The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
1–7 June 2021
Missed yesterday (again), so more catching up to done. I was only meant to go as far as the 6th, but accidentally did the 7th too. Oh well.
Monday, 23 October 2023
Sunday, 22 October 2023
TV
Blankety Blank
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x09 Week 2: Thursday
7x10 Week 2: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x09 Week 2: Thursday
7x10 Week 2: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
Nothing Sacred (1937)
[#77 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
The Pigeon Tunnel (2023)
[#78 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
[#77 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
The Pigeon Tunnel (2023)
[#78 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
Saturday, 21 October 2023
TV
Blankety Blank
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
31x04 Episode 4
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x06 Week 2: Monday
7x07 Week 2: Tuesday
7x08 Week 2: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
31x04 Episode 4
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x06 Week 2: Monday
7x07 Week 2: Tuesday
7x08 Week 2: Wednesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
25–31 May 2021
Missed a couple of days, for various reasons, so splitting my catchup across today and tomorrow (partly because the end of the month provides a very convenient break point).
25–31 May 2021
Missed a couple of days, for various reasons, so splitting my catchup across today and tomorrow (partly because the end of the month provides a very convenient break point).
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After last week turned out quieter than expected, all of that stuff turned up this week — a total of 11 new titles, six from Radiance and five from Australian label Umbrella (shipped all the way from Down Under). Three of the latter are 4K titles; and another could've / should've been a DVD-to-BD upgrade, but the BD actually contains a different, shorter cut of the film and mostly different special features (a bunch of new stuff and very little of the old stuff), so I'll once again be keeping both.
Number of titles in collection: 3,178 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,156 [up 11]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 301 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 7,751 [up 14]
Number of films: 3,902 [up 11]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,086 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After last week turned out quieter than expected, all of that stuff turned up this week — a total of 11 new titles, six from Radiance and five from Australian label Umbrella (shipped all the way from Down Under). Three of the latter are 4K titles; and another could've / should've been a DVD-to-BD upgrade, but the BD actually contains a different, shorter cut of the film and mostly different special features (a bunch of new stuff and very little of the old stuff), so I'll once again be keeping both.
Number of titles in collection: 3,178 [up 11]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,156 [up 11]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 301 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 7,751 [up 14]
Number of films: 3,902 [up 11]
Number of additional cuts: 347 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,086 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 20 October 2023
Thursday, 19 October 2023
TV
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x04 Week 1: Thursday
7x05 Week 1: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
7x04 Week 1: Thursday
7x05 Week 1: Friday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Wednesday, 18 October 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: Spore by Alex Scarrow
Chapters 1–4 [the end]
My time with the Eighth Doctor (as part of my Doctor Who 60th celebrations) comes to an end already, wrapping up (as always) with his story from 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories.
Also, I'm now taking another pause, thanks to life stuff getting in the way. My Doctor Who 60th celebratory marathon will resume in just under two weeks, on or around the 27th.
Chapters 1–4 [the end]
My time with the Eighth Doctor (as part of my Doctor Who 60th celebrations) comes to an end already, wrapping up (as always) with his story from 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories.
Also, I'm now taking another pause, thanks to life stuff getting in the way. My Doctor Who 60th celebratory marathon will resume in just under two weeks, on or around the 27th.
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Audiobook
Doctor Who: The Scent of Blood
written by Andrew Lane, read by Dan Starkey
For the Eighth Doctor's entry in my 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, the obvious choice might've been a Big Finish audio drama — that's arguably where his era really exists, given his TV time is limited to one TV movie (which I've watched repeatedly as the Eighth Doctor contribution to marathons such as this in the past, so it certainly didn't fit my "something new" rule) and a minisode (also previously seen, of course). Other reasonable choices to represent "his era" would've included the DWM comic strip or one of the many BBC novels — but, as I've said before, I didn't want to do too many novels (plus I read quite a lot of them at the time, so would've had to pick a random later one), and I'd already ticked off the DWM strip (I was trying to avoid repeating too many types of media). But what else is there?
Well, for quite a few years now, Big Finish haven't been the only ones producing original Doctor Who audio — the BBC themselves have stuck their oar in from time to time. They do a lot of audiobook readings of existing print books, of course, but they also do audio originals. As they've recently done a trilogy of these for the Eighth Doctor, all of which I've bought through Audible, I thought now would be a good excuse to start them. I don't think they were planned as a trilogy — they seem to keep going back to the same writer, reader, and guest lead character (de facto companion, I guess), and they've done it three times now, rather than it consciously being "a trilogy" — so I've only picked the first for this entry (in contrast to what I've chosen for another Doctor, but more on that soon... well, in a couple of weeks...)
written by Andrew Lane, read by Dan Starkey
For the Eighth Doctor's entry in my 60th anniversary celebratory marathon, the obvious choice might've been a Big Finish audio drama — that's arguably where his era really exists, given his TV time is limited to one TV movie (which I've watched repeatedly as the Eighth Doctor contribution to marathons such as this in the past, so it certainly didn't fit my "something new" rule) and a minisode (also previously seen, of course). Other reasonable choices to represent "his era" would've included the DWM comic strip or one of the many BBC novels — but, as I've said before, I didn't want to do too many novels (plus I read quite a lot of them at the time, so would've had to pick a random later one), and I'd already ticked off the DWM strip (I was trying to avoid repeating too many types of media). But what else is there?
Well, for quite a few years now, Big Finish haven't been the only ones producing original Doctor Who audio — the BBC themselves have stuck their oar in from time to time. They do a lot of audiobook readings of existing print books, of course, but they also do audio originals. As they've recently done a trilogy of these for the Eighth Doctor, all of which I've bought through Audible, I thought now would be a good excuse to start them. I don't think they were planned as a trilogy — they seem to keep going back to the same writer, reader, and guest lead character (de facto companion, I guess), and they've done it three times now, rather than it consciously being "a trilogy" — so I've only picked the first for this entry (in contrast to what I've chosen for another Doctor, but more on that soon... well, in a couple of weeks...)
Monday, 16 October 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Chapters 4–10 [the end]
Finishing off the Seventh Doctor portion of my Doctor Who 60th celebration. Unfortunately, I think this is the weakest in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series so far. No doubt that Blackman is a skilled and important author in general, but here the narrative seems to go round in circles, and she hasn't really captured the voices of the Doctor and Ace. Shame, especially when the other stories have been really rather good, on the whole. Let's hope the back half of the range isn't going to let it down...
Chapters 4–10 [the end]
Finishing off the Seventh Doctor portion of my Doctor Who 60th celebration. Unfortunately, I think this is the weakest in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series so far. No doubt that Blackman is a skilled and important author in general, but here the narrative seems to go round in circles, and she hasn't really captured the voices of the Doctor and Ace. Shame, especially when the other stories have been really rather good, on the whole. Let's hope the back half of the range isn't going to let it down...
Sunday, 15 October 2023
TV
David Tennant Remembers Hamlet
This Hamlet (and the stage production it was based upon), not, like, the original one or something.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Gregory Doran Remembers Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Never got round to watching the production Doran is reminiscing about, which aired back in 2016. I've had it downloaded since then, and it's back on iPlayer now, so really I just need to find the time and make the effort.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
This Hamlet (and the stage production it was based upon), not, like, the original one or something.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Gregory Doran Remembers Shakespeare Live! From the RSC
Never got round to watching the production Doran is reminiscing about, which aired back in 2016. I've had it downloaded since then, and it's back on iPlayer now, so really I just need to find the time and make the effort.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]
Fiction
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Genesys by John Peel
Chapters 19–23 + Epilogue [the end]
Amidst the pervy stuff, and the surprisingly antagonistic relationship between our two heroes (much more so than on TV, though perhaps that was designed to build out of the Doctor’s treatment of Ace in stories like Fenric and Ghost Light), there are some passages that are quite insightful about the character of both the Doctor and Ace. And, at times, you can almost imagine this as an actual TV story in 1990 — albeit with less gore, fewer bared boobs, and lower-key locations. All in all, it's not the greatest Doctor Who story ever, but I largely enjoyed it. Will definitely have to promptly continue with the Timewyrm arc after my 60th celebrations are complete.
Doctor Who: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Chapters 1–3
Finishing off my time with the Seventh Doctor via this entry in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series — a group of tales specifically aimed at kids (they were originally published by Puffin, the imprint of Penguin aimed at younger readers), so quite the antithesis to the New Adventures and all their gore and sex!
Timewyrm: Genesys by John Peel
Chapters 19–23 + Epilogue [the end]
Amidst the pervy stuff, and the surprisingly antagonistic relationship between our two heroes (much more so than on TV, though perhaps that was designed to build out of the Doctor’s treatment of Ace in stories like Fenric and Ghost Light), there are some passages that are quite insightful about the character of both the Doctor and Ace. And, at times, you can almost imagine this as an actual TV story in 1990 — albeit with less gore, fewer bared boobs, and lower-key locations. All in all, it's not the greatest Doctor Who story ever, but I largely enjoyed it. Will definitely have to promptly continue with the Timewyrm arc after my 60th celebrations are complete.
Doctor Who: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Chapters 1–3
Finishing off my time with the Seventh Doctor via this entry in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series — a group of tales specifically aimed at kids (they were originally published by Puffin, the imprint of Penguin aimed at younger readers), so quite the antithesis to the New Adventures and all their gore and sex!
Radio
Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration
[2nd listen]
Even though I'd already listened to this, I decided to put it on during its Radio 2 broadcast, as originally intended, because why not? It's all good stuff.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
[2nd listen]
Even though I'd already listened to this, I decided to put it on during its Radio 2 broadcast, as originally intended, because why not? It's all good stuff.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Saturday, 14 October 2023
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
After last week's complete deadzone, this week is fairly chockablock with newcomers, including several titles weeks ahead of their official release date. It was meant to be even more chockablock, but a long-awaited package from Australia is waiting even longer (I thought it would make it through customs, etc, in time for today, but it looks like it'll be tomorrow or Monday), and another distributor's so-called shipping of my package didn't actually include handing it over to Royal Mail. Can't deliver it within 48 hours if they don't get given it for 96 hours, can they? That will also now be in next week's tally, which — depending on the vagaries of pre-release shipping and postal services — could wind up with twice as many new titles as this week.
Number of titles in collection: 3,167 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,145 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 298 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 7,737 [up 11]
Number of films: 3,891 [up 11]
Number of additional cuts: 344 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,085 [up 6]
See you next week, faithful reader.
After last week's complete deadzone, this week is fairly chockablock with newcomers, including several titles weeks ahead of their official release date. It was meant to be even more chockablock, but a long-awaited package from Australia is waiting even longer (I thought it would make it through customs, etc, in time for today, but it looks like it'll be tomorrow or Monday), and another distributor's so-called shipping of my package didn't actually include handing it over to Royal Mail. Can't deliver it within 48 hours if they don't get given it for 96 hours, can they? That will also now be in next week's tally, which — depending on the vagaries of pre-release shipping and postal services — could wind up with twice as many new titles as this week.
Number of titles in collection: 3,167 [up 6]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,145 [up 6]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 298 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 7,737 [up 11]
Number of films: 3,891 [up 11]
Number of additional cuts: 344 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,085 [up 6]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 13 October 2023
Audio Drama / Podcasts
Doctor Who: Redacted
2x06 Redemption [season finale]
Weirdly, this episode makes a big thing out of a "the Doctor is missing from the universe" subplot, then ends with a tease for next month's first special, The Star Beast. I say that's weird because I don't recall the Doctor going missing being a plot point in the last few Jodie episodes (indeed, her final one is set largely in the present day, working with UNIT), so you might think the Doctor being missing is something to setup the specials, but the trailers for those suggest this 'cliffhanger' is teasing something quite early in Special 1. So... what? Unless "the Doctor has been missing for some time" is part of the specials' story, I guess. Well, we'll find out next month!
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
2x06 Redemption [season finale]
Weirdly, this episode makes a big thing out of a "the Doctor is missing from the universe" subplot, then ends with a tease for next month's first special, The Star Beast. I say that's weird because I don't recall the Doctor going missing being a plot point in the last few Jodie episodes (indeed, her final one is set largely in the present day, working with UNIT), so you might think the Doctor being missing is something to setup the specials, but the trailers for those suggest this 'cliffhanger' is teasing something quite early in Special 1. So... what? Unless "the Doctor has been missing for some time" is part of the specials' story, I guess. Well, we'll find out next month!
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Radio
Doctor Who @ 60: A Musical Celebration
Recorded last month and scheduled for broadcast this coming Sunday, the BBC unexpectedly released this full two-hour concert on BBC Sounds yesterday. It contains a couple of themes from upcoming episodes, which they shared on social media. It's all a bit odd (why drop it randomly several days early? Surely no one was going to leak something like this?), but here it is.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Recorded last month and scheduled for broadcast this coming Sunday, the BBC unexpectedly released this full two-hour concert on BBC Sounds yesterday. It contains a couple of themes from upcoming episodes, which they shared on social media. It's all a bit odd (why drop it randomly several days early? Surely no one was going to leak something like this?), but here it is.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Thursday, 12 October 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Genesys by John Peel
Chapters 2–8
In which we are (re)introduced to Ace by her waking up in bed naked, with no memories, so she has to do things like take a long look at herself in the mirror. Straight away, the NAs are living down to their slightly sordid reputation. On the bright side, at least author John Peel stops his description of her body at “muscular” rather than indulging in any more fan fantasy. Although later we meet a thirteen-year-old priestess-cum-prostitute who spends all her time topless, so, y'know, give with one hand 'n' all that...
Timewyrm: Genesys by John Peel
Chapters 2–8
In which we are (re)introduced to Ace by her waking up in bed naked, with no memories, so she has to do things like take a long look at herself in the mirror. Straight away, the NAs are living down to their slightly sordid reputation. On the bright side, at least author John Peel stops his description of her body at “muscular” rather than indulging in any more fan fantasy. Although later we meet a thirteen-year-old priestess-cum-prostitute who spends all her time topless, so, y'know, give with one hand 'n' all that...
Wednesday, 11 October 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
Chapters 1–6 [the end]
Heading rapidly towards the end of the classic era in my Doctor Who 60th marathon, now. Indeed, you could argue this is the end, because for my Seventh Doctor main text I've chosen something that came after the final episode from 1989 (see: further down this very post). Of course, a counter-argument would be the classic era doesn't actually end until 2005, just before the start of Rose. Anyway, that's really a discussion for another day: here, we're still with the Sixth Doctor, for the next story from the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series.
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Genesys by John Peel
Preface + Foreword
Prologue + Chapter 1
For the Seventh Doctor portion of my Doctor Who 60th anniversary marathon, we're heading into the Wilderness Years. After it became apparent that the series was done on TV (at least for the time being), Virgin acquired the rights to publish a series of novels continuing the adventures of the Doctor and Ace. The New Adventures are practically an era unto themselves — a run of books that took the series in new directions (violence, sex, and swearing, as well as genuinely adult ideas), introduced enduring characters (Professor Bernice Summerfield remains a Big Finish favourite to this day), and even stories (Human Nature was later adapted for TV).
When I first got into Doctor Who, they sort of 'were' it (arguably alongside the DWM comic strip; although the TV Movie was on the horizon, which caused its own changes). I read a couple of them back in the day, but they were already very well established at that point — it felt like too many to catch up on in full, especially as I was probably a bit young for them. A year or two ago I went on a bit of a spending spree and bought up a bunch of those that are supposed to be the best (I ended up with 23. Buying the entire series still feels like a ridiculous expenditure — there are 61 novels in all — especially as some of the later ones were subjected to short print runs and so go for hundreds of pounds). My purchases included the linked quartet of novels that opened the range, of which this is the very first. Yes, for the Seventh Doctor I'm reading a book that's "part one of four". I have no idea how well it stands alone (let's find out!), but I may well be looping back round to read books 2 to 4 later (after I've finished off my 60th marathon, of course).
Chapters 1–6 [the end]
Heading rapidly towards the end of the classic era in my Doctor Who 60th marathon, now. Indeed, you could argue this is the end, because for my Seventh Doctor main text I've chosen something that came after the final episode from 1989 (see: further down this very post). Of course, a counter-argument would be the classic era doesn't actually end until 2005, just before the start of Rose. Anyway, that's really a discussion for another day: here, we're still with the Sixth Doctor, for the next story from the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series.
Doctor Who: The New Adventures
Timewyrm: Genesys by John Peel
Preface + Foreword
Prologue + Chapter 1
For the Seventh Doctor portion of my Doctor Who 60th anniversary marathon, we're heading into the Wilderness Years. After it became apparent that the series was done on TV (at least for the time being), Virgin acquired the rights to publish a series of novels continuing the adventures of the Doctor and Ace. The New Adventures are practically an era unto themselves — a run of books that took the series in new directions (violence, sex, and swearing, as well as genuinely adult ideas), introduced enduring characters (Professor Bernice Summerfield remains a Big Finish favourite to this day), and even stories (Human Nature was later adapted for TV).
When I first got into Doctor Who, they sort of 'were' it (arguably alongside the DWM comic strip; although the TV Movie was on the horizon, which caused its own changes). I read a couple of them back in the day, but they were already very well established at that point — it felt like too many to catch up on in full, especially as I was probably a bit young for them. A year or two ago I went on a bit of a spending spree and bought up a bunch of those that are supposed to be the best (I ended up with 23. Buying the entire series still feels like a ridiculous expenditure — there are 61 novels in all — especially as some of the later ones were subjected to short print runs and so go for hundreds of pounds). My purchases included the linked quartet of novels that opened the range, of which this is the very first. Yes, for the Seventh Doctor I'm reading a book that's "part one of four". I have no idea how well it stands alone (let's find out!), but I may well be looping back round to read books 2 to 4 later (after I've finished off my 60th marathon, of course).
Tuesday, 10 October 2023
TV
Behind the Sofa
22x05 Timelash
I've not watched one of these before, so for those who don't know: it's a series on the Doctor Who Blu-rays where stars of the show from across the classic era (and very occasionally the new one) sit down and watch episodes and commentate on them, Gogglebox style. They've done them for every season of the show so far released on Blu-ray, meaning it's a fairly long-running series in its own right now (as there have been 14 box sets so far). Therefore how one numbers the series' seasons is, I suppose, a point of debate — I've gone with the season of Who it's about, but as this was the 11th box set released, you could argue this is season 11 of Behind the Sofa. (I say "point of debate" — obviously only nitpicky people like me care about such things.) One day I intend to watch all the episodes — after watching the serial in question would've made sense, but I've just not found time for it before now. It's certainly quite fun.
Doctor Who
22x11 Timelash Part Two
Well, this story really does live down to its poor reputation.
22x05 Timelash
I've not watched one of these before, so for those who don't know: it's a series on the Doctor Who Blu-rays where stars of the show from across the classic era (and very occasionally the new one) sit down and watch episodes and commentate on them, Gogglebox style. They've done them for every season of the show so far released on Blu-ray, meaning it's a fairly long-running series in its own right now (as there have been 14 box sets so far). Therefore how one numbers the series' seasons is, I suppose, a point of debate — I've gone with the season of Who it's about, but as this was the 11th box set released, you could argue this is season 11 of Behind the Sofa. (I say "point of debate" — obviously only nitpicky people like me care about such things.) One day I intend to watch all the episodes — after watching the serial in question would've made sense, but I've just not found time for it before now. It's certainly quite fun.
Doctor Who
22x11 Timelash Part Two
Well, this story really does live down to its poor reputation.
Monday, 9 October 2023
TV
Doctor Who
22x10 Timelash Part One
My Doctor Who 60th marathon move on to the Sixth Doctor now, with the only one of his TV stories I haven't seen. Is one of the worst-regarded stories in Who history (in DWM's "Mighty 200" poll, it came 199th out of 200; in their 50th anniversary poll, it came 238th out of 241) appropriate for an anniversary celebration? Eh, why not — taking the rough with the smooth 'n' all that.
22x10 Timelash Part One
My Doctor Who 60th marathon move on to the Sixth Doctor now, with the only one of his TV stories I haven't seen. Is one of the worst-regarded stories in Who history (in DWM's "Mighty 200" poll, it came 199th out of 200; in their 50th anniversary poll, it came 238th out of 241) appropriate for an anniversary celebration? Eh, why not — taking the rough with the smooth 'n' all that.
Fiction
Doctor Who: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
Concluding the Fifth Doctor portion of my 60th anniversary celebration with this entry in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories anthology. I should've read it yesterday, really, but I ran out of time. Fortunately, the Sixth Doctor section spreads across two days, so I should be a little more caught-up after tomorrow.
Concluding the Fifth Doctor portion of my 60th anniversary celebration with this entry in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories anthology. I should've read it yesterday, really, but I ran out of time. Fortunately, the Sixth Doctor section spreads across two days, so I should be a little more caught-up after tomorrow.
Articles
The Challenges of Making Universes Beyond
by Mark Rosewater (from Magic: The Gathering Official Site)
This is an interesting article about some of the processes and challenges that went into making Magic: The Gathering's Doctor Who products.
by Mark Rosewater (from Magic: The Gathering Official Site)
This is an interesting article about some of the processes and challenges that went into making Magic: The Gathering's Doctor Who products.
Sunday, 8 October 2023
TV
Doctor Who
20x23 The Five Doctors [40th Anniversary Edition; 3rd or so watch]
+ the new audio commentary (there are four different ones across all the cuts now) with Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, and Mark Strickson, moderated by Matthew Sweet
The Fifth Doctor enters my 60th anniversary celebration by way of the 20th anniversary special, here in a new-and-improved version created to mark its 40th anniversary. Anniversary-tastic!
Of course, the media I chose to consume for my Doctor Who 60th celebrations was all supposed to be new to me — the original idea was serials I hadn’t seen before, which was immediately a problem because I’ve seen every episode from the Seventh Doctor onwards, and so that’s what led to the “mixed media” concept. There are multiple Fifth Doctor texts that could’ve fit either version, but I’ve gone back to one I’ve actually seen several times before (though my most recent viewing was in 2008, i.e. 15 years ago).
So it's just a cheat? Yes and no. As I mentioned above, this is the “40th anniversary version”, which was freshly released just last month as part of the Season 20 Blu-ray set. It was my desire to watch this new version that meant it nabbed the Fifth Doctor’s spot in my celebration marathon. So, although I have seen The Five Doctors before, I’ve never seen this edit, with these special effects*, in HD. Not to mention that, as the big 20th anniversary celebratory story, it fits very nicely as part of a 60th celebration anyway.
* There's a lot more to the new version that just some light polishing on the old effects: there are 117 new effects shots throughout the story, including things like digital set/location extensions. There's a neat comparison video of the different versions here that shows at least a few of them.
20x23 The Five Doctors [40th Anniversary Edition; 3rd or so watch]
+ the new audio commentary (there are four different ones across all the cuts now) with Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, and Mark Strickson, moderated by Matthew Sweet
The Fifth Doctor enters my 60th anniversary celebration by way of the 20th anniversary special, here in a new-and-improved version created to mark its 40th anniversary. Anniversary-tastic!
Of course, the media I chose to consume for my Doctor Who 60th celebrations was all supposed to be new to me — the original idea was serials I hadn’t seen before, which was immediately a problem because I’ve seen every episode from the Seventh Doctor onwards, and so that’s what led to the “mixed media” concept. There are multiple Fifth Doctor texts that could’ve fit either version, but I’ve gone back to one I’ve actually seen several times before (though my most recent viewing was in 2008, i.e. 15 years ago).
So it's just a cheat? Yes and no. As I mentioned above, this is the “40th anniversary version”, which was freshly released just last month as part of the Season 20 Blu-ray set. It was my desire to watch this new version that meant it nabbed the Fifth Doctor’s spot in my celebration marathon. So, although I have seen The Five Doctors before, I’ve never seen this edit, with these special effects*, in HD. Not to mention that, as the big 20th anniversary celebratory story, it fits very nicely as part of a 60th celebration anyway.
* There's a lot more to the new version that just some light polishing on the old effects: there are 117 new effects shots throughout the story, including things like digital set/location extensions. There's a neat comparison video of the different versions here that shows at least a few of them.
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
Prologue + Chapters 1–6 [the end]
Things are overlapping a bit at the moment with my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebrations: yesterday, the Third Doctor finished on the same day I did my entire Fourth Doctor segment; except it wasn't quite my entire Fourth Doctor, because there's also this story from the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series — which I'm reading on the day I do the main Fifth Doctor instalment. Cripes! But I'm on a relatively tight schedule (possibly — there are some choices later on where I can't be sure how long I need to allow for them), so I can't allow myself the luxury of spreading things out too much.
Prologue + Chapters 1–6 [the end]
Things are overlapping a bit at the moment with my Doctor Who 60th anniversary celebrations: yesterday, the Third Doctor finished on the same day I did my entire Fourth Doctor segment; except it wasn't quite my entire Fourth Doctor, because there's also this story from the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series — which I'm reading on the day I do the main Fifth Doctor instalment. Cripes! But I'm on a relatively tight schedule (possibly — there are some choices later on where I can't be sure how long I need to allow for them), so I can't allow myself the luxury of spreading things out too much.
this week on 100Films.co.uk
No new reviews were published to 100Films.co.uk this week (it'd be a miracle if they were at this point), but there was the second half of my monthly review: the "failures"...
It'd be a miracle if there was more next Sunday, but you never know.
It'd be a miracle if there was more next Sunday, but you never know.
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
Normally I post these updates on a Saturday, though sometimes they're delayed if I have too much to add. This week, though, there's nothing to add — so I just kinda forgot, because quiet weeks are so rare. Then I remembered... but had to work out the latest running time increase, because it's that time of the month again, and that took a little time. So here we are on Sunday, even though there's nothing to report... except a new running time, of course.
Number of titles in collection: 3,161 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,139 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 298 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 7,726 [no change]
Number of films: 3,880 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 342 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,079 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
546 days, 16 hours, and 42 minutes.
(Up 12 hours and 30 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Normally I post these updates on a Saturday, though sometimes they're delayed if I have too much to add. This week, though, there's nothing to add — so I just kinda forgot, because quiet weeks are so rare. Then I remembered... but had to work out the latest running time increase, because it's that time of the month again, and that took a little time. So here we are on Sunday, even though there's nothing to report... except a new running time, of course.
Number of titles in collection: 3,161 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,139 [no change]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 298 [no change]
Number of discs in collection: 7,726 [no change]
Number of films: 3,880 [no change]
Number of additional cuts: 342 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,079 [no change]
Total running time of collection (approx.):
546 days, 16 hours, and 42 minutes.
(Up 12 hours and 30 minutes from last month.)
See you next week, faithful reader.
Saturday, 7 October 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
Chapters 5–12 [the end]
And that's the end for the Third Doctor section.
Chapters 5–12 [the end]
And that's the end for the Third Doctor section.
Comics
Doctor Who: The Iron Legion by Dave Gibbons, Pat Mills, John Wagner & Steve Moore
3 Doctor Who and the Star Beast
My Doctor Who 60th watch/read/listen-through progresses to the Fourth Doctor, and one of the texts that gave me the idea to make this a multimedia exercise rather than just sticking to TV (that and the fact I've seen every TV adventure for the Seventh to Thirteenth Doctors. Nothing wrong with some rewatches, but there are plenty of new books, audios, and more for me to get to, too).
I've wanted to read these comics for a long time (I bought this volume when it was first released back in 2004, for one thing), but especially so recently when rumours first emerged that the 60th anniversary specials would feature Beep the Meep — a character who made his debut here. As has since been revealed, the TV episode isn't just a new outing for the Meep, but an adaptation of this very story (which, incidentally, was originally pitched for TV in the '70s, but rejected and so repurposed as a comic — what goes around comes around 'n' all that).
It's just one of five stories collected in this volume, and I had thought about reading the entire book for this slot, but as things panned out I didn't really have time. Somewhat ironic, that. Anyway, it means the Fourth Doctor becomes the first Doctor whose contribution to my 60th marathon takes but a single day. He won't be the last. Indeed, the next is tomorrow...
3 Doctor Who and the Star Beast
My Doctor Who 60th watch/read/listen-through progresses to the Fourth Doctor, and one of the texts that gave me the idea to make this a multimedia exercise rather than just sticking to TV (that and the fact I've seen every TV adventure for the Seventh to Thirteenth Doctors. Nothing wrong with some rewatches, but there are plenty of new books, audios, and more for me to get to, too).
I've wanted to read these comics for a long time (I bought this volume when it was first released back in 2004, for one thing), but especially so recently when rumours first emerged that the 60th anniversary specials would feature Beep the Meep — a character who made his debut here. As has since been revealed, the TV episode isn't just a new outing for the Meep, but an adaptation of this very story (which, incidentally, was originally pitched for TV in the '70s, but rejected and so repurposed as a comic — what goes around comes around 'n' all that).
It's just one of five stories collected in this volume, and I had thought about reading the entire book for this slot, but as things panned out I didn't really have time. Somewhat ironic, that. Anyway, it means the Fourth Doctor becomes the first Doctor whose contribution to my 60th marathon takes but a single day. He won't be the last. Indeed, the next is tomorrow...
Videos
Shuffle Up & Play
36 The Four Doctors Play Commander
The latest episode of Tolarian Community College's gameplay series sees the Professor and friends — including two designers of the Magic Doctor Who set — play a Commander game with modified Doctor Who decks. And it's all a whole lot of fun, packed with in-jokes and references for those of us who love Who. Good stuff.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
36 The Four Doctors Play Commander
The latest episode of Tolarian Community College's gameplay series sees the Professor and friends — including two designers of the Magic Doctor Who set — play a Commander game with modified Doctor Who decks. And it's all a whole lot of fun, packed with in-jokes and references for those of us who love Who. Good stuff.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Friday, 6 October 2023
TV
Doctor Who
7x24 Inferno Episode 6
7x25 Inferno Episode 7 [season finale]
Did Inferno live up to the hype as the greatest Third Doctor story? Well, that's a near-impossible bar to meet. I wouldn't immediately say it was my most-favourite from his era, but it is very good indeed.
7x24 Inferno Episode 6
7x25 Inferno Episode 7 [season finale]
Did Inferno live up to the hype as the greatest Third Doctor story? Well, that's a near-impossible bar to meet. I wouldn't immediately say it was my most-favourite from his era, but it is very good indeed.
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
Chapters 1–4
The third short story in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series, to conclude the Third Doctor section of my 60th anniversary celebrations.
Chapters 1–4
The third short story in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series, to conclude the Third Doctor section of my 60th anniversary celebrations.
Videos
Tolarian Community College
"Blast From The Past" Full Deck Reveal - A new Doctor Who Commander Precon for Magic Gathering!
Following the livestream I logged on Tuesday, reveals of the Magic: The Gathering Doctor Who cards have been continuing all week, culminating in this video reveal of the classic-era-themed deck.
I've been reading and watching a few bits of Magic-related content over the past couple of months, and Tolarian Community College — hosted by the Professor (who somewhat styles himself after the Doctor because, yep, he's also a Whovian) — is one of the best channels I've come across. So this video isn't just a list of cards, but a fun and informative series of reveals and analyses.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
"Blast From The Past" Full Deck Reveal - A new Doctor Who Commander Precon for Magic Gathering!
Following the livestream I logged on Tuesday, reveals of the Magic: The Gathering Doctor Who cards have been continuing all week, culminating in this video reveal of the classic-era-themed deck.
I've been reading and watching a few bits of Magic-related content over the past couple of months, and Tolarian Community College — hosted by the Professor (who somewhat styles himself after the Doctor because, yep, he's also a Whovian) — is one of the best channels I've come across. So this video isn't just a list of cards, but a fun and informative series of reveals and analyses.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Thursday, 5 October 2023
TV
Doctor Who
7x22 Inferno Episode 4
7x23 Inferno Episode 5
Ever since I came across it as a viewing method, I've really enjoyed watching classic Who serials at the rate of one episode per day. But with content for all 15 Doctors to get through before an unspecified date in November — and with various interruptions still to come along the way — here and there I may need to continue to alter the pace a little, like today.
7x22 Inferno Episode 4
7x23 Inferno Episode 5
Ever since I came across it as a viewing method, I've really enjoyed watching classic Who serials at the rate of one episode per day. But with content for all 15 Doctors to get through before an unspecified date in November — and with various interruptions still to come along the way — here and there I may need to continue to alter the pace a little, like today.
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
13–15 April 2021
Oh no, I died! Luckily, in this game you get to just come straight back to life (for a cost) and carry on. Well, it'd be a pretty rubbish calendar if you died in the first few months and couldn't play the rest of the year, wouldn't it?
13–15 April 2021
Oh no, I died! Luckily, in this game you get to just come straight back to life (for a cost) and carry on. Well, it'd be a pretty rubbish calendar if you died in the first few months and couldn't play the rest of the year, wouldn't it?
Wednesday, 4 October 2023
Tuesday, 3 October 2023
TV
Doctor Who
7x20 Inferno Episode 2
I should probably note that I tend to post a bit more about these on Letterboxd than I do here, if anyone's interested. (The exception being first episodes/days, where I'm explaining more of my 60th plans here.)
7x20 Inferno Episode 2
I should probably note that I tend to post a bit more about these on Letterboxd than I do here, if anyone's interested. (The exception being first episodes/days, where I'm explaining more of my 60th plans here.)
Livestream
WeeklyMTG | Universes Beyond Doctor Who x Magic: The Gathering
For the first time in ages, I've had a little debate about what category this falls under — it's a livestream, which I watched live (on Twitch, I think the first time I've ever done that)... although it turned out to be prerecorded, so that was kinda pointless.
Anyway, the important thing is that it was all about revealing a load of Magic: The Gathering Doctor Who cards, including all the main Doctors and their primary companions (they promised there are more companions in the sets, which is exciting, and they didn't show the War Doctor or Fugitive Doctor cards, which have been confirmed previously). Even more excitingly, for me, they showed off most of the Saga cards — a total of 19 cards, each based on a Who story. They premiered seven in the stream, and ten more have been revealed previously, so there are still two unknown. Can't wait to find out what they are.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
For the first time in ages, I've had a little debate about what category this falls under — it's a livestream, which I watched live (on Twitch, I think the first time I've ever done that)... although it turned out to be prerecorded, so that was kinda pointless.
Anyway, the important thing is that it was all about revealing a load of Magic: The Gathering Doctor Who cards, including all the main Doctors and their primary companions (they promised there are more companions in the sets, which is exciting, and they didn't show the War Doctor or Fugitive Doctor cards, which have been confirmed previously). Even more excitingly, for me, they showed off most of the Saga cards — a total of 19 cards, each based on a Who story. They premiered seven in the stream, and ten more have been revealed previously, so there are still two unknown. Can't wait to find out what they are.
[Watch it (again) on YouTube.]
Monday, 2 October 2023
TV
Doctor Who
7x19 Inferno Episode 1
My Doctor Who 60th celebrations move on to the Third Doctor now, and my choice is particularly noteworthy because it’s the only traditional TV serial in my celebration lineup. Why have I chosen to almost completely ignore Who’s native medium? Well, I haven’t really — there are multiple other TV broadcasts included, it's just that they’re either special-length episodes, or animations, or from that one season when Classic Who experimented with double-length episodes (so, yes, really speaking you could count that as a “traditional TV serial” too).
As for Inferno itself, I’ve been meaning to get to it for a while, because I’ve become aware of how well-regarded it is; an impression that was most recently cemented by it ranking 1st among all Third Doctor stories in DWM’s 60th anniversary poll. That surprised me a little (when I was younger, at least, it never seemed to be talked about as one of his best; stories like Spearhead from Space (3rd in DWM's poll), The Daemons (4th), and The Green Death (2nd) came up more often), so now I’m going to see what all the fuss is about.
7x19 Inferno Episode 1
My Doctor Who 60th celebrations move on to the Third Doctor now, and my choice is particularly noteworthy because it’s the only traditional TV serial in my celebration lineup. Why have I chosen to almost completely ignore Who’s native medium? Well, I haven’t really — there are multiple other TV broadcasts included, it's just that they’re either special-length episodes, or animations, or from that one season when Classic Who experimented with double-length episodes (so, yes, really speaking you could count that as a “traditional TV serial” too).
As for Inferno itself, I’ve been meaning to get to it for a while, because I’ve become aware of how well-regarded it is; an impression that was most recently cemented by it ranking 1st among all Third Doctor stories in DWM’s 60th anniversary poll. That surprised me a little (when I was younger, at least, it never seemed to be talked about as one of his best; stories like Spearhead from Space (3rd in DWM's poll), The Daemons (4th), and The Green Death (2nd) came up more often), so now I’m going to see what all the fuss is about.
Sunday, 1 October 2023
Films
Partners in Crime (1961)
[#74 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
Road to Utopia (1945)
[#73 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
[#74 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
Road to Utopia (1945)
[#73 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
this week on 100Films.co.uk
No new reviews were published to 100Films.co.uk this week, but as it's the first day of a new month, there's a monthly review...
More next Sunday — and, for once, there (almost) definitely will be, because there's the other half of my monthly review (the "failures") to post yet.
More next Sunday — and, for once, there (almost) definitely will be, because there's the other half of my monthly review (the "failures") to post yet.
Saturday, 30 September 2023
TV
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
31x02 Episode 2
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x02 Week 1: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
31x02 Episode 2
Richard Osman's House of Games
7x02 Week 1: Tuesday
[Watch various episodes (again) on iPlayer.]
Films
Death on the Nile (2022)
[2nd watch]
[#71 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
The Man Who Was Nobody (1960)
[#72 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
[2nd watch]
[#71 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
The Man Who Was Nobody (1960)
[#72 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.
Three new additions this week, of which the biggest (in every respect) is The Wicker Man on 4K. Despite being one of StudioCanal's fancy big-box editions (with five discs, including a music CD, and a bunch of posters and art cards and whatnot), because it replaces my old Blu-ray copy it actually does almost nothing to the numbers below (but the other two additions do, of course). Still, it's a definite upgrade: all three cuts in 4K (meaning the Director's Cut jumps from an SD NTSC-to-PAL conversion straight to 4K), plus some new special features (as well as all the old ones). Now, I just need to actually watch it — when I last saw the film, the Director's Cut didn't even exist, never mind the Final Cut.
Number of titles in collection: 3,161 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,139 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 298 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 7,726 [up 4]
Number of films: 3,880 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 342 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,079 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Three new additions this week, of which the biggest (in every respect) is The Wicker Man on 4K. Despite being one of StudioCanal's fancy big-box editions (with five discs, including a music CD, and a bunch of posters and art cards and whatnot), because it replaces my old Blu-ray copy it actually does almost nothing to the numbers below (but the other two additions do, of course). Still, it's a definite upgrade: all three cuts in 4K (meaning the Director's Cut jumps from an SD NTSC-to-PAL conversion straight to 4K), plus some new special features (as well as all the old ones). Now, I just need to actually watch it — when I last saw the film, the Director's Cut didn't even exist, never mind the Final Cut.
Number of titles in collection: 3,161 [up 2]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,139 [up 2]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 298 [up 1]
Number of discs in collection: 7,726 [up 4]
Number of films: 3,880 [up 3]
Number of additional cuts: 342 [no change]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,079 [up 1]
See you next week, faithful reader.
Friday, 29 September 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
Chapters 2–5 [the end]
That completes the Second Doctor portion of my 60th anniversary celebrations. Another really good little story, I thought — this collection is two for two so far.
A brief pause for the weekend now (which is why I got through Fury in three days instead of six), and then on to the Third Doctor.
Chapters 2–5 [the end]
That completes the Second Doctor portion of my 60th anniversary celebrations. Another really good little story, I thought — this collection is two for two so far.
A brief pause for the weekend now (which is why I got through Fury in three days instead of six), and then on to the Third Doctor.
Games
The Dragon Staff of Maladoria
23–28 March 2021
Unusually, didn't have time for this yesterday, so have caught up by simply playing two days' worth today (no point overcomplicating it by spreading those skipped days over several play-days). And that turned out to be fortuitous, because the 24th to 26th are just about companions you can employ for the next part of the adventure, while the weekend of 27th/28th is just a shopping exercise.
23–28 March 2021
Unusually, didn't have time for this yesterday, so have caught up by simply playing two days' worth today (no point overcomplicating it by spreading those skipped days over several play-days). And that turned out to be fortuitous, because the 24th to 26th are just about companions you can employ for the next part of the adventure, while the weekend of 27th/28th is just a shopping exercise.
Thursday, 28 September 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
Prologue + Chapter 1
The second in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series, to finish off the Second Doctor portion of my 60th anniversary celebrations. Despite these books only being short (calling them novellas feels a stretch — their long-ish short stories), I managed to start this one today but didn't find time to finish it. Tomorrow, hopefully.
Prologue + Chapter 1
The second in the 11/12/13 Doctors, 11/12/13 Stories series, to finish off the Second Doctor portion of my 60th anniversary celebrations. Despite these books only being short (calling them novellas feels a stretch — their long-ish short stories), I managed to start this one today but didn't find time to finish it. Tomorrow, hopefully.
Wednesday, 27 September 2023
TV
Doctor Who
5x33 Fury from the Deep Episode 5
5x34 Fury from the Deep Episode 6
These two episodes really pick up the pace of the serial, packing it full of action and excitement. The first four episodes have their moments, but I can't help but feel if they'd been condensed into two, and these two left as they are, we'd have an absolute-classic four-parter here, rather than an unfortunately compromised six-parter.
5x33 Fury from the Deep Episode 5
5x34 Fury from the Deep Episode 6
These two episodes really pick up the pace of the serial, packing it full of action and excitement. The first four episodes have their moments, but I can't help but feel if they'd been condensed into two, and these two left as they are, we'd have an absolute-classic four-parter here, rather than an unfortunately compromised six-parter.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023
Audio Drama / Podcasts
Doctor Who: Redacted
2x02 Apex
This isn't 'officially' part of my 60th celebrations, by-the-by, it's just the whole season has already been released so I'm listening to it as and when.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
2x02 Apex
This isn't 'officially' part of my 60th celebrations, by-the-by, it's just the whole season has already been released so I'm listening to it as and when.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Monday, 25 September 2023
TV
Doctor Who
5x29 Fury from the Deep Episode 1
5x30 Fury from the Deep Episode 2
My 60th anniversary celebrations move on to the Second Doctor now (see further down today for the conclusion of the First Doctor). For this one, I've chosen an animated reconstruction of a missing TV serial. There are some complete Second Doctor serials I've not seen, but (as I said at the start) I'm trying to vary the media featured, and the Second Doctor is the only one with whole animated serials that I've not yet seen. I had intended to only watch one episode a day (my usual MO for watching Classic Who nowadays), but I'm getting a bit concerned about finishing everything before the anniversary rolls around, so I'm speeding this one up a bit.
As with Galaxy 4 earlier this month, the animation has its own listing as a miniseries on IMDb and on Letterboxd, as well as the ones for the original serial, which again leaves me with a logging/rating conundrum — the kind of thing that probably only bothers me. Of course, last time I made a judgement on this was only a couple of weeks ago, so I'm just following the precedent I set then.
5x29 Fury from the Deep Episode 1
5x30 Fury from the Deep Episode 2
My 60th anniversary celebrations move on to the Second Doctor now (see further down today for the conclusion of the First Doctor). For this one, I've chosen an animated reconstruction of a missing TV serial. There are some complete Second Doctor serials I've not seen, but (as I said at the start) I'm trying to vary the media featured, and the Second Doctor is the only one with whole animated serials that I've not yet seen. I had intended to only watch one episode a day (my usual MO for watching Classic Who nowadays), but I'm getting a bit concerned about finishing everything before the anniversary rolls around, so I'm speeding this one up a bit.
As with Galaxy 4 earlier this month, the animation has its own listing as a miniseries on IMDb and on Letterboxd, as well as the ones for the original serial, which again leaves me with a logging/rating conundrum — the kind of thing that probably only bothers me. Of course, last time I made a judgement on this was only a couple of weeks ago, so I'm just following the precedent I set then.
Fiction
Doctor Who: Marco Polo by John Lucarotti
Chapters 14–17 [the end]
Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
Chapters 1–5 + Epilogue [the end]
For Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, Puffin issued a series of short ebooks, one per Doctor. They also bundled them together into a print paperback, called 11 Doctors 11 Stories. A year later, after Peter Capaldi had joined, they released a new story and also republished the book as 12 Doctors 12 Stories. I have both of those — normally I'd've been reticient to rebuy, but when they issued the latter as a neat little box set with the stories split into 12 individual books (plus some postcards), I couldn't resist. And then, after Jodie Whittaker joined, they reissued it again, this time as (you probably guessed it) Thirteen Doctors, 13 Stories (that's not me being weird with the different spelling, it's them). I didn't buy it again. I'm not a fool. Well, not that much of a fool. (Will we get a 15 Doctors, 15 Stories after Ncuti joins? Only time will tell...)
And also, despite owning it twice, I've never actually read any of the stories. Oh dear. But when better to finally do it than now? A collection originally commissioned for the 50th, finally read for the 60th — very me. My plan is to read each Doctor's story after their 'main' contribution for my 60th celebrations, so today we have this First Doctor tale. It was a lot of fun. I hope the next 12 tales can live up to it.
Chapters 14–17 [the end]
Doctor Who: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
Chapters 1–5 + Epilogue [the end]
For Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, Puffin issued a series of short ebooks, one per Doctor. They also bundled them together into a print paperback, called 11 Doctors 11 Stories. A year later, after Peter Capaldi had joined, they released a new story and also republished the book as 12 Doctors 12 Stories. I have both of those — normally I'd've been reticient to rebuy, but when they issued the latter as a neat little box set with the stories split into 12 individual books (plus some postcards), I couldn't resist. And then, after Jodie Whittaker joined, they reissued it again, this time as (you probably guessed it) Thirteen Doctors, 13 Stories (that's not me being weird with the different spelling, it's them). I didn't buy it again. I'm not a fool. Well, not that much of a fool. (Will we get a 15 Doctors, 15 Stories after Ncuti joins? Only time will tell...)
And also, despite owning it twice, I've never actually read any of the stories. Oh dear. But when better to finally do it than now? A collection originally commissioned for the 50th, finally read for the 60th — very me. My plan is to read each Doctor's story after their 'main' contribution for my 60th celebrations, so today we have this First Doctor tale. It was a lot of fun. I hope the next 12 tales can live up to it.
Sunday, 24 September 2023
Fiction
Doctor Who: Marco Polo by John Lucarotti
Chapters 9–14
I really enjoy Marco Polo as a narrative. It's such a shame the TV version is lost. It's probably still #1 on my personal list of "ones I wish they'd find". But the novelisation...
Well, it doesn’t get off to the greatest of starts. In the early chapters especially (and to an extent throughout) it almost reads like a screenplay, so reliant is it on dialogue, with the barest description of anything else. Even when you do get a line of action or other description, sometimes it adds nothing beyond reflecting the onscreen blocking (presumably, that is — with the episodes missing, it’s hard to know for sure. But, for example, there are moments when characters are described moving around the room in a way that has no impact on what's happening). The prose begins to open up more as the book goes on, but by that point the script-like literalness is so embedded that any section not dense in dialogue comes across as abridgement. That is to say, it feels like there were too many scenes to fit in a short Target novelisation, so parts have instead been summarised.
That’s not to mention that Lucarotti is clearly writing a book “for children”, with a use of language and overall style clearly aimed at a young age group. In fairness, I suppose these books were that at the time, and maybe the entire range is guilty of it. I don’t remember feeling that way about any of them before, but it’s a good long while since I’ve read a Target novelisation — probably not since my own childhood, in fact, when obviously I wouldn’t have noticed as much; plus, I’ve done a lot more studying of literature since then, so I'm more attuned to that kind of thing.
So, not the greatest novel overall, then — but, like I said, at least it's a cracking story.
Chapters 9–14
I really enjoy Marco Polo as a narrative. It's such a shame the TV version is lost. It's probably still #1 on my personal list of "ones I wish they'd find". But the novelisation...
Well, it doesn’t get off to the greatest of starts. In the early chapters especially (and to an extent throughout) it almost reads like a screenplay, so reliant is it on dialogue, with the barest description of anything else. Even when you do get a line of action or other description, sometimes it adds nothing beyond reflecting the onscreen blocking (presumably, that is — with the episodes missing, it’s hard to know for sure. But, for example, there are moments when characters are described moving around the room in a way that has no impact on what's happening). The prose begins to open up more as the book goes on, but by that point the script-like literalness is so embedded that any section not dense in dialogue comes across as abridgement. That is to say, it feels like there were too many scenes to fit in a short Target novelisation, so parts have instead been summarised.
That’s not to mention that Lucarotti is clearly writing a book “for children”, with a use of language and overall style clearly aimed at a young age group. In fairness, I suppose these books were that at the time, and maybe the entire range is guilty of it. I don’t remember feeling that way about any of them before, but it’s a good long while since I’ve read a Target novelisation — probably not since my own childhood, in fact, when obviously I wouldn’t have noticed as much; plus, I’ve done a lot more studying of literature since then, so I'm more attuned to that kind of thing.
So, not the greatest novel overall, then — but, like I said, at least it's a cracking story.
Saturday, 23 September 2023
Films
Fisherman's Friends: One and All (2022)
[2nd watch]
[#69 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
[2nd watch]
[#69 in The All-New 100 Films in a Year Challenge 2023]
Audio Drama / Podcasts
Doctor Who: Redacted
2x01 Regrets
I didn't much care for the first series of this, but, hey, it's Doctor Who, so here I am. Here I'll always be.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
2x01 Regrets
I didn't much care for the first series of this, but, hey, it's Doctor Who, so here I am. Here I'll always be.
[Listen to it (again) on BBC Sounds.]
Fiction
Doctor Who: Marco Polo by John Lucarotti
Chapters 1–8
My Doctor Who 60th celebrations proper begin here! To mark the occasion, I'm going to watch, read, or listen to one piece of media I've never experienced for each Doctor. I've aimed to diversify those too, to take in as much of what Doctor Who is as possible – i.e. considering all the various spin-off/ancillary media as equal to the TV series, because, in many ways, they kind of are (I mean, would the series really have survived the Wilderness Years without them?)
So, up first — and therefore representing the First Doctor — is the Target novelisation of the oldest missing TV story, Marco Polo. It was the fourth-ever Who story, and I've seen the three that precede it, so this is the oldest story I could've chosen while still retaining the "something I've never experienced" angle. (Arguably, for something even earlier in Who history I could've gone for the novelisation of An Unearthly Child — it depends how faithfully one takes "never experienced". There are one or two choices later on that really do push the boundaries of that definition. But hey, it's my celebration — I can do what I like.)
Chapters 1–8
My Doctor Who 60th celebrations proper begin here! To mark the occasion, I'm going to watch, read, or listen to one piece of media I've never experienced for each Doctor. I've aimed to diversify those too, to take in as much of what Doctor Who is as possible – i.e. considering all the various spin-off/ancillary media as equal to the TV series, because, in many ways, they kind of are (I mean, would the series really have survived the Wilderness Years without them?)
So, up first — and therefore representing the First Doctor — is the Target novelisation of the oldest missing TV story, Marco Polo. It was the fourth-ever Who story, and I've seen the three that precede it, so this is the oldest story I could've chosen while still retaining the "something I've never experienced" angle. (Arguably, for something even earlier in Who history I could've gone for the novelisation of An Unearthly Child — it depends how faithfully one takes "never experienced". There are one or two choices later on that really do push the boundaries of that definition. But hey, it's my celebration — I can do what I like.)
Collection Count
Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.
This week's additions include Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, which I've wanted to revisit for quite a while now. I nearly bought the Blu-ray when they reissued it in a Steelbook a couple of years back, but was put off by it being an older disc with poor reviews. Fortunately, I never caved to that, and so have now been able to pick it up in 4K, replacing my DVD. Except, after it arrived, I discovered the UK release doesn't carry over the director's commentary, which is on the DVD, so now I've got to hang on to that after all if I want all the special features (which I do). Grr.
Causing me similar consternation this week was Eureka's 4K re-release of Touch of Evil. It includes all three cuts of the film in 4K, but only in widescreen — their Blu-ray release also included two of the cuts in open matte 4:3. So do I hang on to that release for the alternate framings, or accept that the widescreen is now 'settled' as the definitive version? Bearing in mind that I don't exactly rewatch films very often, so am I ever likely to watch it in 1080p 4:3 when the 4K widescreen copy is awaiting? I've decided to hang on to my old copy for now, which probably means it'll just stick around indefinitely, but I'm not convinced it's the right (or final) decision.
Number of titles in collection: 3,159 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,137 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 297 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 7,722 [up 8]
Number of films: 3,877 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 342 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,078 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
This week's additions include Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, which I've wanted to revisit for quite a while now. I nearly bought the Blu-ray when they reissued it in a Steelbook a couple of years back, but was put off by it being an older disc with poor reviews. Fortunately, I never caved to that, and so have now been able to pick it up in 4K, replacing my DVD. Except, after it arrived, I discovered the UK release doesn't carry over the director's commentary, which is on the DVD, so now I've got to hang on to that after all if I want all the special features (which I do). Grr.
Causing me similar consternation this week was Eureka's 4K re-release of Touch of Evil. It includes all three cuts of the film in 4K, but only in widescreen — their Blu-ray release also included two of the cuts in open matte 4:3. So do I hang on to that release for the alternate framings, or accept that the widescreen is now 'settled' as the definitive version? Bearing in mind that I don't exactly rewatch films very often, so am I ever likely to watch it in 1080p 4:3 when the 4K widescreen copy is awaiting? I've decided to hang on to my old copy for now, which probably means it'll just stick around indefinitely, but I'm not convinced it's the right (or final) decision.
Number of titles in collection: 3,159 [up 4]
Of which DVDs: 1,022 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 2,137 [up 4]
— of which Ultra HD Blu-rays: 297 [up 3]
Number of discs in collection: 7,722 [up 8]
Number of films: 3,877 [up 4]
Number of additional cuts: 342 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes: 9,621 [no change]
Number of short films: 1,078 [no change]
See you next week, faithful reader.
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