Christian Cawley's Blog, page 121

Doctor Who Series 9 Location Shoots & Samuel Anderson’s Return Wish!

Connor Farley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

I’m back for another Series 9 filming update. In this update, we look at the recent filming in Margam Park, Castell Coch, Llanharan and filming in the Marble Hall of the Cardiff Town Hall.

A 2nd photo i had taken with Capaldi pic.twitter.com/Ubl0aesnzd

— steven price (@stevenp30875081) March 21, 2015

First up, Margam Park. This past Friday, Peter Capaldi was seen filming in Margam Park and Castle, more specifically on the staircase of the castle. The South Wales Evening Post managed to get more information of the filming from Whovian and science-fiction fan Steven Price, who was on set during filming. Having met six Doctors previously, including Capaldi himself during the filming of Kill the Moon last year, when Peter went to shake Steven’s hand after filming concluded, it was like old friends reunited. Steven said of the occasion:

“A friend of mine told me the crew was filming because he saw trucks going into Margam Park. I went down there after work on Friday afternoon and found they were also filming Da Vinci’s Demons further down the park. So I hung around, and Peter Capaldi came out and he shook my hand. He was such a friendly guy, and we chatted for a few minutes. He was asking had I seen the eclipse and how good he thought it was.“

As well as meeting Peter for the second time, Steven claimed that he had also seen stunt doubles for Peter and Jenna Coleman on set, but had not yet seen any monsters for the episode.

However, Margam Park was not the only location the Doctor Who team were spotted at this past week. Location filming was also taking place in Castell Coch, where fan Tim James stumbled across filming (which included Capaldi and the TARDIS) while riding his bike behind Castell Coch. This location has been used previously, namely for the filming of the Series 8 episode Robot of Sherwood. Tim’s photos of the set were later posted to Twitter.

Closer pictures of filming behind Castell Coch. #dwsr pic.twitter.com/uWQWX7F00R

— Doctor Who Filming (@DWFilming) March 26, 2015

Llanharan and the Marble Hall within the Cardiff Town Hall were also the settings for Doctor Who filming this week. It is rumoured to be filming for Episode 5 of the upcoming series. However nothing has yet been confirmed. Doctor Who set reporter Robbie Williams snapped four photos of the filming in Llanharan, which was situated in Llanilid Park, a remote location close to Cardiff.

Some Llanharan photos with thanks to Robbie on FB (inc https://t.co/hRuHQlN3fE) pic.twitter.com/ZR3fdv8dtg

— Dr Who Film Spoilers (@drwhofilming) March 24, 2015

One of the photos he posted came with the description:

I know this one is a blur, but the guy on the left is in full modern desert warfare army gear. The guy on the right is in a long thick leather jacket and looks almost Nazi S.S. like. However, this is not confirmed as we were too far away to see any markings on his clothes.

Adrian Robson, another Whovian, took a shot from inside the Marble Hall within Cardiff Town Hall. No other information has been reported at the time of writing.

I think #doctorwho were filming in Marble Hall last night. Look how they covered up the statues! #magicoftelevision pic.twitter.com/solM9OpSWZ

— Adrian Robson (@Adrian1Robson) March 26, 2015

Away from the filming of the upcoming series 9 of Doctor Who, and to Samuel Anderson, who played Danny Pink in the last series of the show. Speaking at the Cardiff Film and Comic Con, Anderson revealed how he’d love to reprise his role as Clara’s love interest in the future. He said:

“I really enjoyed it – I wouldn’t even think twice. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done… I felt like I’d only just got started. Of course, fans of the show will clearly remember the demise of poor Danny Pink – turned into a Cyberman during Missy’s grand plan at the end of Series 8. It was a heart-breaking episode – especially for fans of the Clara/Danny romance. If [Steven Moffat] doesn’t write the Doctor going back in time and changing it, I’m hoping Orson might end up going back in time… you never know in ‘Doctor Who’ – anything could happen.“

He added:

“It was deep on so many levels. It addressed atheism, moralism, so many things… it was huge. From the read-through it was apparent how big it was, and it was quite risky. I think Moffat really pushed the boat out and was rewarded with a brilliant couple of episodes. When I read it, I thought ‘wow’… it’s quite a risky subject with religion and the afterlife, but he stuck to his guns and used his creative rights to go wherever he wanted. He did an excellent job.”

Would you like to see Samuel Anderson return in Doctor Who Series 9? What else are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments.

Keep up to date with the new series details on our dedicated Doctor Who Series 9 page.

The post Doctor Who Series 9 Location Shoots & Samuel Anderson’s Return Wish! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Finish’s Doctor Who Licenced Extended to 2020!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Big Finish Productions has today announced that its licence from BBC Worldwide to make original Doctor Who dramas on audio has been extended until 31st March 2020!

This means another five years of the classic Doctors, companions and enemies, adding to Big Finish’s already unparalleled libary of adventures.

Says executive producer Jason-Haigh Ellery: ‘Last year saw Big Finish celebrate 15 years of producing new Doctor Who audio drama. A fantastic milestone for our company. I am delighted to be able to announce that our license has now been extended to 31st March 2020. We are very much looking forward to producing at least another five years of adventures with the Doctor and his companions, as we help them fight Daleks, Cybermen and Voord across the Universe!’

Executive producer Nicholas Briggs adds: ‘Working with the Big Finish team on the BBC’s and our beloved Doctor Who is a true privilege. We’re so glad to be continuing the adventure well past the 15 year landmark.’

Meanwhile, David Richardson has revealed a little about what is coming up. ‘We’re already underway, planning Doctor Who stories into 2017 and 2018. There will be more adventures from the Fifth, Six and Seventh Doctors in the monthly range, more stories for the Fourth Doctor and his companions in The Fourth Doctor Adventures, and a new era for the Eighth Doctor, Liv Chenka and their new friend Helen Sinclair in Doctor Who: Doom Coalition [expect moe on this over the weekend]. Plus we will continue to explore the contrasting worlds of our different and very popular spin-off series.’

It’s so hard not to feel proud of Big Finish, isn’t it? Congratulations to all who have had a hand in their success.

(Via Big Finish)

The post Big Finish’s Doctor Who Licenced Extended to 2020! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Doctor Will See You Now – Through the Fourth Wall…

Bar Nash-Williams is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

“a happy Christmas to all of you at home!”

Christmas Day 1965 is infamous in the show’s long history of knowingly communicating with its audience, but it’s NOT the first. To some this habit is anathema, disturbing their belief in the story and hence their relationship with the show. Escapism is relaxing, and after a hard day at work we like the story to carry us, lost in its reality. We don’t want the telly to reach out and shatter our suspension of disbelief.

Not the sort of screen grab we enjoy, thanks.

To others it’s a delight, engaging with us on different levels at the same time, adding to our appreciation of the story and relationship with the show.

But it’s not a static thing: since Who began there have been vast changes in media technology and exponential conversion to social media. I wonder if there’s a development over the half-century in what this technique is all about, from playful asides to purposeful self-aware engagement with the Who myth and community of which televised text is only a part. Season 8 may or may not be the most meta season yet – Phil Sandifer makes a convincing case for Colin Baker’s era but in 1985 there just wasn’t the range of media around by which fans could join in the game. To those who enjoy breaking the fourth wall, joining in is what it’s all about.

“Can anyone join in this conversation, or do you need a certificate?”

- Duggan, City of Death 

Showing-off – we are playing, and aren’t we clever?
Breaking through – we know you’re watching and we are playing with you – whether you like it or not.
Meta – play along at home if you want to
Tease – please notice, respond, and play along with us

Part 1: Breaking the Fourth Wall

You’ll be familiar with this. It’s when an actor communicates directly with the audience – either from the stage or through the camera – showing self-awareness of performing in a work of fiction, reminding us we’re watching fiction. A form of alienation. Unless it is a pantomime, when the whole point is that the audience joins in. (oh, no it isn’t! …)

The only unquestionable instance of this is the Hartnell Christmas greeting, but it was not uncommon for shows to do this when they happened to be broadcast on Christmas Day. It was a way of expressing the nation’s togetherness in an era of appointment TV, much closer to the relationship between speaker and viewer in the Queen’s Speech than we might think!

Other scenes might be forced into the panto category, e.g. Derek Francis as Nero in Who’s first overt comedy, The Romans. This story included a lot of perfect farce timing, but not really 2D panto characters. We’re supposed to laugh, but remain invested in the story, which also touches on shipwreck, slavery, and the violent decadence of power.

‘he was right!

Lynda Baron as Wrack in Enlightenment was definitely playing a panto pirate, but in a story about role-playing… therefore appropriate. As it’s the ep 3 cliffhanger we might forgive her for reminding us it’s fiction, even if we were immersed in the story until then.

“You’ve lost! All that awaits is your ultimate destruction!”

and tomorrow’s finale.

It’s not only actors who can break the fourth wall. In The End of the World, one of the (CGI-animated) spiders “accidentally” collides with the camera, making the picture shake.

We’re playing, and damn, we’re good.

Maybe reminding us we’re watching very skilfully created fiction, or maybe just a nod to all the classic stories where an actor or bit of set collided with the camera and they just didn’t have time to reshoot.

Part 2: Eyeballing

In this case, the players are not breaking the fourth wall, but bending it a bit.

Speaking directly to the camera/audience, when there’s no other actor on stage, in earshot, or present by extension – e.g. by phone. The words could either be soliloquy, or to us. But unlike clear fourth wall breaking we don’t have to interpret it as addressing us, let alone expecting a response. It is a matter of interpretation of tone and expression whether it is the character or the actor who is speaking, thus how far that fourth wall is being pushed.

Eyeballer extraordinaire Tlotoxl, in The Aztecs cliffhanger ep 1, swearing to destroy Barbara. Was he drawing our attention to the agreed pretence of drama and audience? No, he was just doing it to frighten the kiddies.

“Boo!”

Tom Baker of course is famous for taking it further –

“Of course I’ll talk to him. I’ll talk to anybody.”

- Fourth Doctor

The Invasion of Your Sofa

At the end of this story, he grins mischievously to the camera. I’ve got the show to myself again…

By this stage of the show, Tom’s own character and relationship with the rest of the team was part of the fan lore. I’d say he was purposely playing with his audience here. Whether they like it or not.

But he wasn’t the only one, nor the most effective:

John Normington as Morgus allegedly misinterpreted a note from the director, but the resulting fourth wall break went down so well they made it a feature of the character. Did House of Cards’ (the original) Michael Dobbs, Andrew Davies, Paul Seed or Ian Richardson watch Androzani?

- You might very well think that, I couldn’t possibly comment.

And it works: “Having Urquhart break the fourth wall is a neat structural trick. As expositor, Urquhart is the viewers’ guide, forcing us to take him in our trust. The viewer is made to feel part of the scheme, guilty by association.”

Remembrance of the Daleks‘ part three cliff-hanger doesn’t have that intrigue vibe but the straight to camera speech here may be playing with off-screen goings on at the Beeb.

‘I think I might have miscalculated.’

We’re well into JNT era here, when relationship with fans was a major part of his life. The strain the job caused was well-known, but I’m not sure he’d be talking about himself at a meta level. Feel free to argue below…

The Capaldi diamond-cutter glare from Deep Breath is quite another matter.

It closes a startlingly grown-up scene, which opened with the Doctor ‘fearing’ he’d have to kill the droid, and offering him a whisky. If you’d been enjoying a children’s show with dinosaur and comedy Sontaran, this was a bit of a jolt. Whether the Doctor physically pushed the droid, or ‘only’ persuaded him to give up the fight and fall (he did switch off his Bunsen-burner wrist before he fell) is irrelevant: the Doctor is equally responsible. The glare that burned through the fourth wall came without words, but it implied ‘Well? – what did you expect? There are consequences, and by watching this show, you’re part of it.’ As with Morgus or Urquhart, are we guilty by association? What have we been championing all these years? Note the camera angle from above – what Martin Scorsese called a judgment day shot. He is demanding we judge him – and maybe our attitude to his actions. Were they consciously reflecting Genesis of the Daleks?

‘Do I have the right?’

Listen!

This opening scene takes this to a whole new level. The chalkboards and lecture-style pares that fourth wall down to a minimum. There’s no-one else in the TARDIS … or is there? If ‘listen’ is instruction to us regarding the story it’s a bit limited, given how much we need to see and think in order to follow it. But ‘Pay Attention!’ wouldn’t have matched ‘Blink’ so well.

Part 3: Eye am a camera – the camera is my eye

At other times the actor is speaking directly to the camera, but also to another character, from whose point of view we are being asked to listen. When we the viewers are put in the place of either victim or monster like this it can be very effective, but the fourth wall remains up. Douglas Camfield’s Spearhead from Space is a showcase for this technique.

Classic Barbara in dalek plunger shot

Iconic but I don’t think intended to suggest we were the ones threatening these poor characters every week, like in later stories Carnival of Monsters or Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Maybe you disagree…

Slightly off-canon Cushing Daleks

‘that’s how they know what we’re doing!’

Speaking to security camera about Daleks, to TV camera about us the viewer. They’re clearly playing, but with all the money and colour thrown at the movie version it feels more like self referential cleverness than through the wall to us.

It depends on your point of view: Fifty years later we get Rusty, a story drenched with eye images (even Clara’s shirt). The ‘entry through the eye’ thing is pretty suggestive of communication through the camera to us, and back.

‘I see beauty… endless divine perfection.’

‘Make it a part of you, put it inside you and live by it.’

 The hole in the fourth wall makes us neither victim nor monster, but patient. How does this doctor make us better? There’s no squirming out of his gaze here; although a bit preachy (‘I’m going to save your soul’), it’s not a bad message.

Part 4: Metafiction

Self-referential text that comments on itself or on the process of telling a story.

“I have the advantage of being slightly ahead of you. Sometimes behind you, but normally ahead of you….I’m sure you don’t [understand], but it’s very nice of you to try.” 

- Fourth Doctor

Who is packed with instances of one character talking to another, about something which works within the plot, but is also clearly self-referential and playful, inviting the audience to interpret it on another level as well. It’s often a self-critique humour, but sometimes very dark too.

The Sensorites

Quite a great spirit of adventure, don’t YOU think?

The Mind Robber is fundamentally meta, but does it really break the fourth wall?

‘the creative power which keeps this whole operation going.’

(We’re not paid enough to keep churning out this stuff)

I bet I’m not the only one who plays the ‘Jamie Jigsaw’ game at home…

Carnival of Monsters: ‘I think we’re being watched’

VORG: Well, well, well. We’re getting a crowd. Better start the pitch.

SHIRNA: Here?

VORG: There’s no point in wasting any time. Roll up, roll up and see the monster show!

Shirma and Vorg talking to their audience, but Carnival of Monsters is one of many stories specifically playing with the idea of Who as a show, characters inside the text representing the relationship between Who and its audience. War games, Vengeance on Varos, Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Love & Monsters… Is Elton’s video record to camera nudging the fourth wall?

Season 22 (1985) is not so much playing as re-writing the rules of the game and the title of Season 23’s Trial of a Time Lord isn’t breaking the fourth wall, but writing ‘game over?’ on it. Even its initials sound like their fear of the show being ‘totalled.’ Shame their clever playing wasn’t backed with finance for the production values required, or the time to finish the game.

Remembrance: in one notable case, the text talks TO the audience behind the character’s back as she walks out the door! A better nod to the 25th anniversary than Silver Nemesis two stories later?

‘This is BBC television. The time is a quarter past five and Saturday viewing continues with an adventure in the new science fiction series, Doc …’

2005+ the DVD Re-viewing Generation

Shakespeare flirts with the Doctor, who remarks to ‘himself’, “57 academics just punched the air.” Playing not only with Who’s long-treasured LGBT fans, but all the society, media and culture academics who obsess about the show.

Reversing the Polarity

‘Well, I CAN hear you.’

In Who’s most self-consciously clever story, the Doctor repeatedly talks to camera, but it’s specifically to Sally. In Blink it’s not the Doctor who breaks the fourth wall; it’s US.

Blink and you’ll miss it:

Angels can’t move if anyone is watching, and THAT INCLUDES US. There are many shots where no character is watching the angels, but they don’t move because we can see them, but in this shot, Sally is moving out of shot and the camera doesn’t follow her but retains OUR viewpoint. The angel behind her moves, live, in shot, fully lit… but ONLY during the instant our view is obscured! Fourth wall-breaking DESIGNED for the replay button.

Contrast with this from Flesh and Stone:

It’s a wonderful reverse alienation – when the fourth wall is down we’re MORE wrapped up as part of the story, when it’s restored we’re ‘alienated’ by our gaze being disempowered!

Taking over the Asylum

Clara’s last instruction ‘and remember’ is to camera / us. Again it’s advice for fans, as if they do remember it will pay off later! Echoed by the Doctor’s last speech in Snowmen. By this stage in the show ‘clues’ about the rest of the series are being launched through the fourth wall at regular intervals.

Talkin’ ’bout my Regeneration (TM BigFinish)

Regeneration comments could be to viewers as well as anyone in the room at the time – Brig to SJ ‘here we go again,’ Five to mirror/us ‘YOU never know what you’re going to get’ and notoriously Six to camera: ‘Change my dear; and it seems not a moment too soon”.

Like S22/3 almost all of S8 could be talking about 12’s regeneration, but whereas Saward and JNT were alienating some viewers who felt powerless to reclaim ‘their’ show, Moff and Capaldi were wooing theirs.  Amongst the in-jokes, layers and hidden clues was an ongoing meta conversation with the audience.

Please see me. I’m him.

I’m not your boyfriend.

‘I never said it was your mistake’ still strikes me as Moffat straight through the wall. He could blame RTD’s relationship-biased lure to the Buffy audience, but HE gave us ‘The Doctor Dances,’ ‘I just snogged Mme de Pompadour,’ and ‘Hello Sweetie!’

By the time we get to ‘I’ve made many mistakes; it’s about time that I did something about that,’ it’s redundant – Moff’s been fixing his since ‘Shush!’

Christmas Day 2014 – the fourth wall feels different this time

Where much of DB seemed choked with anxiety about whether or not we’d accept this redefined Doctor, Last Christmas abounds with confidence. The ‘dream within a dream within a dream’ stuff should be alienating, especially the way the elves constantly comment on the unreality of it, but this most relentlessly metatextual story invites us to join in. Pass the parcel, with a treat every layer. It’s hard to pick just one or two instances –A few favourites:

DOCTOR: you’ve made him a fraction taller. … Dialogue’s pretty good, too. Nice work. It’s all in the detail.

…

DOCTOR: Because we’re dreaming, all of us. This base isn’t real. None of us are actually standing in the room. I’m probably asleep in my Tardis. Clara, you must be in bed. God knows where the rest of you (viewers) are, probably scattered all over the world. But wherever you are, the Dream Crabs have got us, and we’re all being networked into the same nightmare.

…

ALBERT: That’s me? That’s actually me?

DOCTOR: No, it’s a metaphorical construct representing a psychic attack within a shared dreamscape. Do please keep up.

I love the various suggestions that the Doctor, like Santa, is a dream we invent who’s trying to save us.

CLARA: I’ve always believed in Santa Claus. But he looks a little different to me.

Me too Clara, me too.

One final irresistible fourth wall infiltration. When Moff left the others on the world tour to write Last Christmas they had already experienced a few audiences’ rapturous receptions to DB preview. And by the time they filmed it the first few stories of S8 had been broadcast, and won round many more.

But there was a ‘real life’ story going on too, about Jenna Coleman, echoing Clara’s story. Although Clara had encountered all the Doctors before S8, she had only been companion to the 11th.  We knew she’d stayed on to get Peter Capaldi settled in, but the media speculation with ‘will she, won’t she’ stay for Series 9 or die in the Christmas Special was rife. Would she make 12 ‘her’ Doctor too?

So the final Helman-Ziegler text-book test to see if they were dreaming didn’t need to break the fourth wall; it was already open wide:

Doctor to Clara: ‘page number; make it a good one.’

Jenna looking straight into Peter Capaldi’s eyes: ‘Twelve!’

That’s the real problem with breaking the fourth wall; stuff gets in your eyes.

The post The Doctor Will See You Now – Through the Fourth Wall… appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Matt Smith’s Muggles Movie & David Tennant’s RSC Return

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Sure, there is plenty going on with Doctor Who these days. Series 9 is filming as we speak, and there’s been some pretty great photos and not-so-spoilery things come across the official BBC America/BBC One Twitter feeds. As excited as we are for some new Doctor Who this late summer/early fall, there’s also a bit of nostalgia in the air. We’re also celebrating a decade since the return of the good Doctor to our television sets. Of course that not only puts the current Doctor, Peter Capaldi in our minds, but also his modern predecessors. Today, we’ve got some news about two of the most popular Doctors, Classic or Modern, that you’re going want to see. Fancy some details on Matt Smith and David Tennant? Shall we get to it?

Matt Smith Wanted for Harry Potter Spinoff!

Following in the footsteps of his Doctor Who predecessor, it’s being reported that Matt Smith is the favorite for the lead character in Warner Bros. upcoming trilogy, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It’s being said that the interest is mutual and Smith is keen on the role as well. While I’d certainly love to see Smith take on the role of Newt Scamander, it would be wise for us to take this with a little grain of salt. The original source outlet for this breaking news is The Sun, who have been known to get it wrong now and again. Even so, we’ll look forward to more details as official casting announcements, with or sans Smith, should be coming pretty soon.

David Tennant to Make RSC Return as Richard II!

If you like to chase a shot of Shakespeare down with a little Doctor Who, then you’ll be happy to hear that the Tenth Doctor is about to make a return to the stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company. David Tennant will be taking part in the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare, with RSC’s King and Country: Shakespeare’s Great Cycle of Kings’ at the Barbican. This quartet of majestic plays will begin with Richard II (starring Tennant as Richard II), followed by Henry IV (1&2), and the premiere of Henry V. The Barbican Cinema will also feature a special on Shakespeare in cinema and will also feature some footage from Tennant’s turn as Hamlet. All of this Shakespeare goodness is set to roll out in the fall (and is nearly enough to get this former English Literaure major motivated enough to take a trip across the pond!).

What’s your verdict, dear readers? Are you interested in the former Doctors in these roles? Let us know below!

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NuWho 10th Anniversary: What Is Your Most Underrated Series 2 Story?

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

This year, Doctor Who has been back on our screen ten whole years. It feels like yesterday that the TARDIS materialised once more; suitably, it also feels like forever.

So join us as we celebrate a decade with the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors. Let’s find out which serials are our favourites, and shine a light on the underrated ones too. Watch us run.

And then vote on your favourites. At the end of the year, we’ll find out which serials showcase our beloved show at the height of its game.

Back in 2006, a new Doctor was on the block. We’ve taken a look at the firm favourites, but what’s the most underrated serial of Series 2?

Becky Crockett: Fear Her

Many fans don’t care for the episode and find it either unintentionally funny or just plain bad, but aside from the weird crazy voice they give Chloe when the alien inside her is speaking, the episode is quite good, and very Doctor Who. A lonely alien that finds a lonely little girl and gives her the power to trap people in her sketches is an interesting premise and themes of being afraid and feeling lonely are ones that kids watching can easily relate to.

The gags in the episode, like having to re-park the TARDIS and Rose talking to the cat (but the Doctor thinking she’s talking to him) are quite funny as well. Just wish they’d been able to have Tennant run with the Olympic flame in real life!

James Whittington: Love & Monsters

A Doctor-lite story and a soundtrack by ELO? It can only be one thing: the much debated Love & Monsters!

One of Series 2’s finest, it’s packed with wit, pathos, and wonderfully over-the-top moments of pure sentimentality. Come on, who didn’t have a bottom lip wobble when the end chords of Mr Blue Sky was playing as lead character Elton Pope (Marc Warren) realises what really happened to his mother? He is ably support by Shirley Henderson and Simon Greenall as a gang who get together to look for the Doctor and instead find themselves – well, for a short time anyway.

The Abzorbaloff (Peter Kay) is a forgettable pantomime monster – let’s be honest, Kay was a piece of stunt casting the JN-T would have been proud of – and here only as a metaphor for the footprints the Doctor makes in time; how people are sucked into his life and then forgotten about.

The music grounds the adventure and gives us a clue as to what is all about. There’s nothing wrong with being normal or different or loving someone, or in this case, something who are different to others or what society dictates as “normal”. It’s about being yourself, and being comfortable doing so.

Not to mention probably one of the only times a very naughty joke slipped by innocent viewers…

Alex Skerratt: The Christmas Invasion

It seems very strange to me that The Christmas Invasion is often overlooked. In a sense, it is one of the most important episodes of Doctor Who.

For a start, it was the first ever Christmas special, unless you count the obscure Hartnell episode of the 1960s. In addition, it had to establish a new Doctor, with actor David Tennant facing a similar problem to Patrick Troughton in 1966, when he took over from the first Doctor, William Hartnell. In this instance, the 2005 re-launch had been a success, but there was a nagging feeling of doubt that the show could survive without the man who had made it possible (that is, Christopher Eccleston). So it had to tick a lot of boxes, whilst being a ripping yarn in its own right, and I think, on the whole, it succeeded. The particular highlights for me are the killer Christmas tree, Billie Piper’s awesome performance, the sword fight, and the famous wardrobe scene. So yes – I look back on this episode very fondly!

Philip Bates: The Idiot’s Lantern

Series 2 is quite an underrated series, but there’s one episode in particular that I feel is overlooked far too often. The Idiot’s Lantern isn’t anywhere close to the very best of Doctor Who, but then again, it’s far from being The Twin Dilemma as well. It’s probably about average, yet it remains an episode I always look forward to revisiting.

The thing is, I can’t think of anything particularly bad about it. Sure, it doesn’t especially make sense that the victims of the Wire have no faces, but let’s put that down to artistic license. Because really, they’re horrible images: just think of that scene where the Doctor’s in a cage full of them. They’re just stood there, Auton-like – then suddenly, they become aware of him, and they turn towards him. Their bodies arch with frustration. Hands grasp at the darkness. That’s proper horror.

It also has one of my favourite scenes of the Tenth Doctor era, when the Doctor is being interviewed by DI Bishop. Some really witty, clever dialogue and the tables have turned. “Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know.”

There are other lovely little nuances, like the excellent Maureen Lipman glancing off-screen with contempt as she says, “I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow kind denied me” – almost as if they’re producers, forcing her to go through with this grotesque performance.

Everything about The Idiot’s Lantern is different: the style, the monster, the idea, the Doctor slicking his hair back and riding around on a scooter. It’s the 1950s! Doctor Who doesn’t often do the Fifties! But here it is, feeling bright, and fresh, and just that little bit sinister.

Here it is, ready to rip your face off. Surprisingly brilliant stuff.

Jonathan Appleton: Tooth and Claw

This one rarely seems to feature in ‘best of…’ lists, perhaps because it represents a solid, well-told type of episode that tends to get eclipsed by the more noteworthy, game-changing ones and the big, bold season finales.

Like Horror of Fang Rock, to which it’s been compared, it was apparently written quickly (in this case when The Runaway Bride was dropped back to form the 2006 Christmas special), and that sense of pressure and urgency comes through in this pacy story. Good performances from the guest cast, a nicely realised period setting, and one of those wonderfully Doctor Who-ish plot turns that don’t really stand up to close examination (wouldn’t Prince Albert just have urged his wife to stay away from that part of Scotland?) combine to form an atmospheric tale that grips from the get-go.

Queen Victoria’s banishment of the Doctor and Rose undercuts their larking about rather well – an early indication that things won’t always turn out well for these two.

And does anyone else feel as I do that, terrific as David Tennant was as the Doctor, it would have been great if he’d used his Scottish accent throughout his time…?

James Lomond: The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit

In the preceding article, my top rated Series 2 story was The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit. And sticking to the title criteria I am putting forward my most underrated Series 2 story as… The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit. Simply put – it’s hard to give this story enough credit.

Head, shoulders and a lithe, rippling torso above the rest, this is sublime Doctor Who. But casting a quick eye at its Series 2 companions it seems to be free from a lot of what *doesn’t* work in other episodes. It doesn’t suffer from panto performances, failure to scare, failure to look awesome, failure to intrigue, failure to sustain our attention, and failure to look utterly beautiful. Sarah Jane and K9 were laboured with a childish storyline, New Earth was laboured with forced comedy, the werewolf was laboured with pointless European Samurai monks (just a hint of explanation is all we needed), the Cybermen were burdened with rewriting Spare Parts (impossible- it’s too good), the Wire failed to grab us, Love & Monsters failed to take the show seriously, Fear Her failed to keep the pace up, and the finale let us down with the ultimate Dalek-Cyberman-meeting-fangasm turning into a bitch fight.

Ladies and gentlemen: Only Beelzebub and his chorus of red-eyed spaghetti men emerge from Series 2 unscathed.

Drew Boynton: Love & Monsters

I’m going to do it. Yep, I’m gonna do it. Okay, here goes nothin’! Love & Monsters is the most underrated episode of Series 2.

Only people who have something against having fun could not like at least something in this episode: It features Jackie Tyler (Camille Coduri) at her most likable, winning guest performances from Marc Warren and Shirley Henderson, a funky ELO soundtrack, a goofily bizarro performance from Peter Kay (I will never think of “eczema” the same way), and a jam-packed Doctor-lite Russell T. Davies script.

I think one reason that Love & Monsters gets so much hate is because it is SO different. Except for brief appearances by the Tenth Doctor and Rose, it really has the feel of a completely different show. And yes, I have to admit, the Abzorbaloff is pretty embarrassing, with his rubbery costume, Fat B*st*rd attitude, and sumo-wrestler attire. But a person has to remember, he was designed by a child… for a TV contest!

To sum up, Love & Monsters is the most underrated episode of Series 2 because it is an absorbing slice of fun and entertainment. Don’t take it too seriously, and it definitely won’t bring you down.

That’s what we think. Now it’s your turn! Vote below for the most underrated serial of Series 2, and we’ll find out the overall winner later this year…

Take Our Poll

The post NuWho 10th Anniversary: What Is Your Most Underrated Series 2 Story? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Peter Capaldi Remembers Watching Rose in 2005

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

10 years! 10 years! Can you believe it?!

As you probably know by now, Doctor Who has been back with us 10 years today, and current Doctor, Peter Capaldi recalls with a twinkle in his eye watching Rose, that iconic episode from 2005 which paired the Ninth Doctor with Rose Tyler, up against the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons.

It’s a great time to reflect on how times have changed: people were worried and skeptical a decade ago; now, Doctor Who is one of – if not the – biggest BBC show, broadcasting across the world. The show itself has changed too, welcoming Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith, John Hurt, and Capaldi into the TARDIS with their glorious companions. The TARDIS has regenerated, both its interior and its exterior. The Doctor Who Experience is one of the best events in the UK. We’ve had two new sonic screwdrivers – three if we count River’s! The Christmas Special is a staple of festive TV. Capaldi was merely watching Doctor Who back in 2005; now, he’s the Doctor!

Personally, Doctor Who has changed my life. I know that’s a horrible cliche, but it actually has. The amazing thing about it is how one show can change your perspective on things – on life, on people, on everything. It can. And it has. Just think, viewers watching Rose and even today’s adventures in time and space are going to grow up to work in television, even to work on Doctor Who. When Russell and co. brought it back, they weren’t just bringing back something they loved from their childhoods: they were shaping the future.

As for Kasterborous, we’ve changed as a whole too. We’ve now got well over 12,000 articles under our belt. Thank you for joining us on this trip of a lifetime.

The post Peter Capaldi Remembers Watching Rose in 2005 appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Magazine Celebrates 10 Years of nuWho!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Ten years after the Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) grabbed the arm of Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) and told her to “Run!”, Doctor Who is still going strong, as one of the greatest TV success stories of the past decade. Doctor Who Magazine celebrates this milestone with a special commemorative issue that comes with four different covers, each one featuring one of the twenty-first century Doctors – Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi!

Inside the issue, we look back on the show’s success, with contributions from writers Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell, Toby Whithouse, Gareth Roberts, Chris Chibnall, Peter Harness and Jamie Mathieson, as well as from BBC Head of Drama Commissioning Ben Stephenson, who gives his view on the future of Doctor Who…

ALSO INSIDE ISSUE 485 OF DWM…

Russell T Davies, the writer of the landmark first episode, Rose, and many other episodes since, looks back on his first Doctor Who script, and shares brand new information about bringing the Doctor back to our screens.

DWM tracks down a guest star from each and every one of the ten Ninth Doctor adventures, including Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Yasmin Bannerman (Jabe the Tree), Alan David (Gabriel Sneed), Alan Ruscoe (the Slitheen and other creatures), Barnaby Edwards (the Dalek), Bruno Langley (Adam Mitchell), Shaun Dingwall (Pete Tyler), Florence Hoath (Nancy), Annette Badland (Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer Day Slitheen) and Jo Joyner (Lynda ‘with a Y’ Moss).

Doctor Who‘s first director of the modern era, Keith Boak, is interviewed, looking back on the making of Rose, Aliens of London and World War Three.
Doctor Who‘s first ever director, Waris Hussein, concludes his look back over the epic lost adventure from 1964, Marco Polo.
DWM pays tribute to 1980s director Fiona Cumming, who passed away earlier in the year.
The Doctor and Clara visit Antarctica in Part One of Blood and Ice, a brand-new comic strip written by Jacqueline Rayner and illustrated by Martin Geraghty.
Steven Moffat answer readers’ questions – and speculates about Osgood’s family connections!
Jacqueline Rayner reflects on what life would have been like if Doctor Who had never returned in Relative Dimensions.
The DWM Review assesses the very latest Doctor Who audio and book releases.
The Watcher reveals the connection between Doctor Who and Dr Carl Sagan, in the latest Wotcha!
The DWM Crossword, prize-winning competitions, official news and much more!

Doctor Who Magazine 485 is out on Thursday 2 April, priced £4.99. You really shouldn’t miss it!

The post Doctor Who Magazine Celebrates 10 Years of nuWho! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Get Ultimate Regeneration Free For A Limited Time Only!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

To celebrate 10 years of Doctor Who‘s return to TV, we’re giving away the eBook copy of Ultimate Regeneration between now and Saturday night!

Ultimate Regeneration is the culmination of five years’ of work; 280 pages of Doctor Who reviews and commentary, from Rose (2005) to The End of Time (2009-10), including pivotal episodes like Dalek, Bad Wolf/ The Parting of the Ways, Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday, Utopia, The Stolen Earth/ Journey’s End – and all those in between!

The book comprises many other articles and opinions, written in those heady RTD days, like a time capsule. We’re very proud of it, and the many articles we’ve published since.

You can read the eBook version here.

For now, let’s take you back to our very first review, published on 26th March. The excitement is clear to see…

“It may be that some of you out there disagree with me, that to you Doctor Who’s golden age is well and truly gone, that the goat is cooked. I tell you “you are wrong”. Doctor Who is back. Not for 90 minutes. For 13×45 minutes. And I just watched it. I saw the TARDIS spinning through the Vortex. I heard the music, bassy and scary, screeching and grandiose. I’ll say it again.

DOCTOR WHO IS BACK!“

But what of leading man, Christopher Eccleston? Well, we were impressed, frankly:

“Christopher Eccleston tonight shifted as effortlessly into the character of the Doctor as effortlessly as his predecessor Paul McGann. He was brilliant, a revelation; I’d always thought he was inspired casting, and tonight I was deemed correct. And he’s got another 12 weeks to improve!”

With praised also heaped on Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, and comparisons to Spearhead from Space, Rose was perfect Saturday night viewing.

The trip of a lifetime, indeed.

So rediscover those early days of NuWho. See how the show regenerated, ready to entertain millions. Don’t forget: Ultimate Regeneration is only free as an eBook until Saturday night.

The post Get Ultimate Regeneration Free For A Limited Time Only! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

nuWho’s 10th Anniversary: Series 1, Part 2 Recalled

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Welcome to the second part of our nuWho anniversary podKast, in which we recall the 2005 series of Doctor Who. After all, it’s only 10 years since 2005, not since 2006 and alll the other years since, right? This time, James McLean joins Christian Cawley and Brian A Terranova to discuss the remaining episodes from the 2005 run, Father’s Day through to The Christmas Invasion.

Time to hit play.

Kasterborous PodKast Series 5 Episode 7 Shownotes

Radio Times poll
Eclipse
Recommendations: Rear Window, Game of Thrones Series 4, Doctor Who Series 1
Anthony Dry’s illustration for The Christmas Invasion

PodKast introduction by John Guilor. Theme tune by Russell Hugo

Listen to the PodKast

There are several ways to listen. In addition to the usual player above, we’re pleased to announce that you can also stream the podKast using Stitcher, an award-winning, free mobile app available for Android and iPhone/iPad. This pretty much means that you can listen to us anywhere without downloading – pretty neat, we think you’ll agree! (Note that it can take a few hours after a new podKast is published to “catch up”.)

Stitcher

Audioboom

What’s more, you can now listen and subscribe to the podKast via our Audioboom channel (formerly Audioboo)! Head to https://audioboom.com/channel/doctorwhopodkast and click play to start listening. You can also comment and record your own boos in response to our discussions! Meanwhile you can use the player below to listen through Audioboom:

You haven’t clicked play yet?! What are you waiting for? As well as our new Stitcher and Audioboo presence you can also use one of these amazingly convenient ways to download and enjoy this week’s podKast.

Use the player in the top right of the Kasterborous home page, or visit the podKast menu link.
Listen with the “pop out” player above, which also allows you to download the podKast to your computer.
You can also take advantage of the RSS feed to subscribe to the podKast for your media player, and even find us on iTunes, where your reviews will help the show considerably.

The post nuWho’s 10th Anniversary: Series 1, Part 2 Recalled appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who: The Cybermen DVD Coming In May

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Well, I thought these quirky little money-grabbers were long since buried, but it seems the monster-centric DVD releases are back. How very like the Cybermen to drag something back from the brink of death.

Released in May (in the US, certainly, but likely in the UK too), the spruced up Doctor Who: The Cybermen DVD includes several NuWho stories starring the monsters from Mondas… plus a true Classic.

See the beginnings of the terrifying Cybermen in this thrilling Doctor Who compilation. Few villains in the fantastical world of Doctor Who spark such terror as the dreaded Cybermen – the murderous cyborgs with a bone chilling lack of emotion. This special release features iconic episodes of both the new and classic series showcasing the genesis and increasingly frightful transformations of these creatures, plus all new bonus content tying together the history of these fan favorite monsters.

So that’s the spiel, but what does it actually include? Doctors Ten, Eleven, Twelve, and Five are represented with:

Army of Ghosts/ Doomsday (2006)
Closing Time (2011)
Nightmare in Silver (2013)
Dark Water/ Death in Heaven (2014)
Earthshock (1982)

Out of those, Earthshock is, let’s face it, the stand-out serial: that David Tennant two-parter was good, but those Cybermen are far too easily defeated by four Daleks; Closing Time is very enjoyable, but the Cybers don’t feature that much; Matt Smith is fantastic (as ever) in Nightmare in Silver, but the script is ultimately lacking; and the less said about Dark Water/ Death in Heaven the better.

It just goes to show how in need we are of a solid Cyberman tale in the style of Tomb of the Cybermen, The Invasion… or even Silver Nemesis!

As an added bonus, this DVD boasts a 20-minute Cybermen Origins featurette, chronicling the creation of the emotionless fiends.

I might sound skeptical, but I’m actually pleased these sets exist – they cater for a very specific audience and hopefully will introduce them to Doctor Who 1963-89.

At the moment, Doctor Who: The Cybermen will be available for $24.98 in the USA (order from Amazon at the lower price of 9.99) and $30.98 in Canada, and is released on 19th May 2015. We’re bound to see it in the UK soon too.

Did you pick up the previous Monster releases? Will you be buying this one? Are you miffed that it’s not on Blu-ray? Comment below. Then if after several hours, you’re not happy with your comment, you know what to do. Delete. Delete. Delete.

With thanks to Joe!

The post Doctor Who: The Cybermen DVD Coming In May appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.