Sometimes there are cultural icons that I just don't get.... Jerry Lewis, SPICE Girls... and Dr Who. Ya see... As a kid, my Dad and his adult friends used to sit around getting stoned as hell and watching Dr Who. Now I don't know if it was simply the effects of second hand buzz or not, but Dr Who is like my counting sheep exercise... It sends me off to dozeland faster than a traveling red telly box. BUT... I always give Dr Who a chance. And in a strange 'Gorillas in the Mist' anthropology study I always watch it with these.... Dr Who types.... Though I still don't get it. Sigh... But I'm probably gonna be murdered for saying all this though... Enough of me... onto William Wallace..

Harry,

While taking some time out from liberating my homeland the other day, I read some interesting information in the Glasgow Herald about the forthcoming Doctor Who film. The main gist of the article was that a Hollywood SFX company has approached Glasgow City Council to procure a blue police box, which will be digitally recreated as the Doctor's famous Tardis (that's short for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space for non-Who afficionados). The effects will be handled by Arc/Haven Studios, whose credits include Lost in Space and The Truman Show. The company's director, Mike Verta said, "It would be horrendously expensive to use the real thing in a film, especially if it had to appear from the ocean or drop into a volcano. A computer-generated box would offer more flexibility, choreography, control and be seamless. But we want it to be architecturally precise and to capture the authentic textures and various surface materials, which explains our interest in Glasgow." He also said: "I understand radical discussions are ongoing about what to do with Dr Who and the police box. It will be a challenging film. I do not think that Americans can make Dr Who the way the British did. There will be an American take on the scenario." The article also stated that the film is scheduled for a winter 2000 release, repeated the African-American rumour (naming Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington and Will Smith as possibles but my money is on the far more suitable Morgan Freeman) and revealed that BBC Films will be making a formal announcement about the project soon. Personally, I'm just hoping that the film will see the return of the Doctor's Highland Jacobite companion, Jamie McCrimmon. As my old Uncle Argyle used to say, "Wullie, ma lad, a film's no worth seein' unless somebody's wearing a kilt in it."

Keep up the good work,

William Wallace