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Erika and Steven wish you a happy Thanksgiving (or a happy Monday if you’re not in Canada) as they discuss antimatter universes, captains under pressure, and also submarine movies because why not?

4H (3)

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  Sapphire & Steel         Appearance hide Text Small Standard Large Width Standard Wide Color Automatic Light Dark   From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article needs . Please help by . Unsourced material may be challenged and . Find sources:  –  ·  ·  ·  · (July 2019) () Sapphire & Steel Genre Created by Starring Composer Country of origin United Kingdom Original language English ) Production Executive producer David Reid Producer Shaun O'Riordan Running time 25 minutes Production company / Original release Network Release 10 July 1979 – 31 August 1982 Sapphire & Steel is a British television series starring and . Produced by , it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the network. The series was created by who conceived the programme under the working title The Time Menders, after a stay in an allegedly haunted castle. Hammond also wrote all the stories except for the fifth, which was co-written by and . From 2005 to 2008, Sapphire & Steel returned in a series of audio dramas produced by , starring and as the main characters. Series overview and as Sapphire and Steel (from Adventure 3) Premise The opening credits include the narration: All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned. In the sixth and final assignment, Lead was replaced with Mercury in the opening credits. The programme centres on a pair of interdimensional operatives named Sapphire and Steel. Very little is revealed about their purposes or backgrounds in the course of the series but they appear to be engaged in guarding the continuing flow of time. They are two of a number of elements that assume human form and are sent to investigate strange events; others include Lead (Val Pringle), who takes the aspect of a jovial, friendly giant, and Silver (), a technician who can melt metals in his hands. In the series, it is explained that Time is like a progressing corridor that surrounds everything, but there are weak spots where Time—implied to be a malignant force—can break into the present and take things. There are also creatures from the beginnings and ends of time that roam the corridor looking for the same weak spots to break through. These breaks are most often triggered by the presence of something old in a modern situation, for example a traditional nursery rhyme, an old photograph, or a house decorated with antiques. Holding onto something of the past opposes progress and allows 'Time' to break into the present – the more old things present, the easier it is for this to occur (such as is seen in episode 1 where the two-century-old house, in which a traditional nursery rhyme has been read hundreds of times as a bedtime story, is full of clocks and other antiques). When this breaking-in of 'Time' occurs, Investigators will be sent to assess the situation and then, if intervention is warranted, Operators are assigned to deal with the problem by a mysterious unseen authority, to be assisted by Specialists if necessary. Each adventure usually starts with Sapphire and Steel simply showing up, seemingly out of nowhere, although sometimes they are already present when the story begins. They will then investigate and mingle with various humans, although it is nearly always the location the humans are in which is of the most interest: an old house which dates back to the 18th century, an abandoned , a lost property shop, a modern-day motorway petrol station, and so on. The stories are generally quite cryptic, raising more questions than answers, and have an eerie air to them, being as much as they are science fiction. The ambiguous nature of the programme extends to its main characters. While Sapphire is portrayed as more affable and "human" than the no-nonsense, grim Steel, it is clear that their prime concern is to deal with the break in Time, sometimes over the safety of the humans caught in the incidents they investigate. The general tone of the series is however forward-looking; that old things are dangerous, and that the past should be left behind or an evil force will be able to enter through those old things. In this situation, progress and newness are portrayed as the protecting force against 'Time'. Characters ITV stated in 1980 that Sapphire and Steel are not human. Their abilities and manner are strange. Steel, for example, often has gaps in his knowledge of human culture and even Sapphire's grace is tempered with a cool detachment from the humans they interact with. In Adventure 5, Steel confirms that they were alien, "in the sense." The two also refer to being involved in the mystery of the , and in one case state they will be waiting for a ship to surface in seventy-five years. This could mean they are either exceptionally long-lived or some kind of is involved. P. J. Hammond confirmed the former hypothesis in a 1993 interview. Sapphire and Steel, who are Operators, are occasionally assisted by other beings, including Lead and Silver. Silver is stated in Adventure 6 to be a Specialist rather than an Operator. There are 127 operatives in total, including 12 , which cannot be assigned where life exists. Although they are described as , many of the code names are non-elements, such as , , and , although these could be pseudonyms for aesthetics or discretion. Sapphire also has a flirtatious relationship with Silver, contributing to an air of underlying sexual tension on the occasions that Silver is called upon to assist the duo. The relationship between Steel and Sapphire similarly exhibits occasional tension, as evidenced in Adventure 2 when Steel admits feeling love for Sapphire and, at one point, even kissing her on the cheek. In Adventure 1, Lead mentioned that Jet sent Steel her love and that Silver was having relationship troubles with Copper "again". Among Sapphire's abilities is the power to manipulate time in small ways as well as determine the age or historical details of an object by touching it (). This latter ability is referred to in Adventure 2 as "spot analysis". Her most prominent ability is to "take back time," literally rewinding it in a localised area to see or replay the past. She states in Adventure 1 that she cannot take time back twenty-four hours; in the last episode of the same adventure, at Steel's request she takes time back "half a day". In Adventure 2, she is able to "hold time for a day", when another (in this case, the creature seen as the darkness) takes time back over multiple days. Whether this is an improvement in abilities or a different skill entirely is not made clear. She also exhibits an ability to obtain information about people – their ages and backgrounds as well as psychological insights into their personality – just by being close to them. Sometimes it appears that she does not discover this information herself but is receiving the information from some external source. In Adventure 2, it is stated that the age at which a living person will die is not estimated but recorded, that it is a historical fact. Nothing else is revealed in the television series as to the extent or nature of any such records, or to what extent Sapphire uses them in relation to information obtained directly. She can also manipulate people's emotions, and project illusions. When she uses her powers, her irises will usually glow blue or, under some circumstances, turquoise. Steel, on the other hand, can freeze himself to which gives him the ability to destroy '', which are in actuality remnants of Time. He apparently possesses immense strength (in Adventure 3 he ties knots in cables to prevent the lift from being used) and a degree of invulnerability. He also exhibits abilities, being able to paralyse people with a look, weld metal with his bare hands or undo deadbolts with a gesture. Both Sapphire and Steel (as well as all Operatives) also appear to be able to teleport a great distance. The operatives can also communicate telepathically with each other, and in Adventure 5, Sapphire grants this ability to a human being, whom she dubs "Brass" for the duration. Sapphire removes this ability at the end of the story. It is also suggested in Adventure 5 that other powers can be granted. It is hinted, in the debate that ensues between Sapphire and Steel after Sapphire gives Brass his abilities, that different powers are classed at different levels, with telepathy being considered one of the most basic. It is not made clear in the series as to what boundaries exist on the skills of operatives. In Adventure 2, Steel cannot perform "spot analysis", as it is not his field, but in Adventure 4, Sapphire and Steel together are specifically able to replicate Silver's ability to transmutate by remembering what he did. Other operatives that appear also have special powers. Silver (played by ), a Specialist who is designated as a Technician, is good with electronics and gadgets, is able to transform one small object into another, and is even able to replicate small objects out of nothing. He can also create long-lasting visual images of objects too large to replicate, although the exact parameters for such images are never revealed. Lead (played by Val Pringle), on the other hand, possesses superhuman strength and can act as needed insulation for Steel when he freezes himself to extreme temperatures. Production and transmission The programme ran for four years and 34 episodes, each lasting about 25 minutes and generally included a of the preceding episode. The first and second stories were shown in the summer of 1979, the second story's transmission interrupted by at the ITV network which led to a repeat of the story in 1979. The third and fourth stories were transmitted in January 1981, and the fifth in August 1981 with a sixth story "in the can" for future transmission. The audience figures were unusually high for a science fantasy series with the first episode, gaining 11.8 million viewers and finishing as the fourth most watched programme of the week across all channels. This continued with a further seven episodes of the first year appearing in the top 20. Three more episodes in 1981 and one in 1982 also entered the top 20 ratings. By this time, production costs were increasing. The programme had been allocated a minuscule production budget, which led to the use of simple staging and minimal , ultimately contributing to the uneasy atmosphere of the show. The high profile and limited availability of the principal actors, Lumley and McCallum, meant that shooting was somewhat sporadic, and the programme's producers ATV were in the process of being reorganised into the new ; all factors which led to the series' demise. Central felt that viewers might mistake the new programmes for repeats of old ones, and broadcast the final, four-part story in late August 1982 to very little fanfare. Despite this, the first episode gained a high rating and finished in the top 20 most-watched programmes of the week. The show has never been repeated on UK terrestrial television, but some episodes were shown on the satellite and cable station in the mid-1990s. The program is available free online at ShoutFactoryTV.com and , and with a subscription at or . The UK digital channel acquired the series, showing two episodes each weekday evening from 1 June 2020. The complete series was added to in August, 2020 and is currently also available to stream free in the UK on ITVX Player. The UK digital channel Rewind TV began showing the series, again two episodes each day from October 2024. As of April 2025, episodes 1-6 of Adventure One - Escape Through A Crack In Time are available to view on the ITV Retro YouTube Channel. Television stories For more information see None of the stories had on-screen titles, or any official titles assigned by the writers. The Region 1 Complete Series DVD release gives the titles "Escape Through a Crack in Time", "The Railway Station", "The Creature's Revenge", "The Man Without a Face", "Dr McDee Must Die" and "The Trap", respectively. These titles have often been cited as having been created by science fiction magazine Time Screen. Further reading reveals that in the booklet for the series, written by Tim Worthington, and included with the most recent DVD box set, on page 7 there is this quote regarding titles from creator P. J. Hammond "I never gave titles to the stories. Neither did the production department. I think certain fanbases may have made up their own titles in order to discuss and analyse various stories." The various British home video releases title the stories as "Adventure" or "Assignment" I through VI. The booklet also says, on the same page, "some sources have claimed that these were taken from the original scripts, whereas others dismiss them as an invention on the part of a science fiction fanzine, although the editor of the fanzine in question denies that they were ever used within its pages" and furthermore that "the show's distributors have never knowingly used them." The final television story ends on a . Apparently resentful of Sapphire and Steel's independence, a higher authority sends entities known as Transient Beings (similar to the operatives but until now trapped in the past), to set a trap for them in a motorway café. The serial concludes with Silver dispatched to an unknown fate –and Sapphire and Steel being trapped in the café, floating through space, apparently for eternity. The cliffhanger has never been resolved, although Hammond has stated that vague plans existed for further adventures. This was also stated by Joanna Lumley in her autobiography, who remembered that they were told that this was merely an end-of-series cliffhanger, and that Sapphire and Steel would be freed at the start of the next series. However, in an interview with (#329, cover date: 30 April 2003), David Collings recalled that although another series was planned, Joanna Lumley and David McCallum both decided that they had had enough and did not wish to do any more. Merchandise Sapphire & Steel of the first adventure One novelisation of the series was released. The first story of the series was released by Star Books in 1979 and was written by Peter J. Hammond. A two-page coloured Sapphire & Steel picture strip, written by and drawn by , appeared in the magazine. It ran for a total of 76 issues from 1979-1981 – with a break of 13 issues between runs – and formed 14 untitled stories. It would appear that Ranson used photographs of Joanna Lumley and David McCallum from the first television adventure for reference, as Sapphire and Steel are almost always depicted wearing the outfits from this story. In the third story, Lead makes a cameo appearance and displays a further power: turning British soldiers from the Napoleonic War into miniature (and presumably lead) toy soldiers. However, the picture strip version of Lead – though depicted as a powerfully built black man – was not based upon Val Pringle who played the part on television; it can only be assumed that Ranson had very little in the way of photographic reference material in this case. In addition, a one-off Sapphire & Steel text story titled The Albatross was published in the 1981 Look-In Annual. This was illustrated in black-and-white by Arthur Ranson. Only one Sapphire & Steel Annual was published, in late 1980, by World International Publishing Ltd, and featured a number of text stories and features. The front cover used the same photograph as that on P.J. Hammond's 1979 Star Books novelisation of Adventure One. P.J. Hammond did not write the stories for Sapphire & Steel Annual 1981, but he was sent proofs to read in advance of publication. His only reservations with the stories were that Sapphire and Steel were able to move back in time, which he felt tended to contradict the premise set in the television series that Time was only allowed to break into the present day. However, this did not worry Hammond too much as, like Look-In, the Annual was aimed at younger readers. Home media The series was released twice on home video during the 1990s, with each serial available separately as a single or double-cassette set. Stories were labelled "Adventure" in the first releases (in lieu of story titles) and "Assignment" for the second release. In 2002, the series was released for the first time on DVD, in the UK. Originally, it was released as two box-sets, with the first three stories on one (20 episodes) and the final three on the other (14 episodes). Also in the UK, Network Distributing Ltd Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD on 5 November 2007. The six-disc set features a new documentary and commentaries. On 26 May 2008, the complete series box-set was re-released with new packaging. In the US, , under license from , released the entire series on Region 1 DVD on 28 December 2004 and re-released the complete series on 27 August 2013. On 20th March 2025, the official ITV Retro YouTube page - a channel dedicated to archiving classic ITV programming - uploaded Assignment One as an edited continuous HD video, running 2hrs 10mins, with Assignments Two through Six uploaded in a similar 'movie' format over the following month (the longest running being Assignment Two at just over three hours). Audio plays For more information see In late May 2004, announced that it had secured the rights to produce a new series of Sapphire & Steel for release on CD. However, neither McCallum nor Lumley reprised their roles: McCallum was working in the and Lumley declined to play Sapphire again. The characters were recast, with and taking over the roles. The range is produced by and . The character of Gold (played by ) appears in the first adventure and returns in and . He is portrayed as impatient and inexperienced when dealing with both humans and the various manifestations of Time, even more detached and clinical in many ways than Steel, almost as if he is still in training. The character of Ruby (played by ) appears in the second series story , reappearing in and . Her character has an understanding and affinity to Time within the rhythms of music, and also comes across as rather dry and sardonic, especially when interacting with Steel. David Collings reprises his role as Silver in the third and fifth stories of the first series of audio plays and then again in the third story of the third series. During the production of each series, Nigel Fairs has had to step in at late notice to write a replacement script (writing from John Ainsworth's outline in series one, replacing 's Big Fun with Cruel Immortality in series two and replacing 's Reborn with Second Sight in series three). Big Finish originally said that the new stories would be set before the climactic final story of the television series. Still, the released plays are actually set after assignment 6. At the start of The Passenger, the characters comment that it has been a long time since they last worked together and, in , imply that they were freed in some unspecified way by Silver. At the end of , Sapphire and Steel once again find themselves trapped. The following story, sees the characters 'reborn' once more - this time in the guise of two young Australians, played by and . At the end of Second Sight, however, Ruby was able to release the previous incarnations of Sapphire and Steel from their trap - with David Warner and Susannah Harker reprising their roles for the rest of the series. The audio dramas featured some notable guest stars - including , , , , , , , , and . Planned remakes The idea of a remake of Sapphire & Steel was floated a few times, but the plans never came to fruition. Original series creator, Peter J. Hammond, said that he had discussions with ITV about a remake in 2006, but no developments followed. According to reports, "the backlash to [...] put an end to the idea". In July 2015, Luther creator Neil Cross announced to Variety that he was working on a new series of Sapphire & Steel. The following year, ITV Studios-owned independent Big Talk Productions confirmed that it was remaking Sapphire & Steel, with Cross attached to the project, and writer indicating that he was part of the team. However, in a December 2017 interview with , Cross said that the project had been cancelled, mainly due to the limited popularity of the original show. References . . Retrieved 20 July 2008. Joseph, Michael (1980). . London: Independent Television Books Ltd. p. 262.  . Retrieved 19 July 2025. Rob Stanley (1993). . Archived from on 2 May 2006. Retrieved 12 September 2006. Television's Greatest Hits, Network Books, and , 1993.   . Facebook.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020. . YouTube.com. Retrieved 2 April 2025. . Firebreathingdimetrodon.wordpress.com. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020. Stare Back and Smile by , page 157, books, 1989.   . Network DVD. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2026. . Amazon.co.uk. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2017 – via Amazon. . Shoutfactory.com. Retrieved 20 March 2017. . youtube.com. Retrieved 22 April 2026. . Guyhaley.wordpress.com. 8 April 2013. . Headstuff.org. 11 July 2015. . Variety. 9 July 2015. . Drama Quarterly. Retrieved 20 August 2020. . Unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 17 December 2018. . Deadline Hollywood. 4 December 2017.

Three big Doctor Who stories share the spotlight this week! Deadline reports that both Jed Mercurio's Hat Trick Mercurio and STV Studios are two of the interested bidders to make Doctor Who, the first image and details of the new CBeebies Doctor Who show TARDIS Crew were unveiled, and Russell T Davies' new memoir is out for all to dissect for its details and (lack of) juicy dirt. All this, and our second instalment in our Classic Series Commentary for "The Daleks' Master Plan"!

Links:

• Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon
• Deadline reveals some Doctor Who bids: Jed Mercurio, STV Studios, among others
• First look at 'TARDIS Crew', brand new CBeebies animated adventure from the Whoniverse
• Russell T Davis' book "The Queerest of Folk" released
• Billie Piper's tears, Weinstein tension and a knife by the door: Russell T Davies' memoir doesn't hold back
• Gallifrey One: October Update: Discussion Panels & TARDIS Talks
• Big Finish: Doctor Who: Halloween – Doctor, Doctor, Doctor and Other Stories available now
• Big Finish: The Eighth Doctor – A New Pathway, an audio documentary, available with New Pathways
• Record Store Day Black Friday Doctor Who The Day of the Troll Vinyl LP
• Kickstarter: SHARE & ENJOY. A definitively inaccurate Douglas Adams story
• The Timelash Oct 11-17

Commentary:

• Classic Series Commentary "The Daleks' Master Plan" Episode 2 – Day of Armageddon

Adam J Purcell, Jay Doran, Keith Dunn and Scott Fuller review Doctor Who: The Ark and episodes seven, eight, nine and ten of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 4, find some general news and a variety of other stuff, specifically:

• 00:00 – Intro and theme tune.
• 01:13 — Welcome!
• 02:15 – News:
• 02:28 — Doctor Who: The TARDIS destroyed.
• 04:35 — Gremlins: Coming back for thirds.
• 06:30 — Game of Thrones: Big screen story.
• 08:31 — Doctor Who: RTD2 spilling his beans.
• 12:45 — Star Trek: Writers suggest which Doctor Pelia travelled with.
• 14:27 – Doctor Who: The Ark.
• 32:11 – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, episodes 7, 8, 9 and 10.
• 61:21 – Crumbly Watch.
• 64:03 – Emails and listener feedback.
• 73:07 – Farewell for this podcast!
• 74:05 — End theme, disclaimer, copyright, etc.

Vital Links:

• Staggering Stories.
• BBC: Doctor Who.
• Wikipedia: Gremlins.
• Wikipedia: Game of the Thrones.
• Star Trek.
• Wikipedia: The Ark (Doctor Who).
• BBC: Doctor Who: The Ark.
• Wikipedia: Star Trek Colon Strange New Worlds.
• Facebook: Staggering Stories Group.

Which Doctor Who stories dig deepest into faith, gods, belief, and the divine?

From the black-and-white classics to the modern era, we’ve ranked our favourite episodes that wrestle with religion and unpack where each one takes the topic.

Got twenty minutes? Come with us.

And while you’re here... what would make your list? Drop us a line and tell us why.

Find us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net
X / Twitter: @theDWshow
Email: hello@theDWshow.net
Substack: thedwshow.substack.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Thank you for downloading the Trap One Podcast.

This week Hannah, Melvin, Chris and Mark re-unite to cover the next three instalments of Circuit Breaker: Don't Blink, The Doctor and the Three Witches and Memento Mori.

Don't Blink is available to read here.

Memento Mori can be watched here.

Our episode on The Wonderful Doctor of Oz is can be heard here.

 

This week on the show more Whooverville 17 coverage with a chat to actress Lesley Dunlop.

You may wish to contribute to the show's running costs, it's Patreon is here https://www.patreon.com/tdrury

or buy me a coffee here https://ko-fi.com/timdrury

The show is also on Facebook please join the group for exclusive behind the scenes insights and of course also discuss and feedback on the show https://www.facebook.com/groups/187162411486307/

If you want to send me comments or feedback you can email them to tdrury2003@yahoo.co.uk

or contact me on twitter where I'm @tdrury or send me a friend request and your comments to facebook where I'm Tim Drury and look like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdrury/3711029536/in/set-72157621161239599/ in case you were wondering.

We're traveling the vortex for our final stop in the Doctor Who: Circuit Breaker multimedia saga as we review Short Circuits, the audio release featuring Battleships and Get Rich or Die Trying, both written by Alex Hewitt and narrated by Dan Starkey.

First, we discuss Battleships, a character-driven story that explores the origins of a dangerous future adversary and examines ambition, prejudice, and survival within the Sontaran Empire. Then we turn to Get Rich or Die Trying, a time-twisting adventure involving mystery, deception, dinosaurs, and unexpected connections to the wider Doctor Who universe.

Do these stories add meaningful depth to the Circuit Breaker saga? Are they essential chapters or enjoyable bonus adventures? Join us as we break down the performances, storytelling, character development, and how these audio tales fit into the larger Circuit Breaker narrative.

Whether you've followed the entire Circuit Breaker range or are simply looking for new Doctor Who audio reviews, this episode has you covered.

#DoctorWho #CircuitBreaker #ShortCircuits #DanStarkey #AlexHewitt #DoctorWhoAudio #Sontarans #UNIT #DoctorWhoReview #TravelingTheVortex

What did you think of Short Circuits? Let us know in the comments below, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more Doctor Who reviews, discussions, and podcast episodes from Traveling the Vortex!

  I discuss the only image from the new version of #DoctorWho

What a weekend, courtesy of Mr Russell T. Davies and The Guardian! Join Ashley and Brent as the now former showrunner junks our recording schedule with (incredibly interesting) interview promoting his memoires! Memoires, at 63?! Madness. Anyway Doctor Who features heavily in the extract published by the Guardian – great Who news for the Campervan to chew over. Along with coverage of the celebratory anniversary screening of The Satan Pit at cinemas across the globe, and the latest Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz story from Big Finish and Rochana Patel – that’s The Hallamshire Incident – what more could you possibly ask for?!

Enjoy.

After escaping the hullabaloo of Hollywood, normal service resumes for our intrepid adventurers.

And that means a sticky wicket, a volcanic rendezvous, a lasered lock, Egyptian escapades and an advanced case of premature ageing.

What's so special about the Doctor's ring?

What nationality did Mavic Chen put on his passport?

Was his magic act any good?

And did the DMP flick Jim and Martin's switch or was it all a waste - a terrible waste - of their time?

Listen to find out!

Find the podcast here, on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible and elsewhere.

And follow us on Facebook, Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon.

If you have a moment, please consider giving us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Audible, etc. Many thanks!

Lastly, a scatalogical treat from Viz, as promised in the previous episode.

Friends, we've gone back...way back...back into time! Right to the start of the second season of Classic Who and the story Planet of Giants! This is a story famous for the fact that the powers that be actually recognized that a four-parter really worked better as three parts. Not only that, it has some absolutely fantastic set pieces and oversized props! Team TARDIS has to figure out how to get back to regular size, but solve a murder at the same time! It's a wild ride that's completely worth the watch!

For fans of The War of the Worlds, Sherwood Sound Studios released a faithful to the book audio adaptation back in 2017 under the title, "The Coming of the Martians".

Now, for the first time, it is being released on YouTube in 5.1 Surround Sound, for FREE!

Keep an eye on their YouTube channel on 30th October 2026 - https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@sherwoodsoundstudios⁩

The founder of Sherwood Sound Studios, Martin Johnson, joins us to talk about this release, as well as some of the work he did with Big Finish Productions on the Doctor Who, Benny Summerfield and other ranges.

Be sure to subscribe to our other podcast, Blake's 7 - The Way Back - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Blakes7WayBack⁠

Theme music by Joe Kraemer.

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  When a stolen cargo shuttle drifts back into lunar orbit, seemingly deserted, Nathan and Paul investigate. They uncover a conspiracy involving hijacking, smuggling - and claims of a creature on the loose.   Script editor Andrew Smith said: "Conflict is the most epic story we've told in Star Cops, with the stakes higher than they've ever been, not just for our heroes but for all mankind. In this concluding set of three episodes, the threat of global conflict builds towards a climax. "Georgia Cook is a hugely welcome new member of the writing team. In Adrift, she's applied her expertise in the horror genre to deliver an episode where, as the Star Cops are dealing with the fallout from a tragedy, they're faced with a mystery that raises the question - could there actually be monster aliens in space? "We're now starting the final three parts of Star Cops – Conflict. Georgia's episode Adrift is kind of a standalone, though we've got the background, as we have throughout the whole of the Conflict set, of world tensions growing. " When I asked Georgia to come on board, I was aware that her particular genre is horror and I thought that would be an interesting thing to explore in a Star Cops context. So that was her brief: 'Can you give us a story with a real horror vibe?' Georgia really runs with it and puts our main characters through the mill, it’s fair to say." Writer Georgia Cook added: "It was certainly nerve-wracking to pick up from such a dramatic and impactful last episode. All the characters are still reeling from the aftermath, but aren't given much time to process before they're thrown back into work. "I love the whole crew of Star Cops. Everyone is such an interesting and well-rounded character, each dealing with the trials of space and their jobs in their own way. It's been such a delight adding to everyone's extended Big Finish canon."   (Nathan Spring) (Inspector Colin Devis) (Chief Superintendent Pal Kenzy) (Alexandra Myers) (Howard Lesser) (Inspector Alice Okoro) (Inspector Paul Bailey) (Bram Calvis) (Julia Zheng)

Steven and Erika talk about captures, costumes, and coloured rocks.

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Hosts Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky.

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Doctor Who is dead, long live Doctor Who! Russell T Davies speaks of the end of his time on Doctor Who in an excerpt from his new book, while Bad Wolf's Jane Tranter laments the dismantling of the most recent TARDIS set. All this is happening while BBC Studios may have multiple bids to produce the next era of Doctor Who. All this and more, including the first episode of our Classic Series Commentary of the first quarter of "The Daleks' Master Plan"!

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• 'Doctor Who': Multiple BBC Studios Labels Likely To Apply For Tender
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• Encore screening of The Daleks' Master Plan at Riverside Studios on October 31
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• Big Finish: The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: The Greatest Train Robbery released
• Big Finish: Doctor Who: Armageddon Dawn due Nov 2026
• Big Finish: The Fugitive Doctor: Running Wild due Nov 2026
• The Timelash Oct 4-10

Commentary:

• Classic Series Commentary "The Daleks' Master Plan" Episode 1 – The Nightmare Begins

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Week that Was

• Reacher/Neagley
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  notes from wiki   This article is about the novel. For the 1997 film, see . For other uses, see . Starship Troopers First edition hardcover Author Cover artist Language English Genre Publisher Publication date November 5, 1959 Publication place United States Media type Print (hardcover and paperback) Pages 263 (paperback edition) Award (1960) PZ7.H368 Su Starship Troopers is a novel by American writer . Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US , the story was first published as a two-part serial in as Starship Soldier, and published as a book by on November 5, 1959. The story is set in a future society ruled by a human interstellar government called the Terran Federation, dominated by a military elite. Under the Terran Federation, only veterans of a primarily military Federal Service enjoy full citizenship, including the right to vote. The follows Juan "Johnny" Rico, a young man of descent, through his military service in the Mobile Infantry. He progresses from recruit to against the backdrop of an interstellar war between humans and an alien species known as "Arachnids" or "Bugs". Interspersed with the primary plot are classroom scenes in which Rico and others discuss philosophical and moral issues, including aspects of , , , and war; these discussions have been described as expounding Heinlein's own political views. Identified with a tradition of in US science fiction, the novel draws parallels between the conflict between humans and the Bugs, and the . It is also a , which criticizes the US society of the 1950s, arguing that a lack of discipline had led to a moral decline, and advocating and . Starship Troopers brought to an end . It won the in 1960, and was praised by reviewers for its scenes of training and combat and its visualization of a future military. It also became enormously controversial because of the political views it seemed to support. Reviewers were strongly critical of the book's intentional glorification of the military, an aspect described as propaganda and likened to . The novel's militarism, and the fact that government service – most often military service – was a prerequisite to the right to vote, led to it being frequently described as . Others disagree, arguing that Heinlein was only exploring the idea of limiting the right to vote to a certain group of people. Heinlein's depiction of gender has also been questioned, while reviewers have said that the terms used to describe the aliens were akin to . Starship Troopers had wide influence both within and outside science fiction. stated that "the political strand in [science fiction] can be described as a dialogue with Heinlein". Science fiction critic wrote that it is the "ancestral text of US science fiction militarism" and that it shaped the debate about the role of the military in society for many years. The novel is credited with popularizing the idea of , which became a recurring feature in science fiction books and films, as well as an object of scientific research. Heinlein's depiction of a futuristic military was also influential. Later science fiction books, such as 's 1974 anti-war novel , have been described as reactions to Starship Troopers. The story was adapted several times, including in a directed by that satirized what the director saw as the fascist aspects of the novel. Writing and publication The cover of (November 1959), illustrating Starship Soldier Robert Heinlein was among the best-selling science fiction authors of the 1940s and 1950s, along with and ; they were known as the "big three" that dominated US science fiction. In contrast to the others, Heinlein firmly endorsed the anti-communist sentiment of the era in his writing. Heinlein served in the US Navy for five years after graduating from the in 1929. His experience in the military profoundly influenced his fiction. At some point between 1958 and 1959, Heinlein put aside the novel that would become and wrote Starship Troopers. His motivation arose partially from his anger at US President 's , and the Soviet tests that occurred soon afterward. Writing in his 1980 volume , Heinlein would say that the publication of a newspaper advertisement placed by the on April 5, 1958, calling for a unilateral suspension of by the United States sparked his desire to write Starship Troopers. Heinlein and his wife created the "" in an attempt to create support for the US nuclear testing program. Heinlein stated that he used the novel to clarify his military and political views. Like many of Heinlein's books, Starship Troopers was completed in a few weeks. It was originally written as a for New York publishing house ; Heinlein had previously had success with this format, having written several such novels published by that publisher. The manuscript was rejected, prompting Heinlein to end his association with that publisher completely, and to resume writing books with adult themes. Scholars have suggested that Scribner's rejection was based on ideological objections to the content of the novel, particularly in its treatment of military conflict. first published Starship Troopers in October and November 1959 as a two-part titled Starship Soldier. A senior editor at Putnam's, Peter Israel, purchased the manuscript and approved revisions that made it more marketable to adults. Asked whether it was aimed at children or adults, he said at a sales conference "Let's let the readers decide who likes it." The novel was eventually published by . Setting Set approximately 700 years in the future, the book depicts an Earth ruled by a run by military veterans. The society is depicted as affluent, and futuristic technology shown as coexisting with educational methods from the 20th century. The rights of a full citizen, to vote and hold public office, are not universally guaranteed, and rather must be earned through Federal Service. Those who do not perform this service (of which only military service has been described) retain the rights of free speech and assembly, but can neither vote nor hold public office. People of either sex above the age of 18 are permitted to enlist; only those who complete their service receive the right to vote. Important government jobs are reserved for federal service veterans. This structure arose ad hoc after the collapse of the "20th century Western democracies", driven in part by an inability to control crime and , particularly in North America, and a war between an alliance of the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia, against the "Chinese Hegemony". Two extraterrestrial civilizations are depicted, respectively, as the "Pseudo-Arachnids" (or "Bugs"), and the "Skinnies". The "Bugs" are described as communal beings originating from the planet of Klendathu, and consist of multiple castes; workers, warriors, brains, and queens, similar to those of and on Earth. The warriors are the only ones who fight, and are unable to surrender in battle. It also is implied that the Bugs are technologically advanced, possessing such technologies as spaceships. The "Skinnies" are depicted as less communal than the Arachnids, yet more so than humans. The events of the novel take place during an interstellar war between the Terran Federation and the Arachnids. At the opening of the story, Earth is not at war, yet such a declaration has come when Rico has completed his training. The "Skinnies" are initially allies of the Pseudo-Arachnids, but switch to alliance with humans, midway through the novel. travel exists in this future: spacecraft use the "Cherenkov drive", and can travel " to , forty-six , in under six weeks". Starship Troopers is narrated by the main protagonist Juan "Johnny" Rico, a member of the "Mobile Infantry". It is one of the few Heinlein novels which intersperses his typical linear narrative structure with a series of flashbacks. These flashbacks are frequently to Rico's "History and Moral Philosophy" course in school, in which the teacher discusses the history of the structure of their society. Rico is depicted as a man of . He is from a wealthy family, whose members had never served in the military. Rico's ancestry is depicted as inconsequential, society having finally abandoned racial and gender-based prejudice. Plot The novel opens with Rico aboard the corvette transport Rodger Young (named after real life recipient ), serving with the platoon known as "Rasczak's Roughnecks". The platoon carries out a raid against a planetary colony held by Skinnies. The raid is relatively brief: the platoon lands on the planet, destroys its targets, and retreats, suffering two casualties in the process. One of them, Dizzy Flores, is rescued by Rico but dies while returning to orbit. The narrative then flashes back to Rico's graduation from high school. Rico and his best friend Carl are considering joining the Federal Service after graduation; Rico is hesitant, partly due to his father's attitude towards the military. Rico makes his decision after discovering that his classmate Carmen Ibañez also intends to enlist. Rico's choice is taken poorly by his parents, and he leaves with a sense of estrangement. He is assigned to the Mobile Infantry, and moves to Camp Arthur Currie (named for Sir who rose through the ranks to command the in ) on the Canadian prairie for his training under Sergeant Charles Zim. The training is extremely demanding. Rico receives combat training of all types, including simulated fights in armored suits. A fellow recruit is court-martialed, flogged, and dismissed for striking a drill instructor who was also his company commander. Rico himself is given five lashes for firing a rocket during a drill with armored suits and simulated nuclear weapons without ensuring that no friendlies were within the blast zone, which in combat would have resulted in the death of a fellow soldier. Another recruit, who murdered a baby girl after deserting the army, is hanged by his battalion after his arrest by civilian police. Disheartened, Rico thinks of resigning when he receives a letter from Jean Dubois, who taught Rico . Dubois reveals that he was once a in the Mobile Infantry, which gives Rico the motivation not to resign. After further training at another camp near , Rico graduates with 187 others, of the 2,009 who had begun training in that regiment. The "Bug War" has changed from minor incidents to a full-scale war during Rico's training. An Arachnid attack that annihilates the city of alerts civilians to the situation; Rico's mother is killed in the attack. Rico participates in the Battle of Klendathu, an attack on the Arachnid's home world, which turns into a disastrous defeat for the Terran Federation. Rico's ship, the Valley Forge, is destroyed, and his unit is decimated; he is reassigned to the Roughnecks on board the Rodger Young, led by Lieutenant Rasczak and Sergeant Jelal. The unit carries out several raids, and Rico is promoted to corporal by Jelal after Rasczak dies in combat. One of his comrades in the Roughnecks suggests that Rico go to officer training school and try to become an officer. Rico ends up going to see Jelal, and finds that Jelal already had the paperwork ready. Rico enters for a second course of training, including further courses in "History and Moral Philosophy". En route from the Roughnecks to the school Rico encounters his father who has also enlisted and is now a corporal, and the two reconcile. He is also visited in school by Carmen, now an ensign and ship's pilot officer in the Navy, and the two discuss their friend Carl, who had been killed earlier in the war. Rico is commissioned a temporary third lieutenant for his final test: a posting to a combat unit. Under the tutelage of his company commander, Captain Blackstone, and with the aid of his platoon sergeant, his boot camp drill instructor Fleet Sergeant Zim, Rico commands a platoon during "Operation Royalty", a raid to capture members of the Arachnid brain caste and queens. Rico then returns to the officer school to graduate. The novel ends with him holding the rank of second lieutenant, in command of his old platoon in the Rodger Young, with his father as his platoon sergeant. The platoon has been renamed "Rico's Roughnecks", and is about to participate in an attack on Klendathu. Themes Robert Heinlein in 1976 Commentators have written that Starship Troopers is not driven by its plot, though it contains scenes of military combat. Instead, much of the novel is given over to a discussion of ideas. In particular, the discussion of political views is a recurring feature of what scholar Jeffrey Cass described as an "ideologically intense" book. A 1997 review in categorized it as a "". Critics have debated to what extent the novel promotes Heinlein's own political views. Some contend that the novel maintains a sense of irony that allows readers to draw their own conclusions; others argue that Heinlein is sermonizing throughout the book, and that its purpose is to expound Heinlein's militaristic philosophy. Militarism Starship Troopers has been identified as being a part of a tradition in American science fiction that assumes that violent conflict and the militarization of society are inevitable and necessary. Although the Mobile Infantry, the force to which Rico is assigned, is seen as a lowly post by the characters in the story, the novel itself suggests that it is the heart of the army and the most honorable unit in it. In a commentary written in 1980, Heinlein agreed that Starship Troopers "glorifies the military ... Specifically the P.B.I., the , the mudfoot who places his frail body between his loved home and the war's desolation – but is rarely appreciated ... he has the toughest job of all and should be honored." The story is based on the idea of society as a struggle for survival based on military strength. It suggests that some conflicts must be resolved by force: one of the lessons Rico is repeatedly taught is that violence can be an effective method of settling conflict. These suggestions derive in part from Heinlein's view that in the 1950s the US government was being too conciliatory in its dealings with communist China and the Soviet Union. Heinlein draws an analogy between the human society in the novel, which is well-to-do but needs to be vigilant against the imperialist threat of the Arachnids, and US society of the 1950s. Reviewers have suggested that the Arachnids are Heinlein's analogue for communists. Traits used to support this include the communal nature of the Arachnids, which makes them capable of a much higher degree of coordination than the humans. Bug society is once explicitly described as communist, and is moreover depicted as communist by nature; this has been read as implying that those with a different political ideology are analogous to alien beings. The related motifs of alien invasion, patriotism, and personal sacrifice during war, are present, as are other aspects of US popular culture of the 1950s. Commentators have argued that Heinlein's portrayal of aliens, as well as being a reference to 1950s communist countries, aims to "reinscribe the ideologies of America's mythic history". The concept of the frontier includes a social-Darwinist argument of constantly fighting for survival, even at the expense of indigenous people or, in the case of Starship Troopers, of aliens. Heinlein suggests that without territorial expansion involving violent conquest of other races, humans would be destroyed. Scholar Jamie King has stated that Heinlein does not address the question of what the military government and Federal Service would do in peacetime, and argues that Heinlein has set up a society designed to be continuously at war, and to keep expanding its territory. Coming of age Starship Troopers has been referred to as a or "" story for Rico, as he matures through his tenure in the infantry. His training, both at boot camp and at officer candidate school, involves learning the value of , thus inviting the reader to learn it as well. This is especially true of the parts of his training that involve indoctrination, such as the claim by one of his instructors that rule by military veterans is the ideal form of government, because only they understand how to put collective well-being above the individual. The story traces Rico's transformation from a boy into a soldier, while exploring issues of identity and motivation, and traces his overall moral and social development, in a manner identified by commentators as similar to many stories about German soldiers in . Rico's transformation has been likened to the common narrative within stories with military themes by scholar . This typical narrative is that of a sloppy and unfit civilian being knocked into shape by tough officers, whose training is "calculated sadism" but is depicted as fundamentally being on the right side. The letter Rico receives from Dubois, partly responsible for Rico "crossing the hump" with his training, is shown as a turning point in his development. The classroom scenes embedded in the story serve to explain Rico's adventures, and highlight his reactions to events around. A notable example is the execution Rico is forced to witness after a deserter from his unit murders a young girl; Rico is uncertain of his own reaction until he remembers a lecture by Dubois in which the latter argues that "moral sense" derives entirely from the will to survive. The concept of the American frontier is also related to the coming-of-age theme. Young protagonists across Heinlein's novels attain manhood by confronting a hostile "wilderness" in space; coming-of-age in a military, alien context is a common theme in Heinlein's earlier works as well. Rico's coming-of-age has also been described as being related to his relationship with his father; the journey "outward" through the novel also contains a search for Rico's childhood and a reunion with his estranged parent. Moral decline Starship Troopers also critiques US society of the 1950s, suggesting that it led young people to be spoiled and undisciplined. These beliefs are expressed through the classroom lectures of Dubois, Rico's teacher for History and Moral Philosophy. Dubois praises and other types of as a means of addressing juvenile crimes. It has been suggested that Heinlein endorsed this view, although the fact that Dubois also compares raising children to training a puppy has been used to argue that Heinlein was making use of . The story is strongly in favor of corporal punishment and capital punishment, as a means of correcting , part of a trend in science fiction which examines technology and outer space in an innovative manner, but is reactionary with respect to human relationships. As with other books by Heinlein, traditional schools are denigrated, while learning "on the spot" is extolled: Rico is able to master the things required of him in military training without undue difficulty. Dubois also ridicules the idea of , such as "", arguing that people have only the rights that they are willing to fight and die for to protect. The novel appeals to scientific authority to justify this position; Dubois repeatedly states that his argument is mathematically demonstrable, statements which have led scholars to label the novel "", despite its social and political themes. The "moral decline" caused by this situation is depicted as having caused a global war between an alliance of the US, Britain, and Russia against the "Chinese Hegemony" in the year 1987. Despite the alliance between the US and Russia, this war has been described as demonstrating Heinlein's anti-communist beliefs, which saw "swarming hordes" of Chinese as a bigger threat. The novel draws some comparisons between the Chinese and the Arachnids, and suggests that the lessons of one war could be applied to the other. Reception To Heinlein's surprise, Starship Troopers won the in 1960. It has been acknowledged as one of the best-known and most influential works of science fiction. The novel is considered a landmark for the genre, having been described by a 1960 review as one of the ten best genre books of 1959, in a 2009 review as a key science fiction novel of the 1950s, and as the best-known example of . The novel has been described as marking Heinlein's transition from writing juvenile fiction to a "more mature phase" as an author. Reviewing the book with others written for children, of wrote in 1960 that "Heinlein has penned a juvenile that really is not. This is a new and bitter and disillusioned Heinlein". Rating it 2.5 stars out of five for children, 4.5 stars for adults, and "?" for civilians, he believed that the novel would be "of exceptional interest to veterans with battle experience ... but youngsters will find it melancholy and verbose". Conversely, described it as Heinlein's last "straight" science fiction, before he turned to more serious writing such as Stranger in a Strange Land. By 1980, twenty years after its release, Starship Troopers had been translated into eleven languages and was still selling strongly. Heinlein nevertheless complained that, despite this success, almost all the mail he received about it was negative and he only heard about it "when someone wants to chew me out". The novel is highly contentious. Controversy surrounded its praise of the military and approval of violence, to the extent that it has frequently been described as , and its implication that militarism is superior to traditional democracy. Heinlein's peers were among those who argued over the book; a comparison between a quote in Starship Troopers that "the noblest fate that a man can endure is to place his own mortal body between his loved home and war's desolation" and the anti-war poem "" by began a two-year discussion in the Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies from 1959 to 1961, with , , , , , , among those debating Starship Troopers's quality of writing, philosophy, and morality. The writing in Starship Troopers has received varied responses, with the scenes of military training and combat receiving praise. In a 2009 retrospective, science-fiction writer wrote that Starship Troopers was "military SF done extremely well". She went on to argue that "Heinlein was absolutely at his peak when he wrote this in 1959. He had so much technical stylistic mastery of the craft of writing science fiction that he could [tell the story] '' and get away with it." Others referred to it as very readable, and found the military scenes compelling. Heinlein's descriptions of training and boot camp in the novel, based on his own experiences in the military, have been described as being rendered with remarkable skill. A 1960 review in the praised the "brilliantly written" passages describing infantry combat, and also called attention to the discussion of weapons and armor, which, according to other reviewers, demonstrated Heinlein's "undiminished talent for invention". Scholar described the book in 1986 as the "ultimately convincing space-war epic", praising in particular the "precisely imagined" weapons and tactics, while a 1979 science fiction encyclopedia referred to it as the "slickest" of Heinlein's juvenile books. Criticism of the style of the book has centered on its political aspects. Heinlein's discussions of his political beliefs were criticized as "didactic", and the novel was derided for "exposition [that was] inserted in large indigestible chunks". Author 's 2003 analysis of the political nature of Starship Troopers stated that it was "a book where civics infodumps and accounts of brutal boot-camp training far outweigh the thin and tensionless combat scenes". Scientist and author Brunner compared it to a "Victorian children's book", while the Science Fiction Handbook published in 2009 said that the novel provided "compelling images of a futuristic military" and that it raised important questions, even for those who disagree with its political ideology. However, it stated that the story was weak as a tale of an alien encounter, as it did not explore alien society in any detail, but presented the Arachnids as nameless and faceless creatures that wished to destroy humanity. Boucher, founder of , remarked in 1960 that Heinlein had "forgotten to insert a story". A 1979 summary said that though Heinlein's vision might verge on fascism, his tightly controlled narrative made his ideology seem "vibrantly appealing". Criticism of militarism Starship Troopers is generally considered to promote militarism, the glorification of war and of the military. Scholar Bruce Franklin referred to it in 1980 as a "bugle-blowing, drum-beating glorification" of military service, and wrote that militarism and imperialism were the explicit message of the book. Science fiction writer called it "a book-length recruiting poster". In 1968 science fiction critic called Starship Troopers a militaristic and compared it to a recruiting film, stating that it "purports to show the life of a typical soldier, with a soundtrack commentary by earnest sincere Private Jones who interprets what we see for us." Panshin stated that there was no "sustained human conflict" in the book: instead, "All the soldiers we see are tough, smart, competent, cleancut, clean-shaven, and noble." Panshin, a veteran of the peacetime military, argued that Heinlein glossed over the reality of military life, and that the Terran Federation-Arachnid conflict existed simply because, "Starship troopers are not half so glorious sitting on their butts polishing their weapons for the tenth time for lack of anything else to do." Literature scholar George Slusser, in describing the novel as "wrong-headed and retrogressive", argued that calling its ideology militarism or imperialism was inadequate, as these descriptions suggested an economic motive. Slusser instead says that Heinlein advocates for a complete "technological subjugation of nature", of which the Arachnids are a symbol, and that this subjugation itself is depicted as a sign of human advancement. A 1997 review of the film in stated that the novel could almost be described as propaganda, and was terrifying as a result, particularly in its belief that the had to be an ingredient of any civilization. This was described as a highly unusual vision. Moorcock stated that the lessons Rico learns in boot camp: "wars are inevitable, [and] that the army is always right". In discussing the book's utility in classroom discussions of the form of government, Alan Myers stated that its depiction of the military was of an "unashamedly Earth-chauvinist nature". In the words of science fiction scholar , Starship Troopers was an "unsubtle but powerful black-and-white paean to combat life", and an example of in favor of military values. Other writers defended Heinlein. George Price argued that "[Heinlein] implies, first, that war is something endured, not enjoyed, and second, that war is so unpleasant, so desolate, that it must at all costs be kept away from one's home." Poul Anderson also defended some of the novel's positions, arguing "Heinlein has recognized the problem of selective versus nonselective franchise, and his proposed solution does merit discussion." Complaints were made against Heinlein for the lack of conscription in Starship Troopers. When he wrote the novel, the was still in effect in the US. Allegations of fascism The society within the book has frequently been described as . According to the 2009 Science Fiction Handbook, it had the effect of giving Heinlein a reputation as a "fanatical warmongering fascist". Scholar has referred to the setting of the book as "unremittingly grim fascism". He has stated that the novel made an analogy between its military conflict and those of the US after World War II, and that it justified in the name of fighting another form of imperialism. has referred to it as "". Suvin compares Heinlein's suggestion that "all wars arise from population pressure" to the Nazi concept of or "living space" for a superior society that was used to justify territorial expansion. Some reviewers have suggested that Heinlein was simply discussing the merits of a selective versus a nonselective franchise. Heinlein made a similar claim, over two decades after Starship Troopers's publication, in his and further claimed that 95 percent of "veterans" were not military personnel but members of the civil service. Heinlein's own description has been disputed, even among the book's defenders. Heinlein scholar James Gifford has argued that a number of quotes within the novel suggest that the characters within the book assume that the Federal Service is largely military. For instance, when Rico tells his father that he is interested in Federal Service, his father immediately explains his belief that Federal Service is a bad idea because there is no war in progress, indicating that he sees Federal Service as military in nature. Gifford states that although Heinlein's intentions may have been that Federal Service be 95 percent non-military, in relation to the actual contents of the book, Heinlein "is wrong on this point. Flatly so." , writing in 1975, defended Starship Troopers, stating that the society depicted in it did not contain many elements of fascism. He argues that the novel does not include outright opposition to and liberalism that would be expected in a fascist society. Others have responded by saying Showalter's argument is based on a literal reading of the novel, and that the story glorifies militarism to a large extent. argues that the book does not actually advocate fascism because anybody capable of understanding the oath of Federal Service is able to enlist and thereby obtain political power. Macleod states that Heinlein's books are consistently liberal, but cover a spectrum from democratic to elitist forms of liberalism, Starship Troopers being on the latter end of the spectrum. It has been argued that Heinlein's militarism is more than fascist, and that this trend is also present in Heinlein's other popular books of the period, such as (1961) and (1966). This period of Heinlein's writing has received more critical attention than any other, although he continued to write into the 1980s. Apparent utopianism The setting of the book is presented by Heinlein as utopian; its leaders are shown as good and wise, and the population as free and prosperous. Slusser wrote in 1987 that Starship Troopers depicts a world that is "hell for human beings", but nonetheless celebrates the ideology of its fictional society. The rulers are claimed to be the best in history, because they understand that human nature is to fight for power through the use of force. The suggestion of utopia is not explored in depth, as the lives of those outside the military are not shown in any detail. The novel suggests that the militarist philosophy espoused by many of the characters has a mathematical backing, though reviewers have commented that Heinlein does not present any basis for this. Writers such as Farmer, Robert A. W. Lowndes, and have criticized the novel for being a hypothetical utopia, in the sense that while Heinlein's ideas sound plausible, they have never been put to the test. Moorcock wrote an essay entitled "Starship Stormtroopers" in which he attacked Heinlein and other writers over similar "Utopian fiction". Lowndes accused Heinlein of using arguments, "countering ingenuous half-truths with brilliant half-truths". Lowndes further argued that the Terran Federation could never be as idealistic as Heinlein portrays it to be because he never properly addressed "whether or not [non-citizens] have at least as full a measure of civil redress against official injustice as we have today". Farmer agreed, arguing that a "world ruled by veterans would be as mismanaged, graft-ridden, and insane as one ruled by men who had never gotten near the odor of blood and guts". Race and gender Authors and commentators have stated that the manner in which the extraterrestrial beings are portrayed in Starship Troopers has aspects, arguing that the nicknames "Bugs" and "Skinnies" carry racial overtones. compared them to calling Koreans "". Slusser argued that the term "Bugs" was an "abusive and biologically inaccurate" word that justified the violence against alien beings, a tendency which, according to Slusser, the book shared with other commercially successful science fiction. Some of Heinlein's other works have also been described as racist, though Franklin argues that this was not unique to Heinlein, and that he was less racist than the US government of the time. Heinlein's early novel was called a "racist paean" to a white resistance movement against an Asian horde derived from the . In 1978, Moorcock wrote that Starship Troopers "set the pattern for Heinlein's more ambitious paternalistic, xenophobic" stories. Robert Lowndes argues that the war between the Terrans and the Arachnids is not about a quest for racial purity, but rather an extension of Heinlein's belief that man is a wild animal. According to this theory, if man lacks a beyond the will to survive, and he was confronted by another species with a similar lack of morality, then the only possible moral result would be warfare. The fact that all pilots in the novel are women (in contrast to the infantry, which is entirely male) has been cited as evidence of progressive gender politics within the story, although the idea expressed by Rico that women are the motivation for men to fight in the military is a counter-example to this. A 1996 science fiction encyclopedia said that like much of Heinlein's fiction, Starship Troopers exemplified "macho male culture". The prosthetically enhanced soldiers in the novel, all of whom are men, have been described as an example of the "hyper-masculinity" brought on by the proximity of these men to technology. The story portrays the Arachnids as so alien that the only response to them can be war. Feminist scholars have described this reaction as a "conventionally masculinist" one. Steffen Hantke has described the mechanized suits in the novel, which make the wearer resemble a "steel gorilla," as defining masculinity as "something intensely physical, based on animal power, instinct, and aggression". He calls this form of masculinity "all body, so to speak, and no brain". Thus, in Hantke's reading, Starship Troopers expresses fears of how masculinity may be preserved in an environment of high technology. This fear is exacerbated by the motifs of pregnancy and birth that Heinlein uses when describing how the soldiers in suits are dropped from spaceships piloted by women. Though Rico says he finds women "marvelous", he shows no desire for sexual activity; the war seems to have subsumed sex in this respect. A 1979 summary argued that despite the gestures towards women's equality, women in the story were still objects, to be protected, and to fight wars over. Influence A real-life concept of powered armor, an idea popularized by Starship Troopers Heinlein's books, and Starship Troopers in particular, had an enormous impact on political science fiction, to the extent that author Ken MacLeod has stated that "the political strand in [science fiction] can be described as a dialogue with Heinlein," although many participants in this dialogue disagree with Heinlein. Science fiction critic states that Starship Troopers is the "ancestral text of US " and that it shaped the debate about the role of the military in society for many years. In addition to his political views, Heinlein's ideas about a futuristic military as depicted in the novel were deeply influential among films, books, and television shows in later years. Roger Beaumont has suggested that Starship Troopers may some day be considered a manual for extraterrestrial warfare. Suvin refers to Juan Rico as the "archetypal Space Soldier". Starship Troopers included concepts in military engineering which have since been widely used in other fiction, and which have occasionally been paralleled by scientific research. The novel has been cited as the source of the idea of , which Heinlein describes in great detail. Such suits became a staple of military science fiction. Franchises that have employed this technology include , , , , , and . During the shooting of the science fiction film , director required the actors playing to read Starship Troopers to understand their parts, and also cited it as an influence for the space drop, terms like "bug hunt", and the cargo-loader exoskeleton. Starship Troopers had a direct influence on many later science fiction stories. 's 1984 novel was, according to the author, born out of frustration with the small amount of actual combat in Starship Troopers and because he wanted this aspect developed further. The "Mobile Suits" from the 1979 series were inspired by the powered armor from Starship Troopers. The 1988 series has plot elements similar to Starship Troopers, depicting humanity arrayed against an alien military. Scholars have identified elements of Heinlein's influence in , by , as well. Hantke, in particular, compares the battle room in Ender's Game to Heinlein's prosthetic suits, stating that they both regulate but also enhance human agency. Suvin suggests parallels between the plots of the two novels, with human society in both stories at war against insect-like aliens, but states that the story of takes a very different direction, as Ender regrets his genocidal actions and dedicates his efforts to protecting his erstwhile targets. Conversely, 's 1974 anti-war, - and -winning science fiction novel is popularly thought to be a direct reply to Starship Troopers, and though Haldeman has stated that it is actually a result of his personal experiences in the , he has admitted to being influenced by Starship Troopers. Haldeman said that he disagreed with Starship Troopers because it "glorifies war", but added that "it's a very well-crafted novel, and I believe Heinlein was honest with it". The Forever War contains several parallels to Starship Troopers, including its setting. Commentators have described it as a reaction to Heinlein's novel, a suggestion Haldeman denies; the two novels are very different in terms of their attitude towards the military. The Forever War does not depict war as a noble pursuit, with the sides clearly defined as good and evil; instead, the novel explores the dehumanizing effect of war, influenced by the real world context of the Vietnam War. Haldeman received a letter from Heinlein, congratulating him on his Nebula Award, which "meant more than the award itself". According to author , Heinlein approached Haldeman at the awards banquet and said the book "may be the best future war story I've ever read!" 's 1965 novel has also been described as a reaction to Starship Troopers, while 's 1961 novel has been called "an obvious rejoinder" to Starship Troopers. , written by in 1993, also depicts a war between two highly aggressive species, of which humans are one. The story deliberately inverts several aspects of Starship Troopers: the story is told from the point of view of diplomats seeking to prevent war, rather than soldiers fighting it, and the conflict is the result of the two species being extremely similar, rather than different. Adaptations 1997 film Main article: Further information: The film rights to the novel were licensed in the 1990s, several years after Heinlein's death. The project was originally entitled Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine, and had been in production before the producers bought the rights to Starship Troopers. The film was directed by (who found the book too boring to finish), and released in 1997. The screenplay, by , shared character names and some plot details with the novel. The film contained several elements that differed from the book, including a military that is completely integrated with respect to sex. It had the stated intention of treating its material in an ironic or sarcastic manner, to undermine the political ideology of the novel. The mechanized suits that featured prominently in the novel were absent from the film, due to budget constraints. The film used fascist imagery throughout, including portraying the Terran Federation's personnel wearing uniforms strongly reminiscent of those worn by the , the paramilitary. Verhoeven stated in 1997 that the first scene of the film – an advertisement for the Mobile Infantry – was adapted shot-for-shot from a scene in 's (1935), specifically an outdoor rally for the . Other references to Nazism include the -style architecture and the propagandistic dialogue ("Violence is the supreme authority!"). According to Verhoeven, the references to Nazism reflected his own experience in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. The film reignited the debate over the nature of the Terran society in Heinlein's world, and several critics accused Verhoeven of creating a fascist universe. Others, and Verhoeven himself, have stated that the film was intended to be , and to critique fascism. The film has also been described as criticizing the of US foreign policy, the , and the society in the film, which elevates violence over sensitivity. It received several negative critical reviews, reviewers suggesting that it was unsophisticated and targeted a juvenile audience, although some scholars and critics have also supported its description as satirical. The absence of the powered armor technology drew criticism from fans. The success of the film's endeavor to critique the ideology of the novel has been disputed. Four sequels, (2004), (2008), (2012) and (2017) were released as straight-to-DVD films. In December 2011, , producer of films such as the and , announced plans for a of the film that he claims will be more faithful to the source material. In 2016 and were reported to be writing the film.[] Animated series Main article: An animated TV series was also released based both on the novel and 1997 film called Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, it follows the exploits of the Mobile Infantry squad, "Razak's Roughnecks", during the between a newly united humanity and an race, known as the "," also sometimes referred to as Arachnids. The show focuses mainly on the Roughnecks' missions, rather than addressing the larger war. Paul Verhoeven served as an executive producer. The show ran for one season from August 1999 to April 2000. Other media From October to December 1988, Sunrise and produced a six-episode Japanese locally titled with mobile infantry power armor designs by , based on Starship Troopers. , and hold the license to produce comic books based on Starship Troopers, written by authors including , and . published in 1976, a map-and-counter featuring a number of scenarios as written in the novel. In 1998, released Starship Troopers: Battlespace. The web-based interactive game, in which players battled each other in overhead space combat, allowed players to assume either Klendathu or Federation roles, was developed alongside the film adaptation. was released by Mongoose Publishing in 2005, a which used material from the novel, film, and animated TV series. released Starship Troopers: Invasion Mobile Infantry, a game for PCs, in 2012. Offworld Industries developed and published the 2023 game , a cooperative multiplayer available for PC.

Big Finish's Full Circuit brings the Fugitive Doctor's Circuit Breaker saga to an explosive conclusion. We break down the shocking truth behind the resistor project, Andrew Turner's secret, the rise of the Sontaran Conductor, and the emotional finale that ties together this ambitious Doctor Who multimedia event.

Join us for our full review of Jo Martin's latest Doctor Who audio adventure and find out whether Full Circuit delivers a satisfying ending to the Fugitive Doctor's biggest story yet.

#DoctorWho #BigFinish #FugitiveDoctor #FullCircuit #CircuitBreaker #JoMartin #UNIT #DoctorWhoReview #TravelingTheVortex #DoctorWhoAudioDrama

Toni and Joe are joined by Matt Golden to discuss Big Dad Energy & relationship squabbles in the Doctor Who episode Midnight.

If you're interested in being a Friend of Rassilon, click here.

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Hudson Hawk (1991)

Hello and welcome to this months episode in which Meds and Kell chat about the film Hudson Hawk. Meds saw this in the cinema and then bought it on VHS Kell had never seen it. The results well, hear for yourself. 

The lads also talk about Star Trek Strange New Worlds, Reacher and Transformers the movie (40th anniversary re-release).

Throughout the episode Meds mentions Richard E Grants wonderful film diaries that was published under the title With Nails. The links to buy it via our Amazon affiliate account is below. 

As always come and join our Facebook group, great bunch of people. Just search for Waffle On Podcast. 

 

Richard E Grant With Nails book 

https://link.amazon/B00icHSeY

 

Richard E Grant With Nails Audiobook

https://link.amazon/B0clFH4Uz

 

Hudson Hawk DVD 

https://link.amazon/B0gWFTx8d

 

This week, David & Matt are back from their summer jaunts to sit down to discuss third story from series three of The Sarah Jane Adventures 'The Wedding Of Sarah Jane Smith.

Doctor Who theme by Ron Grainer, arranged by Alexander Erben.

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Suky Khakh returns with us from Whooverville 17 to take a look at Third Doctor story The Daemons to continue our heated debate on pronunciation. Hear Mark and the Rev’s childhood dreams of getting walkie talkies or bazookas for Christmas.

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(00:11:57) The original episodes of the Blue Box Podcast can be found here as they are gradually loaded.

(00:19:13) Commando For Action and Adventure, formerly known as Commando War Stories in Pictures, and colloquially known as Commando Comics, is a British comic book magazine that primarily draws its themes and backdrops from the various incidents of the First and Second World Wars. It was first published in July 1961 and is still in print today. It is noted for its distinctive 7 × 5½ inch, 68 page format that became a standard for these kinds of stories.

(00:23:11) The clip of the teenager with Nazi/WW2 memorabilia on “Multi Coloured Swap Shop” can be seen here. Though I think we ought to reflect on this comment posted below the video: “The boy in the clip is Nigel Bowles. Everyone called him Stan, after the 70s footballer. We were good friends. He was never far-right, nor rich – just a kid who collected militaria. Stan was a really sweet guy, great fun, brilliant to grow up with, grew to love music (Motorhead (Lemmy was another collector), The Damned, Hawkwind, Ramones, etc.) and played bass in a few bands. He was killed in a bike accident at the age of 28. He would have been 59 this year. Much missed. RIP: Stan”.

(00:25:59) Photos of the bikers joining us at Whooverville 17 can be seen on our Tumblr page here.

(00:57:06) Mark’s memory of the Daemons appearing in a comic strip called “Voyage to the Edge of the Universe” appeared in Doctor Who Monthly #49 and can be seen on our Tumblr page here.

(01:03:40) The photo of the Rev’s home town of Heddon can be seen on our Tumblr page here.

(01:35:55) Footage of the English Electric Lightning jet taking off can be seen here,

Diddly Dum Podcast acknowledges the copyright of anyone we’ve pinched anything from.

The nightmare begins... in episode 7 of The Daleks' Master Plan.

But before that Christmas Day calamity, there's the first half of an epic saga of planet-hopping, fire-resistant plants, black-clad slapheads and table-thumping weirdos.

And fear not, the lads will soon serve up the exciting concluding part.

In the meantime...

When is a companion not a companion?

When is a comedy not a comedy?

Is it too late for the Bing Crosby estate to sue Doctor Who?

And did Jim and Martin enjoy the first half (and a bit) of the DMP or did it leave them as cold as Kirksen's corpse?

Listen to find out!

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Mercy is a 2026 American written by Marco van Belle, directed by , and starring and . The plot involves a detective (Pratt), who is accused of murdering his wife, and must prove his innocence to an (Ferguson). The film also stars , , , and . Mercy was released in the United States by and internationally by on January 23, 2026. The film grossed $54.7 million worldwide against a $60 million budget. Plot In 2029 , the Mercy Capital Court responds to a surge in crime by using artificial intelligence (AI) judges to try defendants for violent offenses. To assemble evidence, all devices are also registered to the municipal cloud to allow the AI judge to pass judgement. The AI judge also gives the defendants all available resources to find and provide all the evidence needed to prove their innocence in 90 minutes, or be executed via a sonic blast. Detective Christopher "Chris" Raven, a strong proponent of the court, is strapped to a chair, put on trial for his wife Nicole's murder, and is given 90 minutes to persuade the AI judge of his innocence. Presiding over his case is the AI Judge Maddox. All the evidence points to Chris having killed his wife, as her blood was found on his clothing and doorbell camera footage places him at their home shortly before her murder. Chris's guilt probability is 97.5%, which qualifies him for execution unless his evidence lowers it to 92% for reasonable doubt and 80% for a Mercy Trial. Since AIs are not allowed to take a human life, the chair is set on a 90 minute timer not controlled by the AI, and it is the defendant’s responsibility to lower their score and this allows the AI to unlock the chair before the timer runs out. Via Maddox's unrestricted access and abilities, Chris learns that Nicole was seeing another man, Patrick Burke. Chris's partner Jacqueline "Jaq" Diallo finds Patrick who confides that Nicole felt unable to communicate her troubles to Chris about work. Her work email records show reports of missing chemicals. Recalling hosting a work barbecue with Nicole, Chris reviews footage to better identify her co-workers. While looking for evidence, Chris confronts his relapse in sobriety following the murder of his former partner, Ray Vale, and regrets not shooting the suspect who was later acquitted. Relapsing into alcoholism led to Chris's aggression toward Nicole, and she began to consider a divorce. Maddox shows Chris records of one co-worker, Holt Charles, who had financial issues and had discussed the chemical disappearance with Robert "Rob" Nelson, Chris's sobriety sponsor. Suspecting Holt may have killed Nicole, Chris tries to contact Rob. Holt instead answers the phone and he explains that Rob is responsible for the missing chemicals. Chris reviews his daughter Britt's social media posts, which reveal that a stranger had been hiding in their basement since the barbecue. His neighbor's security cameras display a rustling in the bushes, and Rob is seen exiting the neighbor's trunk in parking lot surveillance footage. Chris sends Jaq to Rob's house, warning her and her team that he might be armed. The team arrive at Rob's house, finding it empty, but uncover detailed plans in the shed to craft a bomb. Maddox discovers that Rob's brother, David Webb, who was separated from him after Rob was adopted and given a new name, was the first person Mercy Court executed for murder. Chris realizes that Rob is orchestrating revenge against him and the Court. Chris is officially acquitted for the murder, but refuses to end the trial to exploit Maddox's unrestricted access. He tries to contact Britt, but footage from her grandparents' front door shows Rob kidnapping her and taking her into a stolen semi-truck. A bomb goes off in the shed killing most of the SWAT team. Jaq pursues Rob, who is transporting explosives toward Mercy Court to destroy the building with Chris inside. The police divert Rob away from Mercy Court, and Jaq, assuming command, orders the task force to blow up the truck. Chris pleads with Jaq but she refuses to yield to him. The bomb fails to detonate and Jaq attempts to shoot Rob directly. Rob arrives at Mercy Court, crashing into the building and causing a network glitch that requires a system reset. Maddox reboots in time to release Chris from the chair before the trial ends with his execution. Chris confronts Rob, working with Maddox to distract Rob by having Mercy Court reopen David Webb’s case and demanding Rob to submit his new evidence immediately. Chris then disarms Rob as he speaks and wants to kill him, but is talked down by Britt. Jaq arrives and shoots Rob. Rob provides new evidence that he was on the phone with David when the murder took place, but the police would not listen. Maddox confirms the call's timing and location which placed the phone away from the crime scene. Then Maddox retrieved footage that showed Jaq retrieving that phone from David, removing it from evidence, and dumping it in the river. Jaq explains she wanted to ensure that David was found guilty in the first judgement issued by an AI court to prove the system worked. Jaq and Rob are both taken into custody while Britt reconciles with Chris, whose case is formally dismissed. Maddox and Chris admit mistakes were made by humans and AI and they must learn from their mistakes. Cast and star in the film. as Det. Christopher "Chris" Raven, an LAPD officer who is on trial for the murder of his wife as Judge Maddox, an AI who is part of the Mercy program as Jacqueline "Jaq" Diallo, Chris's police partner as Nicole Raven, Chris's late wife as Robert "Rob" Nelson, Chris's sponsor and Nicole's co-worker as Britt Raven, Chris's daughter as Ray Vale, Chris's late partner as Holt Charles, a co-worker of Nicole as Patrick Burke, a man Nicole was seeing before she died Tom Rezvan as a governor Production It was announced in January 2024 that a science fiction thriller film entitled Mercy was being made for with starring, directed by from a script by Marco Van Belle and produced by , Robert Amidon, Bekmambetov, and Majd Nassif. In March, and joined the cast in undisclosed roles. In April, , , , , and joined the cast. In May, joined the cast of the film. began on April 18, 2024, in , with Khalid Mohtaseb serving as the cinematographer. Pratt suffered an ankle injury on day four of filming, posting a photo of a swollen ankle on his Instagram page. Filming on May 23, 2024. Music was revealed to have composed the score in January 2026. Release Mercy was shown early for patrons of and on January 19, 2026, as part of their Screen Unseen and Monday Mystery Movie programs, respectively. This made it the first IMAX film to be released via the programs. Mercy was released in the United States on January 23, 2026, in and , having previously been due for release on August 15, 2025. The film was released on digital on February 17, 2026, and on , , and on April 7, 2026 by Alliance Entertainment and .  

Erika and Steven start watching a story that Erika doesn’t remember at all!

4H (1)

Hosts Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky.

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It's the end, but the Circuit has been prepared for! Big Finish concludes the Fugitive Doctor's multi-month, multi-platform saga with audio play Full Circuit and Short Circuits, a couple of audiobooks. Plus "The Satan Pit" hits movie theatres on November 23, the BFI hosts a Blake's 7 Series 3 event, the usual Timelash nonsense continues apace and the one, the only David J. Howe graces us with an interview about all manner of Telos Publishing goings-on!

Links:

• Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon
• BFI Blake's 7 Series 3 event
• BBC announces The Satan Pit: Extended Movie Cut in cinemas November 23; tickets on sale Sept 26
• BBC Expected To Announce TV & Radio Network Closures Next Week
• Matt Brittin: BBC cannot guarantee any programme or channel will exist forever
• Big Finish: Doctor Who – Circuit Breaker: Full Circuit now available
• Big Finish: Doctor Who – Circuit Breaker concludes with Short Circuits
• Big Finish: The Death and Life of River Song: River and Rory due Feb 2027
• The Whoniverse Show with Peter Davison and Janet Fielding
• The Works of Steven Moffat (Screen Storytellers) due Feb 18, 2027
• Great British Bake Off "regeneration" apes Doctor Who
• Ncuti Gatwa nominated for Scottish BAFTA Audience Award
• Flight into Danger – The Story of the Original Airplane! (extended version)
• The Timelash Sep 27 – Oct 3

Interview:

• David J Howe

Adam J Purcell, Fake Keith, Jay Doran, the Real Keith Dunn and Scott Fuller review the Big Finish Doctor Who spin-off Jago and Litefoot: The Encore of the Scorchies and episodes four, five and six of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 4, find some general news and a variety of other stuff, specifically:

• 00:00 – Intro and theme tune.
• 00:47 — Welcome!
• 01:18 – News:
• 01:22 — Doctor Who: Tendering process officially starts.
• 06:38 — The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in concert.
• 09:34 — Star Trek: the kitchenware.
• 12:57 — Stephanie Cole: DEAD!
• 14:36 – Doctor Who: Jago and Litefoot: Encore of the Scorchies (Big Finish).
• 28:33 – Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4, episodes 4, 5 and 6.
• 62:58 – Emails and listener feedback.
• 72:48 – Farewell for this podcast!
• 73:33 — End theme, disclaimer, copyright, etc.

Vital Links:

• Staggering Stories.
• BBC: Doctor Who.
• Wikipedia: The Lord of the Rings (film series).
• The Lord of the Rings in Concert tickets.
• Star Trek.
• Le Creuset: Star Trek Kitchenware Collection.
• Wikipedia: Stephanie Cole.
• Big Finish: Jago and Litefoot series 8.
• Wikipedia: Star Trek Colon Strange New Worlds.
• Facebook: Staggering Stories Group.

This month on the podcast, we saddle up and head for Mercy, Nevada, where the Doctor encounters a gunslinger, a disgraced alien doctor, a town full of terrified humans, and one hell of a moral dilemma.

We’re talking A Town Called Mercy - the 2012 Eleventh Doctor story that asks some pretty uncomfortable questions about mercy, vengeance, guilt and whether the Doctor gets to decide who deserves to live.

Before that, there’s the usual assortment of news and short topics, and afterwards we dig into the mailbag for a heap of listener feedback.

So grab your hat, keep an eye out for cyborgs, and ponder what YOU would do with an alien war criminal.

Enjoy, dear listener.

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net
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Email: hello@theDWshow.net
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Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Thank you for downloading the Trap One Podcast.

On this episode US Jason, Denise, Lucy and Mark explore The Peter Davison Collection.

You can order the collection now on CD or vinyl #ad

The DWAS 1970-79 book that Lucy has contributed to can be ordered here.

This week more Whooverville 17 coverage with a Cybermen panel featuring actors David Banks, Mark Hardy and Brian Orwell.

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  A long-lost ship, the Vesterbold, has returned to normal space. And the Knights of Atlas seek her treasure. But two strangers have joined their expedition - the Doctor and Rose, who warn of danger. For the Vesterbold has drifted free of the Dark Tides at the edge of the universe. And she may have brought something back with her. Not even the bravest knights are ready for the evil which lies inside... This release will have a limited CD pressing of 1500 copies.

Friends we are back in some Classic Who and what a wonderfully comfortable blanket it is! However, The Monster of Peladon (Pertwee's Penultimate Story) is a six-panel blanket that could have easily been a more snug four! Full of political intrigue, greed, and a dash of women's lib thanks to the ever-awesome Sarah Jane this story feels quite chaotic at times but gives us quite the adventure leading up to Pertwee's final story!

  Project Hail Mary is a 2026 produced and directed by and written by , based on the 2021 by . It stars , who also produced the film, as Ryland Grace, and , , and play supporting roles. The story follows Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher who awakens aboard an interstellar spacecraft with no memory of how he got there. Pre-production began in 2020, before Weir's novel was published. Filming took place throughout 2024 in the United Kingdom, both on location and on sets. All scenes aboard the spacecraft Hail Mary were filmed on a practical set that was constructed for the film. Project Hail Mary premiered in London on March 9, 2026, and was released in the United States by on March 20, with releasing in other territories. It received positive reviews, with praise for Lord and Miller's direction, Gosling's performance, the character of Rocky, as well as the humor, themes and visuals. It was a commercial success, grossing over $685 million worldwide and becoming the . Plot In the near future, middle school teacher and former Ryland Grace wakes up from an on the Hail Mary, suffering from amnesia. Grace learns that he is the sole survivor of a three-person crew that was traveling towards the system, 11.9 from Earth. In a series of flashbacks, Grace recalls that scientists discovered a "Petrova line" of stretching from the to ; an alien microbe in the line, dubbed "astrophage", was proliferating on the Sun's surface, dimming the Sun at a rate that would cause catastrophic within thirty years. The head of the Petrova Taskforce, Eva Stratt, recruited Grace to study it due to his background in speculative . Grace experimented on a sample and discovered that astrophage was composed of that absorb from the Sun and expel it for . Grace joined Stratt's Project , an international "long-shot" mission to send a crewed spacecraft to Tau Ceti, the only star in Earth's not occluded by astrophage. The flight to Tau Ceti would be a , as the ship could only carry enough fuel for a one-way trip; any findings would have to return to Earth in smaller . In the present, Grace encounters an alien spacecraft that docks with the Hail Mary. It is made of a solid form of , which Grace dubs "xenonite". The ship's occupant is a rock-like, five-legged alien from Erid, a planet in the system. Grace names the alien "Rocky", deduces that Eridians "see" via , and creates a system to interpret Rocky's language into English. Rocky is a and the sole survivor of the Eridians' mission to save their own star from astrophage infection. Grace and Rocky agree to work together, and become close friends. As neither can survive in the other's atmosphere, Rocky works aboard the Hail Mary inside a pressurized ball of xenonite. Grace and Rocky study the Petrova line of the planet , which Grace names "Adrian", and discovers that the line hosts an entire . Rocky theorizes that microbial organisms in Adrian's atmosphere are consuming the astrophage, keeping the population in check. Learning that Grace cannot return home, Rocky offers to share some of his own ship's astrophage fuel with the Hail Mary. Grace remembers that an astrophage explosion killed the original crew's science officers. With no time to train replacements, Stratt asked Grace to join the mission. During a risky maneuver to gather the astrophage predator from Adrian's atmosphere, a fuel leak causes the Hail Mary to , rendering Grace unconscious. Rocky breaks out of his ball to save Grace but is severely injured. While Rocky recovers, Grace studies the captured astrophage predator, dubbing it "taumoeba" and it to survive the in Venus's atmosphere. Rocky revives, and the two celebrate their success; Grace recalls that he fearfully refused to join the Hail Mary crew, but Stratt had him anyway, believing he was the only one capable of completing the mission. Rocky and Grace say their goodbyes and begin their journeys back home. Shortly thereafter, Grace discovers that the taumoeba has evolved to escape its xenonite breeding tanks and is starting to consume Hail Mary's astrophage fuel. Grace stops the taumoeba leak, but realizes that Rocky's ship, being entirely made of xenonite, will have no way to contain the taumoeba; it will eat all of Rocky's fuel, stranding him and dooming Erid. Grace decides to use his remaining fuel to rescue Rocky and the Eridians rather than return home, and sends his video logs and taumoeba samples to Earth via the probes. Stratt and her team receive the probes and use the taumoeba to cure the Sun's astrophage infection. Meanwhile, on Erid, Grace lives in an Earth-like the Eridians have constructed for him. Rocky informs him that Eridian scientists can prepare the Hail Mary for the return voyage to Earth. Grace ponders the news before beginning another day of teaching science to eager Eridian children. Cast , who portrays Dr. Ryland Grace, also served as a producer on the film as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher and former on a mission to save humanity as Eva Stratt, the head of the international task force behind Project Hail Mary as Rocky, an alien Grace encounters on his journey. The character was effected through a puppet controlled by a team of five led by Ortiz, dubbed the "Rockyteers", with Ortiz also providing the artificial voice assigned to him Ortiz also has an uncredited role as a television presenter as Carl, a member of security personnel as Yao Li-Jie, the Chinese commander of the Hail Mary spacecraft as Olesya Ilyukhina, a Russian engineer on board the Hail Mary as the voice of Mary, the Hail Mary's onboard computer as Martin Dubois, the original scientist of the Hail Mary as Annie Shapiro, a backup scientist of the Hail Mary as Dr. Browne as Dr. Li as Chimamanda Additionally, (the film's ), Damien de Froberville (co-president of ), (the narrator), and provided the rejected alternative voices for Rocky. Production Development In March 2020, was nearing a deal to acquire adaptation rights to the then-upcoming novel (2021), with set to star in and produce the film. The rights for the novel were acquired for $3 million. In May 2020, were hired to direct and produce the film. Due to Lord and Miller being unable to work on the screenplay because of commitments to (2023), (who previously adapted Weir's 2011 novel into a ) was hired the following month to write the screenplay. In April 2024, , which acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 2022, revealed a possible 2026 release window for the film. In May 2024, joined the cast, with hired as . joined the cast the following month. Filming The film's crew, actors and , writer , author/producer , and directors visiting 's on February 25, 2026 began on June 3, 2024, in the United Kingdom and on October 26, 2024. Filming took place at . Location filming occurred at , the in , the in , and and in . The film was "filmed for " by using large-sensor cameras, which provide (20 ) of resolution, with an of 2.1:1, utilizing the whole sensor with rotated by 90 degrees to achieve the IMAX standard aspect ratio. For regular presentations, the common 2:1 format () was derived by the top and bottom of the IMAX image. The film switches between taller and wider aspect ratios. When a scene takes place in the present, a taller aspect ratio is used—1.43:1 for or , for or , and for non-IMAX presentations. For scenes in the past, an aspect ratio of , a standard ratio for anamorphic process cinematography, was achieved with the regular use of anamorphic lenses. In an interview with , Miller mentioned that no was used in the film, with the entire set being shot practically. Fraser had previously collaborated with supervisor on the ; their disdain for green and blue screens, which impacts lighting and visuals through , led them to use and grey screens on the film instead. Miller had previously stated that VFX was used to depict the spaceship from the outside, while shots of Gosling in space were shot against a black or varying color backdrop. provided support through both the input of scientific experts and astronaut visiting Gosling during filming to share insights on . Post-production The visual effects were developed by (which also collaborated on the film adaptation of The Martian), (ILM), , and Wylie Co. VFX, with Mags Sarnowska serving as visual effects supervisor alongside Lambert. While puppeteer Ortiz voiced Rocky during filming with Gosling, it was initially thought that a more high-profile actor would replace him. However, Lord and Miller felt that Ortiz's performance could not be improved upon during screenings of the film. Lord praised the collaboration between practical and visual effects in the creation of the character Rocky's performance: Rocky was built and designed by the legendary and his creature shop and is performed by puppeteering legend James Ortiz and his team, who were on set with Ryan in every scene. Rocky's performance is a beautiful collaboration between James and the other Rockyteers on set and the wonderful animators at Framestore led by the funny soulful Arslan Elver. Miller noted that by the end of the film shots with Rocky were about 50% VFX animation and 50% puppetry. The digitally shot and produced film was transferred to and then to achieve the "warmth" of . The initial of the film was 3 hours and 45 minutes long, and was cut down to the final length due to feedback from the screenings. Joel Negron served as film editor. Music Main article: It was announced at that would score the film. Pemberton worked with Lord and Miller on (2018) and its , which they produced. This is the first film directed by Lord and Miller to not be scored by . The score, consisting of 38 tracks, was released digitally on March 20, 2026. The film also includes fourteen other songs, including "" by , "" by , "" by and "" sung by . Marketing The film's title on the marquee of in in March 2026 The first trailer was released on June 30, 2025. It was the most-viewed trailer for any original film in the first week of its release, accumulating 400 million views globally. released a model of the Hail Mary spacecraft on March 1, 2026, as part of the series. Release Theatrical Project Hail Mary was released on March 20, 2026, in 4,007 theaters by in the United States and Canada, and in all other territories. It was also released in select theaters, with a 1.43:1 . Home media The film was released on platforms on May 12, 2026. It began streaming on the and on June 18 and July 3, respectively. It was also released on , , and on August 11, 2026, by Alliance Entertainment. Following the standard disc release will be an Amazon exclusive three-disc gift set, scheduled for October 13. It will include a third disc with the film in its full 1.43:1 IMAX ratio, plus additional bonus material and a collectible booklet.[] Reception Box office As of September 11, 2026 Project Hail Mary has grossed $344.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $341.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $685.3 million. In the United States and Canada, Project Hail Mary was released on March 20, 2026, and was projected to gross $63–65 million in North America from 4,007 theaters in its opening weekend. Initially, publications estimated that the film would gross $45–55 million. After grossing $31 million on opening day, including $12 million in previews, the film debuted to $80.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $60.4 million overseas for a worldwide total of $141 million, becoming Amazon MGM Studios' biggest debut to date. In its second weekend, the film made $54.1 million (a drop of 32.8%), remaining in first. It was surpassed by in its third weekend, grossing $31.7 million. In Japan, the film became the highest-grossing foreign film of 2026 in terms of box office revenue attendance on its first day of release. Critical response The performances of , , and were praised by critics On the website , 95% of 430 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "A visually dazzling space odyssey that's carried along effortlessly by the gravitational pull of Ryan Gosling at his most winning, Project Hail Mary is a near-miraculous fusion of smarts and heart." , which uses a , assigned the film a score of 77 out of 100, based on 60 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Audiences polled by gave the film an "A" on an A+ to F scale. The film received an average rating of 8 out of 10 from . G. Allen Johnson of the deemed it "a masterpiece of a family popcorn movie, with eye-popping hand-crafted production design and outstanding creature design and puppetry work." Randy Myers of gave the film a 3.5/4 rating, writing: "While you can't help but marvel at the visuals and applaud the commitment of Gosling's endearing performance, what also makes Project Hail Mary so gosh darn lovable is that it imbues us with child-like wonder from scenes that pay homage to such classics as , and, yes, ." of Ryland Grace with a fan-created Rocky prop at 2026 of concluded in his review: "Does it have many original ideas of its own? Perhaps not. But its greatest hits mixtape of other people's has been compiled with such flair – as well as a sound comprehension of why they worked so well the first time – that it's hard not to be swept up regardless." Barry Hertz of shared a similar opinion, writing: "At almost every turn, Project Hail Mary attempts to convince you that it is groundbreaking, innovative filmmaking. But in actuality, the movie lands as a grand act of cinematic recycling – the fusing together of familiar, comforting bits and pieces into something determined to please crowds and warm hearts." of the wrote: "While 's unsentimental inspired the iPad, Lord and Miller want to inspire a better version of us." Brian Truitt of gave the film a four out of four rating, writing that "Project Hail Mary is one of those old-school popcorn movies with big ideas, the kind of film that and would have made back in the day and kids of all ages would have obsessed over and bought the toys." Ryan Cooper of wrote that the film portrayed a "shockingly realistic view of heroism" and was "one of the rare films that is quite a bit better than the book". of wrote: "Gosling is an effortlessly charming screen player, and he keeps it watchable, though the film itself has moments of dullness and a sort of puppyish silliness [...] Perhaps refreshingly, the film doesn't aim for the stunned awe and rapture of, say, 's or even ' underrated , but it does have the classic sci-fi spacecraft tropes: the huge, mysterious architecture with its vertiginous tunnels in which legacy pop music is played to soothe the inhabitants." anthropology professor praised Grace's intellectual humility in the film. Nicholas Barber of the declared it one of the best films of 2026, writing: Project Hail Mary is an unusual science-fiction blockbuster in that it's mostly about people using their brains to solve problems [...] Does that approach sound a bit dry and academic? If so, rest assured that Project Hail Mary is touching and inspiring – and surprisingly fun [...] it's directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who take a complicated, potentially bleak narrative and make it as fast-paced and cheerful as their animated hit . Meanwhile, Ryan Gosling brings all of his goofball charm to the role of an amnesiac biologist who is trying to save the world. Conversely, of called it "not a very good movie", adding that "it's baggy and incredibly derivative of movies you've seen before [...] More crucially, everything to do with the onboard alien is far too cute and formulaic".

Thursday 17th September 2026 – the most anticipated Invitation to Tender of all time was published by the BBC!

Yes, the future of Doctor Who is up for grabs – the BBC intend to award a contract to produce our favourite show for at least one series.

Join James, Phil and Brent as they get together to talk Time Lord Tenders in the greatest Doctor Who drama since The Reality War. Yes, they have pored over the 21 page document, and this is what they think…..

Enjoy!

Big news! The moment has been prepared for by a cabal of BBC pencil pushers as the official Doctor Who Invitation To Tender was released to all and sundry! Steven and Warren pick apart the document with a fine tooth comb, highlighting requirements like "essential Britishness" before spring boarding into the usual speculation, and theorizing and equal parts cynicism and copium. Plus Big Finish and DWM news, The Timelash and a Miniscope featuring all three of the Three Who Rule examining the directing work of Peter Hoar!

Links:

• Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon
• BBC publishes Doctor Who invitation to tender
• Doctor Who Magazine #634
• Doctor Who "The Satan Pit" coming to Canada and UK cinemas on November 23
• Written by Terrance Dicks: Book Launch with Simon Guerrier on November 26 in Manchester
• James Cooray Smith article The Last Battle
• Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Fifth Doctor Adventures: Shock and Awe available now
• Big Finish: The War Doctor Rises: Serpent's Nest available December 2026
• Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Seventh Doctor Adventures: Homecoming available January 2027
• The Timelash Miniscope
• Peter Hoar (Director)
• A Good Man Goes to War
• The Robot Revolution
• Lucky Day

A mysterious artifact. A forgotten life. A Doctor on the edge of rediscovery.In this week’s Traveling the Vortex, Glenn dives into The Kaleidoscope, Jo Martin’s ambitious Fugitive Doctor novel that blends cosmic danger with cultural depth and identity‑driven storytelling. It’s a tale of buried memories, ancestral echoes, and the forces determined to keep the Doctor from learning who she truly is.

This is our third and final look back at The Daleks' Masterplan, its novelizations, and recovered episodes. We hope you've enjoyed this series. Paul Ebbs is a first-time guest but long-time friend of the show, and he discusses his Doctor Who fandom and fiction-writing career, and he and Jason compare their many mutual (likes and) dislikes.

Mark from Trap One contributes a guest review of the two Masterplan novelizations.

Please check out out Paul MC Smith's new book on the Targets with a co-writer credit for Jim Sangster.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow, subscribe, and rate us!

Find Doctor Who Literature at https://linktr.ee/DrWhoNovels.

Watch this episode and all previous episodes on YouTube athttps://www.youtube.com/@drwhonovels.

Please e-mail the pod at DrWhoLiterature@gmail.com.

You can catch all past episodes athttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/doctorwholit.

There are some TV shows that are perfectly suited to Alternate Galaxies. And then there’s The X-Files, a show that Rob has loved since it first hit Australian television in 1994, watched from beginning to end multiple times, and spent his university years discussing with strangers on the early Internet. The problem? It’s over 200 episodes long, and Dave had somehow managed to go through the entire 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s and most of the 2020s without watching it. 

So, we needed a plan.

That plan has been to throw Dave into the deep end - but only six episodes deep to start with. Rob has picked six stories from the first four seasons that don't require you to know the show's mythology, while trying to give Dave a proper taste of the enormous tonal range of The X-Files. There are monsters, Satanists, serial killers, psychic phenomena and alien abductions, but also some extremely funny episodes where the show gleefully takes the piss out of itself. Dave then immediately broke the rules by watching a seventh episode, because apparently six episodes of homework wasn't enough.

Our selections take us from the early monster-of-the-week classic Squeeze, through the Satanic weirdness of Die Hand Die Verletzt, the melancholy brilliance of Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, the genuinely harrowing Oubliette, the gloriously bonkers Jose Chung's From Outer Space and finally the dark serial-killer story Paper Hearts. 

We'll keep Dave's rougue choice a secret for now. 

Did you watch the X-Files back in the day? Have you watched it since? What do you think of Rob's episode choices? Which ones would you have given Dave?

Contact us:

Bluesky: @thedwshow.net
X / Twitter: @theDWshow
Email: hello@theDWshow.net
Substack: thedwshow.substack.com
Facebook: facebook.com/theDWshow

Y.A.N.A. in downloading the Trap One Podcast!

On this episode Dan, Si, Tom and Kunmi discuss the new book from Patrick Mulkern and consider how the series has moved with the times over the decades.

'You Are Not Alone - A Gay History of Doctor Who' is out now in paperback from Ten Acre Books.

In brightest day, in blackest night, Stace & Barry appear, to your delight!

Join our dynamic duo as they share their thoughts on why they both picked Lanterns as their Pick Of The Month despite it not even being finished yet, Stacey gets her teeth into Tony, and Barry finds himself In The Grey...

All this, plus music from Stephanie Economou and Jay McCarroll, some Supergirl musings, and a bit of Inception love. Pop the kettle on and enjoy Stace & Barry as part of a balanced breakfast!

This week we begin Whooverville 17 coverage with a Q&A about the Doctor Who: TV Movie which had a showing the night before the main event with guests Mark Ayes and Paul Vanizes.

You may wish to contribute to the show's running costs, it's Patreon is here https://www.patreon.com/tdrury

or buy me a coffee here https://ko-fi.com/timdrury

The show is also on Facebook please join the group for exclusive behind the scenes insights and of course also discuss and feedback on the show https://www.facebook.com/groups/187162411486307/

If you want to send me comments or feedback you can email them to tdrury2003@yahoo.co.uk

or contact me on twitter where I'm @tdrury or send me a friend request and your comments to facebook where I'm Tim Drury and look like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/tdrury/3711029536/in/set-72157621161239599/ in case you were wondering.

Recorded 4th March 2026 at Hadley's Orient Hotel, Hobart, Tasmania.

Thanks to Steve Perrin at The Puzzle People for providing prizes at the event - https://www.thepuzzlepeople.au/

Be sure to subscribe to our other podcast, Blake's 7 - The Way Back - https://www.youtube.com/@Blakes7WayBack

Theme music by Joe Kraemer.

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A light week of Doctor Who related banter as we soldier through continued Circuit Breaker fun, speculate wildly about the upcoming Blakes 7 Series 3 Collection that was officially announced this past week, the usual Big Finish cover art overexamination, and a travel back through the years via The Timelash! Forwards to the Past, or something!

Links:

• Support Radio Free Skaro on Patreon
• Circuit Breaker: Kaleidoscope review
• Blake's 7 Series 3 Collection announced
• Frontios Black Archive book due Oct 6
• The Reality War – 2005-2025: How the Doctor Who Revival Transformed Television coming Oct 26
• Big Finish: Doctor Who – The Fourth Doctor Adventures: A New Occupation released
• Big Finish: Dark Gallifrey: The Decayed Master – Part Three released
• Big Finish: Halloween and Christmas collections due Oct 2026 and Dec 2026, respectively
• Big Finish audio novels The Missing Hour, due Oct 2026, and The Bath Chronicles, due Jan 2027
• The Timelash

Adam J Purcell, Jay Doran, Keith Dunn and Scott Fuller review the Big Finish Companion Chronicle – Doctor Who: The Scorchies, discuss the work of Tim Curry and the recent Whooverville 17 Doctor Who convention, find some general news and a variety of other stuff, specifically:

• 00:00 – Intro and theme tune.
• 01:42 — Welcome!
• 02:33 – News:
• 02:46 — Game of Thrones: Mad King in London.
• 04:05 — Spider-Noir: Cancelled.
• 06:37 — Dungeons and Dragons: Still hope for a sequel.
• 08:25 — Tim Curry: DEAD!
• 11:17 — Peter Cullen: DEAD!
• 14:20 — Star Trek: Live table reads for anniversary.
• 17:45 – Tim Curry: A brief discussion.
• 30:40 – Doctor Who Convention: Whooverville 17.
• 44:22 – Doctor Who: The Scorchies (Big Finish Companion Chronicle).
• 53:07 – Emails and listener feedback.
• 57:22 – Farewell for this podcast!
• 58:09 — End theme, disclaimer, copyright, etc.

Vital Links:

• Staggering Stories.
• Wikipedia: Game of Thrones: The Mad King.
• Wikipedia: Spider-Noir.
• Wikipedia: Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.
• Wikipedia: Tim Curry.
• Wikipedia: Peter Cullen.
• Star Trek.
• BBC: Doctor Who.
• Quad Derby: Whooverville 17.
• Big Finish: Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: The Scorchies.
• Facebook: Staggering Stories Group.