DWM554

Andrew Pixley isn’t just a legend among Doctor Who Magazine writers - he’s also a comedy historian and connoisseur of the highest order. When he sends an email to the team with a recommendation for viewing, it’s always worth taking a look. This is how I came to watch The Kemps: All True, a mock documentary about the brothers best known for their central role in the 1980s New Romantic band Spandau Ballet, as well as acting gigs in EastEnders and feature fi lms such as The Krays.

The programme was written and directed by Rhys Thomas, who previously brought us The Life of Rock with Brian Pern. Thomas has mastered this style of satirical, but essentially aff ectionate, mockumentary. He also seems to be something of a Doctor Who fan. Among the highlights of The Kemps: All True was a very funny sequence repurposing footage from 1971’s Terror of the Autons. There was a less conspicuous nod to Doctor Who elsewhere in the programme, when Thomas snuck in an echo from the 1960s that was instantly recognisable to me and, I suspect, many other fans. Hearing the droning, hypnotic Kroton Theme in the background of The Kemps reminded me just what a remarkable piece of sound design it is.