The Legacy Boxset (Shada & More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS) - coming 2013

[SiHart]

DWM today confirms that 2Entertain are already working on ways to bring Shada to DVD. Life's like that.

Si xx

[Jason Thompson]

I find it incredible that at this stage, they were still disposing of footage.

Why? That's standard in TV and film, isn't it? Shoot loads, edit it together, ditch the stuff that was cut out, such as the bits including the directors and make-up people and so on. OK, Doctor Who has a huge fanbase that might be interested in such things, but can you imagine how much space they'd need to store everything that was ever shot for every program they made? Most people don't want that stuff, and their priority had to be to make space for storing the completed programmes, surely? Are we supposed to be annoyed that the inferior, talkback-ridden first recording of The Dead Planet no longer exists because they had to reshoot it and thought they might as well re-use the tape with the unbroadcastable first run on it?

[Terry Leptil]

I did this in the same way as Keith Barnfather did "Return To Devils End" or Bill Baggs did his JNT Memoirs.
If I don't release it, your mention of legal repercussions is a joke.
If 2/E refuse it, I have other legal options which are already in place.

You're basically talking out of your nether regions. You need to shut up now, or at least talk about stuff where you might have some "inkling" as to what is actually going on.
And if you think 2/E would turn down the chance to make £200,00 profit out of my work (30,000 sales at less than seven pounds profit per disc - yes I have done my homework) then you're even more blind than I gave you credit for.

Originally Posted by Steve Manfred
Ian,

Did you make it clear to the actors involved before you signed them on that you have yet to secure official permission/rights from either the BBC or the Douglas Adams' estate to release this?

Originally Posted by Ian Levine

They know everything.
I am not intending to release it. I am finishing it and offering it to 2/E as fully edited and finished.
I don't need anybody's permission to do anything if I don't intend to release it.
If it is released by 2/E then they will secure all clearances.
If it isn't, then you can all gloat, while I sit back and enjoy my expensive private copy.

Now I am really fed up of all this cr@p. It's my project, I didn't leak it, I have been polite enough to answer all your questions, but I am now officially p!ssed off.

The bloody thing wouldn't even exist if I hadn't prevented the wiping of the tapes.

It's getting finished whether you like it or not, so suck it up.

The missing scenes of Shada do exist in scripted form as the original video release came with a free script book of the story.

In some ways we should be grateful to Ian Levine for his part in saving the episodes back in the seventies. However, at times he can come over as an arrogant git like shown above. (Being a music producer, I've heard he's friends with Simon Cowell, another arrogant idiot. I wouldn't be surprised if he backs Simon's decision to save Katie for the FOURTH time at the weekend. Heck, Levine's probably secretly voting for her.)

[Si Hunt]

I wouldn't be surprised if he backs Simon's decision to save Katie for the FOURTH time at the weekend.

Is there no end to this man's evil?

Si.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I think it's the weakest story in Season 17. If it wasn't half made there wouldn't be anything particularly remarkable or outstanding about it. But that's just my opinion, of course!

Si xx

Don't they lynch you for saying such things about anything Douglas Adams wrote?

Pity me - I got a copy of Dirk Gently when I was in Germany and kept going through it "this feels awfully familiar" ...

[Si Hunt]

I love "Shada" - it's got an unusually inventive way of doing a Time Lord story, with a Time Lord prison, secret mind-snatching criminals and the like. And the location footage is wonderful - there's loads of it, and again lots of thought has gone into making it interesting, like having the Doctor and Romana punting down the Cam. Neame would have made a baddie at least as arresting as Tryst or Lady Adrasta and his invisible spaceship is another good idea.

To me, this sounds like it would have been the best story of the season, and the existing shot of Shada - which isn't brightly lit and cheap like "Nightmare of Eden" but dark, smouldering and smoky - points to the fact that the missing end of this story may have looked better than everyone seems to think. Although the bit where the sphere splits off into lots of little ones would have been a challenge.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

I agree with what Mr Hunt Said.

[Jason Thompson]

I agree it could have been pretty good. Not sure about the best in the season. The footage in Cambridge really is gorgeous though, and there were some excellent ideas in there.

[Rob McCow]

The only thing that sucks about Ian Levine's proposal to re-make Shada is that he's doing it himself, independent of 2-Entertain. It's a shame that they can't work together properly and that Ian feels that it's his personal mission to go ahead with these projects without any support from them.

[SiHart]

Some links to the proposed CGI images:

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/8969/ianshada.jpg

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/1331/ianshada2.png

Si xx

[Dirk Gently]

Looks like fairly standard stuff for CGI. The proof will be in the action sequences, that's where most CGI* fails.





*That doesn't have £millions to spend.

[Si Hunt]

Mmm. Easy to make a CGI picture, harder to animate them.

Si.

[SiHart]

Well quite.

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

They're impressive images... although I don't quite see the point of making the Think Tank CGI-version so different to its 'real' version?

[J.R. Southall]

Apologies for not having been around the last few days, I've had rather a busy weekend of writing. And one of the reasons I've had to concentrate on getting the writing done so urgently was that Ian Levine has finished his reconstruction of the Tom Baker Shada.

My entire article on the history and consequences of the project can be found here, should anyone care to look: http://www.starburstmagazine.com/fea...-the-shada-man

I just wondered what you all thought of Levine's attempts to finish the story? Is it something you'd be interested in seeing (should, hopefully, 2|entertain pick it up for a DVD release), or is it something you think ought to have been left well alone?

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Hope it will come to light as Victoria Burgoyne and Daniel Hill both spoke very enthusiastically about it at a recent convention.
Shame that 2E have subsequently attempted to distance themselves from the project.

[Si Hunt]

What have 2E said regarding it Richard?

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

There was some confusion caused by what Victoria and Daniel said at the convention a few weeks back which lead to a news article being published stating the the new animated version had been recorded for an upcoming DVD release. 2Entertain have subsequently confirmed that they have had no involvement with this or with a recent audio recording of the original version of Planet of Giants episode 4 which Carole Ann Ford recently mentioned having taken part in.

Having spent time with both Daniel Hill and Carole Ann Ford myself I suspect they were unaware that the projects had not yet been officially sanctioned by the powers that be which is a shame.

I don't know how much more I can safely say but I believe there are some issues between the key decision makers at 2E and Mr Levine which aren't going to be solved over night.

[Si Hunt]

I agree. Probably reporting it as a new official project when it's not can't help relations between them. Doctor Who news sites are so overenthusiastic - as witnessed by the over eager Dr Who On-Line, who misunderstood a trailer and trumpetted a new series of Torchwood this January!

As for Hill, Ford etc., if they go round to Ian Levine's shed and record a story without realising they arn't working for the Beeb, they should look at the notepaper their contracts are printed on a little more carefully!

Si.

[J.R. Southall]

It's been said (on the Gallifrey Base threads, and from people involved in the Shada project) that Dan Hall has already seen the first three episodes and is about to watch the latter three soon (it might have already happened, even). So obviously the door is still open in that regard. Both Hall and Levine are intelligent and professional men, and I'm sure if there's a compromise to be reached, and the wherewithal to reach it, then they'll do so. I certainly hope so!

[Si Hunt]

Both Hall and Levine are intelligent and professional men, and I'm sure if there's a compromise to be reached, and the wherewithal to reach it, then they'll do so.

If not, there's always a mudwrestling contest.

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Just to say J.R. I was very impressed with your article.
I confess I don't go on Gallifrey Base very often otherwise I probably would've been aware of the project before it got mentioned by two of the actors involved. I sincerely hope the Doctor Who News page article that reported what was said at the convention three weeks ago hasn't caused too much confusion as it was an accurate report of what was said however there were certain key facts (specifically that the project had been organized by Ian Levine and not 2Entertain) which were not mentioned and it was easy to make an incorrect assumption. However an addition was made to the article concerned stating that it was Ian Levine's production and a possible DVD release has not yet been confirmed.

[J.R. Southall]

Aw thanks, Richard.

From what I gather, it doesn't seem like any damage might have been done - in fact, from what very little I know (and it really is very little, believe me; most of what's around at the moment is speculation and conjecture), things are looking, shall we say, vaguely promising (and no more than that). At the very least, Ian's project hasn't been dismissed out of hand, and if Dan Hall is looking at 4 - 6 after having already viewed 1 - 3, he must have been sufficiently impressed (or at least, insufficiently unimpressed!) to think it was worth spending his time with.

Fingers very tightly crossed!

[J.R. Southall]

Incidentally, there's some confusion over the Planet of Giants quote as well. People now aren't sure whether she said she'd done such a project, or was about to, or accidentally spoke in the past tense when she meant to say it in the future, or what. But 2|entertain have denied such a recording has taken place - and also said they're "looking into" making one. Which would also suggest that such a recording hasn't taken place elsewhere either. And I've heard nothing about Ian Levine or anyone else actually having made one (although that wouldn't necessarily be a surprise) ... so on the whole, this is a very confusing situation!

[Dirk Gently]

It all depends on the quality of the production for me. If it's looking good, sounding good then I'm quite eager for the DVD. If its not a very good production then I'll rip in to it.
I'm quite a fan of the story as far as I know it from the VHS & audio pieces.