Image: Tony Hisgett

British writer and playwright Robert Shearman, responsible for the writing of the "Dalek" episode from the first "New Who" season, granted this interview in which he discusses the show, his new show, The X-Files and more. Shearman, in NYC to put on his 1992 play Easy Laughter, will also appear at Brooklyn's Who-themed bar The Way Station for a screening and discussion of "Dalek." One question and a partial answer from the interview follows; read the rest of his answer and the full interview here.

"Q. 10 years after "Dalek" debuted, the episode remains firmly entrenched in the hearts of Doctor Who viewers. How was the episode impacted your life, and why do you think that it continues to resonate with people on such a large scale?

A. It's the weirdest thing, that it's now ten years old. And that Doctor Who is still going! I think that was my principal concern, actually, looking back - I knew that what Russell was doing was extraordinary, but I had no reason to believe that Doctor Who itself would become terribly popular again. All my lifetime it had been this little show that had been a vague embarrassment to people, it seemed - when I was a kid, it wasn't the cool thing to like in the playground. And I thought that even if we had a hit on our hands, we'd never get the chance to have a run of stories that would mean Doctor Who could have the richness of the classic series - we'd never last long enough to get a regeneration, or a new producer. We'd have 'this' version of the show, but never 'that' version of the show. And it leaves me still boggled that it's still going so strong a decade later - that it really does now seem we could give the original 26 year stint a run for its money."

Villa Sbertoli was built in Tuscany in the 1800s by Italian businessman Augustine Sbertoli. One version of the story is that his son went insane, but another says he merely had a physical disability. Either way, in 1868 the wealthy Sbertoli converted his villa into a hospital, which housed his son and began accepting patients from all over Europe. The patients had ailments ranging from the physical (epilepsy) to the mental (alcoholism and various psychiatric disorders). With its stunning views, frescoes and palatial grounds, Villa Sbertoli was a remarkably beautiful location for a mental hospital. 

Except for a time during World War II when it was briefly used as a prison, Villa Sbertoli remained a psychiatric hospital until the late 1970s, when Italy passed a mental health act that required such facilities to close. Even after the act was passed, the hospital provided a number of services until 1998, at which time it was abandoned. 

See a large photo collection, including shots of what the hospital looked like in operation, here. 

Images: Alex Doomer

 


View of Tuscany from Villa Sbertoli

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When this Washington D.C. resident's motion sensor on his nighttime security lights was triggered, he went to investigate. He found these adorable fox pups who decided to play ball with his dog's toy that was left in the back yard. Young foxes are taught by their elders to hunt by doing a high jump and pounce, which is evident in their play here. -Via Tastefully Offensive

Canadian photographer Blake Morrow's series The Beth Project features digitally paired images of his friend Beth before and after losing 150 pounds. The series not only highlights the drastic change in Beth's physique, but also her new attitude of confidence and empowerment that came with it. The project took two years to complete. Morrow says via his website,

"I created a series of pop-culture inspired portraits of my friend Beth, playfully celebrating her fantastic weight loss of 150 pounds. I shot her "before" and "after" selves two years apart and then digitally integrated them to interact with each other within each scene. To properly communicate and celebrate Beth's accomplishment, her body shape has not been digitally altered."

See all of Morrow and Beth's delightful images here. 

-Via Laughing Squid

 

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Elliott of Mental Floss focuses on Muppets facts in this video starring Kermit and the ever humble Miss Piggy. Statler, Waldorf and the lovable Animal make appearances as well. When did they make their first television appearances? How have they contributed to our culture? How big are Animal's muscles? All of these questions and more get a workout. 

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New Anglophenia host Kate Arnell takes the reins from Siobhan Thompson in episode 28. Here the show topic is the British home, and the ways in which it typically differs from ours in the United States. Check it out and let us know what you think, if you're so inclined. -Via Tastefully Offensive

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The felines shown in this compilation have figured out how to penetrate the barrier between them and tasty treats. Knowledge is power, and a cat with power is — to the cat — an appropriate state of affairs. All is right with the kitty world. -Via Tastefully Offensive

As soon as people cross that line into adulthood, they are met with the slow bombardment of signs telling them that being an adult isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Suddenly your bills aren't paid unless you pay them, your toys and treats are no longer free and sleeping with a teddy bear to ease the stress is no longer acceptable. This Lunarbaboon comic emphasizes the joys of childhood in the context of the "children's table."

Artist Frank Browning and John Squires of the blog Freddy in Space created this entertaining look at what horror movie-inspired Ben & Jerry's flavors might look like. It's really too bad these aren't the real deal. Wouldn't you love to open your freezer and be met with some of this packaging?

See all of Squires and Browning's fun flavors of fright here. 

Via Dangerous Minds | Images: John Squires and Frank Browning

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Screen Junkies gives the Honest Trailer treatment to Fifty Shades of Grey in this video, their 100th episode. It's pretty much everything one would expect, based on the goofiness of the subject matter. Contains borderline NSFW sexual terms. -Via Cheezburger

Kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk carai #MetGala #rihanna pic.twitter.com/v202RYZB6O

— Gustavo (@tesaodevaca) May 5, 2015

Manhattan's Met Gala is an annual, star-studded fundraiser to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. Each year, attendees walk a red carpet similar to that of a movie premiere or the Academy Awards and show off their expensive designer gowns. Most of the ensembles match a theme based on the yearly fashion exhibit by the Costume Institute. This year's theme was "China: Through the Looking Glass."

Singer Rihanna showed up at the Gala last night outfitted in a yellow embroidered gown with a huge train. Once pictures of the over-the-top gown circulated, the People of the Internet took to their keyboards and image editors. Some of the results are shown here. See more jokes about Rihanna's dress here. 

See also this article, in which other celebrity outfits are joked about, including a connection made between Sarah Jessica Parker's head gear and Heat Miser of Christmas special fame. 

Am I the only one not feeling Rihanna's #MetGala2015 look.... Like she looks like a bedding set from Ikea pic.twitter.com/h7rJaNdKew

— sw (@saharwall) May 5, 2015

Image: @RichCj on Twitter

When cosmetics are recalled, it's not a situation to be taken lightly. So have some serious laughs at Gemma Correll's latest. Because beauty doesn't always have to equal pain.

This is one panel of Correll's "Urgent Cosmetic Product Recalls." See the entire comic at The Nib. 

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Three-year-old Adam Wynne of Ireland is a snooker prodigy who can school just about anyone on the game. Adam started playing snooker (similar to pool) when he was one. The footage above shows him at three making practically every shot he attempts. This kid looks destined to be a championship winner. Via Elite Daily

Mikey is an eight-month-old cat who was in a deep depression after losing her three kittens, which were born prematurely. After the last of Mikey's kittens died, she kept searching for her babies and was obviously despondent. 

Mikey's human Hillary was hearkbroken watching her suffer, so she called a Houston cat rescue organization called Dori's Darlings. Amanda Lowe was fostering three kittens through Dori's Darlings. Lowe was presented with the kittens days before Mikey's last baby passed away. Amanda and another foster, professional photographer Kelli Nicole, cared for the kittens around the clock, naming them Teddy, Abby and Lily. But when Amanda received the call from Dori about Mikey losing her brood of kittens, she knew her fosters were the perfect solution. 

Read more about Mikey's introduction to the kittens and see some wonderful pictures of them here.

Via: Laughing Squid | Image: Kelli Nicole Photography

Tokyo, Japan | Due to the high cost of land in Tokyo, this playground was built on the roof of a school. The children are allowed to play only with soft balls, in case one lands on pedestrians on the streets below. The playground has a retractable roof that plays music as it closes. Every two days, the children clean the school. The principal says it’s important they learn to clean up after themselves.

Award-winning, UK-based photographer James Mollison has a rich, global background, being born in Kenya, raised in England and working in Italy. Mollison was featured previously at Neatorama for his series "Where Children Sleep." His latest project is a book called Playground, for which he traveled around the world to capture children at play during their breaks from school. He visited thirteen countries including Bhutan, Israel, India, Argentina, and the U.S. 

See more photos from Mollison's fascinating series here. The photographs are available at the Aperture Foundation and his book can be purchased at Amazon.

Sierra Leone | The Kroo Bay Primary School in Sierra Leone was once used as an army base. There’s no sanitation or garbage collection, and the school closes from July to September because of floods from the Crocodile River. Teachers subsist on fees paid by parents.