Fandoms combining…

[almostwitty]

In an era where fanfic writers think nothing of plonking the Red Dwarf crew on the Starship Enterprise, or the cast of Spaced in the TARDIS, it shouldn’t really come as that much of a surprise when professional media creators do the same thing.

Thus today, where we discover that Richard Curtis (famed romantic comedy writer behind Love Actually, Four Weddings, Blackadder and the superb and under-rated The Tall Guy) is writing a script for Doctor Who. This has met with a little consternation.

Of course, their fear comes from the possibility that romance might rear its ugly head in Doctor Who. It should, of course, be pointed out that:
- Richard Curtis, for all his faults, is a master at creating characters you like. Albeit middle-class English ones, of various hues and abilities.
- Pretty much all of Steven Moffat’s celebrated scripts for Doctor Who have had huge dollops of romance in them. Doctor Who fans and Hugo Award adjudicators have lapped them up in their droves.

The news that the Pet Shop Boys have written a song for Shirley Bassey’s new album also sent my geek fandom radar into overdrive. The Pet Shop Boys write fantastic songs – but let’s face it, Shirley Bassey’s got a much more powerful voice that deserves to be used.

Mirrored from almost witty.

Comments

[moviegrrl.livejournal.com]

Of course, their fear comes from the possibility that romance might rear its ugly head in Doctor Who
Actually, my fear is that Curtis' increasingly misogynist writing will rear it's ugly head...
Don't get me wrong, I loved Blackadder, adored The Tall Guy, but his last 2 films have not been kind to their female characters in a way that a lot of people have found offensive.

Just sayin'

[almostwitty]

Hrm... which last two films? The Boat That (Didn't) Rock and Bridget Jones? Not seen either of them to be fair.

Then again, his script editor is his (gorgeous sexy intelligent) wife/partner Emma Freud so....

[moviegrrl.livejournal.com]

Last two are (I think) The Boat that Rocked and Love, Actually.

Richard Herring eviscerates the former here: http://www.richardherring.com/warmingup/warmingup.php?id=2354

Love, Actually is terrible, women are punished romantically for being good sisters and mothers, the men go off and have ridiculous romantic encounters abroad... It's just horrid. So horrid I wonder how Emma Freud stands it.

[almostwitty]

Ah. Hadn't thought of it like that (re: Love Actually. Not actually seen The Boat That Rocks, but it sounds quite crass)

Then again, I'm aware of how emotionally manipulative, cliched and formulaic Love Actually is. Still doesn't stop me secretly enjoying it :(

[britgeekgrrl.livejournal.com]

This is the bestest, most encheering LJ entry I've read in a fortnight. Heh. :)

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like the Herring article. I had little interest in TBTR and now I have none.

[julylorelei.livejournal.com]

While I am still dubious about the so-called "Baby Who" taking over in Series 5, I am glad Moffat will be in the driver's seat... Blink is my favorite episode of the entire new Who series, and Girl in the Fireplace is second. He's also the one who penned Captain Jack from script to screen ;)

[almostwitty]

Well, as per RTD's instructions ;)

[julylorelei.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I'd like to believe that the writer infused him with some of his own genius, within the framework given by the architect.