The Nabil Shaban Appreciation Thread

[Pip Madeley]

Poor Nabil - I read this in the paper on the way to work:

Respect must go out to Nabil Shaban, who was due to take the lead at the Lyceum on Friday in his own play, The First To Go, about the genocide of disabled people under the Nazis. Disaster struck in rehearsals last week when the actor and director, who has brittle bone disease, fell and broke both legs. Seeing that he's spent ten years getting the play staged he decided that he and the show must go on. Today the show is at The Byre in St Andrews and reaches the Tron next Thursday.

What a guy. I thought he was superb in Varos & Mindwarp, one of the most memorable Doctor Who villains IMO - Sil should be brought back for series five! Let's have some love for Nabil

[Dirk Gently]

I saw "...Nabil..." on the front page & my first thought was that he had died & I thought "Oh noooo, not him". Thankfully I was completely wrong.

I like his work, not that I've seen a lot of it, but I did see an interview a few years back on TV & he came over as a very intelligent man & very thought provoking.

[Si Hunt]

Poor Nabil, he's an inspiration and what a terrible thing to happen. What a trooper though, carrying on with the show.

Si.

[Dave Tudor]

What a guy. I listened to his contribution to the 'Vengeance On Varos' commentary recently, and he's very entertaining. A credit to 'Doctor Who' and the acting profession, Iwish him the best of luck with play.

[Lord President]

Go Nabil Go!

[Rob McCow]

Ouch!

Nabil is fanatastic, not just for doing a great turn at conventions and being a fine actor. I wouldn't go on stage with two broken legs! That's way beyond the call of duty.

There's a great interview with him in the DWB collection, I'll have to have another look at it.

[Antony Cox]

Poor old Sil!

I think he was great in DW - and deffo the best thing in Mindwarp!

[Dirk Gently]

The only good things about Mindwarp is Nabil, Brian & Nicola.

[Jeff]

I wonder if there will be any akward moments before the productions when traditional superstion faces off against tact...

[Stuart Wallis]

Good luck to him, I hope he gets well soon.

[WhiteCrow]

It took me a while to track this down, but on my old blog, I used to write mini-articles to practise my writing (I don't really have time for it now).

This was one of a series I was proud of, called "the long and the short of it", asking undersized and oversized actors if they felt typecast by their use on TV.

Nabils reply was as outspoken as you'd expect ...

http://whitecrowuk.blogspot.com/2006...ban.html#links



Nabil Shaban – is a man we used to see a lot on television in the 80s, a fantastic actor, and a fascinating person to hear interviewed.

He is a disabled actor who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta and is most famous for playing the alien Sil in Doctor Who. You can find his website here.

I asked him how he felt that short actors and even disabled ones seem to appear more in fantasy and sci-fi than they do in normal reality based drama ...

Yes, its really annoying that we only exist in fantasy and Sci Fi. this is how the world would prefer our existence. not in the real world.

Meanwhile...if Bush and Blair aren't stopped soon, no one will exist in the real world or the planet will look like some post-Apocalyptic Sci Fi movie.

Here's a Bush joke you might like to pass on to your friends. How the Bushies Change a Light Bulb

How many members of the Bush administration are required to replace the proverbial light bulb?

Are you ready for this?

The Answer is SEVEN:
(1) one to deny that a light bulb needs to be replaced;
(2) one to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the light bulb;
(3) one to blame the previous administration for the need of a new light bulb;
(4) one to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs;
(5) one to get together with Vice President Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton Industries one million dollars for a light bulb;
(6) one to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the light bulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag;
(7) and finally one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

[Captain Tancredi]

His contribution to the Varos commentary is very down-to-earth, and I think that's a mark of the man- I've never seen him at a convention, but friends who have remarked on how accessible and unpretentious he is in person. Anybody who shows such persistence in the face of adversity while keeping their sense of humour and perspective is special.