Christian Cawley's Blog, page 72

Steven Moffat In No Hugo Award Shock!

Josh Maxton 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.

Our own Steven Moffat has won several Hugo awards and has been nominated for even more. Doctor Who episodes like The Empty Child/ The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink, and The Pandorica Opens/ The Big Bang have won Moffat the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Hugo award. Other episodes like A Christmas Carol, A Good Man Goes to War, Asylum of the Daleks, The Snowmen, and The Day of the Doctor have gotten Moffat nominated for the award, but didn’t win it.

More recently, the Moff was nominated for 2014’s Listen, which many fans consider just as good as Blink. In a strange turn of events, however (probably the Daleks were involved), he didn’t win the award, and Graham Manson’s Orphan Black: “By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried” got first place.

Below are the nominees:

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form (4705 final ballots, 938 nominating ballots, 470 entries, range 71-170)

Orphan Black: “By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried”, ” written by Graham Manson, directed by John Fawcett (Temple Street Productions, Space/BBC America)
Doctor Who: “Listen”, written by Steven Moffat, directed by Douglas Mackinnon (BBC Television)
Game of Thrones: “The Mountain and the Viper”, written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, directed by Alex Graves ((HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions)
The Flash: “Pilot”, teleplay by Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, story by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, directed by David Nutter (The CW) (Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television)
Grimm: “Once We Were Gods”, written by Alan DiFiore, directed by Steven DePaul (NBC) (GK Productions, Hazy Mills Productions, Universal TV)

Although I didn’t like it that much, Listen had it’s good moments, and many fans loved it – so I was a bit surprised to find out that it didn’t win a Hugo. Some people may consider this a turning point for Moffat, and a decline in his nominations and award-winnings. To me though, since he didn’t even win the Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) for episodes like The Day of the Doctor and A Good Man Goes to War, we shouldn’t be worried about him losing this fight.

That’s all for now! Have a good week!

Geronimo!!

Were you surprised that Listen didn’t win the award?

The post Steven Moffat In No Hugo Award Shock! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who: The Quark Invasion of Earth!

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.

Here’s a bit of fun for a Sunday evening. Fan Andrew Orton has created this amazing “what if…?” Doctor Who fan video, “The Quark Invasion of Earth” which you simply have to see.

Says Orton on YouTube:

A little tribute to 1960s Doctor Who, and possibly the silliest thing I’ve ever done…

The Quarks have pulled together an elite force of the galaxy’s cheapest aliens, to take over… THE PLANET EARTH!

It doesn’t go exactly as they had planned…

This is a great look at an amusing “alternate” Doctor Who history, and one that definitely deserves to be shared. So, um, tell your friends! Click play above to enjoy this experience quote unique Doctor Who experience…

 

The post Doctor Who: The Quark Invasion of Earth! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Finish Review: The Warehouse

Chris Swanson 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.

You know those old Doctor Who stories from the mid-to-late 1980s? The ones where the Doctor and Mel or Ace would show up somewhere innocuous and it turns out to be very sinister indeed? Often this took the form of places like apartment blocks (Paradise Towers), a circus (The Greatest Show in the Galaxy), a different set of apartment blocks (The Happiness Patrol), or, most sinister of all, Wales (Delta and the Bannermen).

It is a great testament to the writer of The Warehouse that it truly fits in perfectly with this particular era of the series. Here’s the synopsis:

The Doctor and Mel land in what appears to be an orbiting warehouse, a delivery facility with a dangerously erratic computer.

Whilst Mel is helping with repairs, the Doctor begins to realise that not everything in the warehouse is as it seems. Why do no goods ever seem to leave the shelves? Why are the staff so obsessed with the stocktake? And who is the mysterious Supervisor?

On the planet below, the Doctor discovers that the computer might be the least of their problems – and that they should be more concerned with the spacestation’s mould and vermin…

The story features the Doctor and Mel arriving at a rather boring space-based warehouse that’s staffed by a bunch of people with letters for their last names. Also, a bunch of people on the planet below are worshiping the warehouse as though it were a god. So, really, not at all unlike the McCoy years on TV, and I say that as a good thing. I’m quite pleased with the fact that this story fits into that era so well.

Now that said, the story itself is a bit “eh” (again, much like the stories it emulates). There were a couple of neat twists, though nothing great, and the parts that weren’t all twisty were fairly predictable.  It’s well-executed predictability, for the most part, but it really felt like there should have been a bit more than there was. Though it’s also worth noting that the story felt rather padded.

Still, if you want a decent Seven and Mel story, or you’re looking to give one to a friend who really likes this era of the show, then this really is a good choice. Not a great story in of itself, but a great example of the stories from that era.

Written by Mike Tucker and directed by Barnaby Edwards, The Warehouse stars Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor with Bonnie Langford as Mel. Guests inlcude Phillip Franks (Heartbeat, The Darling Buds of May) and Clare Buckfield (2point4 Children, Dancing on Ice, and Big Finish plays The One Doctor and Horror of Glam Rock). You can purchase The Warehouse from Big Finish now in MP3 download format or on CD.

The post Big Finish Review: The Warehouse appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Titan’s Doctor Who: Four Doctors #2 Reviewed

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.

If you’ve read the captivating first issue of this special multi-Doctor event from Titan, you know that our Doctors and their respective companions were in a bit of a jam when issue #1 ended on a cliff hanger.

We’ve not seen the menacing Reapers since Series 1’s brilliant episode, Father’s Day, so it’s an appropriately scary villain for the first and beginning of the second issue of this limited run. Though it does bring a question to the mind of this reviewer: why have they not shown up at other multi-Doctor events? Day of the Doctor, anyone? Eleven, Ten, and the War Doctor’s meeting seems to be as big of a reason for them to swoop in as the circumstances that bring the Reapers to our current story, Four Doctors. Most likely reason is a creative one, as Harness created the Reapers in Series 1 and now has the opportunity to revisit them in this limited run for Titan.

Without divulging too many spoilers, the greatest part of this second issue is the banter and interplay between the Doctors. While the first issue struggled to find the right voice for each Doctor (indeed, my esteemed colleague noted in his review that Twelve seemed a bit angrier than he’s been portrayed by Capaldi thus far; an assessment I agree with), this issue seems to have struck the right character balance. There is also a somewhat touching scene with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara that calls back to some of the poignant moments betwixt the two of them in Series 8, and this is a very good thing.

From a narrative standpoint, the pacing is fantastic and doesn’t quickly dispose of the circumstances our characters were in at the end of the first issue. While with only five issues, that could potentially be a problem if the remainder of the story feels rushed and could have used an additional page or two. For now, however, it appears that the pacing is on point and I am truly excited to see where issue 3 takes us!

Regarding the artwork, it’s consistent and keeps faithful to the individual ongoing series that Titan publish, while still maintaining a more realistic approach to the artwork. The issue also begins with a more caricaturized vision of what Gabby had envisioned a meeting between the Tenth Doctor and his former and future selves:

This reviewer found this an interesting way to start the issue, expecting to pick up right from the ending panels of issue 1. While the caricature opening distracted me a bit, I do think overall it added to the story. By continuing to give us the insight from the eyes of a companion, it gives us a fresh look at the Doctors. When dealing with a character that’s over fifty years old, that insight is invaluable.

As things shift toward to the meeting on Marinus and the inevitable inclusion of the War Doctor, I will most definitely be picking up the next issue through the end of the run. Issue 2 is definitely worth your time and purchase and begins to build upon the big ideas teased in the very first issue. Doctor Who: Four Doctors Issue #2 is available now.

What do you say, dear readers? Will you be picking this up? Have you already read the issue? Let us know what you think!

The post Titan’s Doctor Who: Four Doctors #2 Reviewed appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who: Legacy v 3.0 Materializes in Stores Everywhere!

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’s time for a Cyberman-style upgrade of the award-winning Doctor Who: Legacy mobile game!

This week fans find new storylines with the “Sonic Adventures” and “Doctor Who: Legacy Kids”, and a variety of new gameplay features and levels. As you may expect, v 3.0 is a lead in to Doctor Who Series 9 and you can expect weekly support of the new season with new levels inspired by the episodes. Just as with Series 8 in 2014, the Legacy team is working closely with the BBC Doctor Who brand team and BBC Worldwide to prepare the game for the new season of the show. For the second year running, fans of Doctor Who: Legacy will find new levels based on the new episodes of the show the day after they air.

Additionally, Doctor Who: Legacy 3.0 brings players the “Sonic Adventures” story arc, led by the First Doctor and includes new “sonic” versions of beloved characters Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, River Song, and the introduction of the classic Third Doctor companion, Jo Grant and the addition of the First Doctor’s Signet Ring. The “Sonic Adventures” will find players unlocking a full team of new Sonic Adventure characters and utilizing them to collect most of the sonic devices and gadgets from over the years of Doctor Who. This is the first paid, optional add-on to the game, with a USD $9.99 unlock which will grant players access to 30 new levels and over 20 guaranteed reward characters including sonic screwdrivers, sonic lipstick, sonic cane, and more.

Another major feature of 3.0 is the addition of “Doctor Who: Legacy Kids”, a special dedicated area for the youngest Doctor Who fans, inspired by our popular “Anna’s Playground” levels. These levels have been much loved by fans and their children and led to the creation of the new optional area of the game with a charming new art style created by BBC Worldwide. Also a premium feature, the Kids area unlocks for USD $4.99 and allows children a simplified experience of the game with no team creation, easier enemies and it will be updated over time like the game’s Fan Area. While adventuring in the kids area they will collect a series of costumes in the new art style for their parents as they complete the levels!

Also new in Doctor Who: Legacy 3.0:

What else is coming in 3.0?

a new season of Expert Mode levels – more challenging than the old ones and with even stronger ally rewards.

User interface improvements including combined TARDIS/Team/Perks tab.

Store changes including one unified rolling system for new allies.

You will also find a new fragment dropping, Strands of Time.  Strands of Time will be used to upgrade your Doctors and allies to the next Rank up, Rank 6.  The upgrading ability won’t make it into 3.0 but should be in shortly thereafter in a small subsequent update (estimating the following week) but you can start collecting your Strands of Time now.  Please note not all allies and Doctors will be immediately available for upgrade to Rank 6.  We will be adding them in gradually.  Also, only one Strand of Time will be required for the upgrade of each character.

If you haven’t yet tried Doctor Who: Legacy, you’re certainly missing out. It is enjoyed by nearly 2 million Whovians, has over 100 hours of playable content and includes all 13 Doctors, with over 140 playable allies and companions. The game also includes enemies from throughout the 50+ year history of the show, extended universe content from Big Finish, Titan Comics, and George Mann’s Engines of War novel, as well as the Bigger on the Inside 8-bit style retro adventure.

Doctor Who: Legacy is now available on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire and Facebook. Head to Tiny Rebel Games’ website for more details.

The post Doctor Who: Legacy v 3.0 Materializes in Stores Everywhere! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Peter Capaldi Series 9 Promotional News Blast

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.

Peter Capaldi has appeared in Doctor Who Series 9 promotional interviews across the print and web media this past few days, but what have we learned?

Peter Capaldi will Leave Doctor Who

Well, first off, Capaldi enjoys watching Doctor Who, but does it at work, rather than at home…

“It’s great because I phone the office, ask for an episode, there’s a knock at the trailer and it’s presented. They don’t think I’m an iconic character at home. That’s the difficulty. When I go home of a weekend I still have to make my own coffee.”

Of particular interest to many, of course, is the frank admission that yes, at some point, Peter Capaldi will be leaving Doctor Who, and perhaps not as far into the future as we would prefer.

“I sort of enjoy this position I am in with a kind of deep Scottish melancholy because I know it has to end one day. I will cross that bridge when we come to it, which may be sooner rather than later.”

Seven years for Capaldi would be wonderful. Three? Adequate, I suppose. Let’s hope it’s not two.

Time Lord Trust Issues

Elsewhere, Capaldi has discussed the development of the Twelfth Doctor. He told Digital Spy:

“You must never trust the Doctor, because his knowledge of the past and the future is comprehensive and deep and not quite human. So, in his human form, I think he’s decided – because he knows how dark it can get outside – that he’s going to have a good time. But as always in Doctor Who, no good time goes unpunished.”

Meanwhile, the Doctor’s character is set to be softened slightly (“it was important to make a decisive change”), while still relying on Clara to deal with people, Into the Dalek style.

“She helps the Doctor relate more effectively with human beings, because he can’t be a**ed to give them the time of day if they’re not doing what he wants! So she helps him – she has little strategies to help him be better.”

Should give the duo some good exchanges!

There Go My Trousers!

Fashion is the next topic, with Capaldi recalling how the Antarctic setting of Last Christmas informed his choice of wearing a hoody, which has led to a slight relaxation in the sartorial side of the Time Lord.

“He’s sort of loosening up a bit more, but he still sometimes goes back to his more severe sort of look.”

As for the Troughton-esque pants in recent publicity shots:

“There are some specific trouser things that happen for specific reasons. It will become clear to you when you watch the show.”

While he refuses to wear a onesie (“unless I’m captured by a race of onesies!”) Capaldi’s typically self-depracating when it comes to his hair.

“My hair is just my hair. To be honest I’ve always wanted it just to be longer, but everyone felt it was important to make a decisive change. Matt being so friendly and affectionate and open, I think they wanted to be quite different from that. I’m just lucky it’s still there. Some people think I’m going for the full Jon Pertwee bouffant, and I may still do that. I’ve just got grey hair, that’s all.”

Lets face it: he’s an old punk.

Series 9’s Darkness

Doctor Who has dealt with consequences before, perhaps most obviously in Series 2, with the splitting of the Doctor and Rose. Capaldi’s hints at what is to come in Doctor Who Series 9 seems to suggest a similar forcing of the ways.

“The Doctor and Clara are excited about the idea of having adventures this series, but that’s a dangerous thing to do. They can’t have a good time for too long. They have to pay for it. The Doctor has a profound knowledge of the past and future and he knows how things will come off in the end.

“He is aware darkness will fall.”

Let’s hope it’s darkness and not silence…

Who Is the Doctor?

After you’ve read this lot, head to Den of Geek where you’ll find a nice long interview. But if you don’t have time… Capaldi is particularly pleased by how the Doctor is developing

“I think they write for me much more now and I think it’s more expanded into aspects of my personality possibly that they are more familiar with. There are various things we do and he does in the TARDIS that are more sort of personal to me. He’s more like me I guess, in his stupider aspects [laughs] and less like me in his heroic aspects. Because he’s much more heroic and braver than I would ever be.”

We’ll see in Series 9, won’t we?

The post Peter Capaldi Series 9 Promotional News Blast appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Russian Fans Get Dark Water/Death in Heaven 3D Cinema Screenings

Jonathan Appleton 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.

Doctor Who is further extending its seemingly ever-increasing global reach, this time with 3D cinema screenings of Series 8’s two-part finale Dark Water and Death in Heaven.

Distributed by Cool Connections, the episodes will be shown in English with Russian subtitles and will take place on September 15 and 16 2015. There will be 22 cities hosting the screenings including Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Sochi.

The programme is already screened on Russian television by the Karusel and BBC Entertainment channels and fans in Russia will surely welcome the opportunity to join those in the USA, Canada and Denmark in watching on the big screen. As with the screenings elsewhere, the Series 9 prequel The Doctor’s Meditation and Wil Wheaton’s interview with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman will also be shown.

All of which will probably irritate those feeling unhappy that UK viewers won’t get to visit the cinema to see their heroes on the big screen, the BBC having decided that, what with the Symphonic Spectacular and the Doctor Who Festival, the calendar is already crowded enough for those who like to leave the house to take in a bit of Doctor Who.

No one is about to begrudge people in Russia (or indeed anywhere else) the chance to see Doctor Who in 3D on the big screen, but it’s understandable that those who pay the BBC licence fee may be feeling aggrieved that they won’t have that same opportunity. Is it too late to get the BBC to change their minds on this?

More details on the screenings (including that Russian press release in full for any linguists out there) over at Doctor Who News. Visit Cool Connections for full details of all 22 locations.

Will you be taking in the 3D viewing experience in Russia in September? Let us know!

The post Russian Fans Get Dark Water/Death in Heaven 3D Cinema Screenings appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

BBC Shares Photo Teasers for The Magician’s Apprentice and More!

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’s getting busy. Today, the BBC’s Doctor Who website has shared a small gallery of images from The Magician’s Apprentice, the first episode of Series 9. Meanwhile, the Instagram account is also sharing a few tantilising treats.

First of all, here’s the gallery, which features Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Michelle Gomez as the Doctor, Clara and Missy. You may recognise a couple of them…

Over on Instagram, meanwhile, this fella turned up…

All new aliens for series 9! And this one's pretty scary… #DoctorWho #DrWho #whovian #fandom

A photo posted by Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) on Aug 21, 2015 at 5:41am PDT

You don’t need us to tell you that Doctor Who Series 9 kicks off on September 19th on BBC One and BBC America, do you?

The post BBC Shares Photo Teasers for The Magician’s Apprentice and More! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

What is Steven Moffat’s Favourite Clara Scene?

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.

Executive producers, Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin, have appeared ina new video to offer intriguing insights into Doctor Who Series 9 as well as regale us with their favourite Clara scene.

While both agree that the volcano confrontation in Dark Water is her best, Moffat then goes on to tease a scene in Series 9…

“…the Doctor storms out of a place… and Clara follows him out to talk to him. It’s a really very short scene, there’s not a lot in it, but I think it’s the entire relationship in a few lines, I think it’s rather beautiful.”

Click play above to view the video.

The post What is Steven Moffat’s Favourite Clara Scene? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

AL Kennedy vs Hayley Atwell: Return of the Female Doctor Who Debate

David Power 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 boys and girls, guess what time it is? It’s “Female Doctor Who Debate” time!

But isn’t it always Female Doctor Who Debate time?

Quiet you.

So, what’s re-sparked the topic that never de-sparked in the first place? Well Agent Carter actress Hayley Atwell recently said this on her Twitter.

@ohmyjlc I'd like to BE Doctor Who

— Hayley Atwell (@HayleyAtwell) August 14, 2015

 

And thus the internet went nuts and the Female Doctor Who Debate, which I’m referring to as the FDWD from now on, raged onwards.

Five days later, she responded to the response:

https://twitter.com/HayleyAtwell/stat...

It seems like everyday someone new picks a side in this endless, bitter war. A. L. Kennedy, writer of the lastest Fourth Doctor novel The Drosten’s Curse is against the idea, stating how she felt that:

“He has kind of got a guy vibe. He just has a sort of hopeless, undomestic, dozy, dreamy guy kind of eccentricity. I would be surprised if he changed gender.”

Yet Steven Moffat is of the opinion that a female Doctor could work, if they have the right qualities:

“[They must be] sheer carved out of solid star. Someone who you can’t take your eyes off. Not because they’re beautiful. Usually they’re not quite beautiful. Someone whose face is so fascinating that you can’t take your eyes off them.”

Both these viewpoints are interesting, as they bring up the question of what certain qualities makes a certain actor/actress fit to play the Doctor in the eyes of the viewer. Are there certain “safe” qualities one could have? Would a female Doctor be just a smidge more acceptable in some people’s eyes if she was British? Yet, Peter Capaldi’s Scottishness was embraced as opposed to criticised. Normally unknown actors being cast as the Doctor is seen as a good move, but for actresses would being very famous make people more open to accepting them? What do you guys think?

Anyway, I’m off to the patents office. See you in the next inevitable installment of FDWD™!

The post AL Kennedy vs Hayley Atwell: Return of the Female Doctor Who Debate appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.