SAMPLE

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Movie
Original title SAMPLE
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1994 , 1995 , 1996 and 2015
length Part 1: 60 minutes
Part 2: 80 minutes
Part 3: 47 minutes
Part 4: 42 minutes
Part 5: 60 minutes
Rod
Director Bill Baggs
script Mark Gatiss (Films 1–4)
Bill Baggs (Film 5)
production Bill Baggs
music Mark Ayres
camera Dick Kursa, Andy Bell, Olivia Thomas
cut Michael Duxbury
occupation

PROBE is a five-part film series and an offshoot of the British television series Doctor Who . This is about Dr. Liz Shaw , a former companion of the doctor who deals with crimes of a paranomal kind.

action

Dr. Liz Shaw, a former companion of the third doctor , is investigating unusual incidents and murders with the PROBE unit. Since the unit is particularly concerned with paranormal activities, this repeatedly leads to difficulties with the superiors.

occupation

The main characters in the film are the PROBE (Preternatural Research Bureau) employee Dr. Liz Shaw and Patricia Haggard. Liz Shaw is portrayed by Caroline John and Patricia Haggard by Louise Jameson . Since Caroline John died in 2012, the main cast in the last film, When to Die , were replaced. Now Hazel Burrows played Liz Shaw and Georgette Ellison Patricia Haggard.

background

PROBE is an offshoot of the British television series Doctor Who . PROBE stands for Preternatural Research Bureau, a unit that deals with paranormal activities on earth. Bill Baggs produced and directed the series. Mark Gatiss wrote the script for the first four films, Bill Baggs the script for the last film. Mark Gatiss was not only active as a screenwriter, but also played a few roles in the first three films. The BBC allowed those involved to feature the third doctor's companion , Liz Shaw, in the film. However, she was not allowed to speak of her past adventures with the doctor in the film series. Other elements from Doctor Who could not be used either. In the advertisement for the official video release , PROBE was touted as the UK version of the X-Files . In addition to Caroline John (Liz Shaw), many other actors known from Doctor Who could be seen in the series, including Louise Jameson (Leela), Jon Pertwee (third doctor), Colin Baker (sixth doctor), Peter Davison (fifth doctor), Sylvester McCoy (seventh Doctor) and Sophie Aldred (Ace). However, these played a different role than in the Doctor Who series. PROBE is the first Doctor Who offshoot with several parts. Unlike other unofficial Doctor Who offshoots, PROBE has not had any direct influence on other Doctor Who productions. No characters, events or other smaller elements from the film series were included in further Doctor Who productions.

publication

Four of the PROBE films have been released on VHS. All five parts were released on DVD.

criticism

Andrew Hickey from Mindless Ones says that PROBE is cheap and looks like it is cheap. The script is exactly what one would expect from Mark Gatiss . Gatiss is a talented author, but he lacks originality here. So it would be clear from the start what everything would lead to. With an extremely low budget, an attempt would be made to orientate oneself on the TV series The X-Files - The FBI's Scary Cases . The role of Mulder, however, is a middle-aged pipe-smoking woman who is clearly described as a lesbian. The genre is more gothic horror than science fiction. In addition, the film series shows some references to the Doctor Who series. PROBE is not a masterpiece, but the way the film series is made gives it something unique and interesting. Even so, the film series is neither good nor interesting enough to pay more attention to. It is especially intended for people who cannot get enough of Doctor Who and are waiting for an adequate replacement. Richard Radcliffe praises Caroline John's portrayal of Liz Shaw. However, he thinks they surpass some of the guest actors. Louise Jameson would also portray Patricia Haggard well.

The Zero Imperative (1994)

The script for The Zero Imperative was written by Mark Gatiss . Bill Baggs directed and produced the 60 minute film. The Zero Imperative was filmed in an old mental hospital. The Zero Imperative is the last movie that Jon Pertwee starred in before his death.

content

Liz Shaw investigates the murders in a mental hospital. She keeps hearing from the patient Zero and tries to find out what he has to do with the whole thing.

actor

reception

Joe Ford says The Zero Imperative has everything that made the X-Files so great in the early years. Mark Gatiss would have written an exciting and thoughtful script. There is a real feeling of fear of the unknown, the actors are at the highest level and the exciting finale leaves you begging for more.

The Devil of Winterborne (1995)

The script for The Devil of Winterborne was written by Mark Gatiss . Bill Baggs directed and produced the 80 minute film.

content

The Headmaster Mr. Whittaker and his dog are murdered. Liz Shaw finds evidence of Satanist ritual next to the murder site. The trail leads them to Winterborne School. There the headmaster is accused of having to do with the murder of a student and an employee. Liz Shaw wants to find out what is really going on.

actor

reception

Richard Radcliffe thinks The Devil of Winterborne is a very good story. Guest actor Peter Davison shows the best performance . Terry Molloy would, however, DI Burke very one-dimensional Stuart Gutteridge play explains that he The Devil of Winterborne for Mark Gatiss think best screenplay.

Unnatural Selection (1996)

Mark Gatiss wrote the screenplay for Unnatural Selection . Bill Baggs directed and produced the 47-minute film.

content

In 1975 the government secretly closes an environmental project called BEAGLE. Everything that indicates the project will be destroyed. Now, however, mutated corpses appear. Liz Shaw believes this has something to do with the project and is getting to the bottom of it.

actor

reception

Joe Ford praises the good script and the strong actors in the film. He particularly likes that there are many indications of how the story will continue and that the viewer can guess during the film how the story will end.

Ghosts of Winterborne (1996)

The screenplay for Ghosts of Winterborne was written by Mark Gatiss . Bill Baggs directed and produced the 42 minute film.

content

After the events of The Devil of Winterborne , Liz Shaw has to attend to a case at Winterborne School again. A book full of black magic is stolen, and Liz is certain that this has something to do with her past experiences at Winterborne School.

actor

reception

Stuart Gutteridge believes The Ghosts of Winterborne was the worst SAMPLE film at the time. The high proportion of scenes of violence in particular seem unnecessary. The storyline is thin and there is no character development from Liz Shaw. The presence of the new headmistress was also insufficiently explained. However, the locations, the dream sequences and Peter Davison's portrayal of Gavin Purcell are positive . His character would have developed further and therefore seemed more threatening and believable. He also liked the end of the episode.

When to Die (2015)

When to Die was released 19 years after the last PROBE film. Bill Baggs directed, scripted and produced When to Die . He had previously thought about making a new PROBE film for a long time, as the film series was very successful. When the leading actress Caroline John died in 2012, he had to think about how to proceed. He decided to shoot When to Die as a tribute to Caroline John. Hazel Burrows, who looks a lot like Caroline John, was supposed to portray Liz Shaw in the film.

content

When Liz Shaw returns from a vacation in Spain, she is faced with a new, deeply troubling case. Her job is to find out the truth behind Corporal 7891Alpha. At first it seems a simple case, but the more Liz finds out, the more complex the case seems to get. Now only her experience can help her to solve the case.

actor

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ John Kenneth Muir (2008): A Critical History of Doctor Who on Television. London: McFarley & Company. P. 420.
  2. ^ Louisa Mellor: Caroline John: 1940–2012. . In: Denofgeek . June 21, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b P.ROBE: When to Die. . In: Timelash . Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  4. ^ Owen Quinn: FTN pays tribute to Caroline John, Doctor Who's Liz Shaw, may she rest in peace. . In: FollowingtheNerd . June 21, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  5. ↑ Trent Moore: Remember Doctor Who companion Caroline John with 5 great moments. . In: Blastr . December 17, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f Mike Haberfelner: An Interview with Bill Baggs of BBV . In: Search my Trash . July 30, 2006. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  7. ^ Creator-authorized video spin-offs . In: Who I Met . Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ 4 Doctor Who Spinoffs You Didn't Know Existed - Friday Four - RetroPhaseShift. In: retrophaseshift.com. September 5, 2014, accessed November 8, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Liz Shaw's Best Bits: What happened next? . In: The medium is not enough . June 29, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  10. ^ Robert JE Simpson: Interviews: Mark Gatiss. . In: The Unofficial Hammer Films . June 30, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  11. ↑ TheDoctorWhoBar: Farewell Liz Shaw, as we say goodbye to Caroline John. In: thedoctorwhobar.blogspot.com. June 21, 2012, accessed November 8, 2019 .
  12. ↑ 50 Glorious Years: Episode 33-1995 . September 21, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  13. ↑ PROBE (2016). . Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ Elisa Rolle: Mark Gatiss & Ian Hallard. . September 18, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ a b BBV Release Latest PROBE And Liz Shaw Drama On DVD. . In: Mmahammer . April 28, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved on March 20, 2016.
  16. ^ Doctor Who: Fifty Stories For Fifty Years - 1994 . In: Mindless Ones . June 30, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  17. ^ A b Stuart Gutteridge and Richard Radcliffe: BBV's PROBE The Devil of Winterborne . In: Pagefillers . January 25, 2005. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  18. ↑ Richard Radcliffe, Joe Ford and Stuart Gutteridge: BBV's PROBE The Zero Imperative. . In: Pagefillers . January 21, 2004. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  19. ↑ Joe Ford and Stuart Gutteridge: BBV's PROBE Unnatural Selection. . In: Pagefillers . November 4, 2003. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  20. ↑ Stuart Gutteridge: BBV's PROBE The Ghosts of Winterborne. . In: Pagefillers . September 10, 1998. Retrieved March 20, 2016.