|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For years, the Lemmings have been crossing paths with Timebase Productions, a group of mad video-makers in Newcastle, England. Jon saw their first video, Regenesis, at Visions '94 just before the premiere of Time Rift part 1 -- and was so blown away that he nearly declared the game over right there. While the Lemmings have spent their time doing silly things like having a life, Timebase has produced five complete Doctor Who stories, a total of twelve episodes.
Kate and Jon first met Rupert Booth -- Timebase's Doctor and occasional writer/director -- while on their honeymoon in the UK in 1998. After that, Kate wrote The Hidden Face, which Timebase produced in 2001, and on a subsequent visit they both guested in a nearly-improvised episode of Rupert's surrealist-fantasy Protoverse series. (Which has yet to see the light of day, probably for good reason.)
|
When Rupert and Jon realized they were both going to attend the Gallifrey 2002 convention in Los Angeles, they started making plans to film a little something immediately after the con. For Jon, these plans involved writing a brief sketch on the plane-flight over, starting around the time sleep deprivation set in, and prevailing on long-suffering Lemmings associate Greg McElhatton to bring the seventh Doctor's costume with him from DC. (Respect, Greg!) The script had a third speaking part, which Jon intended to offer to Amy Steele (who then lived in LA and dropped in during the con), but she wasn't available on the shooting day.
After the convention itself ended, Jon and Rupe roped in fellow Timebase attendee Trina MacGregor to play the third part, recruited BeebleBroxCompany honcho (and "Time Rift" cover designer) Peter Fagan to run the camera, threw out about half the script (including most of the explanations), made up a new scene on the spot, and shot the entire thing in the hotel courtyard area in an hour and a half just before leaving for the airport.
While visiting relatives in DC just after the con, Jon did a rough-cut of the sketch (in an hour) and recorded a rough voice-over narration to put the exposition back in. He did post-production back in Sydney with Kate, and got Andrew Shellshear to do the actual narration and Danny Heap of Who3D to do the logo.
- This marks the debut of a new pair of trousers for the Doctor's costume (following the great gaping hole disaster documented in the Timeless blooper reel), and a new hat.
- Jon's voice as the Doctor is slightly different, as it had been influenced by Death Comes To Time script editor Nev Fountain's impersonations of Sylvester at the convention (including one of Sylv as Henry Crun from the Goon Show talking to the sixth Doctor as Eccles!).
- Persephone's shirt is a nod to the convention antics of Paul Ebbs, who was promoting his upcoming Who novel The Book Of The Still at every opportunity. Paul and Rupert had worked together on Bill Baggs' Do You Have A License To Save This Planet? parody video -- on which apparently Sylv's final strangled cry of "Aaaaaace!" was Sylv imitating Paul's imitation of Jon's imitation of Sylv!
