Ascension of the Cybermen gallery

The BBC has released a decent sized gallery for Ascension of the Cybermen and in my eyes it has a steampunk aesthetic. I’ve seen comments about Ryan in a strange alien machine looking like he’s strapped in for cyber-conversion. Given someone else is also shown in a similar (the same?) device, I think it might…

More Steampunk for Doctor Who?

Is is just me or does Jodie Whittaker look more than a little steampunk in the recent set of images from the BBC? Not just the big safety goggles, but also still wearing (I think) the Capaldi outfit as she makes a new sonic. Something to look out for! +++ Message Ends +++

Thoughts ahead of Empress of Mars

Now, I’m a sucker for a good story set on Mars, and a big fan of the Ice Warriors as a race. Add a group of Victorian soldiers and the message God Save the Queen scrawled on the Martian surface and you get Empress of Mars. What’s not to like? Looking particularly steampunk, I have the feeling…

Class: … What Quill Did review

So, week 7 and we find out what Miss Quill while the Class were in detention. With the full title of The Metaphysical Engine, or What Quill did, the best we could do was to expect the unexpected. Did Patrick Ness deliver with the latest episode? Short answer: Yes; long answer, read on…

Torchwood: The Victorian Age reviewed

Writer AK Benedict kicks off the second series of Big Finish Torchwood with the subtly brilliant The Victorian Age. Set in the 1890s, twenty years after the founding of Torchwood in Tooth and Claw, this story is packed full of surprises, and mad memorable moments. It may throw some listeners in terms of the direction it takes, but…

Doom Coalition 1 review

Another new starting point for the Eighth Doctor, and not a Dalek in sight! This is the time of the Doom Coalition Volume 1, a series of four boxsets, each of four discs, giving a total of 16 stories. There’s a new companion, Helen Sinclair, a continuing companion, Liv Chenka, and a new villain— the Eleven. Add…

The Entropy Plague reviewed

It falls to Jonathan Morris to conclude the Fifth Doctor eSpace trilogy with The Entropy Plague. The TARDIS crew of the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough made a surprise trip to eSpace in Mistfall and Tegan managed to get kidnapped in Equilibrium. With the whole of the eSpace universe under threat of collapse, how will our heroes make their…

The 0th Doctor

It’s been a while since I wondered by BBC America website but here is another example of some of their great content: ‘Doctor Who’s Day Roundup: Doctor When? Written by Fraser McAlpine it’s a round-up of some fascinating items, including two highly recommend fan title sequences produced by Nereusmedia on Vimeo.

Zeerust – does Doctor Who suffer from it and does it matter?

I recently came across the idea of zeerust and wondered – does it apply to Doctor Who? This got me thinking and led to this post. I am sure that there are many examples of zeerust in Doctor Who and I described only a couple. Sometimes I think it is quaint, other times it really…

Jago & Litefoot – series 6 reviewed

After the wonderful exploits of Jago & Litefoot in the late 1960s (see my Series 5 review) we return to more familiar territory with Victorian England, Ellie the barmaid and Sgt Quick; yes it’s Jago & Litefoot Series 6. Have our heroes been altered by their experiences on-board the TARDIS and in the twentieth century? Who is…

Interview with John Dorney

John Dorney was kind enough to answer a few questions on a range of topics including the Fourth Doctor Adventures, Jago & Litefoot, steampunk, Counter: Measures, Companion Chronicles and The Avengers. The interview is here on the Starburst website. Update 16th August 2013 – the interview is also printed in Starburst Magazine #392 if you’re interested! He had plenty…

Is Jago & Litefoot Steampunk (or indeed Doctor Who itself)?

I recently heard a comment made on one of the Big Finish CD Extras that Jago & Litefoot wasn’t steampunk even though some stories had some similarities. This got me thinking – is there anything to this idea? Clearly some people think that there is something in this for Doctor Who in general given that…