A fantastic conclusion to Dalek Universe. A prospect of a Dalek/Movellan alliance is an exciting one, and Mark Seven is tragic, seeming not to remember the Doctor and Anya until towards the end. The story's ending also ties in with The Day Of The Doctor/The End Of Time, with the Doctor setting off to romance Queen Elizabeth I, which is a neat way to fit it into continuity.
My Reviews
WhoPotterVian has submitted 328 reviews and received 307 likes
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
A very strong retelling of the repeat of the story. It gives greater insight into Jamie's thoughts and feelings as the Doctor tests him for the human factor, as well as a look into the Doctor's perspective during his manipulative actions. Evil Of The Daleks also ends with a beautifully poignant moment where Jamie suggests the Doctor showed Zoe the adventure because he still misses Victoria, showing that the companions never truly go away for the Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Dalek Defence by WhoPotterVian
A simple, yet hugely exciting story. It concerns a human prison ship keeping Davros prisoner, and the Daleks and Movellans both fighting over stealing Davros from the human fighters. The Doctor/Davros scenes, as usual, are top-notch, and it ends on a killer twist, revealing Mark Seven as the First Movellan.
Review of The First Son by WhoPotterVian
An exciting, action-packed opener to the third Dalek Universe box set. This time, the Tenth Doctor and Anya Kingdom find themselves inside the Dalek and Movellan war.
The River Song mystery regards whether she's a Movellan or the real deal is interesting, especially considering the human/Movellan hybrid Kamen who refers to her as his 'mother'. It does seem judging by the end of this story, that The First Son is the one and only time River features in the box set, which is surprising given her prominence on the cover art.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Lost by WhoPotterVian
A very interesting story. It concerns the Doctor crashing with Anya Kingdom on a strange planet, with a Godlike entity called Lost who was imprisoned there. The ending is possibly the best part. Never expected to hear a Dalek proclaim "Hello sweetie".
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Trojan Dalek by WhoPotterVian
A really fantastic dramatic instalment concerning the hunt for the missing Arborecc onboard the Space Security Station. The twist that Major McLinn has been turning people onboard the space station into Daleks really pushes the characters emotionally, especially with one of the Daleks being Mark Seven's friend Felicity. It does have shades of Parting Of The Ways, but the idea of Dalek conversions always works well from a dramatic perspective.
A scene that really stands out is when the Arborecc Dalek begs to be 'exterminated'. It's heartbreaking and reflects how harsh the major's actions are. He is weaponising people onboard his space station without their permission, and turning them into the thing they hate.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Cycle of Destruction by WhoPotterVian
An action-packed opener to Dalek Universe 2. It gives some interesting backstory to Mark Seven, being set on his home planet, and revealing that the android's parents were killed by Daleks.
The bear-like creatures feel like excellent traditional Doctor Who monsters also. Despite being called Dalek Universe, the box set does a great job at building plenty of new characters outside of the Daleks too.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The House of Kingdom by WhoPotterVian
A sublime conclusion to the first Dalek Universe box set. It starts off in style, with the Doctor, Arya, and Mark facing space pirates, and then dives into a deep exploration of the Kingdom family tree. Merrick Kingdom is a brilliant character, and his connection to Arya as her Grandfather, as well as being the Dad to the late Sara Kingdom, adds an engaging sense of family to the story.
There's some really great character drama here, that feels reminiscent of the first RTD era. Sara's resentment of her Granddad, blaming him for her mother's death, gets a lot of focus, and the fact that she never fully forgives him even when he dies feels very human. It's the kind of thing that reminds me of some of RTD's Doctor Who scripts, which combine these very domestic ideas with the otherworldly, which is high praise for Andrew Smith.
Whilst the Daleks don't feature in this Dalek Universe story, their presence is still felt in the way the characters talk about them, and the way it incorporates iconic characters and elements relating to Dalek lore, such as their enemies the Mechanoids, and the Varga plants. It means that it still feels very much like a story about the Daleks, even without Nicholas Briggs shouting into your ear.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Wrong Woman by WhoPotterVian
I'm impressed with how long the story commits to the idea that the Tenth Doctor has regenerated into a Gemma Whelan incarnation. Obviously, this isn't the case, as we got Matt Smith after David Tennant on TV, but the story makes you wonder for a while whether this is somehow a legitimate incarnation.
The reveal is teased well throughout, with the Tenth Doctor breaking through to Anya Kingdom from the future. When the twist comes that Gemma Whelan is actually the Monk, it feels extremely satisfying, because of the hints in the first two parts of Dalek Universe which suddenly make sense when her identity is confirmed. Gemma Whelan makes for an excellent Monk, and bounces off David Tennant extremely well.
The latter half of the story, with time collapsing on itself, reminded me a lot of The Wedding Of River Song. It has the same concept of elements from past time periods emerging into a future time, with prehistoric animals and cavemen roaming the streets. In my view, it handles it better than The Wedding Of River Song, as it feels much more coherent, and less of an unruly mess.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Vengeance on Varos (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
The opening and closing segments here really highlight how much we lost out because of Colin Baker's firing. With great writing and a much better costume, his Sixth Doctor is incredible, and his relationship with Peri is so much more enjoyable. It feels like an extension of where they were in Season 23.
The story itself is excellent, and truly ahead of its time. As Peri alludes to in the closing scene, we don't feel a million miles away from the society depicted here in the 21st century, which is a little unnerving.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Earthshock (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
Quite a novel approach to presenting a classic series omnibus. It contains an opening and closing scene with Peter Davison and Janet Fielding reprising their roles, and gives us some much-needed closure regarding the Doctor and Tegan's grief for Adric. By showing us the Fifth Doctor and Tegan properly acknowledging Adric's death, and how lost it made them feel, it actually improves on the original version of Earthshock.
The main Earthshock story is easily a highlight of the Peter Davison era. It's a dark and gritty tale that makes good use of the Cybermen, and gives Adric the best companion exit he could have had. I love the idea that the space freighter he is trapped on is the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, as it places the Doctor on the backfoot and means Adric is a fixed point that he can't change.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Curse of Fenric (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
A fantastic piece of closure for the Seventh Doctor and Ace. It expertly deals with this incarnation's unfair manipulation of Ace, and how it affected both characters on a personal level. It's sad to think that they didn't depart on good terms, but the ending hints they go on further adventures together in the Memory TARDIS.
The Curse Of Fenric itself is a stone-cold classic. It's a thrilling vampire story that shows how far the Seventh Doctor is prepared to go to save the day. The fact that he goes to the extent of breaking Ace's faith in him, cruelly playing with her emotions in the aid of the greater good, will always remain chilling to watch.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Time Meddler (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
Quite a whimsical entry, bringing together Steven and Vicki. There's quite a magical feel to this one, with the pair 'wishing' for the Doctor to return to them again, and then hearing the First Doctor's laugh.
I'm still a bit mixed on The Time Meddler. My thoughts are that it doesn't expand on its brilliant premise of a monk who interferes with history quite as much as it could, and that it's a story that would have been better executed in the Moffat era. I would like to see the Monk return in the new series though.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Union by WhoPotterVian
A pretty exciting conclusion to the Once And Future arc. Although the answer that the Eleven was responsible for the degeneration weapon isn't too surprising, there are some fun callbacks to the Doctor's 1963 origins here, with the Doctor and Susan during caveman times at one point in the narrative, and references to Ian and Barbara.
It is also nice to hear Susan and River interact, given that they are technically family. It gives The Union a sort-of "Lost In Space" feel, with the Doctor, Susan, and River basically being the TARDIS team of this adventure.
I am still disappointed that it was Jacob Dudman voicing the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, as opposed to Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. He does do a good job with Matt Smith, but you can really tell that his Peter Capaldi isn't the real deal.
Nice if not surprising that it was the War Doctor who was hit with the degeneration weapon. It ties in thematically with the idea of the Doctor's incarnations being mostly united, and the War Doctor being the only incarnation they openly reject.
This review contains spoilers
Review of A Genius for War by WhoPotterVian
A really strong entry in Once And Future. This one places the Seventh Doctor in a situation where Davros is the Daleks' prisoner and appears willing to work with the Time Lords, which is an interesting idea. It leads to a very exciting prison break sequence, and we also get to see the Seventh Doctor get up to his usual manipulative ways.
I particularly appreciated how this one incorporates the Hybrid arc from Series 9. Davros's proposition of Time Lord/Dalek hybrids is very evocative of Evolution Of The Daleks' conclusion, but it's neat that the Hybrid prophecy is brought up here.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Buying Time by WhoPotterVian
A fantastic introduction to Dalek Universe 1. It begins with an epic speech from David Tennant, and sees the Tenth Doctor unexpectedly kidnapped from time and transported to a Space Security Service spaceship with several dead crew members.
Anya Kingdom makes for a good counterpart to the Doctor, sharing some of that tough Sara Kingdom spirit, and Mark Seven is an interesting android character, who feels similar to Supergirl's Braniac.
I love the fact that this story incorporates an obscure classic series monster in the Visians. They've only appeared in The Daleks' Master Plan, which Dalek Universe is a spiritual successor to, and only Big Finish could bring back monsters this obscure and still have them feel relevant to the plot.
The cliffhanger is a shocker too, with the Tenth Doctor somehow regenerating into a woman, when we know he becomes Matt Smith. Obviously, there's some form of twist, but it's quite an effective cliffhanger all the same.
Review of Anger Management by WhoPotterVian
A brilliant collection of stories. It gives us our first piece of prose featuring Sacha Dhawan's incarnation of the Master, alongside other Masters from Doctor Who's long and varied history.
My favourites in the collection were probably 'The Dead Travel Fast' and 'Missy's Magical Mystery Tour'. The former is an inspired Whoniverse take on Bram Stoker's Dracula featuring the Geoffrey Beevers' Master, and the latter is a joyous and manic adventure for Michelle Gomez's iteration.
If you like the Master, then this is definitely one for you.
Review of Masterful by WhoPotterVian
Masterful Part One: A bit of a slow burner to begin with, but once Missy arrives the story really comes to life. Michelle Gomez is excellent and continues to prove herself to be the best Master. She brings this addictive zany energy and a great sense of fun to the character, and her reactions to the other Masters are truly the greatest (I especially love how she refers to the Geoffrey Beevers Master as 'crispy').
John Simm is also great in his audio debut, inviting his past incarnations to a party. Only the Simm Master would gather his other incarnations for karaoke.
Meanwhile, it's nice to also hear Jon Culshaw give a pitch perfect impression of the Ainley Master and the Third Doctor. He's truly one of the greatest all time impressionists.
Masterful Part Two: Stronger than the first part. Missy and Jo Grant are tons of fun together, as are the War Master and John Simm's Master. Mark Gatiss's Master feels like he's in a different story entirely however, and his appearances so far are somewhat jarring.
A great conclusion to the Masterful trilogy. We get much more of the Mark Gatiss Master here, as he attempts to destroy Gallifrey, and the Jacobi and Simm Master combination continues to work especially well. It's Missy who steals the show once again, however, as her wonderfully batty nature sees her take control of the situation. Michelle Gomez brings this darkly manic energy to her performance that's always a joy to watch or listen to, and she will always be my favourite Master.
I also admire the twist with the Entropy Wave; it's not one that I expected, however it makes a considerable amount of sense given the hints throughout Masterful.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Untitled Free Comic Book Day 2024 Story by WhoPotterVian
This one is by far one of my faourite Doctor Who comics, which is great considering that it's free. There are so many callbacks here to past stories such as The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit and Name Of The Doctor, which is extremely satisfying as a major fan of the show.
The story itself is extremely interesting, concerning Dick Turpin obtaining a Cyber-blaster in the Eighteenth Century. It's similar to the non-Who series Renegade Nell, in the way it combines the era of highwaymen and women with heightened elements from another genre (in this case, sci-fi). I really admire the decision to set this in Yorkshire, as Eighteenth Century York makes for a great setting that's rarely used in sci-fi in general.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 by WhoPotterVian
This one was always going to be my favourite Once And Future release, as it features both my favourite Doctor (David Tennant) and favourite Master (Michelle Gomez). It does not disappoint. The pair have so much chemistry that it makes you wish that this Doctor and this Master had met on TV. Whether it's the Doctor's bafflement that Missy would turn a deserted planet into War Of The Worlds because she was bored, or the pair having to deny that they are a couple, they're an absolute delight together. It's interesting that Missy also got hit by a degeneration weapon. They seem to hint that it was a past Master who degenerated into Missy, rather than Sacha Dhawan's Time Lord, so I wonder which Master it was? Derek Jacobi's, perhaps?
The Paternoster Gang also work surprisingly well with the Tenth Doctor, especially Strax. His wish for a pony felt like a fun reference to the horse riding Sontaran in War Of The Sontarans.
The whole story is as though the Tenth Doctor has been plonked in the middle of a Twelfth Doctor Series 8 episode, particularly as it plays with the idea of a story the Doctor knows to be fictional turning out to be real (sort of), like with Robot Of Sherwood and Last Christmas. It's an entertaining mash-up that works remarkably well.
Review of Dismemberment by WhoPotterVian
Exactly what you'd want from a spin-off book featuring Missy. Dark, twisted and with Missy's wicked sense of humour. It's a really nice touch that in one story we see how Missy came to choose her name upon regenerating into her female body.
Review of The Belly of the Beast by WhoPotterVian
A suitably batty story for Missy. This one concerns a group of clones who the Doctor's arch nemesis enslaves inside a giant stone beast, and it's exactly as manic as you'd expect from this character. This audio really does a good job at conveying the Master's more manipulative side, as she makes a number of dark and calculative moves regarding the clones who decide to rebel against her rule.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Broken Clock by WhoPotterVian
This is the penultimate episode in the Missy box set, and like the previous two it has a wickedly dark sense of humour. I chuckled a lot at the narrative's satirical take on crime documentaries, and Missy's takedown of some of this genre's clichés is hilarious to witness. It's all rounded off nicely with the reveal concerning the Master's Grandfather Clock TARDIS, which provides a neat callback to Classic Who.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated by WhoPotterVian
This one was a ton of fun. Michelle Gomez and Rufus Hound make for a hilarious pair, as they exchange witty banter. It all leads to a satisfying ending, with the real Catherine Parr getting one over Missy & The Monk. Comedy gold.
Review of A Spoonful of Mayhem by WhoPotterVian
Such a really fun riff on Mary Poppins, with Missy's more devilish side providing some darkly comic moments. This is *exactly* the story I was hoping for from a Missy spin-off.
Review of Doctor Who: Meglos by WhoPotterVian
The audiobook novelization of this story is better than the TV version, but it's still one of the weaker Season 18 serials. Meglos impersonating the Doctor remains quite fun, however, the time loop with the Fourth Doctor and Romana goes on for too long, meaning that it takes a while for them to enter the story.
Terrance Dick does add more colour to it with his excellent prose though, and Jon Culshaw does a fantastic job at reading. His Fourth Doctor impression is spot-on as usual, and it's lovely to also hear more of John Leeson as K9.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Wednesdays For Beginners by WhoPotterVian
One of the greatest recurring characters during the Russell T Davies era was without a doubt Jackie Tyler, so combining Jackie with the all time greatest recurring character Captain Jack Harkness is a work of pure genius. I hope whoever came up with this idea, be it writer James Goss or the set's director Scott Handcock was given a decent pay rise for coming up with such ingenuity. When this pairing was announced, I was beyond excited and eagerly looking forward to what sounded like a truly memorable piece.
Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) has a stalker. Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) has been following her since he moved in at the Powell Estate, as a means of keeping an eye on Rose's mother whilst she's travelling through time and space with the Doctor. One day Jackie finds the Powell Estate totally deserted, with her only company being the stranger who has been stalking her for the last few months. Jack and Jackie team up to find out where has the entire neighbourhood disappeared to, and who is behind the disappearance.
In case you haven't already got the message, the biggest draw about this story is the pairing of Jack and Jackie - and it doesn't disappoint. They are absolutely hilarious together, evoking shades of the Tenth Doctor and Donna as they bicker and form a strong friendship. Jackie isn't shown as completely useless as she was occasionally on television either (I'm thinking of that infamous scene in Journey's End here when the Doctor wouldn't let Jackie help pilot the TARDIS). This Jackie is every much as clever as Donna Noble could be, showing occasional flashes of brilliance. It's Jackie who figures out how to bring the neighborhood back, and the solution strangely involves sausage rolls.
I never thought I'd hear John Barrowman and Camille Coduri form a duet, but that's one of the many pleasures this story offers. It also neatly sums up how much fun Wednesdays For Beginners is, adopting almost panto-like silliness with jokes about a neighbour's extremely boring CD collection and the completely barking mad idea (which works) of saving Jack from the story's monsters the harvesters by pouring a boiling pot of kettle over them.
I could easily listen to a whole box set of Jack and Jackie together - in fact, I could listen to a whole box set of Jackie Tyler on her own. She is extremely engaging to listen to, and lights up any scene.
The twist that Jackie Tyler is who the story's monsters the Harvesters are searching for and not Captain Jack is predictable, but in this case I don't really care. The story is more about Jackie's world whilst Rose is travelling with the Doctor, and at times you really feel for this mother left on her own whilst her daughter's on some distant planet. James Goss's decision to isolate her even more by taking her entire neighbourhood away only highlights this even more. It's a good decision that helps us empathise with Jackie by bringing that loneliness to the forefront of the adventure.
You've probably noticed I haven't said much about Jack. Well that's because like the best Doctor Who stories, this Captain Jack story is more about Jack's 'companion' than Jack himself. Jackie Tyler is the main focus here, but Jack is still very much the main character: the hero who helps Jackie in her quest to bring her neighbours back. This story really plays to John Barrowman's talents with the humour and singing in the narrative, and with Jackie as the story's focus he still plays a vital part in the narrative. Without Jack, Jackie would have called the Doctor and Rose, and the Harvesters would have feasted on the time travellers.
John Barrowman's presence is always felt when he's stalking Jackie too; you get a sense that Jack is there, even when he doesn't talk.
Overall, Wednesdays For Beginners is just as much fun as you would imagine a story where Jack and Jackie team up would be. It is at times a wonderfully silly story, and at others a character piece that leaves you feeling sorry for the isolated life Jackie leads whilst her daughter travels across time and space. One day I hope Big Finish release a Lives of Jackie Tyler box set; judging by this release, it would be the audio set of a lifetime.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Year After I Died by WhoPotterVian
There are so many gaps in the life of Captain Jack Harkness that haven't been shown on-screen that it was perhaps inevitable Big Finish would explore them eventually. Hence the box set The Lives of Captain Jack; four stories that take place in four different parts of Jack's timeline. The first in this set, The Year After I Died, takes place a year after Parting of the Ways - the episode that essentially acted as the origin of Captain Jack's immortality.
This Jack (John Barrowman) is a broken and bitter man - little more than a shadow of the hero he was during the Dalek invasion of the Game Station - living on a dangerous Earth wrecked by the Daleks. Jack is hounded by reporter Silo Crook (Shvorne Marks), who is desperate to film a report on either him or the Hope Foundation. When Jack refuses to help find out what the Hope Foundation is up to, Silo sets off herself to discover the truth - and Jack finds himself reluctantly following to save her.
One thing this release does really well is create an effective picture of just how dangerous this world is. You really believe that this Earth is a perilous place to live in, with mutated animals and Dalek weapons left behind by the invasion. There isn't a great deal of time spent here - most of the narrative takes place on the Hope Foundation space port - but what you do hear of the 200,101 world immediately captures your imagination.
What's really going on at the Hope Foundation proves to be just as horrifying as the world that has been left behind by the Daleks. Maybe even more so. The twist of the rich using surgery to take whatever body part they fancy from the poor is a gruesome yet very believable one, something that you could imagine some of these rich people might actually do if given the chance. Poor Malfi (Scott Haran) has his eyeballs taken because they have a nice shade of blue, for instance, leaving him blind for the rest of the adventure. It's neat that 'humanity's oldest enemy' teased in the audio drama's synopsis isn't the Daleks or Cybermen, but the wealthy. A very real threat in the present day just as in the past or in the future.
Unfortunately for a release called 'The Lives of Captain Jack', this Jack takes a lot of getting used to. He bears little resemblance to the Captain Jack from Doctor Who and Torchwood, often giving snarky responses and coming across like a grumpy old man stuck in a young man's body. Whilst it makes sense for his character during the period of his life the audio drama is set in, such a drastic change in character highlights how much of Jack's life between Parting of the Ways and The Year After I Died we still haven't seen or heard yet. It would perhaps have been wiser for Big Finish to have released a prequel box set leading up to this story first, so we could see some development of his character leading up to this change. John Barrowman does a very good job at playing this Jack though, and tries his best to make him sound like the same Jack from Parting of the Ways.
Shvorne Marks as Silo Crook makes for a great companion role for Captain Jack; the character is very endearing, and you feel her frustrations when Jack seems determined he's not a hero. She has quite a heavy focus in this story, often making Jack seem like the supporting role rather than the other way round. I hope in future Shvorne Marks does more Big Finish as she does a very good job here, creating a character who is immediately engaging to listen to.
A great story would be nothing without a great villain, and Sarah Douglas totally owns it as the Hope Foundation's founder Vortia Trear. She is wonderfully cruel, and helps considerably to highlight the story's message about how wealth can corrupt people into turning against those worse off than themselves. That's why I never vote Conservative when there's a General Election - they only ever seem to be in it for themselves, and stuff those who don't have as much money as them.
Overall, The Year After I Died is a strong start for The Lives of Captain Jack box set. The truth behind the Hope Foundation is brilliantly gruesome, with a villain who you just love to hate. Shvorne Marks simply has to do more Big Finish as she is superb as Silo Crook, and John Barrowman does his best to sell Captain Jack as the same man we saw in The Parting of the Ways. Unfortunately Jack's change in character whilst making sense within the narrative feels way too jarring, and needed a prequel box set to properly sell it.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Ghost of Bannerman Road by WhoPotterVian
An exciting finale to the second box set. It has Wormwood at her most devious, manipulating Clyde and others into changing their own timelines. Clyde's reaction to UNIT's Tower of London base is a lot of fun, and makes me want to see/hear him visiting the new UNIT Tower.
My only criticism of the story is that Luke is a little underused. He doesn't really contribute anything to the narrative, and most of the audio concerns Rani and Clyde investigating without Luke present.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Star-Crossed Diversion by WhoPotterVian
This story is like a love letter to The Sarah Jane Adventures, with references to everything from Invasion Of The Bane to The Man Who Never Was. Rani and Clyde are as fun a partnership as ever, and they're joined by a new young recruit called Jude, who is a very interesting character as a human-Bane hybrid.
The Bane's return is an excellent plot, selling the Earth's resources whilst the human race are literally looking the other way on their phones. There's some great social commentary about how people spend too long looking at their devices, which is something The Sarah Jane Adventures always did well.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Time Schisms! by WhoPotterVian
Easily one of my favourite Big Finish audios. It concerns a woman called Anna who believes a local post office worker is a time traveller, and contacts Rani Chandra. It's a really fun premise, with shades of the Bill And Ted movies when the post office worker turns out to be Napoleon.
It's also wonderful to hear Tommy Knight back as Luke, alongside Daniel Anthony as Clyde. Interesting angle to take with Rani and Luke having a bit of rivalry, due to Luke's UNIT job stopping him from helping Rani in her investigations.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Witching Tree by WhoPotterVian
A sinister conclusion to the first Rani Takes On The World box set. This has some very eery moments, with strange marks appearing on Rani and our protagonist repeating a series of unusual numbers. It ends in a typically Sarah Jane Adventures manner, with our heroes throwing pineapples at the titular tree.
Daniel Anthony is as always a welcoming presence, bringing such great levity to proceedings. Poor Clyde can't catch a break though, and the conclusion really makes you feel for the poor guy. I did not see the twist with Phoenix coming, and I'm interested to see how the relationship between Clyde and Rani develops in the next box set.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Destination: Wedding by WhoPotterVian
This is a typically bonkers Sarah Jane Adventures story, with a sentient alien island giving Rani's old school friend Tiffany the perfect wedding at the expense of people who wronged her. We get some great Gita humour, with her remarks about renovating Bannerman Road and grievances towards the receptionist not giving her the special treatment stuff he promised raising many laughs. It also seems to tease a future romance between Rani and Clyde, which I really hope happens, because when I watched the TV Series I always thought they would become a couple.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Here Today by WhoPotterVian
A perfect return to Bannerman Road. Here Today captures the spirit of The Sarah Jane Adventures, with its bright-eyed optimism warming your heart. It's very much Rani and Clyde, but dealing with the new problems of adulthood. I loved all of the references to The Sarah Jane Adventures, and the story itself feels exactly what we would have got had that show ever made a Groundhog Day episode. It all ends with a beautiful moment, as we get an unexpected offscreen cameo from a child Sarah Jane.
Review of Queen of Rhodia by WhoPotterVian
This story is easily one of the greatest ever Big Finish audios. It acts as a direct sequel to The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did, and it's tons of fun from beginning to end.
Blair Mowat's script gives us such wildly different takes on the Class characters, as they play alternate universe versions of themselves. Tanya as the Queen of Rhodia is a particular standout, giving us a glimpse at a more ruthless take of the character.
Review of The Creeper by WhoPotterVian
Wow, now this story is more like what I was hoping for from the third box set.
The Creeper is an absolutely phenomenal story. Creepy, unsettling and so very atmospheric, it's a tale that plays fast and loose with the Halloween setting.
And Matteusz's possession is so very creepy.
Review of Mock by WhoPotterVian
I really loved this one. The opening monologue with Quill and how it relates to the rest of the story is brilliant, and the narrative has this really creepy vibe which evokes Children Of Earth and Midnight.
Dervla Kirwan is such a perfect replacement for Katherine Kelly, to the point where you forget it's not Katherine Kelly you are actually listening to.
I love the concept of The Cleaver also. It's like Class's version of the Trickster from The Sarah Jane Adventures, but even crueller.
Review of Sweet Nothings by WhoPotterVian
The highlight of Class's third volume for me. Miss Quill's sassy put-downs are always hilarious to listen to, and we get a ton of them here. But we also get a nice subversion later into the narrative too, when Quill's good mood due to her new boyfriend sees her act a little kinder around Charlie.
'The Man' makes for an intriguingly enigmatic presence as Quill's boyfriend, and the final reveal is a truly great twist. It doesn't paint Charlie in a particularly good light though.
Review of Catfish by WhoPotterVian
This one's a bit of a mixed bag. The story feels a little too similar to 'Everybody Loves Reagan' from the first Big Finish volume, but it does improve in the third act when it becomes more of an 'alien doppelgänger' story.
This is the first audio to feature Katherine Kelly and Vivian Oparah's replacements, and they're decent soundalikes. Joanna McGibbon does a great job in the role of Tanya, and although we don't get much of Dervla Kirwan as Miss Quill here, she does seem to capture the spirit of Quill well in the brief stuff we hear.
Review of The Soers’ Ditch by WhoPotterVian
This was a decent opener for the third volume. It's a little slow to begin with, but the story is interesting, and it's nice to hear the Class gang bonding over a game of bowling.
I find the prospect of green aliens secretly living in Shoreditch and pitting humans against one another quite an interesting one too. It has Hunger Games vibes to it, but that works well for Doctor Who.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Nightvisiting by WhoPotterVian
Continuity is important with any form of storytelling. It's one of those things you notice when its wrong, cheer when its right and complain when it's not even there. Nightvisiting falls into the 'cheer' category. It would have been easy for this episode to ignore what came before it given that it focuses largely on a character we hadn't seen before (Tanya's (Vivian Oparah) late father) but instead the episode awards the viewers for paying attention by bringing back someone whom we had rarely seen before she met her demisei n the first episode: Ram's (Fady Elsayad) girlfriend Rachel (Anna Shaffer).
Nightvisiting opens with a montage of Tanya and family, explaining how she lost her father Jasper (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) to a stroke. Two years later, on the anniversary of his death, Tanya retires to bed - to find her father sat in the far corner of the room. All over London, people are being visited during the night by deceased loved ones. But why are the dead returning from beyond the grave? And what do they really want from the people they visit?
It's nice to see Class continue the trend of each episode focusing on one of the members of the Coal Hill gang. This week's is largely Tanya's story and how the death of her father has affected her two years' on. We may get to see Ram encounter his dead girlfriend and Miss Quill visited by her deceased sister but they are merely sub-plots to the narrative of Tanya's grief. We only meet Jasper for the first time in this episode but thanks to the genius montage at the beginning it feels like we've known him since the beginning of the series. The montage really makes us care for Tanya's relationship with her father; in just three minutes we get a sense of just how much he meant to her and the fact that he was cruelly taken away from his daughter so soon into her life highlights how tragic their story is. This helps to make the situation of Tanya meeting her father even more desperate, to the point where you really don't know if she will let 'Jasper' (spoilers, he isn't really her father) take her away with him. Deep down it is perhaps a metaphor for dealing with grief and learning to move on - something that all of us who have lost someone can relate to. For instance, I lost my Grandad in 2007 and I remember how hard it was to cope with the loss of the man who inspired my passion for movies (he used to work as a projectionist at the Hollywood Plaza in Scarborough). I had to move on though, just as Tanya must learn to from the passing of her Dad.
Talking of Tanya, Vivian Oparah does a very impressive job in the role. She gives an extremely powerful performance that is certain to make you cry (unless you're Donald Trump, of course). It is one of the best performances in any of the Doctor Who spinoffs, even rivalling Daniel Anthony as a homeless Clyde in The Curse of Clyde Langer. Vivian Oparah is probably the strongest actor of the four leads; I have a feeling as with Tommy Knight that she'll go onto bigger things once Class is over.
The other highlight of this episode is the Lankins, a very creative threat who take on the form of deceased loved ones to lure the living. The idea could be considered a morbid take on the Sirens from Greek mythology: beautiful mermaids who were believed to attract sailors with enchanting music to shipwreck. The episodes' use of the Lankins places an interesting spin on the idea of heaven; the idea that heaven and hell are one and the same and also the idea that it's just sentimental stuff the 'pathetic humans' fall for. It is a view that's likely to offend a significant proportion of viewers but is a fresh take on the concept than the ideas often thrown about regarding life after death.
There is a major problem with this episode however. In the episode we are told Charlie (Greg Austin) sees a glimpse of his family during his sex with boyfriend Matteusz (Jordan Renzo), however it is never explained why it's only a 'glimpse' and not a full-blown appearance as with the rest of the Lankin's deceased. Is it because love is different in his world (as he states in the episode)? Or is it because (again, as the episode itself dictates) he hated his family for only caring about his image as prince and not respecting the fact that he's gay? Either explanations would have sufficed for why it is merely a glimpse; this is an issue that I feel would have been easy for Patrick Ness to fix.
Overall, Nightvisiting is a hugely emotional episode about the story of Tanya and her deceased father. It poses interesting questions on heaven and hell. Vivian Oparah is outstanding at portraying Tanya's grief, even managing to make us question whether she will fall for the Lankin's trap (even though we know she's one of the four leads). It's great the way the episode sticks with continuity also, by bringing back Ram's dead girlfriend Rachel. The only real disappointment is the half-baked idea of Charlie only seeing a glimpse of his family. It's never explained why Charlie's is only a glimpse, something that could have been easily fixed with a line or two.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo by WhoPotterVian
Episode two of Class had rather unusual scheduling: rather than releasing it a week after episode one, it was decided that it would be uploaded online the same day as episode one. If this was the second part of a two part story, I could understand...but it wasn't. I'd love to know the reasoning behind the BBC's decision on this. The Sarah Jane Adventures may have been broadcast two episodes a time, for example, but those stories were two parters and so you were essentially getting a complete story. Regardless, it doesn't affect the enjoyment of the story - Class is one of those shows you could watch for hours and it wouldn't grow dull.
Episode two focuses largely on Ram (Fady Elsayed) and his struggles after losing the events of the previous episode. His Football coach (Ben Peel) is giving him a hard time and he is generally struggling with the loss of his girlfriend Rachel (Anna Shaffer). Meanwhile, a skin-peeling dragon is roaming the corridors of Coal Hill Academy and its actions bear some connection to Ram's coach...
Essentially, this episode is 'Ram's story' and I think this approach of focusing largely on one character works quite well for an ensemble cast. It allows us to relate to the characters more and develop a clearer understanding of who they are as individuals rather than a team. Episode three 'Nightvisiting' (which I will review at a later point) mainly focuses on Tanya, so this seems to be a structural decision by writer Patrick Ness - and a very smart one at that. Hopefully we can expect a Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly) -centric episode at some point, as Katherine Kelly deserves an episode of her own.
The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo is essentially the 'Russell T Davies' episode of the show, in that it goes more for the human angle of life in the Whoniverse rather than the sci-fi fairytale of the Moffat era. This is more about how the mundanity of life co-exists with the aliens and monsters of this world; how living in this world can, in fact, leave an impact on certain members of humanity. Remember when Mickey Smith was accused of murdering Rose Tyler because she disappeared for a year, for instance? That could easily be a Class storyline here. Some of the best stories are more about what some sections of fandom like to call 'the soap opera elements' than the genre elements; this is definitely the case here. The skin-peeling dragon is cool but that's now what makes this a strong episode; The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo is excellent more for the way it explores how Ram has been affected by the loss of his girlfriend and his leg.
This episode relies on Fady Elsayed giving a good performance as Ram - and boy does he succeed. Fady is absolutely outstanding here and if this was a movie, I'm pretty certain he'd be nominated for an Oscar. It's thanks to Fady that you really feel sorry for the character's loss; the performance he gives is more like the kind you would expect from a top-class actor like Daniel Radcliffe. It's a very moving turn from the actor that demonstrates just how right Andy Pyror got the casting for the series.
One thing I failed to mention in my review of For Tonight We Might Die is the title sequence. I know many are disappointed with the titles, especially the music chosen for it. I, on the other hand, love it. It is a title sequence that is very fitting for the Young Adult demographic; the visuals have a very modern aesthetic that's reminiscent of other Young Adult TV Series and the song choice is inspired with its thumping rock sound.
The song is Up All Night by Alex Clara and whilst the lyrics don't directly correlate with the series, you can see why they picked it.
In this instance, 'she don't know what we do in our spare time' could mean 'fighting monsters after school' - the 'she' being their mothers.
Unfortunately, there is a major drawback with this episode - and that's the bizarre subplot with Miss Quill and the OFSTED inspector. Seeing Quill suspect the inspector is an alien is very amusing but the way the sub plot is concluded feels very underwhelming. It turns out that the inspector is a robot - but there's no foreshadowing to this revelation, so it just comes out of nowhere. The other bizarre thing is how Quill makes it very clear she hates the inspector - yet kisses him near the end of the episode! Again, it comes completely out of nowhere; it's almost as though Patrick Ness just thought it up on the spot.
The acting by Ben Peel as Ram's coach is also terrible. He is extremely wooden in the part and it's honestly a chore to watch whenever he is talking. Fortunately the skin-peeling dragon and the revelation concerning his tattoo is more important than the character himself but it's still a shame they couldn't find someone better to play the part of the coach. Looking at his IMDB he appears to be an actor who largely plays bit parts, so it is no surprise that he's the weak link of a very strong cast.
A strong cast that also includes Nigel Betts as Mr Armitage. In the main series, Mr Armitage was a pretty forgettable character that didn't leave much of an impact on viewers. In episode two of Class however, he becomes a very endearing character - thanks largely down to Nigel Betts' portrayal. He is so much more interesting here that when his character exits the series, you actually feel sad that he'll no longer be in the show. For me this is the biggest u-turn I've ever had on a Doctor Who character; Mr Armitage is the kind of head teacher that everybody loves. He's the one you could imagine hanging around at parents' evening to answer parents' questions, who would know the name of every student in his school and who clearly has a great deal of care for those who study there. In just one episode of Doctor Who in a minor role and two episodes of Class in a supporting one, Mr Armitage has become a fan-favourite character who may even one day gain his own Big Finish spinoff. As Tom Baker's Curator would say, 'Who knows?'.
Overall, episode two of Class is a moving episode that tells the story of Ram and how the events of For Tonight We Might Die have affected him. Fady Elsayed gives a phenomenal performance but unfortunately is let down by the terrible acting of Ben Peel as Ram's football coach. There is also a pointless sub plot featuring Miss Quill and an OFSTED inspector which doesn't really go anywhere. Nigel Betts is immensely likeable as Mr Armitage though (seriously, Big Finish: we need that Mr Armitage spinoff) and the series does have a fitting title sequence.
This review contains spoilers
Review of For Tonight We Might Die by WhoPotterVian
There have been a few Doctor Who spinoffs over the years, from 1981's K9 And Company to 2006's Torchwood. None, however, have featured as tenuous a link to the main show as Class. Class's connection to Doctor Who is simply the coincidence that it takes place in the same school that the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman was a student at back in 1963: Coal Hill School, now known as 'Coal Hill Academy'. Since 1963, the Doctor has worked as the school's caretaker and his most recent companion Clara Oswald was an English teacher. Given that it takes place after Clara's exit in Series 9, she doesn't make an appearance; bar the Doctor's guest appearance, there's no equivalent to Captain Jack, Sarah Jane or even K-9. It's not your traditional spinoff...but in some ways it being a spinoff actually becomes an issue for the show's first episode. More on that later.
Class follows a group of four students - Ram (Fady Elsayed), Charlie (Greg Austin), April (Sophie Hopkins) and Tanya (Vivian Oparah) - who along with their physics teacher Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly), are tasked with protecting Secondary School/Sixth Form Coal Hill Academy from alien menaces who come through a tear in time and space. In their first episode, the Shadow Kin (Paul Mark Davis) gatecrash the school prom and when Miss Quill and the students struggle to deal with the alien menace Miss Quill is left with no option than to call in the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), who assigns them with the job of protecting the academy in his absence.
When the spinoff was announced, I had no idea what to expect. It sounded like a pointless idea for a Doctor Who spinoff and I was bemused as to why they weren't doing a Paternoster Gang show instead. Having watched the first episode however, I found it a surprisingly addictive experience. There's a lot to love about this show and in some ways it is actually better than The Sarah Jane Adventures. As much as I liked the Bannerman Road Gang, the Class kids feel more like realistic characters. If you compare Charlie to Luke, for example, Charlie is a much more compelling character and is generally portrayed better by Greg Austin than Luke was by Tommy Knight. Tommy Knight was okay but at times (especially early on) he could be pretty wooden. No such problems with Charlie, who is wonderfully endearing and one of the Whoniverse's best alien characters.
The standout of the Coal Hill students is by far Sophie Hopkins as April however. April feels exactly like the kind of quiet but caring character you would often encounter at school/sixth form. I love the way we get to see her frustration on never getting listened to, for example, when she tries to warn the students at the prom of the impending danger (even if it would have made far more sense for her to set off the fire alarm). I can totally imagine somebody like April doing that in real life. Fady Elsayed is also good as Ram but unfortunately it doesn't feel like we get to know him as well as we do April; it doesn't help that his girlfriend is given barely any screentime - so when a later scene comes where his girlfriend becomes a victim of the Shadow Kin we don't understand or care why he's so upset at recent events.
Impressively the show boasts Katherine Kelly among its lead cast - and she's just as good as you would expect her to be. Miss Quill has a lovely sense of sarcasm with her students and Katherine Kelly ingeniously portrays her like Professor Snape from the Harry Potter films. You get that same sense from the writing and acting that you never quite know whether you can trust Miss Quill - she is definitely one of the Whoniverse's most complex characters in that regard and it would be fun if we ever get to see her alongside the Doctor in the main series. An episode with the Doctor, Quill and Missy would be perfect (NB: Sadly this never happened)...
...especially if it was written by Patrick Ness, whose writing here is outstanding. It is incredibly poetic and directly echoes the kind of dialogue you read in Young Adult novels (hardly a surprise given Patrick Ness is a novel writer first and foremost). For Tonight We Might Die seems like the kind of episode people expected from Frank Cottrell Boyce with Doctor Who Series 8's In The Forest Of The Night. It would be crazy if Patrick Ness is never brought onboard to write a Doctor Whoepisode after his debut writing his spinoff series (NB: This has yet to happen.).
The visual effects for the Shadow Kin by Milk are also very impressive, given the relatively low budget. Unlike the main show, this series has been made for BBC3 Online and as such the series is working on what will be a very minuscule online budget. You honestly can't tell watching the show that it does have a smaller budget than Doctor Who though; the Shadow Kin could easily appear in the main series without anybody telling the difference in comparison to, say, the Vashta Nerada.
Which brings me back to my point earlier on the show being hindered by it being a spinoff to Doctor Who. You see, the premise of the Shadow Kin is strikingly similar to the Vashta Nerada from the Doctor Who Series 4 two parter Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead. Both monsters are shadows that kill their victims; this wouldn't be a problem if Class wasn't a part of the wider Whoniverse - no idea is completely original - but these similarities become more obvious when you realise the introduction of the Shadow Kin means that there are two monsters that involve killer shadows co-existing in the same universe. If this show really had to be a Doctor Who spinoff, then Patrick Ness would have been better off simply using the Vashta Nerada as the episode's monster-of-the-week rather than trying to create the same concept from scratch.
Then there's Peter Capaldi's cameo as the Doctor. Whilst Peter Capaldi is as awesome here as he was throughout Series 8 and 9, his appearance in Class is too distracting from the episode's plot. He just randomly shows up towards the end of the episode, with a clumsy flashback to an earlier scene indicating that he was responding to Miss Quill's call for help. Class doesn't need Peter Capaldi to show up as the Doctor - at least not yet, anyway. In The Sarah Jane Adventures, the Doctor didn't show up until episode five of Series 3 - The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith episode one. The first episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures - Invasion of The Bane - was quite simply setting up the show's format and introducing us to the characters of Maria and Luke. That's what Class's first episode needed to be. Class shouldn't even be a Doctor Who spinoff: it should be a totally original Young Adult sci-fi drama as at the moment, that's what the show feels like.
Overall, For Tonight We Might Die is a strong first episode for Class with great performances from the show's lead cast. At the moment Sophie Hopkins as April and Katherine Kelly as Miss Quill look to be the standouts, however Greg Austin is good as Charlie too. Unfortunately the episode is let down by its connection to Doctor Who; Class feels like its own show rather than a Doctor Who spinoff and would be much more successful if not connected to the wider Whoniverse. The Shadow Kin's similarities to the Vashta Nerada would be less obvious for a start and Peter Capaldi's cameo feels forced, as though writer Patrick Ness felt required to include it rather than adding the scene because it worked for the narrative he was trying to tell. Patrick Ness's dialogue is nicely poetic though and the visual effects for the Shadow Kin are outstanding for a low budget online sci-fi series. Class's first episode is well worth a watch - but would be a better watch if the Doctor Who connections didn't feel quite so forced.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Culling by WhoPotterVian
A blockbuster conclusion to an action-packed story. Sladen is a brilliant unexpected development for Jack and Gwen's friendship, being their literal daughter, and the story ties in neatly with Captain John's initial Torchwood appearance. It concludes in the best possible way, with Sladen playing a major role in the Vervains' defeat.
Review of Station Zero by WhoPotterVian
An exciting second part to the Titan Comics Torchwood arc. This one has a brilliant modern take on the Vervoids, and some interesting relevations concerning Torchwood's stowaway Rona. Station Zero makes the best use of the comic format, telling a story that would never have been affordable on the small screen.
Review of World WIthout End by WhoPotterVian
This Torchwood comic throws you straight in the deep end, and it's quite similar to A Good Man Goes To War in that respect. It's a brilliant action-packed caper, where the characters are mostly already in the middle of the action. It can make the story feel a little confusing, as there's so much going on, but it feels exactly like a big budget Torchwood continuation after Miracle Day, especially with the Ice Maiden ship, which has a working chameleon circuit.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Blood Line by WhoPotterVian
And so it comes to this. The final episode of Torchwood - and what an episode it was.
There's only one word to describe this episode, and that's 'epic'. It has everything! Action, character moments, memorable speeches and plenty of twists and turns.
Gwen has two killer speeches in this episode alone (one about her Dad and the other about death returning), and Jack has one that would be worthy of the Doctor regarding humanity's progress in the future.
That twist regarding Rex transfusing himself with Jack's blood was ingenious! What a clever idea. And the pay-off at the end where it turns out he is immortal is so clever. It feels earned, because this series does such a great job at establishing just how unique Jack's blood is.
Such a shame that the teases at the end for future series never went anywhere. A bit similar to Class in that regard. I would have loved to have seen what they'd have done Post-Miracle Day, although I know Big Finish have kind of made their own continuations on audio.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Gathering by WhoPotterVian
And so, it has come to this. The penultimate episode in my weekly Torchwood viewing, and how appropriate that I should be watching it on the day Captain Jack was announced for the Doctor Who Christmas Special.
Such a great episode too. I loved all the stuff with Gwen and Rhys in Cardiff. It's an interesting idea to turn the police into a sinister force, as they search Gwen's house under the belief she is hiding someone in the basement. It's a very tense watch, especially considering we know as viewers that she has smuggled her Dad to keep him safe from being incinerated as a Category One. The fact that they find him is so tragic and proves how futile hiding him in the first place turned out to be. They were always going to find him, it was just a matter of time.
How creepy is Bill Pullman as Oswald Danes in this episode too? I shivered when he grabbed hold of Gwen and Rhys's baby! He's been great at playing this really slimy character in this series, the sort of person you love to hate. I did feel sorry for Gwen when she had to share a room with him in Shanghai.
Yes, that's right. Shanghai. Torchwood really has become quite a globe-trotting organisation in this series.
The Blessing seems strange. I'm intrigued to learn more about it in the last ep, and how it called Jack's blood to lead Jack to it.
This review contains spoilers
Review of End of the Road by WhoPotterVian
An odd episode. It's both simultaneously slow paced and revelatory. Plenty happens, and yet it also feels like plenty doesn't.
I loved how Rex, for instance, tricks Wayne Knight's CIA boss Brian Friedkin. That was a very cleverly written piece of script that managed to trick me into thinking Torchwood had actually been captured by the CIA!
A similarly lovely moment is Jack reminiscing about Ianto to the critically ill Angelo. A touching piece of continuity for sure, and one of John Barrowman's best performances as Jack.
However the fact that it pretty much entirely takes place in one singular location makes the plot feel very slow and meandering. Sometimes setting a story in one place can work well dramatically (see The Girl Who Waited), but here there doesn't seem to be any dramatic purpose behind it.
Still, good to learn a little more about what is causing the 'miracle', and I'm curious to learn more about 'category zero'. What dark means do they do to get rid of people like Oswald Danes, I wonder?
The ending scene with Jack is also a fantastic cliffhanger. It's very hard to place that character in any sort of peril where you feel he could be in danger, but the genius of Miracle Day means a cliffhanger like this where Jack really could be in trouble is so much more effective than it would be in a normal series of Doctor Who or Torchwood, where Jack still has his immortality.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Immortal Sins by WhoPotterVian
This episode is a bit 'Torchwood does Arrow'. It has a heavy focus on flashbacks involving Jack and a love interest called Angelo Colasanto, although at times it feels as though it focuses a little too much on these sequences. I would have liked to have seen the pacing in the Present Day sequences with Gwen in the car quickened up a little, rather than playing second fiddle to the story in the 1920s.
It's really cool seeing a reference to the Trickster's brigade though, something which really helps to tie the show into the rest of the Whoniverse, given that we had another member of the Trickster's brigade in Doctor Who and the Trickster himself in The Sarah Jane Adventures.
I do also like how this episode shows the ingenuity of Rex and Ester. The way they discover what is happening with Gwen and come to the rescue is very clever, and shows how valuable they are to Torchwood. And Angelo is a good character too. He is exactly the kind of person you can imagine Jack falling for.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Middle Men by WhoPotterVian
This episode, ironically (given the title), feels more like a sort of middle ground. It doesn't really further the plot so much, apart from in the shock ending (which makes me really intrigued to find out what they want in Jack).
There are, however, some really epic moments. I loved Gwen's retort to the doctor that if you're turning a blind eye to the corruption going on, you can't call yourself a 'doctor' anymore, and her other badass moment when she just totally blows up the incinerators at the Wales concentration camp. The Ester fight scene with Vera's killer was also very, very cool, and extremely well choreographed.
And how cool is it to see Ernie Hudson in the Doctor Who universe? How the hell did they manage to get a Ghostbuster to appear? He must have cost a fortune!
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Categories of Life by WhoPotterVian
Bloody hell, I know Torchwood has had its fair share of dark moments, but this episode is REALLY dark.
The concentration camps of people who should be dead is a truly horrifying concept, especially when you find out what the 'module' is where 'Level One' patients go. The burning revelation of what the 'Module' is really shocked me in just how ghastly and macabre it is. It seems in this new world there really are no limits as to what is or is not considered the 'right' thing to do.
The whole concept of the 'level' system brought to mind the current 'tier' situation of COVID 19 that our UK government has in place. It's a neat demonstration of how much these governments like to categorise, in order to shirt all moral responsibility. Just like with COVID we have areas that should be in lockdown which aren't, here we have people being taken to these camps and just left to suffer, with no visitors allowed or anything of that sort.
It what was great also to see Vera join Torchwood; I have been really enjoying that character. She is immensely likeable and charming, and I've been rooting for her to join Torchwood since I started watching Miracle Day. Rhys thankfully finally gets to join in on the action again himself, and with Gwen still in Cardiff it looks like there will be more of him helping out to come.
The man who gives Vera the tour of the concentration camp in L.A. must be easily one of the creepiest human villains in the Whoniverse. He's really disturbing to watch, and the actor who plays him Marc Vann does a brilliant job at playing such a creepy character.
Also: was that Ernie Hudson I spotted in the next time trailer? Did Ernie Hudson actually appear in Torchwood?
This review contains spoilers
Review of Escape to L.A. by WhoPotterVian
I always like it when episodes of a TV Show explore the personal lives of the characters, and this is something this episode of Miracle Day does really well. In this episode we get to see how the lives of Ester's sister and kids are affected by the plot, we get more of Rhys in Cardiff, and his efforts to help Gwen's Dad in hospital, and we see Rex reunite with his Dad. It really helps to set personal stakes for the characters, and show what they have to lose.
But that's not the only interesting part of this episode. We also get some great stuff concerning the controversial views of Oswald Danes' greatest rival, town mayor in Ellis Hartley Monroe. Ellis is a brilliant creation; she feels like the kind of political figure we all love to hate, a sort of younger American equivalent to Anne Widdecombe. Her 'Dead Is Dead' campaign of sending those who were supposed to die away from the rest of society to fend for themselves and essentially strip them of their human rights is truly shocking.
Then you have the guy who is paid to take Torchwood out, who we see stalking and taking pictures of our heroes, which really helps to build up suspense and make us fear what might happen to these protagonists we are rooting for. When he finally confronts Jack and Gwen, and we see that encounter, it totally pays off and ends in a satisfying climax that well and truly justifies Rex's place on the team. Although I do think Rex was a little mean towards Ester by accusing her of jeopardising the mission. She was just trying to check in on her sister. At least she didn't do what Jack did in the previous episode and visit a flipping night club!
Also: that death in the compactor is really shocking. That has to be one of the most gruesome moments in Torchwood for sure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Dead of Night by WhoPotterVian
Blimey, does this episode start off topical watching in 2020!
People panic buying because they're worried of the new normal? Where have I seen that before?
This is another very strong episode though. I love the Soulless cult; they're very creepy and unnerving with their masks. The opening action scene with them shooting the CIA boss and laying the trap for the police car on the road was very cool too.
My absolute favourite thing about this so far though is still the really interesting questions that are raised about immortality. The idea that murder, or attempted murder, simply wouldn't exist anymore is something that I have never seen a TV Show explore. It's really fascinating, because it means that in this world there are no boundaries as to what is right or wrong - as we see later in the police brutality towards Oswald Danes. He may be a rapist and murderer, but in a normal world they would not be allowed to beat him up like that. This is a new normal, though, and that means new rules. The police here can effectively exact any punishment they wish, because there is no consequence. You can literally get away with murder when murder doesn't exist.
The notion of being able to get drugs without a prescription is also very unnerving. Could you imagine the implications of that? What PhilCorp are doing feels totally inhumane, and has to be one of the most corrupt aspects of the Torchwood universe. Obviously it's not as bad as our UK government trying to give kids away to be used as recreational drugs in Children of Earth, but it's still very murky.
My one criticism of this episode is some of the huge logic leaps it takes. For one, Torchwood are supposed to be on the run because - as we know from the previous episode - the CIA are after them. So why does Jack think it's a good idea to go to a night club and romance some random guy there? Surely the night club are likely to have CCTV, and so the CIA could easily find out a member of Torchwood was at a night club? And you're really telling me Vera changed her mind that quickly about doing Rex's plan when she clearly didn't want to do it?
Overall though, I am loving Miracle Day three
episodes in.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Rendition by WhoPotterVian
Blimey, Torchwood really can't catch a break, can they?
First, Gwen is torn apart from Rhys and their child when they are refused the chance to go with them to America. And then a CIA agent poisons Jack!
I do think Torchwood is at its best when people are out to get them; that was one of the things that worked so well about Children of Earth. The idea that the authorities see them as a threat that needs to be taken out; it's not just the aliens they are fighting, but humanity themselves. The CIA agent is taken out a little too easily by Gwen though (Seriously, she's a CIA agent and all Gwen has to do is land a single punch in the face?). It would have also been nice to have seen a little more of Rhys, who only appears briefly at the beginning.
Apart from that though, this was a really interesting episode. I'm loving the exploration of immortality, and the questions this Miracle Day plot is already posing, such as whether suicide would still exist, and the stuff about food shortages because people are living longer is fascinating.
As is the stuff with Oswald Danes, played superbly by Bill Pullman. It shows how unusual this world is, that this convicted peadophile and murderer is invited onto a news programme for an interview, and that such an obviously distasteful interview is deemed appropriate to air. It's like humanity has just become so obsessed with this notion of living forever and what it means for somebody who was serving a life sentence when a 'life sentence' suddenly gained no meaning, that that fascination overrides any thoughts about the victims' families and friends. When faced with an impossibility, we give into our selfish nature and our curiosity takes over.
I'm intrigued to find out what the deal is with the woman who keeps showing up and flashing her card, first to Oswald and then to Vera. There's something fishy about her for sure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The New World by WhoPotterVian
This was the episode I originally watched when I was 15; I didn't see the rest of Miracle Day because my parents then banned me from watching it, but I remember hugely enjoying this episode.
And at 24 (NB: I am now 28), I still do now. It sets up a really interesting premise; I really love the idea of people just suddenly not dying on one single day on Earth, and it's made even more intriguing when Captain Jack becomes mortal as a result.
It's such a thought-provoking idea, and this episode does a great job at setting it up for the rest of the series. We get a nice brief philosophical look at the ramifications of such an event when PC Andy and Gwen are looking at the news reports on the computer too: the point that if people just didn't die, the population would go up and that it could result in serious food shortages. This is brilliantly countered by Rhys's argument that most people would probably make in the circumstances: could it not be a good thing if people suddenly refused to die?
There's a truly epic action sequence in the last half of this episode too, which involves Gwen shooting down a helicopter with a bazooka. That has got to be one of the most badass moments in the entire show.
Overall, this first episode certainly has a different feel to the rest of Torchwood, but I still love it.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Day Five by WhoPotterVian
This is one of my favourite ever episodes of Torchwood. It's such a powerful and hard-hitting hour of television, from Gwen's devastating speech about why the Doctor isn't always there to save the day to those shocking scenes of the army grabbing the children and carrying them away from their terrified parents.
I keep saying this, but this five part story really does feel topical in 2020. I mean, reopening the schools and insisting it's safe for the kids to return even though it isn't - need I say anymore? That's literally what is happening right now! The only difference is the threat isn't aliens getting high on kids.
That moment when Frobisher first learns his kids will be among the sacrifices to the 456, so the government can be painted as the victims, is so hard-hitting also. Anddon't get me started on that depressing montage where he kills himself and his family to avoid his kids' otherwise even more horrifying fate. I could go on forever about just how brilliant the last part of Children of Earth is.
This is a dark story done right. It's not dark for the sake of being dark. It's dark because the narrative commands it to be so. This is the only way Children of Earth can be told.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Day Four by WhoPotterVian
Blimey, this episode really does feel topical watching it in 2020! You've got a killer virus on the loose, and no vaccine to stop it.
Ianto's death at the hands of said virus is still a really shocking and emotional moment, even if like me you have already watched this episode before and knows it's coming. It's such a powerful scene, and it comes at a very unpredictable moment, at the end of the penultimate part rather than the final episode.
I also love how corrupt the government are shown to be here. Here we've got agovernment trying to justify giving up the lives of millions of children by pointing to things like overpopulation and school league tables as excuses, as though that makes their deaths perfectly fine. In their words, kids who are underperformers are of no use to society because they will likely end up on benefits anyway. It's so dark, but totally true to how a government would deal with such an extreme situation in real life. I can buy that they would be this callous and full of their own self interests.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Day Three by WhoPotterVian
This part if anything has only got more topical in 2020. The stuff about the schools being closed and a curfew being put in place sounds so much like the Coronavirus pandemic, and sending John Frobisher to deal with the 456 because they see him as expendable is totally something you could see our current government doing.
I love that our Torchwood team have to turn to a crime of thievery in order to survive whilst on the run, and that twist where Jack originally gave kids in the 60s to the 456 is still one of the very best in sci-fi history. It's so shocking to see a character we all know and love having stooped so low in the past. Somebody who we always think of as being on the right side in the fight against aliens.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Day Two by WhoPotterVian
I forgot how little Captain Jack is in this episode, but you don't really miss him. Gwen has some really badass moments that more than make up for it, such as when she's taking down the ambulance drivers who are actually government spies, or breaking into the secret base where Jack is being held.
This has to be among Captain Jack's more gruesome deaths also. It's truly terrifying to think how much pain he must be feeling when you see his skin totally burnt, and he's just screaming.
Another excellent episode for sure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Day One by WhoPotterVian
I've seen the entirety of Children of Earth before, so this isn't new for me, but I absolutely love it. This first episode is easily one of the greatest openers to a series of any show I have ever seen. It does such a spectacular job of establishing the sinister threat with the kids chanting 'We are coming', and goes into some delightfully dark places, with the speech about the suicide victims who lost religious faith upon the discovery of aliens in the Whoniverse, and saw themselves as nothing but a tiny part of the universe.
I really, really like the way they up the stakes by making Gwen pregnant too. It ties in thematically with the children as the threat, and also means there's more emotional peril for Gwen. Suddenly, she's not only fighting for her own safety against the aliens, but the safety of the child she is carrying too.
Oh, and that twist with the NHS doctor who you are led to believe wants to join Torchwood, and then turns out he was a spy just trying to get in to take them down from the inside is SO great. You genuinely don't see it coming. I remember when I watched it for the first time on the way back from a Scottish holiday, it took me totally by surprise. Like the best twists, I never saw it coming.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Exit Wounds by WhoPotterVian
Wow, wow, WOW! This had everything you want in a finale and more. Action, thrills, twists and turns, emotional moments and lasting consequences. The exit scenes for the two regulars are given as much weight and emotion as a companion exit in the main show, and the stuff with Captain Jack's brother Gray is absolutely fantastic. I loved seeing what would happen if someone properly took over the Torchwood base!
Captain John Hart has fast become one of my favourite reoccurring villains from the Doctor Who universe. He kind of reminds me of the Master, in that he has this complex love/hate relationship with the lead (in this case, Captain Jack). One minute he can be the one making life difficult for Jack & co, the next working with them in favour of stopping a greater threat (Gray).
This review contains spoilers
Review of Fragments by WhoPotterVian
This is a really interesting episode, where we get to find out how each Torchwood agent was recruited. It shows the dark side of the agency quite well, with Jack basically blackmailed into working for them in the Victorian times, and Owen made to think gone mad with grief upon losing his girlfriend to an alien parasite. And then there's Tosh's origin, her Mum kidnapped by a criminal gang no less and Tosh held prisoner by UNIT in a sort of prison camp facility, being told that she's not allowed to contact her to make sure she's okay. UNIT were really cruel there!
It's no surprise who it turns out planted the bombs, but then I don't think its meant to be, and the confirmation just makes for an exciting cliffhanger into the final episode.
Review of Adrift by WhoPotterVian
This episode sets up a really intriguing mystery, with the disappearance of Jonah and others that is somehow linked to Jack.
It's an interesting episode of Torchwood in that it seems to borrow from the format of Doctor-lite episodes in Doctor Who such as Turn Left and Flatline. In this case, it's Jack-lite with Gwen taking centre stage.
I really like the inclusion of PC Andy in this; he works so well for this story in that he demonstrates the human side, and we see through his eyes the possibility that Gwen has been hardened by her work for Torchwood and lost her human touch. It allows Gwen to go on a journey to prove Andy wrong, and show that she cares about the everyday person just as much as she did when she joined Torchwood. But then that is also her downfall, because her
attempt to help ends tragically unappreciated by Jonah's Mum.
The story also does a really good job at constantly making us question Jack. Why he is so dead set against Gwen investigating, why he turns up at the place that the GPS Ianto gave her leads to. We think of him as a hero, but now we really start to wonder if he is the good guy we have all been led to believe.
Adrift is a highlight of Torchwood's second series for sure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of From Out of the Rain by WhoPotterVian
This is a fantastically eery and suspenseful story; it's like a typical Doctor Who hide-behind-the-sofa episode, but in a spin-off rather than the main show itself. I love the concept of the Night Travellers (beings who steal your last breath) , and the use of the fairground music whenever the old film reel is being used is satisfyingly creepy, almost characterising the danger that the reel poses, a bit like how drum beats represent the Jumanji board game in Jumanji.
Those sequences when the people from the film reel come out of the big screen in the cinema is so cleverly done with the CGI work; it's sort of like watching a twisted version of Cinemagique from Disneyland Paris!
The Night Travellers MUST return in some form of Doctor Who or Torchwood fiction. They are EASILY one of the best monsters to come from one of the Doctor Who spin-offs; everything about them just oozes menace. They really capture your attention whenever they are on-screen, and they could easily come back in a Big Finish, a comic or in Doctor Who on TV, seeing as the end of the episode teases a return that so far has never happened.
Come on, Chibnall or Nicholas Briggs! Bring back the Night Travellers, one of you!
This review contains spoilers
Review of Something Borrowed by WhoPotterVian
This has all the failings of the bad episodes from Series 1. It's trying too hard to shout 'Look at us, we're the adult Doctor Who!' by throwing in alien blowjobs and pregnancies, and it just comes across a bit gross. It's very corny too; I mean, in one scene the alien shapeshifter poses as Rhys's mother and comes out with such laughably cliche'd lines like 'Rhys, you're a bad boy. And you know what bad boys get?'.
The best parts are the wedding itself. The alien shapeshifter plot is just cringe overload.
This review contains spoilers
Review of A Day in the Death by WhoPotterVian
An absolutely outstanding story; I think this may be my favourite Torchwood episode so far.
It's such a deep and powerful exploration of depression, and suicidal thoughts, and finally we get a decent acknowledgement that Owen is a bit of a prick. And despite the fact that he treats Tosh like dirt and continues to flirt with Martha despite her lack of interest (both which the people in question call him out on), we still really feel for Owen with his depression. I was genuinely rooting for him not to jump with the woman who had tragically lost her husband, which made the twist at the end even more satisfying.
Such expert screenwriting throughout, and phenomenally acted by all involved. Totally sublime.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Dead Man Walking by WhoPotterVian
This is quite an unsettling episode that really dives into themes of what happens after death, and why you should never bring the dead back to the land of the living. It's essentially a sequel to the Series 1 episode They Keep Killing Suzie, as well as directly following on from the previous episode 'Reset'.
There's some very chilling stuff concerning the legend of the Grim Reaper, which kind of reminded me a bit of what the Doctor Who two parter The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit did with the devil. I really like how it leaves so much ambiguous about what this Whoniverse version of death is, again a bit like the devil in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit, and showing us the second resurrection gauntlet of the pair after seeing the first in the previous series is and establishing that it operates somewhat differently to the one we saw before is such a great idea.
In fact, the whole thing with the second resurrection gauntlet is brilliant, from that creepy scene with the hand scurrying on the floor to what it does in ageing Martha.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Reset by WhoPotterVian
This is a very fun episode, but bar the ending it's pretty much just 'Martha Jones joins Torchwood'. There isn't really much to the plot - and that's fine. Sometimes it's nice to have a story that's more about the characters than the alien situation.
The end took me totally by surprise though. I wasn't expecting that. After all the stuff they've been through, to have one of Torchwood taken out simply by another human being is quite tragic and shocking to see. It's such a strong way to end the episode.
Review of Adam by WhoPotterVian
This is such an odd and unique episode about an extra-terrestrial entity inserting fake memories into the Torchwood team. It reminded me of that Nostalgia Critic review where they make fun of the character who appears out of nowhere and all the characters suddenly love him ("That's so Bill!" is probably my favourite Nostalgia Critic running gag).
I really like this story; the dramatic character moments regarding Gwen forgetting Rhys, and Jack's past are so strong, and the horrible memories planted in Ianto allows for some really dark and disturbing scenes, that thanks to Gareth David-Lloyd's superb acting really make you feel for what Adam has done to Ianto.
This is yet another powerful Torchwood episode; Series 2 is such a massive step-up from Series 1 so far!
Review of Meat by WhoPotterVian
Another extremely strong episode. This is basically Rhys's 'Everything Changes', with some clear influence taken from the film Mr and Mrs Smith with the excellent steadycam shots in his and Gwen's flat. You really feel the paranoia, with each suspecting and not knowing why the other wasn't at the meat processing plant.
The plot is reminiscent of real life scandals such as the horse meat one from a few years' back, and it really plays into the senseless torture of the alien beast in a very emotional and profound way.
Also: I find it quite amusing to think Mary Taylor from Corrie is in Torchwood. I mean, strictly speaking it's not the same character - but it's still who I think of Patti Clare as in my mind when I see her in something
Review of To the Last Man by WhoPotterVian
Utter classic. Superbly spooky with all the ghost stuff, and with so many fantastic character moments for Tosh. At times it reminded me of a Moffat story with the whole bootstrap paradox and two times co-existing at once, which is high praise indeed.
Review of Sleeper by WhoPotterVian
Another very enjoyable episode. It's great to see more humour in the series compared to Series 1. This episode does a good job at building up the intrigue of who Beth is and whether she's an alien (although wish they'd carried that on for more of the episode).
Wasn't a fan of the acting of the guy who played the sleeper agent who shot down all those soldiers though. He seemed to play it a bit camp, and as a consequence felt as though he had stepped through from a different TV Show.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang by WhoPotterVian
That was a lot of fun. Loved Captain John Hart as the antagonist - he's basically Torchwood's answer to the Master - and the humour (especially the Blowfish driving a sports car at the beginning). It's a shame Gwen is practically reduced to damsel in distress though, and Owen saves the rest of the team sans Gwen after they were betrayed by Captain John a bit too easily for my liking.
This review contains spoilers
Review of End of Days by WhoPotterVian
Well, I absolutely loved this one. It's basically a disaster movie in the mould of a Torchwood episode, only unlike most disaster movies it's a compelling piece of entertainment from start to finish. It's also The Wedding of River Song done right - the people from different times merging (or in this case, falling through rifts in time) actually works much better tonally here than it did in that Doctor Who episode. It explores more of the consequence of this, such as the black death returning to 21st century Cardiff and Roman soldiers slaughtering people, as they are not following the lawful ways of modern life.
Eve Myles is superb in this episode too, and it's great to see the team being tested in Jack's desperation to stop them reopening the rift.
Love the Doctor Who S3 tie-in.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Captain Jack Harkness by WhoPotterVian
It's slow, but it's great to see two members of Torchwood in Jack and Tosh travel together back in time. Period stuff is great, and I'm intrigued as to who Bilis is. Time Lord? Not sure I'm a fan of the retcon that Jack stole his name though.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Combat by WhoPotterVian
Another great episode. It sets up the intriguing mystery well, of who is kidnapping the Weevils and for what purpose and has some strong character drama (particularly with Gwen and Rhys). The espionage stuff is quite clever. I don't buy Owen deciding to go in the cage with the Weevil though, after acknowledging how morally grey an idea the Weevil death matches are. It all feels a bit too quick for my liking.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Out of Time by WhoPotterVian
I really like this episode. The fish out of water stuff is great fun, and there's also some lovely emotional moments. It's more of an inner conflict, compared to the usual monster-of-the week. My one gripe is that Diana Holmes' decision to leave Owen and fly back through the rift is all very sudden. It would maybe have worked better had they used this episode to write out Owen and he had gone with her, with the idea that they could go off together on a journey through the rift seeded throughout the episode.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Random Shoes by WhoPotterVian
I don't get why the RTD Whoniverse stuff thought Love & Monsters was such a great idea. Because that's essentially what this episode is. Torchwood's version. It just doesn't work when a personification of fandom becomes the lead character. It becomes too much like a parody.
This episode also suffers from a lack of peril. There's no real stakes. It's just Gwen investigating the death of someone who is a fan of Torchwood's operations, and happened to get his hands on an alien eye.
The ending isn't quite as bad as Love & Monsters, but doesn't make much sense. So now as soon as Gwen nearly dies, they can all see Eugene? Why? And now he's seemingly back to life, why does he decide to somehow send himself back to his state of death? Why does Gwen kiss someone she barely knows? Eh?
Review of They Keep Killing Suzie by WhoPotterVian
The first and last ten minutes of this one are great, but the rest is quite slow. There's some great character moments and brilliant pieces of dialogue, but it doesn't feel like much takes place in the narrative.
Review of Greeks Bearing Gifts by WhoPotterVian
An odd episode, but it has a very interesting hook. I like the idea of a pendant that can allow you to hear people's thoughts. I think that's such an interesting premise, and they really use this to explore character dynamics. Pace is slow though.
Review of Countrycide by WhoPotterVian
Blimey, that was one episode I'd never expect from a Who spin-off. Doctor Who and the broader Whoniverse has often done humans as the villains...but not like this. A very disturbing episode that leaves our heroes (especially Gwen) in a traumatic place.
Review of Small Worlds by WhoPotterVian
A strange beast. Feels more like a Doctor Who episode than a Torchwood one, with the way it takes a sci-fi approach to a childhood fantastical concept (fairies). I like it a lot though, especially how we get more backstory for Jack.
Review of Cyberwoman by WhoPotterVian
A missed opportunity. The ideas are there, but the execution falls flat. Poor writing and production decisions all around (Why does the Cyberwoman have boobs?, Why is Jack so surprised that the Cyberman is a woman when it's not that unusual?).
Review of Ghost Machine by WhoPotterVian
This episode is more what Torchwood should be. It tackles adult themes in a mature rather than childish manner, and has a strong sci-fi premise regarding an alien device that projects echoes from the past. Powerful, gripping and moving drama.
Review of Day One by WhoPotterVian
Oh dear. This episode is an embarrassment for the Whoniverse. The first ten/fifteen minutes are great, as you see something zooming across the sky and Gwen accidentally release alien gas, but soon as it's revealed to be a sex alien it just becomes laughable.
It's basically just a fifty minute excuse to shout 'Hey, we're an adult show! We can do adult things that Doctor Who can't!', when in actuality how adult a show appears comes from how mature it is rather than because it explores adult topics.
Review of Everything Changes by WhoPotterVian
I really like this episode. It's basically Rose for Torchwood in that we're introduced to the world through the life of an ordinary woman. The plot is relatively basic, but as with the earlier mentioned Rose that's all you need for this intro.
Review of Smoke and Mirrors by WhoPotterVian
This was a great Fifth Doctor story, full of so many twists and turns. It concerns the TARDIS being summoned to Earth by an old friend of the Doctor's, Harry Houdini, where some strange goings-on are taking place at a fun fair.
Yes, finally we get to hear more of the Doctor and Harry Houdini's long-hinted-at friendship! This was also explored in a short story on the official Doctor Who website, but hearing it in a full-length audiobook feels more substantial somehow. It feels like a much deeper take on their friendship, especially with what happens later on and the way it explores how Harry Houdini feels about the Doctor having to keep certain things about his future a secret.
I do find it odd how Harry Houdini has such a negative view on fortune tellers in this story though, going as far as to label them as frauds, given that he at this point in his life is stated to be a fortune teller himself! That element of the story didn't quite land for me; I mean, even if you go deeper into it, he was technically a fraud by his own definition long before he was a fortune teller, given that escapology is all about tricking the audience into thinking you're going to die.
The Doctor doesn't really get a lot to do either, until the very end. Most of the narrative is driven by the companions Tegan, Nyssa and Adric, which is a shame for a story that focuses so heavily on the friendship between the Doctor and Houdini. It's a great moment hearing Nyssa encountering an old enemy again, one who of course has unfortunate personal connections to a family tragedy, and the stuff with Nyssa is truly excellent in this story. But it would have been nice to have heard the Fifth Doctor be given more to do.
But I really did NOT see that twist with Harry Houdini coming! What a twist!
Review of The Artist at the End of Time by WhoPotterVian
This one goes at a bit of a slow pace. The Fifth Doctor and Jenny have a fun dynamic, and it makes me wish for a box set of those two travelling together. However, the Curator takes too long to enter the story, and the stakes are quite low here. For much of the story, there's no antagonist and it's about dying worlds. It's also a shame that it doesn't really do anything to further the degeneration plot.
Review of Fallen Angels by WhoPotterVian
When Big Finish confirmed they had the new series license, one of the first audio box sets they announced was Classic Doctors, New Monsters: a set of audio dramas that team up the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors with a monster from the new series of Doctor Who. For the Fifth Doctor, Big Finish Productions opted for arguably the most iconic of the new series' creations: the Weeping Angels. A strange choice for audio given that they are silent creatures...
Fallen Angels sees honeymooning couple Joel (Sacha Dhawan) and Gabby Finch (Diane Morgan) visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where they meet the Doctor (Peter Davison) and a Weeping Angel that sends the pair back in time to 1511 Rome. Gabby encounters the Doctor again, only he can't remember meeting her as it hasn't happened for him yet. Joel meanwhile finds himself in the workshop of Michelangelo (Matthew Kelly) who has been commissioned by the priest to carve an Angel free.
What's brilliant about this story is how Big Finish have decided to make the plot as timey wimey as possible. To me the quintessential Weeping Angel story given their ability to send people back in time is one that uses time travel almost as a character in its own right rather than just as a means to get the Doctor and characters from A to B. Everything you would expect from a time travel Doctor Who story with the Weeping Angels is there: the Doctor meeting people out of order, previous supporting characters returning as old men having lived a long life after being sent to the past by a Weeping Angel, jokes about future inventions that are accidentally invented in the past (in this case, sandwiches - although the Doctor claims he invented them first). Writer Phil Mulryne understands exactly what makes a Weeping Angel story work and you can see why Big Finish opted to hire him for this story.
I know any Doctor Who fans on here who haven't listened to this will be asking if the Weeping Angels work on audio. Well, it does take a while for the audio story to work out exactly how to use them effectively without the need of visual aid but by the final act you forget any notion that the Weeping Angels might not work in an audio drama. Sounds of the Weeping Angel's movements from the TV Series are used extremely well and act as good indicators of what would be occurring on-screen without the need of endless exposition. In fact, there's hardly any exposition to speak of here. The geniuses at Big Finish don't need it. The most expositional dialogue is along the lines of 'It's pointing at me'; the rest only requires you to listen.
One thing other than the Weeping Angels that this story takes from the new series is the 'celebrity historical', where the Doctor and 'companions' (or in this case, the honeymooning couple) meet a historical celebrity from the past whom the Doctor happens to be a fan of. Only in this case it's Joel who is the fanboy. This is a good decision by Big Finish and Phil Mulryne as it makes it feel like a new series story told with a classic series Doctor (exactly what these box sets should be about). Matthew Kelly does such a good job at portraying Michelangelo too. He's a real coup for Big Finish and probably one of their best supporting actors so far. Disappointingly none of the characters get to say 'Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be....'
The main problem with this story comes from the writing's portrayal of the Fifth Doctor. For some reason Peter Davison's Doctor here appears more like Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. It feels odd hearing Peter Davison asthe Doctor making blokey jokes about data roaming and I would have preferred to have heard a characterisation more faithful to the classic series interpretation of his Doctor (such as in the excellent Mutant Phase). Bar the final line that cheekily hints at the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors' use of the phrase 'timey wimey', Fallen Angels is a story where you could easily swap the Fifth Doctor for the Eleventh and it would work much better. Especially when the main supporting characters of this release are extremely similar to a certain other husband and wife duo.
I'm talking, of course, about Amy and Rory. Joel and Gabby bare a few similarities to the Eleventh Doctor's popular companion duo. Both are extremely loyal, have an ever-lasting love and affection for one another and will do whatever it takes to stay together. Joel, like Rory, is the awkward one of the pair (although to be fair his love of art and culture means he acts significantly different after the initial shock than Rory would around Michelangelo) whilst Gabby has the childlike innocence that Amy would often possess in the latter's fairytale-esque wonder and idolisation of the Doctor. Just like Amy and Rory their affection for one another is a big part of who their characters are. It's a shame that this story couldn't have been kept back for a potential future Eleventh Doctor full cast audio drama release as it doesn't feel much like a Fifth Doctor story.
Overall, Fallen Angels is an excellent first instalment in the Classic Doctors, New Monsters series but unfortunately suffers Fifth poor characterisation of the fifth Doctor and supporting characters who feel incredibly similar to Amy and Rory. The Weeping Angels are surprisingly effective on audio however and the decision to make the first Big Finish Weeping Angel story a timey wimey one is a strong one. Even if it doesn't feel like a Peter Davison story, thanks to the celebrity historical aspect it does feel like a new series story told with a classic series Doctor. Matthew Kelly is perfect as Michelangelo and it would be nice to hear him return to Big Finish again. Fallen Angels may not be the strongest Fifth Doctor release but it does prove that the Weeping Angels absolutely can work on audio.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Mutant Phase by WhoPotterVian
The Mutant Phase was one of the best free gifts given away with Doctor Who Adventures (the children's Doctor Who magazine) back when I was a child. Of course, it was also released separately from the magazine through Big Finish as a slightly longer version (the DWA take is cut down) but it was a nice change from the free notebooks and pens.
The Mutant Phase sees the Doctor (Peter Davison) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) find themselves trapped in a time corridor where they find out the Daleks are mutating into something due to an infection. Meanwhile, they find themselves at the mercy of some dangerous wasps who have been made more aggressive by a pesticide chemical.
One of the things I like about this serial is the decision by writer Nicholas Briggs to have the companion (in this case Nyssa) be infected by the illness/mutation of the serial. She actually becomes infected pretty early on, when she is stung by a wasp in the 42nd century. It's a great move by Nicholas Briggs as it raises the personal stakes for the Doctor and eliminates the problem of 'Oh, the Doctor and his companion will always be safe because it's not the main series'. I wish TV Doctor Who would put the Doctor and his companion into peril like this; whilst I love the main series, there are very rare examples where it feels as though the companion is in as much danger as the supporting cast.
It's also nice to see the Daleks infected by the Mutant Phase. It's great to hear these powerful, booming hate machines become weak and vulnerable towards what is basically a disease. In fact, you almost feel sorry for them - especially when it makes the Daleks basically mindless. We're too used to seeing the Daleks as being the powerful evil species they are so its nice for it to be stripped back to reveal what the Daleks would be like if they weren't in control.
It's amazing how Nicholas Briggs manages to achieve different voices with the Daleks and the Dalek Emperor too. The Dalek Emperor sounds has a much more booming and God-like voice compared to the more robotic metallic Dalek voices. It's the same with the new series too; you never feel like you're just watching or listening to another Dalek with the Dalek Emperor but he has his own distinguishable voice despite being voiced by the same person.
The great thing with these audio dramas is that the main cast never sound like the actual age they are now. It's like listening to a lost classic series serial. Peter Davison sounds perfect as his Doctor despite now being in his 50s when this was recorded and Sarah Sutton doesn't sound any older either (this was recorded in the early 2000s) even though two decades had passed since she was in the show with Peter Davison. You would never convince the audience on TV that they are in their 30s and 20s but on audio on the other hand it's harder to believe they were in their 50s and 40s here.
Overall, The Mutant Phase is a magnificent Doctor Who audio drama and one that any Whovian should listen to whether they have listened to Big Finish before or not. It features incredible performances from Nicholas Briggs, Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison, the latter which convince you they are much younger than their ages at the time of recording. I do wonder how it went down at the time with other kids who bought Doctor Who Adventures though. Did they dismiss it because it was audio or did they give it a go and find they actually enjoyed it? I'm really not sure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Time-Flight by WhoPotterVian
This is definitely the weakest story of Season 19. There’s some great continuity and character development with the TARDIS crew trying to deal with the loss of Adric, but for the most part the story just feels like it was written around Concorde, rather than Concorde supplementing the story.
The script kind of feels like it needed a few more drafts to me. There are a few odd moments that probably wouldn’t have made it to a final screenplay, like the Master’s Kalid disguise serving no purpose within the narrative, and the Doctor just straight up abandoning Tegan at Heathrow at the end of the serial. I mean, seriously: what the hell, Doctor? The least you could have done is said goodbye to her!
I do like the scenes with Tegan and Nyssa though. Janet Fielding and Sarah Sutton have so much chemistry together. You can tell also that Anthony Ainley is having such a great time. He clearly relishes playing the Master. And there is a great story in here waiting to emerge. They just don’t fully realise it here.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Earthshock by WhoPotterVian
This one I've seen before, and I absolutely love it. It's one of the all-time greatest companion departure stories; the plants it seeds in the narrative to pay-off in the climax is so cleverly done, such as the scene where the Doctor speaks of how an asteroid destroyed the dinosaurs, or him telling Adric he doesn't want him 'plotting a course to his own destruction'. This is such slick screenwriting from somebody who by this point was relatively new to writing Doctor Who.
Nyssa doesn't get much to do in this story but that doesn't matter here. Because this is more about the Doctor and Adric, and their relationship, and in that department the story absolutely excels. We learn more about the dynamic of these two, and their almost familial squabbling.
Of course, you can't talk about Earthshock without discussing the Cybermen, and this is one of their best stories for sure. They have a great design in this story, and unlike the previous Cyberman serial to this one, Revenge of the Cybermen, they actually feel like Cybermen here. There's no weird emotional Cybermen here, and Peter Davison's Doctor gets an amazing speech that perfectly explains what separates the Cybermen from humanity: 'When did you last have the pleasure of smelling a flower, watching a sunset,eating a well-prepared meal? For some people small, beautiful events are what life is all about!"
This would be an amazing Cyberman story even without Adric's tragic exit. It's exactly how to do a Cyberman story.
This story also features a fantastic guest appearance from Beryl Reid, as the captain of the space freighter . She's probably one of the classic series' greatest guest turns, and has such a presence on-screen alongside the TARDIS crew of Season 19.
Review of Black Orchid by WhoPotterVian
This is a fun murder mystery; a nice showcase for Sarah Sutton in her dual role as Nyssa and Anne Talbot. Cricket scenes go on for a bit too long, and could have done with tighter editing, but there's a decent mystery set up here with a solid guest cast.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Visitation by WhoPotterVian
I absolutely love this story. It starts off surprisingly dark where we're introduced to these people who initially seem to be the main guest characters...and then they kill them off before the Doctor and his companions even arrive!
It's such an effective way to open the story, doing a really great job at teasing rather than showing the threat, and setting the stakes for the rest of the adventures.
The monsters are among 80s Who's finest. The Terileptils are really imposing, and the android they use is brilliantly designed and realised.
The highwayman Richard Mace is absolutely hilarious too. Michael Robbins steals the show in that role on so many occasions, and sets himself firmly among some of Doctor Who's finest guest turns.
I really like how this story also does something that the new series would later take inspiration from also, in that it explains historical mysteries in where the black death plague came from and what started the Great Fire of London. That was a very clever move by the writer Eric Saward.
Poor Tegan getting possessed again though, straight after Kinda! She really did have a rough time with the Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Kinda by WhoPotterVian
This is a wildly experimental and unique Doctor Who story. A real showcase for Janet Fielding as Tegan too, who does an amazing job. She is absolutely sensational at playing Tegan under the possession of the Mara; you can really tell that it's the Mara that's controlling her and that this isn't the Tegan we know.
The dream sequences are an incredible achievement for the classic series too. The cinematography is sublime, with sequences like the multiple Tegans and the Mara making it and Tegan invisible because Tegan says she wants to be left alone creating such strong images. Not to mention the prophecy stuff that Panna shows the Doctor and Todd, where the image is all distorted in this weird yellowy colour.
I like the Mara too. The Mara is a great threat; so intimidating, you really feel like Tegan is in danger.
Also: don't tell the NotMyDoctors, but this story is *SHOCK* political. It contains themes of colonialism in the way that the people in the base want to colonise the planet and see the locals as little more than savages.
Where this story's faults lie is in the use of the companions. Tegan, as previously mentioned, is used brilliantly throughout, but the same can't be said for Nyssa and Adric. Adric is mainly relegated to the military base, with Todd of the supporting cast effectively fulfilling the companion role, and Nyssa is written out entirely (bar the beginning and end), feeling quite drowsy and going to sleep in the TARDIS.
I can't say I'm the biggest fan of the supporting cast either. They're a bit OTT, especially Richard Todd as Colonel Sanders, who seemed to be hamming it up somewhat as this experienced military figure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Four to Doomsday by WhoPotterVian
This is an odd story, even by Doctor Who's standards! I really like the concept of an alien planning to steal Earth's minerals in an attempt to break the speed of light, and the stuff with Persuasion and Enlightenment taking on the form of Tegan's drawing is a really clever one.
I also think it's worth noting that even though Peter Davison admitted to feeling nervous during the recording of this serial (it was the first story he filmed), it really doesn't show. He seems so comfortable and confident in the role from the start, a bit like Matt Smith did in the first story he shot, The Time of Angels/Flesh And Stone.
Tegan is really annoying in this story though. I really hated her when she just straight up abandoned the Doctor and the others and left in the TARDIS at the end of Episode Three. I mean, what the hell, Tegan? Shows how much you care about them.
Also: Monarchy is way too easily defeated at the end. All the Doctor does is chuck the poison at him and he's shrunk. I was expecting a little more.
Overall a pretty good story.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Castrovalva by WhoPotterVian
This is such a fun introduction to the Fifth Doctor. We get some great nods to previous Doctors with this Doctor suffering very badly from post-regeneration trauma (most notably the Second Doctor's 'When I say run, run' and the way the First Doctor would clutch his lapels and say 'Hmm...').
The space-time trap of Castrovalva that the Master and Adric create where whatever direction in the castle you go you end up back at the same square is very clever too, and quite a unique concept. It feels different to other Doctor Who stories past and present. There's a lot of time spent in the TARDIS before we even reach Castrovalva though, and it does feel like they could have either tightened that up a bit, or shown us more of the rooms inside the TARDIS.
The Zero Room is very cool, and it's a shame we have never seen it since, but the TARDIS is limitless and they could really have gone to ball with spending more time inside of it. How about a TARDIS zoo, for instance? Or a museum of all the items the Doctor has acquired on his travels?
This review contains spoilers
Review of Fear Her by WhoPotterVian
Fear Her has become one of the most topical episodes lately, for reasons both good and bad. On the bright side of things, the Paris Olympics have currently been airing on the television, placing the sports event at the forefront of people's minds once again. On the bad, Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty of creating indecent images of underage children. Both the Olympics (albeit the London 2012 Olympics) and Huw Edwards feature in this episode, the latter prompting the BBC to remove Fear Her from iPlayer. It makes me glad for physical media, as whilst Huw Edward's actions are disgusting and unforgivable, I don't believe in censorship. I think it is important that every piece of media exists in its original form, to allow for people to learn from past mistakes, instead of pretending they never happened.
I've never understood the hate for Fear Her, and after rewatching it on the 3rd August, I still love the episode the same as before. It sees the Tenth Doctor and Rose discover that young Chloe Webber has been causing kids and cats to disappear from her neighbourhood with her drawings, thanks to a lonely alien called the Isolus. It's a very creative premise, that's similar to the Harold And The Purple Crayon book, which has recently received a big screen adaptation. The episode plays with the upset caused by being trapped inside a drawing well, with the kids in the drawings looking either sad or angry at Chloe's actions.
One of my favourite aspects of the story remains the scribble creature. I have seen some people within the fandom label this aspect as 'too silly', but I find it quite a novel concept. Only Doctor Who could make a literal scribble a viable threat for one of its protagonists. I like the idea that it's made from pure graphite too. It emphasises the idea that this is a kid's drawing brought to life. How often do you get to see the Doctor and their companion encounter a threat that isn't either a human, a computer, or an alien?
Fear Her may be seen largely as quite a light episode, but it does get surprisingly dark. There's a hint at Chloe's past featuring an abusive father, who was either physically or verbally aggressive towards herself and her mother, and the poor child still has nightmares about him. When her drawing of her awful Dad comes to life, it has to be one of the most unsettling scenes in Doctor Who. You feel the fear that Chloe holds towards this terrible figure in her life, who should have been someone full of love for his daughter but instead was a monster, and his constant threats that he's 'coming to get' Chloe are horrifying.
Huw Edwards' role in this episode is quite brief. He only has a VoiceOver, commenting on the 2012 Olympics torch coverage and Opening Ceremony. He's fine, if a bit wooden, especially in the scene where everyone in the stadium disappears and he has to act shocked and confused. His part is so small that it does make me think the BBC overreacted to not only remove Fear Her, but to go to the extent of recording a whole new VoiceOver, which is supposed to be present when it goes back up. I'll probably review the new VoiceOver as an addition to this review too once the new version is available.
Possibly the most iconic sequence from this episode is the Doctor running with the Olympic Torch. It's a fantastic moment, that captures the iconography of the Games, and one of those images that stays with you long after the episode has aired. This scene was echoed in real life, only for the actual 2012 Olympic Games, they opted for Matt Smith to carry the torch rather than David Tennant. Still, it's a shame they didn't double down on the meme and given the torch to David Tennant.
Overall, Fear Her is a vastly underrated episode. It's a highly creative adventure concerning a child who can bring drawings to life. Fear Her is also much darker than the fandom remembers, delivering an unnerving subplot regarding Chloe's deceased abusive father, and includes one of the most iconic Doctor Who scenes, in the Doctor carrying the Olympic Torch. It's an episode that should be reassessed by fans, as there is a lot to love in Fear Her.
Review of The Sontaran Ordeal by WhoPotterVian
The last in the Classic Doctors, New Monsters set, The Sontaran Ordeal proved a very controversial release for Big Finish. Many complained that the Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky Sontarans shouldn't count as new monsters. If you want my angle on the 2008 Sontaran new/classic debate you can read it in my review of The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky. The Sontaran Ordeal isn't a release that's going to win over any doubters but for those who don't class 2008's Sontarans as new monsters the release does feature the Time War which *technically* could count as an abstract new series monster.
In The Sontaran Ordeal, The eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) arrives on the planet Drakkis just as it becomes a victim of the Time War. He is joined by Paladin Sarana Teel (Josette Simmon) and together they encounter a disgraced Sontaran called Commander Jask (Dan Starkey). If they are to save Drakkis from the trouble the Time War has caused then they must form an uneasy alliance - but how can they work together when they barely trust each other?
The Sontaran Ordeal is different from the other Classic Doctors, New Monsters stories in that it's more of a character piece of the Doctor, his race the Time Lords and how close they have come to the Sontarans as a race than it is the Doctor taking on a new series monster. For example, one scene sees Commander Jask try to convince Sarana Teel that the Doctor is dangerous and not to be trusted because of his race's involvement in the Time War that has devastated Drakkis. This is an interesting angle to take and something you could imagine happening in the new series through an episode with a similar tone to The Girl Who Waited. It's not as simple as Commander Jask being the 'enemy' anymore; whilst the Doctor knows he wants no involvement in the Time War, Sarana doesn't. She's only just met this man. In some ways it might sound similar to Night of the Doctor but no similarities are noticeable when listening to the audio.
The problem with the character exploration in this audio is that it slows the pace down. With a length of sixty minutes in comparison to the main range's usual 120 the last thing the audio adventure needs is a slower pace. The Sontaran Ordeal is nowhere near as fast-paced as Judoon In Chains or Harvest of the Sycorax; it is perhaps more comparable to the pace of The Sontaran Experiment than The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky. This is something that I found surprising when listening to the audio as I expected it to be the most action-packed of the Classic Doctors, New Monsters audio dramas. Out of any of the classic Doctors, the eighth Doctor is the most comparable to a new series Doctor after all. He is the only one to get his own new series minisode and a new series audio box set solely dedicated to him due for release next year ('The Time War').
Which brings me to another issue I had with this audio drama. It feels too much like a prequel to next year's The Time War than a story in its own right. This is a story that could easily have been kept back for the eighth Doctor Time War box set, purely because it feels like an extended advertisement for it. Including a Time War story in a new series box set is cool but it would have been nice to have seen the focus entirely on Classic Doctors meeting new monsters. Why couldn't the eighth Doctor's audio drama have taken place shortly after the TV Movie, for example? It would have explained why the eighth Doctor was companion-less and could have allowed for a lighter, more romantic Doctor than the darker, more subdued version towards the end of the Eighth Doctor's life.
What's nice about this audio though is the chance to hear Christopher Ryan's return as a new series Sontaran. Christopher Ryan is fantastic as General Stenk and is just as convincing at playing a Sontaran as Dan Starkey. Dan Starkey and Christopher Ryan work well together as Sontarans; I've always thought it a shame that the new series has never brought Christopher Ryan back as a Sontaran since his 2008 performance. It's equally as disappointing that Dan Starkey hasn't been given a chance to play a serious Sontaran again since Strax. I know many speculated that Strax was in this release and that was why Big Finish were classing the 2008 Sontarans as new monsters...unfortunately he isn't but I don't think he would have worked in the story anyway. Strax would almost certainly have not suited The Sontaran Ordeal's tone. It's nice to hear a new Sontaran from Dan Starkey in the form of Commander Jask anyway.
Unfortunately Paul McGann's performance on the other hand is not among his best. Too many times he mumbles lines and you can't quite tell what he is saying. It's not as spectacular as his groundbreaking performance in Night of the Doctor and sounds somewhat like an off-day for Paul McGann. Not everybody is perfect all the time of course; even my favourite Doctor David Tennant wasn't up to his usual standard in Love & Monsters and the hugely popular Matt Smith was a little underwhelming in my view in the episode The Beast Below. Hopefully he'll be back to his usual standard in Doom Coalition 3. I'm not sure when I'll get round to reviewing that one myself as I will probably buy a Big Finish bundle of all four Doom Coalitions but I am sure it will probably be a top quality box set from Big Finish.
The sound design on The Sontaran Ordeal is among Big Finish's best. Howard Carter has done a good job with the audio. You can totally picture what kind of world Drakkis is and the music sounds like the kind of composition you would expect from a new series eighth Doctor episode. As with The Tenth Doctor Aventures Volume One, you forget that it's not a composer like the new series' Murray Gold composing it and iconic new series tracks like All The Strange, Strange Creatures aren't really missed. If Murray Gold ever decides to stop composing the music for the new series, then perhaps Howard Carter would be a good person to take over?
Overall, The Sontaran Ordeal is probably the weakest audio drama in the Classic Doctors, New Monsters box set. It's by no means a terrible story but it's not likely to be anybody's favourite Big Finish audio either. The main problem with it is that it feels too much like a prequel to the eighth Doctor's upcoming Time War box set. There's not enough to set it apart as a standalone story in its own right as opposed to an advertisement for the Time War release. The story's pace is also significantly slower than the other Classic Doctors, New Monsters audios too, which is a little surprising given that the eighth Doctor is perhaps the closest to a new series Doctor. Speaking of the eighth Doctor, Paul McGann's performance isn't quite as good as usual; he mumbles too frequently throughout the audio and sometimes it can be hard to catch what he says. The character exploration with the Time Lords' part in the Time War and whether Sarana can therefore trust the Doctor is interesting though and it's great to hear Christopher Ryan playing a Sontaran again. I also like Howard Carter's sound design, which helps to create a vivid image of what Drakkis would look like on-screen.
Review of Enemy Aliens by WhoPotterVian
A solid if unremarkable Eighth Doctor story. It concerns the Eighth Doctor and his companion Charley Pollard receiving a cryptic message from the Eleventh Doctor: the Doctor's future incarnation is in a pickle, and William Tell is the key to solving his predicament, but they must watch out for the 'enemy aliens'...
The Eleventh Doctor gets a little more to do in this beyond each Doctor simply finding recorded messages, which is nice; it's great to see him be a part of the resolution.
It's a bit of a slow story though, with most of the narrative occurring in the last fifteen mins; I like the ambiguity of the ending (which reminded me of the later TV ep Deep Breath), and the narration by India Fisher is brilliant, but I feel like the story could have kicked into gear sooner. It takes a very long time for the aliens to actually show up, and the whole plot with the Doctor and Charley being framed for murder doesn't really go anywhere.
Review of EarthWorld by WhoPotterVian
Earthworld has a interesting premise. 'How accurately will our history be remembered?' may not be a question we regularly ask ourselves but it's hard to deny it's not a interesting thought. And this is something Earthworld explores well.
The book largely focuses on the triplets of a future president and their murderous ways. We are led to believe that they are the book's villains, however things aren't quite what they seem. There is a clever twist towards the end of the book that really takes you by surprise and sheds some new light on the triplet's behavior. In fact, a large part of this book seems to feature things not quite being what they seem. It's a complex story at heart and one that requires a strong attention span. I wouldn't really recommend this book to those who find the Moffat era complicated but if you enjoy a complicated narrative, then this book is definitely for you.
Earthworld's historical inaccuracies allow for a lot of humorous moments that you're sure to remember afterwards. One of my favourites is Elvis Presley described as the 'king of Earth'. It's this kind of amusing take on Earth's history being misremembered that really adds to the enjoyment of the book.
The companions are new creations that have never been featured on TV, Anji and Fitz. Overall, I found Anji pretty likeable and I found myself agreeing with a lot of her thoughts. However, Fitz was a little too arrogant for my liking and I basically just wanted a T-Rex to eat him.
So overall, Earthworld is a entertaining(if complicated) read with original companions. However, if you don't like the Moffat era, you're probably better off buying a different book.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Night of the Doctor by WhoPotterVian
In 2013, Doctor Who celebrated its 50th Anniversary and Steven Moffat decided to do something us Whovians had been waiting a long time for: the Eighth Doctor's regeneration. Only it was a little different from what we expected, as instead of Christopher Eccleston being the next Doctor, it was John Hurt.
Night of the Doctor was an eight minute minisode released on BBC Red Button and iPlayer and told the story of the Doctor (Paul McGann) trying to rescue spaceship pilot Cass (Emma Campbell Jones) from her crashing spaceship. He fails and the spaceship plummets to Karn with Cass dead and only the Sisterhood there to save the Doctor. It's a relatively simple story but it doesn't need to be complex for this. This was a milestone for the show after all, given it was one of the biggest unseen moments of the show. It's incredibly in-character for this Doctor to sacrifice himself to save a woman he'd never even met; this is exactly how you would imagine Paul McGann's Doctor would go. Not for some big universe-destroying event or a massive climatic battle, not for some enormous story centred around the mythology of the series...but in a failed attempt to save a woman in a crashing spaceship. This ultimately feels more like a classic series regeneration, which were less climaxes of big story arcs but rather more self-contained.
It's also brilliant the reason why Cass won't let herself be saved. You see, because of the Time War she sees both Time Lords and the Daleks to be pretty much the same. This is hugely convincing and shows the horrors of the Time War through one simple exchange as the Doctor tries to persuade her he's not like the others.
Cass: Is this a TARDIS?
The Doctor: Yes, but you'll be perfectly safe, I promise you.
Cass: Don't touch me!
The Doctor: I'm not part of the war. I swear to you, I never was.
Cass: You're a Time Lord.
The Doctor: Yes, I'm a Time Lord, but I'm one of the nice ones.
The fact that Cass won't even let the Doctor touch her shows just how devastating the Time War has become. It's powerful stuff and wonderful writing from Steven Moffat. When I was at university, one of my lecturers said that when you write dialogue, you should write dialogue that you can 'see', and this is certainly the case here.
The scene with the Sisterhood of Karn is great too, as it also highlights the horrors of the Time War. It's heart-breaking to see this man who has dedicated his life to travelling around the universe helping different civilisations and fighting the monsters decide he has no choice but to basically become a monster (or, as Sisterhood call it, a warrior) himself. It also gives a nice fan theory for why the Doctor's regeneration is always shown through golden energy now: the effect of the potion from Ohila and the Sisterhood of Karn.
Paul McGann is absolutely at his best here. He gives a stunning performance as a desperate man taking desperate measures he really doesn't want to take. Paul McGann is even given one of the best final lines of any Doctor in 'Physician, heal thyself' and it's great to see the Big Finish companions made canonical when he lists them before drinking the potion. Emma Campbell-Jones and the Sisterhood of jar are great too but completely outshone by Paul McGann. It is a shame he didn't appear in Day Of The Doctor also.
Overall, Night Of The Doctor is the perfect regeneration story for Paul McGann that nicely explores the impact the Time War has had on something even as simple as touching someone. This may be only a minisode but in those eight minutes it establishes itself as bonafide classic.
Review of Doctor Who (The TV Movie) by WhoPotterVian
Doctor Who - The Movie is a curious part of Doctor Who history. Intended to launch a new TV series produced by the BBC, Fox and Universal, instead due to poor viewing figures in America it has become something of a missing link between the classic and new series. So what was at fault?
Well, it feels like it was a mistake to include Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor at the beginning of the movie. This would no doubt have been confusing for new viewers who didn't previously follow the series; the TV movie did, after all, air seven years after the last episode of the classic series. The mistake was later corrected when Russell T Davies brought the show back in 2005, when he opted to start without a regeneration.
It's a shame that executive producer Paul Segal made the decision to include Sylvester McCoy although it's understandable. He is a Whovian after all, so the temptation to include a regeneration sequence was likely too much to resist. Overall, he did make a great movie though with an engaging plot and great actors.
The plot of the Master trying to steal the Doctor's remaining regenerations and nearly causing the end of the world by opening the Eye of Harmony is a good one that feels largely in character for the Master. Paul McGann and Daphne Ashbrook are fantastic as the Doctor and Grace Holloway too; so believable in their roles that many wish to see them reunited in the form of a Big Finish audio. I don't even mind the idea that the Doctor is half human on his mother's side; it makes sense given his fascination with Earth. My only real complaint besides what probably didn't work for new viewers is at times the Master appears more Count Dracula than the Master himself; this is largely down to Eric Roberts' performance, who seems too theatrical and hams it up a little.
Overall, the Doctor Who TV Movie is a great film that should have been successful but is let down by a couple of poor decisions like bringing Sylvester McCoy back as the Seventh Doctor for a regeneration scene and Eric Roberts playing the Master too much like Dracula.
Review of The Switching by WhoPotterVian
A very entertaining body swap story, as the Doctor and the Master find themselves in the wrong bodies. I especially like the way the Master notes the Doctor's surprising lack of respect for his UNIT colleagues, and proceeds to salute them and call Brigadier 'Sir'. It's a great way to acknowledge the Doctor's flaws and how he is perceived by those around him.
Review of I Am the Master by WhoPotterVian
A fun and chilling monologue written and performed by Geoffrey Beevers. This Short Trip allows us to get inside the mind of the Master, as he recounts how he destroyed a planet. His hatred for Sir David Attenborough provides a few chuckles, but alongside the brief moments of humour we get a real sense of just how cold, calculating and dangerous the Master is as a killer.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Terror of the Master by WhoPotterVian
Terror Of The Master Part One: A suspenseful introduction to this epic UNIT adventure. This instalment does a great job at exploring the Doctor's sadness following Jo's exit, and we even get an origin story for the Whomobile. This first part also ends in spectacular fashion, with the Doctor and the Master chased by a hit squad, supposedly sent by the Master.
Terror Of The Master Part Two: An excellent second episode, as the story really kicks into gear. It feels like the Master is on the backfoot here, as his latest alien ally turns against him. Also great hearing the moment between the Third Doctor and the Brigadier, after the Doctor is poisoned. Their friendship is easily one of the biggest highlights of the Pertwee era.
The final part acts as a fitting conclusion for Roger Delgado's Master, as he begrudgingly teams up with Jon Pertwee's Doctor. Jon Culshaw's impressions are as ever on point, and his narration is as great as in the other two parts.
Overall, Terror of the Master is definitely a story worth a listen.
Review of The Three Doctors (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
This one hit all the nostalgia buttons for me. It's lovely seeing Jo Grant and Clyde meet again, and all of The Sarah Jane Adventures references made me smile. I'm glad that Jo encouraged Clyde to tell Rani how he feels.
The Three Doctors itself is an epic adventure. The first three incarnations make for an entertaining trio, although it's a shame that William Hartnell wasn't well enough to do more than appear on a screen. Omega remains one of the best ever villains. It's the Jo and Clyde scenes that really make this Tales Of The TARDIS though.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Planet of the Spiders by WhoPotterVian
There's one thing I find strange about Planet of the Spiders. The 1974 Doctor Who serial was the regeneration story of the much beloved third Doctor (played by Jon Pertwee), yet for some reason it is very rarely discussed among the Whovian fandom. It almost seems to have been abandoned by the fanbase; even Invasion of the Dinosaurs is talked about more than this serial. In my opinion, this serial definitely doesn't deserve to be forgotten.
Planet of the Spiders is arguably Doctor Who's first example of a series finale. It sees a number of elements from Jon Pertwee's time on the show resolved including the Metebilis 3 crystal and Mike Yates' (Richard Franklyn) betrayal, so not only is the story frequently ignored but it has arguably had a major influence over the new series and the way everything is resolved in a finale.
In Planet of the Spiders, the mutated giant spiders known as the 'Eight Legs' are seeking the Doctor's Metebilis 3 crystal in order to achieve universal domination. The Doctor is the only one who can stop them; he must confront the Eight Legs' leader The Great One and face the possible death of his current incarnation in order to save the day.
One of the things that made Jon Pertwee's era so brilliant was the concept of threats close to home as the villains. It is therefore genius that for his last adventure, the villains are something we recognise from our own planet that many find frightening: I am of course talking about spiders. This serial is wise in its decision to follow in the steps of The Green Death (featuring giant maggots) and The Mutants (giant insects), both highly regarded among Whovians.
It wouldn't feel right for Jon Pertwee's last serial if the story's antagonists weren't similar earth-like creatures, although it is a shame that Roger Degaldo's Master couldn't have featured in his last story as originally planned- sadly Roger Degaldo died in a car crash in 1973. The Eight Legs may not be the most convincing Doctor Who prop but the classic series isn't about the special effects anyway, it's about the narrative and having an adventure with the Doctor. And there was never a more exciting adventure during Jon Pertwee's era than when he tackled monsters close to home.
The decision to include a chase sequence with the Whomobile and Bessie is also to be applauded. These two vehicles are synonymous with the third Doctor era of the show and it is nice that they got the send-off they deserved along with this incarnation of the Doctor. Bessie in particular is a car you can't imagine with any other incarnation and a big part of this era. The chase sequence represents everything people like about Jon Pertwee's Doctor; he is essentially Doctor Bond during an era of television where there were a lot of spy dramas and undercover cop shows. It helps that the scene is wonderfully executed by director Barry Letts; it's one of those scenes in the classic series where arguably you cannot tell the show was working on a shoestring budget.
It's nice to see Mike Yates redeemed by alerting the Doctor and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) to the strange goings-on at the Buddhist meditation centre. It feels natural and in-character for Mike Yates to want to redeem himself and it's nice to see a signature UNIT personnel who was a big part of this incarnation's time on Earth become firmly on the side of good again after betraying UNIT in Invasion of the Dinosaurs. Mike feels as much like a Doctor Who companion as Liz, Jo or Sarah and perhaps one day Adam Mitchell will get a similar redemption story (although I would love to see Adam as an antagonist at some point akin to the role he plays in the comic series Prisoners of Time).
Despite the serial's forgotten nature, its ending is arguably one of the most iconic regeneration sequences in the show's history. It deserves to be. The third Doctor's regeneration is bittersweet and heart-wrenching without the need for Murray Gold music or a sobbing David Tennant.
The emotion is dealt with in a subtle way and whilst I personally love the tenth Doctor's regeneration scene, I can also appreciate how this sequence is not quite so 'in your face' about how you're supposed to feel. All this sequence needs is four simple words - 'A tear, Sarah Jane?' - and it immediately sells the emotional weight of the scene. A lot of it is down to Jon Pertwee's stunning delivery but it wouldn't have worked without Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, who if you didn't know Sarah Jane was a character you'd think genuinely believed in real life that Jon Pertwee was going to die. Of course, he doesn't die - he regenerates into Tom Baker - but Sarah doesn't know that and Elisabeth Sladenplays it brilliantly.
Overall, Planet of the Spiders is a brilliant and sadly often-overlooked Jon Pertwee serial, especially for Jon Pertwee's regeneration story. The story encompasses everything that made the Pertwee era of the show special, from the Earth-like appearance of the monsters (an approach later taken to the new series by Russell T Davies) to the vehicles that quickly became synonymous with Jon Pertwee's portrayal: namely Bessie and the Whomobile. The decision to have Mike Yates redeemed in the story is a good one and the story contains one of the show's best regeneration scenes that shows you can provide raw emotion without Vale Decem and David Tennant crying on cue.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Green Death by WhoPotterVian
A spooky send-off for Jo Grant. Robert Sloman gives us a creepy tale of giant maggots, with a strong environmentalism message which makes the serial feel truly ahead of its time. Jon Pertwee proves his acting chops as he drives into the sunset in Bessie, delivering a true emotional punch to this Doctor Who classic.
Review of Planet of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
Not the most original Dalek story, but it's brilliant fun. The Daleks are at their most evil, with the pepperpots having cooked up deadly bacteria, and the Thals get an interesting development from their 60s days, with them being decidedly more violent as opposed to pacifistic. However, it's a shame that the story doesn't use the concept of invisible Daleks presented in this story more, as it's a really strong idea that's abandoned early into the narrative.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Frontier in Space by WhoPotterVian
This serial has something of a poor reception within fandom as being 'dull', and I don't understand it. I thought it was excellent. Whilst the ending leaves a lot to be desired and the Doctor seems a bit gullible when he somehow doesn't recognize the Master's voice over the radio in the cargo ship, overall it's a fun and epic space opera for the Pertwee era. Jo Grant is at her greatest here, as she demonstrates how much she has learned from the Doctor, and Roger Delgado's last performance as the Master is every bit as cold and commanding as you would expect. This serial deserves more love.
Review of Carnival of Monsters by WhoPotterVian
A really clever and unique story, concerning the Doctor and Jo being transported inside a miniature world, known as the Miniscope. This serial makes some quite novel comparisons to zoos and Petri dishes with its central concept, and the Drashigs make for a fun monster.
Review of The Three Doctors by WhoPotterVian
A hugely enjoyable serial from start to finish. The Second and Third Doctor’s banter is hilarious to witness, and Stephen Thorne is excellent casting as Omega. This is one you can just watch over and over, and always find something new to appreciate.
This being the multi-Doctor adventure which started the tradition, it's hard not to see why multi-Doctor stories became as popular as they are today. Whilst it's a shame William Hartnell couldn't have a bigger role due to illness, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee are hilarious together and form a entertaining double act.
The plot also adds some interesting details to Time Lord mythos; here, we meet the stellar engineer of time travel technology Omega (who was trapped in a anti-matter universe by the Time Lords). Omega is one of the best villains ever to be introduced in the show; he has a certain presence that makes you instantly fear him whenever he appears in shot. It's also a rare instance where the classic series look almost rivals the look of the monsters and villains in the new series; Omega's costume would not look out of place in the 2005 reboot of the show.
If you love Doctor Who and haven't seen The Three Doctors, then I urge you to watch it. For it showcases exactly what makes the traditional multi-Doctor adventure so great.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Terror of the Autons by WhoPotterVian
Jon Pertwee's era of Doctor Who took a lot of inspiration from the spy genre, so it is hardly surprising that producer Barry Letts decided to add a Bond-style villain in the form of the Master. What is surprising is how long it took them to do it. The Master wasn't introduced into Jon Pertwee's second season in the role in 1971's Terror of the Autons. As we all know, the character became a big hit with audiences and has gained the status of one of the Doctor's most iconic enemies.
When the Master (Roger Degaldo) arrives on Earth in his TARDIS, he steals a Nestene meteorite and hooks it up to a radio telescope in order to boost a frequency wave that will bring to life the plastic of Earth. Meanwhile, the Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) introduces the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) to his new assistant Jo Grant (Katy Manning). At first, they don't get on due to Jo's clumsiness and lack of scientific knowledge however over the course of the story they become firm friends and the Doctor starts to accept her as his companion. Together they must stop the Master from summoning the Nestene and destroying humanity with an army of Autons.
Whilst the first story to feature the Autons - Spearhead From Space - focused entirely on shop window dummies, here other forms of plastic are explored as potential threats to the Doctor and his companion and it is nice to see the concept expanded upon. The Autons become a much more terrifying threat when not only are shop window dummies deadly but you cannot trust phone cords and plastic daffodils either.
There is even a deadly chair that in perhaps one of the show's most gruesome moments swallows Farrell Plastics' head of production George McDermott (Harry Towb) whole. It is not surprising that this serial was criticised by many at the time for being too scary for kids - the special effects may not be the best the classic series has to offer but many of the scenes like many of Doctor Who's greatest stories wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. Other examples of this include the Dalek sucker coming towards Barbara in The Daleks and Zygon Harry attacking Sarah with a pitchfork in Terror of the Zygons.
Jo Grant is immediately endearing as the Doctor's new companion also. Katy Manning plays the part brilliantly, oozing a certain charm and likeability as the bumbling assistant. Whilst some may question the Brigadier's decision to replace Liz Shaw with her despite her lack of qualifications as the Doctor does in the serial, by the end of the serial you really don't care. Katy Manning sells the character right from the beginning and I have a feeling she will always be considered one of the show's most beloved companions. It is a shame that her debut also happens to be the debut of the Master as she is unfortunately over-shadowed but the production crew at the time weren't to know that the Master would go on to become one of the show's most iconic characters.
It's certainly not hard to see why he has become such an iconic character either. The Master is a brilliant adversary for the Doctor; essentially he is a direct reflection of the Doctor. Whilst the Doctor fights for the good of the universe, the Master fights for chaos and destruction. He is essentially the Moriarty to the Doctor's Sherlock or the Loki to the Doctor's Thor.
Compared to, say, John Simm's Master, here he is treated as more of a behind the scenes presence and for the most part it works better when he is not the front and centre of the plot. The drawback is that it results in a plot resolution that comes out of nowhere. The Doctor manages to persuade the Master round but we are not shown enough of the Doctor and the Master's 'frenemy' relationship to make it convincing that he would be so easily persuaded. I would rather the Doctor had managed to out-wit the Master in his plan rather than talk him round.
Roger Degaldo is brilliant as the Master though and will always be to many the definitive version of the character. He has a certain sinister charm as the Doctor's Time Lord nemesis and doesn't need to act insane in order to have a big presence onscreen. Whilst I like John Simm's later portrayal of the character, I would have rather seen him play the part like Roger Degaldo as opposed to bearing more similarities to The Joker. Michelle Gomez as Missy will likely always be my favourite take on the character but if it were not for the legacy left by Roger Degaldo it is highly doubtful that her version of the Master would exist. Roger Degaldo's performance is the reason why the Master has become such an iconic part of Doctor Who mythology; the part was very clearly written for him as he has a wonderful sense of gravitas in the role. Roger Degaldo quite simply was the Master.
One of the things I think is a shame is that the Master no longer has the hypnotic powers he displays here. I like the idea of the Master hypnotising people; it helps to show how different he is to the Doctor despite being of the same race and it bears similarities to brain-washing techniques seen in real life ruthless dictators such as Adolf Hitler or Vladimir Putin. The notion that somebody could mess your mind and, for example, persuade you to set off a bomb is a scary one and something that is actually quite true to current society with the way terrorists have twisted people into exacting their plans of terror. A brilliant decision by writer Robert Holmes to have Jo Grant placed under the Master's hypnotic powers also as it leaves the viewer feeling uneasy to see one of the Doctor's friends turn against him. I would like the new series to show Missy hypnotise the companion for an entire series as I think the uneasiness that comes from somebody close to the Doctor being placed under the spell would make for an interesting angle to be explored in more depth.
Overall, Terror of the Autons takes the concept of the Autons and offers a deeper exploration of how they can be a threat to our planet. Not only can they possess shop window dummies now but telephone coils, chairs and plastic daffodils can also be brought to life - giving the terrifying impression that nothing made of plastic material is safe from the clutches of the Nestene.
The story serves as a great introduction for Katy Manning's Jo Grant - one of the show's most charming companions - however it is over-shadowed by the debut of Roger Degaldo as the Master. It is easy to see why the Master has developed such a legacy within Doctor Who after watching Roger Degaldo's performance in the role; he is amazing and a true highlight of the Autons' return, even if the character's tendency to act behind the scenes rather than at the forefront of the episode results in a rushed conclusion that comes out of nowhere.
It's a shame that the new series has opted to ignore the Master's hypnotic powers as they are a great way to emphasise the difference between the Doctor and the Master, as well as offering a nice sense of uneasiness to the plot when the Doctor's new companion Jo Grant is placed under his hypnosis. I hope for Series 10 that Missy places the twelfth Doctor's new companion Bill under his (or rather her) hypnotic powers but somehow I doubt it is going to happen (NB: It didn't).
This review contains spoilers
Review of Spearhead from Space by WhoPotterVian
Spearhead From Space was perhaps the biggest change Doctor Who had ever faced. For the first time, not only was the show was going to be in colour but the Doctor was also going to be stranded on Earth. No adventures set in the past, future or space. Everything on present day Earth.
They even decided to give the Doctor a job. He became the scientific advisor at UNIT. His boss: Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. This was in some ways a great move by the production team. It helped to make the Doctor more relatable. More like us. In other ways, however, it limited the scope of the show. No longer was it anywhere or everywhere, it was just London. Nevertheless, it worked and proved to be a huge success from the show.
Looking at the introductory story, it's not hard to see why. Sam Seeley (Neil Wilson) sees a shower of meteors come down in Oxley Woods and decides to take one back home when he notices a UNIT officer's interest in them. Meanwhile, the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) is found collapsed outside a police box and taken to the local hospital. The Brigadier enlists the help of scientist Liz Shaw (Caroline John) and eventually the Doctor to help investigate the mysterious meteors and combat an Auton invasion. It's a rather simple story for the show and that's why it works so well as the beginning of a new era. It's also why the new series frequently uses it as a blueprint to easing viewers into a new take on the show; this is exactly how to introduce a new era. They couldn't have possibly got it more right.
The Autons make for very effective monsters too. There's something rather eery about how their body and facial features resemble that of shop window dummies and Doctor Who is always a show that works well when it turns an everyday inanimate object into a force to be reckoned with. Let's face it: if you haven't seen a shop window dummy at some point in your life, then you haven't been out much. The Autons work so well that despite only featuring in two serialsof the classic series (they were also in Terror of the Autons) they have become one of the most iconic Doctor Who monsters of all time appearing in three new series stories (Rose, Love & Monsters, The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang) and even in a LEGO game (LEGO Dimensions). It's one of those monster creations that will survive the test of time. I have no doubt that we'll see an Auton invasion story in the future: perhaps in the Chris Chibnall era.
The Nestene Consciousness unfortunately are not as successful. It looks a bit too rubbery and thanks to Jon Pertwee's bizarre facial expressions during his fight with it doesn't appear like much of a threat. Its new series look was stronger overall.
It's not entirely fair to compare the two considering that with Spearhead they were operating on a shoestring budget and the new series has much more money but I do wish the classic series had been able to provide a better Nestene Consciousness for Jon Pertwee to fight as it is the only thing that lets the story down. Something more like this from the Terror of the Autons target book would have been preferable:
The cast are on top form. Jon Pertwee is amazing in his first appearance as the Doctor, especially when demonstrating how to communicate with your eyebrows on the planet Delphon. Nicholas Courtney is as brilliant as he was in The Invasion as the Brigadier and continues to be a highlight throughout the 3rd Doctor era. Caroline John is extremely convincing as the sceptical scientist tiring of the Brigadier's talk of the extraterrestrial. It's a crime that she generally tends to be forgotten as a companion of the Doctor's.
Overall, Spearhead From Space is a brilliant introduction story to the Jon Pertwee era and features one of the series' most iconic monsters in the Autons. Unfortunately, the Nestene Consciousness are less successful due to budget constraints but the cast are all on top form and due to the decision to exile the Doctor on Earth the character is more relatable than he was prior to the change.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Destination: Skaro by WhoPotterVian
Well that was a pretty good minisode. Fantastic to get Julian Bleach as Davros before he became immobilised in the Dalek casing and disfigured. What was with that music when the Doctor arrived though?
Also hilarious how we all thought Mawaan Rizwan would be someone significant from the show's past, and his character is literally just called CastAVillain.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Giggle by WhoPotterVian
Since the 60th Specials were announced, I have been very vocal about wanting to see some past Doctors return. Although I thought The Giggle was a fantastic piece of television, I do find it slightly surprising that we didn't at least get a montage of every past Doctor via archive footage, as it does mean that for the 60th, nearly every past incarnation bar the First and (technically seeing as Fourteen has his face) Tenth Doctors don't get any kind of acknowledgement.
Having said that, The Giggle kept me hooked from start to finish.
From the very start, Neil Patrick Harris dominates the screen as the Toymaker. He is fantastically flamboyant, but also carries a great sense of menace. It still seems unbelievable that Russell T Davies managed to get such a famous star to play a rather obscure villain from the 60s, but I am glad that he agreed to the part, because he owns the role. His Toymaker is a man who playfully 'toys' with everyone, adopting multiple accents and turning his victims into mindless fools who argue about everything.
The human race believing they are always right brought COVID to mind for me, and how certain individuals refused to wear a face mask because of the 'It's my life' mentality. Their refusal to wear UNIT's fancy gizmos that keeps the giggle's influence away definitely feels like a deliberate metaphor for how people thought 5G was controlling people in 2020.
The whole hide and seek segment has to be one of Doctor Who's creepiest sequences. Charlie De Melo's character, who is an assistant to the original creator of TV, being transformed into a ventriloquist's dummy, is brilliantly disturbing, and those toy babies attacking Donna will haunt kid's nightmares for weeks.
I also really appreciate how the production dives into the surreal imagery that the Toymaker as a concept offers. The notion of the Toymaker turning UNIT soldiers into balls, and twisting the bullets from their guns into petals, is excellent, and plays fast and loose with the concept of a Godlike being who can bend reality to play his games.
Does it feel like a 60th Anniversary Special? I would say so. Although no past Doctors return (which makes me feel for Matt Smith, who wanted to come back), there are many nods to the past that makes this feel more special than the other two episodes. Not only is there the worst kept secret with Mel's return, but there are also colourized clips of the First Doctor and the Toymaker, from the largely missing Celestial Toymaker, which is a staggering amount of effort to go to. They really didn't need to put in all that hard work to colourize a serial that many viewers won't have seen and it shows the love and passion for the show from Russell T Davies and the production team that they will go to such extreme lengths like this.
Another excellent nod to the past is the Toymaker's puppet show. Whilst I do find it a shame that the companions get more acknowledgement than the Doctors, and it would have been nice to have seen some puppet Doctors too. Having puppet recreations of Amy, Clara, and Bill as well as the Flux, that retell their devastating conclusions is such a clever way to pay tribute to the series' history.
We even get references later on to classic Doctor Who serials such as Key To Time and Logopolis. It seems mental to me to think that Adric's death has been referenced twice in the space of two years! It's great how recent Doctor Who has made Adric's death feel like the Gwen Stacy demise of Doctor Who. Especially as many casual viewers won't even have a clue what happened with Adric!
The Giggle also gives us some traditional Multi-Doctor action with 14 and 15. Although I knew about the bi-regeneration rumour, I didn't expect us to get as much of Ncuti Gatwa as we did. It's a little like a reverse Spider-Man: No Way Home, where instead of getting past iterations of a character for the entire third act, it's a future version. 14 and 15 are so much fun together, they feel sort of like siblings, but don't have the bickering of other Multi-Doctor interactions. It makes me hope that we get another Multi-Doctor story from Russell T Davies, because judging by this episode, he's really great at writing them.
I like the bi-regeneration concept as a whole personally. I think it's such a novel concept that you could only really do during an anniversary like the 60th, and it makes the regeneration feel more special for an anniversary year. Although I do think it would be best for David Tennant to let Ncuti Gatwa have the spotlight rather than return or spearhead his own series, my hope is that we get some expanded media with 14, the Nobles and Mel that takes place after The Giggle. There's even room for some 14 and Mel TARDIS adventures, which is just so very cool. Maybe Once And Future's conclusion next year could be set after The Giggle, with 14 and Donna, or 14 and Rose Noble? (NB: It has since been confirmed to feature the Fugitive and War Doctors rather than 14).
Lastly, I am already loving Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. I get the sense that he's going to be quite mischievous, and his mad grin brings to mind Tom Baker's Doctor to me. He seems so Doctor-y already, in the amazing amount of time we spend with him in The Giggle, and I can't wait to see more of him at Christmas. You can definitely see why they felt confident with having him share screentime with the nation's favourite Doctor, David Tennant, as he doesn't feel overshadowed by David Tennant in the slightest.
Review of Wild Blue Yonder by WhoPotterVian
The problem with this episode is that in any other year it would be great, but in the 60th year, when you keep it under such an intense level of secrecy, it seems utterly pointless.
The decision to make this episode such a big secret is utterly bizarre, and a major misstep by RTD. There were no spoilers here, nobody returned apart from at the end, and even the person in question was already known to be in the 60th Specials. I just cannot fathom the decision to redact cast members in DWM and barely even promote it. There is no logic to it, and they should have shown more from the episode from the start.
The central premise, of the alien shapeshifters, would have been tailor-made for Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi appearances. In fact, it would have worked better from a thematic perspective to have the Doctor face a shapeshifter who looks like 11, and later 12. It would have tested 14 psychologically, and made the Doctor question himself and why he has his old face. Plus you could have subverted expectations by making by people think 14 is at one point is the real Doctor, only to reveal that he was the shapeshifter and 11 or 12 was the actual Doctor. I much preferred the evil shapeshifters of 11 and 12 onboard a corrupted TARDIS rumours for that reason alone.
The actual story we did get is great, without spoiling for those who haven't seen it (although again, there is nothing to spoil anyway). The effects are delightfully weird and well realized. It has a tense Among Us vibe which I really appreciated, and David Tennant and Catherine Tate give some of their best performances.
The pacing is also great. It raises the tension nicely, beginning with a slow and meandering pace before delving into psychological horror territory. The set design has to be some of the most impressive in the show, and shows how much the Disney budget has increased the show's scope.
Does it work as a 60th Anniversary Special? Not really. There's nothing celebratory here, and there's no returning Doctors, companions or villains. Which is again bizarre, given that the announced special features were vague for no good reason. Why call a behind the scenes feature 'The cast introduce the villains' if you are not hiding returning cast members, big name stars or returning villains? There is no logic to it. Revealing the villains are shapeshifters would have spoiled utterly nothing, as it doesn't mean anything for fans!
Wild Blue Yonder is one of those episodes that could so easily have been turned into an anniversary episode, and been improved by doing so. It is a great episode that could have been mind-blowing, with the addition of 11and 12 as the shapeshifters to really drive 14 mad. Arguably it would have been harder to incorporate Susan or any other returning companion, but even then you could have had the Donna shapeshifter take the form of Susan and make the audience think Donna is real, only for Susan to not be the shapeshifter and Donna the actual person.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Star Beast by WhoPotterVian
A brilliantly faithful adaptation of one of Doctor Who Magazine's best ever comic stories. If you love The Star Beast comic like myself, then you will adore this episode.
Beep The Meep is deliciously evil, with her faux adorability creating the same misleading sweet image as her comicbook counterpart. Miriam Margoyles is the perfect voice for Beep, and the way she switches from the innocent voice to the more malicious intonations is flawless.
The Wrarth Warriors are also as authoritative and imposing as in the Doctor Who Magazine Star Beast, and work well as the obvious baddies only to be goodies. For audiences unfamiliar with the comics storyline, they may seem a tad similar to the Judoon, which can make them seem unoriginal, but their design strikes a powerful presence.
The new title sequence is spectacular, and truly feels like Doctor Who on a much bigger budget. These are the Doctor Who titles on steroids! I also adore the Sonic Screwdriver's new features; the screen, and the shields feel like a natural extension of its functions, and introducing such cool new features feels like an excellent way to attract the attention of new viewers. I really hope we get a new Doctor Who videogame during RTD2, as playing with the new Sonic Screwdriver would be a ton of fun in a platformer.
Then there's the new TARDIS interior, which is utterly stunning. It is the ideal combination of the classic series interior with the white roundels (even if they do change colour) and the new series interior, with the different platforms being akin to Matt Smith's.
David Tennant and Catherine Tate have lost none of their chemistry. They are as hilarious as ever, but are still able to pull on the heartstrings with the more dramatic moments. The reason behind Donna regaining her memories feels natural without being a cop out, and the fourth wall breaking sequence at the beginning is such a clever way of getting new viewers up to date with Donna's situation. It's also nice to see the Nobles again. A shame that Wilf is yet to appear, however understandable considering Bernard Cribbins' sad passing.
Does it work as a 60th Anniversary Special? Not really. It feels more like a standard episode of the show, designed to get new viewers onboard with this new era, rather than a celebration of the show's entire history. Outside of David Tennant as the Doctor again and the Nobles, the only returning characters here are Beep The Meep and the Wrarth Warriors, and they previously featured under a different continuity.
Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle always seemed more likely to be traditional anniversary Specials, and only one of them is perhaps likely to be a traditional 60th celebration (NB: Neither were 'traditional' anniversary episodes), but it would have been nice had they managed to sneak in a cameo from somebody connected to UNIT who we had already been introduced to, such as Martha, Osgood, or Jo Grant.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Curse of Fenric (TOTT Minisode) by WhoPotterVian
A fantastic piece of closure for the Seventh Doctor and Ace. It expertly deals with this incarnation's unfair manipulation of Ace, and how it affected both characters on a personal level. It's sad to think that they didn't depart on good terms, but the ending hints they go on further adventures together in the Memory TARDIS.
The Curse Of Fenric itself is a stone-cold classic. It's a thrilling vampire story that shows how far the Seventh Doctor is prepared to go to save the day. The fact that he goes to the extent of breaking Ace's faith in him, cruelly playing with her emotions in the aid of the greater good, will always remain chilling to watch.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Shockwave by WhoPotterVian
This is an absolutely fantastic Seventh Doctor and Ace story. The Doctor and Ace arrive on a spaceship orbiting a dying sun, and there's these strange doomsday worshippers called the Senders who believe that they will ascend to become higher beings when the sun's shockwave hits.
It's basically like Doctor Who does a space disaster movie (so similar to Voyage of the Damned in that regard), and really does a good job of demonstrating this Doctor's more manipulative side. We as the audience are made to question why he has brought Ace to an event which we are told sees the death and destruction of many human colonies, and which is one of those events the Doctor can't interfere with because it's a fixed point in time, and we query this Doctor's motives when he refuses to save the Senders from their pretty suicidal beliefs.
I like that the Voice of Stone turns out to be a Time Lord psychic cube from the Eleventh Doctor - a lovely callback to stories such as The War Games and The Doctor's Wife - and also how this Time Lord device has developed a mythological status within the eyes of humanity (a neat touch).
Overall, this is a thrilling addition to the Destiny of the Doctor range, and one that really captures the dynamic of this particular Doctor and companion.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Survival by WhoPotterVian
An epic conclusion to Doctor Who's initial 26-season run. This story has everything; action, heart, character... In many ways, it feels like a precursor to the 2005 revival, with the way it sees the Doctor take Ace back to Present Day Perivale, and we get to see more of Ace's everyday culture back home.
Although the Cheetah People costumes are poor, they make for excellent one-off villains. Rona Munro's creations act as an interesting commentary on the human race, how desperation can lead us to fight each other to survive and how our actions with climate change are slowly destroying our planet. It culminates in a fantastic showdown between the Doctor and the Master, with Sylvester McCoy giving a powerhouse performance, as he declares "If we fight like animals, we die like animals!"
The final speech, seeing the Doctor telling Ace they have 'work to do', is a natural way to conclude the show's initial run. It speaks so much to the heart of the show, and the role of the Doctor and his companion. It's without a doubt among the most well-written pieces of dialogue in Doctor Who's history.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Curse of Fenric by WhoPotterVian
Yep, I enjoyed this one's Tales Of The TARDIS episode so much that I just had to go and watch the original episodic version so soon.
The Curse of Fenric is an utterly mind-blowing Doctor Who serial. It's the perfect showcase of the Seventh Doctor and Ace and how toxic their relationship could be, with the Doctor cruelly breaking Ace's faith in him to beat Fenric.
Fenric is easily one of the best one-off Doctor WHo antagonists, with an intriguing shared history with the Doctor. The Haemovores are excellent too, and are easily among the most impressive monster designs from the classic series. You could have the Haemovores return in the new series, and you'd barely have to alter their look to make them work for a modern audience.
Review of Ghost Light by WhoPotterVian
A fantastically spooky and atmospheric story. This one concerns a Victorian house that scared Ace as a child, and an ethereal entity called Light who catalogs every living species. It's a lavish production, expertly directed, and with some of the strongest writing in the JNT era.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Battlefield by WhoPotterVian
A really exciting way to kick off Season 26. Battlefield is like a legacy sequel before legacy sequels were cool. It's one big throwback to the Pertwee era, with the original Brigadier, UNIT, and even Bessie. There's even the neat introduction of Brigadier Bambera, who is unbelievably cool, and feels ahead of her time, being a fearless black leader of a secret organisation during the late 80s, when there weren't as many prominent black female characters.
I love the idea of a future Doctor being Merlin, and the Arthurian legends adds an interesting mystical vibes to proceedings. Morgaine is an excellent one-off antagonist too; she feels like more than a match for the Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Remembrance of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
Doctor Who's 25th anniversary season did something different to what was usually expected during a Doctor Who anniversary. Rather than bringing back past Doctors to interact with the current one, producer John Nathan Turner decided to go in another direction: celebrating the Doctor's most famous enemies in the Daleks and the Cybermen. The Cybermen's story Silver Nemesis was the show's twenty-fifth anniversary episode but before that there was Remembrance of the Daleks: the story many Whovians consider to be the real twenty fifth anniversary special.
In Remembrance of the Daleks, the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) returns to 1960s London with Ace (Sophie Aldred), where two opposing Dalek factions are at war with one another and searching for the Hand of Omega: a device created by Stellar Engineer Omega to turn stars into supernovas as fuel for Gallifreyan time travel. Davros (Terry Molloy) and the Daleks want it to improve their ability to time travel. The Doctor plans on giving it to them...but why?
The way Remembrance of the Daleks celebrates Doctor Who's longevity is remarkable. It does something that the recent film Jurassic World did very well: slots in nostalgic nods and references into the story without it distracting the main story. The majority of the narrative takes place at Coal Hill School (the same school that the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman was at). You get to see IM Foreman's scrapyard and the book about the French Revolution Susan borrowed from Barbara in An Unearthly Child. There is even a scene where Ace walks out of a room just as the BBC continuity announcer on the television announces the start of a brand new sci-fi television series 'Doc-'. This is the reason why many consider Remembrance of the Daleks to be the show's 25th anniversary special: it feels so much like one that it's hard to believe Silver Nemesis was the special and not this.
And the nods to the very first serial An Unearthly Child don't stop there. The story even features a mysterious child of its own. A character so mysterious she doesn't even have a name: she's simply called 'The Girl' in the end credits. The Girl is a deliberate echo of Susan Foreman: only this time, instead of being the Doctor's granddaughter she is the Dalek's 'battle computer'. Young actor Jasmine Breaks plays her brilliantly; she gives a certain menace to her performance that is surprisingly creepy for a young girl. It's also a nice idea for a story twenty five years later to take inspiration from the serial that started it all; the Girl never feels like a copy of Susan but a different mysterious child, even as a deliberate call-back to the character of Susan.
There's something I mentioned in my Agent Carter review that really applies here and that's the use of music to create the era. The music in this serial featured in the cafe scenes is nicely authentic towards the sixties' era and it feels like the seventh Doctor and Ace are actually in the 60s rather than the reality of the time it was filmed. There's never any doubt that this story takes place shortly after the first Doctor and Susan leave IM Foreman's junkyard and you can tell real research has been put into the era by sound man Scott Talbott. It's a terrific sound mix and works well for a story with call-backs to the 60s era of the show.
But this isn't just a serial that looks backwards. Like the best Doctor Who celebrations, it looks forwards. The special effects by Stuart Brisdon are ahead of their time; these are effects that are so impressive that the new series of Doctor Who borrows from them a lot. The skeleton effect that surrounds a character fired at by a Dalek looks a lot like the skeleton effect of the 2005 revival and the beam of light that emits from the Daleks' egg whisks here bears a strong resemblance to the effects used for the RTD era Daleks.
It's not only the special effects that look to the show's future either. The narrative also looks forward when it needs to. Writer Ben Aaronovitch is a genius at juggling the forwards and backwards look of the serial and crafts one of the show's all-time best cliffhangers: the moment when a Dalek levitates up the stairs. This is a moment so iconic that it is replicated in the 2005 episode Dalek, when the Dalek follows Rose and Adam up some stairs at billionaire collector Henry van Statten's museum. Yet rather unfairly, it is forgotten. People tend to think of Robert Shearman as the first person to do it, when actually it came from the mind of Ben Aaronovitch. I imagine it must have been a surprise for the audience of 1988, without the knowledge that Daleks could climb stairs: it is a chilling moment and one of the highlights of this serial.
Remembrance of the Daleks is notable to the Whovian fanbase for introducing the Counter Measures team, consisting of Captain Gilmore (Simon Williams), Rachel Jensen (Pamela Salem) and Allison Williams (Karen Gledhill). It is not surprising that these characters got their own Big Finish spinoff as they feel like the sixties' equivalent of UNIT.
Captain Gilmore in particular feels like a nice alternative to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, played with the same level of charm and authority by Simon Williams. You could believe had the classic series run of Doctor Who had continued that the seventh Doctor and Captain Gilmore would have developed a similar friendship to the Brigadier.
Karen Gledhill and Pamela Salem are good in their roles too but don't quite shine as much as Simon Williams does as Gilmore. What's great about Pamela Salem's character Rachel Jensen is she is a fun callback to the third Doctor's time with UNIT. Just like the Doctor, she is a scientific advisor to a military organisation and it is always great to see how a different character deals with the job when the Doctor's around with considerably more knowledge.
Allison Williams doesn't really do a great deal although I imagine her character is expanded upon in the Big Finish releases.
Overall, Remembrance of the Daleks is an amazing celebration of twenty five years of Doctor Who. It didn't need more than one Doctor to celebrate the longevity of the show; instead it does something that the more recent Jurassic World did with nostalgic nods and references to the history of the franchise. Yet despite the references, it still manages to look forward through the outstanding special effects and chilling cliffhanger where the Dalek glides up the stairs. The 60s sound mix convincingly recreates the sixties era and the Counter Measures team are a fun sixties version of UNIT. This serial has made me tempted to try out Big Finish's Counter Measures audios at some point and I am sure it will do the same to anybody who decides to give this Doctor Who serial a go. And you should give it a go: you don't need prior knowledge of Doctor Who to enjoy it. It's an excellent story in its own right and I would recommend it to anyone who likes recent movies such as Jurassic World.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Greatest Show in the Galaxy by WhoPotterVian
The Greatest Show In The Galaxy is a serial often held within the Whovian community as a classic, at a time when the show was struggling during its original run. The fact that this story was even made is incredible. A discovery of abestos led to the temporary closure of various studios at the BBC - but rather than leaving the story unfinished as with Shada, the production team instead resorted to filming a large majority of the scenes inside a tent at the BBC car park. Without a doubt this production team were determined to make sure this story saw completion - the kind of determination that would be seen years later when Russell T Davies revived the show in 2005.
The Greatest Show In The Galaxy sees The Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) decide to take part in the titular circus show's talent competition after receiving junk mail from a 'junk bot' in the TARDIS, despite his companion Ace's (Sophie Aldred) reluctance. This is a Doctor Who story however, so obviously something more sinister is under way. The Gods of Ragnarok are the judges, and failure to entertain results in death.
Having watched the story, I don't really understand the love the serial has within fandom. That's not to say it's terrible, it's just not as good as I expected. The main problem is one that plagues many of Sylvester McCoy's serials - the performances from the guest cast are too over the top and it makes it hard to take anything in the story seriously. The main culprits are T. P. McKenna as Captain Cook and Deborah Manship as Morgana. Their acting comes across as very two dimensional and they are little more than caricatures - another common issue with this period of the show.
The pacing of the story is also an issue. It takes way too long for the Doctor and Ace to reach the circus tent, and the first episode's big cliffhanger is 'Well Ace, are we going in [to the physic circus] or not?' rather than Mags screaming (which would have surely made more sense). Quite why the writer Stephen Wyatt decided to make the cliffhanger whether or not The Doctor and Ace enter the psychic circus I don't know, but it's a terrible decision as it doesn't make sense as a cliffhanger moment.
The fourth episode of The Greatest Show In The Galaxy is perhaps the best. The pacing improves considerably in episode four, with so much happening that there's barely time to breath. Sylvester McCoy displays a great talent for magic tricks and escapism routines; at one point he is even hanging upside down. If Sylvester McCoy hadn't become an actor, he could easily have been a magician.
The visuals of this story are very good - in fact, they are actually on the high end of the classic series' visual effects and aesthetics. This is a nice surprise given that the production crew resorted to filming in a car park, but it genuinely looks and feels like filming took place in another country such as Spain. The well of energy is amazing and wouldn't look out of place in the new series, and the Gods of Ragnarok with the bolts of energy they fire from their hands equally wouldn't look out of place in either the Russell T Davies or Steven Moffat era of the show.
One common criticism of the story is Whizzkid (played by Gian Sammarco). Whilst many don't like the character because he is a clear dig by John Nathan Turner at the show's fans, my issue is not so much that it's insulting towards Whovians but more that Whizzkid only exists in this story for that very reason. There's no clear narrative reason for why he dresses in 80's geek fashion, or rides a bike. He's literally just written as an excuse for John Nathan Turner to channel his fury at the time of the fanbase's negativity through Stephen Wyatt. The line about 'It's not as good as it used to be' is clear arrogance of the then-current production team's ignorance towards the criticism the show had been receiving. It's not so much that it's lashing out at Whovians but more that it shows a certain holier-than-thou ignorance that is pretty unforgivable.
Having said that, the story does have some good ideas. The bus conductor robot is cool, and the use of music works very well. I can't imagine raps will ever work as well in the show as they do here; the raps make sense for the ringmaster's (Ricco Ross) character and are extremely catchy unlike the awful drivel most rapping consists of. The good ideas just don't outweigh the bad.
Although there was clearly something not quite right about Captain Cook, I'm not sure I liked him as an antagonist - why was he so cruel towards Mags, for instance, when it is said in dialogue that he had previously saved her? I'm also not sure about the bizarre notion that Ace can hear Mags' scream in part one but not The Doctor. Unless I missed it, I don't believe it was ever explained why this was the case. Surely it would make more sense had the Doctor heard it and not Ace, given that The Doctor is of a different species?
Overall, The Greatest Show In The Galaxy isn't a terrible story but it isn't as great as its reputation suggests either. It's marred by problems, such as characters who are too over the top to be taken seriously and pacing issues. There are a few good ideas in the story though and the visuals are breathtaking despite the fact that it was filmed in a BBC car park. It's certainly an improvement on the writer's previous serial Paradise Towers, however that's not saying much. The Greatest Show In The Galaxy is not the Genesis of the Daleks of Sylvester McCoy's serials but it's passable for the state the show was in at the time.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Paradise Towers by WhoPotterVian
Paradise Towers is one of those stories that is often ridiculed by the Whovian fanbase - and it's not hard to see why. But I'll come to that later. The story was the result of a falling out between producer John Nathan Turner and script editor Eric Saward; John Nathan Turner was determined to find a writer who had never worked on the show before. He came across writer Stephen Wyatt at the BBC's script unit and asked him to submit a story for the show. That story was, of course, Paradise Towers.
Paradise Towers starts with the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Mel (Bonnie Langford) planning to visit a luxurious residential complex called Paradise Towers. Mel watches a promotional video for the towers that shows it as a beautiful complex, complete with a massive swimming pool. However when they arrive, they find it in a state of disrepair. The residents have become primitive tribes with no idea what a vending machine is and the place is run by the Caretakers; a group of people who keep surveillance on the towers and worship 'the Great Architect'. Their boss, the Chief Caretaker (Richard Briers) is secretly feeding the population of the Towers to the robotic Cleaners and the 'Great Architect' himself.
The premise of a luxury complex becoming run down to the point where it creates a tribal civilisation is a strong one that unfortunately doesn't follow through. The performances are too over the top to be taken seriously, especially those by the Red Kangs and Blue Kangs. The teenage actors who play the Red and Blue Kangs are annoying and come across as though they are in an amateur theatre production of Doctor Who rather than young professional actors. Many complain about Richard Briers but I actually didn't mind him so much; he at least seems like he belongs in a Doctor Who story. Perhaps he went too far when the 'Great Architect' (otherwise known as 'Kroagnon') possessed the Chief Caretaker's body but in my view if anybody can be accused as too camp the real culprits are Tabby (Elizabeth Spriggs) and Tilda (Brenda Bruce). I found myself rolling my eyes at every one of their scenes; they are too over the top as the stereotypical 'sweet old ladies'. Even when they reveal their real nasty intentions they still continue to ham it up.
The mention of these two ladies brings me onto my next point: Mel is too gullible. She meets Tabby and Tilda once in the story and already she trusts them when they offer to give her tea and cake. Had she never learnt when she was little not to talk to strangers? Even so, you would have thought travelling with the Doctor would have opened her eyes a bit not to be tricked so easily by offerings of food and drink. If I were in an unfamiliar environment and two old ladies randomly invited me round for a cup of tea and cake, flowering me with praise despite it being the first meeting I would be more than a little suspicious of what they were up to. Yet Mel acts as if it's normal.
But it's not only Mel who acts like an idiot in this story: the caretakers are pretty stupid too. The seventh Doctor may be the king of manipulation but it doesn't take him much to manipulate them to let him go when they're holding him prisoner. He literally takes their rule book (basically a book of the law of Paradise Towers) and fabricates rules up that say 'After you have been guarding the condemned prisoner for 30 minutes, you must stand up...move five paces away from the prisoner...close their eyes...put their hands above their head...for a minute and a half'. They don't even bother to snatch the rule book from the Doctor and check it themselves.
This all leads to the story feeling devoid of danger and peril. The caretakers pose no threat to the Doctor precisely because they are bone-dead stupid. Even the cast of The Only Way Is Essex would do a better job of guarding a prisoner for execution than these lot. Even the crab toy that attacks Mel in the swimming pool doesn't pose much of a threat. It just grabs her whilst she frails around in the water screaming. In the time it takes for Pex (Howard Cooke) to chuck her his weapon, it could have ripped her legs off or done something equally as horrifying. But no: instead it just holds her legs.
As for Pex, this character can be summed up in two words: useless and annoying. Pretty much every time he is onscreen they remind you that he's a coward yet when it gets to the pool gathering near the beginning of episode four all of a sudden we are supposed to sympathise with him when the Kangs call him a 'cowardly custard'. Well, sorry Paradise Towers: I may love Doctor Who but you have to earn the right for me to care about a character being called a 'coward'. He quite simply deserves it. Pex makes Mel look brave in comparison and she was never one of the Doctor's bravest companions (even if I personally don't mind her). There's an odd moment in the serial where Mel congratulates him for saving her but he doesn't even do anything. One of the Cleaners takes the old ladies instead. Why not give credit to the Cleaners instead?
The Cleaners are the literal heroes of this otherwise bad story, in the sense that they are the only good thing about it. I like the Cleaners a lot; their design is the kind of satiric look that the story of Paradise Towers should have had. The idea of evil cleaning robots in a tower block that's supposed to be a paradise is nicely ironic by Stephen Wyatt and their scenes are generally better directed by Nicholas Mallett (especially the scene where one of the Cleaner's hands comes through a rubbish chute and pulls one of the old ladies down).
The rest of the direction falls flat, as if Nicholas Mallett didn't know what to do with the story either. The Cleaners are pretty much the only enemies here that feel like they are a danger to the characters of the story. Funnily enough, for robots that don't communicate and are basically just serviceable machines they are probably the most intelligent characters in the story bar the Doctor.
Overall, Paradise Towers is probably Doctor Who's biggest missed opportunity. It has a strong premise that is woefully executed with over the top acting and dumb characters who make Kevin from the 2016 Ghostbusters movie look like a genius in comparison.
The story as a result of the Caretakers' dim behaviour has a lack of danger and peril; only the Cleaners seem remotely menacing in this story. Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford clearly try their hardest to sell this story and neither are to blame for Paradise Towers' failings; both give good performances as the Doctor and Mel but it's not enough to save the story when you have strange scenes that hail cowardly Pex a 'hero' and make Mel come across as way too gullible than she has any right to be. Paradise Towers is definitely a Doctor Who story you should skip, unless you want to deafen yourself with the Kangs' awful shouting.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Time and the Rani by WhoPotterVian
I'm going to make a Whovian confession: I like Time And The Rani. Yes: it has its flaws. Yes: it's not the best Doctor Who story. Yes: it's a shame Colin Baker didn't agree to return for the regeneration. But it's fun.
Time And The Rani sees the Rani gather together the best minds to create the most intelligent brain and allow her to control an asteroid and release a substance that will convert the planet Lakertya into a time manipulator. As mentioned, I had a lot of fun watching this serial. It's completely barking mad and granted, sometimes it can be a hindrance to the serial (the Rani's a little too camp) but it's never a chore to watch. It's amazing how well Sylvester McCoy slips into the role of the Doctor also; if there was no regeneration and you didn't know it was his serial you'd think he'd have been playing the Doctor for a while.
One thing I do think could have been better than the Rani dressing as Mel though is if she had used a perception filter instead. The Rani dressed as Mel looks too silly to be taken seriously, especially when there's technology in Doctor Who lore that could have been used instead. Kate O'Mara is clearly having a lot of fun though and her chemistry with Sylvester McCoy is brilliant onscreen.
I also don't mind Bonnie Langford as Mel like many do. Yeah, she screams a lot but so did Sarah Jane contrary to popular belief. She's a fun energetic character who Bonnie Langford gives a lot of energy to; it's just a shame more wasn't made out of her being a computer programmer.
The regeneration is also not as bad as some would lead to believe. It was never going to be perfect without Colin Baker but they did a good job with his absence considering this was before the CGI we have today. Who can blame Colin Baker for deciding not to return either when they fired him for the show losing popularity when arguably that wasn't his fault?
Overall, Time And The Rani is an incredibly fun serial which sometimes slips too far into camp territory.
The original review was 4/5 but I think I was perhaps a tad generous with that score. It's more like a 3/5.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Redemption by WhoPotterVian
A solid conclusion. Great hearing more of Mr Smith, and my God is Honor a ruthless baddie, unafraid to launch drones on the London Underground alien refugees. I do think it's a shame that the Doctor doesn't actually show up at the end, as it does make it feel like an anticlimax when the second series has all been built around Cleo being unable to contact the Doctor, and Honor wanting a TARDIS.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Reboot by WhoPotterVian
This one gave me a real nostalgia kick for The Sarah Jane Adventures. It's excellent hearing Mr Smith again, especially as we even get the iconic fanfare. I never knew being trapped inside a forcefield could be so dangerous though, and poor Cleo believing she could trust Apex Costa. Anyone who would lash out at Mr Smith, or anyone from The Sarah Jane Adventures, isn't worth knowing.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Spaceman by WhoPotterVian
This one has some interesting ideas, like a hidden door to a secret base disguised in a shopping aisle with cat food. Although it's not too shocking that Apex is the thief who's been stealing alien artifacts, it does create some great ambiguity surrounding his character. Should Cleo really be so quick to trust him, even if he did take her into space?
This review contains spoilers
Review of Underground by WhoPotterVian
A solid instalment. The alien world underneath London is an interesting idea, if a bit similar to Trap Street in Face The Raven. The Torchwood House alien scenes are suitably creepy, and Apex's character arc takes an unexpected turn. His desire to steal a TARDIS makes him seem very similar to the Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Apex by WhoPotterVian
A very interesting one. This instalment introduces us to Apex Foster, a time and space traveler who documents alien species. The claim that something is affecting the Doctor's timeline feels like a deliberate tie-in to the 60th. Apex proves a great Doctor substitute, and still feels different enough to be his own character.
The Torchwood sub plot seems as though it could go somewhere interesting, and I do wonder if any Torchwood personnel from TV could pop up. Gwen Cooper perhaps?
Review of Regrets by WhoPotterVian
Brilliant opener to Series 2. Like the first series, it contains some fun callbacks to previous Doctor Who stories (I particularly loved the references to Rose and The Fires Of Pompeii). I feel for Cleo with her transphobic experiences, as it can't be fun for her with her drama teacher not taking her seriously, and her date being put out by her trans status. Excellent to hear Rani Chandra again too.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Salvation by WhoPotterVian
This is quite honestly the best conclusion there could have been to this series. There's a great early twist with Cleo being the one still present and Abby and Shawna taken, and the perfect explanation for why Cleo has been unaffected by the psychic virus. The notion of a psychic virus is very clever, given that the Doctor is a woman who inspires many people. It essentially weaponizes her encounters and influence on humanity.
Jodie Whittaker truly excels also in this audio role, proving herself to be the ideal actor for this non-visual format.
I absolutely love that the day is saved by playing a podcast. That, to me, is the most 'Doctor Who' ending you could get to a story like this, and Doctor Who is the only show where that could work.
Interesting that there's a post credits scene with Vastra sending Cleo the Floater via Amazon Logistics (Again, very 'Doctor Who'). Could we get a Series 2? (NB: We did get a Series 2).
This review contains spoilers
Review of Rescue by WhoPotterVian
This is a really action packed episode, as the ghosts start to overwhelm our heroes. Vastra is a fun presence, and it's nice to see Shawna and Cleo reunited with Abby too. Shame Osgood and Cleo have now both been taken. I like that this instalment addresses UNIT's shady actions in eliminating the Silurians in "Doctor Who And The Silurians", as it shows how corrupt that organisation can be on occasion, even if they are effectively "the good guys." And the Floater is a great addition to the Doctor Who canon too, although I'm not sure I fully trust it. It seems a little too been on the idea of killing the Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Ghosts by WhoPotterVian
A spooky and atmospheric installment in the Doctor Who Redacted series, as Cleo and Shona deal with ghosts at the Powell Estate. I loved the concept of Cleo receiving voicemails from the past, and I'm glad that my guess that Vastra was the mysterious Requiem turned out to be right. I think the writing has really captured her character from the television series well, and it makes her instantly recognisable as the Vastra we know and love.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Requiem by WhoPotterVian
This episode does a really great job at dealing with the emotional aftermath of Abby joining UNIT, as the podcasters deal with their feelings of betrayal. The titular Requiem figure is an intriguing presence throughout (I don't think sheactually is the Doctor, even though the Doctor appears at the end), and the support group for the lost ties in thematically with the falling out between Cleo and Shawna, and Abby. I'm interested to find out more about these 'ghosts'. What are they, and what happens when you touch them?
This review contains spoilers
Review of Recruits by WhoPotterVian
This episode has everything. You have a fan-pleasing return in the form of Osgood, some neat references to Rose in her Bad Wolf form and the Slitheen, AND a cameo from Jodie Whittaker. I'm interested to see what brings the podcasters back together in the next episode, seeing as this one sees them going their separate ways after Abby decides to join UNIT. Something's got to persuade Cleo and Shawna to (presumably) visit Madame Vastra.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Interrogation by WhoPotterVian
A really gripping episode, as the podcasters are interrogated by UNIT. It contains some intriguing hints as to the Doctor having possibly gone rogue, and a great cameo from Kate Stewart, setting things in motion for the final five episodes of this fantastic audio series.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Lost by WhoPotterVian
This episode really ramps up the mystery, with hotels vanishing, Queen Victoria being wiped from history and even Cleo losing her brother. There's some great classic series references here to The Web Of Fear and The Green Death, however the most impressive element is the character work, which is truly excellent. We really get to know these podcasters through these audio releases, and I hope that continues into the remaining episodes.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Hysteria by WhoPotterVian
Another great episode. There's some really cool references to Smith And Jones here, and I like the idea that people have since dismissed the Royal Hope Hospital being transported to the moon as mass hysteria and hallucinations. It's great also to hear more Rani Chandra here, although I'm sad to learn Clyde and Luke have already been wiped from history.
Review of SOS by WhoPotterVian
A strong first episode to this 10 part audio drama. There's some very cool references to Partners In Crime here, and it's nice to hear Anjili Mohindra as Rani Chandra. It's very different to a Big Finish, but just as strong in regards to quality.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Witchfinders by WhoPotterVian
This Target novelisation veers pretty close to the televised episode overall, albeit with a lovely new ending where Willa ends up with Clara and Me. It's beautifully written, and expands on the characters' thought processes, but it would have been nice to have seen a few more new additions to the original story.
Review of The Power of the Doctor by WhoPotterVian
The Power of the Doctor is the new series Caves of Androzani. It's an utter masterpiece and succeeds as both a regeneration episode and a Centenary Special.
Review of Legend of the Sea Devils by WhoPotterVian
Oh my God, what an episode! I loved that. So much fun. The Sea Devils have never been better, we got some incredible sword fighting to fit in with the pirate theme, and some great moments between the Doctor and Yaz. And, of course, Dan is hilarious as always!
And the Centenary Special looks bloody incredible . Not only Ace, but Tegan Jovanka too! And Tegan wasn't even rumoured to be returning! I am so hyped for this October.
Review of Eve of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
Well that was a ridiculously fun episode. Great humour, great use of the time loop tropes and some very nice Dan-Yaz and Doctor-Yaz moments. Can't wait for the Sea Devils to FINALLY return this Easter! I've been hoping they'd do that for ages!
This review contains spoilers
Review of Revolution of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
As those of you who follow me on Twitter know, I'd been looking forward to this episode more than ever, and it did not disappoint. Revolution of the Daleks was a thrilling ride from start to finish; so much was packed into that 73 minutes; Captain Jack's return was exactly what I wanted, and more. His chemistry and interactions with Jodie Whittaker's Doctor was just as I pictured they would be in my head; it's clear that Chibnall knows exactly how to write for Jack, and John Barrowman plays the part so effortlessly.
Jodie Whittaker gave her best performance yet. I absolutely loved her little nicknames for the monsters in the prison, the escape with Jack, and her confrontation with the Dalek Death Squad.
But honestly, her stand-out moment overall was that amazing exchange between the Doctor and Ryan about the events of The Timeless Children. The character work in this episode was outstanding; Chibnall really dug into the fam and their individual personalities here, and what makes them tick. The companions now feel more developed than ever.
It was a really unique Dalek plot also; a narrative revolving around a human being creating their own Daleks and growing a Kaled mutant is really unique, and the imagery of Daleks alongside riot police is quite arresting. It all feels strangely topical to 2020 despite it being filmed in 2019, what with talk of uncertainty and the Dalek tear gas.
So great to see a Dalek Civil War again too. That hasn't been done since Remembrance of the Daleks!
I'm relieved Graham didn't die. Thank God the option of him returning has been teased and left open, and it was nice to see things come full circle with Ryan trying once again to ride his bike.
Loved Jack's reference to Gwen Cooper, even if it's a shame we didn't see Torchwood. And John Bishop as a new companion? Great news!
Review of The Timeless Children by WhoPotterVian
Wow...okay.... that's going to divide the fandom! A truly astounding piece of television, so gripping, action-packed and utterly game-changing. The Doctor is back to being a fully mysterious figure again, we don't even know her species any more!
My only criticism is the same as last week: Captain Jack should have been there. He was clearly heavily linked to the Lone Cyberman arc, and his absence makes literally no sense. How did Chibnall not think at any point during writing process 'Hang on, I need Jack'?
That cliffhanger though...bloody hell, how is the Doctor going to get out of that? And how are the fam going to cope without her? It feels like watching the RTD era all over again!
Review of Ascension of the Cybermen by WhoPotterVian
Well that was a whopper of the first part of a Cyberman story. Like with World Enough And Time/The Doctor Falls, you really got the sense of the Cybermen as an unstoppable threat and no idea how Yaz and Graham are going to survive. Only criticism is that Jack really needed to be there, because his warning about the Lone Cyberman linked him too closely with the Cyberman story. He has to be in the eecond part, otherwise his warning makes no sense; you have to know about something in order to be able to warn about it in the first place! (NB: Jack did not return in The Timeless Children).
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Haunting of Villa Diodati by WhoPotterVian
There is no other word for that episode than utterly fantastic. I loved the spooky haunted house vibe, the stuff with the constantly changing house and Ashad The Lone Cyberman. Its design is impeccable, and the Cyberman having no emotional inhibitor is unique.
Jodie Whittaker's speech about sometimes not always being able to win and not wanting to lose someone else to the Cyber-conversion is going to go down in Who history as one of the all-time greats. Yet another instant classic after three already in one series.
Review of Can You Hear Me? by WhoPotterVian
Wow, that was something really special. Lovely character moments, creepy villains and stunning cinematography. Those detaching fingers were so unsettling! Loved the animated sequence, and the stuff with the Doctor and Graham, and Graham's cancer.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Praxeus by WhoPotterVian
A solid episode of Doctor Who. Intriguing mystery with the Praxeus virus and some brilliant character moments. Missed opportunity not making it a Sea Devils return though, because this episode's plot would have been perfect for them.
The Praxeus virus mystery with the birds was interesting, but they probably could have done more with the premise, and the Jake moment should probably have been left as a sacrifice rather than the Doctor saving him from the ship last minute.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Fugitive of the Judoon by WhoPotterVian
Captain Jack has made his glorious return. I have been campaigning for that on Twitter for years, ever since he never showed up during Matt Smith's time as the Doctor. The #BringBackJack hashtag has paid off!
I couldn't watch live at the time because I was working, but Jack's return more than made up for it. And finally: a black Doctor, who by the way is bloody phenomenal casting. I loved everything about that episode. It was everything I wanted from Series 12 in one episode!
Review of Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror by WhoPotterVian
Well that was a great episode! Some lovely scenes between 13 and Tesla, a great new alien menace and Jodie Whittaker delivers another strong performance. All the Thomas Edison hating was weird though. He did invent the light bulb.
Review of Orphan 55 by WhoPotterVian
Well that was another really strong episode of Doctor Who. Some more scary new monsters again, great 13 and Graham moments and a very powerful ending reminiscent of Girl In the Fireplace, only with a companion.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Spyfall, Part 2 by WhoPotterVian
Bloody hell, that was everything I wanted from the conclusion of the two parter and more. Loved the confrontations between 13 and the Master, loved the dark stuff with 13 wiping Ayda’s mind despite her clear protests...and the destroyed Gallifrey...WOW.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Spyfall, Part 1 by WhoPotterVian
Amazing!
So much action and suspense from start to finish, and the new aliens were creepy. Loved the cinematography with the weird forest Yaz then later the Doctor ended up in, the spy stuff, the EPIC James Bond-esque music and I did not see that 'O' Master reveal coming.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Resolution by WhoPotterVian
Pretty epic. Love the episode's snazzy Dalek redesign, the extra weaponry and just how cunning the recon scout Dalek is. Its new abilities are amazing too; I was genuinely horrified when it took over Lynn - much better than the Moffat era Dalek puppets.
And then when you thought the Dalek had been defeated with the microwave (what would typically be the RTD era Dalek solution) but the Kaled mutant had actually taken over Aaron Sinclair's body - possibly one of the best fake resolutions in any Doctor Who episode ever.
Chibnall wrote a belter of a Dalek story here.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Shadow of Death by WhoPotterVian
This one is a bit of a dull story. Something sends the TARDIS off-course, and they land on the base of this dead planet orbiting a pulsar. Some sort of time creature is stalking the TARDIS crew and a group of humans who are studying this alien city, and there's also some strange things concerning time running differently inside the base in comparison to on the planet's surface.
It's kind of reminiscent of the later 2017 story World Enough And Time/The Doctor Falls (although the latter does the time running differently concept much better in my opinion) and also the episode of The Daleks' Master Plan where Sara Kingdom dies. There are some nice moments, such as the scene where the Doctor receives a psychic message from the Eleventh Doctor and the Second Doctor remarks on their similarities, and Frazer Hines does a fantastic job at narrating it, but I feel like more could have been done with the story overall. It plods along too slowly, and probably could have been told in forty minutes rather than an hour.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Mind Robber (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
This one feels the most important to the Doctor's future, considering that the opening and closing scenes follow two companions who had their memories wiped like the Doctor. I can see the emotional throughline where Zoe speaks of the cruelty of memory wiping flowing into Donna's situation, and the hint that Jamie and Zoe may get to keep their returned memories perhaps suggests an optimistic end for Donna too.
Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury are a delight, and effortlessly slip back into their roles. Frazer Hines, in particular, is excellent, with a somehow even more convincing Scottish accent than when he was in the show.
The story itself, The Mind Robber, is a wonderfully unique affair. I admire the fantastical edge of this void where fictional creations such as Gulliver and Rapunzel can meet, and the TARDIS's collapse is a stunning visual. Jamie doesn't get a ton to do, which admittedly is partly due to Frazer Hines' illness at the time of recording, but they at least find a creative solution for Jamie's brief recast, with the Doctor getting his face wrong during the facial puzzle.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The War Games by WhoPotterVian
The War Games saw two milestones for Doctor Who. The first is that it's the longest Doctor Who story to date (unless you count Trial Of A Time Lord as one story) told in a whopping 10 episodes. The second is that it's the first mention of the name of the Doctor's species and their first appearance onscreen as the Time Lords (a Time Lord had been seen in The Time Meddler as the Meddling Monk but he was never referred to as such).
What makes this serial remarkable however is that over 10 episodes the story never drags. The War Games sees the Doctor taking on the War Chief (Edward Brayshaw), who has taken many historical armies including the Romans and World War 1 fighters out of time and thrown them into simulated versions of the wars they fought. This story feels like it's at exactly the right length and is a suitably epic finale for Patrick Troughton's Doctor. It's a story that echoes elements of the Moffat Era with all these various armies from Earth's history together. You could easily imagine Steven Moffat doing this.
The War Chief is also a great villain superbly played by Edward Brayshaw. It's a shame he never returned to the series as he is brilliant and could easily have become an iconic character to rival the Master. There is even a popular fan theory that he is a past incarnation of the Master and this would make a lot of sense as he shares a lot of the same qualities.
What makes this serial a true classic however are the last two episodes with the Time Lords. There is really no surprise that the Time Lords became such a recognisable alien species from the show. There's a nice element of ambiguity about them that directly mirrors the Doctor's own and you never quite where their moral compass with fall. This is more evident with new series Time Lords but it is arguably still noticeable here given their non-interference policy perhaps leading to the Earth undefended by the Doctor if they didn't decide to let him protect at least Earth. You could easily see the Time Lords allowing Earth to be invaded by the Autons and Nestene Consciousness but equally they interfered with the War Chief's plans. That's what's great about the Time Lords: you never know if they are allies or enemies.
Of course, you can't do a review of any regeneration story without mentioning the Doctor bowing out. Patrick Troughton is absolutely amazing here as his Doctor and is extremely believable at portraying his incarnation in a position where for once the evil cannot be 'fought' with him and his companions alone. You truly believe this is a desperate time for the Doctor where he has no other option but to call in his own people and his speech about his so-called 'interference' to the Time Lords is heartwarming and echoes an earlier one from The Moonbase. This is arguably among the strongest acting and writing the classic series ever saw.
Overall, the War Games is an epic 200 minute regeneration story for the 2nd Doctor and one that was a giant milestone for the show.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Invasion by WhoPotterVian
Spearhead From Space may have been the start of the UNIT era of the show but The Invasion was a story the production team designed to foreshadow it. It was basically to Spearhead From Space what Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead is to The Eleventh Hour: introducing audiences to the type of stories that will be told in the upcoming new era. In Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead we're introduced to the notion of time travel playing with the way the Doctor meets people. Then in The Eleventh Hour, we see time travel utilised so the Doctor meets his new companion Amy Pond as a child first, before meeting her as a grown-up companion. In The Invasion, meanwhile, audiences are made familiar with the concept of the Doctor working alongside UNIT to stop alien invasions.
The Invasion sees the Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Jamie (Frazer Hines) arrive in London looking for Travers after being fired at in space by an unknown entity. They arrive at Watkins' house to find model Isobel Watkins (Sally Faulkner), who tells them Travers has moved to America and her father Professor Watkins is staying there instead. It's not long before the TARDIS crew are drawn into a mystery concerning Watkins' mysterious disappearance (he has been missing for weeks). They learn that he works for International Electromatics and the Doctor and Jamie decide to investigate the company. After being gassed by two men watching via a video link, Tobias Vaughn (Kevin Stoney) orders security chief Packer (Peter Halliday) to take them to his office. Before long, the Doctor and Jamie cross paths with UNIT (who are investigating International Electromatics) who they find is led by their friend Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney) from The Web of Fear, who is now a Brigadier.
Episode One of The Invasion sees the TARDIS crash in a field on Earth when it comes into contact with missiles. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury) decide to find Professor Travers to help them prepare a circuit from their ship. They ring the doorbell. A young model - Isobel Watkins (Sally Faulkner) answers. She tells them that Travers is in America with his daughter Anne and her father Professor Watkins is staying in the house. Watkins works for International Electromatics and has been missing for weeks. The Doctor and Jamie decide to pay a visit to the company where he works believing Travers can help them with the repair of the circuit. In episode four, the Doctor rescues Jamie from a container containing what is later revealed to be a Cyberman. Zoe and Isobel are brought into the building by Tobias Vaughn's (Kevin Stoney) guards and taken prisoner so that they can be used as bait. Tobias threatens to the Doctor that Zoe will face the consequences if he and Jamie don't hand themselves in. UNIT save the Doctor, companions and Isobel with a helicopter: Zoe and Isobel climb through the window in the room they are imprisoned in and the helicopter pilots throw down a rope ladder for the group. The Brigadier tells them that he suspects that the ship found on the dark side of the moon and International Electromatics' deep space transmitter may link into current UFO sightings. The Doctor thinks the crates they discovered links in and decides he must go back to International Electromatics with Jamie to investigate.
Kevin Stoney is amazing as Tobias Vaughn. I have absolutely no idea why I forgot to say that for my review of The Invasion as he is without a doubt one of the show's best one-off villains. He has a very strong sinister presence and the way he plays Vaughn with such a cold, quietly menacing demeanour is captivating to watch. Of course, in two of these episodes we only get it through animation but the animators did a good job at capturing Kevin Stoney's mannerisms from the other episodes.
In fact, some may say the animators here have an advantage over, say, the animators of Power of the Daleks - who only have a few surviving clips to go on. That doesn't stop The Invasion's animated episodes from being top-class animation though. It is somewhat unsurprising that the animation is so strong given that the episodes were made by the team behind Danger Mouse - Cosgrove Hall - but everything looks so rich, crispy and detailed. Granted, it's not to the quality of Disney cartoons but animated Doctor Who episodes are never going to have that kind of budget. The Cosgrove Hall animations have been the best animated representation Doctor Who is ever going to get for a while (although judging by the trailer for The Power of the Daleks it looks like that's soon going to change). The animation here is so engrossing to watch that you forget about the Cybermen's absence until the end of episode 4 (despite this being a Cyberman serial).
What really works about the animation is the genius decision to animate it in black and white. With the releases of The Reign of Terror, The Moonbase, Planet of Giants and The Ice Warriors it is easy to forget that black and white may not have been the standard for animated missing episodes of Doctor Who before 2006. It is thanks to the decision made by Cosgrove Hall that we get these animations in black and white. Black and white is extremely effective for missing William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton serials not just because the real episodes were black and white (making the animation authentic) but also because it's very atmospheric. One of the things I enjoy about watching Hartnell and Troughton era Doctor Who is the atmosphere that the episodes not being in colour provides. An Unearthly Child wouldn't be the same colourised - and the same goes for The Invasion. Black and white adds to the 'hide behind the sofa' value of Doctor Who; it gifts a certain chill to proceedings that wouldn't be there if they had been filmed in colour.
One of the things you want from an animation recreating a missing episode like this is for the characters to look like the actors they represent - and this is certainly true here. They look exactly like them, meaning that watching the animation mixed with the live-action isn't a distracting experience at all.
The best character design in my opinion is that of the second Doctor. The animated Doctor basically is Patrick Troughton here and from pictures of recent animation efforts I don't think any other company has even come close to providing a better likeness than here...that was before the Power of the Daleks announcement. That's right: the animation company behind The Power of the Daleks has somehow managed to improve on Cosgrove Hall's second Doctor:
The thing I find most incredible about The Invasion animations though is the quality of the off-air audio recording. It sounds as though it was recorded today rather than nearly fifty years in the past. The sound is crystal clear and you can hear everything that is said perfectly. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it sounds almost as though it was recorded especially for the animated episodes. There's no obvious sound problems, no sudden dip in the quality between the audio of the surviving episodes and the missing episodes' audio. It's simply a perfect recording and helps contribute to what is arguably the best animated representation of missing Doctor Who episodes so far...until Power of the Daleks, of course, which is obviously going to be awesome.
The Invasion is a very bold and successful story for the show as despite the fact that it takes four out of eight episodes for the story's monsters to turn up (the Cybermen) it never drags or feels particularly slow. The entire story is immersive and well-paced, especially compared to something like The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood from the new series (which feels slow and drawn-out). I actually would have liked to have seen more Decond Doctor stories like this as he works extremely well with UNIT. Patrick Troughton and Nicholas Courtney have so much chemistry together and it's a shame Nicholas Courtney didn't appear in more Patrick Troughton serials.
The most noticeable thing about this serial is that it feels as though it's among the higher-budgeted of the classic series serials. Like The Enemy of the World, it has a helicopter but there are also many different locations such as the Watkins' house, Tobias Vaughn's office, UNIT's mobile HQ and the sewers. The serial was also filmed in London, which no doubt would have cost a lot at the time. I'd say most of season six's budget was probably spent on this serial. If so, it definitely shows and it makes it a good serial for any Whovians who have currently only watched the new series but want to give the classic series a go. They won't be as distracted by the shoestring budget as with other serials such as The Invisible Enemy or The Krotons.
The one thing that might put off Whovians who have only seen the new series is something I've already mentioned: the fact it takes four episodes before the Cybermen show up. Personally I would argue this is one of the serial's strong points. The slow build-up invasion is very effective for this serial as it allows the focus to be more on the sinister Tobias Vaughn than if the Cybermen had been in the story from the start and subsequently overshadowed him. Once they do return, it's more than worth the wait. You get some truly iconic shots, such as the Cybermen marching down the steps of St Paul's Cathedral or the Cybermen in the sewers. These are shots that have been a huge inspiration for the new series, with the Cybermen St Paul's Cathedral shot rehashed in Dark Water/Death In Heaven.
It's a shame Sally Faulkener's Isobel Watkins didn't become a companion after this serial as she is brilliant. I would have loved to have seen Isobel travelling in the TARDIS alongside Jamie and Zoe; it would have offered a nice dynamic. Perhaps the Second Doctor could have got frustrated each time she spends too long deliberating over what to wear before leaving the TARDIS? Whatever they'd have done, Sally Faukener clearly has a lot of chemistry with Wendy Padbury in particular and it is always nice to see a young strong female character (Isobel bravely takes pictures of the Cybermen in the sewers) comparable to a modern day contemporary character than one from the 60s. The classic series did have a good track record for strong female characters - Barbara Wright, for example - and Isobel continued the show's trend at the time to be ahead of its time. Of course, the show's main cast are all on top form in this serial as usual - especially Patrick Troughton when he expresses his annoyance at the answering machine at International Electromatics - and Nicholas Courtney is brilliant but Sally Faulkener steals the show as Isobel Watkins.
Overall, The Invasion is one of the show's best serials to feature the Cybermen. It is expertly paced and features one of Doctor Who's all-time greatest one-off characters in Isobel Watkins. It is a shame that she never became a companion as she is a brilliant character and Sally Faulkener displays a lot of chemistry alongside the show's cast in the story. I looked to see if Big Finish have ever used the character but unfortunately they haven't. Hopefully one day they will as she deserves to return in some form.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Enemy of the World by WhoPotterVian
In 2013, two missing stories were recovered by a missing films hunter called Phil Morris; one was complete, the other missing only one episode out of six. The complete one was Enemy of the World, a story featuring Patrick Troughton playing two characters: the Doctor himself and a ruthless dictator called Salamander.
The plot is a relatively simple one. The Doctor and his companions Jamie and Victoria arrive in the near future (2018), where the Doctor is mistaken for Salamander by a group of spies and is persuaded to use his uncanny resemblance to bring him down before he causes the end of the world through creating natural disasters. The first thing to note is this doesn't feel like a Doctor Who story; it is a strange entity as it feels more like a spy thriller. Salamander is more 'Bond villain' than one who usually appears in the show. Also, the story has a surprisingly dark ending where the TARDIS doors are opened and Salamander falls out into the time vortex. It's a nice break from the usual but it never feels quite as engaging as a typical Doctor Who story.
The best thing to watch this serial for is Patrick Troughton in his dual role. Patrick Troughton does a fantastic job as both his incarnation of the Doctor and Salamander; it's amazing how he manages to make both characters different from each other even though he is having to juggle playing both. He slips effortlessly back into playing the Doctor after taking a turn at Salamander and vice versa. It feels like watching two different actors rather than just one; I think it is a shame the new series didn't attempt this in series 9 by having an episode set in Pompeii so Peter Capaldi could play both the Doctor and Caelicius because it would be interesting to see how the new series would handle it.
The settings and production work are also great. The production values here are excellent. The serial feels expensive, especially with location filming on a beach and the stuff with the lift that goes underground to the people who believe a nuclear war has devastated the Earth. Everything feels like it cost more than other serials at the time and alongside that you can tell the production crew put in a lot of work.
Overall, The Enemy of the World isn't quite as engaging as your average Doctor Who story but it's still a recommended watch due to Patrick Troughton's fantastic dual performance and the impressively high production values. There is even a helicopter.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Macra Terror by WhoPotterVian
A really clever and thought-provoking tale about a major cover-up in a human colony. It’s quite reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984, with the colonists brainwashed into believing everything is fine and “There’s no such thing as Macra”, and I like that Ben becomes brainwashed by the Macra too. It raises the personal stakes nicely, and adds an interesting bit of conflict between Ben, the Doctor and his friends.
This review contains spoilers
Review of LEGO Dimensions by WhoPotterVian
I have a certain fondness for the LEGO games, so when I found out LEGO were going to be taking on my favourite TV series as part of LEGO Dimensions I was more than a little excited. Especially when it turned out Doctor Who would be getting a level pack - a level that's designed to show what a LEGO game based on the franchise would look like by providing a level.
As you would expect for a LEGO game, the story's pretty basic so there's no complex paradoxes here. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) arrives in a future London where the Daleks have launched a wide invasion. In order to stop the Dalek invasion, he must travel back to Victorian and 2015 London (where a familiar junkyard can be found) before using a teleporter in future London to arrive on the Dalek spaceship and fight Davros (Julian Bleach). What's really cool with this story is how it combines a classic series feel with a new series vibe. You basically have the timey wimey element of the Moffat era with a plot that bares obvious similarities to The Dalek Invasion of Earth (which the game developer Traveller's Tales lovingly poke fun at themselves with by calling it 'The Dalek Extermination of Earth'). This kind of feels like how that classic 1964 serial would have looked like if it had been a LEGO animation with a big budget. Obviously Davros wouldn't have been included considering he wasn't introduced until Genesis of the Daleks but apart from that you could imagine this is what the production team would have gone for with LEGO's resources.
There are so many nice references to the show throughout this videogame level too, such as the I.M. Foreman junkyard and all the Doctors in the LEGO recreation of the current title sequence. Davros even appears in his Remembrance of the Daleks look. There is no doubt about it that Traveller's Tales are massive fans of the show. One moment that many other Whovians like myself are sure to love is when you have to rescue Clara Oswald from a K1 Robot from Tom Baker's debut serial as the Doctor 'Robot'.
LEGO is the perfect fit for Doctor Who too. The LEGO games often rely on puzzle solving and this is fitting with the TV series. The show does, after all, encourage the use of brains over brawn in order to solve situations. It's probably the best way to do a Doctor Who game that feels appropriate for the show. One part of the game requires you to move the Doctor around a Pac-Man style maze and hit four red buttons in order to hack a computer terminal. It may sound odd written like this but these Pac-Man mazes offer a lot of fun and variety to the gameplay, which some would argue the LEGO games need after using their successful formula for so long.
The most amazing thing about the Doctor Who level pack, however, is that not only do you get a level but you get every incarnation of the Doctor. That's right: as well as Peter Capaldi you get William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and even John Hurt. Each Doctor has their respective TARDIS console rooms too. William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton's are in black and white! This is only a small portion of the LEGO Dimensions game but the attention to detail is incredible. The Adventure World (basically, a hub world) itself has Present Day London, Skaro, Mars, Trenzalore and even the Cybermen's second home planet Telos.
Every voice actor used for the characters is from the series too. Peter Capaldi voices the Doctor, Jenna Coleman is Clara, Michelle Gomez is Missy, Julian Bleach plays Davros, Nicholas Briggs voices the Daleks and Cybermen, Neve McIntosh voices Vastra, Dan Starkey is Strax and they even have John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. This allows for a very authentic take on the TV series, meaning it actually feels like playing in the world of the TV show recreated in LEGO. Even the other Doctors have voice clips taken from the TV series, when they could easily have been left mute like other characters in the game such as Bart Simpson.
Overall, The Dalek Extermination of Earth is a brilliant LEGO Doctor Who level pack for the fantastic game LEGO Dimensions and one any Whovian should buy. It's an authentic LEGO take on the series full of many fan references and voiced by actors from the show. The gameplay is relevant to the series' theme of brain over brawn and the story nicely acknowledges the classic series serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth. I hope at some point we get a fully-fledged Doctor Who videogame or at the very least some more NFC minifigures (Strax has seemingly leaked out as one who will be playable at some point) as it would be a shame if this and the Cyberman fun pack were to be the only LEGO Doctor Who videogame content.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Stockbridge Showdown by WhoPotterVian
It's amazing to think that not only has Doctor Who Magazine lasted 500 issues, but that by doing so it has broken the Guinness World Record for longest running TV tie-in magazine. One of my favourite features about DWM has always been the comic strip so it's nice that it formed a major part of the magazine's celebrations.
The Stockbridge Showdown sees the 12th Doctor return to Stockbridge, a prominent village in the Doctor's magazine adventures. The TARDIS has 'found' UFO spotter Maxwell Edison who the Doctor needs as 'local knowledge' to find the cause of some temporal distortions. This quite rightly feels like a celebration of Doctor Who Magazine, with popular comic characters from the magazine's past 500 issues returning such as Frobisher, Magenta Price and of course, Maxwell himself. The problem is that some of these character inclusions feel forced and don't really compliment the narrative. The story is good overall for a comic strip although I can't help but think it would have worked better as just a 12th Doctor and Max tale.
My other problem with is that the conclusion feels a bit rushed and somewhat convenient. Don't get me wrong, the twist of who the trap is really for is clever but it feels more than a little forced, especially the way Frobisher is revealed. The comic strip had a few extra pages than usual but with the number of characters featured in the strip it would probably have benefitted from numerous parts. One thing you can't deny though is that it does undeniably feel comic book-y with the numerous characters featured. It wouldn't be a story that would work on TV but as a comic strip it is workable.
The use of different artists from DWM's past didn't quite work in its favour either. It's a great idea to have numerous artists like Dave Gibbons and Adrian Salmon work on one strip but ultimately in execution it didn't pay off. There are too many comic strip styles on display and the whole thing feels disjointed rather than one whole piece. It's like the artists couldn't agree on one style to use so opted for different ones. It can occasionally make for a muddled and confusing read as the sudden change drags you out of the story.
The dialogue by Dave Gibbons and Roger Langridge is brilliant though. They have got the characterisation of the 12th Doctor perfect and clearly know their DWM history. In fact, it feels like a natural progression from the 12th Doctor as seen in The Husbands of River Song (interesting fact: this is actually the first Doctor-only, no Clara comic strip from DWM). The dialogue is completely faultless and probably one of the most authentic 12th Doctor comic strips I have read.
Overall, The Stockbridge Showdown certainly isn't among DWM's best comic strips. The dialogue is strong and the idea of using different artists from the magazine's history is a good one but unfortunately it just doesn't quite gel in execution and a lot of the characters feel somewhat forced into the narrative rather than fitting in naturally.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Fourth Wall by WhoPotterVian
Sometimes the word 'gimmick' is thrown around too often as a negative thing. 'Oh, it's just a gimmick', people say. 'It doesn't matter'. Personally, I don't mind gimmicks. Gimmicks are fun - and what's wrong with that? You don't hear people complain about watching films or television shows because they're 'fun' so why should a gimmick be seen as a bad thing? You may wonder how this relates to the review I am writing. Well, the Twelfth Doctor strip The Fourth Wall is one of those gimmicks.
The Fourth Wall sees the Doctor and Clara arrive at a comic book shop, to find that customers to the comic store have been trapped in the very comics they have been reading. The Doctor's attention is drawn towards a comic book series baring remarkable similarities to his adventures - 'Time Surgeon' - and starts to skip through the pages when he is trapped inside the book. It's up to Clara and one of the comic store staff to team up to save the Doctor and the customers who have been trapped in the comic books.
The gimmick I refer to here is the Doctor's interactions with the comic strip environment. Not only does he communicate with the reader through the panels of the strip but he also interacts with the white bars that separate the panels. The way the narrative plays with the comic strip and the interaction with the environment is extremely clever and helps to enhance the story; at one point, for example, the Doctor breaks one of the white bars with his Sonic Screwdriver in order to escape a comic panel. It's fun to see a comic book story have its characters interact with the comic strip and display a Deadpool-esque awareness that they are inside one. I wouldn't want to see this done with every Doctor Who strip but as a one-off it shows real imagination and innovation from the writers.
The notion of people trapped inside comic books is also something that feels appropriately like a Steven Moffat story. Writer Robbie Morrison does a great job of taking an everyday object like a comic book and turning it into a credible threat. He also shows a clear love and dedication for the comic strip medium; at its most basic, the story is a love letter to comic books told by somebody who is clearly a comic book fan. This is the kind of story that I wouldn't just recommend to Whovians but also those who love the comic book medium.
You can also tell Robbie Morrison is a keen watcher of the show. The characterisations of the Doctor and Clara are perfect. I heard Jenna Coleman's voice when reading Clara's speech bubbles more than I did when reading any other Titan Comics Doctor Who strip and the twelfth Doctor feels like he was actually written by one of Doctor Who's current writers. The Fourth Wall is a comic that you could easily imagine being told on-screen; I don't know if it would have worked as well as a television episode but it does seem like an adventure that fits into the current era of the show.
The Fourth Wall also contains some of the best comic book art of the Twelfth Doctor series. Some of the panels are extremely vibrant and really bump off the page, especially the comic panel where the Doctor and his new friend Natalie have broken from the comic panels and travelling through dimensions of comic history (featuring some nice floating panels of the previous twelfth Doctor year two story). It's visually pleasing to look at and captures nice likenesses of the Doctor and Clara.
If I had one complaint of The Fourth Wall, it's the decision to make the monsters of the strip be the Boneless. Whilst the Boneless make sense as monsters yet again breaking out of the two dimension plane of comic book pages and in turn trapping readers within the panels, it just feels too soon for a returning monster after the Sea Devils returned only a monster before. I would have liked to have seen a new monster for a change or perhaps this story later in the run, with new twelfth Doctor and Clara stories between Clara Oswald and the School of Death and The Fourth Wall. I hope the twelfth Doctor comics don't start to make a habit of bringing back returning monsters as whilst it is nice to see them in the comics medium if they do it too often it will become expected rather than a good surprise.
Overall, The Fourth Wall is a fantastic comic book story that uses the medium to its full advantage. The way the Doctor interacts with the comic strip environment is clever and well thought-out by writer Robbie Morrison and the story feels like it belongs in the Moffat era of the show. The Fourth Wall does what the best Doctor Who stories do: it takes an everyday object like comic books and turns them into a credible threat. The characterisations and likenesses of the twelfth Doctor and Clara are at their best here; you won't find a more accurate version of the twelfth Doctor and Clara's adventures together in the Titan Comics range than this one. My only complaint is that the story features yet another returning monster so soon after the Sea Devils in Clara Oswald and the School of Death but it doesn't stop The Fourth Wall from being one of the twelfth Doctor's greatest comic adventures so far.
Review of Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time by WhoPotterVian
As expected from Paul Cornell, so very well-written; it really delves into the characters' thoughts and feelings, and delivers information that would have been impossible to show on TV without a big exposition dump.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Eaters of Light by WhoPotterVian
Still far from the strongest Doctor Who story, but the Target novelisation affords Rona Munro some added depth for the Ninth Legion characters. We get more of Kar's backstory, and the Picts and Legion's attempts to guard the portal, which means their decision to step through the portal to keep the titular monster at bay has more impact.
Bill comes across as weirdly confrontational in the way she's described in the text, particularly at the beginning, when challenging the Doctor's views on what happened to the missing Ninth Legion. Overall, however, this story works much better in prose than it did as a TV episode.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Zygon Invasion by WhoPotterVian
There are some really cool additions to this Target novelization, like a backstory for Bonnie that reveals how she had met a Zygon who took on the form of Danny Pink and called himself 'Clyde'. It does a particularly excellent job at diving deeper into Bonnie's motivations, and why she is so bitter towards the ceasefire.
It's also interesting reading The Day Of The Doctor from Osgood's perspective. It's a neat way of incorporating the flashback to Day of the Doctor at the beginning of the story.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Doctor Falls by WhoPotterVian
The Multi-Master story: a concept that has surprisingly never been done on TV before. Until now. Last year Big Finish released the first ever Multi-Master story in The Two Masters, but this is the first time it has been done in the main series. We've had The Day of the Doctor, this is The Day of the Master. The day many Whovians have waited for all their lives. Thankfully this landmark story more than lives up to the hype of the first Multi-Master adventure - I suspect even the most skeptic Moffat hater would find it hard not to enjoy it.
In World Enough And Time/The Doctor Falls, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) decides to test Missy's (Michelle Gomez) apparent insistence that she wants to turn good, by picking a random distress call and sending her to investigate with the Doctor's companions Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas). They arrive on a Mondasian colony ship, and things quickly go awry [spoiler]when the ship's blue-skinned caretaker Jorj (Oliver lansley) shoots Bill. Partially converted Cybermen take Bill's body to a hospital onboard a ship, where she meets Razor (John Simm), a seemingly friendly man who works at the hospital. Later John Simm's Master confronts Missy; he is concerned about his future as a potential ally of the Doctor, and persuades his later incarnation to team up with him and turn the entire colony ship into a giant Cyber-factory.
The Multi-Master interaction in this story is everything you would hope for. It's funny, menacing, intimidatory and totally unhinged (more in a subtle way as opposed to the clown-like antics of Simm's Master in the RTD era). John Simm and Michelle Gomez have so much chemistry, and their interactions are on par with the Second and Third Doctors in The Three Doctors, or David Tennant and Matt Smith in The Day Of The Doctor.
The ending is absolute perfection for a Multi-Master story - the Simm Master kills Missy, Missy kills the Simm Master. Their Multi-Master interaction ends the only way it could: with utter betrayal.
Some fellow fans were not happy with John Simm's portrayal of the Master as insane in the Russell T Davies era. In this story, however, Steven Moffat has wisely written the part more like the classic series style of the Master and John Simm clearly relishes being able to play the role more like Roger Delgado. Several elements of the classic series Master return, including the use of disguisest (The Razor disguise is fantastic - the prosthetics do a great job of disguising John Simm's face beyond recognition), a goatee, and a more suave and sophisticated demeanour. John Simm is allowed to play the Master as the darker incarnation Russell T Davies wouldn't allow - the way he always wanted to play the Master - and his performance clearly improves for it. It's a significant improvement on the Simm Master's previous appearances, and sees John Simm fast become one of the best incarnations of the Master of all time. He almost gives Michelle Gomez a run for her money.
Michelle Gomez still remains my favourite Master. She is the Tom Baker of the Masters in my view - the one who people will look back on in years to come as the definitive Master. Michelle Gomez has given her incarnation so much depth and complexity, and Steven Moffat has written the incarnation with so much ambiguity you have no idea what she's going to do next. She's not a black and white villain, she's so much more than that. She could look to be helping the Doctor one minute, then completely stab him in the back the next. Here the mystery surrounding Missy's motives is played with to great effect in that it's never entirely clear at any given moment whether she's helping the Doctor or she has truly joined forces with her previous incarnation. At one point she tells the Doctor 'I was on your side all along', only to climb a ladder hanging from a ship piloted by Nardole and attempt to leave the Doctor behind with the Cybermen. She claims to Nardole he's dead, and Simm's Master repeats her claims. This ambiguity feels very Hitchcockian, which feels oddly appropriate for a story featuring the Cybermen.
There's a very dark vibe throughout, and the story feels like it's deliberately evoking the Philip Hinchcliffe era of Doctor Who. Missy and the Master have a very disturbing romance - they dance and flirt with each other, and it's clear Simm's Master has feelings for Missy - in a way that feels like it would have almost certainly received an avalanche of complaints from Mary Whitehouse. The romance between these characters is so creepy it feels almost like it belongs in the DC Comics' series Gotham. Indeed, Michelle Gomez is even a part of that universe - although John Simm currently isn't.
The dark vibe continues with the use of the Mondasian Cybermen from The Tenth Planet. I wasn't sure whether they would work brilliantly for HD television, but in this instance I'm happy to be wrong. Their low-budget design makes them all the more scary in HD, and at no point does the design look so low-budget in crystal clear imagery that it looks noticeably low-budget. These Cybermen absolutely work for modern television, and there is a strong narrative reason for why the Tenth Planet Cybermen are there. This is the 'genesis of the Cybermen' - as Simm's Master calls it - onboard a Mondasian colony ship, so this design is needed for the story to work. Some diehard fans may worry that this contradicts Big Finish's Spare Parts, but as this takes place away from Mondas both origins can exist in the same continuity.
I'm glad Steven Moffat decided to do this story, because it is by far the most terrifying the Cybermen have ever been in the new series - and arguably in the show's entire history. World Enough And Time/The Doctor Falls is full-on horror, with scenes such as partially converted Cybermen chanting the word 'pain' as Bill walks down a hospital ward and references to the Cybermen converting children because 'there's less waste'.
At one point, we see a fully-converted Cyber-Bill who believes she is human discover the truth that she has become a Mondasian Cyberman by staring into a mirror; it's a shocking moment that brings to mind classic Doctor Who serials such as The Ark In Space or The Brain of Morbius in its disturbing imagery.
The cinematography is excellent throughout, with the Mondasian Cybermen largely kept darkly-lit or in orangey apocalyptic lighting. They do appear in a bright environment with the solar farm in The Doctor Falls, but the design is surprisingly not hampered by that. They still appear threatening, and no design flaws are exposed when they are in the open.
There's also a great moment where you see Bill in the human form she thinks she still carries and the shadow of her actual Cyber self on the wall.
It's a nice touch that adds to the classic Jeykll and Hyde-esque imagery.
Talking about Cybermen, it's important to note that this isn't just a Multi-Master story but it's also a Multi-Cyberman one. We see more than one variation of the Cybermen, and it's a delight to see them share the screen. The Cybus Cybermen and the Gaiman Cybermen appear alongside the Mondasian Cybermen; neither feel like they steal the spotlight from the Mondasian Cybermen, and the Multi-Cyberman aspect is executed better than the Multi-Dalek stuff in Asylum Of The Daleks. It even works better than the Multi-Dalek element of The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar; having more than one variation of the Cybermen is explained through the colony ship experiencing time dilation - time passes faster at the bottom of the ship and slower at the top. This means when the Mondasian Cybermen are at the bottom of the ship they have years to upgrade themselves into the Gaiman variation, whereas for any Mondasian Cybermen who, say, find themselves at the top where time is slower only ten seconds pass.
This two part finale sees without a doubt the best performance Peter Capaldi has ever given as his incarnation of the Doctor. It will be sad to see him go, especially when his acting here shows he has so much more to give. The way he screams 'NO!' in this episode when Missy appears to decide not to stand with him is one of the most powerful moments of his incarnation, and on the strength of this acting abilities here he deserves to win a National TV Award for 'Best Actor' next year. Hell, he deserves to win an Oscar.
As does Pearl Mackie. The Series 10 trailers for Pearl Mackie did her no justice, the promotional material making her performance look rather one-note. She's far from that. Pearl Mackie has been a revelation as Bill Potts, delivering one of the best companion portrayals in the series so far. She is instantly endearing, and gets an utterly fantastic exit from the show. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's one of the best companion departures the show has ever done.
Bill remains a Cyberman right to the very end, and when her end approaches her essence is saved by Heather (Stephanie Hyam) from The Pilot. The consequences of travelling with the Doctor still remain, Bill is still dead but her spirit continues in puddle form travelling the universe with her true love.
I criticised Stephanie Hyam in my review of The Pilot, but here she does a great job. It's only a small cameo appearance, but Heather feels less void of personality and more like a real person (or as real a sentient space puddle zombie can be). She's not a highlight of the episode by any means, but it is definitely a step-up from her appearance in The Pilot.
Matt Lucas is enjoyable as usual in the role of Nardole, and the character fulfils an important function in the story of helping defend the solar farm against the Cybermen with grenades disguised as apples. His exit feels a bit more random, and noticeably similar to a classic series-style departure.
He falls in love with Hazran (Samantha Spiro), the mother of a group of children, and the Doctor leaves him to help aid their escape to a solar farm on a higher level of the colony ship.
The ending is a little ambiguous in that we have no idea if they manage to survive or if the Cybermen follow them up to the next solar farm and launch an assault on them; it's unfortunate that a character who many have grown to love has been given such an unsatisfactory ending to his story, and I hope that one day Big Finish carry on his story in a Nardole spin-off set.
If David Bradley playing the First Doctor hadn't already leaked, the way this episode ended would have been the most unpredictable cliffhanger ever. Unfortunately the leak means that you are expecting David Bradley to turn up when he does, as we return to where the story began - the Doctor leaving the TARDIS in a snowy landscape (possibly the South Pole from The Tenth Planet) and refuses to regenerate. This time the scene continues beyond that point, and it's really no surprise when David Bradley comes into view as the First Doctor. Whilst it can't be helped that there's a certain irony to David Bradley stating he is 'the original' (no, that's William Hartnell), he does an amazing job in this fleeting cliffhanger cameo. David Bradley is so much like William Hartnell playing the First Doctor here, it's eery. He looks, sounds and acts exactly like the First Doctor we all know and love.
Overall, World Enough And Time/The Doctor Falls is without a doubt one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time. It's Peter Capaldi's Caves Of Androzani, demonstrating the sheer quality and darkness that classic series serial is known for. This delivers exactly what you would expect from the first Multi-Master story, and is possibly the most unsettling the Cybermen have ever been. The Cybermen have never been a greater threat, and there has never been a better exit for a companion than the departure Pearl Mackie's Bill gets here. If any story was to challenge The Day Of The Doctor for the mantle of 'Greatest Doctor Who story', this would be the one. It's a bonafide classic, and in years to come will be held with as much affection as Genesis Of The Daleks or Earthshock.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Eaters of Light by WhoPotterVian
Since the show was brought back, there has never been a classic series writer return to the show. There's been classic series directors - Graeme Harper - and classic series actors - Elisabeth Sladen, John Leeson, Christopher Benjamin etc.... - but never classic series writers. Until now. Finally a classic series writer has written for the new series - Rona Munro, the writer of the 1989 classic series serial Survival.
The Eaters of Light sees the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) land the TARDIS in Second Century Scotland to test Bill's (Pearl Mackie) theory about what really happened to the missing Ninth Legion of the Roman army. Meanwhile, a light-eating locust has come through a portal from another dimension, and has been feeding on the Roman army...
This episode is probably the closest to the classic series the new series will ever get. Throughout Murray Gold's music is very reminiscent of classic-style incidental scores, and the Doctor is written more in the vein of the classic incarnations of the character. Peter Capaldi plays it brilliantly, and his performance allows the different approach to feel like the same incarnation we've grown to know and love over three series. He bares more similarities to the Series 8 version of the 12th Doctor in this episode than the softer Series 9/10 12, but it makes sense for the character's more pacifist tendencies. The brutality doesn't feel particularly random, the Doctor is simply fed up of the rivalry between two warring factions (Romans and Pictish warriors). It's a return to the theme of 'If we fight like animals, we die like animals!' from Survival.
One improvement the classic series approach has over the new series style is that the guest characters feel more fleshed out. We get to know these characters more; their personalities and what makes them tick. The new series generally tends to treat them as merely functions to the plot, whereas the classic series taught you to care for them as much as you do the TARDIS crew. Here they feel more like people rather than objects for the writer to play with. A particular standout is Lucius (Brian Vernel), a compassionate bisexual Roman soldier who befriends Bill.
Some viewers have taken issue with the past being shown as diverse in both this episode and Thin Ice, but personally I don't see the issue. It sends out a nice message of inclusivity to viewers who are black and/or with a differing sexuality to those of us who are straight. It's the right kind of message Doctor Who should be sending: the Doctor should be teaching the audience that it doesn't matter if you're black, white, blue, straight, gay, bisexual, have one head or no head it's who you are inside that counts. If that means showing a more ideal version of history, then so be it.
There's another and far more interesting choice that this episode makes than a bisexual Roman however. Many new series episodes tend to feature a lot of their monsters; The Eaters of Light, on the other hand, fits into that new series rarity where you rarely see the creature in full. The episode is more like Closing Time, for example, than it is The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon. For most of the story we only see glimpses of the creature, and this is a wise choice because much like Jaws when you see the creature in full its very unconvincing. The CGI appearance of the light-eating locust is poor, and it appears much more threatening when its lurking in the shadows. Once it is revealed you can tell it's not really there; it looks hideously fake, and takes all tension out of the episode.
The episode is also let down by being way too talky. There's too many conversations going on in this story, and it slows the plot down to a stand-still. A lot of the scenes are expository, with Rona Munro deciding to 'tell not show' rather than the more enjoyable 'show not tell'. This episode achieved the lowest AI of the series so far, and it's not surprising. The Eaters of Light is an episode that could have benefitted from stricter script editing to cut out the unnecessary padding and replace it with scenes that strive to show the audience something instead.
Then there are certain occurrences that take place that make the episode feel like it should have aired much earlier in the run. Bill falls down a hole...again, after falling down a hole in the previous episode Empress of Mars too. Nardole (Matt Lucas) nags the Doctor about guarding the vault...despite Missy being in the TARDIS at the end of the previous episode...yet Nardole is surprised to find her there when they return to the TARDIS. Bill doesn't know about the TARDIS translation circuit...despite having been travelling with the Doctor for quite a few adventures since the first episode. It feels as though this episode was originally episode four of the run, and these continuity errors make the story feel out of place. It's a shame more attention wasn't given to the show's continuity, as this is the kind of thing us fans notice.
The final scene between the Doctor and Missy (Michelle Gomez) is nice, if a little too long. Rona Munro clearly understands these characters and their shared history, and whilst it's obvious Missy is playing the Doctor it will be interesting to see what will happen tonight when the Doctor tests whether she is really turning 'good'. There will inevitably be consequences, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is revealed that Missy has been tampering with the TARDIS.
Overall, The Eaters of Light is a dull episode. The guest characters are stronger than usual, and it's interesting to see a classic series style adopted for a new series episode. Unfortunately the episode is let down by too many talky scenes, and the CGI is ropey. There are various plot inconsistencies too that leave the episode feeling out of place in episode ten of the twelve episode run. There's a nice scene between the Doctor and Missy however, which demonstrates how much Rona Munro understands the dynamic between the two characters.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Empress of Mars by WhoPotterVian
It's sad to think that Empress of Mars could be Mark Gatiss's last episode for Doctor Who. The writer has stated he is unsure if he will return, and as someone who has enjoyed the majority of his episodes for the show I will be disappointed if he doesn't return under Chris Chibnall (NB: Mark Gatiss did not return under Chris Chibnall). Mark Gatiss gets a lot of unfair criticism from certain sections of the fanbase; he is essentially the Helen Raynor of the Moffat era, who also received a lot of harsh comments (and in my cases, personal abuse) from Whovians. Empress of Mars is Mark Gatiss's ninth episode for the show, and is probably my least favourite out of his televised stories.
There are some nicely bizarre visual images in this story, and to begin with it has a wonderfully surreal feel. I never thought I'd see a bunch of victorians having a tea party on Mars, or the Ice Warriors waging war on an army of victorian soldiers. It's also nice to finally see an Ice Warrior story set on Mars and exploring more of the race's mythology; the introduction of the Ice Queen is cool and makes a lot of sense given how the Ice Warriors live in hives. She is essentially the queen bee who doesn't want to be disturbed...but of course, this is Doctor Who. If she were to never wake up from her tomb, there would be no story.
Unfortunately the episode quickly runs out of steam. The tea party goes on for way too long, and it takes too much time for the Ice Warriors and their Ice Queen to wake up. The episode adopts more of a classic series style of pacing, and whilst it works with episodes such as Smile that use it to create a sense of mystery here it feels more detrimental to the story. This should be an episode with lots of action; a Doctor Who blockbuster, like Asylum of the Daleks. Instead it's more like The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, and its central idea of human beings as the invaders is interesting but not explored enough for it to be as thought-provoking as its potential would allow it to be.
Then there's the TARDIS misbehaving sub plot, which feels incredibly shoe-horned in and doesn't fit the episode at all. It just comes out of nowhere; Nardole returns to the TARDIS and the ship takes off, returning him to the vault he has been guarding with the Doctor on Earth. The entire sub plot seems to only exist partly so the story arc is featured in the episode and partly because Mark Gatiss didn't know Matt Lucas would be a companion at the time of writing. It's a very strange way to write Matt Lucas out of the main plot when the Doctor could have explained to Bill in one line that he's currently guarding the vault.
Mark Gatiss deserves credit for introducing the amazing Ice Queen however. The Ice Queen is an amazing addition to the Doctor Who universe and a monster who I definitely hope we get to see return sooner rather than later. She gives the Ice Warriors a nice sense of regality which directly mirrors the victorians and their beloved Queen Victoria (a portrait of whom appears in the episode - based on Pauline Collins' take on the monarch); the Ice Queen's presence is so intimidating and the design so memorable that I have a feeling she will become one of the Moffat era's most beloved creations. Here's to many more Ice Warrior stories featuring the excellent Ice Queen, and a load of Big Finish audio dramas chronicling her rise to power. Maybe we might even see standard female Ice Warriors in future?
Of course, one thing you've got to mention in a review of Empress of Mars is the return of Alpha Centauri (and the original voice actor, Ysanne Churchman) - and what a triumphant return it is for everybody's favourite hexapod. Alpha Centauri returns in style, answering a distress call from Mars and welcoming the Ice Warriors to the universe - and subsequently, the Galactic Federation. You see, Empress of Mars is secretly a prequel to The Curse of Peladon and it feels completely natural for the story.
The story leads up to this moment with the introduction of friendly Ice Warrior Friday (Richard Ashton), and it's both Friday and the actions of cowardly Colonel Godsacre (Anthony Calf), who shoots Captain Catchlove (Ferdinand Kingsley) (Who wants to claim Mars in Queen Victoria's name), that brings the end of the Ice Warrior-Victorians war, and sees the Ice Queen forming a peaceful alliance with Godsacre. The Ice Queen is impressed with how Godsacre is prepared to sacrifice a member of his own kind for peace with the Ice Warriors , and this falls nicely in line with the Ice Warriors' code of honour.
Overall, Empress of Mars is possibly Mark Gatiss's weakest story. The episode starts off fine with surreal scenes such as a victorian tea party on Mars but quickly loses steam, and it takes too long for the Ice Warriors and the Ice Queen to wake up. There's a neat return for a classic series character though, and the Ice Queen is awesome.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Lie of the Land by WhoPotterVian
Three parters are a strange beast for the new series of Doctor Who. The first parts either act as prequels to the second and third episode or a totally unconnected story, and whether they even count as 'three parters' is always a hot topic for discussion in the Whovian fandom. Personally I tend to count the prequel-part two-part three structure as a three part and the 'unconnected story' structure as something separate. That means Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End and Name/Day/Time Of The Doctor are not three parters in my book, but Utopia/The Sound Of Drums/Last Of The Time Lords on the other hand certainly is.
Extremis/The Pyramid At The End Of The World/The Lie Of The Land counts too.
The strange thing is that whilst all three are a part of the same story, at the same time they explore three completely different areas of science fiction. The first part, Extremis, is set inside a Matrix-style computer simulation run by the Monks as a way to plan a successful invasion of Earth. Pyramid At The End of The World, meanwhile, is an apocalyptic episode where the Monks are using the approaching doomsday as leverage to persuade the United Nations and leaders of the three most powerful armies in the world - America, Russia and China - to give consent for the Monks to invade. The Lie of The Land, meanwhile, is set in an alternate dystopian world where the Monks have been given consent and Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) are the only ones who know the truth.
It's a clever format for the three parter, and a great way to keep things fresh. Unfortunately it feels like the three parter could have been more easily a two parter, as the first part Extremis fails to deliver the exciting promise of its hook: a book that tells its reader the truth of the world they live in, and all those who read it commit suicide upon their discovery.
It sounds like a relatively simple and exciting premise, but the computer simulation angle results in a confusing mess and is a case of Steven Moffat trying to be too clever. It's not entirely clear how much of the episode is a simulation and how much is real, and the climax doesn't make a great deal of sense as it relies on the simulated Doctor (Peter Capaldi) using email to contact the real Doctor, despite the simulated world not being real. The email received by the real Doctor is ridiculously unspecific - two words: 'save them'. What's the real Doctor supposed to make to that? Why not 'The Monks want to invade the Earth'? And how does the real Doctor know about Bill and Penny's (Ronke Adekoluejo) date? Was the real Doctor watching the simulation through his Sonic Shades? Even so, how would he see Bill and Penny's date? The simulated Doctor wasn't there to record it.
The flashback sequences with Missy (Michelle Gomez) are the most interesting here. These see Missy placed on trial by an unnamed species, and the Doctor is her executioner. This should have been Extremis's main story as it is much more engaging than the over-complicated computer simulation plot and placing the Doctor as Missy's executioner plays well with the character's compassion and long-standing frenemy relationship with The Master. It also contains one of Michelle Gomez's best performances as Missy, her portrayal toned down compared to Series 8 and Series 9 and veering even closer to Degaldo's Master. Michelle Gomez gives another outstanding portrayal in The Lie Of The Land that actually leads you into feeling sympathetic towards Missy as she claims to regret her past villainous acts (although it's probably a ruse to trick the Doctor into trusting his friend again).
The second part - The Pyramid At The End Of The World, written by Toby Whithouse - is definitely my favourite of the three, and a massive improvement on Extremis. It's a return to the more straightforward plots of the rest of Series 10; a simple, easy to follow end of the world storyline that demonstrates the power the Monks hold. A mysterious pyramid has appeared overnight, and The Doctor, Bill and Nardole travel with the previously mentioned U.N. and military leaders to investigate. The pyramid turns out to be the Monks' ship and base of operations, and they offer to save humanity from the approaching apocalypse if they give their consent to invade.
The Pyramid At The End Of The World is without a doubt the best episode of Series 10 so far, and it's hard to find much fault with it. It's well-paced, expertly directed and as with some of my favourite Moffat era stories such as The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon and The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion it has a nice epic feel. This is an episode that could easily be broadcast on the big screen with its sweeping desert vistas and it wouldn't look out of place. It also presents a wonderful irony to the approaching apocalypse, when the end of the world turns out to be taking place in a small British laboratory in a Yorkshire village.
It's a clever move by Toby Whithouse to make the end of the world be caused by a simple mistake from a male and female scientist duo; the man who turned up to the lab drunk and the woman having broke her glasses on the way to work. Not a massive catastrophe or a third world war as often portrayed in apocalyptic films but simple human mistakes. Doctor Who feels right exploring the very scary idea that the end of the world could happen anytime and caused by the smallest of human errors.
I won't spoil the cliffhanger of this episode, but believe me: you won't see it coming. The consent of love comes from the most unlikely place, and it makes complete sense for the character involved. To me it is up there with the cliffhanger to Utopia; very high praise indeed given how much Utopia's final scenes were very much a punch the air moment.
The Lie Of The Land by Toby Whithouse sees a dystopian world where the Monks have taken over. The population of Earth believe that the Monks have always been a part of Earth's history, and Memory Police take away anybody who remembers that in reality they have only been here six months. Bill and Nardole both remember the truth, whilst the Doctor appears to be making propaganda broadcasts for the Monks. If that synopsis reminds anybody of George Orwell's 1984, where the UK population are working in a dystopian society where the government are purposefully rewriting historical documents and creating a new version of history, that's because the plot is very similar. The Monks have rewritten human history so that they were present in historical events, and the Doctor's past victories against The Daleks and Weeping Angels are now Monk victories. That doesn't mean the episode is unoriginal; instead, it very much does its own thing.
The episode suggests the very intelligent notion that if we as humanity believed something was always there, we would ignore it as it would have always been the case. This is a great twist on the usual alien invasion story, and gives the Monks an implied power that means they don't need to offer much resistance as the people of this dystopia have no reason to fear them. Some have complained that this episode rarely depicts any conflict from the Monks towards the Doctor, Bill and Nardole but to me it makes sense as they assume the Doctor's plan to rewrite what the Monks have done won't work. We are told that if either the Doctor, Bill or Nardole attempt to change things back the mind technology that the Monks use will fry their brains - why would they bother fighting them when the Doctor or his companions will be dead if they attempt to rewrite everything back to normal anyway?
My only criticism of The Lie Of The Land is the fake regeneration. Somehow the Doctor manages to trigger a full regeneration without changing his face, and it's never explained how he manages to avoid becoming thirteen. It's not even like the regeneration had only just started, been siphoned off or only focused on one part of the Doctor's body; the golden glow covers everything and disappears without 12 showing a different face. An explanation would have been nice - was it a projection, for instance? Also: why does he ask if the regeneration was 'too much'? Bill doesn't know anything about regeneration, so why would he even need to fake it when he shoots her? He could have simply pretended to die.
Overall, the Monks trilogy starts off poor with Extremis but by the second and third parts it soon improves. Extremis is too confusing; basically Steven Moffat trying to be too clever. Pyramid At The End Of The World on the other hand is a classic and shows off The Monks at their very best, whilst Lie Of The Land portrays an interesting dystopian world. The Monks trilogy isn't the show's finest three parter - that honour still lies with Utopia/The Sound Of Drums/Last Of The Time Lords - but it does provide some nice variety, with all three parts exploring three distinctively different forms of science-fiction. Some may argue it's not a three parter, but to me it most certainly is.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Oxygen by WhoPotterVian
Many are describing Jamie Mathieson as the Moffat era's Steven Moffat, and it's not hard to see why. Whilst none of his episodes have particularly scared me in the same way Moffat's have, Jamie Mathieson's stories for the show mainly tend to lean towards the darker corners of the Whoniverse. This probably makes him the closest to what Russell T Davies had with Steven Moffat as a one-off writer. After Series 9's more light-hearted The Girl Who Died, oxygen is another dark episode from Mathieson in the vein of his series eight stories.
In Oxygen, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Bill (Pearl Mackie) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) arrive on the space station Chasm Forge in the far future, where oxygen is sold by businesses as a commodity. The Chasm Forge crew are supplied oxygen through their space suits, programmed to give oxygen in relation to how many credits the wearer has. Things are not as they seem as the TARDIS crew discover some of the crew onboard the Chasm Forge are dead, and still walking. The suits have been killing their occupants, but is it the result of the suits' Artificial Intelligence going rogue, or has someone programmed them to do it?
The episode gets off to a slow start, but once the plot kicks into gear it proves to be a thrilling episode. The Suits prove for very effective monsters, essentially like space versions of zombies. Doctor Who has of course played with zombies before - most notably in 2005's The Unquiet Dead - but the monsters featured here are probably the most obvious examples of zombies in the show so far, and perhaps the most interesting take.
The idea of suits trying to kill their occupants is a very unique one, especially with the combination of the very Douglas Adams-esque idea of businesses selling oxygen. Some viewers may not like the very prominent anti-capitalism message in this episode, but I think it's one that is extremely relevant to today's society. The other day I read an online article about the Scarborough Council charging people 40p to use public toilets, and this is something that I believe is a disgusting money-making exercise. Why should you have to pay to go to the toilet? Why should you have to pay for oxygen? The two are instantly comparable, and charging for public toilets essentially turns councils into businesses.
Two things are very impressive about the production of this episode. The first is the make-up of the space zombies. The space zombies look fantastic, and pretty much as convincing as those you see in high-profile movies featuring zombies such as Shaun of the Dead. The second is cinematography. There is a brilliant sequence in this episode where Bill is exposed to the vacuum of space without a space helmet, and the image blurs and distorts to show the effects of the exposure. It's such a clever and well-executed sequence, and one that deserves recognition for how immediately effective it is.
It's the aftermath of the vacuum sequence with Bill that also highlights how much the 12th Doctor's characterisation has developed throughout his era. Series 8 Capaldi wouldn't have cared less that his companion was being exposed to the vacuum of space, but Series 10 Capaldi saves Bill by giving her his helmet. This results in him becoming blind, meaning we have our first disabled Doctor. Quite how this will play out in future episodes is a mystery, although it seems likely that his eye sight will be fixed when he starts to regenerate in the Truth Monks three parter. It's a bold move by Moffat and one that should be applauded.
We are led to believe before the final scene that the Doctor's blindness was cured in the TARDIS, but in the final moments it is revealed that he is still blind. The way this was revealed didn't quite work for me. It was made a little too obvious in the scene by the way The Doctor is suddenly wearing his Sonic Shades again and not looking directly at Bill and Nardole when they are talking to him. It also feels like a cliffhanger for the sake of having a cliffhanger. Why bother showing a scene in the TARDIS where it looks like he's been cured? Why not just end with the blind Doctor and companions leaving in the TARDIS for the Doctor's office at St Luke's University?
If the cliffhanger didn't quite work, this episode did deliver in another area. In Oxygen, we finally get to see more of Nardole. This time his appearance isn't a brief cameo at the beginning or end of the episode, but as a proper companion to The Doctor like Bill. Finally I can form some sort of opinion on the character, and so far I like him. He's a fun companion for The Twelfth Doctor, and displays some interesting chemistry with Pearl Mackie. I can't wait to see more of his character in Extremis; hopefully he isn't relegated to cameo status again, as I think there's potential yet to be realised with Nardole.
Overall, Oxygen starts off slow but once it gets going it proves to be another great episode from Jamie Mathieson. The space zombies are very effective, and the central premise is reminiscent of Douglas Adams. Also: Matt Lucas is finally featured in more than just a brief cameo! Unfortunately the game-changing cliffhanger is made a little too obvious in the final scene, and if you pay attention to the way Peter Capaldi plays it you will figure out what the cliffhanger is straight away.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Knock Knock by WhoPotterVian
Since Doctor Who returned in 2005, it has featured many big name actors from the world of television and film. Bernard Cribbins, Michael Gambon, Timothy Dalton and many more have made guest appearances...yet David Suchet, arguably one of the country's most famous TV actors, has not starred in the show before now. For this reason alone there was quite a lot of buzz surrounding Knock Knock, the fourth episode of Series 10.
Did it live up to the hype?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes.
Knock Knock sees Bill (Pearl Mackie) searching for student accommodation with her friends Shireen (Mandeep Dhillon), Harry (Colin Ryan), Paul (Ben Presley), Felicity (Alice Hewkin) and Pavel (Bart Suavek). After a number of failed attempts to find somewhere suitable to live, Bill and company are on the verge of giving up when they are approached by The Landlord (David Suchet), who believes he has a suitable property. It's dirt cheap and its rooms are very spacious. The group sign a contract to stay in the house, but it soon becomes clear that all is not what it seems. There's no central heating, the plug sockets are old and they are unable to pick up a mobile signal inside the house. There are also some very strange noises during the night, and Pavel hasn't left his room since they arrived. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is curious, and decides to investigate.
I haven't been scared by Doctor Who in a while. The last Doctor Who episode I found genuinely horrifying was 2009's The Water of Mars. This isn't intended as criticism towards the show, it's just that I am older now than I was in 2009 so I am not scared as easily as I was before. Knock Knock, however, absolutely terrified me. The sound design in this episode is spot on, with lots of tense music and creepy creaking noises creating a typical horror atmosphere. There is a binaural (3D surround sound) version of the episode available on iPlayer; I haven't tried it, although I could imagine it adding a nice extra dimension to the episode. Knock Knock's use of sound is very effective without the binaural surround sound though, and helps make the show's latest attempt at a haunted house its most successful by far.
It helps that this episode's writer is Mike Bartlett. As a playwright, Mike Bartlett will no doubt he used to writing small self-contained stories that use a single setting for maximum impact as opposed to the bigger scale stories of the new series such as The Stolen Earth/Journey's End or The Day of The Doctor. His experience as a playwright therefore shows through in Knock Knock in the way his script plays with the horror behind the unexplainable strange sounds many of us often hear during the night in our own homes. In Knock Knock's case these sounds are explained to be alien woodlice the Doctor calls 'Dryads' entering through the woodwork to feast on whoever is currently living inside the house. Unnervingly their victims also become a part of the woodwork once consumed, which is a surprisingly dark concept after the lighter episodes of Series 10 (The Pilot, Smile and Thin Ice).
Of course, some will complain that the actions of Bill's friends are stupid. I've already seen some comments about how you wouldn't buy a house with so much wrong with it, or you would be a bit more concerned if somebody had stayed in their room for a day and never left like Pavel. I would point out however that characters doing stupid things is a trope of horror. Look at The Blair Witch Project, for instance. The filmmakers all act dumb in that, but that's what allows the horror situation to escalate. The actions of the characters in Knock Knock just show how much Mike Bartlett understands on how to make a scary episode of Doctor Who. This is a guy who clearly knows exactly what he's doing, who clearly has a deep understanding of genre and who clearly (in my opinion at least) should be invited back to write for the show again.
The cinematography of this episode is fantastic, its moody and atmospheric lighting helping to successfully convey the familiar haunted house aesthetic. The Director of Photography Damian Bromley should be applauded for the visual aesthetic for this episode, which conveys the tone of previous haunted house episodes such as Ghost Light and Hide. Shadows are cast over the actors' faces, and the camera work often tightly framed to give an almost claustrophobic feel that works well with a hide-behind-the-sofa-style episode of Doctor Who.
Pearl Mackie continues to impress, but the highlight of the episode is David Suchet as The Landlord. David Suchet is a revelation in the role, and gives possibly the best guest star performance since Michael Gambon in A Christmas Carol. I was so impressed by The Landlord, in fact, that I started a petition to bring the character back (https://www.change.org/p/doctor-who-...ter_responsive). The Landlord is a captivatingly creepy, sinister villain and the payoff with his character at the episode's conclusion puts a lot of his behaviour into perspective. It is understandable why he's feeding students to the Dryads, but unlike the previous three episodes' monsters/villains he isn't a misunderstood character. His actions are still evil - feeding students to some alien insects is still wrong, even if it is to keep his mother alive.David Suchet plays 'evil' very well, and I hope they can find a way for him to return.
My only complaint about this episode is that again, Matt Lucas only appears briefly at the episode. I'm not the biggest Matt Lucas fan, but he is being completely wasted in his role on Doctor Who so far and I wish the writers would feature him more so I can form a proper opinion on Nardole other than indifference. Nardole's cameos feel strangely like Steven Moffat owed Matt Lucas a favour than the character having any sort of narrative reason to be included in Series 10. His role so far amounts to moaning at The Doctor because he's not staying on Earth to protect the vault, and it comes across as more of an awkward intrusion on the episode than a scene you particularly look forward to in each story.
Overall, Knock Knock is a very creepy episode of Doctor Who and one that I reckon will be considered a classic in ten years' time. Mike Bartlett's debut as a writer for the show is possibly the strongest since Jamie Mathieson with Mummy On The Orient Express, and I certainly hope that he will write for the show again. The combination of Mike Bartlett's writing with the excellent sound design and dark cinematography allows for an episode that perfectly captures the 'haunted house' feel, more so than 1989's Ghost Light or 2013's Hide. David Suchet is the one standout element of the episode however; he is fantastic as The Landlord and gives the strongest guest star performance since Michael Gambon 2010's A Christmas Carol. Knock Knock is without a doubt one of the greatest episodes of the Peter Capaldi era so far, written by one of the show's greatest guest writers.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Thin Ice by WhoPotterVian
The best instalments of anything - be it television or film - make controversial decisions in their content likely to divide their viewers. That's what I like about Sarah Dollard's latest episode for Doctor Who, Thin Ice. Within those 45 minutes, you have The Doctor saying Jesus is black, Bill swearing, a kid dying.... All things you would expect the BBC wouldn't allow the show to do. Sarah Dollard certainly isn't afraid to upset her audience, given she - not Steven Moffat - was also the writer to kill Clara Oswald in 2015's Face The Raven. Clara may have been 'extracted' from her death in Hell Bent, but she still has to return to the moment she died eventually. Sarah Dollard's episode still remains Clara's main exit story.
In Thin Ice, The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Bill (Pearl Mackie) find themselves in Regency Era London during the time of the last frost fair. Under the frozen Thames lurks a chained sea creature belonging to Lord Sutcliffe (Nicholas Burns), who is using its poo as fuel to mine and sell to the local residents. Bill must make the ultimate decision: save the sea creature and potentially place others' lives in danger, or leave it trapped under the thames and deny the creature its freedom.
What's interesting about the creature is that it isn't alien in origin. It's just an ordinary sea creature that hadn't been discovered by anyone other than Lord Sutcliffe before this episode, like the mythical Loch Ness Monster (or the Skarasen, as those of us who are Whovians know it to be). It makes a refreshing change for the new series to deviate from the alien threat angle; the classic series of the show had done this more frequently with the introduction of species such as the Silurians and the Sea Devils. The last time the new series had introduced something from Earth as a threat without any alien interference was In The Forest Of The Night with regular trees, and even then they weren't a new species of tree as this is a new species of fish.
This isn't the episode's only earthly threat either. Nicholas Burns may not feature a great deal as Lord Sutcliffe but in the short space of time he does appear in he instantly makes an impression. Sutcliffe is the kind of villain you love to hate, and Sarah Dollard writes him as such a despicable human being that you punch the air when The Doctor punches him for making a racist remark. If only he would do the same for Donald Trump or Nigel Farage.
Those who didn't like the slow pace of the previous two episodes will be pleased to know that this episode has a much faster pace. With its strong focus on investigation and exploration it feels like a Jules Verne story, especially 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The bigger supporting cast give a more communal sense of atmosphere than the wonderfully lonely and mysterious one of Smile; this is a completely different episode of the show, and offers the kind of variety that is expected from Doctor Who.
The faster pace is definitely welcome, as it feels like since the previous two episodes we have really got to know who Bill is as a person. This episode is more an exploration of The Doctor's questionable motives and the darker aspects of travelling with the Time Lord; for example, after the child's death Bill asks The Doctor 'Have you ever killed anyone?'. The Doctor tells her that he has; a great moment no doubt for new viewers. Pearl Mackie continues to play Bill brilliantly; as I said in a previous interview, she really feels like someone who you would meet in real life. It makes a change to see a more inquisitive companion than the likes of Amy or Clara.
Unfortunately The Doctor's other companion, Matt Lucas's Nardole, is still being sidelined. In Thin Ice, he only appears in the final couple of scenes mixing coffee into cups of tea (which really should be a crime) and guarding the vault, and it continues to make Matt Lucas's involvement seem like a waste of time. Doctor Who Magazine put it perfectly: essentially his role in the series so far is little more than 'Matt Lucas cameo of the week'. It would be nice to be given a chance to form an opinion other than indifference towards the character of Nardole. Hopefully he'llfeature more in Knock Knock.
The show's SFX also suffers in this episode. The new series of Doctor Who generally has very good special effects, but post production company Milk's effort this week is poor. The SFX of the giant sea creature are consistently unbelievable (although the giant eye is impressive), as are the special effects of people falling through the ice. Doctor Who's low budget clearly shows here more than ever before; sadly it is a case of the show being over-ambitious with its visual effects.
Overall, Thin Ice is probably my favourite Sarah Dollard episode so far and definitely destined to be one of the most controversial episodes of the show. After The Pilot and Smile established the character of Bill Potts, Thin Ice is allowed to have a much stronger pace and has a conveys a nice Jules Verne-esque feel. It also makes a nice change for the threat to be earthly rather than alien, and Pearl Mackie is once again brilliant as Bill Potts. Unfortunately the episode suffers from yet another 'Matt Lucas cameo of the week' (as coined by Doctor Who Magazine) and surprisingly terrible special effects. These special effects are Invisible Enemy-levels of bad, and by far the worst of the new series.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Smile by WhoPotterVian
It's fair to say that many were feeling apprehensive about Smile. The writer Frank Cottrell Boyce's previous work for Doctor Who - In The Forest Of The Night - was arguably the most controversial episode since Love & Monsters. I, on the other hand, was vastly looking forward to Smile. In The Forest Of The Night was one of my favourite episodes of Series 8, and I couldn't wait to see what Frank Cottrell Boyce would write next.
Robots known as the Vardy have been helping to prepare the planet Gliese 581d - a planet that bizarrely enough actually exists in real life - for human colonisation, working with their computer interfaces the Emojibots and a small skeleton crew. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) arrive on the colony world to find the skeleton crew have been murdered by the Emojibots and turned into fertiliser for the planet's crops. Investigating the deaths, they discover that not only do the Emojibots communicate in emoji but that these robots also kill anyone who displays an emotion other than happiness.
Strangely for a 21st century episode of Doctor Who, this episode often feels more like a classic series serial than a forty-five minute new series story. The slow pace may be off-putting to younger viewers, but for this reviewer it was a welcome breath of fresh air. I love fast-paced episodes but every once in a while it's nice to get an episode like The Rings of Akhaten or Deep Breath that gives the audience a breather from non-stop action. Those are the nearest new series parallels, but this story's pacing bears much stronger similarities to 1975's The Ark In Space. Just like that classic Tom Baker serial, Smile takes its time to explore the world of the narrative and is more focused on the Doctor-companion relationship as opposed to the episode's monster.
With any other Doctor/companion pairing, I'm not entirely sure Smile would have worked as an episode of the new series. The Doctor and Bill however are such a strong double act that you don't notice the slower-than-usual pace; every time they are on screen together, they are captivating to watch. Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie have a lot of chemistry together, and are exactly the kind of pair the show needs right now during its tenth series on air. Handled by a bad actor Bill's questions could easily become annoying, but Pearl Mackie makes them endearing and often they are the kind of questions you're surprised no companion has asked before. Why is the chair in the TARDIS nowhere near the controls? Why is the police box exterior signage written in English? Why does The Doctor go back to help after successfully escaping from the episode's monsters, instead of leaving in the TARDIS?
That's not to say the episode would be rubbish without Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie. Far from it. Frank Cottrell Boyce's writing is fantastic, often very lyrical and poetic. He makes any line of dialogue sound like it was written by a famous poet, and the show is lucky to have such a skilled writer working for the show. It's also clear from this episode's classic series similarities that Frank Cottrell Boyce knows his Doctor Who; sometimes that is detrimental to the story, as the inspiration the episode owes to The Happiness Patrol is very clear in its central premise and sometimes hard to ignore, but for the most part it feels more like a love letter to Classic Who rather than a direct copy.
One thing the classic series wouldn't have had is the rich production values of this episode. Smile was filmed in the City of Arts and Science Museum in Valencia (Spain) and the choice of filming location is so strong, it makes Doctor Who look higher budget than it actually is. The Emojibots are generally a very good design too, if perhaps a little too small for them to be seen as a dangerous threat to The Doctor and Bill.
Speaking of the Emojibots, it's a very believable idea that emojis survive as a universal language. What many viewers may not realise is that this aspect of the plot was based on actual research the writer conducted on what our language may look like in the distant future, and it makes a lot of sense given the past use of hieroglyphs by the Egyptians.
Unfortunately, Smile is let down considerably by its solution. The conclusion of the episode involves the Doctor turning the Emojibots off and on again, literally resetting them like a computer, and it leaves you wondering why The Doctor didn't just do that in the first place. It's certainly less drastic than his first suggestion - to blow the entire utopian compound up - and would have saved both Doctor and companion a lot of time. Not to mention all the lives that would have been lost if The Doctor had actually blown the place up.
Overall, Smile is another solid episode of Doctor Who and bares surprising similarities to the classic series of the show. The pace is more reminiscent of The Ark In Space as opposed to the episode's nearest new series equivalent in The Rings of Akhaten, with a stronger focus on world-building as opposed to the monster-of-the-week. After the first episode of Series 10 'The Pilot', Smile is another episode where the Doctor/companion relationship is the main focus over the monsters featured, and the pairing of The Doctor and Bill manages to hide the slow pace that may otherwise be a turn-off for younger viewers of the show. Disappointingly however the episode has a very weak resolution and Nardole barely features. Matt Lucas' Series 10 involvement so far feels more like a last minute addition to the cast rather than a natural inclusion
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Pilot by WhoPotterVian
Doctor Who has already had its Pilot in An Unearthly Child, yet this episode claims to be the beginning. In some ways, it's right. This is our introduction to Bill Potts. The start of her story, just after Clara's ended. In other ways, it's like claiming 2016's The Jungle Book is the original Disney Jungle Book. It isn't. Regardless, that's the title Steven Moffat chose - and its probably this pedantic analysis of the title that he wanted fans to give. There is a literal pilot in the episode - a puddle that possesses the body of Bill's (Pearl Mackie) crush Heather (Stephanie Hyam) - but the character is not really the major focus of the episode despite being the primary antagonist, so I doubt Moffat is referring to her. More on the puddle pilot later.
The Pilot is interesting in that much like The Return of Doctor Mysterio it creates a large gap between the last episode and this one. Moffat's Doctor Who has done this often to accommodate Big Finish but this time it's different. We are told The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) have been guarding a Gallifreyan vault for somewhere between 50-70 years, and during this time the Doctor has been posing as a university lecturer at St Luke's University in Bristol. We find out in the following episode Smile that he swore an oath not to leave Earth. This is perhaps the most compelling mystery of the Moffat era, and arguably the most unpredictable story arc the 2005 revival has done.
During his time lecturing at St Luke's University The Doctor notices that a canteen worker has been regularly sneaking into his lectures, and has been reacting differently to his lectures compared to the students. The students look puzzled when they don't understand something. The canteen worker smiles. Her name is Bill Potts, and The Doctor decides to make her a student - with himself as her private tutor. Meanwhile, Bill's crush Heather notices something strange about a puddle. Instead of reflecting, it shows the same symmetrical face back. The puddle chooses Heather as its pilot and pursues The Doctor, Bill and Nardole across time and space hoping to take Bill with her on its space journey.
The puddle monster is a fun threat, but much like 2005's Rose the episode is more about introducing Bill than it is the monster-of-the-week. This can lead to the puddle monster feeling a little under-developed compared to other Moffat creations such as The Silence and the Weeping Angels. It's a cool concept that does what the best Moffat monsters do - take an ordinary childhood fear like stepping into a puddle and turn it into an alien menace - but because it isn't the episode's primary focus, it never feels like a credible adversary for The Doctor. It's for this reason that I hope the puddle monster appears again - I'd like to learn more about its origins and if it has any connections to The Flood from The Water of Mars (it bears striking similarities). Hopefully next time the puddle monster won't be played by Stephanie Hyam though.
Stephanie Hyam is terrible. She is possibly the most wooden, dull, uncharismatic actor ever to appear in Doctor Who. Every line she speaks is said in an emotionless monotone voice that makes it sound like she's under a Cyber-conversion process - in fact, maybe she was about to become a Mondasian Cyberman before the puddle monster took over? They are returning in the two part finale. I have no idea what Bill sees in Heather because Stephanie Hyam's portrayal ironically makes her come across as wet and boring. Couldn't the puddle monster have chosen someone more interesting as its pilot?
Thankfully, Bill Potts is a very interesting character. Bill is a wonderfully inquisitive companion brilliantly played by Pearl Mackie. She's the companion who asks questions that have never been asked before, such as why the words on the police box exterior are in English and 'Where's the toilet located in the TARDIS?'. The latter is something I've personally always wanted to know. Why has no companion asked that before?
As for The Doctor's other companion Nardole...well, he's just kind of there at the moment. Matt Lucas isn't given anything of note to do, and it's hard to form an opinion either way. I'm not sure what the point was in bringing back Nardole: he was barely in The Husbands of River Song, made little to no impact in The Return of Doctor Mysterio and in both Smile and Thin Ice he features even less. He may as well not even be there. Matt Lucas isn't really needed when Pearl Mackie does such a good job as Bill.
The Pilot contains some of Steven Moffat's best writing for the show. The opening scene between the Doctor and Bill is probably one of the best exchanges between Doctor and companion (even if it feels like it should have come later into the episode) and definitely one of the Moffat era's finest scenes. Much like Rose there is generally a slower pace to this episode, but it's a wise decision that helps us get to know who Bill is as a character. After the frantic pace of Series 9, it's a very welcome change of pace too. Having episodes where a lot of things happen is very fun to watch, but it runs the risk of becoming exhausting for the viewer if done too often.
The Pilot's main focus may be to introduce new viewers to the show, but there are plenty of nice references and call backs for those of us who are already fans. For instance, the Movellans from 1979's Destiny of the Daleks appear briefly fighting a war with The Daleks, and Nardole is given the Fourth Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver. There are even framed pictures on The Doctor's desk of his granddaughter Susan Foreman and wife River Song.
Intriguingly the camera lingers for a very long time on Susan's photo. Could it be foreshadowing her return? The Doctor did say that one day he would return to her... (NB: Susan didn't return.)
Probably the best piece of fan service in the episode is the Impossible Girl theme playing when Bill refuses to have her memory wiped by The Doctor. It's a touching moment as the Doctor remembers his own memory being wiped, and hopefully is foreshadowing the Doctor beginning to recall who Clara is. It would be a shame if this incarnation of The Doctor regenerates without remembering his most significant companion.
Overall, The Pilot is a good introduction to the character of Bill Potts. Pearl Mackie does a great job atplaying when Bill refuses to have her memory wiped by The Doctor. It's a touching moment as the Doctor remembers his own memory being wiped, and hopefully is foreshadowing the Doctor beginning to recall who Clara is. It would be a shame if this incarnation of The Doctor regenerates without remembering his most significant companion.
Overall, The Pilot is a good introduction to the character of Bill Potts. Pearl Mackie does a great job at playing the part of Bill, especially in the knowledge that it's her first proper TV acting role. The puddle monster is a cool if underdeveloped concept and there are some nice callbacks to earlier episodes. However Matt Lucas as Nardole seems like an unnecessary inclusion and Stephanie Hyam is dreadful as Bill's crush Heather. The Pilot is essentially the 'Rose' of the Moffat era, and does just as good a job at introducing us to the new companion. If Bill is going to be the new 'pilot' leading new viewers into the world of Doctor Who, then I think the show is in safe hands.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Sleep No More by WhoPotterVian
The found footage format has been used in many films since its success with the Blair Witch Project. Some have been successful but most tend to disappoint. It was inevitable that one day Doctor Who would attempt it.
It works incredibly well with Doctor Who too. One of my favourite things about my love for the show is how effortless it is at creating a world around wherever the TARDIS happens to land. This is no more evident than here. The found footage style allows you to feel like you're actually on a space station that feels like a real space station; the environment has its own rules and behaviour that allows it to feel convincing, such as an onboard computer that was reprogammed during a party by the space station crew so that you have to sing Mr Sandman to progress through the door. That is something that you can imagine real people doing in real life, especially if they were extremely drunk at the time.
Another thing Sleep No More cleverly does with the found footage style is explain why the camera is still rolling whilst all the bad stuff is happening. The explanation? Because there are no cameras; instead the sleep dust that make up this episode's monsters act as visual receptors that have been hacked by Doctor Rassmussen (more on him later). Everything we see, therefore, is more or less from the corner of the eyes of a character's point of view. It's a very intelligent way to bypass 'Why don't they just stop recording?'; a problem that many often have with found footage.
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. I haven't even explained the story yet. Well, basically a rescue crew have been sent to space station Le Verrier to save Doctor Rassmussen (Reece Shearsmith), where not only do they find the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara (Jenna Coleman) but also the revelation that he's the only crew member there. Rassmussen invented the sleep deprivation machines Morpheus, which due to getting rid of our need to sleep and wipe the sleep dust from our eyes has allowed the sleep dust to gather and create a monster - the Sandmen. Sleep No More is a classic style of Doctor Who known as the Base-Under-Siege story. There's something about the Base-Under-Seige that really works as a format for the show. Maybe it's the fact that the characters feel trapped, therefore conveying a feeling of claustrophobia? Or maybe it's because of it's simplicity - monster takes over base, monster chases Doctor and companion down a corridor, characters try to stop it getting in...?
Whatever the reason, it clearly makes for an appealing format for the show and it was a wise choice to use it for a found footage episode. It emphasises that claustrophobic feeling well and feels unique to the show's other base-under-seige stories.
Whilst the Sandmen are unlikely to become iconic Doctor Who monsters, the villain of the story Doctor Rassmussen is fantastic and brilliantly played by Reece Shearsmith. He is definitely the most convincing 'human' villain the new series has seen as of current; it's brilliant how at first he seems somewhat vulnerable but hidden underneath is a cunning and devious side.
There's a great twist at the end that you definitely don't see coming concerning the Sandmen and Rassmussen's real species; it's also a great idea that Rassmussen was compiling all the footage together to keep us watching and transmit a signal that will turn us all into Sandmen.
Which leads me onto another thing I love about Sleep No More: the Doctor doesn't win. Isn't it great when the Doctor doesn't win? I like to see the Doctor lose because it shows he isn't the hero who always saves the day. Of course, I wouldn't want to see the Doctor lose in every episode but it is always refreshing to see it happen so long as it stays to a minimum. It's also nice set-up for a proposed Sleep No More sequel, as the Doctor clearly has unfinished business here.
Of course, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are both brilliant as always here. The rescue crew are kind of average and nothing very special but Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman really shine as usual, especially during their exchange about putting 'Space' in front of everything. As Clara points out when the Doctor says placing the word 'space' in front of things doesn't happen, spacesuits are called 'spacesuits' and not something else suits. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman had so much chemistry together; I think they will always be one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships.
Overall, Sleep No More is a brilliant episode that fantastically utilises the found-footage style to its advantage and even improves on it by explaining why they don't just stop filming. Doctor Rassmussen is the best human villain the new series has seen and it's great to see the Doctor lose. Here's hoping the proposed sequel to Sleep No More happens in series 10 (NB: The Sleep No More sequel was replaced with Empress Of Mars for Series 10).
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Caretaker by WhoPotterVian
I am usually a fan of Gareth Roberts' writing for Doctor Who as he usually brings a great sense of wit and humour to the show, however I was a little disappointed with his episode for Doctor Who's eighth series (NB: This review was written before Gareth Roberts was confirmed to be a massive transphobe). It was a good idea to make the Doctor the caretaker of the school that has been such a big part of his life but the episode features so much wasted potential. I'll get onto that in a bit - but first: a quick synopsis.
In The Caretaker, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is hired as Coal Hill School's new caretaker. He decides to use the school as a trap for the Skovox Blitzer - a war robot with weaponry that can destroy an entire planet. When Clara's boyfriend Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson) accidentally turns off the chronodyne generators the Doctor has used in the school to trap the Skovox Blitzer in the time vortex, the robot is let loose in the school and the Doctor, Clara and Danny must work together to trap it back in the time vortex before it destroys the Earth.
Gareth Roberts wrote a very funny story in The Lodger but sadly none of that humour is present here. There's a great gag with the Doctor assuming Clara's boyfriend is a teacher with remarkable similarities to the Eleventh Doctor but aside from that there isn't anything particularly memorable compared to scenes in The Lodger (such as the Doctor's football match). It would have been nice to have seen more fish-out-of-water comedy with the Doctor as a caretaker but unfortunately the episode is too obsessed with Clara's love life. There's also no character equivalent to James Corden's Craig Owens, who was a big reason as to why The Lodger and to a lesser extent Closing Time worked. None of the teachers are particularly remarkable and the headteacher Mr Armitage (Nigel Betts), who first appeared in Into The Dalek, appears a little bland so it is baffling that he was later given his own spinoff in Class.
Thank God, then, for Ellis George as Courtney Woods. Courtney is one of the show's most three-dimensional child characters and is an absolute joy to watch. Ellis George has unbelievable chemistry with Peter Capaldi, just as Matt Smith did with Caitlin Blackwood as Young Amelia. The two bounce off each other really well and it was a wise decision by Steven Moffat to have her brought back as a temporary companion in the following episode Kill The Moon. The line 'End of the world for me tonight, whatever you do. Parents' evening.' is I'm sure something many kids - and those of us who were kids once upon a time - can relate to given the dread you would often experience when going to a parents' evening of 'Oh God, what's my teacher going to say about me?' and Ellis George says it perfectly. She really does give one of the best child actor performances of the show and is a character I think will be looked back on with fondness in years to come.
Whilst Ellis George as Courtney Woods is great, it is without a doubt a major disappointment that Ian Chesterton didn't appear in this episode. The Caretaker would have been the perfect opportunity for Ian to return given that it was set entirely in Coal Hill School and (as revealed in Day Of The Doctor) Ian is currently the chairman of the board of governors. The fact that the BBC didn't bother to get William Russell to make a quick cameo is a huge let-down and possibly one of the show's biggest missed opportunities. William Russell isn't getting any younger and I would like to see him return as Ian before his time is up (NB: William Russell later returned in The Power Of The Doctor). The Doctor catching up with Ian would have allowed for a lovely bittersweet moment and in my opinion improved the episode considerably. Hopefully the BBC will do the right thing by casting William Russell in a cameo for Class (although I wouldn't be surprised if they don't) (NB: They didn't cast him for Class).
The parents' evening scene is a return to form for Gareth Roberts though and feature the typical Gareth Roberts humour missing in most of the episode. It is genuinely funny seeing Clara and Danny talking to Courtney's parents about her progress before having to make a hasty excuse to leave when the Doctor requires their help. It is brilliantly played by Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson and shows the kind of potential the episode could have had if Gareth Roberts had been on his usual form. I wouldn't mind seeing Gareth Roberts given another chance with the Coal Hill School setting for a light-hearted episode of Class although I wouldn't particularly want to see the return of the Skovox Blitzer outside of a Big Finish audio drama.
Whilst the Skovox Blitzer is extremely well-designed by Christopher Goodman it is not a particularly memorable monster. It feels more comparable to the fifth Doctor's companion Kamelion than, say, the awesome K1 Robot. The Skovox Blitzer is more in-line of a generic one-off Doctor Who monster for the Doctor to defeat and save the day than a monster like the Clockwork Droids that lend themselves to return appearances. I can imagine Big Finish doing a good job with the character however should their license be extended to include the Twelfth Doctor Era once Peter Capaldi leaves the show (NB: Big Finish can now produce audios up until the Thirteenth Doctor era). Perhaps the Eighth Doctor VS the Skovox Blitzer could work quite well?
Probably the most memorable scene of this episode is Danny Pink confronting the Doctor in the TARDIS. His take-down of the Doctor's hatred of the soldiers by comparing him to an officer is brilliant. He is absolutely right that 'Time Lord' sounds pompous and his salute as though taking orders like a soldier from the Doctor shows the character up for how ridiculous is hatred for soldiers really is. It's always great to see the Doctor taken down a peg or two, especially when we know the Doctor was a soldier himself before - as the War Doctor. The Doctor may hold certain values but really he is one gigantic hypocrite and scenes in the show where this is pointed out to us tend to work really well.
Overall, The Caretaker is perhaps Gareth Robert's weakest episode. It doesn't contain the great sense of wit you expect from his episodes (bar the excellent Parents' Evening scene) and bar Courtney Woods the characters are bland and forgettable. It is far from the worst Doctor Who episode however. The TARDIS scene where Danny Pink confronts the Doctor after being found using the Doctor's invisibility watch is fantastic and the Skovox Blitzer is a very well-designed monster. Ellis George is one of the show's best child actors and the Parents' Evening scene is extremely well-acted by Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson. It is hugely disappointing though that William Russell wasn't given a cameo scene as Ian Chesterton as I believe it would have felt like a natural fit for the story. The Caretaker is very much an average episode of the show: not terrible but not great either. It falls somewhere in the middle - 'just good' - which is a shame as the idea of the Doctor as a school caretaker has a lot of potential.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Deep Breath by WhoPotterVian
The third Doctor Who TV movie so far, Deep Breath saw Peter Capaldi's debut as the Doctor in the show and like Day of the Doctor was released in cinemas as well as broadcast on TV. Unlike Day of the Doctor, it also served as the first episode of Series 8; a strong series for the show which saw a number of the new series' best episodes.
Deep Breath is the story of Clara struggling to come to terms with this new Doctor as he recovers from post-regeneration trauma. Meanwhile, a group of Clockwork Droids from the SS Madam De Pompadour's sister ship the SS Marie Antoinette are trying to find their way to the 'promised land' and using a restaurant as their base to harvest people so they can use them as spare parts to replace any they are using that are currently rotting. This is arguably one of the darkest episodes of Doctor Who as it sees a ship made out of human skin and the film's main clockwork enemy Half-Face Man impaled on a spire. It is nice to see the show explore such dark themes with the Clockwork Droids even if their return was surprising given their last appearance before Deep Breath was eight years ago in The Girl In The Fireplace. This reviewer hopes to see them return again as they are among the most intriguing of the new series' creations but whether they will or won't is anybody's guess.
The writing is up to Steven Moffat's brilliant standards, however it never reaches the highs of Day of the Doctor. It is also a little too slowly paced and doesn't quite have the same cinematic feel of the TV Movie and Day of the Doctor. Director Ben Wheatley does a great job however (as he does in the next episode Into The Dalek) and we can only hope he returns to direct another episode of the show at some point. Maybe Steven Moffat's final episode?
Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are brilliant as the Doctor and Clara; Jenna Coleman in particular giving a very believable and engaging performance as someone who no longer knows who her friend is (although it can be argued that her response to regeneration is out of character for Clara because she has seen every regeneration of the Doctor up to 11 and therefore should expect that he changes his face once in a while anyway). The Paternoster Gang are also on top form; I will admit that I wasn't sure on them in their first appearance in A Good Man Goes To War but they have grown on me, especially Dan Starkey, who is absolutely hilarious as Strax. It's a shame that they haven't returned since during Peter Capaldi's era as I think they work well as supporting characters.
Oh, and I can't write a review about any episode of series 8 without mentioning the music. Murray Gold's music here is on par with what he produced for the Specials: absolutely incredible. Every piece is stunning and whilst there's no track to beat Vale Decem, it is easily Murray Gold's best music produced for Steven Moffat's era.
Overall, Deep Breath is a brilliant introductory TV movie for Peter Capaldi's Doctor unfortunately let down by a slow pace and not enough of a cinematic feel for something that was shown in cinemas.
Review of Mancopolis by WhoPotterVian
Mancopolis is, in my view, stronger than most of the Fifteenth Doctor TV stories this year. It feels like a loving homage to the first RTD era, with its antagonists (resembling giant moths) feeling at home with the TV Series' monsters like the Judoon and the Krillitane.
Setting the story in a futuristic Manchester is an inspired move, considering Millie Gibson's real life heritage, and it gives it a brilliant quirky vibe. The story is similar to others like The Macra Terror where the citizens are brainwashed into believing they live in a happy and thriving society, but with a dark undercurrent underneath, and the art by Lee Sullivan really sells it.
I also like the parallels that the Doctor draws between Manchester 1819 and in 2424 when the citizens rebel, suggesting that the way the establishment treats people lower down the chain never really changes. It's quite a strong piece of social commentary.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who and the Iron Legion by WhoPotterVian
Doctor Who Magazine first debuted as Doctor Who Weekly in 1979; right from the start, it included my favourite magazine feature to date: the comic strip. Back in the 70s, the comic strip was weekly and technically within the Marvel Comics canon (this was before Panini bought Marvel UK, who originally owned the publication). Yep, the Doctor was in the same universe as Iron Man and Captain America. The first Doctor Who Weekly story was The Iron Legion and is considered to be a Doctor Who comic strip classic.
As someone who didn't start reading Doctor Who Magazine until 2011, it is strange to see the words 'Stan Lee Presents' above some of The Iron Legion comic strips. To think that the famous comics genius behind the likes of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man once contributed to Doctor Who comic strips is incredible and you can see clear Marvel influence throughout. In The Iron Legion, the fourth Doctor arrives in a parallel universe where the Roman Empire never fell and instead conquered the galaxy with their army of robots commanded by General Ironicus. The Doctor teams up with old robot Vesuvius and ex-gladiator Morris to overthrow the empire and Emperor Adolphus's 'mother' Magog (revealed to be a member of an alien race called the Malevilus, who helped the Romans in providing the technology for the robots).
The most obvious Marvel Comics influence is the design of the Iron Legion robots of the title. They bare a striking resemblance to the Sentinels (robots who hunt mutants).
And then there's also the way it is written, with character monologues and the way the description boxes effortlessly set the scene.
That's one of my favourite things about Marvel compared to DC: they are much stronger at providing the context and establishing early on the narrative of the piece. It helps considerably to immerse you into the action. Before I go any further, I must stress that the comic strip is in black and white and the above picture is from a colourised version that was released in the U.S.
The narrative itself is one big, epic saga; it utilises the comic strip medium to the advantage by using a story that will likely never be able to be achieved onscreen. It would take a considerable budget to realise the Doctor's gladitorial fight with the Ectoslime or the robot flying squad.I doubt even the new series would be able to afford to realise those scenes. Doctor Who comic strips on the other hand don't have to worry about budgeting; this story is therefore exactly the kind Doctor Who comic strips should be exploring.
General Ironicus and the robots feel like a very credible threat for the Doctor too and at many times during the narrative you wonder how he is going to win. The odds seem firmly stacked against him (especially considering he has just come from his universe's Earth the robots managed to invade) and that's a quality that can be found in some of the best Doctor Who stories. Sometimes the Doctor is at his best when he is the underdog as opposed to an all-conquering God-like figure. When he fights Magog during the story's conclusion, it actually looks like he's going to lose. Magog appears to be in the most power as the Doctor explains the TARDIS controls, which makes the conclusion all the more appealing when his trickery concerning a certain button he is hiding is revealed.
It's a shame that they didn't decide to keep Vesuvius on as a comic strip companion as he is a fantastic character and I have a feeling he could have gone to be as popular as the shape-shifting penguin Frobisher. Vesuvius is endearing as a cranky old robot and has one of the best comic strip catchphrases in 'these days'. Like Frobisher, his eccentric quality suits the Doctor Who comic strip perfectly and whilst on TV he would probably come across as annoying in the comics format he offers a fun dynamic with the Doctor. For this Doctor in particular he feels like a well-suited supporting character; let's not forget this is the Doctor who asked for a talking cabbage as his companion.
If there's one thing that doesn't quite work for this story, it's the black and white aesthetic. Due to the cost of colour during the 1970s, all Doctor Who Weekly comics were published in black and white and to this story it feels detrimental. There's so much going on in the panels that sometimes it can be hard to follow without colour as a visual guide. My copy of The Iron Legion is a part of the Collected Comics offered to premium subscribers as part of the Doctor Who Complete History partwork collection; unfortunately they opted for the Panini Doctor Who Magazine reprints rather than the Dave Gibbons Collection colourisation. In colour I imagine the story would work much better.
Overall, The Iron Legion is a fantastic use of the comic strip medium to tell a narrative that the TV series would not be able to do with their allocated budget. The story feels suitably epic with strong opposition for the Doctor and a brilliant supporting character in Vesuvius who really should have been made a comics companion. My only negative point is that the black and white aesthetic can make the story hard to follow; however there is a colourisation version available as part of The Dave Gibbons Collection if the black and white styling puts you off.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Rhyme or Reason by WhoPotterVian
This is a fun little back-up strip to Dan Slott's first Doctor Who comic book. It concerns the Tenth Doctor recalling an adventure to Martha back when he was in his Ninth incarnation and travelling with Rose. The story feels like an authentic adventure from Series 1 in 2005, and it's easy to imagine it slotting in somewhere between The Long Game and Father's Day.
The main difference is that in 2005, they probably wouldn't have brought back the Terileptils from The Visitation. It's extremely cool to see Dan Slott dive into the Doctor Who catalogue and give us a classic series monster return, and their plot to devolve the Earth with their devolution ray feels like textbook Doctor Who. The references to Series 3 of the revival during the bookend scenes are nice too.
There's Martha becoming fed up at the Doctor mentioning rose, which feels authentic to the unrequited love subplot, and even a nod to Last Of The Time Lords, when she wandered the Earth telling stories about the Doctor. It makes it feel like a comic for fans, by a fan.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Little Book of Fate by WhoPotterVian
The Little Book Of Fate is an excellent character piece, uniting the Eighth Doctor with a new regeneration of Romana. I particularly like the idea of the Tharils being part of a travelling fair, and it being a cover for a refugee camp from a war. A clever twist when readers are expecting their performances as part of the fair's freak show to be something far more cruel.
Review of The Kairos Ring by WhoPotterVian
The Kairos Ring gives an exciting battle against an enemy called the Slaugh.
Review of Doctor Who and Warriors’ Gate by WhoPotterVian
Another great target book. The main aspect, the novelisation of Warrior's Gate, is brilliant, but it's the short stories that stand out here.
Review of Scratchman by WhoPotterVian
Not many Doctor Who books could say they are written by the Doctor himself, but here we are, with a book by a former Doctor.
And simply put, it's just brilliant. Tom Baker effortlessly captures the voices of the Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry from the very start, and delivers a book that is creepy one minute, stark raving bonkers the next.
Which feels like a perfect description of Tom Baker's era really. It had these brilliant dark moments, but also these totally barmy ideas that suited his Doctor like a tea.
There are some nice surprises from some, shall we say, familiar faces (including one from the Doctor's future), and a wildly inventive pinball game, but my favourite moment without a doubt was reading about the scarecrows terrorising the village, in 'Book One'. It feels so authentically 'Doctor Who', and like something that would slot with ease into Philip Hinchcliffe's time as producer, that I wish we had got to see this scarecrow horror onscreen (although we did get something similar with Series 3's Human Nature/Family of Blood).
Review of Doctor Who and the Krikkitmen by WhoPotterVian
So much fun. James Goss perfectly captures Douglas Adams' wit, and it really evokes the Season 17 vibe quite nicely. I couldn't recommend this book enough. A joy from start to finish.
Review of Babblesphere by WhoPotterVian
This is a really strong story that concerns the Doctor and Romana landing on a human colony where the inhabitants have been injected with this computer chip in their head that grants them to the 'Babble': a social network where users post trivial information about their day.
It's probably the story that so far (four audiobooks in) feels the most true to its era, despite social media having not been around in the 70s when those serials were aired. It's just so easy to imagine Tom Baker and Lalla Ward wandering around a wobbly set and encountering the robots of the story.
Babblesphere features some very smart and witty commentary on social media, and the dangers of becoming too addicted. How we can lose ourselves in it and become mindless entities wandering around in their own little bubbles, ignoring what is going on around them. It's such a topical issue in the modern age, and something that will undoubtedly continue to be talked about as we learn more about the effects of social media on everyday people.
Lalla Ward is such a great audiobook reader, and helps to really sell the story. I honestly wouldn't have been opposed to her narrating every story in this collection; I think she has a great voice for audiobooks.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Past Lives by WhoPotterVian
An exciting action-packed opener to Once And Future. This one involves the degenerated Fourth Doctor chasing the Monk through time and becoming embroiled in an alien invasion by creatures he defeated with Sarah Jane back in the 70s.
The Hyrinth are decent enough monsters, although I'm not sure they'll catch on in the same way as the Sontarans or the Ice Warriors.
The highlight is hearing the Tom Baker era and the new series collide. Hearing the Fourth Doctor meet Kate Stewart and Osgood offers something fresh and new.
We also get some lovely character moments between the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane. I do feel for Sarah with the Doctor refusing to take her back home. As the Doctor's best friend, that must have hurt.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Firelight by WhoPotterVian
This is the first of two Doctor Who comic strips by the legendary comic book writer Dan Scott, and it does not disappoint. Firelight concerns Martha recalling a tall tale to the Pyromeths, and you can really tell that Dan Slott is a fan of the show.
The comic story is like one big love letter to Doctor Who, featuring connections to stories like Pyramids Of Mars and The Christmas Invasion. The realm of the dead section, in particular, is an epic read, featuring every Doctor Who monster you could dream of. Everybody from The Web Of Fear's Yeti to the Draconians is present, and the werewolf from Tooth And Claw even features prominently in the third act, taking the Doctor to the Empress Of The Racnoss.
The conclusion is also very clever, and feels like typical Doctor Who. Martha uses underhand tactics to trick the Pyromeths, who think the Tenth Doctor is a fictional character in-universe, and it's an extremely satisfying end.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Logopolis by WhoPotterVian
This story I've always felt is surprisingly average for the Fourth Doctor's swansong. Tom Baker was such an iconic Doctor, and yet his last hurrah is nothing too remarkable compared to his previous outings.
Logopolis is a decent story, with a clever concept regarding the titular planet that holds the universe together through mathematical equations. It feeds into Adric's character well as a mathematical genius too, giving him a real purpose within the screenplay to assist the workers of Logopolis with the block transfercomputations. I also like the idea of a TARDIS within a TARDIS, and how the Doctor and Adric become stuck in an infinite loop.
However, the Fourth Doctor is surprisingly ineffective for his last story. It's mainly his companions who do all the work, and even though the climactic scene on the telescope is a fantastic piece of television, I can see Tom Baker's concerns in that the fall from the ladder isn't a very dignified way for his incarnation to leave the show. It doesn't work as a 'hero' moment quite as well as the Tenth Doctor absorbing the radiation in The End Of Time.
Probably the best aspect of this serial is the character work. Tegan gets a great introduction, and the serial takes the time to explore the emotional ramifications of her aunt's passing, as well as Nyssa losing her Dad.
I'm glad that they showed Nyssa coming to terms with the Master taking Tremas's body, and the Master cruelly misleading her into believing he was her Dad. It's something the classic series rarely did very well, and it's refreshing to see Logopolis take more time to show how the characters are affected by what's happened.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Keeper of Traken by WhoPotterVian
A really exciting Tom Baker story. The Melkur poses an intimidating threat over proceedings, and the reveal that it's the Master's TARDIS makes sense of a lot of the events that transpire.
I love the concept of the Keeper, as the one who inhabits the planet's source and maintains the planet's peaceful atmosphere. It's a bold and clever concept, that gives this fantastical feel to Traken society.
Nyssa's debut is overall a stronger companion introduction than Adric's. She moves the plot forward more than Adric does in his first story, and the only downside is that we don't get to see her reaction to the Master merging with Tremas. I think it would be nice had Nyssa arrived just as the Master and Tremas had merged, rather than after the process had already completed.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Warriors’ Gate by WhoPotterVian
An interesting and experimental episode, that goes into some weird directions. The Tharils are a fascinating premise, as people who once lorded over others who have become slaves. Adric also gets more to do here. However, Romana's exit comes out of nowhere. She just suddenly decides to stay behind and help the Tharils. It all feels like a very rushed ending for such an iconic companion.
This review contains spoilers
Review of State of Decay by WhoPotterVian
This is a really unusual story, in that it feels like a reject from the Philip Hinchcliffe era, even though it was originally commissioned for Season 15. It has all the hallmarks of the Hinchliffe era, with its hammer horror vibe, and yet it suits Season 18's more sombre vibes quite well.
State Of Decay is an excellent Doctor Who take on the classic vampire story. It adapts vampires into the Doctor Who universe arguably better than the new series' attempt with Vampires of Venice, with The Three Who Rule adding some great malice to the story. I liked the medieval vibes this serial was going for too, which gels nicely with the story that Terence Dicks is trying to tell.
My only gripe is that Adric is weirdly underused for a 'new' (at the time) companion. This is only his second story, and yet he's absent for a large chunk of it. He gets hardly any screentime with the Fourth Doctor and Romana, and in the little appearances he does make he comes across somewhat unlikeable. He may save Romana in the end from the vampires, but he still wanted to join them.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Full Circle by WhoPotterVian
This serial is a thrilling story, with a great twist concerning the Mashmen being the ancestors of the crashed ship's occupants. Romana doesn't get much to do, and it is a shame that in his debut story Adric spends a short amount of time with the Doctor, but Andrew Smith does a brilliant job at evoking an unnerving vibe with Alzarius. The image of the Marshmen stepping out of the Mistfall fog, in particular, really stands out.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Meglos by WhoPotterVian
Bit of a mixed bag this one. Meglos impersonating the Doctor is tons of fun, and I like the idea of a city sent underground because the vegetation has become hostile.
However, it takes a little too long for the Doctor and Romana to finally break out of the time loop, and arrive on the planet Tigella, and bringing back Jaqueline Hill in the new role of Lexa, rather than reprising Barbara Wright is an odd creative choice. Especially as the Doctor is brought into the fold by someone who already knows him from an offscreen adventure. Why not have just made it Barbara who contacts the Doctor, and explained she got abducted from 60s London?
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Leisure Hive by WhoPotterVian
A brilliant opener for Season 18. This one harbours so much ambition, and Argolis as a society feels like a world that's lived in, with so much depth. The special effects are among the strongest in the classic series, particularly the Fourth Doctor's old man make-up, and the Doctor and Romana's dynamic continues to be great.
However, the story does spend a little too long at Brighton beach, and the Foamasi are somewhat underused. It's a shame because they are an interesting species.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Armageddon Factor by WhoPotterVian
Finally we have reached the final segment of the Key to Time - found in the Key To Time season finale The Armageddon Factor. An interesting note to make about The Armaggedon Factor is that Part One was the five hundredth episode of the show. Unlike The Stones of Blood, The Armageddon Factor is a much more memorable milestone story too (although it does have the advantage of being the finale).
The Armageddon Factor sees the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on Atrios: a planet that's at war with neighbouring planet Zeos. They are discovered by the Marshal (John Woodvine), Atrios's commander in the war and decide to flee back to the TARDIS. However they find the TARDIS has gone, trapping them on the planet. The Marshal persuades the Doctor to help Atrios in the war. During the story, they meet Princess Astra (played by future Romana Lalla Ward) who is the last Royal Family member of the sixth royal house of Atrios. Meanwhile, one of the Black Guardian's agents - The Shadow (William Squire) - is also looking for the last segment of the Key to Time.
The story feels suitably epic, like a new series finale of the Russell T Davies era. This is the Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways of the classic series: huge fun to watch, with a certain comic-book feel to the events of the story. I think it's impossible not to be gripped by this story; personally I never lost interest once and I think this would be a good classic series serial to introduce to new fans of Doctor Who. It doesn't matter if they haven't seen previous Key to Time serials: you don't need to know the actual events of the past stories, only that the Doctor and Romana have currently acquired five of the Key to Time segments and the Doctor was sent on a mission by the White Guardian to find them before the Black Guardian does. All of this could probably be picked up by only watching The Armaggedon Factor anyway.
I imagine this serial was one that didn't go down well with Mary Whitehouse as there are a number of dark themes in this story such as nuclear war and death threats. Perhaps the darkest of all however is the real identity of Princess Astra, who is revealed to be the last segment of the Key to Time. Her existence comes to an end when Romana uses her tracer to return her to her true form, meaning that whilst she didn't actually exist she believed she did and still had a life.
It's nice when the show explores such dark themes as it helps add a hint of realism without overstepping the mark with the dark/gritty rubbish that's plaguing Hollywood. Not everything has to be cosy and sometimes it is better for Doctor Who to unsettle its audience.
One of the best elements of this serial is evil K9. K9 works well as an extra threat for the Doctor and Romana when he's being controlled via a device by The Shadow. It's disturbing to see one of the Doctor's companions turn against the Doctor and Romana and it helps to showcase the Shadow as one of the most serious threats for the Doctor to face. This isn't any old villain, he knows exactly what he's doing and how to get it. It also neatly ties in with the sense of loyalty people have with their dogs: the idea that their dogs would never betray them. So what happens when they do? If you can't even trust your pet dog, then who do you trust? Turning K9 temporarily evil was definitely a good idea.
Of course, you can't do a review of The Armageddon Factor without mentioning Drax. Drax's introduction isn't very strong (he literally appears out of nowhere) but he is one of the show's strongest guest characters. He's a renegade Time Lord who was in the same class as the Doctor at the Prydonian Academy. He works as a galactic maintenance man and a death threat from The Shadow forced him to work on the planet Zeos's giant computer Mentalis. Barry Jackson is a revelation as Drax and it's a shame he was never brought back as a recurring character in the television series. Thankfully Big Finish has since brought Drax back with the fourth Doctor audio The Trouble With Drax, albeit not with Barry Jackson (who sadly passed away in 2013) but with Ray Brooks voicing the character.
One thing I would say about The Armaggedon Factor is the conclusion is a little weak. It feels a bit rushed and a little like a slap in the face to what was set up in the first serial (rather than giving the Key to Time to the White Guardian, theydecide to scatter it across time and space, so the Key to Time segments end up exactly as they were at the beginning of the serial anyway). It almost feels like the Doctor didn't properly think it through, because if the segments are once again scatted across time and space, what happens if they fall in the wrong hands - IE the Black Guardian?
I haven't listened to Big Finish's Key 2 Time yet so maybe Big Finish have explored what happened with the segments since the Key to Time's conclusion but it certainly doesn't feel like a strong end to the final Key To Time serial.
Overall, The Armageddon Factor is a spectacular end to the Key to Time arc. It's a story that would make a nice introduction to new fans of the show and features some cool ideas such as an evil K9 and the Doctor's classmate Drax. There are some dark themes but they aren't treated in a dark/gritty way as with the trend in Hollywood movies but help to unsettle the audience. My only real criticism is that the conclusion is a bit disappointing; other than that, The Armageddon Factor is definitely worth your time.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Power of Kroll by WhoPotterVian
The penultimate key to time is upon us as the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the third moon of Delta Magna. Robert Holmes was unhappy with this serial as he later declared it not one of his best. To some extent, I agree although overall I prefer The Power of Kroll to his later sixth Doctor serial The Two Doctors.
The plot sees the Doctor and Romana become embroiled in a conflict between the moon's occupants the Swampies and the crew of an oil refinery. The Swampies plan to awaken the giant underwater creature called Kroll whom they worship as a God but is really a squid that was mutated by the fifth segment of the Key to Time. It is a good story but far from a memorable one, especially compared to some of Robert Holmes' other stories such as Spearhead From Space or The Ark in Space. The problem is that the narrative borrows too many things associated with other episodes of the show leaving not much in the way of originality.
Giant monster? Check (The Tenth Planet, The Green Death, Robot...)
Oil refinery? Check (Inferno, The Green Death, Terror of the Zygons...)
Primitive species (Swampies)? Check (An Unearthly Child, The Underwater Menace, Death to the Daleks...)
The Swampies also look a bit too ridiculous to be taken seriously. I don't know what make-up artist Kezia Dewinne was thinking by making them green but it just makes them look silly. I don't care about how the Kroll creature looks (it's not as bad as the Nucleus from The Invisible Enemy) but there is no excuse for the Swampies looking this bad. They look like the Jolly Green Giant:
Click to Load Image
And what's with those stupid dreadlocks? They look like they're about to join some sort of punk rock band and sing songs about sweetcorn. They certainly don't look like a tribe that would sacrifice people for Kroll.
There are some nice scenes in The Power of Kroll though, such as when one of the Kroll's tentacles tries to attack the crew of the oil refinery through the pipes. That is a particularly tense moment and probably one of the most memorable of the Key to Time season. It's just a shame that Robert Holmes' usual imaginationisn't present here.
You have to hand it to the cast: they really try to sell the story. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward give it their all, although Tom Baker looks bored compared to his appearance in other serials. Unfortunately K9 dos not feature in this serial because of the problematic K9 prop being unable to move over the swamp but John Leeson does appear in his first onscreen role as refinery crew member Dugeen and he is by far the standout of the supporting cast. Despite the best efforts of the cast however the story still doesn't appear as anything other than average.
The Kroll could have benefitted from CGI on the DVD release. It isn't the worst classic series effect but I fear it could put off many new series fans wanting to give the classic series a try. It really shouldn't be about the special effects but unfortunately in the age of CGI, many enjoy seeing flashy visuals in a modern televised production over archive television material with weaker special effects. It is odd that they decided to give The Ark In Space (a serial with great special effects for the classic series) CGI sequences over a story like The Power of Kroll that deserved it more. Hopefully fans new to the show are better than the kind of people who wouldn't watch something because of the effects.
Overall, The Power of Kroll isn't Robert Holmes' worst Doctor Who story but it certainly isn't his best either. The narrative is decent but disappointingly borrows too much from past Doctor Who serials and the Swampies look more like the Jolly Green Giant than a primitive species capable of sacrifices for a fake God. There are some good scenes to be found in The Power of Kroll though and the cast try their best to sell the story (even if Tom Baker looks a bit bored). Yes, the Kroll doesn't look that brilliant but special effects are the last thing that should put somebody off watching a classic series serial and it's far from the worst classic series effect anyway: that honour goes to the Nucleus from The Invisible Enemy.
If you want to watch a Robert Holmes story, you're better off watching Spearhead From Space. It's a far superior serial that feels more like an exploration of new ideas than a repeat of ones the show has used
already.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Androids of Tara by WhoPotterVian
The fourth segment of the Key to Time is upon us...but where will the search for the Key to Time take us now?
Well, until the land of The Prisoner of Zenda it seems. Sorry, I mean 'The Androids of Tara'. The serial was written by David Fisher as Doctor Who's take on 1961's popular U.S. adaptation of the adventure book The Prisoner of Zenda. It's basically the equivalent of if the new series of Doctor Who decided to make a pastiche of Game of Thrones. The new series has taken influences from popular forms of media (Last Christmas is clearly inspired by Alien) but they appear more as forms of inspiration rather than direct copies.
Now I'm not sure how much The Androids of Tara's plot copies that of The Prisoner of Zenda as I have neither read the book or seen the U.S. drama. I am not a fan however when writers make a conscious decision to mimic the plot of something else as David Fisher and producer Graham Williams decided to here. Whilst it is true that all ideas have been done at some point and no idea is truly original, it seems unimaginative to make that decision to use another writer's plot.
The plot sees the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the planet Tara; at first, their trip seems rather straightforward when Romana finds the segment of the Key to Time straight away. When she is attacked by a Taran Wood Beast, Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey) comes to her rescue and takes her into his castle. However it turns out that he thinks he's one of her androids: an android replica of Princess Strella, who looks exactly like Romana. Grendel has taken Tara's next in line to be king Prince Reynart (Neville Jason) captive and plans to marry Strella so he will be crowned at Reynart's coronation in his absence
Whilst I do not approve of the intentions to copy The Prisoner of Zenda, on its own merit The Androids of Tara is a lot of fun and certainly better than The Stones of Blood. The sword fight between the Doctor and Grendel is brilliantly staged by director Michael Hayes and looks like something out of a movie rather than a TV Show. The android doubles and not knowing who is or isn't an android is well-executed too, especially with the added complication that Romana looks exactly like Android Strella and real Strella.
Speaking of Romana, Mary Tamm does an excellent job of playing essentially three different characters - android, Strella and Romana. She manages to make each feel distinct and yet also similar enough to cause confusion over their same appearance. Mary Tamm's portrayal of three different roles really shows her capability and skills as a Doctor Who companion actor. It's a shame she has since passed so cannot return to the show but luckily Mary Tamm managed to record some Big Finish audios before her passing. It would have been sad if the average Key to Time season had been her last in the role.
The Androids of Tara also has some of the classic series' best location work. The use of Leeds Castle works well for this story as it has a nice medieval feel that adds to the visual aesthetic of Tara whilst also providing a nice contrast with the futuristic android technology. More importantly: it feels like a setting from an adventure story and fits the fairytale-esque tale of knights, damsels in distress and sword-fights the story is trying to tell. It looks like particularly expensive location work too; nothing in the serial looks cheap, which is impressive given the shoestring budget.
Overall, The Androids of Tara is not the most imaginative serial - it was thought up as 'Doctor Who does The Prisoner of Zenda' - but it is a lot of fun to watch. There's a brilliant sword fight between the Doctor and Grendel and the android doubles adds a nice complication to the plot. Mary Tamm is outstanding at playing three different characters in the android Strella, the real Strella and Romana, giving them enough differences to feel like separate characters yet also maintaining certain similarities so you're not entirely sure who is who. There's some great location work too; the Leeds Castle location makes for an effective medieval adventure setting and allows for a nice contrast between the old fairytale and the advanced android technology in the serial. Just don't expect anything original.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Stones of Blood by WhoPotterVian
So the Doctor(Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) have found two of the segments of the Key to Time. Now onto the third segment: the segment found in The Stones of Blood. The Stones of Blood is the one hundredth Doctor Who story but unlike 2009's Planet of the Dead it is never acknowledged in the story. It is weird to think there had been one hundred Doctor Who stories by this point and it is a credit to the classic series that they hadn't run out of ideas by this point.
Sadly, for the one hundredth story The Stones of Blood isn't one of the better serials. It is very imaginative but does at the same time it feels a little run of the mill. The serial sees the Doctor and Romana arrive on Earth during the then-present day, near a group of standing stones called The Nine Travellers. They find old archaeologist Professor Amelia Rumford (Beatrix Lehmann) and her partner Vivien Fay (Susan Engel) who are studying the stones and find dried blood on the ground. The stones are revealed as being a species from the planet Ogros called Ogri; they need blood in order to survive. Meanwhile, the Doctor is put on trial by the Megara - justice machines searching for a wanted criminal known as the Cessair of Diplos - for breaking the seals on locked doors aboard a prison vessel in hyperspace. The Doctor and Romana must stop the Ogros from absorbing blood from innocent people and help the Megara bring the Cessair of Diplos to justice.
The idea of vampire stones is a nicely eccentric one and a concept that wouldn't work on any other show but the serial doesn't explore the eccentricity behind the idea enough. I can't help but think Douglas Adams would have been a better fit for this serial; the Ogri would no doubt have been better executed and the Megara could have been a neat if madcap satire for strict law systems. These ideas whilst very inventive ones by writer David Fisher don't feel as though they are given justice by him and could have been better handled in a more capable writer's hands.
I couldn't really care for 'Vivien Fay' (or her true identity) either. She's a bit bland and her real identity seems to be a revelation that comes out of nowhere. When it's revealed who the Cessair of Diplos is, I'm not really given enough reason to believe she is accountable for the murder crimes she has been accused of. She's certainly not one of the show's best-written characters and neither is Professor Amelia Rumford, who whilst the characterisation isn't bad doesn't really stand out. David Fisher seems to be a writer who is better at big conceptsand ideas than he is at characterisation and narrative. He would have probably made a better storyliner for a soap than a writer for a sci-fi drama.
This is the serial where Mary Tamm's Romana shines though. I feel like she comes into her own as the first Romana in this story and feels like a much more engaging companion to the Doctor. In the previous stories she feels a bit too stiff but here it's like Mary Tamm's worked out the right balance between Romana's authoritative way of speaking and showing a bit of her personality underneath. Whilst The Pirate Planet showcased Tom Baker at his best, this is a good showcase for Mary Tamm.
K9 also gets more to do in this serial than in the previous two; he feels like more a part of the TARDIS crew than he did in The Ribos Operation for example and he does generally seem to move the narrative forward, especially when he helps the Doctor fight the Ogri or stays behind whilst the Doctor and repairs the projector that allows the Doctor and Romana to visit hyperspace with Amelia. I wish K9 would return in the new series as I think he would be a perfect match for Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor (NB: He nearly returned in Last Christmas).
Whilst The Stones of Blood may not be the best Doctor Who story, it has been of some inspiration to future Doctor Who stories. The idea of standing stones hiding a secret (such as how they are the Ogros in this serial) has been used in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang with Stonehenge's Underhenge. And then there's the idea of a justice system hunting an alien criminal that has been used in 2007's Smith And Jones and 2010's The Eleventh Hour. It has clearly been an inspiration for some new series writers and that's something that should quite rightly be applauded.
Overall, The Stones of Blood is not the greatest Doctor Who serial and certainly not one worthy of being the one hundredth story. It suffers from bad characterisation with its supporting characters and feels a bit run of the mill. The Stones of Blood does contain some nice ideas however - such as the vampire-like 'stones' and the Megara - that have been influential in the stories of the new series. It's also a good showcase for Mary Tamm's incarnation of Romana, whilst K9 feels more like a part of the TARDIS crew than he did in the earlier Key to Time stories.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Pirate Planet by WhoPotterVian
The first segment to the Key to Time quest may have been a little underwhelming but thankfully the quality picked up with the next part. The Pirate Planet is a serial by one of Doctor Who's best writers Douglas Adams - yes, the same Douglas Adams who wrote Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - and represents the very eccentricity that to me defines what Doctor Who as a show is.
I absolutely adore The Pirate Planet and to me it is definitely the high point of the Key to Time saga. The Pirate Planet finds the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the planet Calufrax to find a population who live in never-ending extreme wealth. They are given wealth by the planet's ruler the pirate captain of the title (Bruce Purchase); the Doctor doesn't trust him and decides to confront him, where he finds out that the captain mines planets for their mineral wealth and keeps their compressed remains as trophies. The Doctor and Romana must stop the Captain from compressing the Earth as well as find the second segment to the Key to Time.
The Pirate Planet is delightfully barmy and that's why it works so well. It's hugely entertaining with its bonkers narrative and larger than life characters reminiscent of those found in Hitchhiker's. It's this madcap nature that perfectly suits Tom Baker's Doctor; this incarnation feels natural in a story like this and it feels like it was actually written with him in mind. There is no way The Pirate Planet could be a William Hartnell or Jon Pertwee serial because it wouldn't work anywhere near as well as it does.
Bruce Purchase is an outstanding choice for the Captain. He gleefully plays to the over the top nature of the serial and is exactly the kind of booming caricature villain this serial needed. Yet whilst he has an almost cartoon-esque quality to his performance, he still appears as more of a credible threat than the Gaff in The Ribos Operation. He still seems like someone who poses a challenge for the Doctor. He never feels like an easy villain for the Doctor and Romana to defeat and most importantly, despite the bombastic nature he still feels real.
A highlight of the serial is the robot parrot Polyphase Avatron. Polyphase Avatron is a pet robot who could easily rival K9 in its awesomeness. Essentially it is like an anti-K9: whilst K9 only fires his laser when necessary, the Polyphase Avatron kills anyone who gets on the wrong side of the captain. It's a brilliant design too by the serial's designer Jon Pusey. It has a nice, almost steampunk to it that nicelyfits Douglas Adams' style. K9 was clearly jealous when he destroyed it. Bad, bad dog.
To me, this is the classic series story that represents Tom Baker at his best. The fourth Doctor in this serial is exactly how most people have come to think of his Doctor: bulging eyes, booming voice, warm eccentricity...all the traits that people refer to the fourth Doctor as having are there. In fact, this serial could have just been called 'Tom Baker' because it pretty much feels like The Tom Baker Show, written by Douglas Adams. That's a very good thing as it shows the writer understood Tom's Doctor personality and how to characterise the fourth Doctor.
What's interesting to note about this story is that whilst working on it, Douglas Adams was also working on the BBC radio version of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. It's amazing that this story doesn't suffer from a lack of attention by a Douglas Adams working on a project that was likely more important to him (Doctor Who didn't have the legacy it has today at that time, of course, so it would have just been another job to him). It feels like Douglas Adams put a lot of effort into writing this serial and didn't treat it as just some extra work pay alongside his Hitchhiker's commitments.
Overall, The Pirate Planet is without a doubt the best serial of the Key To Time season. It features a suitably barmy plot by the wonderful Douglas Adams and is the most quintessential Tom Baker story of Tom Baker's time in the TARDIS. The Captain feels like a much more credible threat than The Ribos Operation's 'The Gaff' despite the cartoon-esque nature and is nicely over-played by Bruce Purchase. I also love the robot parrot Polyphase Avatron who is basically like an evil version of K9. Douglas Adams may have been busy writing his Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy BBC radio drama but it doesn't feel like The Pirate Planet was affected by this. It's commendable how he didn't treat Doctor Who as 'just another job' despite it not having the legacy it has gained today but instead wrote the episode to the best of his abilities. This is Douglas Adams at his finest and showcases how he was one of the classic series' best writers
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Ribos Operation by WhoPotterVian
Nowadays it seems standard for Doctor Who to tackle a series arc but during the classic series it was very uncommon. Sure, there was 1964's The Keys to Marinus but that was more of a single serial arc - it didn't take up the entire season. The only true examples in the Doctor Who's classic series of a season-long arc are The Trial of a Time Lord...and the Key to Time. And so it was the job of The Ribos Operation to introduce what the arc was about.
The idea behind the Key to Time was that in each story the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) would arrive somewhere where one of the pieces to the Key to Time is detected to be by Romana's locater. The Doctor and Romana are recruited by the White Guardian (Cyril Luckham ) to find all six segments of the Key to Time. With all six segments together, the White Guardian can restore the balance of order and chaos to the universe. They arrive on the planet Ribos, where Garron (Iain Cuthbertson) and Unstoffe (Nigel Plaskitt) are trying to sell Ribos to the ruler of planet Levithia the Graff Vynda-K (Paul Seed) by convincing him it is full of a rare and powerful mineral known as 'Jethrik'. They place a lump of the rare mineral in the glass case housing the planet's crown jewels and show the Graff, who becomes convinced the planet is a rich source for it. When the Graff realises he has been conned, the Doctor and Romana are forced to work with Garron and Unstoffe to claim the Jethrik back.
I'll admit, I was rather disappointed with this story as I expected more from the opener of a quest storyline. It is a fun tale though and typical of writer Robert Holmes' style. It is great fun the way the narrative subverts the heist genre; instead of trying to steal something FROM an unsuspecting owner, it becomes about trying to steal something BACK. This prevents the heist genre from becoming predictable, offering a fresh take that sometimes the genre could need.
The problem is that it doesn't offer any memorable conflict. The Graff is a bit of a generic threat; all he really does is order executions and understandably become extremely angry at being conned. He's certainly no threat compared to Daleks or even the Cavemen from An Unearthly Child, where you feel like the TARDIS crew are in danger. The Ribos guards seem a bit useless too. You've got towonder who hired them considering one of them lets a complete stranger (IE the Doctor) pull their whistle away without any forcible protest. Surely a proper guard would be a bit more forceful: pull the Doctor's hand away and blow the whistle to call for the guards? The Graff's guards aren't much better either but at least they seem a bit more threatening and imposing than the guards on Ribos.
If anything makes this a Doctor Who story you have to see, it's the comical relationship between Unstoffe and Garron. Unstoffe and Garron make a brilliant double act and one that no doubt reminds some Whovians of Jago & Litefoot. They are hugely entertaining and definitely the best part of this rather average serial. Ian Cuthbertson and Nigel Plaskitt play to Robert Holmes' writing well and it's a crime that they never got the chance to record Big Finish audios. Ian Cuthbertson sadly passed away in 2009 and Nigel Plaskitt is still alive but Undtoffe without Garron like all great double acts really wouldn't work.
Also: James Purdie's lighting for this serial is very impressive, especially for the White Guardian scene. The scene with the White Guardian looks suitably dream-like and a nice almost Hawaiin-like quality that plays nicely with the ethereal quality of his being. I'd say it's definitely the best classic series serial for lighting - it prevents the show from feeling cheap even though it was made on a shoestring budget, meaning it can compete better with the blockbuster films of the time.
Click to Load Image
Overall, The Ribos Operation is a disappointingly average opener for a season-long story arc. There's nothing too special to be found here, however it can be applauded for its inventiveness with the lighting and subversion of the heist genre. The double act between the characters of Unstoffe and Garron is brilliant too, it's just a pity that the story offers little in the way of conflict for the Doctor, Romana, Unstoffe and Garron. The Gaff is certainly not going to be considered one of Doctor Who's greatest villains anytime soon.
Review of The Invisible Enemy by WhoPotterVian
The Invisible Enemy is a curious case. It introduced one of the show's most iconic companions in K9 (so iconic, in fact, that he was even included in the level pack for LEGO Dimensions seven years after his last appearance in the series) yet his introductory serial is very average.
The story sees the Doctor and Leela arriving at Professor Marius's ship where a three-man crew are under the control of the sentient virus the Nucleus. The Doctor is also infected and must be cloned so they can be inserted inside his body in order to stop the infection. The special effects are usually not one of the selling points of a classic series serial because they are under a shoestring budget but even taking that into account, they are terrible here. The Nucleus looks unconvincing, like a massive prawn; this is probably the one serial you should avoid showing to any new viewers at any cost. When the special effects are bad, you need your story to help those watching to forget it. Sadly, whilst the story isn't terrible it's not that brilliant either; however it does do something interesting with clones of the Doctor and Leela inside the Doctor's brain and the special effects during this sequence are on the better side for a classic series serial.
With an average serial and a terribly designed monster, thank God then that the acting is on point. I think The Invisible Enemy shows Tom Baker at his best; he is brilliant throughout especially during parts three and four and you cannot detect the awkward relationship offscreen between Tom Baker and Louise Jameson at all (they infamously didn't get on well behind the scenes because Tom Baker didn't like the idea of the Doctor travelling with a violent companion as he believed it to be against the Doctor's moral compass). I also liked Frederick Jaegar; it is a shame he didn't become a recurring character as he is an engaging one.
The serial is also nicely paced at four parts. The Invisible Enemy as a story would never be able sustain any more than that; as a six parter it would have really dragged so four parts feels like its natural length and if it had a lesser number it would arguably have had a bigger impact on the narrative forcing it to be tighter and rushed to a conclusion (something that some had a problem with for some of the new series' series 7 episodes - personally didn't bother me but I can see their point in terms of The Power of Three). It feels like it needed the four parts; no more, no less.
Overall, this is a very average classic series serial let down by a terrible monster design and a forgettable narrative. K9 deserved a better introduction than this but at least it feels like its the right length, featured great acting and a character in Professor Marius who really should have been a recurring one (a trend in the Tom Baker era).
Review of Revenge of the Cybermen by WhoPotterVian
A perfectly fine, serviceable story but a big step down from Genesis of the Daleks. It's fun, and has some great moments, but it seems to focus more on the Vogans than the Cybermen, and the Cybermen seem strangely emotional.
Review of Genesis of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
Genesis of the Daleks is often thought of as a classic among us Whovians; so golden, in fact, that it would probably destroy an entire Cyberman fleet. It's obvious why, for Genesis of the Daleks is an excellent tale of morality that even manages to surpass the excellence of the very first Dalek serial 'The Daleks'.
One thing that's very clever about Genesis is how Terry Nation scatters hints throughout at what the Kaleds will become. The Kaleds already believe in purity. They already want to exterminate those whom they see as inferior. It's not hard to see that these Kaleds will become the machines of hatred we love to hate. Terry Nation was, of course, inspired by the Nazis when he created the Daleks; the Kaleds are already essentially Nazis here.
If the Kaleds are Nazis, then that makes the primary antagonist of this six parter, Davros, as their Hitler. And what a great Hitler he makes. Michael Wisher is brilliant; at all times, he seems every bit as intimidating as you would naturally expect for a scientist dictator desperate to see his new creation the Daleks succeed.
What truly sets this serial among the true greats of Doctor Who, however, is the gripping exploration of the Doctor's morality. The 'Do I have the right?' speech is an iconic and defining moment for the show, and for good reason too. The classic series isn't particularly known for its writing but the famous speech is as good as, if not better than the superior writing and dialogue of the new series.
Simply put: Genesis of the Daleks is a masterpiece and if you don't like it, you should be exterminated.
Review of The Sontaran Experiment by WhoPotterVian
Acting as a break between the two Nerva Beacon stories The Ark In Space and Revenge of the Cybermen, The Sontaran Experiment is another one of those odd classic series stories like The Edge of Destruction that form only two episodes rather than at least four. This two parter is the very definition of 'filler'. It feels as though it's just there for the sake of being there.
The Sontaran Experiment follows Sontaran Field Major Styre experimenting on a bunch of astronauts who were brought to a deserted Earth by a fake distress call. The story is badly paced throughout and very dull to watch (something I hate saying about a story from my favourite show). The Sontaran in question doesn't even appear until the end of episode one and even then he never feels like much of a presence or threat to any of the characters. There's not enough story to fit 45 minutes; if anything, it would have been better as a single 25 minute episode as that's all there's enough plot for. At least The Edge of Destruction had more story to it. This one's like it was cobbled together because they suddenly realised they needed two episodes between the previous and next four parter.
The Sontarans are usually great villains but here Field Major Styre feels as though he's only there as a cheap option as they already had the costume made from The Time Warrior. The Sonataran presence really isn't justified; it could be any monster there and it wouldn't make much difference. The only neat thing about Field Major Styre being the antagonist is how it links in to Sarah Jane's first appearance meaning there is history between the companion and the alien race. That's one thing another monster wouldn't have provided.
Speaking of Sarah Jane, Elisabeth Sladen is brilliant and it really shows why she's still arguably the most iconic Doctor Who companion after K-9. In fact, if there's any saving grace for this serial it's the cast. All are on top form, from Tom Baker as the Doctor to Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan. They nearly make it feel like you haven't wasted time watching this serial. It's a shame director Rodney Bennett lets them down however with his poor direction. Everything feels a little amateur and due to the positioning of the actors by Rodney every shot feels bland. There is nothing engaging about the directing in this serial and with a weak story it really could have benefitted from some great direction.
Overall, The Sontaran Experiment is a dull 45 minute story with poor direction, a bad pace and a pointless use of a Sontaran villain with Field Major Styre. It does, however, contain great performances from the TARDIS crew of the time Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Marter.
Review of The Ark in Space by WhoPotterVian
Still really like this one. Such a great serial; the special effects may not be convincing (although to be fair, there are optional CGI ones) but it's a fun adventure and Tom Baker is so much more confident here than in Robot.
Review of Robot by WhoPotterVian
Robot is quite a fun little adventure. Like Doctor Who Does King Kong. Tom Baker is obviously very nervous in his debut scenes, and the tank is clearly a toy, but it's a great opener to the season.
It also contains one of my favourite lines from Doctor Who ever - 'There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes'.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: Kerblam! by WhoPotterVian
Pete McTighe's novelization of his Doctor Who episode Kerblam is much stronger than the TV version. It dives in deeper into Judy's backstory and her motivations; we learn about how robots made her Dad redundant, and how she saw her Dad be arrested in the riots led by humans against their robot replacements.
There's also a lovely cameo from the Seventh Doctor and Ace, who inspire young Judy to take over Kerblam, and prioritise the people over the machines. It ends with Judy hiring considerably more human workers, and having the robots packing the boxes whilst the humans supervise, which I think fixes some people's issues with Kerblam. It places the focus more squarely on people power triumphing over automated machines.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Mystery Date by WhoPotterVian
The story that I've always wanted: Adam Mitchell, the companion the Ninth Doctor cruelly discarded over one mistake - back for revenge on the Ninth Doctor and Rose. This comic is a real treat (as is the whole Prisoners Of Time series), and a worthy addition to the Ninth Doctor's adventures.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Dead Man’s Hand by WhoPotterVian
Another really strong story. This one sees the Doctor and Clara team up with Calamity Jane and Oscar WIlde to fight an alien threat who appears to have met a previous incarnation of the Doctor. It's set in the Wild West town of Deadwood, and has a spooky idea at its core regarding a dead man in Wild Bill seemingly killing people from behind the grave as 'the masked gunman'.
I love how this story ties to 'The Forgotten', which in itself was a great Tenth Doctor comic story, and it's always fun seeing historical figures with the Doctor.
Review of Sky Jacks by WhoPotterVian
This is a really strong conclusion to the Hypothetical Gentleman story that started in...well, 'The Hypothetical Gentlemen'. It's quite odd for a 'finale' in that it doesn't feature the same companions as in that story - The Hypothetical Gentlemen is an Amy and Rory story, but this one is a Clara Oswald adventure. Likely because when the comic was published Amy and Rory had left on TV and Clara was the new companion.
It's an amazing story concerning these various aircrafts and spacecrafts that have fallen through this white hole - among them some World War II pilots with an atomic bomb to be dropped over Japan. This story features an unusual - but awesome - take on the Matrix, and a totally badass Clara Oswald moment.
Review of Space Oddity by WhoPotterVian
Another IDW comic story I love; the comics in the second Doctor Who Eleventh Doctor Archives volume are absolutely fantastic. This one has the return of the Vashta Neradas - always a plus in my book - and a historical figure in the guy who performed the first space walk, Alexei Leonov.
It's one of those great Doctor Who stories where not even the TARDIS is safe - the Vashta Nerada really do mean business - and it has a brilliant ending too.
Review of The Doctor and the Nurse by WhoPotterVian
This story is a lot of fun. Basically Amy forces the Doctor and Rory to spend some male bonding time together, and they end up getting lost in various time periods trying to return to her. There's not a great deal to the story, but it's a great time with the Eleventh Doctor and Rory Williams - and what more could you ask for?
Review of Hypothetical Gentleman by WhoPotterVian
I enjoyed this comic strip story a lot. It's a creepy tale about a being from another dimension trying to establish a corporeal form, set during the time of the Great Exhibition. It reminded me a bit of a recent Titan Comics story, with the hand coming through the weird portal thing being similar to the hand reaching through in the Road To The Thirteenth Doctor comics.
Review of Escape into Alcatraz by WhoPotterVian
A brilliant take on a good old-fashioned prison escape story. What's interesting about this one is that the Doctor is without his companions, as he is arrested in the famous high security American prison and attempts to break out a friend from an unseen previous adventure. I love the art style, which is quite bleak, and the reference to Les Miserables with the alias the Doctor uses made me laugh a lot too. I just think more could have been done with the alien guards, and that it was clearer where this takes place in the Doctor's timeline (is this in-between The God Complex and Closing Time, or Closing Time and The Wedding of River Song?).
This review contains spoilers
Review of Time Fraud by WhoPotterVian
A fun, if inconsequential story about a bird-like species who represent Earth mythological figures attempting time travel experiments and being conned by fraudsters posing as Time Lords. I really like the way this plays with the Doctor pre-Day's grief at being the last of the Time Lords, and it's clever the way this unexpectedly ties into Torchwood: Children of Earth at the end. That totally took me by surprise.
Review of In-Fez-Station by WhoPotterVian
This is a fun story, with the Doctor and the Ponds landing in the home of the fez and discovering that somebody is using them to control people. It features the return of the Slitheen, so how much you enjoy this story depends how much you like or dislike those alien creatures. Personally I was never a fan of them, I found them annoying and felt they downgraded the show's intelligence with all the fart jokes.
The central premise of the story with the mind controlling fezzes is quite an amusing and unique idea, but the ending is rushed and I just don't buy the Slitheen as a credible threat.
This review contains spoilers
Review of As Time Goes By by WhoPotterVian
Such a significant improvement on the TV Eleventh Doctor story The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. It has such a brisk pace, and it's interesting seeing the Silurians in a past setting (Second World War Casablanca), as usually their stories are set in the current present time.
I love the ideas in this. Silurians disguising themselves as humans using perception filters, taking control of the local police force in order to claim their planet back from the 'apes', the whole thing about trying to make Amy their princess against her will to forcibly unite humans and Silurians...
One of my favourite IDW Eleventh Doctor comic strips out of the ones I have read so far.
Review of Silent Knight by WhoPotterVian
Sweet little story, communicated well with lack of any dialogue. It's basically Last Christmas without the Dream Crabs or dreams within dreams.The Pilot Fish make a nice reappearance too.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Body Snatched by WhoPotterVian
A very powerful and gripping story, which deals with a morally grey premise (that of placing people's minds in bodies that are in a vegetable state. The Biogrowers really are a chilling concept, and the Doctor and Amy body-swapping stuff is absolutely brilliant (I wish we'd got to see that on-screen, especially the hilarious moment Rory accidentally kisses the Doctor thinking it is still Amy in his body). I would absolutely recommend this story to anyone craving more 11.
Review of Space Squid by WhoPotterVian
This story is a bit of a throwaway issue really. Nothing much happens. A group of people are worshipping a space squid as some sort of God, there's a security team onboard a space station trying to deal with them, the Doctor manages to slip them out of the influence and save the day.
The most notable thing about this issue is Kevin the Dinosaur leaving as companion, but he only lasted two stories including his debut anyway, so it's not particularly exciting.
It's not terrible though; it's still a good read worth your time.
Review of Tuesday by WhoPotterVian
A really fun comic story with a unique structure concerning Amy writing a written record of her adventure on this particular Tuesday for her parents (reminds me of the Titan Comics stories with Gabby). I love the whole thing with Rory accidentally becoming the King of England, it's hilarious and fitting of the Eleventh Doctor era. Easily the second best story in the first volume of The Eleventh Doctor Archives after The Ripper's Curse.
Review of Down to Earth by WhoPotterVian
Short but sweet. It fits the Moffat era well, which used monsters being misunderstood or turning good quite often as a reoccurring theme.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Run, Doctor, Run by WhoPotterVian
A fun little story with a unique concept, in a world where gravity is all messed up. It's unique in that the Doctor is basically the villain rather than the hero of the hour, and at both the start and end of the strip the inhabitants of the planet see him as a threat despite not being inherently evil. I wish it had been a tad longer though, and with a tiny bit more substance.
Review of Convention Special by WhoPotterVian
This is a fun little story, especially if you like comic books. It follows the Doctor taking Amy and Rory to San Diego Comic Con to meet a creator of his and Rory's favourite comic. Meanwhile, a mysterious alien force is attempting to capture the comic creator for suspected nefarious means...
It's fairly inconsequential, but an enjoyable story nonetheless.
This review contains spoilers
Review of When Worlds Collide by WhoPotterVian
Another really wacky Eleventh Doctor strip, this time with more weight than Spam Filtered as it features the return of the Sontarans. I like the concept of a theme park built of literal multiple worlds based on a number of time periods, I think that's a neat premise.
This issue is really going to depend on your taste in regards to Doctor Who stories. It's even sillier than the first part (Nazi Sontarans! Cowboy Sontarans! Arabian Sontarans!). Personally, I really like this level of wackiness. It's so much fun, and a joy to read. Your mileage will vary though.
Overall, When Worlds Collide has been a great story - but I'm not sure about the conclusion. It all feels a bit too easy for me (which generally tends to be the case when you have high stakes)
Review of They Think It’s All Over! by WhoPotterVian
This is a solid enough entry in the IDW Doctor Who comic strips. It's essentially what I imagine a pure historical new series Doctor Who story would be without a monster or a villain from another time
This review contains spoilers
Review of Ripper’s Curse by WhoPotterVian
This is exactly what you'd expect from a Jack The Ripper Doctor Who episode. The Doctor and companions land during a famous historical event, alien happens to be the reason behind said event, Doctor and co can't interfere...
I really love the tense atmosphere of this strip, and the creepy design of the alien that's revealed to be Jack The Ripper. The codenames the Doctor's companions take are pretty funny too - Amy Pond is Miss Marple and Rory Williams is Inspector Clouseau, two of course very iconic detectives.
This is basically The Fires of Pompeii for Amy Pond. She really gets to challenge the Doctor here, and why he can't just save one person from a terrible fate. It's such a fantastic exploration of the dilemma of 'What would you do if you knew the fate of somebody destined to die?'...and then the comic story goes and puts a twist in the tale later into the story. Brilliant stuff.
This is such an inspired and unique take on the historical. Here, everything is in flux and you have no idea who's safe anymore - even Amy is in danger, as history changes so she becomes one of Jack the Ripper's victims. You're on tenterhooks throughout this issue wondering how the Doctor and Rory are going to solve this, and that's no mean feat when usually you know that the Doctor/companions will survive anyway, because it's not the TV Show and they're still around on TV.
Review of Spam Filtered by WhoPotterVian
I enjoyed this story, although I can imagine it being a little controversial. It's a bit silly and inconsequential, but a great laugh with personified holographic versions of Amy and Rory's emails, and a stapler that will remind you of a certain Microsoft Word assistant. It feels quite Douglas Adams-eque
Review of A Girl’s Best Friend by WhoPotterVian
I've always been a bit lukewarm on this spin-off pilot, and I still feel the same way. Whilst I appreciate the ambition, and I think there's a solid idea on paper regarding Sarah Jane and k9 investigating a witchcraft cult, it's not quite as interesting as it should be.
For a pilot intended to get audiences interested in a spin-off show, it has a surprisingly slow pace. There's not much actual cultish behaviour taking place, although it's nice to see Sarah Jane using her investigative skills.
Another problem is that Sarah Jane is uncharacteristically unlikable in places. For instance, she initially tells Brendan that he can 'wait until tomorrow' to be picked up from the boarding school, even though she was supposed to have picked him up already. It doesn't reflect brilliantly well on Sarah as a character.
Thankfully, K9's inclusion adds some character to the spin-off pilot. His friendship with Brendan is endearing, and he's introduced organically into the plot, as a present from the Doctor. K9 can never do any wrong in my eyes.
Review of Evacuation Earth by WhoPotterVian
Doctor Who hasn't had much luck with videogames. Despite being a hugely popular show both worldwide and in the UK, often its games are heavily criticised for their graphics and gameplay. When Asylum Entertainment were given the license in 2010, there wasn't much hope in the Whovian fanbase for a decent game. Indeed, one of their games - Return To Earth - was slammed by the critics. The other - the one I'm reviewing today - got more of a lukewarm response.
Regardless of what you say about either game, they both have strong narratives that feel like they could come from an episode of the show. Evacuation Earth sees the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) arrive at the Lake District, as humanity is about to flee the Earth as the planet has become inhabitable due to solar flares. Suddenly the TARDIS is brought aboard the SS Lucy Gray, forcing the Doctor and Amy to board. They end up helping the humans onboard with problems with their ship and encounter Silurians and Daleks along the way. The neat thing about these games is they both tie into each other. Evacuation Earth sees the SS Lucy Gray take off, whilst Return To Earth is the ship's return to...you guessed it, Earth.
The idea to make a Doctor Who game puzzle-orientated is brilliant too. The Professor Layton style works brilliantly for Doctor Who, given that the Doctor often resorts to puzzle solving rather than violent measures. It fits the Doctor's character as a pacifist perfectly. The only problem is some of the puzzles are a bit too easy and would only really be hard to primary school children. This is understandable with early games such as piecing the Sonic Screwdriver back together because they have to take it slowly to ease you into game but when the later puzzles are easy too the lack of challenge could make the game potentially drag for some players.
The game is also a little short; there are only four chapters and ninety eight puzzles. That may seem like a lot to those who don't play a lot of puzzle games but for comparison, Professor Layton and the Curious Village has one hundred and thirty five puzzles and nine chapters. Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth can be completed in about three hours; Professor Layton on the other hand about eleven hours. I am sure they could have expanded the story more for Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth so it could have eleven chapters, especially when the game was full price upon release.
Fortunately unlike some of the other Doctor Who videogame efforts the graphics are strong. The game has captured Matt Smith and Karen Gillan's likenesses perfectly and the TARDIS interior looks stunning.
It feels almost as though Nintendo themselves have made the graphics in this game. They are stunning and put many other licensed videogame graphics to shame.
I am glad they managed to get Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Nicholas Briggs to voice the Doctor, Amy and the Daleks too. It helps the game to feel authentic, almost as though playing through an episode of the show. Matt Smith and Karen Gillan both naturally bounce off each other, especially during the opening scene when Amy Pond mishears the Lake District as the 'Larkhead Streaked'. Thankfully Matt Smith loses none of his oomph when he delivers his speech to the humans and Silurians about working together; it feels just as epic and awesome as it would during one of his epic speeches in the show. The Silurians sound laughably macho though, like they got Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to voice them as an alien race of buff bodyguards. If only they'd got Neve McIntosh to provide their voices instead...
Overall, Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth is one of the better Doctor Who videogames. The narrative feels like a Doctor Who episode and the gameplay is perfect for the show's message of peaceful solutions over guns and brawn. The graphics are incredible. Unfortunately, the puzzles offer little challenge and the game is too short, with only four chapters meaning you can finish the game in a day. It's great that they managed to get Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Nicholas Briggs onboard though.
Review of The Forgotten Army by WhoPotterVian
I think this book easily has to be one of the best Matt Smith era Doctor Who novels I have read. It perfectly captures the whimsical fairytale vibe of that era, effortlessly captures the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond's voices, and provides a fun and charming tale of a mammoth in 2010s New York, and its tiny army of alien soldiers.
The narrative evokes classic stories like Gulliver's Travels and Invasion of the Body-Snatchers, with a tiny hint of Ratatouille (oddly enough). It's a pleasure to read from start to finish, and never gets dull.
Review of The Time Machine by WhoPotterVian
This was a bit of a disappointing conclusion to the Destiny of the Doctor audio series. It has such a strong premise in the central plot of 'What if time travel existed in the then-Present Day of 2013?', but it doesn't feel like a conclusion to the overall story arc of the Doctor leaving messages to be picked up by himself in earlier incarnations. In fact, the messages are hand-waved away in the dialogue when the Doctor defeats the giant alien lizards of the story, the Creevix.
Jenna Coleman does a good job at reading the story, although strangely Clara Oswald is nowhere to be seen. It seems very odd to get Jenna Coleman to read this audio adventure, and yet not feature her companion anywhere in the narrative - especially when the other stories all have the respective companions of the different eras.
Taking away the lack of Clara and the underwhelming climax to the story arc, it's a decent story. It's nothing particularly remarkable compared to other Doctor Who adventures, but it's not terrible. It would just have been nice to have seen a tighter conclusion to the over-arching threads of this audio series.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Crimson Horror by WhoPotterVian
A really strong retelling of the original episode. This one is structured in a similar way to a classic literature novel such as Dracula, with written accounts from the likes of Jenny and Strax, and it gives it this really engaging old timey feel, which works really well for the central narrative.
We also get a fun little side adventure with Jenny and Vastra at the beginning, where they investigate a talent show, and Jenny meets the Doctor for the first time. It makes me wonder if any future Target novels with the Paternoster Gang could get a similar approach. Could we get more of these side investigations?
Review of Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor by WhoPotterVian
One of the cleverest books I have ever written. It's ingenious the way Steven Moffat plays with the timey wimey nature of his Doctor Who era via the chapter numbers, and I loved the appearances from various Doctor Who characters who didn't actually feature in the episode. The closing chapter is a neat twist too, with a certain incarnation of the Doctor you wouldn't expect to show up.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Dalek Generation by WhoPotterVian
Nicholas Brigg's first book 'The Dalek Generation' is a intelligent read that nicely slots into 'The Snowmen'. The idea of the Daleks being seen as a force of good is a interesting one that makes way for some great ideas. One of these being how it's illegal on these sunlight worlds to show hatred towards the Daleks. The book also plays with the limitations for the Daleks of being nice pretty well too, detailing their inability to exterminate anyone in public and using logic instead, such as the scene where the Daleks shoot three men and a woman underground, then later bring them out seemingly alive to humiliate the Doctor in front of a audience of shoppers.
The Doctor's companions in the book are three kids called Ollus, Sabel and Jennibeth. This is one aspect of the book that works incredibly well. All three kids come across as very likeable characters and you really find yourself caring for them during your time reading the book. I particularly liked how you got to see them progress from children to elderly people. The ending is a well-suited one for these characters and neatly ties the book together. As for the Doctor, I've seen some people say he's badly written but I disagree completely. The Doctor is fantastically written and is exactly how you'd imagine he'd react to the situation. His attitude towards the kids is a lot like how this Doctor talks to children in the show.
So overall, this is a fantastic book which neatly fits inbetween the Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen. Think of it as a extra long prequel for the latter because that's essentially what it is.
Review of Apollo 23 by WhoPotterVian
Easily one of the best Matt Smith new series books. It has great narrative hook with the spaceman turning up at the fast food restaurant, an intriguing sci-fi plot involving swapping people's minds with the brains of aliens, and perfect characterisation for the Doctor and Amy.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Day of the Doctor by WhoPotterVian
How do you celebrate 50 years?
That's the question that Steven Moffat had to answer with this TV movie and boy was he successful. The film begins with the original Delia Derbyshire opening titles and it's amazing how well they hold up today, even on a big screen (this was shown in cinemas as well as on TV). The opening features many homages to the William Hartnell era of the show, including a policeman walking past a familiar junkyard sign and Coal Hill School. My only criticism of this sequence is that they missed a trick in not having William Russell as Ian Chesterton be the one who leaves Clara with the Doctor's current address.
The plot feels like a wonderful blend of the classic and new series. On one hand, you've got Zygons trying to populate the Earth as their new home by taking on the forms of others. On the other, the end of the Time War and debate over whether the Moment is the only option or if there is another way. What is great about both of these elements is how they not only look to the past but also set future elements in motion. The Zygon plot sets up Invasion/Inversion of the Zygons and the Time War segments set up whenever they decide to return to the Twelfth Doctor's appearance alongside the other Doctors (and isn't that a great sequence? 'All 12 of them', 'No sir, all THIRTEEN').
Talking of the Doctors, all three of the main ones are as great as you would expect from such brilliant actors. John Hurt is incredible as the War Doctor, David Tennant shows why he is truly the greatest Doctor so far (in my opinion, of course) and Matt Smith is on top form as the Eleventh Doctor. Whilst the other Doctors do appear, it is as archival footage towards the end (apart from the Twelfth Doctor, who appears in new footage albeit with just his killer eyebrows in shot).
Oh, and Tom Baker is magnificent as the Curator. His voice sends shivers down any Whovian's spine when you first hear it before he appears. What's especially good here is how it is not outright stated he is a future incarnation of the Curator (although it is hinted), it is left mainly up to individual interpretation so if you want to say it's the Fourth Doctor aged due to time differential (my preferred theory), you can.
The writing is possibly Steven Moffat's best also. Day of the Doctor features some of the best lines in any film I've seen (not just in Doctor Who, although admittedly I am a bit biased) including 'Great men are forged in fire. It takes the privilege of a lesser man to light the flame' and 'Clara sometimes asks me if I dream. Of course I dream, I say. But what do you dream about, she'll ask. The same thing everybody dreams about, I'll tell her. I dream about where I'm going. She always laughs at that. But you’re not going anywhere, you’re just wandering about.That’s not true. Not anymore. I have a new destination. My journey is the same as yours, the same as anyone’s. It’s taken me so many years, so many lifetimes, but at last I know where I’m going. Where I’ve always been going. Home. The long way around.'.
Overall, Day of the Doctor is a brilliant celebration of 50 years from 1963-2013 and essential viewing for anybody, not just Whovians. My only complaint is no Ian Chesterton.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS by WhoPotterVian
Given how similar the fantastical worlds of Jules Verne are to the universe of Doctor Who, it is a wonder it took so long for a Jules Verne-inspired episode of the show. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is obviously inspired by Jules' 'Journey To The Centre of the Earth'. The episode doesn't manage to reach the same heights as Jules Verne's most iconic story however.
When the TARDIS is captured by a salvage company in space, Clara (Jenna Coleman) finds herself lost inside and the Doctor (Matt Smith) enlists the help of salvagers Tricky (Jahvel Hall), Bram (Mark Oliver) and Gregor (Ashley Walters) to find her. He promises they can have the TARDIS in exchange for their assistance.
There are some nice references to Doctor Who mythology - the Eye of Harmony for instance returns from the 1996 TV Movie - but overall there just isn't enough meat to the story. A lot of it is just characters running around TARDIS corridors and the time zombies introduced later into the narrative just feel forced in order to provide a 'monster of the week' of sorts. It never feels like there's a compelling reason for the story to be told entirely in the TARDIS, like it was simply an excuse to have a TARDIS-centric episode rather than because writer Stephen Thompson had a story to tell.
That's not the main problem with the story however. The main issue I have is that Steven Moffat and Stephen Thompson promised beforehand we would get to see more of the TARDIS, yet we are hardly shown anything other than corridors. We are shown quite a bit of the TARDIS library but other rooms like the TARDIS swimming pool are only glimpsed. It was a big disappointment to not have seen more of the TARDIS's swimming pool and this story would have at least had more of a reason for existing if we'd have seen more TARDIS rooms.
The resolution is a little weak too. It's a literal reset button, meaning the events of the episode never actually happened. This unfortunately renders it a pointless episode of the show. Essentially by watching this episode you waste forty five minutes on something that means nothing to the characters by the time it ends. A better solution would have been to have developed the salvagers to a point where they realise they don't want to salvage a sentient machine and decide to leave after they find Clara. Get rid of the whole time rift and make it an entire exploration of the cruelty behind trying to salvage a machine that is basically alive and the whole episode would have been substantially improved.
I did like the cinematography of this episode though. There were some beautifully shot moments, such as this one in the The Architectural Reconfiguration System:
Click to Load Image
Absolutely stunning production design by Production Designer Michael Pickwoad and a beautiful extreme wide shot by Camera Operator Joe Russell. It has that very distinctive Jules Verne feel, which I had hoped the episode's writing would have evoked too. Michael Pickwoad and Joe Russell worked wonders on this episode and should be applauded for it, even if the episode itself is lackluster.
The show's stars (in this case, Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman) are always applauded for their work on the show but people tend to forget the production crew who help produce the show. Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman were great but it is those who work behind the camera who deserve more recognition for what they do. It's easy to forget them, which is a shame because they do a stunning job and the show would not be the same without them.
Overall, Journey To The Centre of the TARDIS was a great concept for the show but unfortunately Steve Thompson doesn't quite pull it off. It just feels like an excuse to have an episode set entirely in the TARDIS and there's no compelling narrative reason behind it. The Edge of Destruction was a more effective take on a TARDIS-centric Doctor Who story. It doesn't try to force in a monster-of-the-week for a start. Journey needed bigger emphasis on TARDIS exploration (show us more rooms, not just glimpses of rooms) and a stronger resolution. The cinematography was brilliant though and the production design by Michael Pickwoad was incredible.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Asylum of the Daleks by WhoPotterVian
“One day he will return.” And that day wasn’t quick coming. After a big, long gap between The Doctor, The Widow, And The Wardrobe, Doctor Who finally returned to our screens in September 2012. Was it worth the wait? Yes. Was it the best episode? No.
Steven Moffat said this episode would be a “blockbuster”. And he couldn’t have been more right. Everything from the planet Skaro to the Parliament of the Daleks looked like something from a high budget sci-fi movie and the pace was so fast that you often wondered if it’ll over run by at least two hours.
It starts with a Dalek agent (or Dalek handpuppets,as the Doctor calls them) speaking over a frankly breathtaking shot of Skaro. Then, before we know it… ZAP! A Dalek egg whisk comes out of the Dalek agent’s hand and the Doctor is exterminated. Then, all of a sudden we find ourselves watching Amy having a photo shoot and before we know it, we hear a sinister, Dalek voice say “TARGET ACQUIRED” in the background. But again, we find ourselves somewhere else. This time on a bus, where the same thing happens to Rory. And in about 5 or 6 minutes, the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves in the clutches of the Dalek parliament. And all before the titles. Speaking about the titles, whilst the names of the cast titles look like they were done by a 6 year old mucking about on Windows Movie Maker with he’s mum’s laptop, the Dalek themed Doctor Who logo looks stunning. What a shame it changed again to a far inferior Dinosaur-themed one in the Dinosaurs On A Spaceship titles.
After the title sequence, we find the TARDIS crew fired down towards a planet covered in more snow than you’d find in Antarctica (if that’s possible). It’s not long before there’s a horrific scene where the Doctor and Amy find themselves in a control room full of skeletons of an Alaska exhibition. And, in true blockbuster style, of course, the skeletons turn out to be more Dalek agents, which the Doctor describes as a Dalek security system (enough to make anyone hide behind the sofa). Then, in another two minutes time, they’re already in the Asylum. Yes, readers. This really is how fast paced Asylum of the Daleks is. There is one thing, however, that many Whovians find disappointing, including myself. Steven Moffat promised every Dalek from the 60s onwards was going to make an appearance. Did he live up to he’s promise? No. Most of the Daleks were the RTD era ones, which frankly beat the silly Tellytubby Daleks from series 5’s “Victory of the Daleks”. There were only slight glimpses of the classic series Daleks and none of them really took part in the action.
The plot of this is actually quite straightforward. No, seriously, casual viewers. It is. In a nutshell, the Doctor, Amy and Rory get told by the Dalek parliament to get rid of the force field surrounding the Asylum, where all the insane Daleks that have been defeated by the Doctor end up. The Daleks are too scared to the job themselves and so the Doctor and he's companions find themselves literally “fired” to a snowy planet where the Asylum can be found. Oswin(who is technically the only good Dalek,as well as the only sexy one) guides them along the way and uses her skills in Dalek technology-hacking to get rid of the forcefield and make the Daleks forget the Doctor. However, she is revealed to be a Dalek herself and seemingly dies when the Daleks blow up the Asylum.
Of course, the acting from the main cast(Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) was spot on, as usual. The three of them have really got used to playing their characters, especially Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, who beautifully acted out a scene where a divorced Amy and Rory decide to get back together. The star of the show, however, was Jenna Louise Coleman’s Oswin Oswald. Sexy, cheeky and clever, Oswin was everything you want from a Doctor Who companion. Oswin’s nicknames for two of the lead characters, “Mr. Chin and “Nina” really added a sense of humour to an otherwise serious episode and was a breath of fresh air. She’s the Donna Noble of the Moffat era. Jenna Louise Coleman played Oswin as though she’d been playing her all her life and it certainly says something about her acting when you find yourself feeling sorry for a Dalek. Oswin’s Dalek revelation is almost certainly one of the most emotional scenes in Doctor Who so far,which is saying something when scenes such as Rose becoming trapped on a parallel universe and Donna having her mind wiped by the Doctor have had Whovians in tears on every watch.
Another strong point from the episode was the references to past episodes. One scene, for example, featured a Dalek POV shot where the Dalek suckers draw closer to the Doctor, causing him to back into the wall. This is clearly a nice, subtle reference to “The Daleks”, which sees Barbara find herself in a very similar situation. Also, when Rory asks how much danger they’re in, the Doctor replies with “Out of 10? 11”. A nice reference there to the Doctor’s current incarnation. It’s nice to see Steven Moffat taking continuity seriously, especially with the 50th anniversary round the corner.
Talking about Steven Moffat, the quality of his writing really was top notch here. Everything from the dialogue to the settings had an epic, movie feel to it and it felt more like you were at the cinema than watching behind the sofa. If Steven Moffat is never knighted for he’s outstanding work on Doctor Who, then the Queen really doesn’t know what she’s doing (NB: This review was originally written when I was at sixth form college in 2012, and Queen Elizabeth II was still alive). In fact, I say she should knight everyone involved in Doctor Who at the moment! Line them all up, Queenie, and declare them all sirs and dames! Because, you know what? They deserve it. Don’t you agree?
One thing you could tell from this episode was all the hard work and effort that had been put into it. There really isn’t many good things on TV at the moment until Doctor Who comes on. Doctor Who really lightens up Saturday nights and if it is ever axed for good, I’ll be crying for eternity. As many other Whovians around the world will. Asylum of the Daleks shows how much of a mistake axing the show would be,if it ever does happen again, which it probably won’t for at least another 20 years. Heard anyone say it’s going downhill? Well, don’t listen to them. Because Doctor Who is one show that will never decrease in quality.
One thing I do recommend to anyone is that you don’t watch this episode just once. Asylum of the Daleks is much more enjoyable on the second watch. My original rating for this episode, when I posted a review on the Doctor Who Online Forums after the episode had finished, was 4/5. However, now that I’ve watched it for a second time, I have now decided it’s more deserving of 5 stars. For some bizarre reason, the second time you watch it it feels like there’s more action involved and the scenes featuring Amy and Rory getting back together and Oswin turning out to be a Dalek feel more sad and depressing.
One thing that still feels the same on the second watch is how scary the Daleks are. Yes, Whovians. Steven Moffat has made the Daleks scary again. The asylum Daleks insane cries of “EGGS EGGS EGGS”, which immediately leads to “TERMINATE” are enough to creep anyone out. I suspect those Daleks forgot to buy eggs from Tesco’s while doing their weekend shopping. Another really creepy idea was Steven Moffat’s Dalek agents. That scene where the dead people are revealed to be Dalek agents and come back to life is enough to give anyone nightmares. They look like they belonged in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” music video. Maybe they could have the Dalek agents return in some cut, unseen footage of Thriller, doing that Thriller dance while a Dalek eyestalk randomly grows out of Michael Jackson’s forehead? Take note, Moffat, if you’re reading this!
One problem I found with the episode, however, was that it needed more time. 50 minutes didn’t really give the plot enough time to develop. Maybe this episode would’ve been better suited to a movie? With 3D, of course. I mean, imagine how cool it would’ve been to see the Dalek eyestalk grow out of a Dalek agent’s head into the audience or feel the depth of the landscape of Skaro, as if we’re actually there in person, looking down at it from above? Heck, they could’ve included some shots of Daleks flying out towards the audience. Imagine how cool that’d look in 3D? (NB: The Day Of The Doctor would air over a year later, with shots of Daleks flying in 3D). This Doctor Who episode could’ve benefited from being shown in a cinema, rather on the small screen and 3D would’ve added to the atmosphere and looked amazing. I just hope that if there is ever a Doctor Who movie that it’s on the same scale as Asylum of the Daleks and has at least 2 hours and a half for the plot to be able to develop.
The next time trailer at the end is one of the best I’ve ever seen and really made me want to watch Dinosaurs On A Spaceship (which, of course, I did, when it was broadcast on Saturday 8th September 2012). I recommend that you watch Dinosaurs On A Spaceship if you haven’t already, because it’s even better than Asylum Of The Daleks. Be warned, though, because the robots are very cheesy and over the top.
So, overall Asylum of the Daleks was a very fast paced and enjoyable episode, featuring a stunning new character called Oswin(who I can’t wait to see more of in the Christmas special) (NB: The 'Oswin' in The Snowman was actually a Victorian waitress/nanny called Clara, a splinter of the Present-Day Clara, who later appeared in The Bells Of Saint John) and plenty of action from the Daleks. The acting from the main cast was spot on, but the star of the show was Jenna Louise Coleman’s portrayal of Oswin Oswald. The only disadvantages to a very good episode were the underused classic series Daleks and the length of the episode (even though they always tend to be 45-50 minutes anyway).
This review contains spoilers
Review of Empire of Death by WhoPotterVian
Empire Of Death had a lot of excitement and anticipation to build up to. Not only did The Legend Of Ruby Sunday leave us with the return of Sutekh, but it also promised answers in the next episode for the identity of Ruby's mother, and how Susan Triad was spread through time. Whilst Empire Of Death is a decent episode overall, it doesn't quite stick the landing, as some of the answers given are underwhelming.
The elements that Empire Of Death does well are the moments of horror dotted throughout. The entire UNIT team turning to dust instantly is a sensational moment, showing these familiar faces who we've gotten to know being reduced to ashes in front of our very eyes. Whilst it's obvious that it will be reversed by the end of the episode, it's still very impactful, and shows that nobody is safe in this story.
The Doctor and Mel's action sequence on the Vespa also works incredibly well, injecting the episode with a great sense of adventure and adrenaline. Mel's determined attitude to 'fight back' is a million miles away from the screamer she used to be portrayed as, and this new side to Mel is great. She contrasts nicely with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor as someone who acts as a harsh maternal figure to him when he gets emotional. Their dynamic works better than Mel with the Sixth or Seventh Doctors, and I'd like to see her travel with 15 for an entire series at some point.
One of the highlights of Empire Of Death even is the scene where 15, Ruby, and Mel travel together in the Memory TARDIS. Their interactions, with 15 and Mel happily reflecting on how they used to travel together, whilst Ruby is given clues about how to find out who her Mum is by the Memory TARDIS, are lovely, and show this shared connection between 15 and Mel as a Doctor and former companion. It's nice that we get an explanation for where the Memory TARDIS came from too, confirming it to be from UNIT's Time Window, and created from the VHS memory of Ruby's mother dropping Ruby at the church. It reminds me of how the MCU projects are all connected with each other, and the way that a plot point in one MCU film will crop up in another. Here, we have Tales Of The TARDIS creeping into the main show, Doctor Who, which in turn provides answers for the iPlayer spin-off.
Conversley, the answers for Ruby's mother don't work anywhere near as well. The reveal that she's just an ordinary woman named Louise is so disappointing considering the huge degree of build-up to the reveal. Teasing a major aspect of a character's family life like this doesn't work unless we know the person who turns out to be their biological Mum. Louise means nothing to us because we have never met her. She's just a random woman from the Present-Day, we're given no reason to care, and it doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. Why would Sutekh be so invested in who Ruby's Mum is if she's merely a human with no extraordinary qualities? Why does Louise point at a sign to name her child rather than just write a note? If Ruby's Mum is just human, how come Ruby can make it snow? Why could we never see her face in the Time Window? The more you think about it, the more it falls apart.
I think it's a mistake, too, that we don't see the Doctor reunite with Susan. There was so many references regarding the Doctor's granddaughter, that a reunion between the pair seemed inevitable. Instead of the Time Lord returning to Susan, however, he just drops Ruby off with her family and the episode ends. Considering the crazy amount of set-up for a Susan return, we really needed to see a scene of the Doctor going back to see her for it to properly pay off. I really hope we see Susan in the Christmas Special, because considering that the Doctor thought Susan Triad was Susan Foreman and was left disappointed, it makes no sense that he wouldn't immediately go back and visit her.
The ending is another thing that doesn't work for me. Whilst I like the notion of 'death defeating death' and that returning life to the universe, the fact that they basically just repeat the climax to Pyramids of Mars, with Sutekh chucked into the time vortex, doesn't really feel like a conclusion to Sutekh's story. What's to stop Sutekh just coming back later and clinging onto the TARDIS again, like he did after Pyramids Of Mars?
Gabriel Woolf is fantastic throughout Empires Of Death, though. He affords Sutekh a thoroughly creepy presence. Sutekh is intimidating and commands the screen, and Gabriel Woolf embodies the God of Death's omnipotent nature.
As much as I don't like the mother reveal, Millie Gibson as usual plays it fantastically. She brings the heart and emotion to her reunion with her biological mother, making it feel like a very raw and human moment. Millie Gibson is such a spectacular actor, and I'm so glad she's going to be in the next series too. Overall, I'd give Empire Of Death a 5/10. The horror and action sequences are superbly handled, but the reveal of Ruby's mother is disappointing, the lack of Susan Foreman is surprising, and the climax feels a little too easy. I really hope we get a Susan return in Joy To The World, otherwise I have to wonder what the point was in all the teasing regarding the Doctor potentially reuniting with his granddaughter.
Review of Let’s Kill Hitler by WhoPotterVian
Let's Kill Hitler. Those three words are not necessarily what you would expect a Doctor Who episode to be called so it is a surprise they decided to call it that, although I suspect it was more to grab the attention of the media rather than a title picked because it suited the episode.
The title is very misleading and many quite rightly felt disappointed by it. Personally, I didn't; whilst I liked the idea of an episode set in the past with an evil dictator as the 'historical celebrity' it was never a necessity for me that this episode featured Hitler (Albert Welling) much. It is more focused on the origins of River Song (Alex Kingston) and the Teslecta's (various) attempt to take her down due to their knowledge of her killing the Doctor (Matt Smith). This in my view is a much more interesting story to tell than Mel (Nina Toussaint-White, later River) trying to kill Hitler even if at this point River Song is becoming more of an annoying character than one that's enjoyable to watch. She's a lot more bearable here than in other series six stories though and the episode overall is a lot of fun to watch. This is definitely on the lighter spectrum of Doctor Who episodes, especially when you have a scene where Rory (Arthur Darvill) shoves Hitler in a cupboard.
The best thing about this story is by far the set design. It looks perfect and probably one of the best recreations the show has had to a particular past period so far. You get a strong sense of world-building and character from the look of Hitler's office alone. You can tell the designers spent a lot of time designing the set of this one. Even the outdoor scenes look like the cast and crew have time travelled back to World War 2.
Albert Welling is very convincing as Hitler and it would have been great to have seen a lot more of him. Again, I thought the story focused on a more interesting point but it would have been fun to have seen the Doctor forced to team up with Hitler (or something along those lines). Alex Kingston is perfect as a newly-regenerated River too, although Nina Toussaint-White felt a bit flat at Mels. The main cast are great as always but Arthur Darvill in particular really shines here. He has brilliant comedic timing in this episode, especially near the beginning with Hitler. 'Shut up, Hitler' has to be my favourite line from the episode.
Overall, Let's Kill Hitler is a great episode that unfortunately suffers from a misleading title and an underused Albert Welling.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Trouble in Paradise by WhoPotterVian
This is a great story where we finally get to hear the Doctor meet Christopher Columbus!
Here, we get a story that feels more involved with the greater 'Destiny of the Doctor' story arc, with the Eleventh Doctor specifically tasking the Sixth Doctor and Peri with tracking down something known as an 'Omni-Paradox', explained as what happens when time collides against time itself.
There's some brilliant exploration of the Sixth Doctor & Peri's toxic relationship, and I like how it tackles the problematic side of Christopher Columbus. Peri really takes the Doctor to task for being so eager to spend time with Christopher Columbus when he enslaved the American population upon discovering America, and it really makes you question other instances where the Doctor gets giddy about meeting important historical features with problematic attitudes. Not only that, but Peri even directly challenges the Doctor over his less sympathetic side in this incarnation, when he refuses to treat a guy with a disease currently not curable in this time period, when he has the cure in his TARDIS. It's great to have a full-on acknowledgement that this Doctor and companion had quite a toxic relationship.
It's a bit of a slow burner, but there's some genuinely captivating character moments captured in this audio. This is the Sixth Doctor and Peri story we should have got in the TV Series!
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Eleventh Hour by WhoPotterVian
'How do you begin a new era of a popular TV show when it has just seen arguably its most popular lead actor go?'
That was the question Steven Moffat was faced with for The Eleventh Hour. You would think it would be a challenge to introduce not only a new Doctor and companion in a single episode but an entirely new era too. Yet Moffat does it effortlessly.
The plot is relatively straightforward compared to previous Doctor Who stories (and of course the majority of Steven Moffat's future ones) but with so many new elements to the series to introduce, it had to be. The most complicated it gets is The Doctor (Matt Smith) meeting Amy (Karen Gillan) first as a child, returning 12 years later and eventually picking her up as a companion two years after that. Otherwise, the plot is basically an alien convict resembling a snake has escaped from a crack in Amy's wall and intergalactic police the Atraxi (think a giant eyeball and you're correct) are prepared to incinerate the Earth if they don't find him. In order to blend in, Prisoner Zero takes on the form of various coma patients however Amy's boyfriend Rory (Arthur Darvill) is a nurse at the local hospital and alerts the Doctor and Amy about it. This is probably the most simplistic a Moffat story gets and it helps considerably to introduce this new Doctor and companion.
This is such a great introduction story to a new era that arguably it's as good as the excellent Rose by Russell T Davies - and believe me, to have as good an introduction as Rose is going something. It feels like we've always known Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as the Doctor and Amy; both or them slip into their parts immediately.
Matt Smith is so good, in fact, that he has his defining Doctor moment in his very first episode. There's this wonderful scene where the Atraxi shows the Doctor's incarnations in order scanning at the Doctor's request on whether the Earth is protected...and he steps through and says just four words.
'Hello, I'm the Doctor'
Immediately, you know who this Doctor is. It is only beaten in terms of the Matt Smith Era by another moment later on in series 5 known as the 'Pandorica speech'. The thing is, Matt Smith was so great here that I was disappointed when he didn't seem as comfortable in the following episode The Beast Below. In fact, his performance in series 5 never quite reached the heights of how he played the Doctor here. I feel he was better in series 6 and 7 overall but I suppose that's to be expected considering he would have been more comfortable in the part by then.
As for Karen Gillan, she sold me straight away as the feisty Amy Pond. Her no nonsense approach is brilliant, especially when she traps the Doctor's tie in a car door or wracks him over the head with a cricket bat. She quickly became my favourite companion for a while until the excellent Jenna Coleman came along as Oswin/Victorian Clara/Clara.
Oh, and I can't write this review without mentioning Caitlin Blackwood. I'm sure many fellow Whovians will agree with me when I say she is without a doubt the best child actor they have ever had in the show. She's a smart casting choice, looking exactly like a young Karen Gillan (helps that they are cousins, of course) and also coming across incredibly believable in the part to the point where you wouldn't mind if she ended up playing the new companion rather than Karen Gillan.
Overall, The Eleventh Hour is exactly how to do an era introduction story with fantastic acting from the new stars of the show and a brilliant simplistic plot from Steven Moffat that was just what this episode needed.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Pyramids of Mars (TOTT version) by WhoPotterVian
I have mentioned on Twitter a few times that I'm not the biggest fan of this serial. The original episodic version feels quite slow for me, and usually the slower pacing with the classic series doesn't bother me. I also don't find the mummies a very credible threat, as they are very slow and lumbering.
Benjamin Cook's 75 minute cut, however, surprised me with how much more I enjoyed it compared to the original. It moves at a much stronger pace, and the mummies feel much more competent here than in the episodic version. It also wisely removes the puzzle scenes, which really caused the story to drag.
The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane's chemistry is incredibly strong here. Their special bond as best friends is conveyed throughout the story, and it features one of their most iconic scenes, where the Doctor shows Sarah the future if they don't stop Sutekh.
The new CGI is surprisingly limited. I was expecting Sutekh to be replaced with the 2024 version, but it's mostly replacing the time and space corridor effects with the 2024 title sequence. It's still a cool touch, but more subtle compared to other classic series serials that have received new special effects.
This Tales Of The TARDIS's linking scenes are a bit more basic than the previous ones. They essentially boil down to Ruby confidently stating that the Fifteenth Doctor can defeat Sutekh because he's already done it in his fourth Incarnation, and the Doctor expressing that he got lucky before. The fact that he's wearing a similar long scarf to Tom Baker's is a neat touch, but it does lack the emotional beats of the other Tales Of The TARDIS linking scenes.
Review of Two’s Company by WhoPotterVian
I'd seen a lot of unfavourable comments regarding this Once And Future story, but honestly I thought it was better than its reputation suggests. Although there are some pacing issues, and the story is rather basic, Jackie Tyler and Lady Christina make a heck of a fun pair. It's interesting hearing Jackie with a Doctor like the Sixth, who is so different from either the Ninth or Tenth Doctors. The Sixth Doctor is also unafraid of calling Harry Sullivan an imbecile like his predecessor!
This review contains spoilers
Review of Dead and Buried by WhoPotterVian
This one is quite a unique Bernice Summerfield adventure, as it's the first and only to be represented in a visual medium. Every other Bernice Summerfield story has been told through books and audio dramas, whereas Dead And Buried is represented through the animated medium. The resulting animation is well made for a promotional piece by Big Finish, and reminds me a little of a DreamWorks film. Ironically, it's better animated than the BBC's Dreamland, which will have had a much bigger budget.
Dead And Buried sees Bernice Summerfield investigate a tomb on the suite of a previously undiscovered civilisation, and accidentally unleashing a robot who has instructions to kill her. It's a fun little adventure, that's reminiscent of Tomb Raider, and ends on a cliffhanger leading into the Big Finish audios Resurrecting The Past and Escaping The Future, where she is captured by the robot.
The twist that Braxiatel orchestrated the entire scenario with the undiscovered civilisation and the robot as a trap for Bernice is a little obvious, but it's a great set-up for the two Bernice Summerfield audios in question.
This review contains spoilers
Review of A Fix with Sontarans by WhoPotterVian
A Fix With Sontarans is an odd watch now due to the Jimmy Saville scandal. When it was initially broadcast in 1985, it would have been to an audience unaware of the vile behaviour the presenter was getting up to backstage. Yet weirdly, as though the writer Eric Saward had somehow boarded the Doctor's TARDIS and been shown the future where the sex scandal had come out, Tegan (Janet Fielding) actually refers to Jimmy Saville as 'monstrous'. Never could anything be more accurate than that.
With Tegan being present in the minisode, you would think the Doctor involved would be Peter Davison. Well no, it isn't. It's Colin Baker. This is explained by a contrived reason of a 'matter transporter', which feels more 'Star Trek' than 'Doctor Who'. The Doctor explains that there are a couple of Sontarans onboard and asks Tegan to help him. She agrees, but accidentally teleports a human kid called Gareth Jenkins onboard, who turns out to be a future military leader who defeats the Sontarans in 2001. Again, all very contrived (including the reason for Jimmy Saville's presence, which expectedly feels forced into the plot). Overall, it's a fun minisode though especially watching with the knowledge that Jimmy Saville is actually 'repulsive' (as the Doctor remarks).
Gareth Jenkins is a brilliant young actor too. He more than holds his own alongside Colin Baker and Janet Fielding. It doesn't feel like he's only there because he wrote in to Jim'll Fix It but he of course was. Colin Baker and Janet Fielding have great chemistry too, despite the pair not being a Doctor/companion combination before. It would have made more sense to use Nicola Bryant as Peri, although there is a theory going around that Janet Fielding was used because she knew Jimmy Saville was a dodgy character through her husband (who was a journalist and friends with Princess Diana) and could therefore protect Gareth against any strange behaviour.
Overall, A Fix With Sontarans is a harmless enough story but parts of it feel very contrived. Gareth Jenkins is brilliant though and it was right about Jimmy Saville being monstrous and repulsive. It's just odd that Janet Fielding as Tegan Jovanka was chosen as the companion and not Nicola Bryant as Peri.
Review of Dimensions in Time by WhoPotterVian
Dimensions In Time is how NOT to do a multi-Doctor adventure. It has everything that could possibly go wrong with a multi-Doctor story: some of the Doctors don't get enough screentime, the narrative is confusing and almost non-existent, the acting often treads into camp territory and the companions may as well not be there.
It also inexplicably crosses over into EastEnders.
Who the hell wants to see Doctor Who in the same universe as EastEnders?
There's a reason why Tony Stark doesn't pop into The Woolpack or Bruce Wayne doesn't eat a Betty's hotpot in the Rover's. And that reason is because it would look ridiculous.
If there's one good thing about Dimensions In Time, it's that it only lasts fifteen minutes.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Judoon in Chains by WhoPotterVian
I've never been the biggest fan of the Judoon. Their design is brilliant and the episode they debuted in - Smith and Jones - still remains one of the best companion introduction stories of the new series. It never feels like the Judoon are used that brilliantly though. Whenever they appear they don't make much of an impression, yet the concept of space rhinos for hire is so great that they could easily be the focus of their own story (credit to the Sarah Jane Adventures episode Prisoner of the Judoon though for making great use of the species). Judoon In Chains proves that potential and is a much more satisfying Judoon story than their televised appearances.
Judoon In Chains follows the story of Judoon Captain Kybo (Nicholas Briggs), who fled the Judoon's attempts to terraform a planet currently occupied by the sentient life forms known as the Aetius (Sabina Franklyn). The sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) represents Kybo's defence in a victorian court and through Kybo's statement to judge and Judoon jury we hear of how he crashed to Victorian Era Earth and became a part of a travelling circus (with the Doctor as his translator), along the way forming a friendship with drawf Eliza Jenkins (Kiruna Stamell) and discovering a love for poetry.
Placing the Judoon in a victorian court is a neat concept and provides some much needed development for the race that hasn't been present in other stories featuring the Judoon. Whereas they may initially appear stiff and judgemental, the story highlights their importance in having to stick religiously by the laws of the universe. This is one of those courtroom dramas where you can see clearly understand the views of both parties: by abandoning his post Kybo was showing himself to be a liability but equally the right side of his brain was being influenced by the Aetius. The Judoon are loud, nasty and ruthless (especially in the way they attack Victorian England) but whilst their actions are unforgivable it is clear that they are doing it for the same reason we would: the fear of the unknown, the fear of something that is a Judoon but at the same time so very not 'Judoon'. Kybo's behaviour after encountering the Aetius is not Judoon-like.
This is further proved at the rapid rate Kybo's intelligence improves. For all their might the Judoon are usually small-minded...but here we have a Judoon who learns to read and write poetry within an extremely short period of time. This allows for a more sympathetic character than if Kybo had been a simple Judoon. You find yourself truly caring for the disgusting way Kybo is treated at the circus simply because Kybo demonstrates more human characteristics than his fellow Judoon. The story notes mention it as inspired by the iconic classic film The Elephant Man and it shows throughout not only in the way Eliza refers to Kybo as 'the rhinoceros man' but also in the amount of care treated by the writers towards the character. Kybo is quite possibly the best supporting character Big Finish have ever created and I hope at some point they bring him back.
It feels appropriate also for a courtroom drama to be the sixth Doctor story in this set. This incarnation of the Doctor has been seen in this setting before - for an entire season! - in 'Trial of a Time Lord' so to return to a type of establishment that is undoubtedly a big part of this incarnation's time in the TARDIS seems somewhat fitting. Colin Baker works extremely well in this setting, his speeches being suitably grandiose and excellently performed with an air of arrogance and self-righteous determination. Because of this, Judoon In Chains sees one of Colin Baker's greatest performances as the Doctor.
If anyone should be applauded for this release however it is Nicholas Briggs. To keep up that performance as the Judoon where he has to put on a throaty voice for the entirety of the audio drama is an amazing effort and something he must be applauded for. It must be extremely hard work on his throat and I really wouldn't want to be in his position attempting it. To manage to record a one hour audio drama with that voice required for 98% of the audio drama...that's dedication. The Queen's a Whovian: she should knight him for it. Arise, Sir Nicholas Briggs of Judooneese. You have done the Whovian fandom a great service in our entertainment needs.
Speaking of Judooneese, a worry of mine was that the Judoon were going to be speaking it for majority of the audio drama. Thankfully Big Finish have them use their communication device pretty early on and the ingenius concept of a Judoon with accelerated intelligence means that we get to hear him learn our language anyway. Judooneeese is fine in small doses but as a language can become annoying if heard for extended periods of time. This is also a problem with the Sycorax (which I will mention in the Harvest of the Sycorax review) that Big Finish have found a way round. It's nice hearing these alien languages rather than just English the entire time but equally we need our native language in order to properly relate to characters who are members of other alien races (something which is especially important in a story like this).
Overall, Judoon In Chains is a classic and should be listened to by Whovians and non-fans alike. It's a sweet and charming story that had it been made as a film would have undoubtedly won an Oscar for Best Picture. When people say the Big Finish stories are better than the televised episodes of Doctor Who then this is the audio drama they should use as an example of that bold claim.
The dedication by Nicholas Briggs shows the amount of love and attention that has gone into this release and whoever came up with the decision to give the sixth Doctor a courtroom drama in the Classic Doctors, New Monsters set needs to be applauded for it. It's a very clever decision and helps this audio drama to make it one of my favourites by Big Finish out of the ones I have listened to.
Judoon In Chains uses the Judoon better than the TV Series and its spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures; I am pretty certain that anybody who previously disliked the Judoon would soon be converted after listening to this hour-long story.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Wrong Doctors by WhoPotterVian
If there's one thing you can say about Big Finish's 2013 release The Wrong Doctors, it's that it's not afraid to have fun with time travel within the classic series period of Doctor Who. In the new series we are used to seeing the Doctor overlap with his present timeline but in the classic series (and indeed during the Russell T Davies era of the show) it was something you absolutely couldn't do. Having the sixth Doctor meet the sixth Doctor is therefore a very novel idea by Matt Fitton. But does he manage pull off the story's potential?
Well, pretty much. There is a slight problem however in how it translates to the audio format. The Wrong Doctors takes place shortly after Trial of a Time Lord; the young sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) decides to drop the old Mel (Bonnie Langford) back home to wait for the old sixth Doctor who has already travelled with her to return. Meanwhile, the old-but-not-yet-old-enough-to-have-travelled-with-Mel Doctor (Colin Baker) arrives at Pease Pottage with the intention of picking up young Mel (Bonnie Langford) after losing his previous companion Evelyn Smythe. Both Doctors and both Mels are present in Pease Pottage at the same time and if the wrong Doctor were to meet the wrong Mel it could do considerable damage to the web of time. To add further complications, the village of Pease Pottage has been populated with people who have died years before...and some of them are even aware of their deaths, including Mrs Wilberforce (Patricia Leventon), who died in 1964 aged 80.
The Wrong Doctors does a brilliant job of mixing new series concepts with the classic series; this is a story that you could easily imagine Steven Moffat writing. I particularly love the idea of a village populated by dead people. It is a very intriguing one and made disturbing by how the characters who are aware of their deaths act so matter-of-fact about it. And then there's the chilling concept that the residents of Pease Pottage can only remember a day's worth of memories but act as though they have always known one another. Jedediah Thurwell (James Joyce) for example clearly fancies young Mel but their memories mean that they can't remember meeting one another beyond the present time.
Where the time travel falls apart is through the presence of both the young and old Doctors. Occasionally it is hard to follow which Doctor is with which Mel and it can feel like the story would have been better suited to the television format (especially when the old sixth Doctor is wearing his indigo coat - something that on television could have acted as a visual guide for the viewer). Some may require a flow chart when listening to this story; to his credit Matt Fitton tries to make the story easier to follow through nicknaming the two Mels 'Mel B and Mel C' but often it doesn't feel like enough. The two Mels barely interact anyway, aside from towards the end of the story where old Mel accidentally knocks her younger self cold.The old Doctor is also given the nickname of 'Indigo Jones' by old Mel (which is more useful than Mel B and Mel C) but I would have liked to have seen the young Doctor given a nickname too. Old Mel references Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat in the story so why couldn't she have called him 'Joseph'?
None of the time travel confusion is either Colin Baker or Bonnie Langford's fault. Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford do a masterful job of making the young and old Doctors and Mels distinctive from one another. It's amazing how they manage to sound significantly younger when playing their younger selves, almost as though it actually is a younger Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford in the recording booth. Colin Baker's younger Doctor sounds much more bombastic compared to his older and wiser audio sixth Doctor. Bonnie Langford also manages to make younger Mel sound naive in comparison to her more experienced older Mel. This is Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford at their very best and I can't imagine there will ever be a sixth Doctor and Mel story where they both deliver a better performance than here.
It's especially impressive how much chemistry Colin Baker has with himself. Colin Baker and Colin Baker effortlessly bounce off each other with their multi-Doctor banter, helping to signify how much the sixth Doctor has changed from his TV adventures to his later audio stories. Many times it feels as though there are two Colin Bakers, like Colin Baker isn't just one person but made up of Colin Baker splinters spread throughout time. Who knows: maybe he fell down his own timestream and Nicholas Briggs failed to mention in the behind the scenes extra that there were two Colin Bakers recording the story? Or maybe Colin Baker exchanges banter with himself behind closed doors? Admittedly that sounds much weirder than Colin Baker splinters.
The supporting cast is also very strong, in particular Patricia Leventon as Wilberforce and James Joyce as Jedediah Thurwell. Both characters start off merely as caricatures - the sweet old lady and the confident young man of Pease Pottage - but their characters soon develop to become three-dimensional beings and are expertly brought to life by their actors. Both appear like characters from the sixth Doctor's era too; you could easily imagine Colin Baker's Doctor bumping into Wilberforce for example but I doubt she would have the amount of character development she gets here. The likelihood is that due to the poor quality of the writing she would have remained a caricature rather than becoming a layered supporting character. Wilberforce is a lady with a certain dedication to her: the kind of woman who will see things through to the end and who knows that one day everything must come to a stop. Jedediah on the other hand on the outside may appear confident but has a certain inner weakness that makes you question just how sure he is in the time-displaced society. At times it almost feels as though he subconsciously knows there's something not quite right.
Overall, The Wrong Doctors is a clever idea by Matt Fitton but occasionally the audio format is detrimental to the story's potential. It feels like a story that would work better as a televised episode of the show rather than as an audio drama. It is remarkable however how Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford manage to sound significantly younger when playing their younger selves. Both give outstanding performances as both their younger and older selves; Colin Baker in particular has a lot of chemistry with himself. The supporting cast is strong too, my favourite being Patricia Leventon as Wilberforce. Wilberforce may seem like a caricature at first but she soon develops into a fully-fleshed character; her steely dedication makes her a very interesting character to listen to. The Wrong Doctors is definitely worth the listen for Colin Baker's rapport with himself but it's the kind of story that requires one of Doc Brown's blackboard sketches to fully understan
d.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Ultimate Foe by WhoPotterVian
The classic series of Doctor Who didn't really deal with series finales. Bar maybe The Key To Time, the last serial of a classic series season would instead tend to be a standalone adventure, wrapping up its own individual plot rather than an entire over-arching narrative. It's a style that proved to work well time and time again for the classic series, and so it's no surprise that they largely maintained this approach.
'The Ultimate Foe' is a different beast. It follows the line of thinking we have seen more with the new series, acting as a conclusion to the Trial Of A Time Lord arc rather than just another Doctor Who adventure. It's an approach that works significantly well for it, as it plays more with the format of the courtroom proceedings, finally giving us witnesses from the Doctor's previous stories this season. We get o see Glitz (Tony Selby) again, and we're reunited with Mel (Bonnie Langford). It's a really effective way to establish these past stories in further with the 'Trial' storyline, as they become an integral part in solving the Doctor's conflict with the Valeyard (Michael Jayston).
The Mysterious Planet in particular is revealed to have a very strong link to the events of the courtroom trial, as we learn the reason why Earth was renamed 'Ravalox', and discover that the High Council of Time Lords were behind the solar flares that almost destroyed the planet. This leads to arguably Colin Baker's greatest performance in the classic series, as he scolds his own species for their part to play in the disaster that befell the Earth. The writing by Robert Holmes and Eric Saward here is so beautiful that feels like pure poetry, as the Doctor declares that Daleks, Cybermen and the other monsters he has encountered are 'still in the nursery' compared to them. It's undoubtedly the strongest the writing had ever been during Colin Baker's era, and it's a crying shame that the rest of his time in the TARDIS hadn't featured writing quite as magnificent as this.
This serial also sees the return of Anthony Ainley's Master, and he's on excellent form here. Whether it's on the video screen in the courtroom or aiding the Doctor and Glitz in the Matrix, he brings exactly the same huge amount of screen presence as you would expect from this incarnation of the Doctor's Time Lord nemesis. The best thing about his appearance here however is how it subverts expectations. Naturally as a viewer you expect him to be the man behind the manipulation of the Matrix, and the one trying to get the Doctor sent down for genocide, but for once the Master isn't out to get the Doctor. He takes up more of an ally role here, assisting the Doctor in trying to take down the Valeyard, the real culprit behind the corruption of the Matrix. I'm glad the story refrained from going down the obvious route, as it allows for a new central conflict to form.
Many have spoken about just how brilliant of an idea the Valeyard is, an amalgamation of the Doctor who comes somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnation. He makes for this really intriguing premise, as his origins, where he comes from and how he was formed is kept so deliberately vague. Thirty five years, and we're all still hooked trying to figure out more about this enigmatic figure, and when he will next appear in the series. That right there is a clear cut sign of good writing. If a piece of TV is so talked about and discussed many years later, then quite clearly it has done something right, and it's a crime that the Valeyard is yet to return on TV.
The majority of the Valeyard's scenes take place within the Matrix, and these scenes demonstrate such a wild amount of creativity and imagination. Whether it's the Doctor being pulled into the sand, grabbed by a pair of hands as he peers into a barrel of water or encountering 'Mr Popplewick', who is obsessed with 'procedure', there are so many impressive sequences here that demonstrate the limitless scope and scale of a show like Doctor Who. It's almost like watching a David Lynch movie mixed with Alice In Wonderland, in the way that it embraces the weird whilst openly acknowledging that none of it makes sense. As the Doctor states, 'The only logic is that there's no logic'.
If there's any criticism I could level at this serial, it's that it short-changes both of the Doctor's companions. Firstly, we are told by the Inquisitor (Lynda Bellingham) that Peri actually survived the events of Mindwarp, and is living happily with King Yrcanos. Pushing aside the fact that it's detrimental to the huge emotional impact of Peri's emotional exit, it's disappointing that we don't actually get to see Nicola Bryant and Brian Blessed here, especially when they could have just filmed it quickly at the same time as Mindwarp. Secondly, Bonnie Langford as Mel is not given a great deal to do. She's largely relegated to the trial scenes, although she does get to enter the Matrix later in order to inform the Doctor that his 'guilty' verdict was a Matrix illusion conjured by the Valeyard. It would have been nice if Mel had contributed more substantially to the plot, as even with the information she passes on to the Doctor, his reply is that he already knew it was fake anyway.
Overall, 'The Ultimate Foe' is an extremely underrated Doctor Who story within the Whovian fandom. It's a serial that not only gives us Colin Baker's greatest performance as the Doctor, but also provides a wildly imaginative narrative concerning the illusions of the Matrix, delivers some truly intriguing details regarding the Valeyard and offers another stunning return for Anthony Ainley's Master. This serial is easily the greatest of the classic series' two part adventures, and a prime example that two part 'Classic Who' stories can totally work.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Terror of the Vervoids by WhoPotterVian
During the 2005 revival, Doctor Who has cast many well known faces as its companions. From Billie Piper (famous for her teen pop star career) to more recently Bradley Walsh, there has been quite a large variety of actors playing the role of the Doctor's assistant who have been known to the public. Before the current run of the show came to fruition, however, there was John Nathan Turner's decision to cast Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush, a popular child star known particularly for her work as a dancer.
She's introduced in the strangest of ways here. Rather than her introduction story coming in the form of a typical narrative on how she came to meet the Doctor (Colin Baker), we skip ahead to her already travelling with the sixth incarnation of the Time Lord. It's unusual, but in the context of the narrative it works, because the Doctor - through trying to find evidence for his defence in his courtroom trial - isn't looking specifically for the start of his adventures with Mel. He's looking for something to best sell his case that he is innocent of all charges thrown against him. It would have been more than a little coincidental if the best suited adventure for that purpose happened to be Mel's first.
The Doctor gives us one hell of a story here too. Following a distress call, he arrives with Mel on a luxury space liner, where they find a series of murders being committed by a mysterious killer. The Doctor and Mel must locate the source of the distress signal as well as the identity of the murderer before it is too late. It's your typical Agatha Christie-style whodunnit, posing two highly enthralling mysteries which have very satisfying conclusions later into the narrative. The Russell T Davies era may have done an Agatha Christie murder mystery in its fourth series, but Terror Of The Vervoids is arguably the Proto-Unicorn And The Wasp.
The eventual reveal of who the killer is works a charm. It turns out that professor Sarah Lasky's (Honor Blackman) assistant Doland (Malcolm Tierney) is the man responsible for the murders onboard the space liner. Like all of the best reveals in murder mystery storylines, it hits the sweet spot of the culprit not being too obvious whilst not being considerably left field to the point where his involvement is unbelievable either. It makes sense without being an easy conclusion to reach. It's also clear how the Doctor was able to reach this conclusion that he was the man responsible, as the narrative explains his reasoning in a clear and concise manner.
Doland is not the only evil presence onboard the space liner however. There's also the titular monsters of this adventure, the Vervoids. These creatures are among my absolute favourites in the classic series of Doctor Who; they have an extremely effective design which neatly conveys the appearance of vegetation, and their motives are understandable and somewhat sympathetic, given that their actions - whilst wrong - essentially boil down to a fight to survive. As the Doctor puts it, it's 'kill or be killed'. Plant life like the Vervoids are constantly under threat from 'animal kind', whether it be animals such as giraffes or elephants eating them as food or human beings removing weeds from their gardens. By fighting 'animal kind', therefore, they are really just fighting for self-preservation. It's not much different to the food chain of lions or tigers hunting their prey.
The courtroom scenes here are also some of the best so far. This serial gives us a tantalising hint at the Matrix having been tampered with and manipulated by the Valeyard (Michael Jayston), with some scenes having been changed from when the Doctor viewed the adventure in the Matrix. It's a really great way to keep viewers invested in the courtroom drama, as you find yourself desperate to find out just what the Valeyard has been up to. Is the Doctor right with his theory, or are his suspicions totally unfounded? You could imagine viewers at the time even contemplating the possibility that it is a distraction tactic by the Doctor to buy himself time whilst he thinks of a way to clear his name.
The story ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, as the Valeyard declares that the charges against the Doctor are now for 'genocide' rather than simply interference in the affairs of other beings. This is in relation to the Doctor wiping out the entire Vervoid race at the end of the serial with a device that causes them to experience all of the seasons at the same time, and it's definitely hard to argue with him here. The Doctor's actions are somewhat questionable - then again, it could be a manipulation of the Matrix - and it really feels as though the Doctor could end up punished for his crimes. He's in the worst possible position for sure, leaving us with an extremely effective lead-in to the final two episodes of this 'Trial Of A Time Lord' serial arc.
Overall, 'Terror Of The Vervoids' is easily Colin Baker's greatest Doctor Who serial. Playing largely like an early prototype for 'The Unicorn And The Wasp', it provides us with a gripping murder mystery on board of a luxury space liner, and one of the classic series greatest ever one-off monsters in the Vervoids. It's also nice to see Bonnie Langford make her first screen debut as Melanie Bush, a companion who I feel gets too much undeserved hate from the fandom; Bonnie Langford is brilliant in her introduction, and brings so much energy and presence to her first appearance in the role. 'Terror Of The Vervoids', in short, is what Colin Baker's era should have been, and it's a shame he didn't get more stories of this quality during his tenure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Mindwarp by WhoPotterVian
After the BBC's initial axing of Doctor Who was reversed into merely an extended break, the production team found themselves having to hastily rework their planned serials for the show's twenty third season. Very few of the story ideas survived this hasty reshuffle, causing an entirely different season to emerge. However there are tiny remnants of one such concept for the original season that did make the transition. I'm speaking, of course, about Mission To Magnus, the planned return of Sil (Nabil Shaban).
This story was reworked from the ground up, for what became 'Mindwarp', the second serial to make up the Trial Of A Time Lord arc. It's great to see Sil here, and Nabil Shaban is on fine form; you can tell he is relishing returning to the role. It's also really fun that the story takes place on his home planet of Thoros-Beta. It adds an extra layer to the world building of the series, as we finally get to see the planet that was teased in his debut adventure Vengeance On Varos.
Strangely, however, he takes more of a back seat here to a new member of the Mentor race, Lord Kiv (Christopher Ryan), a Mentor who is slowly dying and wishes to transplant his mind into another body in order to prolong his life. Sil is made more of a comedic presence, which is a somewhat bizarre creative decision given that he is known to offer a more threatening presence. I do in general really like the narrative on display here however; I think the idea of an extra-terrestrial being attempting mind transference into another body is a really strong one for a Doctor Who episode, and it's executed very well here. Especially as we get to see the results of the mind transference twice, and the outcome as Kiv's mind essentially finds itself in two different bodies at different points of the narrative.
This serial is known in particular for starring Brian Blessed as King Yrcanos, and he's every bit as you would expect. He delightfully hams it up, bringing this enormous sense of fun to proceedings. There's never a dull moment with somebody of Brian Blessed's screen presence around, and he's pretty much perfect casting as Yrcanos here. He has the booming voice of a King, somebody who you could easily imagine ordering servants around and watching over an interstellar kingdom.
Yrcanos's equerry Dorf (Thomas Branch) is something of a tragic figure. A result of the Mentors' experiments, he's become this wolfman who is clearly not very happy about his predicament, and I really found myself feeling for this character. It feels so needlessly cruel the way he was transported into this mutated body, which really establishes the nature of the threat they are up against. Only a cruel and heartless mind could do this to the poor man; these are clearly people who need to be stopped.
What I didn't quite buy was the Doctor's sudden betrayal and teaming up with the serial's antagonists. This didn't make much sense for me, for very much the same reasons as Colin Baker himself has stated. The story is very vague on whether the Doctor is simply stringing Sil and Kiv along, or if the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) has been tampering with the matrix in order to portray the Doctor as the bad guy and it doesn't feel purposefully vague either. It's like they didn't realise in the production of the serial how unclear it was, and it has the affect of making the Doctor seem too unlikeable when he tortures Peri for information, or alerts the guards to her presence when she appears as a servant to the Mentors. Hell, at one point I was wondering if the mind experiments attempted on the Doctor earlier in the serial had done something to his brain in order to affect his behaviour, but this isn't clarified either.
The ending, on the other hand, is sublime, as Peri's mind inside her body is replaced with that of Kiv's. It's a brutal and tragic way for a companion to go, Peri ultimately becoming nothing but a vessel for the primary antagonist of the serial. The performances of both Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant both really sell it too, as the Doctor is moved to tears in the courtroom whilst Peri on the screen intonates the precise speaking tones of Kiv. It's a shame that this ending is later reversed, as if it had stuck it would have easily been one of the greatest companion exits of all time.
Overall, whilst Mindwarp has its problems, it's still an extremely entertaining serial which provides an enjoyable hour and a half of television. Peri's initial exit in particular is very strong stuff, and Brian Blessed is every bit as larger than life as you would hope. Unfortunately there are some very bizarre creative production choices on display here, such as the Doctor betraying his companion and their new allies for no good reason, and Sil becoming more of a comedic secondary antagonist to the main villain. With more substantial rewrites this could have been one of the best Doctor Who stories out there, but as it is it's still a great adventure for Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Mysterious Planet by WhoPotterVian
It's no secret that Doctor Who's twenty third season was riddled with production issues. After Season 22, a more traditional Doctor Who season had been planned, where the Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) would travel to Blackpool, fight the Celestial Toymaker and visit holiday planets where good people are turned into killers. However this was all aborted when the BBC decided to cancel the show, unsatisfied with its current state of being. Thankfully this premature cancellation was reversed due to a very high profile press campaign (complete with possibly the most embarrassing charity single of all time), but the BBC cut the season in half, resulting in the season we now more traditionally call 'The Trial Of A Time Lord'.
It's a clever idea, to have a over-arching story across the season like this which directly reflects what was occurring in real life. Just as the Doctor finds himself on trial by the Time Lords, the show itself was also finding itself under scrutiny - by the BBC. What we're given here is a really intelligent meta-commentary on the state of the programme at the time, under direct threat of cancellation, a general sense that the Doctor's life could be ended at any moment. It's like the production team are protesting their case to the viewers, explaining exactly why the BBC should allow them to continue. Judging by these opening four episodes, I'd say they pleaded their case well.
This is the episode where we are introduced to the character of the Valeyard (Michael Jayston) for the first time, later revealed as an incarnation of the Doctor who is said to fall somewhere between his twelfth and final regeneration. Colin Baker and Michael Jayston's bickering is on fine display here, with the Doctor calling the Valeyard everything from a 'boatyard' to a 'graveyard'. These two actors bounce off one another so well, and are easily the highlights of the trial sections. They really bring the Doctor's trial to life, imbuing it with so much life and personality.
The actual four part adventure, entitled 'The Mysterious Planet', is pretty much standard Doctor Who fare. It's nothing particularly remarkable, but it's serviceable and it does its job. Some elements such as the planet being Earth all along, and humans being made to live beneath the surface because they believe it to be uninhabitable feel a little unoriginal, the latter in particular feeling like a direct copy of a major plot point from 'The Enemy Of The World'. It keeps you captivated throughout its runtime and never particularly drags, but at the same time it's a largely forgettable runaround for the Doctor and Peri.
Speaking of this Doctor-companion duo, their relationship is a lot better here than during Season Twenty Two. The Doctor and Peri have a much friendlier rapport, which feels like a direct response to the more spiky relationship seen in the previous season. Gone are the Doctor's snarky remarks and Peri's seeming disgust around Colin Baker's Doctor, and in its place is something warmer, more akin to the kind of friendship we have become accustomed to between the Doctor and their companion. It's the little things like the Sixth Doctor placing his arm around Peri in comfort that ultimately make all the difference in warming us more to this pairing.
Another endearing partnership in this serial is that between mercenaries Glitz (Tony Selby) and Dibber (Glen Murphy). These two are a lot of fun, bringing to mind other iconic guest star duos such as Garron and Unstoffe from 'The Ribos Operation', or the fan favourite Victorian double act Jago and Litefoot. Glitz's 'hate for competition' combined with Dibber's hapless nature offer many comedic moments throughout the serial, and it's a real shame Colin Baker's era didn't last longer so they could have become reoccurring characters. Perhaps it's time for Big Finish to bring these two over to the audio front?
Thankfully Lynda Bellingham - who here plays the Inquisitor - did get a chance to reprise her role for Big Finish before her untimely death in 2014. The Inquisitor is without a doubt one of the greatest Time Lord characters outside of the Master or the Rani to be introduced to the series. Her stern, no nonsense demeanour is perfectly portrayed by the superb acting talents of Lynda Bellingham, who embodies the role with a great deal of authority and presence. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, perfect casting for a role like this, and it's hard to imagine any other actor being quite as successful in the role.
Overall, 'The Mysterious Planet' is a passable start for Doctor Who's twenty third season. Whilst the over-arching story regarding the Doctor's trial begins strong, the narrative presented within this arching storyline reflects a screenplay which feels somewhat less confident in its conviction. It's a serviceable Doctor Who story, but it never progresses towards becoming something great, or more than the sum of its parts. What it does show however are some clear improvements regarding the Doctor and Peri's previously more spiky relationship; it's much more fun watching them interact as friends here.
Review of Vengeance on Varos (TOTT Minisode) by WhoPotterVian
The opening and closing segments here really highlight how much we lost out because of Colin Baker's firing. With great writing and a much better costume, his Sixth Doctor is incredible, and his relationship with Peri is so much more enjoyable. It feels like an extension of where they were in Season 23.
The story itself is excellent, and truly ahead of its time. As Peri alludes to in the closing scene, we don't feel a million miles away from the society depicted here in the 21st century, which is a little unnerving.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Two Doctors by WhoPotterVian
The Two Doctors is an unusual Multi-Doctor story. It wasn't to celebrate an anniversary (NB: This is less unusual nowadays, with Twice Upon A Time having happened outside of an anniversary too), it doesn't feature a major catastrophe that brings the Doctors together and weirdly of all, it doesn't feature much Multi-Doctor action.
The latter is also its flaw. The lack of screen time with Colin Baker and Patrick Troughton onscreen together ultimately means Patrick Troughton's talents feel wasted. You've got two great actors: why not show them together more? They only interact together near the end of the story and the serial is comprised of three 45 minute episodes. 135 minutes and there's hardly any Patrick Troughton/Colin Baker interaction!
The Sontarans are ridiculously tall also. Somebody on the production team clearly missed the memo that they are supposed to be small. Sometimes this can be distracting to the story as you're wondering why, when the Sontarans are a clone race, two of them would be taller than others seen in the series.
The plot is interesting though. It sees the Sontarans try to take the symbiotic (that allows safe travel through time) from the 2nd Doctor, messing with his DNA and turning him into an Androgum. Meanwhile, Androgum Shockeye has a strange fetish for people and chases Peri (Nicola Bryant) around intending to cook her. Shockeye (John Stratton) is a great villain and one whom I wouldn't mind seeing return in the new series; he seems genuinely disturbing, especially the way he leers over Peri in one of the cliffhangers.
I also like the idea of the Time Lords sending the Seconc Doctor and Jamie on missions. This seems to tie in with the popular fan theory 'Season 6b'; the idea was that there was an off-screen season between Patrick Troughton's last and Jon Pertwee's first where the Second Doctor was sent on secret missions by the Time Lords before his regeneration and was reunited with Jamie. The biggest clue that The Two Doctors makes this canonical is that Patrick Troughton looks visibly older. It can't be time differential as it is noticeable when he and Jamie are in the TARDIS together - no 6th Doctor present there - and unless the Time Lords wipe the Doctor and Jamie's memories it cannot take place before The War Games as the Doctor didn't tell Jamie about the Time Lords before then.
If this seems heavy on continuity, you can blame my review not the serial. The Two Doctors is a good story but it is let down by a disappointing lack of Multi-Doctor action and a silly decision to make the Sontarans tall.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Twin Dilemma by WhoPotterVian
The Twin Dilemma has an unfair reputation for being a bad Doctor debut story. People tend to forget that it followed the excellent The Caves of Androzani, so disappointment was inevitable. They could have pulled out a Spearhead From Space and people would still have claimed it wasn't very good. That being said, The Twin Dilemma definitely has flaws and it's not a story that will ever be considered a highlight of the classic series.
The Twin Dilemma finds the Doctor (Colin Baker) struggling to cope with post-regeneration trauma. He decides to become a hermit and lands the TARDIS on Titan III. Meanwhile, Romulus (Gavin Conrad) and Remus (Andrew Conrad) - two of the most intelligent twins in the universe - are kidnapped from their father Archie Sylvest (Dennis Chinnery) by the Doctor's old mentor from Gallifrey Azmael (Maurice Denham). He needs their help to save the people of Jaconda from famine and is working with Gastropod (alien slugs) leader Mestor (Edwin Richfield) in order to achieve that goal. Officer Hugo Lang (Kevin McNally) is sent out to search for the twins by the Earth defence force the Interplanetary Pursuit but is shot down and crashes on Titan III. He decides to team up with the Doctor and Peri (Nicola Bryant) to find the twins' captive and stop Mestor's real plan from coming to fruition.
It's applaudable how The Twin Dilemma takes a basic story and makes it the plot of the Doctor's debut. The story should never be overly complicated for a Doctor's introduction; it feels right for the focus to be on exploring who the new Doctor is (or rather what he has become). It's definitely one of the easiest Doctor Who stories to follow; the plot is pretty low-key and is more about the kidnap of the twins than the supposed destruction their mathematical knowledge could cause.
It's that mathematical knowledge, however, that's one of the hindrances of The Twin Dilemma's stories. I spoke in my Logopolis review on how the idea of Mathematicians having control over the universe is boring and the same thought for me applies here. The twins are dull and watching them write mathematical equations is not very exciting. A fair bit of time is devoted to it too; they try to make it appear exciting with the production design (the swivel-y chairs bizarrely make it look like some sort of game show) but it doesn't quite work. Doctor Who's current producer of the time John Nathan Turner seems obsessed by the idea of mathematics changing the universe given this is his second story to feature it and I don't quite know why. The twins have this annoying way of speaking also that makes them sound posh and too polite to be true. Their dialogue is literally all a 'father wouldn't approve' way of speaking that I'm sure made many viewers at the time feel like chucking their remote control at the screen.
Many complain about the Doctor cowering away from aliens in this story but to me this works within the context of the story. We know the Doctor is suffering from post-regeneration trauma so what better way to emphasise this than to show him being something that goes against the kind of person he is? The audience are aware he's not quite himself because he's hiding from the very things he defends the universe from, so by the time he confronts Mestor it seems like the Doctor we know and love is back. It's a good decision by writer Anthony Steven and something that to his credit I doubt any other Doctor Who writer would dare to attempt.
Talking of the Doctor, if anything helps carry The Twin Dilemma it is Colin Baker's performance. Colin Baker is fantastic as the Doctor in his first story; his theatrical delivery is very engaging to watch and despite the displays of cowardice he has flashes of a certain demeanour that bode well for his future serials for the show. If nothing else, this story is worth watching for Colin Baker - even if it is rather mediocre and not the best example of classic series Doctor Who. It's nice that he got an opportunity to play the Doctor as he wanted through Big Finish as his acting helps overcome some of the lame dialogue he is given.
It's a shame that the scenes in the TARDIS tend to drag in episode one. They take up majority of the first episode and it feels like we spend too much time in the TARDIS and not enough of the serial's running time devoted to the twin kidnap plot. The moment where the Doctor strangles his companion Peri also feels uncomfortable to watch, even if it makes sense because of the post-regeneration trauma. It's well acted by both Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant but it doesn't quite work in the story. It unwisely makes the new Doctor to appear violent and unlikeable, which I am sure was the intention but doesn't make for the most likeable protagonist.
The serial is full of interesting supporting characters, especially Maurice Denham as Azmael and Kevin McNally as Hugo Lang. Azmael is a brilliant character and I wish the more jokey relationship hinted at in dialogue between the Doctor and Azmael had been shown on-screen. He is well-played by Maurice Denham, who offers a certain gravitas that's perfect for a Time Lord from Gallifrey. Azmael would have made a great recurring character and it is a shame he wasn't brought back in future sixth Doctor stories. I hope one day Big Finish decide to bring the character back despite his death; I'm sure they could find a way around that. If the Master can return from the dead, then why not Azmael? As for Kevin McNally as Hugo, there's something endearing about his performance that leaves you wanting more. It's not hard to see why he has become a major stable of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He's an actor who was too good for The Twin Dilemma and I wish there was a chance Big Finish could afford him for a Hugo Lang spinoff series.
Overall, The Twin Dilemma isn't as bad as many make out but it does display a few flaws. The twins are boring for one and the TARDIS scenes take up too much of the first episode. However the story wisely focuses on a simplistic narrative for a Doctor debut story and Colin Baker's performance as well as those of the supporting cast are amazing. It was definitely a misfire though to show the sixth Doctor strangling his companion; it makes him appear violent and unlikeable, with Colin Baker's acting being the only saving grace for the character. The Twin Dilemma can only really be recommended for Colin Baker's performance, even if its undeserving of a terrible reputation.
Review of Doctor Who: Dalek by WhoPotterVian
An excellent Target novelisation of the original episode. Robert Shearman's writing offers a deep exploration of the characters featured within the original script, giving us a greater understanding of their backstory and motivations. This is a Target novel that improves on the already perfect pre-existing episode, and offers new layers for fans to explore.
Review of All Flesh is Grass by WhoPotterVian
This book is exactly what I wanted from it and more.
Big, blockbuster Who in novel form. The Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctor interactions are just as fun as you'd imagine, whilst also sticking true to their characters, and their individual experiences. The Ninth and Tenth Doctors, for example, understandably act different to the idea of saving Gallifrey in the Dark Times than the Eighth Doctor, who is unaware of what the Ninth and Tenth Doctors believed had happened to their home planet.
The Dalek action as ever is thrilling, and Brian The Ood proves once again to be a fantastic addition to the Whoniverse. Get that character on TV please!
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Knight, The Fool and The Dead by WhoPotterVian
This is a sprawling epic of a story, as the Doctor essentially takes on 'Death' (or the Kotturuh, the race who represent the concept of 'Death' as a being in the Whoniverse).
An exciting story from start to finish. Brian The Ood is a highly entertaining side character, and it's nice to see the Time Lord Victorious stuff from The Waters Of Mars expanded upon.
The cliffhanger is also a nice tease for the second book. I'm not sure if it was deliberate, but it felt reminiscent of the old RTD cliffhangers that would lead into the Christmas Specials.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: Rose by WhoPotterVian
A perfect retelling of the TV story; it strikes just the right balance of familiarity and new additions. I particularly loved the living statues sequence added into the story; I thought that was a really novel idea to explore with the Autons.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Night of the Whisper by WhoPotterVian
This audiobook story is a really strong and effective take on the superhero genre. It does a great job of capturing the essence of what a 'Doctor Who does superheroes' story looks like, which is something Return of Doctor Mysterio would later repeat in 2007.
The story concerns the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack visiting a planet called 'New Vegas', where a superhero vigilante known only as the 'Whisper' is targeting criminal gangs and fighting them to bring justice to the city. In order to get to the bottom of who the Whisper is, the Doctor poses as a police inspector, Rose a fast food waitress and Jack a reporter.
There are so many fun nods here to superheroes such as Batman and Superman, with the Whisper's HQ described as being like 'Wayne Manor', and the newspaper Captain Jack works at being called the 'Daily Galaxy' (a futuristic take on the Daily Planet). I also loved the Series 1 references, such as the Kronkburger and 'Bad Wolf'.
Briggs' Captain Jack impression is terrible though. He doesn't really do a very good job at capturing the character's essence.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Time Lord Immemorial by WhoPotterVian
This is the first Christopher Eccleston audio I have listened to, and I prefer his Doctor here. On TV, I felt he was too serious, which made sense narratively given that he had just survived the Time War, but it didn't make his Doctor much fun. Here, however, there's more of a lightness to his incarnation, as he is not burdened by the Time War. Christopher Eccleston is also a lot of fun alongside David Warner's incarnation, with the pair developing a great rapport.
The story itself is an exciting listen, concerning the multiverse falling apart due to the sands of time running out, and a God known as the Time Lord Immemorial. It feels like a curious mix of a 2005 story and a classic series adventure, with the Time Lord Immemorial feeling similar to other Time Lord Gods such as Omega.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Empty Child by WhoPotterVian
An ongoing debate in fandom is who actually created Captain Jack. Whilst Steven Moffat was the first to write the character, Russell T Davies gave the character to Moffat to introduce in his two parter. Personally, I see Steven Moffat as the character's creator as he is the one who first established the character's personality onscreen. Without Moffat's writing first, Jack may have been a completely different character with a completely different personality. Whilst I'm not as in love with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances as other members of the Whovian fandom, if it wasn't for this story Captain Jack may not have become arguably the most compelling of the new series' recurring characters to date.
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances finds the Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) arrive in WW2 London, where a young child called Jamie (Albert Valentine) is terrorising the population by spreading what appears to be a disease that turns everybody he touches into gas mask zombies. Whilst Rose searches for a young boy crying for help and is rescued hanging from a barrage balloon by con man Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), the Doctor meets the young boy's 'sister' Nancy (Florence Hoath). Eventually the Doctor and Rose learn that the gas mask zombies have been created by nanogenes (robots that take on the appearance of glowing specks and are capable of healing wounds) from a Chula ambulance that Jack crashed in the middle of war-torn London. In order to save London from the nanogenes, the Doctor, Rose and Jack must reunite Jamie with his mother.
It's not hard when looking at this story to see why the character of Captain Jack became so popular. John Barrowman as Captain Jack is perfect casting and is extremely fun to watch. There is literally never a dull moment when Jack is around, his cheeky nature balancing nicely off Christopher Eccleston's more serious take on the Doctor. One great scene shows Jack admiring Rose's arse through a pair of binoculars. To me that is the scene in this two parter that sums up Jack's character best; it shows how progressive Doctor Who as a show is and always has been that it introduced its first bisexual character in 2005. That's at least 10 years before other television shows started introducing bisexual characters, maybe even longer than that. The only other bisexual character in a television show I can recall is Marcus Dent in Coronation Street and he wasn't revealed as bisexual until 2012, when he developed feelings for hairdresser Maria Connor.
Christopher Eccleston is much better here than he is in other Series 1 stories as the Doctor too. By this point he feels much more comfortable in the role, especially with the humour that the part requires. Earlier in the series some of Christopher Eccleston's more light-hearted lines felt a little forced but here it sounds somewhat more natural coming from his mouth. The line 'Oh, that's just humans. By everyone else's standards, red's camp.' would have probably felt stiff said by early Eccleston but here the way he says it to Rose works well. He still isn't the best Doctor at the more comedy-orientated elements (hell, he's probably my least favourite Doctor out of all the actors to play the role) but it shows that he might have improved had he stayed on for a second series. This is something that even Christopher Eccleston himself has begun to acknowledge; in recent interviews he has stated he regrets leaving Doctor Who after such a short space of time and could have improved at the comedy had he continued. Here's hoping Big Finish can convince him to record some new audio adventures of the Ninth Doctor as it could be a Colin Baker scenario: the audio Ninth Doctor being better than the TV Ninth Doctor (NB: Christopher Eccleston has since joined Big Finish to record audios as the Ninth Doctor, and the audio Ninth Doctor is more comedic than the TV Ninth Doctor).
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances has possibly one of the best one-off characters in any episode of the show too. Florence Hoath is brilliant as Nancy; an extremely likeable young woman who feeds homeless children in her shelter. She's a woman with a heart of gold, yet she's certainly no Mary Sue. Her weakness is actually pretty dark for Doctor Who, in that she refuses to accept a kid of hers who in her mind is a 'mistake'. You see, Nancy is a mother who gave birth at the age of sixteen. She's the victim of an unfortunate young pregnancy. It can perhaps be argued that in the same way Kill The Moon is a subtext for abortion, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances is more the story of a young woman facing her 'mistake' and having to accept him for who he is rather than as someone who wasn't meant to happen than it is about gas mask zombies. Nancy could have made a brilliant companion and it is a wonder that she didn't join the ninth Doctor, Rose and Jack in the TARDIS (although it would have been a bit crowded).
My problem with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances is that I don't find the gas mask zombies that convincing as a threat. The catchphrase 'Are you my mummy?' is creepy in the way it is spoken regardless of the character's age in a childlike voice but it isn't clear enough what the gas mask transformation does to its victims. Do they lose their humanity? Is it like a mental condition such as dementia where they're no longer the same person but merely a reflection of who they used to be? Do they have the same memories or only simplified versions of them (does Jamie only remember Nancy being his mother?)? None of this is made clear enough in the two parter and it would have been nice to have had more clarity by Steven Moffat as to how tragic becoming a gas mask zombie is.
Having said that, the climax of 'everybody lives' still remains one of the most heart-warming moments the show has ever had. You truly feel the Doctor's joy when he says it and it feels like a natural conclusion that makes sense given what has happened earlier in the story. The foreshadowing is all there for a satisfying pay-off and is expertly written by Steven Moffat, in a way that I couldn't possibly imagine this story having any other ending. It's sort-of like if Steven Spielberg directed a Doctor Who episode: the kind of magical conclusion you'd get from a Spielberg film like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Spielberg movies were an inspiration for Moffat when writing this two-parter. Maybe one day the show could even get Steven Spielberg to direct a Steven Moffat episode?
The two parter also features one of the most impressive scenes in the 2005 revival so far: Rose hanging from a barrage balloon. This scene was filmed in front of a green screen at a hangar at RAF St Athan (in the Vale of Glamorgan) and in my view wouldn't look out of place in a blockbuster movie. It's jaw-dropping how convincing it looks and there are no obvious signs that it is green-screened (as can be found in some TV Shows with a higher budget).
The CGI in that scene by The Mill is still incredible today, the tractor beam Captain Jack uses to beam Rose up being another effect in that scene that feels extremely real. If you showed thatto anybody without bias towards Doctor Who and asked them how old the CGI is, I would predict their response would be '2024' rather than '2005'.
Overall, I might not have as much love for The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances as other Whovians (personally I prefer Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead) but it is still a great two-parter and a successful introduction for Captain Jack Harkness. John Barrowman was perfect casting as Jack.
Christopher Eccleston gives one of his best performances as the Doctor and Nancy is one of the show's most likeable one-off characters. The gas mask zombies may not have impressed me as they did other viewers but their catchphrase is certainly creepy, even if what the gas mask transformation even means for its victims isn't explained enough in the two parter for me to really care or find them scary. The CGI is still amazing though (especially the barrage balloon sequence) and would still look impressive in a modern 2020s production.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Dalek by WhoPotterVian
It's weird to think that the Daleks nearly didn't return. That instead of 'Dalek', this episode could have been called 'Absence of the Dalek'. Thankfully, they did in a classic episode of the show many rightfully think of first when they think of Christopher Eccleston's series as the Doctor.
In Dalek, the Doctor and Rose arrive in the year 2012 at a museum of alien artefacts owned by Henry VanStatten (Corey Johnson). The Doctor soon discovers that Henry is keeping a Dalek he calls 'Metaltron' prisoner, sending technician Simmons (Nigel Whitmey) to torture it in an attempt to get it to speak. What's brilliant about this episode is we essentially get to see the Doctor become a Dalek himself; he even uses their catchphrase 'exterminate' when pulling the lever to electrocute the Dalek. It's great to see the Doctor just lose it and fires the imagination as to what the character must have seen during the Time War to make him like this. Of course, the Doctor and the Daleks have a lot of history too which obviously counts for a lot of the hatred but let's not forget this is a character that couldn't destroy the Daleks when he had the chance in Genesis of the Daleks. This Doctor would have done it without the flicker of an eyelid.
You also get to see it from Rose's side: someone who hasn't seen the Daleks in action and therefore has no existing hatred for them. Rose feels sorry for it and so touches the Dalek out of compassion, however her exposure to time travel regenerates it meaning she accidentally unleashes it on a killing spree. It's hard to not see Rose's point of view, even knowing that the Dalek's actions were inevitable and it really adds to the story to see a different point of view to the presence of a Dalek and establishes that the show's not just about the Doctor and his companion VS the latest monster/villain but can also be about one, the other or both trying to help the monster in the episode (something important to be established in the new series' first series).
Dalek also sees the introduction of Bruno Langley as Adam Mitchell; unlike many, I actually enjoyed him in the role. Before The Long Game showed his true colours, he seemed a likeable character played superbly by Bruno Langley and one whom I hoped would become a companion at the end. Of course, he did and he wasn't very good at the companion lark. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper are both on top form here, especially Christopher Eccleston showing the Doctor's built-up Time War rage.
The writing is also impeccable; Robert Shearman is an excellent writer and it's crazy that he has never returned to the show, especially someone who can write lines like 'I can feel so many ideas. So much darkness. Rose, give me orders. Order me to die.'. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say Robert Shearman would make a great showrunner. Basically, if future showrunner Chris Chibnall gets Robert Shearman to write a story for his era then I for one certainly won't be shouting for him to go.
Overall, Dalek is simply a masterpiece expertly written by Robert Shearman and featuring stunning performances from Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper and Bruno Langley.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Aliens of London by WhoPotterVian
Aliens of London/World War Three is a landmark two parter for the show. Whilst aliens have invaded London before, this is the story where humanity wakes up and realises there are aliens out there. It also introduces one of the new series' most iconic monsters in the Slitheen and introduces the domestic side being a major part of the Russell T Davies Era of the show. Whilst we had seen this side in Rose, it wasn't evident it would be important until this two parter. Yet despite all this, this story is among the weakest of series 1.
Aliens of London/World War Three is actually quite dark for a family primetime drama when you strip it down. It features aliens stripping the skin of their victims in order to wear them like a sort of strange fancy dress costume. Yet bizarrely Russell T Davies decided to underplay this by adding farting effects and essentially making the Slitheen kid-friendly. It's impossible to take them seriously, yet if done right the Slitheen could have been a much more powerful monster that would have earned its iconic status rather than claiming it through their popularity with children. It's a shame that they were a monster introduced in the Russell T Davies Era as Steven Moffat (being a writer known for his dark stories) would have done the concept more justice given that it would have fit more in-line with his ideas. The Russell T Davies Era was great but it was better at the lighter ideas than the potentially dark ones.
The concept of a criminal family of aliens trying to sell the Earth as fuel is a great one and could have been well-realised if it wasn't for these poor decisions. Annette Badland is suitably menacing as Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen though and does great with the material she has. It's easy to see why Russell T Davies decided to bring her back in the much superior episode Boom Town. She's one of the new series' best villains and one that deserved to be a recurring one. Annette Badland comes close to saving the Slitheen and making them a race to be feared but ultimately can't overcome the silliness of the fart effects. The Slitheen have a great look too; there's something undeniably alien about this design:
And that's what's most important about this story: as the Doctor says, it's our race's first concrete proof of alien existence. Other alien invasions in the show's history have had some way or other they can be brushed off by governments...but a spaceship crashing into Big Ben? That's different. Nobody would purposely fly a military unidentified flying object into Big Ben unless they hate London landmarks for some reason and they find an alien pig in a spacesuit in the ship. This is a story about what happens when humanity stops being ignorant as they must have during the events of stories such as The Invasion (never referred to by anyone post-1968 unless they're UNIT personnel) and on that angle it succeeds. If it wasn't for the poor choices with the Slitheen, this would be a great story about what may one day hopefully become a landmark in real life history. I'm a believer that we're not alone and aliens are out there somewhere and I fully believe we will experience a real-life Aliens of London (although hopefully with friendly aliens rather than a criminal family). I think it's just a question of when. I think this story also nails it on the head on how we would react, with spaceships being made on Blue Peter, wall-to-wall news coverage and taking the alien occupant (in this case, a space pig) to an autopsy.
It's also interesting how we see Rose's mother Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) and Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) react to Rose being missing for an entire year due to a miscalculation on the Doctor's part. Mickey has been accused of murder and Jackie being her mother is just naturally very worried about her whereabouts. Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri both deliver powerful performances and help cement this as a take on the show where consequences to domestic life matter. Those companions' family and friends matter now. They're arguably just as important as the companion now and quite right too. Of course, Billie Piper is great too. Christopher Eccleston is it okay but he doesn't feel entirely comfortable in the role of the Doctor. This is arguably more about Jackie and Mickey, however, who put up an impressive amount of resistance against the Slitheen.
Overall, Aliens of London/World War Three is a fairly average two parter spoilt by poor decisions in regards to the Slitheen, ignoring the darker aspects of the ideas. Annette Badland makes for a brilliant villain though and Camille Coduri and Noel Clarke are great.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The End of the World by WhoPotterVian
Episode twos are always difficult for any television series. Ninety nine percent of the time the production crew tend to focus their efforts mostly on the first episode in order to entice people to watch the show and the second episode ends up overlooked. This is clearly the case with The End of the World, which whilst not terrible isn't quite up to the standards of the previous episode Rose.
The End of the World has a brilliant premise for a Doctor Who episode. The sun is expanding and about to destroy the Earth; on Platform One, the richest beings of the universe are gathering to watch it end on the Observation Desk including Cassandra (Zoe Wanamaker), Jabe (Yasmin Bannerman), the Mox of Balhoon (Jimmy Vee) and the Face of Boe (Struan Rodger). The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper) arrive to find someone is trying to sabotage the space station with robotic spiders.
The problem with this episode is that what should be an engaging narrative is actually rather boring. It doesn't help that the pace is slowed down by Rose's call to her mum Jackie (Camille Coduri). As well-written the conversation between Rose and Jackie is, it doesn't help to enhance the plot and this feels like an episode that would work better with more emphasis on the main story and less on the familial elements (especially when the whole planet is about to die with everyone on it - something that should be very emotional to see for Rose given this is her home planet).
There are some great scenes - the stuff with the Doctor and Jabe in the air conditioning chamber trying to navigate giant rotating fans is a fantastic action piece well-directed by Euros Lyn - but they are too far and few between. I can't help but feel that later into Russell T Davies' run, the production team would have done a much better job as they would have learnt from experience how to execute the concept. It is a very ambitious idea for the first series of the show's idea and one that Russell T Davies should have perhaps kept back for series four.
The special effects in this story however are very impressive and still hold up today. These are some of the best special effects in the new series of the show; it actually feels like we're watching the real sun expanding to destroy the real Earth and every one of the alien guests look like species you may find in a big Hollywood movie rather than a television series.
The Face of Boe is a brilliant character too; there's something immensely likeable about the big head in the jar known as Boe. I'm not entirely sure what it is that's so appealing but I just really enjoy watching his scenes and was glad when he returned in New Earth and Gridlock. I hope one day the series confirms that Jack was definitely the Face of Boe (as stated in the later three parter Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords as it would explain how he knows to warn the Doctor about the Master).
Cassandra, on the other hand, I'm not too keen on. I'm not sure how she became a recurring character as whilst Zoe Wanamaker is good in the role, I found her nothing more than an annoying future Katie Price. She's basically what would happen if a Kardashian became the last surviving human and whilst that makes her a suitably unlikeable antagonist for the Doctor, it doesn't make her a particularly entertaining one. She's just plain irritating and initially it was a relief that she seemed to die at the end of the episode, until they decided to bring her back a year later for New Earth! I mean, what the hell Russell T Davies? Why would you want to inflict that pain on us? If anyone had to return from The End of the World alongside the Face of Boe, it should have been the Mox of Balhoon. He had much more mileage and Jimmy Vee was great in the role.
Let's talk about the main actors: Christopher Eccleston and Rose Tyler. I was never much a fan of Christopher Eccleston's Doctor and I don't think he was too brilliant here. He seemed a bit uncomfortable in the role and it felt like he was phoning in some of his lines during this episode. He certainly wasn't terrible but it wasn't his best performance as the Doctor either (that would be Dalek). Billie Piper, on the other hand, is as brilliant as she always was - especially during her conversation with plumber Raffalo, which helped to demonstrate her character's caring side when realised the plumber wasn't allowed to talk and gave her permission to.
Overall, The End of the World is one of those typical second episodes of a television series where the quality takes a sudden drop after a great episode one. The story has a strong premise but ultimately it doesn't deliver, providing a boring story with too many scenes that fail to drive the plot. There are some great scenes though and the special effects are still great eleven years on. The Face of Boe is also a great character who thankfully made the return appearances he deserved. Cassandra is annoying though and Christopher Eccleston seems uncomfortable in his performance as the Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of 73 Yards by WhoPotterVian
This one is a really hard episode to form an opinion on. The first half is very strong, creating a chilling atmosphere reminiscent of a Steven Moffat episode (only, in this case, written by Russell T Davies). However, once the story delves into the political narrative, it's not quite as engaging.
The premise, concerning the Doctor and Ruby breaking a fairy circle and unleashing the spirit of 'Mad Jack', as well as a woman who always stays 73 yards away from Ruby, is extremely interesting. It works well in the more supernaturally focused RTD2, and is a genuinely unsettling notion. Imagine how creeped out you'd feel if you noticed a woman was literally stalking you whilst staying a fair distance away. It would be so very uncomfortable.
The first half of the episode makes excellent use of this concept too, particularly whilst Ruby is in the pub. The whole sequence with the banging, and the locals teasing Ruby to open the door, is so well directed that it leaves you feeling uneasy as Ruby answers the door. Whilst it may be a fakeout and not actually 'Mad Jack', it's a brilliantly tense scene until the door is answered.
There are some obvious similarities to The Curse Of Clyde Langer, but unlike with Space Babies and The End Of The World, 73 Yards feels different enough to not feel like a carbon copy. Ruby doesn't end up homeless for one, and there's no totem pole either. I really felt for poor Ruby when her own foster mother turned against her, and the face that even Kate Lethbridge-Stewart wants nothing to do with Ruby does leave me curious as to what the woman stalking Ruby had said. It must have been something serious to make UNIT's leader turn against a companion of the Doctor's. Millie Gibson gives a fantastic performance of an isolated Ruby who refuses to give up despite her setbacks though, and shows that she was absolutely the right choice for the new companion.
As mentioned, the political storyline is where it falls apart for me. Roger ap Gwilliam could have been a great character, showing the danger the country would face if an extreme far-right politician became prime minister, but he feels too cartoony in his execution. This leader of the 'Albion Party' is so off-the-rails that he goes straight to wanting to buy nuclear weapons and leave NATO. It's about as subtle as a sledgehammer, and I'd have preferred something more realistic that feels like something the Tories, or Reform UK would actually do. As bad as both of those parties are, I doubt they would ever resort to buying nuclear weapons, or getting us out of NATO. Leaving the EU is one thing, but leaving NATO wouldn't happen.
It's weird how quickly the Roger ap Gwilliam storyline gets resolved too. He shows up, becomes prime minister, and then Ruby tricks the woman stalking her into facing Roger so that he resigns. I really thought he would be around longer.
I have seen a few criticising the ending, which reveals that Ruby was the woman 73 yards away, and that she then finds herself back in time, where she stops her younger self and the Doctor from breaking the fairy circle. I don't mind it myself, but it does mean that the woman saying something so bad that it causes Carla and Kate to flee, and never speak to her again, makes no sense. Why would Ruby want to punish herself? Is she her own worst enemy?
Overall, I'm unsure whether I'd score the episode a 7/10 or an 8/10. Maybe on first viewing I'd lean towards an 8, but when I rewatch it at a later date, I might change my mind and make it a 7. The 73 yards lady and the pub sequence is excellently written, but the political plot is weak. It's a shame the episode hadn't focused more on the woman stalking Ruby, as then it would have been an easy 10/10.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Boom by WhoPotterVian
Steven Moffat's return to Doctor Who had left me very excited to watch this episode. He easily produced the best stories of the original Russell T Davies era, and his era as showrunner was also excellent. Boom is the first time in over a decade that Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat have both collaborated within the same era, and the resulting episode really doesn't disappoint.
As the promotional material suggested, Boom really is an excellent Hithcockian tale. The Doctor spends the entire episode stuck on a landmine, and it makes for such a tense watch. The episode brilliantly builds up a sense that the landmine could go off at any moment, and Ncuti Gatwa's performance really elevates the sense of peril.
This is easily Ncuti Gatwa's best portrayal of the Doctor to date. His delivery of Moffat's poetic lines is sublime, as you really feel the sense of the Time Lord's power and authority as he rails against the militaristic system. This Doctor also feels incredibly vulnerable here too as in the previous episodes, reduced to tears whilst stuck on the landmine.
Varada Sethu's appearance is a nice bonus. She does a superb job as Mundy, seeming tough but also caring. It doesn't seem as though Mundy is who she will be playing when she's the companion, which is a shame, as Mundy would make for a great assistant to the Doctor. Speaking of companions, Ruby Sunday getting taken out in the episode was certainly a surprise. Having Ruby seemingly die coupled with the return of the snow was an extremely effective means of raising the tension, and again contributing to the looming sense of danger in Boom. If Ruby isn't safe, then what hope is there for anyone else?
I have a feeling Susan Twist as Ambulance will have put a spanner in the works for a few Susan Twist theories. It's hard to see how she can still be Susan or the Meddling Monk, when the Doctor sees her in this episode, and she's a rogue AI medical machine. Although I suppose it would be a little in character for AI to steal somebody else's likeness, and also for the Doctor not to recognize another Time Lord. I loved the reveal that there was no enemy, though, and that the computer was creating fatalities by killing the injured to make it look as though a war was being fought. An extremely clever Moffatism.
Overall, this episode would be a solid 9/10 for me. A typical Moffat masterpiece, with some shocking twists and scathing political commentary on militarisation and AI. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite land the conclusion, which feels a little too convenient, but despite the ending, this is a Steven Moffat episode that creates a big bang rather than a whimper.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Legend of Ruby Sunday by WhoPotterVian
Russell T Davies' finales are often among the most epic. Stories like Utopia/The Sound Of Drums/Last Of The Time Lords and The Stolen Earth/Journey's End do an excellent job at raising the excitement levels before the plot is resolved. The Legend Of Ruby Sunday is the first part of this year's two-part finale, and it's more of a slow burner until the last five minutes. The Legend Of Ruby Sunday leaves you with far more questions than answers. Before going in, I was anticipating a reveal of who Ruby's biological Mum would be, for instance, as RTD including A Good Man Goes To War as an episode to watch in preparation for this one made me think the cliffhanger would be a familiar face revealed to be Ruby's mother. Instead, who her Mum is becomes more mysterious than it was before, as all we see is a hooded figure pointing northwest. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it makes it all the more fascinating a mystery, but it does mean that next week's episode has more to resolve (and the cliffhanger definitely seems to suggest we'll see who Ruby's Mum is next week).
There's some really lovely character moments in this one, particularly in relation to the Doctor's granddaughter. Kate's heart-to-heart with the Doctor over Susan Foreman, and whether he wants to see her, is easily the best scene Kate has ever had, as it gives her more personality than she has received in her other appearances. She has this real maternal quality to her when speaking to the Doctor about Susan that makes me wonder if she might be Ruby's Mum.
I also like the concept of UNIT's time window, which is very similar to The Girl In The Fireplace, although doesn't seem to be the same as that story's time windows. It's a brilliant idea to suggest that UNIT would have this kind of technology on hand, and makes sense that the organization would utilise it to view past times for their operations. Less convincing is the idea that UNIT would hire kids to work for them. Having 13 year olds like Morris working as scientific advisors suggests a morally grey side to UNIT that's not explored in the episode. They're essentially throwing 13 year olds into hugely dangerous extraterrestrial and supernatural situations, which seems a little problematic. It would probably have been better to have made Morris an alien, as it would have avoided the more ethically questionable side of kids working for UNIT. He could have just been an adult alien who looks like human child.
The Legend Of Ruby Sunday's highlight is undoubtedly the cliffhanger, which is suitably epic. It's a masterclass of building the tension and hinting at the absolute power that Sutekh holds, and harks back to past RTD cliffhangers like the YANA reveal in Utopia. Although I find Pyramids Of Mars a little overrated, I already find Sutekh much more superior to how he appears in Pyramids Of Mars. In those five minutes alone, he does a lot more to establish himself as a significant threat, possessing people, turning them to sand, and having already taken over the TARDIS. The moment where Susan Triad turns demonic and taunts the Doctor over how he thought she was his granddaughter is so chilling.
Mel gets quite a bit to do in this episode, and it's great seeing Bonnie Langford getting stronger material than she did in the 80s. It's much more enjoyable seeing a Mel who doesn't scream, and instead throws herself into action, as a spy for UNIT. It's also nice to see the return of Rose Noble too, who works well alongside 15 and Ruby. Hopefully Rose's inclusion means we may get to see Donna Noble come back sooner rather than later.
Overall, I would give The Legend Of Ruby Sunday a solid 8/10. It's a bit of a slow burner, and UNIT hiring children doesn't make a ton of sense, but those last five minutes are magnificent, and reflect Russell T Davies's knack for producing excellent cliffhangers. The constant references to Susan definitely make me believe we will see her return before long also, as it would seem a little strange for the Doctor to not return to his granddaughter again after spending so long talking about her to Ruby and Kate.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Timeslip by WhoPotterVian
A great early example of degeneration in Doctor Who. Whilst it's a little disappointing that we don't get to see much of the Second and Third Doctors during this plot, the first Doctor gets a lot of time to shine. It's also interesting that the TARDIS degenerates alongside the Doctor, as it is a concept that is rarely discussed when fans talk of degeneration.
In some ways, Timeslip feels more typical now than ever before. Although David Tennant's Doctor last year wasn't a degeneration per say, it's basically the same general idea of the Doctor returning to a past face, which has also been explored through the Curator's introduction in The Day Of The Doctor. Timeslip is a simple story, but in some ways it's also one that was ahead of its time.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Devil’s Chord by WhoPotterVian
Since the episode was spotted being filmed, The Devil's Chord has become one of the fandom's most anticipated episodes. Many of the fan base had been anticipating a musical-based episode featuring Beatles songs, with the Doctor and Ruby travelling to 1963. This episode is certainly *not* the one that our fandom was so convinced that it would be, which is disappointing to an extent, but it doesn't mean that it is inherently bad.
Although Russell T Davies had recently confirmed that there were to be no Beatles songs in The Devil's Chord, I am surprised that the episode isn't a full-on musical. It's a shame, because the final scene with the Doctor and Ruby singing The Twist is incredible, and demonstrates the potential for a Doctor Who musical story. And whilst the Beatles songs are expensive to license, it would have been nice had they included the Beatles in the episode more, and used some of the songs that were actually covers. The Twist could have been Twist And Shout instead, for instance, and it would have felt more fitting as a Beatles celebrity historical.
What we do get, concerning the God of Music Maestro stealing music and turning London into a joyless dystopia, is brilliant fun, and definitely an improvement over Space Babies. I particularly like the way that it utilises Ruby's talents as a musician, and we get to see her assisting the Doctor by playing the piano. It's a good way of showing how Ruby can prove useful during the Doctor's travels.
The highlight here, however, is absolutely Jinx Monsoon. Jinx Monsoon is incredible as Maestro, and chewing up the scenery in the best possible way. She's delightfully over the top, but also feels incredibly menacing, and you get the sense of the power she holds as the God of Music. Especially as the Doctor is so afraid to face her. I really hope we get to see Jinx Monsoon return as Maestro, as she is easily one of the greatest original villains introduced since the 2005 revival. The fact that she is the Toymaker's daughter makes it seem like we're potentially destined for a future Toymaker/Maestro team-up.
Her role also lends itself well to a few brilliantly meta moments, like Maestro playing the Doctor Who theme on the piano, and Ncuti Gatwa's cheeky wink before The Twist. I hope the fourth-wall-breaking will be a constant staple of this new era, as some of my favourite moments from RTD2 so far have been when the fourth wall has been broken.
Overall, The Devil's Chord sits comfortably as a 7/10 for myself. Had the episode included some Beatles songs and been a full-scale musical, however, it would have been a 9/10. I definitely think it's time that Doctor Who did an episode firmly in the musical genre, especially now that Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor seems to be very much a song and dance Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Space Babies by WhoPotterVian
It's crazy how long it feels since the last proper series of Doctor Who. The last time we had more than just Specials was back in 2021, with Flux, which in my opinion was Jodie Whittaker's strongest series. Space Babies gives us the first actual series to use Disney money, although I don't think it shows for most of Space Babies.
Possibly the clearest glimpse at that American investment is in the scene where the Doctor takes Ruby back to the prehistoric era, which is coincidentally also my favourite sequence from the episode. It's such a playful take on the idea that stepping on a butterfly in the past can change the timeline, and the way that Millie Gibson makes the reptilian version of Ruby seem so different really highlights just how incredible of an actor she is.
It also gives us a nice explanation for why the Doctor has never encountered the butterfly effect before, revealing that the TARDIS has a special switch to counter it. Whilst I did enjoy Space Babies, I do think a whole episode set in the prehistoric era and exploring the butterfly effect would have been a more dynamic episode.
The main narrative in Space Babies is decent, albeit unoriginal. It concerns a baby farm on a space station, where the babies themselves are in charge, and being terrorised by the Bogeyman. The Bogeyman itself is extremely well realised, and the way they film the babies to make it appear as though they are reacting to the Doctor, Ruby, and the Bogeyman is quite clever. I also liked the Wallace and Gromit-esque machinery for changing nappies and blowing noses, which fits Doctor Who's quirky nature like a glove.
However, a lot of the scenes are very similar to The End Of The World, to the point where it feels like a straight copy. Russell T Davies even does the exact same scene where the Ninth Doctor Sonics Rose's phone so she can call her Mum. It feels like watching one of those movies like Jurassic World, where they copy the same beats but with new actors, but Jurassic World at least added something new with the park now being fully operational.
There is also a massive exposition dump at the beginning, where the Doctor explains about the TARDIS, and how he was raised on Gallifrey to Ruby. I get that the aim is to bring new viewers onboard, and this scene is to get them up to speed with the basics of Doctor Who, but there must have been a better way to put that information across.
The Bogeyman, on the other hand, is explained very well as being comprised of snot from the babies, gathered by the ship's computer systems. The idea that they based the Bogeyman on the iconic children's story, believing the babies need fiction as much as food and sleep, and took its name literally as a being of snot, is a nice and unexpected reveal, as I was anticipating the Bogeyman's existence to come from the Doctor spreading salt in Wild Blue Yonder. I am also intrigued by the snowflakes that keep appearing around Ruby Sunday. It seems somewhat ominous, and I hope it doesn't mean Ruby will have an unhappy ending.
Overall, I would probably rate Space Babies a 5/10. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it also copies a lot of what came before.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Church on Ruby Road by WhoPotterVian
It feels like ages since Doctor Who last aired on Christmas Day, and its return to this festive slot is definitely a welcome one. The Church On Ruby Road is definitely one of the best Christmas editions. It's like an appealing mixture of Gremlins and Labyrinth, with the Goblins creating bad luck to dine on coincidence. They have to be among the show's most despicable antagonists, considering that their motives revolve around eating babies and feeding them to the Goblin King. Christina Rolando's vocals for the Goblin Song are wonderful, and the song itself is extremely catchy. Most notably, we get our first singing Doctor, and Ncuti Gatwa has a brilliant voice. I've wanted a more musical Doctor for a while, as I have always felt that Doctor Who is the kind of show where musical sequences where characters burst into song can absolutely work. It's already a bonkers show to begin with, so it doesn't require much suspension of belief.
As in The Giggle, Ncuti Gatwa impresses as the Doctor. He's absolutely fantastic, and feels instantly like the character. I especially enjoy his chemistry with Millie Gibson, who is unsurprisingly amazing as Ruby Sunday. I can see what she meant when she said they are like giggling schoolkids, and it is very endearing to watch.
Where the episode falls apart for me is with Davina McCall's segments. Davina McCall is a brilliant TV presenter, but an actor she is not. She is quite wooden here, and I'm still not a fan of the idea of Davina McCall being crushed by a Christmas Tree, which was a part of the original leak. It's too silly, even for Doctor Who. I'm intrigued by who Ruby's parents are, and who Mrs Flood is. I think both her parents and Flood must be Time Lords, as Flood knows what TARDISes are, and Ruby's parents couldn't be found on a human database. They would surely have had to have been registered on a governmental register for elections, and must have given blood at some point if they are human. In fact, could Mrs Flood and Ruby's mother be one and the same? What if she is the Rani, and Mrs Flood regenerates into a younger actor, who then goes back in time, has Ruby as a baby, and leaves her outside the church on Christmas Eve?
Review of Day of Reckoning by WhoPotterVian
Wow, this one was really cool. Daleks v Mechanoids on Skaro! What more could you ask for? Also: the Dalek Emperor is a total badass, and has fast become my favourite Dalek of them all.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Deadly Ally by WhoPotterVian
Wow, what an epic episode!
The animation has improved significantly, and the fight against the Entity with the Daleks and Mechanoids was thrilling to watch.
The Emperor Dalek certainly looked very rusty at the end, and it will be
This review contains spoilers
Review of Planet of the Mechanoids by WhoPotterVian
God, I love this episode so much.
It's just so cool seeing the Mechanoids back in a Doctor Who spin-off, and that red Mechanoid is amazing! I really enjoyed that Dalek/Mechanoid battle, and the twist at the end really showcases how ruthless the Daleks are. Even when they seek help, they still have to be the superior beings.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Sentinel of the Fifth Galaxy by WhoPotterVian
This episode is SO cool. Skaro! A classic series Dalek! A massive Dalek army!
It also features a great star turn from Joe Sugg as R-41. Whether he's mistaking the Dalek for the Emperor Dalek or believing he has tricked the Daleks, Joe Sugg is brilliant in the role.
And I still don't mind the animation. I think it's great for a freebie!
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Archive of Islos by WhoPotterVian
Very impressive for a freebie. I like the Archivians. They're very cunning, and have some funny witty comebacks against the Daleks (my favourite being "Do you have a membership card?"). The way they trick the Daleks at the end is very clever, although you would think the Daleks would have a bit more intelligence to realise they had walked into a trap.
I actually quite like the animation. It's miles better than 2009's Dreamland, even if the explosions do look a bit fake.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Hunters of Earth by WhoPotterVian
This is a really strong story, especially to listen to now in the context of things like Black Lives Matter. It's an adventure that sees Susan's friends at Coal Hill School mind controlled by a mysterious piece of alien technology, and subject her and her grandfather to abuse because they are aliens and 'don't belong here'.
It's a unique take on immigration with a Doctor Who twist, the Doctor and Susan obviously being from Gallifrey and not Earth, so residing on the planet away from where they really come from. The way that Susan's friends and the gang of youths turn on the Doctor and Susan is nasty and abhorrent, and you really find yourself feeling for them.
I loved the stuff with the sinister teacher at Susan's school too, Mr Rook, who at one point I actually suspected to be the Master because of the mention of him carrying a fob watch and was surprised when he just turned out to be a human being who previously served as a colonel in World War 2.
Overall, a very strong start to this collection of special fiftieth anniversary stories.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars by WhoPotterVian
A Target book that is absolutely the best version of the story. It goes much deeper into Adelaide and the Doctor's inner thoughts and feelings, and why they end up as polar opposites on whether the fate of Bowie Base One should be changed.
We also get a really neat glimpse into young Adelaide during The Stolen Earth/Journey's End, whereas in the episode we only see one Dalek fly by her bedroom window, and some nice details about the aftermath of Adelaide's suicide. Definitely one of the best in the Target range.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: Planet of the Ood by WhoPotterVian
I've always liked the TV episode, but I feel this Target novelisation is a significant improvement. It dives in deeper into the Oods' thoughts and feelings, as well as giving us further Ood attacks on their way to freedom, such as a thrilling series of murders in a spa at Ood Operations.
We also get more of the aftermath here too, with the Doctor and Donna helping Ood Sigma with the clean-up job after they successfully claimed their freedom, and detailing how the Ood Operations company died due to the revelations of their cruel treatment of the Ood.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Fires of Pompeii by WhoPotterVian
An extremely good Target novelization. It grants us greater access into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, and a great new TARDIS scene at the beginning with 10 and Donna. I also appreciated the hint at the end that the Tenth Doctor continued to watch over Caelicius and his family, and influenced things so life would go their way. A neat idea.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion by WhoPotterVian
Like all great Target novels, this breathes fresh life into the Doctor Who story being novelised. It's great being able to dive into Rose's inner thoughts when facing this fresh-faced new Doctor, and really get to grips with the Doctor's anger at Harriet Jones for destroying the fleeing Sycorax ship.
Review of Time Crash by WhoPotterVian
Time Crash may be only 15 minutes long but in that 15 minutes it establishes itself as one of the show's very best TV stories (even if it can't be called an episode as such).
Peter Davison and David Tennant bounce off each other brilliantly, with the banter between them consistently being snappy and funny to watch. It's always interesting to see how different incarnations of the Doctor interact with each other and 10's fanboyish enthusiasm for the 5th Doctor is refreshing among the multi-Doctor tendency to not have the incarnations get along.
Time Crash does everything right that Dimensions In Time got wrong. It offers a strong, simplistic narrative and plenty of screen time for the incarnations of the Doctor involved.
Review of Death’s Deal by WhoPotterVian
I’ve listened to this one before, but I absolutely love it!
I think it’s probably my favourite of the Destiny of the Doctor series. It concerns the Doctor and Donna answering a distress signal on the deadliest planet in the galaxy. When they arrive, they find a group of tourists being led on an intergalactic tour bus; among them, a space pirate and his assistant.
It’s such a fun and enjoyable adventure that fits right in to the tone of Series 4. It kind of feels like what a Doctor Who story written by Jules Verne would be like if he was still alive.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Last Dodo by WhoPotterVian
On paper, The Last Dodo's premise of an android who collects the last of every species and preserves them in a museum is an interesting one. In this book, however, it doesn't receive the best execution. There's some fun scenes, such as when a ton of the museum's exhibits end up terrorising people on Earth, but it could have been faster paced, and it doesn't always make sense (I'm still not sure why the Doctor says the creatures are not back in their own times when they're transported outside the museum because the museum doesn't have time travel, when it must have time travel capabilities to obtain the last of each species in the first place).
It's not a bad Doctor Who book, but it's not the best either. It's a wholly average affair.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Echoes of Extinction by WhoPotterVian
A fun if somewhat simplistic narrative. It packs an impressive amount of content into what is essentially two half an hour stories, and the robot antagonist, who has been driven mad by psychic voices in his mind, calling for him to kill people, is a pretty fascinating character.
Paul McGann and David Tennant give two of their strongest audio performances here also, as they perfectly evoke their respective incarnations. It's just a shame they couldn't find a way for them to meet up, and experience the audio's plots together.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Ghosts by WhoPotterVian
Easily the greatest of the Tenth Doctor and River Song Big Finish set. A brilliantly spooky and atmospheric story concerning the most haunted planet in the universe, and an eery fog that's consuming its tourists. Although the twist that the Doctor and River we are following are the ghosts is obvious, it doesn't detract from the story, and its eery tone makes it a Big Finish highlight.
Review of Precious Annihilation by WhoPotterVian
A brilliantly bonkers audio, about explosive jewellery. The Doctor and River share some fun banter here, with one favourite line of hers for me being River comparing the Doctor to a tax collector. The pace is a little slow to begin with, but once it picks up, it's great.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Expiry Dating by WhoPotterVian
A fun if unoriginal Big Finish story. It largely concerns the Doctor and River responding to each other via space/time telegrams. There's an entertaining date with the Fifth Doctor and River, and David Tennant plays the Tenth Doctor's frustations at being used by River as a means to an end very well.
Review of Out of Time 3 – Wink by WhoPotterVian
A really creepy and atmospheric Weeping Angel story. It provides some interesting insight on what happens when an Angel feasts on two Time Lord incarnations at the same time, and creates one of the most imaginative societies with a planet where the people have no sense of sight.
The Sixth and Tenth Doctor's spiky relationship is hilarious, as they make constant snipes at each other. It also ties into The End Of Time very neatly, making this an essential listen.
Review of Out of Time 2 – The Gates of Hell by WhoPotterVian
This one has a more mysterious tone in comparison to the first Out Of Time CD, with the Fifth and Tenth Doctors teaming up to investigate the Cybermen's invasion of French history. There's not as much bickering as between the Fourth and Tenth Doctors but I don't mind that so much, because we got plenty of that with Time Crash.
What Gates of Hell offers is something new and different from Time Crash, with the Doctors operating more as sort of time investigators rather than bantering about forgetting to put the TARDIS shields on.
It does a good job with the Cybermen, using their stealth abilities remarkably well, and showing the way that they manipulate a human host to achieve their means (as they have done before with Tobias Vaughn and John Lumic).
Review of Out of Time 1 by WhoPotterVian
A fun Multi-Doctor adventure. The Fourth and Tenth Doctors make for quite a pair, especially considering their differing views on regeneration and morality. I also really like the concept of a cathedral in space with windows to any time; it's a really novel idea, and one that I would love to see explored further in future Big Finish releases.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Creeping Death by WhoPotterVian
It feels so much like an episode from 2008. I could literally visualise that episode in my head even clearer than the other excellent audio adventures! Loved the dinosaur climax, and Ivy really should become a companion.
This review contains spoilers
Review of One Mile Down by WhoPotterVian
One Mile Down is a lot of fun.
Jenny Colgan needs to write for the TV Series! Love that the Doctor mentions he's been to Vallarasee before, so we could get a prequel one day where a different Doctor and companion combo visit, before tourism took over the city.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Beautiful Chaos by WhoPotterVian
It's a testament to this book that when you read it, you feel like you're reading a missing episode from the RTD Era. Beautiful Chaos, a book republished as part of the 50th anniversary paperback collection, successfully manages to capture the tone and feel of this era of the show. And it does this within it's first few pages.
Beautiful Chaos sees the Doctor dropping Donna back home to comfort her mum Sylvia on the anniversary of Geoff's(Donna's Dad)death. This is cleverly framed by two chapters intended to take place after the climax of series 4 and directly mirrors the use of the telescope in both this book and series 4. The mirroring really allows us to get to know and understand the character of Wilfred Mott more and his feelings and attitudes towards the Doctor and his secret crush Netty.
Netty is another interesting character in that she directly mirrors Donna's memory loss at the end of series 4. Netty has alzheimer's disease and plays a important part throughout the book. She is shown to be a incredibly likeable character, making it even more tragic that she has such a terrible mental condition. Gary Russell's writing makes us care for this character; she is written strongly throughout and instantly becomes the best original character to be introduced in the book range.
Beautiful Chaos also sees the return of a classic series villain. Specifically the Mandagora Helix. I haven't seen The Masque of Mandagora but here this entity proves to be a fascinating villain who really makes you question our faith in the latest technology.
So overall, this is a great book that successfully captures the tone of the RTD era and offers a interesting returning villain that many Whovians will enjoy. However, you don't need to be a Whovian to enjoy this. Prior knowledge about the Mandagora Helix is not necessary.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Death and the Queen by WhoPotterVian
Ever since her debut in 2006's The Runaway Bride, Donna has always been unlucky in love. First there was Lance, then Lee in Silence In The Library/Forest of the Dead. Now she has a new love to add to that list: Prince Rudolph. And no, it's not third time lucky (she does get fourth time lucky in The End of Time though).
Death and the Queen by James Goss is basically one of those fun RTD era romps you would get halfway through a series. It brings to mind series 4's The Unicorn and the Wasp, as a mad caper with plenty of banter from the Doctor and Donna Noble. There are some truly classic Doctor and Donna moments in this tale, such as Donna's moaning that she can never have a wedding that goes to plan with the Doctor around and her frustration at her servants as future Queen doing everything for her including helping her get dressed. My absolute favourite are the early scenes where the Doctor keeps interrupting Donna and Prince Rudolph when they're trying to have romantic moments together. So Donna has finally met her prince and she's about to get married; I bet you're wondering what goes wrong this time...
Well, you see, Death has an army coming for the fairytale kingdom as it is revealed a deal was made between the people of the fairytale land and Death. James Goss plays expertly with creating atmosphere here, with Death at first being obscured by cloud making for a very mysterious and unearthly appearance for the audio's antagonist. It allows for a very powerful performance from Catherine Tate too when she delivers the line 'Death is staring me in the face'. It's a very chilling line and one that works best on audio than it probably would on TV.
Now let's talk about Death: Death is...well, obviously the personification of death as a character and is a very creepy one, especially when his true motives are revealed. The reason behind Donna's marriage is truly shocking and like something from the Philip Hinchcliffe era of Doctor Who. As you can probably tell by what I have said in earlier 10th Doctor audio reviews there's a real 4th Doctor feel going on in these three stories which seem fitting for the best Doctor of the new series. This tale in particular whilst basically as said earlier an RTD-style romp has a very gothic feel to it with some of its ideas and themes. It sort of similar to if you combined a Tim Burton film with an Edgar Wright one.
One of my favourite things about this story is Alice Krige as the Queen Mum. She's wonderfully unlikeable, more determined to hold the wedding than to even batter an eyelid at all the people dying at the hands of Death's army. She even takes a dislike to Donna and that's just not on. The Queen Mum is a brilliant villianess for David Tennant's Doctor to argue with; he, of course, is just perfect as the 10th Doctor as usual and brilliantly portrays the Doctor's desperation at wanting Donna back as a companion. Of course, she rejoins him in the end because Donna's exit doesn't take place until Journey's End and these audios take place between series four but you really feel for the Doctor when he just wants his best friend back.
Overall, Death and the Queen is a fantastic conclusion to the first Tenth Doctor Adventures box set and represents the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble at their best. Here's hoping for a volume two with Bernard Cribbins returning as loveable granddad Wilfred Mott.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Time Reaver by WhoPotterVian
Jenny Colgan is well known among Whovians for writing many Who-related forms of media. She has quickly established a name for herself writing numerous books and Big Finish audios that tie into the TV series, so you can see why Big Finish chose her to write a story in one of the audio company's most high profile releases to date.
She's the perfect choice too, as she gets the 10th Doctor and Donna's relationship absolutely spot-on. In fact, somehow it's even an improvement over Matt Fitton's take on the pair. Catherine Tate seems much more comfortable by this point too; in Technophobia whilst she was fantastic occasionally she seemed a bit unsure in the way she delivered her lines, however here she is textbook Donna Noble. David Tennant, of course, is superb as always - when is he not when playing the Doctor? Jenny Colgan just seems to understand how to write the dialogue to their advantage.
Jenny Colgan also demonstrates a knack here for writing TARDIS scenes too. They are nothing short of engaging and feel as though they were taken right out of a Russell T Davies story, especially the end TARDIS scene where Donna discusses the events of the audio with the Doctor. That was something the RTD era did in many stories and it always allowed for a nice recap of events. She consistently maintains the series four vibe throughout too, with hints at the series four arc with lines like 'There's something on your back'. Compared to Technophobia, this feels even more like an authentic story from the Russell T Davies era.
The Vacintians feel like something the Russell T Davies era would do. Basically the Vacintians are space police like Judoon, but the difference is that instead of arresting for crimes they are the ones who deal with the paperwork and check whether or not you have a license for activities that require one. The RTD era was one that would often take the boring and mundane and turn it into something exciting; as usual, however, there is something else at play. In this case, a dangerous time weapon called the Time Reaver invented by the Vacintians to prolong the experience of being together as their planet is dying. I always like it when they introduce a tragic back story as it really makes you care for the events taking place. Also: there is a moving sacrifice by one of the characters (won't spoil it for those who haven't listened to the audio) that really sells the story and shows how much you care for the supporting characters.
The Vacintians are nothing, however, compared to this story's villain Gully. Gully is an alien octopus gangster and yes, it really is as mad a concept as it sounds. Gully's like something out of a Douglas Adams Doctor Who story and it's great fun listening to him trying to get hold of all the Time Reavers for obviously evil purposes. The Time Reavers are weapons that make a moment in time last longer, so in the hands of an octo-gangster you can see where things might start to go wrong. Big Finish really do write the best original Doctor Who monsters and I wouldn't mind hearing Gully return again. In fact, maybe he could make the transition to TV in a Jenny Colgan Doctor Who episode?
Overall, Time Reaver is the quintessential series 4 Doctor Who story beautifully written by Jenny Colgan. It has possibly the best combination of Russell T Davies and Douglas Adams-esque ideas, making it a Big Finish audio drama you really shouldn't miss.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Technophobia by WhoPotterVian
Series four was a highpoint for Doctor Who. In 2008, David Tennant and Catherine Tate's run as the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble saw some of the show's highest viewing figures. Now, eight years later they have finally returned via the medium of audio. And boy was it worth the wait.
Technophobia follows the Doctor and Donna arriving in our modern day (but Donna's near future given that she is from 2008) at the National Technology Museum, where technology starts to turn against the people of London. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, especially when the characters start to turn paranoid about machines because they can no longer understand them (one notable scene sees the population confused over a cash machine, something which we have considered commonplace but these characters believe could be a threat). In fact, if Alfred Hitchcock was here in the modern day and was asked to direct a Doctor Who episode, this is how I would imagine it being. The Hitchcockian method on playing on the psychology of people's minds and how it can affect our behaviour as a source of fear is extremely powerful stuff and works brilliantly for a Doctor Who episode (especially on audio).
So who's causing all this? A new threat called the Koggnossenti; an absolutely terrifying creation by writer Matt Fritton that definitely rivals monsters created for the new series. Hitchcock would be very impressed with their plan as it involves delving into the human mind: what would happen if we all technologically regressed and became less knowledgable to the point of being stupid? How would we react? The Koggnossenti's plan is basically to de-evolve our knowledge to a much earlier state and there is something decidedly chilling about seeing Meadow Digital (technology company) CEO Jill Meadows reduced to the point of not even knowing what a pencil is; this isn't played for laughs but more as a kind of tragic event that the Doctor of course sets out to solve.
And that brings me onto something else I love about this release, something that I love seeing Doctor Who stories do: when the Doctor ends up infected. That's what truly makes a Doctor Who villain great, because if the Doctor is affected by the plans then you know the other characters are in trouble. It's great hearing him stripped of his Time Lord knowledge, essentially made powerless against the new threat. Yet he still wins, he still manages to save the day...but he has to struggle to do so. For the Doctor, this is like Superman faced with Kryptonite or Tony Stark stripped of his Iron Man suit. It's always refreshing to see heroes have their powers removed.
The cast is a big highlight of this audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are perfect; their friendship is exactly as it was during series four: best friends travelling together having the time of their life. Then there's the amazing Rory Keenan, who plays a very likeable train driver called Kevin Jones whom I would love to see return in a future Big Finish release. I also loved temp 'Bex with an X' - a nice callback to Linda with a Y - played by Niky Wardley. She seemed like somebody who could be a future companion for the 10th Doctor maybe for a release between Journey's End and the Specials. Big Finish often feature brilliant casts with a variety of memorable characters and it's nice to see this continue with the 10th Doctor.
Overall, Technophobia is a perfect start for the 10th Doctor's run on audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on top-form as one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships the show has ever seen and writer Matt Fritton provides a wonderful Hitchcockian vibe to this thriller about technology turning against us. Don't be surprised if you come away feeling a bit paranoid about your tablet though.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Dying Light by WhoPotterVian
The second in Big Finish's Doctor Who Quadrigger Stoyn trilogy, The Dying Light was released three years' ago this month - making this one of Big Finish's most notable Big Finish releases. This trilogy formed a part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, starting with The Beginning (which I reviewed previously) and the following month's Luna Romana.
Whilst the first release followed the first Doctor and Susan, this time it's the turn of the second Doctor, Jamie (Fraser Hines) and Zoe (Wendy Padbury) as they arrive on a dying planet with a dying sun, its people living in a city carved out of rock known as the 'Sanctuary'. They soon discover a temple within the city, where Quadrigger Stoyn (Terry Molloy) has been carving equations for draining the TARDIS of power. After being stranded by the Doctor in the previous release, Quardigger now plans to strand them - and the TARDIS crew have walked straight into his trap.
The Dying Light is pretty much a by-the-numbers adventure, but it's an enjoyable one nonetheless. It doesn't do anything particularly new, but is executed as well as you would expect from a Big Finish release offering an enjoyable release all the same. Most importantly it feels like a story that fits into the 60s era of the show, with a major focus on adventure and exploration over the new series' more bombastic nature.
This audio adventure does a particularly good job of creating a vibrant and realistic world. The wonderfully poetic words of Nick Wallace helps to create a vivid image in your mind of just how the Sanctuary would appear. I loved the mention of the sea being made up of sand, for instance, and the idea of a city being carved out of rock is a very imaginative one. Even the rescue boats are given extremely descriptive words for Fraser Hines to read out loud, helping to create a world that feels like a fully-realised part of the Doctor Who Whoniverse.
The main problem with this Big Finish audio is that unlike The Beginning, The Dying Light doesn't have a hook. The Beginning was already an interesting story because it was about an essential part of the show's mythos: the first Doctor and Susan's escape from Gallifrey. The second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe doesn't have an important part of theshow's history to rely on and therefore has to present a satisfying enough story to maintain the audience's interest. Whilst for the most part it succeeds, The Dying Light still isn't as interesting as its predecessor and as a result it feels like a much smaller story - perhaps a story too small for a 50th anniversary release.
It also isn't completely clear what Quadrigger Stoyn wants. He's clearly angry at the Doctor for stranding him in The Beginning but his motives behind the TARDIS trap are unclear. What exactly does he gain from draining the TARDIS's power? Surely it would make more sense for him to steal the Doctor's TARDIS and leave Sanctuary? Quadrigger Stoyn just comes across as a bitter old man rather than a worthy foe for the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. It's a shame because Terry Molloy is clearly trying to add menace to Stoyn's actions but even his huge talent isn't enough to save the character.
Fraser Hines narration, on the other hand, is brilliant and a big reason why this release is so entertaining to listen to. He's perfect at narrating the second Doctor's lines - in fact, I'd go as far as to say he sounds exactly like Patrick Troughton - and his approach to storytelling is so engaging that you find yourself immediately drawn into the story. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Fraser Hines to narrate an episode of Jackanory should they ever decide bring the iconic kids' series back again. Fraser Hines should be hired to narrate every Doctor Who release as he has the perfect reading voice. Wendy Padbury does a good job too with speaking her character Zoe's lines but is unfortunately over-shadowed by Fraser Hines' performance.
Overall, The Dying Light is pretty much your standard 60s' Doctor Who adventure, that creates a wonderfully vibrant picture of the story's setting. Fraser Hines does an amazing job of narrating the release and the writing by Nick Wallace is impressive. However, The Dying Light suffers from the lack of an interesting hook and Quadrigger Stoyn's plan doesn't quite hold up. It doesn't make sense for him to drain the TARDIS of power when he could instead attempt to steal it from the Doctor and escape the dying planet. Hopefully Luna Romana - which I have yet to listen to - will feature one of Stoyn's better plans.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Beginning by WhoPotterVian
How the Doctor and Susan's adventures had started has always been a curiosity for Whovians. Whilst many understandably don't want too much revealed about the Doctor's past, it is undeniably interesting to find out what happened when they fled Gallifrey. In the wrong hands, the story could have been potentially damaging for the series due to revealing too much about the Doctor. Thankfully, Big Finish Productions are definitely the right hands (even if the story itself isn't really their strongest).
The Beginning is a part of a series called the Companion Chronicles: basically, each release a companion of the Doctor's narrates a past adventure and one or two supporting actors appear during the story. In this Companion Chronicle, Susan (Carole Anne Ford) talks about her and the Doctor's encounter with a stowaway called Quadrigger Stoyn (Terry Molloy).
Quadrigger Stoyn is never going to be an iconic Big Finish character like Molly Sullivan or Liv Chenka but he is a good enough foil for the Doctor and Susan's attempts to escape Gallifrey. It was a good idea to make him an engineer who was working on the TARDIS the Doctor and Susan stole as it reinforces this Doctor's very rash behaviour. The first Doctor never really thought plans through as well as his successors; it's with later experience that he becomes better at running away. Terry Molloy is great in the role too, making Stoyn an endearingly engaging character.
It's nice how this story ties in neatly with Name of the Doctor too. The TARDIS is clearly of the same look as the capsule shown in the eleventh Doctor episode and there's even a reference to Clara telling the Doctor to steal the faulty TARDIS (Susan describes hearing voices outside the first TARDIS the Doctor is about to enter in Name). Hell, they even manage to fit in a reference to the Hand of Omega - it follows the Doctor into the TARDIS they end up stealing.
Unfortunately, once the Doctor and Susan arrive on their first adventure, it all goes a bit bland. Their first trip finds them arrive on the moon, where they encounter a species called the Archaeons who are interfering with the development of life on Earth. Nothing much really happens, which is a shame because the Doctor and Susan's journey to the repair shop on Gallifrey sounds much more interesting. I think Big Finish would have been better delivering a story entirely about the Doctor and Susan's escape as there are a lot of interesting plot points that weren't resolved in this release. Why were the Doctor and Susan being chased by guards, for instance? What did they do? Why did they have to flee Gallifrey? This would have been a much more engaging story and it could have ended with the Doctor and Susan stealing the TARDIS and thereby beginning their adventures through time an
d space.
Carole Anne Ford is a great narrator though and provides a certain energy to the story. This is a great help for when the story becomes about their first adventure, as it adds some much needed life to an otherwise lifeless TARDIS trip. She seems to know exactly how to engage the reader, making her one of Big Finish's strongest for the Companion Chronicles range.
Overall, The Beginning is interesting when it deals with the Doctor and Susan's escape from Gallifrey but once the focus shifts to their first adventure, it becomes a little dull and uninspiring. Thankfully Carole Anne Ford helps to make the first TARDIS trip feel a bit more energetic, proving herself to be an extremely strong and engaging reader. There are some nice references too to the Clara splinter on Gallifrey and the Hand of Omega; it also feels like a natural before and after of the TARDIS-stealing scene from Name of the Doctor, making it easier to be considered canonical than if the events of Name of the Doctor had been ignored. This story is definitely worth listening to for the scenes where the Doctor and Susan are escaping Gallifrey, just don't expect their first TARDIS trip to deliver anything spectacula
r.
Review of Mission to the Unknown by WhoPotterVian
Those university students really did a great job with that Mission To The Unknown remake. Some of the acting is a bit ropey, but the directing is perfection and the set design/mise-en-scene is so authentic to 60s Doctor Who.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Time Meddler by WhoPotterVian
The Time Meddler is an oddity in the William Hartnell era of Doctor Who. It was a story set in the past like so many other stories of the era...only this time, with a science fiction twist. You see, instead of it being a straight historical primarily made to educate rather than entertain this serial was the first in Doctor Who's history with a historical event setting to feature a villain other than one from that time period for the Doctor to defeat.
The plot sees a member of the Doctor's own race the Meddling Monk (Peter Butterworth) attempt to change the course of Earth history during the year 1066: the Battle of Hastings. This is a serial that was clearly ahead of its time; nowadays not only are we used to seeing a historical period invaded by an alien menace but we also tend to see a lot of plots that involve changes to time. Steven Moffat most notably uses this frequently as a plot point in the series; The Wedding of River Song in particular sees a fixed point in time changed when River refuses to kill the Doctor.
Unfortunately in The Time Meddler it doesn't quite live up to its potential. Due no doubt to the shoe string budget of the time, it never really feels like you see time changed in any major or significant way. You see the Monk has access to technology in his monastry which doesn't belong to 1066 such as toasters and a gramophone but you never see anything particularly big happen to alter the course of history. The Doctor (William Hartnell) says that the Vikings are defeated at the Humber but it would have been cool to see the Meddling Monk change this so the Vikings win and I'm pretty sure had this been a modern Steven Moffat two parter this is what would have happened. Instead we are only offered hints as to what the Meddling Monk has changed, via a check list that includes things such as 'Position atomic cannon' ticked. The serial ultimately drags and would likely have been one of those stories that would have worked better in the new series than it does in the classic era of the show.
I'm not entirely convinced by Steven Taylor as a companion either. He joined at the end of the previous serial The Chase and something about him just feels a bit too rough and ready for a companion for the first Doctor. Peter Purves isn't the best of the Hartnell era main actors either; he's no William Russell, that's for sure. The chemistry that William Hartnell, William Russel, Jaqueline Hill and Carole Anne Ford is missing too; they will always be the definitive first Doctor TARDIS crew for me.
Seeing the Monk's TARDIS is unbelievably cool though; the interior is the same as the Doctors but it is fun to see them enter a TARDIS through one that looks something other than a police box:
Also, there is a nice effect by the production team when the Doctor messes with the dimensional controls, causing the control room to represent the size of the object the TARDIS is disguised as:
Click to Load Image
It doesn't stop the story from being a bit of a drag though and it would probably have worked better as a fun two-part diversion inbetween serials rather than a four parter. This is a story that would have been more suited to the Steven Moffat era of the show rather than the William Hartnell period. In fact, I'd like to see the Meddling Monk return in series 10 as I think he would fit in nicely now the Doctor has found Gallifrey in Hell Bent. This story just didn't do a lot for me, even if it did have a cool effect with the Monk's TARDIS. You've got to give credit to the writers though: they were ahead of their time.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Edge of Destruction by WhoPotterVian
Nowadays we are so used to the 45 minute story format and whilst this story is two 25 minute episodes that together make this running time technically this is Doctor Who's first attempt to tell a narrative in such a short amount of time.
Is it successful?
Well, it partly is and it partly isn't.
The Edge of Destruction sees the TARDIS trying to warn the crew about some impending disaster through various oddities like melting clock hands and influencing the Doctor (William Hartnell), Susan (Carole Anne Ford), Ian (William Russell) and Barbara's (Jaqueline Hill) behaviour.
This is an enjoyable enough story to watch and one that's suitably simplistic for a classic series two-parter. It creates a sense of paranoia well and doesn't feel like filler. It's a shame then that the resolution is such a let down.
Spoilers follow.
Because you see, when it's revealed what the TARDIS was trying to warn the crew about...it turns out it was just that the fast return switch was stuck.
Seriously.
The entire events of the two-parter were all because of one switch.
And that's not the only weird decision because earlier Susan tries to threaten Ian and Barbara with the deadliest item she can find..a pair of scissors. It's a scene that's nothing short of daft and really should have been replaced with something else.
Having said that, there are plenty of good moments. The Doctor's monologue is great and it's nice to see a story set entirely on the TARDIS. The cast all give great performances too. It's just a shame that in conclusion the story is let down by poor decisions by the writer David Whitaker.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Curse of Clyde Langer by WhoPotterVian
The Curse of Clyde Langer is not only from arguably the best Doctor Who spinoff so far The Sarah Jane Adventures but is also an absolute classic that would fit into the main show easily.
When Clyde (Daniel Anthony) pricks his hand on a totem pole during the visit to the Museum of Culture, everybody he knows turns against him apart from one - Sky (Sinead Michael). Clyde loses everything including a place to live and ends up living on the streets.
This is a kid's programme yet it explores the adult topic of homelessness better than any primetime TV show; it is dealt with delicately and with quite a bit of heart, not afraid to shy away from some of the harsh ways the homeless must live. It's a sweet and touching story, helped by the introduction of homeless girl Ellie Faber (Lily Loveless) who quickly becomes a friend of Clyde's in a world where he has no friends. The ending is tragic too, as he returns to find Ellie after the curse has been resolved only to find she is no longer there.
Daniel Anthony is absolutely at his best here; he gives a moving performance especially during the scene where his own mother (Jocelyn Jee Esien) kicks him out. You really feel sorry for him; Daniel Anthony was always the best child actor on The Sarah Jane Adventures and it shows here.
Lily Loveless is also great as Ellie and as the audience you are left hoping she'll find a way out of her difficult situation. I like to think if it weren't for Elisabeth Sladen's tragic death and the show had continued that Ellie would have returned later down the line as she is a great character played by a great actor.
When I watched this at the time, there was also an episode of Coronation Street dealing with the same issue and it was nowhere near as effective. The Curse of Clyde Langer shows homeless people to be just like us, only in a more difficult and terrifying situation than any of us could possibly imagine. It's an important world issue and one that it was nice to see a CBBC show teach kids about; that was what was great about The Sarah Jane Adventures - it treated kids like adults who could deal with watching serious issues represented onscreen rather than clueless idiots who need everything spoon-fed to them (there are many shows that do the latter).
Simply put, The Curse of Clyde Langer is an absolute masterpiece and deals with the issue of homelessness in a sweet and touching way. Anyone should watch this episode not just Whovians as it is a great piece of television for kids and adults alike. It's worth watching just for Daniel Anthony, who gives a moving performance as someone whose friends have turned against him.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith by WhoPotterVian
It's always great to see the main character of a TV show appear in its spinoff; The Sarah Jane Adventures may not have needed the then-current Doctor David Tennant to show up but it is undeniably a cool moment when he does. This year we will most likely have Peter Capaldi in Class to look forward to, so it's undeniable that the Doctor showing up in a spinoff is something people like to see.
There's just something fascinating about seeing certain characters interact with the lead from the main show and The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith knows exactly how to set up the Doctor's appearance. Many shows would likely just throw the character in from the start of the first episode.
Not this one.
This one takes its time in properly introducing the relationship between Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and Peter Dalton (Nigel Havers) and it's all the more stronger for it. It's okay to have a crossover but it's pointless if you sacrifice the narrative for it so kudos to Gareth Roberts for not taking the lazy option. Given that the plot of this episode revolves around Sarah and Peter's wedding plus Peter's deal with the Trickster concerning his life, we need to be able to buy into their feelings for each other. That's something that's obviously hard to do in half an hour when said male character is introduced in the same story, yet Gareth Roberts does it brilliantly and you can't help but feel for poor Peter. Peter was a good guy in the end just trying to survive and any of us in his situation would have done the deal with the Trickster.
As for David Tennant, he comes into the story at just the right moment: in the cliffhanger to part one, where he literally screams 'Stop this wedding, now!'. Granted, it sounds like a soap opera cliche but it's a brilliant cliffhanger to the first of a two part story due to the number of questions it raises about the wedding: why would the Doctor want to ruin his best friend's big day? What's got the Doctor worried? Why has he only just arrived? All of these are of course answered in part two but I won't spoil it here as it would ruin the impact of the cliffhanger for anyone who hasn't seen this SJA story.
A big draw of the Doctor appearing in Sarah Jane Adventures is seeing him confront the spinoff show's most iconic original enemy: the Trickster. It doesn't disappoint. The Doctor's confrontation with the Trickster (Paul Marc Davies) feels so natural that it wouldn't look out of place in the main show. She's still Sarah Jane's main antagonist in the end (The Doctor and the Trickster haven't even met before now) and quite rightly so but the Doctor VS the Tricker is a brilliant moment and one of the most memorable of the show.
Whilst it is odd that it's not the Doctor who defeats the Trickster in the end, it does feel right that it's a character from The Sarah Jane Adventures who stops him. And one of the best characters too - Clyde Langer. Daniel Anthony was always my favourite as Clyde and I hope one day he is made a companion. I could easily watch a whole series of the Doctor and Clyde travelling; the two just work so well together and he seems like natural companion material.
The camera framing is very strong. Camera Operator Martin Stephens has done a brilliant job with framing and composition; a particular highlight is this shot, that to me has a very 'Back to the Future' feel.
The director Joss Agnew has done a good job too; in any other hands, a story like this could feel too much like an episode of Coronation Street. Thankfully, Joss Agnew is wonderfully talented and he manages to make it feel more like a standard episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures rather than another show entirely (not a mean feat when you have a wedding going wrong).
Overall, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith is a classic Sarah Jane Adventures story with brilliant pacing and a great confrontation between the Doctor and the Trickster. The camera framing and composition is top notch and director Joss Agnew does a good job keeping that Sarah Jane Adventures feel in spite of the 'wedding going wrong' soap opera cliche.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The End of Time – Part 1 by WhoPotterVian
There has never been a harder regeneration story than The End of Time. Whilst every regeneration story has to provide a fitting send-off for its departing Doctor, not only did this one have to write out one of the most popular Doctors of all time but it also had the job of creating a fond farewell for what was considered by many as a golden era of the show. Russell T Davies had a gigantic job ahead of him and it is testament to his writing ability that he managed to write something that seems like a strong send-off for both David Tennant's Doctor and his era of the show.
The End of Time's two episodes may resemble one full story but it can be argued both tell completely different narratives. Whilst The End of Time Part One is more focused on Joshua Naismith's (David Harewood) plan to give his daughter Abigail (Tracy Ifeachor) the 'gift' of immortality with help from the Master (John Simm) and stolen Torchwood technology called 'the Immortality Gate', The End of Time Part Two shifts the focus onto the Time Lords' (lead by Timothy Dalton's Rassilon) return and their plan to achieve it via the drums in the Master's head and the Three-Point Star. It is clever the way Russell T Davies splits the narrative up in this way as it prevents a problem that can occur in some two-part stories, where the first part is nothing more than a prequel to the events of part two.
There are some obvious plot holes in the story, such as how the Master gains his weird blue beam powers, but who cares when it's this much fun? The End of Time is basically like your Summer movie blockbuster: it's made to be entertaining and not to be a story that's picked apart. As much as those of us in the Whovian fandom like to think otherwise, Doctor Who isn't Shakespeare or Dickens. It isn't going to be analysed by English professors years into the future. It's just intended to be Saturday primetime fun around the sofa. And The End of Time IS fun. Who cares why the Master's powers aren't explained? Do we need an explanation for anything? Why can't we just enjoy Doctor Who like we enjoy a movie blockbuster at the cinema? Picking apart the plot holes is sometimes what spoils the fun of simply relaxing and watching a piece of television.
Russell T Davies was clearly having a lively time writing this story and it is clear that he has taken inspiration from the Marvel films. The 10th Doctor's initial confrontation with the Master in the wasteland could easily have been something from Thor: in this case, with the Doctor (David Tennant) as Thor and the Master being the nearest equivalent to Loki. It is an extremely well-directed and choreographed stand-off that has a certain gravitas to it. There really couldn't have been a better choice to direct David Tennant's final story than Euros Lyn. He has directed some of the show's best episodes including Silence In The Library (which he won the BAFTA Cymru award for) and The Girl In The Fireplace. Euros Lyn clearly knows exactly how to direct Doctor Who and the combination of Russell T Davies and Euros works perfectly.
Talking of well-directed scenes, the scene where the Doctor confronts Rassilon with a gun is in my opinion one of Doctor Who's most iconic scenes. It is full of drama and tension; it is so expertly written by Russell T Davies that as the audience you literally question whether the Doctor will shoot either the Master or Rassilon dead despite this incarnation's hatred of guns. It is definitely one of the show's most powerful scenes and a great example of one where the Doctor's morality is questioned: as Rassilon puts it, will the 10th Doctor's last act before 'death' be murder? Will he really go that far? Russell T Davies doesn't stray from asking powerful questions like this during a show kids will be watching and Doctor Who is all the better for it.
Many complain about the 'farewell tour' (a scene where the Doctor visits his companions and the great-granddaughter of past love interest Joan Redfern (Jessica Hynes) during his time in the TARDIS) but personally I didn't mind it. It felt like a nice way to celebrate the end of Doctor Who's golden era and the 10th Doctor's regeneration story wouldn't have felt right without Captain Jack (John Barrowman) appearing, given how prominent he had been during David Tennant's run. Nothing in the farewell tour detracts in any shape or form from the narrative anyway; it doesn't leave any kind of impact on the story and I am glad for its inclusion. The Russell T Davies era deserved this kind of celebration; the show may never return to the excellent ratings the RTD era produced, especially with catch-up services becoming the way many now watch television.
Without a doubt The End of Time for me features the best regeneration scene Doctor Who has ever seen. The way David Tennant utters the line 'I don't want to go' is utterly heart-breaking and I dare anyone to try and watch it without shedding a few tears. If this were a movie, David Tennant would have been nominated for a 'Best Actor' Oscar purely for this moment; it is comparable, if not better than Anne Hathaway's I Dreamed A Dream or Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. David Tennant without a doubt gives his best performance as the 10th Doctor in this story and you feel the pain this incarnation is going through when he wants to stick with his current incarnation a bit longer.
The emotion is only heightened with Murray Gold's brilliant score. Vale Decem is the best piece of music beside the theme tune that has ever been composed for Doctor Who and again, had this been a film I suspect it would have been nominated for an Oscar. It would certainly have deserved an Oscar anyway. 'Vale Decem' literally translates in latin to 'Farewell Ten' and that's exactly what it feels like: a fond farewell. A sad goodbye. This is the end but the moment has been prepared for. I enjoyed this piece of music so much that I bought the television soundtrack and the Specials soundtrack still remains the only Doctor Who orchestra music I own.
I can't talk about the regeneration without mentioning Matt Smith. Matt Smith was so great in his first appearance at the end of the regeneration sequence that he sold me from the word 'legs'. He oozes a natural eccentricity that feels suitably Doctor-ish and helps to establish just who this Doctor is. Unlike Peter Capaldi's (who I think is a great Doctor) debut in Time of the Doctor, you feel like you know this Doctor right from the off and suddenly he no longer seems too young (as many had complained at the time). Sure, he has a youthful energy about him but he seems like the same ancient Time Lord we know and love. It's definitely the best regeneration introduction of a new Doctor the show has ever and will ever see. Matt Smith simply was the Doctor right from the start.
One person who threatens to steal the show is Bernard Cribbins. Bernard Cribbins is extremely loveable as Donna's grandfather Wilfred Mott and it is a shame he never got a complete series in the TARDIS alongside the 10th Doctor. I love his grandfatherly relationship with this incarnation of the Doctor and could easily watch thirteen episodes of it. It's a shame that the show seems to think it always needs to introduce a young female companion; why can't we have an old gentleman for a change? If Big Finish could feature Maggie Stables as Evelyn Smythe as a companion before her untimely death, then why can't the TV series have Bernard Cribbins join the Doctor in the TARDIS? It feels like a massive missed opportunity that Russell T Davies never thought to include Wilf as companion for an entire series; hopefully one day he can come back and travel with a future Doctor.
The End of Time also features some of the best special effects from the VFX production company of the time 'The Mill'. The Master's blue skeleton skull and the Immortality Gate for example would not look out of place in a Hollywood movie. They are spectacular special effects and add to the feeling that The End of Time was perhaps made on a bigger budget than usual. For me it took until 2013's Day of the Doctor to top the special effects in this story, which is a testament to the production crew of 2009 that they made something with effects that look better than those in stories ranging from 2010-2013.
Overall, The End of Time is a fantastic send-off for both David Tennant and Russell T Davies. It feels like a big-budget Hollywood movie and is therefore great fun to watch, even if some would point out various plot holes present in the story. David Tennant gives a performance that would be worthy of an Oscar had this story been a big Hollywood production and Euros Lyn does an amazing job of directing one of the show's most epic and action-packed finales. This story is also notable for featuring some of Doctor Who's best special effects. If you've never watched Doctor Who but like the Marvel movies, then this would likely be a good starting point for you. Otherwise I would probably start from an earlier episode in the RTD Era like Rose or The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. The End of Time is definitely more than worth your time though; who cares about plot holes when the story is this much fun?
This review contains spoilers
Review of Planet of the Dead by WhoPotterVian
The most notable thing about the Doctor Who special Planet of the Dead is that it is the first Doctor Who episode to be shot on HD. Whilst The Next Doctor is included as part of the Bluray release, it is an upscale rather than an actual High Definition picture. It is also the first story of the new series to be credited to two writers - Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts. Neither are on top form here though.
In Planet of the Dead, thief Lady Christina De Souza (Michelle Ryan) steals the Cup of Athelstan from a museum and makes her getaway on a London bus, where she meets the Doctor (David Tennant). The bus passes through a wormhole and ends up on the planet San Helios: a planet that has become a vast wasteland since being invaded by a bunch of flying alien stingrays. The bus driver and passengers must learn to survive on this planet whilst the Doctor and Christina search for a way back. Nothing particularly memorable happens (other than a fun sequence clearly inspired by Mission Impossible where Christina drops down the Tritivore ship's (which crash landed on the planet) engine shaft on a winch in an attempt to claim a crystal used to power the sup and a pair of anti-gravity clamps) but this isn't by any means a bad story. It just doesn't stand out, especially when bookmarked by great episodes like The Next Doctor and The Water of Mars.
It's a shame given it was aired during a period for the show when there wasn't much Doctor Who on TV (although there has been much less Doctor Who this year than there was back then). When there's only four episodes, the quality needs to be significantly higher and this episode didn't quite live up to the expectations you would expect from a special Doctor Who episode. It's neither Russell T Davies or Gareth Roberts' best work; having said that, it's not as bad as their respective weakest episodes Love & Monsters or The Caretaker.
The surprising thing about this episode is how forgettable the episode's alien species are. The stingrays are just your generic mindless alien menace, whilst the Tritivores don't do a great deal other than stand about chirping. You have to give credit to costume designer Louise Page because the Tritivore design is brilliant and I fully believe they would have been more popular if they had been given both more to do and more of a personality. We aren't really given much reason to care about them or see their stance on anything.
It was a great idea by the BBC to have an Easter Special of the show though and it is something I wish they had made a regular part of the show like the Christmas Special.
There's something about the idea of a Doctor Who Easter Special that really works; maybe it's the fact that some compare the Doctor's regeneration to resurrection and therefore draw religious connotations to the source material but it just feels right. And the Doctor eating an Easter Egg is pretty cool (or is that just me?).
I also like Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina De Souza. Lady Christina De Souza has to be one of my all-time favourite one-off Doctor Who characters and one that really should have been a companion. Michelle Ryan's portrayal made me wish the Doctor to agree to invite her onboard at the end of the story. In fact, a series with the Doctor travelling with a burglar would have had great potential; I could imagine their relationship being similar to Batman and Catwoman in DC's iconic Batman comics, where they typically have a love/hate relationship.
Whilst Batman disapproves of Catwoman's burglaries he is often found working alongside her and there's even been a romance hinted between the two characters. It would have been entertaining to see the Doctor and his companion have a similar relationship (although admittedly it may have been a little similar to River Song).
David Tennant has a lot of chemistry with Michelle Ryan, so it was a shame they didn't work together more. They naturally bounce off each other throughout Planet of the Dead and the chemistry is nearly comparable to David Tennant with Catherine Tate. Hopefully Big Finish may give them a Tenth Doctor Adventures series between Planet of the Dead and The Water of Mars where the Doctor changes his mind about not inviting her to travel with him as I'd love to hear the pair back together again. Pretty much anything could have happened during the Special's gaps, after all.
Overall, Planet of the Dead is a pretty average episode of the show and not a great example of Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts' writing. The Tritivores and Stingrays are forgettable Doctor Who monsters, despite a great costume design for the former. It was a great idea by the BBC to make an Easter Special though and Michelle Ryan makes for a brilliant one-off companion in Lady Christina De Souza. David Tennant and Michelle Ryan have a lot of chemistry and it's a shame they didn't get a series together.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Stolen Earth by WhoPotterVian
Shared universes are such a big deal currently. With Marvel, DC, LEGO and Sony all offering them as of recent, it's easy to forget that Doctor Who did it first with Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood. Like Marvel, it was successful.
The Stolen Earth/Journey's End is a typical RTD bombastic finale and it's all the better for it. The plot sees RTD Era companions and allies of the Doctor attempting to contact the Doctor via the Archangel Network to ask for his help with the Daleks' latest invasion of Earth. Davros and the Daleks are planning on unleashing a reality bomb on all universes (including Pete's World seen in Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel and briefly in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday) in an attempt to destroy reality with the use of twenty six planets and a moon to transmit it (one of them being Earth). There is no doubt this story is completely barking mad but this makes it all the more enjoyable. The two parter feels like a comic book; maybe not a DC one but you could easily imagine Marvel doing this as an Avengers story (well, with Red Skull and Hydra agents instead of Davros and the Daleks).
The inclusion of the spinoffs is also handled nicely; none of them feel shoehorned in and every character seems like they should be there. What's even more impressive is how Russell T Davies managed to include Torchwood (a show that the BBFC rated 15) in such a respectable and family friendly manner. The Torchwood characters don't even feel restrained by the primetime Saturday night slot. Many of the spinoff characters are reduced to small parts (none of them actually join the Doctor but help from the sidelines, so to speak) but it's just great to see them in the main show. Mr Smith, Luke, Gwen, Ianto... who didn't want to see any of these characters appear in Doctor Who back in 2008? It's the same thrill that many get from seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor, Hulk and now Spider-Man onscreen together.
This story features one of my favourite scenes: that of the Doctor, Metacrisis Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones, Captain Jack Harkness and Donna Noble all together piloting the TARDIS back to its correct location. It's a magical moment to see all these great characters share screentime together; this many companions in the TARDIS at once had never been done before and hasn't been done since. There's a wonderful sense of joy; of excitement and wonder, like Russell T Davies unleashed his inner child and threw all his toys together out the toy box. This felt as much like a celebration of the Russell T Davies era as it did an epic conclusion to series 4.
As usual, David Tennant is on top form as the 10th Doctor and shows exactly why he is my favourite Doctor. His 'regeneration' is so convincing that you wonder if he will actually regenerate into the next Doctor rather than abort it somehow. Of course, he manages to divert it to remain 'The Doctor' but for a second you wonder if he will change. Oh, and Elisabeth Sladen yet again made me wish she'd stay on as companion. Billie Piper's second exit is sad if anticlimatic. Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri are the scene-stealers they always were during Russell T Davies' time as showrunner. Catherine Tate demonstrates exactly why many consider her to be among the best companion s with a tragic departure. Freema Ageyman is still the good thing about Martha, even if I don't totally like her character. Everybody is on top form, including Murray Gold who delivers some brilliant music as always.
Overall, The Stolen Earth/Journey's End proved shared universes worked before Marvel Studios (although I'm sure some will argue that Marvel did it within their comics) with a brilliantly barking mad comicbook-esque story that feels like an epic conclusion to Russell T Davies' last full series as showrunner.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Unicorn and the Wasp by WhoPotterVian
I The Doctor had suggested visiting Agatha Christie to his previous companion Martha Jones in Last of the Time Lords, so it was no surprise that the Doctor Who production team decided to follow this up in the next series. And it certainly doesn't disappoint. An Agatha Christie Doctor Who episode is just as good as you would expect it to be, full of murder, mystery and extremely enigmatic characters. In some ways, it is widely different to anything Doctor Who has done before. In others, it feels like perfect Doctor Who. It's a surprise this episode isn't considered a classic by more people as to me this is the quintessential David Tennant story and arguably one of the best celebrity historicals to date.
The Unicorn and the Wasp sees the Doctor (David Tennant) and his companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) arrive on the day Agatha Christie (Fenella Woolgar) goes missing. Soon they find themselves with Agatha in the middle of a murder mystery. Professor Peach (Ian Barritt) has been murdered and the Doctor, Donna and Agatha must find out who the culprit is. Was it the owner of the country estate Lady Eddison (Felicity Kendal), the young vicar Reverend Arnold Golighty (Tom Goodman Hill), the war veteran Hugh Curbishley (Christopher Benjamin), the jewel thief Ada Mullins (Felicity Jones), Arnold's brother Roger Curbishley (Adam Rayner), the butler Greeves (David Quilter), Roger's boyfriend Davenport (Daniel King), Indian woman Chandrakala (Leena Dhingra), cook Mrs Hart (Charlotte Eaton) or perhaps even the Doctor, Donna or Agatha Christie?
The Unicorn and the Wasp is a great deal of fun to watch; it is a story that plays to Catherine Tate's strengths as a comedy actor, providing many light-hearted moments. My absolute favourite has to be when the Doctor is poisoned and Donna is tasked with finding a way to shock him out of it. The scene is played perfectly with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who know exactly how to play the exaggerated facial expressions needed to pull it off. Donna's shock being a kiss is hilarious and helps to enforce that this is a new series Doctor/companion dynamic where they're simply best friends travelling the universe as opposed to yet another romantic relationship.
I
loved the 10th Doctor and Rose Tyler together but overall I prefer the 'best friends' relationship between the Doctor and companion as in my view it is much more entertaining to watch and doesn't tire as quickly as the will-they/won't-they of 10 and Rose.
It helps that the pace is so well-plotted by writer Gareth Roberts; there is literally not one dull moment in this story. It rolls along at a rollicking pace and is hugely gripping from start to finish. The murderer never appears too obvious or too stupid; even though it is hard to guess who committed the murders when it is revealed the logic makes a lot of sense.
It is not only a fun comedy episode but also a very strong murder mystery that nicely captures that sort of eery atmosphere of murder mysteries. If there's one complaint I'd have about this episode it's that I wish it was longer - and that's not really a complaint. If it leaves you wanting more, then it has done its job well.
The 'monster of the week' - a giant alien wasp known as the Vespiform - is also one of the new series' strongest CGI designs. The visual created by the Mill is absolutely fantastic and it actually looks like a real giant wasp. If I saw that outside my window in real life, I'd run five hundred miles...and then maybe five hundred more when it starts following me. Wasps are scary enough as it is but giant-sized they are terrifying. The sting from a giant wasp (or 'Vespiform') scarcely bears thinking about.
'Vespiform' is possibly among Doctor Who's most awesome names for an alien race too. It rings off the tongue nicely and feels right as the name for a species of giant wasps. I hope one day Big Finish bring them back for some new series audios as they deserve a return appearance. To me they are like the new series' Wiirn: a race that's obscure to anyone other than hardcore Whovians but are such an amazing concept that they deserve to be appreciated more.
Agatha Christie fans will be happy with Fenella Woolgar's portrayal of the famous author. She is absolutely brilliant in this episode and offers a very endearing portrayal of Agatha; she portrays the author with a fierce intelligence that could almost rival the Doctor's and the way they explain her mysterious disappearance is extremely clever. It's great the way certain new series episodes explore the mysteries surrounding certain historical figures and offer explanations within the Whoniverse for them; I imagine it sparks the imagination of many kids who watch theseries and to me is something Sydney Newman would probably impressed by given that the original brief for the show was for it to be educational.
The reason behind the disappearance may be fictional but many kids won't have even known she had disappeared before seeing this episode. I hadn't known myself as a 12 year old and therefore the show taught me that Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926 and turned up ten years' later with no recollection of what happened.
The way the episode plays with the idea of the bootstrap paradox most recently referred to in Under The Lake/Before The Flood in terms of Agatha Christie's books is also very impressive. The episode suggests that the adventures in this episode subconsciously inspired Agatha Christie to write Death in the Clouds and Donna also refers to the plot of Murder of the Orient Express to Agatha Christie, suggesting that she got the idea of the book from Donna (even if she can't remember doing so). This is another thing I like about the new series that the classic series didn't really do: the way it suggests certain ideas may have been influenced by the Doctor's travels through time and space. Donna may have had to have mentioned Murder of the Orient Express to Agatha Christie for it to have been written in the first place. It's such an inspired idea and one that works well with a show like Doctor Who where the lead character can visit any period of history.
This episode boasts the return of Christopher Benjamin (who previously played Henry Jago) to Doctor Who and whilst it's disappointing that he didn't reprise his previous role it is still great to see him again in this episode. Christopher Benjamin is very convincing as Hugh Curbishly and it is a wonder you don't see him more on television. Age shouldn't be an excuse for not featuring a certain actor if they are still fit enough to act and it is a shame that people of a certain age like Christopher Benjamin are featured so little. He does well despite being 80 years old to continue his acting career; he mainly records Big Finish audio dramas now but recently appeared in David Yates' latest film The Legend of Tarzan as Lord Knutsford.
Overall, The Unicorn and the Wasp is an incredibly fun and entertaining story by Gareth Roberts that deserves more appreciation than it tends to receive. The episode is extremely well-plotted, with a thrilling breakneck pace and the comedy performance from David Tennant and Catherine Tate is hilarious. It's also fun the way the episode plays with the real-life character of Agatha Christie, her mysterious disappearances and in-universe influences for some of her murder mystery books. The Vespiform is a very realistic work of CGI and it is great to see the return of Doctor Who veteran Christopher Benjamin, who still looks incredibly healthy for an 80 year old man. The Unicorn and the Wasp is perhaps the definitive David Tennant episode - it's funny, dark, fast and extremely energetic. Pretty much sums up Tennant's Doctor actually.
This review contains spoilers
Review of The Sontaran Stratagem by WhoPotterVian
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky in some ways feels like more of a modern story than it did at the time. The story features SatNavs used as weapons and SatNavs are arguably more commonplace today than in 2008, given that they are now installed in pretty much any modern car. After a call from Martha (Freema Ageyman) asking for him to return to Earth, the Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) arrive in 21st Century London to find that there have been a number of mysterious deaths that have all taken place at exactly the same time. The only connection is that they all had ATMOS installed into their cars. They team up with Martha's new workplace - UNIT - to find out why and discover the Sontarans are plotting to invade the Earth.
These are clearly a new clone batch of Sontarans, given that whilst they bear a close resemblance to their classic series counterparts their look is somewhat cleaner and a deeper shade of brown. Their ears are also more pointed, bearing more of an 'elf' appearance as opposed to the flat ears of the classic series.
Between the two, my preference lies with the new series look by prosthetics designer Neill Gorton. Their classic series appearance is certainly iconic but they perhaps bear too close to the infamous potato comparison. The new series Sontarans meanwhile appear more menacing; I find their appearance as a deadly warrior race more convincing compared to the classic series Sontarans. That's not to say I don't like the classic series Sontarans, just that the new series Sontarans have a stronger demeanour.
The other major difference with the new series Sontarans is their use of a catchphrase. Just like the Cybermen in Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel the Sontarans this time round have been given a quotable phrase that they repeat over the course of the story. For the Cybermen, this was 'Delete'. The Sontarans have 'Sontar Ha!' Unlike some, I like the new series tendency to give characters catchphrases; it's a nice and quick way to establish the characters' personalities without the need of expositional dialogue. The Cybermen upgrade others to be like them, so their catchphrase is 'Delete' because they are 'deleting' the humanity of those who become Cybermen. Sontarans believe in honour and glory, so their catchphrase is a war chant.
There are plenty of similarities to be found between the Rise Cybermen and new series Sontarans, one important one being that the former are a new group of Cybermen from Pete's World created by a company known as Cybus Industries and the latter (as The Sontaran Ordeal explores) a Time War-era new clone batch of Sontarans. The new series Sontarans are therefore in my view different enough from their classic series iteration to be considered new monsters.
As for the story itself, it's definitely one of my favourites from David Tennant's time as the Doctor. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is an action-packed story that's a lot of fun to watch. The way it takes a modern device that can infamously become unreliable (SatNav systems) and turns it into a threat is genius. SatNavs can have the potential to be scary machines, especially when they try to send you off cliffs and it is therefore a marvellous idea by writer Helen Raynor (who got a lot of unfair comments directed towards her regarding her previous story for Doctor Who Daleks In Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks) to include them in her story.
It definitely feels like a Sontaran story too. This is a strong update for the clone race and it is a shame that they haven't had a new series invasion story since. The Sontarans feel like a formidable threat for the Doctor and Donna, especially the way they manage to clone Martha Jones. I would have liked to have seen a follow-up story where they clone the Doctor; imagine an evil Doctor working for the Sontarans - wouldn't that be scary?
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky stays true to how their previous classic series counterparts were characterised whilst also offering a new take on the race. Hopefully one day there will be a story exploring where Strax's loyalties lie: the Sontarans or the human race? I think that would be the best way to bring the Sontarans back now when Strax has been used for comic relief.
In the above paragraph, I mentioned clone Martha Jones. Clone Martha Jones is one of my favourite things about this story. Seeing a Doctor Who companion suddenly become evil is a fun thing for the show to explore; the series has done it before with Zygon Harry in Terror of the Zygons but the clone of Martha Jones in particular feels masterfully executed and a natural advancement for the plot. Freema Ageyman plays original Martha and evil Martha in such a believable way and I wouldn't be surprised if Jenna Coleman took inspiration for it for her dual role as Clara Oswald and Bonnie in last years' The Zygon Invasion/Inversion. Original Martha doesn't really get a lot to do but evil Martha is so entertaining to watch that you don't really notice Original Martha not featuring much in the plot.
And, of course, you've got the excellent Bernard Cribbins as Wilf. To me, Bernard Cribbins is the Doctor Who companion that never was. He sort-of had a companion role in The End of Time but it's hard to class him as a companion when it was only one story (I wish it had left it open so Wilf could have previously had more adventures in the TARDIS with the 10th Doctor). Wilf is such a loveable character, played with a stunning amount of charm by Bernard Cribbins and you find yourself totally invested and caring for the character when he becomes trapped in the car with the ATMOS smoke surrounding him. It's a relief when Sylvia (Jacqueline King) breaks him free from the car because you've grown to care for the character so much.
Overall, The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is an exciting update for the Sontarans in the new series. Their use of a catchphrase and new look makes them feel significantly different from the classic series Sontarans and the story poses them as a credible threat for the tenth Doctor and Donna. Evil clone Martha Jones is fantastic and well-played by Freema Ageyman (sure to have been a blueprint for Jenna Coleman when she played her dual role of Bonnie/Clara). Then there's Bernard Cribbins as Wilf, who's just loveable as Donna's charming granddad Wilf and really should have been a companion for the Doctor.
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky is one of David Tennant's best stories which David Tennant as usual gives an outstanding performance in again, proving why he is the best Doctor of them all. Catherine Tate continues to be strong as Donna Noble and I hope she continues to play the role for Big Finish. This is a Doctor Who two parter well-worth your time, whether you have seen the classic series Sontarans or not.
Review of The Infinite Quest by WhoPotterVian
The Infinite Quest is exactly how to do a animated Doctor Who episode. The animation is by the legendary Cosgrove Hall studios (the animation company behind Danger Mouse) and as you would expect, it's as great as any of their other animations.
It just feels like what it is: a animated Doctor Who adventure.
The narrative is wonderfully Doctor Who, zipping across various interplanetary locations everywhere and anywhere on their journey to find the spaceship 'The Infinite' before evil space pirate Balthazar with his pet parrot Squark find it first. Alan Barnes has done a great job; this feels like it could take place within the live-action series of the show if it wasn't constrained by budget. The animation is therefore used well to show a scenario on-screen that would never have been possible within the series.
Simply put: this was too good for CBBC and Totally Doctor Who. A great Doctor Who adventure.
This review contains spoilers
Review of 42 by WhoPotterVian
42 was written in response to the popular TV series 24, in which the action takes place in real time over 24 hours divided into 24 one hour episodes. Chris Chibnall took this concept and applied it to an episode of Doctor Who, having the entire episode taking place over 42 minutes in real time.
To me, this really benefits the episode. It makes it feel 'real', as though we're watching events take place as they actually unfold. It's a clever concept and one that I applaud Chris Chibnall taking from 24. Kudos to him also for making a Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy reference by having it 42 minutes as opposed to 45 (although this episode isn't quite the answer to life, the universe and everything).
The story follows the Doctor and Martha arriving on the spaceship S.S. Pentallian after receiving a distress call and find that it is out of control hurtling towards the sun.The sun starts possessing the crew angry at them for illegally using it as fuel and the Doctor and Martha have 42 minutes to save them and the ship.
This is a fun and lively action-orientated episode of the show but it also has a few very creepy moments such as when the Doctor also finds himself possessed. It features one of the greatest moments you can have in Doctor Who that has been done a few times in the new series, where the Doctor himself is no longer in control and is scared of the situation. If the Doctor is scared, you know they are in deep trouble and Chris Chibnall plays this brilliantly.
It's not all good; it isn't the best episode by a long mile. It can feel a little generic and the scene at the end with Francine's call being monitored by a group of people working for Mr Saxon feels a little shoehorned in. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves though as a great episode of series 3. It is definitely among the strongest Chris Chibnall has written for the show.
One of the greatest soap actors Michelle Collins features too. Michelle Collins is known for playing Cindy in EastEnders (a show that I personally hate) and Stella in Coronation Street. Here, she plays Kath McDonnell and provides one of the best supporting character performances of the show. She is very believable and whilst not good enough to be recurring character status, provides a very strong portrayal of a character who is desperate in the circumstances of the ship's crashing.
David Tennant and Freema Ageyman are on top form, especially David Tennant who is unbelievably scary when he is possessed by the sun. I think this is one of David Tennant's finest performances as the Doctor; it's just chilling when he utters 'Burn With Me, Martha'. Those four words have a powerful effect on the audience in not only showing the lead character possessed but also in David Tennant's performance that there is still a bit of the Doctor there who's scared and doesn't quite know what to do. This is why David Tennnant is the best Doctor; he gave such a layered performance in the role.
Overall, 42 is a great episode told in real time with strong action scenes and some scary moments. Some may find it generic and the end scene is a bit forced to suit the Mr Saxon arc of series 3 but Michelle Collins is great as Kath McDonnell and David Tennant is terrifying as the possessed Doctor.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Love & Monsters by WhoPotterVian
This review was written on April Fools Day 2016, as I decided this is the one Doctor Who episode that feels the most like an April Fools joke. Yes, that's right: Love & Monsters.
Love & Monsters is quite simply an abomination in every sense of the word. The premise is about a Doctor fan group called L.I.N.D.A. (London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency) led by Elton Pope (Marc Warren) who seek to track down the Doctor and Rose because they're rabid fanboys. If that sounds incredibly meta, that's because it is. The only difference here is that the fans are bland; nothing like the exciting characters you get in real-life fandom.
It only gets worse when Peter Kay comes in as Victor Kennedy. To be fair to him, he's not too bad at first but when he becomes the Abzorbaloff he is laughably terrible in the role. As I said previously, Peter Kay would have been better playing a fan like Malcolm in Planet of the Dead as opposed to a cheesy monster invented by a kid.
Who's idiotic idea was it to let a kid design a monster for the series?
There's a reason why 10 year olds don't work as costume designers!
Yet there's something far, far worse than all this. It's hinted that Elton Pope, the guy who is supposed to be our substitute for the Doctor, has sex with a paving slab.
Overall, Love & Monsters is without a doubt the worst Doctor Who episode of all time.
This review contains spoilers
Review of School Reunion by WhoPotterVian
It's always nice to see companions return and School Reunion sees the return of not one but two of them. School Reunion reintroduced Sarah Jane and K9, both reprised by their original actors Elisabeth Sladen and John Leeson and effectively acting as a backdoor pilot to the spinoff The Sarah Jane Adventures.
It's bittersweet to see the return of such beloved companions, especially when the excitement at seeing a familiar face again is played so well by David Tennant. Toby Whithouse writes the reunion so well that you can't help but feel a little disappointed that she decides not to join the Doctor on his adventures again.
K9's emotional sacrifice is touching and fortunately the introduction of a K9 Mark 4 doesn't ruin it but instead allows for another sweet moment in the friendship of the Doctor and Sarah, where the TARDIS dematerialises to reveal the new K9.
But what of the actual plot? Well, School Reunion sees the Doctor and Rose investigate Deffry Vale School after Mickey (Noel Clarke) tells them over the phone about some strange goings-on. There, they find that a race known as the Krillitanes have taken on the form of teachers at the school and the canteen are serving chips in Krillitane oil to increase the kids' intelligence so they can help crack the Skasis Paradigm and control the universe.
The story can feel a little contrived considering the Doctor and Sarah Jane just happen to be investigating the same school at the same time but it is forgivable given how great everything else is.
The Krillitanes are a fantastic concept for an alien species; these are aliens who take on the features of any species they conquer meaning they could look different each time they return. And they need to return. In fact: why haven't they yet? This is such a strong concept that with return appearances they could arguably become among the most iconic of new series monsters.
Anthony Head deserves to return as Mr Finch also; he is scarily cold and menacing as the school headteacher, especially during his tense confrontation with the Doctor at the swimming pool (I've never heard of a school with a swimming pool before!).
It's nice to see Mickey Smith finally become a companion at the end of this story. I always liked Mickey Smith, right from his introduction in Rose up until his exit in Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel, and subsequent returns. He should have been a companion sooner and indeed when he is, the chemistry works really well between the Doctor, Rose and Mickey. School Reunion is followed by another great story,.The Girl In The Fireplace, and one which I will review at a later time.
Overall, School Reunion is a fantastic reunion between three characters (the Doctor, Sarah Jane and K9) even if it does feel a little contrived and introduces a new race with a clever concept who really should return.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Rise of the Cybermen by WhoPotterVian
One of the interesting things about the Cybermen is how drastically their design evolves over their appearances in the show. Their Tenth Planet appearance, for example, is completely different to their look in The Moonbase. Their 'Cybus' redesign is arguably the most radical change for the Cybermen.
Because of this, many Whovians are not fans of the Cybus look - in my view, however, they are forgetting how it has always been a staple of Cyberman history for the look to fluctuate between designs.
Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel has a good reason for the Cybus design too. The story takes place in a Parallel Earth, where Rose's (Billie Piper) Dad Pete Tyler (Shaun Dingwall) is still alive and is a successful businessman running a health drink business called Vitex - a subsidiary of Cybus Industries. The TARDIS falls through the time vortex and crashes in the Void, rendering the machine lifeless as it is outside the universe where it can claim energy from the rift. Mickey (Noel Clarke) leaves the TARDIS and finds they are in a parallel version of London. Meanwhile, the Doctor manages to find a small part of the TARDIS that is still alive and gifts it some of his own life energy. Elsewhere, Cybus Industries leader John Lumic (Roger Lloyd-Pack) is working on an experiment to upgrade human beings into Cybermen...
First, I'm going to come out and say it: I like the Cybus Cybermen. I think the design by Peter McKinstry works extremely well for 21st century Doctor Who. It's cool, it's modern and it works within the context of the two parter. These Cybermen aren't our universe Cybermen, they are parallel universe Cybermen where they were invented by John Lumic. They look like somebody's invention too. Some Whovians tend to forget that the reason for the cloth face in The Tenth Planet is because the production values at the time were poor. They couldn't afford a design like the Cybus one - and if you put a cloth-faced Cyberman in front of the cameras today it would look ridiculous (NB: Since I wrote this review, the Mondasian Cybermen returned in World Enough And Time/The Doctor Falls, and I was completely wrong. They looked totally amazing under modern HD cameras.)
John Lumic is possibly one of the new series' best human villains too. He is absolutely despicable; an arrogant, cold and heartless businessman who ironically is not too brilliant to a Cyberman himself. He's pretty much the polar opposite of Pete Tyler and the exact kind of cruel man you could imagine inventing something like the Cyberman. John Lumic is played expertly by Only Fools And Horses actor Roger Lloyd-Pack and I cannot imagine anyone else in the role. When he becomes the Cyber Controller it is such a satisfying pay-off to his character.
It's not all about returning to the classic era with the Cybermen however. The story is also hugely inventive with the way it represents a parallel London. There's zeppelins in the sky, the UK has a President and everybody wears ear pods (before ear pods came a thing - this is a parallel 2006). In many ways it reminds me of Back to the Future Part 2's optimistic take on 2015, although in this case we have a parallel version of what the present at that time could have looked like had we gone down another path. Then again: maybe that's what 2015 really is in Back to the Future Part 2? Maybe we are actually seeing a parallel 2015 Hill Valley? Nevertheless this is probably among Doctor Who's most inventive settings. The optimistic outlook on what a parallel world would look like is a lot more interesting than a dystopian one and it's fun to see Pete Tyler's previously mentioned get-rich-quick schemes actually come to fruition.
Talking about fun, this is a Doctor Who episode with a great sense of humour. Writer Tom MacRae injects some great lines throughout, such as how the Doctor's line 'We fell out of the vortex, through the Void into nothingness. We're at some sort of no-place, a silent realm, a lost dimension...' is immediately followed by Mickey looking outside and replying 'Otherwise known as London'. Then there's the brilliant moment Rose discovers that in this parallel universe she is a dog, played with great humour by both Billie Piper and David Tennant (who are great throughout this two parter - David Tennant demonstrates EXACTLY why he is the best Doctor).
The second episode of the two parter, Age of Steel, even manages to do something better with the Cybermen than was done in the classic series. There's a great sequence that really highlights the horrors of Cyber-conversion, as you see how the Cybermen in this world are created.
It is a very dark sequence with blades and pincers swirling around in the conversion chamber. This is a scene that wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie: a true hide behind the sofa element, even if they likely wouldn't have got away with it in the classic series without Mary Whitehouse complaining.
Speaking of the classic series, this two parter features a brilliant companion exit that feels like one you would get in a classic series serial. Noel Clarke's Mickey Smith decides to stay behind at the end of Age of Steel in order to help fight the resistance against the Cybermen, an exit which bares many similarities to Susan Foreman's exit in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. It's a companion exit that highlights his growth as a character: no longer is Mickey the 'idiot' from Series 1, now he's a full-grown hero. He's the underdog who against all those who doubted him has become a figure of bravery and nobility. Like the Doctor, neither cruel or cowardly. Mickey is perhaps the new series male companion with the most character development of them all. Over the course of series one and two you see him go on a real journey and Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel feels like a natural conclusion of that.
Overall, Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel is unfairly criticised for the redesign of the Cybermen but within the context of modern audiences and the story's plot it makes so much sense. The Cybus design is extremely effective and has a very modern, very cool look you wouldn't have got with a more faithful take on the Cybermen. This is a two parter that conveys the horrors of Cyber-conversion better than any Cyberman story that came before it; with John Lumic you've also got a villain who as with Tobias Vaughn in The Invasion is no more than a Cyberman himself, through the way he conducts his behaviour - unlike Vaughn, he even becomes one himself: a high-ranked Cyberman, no less, as the Cyber Controller. There's a wonderful sense of imagination and humour in this story's representation of a parallel 2006 London; seeing Rose as a dog is one of the highlights of the new series of Doctor Who.
Mickey Smith's exit is also perfect for his character, demonstrating how he has gone on a more impactful character journey than any new series male companion that has followed after. No longer the 'idiot', Mickey is now a hero and the brilliant conclusion to his character is one of many reasons I would recommend this story.
Mickey would later return in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday and The Stolen Earth/Journey's End but unlike Rose Tyler his return appearances do not detract from his original exit from the show.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Rogue by WhoPotterVian
This episode is one I was really looking forward to, due to the involvement of Loki Season 1's director Kate Herron. Loki Season 1 is the closest the MCU has ever gotten to Doctor Who, and is a great piece of television, so there was clearly a lot of potential there for a great Doctor Who adventure. The resulting episode is about as brilliant as I had envisioned.
With the previous five episodes having been devoid of alien monsters, it's refreshing to have a story like Rogue that feels more like traditional Doctor Who. The Chudlhurs are a very fun concept, concerning extra-terrestrial bird people who simply just want to cosplay Bridgerton. It's not the kind of alien threat we have seen before, other than the fact they are shapeshifters, and they feel straight from the pages of RTD1.
Rogue himself is definitely the star attraction of this episode though, and Jonathan Groff is great in his first appearance. He displays plenty of chemistry with Ncuti Gatwa, and I wouldn't mind seeing him return (which probably will happen, given that Rogue asks the Doctor to 'find him'. Their romance all happens too fast, however. I have no issue with the Doctor developing feelings for a man, but the build-up is all very sudden, particularly as the episode all takes place within one night, and yet the Doctor is already prepared to spend the rest of his life travelling the universe with him.
The Susan Twist cameo is also disappointing. She doesn't really appear this week, other than as a portrait. I was expecting from the cast list that she'd be a talking portrait similar to the ones from Harry Potter, but she's just a basic portrait.
One thing I am glad to see is the Doctor continuing his trend of singing in a few episodes. Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory suits his Doctor very well, as he feels very much like a Gene Wilder Doctor. It makes me hope even more for a proper Doctor Who musical episode, like it had seemed we were going to get with The Devil's Chord before that episode released. Millie Gibson continues to shine as Ruby Sunday. Her enthusiasm for Bridgerton is very amusing throughout the episode, and she proves herself as more than capable to join the Doctor on his adventures, when she 'engages battle mode' with the psychic earrings against the Chuldhur who was going to kill her. I hope Ruby stays in the show beyond next year's series.
Overall, I'd rate Rogue a solid 8/10. It's a brilliant piece of traditional Doctor Who, with some unique monsters and great chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Jonathan Groff. It's just a shame that this week's Susan Twist appearance was so lacking.
This review contains spoilers
Review of Dot and Bubble by WhoPotterVian
Going into this episode, I really didn't know what to expect. The spoiler-free reviews had not been kind to Dot And Bubble, and made it sound like Love & Monsters 2.0. Whilst the first 20-30 minutes of the episode still left me unsure whether this was a classic or a disaster, the ending is so mindblowing that it makes it one of the most remarkable and emotionally powerful episodes in recent years. It's an extremely weird episode to watch until you reach the climax, though, due to just how unlikeable Lindy Pepper-Bean is. She's so vain and self-absorbed that it's nigh-on impossible to root for her when the Mantraps are lurking menacingly nearby.
For much of the story, it makes no sense as to why she blocks the Doctor and is strangely dismissive to him, but not Ruby. However, this turns out to be such clever writing, that when you go back and view the lines in the new context of who Lindy and the Finetime colony are, it makes perfect sense. The final twist really saves the episode. The fact that Finetime is comprised entirely of racists, with Lindy being one of the worst, is utterly mind-blowing. It pushes the Doctor to his limits, and places him in a new situation, where he's suddenly being discriminated again for his race for the first time. His speech expressing his desire to save the colonists, and his subsequent reaction when they refuse his help because his skin colour means he could be 'contaminated' according to the racist group, is such a tragic watch. Ncuti Gatwa gives an absolute powerhouse performance, in what feels like a Doctor defining moment for him.
Dot And Bubble does have some obvious similarities to The Macra Terror, but its more Black Mirror-esque edge does make it feel different enough to not feel too much like a copy. It has some very interesting social commentary on social media, and how being so consumed by it can result in a person being literally stuck inside their own bubble. It compliments Lindy very well to make her seem even more narcissistic, as she seems a bit too preoccupied with her own sense of self.
The Susan Twist appearance is a little more forced this week. She's not as natural a part of the story as in Boom or 73 Yards, appearing as Lindy's Mum. It did leave me a little confused as to how she could be there if everyone on the homeworld had died. Is Susan Twist really her Mum, or is she just pretending to be? And if the latter, how come Lindy still recognises her? These questions may be answered by the finale, to be fair, but it does make the Susan Twist cameo feel a bit more shoe-horned in than usual.
Overall, I'd rate Dot And Bubble a 9/10. For an episode with such poor critic reviews, it was a surprisingly strong episode, with some biting social commentary, and a brilliantly shocking twist that turns everything on its head. It's just a shame that Susan Twist's role jarred this week, rather than coming naturally in the story.