Tag Archives: sheena bucktowonsing

Quick TV Series Review – ‘The Forsytes’ (Series 1)

SPOILERS ALERT!!!

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

I’ve enjoyed checking out the six-episode TV drama series called ‘The Forsytes’ via Channel 5 from October to November 2025. This is a TV adaptation of ‘The Forsyte Saga’ – a series of books by John Glasworthy. It’s my first proper encounter of ‘The Forsyte Saga’. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Legend of the Sea Devils’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s Christmas Eve today! So, let’s check out an Easter Special in today’s instalment of the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon on ‘Bradley’s Basement’! 😀 This is the second of the 2022/Series 13 Specials of ‘Doctor Who’, and the second Easter Special to be produced in the new TV series (the first being ‘Planet of the Dead’ in the David Tennant/Tenth Doctor era). It’s also the penultimate story in the Jodie Whittaker/Thirteenth Doctor era. This is ‘Legend of the Sea Devils’ by Ella Road and Chris Chibnall, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor, Mandip Gill as Yaz and John Bishop as Dan. The story has special guest star Crystal Yu as Madam Ching and there’s Craige Els as the Chief Sea Devil. There’s also an uncredited cameo appearance of Nadia Albina as Di, who appeared in ‘Flux’. This ‘Doctor Who’ Easter Special continues the storyline that’s been going on between Yaz and the Thirteenth Doctor, where Yaz happens to have romantic feelings for her. Is it handled in a satisfying manner? Are the Sea Devils also well-handled in terms of their return to ‘Doctor Who’, following ‘The Sea Devils’ and ‘Warriors of the Deep’? ‘Legend of the Sea Devils’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

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

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

We’re now on the 2022 Specials of ‘Doctor Who’ – also called the Series 13 Specials of the new TV series. These are Jodie Whittaker’s last three ‘Doctor Who’ stories in her TV era as the Thirteenth Doctor. They’re also the last three stories to feature Mandip Gill as Yaz and John Bishop as Dan. The first of the 2022 Specials is ‘Eve of the Daleks’ by Chris Chibnall. This is the third and final New Year’s Day Special in the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era, which was shown on the 1st of January 2022. The special has guest stars like Aisling Bea (who I’ve also seen in ‘Home Sweet Home Alone’ on Disney+) and Adjani Salmon as Nick. And of course, there are the dreaded Daleks, voiced by Nicholas Briggs. The special also has Pauline McLynn (who you might have seen as Mrs. Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom TV series ‘Father Ted’) and there’s a cameo of Jonny Dixon as Karl from ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’. Comparing this New Year’s Day Special to ‘Resolution’ and ‘Revolution of the Daleks’, does ‘Eve of the Daleks’ hold up that well? Do I consider it a decent ‘Doctor Who’ New Year’s Day Special? ‘Eve of the Daleks’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Flux’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on Series 13 – Jodie Whittaker’s third and final season as the Thirteenth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’. This is a six-part story called ‘Flux’, mainly written by Chris Chibnall. The six episodes of the story include ‘The Halloween Apocalypse’, ‘War of the Sontarans’, ‘Once, Upon Time’, ‘Village of the Angels’ (co-written by Chris Chibnall and Maxine Alderton), ‘Survivors of the Flux’ and ‘The Vanquishers’. ‘Flux’ stars Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor and Mandip Gill as Yaz, and they’re joined by John Bishop as Dan. There are special guest stars like Craige Els as Karvanista, Steve Oram as Joseph Williamson, Nadia Albina as Diane, Sam Spruell as Swarm, Rochenda Sandall as Azure, Jacob Anderson as Vinder, Thaddea Graham as Bel, Annabel Scholey as Claire, Jonathan Watson and Dan Starkey as the Sontarans, Sara Powell as Mary Seacole, Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor, Craig Parkinson as the Grand Serpent, Bhavnisha Parmar as Sonya, Barbara Flynn as Tecteun, Kevin McNally as Professor Jericho, Vincent Brimble as Gerald, Jemma Churchill as Jean, Blake Harrison as Namaca, Robert Bathurst as Farquhar and Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart. ‘Flux’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

We’re halfway through Series 12 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series and today, we’re onto one of the most insane episodes ever made. It’s time for ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ by Vinay Patel and Chris Chibnall. Yes, the Judoon are back in this ‘Doctor Who’ episode and are voiced by Nicholas Briggs! Vinay Patel previously contributed to Series 11 as a ‘Doctor Who’ writer with his episode ‘Demons of the Punjab’. In ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’, the Judoon visit modern-day Gloucester in search for a fugitive. Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan and Mandip Gill as Yaz attempt to regulate the situation. This episode features the surprise return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. There’s also the introduction of Jo Martin as Ruth Clayton, who turns out to be a previously unseen incarnation of the Doctor and is labelled ‘the Fugitive Doctor’. There’s Neil Stuke (who guest starred in the Big Finish audio drama ‘The Crooked Man’ with Tom Baker) as Lee Clayton and there’s Ritu Arya as Gat. So, how insane was this ‘Doctor Who’ episode when I first saw it on TV in 2020? ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are with an historical adventure in Series 12 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan and Mandip Gill as Yaz. This is ‘Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror’ by Nina Metivier, who apparently was a script editor on two episodes of Series 11 in the new TV series, including ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’ and ‘It Takes You Away’. In this ‘Doctor Who’ episode, the Thirteenth Doctor TARDIS team meet Goran Višnjić (who’s been in the ‘Elektra’ film with Jennifer Garner) as Nikola Tesla in 1903. Our heroes meet him on the train journey from Niagara Falls to New York, as they help him to escape from being kidnapped by the Skithra aliens (who seem to be like the Racnoss from ‘The Runaway Bride’). They’re led by Anjli Mohindra (who played Rani Chandra in ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’) as the Skithra Queen. The episode also features Robert Glenister (who’s been in ‘The Caves of Androzani’ and the BBC sitcom TV series ‘Sink or Swim’ with Peter Davison as well as ‘The Aeronauts’) as Thomas Edison. ‘Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Orphan 55’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

After the epic adventure in the two-part season opener that is ‘Spyfall’, it’s time for us to check out the second story in Series 12 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. Today, we’re checking out ‘Orphan 55’ by Ed Hime, who previously contributed ‘It Takes You Away’ in Series 11. In the episode, Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan and Mandip Gill as Yaz are transported from the TARDIS to a tranquillity spa after winning a free holiday. However, the holiday resort turns out to be a barren ‘orphan’ planet overrun with mutated beings called Dregs. The episode’s guest cast includes Lauren Fraser as Kane; Gia Ré as Bella; James Buckley (of ‘The Inbetweeners’ fame) as Nevi; Lewin Lloyd as Sylas, Nevi’s son; Julia Foster as Vilma; Col Farrell as Benni, Vilma’s partner; Amy Booth-Steel as Hyph3n and Will Austen as Vorm. Do I think ‘Orphan 55’ top ups well in terms of Ed Hime’s efforts as a ‘Doctor Who’ writer? Is the episode better than ‘It Takes You Away’? Is it considered worthy enough to check out in Series 12 of the new TV series? ‘Orphan 55’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Spyfall’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out the first story of Series 12 in the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan and Mandip Gill as Yaz. This is a two-part story called ‘Spyfall’ by Chris Chibnall. ‘Part One’ of ‘Spyfall’ was shown on New Year’s Day in January 2020 and ‘Part Two’ was shown on the 5th of January. Our TARDIS heroes investigate a series of attacks on several secret agents on planet Earth. They involve a former agent and an alien threat. The story’s guest cast includes Sacha Dhawan (who played Waris Hussien in ‘An Adventure In Space and Time’ and has been in several Big Finish audios) as O, who turns out to be the evil Master. 😮 There’s Lenny Henry (who previously played the Doctor in a sketch on ‘The Lenny Henry Show’ and has regenerated into David Tennant for Comic Relief this year 😀 ) as Daniel Barton. And there’s Stephen Fry (who I’ve seen in ‘Jeeves & Wooster’ and ‘The Hobbit’ film trilogy) as C. There’s Yaz’s family, including Shobna Gulati as Najia, Yaz’s mum; Ravin J. Ganatra as Hakim, Yaz’s dad; and Bhavnisha Parmer as Sonya, Yaz’s sister. ‘Spyfall’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Resolution’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Technically, this should be part of Series 11 in the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, but it’s included in the Series 12 DVD and Blu-ray box sets. It’s time to check out the first New Year’s Day Special in the Jodie Whittaker/Thirteenth Doctor era, and it’s the first time that ‘Doctor Who’ does a festive special that isn’t shown on Christmas Day, since this was shown in January 2019 instead of December 2018. It’s time for ‘Resolution’ by Chris Chibnall, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham O’Brien, Tosin Cole as Ryan Sinclair and Mandip Gill as Yasmin ‘Yaz’ Khan. This ‘Doctor Who’ New Year’s Day Special has special guest stars like Charlotte Ritchie (who’s been in ‘Call the Midwife’, recently in ‘Grantchester’ and is well-known for being in the sitcom TV series ‘Ghosts’) as Lin, Nikesh Patel (who’s been in ‘Artemis Fowl’) as Mitch and Daniel Adegboyega (who’s been in the 2021 ‘Tom & Jerry’ movie) as Aaron Sinclair, Ryan’s dad. There’s also the return of the Daleks (Well, one of them anyway – and is voiced by Nicholas Briggs) as Jodie Whittaker has her first confrontation with a metal pepper pot in the new TV series. ‘Resolution’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

And here we are on the season finale of Series 11 in the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series – Jodie Whittaker’s first season as the Thirteenth Doctor. This is ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’ by Chris Chibnall. In the episode, the Doctor, Bradley Walsh as Graham, Tosin Cole as Ryan and Mandip Gill as Yaz respond to a series of distress signals on the planet Ranskoor Av Kolos. It’s where they confront Samuel Oatley as Tzim-Sha/Tim Shaw, the alien Stenza warrior who last appeared in ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’. Tzim-Shaw is using the powers of the psychic alien species called the Ux to shrink the planet Earth in revenge for what happened to him in the Thirteenth Doctor’s first TV outing. The episode also features Phyllis Logan (well-known for being in ‘Downton Abbey’) as Andinio, Percelle Ascott as Delph and Mark Addy (who’s been in ‘Young Hyacinth’ and the first ‘Downton Abbey’ movie) as Captain Paltraki. Apparently, Chris Chibnall has revealed that this episode was his least favourite script in the TV series. Do I consider this a least favourite ‘Doctor Who’ episode of mine? ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading