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

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the season finale of Series 6 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This isn’t a two-part story as you would expect. The finale happens to be a single episode. 😐 This is where theoretically mostly everything that’s been going on in Series 6 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series comes together in the episode. It’s time for ‘The Wedding of River Song’ by Steven Moffat, starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams and Alex Kingston as River Song. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode also features the return of Frances Barber as Madame Kovarian, along with the Silence. There’s also the return of Simon Fisher-Becker as Dorium Maldovar, Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, Richard Hope as Malokeh and there’s even Simon Callow as Charles Dickens. Was this is a satisfying ‘Doctor Who’ season finale for me? Were all the unanswered questions that went on in Series 6 answered in this episode? ‘The Wedding of River Song’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

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

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out the ‘Doctor Who’ episode called ‘Closing Time’ by Gareth Roberts. This is a sequel to the Series 5 episode called ‘The Lodger’ and it features the return of James Corden as Craig Owens. Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor is without Amy and Rory (though Karen Gillan as Amy and Arthur Darvill as Rory do appear briefly in the episode). Instead, Matt Smith’s Doctor teams up with Craig, as they work together to thwart some Cybermen hiding underneath a department store. And this is while Craig is looking after his baby son called Alfie – or Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All as he likes to be called, according to the Doctor. 😀 This episode also features the return of the Cybermats (well, one of them 😀 ), having last appeared in stories like ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’, ‘The Wheel In Space’, ‘Revenge of the Cybermen’ and ‘Spare Parts’. There’s also special guest star Lynda Baron (who played Captain Wrack in ‘Enlightenment’) as Val at the department store. ‘Closing Time’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘A Good Man Goes to War’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the mid-season finale in Series 6 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Yes, this is where Part 1 of Series 6 comes to an end. In this episode called ‘A Good Man Goes to War’ by Steven Moffat, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams have to rescue Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, who gives birth to her daughter Melody and is a prisoner aboard an asteroid base called Demon’s Run. This is where we properly meet Frances Barber as Madame Kovarian, who’s been appearing throughout the first half of Series 6. We’re also introduced to the Paternoster Gang from Victorian London, including Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny Flint and Dan Starkey as Commander Strax. We also have the return of Simon Fisher-Becker as Dorium Maldovar, who appeared briefly in ‘The Pandorica Opens’. And there’s Christina Chong (who’s recently been in ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’) as Lorna Bucket. Will the Doctor and Rory also receive help from Alex Kingston as River Song to save Amy and her baby? ‘A Good Man Goes to War’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Pandorica Opens’/’The Big Bang’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the two-part season finale of Series 5 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘The Pandorica Opens’/’The Big Bang’ by Steven Moffat. In this two-part adventure, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond receive a message. They journey back in time to Roman Britain where they reunite with Alex Kingston as River Song. The trio soon ride off on horses to Stonehenge. There, they go underground to find a box-like structure called the Pandorica, which has been waiting for the Doctor. This story features a number of returning characters who have appeared in Series 5, including the return of Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, who has managed to survive and cheat death following ‘Cold Blood’. This adventure also features the Pandorica Alliance of ‘Doctor Who’ monsters, including Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, Judoon, Silurians, etc. ‘The Pandorica Opens’/’The Big Bang’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Victory of the Daleks’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Today, we’re checking out the third episode of Series 5 in the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘Victory of the Daleks’ by Mark Gatiss, starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. This is the ‘Doctor Who’ episode where Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor meets the Daleks for the first time. It’s also an episode where the Eleventh Doctor and Amy meet up with Ian McNeice as Winston Churchill, as they travel back in time to the Cabinet War Rooms during the Second World War. This episode also features Bill Paterson as Edwin Bracewell. There are two new types of Daleks introduced in this ‘Doctor Who’ episode. There are the Ironside Daleks and there are the New Paradigm Daleks. Is this a ‘Doctor Who’ episode that impressed me greatly when I first saw it on TV back in April 2010? ‘Victory of the Daleks’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

CD Review – ‘Wink’ (Doctor Who)

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

To close off our look into the David Tennant/Tenth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’, I’m sharing my latest review on the Big Finish audio drama called ‘Wink’, which is the third and final story of the ‘Out of Time’ trilogy, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor. I’m pleased that I’ve finished checking out the ‘Out of Time’ audio dramas of ‘Doctor Who’ by Big Finish, having enjoyed the first ‘Out of Time’ story with David Tennant and Tom Baker, and ‘The Gates of Hell’ with David Tennant and Peter Davison. Continue reading

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

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

And here we are on the final ‘Doctor Who’ TV adventure starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. This is a two-part story called ‘The End of Time’ by Russell T. Davies, with ‘Part One’ originally shown on Christmas Day in 2009 and ‘Part Two’ originally shown on New Year’s Day in 2010. In this two-parter, David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor reunites with Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, as they team up to tackle the return of John Simm as the evil Master. This special adventure also features special guest star Timothy Dalton as Rassilon, the Lord President of the Time Lords of Gallifrey. There’s also Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble. There are special guest stars like June Whitfield as Minnie Hooper, David Harewood as Joshua Naismith, Tracy Ifeacher as Abigail Naismith, Sinéad Keenan as Addams and Lawry Lewin as Rossiter. There are also special guest cameos of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler, John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith, Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Jessica Hynes as Verity Newman, Thomas Knight as Luke Smith and Russell Tovey as Midshipman Alonso Frame in the story. ‘The End of Time’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Next Doctor’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the last set of ‘Doctor Who’ stories featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, which are the 2008 to 2010 Specials in the new TV series. Today, we’re starting off on ‘The Next Doctor’, the 2008 Christmas Special by Russell T. Davies. This is a ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special that features the return of the Cybermen, who were last seen in ‘Doomsday’, and the story is set in Victorian London in the year 1851. There’s the introduction of David Morrisey (I’ve seen him in 1998’s BBC TV production of ‘Our Mutual Friend’) who claims to be a new incarnation of the Doctor. There are also special guest stars like Dervla Kirwan as the villainous Miss Hartigan and Velile Tshabalala as Rosita, the David Morrisey Doctor’s companion. Will the Tenth Doctor uncover the mystery about David Morrisey’s Doctor and how the Cybermen are involved? ‘The Next Doctor’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Stolen Earth’/’Journey’s End’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out the two-part season finale of Series 4 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, and it’s a big one. 😀 This is ‘The Stolen Earth’/’Journey’s End’ by Russell T. Davies. David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble lead a SUPER MEGA cast, as this two-part adventure features the return of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. There’s also Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith and Camille Coduri as Jackie Tyler, Rose’s mum. There’s Penelope Wilton as Harriet Jones, Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, Jacqueline King as Sylvia Noble and Adjoa Andoh as Francine Jones. There’s Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones from ‘Torchwood’, and there’s Tommy Knight as Luke Smith and Mr. Smith, voiced by Alexander Armstrong from ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. The Daleks also make their return, and they’re led by Julian Bleach who makes his debut as Davros. There’s also K-9, voiced by John Leeson. ‘The Stolen Earth’/’Journey’s End’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Daleks In Manhattan’/’Evolution of the Daleks’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

We’re now on the first two-part story in Series 3 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones. It’s time for ‘Daleks In Manhattan’/’Evolution of the Daleks’ by Helen Raynor. In this ‘Doctor Who’ adventure, the Doctor and Martha visit New York on Earth in the year 1930 where the Daleks are causing trouble at the Empire State Building. There are several special guest stars in this two-part story, including Miranda Raison (before she became Sixth Doctor companion Constance Clarke) as Tallulah, Andrew Garfield (before he became Peter Parker/Spider-Man in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ movies) as Frank, and Eric Loren as Mr. Diagoras who becomes Dalek Sec in the story. ‘Daleks In Manhattan’/’Evolution of the Daleks’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading