@winston I love that sign! “Sorry” is firmly entrenched in the Canadian vocabulary.

@janetteb I definitely agree with you about the Paul McGann movie. I had no idea he was so good because … well, that movie didn’t offer a clue. But when I saw The Night of the Doctor, I was so impressed with him. As you say, what a difference a good script and good direction make!

@winston Yup, Mark Carney’s dance card is full … more than…[Read more]

News-ish:

Wanted: a new PM, a new James Bond, a new Doctor – and a UK that can agree on its leading characters

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/26/prime-minister-james-bond-doctor-who-uk

Much as I love Steven Moffat’s writing, I did feel that the complexity of his story arcs led to a conundrum for Doctor Who: How do you top this? Chris Chibnall tried … with largely disastrous results. His best episodes were the stand-alones that didn’t seem hell-bent on one-upping the story arcs of his predecessor.

I’d hoped that with RTD’s…[Read more]

@dentarthurdent Yes, I’d agree that patient consent is key.

@dentarthurdent @ps1l0v3y0u @winston I confess that I’d completely missed out on Peter Capaldi’s earlier work, with the exception of seeing him in Pinochet’s Last Stand (2006 TV film), which I believe we watched on HBO. And, of course, his earlier guest turn on Doctor Who. I’ll have to see if there’s a way for us to watch The Thick of It. Sounds…[Read more]

@ps1l0v3y0u It seemed to be very much about Peter being a fan, his devotion to the classic show… and adjusting to overwhelming public recognition.

Yes, I would think going from relative obscurity to international stardom would be a challenge for anyone. But Peter handled it with aplomb during his run with Doctor Who.

I was listening to CBC Radio’s Q program this morning and enjoyed this interview with Peter Capaldi, who talked about his time with Doctor Who:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-50-q/clip/16211467-peter-capaldi-ora-cogan

@ps1l0v3y0u I’ve never seen black turnstones; I looked up photos of them, and they are quite striking.

Ruddy turnstones, in their breeding plumage, have a feather colouration much like a calico cat (which is why I called them the calico cats of the bird world):

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Turnstone/species-compare/64811941

@ps1l0v3y0u Now, if you want to see Turnstones in April, try the end of Southend Pier.

First time I ever saw ruddy turnstones was along beaches in our neck of the woods (southwestern Nova Scotia) in summer and fall. They are the calico cats of the bird world. Very distinctive!

@dentarthurdent Thanks for clarifying the species. Wow, 100 of them! The most I’ve seen here is three at a time. Do yours migrate or stay put for the winter? The ones we see here migrate to this area in the spring to breed, then they leave for the winter.

@dentarthurdent On our local beach at the moment, we get flocks of oystercatchers, which I think look slightly absurd with their long red beaks.

I envy you your close proximity to oystercatchers. Would these be Eurasian oystercatchers? I saw them when we visited Denmark in 2007 … though I didn’t know it at the time. Not living near the ocean…[Read more]

@whohar Thanks for that clarification!

So, refresh my memory: Was “New Earth” the first episode in David Tennant’s first season as Doctor Who? As I recall, after Christopher Eccleston’s regeneration, Tennant made his first full-length appearance in the Christmas special, and then onward and upward.

@janetteb, I’m with you. I was not overly…[Read more]

@whohar Are you referring to these (“The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet”), or to two additional lost episodes that have been found?

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/doctor-who-lost-episodes-9.7131796

@winston That’s a lot of snow! I would have preferred to visit at a more springlike time, but it reminded me how much I enjoy spring. Yesterday morning, we awoke to a thin layer of snow. As the sun rose, the dripping snow glittered like gems. Eventually the snow melted, turning into a spectacular spring day by mid-afternoon.

Hello, all! Good to see the updates from everyone. We just got back from a trip to Ontario to visit family. We thought we were sick of winter here in Nova Scotia. Well, there the snowbanks are still heaped so high that the street signs barely peek out over them. And this is the slowly melting version. I can’t imagine what they were at their peak…[Read more]

I just spotted this story, from CBC Radio’s As It Happens program, about two recently discovered Doctor Who episodes (“The Nightmare Begins” and “Devil’s Planet” from Hartnell’s third season), which were previously thought to be lost forever:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/doctor-who-lost-episodes-9.7131796

@winston So happy to read your update on your little fellow. You’re right, those sleepy times will become farther and fewer between, so hopefully his parents are banking their own sleep time now. They’ll need it!

We too have a lot of snow, but we’re getting a nice warmup now, so it will be gone by the end of the week. Fortunately we’re seeing a…[Read more]

@winston Congratulations! Oh, this is happy news, and most welcome today. You’re right, it’s the young ones we need to fight for. Hugs to you and your family.

@janetteb He really pioneered the story arc in U.S. television. It just wasn’t done before the 90s especially in si fi.

My husband has made that observation, and certainly it was not in widespread use at this time. Babylon 5 did a stellar job with its story arcs, and the extent to which they were carried through was groundbreaking. But there w…[Read more]