R-101 and "Storm Warning"
May. 30th, 2006 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hildy89I finished listening to my first Big Finish Doctor Who audio "Storm Warning". Considering the memories I have of that horrible tv movie, I found myself quite liking Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor. Here was the idiosyncratic and otherworldly soul we've come to love. On the other hand, I'm well known for my love of British accents, so maybe it isn't that surprising.
Charley reminded me of SAJV's Rebecca Fogg in her delightful first appearance. That's an amusing observation since India Fisher is Francesca Hunt's sister, so clearly they keep adventuring in the family.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I do agree with some reviews that say the last two parts are the weaker half of the storyline. Too much trying to set up and explain their alien world building.
As I mentioned, though, I'm an airship geek, so I know a little more than most about R-101 and her history. Mostly they got it right, except for a few things, one minor and one massive. I've pulled a good deal of information from Airship Heritage Trust website with information on all British airships, including the R-100 and R-101. Also a chapter from the Hindenburg: An Illustrated History with some lovely photos.
The R-101 did indeed crash in Beavais, France in the autumn of 1930. She did carry several notable passengers, including the Minister of Air and Director of Civil Aviation. She did have a blue Axminster carpet covering the passenger lounge. And the Doctor was quite right when he explained how R-101 was simply too heavy and not powerful enough to manage. But needs must and if the best way to show off to the world was by flying to India, so be it, even if they weren't quite ready.
By comparison is sister ship the R-100 had been built nearby by a private firm for about a third the cost and had safely crossed the Atlantic to Canada and back. It hadn't had any problems. Eventually the R-100 was shelved and sold for scrap.
The disaster ended the British airship program, leaving airships to the Americans and Germans. The Americans had their own problems with crashes of the Akron and Macon. The Hindenburg was the final blow for the age of lighter than air in 1937.
The characters and their historical equivalents:
Lord Tamworth: Brigadier-General, The Right Hen. Lord Thomson of Cardington (HM Secretary of State for Air)
Lt. Col. Frayling: Lt. Col. Vincent Richmond (R-101 designer)
Rathbone: James Buck (Thomson's valet)
Chief Steward Weeks: A.H. Savidge
Charlotte "Charley" Pollard/ Simon Murchford: J. W. Megginson (Galley Boy)
In the staff bios, Megginson was the youngest member of the crew and on his first voyage. There was also an assistant steward, but he was a more experienced traveller, harder for Charley to step into that role.
The minor nitpick came when Lord Tamworth assumed the Doctor was a German spy. Hugo Eckener actually toured the R-101 before its fateful voyage, enough of a tour to comment on the modifications made to the airship. According to the "Airships" tv program I watched, Eckener even said the R-101 shouldn't be allowed to fly. Why would he bother to send another spy afterwards? The writers obviously wanted a way to mention the more famous German rivals and that seemed the best solution.
Then Tamworth compounded things by asking about the plans for a new zeppelin called the Hindenburg. I could excuse this little reference because of 20-20 hindsight, inviting comparisons between the British and German airship disasters. Everyone knows the Hindenburg after all. However, construction on the Hindenburg didn't start until 1931. Even if the design had been started, I don't think LZ-129 was officially christened the Hindenburg until later, named after the late German president. Hindenburg died in 1934.
The massive problem I have is the initial paradox. In "Storm Warning", the plot hinges on the fact that no one survived the R-101 crash. In history, though, eight people actually survived the crash, but two of them would die of their injuries afterwards. Now it might be argued that Charley being there changed that outcome somewhere, but I'm more thinking the writers revised the crash for their purposes for dramatic effect. No one will notice a silly detail like that one right? And of course the Doctor did say he thought he remembered it right...
I'm still trying to figure out whether a good story outweighs a few inaccuracies. Maybe once I've listened to "Neverland" and "Zagreus", I'll have a better idea. I do like this Doctor more than I thought I would. I'm already into the second part of "Neverland" and encountering dear sweet Romana.
Charley reminded me of SAJV's Rebecca Fogg in her delightful first appearance. That's an amusing observation since India Fisher is Francesca Hunt's sister, so clearly they keep adventuring in the family.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I do agree with some reviews that say the last two parts are the weaker half of the storyline. Too much trying to set up and explain their alien world building.
As I mentioned, though, I'm an airship geek, so I know a little more than most about R-101 and her history. Mostly they got it right, except for a few things, one minor and one massive. I've pulled a good deal of information from Airship Heritage Trust website with information on all British airships, including the R-100 and R-101. Also a chapter from the Hindenburg: An Illustrated History with some lovely photos.
The R-101 did indeed crash in Beavais, France in the autumn of 1930. She did carry several notable passengers, including the Minister of Air and Director of Civil Aviation. She did have a blue Axminster carpet covering the passenger lounge. And the Doctor was quite right when he explained how R-101 was simply too heavy and not powerful enough to manage. But needs must and if the best way to show off to the world was by flying to India, so be it, even if they weren't quite ready.
By comparison is sister ship the R-100 had been built nearby by a private firm for about a third the cost and had safely crossed the Atlantic to Canada and back. It hadn't had any problems. Eventually the R-100 was shelved and sold for scrap.
The disaster ended the British airship program, leaving airships to the Americans and Germans. The Americans had their own problems with crashes of the Akron and Macon. The Hindenburg was the final blow for the age of lighter than air in 1937.
The characters and their historical equivalents:
Lord Tamworth: Brigadier-General, The Right Hen. Lord Thomson of Cardington (HM Secretary of State for Air)
Lt. Col. Frayling: Lt. Col. Vincent Richmond (R-101 designer)
Rathbone: James Buck (Thomson's valet)
Chief Steward Weeks: A.H. Savidge
Charlotte "Charley" Pollard/ Simon Murchford: J. W. Megginson (Galley Boy)
In the staff bios, Megginson was the youngest member of the crew and on his first voyage. There was also an assistant steward, but he was a more experienced traveller, harder for Charley to step into that role.
The minor nitpick came when Lord Tamworth assumed the Doctor was a German spy. Hugo Eckener actually toured the R-101 before its fateful voyage, enough of a tour to comment on the modifications made to the airship. According to the "Airships" tv program I watched, Eckener even said the R-101 shouldn't be allowed to fly. Why would he bother to send another spy afterwards? The writers obviously wanted a way to mention the more famous German rivals and that seemed the best solution.
Then Tamworth compounded things by asking about the plans for a new zeppelin called the Hindenburg. I could excuse this little reference because of 20-20 hindsight, inviting comparisons between the British and German airship disasters. Everyone knows the Hindenburg after all. However, construction on the Hindenburg didn't start until 1931. Even if the design had been started, I don't think LZ-129 was officially christened the Hindenburg until later, named after the late German president. Hindenburg died in 1934.
The massive problem I have is the initial paradox. In "Storm Warning", the plot hinges on the fact that no one survived the R-101 crash. In history, though, eight people actually survived the crash, but two of them would die of their injuries afterwards. Now it might be argued that Charley being there changed that outcome somewhere, but I'm more thinking the writers revised the crash for their purposes for dramatic effect. No one will notice a silly detail like that one right? And of course the Doctor did say he thought he remembered it right...
I'm still trying to figure out whether a good story outweighs a few inaccuracies. Maybe once I've listened to "Neverland" and "Zagreus", I'll have a better idea. I do like this Doctor more than I thought I would. I'm already into the second part of "Neverland" and encountering dear sweet Romana.
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 01:32 pm (UTC)The paradoxes are just going to get worse as you listen, though. Not only must you swallow that Charley HAD to have died on the R101, you're going to have to take anti-time seriously. (This caused me a fair amount of trouble, but it was worth it for the rest of the zany fun of Neverland and Zagreus. Although the real payoff is in Scherzo, when the Doctor finally, for once in his lives, REALLY lets you know what he's thinking and feeling. And it's not light, fluffy, and affectionate!)
no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 04:07 pm (UTC)That was something I noticed when I listened to my first audio as well. :) Francesca did a great guest role in "Other Lives" that just reinforced how much she and India sound alike, although Francesca was playing a character very different from Rebecca Fogg. (You probably knew this already.)
I'm not as airship-knowledgeable as you, but I love the Airship Heritage Trust site. *geeks*
no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 08:44 pm (UTC)As far as companions go, I like Charley quite a bit. She's a bit Mary Sue-ish but not annoyingly so and I find some of her observations of the Doctor's behavior amusing.