TV

An Adventure in Space and Time

That was brilliant. And not just "for Doctor Who fans" brilliant, but a properly good drama. Magnificent performances all round, beautiful direction, stunning production design... And so packed with stuff, I honestly think it could've been twice as long (or even longer) and still not felt padded or too mired in minutiae. If it doesn't win all the awards there's no justice.

Followed by William Hartnell: The Original, a teeny tiny documentary that definitely would withstand being (significantly) longer.

[Watch them both (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Doctor Who
33x14 The Name of the Doctor [season finale; 2nd watch]

Well well well now, here's a day I half expected we'd never see: the penultimate part of #bbbDW50. And in some respects that makes it The End, because the final part -- the 50th episode of the season's 50 episodes -- is tomorrow's anniversary special, and even if the rest of my celebratory viewing had faltered I'd still be watching that, wouldn't I? So yes, from that point of view, it ends here -- hurrah, I did it, etc.

But enough of that -- which episode is in this illustrious position? Well, it's one from earlier this year -- it is, in fact, the most recent full-length episode of nuWho, the previous season finale. Which probably doesn't have a huge bearing on the 50th special (as Moffat said himself somewhere, who'd be fool enough to make such an event "Part 2"?!), but is nonetheless a handy primer, I feel. Plus there's the double-bonus that (like the last episode), everyone else fawned over it relentlessly after it aired, whereas I was considerably more cautious.

I have to say, I'm still not wholly convinced. While there's a bit more of a plot than I remembered, I still feel like it's a collection of "bits" -- an explanation for Clara, a goodbye to River, kisses to the past, a cliffhanger tease, etc. Nonetheless, it's mostly entertaining, and almost emotional in places; but it's still... not even a season finale, really, and certainly not a story in itself... just a Big Episode.


Friends
5x05 The One with the Kips [4th or so watch]


The One Show
20/11/13 edition
A Doctor Who themed edition of the BBC magazine show... but still chock full of their usual features on Stuff, so if you want to watch, be prepared to do plenty of fast-forwarding to the scattered good bits.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]


Was It Something I Said
1x05 Episode 5 (extended repeat)
[Watch only the shorter version on 4oD.]

TV

Doctor Who
33x14b The Last Day
You know if you watch someone else play a computer game, it's usually pretty rubbish? Yeah...

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x09 The Ninth Doctor

Elementary
2x04 Poison Pen

Friends
5x04 The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS [4th or so watch]

Person of Interest
2x04 Triggerman
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

The Wolverine: Extended Cut (2013)
[#101 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

TV

Castle
3x07 Almost Famous
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]


Doctor Who
32x04 The Doctor's Wife [2nd watch]

By chance rather than design, #bbbDW50 includes one episode from each of the Eleventh Doctor's series. This episode from 2011 (my God, is it really 2½ years old?!) was hailed as an instant classic by so many -- in part, let's be perfectly honest, because of the hype surrounding its writer. I'm not saying it wouldn't have garnered such love if it had been by anyone else, but... well, it wouldn't have garnered such love, would it?

I didn't fall for it quite so deeply. In fact, I thought it was interesting and fine, but held back by the level of expectation and the consequent, shall we say, "squee"ing over it. (I hate the 'word' "squee", making it perfect for this occasion.) Returning to it for the first time in 2½ years (my God, is it really 2½ years old?!) allows a chance for personal reappraisal.

...but not much has changed. It's a very good episode, and the conceit is a great one, but it's not flawless. House is not as effective an enemy as it feels he/it was imagined to be, and Amy and Rory basically run around corridors just so they have something to do. Similarly, the Doctor and Idris seem to fly their makeshift TARDIS for ages, again in a move that feels time-killing.

Still, the bits that work do work really well, and ultimately it's that sky-high expectation and overreaction from some quarters that can leave the episode to feel underwhelming.


Friends
5x03 The One Hundredth [4th or so watch]


Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x07 Episode 7
aka The One With Huey Morgan And The Mug.


The Newsroom
2x08 Election Night Part I
2x09 Election Night Part II [season finale]

Good in places, spectacularly mawkish in others. Apparently it is coming back, but this does have the feel of a series finale... while also leaving plenty of doors open.

TV

Doctor Who
31x07 Amy's Choice [3rd watch]

It's the final stages of #bbbDW50 now, as we reach the Eleventh Doctor.

First up, an episode I feel gets somewhat overlooked by the bigger, more attention-grabbing ones that have come about during the Eleventh's reign, but that I also feel is one of the very best to be produced under Moffat's stewardship. It's a shame they didn't focus on making more alternative, unusual, but still very Who-y, and unquestionably effective, episodes such as this one, rather than getting sidetracked into all those big, aimless, ultimately disappointing arc plots.

Seriously, if you're not aware of its brilliance, give this one another go. It has an awful lot going for it on a first watch, but it's almost even better second time round, when you know who the Dream Lord really is.


Friends
5x02 The One with All the Kissing [4th or so watch]


The Mentalist
6x03 Wedding in Red
Wow, that was a spectacularly bad episode. Did the writers take a holiday and let the cleaner have a go?
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

TV

Doctor Who
30x14 The Next Doctor [2nd watch]

The Tenth Doctor portion of #bbbDW50 concludes with the 2008 Christmas special, the last episode of Doctor Who to be made in standard definition (but, almost ironically, the first we're watching on Blu-ray).

Every episode in this viewing season was selected for a reason, be it to represent a certain monster, or as a gold-standard classic, or even for its notoriety. Why did The Next Doctor win out over the numerous RTD-era classics? Well, it's one of the least-regarded Christmas specials, and as I haven't seen it since it first went out (five years ago!) it seemed overdue a personal reappraisal. It also features the Cybermen, who are the most startling oversight in a run of stories that has included Daleks (twice), Ice Warriors, Autons, the Master (twice), Omega, Zygons, Sontarans, and the Kandy Man.

Finally, watching The Next Doctor right after an episode starring "the next Doctor" was too fun to miss. (There are plenty of other episodes from season four and the specials that I've yet to re-watch, so that's the real reason, isn't it?)

In the end, the best reason to watch was that reappraisal. The Next Doctor is really good, with a peerless performance by David Morrissey and a great turn from Dervla Kirwan too. The Cyberking is a bit much, but otherwise the Cybermen are great, particularly effective at a snow-bound funeral and when they betray -- or, as it turns out, attempt to betray -- Miss Hartigan. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's the best Christmas special, but it's actually a very good one. Hurrah!


Elementary
2x03 We Are Everyone


Friends
5x01 The One After Ross Says Rachel [4th or so watch]
Really, it's Part 3.


Only Connect
Children in Need Special: Scrabblers v The Balding Team

Articles

Steven Moffat on The Night Of The Doctor
(from Doctor Who Official Site)

Missed this interview on Thursday, so you might've too. Intriguing final answer -- could we get a full set via The Day of the Doctor, I wonder?

TV

Doctor Who
30x02 The Fires of Pompeii [2nd watch]

#bbbDW50 sticks with the Tenth Doctor for a little longer -- we haven't exactly used proportional representation for the Doctors so far, and we're not really starting here (not with any great degree of accuracy, anyway), but when it came to increasing the number of episodes from the original 45 to a more appropriate 50, it seemed fairest to bung in a couple more for the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors rather than a whole extra multi-parter for any earlier one.

Fans will no doubt easily guess why Fires of Pompeii earns a coveted spot here: one of its main guest stars is none other than Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor himself! Except not the Twelfth Doctor. Probably. Who knows what kind of retconning Moffat will attempt. (Probably none. Hopefully none.) Surprisingly, he's barely in the thing.

The episode also features a pre-Pond Karen Gillan, caked in make-up as a glorified extra... and yet, after two-and-a-half seasons as the main companion, really obviously her. But that's not why I've chosen it; that's just a coincidence.


Have I Got News For You
46x05 (1/11/2013 edition; extended repeat)


Never Mind the Buzzcocks
23x12 The Doctor Who Special [2nd watch]
From Christmas 2009 and repeated last week as part of the anniversary celebrations. It's a great fun episode, actually... though four years on accompanied by, "wow, doesn't David Tennant look a surprising amount younger!" and "wow, doesn't Phill Jupitus look clean-shaven and therefore kind of chubbier!"
Bernard Cribbins is still just blinkin' marvellous though.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]


Poirot
13x02 The Big Four
Poirot finished forever earlier in the week, but with shocking tardiness I'm only embarking on the final series now. Though there are tonnes of earlier episodes I've never seen, so one day, with a DVD (or Blu-ray) box set, there's still plenty of new-to-me Poirot to come.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

this week on 100 Films

Six brand-new reviews were published to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...


Make/Remake: The Daleks’ Invasions of Earth

There’s little doubting that The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a minor epic. Where The Daleks struggled a bit to fill its seven-episode order, in six instalments writer Terry Nation takes us from an occupied, bomb-blasted London, to an attack on the Dalek spaceship, to a mine in Bedfordshire that’s digging to the centre of the Earth. Although made on Doctor Who’s typically tiny budget, the TV serial shines.

Read more here.


Sean Connery as James Bond, Part 1

The name's Connery, Sean Connery, the star of the first five world-conquering James Bond movies...

Featuring reviews of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice.

And new to the new blog...


The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

one of the forefathers of the modern spectacle-driven blockbuster, packed with innovative effects designed to dazzle the viewer. One can only imagine how incredible the special effects looked to a 1940 audience. Today the flaws are obvious, but, surprisingly, not by much.

Read more here.


More next Sunday.

TV

Arrow
2x04 Crucible

Atlantis
1x08 The Furies
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Children in Need 2013
Midnight to 2am, featuring dregs and repeats... and a record-breaking total.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited
1x08 The Eighth Doctor
Half an hour on one story -- no mention of the books, audios, comic strips... And because it was made months ago, no mention of The Night of the Doctor either, which is a shame.

Friends
4x23 The One with Ross's Wedding Part 1 [5th or so watch]
4x24 The One with Ross's Wedding Part 2 [season finale; 5th or so watch]

The Science of Doctor Who
Prof. Brian Cox's lecture on the real-life science related to concepts from Doctor Who. Essentially, this means time travel, with a diversion into the possible existence of aliens. Interesting, but a shame there was nothing on uniquely Who concepts like something being bigger on the inside.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Comics

Dredd Underbelly: Part Three by Arthur Wyatt & Henry Flint
(from Judge Dredd Megazine #342)

Oh -- is that it?!

Well, bluntly, yes. After just three instalments, the story's over, rushing to a conclusion. In the US it'll be collected as a one-shot early next year. Not sure it was worth it.

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

This week's purchases include two 3D Blu-rays. I don't have a 3D Blu-ray player (or TV), but that's how the Extended Edition of The Hobbit comes, and that's how the plastic-tat edition of Pacific Rim comes. The latter, incidentally, was a complete waste of money. I know, I should have known better.

Number of titles in collection: 1,635 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,196 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 439 [up 2]

Number of discs in collection: 4,063 [up 10]
Number of films in collection: 1,741 [up 2]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 6,024 [up 2]
Number of short films in collection: 405 [no change]

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Children in Need 2013
As ever, this is officially everything up to midnight -- including a clip of the Doctor Who 50th! Link below is all the CiN stuff on iPlayer.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Doctor Who
29x09 The Family of Blood [3rd watch]
This is truly excellent. In DWM's Mighty 200 it was voted the sixth greatest story ever, and I reckon it's at least that good, if not better, even with another 50-ish stories having come since that poll.

TV

Doctor Who
33x14a The Night of the Doctor
This seven-minute prequel to The Day of the Doctor was expected on Saturday (when it'll be available on the BBC Red Button), but for some reason got released today. And... I'm not going to say too much, just in case anyone reads this not having seen it, but... wow! That's something I've been wanting from nuWho ever since it materialised. Thank you Steven Moffat, all is forgiven! However good the anniversary special turns out to be (let's hope "very"), I'm not sure it can live up to my pleasure at the existence of this. Best bit of the 50th so far.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Friends
4x22 The One with the Worst Best Man Ever [4th or so watch]

Person of Interest
2x03 Masquerade
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D (1966)
[3rd watch; #100a in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

As previously mentioned, I'm comparing the two Dalek movies to their TV originals. This sequel is an adaptation of The Dalek Invasion of Earth (which I watched here and here), and while it isn't as good as its TV counterpart, it's the better of the two films.

TV

Castle
3x06 3XK
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]


Doctor Who
29x08 Human Nature [3rd watch]

After only reaching the Ninth Doctor on Monday (and concluding him yesterday), it's time for #bbbDW50 to race straight on to the Tenth Doctor. The anniversary's nearly here, lots of episodes to cram in!

What better one for November than this, which is set almost exactly 100 years ago and concerns itself with remembrance? OK, it would've been even better two days ago, but I didn't actually choose it for the neatness of the scheduling -- I chose it because it's a damn fine story, which I haven't seen for a number of years and wanted to watch again. And it really is brilliant, even if the cliffhanger is a little forced -- this is from the "a two-parter is one long story" school of thought, rather than the later "a two-parter is two connected single episodes" style.

I recently read someone assert that Human Nature exists purely to establish the fob watch so it can be used for the Master in the season three finale. I felt a bit sorry for them -- all that they're not seeing in this tale if they think it's just about that. Knowing how RTD writes, I always assumed the fob watch was part of this tale that he then realised could be co-opted for the Master's return, rather than the other way round. Not to mention that the novel this adapts pre-dates the TV version by over a decade.


Friends
4x21 The One with the Invitations [4th or so watch]
More accurately, The One with All the Clips From Previous Episodes. Especially grating when you're watching the whole show at a speedy rate.


The Graham Norton Show
14x05 (8/11/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Doctor Who
27x13 The Parting of the Ways [season finale; 4th watch]
Here is where all the good bits are: the Dalek Emperor ("they survived through me!"), the Dalek army flying through space (thousands of them!), Lynda's death (poor Lynda!), David Tennant's first few moments (crikey he looks young!), and so on and so on.
Plus, the emotional wringer Rose goes through, brilliantly played by Billie Piper, now brings with it a realisation of how emotionless the Moffat-era companions have been, and how little the actors have been stretched by those roles. Shame.

Friends
4x20 The One with All the Wedding Dresses [4th or so watch]

The Mentalist
6x02 Black-Winged Redbird
[Watch it (again) on Demand 5.]

Films

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

Second 'half' (see yesterday).

TV

Doctor Who
27x12 Bad Wolf [4th watch]

With less than a fortnight until the anniversary, #bbbDW50 reaches the revived series. NuWho makes up exactly 20% of my viewing for this. That feels like it's disproportionately large, right? Wrong. From a grand total of 33 seasons of Doctor Who, the seven modern-era ones make up just over 21%. Pretty much bang on, then. The viewing rate will also step up to squeeze all the episodes in: rather than three per week, it'll be 10 episodes over the next 12 days.

First up, then, is the Ninth Doctor (of course). Although he only stuck around for one season -- a total of 10 stories -- there are several classics to choose from. His season finale seems a natural choice to sum up his era -- Daleks, Captain Jack, the regeneration... and Bad Wolf, which looks like it will factor in to the 50th special.

The most remarkable thing, watching this now, is how old it looks. It's only been eight years, but somehow it looks... not dated, necessarily, but not the same as TV drama now. I mean, what the hell cameras were they using to make every single light source glow to three times its size?! And all the Big Brother / Weakest Link stuff has dated terribly. Even at the time we knew it would, but (again) it's only been eight years -- how bad is it going to look in another five, ten, twenty? Future viewers will not just benefit from some contextual notes, they'll need them.

Still, not a bad story. A lot of the biggest bestest stuff is in Part Two though.


Friends
4x19 The One with All the Haste [4th or so watch]


Never Mind the Buzzcocks
27x06 Episode 6

Films

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
[#100 in 100 Films in a Year 2013]

For the first time in almost 23 months, 100 Films has a #100!

I was going to label this "first half", but that's not true: Lawrence has an intermission, but it cuts the film up as a 139-minute first 'half' and an 83-minute second 'half' -- almost an hour different.

But anyway, I watched everything up to the intermission, and will watch the remainder tomorrow. I was very tempted to watch it all in one go*, but I was watching late at night and another hour-and-a-half was pushing it.


* as I did with Once Upon a Time in America in the end, which is only 7 minutes shorter (and that's only because I have OUaTiA on PAL DVD and Lawrence on Blu-ray)