Category: Articles

Listen: Night Terrace

Hello everyone! Way back in our Christmas special we mentioned our next project, a narrative comedy called Night Terrace (IT’S A PUN!). It stars the Chaps’ Ben and Petra alongside the glorious Jackie Woodburne (NeighboursSusan Kennedy) and a stellar guest-cast. And it’s a thing now! A genuine thing! You can find it here.

Here’s the trailer for season one:

And here’s the entire first scene of episode one!

Enjoy!

Night Terrace: the new project from the Chaps!

Splendid Chaps may have ended…but the moment had been prepared for!

Night Terrace is an eight-part sci-fi comedy audio series, produced, written by and featuring the Splendid Chaps team! Jackie Woodburne (Neighbours) stars as Anastasia Black, a scientist who used to save the world – and whose quiet retirement is cut short when her house starts travelling through time and space. We’re crowdfunding Night Terrace on Kickstarter, and you can find out more by checking out the campaign, or by visiting the Night Terrace web site.

The Eleven/Future viewing list

One again we’ve been so busy we almost forgot to deliver a text version of the viewing list! You still have four days until Eleven/Future, though, so here’s your homework viewing for the last of our regular Doctor/Theme episodes, which will be recorded on November 21st at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne (full show details here). Also, a quick reminder that this show is sold out – sorry if you didn’t manage to get a ticket! But it will be released, by hook or by crook, on the Day of the Doctor, November 23! (Good luck John!)

Your homework viewing for Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor is:

  • The Eleventh Hour
  • Vincent and the Doctor
  • The Girl Who Waited

If you’ve never seen Matt Smith’s Doctor before, we realise you might miss a few things, but don’t worry – these episodes mostly work on their own!

To experience THE FUTURE! as envisioned by Doctor Who, we suggest:

  • The Enemy of the World (Patrick Troughton, 1967-68; six episodes)[ref]Note The Enemy of the World is currently only available via iTunes[/ref]
  • Day of the Daleks (Jon Pertwee, 1972, four episodes)
  • Frontios (Peter Davison, 1984; four episodes)
  • The End of the World (Christopher Eccleston, 2005; one episode)
  • Utopia (David Tennant, 2007, one episode)

There are plenty of others, of course, including The Tenth PlanetInvasion, arguably the entire UNIT era[ref]As previously stated, Splendid Chaps policy is to not engage in discussions of the UNIT dating controversy.[/ref], most of Tom Baker’s first season – The Ark in Space, The Sontaran Experiment and Revenge of the Cybermen – The Robots of Death, The Invisible Enemy, Kinda, Snakedance, Terminus, Vengeance on Varos, The Mysterious Planet and Terror of the Vervoids (from Trial of a Time Lord), Paradise Towers, Dragonfire, The Happiness Patrol, Battlefield, Survival, Dalek, Fear Her, The Beast Below and The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. 

But we’re sure you have your own suggestions – so let us know in the comments!

The month of the Doctor

Our main series show for November, Eleven/Future, sold out last week! But don’t despair, Melbourne fans – in this month of the Doctor (in this year of Luigi) there are still two shows coming your way before Splendid Chaps is done – plus our farewell Christmas show, and the Pozible-funded Sydney show as well!

Here’s where you can find us in Melbourne this month and next:

  • At Toorak/South Yarra Library on Saturday, November 16, we discuss What I Learned From Doctor Who with comedian Rob Lloyd (Who, Me.) and writer Liz Barr (Chicks Dig Time Lords), plus we’ll have a live poetry performance from Emilie Zoey Baker! Show starts at 4 PM; all tickets $10. Book here.
  • At the Melbourne City Library on Tuesday, November 19, we give the Doctor’s friends their time to shine for The Other Splendid Chaps: The Companions! We’ll be joined by TV director and comic book writer Lucas Testro, and 3RRR broadcaster and podcaster Marian Blythe, plus have a musical performance from Emma Heeney! Show starts at 6:30 PM; this show is free! But book here to make sure you get a seat.
  • Finally, at the Bella Union on Sunday, December 15, we say farewell with the Splendid Chaps Christmas Special! It’ll be a cavalcade of guests, songs and even a Christmas lucky dip, with a discussion of the Doctors and spin-offs we just couldn’t fit in otherwise: Peter Cushing, Richard E Grant, John Hurt, K-9 and Company… Show starts at 5 PM; all tickets $20, and on sale soon (we’ll announce more details when tickets are available).

We’re going beyond Eleven!

Splendid Chaps started as a series of eleven live podcasts from January to November, celebrating each of the eleven Doctors. But we’ve managed to slip in a few extras here and there – and with your help, we’re making a couple more! On November 30, we’ll produce a live Splendid Chaps show in Sydney, thanks to the pledges made in our Pozible crowdfunding campaign! In return, our supporters score tickets to the show and other rewards, including badges, posters, T-shirts, a special message from the Chaps, picking the topics in an additional “By Request” show (yes, a successful campaign means two extra episodes!), and more! We’ve reached the goal, but we’ll be selling tickets for the remaining seats in the venue online soon.

The Ten/Sex viewing list

Uh-oh! It’s been so busy around here, what with theatre productions, Pozible campaigns and mini-episodes, we’ve neglected to write up the viewing list for our next episode! But in case you want to cram in your homework in the few days left before the show, here is your homework viewing for Ten/Sex, which will be recorded on October 13th at the Gasometer Hotel in Melbourne (full show details here).

Your homework viewing for David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor is:

  • The Girl in the Fireplace
  • The Shakespeare Code
  • Partners in Crime

We’ve made sure there’s one from each of his full seasons, so you can see him in action with Rose (and Mickey!), Martha and Donna.

To experience something of the spectrum of sex and relationships in Doctor Who, we suggest:

  • The Green Death (Jon Pertwee, 1973; six episodes)
  • Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways (Christopher Eccleston, 2005, two episodes)
  • Human Nature/The Family of Blood (David Tennant, 2007; two episodes)
  • The Unicorn and the Wasp (David Tennant, 2008; one episode)
  • The Name of the Doctor (Matt Smith, 2013, one episode)

We’d also recommend some previous homework, including The Aztecs (the first time the Doctor gets engaged!), The Dalek Invasion of Earth (and anything else where a companion falls in love and leaves the TARDIS – reasonably or out of the blue!), The Romans (for that post-coital scene between Ian and Barbara, and the French-bedroom-farce style antics of Emperor Nero), The Caves of Androzani (if you want to think about the creepy side of this topic, with Sharaz Jek), Captain Jack’s debut in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, and the reframing of Sarah Jane’s relationship with the Doctor in School Reunion (both recommended last month for Nine/Women).

Other possibilities include The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords (for both Martha’s exit, which frames her relationship with the Doctor, and the Master’s relationship with his wife), The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End (for…well, you know what for), and anything with River Song in it (but especially Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead and The Wedding of River Song).

But we’re sure you have your own suggestions – so let us know in the comments!

We’re crowdfunding a Sydney show!

We mentioned it during Nine/Women, and now it’s real – the chaps are crowdfunding a show in Sydney!

We always wanted to tour the podcast to other cities, but for a small show like us, that’s a big financial risk. We’ve heard from a few Sydney listeners that they’d love us to come, and there are some great Sydney-based guests we’d love to have on the podcast – so we’re running a Pozible campaign to pre-sell enough tickets to cover our costs and make it happen!

If you’d like to come to the show, just visit our Pozible campaign page; you can pledge $25 in return for a ticket to a special Sydney episode of Splendid Chaps. No-one pays anything unless we reach our goal of $3,000, which will cover travel and accommodation costs for Ben, John, Petra and David, plus pay for our time and that of our guests to make the show in Sydney, and cover the cost of all the rewards. Oh yes, did we mention those? If you really want to make sure the show happens, you can pledge more money and get some other cool stuff, including Splendid Chaps badges, signed posters and T-shirts, a special message recorded by the chaps, or you can even choose one of the topics discussed on an extra “By Request” episode!

We obviously can’t confirm much until we know for sure that we’re heading to Sydney, but we’ve already worded up some great possible guests, including comedian Alice Fraser and co-host of ABC2’s Good Game, Steven “Bajo” O’Donnell (subject to availability)! And we’ll update you with more info about the Sydney show as the campaign progresses.

So if you’d like to see us make an extra episode of Splendid Chaps and let the Whovians of Sydney in on the fun, please buy a ticket or other reward via the campaign, and help spread the word! We have until November 2nd to reach the $3,000 goal.

The Nine/Women viewing list

As revealed at the recording of our last live episode, Eight/Science, here is your homework viewing for Nine/Women, which will be recorded on September 15th at the Gasometer Hotel in Melbourne (full show details here).

Your homework viewing for Chris Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor is:

  • Aliens of London/World War Three
  • Dalek
  • The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

Of course, as The Ecc only had the one season, you could just watch all thirteen of his episodes. Watching our list you’re nearly halfway there!

For a crash course in how women have been represented in Doctor Who, we suggest:

  • The Dalek Invastion of Earth (William Hartnell, 1964; six episodes)
  • Robot (Tom Baker, 1974, four episodes)
  • The Stones of Blood (Tom Baker, 1976; four episodes)
  • Survival (Sylvester McCoy, 1989; three episodes)
  • Rose (Christopher Eccleston, 2005, one episode)
  • School Reunion (David Tennant, 2006, one episode)
  • The Runaway Bride (David Tennant, 2006, one episode)
  • The Girl Who Waited (Matt Smith, 2011, one episode)

…and that’s only scratching the surface! Other stories and episodes worth considering include Spearhead From Space, Terror of the Autons, The Time Warrior, The Ark in Space, Mark of the Rani, Paradise Towers, The Happiness PatrolThe Curse of FenricNew Earth, Human Nature/Family of Blood, and so many more…

Got suggestions of your own? Let us know in the comments!

The Eight/Science viewing/listening list

As revealed at the recording of our last live episode, Seven/Religion, here is your homework viewing for Eight/Science, which will be recorded on August 11th at Bar Open in Melbourne (full show details here).

Your homework viewing for the Eighth Doctor is:

  • Doctor Who: The Movie

…okay, no surprises there. While we’ll mostly be sticking with discussion of Grace: 1999, you might enjoy listening to some Eighth Doctor Big Finish audio adventures. We suggest:

  • The Chimes of Midnight
  • The Silver Turk
  • Shada
  • the BBC7 series beginning with Blood of the Daleks

We’re talking about science in Doctor Who; here are some good (or bad) examples of science and scientists in the show:

  • The Daleks (William Hartnell, 1963; seven episodes)
  • Terror of the Autons (Jon Pertwee, 1971; four episodes)
  • The Masque of Mandragora (Tom Baker, 1976; four episodes)
  • Four to Doomsday (Peter Davison, 1982; four episodes)
  • The Lazarus Experiment (David Tennant, 2007; one episode)

There’s so much “science” in Doctor Who, though, that we could easily list dozens of other relevant stories; if you’re feeling enthusiastic, you might also want to watch The DaemonsCreature from the Pit, Logopolis, Aliens of London/World War Three, New Earth or The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky. Please share your own suggestions in the comments below!

The Seven/Religion viewing/listening list

As revealed at the recording of our last live episode, Six/Clothes, here is your homework viewing for Seven/Religion, which will be recorded on July 14th at The Public Bar in Melbourne (full show details can be found here).

To discover the secrets of the Seventh Doctor, we recommend the following three television stories:

  • Remembrance of the Daleks
  • Ghost Light
  • Survival

We realise we’ve already recommended Ghost Light, for fear…but it’s so good! We had to double up. You may also like to watch Delta and the Bannermen to get the measure of Mel.

Since many of us feel that Sylv and Sophie were cut off in their prime, we’d also like to recommend some Seventh Doctor Big Finish audio adventures:

  • Colditz
  • A Thousand Tiny Wings
  • Magic Mousetrap
  • Live 34
  • Bang-Bang-a-Boom

We’re also exploring the theme of religion in Doctor Who, on which topic we reckon the following stories probably have the most interesting things to say:

  • The Aztecs (William Hartnell, 1963; four episodes)
  • The Daemons (Jon Pertwee, 1971; five episodes)
  • The Face of Evil (Tom Baker, 1977; four episodes)
  • Planet of Fire (Peter Davison, 1984; four episodes)
  • The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (David Tennant, 2006; two episodes)

We’ve revised this list a little since the podcast, to avoid doubling up too much; other relevant stories include The Crusades and The Myth Makers (well, what you can find of them), and the previously recommended stories The Curse of Fenric (Sylvester McCoy, 1989; four episodes), and Gridlock (David Tennant, 2007; one episode). If you have any other suggestions, please share them in the comments below!