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‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Husbands of River Song’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Let’s check out the 2015 Christmas Special of ‘Doctor Who’ called ‘The Husbands of River Song’ by Steven Moffat, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Alex Kingston as River Song. This Christmas Special was the first ‘Doctor Who’ story I ever reviewed on ‘Bradley’s Basement’ from watching it on its initial BBC TV transmission on Christmas Day 2015. Since then, I’ve shared my in-depth review on the Christmas Special. ‘The Husbands of River Song’ also introduces Matt Lucas as Nardole, who would become a companion of the Twelfth Doctor in Series 10. The special also features guest star Greg Davis as King Hydroflax, along with Liam Cook as King Hydroflax’s body and Nonso Anozie as the voice of Hydroflax. After the horror aspects of ‘Last Christmas’ in 2014, this ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special decides to go into the realms of comedy. Does it work for me? Did I come away feeling happy from watching ‘The Husbands of River Song’? And does it feature a worthwhile interaction between the Twelfth Doctor and River Song? You can check out this ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Face the Raven’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

For this instalment of the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon, we’re starting off a three-episode story arc in Series 9 of the new TV series. This is the first of the last three episodes of Series 9, and they depict the departure of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. I had an emotional reaction to ‘Face the Raven’ by Sarah Dollard as soon as it was transmitted on BBC TV on the 21st of November 2015. In ‘Face the Raven’, Clara is reunited with Joivan Wade as Rigsy, who previously appeared in the episode called ‘Flatline’ in Series 8. Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor agrees to help Rigsy, who has a number tattooed on the back of his neck that seems to be counting down to zero. This leads the Doctor, Clara and Rigsy to a trap street in present-day London, where they’re reunited with Maisie Williams as Ashildr (Yes, she still calls herself ‘Me’ in the TV series by this point, but I refuse to call her that since she’s Ashildr, whether she likes it or not). This episode also features Robin Soans, who played Luvic in ‘The Keeper of Traken’, playing the ‘Chronolock Guy’. 😐 There’s Letitia Wright (who would go on to play Shuri in the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’) as Anahson. And there’s Jenny Lee (who played Auntie Liz in ‘Monarch of the Glen’) as an elderly woman. How emotionally effective is ‘Face the Raven’? Does it see Clara Oswald off on a high note? ‘Face the Raven’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Sleep No More’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Today, we’re looking at an interesting experiment of a ‘Doctor Who’ episode in Series 9 of the new TV series. Here we are on ‘Sleep No More’ by Mark Gatiss, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara. This is a ‘Doctor Who’ episode that’s presented through a series of found footage. There’s also no opening titles sequences for this ‘Doctor Who’ episode. And this happens to be an episode that was shown in November 2015, not at the end of October 2015 as you would expect (That honour was of course given to ‘The Zygon Invasion’ – the first episode of the two-part Zygon story in Series 9 😀 ). As well as Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, this ‘Doctor Who’ episode features special guest star Reece Shearsmith as Rassmussen. Reece Shearsmith is no stranger to ‘Doctor Who’, since he’s been in the ‘P.R.O.B.E.’ series by BBV, playing Andrew Powell in the episodes ‘The Devil of Winterborne’ and ‘Ghosts of Winterborne’. He also briefly played Patrick Troughton in the 2013 docu-drama ‘An Adventure In Space and Time’. There are monsters in the episode that happen to be called the Sandmen (No, not Sandman in ‘Spider-Man’. And not the Sandmen in the Big Finish audio drama ‘The Entropy Plague’ 😀 ). Is this a ‘Doctor Who’ episode that wins me over completely? Do I find this experiment of a ‘Doctor Who’ story truly satisfying? ‘Sleep No More’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Zygon Invasion’/’The Zygon Inversion’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are with another two-part story in Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. Today, it’s time to check out ‘The Zygon Invasion’/’The Zygon Inversion’ by Peter Harness (who previously wrote ‘Kill the Moon’ in Series 8) and Steven Moffat. This is a ‘Doctor Who’ story that follows up on a plot point that was established in ‘The Day of the Doctor’ with the Zygons. As well as being a Zygon story, this happens to be a U.N.I.T. story, which means there’s the return of Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver as Osgood. There’s also Jaye Griffiths as Jac, who made her debut appearance in ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’. There’s special guest stars like Rebecca Front (who I’ve heard in ‘The Jupiter Conjunction’ and I’ve seen in a Series 6 episode of ‘Grantchester’) as Colonel Walsh. And there’s Nicholas Asbury (who I’ve heard in Big Finish audios like ‘Out of Time’ and ‘The Melting Pot’) as Etoine. This ‘Doctor Who’ story contains a spellbinding performance from Jenna Coleman as not only Clara, but also a Zygon disguised as Clara called Bonnie. There’s a brilliant speech made by Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor in the story, which you can watch on YouTube. 🙂 Could this be one of the best ‘Doctor Who’ stories ever made in Series 9 of the new TV series. ‘The Zygon Invasion’/’The Zygon Inversion’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’/’The Witch’s Familiar’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

And welcome to Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. This, in my opinion, is the weakest season out of the three that Peter Capaldi did as the Twelfth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’. But do I think it’s worst than Series 6 – Matt Smith’s second season as the Eleventh Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’? I hope to unveil more about why Series 9 doesn’t work for me as a ‘Doctor Who’ season as we go through each story. Today, we’re starting off with the two-part story ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’/’The Witch’s Familiar’ by Steven Moffat. This ‘Doctor Who’ adventure features the return of Julian Bleach as Davros (who was last seen in ‘The Stolen Earth’/’Journey’s End’ in Series 4) as well as the dreaded Daleks. There’s also the return of Michelle Gomez as Missy, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Claire Higgins as Ohila. Do I think ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’/’The Witch’s Familiar’ is worthwhile as a two-part opening story in Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series? ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’/’The Witch’s Familiar’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. There’s also the prologue to this story, which can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer, as well as ‘The Doctor’s Mediation’, which can be checked out on DVD and Blu-ray. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Last Christmas’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time to check out the first ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special in the new TV series to feature Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. It’s time for ‘Last Christmas’ by Steven Moffat. This ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special was shown on Christmas Day in December 2014. It also features Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald and there’s Nick Frost as Santa Claus, Father Christmas or however you want to call him. There’s a sort-of ‘Alien’ atmosphere about this ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special and there’s a lot of dreaming involved, especially when the Twelfth Doctor, Clara and a North Pole base crew are attacked by a number of Dream Crabs. As well as Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Nick Frost, there are Santa’s two elf helpers – Dan Starkey (well-known for playing the Sontarans on TV and on audio) as Ian and Nathan McMullen as Wolf. There’s the North Pole base crew, including Faye Marsay as Shona, Natalie Gumede as Ashley, Maureen Beattie as Bellows and Michael Troughton (one of Patrick Troughton’s sons) as Professor Albert Smithe. There’s also a special guest appearance of Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink. ‘Last Christmas’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Dark Water’/Death In Heaven’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

And here we are on the two-part season finale in Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is ‘Dark Water’/’Death In Heaven’ by Steven Moffat. Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink gets killed off in the story, and he finds himself in an afterlife called the Nethersphere. Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald try to locate him and they soon meet up with Michelle Gomez as Missy, who unveils her true identity in the story. There’s the return of the ‘Nightmare In Silver’ Cybermen, who are a part of Missy’s plans in the Nethersphere. And there’s the return of U.N.I.T., including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, who help the Doctor in thwarting Missy and the Cybermen. This ‘Doctor Who’ story has been praised highly by the critics, especially with regards to Michelle Gomez as Missy and the story’s darker and mature themes. Is this an assessment and an opinion I agree with? Is this a ‘Doctor Who’ story that truly satisfies me when it comes to revisiting it now and again? ‘Dark Water’/’Death In Heaven’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘In the Forest of the Night’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Today, we’re on the penultimate story in Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. It’s time to check out the first contribution made by Frank Cottrell-Boyce as a ‘Doctor Who’ writer in the new TV series. The episode is called ‘In the Forest of the Night’. In the episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor meets up with Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald and Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, as they take several Coal Hill pupils on an overnight school trip. They discover that London has been covered in a large forest that seems to have appeared out of nowhere the previous night. Can the Doctor work out what’s going on with the trees covering the entire planet Earth in one night? This episode introduces Abigail Eames as Maebh Arden, one of the pupils who went missing and is able to hear the voices of the large forest. There’s another cameo of Michelle Gomez as the mysterious Missy in the TV series. ‘In the Forest of the Night’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

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

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the second of two ‘Doctor Who’ episodes by Jamie Mathieson in Series 8 of the new TV series. It’s time to check out ‘Flatline’, another one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ episodes in the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era. In the episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald discover that something has gone wrong with the TARDIS when they arrive in present-day Bristol. The space-and-time machine has been shrunk to size. The Doctor finds himself trapped inside the TARDIS and Clara must carry him in the TARDIS around in her handbag. There are also two-dimensional extraterrestrial creatures, which the Doctor eventually dubs the Boneless, causing trouble in Bristol. Clara acquires the help of a Jovian Wade as graffiti artist Rigsy, who makes his debut in the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Clara temporarily takes over the Doctor’s role of trying to protect humanity from alien incursions whilst investigating the Boneless. There’s another cameo of Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, and there’s a cameo of Michelle Gomez as the mysterious Missy. ‘Flatline’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time to check out the first of two ‘Doctor Who’ episodes in Series 8 of the new TV series by Jamie Mathieson. This is ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ (one of my favourite episodes in Series 8), where Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor takes Jenna Coleman as Clara on a trip to visit the Orient Express…in outer space! Wow!!! 😀 But murders are occurring aboard the Orient Express, since a mummy called the Foretold, played by Jamie Hill, appears to its victims before it kills them. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode features special guest stars like Frank Skinner (who appeared in ‘The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot’ by Peter Davison) as chief engineer Perkins on board the Orient Express. There’s David Bamber as Captain Quell, Christopher Villiers as Professor Moorhouse and the late John Sessions (who I’ve heard in ‘Castle of Fear’ and ‘100’) is the voice of Gus. 😐 Janet Henfrey (who was in ‘The Curse of Fenric’) appears briefly as Mrs. Pitt at the episode’s beginning. There’s a singer aboard the Orient Express that’s played by real-life singer Foxes. And there’s another cameo of Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink in the episode. ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading