Tag Archives: jon davey

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

Leave a reply

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’

Leave a reply

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 – ‘The Zygon Invasion’/’The Zygon Inversion’

Leave a reply

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 Girl Who Died’

Leave a reply

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

We’re back to single episode stories in Series 9 in ‘Doctor Who’, although we have the first of what is considered to be a two-episode story arc linked together by the introduction of a new character in the series. Today, we’re looking at ‘The Girl Who Died’ by Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode has Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara visiting a Viking village where the alien Mire, led by David Schofield (who I’ve heard in ‘The Doomsday Quatrain’) as Odin, make their attack. The titular ‘girl who died’ happens to be Maisie Williams (well-known for being Arya Stark in ‘Games of Thornes’ and I’ve seen her as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane in ‘The New Mutants’) as a Viking girl called Ashildr. This story also features Simon Lipkin (who played Mr. Poppy in ‘Nativity! The Musical’ and has been in the 2018 film ‘Nativity Rocks!’) as Nollarr, one of the Vikings in the Viking village. There’s Ian Conningham as ‘Chuckles’, Tom Stourton as ‘Lofty’, Alistair Parker as ‘Limpy’, Murray McArthur as Hasten, and Barnaby Kay (husband of Nicola Walker who plays Liv Chenka in the Big Finish audios of ‘Doctor Who’) as ‘Heidi’. With Ashildr’s introduction in ‘The Girl Who Died’, she becomes a prominent character for the rest of Series 9. But does she win me over in her debut episode? Does she become a worthwhile character to be enjoyed in the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series? ‘The Girl Who Died’ 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’

Leave a reply

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’

Leave a reply

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’

Leave a reply

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 – ‘Deep Breath’

Leave a reply

Hello everyone! 🙂

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’

Leave a reply

Hello everyone! 🙂

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’

Leave a reply

Hello everyone! 🙂

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 →