Splendid Chaps

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss Sylvester McCoy’s time as the Doctor in this, the first part of our seventh live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at The Public Bar in Melbourne on July 14, 2013. Yes, this was one of our biggest and most in-depth shows yet, and so we’ve decided to split it in half. In part one, our guests are author and game designer Paul Callaghan and television writer and comedian Dave Bloustien. Watch out for part two next week!

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Don’t forget you can go into the draw to win the (Region 4) DVD box set Ace Adventures, featuring the stories Dragonfire and The Happiness Patrol, from our good friends at BBC on DVD. Enter by commenting on this episode below (or on part two, of course) and let us know what you think of Sylvester McCoy, Ace, the stories of the era or what you think about our discussion! Comment by August 10 to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner at the recording of Eight/Science on August 11.

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss Colin Baker and clothes in Doctor Who in the sixth (well, okay…ninth) live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at Agent 284 in Melbourne on June 15, 2013. Our guests for this episode are writer and podcaster Tansy Rayner Roberts (Galactic Suburbia, Verity!) and fangirl and theatre professional Zen Fletcher. We’ve spared you a narration of the cosplay competition (surprisingly visual for a podcast, is Splendid Chaps) but we do have too many prizes (we’ve gone maaaaaaad!) and musician Tim Cav bravely attempts to redeem that most infamous of Doctor Who tracks, “Doctor in Distress”. Massive thanks this episode to our sound engineer, David Ashton, and to John, who does all the editing, for delivering an excellent recording despite serious technical difficulties on the day.

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Don’t forget you can go into the draw to win a (Region 4) DVD box set of Trial of a Time Lord by commenting on this episode below! Are you a big Colin fan? Think Peri is the best companion ever? Tell us how we got it wrong! And we’d love to hear your thoughts on costumes and outfits from the show, and see photos of your best Doctor Who cosplay. Comment by July 13 to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner at the recording of Seven/Religion on July 14.

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss Peter Davison and fear in Doctor Who in the fifth (well, okay…seventh) live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at the Public Bar in Melbourne on May 19, 2013, and rushed to your ears in a fraction of the usual time! (You may find it a bit rougher around the edges than normal…) Our guests this month are comedian and actor Tegan Higginbotham (Watson) and horror writer Narelle M Harris, plus musician Georgia Fields performs a cover of Bullamakanka’s “Dr Who is Gonna Fix It”!

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Don’t forget you can go into the draw to win a (Region 4) DVD copy of The Visitation (Special Edition) by commenting on this episode below! Tell us whether Davison’s Doctor was bland, what you really think of Adric and Nyssa, share the scariest moments you can remember or just tell us what you thought of this month’s show. Comment by June 14 to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner at the recording of Six/Clothes on June 15.

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott met as part of Darebin Libraries’ Geek Week to discuss all things Doctor Who books in this special extra live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at Northcote Library in Melbourne on Star Wars Day, May the 4th, 2013. With special guests editor and broadcaster Katie Purvis (Katie’s Cut Lunch on Joy 94.9) and author Dave Hoskin (Shooting the Poo podcast), plus a special reading from comedian Lawrence Leung (Unbelievable, Choose Your Own Adventure).

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Also, thanks to Penguin Books Australia, we’re giving away a copy of Where’s the Doctor and one of The Doctor Who Character Encyclopedia to two lucky winners! All you need to do to be in the draw is to comment on this episode below: tell us about your favourite Doctor Who authors, the treasured books in your collection, or just what you thought of this episode. Comment before the recording of our June 15 episode to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner then.

We mention a lot of books in this episode – and read from more than a few. So here’s a bibliography – let us know if we missed any!

Target novelisations:

* Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion – Terrance Dicks

* Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks – David Whitaker

* Doctor Who and the Mutants – Terrance Dicks

* Doctor Who and the Zarbi – Bill Strutton

* Doctor Who and the Crusaders – David Whitaker

* Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons – Terrance Dicks

* The Five Doctors – Terrance Dicks

* Terminus – Stephen Gallagher

We mentioned that some of the Target Doctor Who novelisations were translated into Japanese; there were five in all, released by Hayakawa Publishing Inc in 1980:[ref]Information from gallifreybase.com[/ref]

* 時空大血闘! / Jikuu Dai Chi Tataka! (Space-Time Big Bloody Battle! or The Big Bloody Battle in Space-time!) (The Daleks)

* オートン軍団の襲来! / Oo-ton Gundan-no Shuurai (The Auton Army Invasion) (Spearhead from Space)

* 戦慄! 地底モンスター / Senritsu! Chitei Monsutaa (Shuddering! The Underground Monsters or The Terrifying Underground Monsters) (Doctor Who and the Silurians)

* 恐るべき最終兵器! / Kowaru Beki Saishyuu Heiki! (Be Fearful of the Ultimate Weapon!) (The Doomsday Weapon / Colony in Space)

* ダレク族の逆襲! / Dareku Joku-no Gyakushyuu! (The Dalek Race’s Counterattack!) (Day of the Daleks)

Katie quoted classic opening lines from three of Terrance Dicks’ novelisations (the titles are kept secret on the podcast; see if you can guess before reading the answers!):

* “It moved through the silent blackness of deep space like a giant jellyfish through the depths of the sea.” – Doctor Who and the Claws Of Axos

* “Through the ruin of a city stalked the ruin of a man.” Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth

* “Through the vortex, that mysterious region where time and space are one, sped a police box that was not a police box at all.” – Doctor Who and the Destiny Of The Daleks

We had longer readings from:

* Time and the Rani – Pip and Jane Baker

* Remembrance of the Daleks – Ben Aaronovich

* Frontios – Christopher H. Bidmead

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss Tom Baker and comedy in Doctor Who in the fourth live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded in two parts at Trades Hall in Melbourne as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival on April 6 and 13, 2013. With special guests Dave Callan (Triple J), Paul Verhoeven (Steam Punks, Lords of Luxury), Adam Richard (The Shelf, Outland) and Josie Long (Lost Treasures of the Black Heart), plus the stand-up Dalek and a cover of Doctor Poo and the Psychic Koalas’ “The Universe is Big” performed by our very own Petra and the Time Lads – Caleb Garfinkel and Bryce Clark!

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Don’t forget you can go into the draw to win a (Region 4) DVD copy of The Legacy Collection box set (containing Shada and More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS) by commenting on this episode below! Tell us what you think of the Baker era, share your favourite gags from Doctor Who, or just tell us what you thought of our Comedy Festival episode. Comment by May 18 to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner at the recording of Five/Fear on May 19.

Ben was having so much fun talking to fellow comedians about Doctor Who that he couldn’t stop at just three…so here are three more!

* Sarah Jones is a ventriloquist who, when she’s not performing on a cruise ship or in the UK, can often be found at The Variety Collective in Brunswick. You can find her online at sarahjones.com.au or follow her on Twitter at @SarahJonesVent.

* Drew Belsten was first to volunteer to talk on Splendid Chaps. He’s part of the comedy groups Aardvarks Anonymous and Wizard Sandwiches, and you can find him on Twitter at @Wizarkdrew

* Cal Wilson is a Kiwi living in Melbourne and a favourite at the Comedy Festival. She can be found online at calwilson.com.au or on Twitter as @calbo

Special thanks to listener Garth, who suggested the title for this episode. We’re listening to you too, Garth!

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Since we were talking about Doctor Who and comedy for our fourth episode, as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Splendid Chap Ben McKenzie sought out a few fellow Doctor Who fan comedians and asked them about their relationship with the show:

* Richard McKenzie appears this Comedy Festival in Late Night Dungeon Crawl, Darkness and Light and late shows at the Exford Hotel.

* Dave Bloustien has finished his Comedy Festival run; follow him on Twitter at @i_before_e or check out bloustien.com for his upcoming gigs in Sydney and elsewhere.

* Adam McKenzie performs Once Were Planets at Trades Hall until April 21; you can follow his comedy group Watson on Twitter for more info.

(In case you were wondering about the critical mass of McKenzies: Richard and Adam are brothers to each other, but not to Ben.)

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Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss Jon Pertwee and Doctor Who’s representation of “Family” in the third live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at the Tuxedo Cat pop-up venue in Adelaide on Sunday, March 10, 2013. With special guests Cathy Adamek and Sean Williams, plus Tim FitzHigham recreating a classic track from Doctor Who music history, and Adelaide-based a capella group The Con Artists performing a beautiful combo of Doctor Who music, “I Am the Doctor Who Theme”.

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Don’t forget you can go into the draw to win a (Region 4) DVD copy of The Ambassadors of Death by commenting on this episode below! Tell us what you think of the Pertwee era, come up with other interesting family moments in the series, or just let us know what you thought of this episode. Comment by April 12 to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner at our second Four/Comedy recording on April 13.

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss Patrick Troughton and the nature of “Evil” in the second live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at 303 in Melbourne on Sunday, February 17, 2013. With special guests Toby Truslove, Dr Djoymi Baker, and Dean Acuri performing a tribute to one of the Second Doctor’s lovely companions.

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Don’t forget you can go into the draw to win a copy of The Reign of Terror by commenting on this episode below! Join in the conversation on Troughton’s era, discuss the way evil works, or just let us know what you thought of this episode; write your comment before March 9 to be in the running, and we’ll announce the winner at the recording of Three/Family on March 10.

Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott discuss William Hartnell and the notion of “Authority” in the first live Splendid Chaps episode, recorded at the Bella Union in Melbourne on Sunday, January 13, 2013. With special guests Lee Zachariah, Nerida Haycock and designer of the original Cybermen, Alexandra Tynan. Plus musical guest Geraldine Quinn performs her original song “Dr Who’s Assistant” – specially updated from the original 2007 version!

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