Tag Archives: peter capaldi

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

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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’

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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 Woman Who Lived’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time to check out the second of the two-episode story arc featuring Maisie Williams as Ashildr in Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Today, it’s time to check out ‘The Woman Who Lived’ by Catherine Tregenna. This is Catherine Tregenna’s first and (so far) only contribution to the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, having written ‘Torchwood’ episodes like ‘Out of Time’ and ‘Captain Jack Harkness’ in Series 1, and ‘Meat’ and ‘Adam’ in Series 2. In this ‘Doctor Who’ episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor reunites with Ashildr (Yes, I know she calls herself ‘Me’ in the TV series from hereon, but she’s Ashildr whether she likes it or not 😐 ) in England in the year 1651. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode also features guest star Rufus Hound (who would later play the Monk in the Big Finish audios) as Sam Swift. There’s also Ariyon Bakare as Leandro, a leonine alien who’s stranded on Earth and he happens to be Ashildr’s ally in the story. Leandro could have been a Tharil from ‘Warriors’ Gate’ if the new TV series was brave enough to do that. 😀 Is this a ‘Doctor Who’ episode that endears me to Ashildr more, especially after the Doctor saved her from death in ‘The Girl Who Died’? Or is there something about Ashildr that rubs me up the wrong way in how she’s developed as a ‘Doctor Who’ character? There’s a brief appearance of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald at the episode’s end. ‘The Woman Who Lived’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Girl Who Died’

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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 – ‘Under the Lake’/’Before the Flood’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time to check out another two-part story in Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Today, it’s time for ‘Under the Lake’/’Before the Flood’ by Toby Whithouse, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara. This ‘Doctor Who’ adventure has the Doctor and Clara visiting an underwater mining base in Caithness, Scotland in the year 2119, where the crew discover an alien craft in the ruins of a submerged town. Ghosts start to appear aboard the base and the Doctor and Clara must help the crew to solve the mystery. The base’s crew includes Colin McFarlane (who’s been in the ‘Torchwood’ story ‘Children of Earth’ and the Big Finish audios of ‘Doctor Who’) as Moran, the base’s commander, who gets killed off early in the story. There’s Sophie Stone as Case, who happens to be deaf both in real-life and in the story, and Zaqi Ismail as Lunn, who interprets on Cass’ behalf when she communicates in sign language. There’s Morven Christie (who’s been in the first three seasons of ‘Grantchester’) as O’Donnell, Arsher Ali as Bennett and Steven Robertson as Pitchard. There’s the introduction of a rock music version of the ‘Doctor Who’ theme in ‘Before the Flood’. This ‘Doctor Who’ story is meant to be a scary ghost story with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. Does it work on all levels? Is it truly satisfying as a scary ‘Doctor Who’ ghost story? ‘Under the Lake’/’Before the Flood’ 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’

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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’

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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 – Series 8 Summary

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Hello everyone! 🙂

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

For Peter Capaldi’s first season as the Twelfth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’, the journey for his character is established in the question he asks his companion Clara Oswald in ‘Into the Dalek’ – “Am I a good man?” Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series does explore that in establishing who Twelve is. 🙂 Continue reading →

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

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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’

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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 →