[New post] Doctor Who and The Guardians of Prophecy

dailypop posted: "'The Guardians of Prophecy' Lost Story 3.04 Written by Jonathan Morris (from a story by Johnny Byrne) Directed by Ken Bentley Released May 2012 Eager to show his traveling companion Peri a delight for the senses,the Doctor materializes the TARDIS om" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on The Daily P.O.P. Doctor Who and The Guardians of Prophecy by dailypop 'The Guardians of Prophecy' Lost Story 3.04 Written by Jonathan Morris (from a story by Johnny Byrne) Directed by Ken Bentley Released May 2012 Eager to show his traveling companion Peri a delight for the senses,the Doctor materializes the TARDIS om Serenity, a planet within the Traken Union. Having survived the cataclysm that cost the other worlds when the Master operated the CVE manipulator, Serenity is anything but serene and operates on a carefully kept balance between good and evil. Whereas one Melkur had landed on Traken, several are trapped in a garden in which the TARDIS has landed. The timer travelers find that not only are they in a restricted zone, but they are not alone. A scribe and an expert safe cracker are hard at work on breaking into the tomb of Malador, an evil being of mythical significance. When the Docor learns that Malador is entombed on Serenity, his blood runs cold. He may be the stuff of nightmares and legend for the people of Serenity, but any Time Lord can tell you that Malador is very real and very deadly. Part of a set of scripts that were submitted but never produced, The Guardians of Prophecy is a direct sequel to The Keeper of Traken, a story about the nature of evil and its strong influence of the altruistic. It has some similarities, but The Guardians of Prophecy is stronger in characters (most notably the thief Ebbko) and some clever dramatic tension. Unfortunately, it is a muddy mess that cam never really find its footing. The drama shifts from episode to episode starting with a political coup then moving to the attack of a wraith-like being who should be dead, Malador, using an army of living statues (who knows what that would have looked like). While I enjoy his work on Space: 1999, I have to admit that Johnny Byrne never really fit into Doctor Who for me. Of his three scripts for the program, only Keeper of Traken functions well and even that one has some problems (chiefly the muddled plot that shoe-horned the Master into it makes the story a cobbled mess). However, this story similarly handicaps the threat of the Melkur with the inclusion of another monster, Malador. Even an army of Melkur are undercut by this decaying corpse villain. I honestly feel bad for the Melkur. Despite all that, Jonathan Morris has crafted an excellent adventure here. Plenty of strong characters and likewise excellent performers (with the notable Stephen Thorne playing Malador, a part that gravitates between strong and stock from scene to scene) bring Byrne's Guardians of Prophecy to life. As Colin Baker himself points in the extra interview on disc two, the Doctor is still rather prickly and egocentric, not the warm Sixy that we got in the Big Finish era and I definitely enjoy the contrast. The harsh wit, the devil-may-care bravado and the brilliant mind hardened with a monumental ego make the Sixth Doctor one to remember. I imagine that if this story had made on screen it would have been a success solely on the merits of the performances from the main cast. But alas, we will never know. Doctor Who - The Guardians of Prophecy can be ordered from The Book Depository with free shipping worldwide by clicking on the link below: _________________________________ Read more of my Doctor Who reviews dailypop | December 15, 2013 at 11:25 am | Tags: colin baker sixth doctor who, doctor who big finish audio adventures | Categories: Big Finish | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-4R6 Comment    See all comments Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from The Daily P.O.P.. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://dailypop.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/doctor-who-and-the-guardians-of-prophecy/ Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

[New post] Find the droid you’re looking for at AFX!

dailypop posted: "The Jundland Wastes of A New Hope aren't all that different from dunes of snow, are they? Well, have you ever dreamed of dipping your hand into the snow and pulling out and retrieving a rare and valuable Star Wars treasure? If so, this may be the day when" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on The Daily P.O.P. Find the droid you’re looking for at AFX! by dailypop The Jundland Wastes of A New Hope aren't all that different from dunes of snow, are they? Well, have you ever dreamed of dipping your hand into the snow and pulling out and retrieving a rare and valuable Star Wars treasure? If so, this may be the day when your dream comes true! The folks at Action Figure Xpress are giving away fantastic collectibles each day all week until 12/20 (with a qualifying purchase)! Click to shop! We're giving away free items with select purchases! Every day from now until Friday, December 20 we are giving away a free item with select purchases! Each offer will last for only ONE (1) DAY! Here is today's offer: FREE Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie C-3P0 Mini Bust offer 1 DAY ONLY! Buy $74.99 or more of select items below and get a free Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie C-3P0 Mini Bust ($74.99 value). How it works: Add $74.99 or more of select items below to your shopping cart. Add the Star Wars Ralph McQuarrie C-3P0 Mini Bust to your shopping cart. If your shopping cart includes $74.99 or more of select items below then you will see a $74.99 discount reflected in your shopping cart. * Offer expires Monday, December 16, 10:00 pm PST. Offer not combinable with other offers. Offer not valid on wholesale orders. Shipping and handling will be charged for the free item. dailypop | December 16, 2013 at 3:25 pm | Tags: Star wars | Categories: Toys | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-4Rr Comment    See all comments Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from The Daily P.O.P.. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://dailypop.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/find-the-droid-youre-looking-for-at-afx/ Thanks for flying with WordPress.com

[New post] The Fourth Doctor Who series continues in 2014!

dailypop posted: "Fans of the Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor Who, are still buzzing after seeing the actor (if briefly) in the Day of the Doctor 50th anniversary adventure last month. If you are looking for more of the scarf-wearing madman, look no further than Big Finish wh" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on The Daily P.O.P. The Fourth Doctor Who series continues in 2014! by dailypop Fans of the Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor Who, are still buzzing after seeing the actor (if briefly) in the Day of the Doctor 50th anniversary adventure last month. If you are looking for more of the scarf-wearing madman, look no further than Big Finish where classic Doctors are still saving the universe in new adventures. These full cast audios are a slice of nostalgia for old fans and something a little different for new ones. Set within the continuity of the 1970's era, these stories should be on your shopping list. You can also save big by becoming a subscriber to Big Finish. For making the move to a subscription, you will also get an exclusive audio! Here's the 2014 schedule for the Fourth Doctor series, along with detailed information from Big Finish: 3.01. THE KING OF SONTAR Synopsis Dowcra base. The third Elite Sontaran Assassination Squad closes in on its target. A dozen trained killers, but even they will be unable to bring down the invincible Strang… Manipulated by the Time Lords, the TARDIS also arrives on Dowcra. And the Doctor is set to encounter the greatest Sontaran ever cloned... Written By: John Dorney Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Dan Starkey (Strang), David Collings (Rosato) OUT IN JANUARY 2014 ____________________________________ 3.02. WHITE GHOSTS Synopsis A close encounter with a stray missile leads the Doctor to materialise his TARDIS on a planet that hangs in the dark at the edge of the known universe. A planet so dark that it exists in near-permanent night. A planet that enjoys just a single day's light once every thousand years… Exactly what happens on the planet in its rare daylight hours – that's what a geographical survey headed by Senior Tutor Bengel is stationed here to establish. They, the Doctor and Leela are about to discover that when daylight comes, the White Ghosts rise… So don't be afraid of the dark. The cover of night is a mercy. Written By: Alan Barnes Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Virginia Hey (Bengel), Bethan Walker (Aranda), Gbemisola Ikumelo (Morandi), James Joyce (Candelli/Harvester) OUT IN FEBRUARY 2014 ____________________________________ 3.03. THE CROOKED MAN Synopsis Winter at the seaside. The wind blows. The waves crash. People are dying and a strange spindly figure stalks the cold, deserted streets. A typical holiday for the Doctor and Leela in other words. When they stumble across a grotesque series of murders at the coast, the TARDIS travellers realise the local constabulary is out of its depth. Something supernatural has come to town, something evil. And it all seems to be tied in to a particular young family. Monsters lurk behind strange doors. Tragic secrets wait to be uncovered. And somewhere, deep within, the Crooked Man sits. He is waiting for you. Written By: John Dorney Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Neil Stuke (The Crooked Man), Sarah Smart (Laura Corbett) OUT IN MARCH 2014 ____________________________________ 3.04. THE EVIL ONE Synopsis The TARDIS lands in the cargo hold of luxury space cruiser the Moray Rose. The crew and passengers are missing. The agents of Inter-Galaxy Insurance are determined to find out what's happened and the shadowy Interplanetary Police Inspector Efendi is showing a very particular interest. Caught up in all this, the Doctor and Leela find themselves facing a horde of metal mantis-like aliens. But throughout it all, Leela is haunted by terrible nightmares and the dawning realization that everything she knows about her life is a lie. Written By: Nicholas Briggs Directed By: Nicholas Briggs Cast Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Geoffrey Beevers (The Master), Michael Keating (Calvert), Gareth Armstrong (Arthley), Nicholas Briggs (The Salonu) OUT IN APRIL 2014 ____________________________________ Still to come... 3.05. LAST OF THE COLOPHON by Jonathan Morris 3.06. DESTROY THE INFINITE by Nicholas Briggs 3.07. THE ABANDONED by Louise Jameson and Nigel Fairs dailypop | December 14, 2013 at 11:56 am | Tags: doctor who big finish tom baker | Categories: Big Finish | URL: http://wp.me/p4kUt-4Rj Comment    See all comments Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from The Daily P.O.P.. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://dailypop.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/the-fourth-doctor-who-series-continues-in-2014/ Thanks for flying with WordPress.com