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Meglos
''Meglos'' is the second serial of the 18th season of the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 27 September to 18 October 1980. In the serial, the Zolfa-Thuran plant Meglos steals a huge source of power on the planet Tigella known as the Dodecahedron. Plot The Prion star system contains two habitable planets which have supported civilisations: Zolfa-Thura, a desert world devoid seemingly of life structures bar five giant screens; and Tigella, a jungle world inhabited by the humanoid, white haired Tigellans. The structure of Tigellan society is based on two castes: the scientific Savants, led by the earnest Deedrix, and the religiously fanatical Deons, led by Lexa. The latter worship the Dodecahedron, a mysterious twelve-sided crystal which they see as a gift from the god Ti. The Savants, however, have utilised its power as an energy source for their entire civilisation. The planet’s leader, Zastor, mediat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doctor Who Magazine
''Doctor Who Magazine'' (abbreviated as ''DWM'') is a magazine devoted to the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Launched in 1979 as ''Doctor Who Weekly'', the magazine became a monthly publication the following year. In 1990 it switched to a four-weekly schedule, publishing 13 issues a year, along with triannual deluxe Special Editions (2002–) and Bookazines (2013–). Regular issues include interviews, behind-the-scenes articles on television episodes and ''Doctor Who'' in other media, as well as producing its own comic strip. Its founding editor was Dez Skinn, and the longest-serving editor was Tom Spilsbury who served from 2007 to 2017. He was succeeded by Marcus Hearn, who took over from Spilsbury in July 2017. The incumbent editor is Jason Quinn, who took over from Hearn in September 2023. ''DWM'' is recognised by ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest running TV tie-in magazine, celebrating 40 years of continuous publication on 11 October 2019. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Owen
Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρειν (''phérein''), "to bear"; hence the "Christ-bearer". As a given name, 'Christopher' has been in use since the 10th century. In English, Christopher may be abbreviated as "Chris", "Topher", and sometimes " Kit". It was frequently the most popular male first name in the United Kingdom, having been in the top twenty in England and Wales from the 1940s until 1995, although it has since dropped out of the top 100. Within the United Kingdom, the name is most common in England and not so common in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. Cognates in other languages *Afrikaans: Christoffel, Christoforus *Albanian: Kristofer, Kristofor, Kristoforid, Kristo *Arabic: كريستوفر (''Krīstafor, Kristūfar, Krístufer''), اصطفر (''ʔiṣ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterrestrial being called the Doctor, part of a humanoid species called Time Lords. The Doctor travels in the universe and in time using a time travelling Spacecraft, spaceship called the TARDIS, which externally appears as a British police box. While travelling, the Doctor works to save lives and liberate oppressed peoples by combating List of Doctor Who villains, foes. The Doctor usually travels with Companion (Doctor Who), companions. Beginning with William Hartnell, List of actors who have played the Doctor, fourteen actors have headlined the series as the Doctor; the most recent being Ncuti Gatwa, who portrayed the Fifteenth Doctor from 2023 to 2025. The transition between actors is written into the plot of the series with the Regeneration ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Science Fiction Television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality. Visual production process and methods The need to portray imaginary settings or characters with properties and abilities beyond the reach of current reality obliges producers to make extensive use of specialized techniques of television production. Through most of the 20th century, many of these techniques were expensive and involved a small number of dedicated craft practitioners, while the reusability of props, models, effects, or animation techniques made it easier to keep using them. The combination of high initial cost and lower maintenance cost pushed producers into building these techniques into the basic concept of a series, influencing all the artistic choices. By the late 199 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Full Circle (Doctor Who)
''Full Circle'' is the third serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 25 October to 15 November 1980. The serial involves the alien time traveller the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) discovering the life cycle of three closely related species on the planet Alzarius—the humanoid Alzarians, the Marshmen, and the Marshspiders—coming "full circle". ''Full Circle'' is the first of three loosely connected serials set in another universe to the Doctor's own known as E-Space and introduces Matthew Waterhouse as the companion Adric. Plot En route to Gallifrey, the TARDIS passes through a strange phenomenon and ends up in an alternative universe called E-Space. The TARDIS lands on the lush forest planet of Alzarius, home to a small civilisation of humanoids who live in a grounded spaceship, the ''Starliner''. Originally from the planet Terradon, the ship crashed on Alzarius gener ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Leisure Hive
''The Leisure Hive'' is the first serial of the 18th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 1980. It marks the return of John Leeson as the voice of K9. In the serial, a criminal organisation of alien Foamasi, called the West Lodge, attempt to buy the planet Argolis from the Argolin people there as a West Lodge base. Meanwhile, the young Argolin Pangol ( David Haig) seeks to start a war against the Foamasi, to whom his people had previously lost, with an army made of clones of himself. Plot The Fourth Doctor and Romana's holiday in Brighton ends abruptly when K9 chases a ball, takes in seawater, and explodes. They instead venture to the Leisure Hive of Argolis, a holiday complex and message of peace built by surviving Argolins after their devastating 20-minute war with the Foamasi forty years earlier. They arrive at a point of crisis: the Leisure Hive is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doctor Who Season 18
The eighteenth season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' consisted of seven four-episode serials broadcast from 30 August 1980 with the serial ''The Leisure Hive'', to 21 March 1981 with the serial ''Logopolis''. The season is Tom Baker's final as the Fourth Doctor before his regeneration into the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison), as well as Lalla Ward's as companion Romana II and John Leeson's as the voice of K9. For the second time (The first being during Season 4 and third being Season 21), the entire main cast changed over the course of a single season. The season also sees the debut of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka, the three of whom would remain regular companions into the Fifth Doctor's era, as well as the return of the Master, portrayed both by Geoffrey Beevers and Anthony Ainley. The season was the first to be produced by John Nathan-Turner, who would produce every season of the show u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Howell (musician)
Peter Howell (born 1949) is a musician and composer. He is best known for his work on ''Doctor Who'' as a member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Howell's musical career began in the late 1960s working with John Ferdinando in various psychedelic folk bands including Agincourt and Ithaca. Howell and Ferdinando recorded five albums before Howell became a member of the Radiophonic Workshop, with which he would remain associated until 1997. ''Doctor Who'' His work on ''Doctor Who'' began in 1975 when he provided some accompanying incidental music for '' Revenge of the Cybermen'' and special sound for '' Planet of Evil''. When John Nathan-Turner became producer of ''Doctor Who'' in 1980, he decided that the music needed to be updated and commissioned Howell to provide a new arrangement of the ''Doctor Who'' theme to accompany a new title sequence. Whereas the original arrangement of the theme (written by Ron Grainer) had been realised by Delia Derbyshire (and, originally, assist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paddy Kingsland
Paddy Kingsland (born 30 January 1947) is a composer of electronic music best known for his incidental music for science fiction series on BBC radio and television whilst working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Educated at Eggar's Grammar School in Alton, Hampshire, he joined the BBC as a tape editor before moving on to become a studio manager for BBC Radio 1. In 1970 he joined the Radiophonic Workshop where he remained until 1981. His initial work was mostly signature tunes for BBC radio and TV programmes before going on to record incidental music for programmes including '' The Changes'', two versions of ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (the second radio series and the TV adaptation), as well as several serials of ''Doctor Who''. His work on the latter series included incidental music for several serials in the early 1980s. Other well-known series which contained music composed by Paddy Kingsland are '' Around the World in 80 Days'' and '' Pole to Pole'', both travel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Letts
Barry Leopold Letts (26 March 1925 – 9 October 2009) was an English actor, television director, writer and producer, best known for being the producer of ''Doctor Who'' from 1969 to 1974. Born in Leicester, he worked as an actor in theatre, films and television before retiring in his early forties and becoming a television director. He then became the producer of the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' for five years, overseeing almost the entirety of Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Third Doctor and casting Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. He produced or directed many of the BBC's Sunday Classic drama serials from 1976 to 1986, and returned to ''Doctor Who'' in 1980 to be the executive producer for its eighteenth season. ''The Guardian'' described Letts on his death as "a pioneer of British television" who "served the medium for more than half a century" and "secured his place in TV history" with ''Doctor Who''. He was associated with the series for many years, with acti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Nathan-Turner
John Turner (12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002), known professionally as John Nathan-Turner, was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and the final producer of the series' first run on television (from 1980 until it was cancelled in 1989). He finished the role having become the longest-serving ''Doctor Who'' producer and cast Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, respectively. Early life Born John Turner in Birmingham, he adopted the double-barrelled stage name ''John Nathan-Turner'' to distinguish himself from the British actor John Turner. He was educated at King Edward VI School, at Aston in Birmingham, where he showed an early interest in acting and theatre. His earliest television acting work was as an extra in TV productions for ITV, including '' Crossroads'' and '' The Flying Swan''. Both shows were made in Birmingham (the former at ATV ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher H
Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρειν (''phérein''), "to bear"; hence the "Christ-bearer". As a given name, 'Christopher' has been in use since the 10th century. In English, Christopher may be abbreviated as "Chris", "Topher", and sometimes " Kit". It was frequently the most popular male first name in the United Kingdom, having been in the top twenty in England and Wales from the 1940s until 1995, although it has since dropped out of the top 100. Within the United Kingdom, the name is most common in England and not so common in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. Cognates in other languages *Afrikaans: Christoffel, Christoforus *Albanian: Kristofer, Kristofor, Kristoforid, Kristo *Arabic: كريستوفر (''Krīstafor, Kristūfar, Krístufer''), اصطفر (''ʔi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
