From: Steve Rogerson steve.rogerson@mcr1.poptel.org.uk
Fiona said: "In the case of Doctor Who, for instance, the original series was produced by the BBC, as was a spinoff story. These are generally accepted as canon. However, there are also a number of spoofs, parodies and sendups, ranging from "Curse of the Fatal Death" through to sketches by Lenny Henry and the League of Gentlemen. These were also produced by the BBC, and yet anybody attempting to claim them as canon
would
be laughed off the stage."
Don't you believe it. Dr Who magazine ran a debate in its letters column
about
whether Curse of the Fatal Death and the crossover one with Eastenders
should be
regarded as canon, and it has been seriously debated at Dr Who conventions.
Yes, one of the letters in that debate was mine. However, two years on, opinion seems to be shifting rather, and the last time the question came up that I'm aware of the answer was skillfully avoided. But still, I've yet to see a serious attempt to claim for canon the Lenny Henry sketch, Doctor Eyes, or the League of Gentlemen's DW sketches (well, Steve Lyons and Chris Howarth make a vague attempt to claim that they're as canonical, but they were just taking the mick).
Fiona said: "I'm still interested to know what was said to make them canon,
other
than their being made by the BBC (see above for why this need not count)."
That was it really. The over-riding argument that makes them canon is that
they
are official BBC Blake's 7 productions broadcast over the BBC network.
Ahhh, so Logic of Empire (which had the blessing of Vere Lorrimer and Chris Boucher) *is* canon, then. I can rest more easily now :)...
Incidentally, though, there's a number of blooper clips that have gone out on the BBC network, in BBC productions. By this logic, they're canon too-- although how you'd explain the discrepancy between the episode and the blooper clip would be very interesting to hear.
I see on a later post that Una claims the Curse of the Fatal Death to be
canon -
doesn't that mean we have now run oput of doctors.
Another reason not to consider it canon :(.
Fiona
The Posthumous Memoirs of Secretary Rontane Regenerating twelve times at http://nyder.r67.net
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