Doctor Who viewers may remember London landmark Alexandra Palace from such episodes as The One In The 1950s With The Angry Dad And Maureen Lipman, also known as The Idiot’s Lantern, a David Tennant/Billie Piper episode from earlier this year. The show may have been filmed in Wales, but, through the magic of modern technology, Alexandra Palace plays a central role.

The first public television broadcasts were made from Ally Pally seventy years ago so the studios there, which were used for decades subsequently, have great historical importance. Unfortunately, as the building prepares to change hands, although there is provision for a museum, there are no specific protections for these studios.

Local LibDem MP Lynne Featherstone is campaigning to protect these historic studios. She recommends that anyone interested in saving the studios lobby the Charity Commissioners who are consulting on the proposed lease. See Lynne’s blog for details.

Nigel Kneale, the “godfather of television science fiction”, died on Sunday at the age of 84. Best known for his Quatermass serials (the film version of Quatermass 2 featured actor William Franklyn, who has also died), Kneale also wrote the anthology series Beasts, spooky Jane Asher drama The Stone Tape, a classic Peter Cushing television adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the ground-breaking The Year of the Sex Olmypics, a prescient prediction of the current reality TV craze.

Although he reportedly disapproved of Doctor Who and turned down the opportunity to write for it, the series was very much influenced by Kneale’s 1950s science fiction serials, a contribution acknowledged by a direct reference to “Bernard” (Quatermass) in Remembrance of the Daleks. HammerWeb has a tribute to him here.

(See also Nick Barlow.)

Via Rullsenberg comes Rob’s Tuesday Doctor Who meme:

So here it is: what are you three favourite Doctor Who stories and why? You can have stories from the old series, new series, audio plays, movies, books, comics, stage plays, even fan fic. You don’t have to arrange them in any order (nor put down any other stories if you don’t want). You just need to name your top three.

I thought this would be tough, but it turns out that I can identify a top three – although I’d struggle to order the next 10-15. I feel a little guilty for not including Remembrance of the Daleks, Survival, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Robots of Death, The Stones of Blood, Logopolis, Kinda, The Romans, The War Games, School Reunion, and even The Happiness Patrol (hey, Rob said “favourite” not “best”). But here they are.

1. The Keeper of Traken: Possibly the most middle-of-the-road story going, but it was the first Who video I bought. Anthony Ainley gives one of his two best performances in the series (the other is in Survival) and unconstrained by the bwa-ha-ha-ing of the Master he’s able to portray Consul Tremas as a sympathetic and endearing character. Traken itself is well-realised if a little camp – but what can you expect from an “empire held together by people just being terribly nice to each other.” The less excitable Tom Baker, in his penultimate story, is still an excellent lead and there is some brief foreshadowing of his final story. By no means the best story ever made, I do have a soft spot for it.
2. The Caves of Androzani: This one, however, is the best Doctor ever made. Excellent villains in Morgus (complete with asides to camera) and Sharaz Jek, top direction by Graeme Harper and a classy script from Robert Holmes. Peter Davison acts his socks off surrounded by a strong cast of supporting characters. As has been said on Rob’s blog, it’s as bleak as the series gets: only the female characters survive; even Davison is killed off. Every fantastic serial needs a rubbish monster, which in this case is the Magma Beast, but we just ignore that.
3. The Talons of Weng-Chiang: Let the talons of Weng-Chiang shred your nerves! OK, it’s not quite that scary, but it is extremely good. Tom in Sherlock Holmes get-up investigates a time traveller from the future who’s been kidnapping young women (<cough>prostitutes</cough>) in Victorian London. Another marvellous script from Bob Holmes, a convincing, foggy city, another great supporting cast (John Bennett, Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxendale), a good companion with lots to do. And, as an extra bonus, it’s six episodes long without overstaying its welcome. What more can you want? Apart from a slightly rubbish monster, of course, which in this case is a giant rat.

This is a meme, fanboys, so do join in.

The planet that started the row which ended with Pluto’s demotion has been named. It’s lost its Warrior Princess nickname Xena and is called Eris after – rather suitably – the Greek god of discord and strife. It’s moon has also been aptly christened Dysnomia after Eris’s daughter, a “demon spirit of Lawlessness”.

I am, of course, disappointed that the IAU didn’t call it Mondas.