[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant I got a message from Kayla too – so she’s been dealt with. Sorry but I’ve been busy with real world stuff but will try to get back to the site properly soon, including removal firms (although I have to wonder what they have to gain)

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Hi @blenkinsopthebrave Yes I’ve marked her/him as a spammer, and the next person who also registered with the same email domain right after I spammed them.

Some nights it’s like whack-a-mole!

[Craig @replies Emperor]

I think that I recommended “Snowpiercer” a while back. I was delighted to find that it has now been added to Netflix, so now I don’t have to watch it illegally.

It really is worth a watch. It is incredibly good. John Hurt, Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton and more, in a crazy allegorical sci-fi movie where all that’s left of humanity is stuck on a huge train travelling the whole globe, round and round.

It was directed by the amazing Korean director Bong Joon-ho and also stars several amazing Korean actors.

It is totally bonkers, but is worth your time, believe me. You won’t regret it. I’ve watched it several times and loved it every single time.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Sorry for the late responses to you all @pedant @janetteb @whisht @mudlark @winston @thane16

Thank you for the kind words but I hope, actually I believe, it’s something anyone could and should do. As I said, I have no training, it just takes a bit of nerve to go up and talk to a stranger. It might take even more nerve to call up a friend.

Someone did commit suicide this week – unfortunately I wasn’t there. My neighbour, who also talks to people who look like they are in that frame of mind (we’re almost a tag team), reminded me that we can’t save everyone.

It’s been reported that he was a GP (a doctor) with a wife and two young daughters. You would think he had it all. I feel so sorry for all involved and can’t imagine how low, or disturbed, he must have been.

And yet he was loved. I took this picture tonight. Remember – you are always loved – even if you don’t think you are. And it will always get better. That’s what I always say to those I meet who are thinking about it.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant You beat me to it. But here’s the beautiful clip from ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’.

Truly one of the greats.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

I guess this is some sort of Public Service Announcement. So it’s a bit dull, but I wanted to get it out there – for my own good, if not anyone else’s. I live near a well-known suicide spot and in the past two weeks I have talked two people out of killing themselves. Both had travelled for about an hour to get there – so they really made an effort and were serious.

And you know what I do? I just go up to them and say hello, then take it from there. It turns out people really like having someone to talk to. I’m not trained, I don’t have a map to follow, I just talk to them.

I guess my point is, if you have anyone you’re concerned about, pick up the phone and say hello. It does wonders.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

I’ve added this back to the home page as it completes our Chris Chibnall retrospective. We now have five episodes (four stories) to discuss in light of him becoming the new showrunner.

My own thoughts (which I can go into more detail if anyone wants) is that he wasn’t given the gig because the strength of his Doctor Who writing. None of his stories are standouts. I think, and this may be controversial, that “42” is probably the best of his pre-showrunner work. And it’s only okay.

I think he got the gig because, being a life-long fan, he knew what he was talking about when it came to Doctor Who, and because he’d done a good job on some Torchwood episodes (which I haven’t watched) and Broadchurch (which I haven’t watched). I believe he was viewed as a safe pair of hands – which, depending on your opinion, is maybe, or maybe not, what you want for a series about a madman/madwoman in a box.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

As @pedant suggests, this thread has gone over its maximum 20 pages so it’s now closed I’ve started a new one here:

General Music thread 4

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Thanks all – now marked as a spammer.

By the way, am hoping regular service will restart this Saturday I’ve had a lot going on but it’s almost over. Thankfully.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant Cheers – spammer (or strangely confused person) duly removed.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@blenkinsopthebrave @bluesqueakpip, @thane16, @winston, @janetteb, @cathannabel,

I’m afraid I’m currently having to deal with some personal matters but normal service should be resumed in March. Hopefully you can wait until then.

We still have a short Chibnall retrospective to do, and a whole host of female Timelord stories lined up too.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@thane16 @kevinwho and everyone else. Apologies as always. I have marked our new friend as a spammer. (sorry for the delay but I was asleep – I have to sleep, sometimes) 🙂

Please do not respond to their emails. I have quite a tight ‘bot’ stricture on this site, but if a human signs up and posts nonsense messages then I’m kinda at your mercy. Thank you, you lovely people, for letting me know.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@cathannabel @miapatrick @whisht

Many thanks – have marked them both as spammers. It does seem to be the case that, because there is “Doctor” in the site name they think we might be interested in their dodgy medication. They take the time to sign up, and add a profile pic. But they don’t take the time to work out what the site is about!

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Just popping in – am home from my holidays. I watched “Killing Eve” with my Dad over the last few days. It is great. Was nominated for Best Drama at the Golden Globes and Sandra Oh won Best Actress. It’s a must see. It’s an “agent chases assassin” story, but it subverts so many of the normal storytelling tropes. The dynamic brings to mind Batman and the Joker or, dare I say it, The Doctor and The Master. Honestly, just watch it – you’ll love it.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant @margaret-blaine @janetteb @kevinwho @jimthefish

Sorry, late to the party again (still on holiday). But you all seem to have done your thing. I think the user’s comments are fine – not great, but okay. It’s just the stupid username that’s the problem.

If they change it, as they say they will, then I’m gonna leave it. For now.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Cheers @kevinwho. That’s what happens when you copy and paste from the previous thread and don’t read it properly! 🙂

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant Thanks for letting me know.

I am now closing this thread (as it is way over the 20 page limit). A continuation of the thread can be found here:

The Faces of the Doctor (2)

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Following on from @arbutus – one for New Year. I really liked this.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant Don’t worry, I’ve been keeping an eye on it. Nothing too bad just yet, but getting close.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

I thought you might like this, in a metaphorical kinda way. You may not know, but John Cena is a famous wrestling star in America, and has now branched out in to acting – he was very funny in “Trainwreck” and is about to appear in “Bumblebee”, the new Transformers movie.

He’s had a crew-cut his whole career, but now he’s grown his hair a bit. And people are telling him he’s ruined their childhood! Made me laugh a lot. Is every fandom the same?

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@thane16 Puro, that’s very kind of you. But I couldn’t have done it without all of you.

I know @blenkinsopthebrave is concerned about the level of engagement or conversation recently (which, although I liked the latest series I would lay some blame at). I am going to take some time over the holidays, have a think, see what the New Year special brings and then decide on what we do for a non-Doctor year.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@thane16 No worries Puro – love you.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

As this topic isn’t a big part of the site I don’t mind just chatting. Strangely enough, just after I posted, a user joined called adamsnowflake. It’s gonna be a fun few days, I can tell.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

I may sound like a conspiracy theorist now, but people who complain about SJWs are usually white, privileged mostly-males from the UK or USA. As are the mostly-males who call people “Snowflakes” yet who take massive offence whenever you question them, Brexit, or Trump.

So they are educated – always wrong, but educated.

I’m starting to wonder if our friend is/was a Russian plant. Who knows what plan they have? Break the BBC? Create gender politics wars? Just be a pain in the ass?

They will not win. Report any pains in the ass to me.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

So I got a post (quickly deleted by me) which confirms what I thought. And it’s not even grammatically correct English. I begin to wonder where our friend is from?

I came here mostly to validate that the pettiness of SJW fans who can not accept other opinions.

What an idiot.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Radio Times readers have voted for their favourite episodes this series.

Spoilers – Rosa came out top.

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-12-18/doctor-who-series-11-best-episodes-ranked-fans-vote-rosa-as-best-episode-of-jodie-whittakers-first-series/

Edit: it is slightly concerning that almost every episode written by Chibnall is the public’s least favourite (although we don’t know how much he had to do with Rosa).

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@ All I’m now kinda busy with the run up to Christmas, but I have made our friend a spammer and deleted some posts. I don’t need it in my life and neither do you. They’ll probably think it’s SJW censorship or something, but I don’t care – it’s really just dealing with someone who has really bad manners.

But really – if we get more, don’t engage, just point them out to me and I’ll deal with them.

I’d really like to have a decent conversation with a polite person who thinks the series is awful – but our ‘friend’ wasn’t that person.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

And another little Christmas card from the good people at Doctor Who:

To get you in the festive spirit! 🎅🎄 #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/kqZpesvq8m

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) December 18, 2018

[Craig @replies Emperor]

HBO have now made ‘Brexit – the movie’ With Benedict Cumberbatch.

I wonder, and when you watch the trailer you’ll see what I mean, if they made this because they can’t quite target the Trump campaign just yet. So, although it’s real, it’s also a metaphor. Quite clever if that was their thinking.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant

While Youtube embeds automatically, you have to click “More” (the down arrow) on Twitter and then use the Embed Tweet code (in the text version of the editor). Like this:

Final series averages for the whole modern show. #DoctorWho #ratings pic.twitter.com/4lu6h7qkKS

— Deep and crisp and Iain (@iainjclark) December 17, 2018

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@winston You can download it using this link:

https://www.thedoctorwhoforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Death-and-Nightingales.pdf

It was just a first draft so is a bit over-written. When I read it now I groan at some of the dialogue and would probably cut quite a bit of it – but it’s still not bad (if I do say so myself).

As I said before – trigger warnings. It’s a domestic drama but also, kind of, a metaphor about the early Irish ‘troubles’. It’s a complex story and the leading man is abusive to his wife and there are also threats of child abuse.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

So the Doctor (well, Stacey Dooley – who is almost a real-life version of the Doctor) won this year’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ (or ‘Dancing With The Stars’ as it’s called in the US).’

Big congrats to her.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@ichabod The one that immediately springs to mind is “Bladerunner”. The studio forced Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford to lay down a voiceover, as they thought no one would understand the film. You can tell Ford was bored with the whole thing. In the “director’s cut” they dropped the voiceover and added a few extra elements.

A lot of people think the “director’s cut” without the voiceover is far superior.

That said – I actually like the voiceover version just as well as the subsequent versions as it makes it a throw-back to film noir. But that’s just me.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@bluesqueakpip Cool. I hope she’ll be voting for Plaid Cymru. 🙂

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@idiotsavon Thank you for taking the time to read my script. I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I may post another one soon.

The TV version was really good – but it was interesting in that it almost completely focused on the second half of the story. There is little of Billy and Cathy. So, I hate to say it, but I think my version is more complex and interesting. The TV version may be more atmospheric though. Each has its own virtues.

I sent a message to the actress who plays Beth – I hope this works.

I used to work for Jonathan Cavendish and James Mitchell, when they first got the rights to the book, and knew Allan Cubitt too. I know the book well and I thought you were a brilliant 'Beth'. It was excellent. Look forward to seeing you in much more.

— Craig Murray (@CraigMurrayScot) December 12, 2018

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@bluesqueakpip Untangling Scotland from the UK basically means parting from one country (no offence meant towards Wales or Northern Ireland – but you know what I mean). Untangling from the EU means splitting from 27 countries (or is it 26, I lose count?)

Anyway, one seems much easier than the other.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@bluesqueakpip That was the point. Upstream @idiotsavon wondered, if Scotland left the UK, would that condemn England to a lifetime of Tories. To which I said no – Scotland has little impact on the UK Government. So don’t worry if we go independent, it won’t effect you much!

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@thane16 @winston

I skipped through it and there are a lot of little treats in that fireplace video. The Doctor appears in the snow globe. Then she appears on the hill outside the window. There are custard creams on the table. Giant spiders crawl outside the window. And then the Doctor turns up and warms herself by the fire (at around 1hr 38mins).

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@idiotsavon (and cc. @jimthefish – see above post too)

I came across this today too. Just some proof that Scotland really doesn’t effect UK elections. It’s from the same source but the facts can be checked.

Why Labour doesn’t need Scotland

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@idiotsavon Following up on our conversation a while back, I thought you might find this interesting. ‘Wings’ is a very pro-independence website but it’s pretty factual, providing links to all his sources. So while it is partisan, it’s also quite reliable.

How Scottish Labour's toxic hatred of the SNP has brought the entire UK to the brink of a disastrous no-deal Brexit: https://t.co/PkKhgN1nod

— Wings Over Scotland (@WingsScotland) December 14, 2018

[Craig @replies Emperor]

To lighten the mood – this made me laugh. Another Christmas Card to everyone.

BBC America has produced a 2 hour video of a Doctor Who-themed fireplace. Put it on repeat for all your festive needs!

[Craig @replies Emperor]

I thought you might like this. An interview with James Cosmo. You may know him from Highlander, Braveheart, Trainspotting or Game of Thrones. But I know him because he’s my Uncle once removed (or something like that – my grandfather and his father were cousins – and he looks just like my Uncle).

You can skip the first 11 minutes as it’s all intro – but the rest is an interesting perspective on an actors life.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@thane16 @bluesqueakpip @pedant

Guys – would you try not to let the conversation get derailed? It’s what they want. It’s like you’re shouting at Fox News.

I’d hate to delete a whole load of posts again.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Thanks for all the responses last night everyone. I’d had a few wines, as you maybe could tell, but as @cumquat says, we have a great sense of community.

I don’t know if I’ve ever posted this link before so just in case – we were in a documentary about cancer patients. Just thought you might be interested. And, yes, we did get married by Elvis in Vegas!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1595422.stm

[Craig @replies Emperor]

Hugs back @winston x

Many thanks.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@kevinwho @idiotsavon

Thanks for the kind words. And you don’t know the half of how amazing she was. She took a course in trauma rescue (whatever they call it – car crashes etc) and they asked her to become an instructor. When she couldn’t nurse, because she was ill, she became the instructor for the whole hospital on patient resuscitation (which I am now an expert on as I had to go through it all several times while she perfected her lectures – on me.)

And then she went and auditioned for the University and they gave her a slot on the drama course. And then she also got a callback for one of the leads in a major TV series.

She could’ve been the Doctor right now! 🙂

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@pedant @thane16

If you check out all of the posts by @cumquat from over the last few years, there aren’t many (but they’re all really funny) – she comes and then goes.

Sometimes she’s just the ironic hero we need, at the right time.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@cathannabel @kevinwho @idiotsavon

Many thanks. I actually took that photo – she was an Intensive Care nurse, so saved many lives during her short career – her colleagues say she was one of the best nurses they ever worked with. Then she decided to do drama at university (while still nursing) to see if she could maybe act – that pic was her head shot. She got a few auditions and one call-back, but then she got ill.

The pic is a bit low res, but if you zoom in very closely, a bit like in the “The Wedding of River Song”, you can see a blurry outline of me in her eyes – which still gives me a kick.

Thanks again for the hugs. x

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@kevinwho @cathannabel

Cheers Kevin. Ah, it’s not too bad these days although I do still miss her. And the dreams aren’t all that great sometimes either as she’s obviously part of my subconscious – so it might be just her telling me I have to clean the bathroom tomorrow, or do a bit more exercise etc. But I’ll take that! 🙂

I’ll use this as a gratuitous reason to post a pic – so that I may dream of her again tonight.

[Craig @replies Emperor]

@kevinwho @cathannabel

I’ve written about this before. I lost my wife 16 years ago but I still feel her presence every day. In many situations I think “What would she do?” or “What would she think?”. Sometimes I even talk to her to ask her.

And thankfully I frequently dream about her – those dreams only bring me pleasure (even after waking up although I know they’re only dreams).

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