Armageddon - Day 2

Armageddon - Day 2

Under blazing blue skies in Auckland, the freaks and the geeks certainly came out for the official opening day of Armageddon 2012.

Thousands packed the ASB showgrounds, causing queues to snake around the front of the venue and anecdotally to go for some 4km...

However, everyone was in a great mood and certainly got into the spirit of it all....

Armageddon - Dr Who special

Armageddon - Dr Who special

I've never made a secret of the fact that I'm a Dr Who fan through and through.

So one of the highlights of the weekend was seeing Terry Molloy (Aka Davros in the classic series and also in the ongoing audio range by Big Finish Productions) at the Retrospace stand, signing for fans. (Of course, there are those who believe he's more famous from The Archers, but I doubt that)

Anyway, Paul Scoones and the Retrospace team have managed to get Mr Molloy over for some signings - and the fans loved it, new and old. But what impressed was that Terry reacted and interacted so well with the mass of people queueing to see him - so much so, that when a young Whovian in an 11th Doctor outfit showed up, Mr Molloy slipped into Davros mode, exclaiming "Dok-tor"...much to the fan's surprise.

Make sure you head to see Paul and the team - and not just to pick up his Comic Strip Companion book (which reminds me, I must secure mine) - but also to meet Terry.

 

Dr Who: The Ambassadors of Death: DVD Review

Dr Who: The Ambassadors of Death: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Entertainment


1970s Doctor Who gets an outing with this latest from Jon Pertwee's era, in a tale much wanted on DVD and which has been fraught with restoration problems.

Dr Who: The Ambassadors of Death is a key title for the range; it's a 7 part relatively tautly told tale of the return of a Mars Probe, missing for 7 months. When the rescue mission recovers something, it's definitely not human and soon the Doctor and Liz Shaw are doing what they can to save the world.

Dr Who: The Ambassadors of Death is a well put together story which eventually starts to creak over its 7 parts; it's got suspense in spades and good solid central performances from the likes of Pertwee and Caroline John (sadly recently deceased); plus the story has parallels with Quatermass and other sci-fi themes from the 70s.

But this release has to be lauded for the work done to restore the damaged tapes; whilst it still looks a bit poor in places, the team has done a great job putting it all together and ensuring that it works - with one ep surviving in colour and the rest in damaged black and white, this is a masterful piece of love.

The extras are a reasonable bunch over the two disc release of Dr Who: The Ambassadors of Death DVD but they're nothing sensational to write home about.

All in all, Dr Who: The Ambassadors of Death is worth a peek; it shows Pertwee at his best and in a serial which has, for the majority, stood the test of time.

Extras: Commentary, docos, the ever brilliant production notes and a wrap up of Pertwee's time in the role as defined by the press.

Rating:

Armageddon 2012 - A flavour of the stalls

Armageddon 2012 - A flavour of the stalls

It's Labour Day weekend and of course if you're in Auckland, that means the Armageddon Expo 2012.

It runs from October 19 - 22nd at ASB showgrounds and is well worth a look if you're into anything slightly geeky...

There's heaps of people in costumes at Armageddon 2012 - as well as a whole heap of gaming stuff too.

And also, make sure you check around the event to see what else is going on - you won't regret it.