Tag Archives: farren blackburn

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Rings of Akhaten’

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

In today’s ‘Doctor Who’ episode in the 60th Anniversary Marathon, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor takes Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald on her first adventure in the TARDIS. This is ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ by Neil Cross, who makes the first of two contributions in the new TV series. The Eleventh Doctor and Clara visit the Rings of Akhaten, where several planetoids in a ring system are orbiting a larger planet. A religious festival takes place and Emilia Jones as Merry Gejelh, the young Queen of Years, is about to be sacrificed to the parasite of Akhaten. 😮 This episode also features a number of flashback scenes where the Eleventh Doctor witnesses Clara Oswald growing up and her parents raising her. Clara’s parents include Michael Dixon as her dad Dave Oswald and Nicola Sian as her mum Ellie Oswald. This is part of the story arc going on in the Clara Season in Series 7 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, where Matt Smith’s Doctor has to work out who Clara Oswald – ‘the impossible girl’ – is. ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time to check out the second ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special with Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, which was released on Christmas Day in December 2011. This is ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’ by Steven Moffat, loosely inspired by ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ by C.S. Lewis. As well as Matt Smith, there’s Claire Skinner as Madge Arwell. There are the Arwell children, including Maurice Cole as Cyril and Holly Earl as Lily. There’s Alexander Armstrong (well-known for voicing Mr. Smith in ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’) as Reg Arwell, Madge’s husband. There are comedic guest stars like Bill Bailey, Paul Bazely and Arabella Weir (who played an alternative version of the Doctor in the Big Finish audio ‘Exile’) in the Christmas Special. And there’s a Wooden King (played by Spencer Wilding) and a Wooden Queen (played by Paul Kasey). Does this Christmas Special satisfy me in being a good homage to ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’? ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

Quick DVD Box Set Review – ‘The Musketeers’

SPOILERS ALERT!!!

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

It’s funny how I seem to keep coming back to ‘The Three Musketeers’ by Alexandra Dumas every year. In 2021, I reviewed the 1993 film and in 2022, I reviewed the 2011 film. Both films I saw on Disney+. I’ve just finished checking out the BBC TV series ‘The Musketeers’, based on the 1844 novel. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ Marathon – ‘The Rings of Akhaten’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

In this ‘Doctor Who’ episode I’m sharing my review on today, Clara Oswald has her first trip in the TARDIS. The Doctor takes her to ‘The Rings of Akhaten’. Find out what the Long Song is and how the Doctor manages to defeat an angry sun with a powerful speech similar to the one in ‘The Pandorica Opens’. 😀 Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ Marathon – ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Ready for another ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special with Matt Smith? Well, here’s one for your delight as Claire Skinner joins Matt Smith’s Doctor in this festive episode called ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’. Will this episode be anything like ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ it’s based upon? Continue reading

‘Doctor Who – The 10 Christmas Specials’ on Blu-ray #7

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

I’ve completed Disc 2 of ‘The 10 Christmas Specials’ of ‘Doctor Who’ on Blu-ray. Just got one disc left! By the way, there’s a leaflet in the casing advertising the ‘Doctor Who Experience’ in Cardiff Bay. Ironic that it’s no longer there since it closed down in September 2017. Check out my day trip reports for the ‘Doctor Who Experience’ back in November 2016 and April 2017 to enjoy. Continue reading

DVD Review – ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’ (Doctor Who)

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

I’ve added my DVD review on the 2011 Christmas Special of ‘Doctor Who’ called ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’, starring Matt Smith and Claire Skinner. Continue reading

Series 7 of ‘Doctor Who’ with Matt Smith

Doctor Who Series 7 2014 dvd

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I’ve added all of my DVD reviews on Series 7 of ‘Doctor Who’ on ‘Bradley’s Basement’. This includes reviews on the thirteen episodes from Series 7, the 2011 Christmas Special called ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’ and the 2012 Christmas Special called ‘The Snowmen’. Continue reading