Ian Levine thread

This should be amusing, regardless of your opinions of the man.

Ian Levine is a polarising figure and that's putting it mildly. I tend to have a more neutral opinion of him than most.

He has done so much good for the show, but at the same time he has also acted like a total hysterical moron at times. Either way he's provided me with lots of entertainment over the years (ps if anyone has any mad Levine stories or rants, please post them here.)

Good points

Levine saved the first Dalek story. The Daleks is IMO more than one of the best stories of the 60s. Its an important piece of British television culturally and a sc if classic all around. It would have been a damn shame if future generations couldn't have enjoyed it. For that alone he deserves at least some respect from DW fans.

He also saved various other 60s stories and did play a role in helping to maintain the continuity of the show in the 80s. Okay he may have gone too far in the latter, but even then I think that's exaggerated. (Its also hypocritical from a lot of New Who fans who slag JNT for that, yet praise Mofftwat's era which is full of continuity porn all the time.)

Levine also at least is not a sheep and was willing to speak his mind in regards to Jodie's casting and the cancerous SJWs influence on the show.

Cons

Doctor in Distress.

His ridiculous screaming tantrums and bullying of fans who disagree with him. The worst examples are when he mocked the young boy, and when he declared the BBC raped his first love.

His backstabbing of JNT. Fair enough JNT cast Mel the worst companion in the show, and at a time when its reputation was down, but to treat someone you knew for years like that was always really low IMO.

His sychophancy towards RTD and Mofftwat. It comes over as even more pathetic when RTD continually abused him in the show and in public. Telling him to fuck off at an event when he was just asking a question, and basing a repulsive monster off of him.

The Abzorbaloff is one of the nastiest and pettiest things I've ever seen in DW. Its not just a throwaway gag. Its an entire episode designed to get everybody to laugh at someone who has devoted his life to the show, and it does so in the most vicious, moronic, lowest common demoninator way possible. "Levine is really fat, so lets have this monster be fat and ugly and eat people hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha".

Levine still praising RTD after that reminded me of Bender kissing up to Alzaar in Futurama. "Oh yes RTD."

Still in spite of these points I will say that Levine is nowhere near as toxic to the show as the likes of Mr Tardis, Claudia Boleyn, or Alyssa Franke. That's at least something right?

I got nothing against Ian. He used to post on PM at one time, and he was always alright with me anyway.

burrunjor wrote:This should be amusing, regardless of your opinions of the man.

Ian Levine is a polarising figure and that's putting it mildly. I tend to have a more neutral opinion of him than most.

He has done so much good for the show, but at the same time he has also acted like a total hysterical moron at times. Either way he's provided me with lots of entertainment over the years (ps if anyone has any mad Levine stories or rants, please post them here.)

Good points

Levine saved the first Dalek story. The Daleks is IMO more than one of the best stories of the 60s. Its an important piece of British television culturally and a sc if classic all around. It would have been a damn shame if future generations couldn't have enjoyed it. For that alone he deserves at least some respect from DW fans.

He also saved various other 60s stories and did play a role in helping to maintain the continuity of the show in the 80s. Okay he may have gone too far in the latter, but even then I think that's exaggerated. (Its also hypocritical from a lot of New Who fans who slag JNT for that, yet praise Mofftwat's era which is full of continuity porn all the time.)

Levine also at least is not a sheep and was willing to speak his mind in regards to Jodie's casting and the cancerous SJWs influence on the show.

Cons

Doctor in Distress.

His ridiculous screaming tantrums and bullying of fans who disagree with him. The worst examples are when he mocked the young boy, and when he declared the BBC raped his first love.

His backstabbing of JNT. Fair enough JNT cast Mel the worst companion in the show, and at a time when its reputation was down, but to treat someone you knew for years like that was always really low IMO.

His sychophancy towards RTD and Mofftwat. It comes over as even more pathetic when RTD continually abused him in the show and in public. Telling him to fuck off at an event when he was just asking a question, and basing a repulsive monster off of him.

The Abzorbaloff is one of the nastiest and pettiest things I've ever seen in DW. Its not just a throwaway gag. Its an entire episode designed to get everybody to laugh at someone who has devoted his life to the show, and it does so in the most vicious, moronic, lowest common demoninator way possible. "Levine is really fat, so lets have this monster be fat and ugly and eat people hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha".

Levine still praising RTD after that reminded me of Bender kissing up to Alzaar in Futurama. "Oh yes RTD."

Still in spite of these points I will say that Levine is nowhere near as toxic to the show as the likes of Mr Tardis, Claudia Boleyn, or Alyssa Franke. That's at least something right?

I have mixed feelings on him for the reasons you mention, and have discussed with Tanmann in other threads how unbelievably ironic it is that he praised RTD to the heavens in spite of the Absorbaloff and Slitheen being abject parodies of himself. Though he’s done more good for the programme than the likes of Moffat, Boleyn etc due to his saving of myriad 60s episodes. One question: When did he mock a young boy?

I credit him with saving the first Dalek story back in 1978.

But he shouldn't have been let anywhere *near* any influential position behind the scenes on the show itself. He wasn't a writer and he wasn't a good conduit for audience tastes. So he should've had no part in any creative process that wasn't his field.

But because he was given the role of continuity consultant and feeder for what the fans wanted to see back (essentially making him JNT's solitary fan test screen audience), we got the continuity insanity and awful writing of the early-to-mid 80's, and I would argue his behind the scenes quibbling and interference is the reason we got the indecisive, craftless, vindictive mess of Warriors of the Deep, which to my mind makes him every bit as bad and toxic for the show as the SJWs.

He's also an horrendous bully.

Honestly I could comparatively forgive him a folly like Doctor in Distress against all the rest.

I only know of his reputation for saving old stories and the shada animation he did before the BBC did sthg. For those i quite liked him.

I don't mind the stories during Davison's era so i don't feel any animosity towards him for that period.

If he is a bully then that colours my opinion of him for the worse.

He does seem to get wound up easily which is pretty funny and when i was on his forum a few year ago i noticed he seemed to ban people on a whim and for very little reason.

I agree he should not have slagged JNT off so much. Likewise Eric.

In my opinion, Levine is no saint and is excellent parody material, but he's not as terrible as some make out and he did save the first Dalek story.

Still, his caps locks tantrums are fun to look at...

Mercury wrote:Still, his caps locks tantrums are fun to look at...

They're phucking comedy gold!

Where did the ‘phucking’ novelty come from, again? I’m not too well versed on Levine.

I've no strong opinions either on Levine. If anything I feel some pity for him, but he comes across as so desperate. But in all honesty and no mockery intended, it wouldn't surprise me to find that he's on the autistic spectrum.

Ronnie wrote:I've no strong opinions either on Levine. If anything I feel some pity for him, but he comes across as so desperate. But in all honesty and no mockery intended, it wouldn't surprise me to find that he's on the autistic spectrum.

As someone on the spectrum myself, it wouldn’t surprise me either, considering how hyperbolic and insecure he so often is. Although I don’t prefer to classify Autism as one single defined entity, as it varies considerably from person to person.

Absolutely. Hence the term Spectrum.
But yes, point taken. It's not something to make generalisations about.

burrunjor wrote: JNT cast Mel the worst companion in the show

̶Y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶k̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶G̶l̶a̶s̶g̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶u̶n̶t̶i̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶ I respectfully disagree.

As someone who also has been diagnosed with autism, I too suspect Ian might be on the spectrum.

Commander Maxil wrote:

burrunjor wrote: JNT cast Mel the worst companion in the show

̶Y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶k̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶G̶l̶a̶s̶g̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶u̶n̶t̶i̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶  I respectfully disagree.

Yeah, that tight little bum is a thing of dreams.

Tanmann wrote:As someone who also has been diagnosed with autism, I too suspect Ian might be on the spectrum.

They say I used to be on the spectrum as a kid, but I could have sworn it was a CPC128.

Boofer wrote:They say I used to be on the spectrum as a kid, but I could have sworn it was a CPC128.

Either way it probably had a better version of Robocop than my C64 version.

Tanmann wrote:

Boofer wrote:They say I used to be on the spectrum as a kid, but I could have sworn it was a CPC128.

Either way it probably had a better version of Robocop than my C64 version.

Yeah, WTF was up with that?

One of the few times I could lord it over my c64 owning mates.

It felt like their C64 version was done as a rush-job. Looking back on and comparing old playthroughs for each version, the C64's didn't seem to quite have the visceral punch of the Spectrum version.

Most of the released C64 tapes I believe had a very corroded later OCP headquarters level which just appeared as a mess of pixels that Robocop had to wade through. So it definitely felt rushed.

Bernard Marx wrote:Where did the ‘phucking’ novelty come from, again? I’m not too well versed on Levine.

He tends to spell it like that on forums/social media to get around the swear filter.

Commander Maxil wrote:

burrunjor wrote: JNT cast Mel the worst companion in the show

̶Y̶o̶u̶'̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶k̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶G̶l̶a̶s̶g̶l̶o̶w̶ ̶I̶'̶m̶ ̶g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶r̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶h̶o̶u̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶i̶t̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶u̶n̶t̶i̶l̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶  I respectfully disagree.