More Felt Mascots

Rufus

S. Bot and friends

Mr Sparkles makes some friends

I am afraid Mr Sparkles may have to go into retirement. I had planned on taking him to Amsterdam but he is looking a little worse for wear after being squashed into bags. I also found him under a pile of scrapbook supplies which didn't help. I am thinking of making a new one but then Mr Sparkles hasn't seen much of the world yet and I would feel a little guilty at leaving him behind.

Timewarden, speaking from experience a parent telling you that it's only a film doesn't help. When we were little my sister and I used to watch episodes of Dr Who with the Daleks and then we wouldn't be able to sleep later. My dad got so exasperated he even threatened no more Dr Who. Children's imaginations work overtime generally, especially when they are given a scary image. Logic never comes into it. I would have hated to be dragged out part way through a film too but this child was a little young.

Harry Potter and the Cute Book

I bet JK Rowling never considered that as a title for her HP books. I am hoping that this will be my last HP post for a while. Getting a little sick of talking about it myself. I have finally went to see the film though and thought I should mention it a little. Harry is angry in this one. He has been left out of the loop all summer until he is attacked by two dementors and so removed from his muggle home to that of Sirius Black's childhood home. There he discovers that an order to fight the Dark Lord has reformed, the order of the Phoenix. Harry then gets to school to discover that the ministry has taken over the school through Professor Umbrige. As they see that they are not going to be shown how to defend themselves Harry and friends decide to teach themselves and form Dumbledores Army. Meanwhile Harry is seeing flashes of what the Dark Lord is up to.

It was a good take on the book but as expected so much was missed out. The time in the Black home took up over 100 pages in the book. I was just sorry that there wasn't more on the Order or the Aurors themselves. Not that it was necessary as they put in enough for everyone to understand the story. It's quite a large book compared to all the others and it would have to be cut drastically unless we wanted something on the length of LOTR. The critics are right this film was darker than the others and the ending was great. Not going to say too much more on that as I don't want to spoil it. If it hadn't been for the ending though I would have preferred the previous one to this. Someone else found it scary from the start though. When the dementors entered the scene a child started screaming in the cinema hall and later had to be taken away by his mother.

And here is where the Cute Book comes in. I mentioned this book in yesterdays post. I saw this book discussed on a crafts website I visit. I didn't give it much thought. Although the cover looked very cute these books are usually disappointing. Then I saw it in the book shop and was pleasantly surprised. I had to go and buy it. This book shows you how to make lots of very cute felt mascots. The book gives templates for each of the characters and then detailed diagrams of how to put them together. All the instructions are simple to follow and the characters seems easy enough to make. The back of the book gives some ideas of other ways to craft these mascots.

This is my first attempt at one of them, the monkey. He does look a little angry but he looks a little angry in the book too. I think if I make him again I would probably try and give him a smile. He hasn't got a name yet as I plan on giving him away today. I also have a list of other mascots I want to make and thankfully I bought enough felt to make a few.

Timewarden, I resorted to TV villains as I couldn't think of any in the book world. At least any that made me think the way the question described. I haven't seen "Blue Velvet".

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

Well, after last week’s record-breaking number of responses (92 last time I checked–an all-time BTT record), I was tempted to use this week’s question to ask what you all thought about Harry Potter 7–but since a decent proportion of you weren’t going to be reading it at all, that seemed unfair. So instead . . .

Who’s the worst fictional villain you can think of? As in, the one you hate the most, find the most evil, are happiest to see defeated? Not the cardboard, two-dimensional variety, but the most deliciously-written, most entertaining, best villain? Not necessarily the most “evil,” so much as the best-conceived on the part of the author…oh, you know what I mean!

These days I read very few books where there is an absolute villain. I find this question quite difficult. Most people I know have fictional characters that they love to hate but I find it difficult to feel that passionately about most bad characters. Out of some classics that I have read in the past I can think of Dracula, Uriah Heep and Heathcliff. While I disliked their characters as the reader was supposed to I don't think they were the most entertaining of villains and I'm not sure how I would class a character as such. Of course if I was talking sci fi it would be the easy choice of possibly the Daleks or the Cybermen. I am sitting here looking at my piles of books and although there are a number of classics, horror and fantasy amongst them nothing springs to mind. Maybe I have the discovery of my favourite villain to look forward to.

Still speaking of books I got the cutest craft book on how to make soft toys. All it takes is a little felt, a little stuffing and some hand stitching. I am going felt shopping today and hopefully make a start on at least one. Once I have made my first I will show you an image of the book with a mini review. On an aside here is a word of advice. Never say (however innocently you might have meant it) "I need to get felt" amongst a group of people who clearly have dirty minds. The comments I got after I said it would make anyone blush.

A Good Day Yesterday

Yesterday BBC2 showed the first two episodes of the new hit US show "Heroes". I have already seen up to episode 9 but am more than happy to watch them all over again (and of course to catch the last few I missed). In the first two episodes the story feels like it has barely started. Instead we are being introduced to the story line and to the many characters. All the main characters share one thing in common. They all have a gift. Most of them are trying to deny that fact but two of them are actually overjoyed by it. First of all Peter Patrelli has been having dreams that he can fly. Dreams in which his brother will occasionally appear in. His brother busy trying to become elected tries to deny that this could be real.

The second character has to be my favourite of the show. Hiro is almost your typical geek. He tries to prove to his best friend that he has the ability to transport himself by manipulating time and space. You can't help but love his enthusiasm and excitement when he succeeds in transporting himself to New York (you might recognise the actor as he played Franklin in Scrubs). There is something likable in most characters and you find yourself looking forward to finding out more and more about each of them. So far we know that New York is going to blow up some time in the future. We know that there is a serial killer on the loose. One who had worked with Professor Suresh who was making progress in discovering that there are people out there who are special. We also know there is some kind of agency looking for Suresh's work and that the cheerleaders father is somehow connected to it.

This series just gets better with each episode and I find myself looking forward to next weeks installment. The good thing about this series is that it seems to appeal to both sci fi and non sci fi fans. The lack of technology, the fact that the characters seem like real people and that it is sent in present time probably helps. It was actually too very non sci fi fans who brought my attention to it.

Other than Heroes being on the screen I had a good day for other reasons. It was just a relaxing day off. I managed to do a little reading, some knitting and I even got out all my scrapbook materials and worked on a couple of pages. Something I haven't done in a long time.

Here is one page I did for my sister's scrapbook that I am pleased with. When I took the photo my sister didn't notice until I got the photo's back (I didn't use the digital camera for this one). She was concentrating so hard on sketching a sculpture. I used an orange-brown card for the background and then some ribbon down the sides. I then cut some flowers out of papers I got free with the magazine "Scrapbook Inspirations" (my magazine of choice at the moment) a while back. I then used orange diamante for the centre of the flowers.

The best part of yesterday was that while working on scrapbook pages my sister worked alongside me. Last year I managed to encourage her to have a go at cardmaking. She sat watching me and then asked if she could have a go. I let her just dive into my supplies to see what she came up with. My sister is a talented artist and it looks like she could be a talented crafter if she wanted to be. Her card was lovely although she didn't use it in the end. I thought that would be it. She is easily bored by these things after having one go at it. But no, we all got handmade cards at Christmas and she has since made cards for friends and family (including a card for my gran that I thought she had bought at the store until she showed me the supplies she bought). Yesterday she made a birthday card with her best friend and it turned out just as lovely as all her others. She doesn't mind experimenting on her own. Unlike me I find it difficult to break away from a style that works. And she always seems to hit it spot on. Yesterday she managed to make a card that looked both classy and fun. I'm not at all jealous of her talent!

Timewarden, how could I have forgotten to mention Relics? Actually I never like Relics then or now. I found it to be really dull. Not good enough for a guest appearance of James Doohan although he was good in it. I found Chain of Command a little upsetting the first time I watched it too. Those torture scenes were definitely a first for Star Trek. Like you I also preferred Descent to Times Arrow. I am a fan of the Borg too and it was good to see all the loose ends with Lor tied up.

Star Trek TNG 6

Yes, I have finally gotten round to watching the sixth season of Star Trek the Next Generation. Took me a while to get round to it. I've basically been watching it on and off over the last few months. I have seen the episodes in this season over and over again which is one of the reasons that it took me so long to get through it. The other reason is that Timewarden is right. This isn't the best one. There are some good episodes in there but what I did notice is that it seemed to be the season of double episodes. In most of the others the double episode is the last episode of one season and the first of the next. If you include the ones at the start and the end season six had a total of four. My favourite of them all is probably Chain of Command. Picard is captured by the Cardassians after a set up mission and we see the sadistic side of the Cardassians. A theme that has been hinted at in previous episode with the Cardassians and continues in DS9.

Schisms is another episode I very much enjoyed both now and when I first saw it. The Enterprise crew are being experimented on by unknown aliens (There was a very similar episode to that in Voyager). I thought this episode was well done and found it to be creepy at the time. Other episodes I enjoyed were Face of the enemy, Starship Mine, Frame Of Mind and Timescape. The rest just didn't come up to the standards of the past. That's not to say I didn't enjoy watching them again but there had been better episodes before that and better ones to come. True Q and Rascals were two of my favourites when I was younger but my taste has since changed.

I am looking forward to moving on to season 7. There are many episodes in there that I am sure I have forgotten. I am also itching to move on to DS9 which I also very much enjoyed watching the first time round.

Timewarden, Daradon seems to be a friend to the bad guys. Mind you that doesn't mean he should stand in front of the Dalek. He was too shy to approach any of the stars but maybe next time.

Daradon S. Monkey

Meet Daradon S. Monkey. He was given to a friend who then took him to a Dr Who convention where he met some friends.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

I should warn you now. If you are planning on reading the book and don't want it spoiled for you I wouldn't read on.


This one picks up not long after the last one. Harry is being moved to safety as the protections on him disappear when he turns seventeen. The action starts pretty quickly unlike the previous books. Straight away he is being chased by death eaters and narrowly escapes. We already have one death at the start of the book. There is one quite pause as there is wedding preparation and Mrs Weasley tries to prevent Harry, Ron and Hermione plotting on how to get away and begin Dumbledores quest. The pause doesn't last long as Death Eaters invade the wedding after taking over the ministry of magic. Harry and co have no choice now but to go on the run and this is where it gets boring. The bulk of this part of the book is spent with location changes and lots of arguments between the three. It picks up again two thirds of the way through with their capture and a final battle back at Hogwarts.

I found the book to be a little disappointing. The middle section could have been a lot shorter. Much of it wasn't needed to tell the story. You could get a sense of their isolation from everyone else in a couple of sentences. Plus the treatment of muggle born witches and wizards was described in their attempt to enter the ministry. All the arguments and the constant moving around with nothing much happening just bored me. I would have finished the book on Saturday night. Instead I got frustrated and decided to pick it up again the next day. Wanting to know what happened in the end was the only thing that made me pick up the book again. It picks up again with the capture of the three by Death Eaters. From that moment on I had difficulty putting it down as the story seemed to move quickly from there. The final battle took place in Hogwarts which is the first time Harry and co step foot in the school during the whole book. I did like the ending although I honestly did think that Harry was going to die. Was all prepared for it. I was disappointed about Lupin. I had hoped that at least one of James' friends would have survived. It will be interesting to see how the final movie will compare.

The Harry Potter party was lots of fun although a little stressful. Most people seemed to enjoy it and it seemed to fly by. More importantly the kids seemed to have a good time and the majority of them were so cute in their costumes. There was actually one little boy who had dressed up as Draco and looked the part. There were also a lot of teenagers who came in dressed up too and seemed to have just as much fun as the little ones. Thankfully there were only a few tears and only a few people unhappy over the fact that they were going to have to queue for the book. The staff also had loads of fun. Most of them had put a lot of effort into their costumes. Yes, I dressed up too, as Tonks. We also had a Dumbledore, Prof McGonagall, Snape and a moaning myrtle.

This probably won't be my last Harry Potter post as I am planning on going to see the film later in the week.

Booking Through Thursday

This weeks booking through Thursday is Harry Potter related. I suppose it makes sense but had I thought about it I would have left the last post until now. Not to worry, I'll answer them anyway;

Booking Through Thursday
Okay, love him or loathe him, you’d have to live under a rock not to know that J.K. Rowling’s final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comes out on Saturday… Are you going to read it?
If so, right away? Or just, you know, eventually, when you get around to it? Are you attending any of the midnight parties?
If you’re not going to read it, why not?
And, for the record… what do you think? Will Harry survive the series? What are you most looking forward to?

The first few questions you already know the answer to. Yes, I will be reading the book. I am too nosey not to read it. I want to know how it all ends and reading about it on the net isn't good enough for me. That and I have enjoyed them for the most part anyway. I will be attending one of the midnight parties although it will be for work. I probably wouldn't if it wasn't for that. Before I worked where I do now I didn't attend any although I did buy the books. Lastly no I don't think Harry will survive. JK Rowling has dropped so many hints that she has ended the books in such away that she won't be able to continue the story after book seven. If any of the other characters were to be killed off the story could possibly go on. Even if Voldermort were to die Harry could still have other adventures and face more foes. Mind you another way to kill off the story would be if Harry lost his abilities. There are a few people I know who are so sick of Harry Potter that they are hoping he will be killed off.

Basically I am most looking forward to seeing how it ends. I am looking forward to seeing if some of the things I thought might happen after reading book 6 will happen. I am also hoping that once the Harry Potter mania has settled down that other new children's authors can get some of the lime light. It would be nice to see authors who deserve it getting some attention too. I don't that there will be anything like that again though in terms of media coverage and parties on release night. Still it would be nice to see other authors getting almost as much attention.

Cheeser, I think it's the details that children love most about these books. All the little things like the moving pictures, the jumping chocolate frogs and the wizarding sport of quiditch.

Timewarden, I can see Asda's point about the price of the book being expensive for children. However, most places won't sell it at that price. They will have it on some kind of promotion. I don't believe that the supermarket is really concerned about that though. They are planning on selling the book at almost half price. Their discount from the publisher will not be as high as that. Therefore they are going to take a loss by selling the book. They can probably afford to do this but I am sure they would rather make a profit from it. I think that's where the criticism came from. Still it's almost like biting the hand that feeds you. Bloomsbury can afford to refuse to distribute to a retailer. People aren't going to stop buying the book just because Asda doesn't have it. They'll go else where.

My favourite children's authors growing up were Judith Kerr, Shirley Hughes, Dorothy Edwards, Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. I've read a larger selection of kids books now than I did then.

Harry Potter Mania

With the end of Doctor Who and not much going on where my crafts are concerned I don't really have much to say on my blog just now. Or so I thought. I've decided to talk about one of the many things that is gripping the world right now. Harry Potter! Yes, I am excitedly looking forward to the release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book at midnight at the end of this week. I will even be dressing up (my excuse for that is it's for work).

Had anyone mentioned it to me a few weeks ago my response would have been very different. It was more of a nuisance than anything else. Harry Potter means even more work and lots of planning. Being surrounded by people who are excited about this it is hard not to get caught up (unless of course you generally dislike the books which I don't). So in the run up I have been reading the books again. The first three are a joy to read. Not because they are the best written children's books. Far from it since I did spot possibly the longest sentence in the world in the first one. Reading them takes me straight back to being a child again. Had I read them then I know I would have loved them more so. What child wouldn't love the idea of going to a school to learn the use of magic? The first three are also the best of the lot (so far anyway). The later ones seem to get bogged down in too much detail. School hadn't even started yet by page 100 of the fourth book and if I remember correctly book five was the same. Not to say I didn't still enjoy them though.

The films I have also enjoyed although I have been disappointed by the things they have missed out. The third book is my favourite and I was very much looking forward to the film release. It was a bit of a let down going to see it although I have since gotten over it. It's funny how much I dislike Harry in the films since he is the main character. I think that has more to do with the actor than the character though. I just never warmed to him. Unlike Emma Watson's Hermione and Rupert Grint's Ron. Of course I am planning on going to see "The Order of The Phoenix" and is supposed to be the best one yet. Reviews have been fairly positive so far.

Do these books deserve all the hype they have been getting? No not really. As I already said they aren't the best written children's books on the market. However, what they have done is gotten so many children out there to read. Surely it's worth it for that?

Diva

Meet Scarlett. Scarlett is an Opera singing diva. Here she is posing for a photo next to her CD collection. Scarlett is famous for her singing and more famous for her tantrums. She is sought after to be in the most prestigious productions but dreaded by all who work with her. Just try saying no to her once and you'll find out why. Scarlett belongs to my mum. After seeing me make all these sock monkeys for other people (including one for my sister) my mum finally asked for one. When we were out one day I dragged her into a store to pick out her socks. My mum's favourite colour is red so I wasn't really surprised by her choice.

I doubt there is a single person in the UK who doesn't know what happens a week on Friday. The last Harry Potter book will be released at midnight. I am one of those sad folk who is looking forward to it. In preparation I have begun reading the series over again. I am still only on book one (a bad cold has slowed me down with everything). I have went to the cinema to see each of the films (the next one is also out this week) and each time I have always been disappointed in the things that they leave out. It's amazing though how much you forget exactly what was left out. Half way through the first one and I was surprised by just how different key scenes in the book and movie are. Certain characters missing from scenes and whole sections missing. It's still relatively true to the book but it's still funny how I became so used to the film version that it became the truer one.

I have liked reading everyones answers to the booking through thursday question. Timewarden, Charles Dickens would have been my choice next to Shakespeare too. Like you David Copperfield would have been my choice when I was younger. Now it's probably a tie between Great Expectations and Bleak House. I have a friend who would have chosen Pride and Prejudice partly due to the TV adaptation. She collects different editions of this book she loves it that much. I would probably choose "To Kill A Mockingbird" from the States too.

crazee4books, I loved Anne of Green Gables. I have always meant to go back and read them all again. I also like the Emily series by the same author. I do like Margaret Atwood too though. "The Blind Assassin" is probably my favourite out of the few that I have read. I haven't read many Canadian authors to suggest a possible greatest book but I do love Douglas Coupland. An author I have blogged about before.

Thanks again for all your comments on the sock monkeys. I never thought of giving the pirate monkey some dreadlocks. It's a good idea. Lili, I am glad that Daphne likes them too. It's sweet that she wants to see them.

A Pirate and His Wench (and booking through thursday)

This sock monkey is going to my best friend although she doesn't know it yet. She doesn't actually know I have been making them as I haven't seen her in a while. We have both been busy with work and attempts to meet up have had to be cancelled for various reasons. I thought I would make her one of these as a surprise. Since I don't know when I will get to see her next I am thinking of sending it out to her. It's always nice to get a parcel you aren't expecting and I hope she will like her/him. For some strange reason the socks were a little wider than all the other pairs I have used. So when I had finished it looked a little on the plump side compared to all the others which is why I pictured it in the cake tin.

This one was specially requested although he doesn't have a name yet (I have already named him Pete but his new owner may call him something different). I decided to picture him here with his wench. The reason only one eye is showing is that he is wearing an eye patch. Under that pitch I stitched a grey cross where his eye should be. You can't see too well but he also has a knitted sword (I used a straw to stuff it), a little green parrot (was taken from a pattern in a book belonging to my mum and was originally designed as a sparrow) and a gold hoop earring (I bought those rather than made). I also knitted a little red sash to hold his sword and a red bandanna. When he isn't with Barbie here is can be found looking for treasure or drinking rum.

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments. I really do appreciate them. Lili, I am glad that you liked Madleen Ross. I liked your post on her. Crazeeforbooks, thanks for the link. I love the look of that book. I will have to look it up. The escaped prisoner monkey was for someone I worked with who left to join the police. I am afraid all other projects have been left to the side. I keep getting more requests for sock monkeys. I am making one for my mum at the moment (she already has a name and a story). I have another to make and send away to a friend and two others have requested them.

Booking Through Thursday

What with yesterday being the Fourth of July and all, I’m feeling a little patriotic, and so have a simple question:What, in your opinion, is the (mythical) Great American Novel? At least to date. A “classic,” or a current one–either would be fine. Mark Twain? J.D. Salinger? F. Scott Fitzgerald? Stephen King? Laura Ingalls Wilder?
It doesn’t have to be your favorite book, mind you. “Citizen Kane” may be the “best” film, and I concede its merits, but it’s not my favorite. You don’t have to love something to know that it’s good.
Now, I know that not all of you are American–but you can play, too! What I want from you is to know what you consider to the best novel of YOUR country. It might be someone the rest of us haven’t heard of and, frankly, I think we’d all like to get some new authors to read.

This is a hard one. What do I consider to be the greatest book of my country? The obvious answer to that would be Shakespeare. His works are probably the most well known and the most influential. There have been so many takes on all of his books. Authors, playwrights, film and television writers are still influenced by him. I think most people would chose Macbeth out of all of his plays. For me though it has to be Romeo and Juliet. It was the first one of his plays that I actually enjoyed studying at school (Merchant of Venice was the first one I studied and I didn't like it at all). I think part of my enjoyment of it was that growing up I had always loved the musical "West Side Story" which was an interpretation of the play. Later I also enjoyed the 1996 film "Romeo and Juliet". Sad to say I have yet to see it in a theatre or even the ballet, both of which I would love to see. Is it the best loved? If you were to follow the Big Read then sadly no that would be Lord Of the Rings (I still believe that had more to do with the films released at the time). However, I would bet that there are very few people who have not at least heard of Shakespeare of Romeo and Juliet (excluding Brain from BB8 of course).

Of course I am from Scotland and there are many famous Scottish writers too. Sadly my knowledge on Scottish literature isn't that great (something I have always meant to rectify). However one author I very much enjoyed studying at school was the poet Robert Burns. My favourite poem was Tam O'Shanter. I loved the humour in it. Again there are few people who wouldn't have heard of Robert Burns (few in Scotland anyway, I would hope). We even celebrate his birthday on 25th January. It's traditional to have a Burns Supper of Haggis, Neeps and tatties (something I can live without eating) during this you recite poems and then follow it up with a Kailey. You are even encouraged to recite something of your own on these occasions. The seniors at my school took part in these events and it was always fun. The students were left to do most of the reciting and a boy had to write an ode to the lassies whilst a girl would give a reply from the lassies. Could be very funny if done right.

Lili, a graphic novel is a novel written in the form of a comic book. There are a lot of very popular ones out there and there have been films based on them. Sin City is probably the most well known and there are plans to write a film based on the Preacher graphic novels. I plan on writing a post on these at some point as I have only got into them.

The Last Of The Timelords

A year on from when the previous episode was set and Martha is back in England. She has made a name for herself. As the human population has been enslaved Martha is their hope. They have all heard of her and her ability to escape unscathed and to walk the Earth unseen. They say that only she can kill the Master. Martha has done what the Doctor has asked of her. She has went round the world building hope so that the Archangel project can then be turned around against the master. Allowing the Doctor to be brought back to his normal self and the Earth to be returned to normal.

I have never been so disappointed with the new series of Doctor who as I was with the end of series three. I thought Martha did finally get the chance to shine in this episode but it was really the only good thing about it. The biggest disappointment was with the Master. Once again he was portrayed as a bit of a joker but that wasn't the worst. At the start he torments and punches the Doctor while he is in the form of an old man. Then it is hinted that he has been beating his wife. Although you don't see this the marks around her eye and her jumpiness around him were a dead giveaway. The Master was always a sinister and evil character but never would he have given way to needless violence such as that. He got his kicks out of doing bigger things. It just made him seem more cowardly than evil. A bully who picks on those weaker than him. There was then that hint at the end that Captain Jack is in fact the Face of Boe. It felt like a kind of let down to me.

Martha also then refused to go away with the Doctor again. Just as I was getting to like her character. However, she is not disappearing from the screens forever. She will be appearing in Torchwood for the first half of the new series. Then she will appear in Doctor Who half way through that (from that I am guessing that Captain Jack will be a recurring character in Doctor Who). The Doctor will not be alone. In the Christmas special Kylie Minogue will be guest starring. Then in series 4 Catherine Tate will be returning as Donna Noble for all 13 episodes. I can see most people getting excited about Kylie being in the show. I like Kylie but I just don't see her in Doctor Who at all. It's just using a big name to guarantee that the Christmas special will get as many viewers as possible. Same as with Catherine Tate last year. They are both popular amongst similar age groups. Why can't the Christmas special just be about Doctor Who rather than the names?

In the end I did like Catherine Tate as Donna Noble but for 13 whole episodes? I'm not sure about that one. With the return of Martha half way through will that mean bickering and petty jealousy between the two characters? The cynic in me believes that's what will happen. Timewarden your right I'm not usually so critical of Doctor Who. I try not to be. I see the new Who and classic Who as two entirely different shows. My enjoyment of one usually doesn't interfere with the enjoyment of the other. Plus I very much like David Tennant as the Doctor. Don't get me wrong there have been one or two episodes that I haven't enjoyed, "Love and Monsters" being at the top of the list and I still believe that the Daleks are being over used. Over all though I have liked it. However, the portrayal of the Master was too much for me as is the return of Donna. When I first heard about Billie Piper was down to play companion to the Doctor my first reaction was that I wouldn't watch it. Curiosity won out and she surprised me as Rose. I was cynical about David Tennant as the Doctor but then at that point I hadn't seen him in much. As you know my opinion on that changed quickly. I have been tempted once again not to watch series 4 and this time due to the return of a character I could tolerate in one episode. I know curiosity will win out again though and I can't help but hope that I will be pleasantly surprised.

Timewarden, I would hope that the episodes would improve after RTD leaves but we have a whole series to get through first and I worry that the show will be killed off by then. If David Tennant also leaves they would need to find someone just as engaging if not more so to take his place. As for the writers, if RTD is as controlling as you have mentioned in your posts then I think that they would have the freedom to go in other directions. Maybe they would be able to really push the show out there. It's just one of those things though, we'll have to wait and see.

Crazeeforbooks, Tom Baker is one of my favourites too although I do have a soft spot for Patrick Troughton too. Ian Marter was placed in the role of companion as originally they were looking for someone older to play the Doctor. They though Ian Marter would do a lot of the physical stuff that the Doctor wouldn't be able to do. A little like the first Doctor and companion Ian. When Tom Baker got the role of the Doctor it was decided that a younger male companion wasn't necessary and so they only kept him on for a few story lines. Ian Marter has written a few books (I can thank Timewarden for telling me about this a while back). He wrote many of the Doctor Who stories into novel format. He also wrote "Harry Sullivan's War" which is a story about Harry after his adventures with the Doctor. I do have a copy of it somewhere but have only read a few pages of it. He wrote about Harry as a James Bond character which put me off a little but I will eventually go back to it. After watching "Robot" again that actually made me laugh. Harry goes undercover in the story and Sara makes a sarcastic comment about him playing at James Bond.