Radio Times
type: channel
link: https://www.radiotimes.com
date: 2025-06-12T16:55:47.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: Doctor Who: Wish World / The Reality War ★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine ★★
items: Doctor Who: Lucky Day ★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Well ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Lux ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution ★★
items: Doctor Who: Joy to the World ★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Rogue ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble ★★★
items: Doctor Who: 73 Yards ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Boom ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Space Babies ★★
items: Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Giggle ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Star Beast ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils ★★
items: Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Flux ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks ★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children ★★★
items: Doctor Who: The Haunting of Villa Diodati ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me? ★★
items: Doctor Who: Praxeus ★★
items: Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon ★★★★★
items: Doctor Who: Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror ★★★★

Doctor Who: Wish World / The Reality War ★★★
type: item
date: 2025-06-02T09:00:21.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: It's goodbye Ncuti Gatwa and hello (again) Billie Piper in a convoluted but entertaining finale.
encoded: Story 319 Series 15/Series 2 – Episodes 7 & 8 “Once reality is broken on a scale as vast as this, I can see underneath…” – the Rani Storyline In Bavaria 1865, the Rani steals a baby destined to become Desiderium, the god of wishes. The Doctor and Belinda wake up in an alternate-reality version of Earth 2025 as a married couple with a toddler called Poppy. All humanity is now living a lie and in fear of displaying doubt. This Wish World has been willed into existence by the treacherous Conrad, using the baby’s powers, hidden away in the Bone Palace – the base of the two Ranis. It’s part of a grand scheme to magnify the power of doubt and crack reality apart – releasing Omega, the creator of the Time Lords, from the Underverse. The creature is uncontrollable and devours the new Rani. In a battle to get reality back on track, the Doctor restores his UNIT friends to normality and tries to save his new daughter. His actions ultimately trigger another regeneration where his new appearance seems to have the face of Rose Tyler… First UK broadcasts Saturday 24 May 2025 Saturday 31 May 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Billie Piper Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson The Rani – Archie Panjabi Kate Lethbridge-Stewart – Jemma Redgrave Melanie Bush –Bonnie Langford Anita Benn – Steph de Whalley Susan Foreman – Carole Ann Ford Shirley Bingham – Ruth Madeley Rose Noble – Yasmin Finney Conrad Clark – Jonah Hauer-King Colonel Christofer Ibrahim – Alexander Devrient Susan Triad – Susan Twist Cherry Sunday – Angela Wynter Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Rogue – Jonathan Groff Otto Zufall – Atilla Akinci Violett Zufall – Leni Adams Poppy – Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps Lakshmi Chandra – Nila Aalia Devika Babu – Josephine Lloyd-Welcome Val Balham – Hermon Berhane Winnie Petheridge – Sam Lawton Brian Dale – Joshua J Parker The Vlinx – Aidan Cook Voice of Omega – Nicholas Briggs Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Di…

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Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2025-05-17T08:00:55.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: A magnificent spin on Eurovision sprinkled with the stuff of legends.
encoded: Story 318 Series 15/Series 2 – Episode 6 “Did I just fly through space on a confetti cannon? Camp!” – the Doctor Storyline Welcome to the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest in the year 2925. The Doctor and Belinda are delighted when the Tardis lands in the Harmony Arena space station but, as the entertainment commences, the show is sabotaged and the audience are expelled into space. The hijackers are led by Kid, a vengeful Hellion, whose home world Hellia was pillaged for poppy honey by the corporation promoting the contest. He plans to transmit a delta wave to wipe out the three trillion viewers. The Doctor intercedes with considerable rage, but is having strange visions of his granddaughter Susan. Mrs Flood is revealed to be the Doctor’s Time Lord adversary the Rani. She bi-generates and both incarnations follow the Doctor and Belinda back to Earth... First UK broadcast Saturday 17 May 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Susan – Carole Ann Ford Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson The Rani – Archie Panjabi Rylan Graham Norton Kid – Freddie Fox Mike Gabbastone – Kadiff Kirwan Gary Gabbastone – Charlie Condou Cora Saint Bavier – Miriam-Teak Lee Sabine – Julie Dray Nina Maxwell – Kiruna Stamell Wynn Aura-Kin – Iona Anderson Len Kazah – Akemnji Ndifornyen Liz Lizardine – Christina Rotondo Jeddy Kine – Abdul Seesay Runner – Imogen Kingsley Smith Crew Writer – Juno Dawson Director – Ben A Williams Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern I can’t stick Rylan, not for love or money. An instant turn-off on air. But he’s actually very good in Doctor Who and it made me like him. That’s how strong and persuasive this episode is. Graham Norton I love, and his hologram form here is a lovely answer to the two occasions when he popped up unwanted (thanks to BBC Presentation) in earlier programmes. Now he’s a harbinger of the cataclysm tha…

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Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine ★★
type: item
date: 2025-05-10T08:00:16.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: The Doctor's trip to a Nigerian barber shop is in need of more than just a trim.
encoded: Story 317 Series 15/Series 2 – Episode 5 “You must tell a story, Doctor. You must feed it. It is always hungry” – the Barber Storyline The Doctor lands in Lagos, Nigeria, 2019 to revisit his old friend Omo who runs a barber shop, but Omo and some of his regular customers have gone missing. The premises have been taken over by a sinister Barber, who is transporting them across space on the back of a giant spider, part of an engine fuelled by storytelling. First UK broadcast Saturday 10 May 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Omo Esosa – Sule Rimi The Barber – Ariyon Bakare Abena – Michelle Asante Rashid Abubakar – Stefan Adegbola Tunde Adebayo – Jordan Adene Obioma Okoli – Michael Balogun Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson Paramedic – Simon Bailey Consultant – Adrian Pang Patient – Tessa Bell-Briggs Market seller – Inua Ellams Security guard – Funmi James Poppy – Sienna Robyn Mavanga-Phipps The Doctor – Jo Martin Crew Writer – Inua Ellams Director – Makalla McPherson Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Doctor Who as experimental theatre. Not a bad idea. You can’t fault the ambition, but the execution... Oh dear. Were this a play put on by one of the more avant-garde playhouses around the country, even the most receptive audience members might start creeping out before the interval. Playwright Inua Ellams had a hit on his hands in 2017 with Barber Shop Chronicles, launched at the National Theatre in London, then remounted around the world to acclaim. The Story & the Engine is a brother to that, in that its action is largely constrained to a barber shop whose customers share stories. The leap is to give it a Doctor Who spin so that the storytelling fuels gods and monsters, with the shop somehow still in Lagos but also on a journey through space on the back of a gigantic spider. Delirious and nonsensical barely cover t…

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Doctor Who: Lucky Day ★★★
type: item
date: 2025-05-03T08:00:22.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Ruby Sunday meets a very different kind of monster.
encoded: Story 316 Series 15/Series 2 – Episode 4 “I think I’m in shock. Like PTSD. Because what happened last year was not normal” – Ruby Storyline Ruby, now 20, is adjusting to life after her Tardis travels. She agrees to talk on a podcast with Conrad Clark, who encountered the Doctor as a child and has been obsessed ever since. He and Ruby start dating, but when they go away for a country break, it transpires that he has been deceiving her. Conrad is the figurehead of Think Tank, an organisation intent on exposing what they see as the lies perpetuated by UNIT about the alien threat to our planet. Kate is tested to the limit and unleashes the monstrous Shreek on him. First UK broadcast Saturday 3 May 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Kate Lethbridge-Stewart – Jemma Redgrave Conrad Clark – Jonah Hauer-King Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Cherry Sunday – Angela Wynter Shirley Anne-Bingham – Ruth Madeley Louise Miller – Faye McKeever Col Christofer Ibrahim – Alexander Devrient Moira Clark – Kirsty Hoiles Young Conrad – Benjamin Chivers Jordan Lang – Kareem Alexander Elsa – Madison Stock Sparky – Paddy Stafford Jack – Blake Anderson Michelle – Aoife Gaston Alfie – Paul Jerricho Derek – Michael Woodford Audrey – Tina Gray Trinity Wells – Lachele Carl The Shreek – Gethin Alderman The Vlinx – Aidan Cook Voice of the Vlinx – Nicholas Briggs Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson Influencers – Selorm Adonu, Calypso Cragg, James Craven As themselves: Reeta Chakrabarti, Alex Jones, Joel Dommett Crew Writer – Pete McTighe Director – Peter Hoar Music – Murray Gold Producer – Chris May Series producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Activism can often be characterised by self-righteousness and delusion – whether we sympathise with a cause or not – and Pete McTighe’s script captures that edge tartly. Fans and regular viewers know the…

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Doctor Who: The Well ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2025-04-26T08:00:37.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Rose Ayling-Ellis gives us a riveting, nightmarish Aliss in Terrorland.
encoded: Story 315 Series 15/Series 2 – Episode 3 “There’s something behind me all the time” – Aliss Storyline Some 500,000 years in the future on the planet 67-67, all contact has been lost with the mining colony of Base 15. The Doctor and Belinda assist the band of troopers investigating the scene. The colonists are found dead, either by gunfire or with their bones shattered – all bar one survivor, Aliss. She is the host of a vile, unseen force that the Doctor encountered long ago when 67-67 was called Midnight. Can Aliss be freed? And why has no one heard of Earth or the human race? First UK broadcast Saturday 26 April 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Aliss Fenly – Rose Ayling-Ellis Shaya Costallion – Caoilfhionn Dunne Cassio Palin-Paleen – Christopher Chung Mo Gilliben – Bethany Antonia Hanno Yeft – Annabel Brook Kai Sabba – Gaz Choudhry Callo Rence – Luke Rhodri Albie Bethick – Gary Pillai Sal Van Hyten – Frankie Lipman Albie Bethick – Gary Pillai Ulric Dazen – Jermaine Dominique Val Vivo – Amy Tyger Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson It Has No Name – Paul Kasey Crew Writers – Russell T Davies, Sharma Angel-Walfall Director – Amanda Brotchie Music – Murray Gold Producer – Chris May Series producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Sometimes when Doctor Who echoes itself, it sings. The plunging mineshaft looks like the massive rim into an abyss in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit (2006), and the spacesuited troopers being picked off by an unseen menace recalls Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (2008) or, going even further back, Earthshock (1982). Meanwhile, The Well itself is a form of sequel to another highly popular 2008 episode, Midnight – and arguably superior. This is core Doctor Who when everything comes together: a rattling script, from the moment the Doctor and Belinda are jettisoned into space (Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu…

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Doctor Who: Lux ★★★★
type: item
date: 2025-04-19T08:00:35.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Scooby-Doo meets Sapphire & Steel in this animated adventure.
encoded: Story 314 Series 15/Series 2 – Episode 2 "We’re going 3D. And remember, whatever you do, don’t make me laugh." – Mr Ring-a-Ding Storyline Miami, 1952: at the Palazzo picture house, cartoon character Mr Ring-a-Ding bursts out of the screen and terrorises the audience, who all subsequently vanish. Months later, the Doctor and Belinda investigate the mystery and discover that Mr Ring-a-Ding is the embodiment of Lux, the god of light, and one of the sinister Pantheon. After he converts the time travellers into cartoons, they must use their wits to break back into reality. First UK broadcast Saturday 19 April 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Mr Ring-a-Ding – Alan Cumming Reginald Pye – Linus Roache Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson Tommy Lee – Cassius Hackforth Husband – Ryan Speakman Sunshine Sally – Millie O’Connell Renée Lowenstein – Lucy Thackeray Logan Cheever – Lewis Cornay Helen Pye – Jane Hancock Hassan Chowdry – Samir Arrian Lizzie Abel – Bronté Barbé Robyn Gossage – Steph Lacey Policeman – William Meredith Newsreader – Ian Shaw Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Amanda Brotchie Music – Murray Gold Producer – Chris May Series producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Doctor Who is often at its curious best when it transcends dimensions. Week in, week out, we witness that with the Police Box/Tardis, but when the writer’s imagination stretches even further with, say, the Land of Fiction in The Mind Robber (1968) or the dimension-straddling force in Flatline (2014), the Doctor and the viewers are obliged to think beyond the box. Lux achieves this superbly. It takes the trappings of cinema projection and celluloid, and capitalises on Disney funds for lustrous animation (actually delivered by British VFX company Framestore), to create an original and increasingly disturbing threat in Mr Ring-a-Ding. He’s like a mix of the Cat in t…

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Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution ★★
type: item
date: 2025-04-13T09:12:22.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: If you’re up for a bit of flash-bang-wallop cartoonery, then maybe this episode works for you.
encoded: Story 313 Series 15/Series 2 – Episode 1 "We need you as our queen" – Robot Storyline In London 2008, Belinda Chandra has a star named after her by her boyfriend Alan. In 2025, robots from Missbelindachandra One, a world orbiting that star, want her as their queen. Before the Doctor can intercede, Belinda is abducted by the robots in a space rocket. He pursues in the Tardis, but a time fracture means he arrives on the planet six months early. A plan is hatched with the subjugated locals, the Missbelindachandrakind, to prevent her becoming the bride of the controlling AI Generator. It contains a golden being who, it transpires, is the robotised remains of her former boyfriend Alan. He is vanquished by the force of the time fracture, and peace is restored between the people and robots. The Doctor promises to return Belinda home but the Tardis is bounced away. Could Earth have been destroyed...? First UK broadcast Saturday 12 April 2025 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Belinda Chandra – Varada Sethu Alan Budd – Jonny Green Manny – Max Parker Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson Kirby Blake – Thalía Dudek Stefan Haines – Jeffin Kunjumon Tombo – Tom Storey Sasha 55 – Evelyn Miller Scoley – Caleb Hughes Shago – Nadine Higgin Prime Minister – William Ellis Receptionist – Belinda Owusu Voice of the robots – Nicholas Briggs Robots – Stephen Love, Robert Strange, Charles Sandford, Lucas Edwards Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Peter Hoar Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern If you’re up for a bit of flash-bang-wallop cartoonery, then maybe this episode works for you. A retro rocket reaching a faraway star remarkably quickly… shiny robots vaporising their victims in mid-air… a gorgeously gold-plated semi-human villain… the cute (only mildly annoying) busybody hoover ("Polish! Polish!") that could put a Dyson to shame… juddery time-distortion effects… a…

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Doctor Who: Joy to the World ★★★
type: item
date: 2024-12-26T21:00:59.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan shine in Steven Moffat's Christmas special – with more than one new star
encoded: Story 312 Christmas Special 2024 “A hotel but instead of rooms, time portals? Package deals for all of history’s biggest hits. No wonder there was no room at the inn” – the Doctor Storyline London, Christmas 4042: the Doctor arrives at the Time Hotel, which has portals to hotel rooms and lodgings throughout Earth history. In 2024, a woman called Joy is spending Christmas alone at the Sandringham Hotel in London, but she gets manacled to a deadly suitcase. It contains a star seed that requires millions of years to grow and is key to a plot by the Villengard corporation to destroy Earth. The Time Lord must save Joy but he gets stuck in London for a year, befriending hotel receptionist Anita. Ultimately, after a trip to prehistoric times with the Doctor, Joy is transformed by the energy into a benign star. First UK broadcast Wednesday 25 December 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Joy Almondo – Nicola Coughlan Trev Simpkins –Joel Fry Anita Benn – Steph de Whalley Hotel manager – Jonathan Aris Hilda Flockhart – Julia Watson Basil Flockhart – Peter Benedict Sylvia Trench – Niamh Marie Smith Edmund Hillary – Phil Baxter Tenzing Norgay – Samuel Sherpa-Moore Receptionist – Ruchi Rai Mr Single – Joshua Leese Angela Grace – Fiona Marr Barman – Liam Prince-Donnelly Joy’s mum – Fiona Scott Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Crew Writer – Steven Moffat Director – Alex Sanjiv Pillai Music – Murray Gold Series producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Steven Moffat RT review by Patrick Mulkern Time really does fly. It wasn’t so long ago that Ncuti Gatwa and Nicola Coughlan were among the stand-out stars in two of Netflix’s biggest hits – Sex Education and Bridgerton – and here they are now, confidently fronting the Doctor Who Christmas special. Though both shine effortlessly as individuals, Steven Moffat’s time-twisting plot doesn’t allow them many moments to sparkle as a duo. Unexpectedly, he lets more chemi…

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Doctor Who: The Legend of Ruby Sunday / Empire of Death ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2024-06-22T18:35:39.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Susan, Sutekh, Bonnie Langford... Russell 'Tease' Davies turbo-blends the Time Lord's rich heritage with Long Lost Family in an eerie and thrilling finale
encoded: Story 311 Series 14/Series One – Episodes 7 & 8 “I bring Sutekh’s dust of death” – Susan Triad Storyline The Doctor flies the Tardis into UNIT HQ, determined to solve two mysteries: the identity of Ruby’s mother and the woman whose face keeps popping up in his adventures. The modern version of the latter is tech giant Susan Triad, who is about to launch some world-changing software for free – and Mel has infiltrated her inner circle. Kate allows the Doctor to use UNIT’s time window to re-create the events of Christmas Eve 20 years ago. Wondering if Susan could be his granddaughter and fearing a trap, the Doctor is unprepared to be facing his ancient enemy Sutekh. This god-like being has been waiting aeons for revenge – latched onto and cloaked by the Tardis, evolving, and is now ready to spread his dust of death across every planet the Doctor has visited. As Earth is destroyed across time, the Time Lord, Ruby and Mel flee in the “memory Tardis” to London 2046. The secret of Ruby’s birth is the key to ensnaring Sutekh and hauling him to his demise in the space-time vortex. Finally, on Earth in 2024, Ruby meets her mother and must leave the Doctor. First UK broadcast Saturday 15 June 2024 Saturday 22 June 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Melanie Bush – Bonnie Langford Kate Lethbridge-Stewart – Jemma Redgrave Voice of Sutekh – Gabriel Woolf Rose Noble – Yasmin Finney Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson Cherry Sunday – Angela Wynter Colonel Christofer Ibrahim – Alexander Devrient Susan Triad – Susan Twist Morris Gibbons – Lenny Rush Harriet Arbinger – Genesis Lynea Bailey Sinclair – Fela Lufadeju Colonel Winston Chidozie – Tachia Newall Corporal Alice Sullivan – Jasmine Bayes The Vlinx – Aidan Cook Voice of the Vlinx – Nicholas Briggs Kind woman – Sian Clifford Amol Rajan – himself Roger ap Gwilliam – Aneurin Barnard Louise Miller – Faye McKeever Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Jamie Donoughue Music – Murray…

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Doctor Who: Rogue ★★★★
type: item
date: 2024-06-08T18:30:43.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: The Time Lord loses his heart to a starship bounty hunter in the most gloriously gay episode yet. Happy Pride Month!
encoded: Story 310 Series 14/Series One – Episode 6 “Some are saying the best of the season. A triumph! A new standard set. But I think the real estimation of an evening is in the matches made” – Duchess of Pemberton Storyline Bath, 1813: the Doctor and Ruby are enjoying the Bridgerton vibe at the Duchess of Pemberton’s ball, but alien shapeshifters are abroad, killing off partygoers and assuming their identities for fun. The cosplaying Chuldur are being observed by bounty hunter Rogue, who catches the Doctor’s eye and his heart. They join forces to round up the aliens and save Ruby from their clutches. First UK broadcast Saturday 8 June 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Rogue – Jonathan Groff The Duchess of Pemberton – Indira Varma Lord Barton – Paul Forman Emily Beckett – Camilla Aiko Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Lord Galpin – Maxim Ays Miss Talbot – Nancy Brabin-Platt Mr Price – David Charles The portrait – Susan Twist Housekeeper – Debra Baker Crew Writers – Kate Herron and Briony Redman Director – Ben Chessell Music – Murray Gold Producer – Chris May Series producer – Vicky Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern What a way to celebrate Pride Month! This is the gayest episode of Doctor Who to date – and that takes some doing after The Devil’s Chord only a few weeks previously. It’s wonderful that under Russell T Davies’s stewardship the programme has the confidence, and yes the balls, to present something this gloriously gay. And under the watchful eye of investor Disney. I wouldn’t want it every week but I quite enjoy it when the usually indifferent Time Lord is sweet on someone. This is nothing new. William Hartnell’s Doctor was smitten with Aztec lady Cameca 60 years ago, Paul McGann’s version kissed Dr Grace in the 1996 TV Movie, David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor fell for Madame de Pompadour in 2006, and River Song captured various Time Lord’s he…

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Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble ★★★
type: item
date: 2024-06-01T18:35:36.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Slug monsters are harvesting vacuous, tech-dependent humans, but in this intriguing satire do they deserve saving?
encoded: Story 309 Series 14/Series One – Episode 5 “I am not lowering my bubble” – Lindy Storyline The young inhabitants of Finetime are dependent on their dot and bubble technology to get through their home and working lives. Interaction is constant but they are unaware that they’re being harvested and eaten by slug-like creatures, until the Doctor and Ruby intercede and try to guide Lindy and her fellows to safety. First UK broadcast Saturday 1 June 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Lindy Pepper-Bean – Callie Cooke Ricky September – Tom Rhys Harries Hoochy Pie – Niamh Lynch Harry Tendency – Aldous Ciokajlo Squire Cooper Mercy – Eilidh Loan Gothic Paul – Pete MacHale Blake Very Blue – Billy Brayshaw Valerie Nook – Millie Kent Dr Pee – Max Boast Rotterdam Twins – Elloise Bennett, Olivia Bennett Penny Pepper-Bean – Susan Twist Alan K Sullivan – Milo Callaghan Weatherman Will – Jack Forsyth-Noble Suzie Pentecost – Ellie-Grace Cashin Brewster Cavendish – Jamie Barnard Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Dylan Holmes Williams Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern We all do it. Walk around in a bubble, glued to our devices. In this intriguing satire, Russell T Davies takes that to an extreme. On Finetime – a city under a bubble dome – people go about their business constantly encased in a literal bubble of interactivity, oblivious to the fact that they and their friends are being harvested by slug-like monsters. He toyed with this idea once before in Years and Years with the “filter mask” worn by young Bethany (Lydia West) who wanted to become a “trans-human”. Diehard fans will also spot the strong debt owed to the 1967 Patrick Troughton story, The Macra Terror, in which a human colony were enslaved by giant crabs they couldn’t see. The technology and set design are gorgeous. The monsters brilliantly, disgustingly …

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Doctor Who: 73 Yards ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2024-05-25T18:35:44.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Millie Gibson impresses in a beautiful tale of enchantment
encoded: Story 308 Series 14/Series One – Episode 4 “The clifftops are a boundary between the land and the sea – a liminal space, neither here nor there, where rules are suspended” – Enid Meadows Storyline When the Tardis lands on a clifftop in Wales, the Doctor and Ruby stumble upon a magical "fairy circle". Once interfered with, it creates a timeline in which the Doctor has vanished and Ruby is haunted by the figure of a woman – always present but always at an intangible distance of 73 yards. Anyone who has contact with the woman flees and abandons Ruby, throughout her life, for decades, until in 2046 together they can save the world from a wicked prime minister, Roger ap Gwilliam. Only at Ruby’s death in old age does the woman come close; it is Ruby and now she has the power to reach back through time and stop the Doctor stepping into the circle. First UK broadcast Saturday 25 May 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Enid Meadows – Siân Phillips Roger ap Gwilliam – Aneurin Barnard Old Ruby – Amanda Walker Kate Lethbridge-Stewart – Jemma Redgrave Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Cherry Sunday – Angela Wynter Mrs Flood — Anita Dobson The Woman – Hilary Hobson Hiker – Susan Twist Lowri Palin – Maxine Evans Eddie Jones – Glyn Pritchard Thin Lucy – Elan Davies Ifor Jones – Gwïon Morris Jones Joshua Steele – Sion Pritchard Frank Hinchey Graham Butler Sanjay Miah – Ali Ariaie Rufus Bray – Albey Brookes Craig Deloach – Miles Yekinni Himself – Amol Rajan Marti Bridges – Sophie Ablett Akhim Patil – Shane David-Joseph Groundsman – Jason May Security officer – Dylan Baldwin Armed policeman – David Constant Newsreader – Deeivya Meir Eizabeth Campbell – Rhyanna Alexander-Davis Nurse – Vee Vimolmal Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Dylan Holmes Williams Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern This is ludicrous nonsense and I…

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Doctor Who: Boom ★★★★
type: item
date: 2024-05-18T18:35:14.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Steven Moffat is back in a tense episode about faith, fatherhood and love.
encoded: Story 307 Series 14/Series One – Episode 3 “One wrong move and I go BOOM! All food mixer” – the Doctor Storyline In the year 5087, on the war-ravaged Kastarion 3, the Doctor steps on a landmine. Ruby is determined to help but one false move and they will die, as will the ordained Anglican marines deployed in the vicinity. Without moving, the Time Lord must outwit the deadly technology and the so-called Ambulances that are sweeping the battlefield. First UK broadcast Saturday 18 May 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson John Francis Vater – Joe Anderson Carson – Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy Splice Alison Vater – Caoilinn Springall Mundy Flynn – Varada Sethu Canterbury James Olliphant – Bhav Joshi Ambulance – Susan Twist Crew Writer – Steven Moffat Director – Julie Anne Robinson Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Anne Robinson, Steven Moffat RT review by Patrick Mulkern After two frantic episodes, Boom offers a welcome gear change. A sophisticated landmine stops Ncuti Gatwa in his tracks, rooting his quicksilver Doctor to the spot almost for the duration. A tense predicament unfolding in real time obliges him and Ruby to catch their breath, and be calm, brave and resourceful. Gatwa and Millie Gibson impress throughout. Fatherhood and blind faith are the themes of the week. The first character seen in close-up personifies both – a sightless Anglican marine and father whose very surname is Vater – "father" in German. To spare our sniggers, this is given an English pronunciation, not the German "farter". Vater will soon be a ghost, an AI hologram, thanks to a so-called "ambulance" that cruelly dispenses death on the battlefield. Its interface offers "Thoughts & Prayers" with all the glibness of politicians and social media types who claim to be "so sad" whenever anyone of note "passes". ("Ambulance" is also the latest guise for Susan Tw…

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Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2024-05-11T19:00:12.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Two Maestros – Russell T Davies at an audacious peak and hilariously OTT Jinkx Monsoon – create musical delirium
encoded: Story 306 Series 14/Series One – Episode 2 “My notation is Maestro… I am music” – Maestro Storyline In the 1920s, a music teacher inadvertently opens the gateway for a terrifying creature to enter our universe. The demonic Maestro will rob the world of melody, even of the Beatles’ greatest hits – as the Doctor and Ruby discover when they arrive in London 1963. Who can find the right chord to send Maestro back to oblivion? First UK broadcast Saturday 11 May 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Maestro – Jinkx Monsoon Timothy Drake – Jeremy Limb Henry Arbinger – Kit Rakusen George Martin – Ed White Paul McCartney – George Caple John Lennon – Chris Mason George Harrison – Philip Davies Ringo Starr – James Hoyles Cilla Black – Josie Sedgwick-Davies Tea trolley lady – Sherinne Kayra Anderson Studio producer – Chan Shoker Tea lady – Susan Twist Vinnie – Simon Jason-Smith Elderly woman – Laura June Hudson Shirley Ballas – Herself Johannes Radebe – Himself Murray Gold – Himself Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Ben Chessell Music – Murray Gold Producer – Chris May Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Released/broadcast/dropped a semi-quaver after the disappointing Space Babies, The Devil’s Chord elevates Doctor Who back into the realms of delirium and genius. No matter that not one note of the Beatles is heard. No matter that this Abbey Road is clearly nowhere near London NW8. No matter that the Fab Four look nothing like the originals but disturbingly like Ann Widdecombe’s discarded love-children. This is peak Russell T Davies. On astonishing top form. Doctor Who at its most audacious and highly entertaining. Maestro is an extraordinary creation – jaw-droppingly OTT, scenery-devouring, a note-perfect performance from Jinkx Monsoon. Hilarious, savage company. A fun night out. A presence that only a Drag Queen Supreme with decades of experience could co…

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Doctor Who: Space Babies ★★
type: item
date: 2024-05-11T18:59:55.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: Ncuti Gatwa sizzles and cute babies talk, but this frenetic season opener fails to excite
encoded: Story 305 Series 14/Series One – Episode 1 “If things connect, then you are connecting like crazy” – the Doctor Storyline Ruby Sunday joins the Doctor on his adventures – first stop, prehistory, where she nearly changes evolution. They move on to a space station in orbit above the planet Pacifico del Rio. A baby farm has been abandoned by society and the tiny survivors live in terror of a Bogeyman. First UK broadcast Saturday 11 May 2024 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Jocelyn Sancerre – Golda Rosheuvel Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Cherry Sunday – Angela Wynter Eric – Mason McCumskey Voice of Eric – Sami Amber Poppy – Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps Voice of Poppy – Shola Olaitan-Ajiboye Voice of Sandra – Cadence Williams Voice of Marcel – Param Patel Voice of Adjani – Lonnee Archibong Bogeyman – Robert Strange Rico Trieste – Jesús Reyes Ortiz Lucia Colasanto – Yasmine Bouabid Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Julie Anne Robinson Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Joel Collins, Phil Collinson, Julie Anne Robinson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Sometimes programmes with the naffest titles confound expectations. Space Babies is not among them, sadly. It's a new experience for me to dislike something written by Russell T Davies – whom I greatly admire – but my finger wavered over the one-star button, such is my antipathy to this instalment. Cute babies should tug at your heartstrings. Baby-farmed little 'uns abandoned by an uncaring society, even more so. These babies zip around in pushchairs, run an orbital station, and can even talk (clever effects). They're aging but seem to be in arrested development. Never had a hug. This should bring out one's protective parental instinct but weirdly it all lands flat. There's nothing to feel here. We observe a lot of dashing about, fleeing from a monster and hiding in shadows, but the excitement levels simply don't trans…

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Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road ★★★★
type: item
date: 2023-12-25T18:50:08.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fifteenth Doctor
description: A spirited reset as Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson encounter mischievous Goblins and Davina McCall
encoded: Story 303 2023 Christmas Special “Health and safety – gin and tonic division” – the Doctor Storyline Davina McCall is hoping to help teenage orphan Ruby Sunday trace her parents via DNA records, but in the run-up to Christmas 2023 both women are beset by a spate of increasingly dangerous accidents – caused by mischievous Goblins. Ruby befriends the new Doctor at a London nightclub, while at home her adoptive mother Carla is preparing to foster a baby over Christmas. When this newborn is abducted by the Goblins and taken to their ship in the clouds to be eaten by a Goblin King, the Doctor and Ruby race to the rescue. First UK broadcast Monday 25 December 2023 Cast The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa Ruby Sunday – Millie Gibson Davina McCall as herself Mrs Flood – Anita Dobson Carla Sunday – Michelle Greenidge Cherry Sunday – Angela Wynter Denzel – Bobby Bradley Trudy – Mary Malone Abdul – Hemi Yeroham Ruth Lyons – Gemma Arrowsmith Goblins – Rachelle Beinart, Jess Judge, Dilu Miah, Giuseppe Lentini, Andrew Francis, Lukas Disparrow Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Mark Tonderai Series producer – Vicki Delow Producer – Chris May Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter RT review by Patrick Mulkern I’ve never seen Doctor Who as an inherently Christmassy commodity, but others do and I’m delighted that, after a six-year lull, the show has regained its linchpin status in the BBC1 Christmas Day schedule and has the chance of a bigger audience. In The Church on Ruby Road the yuletide trappings are fairly minimal: a countdown to Christmas, a smattering of snow, a new companion born on Christmas Eve, and street decorations and a tree made deadly. Instead of elves toiling for Santa, a band of mischievous Goblins steal babies to feed their monstrous king. More importantly, this episode offers a soft reset, introducing the new pairing who’ll be fronting the series for the foreseeable future. We’ve already had a decent dose of …

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Doctor Who: The Giggle ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2023-12-09T21:00:20.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fourteenth Doctor
description: With the Toymaker and a dazzling bi-regeneration, Russell T Davies has the last laugh
encoded: Story 303 60th Anniversary Special 3 “Well, that’s all right then!” – the Toymaker Storyline The whole of humanity is being driven nuts by a repetitive giggle in their heads. The Doctor and Donna are airlifted into a towering new UNIT HQ, where they join forces with Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, who has recently recruited the Doctor’s former companion Mel. They deduce that the giggle is an arpeggio emanating from every screen in existence, and originating from the first TV transmission by John Logie Baird using a puppet Stooky Bill. It’s key to a diabolical game being played by the Time Lord’s ancient enemy, the Toymaker. Visiting the Toymaker’s shop in 1925 Soho, the Doctor and Donna are trapped in his labyrinthine domain and menaced by puppet dolls. The Toymaker taunts the Doctor, who challenges him to another game. They race back to the present where the Toymaker seizes UNIT’s galvanic beam. He blasts the Time Lord who “bi-regenerates” into two bodies. They defeat the villain in a game of catch, and one Doctor retires to a family life on Earth with Donna, while the other sets off for fresh adventures. First UK broadcast Saturday 9 December 2023 Cast The Doctor – David Tennant Donna Noble – Catherine Tate The Doctor – Ncuti Gatwa The Toymaker – Neil Patrick Harris Melanie Bush – Bonnie Langford Kate Lethbridge-Stewart – Jemma Redgrave Shirley Bingham – Ruth Madeley Charles Banerjee – Charlie De Melo John Logie Baird – John Mackay Colonel Ibrahim – Alexander Devrient Shaun Temple – Karl Collins Sylvia Noble – Jacqueline King Rose Noble – Yasmin Finney Edward Lawn Bridges – Tim Hudson Middle-aged man – Ross Gurney-Randall Pilot – Glen Fox The Vlinx – Aidan Cook Voice of the Vlinx – Nicholas Briggs Trinity Wells – Lachele Carl Voice of Stooky Sue – Leigh Lothian Dance double – Luke Featherston Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Chanya Button Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter, Phil Collinso…

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Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder ★★★★
type: item
date: 2023-12-02T22:14:55.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fourteenth Doctor
description: A tense space adventure that really stretches its stars – disturbingly so
encoded: Story 302 60th Anniversary Special 2 “I’ve never been this far out. To stand here like this, physically unprotected, right on the edge… No-one ever has. Not ever. Till us. And this ship” – the Doctor Storyline With the Tardis damaged, the Doctor and Donna are flung to the furthest outreach of the universe. The police box vanishes, abandoning them in a vast spaceship but they are not alone. They encounter a slow-moving robot and alien entities that can convincingly duplicate the Doctor and Donna’s bodies and memories. They must race to escape before the ship explodes and prevent the aliens from reaching the known universe. But which Doctor and Donna are which? First UK broadcast Saturday 2 December 2023 Cast The Doctor – David Tennant Donna Noble – Catherine Tate Wilfred Mott – Bernard Cribbins Isaac Newton – Nathaniel Curtis Mrs Merridew – Susan Twist Doctor doubles – Daniel Tuite, Ophir Raray, Tommaso de Vincenzo Donna double – Helen Cripps Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Tom Kingsley Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter RT review by Patrick Mulkern Cloaked in mystery, swarming with ill-founded rumours, Wild Blue Yonder turned out to be an attempt by Russell T Davies to push Doctor Who to the limit. Not just to the edge of universe but to the extent of what the BBC in its partnership with Disney can now afford or, rather, achieve. The design and hardware of the vast spaceship look a million dollars, though (as Doctor Who: Unleashed revealed) much was created by CGI. Gorgeous and impressive CGI. When you’ve rehired David Tennant and Catherine Tate – two stars often on the brink of going supernova – what more do you need really? Well, another Tennant and Tate, identical, but then eerily not, suddenly swollen, malignant and fanged. A two-hander cleverly morphs into a four-hander – and with four of those distended hands being the stuff of nightmares. The di…

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Doctor Who: The Star Beast ★★★★
type: item
date: 2023-11-25T19:30:42.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Fourteenth Doctor
description: David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies energise the 60th anniversary with a family-friendly blockbuster
encoded: Story 301 60th Anniversary Special 1 “Once upon a time, once upon a Time Lord, I had a best friend and her name was Donna Noble. A Time Lord and a human. And we travelled the stars together” – the Doctor Storyline Newly regenerated but with an earlier face, the Doctor returns to Earth where he is swiftly reunited with Donna Noble. Her life has moved on – with husband Shaun and teenage daughter Rose – and her past adventures in the Tardis lie forgotten. She will die if she remembers the Doctor. A furry alien called the Meep crash-lands on Earth and takes refuges with the Nobles as it is hunted down by fearsome Wrarth Warriors. But the Meep is far from meek and benign, and when it reveals its true nature, the planet is once again in danger… First UK broadcast Saturday 25 November 2023 Cast The Doctor – David Tennant Donna Noble – Catherine Tate Voice of the Meep – Miriam Margolyes Rose Noble – Yasmin Finney Shaun Temple – Karl Collins Colonel Chan – Jamie Cho Shirley Bingham – Ruth Madeley Sylvia Noble – Jacqueline King Fudge Merchandani – Dara Lall Major Singh – Ronak Patani Sergeant – Archie Backhouse BBC reporter – Matt Green Soldier – Isabella Carey Chief technician – Anna Martine Freeman Voice of Zogroth – Ned Porteous Voice of Zreeg – John Hopkinson Lads – Harley McEvilly, Max Fincham The Meep – Cecily Fay Wrarth Warriors — Robert Strange, Stephen Love, Jordan Benjamin, Vassili Psaltopoulos Crew Writer – Russell T Davies Director – Rachel Talalay Music – Murray Gold Producer – Vicki Delow Executive producers – Russell T Davies, Phil Collinson, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, Jane Tranter RT review by Patrick Mulkern Who-oosh… and they’re back! I don’t just mean David Tennant and Catherine Tate, who are reunited as the Doctor and Donna after 15 years – time having barely changed them a whisker. Russell T Davies – showrunner and, for many, Saviour of Doctor Who – is at the controls again, along with many of his old guard: fellow executives Jane Tranter, Julie Gardner…

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Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor ★★★★
type: item
date: 2022-10-23T20:10:41.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: Jodie Whittaker bows out in a frenetic BBC Centenary special, packed with faces, friends and foes from the past
encoded: Story 300 BBC Centenary Special Storyline When masterpiece paintings and the world’s top seismologists go missing, the Doctor’s former companions Tegan and Ace join forces with Unit, whose leader Kate Stewart sends an SOS to the Tardis from London, 2022. In Russia, 1916, the Master is posing as Rasputin, while hatching a new plan with the Daleks and Cybermen to destroy Earth and erase the Doctor from existence. The Cybermen invade Unit HQ and flatten it, while the Daleks plan to explore the world’s volcanoes and lure the Doctor into a trap. For a while, the Master becomes the Doctor in a forced regeneration, while she sees vestiges of her former selves in a limbo netherworld. The Doctor and her allies beat their enemies, but the Time Lord is mortally wounded and bids Yaz a sad farewell. As many of the Doctor’s former companions gather in a support group, the Time Lord regenerates on a clifftop into a new body with a familiar face from the past… First UK broadcast Sunday 23 October 2022 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Dan Lewis – John Bishop The Master – Sacha Dhawan Tegan Jovanka – Janet Fielding Ace – Sophie Aldred Kate Stewart – Jemma Redgrave The Doctor – Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Bradley, Jo Martin, David Tennant Melanie Bush – Bonnie Langford Jo Jones – Katy Manning Ian Chesterton – William Russell Vinder – Jacob Anderson Graham O'Brien – Bradley Walsh Ashad – Patrick O'Kane Deputy Marshal Arnhost – Joe Sims Train Marshal Halaz – Sanchia McCormack Curator – Danielle Bjelic Alexandra – Anna Andresen Nicholas – Richard Dempsey Jos Slovick – Messenger Dalek and Cybermen voices – Nicholas Briggs Dalek operators – Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg, Jon Davey Cybermen – Simon Carew, Jon Davey, Chester Durrant, Mickey Lewis, Felix Young, Richard Price, Andrew Cross, Matt Doman Crew Writer – Chris Chibnall Director – Jamie Magnus Stone Music – Segun Akinola Producer – Nikki Wilson Executive producers – Chri…

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Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils ★★
type: item
date: 2022-04-17T19:00:06.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: The classic monsters are faithfully resurrected but resurface in maritime mediocrity
encoded: Story 299 Easter special 2022 “Since when do Sea Devils have a ship?” – the Doctor Storyline Pirate queen Madam Ching raids a coastal village in 1807 China and unwittingly releases a Sea Devil warrior, which has been encased for centuries as a stone statue. Ching is on a mission to find the lost treasure of legendary sailor Ji-Hun, to pay the ransom for her kidnapped crew. The Sea Devils unleash a giant sea serpent to attack Ching’s ship. The Doctor, Yaz and Dan join forces with Ching to fend off the lizards and infiltrate their base to stop their latest plan to flood the Earth. First UK broadcast Sunday 17 April 2022 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Yazmin Kahn – Mandip Gill Dan Lewis – John Bishop Ying Ki – Marlowe Chan-Reeves Madam Ching – Crystal Yu Chief Sea Devil – Craige Els Ji-Hun – Arthur Lee Ying Wai – David K S Tse Sea Devils – Jon Davey, Simon Carew, Chester Durrant, Richard Price, Mickey Lewis, Andrew Cross Crew Writers – Ella Road, Chris Chibnall Director – Haolu Wang Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chrish Chibnall, Matt Strevens, Nikki Wilson RT review by Patrick Mulkern I feel a bit sorry for today’s young viewers. I grew up watching Doctor Who in the 1970s and, while it might not have been immense every single week, we could rely on a fairly steady stream of classics – and scares and chills agogo. Sitting through Legend of the Sea Devils is like watching seaweed dry. The 50-minute Easter special has a problem in common with so much modern Doctor Who in that, while it abounds in action, CGI spectacle and bombastic music, there’s a dearth of tension and suspense, there’s no time for a slow build, no eeriness, no real appetite for proper frights or even the mildest stab at the macabre. Doctor Who can be, and is well-known for being, behind-the-sofa or edge-of-the-seat viewing but making that is almost a forgotten art. The closest this era has come to it was Village of the Angels in last year’s Flux. Kudos to Chris…

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Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks ★★★★
type: item
date: 2022-01-01T20:05:21.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: Multiple extermination and unrequited love in a time-looped storage facility
encoded: Story 298 New Year’s Day special 2022 Storyline On New Year’s Eve, customer Nick turns up for his annual visit to a storage facility, whose owner/manager Sarah he has a crush on. The Doctor resets the Tardis after it was damaged by the Flux, inadvertently putting the storage facility in a time loop, which reduces by one minute with each repetition. An extermination squad of Daleks is on her tail, tracking down and killing the Time Lord and the humans within each loop. With time running out, can they outwit the Daleks? First UK broadcast Sunday 1 January 2022 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Dan Lewis – John Bishop Sarah – Aisling Bea Nick – Adjani Salmon Mary – Pauline McLynn Dalek voices – Nicholas Briggs Dalek operators – Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg, Jon Davey Karl – Jonny Dixon Crew Writer – Chris Chibnall Director – Annetta Laufer Producer – Sheena Bucktowonsing Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens, Nikki Wilson RT review by Patrick Mulkern Fifty years to the day since Doctor Who legends Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney faced the Day of the Daleks – and I was sitting there on New Year’s Day 1972, glued to our temperamental telly – the winning team of Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill and John Bishop gamely take on the Eve of the Daleks. This special has been touted in some quarters as "a romcom with Daleks". If that’s showrunner Chris Chibnall’s aim, it falls down on the "com" front. Odd, given that most of the cast (Bishop, Aisling Bea, Adjani Salmon and Pauline McLynn) are more recognised for comedy. Yes, there’s the occasional amusing line or incident but no more than in a standard episode. The wittiest stroke is an in-joke when an indignant Dalek blurts, "I Am Not Nick!" – voiced, of course, by Nicholas 'Nick' Briggs. Eve of the Daleks fares better in the "rom" department. Sarah and Nick are a couple of weirdos. He’s weird for using the storage facility only to preserve the effects of his failed relation…

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Doctor Who: Flux ★★★★
type: item
date: 2021-12-05T19:30:30.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: The return of the six-part serial format brings chilling highs and confusing lows as the Time Lord takes on the Flux and the Ravagers, and learns more about her own mysterious past
encoded: Story 297 Storyline As a destructive storm cloud called Flux rips across the universe, Ravagers Swarm and Azure, ancient enemies of the Time Lords, break free of their bonds and pursue the Doctor. Sontarans take advantage of the crisis to invade Earth across its history. The Doctor and Yaz befriend Dan, a Liverpudlian who has been rescued by a canine Lupari, Karvanista. Their adventures take them to the Crimean War, the Temple of Atropos on the planet Time, and to a village in Devon, 1967, beset by Weeping Angels. Yaz, Dan and scientist Professor Jericho become trapped in the early 1900s, while the Doctor is “recalled” to the mysterious Division, where she meets Tecteun, the woman she once called “Mother”. Tecteun holds the secrets of the Doctor’s lost past in a fob watch and reveals that Division unleashed Flux to extinguish our universe as they move on to another. As Swarm and Azure gain control of Division, the Doctor is trisected across time and space where she and her various allies strive to avert the ravages of Flux, while enemies such as Sontarans, Daleks and Cybermen die in the conflagration… First UK broadcasts Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse – 31 October 2021 Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans – Sunday 7 November 2021 Chapter Three: Once, Upon Time – Sunday 14 November 2021 Chapter Four: Village of the Angels – Sunday 21 November 2021 Chapter Five: Survivors of the Flux – Sunday 28 November 2021 Chapter Six: The Vanquishers – Sunday 5 December 2021 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Dan Lewis – John Bishop Professor Eustacius Jericho – Kevin McNally Karvanista – Craige Els Swarm – Sam Spruell Azure/Anna – Rochenda Sandall Diane – Nadia Albina Vinder – Jacob Anderson Bel – Thaddea Graham Grand Serpent/Prentis – Craig Parkinson Claire Brown – Annabel Scholey Joseph Williamson – Steve Oram Kate Stewart – Jemma Redgrave Fugitive Doctor – Jo Martin Awsok/Tecteun – Barbara Flynn Mary Seacole – Sara Powell Ritskaw/Skaak/Stenck – Jon…

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Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks ★★★★
type: item
date: 2021-01-01T20:00:30.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: Chris Chibnall doles out eerie set-pieces, the return of Captain Jack, protracted farewells and a glimpse of a brighter future
encoded: “How many people in the universe get to meet the Doctor, let alone travel with her? We’re the lucky ones, Yaz. Enjoy the journey while you’re on it. Cos the joy... is worth the pain” – Captain Jack Story 296 New Year’s Day special 2021 Storyline The Doctor has been languishing in a Judoon space jail for decades – until sprung loose by old friend Captain Jack Harkness. They return to her chums in Sheffield, only to learn of their concerns about the re-emergence of the Daleks. Entrepreneur Jack Robertson (a former opponent) is conniving with the Government’s Technology Secretary Jo Patterson to build an army of “defence drones” – in fact, a production line of Daleks. Soon after Patterson becomes Prime Minister, she is exterminated in Downing Street and the Daleks go on the rampage. The Doctor resorts to calling in Death Squad Daleks who are determined to eradicate the impure new versions. All surviving Daleks are then lured into a secondary Tardis and trapped in the void. Ryan and Graham decide it’s time to remain on Earth, but Yaz is determined to stay with the Doctor. First UK broadcast Friday 1 January 2021 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole Captain Jack Harkness –John Barrowman Jack Robertson – Chris Noth Jo Patterson – Harriet Walter Leo Rugazzi – Nathan Stewart-Jarrett Armen – Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea Rachel – Helen Anderson – Rachel Dalek voices – Nicholas Briggs Dalek operators – Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg Grace – Sharon D Clarke Emily Maitlis as herself Crew Writer – Chris Chibnall Director – Lee Haven Jones Series producer – Nikki Wilson Producer – Alex Mercer Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens RT review by Patrick Mulkern Blackened, buffed up and both having had a little work done, the Daleks and Captain Jack Harkness are back to elevate Doctor Who from the doldrums in a New Year special, which restores some …

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Doctor Who: Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children ★★★
type: item
date: 2020-03-02T15:00:07.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: A brutal, tense set-up dissolves into a woeful morass of 'Master-splaining' as the Doctor's personal history gains wads of earlier chapters
encoded: “Be afraid, Doctor. Because everything is about to change – for ever!” – the Master Story 295 Series 12 – Episodes 9 & 10 Storyline In the far future, the Doctor and her gang arrive on a planet ravaged by Cyber Wars and team up with a disparate band of refugees. Their defences destroyed by Cyberdrones, the survivors flee through space, pursued by Cybermen led by Ashad. They head for salvation at a mythical place called Ko Sharmus. Meanwhile, in rural Ireland, a young man called Brendan is seen growing up, joining the Gardaí and proving to have remarkable powers of survival. Ko Sharmus turns out to be the elderly guardian of the Boundary to another dimension – through which the Master triumphantly appears. Again in league with the Cybermen, he has prepared a trap for the Doctor. The Boundary is a portal to Gallifrey, where the Master has wiped out the Time Lords and laid waste to their Capitol. He is furious that they’ve been lied to for centuries but delights in revealing that the Doctor is in fact “the Timeless Child”, who long ago gave rise to the Time Lords’ regenerative powers. Irish Brendan and the mysterious Doctor who was Ruth are just two of many previous incarnations the Doctor has been unaware of. The Master also turns his allies and the slain Time Lords into CyberMasters, but Ko Sharmus destroys them by activating a “death particle” developed by Ashad. The Doctor’s friends arrive safely back on Earth but she is imprisoned in space by the Judoon... First UK broadcasts Ascension of the Cybermen – Sunday 23 February 2020 The Timeless Children – Sunday 1 March 2020 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole The Master – Sacha Dhawan The Doctor – Jo Martin Ashad – Patrick O’Kane Ravio – Julie Graham Ko Sharmus – Ian McElhinney Yedlarmi – Alex Austin Feekat – Steve Toussaint Bescot – Rhiannon Clements Ethan – Matt Carver Fuskle – Jack Osborn Brendan – Evan McCabe Patrick – Branwell Donag…

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Doctor Who: The Haunting of Villa Diodati ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2020-02-16T20:00:12.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: The Doctor must save Lord Byron and the Shelleys and yield to the Lone Cyberman in a ghost story that deftly subsumes the birth of horror into the show’s own mythology
encoded: “Save the poet? Save the universe? Sometimes even I can’t win” – the Doctor Story 294 Series 12 – Episode 8 Storyline 1816: one stormy night at a villa overlooking Lake Geneva, the rakish poet Lord Byron and his young friends, including Frankenstein creator Mary Shelley, chill each other with tales of the dead. When the Doctor, Graham, Yaz and Ryan arrive, the Time Lord senses unrelenting evil in the air. They are beset by ghostly apparitions as the house seems to turn in on itself. In the cellar, Percy Shelley has been infected by the Cyberium, an AI from the future. It is manipulating everyone’s perceptions of reality to protect itself from the “Lone Cyberman”, who arrives to reclaim it. The Doctor ignores the warning Captain Jack gave her friends, yields the Cyberium to protect Shelley and his timeline, and vows to take the fight to the future… First UK broadcast Sunday 16 February 2020 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin – Lili Miller Claire Clairmont – Nadia Parkes Lord Byron – Jacob Collins-Levy Dr John Polidori – Maxim Baldry Ashad – Patrick O’Kane Percy Bysshe Shelley – Lewis Rainer Elise – Sarah Perles Fletcher – Stefan Bednarczyk Crew Writer – Maxine Alderton Director – Emma Sullivan Series producer – Nikki Wilson Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens RT review by Patrick Mulkern It was a dark and stormy night… We’re at the birth of what would become a cliché but this latest Doctor Who embraces all the familiar ghost-story trappings and deftly subsumes the birth of horror into its own mythology. The Time Lord’s rules of engagement are set. Ryan: “Nobody mention Frankenstein and don’t interfere.” Yaz: “And nobody snog Byron.” I was mildly concerned about witnessing the gormless WhittakWho Quartet blundering into this key moment in literary history, not just literary history but a seminal p…

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Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me? ★★
type: item
date: 2020-02-09T20:00:35.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: From Aleppo to Sheffield, the Time Lord tackles Immortals’ games and the stuff of nightmares in a superb-looking, at times misguided, mystery
encoded: “I thought I should talk about it, cos those nightmares, they made me realise the fear is still there” – Graham Story 293 Series 12 – Episode 7 Storyline At a hospital in Aleppo, 1380, an orphan Tahira is terrorised by bestial creatures called Chagaskas. In 2020, Yaz, Graham and Ryan return to Sheffield to catch up with friends, but they’re soon beset by nightmares, controlled by a malign spectre, who abducts people in the night. The Doctor rescues Tahira, then with her friends is lured to a deep-space platform overlooking two planets frozen at the point of collision. The villain identifies himself as Gellin, a god-like immortal, who can now free his associate Rakaya from a prison orb between the planets. They intend to exploit the fears and nightmares of people on Earth and gorge on the dark forces unleashed. First UK broadcast Sunday 9 February 2020 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Zellin – Ian Gelder Tibo – Buom Tihngang Rakaya – Clare-Hope Ashitey Grace O’Brien – Sharon D Clarke Sonya Khan – Bhavnisha Parmar Tahira – Aruhan Galieva Maryam – Sirine Saba Anita Patel – Nasreen Hussain Gabriel – Everal A Walsh Fred – Michael Keane Mum – Amanda Liberman Old Tibo – Willie Jonah Andrew – Anthony Taylor Crew Writers – Charlene James, Chris Chibnall Director – Emma Sullivan Series producer – Nikki Wilson Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens RT review by Patrick Mulkern The stuff of nightmares. That’s always been Doctor Who at its best. There are certainly enough images and ideas in Can You Hear Me? to instil a few nightmares in younger viewers. A ferocious bestial monster lurking on a ceiling; a creepy old bald man who can materialise in your bedroom with a puff of black smoke; his detachable fingers lodging in your ears… But is this Doctor Who at its best? Not really. It does try hard, though. For a start Can You Hear Me? lo…

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Doctor Who: Praxeus ★★
type: item
date: 2020-02-02T20:00:08.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: Deadly birds, a missing astronaut, the spread of an alien pathogen… this world-spanning mystery shifts from intriguing to enervating
encoded: “Two identical deaths on two different continents. It’s even more dangerous than I thought” – the Doctor Story 292 Series 12 – Episode 6 Storyline Ryan is in Peru investigating birds that are falling out of the sky. In Hong Kong, Yaz and Graham discover missing astronaut Adam Lang trapped in an alien lab, while the Doctor is on a beach in Madagascar, where the lone survivor of a submarine wreck is washed ashore and dies. These locales and events are linked to the spread of a deadly pathogen, Praxeus. It has been unleashed by aliens who view Earth as the perfect living laboratory to find a cure. Praxeus breeds in plastic, found in abundance on our planet, and ingested by birds and humans. The Time Lord and her allies produce an antidote and use the alien ship to disperse it across the world. First UK broadcast Sunday 2 February 2020 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Jake Willis – Warren Brown Adam Lang – Matthew McNulty Gabriela Camera – Joana Borja Suki Cheng – Molly Harris Jamila Velez – Gabriela Toloi Joyce – Soo Drouet Zach Olson – Tristan de Beer Aramu – Thapelo Maropefela Crew Writers – Pete McTighe, Chris Chibnall Director – Jamie Magnus Stone Series producer – Nikki Wilson Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens RT review by Patrick Mulkern The Doctor Who team have engineered a bit of a problem for themselves. Last week, they treated us to a taste of a startling new Doctor with a stronger personality, a nattier costume and a glorious Tardis harking back to the unbeatable original… We want to see more. But then this week… oh! We’re back to that again. But Praxeus is, in itself, disappointing. It’s co-credited to showrunner Chris Chibnall and more importantly Pete McTighe, whose satire on Amazon, Kerblam!, was one of the stronger episodes in series 11. I’d hoped for something similarly scintillating. Though Praxeus gene…

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Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon ★★★★★
type: item
date: 2020-01-26T20:00:32.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: Enthralling times as Captain Jack returns and the Doctor discovers a mysterious other self (the excellent Jo Martin)
encoded: “Let me take it from the top. Hello, I’m the Doctor” – the Doctor Story 291 Series 12 – Episode 5 Storyline “Space rhino” law enforcers, the Judoon, storm modern-day Gloucester looking for a mysterious fugitive. They home in on Ruth and Lee Clayton, a seemingly innocent couple who are harbouring a secret and have been in hiding for decades. After Lee is executed, it becomes clear that Ruth is the Judoon target. The Doctor helps her flee to a lighthouse, where she discovers another police box buried in the grounds. Ruth is a previously unknown version of the Doctor, whose identity was cloaked by a chameleon arch. Together they face off the Judoon, but what does this all mean for the two Doctors’ timeline? Meanwhile, Graham, Yaz and Ryan are abducted by Captain Jack, who has a warning for his old friend: “Beware the lone Cyberman.” First UK broadcast Sunday 26 January 2020 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Ruth Clayton/The Doctor – Jo Martin Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Lee Clayton – Neil Stuke Gat – Ritu Arya Judoon Captain (Pol-Kon-Don) – Paul Kasey All Ears Allan – Michael Begley Marcia – Judith Street Tourist – Katie Luckins Judoon Captain voice – Nick Briggs Judoon – Simon Carew, Richard Highgate, Richard Price, Matthew Rohman Crew Writers – Vinay Patel, Chris Chibnall Director – Nida Manzoor Series producer – Nikki Wilson Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens RT review by Patrick Mulkern “AND YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS THIS WEEK” … Well, yes, I would actually. That Doctor Who tagline was flashed up on telly and all over social media in the days before transmission. Gawd, was that the best you could do, BBC!? When your ratings are dipping, don’t dangle invisible carrots. Put your wares in the bloomin’ window. Or at least some of them. Keep your exciting new/old Doctor under wraps by all means (more of her later) but flash Jack. That would have …

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Doctor Who: Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror ★★★★
type: item
date: 2020-01-19T20:00:57.000Z
creator: Patrick Mulkern
subject: Doctor Who Guides
subject: News
subject: Sci-fi
subject: TV
subject: Doctor Who Story Guides
subject: Thirteenth Doctor
description: A delightful tale as the Time Lord unites with Tesla and Edison to thwart the giant scorpion Queen of the Skithra
encoded: “Nikola Tesla, you’re going to change the world, but first you’re going to save it” – the Doctor Story 290 Series 12 – Episode 4 Storyline At Niagara Falls in the early 1900s, the undervalued inventor Nikola Tesla becomes the quarry of the Skithra, giant alien scorpions whose Queen needs an engineer to repair her damaged spaceship. The Doctor and her friends arrive and a chase ensues to New York, where Tesla’s rival and former employer, Thomas Edison, joins the fray. They combine resources at Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower project on Long Island, where the Queen threatens to destroy Earth, but the scientists beam electric rays into the sky to repel the Skithra. First UK broadcast Sunday 19 January 2020 Cast The Doctor – Jodie Whittaker Graham O’Brien – Bradley Walsh Ryan Sinclair – Tosin Cole Yasmin Khan – Mandip Gill Nikola Tesla – Goran Visnjic Thomas Edison – Robert Glenister Queen Skithra – Anjli Mohindra Dorothy Skerritt – Haley McGee Harold Green – Paul Kasey Bill Tallow – Robin Guiver Mr Sorensson – Erick Hayden Mr Brady – Russell Bentley Mr Martin – Brian Caspe Foreman – Shaun Mason Crew Writer – Nina Metivier Director – Nida Manzoor Series producer – Nikki Wilson Music – Segun Akinola Designer – Dafydd Shurmer Executive producers – Chris Chibnall, Matt Strevens RT review by Patrick Mulkern Science, at last! Doctor Who normally steers clear of real physicists and inventors from history. Not surprising, really. Science and invention need a lot of research and much authentic hardware on show. Scriptwriters are evidently more comfortable depicting cultural icons (Shakespeare, Dickens, Van Gogh, Agatha Christie) and rulers (Elizabeth I, Victoria, Nixon, Nero, Churchill and Hitler). Of course, the Doctor is always the scientist in the room. All others pale in her or his presence. And there’s the small matter of her/him not being seen to influence scientific progress. Long ago in the 1970s, Tom Baker’s Doctor joked about having climbed a tree and dropping an apple on …

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