‘MYTH MAKERS: MARK STRICKSON’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

We have Mark Strickson being interviewed by Nicholas Briggs for his ‘Myth Makers’ in 1997. They visit one of the filming locations from ‘The Awakening’. Shapwick village in Dorset, I believe it was. 🙂

I enjoyed Mark Strickson’s ‘Myth Makers’. Having met him at conventions over the years, I appreciate how good an actor he is. Mark’s ‘Myth Makers’ has helped me to appreciate him even more.

Of course, Mark played Vislor Turlough in ‘Doctor Who’. He provides some very interesting insight in the character he played, especially regarding how he began, and how he developed in the TV series.

I enjoyed it when Mark shared his ‘Doctor Who’ memories to Nick when they were having pints in the pub. They go through each of the stories from ‘Mawdryn Undead’ right to ‘Planet of Fire’ itself. 🙂

It was also fascinating to hear what Mark did after doing ‘Doctor Who’, including his acting career and moving to Australia to become a teacher. He also talks about doing his zoology course in Australia. 🙂

This led him to become a documentary producer and filmmaker. Apparently, according to WilliamsFan92, Mark helped to launch the career of Steve Irwin, nicknamed the Crocodile Hunter. 🙂

Not that I know anything about Steve Irwin, but it’s interesting Mark Strickson was influential in that regard. Lately, I’ve seen Mark play young Scrooge in 1984’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ with George C. Scott.

It was nice to see him in that and playing a different character compared to Turlough. At the time of this review, I hope I’ll revisit 1984’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ again and perhaps write a quick review on it. 😀

It was funny when Mark had to shout at the top of his voice when answering Nick’s questions. Cars kept coming by when they were in the village. This is before they went to the pub to chat further. 😀

It’s also funny when Mark and Nick tried to get into the church, but it was locked the first time they tried it. Thankfully, they got in and we got to see more of Nick interviewing Mark in the church itself.

It’s interesting that Mark talks mostly about his ‘Doctor Who’ career in the pub with Nick, and by the time they get inside the church, they’re talking about what Mark did in his post-‘Doctor Who’ career.

Throughout Mark Strickson’s ‘Myth Makers’, there are ghostly apparitions of Roundheads, played by Mark Denny and Richard Hope, that come to haunt Mark and Nick. Sometimes, it was quite amusing.

Other times, it was quite distracting. Thankfully, those scenes didn’t spoil my enjoyment of Mark’s interview being conducted by Nick, especially when he comes across as a nice and a very bright guy.

It was intriguing to hear Mark share his frustration over the development of Turlough’s character from being a villain in ‘The Black Guardian Trilogy’ to becoming a good guy later on in the TV series. 🙂

Thankfully, thanks to the Big Finish audios, I find Turlough to be an interesting character in ‘Doctor Who’. Not on the same level as Nyssa and Tegan, but certainly interesting whenever I see and hear him.

I was saddened to hear that Mark split up from his first wife Julie Brennon, who played Fire Escape in ‘Paradise Towers’. It was nice to hear that Mark married again to someone else called Delny Britton.

Sadly, since doing his ‘Myth Makers’, Mark has also divorced from Delny Britton. I believe he currently has a wife named Lisa Strickson. He also has a son called Tom. This was intriguing to discover.

It’s enlightening that Mark wanted to be a regular in ‘Doctor Who’ over being a regular in ‘Angels’, a soap opera he did, against his agent’s advice. I’m very pleased he did ‘Doctor Who’ instead of ‘Angels’. 🙂

I’ve never seen ‘Angels’, but I’ve seen Mark playing his ambulance driver character in a clip from the ‘Finding Mark Strickson’ feature on Disc 2 of the ‘Enlightenment’ 2-disc DVD. His voice is strongly Northern in that. 😀

I enjoyed how Mark’s ‘Myth Makers’ ended with him and Nick confronting the ghostly Roundheads. Mark quotes his “Doctor, Doctor, what’s happening, Doctor” lines and he calls Nick Briggs ‘the Doctor’.

Mark Strickson’s ‘Myth Makers’ has been very enjoyable to watch. I’m glad I saw it in ‘The Doctors: The Peter Davison Years’ DVD compilation, and Mark does come across as a very enthusiastic guy. 🙂

‘Myth Makers: Mark Strickson’ rating – 8/10

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