SLEEP NO MORE – AN INTRODUCTION

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REVIEW – TORCHWOOD: FORGOTTEN LIVES

Made in Wales, set in Wales, with a cast including many Welsh actors. As a Welshman I was over the moon. A Welsh genre fantasy show?  This sort of thing never happened. But in 2006 Russell T Davies made it so (to paraphrase some other sci-fi show or other). However – and it is a big however – it didn’t seem to stray too far from Cardiff, and we up here in the North, (the Gogs), didn’t have any encounters with Jack and rest of the Torchwood team.  Until now.

You see in Forgotten Lives we are introduced to the previously unknown Torchwood – Wrexham. Oh yes! I literally cheered on my drive to work whilst listening. In my mind, if there is a Torchwood Wrexham, then surely in some part of the Torchwood Universe there is a Torchwood Trefriw…

But I digress, as always – and force myself away from my usual flights of fancy (Torchwood Trefriw – come on Big Finish, you know you want to do it – and bring myself back to this months release.

As with the previous two months, this release deals with particular character from Torchwood and in this one it is Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Rhys Williams (Kai Owen) who take centre stage. It is four years since the events of Miracle Day – Gwen and Rhys have settled down and Torchwood is a thing of the past.  They are parents to a four year old girl called Anwen. Life is – well, normal. And then they get a phone call. A strange call in Welsh from an old lady – and the mention of a name from the past: Jack Harkness. This is a phone call that will change their lives and take them to the promised land of North Wales (yay!) in fact the phone call takes them to the Bryn Offa Nursing Home (not far from Llangollen) and there they meet an old man who claims to be Captain Jack Harkness…

Kai Owen and Eve Myles slip right back into the characters of Rhys and Gwen, it’s like they have never been away – the interplay is just so natural and realistic – yes, they save the world, but they need to worry about baby-sitter too.

This is a very interesting story, and in fact will keep you guessing for the first half or so as to whether “Mr Griffith” really is an ancient version of Jack Harkness or just a poor old man suffering from dementia who happens to think he may have been someone else.

Tonally this is a story of two halves – the mysterious investigation in the first half leads to a shocking confrontation, a terrible mistake and an unforgivable act. The tension is almost unbearable and Gwen is seen to really be someone you do not mess with. Rhys Williams continues to be the heart of Torchwood – the us, the in, the voice of common sense and real world – he utterly grounds the show and makes it believable – his talk of being a driver in North Wales, of a burger van called “Hot Buns” that always parked in the same lay-by as a contrast to the world which Gwen and Jack inhabit.

This story works as a standalone; there are a few lines of dialogue that hark back to Miracle Day and the previous audios, but this shouldn’t spoil your enjoyment one little bit. Another worthy addition to the Torchwood range, a great big Welcome back! to Gwen and Rhys and a Big Hello Torchwood! from North Wales.

Definitely not one to forget. 9/10.

Written by Ed Watkinson.

SYNOPSIS:

It has been four years since the Miracle, and Gwen and Rhys’s lives have gone back to normal, very normal. They’re raising their daughter (they’ve got pictures they’d be only too happy to show you), they’re living in a nice house, and they’re almost on top of the laundry.

Captain Jack Harkness has been missing from the world and their lives for a long time. But late one night the phone rings, and they’re summoned to an isolated part of North Wales. The Bryn Offa Nursing Home contains a dark secret, an alien threat, and someone who really shouldn’t be there.

Gwen and Rhys are about to discover that Torchwood stays with you for the rest of your life.

CAST:

Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Philip Bond (Griffith), Valmai Jones (Elunedd), Seán Carlsen (Gary), Emma Reeves (Ceri/Nurse Bevan)

Written By: Emma Reeves
Directed By: Scott Handcock

Produced by James Goss

Script edited by Steve Tribe

BUY YOUR COPY HERE

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SLEEP NO MORE – TRAILER

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THE ZYGON INVERSION – DOCTOR WHO EXTRA

Why wouldn’t you go in the TARDIS?
Human or Zygon?
Will Osgood be back?
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TWO STEVEN MOFFAT SCRIPTS ONLINE

Scripts for the first two episodes of series 9 of Doctor Who have been made available online via the BBC Writer’s Room.

The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar, both written by Steven Moffat, are available to download, as part of the BBC’s commitment to support and develop writers across the whole of BBC drama, comedy and children’s departments.

BBC WRITER’S ROOM

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SLEEP NO MORE – NEXT TIME TRAILER

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DOWNTIME – TRAILER

DowntimeDowntime is a 1995 fan-made Doctor Who-themed movie available for the first time on DVD – and a must see for every Doctor Who fan!

The story involves The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) of UNIT investigating the New World University; a sinister school run by Victoria Waterfield (Deborah Watling) and Professor Travers (Jack Watling). The University holds a gateway to Earth created by the Doctor’s old enemy The Great Intelligence, but without the Doctor, the Brigadier and Sarah Jane must fight his old foe alone.

Downtime is an unofficial sequel to the Patrick Troughton stories The Abominable Snowmen and The Web of Fear written by author Doctor Who classic series author Marc Platt.

In addition to Downtime there is a second DVD containing extras which will include Behind the Lens , a behind the scenes look at the production with never before seen footage, and Post Production , a glimpse into the editing, sound and visual effects work.

Downtime stars Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Deborah Watling (Victoria Waterfield), Jack Watling (Professor Travers)  and Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith). Written by Mark Platt and Directed by Christopher Barry and Keith Barnfather.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

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REVIEW – SURVIVORS: SERIES 3

surv03_slipcase_1417sq_cover_largeAs the mighty Tom Baker once boomed out “Britain, Britain, Britain” But what is Britain? Well apart from the obvious answer, to me Britain is a collection of many nations (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cornwall, Manx); an alliance bound together by an act of Union. We are home to many different creeds, cultures and philosophies. We welcome with open arms those who are different as they will enrich our society and they in turn enrich us and with evolution and learning from each. But the fundamental building blocks of fairness, liberty and respect remain in place. This is the Britain I love and this is the Britain I inhabit. I am Welsh, I am a Welsh speaker, I love my nation, but I love the whole that it is a part of; co-existence, support, respect (ribbing over sport) all part of our national make up – and as part of the European Union our cultural, philosophical and economic boundaries have grown and been enriched further. My Britain.

There are some who see Britain in a different way – they see Britain as an isolated island nation, a place where foreigners are not welcome, where those that are just a little bit different are to be feared. The sort of person who would see the pandemic in Survivors not as a disaster but as an opportunity, the sort of person who previously had their worst excesses reined in by the rule of law. The sort of person that would kill those who are different just because they are different and enjoy it. A bully, a tyrant, a bigot, a fundamentalist. Survivors Series 3 is the story of just one of those sorts of people. Survivors Series 3 is the story of John Vincent.

John Vincent, or Vinnie to his friends is a thoroughly frightening creation. A fully rounded three dimensional believable character – his hate oozes out of the production.  His oily, supercilious exterior barely covering a bubbling rage. A truly hateful character and utter plaudits to Paul Thornley for bringing him to life. As far away from an arch panto villain as you can get – Thornley injects Vinnie with a visceral hate fuelled energy, a genuine belief that the pandemic was caused by foreigners.  His rag tag band of Fascists have labelled themselves “The British Government” and are intent on rebuilding Britain in Vinnie’s distorted image – no foreigners, no gays, no contact with the outside world – England for the English.

The box set is spread over four interlinked stories and makes a good jumping on point for new listeners, because in episode one, we go back to the beginning, back to the pandemic:

Cabin Fever by Jonathan Morris

This is Molly’s origin story. Molly from Series 2 returns again played by Fiona Sheehan – she is being cared for by Dalton (Andrew French) as she has come down with a fever, and recounts a tale to him of how she came to survive the Pandemic. Turns out Molly was on a cross channel ferry with her friend Janet (Miranda Raison) returning to England. But England is blockaded, under quarantine because of the plague, so is the rest of Europe and they are left adrift, floating in the channel, abandoned, as death takes hold. This is a real powder keg situation and a certain Vinnie sees it as an opportunity to take command.  He and his “lads” waste no time asserting their authority and as the situation worsens so Vinnie’s attitudes become more and more extreme, revealing the sort of person that he really is.

Molly it turns out is an unreliable narrator, and the story of the relationship she forms with Gloria (an unrecognisable Lisa Bowerman) is all the more horrific when the reality of the situation dawns on Dalton. Vinnie is a man who will not be crossed, will not be spoken back to and will not compromise. His character is established here – he could be just another right wing thug, but the writing and the characterisation raise him to a whole new level of evil.

Contact by Simon Clark

Remember Series 1? Remember Maddie Price (Chase Masterson) the American Attorney trapped in the UK? Well she is back, and she has a plan. Maddie is holed up in the Post Office Tower with communications expert Jonathon (James Joyce), she is the voice of London Calling – reaching out to the world on shortwave radio to try to build an international community. But she is attracting attention. Abby Grant (Carolyn Seymour) and Daniel Connor (John Banks) have worked out where she is and are heading to the tower to ask can they use the Radio to ask for help in finding Abby’s son. Others have also picked up the voice of London Calling – a certain group calling themselves “The British Government”, a group led by one John Vincent, an if there is one thing Vinnie does not want is foreigners being called in to Britain. After all in his twisted mind foreigners caused the pandemic so why invite them in. By subterfuge Vinnie works out where the broadcasts are coming from and his group set so ff to the tower to stop them. What a tense episode, the verbal sparring and pretence of Vinnie that he is respectful when he meets Abby – he is an intelligent man, he wants Abby with her cultured English voice to be the voice of the British Government – Abby stands her ground which leads to…. well that would be telling.

A very tense episode, you can just feel the disaster coming, my heart was in my mouth as I inevitably waited for Vinnie to play his hand.

Rescue by Andrew Smith

Jimmy Garland is a bit of a hero, and an excellent character, played by Richard Heffer – he is the perfect anti-Vinnie. Cultured, well spoken, intelligent and British in the best sense of the word. He is also an ex-army officer and knows a thing or two about guns and explosives. Jimmy is the sort of man that instils loyalty, not through fear but through respect – something Vinnie will never have – and what better man to lead a rescue mission to the Post Office Tower. This is a real edge of seat episode showing all the best and worst in human nature. In fact this is a theme of Survivors – the triumph of hope over fear, of cooperation over isolation and it is no better personified than in Jimmy and Vinnie.

There are some very upsetting scenes during this episode, and some of the language is unpalatable at best – but these are the sort of people we are dealing with and Andrew Smith pulls no punches in his depiction of unfettered Fascism in its purest form – disturbing and humbling.

Leaving by Matt Fitton

A rumour of a ship leaving for America is enough to get Maddie Price ready for the journey. As our heroes head for Plymouth to meet up with the Captain of “Mayflower 3” – a voyage is planned to the USA, Maddie and Daniel have passage guaranteed board the Mayflower 3 – but Vinnie and the British Government have different ideas – they want to “protect our borders” whatever the cost. A chilling and heart pounding conclusion as the forces of progress and regress have their final confrontation. Sacrifices for the good of all are made, and Survivors will never be the same again…

What an exceptional set. Exceptional. I found Vinnie abhorrent, but superbly acted, he stole the show – no scenery chewing or panto just a violent thug with no-one left to tell him no – where his world view is the world view.

The stories are moving, but they are hard going – no soft soak, this is a brutal world and even the “good guys” who are trying to maintain a form of civilisation have to do some pretty extreme things – difference is they do these things because they have to not because they want to. It is a story of hope versus fear, I vote for hope every time, but hope has a price, and a very high one at that. If I lived in the world of Survivors, I don’t think I would have lasted long – I am an idealist and this is a world where your ideals can lead to your swift demise.

Brilliantly written, utterly compellingly acted and directed, to say I enjoyed it is not quite right, but boy did I appreciate it.

An unreserved 10/10.

Written by Ed Watkinson.

 SYNOPSIS:

It begins with just a few people falling ill. Another flu virus that spreads around the globe. And then the reports begin that people are dying…

When most of the world’s population is wiped out, a handful of survivors are left to pick up the pieces.

Cities become graveyards. Technology becomes largely obsolete. Mankind must start again…

Cabin Fever by Jonathan Morris

After weeks of searching for her son across a devastated Britain, Abby Grant and her allies head into London in pursuit of new leads. One of the party is quarantined, holed up with a fever. They remember the very first days of the Death, and the actions of a man called John Vincent…

Contact by Simon Clark

A lonely voice on the radio calls out across the ether. Maddie Price is a long way from home, but not yet ready to give up hope.

Rescue by Andrew Smith

When his friends’ lives hang in the balance hundreds of feet above London, Jimmy Garland leads a daring rescue mission into the capital.

Leaving by Matt Fitton

Down on the coast, plans are being made to reach out across the world. It could mean a new beginning for some, and the long-awaited chance to return home for others.

CAST:

Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Richard Heffer (Jimmy Garland), Chase Masterson (Maddie Price), John Banks (Daniel Conner), Fiona Sheehan (Molly), Andrew French (Dalton Roberts), Paul Thornley (John Vincent), Damian Lynch(Marcus), Miranda Raison (Janet), Lisa Bowerman (Gloria), Christopher Hatherall(Tyler), James Joyce (Jonathon), Louisa Clein (Pam), John Voce (Walter)

Written By: Jonathan Morris, Simon Clark, Andrew Smith, Matt Fitton
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Producer David Richardson

Script Editor Matt Fitton

Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

BUY YOUR COPY HERE

NOTE: Survivors contains adult material and is not suitable for younger listeners.
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THE ZYGON INVERSION – PREVIEW CLIP 2

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THE BBC STORE OPENS

Doctor Who stars have been promoting the new BBC Store, where viewers can download and own BBC television programmes, old and new.

The BBC Store features every episode of Doctor Who from 2005 onwards and a wide selection of stories from the classic series.

CHECK OUT THE BBC STORE HERE

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THE UNDERWATER MENACE ON DVD

The Underwater MenaceThe Underwater Menace DVD was a long time coming. Back in February 2013 it was advertised as coming soon on the Moonbase DVD, then it was pushed back to 2014, then it was cancelled, then there was the fan petition that looked like it still might not be happening, and then just a couple of months ago BBCWW announced it was finally coming out. What we have to ask after all that is was it really worth the wait?

On the whole of it I would say yes, as the DVD is a nice little package to finish the Classic series DVD range on, or at least pause until something else comes back.

Episode 3 had all ready been released in the Lost In Time set, but the clean up on the returned episode 2 is very good and up to the standard of the rest of the 60s DVD range. The parts that had been cut by the Australia censor have been nicely edited back in, handy that we got those edited clips back from Australia not to mention that we just so happened to get the very episode returned they had been cut from.

The extras on the disk are a nice collection to keep the fans interested. The Making of is nice and interesting as well as the second part to the documentary about the now closed down BBC Television Centre (Part 1 can be found on the Visitation SE DVD). There are the censor clips from episode 1 and 4 added on as well as a shot Photo gallery, this doesn’t seem to run for very long as I guess not many pictures were taken or survive from the story.

The Audio commentaries on the episodes are fascinating and fall under 3 groups. On the two surviving episodes we have the normal kind of commentaries that we have come to expect from the range featuring cast and crew from the story. On episode one we have the second part of an interview with Patrick Troughton’s son Michael (First part is on the Ice Warriors DVD) where he talks about his dad and what kind of man he was in private. The most interesting I would say is over episode 4. The producers of the DVD have found some past interviews recorded back in the 80s by fans with 3 people to do with the story who are no longer with us. First we hear from the Director Julia Smith and then Producer Innes Lloyd. For the most part though it is taken up by a very rare and fascinating fan interview with the second Doctor himself Patrick Troughton, talking about his time on the show.

Much has been said on the forums about the reconstructions for the missing two episodes. From my own point of view though, I’m not really a fan of recons so it didn’t distract too much from the enjoyment of the release. Yes they are just basically a slide show of the John Cura Telesnaps over the off air soundtrack of the episodes, but it does do enough to give an idea of what happened on screen in the episodes.

On the whole, I would recommend picking this story up. The two surviving episodes together are interesting viewing, having now seen Part two you can see how certain scenes are paid off in Part 3, and Troughton’s acting is wonderful.

And so ends the classic series DVD range. Not with a bang, but at the same time, not with a whimper, its just ends with a satisfying conclusion with possibly one of the more underrated stories from the series history.

Written by Nick Headley

EXTRAS:

Commentaries

Episode One: Interview with actor Michael Troughton (continued from The Ice Warriors DVD). Episodes Two and Three: Anneke Wills, Frazer Hines, Catherine Howe, special sounds supervisor Brian Hodgson and floor assistant Quentin Mann. Episode Four: Archive material featuring Patrick Troughton, directors Julia Smith and Hugh David, and producer Innes Lloyd. Moderated by Toby Hadoke.

A Fishy Tale (dur. 28’ 30”)

The cast and crew look back on the making of The Underwater Menace. With actors Anneke Wills, Frazer Hines and Catherine Howe, AFM Gareth Gwelan, production assistant Berry Butler and new series writer Robert Shearman. Narrated by Fifth Doctor actor Peter Davison.

The Television Centre of the Universe – Part Two (dur. 32’ 10” )

Yvette Fielding continues her tour of BBC Television Centre in the company of actors Peter Davison, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson, with contributions from former colleagues along the way. With senior camera supervisor Alec Wheal, AFM Sue Hedden, former BBC producer and writer Richard Marson, exhibitions assistant Bob Richardson, production assistant Jane Ashford and videotape engineer Simon Anthony.

BUY YOUR COPY HERE

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THE ZYGON INVERSION – PREVIEW CLIP

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THE ZYGON INVERSION – AN INTRODUCTION

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DOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES #8

001_DWA08_P01_COVER_UKDOCTOR WHO ADVENTURES #8

November… a time of fireworks… and the biggest lightshow in the galaxy is at your fingertips! Prepare to be blown away as you settle down to Doctor Who Adventures #8 – the most exciting magazine this side of the Medusa Cascade!

TIME & PR IN SPACE
The Doctor gets a makeover and a new agent in Time and PR in Space, a brand new comic strip story scripted by Kieron Moore, illustrated by Russ Leach and coloured by John Burns.
TOUGH, WILD & UNPREDICTABLE
Then we take a look at some of the women in the Doctor’s life, including Clara Oswald, Ashildr and River Song!
CLARA’S CRAFT STUDIO
Get creative with Clara as you make your very own Davros Secret Storage pot, ideal for keeping all your special knick-knacks safe and sound.
UNIT ALIEN ARCHIVES
Access UNIT’s alien arc hives to find out all about Colony Sarff!
THE PATERNOSTER GANG INVESTIGATES…
Go back in time to Victorian London and join the Paternoster Gang as Strax, Jenny and Vastra investigate ghostly goings on in Paternoster Row!

Issue 8 comes with free Daleks and Cybermen patrols, so you can finally find out for yourselves who would win as you stage your own battles! All this and much, much more!

On sale 5th November 2015!

Thanks to Jason Quinn

strip

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STEVEN MOFFAT TALKS TO VARIETY

Steven-Moffat-_1517368aWhile at the Lucca Comics & Games event in Tuscany, Italy, the executive producer and lead writer of Doctor Who, Steven Moffat, found time to talk to Variety magazine’s International Correspondant Nick Vivarelli  about all things Doctor Who.

Asked if the series would last another five years, Moffat said:

It is definitely going to last five more years, I’ve seen the business plan. It’s not going anywhere. And I think we can go past that. It’s television’s own legend. It will just keep going.

Asked in Peter Capaldi could be leaving the show, Moffat answered:

Peter Capaldi is going nowhere.

To read the full interview click HERE.

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THE ZYGON INVERSION – TRAILER

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THE ZYGON INVASION – DOCTOR WHO EXTRA

The return of the Zygons
Osgood the cosplayer
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THE ZYGON INVASION – PREVIEW CLIP 2

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THE ZYGON INVASION – PREVIEW CLIP

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NEW CHARACTER OPTIONS FIGURES ANNOUNCED

image.phpToys “R” Us have linked up with Character Options to release a series of 11 new figures, including a never before seen 5 inch version of the Eighth Doctor.

  • Clara Oswald – the most recent time travelling companion of The Doctor.
  • Rose Tyler with K9.
  • Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) in her famed police outfit.
  • Three separate Eleventh Doctor figures: One in purple Jacket, another donning a cowboy hat as in Doctor Who – A Christmas Carol, and finally a classically posed Eleventh Doctor with a his ubiquitous Sonic device.
  • Four versions of the current and Twelfth Doctor are also part of the line-up. Known for being a rather dapper Time Lord, there is a choice of figure in White, Black, Purple or Polka Dot shirt.
  • And last but definitely not least a brand new Eighth Doctor figureas seen in the minisode Night of The Doctor. The Eighth Doctor has never before been seen in the 5 inch figure format.

Al Dewar, Product Development Director, Character Options said:

This collector’s series is really special. The fans have been requesting a return to the 5.5 inch format for a long time and in producing this collection I feel we have brought to them exactly what they have been demanding. The most exciting part for me however, is the creation of the Eighth Doctor figure, which is often seen as the missing piece for the true Doctor Who collector.

Mike Coogan, Marketing & eCommerce Director, Toy “R” Us said:

Toy “R” Us has a particular affinity with the Doctor Who fan and each year we like to bring to them something that they could not get anywhere else. This new series is exceptional and I believe one of the most comprehensive collector’s series to date – It will be an instant hit with all collectors.

Four 3.75 inch Wave 4 figures will also be available.

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