So, farewell Jodie! What a brilliant Doctor she has been. I started this series of blog posts four years ago to celebrate her becoming ther new Doctor. As ever, I've identified all of the mobile phones used in Doctor Who. This blog post goes through the 2022 specials - three cracking stories to round out Jodie's tenure. Eve of The Daleks Classic time-loop episode where - for once - a mobile…
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I can't remember the last book which gave me literal nightmares. After reading the first few chapters of the book, I fell into an uneasy sleep - troubled with dreams about its impossibility. "Antimemetics" is one of those frighteningly original sci-fi ideas. Sure, the secret-agency-defends-the-world trope has been played to death, but there is something uniquely mind-bending about objects which…
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London is slowly opening up - and TodayTix had tickets for half-price. So I thought me and my girl would go on a date! Nestled at UNIT HQ - just by Bond Street station - is an brilliant immersive theatre experience. This isn't like Secret Cinema - too many people in desolate wasteland queuing up for over-priced drinks from bored vendors. Instead, it's a cosy and tightly controlled experience,…
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A box set of late-era Tom Baker stories. And they're a bit of a mixed bunch. Full Circle First up, Full Circle - which introduces us to Adric. Ah, poor sweet Adric. He's an exercise in wish-fulfilment. Getting a nerdy, 17 year old, Who-geek to write a teenage nerd to appeal to other teenage nerds. I don't think the character quite works because, in my opinion, the Doctor needs a slightly…
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This is a rambly rant because I can't be bothered responding to every troll on the #DoctorWho hashtag. I've loved Flux - the latest season - and it fits in perfectly with the ethos of Doctor Who. So, let's knock down some common complaints, eh? iT's To POLIticALly CorREct wItH alL ThE GENdeR EqUAliTy The very first episode of Doctor Who had two men and two women in the lead roles. It has…
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Hello gang! I've identified all of the mobile phones used in every single episode of Doctor Who! This blog post goes through Flux - which is one of the best series of Doctor Who. Ever. Let's dive in… War of the Sontarans Dan saves the day by videoing the Sontaran dockyards. We only get a few blurry shots of his phone: Camera top left with what looks like a flash underneath it. Probably a bit …
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How do you build a Tardis? What are the secrets of teleportation? Could Cybermen take over the world? Is telepathy possible - even for an alien? Will extra-terrestrials one day visit planet earth on their travels through the galaxy? Can a robotic dog catch a cold ...? Take a journey with the Time Lords as Michael White guides us through the real science behind Doctor Who. Here he shows us how…
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The Doctor and Rose arrive in an underground vault in Utah in the near future. The vault is filled with alien artefacts. Its billionaire owner, Henry van Statten, even has possession of a living alien creature, a mechanical monster in chains that he has named a Metaltron. Seeking to help the Metaltron, the Doctor is appalled to find it is in fact a Dalek – one that has survived the horrors of t…
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The TARDIS lands in the Lancashire village of Bilehurst Cragg in the 17th century, and the Doctor, Ryan, Graham and Yaz soon become embroiled in a witch trial run by the local landowner. Fear stalks the land, and the arrival of King James I only serves to intensify the witch hunt. But the Doctor soon realises there is something more sinister than paranoia and superstition at work. Tendrils of…
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Hanging on a wall in our house is a signed picture of Derek Jacobi. It is one of our most treasured possessions. It is a drawing of him as Professor Yana from Doctor Who. SPOILER ALERT He was really The Master! Back in 2007, I happened to be working next to a memorabilia shop, when I saw both Jacobi and Tom Baker sat in there. A long queue of people stood waiting to buy autographs. I got in…
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As part of my silly floppy artwork, I wanted to find a retro computer font. Then I remembered that there's a 1960s Doctor Who serial with this beauty. The War Machines is a cracking slice of 60s sci-fi. It's very groovy. But what font is it? It isn't Westminster. The W is completely wrong. And the letter T is mirrored. Westminster has a surprising and interesting history. It isn't Data…
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The Web Planet puts the first Doctor and his companions in the middle of a war between two alien races - the moth-like Menoptra and a hostile race of ant creatures known as Zarbi - for possession of the planet Vortis. With the help of a grub-esque people called the Optera, the Doctor discovers the Zarbi's hidden weapon; the seductively voiced spider creature the Animus, which plans to ensnare…
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