The NABIL SHABAN Interview, May 1999
for MISTFALL, magazine of the Brisbane Dr. Who Fan Club (continued)
The Alien Who Lived in the Sheds.....is a true story which happened to me when I was a
student, twenty years ago. As you know, I have been a UFO nut for a long time, so when the
opportunity came to investigate an apparent report of an alien hiding in my locality, I took it
up. After we ascertained that the so-called alien was just an old recluse, I thought it would
make an interesting feature film. So some of the original investigators and I decided to write
it up. We thought of calling the movie "The Alien", but we had to change our mind when
Ridley Scott's "Alien" came out six months later....(talk about Zeitgeist). I decided to call it
"The Alien Who Lived in the Sheds", which I thought was quite a quirky title and much more
intriguing. However, we failed to get any film producer interested, so the project gathered
dust in the bottom of one of my cupboards. Then in 1995, I made my first documentary film
as producer, director, writer ("Another World"). Having succeeded in selling it to the BBC, I
then thought of striking whilest the iron was hot and pulled out the "Alien....." and suggested
it as a half hour documentary-drama. I calculated that the idea would only be bought on that
limited scale and that as a feature film it was a no hoper. My hunch paid off and I got the
commission. Since then I tried to get another film commission but failed, so in answer to
your next question, I have no other project in the pipeline at the moment.
23. After seeing your innumerable credits in "The Alien Who Lived in the
Sheds", it is probably safe to assume that you are growing to enjoy working
behind the camera as much as in front of it. Have you any other projects in
development that we should keep our eyes on?
Nope. Nothing. I'm a Hasbeen.
24. By the same token, are you currently appearing in anything as an actor?
I'm about to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in a play I helped create, about a
bunch of disabled terrorists combating genetic cleansing.
25. Jumping back to Doctor Who, and given that you have been a fan of the
series since its initial broadcast (as well as a programme creator
yourself), what do you think has given the series its amazing longevity?
It was a highly imaginative, unique concept. The stories were fresh and so were the
characters. It was a clever idea to keep changing the companions and then the Doctors. Also,
the format allowed the stories to reflect current concerns and ideas...so it was always in
keeping with the time and occasionally ahead...this however, means it can be dated...so when
we see a story set on Earth in the year 2165, because it was made with 1965 mentality, in the
90s it feels like a piece of 60s retrospective but then that adds to its charm. Its very datedness,
its unpretentiousness, naivete, simplicity all contribute to a lasting affection.In a way, Doctor
Who represents the quintessential British TV programme...its quaintness, it's favourite
Uncle/Auntie quality. It upholds the English sense of fairplay (even if the Colonies know this
to be a myth). Doctor Who is as much a typical British hero as King Arthur and Robin Hood.
Perhaps in a thousand years time, people might believe he really existed. And like all British
heroes he is chivalrous, but faintly patronising and snobbish.Because his very name contains
a question, he remains enigmatic and mysterious. Being an outsider, and we love the
outsider, especially if he is the Man with No Name, he fits the archetype of the Caped
Crusader, the benevolent Avenging Angel, the Righter of Wrongs, the Messiah from another
planet. I think the British are very good at creating this sort of character...just look at Mary
Poppins for example. Or the wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings. Also for
most of Dr. Who's history it took its subject seriously and treated its viewers with respect and
intelligence. The ideas have always been good and interesting.
Ultimately, Doctor Who is the kind of hero most of us would like to be...more brain than
brawn, more pacifist than violent, more compassionate than sentimental. This is why Doctor
Who is a British creation and not American. If I could choose between Doctor Who saving
the world or Superman, I would choose the Doctor every time. And if I had the chance to
play either, give me the Doctor any day....
26. You have expressed occasional interest in playing the Doctor himself.
What elements do you think your interpretation of the character might
exhibit? Do you see him being modelled to any extent on past Doctors?
My interpretation of the Doctor would have to contain elements of past Doctors because he
has been the past Doctors. He is essentially the same being, the same soul, the same
intelligence...only the physical aspects of him have been reshaped. He is the same snake that
sheds its skin. But clearly physical differences have an impact....so a Doctor with a female
body, will behave differently at times to previous incarnations, find feminine solutions to
problems. Equally, a Doctor losing the use of his legs, being considerably more vulnerable,
experiencing a new kind of prejudice, would develop different attitudes and responses to his
previous incarnations. I would also bring back some of the more darker qualities...a certain
toughness, a certain manipulativeness which William Hartnell originallly gave to the
character. Also I would give the Doctor some of Hartnell's apparent defencelessness. If we
make the Doctor too invincible, then how can we relate to him, imagine ourselves in his
shoes. I think Doctor Who is much more interesting when he genuinely needs his companions
to help him solve the threat, because of his own shortcomings...Part of his flaws are his
arrogance, his condescension, his aloofness....these are what often gets him into trouble. And
I would enjoy bringing out these qualities. But he is absent-minded, occasionally bad
tempered and at times too clever for his own good. But he is ultimately a good soul and very
caring, and loaths cruelty and injustice and would sacrifice his life to defeat evil....well, that's
how I would portray him.
So You Want to Meet an Alien? Watch my film, ...."The Alien Who Lived in the Sheds", on the Net on www.FilmFilm.com
� 1997 [email protected]
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