"Everything ends and it's always sad, but everything begins again, too."

This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one-off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.

BBC press release

"And so goodbye from me to Doctor Who."

Russell T. Davies 

There's no easy way to say this, so here it is:  Doctor Who has been cancelled.

Following the end of Ncuti Gatwa's last episode as the Doctor, speculation ran rampant as to how the upcoming Christmas special would address the cryptic results of his regeneration*. Would the regeneration would be permanent, or would it be another temporary substitute before the appearance of the actual 16th Doctor, as with David Tennant's unexpected return in 2022?  And, if the regeneration was a temporary one, as per general expectation, who would ultimately be chosen to be the next Time Lord?

Then, yesterday the BBC unexpectedly announced that they would not be proceeding with the Christmas special - or, in fact, with the series itself.  Production of Doctor Who is now on hold pending the results of a competitive tender for a new production partner to replace Disney+, with an expectation that the show might not return until 2028 at the earliest.  And with the cancellation of the Christmas special, Russell T. Davies is also ending his connection with the show - a move which seems sadly appropriate, given that he was responsible for the show's return in 2005 after a fifteen year hiatus.

The question now is how long this new interlude might last, or if in fact it might not become permanent.  Time, as they say, will tell.  It would be sad to see the end of such a longstanding franchise, but it's important to remember that the character of the Doctor will certainly remain active in a wide variety of other formats: the wide range of radio plays from Big Finish, books, comics, games, and interactive events like the Time Fracture experience. 

And, no pun intended, who knows? After all, given that the whole program is based around the idea of returning in a new form to cheat death, we may well see the Doctor back at the helm of the TARDIS sooner rather than later.  To quote the First Doctor:

“One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.” 

- Sid

* No spoilers here, my sister Dorothy may not been keeping up with the show.

"Jinkies!"

Passed in traffic on our way to Superstore yesterday - and we would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling kids...

- Sid

P.S. A certain amount of soul searching - and research - was involved in this posting.  Initially, I wasn't certain that Scooby-Doo qualified for the blog. In my mind, there was no supernatural* element to the show, it was more of an ongoing cautionary tale that the villains in life are generally old white men disguised as monsters. However, some research into the team's 57-year history indicated that later iterations of Mystery Inc. did in fact deal with actual ghosts and phantoms.

* Research also revealed that there was also a Scooby-Doo crossover episode in Supernatural's 13th season: 

 I feel that they nailed Sam but Dean is a bit off.

May the 14th be with you.

Photo by Gage Skidmore*

Today we celebrate the 82nd birthday of George Lucas, a man who, as they say, needs no introduction - it is hard to think of anyone who has had such a massive impact on popular culture with the creation and evolution of the Star Wars franchise.

That being said, pop quiz: how many full-length movies has Lucas directed in his legendary career?

Six.

Yep, that's it, six:

• THX 1138
• American Graffiti
• Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
• Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
• Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 

To provide some perspective, Steven Spielberg's directorial feature film score is 34. 

I was amazed to discover this bit of trivia - it seems like such a low number, considering the man's stature in Hollywood. That being said, it's a deceptive statistic that ignores an epic resume of contributions to the industry in virtually every aspect of production in some form or another.  

Regardless, as far as I'm concerned, Mr. Lucas, you had done everything that you needed to do the first time I saw the words "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..." on the screen at the Norwood Cinema in 1977.  Thank you for your service, George - and happy birthday!

- Sid

* This was not the photo of Mr. Lucas that I would have preferred to use, but apparently all the production photos from the first Star Wars movie are clutched in the mailed fist of Getty Images, and I have very little desire to be the victim of a cease and desist lawsuit.  (Which I've narrowly avoided in a small freelance project, so I speak from experience.)  My thanks to Wikipedia™and Gage Skidmore, whoever he may be, for the above image.