"Volcano"

Hello everyone, the Historian here. We've gone from a full house last week to a small group this week, with only Ketina, Ronelyn and Schmallturm joining me as we get back to the plot of this Dalek story. Eight episodes down, four to go...Let's get to the summary!

Farewell Mr. Courtney...

Word has come to me that Nicholas Courtney has passed away at the age of 81. Courtney was known for playing the rarely flappable Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, acting opposite the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Seventh Doctors. (And the Sixth in "Dimensions in Time," for what that's worth.) [EDIT: And the Eighth in audio adventures, which I'd forgotten.] Before that, insofar as Doctor Who goes, Courtney appeared as Space Security Agent Bret Vyon in "The Daleks' Master Plan," the story the TARDIS Project is in the middle of right now.

I'm struggling for what to write here, to articulate what Nicholas Courtney and the Brig mean to both Doctor Who and, well, to me. He brought so much flair to the role, lighting up the screen. He made some of the silliest bits ("The Three Doctors," anyone?) absolute fun. And not only in Doctor Who; I remember watching an old episode of "The Avengers" when I was a kid and being delighted to recognize "The Brig" (sans mustache) in a role.

I guess what it comes down to is Nicholas Courtney did a lot to make a lot of Doctor Who fans very happy. He was reportedly a kind man, generous to fans and very funny. I wish I'd met him. And I'm sad that the Brig will never get to meet the Eleventh Doctor. The Doctor Who world will be sadder for his loss.

Thanks, Mr. Courtney. But remember--this time when you see a chap with wings, belay that five rounds rapid!

THE HISTORIAN

"The Feast of Steven"

Hello everyone, the Historian here, with Ketina, Schmallturm, Spoo, MiniSpoo and Cz. Tonight, as I mentioned last week, we watched the original lost episode, the first one to be wiped by the BBC. Some of us have been hearing about this one for literally decades...so, what did we think? Well, first, let's get to the summary!

"Coronas of the Sun"

Hello everyone, the Historian here, along with Ketina, Ronelyn, Schmallturm, Spoo, Photobug and Cz. This week brings us the triumphant return of writer Dennis Spooner to Doctor Who, following an outline presented by Terry Nation, and giving us more Dalek shenanigans. (Oh, by the way, standard Loose Cannon Productions plug. Check out their recons!) So, without further ado, let's get to the summary!

"Counter Plot"

Hi everyone, the Historian here, with our next episode in this increasingly long Dalek epic. Joining me this week was a full house: Ketina, Ronelyn, Spoo, MiniSpoo, MisterMother, Photobug and Cz. This week we had actual moving pictures, thanks to the somewhat miraculous survival of this episode. Let's get to the summary!