Tag Archives: peter bennett

‘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 – ‘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 – ‘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

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Kill the Moon’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

This is where I feel Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series reaches its first low point in the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era. If you enjoyed this episode when you first saw it, good for you. 🙂 But for me, there are issues concerning this episode that can’t be ignored. It’s time for us to check out ‘Kill the Moon’ by Peter Harness. This is Peter Harness’ first contribution as a writer to the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. In the episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald are joined by Ellis George as Courtney Woods, one of the pupils at Coal Hill School. The trio go off on an adventure to Earth’s moon in the year 2049. It turns out there’s more to Earth’s moon than meets the eye, especially with spider-like creatures running about. Could Earth’s moon really be an egg? (Seriously, that’s part of the episode’s plot!) Is Jenna Coleman’s performance as Clara noteworthy to be praised, especially by the episode’s end? There are guest stars like Hermione Norris as Lundvik and Tony Osoba as Duke. And there’s another cameo of Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink in the episode. ‘Kill the Moon’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘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 – ‘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 – ‘The Hungry Earth’/’Cold Blood’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

I’ve found out that the two-part ‘Doctor Who’ story we’re revisiting today – ‘The Hungry Earth’/’Cold Blood’ by Chris Chibnall – takes place in the year 2020. Keep in mind that the two-part story was shown on BBC TV in May 2010. I’d like to assume that the story takes place in early 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic ever happened. Or it could be that the story takes place in an alternative universe where Covid-19 never happened. 😀 Anyway, let’s check out this two-part story starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, as they visit South Wales in 2020 and we have the return of the Silurians with a redesigned look compared to the classic TV series versions of them. The main Silurians featured in this story include Neve McIntosh as Alaya and Restac, Richard Hope as Malohkeh and Stephen Moore as Eldane. ‘The Hungry Earrth’/’Cold Blood’ 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

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Beast Below’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out the second episode of Series 5 in the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘The Beast Below’ by Steven Moffat, starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. In the episode, the Eleventh Doctor and Amy visit the Starship UK in the distant future where they discover a unsettling secret involving a giant star whale. Can the Doctor and Amy survive the Smilers and Winders aboard the Starship UK? This ‘Doctor Who’ episode also features Sophie Okonedo (who I’ve seen in the 2006 film ‘Stormbreaker’) as ‘the bloody queen’ called Liz 10 ( 😀 ) and the late Terrence Hardiman (well-known for playing the Demon Headmaster and he’s been in the Big Finish audio adaptation of ‘The English Way of Death’) as Hawthorne. ‘The Beast Below’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading