Mark Campbell - Dr. Who - British TV - TV/Radio

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Expert Profile: Mark Campbell

Expertise: I am a freelance writer and huge "Doctor Who" fan. I have seen pretty much every episode that exists, and am familiar with the plots and production details of the series as a whole. I possess every issue of "Doctor Who Magazine", every Target novelization, and a range of the best reference works. I am confident that I should be able to answer any specific queries quickly and accurately. I have written a book called "Pocket Essentials: Doctor Who" (ISBN 1903047196, £2.99), out now. I also have a website called "Skonnos", which features interviews, articles and reviews. The only areas I don`t cover are fan-produced spin-offs and new book adventures.
I am a freelance writer and have written articles on "Doctor Who" for "Midweek" magazine, "The Bookseller" and "The Independent" newspaper. I have a website called "Skonnos" (http://freespace.virgin.net/mark.campbell10/index.htm) which contains many interviews I have conducted with the production team and actors, as well as reviews and articles. I have also written a reference book for Pocket Essentials, called, unsurprisingly, "The Pocket Essential Doctor Who" (£3.99, ISBN 1903047196).

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What do you like about this subject? Since I sat entranced in front of the flickering TV on cold winter evenings in the early 70s, the programme has always been a constant source of entertainment and delight to me. Jon Pertwee started the ball rolling, and Tom Baker steered it through its most popular era. Since then, I've never really grown tired of it.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field? Although the TV series has a finite history, there's still plenty more to learn about how it was made, why certain stories were chosen instead of others, and just what it is about the programme that makes it so popular and so unique - in other words, the elusive answer to what makes it 'tick'.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject "Ghostlight" is terrible (because of all its faults), and "Planet of the Spiders" is marvellous (despite them). Adric is actually a pretty good companion, quite what anybody sees in "The Invasion" is anyone's guess, and Richard Briers is hilarious in "Paradise Towers". Colin Baker is a lovely man but a terrible Doctor, and Sylvester McCoy made a laughable 'man of mystery'.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know: For starters, the 1976 story "The Deadly Assassin" is the template for empty-headed 1999 movie "The Matrix", "The Terminator" and its sequel were foreshadowed by "Day of the Daleks" in 1972, and the time-travelling TARDIS was the obvious inspiration for Bill and Ted's excellent and bogus big-screen adventures...(I'm serious!)

Average Ratings
Prestige Points: 2654
Knowledge	9.79 Best of the best
Clarity of Response	10.0 Best of the best
Timeliness	9.81 Best of the best
Politeness	10.0 Best of the best
Number Of Questions (in Past 24 Hours)		0
Max Questions to be Asked (in 24 Hour period)		15
Total Questions (since joining AllExperts)		229

Recent Reviews from Users

Knowl	Clarity	Time	Politeness	Date
9	10	7	10	09/22/08
10	10	10	10	07/25/08
10	10	10	10	07/22/08
10	10	10	10	06/30/08
10	10	10	10	04/13/08

User Comments

Thanks!! That was a bit of a help. Too bad about the book...but thanks anyway!
(Emeli on 09/22/08)

Once again Thank You. If I think of anything else i'll be sure to ask later.
(Shannan on 07/25/08)

Oh thank you! Knowing this I'll rewatch the episode again. Hopefully it clicks a second time. Once again, thank you for your time.
(Shannan on 07/22/08)

Trying to hunt down the Doctor's real name is a challenge. Than ks for your help
(RD Bull on 06/30/08)

thank you although you didnt know the answer
(unknown on 04/13/08)

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Recent Answers from Mark Campbell

2008-11-03 dalek storys: Hello Martin, There are lots of good websites out there where you will be able to find a complete list at the touch of a button, but here, for the record, are all their appearances: 1. The Daleks...

2008-10-06 doctor who figures/toys: Hello Martin, as you say there is a huge amount of different figures available! If I were you I would look at this website, which lists all the toys under various headings, such as S1, S2 etc, and boxsets...

2008-09-23 900 year old Doctor: Thanks for you query Angela. I'm afraid there is no simple answer to this! Every producer had his or her own idea about the Doctor's age, so there is little consistency throughout the programme's very...

2008-09-17 The 4th Doctor's pocket contents: Hi Emeli, Sorry for the late reply. Off the top of my head, here are some possibilities: a cricket ball, a paper bag, liquorice allsorts, pilot's license for the Mars-Venus Rocket run, apple core...

2008-09-04 the tenth planet: Dear Martin, Thanks for your question. 'The Tenth Planet' parts 1-3 will DEFINITELY be released on DVD. As to when, I can't say. But judging by the current fast release rate, I would give it roughly...