While it seems odd to be reviewing a Christmas Special on the 29th of December, it’s been a hellish week of travel and task – so better late than never, I say. It’s going to be a while before we see anymore of Matt Smith and his bow tie, so […] Read more
As predicted in this space, a big-screen adaptation of Doctor Who has been confirmed. Interestingly, it sounds as if Matt Smith will not play The Doctor and Steven Moffatt won’t be writing, so it doesn’t explain the odd gap in next year’s “Who” schedule. Fans will remember that their were […] Read more
Far be it for me to sound (even more than usual) like a grump, but are there any sacred cows about Doctor Who that Russell Davies and Steven Moffatt don’t plan to blow up? Call me selfish, but I don’t want The Doctor to have a love interest, never mind […] Read more
I went into veteran “Who” scripter Gareth Roberts’ Closing Time not expecting much, as I wasn’t a fan of 2009’s “The Lodger”, of which this is a direct sequel. But there was some surprisingly moving moments and a few good laughs as well. James Corden is back as Craig, who’s […] Read more
Tom McRae has – somewhat surprisingly – delivered what for my money is the clear class of the second half of season 32 thus far. It was a nice showcase for Karen Gillan as Amy (she’s been wearing on me somewhat this season) but even more, feeds the growing body […] Read more
A pretty standard-issue effort is this latest entry from Doctor Who veteran scripter Mark Gatiss. Gatiss’ most recent “Who” was last year’s Victory of the Daleks, and his three stories have all fallen in the fair-to-midland range, quality wise. So does his fourth, more or less. Responding to a cry […] Read more
I can’t help but think that your response to the current incarnation of the BBC legend Doctor Who is going to depend on just how much of a fan you were of the “old” series – the one that ran almost uninterrupted for a quarter of the 20th Century. I […] Read more
Season “32 and a half” closes with a big cliffhanger that’s also a big reveal, and an episode that has everything including the kitchen sink and most of the other fixtures besides. Needless to say, don’t read on if you don’t want to be spoiled… Steven Moffatt is nothing if […] Read more
I find this two-parter to be an interesting contrast with the prior episode, Neil Gaiman’s “The Doctor’s Wife”. I think what you see is the difference between a very good TV writer and a great writer, period. Matthew Graham’s fleshy story was very solid – totally derivative and completely of […] Read more
In many ways, Matthew Graham’s “The Rebel Flesh” represents the classic template for the “new” Doctor Who. Earthbound but not contemporary (22nd Century, in this case). A philosophical debate driven by humanity’s stupidity. A lot of speechifyin’ by The Doctor about said stupidity. And everyone trapped in an isolated place […] Read more