In Defence Of The Time Team

[Pip Madeley]

Si Hart says they're the comments of the members of the team woven into an article - they don't actually meet up every month, they must e-mail him with their opinions.

Ant says its all made up by one person.

Who's right?

[Anthony Williams]

What, really?! Am I just being incredibly naive?* Whose opinions are they then?

the person who compiles it! Formerly Gary Gillat, now Michael Pritchard.

Ant x

[Andrew Curnow]

I can't really imagine they're made up by one person, who just puts Clay/Jac/Richard/Peter's names to them. Genuinely, what would be the point of that?

[Andrew Curnow]

Well, anyway, whoever has the opinions, they're far too harsh on "Arc of Infinity"!!

I just don't know what to believe anymore...

[Pip Madeley]

You should write in, I'm sure they'd answer

[Andrew Curnow]

I suspect any letters with the header "Is Clay Faking It?" might mysteriously get lost in the ether...

[Anthony Williams]

Gary Gillat told me, when I met him about 4 years ago.

Ant x

[Milky Tears]

Clayton Hickman looks like a potato head. FFS Bignell is a geek! The couch they sit on is too wide!

These are things Milky would say if he was online now.

We need more big pics of frikkin' Jac already!

[Si Hunt]

Despite being able to point out all the positive things they have said, I still think there is an over-riding negative slant to their opinions. In particular I can recall eras where Jaq refused to like anything at all. My perspective on recent issues is that they haven't really seemed to enjoy much at all.

Si.

[Larry]

It's not quite the only coverage - the Fact of Fiction, although admittedly not every issue, is old series stuff. ).

but in truth is'nt the Fact of Fiction, just basicly an up dated re-hash of Andrew Pixley's episode archives ..

[Jonno]

Not really - the Archives were a very detailed look at the production of a story. FOF is more to do with looking at bloopers, source references, historical facts and so on - i.e. more to do with the fiction of the story itself rather than the making of the story.

The main thing they have in common is having a synopsis of events, but whereas the Archive one was "uninterrupted", the FOF one is split into portions leading directly into points raised.

[Jason Thompson]

Quite, Jonno. The Fact Of Fiction doesn't include location dates, filming times, when the filming was held up by a broken camera, etc. But it does look at the sources, the ways that the fiction diverges from reality, or converges with it, etc. It's quite a nice little piece.

Although I've now read two sources that say the opening shot of The Tenth Planet is a Gemini launch. It's not, it's a Bluestreak, Britain's only home-made ICBM. (There is Gemini footage in the story though: it's the view out the window when the capsule is tumbling, taken from re-entry footage from one of the early Gemini flights.)

[Captain Tancredi]

it's a Bluestreak, Britain's only home-made ICBM

For some bizarre reason, that phrase conjures up images of the project team popping out to Woolworths for a selection of screws and wingnuts, and a launch platform made out of Bass beer crates and Strawberry Mivvi lolly sticks.

[Paul Clement]

The Fact Of Fiction doesn't include location dates, filming times, when the filming was held up by a broken camera, etc.

And therefore doesn't bore the hell out of me. Fact of Fiction is rather good, the Time Team I've lost all interest in.

[Simon R]

The Fact of Fiction is good if very like the text commentaries on the DVDs. I assume I'm not alone in never reading the storyline summaries? I never did with the archives either.

[Andrew Curnow]

I have to confess that my earlier moaning had only been formed by a skim-read of the last Time Team. Now I've read the whole thing, I'm even more inclined to think they're putting the boot into the 80s. Criticising the start of Arc of Infinity because the Doctor and Nyssa aren't discussing Tegan - what? Did they belittle The Massacre for not starting with the Doctor and Steven mourning Sara Kingdom? Or Terror of the Autons for failing to have the Doctor saying how much he misses Liz? It's just possible that we're supposed to assume any such conversation might have happened when the cameras weren't on!!!! Just absurd. Even the criticism of the scant mourning (ie, just one scene) for Adric is only really formed because of how much more would be made of it in the new series. If they start bitching about The Five Doctors when it comes up, there'll be trouble!

[Jonno]

The other point about not mentioning Tegan at the start is simply that it was always quite evident to me that a fair amount of time had passed since her departure - certainly enough for her to have a makeover and fly to Amsterdam.

I imagine there's been a few PDAs or BFs set between the two stories with just the 5th Doctor and Nyssa?

[SiHart]

Big Finish have milked that gap for all they're worth Jonno, don't worry!

Si xx