To me it’s not a matter of how sciencey or not-sciencey Doctor Who is.  I simply watch it with a different set of eyes – a different frame of mind

Absolutely. It’s not SF. Never was. It’s not strictly fantasy either. One of the great things about the show is that it has its own frame of references. You also have to just roll with the ‘rule of cool…[Read more]

@janetteb—

I disagree regarding Susan. I would not want her to return as a companion which is something that often seems to be suggested. I would however like to know what became of her, a Gallifreyan presumably with the ability to regenerate left on earth

Actually, that’s probably fair enough. There are ways that a return to Susan might be…[Read more]

Well, opinion is certainly mixed on this one. Could this be this year’s Kill The Moon? Certainly it’s got enough contentious elements to keep the Graun Brigade going for days, if not weeks.

As others have said, this is quite likely a highly arc-significant story dressed up as a romp. I can understand @bluesqueakpip‘s reservations about the…[Read more]

@Whisht — a nice summing up with which I entirely concur. Villains have plans/schemes stratagems. Monsters have appetites and instincts. Possibly worth pointing out that Villains are essentially evil (although their motivations can often by sympathetic) but monsters can be good guys. Erato, Kroll, Aggedor probably have to count as ‘monsters’ but…[Read more]

This series has so far struck me as one of the strongest of the AG run. Second in my book to s5 and if it keeps up like this then it’ll probably surpass it by the end. It’s very much been taking its cues from BG series in a way that the show has shied away from before. Apprentice/Familiar was very much an unofficial sequel to Genesis of the Daleks…[Read more]

I know the prelude is creating much squee this evening, but thought it only fair to post Jonathan Jones’s riposte to last week’s PratchettGate.

I feel I also have to put in a defence of Dickens too. In terms of the depth of his social vision, he’s possibly the greatest novelist who’s ever lived. As for the writing style — I don’t really like the word verbose — it was partly a symptom of the time he was writing in but also partly the point. Part of his appeal is in his use of language,…[Read more]

@kharis — the screening was actually in Scotland as part of the Edinburgh International Television Festival. There was quite a good Q&A with Steven Moffat too and other forum members lucky enough to be there were @scaryb, @wolfweed and @xad4.

Yes, it’s tough getting a BBC gig for residents in the UK, so it must be doubly daunting for those overseas.

@gunslinger — First of all, Moffat didn’t write Kill The Moon, Peter Harness did. It’s an episode not without controversy but I think you’ll find that it’s not without its fans here. I suggest you pop across to the episode’s dedicated thread to see the bunfight in its full, awesome majesty.

And speaking as someone who’s already seen The…[Read more]

@janetteb — yes, I saw @juniperfish‘s post and gave it a hearty recommend. A lone voice of sanity in a wilderness of Murdochian eye-swivelling over there….

Utterly non-spoilery article on the Magician’s Apprentice Q&A for those who might be interested.

And in the interests of balance, The Graun’s take on the same event.

@xad4 — brilliant. Thanks for that. A close relative of our own Frank Spencer. And a cautionary tale to smart-arse cafe bars who get too creative with their picture framing…..

And it was great to see the northern contingent again. @wolfweed is much missed so it was good to catch up. And to put a face to @xad4. And of course to see the mighty…[Read more]

No memory worms required. Not going to say a thing about the ep, except that Moffatt has clearly opened a fresh can of awesome at some point in the past year. The Q&A afterwards was really good too.

@scaryb — I absolutely defer to your ties point….

@scaryb — How about 6pm in the Filmhouse bar then? We can mix with the rest of the meeja types.

It’s Mr Moffatt and Brian Minchin at the Q&A by the way….

@scaryb — yeah, I saw that before and it’s been surprisingly well done. And probably fits the s5-6 era more than any other, I suspect. They should use them in one episode, I think — if only to watch the internet melt down in the wake of the attendent ARSE that would no doubt follow.

On another note, who’s going to Edinburgh tomorrow and should…[Read more]