Bob Ayres

[Scene is THE OSCARS. On stage a PRESENTER CELEBRITY is about to announce Best Director.] PRESENTER: And the winner is Mr Director, for… Let's Just Bung It On Streaming. [Huge applause. On the screen behind him, a movie poster comes up. It is a Cinema Paradiso-style poster capturing the romance of cinema - a young boy beneath a movie projector beam, his rapt face illuminated by the image onscreen, while a design of movie film loops around behind him. The title is LET'S JUST BUNG IT ON STREAMING.]. [A typical grey-haired, bearded DIRECTOR comes on stage to accept the award. The rapturous applause stops as he goes to speak, pinching his fingers together meaningfully as he goes to speak]. DIRECTOR: Thank you. Thank you. Y'know... When we were making this picture I said to the studio, "I'm not making a movie here. I'm writing a love letter... ...to bunging it on streaming." [HUGE BURST OF APPLAUSE] DIRECTOR: I want people to experience this like real cinema. A communal thing... Where you pause it every time someone needs a wee Or mum wants to look up "what's that man been in". I want this movie to just turn up one day on your TV And you don't even know whether you're watching tellu or a film for the first 30 minutes. I want to make literally one promotional poster... And put it on one bus stop... Behind the Screwfix in Bedford. [HUGE APPLAUSE] [Ends]

Nerdstock at BFI Southbank today with Doctor No.5 , Tegan, Nyssa abd Who technical alumni presenting the maligned Warriors Of The Deep with updated SFX n tighter pacing.

The Davison / Fielding bickering machine was turned to 11 - glorious fun @adrianspecs.bsky.social

Justin Johnson, Mark Ayres, Chris Thompson and Pete McTighe on stage for the Q&A at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' special edition.

Dick Fiddy and Matthew Sweet on stage for the Q&A at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' special edition.

Mark Ayres, Chris Thompson, and Pete McTighe discussed their work on editing, sound, and VFX for the special edition of 'Warriors of the Deep'. Dr Matthew Sweet talked briefly about his work on the 'In Conversation' interviews.

Janet Fielding, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Tara Ward on stage for the Q&A at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' special edition.

Janet Fielding, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Tara Ward on stage for the Q&A at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' special edition.

Janet Fielding, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Tara Ward on stage for the Q&A at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' special edition.

Janet Fielding, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Tara Ward on stage for the Q&A at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' special edition.

I had a fantastic time yesterday at the BFI screening of the 'Warriors of the Deep' Special Edition (which is a *real* improvement). Janet, Peter, Sarah and Tara Ward were all on top form. Tara's memory of the welcoming atmosphere created by Peter did *not* go down well with Janet! #DoctorWho

‘Rob’s dead, Dave.’ ‘Who is?’ ‘Rob, Dave.’ ‘What, Rob Grant?’ ‘Rob Grant's dead, Dave.’ ‘What, *Rob*, Rob Grant?’ ‘*Rob* Rob Grant’s dead, Dave.’ ‘What, Rob?’ ‘He’s dead. Rob’s dead, Dave.’ ‘He isn't, is he?’ ‘He is *dead*, Dave.’ ‘Not Rob?’ ‘Gordon Bennett! Yes! Rob, Rob Grant. Rob’s dead, Dave.’ ‘Rob Grant?’ ‘He's dead, Dave. Rob Grant’s dead. Rob Grant. Is dead. Dave!’ ‘Wait. Are you trying to tell me Rob Grant’s dead?’

#RedDwarf

We urgently need some new rules in place to prevent anything like this happening again

Two widescreen comic panels showing scenes from samurai in battle; the top one green and yellow spearmen fight red and brown swordsmen; the bottom one in a village, huts aflame, horses gallop through, a samurai in red and green swings his spear at a rifleman and swordsman.

Battle! From 'The Secret of the Samurai' (BDMust, 2020) #juliusChancer

Yesterday was a bad day for Skynet... just saying...

McGann comes to 4K The 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie is to be released in 4K later this year. For the first time, all 219 reels of original film (totalling almost 200,000 feet!) have been pulled from deep storage in the U…

ICYMI: The 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie comes to 4K
@markayresrws.bsky.social
scifibulletin.com/2026/02/19/m...

Tom Baker and John Leeson. #TomBaker #DoctorWho #FourthDoctor

SIR SHERLOCK - The Red Letter Day The beginning of a brand-new, full-cast audio series and novellas, starring Tom Baker MBE and John Leeson as Holmes and Watson.

Only 26 backers from our first stretch goal. Tom Baker IS Sir Sherlock Holmes. John Leeson is Doctor John Watson. Check out SIR SHERLOCK - The Red Letter Day by AUK Studios on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/152...

[Scene is a domestic kitchen. Night time. The room is all blue apart from warm orange-pink light streaming in from a streetlight outside. In the center of the room stands a woman named BRANDI, standing in pyjamas looking contemplative, the light cast dramatically on her face. At the doorway, leaning against the frame, her partner JOEL stands has woken up and found her in the kitchen.] JOEL: Honey… what are you doing? BRANDI: Can’t sleep Guess I just like standing in the kitchen at 3am thinking about the supernatural threat we temporarily defeated last year. While saying that out loud in a manner which sounds casually ironic but is actually just blatant exposition. JOEL: Brandi… you're talking strange... BRANDI: Dammit Joel. It’s time you knew. You're a Netflix character. [Joel looks shocked] BRANDI: Everybody you know has been forced to speak to you in second screen dialogue. Second screen dialogue helps the people scrolling their phones in front of the TV to follow the - JOEL: Stop explaining, Brandi! [Hands on head, emotional expression, warm pink light cast on his face against the cool blue darkness of the room]. JOEL: So that's why my entire life has looked so glossy and... BRANDI: Yep... Warm/cool colour graded. [Cut to a TV show TITLE SCREEN]: SECOND SCREEN - A Netflix original - [Ends]

Spider-Man by Sal Buscema.

Sal Buscema's Spider-Man was off-the-scale brilliant in the 80s. Only the original Ditko version tops it in my book.
#comics

Ha!

Thanks for the mention, Matthew! I'm delighted you enjoyed The Shroud.

Blurb for The Shroud by Bob Ayres, basically says a human colony is under attack by a mysterious creature known to the locals only as The Squids.

A screenshot of Jamie. I've added the ficticious subtitle "now, listen here, ye cheeky bastard".

Oh aye, "Squids" is it? Next up in the #DoctorWho 'Beyond War Games' listenalong is 'The Shroud' by Bob Ayres. Try pulling that one me, eh?

Great cliffhanger endings from 1960s Doctor Who, one per season:

Plunger enters frame. Barbara screams!

“The Monk’s got a Tardis!”

“They’ve finished the statue!”

“I am your servant! I am your servant!”

“Why, hallo, Bruce. What are you doing here?”

“It's the Time Lords! We must get away!”

Paddington in Star Trek

I Photoshop Paddington into a movie, TV show, or pop culture until I forget: Day 1784

Tom Baker IS Sherlock Holmes. John Leeson IS Doctor Watson. Somebody (it's me!) has written the official novelisation. Support SIR SHERLOCK from AUK Studios and... WHO knows, further games may be afoot. www.kickstarter.com/projects/152...

a woman wearing a necklace and earrings looks at the camera ALT: a woman wearing a necklace and earrings looks at the camera

“I no longer feel an obligation to speak purely of peace”

"I don't know much about art, but I know what I like"
...and now I have the Botcherby shrine I didn't realise I needed until @rablackart.bsky.social saw potential and turned his amazing talents to one of my very favourite #DoctorWho stories, #TheTwoDoctors

Cover reveal! Out 7th May 2026

Doctor Who: Circle of Memory
By Bob Ayres

Dan Starkey reads this audio original adventure for the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory

CD: amzn.to/3N9zTrT
Audible: amzn.to/49zCGSs #ad

An announcement in Doctor Who Magazine of BBC Audiobooks' release of the Eleventh Doctor story "Circle of Memory" in May.

Excited to get a mention in this month's Doctor Who Magazine!

Coming soon...

Doctor Who (1963–1996) - Season 9: The Sea Devils A re-edited, feature-length version of the classic 1972 Doctor Who story that introduced audiences to the formidable aquatic species the Sea Devils.

LIVE NOW on @BBCiPlayer! THE SEA DEVILS – our 90-minute 2025 re-cut, with new music by Lorne Balfe, fresh sound by @markayresrws.bsky.social, and a few surprises. 👀 Perfect Sunday-morning viewing, before its TV debut on BBC Four tonight at 7pm. 🌊😈 GO, GO, GO!!! www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

A view over a ploughed field towards an ancient barn topped with snow. There is a hard hoar frost tracing cobwebs and making the going hard for the corvids in the field

Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar
Window 7
‘Frost’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe

A small child approaches his scientist father who is working at a large, strange, contraption. His face pressed to a viewing tube. “Are you looking forward to Christmas, papa?” Asks the child. “Yes,” replies the scientist“ turning round, “that is exactly what I am doing” then he adds “Thank you for the socks.” We can now see that the viewing tube breaks the border of the comics panel, passes through complicated machinery and allows the scientist to see into the next comic panel: Caption: December 25th A Christmas scene. The child and father-scientist open presents before a Christmas tree. The father has just unwrapped some socks.

My latest cartoon for @newscientist.com

The early winter light over snow has created and almost apricot coloured sky. The country Lane is probably in Kent and we see a small farm yard with oast houses

Ladybird Artists Advent Calendar, window 6
‘Lane in Winter’
Artist: Rowland Hilder

466: The Sea Devils (2025) The Sea Devils return to our TV screens this weekend - but in a new way! The Third Doctor tale is being given a new lease of life through a 90 minute new edit, and Benjamin Cook tells us about it. Plu

🌊😈NEW EPISODE!🌊😈

Want to know more about the new version of #DoctorWho - The Sea Devils? We've got all the facts you want! We're joined by @benjamincook.bsky.social and @markayresrws.bsky.social, plus @petercrockersvs.bsky.social to discuss its restoration.

soundcloud.com/powerof3pod/...

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Learning from Stoppard By Mike Fitzgerald, June 13, 2016 Comparing two drafts of a script can be hugely instructive, revealing point-by-point how a writer went about improving the story. When I stumbled upon an earlier draft of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I discovered a dazzling, glittering trove of lessons as nourishing as eternal life itself. Well, nearly so. Last Crusade was written by Jeffrey Boam, from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes. So say the opening credits. Boam’s final draft, dated March 1, 1988 (ten weeks before production) differs drastically from the published script which reflects the released version of the film. Differences come as no shock, but with Last Crusade they aren’t just a few deleted scenes and some line changes. Whole sections of the Boam draft were reimagined, major set pieces were added, and the pacing and tone were markedly transformed. Whoever made these changes possessed a profound grasp of story craft. Screenshot from https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade-learning-from-stoppard/

Nine years ago Mike Fitzgerald wrote up an extraordinarily fascinating breakdown of the differences between the Tom Stoppard shooting script and the original Jeffrey Boam draft of Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

It's well worth your time: www.creativescreenwriting.com/indiana-jone...

Had fun remembering my so-called “student film” with Kenny in this podcast. SHAKEDOWN (1994)
#DoctorWho