Companions
Help yourself to a piece of eternity.
--Steven Taylor (“The Chase”)
You can’t blame my generation for everything.
--Barbara, to Vicki (Bill Strutton, “The Web Planet”)
It was nice, not dying with you.
--Martha Jones (Chris Chibnall, “42”)
“Och,” said Jamie, bemused, “who let the dogs out?” (Colin Brake, The Colony of Lies)
The Sixth Doctor: How would you like to meet a genius?
Peri: I thought I already had.
(“The Mark of the Rani”) The Fourth Doctor: Shall we use our intelligence?
Leela: Well, if you think that’s a good idea.
(“The Invisible Enemy”)
You know, just once I'd like to meet an alien menace that wasn't immune to bullets.
--The Brigadier (“Robot”)
If there’s trouble to be found, the Doctor and Jamie can’t miss it.
--Zoe (Derrick Sherwin, “The Invasion”)
The worse the situation gets, the worse your jokes get!
--Sarah Jane, to the Fourth Doctor (“Masque of the Mandragora”)
Astrid: You look pretty good for nine-hundred-and-three.
The Tenth Doctor: You should see me in the mornings.
Astrid: Okay.
(Russell T Davies, “Voyage of the Damned”)
“ … there were snogging couples using it even then. Had to be careful that their powdered wigs didn't get caught on twigs. Last thing you want, you lean in for a snog and suddenly this impressionable young lady's seeing your hairdo as nature intended. Puts you right off.”
“Don’t tell me you know that from personal experience,” she [Rose] said, glancing at the Doctor’s closely cropped head and battered leather jacket and trying to imagine him in full Restoration get-up, velvet, brocade and periwig.
(Jacqueline Rayner, Winner Takes All)
I never saw someone so in love with himself for so little reason.
--Peri, of the Sixth Doctor (Anthony Steven, “The Twin Dilemma”)
Oh, it’s you—the lunatic.
--Evelyn Smythe, of the Sixth Doctor (Jacqueline Rayner, The Marian Conspiracy)
“Dreams are romantic notions, Kreiner . . . You see an opportunity, you take it.”
“I’m a fantastic opportunity,” Fitz declared. “Take me.”
(To the Slaughter)
I think your Doctor’s worse than mine.
--Jamie, to Peri (Robert Holmes, “The Two Doctors”)
The Doctor: Where’s your sense of adventure?
Ian: It died a slow, horrible death when those bats came out of the rafters.
(Terry Nation, “The Chase”)
"You're . . . a ghost."The Doctor nodded cheerfully, then paused a moment."Wellllll, perhaps not a ghost exactly, that would imply I was dead. Not that I haven't strictly speaking died a couple of times, but it would be misleading to go into that now, as I am definitely not a spirit form, such as a poltergeist, or phantom; and I am certainly not a Gelth, who are easy to mistake for ghosts—although come to think of it, they did like Cardiff at Christmas time, too; so, I wouldn't blame you for thinking that way."He stopped as Jack grabbed him fiercely and pushed him into the wall before silencing him with a kiss. The Doctor hung limply for a moment before slowly responding, then grinning sheepishly as Jack pulled back and pointed a finger at him."You're not a ghost."The Doctor shrugged and adjusted his coat as Jack let go. "That's what I said."Jack grinned now, his head starting to clear, slowly. A good kiss always helped, especially one from a Time Lord—must be the radiation. That was his excuse, anyway.
(Jovalien, A Torchwood Christmas Carol)
She is prettier than you, Master.
--K9, of Romana (“The Ribos Operation”)
[to the Seventh Doctor] Do you know any nice people?
--Ace (“Survival”)
[Of the Ninth Doctor] When he’s stressed, he likes to insult species.
--Rose (“The Doctor Dances”)
People in the past are always impressed by Dairy Milk.
--Evelyn Smythe (Doctor Who and the Pirates)
Just for once, Doctor, could you try uttering a sentence that made some kind of sense?
–The Brigadier (Shadow in the Glass)
“How was it Dante described the hierarchy of angels? Oh yes, ‘myriads more than the entire progressive doubling of the angels.’”
Jamie did not seem to be impressed. “About the same as the number of those VETACS we’re facing then, Doctor.”
“Oh, that’s hardly fair, Jamie.”
(Dreams of Empire)
“Well, I still think it’s weird, having other selves at all,” said Tegan.
“Why?” asked the Doctor. “You’ve both got them.”
“We have?”
“Not very many of course, because you’re both still so young, bless you.”
“No need to be patronizing, Doctor,” said Tegan sharply. “We can’t all be 900 years old, or whatever you are!”
(Terrance Dicks, The Eight Doctors)
“Interference!” said the Doctor, suddenly bursting with renewed energy. “Deliberate interference in human history!”
“Shocking!” said Peri, looking at him meaningfully.
(Players)
The Tenth Doctor: Why are you taking off your clothes? Radiation affects skin not clothes.
Jack Harkness: Well . .. I look good, though.
(“Utopia”)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
april 3 {the poem project}
3.
MONET REFUSES THE OPERATION
Doctor, you say that there are no haloes
around the streetlights in Paris
and what I see is an aberration
caused by old age, an affliction.
I tell you it has taken me all my life
to arrive at the vision of gas lamps as angels,
to soften and blur and finally banish
the edges you regret I don’t see,
to learn that the line I called the horizon
does not exist and sky and water,
so long apart, are the same state of being.
Fifty-four years before I could see
Rouen cathedral is built
of parallel shafts of sun,
and now you want to restore
my youthful errors: fixed
notions of top and bottom,
the illusion of three-dimensional space,
wisteria separate
from the bridge it covers.
What can I say to convince you
the Houses of Parliament dissolve
night after night to become
the fluid dream of the Thames?
I will not return to a universe
of objects that don’t know each other,
as if islands were not the lost children
of one great continent. The world
is flux, and light becomes what it touches,
becomes water, lilies on water,
above and below water,
becomes lilac and mauve and yellow
and white and cerulean lamps,
small fists passing sunlight
so quickly to one another
that it would take long, streaming hair
inside my brush to catch it.
To paint the speed of light!
Our weighted shapes, these verticals,
burn to mix with air
and changes our bones, skin, clothes
to gases. Doctor,
if only you could see
how heaven pulls earth into its arms
and how infinitely the heart expands
to claim this world, blue vapor without end.
Lisel Mueller
I really like how visual this poem manages to be; anyone who’s ever seen Monet’s work is able to understand the brilliance of method Monet explains here and not be surprised about the cataracts. It is a poignant artist’s plea and a beautiful portrait.
MONET REFUSES THE OPERATION
Doctor, you say that there are no haloes
around the streetlights in Paris
and what I see is an aberration
caused by old age, an affliction.
I tell you it has taken me all my life
to arrive at the vision of gas lamps as angels,
to soften and blur and finally banish
the edges you regret I don’t see,
to learn that the line I called the horizon
does not exist and sky and water,
so long apart, are the same state of being.
Fifty-four years before I could see
Rouen cathedral is built
of parallel shafts of sun,
and now you want to restore
my youthful errors: fixed
notions of top and bottom,
the illusion of three-dimensional space,
wisteria separate
from the bridge it covers.
What can I say to convince you
the Houses of Parliament dissolve
night after night to become
the fluid dream of the Thames?
I will not return to a universe
of objects that don’t know each other,
as if islands were not the lost children
of one great continent. The world
is flux, and light becomes what it touches,
becomes water, lilies on water,
above and below water,
becomes lilac and mauve and yellow
and white and cerulean lamps,
small fists passing sunlight
so quickly to one another
that it would take long, streaming hair
inside my brush to catch it.
To paint the speed of light!
Our weighted shapes, these verticals,
burn to mix with air
and changes our bones, skin, clothes
to gases. Doctor,
if only you could see
how heaven pulls earth into its arms
and how infinitely the heart expands
to claim this world, blue vapor without end.
Lisel Mueller
I really like how visual this poem manages to be; anyone who’s ever seen Monet’s work is able to understand the brilliance of method Monet explains here and not be surprised about the cataracts. It is a poignant artist’s plea and a beautiful portrait.
doctor who quotes -3 days
When the Doctor claims not to be a cat person in “Fear Her,” it seems he’s conveniently forgetting the selection of feline-themed badges that adorned his colorful apparel in his sixth incarnation. –Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons, The Completely Unofficial Doctor Who Encyclopedia
As I believe I told you long ago, Doctor, you will never amount to anything in the galaxy while you retain your propensity for vulgar facetiousness.
--Borusa (Robert Holmes, “The Deadly Assassin”)
There is no plot! I am being completely honest with you!
--King Peladon (Brian Hayles, “The Curse of Peladon”)
“What are problems for, if not to be solved?”
Trayx smiled. “To confound your enemies,” he said.
(Dreams of Empire)
Since this is Doctor Who, the show that tries not to suck and generally succeeds . . .
--Jacob Clifton
TV really doesn’t get better than this, ever.
--The Guardian Guide, of the 2005 season
The Doctor is like the Sphinx . . . he does not fear Time. Time fears the Doctor.
--Barusa, the Leekley Bible (Doctor Who: Regeneration)
It’s Doctor Who—I believe in everything!
--Julie Gardner
Clive Swift: I know that you all think that this is big world, this Who business. But it isn’t. There are much bigger things than this.
Benjamin Cook: Maybe, but it means a lot to a great many of us.
--DWM #391
It’s truly amazing, our favourite programme, isn’t it? I mean, I expected to be amused by Time Crash, I expected to be entertained; and then just when I thought it was over, Tennant flicked a switch and delivered the most beautiful paean to Doctor Who of long ago and to Davison’s wonderful, funny, young and energetic Doctor. And suddenly I was moved! --Andrew Buckley (DWM #390)
[As the Master is dying and refuses to regenerate]
The Tenth Doctor: It can’t end like this!
The Master: How about that? I win.
(Russell T Davies, “The Last of the Time Lords”)
You’d stand next to him in the studio and feel his presence. . . . He was a gentleman with it—no airs, graces or tantrums. Didn’t throw his weight around and tell the director what to do, whereas Tom Baker got out of his pram sometimes.
--Barry Newbery, of William Hartnell
The evidence is mounting that the Doctor’s lack of education could have caused him some serious ongoing problems. (Are you listening, kids? Stay in school!)
--Doctor Who Magazine #389
Doctor, it’s more fun this way.
--The Meddling Monk (Dennis Spooner, “The Time Meddler”)
Be vigilant, Doctor. Once you denied him the Key to Time, now you have thwarted him again. He will be waiting for the third encounter, and his power does not diminish.... While I exist, he exists also... until we are no longer needed.
--The White Guardian, of the Black Guardian (Barbara Clegg, “Enlightenment”)
You have the mouth of a prattling jackanapes, but your eyes, they tell a different story.
--Sharaz Jek, to the Doctor (Robert Holmes, “The Caves of Androzani”)
As I believe I told you long ago, Doctor, you will never amount to anything in the galaxy while you retain your propensity for vulgar facetiousness.
--Borusa (Robert Holmes, “The Deadly Assassin”)
There is no plot! I am being completely honest with you!
--King Peladon (Brian Hayles, “The Curse of Peladon”)
“What are problems for, if not to be solved?”
Trayx smiled. “To confound your enemies,” he said.
(Dreams of Empire)
Since this is Doctor Who, the show that tries not to suck and generally succeeds . . .
--Jacob Clifton
TV really doesn’t get better than this, ever.
--The Guardian Guide, of the 2005 season
The Doctor is like the Sphinx . . . he does not fear Time. Time fears the Doctor.
--Barusa, the Leekley Bible (Doctor Who: Regeneration)
It’s Doctor Who—I believe in everything!
--Julie Gardner
Clive Swift: I know that you all think that this is big world, this Who business. But it isn’t. There are much bigger things than this.
Benjamin Cook: Maybe, but it means a lot to a great many of us.
--DWM #391
It’s truly amazing, our favourite programme, isn’t it? I mean, I expected to be amused by Time Crash, I expected to be entertained; and then just when I thought it was over, Tennant flicked a switch and delivered the most beautiful paean to Doctor Who of long ago and to Davison’s wonderful, funny, young and energetic Doctor. And suddenly I was moved! --Andrew Buckley (DWM #390)
[As the Master is dying and refuses to regenerate]
The Tenth Doctor: It can’t end like this!
The Master: How about that? I win.
(Russell T Davies, “The Last of the Time Lords”)
You’d stand next to him in the studio and feel his presence. . . . He was a gentleman with it—no airs, graces or tantrums. Didn’t throw his weight around and tell the director what to do, whereas Tom Baker got out of his pram sometimes.
--Barry Newbery, of William Hartnell
The evidence is mounting that the Doctor’s lack of education could have caused him some serious ongoing problems. (Are you listening, kids? Stay in school!)
--Doctor Who Magazine #389
Doctor, it’s more fun this way.
--The Meddling Monk (Dennis Spooner, “The Time Meddler”)
Be vigilant, Doctor. Once you denied him the Key to Time, now you have thwarted him again. He will be waiting for the third encounter, and his power does not diminish.... While I exist, he exists also... until we are no longer needed.
--The White Guardian, of the Black Guardian (Barbara Clegg, “Enlightenment”)
You have the mouth of a prattling jackanapes, but your eyes, they tell a different story.
--Sharaz Jek, to the Doctor (Robert Holmes, “The Caves of Androzani”)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
april 2 {the poem project}
2.
from BLUE
from the pub sways
a choir, tied and suited,
on a cloud of aftershave
Nigel Jenkins
Blue is a collection of haiku. Nigel Jenkins was my poetry professor in Swansea, and I honestly think he is a very accomplished wordsmith, equally at home in haiku as in structured forms with rhyme and meter. I think this is a perfect haiku: economy of language, but you can see and smell the image. It’s also very Welsh.
from BLUE
from the pub sways
a choir, tied and suited,
on a cloud of aftershave
Nigel Jenkins
Blue is a collection of haiku. Nigel Jenkins was my poetry professor in Swansea, and I honestly think he is a very accomplished wordsmith, equally at home in haiku as in structured forms with rhyme and meter. I think this is a perfect haiku: economy of language, but you can see and smell the image. It’s also very Welsh.
doctor who quotes -4 days
The Tenth Doctor: Master?
The Master: I like it when you use my name.
(“Sound of Drums”)
They used to give away Doctor Who cards in . . . was it PG Tips? No? Typhoo! It was Typhoo! Of course it was. It’s good that you know that, cos I’m having a flashback. Anyway, every time I smell tea, it reminds me of Doctor Who!
--John Simm, Doctor Who Magazine #384
“Now then, you’ve heard of Tolstoy?”
“No, what’s that?”
“He, Jamie, he was a great Russian writer. Anyway, when he was a soldier in the Caucasus—“
“The what?”
“The Caucasus, Jamie. Anyway, he was a young officer there, and one night he abandoned his post so that he could go and play chess with another soldier. He got caught and was arrested.”
“Serves him right.”
(Justin Richards, Dreams of Empire)
“I don’t believe it,” laughs John [Simm], as the take is abandoned. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, and the Benny Hill theme is running in the background!”
“I’m surprised,” adds David [Tennant], “they have ice cream at this time of year.”
“Well, it is Wales.”
--Doctor Who Magazine #385
Matthew Waterson (Adric): Katy Manning went off with a man …
Janet Fielding (Tegan): Well, she would.
--on Tegan’s leaving the show, DVD commentary to “The Visitation”
A selection of definitions from Chris Howarth and Steven Lyons’ The Completely Unofficial Doctor Who Encyclopedia:
FANS, WHIRLING: Let’s be fair, it takes a lot of guts to repeat a science-fiction cliché after it’s been so famously parodied. Post-Galaxy Quest, it’s impossible not to ask why that reset switch was on the other side of the spinning death devices in “The End of the World.”
“FATHER’S DAY”: Right, audience, listen up. This is deeply moving stuff, OK? You will be sad; you will go on an emotional rollercoaster ride; you will cry real tears at the poignant ending—and that’s an order! . . .
Ultimately it’s all rendered much less sad anyway by Pete’s return, albeit as a parallel universe version.
OLYMPIC TORCH: . . . Was there a solitary viewer over the age of seven who wasn’t mortified by the supreme cheesiness of the Doctor lighting up the loved-up Olympic flame with a torch of hope and peace, etc., to the accompaniment of that mawkish voiceover?
“POINTLESSLY NORTHERN”: The People’s verdict on the new series. You know, the one set mostly on a council estate in London.
If you met the Doctor, you'd want to give him a hug. Possibly a kiss with tongue. But if you read his résumé? Madman. Warrior. Killer of peoples, of worlds, of heroes, and soldiers. A living genocide. Nine is about the choice: whom would you be? Then, what must you do?
--Jacob Clifton, TelevisionWithoutPity.com reviewer, review for “The Doctor Dances”
[of the Doctor] One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel.
--Reinette (“The Girl in the Fireplace”)
I’m not under mind control yet but I’m practicing.
--Janet Fielding, on her acting in “The Visitation”
But then things take a strange turn as the Doctor collapses into a rack of clothes screaming about crushing infinity and hopelessness. “Happens to me all the time in Primark,” says Clay.
--The Time Team reviews “The Twin Dilemma”
Martha: [to Jack] You’ve been carrying around his severed hand in a tank?!
Chantho: Chan is this a tradition among your people tho?
(Russell T Davies, “Utopia”)
Jack [Harkness] likes to dance, and also make out with everybody all the time.
--Jacob Clifton, review for “The Empty Child”
I think she’s [Rose] quite in love with him [the Ninth Doctor].
--Billie Piper, DVD commentary
[The Doctor] is hopelessly in love with her.
--Steven Moffat, DVD commentary
. . . Nicholas Courtney [the Brigadier] still hasn’t recovered from walking into a convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last year to be greeted by, not just one, but four women, all dressed as the Brigadier, moustache and all!
--Doctor Who Special: 20th Anniversary
The Doctor isn't stupid, he uses his wits, isn't needlessly violent, and doesn't take himself too seriously. Then the show reflects the character, by being eccentric, urbane, frightening and witty.
--Nev Fountain (Dead Ringers writer)
If you dig deep enough, you’ll find the Doctor all around.
–Clive (Russell T Davies, “Rose”)
I’ve often wondered what it must have been like for an attractive young woman struggling to be taken seriously in such a patrician environment as the BBC in the early 1960s. How her peers must have underestimated her. And how she probably had to be twice as good as any male colleagues just to get by. When you consider Verity Lambert’s formidable track record . . . fans of quality television, not just Doctor Who, owe her a lot.
--Chris Kilby, letter to DWM #391, after Verity Lambert’s death in November 2007
Reality did not come into our relationship.
--Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), of Tom Baker
A few weeks later, and early one morning I find myself in a Birmingham hotel that’s hosting a Doctor Who convention. Just as I’m getting dressed the fire alarm goes off, and I have to run, in my bare feet, down nine flights of stairs alongside Eric Roberts and Carole Ann Ford, struggling all the way not to shout ‘But Grandfather’s still in there!’ to her. --Gareth Roberts
Joan: Where did you learn to draw?
John Smith: Gallifrey.
Joan: Is that in Ireland?
(Paul Cornell, “Human Nature”)
What I loved about “42”: “Burn With Me!” Oh, David, I would . . .
--Emily Bridewell, letter to Doctor Who Magazine #384
I’m very keen on this “everybody leaves” philosophy that the Doctor has developed to protect himself from getting his hearts broken. –Big Finish writer Nick Briggs
The Master: I like it when you use my name.
(“Sound of Drums”)
They used to give away Doctor Who cards in . . . was it PG Tips? No? Typhoo! It was Typhoo! Of course it was. It’s good that you know that, cos I’m having a flashback. Anyway, every time I smell tea, it reminds me of Doctor Who!
--John Simm, Doctor Who Magazine #384
“Now then, you’ve heard of Tolstoy?”
“No, what’s that?”
“He, Jamie, he was a great Russian writer. Anyway, when he was a soldier in the Caucasus—“
“The what?”
“The Caucasus, Jamie. Anyway, he was a young officer there, and one night he abandoned his post so that he could go and play chess with another soldier. He got caught and was arrested.”
“Serves him right.”
(Justin Richards, Dreams of Empire)
“I don’t believe it,” laughs John [Simm], as the take is abandoned. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, and the Benny Hill theme is running in the background!”
“I’m surprised,” adds David [Tennant], “they have ice cream at this time of year.”
“Well, it is Wales.”
--Doctor Who Magazine #385
Matthew Waterson (Adric): Katy Manning went off with a man …
Janet Fielding (Tegan): Well, she would.
--on Tegan’s leaving the show, DVD commentary to “The Visitation”
A selection of definitions from Chris Howarth and Steven Lyons’ The Completely Unofficial Doctor Who Encyclopedia:
FANS, WHIRLING: Let’s be fair, it takes a lot of guts to repeat a science-fiction cliché after it’s been so famously parodied. Post-Galaxy Quest, it’s impossible not to ask why that reset switch was on the other side of the spinning death devices in “The End of the World.”
“FATHER’S DAY”: Right, audience, listen up. This is deeply moving stuff, OK? You will be sad; you will go on an emotional rollercoaster ride; you will cry real tears at the poignant ending—and that’s an order! . . .
Ultimately it’s all rendered much less sad anyway by Pete’s return, albeit as a parallel universe version.
OLYMPIC TORCH: . . . Was there a solitary viewer over the age of seven who wasn’t mortified by the supreme cheesiness of the Doctor lighting up the loved-up Olympic flame with a torch of hope and peace, etc., to the accompaniment of that mawkish voiceover?
“POINTLESSLY NORTHERN”: The People’s verdict on the new series. You know, the one set mostly on a council estate in London.
If you met the Doctor, you'd want to give him a hug. Possibly a kiss with tongue. But if you read his résumé? Madman. Warrior. Killer of peoples, of worlds, of heroes, and soldiers. A living genocide. Nine is about the choice: whom would you be? Then, what must you do?
--Jacob Clifton, TelevisionWithoutPity.com reviewer, review for “The Doctor Dances”
[of the Doctor] One may tolerate a world of demons for the sake of an angel.
--Reinette (“The Girl in the Fireplace”)
I’m not under mind control yet but I’m practicing.
--Janet Fielding, on her acting in “The Visitation”
But then things take a strange turn as the Doctor collapses into a rack of clothes screaming about crushing infinity and hopelessness. “Happens to me all the time in Primark,” says Clay.
--The Time Team reviews “The Twin Dilemma”
Martha: [to Jack] You’ve been carrying around his severed hand in a tank?!
Chantho: Chan is this a tradition among your people tho?
(Russell T Davies, “Utopia”)
Jack [Harkness] likes to dance, and also make out with everybody all the time.
--Jacob Clifton, review for “The Empty Child”
I think she’s [Rose] quite in love with him [the Ninth Doctor].
--Billie Piper, DVD commentary
[The Doctor] is hopelessly in love with her.
--Steven Moffat, DVD commentary
. . . Nicholas Courtney [the Brigadier] still hasn’t recovered from walking into a convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last year to be greeted by, not just one, but four women, all dressed as the Brigadier, moustache and all!
--Doctor Who Special: 20th Anniversary
The Doctor isn't stupid, he uses his wits, isn't needlessly violent, and doesn't take himself too seriously. Then the show reflects the character, by being eccentric, urbane, frightening and witty.
--Nev Fountain (Dead Ringers writer)
If you dig deep enough, you’ll find the Doctor all around.
–Clive (Russell T Davies, “Rose”)
I’ve often wondered what it must have been like for an attractive young woman struggling to be taken seriously in such a patrician environment as the BBC in the early 1960s. How her peers must have underestimated her. And how she probably had to be twice as good as any male colleagues just to get by. When you consider Verity Lambert’s formidable track record . . . fans of quality television, not just Doctor Who, owe her a lot.
--Chris Kilby, letter to DWM #391, after Verity Lambert’s death in November 2007
Reality did not come into our relationship.
--Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), of Tom Baker
A few weeks later, and early one morning I find myself in a Birmingham hotel that’s hosting a Doctor Who convention. Just as I’m getting dressed the fire alarm goes off, and I have to run, in my bare feet, down nine flights of stairs alongside Eric Roberts and Carole Ann Ford, struggling all the way not to shout ‘But Grandfather’s still in there!’ to her. --Gareth Roberts
Joan: Where did you learn to draw?
John Smith: Gallifrey.
Joan: Is that in Ireland?
(Paul Cornell, “Human Nature”)
What I loved about “42”: “Burn With Me!” Oh, David, I would . . .
--Emily Bridewell, letter to Doctor Who Magazine #384
I’m very keen on this “everybody leaves” philosophy that the Doctor has developed to protect himself from getting his hearts broken. –Big Finish writer Nick Briggs
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
april 1 {the poem project}
Here's a month's worth of favorite poems from me, 'cause April's National Poetry Month (in the USA).
1.
SONNET CXVI
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
William Shakespeare
This is probably my favorite poem of all time. I can recite it from memory and often do. It’s a perfect sonnet that sounds beautiful when spoken aloud. Of course, the sentiment is a romantic and attractive one.
1.
SONNET CXVI
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
William Shakespeare
This is probably my favorite poem of all time. I can recite it from memory and often do. It’s a perfect sonnet that sounds beautiful when spoken aloud. Of course, the sentiment is a romantic and attractive one.
doctor quote quotes -4 days
. . . When he was having a drink in a London club one day, a High Court judge raised his glass and said, “My dear Doctor! How nice to have you with us!”
--of Tom Baker in Doctor Who Special: 20th Anniversary
Mine were voted the Sexiest Legs on Television in a viewer’s poll . . .
--Frazer Hines (Jamie)
“JC, our lead animator and the designer of the Old Doctor, then filmed a motion capture shoot with David Tennant in order to capture David’s natural body motion and facial expressions. This process involved sticking small balls to David’s face, which Marianne our production assistant found most pleasing!”
--Dave Houghton, Doctor Who Magazine #385
I got a huge amount of fan mail from children, though I think my favorite letter was from a four year old boy who wrote, “Leela, why don’t you put some clothes on?”
--Louise Jameson (Leela)
In a reminiscent mood are you, Doctor? Poor Miss Grant, you have my deepest sympathies.
--The Master (“Frontier in Space”)
“How can I live my life now? I have no past, not one that I know is true! I do not know who I am!”
The Doctor didn’t answer. But he sat down on the sofa and put an arm around her. When she looked up, she saw that he was crying too.
(Jacqueline Rayner, Wolfsbane)
She took those pills from the pill concocter,
And Isabel calmly cured the doctor.
--Ogden Nash, “Adventures of Isabel”
I am very difficult to kill.
--Davros (“Resurrection of the Daleks”)
The Master’s abilities put him in the superfiend class. It’s a lot of fun.
--Anthony Ainley (the Master)
[to the American President] Can I offer you some tea? Or is that not American enough?
--Mr Saxon (“Sound of Drums”)
Dr. Raj: Where did you get your degree?
The Fourth Doctor: A place called Gallifrey.
Dr. Raj: I’ve not heard of it.
(“The Hand of Fear”)
Give in to the donut. Don’t hate yourself.
--John Simm
“This particular emergency appears to concern the Doctor.”
“Yes,” said President Flavia thoughtfully. “They usually do!”
(Terrance Dicks, The Eight Doctors)
Barbara: You’re from Earth?
Tourist: No, ma’am, I’m from Alabama.
(Terry Nation, “The Chase”)
“The Doctor says it is possible. He's working on the problem---unconventional but very brilliant.” He's gorgeous, too, she felt like adding, and started to blush.
--Dr Flowers in Stephen Cole’s The Monsters Inside
He [the Doctor] can be happy, even giddy, but can quickly turn dark and brooding if he has picked up some obscure hint of danger or deception. This is how a fugitive stays alive.
--Barusa, in the Leekley Bible (Philip Segal and Gary Russell, Doctor Who: Regeneration)
The Fifth Doctor, onscreen: You overestimate me.
Janet Fielding: Yes, you do.
--DVD commentary of “The Visitation”
Steven Moffat: Jack [Harkness] would go after a Dalek if it had a short enough skirt.
John Barrowman: Or a long enough plunger.
--DVD commentary, “The Empty Child”
UNTRAMMELLED Giant of the West,
With all of Nature’s gifts endowed,
With all of Heaven’s mercies blessed,
Nor of thy power unduly proud—
Peerless in courage, force, and skill,
And godlike in thy strength of will,—
Before thy feet the ways divide:
One path leads up to heights sublime;
Downward the other slopes, where bide
The refuse and the wrecks of Time.
Choose then, nor falter at the start,
O choose the nobler path and part!
Be thou the guardian of the weak,
Of the unfriended, thou the friend;
No guerdon for thy valor seek,
No end beyond the avowêd end.
Wouldst thou thy godlike power preserve,
Be godlike in the will to serve!
--Joseph B. Gilder, “The Parting of the Ways”
You must listen to the dialogue sometimes.
--Peter Moffatt, director, on the DVD commentary to “The Visitation”
I always struggle to keep up with David [Tennant], because he hasn’t got breasts like I have.
--Catherine Tate, on being a companion
How do you keep your energy up on a night shoot?
Drugs. A lot of drugs.
Do you have a drug of choice?
Chocolate biscuits. That’s a very good drug. And cups of tea.
--Bernard Cribbins (Wilf in the 2007 Christmas Special)
I’m indestructible—the whole universe knows that.
--The Master (Pip and Jane Baker, “The Mark of the Rani”)
Victoria shrugged. “What do you believe in?”
“Oh, I believe in me.”
--The Master
(David A. McIntee, The Dark Path)
--of Tom Baker in Doctor Who Special: 20th Anniversary
Mine were voted the Sexiest Legs on Television in a viewer’s poll . . .
--Frazer Hines (Jamie)
“JC, our lead animator and the designer of the Old Doctor, then filmed a motion capture shoot with David Tennant in order to capture David’s natural body motion and facial expressions. This process involved sticking small balls to David’s face, which Marianne our production assistant found most pleasing!”
--Dave Houghton, Doctor Who Magazine #385
I got a huge amount of fan mail from children, though I think my favorite letter was from a four year old boy who wrote, “Leela, why don’t you put some clothes on?”
--Louise Jameson (Leela)
In a reminiscent mood are you, Doctor? Poor Miss Grant, you have my deepest sympathies.
--The Master (“Frontier in Space”)
“How can I live my life now? I have no past, not one that I know is true! I do not know who I am!”
The Doctor didn’t answer. But he sat down on the sofa and put an arm around her. When she looked up, she saw that he was crying too.
(Jacqueline Rayner, Wolfsbane)
She took those pills from the pill concocter,
And Isabel calmly cured the doctor.
--Ogden Nash, “Adventures of Isabel”
I am very difficult to kill.
--Davros (“Resurrection of the Daleks”)
The Master’s abilities put him in the superfiend class. It’s a lot of fun.
--Anthony Ainley (the Master)
[to the American President] Can I offer you some tea? Or is that not American enough?
--Mr Saxon (“Sound of Drums”)
Dr. Raj: Where did you get your degree?
The Fourth Doctor: A place called Gallifrey.
Dr. Raj: I’ve not heard of it.
(“The Hand of Fear”)
Give in to the donut. Don’t hate yourself.
--John Simm
“This particular emergency appears to concern the Doctor.”
“Yes,” said President Flavia thoughtfully. “They usually do!”
(Terrance Dicks, The Eight Doctors)
Barbara: You’re from Earth?
Tourist: No, ma’am, I’m from Alabama.
(Terry Nation, “The Chase”)
“The Doctor says it is possible. He's working on the problem---unconventional but very brilliant.” He's gorgeous, too, she felt like adding, and started to blush.
--Dr Flowers in Stephen Cole’s The Monsters Inside
He [the Doctor] can be happy, even giddy, but can quickly turn dark and brooding if he has picked up some obscure hint of danger or deception. This is how a fugitive stays alive.
--Barusa, in the Leekley Bible (Philip Segal and Gary Russell, Doctor Who: Regeneration)
The Fifth Doctor, onscreen: You overestimate me.
Janet Fielding: Yes, you do.
--DVD commentary of “The Visitation”
Steven Moffat: Jack [Harkness] would go after a Dalek if it had a short enough skirt.
John Barrowman: Or a long enough plunger.
--DVD commentary, “The Empty Child”
UNTRAMMELLED Giant of the West,
With all of Nature’s gifts endowed,
With all of Heaven’s mercies blessed,
Nor of thy power unduly proud—
Peerless in courage, force, and skill,
And godlike in thy strength of will,—
Before thy feet the ways divide:
One path leads up to heights sublime;
Downward the other slopes, where bide
The refuse and the wrecks of Time.
Choose then, nor falter at the start,
O choose the nobler path and part!
Be thou the guardian of the weak,
Of the unfriended, thou the friend;
No guerdon for thy valor seek,
No end beyond the avowêd end.
Wouldst thou thy godlike power preserve,
Be godlike in the will to serve!
--Joseph B. Gilder, “The Parting of the Ways”
You must listen to the dialogue sometimes.
--Peter Moffatt, director, on the DVD commentary to “The Visitation”
I always struggle to keep up with David [Tennant], because he hasn’t got breasts like I have.
--Catherine Tate, on being a companion
How do you keep your energy up on a night shoot?
Drugs. A lot of drugs.
Do you have a drug of choice?
Chocolate biscuits. That’s a very good drug. And cups of tea.
--Bernard Cribbins (Wilf in the 2007 Christmas Special)
I’m indestructible—the whole universe knows that.
--The Master (Pip and Jane Baker, “The Mark of the Rani”)
Victoria shrugged. “What do you believe in?”
“Oh, I believe in me.”
--The Master
(David A. McIntee, The Dark Path)
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