Blankety Blank
3x04 Episode 4
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x14 Week 3: Thursday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday 30 November 2023
Wednesday 29 November 2023
Monday 27 November 2023
Fiction
The Spider-Queen by Austin McConnell & Elizabeth McIvor
Chapter 1
So, about 18 months ago, I backed a Kickstarter to produce an animated movie based on a public domain superhero, which may or may not be the beginning of an alternative kind of cinematic universe (learn more about that in this YouTube video; it even has its own unofficial SubReddit). While the Kickstarter movie still hasn't been completed, other related projects — ones expanding the aforementioned universe — have already come to fruition (which I guess means the movie doesn't begin the universe after all). This was the first of them: a novel based on a hero from a four-issue comic published in 1941. Yes, despite the similar name, this arachnoid hero predates Spider-Man by over 20 years.
As well as being available for Kindle and in paperback, there's also an audiobook version on Audible, and a 50-minute motion comic preview thingy on YouTube, if you're interested.
Chapter 1
So, about 18 months ago, I backed a Kickstarter to produce an animated movie based on a public domain superhero, which may or may not be the beginning of an alternative kind of cinematic universe (learn more about that in this YouTube video; it even has its own unofficial SubReddit). While the Kickstarter movie still hasn't been completed, other related projects — ones expanding the aforementioned universe — have already come to fruition (which I guess means the movie doesn't begin the universe after all). This was the first of them: a novel based on a hero from a four-issue comic published in 1941. Yes, despite the similar name, this arachnoid hero predates Spider-Man by over 20 years.
As well as being available for Kindle and in paperback, there's also an audiobook version on Audible, and a 50-minute motion comic preview thingy on YouTube, if you're interested.
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
13–21 September 2021
Accidentally fell behind over the weekend again, so today it's a three-day (nine days in-game!) catchup.
13–21 September 2021
Accidentally fell behind over the weekend again, so today it's a three-day (nine days in-game!) catchup.
Sunday 26 November 2023
Podcasts
The Official Doctor Who Podcast
60th Anniversary Special 1 - The Star Beast
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts, apparently.]
60th Anniversary Special 1 - The Star Beast
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts, apparently.]
Saturday 25 November 2023
TV
Doctor Who
40x0A The Star Beast [60th anniversary special #1]
Hurrah, it's finally here! Wasn't quite sure how to number this one (normally specials are attached to a series, but this is a series of specials without a series), but that's the least important thing because... yay, RTD's back! David Tennant's back! And all the fun and joy and excitement and daftness and wonder and thrills of their time are back, too. Magnificent fun. Also watched the in-vision commentary, which is available on iPlayer here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who: Unleashed
1x01 The Star Beast
Ah, the new behind-the-scenes show — I would say "replacing Confidential", but as Confidential has been dead for over a decade, I guess it's connected only in spirit. But it's definitely got the same spirit. I mean, I suppose it is technically a new and modified version (Confidential never had an on-screen, on set presenter), but it feels in-keeping. And that's a good thing.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Secrets & Scandals of Doctor Who
Channel 5 getting in on the 60th in their own particular way. Though I don't think there was anything particularly new here for those up on their Doctor Who history, and it was quite classic series focused — more modern controversies (Chris Eccleston's first season and departure; John Barrowman's behaviour) aren't mentioned. So, kind of an odd duck of a doc, really.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 5.]
40x0A The Star Beast [60th anniversary special #1]
Hurrah, it's finally here! Wasn't quite sure how to number this one (normally specials are attached to a series, but this is a series of specials without a series), but that's the least important thing because... yay, RTD's back! David Tennant's back! And all the fun and joy and excitement and daftness and wonder and thrills of their time are back, too. Magnificent fun. Also watched the in-vision commentary, which is available on iPlayer here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who: Unleashed
1x01 The Star Beast
Ah, the new behind-the-scenes show — I would say "replacing Confidential", but as Confidential has been dead for over a decade, I guess it's connected only in spirit. But it's definitely got the same spirit. I mean, I suppose it is technically a new and modified version (Confidential never had an on-screen, on set presenter), but it feels in-keeping. And that's a good thing.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Secrets & Scandals of Doctor Who
Channel 5 getting in on the 60th in their own particular way. Though I don't think there was anything particularly new here for those up on their Doctor Who history, and it was quite classic series focused — more modern controversies (Chris Eccleston's first season and departure; John Barrowman's behaviour) aren't mentioned. So, kind of an odd duck of a doc, really.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 5.]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
I feel like I got a bit carried away this Black Friday weekend... but that's all orders, of course, so they'll turn up next week (or later, as some were preorders; and a lot of what I spent was on LEGO, actually. But still — there's stuff to come).
As for this week, two new 4K titles are joined by a BD-to-4K upgrade and a 4K catalogue title to make an all-4K week. Exciting!
Number of titles in collection: 3,199 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,021 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,178 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 315 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 7,801 [up 7]
Number of films: 3,932 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,660 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,101 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
I feel like I got a bit carried away this Black Friday weekend... but that's all orders, of course, so they'll turn up next week (or later, as some were preorders; and a lot of what I spent was on LEGO, actually. But still — there's stuff to come).
As for this week, two new 4K titles are joined by a BD-to-4K upgrade and a 4K catalogue title to make an all-4K week. Exciting!
Number of titles in collection: 3,199 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,021 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,178 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 315 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 7,801 [up 7]
Number of films: 3,932 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,660 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,101 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 24 November 2023
TV
The Graham Norton Show
31x08 (24/11/2023 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Have I Got News for You
66x07 (24/11/2023 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
31x08 (24/11/2023 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Have I Got News for You
66x07 (24/11/2023 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Thursday 23 November 2023
TV
An Adventure in Space and Time
[2nd watch]
A timely repeat (its first for almost a decade) of this one-off drama made to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, which depicts the series' creation and early years. More thoughts here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
Doctor Who's second-ever serial, which introduced his long-standing nemeses, here re-edited into a brisk 75-minute movie version and, most strikingly, with its original black-and-white footage painstakingly colourised (hence the "in Colour" of the title). More thoughts here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
[2nd watch]
A timely repeat (its first for almost a decade) of this one-off drama made to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, which depicts the series' creation and early years. More thoughts here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
Doctor Who's second-ever serial, which introduced his long-standing nemeses, here re-edited into a brisk 75-minute movie version and, most strikingly, with its original black-and-white footage painstakingly colourised (hence the "in Colour" of the title). More thoughts here.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Radio
Zoe Ball and Friends
Zoe’s Doctor Who Special… with David Tennant and Russell T Davies
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Zoe’s Doctor Who Special… with David Tennant and Russell T Davies
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Wednesday 22 November 2023
Radio
Radio 2 Celebrates Doctor Who at 60
The Modern Era...
I suppose I need to slightly take back a comment I made last time — about documentaries like this always being unfairly balanced towards nuWho — because, actually, where Part One left off at the end of 1989, 26 years into Doctor Who's story, this episode begins in... 1990, by covering the Wildness Years and TV Movie, rather than diving straight into the 2005 revival. Maybe that 'non-era' is finally getting its due...
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
The Modern Era...
I suppose I need to slightly take back a comment I made last time — about documentaries like this always being unfairly balanced towards nuWho — because, actually, where Part One left off at the end of 1989, 26 years into Doctor Who's story, this episode begins in... 1990, by covering the Wildness Years and TV Movie, rather than diving straight into the 2005 revival. Maybe that 'non-era' is finally getting its due...
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Tuesday 21 November 2023
Radio
Radio 2 Celebrates Doctor Who at 60
The Classic Years...
BBC Radio's celebration of Doctor Who's 60th continues with this two-part history, in which host Jo Whiley links together a series of interview clips and whatnot to create an oral history. Each hour-long half focuses on one of the two major eras, Classic Who and nuWho. Once upon a time that would've seemed like pandering to the modern, but at this point, while they're not yet equal, we're comparing 26 years to 18, so, y'know, getting there.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
The Classic Years...
BBC Radio's celebration of Doctor Who's 60th continues with this two-part history, in which host Jo Whiley links together a series of interview clips and whatnot to create an oral history. Each hour-long half focuses on one of the two major eras, Classic Who and nuWho. Once upon a time that would've seemed like pandering to the modern, but at this point, while they're not yet equal, we're comparing 26 years to 18, so, y'know, getting there.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Monday 20 November 2023
TV
The One Show
20/11/2023 edition
With guests David Tennant and Russell T Davies. Yep, more Doctor Who.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
20/11/2023 edition
With guests David Tennant and Russell T Davies. Yep, more Doctor Who.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Radio
Surviving Doctor Who: An A-Z
Part 1 (of 2)
Part 2 (of 2)
My personal Doctor Who 60th celebration may have reached its end, but that's just in time for there to be lots of official celebratory shenanigans on TV and radio — mostly the latter this time round, it feels like (the 50th brought varied documentaries and whatnot to our goggleboxes, whereas the 60th is quite a bit lighter in that department).
Here's something that's likely to remain a highlight: professional Whovian Toby Hadoke provides a whistlestop alphabetical guide to what life is like as a fan of Doctor Who. Die-hard fans will recognise everything he brings up, so casuals or newcomers may find it a worthwhile primer. Either way, it's done with a fun wink-and-nod that characterises the best of Who fandom: we take it all terribly seriously, but know how to poke fun at ourselves, too.
[Listen to both parts (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Part 1 (of 2)
Part 2 (of 2)
My personal Doctor Who 60th celebration may have reached its end, but that's just in time for there to be lots of official celebratory shenanigans on TV and radio — mostly the latter this time round, it feels like (the 50th brought varied documentaries and whatnot to our goggleboxes, whereas the 60th is quite a bit lighter in that department).
Here's something that's likely to remain a highlight: professional Whovian Toby Hadoke provides a whistlestop alphabetical guide to what life is like as a fan of Doctor Who. Die-hard fans will recognise everything he brings up, so casuals or newcomers may find it a worthwhile primer. Either way, it's done with a fun wink-and-nod that characterises the best of Who fandom: we take it all terribly seriously, but know how to poke fun at ourselves, too.
[Listen to both parts (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Sunday 19 November 2023
TV
K-9 and Company
A Girl's Best Friend
Modern Who has given rise to multiple spin-offs — Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Class, plus a couple of animations, not to mention all the behind-the-scenes-type series. And Big Finish have made a cottage industry out of producing entire ranges of the things. And in the Wilderness Years when proper Doctor Who was off the telly, fans took all sorts of elements and produced their own films and whatnot. But in the classic era, while various ideas were discussed from time to time, only one ever actually made it to screen: this one-off special from Christmas 1981. (It was produced as a pilot. Its ratings were strong (better than Who's at the time, in fact), but a change of channel controller meant the intended series was scrapped.) I'd never seen it... so what better pick for my 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, to honour all those other spin-offs, than the original?
And you know what, I really rather liked it. It's not perfect, but it's quite fun, with a nice Christmassy folk horror — but for kids — vibe. (Also, that means it's quite appropriate viewing for this time of year; or for next month, if you're a stickler about when to watch Christmas stuff.) I don't know whether they would've kept up that style for the full series or mixed it around more, but it's such a shame it was canned and we'll never know.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Oh, and, incidentally, this is officially the end of my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon! Well, Origins sort of was, as this technically isn't directly Doctor Who, but I've only watched it because of the marathon, so... Anyway, what seemed like a huge undertaking at the start has absolutely flown by in the end. So glad I did it — and it's left me with a tonne of stuff I want to go back to and dig into more, so I hope I keep that effort up.
Also watched today...
Behind the Sofa
18x08 K9 and Company [season finale]
For this edition of “Doctor Who Gogglebox”, they’ve chosen to only include three stars of the story itself, which leads to some nice reminisces, but it would’ve been fun to see some reactions from other Who alumni. At 36 minutes for a 49-minute episode, it’s almost a commentary track; but also, with only the three contributors throughout, a little thinner than it needs to be. It’s not bad, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
A Girl's Best Friend
Modern Who has given rise to multiple spin-offs — Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Class, plus a couple of animations, not to mention all the behind-the-scenes-type series. And Big Finish have made a cottage industry out of producing entire ranges of the things. And in the Wilderness Years when proper Doctor Who was off the telly, fans took all sorts of elements and produced their own films and whatnot. But in the classic era, while various ideas were discussed from time to time, only one ever actually made it to screen: this one-off special from Christmas 1981. (It was produced as a pilot. Its ratings were strong (better than Who's at the time, in fact), but a change of channel controller meant the intended series was scrapped.) I'd never seen it... so what better pick for my 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, to honour all those other spin-offs, than the original?
And you know what, I really rather liked it. It's not perfect, but it's quite fun, with a nice Christmassy folk horror — but for kids — vibe. (Also, that means it's quite appropriate viewing for this time of year; or for next month, if you're a stickler about when to watch Christmas stuff.) I don't know whether they would've kept up that style for the full series or mixed it around more, but it's such a shame it was canned and we'll never know.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Oh, and, incidentally, this is officially the end of my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon! Well, Origins sort of was, as this technically isn't directly Doctor Who, but I've only watched it because of the marathon, so... Anyway, what seemed like a huge undertaking at the start has absolutely flown by in the end. So glad I did it — and it's left me with a tonne of stuff I want to go back to and dig into more, so I hope I keep that effort up.
Also watched today...
Behind the Sofa
18x08 K9 and Company [season finale]
For this edition of “Doctor Who Gogglebox”, they’ve chosen to only include three stars of the story itself, which leads to some nice reminisces, but it would’ve been fun to see some reactions from other Who alumni. At 36 minutes for a 49-minute episode, it’s almost a commentary track; but also, with only the three contributors throughout, a little thinner than it needs to be. It’s not bad, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
Radio
Doctor Who: The Wilderness Years
Matthew Sweet hosts this look at the so-called Wilderness Years — the period between Doctor Who's cancellation in 1989 and its return in 2005 when (apart from one night in 1996) it wasn't around. Except, as most Whovians know, it very much was around. I think this doc is hoping to redress that perception somewhat by highlighting the mass of fan creativity from that era, but the problem is, with only half-an-hour to work with, it can only be a whistlestop tour of just some of what was going on.
Partly that's because it wastes a load of time rehashing the story of the cancellation. Then there's a bit about the New Adventures, a bit about Audio Visuals and how that led to Big Finish, a minute or two with McGann chatting about the TVM, an acknowledgement of fan straight-to-video productions... and then we're done. Where be DWM and its comic strip? What about the webcasts? What about the stories those different media told, not just that they existed? There's not enough time for any of that. So, it's nice, but the definitive documentary is still waiting to be made.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Matthew Sweet hosts this look at the so-called Wilderness Years — the period between Doctor Who's cancellation in 1989 and its return in 2005 when (apart from one night in 1996) it wasn't around. Except, as most Whovians know, it very much was around. I think this doc is hoping to redress that perception somewhat by highlighting the mass of fan creativity from that era, but the problem is, with only half-an-hour to work with, it can only be a whistlestop tour of just some of what was going on.
Partly that's because it wastes a load of time rehashing the story of the cancellation. Then there's a bit about the New Adventures, a bit about Audio Visuals and how that led to Big Finish, a minute or two with McGann chatting about the TVM, an acknowledgement of fan straight-to-video productions... and then we're done. Where be DWM and its comic strip? What about the webcasts? What about the stories those different media told, not just that they existed? There's not enough time for any of that. So, it's nice, but the definitive documentary is still waiting to be made.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Saturday 18 November 2023
Comics
Doctor Who: Origins by Jody Houser & Roberta Ingranata
Here we are, then: the final official Doctor for my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon — the Fugitive Doctor. There's even less to go on for her than there is for the War Doctor. Other than her couple of TV episodes, this four-part Titan comic miniseries is about it (Big Finish did announce some audios starring her ages ago, but there's no sign of their release. Rumour has it the launching of new era(s) on TV may've set them back somewhat). It does have the benefit of allowing me to tick one further type of media off my list: "Titan Comics" (differing from "DWM comics" that I did for the Fourth Doctor).
As a story in itself, it's... fine. The blurb and pullquotes on the cover do overhype it somewhat — "an essential read", things like that. It's not really essential. I mean, its depiction of the Fugitive Doctor is fine, but it doesn't really reveal any more about her character, nor give her any more memorable moments, or anything like that. If you're feeling starved of Fugitive content, it's considerably better than nothing, but the definitive story of this incarnation remains untold.
Here we are, then: the final official Doctor for my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon — the Fugitive Doctor. There's even less to go on for her than there is for the War Doctor. Other than her couple of TV episodes, this four-part Titan comic miniseries is about it (Big Finish did announce some audios starring her ages ago, but there's no sign of their release. Rumour has it the launching of new era(s) on TV may've set them back somewhat). It does have the benefit of allowing me to tick one further type of media off my list: "Titan Comics" (differing from "DWM comics" that I did for the Fourth Doctor).
As a story in itself, it's... fine. The blurb and pullquotes on the cover do overhype it somewhat — "an essential read", things like that. It's not really essential. I mean, its depiction of the Fugitive Doctor is fine, but it doesn't really reveal any more about her character, nor give her any more memorable moments, or anything like that. If you're feeling starved of Fugitive content, it's considerably better than nothing, but the definitive story of this incarnation remains untold.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
All TV additions this week; in fact, all animated. First, the latest animated missing Doctor Who story, The Underwater Menace, which replaces the DVD release from a few years ago. Second, anime series Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water in 4K.
Number of titles in collection: 3,196 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,021 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,175 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 311 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 7,794 [up 10]
Number of films: 3,929 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,660 [up 39]
Number of short films: 1,101 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
All TV additions this week; in fact, all animated. First, the latest animated missing Doctor Who story, The Underwater Menace, which replaces the DVD release from a few years ago. Second, anime series Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water in 4K.
Number of titles in collection: 3,196 [up 1]
Of which DVDs: 1,021 [down 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,175 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 311 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 7,794 [up 10]
Number of films: 3,929 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,660 [up 39]
Number of short films: 1,101 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 17 November 2023
TV
Children in Need 2023
Apparently I haven't watched Children in Need since 2020. I knew I wasn't as dedicated to these charity-athons as I used to be (I watched them religiously in my childhood, through my teens, and I guess most of my twenties too), but I thought I'd watched it more regularly than that of late. Obviously not. (I checked out the intro to last year's show while it was still on iPlayer and realised, yeah, I'd only watched the reveal of Millie Gibson as the new Who companion on social media.)
Frankly, I can't really say I watched this year's either: I dipped in and out, primarily waiting for the Doctor Who sketch. That took the form of a brand-new scene, possibly titled Destination: Skaro (per RTD on Instagram), starring David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor in an encounter (sort of) with the Daleks. You can watch it by itself on iPlayer or YouTube, as well as the whole charity event (linked below). More thoughts on Letterboxd.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who: Unleashed
1x00 Children in Need
Who's new behind-the-scenes show begins (sort of — I mean, it's the first "episode" of Unleashed that's been released, but it's not full-length, is it?) with a look at the making of that Children in Need scene.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Last Leg
29x02 (17/11/2023 edition)
More Doctor Who-inspired viewing, sort of, in the sense that David Tennant was a guest tonight and I was still around my TV so ended up tuning in. I used to watch The Last Leg regularly, of course, and it was funny to see how little it's changed over the numerous years I've not been a viewer.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]
Apparently I haven't watched Children in Need since 2020. I knew I wasn't as dedicated to these charity-athons as I used to be (I watched them religiously in my childhood, through my teens, and I guess most of my twenties too), but I thought I'd watched it more regularly than that of late. Obviously not. (I checked out the intro to last year's show while it was still on iPlayer and realised, yeah, I'd only watched the reveal of Millie Gibson as the new Who companion on social media.)
Frankly, I can't really say I watched this year's either: I dipped in and out, primarily waiting for the Doctor Who sketch. That took the form of a brand-new scene, possibly titled Destination: Skaro (per RTD on Instagram), starring David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor in an encounter (sort of) with the Daleks. You can watch it by itself on iPlayer or YouTube, as well as the whole charity event (linked below). More thoughts on Letterboxd.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Doctor Who: Unleashed
1x00 Children in Need
Who's new behind-the-scenes show begins (sort of — I mean, it's the first "episode" of Unleashed that's been released, but it's not full-length, is it?) with a look at the making of that Children in Need scene.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The Last Leg
29x02 (17/11/2023 edition)
More Doctor Who-inspired viewing, sort of, in the sense that David Tennant was a guest tonight and I was still around my TV so ended up tuning in. I used to watch The Last Leg regularly, of course, and it was funny to see how little it's changed over the numerous years I've not been a viewer.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]
Thursday 16 November 2023
TV
Doctor Who (1996)
[6th watch]
[#83 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
aka The TV Movie. I didn’t actually intend to watch this this evening — I just put it on because I like the opening, and I was going to leave it playing because I like the idea of it notching up views on the iPlayer charts; but then I got sucked in because I genuinely love it. Also, does it count as a film? Well, that's the kind of thing I've debated on and off down the years on my other blog. But I've counted TV movies there before, so why shouldn't it?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Taskmaster
4x08 Tony Three Pies [season finale]
Completely forgot that I never finished this series of Taskmaster, which I started exactly six months ago and last watched four months ago. Oops! Normally that would be a revealing insight into what I actually think of it, but I do enjoy Taskmaster, I just kinda forgot that I’d never finished this run.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]
[6th watch]
[#83 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
aka The TV Movie. I didn’t actually intend to watch this this evening — I just put it on because I like the opening, and I was going to leave it playing because I like the idea of it notching up views on the iPlayer charts; but then I got sucked in because I genuinely love it. Also, does it count as a film? Well, that's the kind of thing I've debated on and off down the years on my other blog. But I've counted TV movies there before, so why shouldn't it?
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Taskmaster
4x08 Tony Three Pies [season finale]
Completely forgot that I never finished this series of Taskmaster, which I started exactly six months ago and last watched four months ago. Oops! Normally that would be a revealing insight into what I actually think of it, but I do enjoy Taskmaster, I just kinda forgot that I’d never finished this run.
[Watch it (again) on Channel 4.]
Fiction
Doctor Who: Time Lapse by Naomi Alderman
So, as you may or may not remember, the project that began as 11 Doctors 11 Stories in 2013 was extended to 12 Doctors 12 Stories in 2014 after the Twelfth Doctor came along. Five years later, there was a Thirteenth Doctor too, and so they took the chance torepublish the whole thing yet again be sure to cover all the Doctors, even the newest (except for the War Doctor, anyway) — and so now we have 13 Doctors, 13 Stories. Maybe they'll expand it again in 2024 for the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors. If they do, it would be nice if they went back and plugged the gaps of the War and Fugitive Doctors, wouldn't it? Though I guess 15 Doctors, 17 Stories sounds a bit weird; as does 17 Doctors, 17 Stories when we're only up to the Fifteenth Doctor.
Anyway, as this is the final story in the series for now, that makes it the end of my celebratory 60th anniversary marathon! ...right? Well, actually, I've got a couple of other things to cover first...
So, as you may or may not remember, the project that began as 11 Doctors 11 Stories in 2013 was extended to 12 Doctors 12 Stories in 2014 after the Twelfth Doctor came along. Five years later, there was a Thirteenth Doctor too, and so they took the chance to
Anyway, as this is the final story in the series for now, that makes it the end of my celebratory 60th anniversary marathon! ...right? Well, actually, I've got a couple of other things to cover first...
Wednesday 15 November 2023
Tuesday 14 November 2023
Monday 13 November 2023
Sunday 12 November 2023
Radio
My Sounds
Russell T Davies
Radio 2 and 4 and 4 Extra — and, by extension, BBC Sounds — are airing a bunch of stuff around Doctor Who's 60th anniversary; a mixture of documentaries and drama and music; much of it repeats, but new stuff too. I don't know which of those this is — it says on the app that it was released on 5th September, which could just be a repeat date, but I suspect it's that new. Anyway, it's an hour of RTD choosing music that he listens to and talking about it and stuff. Hardly essential listening, but interesting enough to have on in the background, especially if you share in the person's musical taste.
Russell T Davies
Radio 2 and 4 and 4 Extra — and, by extension, BBC Sounds — are airing a bunch of stuff around Doctor Who's 60th anniversary; a mixture of documentaries and drama and music; much of it repeats, but new stuff too. I don't know which of those this is — it says on the app that it was released on 5th September, which could just be a repeat date, but I suspect it's that new. Anyway, it's an hour of RTD choosing music that he listens to and talking about it and stuff. Hardly essential listening, but interesting enough to have on in the background, especially if you share in the person's musical taste.
Saturday 11 November 2023
Films
Hammer A.D. 2023 (2023)
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Quiz Lady (2023)
[#81 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Quiz Lady (2023)
[#81 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
A grand total of seven new purchases this week, although two of them were BD-to-4K upgrades and so don't register in the headline stats (they did add some discs and short films, though). All-in, my 4K UHD collection swells by four titles and six films this week, landing on 310 titles. How many of those have I watched? Or, more accurately, how few? I dread to think...
Number of titles in collection: 3,195 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,173 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 310 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 7,784 [up 12]
Number of films: 3,929 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,101 [up 13]
See you next week, faithful reader.
A grand total of seven new purchases this week, although two of them were BD-to-4K upgrades and so don't register in the headline stats (they did add some discs and short films, though). All-in, my 4K UHD collection swells by four titles and six films this week, landing on 310 titles. How many of those have I watched? Or, more accurately, how few? I dread to think...
Number of titles in collection: 3,195 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,173 [up 5]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 310 [up 4]
Number of discs in collection: 7,784 [up 12]
Number of films: 3,929 [up 7]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,101 [up 13]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 10 November 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Wonderful Doctor of Oz by Jacqueline Rayner
Chapters 1–6
My Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon reaches the final (numbered) Doctor now. For the Thirteenth Doctor, I've chosen something that's actually quite atypical for her era (not that "typical" has been my guiding motive for any other Doctor): a novel. Tie-in novels were published regularly since the TV series came back in 2005 until the end of the Twelfth Doctor era — presumably a legacy of the BBC taking over the Doctor Who fiction mini-empire Virgin had kickstarted with the New Adventures. Personally, I stopped buying them towards the end of the Tenth Doctor's time (because I wasn't actually reading them), and the number published seemed to thin out during Capaldi's era (I believe there was only one novel starring the full Series 10 TARDIS team of the Doctor, Bill and Nardole). Original fiction was published for the Thirteenth Doctor, but I think they abandoned the familiar cover style they'd been using for a decade, and seemed to get more experimental with target audience and visual identity — although, as I say, I wasn't following it closely anymore by that point, so maybe I missed something.
One range that did start during her era, and is still going (at least, they published a new one recently, but I don't think more have been announced yet), is a series that sees various Doctors encounter characters and scenarios from classics of children's literature. The Wonderful Doctor of Oz was one of the first books in the range (the other debut title featured the ever-popular Tenth Doctor, since when they've done ones starring the Fourth, Third, and Eleventh. Wouldn't it be lovely if they kept going and included all the Doctors?) Anyway, as my marathon pick for the Thirteenth Doctor presented the perennial nuWho problem of no unseen TV episodes, and as it's far too early for her to have joined Big Finish, this one novel I'd already bought was... well, virtually the only choice, to be honest (certainly without buying anything new, or digging up old DWMs for the comic strip. I have heard the Titan comics were quite good for the Thirteenth Doctor, but I haven't sorted out buying any yet).
So far, this reads just like a real Thirteenth Doctor episode. I can’t tell if it's being a (straight-faced) parody of Chibnall-era storytelling, or if it simply emulates their style so well that it feels like a parody because that style is inherently laughable. It's accuracy is a mixed blessing, then.
Chapters 1–6
My Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon reaches the final (numbered) Doctor now. For the Thirteenth Doctor, I've chosen something that's actually quite atypical for her era (not that "typical" has been my guiding motive for any other Doctor): a novel. Tie-in novels were published regularly since the TV series came back in 2005 until the end of the Twelfth Doctor era — presumably a legacy of the BBC taking over the Doctor Who fiction mini-empire Virgin had kickstarted with the New Adventures. Personally, I stopped buying them towards the end of the Tenth Doctor's time (because I wasn't actually reading them), and the number published seemed to thin out during Capaldi's era (I believe there was only one novel starring the full Series 10 TARDIS team of the Doctor, Bill and Nardole). Original fiction was published for the Thirteenth Doctor, but I think they abandoned the familiar cover style they'd been using for a decade, and seemed to get more experimental with target audience and visual identity — although, as I say, I wasn't following it closely anymore by that point, so maybe I missed something.
One range that did start during her era, and is still going (at least, they published a new one recently, but I don't think more have been announced yet), is a series that sees various Doctors encounter characters and scenarios from classics of children's literature. The Wonderful Doctor of Oz was one of the first books in the range (the other debut title featured the ever-popular Tenth Doctor, since when they've done ones starring the Fourth, Third, and Eleventh. Wouldn't it be lovely if they kept going and included all the Doctors?) Anyway, as my marathon pick for the Thirteenth Doctor presented the perennial nuWho problem of no unseen TV episodes, and as it's far too early for her to have joined Big Finish, this one novel I'd already bought was... well, virtually the only choice, to be honest (certainly without buying anything new, or digging up old DWMs for the comic strip. I have heard the Titan comics were quite good for the Thirteenth Doctor, but I haven't sorted out buying any yet).
So far, this reads just like a real Thirteenth Doctor episode. I can’t tell if it's being a (straight-faced) parody of Chibnall-era storytelling, or if it simply emulates their style so well that it feels like a parody because that style is inherently laughable. It's accuracy is a mixed blessing, then.
Thursday 9 November 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: Lights Out by Holly Black
Chapters 1–5 [the end]
Getting back into my Doctor Who marathon after a couple of accidental days off. So, as you may or may not remember, the 11 Doctors 11 Stories series of novellas/ebooks was originally published throughout 2013 to mark Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. But then, almost straight away, a new Doctor turned up! (Two, in fact, but they obviously decided not to worry about the War Doctor.) So, a year later, another story was added so they couldrepublish the entire thing be sure to cover all the Doctors. Here's that 12th story, then; starring the Twelfth Doctor, obv. It's not bad, but perhaps suffers from this Doctor being so new at the time — the Twelfth is a very interesting incarnation, but primarily when viewed in totality. There are also certain similarities to previous stories in the range, which is possibly an inevitable side effect of going 12th.
Chapters 1–5 [the end]
Getting back into my Doctor Who marathon after a couple of accidental days off. So, as you may or may not remember, the 11 Doctors 11 Stories series of novellas/ebooks was originally published throughout 2013 to mark Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. But then, almost straight away, a new Doctor turned up! (Two, in fact, but they obviously decided not to worry about the War Doctor.) So, a year later, another story was added so they could
Wednesday 8 November 2023
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
27 July – 1 August 2021
Having not played yesterday, I was going to use today to catch up... but literally nothing happens on the first three days (it's a catalogue of people you can hire, but I don't have enough gold to hire anyone even if I wanted to), and then the fourth day was a shop too — so saying I "played" these is a bit of a stretch. So, I played to the end of the month (where I would've been today, which is ahead of where I should be overall anyway) and called it a day.
27 July – 1 August 2021
Having not played yesterday, I was going to use today to catch up... but literally nothing happens on the first three days (it's a catalogue of people you can hire, but I don't have enough gold to hire anyone even if I wanted to), and then the fourth day was a shop too — so saying I "played" these is a bit of a stretch. So, I played to the end of the month (where I would've been today, which is ahead of where I should be overall anyway) and called it a day.
Monday 6 November 2023
TV
Doctor Who: Dark Water / Death in Heaven 3D
A bonus bit of content for my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, here (the main Twelfth Doctor entry is also today, under Audio Drama). Of course I've seen these episodes before (although not since they first aired in 2014), but I've never seen them... in 3D!
They weren't shot in 3D, of course, but post-converted for a theatrical release off the back of what a hit Day of the Doctor was theatrically. Said theatrical release never reached the UK, for some reason, instead taking place in the US, Canada, Russia and Denmark, of all places. But it was released on disc (again, only in the US), so a while ago I imported it, and enjoying Day in 3D the other day this has finally spurred me to watch it.
So, because this edits the two episodes together, and was primarily released theatrically in this form... does that make it a film? Oh, I can't be bothered to ponder that one too much! Although, as you can see, I've listed it in a more film-like fashion here, because... well, like I said, it's edited together so it's not "two episodes", it's a movie... sort of.
Also watched the 40-minute-ish interview with Peter and Jenna that's included as a special feature. It was ok, but has the disadvantage of taking place in the run-up to series 9, so that's what interviewer Wil Wheaton mainly wants to ask about, but of course the two stars can't actually say very much about it. (In the UK, the same interview was included on the Series 9 box set.)
[Watch Dark Water and Death in Heaven (again) — as individual episodes, in 2D — on iPlayer.]
A bonus bit of content for my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, here (the main Twelfth Doctor entry is also today, under Audio Drama). Of course I've seen these episodes before (although not since they first aired in 2014), but I've never seen them... in 3D!
They weren't shot in 3D, of course, but post-converted for a theatrical release off the back of what a hit Day of the Doctor was theatrically. Said theatrical release never reached the UK, for some reason, instead taking place in the US, Canada, Russia and Denmark, of all places. But it was released on disc (again, only in the US), so a while ago I imported it, and enjoying Day in 3D the other day this has finally spurred me to watch it.
So, because this edits the two episodes together, and was primarily released theatrically in this form... does that make it a film? Oh, I can't be bothered to ponder that one too much! Although, as you can see, I've listed it in a more film-like fashion here, because... well, like I said, it's edited together so it's not "two episodes", it's a movie... sort of.
Also watched the 40-minute-ish interview with Peter and Jenna that's included as a special feature. It was ok, but has the disadvantage of taking place in the run-up to series 9, so that's what interviewer Wil Wheaton mainly wants to ask about, but of course the two stars can't actually say very much about it. (In the UK, the same interview was included on the Series 9 box set.)
[Watch Dark Water and Death in Heaven (again) — as individual episodes, in 2D — on iPlayer.]
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: Short Trips
10x05 Regeneration Impossible
I'm blurring lines all over the place at the minute when it comes to my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, first because I've been accidentally mixing together different Doctors on the same days (when my original intention was to keep each era cordoned off), and now somewhat deliberately, because my pick for the Twelfth Doctor also stars the Eleventh Doctor. Well, my War Doctor pick technically primarily starred the Eleventh, and also the Tenth, so I guess there's precedent.
In terms of including as much different media as possible, this is a Big Finish production — but wait! I already did them! Ah, but this represents their non-full-cast, non-original-actor output, something I personally consider quite distinct to when they have the original cast reprising their TV roles in a fully dramatised production. Even within that style, they do several different things (including, nowadays, full cast plays with impressionists/recasts where original actors can't or won't appear). So, Short Trips are shorter tales (this only runs 30 minutes), and usually (I believe) dramatised readings — i.e. it's a prose story, not a play, read... dramatically. Would that make it an audio drama or an audiobook? (I never had that distinction before the Eighth Doctor one last month, so this is the first time I've had to consider it.) Normally I'd say the latter, because of the narration, but this one doesn't actually have narration, and is instead performed as if it were a full-cast drama, albeit with one actor doing all the roles.
That's because the peformer in question is Jacob Dudman, renowned for his amazingly accurate impressions of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors (only the latter in this particular tale), and here has a crack at the Twelfth too. I've... heard worse. It'd pass muster in an audiobook (like how Dan Starkey does a solid-but-not-exact Eighth Doctor in that one I just mentioned, for example), but I'm not sure it's good enough to be a fullblown stand-in. Still, it's good enough that you get used to it as the play goes on. It's never as much fun as a real meeting between two Doctors (i.e. between the two actors) would be, but it has its moments.
This was going to be it for the Twelfth Doctor in my marathon (other than his novella, of course), but the extra time afforded by my incorrectly guessing the broadcast date of The Star Beast got me thinking — see today's TV post for what happened next...
10x05 Regeneration Impossible
I'm blurring lines all over the place at the minute when it comes to my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, first because I've been accidentally mixing together different Doctors on the same days (when my original intention was to keep each era cordoned off), and now somewhat deliberately, because my pick for the Twelfth Doctor also stars the Eleventh Doctor. Well, my War Doctor pick technically primarily starred the Eleventh, and also the Tenth, so I guess there's precedent.
In terms of including as much different media as possible, this is a Big Finish production — but wait! I already did them! Ah, but this represents their non-full-cast, non-original-actor output, something I personally consider quite distinct to when they have the original cast reprising their TV roles in a fully dramatised production. Even within that style, they do several different things (including, nowadays, full cast plays with impressionists/recasts where original actors can't or won't appear). So, Short Trips are shorter tales (this only runs 30 minutes), and usually (I believe) dramatised readings — i.e. it's a prose story, not a play, read... dramatically. Would that make it an audio drama or an audiobook? (I never had that distinction before the Eighth Doctor one last month, so this is the first time I've had to consider it.) Normally I'd say the latter, because of the narration, but this one doesn't actually have narration, and is instead performed as if it were a full-cast drama, albeit with one actor doing all the roles.
That's because the peformer in question is Jacob Dudman, renowned for his amazingly accurate impressions of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors (only the latter in this particular tale), and here has a crack at the Twelfth too. I've... heard worse. It'd pass muster in an audiobook (like how Dan Starkey does a solid-but-not-exact Eighth Doctor in that one I just mentioned, for example), but I'm not sure it's good enough to be a fullblown stand-in. Still, it's good enough that you get used to it as the play goes on. It's never as much fun as a real meeting between two Doctors (i.e. between the two actors) would be, but it has its moments.
This was going to be it for the Twelfth Doctor in my marathon (other than his novella, of course), but the extra time afforded by my incorrectly guessing the broadcast date of The Star Beast got me thinking — see today's TV post for what happened next...
Sunday 5 November 2023
TV
Talking Shakespeare
BBC Four have been showing a lot of Shakespeare stuff recently, to mark the 400th anniversary of... something or other. Anyway, I keep meaning to watch bits of it, but keep not actually doing so. Tonight had one of the most interesting schedules thus far — this was the only part I watched live (and it was good, even if I'd already seen a surprisingly large number of the featured interviews, a couple very recently), but I intend to catch up on more later. We'll see if I actually do. I do like Shakespeare sometimes, but sometimes it can feel hard going.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
BBC Four have been showing a lot of Shakespeare stuff recently, to mark the 400th anniversary of... something or other. Anyway, I keep meaning to watch bits of it, but keep not actually doing so. Tonight had one of the most interesting schedules thus far — this was the only part I watched live (and it was good, even if I'd already seen a surprisingly large number of the featured interviews, a couple very recently), but I intend to catch up on more later. We'll see if I actually do. I do like Shakespeare sometimes, but sometimes it can feel hard going.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Fiction
Doctor Who: Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman
Chapters 1–8 [the end]
The final tale in the original version of 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories — i.e. the one starring the then-current Eleventh Doctor — written by arguably the biggest name involved in the project. And this story definitely shows why that's the case, because it's a cracking tale that would've made an excellent actual episode, too. Nothing like ending on a high... except, of course, there's now two more stories to go.
Chapters 1–8 [the end]
The final tale in the original version of 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories — i.e. the one starring the then-current Eleventh Doctor — written by arguably the biggest name involved in the project. And this story definitely shows why that's the case, because it's a cracking tale that would've made an excellent actual episode, too. Nothing like ending on a high... except, of course, there's now two more stories to go.
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
19–22 July 2021
I'm playing this digitally via PDFs, and so each day I finish by scrolling down to the next day in the calendar file, in the hope it will reopen where I left off (sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't — I haven't worked out how or why). Sometimes, if the next day has minimal or no action, that means I basically see all it is straight away... and that's how today I ended up playing four days when I only meant to play two. It may be messing somewhat with the precise schedule I drew up back in September but, as I said the other day, something's bound to knock me back eventually.
19–22 July 2021
I'm playing this digitally via PDFs, and so each day I finish by scrolling down to the next day in the calendar file, in the hope it will reopen where I left off (sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't — I haven't worked out how or why). Sometimes, if the next day has minimal or no action, that means I basically see all it is straight away... and that's how today I ended up playing four days when I only meant to play two. It may be messing somewhat with the precise schedule I drew up back in September but, as I said the other day, something's bound to knock me back eventually.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
Time for another weekly monthly check-in with 100Films.co.uk, where there were again no film reviews, but it was time to look back at October...
Of course, as well as the overview of what I did watch, there was the matter of what I didn't...
More next Sunday? You never know.
Of course, as well as the overview of what I did watch, there was the matter of what I didn't...
More next Sunday? You never know.
Saturday 4 November 2023
TV
Doctor Who
32x00a Space [2nd watch]
32x00b Time [2nd watch]
32x11a Bad Night
32x11b Good Night
32x11c First Night
32x11d Last Night
32x11e Up All Night
33x00a Good as Gold
33x00b Pond Life [2nd watch]
33x13b Clarence and the Whispermen
33x14a The Inforarium
33x14b Clara and the TARDIS
33x14c Rain Gods
One of the reasons I raced on to the Tenth Doctor part of my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon yesterday (even though I’d only just finished the Ninth Doctor section and it might’ve been nice to have a gap to keep them distinct) was because I knew what was coming for the Eleventh Doctor. It’s a bit of a fiddly one, so I wanted to make sure it fell on a Saturday so I comfortably had the time to sort it out (normally a Sunday would be fine too, but I’ve got plans tomorrow).
So, what is all this I've chosen? Well, as I've written before, it's been something of a challenge working out what to include for nuWho Doctors, which has led to some of my more unusual choices. And yet in many ways these are an obvious choice: actual, real episodes of Doctor Who that I’d never seen… albeit only mini episodes, most of them released exclusively with home media purchases (be it on disc or digital) of entire seasons. But they’re a rarity, because the Matt Smith / Steven Moffat years are the only era where that really happened (series two did have the TARDISodes, although they were a bit pointless; and nowadays each season of Classic Who gets a new minisode to promote its Blu-ray release. But I digress). Still, even though they’re only mini-eps, they were made as part of Who’s official production, featuring the primary stars of the show — they may only be short, but that fact arguably make them more “real” than any tie-in book or retrospectively-recorded audio drama can ever be. And, as that, I really should’ve watched them a long time ago. But I didn’t, so here we are.
So, there are 13 of the blighters. All produced for one series on DVD? No, of course not — there's really multiple different things going on here, from different times and places, so I'll explain. The first seven "episodes" are from nuWho series 6. Of those, the first two (Space and Time) were a two-part sketch for Comic Relief 2011 (I watched it at the time, but as that time was 12 years ago, I thought it merited going back to). The next five were a series of connected shorts included on the series 6 home media release; although, really, only the first four are connected and the fifth is a prequel to Closing Time (they made a lot of other prequels in that era (five during series 6, eight during series 7, one for series 8, and two set before series 9), but most were released online so I watched them at the time).
The next six "episodes" bring us into the series 7 era. Good as Gold was a short written by kids (you can tell) and shown on Blue Peter in May 2012, between the 2011 Christmas special and series 7 in September 2012. Pond Life was a series of five shorts webcast in the immediate run-up to series 7, edited together into one piece for the home media release (well, stuck together — it would be better if they'd edited into one piece instead of literally just bunging them back to back, credits 'n' all). Next is Clarence and the Whispermen, which is actually an episode prequel (to The Name of the Doctor; its second), but it didn't get the usual online release (hence I hadn't seen it), only debuting on the Series 7 Part 1 DVD. The final three are all random short scenes that debuted on the complete series 7 home media release. Their order varies depending which listing you look at. I watched them in the order they appear on the Blu-ray menu; and as that was their first point of release, I’d argue that’s the most definitive (as much as it matters, which it doesn’t). They’re a bizarre trio — even shorter and less consequential, and certainly less connected to anything, than the ones from series 5 and 6. Their very existence feels… weird.
And for all that faffing, the total runtime of material I've never seen here is... 27 minutes. Throw in the rewatches and it gets up to 40 minutes. Almost one regular episode's worth! Wow.
Talking of regular episodes, the numbering I've used is... arguable. It's a mix of when these shorts were released and when they're set. For example, the five scenes that make up Night and the Doctor debuted on the series 6 home media release, so could be argued to be 32x13a-e; but, as I mentioned, the final one is set before Closing Time, aka 32x12, so I've chosen to number them 32x11a-e. Of course, the first four are a sort of miniseries, while Up All Night is an unconnected TV prequel that just has a similar title, so perhaps only the last one belongs as 32x11a and the other four sit somewhere else. But we could be here forever with those kinds of arguments. Point is, I'm not claiming the numbering is definitive, but it's something.
Oh, and there's also...
Doctor Who Confidential
6x13a The Nights' Tale
Technically, the last-ever episode of Confidential (so, not this one) — a 15-minute one-off, included on the series 6 home media releases, covering the production of two of the Night of the Doctor shorts and the Space and Time Comic Relief skit. The way they're discussed here makes me think they were all destined for DVD/Blu-ray exclusivity before being repurposed for Comic Relief. And there's no mention at all of the second two Night scenes — another "two parter", this time with just the Doctor and River — which is... mildly odd. All in all, rather than enlightening me about production, it's made me more curious about the circumstances of the shorts' production.
32x00a Space [2nd watch]
32x00b Time [2nd watch]
32x11a Bad Night
32x11b Good Night
32x11c First Night
32x11d Last Night
32x11e Up All Night
33x00a Good as Gold
33x00b Pond Life [2nd watch]
33x13b Clarence and the Whispermen
33x14a The Inforarium
33x14b Clara and the TARDIS
33x14c Rain Gods
One of the reasons I raced on to the Tenth Doctor part of my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebratory marathon yesterday (even though I’d only just finished the Ninth Doctor section and it might’ve been nice to have a gap to keep them distinct) was because I knew what was coming for the Eleventh Doctor. It’s a bit of a fiddly one, so I wanted to make sure it fell on a Saturday so I comfortably had the time to sort it out (normally a Sunday would be fine too, but I’ve got plans tomorrow).
So, what is all this I've chosen? Well, as I've written before, it's been something of a challenge working out what to include for nuWho Doctors, which has led to some of my more unusual choices. And yet in many ways these are an obvious choice: actual, real episodes of Doctor Who that I’d never seen… albeit only mini episodes, most of them released exclusively with home media purchases (be it on disc or digital) of entire seasons. But they’re a rarity, because the Matt Smith / Steven Moffat years are the only era where that really happened (series two did have the TARDISodes, although they were a bit pointless; and nowadays each season of Classic Who gets a new minisode to promote its Blu-ray release. But I digress). Still, even though they’re only mini-eps, they were made as part of Who’s official production, featuring the primary stars of the show — they may only be short, but that fact arguably make them more “real” than any tie-in book or retrospectively-recorded audio drama can ever be. And, as that, I really should’ve watched them a long time ago. But I didn’t, so here we are.
So, there are 13 of the blighters. All produced for one series on DVD? No, of course not — there's really multiple different things going on here, from different times and places, so I'll explain. The first seven "episodes" are from nuWho series 6. Of those, the first two (Space and Time) were a two-part sketch for Comic Relief 2011 (I watched it at the time, but as that time was 12 years ago, I thought it merited going back to). The next five were a series of connected shorts included on the series 6 home media release; although, really, only the first four are connected and the fifth is a prequel to Closing Time (they made a lot of other prequels in that era (five during series 6, eight during series 7, one for series 8, and two set before series 9), but most were released online so I watched them at the time).
The next six "episodes" bring us into the series 7 era. Good as Gold was a short written by kids (you can tell) and shown on Blue Peter in May 2012, between the 2011 Christmas special and series 7 in September 2012. Pond Life was a series of five shorts webcast in the immediate run-up to series 7, edited together into one piece for the home media release (well, stuck together — it would be better if they'd edited into one piece instead of literally just bunging them back to back, credits 'n' all). Next is Clarence and the Whispermen, which is actually an episode prequel (to The Name of the Doctor; its second), but it didn't get the usual online release (hence I hadn't seen it), only debuting on the Series 7 Part 1 DVD. The final three are all random short scenes that debuted on the complete series 7 home media release. Their order varies depending which listing you look at. I watched them in the order they appear on the Blu-ray menu; and as that was their first point of release, I’d argue that’s the most definitive (as much as it matters, which it doesn’t). They’re a bizarre trio — even shorter and less consequential, and certainly less connected to anything, than the ones from series 5 and 6. Their very existence feels… weird.
And for all that faffing, the total runtime of material I've never seen here is... 27 minutes. Throw in the rewatches and it gets up to 40 minutes. Almost one regular episode's worth! Wow.
Talking of regular episodes, the numbering I've used is... arguable. It's a mix of when these shorts were released and when they're set. For example, the five scenes that make up Night and the Doctor debuted on the series 6 home media release, so could be argued to be 32x13a-e; but, as I mentioned, the final one is set before Closing Time, aka 32x12, so I've chosen to number them 32x11a-e. Of course, the first four are a sort of miniseries, while Up All Night is an unconnected TV prequel that just has a similar title, so perhaps only the last one belongs as 32x11a and the other four sit somewhere else. But we could be here forever with those kinds of arguments. Point is, I'm not claiming the numbering is definitive, but it's something.
Oh, and there's also...
Doctor Who Confidential
6x13a The Nights' Tale
Technically, the last-ever episode of Confidential (so, not this one) — a 15-minute one-off, included on the series 6 home media releases, covering the production of two of the Night of the Doctor shorts and the Space and Time Comic Relief skit. The way they're discussed here makes me think they were all destined for DVD/Blu-ray exclusivity before being repurposed for Comic Relief. And there's no mention at all of the second two Night scenes — another "two parter", this time with just the Doctor and River — which is... mildly odd. All in all, rather than enlightening me about production, it's made me more curious about the circumstances of the shorts' production.
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
Chapters 1–6 [the end]
Bit out of sync with these 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories at the minute — here's the one for the Tenth Doctor.
Chapters 1–6 [the end]
Bit out of sync with these 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories at the minute — here's the one for the Tenth Doctor.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After the last busy few weeks, this is a relatively quite one — just three new titles... although, every one of them is a multi-film set.
Number of titles in collection: 3,190 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,168 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 306 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 7,772 [up 8]
Number of films: 3,922 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,088 [up 1]
And, to keep the excitement levels up, it's also time for the monthly running time update. Woo-hoo!
Total running time of collection (approx.):
549 days, 9 hours, and 55 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 17 hours, and 13 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
After the last busy few weeks, this is a relatively quite one — just three new titles... although, every one of them is a multi-film set.
Number of titles in collection: 3,190 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,168 [up 3]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 306 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 7,772 [up 8]
Number of films: 3,922 [up 10]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,088 [up 1]
And, to keep the excitement levels up, it's also time for the monthly running time update. Woo-hoo!
Total running time of collection (approx.):
549 days, 9 hours, and 55 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 17 hours, and 13 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday 3 November 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
Chapters 1–12 [the end]
Resuming the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series, here wrapping up my time with the Ninth Doctor in my 60th anniversary marathon. Higson is known to write good James Bond books, but how does he fare in the Whoniverse? I had mixed feelings. I thought he captured the voice and attitude of the Ninth Doctor well, and he pulls a neat trick with de facto companion Ali that would only work in literature (no spoilers!), but the way it unfolded didn't feel quite Who-y enough for me. You know when you sort of admire something, or like elements of it, but you just didn't actually like it, for some reason? That. Never mind.
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Judoon by Terrance Dicks
Chapters 1–14 [the end]
Although the 60th TV specials starting later than I'd anticipated has bought me some leeway, I don't want to become too relaxed and wind up messing this up — especially as they keep unveiling brand-new treats, like the colourised version of The Daleks that's airing on November 23rd. So, with the Ninth Doctor barely done, it's straight on to arguably the most popular Doctor of all time now: David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor.
As I said when I reached the Ninth Doctor, because I’ve been an avid fan and follower of Who throughout the “new series” era, naturally there are no TV episodes to turn to here; but when it comes to expanded media, as befits such a popular incarnation, I’m spoilt for choice: they published dozens of novels during his few years, most of which I bought but few (if any) of which I’ve actually read; several of his episodes have received the Target novelisation treatment, too; more recently, Tennant has starred in multiple different box set-length audio adventures for Big Finish; and then there are the comic books, from DWM and both of the series’ US licensors, IDW and Titan. But most of those types of media have already been covered (or will be soon) as part of my 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, and I was loathe to commit to anything else too long (so out go any of the novels, or something like the nine-episode Dalek Universe series; although, as it turns out, maybe I would've had time). Instead, I’ve gone for something so short that its brevity is in the title. Well, it's in the range title. Not that it was a range, exactly, more of a general initiative.
For the sake of those who don't remember it: coinciding with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor years, there was a reading initiative in the UK called “Quick Reads” — short, easy-to-read books aimed at reluctant or inexperienced readers of all ages. A new selection was published every year for six or seven years. Well, I presume that’s how long they lasted, because that’s how many Who entries were published (one each year from 2006 to 2013, except for 2011). (A quick Google suggests Quick Reads is still going in some form. Why Who stopped participating, then, I don't know.) Anyway, as a different type of ‘novel’ to the others I’ve already covered, I thought I’d go for one of those for the Tenth Doctor. It’s kind of a poor way to represent the BBC Books era — which encompassed hundreds of full-length novels across the Eighth Doctor, Past Doctor, and new series ranges — but, as I've said before, I was already worried about finding time for the couple of novels I have included. Besides which, I don’t own many Past Doctor ones, and the Eighth Doctor ones were often a bit arc-y as I remember (i.e. you wouldn’t want to go reading just one; although, as I chose the first book in a four-book cycle for the Seventh Doctor, I’m aware that's somewhat hypocritical).
Also of note: this is by the legendary Terrance Dicks, who is at least partially responsible for me being a Who fan. I first got into the show while it was off the air, via a few Target novelisations that were in my primary school's library, and the very first one I read (as well as several more, I expect) was written by Dicks. In many ways, then, I owe all this to him.
Chapters 1–12 [the end]
Resuming the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series, here wrapping up my time with the Ninth Doctor in my 60th anniversary marathon. Higson is known to write good James Bond books, but how does he fare in the Whoniverse? I had mixed feelings. I thought he captured the voice and attitude of the Ninth Doctor well, and he pulls a neat trick with de facto companion Ali that would only work in literature (no spoilers!), but the way it unfolded didn't feel quite Who-y enough for me. You know when you sort of admire something, or like elements of it, but you just didn't actually like it, for some reason? That. Never mind.
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Judoon by Terrance Dicks
Chapters 1–14 [the end]
Although the 60th TV specials starting later than I'd anticipated has bought me some leeway, I don't want to become too relaxed and wind up messing this up — especially as they keep unveiling brand-new treats, like the colourised version of The Daleks that's airing on November 23rd. So, with the Ninth Doctor barely done, it's straight on to arguably the most popular Doctor of all time now: David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor.
As I said when I reached the Ninth Doctor, because I’ve been an avid fan and follower of Who throughout the “new series” era, naturally there are no TV episodes to turn to here; but when it comes to expanded media, as befits such a popular incarnation, I’m spoilt for choice: they published dozens of novels during his few years, most of which I bought but few (if any) of which I’ve actually read; several of his episodes have received the Target novelisation treatment, too; more recently, Tennant has starred in multiple different box set-length audio adventures for Big Finish; and then there are the comic books, from DWM and both of the series’ US licensors, IDW and Titan. But most of those types of media have already been covered (or will be soon) as part of my 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, and I was loathe to commit to anything else too long (so out go any of the novels, or something like the nine-episode Dalek Universe series; although, as it turns out, maybe I would've had time). Instead, I’ve gone for something so short that its brevity is in the title. Well, it's in the range title. Not that it was a range, exactly, more of a general initiative.
For the sake of those who don't remember it: coinciding with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor years, there was a reading initiative in the UK called “Quick Reads” — short, easy-to-read books aimed at reluctant or inexperienced readers of all ages. A new selection was published every year for six or seven years. Well, I presume that’s how long they lasted, because that’s how many Who entries were published (one each year from 2006 to 2013, except for 2011). (A quick Google suggests Quick Reads is still going in some form. Why Who stopped participating, then, I don't know.) Anyway, as a different type of ‘novel’ to the others I’ve already covered, I thought I’d go for one of those for the Tenth Doctor. It’s kind of a poor way to represent the BBC Books era — which encompassed hundreds of full-length novels across the Eighth Doctor, Past Doctor, and new series ranges — but, as I've said before, I was already worried about finding time for the couple of novels I have included. Besides which, I don’t own many Past Doctor ones, and the Eighth Doctor ones were often a bit arc-y as I remember (i.e. you wouldn’t want to go reading just one; although, as I chose the first book in a four-book cycle for the Seventh Doctor, I’m aware that's somewhat hypocritical).
Also of note: this is by the legendary Terrance Dicks, who is at least partially responsible for me being a Who fan. I first got into the show while it was off the air, via a few Target novelisations that were in my primary school's library, and the very first one I read (as well as several more, I expect) was written by Dicks. In many ways, then, I owe all this to him.
Thursday 2 November 2023
TV
This Cultural Life
1x01 Kenneth Branagh
Accidentally caught tonight's repeat of this on BBC Four and watched most of it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
1x01 Kenneth Branagh
Accidentally caught tonight's repeat of this on BBC Four and watched most of it.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Audio Drama
Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures
1.1 Ravagers 3: Food Fight
+ the full CD's worth of behind-the-scenes interviews
The end of the Ninth Doctor's first Big Finish box set, and thus the end of my time with this incarnation for my 60th anniversary marathon (except for the short story, of course). The Ninth Doctor audio series is another one (like the Timewyrm novels) that I've commenced but not finished as part of this anniversary marathon, and so will have to endeavour to return to later to complete. I'm not sure how I feel about them choosing to kick it off with a three-part adventure — on the one hand, it gives the box set a unified feel; on the other, I'm not wholly convinced there was enough going on to justify it; and there's an argument to be made that three standalone adventures would've better showcased the potential to new listeners; but, to loop back round, if you're pitching it to new listeners, maybe they'd expect something released as a set to be one big story?
Whatever. The main draw is undoubtedly Christopher Eccleston, and he slips back into the role as if he'd never been away. He had the least time of all the new series Doctors to make his mark on the role, and yet he absolutely did — this isn't "any old Doctor" as voiced by Eccleston, but unmistakeably and specifically the Ninth. In that respect, at least, Ravagers nails it.
1.1 Ravagers 3: Food Fight
+ the full CD's worth of behind-the-scenes interviews
The end of the Ninth Doctor's first Big Finish box set, and thus the end of my time with this incarnation for my 60th anniversary marathon (except for the short story, of course). The Ninth Doctor audio series is another one (like the Timewyrm novels) that I've commenced but not finished as part of this anniversary marathon, and so will have to endeavour to return to later to complete. I'm not sure how I feel about them choosing to kick it off with a three-part adventure — on the one hand, it gives the box set a unified feel; on the other, I'm not wholly convinced there was enough going on to justify it; and there's an argument to be made that three standalone adventures would've better showcased the potential to new listeners; but, to loop back round, if you're pitching it to new listeners, maybe they'd expect something released as a set to be one big story?
Whatever. The main draw is undoubtedly Christopher Eccleston, and he slips back into the role as if he'd never been away. He had the least time of all the new series Doctors to make his mark on the role, and yet he absolutely did — this isn't "any old Doctor" as voiced by Eccleston, but unmistakeably and specifically the Ninth. In that respect, at least, Ravagers nails it.
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
8–11 July 2021
I accidentally played a bit ahead of my intended rate a few days ago, since when I've been continuing ahead of time. I figure I'll naturally 'fall behind' again at some point for some external reason, so I may as well wait for that to knock me back on track rather than force it now and end up on catchup again later!
8–11 July 2021
I accidentally played a bit ahead of my intended rate a few days ago, since when I've been continuing ahead of time. I figure I'll naturally 'fall behind' again at some point for some external reason, so I may as well wait for that to knock me back on track rather than force it now and end up on catchup again later!
Wednesday 1 November 2023
TV
Doctor Who at 60: A Musical Celebration
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Talking Doctor Who
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The official Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebrations kick off in earnest today, with over 800 episodes of related content coming to iPlayer under the Whoniverse banner (including almost all of the classic era, joining the modern episodes that were already on there), plus new spin-off Tales of the TARDIS. Also, these two programmes were screened on BBC Four. The latter is a new archive-driven documentary, while the former is the visual version of September's concert (which I'd already listened to, twice).
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Talking Doctor Who
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
The official Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebrations kick off in earnest today, with over 800 episodes of related content coming to iPlayer under the Whoniverse banner (including almost all of the classic era, joining the modern episodes that were already on there), plus new spin-off Tales of the TARDIS. Also, these two programmes were screened on BBC Four. The latter is a new archive-driven documentary, while the former is the visual version of September's concert (which I'd already listened to, twice).
Podcasts
Light the Fuse - The Official Mission: Impossible Podcast
2x17 In the Cutting Room with Editor Eddie Hamilton Part 2
When Dead Reckoning was freshly out, the interviews on the pod erred a little too much towards the promotional. But now, with it well out, they're really good at getting into the nitty gritty of how and why choices were made.
2x17 In the Cutting Room with Editor Eddie Hamilton Part 2
When Dead Reckoning was freshly out, the interviews on the pod erred a little too much towards the promotional. But now, with it well out, they're really good at getting into the nitty gritty of how and why choices were made.
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