Tag Archives: robert holmes

Season 15 of ‘Doctor Who’ with Tom Baker on Blu-ray #4

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the fourth story in Season 15 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, based on its ‘Collection’ Blu-ray box set. It’s time for ‘The Sun Makers’ by Robert Holmes, directed by the late Pennant Roberts. This is a ‘Doctor Who’ story where the planet Pluto is being taxed to death. There’s Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela, and K-9, voiced by John Leeson. It’s good to see K-9 appear properly in this ‘Doctor Who’ story, following his absence in ‘Image of the Fendahl’. There’s a good guest cast in this adventure, including the likes of Henry Woolf, Richard Leech, Jonina Scott, Roy Macready, David Rowlands, William Simons, Adrienne Burgess and Michael Keating. Continue reading

Season 15 of ‘Doctor Who’ with Tom Baker on Blu-ray #3

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out the third story of Season 15 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, based on its ‘Collection’ Blu-ray box set, called ‘Image of the Fendahl’ by Chris Boucher, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela. K-9 is in this story, but unfortunately, he’s only in the first and last episodes of this four-part adventure. Plus, John Leeson doesn’t voice him. It’s sad, but thankfully, K-9 makes a proper appearance in the story after this one. In the meantime, today, I’m sharing my latest and updated thoughts on ‘Image of the Fendahl’, a story about an ancient human skull and the coming of a deadly enemy in the Fendahl with gothic proportions. Continue reading

Season 15 of ‘Doctor Who’ with Tom Baker on Blu-ray #2

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Let’s check out the second story of Season 15 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘The Invisible Enemy’ by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and K-9, voiced by John Leeson. Yes! This is where K-9 makes his debut as a ‘Doctor Who’ companion in the classic TV series. Or rather where K-9 Mark I makes his debut. It’s been great to revisit ‘The Invisible Enemy’ on Blu-ray, especially through the CGI effects option. The story is directed by Derrick Goodwin, who makes his only contribution to the classic TV series. Continue reading

Season 15 of ‘Doctor Who’ with Tom Baker on Blu-ray #1

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to revisit Season 15 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and K-9, voiced by John Leeson. This is Tom Baker’s fourth season as the Fourth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’. Throughout this week, I’m sharing my updated reviews on the six stories featured in Season 15, based on ‘The Collection’ Blu-ray box set that was released in March 2024. The first story of the season happens to be the four-part story called ‘Horror of Fang Rock’ by Terrance Dicks, starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, and directed by Paddy Russell. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time to check out Season 23 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Season 23 is a fourteen-part story called ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’, and it’s Colin Baker’s second and (sadly) final season as the Sixth Doctor. ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’ is divided into four segments, including ‘The Mysterious Planet’ by Robert Holmes, ‘Mindwarp’ by Philip Martin, ‘Terror of the Vervoids’ by Pip and Jane Baker and ‘The Ultimate Foe’ by Robert Holmes & Pip and Jane Baker. As well as Colin Baker, there’s Michael Jayston as the Valeyard and Lynda Bellingham as the Inquisitor. There’s also the Doctor’s companions Nicola Bryant as Peri and Bonnie Langford as Mel. ‘The Trial of a Time Lord’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Two Doctors’

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

This is my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ story from the Colin Baker/Sixth Doctor era. It’s time for us to enjoy a multi-Doctor story that’s not an anniversary special. Today, we’re looking at ‘The Two Doctors’, a three-part 45-minute episode story by Robert Holmes. This story stars Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri. It also features the return of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor and Frazer Hines as Jamie. There are also the potato-headed Sontarans and the story introduces a new race of aliens called the Androgums, including ‘Blake’s 7’s Jacqueline Pearce as Chessene and John Stratton as Shockeye. There’s a sunny atmosphere about this story, as some of it takes place in Seville in Spain. ‘The Two Doctors’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Caves of Androzani’

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

Season 21 isn’t over yet, but it’s time for the Peter Davison/Fifth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ to come to an end. It’s time for ‘The Caves of Androzani’, a four-part story by Robert Holmes. This is rated as possibly the best ‘Doctor Who’ story ever made in the entire TV series. Is this something I agree with? In the story, Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri visit the planet Androzani Minor, where they step into some raw spectrox and start to die from it. Can the Fifth Doctor save Peri in time from the poisonous effects of the deadly spectrox? There are some special guest cameos of Janet Fielding as Tegan, Mark Strickson as Turlough, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Matthew Waterhouse as Adric, Kamelion, voiced by Gerald Flood, and Anthony Ainley as the Master in the story. ‘The Caves of Androzani’ can be checked out on DVD and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Power of Kroll’

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

Today, we’re taking a look at the fifth and penultimate story of ‘The Key to Time’ season (Season 16) in the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is the second story in ‘The Key to Time’ season to be penned by Robert Holmes (his first was ‘The Ribos Operation’). ‘The Power of Kroll’ is a four-part story, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Mary Tamm as Romana. K-9 doesn’t feature in this story, though John Leeson gets to play a human character called Dugeen in this. The story also features Philip Madoc (well-known for being in the ‘Dad’s Army’ episode ‘The Deadly Attachment’ as well as three ‘Doctor Who’ stories and a ‘Doctor Who’ movie beforehand) as Fenner. ‘The Power of Kroll’ can be checked out on DVD and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Ribos Operation’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Welcome to ‘The Key to Time’ season – Season 16 of the classic ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. ‘The Key to Time’ season is my favourite season out of the entire Tom Baker/Fourth Doctor era. As well as Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, this season introduces us to Mary Tamm as new companion Romanadvoratrelundar – Romana for short – and K-9 Mark II, voiced by John Leeson. In the first story of ‘The Key to Time’ season called ‘The Ribos Operation’, the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K-9 are sent on a quest by the White Guardian to collect the six segments of the Key to Time. This four-part adventure by Robert Holmes can be checked out on DVD and Britbox. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Sun Makers’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

The fourth story of Season 15 of classic ‘Doctor Who’, and it’s ‘The Sun Makers’, a four-part adventure by Robert Holmes, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and K-9, voiced by John Leeson. In this story, our TARDIS heroes visit the planet Pluto in the far future, where the human population is being taxed to death. This story also features Michael Keating, well-known for playing Vila Restal in ‘Blake’s 7’. ‘The Sun Makers’ can be checked out on DVD and Britbox. Continue reading