Tag Archives: brian minchin

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Time Heist’

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for us to check out the fifth episode in Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, which is ‘Time Heist’ by Steve Thompson and Steven Moffat. Steve Thompson previously contributed two stories in the Matt Smith/Eleventh Doctor era, which were ‘The Curse of the Black Spot’ and ‘Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS’. Here, we have a ‘Doctor Who’ episode where Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald find themselves having to rob a bank, and they’re joined by two allies, including Jonathan Bailey as Psi and Pippa Bennett-Warner as Saibra. There’s special guest star Keeley Hawes as Ms. Delphox as well as Madame Karabraxos. I’ve seen Keeley Hawes in the 1998 BBC TV adaptation of ‘Our Mutual Friend’ and the 1999 BBC TV adaptation of ‘Wives & Daughters’. Recently, she’s been in ‘The Durrells’ TV series. There’s also an uncredited cameo appearance of Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, and there’s the alien Teller (played by Ross Mullan) who can turn people’s brains into soup. 😐 Oh, and the memory worms from ‘The Snowmen’ are back. 😀 ‘Time Heist’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Listen’

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

Listen up, everyone! 🙂 (See what I did there? 😀 ) It’s time to check out the fourth episode in Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘Listen’ by Steven Moffat. This is a ‘Doctor Who’ episode where Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor becomes concerned about the monster that lurks under people’s beds. This episode also has Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald on a date with Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, who works at Coal Hill School with her. ‘Listen’ uncovers more about the Doctor’s past and his fears. It also has Clara getting to know Danny and his past as well as his future when she and the Doctor meet Orson Pink (also played by Samuel Anderson). This ‘Doctor Who’ episode has received a lot of praise over the years from critics, audiences and fans. Do I think it’s one of the best ‘Doctor Who’ episodes ever made in the new TV series? Is this a ‘Doctor Who’ episode worthy of my time? Apparently, Kirah Shah (who was in ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ films as well as ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ 2005 film) plays the figure under the bed in the episode. ‘Listen’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Robot of Sherwood’

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

In today’s instalment of the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon, we have the Doctor meeting Robin Hood for the first time (at least on TV that is 😀 ). This new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series episode from Series 8 is called ‘Robot of Sherwood’ by Mark Gatiss. This happens to be one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ episodes from Series 8 of the new TV series. Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor gets to fight Robin Hood with a spoon rather than a sword ( 😀 ), and Jenna Coleman gets to dress up in a nice outfit and look like Maid Marian for a bit. 🙂 The guest cast includes Tom Riley as Robin Wood and Ben Miller as the Sheriff of Nottingham. There’s Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Quayle and Sabrina Bartlett (who later starred as Mariette in Series 1 of ‘The Larkins’ as well as the Christmas Special) as Quayle’s ward, who turns out to be Maid Marian in the episode. There’s Robin Hood’s Merry Men, including Ian Hallard as Alan-a-Dale, Trevor Cooper as Friar Tuck, Rusty Goffe as Little John and Joseph Kennedy as Will Scarlet. Oh, and there are robot knights in this ‘Doctor Who’ episode. 😀 ‘Robot of Sherwood’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Into the Dalek’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

Here we are on the second episode of the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era as well as Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is ‘Into the Dalek’ by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat. In this episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor has Jenna Coleman as Clara join him on an adventure where they go inside a Dalek. The Doctor also asks Clara, “Am I good man?”, which forms part of the Twelfth Doctor’s journey throughout Series 8. This episode features guest stars like Zawe Ashton as Journey Blue and Michael Smiley as Colonel Morgan Blue, who get involved with the Dalek that seems sick and wishes for all Daleks to be destroyed. Incidentally, the Dalek ends up being called Rusty in the episode. We’re also introduced to Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, who becomes Clara’s love interest in Series 8 and he’s the new mathematics teacher at Coal Hill School where Clara works. There’s also Nigel Betts as Mr. Armitage at Coal Hill School and we have another appearance of Michelle Gomez as Missy in the TV series. Is ‘Into the Dalek’ a worthy episode to check out in Series 8? ‘Into the Dalek’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Deep Breath’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for us to begin the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ and we’re starting off with the first episode of Series 8 in the new TV series called ‘Deep Breath’ by Steven Moffat. I saw this ‘Doctor Who’ episode on TV when I was on holiday in Scotland in August 2014. This episode was also released at cinemas. Joining Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor is Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, who is coming to terms with the newly regenerated Doctor. There’s the return of the Paternoster Gang, including Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny and Dan Starkey as Strax. There’s also the debut of Michelle Gomez as Missy at the end of the episode. Lately, I’ve seen a video clip of this episode on YouTube featuring a phone call conversation between Clara and a certain surprise character. There was a lot of hype surrounding Peter Capaldi’s arrival as the Twelfth Doctor, especially in the promotion that built up to Series 8 in 2014, including a World Tour. Is this reflected in the ‘Doctor Who’ episode? Is ‘Deep Breath’ a worthwhile ‘Doctor Who’ episode? ‘Deep Breath’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Time of the Doctor’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

Here we are on the final adventure of the Matt Smith/Eleventh Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’. This is ‘The Time of the Doctor’, the 2013 Christmas Special by Steven Moffat, starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. It’s the fourth Christmas Special to feature Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor. The special also has Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Sontarans, the Silence and plenty more monsters to finish off the Eleventh Doctor. There’s Orla Brady (who I’ve seen more recently in the ‘Star Trek: Picard’ series) as Tasha Lem, and there are guest stars like Sheila Reid (who was in ‘Vengeance on Varos’) as Clara’s Gran. Tessa Peake-Jones (well-known for being in ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and she would go on to be in ‘Grantchester’) makes a small guest role in the special as Marta. There’s also a couple of guest cameos, including a past face and a new face in ‘Doctor Who’. 😀 Will this be a satisfying swansong of a ‘Doctor Who’ adventure for Matt Smith’s Doctor? Can a single Christmas Special conclude the Eleventh Doctor era entirely on a worthwhile note? ‘The Time of the Doctor’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Day of the Doctor’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

The time has come for ‘The Day of the Doctor’ by Steven Moffat – the 50th anniversary special of ‘Doctor Who’. This was shown on BBC TV on the 23rd of November 2013. It stars Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, Billie Piper as the Moment and John Hurt as the War Doctor. There are special guest stars like Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, Ingrid Oliver as Osgood and Joanna Page as Queen Elizabeth I. The story also features the Daleks as well as the return of the Zygons, who previously appeared in their first TV story ‘Terror of the Zygons’. There are surprise guest cameos of Doctors and companions that a keen ‘Doctor Who’ fan would need to look out for. 😀 This is a ‘Doctor Who’ anniversary special that’s highly rated by the fans. Do I agree with that? Do I think that this is a better anniversary special than ‘The Five Doctors’, the 20th anniversary special? Does it cover everything that I want to celebrate about 50 years of my favourite TV show? Are there things that I like about ‘The Day of the Doctor’? 😀 ‘The Day of the Doctor’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Vincent and the Doctor’

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Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for us to check out a ‘Doctor Who’ episode that’s penned by one of the writers of comedy TV shows like ‘Blackadder’, ‘Mr. Bean’ and ‘The Vicar of Dibley’. He was also the executive producer of ‘The Curse of Fatal Death’, which was written by Steven Moffat. Today, it’s time for us to check out ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ by Richard Curtis. Having lost Rory in ‘Cold Blood’, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Gillan as Amy Pond are now travelling in the TARDIS together. Visiting the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, they soon travel back in time to meet the artist Vincent van Gogh, played by Tony Curran, to solve a mystery that involves one of his paintings. This episode also features Bill Nighy (who I’ve heard play Sam Gamgee in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ radio series and many film and TV productions over the years) as Dr. Black. ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Amy’s Choice’

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for us to check out ‘Amy’s Choice’, another episode in Series 5 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode is by Simon Nye (who would go on to write ‘The Durrells’ and ‘The Larkins’ for ITV). In the episode, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams experience two dream worlds. One where Amy and Rory are older and are living married lives in Leadworth village, and another where the Doctor, Amy and Rory are in the TARDIS heading towards a star that is ‘burning cold’ which will kill them. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode also features special guest star Toby Jones (who I’ve seen in many film, audio and TV productions over the years like ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, 2016‘s ‘Dad’s Army’ and recently in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’) as the Dream Lord. ‘Amy’s Choice’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Vampires of Venice’

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

I saw this ‘Doctor Who’ episode on my birthday, as it was shown on BBC One on the 8th of May 2010. 😀 This is ‘The Vampires of Venice’ by Toby Whithouse. In this episode, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond are joined by Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, Amy’s fiancé, who previously appeared in ‘The Eleventh Hour’. The Doctor takes Amy and Rory on a romantic trip to Venice in 1580, but it goes pear-shaped since there happen to be vampires in Venice. But are these vampires like the ones in ‘State of Decay’ as well as in ‘Doctor Who’ books like ‘Goth Opera’ and ‘Blood Harvest’? This episode features the late Helen McCrory as Rosanna Calvierri, and there’s Gabriella Wilde (who’s been 2011’s ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’) as one of the Vampire Girls. ‘The Vampires of Venice’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading