A couple of weeks ago I saw Katy Manning in a tour of Agatha Christie’s “A Murder is Announced.” It’s a very traditional production: A single set and a cast of eleven, with scene changes covered by blackouts and music. Some of the cast appeared to be playing well out of their age range: One character supposedly in her dotage was clearly played by a much younger actress, and Dean Gaffney playing a student was stretching credulity somewhat! Katy portrayed the central character of the piece and delivered a strong confident performance. It was great to see her in action.
This weekend was the third of the BFI’s monthly Doctor Who screenings. “The Mind of Evil” was shown in colour for the first time in forty-two years in the UK, following a painstaking colour recovery process. I am even more convinced now that Doctor Who is at its best when watched with five hundred other fans in a cinema! The humour (intentional and otherwise) is emphasised, the action enhanced and the performances sparkle.
The panel afterwards comprised Timothy Combe (director), Terrance Dicks (script editor), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), John Levene (Sgt. Benton) and, that’s right, Katy Manning (Jo Grant). The panel had a great energy, with several very vocal contributors.
Once again, James from The Doctor Who Podcast recorded our thoughts after the screening, which will be available from their Facebook page soon. (You can still download February’s “Tomb of the Cybermen” special episode.)
Finally, a massive thank you to everyone who responded to last week’s blog post. It’s been touching seeing some familiar names on the Sam Shaw Appeal page. The appeal has nearly reached 3% of the target. It’s a big target and that 3% represents an amazing contribution from a lot of people in a short time. Please give something if you can.
