Talk:Mark Gatiss

Initial
Mark, this is exactly what I thought when I first read about Big Brother - Year of the Sex Olympics was right on the ball.

One of the first to draw comparisons with The Year of the Sex Olympics and the rise of reality television programmes, such as Big Brother, Castaway 2000 and Survivor, was the journalist Nancy Banks-Smith in a review of the first series of the UK version of Big Brother for The Guardian in 2000,[21] a theme she later expounded upon in 2003, writing that the play “foretold the reality show and, in the scramble for greater sensation, its logical outcome”.[22] Banks-Smith had long been an admirer of The Year of the Sex Olympics, having written in The Sun following its original broadcast in 1968: “Quite apart from the excellent script and the 'big big' treatment, the play radiated ripples. Is television a substitute for living? Does the spectacle of pain at a distance atrophy sympathy? Can this coffin with knobs on furnish all we need to ask?”.[23] Another admirer, the writer and actor Mark Gatiss, has said that upon seeing Big Brother he yelled at the television, “Don't they know what they're doing? [...] It's The Year of the Sex Olympics! Nigel Kneale was right!”.[24] When The Year of the Sex Olympics was repeated on BBC Four on 22 May 2003, Paul Hoggart in The Times noted that “in many respects Kneale was right on the money [...] when you consider that nothing gets contemporary reality show audiences more excited than an emotional train-wreck on live TV”.[25]

Although the reality television of The Live Life Show is the aspect most commentators pick up on, The Year of the Sex Olympics is also a wider satire on sensationalist television and the media in general. Mark Gatiss has noted that the Artsex and Foodshow programmes that also appear in the play “ingeniously depicted the future of lowest common denominator TV”.[24] This view is echoed by the writer and critic Kim Newman who has said that “as an extreme exercise in revolutionary self-criticism on the part of television professionals, who also lampoon their own world of chattering commentators and ratings-chasing sensationalism, the play [...] is a trenchant contribution to a series of debates that is still raging”[26] and has concluded that “Nigel Kneale might be quite justified in shouting, “I was right! I was right!””.[11]

Thanks - Excalibur (talk) 22:45, 4 April 2008 (UTC)

Why mention his partner in the first line?
The other league of gentlemen do not mention partners at all, or till the last line.--Timtak (talk) 07:37, 20 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I think we have even less need to know the name of their dog! I'm going to make a start on changing this around so the intro actually explains what he's notable for. Jellyman (talk) 22:19, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

"..and is one of only three people to have both written for and acted in Doctor Who."
OK I'll bite: who are the other 2? Can we link to this info somehow? Rachel Pearce (talk) 22:57, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I think Colin Baker's possibly one of them? Didn't he write a graphic novel about him and Frobisher? Arraitchjee (talk) 19:01, 26 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Writing a not-tv thing wouldn't count. It's not a mystery; it's in the text albeit uncited. MartinSFSA (talk) 19:43, 26 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Ah. Yes, so it is. Arraitchjee (talk) 11:28, 5 July 2008 (UTC)

In fact, according to IMDB, half a dozen other DW writers have also acted in DW, if you count uncredited appearances. -- 81.102.131.170 (talk) 20:30, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

In the audio commentary with Mark Gatiss and David Tennant to the "Doctor Who" episode "The Lazarus Experiment", Mark Gatiss states that he takes issue about the 3 people who acted and have written for DW, since one of them was only an extra with non-speaking role. I think that's a good point. They didn't mention the names though. I heard them somewhere, but forgot. They were unfamiliar to me. Sorry. I'll add it, if I find the source again. 11:26 (CEST), 30 Oct. 2014 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 188.109.24.56 (talk) 22:28, 30 October 2014 (UTC)

Philanthropist?
Not to knock the guy, but he's listed as a philanthropist in the info bar yet there's no reference of his philanthropy in the article. Obviously philanthropy is harder to reference but at least some mention of his charitable works would suffice to bolster the fact? 78.86.230.62 (talk) 20:28, 9 November 2009 (UTC)

Birthplace
Mark was born in Sedgefield not Durham. The article cited is referring to the county not the city. Sedgefield is in County Durham and as such needs changing back reference to his birthplace being Sedgefield can be found from numerous credible sources. I can also say that if his family lived in Sedgefield at the time he would of been born he would almost certainly been born in the maternity hospital at Hardwick Hall Sedgefield. Fraggle81 (talk) 10:54, 25 November 2010 (UTC)


 * Okay, and thanks for the clarification. Rubywine (talk) 18:05, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

"After his submitted script for the fourth series, involving Nazis and the British Museum, was replaced at the last minute..."
Okay, source? I can't find anything and this definitely needs to be backed up. Northerlywind (talk) 17:26, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

The book 'The Writer's Tale' by Russell T Davies & Benjamin Cook (BBC Books, 2008, 2nd ed 2010) covers it in great detail. SirDarrell

Doctor Who
I think another section needs to be made for Gatiss' contributions to Doctor Who. He's obviously played a large part in the show. The 'Writing' section isn't working as it mentions his acting work is furthermore comprised of at least half Doctor Who material. Perhaps even something such as 'Collaboration with Moffat' to include Sherlock as well? Northerlywind (talk) 17:36, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from, 17 October 2011
Please change "He also took an on-screen role in one episode of Doctor Who in 2007 (Professor Lazarus in "The Lazarus Experiment")" to "He also has taken two on-screen roles in episodes of Doctor Who in 2007 (Professor Lazarus in "The Lazarus Experiment") and in 2011 (Gantok in "The Wedding of River Song")", in order to reflect his most recent appearance. You may find a source here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0309693/#Actor

67.189.132.248 (talk) 09:57, 17 October 2011 (UTC)
 * Good call. Done.  Mezigue (talk) 10:45, 17 October 2011 (UTC)

Edit request - An Adventure in Space and Time
The article currently confuses the drama "An Adventure in Space and Time", which Gatiss wrote but did not appear in, and the behind the scenes documentary he made about it, talking to the camera and ending with a scene where he dresses as "The Third Doctor". The documentary is what is on the BBC Youtube channel. Could someone please sort it out and move "An Adventure in Space and Time" to the "writing" section, please? 213.162.103.176 (talk) 21:29, 4 September 2014 (UTC)

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