The Pandorica Opens

"Nothing is ever forgotten, not completely."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19 June 2010

Series: 5.12

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis

A Van Gogh painting ferried across thousands of years offering a terrifying prophecy, a message on the oldest cliff-face in the universe and a love that lasts a thousand years: in 102 AD England, Romans receive a surprise visit from Cleopatra. Nearby, Stonehenge hides a legendary prison-box. As it slowly unlocks from the inside, terrible forces gather in the heavens. The fates are closing around the TARDIS. The Pandora, which contains the most dangerous threat in the universe, is opening.

Verdict

The Pandorica Opens was an outstanding episode to kick off the Series 5 finale! It really is a sublime opener and the cliffhanger is honestly staggering. It might be one of the best ever, it's honestly that good. I said to my partner Gemma as we were watching what a thrill this episode was on broadcast as we built to finding out what could be inside the Pandorica. The most feared being or creature the universe had ever known, so why didn't the Doctor know who or what it was? I seem to remember believing it to be the Master at the time whilst not really thinking he would actually return, but watching in hindsight the hints pointing towards it being a prison for the Doctor are just tremendous. It's so obvious when you know! River basically tells us when it comes to the wizards in fairytales being the Doctor. The pre-credits scene that pays homage to the series so far as the exploding TARDIS painting titled 'The Pandora Opens' is passed through time from the likes of Churchill and Bracewell to River and Liz 10. It's really well done. The painting itself looks magnificent and the warning to the Doctor is terrific. I love the way the episode builds to the Pandorica and it's fun for the Doctor to be angry at not knowing. I think the way the Doctor and River work together is great and Amy adores her which is brilliant. The 'Hello Sweetie' line as the oldest message written is hilarious but the best moment for comedy comes when Rory returns. The Doctor even states that he is missing the obvious and it could be staring right in front of him. Which it was! His return is a tremendous moment. The look he has when he realises that Amy really can't remember him is so sad and then as he tries to go and win her back and make her remember, he shoots her dead. It's extraordinary stuff! The entire thing being a trapped conjured from Amy's bedroom with the Pandora story and the Roman historical setting is fantastic. Of course the Doctor couldn't resist with her life not making sense! River reeling off some of the species that were coming for the Pandorica was magnificent with the obvious Daleks and Cybermen being complimented by the likes of the Drahvin and Chelonians. Unfortunately, they weren't visible at the end when the Doctor is placed inside the Pandorica, but niche references like that are most welcomed! The Roman legionaries all turning out to be Autons was superb and just the very idea of the Alliance is excellent. The Doctor could hardly believe that they came together. It was quite a mix! I'm still not sure the Judoon make sense being there and there are a few unique appearances from the likes of the Hoix and even the Blowfish from Torchwood! It's a right old assembly but it's a tremendous image. Having the Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans lead the speech as they claim to have come together to stop the Doctor and fix the cracks is just marvellous. It really is staggering! River being in the TARDIS as it explodes and that just being a third of the cliffhanger shows just how good this episode. Everything has been building to this and it really doesn't get better. The threat of a broken and detached Cyberman works so well and shows just how deadly they can be. There's so much going on and it's a sensational setup for the finale to come. Full of emotion, action and just incredible story. This is a stunning episode. 

Rating: 10/10

The Lodger

"There is no upstairs!"

Writer: Gareth Roberts

Format: TV

Broadcast: 12 June 2010

Series: 5.11

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

An unidentified force traps the Doctor, and he investigates a mysterious staircase in a building where people can go up, but never down.

Verdict

The Lodger was a really fun episode of Doctor Who! It's a fine way to calm the storm ahead of an explosive series finale, and rally allows Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor to shine in the comedy role. It's a wonderful performance and a really good illustration of how the Doctor can be both funny and serious. The humour covers his true mission of solving the mystery upstairs in a really clever way. I thought the chemistry between the Doctor and Craig was magnificent and the idea of the former turning up as a lodger is very amusing. The reaction at the door when Craig professes his love for what he thought was Sophie coming back forgetting her keys was a fine way to kick off their relationship. The Doctor having £3,000 in cash and using the psychic paper for his national insurance number and references was good stuff. He was always going to get the room. As with all of my modern era rewatches over the last couple of years, I was delighted to watch this episode alongside my partner Gemma and we both had a blast. It's a really funny episode and the Doctor's French kiss greetings and football expertise are very good. We were laughing on numerous occasions. It was also nice to be able to spill a bit of knowledge to her regarding the origins of this episode and how it was adapted from a Tenth Doctor comic strip adventure of the same name. No Mickey this time around though, and all Gemma was interested in for that fact though was Rose's whereabouts! Amy is obviously not around much in this episode but her presence in the TARDIS is actually really good and is important for the story. She's a constant place of contact for the Doctor and the whole mission of the episode is actually to get her and the TARDIS back. The mystery of what's going on upstairs is goos and I really liked the creepy nature of the old man and his luring people in off the street. Going so far as to using children and then enticing a drunk woman for 'help' was quite disturbing! The football match scene was a lot of fun and I actually recognised the Cardiff filming location. I can't help but get a kick out of seeing the Doctor doing well on a football pitch. I also can't help but see James Corden as Smithy from Gavin & Stacey which is fun, but his relationship with Sophie here is really nice. The Doctor sees straight away that they both want each other and they're the reason the other hasn't moved away or taken another job. There's nothing stopping anyone from seeing the world as the Doctor encourages Sophie, but they actually do save the day by stopping the time ship with their love proclamation and desire to stay. There will be no pilot. The loose presence of the Silence here is a nice way to foreshadow future events and the moment Amy proclaims that the house is only one storey is terrific. The time ship design is stunning and I like the image of the alien corpse. I thought the Doctor trying to sneak off as Craig and Sophie ruined their friendship with endless snogging was good and in character with what I'd expect, but then Amy finds the engagement ring of Rory's to lead us into an epic finale. That's something so simple and what I would expect following on from how Cold Blood concluded, but the implications are very big! It's such a dark and emotional way to end what was largely a fun episode. Corden is so good when the Doctor knocks head to transfer information, even if that is a little preposterous. Overall, a really fun and excellent episode! 

Rating: 9/10

Vincent and the Doctor

"You don't like sunflowers?"

Writer: Richard Curtis

Format: TV

Broadcast: 5 June 2010

Series: 5.10

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

After taking Amy to see the exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh's work in a Paris art gallery, the Doctor sees evil in one of the paintings and he wants to ask the artist himself all about it! 

Verdict

Vincent and the Doctor was a beautiful episode to continue my modern rewatch of Series 5! Has there ever been a more beautiful story? I am really struggling to think of one that even comes close. It's just tremendous from start to finish and it's such a change in pace and feel to what we might expect following the ending of Cold Blood with Rory not only dying but being erased from history. Amy is suspicious of the Doctor being unusually nice which is fun and I like the idea of him taking her to the Musee D'Orsay. I actually went to Paris last year and I'm now kicking myself that I didn't have this museum on my itinerary! We of course went to the Louvre and there was certainly a feel of Van Gogh there and throughout the city, but to experience this museum after being in the episode would have been terrific. The fact I'd forgotten about it and how highlight this episode ranks in my all time favourites shows the value of a rewatch and the little memory refresher. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the Doctor and Amy as they just felt like a proper Doctor and companion relationship. No flirting, no arc. This was just pure Doctor Who and I loved it. The Doctor noticing evil in the church painting was good and that's talking about a keen eye for evil! He knew it when he saw it so Amy would now get to meet Van Gogh himself. The moment where they find Van Gogh haggling in a cafe for another drink was just outstanding and both the Doctor and Amy were in a real fanboy moment. It was terrific and it's just lovely to see them having a moment of pure joy. They certainly deserve it after their recent ordeals, not that Amy would remember what happened. I thought she looked great in this episode and that coat is a brilliant fashion piece! The Doctor also having some fashion moments with the Van Gogh museum tour guide and bow ties was wonderful. I thought Matt Smith was excellent in this episode and the balance between humour, joy and fear was outstanding. I liked that the Doctor got Vincent to draw the Krafayis and the moment he realised it was blind was terrific. Only Vincent being able to see it had its own beauty and whilst he was able to control it partially through necessary violence, the humour of the Doctor attacking thin air long after Vincent had chased it off into the woods was magnificent. Another shining moment for Smith. I thought the torment and emotion that came with the death of the Krafayis was somehow beautiful and so touching. The whole theme of Van Gogh not appreciating his artwork or being appreciated is so sad and yet endearing. It's so sad that after the depiction in this episode that he would commit suicide aged thirty-seven. That's just no age! So much potential. I really love that Amy tries to get herself painted and whilst the image of her surrounded by sunflowers would have been beautiful, the extra addition to the gallery of the sunflower pot and the 'for Amy' comment was a lovely touch. That really is a positive change. The moment where the Doctor takes Vincent to the future and to his exhibition at the Musee D'Orsay is just stunning. It really is spectacular and such a touching moment. You can't help but smile. There's a reason this is my nan's favourite episode and whilst she's only a casual fan at best, anytime Doctor Who comes up in conversation she will always recall this one. It's her favourite and she's not easily pleased! It was a joy to watch again and the moment where the Doctor, Amy and Vincent are in a triangle staring up at the night sky and seeing how Vincent sees the stars is just sublime. A really perfect moment and I loved the imagery. Such a visual and dark episode with pure emotion and joy at its heart. Spellbinding. One of the best ever. 

Rating: 10/10

Cold Blood

"This planet is to be shared."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV

Broadcast: 29 May 2010

Series: 5.09

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

Once more the Doctor meets members of the Silurian race. However, this time, can he prevent them from being destroyed by humanity out of an act of self-preservation, or can he broker peace between them and bring about a better future for both races of planet Earth?

Verdict

Cold Blood was a very strong conclusion to the story already started in The Hungry Earth and to continue my way through the modern era rewatch with Series 5! Quite unusually for me when it comes to these two-parters, I actually watched this episode almost immediately after the first part with a break purely for writing the blog entry. It was interesting to basically watch this as a film with an interval and it flows really well. I don’t think it’s quite as strong as the first part, but it’s still terrific as my rating reflects! Exploring the Silurian city beneath the surface was fascinating and I liked getting to know some of the different positions of power. General Restac in charge of her Warrior class was a superb character and her distain for the apes was palpable. It was really good to see and whilst the Silurian race as a whole aren’t entirely evil or having bad intentions, there’s people in power that do. That works well and it’s needed. The Doctor trying to make the Silurians see that humanity was peaceful and that they could share the planet was essentially an impossible task. He had to disclose what happened to the other Silurian branch in Doctor Who and the Silurians and then he was faced with Alaya’s corpse. The look of disgust he had when he lifted the blanket to confirm her death said so much without any words but I think what was even more powerful was Elliot backing away from his own mother when Ambrose admitted it was her that did the killing. She almost seemed proud of it and you could tell that her husband was shocked. He was saddened. Malohkeh had a great role in the episode in reviving Eldane as the Silurian leader. It was good to explore the political hierarchy of this Silurian branch and the idea of Restac causing trouble with the surface whilst most of her race was asleep was fun stuff. Eldane wouldn’t stand for it and I really liked the design of him. Malohkeh helping Elliot and even the Doctor when it came to medical supplies was fun and the latter’s comment about celery was a delight. I love simple continuity like that! The pace of the episode was frantic but I do think that the moment where Amy is confirmed as being alive could have been a little more triumphant in the reunion. I’m not sure about the Doctor’s ability to appoint Amy and Nasreen as representatives of the human race when it came to the peace talks as obviously no government let alone all of them would come to a conclusion on where the Silurians could be habited on the surface. That element wasn’t entirely believable but thankfully Eldane saw sense that his tribe were not ready to return. Humanity on the surface needed time to adjust as well and the Doctor setting a deadline of a millennium was fun, although that would almost certainly be cast away through generations. The greed of humanity would never let the planet be shared! The intentions of the Doctor here were admirable though and I can’t fault the good intentions! The real emotion of the story once the Silurians are pushed back into hibernation comes with the emergence of the crack. The Doctor is angry at not knowing so he decides to find some shrapnel from the explosion. That hesitation allows time for Rory to be shot by a Silurian resulting in him passing away and the proximity to the crack meant he was also completely erased from time. He’d never existed. The emotion of the scene in the TARDIS where the Doctor tries to get Amy to keep hold of the memory of Rory is incredible stuff, but the jolt of the TARDIS sending him into the forgotten is just so sad. A bold way to conclude what is a great episode!

Rating: 8/10

The Hungry Earth

"The ground is attacking us."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22 May 2010

Series: 5.08

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

The most ambitious drilling project ever reaches far below the Earth's crust – but the ground is fighting back! The Silurians are disturbed by what they consider to be an attack from a mining mission in South Wales and are taking human hostages, including Amy. Can the Doctor maintain peace and retrieve his companion?

Verdict

The Hungry Earth was a really strong opening episode of the second two-parter of Series 5! It's a little bit of a shift for me to be judging these as individual ratings but I think it's important given the different name of the episode and it's a slightly different perspective personally which is good stuff. I like to look at things differently where possible because this is an episode I'm very familiar with despite it being around seven or eight years since I last watched it. It makes me feel incredibly old that this aired fourteen years ago now but having a Welsh setting as remote and unique as Cwm Taff is magnificent. I liked the Welsh representation in the episode and it felt right. Not stereotypical. This is the first time I have watched the episode since becoming a father back in 2021 so hearing the words of The Gruffalo being read was a fun moment for me and my partner as the episode opened! We both looked at each other with a smile on our face as we recognised those words for the first time. It had never come to my attention before so that was a sweet little moment. I hopefully look forward to watching this with my little boy in the future and I'm sure he will also recognise it. I remember seeing the newspaper reports confirming that the Silurians would be returning in the build up to Series 5 being broadcast and at that point I hadn't long purchased the Beneath the Surface DVD collection so I was keen to catch up. I am still not wholly set on the redesign but I can't help but appreciate how good they look. It's just a bit of a shift from what we saw in the Classic era but that's absolutely fine. It works and the Doctor explaining that he'd encountered a different branch previously is more than enough to justify it. I think the foreshadowing of events to come with Rory and the engagement ring is done tremendously well and it's a little odd to not really dwell on seeing the future versions of Amy and Rory, but we know that will become very significant in the next episode. The guest characters here are excellent with Ambrose and Elliot really good alongside the quirky Nasreen and Tony. The threat of something drilling up from the Earth's surface was presented so well and Matt Smith absolutely shines in this episode. It's an underrated performance and I love the moment he interrogates Alaya. He's not interested in the defence of being the last of her species because he knows that's not true. He is the last of his and he knows what that feels like. That was a glorious moment. I also loved how he was practically begging humanity here to not harm Alaya but she was confident that she would be killed. She even knew by which human. That was harrowing stuff and played so well. The moment Amy is lost beneath the surface is horrifying and the Doctor is so desperate, but the hope of her still being alive down there is brilliant to cling onto. Having her wake up in essentially a glass coffin with no room to move is up there with my worst nightmares though! That was a powerful image and the threat of being dissected is just brutal. The cliffhanger works well as the Doctor and Nasreen soon learn that the branch of Silurians they're dealing with is far more than just a small bunch of perhaps a dozen. It's an entire civilisation. The design there is beautiful and I really like the idea of them existing beneath the surface. Until the drilling woke them up and now they felt like they were being invaded. A really good dynamic. Overall, an excellent opening episode! 

Rating: 9/10

Amy's Choice

"How can we all have the same dream?"

Writer: Simon Nye

Format: TV

Broadcast: 15 May 2010

Series: 5.07

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

It's been five years since Amy and Rory last saw the Doctor but now he's back and a terrible danger lurks in the village. Or are they still on their travels and approaching death in the form of a cold burning star? A choice must be made. Which is reality and which is a dream?

Verdict 

Amy's Choice was an excellent episode to continue our rewatch of the modern era of Doctor Who! We’re getting deep into the business end of Series 5 now and things get very intriguing and mysterious with this little gem of a story. I think it’s one that almost goes slightly under the radar but it’s such a strong outing. Right from the off the trio of the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory are in top form and there’s no doubt about it now. Rory is a fully fledged companion and that presents a fun and different little dynamic to the TARDIS. The Doctor is on hand with his usual quirkiness and awkwardness which is exactly what you want, but that was more obvious when it came to the TARDIS half of the episode. The idea of splitting a story between two dreams is excellent and I really like how the countryside version was some five years after Amy and Rory had departed the TARDIS full time. The Doctor’s reaction when he sees that Amy is pregnant is tremendous, especially with him having to confirm that was the case and she hadn’t just put on a lot of weight! That was magnificent. Rory’s ponytail was frankly ridiculous and with the glasses he looked considerably older than just five years! Proving his love to Amy by cutting it off later in the episode was a good moment and I loved that this cemented him as Amy’s choice (no pun intended). The emergence of the Dream Lord was terrific and it’s fun for the Doctor to work out who he was as the episode went on. With the attire and those little looks between the pair, it is a bit obvious in hindsight but at the time I remember actually being quite disappointed. But the line of only one person in the universe could hate the Doctor as much as the Dream Lord did was nicely done. I thought the movement between both dreams was good and the concept of a star burning cold is a bit silly, but the threat of the TARDIS freezing was not. The design looked strong covered in white! A pregnant Amy dealing with an elderly population was great but I do think things became normalised and not quite as exciting when their alien identity and intentions were revealed. I was just more interested in which dream was real. Except it turned out none of them were, and thankfully that was the case! Amy had to witness Rory die and that didn’t go down very well with her as you might expect. Seeing him just become a pile of dust was quite the image! The way the story ends does feel a little rushed and not exhilarating after the build of the Dream Lord, but he just disappears and the dreams within a dream on the psychic plane are done with. The highlight for me is Amy picking the frozen dream because that is her only chance of being reunited with Amy. Either way she was dead. That was powerful stuff and considering this is still her first series, Karen Gillan plays it so well. Overall, still a great episode!

Rating: 8/10

The Vampires of Venice

"The sunlight burns my skin like candle wax."

Writer: Toby Whithouse

Format: TV

Broadcast: 08 May 2010

Series: 5.06

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

The Doctor takes Amy and Rory, soon to be married, on a romantic trip to Venice, 1580, to make Amy focus on her relationship with her fiancé. However, things aren't quite what they seem. 

Warnings of the plague are spreading about despite having died out years before, and pale, creepy girls who don't like sunlight are lurking around. Could it have something to do with the school run by the mysterious Rosanna Calvierri?

Verdict

The Vampires of Venice was a great episode to continue my modern era rewatch! I must admit that prior to delving back into Series 5 this was the episode I was probably looking forward to the least, and I’m not entirely sure why. It doesn’t stand out in my mind but it’s actually a whole lot of fun. The continuation from the ending to Flesh and Stone with Amy wanting, and succeeding, to kiss the Doctor was magnificent as the Time Lord gatecrashed Rory’s stag night. Having the Doctor pop out of the cake intended for the stripper was hilarious and Matt Smith did a stellar job with the performance of being completely unaware of how his words and actions didn’t mean well for Rory. Hearing that your fiancé tried to kiss another man the night before your wedding day isn’t exactly great! The Doctor was genuinely trying to help though and set Amy and Rory up on a date in sixteenth century Venice. That was quite the wedding present and it was a really fun place to visit. It’s a city that has long been on my bucket list and it was just nice to have the TARDIS land in another country. It’s far too focused on London and the UK! The Doctor immediately suspected danger though when he noticed that Guido was trying to break his daughter out of a school that everyone was desperate to get their daughters into. He was a really good character as a Venetian and his daughter Isabella was also excellent. I loved how they were both proud of their city, but sadly the latter wouldn’t survive which is actually a bit of a surprise considering the initial entire mission was to break her out. Of course, the scale of the threat was soon upgraded when Lady Calvieri set her plan in motion to revive her race from the watery depths of the city. The appearance of them being Vampires was brilliant and I actually really enjoyed the scientific explanation. They were actually Saturnyns but their perception filter actually altered the onlooker’s brain in how they were interpreted. The confusion meaning that they were left blank in the mirror was good and I also loved the moment the Doctor asked about why they could see the teeth. That answer for an answer sequence between the Doctor and Calvieri was outstanding. I enjoyed her knowledge of Gallifrey and that meaning he should be in a museum. The attempted break into her school was a lot of fun with Guido wearing Rory’s stag t-shirt and Calvieri not falling for the psychic paper. With this being Rory’s first trip as a companion, Amy instantly feels more seasoned and mature as a companion herself and that’s lovely to see. She really steps into her own and is quite cheeky which is an attractive quality. Rory saving her from Francesco by saying the only thing uglier than him was his mum was superb. Rory tried to defend himself with a mop very humorously, but the distraction was enough for Amy to reflex the sunlight onto him and disintegrate him. It was a touching moment of survival as they both embraced emotionally. No more Doctor thoughts from here I would imagine. I do think the pace of the conclusion with the generator was decent but a little quick and simple. I did love the moment with Rory entering the TARDIS though and describing how all he could hear was Silence. That was great foreshadowing after hearing that’s what took out the Saturnyns. Overall, a really strong episode! Better than remembered. 

Rating: 8/10

Flesh and Stone

"If you open your eyes now for more than a second you will die."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 01 May 2010

Series: 5.05

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, River

Synopsis

There's no way back, no way up and no way out. Trapped by an army of Weeping Angels and an ever-growing mysterious crack, the Eleventh Doctor and his friends try to escape through the wreckage of a crashed space liner. Meanwhile, surrounded by Angels, Amy faces an even more deadly attack, as she's forced to find her way through the forest vault, eyes closed.

Verdict

Flesh and Stone was another excellent episode to conclude the story already started with The Time of Angels. A Weeping Angel two-parter at this point in the run is brilliant and I think the Eleventh Doctor really comes into his own here with the way he interacts with River. For an incarnation that is renowned as being a bit awkward and having vibes akin to Trougton’s second incarnation, he doesn’t half pull off the serious aspect of the Doctor! It’s a phenomenal performance when Amy is in danger in a clear evidence of the Weeping Angels getting to him as they hoped. They more than made him angry in telling him that Amy was counting down to invoke fear in her. And it was all for fun. That didn’t go down well with the Doctor at all which was tremendous to see. I think the idea of an image of an Angel becoming an Angel is stretched a little far here with Amy and the visual cortex within the mind meaning Amy would soon become one, but I did really enjoy the tense atmosphere. Amy having to trust the Doctor in that moment was great although I’m not entirely convinced by the notion of her walking like she could see. That didn’t seem right and I don’t think Amy pulled it off all that impressively, and the Angel instincts kicked in was strange considering that they usually react when there’s a blink! I’ll let that slide though as the design of the regenerated Angels was excellent and the creepy factor of the lighting was superb. The directing for the episode was fantastic. I thought the moment the Doctor had to tell everyone he was turning off the light was magnificent. The statues becoming more like Angels was very good and I loved the imagery of them crawling along the walls. The Angels moving was tremendous as well and it was intriguing to encounter a batch of them that weren’t trying to send people back in time. They were intent on killing. The use of the crack in time from Amy’s bedroom wall was really strong and the use of the gravity again to send them packing and no longer exist was a fitting end! It tied things up nicely. The dynamic between Octavian and River was outstanding and I enjoyed how River put all of her trust in the Doctor. The hints towards the future of the Pandorica and River killing the Doctor were great stuff and I love that kind of thing now watching in hindsight. It’s a new appreciation. I thought the moment at the end of the episode with Amy wanting to come home was good to tie back with when she left on the eve of her wedding day, but after a near death trauma she was in a raunchy mood to say the least! I couldn’t believe how sexual this was and the way it was played between Gillan and Smith was incredible. It had me and my girlfriend in hysterics as the Doctor failed to grasp what and who Amy was insinuating. He didn’t seem wholly against it either which was fun, and why would he be? It must have been a while indeed. Amy’s reaction to being told it was all about her was fun and she was only after a quick fling. That wouldn’t be awkward at all moving forward! All signs pointed towards Amy and that makes the Doctor very interested indeed. Overall, an excellent episode! 

Rating: 9/10

The Time of Angels

"The Angel killed me too."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 24 April 2010

Series: 5.04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, River

Synopsis

The enigmatic River Song hurtles back into the Doctor's life, but she's not the only familiar face returning – the Weeping Angels are back! Following River's calling card, the Doctor is recruited to help track down the last of the Angels, which has escaped from the Byzantium starling and into the terrifying Maze of the Dead.

Verdict

The Time of Angels was an excellent episode to continue my way through the Series 5 rewatch! This is a fantastic start to a wonderful story that I’ve been very much looking forward to revisiting. It’s one where Matt Smith clearly comes into his own as the Doctor in his debut performance and it’s just so much fun to see him interact with River Song. The way she goaded the Doctor into saving her from the spaceship was glorious stuff and the home box being in Old High Gallifreyan as a lost language of the Time Lords was brilliant, especially his reaction to it saying ‘hello sweetie’! I loved how vulnerable the Doctor was with River around and Amy just helped heighten that. It was such a fun dynamic. The Doctor lost all control and authority with River around and Amy absolutely loved it. She couldn’t believe that River could fly the TARDIS, although I’m absolutely against the idea of the materialisation sound just being the Doctor leaving the brakes on! That’s just ludicrous. Once River was on board, the story took shape as she followed the ship to the Byzantium and a trapped dormant Weeping Angel. I thought that was terrific and the threat that the Doctor believed there was just from one Angel was sold so well by Smith. The reaction when they realised that all of the statues decayed or otherwise in the Maze of the Dead were all Angels was superb. That really added some excitement and pace to the episode. I thought the atmosphere of the entire story was superb throughout and it was a nice grainy feel which went in well with the Angel presence. Amy’s first reaction to seeing the Angel was magnificent and the concept of the image of an Angel becoming an Angel was terrific. It adds a big threat to the already deadly Weeping Angels and the genius of Amy to pause the loop on the static where the Angel image wasn’t there was fantastic. The Doctor telling River to hug Amy because he was busy was marvellous. I was a big fan of that. I really enjoyed the moment where Bob was communicating with the Doctor after he had died and the way they blamed him after he’d promised they wouldn’t die and that they were actually full of fear was incredible. The reaction of the Doctor was sensational. I’m not a massive fan of the cliffhanger of the episode with the Doctor using a gun to shoot the Byzantium, but his warning to the Angels of not putting him in a trap was fantastic. Despite the circumstances and the predicament with the Angels coming and the power almost gone, the Doctor oozed confidence. I liked that. It’s a stellar performance for the Eleventh Doctor and I love the dynamic with Amy and River. It’s always nice to be watching alongside Gemma, especially in this era as we both adore this time and Doctor. It’s our favourite. We both humorously agreed that we wouldn’t go when the message came through of coming to see as it just wouldn’t be anything good. Overall, an episode full of tense atmosphere and creepiness which was a fine build to the next part to come! 

Rating: 9/10

Victory of the Daleks

"They will win me the war."

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV

Broadcast: 17 April 2010

Series: 5.03

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

The Doctor takes Amy to the distant future, where she finds the mysterious Liz Ten, a Star Whale, and all of Britain inside a spaceship.

Verdict

Victory of the Daleks is another excellent episode to continue my way through the modern rewatch of Series 5! I was really looking forward to this one because it ends up kind of being the only pure Dalek story for the Eleventh Doctor which is actually a bit of a shame. It’s probably remembered for all of the wrong reasons but I think it’s tremendous! I’m a sucker for history so going back to the Second World War and meeting Winston Churchill is some way to go for Amy’s first venture into the past. I like the camaraderie between the Doctor and Winston with it being clear that there’s history between them, and Big Finish have done a fine job in exploring that with their Churchill Years spin-off series. He’s got a new weapon for victory in the war and it’s the Ironside. Or as the Doctor knows them better, the Daleks. The design of the Ironside Dalek in this episode is magnificent and it’s such a simple and subtle change that does so much. It’s not just the green military colour, it’s the British flag as well. It just works. The less said about the Progenitor counterparts the better. I’m saying this as a man who owns a figure of each colour variant, but I’m really not a fan of the futuristic new paradigm of Daleks. They’re too bulky, too colourful and just a bit silly. I think Smith does a tremendous job in selling his fear of a whole new and pure race of Daleks, but they really are about as silly as the Doctor feigning a jammy dodger as a TARDIS self destructor. That is typically Eleventh Doctor though. His distain for the Daleks was incredible here and I love how angry the Doctor gets at the Daleks offering themselves as Britain’s soldier and servant. He couldn’t stand that they were willing and being nice because he knew the truth. They were up to something, and that something was him. His testimony in recognising them as Daleks despite not being pure was good stuff and that brought them into their own. The Daleks shooting down Nazi planes was fantastic, and the Doctor’s reaction when he realises what Bracewell’s inventions really are is magnificent. It certainly hasn’t taken long for Smith to settle into the role of this episode is anything to go by! Amy has a starring moment in convincing Bracewell that he’s human by mentioning fancying someone that you shouldn’t. That was a nice touch and the smile the Doctor gave her when he realised it was working was a nice little nod of acknowledgement. I think the Danny Boy moments in trying to wipe out the Dalek ship are a bit barmy despite providing some fine imagery, but the potential highlight of the episode is the Doctor struggling with the dilemma of saving humanity or destroying the Daleks is brilliant. It’s almost torment. I think the continuity with The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End is really intriguing as Amy cannot remember the Daleks which takes the Doctor by surprise, and that mysterious crack in the wall also makes another showing as the TARDIS departs the war room. The Daleks getting to escape is good and they claim to return in the future, but apart from a brief aid of putting the Doctor in the Pandorica this generation of Daleks don’t do a lot. Overall though, a really strong episode!

Rating: 9/10

The Beast Below

"We should never have come here."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 10 April 2010

Series: 5.02

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

The Doctor takes Amy to the distant future, where she finds the mysterious Liz Ten, a Star Whale, and all of Britain inside a spaceship.

Verdict

The Beast Below is a decent episode to continue my rewatching of the modern era! Matt Smith’s tenure as the Eleventh Doctor is off to a strong start now and whilst I must say this probably does go down as one of my least favourite stories in his era, it’s still far from bad which says a lot about his time at the helm! It’s quite fun to have Amy’s first adventure in the TARDIS with her in her nightie, and that’s a fact that doesn’t come to her attention far too late into proceedings. She’s so swept up with everything that’s happened in her life and being taken away on the eve of her wedding day that she didn’t even realise what she was wearing in the presence of humans far into her own future. I think the concept and setting of Starship UK is decent but I’m not quite sure the scale is believable. Certainly not from the imagery that was presented on screen. The moment at the end with the crack from Amy’s bedroom wall being seen is great continuity for the series arc and I really enjoyed how her first reaction to being in the future was realising that she was long dead. That’s quite daunting! This episode was a lot darker than I remembered and at first I commented to Gemma’s statement that this was terrifying with some blunt humour. But it actually was! It is a scary episode. The opening scene with the little boy going below as the elevator opens up as he scored a zero was quite something and really set the tone for the episode ahead. The Smilers are a brilliant design when it comes to the fright element but they don’t really do much in the episode. I was even more baffled by just how little Hawthorne and Pete the Winder offer so it’s confusing to me why I have a figure of each sitting on my shelves upstairs! Of all the characters from the first half of the series to make figures of! I think Amy hanging out of the TARDIS and the journey she goes on just in this episode is great. She’s full of awe and wonder but then she sets her mind to helping the children crying. The Doctor will also interfere when children are crying because why wouldn’t he? Amy taking initiative and not being scared by keep out signs or padlock gives her instant strong companion qualities, but the Doctor thinks she gets a little ahead of herself at the story’s conclusion. The revelation of the star whale is pretty good and the decision faced by the Doctor initially seems horrifying. He must choose the whale or the human race. So for him to be planning on giving the whale a massive electrical impulse to essentially turn into a floating vegetable of a pilot is just awful. But Amy knows the truth of what’s being forgotten. Liz 10 is a fun character and the way she found the Doctor was good with him testing the movement of the starship with the glass of water. The truth about her and the Winders acting under her orders as she constantly chose to forget over the course of two centuries was quite shocking, but Amy made her abdicate and that saved the whale. It was a volunteer and it was playing with the children which was lovely. The Doctor aggressively saying she would be going home and talked almost in a derisory way to her about being human was unexpected, but it showed that this version of the Doctor was different. Things worked out and the ending with Churchill being on the phone and a Dalek shadow seen is fantastic. Overall, a decent episode. 

Rating: 7/10

The Eleventh Hour

"I am definitely a madman with a box."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 3 April 2010

Series: 5.01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

The newly regenerated Doctor has twenty minutes to save the world – and only Amy Pond can help him. But she's been waiting a very long time...

Verdict

The Eleventh Hour is a fine introduction to Matt Smith’s tenure as the Eleventh Doctor! It really does feel like a new era as we essentially have a hard reset of the look of the show. Sure, this new Doctor is still wearing the raggedy remains of his previous incarnation’s clothes and that actually plays a big part in the story, but we also have brand new opening titles, a new theme arrangement and of course the brand new TARDIS interior and exterior. I’m really enjoying watching this era of the show with Gemma, as I have done for all of the latest rewatch blog entries in the last couple of years, because we’ve both said during our six year plus relationship that Matt Smith is our favourite Doctor but we’ve actually only watched a couple of episodes together! So to fully delve into the era together is really exciting. Just seeing the coming soon trailer of the rest of Series 5 was brilliant and it brought back a lot of memories. It’s been not far off a decade since I last watched the episodes in this series so I can’t wait to explore them again now with company. The introduction of Amy as companion is tremendous and at the time I just didn’t expect to first meet her as a little girl. And then when we meet the grown up article I didn’t expect her to be in a kissogram policewoman outfit. I wonder how the Doctor would have reacted if she did go with the French maid alternative. Their relationship starts off with great humour and as we slowly explore Leadworth we learn just what impact the Doctor’s fleeting visit to young Amelia had on her. She’d seen four psychiatrists telling her that the raggedy Doctor didn’t exist and it seemed everyone local knew about it as well! It was good fun. There’s no time wasted in setting up the story arcs with the crack in the wall, the Pandorica will open, and Silence will fall. That’s very nicely done and leaves us wanting more for the series to come almost immediately! I really loved how throughout the Doctor wants to fix the fact that Amy grew up and his playful nature was matched with the right amount of seriousness. I’m not a huge fan of Prisoner Zero as the enemy, but the moment it reveals it didn’t create the crack was terrific. I also loved how accepting Amelia was of the mad man with a box eating fish fingers and custard in her kitchen so that meant it must be one hell of a scary crack in her bedroom wall. For me, the highlight of the episode is the moment where the Doctor calls back the Atraxi to Earth to give them a stern warning for their threat of incinerating the entire planet. Not only is Rory’s reaction to that a delight, but the moment where we see the history of Earth being defended and all previous ten incarnations before the new Eleventh Doctor steps through. He firmly is the Doctor. It’s magnificent. The Doctor’s comments about keeping the clothes were fun and whilst I’m not a massive fan of the browser history comments and pornography indications, as a whole this is a fine episode! Who da man? Not for this Doctor. The fact he was late again to pick Amy up as companion is good humour and it’s a shame he’s equally as interested in the crack in her wall as he is in her. The fact she runs away on the eve of her wedding day is rather fun too! Overall, a brilliant episode. 

Rating: 9/10

The Tribulations of Thadeus Nook

"Seeing is believing."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: February 2021

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 10.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

It's time for the trip of a lifetime! Come along on one of Thadeus Nook's Time Tours. See history as it really was. Get to witness wars and assassinations! See barbarian warlords right up close! 

The Doctor and Leela encounter a most enterprising young gentleman – using time travel for his own financial gain. The Doctor is horrified at the irresponsibility – but it's just the tip of the iceberg. 

Because Thadeus Nook is about to learn that history is often best left in the past.

Verdict

The Tribulations of Thadeus Hook was a great adventure to kick off the second half of the tenth series of Fourth Doctor Adventures! Right from the synopsis I knew this was going to be something of a lighthearted tale and that was certainly the case. Having the pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Leela in that regard works well because they provide a lot of comic value, so they meshed well with the titular character of Thadeus Nook. He was an entertaining person and a really likeable character despite him clearly not fully being up to the task of operating a time tour. That concept in of itself is tremendous and is extraordinary to even think about. Hearing a customer who had ventured off a little from the time tourist crowd and nearly ending up with the SS as D-Day loomed was hilarious. The lack of responsibility there obviously wouldn't please the Doctor and he knew Thadeus had to be stopped. Not because he was malicious or evil, but purely because he was an amateur. He was meddling in time but mostly because he didn't understand the implications and that's where the Doctor had to step in. Flaia was a strong character and the twist of her turning into the villain was well done. I really didn't expect it even with her friend of Lem being left behind after Nook's hasty takeoff in the time ship. The significance of the pair wanting to visit Triumph Day was intriguing and the more we learned about it the more its position in history was understood. She had a plan all along to bring the thought dead Grannus Drek to the present. She didn't want to change the past other than his survival, but bring him to the future to a whole new host of acolytes. It was audacious stuff, so naturally after showing her devotion and more or less carrying out the plan as hoped for, he killed her in brutal fashion! That was another moment that surprised me and it certainly had a lasting impact. The relationship that Lem had built up with the Doctor was great and I liked how as a straggler he got to travel in the TARDIS instead to catch up with the ship. Leela's threats to Nook on the time ship when it had taken off in a rush were brilliant and I liked the restraints of it being set on its course. Her confidence in the Doctor to track them was nice though. I thought the mentions of the wooden interior of the TARDIS were very good and a nice reminder of the time the secondary console room became primary. It's still not my favourite but I do appreciate the change. It just doesn't look flamboyant enough for a TARDIS interior in my room but on audio I'm all for it appearing and its run extending. I liked the lighthearted nature of jumping around history on tours getting very serious once the true experience of Triumph Day was felt. The human casualties soon took the story into one of feeling real which was important as this definitely didn't warrant being full on humour. Jess was another really nice character and her being the partner to Thadeus made the stakes for her pretty large. She wasn't always confidence in his time travel ordeals which was fun and she just wanted him to be safe. He was aware of the issues but he was far from interested in any kind of refund offering when it came to customer dissatisfaction. His suggestion at the end of moving into the planetary business was amusing though. He was never out for the easy road! The way he worked with the Doctor to defeat Grannus Deck was good though as he used the last of his time ship to head towards the end, whilst the Doctor was on hand to catch up and just about use enough of the TARDIS shields to materialise around him and bring him home whilst Deck would stay at the end of everything. History would stay on course and he would be thought dead on Triumph Day. A pretty neat conclusion in the end! Overall, a really entertaining little story!

Rating: 8/10

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy

"Let me entertain you."

Writer: Stephen Wyatt

Format: Novel

Released: December 1989

Series: Target 144

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

'Creepy', thought Ace. You never saw the clown's real face...

But the Doctor insists on entering the talent contest at the Psychic Circus, the self-proclaimed Greatest Show in the Galaxy. 

What has reduced Segonax to an arid wasteland? Why have the happy-go-lucky circus people stayed here so long, and why are they no longer happy? And what is the sinister truth about the Ringmaster and his robot clowns?

The Doctor and Ace need all their death-defying skills in the Big Top to uncover a brooding, ancient evil that has broken the spirit of the Circus and demanded the sacrifice of so many lives. 

Verdict

The Greatest Show in the Galaxy was a very decent novelisation of the serial of the same name! This one obviously comes towards the end of the televised run for the Classic era with only four stories to come after it, but this definitely feels like something that would work in the modern era, even in prose. I like this story and a lot and isn't a huge amount of time since my last viewing during lockdown, but one thing that was clear to me after finishing the novelisation is that this story works best with visuals and audio. I think that's not too surprising given the whole circus setting and the sheer imagery and design that goes into the story. The focus on numerous circus acts is good but prose is not where that kind of thing shines. It works so much better on television which is a shame. For example, whilst they look magnificent on the cover of the book I don't think the shift of the ordinary family into the stone-like Gods of Ragnarok is as big of a moment as it should be. For me, it's a memorable design but it wasn't described too well in prose. I thought throughout that whilst the story was presented absolutely fine, the author was not really delving into the realms of expansion as is so typical with the Target novelisations. This just felt like a simple retelling of the story to readers who were familiar with the televised version. There's nothing wrong with that at all, but I think that's part of why my rating dropped from the on screen format. Now, into the story itself and I like how things start with the Doctor and Ace in the TARDIS and the junk mail advertisement luring the Doctor in. Right from the off it was clear he had something of an ulterior motive as is so common with this incarnation, and Ace just seemed to accept that. She wasn't as bothered as she would be in numerous other adventures. The stall holder was a fun character to showcase the stature of the Psychic Circus to the locals of Segonax and the irony of her business relying on passers through heading to the misfit attraction but her distain for those types of people was tremendous. So simple but really effective. Nord was a good character for Ace to stand up to and getting to know him a little before he perished in his failure to entertain the Gods was nicely done. I thought the story of Bellboy and Flowerchild was more effective in prose and definitely had an emotional attachment as they'd escaped from the Psychic Circus. The Chief Clown was out for them though and he was a sinister villain. I think that was heightened by how much fear Ace had for clowns in general. That's really intriguing considering how little actually scares her on her travels along with the tendencncy for explosives. Bellboy's sacrificing himself so there would be nobody to repair the robots was an incredibly powerful scene I must say. The Ringmaster was fun but I don't think the brilliant rhyming and song introductions for each act were as effective on the page. That's just a consequence of the format unfortunately. One thing I will say is that I don't think this was the author's greatest attribute as he was clearly not wholly comfortable with writing prose. There was a lot of repeated description which got tiresome, as did Captain Cook! Gosh he was annoying with his constant name dropping of his travels in almost every instance. Mags was the star of the show and I love how she eventually stood up to him and sided with the Doctor. Cook was incredibly selfish in using the moonlight effect to show her wolf-like true nature, but it worked well and injected some strong action. The Doctor's belief in her was wonderful to see. The ending is done well with the action and the Doctor's final performance is fun, although it does go on a bit! The Circus imploding is a pretty emphatic finale and I really enjoyed circling back to the stall owner considering how she would make a living now. Overall, a good little read! 

Rating: 7/10

Buried Threats: Ancient History

"We can't just build on top of history."

Writer: Matt Litton

Format: Audio

Released: February 2024

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 3.09

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Benny

Synopsis

Professor Bernice Summerfield is delving into the mystery of the Korravin, a mighty warrior horde, vanished overnight. But her expedition seems jinxed. And when a familiar blue box appears, Benny knows they're in trouble. 

As ancient history resurfaces, the Doctor wants to keep some things buried – but Benny's an expert at digging up the past.

Verdict

Buried Threats was another brilliant episode to conclude what has been a fantastic Buried Threats series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! Of course, this finale was the main selling point of the entire boxset to me as I am always a fan of when Doctors and companions who didn't travel together get set for a meeting. It's an exciting prospect and it feels a little bit more important when it comes to the Ninth Doctor, especially in the days before Rose where he was travelling without a companion. He's still scarred from the events of the Time War and his role in ending it, and it was touched upon in subtle fashion here when his identity was revealed to Benny. I thought that was great and I liked how she picked up on his mention of the Time Lords in the past tense and she instantly knew that he would have some kind of involvement. The rumours and murmurings of something cataclysmic happening to history and time was very good and showed that the Time War was having ripples even now. That was really well incorporated. I liked how old school Benny seemed in this episode because she was out for good old fashioned archeological exploration and wasn't a fan of the expedition involved going the sonic and simulation route. She liked to get down and dirty which I loved. Having the Doctor pose as part of her expedition with a ridiculous cover name that I won't even try to spell here was hilarious but it is a bit sad that after everything he had been through he didn't want to catch up with an old friend. He'd been through a lot with Benny and I was glad that she confronted him on her feeling sad about that. She was there for him and always would be despite how infuriating he can be. The expedition was concerning a very powerful species though as Benny and company were out to find the mystery of the Korravin, a race the Doctor described as having an amalgamation of attributes part Dalek, Cyberman and Vulpreen! That is quite the combination so it was only natural that they would return two million years later. I thought the role of the TARDIS being buried in the excavation site was wonderful and when it was described to Benny, her question of its colour and then the words of police public call box being read provoked a stunning reaction. How typical of the Doctor! And right away she knew it was the ridiculously named professor. The Doctor using a time ring to jump two million years into the future was brilliant and I thought the whole concept of the Korravin disappearing from history because they'd come to the future was magnificent. Talk about not leaving a trace! Cantiple was a good character and I loved how she saw glory in the discovery of the Korravin time window. The TARDIS was obviously a big part of that so I'm not sure she had thought it through all the way to a sale, but it was certainly interesting to look two million years into the past and see the Korravin society for themselves. I thought it was hilarious as well that she claimed the glory for her research in the Korravin having a hierarchy when it came to the High Korravin emerging. The role of George in the conclusion was a nice surprise as the android didn't seem like it would play such a pivotal impact in the resolution, but it sacrificed itself and time soon caught up with the Korravin to wipe them out for good. Finnda was also fun in being pregnant and claiming to be a Time Lord, I'm sure there must be more than just the Time Lords in the cosmos with two hearts! But alas, apparently that was the only way of designating a species apparently. Overall though, a superb episode to conclude a really strong series. 

Rating: 9/10

Buried Threats: The Running Men

"We can't just build on top of history."

Writer: Mark Wright

Format: Audio

Released: February 2024

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 3.08

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

The TARDIS brings the Doctor to 21st Century Halifax, alongside police Sergeant Ambika Desai, as they investigate a mysterious death. 

The trail leads to the Hebble Piazza and an unscrupulous developer, as the Doctor uncovers the town's distant past – and the infamous Halifax gibbet. The Running Men are rising from history!

Verdict

The Running Men was another excellent episode to continue my way through the Buried Threats series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! I have been a big fan of this series so far and I think the theme of threats buried within was really strongly used here. I liked the real life history that was encountered and the setting of Halifax was brilliant because it was quite niche and unique. London has been exhausted as a setting when it comes to UK based adventures, so it's nice to go somewhere else! A simple town like Halifax is ripe for exploring and it fits in well with the Earth-centric era of the Ninth Doctor. Still no companion as these series are set prior to Rose, but I thought Ambika did a tremendous job in that supporting role. She was such a likeable character and I really hope that we haven't heard the last of her. There is serious companion potential for her and even here she got to go inside the TARDIS and play a big role in stopping the rise of the Running Men. Of course, the true villain of the piece was Annalise Avenley who was superb in that role. She was just a bitch and that was exactly what she would have been. The reaction she had when Annalise and the Doctor were on her property investigating a quick fly tipping report and encountered Frank Kelsey was extraordinary. She wasn't afraid of standing up to Annalise as part of the police and her thoughts on Kelsey were less than respectful. He was a really good character and it was fun for the Doctor to take an immediate liking to him, He was out to protect history and the site of Annalise's proposed piazza was, according to his lengthy research, the true site of the Halifax gibbet. The history behind that gibbet as a device of execution outlawed in the seventeenth century was terrific and I liked the suggestion of the memorial being in the wrong place. Annalise wasn't having any kind of heritage blocking her proposed development. Grayson as her heavy was very good and I liked how that just made her even more hatable. The same couldn't be said for Ambika who just shone throughout. The humour at the start with her first meeting with the Doctor was tremendous as she claimed the TARDIS was displaying unauthorised police signage and when she was presented with the psychic paper as ID, she thought he was impersonating a police officer! I thought that was just fantastic. I enjoyed the emergence of the Running Men and they injected a good bout of action into things. They were a good threat and the rip in the Vortex that brought the Doctor to Halifax being utilised in the resolution and needing to be closed was great. The trio of the Doctor, Ambika and Kelsey made for a terrific team and the use of the TARDIS and its functions to fix everything was nicely done. Ambika arresting Annalise once the threat was over and the pull on her by the Running Men was eradicated was fun, although I do wish she gave the proper reason for the arrest as it didn't seem entirely professional. Overall though, a tremendous episode doused in reality! 

Rating: 9/10

The Day of the Comet

"It is like the clouds are on fire."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: January 2021

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 10.02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Leela to the ruins of a once-great city racked by earthquakes, where they find a giant rocket on the side of a mountain. The planet is due to be destroyed by a comet in a year's time and this ship is the only way off world.

But is everything quite as it seems? At least one person in the city thinks the comet is going to come to obliterate the planet much sooner than people believe. 

Which would be bad enough – if there wasn't a far worse secret hidden behind the scenes...

Verdict

The Day of the Comet was a great story to conclude the first half of the tenth series of Fourth Doctor Adventures! It's a shame there appears to be no overlapping arc for this boxset at the moment and instead just serves as four solo stories in their own right which is fine, but I do think a longer arc would be beneficial and definitely more appealing! I'm a huge fan of the pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Leela but I do think we have listened to countless one off stories with them now. They do need something of a little refresh but that's just a personal preference. The story itself was a really strong one and I was engaged throughout. I never felt like it was going to be any higher than the rating I did award, but I also did know it wouldn't drop. This was just a really solid story from start to finish. I thought the setting worked very well and the threat of a comet wiping out the people and planet of Actonese was brilliant. Of course, the people thought they still had three months before any kind of impact but the reality was actually just three days. At least the people had hope, that was the argument of Tynax at least who had arranged the whole sham regarding the fake ship to take the population to safety. The ark was unfortunately incomplete and wouldn't take off, but giving that hope had prevented anarchy with someone in charge and that was something I actually agreed with. What I didn't like was how she was taking goods off people as payment for transport and also setting them to work with strict disciplinary punishments. She was using the Actonese people for her own benefit. The people themselves were very intriguing and for them to be renowned by even the Time Lords said a lot about them! The description of their immunity to almost all illnesses and essentially being immortal felt very much like an explanation about Time Lord regeneration which was good. And that's why they delved into their convenient policy of non-intervention when it came to the comet destroying the people. Those that did get off in arks vanished without a trace, and I liked the Doctor's involvement here to send them to the far future where they wouldn't be traced. His departing message to Verkuvia about not having any involvement should the Time Lords somehow come knocking was very amusing. I thought she was a lovely character as the astrologer. The arrival of Lendrik and Vengis posing as being Actonese people from the future come to save their ancestors was intriguing but they were never convincing which was amusing to hear. The Doctor was onto them in a flash! The throwing around of the TARDIS key in the story was almost extraordinary and I am not entirely sure there's ever been a story where it was more important! Perhaps Father's Day? I was a big fan of Corsha and the relationship she garnered with Leela was terrific. I was a little surprised that Massey passed away early on though as he seemed like a character set to stay for the duration. Sullerman was a strong character as well and I liked his involvement with the TARDIS key at the end and his trepidation on whether the Doctor would take him with them in the TARDIS. This was a really emotional story in parts with the fate of the Actonese people and the Doctor having to stick to established history, for the most part! The way he changed some of the small details to keep history and the Time Lords off his back was fun stuff and a nice way to conclude. Overall, a really good listen!

Rating: 8/10

No Fun at the Fair

"Coming soon: Super Slitheen Space Spectacular!"

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Format: Short Story

Released: June 2006

Series: Doctor Who Files 03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

Enjoying a Saturday by attending the funfair, the Doctor is having the time of his life. However, a solo journey on the ghost train for Rose sees her encounter a rogue Slitheen and soon a human hunt is uncovered...

Verdict

No Fun at the Fair was a great little short story! This was a fine way to continue my reading through the Doctor Who Files released during the time of Series 2 and they're a really fun little collection. After the first two releases focusing on the Doctor and Rose, as you might expect, this was an obvious choice to go to for the first monster. The Slitheen made a big impact during Series 1 with their humorous and emphatic debut in Aliens of London/World War Three before becoming the first modern era villain to return in Boom Town at the end of that debut series. They made a big impact and with the younger audience the target with these releases, they're an obvious go to for a book like this. There's a lot of potential with the Slitheen and having one in a fairground environment was a lot of fun! That's not a setting we see enough of in Doctor Who in my opinion. They're naturally scary when isolated and there's always so much going on so the potential there is endless. Rose being on the ghost train by herself was quite amusing because she couldn't really keep up with the Doctor's ebullient energy, but when she saw a Slitheen she soon turned into serious mode. I liked that she was unable to initially reach the Slitheen because the ride was continuing on its automated route, but when she tried to get back in with her pound entry fee the ride was closing. She caused a scene which wasn't encouraged when the Doctor caught back up with her and simple patience would be the way here. I thought it was good for Rose to feel pity towards this Slitheen as it just seemed to be enjoying the fun of a fair, but when it turned out to be scouting for its own potential torture of humans she was shocked with herself for feeling such a way! That was good humour. I liked the idea of the quote I've taken with a Slitheen space spectacular sounding pretty special indeed! That is certainly something I would love to see. The idea of the Slitheen picking humanity for research of this kind is possibly a little farfetched given the history of their race on the planet, but I was all for it as it gave us the first meeting they had with the Tenth Doctor. I'm a sucker for a familiar monster meeting a new incarnation of the Doctor and that was handled very well here. Rose being part of the human hunt at the fairground was terrific and the imagery created there was sublime! It was really creative and I loved how she hoped to get in the ghost train again. How things change! The human hunt heading towards the waterslide was quite something as that's a rather unique attraction for the Slitheen to designate as the end. I'm not sure there was much logic there, but it did bring us an effective conclusion. Once Rose was sent down the waterslide first, I kind of predicted how things were going to finalise. She crashed into the water with a thump but then the smell of chips had her second guessing. The Slitheen exploding gag was fun on paper and the idea of the Doctor using vinegar from the burger van to soak the pool and send the Slitheen into chunks of goo was great. The way things ended with the Doctor having gone and purchased Rose a photo of her and a Slitheen on the ghost train was hilarious! And it was even incorporated into the pages of the story with a mashed together image of Rose and the Slitheen within a heart. That was a neat little touch which really rounded out this adventure. Sure, it was a little immature at times but on the whole this was just good fun! A nice little read. 

Rating: 8/10

The Lost Ones

"He did not like insects."

Writer: Walter Howarth

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1965

Printed in: Dr Who Annual 1966

Featuring: First Doctor

Synopsis

When the TARDIS is drawn to the mysterious planet Vortis, the Doctor encounters the Menoptera and Zarbi for the first time. But it's the presence of eight Atlanteans that are the true cause for concern...

Verdict

The Lost Ones was a tremendous short story to continue my reading through the very first Doctor Who Annual! This was another very intriguing read and I find it so strange still to have the Doctor referred to as Dr Who and the title of doctor not being capitalised when referring to our Time Lord hero. Of course, for contemporary readers of the time the Time Lords were a few years off even being revealed in The War Games and the Doctor on more than one occasion here referred to himself as being from Earth. That's amusing almost every time but I did like that one such reference had an asterisk and footnote suggesting that the Doctor was just prevaricating. It would make sense as the red headed beings he encountered here on Vortis weren't exactly typical Earthmen, and their truth was actually rather sensational! Of course, before we met them we had the Doctor's apparent first visit to Vortis pre-dating The Web Planet which is a really fun and somewhat unexpected prospect! I must admit that my memory on one of my least favourite serials ever is a little sketchy on specific dialogue regarding the Doctor actually being on Vortis and if he recognised the Menoptera and Zarbi, but the continuity seemed to work well. I liked learning again about the uprising of the Zarbi and their Queen who led them to revolt up which sent the Menoptera away from their own planet, but here they were scouting to see if they could return home. Their reaction to the Doctor was excellent and I absolutely adored the Doctor's thoughts on him being treated as a test subject by the giant butterflies. The characterisation of the First Doctor here was strong with the stubbornness and blunt nature of his personality very much evident on the page. That always makes a story better in my estimation! I really liked how he put his foot in it as well when the Menoptera asked the Doctor what his people did with butterflies and the answer of them being collected and trapped in glasses to be gassed was hilarious. He had to stop himself as he realised his own fate might be something similar now! He was flabbergasted by the idea of him being dissected and opened up to see how his organs worked, but things actually got even more disturbing when he escaped and fell into the hands of the Atlanteans. I liked how right from the off these supposed humans were instantly a little different with their appearance, but expecting them to be from the mythical lost city of Atlantis was not something I anticipated! I thought it was brilliant and even the Doctor was stunned. The way they spoke seemed to suggest that they viewed Atlantis as the entire planet and had a will to conquer the entire universe, but alas they had failed now and had been lost for a decade. The way they treated the Doctor was honestly appalling as in a bid to confirm he was man, they stripped him literally naked! I can never recall a moment where the Doctor in any incarnation has been treated like that and in such a position of vulnerability. I had to re-read to make sure that it had actually happened! There were understandably no visuals there, and I do think this adventure was a little lacking in the volume of illustrations but the artwork was really impressive. The colours were very vibrant! There was an abundance of positivity which helped with some of the disturbing content in the story, but alas the Doctor left the Atlanteans to their fate in running like he never had before to the TARDIS and not repairing their controls. He would return to Vortis and the war between Zarbi and Menoptera, but for now he just needed to get out! Overall, a superb read.

Rating: 9/10

The People's Temple

"He wants to be a god in the afterlife."

Writer: Paul Leonard

Format: Short Story

Released: March 1998

Printed in: Short Trips 14

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Sam

Synopsis

From Neolithic Earth to the furthest reaches of the universe in the far future, Short Trips brings together established Doctor Who authors and first-time writers in a collection of stories exploring the ever-changing worlds of the Doctor and his friends.

Witness the last days of the siege of Masada with the First Doctor and meet the Fourth Doctor's extraordinary 'old flame'. An evil enemy makes life difficult for the Seventh and Third Doctors, and while the Fifth Doctor is under attack on a sinister ship shrouded in fog, the Second may soon be guilty of a grave error of judgement... The Sixth Doctor's hopes of a holiday are dashed when he discovers a pleasure planet is hiding a shocking secret, and the Eighth Doctor is caught up in a deadly drama played out during the construction of Stonehenge.

And, of course, that's just the beginning...

Verdict

The People's Temple was a great little short story to conclude the first volume of Short Trips! It’s been a long time coming for me to actually complete this collection and I haven’t done it wholly in story order, but it’s been a real treat! I like that things concluded with what I believe to be the contemporary TARDIS pairing of the time of release with the Eighth Doctor and Sam, and that’s a pairing I’m always glad to revisit. I’m obviously incredibly far behind in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels (one day I will catch up!), so getting a little bonus for them here was a nice touch. I thought the characterisation of the Eighth Doctor was strong but for me I was a big fan of how Sam was written. She’s a really strong companion and I love the idea of her wanting to visit Stonehenge but at a time when it was actually purposed as a temple. That’s a fun idea and venturing over four millennia into her past was really exciting. I thought she was really audacious in defying the Doctor when he realised they weren’t exactly in the same time he had initially thought, but she wanted to experience this. She’d heard the guttural screams and knew this wasn’t an ordinary sacrifice. She wanted to help but did promise not to interfere if it was a typical sacrifice. I have reservations about that! I was a big fan of the setting and Sam introducing herself as the Holy Mother was rather fun! Coyn and Shalin were two really strong characters and I liked the way things came full circle for them. We had them as youngsters at the start but by the end the former had killed the latter just because of some words. That was a powerful moment and a bit of a shock, and I can’t help but feel the Doctor was partly to blame with his use of the word killing. I thought the format of the adventure was great as it’s not common to get chapters and even a prologue and epilogue in a story that’s only forty-eight pages. I was all for it though and it really helped to break things up as this was one of the longer Short Trips. The fate of Dorlan was another big shock as I was really enjoying the relationship he’d built with Sam, so his death came very suddenly and was a powerful moment for sure. The effect that had on Sam was good to see as she was learning that she didn’t always know best when it came to interfering in time. She blamed herself for starting the war which isn’t easy to disagree with despite the Doctor’s best efforts to explain that events would have taken a similar course regardless. She was deeply saddened though and I couldn’t blame her. One good that did come of everything though was Coyn freeing the people of Dorlan after Sam served her punishment in preparing the bodies of the dead. That was neat and tidy in the end despite the emotional conclusion. For a religious based story, I wasn’t expecting so much death! I would have just liked something regarding Stonehenge at the end, but overall this was still a great read! 

Rating: 8/10