Subscribe to our 
RSS feed to be alerted to site updates.
Welcome to Live From Mars, the website of Fringeworld, producers of fine fanzines since 1992. Here, you’ll find an abundance of articles and features about tv, films, music and events some of them new, a lot previously published in our zines. Plus there’s lots of information on our current zine `This Way Up`.
To contact us: hello@livefrommars.co.uk Zine queries: zine@livefrommars.co.uk
Update 24/2/10
“I don’t want to go...”
“...at least not till I’ve read issue 26 of This Way Up”
It’s time to celebrate what will always be known as the Russell T Davies Era in the latest issue of the premier Doctor Who e-zine. A flock of articles and reviews examine five years of tone meetings, green screen, Bad Wolf, Torchwood, Mr Saxon, the Doctor-Donna and those four knocks.
Plus- The Sarah Jane Adventures season 3, Merlin season 2, Philip Saville and much, much more.
Read it for free or print it out now.
Yes! I want to read it now
This Way Up Issue 26 (PDF 1,536 kB)
You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to view This Way Up. Download it for free here.
Click here to read back issues
Barry Letts 1925- 2009
Barry Letts brought something special to Doctor Who and therefore to every child who watched it during the 1970s. He imbued his version of the show- which really starts with the 1971 season- with a sense of right and wrong that was bolder than his predecessors. He wanted children to think a little about the world around them and was always sure that behind the series’ colourful action packed dressing there was something of substance. He brought a philosophical air to the Doctor that suggested a more believable down to earth character fitting when you consider where most of the third Doctor’s adventures took place. These seeds manifest themselves in the most unlikely places and may seem simplistic to modern tastes but if you’re searching for a large part of the inspiration for the modern Doctor Who, it is to be found in Barry Letts’ producership.
Many of the people who write and produce the show first saw it under Letts’ stewardship. They will have taken on board the moral messages that are contained in many of the stories; from small moments to big stories. He was a hands - on creative producer who nudged writers towards stories that, if you will, spoke to us about our life. Some of these are political or social things- the EU, pollution, technology, war- others are about the human response to adversity and strife like the Doctor’s little tales to Jo or his warning about glorifying conflict. The third Doctor’s regeneration is essentially the result of his own greed and he has to return to face his fears. There are lessons in almost all Letts’ stories and it’s an environment that fosters companion Jo Grant especially well. Helped by Katy Manning’s enthusiasm, Jo becomes the most three dimensional companion the series had to that point; her willingness to involve herself, her instincts and her principles are so similar to Rose Tyler or Martha Jones that it’s only a furry boa and awkward boots that separate them! Even more surprising is that when the series left Earth more frequently Letts had a similarly strong concept of life on other planets like Peladon or the far future, which he sketched with such assurance that you could always believe in it. It’s the era where things are not always as they seem and we should not judge; hence the Ice Warriors turn out not to be the villains in one story and we have the marvellous Draconians. The era is also full of snappy lines that draw an even bigger picture we don’t see but can imagine and children in particular love all that. As if all that’s not enough, he also cast both Tom Baker and Lis Sladen!
Not that Barry Letts wrote all the stories but, just as Russell T Davies has done, he coaxed, re-wrote and on several un credited occasions wrote large chunks of his era. If people had talked about story arcs or tone meetings in those days, he probably had them both. Later, he became a sort of elder statesman of Doctor Who and whenever he said something about the show, it seemed he understood it better than almost anyone. So we have him to thank for his excellent five years as producer and, in a way, for the manner in which the show has returned to us more recently.
PRIMEVAL IS BACK!!
We have to record how pleased we are at LFM Towers to see Primeval back in the frame after a very speedy 3 month hiatus. Due back on screen in early 2011, we can’t wait and neither can Abby and Connor stuck in that tree. Hurrah! In the meantime why not catch up by getting hold of the first three seasons.
Update 8/7/09
Subscribe to our RSS feed to be alerted to site updates.
DOCTOR WHO + HEROES + JAMES MACTAGGART + THE FEATHERED SERPENT + RICHARD WILLIS + SPOOKS CODE 9 + WAR HORSE + VERONICA MARS + BEING HUMAN + JUDGE DREDD = THIS WAY UP 23
IT ALL ADDS UP TO A GOOD READ
FOR A PAPER COPY EMAIL zine@livefrommars.co.uk with postal address details*
*If you’re on our mailing list you will automatically have been sent a copy of the issue.
READ A COPY HERE
This Way Up Issue 23 (PDF 1,872 kB)
You’ll need Adobe Reader installed on your machine to be able to view this, if you don’t have it, you can download it from here.
This Way Up To Become E-zine
The next issue of This Way Up (no.23 – due this month) will be the last to be available in a paper, posted format. From issue 24, the zine will be released solely as a pdf file on this site for you to read or print out if you wish. Issue 22 was the first to be made available in both formats and the results speak for themselves. While the number of people who read the issue online was considerably higher than our readership has been for several years, no requests for the paper version were received. Paper copies were still sent to the regular mailing list meaning that in total the issue was the most read Fringeworld zine for more than a decade. It’s clear that remaining a printed zine and the schedule that involves would adversely affect our ability to find as large a readership as possible. There are now a lot of fans who have never even heard of paper fanzines. In addition postage costs continue to rise and as the recession affects the printing industry it has become more difficult to find a printer that is both reliable and cost effective. The pdf format will allow This Way Up to be more flexible in content and publication and it is intended to produce up to six issues per year. Shorter reviews will now appear on this site leaving the zine free for the sort of incisive and entertaining articles and features for which is had become known. It also hoped we can expand our team of regular contributors so both the site and zine become more active and up to date while not forgetting the rich source of archive tv that demands our attention. Watch out for further information here soon.
If you are interested in writing tv, film or event reviews for the site or longer articles for the zine please contact us at hello@livefrommars.co.uk
SKY ON DVD
Incredibly, and despite parts 3 & 7 only existing as VHS copies, this fondly remembered ITV children's telefantasy series is getting a DVD release in June. Find out more info here, and for younger readers wondering what on earth we're talking about, read our feature on Sky here.
THIS WAY UP IS BACK!
“One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. I will you know. Come back, yes. Mmm, back. And if you had her shoes, Chessington, you’d be a mountain goat any day!”
We’re pleased to announce the return of the acclaimed fanzine This Way Up for a brand new series packed to the rafters with comment, opinion and analysis on a wide range of tv and other stuff.
Issue 22 features reviews of the first season of Merlin, the second season of Heroes and of The Sarah Jane Adventures as well as the Doctor Who special The Next Doctor. There’s a look at the work of pioneering TV producer Michael Barry, 1980’s kid’s programmes, Arthur C Clarke’s classic novel Childhood’s End and the time last year when a giant mechanical spider stalked the streets of Liverpool.
Get TWU Delivered!
Order a copy from zine@livefrommars.co.uk remembering to include a postal address we can send it to
Read TWU Now!
Just click on the link below to open a PDF file containing the whole issue (this will only be available for a limited period)
This Way Up Issue 22 (PDF 1,534 kB)
You’ll need Adobe Reader installed on your machine to be able to view this, if you don’t have it, you can download it from here.
Join the TWU Mailing List!
If you want to receive each issue whatever’s in it, then let us know and we’ll add you to our mailing list.
Write for TWU!
We’re always looking for new writers for forthcoming issues so if you’d like to get involved contact ed@livefrommars.co.uk
New Who reviews updated
We've now added the Season 4 reviews from the first issue of Jargon to this part of the site - don't worry, we've kept the originals 'cos we know you like a bit of variety.
Back to top