Scream of the Shalka

Way back in early 2003 it looked like this could have been the future of Doctor Who; an animated series available via the Internet (when most of us were still on dial-up!). But then the (finally!) came to it's senses and commissioned a new series for the telly. And the rest is history.

So Scream of the Shalka now stands as glimpse into what Doctor Who could have evolved into. I didn't watch it at the time, as watching it on dial-up was really painful. So this it the first time I'd seen it. My reaction? Mixed. It's a good story and I'd love to see it remade for the TV series. I think my biggest problem was Richard E. Grant as the Doctor. He just didn't gel for me, but he does get better towards the end. But I think recent history has shown he makes a better villain.

The disc also contains a documentary on the making of the story (and frankly it's a miracle it ever got made as all) and another one of the history of the BBC's website. Both are fascinating in their own way. But the first one contains a cautionary tale of Richard E. Grant objecting to a journalist being present during recording and the producer locking said journalist in a cupboard. Not a good idea at the best of time, but when the journalist in question is from Doctor Who Magazine... let's just say the resulting article was not very flattering! (especially when it's the one publication you don't want to get offside!).