Christian Cawley's Blog, page 75

Reviewed: The Sixth Doctor – The Last Adventure

Tony Jones 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.

Colin Baker took the role of the Doctor at the end of Caves of Androzani all the way back in March 1984. Colin last appeared in the role (specials aside) on TV at the end of Trial of a Timelord. His character regenerated at the start of Time of the Rani but, as we all know, that was Sylvester in a wig. Colin never played his regeneration; with The Sixth Doctor – The Last Adventure that changes. Thirty-one years after taking the role, Colin Baker gets a regeneration story.

Big Finish originally planned this release for September; since the original announcement several other items have appeared, including the new Torchwood audios. Colin Baker is the main guest at Big Finish Day 7, so bringing this release forward to August makes perfect sense. It means fans should have heard this before they trek to Slough next month.

This boxset consists of four single CD stories plus the familiar fifth CD of interviews. The stories are themed around a range of companions (most of them created by Big Finish) and a main enemy – the Valeyard.

The opening story is a train wreck; several of them. Simon Barnard and Paul Morris have penned a story of commuting and all its downsides. This story, The End of the Line (note the title) has the challenge of giving the listener the first chance to appreciate Miranda Raison as new companion Constance Clarke and avoids too many explanations just dives in. The cast is great in this tense tale, with Anthony Howell impressing as Tim Hope but there are no bad parts. The story has layers — the Doctor and Constance focus on their mystery while we see the malevolent influence of another Time Lord.

The Valeyard is recreating several scenes from the Doctor’s past with wanna-be actors, and not just any scenes, but ones from all his past lives.

Alan Barnes moves the action to a world of werewolves for The Red House and Charley Pollard (India Fisher). Another great cast includes Rory Keenan and Jessie Buckley and we are treated to several great scenes between Charley and the Valeyard. Without spoilers, this is a well-crafted piece; India Fisher gives us a ballsy Charley and the story paints a richly textured world, with intriguing takes on life as a lycanthrope. We get hints of links to the other stories and a rock-solid individual story in its own right.

Matt Fitton has the presumably pleasurable task of giving us the juxtaposition of Philippa Jackson (Flip, played by Lisa Greenwood) and Victorian heroes Jago & Litefoot (Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter)  along with charming barmaid Ellie Higson (Lisa Bowerman). Flip provides a massive counterpoint to Jago & Litefoot, which is just as well given that Jago’s theatre has been taken over by the Valeyard. He is recreating several scenes from the Doctor’s past with wanna-be actors, and not just any scenes, but ones from all his past lives. Again, this story does more than it needs and the dialogue is witty and razor sharp. The references to a certain cult science film series need to be heard. They are laugh out loud in places. There is a lot for serious fans to enjoy but at no time does the story demand the listener do any more than sit back and enjoy.

Nick Briggs (who also directed) wrote the final story The Brink of Death. Although we know the ending, this doesn’t spoil the enjoyment. Mel is slightly sidelined, but a new character played by Liz White (Life on Mars, The Woman in Black; please, please let Liz return; she is wonderful) more than makes up and provides a pivot for the Doctor and Valeyard to swing the plot to and fro. There is a lot of tension and Nick does an excellent job of getting to the climax without self-indulgence or disappointment. Sadly Evelyn couldn’t be part of this in the absence of Maggie Stables, and no place for Peri. This still feels like a complete piece, even without them.

This is another story that needs to be heard on decent speakers and well done (again) Howard Carter.

In summary this is a good set of stories, and it seems that involved found an extra gear and made this a candidate for the special release of 2015.

The Last Adventure is available now from Big Finish on CD and MP3 download.

The post Reviewed: The Sixth Doctor – The Last Adventure appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Titan’s Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #9 Reviewed!

Drew Boynton 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.

There’s a lot that’s fine about Titan Comics’ The Eleventh Doctor #9.

After bringing peace to the Amstrons and J’Arrodic Federation, the Doctor is tired of death and war. Especially since it has all taken quite a toll on his companions. Alice is possibly even more depressed after – potential spoiler alert! – a doppelganger of her deceased mother appeared and then disappeared last issue. Jones is seemingly better after being sick with fear, but has once again changed his appearance. And ARC, the liquidy robotic intelligence is so afraid of all of the goings-on that he (it?) refuses to come out of ball form.

So, in a valiant attempt to cure the still-ailing ARC, the Doctor lands the TARDIS at SERVEYOUInc, the shadowy science corporation behind ARC’s creation. SYI is such a large and mysterious company that it has its own city. On a floating asteroid. In the middle of space.

The Doctor, of course, charges in and tries to take things over. And while he finds himself face-to-face with a certain creepy villain who’s been much more visible the last several issues, his companions end up surrounded by a zombie-like hoard. These panels are reminiscent of scenes in both The Unquiet Dead and The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, in a nice shout-out to the Ninth Doctor for this ninth issue.

The art chores this time around have been handled by Boo Cook (Anderson: Psi Division; Judge Dredd), whose work has a positive energy to it. Some panels are nicely detailed (like the Doctor surrounded by his many phones and the SYI city-asteroid) but there’s something about his characters that I find a bit off-putting. Perhaps they are a little too sketchy or cartoony?

Al Ewing (Captain America and the Mighty Avengers; Loki: Agent of Asgard) is back as writer. The SERVEYOUInc storyline is fairly complicated and Ewing keeps the characters and situations moving.

Issue #9 is entitled The Rise and Fall, and when you make it to the final page, offers one heck of a cliffhanger along those lines. Let’s see how the Doctor gets out of this one, eh?

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #09 is out now, priced $3.99.

The post Titan’s Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #9 Reviewed! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Details of Series 9, Episode 12 Leak Online? [SPOILERS]

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.

Things seem to have taken a slight deja vu route this week. Some important images leaked from inside Roath Lock studios that is currently housing the filming of the twelfth and final episode of Series 9 of Doctor Who.

Fans will remember last year that the production suffered one of its greatest leaks to date (surpassing the leaking of the first episode of the first series Rose back in 2005, just days before broadcast), which saw the first five episodes of Series 8 leak online in both unfinished black and white video form and also in script form as well (keep an eye out for analyses of these!). This occurred when the BBC foolishly left the files on a publicly accessible server for translator in Miami, Marcelo Camargo.

However, since then through all of the Series 9 filming, it seemed the team had learnt from their mistakes and we know less than we have done going into the month before broadcast than ever before. This was short-lived as it appears that someone working on the set of Episode 12, rumoured to be someone on work experience leaked a couple of important set pictures, as well as some tidbits of information to boot on the controversial forum site 4chan this past Wednesday.

We cannot attach the images to this article, as they have subsequently been taken down from 4chan. However, we can share some of the information regarding the final episode below. So beware of the spoilers if you want to go into the episode completely free of this speculation.

SPOILERS

In Episode 12, we are rumoured to see the Doctor and Clara under Gallifrey, which appears to be a catacombic location, that includes some haunting tombs. The tombs are allegedly guarded by ghosts known as the Sliders, which are revealed to be those of old Time Lord, including past Doctors (hence the Tennant and McGann rumours).

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Alongside that, the person also went on to put more salt into the wounds of Whovians, by revealing the identity of Maisie Williams character from The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived, the fifth and sixth episodes of the coming series. Once again, a spoiler warning for those who don’t want to know this information.

SPOILERS

Maisie Williams is to play a character called Ashildr, which in Old Norse means ‘battle god’.

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Luckily, the person who initiated the leaks was stopped in time before he could leak any further information to the thread that he set up on 4chan. So the series as a whole still very much remains a huge mystery to us with the little information we know.

The post Details of Series 9, Episode 12 Leak Online? [SPOILERS] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Finish Release Trailer for Doctor Who – The Early Adventures: The Forsaken

Jeremy Remy 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.

Coming from Big Finish this October, the Doctor, Jaime, Ben and Polly arrive in Singapore, with Death following closely behindin The Forsaken.

The TARDIS lands on an island off Singapore during the Japanese invasion of 1942. The travellers are found by some British soldiers – among them a certain Private James Jackson, who just happens to be Ben’s father. But they’re not the only visitors to the island…

The full cast audio features the vocal talents of Anneke Wills as Polly, Frazer Hines once again taking on double duty as both Jamie McCrimmon and the Doctor, and Elliot Chapman filling in for the late Michael Craze as Ben. With a dream team of writer Justin Richards and director Lisa Bowerman, The Forsaken is certain to be a fan pleaser and an Early Adventure classic.

You can find out more about The Forsaken and place your orders at the Big Finish website.

Do the characters and casting interest you? Chapman standing in for Michael Craze is another example of Big Finish’s recent switch to substituting deceased actors, but how do you feel about it?

The post Big Finish Release Trailer for Doctor Who – The Early Adventures: The Forsaken appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Should Samuel Anderson Return as Orson Pink?

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.

The modern run of Doctor Who has had its share of divisive characters: Rose Tyler. Mickey Smith. Donna Noble. The Paternoster Gang. And this writer would argue that how you view Series 8 is directly impacted by how you view Doctor Who‘s latest controversial character: Danny Pink.

Series 8 spoilers ahead (assuming some of you haven’t seen that latest run), but many Whovians delighted in the final demise of Danny Pink (or Cyber Danny if you prefer) in the Series 8 finale, and barring some sort of timey wimey Gallifreyan magic is not to be seen again. This hasn’t kept actor Samuel Anderson for campaigning w return to Doctor Who but not as Danny Pink, but his descendant Orson Pink.

Speaking with Radio Times about his time as Danny Pink and future post-Doctor Who, Anderson had this to say:

“If it’s Orson Pink I think the relationship would be totally different because instead of a soldier – which is the kind of person the Doctor can’t bear – you’ve got another scientist who could be quite interesting with their relationship. And then instead of it being a love interest with Clara and Danny, it would be a family affair with grandmother and grandson but at the same age… I do remind them that Orson is alive. #BringBackOrsonPink.”

 

So then, the discussion is now should Orson Pink make a return? This writer is conflicted. I am not fan of incomplete story arcs (though I’m equally annoyed by rushed resolutions, as well. I digress). However, given the ending of Series 8 and where we left the characters after the Christmas special, I’m no longer sure how Orson Pink even exists. Listen positioned the second Pink as a descendant of Clara and Danny. Unless Series 9 shows us that Clara did become pregnant before Danny died in Dark Water, this seems rather impossible. And while it is a show about time travel, it would feel somehow inappropriate to go back in time solely to check that box to advance the storyline and bring us back to Orson Pink. Maybe Danny had a twin or brother that heavily resembled him? Even going that route seems unnecessary.

On the whole I enjoyed Samuel Anderson’s performance but can’t help but wonder if some of the story arc was rushed because of the uncertainty of Jenna Coleman’s return for Series 9. Would Danny Pink have died and became a Cyberman if Coleman had signed on for Series 9 sooner? Hard to say for sure. And harder to say if Orson Pink would been another plot point for the upcoming series had Danny Pink been part of the Series 9 TARDIS crew.

With just a little over a month until the premiere, I suppose some questions may be answered. Though revisiting Danny and Orson certainly seems unlikely at this point. Enough of my ramblings, however, and let us get to the important part: your opinion! So dear readers, what do you say? Should we see Anderson return as Orson Pink? Or is it best to leave that story arc alone? Let us know!

The post Should Samuel Anderson Return as Orson Pink? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

BBC America Confirms Doctor Who Series 9 Broadcast Time

Billy Garratt-John 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 time is almost upon us! Doctor Who Series 9 (or as I prefer to refer to it as, Season 35!) returns on Saturday 19th September, and while the BBC hasn’t yet revealed the airtime for the UK broadcast, BBC America has jumped the gun (as they usually do!) and given us a start time of 9/8c on the aforementioned date.

Previous schedules for prior season premiers have stayed fairly consistent with this time slot, but the start time for the UK broadcast on BBC One tend to vary. I would suggest keeping an eye on the Doctor Who Twitter and Facebook pages in the coming days to find out when audiences in Blighty and those further afield can expect to see the good Doctor return.

The international channels responsible for bringing Doctor Who Series 9 to your telly boxes are as follows; ABC1 (Australia), BBC HD (Brazil), Space (Canada), France 4 (France), Fox (Germany), BBC Persian (Iran), yes (Israel), Rai 4 (Italy), BBC Entertainment (Mexico), Prime (New Zealand), Syfy (Portugal/Spain), Карусель (Russia), KBS2 (South Korea) and CNBC-e (Turkey).

It brings up an interesting point, though. With Doctor Who‘s ever fluctuating timeslots and a push for the show to become more adult orientated (which of course leads to a later transmission time), how does one plan for a full season of Doctor Who? Saturday evenings are of course the reserved staple for the programme and nothing (and I mean nothing!) gets in the way of our weekly “New Who” dosage. As its audience grows up, however, how do we plan for our evening’s temporal entertainment? Have you guys planned any parties or events around the upcoming launch? Let us know what you’re up to and then invite us because we don’t have friends and rarely venture out of our bedrooms.

The post BBC America Confirms Doctor Who Series 9 Broadcast Time appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

New Statesman Mashes Up Tony Blair and Doctor Who

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.

You may think that Ex-UK Prime Ministers and Ex-Lord Presidents of Gallifrey have nothing in common… and you’d be right actually. But that hasn’t stopped the internet from trying!

In “the midst of [a] low level emotional breakdown”, Jonn Elledge editor over at CityMetric, recently posted some genuinely chuckle inducing mash-up pictures of these two unrelated subjects onto NewStatesman. Are they daft? Yes. Does their daftness make them funnier? Also yes.

Firstly we have the First Doctor’s famous farewell in 1964’s The Dalek Invasion of Earth plastered onto an image of Tony Blair.

Elledge explained:

“Between one thing and another, it seemed like the right quote to attach to an image suggesting that Tony Blair will one day come back and save us all.”

Secondly we’ve got part of the Eleventh Doctor’s epic speech from The Pandorica Opens on top yet another photo of Blair.

Elledge added:

“Appropriately enough, though he doesn’t know it yet, when the Doctor says this he’s walking into a massive great trap.”

Next we’re shaking things up a bit, so as opposed to a Doctor Who quote on a Tony Blair picture, it’s now a Tony Blair quote on a Doctor Who picture. Except this time it’s Davros. Make of that what you will.

The final photo is described as a “back to basics”.

 

Concluding his breakdown, Jonn states:

“At that point I remembered that I had a job and that this wasn’t it.”

Believe it or not though, this isn’t the first time someones made a connection between Tony Blair and Doctor Who. In fact the connection was the basis of a DeadRingers sketch by famed Doctor Who impersonator Jon Culshaw!

Check out that video down below! (Also it’s definitely worth staying to the end)

Who knew that absurd crossovers such as these could actually work? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to write my fan-fiction about what happens if the Master became Barack Obama. Wait, what do you mean it’s been done already? Fine, Boris Johnson as a Sontaran Commander it is.

The post New Statesman Mashes Up Tony Blair and Doctor Who appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Don’t Miss: Amazing Doctor Who T-Shirts For Just $14 Until Midnight!

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.

Fans of Doctor Who t-shirts should not miss this offer! Until midnight tonight, all tees in the Kasterborous t-shirt store (provided by TeePublic) will be available for an astonishingly low $14 (plus shipping)!

It’s not just t-shirts that are discounted either – tank/vests, kids tees, hoodies, baseball tees, crewnets and long-sleeved shirts have all had their usual prices discounted and there’s even upto 20% off wall art.

This offer is limited until midnight US time, so click now, choose your Doctor Who t-shirt and don’t miss out!

The post Don’t Miss: Amazing Doctor Who T-Shirts For Just $14 Until Midnight! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Mark the 2nd Annual Doctor Who Comics Day with The Fan Show! [VIDEO]

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 Doctor Who Comics Day on Saturday 15th August so Doctor Who: The Fan Show delved into the world of the Doctor’s comic adventures to find out what’s going on! You can see the results above in the video presented by Christel Dee. Anyone who is a fan of Doctor Who comics, new or old, will be interested in this presentation, which sadly ends far too soon.

However…

As a bonus treat, below you can watch Doctor Who: The Fan Show‘s full interview with Andrew James, the Doctor Who range editor at Titan. They talk to him about the world of Doctor Who comics and what’s happening on Doctor Who Comics Day.

Enjoy!

The post Mark the 2nd Annual Doctor Who Comics Day with The Fan Show! [VIDEO] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who: The Glamour Chronicles Book Series

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.

BBC Books has released details of a new trio of Doctor Who books with a linked theme, set to be published 10th September. Featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara (and with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman on the covers, The Glamour Chronicles comprises of three tales by series regulars Una McCormack, Gary Russell, and Trevor Baxendale.

Royal Blood

First in the series is Royal Blood, by Una McCormack, a New York Times bestselling author who has written two Doctor Who novels featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory: The King’s Dragon and The Way through the Woods, as well as several audio dramas for Big Finish.

“The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!” The city-state of Varuz is failing. Duke Aurelian is the last of his line, his capital is crumbling, and the armies of his enemy, Duke Conrad, are poised beyond the mountains to invade. Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war. However, all is not what it seems in Varuz. The cityguards have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian’s beloved wife, Guena, and his most trusted knight, Bernhardt, seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue…

Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara’s involvement in the plot against the Duke be discovered? Why is Conrad’s ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights who arrive in Varuz claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail?

Big Bang Generation

Gary Russell is the pen behind Big Bang Generation, and as you may know he is a former Doctor Who Magazine editor, one-time Doctor Who and Torchwood script editor, as well as a key member of Big Finish in its early years.

“I’m an archaeologist, but probably not the one you were expecting.” Christmas 2015, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Imagine everyone’s surprise when a time portal opens up in Sydney Cove. Imagine their shock as a massive pyramid now sits beside the Harbour Bridge, inconveniently blocking Port Jackson and glowing with energy. Imagine their fear as Cyrrus “the mobster” Globb, Professor Horace Jaanson and an alien assassin called Kik arrive to claim the glowing pyramid. Finally imagine everyone’s dismay when they are followed by a bunch of con artists out to spring their greatest grift yet.

This gang consists of Legs (the sexy comedian), Dog Boy (providing protection and firepower), Shortie (handling logistics), Da Trowel (in charge of excavation and history) and their leader, Doc (busy making sure the universe isn’t destroyed in an explosion that makes the Big Bang look like a damp squib). And when someone accidentally reawakens The Ancients of Time, things get a whole lot more complicated…

Deep Time

The final story for release in this set is the tenth novel by Trevor Baxendale, who has written both Doctor Who and Torchwood novels for BBC Books, including Eater of Wasps, The Undertaker’s Gift and the award-winning Prisoner of the Daleks. His novel Fear of the Dark was reprinted in 2013 as part of Doctor Who‘s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Baxendale has also written scripts for Big Finish’s Doctor Who, Robin Hood and Highlander audio plays, and most recently the full cast audio drama Blake’s 7: Scimitar. His Blake’s 7 novel, Criminal Intent, was published in November 2014.

‘I do hope you’re all ready to be terrified!’ The Phaeron disappeared from the universe over a million years ago. They travelled among the stars using roads made from time and space, but left only relics behind. But what actually happened to the Phaeron? Some believe they were they eradicated by a superior force. Others claim they destroyed themselves. Or were they in fact the victims of an even more hideous fate? In the far future, humans discover the location of the last Phaeron road – and the Doctor and Clara join the mission to see where the road leads. Each member of the research team knows exactly what they are looking for – but only the Doctor knows exactly what they’ll find.

Because only the Doctor knows the true secret of the Phaeron: a monstrous secret so terrible and powerful that it must be buried in the deepest grave imaginable…

Released on September 10th, just before Doctor Who Series 9 airs, these books have an RRP of £6.99 but can be ordered now from Amazon for a 25% (Deep Time) and a 10% (the rest) discount. These titles are also available for Kindle – follow the links above to find out more.

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