@supernumerary   I think the rock theme more came down to “wouldn’t this be cool, guys!”, and having Capaldi’s guitar right before the theme provided a nice excuse.

Sounds good enough to me!

@jimthefish  . . . despite the comprehensive embracing of the BG show in these episodes, the troll-brigade on t’other place are still baying for cancella…[Read more]

@django Interesting notion!

@Rob Yes!

Great to see you @rob and I agree with what you (and @whisht) say here. I think that’s a huge point that the relative success of the monsters first outing usually touches on some wider fear or issue.

@denvaldron

The reason that I mentioned the Sontarans specifically is that I watched the Bred for war boxset of all four Sontaran BG stories…[Read more]

Interesting thoughts @denvaldron
And @rob I’d forgotten about that dogs of war thing. I’m on a train so can’t find it but can kinda remember trying to come up with a monster that even its creators would be ashamed of (riffing on the creation of soldiers who become ‘awkward’ for civilians when they return from war and who realise they’ve brutalised…[Read more]

As this is the Cloven Hoof I need no excuse to say welcome back @Rob. Hope life is treating you well and reenactments are still a thing.

Cheers

Janette

Hi @Denvaldron and @Purofilion – In terms of ‘monsters’ (though ‘villains’ is subtly different) I remember having fun with @Rob in coming up with new ones.

I think (without thinking deeply) what makes a good villain or monster is a fear that children and adults share – because the fears of the adults were the same ones they had as kids.

So -…[Read more]

Following the news last week of Richard III’s reburial, I thought I’d post something from approximately his time and place. England during the Wars of the Roses wasn’t a hotbed of great composition, but Robert Morton was active a couple of decades prior to Richard’s reign.

I read that there were people in armour at the ceremony, and wondered if [Read more]

@Rob
Thank you. 🙂

@Rob does it happen every time you try to log in?

This week there was a bot attack and as a security measure the hosts shut log ins down for 20 minutes. I couldn’t log in either!

But it was soon resolved. If it happens a lot for you, let me know times and dates and I’ll look into it.

@Rob

I think it’s just coincidence that you/we tried to log in at the same time as a botnet attack.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!!!

@Juniperfish

I really like the idea that Amelia made him real.

I do too! I’m sure that m’collegue @Rob will confirm that some of the best ideas come to you when you are stood genital deep in an exploratory trench in icy weather! This was one of them. 😀

@Juniperfish @nerys

For all sorts of reasons that Doctor-Amy-Rory dynamic is truly special…[Read more]

@Ichabod –

 I really like thinking about the stuff I like thinking about, and thinking through fingers+keyboard in a congenial atmosphere is about as good as it gets.

Couldn’t agree more 🙂 Tho there seem to be a lot of butterflies fluttering by in here 😉

and

too much pudding, not enough brain

Definitely how I feel a lot of the time, ha…[Read more]

I will third @Blenkinsopthebrave‘s top two items; an appearance for Ian and the return of River. I also want an appearance of Unit and the Paternoster Gang. I also want Orson Pink to be explained and to find out what became of the Toy Soldier. (Would rather like Orson to become a Tardis traveller too, at least for the odd episode.) I also second…[Read more]

@JimTheFish

Yes, there is a lot in Gingerbread to admire and it is, in its own little way, horrifically dark for this point in the run.

@Purofilion @Pedant @Rob @Barnable

Oh the multitudes of academic papers which have been written on the Bufffyverse 

True, but then you have to eliminate the ones that have clearly been warped by Shipper Mal…[Read more]

@Purofilion @JimtheFish @Pedant @Rob @Barnable

Oh the multitudes of academic papers which have been written on the Bufffyverse 🙂

Giles and Buffy’s relationship is lovely – who doesn’t want a Giles.

@Rob I’m quite surprised at the general dislike for Children of Earth – I rated it as very good up until the last episode. Which, admittedly, was a bit pants – but honestly, one bad episode out of five?

Its major flaw was that it would’ve worked much better outside the Whoniverse; it had a very high ‘Where the Hell is the Doctor?’…[Read more]

It’s a massive gap coming up!! 🙁  Good suggestions re communal viewings (tho I failed miserably at the last one; only just caught up with Fenric, and had to binge on the last couple. I promise to try to be better next time!)

Hartnell and Troughton would be good if people are OK with incomplete stories. Also a T Baker retrospective cos I missed…[Read more]

@nerys    I completely agree about Midnight. It was probably my favourite episode of what was definitely my favourite AG series (until Series 8, which may be sitting on top of the pile now!). And as you say, the caring about these fictional characters is what makes the show resonate for us, and makes the messages matter.

@purofilion   Having a lo…[Read more]

@purofilion yes we saw the Hobbit on Saturday. It was very good. I am hoping to go back and see it again while it is still in cinemas but this time in 2d. (I find 3d distracting and often distorting.)

I too love the scene when the Doctor is flying the sleigh. I am certain that PC was really enjoying himself in that one. I felt that not only has…[Read more]

@Rob @BadWulf    To those of us born during the war, it seems even odder to think of it being taught in GCSE and ‘A’ level history  courses.  I have to remind myself that for someone sitting those exams today, the events are slightly more distant in time than the Boer war was for me and my contemporaries when we studied history for GCE ‘O’ and ‘…[Read more]