The Fourth Doctor

In 1974, Tom Baker took over the lead role in Doctor Who from Jon Pertwee.  Producer Barry Letts was convinced he was right for the part after seeing his performance in "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad". However, he was actually working on a construction site, as acting jobs were scarce at the time!

Tom starred as the Time Lord in 172 episodes over a seven-year period, from 1974 to 1981. This makes him currently the longest running on-screen 'Doctor'.Although Tom came up with many aspects of his Doctor's personality and speech, his trademark scarf for his character was created by accident. Costume designer James Acheson supplied much more wool than necessary to the knitter, Begonia Pope - she simply knitted all the wool she was given. Tom's eccentric style of dress - and his fondness for jelly babies - quickly caught the viewing public's imagination. It is Tom's version of the Doctor that is best remembered in the United States.

He was succeeded at the TARDIS helm by Peter Davison. More to follow...

Problems and Opportunities

It was a particularly wet and miserable morning - and I couldn't just turn over and go back to sleep. I had to get up to go to work. I hadn't slept well the night before - too many things on my mind - and I was in pain with an annoying ailment so as a result I was feeling particularly low. There seemed to be nothing but an endless string of problems ahead of me...

In fact, I started seeing these problems in a tangible way - if you excuse the literary reference, it was just like the heads of the Hydra - cut off one, and two more would take its place.

Inspired by the way my mind was working this out, I sought suitable inspiration to combat this online - as I sat on the train to work I googled a quotation or two. And then I read this:

"Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognised a problem and turned it into an opportunity."
(Joseph Sugarman)

You know, I find it hard sometimes to see the opportunity behind the problem. Sometimes I can't seem to see the wood for the trees! However, I've been trying hard this week to actively spot the opportunity in each problem I encounter.

"Tho’ we are weak, His grace is everything we need;
We’re made of clay but this treasure is within.
He turns our weaknesses into His opportunities,
So that the glory goes to Him….."
(lyrics from 'Rejoice, Rejoice' by Graham Kendrick)

Faith is spelled R.I.S.K…

... and I have blogged a little bit about risk before. I have also written quite a bit on the subject of faith before.

Being a follower of Jesus takes faith - even to the extent of looking a fool. Jesus never promised His followers that everything would be “rosy”.

In fact, quite the opposite. He said:

Mark 8:34-38 (The Message)
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendour of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.”

We are called to live an "alternative" lifestyle. A life of sacrifice, a life of denying oneself and living the way Christ teaches us to. And that can be scary. And can makes you feel extremely vulnerable.

But it's the right way. The way to go...

Let Go And Let God

As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God, because He was my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him, in peace, to work alone;
I hung around and tried to help, with ways that were my own.
At last, I snatched them back and cried, "How can you be so slow?"
"My child," He said, "What could I do?
You never did let go."

Author: believed to be Lauretta P. Burns

May Her Soul Rest In Peace

The news of the passing of Baroness Thatcher has filled the newspapers and news bulletins for the last 48 hours. Journalists have clearly gone overboard with their coverage. And why not? We may never see anyone quite like her again in our lifetime...

Reaction to the news amongst my friends and colleagues has been ... mixed. There have been some quite nasty comments made, a couple of tender tributes. However I could have easily predicted who would say what.

What do I think? Firstly, I note that compassion for the family and friends of Margaret seems sorely lacking. Surely it would not hurt to mourn for just a little while?

Secondly, I recognise the passing of a great leader. I think she would have had the toughest job in the entire world at that time. I don't agree with her politics and some of the decisions that she made but I covet her drive and ability to handle tough situations.

I can't help but dwell for a while to consider the 'real Margaret'. The one behind the Iron Lady image, so carefully crafted to portray her to the world as a formidable leader and statesman. The wife and mother that was present behind the persona of Britain's first female prime minister. The one who cried over some of the decisions she had to make.

Vulnerability

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

(quote from C.S. Lewis, "The Four Loves")

Something that I was reminded about over this Easter weekend. I've just downloaded the book to read this week.  

The Third Doctor

When asked to find a replacement for Patrick Troughton in Doctor Who, producer Peter Bryant considered Jon Pertwee (1919-1996) to be a strong candidate. In fact, Jon had already asked his agent to apply for the role and was surprised to find he was already short-listed! 

Jon was a well-established comedy actor, with a long-running role in the radio series The Navy Lark (another of my personal favourites!). However, Jon played the Time Lord relatively straight, as an action hero with a love of gadgets and flamboyant clothes. The show's format was also changed a little - for much of his time as the Doctor, the character was exiled on Earth and serving with UNIT (a convenient plot device, used to keep the show's budget down). During this period he had regular battles with another Time Lord, the Master (Roger Delgado), and formed a strong friendship with UNIT's leader, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). 

Jon eventually stepped down from the role in 1974 in order to resume his stage career, although the death of his good friend Roger Delgado was a major factor. He handed the role over to Tom Baker.

More to come...

Parables

One of the benefits that I have experienced through having agreed to the New Testament Bible Challenge is a renewed interest in rereading a number of the parables of Jesus. This method of teaching (used when talking to large crowds) takes considerable thought and effort on the part of the reader/listener to try and understand what exactly He is getting at. Some listeners simply didn't 'get it'. The disciples did ask Jesus why He taught this way on one occasion.

He said: "Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.." (Matthew 10:11-13, NIV)

Dig deep into His parables - there's plenty of food for thought there.

Are You Up To The Challenge?

Along with many other Salvationists throughout the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, I'm getting involved with a Bible Challenge over the next twelve months. Are you up to it? Will you join us?


I'm going to be reading the New Testament from beginning to end in one year, one chapter each weekday (Monday to Friday) between now and next February. And even if you miss a day that's not a problem; you have the weekend to catch up! And who knows what God may say to you if you spend time to listen to Him...

Find out more about the challenge here.

The Second Doctor

Regeneration complete, the series of Doctor Who would go from strength to strength with Patrick Troughton (1920-1987) now in charge of the TARDIS. A deliberate decision was made not to cast someone just like William Hartnell. Quite the opposite - because each new Doctor had his own personality, each subsequent actor playing the Time Lord would be given the opportunity to interpret the role in their own way. Rather than follow Hartnell's rather grumpy persona, Pat's "Chaplinesque" take acted the fool, whilst in reality he was several steps ahead of the others. Producer Innes Lloyd was later quoted as saying, "There's only one man in England who can take over, and that's Patrick Troughton."

Pat was also the first Doctor to have his face appear in the opening titles of the show. Regretfully, many of his earliest episodes were wiped by the BBC, but the surviving stories are well worth a watch. The schedule wasn't an easy one (they produced as many as 44 new episodes a year), but the new actor took the series to even greater success. However, with the emphasis moving away from historical drama to more action stories, there was criticism about the series' growing reputation as a scary show.

Pat stayed three years in the role, only deciding to leave the series in 1969 (amid fears of being typecast). He was succeeded in the role by Jon Pertwee.

More follows...