28 May 2014

ANALYSIS: Mighty 241

As a result of DWM's recent survey, I thought I'd do my own little analysis piece. What follows is hopefully quite self-explanatory, but do feel free to comment if there's something you don't understand - or (dis)agree with! Enjoy.

Some of my least favourite stories:

The Dominators, The Time Monster, The Masque of Mandragora, Underworld, Silver Nemesis, The Wedding of River Song, The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, The Time of the Doctor.

Some of my top stories:

The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Enemy of the World, The Invasion, The War Games, Spearhead from Space, Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Ambassadors of Death, The Green Death, The Robots of Death, Image of the Fendahl, Resurrection of the Daleks, Boom Town, Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways, The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit, Vincent and the Doctor, The Lodger.

As you can probably tell, I find there's a lot more to like in Who than not. Below is a comparison table of the top 25 stories in DWM's poll. I'm sure you can work out what the other columns are. Click for a larger version.


I also did comparison between the average DWM's reader top 12 Doctors and mine. That's below, alongside a companions thing.


12 May 2014

Paul Spragg


By now, you've probably heard the tragic news. Paul Spragg has tragically flown on at the age of 38, undoubtedly extremely prematurely. I won't dwell on the details as the wonderful people at Big Finish say it much better than I ever could here

Although I never met Paul, I really felt I knew him from listening to the (increasingly sparse) Big Finish podcasts and his active role on the company's own forums. He was always such a warm and kind personality, there was never any indication that his famous beam was ever broken. Despite not having one of the more prolific roles with the company, he was one of a few permanent members of staff. Paul was arguably the glue that held the whole operation together, managing far-reaching aspects of their operations. Despite all this, he was always the embodiment of optimism and personability. 

What makes this loss all the more devastating is that it came totally out of the blue. As Paul's girlfriend Natalie explains at the link above, he'd been minorly ill for a short time. When I first read the news part-way through my review of Andrew Smith's The Brood of Erys, I was in shock for a long while. Initially, I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't go so far as to say I thought it was a joke, but as I scanned the opening paragraph, all sorts of explanations were running through my mind as to what was really going on. Such a kindly and amiable soul, who always wanted the best for others. His tireless dedication and passion for life was tangible, even from the slight podcasts. I was always yearning for the next one, not to hear trailers of upcoming releases (in fact, I usually skip them) but for the chattering between Nick Briggs and Paul. I think it's a testament to Paul that even 'casual' Big Finish listeners knew who he was. Countless more have had their lives touched by his work and influence, even if they don't know it.

There has of course been an outpouring of affection from the Big Finish family. Perhaps my favourite is this from Nick Briggs:-

There have been many tributes paid to Paul, but I'll just highlight two here: one from his best friend of 27 years and editor of DWM, Tom Spilsbury; the other from his younger brother Nick. These are both touching and only serve to reinforce the loving memories we all have of Paul.

Although I've not dwelled much on Paul's past, the touching words laid out by the three above people say it all. Paul was never one to focus on the negatives, but emphasised all the positives of life. There's a lovely piece written by him for Geek Speak magazine here, which really melts the heart reading it back now. I think all that's left to say to Paul is thank you for all you've done for the world, you really did make a difference to my life. I am still distraught, and my thoughts are with his close family and friends. I only hope you can manage to do as he always did and focus on the best bits of life.

Paul Spragg:
Always Looking Fo'ward