Author: Ben

Performer, writer, educator, game designer, ginger.

Thirteenth Doctor & Dr Anastasia Black

Surprise! To celebrate the announcement of the upcoming third season of Night Terrace, chaps Petra Elliott and John Richards have a look back at the Thirteenth Doctor’s first season.

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How does Thirteen compare to our own time traveller, Dr. Anastasia Black? Was there too much focus on the male companions? Is Thirteen holding back, or displaying traditionally “feminine” traits? How does Night Terrace measure up by the same standards – is Anastasia as progressive a character as we’d like to think? And what about Petra’s character, “Sue”? Plus they chat about the wholesale changes to Doctor Who, their hopes and dreams for future seasons, how much they love Jodie Whitakker (and Night Terrace star Jackie Woodburne), and their own experiences as performers.

Night Terrace season three is scheduled for release in May 2020 – but only if it gets crowdfunded by November 22, 2019! Check out our Kickstarter campaign for more information.

If you’re new to Night Terrace, listen to the first episode for free at nightterrace.com/listen. You can also buy the first two seasons bundled together with the third as part of the Kickstarter campaign.

Where no chap has gone before…

There’s a new podcast in town at Splendid Chaps Productions – and a new chap to co-host it! From January 8, you can join Captain Carla Donnelly (of the Across the Aisle and Club Soderbergh podcasts) and Science Officer Ben McKenzie (you know him) as they bring you re:Discovery, a Star Trek Discovery recap podcast for people who hate recaps! Listen along each week as they discuss the latest episode of the show and get all nerdy.

It’s a double-first for Splendid Chaps: our first foray into the Star Trek universe, and our first go at recapping. You can find out more at rediscoverypodcast.com, where you’ll already find the first of two pre-season intro episodes, complete with a new theme tune by our own David Ashton. Those illustrations of the re:Discovery crew by Alex E Clark are pretty great, too.

It’s also a big day for Pratchat, Elizabeth Flux and Ben McKenzie’s Terry Pratchett book club podcast; they not only launched their fifteenth episode and debuted brand new album art by friend of the show George Rex, but have also launched a subscription option for those who want to support their six(ish) year mission and make sure they fulfil their goal of reading and discussing every one of Terry Pratchett’s novels. (He wrote a lot.) You can find out more about how it works on the Pratchat Pozible profile (try saying that three times fast).

There’s more big news coming from Splendid Chaps Productions in the next month or so; watch this space!

Twelve/Music

After nearly five years, and just before the debut of a new Thirteenth Doctor, hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott return to the original Splendid Chaps Doctor/Theme format to discuss Peter Capaldi and music in Doctor Who! They’re joined by guests Celeste Liddle, Adam Ford and Adam Rudegeair – who also perform music and poetry just for your ears! Join us for Twelve/Music, recorded live at Storyville in Melbourne on Australian “Doctor Eve” – October 7, 2018.

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If you want to listen to some of the songs we mention this episode (and many more we didn’t have time to talk about), check out Petra’s Spotify playlist.

While this Splendid Chaps is just a one-off return, don’t forget Splendid Chaps Productions also makes Night Terrace, an award-winning time travel audio comedy, and Pratchat, a monthly Terry Pratchett book club podcast hosted by Elizabeth Flux and our own Ben McKenzie. You can find out more about them, and listen to all the old episodes of Splendid Chaps, at splendidchaps.com.

And do check out Lucas Testro’s great Doctor Who podcast Doctor Who and the Episodes of Death, where a variety of guests defend some of the most derided Doctor Who stories of all time! Chaps Ben McKenzie and David Ashton, plus previous guests Richard Watts, Thomas Caldwell, George Ivanoff and Avril Hannah-Jones have all gone into bat for everything from Time and the Rani to The Krotons.

Twelve/Music (live show)

Back in 2013, the plan was to do eleven podcasts – one for each Doctor. We didn’t quite stick to that plan, but those eleven shows were still the spine of Splendid Chaps. But since then we’ve had not one but three new Doctors: one brief but brilliant, one whose time is just about to begin…but one whose time ended last Christmas, and after thinking about it since that swansong, the Chaps are coming back together to celebrate Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor and music in Doctor Who – not to mention the end of Steven Moffat’s involvement with the show.

Join John Richards, Ben McKenzie and Petra Elliott, with unseen assistance from David Ashton, as they spring forth once more from the time vortex for a special one-off episode of Splendid Chaps! They’ll be joined by guests Adam Rudegeair (previously heard accompanying Lee Zachariah in Seven/Religion) and Celeste Liddle (previously heard on Nine/Women) – and there might even be another surprise or two.

We’ll discuss both grumpy old Twelve, and the long history of music in Doctor Who – not the theme or the score, but music in the world of the show: from 60s pop music entrancing Susan, to the power of jazz jamming Cyber-transmissions and of course the Twelfth Doctor playing Beethoven on the electric guitar while explaining paradoxes, music has had as much of an influence on the Doctor’s universe as on ours. The chaps and our guests will bring the usual mix of comedy, deep discussion, audience questions and music!

Space: Storyville, upstairs, 185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Time: doors open 4 PM Sunday, October 7, 2018; show starts at 5 PM
Accessibility: We regret that Storyville is not wheelchair accessible.
Tickets: $15 each (includes booking fee where applicable)
Bookings: online via TryBooking or at the door (subject to availability)
Podcast: “Twelve/Music” released 23rd of October, 2018

If you want to brush up for this episode, here are our homework viewing suggestions.

To experience the many moods of the Twelfth Doctor and the end of Moffat’s era as showrunner, we suggest watching the episodes Deep Breath, Listen, Last Christmas, Heaven Sent, The Pilot and Twice Upon a Time.

For a dip into the many ways music has been featured in the program…well a comprehensive list would be impossible, but we suggest the stories An Unearthly Child (just episode one), The Chase (also just episode one), The Seeds of Doom, Revelation of the Daleks, Delta and the Bannermen, Love & Monsters, A Christmas Carol, Under the Lake/Before the Flood. (If you have others, let us know in the comments below!)

Spin-Offs: The Rest

It’s the final episode of our Doctor Who spin-offs mini-series! For part four, hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott talk about the history and mechanics of spin-offs and shared universes, delve into the audience’s questions and touch on some of the less well-known Doctor Who spin-offs, again with the help of our wonderful guests Dr Djoymi Baker and George Ivanoff. And of course, it wouldn’t be Splendid Chaps if we didn’t end with a song…

SPLENDID CHAPS

 

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Thanks to everyone who came along to the original recording, and to the special podcast-only guests we talked to along the way: Richard Watts (Torchwood), Tansy Rayner-Roberts (The Sarah Jane Adventures) and Fury (Class). Big thanks to to our own Petra Elliott and guitarist Kam Stevens for their cover of Up All Night by Alex Clare.

The Chaps will return…though exactly when is, presently, unclear. In the meantime, for more Doctor Who discussion, check out Lucas Testro’s Doctor Who and the Episodes of Death, where guests – including some familiar voices from Splendid Chaps – defend some of the most maligned stories. And you can always check out the other audio treats from Splendid Chaps Productions – the time travel comedy series Night Terrace, and the Terry Pratchett book club podcast Pratchat.

Spin-Offs: Class

We’re back! In this, the long-awaited part three of our Doctor Who spin-offs mini-series, we put on our ties and head back to school – specifically Coal Hill Academy. Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott talk all about Class with special guests Djoymi Baker, George Ivanoff and – for this podcast edition only – Fury!

CHAPS

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We’ll be back soon (for real this time!) with episode four of this mini-series, in which we answer the audience’s questions and discuss other lesser-known spin-offs with our guests before ending in the Splendid Chaps tradition – with a song!

Spin-offs: The Sarah Jane Adventures

For part two of our Doctor Who spin-offs mini-series, we move in to Bannerman Road and see if we know where to look to find a whole universe of adventure, right here at home… Yes, hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott talk all about The Sarah Jane Adventures with special guests Djoymi Baker, George Ivanoff and – for this podcast edition only – Tansy Rayner Roberts!

The Splendid Chaps Adventures

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Want to ask us questions about The Sarah Jane Adventures? Great – let us have them! As mentioned last episode, each of our spin-off episodes includes extra content, since we just couldn’t fit enough into the single live podcast to do all three shows justice – and for our final spin-off episode, we’ll be answering questions from you, our listeners, posed right here on the web site! Add your questions in the comments below.

And we’re having a good old fashioned Splendid Chaps giveaway, too. Our favourite questions will win a prize! Comment on any of our first three spin-off episodes to be in the running; we’ll give a final cut-off date when episode three (the next one) is released.

Spin-offs: Torchwood

Yes, the chaps are back in part one of their Doctor Who spin-offs mini-series! This time we go outside the government and beyond the police – whatever that means – to talk about everyone’s favourite not-so-secret organisation which fights alien menaces in between all the sex and gore which makes it an “adult show”. That’s right – it’s time to talk Torchwood! Hosts Ben McKenzie, John Richards and Petra Elliott are joined by special guests Djoymi Baker, George Ivanoff and – for this podcast edition only – Richard Watts!

SPLENDID CHAPS

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:24 — 38.5MB)

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Got questions you want to ask us about Torchwood? We want to hear them! Each of our spin-off episodes will include special extra content, since we just couldn’t fit enough into the live show to do all three spin-offs justice – and our final spin-off episode will add in questions from you, our listeners, posed right here on the web site! So please add yours in the comments below.

Of course it wouldn’t be Splendid Chaps without a giveaway, so our favourite questions will win a prize! Comment on any of our first three spin-off episodes to be in the running; we’ll give a final cut-off date when episode three is released.

Spinning Off into Another Dimension (live show)

The universe of Doctor Who is vast. So vast that it can’t be contained in a single television program – even one that’s still going after 53 years. So vast, in fact, that even a year’s worth of podcasts couldn’t cover everything…so perhaps we’ll do just one more. Just this once.

Join John Richards, Ben McKenzie and Petra Elliott, ably assisted by invisible chap David Ashton, as they temporarily return from the time vortex for the first time in nearly two years to bring you a special one-off episode of Splendid Chaps! The chaps will discuss those bits of Who that have spun off into another dimension: Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class and more! We’ll be joined by a couple of returning special guests: our favourite sci-fi academic, Dr Djoymi Baker, and children’s author George Ivanoff! Plus there’ll be the usual mix of comedy, deep discussion, audience questions, music and prizes!

This very special live episode will be released as a mini-series of short episodes in February and March 2017.

Space: The Bella Union, upstairs, Melbourne Trades Hall, corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets, Melbourne
Time: 4 PM Sunday, February 12, 2017; doors open from 3:30 PM
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible; please contact the venue for lift access.
Tickets: $18/$16 groups of 4+/$12 concession (includes booking fee where applicable)
Bookings: via bellaunion.com.au online or at the door (subject to availability)
Podcast: released 9th of May (“Spin-Offs: Torchwood”), 26th of May (“Spin-Offs: The Sarah Jane Adventures”) and 23rd of July (“Spin-Offs: Class”) 2017, and 23rd of August, 2018 (“Spin-Offs: The Rest”).

Splendid Comedy, Festival Chaps

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is about to start for 2016, and many of the guests who appeared on Splendid Chaps are featured in this year’s program – as well as two of our hosts!

Petra Elliott is one of the stars of the improvised puppet show, The Mighty Little Puppet Show! You won’t want to miss her performing as one of the “Ritas”, colourful puppets on which the audience will build their own characters. The show also features “What I Learned from Doctor Who” guest Rob Lloyd. The Mighty Little Puppet Show runs at 7:30 PM, upstairs @ Little Sista (next to the Town Hall). It’s a rotating ensemble cast, so if you want to see Petra make sure you book for March 25, 27, 29 or 31, or April 1.

Ben McKenzie has had a hand in Claire Hooper’s show this year, through his games company Pop Up Playground; together they present Being Claire Hooper, a whimsical, Claire Hooper-themed treasure hunt through the city. You might even see a familiar face or two… Being Claire Hooper begins at 6 PM each Saturday and Sunday at the statue of Burke and Wills at City Square (opposite the Town Hall). Tickets are very limited so be sure to book!

Here’s a round up of all our guests appearing in the festival! Check the listings linked via the title of each show for details (for example, most shows are an hour earlier on Sundays). We’ve also linked to the episodes they appeared in in case you’d like to revisit.

Justin Hamilton and Adam Richard also host The Shelf, 7:30 PM on Mondays at The Toff in Town.