Showing posts with label bbc wales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bbc wales. Show all posts

Friday 10 April 2020

THE 1960'S DR WHO TARDIS IS A 'WRITE' OFF IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE!!


BACK IN THE MID 1960'S Peter Cushing appeared and starred in not one but TWO feature films, as Dr Who. 'Dr Who and the Daleks' (1965) and 'Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD. When I say, Dr Who please do not for all is sacred, mistake THIS Dr Who for the BBC Doctor Who that has been gracing our television screens for the past ?? years, also that Doctor and tv show, well... originally ran from 1963 to 1989. There was an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production in 1996 with a backdoor pilot, in the form of a television film titled Doctor Who. The programme was relaunched in 2005, and since then has been produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff. Also as dedicated viewers of said tv show and Doctor Who often tell me, 'The first film 'Dr Who and the Daleks' features a much different Doctor from the one we currently know, on tv. 



TO START WITH, he is entirely human. Barbara Wright from the tv show is no longer his granddaughter's teacher, but another granddaughter of The Doctor himself. Still with me? William Hartnell, tv Doctor Who was quite  annoyed at being passed over for the role of Dr Who and that Peter Cushing was cast in the role. The reason? Cushing was seen as a better known face to the cinematic world and therefore more capable of launching Dr Who to a wider audience, in was a children's film and family entertainment. Cushing does actually play the part with more warmth and childish humour than the famously grumpy Hartnell, and is for all intents and purposes a fantastic Doctor. So yup Cushing's Dr Who certainly IS NOT canon. Cushing himself always maintained that his Doctor was a proper Doctor, though not necessarily the First One, that he was so clearly based on. 



BUT CUSHING'S Dr Who did have a pretty neat TARDIS! It looked the same as the one in the tv series, but this one in TWO films and BIG SCREEN was ..IN COLOUR! Like the Tardis, all the DALEKS were in colour for the first time too! What a blast and . . what a COUP! 😉 Not THE Doctor, but full colour TARDIS and stars of both shows and films, the DALEKS as well.. for the first time!




THE INFLUENCE of the colour DALEKS did I am sure, go some way to what would soon become an international hobby... making YOUR OWN DALEK! Even though the TV series promoted some spin off full colour covered annual books for the kids at Christmas, it was only when the films displayed to the public and fans, DALEKS in FULL COLOUR and presented on a BIG SCREEN, that anyone had the opportunity to see them up close, moving in FULL TECHNICOLOUR, for the first time. . . and THE TOPS OPENED, to reveal a scaly thing on the floor ! Magic! 😀😊😉



THE DALEKS LOOKED AMAZING, but as a five year old boy, the thing that interested me the most, was THAT TARDIS! Looking at it now, as an adult, it does look uncannily like someone has thrown the contents of a dodgy self employed cowboy electrician's van onto a film set, to me at that time it was MAGICAL both INSIDE and OUT. After the films were wrapped, so was the interior of the time machine. But the exterior, of course survived! 




IT SEEMS THE TARDIS had survived and was finally purchased by a 'wood-turning-and-machine-company' who... 'can supply everything for the woodworker from machinery, hand and power tools to hundreds of accessories and of course the one thing that all woodworkers require – Timber' .... in Somerset, England! Well, sadly wood-turning, screw drivers, any chisels or DIY and all things that go buzz are all very uncharted lands to me. I know as much about any of these things, as I do brain surgery. Though, I have watched Cushing's 'head-work surgery' in 'Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed' quite a few times! On finding this company and trying to figure what their connection was to Cushing's olde Tardis, it still took me a quite while to fathom out what it actually was they were selling! Unlike their vast variety of tools on offer, sadly I am not that sharp!


THEN THE PENNY DROPPED . . PENS! Or indeed, Pen Blanks: 'Pen blanks are little pieces of wood common to the pen turning industry. Many other wood workers find these pieces of wood to be perfect for their niche, they are  easy to turn and finish and are very tactile when fashioned into a writing instrument'. So, these are strips of wood, pieces of the tardis, that can be turned on a machine and used for the barrel of a pen! YOU WRITE with it! Hmm an interesting hobby, if that floats your boat or flies your Tardis!


SO HOW DID THIS COMPANY, come up with this idea, it's weird choice to arrive at when in fact they have a WHOLE piece of movie Doctor Who sorry... Dr Who . . movie history in their possession? Then came the bad news in the product description: 

'Doctor Who Tardis Plywood pen blanks. This is the very first Mk1 Tardis that was created for Peter Cushing for the film 'Dr Who and the Daleks' and was originally constructed in 1965'.  


'Can we just point out that this Tardis was in terrible condition, the sill fell off in transit and when we moved it on its own wheels the actual door fell off. Sadly it's been left outside and as it's a 54-year-old film prop it wasn't designed for the outdoor English weather, we've managed to salvage what we can and these are the first blanks available from what must be one of the most iconic and well known film-related prop.'


'These plywood blanks we would only recommend for the more experienced turner, I've made a dozen or so now and I found you cannot put any pressure when turning, so takes time plus you must have sharp tools.The blanks measure 5 inches x 20mm x 20mm and come complete with a certificate.'


MY GOODNESS! 😕  How depressing reading was that? 😔😑 So THAT is what has happened to the Cushing's Dr Who Tardis! Cut up into 5 inch pieces!!? Blimey! Well, I guess 'tis better than what happened to so many painted glass matts, props and goodies during Hammer films move from Bray studios in the 1960's. That was a lot to do with SKIPS, and I am not referring to the dance or gym rope kind! At least, there is something I can have and hold, the TARDIS in the body of something useful and to keep in my pocket.. to eventually leak in my jacket pocket! Can I STILL write? Do I have £44.99 in my piggy bank savings? Never mind, all is good! Now where do I buy a wood lathe and a sharp chisel? - Marcus Brooks


COME JOIN US YOU'LL BE MOST WELCOME HERE!!!

Sunday 22 January 2017

DOCTOR WHO: EVER WANTED YOUR OWN TARDIS? MAKE IT THIS ONE!



AS A CHILD, I can remember spending many a Saturday afternoon in my grandmother's bedroom, standing inside her huge wardrobe... pretending it was the #DRWHO Tardis! ..and I wasn't alone, many of my mates did this in wardrobes too!! It all was part of the ritual... like playing Dr Who in the school playground, with the hood up on your anorak, and your left sleeve and arm extended, waving around shouting, 'Exterminate!'... at dinner ladies!


IF ONLY I had known Jason Charles Onion, back then! Because he was more than likely doing the same thing too! As an adult, he is the creator of MAGIC..believe me. Jason, is the guy every Dr Who fan would want as a mate, a buddy...because not only does he have wonderful ideas and schemes..he is a DOER. He puts these ideas into fearless practice. A while ago, to top the many other amazing things he has created, he made a full size, large as life...just like the real thing...TARDIS! Unlike many people who love Dr Who and celebrate and create props and stuffs from the series, he SHARES what he does.


THIS TARDIS...known as the Herne Bay Tardis... (Look up Herne Bay, it's a Oysters left nostril distance from Peter Cushing's home town of Whitstable) has generated THOUSANDS of pounds for charity. How? Jason takes the Tardis out to events, signings, fetes, conventions, sunny days...or even just sets it up on the beach, where folks have their photo taken with it, stare at it nostalgically all glassy eyed...then hand over their money for the good cause...clever eh? Much of what Jason generates donations for, is the BBC charity Children In Need. It's very much like the MD Telethon in the US and raises millions every year, when broadcast for one night on the BBC in November. Now, Dr Who is of course, a BBC programme, so you can see the connection!?



THIS YEAR, Jason has decided to do something VERY different for Children In Need. Jason's Tardis which has generated thousands of pounds over the years, is being AUCTIONED. The response, I am sure will be, HUGE. But, if you ever had the need for a Tardis in your life, now is the time to start selling the cat, your granny and those family heirlooms... it's iconic, it's history, it's wonderful...it's the same tardis that Peter Cushing's Dr Who whizzed around the big screen in.... and it's part of my childhood and maybe yours too? We'll be posting regular up dates about the prep, the last year of public appearances and news right up until NOVEMBER 10th, the actual day of auction! Start saving, help Jason and start sharing..make this an event that will make a difference for many, many children... Watch the short video and give him a LIKE 😉 Thank you 😉 - Marcus

LINKS: OFFICAL HERNE BAY TARDIS CHILDREN IN NEED AUCTION FACEBOOK PAGE

Friday 20 May 2016

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY : UNCLE HARRY AND THE MAN FROM THE LITTLE PET SHOP OF HORRORS


#‎throwbackthursday‬: For the next few weeks, we are making our ‪#‎throwback‬ themed.. we'll be digging through the collection to bring you some rare and not so well known television appearances from the 1950's, 60's and 70's. Peter was very fortunate to have had an extremely successful television career, long before his success on the big screen. To kick us off with our FIRST , Peter Cushing Telly #throwbackthursday post . . .


 . . . . a photograph from the BBC play 'UNCLE HARRY' which was broadcast on 8th May 1958 and starred Peter Cushing, Beryl Measor, Gerald James and the actress in the pic, Mary Morris. The play was based in Wales and BBC Wales produced this television adaptation of Thomas Job's stage play. The story revolved around Harry Quincey (Uncle Harry played by Cushing) who lives with his two rather quarrelsome sisters, who look after him, but feels stifled. He thinks up a desperate plan to free himself.


TRIVIA: After it's run on Broadway in 1942, it was adapted shortly after into a film starring George Saunders entitled, The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry.... it's script and story bore little resemblance to the  theatre production or tv play!


#throwbackthursday: MORE Throw Back Cushing Telly: Peter Cushing as Martin Blueck, the owner of a suspicious pet shop in 'The Silent Scream' an episode of the short lived TV series 'Hammer House Of Horror' (1980) co-starring Brian Cox and directed by Alan Gibson who had worked with Peter and for Hammer directing Dracula AD 1972 and The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1974) This was the final time that Peter worked for Hammer films.

MORE Cushing Telly Throwbacks NEXT Thursday



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