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2003 and earlier - news archive
27 November 2003
coming soon ...
Those of you who've worked things out bear with us whilst we wait for the rest of you to catch up. We'll have some news, pics and an insight into something rather special in the not too distant future.
25 November 2003
Happy Birthday Who
Just a quick word to say thanks to all at 10th Planet for their hospitality in hosting a great celebration for the Doctor Who 40th! Thanks also to Big Finish for making a great series of audios that has kept the flame alive since the tv series and movie. Excellent! Here's a shot of Paul McGann trying to avoid celebrating the 41st anniversary !!!
15 September 2003
Location location location…
For all the best filming you need a location. Well researched and available. So who do you get to choose this ideal spot? Well, none other than our own Stephen Cranford, it seems! Yes, Stephen from the team has been busy (as always) and was recently involved in filming one of the "extras" for the recent "Two Doctors" DVD release...
... so he's now automatically also the "Locations Manager" for "Devious" as well. However we've already decided on our locations, and are using them too, so this particular credit may be a little superfluous, but we'll keep reminding him of it for the future.
If you see him at the upcoming Panopticon Convention in November please remind him of it !!! If I (Ashley) get to go too, as I'm hoping to, then I shall report back for the website on the intense media frenzy Stephen's new role has generated. I should be able to write a few words whilst acting as his bodyguard and agent...
14 September 2003
We're still at it !!!
ooh err! Yes - we're still going! Just because the website's a bit quiet it doesn't mean nothing's happening! Ashley is still set-building - having the task of building both in 5th-scale and full-scale for the main control room. A full summer including a 3 week trip to West Africa (for work) has meant that filming is intended now to be mid to late October rather than September to allow for family commitments as well as the set construction to be completed in time.
The scene filmed with Peter Tuddenham and Hugh Lloyd as well as the Jon Pertwee scene have been undergoing some re-editing and improvement, especially to the sound - David has been putting in a lot of time with these, combining this also with investigating software, such as suitable ways of providing the dalek voices. Oh for the use of a Moogerfooger - we hope to provide the same quality of dalek voice with software alternatives but we appreciate that most of the effect is in the initial interpretation by the actors of the dalek voice. If any of you known to us are good at dalek voices then send us a .mp3 of your attempts!!
27 June 2003
pottering around
For those of you who like to know we're still busy - well we are. It's all in the preparation, and with that in mind there's been set construction, prop mending and editing over the past few weeks. The church-crypt Tardis external door frame and door are half-finished now (think "Warriors Gate" for the look) and it's been driving Ashley half-mental (the final half). The hand-held dalek gun used by someone in the film has finally been mended (it had an annoying habit of falling apart only during a take) and is now a fearsome lump of plastic, metal, wire, fake circuitry etc etc (i.e. standard prop). Woe betide anyone who breaks it now...
The Peter & Hugh scene (Voix and Scribe) has been edited and is undergoing a few small changes before the sound is tidied and some music and effects added so we can hopefully show it back to our guest actors in a few weeks. It's looking quite good even though we say it ourselves (!) - it was great to finally use our own tardis set walls lit as per Comic Relief. The website has also had filmographies added for the Peter and Hugh pages for those of you unfamiliar with their work (shame on you).
Ashley has also been working on some of the 5th-scale modelwork needed for the final episode, whilst David is plotting to use an entirely new (for us) method of planning the action in our next batch of filming - i.e. 3d modelling the scenes to aid in camera positions and shots - this will aid greatly in the choreography of our eight daleks plus 2 cast. We have a couple of new dalek operator volunteers, and if you are in Sussex, England in September/October we could well make use of your ability to sit crouched in an airless container whilst moving around propelled only by your feet (not full leg movement) with your arms crossed working three appendages with only the two hands. Anyone with three arms or dextrous nasal ability need apply.
And finally, in what must be the death knell to any film project (like making the title sequence first) Ashley has finally built a clapperboard (we lost the original a decade ago). With any luck we'll forget to use it - we've managed so far by David calling out "scene x take y" so doubtless things won't change. We'll never be a proper film unit!!!!
More news soon
25 May 2003
Guest Stars revealed !!!
Ooh err! Seriously though, we thought it best to end our crazy "guess our guests" competition as we had such a flood of entries. One of you half got it right, and so to put you out of your misery we can reveal that last weekend we had the pleasure to work with Peter Tuddenham and Hugh Lloyd! In the next few weeks we shall add content to the "filming" section so you can see some shots from the weekend. At present we're just putting a few stills taken during the filming, and the setup day the day before.
We'd like to thank Peter and Hugh for their time, and would say again that we had an enjoyable and productive day.
22 May 2003
May 2003 filming a success !
Well - we did it! Our little two minute scene with our guest stars was completed on the day as planned. The scene featured Tony as the Doctor in a scene from the last episode. Here's a shot from the Saturday just after we had test-lit the podium part of the set. Here we see Tony out of costume (for once). We've only lit part of the walls and the room wasn't lit, so he does appear a little dark, but we just wanted to gauge the effect.
And as for our mystery guest stars... well - here's a little competition for you. They've both been seen or heard in Doctor Who. The aptly-named "Voix" was played by someone who was heard in Ark in Space, Masque of Mandragora and Time and the Rani, and more famously in Blake's 7. The actor playing "The Scribe" is a famous comedy and serious actor, whose sole appearance in Who was in Delta and the Bannermen...Feel free to email us at mysteryguests@doctorwho-devious.com if you think you know. There are no prizes. We have no money (just look at the sets!).
12 May 2003
May 2003 filming preparations
Well, we're nearly at filming time again! This last weekend was spent in minor set construction and costume preparation. Stephen and Ashley are building a raised underlit podium for the Doctor to stand on which should be ready for this Saturday. The usual precision techniques were in evidence - the use of screws were eschewed in favour of the stout nail or five. Yes - "Bodgit and Scarper Builders Inc." were on scene again up to their usual tricks. Still - it'll look okay on camera - we hope!
And on the costume front we have nearly finished three new costumes for timelords - as per the War Games trial. Lynette, Ashley and Stephen were hard at work - with mouthfuls of pins; Lynette on the sewing machine (she fell off twice*); Stephen with his precision cutting techniques and Ashley with his useful comments and modelling ability! With any luck there'll be some pictures next week after the filming so you can see how this lot is turning out! With actor fittings later in the week we hope all will look okay and we don't end up with people looking as if they're wearing an old sack! (which they're not). More news as and when...
* - p.s. crap humour is down to being too long sewing on velcro
24 April 2003
more no news is good news malarkey
Yes, it's waffle time again. fed up with no news? I know I am. So, lets invent some! Actually that'd be unfair, and I think we're probably unfair anyway in the way we show all these shots from the production but give no indication when it'll be finished, or where you the public may be able to see it. As for the seeing it, well, as with all amateur movies we have to be careful, but we'll just do what the others (Timebase etc etc) do when we've something to show. However we are toying with the idea of episode one being available via the web but that may discriminate in favour of the broadbanders amongst you. We'll see.
As for news, we've some filming the weekend of 17th and 18th of May with some mystery guest stars (!!!!) - the plot thickens! This will be for the end of part SIX (yes, there's six parts now). So this weekend we are building a small podium for the Doctor to stand on which will be lit from below. The rest of the set will be the full set of TARDIS walls lit for the first time like the Comic Relief sketch (we've never lit them before for our story since the walls were last used before they had the roundels cut out), although minus the console which is not needed. We'll have plenty of set shots from the filming, and hopefully some from the action!
The console room walls set will be quite large, since we are hoping to use at least seven of the wall units. The script has been prepared and sent out to all concerned, and storyboarding is underway soon. Time will tell. Wish us luck!
14 March 2003
comic relief - give generously
Right - just a quickie (ooh err) - you've still time to contribute to this year's Comic Relief charity appeal. A few years ago Devious helped out by lending props and sets for the Dr Who sketch made at Pinewood. For a short time here's a special page where you can see some of our pictures from that filming session. After viewing them please then go to the Red Nose Day website and donate some money. After all, it's in a good cause! (Oh yes, and I suppose we'll show these shots on the site someday, but then with our frequency of updates you can never entirely be sure! - so take a peek now before they go!!!) And the web address is ... http://www.ashleyx.com/comicrelief/
Here's one pic to get you started!
07 March 2003
Devious Team mentioned in dispatches
News reaches us that some of the team have been mentioned in this month's Doctor Who Monthly magazine! This is because they have run an Archive feature on 'The Curse of Fatal Death' - the Comic Relief Dr Who sketch from a few years back. Apparently there's a shot of a Devious Dalek with the Master Jonathon Pryce, and some mentions in the credits. In honour of this we will have to dig out a few new hitherto-unseen behind the scenes shots from that production. More news as and when. For now, here's Mr Pryce in our Tardis set !!
19 February 2003
Dalek at Brighton ModelWorld 25
28 January 2003
10 million listeners !!! - and a few pics from the last set of filming ...
blimey !! - so to tide you over until we actually have some more news (set-building is slow and painful in a cold shed) here's a shot from Ashley's last scene where he's about to fall to his death at the hands of .... well, at the feet of ... well, that'd be telling!
Needless to say there's a wee bit of post-production to be done here! ... and here's a few others with Stephen and Ashley during the November corridor scenes...
17 December 2002
Mini Filming Session
05 December 2002
Last week of UNIT exhibition at Southampton - Devious Dalek pic shown on BBC website
The BBC Cult website features an interview with Roy Brown who's organised the UNIT exhibition at the Millais Gallery in Southampton, as well as photos from the exhibition. The opening shot on the article is actually of one our "Devious Daleks" lent to Roy for the six week period !! The pair are no strangers to the BBC since they were 2 of the 3 we lent the Beeb for their Comic Relief sketch a few years back.
The only difference between the two we lent is that the one in the picture ("Chico") still has the paper-made eye front made by the BBC effects department to convert it's eye to match the BBC ones at the time. Although it's only a paper sticker it's a reminder to us of the time it spent at Pinewood Studios and when we have to remove it for our own filming then it'll no doubt go to a glass case somewhere! (as if). Still, it was a welcome surprise to see the photo on the BBC site, and good to read the interview with Roy. The exhibition is well worth a visit, as Ashley found out last Saturday!
01 December 2002
its that dalek again!
As there's not much happening this weekend down the ol' shed (maybe I'll work on dalek no8 later but for now I'm too knackered) I thought I'd add a short note to the news section. Firstly, I travelled at great expense and at great inconvenience (yes, I used SouthWest Trains) to go to Southampton yesterday to see the Daleks at the Millais Gallery. Our two looked pretty damn good surrounded by over a dozen others. Very menacing. The room was large and cleverly lit, with the dalek army in neat rows standing in the middle. Sleeping. Awaiting the call to invade. Well worth seeing if you're in the area. The exhibition runs until the 14th December - open every day except Sundays - entrance free. For a link to their site see our links page, or a previous news item.
Secondly I received details of the dalek's day out in Lewes having made the local press. Apparently we're front page on the Sussex Express, and there's a web version here...
23 November 2002
daleks invade Lewes !!!
23 November 2002 - The 39th Anniversary of Doctor Who (good luck to David Price's "Dimensions On Tyne 2" Convention this weekend)
New pics in Filming - November section
Millais Dalek Exhibition featured on BBC Dr Who website
DALEKS INVADE LEWES!! - Minding my own business shopping in Lewes this Saturday I stumbled across a dalek. As you do. Well, I'm fairly clumsy at the best of times. My first reaction? - oh it's a dalek. Hmm. Well, the thing is, I've seen so many (there's 15 or so to see in a week or so when I visit the Millais Gallery in Southampton for their exhibition); there's one left in my shed/studio - Stephen has one in his house; David has three in his office reception area (a big office!) - so you tend to get a bit blase. And then it dawned on me - it looked rather familiar! Yes it was radio-controlled "Onya" - soon to be repainted (the online voting came out in favour of the "Black Dalek look") being manoeuvred up and down Lewes High Street by the redoubtable Ian Watts from Robot Wars Team "Big Brother". Check out his website!!!! (also on the links page) Anyway - here's a quick shot taken by a passer-by (Steve Edwards from Sussex).
The looks from the kids and adults alike were incredible - the reaction seemed to show that if the BBC were to bring the daleks back (as they were - not updated or "improved" in some revamp) in Dr Who they'd have a winner on their hands. Kids loved it - only one cried when the gas-powered gun went off - I think the noise frightened more than anything!!! - and even then we checked later to see he was all right!
14 November 2002
New daleks anger DAVROS
11 November 2002
Marathon Filming Session & Meridian TV
A spooky moment this - I was working in my shed/studio on the sets last Friday evening (or was it Thursday - the days are a blur) and I thought I'd turn off the radio & switch to the TV. I turned it on and looked away, continuing what I was doing - and then I heard "ex-ter-min-ate" loud and clear across the room. It did take me by surprise and for a moment I almost confused reality and fiction - what with a dalek only feet from me at the time it was an odd moment! Turned out I saw the last few moments of a ITV1-Meridian news item featuring the exhibition in Southampton where 2 of the Devious Daleks are currently spending a few weeks away on their 'olidays! So, did anyone catch it on video? - I must say I only saw the ending!
The last few days of last week from Wednesday onwards - were spent in preparation for our longest spell of filming in a long while! Two days worth in the corridor sets! Three daleks (with operators drawn from a new team of five (!?!?!)); a few welcome guests in attendance, and very hard work for all those involved. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the work put in - without the help it couldn't have been achieved.
There will be some more pictures and an article as soon as we have any energy...
- Ashley
07 November 2002
Daleks Millaising around
The Millais Gallery's exhibition by Roy Brown is now in full swing and there's now a web page giving more details and some interesting photos (if you like daleks, that is!). Click here for details. Here's one photo from the page (used without permission, so please someone exterminate me if I am not entitled to do so!). Now, isn't that Chico at the end of the row on the left?????
04 November 2002
Black v Silver ???
With the radio-remote-controlled dalek being required for a scene this weekend (hopefully) we have to make the final decision by Friday what colour scheme the leader dalek will be. Until now in the script it's been the "Black Dalek" but it's been renamed "Dalek Supreme" whilst we consider the final colours.
It looks so good all in super-bright metallic silver we've not wanted to colour it with a black dome (or use a spare one painted black so we can keep the silver one) and blue balls but we feel to stay in keeping with the 1960's "Power" and "Evil" era daleks as these are meant to be, then it should be painted up accordingly. It's all fiction anyway so why should we care what colour - if we think the all-over silver looks better then we should keep it, and stuff the continuity.
Here it is at present, in all it's brightness. If it goes black dome and blue balls we will still keep the extra-bright silver (the other daleks are silver-grey in comparison).
We'd be interested in your opinions - unless they are of the "I don't give a monkey's" variety.
Any emails we receive at chiefdalek@doctorwho-devious.com we will read and consider.
You'll see the final decision in the first pics from the next filming test shots.
31 October 2002
Devious Daleks making an Exhibition of themselves
Last night (30th) saw 2 of the Devious Daleks packed off to an exhibition in Southampton at the Millais Gallery. Artist Roy Brown has spent the last 6 months preparing for an exhibition featuring 15 daleks. Centred in a room with the Declaration of Human Rights etched in glass in displays around the walls, and suitably lit to bring back the menace so lacking in recent media outings the daleks are set to make quite an impressive artistic and political point in the run up to Christmas.
No pictures are available yet, although I have seen the exhibition guide book and publicity and it all looks rather impressive. Roy has tracked down many of the country's dalek builders and asked to borrow their finest work for this show, and it is an honour for Ashley's creations to be part of the exhibit. "Friend of Devious" Andy from Liverpool - he of the excellent remote-control daleks, cybermen and "Numan" robots has lent a couple and it was a conversation with him which led to the Devious props being added at a late stage to the exhibition. Sadly too late for their builder to make the photos, which is probably no bad thing at all - there's plenty of home-grown publicity on the Devious site itself! We are promised a weblink and we have supplied a few construction photos, and a specially-signed piece of dalek memorabilia has also been lent.
It's only a pity that the two daleks supplied were practically the two oldest (i.e. Chico and Harpo) and have had to have some repair work and emergency painting done - mind you they need that for the Feb/Mar '03 filming session anyway! - we couldn't free up the new ones as they're needed for our next filming session at the start of November. Here's one of them (above) with Ashley at the Comic Relief filming.
We at Devious wish Roy well with his work - it was a pleasure to meet him and his partner Jo when they came to collect the props.
30 October 2002
New Filming Date
With any luck we're filming again the second weekend in November. Wish us luck - we need it! Having tackled the script again last night and made the usual last-minute changes we're half hopeful and half apprehensive about the next batch of filming. The next session will see the exits of cast members Chaldar (Ashley) and Aturo (Arthur), and a lot of filming for The Covellitor (Stephen). Fresh from his week starring in a local production of Copacabana (see picture below) we are hoping that Stephen (not actually pictured below in case you thought one of them was him!) won't be quoting from Mr Manilow's epic during his Devious scenes.
29 October 2002
A bit of a cock-up
...on the news front...
Muchos apologies - for some reason best known to our server - or our own machine - or whatever - the whole site slipped back into some sort of time disturbance such that the site appeared to all in the outside world to be nearly three weeks out of date. Now it's entirely possible that our "time weapon" storyline has leaked out into reality and affected the web too. Quite frankly when you've been making this film as long as we have you'd be prepared to believe anything.
It seems that the mailing list was also affected - so if you had signed up since the 3rd of October there's a chance we may not have your details. Fear not, the intrepid Ashley X will do his best to track down from the emails the various people who rashly said 'yes' to receiving intermittent, sparce news about this 'happening' project!
28 October 2002
Sliding Doors...
...don't slide very well if you have to push them along. Ashley's been working on the sliding door props before the next shoot, since there were major movement problems last time.He's also trying to construct the gruesome new piece of kit to be attached to one of the daleks - this will be used for one of the death scenes to be filmed in a few weeks time.
There's also a bit of work going on tarting up the final three daleks - although they're not needed until February 2003 it's been decided to get them prettied up now to save time later. This will mean more time can be spent on the final sets and lighting. It is also hoped that a piece of set walling can be constructed to blend the new corridor sets with the door unit used in the interrogation room filming some years back - we have to somehow convince people that the changes in design between one part of the complex and another are intentional - and not just convenient!
14 October 2002
The Curse of Devious
13 October 2002
Goodness Me! It's the Tardis
06 October 2002
the Tardis lives on...
I spent the day repairing and restoring the elderly TARDIS roof and floor panels. I have taken a few piccies, 2 are attached.
01 October 2002
Moving Dalek Footage on Website
Well - not a lot but a bit of fun really. David from the team had found an unused remnant from the test edits and has converted it to be web-ready and we've stuck it on the site! Now it's 1.9MB and will take time to load so don't get your hopes up but we thought "why not" and so here it is. You'll see a couple of the blighters trundling down the corridor set - and that's it. No effects no nuffink. So be warned if you have a slow connection - you'll need to save target as. In time of course we'll put some more interesting clips on the site but for now it's furthe rproof that we haven't dies off or have given up on the project - yet! Give it a few days mind...!!!!
See the "filming" part of the site for this particular gem!
27 September 2002
test edits
12 September 2002
More pics from the filming weekend
There's a new section on the website called "filming" which contains a short article and some photos from the filming from last weekend.
When we get some stills from the actual footage - they'll be added too - but for now there's some shots from a digital camera to keep you all happy!
10 September 2002
First Pic from Corridor Filming Weekend
Here's the first pic from the set of 60 stills taken on the Sunday 8th Sep 2002 from our latest filming. Daleks (Gummo and Alfred !!!) awaiting another scene in the complex/science station. The corridor lighting was stark and contrasty, and this shot emphasises that look we were after. The photo was posed with the two casings whilst the poor tired operators took a breather! More photos as soon as we can!
09 September 2002
Shock-horror ! - Whole Day Filming!
GASP - finally we've done some more filming !!! Sets were put up on Saturday 7th and 12 hours of solid filming (along with hours either side to prepare and strike the sets) were completed on the Sunday (yesterday as I write this). The Doctor, Bradley and some daleks were in action in the complex. Six tapes of footage (2-3 digital cameras in use), and with 100 feet worth of corridor it looked impressive - well we thought so at the time! Judge for yourself in the next week or two as hopefully we'll put some stills from the day on the site - hopefully in a new section! Our biggest sets so far and the biggest challenge for an amateur group such as us - at least we've got going again as promised! The next batch of filming (with this new set) is intended for mid October with a break until January/Feb whereupon we hope to film the big control room set (once it is suitably sci-fi furnished). The break is to allow us to construct the next sets and to view and test-edit, although hopefully we have a happy event (due 23rd November coincidentally) with the impending birth of David and Bilga's new baby.
30 August 2002
the joy of painting
16 August 2002
website update
a few new pics scattered through the site - see the Images - COFD section - more will follow...
Also a link to the BBC Southern Counties Radio's Charity Challenge where you'll spot a few Devious people!
09 August 2002
daleks on the move again
25 July 2002
the first step in universal domination...
... is of course taking over a garage. It seems that Ian Watts, our Big Brother Robot Wars colleague has solved the problem of storage for Devious's black dalek (the currently-bright-silver-all-over radio-powered one) by conveniently buying his neighbours house. "Onya" (the worst-named Marx brother of all) now has his (/her - we're not sure on this) own garage. Heaven help you if you want to park your car in there!
Meanwhile, door painting continues apace, and the nation's stocks of silver, red and white will be heavily depleted by the weekend if all goes well. We're still hoping for August filming, in case you ask!
12 July 2002
no news is good news
- or so they say ! Well, hopefully that's the case. As you may know I'm a bit superstitious and so I don't want to report on things until they've happened, so I suppose I can say with confidence that a lot of the corridor sets have been completed. The unique design is hopefully a lights and mirrors job, so the construction methods should be reasonably confusing. The trick, as with all sets, is the lighting. We hope to get an atmospheric quality about these scenes, and we think it may be possible. When we get to use them in some shooting (provisionally August) we'll put some shots on the site. The sliding doors are coming on nicely too. Again, no pictures, so here's a nice one of Stephen, David and I (Ashley) taken at the successful Dimensions On Tyne convention last year.
Our Tardis can be seen behind! Incidentally, Stephen is rebuilding the tardis roof and base due to years of decay - I think he kept hearing the cloister bell each time he moved the prop into his shed at home!
15 May 2002
corridor lighting test
A section of corridor was set up yesterday evening (a) to see what it looked like lighting-wise, and more importantly (b) to see if it would fall down again.
Thankfully (b) was all right, although careful lighting will be required to ensure it looks half decent in the production. As we have got rather a lot of corridor-running to do (in the true cliche-ridden tradition of Dr Who) we knew that corridor sets could get expensive if we weren't careful. So providing people don't lean on the walls or daleks don't run into them we may get away with it!
There'll be some pics from the test as soon as I've had a chance to grab them into the right pc and pushed them to the web.
08 May 2002
new website launch
Today sees the launch of the new Devious website - it will be linked to www.doctorwho-devious.com in due course...
At present there's only half the intended content - at least we'll be able to add stuff as we go on to keep you all interested while we gamely try to get this blinkin' epic finished! For example there'll be a "faq" section and more news items will be added retrospectively to reflect our history...
Please bear with us as we try to get this thing going - as we've always said we don't bother much with the site as it does rather tempt fate a bit - we'd rather report on things completed rather than surmising, as we do tend to miss our own extremely elastic deadlines.
But then we only do this (a) for fun, and (b) occasionally. And (a) isn't always the case, as you'd think if you'd just cut the 75th wall roundel or painted the 200th dalek hemisphere!
16 April 2002
New Daleks nearing completion
The final members of the dalek "fleet" are nearing completion in the shed/workshop AT LAST!!! Numbers seven and eight are complete except for working lights and an internal seat for no 7. New lights will be fitted to the rest of them anyway, so there's not a big problem there. Whilst the new ones were being built, Ashley took the time to improve some of the poorer features of the older props - namely the eyepieces and improvements to the gunsticks. The shot below show them waiting rather menacingly in the darkness of the shed - reminiscent of the "Power of the Daleks" Troughton....
16 February 2002
Radio-powered Dalek at Brighton Modelworld 2002
The weekend of the 15th-17th of February 2002 saw the radio-controlled dalek make an appearance at the acclaimed ModelWorld show at the Brighton Centre. Moving amongst the crowds it caused quite a stir over the three day event...
Radio control work has been achieved by Ian Watts from the successful Robot Wars Team "Big Brother", (with some help from Ashley from Devious Team!) - this weekend it has been using a new motor controller wigh a better turn of speed and better control!
19 November 2001
Dimensions on Tyne Convention appearance
- NOV 17th - 10.45 - We were ready (well almost)!!!!
Just while I have a quick moment I'd like to insert a few words of thanks for David Price who organised the Dimensions On Tyne Convention - a successful convention indeed for all concerned. Certainly we enjoyed ourselves and were made to feel welcome. We were flattered by the attention we received, and relieved our 'slot' went well. The fans seemed to enjoy our footage - the documentary, the extracts and the "Pertwee Scene" itself drew a good reaction, judging by the numbers of fans who spoke to us afterwards as well as the immediate reaction to the panel. The remote controlled dalek didn't misbehave too badly (although at the Saturday night disco it's dancing style was rather interesting!).
We made some new friends and contacts, and ensured that when Devious is completed it will be a much richer and more interesting piece of work than we had intended originally - certainly you'll be hearing more of Devious in the future! From the number of people who said we must now complete this epic we are now ready to rise to that challenge!
14 November 2001
Convention Preparations etc
The saying "if it wasn't for the last minute then nothing would get done" is most definitely true!!! We're now running round like blue-a***d flies trying to be ready for our appearance at the Dimensions On Tyne convention. The schedule is complete, and our running order is as follows...
A documentary on the history of Devious, showing behind the scenes stuff, with exclusive footage from our time working with Jon Pertwee, as well as Comic Relief;
Extracts from Devious itself, consisting of linked scenes from various episodes; and
The "Pertwee Scene" from the end of our story - featuring the man himself!
Again we'd like to stress that this is the plan - subject to any last minute clearance problems, although touchwood (rubs forehead at this point) we haven't heard anything untoward. So we hope you'll enjoy what we've got to show for you. There should be some time for questions and answers - we feel sure you'll want to comment on what you see!
Oh yes - and we've a little surprise too!
Again we'd like to thank the organisers of the convention for inviting us! - and secondly for giving us a deadline!
The new version of this site will be available in the week after the convention with any luck! It will allow me to put ASP code onto the site, meaning I'll be able to improve the content and most importantly the frequency of update to the site. So before long, I'll be asking you all to keep a note of this new location - i.e. ensure any bookmarks point to www.doctorwho-devious.com instead of the geocities address . At least I'll be able to lose the adverts! I will retain the geocities site for a while until you're all safely moved over!
23 October 2001
Dimensions on Tyne update
Well, we're still on at the forthcoming Dimensions On Tyne Doctor Who Convention in Newcastle this November 2001. We're in good company, as there are loads of celebrity guests, including two Doctor Who's and rather a lot of companions. Let's hope we can give you a show in the time we have allotted! We've decided to split the video presentation into four segments, with a few words betwen the clips. We're promised a question and answer session and/or interview after our final segment, so get your questions ready. Prop building is still going on, although we have revised the new shots to be filmed this month.
14 November 2000
Day of the Daleks convention appearance
Three of the Devious daleks made the trip to Liverpool for this excellent convention! Here (reproduced entirely without permission, so please forgive if this is a problem for you) is a shot from the excellent Day of the Daleks website...
thanks again for inviting us...!
05 July 1999
Comic Relief
Initially we were to provide the tardis set (the console and walls) although three of our daleks soon muscled in on the act, and before long had found their way onto the BBC juggernaught bound for Pinewood Studios.
Stephen and Ashley went up on day one for the build, whilst they were joined during the shoot by David, and on one day by Chris. On of Chris' prize possessions is his photo taken with Hugh Grant, whilst each of us have very good memories of our time there.
A video documentary was made during the filming, and Stephen and Ashley were interviewed for it, whilst some unfinished clips from Devious itself were used on the documentary tape to illustrate what Ashley was saying in his segment. This was a bonus, and if anything taught us that next time we check two things. Firstly, to send clips up with finished sound and visual effects, and secondly, and perhaps more noticeably, to correct the tardis time-rotor from accidentally wobbling during the final takes in the Master's/Doctor's tardis set! Many people were convinced that rotor wobbled deliberately, even "The Nine Lives of Doctor Who" book had a theory along those lines. Oh well, perhaps at least it made people talk.
If the whole sketch served to demonstrate the continued popularity of the series, then we are glad we helped in our small way.
Nine million viewers saw us trundle around in assorted silver daleks in that sketch (oh yes, and Chris was in a black one (from the museum in North Wales) seen for under a second!!).
Not only did the BBC juggernaught lorry collect the props, but upon its return on the Thursday it also contained the genuine BBC fibreglass Tardis en-route to it's normal storage area. So at least Ashley can say that Doctor Who's tardis has been to his house.
Well, he's stopped going around saying that now, as people have started to run away from him when they see him coming.
Here's the BBC video cover - if you do find it anywhere then I'm sure a percentage still goes to charity!
