Saturday 21 June 2014

Doctor Who Legacy: The Ninth Doctor

The Ninth Doctor's portrait costume in Doctor Who Legacy!
After only one TV series and six novels the world thought that there would be no new adventures for the Ninth Doctor. The 50th Anniversary year, however, brought us a new short story, a new audio adventure and a stunning mobile game which all feature the Ninth Doctor!

Ninth Doctor

Level List: Paradox of the Zygons (Season 5, 100% Drop), [Easy] Daleks at the Rift (Fan Area, 100% Costume Drop), [Medium] Daleks at the Rift (Fan Area, 100% Costume Drop), [Hard] Daleks at the Rift (Fan Area, 100% Costume Drop), 

Rank:                     HP:                 Attack:                     Heal:
    2                     222-714              169-434                    88-199
    3                     714-1798            434-1076                  199-450
    4                     1798-2764          1076-1789                450-688

Ability: Air From My Lungs (Increases 15% heal from pink gems for one turn - Rank 2: 25 combos; Rank 3: 30 combos; Rank 4: 25 combos) and Everybody Lives (Heal allies for % of max. HP - Rank 2: 30%, 50 combos; Rank 3: 50%, 60 combos; Rank 4: 70%, 60 combos).
Costumes:  9  9 Regen  9th Doctor 

Ninth Doctor +

Level List: Angels (Expert Pack, 100% Drop)

Rank:                     HP:                 Attack:                     Heal:
    1                     126-274              42-141                      15-77
    2                     307-716              162-435                    91-261
    3                     783-1454            479-927                    288-568
    4                     1557-2498          995-1622                  611-1003

Ability: Air From My Lungs (Increases 15% heal from pink gems for one turn - Rank 1: 25 combos; Rank 2: 20 combos; Rank 3: 25 combos; Rank 4: 20 combos) and Everybody Lives (Heal allies for % of max. HP - Rank 1: 20%, 40 combos; Rank 2: 40%, 50 combos; Rank 3: 60%, 55 combos; Rank 4: 80%, 60 combos).

Costume: 9 +

COMPETITION TIME!

I have teamed up with Tiny Rebel Games, creators of Doctor Who Legacy, to offer you the chance to win a copy of the Ninth Doctor's regeneration costume plus an extra Time Crystal! This costume is currently exclusive to the fan area and this may be your only chance to get it without paying! If you would like it and don't win you can still buy your way into the fan area, get your hands on a copy and support the game all at the same time!

How to Enter: All you have to do is re-tweet a notice about the competition and follow @DoctorWhoUG on Twitter to try and get your hands on this elusive costume! Five winners will randomly be selected from everyone who enters. You have until Wednesday 25th of June 2014 to enter so get re-tweeting!

Friday 20 June 2014

Series 1 (Season 27) Round-Up

The Doctor and Rose back when the journey began!
Under the guidance of Russell T Davies Doctor Who returned to TV with a successful first series, but who were the main cast and what are the scores?

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston, Episodes 1-13), Rose (Billie Piper, Episodes 1-13), Jackie (Camille Coudri, Episodes 1-2, 4-5, 8, 12-13), Mickey (Noel Clarke, Episodes 1, 4-5, 11-13), Adam (Bruno Langley, Episodes 6-7), Captain Jack (John Barrowman, Episodes 9-13) and The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant, Episode 13)

Episode List:                                                                     Score:
Rose...................................................................................13.5/20
The End of the World..........................................................10/20
The Unquiet Dead...............................................................13.5/20
Aliens of London/World War Three.....................................8/20
Dalek..................................................................................16/20
The Long Game..................................................................12/20
Father's Day.......................................................................15/20
The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances..................................13/20
Boom Town.......................................................................7.5/20
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways......................................15/20
TOTAL SCORE: 61.75%
An average score with important episodes impacting well. Due to the high scoring episodes being double parters and low scoring Slitheen episodes dropping below double digits the overall score is dragged down.

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who_(series_1)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007vvcq


Monday 16 June 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episodes 12 +13: Bad Wolf & The Parting of the Ways

The Controller knows all, but what about the blog?
It's finally time; Doctor Who's return to television with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor has been a spectacular success but one thing still has to be cleared up. Eccleston has decided to leave the series after only one season and the plan to keep it a secret has been spoilt when the BBC leaked the information about his departure. Before Eccleston even reached the telly it was announced that David Tennant would take up the role of the Doctor for the 2005 Christmas special onwards. John Barrowman exits the show during the finale of Series 1 until his return in later series and, of course, during spin off series Torchwood. The episodes draw heavily upon previous stories in the series with the 'previously' trailer at the beginning of Bad Wolf comprising completely of clips from The Long Game (Episode 7).

Synopsis: The Doctor, Rose and Jack all wake up to find themselves inside game shows - deadly game shows. Classics such as Big Brother, The Weakest Link and What Not To Wear become death traps for any randomly selected contestant! Then the Doctor breaks out, along with "Lynda with a Y" (Jo Joyner), they investigate the mysterious goings on inside what turns out to be Satellite 5, one hundred years in the future! When Rose is disintegrated, the Doctor, Jack and Lynda find themselves on a revenge mission which leads them to floor 500, the base of operations. The Doctor meets the Controller who reveals to him that the Daleks are behind the game station's hidden plot and are converting humans into Daleks! The Doctor thought the Daleks were wiped out in the Time War, but, now they're not, the war must continue...

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper), Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Mickey (Noel Clarke), Jackie (Camille Coudri) and The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant)

Enemies: Daleks, Anne-Droid, Trin-E, Zu-zana and The Emperor Dalek

Afterthought: The episodes gives a dramatic and exciting conclusion to the series. It however feels filled with plot holes and a few filler scenes which don't add to the episode. The Daleks were once again on fine form and the other robots within the episode successfully showed off the production team's handy work. Eccleston was at perfection all the way through however Rose found herself in a few over clichéd moments!

Verdict:
Story: 3.5/5, Plot holes a plenty but with a brilliant story overall.
Effects: 4/5, Spectacular regeneration, more problems with Dalek's moving parts.
Humour: 3/5, Funny moments.
Mark Campbell: 4.5/5, Everything ends, I just wish he would...
TOTAL SCORE: 15/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Wolf and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parting_of_the_Ways
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dth and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dv1
David Tennant here we come! Next Time: Series 1 (Season 27) Roundup
Parting of the Ways.jpg
The Doctor confronts the 'god' of the Daleks!

Sunday 11 May 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 11: Boom Town

For the latest and best Doctor Who blog (this one), see page three!
Paul Abbot was originally commissioned to write Series 1's eleventh episode. It would feature the Doctor, Rose and Jack travelling back to just before the eruption of Vesuvius. Jack would find that Rose has actually been grown through science by the Doctor in an attempt to find 'the perfect companion'. The story was dropped however due to its writer being too busy to complete it and instead was replaced by Boom Town. The episode was written because Russell T Davies wanted to explore consequences of the Doctors actions and whether the death penalty is fair punishment. Davies also enjoyed Annette Badland as Margaret Slitheen from episodes four and five and so she was invited back to take part. This episode is considered among critics to be the worst of the series, because of its rushed creation, however the true verdict is at the bottom of this post...

Synopsis: Mickey arrives in Cardiff to bring Rose her passport as the TARDIS fills up with fuel from the rift in time and space which is situated there. However it is soon discovered that Margaret Slitheen has escaped her presumed death and is now mayor of Cardiff! With Cardiff set for destruction and a Slitheen on the loose the Doctor decides it's time to intervene. However despite thwarting Margaret's first plan she still attempts to escape and when her last resort works, the planet is at stake.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper), Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and Mickey (Noel Clarke)

Enemies: Slitheen

Afterthought: I admire the quick thinking of Davies for this script, it does not however, stack up to its full potential. There are some genuine moments of concern for characters but the episode loses out by trying to make serious topics lighthearted.

Verdict:
Story: 2/5, Virtually plotless!
Effects: 0.5/5, As dismal as the other Slitheen episodes.
Humor: 4.5/5, Hilarious!
Mark Campbell: 0.5/5, I'm telling you Mark, it was HILARIOUS!
TOTAL SCORE: 7.5/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Town_(Doctor_Who)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dt5
Acting royalty, scripting flop. Next Time: Bad Wolf & The Parting of the Ways

Margaret's back!

Saturday 26 April 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episodes 9 + 10: The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances

The Doctor tries to find an object which has fallen from the sky, if only he had read the blog!
New-who's second multi-part story, written by Steven Moffat, was the highlight of Series 1. It received a Hugo award for 'Best Drama Presentation, Short Form' whilst simultaneously scaring children and adults alike across the nation. Cries of 'Are you my mummy?' were going up from children for the rest of the week after the scary monster introduced in this episode were heard to use the catchphrase. The Torchwood team is now almost complete as John Barrowman debuts as Captain Jack Harkness, the multi-sexual, ex-time agent from the 51st century.

Synopsis: The Doctor and Rose chase a mysterious object in distress flying through the time vortex to London in 1941. In the heart of the Blitz Rose and the Doctor get separated, both meeting rather unusual people. As Rose finds herself hanging from a barrage balloon she is picked up by Captain Jack Harkness who wishes to discuss a deal. Meanwhile the Doctor is busy chasing a mysterious young woman named Nancy who seems to know a lot of information, about the crashed object and the mysterious little boy, but isn't telling. The Doctor is directed towards an old hospital where he meets Constantine, who shows the Doctor how the gas masked patients have been physically changed. Once the Doctor and Rose are reunited, along with Jack they are cornered by the Gas Masked Zombies who all want to know 'Are you my mummy?'.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Captain Jack (John Barrowman)

Enemies: The Empty People

Afterthought: This episode doesn't actually stack up to its full potential. The jokes continually clash with the creepiness of the story and the German air raids were impossibly fake. It's nice to see the addition of Captain Jack to the TARDIS crew after the failure of Adam earlier in the season. I would have preferred to see Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways receive the Hugo award as it turns out much better than this.

Verdict:
Story: 4/5, Very cleverly written!
Effects: 1/5, The nanogenes are quite cool, shame about everything else.
Humor: 3/5, While very funny, it clashes terribly!
Mark Campbell: 5/5, I think he needs to have a word with his mummy!
TOTAL SCORE: 13/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empty_Child and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doctor_Dances
Official Site  - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074ds9 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dsp
Are you my mummy? Next Time: Boom Town
Gas masked zombies attack!

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 8: Father's Day

Rose tells her dad of the future. I wonder if she remembered to tell him about this blog?
To further develop Rose's character and to gain a greater understanding of the ever increasing laws of the Doctor Who universe, a story was commissioned to feature the aftermath of Rose changing an important event in her own history. Paul Cornell, who writes this episode, had worked on the Doctor Who books range along with Russell T Davies following the shows cancellation in 1989 and subsequently was asked to write this episode. A heavy feature of this episode is flashbacks to Rose's past in which her mother, Jackie, tells her all about her loving dad. Once Rose visits the past however she discovers that things are not as she imagined them.

Synopsis: After remembering a conversation she once had with her mum, Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to see her dead father while he was still alive. The thing that sticks in Rose's mind is that her dad died alone and so she convinces the Doctor to take her back so that she can be there with him when he dies. Rose, however, messes up her first attempt and instead of going with the plan on her second attempt, rescues her dad from his impending fate. This releases the Reapers and destroys the 'dimensional transcendental' powers of the TARDIS which make it bigger on the inside. With Reapers on the loose around the church and no way out, there are not many options left open to the congregation. The congregations last chance of survival is destroyed when Rose touches her younger self and a Reaper breaks in and kills the Doctor...

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Jackie (Camille Coudri)

Enemies: Reapers

Afterthought: There is real sense of emotion in the latter scenes of this. How old is Mickey meant to be; three, four, five years older than Rose? What about the driver, did he not think it was a bit weird when he found himself driving somewhere he didn't need to be at the end of the episode?

Verdict:
Story: 4/5, A really emotional script with a slightly darker approach to the Doctor's attitude!
Effects: 4/5, An exciting brilliance, except when the Doctor is eaten.
Humor: 3/5, A good attempt but the mood is dampened by the episodes impending doom.
Mark Campbell: 4/5, He agrees with me!
TOTAL SCORE: 15/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father's_Day_(Doctor_Who)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074drw
The Doctor's 'constant companion is death' - Chameleon Circuit. Next Time: The Empty Child & The Doctor Dances
Reapers attack!

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Character: Adam Mitchell

Adam realises that if he'd read the blog he would have been able to foresee his future predicament.
Adam Mitchell is one of the shortest-running companions of the new series, so far, after only appearing in two episodes. The companion that was never meant to be, Adam joined the TARDIS only because Rose liked him, not because the Doctor wanted him! Adam was an English boy who worked with the alien artifact collector Henry van Statten in Utah, USA. After watching the Doctor and Rose confront a Dalek, Adam was curious about their other adventures and with a little help from Rose, persuaded the Doctor to accept him into the TARDIS. Adam's error however was to get a brain implant in the far future which could never be removed and so he was dropped off home again by an infuriated and unforgiving Time Lord. Adam later returns to confront the Doctor in the fiftieth anniversary comic Prisoners of Time, by the end of which he is officially named a companion!
Adam's short time on the show was always the intention of Russell T Davies and was included as part of his plan to revive the series. In the script writing phase Adam went through numerous character changes. He was originally planned to be the son of Henry van Statten but later versions of the script had him stealing medicines from the future to help his dying father so it could not be Henry van Statten. Eventually all of these ideas were scrapped in favour of the adopted story of Adam getting information about the future.

Portrayed by: Bruno Langley

Story List: Dalek (TV), The Long Game (TV) and Prisoners of Time (Comic).

Afterthought: Adam was definitely necessary to define for new watchers of the series what a companion should not be. Following his story into Prisoners of Time is rather scary if you think that it was actually the treatment that he got from the Doctor which turned him into a bad guy!

Companion Ranking: 1, He's the only one in contention so far!
Current Rankings:
1. Adam Mitchell

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Mitchell_(Doctor_Who)

Sunday 23 February 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 7: The Long Game

Knowing everything means you get to know about the blog!
Russell T Davies writes a story which leads to two endings. First, the departure of Adam from the series after only appearing in one episode previously. Secondly, the fictional location for this episode also turns out to be the same location in which this seasons finale will be set. The episode confronts the issue of journalists knowing everything about the world however these journalists don't seem to know an awful lot about themselves.

Synopsis: The Doctor takes Rose and Adam to a space station in the year 200,000. However it seems the human race race has been set back around 90 years, the same amount of time that Satellite 5 (the space station) has been broadcasting for. The station controls all the news and is full to the brim with journalists all trying to get a piece of the action. The ultimate goal is to reach floor 500 where 'the walls are made of gold'. However the boss of Satellite 5 realises that somebody is there that shouldn't be and it's not the Doctor. The last surviving member of a group for independence is 'promoted' to floor 500 where they get to meet the Editor and the 'Editor-in-Chief' who is not as human as the workers on the station seem to think...

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Adam (Bruno Langley)

Enemies: The Editor and The Mighty Jagrafess

Afterthought: Actually creeper than I remember it and certainly 'chilling' on the floor 500 scenes. If you want a 'Guide how not to be a Doctor Who companion' just follow Adam's example in this episode!

Verdict:
Story: 3.5/5, Well paced but nothing really 'exciting' happens.
Effects: 2.5/5, Average overall.
Humor: 4/5, Actually quite funny!
Mark Campbell: 2/5, To be expected really!
TOTAL SCORE: 12/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Game
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dr5
The adventure continues with or without Adam! Next Time: Father's Day
The Editor examines his latest employee.

Sunday 16 February 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 6: Dalek

The Dalek arrives like a new addition of the blog, it's exciting and entertaining isn't it?

The Daleks are back, or at least, one of them is. A long dispute with Terry Nation's estate meant that the episode did not feature a Dalek but instead featured a child creature known as the Toclafane which would later reappear in the series 3 finale. The episode is based on a story called Jubilee originally released as a Sixth Doctor audio. At the start of this episode we see a collection of old monster parts from the shows history focusing mainly on a Slitheen arm and a Cyber head however those with a keen eye will spot a shrunken Sea Devil head and a Mechanoid. This episode sees the first appearance of the companion Adam Mitchell who only stayed for two episodes. We will review his role in more detail in a later blog.

Synopsis: The Doctor and Rose follow a distress call by an unknown source to Utah in 2012. Their destination turns out to be a giant private museum holding a collection of objects which have fallen to Earth over the years from space. Henry van Statten (Corey Johnson), the owner of this collection, is excited to find the Doctor is also an expert in alien artifacts and offers to show him his only living specimen. Van Statten's motives however are not as they seem, all he wants from the Doctor is to get the 'Metaltron' to talk. Talk it does, especially when it finds out the Doctor is the last of his kind like itself being the last Dalek. The Doctor tries to destroy the creature before it can cause further harm but is stopped and arrested by van Statten. Rose, who is being shown around by Adam, Van Statten's purchasing assistant, also decides to visit the Dalek. Her touch to the outer casing however causes the Dalek to be set loose in an attempt to conquer the planet and find the rest of it's species.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Adam (Bruno Langley)

Enemies: A Dalek

Afterthought: Certainly a very dark episode for the Doctor although of course this is Christopher Eccleston at his best. It's a shame Van Statten didn't get a chance to redeem himself and was simply 'thrown away' at the end. Also, if Van Statten's gone, who's running the internet?

Verdict:
Story: 3.5/5, The plot was completely successful but the characters keeping the same feelings towards the Dalek throughout is exhausting.
Effects: 4/5, The new Daleks are very impressive however the CGI moving parts of the Dalek as the inner being is revealed are not so clever.
Humor: 4/5, There are some light moments to occasionally release tension however this is not what the story is about.
Mark Campbell: 4.5/5, For once I have to agree.
TOTAL SCORE: 16/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek_(Doctor_Who_episode)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dq8
Exterminate! Next Time: The Long Game
The Doctor meets a Dalek for the first time since the Time War!

Saturday 25 January 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episodes 4 + 5: Aliens of London & World War Three

Trouble with the Slitheen? Call the Doctor or visit the blog!
Doctor Who returns to London for its first multi-part story of the century. Following the example of its predecessor this serial introduces a new semi-regular in the form of Harriet Jones (Penelope Winton) and another soon-to-be Torchwood employee Toshiko Sato (Naoko Mori). The Slitheen, who have now wormed their way into Doctor Who folklore, also debut as the serials' enemy. The episode also looks at how families (particularly Rose's) cope when their loved ones disappear off with the Doctor.

Synopsis: Rose and the Doctor return to earth '12 hours' after they left. It soon becomes clear however that Rose has actually been missing for 12 months and this sparks arguments between the Doctor and Jackie! Then, a spaceship crashes into the Thames, destroying the top of Big Ben on the way down. When the non-terrestrial craft is proved to be a fraud by another type of alien the mystery deepens into why extra-terrestrials would set the world on high alert. It soon becomes clear that the diversion of the UFO has allowed the alien family 'The Slitheen' to rise to high power in government! The question is, what do the enemy want, if not to take over the planet?

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper), Jackie (Camille Coudri) and Mickey (Noel Clarke)

Enemies: The Slitheen (with a cameo appearance from what has been dubbed 'a space pig')

Afterthought: Designed to scare them but also to make them laugh, smaller children must relish this episode. The only subjects keeping the attention span of the older watchers are the political remarks although Harriet Jones is definitely over the top in her first appearance.

Verdict:
Story: 2/5, The idea is promising, except for the Slitheen.
Effects: 0.5/5, The costumes were well designed...
Humor: 2/5, Slitheen aren't funny, so it's a good job the Doctor and Mickey are.
Mark Campbell: 3.5/5, Is he purposefully trying to annoy me?
TOTAL SCORE: 8/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_of_London and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Three_(Doctor_Who)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dp9 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dpv
You win some, you lose some. Next Time: Dalek
As the Slitheen wait for the nuclear codes they find themselves being bombed!

Thursday 23 January 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 3: The Unquiet Dead

What? A blog about us?

Mark Gatiss debuts his writing skills in Doctor Who in this episode. It also marks the first new series episode not to be penned by Russell T Davies. Recurring character Charles Dickens shows up for the first time in this episode and the actor soon to play Gwen in Torchwood (Eve Myles) makes her Doctor Who debut. This is the first time that a new series episode is set at Christmas which has traditionally been followed ever since by the Christmas specials.

Synopsis: A corpse, in the care of a small undertakers shop, rises from it's coffin before it's burial and terrified a packed theatre showing a reading from Charles Dickens by the author. However the people of Cardiff in 1869 aren't used to dead people visiting famous author's performances and the theatre becomes panic ridden! This is when the Doctor and Rose show up. It soon becomes clear that these ghosts are materialising using available gas and the spirits which to get through the rift to save their souls. Luckily, servant girl Gwyneth is here to help!

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose (Billie Piper)

Enemies: The Gelth (the spirits)

Afterthought: I really like the Gelth. In my mind they definitely deserve a return to Doctor Who. This episode starts very much like a classic episode during the Victorian Cardiff scenes but I love how there is a chance for Rose to come to terms with time travel for the first time. It also reveals that this is Rose's first trip to the past so spin-off writers won't be able to take her back 'for the first time' again!

Verdict:
Story: 3/5, The beginning isn't 21st century Doctor Who enough for me, even though it is set in 1869 :) .
Effects: 4.5/5, I really do like the Gelth... until they start flying around the morgue.
Humor: 1/5, Hardly any and the Doctor's jumper does not make a funny gag.
Mark Campbell: 5/5, Wow, we are being controversial!
TOTAL SCORE: 13.5/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unquiet_Dead
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dng
I suppose this episode was just a way of proving that everything, including Doctor Who, can rise from the dead. Next Time: Aliens of London & World War Three
The Gelth have taken Gwyneth!

Thursday 16 January 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 2: The End of the World


Cassandra and Rose watch as the earth burns... so it's a good job I transferred the blog to New Earth!

Doctor Who had begun and everyone loved it! This episode saw the first time there was a pre-credit title sequence in Doctor Who. This episode also introduces us to the psychic paper, a whole host of new aliens and more detailed information in what is soon to be known as 'The Time War.'

Synopsis: Following straight on from the end of Rose, The End of the World takes us 5 billion years into the future where a selection of the richest aliens in the universe have come together on 'Platform One' to watch the Earth burn. However, metal spiders invade the corridors of the ship and start a killing spree! With Rose caught up having conversations with 'the last human', Cassandra, it's up to the Doctor to save the guests on the viewing platform.

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper) and Jackie (Camille Coudri)

Enemies: Robot Spiders, Adherents of the Repeated Meme and Cassandra.

Afterthought: People made a big fuss about the Moxx of Balhoon which I don't quite understand. Russell T Davies evasion of the word 'Gallifrey' surprises me as old fans would welcome it and new fans would be intrigued! Apart from the Face of Boe and Cassandra no other aliens featured in this episode have ever been seen again, which is, to be honest, a shame.

Verdict:
Story: 2.5/5, While a nice way to introduce Rose to aliens the climax with the Doctor and the fans could have moved much faster and a death could have been avoided.
Effects: 3/5, Exploding Cassandra is gruesome but the damage in the walls as the heat rises? The Robot Spiders are obviously CGI.
Humor: 3/5, Funny moments placed when needed.
Mark Campbell: 1.5/5, Apparently the aliens are 'unconvincing' and the interiors are 'obviously terrestrial'!
TOTAL SCORE: 10/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_(Doctor_Who)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dmp
The world ends but Doctor Who does not. Next Time: The Unquiet Dead


Platform One watches as the Earth prepares to burn...

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Series 1 (Season 27), Episode 1: Rose

Mickey enjoys the new blog!

On the 26th of March 2005, 9 years since any 'proper' Doctor Who had been on the telly, this episode called 'Rose' arrived on our screens in stunning style. A whole new era of fans got introduced to the Doctor and some old fans had the pleasure of getting to meet him again. We also get to meet new companion Rose who will stay with us for this series and the next along with making multiple cameos in following series. So here it is, a new blog and the beginning of a new era for British television!

Synopsis: Rose works in Hendricks the department store, she has a boyfriend called Mickey and leads an average life. Then one day she gets locked in the store basement and the window dummies, in storage, start to come alive and attack her. Then the Doctor shows up, rescuing Rose but leaving no clues as to who he really is. When Rose decides to research the mysterious Doctor, everything she thought she knew gets turned on its head...

Featuring: The Ninth Doctor (Christopher Eccleston), Rose (Billie Piper), Mickey (Noel Clarke) and Jackie (Camille Coduri).

Enemies: Autons and the Nestene Consciousness.

Afterthought: The episode was definitely an excellent way to kick start the revival of the show and it's a good job Russel T Davies missed out the regeneration from Paul McGann to Christopher Eccleston because
a) It would have alienated new viewers and
b) It would have messed up Steven Moffat's future plot points.
The only other thing which would have been nice might have been if Clive (the Doctor obsessed, internet theorist) hadn't died. He could have had a little back story where he keeps bumping into the Doctor (and it could have got especially funny after the regeneration)!

Verdict:
Story: 4/5, A successful way to restart a much loved series.
Effects: 2/5, The Nestene and the 'shop window dummies' are good but the bin and plastic Mickey are just ridiculous.
Humor: 3/5, Some moments that make you 'giggle'!
Mark Campbell: 4.5/5, Surprisingly, Mark seemed to enjoy seeing the series being revived (although he didn't like the autons)!
TOTAL SCORE: 13.5/20

Elsewhere:
Wikipedia  - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_(Doctor_Who)
Official Site - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074dlv
Doctor Who has truly been revived! Next Time: The End of the World
Rose joins the brand new Doctor in the TARDIS.

How It Works...


The Doctors!

I always knew reviews were something I'd wanted to write, but now I'd like to explain in some detail, before the first review is posted on this here site, how my reviews are going to work.

1. Summary of Current Events - I'll tell you a little bit about how the world feels about Doctor Who at the time of broadcast.
2. Synopsis - A short summary of how the episode starts to pan out. Don't worry though, I won't be giving away any spoilers.
3. Featuring - Which recurring characters feature in the episode and the actors they're played by.
4. Enemies - Which enemies feature in the story.
5. Afterthought - Anything I think is interesting to point out about the episode, especially if slight changes could have affected the future of the show!
6. Verdict - How did the episode score overall? I score on the basis of the story (how good was it?), the effects (how 'effective' were they?), the humour (how funny was it? Although I will try and put this in context of what the writer was trying to do with the episode) and Mark Campbell's verdict (taken from his book Doctor Who: The Episode Guide. Mark was part of the reason I wanted to do reviews because I felt some of his reviews were very critical.)
7. Elsewhere - Comments from other websites concerning the episode.
8. Next Time - What I'll review in my next post!

Enjoy the reviews! :)

Monday 6 January 2014

Everything's Going to Change!

You're probably wondering what happened. The answer is that I deleted my four posts. This blog wasn't going the way I wanted it to so I've replaced its original purpose with a new one. From now on this is my Ultimate Guide to Doctor Who Blog where I'll be discussing and reviewing lots of aspects of Doctor Who. Although there's nothing here right now there will be soon. In the mean time you can go here and download yourself my list of everything Doctor Who ever from slightly earlier in the year. If you know of anything that needs adding to the list please leave a comment!