Shada

Started 17-Oct

We watched the 2017 remake which combines modern flash animation with original 16mm film and studio video scenes.

Overall the style seems distinctly at odds with the other stories in series 17. Partly this is due to the modernised presentation ( the pre credits sequence, the Keff McCulloch soundtrack but there is some distinct comedy element in the quirky, oddball Adams-ish characters (Wilkin (Gerald Campion), Chronotis (Denis Carey). Also standout is the distinctly freaky Skagra played by Christopher Neame. Dare I wonder if there are any self referential components in the Chris Parsons characters? Clearly this character is the closest analogue to Douglas Adams himself. Closer than Arthur Dent or Dirk Gently. Only problem with this day dream is that there's f-all evidence of it.

What would it have been like if it were finished properly and broadcast like other DW serials or even remounted and presented as a 1980 Xmas special (as JNT tried to do in Series 18)?

I think there is now enough present to show it would not have been Douglas Adams' best DW work.

The other thought that strikes me is that the filming in p1 looks languid and slow. Presumably the film editing was never done properly so it remained untight and unsped up.

At the end of this production DW said goodbye to the 70's definitely. Dudley Simpson never worked on this though he was contracted to. Graham Williams leaves the show with the poorest record as producer in the show's history. The final outing for the Delia Derbyshire version of the theme music.

Can this be ranked? I'm gonna say it can be rated but not ranked. There has been several iterations of this now issued on video/DVD/Bluray and a sort of online flash animation sequel/flashback version over the last 25 years. It is not part of Series 17 as such but it stands on its own as an oddity.

Shada is not a lost classic. It is a recovered final 6 parter. It has a epic aim but I feel it falls short of actual greatness.

Behind the scenes JNT is revolutionising the look of the show and he will introduce a new aspect which probably through collaboration with Ian Levine attempts to pander to the super fan audience. The modern term for this is fanservice (though not in the titillation sense). Mainly this will take the form of structured publicity releases about upcoming episodes and returning characters. As years go on this will become more and less exciting and increasingly desperate.


ABM Rating 2.75/4.00
LJM Rating 4.20/5.00
SPJ Rating 7.00/10   

No. 48 (out of ) 109

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