The Leadworth Green Blog

The Leadworth Green Blog Has Regenerated

2010-04-27T16:08:00.003+01:00

THE LEADWORTH GREEN BLOG

HAS CHANGED NAME AND LOCATION

YOU MIGHT SAY WE'VE REGENERATED

CLUCK HERE TO VISIT THE NEW LOOK SITE:

THE DOCTOR WHO BLOG

ALL PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS FROM

THE LEADWORTH GREEN BLOG

ARE STILL AVAILABLE AT

http://garethbundy.blogspot.com

AND ARE LINKED ON THE NEW SITE'S SIDEBAR.

THE CHANGE IN NAME IS SIMPLY SO A LESS

PERSONALISED ADDRESS CAN BE CIRCULATED

(SOMETHING WITHOUT MY FULL NAME IN IT, MAYBE).

I HAVE TAKEN THE LIBERTY OF RENAMING AND ALTERING THE LOOK OF THE BLOG ALSO.

SORRY FOR MESSING YOU ALL ABOUT

AND THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING.

Writers Response Or Load Of Old Cobblers?

2010-04-26T22:48:00.004+01:00

The following post has appeared in a very short-lived thread on Gallifrey Base entitled "Dear Community - Sincere Announcement" and it appears to be written by a Doctor Who writer.

The poster uses the screen-name CoffeeWriter and has no previous post history. Whether this is a genuine post by an actual DW script writer or just another of Gallifrey Base's members' hilarious joke thread remains unclear. The post (duplicated below) basically states, in a sarcastic way, that the complaints about his work are reaching him. Here it is:

Dear Community: Sincere Announcement
The prose I facilitate, apparently exorbitantly pompous in representation, is confuted for the condescension which is supposedly attested in the implicit deceit of my writing. You are right, I should vitiate every sentence I state for a consummate masquerade of inferiority to all commentary, superseding scarce lucidity with cultivated vulgarity.

I'm at a low level which is impenetrable to these accusations of an intrinsic motivation, nevertheless it's a tomb, every last acknowledgment being chimerical remarks as they are comically superficial. The orthodoxy has solicited inanity upon concord and I'm consequently an advocate of an austere service to our intellectual downfall.

Regards,
Doctor Who Writer

You know of my name; people have exhibited their animosity as of recent times.

Make of that what you will... Seeing as it seems to talk of recent comments there can only be so many people it could be (if it is, indeed, genuine). It could be Moffat. It could be Gatiss. It could possibly be RTD. What do you all make of this post? It may not last long on the Forum as the thread was closed within minutes of it being started.

I, for one, think this is a very clever, very effective response to our prattling and small complaints if this is true. However posters on Twitter seem to think it is a complete fabrication and claim that the Original Poster has been banned for... well... being a tosser, like.

Either way, it's jolly entertaining and as daring as it gets. Shame it had to happen in a place where this kind of thing is, quite rightly, completely against the rules!

04. The Time Of Angels - Review (And Next Time Trailer)

2010-04-25T13:05:00.005+01:00

Now THAT'S what we expected from so-called "Moffat Who", taught suspense, laugh-out-loud humour and a proper nasty monster. The Weeping Angels are back and they are stronger than ever!

Trapped within a Maze Of The Dead with a small team of Cleric soldiers and the glamorous, annoying and utterly brilliant River Song, the Doctor and Amy Pond are tasked with leading the hunt for one of the Lonely Assassins that was imprisoned in the vaults of the Byzantium.

I loved this episode. Undoubtedly the best episode of the series so far, it has so much to offer and takes all of our favourite Moffat ideas to the next level. I'm thinking of the mysterious past of River Song, the upping-the-threat treatment the Angels got ("that which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel" - so now even bloody images of the Weeping Angels aren't safe to see. So much for watching next week's episode without worrying about the Angels on-screen hopping out to get me!) and the brilliantly effective re-hashing of the "use of a victim's voice" to up the creepiness factor by about a million! Poor, poor Bob!

And for what it's worth, I believe the Angels are now the most frightening villain in Who history. Notice how there was less "sending back in time to live your life to death" and more "snapping necks" this time around! And the "getting inside your head to slow you down and make you easier prey" that poor Amy had to endure. Kids are never going to sleep again, are they? It's bloody horror movie stuff!

I also want to say a bit about the performances in this one. As many of you know, this was DAY ONE of filming on the new series. The first episodes to be shot and the first time Matt and Karen got to play together.

And what a first performance! Both leads and Alex Kingston (River) were outstanding in this episode. Matt especially, throwing out comedy asides left, right and centre and genuinely OWNING the part.

Matt Smith IS the Doctor. Seeing clips of Tennant in the role in Confidential (BBC3 - after the episode) made me remember just how "hammy" his portrayal was. Not a bad thing. He was brilliant, but Matt just has a more real, subtle delivery which, for me, works better in bringing to life what I think makes the Doctor. It's the same reason I rate Peter Davison head and shoulders above fan favourite Tom Baker in the "Best Doctor" stakes. But that's another post for another day.

AND THAT NEXT TIME TRAILER!? Wow! More Angels, more scared Amy, more manipulative Doctor, more cheeky River, more about that crack (lots about that crack actually!) and possibly the most anticipation I have ever felt for an episode of Doctor Who. Flesh and Stone cannot come fast enough for me. ONLY a week seems like years. Anyone got a spare preview copy out there (preferably without a Kanye West-esque Norton interruption, please, this time)? Talking of rappers, nice cameo at the start by The Streets' Mike Skinner! One line, no point really, but great all the same. Clearly, as a fan (which Mike is), he got in touch with his mate, episode Director, Adam Smith and asked for a part. Nice.

Unquestionable a 10/10 from me for this one... Sorry to those who will hate that because it "leaves me nowhere to go when the show gets better" but, to me, this is as good as it gets (It's been online for less than 24 hours and I've watched it 5 times!)

Now. Go watch the next time trailer (below):

This Week In Who - A Lazy Post

2010-04-22T16:03:00.005+01:00

Sorry for not blogging for almost a week. I've been busy with work and stuff, but I'm going to get back to normal starting next week. So... For this week I guess I'll have to do my best with a "news update" gathering together the Who stories from the days gone by...

...to begin with...

The biggest news this week, I think, is the confirmation that 70s companion Jo Grant (Katy Manning) will be re-teamed with the Doctor in a special two-part episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. The episode will see Jo teamed with Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor and the regular SJA cast. The story will be written by ex-Doctor Who Show Runner Russell T Davies. Filming is due to begin very soon!

In other news, Doctor Who will soon be available in Computer Game form. The first chapter of Doctor Who: Interactive Adventures - City Of The Daleks will be available for free download from the official Doctor Who website from June 5th 2010. It promises to be an exciting adventure, if only for the fact that it sees the return of Dalek home planet Skaro. I'll be downloading it... no question about that! It's not the Doctor Who Lego game I'm still wishing for, but it's a start.

Next, all those panicking about ratings falling this series can relax because figures have shown that time shift results have seen a jump of more than 2 million since the overnight figures were collected (based on The Beast Below). Last week's Dalek episode failed to pull in the huge audience it was expected to get. But if you're worried, don't. This week's episode, The Time Of Angels, sees the return of the Doctor's LATEST 'scariest foe', the Lonely Assassins and the Doctor's maybe-future-wife River Song (notice she's not a professor yet!) There's a lovely clip from a recent BBC America documentary included below this post. Notice Matt's awesome responses in this brief exchange with Song, one that may anger some of the more possessive, picky fans.

Oh, and something about Matt Smith having a shit? Or something? I thought we were above this kind of tired pretend-journalism. Hope you like...

And if YOU have anything to share, please comment below! And come back here for my review of The Time Of Angels, this Sunday.

03. Victory Of The Daleks - Review (And Next Time Trailer)

2010-04-17T20:15:00.004+01:00

Okay. So this one was always going to be the one that divided fans. It had NEW Daleks, Winston Churchill, a robot scientist and our Doctor threatening the metal monsters with a Jammy Dodger.

But you're all big boys and girls, you can all make your minds up about the episode for yourself! If you want my opinion, here it is: I LOVED IT. Talk about bringing the Daleks back for good! The new design looked far less garish than they did when the Radio Times revealed them. The Doctor was perfect this week. Matt Smith gave everything he had! And I loved it. I think I would have liked it even more if this was a two part story. It all felt a bit rushed. But it was brilliant. It really is great to have the Daleks back... and you know what? I think they've just been re-established as a serious universal threat. And about time too. Moffat and the team have managed what RTD never quite managed; He made the Daleks big, threatening, unstoppable and genuinely BACK!

Notice the little things in the story though? The fact that the Doctor doesn't allow Amy to keep the TARDIS key. The fact that she doesn't know who the Daleks are... The fact that, despite everything they did, there was a feeling of "unfinished business" about this story - almost as if this was part one of a larger tale. And that crack at the end!! Another instance of WTF! THAT'S what makes this story so appealing for me. It really wasn't about the story itself, it was about a) getting the Daleks back on form, and b) dropping those little hints at what's to come. Lovely.

Overall, this is a a bit of a Marmite episode. You either love it or you hate it. I loved it. I thought it a very tantalising teaser of what kind of threat the Daleks can be when written big (and I don't mean "OH! Daleks blowing up the universe", I mean Daleks as a real, violent, thinking and plotting threat!

Undoubtedly one of the best Dalek stories in Who history.

A massive 8/10 from me! :)

Now, take a look at what's to come next week!

WOULD! YOU! CARE! FOR! SOME! TEA?!

2010-04-14T23:26:00.004+01:00

Daleks are a lot of things. They are warmongering, nasty, deadly alien bastards with no emotions other than hate. They've been generic killers, cults with names, imperial armies and mutant humans. They've been led by emperors and scientists. But they have never been "invented by a Scotsman" - until now, apparently!

Saturday night sees the broadcast of Victory Of The Daleks, the Mark Gatiss story that sees everyone's favourite metal maniacs assisting the UK's war effort during the blitz. Apparently, Professor Bracewell has invented them. Britain's new secret weapon! But that can't be the case, can it? Surely not?Well, of course not! The Daleks have a plan, as always. The return of the Dalek race to prime position in the universe pecking order. And if the title is anything to go by it looks like they're about to get the upper hand. Bad news for the Doctor. This must be the first time he's ever really been beaten by them... But you know him, he'll have a plan. And anyway, it's going to be amazing fun to see how the newly designed Daleks (see previous posts) are written into the legend. According to those who've seen it already, the lucky buggers, this could be the best Dalek story in the history of the show. A brave claim considering this is an early-in-the-series stand alone story of seemingly little significance overall. But hey, who knows!

The BBC Doctor Who site have uploaded a few awesome clips from Saturday's episode on the Victory page. They're about half way down the page, just below the wonderful PDF download of that Dalek poster from the next time trailer. A poster that will be hanging on my bedroom wall before the weekend's out. And remember, dear readers, to pop back here after the episode for my review. I usually aim to have them available before Monday. I have a feeling this one will be up more or less immediately, however.

NEW DALEKS DESIGN REVEALED

2010-04-12T17:03:00.014+01:00

The Daleks return to our screens this weekend after what seems like no time at all but is in fact quite a while. And as you can see from the image on the left, they've been kitted out for WAR!

Yes, Saturday night's Victory Of The Daleks sees the metal bastards pretending to assist Winston Churchill during WWII. The BBC One TV spot shows a lone Daleks blasting numerous planes from the sky and also offering tea to the humans. All very Power Of The Daleks.

But it's not just the new paint job that sets the Daleks apart from their previous appearances this week, as these new Radio Times covers (available on the Radio Times website, linked below) show! The Daleks design has been given a pretty neat overhaul to pull them into the new era of the show. The exciting new look has seen the vertical slats around their neck removed, the horizontal vents altered, the trademark "bumps" jazzed up and a brand new BLASTER/EYE-STALK/"WHISK" combo added. Oh, and a serious paint job! Now available in all your favourite colours* the Daleks have gone "all political" for the new series! Yellow, Red and Blue Daleks - bright and reminiscent of the 60s Dalek movies (starring Peter Cushing as, in my personal opinion, a mental patient/inventor pretending he's the Doctor - calling himself "Dr Who" - schoolboy error mate!).

I personally love the new look! I think they've been given a brave, exciting and "retro-future" look which somehow sits brilliantly in the lap of the new series. It's a design that simply won't do for some, though.

Already there is a pinned thread on Gallifrey Base discussing the pros and cons of this new and hefty tweak. Some love then (mainly those who've seen them in action - the lucky buggers who have already seen Victory) and some hate them. I have to say, again, I love them. I think they are beautiful. They have the menace of the Daleks of old, the clunkiness of the 2005 era and an added "comic book future" look to them.

I would love to hear your thoughts, love them or hate them (or just simply feel indifferent to the new design). You can comment below, leaving as much love or hate as you like! And you can see the actual covers themselves, one for each of the three coloured variants (red, yellow and blue, topped with the strap line "VOTE DALEK" - never let it be said that Doctor Who doesn't "do" politics!) by clicking on to the official Radio Times website and browsing through the thumbnails to the left.

I suppose only time will tell how these new-look nasty swine match up to the Daleks we know and love, but I'm confident. They are, after all, just Daleks. Right? Well, Saturday. BBC One. 6.30pm. Not long now...

BBC One 'Victory Of The Daleks' TV Spot

2010-04-11T20:54:00.002+01:00

Here's the TV spot for Saturday's episode, Victory Of The Daleks. I love the bit where we see the Dalek's "laser" firing into the sky from behind the sandbags!!

Awesome!

02. The Beast Below - Review (And 'Victory' Trailer)

2010-04-11T02:57:00.007+01:00

The Beast Below. As many of us though it wasn't a vicious, murderous monster but rather a kind, helpful Star Whale. Of course, being the Government (probably Tory, I would have thought) they had to torture the bloody thing to make it fly when all it would really take was a gentle tickle from a kid!

Yes, episode two was a blinder! The Beast Below offered all the things we needed to see from Matt's Doctor in order to fully accept him. And, for me, there were three moments that SANG! Firstly, the Doctor swearing to stick to a policy of non-intervention, then appearing on the scanner to comfort a crying child. The most beautiful nod to children everywhere... It doesn't matter if he's not allowed to help, if you're upset then the Doctor is there for you! Brilliant.

Secondly, ANGRY DOCTOR! Matt losing his temper is a terrible and frightening sight. As one Twitter user put it, he made me feel "slightly ashamed to be a human" when yelling at Amy for keeping things from him. Simultaneously heroic (He has to help them! Whatever it takes!) and pompous and arrogant (Seemingly believing that he should be made aware of simply everything! As if it is his right!). A terrifying sight. When he spat "Nobody human has anything to say to me today!" I felt, for the first time, that this Doctor is not a nice chap when you piss him off! Fun loving and as heroic as ever, but owed something. And thirdly, the beautifully fresh throwaway line he spoke when Amy asked if people would wonder where they went after saving the place; "Oh, the songs they'll write...!" - sarcasm is either the lowest form of wit, or the most effective encourager of endearment!

Oh, it was a beautiful story! The supporting cast were great. The Smilers were threatening in a haunting way and the Star Whale evoked genuine concern from an audience, despite not being seen until it was safe again!

I enjoyed this as much as The Eleventh Hour, probably more - but wanted more time to explore the ideas in greater detail. That's my ONLY criticism. It was a great "back into it" story; deep space, aliens, conspiracies, a deep, dark secret and a satisfying cliffhanger - I'll be talking more about this in the week, but that Dalek shadow scene at the end? Tonally perfect! If this is what we can expect from next week's episodes then it'll be a 100% success rate from Moffat and the new team. And with a Gatiss script, I think things will be just fine! Nice, also, to see a blatant segue into the next story, a la Hartnell era tales. More of this please, production team! Thanks.

There was also the reappearance of "that crack". This time, spanning what must be a mile or more, along the shell of Starship UK, that same shaped crack in the Universe. Very interesting and surprisingly, effectively daunting. What the hell has the power to do this? Is Amy involved?

The Beast Below was a nice, touching, thoughtful fairytale in the mould of a Roald Dahl short story which was the perfect come down to last week's blistering "acid trip" of an introduction. I have a feeling some may disagree with this, but this is what Doctor Who should be like more often.

This episode gets a very high 8/10.

Now it's time to get in the mood for this!

Doctor Who Game Becomes A Reality - FOR FREE?!

2010-04-08T04:06:00.003+01:00

The Sun have reported that a Doctor Who computer game will be made available for free download on the BBC Doctor Who site in June, starring the voice talents of series regulars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

The game, made by UK Games Designer Sumo Digital, is made up of four interactive chapters written by Phil Ford (The Waters Of Mars) and James Moran (Fires Of Pompeii) and will feature the Cybermen. All early reports are that the game is good! It can't be too long though, if they're making it available for download, for free!

But hey, who am I to complain? Any Doctor Who is welcome! And I suppose if the thing is a success then maybe manufacturers will take note and knock out a real Doctor Who video game. I know I'll be downloading it. I wonder if it'll be made available to non-UK users too though - or will some silly licensing law prevent it reaching the States, Canada or other European countries? I'm genuinely hoping it's going to be nice and light, fun, puzzle-orientated game play, not some Dalek zap-em-up which transforms the Sonic Screwdriver into a lethal deathstick!

The character design (presuming the photo above is representative of game play) is incredibly good! It'll be nice to BE the Doctor. And apparently there are elements of the ACTUAL TARDIS that were inspired by the game's design! Those stairs shooting off everywhere? They came from the game. Nice huh? I suppose only time will tell... But even if it's shit - like, terrible! - at least it's a bit more Who.

There's an awesome quote from one of the kids who got to try the game out, included on The Sun's website, which I shall shamelessly reproduce here (because it made me giggle like a child and took me back to the days of getting bored and making Lara Croft commit suicide off that London roof); here it is...

"It's fun, but it's educational as well. On my first go, I accidentally killed Amy so I think I need more practice." Ell-Oh-Ell! What do you guys think? Comments please... :)

Introducing The Beast Below

2010-04-07T20:50:00.005+01:00

The BBC Doctor Who site now has four excellent videos introducing the next episode; The Beast Below.

The first is a brief episode intro from show runner Steven Moffat, which offers a little taster of what's going on! The second is a clip of Amy's first trip inside the TARDIS, as seen in the trailers. Then there are two clips of our companion and "a girl" exploring Starship UK a little more. You can see them all right HERE on the Official Site.

I love that little bit about Scotland wanting its own spaceship! So true!! The Beast Below will be shown on BBC One, Saturday, 10th of April at 6.15pm. TUNE IN!

"Must Be One Hell Of A Scary Crack In Your Wall!"

2010-04-06T14:09:00.005+01:00

It just wouldn't be Doctor Who without dome underlying menace. We had Bad Wolf, Torchwood, Saxon, The Darkness and "He will knock four times". And it seems that this new series is no different! I'm sure you've all noticed that the shape of the crack in Amelia's bedroom wall is showing up everywhere?

For example, the scene at the end of The Eleventh Hour, when Amy asks why the Doctor has chosen her to travel with him and he claims that he's "just lonely - promise!"... Right there, in between them while they talk is the very same shape replicated on the TARDIS scanner screen! The Doctor makes it startlingly obvious that we're meant to see that! And Matt Smith has as much as revealed that the "crack" isn't all it seems and will take more relevance in the near future. But there's more!

I'm not talking about the fact that Rory's hospital badge states that it was issued in 1990, when Rory would be, presumably, about 6. Nor that the fire engines and cars in Leadworth all have 1990s number plates, despite the seemingly present day setting - mobiles, Blackberries, laptops and Twitter... No! I'm talking about the fact that our lovely new companion is obviously not JUST on board because the Doctor is lonely. Something's up. She pushes a few buttons on the TARDIS console... This could be completely irrelevant but why push them? Is she really Amy? Is she sabotaging the TARDIS in some sneaky way? Probably not.

But who knows!? One thing's for sure. We have a scheming Doctor, the likes of which we haven't seen since McCoy's day! Amy's on board for a reason. Only time will tell what that reason actually is! But that crack, Prisoner Zero's allusions to "not causing the crack" in the first place and the rumour that pieces of the TARDIS are found, later in the series, as if it's been completely destroyed, despite being RIGHT THERE! Wibbly Wobbly, Timey Wimey is clearly the basis for this series. Playing with time and causality. The exploration of the linear nature of time lines. I believe that Episode 12 and 13 will tie together all these things... So all we can do is keep watching... But there's no harm in speculating in the mean time, is there? I'd love to know your thoughts!

If you've noticed anything odd, anything I've missed, anything at all - please, comment below. Thanks :)

The Beast Below Trailer - BBC

2010-04-05T16:54:00.002+01:00

Here's the trailer for the next episode of the new series of Doctor Who, The Beast Below:

Set in the far future, The Beast Below sees the United Kingdom floating in space and its inhabitants watched over by the sinister Smilers. Looks like it's going to be good though! I cannot wait!

01. The Eleventh Hour - Review

2010-04-03T21:01:00.006+01:00

OH! MY! GOD! The Eleventh Hour has arrived. Episode one has Been Shown! And I think it's fair to say that it was nigh on the most exciting series opener since the show's return in 2005. SO much to say about this masterpiece of an episode so I guess the best place to start is the beginning... I'm not as good at timey wimey as the Doctor.

So, first of all, that pre-title sequence we'd already seen! It's basically a big HELLO from the new team. Flying through the skies of London, in a burning TARDIS, Matt Smith introduces us to his Doctor by dangling from the doorway with a Sonic Screwdriver in his mouth! Unbelievably, the excitement levels are sky high before the opening titles roll! And those titles!!! WOW! We get a smoky, stormy, cloudy new "vortex" (is it the vortex? Or is that blue swirl from the trailer the vortex? We don't know yet do we? THAT'S exciting too!) and a new theme arrangement that has been - quite rightly - described as "FUNKY". Out are the "duba-da-dums" and in is a frankly killer intro to a positively 80s theme - retro and new all at once. I loved it instantly! Others weren't quite so sure, but as with all new things it may just need time to grow on them.

And now to the episode itself! It's a strange old beast, The Eleventh Hour. The alien threat is almost by-the-by (or is it?) with the main purpose of the whole thing being to introduce the Doctor, as played by Matt Smith and Amy Pond, played with sizzling relish by Karen Gillan. That's not to say the plot is not fantastic too! In my opinion the Atraxi were underused but that is literally the only negative I have to offer. And it's not really even a negative! Prisoner Zero (presumably really the Face Tendril we were told about) is an eel-like shape-shifting alien on the run from a space prison! And it's a monster that fits in perfectly with the new look of the show. A look, incidentally, that is brought about with incredible patience and subtle change. This really is the same old show we've been watching for the last five years! Only bigger, better, cheekier, sexier and yet more grounded and grown up. Even my Mum (a woman who has never watched Doctor Who because - and I quote - "it's fucking shit!") called me after the episode had finished to tell me just how much she enjoyed it! I'm not going to recount the entire episode, you should have watched it already! But Wow! WOW! I just cannot find the words to describe how brilliantly written, acted, designed, lit and shot this amazing piece of television was!

I want to talk a little about the new team we have. Matt Smith, first of all, IS the Doctor. The man has just shoved David Tennant from my "Top Five Doctors" list. He's in my Top Three. He's number two. He could become number one... He's that good. A mix of childlike enthusiasm and ancient experience topped off with what can only be the most alien of all post-regeneration states. Smith takes the role of the Doctor to unbound new heights.

Never has the role had so much energy and thought and wonder - and after almost five years of Tennant, that's saying something! Then there's Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. Again, there's something here that the previous companions seemed to fail to "get" - but we didn't miss it because this is new! This is a distrustful, resentful, hurt companion who isn't a wonderful role model or a likable everyday girl who is the heart of the show. Amy is mouthy, sexy, outrageously flirty, a little bit nasty and incredibly delicate. I have theories about her which I'll be blogging about later in the week maybe, if I don't wake up tomorrow thinking I'm completely wrong. Amy IS the best new companion. Of that there is no doubt. She takes everything that was RIGHT about the previous three - Rose's heart, Martha's wonder, Donna's humour - and distills it into the perfect character. Impeccably well written and expertly played. She has more layers than an onion! And Gillan makes her seem so real!

But, for me, the stand-out performances in this episode were from two of the supporting actors. Firstly, young Amelia Pond played beautifully by Caitlin Blackwood (she's going to be a huge star, you mark my words) who is cheeky and trusting yet devastatingly cynical of life and people. A nice change from perfect life portrayals of kids that we're more than used to on television these days. And secondly, Rory Williams. Arthur Darvill is NOT the Doctor. That's who his character is. Long suffering boyfriend of Amy, completely in love with her. Downtrodden and looked over by everyone. I have a feeling he's going to bring something very special to this show, you know.

Yes, for me the characters in this episode made it so special. The story was great, the action exciting and wonderful. The aliens were creepy (Prisoner Zero) and unusual (the Atraxi) and the Doctor is well and truly back. I defy anyone to watch this episode and not like it. You don't have to LOVE it (although I did, completely) but like it. It's charming television.

There are also several laugh-out-loud moments in it! My personal favourites were the Doctor proclaiming "Get a girlfriend, Jeff!" after borrowing a supporting character's laptop and seemingly discovering his porn stash, and Rory's EXCELLENT line - my favourite in the whole episode - "You just summoned aliens back to Earth. Actual aliens. Deadly aliens... ALIENS... OF... DEATH!" The poor guy! What a plonker, eh? Genius. If this is the quality of writing we are to expect in the Moffat era then I will be the happiest man alive. The future is well and truly in safe hands. Smith, Gillan, Moffat! The new dream team. And we've had our first taste of what they can do. Magic. Or Fairytale. Wonderful - I've watched it three times and I'm re-watching it again RIGHT NOW! It really was that good.

If you haven't seen it, or want to see it again then check out the BBC Doctor Who site or head over to BBC iPlayer and watch it again now!

I give this episode a strong 9/10.

Episode One - The Eleventh Hour (Reminder)

2010-04-02T23:33:00.003+01:00

The night before the night has arrived. Tomorrow, at 6.20pm on BBC One, Doctor Who returns to our screens in the 63 minute mini-epic The Eleventh Hour.

Matt Smith is the Doctor, Karen Gillan is his companion Amy Pond. Arthur Darvill is her love interest Rory Williams and there are also scary kids, a freaky fella and his dog, a face tendril, the Atraxi, a duck pond, a closed post office, a crashed time machine, a garden swing etc.

This is the thirty first series of the show since it first began in November 1963. Or the fifth series since its hugely successful return in 2005. Or the first series of Matt Smith's era (and Steven Moffat's ego trip).

The series is made up of thirteen full length episodes, seeing the return of the Daleks, the Weeping Angels, the Cybermen and the 70s favourites the Silurians. Also (re)appearing is could-she-be-the-Doctor's-wife River Song played by Alex Kingston. Guest stars this series include Ian McNiece, Sophie Okonedo, James Corden, Bill Nighy and Karen Gillan's baby cousin, Caitlin Blackwood, as a young Amelia Pond!

As many of you know already I will be reviewing each episode of this run. The reviews should hit this site within 24 hours of transmission. They will contain spoilers for that week's episode, so watch it first, then come here for the review. THEN tell all your friends how great the review was and send them links so they can come here too! I'll also be offering links to the episode being reviewed on BBC iPlayer. I hope you'll all join me on what promises to be a fun, honest and exciting journey through the world of Doctor Who! It's back ladies and gents. It's bloody back!

And Another New Clip, Courtesy Of Blogtor Who

2010-03-31T22:36:00.002+01:00

My most sincere thanks to Blogtor Who for putting up with my thieving ways! If you haven't been there already, go there. It's MUCH better than this blog, seriously! I'm not ashamed to admit that! It's like being beaten at golf by Tiger Woods. Lovely feeling!

Brand New Clip From "The Eleventh Hour"

2010-03-31T12:21:00.002+01:00

Thanks to our WONDERFUL friends at Blogtor Who (the only Doctor Who blog I enjoy more than my own) I can offer you this beautiful new clip from the first episode of the new series. It's relatively spoiler-free, but it's great! Take a look (and don't miss The Eleventh Hour, Saturday at 6.20pm on BBC One)

Moffat's Radio Times Episode Summary Nothings

2010-03-30T10:34:00.004+01:00

The RADIO TIMES has been released and within it our new leader Steven Moffat (okay, I'm going a bit far with that) lays out a deliciously paradoxical spoiler-free/spoiler-full summary for each episode to come. I won't copy them here, go buy the magazine for yourself! But what I WILL do is give you my reaction to Mr Moffat's teases. BE WARNED: I shall be discussing things I believe to be real spoilers so, if you don't want to know the score, please look away now!

1. The Eleventh Hour - Not much in Moffat's summary that we didn't already know to be honest. Although it's nice to see the line "Can he persuade her to trust him, when he's been letting her down all her life?" GRIN!

2. The Beast Below - The only thing to catch my eye here is the fact that the masked figure, presumably Sophie Okonedo's character, knows "the Doctor of old"... Hmmm!

3. Victory Of The Daleks - Again! Moffat has a knack for letting out lots of information without actually SAYING anything. Daleks in WWII is ALL you can reap from this... Good enough, I s'pose.

4. The Time Of Angels, 5. Flesh And Stone - Interesting. Mentions of "the last Weeping Angel" and "the maze of the dead". Could this be where we see the Cyberman? Oh, and it's set on Alfava Metraxis. Nice name.

6. Vampires In Venice - Lovely scenery, blah blah blah, dead on streets, blah blah blah, sexy vampire sisters, blah blah blah. For all the blah blah blahing this is one of the ones I'm looking forward to most

7. Amy's Choice - Like 'Sophie's Choice" but with boy/girl exchanged for dream/reality. I reckon, anyway. Clearly, sacrifices will be made, but is Rory's life one of them? EH?

8. and 9. (titles to be confirmed) - Silurians drilling UP while humans drill DOWN in slightly futuristic Wales. Nice. Hopefully the Silurians are as wordy and thoughtful as in the 70s.

10. (title to be confirmed) - Mad painters seeing monsters in corn fields. "Saving the world has never been so ginger!" LOVE that. But can even the Doctor save Vincent? Yes... they go to the future in the snow, innit?!

11. - So there IS an alien threat in The Lodger (title to be confirmed). Something about missing people, about stairs that they go up but never come down... Only one thing to say to this: "BARROWMAAAAAAAN!!" *shakes fist*

12. and 13. (titles to be confirmed) - Lots to chat about here! "A message on the oldest cliff-face in the universe, a puzzle box opening from the inside [something getting out] and a love that lasts thousands of years [River]... The fates are drawing around the Tardis - is this the day the Doctor falls?" Nah... He'll be okay! WON'T HE? The quote at the bottom of this summary is nice too... Magical. Seems our villain is "A nameless, terrible thing". I like it. I don't WANT to know more.

So, there you have it! Series 5 (Yes, 5. Check the RT listings) is days away and we now know more AND less than we ever did. Steven Moffat is a master at giving us nothing and making us talk about it for weeks. The bastard. Don't miss my review of The Eleventh Hour, right here, first thing Sunday morning. And this time, if I don't like it, I promise to say so... Although I wouldn't put money on it happening.

It's MUCH Bigger On The Inside

2010-03-29T20:38:00.005+01:00

The time has come. The new TARDIS interior has been released. The embargo lifted and in these wonderfully good looking photographs, courtesy of the Radio Times, I defy you to find anything to moan about.

Okay. I take that last comment back. The set is pretty. It's huge. It's bright and it has some severe health and safety violations. NO RAILINGS ON THAT UPPER LEVEL? Knowing how clumsy Matt Smith is it's a wonder we didn't get a headline reading "New Doctor Who Breaks Back In TARDIS Set Fall Horror!" or something! But no, seriously now. This could possibly be the most beautiful television set I have ever seen. It's new without being shocking, with enough of a call back to the old design to keep the more uncomfortable fans at ease. And there's something intrinsically normal about seeing Matt and Karen in there, almost as if they were always in this set and we've been watching them for years. I don't know, maybe it's just me but this whole revelation (more photographs available HERE) makes me feel completely at ease with the change that is to come. SO much had changed this series that you would be forgiven for feeling a little left out. A tiny bit alienated. But rest easy, because all reports suggest that New New Who has enough of OLD New Who in it to keep the fans watching while pushing the series forward. As it should be.

Just look at it! Obviously there will be those out there who will hate the new design - there always are a few. But that was bound to happen. They complained when the console was glimpsed in the trailer, but as this photo shows context is everything. THIS is the TARDIS console I could picture myself hovering around while the Doctor flies me off to God only knows where... And that's how it should be. More real than the 2005-2010 design, but still alien enough to feel like it's beyond our understanding. Set, as you can see, on three levels. There's a distinct feeling of "space and time machine" rather than "grown through symbiotic cooperation. And that's a good thing.

I'm literally just squeeing over this now... There's no critique in this blog post at all... I guess that just goes to show how much of an impact this new design has had on me. I am completely sold on it. BUT I would like to know what you think. You're my readership after all. The ones who matter. So... Usual ways to get in touch. @reply me on Twitter (there's a link to my Twitter page in the sidebar) or comment below. Also, the "LIKE/DISLIKE" buttons below; click them to show your opinion on the TARDIS DESIGN. Let's see who likes it and who doesn't.

BUY THIS WEEK'S RADIO TIMES. IT'S CLEARLY WORTH IT! And while we're on the subject of Who in the media, The Big Issue has a great little interview with Karen Gillan this week. Buy that too. It's for a good cause. Aaaaand, relax!

New TARDIS Interior Graces Cover Of Radio Times

2010-03-29T16:29:00.005+01:00

And here it is, thanks to Gallifrey Base poster "Ood Sigma"!

It's beautiful. You HAVE to buy the Radio Times this week because they're promising many more photos of it inside and on an accompanying website. Roll on Saturday! If you can't wait that long, come back here tomorrow afternoon where I PROMISE to have a more detailed look at the TARDIS interior for you, along with my honest and full opinion on it.

Ladies and gents, Who is almost here!!!

The Eleventh Hour - The First (Sort Of) Minute

2010-03-27T18:39:00.002Z

Here it is, as shown on BBC Red Button and the official BBC Doctor Who website:

Wow! Short. Epic. Wonderful. Cruel. We have a whole bloody week to wait :(

This excitement is killing me... I'm sure I'm not alone.

Vampires In Venice Clip

2010-03-27T00:09:00.003Z

Matt Smith appeared on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross tonight, where he gave away - surprisingly - not much. But they played with the new Sonic Screwdriver, showed a slightly extended series trailer (it's on Youtube somewhere) and they also showed the following exclusive clip from the sixth episode from the series, Vampires In Venice (kindly uploaded by DoctorWhoTV.co.uk):

I don't think there is anything to worry about. Judging by this clip the Doctor is well and truly back. Yep, we can all relax. Matt Smith IS the Doctor.

And what a brilliant Doctor he shall be!

Matt Smith On Friday Night With Jonathan Ross

2010-03-26T10:47:00.003Z

I hate Friday night tv. There's never anything on other than Jonathan Ross and somehow I always forget about that! They should put a clue in the title to make sure people remember what day it's on. And, preferably, what time of day...

BUT! Tonight I shall not be missing it. A) Because it's all people seem to be talking about in my house... It's the televisual equivalent of your uncle nudging you knowingly when the girl you were spotted smooching with, when you were 14, wanders into your field of view... "Ooh hoo! That Mark Smith's on Ross tonight, you LIKE him, don't you! Tee hee!" Groan! But, thanks for reminding me!

And B) Well, I like that Mark (sic) Smith. He's going to be the new Doctor Who. So if you, like me, are absent minded and not quite "with it" enough at 10.54am to pick up on the clues in the title - then REMEMBER! FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS IS ON TONIGHT! MATT SMITH IS ON THERE! HE'S THE NEW DOCTOR WHO, HE IS! IT'S ON TONIGHT (FRIDAY NIGHT, SEE?) AT 10.40pm on BBC1. And if nothing else we're about to be treated to a new clip of the latest series, this time from Vampires Of Venice. But, despite his relatively meagre media experience (preferentially glancing forlornly into the middle distance, smiling rather than preparing a bodied answer to questions posed - no bad thing after Tennant's tiresome Media Handbook approach to interviews about Doctor Who [of which this will undoubtedly be]) Matt Smith is guaranteed to have us and "Not-We's" alike giggling at his evident boundless enthusiasm at winning "the best role in TV history".

Also appearing are Emma "Nanny McShit" Thompson and Professor Brian Cox, with music from the wonderfully bizarre Goldfrapp. Tonight, BBC1 10.40pm. Don't miss it.

The Leadworth Green Blog Arrives At Doctor Who Exhibition, Cardiff!

2010-03-25T17:22:00.004Z

As the new series approaches and I get itchy writing fingers, I am delighted to be able to tell you that not only will my reviews of each week's Doctor Who be available on this blog, but also in an Unofficial Doctor Who Newsletter available FOR FREE at the Doctor Who - Up Close Exhibition shop in Cardiff Bay's Red Dragon Centre.

To begin with it will have a limited run of 100 copies (first come, first serve - book your bus tickets and hotels NOW to make sure you get YOURS!). The newsletter will be (to begin with) a single side of A4 (later a double sided A4 sheet) and will include my Leadworth Green episode review (edited, obviously, to be child-friendly) and a few other little features. And this, dear readers, is where you come in. I have a bunch of ideas knocking about in my head for features to include in the lower half of the page, but I NEED MORE! So if you have any ideas for exciting and not-too-taxing features you think the average Exhibition customer would like to read then get in touch with me on the new, designated email address - garethcardiff@doctormail.com - and I'll take a look.

This has all happened pretty suddenly to be honest, so I need all the help you guys can possibly give. If your feature is chosen you will earn yourself a "contributor" credit on the newsletter and a virtual high five from me. The articles will be made to look beautiful by my Graphic Designer Other Half, Natalie. Also, because I'm so kind, I shall do my very best to have the newsletter available for download on this blog. SO! Get in touch, all ideas, no matter how obscure, will be considered. But remember, it HAS to be child-friendly. No "Naked Companion Photo Of The Week"... Sorry.

The Eleventh Hour Approaches - Slowly :(

2010-03-24T08:43:00.003Z

So, we're in the final stages of the draining wait that seems to have lasted longer than the show itself. Following the release, officially or not, of the trailers from the press screening and BBC America I defy any of you, even the most cynical, to NOT be excited.

This week has its own share of stomach-bubbling, pant-wetting goodies for us Whovians to get our teeth into. Friday sees Matt Smith appear on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. Guaranteed to be an interesting event, this will be the first time Matt has appeared on such a big show to promote the series, which is surprising really! It will be interesting to see just how well he interviews. As a massive Doctor Who fan himself, Jonathan is bound to delve a little deeper into what the series may bring than your usual interviewer. I cringe at the guff they spill on BBC Breakfast, I really do - "So, the new Dr Who has a new sidekick!" Guuuuuh! I think it's fair for us to expect either a trailer (possibly the Press Screening one) or a clip from The Eleventh Hour (hopefully not the one shown already, let's have something new, eh?). I have my heart set on something brilliant and fresh.

And if you're still wanting more after that, it seems that the BBC are releasing the first minute of The Eleventh Hour on the BBC Red Button service. Whether this will incorporate the clip we've already seen is anyone's guess. I doubt it though as it seems that the clip shown already (the one with Amelia and the Doctor in the garden at night) is a good few minutes into the episode. Well, only time will tell... Undoubtedly the interview and the first minute will be online soon after they become available, so you can rest assured that I will have them up right here on The Green as soon as humanly possible. Aren't I good to you?

So, here's to one last week of waiting... I'm going to watch the trailers all over again now, because I've not seen them in at least 24 hours. That just will not do. Have a good day people. x

NEW BBC AMERICA TRAILER!

2010-03-21T00:57:00.005Z

Below is the NEW (yes, ANOTHER new) trailer for Doctor Who 2010 which was shown on BBC America. ALL credit to WhosEleven on Youtube for getting it up there so quickly, hope you don't mind me using this:

WOW! JUST WOW! Thanks to Kesomon for the HQ link.

Here's the 30 second tv spot, kind of the same as above only - well, shorter.

New TARDIS Console Revealed In New Who Trailer

2010-03-19T20:30:00.005Z

It's not the best photo ever, but lo and behold, the TARDIS console it IS!

A very recently released new trailer (the one shown at the end of the press launch) has many exciting things in it, making me surer and surer that this is going to be my favourite series of Doctor Who since it's 2005 return.

As you can clearly see, the console itself is as bonkers as the man driving. A gramophone sticks crazily out of it just below what looks like a tv screen. The colour scheme is pretty and awe inspiring without looking too flash. It all looks a bit like a giant oldskool hearing aid. To me anyway... And that is fine by me! We get another glimpse inside from the doors of the TARDIS, when the Doctor is flying Amy like a kite (and stealing a cheeky look up her nightie, I believe), showing a little more of what we can expect.

Needless to say, this trailer which has our hero riding a horse, Dalek vs Spitfire dogfights, a one armed Cyberman (poor thing) being taunted by fire, a cavernous city of Weeping Angels and - for me, most exciting - the Doctor running urgently about the foundations of Stone Henge, shows MUCH more than we've seen so far from either of the other trailers. Take a look!

Wonderful! Cannot wait for the series to begin on April 3rd! Alas, wait we must!

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your opinions on the console!

Comment below, cheers!

Doctor Who 2010 Press Launch - "Blue Carpet Report"

2010-03-18T23:33:00.006Z

So, tonight I stood in the rain outside Cardiff's Cineworld Complex, wishing with all my heart that I held a ticket like so many others there did. For tonight was the 2010 Press Launch of the new series of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

When I arrived with a few members of Gallifrey Base's KINDA group (the cream of Cardiff's Doctor Who fans) they were setting up the old TARDIS prop to look as though it had crashed into the plaza (pictured below), leaving deep gouges in the grass, windows smashed, flames licking the inside, smoke pouring from the doors... This is, as you can see from the clip embedded below, a reference to the opening minutes of the first episode of the new series.

Then, a while later, the guests started arriving. Matt and Karen arrived by surprise, catching us unaware while we were blocking the entrance to the venue! We got a chance to meet and greet them, get a few things signed, before the crowds really descended. And they were lovely. Charming, friendly and visibly nervous and excited as to what this - the most important night since they were cast, no doubt - was going to be like. When the guests had gone in we retired to The Brewery Quarter for a bite to eat and to review our newly acquired photos and signatures. We were like excitable children. It was so cute...

Unfortunately, there was very little to pull from the crowds on their exit from the screening some two hours later - all attempts at approaching the kids from the audience resulted in stern glares and security intervention. But we have learned a thing or two about what the series has to offer when it airs in little over two weeks.

We know now that the Atraxi (the alien from Episode One) have a gruff voice, for it was played over and over and over and over while we were waiting to see the cast; "PRISONER ZERO HAS ESCAPED!" Ohhh! We also know - thanks to those who were in the screening room, those who saw the trailer that was played after the episode - that the Cybermen are indeed returning. And, as far as I can tell, the episode was received very well by all who were lucky enough to get in to see it. I only wish I'd been able to. It really was torture knowing that the most anticipated hour of television (for some) was being played mere metres from where I was standing, getting wet and cold...

Here's the BBC Wales Today interview that Matt and Karen gave while we were there, including the short clip (an exclusive of sorts) from The Eleventh Hour. For those who care, I was stood about 3 feet to Matt and Karen's right as this interview was recorded.

As far as I'm concerned, after being close enough to meet and chat to both stars, the cast are friendlier than ever. Karen is lovely and Matt is great! They both took a while signing stuff for fans on the Blue Carpet (this is Who, it's not going to be RED is it?) and Matt even took an extra ten minutes signing stuff AFTER the event itself! Co-stars Karen and Arthur Darvill (who plays Amy's boyfriend, Rory) were swept away before they had a chance to, Arthur looking like the free beer was freer than usual! In a good way!

All in all, despite not actually seeing the episode, the night was great. There were a small group of fans of all ages there, waiting for Matt and Karen, which didn't overwhelm anyone. There was a very relaxed urgency about the whole thing. This really was all about the screening and the subsequent Q&A afterwards. Another thing I was, sadly, unable to see. :(

Also in attendance tonight were; Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, Beth Willis, Tracey Simpson, Danny Hargreaves, Neil Gorton, Colin Salmon, Lizo Mzimba, Ben Cook, Peter Hain, countless BBC execs, Cineworld managers from all over Wales and a smattering of strangers. Obviously, the press were there too...

I'll be talking a bit more about the lead up to what promises to be fun and exciting first episode soon, as well as talking about what I, personally, would love to see from this new team. I'm sure we're not going to be disappointed. That very short clip above (after the interview) is enough to make me happy about where this is heading... The fun and energy of RTD's Who is clearly still with us and I think if anyone can push it to the next level, then Matt and Karen are the ones!

I'd love to think they're reading this. I doubt they are... BUT if they are, thanks to the both of you for being so friendly and nice. (God, shut up Gareth... You're making yourself look silly! You're a few seconds away from a full blown "SQUEEEEEE!")

Shameful.

Doctor Who - Made In Wales Video

2010-03-18T01:49:00.005Z

Here's the video from the Pierhead event I attended in Cardiff Bay a few weeks back. It's been split into three parts, but because I'm so kind I've embedded all three parts RIGHT HERE!

Expect a Big, exciting "Pre-The Eleventh Hour" Article next week! Enjoy!!

Made in Wales: Doctor Who - Part 1 from Pierhead Sessions TV on Vimeo.

Made in Wales: Doctor Who - Part 2 from Pierhead Sessions TV on Vimeo.

Made in Wales: Doctor Who - Part 3 from Pierhead Sessions TV on Vimeo.

Doctor Who, Structure And Why Russell Got It Right

2010-03-13T22:06:00.007Z

Yes folks, this is the Doctor Who article you've all been waiting for, but never thought would come - not from me anyway! It's the academic one. And it's going to be wordy, so if you're on your lunch break or have Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia (a fear of long words - I shit you not!) then you should really stop reading now! Maybe wait for the film? They always do adaptations these days...

Tonight I was having dinner in Cardiff's 'Bar 33' with two fellow Whovians and we were discussing the ins and outs of the show and what it's meant to us over the years, especially, since it's return in 2005. We talked about characters who were good, lines that were bad, silly stuff and the show's structure in general. And this got me thinking. The Russell T Davies era of the show was very hit and miss. Or, I should say HIT and miss. It was all "good". But some episodes stand out as being clever, meaningful and witty and others are just big, silly romps through time and space. Russell and the production team got SO much abuse and criticism from fans for their "...kitchen sink" approach to making epic, universally threatening series finales. Lazy writing, bad plotting and weak, shallow characterisation has been blamed for epic, yet empty episodes.

I think, however, that there is more to see here than just substandard scripting. Think in terms of how the series, as a whole, is shaped. Think about the fantastic episodes we've had! Think about the reaction to some of the more "meaningful" episodes. Stories like Human Nature/Family Of Blood, or Blink, for example. Loved be fans and non-fans alike. THEY may not have been written by Davies but they are part of his Who. Midnight is an episode that has been loved by all! It's dark, scary, interesting, different and very clever. But it'd make a shit finale...

Let me break it down. I call it the "Camp Sandwich". My theory goes thus:

-The first, middle and last episodes of the series need to be big, camp, balls-out entertainment. The episodes in between are open to experimentation. Hence, Camp Sandwich.

Let's look at Series Three as an example. The series opens with the clever, but fluffy, Smith and Jones. "Judoon Platoon Upon The Moon" - a big, hearty chase story that introduces a new companion and an old Doctor to brand new viewers in style. It's a something-and-nothing episode with a big, funny monster, a sparky, slapstick Doctor and a ballsy new companion. As openers go it's pretty flawless. But there's nothing especially moral in there. Nothing overly challenging or outwardly new in there. And that's just how it should be! In order to "get into" a series, of whatever, you have to ENJOY the first episode. It has to promise you things. Look at the very first episode of Lost! They crashed on an island and spent most of the hour dealing with the rescue of people from the plane. It was exciting, fun and new! If they'd begun a week after the crash, with mysterious monsters, polar bears, flashbacks to meaningful times in these (new) characters' lives, people would get lost, zone out. There'd be something missing. TOO much going on. It would confuse us and we wouldn't have a base for the characters who will suffer and change throughout the series.

Same with Doctor Who. Human Nature was great. Touching, challenging, different, scary, lovely... A real triumph in storytelling. It's the "strange" story that takes the Doctor in a completely different direction. It'd be a shit series opener though. New viewers would be lost. The Doctor ISN'T the Doctor, Martha ISN'T Martha... There's no intrinsic Dr Who elements, no time travel, no TARDIS, no monsters. There's something missing... BUT mid series it's perfect! It allows a new take on the Doctor/Companion relationship and challenges it's audience to THINK as opposed to sitting back and allowing the show to pour liquid fun into their brain-cups.

Stories that are fun work as hooks. Smith and Jones is such an episode. Then you can "butter" the fun bread with thought and challenge and direction change and dare and risk, all the things you'd lose an audience with if it was done in Episode One. You can play with time, a la Blink. You can mess with identity like in Human Nature. You can fiddle with history, like in The Shakespeare Code, because the audience are hooked. They're committed to the show that made them laugh and cry last week. The one that excited them, without taxing their brains too much.

But audiences are fickle. They'll only put up with so much wishy washy, exploratory puzzlement before they start craving good ol' fun times again. Which is there the filling in our Camp Sandwich comes in. Another big dollop of DR WHO! [That's how you can differentiate actually! Dr Who is fun, exciting and usually epic and wondrous. Doctor Who is the experimental toying with time and character that the unique format of the show allows! Remember that, Dr Who and Doctor Who, two different things]. So, half way through a series, to bump up the ratings with a Dr Who tent pole and keep the punters on side you make an episode like The Lazarus Experiment, where a mad scientist turns into a giant scorpion and hunts people in a museum! Or shove some Daleks in there, taking over the Empire State building during the depression! BIG, FUN, SHINY DR WHO! And after those palette-clearing dollops have been served up, it's back into challenging, direction-altering adventures in Doctor Who. Possessed, crying Doctor - afraid for his life and sanity in the spectacular 42. Or NO Doctor at all in Moffat's Blink! Things that may even alienate the younger viewers and may require a little more "viewing intelligence" than popcorn Dr Who...

But you can't end a series like that! For the series to close, for it to gather the audience it deserves, you have to shoot back to epic, vast Dr Who. Utopia, The Sound Of Drums and The Last Of The Time Lords work as a beautiful bridge between the Whos. A troubled professor Yana struggles to send the last humans to Utopia in order to save them from a decaying Universe, with the help of the Doctor and his companions is Doctor Who. The last ten minutes, where Yana realises his true identity, scarringly blasting all positive opinion of him to pieces with the spitting of the wonderfully delivered "I. Am. The Master!" is damagingly Doctor Who. Scary stuff... He steals the TARDIS, stands our heroes on a barren world with cannibal tribes at the door. This is BIG scary Doctor Who.

Then the Master's regeneration into John Simm - and his deliberately hammy performance - brings us right back to Dr Who chasing the baddie about space and time because he's going to TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Straight away, in those closing seconds, we're on the edge of our seats clapping and whooping and hoping good old Dr Who will save the day once more. Enter the comedy and parody of The Sound Of Drums, a lashing of childlike aliens and a Dobby Doctor and you have a masterpiece. Not an intellectual one, but "one" nonetheless. You'll find criticism of the Series Three finales EVERYWHERE! And it's all justified, by point. But those complaining aren't who should be enjoying it. The masses love the cute Doctor Goblin. The 'Not We's love seeing the Master dancing to the Scissor Sisters (should a song that features the line "Fuck and Kiss you both at the same time" really be used on a Family show at 7pm on Saturday night? I guess we could pretend Jake Shears blurts "if I can kiss you both at the same time").

Doctor Who (and indeed, Dr Who) is not made for the ones who complain. If you're into it enough for something to bother you in terms of "canon" then you're not of the target audience. Doctor Who is for kids (be it kids aged 7, 27 or 57), it's popular science fiction, borderline science fantasy. What it isn't is a legend-strewn, canonical serial thriller. It's geeky to pick holes in Doctor Who. But it's not BAD to do so... As long as you realise that the series is created in a way that will bring in new viewers, not alienate them. And all of you worried about whether Moffat's finales will be as big and camp and silly and over the top as Davies' were, sorry - they will. But that's what this show is all about. Start big, explore a bit, big, develop and challenge, BIG! Credits roll, Earth is towed home safe and everyone's happy. CAMP-INTERESTING-FLUFFY-DIFFERENT-EPIC. It's the Camp Sandwich, with added cheese. And why not!

Now, when's Sarah Jane Adventures on... (not for ME! My nephew was asking... honest!)

Doctor Who 2005 - 2010: Your Favourites

2010-03-11T02:25:00.007Z

Since 2005 we have been treated to, arguably. the most successful period in Doctor Who's history. This is due, in no small part, to the fantastic production team (pictured, with Lis Sladen) who never once gave up on our favourite show and who pushed it into a new Golden Age.

There are countless threads on Gallifrey Base praising the show and offering constructive criticisms, as well as some DEstructive crit. But one thread in particular got me thinking - meaning I pretty much copied the idea... Run with me on this... Without these people we would have no Rose, no Adipose, no Slitheen! NO OOD! Without these people we would have no Who. Simple as that. It was Russell's vision, Phil's enthusiasm and Julie's harsh words that made sure our favourite show made it to our screens for a brand new run.

So, my though was... Now we have a new production team, a new Doctor, a new "team", I would be interested in knowing your "Favourites". We all have them. We all make lists; Top five this and top five that... So! It's not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination - just shorter - but...

What is your Favourite...

...Scene, Overall?

-This could be a scene from any episode, special or skit since the show's return.

...Supporting Character?

-This is the one where you all vote Sally Sparrow.

...Cringe-worthy Line?

-Those scripted moments where you have to ask "why?", Eg. "Spit spot!" in The Wedding Of Sarah Jane Smith.

...NEW Monster/Alien?

-Not including any of the one's resurrected from the Classic series.

...Unintended Saucy Bit?

-Like, um... Naked Martha in the 'Clone Gloop' in The Sontaran Stratagem.

Let me know in the comments space below!

Explanations would be nice, but are not essential. Remember, you can only choose ONE of each. You can only choose from episodes that have aired - AND BE HONEST! Mine will be in there soon too, as soon as I compile my list.

Thanks for taking part.

Doctor Who - Talks, Smithy and Matt In Shorts

2010-03-04T23:47:00.008Z

Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Gareth. Gareth had a favourite TV show and liked to learn all about it whenever possible.

One day, a good wizard called Simon offered Gareth a special magic ticket to go and see the Executive Producers of the show speak about how they make it and what it means to have it produced in Wales, where Gareth lived.

Obviously, Gareth bit Simon's bloody hand off (not before Simon had bought a beer or two... which Gareth still owes him for). So our tale today is about Gareth, Simon and all the other wonderful people who made this special event more special that it could ever have been! Rarely do a group congregate who share such a strong belief in one topic. Well, I guess there is the IRA, but let's keep this tabloid.

Thursday 4th March was the day of the Doctor Who: Made In Wales event in Cardiff Bay. And what a day!!! The talk itself, which was to feature Steven Moffat as a panellist was shuffled a bit. Steven was too busy writing to make it so Beth Willis (Pictured with me and Piers Wenger) too his place. Such an interesting afternoon! They talked a lot about Who (nothing we didn't already know though) and some about the planned Drama Village. The sound in the Pierhead building was terrible, you could only just make out what they were saying. Most of what was said about Doctor Who could have come directly from Gallifrey Base, but there were a few things that were kind of exclusive.

Beth and Piers talked about "the next few years" and having Matt around "for a while yet" so the future of the show (and of Matt's Doctor) seems a safe bet, for a while at least. When asked about Torchwood, Piers said that "there are big plans for Torchwood, but I don't want to say too much", same really with SJA. Another 2 series commissioned. And it seemed that the presence of the Gallifrey Base set reporters, The Silver Cloak as they have become known, are an expected thing nowadays. Piers mentioned, when talking about location shooting, the "unhinged fans who follow us from place to place". THAT'S US!!! HAHAHA!

And afterwards there was even a chance to chat to the panel about... whatever... I say "a chance", we mobbed the stage before poor Beth and Piers could run away. I nabbed a photo too as you can see. And I have to say, they are both lovely. I asked them about the comments in DWM where Moffat claims that Beth is in league with the Devil and Piers looks like a reanimated corpse. They laughed it off, clearly good humoured about it. When I asked to see Beth's trademark "Stare", she asked "what stare is that?" while STARING AT ME! It was an unsettling sight. But she's lovely. Piers too. Both very enthused in person (if not when they were on the panel).

But my weekend didn't stop there! As I was heading home to drink milk and pray, the crowd coerced me into attending a public house where they served alcohol...

It was the night that was most fun. When Whovians get together and have a beer and a bite to eat, excessive fun is had. And rumours about where to catch the next lot of location filming are shared. So... On Friday March 5th, in Victoria Park, Cardiff, Matt Smith and James Corden had a game of football.

There are photos and videos taken by fellow set reporters which show Matt scoring goals in various ways all over YouTube. Go find them and have a look, they're awesome! But it was watching the cast "play" off screen that was most exciting. It seemed that the three main talents (Pictured; Matt, Daisy Haggard {Psychoville} and James Corden {Gavin & Stacey}) got on really well. Ryan (TimeboyTM on Gallifrey Base) and I were laughing at Matt and James explaining their worth to Doctor Who Confidential between takes, "Matt Smith. The Doctor. Striker. Defender". On Friday filming moved to Victoria Park where the football match between The King's Arms (The Doctor's team) and The Rising Sun was to take place. And if you don't want to know the score, look away NOW! ... the Doctor scores the winning goal.

THEN later that day, the TARDIS was erected in a different area of the Park and a scene was filmed which presumably takes place at the beginning of the episode. The Doctor leans out and says "No, Amy. This isn't the moon of [inaudible]. We've gone [inaudible]..." then there's a bang and the Doctor is thrown out of the TARDIS doors as it de-materialises and leaves without him, taking Amy to who-knows-where. Somewhere with fish presumably.

THEN! On Friday night we received a tip off that filming would be happening at Lanelay Hall in Talbot Green so Ryan and I ventured there too. We found the location straight away, arriving just in time to see a pregnant Amy Pond enjoying a jacket potato with the Doctor (it was the cast's lunch break). We were surprised we got as close as we did. If we'd wanted to we could have easily joined the dinner queue and dined with them! Well, maybe not. When filming resumed later that day it was all interiors. Then the Blue Peter winners turned up for their set visit and the cast (which included Matt and Karen, Arthur Darvill, the old people from Episode 7 and a very tall, smart man in a suit) left the location. We left soon after when we were sure there was no more to see.

It was a great weekend and very nice to see old friends and meet new ones. One can only hope that filming continues this week and that some more snippets can be passed on. Thanks for reading, and sorry this mediocre piece of tripe is so late :D

DOCTOR WHO - MADE IN WALES

2010-03-03T16:37:00.003Z

On Thursday 4th March 2010, I will be attending an exclusive Doctor Who panel entitled "Doctor Who - Made In Wales".

I guess it's a kind of Q & A about Doctor Who's past and future with emphasis on the show's connection with Wales and Cardiff in particular.

On the panel are:

-Clare Hudson (Head of Programming. BBC Cymru),

-Piers Wenger (Head of Drama, BBC Cymru & ExecProducer of Doctor Who),

-Steven Moffat (Head Writer & Exec Producer of Doctor Who),

-Ian Grutchfield (Brand Manager for Doctor Who)

-& Neil Midgley of the Daily Telegraph.

I'm not 100% sure what to expect from this event, but I shall have my camera with me and will post pictures and a full report of my (inevitably brilliant) afternoon on here on Friday afternoon. As well as a written report I will be making a video about what went on which I will be uploading to the shared nerd-channel KasterborousOne. That'll be up around the same time, Rassilon willing. I can't promise hoards of spoilerificly tantalising info but I CAN promise you ALL I CAN FIND OUT! Personally, I'm hoping for a few exclusive clips of the new series...

So, come here on Friday (I'll be tweeting links) and have a look what I have to say about it. And I would like to say a massive thank you to Simon Watkins for his gargantuan efforts in acquiring tickets to the event (which is to be held in Cardiff Bay) when it seemed there were no tickets to be had. Without him I would not be attending. So, thanks Si, you are a genius!

Have a good day people! I love you all! x

"We're Never Coming Back Here Are We?" - Being Human, Series Two Finale

2010-03-01T07:28:00.011Z

Every now and again a series arrives, usually on BBC Three, and takes TV to a whole new level. It happened with Torchwood, Gavin & Stacey, The Mighty Boosh... All very different shows, all excellent in their own way. But they all have one thing missing. Yes, we fall in love with the characters, Vince Noir makes us laugh, Nessa makes us CRY laughing, Ianto just makes us cry. But there isn't a sense of threat, excitement and danger about these shows, or not enough to get people truly hooked in any case.

What Being Human does - something Torchwood took 3 years to do, something Gavin & Stacey only touched at - is push people further than usual. It offers up some pretty nasty, tasteless stuff as story and makes it just WORK. And work well. It's not afraid to go dark, to push the limits of what could be too much for a terrestrial channel. I suppose it's BBC Three's magic that makes this happen and I hope that WHEN Being Human reaches BBC2 (because it has to, hasn't it?) that they don't hold back. I mean, Torchwood murdered a ten year old boy on BBC1 on a Friday night for Christ's sake! It is a beautifully HUMAN show, considering it's 3 main protagonists are anything but human. Which is the point I guess...

I've watched it since the beginning. Ever since the words "...a new BBC Three pilot about a Vampire, a Werewolf and a Ghost sharing a flat in Bristol..." were uttered I was in. I had no idea what it was going to be. Was it a sitcom? A Twilight style romance? A load of shit? I didn't know... And it took a bit longer than that first episode to hold me, I must admit, something I think has much to do with the original cast (in the pilot episode), despite being great young talent, not quite making the characters. All except for Russell Tovey's neurotic Werewolf, George.

If you haven't seen it, then let me break it down for you. On the surface it is what it is. A Vampire, a Werewolf and a Ghost share a flat in Bristol. It's the telling of their lives. But their lives, as you could imagine, are not NORMAL lives. Tovey's George hates what he is, seeing his Werewolf-ism (?) as a "curse". Annie (the beautifully playful Lenora Critchlow) doesn't quite know what she wants, or why she's still here, why she hasn't passed over. Unfinished business as Casper taught us, but what? And Aidan Turner's cooler than cool vamp Mitchell knows EXACTLY what he wants - BLOOD - but knows he can't have it.

Series Two has just finished on BBC Three, but if you've missed it, is still available on BBC iPlayer. I urge you to go watch this NOW because I'm going to be talking about what happens in the next few paragraphs and I don't want to spoil it for you. So... Bugger off and watch it...

Are you back? Dried your eyes? Good. The first series offered an enemy in supernatural form, the Vampires, led by chubby ginger cop Herrick (played with more layers than an onion by Jason Watkins). A threat of total invasion by the Vampire horde that was only averted when George went all "illegal dog attacks council estate toddler" on Herrick, leaving a gaping power vacuum which could only be filled by one man. Yup, Mitchell was now the big daddy of the Vampires (Bristol Sect). And under him, there was to be no more killing and blood lust. And so season Two becomes a struggle for our characters. Now facing an enemy more monstrous than the Vampires, namely Humanity in it's most twisted, brainwashed form, our house mates had to face the beautiful, if flawed, Professor Jaggat and Cleric-gone-mental Kemp (portrayed as a kind of "evil Vincent Price" by genius skeletal old timer Donald Sumpter). These two "humans" lead a secretive organisation (part religious cult, part Saturday afternoon science club) who have vowed to rid the Earth of the monsters who walk her, starting of course with our heroes.

So! The story unravels in a tide of blood and laughter toward the excellent finale that sees Mitchell on a revenge kick, seeking the organisation responsible for blowing up pretty much ever Vampire in Bristol, George and Nina (or "George's Bitch" as I humourously call her) unwittingly awaiting a "cure by exploding" from Jaggat and her cronies and Annie just wanting to move on. I'm not going into detail about WHAT happens throughout the episode, I want to talk mainly about that last 20 minutes. Mitchell confronts Jaggat just as Kemp exorcises Annie and sends her screaming and pleading into the afterlife, against her will. George notices a scrawled warning from "probably smells of onions" Werewolf scruff bag - George's "maker" - Lee Tully stating "George. All the werewolves die. Tully" and so, devastated by the loss of one third of their entire life, Annie, and desperate to escape the maniacal clutches of Kemp and his (lovingly fashioned) stake, Mitchell and George seek revenge and freedom respectively.

Convincing Mitchell that he doesn't have to kill Kemp, that he shouldn't in Annie's name, they leave the compound and retire with Nina to a farmhouse in (I'm guessing) Wales. Jaggat arrives, tailed by a mad-for-closure Kemp and attack once more, Jaggat getting killed by her co-worker in the process. But just before Nina gets a sharpen

ed table leg in the throat Annie fizzes into existence and drags Kemp into nowhere with her. A nasty way to go in anyone's book! And then comes what is, for me, the most touching and somewhat frightening three minutes of television I have had the pleasure to watch since I don't know when... Annie, unable to take corporeal form, appears to George, Mitchell and Nina through a broken television set and explains that "they" are angry with her for pulling Kemp across. That her days in heaven or hell of "waiting and waiting in a room for your number to be called, then sitting in another room and waiting some more until one of us disappears, then we're told we're not to talk about them" is not her idea of peaceful rest. Mitchell vows to get her back, somehow. And the picture fades. Annie is gone.

THEN! THEN!! In a snowy field "somewhere" two of the surviving vampires sit bleeding in the snow, their life dripping onto the spot where "the bones were buried" seemingly offering themselves as sacrifice. In one of the most comical (sorry, I giggled) yet freakishly exciting series cliffhangers in recent times, a decaying hand bursts through the snowy earth, heaving the body controlling it above ground. And there stands William Herrick. Naked as the day he was born, covered in mud and blood, screaming feral into the cold air.

I had chills for 80% of this episode. The acting was, as always, top notch. Tovey, Turner and Critchlow just WORK. And the supporting cast (all apart from "oo aar" farmer's-wife-vampire-chubby-strumpet-and-ex-feeder-girl, can't remember her real name, anyway) are incredible. I hope Herrick is back for revenge, for total destruction. I hope everything heats up a gear, more so than it did this year, which was a lot! And I hope the talk of production and indeed location getting shifted to Cardiff is true. The home of Drama is the place for Being Human to grow from the monster it is into the masterpiece it deserves to be. And it's not got much growing to do.

Very rarely does a series evoke such a personal and heartfelt response from me, but this did. Since we first met the characters I have loved them. And I am not afraid to admit that I cried when Annie was taken. Roll on Series Three is all I can say. And, judging by the hints we got from series creator Toby Whithouse, we're not going to be disappointed. "the threat this time is more or less themselves"? Interesting, very interesting...

Does Amy Pond Have One In The Oven?

2010-02-25T23:04:00.003Z

Doctor Who fans love a scandal. We love something to fight about. We troll ourselves, to utilise internet lingo. We have issues with being able to just agree on things and enjoy our favourite show. So it's never a surprise when threads pop up on Gallifrey Base on the most ridiculous topics imaginable. Who cares why David Tennant's hair changed? Why do we need an old Doctor next?! It's silly. It's talking for the sake of talking...

...and then once in a while a thread offers up something truly debatable. Like the fan snaps of the new TARDIS interior panel the most recent snippet of speculation has swept across the boards on GB like the plague. The following photo was posted in the Spoilers & Speculation thread by a fan;

As you can see, if you look really closely, it would SEEM that Amy Pond has a little pregnant belly going on! IT SEEMS she has. There's no confirmation, no context and no clue as to WHY! But it certainly looks like it...

Now, we know that she and Rory are getting married. They're engaged. We know that they're a couple. So, in my mind at least, it seems logical to assume that Rory is The Daddy. Right? Well, apparently not if you're a Doctor Who fan.

That's right! It MUST be the Doctor's baby! RIGHT? I despair, I really do...

But, I cannot wait! CANNOT WAIT! Roll on "Easter 2010"...

NEW DOCTOR WHO TEASER TRAILER

2010-02-20T18:34:00.002Z

Sun Scoop Who Exclusive Image

2010-02-17T03:51:00.003Z

Check out this beautiful promo image from The Sun's website (I'm not linking to them, they don't deserve the hits) of the new Doctor and his Companion (and some villains) in what appears to be a brand new, freshly designed Time Vortex.

I love it!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2010-02-14T13:26:00.003Z

The Most Pointless Inch Ever?

2010-02-03T09:02:00.002Z

Ha Ha! Very funny. "He's on about his cock. LOL" - seriously... No, really! That's so funny! You're not the only one who thought it though... So, forget it now. You had a snigger, a bit of a chuckle to yourself, now leave it.

Thanks. NOW! I come from one of those families that don't judge a paper by it's content, political stance, reputation or price. No, my Dad has, and always will, pick up The Mirror in the week and The Sunday Mirror and The People on a Sunday. No reason, he just has, does and will. So I've become used to Andy Capp, WAGs, anti-internet guff (did you know it "causes depression" now? Hmmm, page 29 - today) and those "problem page" questions like "My hot step-sister seduced me, we ended up having hot sex in a canoe. Do I have to tell my wife?" or whatever... Rubbish. Like ALL the other newspapers. They should take all the good stuff and make ONE newspaper called "The Good Stuff" and sell that. It'd be thin - Charlie Brooker and the TV listings and not much else - but I'd buy it!

Anyway, I digress... Today I rediscovered something that first riled me many moons ago, when I was just a cheeky teen. On the "Your Letters" page, on the right, is an inch wide column containing, presumably, all the stuff they are being blackmailed to include. You've got Greg's Giggle - a kind of "joke book" for boring old fuckers like my Dad (I love him, but let's face it, that's YOUR Dad too) that offers up such classics as "An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman went into a bar. The bartender says..." etc. As if we haven't heard them before! BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH!!!

UNDER Greg's presumably thought-up-while-typing-or-stolen-from-Tommy-Cooper joke is a section they like to call "Question Time". Dimbleby this is NOT! Today's question is about the origins of a football team's nickname. Then the idea is the answer is provided by a reader and printed tomorrow or whatever... BUT THEY'RE NOT QUESTIONS! They're just snippets of stuff people are too fucking lazy to look up for themselves, instead opting to both claim their 5 minutes of fame by having their name printed AND look like a dumb fuck all at once. THIS is the most pointless square-inch in existence. FACT.

I used to get told off by my Mum for "relying on the Internet" for info when compiling my school projects. She's always said that Google is inferior to the good ol' fashioned PAPER Encyclopedia. And I agree. I'd rather pick up a book than log on any day. Whether it be for info or merriment. So why don't the readers of The Mirror do the same?! It's just lazy and attention-seeking. I'm going to put the question I have typed above (bold) to the readers, see if they can answer me themselves.

Oh, by the way, Lost Season 6 is two episodes in and awesome already. Rant Ends. Thanks.

Oh, By The Way...

2010-01-28T02:21:00.003Z

...According to the always reliable, often drunk and very lovely Simon (@simon_watkins) the title to episode 12 of Doctor Who 2010 is "The Pandorica Opens". We seem to have an insider sourcing this too so it's fair to assume this is 100% correct, (we have NO reason to disbelieve Simon).

Nice title, now what the hell does it mean? Pandorica = Pandora or something related? Pandora's Box, mysterious museum etc. Sounds good to me! Roll on "Spring 2010"...

Doctor Who 2010 Merchandise Revealed

2010-01-27T22:58:00.002Z

Okay, the BBC are taking their time giving us information about the new series, considering it's going on air in the next few months...

Okay, so they haven't really... we're just over-enthusiastic about what's to come. We can't wait. Any little snippet will do for us. It's true! We're actually not that hard to please! Ben Cook posted an AudioBoo featuring a five minute exert from his DWM interview with Matt and Karen and that almost gave me... well... I was excited. I need Doctor Who again. NOW! Luckily for us, this image (left) was released showing an example of the new Doctor Who 2010 merchandise. And I have to say I like it a lot! The blue star scape design is lovely, makes me thing of the old '80s intro sequence, that can only be a good thing! Matt looks incredible as The Doctor, Karen look amazing as Amy and the Weeping Angels look as terrifying as ever! BUT this was not the only Doctor Who product to be talked about. This is the only one available for pre-order (apart from the End Of Time figures - which are, shockingly, sold separately!) from sites like Amazon and Play.com, but there are other products which were mentioned. Like the must have for every Doctor Who collector (in my opinion), a box set featuring newly designed figures of all eleven Doctors, selling together at a staggeringly fair £50. THAT is on my Birthday list, if only it was out in time...

We will also have the chance to buy a die cast scale replica of Matt's new Sonic Screwdriver, complete with flashing GREEN light and sound effects. But the quirk with this item is - I love this bit - the business end can be removed and replaced with a selection of REAL screwdriver heads! SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY SCREW DRIVE THINGS WITH IT! This may be a nod to the new series in which, presumably while fixing up the TARDIS' new interior, the Sonic is used as an actual screwdriver for the first time in a long time! We've also been told that there will be a "Timewars" board game, a series of Desk Patrol characters (Daleks and K-9 at present) who will "move around your desktop without bumping into things or falling off the edge" which sounds lovely for the bored office worker (like I was!) who covers their workspace with Doctor Who toys!

The most popular item however, which will more than likely be the one in the box set, is the Matt Smith Doctor figure, complete with tweeds and new sonic. It's design is being kept under wraps for now, but I hope the face looks more like him than that of the End Of Time Matt Smith Regeneration figure... Yes, it seems that the "Brand" (sorry Simon) is still strong as Doctor Who ventures into it's most mysterious stage since the TVM. I just hope that this behemoth of a show can spawn much more over priced kid's stuff for me to waste my money on... Two more figures and I'm going to need another shelf!

The State Of Fanfom

2010-01-24T18:50:00.007Z

Occasionally, Doctor Who fandom enters a stage of boredom. When there isn't much to talk about people like me will talk about ANYTHING! And the sad thing about that is that the boredom turns to aggression and frustration and then to all-out insults.

Dare you venture onto Gallifrey Base and tell anyone you'd prefer the new Cybermen to the old ones? Will you risk dropping the odd spoiler into the Set Report thread? Could you give a shiny shit either way?

No, nor me. However this week has been one of the harshest in Doctor Who fandom in a while. Not since Matt Smith (who everyone seems to have changed their tune about now, for what it's worth) was announced as the Eleventh Doctor have the boards on Gallifrey Base been so heated! It seems that currently it's impossible to put an opinion across without someone disagreeing for the sake of it. People, myself included, have lost the plot. AND that's the problem! We've been beaten by the production team. We know small piles of information and as of yet don't have the frame to pour them all into to make a coherent image of what Series 31 has to offer!

The latest thing is the sightings of Nick Briggs and Barnaby Edwards (the voice and body of the Daleks, respectively) entering the location for the finale. From this - and not unjustly - we have surmised that the Daleks must play a part in the finale. And why not?! But this alone isn't enough! Other speculation includes the return of the Cybermen!

No, not THE Cybermen we've become accustomed to in the last five years, the ones kids know and love to hate! No. The MONDASIAN Cybermen! You know, the ones from the old series... SORRY! Telosian. Mondas was destroyed, along with all of it's cyber-inhabitants. As if it makes a difference to the 8 year-olds who put their posters on the wall. Just like the "are they or aren't they" nonsense about the new Silurian design (they are, by the way) seen in the 2010 trailer a vocal minority - again, myself included, sadly - just cannot agree on whether bringing back Cybermen not seen since the mid 80s would have ANY relevance with a young audience.

What used to be my favourite thing to talk about is quickly becoming just another place to get shouted down by people who's opinion is JUST AS VALID as my own, I'm not innocent of the "shouting down" myself! Egos flair, virtual punches are thrown and then the mods get involved. Until the next time. Remember when we were one? When Doctor Who fans were collectively berated for liking "that shit sci fi show"?

I liked being the minority! Now it seems that people who have seen some old Cyberman stories or those who are simply stuck in the past have much to say about this new and constantly evolving show! This is NOT Doctor Who of old, as much as it is marketed as such. The show is faster, bigger and more complex. As are the audiences! Kids these days don't want complicated multiverse contradictions. They've been given Cybermen from an alternate world. THEY are now the Cybermen. Nobody complained when the Daleks from The Parting Of The Ways were scavenged genetic mutant-humans! It was hardly mentioned as I recall! But still, grown men cry. Nothing will solve the civil war that has sadly broken out on my favourite website of all time, Gallifrey Base. Like Northern Ireland or Israel, Gallifrey Base has a future to suffer. And I only hope that Messrs Moffat, Smith and Wenger can bring peace to this otherwise intelligent and loving community.

I'm not holding my breath.

DOCTOR WHO Series 31 - What We Know So Far...

2010-01-23T19:16:00.003Z

So as the weeks keep coming the hints about what we'll see in the next series of Doctor Who dribble out. THE FOLLOWING POST FEATURES BOTH SPOILERS AND SPECULATION FOR THE UPCOMING SERIES! BE WARNED!

SO! thanks to the brilliance of key individuals on Gallifrey Base and the efforts of the Commando-like set reporters who keep those individuals topped up with information and sightings from set, we know a fair bit about each episode of Series 31. The basics, obviously, are that there is a new Doctor in the shape of Matt Smith and a couple of new companions, namely Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and, some of you may NOT be aware of, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams! We have a new, 60s looking TARDIS with a brand new interior (spotted briefly in the trailer) and a new sonic screwdriver (as seen on the cover of the latest Doctor Who Magazine.

But, we know more! So, broken down by episode:

EPISODE ONE

Title: The Eleventh Hour (?)

Writer: Steven Moffat

Director: Adam Smith

Synopsis:

An opening story where the Doctor meets Amy Pond while battling post regenerative trauma and the Face Tendrils!

EPISODE TWO

Title: ?

Writer: Steven Moffat

Director: Andrew Gunn

Synopsis:

This story features "monks wearing keys" as seen in the trailer. Not much else is really known though...

EPISODE THREE

Title: ?

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Director: Andrew Gunn

Synopsis:

Daleks in World War II! 'Nuff said!

EPISODES FOUR & FIVE

Title: The Time Of Angels/Flesh And Stone

Writer: Steven Moffat

Director: Adam Smith

Synopsis:

This one features Weeping Angels, River Song and the crash of the Byzantium! As promised by the Moff in his two parter from series 4!

EPISODE SIX

Title: Vampires Of Venice

Writer: Toby Whitehouse

Director: Johnny Campbell

Synopsis:

Mutant canal Vampires in 16th Century Venice.

EPISODE SEVEN

Title: ?

Writer: Simon Nye

Director: ?

Synopsis:

This is seemingly the one where Rory joins the TARDIS crew full time... Little else is known about it however.

EPISODES EIGHT & NINE

Title: The Ground Beneath Their Feet/Cold Blood

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Director: Ashley Way

Synopsis:

Apparently a story featuring the return of the Silurians and dealing with global warming. Although we're fairly certain they ARE Silurians the debate still rages on over at Gallifrey Base!

EPISODE TEN

Title: Vincent And The Doctor (?)

Writer: Richard Curtis

Director: Johnny Campbell

Synopsis:

The Doctor meets Vincent Van Gogh! The Question is how will he pronounce that name?!!? Oh, and Vinny stabs a yellow alien!

EPISODE ELEVEN

Title: ?

Writer: Gareth Roberts (?)

Director: ?

Synopsis:

Who knows... Maybe Amy-Lite?

EPISODES TWELVE & THIRTEEN

Title: ?

Writer: Steven Moffat

Director: ?

Synopsis:

Gah! Next to nothing is known about this. Maybe that's a good thing though.

Check the 'Spoiler and Speculation Thread' on Gallifrey Base (link to the left) to find out what we

DO know about the finale! And thank you very much to Pseudo on there and the fantastic

Spoiler Chart that has been lovingly compiled by him.

"River Song" Spotted Filming Series 31 Finale

2010-01-23T15:06:00.005Z

Thanks to the wonderful people who spend hours on end hiding behind cars and cameras to bring US the pictures we want of the starts filming the new series of Doctor Who we now have PROOF that Alex Kingston will be returning as Professor River Song in the Series 31 (for, on here, that is what it will be called) finale.

All credit goes to one of Gallifrey Base's fantastic set reporters, "Asti", who took this photo of the crew filming at Swasnea's Guildhall. You can see more photos by Asti in the Set Report thread on Gallifrey Base by following the link on the left of this page.

We've already had pictures of her filming on a beach wearing a very nice evening dress and, later, army camouflage. The trailer shown after Matt's first performance also shows a very brief glimpse of River falling ONTO The Doctor inside the newly designed TARDIS console room (I think). This lends to the rumour that River will be more than just a guest star for her two parter, which set reports suggest feature the return of another of Steven Moffat's creations, the Weeping Angels, last seen in Blink, RTD's third series 'Doctor-Lite' episode.

Also spotted was Gavin and Stacey's "Gwen", Melanie Walters, although as of yet we have no information on who she is playing...

More to come on this, no doubt! So stay tuned!

And With A Few Changes, We're BACK!

2010-01-23T14:33:00.004Z

Firstly, my sincere apologies for the lack of a review of 'The End Of Time, Part Two'... I meant to write one but outside factors and treacherous technology conspired against me to assure that it would not be so.

BUT we're back to bring you the usual spoilers, set reports and gossip on the WHO front.

Secondly, as you can see, the NAME of this Blog has changed AGAIN! I'm very sorry for this. I really am...

I just thought, superstitiously, that after all the fuss with the "old" blog a change of look and name may benefit. Rest assured it will STILL have the same ol' stuff. Although this time you may find, interspersed within the WHO stuff, some personal ravings on other topics. I have differentiated between Doctor Who posts and General posts in the "labels" section. So if you're only interested in my Doctor Who stuff, then just read that!

Thirdly! This time I will be keeping the 'look' of the blog very simple. This makes it faster to load and easier to maintain. I hope you don't mind.

If you have anything you want to ask or say then please feel free to drop me a message on my Twitter feed HERE (Follow me too!) or comment on any of the posts...

Thanks for listening.

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

2010-01-11T02:09:00.003Z

SOL 3 IS SUFFERING SOME TECHNICAL PROBLEMS AT PRESENT

*** SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE ***

WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THINGS TO RIGHT THEMSELVES PLEASE FEEL TO BROWSE THROUGH MY PREVIOUS SOL 3 BLOG POSTS USING THE LINKS IN THE SIDE BAR.

Gareth Bundy

Ignorant Shit-Stirrers Blow Up A Fuss Over A Reference They Don't Understand

2010-01-04T13:31:00.005Z

The following story appeared on Heatworld.com recently;

New Doctor Who slammed for ginger comment
New Doctor Who star Matt Smith hasn't even appeared in a full episode of the hit show yet, but he's already managed to enrage a number of fans. When Matt made his debut as the Doctor on New Year's Day, one of his first lines as he checked out his new appearance was, "Still not ginger." The comment, which is clearly a harmless joke, upset a number of mums who fear their kids will be bullied at school as a result. One angry viewer said, "I think it's totally inappropriate for the Doctor to make fun of people with ginger hair - I think it will encourage bullying." Erm, really? Show insiders and fans in the know are adamant the comment is an in-joke that is actually meant as a compliment. Sounds like a lot of fuss about absolutely nothing to us.

Am I the only one who wishes that those who complained about the "Tesco Ginger Christmas Card", that are back out in force, would do their homework before jumping? I just wish they would stop being so bloody tetchy about the ginger thing!

I have ginger hair, I was NOT offended by the Christmas Card thing and I'm certainly not offended by this! My nephew used the Tenth Doctor wanting to be ginger against his school bullies (he's 10 and also ginger). They were calling him ginger-related names and he said (because he knows the bullies loved Dr Who too) "the Doctor wanted to be ginger, you gonna pick on him?!" and they thought about it and left.

I'm just glad that Heatworld.com put the record straight and mentioned it was meant as a compliment.

Out With The Old, In With The New! The Regeneration!

2010-01-03T18:53:00.004Z

Take another look at the regeneration while you wait for me to post my review of

The End Of Time, Part Two

The End Is Just The Beginning - Series 5 Preview

2010-01-01T20:17:00.003Z

SO! Tennant is gone, Smith is here... I will be posting the review for The End Of Time, Part Two soon (it's positive) and then the last part of 'The Tenth Doctor' soon after that.

But, for now, ENJOY THIS:

2010-01-01T00:58:00.003Z

Happy New Year!

Hope this decade treats you all well... Lots of love from Gareth Bundy and Sol 3!

BBC America Trailer for The End Of Time, Part Two

2009-12-29T14:19:00.002Z

Wow! THIS gave me chills... I can't wait for the second part of this story, yet at the same time I don't want see what happens. It's going to be heartbreaking... Poor Ten.

David Tennant's Christmas TV Takeover

2009-12-26T18:33:00.009Z

Before Christmas, on top of repeats of every Doctor Who special to be shown this year, Who fans everywhere rejoiced as David Tennant took over the BBC channels in a shameless tirade of, well... Tennant.

He was a panelist on the QI Christmas Special, guest host of the Never Mind The Buzzcocks Doctor Who Special and even read stories to your children so you could nip upstairs and wrap their presents. Then Christmas Day arrived and we got the Doctor Who Christmas Special, the first part of David Tennant's poignant departure (reviewed yesterday).

And as if the beauty that was The End Of Time, Part One was not enough, Tennant-Fanciers everywhere had much to gawp at. This Christmas week has offered more Tennant Specials than a homeless Scotsman on a Glasgow park bench*. True, Doctor Who divided viewers into two camps. Those who enjoyed the story for what it was and those who expected it to match the hype. I loved it. BUT! I wanted more straight away! Ordinarily I would hop straight onto iPlayer and watch it again, but this Christmas I have company. And even though my girlfriend, Natalie, is also a huge Who fan she wouldn't let me watch it again so soon. And she's the Boss. So instead - and luckily for all the Tenninch Fangirls out there, you know who you are - I waited an hour or so and watched Tennant in Catherine Tate's "Nan's Christmas Carol". Drawing wholly on the original Dickensian tale, Nan is shown the error of her ways by three Ghosts, the Ghost of Christmas Past (Ben Miller), the Ghost of Christmas Present (TENNANT) and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come (Roger Lloyd Pack).

Imagine a gay, Scottish Russel Brand. There he is. David Tennant's Ghost of Christmas Present is just that. Mumbling about facebook, i-tunes and the like, he minced his way through the Present section of the story in true Tennant fashion; with ease, humour and an ultimate command of the screen and all on it. It was a wonderful performance. So good, in fact, that if you didn't KNOW it was Tennant you wouldn't know it was Tennant. The show on a whole was funny, a nice little post-excitement treat for all us Who fans. Seeing him and Tate onscreen together, with the language as blue as Tate's painted on varicose veins, was slightly odd. Just hours earlier I'd watched them not meeting while saving the world. Or not saving it as the case may be. If ever there was an antidote to the intensity of the Who special this was it. And I loved this too... But our days this Yule with Tennant are far from over! For tonight, dear friend, Mr Tennant gave us his Hamlet.

For those lucky enough to have seen this on the stage, FUCK OFF (not really, I'm just jealous). I'll make do with the TV adaptation, thanks. And wow, what an adaptation! I'm not going to recount the story here, it's Hamlet for crying out loud. If you don't already know what it's about you won't be interested. I know some, for instance, who gave up on this before the 15 minute mark. Those people watched for Tennant and Tennant alone. That's fine, but a Shakespeare fan would bathe in this and come out feeling cleaner than they have ever felt before. Tennant (and the rest of a truly stellar cast) blow our minds in this, the latest RSC offering for the BBC. It's amazing. And guess what? You can buy the DVD on January 4th! I will be.

And then, with a week-to-come that will inevitably be filled with iPlayer repeats of TEOT Part One and all to do with it, we reach The End Of Time, Part Two on New Year's Day. We know next to nothing about what's to come, except that the Time Lords are back, the human race has been transformed into the Master race and, probably worst of all, the Tenth Doctor will regenerate. It's so sad even typing that...

And with that, our Tennant Overload ends. Never again will we see him roaring through time and space, saving planets and peoples in thrilling acts of selfless bravery. Never again, I sort of hope, will we see him garb'd up as Brand, Ooh-ing and Woo-hoo-ing all over the shop. Tennant's TV Takeover is over. And the real telly starts once more...

But hey, we have a few days until then. And there's always the iPlayer... But, just to whet your whistle, go here to see some exclusive TEOT Part Two clips and info. And here's the tv spot. Enjoy!

* That was a bit racist. If you're Scottish or offended, or both, I'm sorry.

John Simm In A Dress? Okay, I'll Go With That...

2009-12-25T21:26:00.016Z

Okay, we all watched it. And if you didn't then what the fuck are you doing here? It's already on iPlayer! GO, NOW!

Good boy/girl. Now, let's geek out. What we got here was nothing short of a (flawed) masterpiece. Take one urban cult, one megalomaniac Time Lord (dead), one vengeful ex wife, one "magic potion", one "magic anti-potion" and a whole lot of mystical foreshadowing and you get only the first ten minutes of The End Of Time, Part One. If you're not an avid WHO fan this may not be for you. Despite the attempts at filling in the back story you really have to CARE about these characters. You need to UNDERSTAND the situation they find themselves in. For example, no explanation is given as to why the Doctor is so important to Wilf. In fact, this was a brave choice of episode to show on Christmas Day!

In a strange way, to me, this felt a little like a Doctor Lite episode. Although he wasn't absent like he was in Blink or Love & Monsters he appeared less than Simm did as the Master. In fact, it seemed that this half of The End Of Time was Simm's, ending in true arrogant Master stylee with the creation of The Master Race, literally. 7 billion human beings genetically changed to resemble the Master in body and mind! But that was only one of many special Christmas gifts that Uncle Russ had for us. Like all "Russel T Davies special occasion episodes" The End Of Time, Part One has mountains to offer. Vinvocci, the Immortality Gate, the Master, Joshua Naismith and his daughter, Prophecies, mysterious women, Donna Noble, "The Silver Cloak", Wastelands, the list goes on and on... This was a FULL episode! Only this time, unlike Journey's End, it all seemed to just kind of fit.

Okay, some of the puzzle pieces were not really needed. I think you could have left out the Vinvocci and their covert hunt for the Gate stolen from one of their crashed ships. I actually believe that the entire Naismith side story could be omitted altogether, just let the Master get the Gate himself somehow. But I have a feeling that some sense may be made of it later in the serial. And the whole Master Race reveal, however silly it seems when you say it out loud, is brilliant. Truly inspired (even if it kinda is inspired by The Matrix Reloaded). When you have a villain as bonkers as the Master - and BONKERS is the word for this - you must have a huge plan to roll out along with it. And let's face it, what could possibly be bigger than turning everyone in the entire world into you? A whole world of Simm!Masters playing about is a Who-Shipper's wet dream... And Rusty has done it. On screen. For real. It. Is. Canon. Now. End. Of. But, silly it was. In a great, great way. The episode was a perfect balance of humour, foreboding, threat, mystery and pure story, hurtling along at breakneck speed. The word I have been using to describe this story so far is Space Age Fairytale. It has a narrator for Christ's sake!

But this is Russel T Davies after all... And this is "New Who", as it is known. This ain't no ordinary narrator, dawg! This is the goddamn Lord President of the Time Lords. And he ain't talkin' to you beeyatch! He's addressing a panopticon FULL of Time Lords, dressed in ceremonial garb. Collars and all. And as the Ood Elder said; "They are returning". Now, a preview clip for The End Of Time, Part Two has been posted here (just click on "exclusive clip" to watch it, but watch it at your peril. Never has there been such a spoilery preview). I'm going to be talking about that in a separate post later this week, but it makes me wonder how many story threads they want have dangling out of the arse of this fantastical beast! Also, where are the scenes with Verity Newman and The Journal Of Impossible Things? Where are the scenes with Jack and Midshipman Frame? Or that one where the Doctor saves Luke from getting hit by a car?! TIME LORDS AND ALL THIS? How the hell am I meant to take all that in? And more importantly, how am I meant to blog about it?!

I'm trying hard to think of a way to end this post. How can I put across how much I enjoyed this episode without bursting? Okay, let's try this...

I love Doctor Who. I have many, many favourite scenes and episodes. But, without need for question or thought, the scene in the cafe where the Doctor and Wilf discuss "grown up stuff" and share a manly cry is DEFINITELY the best. I cried twice during this episode. Once when the above scene happened; seeing your heroes reduced to tears has that same effect on you. It's happened before with the Doctor crying in 42 and Last Of The Time Lords. It's happened with Jack Bauer crying on 24. It happened tonight, deal with it. I also got moves to tears when the huge Time Lord reveal happened in the closing seconds. When a television programme can do this to you, then you know it's done it's job. When you can laugh with tears of sadness in your eye, wow. It's too good for words. But the ones I will use here are "incredibly moving and a complete edge-of-your-seat experience. Five stars."

Two epic cliffhangers, several majestic story threads, one very disturbed Master. And a partridge in a pear tree... Well, not really, but Merry Christmas!

Don't miss the concluding episode of David Tennant's reign as The Tenth Doctor, 6.40pm on New Year's Day, BBC1. If you do I'll never speak to you again.

Some Really Great Hair - The Tenth Doctor, Part Two

2009-12-20T20:48:00.009Z

The evil Racnoss have been defeated. Donna Noble has stopped the Doctor from 'going to far' and offered him a place at her family's Christmas Dinner table. He declines. And some weeks pass... Until one day, picking up on some strange energy readings around a london hospital, he begins investigating. At this hospital a medical student named Martha Jones is following consultant Mr. B. Stoker around on his rounds. One of the patients is a nice old lady with a seemingly routine problem. Another is a Mr. Smith, admitted with stomach pains. Of course, this Mr. Smith had two hearts. And is the Doctor.

When the whole hospital is kidnapped and taken to the moon by intergalactic ruffians the Judoon, Martha teams up with the Doctor in an attempt to get everyone home to Earth safely. The Judoon are after the poor old ill lady, who is actually a vicious criminal, a Plamsavore, escaping from her planet after assasinating a Princess. Through teamwork and inventive thinking - and a snazzy little "genetic transfer" between our hero and his would be companion - the Earth is finally saved and Martha is promised one trip ("Just the one, mind...") in the TARDIS by way of thanks.

Choosing a trip into the past, the Doctor and Martha come face to face with William Shakespeare himself, with witches and magic, aliens and angry queens (no, not Julian Clary beaten to the Dame role in Panto). Series Three saw our heroes fight the remnants of the Cult of Skaro, Weeping Angels (who will return in Series 5 against Matt Smith's 11th Doctor), genetic mutants and - as the Face of Boe predicted - the Doctor's arch nemesis, The Master (played firstly as a doddery old man by Derek Jacobi and then with oozing menace by John Simm). And what was, some thought, a slow series - lacking in action and tension - was redeemed with a huge two (almost three) part finale. The Master, posing as Prime Minister of Great Britain, used a band of future-human refugees, stripped back and made into nefarious "Toclafane" to enslave the planet for one whole year. But, thanks to the efforts of Martha and a small band of resistance fighters, along with the conciousness of the entire population of Earth, the Doctor is empowered once more. The Master, however, doesn't like to lose, even if it means giving up his life. Shot by his wife, Lucy, and refusing to regenerate he dies in the Doctor's arms leaving him, once more, The Last Of The Time Lords...

Martha was always going to be a one-series companion. That was the plan. And she wouldn't have worked as well if she'd stayed longer. So, when she said goodbye to the Doctor and the TARDIS it meant that our hero needed a new friend... And goodness, did he get one! Kylie Minogue in the bloody TARDIS?! No. Not in the TARDIS really... But a companion nontheless. Against the bodyless, moneyless Max Capricorn and his Hosts the Doctor averted the crash of the Titanic (the starship, that is) and saved the world AGAIN!

Christ, this bloke is good at what he does.

COMING SOON!
The Tenth Doctor, Part Three... AND DON'T MISS my review of The End Of Time, Part One (later today/tomorrow) and Part Two (coming New Year's Day!). Oh, I'm good to you xxx

Pinstripes In Time And Space - The Tenth Doctor, Part One

2009-12-20T17:40:00.008Z

The Daleks are defeated, the threat averted and yet the Bad Wolf is dying. In order to save his companion, Rose, from certain death the Ninth Doctor absorbs the power of the Time Vortex, returning Rose to her human state and giving up his own life in the process. "I absorbed all the energy of the time vortex and no-one's meant to do that... every cell in my body's dying." And for the first time since the '96 TV movie, an audience sat in awe waiting for the Doctor to change his face. "Time Lords have this little trick, it's sort of a way of cheating death, except, it means I'm gonna change. And I'm not gonna see you again, not like this, not with this daft old face." Out was the exceptionally brave and fantastic Ninth Doctor, played to perfection by Christopher Eccleston. Coming soon was the Tenth Doctor... But just who would he be? "I might never make sense again!"

And, ending his tenure as The Doctor with the word that Whostorians will use forever to describe his time behind the console, the Ninth Doctor signed off with; "Rose, before I go I just wanna tell you - you were fantastic... absolutely fantastic... and d'you know what? So was I." And FANTASTIC would forever be synonymous with what younger audiences were to witness. A regeneration. Of the very best kind. The kind that welcomed a thin, Scottish gentleman into the TARDIS. Before you could say 'Barcelona!' David Tennant was The Tenth Doctor. But audiences had to wait until Christmas 2005 to see what he was like, save for a 4 minute minisode for Children In Need which only told audiences that something was very wrong with our new Doctor's regeneration.

Christmas Day, 2005/6* on the Powell Estate. The TARDIS's engines screech and hum... They sound strained and overworked. And before the eyes of Jackie and Mickey, it spins through the sky and crash lands in an alley. Out pops the NEW Doctor, breathless and manic. He clambers towards Rose's family - who stand aghast - and offers his explanation: "I know! Merry Christmas!" And then he passes out. Regeneration is a strange old bird. Outside the show audiences have to get their head around the fact that their hero, the man they have followed for the last year, is now COMPLETELY different in EVERY way. INSIDE the show, something was terribly wrong. The regeneration was failing. To have the main character of a show to spend 70% of his first episode in bed, unconscious is a brave move on its own. To do this on Christmas Day, with an average of 12 million people watching to see the NEW Doctor, surely that is madness? But, in true British fashion, a cup of tea and a satsuma was all it took for the Doctor to bounce into our hearts with charm, hair and quotes from The Lion King; defeating the invading Sycorax in a sword fight and bringing down the British government with six words, the Tenth Doctor had well and truly arrived. And he was here for the long haul.

Through adventures with Rose, fighting werewolves (in 'Tooth and Claw'), Cybermen (in 'Rise of the Cybermen' and 'Age of Steel'), Clockwork Droids (in the magnificent 'The Girl in the Fireplace') and Peter Kay (in 'Love and Monsters') the somewhat creepy relationship shared with the Ninth Doctor blossomed into a beautiful and subtle will-they-or-won't-they love story throughout the second Series. But, as in all good drama, a love story should never have a happy ending. In the closing moments of the epic 'Army of Ghosts', "the story of how [Rose] died", we learn that not only have the Cybermen found a way out of their Alternate Universe, but have cleared a path for the Cult of Scaro (a vicious Dalek Think-Tank) to follow them. The battle of Canary Wharf - a metal against metal war, the wet dreams of Robot Wars - culminated in Rose being sucked into the Alternate Universe, trapped there, leaving the Tenth Doctor alone and hurting. The closing scenes of "Doomsday" are, without question, some of the most moving ever broadcast to family audiences. I defy you to tell me that you didn't fight back a tear when, as Rose told him she loved him, the Doctor uttered his last words to her; "and I suppose, if it's my last chance to say it, Rose Tyler..." before the connection allowing them to talk across Universes was lost. That solitary tear on the Doctor's cheek... Owch!

But this is adventure science fantasy! Not namby pamby, wishy washy, poncey, prancey, lovey dovey, girly, kissy wissy romace! And the Doctor lives on! Without a second to grieve his loss, the Doctor finds a human, Donna, in her wedding dress, in his TARDIS. With no explanation. And this wasn't just any old bride. This was Catherine bloody Tate! The guest star in the 2006 Christmas Special "The Runaway Bride" was the best kept secret in New Who history! I don't think ANYONE knew she would be appearing. And in the closing moments of "Doomsday" we got the signifier of Christmases to come. Like eggnog, Noel's Christmas Presents and Doctor Who itself, Tennant's "What? What?! WHAT?!" has become expected. A lead into the Christmas Special. THE Doctor Who cliffhanger phrase. Joining the ever-growing bank of 'catchphrases', already containing "Alon's Y", the 'Whats' were a stayer... And at Christmas, Catherine Tate and David Tennant thrilled audiences with TARDIS/Taxi motorway chases, giant spiders, evil Empresses and double agents. But, as this is Christmas after all, the day was saved... Another Christmas would go ahead because of the Doctor. Ten was making a habit of this! An irony not lost on the fans who know that this Christmas, as much as we hate to admit it, he will have to save the world one more time, just before he dies again. But enough of that miserable talk. The Doctor's story as told here is incomplete.

*The WHONIVERSE is missing the year that happened while Rose was travelling with the Ninth Doctor, when he returned her home after 12 months, not 12 hours. Therefore it runs one year ahead of real time.

In Part Two, The Tenth Doctor meets Martha Jones; Medical Student, shares a kiss with that woman off Spaced, meets Shakespeare and gets an ominous warning from "old friend" the Face of Boe; "You Are Not Alone!" And boy, doesn't he know it! He also meets Kylie Minogue and Catherine Tate (again).

Part Two of The Tenth Doctor will be posted on Christmas Eve, and will cover his life as far as
the opening scenes of The End Of Time, Part One.

The End Of Waiting?

2009-12-17T11:28:00.003Z

For weeks we have waited, aching for any snippets of info about The End Of Time, like the spoiler hounds we are. We've had trailers, enemy confirmations, set reports and photos, but very little else!

The usually reliable sources in the media; your Ben Cooks, your Lizos, your BBC Ents Team - even @Moffat_, selfproclaimed FAKE Steven Moffat - have had next to nothing to offer us about what The End Of Time, Part One has to offer. It's been hell. Spoiler free hell... And then this morning, at about 9.30am, Ben Cook posts this on his Twitter:

I've an invite (non-transferable!) to tonight's End of Time press launch + a ticket to see Basement Jaxx @ the O2. Which should I attend?!

And Lizo Mzimba posts this:

It's (almost) the end. But has the moment been prepared for? Some treats for you later!

So I think, off the back of those posts, we can safely say that today is the day we have waited for... The day that someone, anyone, gets to see The End Of Time, Part One in full.

There are bound to be leaks in the spoilerproof press pipe. And even if there aren't there will be the first official reviews! I cannot tell you how excited I am for this. As much as I want to remain spoiler-free(ish) I want to know EVERYTHING that leaks today. Or not. I'm not sure...

"We End, As Ever, With Next Lines" - Oh, Must We?!

2009-12-16T22:30:00.008Z

Well, I'm exhausted. Just a really quick blog post to tell you about my night! If ever there was a time that I have laughed more than I did in the last half hour, I don't know when that time would be. I sat through the most dire Royal Variety Performance in years, because there was bugger all else on, waiting patiently for the Never Mind The Buzzcocks Doctor Who Special. And you know what? I'd wait another ten years for it if you made me. THAT. WAS. HILARIOUS! Without doubt the funniest episode of Bizzcocks since Amstel left. The line-up was as follows; Tennant hosting, Cribbins and Tate joining Jupitus, Fielding, Cullum and Whiley on the teams. I don't know why I'm talking like a Guy Richie character. Sorry... But yes!!! Buzzcocks! Bernard Cribbins was the stand out for me. The man is almost dead for Christ's sake and he's still as sharp as Tennant's nose. Throwing in - not only a double helping of witty comebacks - but a impromptu rendition of Right Said Fred (not the Richard O'Brien lookalike gayband)...

Then there was Catherine "I know nothing about... what is it? Sci fi?" Tate! She always makes sure you get your money's worth, but tonight she was on tip top form! She really IS like that! All guffawing and getting stuff wrong! Brilliant! We got to see a Dalek, an Ood, the TARDIS... The show was packed with laughs, references, it was lovely!

I don't think I will ever shake the image of Cribbins "beatboxing" Muse from my mind - and rightly so! And does anyone else think he should take up Noel Fielding's offer to write for the Boosh? I think he'd make an awesome Grampa Noir, The Modfather. (that idea © Gareth Bundy 2009, just in case lol). THIS may not have been as funny to non-Whovians, but all the folk I watched with (via Twitter) LOVED it. And so, because they are lovely people all, I shall reproduce some of their reaction Tweets below! They are all awesome people so you should follow them all if you use Twitter yourself. Just search their Twitter user name in their by-line here.

*fists* Barrowman.... [via @EJG]
*Barrowman* Buzzcocks is Brillo pads :) [via @GlitteryKezzy]
Why is this only on for half an hour? This special is pure gold! #buzzcocks [via @charlottexoxo]
Whatever Catherine Tate's on, I want some. [via @The_Arn]
This is THE best #NeverMindTheBuzzcocks EVER! /END! /DONE! /FINISHED! [via @Mardavemad]
A singing Ood on Buzzcocks. Never thought I'd see that. [via @thisstage]
That Tate woman gives us gingers a bad name. [via @pricetom]
Dr Who Buzzcocks is actually brilliant and not embarrassing. Cribbins and Tate are truly wonderful. I ache! [via @claytonhickman]
amazing Buzzcocks! CT is hilarious and DT is a natural 5 stars [via @Aquarius82]
And BC sang Right said Fred...awww. [via @dragonmyst]

They also showed a great TV trailer for The End Of Time straight after it, I've stuck that in, below. And now I'm going to watch St Trinian's and fall asleep. Thanks for reading. Don't have nightmares. I love you all x

"The Only Psychopaths In The Universe To Kill You Nicely"

2009-12-16T01:28:00.005Z

Once upon a Tuesday, new Doctor Who executive producer and head writer, Steven Moffat, gave his first broadcast interview since taking the reins from outgoing exec producer, Russel T Davies, to a lovely, dithery-sounding old fella on BBC Radio 3.

Steven talked about his idea of what Doctor Who is - a dark fairy tale. He talked about the role of the Doctor and the actors who play him - Matt Smith, apparently, plays the Doctor as someone who's been alive for hundreds of years!

And a bunch of other stuff. He's not a very forthcoming interviewee, not very much is talked about that hasn't been heard before (mainly in the Moffat opinions posted on the old Doctor Who Forum by the man himself) and what new stuff they do discuss is skimmed over with such spoiler-avoiding expertise that it's a surprise we know ANYTHING at all about Moffat's first series...

Although, when he was asked to give just one exclusive piece of information, a little teaser, something that ONLY the production team know for sure, he thought for a while and then offered this. What is really the first piece of solidly confirmed information about the 2010 series, DESPITE it being something we have speculated about on forums for weeks and weeks! Six words, "just six..."

"The Weeping Angels are coming back!"

Squeeeeeee!

Doctor Who Does Buzzcocks! Tomorrow At 10pm!

2009-12-15T22:06:00.002Z

Don't miss the Never Mind The Buzzcocks Doctor Who Special, tomorrow night (16/12) at 10PM(GMT) on BBC2. If you do then you obviously aren't a real Doctor Who fan! So there!

David Tennant hosts, Bernard Cribbins and Jo Whiley join Phil Jupitus' team. Catherine Tate and Jamie Cullum join Noel Fielding! It is going to be hilarious!

It's Not New, But BOY! Is It Good!!!

2009-12-15T15:04:00.004Z

Take a look at this short video (from Blogtor Who) featuring the Doctor battling the Master in (presumably) the wastelands of London.

It's not a new video but oh my God! Could this blast be what finishes the Doctor off? Unlikely, I know... there's no way they'd show us that before transmission. But how nasty does the Master look?! And how determined is our Doctor?!

Thanks to http://www.blogtorwho.blogspot.com for allowing me to pinch their video.

Donna Noble - The Most Important Woman In The Whole Of Creation?

2009-12-15T13:40:00.006Z

When he lost Rose during the events of Doomsday, the Doctor didn't get a chance to mourn like he wanted. The second he said goodbye (or didn't say "I love you too") he was thrown straight into a brand new adventure. Human bride-to-be, Donna Noble, inexplicably appeared in his TARDIS claiming he must either kidnapped her, or that it was yet another revenge trick played by Nerys. Neither turned out to be true, but who cares? The Runaway Bride, 2006's Doctor Who Christmas special, introduced us to the most popular New-Who companion (it's official, check the results of my poll) so far! Played with aplomb by comedienne Catherine Tate, better known as a foul mouthed old nan in her TV show), Donna Noble was to introduce Catherine's unique humour and heartbreaking depth to a brand new audience. Donna Noble was here!

Working for H.C. Clements, a security firm - and a shell company for the recently disbanded Torchwood Institute - she fell in love with, and arranged to marry, the HR Manager Lance. But this was no ordinary pairing... Lance was in cahoots with Empress of the Racnos, an ancient race of arachnids trapped at the centre of the Earth at the moment of it's creation. Poisoning Donna with Huon Particles, ancient energy used, among other things, to power the TARDIS, his intention was for Donna to be sacrificed in order to open an ancient lock sealing the racnos at the Earth's core. On their release the giant spiders would devour the whole world. But, drawn aboard the TARDIS, Donna and the Doctor saved the day, as per usual. The Doctor offered her a place aboard with him but she refused, too much danger. It wasn't her her.

And that was it. World saved, the Doctor and Donna parted ways. But a Donna is for life, not just for Christmas! During an ivetigation into strange happenings at Adipose Industries a year later the Doctor and Donna were to cross paths again. Her experience with the Doctor at Christmas had given her a new-found curiosity. And she had dedicated her (somewhat dead-end) existence to finding the one man who made her feel important - namely, the Doctor. Defeating human fat, Pyrovile, living shadows, time beetles and DAVROS himself, The Doctor and Donna Noble forged a life long friendship. Gone were the days of bumping uglies in the TARDIS swimming pool (as he must have done with Rose) or being stalked by the obsessive Martha Jones. All the Doctor wanted from Donna was "a mate"... Oh boy! Did that cause some confusion!

And undergoing a Human Time Lord Metacrisis, creating the prophesied DoctorDonna - human body with a Time Lord mind - she defeated the Daleks and their Creator with her comedic typing skills, something that had many fans crying about! Alas, there must never BE a human Time Lord. The Metacrisis DoctorDonna should not, could not, exist. If she were to carry on with a Time Lord mind in a - quite frankly inferior - human brain she would burn up and die.

And so, against his wishes, and those of Donna herself, the Doctor wiped her mind of all traces of their adventures together. Remembering what she is would destroy her. So her adventures were trusted to her grandfather, Christmas companion Wilf, Donna would have to live the rest of her life not knowing that it was she - and she alone - who saved not just the world, but all of existence. All worlds. However if she remembers the Doctor, the TARDIS or anything that went on while she was aboard, the Time Lord aspects of her mind would fire into life and she would burn up again. So, lets just hope that nobody reminds her of what went on eh! Or that could be a very sad Christmas for the Nobles... (snigger). As we know, Donna appears in the 2009 Christmas Special. As has been rumoured, the cliffhanger to The End Of Time, Part One is Donna's eyes burning with flames!

So... I fear we have not seen the last of the DoctorDonna. And as happy as this makes me, the consequence of this knowledge breaks my heart.

Accepted as much more than just a 40 year old school girl shouting "am I bovvered?", Caatherine Tate has become loved as a huge part of Doctor Who's recent history. Nobody thought she would be any good at all, let alone the most warmly embraced companion since the series' return. Is Donna Noble the most important woman in the whole of creation? Yes, to some fans, she really is!

A Slow Week For Doctor Who

2009-12-12T01:50:00.005Z

I'm sorry for my lack of blogs lately. Not only has there been very little to report on but I've also been re-watching a lot of the revival in preparation for Christmas Day's big offering. So this post it a collection of some of the Who-y things I've been musing upon. Things like MY HOUSE; spotted on The Idiot's Lantern. And the fact that I've just realised how brave the opening episode of the 2005 series, "Rose", actually IS!

Firstly, though, did you all see this in the papers/online? The TARDIS has been photographed on top of Caerphilly Castle (pictured) all lit up and looking pretty magnificent! Of course, because all Who fans are basically conspiracy mad snoops, we all thought it may have something to do with actual filming. The fact that Tennant hasn't filmed in his TARDIS for months. And as we all know, the TARDIS pictured is the 'old' one. even got a text from my mother saying (and I quote) "2 things. first mike [her friend] has sfx mags for you if you want them or he'll throw them out. and the tardis is on top of the castle in caer. do you know about this?" I do love my Mum, she tries... She even told me that if I took my girlfriend home for Christmas Dinner this year my Mum would "make sure everyone is quiet for Doctor Who". Bless 'er.

In other news, there have been some cool little clips released this week too. To go with the beautiful Christmas Idents we have clips of Wilf entering into the TARDIS for the first time (which offers the best "reaction to the TARDIS" ever, in my opinion), a clip of Minnie (June Whitfield) and her gang as they appear in The End Of Time (complete with Doctor's Arse Pinching) and a GREAT little video of Tennant singing and dancing with the Proclaimers, presumably taken when they were shooting that video for RTD. You know, the one where the still of Tennant, Simm and Dalton in costume comes from. Anyway, I've linked all the videos here, here (lovely little mention of Netty in that, for all you Beautiful Chaos fans) and here. So take a look-see. Also, I'd love to know what you think! PLEASE comment. I know the blog only gets a few hits a day, but the opinions of those "hitters" are valued. :)

Coming soon to Sol 3 (this blog, that is...), Donna Noble - The Most Important Woman In All Creation, The Tenth Doctor: RIP, new polls every saturday and MUCH more Who related stuff. If you have any suggestions as to what you'd like to see, or what you think I should be doing more of, then please comment! Alternatively, email me through my profile (although commenting is EXACTLY the same thing) or send me a Tweet @gabundy. Let me know it's about this blog by tagging it #sol3. Thanks.

And now, I think, more digging for Doctor Who gold. Catch you all soooooon!

Oh My God, We're Gonna Be Busy Whovians This Christmas!

2009-12-05T21:09:00.005Z

So, as if two almost-feature-length Christmas/New Year Specials aren't enough to keep us going this Christmas, as if the cute Doctor Who BBC ONE idents aren't enough to warm your festive cockles, the "television" seems to be throwing Who stuff our way left, right and centre!

With huge, HUGE thanks to The Doctor Who News Page (@doctor_who_news) and all those who have contributed so much of their time in compiling exhausting lists and schedules for us, we are lucky enough to have (basically) a WHOLE MONTH of Who related programming across TV and Radio.

Below you will find the full breakdown of what's in store for us this Christmas. If you have a job; quit it. If you have a girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife; leave them. If you have not paid your television license; go to a friend's house. Because we, as fans, are in for the most action-packed Who-letide (like Yuletide, geddit?) ever! And it all starts VERY SOON!

The Graham Norton Show (appearance by Catherine Tate)
Monday 7th December - 10.35-11.20pm BBC ONE

Chain Reaction (repeat, David Tennant interviews Richard Wilson)
Thursday 10th December - 11.00-11.30pm BBC RADIO 4

Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf - part one (repeat)
Friday 11th December - 5.30-6.00pm BBC SEVEN

Shelved (documentary on abandoned programmes, including Shada)
Saturday 12th December - 10.30-11.00am BBC RADIO 4

An Hour With Jon Pertwee (repeat)
Saturday 12th December - 5.00-6.00pm BBC SEVEN

Doctor Who - Dreamland (repeat)
Saturday 12th December - 5.15-6.00pm CBBC

Blue Peter
Tuesday 15th December - 4.35-5.00 BBC ONE

Never Mind The Buzzcocks – Doctor Who Special (Tennant hosts, Cribbins and Tate guest)
Wednesday 16th December – 10.00-10.30pm BBC TWO

Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf - part two (repeat)
Friday 18th December - 5.30-6.00pm BBC SEVEN

Doctor Who - The Infinite Quest (repeat)
Saturday 19th December - 10.00-10.45am BBC TWO

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Monday 21st December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

The Graham Norton Show - Best Of
Monday 21st December - 10.35-11.20pm BBC ONE

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Tuesday 22nd December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Doctor Who – The Next Doctor (repeat)
Tuesday 22nd December – 7.00-8.00pm BBC THREE

Never Mind The Buzzcocks – Doctor Who Special (repeat)
Tuesday 22nd December – 9.30-10.00pm BBC TWO

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Wednesday 23rd December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Doctor Who – Planet of the Dead (repeat)
Wednesday 23rd December – 7.00-8.00pm BBC THREE

Tennant interview on GMTV
Thursday 24th December – 6.00-9.25am ITV 1

Doctor Who – Dreamland (repeat)
Thursday 24th December – 9.30-10.15am BBC ONE

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Thursday 24th December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Doctor Who – The Waters of Mars (repeat)
Thursday 24th December – 7.00-8.00pm BBC THREE

QI (David Tennant panellist)
Thursday 24th December – 10.00-10.30pm BBC ONE

The Sarah Jane Adventures - The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith (repeat)
Friday 25th December - 11.15-12.10 BBC ONE

Doctor Who – The End Of Time, Part One
Friday 25th December - 6.00-7.00pm BBC ONE + BBC HD

Doctor Who Confidential – Lords and Masters
Friday 25th December – 7.00-8.00pm BBC THREE

Catherine Tate – Nan's Christmas Carol (David Tennant appearance)
Friday 25th December - 10.30-11.20pm BBC ONE + HD

David Tennant and Catherine Tate (sitting in for Jonathan Ross)
Saturday 26th December - 10.00am-1.00pm BBC RADIO 2

Hamlet (David Tennant stars)
Saturday 26th December - 5.05-8.10pm BBC TWO

Desert Island Discs (David Tennant)
Sunday 27th December - 11.15-12.00am BBC RADIO 4

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Sunday 27th December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Hamlet (repeat)
Sunday 27th December - 4.45-7.45pm BBC HD

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Monday 28th December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Who On Who? (David Tennant interviews RTD)
Tuesday 29th December - 5.00-6.00pm BBC RADIO 2

Bedtime Stories (DT reading)
Tuesday 29th December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Alan Carr: Chatty Man (David Tennant and Catherine Tate guests)
Tuesday 29th December - 10.20-11.20pm CHANNEL 4

QI XL (extended repeat, Tennant as panellist)
Tuesday 29th December - 10.55-11.40pm BBC TWO

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Wednesday 30th December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Bedtime Stories (David Tennant reading)
Thursday 31st December - 6.50-7.00pm CBEEBIES

Doctor Who at the Proms (repeat)
Thursday 31st December - 2.00-3.00pm BBC HD

Alan Carr: Chatty Man (repeat)
Thursday 31st December - 10.00-11.00pm E4
Thursday 31st December - 10.45pm-12.45am CHANNEL 4

Doctor Who – The End Of Time, Part One (repeat)
Friday 1 January - 12.55-1.55pm BBC ONE (+ BBC HD?)

Doctor Who – The End Of Time, Part Two
Friday 1 January - 6.40-7.55pm BBC ONE + BBC HD

Christmas IS Doctor Who

2009-12-04T19:53:00.009Z

Wow! I think this last 24 hours has been the most forthcoming we have had in terms of information, videos and pictures relating to The End Of Time. We've seen Christmas BBC One Idents, new trails for the Christmas Special and a picture of the beautiful, wonderful Vinvocci (pictured).

We've had more clues than we've ever had about what the Master - and the enigmatic Joshua Naismith - may be up to this Christmas! There are a few different sources for all this Doctor Who Gold, so instead of reproducing and crediting each source on here, I've put a list of links below for you... I hope you all enjoy as much as I did! Roll on bloody Christmas! I cannot wait to see that the hell Russell has in store for us. Personally, I love what we've got.

The Christmas BBC One idents are joyous and the perfect balance to an otherwise dark and brooding Doctor Who Christmas. The trailer from the BBC is thrilling and shows us more of that oddly electronic Master. The 10 photos from Digital Spy are amazing!

I'll let you take a look yourself. For the record, these are not exclusives by me, but by the wondrous people who get there first. You can ignore the Gruffalo trailer at the beginning of the new End Of Time one. Or not, it looks cute too and has James Corden in it by the sounds of things!

Links:

The End Of Time Trailer
BBC One Christmas Ident
Digital Spy Photo Set

The End Of Time, Scheduling Change?

2009-12-02T16:06:00.004Z

Yesterday, Digital Spy reported that the transmission time for The End Of Time over Christmas and New Year's had changed. Previously it was reported that the first part would air at 7.30pm on Christmas Day.

That has apparently been changed to 6pm Christmas Day instead, running for one hour.

I'm not reporting on the air-time of the second part, it's all bound to change again soon. You know how it is! I've altered the countdown, up there, based on the new transmission times and I promise to keep you up to date with any changes or breaking news as soon as I hear about it.

Also, while we're on the subject of Christmas TV, I was also very angry to see that that Christmas Movie Favourite "To Be Confirmed" is on EVERY BLOODY CHANNEL, SO MANY TIMES over Christmas, according to the TV guide. Bah, humbug!

The Many Faces Of The Master

2009-12-01T17:41:00.008Z

Gallifrey. Before 1963 (or whatever). Another Gallifreyan attends the Time Lord Academy with the Doctor.

Once friends, now mortal enemies - but with a lasting, grudging respect for each other. The Master took a vastly differing path than that of the Doctor. Heading out into the universe, not to save worlds, but to conquer them. Running from his own people the Master's main goal in life(s) is to never die. Onscreen, the Master has always been suave and cunning and charming. He always has a plan, always has a secret. And, until recently, he always had a sinister goatee beard. One of the Doctor's most successful and best loved adversaries made his first appearance in Terror Of The Autons in January 1971. Playing the 'Moriarty' to the Doctor's Holmes, the Master was immediately effective and incredibly well matched with the Doctor. Played with oozing smarm and sizzling malice by Roger Delgado, the Master was behind most of the troubles faced by Third Doctor Jon Pertwee. Delgado held the role until his tragic death in 1973. At this stage the popularity he'd gained was massive. With no actor to play the role the production team decided to rest the character...

The Master returned in the Fourth Doctor story The Deadly Assassin in 1976. Skulking in the shadows below the Gallifreyan Citadel, nearing the end of his last regeneration, the emaciated form of the Master was nothing like his usually suited and preened self! Decaying and shrouded in a dark cloak it was the turn of Peter Pratt to make the Master sinister and threatening. Directing an assassination from the wings the Master cut a pretty scary figure, far more desperate than we've ever seen him before! Alas, he escapes once again (of COURSE he does) although he doesn't manage to gain the extra life he so fervently sought! And we got to see this ghostly Master once again, hiding inside his TARDIS (disguised as an evil, but stationary, statue) in The Keeper Of Traken, again against Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor, but this time played by Geoffrey Beevers. This time, however, he succeeded in gaining some sort of life by taking over the body of Trakenite Tremas (father of companion Nyssa). This led to the second wave of Master plots, this time with Anthony Ainley in the black velvet. And he was to play the role until the shows cancellation in 1989. More pantomime villain than any of his predecessors, Ainley was still magnificently successful and became THE Master to many of Who's younger fans, as Tom Baker had become THE Doctor.

But, as I mentioned, Doctor Who was cancelled and the Master was not to be seen again until the 1996 TV Movie, where he was played (somewhat uncharacteristically) by Eric Roberts, with an American accent! Yet again, the result of the battle with the Doctor was defeat, this time final. And then, during the Time War that took part before the 2005 series the Time Lords resurrected the Master, thinking he would be "the ultimate soldier". However, the cowardly Master ran. Hiding himself in human form (the form of Sir Derek Jacobi to be precise) at the very end of the universe, it was just his bloody luck to run into the Doctor one more time. Killed by his assistant, the Malmooth Chantho ("...an insect. A girl!") he was able (thanks to the Time Lords) to regenerate again, this time into John Simm!

Younger, louder and far more "in touch" than any of his previous incarnations, the Master stole the Doctor's TARDIS, travelled to the Twenty First century and became Prime Minister of Great Britain. Using his power to summon an alien race and take over the world, he had is largest success to date, controlling the planet for a whole year before a plan hatched between Martha and the Doctor toppled his evil dreams once again. On capture, with nowhere too go, he was shot by his "wife" Lucy Saxon, and refused to regenerate, dying in the Doctor's arms. His body was cremated on a pyre and his story came to an end for good. NOT! Somebody has his ring, picked from his ashes. And we have already been told that he will return this Christmas.

Gone are the suits and style of previous regenerations, replaced instead with bleached hair, stubble and a black hoodie. His plans are set to turn the world on it's head. But, unfortunately, that is all we know. Whatever happens, Christmas is going to be AMAZING! Not long to wait now, keep following the countdown above.

And while you're doing that, why not take a look at this marvelous video, created by the one and only Amy Genders (@kolosigma/8Bulletproof8)

Doctor Who Advent(ure) Calendar Returns

2009-11-30T21:53:00.004Z

It's back! The highlight of the BBC Doctor Who site over the festive period, The Adventure Calendar, returns tomorrow. Every day in December a window will be opened and us, the fans, will get a little Doctor Who treat! You can keep up to date with what's on offer - be it pictures, audio clips, behind the scenes videos or interviews, by clicking THIS LINK HERE!

AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! HO HO HO!

Doctor Who 2010 Filming Update

2009-11-30T18:32:00.009Z

Never let it be said that Doctor Who fans are lazy and don't go to extreme lengths for their spoilers! When the cast and crew of Doctor Who headed to Croatia to film the latest Pseudo-historical story, featuring Van Gogh and a "yellow alien", I don't think any of us would have been disappointed if we didn't get to see any filming. Nobody complains when there filming happens in places that are unaccessable. Nobdody moans when we simply don't know where filming is happening. And nobody can be expected to go all the way to another country to (hopefully) catch a climpse of the team at work.

But, as you can see, luckily for us, some Doctor Who fans are basically the geek equivolent of Solid Snake. Like a nerdy Ray Mears (with less visable scrotum) fans have sought out the picturesque setting for what looks to be series 5's most ambitious shoot yet. As the photographs (stolen, with love, from this website, scroll down the page, they have more pics than I do here...) show, a large scale shoot, with scenes reminiscent of The Shakespeare Code - only better looking in my opinion - was undertaken.

And, by the looks of things, Arthur Darvill's "Rory" seems to have hitched a ride into the past with the Doctor and Amy, adding to the theory that he is the second companion to travel with Matt Smith's Time Lord. Series 5 is shaping up nicely now. We know a fair bit about a good few of the episodes despite Steven Moffat's apparent "War On Spoilers". These photos are an astounding 'Fans 1 - 0 Moffat' I'm not sure, though, just how Amy's lovely fishnet tights and boots will go down with the locals! I guess we'll just have to wait to find out! The bad news is (and I never thought I'd say THIS) we have to wait for that Tennant chap to get out of the picture first!

Oh, this is just not FAIR!!! Is it next year yet?

Wilfred Mott - The Most Faithful Companion?

2009-11-29T19:07:00.009Z

Once upon a Christmas, the Doctor was teleported to Earth on Christmas Eve and something was wrong. Everyone was gone... Well, almost everyone. The Queen had stayed behind, not allowing herself to be cared by the threat of alien happenings on Christmas - AGAIN! And someone else was hanging around London too, holding vigil with Her Majesty.

Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins) was out too, in his booth, selling papers. With an unnaturally inquisitive mind when it came to all things extra terrestrial, Wilfred Mott was left speechless and wondering "how" when he witnessed the Doctor (David Tennant) and Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue) teleported away to the SS Titanic in front of his very eyes. And that, in most people's lives, would be all an encounter with the Doctor would be. But Wilf isn't just any nice old man... The Doctor would forever be linked to Wilf by family. Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), the Doctor's feisty companion (who he met not only once, but TWICE) was Wilf's granddaughter. Of course, neither Wilf nor the Doctor knew this until much later into Donna's adventures! And, through the intervention of Dalek Caan, the fate of all three would be cemented together. Unfortunately, their time together would not have a happy ending!

When Donna absorbed the Doctor's mind during the metacrisis in Journey's End the Doctor had no option but to wipe her mind of all traces of him and her adventures with him. The speed and care that the Doctor took in taking Donna home, to the Chiswick home she shares with her Mother, Sylvia, and her Gramps, connected Wilf and the Doctor forever. Two wise, knowledgeable old men taking on the world together. There is mutual respect there. The Doctor trusts Wilf. He charges him with the task of making sure Donna never remembers her time in the TARDIS. And Wilf promises not forget the Doctor and to think of him whenever he sees the stars.

Sadly, the Doctor and Wilf's paths are to cross sooner - and in much worse circumstances - than either of them thought. This year, on Christmas Day, the Doctor will call on Wilf, reluctantly, to help him defeat the threat posed by the return of his most feared adversary, the Master. And if rumours circulating at the moment (about a gift given to Cribbins on his last day of filming) are to be believed, it may be the last great adventure Wilf gets to have. The Doctor must die, we know this, but as Caan prophesised in Journey's End "Death will come to the most faithful companion" and, unfortunately, "one must still die!"...

Doctor Who Scheduling Confirmed By BBC

2009-11-28T15:40:00.004Z

So, after months and months of waiting and wondering just how the BBC will decide to show the two parts of David Tennant's epic finale The End Of Time, we finally have an answer! Some of you will be happy, most of you will go "Oh, I thought we knew this" and a few of you will complain that you have to wait too long between parts one and two...

But, confirmed it has been!

The End Of Time, Part One will air on December 25th (Christmas Day) from 7.30pm - 8.30pm. A healthy time if you ask me!

The End Of Time, Part Two will be shown on January 1st (New Year's Day) from 7.30pm - 8.45pm. A whole 75 minutes!!

NOW, on hearing this confirmed officially, the excitement can start. As you may have noticed I have already added a countdown to the first part above. And one more great thing to come out of this; David Tennant will officially be the Doctor from Christmas Day 2005 - New Year's Day 2010. That's great! Five years (don't be picky) of Tennant has been great. Now, when he goes, I'll be looking forward to at least five years of Matt Smith. Oh, and he's gonna be good!

Doctor Who: Dreamland, Episode Six

2009-11-26T16:51:00.005Z

Well folks, this is it. The last episode of Dreamland has arrived. Mrs Grey and the Doctor are rushing to get the genetic weapon back to Mr Grey. Cassie and 'Steppenwolf' are speeding toward a sticky encounter with a Viperox army and Lord Azlok ain't giving up until he's wiped the Greys out of the Universe. I loved this last installment. Full to bursting of lovely little Whoisms and a couple of beautifully animated 'Flying Saucers', the Doctor (obviously) saves the day and finally gets the chance to eat! He's gone off the chili though, not surprisingly. A real war rages in the skies, helicopters vs. Viperox, but Rivesh Mantilax (Mr Grey) is saved just in time. Oh, go and watch it... I'm not doing it justice. My only complaint is that this wasn't the same length as Episode One. At 7 minutes this does suffer a little from dues ex machina syndrome a bit. But never let it be said, with a sound system like that, that the TARDIS is a bad place for a party.

One thing we now have to accept though people. As greatly enjoyable as this series was, it is the LAST time we will see Ten in his blue suit and the last Doctor Who until The End Of Time on Christmas Day. Scary, huh? And THAT will be the beginning of the end for Tennant. As Azlok mentions to him, before being sent packing by the wonders of sonic technology, "Your day will come, Doctor!"... "Yeah, so they say" replied the Doctor, carelessly. All I hope, with all my heart, is that this "cartoon Doctor Who" thing is done again, with Matt Smith as the Doctor. And you know what? I'm even going to say this; use the same animation style. It certainly wasn't as bad as we all thought it would be and, to be honest with you, I kinda fell in love with it by the end.

Don't miss Dreamland, broadcast as a 45 minute animated stand-alone on December 5th (10am) on BBC2 and the CBBC Channel. I'll be there, watching along again. And I think it'll benefit from being screened all together. BBC2. Dec 5th. 10:00am.

Now, what the hell am I going to write about for the next few weeks?

Doctor Who: Dreamland, Episode Five

2009-11-25T16:20:00.005Z

So! Episode five starts a few moments after Lord Azlok vowed to turn America "to dust beneath our feet!" and flew into the sunset, cackling. During the struggle, poor Mr Grey got caught up in the scuffle and lies dying on the steel floor of Lab 51. You know I love this series to bits, but today I'm going to talk about something that does bother me a bit. Firstly, though, what happens in Episode five? Well, claiming that she can save her husband's life, with an artifact from her ship, Mrs Grey (I'm not even going to bother writing her real name in, like) asks to be lead to it. So, while she and the Doctor trek into the bowels of Area 51's vault together Cassie and Chief Running Sore (or whoever) are sent to recover the TARDIS from the roadside. However, Lord Azlok has requested reinforcements from the Viperox Queen and gets them!

As the sun sets over Nevada the deadly Viperox Hoards surface (in a stunningly exciting sequence worthy of praise here) and cause untold damage to nearby villages. The Viperox invasion has started, and it's up to the Doctor (stuck in a box) to escape the (somewhat shoehorned in) hungry Skorpius Flies and get Mrs Grey back to her husband. But will Cassie and Mr Shitting Bull succeed in escaping the Viperox and getting the TARDIS back to base? Tune in tomorrow folks, etc. And now, the catch. I've ignored this so far, it hasn't been too much of a bother to me - until now. During the chase in the vault, the Doctor and Mrs Grey escape to the wonderful tune of The UNIT Theme. WHY?! IT DOESN'T FIT!!! But that's all I can find fault with... Oh, and the fact that Tennant's thumb looks like a willy at the 5.10 - 5.25 mark. But that's funny!

This makes me sad to say:

CHECK BACK HERE TOMORROW FOR MY TAKE ON THE FINAL PART OF DREAMLAND. Im'a miss it, that fow daaaaamn SURE!

Doctor Who: Dreamland, Episode Four

2009-11-24T16:16:00.004Z

When we last left the Doctor and his faithful yankpanions, he was trying to uncover the secrets of the alliance between Colonel Stark and the vicious Viperox. It seemed that maybe the lovable Grey aliens weren't as harmless as they appeared. Could it be that the Viperox hoards are the good guys here? Well, episode four held the answers! I've given up on trying to avoid spoilers here, you know the score. Go watch the bloody episode first. Bloody brilliant episode it is, too. The answer, then, to that question about the Viperox, is no. They are not nice aliens. They are chasing a weapon which could be used against them in the war with the Greys, remember the space-junk in the diner? Yeah, that. And Colonel Stark and the US Army are looking to use it for themselves, to rid the world of "The Reds", yep. RUSSIA! Fear of nuclear war is inspiring Stark to get rid of the enemy using an alien bio-weapon created by the Greys. NOT A GOOD IDEA because, as the Doctor knows, the cold war is... well, cold. Nobody shoots, nobody wipes anyone out.

So the Doctor steals the weapon, heads to the roof and is chased by Stark, who explains a bit about the plan, about what the deal is... But when the ever knowing Doctor explains that the Viperox are cunts (I'm paraphrasing here), Colonel Stark decides to act with him. But is it too late?! I can't give this series enough praise. It's going to be brilliant seeing it as a 45 minute stand-alone. I can't wait for it to be shown on December 5th, 5pm on CBBC Channel and BBC Two. It has everything! Suspense, fear, humour, bad-ass aliens, good-ass aliens, a companion apparently dressed in the get-up of The Fifth Doctor (see the link there, fact fans?)

Guh! I'd love to know what you lot think about it... Really! So comment below, and VOTE IN THE POLL IN THE SIDE BAR TO THE LEFT! <-----

Roll on tomorrow, for I think the game just got hot! Can the Doctor save the world? Yep, but it's gonna be worth watching anyway! :)

Doctor Who: Dreamland, Episode Three

2009-11-23T16:31:00.006Z

So, despite all the apprehension I was feeling about this mini-series, based on bad animation and an idea that has been done to death, I have to admit that Dreamland could possibly be the one thing we should have had in the so-called Gap Year. Not only does it have a killer alien race, a pair of fun companions and a nice little conspiracy feel, it also has some really touching, funny little moments that out-do (in my humble opinion) some of the emotion in Doctor Who Proper. Today, part three offered up a thrilling chase through abandoned mine shafts, an encounter with robot-alien-cleaner-uppers/Men In Black and another lovely little cliffhanger.

Granted, the cliffhangers are on a par with "Sarah Jane falling down the hill" in The Five Doctors (episodically broadcast version) when it comes to the threat level how they are solved, but knowing we only have to wait one day for the resolution means we don't mind so much, right? So... little time is given to us to debate and speculate about what Colonel Stark meant by "You've just helped me save the world!" prompting the Doctor to worry that, for the first time in 900 years, this is 'bad news'. Also, without spoiling too much for you (remember, I'm trying to do this spoiler free. And failing, evidently) if you like traditional looking "Grey" aliens, then this episode is for you.

I love this series. I'm having a hard time not squeeing like a fan girl over it too because Area 51 has always been of interest to me. I have to give this episode top marks once again, and I didn't even notice the animation flaws today which means the story is doing it's job.

Doctor Who: Dreamland, Episode Two

2009-11-22T17:04:00.007Z

Oh wow! So, episode two of Dreamland was released on the BBC Doctor Who site today, the next installment of the Doctor's new animated adventure. And fair play to the writers! What a fun, action packed little series this is turning out to be! STILL the animation is "unfamiliar" but I think that's all it is, it's not really as bad as we first thought. Once you get into the story (which is pretty good, actually) you find yourself overlooking the computer game graphics. As @ahremsee mentioned on Twitter today, Dreamland is like "an audio play with pictures". It's lovely. It's funny. It has one hell of a nasty alien! Menacing, intelligent and genuinely scary, the Doctor has rarely encountered such a beast.

The Viperox, a battle-savvy race of green insectoid monsters, are awesome! Given the right design they could work very well in Doctor Who Proper. They've arrived on our planet with a purpose, but that seems not to be invasion. "We seek an enemy of our kind" hisses the Uber-super-duper-Viperox Prince or whatever... but we don't yet know who or what! and this episode, like the last one, has a snappy little cliffhanger ending too... I promised myself not to post spoilers of any of this series, so all I'll say is this; NEST. Who'd have thought that such a quaint little red-button experiment like this would turn out to be so enjoyable! Especially after all the bad comments it's received from us lot.

I can't recommend this enough, click the BBC link above, watch it in order, and hurry back here after school tomorrow (snarf snarf) for Part Three.

Doctor Who: Dreamland, Episode One

2009-11-21T16:59:00.006Z

Today saw the release of the most recent Doctor Who project, Dreamland, on the BBC Red Button service. A story in six animated parts, a pre-released clip from Dreamland divided fandom into two groups; those who hate the shitty animation and refuse to watch and those who hate the shitty animation but will watch anyway. I was always part of the latter (more loyal) fan-group. However, I take back my harsh comments about the shitty animation. It's not actually all that bad. It's nice, in fact. This is bound to be a colourful romp through Area 51 - that's fine by me!

It seems that David Tennant's final story will be dark, brooding and serious. And sad! So a nice, jolly dash through the sands of Nevada will be welcomed by many!

The story seems straight-forward enough so far. The Doctor visits a Nevada diner 11 years after the Roswell crash and notices that an alien artifact is being displayed as a piece of the damaged ship. Some Men In Black turn up, then a big green alien, then the army. General Stark decides to wipe the minds of the Doctor and his new "companions" but the Doctor is too good for them and decides instead to escape and explore... There is a twist, so click here to watch for yourself. Then again, the photo to the right kind of spoils it. But hey, it's still fun. Georgia Moffett's (previously the Doctor's daughter, Jenny - now Cassie Rice) accent is terrible but that's okay too. All in all, this is a very welcome little treat to help shorten the wait between now and Christmas.

Don't expect a masterpiece of dramatic story telling and you won't be disappointed, because Dreamland is lovely. Even if the music overpowers the action on occasions, but we're used to that now!

I can't wait for Episode Two now! Roll on 4pm tomorrow!

The Doctor Is A Dick!

2009-11-21T02:22:00.002Z

So, the sneaky peek of the Christmas Special "The End Of Time Part One" was shown earlier on BBC1 as part of their Children In Need appeal. And Oh Boy, what a preview!

The Doctor we know and love has been replaced by a defiant, arrogant, foolish child (in a good way) and it seems that he's not going to take his death lying down!

This is brilliant! Like a stroppy teenager avoiding doing the dishes, only on a cosmic scale, the Doctor refuses to play to the inevitable choosing instead to run from his death and act as though that dark shadow is NOT chasing him around.

Then, Elder-Ood sits with him, shows him the prophetic dreams he's been having and BANG! Doctor Prick comes back down to Earth with a bump. And quite right too... We can't have this Time Lord Victorious bobbing about the Universe defying the Laws of Time all over the shop! That's just not on.

This Christmas/New Year promises to be the most exciting any Who fan has experienced since they released those Tom Baker underpants in the 70's. And I can't wait!

Fanvids don't get better than this...

2009-11-20T08:33:00.003Z

This is simply a Masterpiece.

If you haven't seen The Wheel In Space or 2001 then this may confuse you. But it's worth watching simply for the character renderings! THIS is how Dreamland should look, not like the Wii graphics they're throwing at us today!

And the there's this (which made my morning!) from 1 year ago:

Credit goes entirely to TardisTimegirl. Thanks so much for this beautiful little treat.

The Doctor Still Learning Those Lines

2009-11-18T09:51:00.004Z

Here's another lovely little clip of Matt Smith "getting into the zone" while filming the rumoured Silurian two-parter in a Cardiff graveyard. He IS going to be great! I think we are in for a treat come 2010!

Thanks to catalistt for the video!

The Waters Of Mars - My Thoughts

2009-11-17T22:21:00.006Z

I promised you a review, here it is. Of sorts.

There are, in my opinion, three types of Doctor Who episodes. There are the fun, camp romps (like Planet Of The Dead or Love And Monsters), there are the standard story arc builders (that push the series to its finale) and then there are those rare occasions where we get something VERY special.

The Waters Of Mars fits squarely, and maybe even perfectly, into this category.

It was epic. It provided everything Doctor Who should be. Well, that's not quite true. It was a little too grown up. Let's not forget that the show has always been aimed at an audience of 5 - 12 year olds. They want farting aliens, spikey midgets and Peter Kay in a naked fat suit. Even if we (the grown up nerd patrol, sorry... Old Series Fans) don't. What we got in The Waters Of Mars was death, destruction, hopelessness, rule breaking, the turning of our hero to villain, arrogance, irresponsibility and a suicide. It sounds like a depressing Richard Curtis title.

But it worked! It was amazing! A few things in this episode blew me away! I gulp up the spoilers and set reports on sites like Gallifrey Base, I thrive on knowing what happens and even I was shocked with the way some of it played out.

Firstly, the idea that the Doctor has to walk away from the happenings on Bowie Base One. The deaths there must always happen, for the future of the human race! Not a nice thought. And something that an audience of children would have mixed feelings about. They know the Doctor can't change evens. That's wrong. They also know, however, that he is there to help people, it's why he travels! And if that wasn't conflicting enough for the poor kiddy winks the Doctor then (after walking away, finally) changes his mind, becomes arrogant and develops a kind of God Complex - he become a Doctor that many children won't like! Many children may even be scared of him! This is dangerous territory for Doctor Who.

And then, after cheating time and breaking all the rules the Doctor has spent years ramming down children's throats, he fails. Adelaide kills herself anyway, he saved them all and fucked up time FOR NOTHING. WELL, not for nothing - it was all to bring about the ominous hints of death.

And it works. We have NEVER seen the Doctor like this. I walked away from this episode loving it, but HATING the Doctor! It was genius!! This really is the end for Ten isn't it? Only after seeing this has it hit me! I'm really going to miss him! Roll on Christmas/New Year 2009...

EDIT - I have now tried TWICE to review the and both attempts have turned out rubbish. And I can write! BUT I just cannot find the words to put across my thoughts on this episode... other than saying I FUCKING LOVED IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

BEST. EVER. NEW. WHO. EPISODE. (SO FAR).

A Time Lord Victorious! WoM summary

2009-11-16T21:15:00.014Z

So after months of waiting and weeks of discussion The Waters Of Mars was finally transmitted last night on BBC1. And, luckily for so many of us, it did not disappoint at all! In fact, it may possibly have been the most rounded, interesting, absorbing hour of Doctor Who we have been treated to since its Resurrection in 2005. Never has a simple Base Under Siege story been so... well, complex!

The following review contains episode spoilers. If you haven't watched The Water Of Mars yet, click here first.

Mars. November 21st, 2059. Captain Adelaide Brooke and her crew are the first people to found a base on the Red Planet. Our dear Doctor arrives on the very same day, just sightseeing. But on meeting the crew of Bowie Base One (nice, eh?) he remembers that the members of it's crew are not famous just for being the first to Mars. Something else happens today, something that MUST always happen to assure the progression of the human race. Bowie Base One and all of it's crew are doomed. An interesting idea. Like the Pompeii episode of Series 4 The Waters Of Mars deals with those times in history that MUST BE. Fixed points in time. Only, this history hasn't happened for us yet. And it is within this "fixed point" that the drama lies. True, there are some nasty monsters... There's something in the water which infects the humans with only one drop. They go from mild mannered Mars-Gardeners to viscous, water-spewing zombies within seconds of contact with the water. This was how the threat factor of the episode was sold to us. Scary, ugly monsters on Mars. And they were. Scary I mean, very scary. But this wasn't the threat!

You see, the Doctor has always been one for saving things. People, planets, it's what he does. So when faced with a situation that doesn't allow for his meddling - whether saving lives or not - he's faced with a dilemma he rarely has to think about. Adelaide Brooke MUST die. Her death is what inspires her granddaughter to follow in Nana's footsteps and explore the heavens. Susie Fontana Brooke is the one who will lead humanity into the stars. She even, we are told in a throwaway line, creates a whole new species by falling in love and having children with an alien prince. Humanity needs her. And she needs Adelaide. Unfortunately, it's her death that's the clincher here.

So, the Doctor is stuck. He has all these people in front of him, people he knows will die. But he cannot do anything about it for fear of breaking the laws of time and changing future history! What to do, what to do? And the Doctor does the only thing he believes he can do. He walks away.

Que some running down corridors, avoiding water and trying not to get infected while at the same time trying to evacuate the base! If one drop of this infected water reaches Earth, that's it. The End. So... evacuation is the chosen option. But time has other ideas. A series of unfortunate events - the infection/death of a few more crew members (beautifully acted by a stellar cast) and the loss of the rocket that was to take them home (in one of the grandest shots ever to grace out screens... Seeing a suited Doctor blown forward by the destruction he has decided to leave behind him is beautiful) means that the fate of the base and it's crew is sealed. They are stuck. Only one option remains, detonation.

And this takes us up to the most thought-provoking scenes in Doctor Who's history, in my opinion. Bigger even than the "have I the right" bit in Genesis of the Daleks, the Doctor has to decide whether to let innocents die knowing he can save them so easily. A dilemma shared by us watching at home. We all know what the Doctor is about. He's a superhero, basically, who travels the universe saving people and planets. He is morally solid. Always a role model and never seen to be troubled by this role. He helps. He makes people better. He is The Doctor. The Last Of The Time Lords...

...And it is remembering these words that we see him change. Our Doctor - Our Doctor - changes completely. The realisation that he is the last Time Lord hits him and the next fifteen minutes of the episode are where The Waters Of Mars becomes REALLY scary. How are children meant to react when they see a situation like this? They know he should save the crew. But they have also been told, by Their Doctor, that he cannot. And now? He decided that the laws of time are his "and they will obey me!"

Suddenly we see the Doctor proclaim himself not as the only survivor of the Time War, but the WINNER! And this is very true! He is the last Time Lord in existence and has the power to change events! He can do literally whatever he wants to do. There are no Time Lords and, now, no companions to stop him! And it is with this new found lunacy, filled with this God Complex, that the Doctor (using the most annoying Robot in television history, in a good way) uses his TARDIS to take the three last survivors, including Adelaide, back to Earth. He saves those who should never have been saved.

So, away from the threat of the Flood (as the water zombies are so-called) and in a snowy street the Doctor does things that, for me anyway, cement him as a prick. The Doctor has become arrogant, all-powerful and irresponsible. Adelaide tells him this, warning him that he can't do this, that this is just too much power for anyone! To which the Doctor spits "Tough!") His words to the frightened, damaged humans he has just wrongly saved are "Isn't anyone going to thank me?!" (WHAT?! WHEN DOES THE DOCTOR EVER ASK FOR THANKS?!) He refers to Adelaide as the most important person he has ever saved, adding that he has saved others before but they were just "little people"!

But pride comes before a (fucking massive) fall. Adelaide knows the risks of her being alive and decided to do something about it. She enters her house and kills herself. She is the hero here, the Doctor is the villain! Eventually realising he has gone too far, that all his efforts have resulted in death anyway, the Doctor turns to see Ood Sigma, in the snow, "Is this it, my death? Is it time!?" asks the Doctor...

...And as we all know, the next special The End Of Time (trailer below) answers this question with a massive "YES".

The Waters Of Mars was incredible. A mature, thoughtful, dangerous, heartbreaking lesson in what the Doctor has to face everyday. I enjoyed it greatly. And I plan to post a "proper" review as soon as I can.

NEXT TIME ON DOCTOR WHO! THE END OF TIME!

Doctor Who 2010 Filming Update

2009-11-12T18:44:00.005Z

Well, well, well! After what seems like years (it's not - it's barely weeks) without any filming news at all, this week saw the return of everyone's favourite Time Lord To Be to the streets of Cardiff. Almost.

Scenes shot at night in a Cardiff graveyard have got people talking about the possible return of an old enemy and news from the most recent location, the much-used Temple Of Peace in the city centre, has strengthened these rumours. Maybe even confirmed them to be true?

The following post contains spoilers.
If you don't want to know "the score", look away now!

*** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

We've heard all about the Doctor's supposed post-regenerative food cravings. We've poured over pictures of the delectable Amy Pond dressed as a - ahem! sexy - police officer. We've scratched our heads in the hope of understanding why Matt seems to be talking to CGI dogs! We've heard polite Daleks offering WWII scientists tea. So far 2010's set reports seems to be a big jumbled bag of confusing, yet exciting, snippets of what's to come... And here, my friends, is another!

This is Samantha. Samantha, so we hear from several reliable sources, is playing a "female Silurian. Part of a colony of Silurians who have survived underground by feasting on human corpses". Others like her have been spotted filming at the Temple Of Peace this week too, although with nothing close to this much visibility. Make of her what you will. Some are saying "this doesn't look like a Silurian at all!" but those in the know suggest that the story is deals heavily with global warming and Darwinism, so there is always a possibility of evolution in the alien ranks.

Little more is known about the story. We do know that a possible second companion, "Rory" (played by Arthur Darvill) is accompanying Amy and the Doctor into the near future this time. FYI "Rory" was previously seen on location filming for episode one.

Sci fi legend Ian Levine claims (on the Gallifrey Base forum) that this is Chris Chibnall's 2 part Silurian story, episodes 8 and 9. He has yet to be wrong in his predictions. So take it as read, I think. And a scary little tale it looks too (although another rumour suggests this female Silurian falls in love with the Doctor...)

As always, our intrepid roaming set-reporters have been out in force gathering up all the information they possibly can from hours and hours of hanging around in Cardiff's (torrential) rain to bring us the best spoilers and spotting around. Oh, the joys of living in Cardiff City! This is my favourite Matt/Karen video yet!

If you use Twitter, you should search the #dwsr set report tag for updates, or follow @DrWhoSetReports, @drwhofilming and @drwholocations for the latest news.

Thanks to @alun_vega, @ahremsee and all the other set reporters for their efforts (you know who you are) along with coldkittenanxiety and catalistt for their videos!

And stay tuned, there will be more of this COMING SOON!

Waters Of Mars TX Date Confirmed

2009-10-31T02:35:00.004Z

"State your name, rank and intention!"

"The Doctor. Doctor. uh...Fun."

So, it has been confirmed by Mr. Tennant himself (on GMTV of all places!) that Waters of Mars will be shown on British screens on Sunday 15th November at 7.00pm. Word has it that those overseas will get to see it on 19th December on BBC America.

And judging by early reviews following the screening on 30th October, it's going to be great! It's been described as 'classic Doctor Who' and promises have been made that the Tenth Doctor's last few hours on TV will be the most intense yet. I cannot wait!

New Doctor - New Logo

2009-10-06T20:57:00.004+01:00

So... we have photos of our new companion in a police uniform, our new Doctor in the old Doctor's suit and now - a new Doctor Who logo, complete with "DW Tardis" insignia.

Many are reserving judgement, claiming that the new logo looks too... old. I admit that I too was reserving judgement. But now, I love it! It's new, bold, simple, dramatic and "grown up". And we finally have something described my Moffat as "an irresistible doodle" in the DW Tardis.

Brilliant!

My Oh My Miss Pond, What A Short Skirt!

2009-10-05T19:51:00.008+01:00

This is just one of many photographs of the filming taking place for Doctor Who in Llandaf, Cardiff this week.

The whole place has been transformed into Leadworth Village, apparent home to Karen Gillan's character, Amy.

This photo was taken by @alun_vega, and more are available to view on his photo page (see his Twitter profile for this) and at Gallifrey Base's Set Report threads.

I think it's safe to say that Matt is more than suited to the role to look at and - according to those on set - to listen to also!

I think he will be 'the new Tom Baker' - and MY Doctor. And as for Karen... well... Pffft... I am saying nothing. : )

Doctor Who Fans Decide On Best Ten Stories Ever

2009-09-17T14:41:00.008+01:00

Issue #413 of Doctor Who Magazine went on sale today and in it was the result of a fan vote to find the ten best Doctor Who stories of all time. And this time it doesn't seem to be a Tennant-fest like so many "best story" polls of recent times. Here's the list:

The Caves of Androzani (1984 - Peter Davison)
Blink (2007 - David Tennant)
Genesis of the Daleks (1975 - Tom Baker)
The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977 - Tom Baker)
The Empty Child (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)
Human Nature (2007 - David Tennant)
Pyramids of Mars (1975 - Tom Baker)
City of Death (1979 - Tom Baker)
The Robots of Death (1977 - Tom Baker)
Bad Wolf (2005 - Christopher Eccleston)

The magazine is available with a choice of four covers, corresponding to stories in the list (Pictured). Just so you know, I'm going to get the Eccleston cover. The guy was a great Doctor.

But this got me thinking... I don't agree 100% with this list. In fact there are some amazing stories that have been omitted that should, in my opinion, be very high up! So, I came up with MY PERSONAL TOP TEN DOCTOR WHO STORIES OF ALL TIME!

The Caves of Androzani (Peter Davison)
The Invasion (Patrick Troughton)

Blink (David Tennant)
The Seeds Of Death (Patrick Troughton)
The Sea Devils (Jon Pertwee)
The Talons Of Weng-Chiang (Tom Baker)
42 (David Tennant)
Earthshock (Peter Davison)
Father's Day (Christopher Eccleston)
Doctor Who (Paul McGann)

As always I would be interested to hear your comments, YOUR lists...
Usual methods, comment below or tweet @gabundy.

Thanks :)