Doctor Who: Frontios
DVD
Directed by Ron Jones
Written by Christopher H. Bidmead
Starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Jeff Rawle, Peter Gilmore, John Gillett
BBC
Release Date: June 14, 2011

It was with much nostalgia that I found myself viewing this Classic Doctor Who adventure featuring Fifth Doctor Peter Davison. Frontios is from Davison’s final season as the Doctor, which was also my first experience to new Doctor Who episodes back in that day in age. Accompanied by Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding, a fellow Aussie!) and Vislor Turlough (Mark Strickson), I found myself flashing back to my old Doctor Who 1984 Annual.

It’s Doctor Who Week! That’s right; it’s just a few days to go until the premiere episode of Series 6, The Impossible Astronaut. And even though there are many fans out there waiting for the new season with high anticipation, there’s also a bunch of people out there who are new to the Time Lord, so to help out new folks with the continuity, The Fine Brothers have put together a video: 47 Years of Doctor Who in 6 minutes.

Now, you could go down the route that Neil Gaiman recommends:

I have to be truthful. I was absolutely devastated when hearing the news yesterday that Elisabeth Sladen had passed away. We reported her death here at Geeks of Doom, and tributes from around the world began pouring in on the internet in memory of her. The Australian ABC invited fans to share their Sarah Jane memories on their Facebook page; and the BBC created a Sarah Jane playlist on YouTube. Fantastic artwork, such as the beautiful design above by DalekBigBoy from the Gallifrey Base forums, also began sprouting around the web– through other avenues as well, such as Twitter and social news sites.

I can’t help but reflect more on Elisabeth Sladen — since it’s important, in my view, to highlight (especially to newer fans), that she was more than just a companion to us oldies and dinosaurs. She was a defining person during our early years, so her death is felt so much closer to the heart for us.

With the new season of Doctor Who coming up on us quickly on April 23, there’s a level of anticipation and excitement among fans online I’ve not seen for quite some time. What’s interesting is I continually find myself running into new fans who have only ever seen the new Doctor Who series that has been going since 2005.

Indeed, to a generation of Doctor Who fans, there have been only three Doctors since they discovered the adventures of the Time Lord: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith. And inevitably, many of these fans find themselves wanting to dive deeper into the mythos and legend of the good Doctor.

And why shouldn’t they? The series has had a legacy spanning close to half a century, with some amazing stories being created from some of the greatest creative minds including Terrence Dicks, Douglas Adams, Terry Nation, and so many more.

Sad news across the world for geeks today, as word has reached us that the wonderful actor, Michael Gough, has passed away. He was 94 years old. To most people, Michael Gough was well known for his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the 1990’s Batman movie series, beginning with Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989 and right through Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin in 1997.

However, this wasn’t Michael Gough’s first involvement in a franchise loved by geeks internationally. A very young Gough appeared as The Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who back in 1965. The episode, The Celestial Toymaker, saw Gough act with the First Doctor William Hartnell. He would later appear with Fifth Doctor Peter Davison, playing a different role, in the episode Arc of Infinity.