Doctor Who - Christmas Cancelled + Show Tendered

This was not the blog post I wanted to be writing today but alas, here we are.

The moment has been kinda prepared for.

The BBC confirmed several important things today in relation to the show's future.

• Christmas special has been officially cancelled and there was no script in place. 
• Russell T. Davies and Bad Wolf Productions have exited the show.
• The show will be put out to tender with further details to be confirmed in due course.
• The animated show for CBBC will still be going ahead.

Where do I begin with this one? I hate to admit it, but I sort of saw it coming. The last few weeks were giving no progress on the Christmas special and RTD seemed reticent to talk about the show at all. I had hoped that maybe the special would be delayed until Easter 2027 but being cancelled, I'm not gonna lie - it's a genuine disappointment and the first time in very long time, it does feel like the show could be danger of not coming back for a long time. I'm not sure if RTD's Instagram post offered much reassurance either.

Over the last few years, Doctor Who has undeniably divided audiences with many creative choices. Whether it's things like bigeneration, the Timeless Child or the show's hit and miss handling of societal topics, for a good portion of the audience, the show has simply stopped being fun. I've liked some stuff in recent years but even I can't defend a lot of the more controversial choices that have negatively impacted the show and driven away casual audiences.

When the show comes back, it needs to strike a good balance between being educational but also entertaining and accessible to a wider audience. Everything is going to be key - a new streaming partner, a new show runner as well as casting and so on. Either the show will come back in a blaze of glory or it really will be the end for now.

I'll always talk about the show on here whenever I can. That's not gonna change. Allonsy.

Doctor Who - Christmas 2026 Special Shelved? 30th Anniversary of TV Movie

I didn't think I'd be doing two Doctor Who blog posts this month but here we are. A part of this of course is celebrating a certain piece of the show's history but most of this will look at the show's future and in the latter case, I'm starting to worry.

On Monday, The Sun newspaper (yes that infernal rag) posted that the upcoming Christmas special could be delayed to Easter 2027, due to casting availability. On top of that, they've also claimed that the show is currently struggling cast an actor to succeed Ncuti Gatwa (who recently hosted the UK version of Saturday Night Live). Apparently the role has now become a poison chalice.

For months, most viewers/fans, etc naturally assumed that the upcoming special, written by Russell T. Davies would be lead by David Tennant and Billie Piper. There was also the possible chance of the actor cast as the 16th Doctor would likely factor at the end of the special. How naive we were?

We're about to head into the summer months and we're still none the wiser with what's going on. In the past the show could film close to time and get a Christmas special on the air. With rumours of a September filming, it's unlikely the special would be complete, post production wise to make the Christmas Day slot of old.

Adding to the frustration, when the Radio Times pressed the BBC for confirmation, they declined to comment on the matter. As much as I'd rather not be negative, I think the writings on the wall with this one. Until confirmed otherwise, I have a horrible feeling the special will be moved to Easter 2027 and that the show at the moment is struggling to find a new actor.

I was hoping with AMC+ recently acquiring the 2005-2022 era for their streaming service that maybe we were due a more positive announcement but alas, it wasn't meant to be for now.

On a brighter note, today marks the 30th anniversary of The TV Movie or The Enemy Within. It's been thirty years since we first met Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and while the movie wasn't initially a fan favourite, it's something that's grown in love overtime. Eight things I loved about it.

• The actual interior of the TARDIS. It's gorgeous.
• Paul's performance as the Eighth Doctor. 
• Eric Roberts as the Master. This one took a while but I do love his take on the Doctor's best enemy.
• Daphne Ashbrook as Dr. Grace Holloway. 
• Setting the events over the course of New Year's Eve.
• I actually liked Chang Lee the more I've rewatched this film.
• The Eight/Grace romance was nicely handled.
• "I always dress for the occasion" - that line cracks me up.

I'll definitely be watching the movie over the weekend. I imagine many Doctor Who fans will be doing the same.

Hopefully answers surrounding the show's future will be confirmed soon because right now, I think we should all be a little concerned.

Doctor Who - AMC+ Acquire US Streaming Rights

I was hoping the next time I'd do a Doctor Who blog it was going to be revealing information about this year's Christmas special but apparently not yet. 

With the Disney+ deal well and truly over, it's been revealed that the 2005-2022 era of Doctor Who will exclusively stream on AMC+ for US audiences from June 11th. I can't say it's entirely a shock.

There was rumours for a while that the show would land on that particular service. Could this mean that the BBC have a potential new streaming partner from 2027 onwards? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

As for this year's Christmas special, it looks like we're going to have to wait a while before any news coming to light.

Meanwhile Big Finish and fans of the Fugitive Doctor in general can enjoy the multimedia event, Circuit Breaker. This event will also include a novel written by Jo Martin herself, due for release in September.

As for The War Between The Land And The Sea, I think we can safely assume that Disney+ will never release this show. It's been five months since it aired on BBC1 and not a sign yet they're bothered with it.

I'll post more Doctor Who stuff when new information comes to light.

Doctor Who News - Missing Episodes Recovered And Other Bits

It's been a while since I've done a Doctor Who related blog. Actually, I think this might be the first one this year.

Let's start things off on a positive note first. There was the recent news of two more missing episodes being recovered. Those episodes were The Nightmare Begins and Devil's Planet from The Daleks Master Plan. This now means that there's 95 episodes from the classic era that are still missing. These recovered episodes are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer. I watched both of them last night and it made me happy to have seen them properly for the first time. Here's to more missing episodes getting recovered.

Now on to more frustrating things. 

Christmas 2026. Six months since a special was announced, we are still none the wiser as to what the hell is going on with it. Aside from Russell T. Davies causing more division among fans with his poor choice of sound bites (love RTD but he's not helping himself these days), both him and the BBC have given us little to work with. 

If the special is going to be a David Tennant and Billie Piper led one and it looks like it will be, then it could be a while before filming commences as both are filming upcoming seasons of Time and Wednesday respectively.

That's assuming it's this particular pair leading the upcoming special. Surely, we're due some actual news on the special within the next few weeks? 

Last but not least but what the hell is going on with The War Between The Land And The Sea? It's been nearly four months since it's debut on BBC1 and Disney+ have yet to release it to international audiences. In fact, at this point it's starting to look less and less likely they'll even bother with this show. 

After publicly cutting ties with the main show itself, are Disney+ going to bother releasing a spin off to it? I don't think they will. In fact, I'm surprised they just didn't dump it all at once during the start of the year. If you still haven't seen it, you might have to find other methods in order to watch the show.

Hopefully my next blog in relation to the show will be something more telling about it's actual future.

Doctor Who - Christmas And New Year Specials Ranked

Today marks the 20th anniversary since Christmas and New Year's Specials became something of a thing within the Doctor Who Universe. As we're not getting one today (a genuine missed opportunity), I thought I'd rank the ones we already have. Best to worst of course.

1: The Christmas Invasion (2005)

The debut of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor really set the bar high for these specials as Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) had to get used to her friend looking different during the Sycorax invasion.

2: The Snowmen (2012)

The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) in Victorian London meeting up with another version of Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), the Paternoster Gang and the Great Intelligence (Richard E. Grant).

3: A Christmas Carol (2010)

The first Christmas special for the Eleventh Doctor and while Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), it gave us memorable guest performances from Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins.

4: Last Christmas (2014)

The Twelfth Doctor's (Peter Capaldi) first Christmas special had him and Clara on a base in the Arctic with a parasitic creature and freaking Santa Claus (Nick Frost).

5: The End Of Time (2009-2010)

A two part event that saw the exit of the Tenth Doctor being teamed up with Wilfred Mott (Bernard Cribbins) while facing off both the Master (John Simm) and Rassilon (Timothy Dalton). Add in a lot of cameos and this marked a great exit for David Tennant.

6: Revolution Of The Daleks (2021)

The Thirteenth Doctor's (Jodie Whittaker) second encounter with the Daleks during the New Year was actually better than her first one. It was certainly bigger with the departures of Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), the return of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and tension with Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill).

7: The Time Of The Doctor (2013)

The exit of the Eleventh Doctor on Trenzalore made for a rather satisfying and emotionally charged final performance for Matt Smith. It also put Clara through the ringer as well.

8: Voyage Of The Damned (2007)

The most blockbuster Christmas special of them all. A spaceship named the Titanic, a cringey Cyborg baddie in Max Capricorn, Heavenly Hosts, Russell Tovey as a fit Midshipman Frame and of course Kylie Minogue's Astrid Peth.

9: Resolution (2019)

The first Dalek story for the Thirteenth Doctor and unfunny jokes about UNIT and the internet being down to one side, I think it's aged pretty well. Also focusing on one Dalek worked in it's favour.

10: The Next Doctor (2008)

Okay, it's false advertising as most of us would be guessed that David Morrissey wasn't going to be the next Doctor. It didn't stop him and David Tennant being a fantastic double act, Dervla Kirwan being a delight as the sadistic Mercy or the Cybermen being used well enough.

11: The Husbands Of River Song (2015)

While I'll always associate River Song (Alex Kingston) with the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory, there's no denying how much chemistry she had with the Twelfth Doctor. Alex Kingston and Peter Capaldi were magical together.

12: Twice Upon A Time (2017)

While not my favourite regeneration story, it's one that I've grown to like a little more over time. It's more small scale with Peter Capaldi playing well with David Bradley's First Doctor and Mark Gatiss as another Lethbridge-Stewart. Not to mention a nice final return for Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie) and cameos from Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) and Nardole (Matt Lucas).

13: The Runaway Bride (2006)

Ah, the debut of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). She took some getting used to in this second special but what a double act with her and David Tennant. Also points to Sarah Parish for the scenery chewing as the Empress of the Racnoss.

14: The Church On Ruby Road (2023)

I might have highly rated this one upon initial viewing as now certain elements didn't age well (singing goblins) but it's a strong debut episode for Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday.

15: Eve Of The Daleks (2022)

The final Dalek story for the 13th Doctor and Yaz but also including Dan Lewis (John Bishop). The repetitive timeline was fine enough but it's the weakest Dalek story for this particular era.

16: Joy To The World (2024)

The second special for the Fifteenth Doctor and it's one where Steven Moffat could've done more with the Time Hotel concept. It loses points for wasting Nicola Coughlan's Joy Almondo.

17: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio (2016)

A superhero themed special following the antics of The Ghost (Justin Chatwin) in New York. It's easily the weakest special from the Twelfth era but there's a special even weaker than this one.

18: The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe (2011)

One of the few times in which schmaltzy was taken to extremes with this show attempting their own take on Narnia as the Eleventh Doctor was paired with Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) and her children. Of course it's dead last in this line up.

As for everything else, well here's an honourable mentions round up. I quite enjoyed the use of Christmas and New Year's Eve in K9 And Company (1981) and Doctor Who: The Movie (1996). There's also The Feast Of Steven (1965) as well as the brief flashes of Christmas in episodes such as Turn Left (2008), The Power Of Three (2012) and The Pilot (2017) to name but a few.

Next year will see the show return with another Christmas special, which will be written by Russell T. Davies. Will it serve as a good ending to a rather divisive second era? Time will tell.

Merry Christmas Doctor Who fans. I hope you reading this as I did writing it.

Doctor Who Day 2025 Round Up

I'm fully aware that it was yesterday that was Doctor Who Day with the show turning 62. 

So, did we get anything to really get excited about? Not really no.

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting a lot to happen yesterday but even I was surprised with how underwhelming things felt. In terms of what we got was the following.

• A release date for the Series 10 soundtrack. After eight years, it'll be released on December 12th.
• The scripts and deleted scenes for Series 15. The interesting bit being a certain moment from The Reality War revealed.
• The cast from The War Between The Land And The Sea wishing the show a happy birthday.
• A reveal of an upcoming anthology book titled 1001 Nights In Time And Space.

And that was about it really. No hints of any involvement in Children In Need. Nothing potentially tantalising for next year's Christmas special, which definitely appears to be Russell T. Davies last one. Not even a new trailer for the spin off that's airing on BBC1 in less than a fortnight. Speaking of which.

Let's talk about The War Between The Land And The Sea, shall we? BBC1 are burning it off with two double bills and finale (December 7th-21st) and it does feel like they simply want it out of the way. From what I can tell, the focus will be on humans Vs. Sea Devils with Barclay Pierre Dupont (Russell Tovey) and Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) also forging a connection of their own. This could be a good show but it doesn't feel like the BBC have much faith in it at the moment.

Last but not least, was anyone hoping for a reunion between Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill? Well, you're getting one as the pair have teamed up for a new podcast titled The Pondcast. They'll be going over their time as Amy and Rory and one of the confirmed guests is Steven Moffat. While it feels everyone is doing a podcast at the moment, I really cannot wait to listen/watch this one. Going over one of the best eras of Doctor Who? Count me in.

The next Doctor Who blog will either be something festive related or hopefully something news related. 

Doctor Who Future: Disney+ Part Ways, Christmas 2026 Confirmed And Spin-off Airing This Year

After months of radio silence, today of all days the BBC decided to drop a few bombs in regards to the future of Doctor Who. Most of these reveals won't shock but here goes nothing.

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. After twenty one episodes, comprising of the eras for both the Fourteenth (David Tennant) and Fifteenth Doctors (Ncuti Gatwa) respectively, Disney have parted ways with Doctor Who. Of course, there's still the upcoming spin-off but yup, the show has been booted out of the House of Mouse. Going by the online reactions, most fans aren't particularly saddened by this turn of events. 

As for the future of the series, not only have the BBC doubled down on an animated spin-off that was announced a few months ago, they've also confirmed a Christmas special for 2026. Russell T. Davies will write the episode but as of yet, no cast members have been confirmed for the special. Of course I'm using a picture of David Tennant and Billie Piper (last seen in The Giggle and The Reality War) because I'm convinced both are likely going to be lined up for this episode. I'm also convinced this special will likely serve as a finale for Russell T. Davies divisive second era before the BBC confirm a future series in a few months with a different showrunner and Doctor no doubt.

Last but not least, there's upcoming spin-off,  The War Between The Land And The Sea. A few months ago, it was being pushed to 2026 but its now revealed that the show, starring Russell Tovey (Barclay) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Salt) will air on the BBC in December and on Disney+ in 2026. The five part series was written by Russell T. Davies and Pete McTighe and directed by Dylan Holmes Williams, focusing on a conflict between mankind and the Sea Devils. The series will also feature Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley and Colin MacFarlane.

Press Release: https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/bbc-confirms-future-of-doctor-who-and-a-new-christmas-special-in-2026

Filming for the 2026 Christmas special of Doctor Who will commence early next year. I'll post more details as they become available.

The Future Of The Whoniverse: Actual Details To Discuss

Yes, it's been months since I've posted anything in relation to Doctor Who and given how there's been very little to talk about, can you blame me? Today however changed that. Let's dive in.

So, what exactly is going on with Doctor Who itself? Well, according to BBC Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips "the TARDIS is going absolutely nowhere" and I quote. Whether the show will remain in partnership with Disney+ however does continue to be the unanswered question but Phillips has reassured that the show will continue on BBC regardless of the outcome with the streamer. This was mentioned at the Edinburgh Television Festival today.

It's not an entirely satisfying answer of sorts. Right now, we had an extremely divisive finale back in May that saw Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into Billie Piper and we're still none the wiser as to whether the latter will be playing the 16th Doctor and in what capacity. Looks like we're going to wait longer for that answer.

However in news that likely won't shock anyone, the indecision regarding the main show's Disney+ future has likely impacted upcoming spin off, The War Between The Land And The Sea. First of all, this had a trailer premiere back in May that got eclipsed by the reaction to the recent finale of the main show itself.

It's been now confirmed that this spin off won't air this year as originally thought. Instead, it'll go to 2026, so for those who were looking forward to UNIT versus the Sea Devils or a potential interspecies romance between main characters Barclay (Russell Tovey) and Salt (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), you'll be waiting a bit longer for that. Sadly, I did suspect this show was going to be delayed.

As for current showrunner, Russell T. Davies, he has been doing recent interviews but not really providing anything concrete in regards to the future of Doctor Who. A few weeks ago, he did talk about having the scripts completed for his upcoming Channel 4 show, TipToe. 

Speaking of Channel 4, it was confirmed this week that Steven Moffat would be writing a drama for them called Number10, based on a certain famous British house that's due to start filming soon. Casting announcements will be imminent.

What of Chris Chibnall though? He's got upcoming Agatha Christie adaptation, The Seven Dials Mystery for Netflix and an ITV adaptation of his book, Death At The White Hart.

Doctor Who fans, we're in for a long wait for some proper answers regarding the show's future.

Doctor Who - CBeebies Animated Spin Off In The Works

Well, this was news I wasn't expecting to be honest. Sorry for the #RIPDoctorWho crowd I guess.

This morning, it was announced that CBeebies was looking to expand the Doctor Who universe by commissioning an animated spin-off. Details revealed include.

• Aimed for the pre-school audience.
• Will see the Doctor travelling through time and space and solving mysteries with companions and other friends.
• Will be independent from the main show itself.
• CBeebies are looking for companies to pitch for the show as they commit to the UK's animation industry.
• 52 episodes, 11 minutes long. 26 for a first season for 2027-2028 and the other 26 for a second season for 2028-2029 transmission.

Now, Doctor Who entering the world of animation isn't that new a concept. For the last few years, we've had various episodes from the classic series restored in animation. We've also had animated spin-offs with The Infinity Quest, Dreamland and Daleks!. Even the live action show itself has had animated sequences in episodes such as Can You Hear Me? and Lux. Perhaps this was inevitable after all.

So far, the idea does seem rather vague but if I were to make an educated guess, I'm not expecting this show to focus on a recent Doctor. In fact, I'm willing to bet that the Doctor for this show will either be a younger version of the First Doctor or a new Doctor from an unspecified timeline but either way, I expect movement on this spin off to happen pretty fast.

Now what about the main show itself? It's been nearly two weeks since we saw Ncuti Gatwa regenerate into Billie Piper (or did he?) in the divisive finale The Reality War. The BBC haven't exactly rushed to confirm what to expect next and it's gotten fans and detractors alike assuming the worst. However two rumours have been floating around the last week with the tabloids lasering in on one of them.

Rumour 1: David Tennant and Billie Piper will head up a Christmas special for this year. If that were true, filming would really need to start soon. I'm not sure of this one but it's also not one I'd dismiss out of hand either. File it under "maybe".

Rumour 2: The show's time with Disney+ has come to an end. Other streamers are interested in taking on the show with the BBC but want more creative control. This one I suspect is true. I have mixed feelings on that tbh.

Right now, we still don't know for definite what's going on with Doctor Who. I will say that by commissioning another spin-off, it does seem to me that the BBC aren't quite ready to retire the ongoing series just yet.

I'll keep posting more updates about the show and it's expanded universe as they come to light.

My Review of Doctor Who Unleashed: 20 Years In Wales

Narrated by Steffan Powell

Directed by Jonathon Aiken

Billie Piper: "I would come back. What's funny is that I feel I've never left Doctor Who because there is this huge Doctor Who afterlife, which, obviously because people still really wanna talk about it."

Well, that speech certainly aged appropriately. However, a week later and this celebratory special later and we're still none the wiser. Is Billie Piper the 16th Doctor or not? If you were expecting answers to that question, you'll be sorely disappointed.

To be though, Doctor Who Unleashed: 20 Years In Wales was filmed before the airing of The Reality War. How much longer before we get an answer though? It might be a while. It's certainly gotten people talking though.

Anyways this special could be broken down into four parts as host Steffan Powell talked to various cast members, past and present as well as the threee show runners who've revived the show and reinvented it for modern audiences.

First of all was the humble beginnings of the show. For that you had both Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner going over the task they had in reviving the show. That was largely helped with Christopher Eccleston being cast as the 9th Doctor. Sadly, there's no contribution from Eccleston here himself. 

Then there's David Tennant and Billie Piper. The iconic team of the 10th Doctor and Rose Tyler. I loved seeing them together on camera and both were on great form here. Billie in particular giving us some cryptic hints about returning to the show.

Then there's the Steven Moffat era. The longest era from a showrunner and Moffat is a write who I'll always enjoy listening. There's great contributions from Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill and Pearl Mackie but again, sadly, nothing from either Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi.

As for the Chris Chibnall, time has been kind because I've found myself softening to it a lot. Chibnall gave some good insight here and the friendship between Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill is really sweet. I also loved how both Jodie and Mandip talked about the crew members as well. That really was lovely of them.

Circling back to the current era, there was a look at David Tennant playing the 14th Doctor for the 60th anniversary. We also got clips of Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu from the premiere of the recent series and a reminder of last week's shock regeneration to boot.

- Fans of Martha and Clara might be disappointed with the lack of mentions of them. 

- Blink got a lot of emphasis, more than I would've given it and I love that episode.

- Filming in Wales since 2004 has done a lot for the country's film industry.

- Steffan did put some focus on various crew members as well for this special.

- Spin-offs were mentioned in the broader context but it's almost like Class didn't exist, lol.

- It really does feel like we're in unknown waters in regards to the show's future at the moment.

Doctor Who Unleashed: 20 Years In Wales had a lot to cover in the space of 58 minutes. I think it did a mostly good job and while I wish we had gotten some more contributions from other cast members, I was happy to see everyone who appeared on here. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

I Turned 40 So Here's An 1985 Post

Yeah, turned 40 as of today and I thought a fun way of passing that milestone would be a blog talking about media events that happened in 1985.

Thinking of it as my less serious take on Reeling In The Years. 

Seeing as I talk about DC Comics quite a lot on this blog, of course one of things that sprang to mind was that this month also marked the 40th anniversary of Vertigo/Black Label/DC bad boy bisexual occult detective John Constantine. The character debuted properly in Issue #37 of Saga Of The Swamp Thing and became so popular, he ended up having 300 issues of his own comics from 1988-2013. Since then, he's had other runs for both the Black Label and mainstream DC, been on the Justice League Dark team and popped up in other characters and groups books, including Birds Of Prey recently. In live action, we've had the likes of Keanu Reeves, Matt Ryan and Jenna Coleman provide different takes, Taron Egerton through audio and we've had animated movies and shows too. Not too shabby for the character, eh?

Debut a few months before my birthday and the only soap that I consistently watch nowadays would be EastEnders. I start watching this around the mid 90s and I have been since then. Like all soaps, it has definitely had it's highs and lows but it's the one soap that I always find myself the most drawn to. I enjoyed the 40th anniversary celebrations back in February and the aftermath to that has been mostly entertaining since then. On the other side of the world, Neighbours also debuted the same year and will be ending for good towards the end of this year.

Are you really a gay man if you haven't watched The Golden Girls at some point in your life? Again, caught some of it as a kid and have rewatched it over the years as an adult. As a show, it never fails to make me laugh with Dorothy (Bea Arthur), Sophia (Estelle Getty), Blanche (Rue McClanahan) and Rose (Betty White) being the most entertaining foursome on the planet. Later in the year, to line up with this show's 40th anniversary, I'll do a blog about the show and it's short-lived spinoff, The Golden Palace.

1985 was also a very interesting time for Doctor Who. It was the proper debut season of Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor, paired with Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant). In their debut year, they'd face Daleks and Davros (Terry Molloy), the Master (Anthony Ainley) and the Rani (Kate O'Mara), Cybermen, Sontarans and the odious Sil (Nabil Shabam). Oh and there would be a rather nice team up with the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines) but that wasn't all. The show's future would be in doubt, following a hiatus for the next season and the unforgettable (for all the wrong reasons) charity single, Doctor In Distress. Go and listen to it, I dare you. Also, 2025 Doctor Who looks like it could be heading down a similar path.

And then there were movies. 1985 gave Disney fans, The Black Cauldron (tomorrow's blog) and horror fans such sequels as A Nightmare On Elm Street: Freddy's Revenge and Friday The 13th: A New Beginning. It also gave audiences Back To The Future with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd as Marty McFly and Doc Brown respectively. One of my favourite childhood movies includes Return To Oz while other movies from this year include The Breakfast Club, Desperately Seeking Susan, The Goonies, Cocoon, St. Elmo's Fire, Fright Night, Teen Wolf, Santa Clause: The Movie, Clue and Legend to name but a few. Most of these I've seen, some I've reviewed and others I need to catch up on.

As for music, 1985 was a good year for it. A list of some of the best songs from that year, so to speak.

• Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
• Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World
• Eurythmics - There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)
• Madonna - Into The Groove 
• Wham! - I'm Your Man
• Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Around (Like A Record)
• David Bowie/Mick Jaggar - Dancing In The Street
• Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You
• Bronski Beat - I Feel Love 
• Lionel Ritchie - Say You, Say Me

Well, that's a brief-ish on some noteworthy media things in the year of my birth that pertain to my interests. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

The Maybe Uncertain Future Of Doctor Who - Opinion Piece

After last night's extremely divisive finale, The Reality War, the future of Doctor Who seems to be a much dicier place than before.

Where to begin with this one? Let's start with THAT regeneration scene.

Last night, and after 18 and a bit episodes, Ncuti Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper. Yes, I couldn't believe it with my eyes and I had known about it for two weeks as did most Doctor Who fans. What the hell is going on?

If you look at the credits, Billie Piper is credited but not as the Doctor or Rose Tyler or even Bad Wolf/The Moment. It's very unusual, is it not? I mean, surely she's the Doctor. If not the 16th, then a yet to be labelled differently one.

The BBC press site had comments from Russell T. Davies and Billie Piper and both of them were vague about the nature of Piper's return to the series. Also with no news as to when the next series is happening, the show does seem to be in rather murky waters at the moment in regards to it's future.

Russell T. Davies has mentioned writing for the third series in his run with stories mapped out for a fourth run. It's also been rumoured in the press that the show will continue on BBC1, even if Disney+ abandon the series and I'm suspecting they will at this point.

Looking a bit closer ahead, last night also saw the first trailer for upcoming spin-off, The War Between The Land And The Sea released and it too confirmed a lot of rumours from months ago. It also looked pretty good, so I'm intrigued by it.

First of all, we've got Gugu Mbatha-Raw playing a Sea Devil named Salt. In fact, she's clearly the main character from the Sea Devils and her motive does seem to be one of peace. In particular, Salt seemed to be drawn to a human named Barclay, played by Russell Tovey. If rumours are correct, expect a romance between Salt and Barclay akin to The Shape Of Water.

Created and co-written by Russell T. Davies and Pete McTighe and directed by Dylan Holmes Williams, the five part series is coming soon to both BBC1, iPlayer and Disney+. The show will see the returns of current UNIT team Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), Shirley Bingham (Ruth Madeley) and Colonel Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient). There also the inclusion of General Austin Pierce (Colin McFarlane) from Torchwood: Children Of Earth.

The trailer was brief but tantalising enough to intrigue. I just hope the spin-off can stick the landing.

Last but not least, here's a picture of a deleted scene from The Reality War. It's supposed to be the original ending, which would have had the Doctor, Belinda and Ruby celebrating May Day with Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) spying on them, setting up the arc for a third season had Ncuti Gatwa remained on the show. That's the rumour at least. I would've preferred that ending.

We'll have to wait and see the future of Doctor Who. There's an episode of Doctor Who Unleashed celebrating twenty years of the revived series, featuring Russell T. Davies, Steven Moffat, Chris Chibnall, David Tennant, Ncuti Gatwa, Jodie Whittaker, Billie Piper, Varada Sethu, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill to name a few. Hopefully answers are coming soon, regardless of outcome.

What do you think is about to happen to the series? What should happen with it?

My Review of Doctor Who: "The Reality War"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai

The Doctor: "This has been an absolute joy."

I held off writing my review for this episode because much as it pains me to admit, this was one of the strangest regeneration episodes ever. I knew it was coming by the way. I read the rumours and I knew the tabloids were telling the truth back in February. Ncuti Gatwa, you gave it your all in an era that quite frankly wasted it's potential.

In his longest episode yet, the 15th Doctor had a lot to resolve. Some plot strands weren't resolved here and others were so sloppily handled, it beggars belief. First though, let's take about that regeneration because I have so many mixed feelings on it.

Ncuti Gatwa delivered in his final moments with the 15th Doctor actively choosing to generate in order to save one last person. He also had time to have one last meaningful conversation with Belinda before his departure. Belinda's another topic that I have thoughts on and none of them good to be frank.

Anyways, the regeneration (thank god, it was that) into Billie Piper raises a lot of questions. Is she really the 16th Doctor? Why haven't the BBC, Piper and RTD confirmed it if so? Or is there something else at play that's messing with the Doctor regenerating properly? Billie Piper could easily play the Doctor in her sleep but there's no denying it's an odd creative decision to go back to another old face after David Tennant a year and a half ago. 

Getting back to the episode itself, boy, was it overstuffed or what? I had a horrible feeling that Omega was going to be a massive flop and he was. Unnecessary and downright ugly CGI to one side, there was no attempt to give him a character. He wanted to be the God of Time, chowed down on the Rani (inelegant indeed) and then got blasted back to the Underverse by the Doctor. A complete and utter waste of the character.

As for the Rani, damn did this episode do her dirty. That horrible "death" at the hands of Omega was so undignified for the character. I did love her general plot to restore Gallifrey but this show had to stop that, so the Doctor can still be the last of his kind. I'm over the last of the Time Lords. I think every fan is at this point. At least Mrs Flood was smart enough to get out of dodge. Saying that, I wouldn't bring her back next season.

Then there's the UNIT and Anita side of things. Yup, the hotelier from Joy To The World returned to save the Doctor from the Underverse and helped with everyone's memories. Honestly she was more helpful than UNIT and Belinda and about the same amount of helpful as Ruby was. I did like seeing Anita but she was nearly lost in the shuffle with the amount of plotlines this episode.

Then there's Ruby. By far, the best companion of this era but in an episode where she didn't get to have a proper final scene with her Doctor. She did however manage to take down Conrad and give him a merciful comeuppance while Wish Baby became her adopted brother. She also had a better reaction to Poppy being displaced than even the Doctor and Belinda did.

Speaking of Belinda, I am genuinely surprised with how horribly handled she's been and more so by the outcome of her ending. Varada Sethu was a great find for the show and had great chemistry with Ncuti Gatwa but Belinda's lack of agency as a character was shockingly bad. Belinda essentially got rewritten to be a single mother to Poppy in order to discontinue travelling with the Doctor. In 2025, it's an incredibly tone deaf way of writing the character out.

- There were reshoots back in February to accommodate the Gatwa/Piper regeneration and Belinda's rewritten ending.

- The Rani/Mrs Flood took great delight in taunting Ruby, Belinda and Mel while pointing out why bigeneration became a thing. 

- This show seriously needs to either drop Rose and Shirley as characters or do something meaningful with them. Susan Triad could've easily sat this one out too.

- I absolutely loved the cameo from the 13th Doctor. Jodie Whittaker worked brilliantly with Ncuti Gatwa in their scene together. Nice archive footage of 3rd and 11th Doctor too.

- I'm guessing the Rogue plot will be dropped and both Susan Foreman and The Boss are for the next Doctor to discover.

- Chronology: May 23rd and 24th 2025. 

Without a shadow of a doubt, The Reality War has got to be the most disappointing finale that Russell T. Davies has done for the show. An abrupt exit for Ncuti Gatwa, an uncertain start for Billie Piper, horrible exits for Ruby and Belinda, butchering of the Rani and Omega and too many unresolved strands. I've liked a lot in this era but RTD really does need someone to pull him aside and show him what isn't working.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Who: "Wish World"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai

The Rani (to Mrs Flood): "It's a shame these little people have to die. I was getting rather fond of them."

Into the penultimate episode of the series (or maybe in general) and after last week's ending, this one had a lot to live up to. We saw Anita Dobson bigenerate into Archie Panjabi. We've got Mrs Flood and The Rani. On top of that, we've got May 24th looming like a bad omen. 

In case you were wondering about the Doctor and Belinda. They're okay. In fact, he's now John Smith and is married to Belinda. They also have a lovely daughter named Poppy (yes, from Space Babies) and John has a nice job working at an insurance company whose initials happen to be UNIT. Oh and his co-workers are Kate Stewart and Cristofer Ibrahim. Oh and there's a nice tea lady named Susan Triad (Susan Twist) in the mix.

Is there any doubt that this isn't the real world? Well, there's a pesky young woman named Ruby Sunday planting some doubt into the Doctor and Belinda but his neighbour Melanie Bush is there too for the status quo. Yes, John Smith's world isn't a lie whatsoever. Why would he doubt it?

Maybe it's the cryptic message from the handsome man named Rogue (Jonathan Groff) on the TV or his granddaughter Susan Foreman also appearing to him. Maybe it's the various slip ups he kept making at work and at home. John cast enough doubt for Belinda to call the thought police on him. Belinda then also got rounded up by them, just so that her and the Doctor could finally meet the Rani.

Now, lets circle around the Unholy Trinity. Technically, only two thirds appeared with the last member literally looming at the last minute. Conrad Clark became a word of God, using the power of wishes from the God of Wishes aka Desiderium to create the hellscape that Ruby and Shirley were trying to build a resistance against. As for Desiderium, he's a little baby that won't stop chuckling.

Getting back to the Rani and Mrs Flood, I did like that the latter demonstrated some frustration into being made subservient to her bigenerated self. The Rani on the other hand was running quite the experiment and she was happy to do quite a lot of exposition on the mattress to boot. It did take the Doctor a bit to realise who the Rani and what she intended to really happen to this fake world.

Yes, it was rumoured for week that Omega would make their return and by the end of this episode, the Rani and Flood's meddling (and Conrad and Desiderium too) was successful. I feel Omega would've been better appearing at a later date and I'm not sure I like the idea of the Rani being pushed aside for him. Then again, next week's finale will be longer, so hopefully that will bode for resolving what needs to be resolved here.

- The Rani got a syringe looking sonic screwdriver while turning Desiderium's family into violets, an owl and a load of ducks. I didn't care for that or hinting of a romantic past with the Doctor.

- This episode used a lot of archive footage, including a clip from Dimensions In Time. We saw images of every Doctor here too.

- Mrs Flood was kitted out as a policewoman when she went to arrest Belinda. We briefly met Belinda's mother and aunt here.

- Conrad's little book was called Doctor Who And The Deadly Wish.

- There was no trailer for next week's finale or even a preview clip in Doctor Who Unleashed. Not to mention it's not being released on iPlayer at 8am.

- Chronology: 1865 Bavaria when the Rani took Desiderium as well as May 23rd and 24th 2025, London.

Wish World was an oddity for me. I enjoyed certain scenes but there were moments with the Rani that took me back a little and I'll admit that Omega's inclusion might be too much. I did think most of it worked well enough and Archie Panjabi was excellent in her scenes, especially with Ncuti Gatwa.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Who: "The Interstellar Song Contest"

 

Written by Juno Dawson 

Directed by Ben A. Williams

The Rani (to Mike/Gary, re Mrs Flood): "Our name is The Rani. Although she's become a Rani, while I'm the Rani. The definite article so to speak."

Holy bigenerations mark two! Yes, that ever so popular theory about Mrs Flood actually came to pass. She's the Rani, or more specifically, a Rani. The definitive article made her grand appearance at the end, giving gay couple Gary (Charlie Condou) and Mike Gabbastone (Kadiff Kirwan) something to mull over. 

Bigenerations might be a divisive thing to do on the show and the one thing I found interesting was that Mrs Flood waited to pull off that little stunt, once the Doctor and Belinda had fled the titular contest itself. For years, fans have been clamouring for this character's return. Will RTD and company handle the Rani better than Sutekh? I think they just might.

The Rani promised to deliver absolute terror to the Doctor by the end of this episode and something tells me that he's not going to be the same man once he reunites with her. However, the Rani wasn't the only surprise that this episode had to offer. She was however, my favourite. Top marks to both Anita Dobson and Archie Panjabi during that reveal.

The other major surprise was Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) herself. I might have known about the Rani but Susan's appearance genuinely blindsided me in the best way possible. The Doctor when trying not to freeze to death saw her in his mind and she made it abundantly that he had to find her. He better get on with that in the next two episodes.

Getting to the core of this episode, it was a shameless Eurovision spoof that tried to embrace both the sheer campness of the song contest as well as the political minefield it's become as well. Oh and Rylan Clark turned out to be very vital for this episode. His scenes complimented what it was going for on the camp front along with his feline, co-host, Sabine (Julie Dray).

Then there's the political side of things with freedom fighters and Hellia survivors, Kid (Freddie Fox) and Wynn (Iona Anderson) resorting to extreme measures in order to highlight the injustice of what happened to their world. Their actions however brought out the darkest side of this Doctor to date and even I found his treatment of Kid in particular rather harsh.

Between all of that, there was Cora Saint Bavier (Miriam-Teak Lee). The reveal of her being from Hellia with her horns removed wasn't shocking but I thought she really stood out as a guest character and had a nice singing voice. Her scenes with Belinda in particular were rather strong.

Let's circle back to Belinda, shall we? She was excited for the contest, had a panic attack when things went down with Kid and his Delta Wave threat and was also scared for and by the Doctor. Then there was finding out about the Earth's destruction in those last few minutes. 

- The Rani reveal happened in a mid credit sequence and she was happy with Mrs Flood getting the results of the Vindicator.

- Graham Norton's cameo was rather genius. Of course he'd be the one to tell the Doctor and Belinda about Earth's destruction.

- The last time both Susan and The Rani appeared was during Dimensions In Time.

- There was no next trailer for the first part of the finale. 

- Standout music: Cora's song to one side, of course the use of Bucks Fizz's Making Your Mind Up.

- Chronology: 2925 on the Harmony platform for the contest while the Earth went bye bye on May 24th 2025.

The Interstellar Song Contest certainly was divisive with it's attempt to tackle both the camp and political aspects of the Eurovision (which is on after this episode's television debut) but it certainly made use of its guest cast. However, it's the returns of both Susan and The Rani that made the episode for me. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Doctor Who: "The Story And The Engine"

 

Written by Inua Ellams 

Directed by Makalla McPherson 

The Barber: "Tell a story. It's the only way."

The Doctor: "I change my mind."

If you wanted something a tad different for your weekly adventure of Doctor Who, then this very story dependant episode should be right up your alley.

After failing to get Belinda home for the fifth week in a row, the Doctor thought a trip to Nigeria would be a nice way to see home from home. A barbershop owned by Omo Esoso (Sule Rimi), who the Doctor formed a close offscreen friendship with. 

Of course things have changed since the last time the Doctor and Omo talked to each other. In the barbershop were Omo's three best clients, Rashid Abubakar (Stefan Adegbola), Tunde Adebayo (Jordan Adene) and Obioma Okoli (Michael Balogun). There was also a mysterious Barber (Ariyon Bakare) and he had a lot going on with him.

For starters, there was the fact that he controlled the barbershop that was on a giant spider. In order for the spider to move, each person had to tell a compelling story while getting a haircut. The Doctor lamenting about Belinda being good at her job managed to be a hell of a story.

At first, I thought this episode was going to have Belinda relegated to the TARDIS while the Doctor was trapped in the barbershop but halfway through the episode, Belinda ended up in the middle of things too. Now, what of this mysterious Barber? His story took a turn.

He bragged about being various gods like Anansi, Bastet, Loki, Dionysus etc but in reality he was a storytelling angered by their rejection of him and working with Anansi's daughter, Abena (Michelle Asante) in order to get back at them. However his choice of revenge turned out to be a bit too extreme even for Abena and ended up siding with the Doctor and Belinda.

I'll admit this episode certainly went places I didn't expect. While there was a certain pompousness to the Barber that veered into cruelty, the Doctor was able to save him at the last minute. As for Abena, her history with the Doctor saw a very brief appearance of the Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin). I already knew about that return but I was still happy to see her back, despite the very brief appearance.

- Poppy from Space Babies was seen by Belinda in this episode. Belinda told the Doctor about her. We saw archive clips of previous Doctors in the third act.

- Mrs Flood interacted with Belinda again at the hospital when the Doctor was telling Belinda's story.

- A prequel story was released yesterday on the BBC site for this episode. 

- Omo's clients stories ranged from a father getting a cut for their child's name day, a runner and a man with a sick mother.

- Belinda talked about her nan taking her to India when she was younger. Belinda was also going to her birthday party before she saved another woman's life in the Doctor's story.

- Chronology: 2019 Lagos in Nigeria.

I liked The Story And The Engine. It felt like a personal story from the writer with a little plot development. I thought the guest characters were engaging, Ncuti Gatwa had some very emotive scenes and Jo Martin can definitely come back again.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doctor Who: "Lucky Day"

 

Written by Pete McTighe 

Directed by Peter Hoar 

Conrad: "I don't accept your reality, Doctor. I reject it. So put me back in my prison and get off my world."

In one episode, Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King)  managed to cement him as possibly the nastiest character in the era of the Fifteenth Doctor and dont think I've forgotten about Lindy Pepper-Bean from last season. He might also be one of the most fascinating characters too.

At the start of the episode, the eight year old version of Conrad (Benjamin Chivers) encountered the Doctor and Belinda and told his mum, Moira (Kirsty Hoiles) about them. His mother accused him of ruining her night but Conrad was obsessed with the Doctor.

That one encounter informed his whole life and a second encounter with the Doctor and Ruby had Conrad using the internet to find the latter for his podcast. Ruby instead found Conrad and agreed to be interviewed for him. She also wanted to protect Conrad from the Shreek by giving him an antidote he'd refuse to use. Already the red flags were showing up with Conrad.

As Ruby entered a relationship with Conrad, much to Carla, Cherry and Louise's encouragement, things should've been going well for her. Instead the episode made a point of highlighting Ruby's PTSD and worse than that was her not so nice new boyfriend exploiting her trauma for his own agenda. Yes, Conrad really was the absolute worst.

Conrad being revealed as a Think_Tank conspiracy nut who wanted to effectively get the returning UNIT cancelled after Kate Stewart rejected him for a job was something else. His vitriol towards Ruby and Shirley in particular was rather uncomfortable to watch. More than that, he even succeeded in his goal for the most part.

However like every villain, Conrad made the mistake of overplaying his hand and using his mole, Jordan Lang (Kareem Alexander) ended up being his downfall. Personally, I loved that Conrad's action and unwise dissing of the Brigadier brought out Kate's darker side. Allowing the Shreek to attack him was drastic but it's also the most interesting thing that Kate has done in the thirteen years she's been on the show. 

As for Ruby, I'll give the episode points for authentically exploring her post Doctor life as best as it could and I loved her scenes with Kate and Shirley.  I wish she had scenes with the Doctor and Belinda but we've got the finale for that team up. However the best scenes were the last two.

First of all, how bad do you have to be to get on the Doctor's bad side that he angrily tells you how you'll die. Conrad found out the hard way when he finally got to see the inside of the TARDIS and at the receiving end of the Doctor's wrath. Oh and Mrs Flood just happened to be the governor at the prison Conrad was residing in and she let him go free?  They've definitely upped the ante here.

- The Vindicator has been used in every episode so far this season but it ain't getting Belinda home.

- Mel was away in Sydney on a mission but where were Morris and Rose? What happened with Susan Triad? Did Ruby actually meet her dad?

- Trinity Wells (Lachele Carl) popped up and she was very team Conrad. Other guests included Joel Dommett, Jonathan Ross, Alex Jones and Reeta Chakrabarti. The Vlinx had a brief appearance too.

- Yet again, there's hints that Kate might be having a friends with benefits relationship with Colonel Ibrahim. I'm betting The War Between The Land And The Sea will be more direct about that.

- Think_Tank must have been a nod to the organisation from Robot.

- Chronology: Conrad met the Doctor and Belinda during New Year's 2007. He then encountered the Doctor and Ruby in 2024 (between The Devil's Chord and Boom) before the main action took place in 2025, before May 24th.

Lucky Day has taken last week's place as my favourite episode this season. I've enjoyed Pete McTighe's previous episodes but he outdid himself with this one. This episode easily is up there with Blink, Turn Left and 73 Yards in terms of Doctor lite episode. Not to mention the stuff it expertly set up for both the finale and upcoming spin off.

Rating: 10 out of 10