Andor 1.4 marked the series debut by Varada Sethu.
Sethu has just recently been announced as a new Doctor Who companion in the season 45 in 2025.
It is also the second episode in the series for Rupert Vansittart.
As this is the fourth episode of Andor’s first season, Vansittart was in NuWho’s own fourth episode of its first season, Aliens of London playing General Asquith.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
The Hitchhiker ran for six seasons between November 23 1983 and February 22, 1991 and it is an anthology series with the said Hitchhiker (played by Nicholas Campbell in the first season and then by Page Fletcher in the remainder of the series) being the only person to appear in every episode as he makes his journey in each of these episodes.
Each episode tells of characters who are troubling situations, how they deal with it and what is the outcome of these situations.
Each episode presents a fascination into the aspects of these characters’ lives and each episode presents a haunting atmosphere to it.
The Hitchhiker himself does not interact with any of these characters but instead gives a narration at the start and end of episodes to explain the situation and the outcome that has unfolded.
The Hitchhiker is a mysterious figure as we the viewer never find out who this person is, what his real name and why he is doing what he is doing in presenting these stories.
Personally I wondered whether is he even human or is he an alien?
A mystique that has been successfully consistent throughout its entire run.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
Barbara Rush has passed away.
Born on January 4 1927, Rush is one actor to have appeared in both the 1960s and 1990s The Outer Limits series.
In the 1960s series she was in The Forms of Things Unknown playing Leonora Edmond and in the 1990s series in The Balance of Nature in which she got use her real first name as she played the character of Barbara Matheson.
Other work included Robin and the 7 Hoods, The Fugitive, Batman, The Streets of San Francisco, The Bionic Woman, Can’t Stop the Music, Summer Lovers & Knight Rider.
She died on March 31 2024 almost three months after her 97th birthday.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
John Savident has passed away.
Born on January 21 1938, Savident had appeared in Doctor Who in The Visitation playing the Squire and in the Big Finish story Order of the Daleks playing Pendle.
He had also been in two episodes of Blake’s 7 in Trial playing Fleet Warden-General Samor and in Orbit playing Egrorian.
Among his other work included the Doomwatch episodes Burial at Sea & The Web of Fear playing the Minister and in Coronation Street playing Fred Elliott.
Other work included Man in a Suitcase , The Avengers, The Saint, Callan, Department S, The Battle of Britain, A Clockwork Orange, The Adventurer, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, The Professionals, Juliet Bravo, Gandhi, Blackadder, T-Bag and the Revenge of the T-Set, Hudson Hawk, Mr Bean Takes an Exam, Take Off with T-Bag, Lovejoy & Loch Ness.
He only had one scene in Hudson Hawk and coincidentally I saw his scene not long before his death on February 21 2024, exactly a month after his 86th birthday.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
The penultimate episode of Litvinenko featured Sam Marks and Joanna Kanska.
Given that Litvinenko was played by David Tennant, Marks was in the Tennant Tenth Doctor episode The Shakespeare Code playing Wiggins.
Kanska was in the Big Finish episode Situation Vacant in which her character Rachel declined the Eighth Doctor’s offer to be his companion.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
Louis Gossett Jr has passed away.
Born on May 27 1936, Gossett appeared in the Stargate SG-1 episodes Origin, Beachhead, Ex Deus Machina and The Fourth Horseman two-parter playing Gerak.
I saw him for the first time in his principal role as Walt Shepherd/D’Hai in The Powers of Matthew Star (1982-83).
Other work included The Invaders, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Deep, Jaws 3-D, The Iron Eagle movies, The Punisher, The Josephine Baker Story, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Hercules, Solar Attack, The Batman, Psych, Madam Secretary, Extant & Watchmen.
He died on March 29 2024 jsut less than two months before his 88th birthday.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
April 11 2024 marks ten years since the release of Moonflesh from Big Finish.
Moonflesh is the first in a trilogy of stories in 2014 featuring the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.
Written by Mark Morris.
Guest stars includes Francesca Hunt (step-sister of Charley Pollard actress India Fisher) and Hugh Fraser.
Hunt plays Hannah Bartholomew who ultimately becomes a companion
The Doctor and Nyssa arrives in 1911 on the hunting grounds of famous explorer Nathaniel Whitlock and they meet him and his group of friends including Hannah.
At the time Meredith Burdett from Kasterborous site pointed out Moonflesh’s similarities to Black Orchid, the Fifth Doctor TV story that also featured Nyssa.
However there is one particular difference between Black Orchid & Moonflesh, the former lacked sci fi elements with the exception of the TARDIS and her travellers.
Moonflesh in contrast has sci fi elements in it including the said moonflesh.
I had found Moonflesh as a very enjoyable story including Whitlock and his friends and the villain in Vatuus and he used a particular old sci fi concept, that of possessing bodies to seek what he wants.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
Litvinenko Episode 2 marked the first appearances in the series by Rad Kaim and Aleksandar Mikic.
Given David Tennant played the titular Alexander Litvinenko, Kaim and Mikic had been in Doctor Who episodes with Tennant as the Tenth Doctor as Kaim was in The Sontaran Stratagem playing Worker and Mikic was in The Waters of Mars playing Yuri Kerenski.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
April 10 2024 marks ten years since the release of Toby Hadoke’s Who’s Round 55 podcast in which Hadoke interviews Terrance Dicks:
https://www.bigfinish.com/podcasts/v/doctor-who-toby-hadoke-s-who-s-round-55-april-03
This was recorded in front of a live audience the previous year 2013, Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary year as Uncle Terrance talks about his life and his work on Doctor Who.
It was particularly funny when he came across the question of where he get his story ideas from.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
Marvel Studios: Legends 2.5 Gamora is the second of six short clip shows promoting the then new movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
For this clip show it includes my wife Karen as Nebula.
Matthew See
Spocksoc Vice President
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