PJ Hammond to write 'Scary' episode - moderate spoilers

[Rob McCow]

From SFX:

According to Sapphire and Steel creator PJ Hammond, the episode he’s written for season two of Torchwood should come with a warning: “Not for those of a nervous disposition.”

“I really can’t say a lot,” he told SFX, before telling us just enough to get really excited, “but it’s going to be terrifying.”

Hammond wrote one of the first season’s best-received stories, "Small Worlds” which reinvented the myth of Cottingley Fairies as a modern urban chiller. Next time around he promises even more scares.

“It’s going to be so creepy,” he continues.” One thing I can say is that I’ve borrowed something from my Sapphire and Steel days. I think one of my favourite Sapphire and Steels was the one with Mr Shape going in and out of photographs. Torchwood takes this a bit further and it’s people coming out of moving films from the ’20s. There are some lovely ‘black and white’ people in it."

Well, the New Who-niverse has tipped its hat to that particular Sapphire and Steel story twice before (with the faceless people in “The Idiot’s Lantern” and the “trapped in mirrors” resolution to the “Family Of Blood”) so it’s only fair that the guy who wrote the original should do his bit for environment and recycle as well.

Scary like a Stephen Moffat interview

[Si Hunt]

He should write more "Sapphire and Steel" stories. They were great.

Si.

[Dave Tudor]

"I think one of my favourite Sapphire and Steels was the one with Mr Shape going in and out of photographs. Torchwood takes this a bit further and it’s people coming out of moving films from the ’20s. There are some lovely ‘black and white’ people in it."

Ooh, now that sounds good!

I wonder if he'll ever write an episode of 'Who'?

[WhiteCrow]

So the spoilers for this is that a Torchwood episode is just going to be a rip off of something we've seen done elsewhere? [And often done better].

I'm not terribly excited by what I've read there. One of the problems I have with Torchwood is I feel sometimes the team behind it seem to think they're delivering something cooler than the final product turns out to be. Still at least they seem to have a good time.

[Milky Tears]

Hammond is an old hack.

[WhiteCrow]

I thought the Torchwood episode with the fairies was really nothing special, and as for the "reinvented the myth of Cottingley Fairies as a modern urban chiller" quote, anyone who's done a bit of research into faerie myth will know originally the faeries were feared as quite dangerous forest spirits. So not quite as clever as some writers would have you believe.

[Dirk Gently]

He's rewriting the only S&S story to give me nightmares as a kid! WooHoo!

[Perry Vale]

He should write more "Sapphire and Steel" stories. They were great.

Si.

He didn't even write any of the Big Finish audios!

[Andrew Curnow]

Isn't it fatal to say "Oooh, this episode is going to be really scary" because now it'll have to be absolutely bloody terrifying, otherwise we'll all be saying, "Pph, wasn't that scary"...

[P-Bal]

I remember being scared to death by The Monster Of Peladon when I was a time tot.

[Andrew Curnow]

I think you've mispelt 'bored' in that post.