(no subject)

[sebastienne]

I'm currently working on a fic involving 1970s Torchwood. Based on the fact that Torchwood reflects the Doctor Who of the time and the crime dramas of the time, I've been watching 1970s British crime dramas in the name of research.

Doomwatch, which I started to watch this morning, is particularly interesting. Similar to Doctor Who episodes of the time like "The Green Death", it focuses on the idea that governments and corporations are carrying out reckless science which is endangering the whole world. The organisation combatting this is run by a scientist whose work contributed to Hiroshima/Nagasaki, and large prints of mushroom clouds dominate his office as if to say, "never again".

Today: biological agents that destroy plastics, developed for waste disposal, causing air crashes. Evil governmental ministers, retro computing, pretty young men with immensely 1970s haircuts, rather unreconstructed attitudes to women (Life on Mars? Not exaggerating.) I am really enjoying myself!

An aside: my 1970s Torchwood crew is likely to contain an ex-actor called Marwood who has a mysterious past and an uncanny sense of intuition where alien activity is concerned. He has a note in his pocket that says merely, "Meet me in St. Louis', 8 February 2001. Fitz". He becomes increasingly convinced that this "Fitz" person, of whom he has no memory, must be the "Doctor" that Captain Jack Harkness keeps going on about.

Comments

[crouchinglynx.livejournal.com]

Today: biological agents that destroy plastics...

Tomorrow: The Rat? (That looks like a deliberate set up, and I can't resist.)

Marwood (and grandson) looks like another cool toy for fanfic writers everywhere, but the only appearances I've seen so far are Endgame and Tooth & Claw. Are there more sources to draw upon?

[sebastienne.livejournal.com]

My Marwood is, quite openly, the "I" of Withnail and I, as played by Paul McGann, and as understood as being Eighth in his amnesiac period of The Burning - Casualties of War - The Turing Test etc. I always assumed that the character in Endgame was a throwaway reference to this; I don't recall the appearance in Tooth & Claw?

[crouchinglynx.livejournal.com]

I never caught up with the BBC novels, so I haven't encountered amnesiac 8th. :-(

Tooth & Claw (the comic strip that introduces Fey Trustcott-Sade, not the 2006 TV episode with Queen Victoria and a werewolf) features another character named Marwood, whom the Doctor believes to be the grandfather of the one in Endgame.

[sebastienne.livejournal.com]

Yes, you are quite right, and I have read that; I was, as you say, thinking of the TV episode.

[sebastienne.livejournal.com]

Tomorrow: The Rat?

Opening the next episode to watch on the bus home, I only just got this. ^___^

[ktroo85.livejournal.com]

OOh 1970s crime dramas does that mean things like The Sweeney, The Persuaders, and The Professionals? All of which I can recommend if you haven't seen. (They were some of my dad's favourite shows so we had them on video/dvd from when we quite little)

[sharaz-jek.livejournal.com]

An aside: my 1970s Torchwood crew is likely to contain an ex-actor called Marwood who has a mysterious past and an uncanny sense of intuition where alien activity is concerned. He has a note in his pocket that says merely, "Meet me in St. Louis', 8 February 2001. Fitz". He becomes increasingly convinced that this "Fitz" person, of whom he has no memory, must be the "Doctor" that Captain Jack Harkness keeps going on about.
This is more of a continuity!squee than a meaningful comment...