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‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Robot of Sherwood’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

In today’s instalment of the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon, we have the Doctor meeting Robin Hood for the first time (at least on TV that is 😀 ). This new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series episode from Series 8 is called ‘Robot of Sherwood’ by Mark Gatiss. This happens to be one of my favourite ‘Doctor Who’ episodes from Series 8 of the new TV series. Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor gets to fight Robin Hood with a spoon rather than a sword ( 😀 ), and Jenna Coleman gets to dress up in a nice outfit and look like Maid Marian for a bit. 🙂 The guest cast includes Tom Riley as Robin Wood and Ben Miller as the Sheriff of Nottingham. There’s Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Quayle and Sabrina Bartlett (who later starred as Mariette in Series 1 of ‘The Larkins’ as well as the Christmas Special) as Quayle’s ward, who turns out to be Maid Marian in the episode. There’s Robin Hood’s Merry Men, including Ian Hallard as Alan-a-Dale, Trevor Cooper as Friar Tuck, Rusty Goffe as Little John and Joseph Kennedy as Will Scarlet. Oh, and there are robot knights in this ‘Doctor Who’ episode. 😀 ‘Robot of Sherwood’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Into the Dalek’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Here we are on the second episode of the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era as well as Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is ‘Into the Dalek’ by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat. In this episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor has Jenna Coleman as Clara join him on an adventure where they go inside a Dalek. The Doctor also asks Clara, “Am I good man?”, which forms part of the Twelfth Doctor’s journey throughout Series 8. This episode features guest stars like Zawe Ashton as Journey Blue and Michael Smiley as Colonel Morgan Blue, who get involved with the Dalek that seems sick and wishes for all Daleks to be destroyed. Incidentally, the Dalek ends up being called Rusty in the episode. We’re also introduced to Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, who becomes Clara’s love interest in Series 8 and he’s the new mathematics teacher at Coal Hill School where Clara works. There’s also Nigel Betts as Mr. Armitage at Coal Hill School and we have another appearance of Michelle Gomez as Missy in the TV series. Is ‘Into the Dalek’ a worthy episode to check out in Series 8? ‘Into the Dalek’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Deep Breath’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to begin the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ and we’re starting off with the first episode of Series 8 in the new TV series called ‘Deep Breath’ by Steven Moffat. I saw this ‘Doctor Who’ episode on TV when I was on holiday in Scotland in August 2014. This episode was also released at cinemas. Joining Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor is Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, who is coming to terms with the newly regenerated Doctor. There’s the return of the Paternoster Gang, including Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny and Dan Starkey as Strax. There’s also the debut of Michelle Gomez as Missy at the end of the episode. Lately, I’ve seen a video clip of this episode on YouTube featuring a phone call conversation between Clara and a certain surprise character. There was a lot of hype surrounding Peter Capaldi’s arrival as the Twelfth Doctor, especially in the promotion that built up to Series 8 in 2014, including a World Tour. Is this reflected in the ‘Doctor Who’ episode? Is ‘Deep Breath’ a worthwhile ‘Doctor Who’ episode? ‘Deep Breath’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

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

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

Today, it’s time for us to check out the ‘Doctor Who’ episode from Series 5 of the new TV series called ‘The Lodger’ by Gareth Roberts. This happens to be a TV episode based on a 2006 ‘Doctor Who Magazine’ comic story of the same name by Gareth Roberts, featuring the Tenth Doctor. I must check out more comic stories and perhaps do a comparison between the comic and TV versions of ‘The Lodger’. In the TV version of ‘The Lodger’, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor becomes stranded on Earth after stepping out of the TARDIS whilst Karen Gillan as Amy Pond is still inside the blue box time machine. The Doctor meets up with James Corden as Craig Owens and ends up becoming his roommate. This is the first time I’ve come across James Corden in TV and film, and this is before James Corden went on to voice Peter Rabbit in the 2018 film and its 2021 sequel. 😀 ‘The Lodger’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Vincent and the Doctor’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out a ‘Doctor Who’ episode that’s penned by one of the writers of comedy TV shows like ‘Blackadder’, ‘Mr. Bean’ and ‘The Vicar of Dibley’. He was also the executive producer of ‘The Curse of Fatal Death’, which was written by Steven Moffat. Today, it’s time for us to check out ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ by Richard Curtis. Having lost Rory in ‘Cold Blood’, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Gillan as Amy Pond are now travelling in the TARDIS together. Visiting the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, they soon travel back in time to meet the artist Vincent van Gogh, played by Tony Curran, to solve a mystery that involves one of his paintings. This episode also features Bill Nighy (who I’ve heard play Sam Gamgee in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ radio series and many film and TV productions over the years) as Dr. Black. ‘Vincent and the Doctor’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Amy’s Choice’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

It’s time for us to check out ‘Amy’s Choice’, another episode in Series 5 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode is by Simon Nye (who would go on to write ‘The Durrells’ and ‘The Larkins’ for ITV). In the episode, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams experience two dream worlds. One where Amy and Rory are older and are living married lives in Leadworth village, and another where the Doctor, Amy and Rory are in the TARDIS heading towards a star that is ‘burning cold’ which will kill them. This ‘Doctor Who’ episode also features special guest star Toby Jones (who I’ve seen in many film, audio and TV productions over the years like ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’, 2016‘s ‘Dad’s Army’ and recently in ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’) as the Dream Lord. ‘Amy’s Choice’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Vampires of Venice’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

I saw this ‘Doctor Who’ episode on my birthday, as it was shown on BBC One on the 8th of May 2010. 😀 This is ‘The Vampires of Venice’ by Toby Whithouse. In this episode, Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond are joined by Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, Amy’s fiancé, who previously appeared in ‘The Eleventh Hour’. The Doctor takes Amy and Rory on a romantic trip to Venice in 1580, but it goes pear-shaped since there happen to be vampires in Venice. But are these vampires like the ones in ‘State of Decay’ as well as in ‘Doctor Who’ books like ‘Goth Opera’ and ‘Blood Harvest’? This episode features the late Helen McCrory as Rosanna Calvierri, and there’s Gabriella Wilde (who’s been 2011’s ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’) as one of the Vampire Girls. ‘The Vampires of Venice’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Time of Angels’/’Flesh and Stone’

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

Let’s check out the first two-part story in Series 5 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series called ‘The Time of Angels’/’Flesh and Stone’ by Steven Moffat, starring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. This ‘Doctor Who’ adventure features the return of Alex Kingston as River Song, who was last seen in the Series 4 two-parter ‘Silence in the Library’/’Forest of the Dead’. There’s also the return of the Weeping Angels, who made their first appearance on TV in the Series 3 episode called ‘Blink’. There’s also Iain Glen (who I’ve seen in the 1999 BBC TV production of ‘Wives & Daughters’) as Father Octavian. Is this, for me, another exciting and thrilling ‘Doctor Who’ adventure featuring the Weeping Angels, or do I think ‘Blink’ is better than this two-part story? ‘The Time of Angels’/’Flesh and Stone’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Eleventh Hour’

Hello everyone! 🙂

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

And welcome to the Steven Moffat reign of ‘Doctor Who’ where we begin the Matt Smith/Eleventh Doctor era. Both the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras of ‘Doctor Who’ are a mixed bag for me, but more will be unveiled as we go through each era. Today, we’re starting off with the first episode of Series 5 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, which is Matt Smith’s first season as the Eleventh Doctor. It’s time for ‘The Eleventh Hour’ by Steven Moffat, where Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor crash-lands to Earth and he meets Caitlin Blackwood as Amelia Pond, who soon grows up to become Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, the Doctor’s new companion. This episode also introduces us to Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, Amy’s boyfriend. Can the Eleventh Doctor work out the mystery of Prisoner Zero whilst recovering from his regeneration and identifying who he is, and will he win Amy Pond over before she becomes his new companion? ‘The Eleventh Hour’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. 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