Alas, my poignant friends, the carnival is over. And the strange old man shouting abuse at passing children until the police informed is over as well. The Saturday Teatime Guild of Gabriel Chase is no more. With its owner and administrator even more of an antisocial recluse than I am, there has never been any way on God's green Earth to communicate with him, and so his present status is unknown but I fear that the Reaper's caught up with that particular and ever do discerning fan.
The world will be very different, as we have lost the one person who's ill-concieved unthinking prejudice, bigotry and mindless hatred for NuWho was only rivaled his incoherent self-contradictory disgust for Classic Who at the same time. Oh, how I wish I'd taken a chance to sample the rest of his sight for posterity, from his lovingly-crafted abuse of JNT, Peter Davison and indeed the human race in general. His Popular Myths section, which delighted in scornfully mocking William Hartnell's unhappy childhood, students in the 1980s and the bizarre insistance that Curse of Fatal Death is canon but the TV Movie isn't, have raised the global mean temperature by the sheer potential of the flamewars they could create. His Political Allegories corner, though, is enough to stun any mortal man into silence with such bizarre claims that the Troughton era was a deliberate condemnation on Thatcherism yet RTD never, not once, in any way, shape or form, referenced contemporary political opinion into his series. That's just another level of insanity that left you, like a narrator in an HP Lovecraft tale, retreating to your crude totemic support structures, like pointing out the bastard was a lying theif for stealing Charles Daniels' Dustbin gif. without permission or accreditation.
Sadly, only his Parallel Universe quarter was reviewed by this humble blog - the only one updated in order to keep the promise of "constant evolution" in the website's intro accurate. It was amusing to see it rapidly grow larger and larger than the rest of the site put together, originally just a list of Peter Cushing movies and Paul McGann it expanded beyond all belief. Interesting, though, Gabriel never put The Pescatons in that section. I mean, he had no excuse, did he?
Because of GC's psychotic refusal to allow anyone to contact him or comment on the website, it is impossible to tell how far and wide his loss will be felt. I myself can only confirm a handful of readers of this blog even knew of his existence... which leads to the troubling and inevitable conclusion that the Saturday Teatime Guild was maliciously and deliberately destroyed. Who did this appalling deed, you ask?
My deductions conclude that it was GC himself who annihilated himself rather than go on.
What was the final straw? Could he not bear to update some fiddly details now two missing episodes had been found? Was fortunecity merely demanding extortionate fees? Had he finally broken under the revelation he was going to have to give the new series its own section on the blog, simply because there was no room for it to be a subheading any more? All valid interpretations but surely the most significant fact is that the GCSTG dissolved into the ether mere hours after this post was unleashed onto the information superhighway?
In a fitting tribute, Mallet was kind enough to disguise himself as Edward Woodward rather than a monochrome Smurf and refuse to let anyone else reply to his announcement. This false respecticality and disregard for the opinions of others shows a true kindred spirit with Gabriel Chase.
Perhaps he ended it all, knowing that his legacy would be maintained by other spiteful little jerks, and he could rest in peace at last?
...
Someone should really be playing Amazing Grace on the bagpipes at this point.
And so, as the memory of this Gobby Chit bloke fades into the fall of night, let us remember for the final time all the strange and demented declarations that made me hate the bastard in the first place...
Our first encounter...
The ongoing battle...
A mild one, backed up by Jared's insightful research...
The infamous April Fool... in October...
A Critical History And Analysis of Time-Crash
My own and GC's reviews of 2007
The one where he dismissed Freema Agyeman as unworthy for being "half-black"...
After he edited out the racist comments... and put some other ones in...
When GC started claiming the show had been axed...
When GC was still claiming the show was axed several years later...
GC's optimistic vision of the Eleventh Doctor...
GC's traditional Christmas abuse...
Our final encounter, when I unwittingly exposed him to Matty Knoller and his certain doom...
Sigh.
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8 comments:
Good to see a proper tribute. As you say, what fascinated me about Chase was that he was one of those ultra-negative Who fans. The type that leave you wondering how this person can reasonably claim to be a fan, because as far as you can work out they hate nearly all of it.
From what I could tell Gabriel Chase liked at most three seasons of it, when Hinchcliffe was in charge. But never missed an episode. (Except, possibly, the new series)
His breed of fan is dying out, and fandom is left the richer for their passing.
Good to see a proper tribute.
Tragically, it seems I may be the only person on the planet in a position to do so...
As you say, what fascinated me about Chase was that he was one of those ultra-negative Who fans. The type that leave you wondering how this person can reasonably claim to be a fan, because as far as you can work out they hate nearly all of it.
I agree. I was a bit boggled by Thomas Cookson's latest slide into that direction. He's gone from daydreaming Classic Who ended at Androzani to demanding it ended with Shada to insisting it ended with Talons. He's gone from praising Eccleston and some of Tennant to just Eccleston to Eccleston AND Smith to damning all of them.
It really is quite unnerving.
From what I could tell Gabriel Chase liked at most three seasons of it, when Hinchcliffe was in charge. But never missed an episode. (Except, possibly, the new series)
Heh.
It reminds me of Gary Gillat's "A to Z of Doctor Who" a rather endearing and witty collection of illustrated essays forming a rough guide to the history of the show. But... every single essay could be boiled down to "why the hell would anyone like this shit?" with the answer being "because Hinchcliffe kicked some series ass". Nothing else has any merit and indeed it outright offensive.
His breed of fan is dying out, and fandom is left the richer for their passing.
A breed of human being, too.
Blimey, there's enough to get depressed about already without uncontrollable hatedoms! I'm tempted to write a defense of Kate from Robin Hood... Why does she have such a grude against Izzy? Maybe because she and Izzy were shown to be mates for a month before Izzy stole her man and tried to leave her in a dungeon to be raped to death, maybe?!
Ahem.
Anyway, speaking of the "golden era", I've just heard the first half of the 4th Doctor/Leela versus the Master audio saga, which while probably one of the weaker stories is still pretty damn good.
MASTER: Nothing is too extreme when the Doctor is involved. What is he up to?
HENCHMAN: Um, I can't hear you. Why are you always talking to the wall like that?
MASTER: Because at least I get some intelligent conversation from the wall, you fucking n00b!
HENCHMAN: Oh.
Tragically, it seems I may be the only person on the planet in a position to do so...
Well, yeah. His site was barely acknowledged elsewhere...
I agree. I was a bit boggled by Thomas Cookson's latest slide into that direction.
Really? I miss this sort of thing being so disconnected with fandom..
He's gone from praising Eccleston and some of Tennant to just Eccleston to Eccleston AND Smith to damning all of them.
Lol. So when a doctor has some episodes he doesn't like he goes off them saying "I was tricked, they were crap all along!"
But... every single essay could be boiled down to "why the hell would anyone like this shit?" with the answer being "because Hinchcliffe kicked some series ass". Nothing else has any merit and indeed it outright offensive.
Incidentally, while this view is very popular I can't subscribe to it. Simply because Season 13... IMHO... wasn't that great.
*Massed gasping*
It's a personal opinion thing but, for me, three reeeeally overrated stories make up the bulk of the season and it's reputation... I guess I'm just not a fan of Hammer horror tributes because Pyramids of Mars was, to me, solid but unremarkable, Brain of Morbius was cliched and not that interesting and has a very weak ending and then...
I honestly don't even know why Seeds is popular. I guess I should watch it again - maybe it owes 90% of it to Harrison Chase's characterisation and I missed it? But... the Doctor does nothing. UNIT saving the day reeks of copout. It's long and padded. And was it just me or did the Krynoid look pretty crap?
None of them are BAD stories but nothing about them elevates them above every other 70s story that was made. Ironically the only bit of Pyramids I loved was the stuff everyone hates in Episode 4 where the story goes in a completely unexpected direction...
Also, then the rest of the season Planet of Evil is similarly okay with some dodgy stuff in it and Android Invasion is... well, you know what that is. Fun if you switch your brain off. So it's a whole season of unremarkable stories!
(Of course I looked it up and saw that Zygons is part of that season. But I always think of it as the finale of Season 12 as it had been intended to be... and, yes, Zygons is really good like everyone says)
But, anyway to return to my vague-ish point, to me Hinchcliffe doesn't hands-down everyone else because JNT made Seasons 18, 19 and 21, Williams made Season 17, and Derrick Sherwin made Season 7 all of which I rate higher than 13.
(Orthodox fans would be appalled at me saying I like Season 17 more, I know. But it's so FUN!!! Also, I give Sherwin full credit for 7 which a lot of people would argue but I find it hard to imagine otherwise because it feels completely un-Barry Letts. And Barry himself talks on the DVDs as if he only got any input when Inferno was being made)
Was on Wikipedia and HOLY SHIT Hinchcliffe is still alive? Not to be a dick about it but I assumed he was dead..
Blimey, there's enough to get depressed about already without uncontrollable hatedoms! I'm tempted to write a defense of Kate from Robin Hood...
Good lord. Followed by a defense of Bin Laden?
Though I'll tacitly agree she can never be the WORST female lead EVER as a lot of fans insist. Too much crap has been made for that. And she's far from the only thing wrong with series 3..
Anyway, speaking of the "golden era", I've just heard the first half of the 4th Doctor/Leela versus the Master audio saga, which while probably one of the weaker stories is still pretty damn good.
Who's playing the Master? Angry Beevers?
Well, yeah. His site was barely acknowledged elsewhere...
Indeed, Ronny seems to be the only person not simply being a list of websites.
Really? I miss this sort of thing being so disconnected with fandom..
His reviews on the DWRG along with his rants in online fanzines have become, IMHO, unreadable.
Lol. So when a doctor has some episodes he doesn't like he goes off them saying "I was tricked, they were crap all along!"
There is no other way one can describe his turnaround on Matt Smith...
Incidentally, while this view is very popular I can't subscribe to it. Simply because Season 13... IMHO... wasn't that great.
No. I agree. I think Morbius and Seeds were brilliant, but Pyramids and Zygons only worked as popcorn entertainment, and as for Android Invasion... sheesh...
Pyramids of Mars was, to me, solid but unremarkable, Brain of Morbius was cliched and not that interesting and has a very weak ending and then...
I cannot argue, though I saw both those stories as edited minimovies rather than episode by episode.
I honestly don't even know why Seeds is popular. I guess I should watch it again - maybe it owes 90% of it to Harrison Chase's characterisation and I missed it?
Hmmm.
1) The music
2) Graeme Harper and Douglas Camfield
3) The Krynoid is (at least in one scene) very freaky
4) The violence and nastiness
5) A very rare occasion of Tom Baker acting - he told everyone he thought the script was absolute shit, but Camfield convinced him to swallow his contempt and act as if the story was good. Baker managed this by getting everyone to tell him scary ghost stories before he had to do a scene.
Horror of Fang Rock shows Baker decided this was too much hard work.
But... the Doctor does nothing.
True. IMO, that does highten the tension as at least he gets a good share of screentime. If Saward had written it he'd have spent the entire story in the basement staring at the compost machine.
UNIT saving the day reeks of copout. It's long and padded. And was it just me or did the Krynoid look pretty crap?
I cannot judge. Saw it at the impressionable age. Something about it being a mindless omnivore really got to me, that this was the one monster the Doctor couldn't wisecrack or scare.
Ironically the only bit of Pyramids I loved was the stuff everyone hates in Episode 4 where the story goes in a completely unexpected direction...
The maze of traps bit or just scenes on Mars?
So it's a whole season of unremarkable stories!
So, uh, would you saw Season 14 has remarkable stories? Just curious.
But I always think of it as the finale of Season 12 as it had been intended to be... and, yes, Zygons is really good like everyone says
Heh.
(Orthodox fans would be appalled at me saying I like Season 17 more, I know. But it's so FUN!!!
And ironically more darker and adult than the seasons on either side...
Was on Wikipedia and HOLY SHIT Hinchcliffe is still alive? Not to be a dick about it but I assumed he was dead..
No. He's in reasonable health. He gave BF his unmade scripts for a Tom Baker adventure, which I'm fairly sure I sent you.
Good lord. Followed by a defense of Bin Laden?
Well, it's not a total exoneration, but...
Though I'll tacitly agree she can never be the WORST female lead EVER as a lot of fans insist. Too much crap has been made for that. And she's far from the only thing wrong with series 3..
No. Though Miss Froggat has the amazing skill of coming to the forefront of people's minds...
Who's playing the Master? Angry Beevers?
Yep. The Master isn't even the most interesting villain in the story, but Tommy B is playing the quasi-traditional banter like he really, properly hates the "vengeance-obsessed sociopathic megalomaniac".
Which is... new.
His reviews on the DWRG along with his rants in online fanzines have become, IMHO, unreadable.
Well, sad to hear that..
2) Graeme Harper and Douglas Camfield
... was Graeme Harper assistant director or something?
3) The Krynoid is (at least in one scene) very freaky
To be fair I remember liking the transformation bits..
5) A very rare occasion of Tom Baker acting - he told everyone he thought the script was absolute shit, but Camfield convinced him to swallow his contempt and act as if the story was good. Baker managed this by getting everyone to tell him scary ghost stories before he had to do a scene.
Lmao! Hadn't heard that one before..
Horror of Fang Rock shows Baker decided this was too much hard work.
Was he bored in that one? I never noticed. Mind you, I couldn't blame him because although I like that one quite a bit, it feels like they put all the dull bits into Episode One to make the last three bits more interesting..
True. IMO, that does highten the tension as at least he gets a good share of screentime. If Saward had written it he'd have spent the entire story in the basement staring at the compost machine.
Lol. "Aha, now the FINE PRINT on this contract dictates that I shall be feed into the machine if and only when..."
I cannot judge. Saw it at the impressionable age. Something about it being a mindless omnivore really got to me, that this was the one monster the Doctor couldn't wisecrack or scare.
I was about to say 'other than the Cybermen'... then remembered that Tom Baker got to battle the Christopher Robbie version of the Cybermen...
The maze of traps bit or just scenes on Mars?
All the bits on Mars! And the fact the story went there! And the fact that he realizes he has four minutes before a radio signal can travel from Mars to Earth! I like all that stuff.
So, uh, would you saw Season 14 has remarkable stories? Just curious.
Definitely. To me they're more inventive. Masque is a story I really want to rewatch when I remember it because I don't remember any negatives. Then Deadly Assassin, Face of Evil, Robots of Death, finishing with Talons oh my god! I don't think any season can match it for design, production values and inventiveness.
I barely even watched Hand of Fear I have to add so I can't judge it much. But I didn't mind what I saw. But Season 14 IS one of the absolute best for me.
And ironically more darker and adult than the seasons on either side...
That is the most surreal thing about it... the stories are all very dark when you actually look at what's going on in the script and not on screen. City of Death at least is written to treat all the death and destruction flippantly but other than that Creature is the only one that's faintly light hearted as written.
No. He's in reasonable health. He gave BF his unmade scripts for a Tom Baker adventure, which I'm fairly sure I sent you.
You have. Thank you again for those..
No. Though Miss Froggat has the amazing skill of coming to the forefront of people's minds...
If they blame it on David Harewood then that's well racist..
Yep. The Master isn't even the most interesting villain in the story, but Tommy B is playing the quasi-traditional banter like he really, properly hates the "vengeance-obsessed sociopathic megalomaniac".
Maybe he appreciates this material more after a long Winter of Monarch of the Glen, Miss Marples and SYMPHONY FURNITURE?
Well, sad to hear that..
Unreadable in the sense I cannot bring myself to read them. They might be very well written.
... was Graeme Harper assistant director or something?
Yeah. Camfield was still knackered from his heart attack during Inferno, so Harper was his main sidekick.
To be fair I remember liking the transformation bits..
It also runs the gamut from wierd alien pod to infection to mutant to monster to kaiju. There's got to be at least ONE moment a given viewer finds it freaky...
Lmao! Hadn't heard that one before..
This incident is one of the things that made Camfield legendary. No one else came close to reigning Tom in until, ironically, he met Williams during Robots of Death.
Tom: This script is complete shit! I will not participate a moment longer! Don't you agree, Mr...
Graham: Graham Williams.
Tom: How do you, Graham Williams. What are you here for?
Graham: I'm the new producer.
Tom: ............. um. Cool.
Was he bored in that one? I never noticed.
Not so much bored but monumentally pissed off. Fang Rock was filmed in a different studio, basically the equivalent of having to go to Canberra to film five minutes.
Lol. "Aha, now the FINE PRINT on this contract dictates that I shall be feed into the machine if and only when..."
*cue Scorby threatening to rape Peri*
I was about to say 'other than the Cybermen'... then remembered that Tom Baker got to battle the Christopher Robbie version of the Cybermen...
Who arguably had more personality than the entire Kaled/Thal races.
All the bits on Mars! And the fact the story went there! And the fact that he realizes he has four minutes before a radio signal can travel from Mars to Earth! I like all that stuff.
Ah. Gotcha. Yeah. I liked that to, that the Doctor uses this funky Time Lord machine to save the day but he can only do that because of a natural law of the universe that not even Sutekh can stop.
Definitely. To me they're more inventive.
Certainly more varied.
I don't think any season can match it for design, production values and inventiveness.
It also has... I dunno. I always feel, watching the bit in Robots where the Doctor and Leela piss about in Uvanov's office, that this feels completely different to the Doctor and Sarah chatting to Guiliano. It's like a totally different show yet it's the same season. Maybe it was the gothic fallout of Deadly Assassin, I dunno.
That is the most surreal thing about it... the stories are all very dark when you actually look at what's going on in the script and not on screen.
Yeah. Impressive, really.
Creature is the only one that's faintly light hearted as written.
It was even sillier before Adams rewrote it. They defeated Adrasta by locking her in the TARDIS with K9 for a month till she went sane, and Erato turned himself into a spaceship run by android hostesses.
It's unconfirmed but apparently Douglas Adams was heard to demand, "Are you taking the piss?!"
You have. Thank you again for those..
Ah, good. Was worried I hadn't sent you them.
If they blame it on David Harewood then that's well racist..
If they blame it on him, Kcut Rairf will break their chins...
Maybe he appreciates this material more after a long Winter of Monarch of the Glen, Miss Marples and SYMPHONY FURNITURE?
Ahhhhhhh. Big Finish. Exclusive to fanwanking monkey shaggers...
*reads script for Vengeance of Morbius*
You can't record that! They're not fucking infant teachers who listen to this, you know! What a heap of distilled whippet shit...
Yeah. Camfield was still knackered from his heart attack during Inferno, so Harper was his main sidekick.
I had no idea. That's pretty cool that they had that kind of passing-the-torch moment between the two great directors.
(Although Harper only got two stories in the classic series. Damn..)
Tom: How do you, Graham Williams. What are you here for?
Graham: I'm the new producer.
Tom: ............. um. Cool.
Lmao. Classic Tom. "Naturally you want to keep me in the part because I'm extraordinarily professional.."
Paul Seed on The Ribos Operation DVD talked about Tom just used the scripts as something to vent his frustrations out on when he was in a bad mood. They'd been on location and Tom had mentioned liking the episode, then after the dog-biting incident he started throwing it around the room and demanding to know "Who wrote this horse shit?"
Not so much bored but monumentally pissed off. Fang Rock was filmed in a different studio, basically the equivalent of having to go to Canberra to film five minutes.
Ahh. And so the Doctor becomes highly passive-aggressive towards Rutans for four weeks lol..
Who arguably had more personality than the entire Kaled/Thal races.
And the Vogans! They really messed up there..
Ah. Gotcha. Yeah. I liked that to, that the Doctor uses this funky Time Lord machine to save the day but he can only do that because of a natural law of the universe that not even Sutekh can stop.
Of course I did read somebody asking why the Doctor couldn't break that machine earlier in the story and, well, I couldn't think of answer..
It's like a totally different show yet it's the same season. Maybe it was the gothic fallout of Deadly Assassin, I dunno.
I'd agree with that. I like seasons that feel a lot different with what they do..
It's unconfirmed but apparently Douglas Adams was heard to demand, "Are you taking the piss?!"
..funnily enough I was about to type much the same thing..
If they blame it on him, Kcut Rairf will break their chins...
Well, that too.
You can't record that! They're not fucking infant teachers who listen to this, you know! What a heap of distilled whippet shit...
I think I still haven't listened to Vengeance. Sigh, I'm so far behind on Big Finish. And especially bad Big Finish...
I had no idea. That's pretty cool that they had that kind of passing-the-torch moment between the two great directors.
Harper confirms its where he got a lot of his people-skills from.
Lmao. Classic Tom. "Naturally you want to keep me in the part because I'm extraordinarily professional.."
For the record it was an argument about the cliffhanger where he gets buried in sand. Tom wanted to do an RH-style stunt with a scarf to escape on his own.
after the dog-biting incident he started throwing it around the room and demanding to know "Who wrote this horse shit?"
I dare say part of it was having lots of dialogue when his mouth was hurting like hell. I personally would avoid a Holmes script if it was painful to talk.
Ahh. And so the Doctor becomes highly passive-aggressive towards Rutans for four weeks lol..
If only there was some connection!
And the Vogans! They really messed up there..
Yeah. Impressively forgettable the Vogans. I keep waiting for the next RTD epic where an invasion by Vogans encounter a secret force of Movellans.
"ARMY OF ALSO-RANS"...
Of course I did read somebody asking why the Doctor couldn't break that machine earlier in the story and, well, I couldn't think of answer..
There wasn't any point. Think of it as cutting a rope bridge across the canyon. If Sutekh wasn't on the bridge, cutting it wouldn't have stopped him.
I'd agree with that. I like seasons that feel a lot different with what they do..
Yeah. I can see why the BBC marketed the Leela-half of S14 as a whole new season.
..funnily enough I was about to type much the same thing..
I forgive him, though. I mean, if YOU found out your boss was the guy who wrote Hitchhikers, you'd probably try to get on the same wavelength...
I think I still haven't listened to Vengeance. Sigh, I'm so far behind on Big Finish. And especially bad Big Finish...
Gah!
If you haven't heard Vengeance... don't. Skip straight to Orbis and pretend my guide happened instead. It is unique in I honestly, genuinely believe my Goodies-filled pisstake is 100% better than anything in the original.
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