Doctor Who - Welcome To The Whoniverse (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)

It's November and that officially means that it's the month of Doctor Who. 

Strap in, because there's a lot to cover here. It's gonna be a fun time.

BBC iPlayer have kitted out an entire Whoniverse section for fans (UK mainly, boo rights issues) to enjoy multiple eras concerning the show.

This includes ....

Doctor Who (1963-1996)*

Doctor Who (2005-2022)

Tales Of The TARDIS

Doctor Who Confidential 

Torchwood

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Class

K9 & Company: A Girl's Best Friend 

Doctor Who: The Infinity Quest

Doctor Who: Dreamland

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths And The Legendary Tapes

The Science Of Doctor Who

Doctor Who At The Proms

Whose Doctor Who

An Adventure In Space And Time (coming soon)

A fantastic selection with over 800 hours worth of content. Sadly due to a certain petty manchild, An Unearthly Child is omitted from this otherwise impressive amount of content. Also keep an eye on a 75 minute colourised version of The Daleks, due to air on BBC4 on November 23rd.

Released this morning, we got the six part series called Tales Of The TARDIS. An interesting format in which former Doctors and companions reminisce over past adventures within the confines of a memory TARDIS. 

Steven Taylor (Peter Purves)/Vicki Pallister (Maureen O'Brien) - The Time Meddler.

Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines)/Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury) - The Mind Robber

Jo Jones (Katy Manning)/Clyde Langer (Daniel Anthony) - The Three Doctors

Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison)/Tegan Jovanka (Janet Fielding) - Earthshock

Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker)/Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant) - Vengeance On Varos

Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)/Ace McShane (Sophie Alfred) - The Curse Of Fenric

Having seen most of these scenes through certain means, I will admit they're all brilliant. Expertly written by Russell T. Davies, Pete McTighe and Phil Ford and directed by Scott Handcock, it's a wonderful concept and one I hope is revisited with other former Doctors, companions and spin off characters. 

Meanwhile SFX Magazine have all the goods in relation to the 60th anniversary specials and beyond that. A 28 page special with Russell T. Davies spilling the beans over some very interesting stuff.

In relation to the anniversary specials, we can expect a flashback to the original Toymaker (Michael Gough) himself, Wild Blue Yonder being "weird" and "the most astonishing barricade you'll ever see". The three specials are not a three parter and while there are plans for spin-off's, a UNIT one isn't one of them. As for beyond, ooh, there's a lot to get excited for.

In a move that will be stoking debate for years to come, expect a number resetting with Ncuti Gatwa's first two series being referred to as Season 1 and 2. Russell T. Davies also confirmed his plans for four series of Doctor Who with stories he's been wanting to tell for 40-20 years and even yesterday so to speak. The first episode will also feature nine babies as part of its plot. 

However with filming for Series 15/Season 2 now started, some guest cast have already been spotted on set. Filming for Christmas 2024 has revealed both Nicola Coughlan (Derry Girls, Bridgerton) and Joel Fry (Game Of Thrones, Cruella) both on set. Nicola Coughlan already appeared with Ncuti Gatwa in Barbie this year and was rumoured for the show for a while now. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday has yet to be confirmed for the second series for the 15th Doctor. 

Also be sure to catch David Tennant on BBC4 tonight in Talking Doctor Who with the 60th Anniversary Concert, hosted by Jo Wiley while the show will have a crossover with Bargain Hunt on November 23rd. Not to mention that Series 4 marathon this weekend on BBCAmerica and there's this year's Children In Need on November 17th, which will feature a new sketch for David Tennant's 14th Doctor. 

It really is the bestest time to be a Doctor Who fan.

The 60th anniversary specials will air on BBC1 and stream on Disney+ from November 25th to December 9th as well as getting physical releases from December 11th.

Doctor Who - Series 10 Trailer 2

The first time you meet him, he's funny. The second time, he's amazing. The third time you realise he's the most dangerous man in the universe.

With exactly seven weeks to go until the arrival of Peter Capaldi's final series of Doctor Who, the BBC are starting to up the promotion by giving us this rather glorious trailer.

Narrated by new companion Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie), the thirty second trailer has the cafeteria worker along with the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Nardole (Matt Lucas) defiantly strolling through a library as Bill talks of the dangers and excitement of travelling with the Doctor, while an image of several monsters appears towards the end of the trailer.

The monsters in question include the usual suspects such as a Dalek, Cyberman, Weeping Angel but there's also some new ones there such as the Emojibot, the Truth monsters and a female Ice Warrior in the mix too. I have to admit that seeing this trailer brought a smile to my face as it's been a while since we've had a concept trailer to promote the upcoming series. It captured the tone right and gave me confidence in that Bill and Nardole are going to make for an interesting team up with the Twelfth Doctor in his final year.

In slightly less great news (or maybe it's great, depending on your point of view), it seems that after weeks of speculation, it's been as good as confirmed that spin-off series, Class will not be coming back for a second series. Printed in the Mirror during the week, the show's lacklustre ratings on BBC1 may have spelled the show's doom and there's still the fact that is has yet to air on BBCAmerica. Personally, I'm not really broken up by this news to be honest. The show was okay enough but it didn't really add much to the Doctor Who universe as a whole and the promotion was so horribly mishandled that I'm not surprised either.

Series 10 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py5xXBREBRk
Class Cancelled: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-spin-class-axed-9906600

Series 10 of Doctor Who will air on BBC1 and BBCAmerica from April 15th.

My Review of Class's 1x08: "The Lost"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Julian Holmes

April: "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

After eight weeks (or seven mainly as we did open with a double bill), this spin-off comes to a conclusion for now with an episode that managed to partially resolve one threat while setting up a whole new and far more interesting one.

The Shadow Kin have not been a great antagonist for this series overall. While the design for them has been decent enough, as villains they've felt rather toothless and while they upped the kill ratio here by bumping off Ram's father and Tanya's mother in scenes that didn't really hit the mark they were hoping for, this episode finally saw them defeated.

Granted we had to have April's mother being threatened, Tanya's brothers nearly killed and Matteusz used as leverage (they seriously need to give him something substantial) before April and Charlie ultimately stepped up to the plate. Thanks to combination of mutual sacrifice and finally using the Cabinet of Souls, the Shadow Kin were taken out as well as April and Charlie too.

Except that Quill decided to save Charlie at the very last minute and it now seems that April's soul is stuck in Shadow King guy's body, ending this episode on a slightly awkward note. Even more awkward if this show doesn't get picked up for a second series. Either way, let's be glad that they're mostly gone for now.

As for the second threat, we finally got to see the Governors and Cyril Nri certainly had a nice creepy factor as the Chair. Ames on the other hand found her days being numbered when a Weeping Angel stepped in and murdered her. Whatever the Arrival is, it involves both the Governors and Weeping Angels, which means you almost have to hope the show gets a second series in order to see more.

I do think had the show started off with the Governors as the ongoing threat, the show would've benefited from it. The Shadow Kin simply didn't cut it as baddies but this lot have actual potential. Then again if this show does get cancelled, then perhaps this plot can be resolved briefly on the parent series itself.

- Quill is only carrying one offspring. I quite liked the scenes with her and Tanya in this episode. She's slightly warming to the kids here.
- Cyril Nri was previously The Shopkeeper in the The Sarah Jane Adventures stories, Lost In Time and Sky.
- Music in this episode was on point with Jim Moray and Sophie Hopkins The Lost as well as Black Is The Colour.
- Chronology: Over a week since the events of The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did.

The Lost rounds off an okay ending to a series that's had a few moments of potential but ultimately feels like it could've been a little better. I do hope if the show gets a second chance that some of the characters are fleshed out better and that the Governors/Weeping Angels/Arrival storyline leads to something truly great.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x07: "The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Wayne Che Yip

Quill (to Charlie): "I'm no longer your slave, prince. I have my free will back and I have my gun and things, things are gonna change around here."

Last episode we saw the kids in detention, turning on each other due to a confessional monster but at the end of that episode, we also saw that Quill had been through the ringer herself. This episode covers exactly what happened to her.

The upshot is that the Arn is finally out of Quill's head and it was something a trauma for that to happen. Dorothea kept to her word and decided to help Quill regain her freedom by enlisting a shape shifting criminal/surgeon named Ballon (Chiké Okonkwo), who like Quill and Charlie also happened to be the last of his species too (but not really as we later learned his niece was alive on Earth).

The trip itself really did become metaphysical as the three of them explored a gorgeous pink forest, which we soon learned was the Arn idea of heaven while things took a less pleasant turn when Ballon was forced to face his people's version of the Devil with Quill then later having to deal with her people's Goddess that she even had serious doubts of existing.

Exploring all three of these particular worlds took up the right amount of screen time. It never felt like things were being needlessly dragged out and there was something interesting in seeing both Quill and Ballon confronting some of the customs of their own people to boot. Quill's conversation with her Goddess in particular was pretty riveting stuff until Ballon stepped in to kill her.

Speaking of Ballon, he's easily one of the best characters we've had on this show and sadly, he only lasted this episode. I loved the rapport he had with both Quill and Ames and the deeper connection he forged with the former felt authentic enough so that when Ames turned them against one another, there was a twisted tragedy to them.

Keeping with Ames for a bit, she really does like to stir the pot, doesn't she? She kept telling Quill and Ballon their mission was likely to be a failure and then she dealt the killer blow by revealing they were in the Cabinet of Souls all along and only one of them could return. I wasn't expecting Ballon to survive but I was a bit surprised with his sacrifice for Quill though.

As for Quill, the episode ended with her freedom regained, her hair much longer and as Matteusz exclaimed in the very last moment, Quill was also revealed to be pregnant. The dynamic between her and Charlie for the finale is certainly going to be an interesting one to watch out for.

- Ballon's species is Lorr but we learned that he posed as a Zygon at some point.
- Quill quoted the poem Home to Ballon during the scene with the Quill goddess. We also learn that Quill children eat their mother after being born.
- Standout music: MIA's Bad Girls gets an appropriate playing at the end of this one.
- Chronology: Set within the events of Detained.

Easily the best episode of the series. The Metaphysical Engine, Or What Quill Did took a break from the teen angst and focused on the best character of the bunch along with Ames and Ballon and delivered an episode so good, it could've easily been one from the parent show itself.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x06: "Detained"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Wayne Che Yip

Charlie (to everyone): "Is detention always like this?"

The Breakfast Club episode. It had to happen and to be honest, I would've been a little disappointed if Class hadn't done it. Quill decided to lock Charlie and the gang in a classroom while she went off on her own little unseen (til the next episode) story.

Except she didn't really lock them in a classroom. They were actually locked outside of time and with a deadly asteroid/meteor/rock containing a deadly unseen prisoner, the gang were forced to spend more time with each other than usual and with that came it's own problems.

The obvious one being everyone of the gang forced into revealing the very things they would've preferred to have kept hidden from each other. Matteusz talked about coming out to his grandmother and being afraid of Charlie's alien side while Tanya recalled a tale of nicking sweets and feeling like the rest of the gang simply tolerate her.

Keeping with Tanya for a moment - Patrick Ness gave her some truly cringey dialogue in this episode. I'm all for Tanya calling out racism but seeing her attack people (April mainly) who aren't even being racist to begin is something of a sore point in this episode. On the other hand, I did like that Tanya figured out that the gang could get the rock to actually give them information along with making them confess things.

As for the rest of the confessions, both Ram and April talked about their feelings and by the end of this episode, it seemed that their fast developed relationship has come to a standstill. I don't think this episode overall succeeded in making me care for them as a couple and while Ram had some good moments, he also had a few unpleasant ones too as the creature's influence grew on the gang.

Then there was Charlie. He spent most of the episode having a panic attack (the guy really doesn't like small spaces) and then reacting badly to the gang's confessions before picking up the rock and revealing a bit more about himself. None of which was too surprising but it was well played as Quill reentered the fray and took out the prisoner and the gang effectively legged it out of the room.

It seems that in the space of forty five minutes, a day has passed for Quill. Her hair has become longer, she's got a rather fetching scar around her eye and the Arn has also been removed from her. If I were Charlie, I'd be very nervous about now.

- It really was one set this week with the action in that classroom. I thought the use of Charlie's claustrophobia played well into things here.
- Wayne Che Yip who directed this episode and the next one will be directed two episodes for Series 10 of Doctor Who.
- No Dorothea in this one but it seems like she'll have a bigger role in the Quill episode.
- Chronology: Not long from where Brave-ish Heart left off.

Detained was an interesting venture. We've had bottle episodes on the main show (Blink and Turn Left, anyone?) and they've produced something great and here, we got a satisfying episode. However it seems like Quill's adventure will be the more thrilling prospect.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x05: "Brave-ish Heart"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Philippa Langdale

Shadow King: "This is not the end of this."
April: "No, I get the last word."

And here's the conclusion to this two part adventure. Is it me or was that a little too simplistic a temporary defeat for the Shadow Kin? I know this show is influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer (something we're reminded of once per episode) but April's scimitar wielding skills seemed to be on a par with older Amy's from The Girl Who Waited? Basically this lot gave up their King a little too easily and allowed April to use them to solve the other alien menace of the week.

I did like the scenes with April and Ram on the Underneath world, which was decently shot for a planet/quarry. I also liked the frank discussion both of them had about knowing the other for a month and even the inclusion of Varun and Huw during the latter half of the episode had it's moments too. As for the scenes with Jackie regaining her mobility, that was a bit of a dicey one for me. The intention behind it seemed well meaning but a little misguided as well.

Of course, April would've been better having the Shadow King annihilated and it's pretty obvious that her leniency will backfire on her in the series finale. Of course, April wasn't the only one having to juggle their morality in this one.

Charlie found his hand being forced by both Quill and Ames (both of whom were working with and against each other at different points here) into using the Cabinet of Souls and both very nearly got what they wanted here had it not been for April's last minute plan with the Shadow Kin. I did find myself more on Quill's side at times than I did Charlie's, which I'm not sure I was supposed to. As for Matteusz, he was mostly the voice of reason between three very morally skewered aliens here.

Keeping with Ames, the show certainly seems to be having fun with her ambiguity. She had no problem pointing a gun at Matteusz in order to get Charlie to play along with her demands but also had some fun in playing Charlie and Quill off each other. We did learn that the Governors aren't strictly bad though and she seems sincere in her promise to help Quill regain her freedom though.

- Tanya was also the voice of reason in this episode by getting through to April and Ram's parents. I liked that about her.
- Even though April has somewhat become their ruler, the Shadow Kin refer to her as a King though.
- Come to think of, the Cabinet seems to have a slightly similar design that the Moment has, doesn't it?
- Chronology: A month since the events of For Tonight We Might Die.

Brave-ish Heart was a decent conclusion to this two-parter. I do think the Shadow Kin were temporarily defeated a little too easily but again, there were some nice enough character moments throughout the episode, so point there and I liked the killer petals.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x04: "Co-Owner Of A Lonely Heart"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Philippa Langdale

April (to Ram): "I'm going to get my heart back."

With the previous three episodes all giving Charlie, Ram and Tanya their moments to shine, it was April's turn to get her moment and with this two parter, things are off to a solid enough start. April may be sweet but with the Shadow Kin, she's also given her chance to unleash hell.

The person in particular who got both barrells of April's wrath happened to be her father, Huw, who chose the wrong time to reach out to the family he nearly killed. It seems with this episode we got a bit more on the car accident that left April's mother, Jackie in a wheelchair and seeing April under the Shadow Kin influence try to kill her father twice was certainly something.

In both incidents, Ram was there to hold April back from doing something she'd truly regret but when the episode ended with the Shadow Kin King finally realising where she was, April made the decision to go to the Underneath in order to get her heart back once and for all. Ram of course naturally decided to follow her while April's parents along with Charlie, Matteusz and Tanya didn't have time to do anything to stop either of them.

I have to admit this was a fairly strong episode for April. She seems to be a bit of a perfectionist, character wise and the episode showed her unravel a little while her connection with Ram (despite that horrible Shadow Kin inclusion) came into it's own this week as well. As for the Shadow Kin, at least something is being done with them now.

As for the rest of the episode, I did like Quill meeting the obviously alien/new principal Dorothea Ames (Pooky Quesnel), who seems wildly unpredictable. She certainly managed to make her presence known in a handful of scenes and her offer to remove the Arn from Quill is clearly something the latter will take up in the next few episodes.

- Both Tanya and Matteusz challenged Charlie on his treatment towards Quill. Charlie also tried to get Quill to pose as his guardian for parents/teachers night.
- Quill goes under the name of Andrea according to Ames. Ames is also part of the Governors.
- The killer petals idea has a nice enough subtletly but we also had that planet like things with the Lan Kin from the previous episode.
- Chronology: Not too long since the events of Nightvisiting.

Co-Owner Of A Lonely Heart is a strong enough start to the show's first two part story. I liked the exploration into April's family (though what did she do to her mother?) and getting more information on the Cabinet along with seeing the Shadow Kin world, this was a good one.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x03: "Nightvisiting"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Ed Bazalgette

Tanya (to Jasper/Lan Kin): "You don't get to have my closure, so how does that taste?"

I have to admit that out of all the main characters, Tanya is arguably the one I've least been interested in but this episode certainly saw something of an upswing as the series delved a little more into her in a nicely character driven episode.

As the previous episode stated, Tanya's father Jasper died two years ago and coming up to his anniversary, she encounters a ghostly version of him who is a little too desperate to reconnect with his grieving child. Naturally, Tanya finds this all a bit suspect and it soon becomes obvious that her father's convenient return is part of this week's alien invasion story.

The race this time being the Lan Kin, who seem to be playing on the 'Nightvisiting' folk myth that April info dumps Ram about. They seek out people who've lost other and target them. With Tanya seeing her father for the duration of this episode, there's also Ram encountering Rachel for a few scenes as well as Charlie getting a brief look at his parents one more time.

More interestingly though was seeing Quill herself encountering a nicer, humanoid looking version of her sister. I like that along with Tanya that Quill wasn't buying into the Lan Kin's attempts of connection for one moment and waited for Charlie and Matteusz to show up so she could use the former to help get some answers about the creature's true motives.

I have to admit, there was some genuinely nice character moments in this one. We had some lovely conversations with Charlie/Matteusz (including a sex scene), an insight into Tanya's relationship with her family as well as the dynamic that Quill has her with her own kin too. I do think the Lan Kin were a little hastily defeated but other than that, the characters moments made up for it though.

- Matteusz has been kicked out by his parents and is now living with Charlie and Quill. This should be interesting to see unfold.
- April is into folk music because of her father and Tanya's mother enjoys swimming.
- The flashbacks of Tanya's family life reminded me of the same thing Russell T. Davies did last year for the Lance episode of Cucumber. It was pretty effective. I also enjoyed the opening song by Jim Moray for this episode as well.
- Chronology: Not long from where The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo left off.

Nightvisiting might have left Coal Hill out of the mix, but it certainly gave the show a little more breathing space. The character moments made the episode, the music was nice and having it primarily set at night made it a little eerie too.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x02: "The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Ed Bazalgette

Ram (to Tanya): "When did you know it was the right time to start talking?"

The difficult second episode. After the opening one that set up the entire premise of the show and quickly linked itself to the Doctor Who universe, this was an episode that wanted to show people it could also stand on it's own two feet without a Time Lord stepping in to save the day. More importantly, it also gave Ram some decent focus too.

Things for Ram since Rachel's death and losing his leg/gaining a new one haven't been especially great. He's losing it on the football field to the derision of his mean spirited but hot Coach Dawson (Ben Peel) and he's also unable to talk to his father about things. He is however able to talk to Tanya while at the same putting up some distance between himself, Charlie and April.

Then there's also the fact that a scaly and scary dragon is looming around Coal Hill and is eating people up. In the first half of this episode, Ram witnessed both another coach and a cleaning lady (whom he bummed a smoke off) getting brutally killed before Charlie, April and Tanya also later witnessed the same thing happen to Mr Armitage while Quill used a robotic inspector for sacrifice too.

I liked the dragon idea and I even liked how it was Ram who effectively saved the day, even though it was his total nihilism and hopelessness resulted in the murder of the coach. Now the coach was a horrible character who seemed to have no problem in keeping the male dragon in line by threatening the female dragon's safety but he was kind of hot though. The CGI for the dragon was pretty decent though.

As for Ram, he's a bit of a dick but not a totally unlikeable one though. I like the rapport both him and Tanya have and he did seem to start to accept Charlie and April towards the end of this one. The scenes with his father were surprisingly effective too. Fady Elsayed definitely is a solid performer, even if the football stuff did slightly bore me.

As for the rest of the episode, the subplot with Quill and the robotic Inspector (Jamie Reid Quarrell) was certainly amusing. Quill should be thankful he wasn't a real school inspector, otherwise she'd never be allowed to teach in any school ever again. As for who the Governors are, well, I guess that's something to look forward to later on in the series.

- Matteusz appeared briefly in one scene during this episode. The Inspector also played Colony Sarff/Veil/Cloister Wrath last year on Doctor Who.
- Charlie's got some pretty cool drawing skills if this episode is anything to go by.
- If you think this episode feels familiar, watch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode, Go Fish. You get added Wentworth Miller too. I'm just saying is all.
- Chronology: Not long from where For Tonight We Might Die left off.

The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo had it's moments of gore, it's moments of frank discussion regarding grief and certainly saw the team slowly come together to beat the dragon. The episode wasn't amazing and I do think the show is lacking a little something but it was a solid enough second episode for the show.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Class's 1x01: "For Tonight We Might Die"

Written by Patrick Ness
Directed by Ed Bazalgette

The Doctor (to the gang): "Time has looked at your faces and time, time, never forgets."

I know, it's been over a month since BBC3 online dropped this show and between catching up with other series and shaking my head at the overall shoddy promotion for the latest Doctor Who spin-off and reading the mixed comments online, I've finally sat down and properly watched the first episode and you know what, it's not bad.

I think we forget that when Torchwood started off a decade ago when BBC3 was a physical channel, it didn't impress straight away and took a little time to really grab audiences (whereas The Sarah Jane Adventures impressed everyone from the off). Whether or not Class will get that chance remains to be seen but it's certainly a decent set up here.

First of all, you've got the Prince of Rhodia himself, Charlie Smith (Greg Austin) with his enemy turned forced bodyguard and physics teacher Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly) taking refuge on Earth, attending Coal Hill and generally trying to avoid trouble until the Shadow Kin managed to track them down and cause a little mayhem at the prom.

Caught up in the mix of things as well are kind hearted April MacLean (Sophie Hopkins), soccer hunk Ram Singh (Fady Elsayed), brainbox Tanya Adeola (Vivian Oparah) and Polish student Matteusz  Andrzejewski (Jordan Renzo), who was also Charlie's date for the prom itself. All of these kids are given quite the education on monsters from time and space but it's really two of them that suffer the consequences of the new discovery.

Ram himself has to suffer seeing his date Rachel (Anna Shaffer) being butchered in front of him by Shadow Kin leader Corakinus (Paul Marc Davis) while losing his leg (though he's given another one later on in the story) and April finds herself very much linked to the Kin that it forms most of the dilemma for this story as Charlie has reservations about killing her.

Then there's the appearance of the Doctor. With Coal Hill being a tenuous link to the parent show, having Peter Capaldi pop up for a few minutes to help partly resolve the story while informing the rest of the gang why he won't be showing up every week. Capaldi's appearance is nice but a part of me is wondering whether or not it actually helps or hinders the episode and set up for the series in general.

The main characters themselves seem like a decent bunch. Miss Quill probably stands out the most and seems a little amoral, while the rapport between her and Charlie has all the potential to really boil over throughout the series, especially with that cabinet in the mix as well. Ram and Tanya also have some good moments and their 'secret' friendship is kind of nice while April kind of feels like the sort of person you'd expect as a companion of the Doctor. Matteusz has some quippy moments and religious parents but he's the least emphasised of the characters in this opening story.

As for the Shadow Kin, they look impressive enough though something of a mash up of the Vashta Nerada and the Pyroville creature from the parent show's fourth series. Going by the trailers though, it does seem like they won't be the only problem that Coal Hill's rift/crack thingy will be attracting throughout the series.

- Both BBC1 and BBCAmerica should be airing this show along with the BBC3 releases. Holding off seems foolish in retrospect.
- Is it me or are April, Ram and Tanya all from single parent families? Whereas Quill is technically viewed as Charlie's legal guardian to less savvy people perhaps.
- Mr Armitage from Into The Dalek/The Caretaker is still principal and we got to see Susan, Clara and Danny's name on the board during one scene with the Doctor.
- Alex Care's Up All Night is the theme tune for the series. I'm not too taken with the credit sequence but I might grow to like it as the series goes on.

For Tonight We Might Die is a strong enough opening episode for the series. Like Torchwood's first episode, it's far from perfect but the general set up isn't bad. I do think the show overall has more in common with series such as Being Human or Misfits than it does with being a Doctor Who universe series. It's not perfect but it's got something though.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Doctor Who & Class: Spoilers From NYCC 2016

The last few the casts for both Doctor Who and Class have been at New York Comic Con and as a result, some genuinely tantalising information has finally been unveiled for both shows. A rundown of said information.

First of all, we've finally got a title for Christmas 2016 - The Return Of Doctor Mysterio! Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Ed Bazelgette, the 60 minute special will star Justin Chatwin (Shameless US) as a superhero named Grant/Doctor Mysterio who teams up with the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and an investigative journalist (Charity Wakefield) to battle an invading alien force in New York during Christmas. The special which also sees the return of Nardole (Matt Lucas) will also feature  Adetomiwa Edun, Aleksandar Jovanovic and Logan Hoffman. I have to admit a superhero themed episode certainly seems a little odd (though the idea was previously explored in The Mind Robber) but the look of Chatwin's costume and the preview clip for it certainly has piqued my interest for this upcoming episode.

Elsewhere and with the show debuting in exactly two weeks time on BBC3, two trailers were unveiled for spin-off series, Class. The first trailer focused more on Peter Capaldi's Doctor but the second trailer gave us more of a look into the main characters themselves - Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly), Charlie (Greg Austin), Ram (Fady Elsayed), April (Sophie Hopkins), Tanya (Vivian Oparah) and Mattheusz (Jordan Renzo). References to certain television shows, hooks up among certain characters and that impending sense of doom aside, I do think both trailers helped to really sell the show. While Class certainly feels closer to Torchwood than The Sarah Jane Adventures, I do think both trailers helped to sell the show somewhat better and it looks like it will be a worthy addition to the Doctor Who universe.

As for the upcoming tenth series, while we didn't get any trailers for it (aside from the Christmas special footage), we did get some intriguing bits though from cast and crew. Pearl Mackie who plays Bill did mention that her character will be "geeky, have a big heart and a bit of a temper" while Steven Moffat hinted that Nardole will be something of a valet for the Doctor but could also have a "sinister" side to him. Peter Capaldi also let slip that a haunted house episode will appear in the upcoming series and there's currently rumours that a writer from the Classic Series will be scribing an episode for the show.

Christmas 2016 Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/eb314362-53ff-4ea0-b2fe-6aceab693911
Class Trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzjt5SXgMqk & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAycTsDzW-w

Doctor Who will return with The Return Of Doctor Mysterio on Christmas Day on BBC1 and BBCAmerica. Class will air Saturdays from October 22nd on BBC3 and on BBCAmerica from Spring 2017 with Series 10 of the main show.

Class - Everything You Need To Know

It's less than a month to go but finally, some concrete information in relation to upcoming BBC3 series and Doctor Who spin-off, Class has been confirmed as yesterday the cast and crew took part in a Facebook chat. Here's what we now know for definite.

- The characters are Miss Quill (Katherine Kelly), a physics teacher with maybe an evil streak, the hapless leader and gay Charlie (Greg Austin), the passionate and caring Ram (Fady Elsayed), wise and mentally strong, April (Sophie Hopkins) and child prodigy Tanya (Vivian Oparah).
- The characters are charged by the Doctor to take care of a great responsibility against some alien creatures.
- Expect a gay sex scene in the third episode and also expect this show to be quite bloody in parts.
- The first two episodes will drop on BBC3 from October 22nd. They are titled For Tonight We Might Die and The Coach With The Dragon Tattoo.
- BBCAmerica however will not air the series until 2017 as they are pairing it with the tenth series of Doctor Who. Canada however plan to air it to coincide with UK transmission.
- Peter Capaldi will be appearing in the first episode as the Doctor.
- Other cast members include Jordan Renzo, Pooky Quesnel, Nigel Betts, Anna Schaffer, Paul Marc Davies and Shannon Murray.
- Lucky people can see the first episode from October 20th at Class World Premiere in Shoreditch, London.

A trailer for the series however seems to be a bit further off but one will be seen at NYCC from October 5th-7th, which the cast are attending for the BBCAmerica panel. There will also be a Doctor Who panel with Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas in attendance with some exclusive footage for the year's Christmas special and Series 10. Speaking of the Christmas special, it's been confirmed that Matt Lucas will be appearing in it as Nardole and that it will be directed by Ed Bazelgette (The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived) and so far, that's all that's been confirmed.

Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5MzbR5LJXbTVKtTR5bn4VHQ/6-things-you-need-to-know-about-class

Class airs Saturdays on BBC3 from October 22nd and will air on BBCAmerica from Spring 2017. Filming for Doctor Who's tenth series continues.

Doctor Who - Series 10: Casting & Writers Confirmed

It was nearly two months ago that Pearl Mackie was confirmed as new companion, Bill and now with production starting up, the BBC have released some interesting new items about Series 10 of Doctor Who.

First of all, Matt Lucas will be reprising his role as Nardole from The Husbands Of River Song and it seems that from the press release, it'll be for multiple episodes. I have to admit, this isn't news I was particularly hoping for to be honest. The character wasn't that great in the Christmas special and while I appreciate that Moffat's last run is aiming for a lighter tone, I think there are better past guest characters that Moffat could've brought back instead. Moffat on Lucas's return ....

“Delighted and slightly amazed to be welcoming Matt Lucas back on to the TARDIS - and this time it’s not just for Christmas, he’s sticking around. One of the greatest comedy talents on planet Earth is being unleashed on all of time and space.” 

The first two episodes of the tenth series will be written by Steven Moffat and Frank Cottrell Boyce, the latter returning since writing the eighth series episode, In The Forest Of The Night. Both episodes will be directed by Lawrence Gough. The second block of episodes will be penned by Sarah Dollard (Face The Raven) and Doctor Foster's Mike Bartlett. That's an interesting bunch of writers so far. Also guesting in the series will be Stephanie Hyam (Jekyll & Hyde, Peaky Blinders). Hyam will be playing a character named Heather, according to her online CV.

As for the main companion herself, Moffat did drop a few more hints about Pearl Mackie's Bill. In an interview for the 500th issue of DWM, Moffat stated that Bill could be short for Billie (or possibly, Belinda), name wise, that the character will be from the present day and that unlike Rose, Amy and Clara, the character is not a "forgotten princess" type. When also asked about meeting Bill's family, Moffat stated that we'll meet people around Bill, which sounds intriguing. Moffat has also stated that he will be writing four episodes for the upcoming series.

Meanwhile with filming for BBC3 online spin-off, Class still underway, creator Patrick Ness has confirmed through his recent tweets that at least one of the regular male character will be gay and will have a boyfriend. Ness didn't specify who the character will be but seeing as we only have two regulars with Greg Austin and Fady Elsayed, it's guaranteed to be at least one of these two characters. Although I had hope we'd get an LGBT character in this spin off, I'm really glad that Ness has now confirmed it though.

Matt Lucas Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/6d059f23-2325-4a46-9b5e-cd0ad94b4a59
Class News: http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/class/37676/class-patrick-ness-talks-lgbt-representation

Class is currently filming and will air on BBC3/BBC1 and BBCAmerica in the autumn. Filming for Series 10 of Doctor Who starts June 20th with a Christmas special to air this year.

Class - Main Cast Confirmed For BBC3 Spin-Off

Six months ago, the BBC announced a Doctor Who spin-off set in Coal Hill, spearheaded by YA writer Patrick Ness, called Class and that it would be airing on BBC3 online and BBC1 respectively. Now today we finally know the main casting for the show and have been given a more intriguing synopsis for the series.

So far it seems that the show will focus on five characters - a teacher played by former Coronation Street/Mr Selfridge actress, Katherine Kelly while the students themselves will be played by Greg Austin (also from Mr Selfridge), Fady Elsayed, Vivian Oparah and Sophie Hopkins. The lack of names released for the characters aside, the press release indicates that Kelly's teacher character has been described as a powerful presence. Also rumoured but not confirmed in the press release is the return of Nigel Betts's principal Mr Armitage from the Doctor Who eighth series episodes Into The Dalek and The Caretaker. Ed Bazelgette is directing the first block of episodes, having previously helmed the ninth series episodes, The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived.

With filming due to begin on the spin-off series this week, the press release certainly had a lot of interesting choice descriptions as to what viewers can expect with Class ....

Like all sixth formers, these four Coal Hill School students have hidden secrets and desires. They are facing their own worst fears, navigating a life of friends, parents, school work, sex, sorrow - and possibly the end of existence.

Coal Hill School has been a part of the Doctor Who Universe since the very beginning, but that has come at a price. All the time travelling over the years has caused the very walls of space and time to become thin. There’s something pressing in on the other side, something waiting for its chance to kill everyone and everything, to bring us all into Shadow.

Fear is coming, tragedy is coming, war is coming. Prepare yourselves, Class is coming.

And there's also this gem ....

“Time has looked at your faces now. And time never forgets…”

What if your planet was massacred and you were the sole survivor?

What if a legendary figure out of space and time found you a place to hide?

But what if the things that want to kill you have tracked you down?


And worst of all, what if you haven't studied for your A-Levels…?

Possibly one of the students is a bit cosmic? Or perhaps Katherine Kelly's teacher?

Further into the release you have both Steven Moffat and Patrick Ness citing Class as a British Buffy The Vampire Slayer and with an older cast for the younger role (all of them are in their twenties, lol), it definitely seems that Ness might not have been kidding when he said this show would tackle some darker material. The tagline itself is telling us that fear, tragedy and war are coming and it'll be interesting to see if anyone from the main show (the Doctor specifically) will appear in the series. Coal Hill still might not have been my choice for a spin-off but I have to admit that after some initial reservations that I'm on board for this show.

Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/c6c27089-2572-44f5-ae60-7b8ecc86761b

Class is currently in production and will air on BBC3 online, BBC1 and BBCAmerica later in 2016. Further casting is to be revealed in due course.

Doctor Who/Class - Recent Rumours/Spoilers Addressed

With five episodes left in the ninth series of Doctor Who and Jenna Coleman's departure as Clara Oswald looming, discussions have been circulating about the show's current situation. So let's clarify some things.

 - First of all, there will be a tenth series comprising of 12 episodes and a Christmas special, starring Peter Capaldi. Filming should begin at some point in 2016, but when pressed into revealing when it will air, Steven Moffat was unable to confirm.
- He has said, contrary to a published rumour in The Mirror that the show will not be halved.
- More interesting though is that both Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi have agreed that the show is airing in too late a time slot and would prefer an earlier one. Take the hint, BBC.
- The next companion will be someone new and not a previous recurring character (no Osgood or Shona then). Capaldi even cited wanting a working class companion like Rose Tyler.

After weeks of various and contradicting spoilers, it's nice to have some confirmation but until the ninth series and possibly the Christmas special with River Song actually air, I have a feeling we'll be waiting for definitive confirmation as to what will film and what will actually air in the next year or two.

Personally, I really do suspect that most of Series 10 at best will film in 2016 but that the series itself will air during Autumn 2016 and Spring 2017 with a Christmas special sandwiched between, in a similar manner to how the seventh series was dealt with in 2012 and 2013. I also think it'll end up being a swansong for both Moffat and Capaldi but that's speculation on my part, not an actual spoiler.

In terms of a new companion, I echo Capaldi's sentiments but I also think it might be a good idea to have two companions as well - introduce a new female companion in the first half and then a male companion in the second half of Series 10 and have both of them from different times and not romantically involved with each other.

I'm also hoping that with the BBC losing The Voice as well that the show will eventually move back to Spring because it's becoming increasingly clear that it's struggling in an Autumn slot at the moment.

Meanwhile the upcoming Coal Hill based spin-off, Class has had some little spoilers revealing but it still seems like things are early days with that show at the moment ....

- Patrick Ness hasn't confirmed whether or not the show will feature any guest appearances from Peter Capaldi, though to be honest I would be shocked if he doesn't at least cameo in one episode.
- According to Ness's own Twitter account, he's written a scene that is disgusting and evil for one episode, which sounds intriguing.
- The emphasis is going to be primarily on new characters, monsters and situations here.
- He already knows the last line of the first season, which is something that he cites as to doing with his books.

I'm still a little mixed on this show and I do get Ness's urge to do something new but at the same time, the odd familiar element here and there to remind people that Class exists in the same universe as Doctor Who wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Hopefully by the time the upcoming finale Heaven Sent/Hell Bent has aired, we'll have some more concrete details on both the main series and upcoming spin-off.

Doctor Who Spoilers/Rumours: http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/

Doctor Who currently airs Saturdays on BBC1 and BBC America until December 5th.

Class - New Doctor Who Spin-Off For BBC3

Last night the Official Twitter page for Doctor Who buzzed audiences about a special announcement at 11pm. Some of us thought it was going to be the announcement of the new companion or that perhaps Steven Moffat might be stepping down. Even the idea of more missing episodes being recovered was covered. Suffice to say, it was none of the above.

Instead it was the announcement of a brand new spin-off, titled Class, spearheaded by American YA writer Patrick Ness and set in Coal Hill School.

The series will run for eight episodes, 45 minutes long, will air on BBC3 (which should be online by the time this actually airs) and according to the press release from the BBC ....

Class is a YA series set in contemporary London. Incredible dangers are breaking through the walls of time and space, and with darkness coming, London is unprotected. With all the action, heart and adrenalin of the best YA fiction (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Hunger Games), this is Coal Hill School and Doctor Who like you’ve never seen them before.

Class is executive produced by Steven Moffatt, Patrick Ness and Brian Minchin. It was commissioned by Damian Kavanagh, Controller BBC Three and Polly Hill, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning.

Ness's previous credit for Doctor Who is the Fifth Doctor ebook, Tip Of The Tongue, released back in 2013. He's also best known for his Chaos Walking trilogy and one of his novels, A Monster Calls is currently a movie starring Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones.

Needless to say, the reaction for the spin-off has been a mixed bag so far and I have to admit that I have some reservations. However to keep things balanced, I've compiled a list of pros and cons in relation to Class ....

Pros

- A spin-off. Always a pro and shows a confidence in the main show. Not to mention the fact that we haven't had one since 2011.
- Patrick Ness seems like a really nice bloke and a great writer. Plus one of the things the franchise could do with is more new voices. This could and probably will lead to Ness scribing an episode for Series 10 as well.
- Should certainly help in promoting the online version of BBC3 by next year. Remember Torchwood was a big hit for them when it debuted in 2006.
- Class could/should feature one or two familiar characters. More Ian/12th Doctor than Courtney (though she's more likely tbh). I definitely think an appearance (even brief) from Chesterton or Capaldi's Doctor on this show would be a good thing. The series will not feature Jenna Coleman as departing companion, Clara Oswald. Perhaps one or two familiar monsters too.

Cons

- There are better/more interesting ideas (Paternoster Gang, UNIT) for a spin-off than Coal Hill if I'm being candid and it'll need to differentiate itself from The Sarah Jane Adventures as well to stand out.
- Casting needs to be great for this one. It really does need to be great because the Whoverse can be a mixed bag for casting younger actors.
- I think it's an indicator that Series 10 of the main show might be spread over two years as well, ala Series 7 was. This is something that Private Eye alluded to months ago and something the BBC seem to be skirting around confirming as well.

Class could go either way as a show but I don't want to write it off though. While I do think there are far more interesting ideas to explore for a spin-off - two of which I've already mentioned, I do wish Patrick Ness luck with this series and I do intend to keep blogging about it (particularly as casting/writers/directors are confirmed) and will watch it/likely review it as it airs too.

Press Release: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/953c5b1f-3cc8-4db9-8184-f1b6567260f1
Patrick Ness Facts: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-10-01/who-is-patrick-ness-meet-the-man-behind-the-new-doctor-who-spin-off-class

Filming for Class will begin in Spring 2016 for an Autumn broadcast on BBC3 (online by then) and later BBC1.