A Peek (Doctor Who Spoilers)

Although the new series of Doctor Who has been filming for several weeks now, clear pictures have been hard to come by. Pictures of Jodie Whittater's Doctor in her predecessor's costume were removed but here some clearer ones have been made available to the public. These are the only spoiler based pictures that I am ever likely to upload.



These pictures are also significant for giving us our first clear view of new companion, Graham.  He and the new Doctor are looking around some industrial site.



It feels momentous when you get your first glimpse of the new Doctor in the old one's costume. Sometimes they look really good as Jodie does here. It's also nice to see the new companions in action. Whatever there roles are it looks interesting.

Doctor Who: Pudsey Preview

We get our first hint of how David Bradley will be playing the Doctor.

The thing that really stood out to me from the clip is just how good to see Peter Capaldi again.  With all the hype over the next Doctor, it is easy to forget just how great Peter Capaldi has been. I'm going to miss his Doctor.

David Bradley is looking okay as the First Doctor. It will never be an exact duplication of William Hartnell, but it is a rough approximate.

Mark Gatiss appears  to be playing the Captain straight and is not as a cliched Blackader soldier.

Doctor Who: New Doctor, New Costume

After a new Doctor is announced, the next big thing is to find out what the costume will be like. It's the first hint as to how the actor will play the role. Earlier today, the BBC released the first image of the new Doctor in costume. This is what she will look like in the upcoming series...

I have to admit that I wasn't sure about the costume when I first saw it. I think this was because I was expecting the new costume to be sombre, more like what Jodie wore in her introduction clip. This more lighter, more colourful costume through me off. . However, the more I looked at this costume, the more it grew on me. I'm now positive about it than I was at first glance. 

The individual components are somewhat similar to those worn by previous Doctors. The braces and high trousers are somewhat similar to the kind worn by Patrick Troughton. Boots and coats are common parts of many Doctor's costumes although this coat includes a hood. The most significant difference is the earrings which none of the male Doctors ever wore. The only problem I have is that her exposed ankles and neck may feel uncomfortable if she is filming exterior scenes in a cold Cardiff winter. These elements may be rectified if the series goes on or else she'll need to wrap up warmly between takes. 

While I was initially put off by the bright colours, they work as a contrast to the more sombre clothing that Peter Capaldi's Doctor wore. Fans on twitter have pointed out that the striped top and suspenders combination is similar to what  Robin Williams wore in Mork and Mindy. It also recalls the more colourful costumes worn by Tom Baker and Colin Baker This costume, at least, is not as garish as the Sixth Doctor's patchwork coat. Indeed, the lighter coat had me thinking of the one Peter Davison wore. 

Together, the combination of items and colours makes this costume look like it was thrown together s like Tom Baker's Season 12 costume or Matt Smith's Season 5 costume. It's a change from the Howard Burden designs which, while nice to look at, always felt a little too streamlined and put together. I like it. It may suggest that this new Doctor, or new show, will be brighter and bolder. 

It's nice that the new costume is shown off with a background image. It may be photoshopped  but I prefer it to the bland white backgrounds which were common for character images in the Peter Capaldi era. Also in shot is a Tardis which some have speculated to be the new prop. If so it's not bad. The blue is quite faded but that might just be because of the grading on the picture. I quite like the white text on blue background although it's a pity the text is not like other police boxes. Still, while it may not look like a metropolitan police box but none of the others have. 

The fact that the costume has been revealed suggests that  filming has either started or is about to start The new era seems to be underway. 

Doctor Who: The New Team

Last night, at around 10.30pm, the BBC revealed who would be playing the Doctor's new friends. Bradley Walsh will be playing Graham. Mandip Gill is playing Yasmin and Tosin Cole is playing Ryan. As there has been so little  Doctor Who news of late I drifted away and missed the announcement.  Just by chance, I checked the Doctor Who News Page and found out about the news. Overall, I am fairly okay with this. 

There were rumours about the involvement of Bradley Walsh since August but then the rumours faded away . He is best known for hosting The Chase, an ITV game show.  He has also been in Coronation Street and played DC Ronnie Brooks in Law and Order UK, another show that Chris Chibnall worked on. Doctor Who fans will best know him from The Sarah Jane Adventures. 

The other two are less well known and their casting was a surprise. Mandip Gill is  known for playing Phoebe McQueen in Hollyoaks, a show that I've never watched. She has also appeared in Cuckoo, Doctors, and Casualty. Tosin Cole, like Mandip, has appeared in Hollyoaks. He has also been in Eastenders and E20. He also appeared in The Force Awakens as Bastian, a Lieutenant in the Resistance who flew an X-Wing. Although Star Wars might be the bigger sf franchise, this role will probably be bigger and bring him to more attention.

At no point in the the press release are the new characters described as 'companions' or 'assistants'. Although they will undoubtebly be involved in the adventures, it is not yet clear if all or any of them will get to travel in the Tardis. If they do then it will be the largest ongoing team since the Fifth Doctor's era. Perhaps they will be a family in the same way the Tyler family was in the Tennant years, or the UNIT family in the Pertwee years. Perhaps they will all travel in the Tardis at different times from one another.

I am personally hoping for four travellers, reminiscent f my favourite team of Ian, Barbara and Susan. Some dislike what they consider a 'crowded Tardis' and feel that the Tegan, Nyssa and Adric team didn't work. But I always feel it depends how you integrate the characters into the story. A Story like the Aztecs involves each character using their abilities to get to the Tardis. Ian has to use his fighting skills, the Doctor uses his knowledge of science and Barbara uses her knowledge of Aztec history to ouwit her enemies. If everyone has a role to play then the story can work.

It is also interesting that all of the characters have ordinary names. Previous companions have had old fashioned names like 'Rose' or 'Martha' or unusual ones like 'Bill. It could mean that Chris Chibnall is trying to ground the series in a sense of normality.

Sharon D. Clarke is announced as playing a 'recurring role'. Inevitably this leads to the speculation that she's The Rani, Omega, or whateverold character. She could be an earthbound supporting character.

With this announcement also came the news that the episodes would be shortened from 12 episodes to 10x50 minute episodes. This is shorter but hopefully means that Chris Chibnall will get the series in the can quicker.

There should be something for everyone in this cast. Younger characters and old. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1x02: The Harvest

Last week's episode set up the characters. This week we get the actual story.

Buffy is able to overcome Luke with the Chekhov's cross that Angel gave her. She and Xander and Willow take refuge in the library. This is where Giles is able to give a big speech about the power of monsters. Buffy vows to get Jesse back.

Buffy returns to the crypt to search for Jesse and Xander obsessively comes with her. They descend into the sewers where they find Jesse has become the vampire and they flee

All the while, Giles and Willow have been working out about the Harvest, an event where a vessel will devour the blood that will power the Master's freedom.

Buffy and the others head to the Bronze where the harvest happens. Xander kills Jesse. Willow injures Darla and Buffy kills Luke, thus leaving the Master trapped.

Angel only appears briefly but doesn't really help. He warns her about the Harvest but Giles could probably have found this information in his book. It feels as though he was only in the episode because he had to be.

The direction is good. The final act at the Bronze is nice and moody.

Overall this is a promising episode. Everything is set up and anyone would c

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 1x01: Welcome to the hellmouth

Earlier this year I commented on the fact that it was 20th anniversary of Buffy. Now I am keeping the promise I made back then to look back at the earlier episodes. How does Series 1 hold up after all this time?

The pre-titles sequence sets up the basic premise of Buffy. A man and a woman enter the school. In horror movies the girl would die but in this scenario she turns out to be the vampire and attacks the boy. The female victims are the empowered ones.

After the distinctive title sequence we are introduced to Buffy Summers. It is her first day at Sunnydale High after she was kicked out of her old one in Los Angeles. She meets new friends such as WIllow and Xander and also the adversarial Cordelia. Unfortunately she cannot escape her destiny. The librarian is her new watcher, Rupert Giles. Soon afterward, the body of the man from the pre-titles sequence is found and it becomes clear that Vampires are present.

In the evening, Buffy meets the mysterious Angel and gets a cross. She then goes to the Bronze where Willow is taken by a vampire.

Buffy is a likeable character. At this stage she is trying to move away from her vampire slaying duty but she is not too winy about it. Sarah Michelle Gellar successfully protrays the

Cordelia is the Queen Bee of Sunnydale High. She is unlikeable at this stage but it will be interesting to see where she goes from here.

Willow is shy and a victim.Alsion Hannigan does a good job portraying her.

Xander is outgoing but gawky. Nicholas Brendon does a good job in portraying him.

Jesse appears to be a main character and he is nerdy.

Principle Flutie is amusing and Buffy's mom is alright.

Vampires: The Master, Luke and Darla. The Master seems like a great character with nosferatu style make-up.

The sets are good. Teh graveyard is eerie and the Master's lair is a wonderfully gothic looking place.

Big Finish: The First Doctor Adventures

Looks like the BBC are taking full advantage of David Bradley's time in Cardiff. There will be a series of audios.

Jamie Glover, Jemma Powell and Claudia Grant will also reprise their roles from An Adventure in Space and Time. James Dreyfus has been cast as the Master. I'm not keen on this idea that everyone must meet the Master but it will be interesting to see what has happened.