie UNIT and Pertwee . I think his death means that Philip Hinchcliffe is the only producer from the 63-89 era of Doctor Who still alive. Correct me if I'm wrong ! 

[time 7,968]

On 03/05/2017 at 15:15, msc said:

A clean up of that list from November 2015 then, given the number of folk on it who have decided to snuff it in the last 18 months.

UPDATED: A few lists of living actors from cult British SF. Tried for the twenty living actors who appeared in most episodes. Credited cast members only. There's a lot of actors out there with no dates who stopped acting decades ago, so stuck with those known to be alive.

[snip]

 

The Prisoner (in at least 2 episodes)

 

1.     Christopher Benjamin b. 1934
2.     Peter Brace b. 1924

[/snip]

 

I'm guessing the Peter Brace above is the same Peter Brace recently deceased, but its The Times & hence behind a paywall, so no idea if it references The Prisoner. IMDb would appear to support that theory.

[msc 17,762]

2 minutes ago, time said:

I'm guessing the Peter Brace above is the same Peter Brace recently deceased, but its The Times & hence behind a paywall, so no idea if it references The Prisoner. IMDb would appear to support that theory.

 

It's the same guy, here he is in The Prisoner, on right hand of McGoohan (via Telegraph).