Christian Cawley's Blog, page 55

The Magician’s Apprentice: 5 Questions Left Unanswered

Richard Forbes 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.

Last week we were treated with a brave, audacious series premiere that likely left many viewers with questions unanswered.

While waiting for The Witch’s Familiar, we here at Kasterborous felt it’d be as good of opportunity as any to reflect on some of those questions we’ll be watching for answers for – and perhaps after reading this article you will too!

Bors the Dalek?

A few people have noted a gaping hole in the narrative with regards to Bors – in the final scene with Bors, the Doctor’s plucky new medieval sidekick, he appears to have been converted by Dalek nanogenes into one of those half-Daleks we’ve seen in Asylum of the Daleks and Time of the Doctor.

One question remains with regards to Bors however: why was Davros searching for the Doctor if the Daleks already knew where the Doctor was and built a trap? For this there are at least two explanations: first Bors may have been converted after Colony Sarff arrived during the confusion and chaos – that’s the boring yet reasonable explanation – moving on… The second explanation is that, as Davros notes: Davros has no control over the Daleks! The Daleks might have their own plans, that is. It’s possible then that during The Witch’s Familiar, Davros and the Daleks may not necessarily be working together and could even be at odds with each other.

How did the Doctor time travel?

The cliffhanger of The Magician’s Apprentice is a doozy but one can’t help but wonder if that cliffhanger has been shown to audiences out of context – whether, that is, the cliffhanger was essentially a flashforward to a later development in The Witch’s Familiar.

Bear in mind, the TARDIS was destroyed in the scene previous and so was Missy’s “cheap and nasty” Vortex Manipulator – so how could the Doctor materialise in Ancient Skaro?

One might wonder, for example, if the Doctor has been sent by Davros. Davros, being a sick and dying creature, might gather some satisfaction in the moral corruption of the Doctor (or rather the moral ascendance, as far as Davros is concerned) by forcing the Doctor to kill an innocent child to save his friends. He is, after all, expecting to die anyways.

What’s so magic?

When the titles appeared at the end of Last Christmas, erm, last christmas, audiences began speculating immediately what “The Magician’s Apprentice” could mean. Could Doctor Who be exploring the idea of “magic”, for example? Others speculated that the Magician was a reference to Capaldi’s wardrobe which, the Doctor lamented in Time Heist, looks less minimalist and more “magician” – the inclusion of “apprentice” especially had raised suspicions that a new companion might make an appearance.

The premiere has gone and past us now however, and well, here’s the thing: we’re still nowhere closer to understanding The Magician’s Apprentice’s title now than before we watched it. Surely it would be stretching it to say the premiere featured “technological wizardry” and Colony Sarff was the episode’s titular apprentice-? Alternatively, the title could be another vague reference to Clara – but why reference Clara specifically when the episode really doesn’t seem to centre around Clara in particular?

The only other explanation that I can think of is that the title refers to Bors, since Bors is the Doctor’s apprentice and the villagers believe the Doctor is a magician, but with Bors playing such a small role in the premiere it seems to suggest, at the very least, that Bors could play a bigger role in The Witch’s Familiar. And, mind you, none of this explains why the subsequent episode, The Witch’s Familiar shares this “magic” theme with The Magician’s Apprentice.

Why does the Doctor think he’s dying?

During the fast-paced drama of The Magician’s Apprentice, you may have missed that it was never actually stated why the Doctor believes that today is his last day to live, which was why he sent the Confession Dial to Missy in the first place.

Certainly, viewers were led to believe that the Doctor’s death would be related to Davros (who incidentally is also dying) – but there’s also a distinct possibility that the events of The Magician’s Apprentice really aren’t related at all to why the Doctor believes he’s going to die.

The Witch’s Familiar may not provide us with a clear answer to this question, since I wouldn’t put it past a certain Scottish showrunner to turn the Doctor’s impending death into a series arc; however, the next episode may bring us closer to understanding just what it is that has the Doctor preparing to die. And, while it may not be the most important question, I can’t help but wonder: just what *is* in the Doctor’s Last Will and Testament anyhoo?

“Are you ready… to be a god?”

This could simply be a marvelous trick of editing, but the superb “Next Time” trailer which followed The Magician’s Apprentice seems to suggest that the Doctor or someone else is taking on the role that Davros once held as a supreme leader beyond the Dalek’s own ranks. Who then, is being elevated to a godly status in The Witch’s Familiar?

Perhaps Davros could choose to use his final moments as a chance to appoint a successor, or perhaps, even more paradoxically, Davros is encouraging his younger self (in a proper “let the hate flow through you” speech) to join the forces of evil over the Doctor’s rosy optimism. I encourage you, dear Kasterbourites to have another look at the Next Time and comment below with your own theories about The Magician’s Apprentice and the upcoming episode.

The Witch’s Familiar airs tonight on BBCOne at 7:45pm!

The post The Magician’s Apprentice: 5 Questions Left Unanswered appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: Return to Telos

Peter Shaw 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.

Sorry, I’m going to have to whisper this review. You see, they’ve just cling-filmed me into my cyber tomb and we’re waiting for the music to commence. The Cyber Choreographer has told me to listen out for ‘Space Time Music – Part One’ by Wilfred Josephs and not to break out until the third ‘Ba ba ba bah ba. Bam ba baa.’ The dress rehearsal was a disaster, a bunch of yetis lumbered in thinking it was their cue too…

Now you may be wondering how I got here. Well, I was experimenting with the extraction of nitroglycerin from gelignite when I added a bit of cyber dust I found on an old kilt (I was planning to create a new form of explosive I call Nitro 9.1) when – BOOM! – a massive time storm swept me up and deposited me on what looks like the planet Telos in the 25th century.

Which was rather splendid as I landed shortly before Doctor two, Jamie and Victoria are about to turn up and open up the cyber tombs. Now I don’t know about you but I’m rather fond of Tomb of the Cybermen, and I’ve always wanted to revisit a certain magic moment from that story…

Now, some people like the dramatic scene where the Cybermen slowly and menacingly descend from their frozen pods; others like the quiet exchange where the Doctor talks to Victoria about missing his family, or the dramatic battle between Toberman and a Cyberman when we see that, in times of extreme danger, Toberman’s Emergency Bottom Wire is activated, which latches on to the ceiling and lifts the big man out of danger.

But for me, the moment I’ve always wanted to re-visit is that classic scene in episode one. You know the bit after Jeremy Corbyn – I think that’s who it is? – the archaeologist chap, anyway, tells everyone to split up. Then Jamie and Haydon (surely the key character in Tomb we’ve all been desperate to see make a comeback for the last 48 years) take a walk down a corridor. Yes, THAT corridor with Jamie and Haydon.

That’s where Return to Telos comes in, the finale of the fourth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures. Nick Briggs wanted to re-visit a classic adventure from the Troughton era and mash it up by throwing the Fourth Doctor, Leela, and K9 into the mix. From his extensive viewing and re-viewing of Tomb, Briggs selected the aforementioned magic moment in the corridor to set his new adventure around.

Except he didn’t just do that. No, what Briggs really wanted to do was to write a sequel to his previous adventure, The Fate of Krelos. That’s why he decided to call it ‘Return to Krelos’ and Big Finish packaged the two adventures together as a double CD set. I mean you would, wouldn’t you? You wouldn’t do something silly like sell a single CD that follows on directly from the previous adventure that makes no sense whatsoever unless you’ve heard the first one?

The other thing you DEFINITELY WOULDN’T DO is release a story that purports to take place during the action of one of Doctor Who’s most well regarded classic stories, then fill it mostly with your own silly characters and set it largely on another planet. And when it came to designing the artwork you wouldn’t put a classic companion on the cover who makes what amounts to little more than a cameo appearance. You definitely wouldn’t write a story and miss the opportunity to team up two of the Doctor’s classic companions, Jamie and Leela, would you? Imagine the sparks that would fly if those two knife-wielding warriors were to meet (and you’ll have to settle for imagining because they don’t even exchange a glance, let alone fisticuffs).

But of all the opportunities you wouldn’t want to miss is to match up Tom Bakers’ revitalised Fourth Doctor with Frazer Hines’ pitch-perfect Troughton resurrection (‘impression’ really doesn’t do it justice). I mean you wouldn’t be crazy enough to have the Second Doctor captured by Cybermen, then get Frazer to perfectly recreate Troughton’s performance by asking him to mostly give out an agonised moan and shout things like, “Ow, ooh, help, mummy, ouch, argh, no!”

Sorry, this review is getting quite heated. I’m feeling a bit claustrophobic sealed into this cyber tomb and I’m not sure that any air is getting in. What’s frustrating about Return to Telos is that there is actually perfectly serviceable Doctor Who story going on among the missed opportunities. It just has nothing to do with Tomb of the Cybermen. Yes, they share the same monsters but so do quite a lot of adventures. And the Cybermen presented in this Big Finish tale are quite unlike those encountered in Tomb. They are a time-travelling swarm of metallic giants that can infiltrate and subjugate a planet (in this case Krelos) within a matter of minutes, a bit like those glimpsed in Nightmare in Silver. They are are an unstoppable force that mean even the most sophisticated Emergency Bottom Wire technology cannot rescue you from their clutches.

And, despite all my complaints, Tom Baker and Louise Jameson give their usual brilliant performances. Their final scene together as they stare up at the stars is a delight. But you’ve got to question what Big Finish were up to when the interview extras included with the story feature Jameson and Hines expressing their disappointment that their characters never meet. Frazer even comes up with a great idea for what might have happened if they did…

And you’ve got to wonder why Briggs decided to put two Doctors in the same story and not have them play off each other. In the interview extras Nick says, “I didn’t want to get into the whole thing of the Doctors meeting…” Um, why ever not? Surely that’s the point of having two Doctors in the same adventure? If you don’t want Doctors to interact, don’t put both of them in the same story. “Yes, I once hosted a hog roast where I’d invited both Hitler and Ghandi, but I made sure the Fuhrer stayed in the rose garden while Mahatma was in the conservatory. I didn’t want to get into ‘the whole thing’ of the two of them meeting.” (Briggs didn’t actually say that last bit, in case you were wondering.)

The story promised us a new insight into the events of Tomb of the Cybermen and [EXPLOSIVE SPOILER ALERT] Return to Telos reveals that behind the cyber tombs there is a massive empty chasm! Yes, bet you didn’t expect that! Doctor Who forums across cyberspace must be buzzing with the revelation… ‘Sack Briggs now!’ ‘The Brigg is bringing bold and fresh ideas to Doctor Who, you just don’t like innovation!’ ‘I think the massive chasm is really the Rani!’‘When, oh when, are Lovarzi going to release a replica Toberman® Emergency Bottom Wire?’

Well, if the chasm revelation blows your mind, wait until you hear these hitherto unimagined Doctor Who facts: In a cupboard behind the control room the First Doctor adventure, The Daleks, there are six unused quad bikes! Six! When the Third Doctor takes a shower in Spearhead From Space he is actually wearing flip-flops! On his feet! In Davros’s desk draw in Genesis of the Daleks there is a banana he confiscated from Nyder that he plans to eat himself! But he forgot and now it’s a bit over!

The truth is, the massive chasm in Return to Telos is actually the aforementioned accumulation of missed opportunities in this story. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next few months Big Finish announce a special release where Jamie and Leela finally team up for an adventure where they have to rescue Doctors two and four, who are locked in an uncomfortably small room with only the board game Taboo for entertainment. “I really wanted to get into the whole thing of the Doctors meeting,” says Briggs.

Oh, sorry, but I have to go, the music has just started and the Cyber Choreographer is giving me the evils. It’s funny, I had no idea that Tomb of the Cybermen was actually an immersive theatre show staged in a disused quarry in Buckinghamshire, where the audience pretend to be outer space archeologists and they interact with a bunch of actors pretending to be robotmen. Gosh, I’ll never watch Tomb of the Cybermen in the same way again…

The post Reviewed: Return to Telos appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Chief Studios’ Ninth Doctor Unveiled!

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.

We love Big Chief Studios’ Doctor Who figures – they may be expensive, but they’re also pretty darn awesome and certainly screen-accurate.

Founded in 2011 by Mark Andrews and Tony Leetham, industry professionals with more than thirty years experience working with licensed brands, and they’ve made articulated models of various characters in Doctor Who, including the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, Amy Pond, and, shipping now, a Weeping Angel. And soon: Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor!

The company, which has recently expanded to include Sherlock figures and art prints, revealed the figure on Twitter.

Everywhere we go, two words follow us. "Bad Wolf" #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/Y3pRHbQnwk

— Big Chief Studios (@BigChiefStudio1) September 14, 2015

#DoctorWho 9th Doctor, pending approval. pic.twitter.com/T0EM6NRnci

— Big Chief Studios (@BigChiefStudio1) September 9, 2015

But you don’t just get the figure, of course – there are some great accessories that no Time Lord should be without. (Also some Time Lords don’t typically carry with them, but are cool anyway.)

They're made of plastic. Living plastic creatures. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/0baLuV1Xjn

— Big Chief Studios (@BigChiefStudio1) September 7, 2015

There’s the key to the TARDIS; the Vortex Manipulator, courtesy of Captain Jack Harkness; a metal spider from The End of the World; a banana (bananas are good!); anti-plastic, used against the Nestene Consciousness in Rose; two versions of the sonic screwdriver; and Blon Fel Fotch Pasameer-Day Slitheen from Boom Town.

Obviously, these all come from Series 1 (2005). Also from 2005 is this:

I'm him, I'm literally him. Same man, new face. Well. New everything.

#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/fte7NZIqAD

— Big Chief Studios (@BigChiefStudio1) September 18, 2015

Fantastic, eh? (Sorry.)

We can only guess how much the Ninth Doctor figure will be, so based on previous examples, we reckon it’ll be between £150 and £200.

The post Big Chief Studios’ Ninth Doctor Unveiled! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

NuWho 10th Anniversary: What Is Most Underrated Series 6 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.

It’s 5:02pm, and the Kasterborous crew has settled down to decide the most underrated serial of Series 6. But all of time is happening at once, and a bearded soothsayer says we’re like a needle stuck on a record. He doesn’t appear to have heard of downloads. He does, however, speak baby, and knows a lot about gangers, Captain Henry Avery, Demon’s Run, Apalapachia, and Cybermen.

Not a lot about the Silence though. Whatever they may be…

You know our favourites of Series 6, but what’s the most underrated serial…?

Jonathan Appleton: The God Complex

I can’t claim to understand entirely what it was all about, but full credit to the BBC for transmitting an episode of a flagship family show on primetime BBC1 that explored faith in such a challenging way. Matt Smith seemed to relish the chance to explore his character’s darker side and Nick Hurran conveyed a creepy tone in his direction. Perhaps it works best on an emotional level, and elements of the plot have to be questioned (would Amy accept the Doctor leaving her with such good grace when she has a child lost somewhere in space and time?), but I’m all for episodes of Doctor Who that make us think.

James Whittington: A Christmas Carol

Probably the most Christmassy-looking Christmas special up until then, this crazy twist on the classic novella is a prime example of real Doctor Who; notably it’s about him meddling in things that shouldn’t concern him and leaves his companions doing something else.

Promoted to the hilt thanks to the casting of Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins, the story gives us time away from Rory and Amy (hurrah) and instead of being a sugary tale of redemption, it’s a sad, reflective slice of lost hope and lost love. Its tinged with a glorious sadness all the way through as we learn of Abigail’s (Jenkins) sad plight and the love Kazran (Gambom) has held inside his blackening heart all his life. It’s not all darkness as the Doctor’s close encounter with Marilyn Monroe raises a smile from older viewers and Abigail’s song to the sky shark things is a real showstopper.

This is a special that’s not just for Christmas and thanks to some neat effects and a pounding score this is a treat of a special containing Matt Smith’s most defined performance to date. Altogether now, “When you’re alone…”

Becky Crockett: Night Terrors

Night Terrors tends to be overlooked in a series that had so many great episodes. Those peg dolls are C-R-E-E-P-Y. But that’s the point, right? It plays to the same fears that everyone has ever had, as a child or as an adult, of something come alive from your nightmares.

But when we know someone is there to love and protect us, no matter what, those nightmares aren’t so scary anymore.

Philip Bates: The Wedding of River Song

The Wedding of River Song tops off a very underrated series, and does so with style. I admit to being sceptical about a one-part finale, but it worked, combining so many ideas without feeling rushed.

“Here,” says Steven Moffat, “have a Dalek. Here’s a chess game. And Mark Gatiss as a Viking. Oh, and you remember that blue bloke you thought was dead? They only chopped off his head! A little thing like that’s not going to get Dorium down!”

I like timey-wimey nonsense and all of time happening at once was just the ticket, especially as we get to see Ian McNiece as Churchill again (and, briefly, a gag about A Christmas Carol – the book – with a return from Charles Dickens). If only we could’ve seen him arriving on his personal mammoth…

It was so great to see Amy Pond kicking butt, Rory’s undying love, River Song’s being brilliant but dedicated to the Doctor, and Kovarian’s snarling insults. But the episode really belongs to Matt Smith and the Silence. Oh yes, those highly-forgettable aliens are just glorious. I love them. Totally. Their look, their sound, their movements, their concept: I. Love. The Silence. I wish they’d return (even though it would mean people moaning about the human race not killing them on sight).

And if you know me at all, you know I’m an Eleventh Doctor fan, and Matt Smith breaks your heart in this episode. You can understand the Doctor’s final hurrahs as he dots around the universe, running from the inevitable: nevertheless, there’s a gravitas and depth to his sadness. This Doctor has always been a very up-beat incarnation, and he remains as such. Yet he also portrays real weight, especially when he’s on his own again, having cast Amy and Rory away. Watch his reaction to Amy questioning what’s wrong with him. “I’m still alive.”

That’s without even mentioning his hearing about the Brigadier, a real lump-in-the-throat moment.

Then the Doctor sheds the cloak and off he goes again with a spring in his step, free of the universe’s eyes. The Doctor is dead. Long live the Doctor.

Drew Boynton: The Doctor’s Wife

Yes, you read that correctly, but stay with me here.  In some lost region of deep space, in some strange alternate universe, SOMEWHERE out there, there is a version of The Doctor’s Wife that is two episodes.  Instead of the dreadful two-parter that directly followed it upon transmission, The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People (which is the absolute low point of NuWho for me), somewhere there MUST be a version of The Doctor’s Wife that is two episodes and version of those two episodes that is just one (The Almost Flesh People?).

The Doctor’s Wife, famously written by Neil Gaiman, is so jam-packed with ideas that it just cries out for a longer run time. The Time Lords’ essences captured in glowing cubes? That could be one episode in itself! Amy and Rory trapped in a TARDIS that’s been taken over by an age-and-time altering bad guy? Another episode! The Doctor finally getting to meet the embodiment of the TARDIS itself? Another! Not to mention the Doctor building a TARDIS console from spare parts, finding a dark fairy tale-ish land in a lost corner of the universe, and meeting quirky characters that were kept alive by using parts of other aliens! How could this episode have not been given the two-parter treatment?  If there is one missed opportunity in all of NuWho to me, it is that The Doctor’s Wife was trapped in a one-episode format that didn’t allow enough room for the story to fully breathe.

Somewhere out there in a strange alternate universe (maybe on Pete and Jackie Tyler’s TV?), there is a two-part version of The Doctor’s Wife that is an absolute television masterpiece.

Thomas Spychalski: The Rebel Flesh/ The Almost People

Although some found the second Doctor Who outing from Life On Mars/Ashes to Ashes creator Matthew Graham boring to a degree, I found it more in tone with a classic Doctor Who base under siege story.

Elements needed for such a story to work effectively are quickly established such as isolation on main characters, the threat that challenges them and the little small nuances that make the personalities involved come alive.

The addition of the Ganger Doctor was also a nice touch, again allowing a bit of a deeper message about the morals of our own species.

There is also the matter of how your feelings and reactions start to differ and divide from your copy the very second after it is made. In a world that has begun 3-D Printing things like houses and body parts and playing with cloning, this is the kind of technology that could lead to dark choices.

Could you trust a creature that was just like you? Could that creature trust you? How would that feel to have a copy of everything you are right next to you?

I imagine some look down their noses at it because it really is old hat, especially for Doctor Who, which used to do such stories while blindfolded and riding a unicycle back in the day, but it still is a pretty good modern take on an old formula.

Alasdair Shaw: The God Complex

It’s easy to overlook The God Complex in a series that brought us The Doctor’s Wife and so much River Song goodness, but to do so would be criminal.

From the second the episode starts we find ourselves disorientated as much as the Doctor and his companions and the surrealism doesn’t let up for the duration of the episode. But it’s not just the creepiness that sets this one apart. As I’ve said before in this series it’s all about character for me and The God Complex has is in spades.

The whole dynamic between the Doctor and Amy is twisted left, right, and sideways, and by the end of the episode you actually feel as though something important has shifted. The Doctor’s calculated tearing down of Amy’s faith brings to mind the Seventh Doctor doing much the same to Ace. Indeed the whole affair brings The Curse of Fenric very much to mind, which is never a bad thing.

But the most chilling part of the episode is revealed more in what is not said; that Rory has no faith in the Doctor. At all. It’s never directly said, but the looks between Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill are utterly heartbreaking. Rory isn’t the Doctor’s companion: he’s Amy’s.

Jeremy Remy: Let’s Kill Hitler

Alright, the title is awful. Moffat thought he was being clever. Sure, the joke that is Hitler’s characterization in the episode sits firmly in the realm of WWII cartoon parody. Historicals aren’t really Moffat’s forte. The entire episode sets River Song up to become a Mary Sue, which fundamentally ruins her character for some (while making even the most ardent supporters of the Doctor’s wife-to-be cringe a little). It doesn’t work, at all, as a “Part 2” to A Good Man Goes to War. And the Leadworth Crop Circle is just silly.

So, what is it about Let’s Kill Hitler that makes it worthy of watching? One thing, really: Mels. Amy and Rory’s best friend while they were growing up. We are given a montage of moments from their childhood, and her as an adult (played by Nina Toussaint-White). At that moment, we are shown that—unlike previous companions—she isn’t willing to wait for the Doctor, gain his permission, or even stow away, before getting a ride on the TARDIS. No, she’s happy to hijack the ship, and convince the Doctor (at gunpoint, if need be) to take her for a ride.

Now, (spoilers, for those who don’t already know) Mels regenerates into River Song in the same episode. So, the only moments we are given of Mels take place in the first half of the episode. Amy and Rory “raising” their child occurs in a montage. The promised assassin-River moments occur in a brief section of episode just before and after Mels’ regeneration. This is a character that should have been introduced and presented through early flashbacks (preferably with Amelia Pond, allowing for more spectacular Caitlin Blackwood appearances). This was an opportunity for a classic TARDIS hiccup, forcing their landing in WWII Germany to wait a few episodes (in my headcanon, there are several unseen adventures between Mels entering and exiting the TARDIS in this episode). And, it’s a crime that the only other examination of this character is in the one-part Doctor Who Magazine comic, Imaginary Enemies.

Let’s Kill Hitler isn’t the best episode, but Mels is a character worthy of more screen time than she was given. Further, the presentation of River’s previous incarnations and Rory and Amy growing up with their child were more important ideas than the time Moffat spent on them. If this episode succeeds in no other areas, at least it gives us a glimpse into stories that were too-soon shrugged off and forgotten.

James Lomond: The Girl Who Waited

The Girl Who Waited doesn’t get a huge amount of attention surrounded by the general River Song/ Silence arc of Series 6 – I thought even I may have overlooked it, but then realised that there was another reason I hadn’t brought it to mind for some time. The Girl Who Waited is one of the saddest, most devastatingly painful things I have ever watched – and that is, without a shadow of a doubt, alongside soul-crushing masterpieces like Grave of Fireflies and Brokeback Mountain. This took something that you kinda cared about (Amy and Rory’s relationship and future), and made it so utterly awful that it was truly difficult to go back and watch again. The breadth of time, the loneliness, the anger and resentment and brilliant performance of Older Amy by Karen Gillan make for very uncomfortable viewing.

In some ways it doesn’t feel very much like Who, but in other ways it exemplifies the kind of high quality drama that the format can aspire to – every now and again! In curious twist of the usual format we get to see what we might see as a pragmatic mercenary side to the Doctor in dealing with the abandoned Pond – he locks her out and hands responsibility over to Rory, becoming something of a monster himself.

And then there are the hand-bots. Creepy, creeping and impossible to read like the best of Who‘s would-be villains. This is a fine piece of well-thought-out drama that doesn’t quite get the recognition it should.

Katie Gribble: The God Complex

The undeniable star of the show is Rita played by the wonderful Amara Karan. It is her attitude and bravery in confronting the situation and her ultimate downfall which makes the episode so powerful and heart breaking. Her fear stems from disappointing her father and as soon as she finds her room, the inevitable process leading the central characters to ‘Praise Him’ begins.

However, Rita believes that the hotel is representative of Jahannam, one of the names for the Islamic concept of Hell. She knows that Jahannam will play tricks on the mind and will try to drive her insane, but Rita says she is without fear. Her solace lies in that she lived a good life and that knowledge will keep her safe from the monsters and the nightmare rooms. Her religious faith is what keeps her strong for the others and for herself. Islam has such a strong loving hold over this powerful character and moves her to do some very brave things. As a religion which emphasises the positives of self-control, Rita indulges in the ethos that she is not ungrateful for the Doctor’s help but she consistently proves to him that she can and will act on her own terms.

The Doctor admires Rita from the beginning of the episode and offers her a place on the TARDIS once they escape. Indeed, this is another reason that makes her tale so tragic. The Doctor implores her to return to the group once she has begun to ‘Praise Him’. By returning, they can keep her safe and fight the creature together. Instead, Rita decides to sacrifice herself to get as far away as possible to keep the monster away from the others. But Rita’s final request is something so beautifully strong willed and so very human:

I can feel the rapture approaching like a wave. I don’t want you to witness this. I want you to remember me the way I was…Please, let me be robbed of my faith in private. I’m not frightened. I’m blessed, Doctor. I’m at peace. Goodbye, Doctor. Thank you for trying.

Her request for the respect she deserves is incredibly powerful and demonstrates her bravery when confronted with this almighty death. What makes it doubly tragic is that within the confines of the episode, without Rita’s death and her strength in confronting it, the Doctor would have otherwise been unable to figure out his mistake or realise how to save everyone. Her death reinstates that the Doctor cannot save everyone, no matter how hard he tries and I think that the final scene convincing Amy that she cannot trust him and his decision to leave her and Rory on Earth is spurred on by Rita’s death.

This episode appears as a fun romp on the outside with Whithouse’s quips and its inclusion of David Walliams, but it deals with some truly unnerving questions and should be appreciated all the more for tackling them.

That’s what we think. Now it’s your turn! Vote below for the most underrated serial of Series 6, and we’ll find out the overall winner later this year…

Take Our Poll

The post NuWho 10th Anniversary: What Is Most Underrated Series 6 Story? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

BBCOne to Repeat The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar This Sunday

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.

The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar will get an omnibus repeat this Sunday, just one day after the concluding episode debuts on BBC One!

The 90-minute omnibus edition will screen on the flagship channel at 3:15pm, replacing repeats of Eat Well For Less?, and The Great British Bake-Off. To plug the gap before 5:15pm’s showing of Points of View, Doctor Who will be followed by Escape to the Country.

Peter Capaldi said this opening two-part story is a tribute to the First Doctor era, and this repeat just highlights the link; the first episode, An Unearthly Child, was shown again the following week as the BBC were worried that the viewers might’ve missed it the first time around, owing to the assassination of President JFK.

But this is unprecedented in NuWho: the last such unexpected broadcast, as DWNews notes, was a May 1974 showing of The Sea Devils!

It might seem a good thing, giving more people a chance to catch up with the latest adventures of the Doctor and Clara… but in light of the accusations that ratings were bad (indeed they weren’t as high as hoped; nonetheless, the catch-up service is making up for it), this does smell slightly of desperation. You could easily blame the Rugby World Cup, which was scheduled up against our favourite show.

Nobody panic: Doctor Who isn’t about to get cancelled. Just sit back this Sunday and enjoy a repeat showing!

The post BBCOne to Repeat The Magician’s Apprentice / The Witch’s Familiar This Sunday appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Did YOU Win a Subscription to Doctor Who: The Complete History?

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.

We have a winner! A couple of weeks back, we launched our Doctor Who: The Complete History competition, and we’re now pleased to announce that the prize – a subscription to the series – has been won.

From over 100 entries, one name was picked at random, so huge congratulations to…

Jon Such

We’ve already been in touch with Jon, and will be arranging his subscription as soon as we have the address details.

We asked you: What were the first and last Archives by Pixley published in DWM in 1991 and 2003 respectively?

And the correct answers were: Power of the Daleks, which was the first Archives, and The Daleks, which concluded the series. We would’ve also accepted The Mutants too, but only because that’s how The Complete History lists the 1963-4 serial.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the competition; we might have another one for you soon…

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Peter Capaldi Makes his Amazing Spider-Man Debut! (Kinda)

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.

The Twelfth Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi is set to appear on the cover of The Amazing Spider-Man #05, courtesy of a fantastic painting by Alex Ross.

We already know that ASM scribe, Dan Slott is a big Doctor Who  fan (his Silver Surfer series is essentially a take on the Doctor’s adventures in time and space), but it seems he also loves The Thick of It – because some of the main characters, including Capaldi’s sweary Malcolm Tucker, appear on a London bus that the wall-crawler is being smashed into.

Armando Iannucci, creator of The Thick of It, was particularly impressed.

Anyone know why Thick of It cast are in recent Spiderman issue? As a lifelong Marvel fan I'm delighted. And curious. pic.twitter.com/cc9LeFgx8e

— Armando Iannucci (@Aiannucci) September 16, 2015

Cool, right? (Although the pedant in me says that Spider-Man has a hyphen. Sorry.)

Here’s what Slott said about the political-spin show:

"This program contains language which may be inappropriate for some viewers."

But, @BBCAmerica, it's starring the 12th Doctor…

Neat!

Lovarzi Expands Range With Eleventh and Fourth Doctor Scarves

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.

Four new Doctor Who products will be available nationwide from Lovarzi in the next fortnight – including the company’s first foray into NuWho (2005- present)!

Set up in 2007, Lovarzi has been working with the BBC since 2012 to give fans screen-accurate items, perfect for cosplayers. That started with their multi-coloured Fourth Doctor Scarf, and has since expanded to include the Fifth Doctor Sweater, TARDIS umbrellas, and Dalek Scarf. These upcoming products celebrate some of the most iconic imagery from the show.

The Pandorica Opens Scarf is digitally-printed 100% silk, and is based on the painting by Vincent van Gogh in the 2010 finale. Complete with a presentation box (adorned with foil-printed Doctor Who and BBC logos), this is the first time Lovarzi has specifically celebrated the much-loved Matt Smith era of the show: the picture is bright, bold, and hugely recognisable. (Personally, I love the picture and will definitely be picking up one of these scarves!)

Lovarzi’s original replica of the Fourth Doctor Scarf remains a bestseller, but if you’re worried about tripping over yourself, the company is releasing a shorter version: at 25 x 200cms, it’s perfect for showing off your fan credentials on a daily basis. Just keep some jelly babies with you.

It’s made from soft, warm Acrylic, and just like Lovarzi’s initial Fourth Doctor Scarf, comes in a carry-case.

If you’re looking for something completely different (but still paying tribute to Tom Baker’s incarnation of the Doctor), the exclusively-designed Knitted Tie takes those same colours in that same pattern and makes a unique item that’s perfect for giving a professional but quirky impression, wherever you go.

Also presented in a gift box, foil-printed with the Doctor Who logo, the Fourth Doctor Knitted Tie is made from 50% Wool and 50% Acrylic, so it’s soft and resistant to fading.

Finally, after the success of the Seventh Doctor Jumper and Paisley Silk Scarf, Lovarzi continues to cater for cosplaying fans with the Seventh Doctor Hanky, an intricate digitally-printed design (made of cotton) that comes in a special gift box.

Designed by Ken Trew, the BBC purchased about 20 red hankies to wrap around the Time Lord’s panama hat, and Sylvester McCoy stepped out in his now-iconic costume in Time and the Rani (1987). Fortunately, McCoy rose above this dodgy story to become a much-loved Doctor, who battled Daleks, Cybermen Haemovores, the Gods of Ragnarok, and the Master.

Maninder Singh Sahota, Director of Lovarzi, says:

“The year-long work we put into our Doctor Who products is always worth it when we see the smiles of enthusiastic Whovians at conventions. I’m sure these four new products will be welcomed by fans new and old – and very much look forward to seeing cosplayers and collectors wearing them with pride whenever we’re exhibiting our ever-expanding range. And yes, we’re already planning next year’s releases!”

The Pandorica Opens Scarf (40 x 190cms), Seventh Doctor Hanky (50 x 50cms), Fourth Doctor Shorter Scarf (25 x 200cms), and Fourth Doctor Knitted Tie will all be available to pre-order from early October. You can get them from Lovarzi.co.uk, the BBCShop, and Forbidden Planet. They’ll likely also be stocked alongside further Lovarzi products at the Doctor Who Experience!

The post Lovarzi Expands Range With Eleventh and Fourth Doctor Scarves appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Tenth Doctor and Donna’s Big Finish Return Scuppered?

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.

It would be nice to open this piece with an epithet such as “Exciting times! Could David Tennant and Catherine Tate reunite for a series of brand new Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish?”

But we can’t. Not really. As many of you will know, Big Finish recently acquired the rights to ‘new’ characters from the current series of Doctor Who. Coming soon from the producers of audio adventures are stories featuring River Song, Strax and various aliens and monsters such as Weeping Angels, Sycorax and Judoon. What many have been hoping for is the arrival of one (or all) of the post 2005 Doctors.

It seems that this may be about to happen. Except, we shouldn’t know about it. Blogtor Who yesterday leaked the news (look it up, we won’t be linking to it from here) that in perhaps the biggest coup for Big Finish yet, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be returning to their roles as the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble in a brand new series of audio dramas.

Blogtor – real name Cameron McEwan – also claimed that scripts are ready to go and will be recorded when David and Catherine’s schedules permit.

So you can imagine the annoyance and displeasure of David Tennant and Catherine Tate today when their respective locations were under siege from journalists. Not what you would want from a few days recording audios that nobody knew you were doing.

When approached by Blogtor Who, Big Finish declined to comment. Hardly a surprise when you think about it.

#weknow

The post Tenth Doctor and Donna’s Big Finish Return Scuppered? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Sylvester McCoy, Billie Piper, and Dan Starkey Attending Australia’s Doctor Who Festival

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.

Billie Piper, who played Rose Tyler, Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy, and Strax actor Dan Starkey aka Strax and various other Sontarans both on-screen and for Big Finish, will join Peter Capaldi, showrunner, Steven Moffat, and writer Mark Gatiss (Night Terrors; Cold War) at the Doctor Who Festival in Sydney, Australia, on the 21st and 22nd November.

Billie Piper and Sylvester McCoy will appear on stage at the festival in a series of fan Q&As hosted by Adam Spencer.

Sylvester McCoy of course played the Seventh Doctor from 1987 to 1989, and was most recently seen on the big screen alongside Sir Ian McKellen and Martin Freeman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. He says:

“I’m over the moon, quite literally, as I’ll be coming by TARDIS!”

Along with playing companion Rose in Doctor Who, Billie Piper is known to audiences as Belle in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, appearing opposite Matt Smith in The Ruby in the Smoke, and in Showtime’s supernatural series Penny Dreadful.

Dan Starkey, who first appeared in the show in 2008’s The Sontaran Stratagem/ The Poison Sky, will offer fans the chance to learn what it takes to be a monster in a special hands-on drama session. He’s played Strax since 2011’s A Good Man Goes to War. He said:

“I made a flying visit to Australia a few years ago and I’m really looking forward to coming back and spending a little longer this time. In his long and illustrious military career I’m sure that Strax has conquered jet-lag and I’m certain I will too!”

Dan will be joined by actor Jon Davey, who has played a variety of monsters in over 30 episodes of Doctor Who, including Cybermen, Whispermen, and the Vigil. He also cropped up as a UNIT officer in Death in Heaven (2014).  He’ll reveal the secrets behind operating the Doctor’s most famous adversary – the Daleks.

The Festival has also announced some new features:

NEW! MILLENNIUM FX MONSTER SHOW – see the work that goes into creating some of the iconic monsters from Doctor Who with a live monster make-up demonstration and, as a special treat for fans, a brand new never-before-seen series nine monster will also feature on stage.
NEW! DRAMA SCHOOL WITH THE MONSTERS – alongside Dan Starkey and Jon Davey, learn what it takes to be a monster on the set of Doctor Who in this hands-on drama school session.
NEW! PRODUCTION VILLAGE – get a glimpse of life on set in the ‘Production Village’ with Gary Russell (Script Editor). Learn about the different roles in television production and what it’s really like to work on set. How early are the call times? Who arrives first and who leaves last? Who has the most difficult role, and most importantly, who looks after the key to the TARDIS? In the Production Village these questions and more will be answered, as fans are offered an exclusive insight into the many parts involved in bringing them the world’s longest running sci-fi program.
NEW! SCIENCE OF DOCTOR WHO – on this amazing journey through space and time, comedian Rob Lloyd explores the scientific mysteries of Doctor Who. Featuring original scenes from the iconic BBC television series, this interactive session investigates the science of time travel, asks if regeneration is possible, and explains how the TARDIS can be bigger on the inside. Brought to you by RiAus.
NEW! ICONIC SET – direct from Cardiff a unique setting from this season’s Doctor Who will be coming to Australia for the first time ever.
Q&AS – see the writers and cast from the series as they talk about how to make an idea become reality on a series as big and bold as Doctor Who.
PHOTO AND AUTOGRAPH OPPORTUNITIES – a limited number of opportunities for photos and autographs with selected talent.
WRITERS’ MASTERCLASS – ask Mark Gatiss how a Doctor Who script is crafted and discover the techniques behind the art of dramatic scriptwriting and how to get work published.
SFX DISPLAY – witness first-hand some of the spectacular effects seen in the series such as explosions and fireballs, elemental and atmospheric effects, mechanical rigs and pyrotechnics.
WARDROBE DEPARTMENT – a fantastic exhibition of costumes and props.
COSPLAYERS’ SHOWCASE- fans can showcase their impressive Doctor Who-themed outfits with a special prize awarded to the best dressed.
DOCTOR WHO QUIZ – this is the ultimate Doctor Who quiz, where fans can show off their in-depth knowledge of the Doctor, his adversaries and the many adventures he’s had through space and time.
THE FAN CHALLENGE – fans young and old can battle it out and test their Doctor Who knowledge.

Unfortunately, Billie Piper’s attendance at the Doctor Who Festival is subject to her filming commitments, but that’s normally the case with the majority of actors on the conventions circuit!

The Doctor Who Festival will be held at the Hordern Pavilion and the Royal Hall of Industries on the 21st and 22nd November.

Tickets can be purchased at Ticketek, and if you want to talk about the expo, head to Twitter and use the hashtag, #DWFestAu.

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