Streaming services are ten-a-penny these days. Amazon Prime, Netflix, DisneyPlus, etc... are a great diversion in these times of social isolation. But no doubt, the intensity with which folk are using them will result in a lot of us realising there's actually not much of true interest on these sites - a handful of premiere TV shows, some blockbuster movies you've seen at the cinema already and a selection of really obscure items that you only find by accident due to the nature of the site's bizarre interpretation of your viewing habits.
Britbox launched last year and on Boxing Day gave access to every available classic Doctor Who episode ever (except for the ones it didn't). Britbox is a UK initiative created by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to provide access to their back catalogues in lieu of the US-based streaming services who tend to promote their own material. Admittedly, the Doctor Who material is the only true archive material on the site at the moment - it's mostly recent stuff of the likes that digital channels like GOLD, ITV3, More4, etc... already screen ad nauseum. But we are promised more as the service become established. For archive material, you can do no worse than seek out the "From The Archives" section on the BBC iPlayer. It features a variety of elderly BBC programmes including episodes of Panorama, Man Alive, a handful of black and white dramas, odd episodes of Bob's Full House and Big Break together with Quatermass and the Pit - complete and fully restored.
With that all in mind, I started thinking about a streaming service myself. I called it Birdbox (see what I did there?). And begin tweeting highlights of its odd programming in a similar vein to how DisneyPlus promoted its content on Twitter.
Here are those said highlights... (Click images to enlarge)
You can't subscribe to Birdbox (thankfully given some of its content) but you can buy me a coffee via my Ko-fi account - just to show how much you enjoyed reading this post. If you didn't, try another post (although knowing you, you probably won't find that one funny either...)
Following my announcement of this year's annuals, I was distressed and dismayed - and to be honest completely disinterested - to receive a tweet from one of my loyal Twitter followers - Si Hodges is his name - telling of his disappointment over the fact that there was no 'Edge of Darkness' annual amongst the current crop.
As I am essentially a 'nice' person, I hate to see my friends upset and set to work on remedying the situation. I spent much time in the loft rummaging about and after several minutes, I came up with this...
Yes, it's not much is it? But then this is the 1980s we are talking about.... (although eagle-eyed readers will probably spot the fact that I used the 1975 Doctor Who annual as partial inspiration for the lay out!)
I'm also indebted to Twitter followers Duncan Steele, Simon Hemsley, Dominator Rago and Wyfan for their helpful suggestions at content for the annual - An 'Escape from Northmoor' maze, "Grow Your Own Black Flowers" etc... £2 Woolworths Star Letter Gift Tokens are winging their way to you through the virtual post*.
*Statement of intent to send out a £2 Woolworths Gift Token to a person is not real and only part of a running gag. Gift Token no longer valid and non-existent. No cash alternative. A joke.
There's a lot that is different in the new ITV 'Thunderbirds Are Go' series when compared to its sixties predecessor.
For one thing, none of the characters chain smoke like they used to...
The Whomobile Action Pursuit Set - Palitoy - c1974
How cool would this have been?
Okay. It might be adapted from an old James Bond Thunderball Action Pursuit Set but at least it came with accurate plastic Whomobile, Bessie and police car models. (One-man hovercraft sold separately)
Sadly all the effort that the toy designers put into this little piece of toy heaven came to nothing. Jon Pertwee was so furious that his image was being used without his knowledge, that he walked out of the Doctor Who television series and was never heard of again.
No prototypes of this toy are known to exist. Ever.
I could say that "there are some corners of the universe that contain the most....etc..." but I won't.
If any Doctor Who has the desire to own one of those terrible faux collector's "babies" that are widely advertised in the pages of Sunday magazines, then this surely isn't one of them.
Once seen, never forgotten....
From previous postings, here's a selection of similar "collector's items" for you to cut-out-and-keep...
STOP PRESSING:
Dateline: 25/07/2015 -
This image just in from our factory in China....
When Wall's launched the Dalek Death Ray ice lolly in 1975, their manufacturing department took the name a little too literally resulting in it being hastily withdrawn and replaced by the now familiar 'mint and chocolate flavour' ice cream.
In the absence of an effective death ray, I give you the official Sapphire and Steel ice lolly from Lyons Maid....
09.04.2017 - IMPORTANT UPDATE: The above Sapphire and Steel ice lolly is (like all of the TV merchandise on this blog) a fake created by me. It's silly isn't it? Even in the 1970s, who'd have produced an ice lolly with what is effectively a stainless steel knife at its centre. And what kind of company would use "I don't trust it!" as a by-line on its advertising. No. It's a completely made up piece of merchandise. But it hasn't stopped folk from being fooled by it over the years. When I originally posted it, some enterprising ebayer decided they'd produce fridge magnets using the image believing it to be a genuine ad. Comments on Twitter have also come from people who genuinely think they remember it. I will say it again. The Sapphire and Steel does not exist. It is a figment of my and hopefully, your imagination. Goodnight. x
This rather epitomises the way I work. I was on Twitter over the weekend and a certain photo of Peter Capaldi suddenly started showing up in my feed.
Taken on location over the weekend, he was holding an iconic prop from the original series - namely the Metebelis Three crystal that featured in both The Green Death and Planet of the Spiders.
I instantly had one of my inspirational "if-only" moments and set to work creating a Target cover from scratch to reflect the acute fanboy nature of the image.
Before you ask, I have no idea what "Doctor Who and the Blue Moon" is about. I could use the excuse 'spoilers' to cover that up but honestly, I have no idea why the Doctor is holding a blue crystal on the banks of the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament whilst a giant moon hangs ominously in the sky. It just looks cool doesn't it?
My thanks to David Bickerstaff who took the original picture on location over the May Bank Holiday when he presented Peter with his own souvenir from the planet Metebelis Three.
Hopefully, the good Doctor can put it to good use during the next giant spider invasion!
I was a bit bored yesterday and did these...
Re: The 'cauliflower leaves' one. You had to be watching EastEnders last week to get the joke. Not that there is one anyway...
Nearly there.
Here's Matt Smith's final full series of Doctor Who episodes done up as Target books.
Not long now... then I can back to something more productive like earning a crust!
Another week. Another year in the life of Target Books ongoing journey to chronicle the new adventures of TV's favourite time-travelling Time Lord from space.
This is series 6 featuring Matt Smith as Dr. Who and takes our hero up to the 2010 Christmas special - and another episode with a title that doesn't fit the Target template!
Thank you!
With that all in mind, I started thinking about a streaming service myself. I called it Birdbox (see what I did there?). And begin tweeting highlights of its odd programming in a similar vein to how DisneyPlus promoted its content on Twitter. 
