Doctor Who may have finished on TV, but as you will see in this issue, there is still a lot about it’s past, present and future to talk about, including the announcement of a new spin-off series.
But if Doctor Who isn’t your thing, then we do have a brilliant new short story by Catherine Dyer for you to enjoy, as well as an article by yours truly about the rise and fall of a science fiction series that was so influential and trailblazing that no one remembers it… until now.
So until December, enjoy what’s left of the summer and have a spook-tastic Halloween!
Oliver Dallas
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The editor wishes to thank Georgia Cook, Catherine Dyer, Susannah Moorefinch and Gary Russell for their assistance and contributions to this issue.
DOCTOR WHO ROUND-UP
• Bad Wolf Studios have confirmed that former showrunner Steven Moffat will be returning to write the 2024 Christmas Special. Entitled Joy to the World, the special will guest star Nicola Coughlan as the titular Joy alongside Joel Fry and Jonathan Aris.
• Big Finish Productions have announced that Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill (pictured above) will be returning as the Thirteenth Doctor and Yasmin Khan for a brand new series of full cast audio dramas. The twelve part series will be available to purchase monthly on CD and download from July 2025.
• Showrunner Russell T. Davies announced at this year’s San Diego Comic Con that a new spin-off series is currently in production. Titled The War Between the Land and the Sea, the five part series will feature the return of the Sea Devils alongside Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley and Colin McFarlane. The series has begun filming and is expected to air in late 2025.
MAGIC MAKERS
HBO have confirmed that Francesca Gardiner, the acclaimed screenwriter behind His Dark Materials will be the showrunner and executive producer of their upcoming Harry Potter series. Game of Thrones’ Mark Mylod will also be involved as an executive producer and director.
A NEW POSSESSION
Mike Flannagan, the filmmaker behind Dr Sleep has been confirmed as the writer, director and producer of what is currently being described as a “radical new take” on the Exorcist franchise.
TWO IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Warner Brothers have confirmed that a sequel to the 1998 classic Practical Magic is currently in development. Nicole Kidman has also confirmed to People magazine that she and Sandra Bullock will be returning to reprise their roles as the cursed sisters, Sally and Gillian Owens.
LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOYS!
Aswell as confirming that the fifth season will be it’s last, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripe has announced that a spin-off prequel series is currently in development. Titled Vought Rising, the series will feature the return of Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash as Soldier Boy and Stormfront respectively.
NEW MASK, SAME TASK!
Robert Downey Jr. (pictured above) was unveiled at SDCC as the actor who will be portraying Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Downey had previously portrayed Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU and it is rumoured that his interpretation of Doom will be an alternative universe version of that same character. Filming is expected to begin in mid 2025.
ENDGAME
House of the Dragon co-creator and showrunner, Ryan Condal revealed at a press conference on Monday 5th August that the popular Game of Thrones prequel will conclude with season four. Condal also revealed that the third season is currently being written and is expected to begin production in early 2025.
SUPA SUCCESS
Netflix have officially confirmed that Supa Cell will be returning for a second season. This announcement follows from the first season achieving strong viewing figures upon it’s launch on the 27th July. Series creator, Rapman said in a statement that he ‘can’t wait for the world to see season two,’ teasing that ‘season one was always an origin story’ and that ‘season two is when the journey really begins.’
NEARBY CONVENTION DATES
• Who’s at the Playhouse: Sunday 15th September: Epsom Playhouse, Ashley Avenue, Epsom, Surrey
• Sussex Comic Con: Saturday 21st Sunday 22nd September: Robertsbridge Community College
• London Film Fair: Sunday 22nd
September: The Royal National Hotel, Bedford Way
• Fantom Events September Signing Spectacular: Saturday 28th
September: St Michael’s Centre, Elmwood Road, Chiswick
• Fantom Events October: Saturday 26th October: St Michael’s Centre
• London Film Fair: Sunday 3rd
November: The Royal National Hotel
• The Surrey Steampunk Convial: Saturday 9th Sunday 10th
November: The Station Function Hall, Stoneleigh, Epsom
FEATURES
If you chances are that you own at least one piece of merchandise with the name Gary Russell printed on or in it. The former child actor was editor of Doctor Who Magazine between 1992 1995, producer of Big Finish Productions from it s inception in 1998 until 2006 and a script editor for the TV series between 2006-2009. Since 2011, Gary has been an animation producer and responsible for recreating many of show’s missing stories including Fury from the Deep, Galaxy 4 and The Abominable Snowmen.
Gary kindly took time out of his incredibly busy schedule to grant me this exclusive interview about the making of the recent Celestial Toymaker animation, a project which he worked on as a researcher and consulting producer.
So, Gary, what made you decide to animate this story? Toymaker always top of my personal choice to animate since day one! I have imagined things like making the Hearts family into playing cards and Clara and Joey into rag dolls etc. for years. So I nagged and nagged the BBC to let me do it ever since I started on Fury from the Deep story had the potential to be the perfect mix of 60’s sound and modern animation.
Did the character’s return in The 60th Anniversary Specials also factor into your decision to animate this story? We had no idea that the Toymaker was coming back when we began work on this. I started work on it in 2021 and animation began sometime in 2022 [Production on The 60th Anniversary Specials did not start until early 2022 Ed].
What made you decide to animate this story in 3D instead of the usual 2D for these kind of releases? That wasn’t anything I had any involvement in. Unlike the previous ones I worked on, I didn’t produce or direct this so the choice of 3D was the BBC’s and Shapeshifter Studios.
Regardless, did you envision this being a 3D animated production? Or was it originally meant to be in 2D? Oh, 2D because that was what I was used to working in. But 3D excited me because we could go more extreme.
And what are the benefits of animating in 3D as apposed to 2D? I’m not really qualified to answer this, but as I understand it, if you need to change something in 2D, it’s long and complicated and expensive. In 3D, it’s the press of a button and a colour or design changes automatically.
And do you think that 3D suits this particular story? Especially as it’s more surreal and outlandish compared to others. Yes, once I knew they were using 3D I could really imagine the benefits it would bring and how it would take my concepts to the next level. Are there any ideas and concepts of yours which didn’t make it into the final cut? Honestly, no. The only thing I looked into doing was seeing if the opening TARDIS scene in episode one could be recreated from the end of The Ark [The previous story, which still exists in the BBC archives Ed], so that we could use original footage at the start and end of the story (i.e. The animation only kicked in once they left the TARDIS and ended when they re-entered). But the TARDIS scenes in episode 1 were way too long to fake up anything with existing footage. Plus, the cost of colouring it all up would have been prohibitive anyway.
Speaking of colour, why has the story been animated that way and not in black and white? That is a BBC Studios requirement. All of the animations since 2019 have been made in 16:9 colour with a black and white graded version in 4:3 as an optional extra.
What is your favourite thing about this animation? I haven’t seen any of it yet, but I am delighted that the set and character designs have followed my ideas relatively close. The stuff I most want to see is the kitchen stuff in episode three with Sgt Rugg and Mrs. Wiggs.
What missing stories would you like to animate next? Well, I’m unlikely to be doing anymore myself, but if I were then The Daleks’ Master Plan and The Space Pirates would be at the top of my list. The Space Pirates only has a bad reputation because people judge it by it’s existing episode. The actual story would lend itself to animation nicely. And it would complete Season 6 so we could have a nice shiny Blu-Ray set!
I’ve got my fingers crossed for us both, Gary!
Doctor Who: The Celestial Toymaker is available to purchase on DVD, Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray Steelbook now.
Interviewer: Oliver Dallas
DOOMWATCH:
A FORGOTTEN CLASSIC?
In 1970, the BBC aired a drama which was so popular and revolutionary that it caused heated debates in parliament, turned a relative unknown into a household name, and had it’s name entered into the English Dictionary. The name of that drama?
Doomwatch. But for all the impact that it made on British culture, why is it not as well remembered as its contemporaries? To find out, we will need to go back to the 1960’s when a scientist with concerns for the future teamed up with a writer.
After being hired as Doctor Who’s new script editor in 1966, writer Gerry Davis (pictured bottom left) was tasked with injecting the series with more hard science. To ensure accuracy, the production team hired medical scientist Kit Pedler (bottom right) to be his unofficial advisor. Kit and Gerry quickly formed a writing partnership, and together created the Cybermen, an idea born out of Kit’s concerns about the dehumanizing effects of spare part surgery.
The pair continued to meet and discuss ideas long after they’d left Who in 1967. Much like the Cybermen, the idea for what would eventually become Doomwatch came from another real concern of Kit’s. ‘Kit would come back from conferences and say, “Do you realise what’s happening?” and tell me about some dreadful ecological disaster that had been hushed up.’ Gerry remembered in 1971. Aswell as the environment, Kit also feared about the effect that these disasters could also have on the lives of ordinary people. Writing to The Listener in 1969, Kit explained that ‘the most dangerous theme at present is the extent to which ordinary people have become conditioned to accept an intolerable environment.’ He also believed that a scientist should not ‘harm a human or by inaction, allow a human being to come to harm’ as a result of their experiments. Gerry agreed with him, adding that ‘Without being aware of it, we were quietly cutting our own throats.’
Realising that these concerns and fears would make for excellent drama, the pair wrote up and submitted a treatment to the BBC’s then Head of Drama, Andrew Osborn. Their premise was simple; a Government department with the authority to investigate and even take action against researches which could pose a threat to human life. The series was green lit and a pilot script was written. The question now was, who was going to help them make it?
Enter Terrance Dudley (pictured middle), a writer, producer and director with many credits to his name, including science fiction pieces which also tackled social issues, Andrew and Gerry agreed that he would be the perfect choice to produce, direct and even write for the series. But little did Gerry know at the time, that he would end up regretting that decision...
Despite his success, Terrance was renowned for being difficult to work with. Although he allegedly ‘respected’ and ‘admired’ Kit, he was not altogether happy with the quality of his or Gerry’s writing. ‘We quarrelled about oversimplification.’ He explained in a 1988 interview, ‘I felt it was too like propaganda to be dramatically viable. He (Kit) was so obsessive with the message that he was convinced that all the villains should be depicted as fools or rouges.’ After months of constant disagreements between the three, thirteen scripts that met with Terrance’s standards were eventually accepted and entered into production. All that was needed to do now was find a suitable cast to match.
Having worked with them on other productions, Terrance cast actor John Paul (pictured bottom middle) as the fanatically dedicated head of Doomwatch, Doctor Spencer Quist, Simon Oats (far left) as spy turned scientist Doctor John Ridge and Joby Blanshard (left) as computer expert Colin Bradley. After watching him in a Wednesday Play, Terrance decided to cast a relatively unknown Robert Powell (right) as Toby Wren, an inexperienced but eager young graduate who would act as the audience identification figure. With the addition of Wendy Hall (far right) as secretary Pat Hunnisett, the main cast had been assembled and filming could begin.
Despite a strong cast and script, the first episode, The Plastic Eaters, required a lot special effects and camera trickery in order to convince the audience that a plastic eating virus had been let loose on an active airplane. CSO (a very early version of greenscreen) was used on the cabin windows to create the illusion of flight and various special effects methods were used to simulate melting plastic such as dissolving Styrofoam cups and filling the cracks of the set with Swarfega. To further sell the illusion that this was a plane that was slowly falling apart, a video disc (which was primarily used for action replay in sporting events) was also used to slow down the recording of the melting effects.
Although The Plastic Eaters was very well received when it first aired on Monday 9th February 1970, it was the second episode, Friday’s Child, that would ultimately propel the series into popularity. Co written by Kit and Gerry with another writer, Friday’s Child saw the Doomwatch team encounter a doctor who has genetically engineered a foetus for the sole purpose of using it as spare parts for his transplant surgeries. About a week after the episode aired, Dr Patrick Steptoe announced his plans to produce the world’s first ‘test tube baby’ using In vitro fertilisation (IVF). Although Steptoe’s motivations for doing it were far less sinister than that of the doctor character in Friday’s Child, viewers noticed the similarities and began to praise the series for being able to predict the future.
As a result, they kept returning every Monday evening in their millions to watch Quist and his team investigate flesh eating rats and noise polluted lighthouses in the hope that something similar would be reported about in the news the following day. Doomwatch had become a hit and it’s future should’ve been assured.
Unfortunately, tensions between Kit, Gerry and Terrance had escalated to the point where they could now no longer speak, let alone work with one another. Interviewed in 2006 for The Cult of Doomwatch documentary, script editor Martin Worth remembers being asked into Terrance’s office just so he could badmouth Kit and Gerry to someone. ‘Gerry’s office was bang next door,’ he explained, ‘and Gerry got his door open and listened to all this, and he pulled me inside and said, “now what’s that bastard been saying about me?” And it was perfectly obvious that this (partnership) could not go on.’
Kit and Gerry eventually resigned, leaving Terrance in sole charge of the programme. Aswell the creators, Robert Powell also decided to leave after just one series. ‘The Beeb, amazingly, didn’t make me sign a option for another.’ He explained in 2006 that, ‘Kit and Gerry came and said, “well obviously, now it’s a hit, you’ll stay,” and I said, “No, the bigger the hit, the more I want to go.”’ And they said, “Well how do you want to go?” “Irrevocably I’ll go in bits.”’ And in bits, he went, after failing to defuse a bomb in the series one finale, Survival Code
To everyone’s surprise (including Robert), Toby Wren was a very popular character, especially with young, female audiences. His shock death even encouraged his fans to write and send in a record breaking amount of letters to the Radio Times.
Despite the public outcry, the second series started off strong and managed to retain a healthy audience average of over nine million throughout it’s run. But without the series’ creators at the helm, even the cast were beginning to notice a gradual decline in quality. ‘Terrance wanted to take it into a more melodramatic area,’ observed Robert, ‘and Kit wanted to keep it scientific, and bless him, he had my backing on that.’
This new melodramatic approach is best exemplified in the series three episode, Waiting for a Knighthood in which a woman driven mad by lead poisoning ends up kidnapping the son of an oil tycoon who she blames for the death of her own. Although the episode was famous for making the government and oil companies nervous about it highlighting the dangers of lead in petrol, the subject is treated more as an inciting incident rather than the core focus. Without Kit and Gerry’s input, Terrance had turned the programme into something that was no different to any other thriller series of the time.
Simon Oats, also dissatisfied with the direction that Terrance was taking the series in, decided to leave halfway through the making of the third. That, coupled with low viewing figures, (now averaging below five million), poor reviews and a smear campaign spearheaded by a disgruntled Kit in the press gave the BBC all the excuse it needed to cancel the series. The final ever episode was broadcast on Tuesday 8th August 1972 to an unsuspecting audience of 5.4 million. As far as the BBC were concerned, Doomwatch was finished.
Following the series’ cancellation, the word Doomwatch was entered into the English dictionary and a real-life organisation called Earthwatch was set up in order to research and monitor the environment. A feature film adaptation of the series starring Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson was made in 1972, as well as a TV movie in 1999 starring Trevor Eve as the head of a new Doomwatch.
So why has the series been forgotten by the world at large? What caused it to fade into such obscurity?
The well publicised feud between the series’ creators and producer certainly didn’t help, nor did their different writing styles which often resulted in an inconsistent tone. Without looking at the credits, you can very much tell the difference between a Kit and Gerry written script and a Terrance Dudley written one. The drama of one of them is driven by the science and the other by character. One has been written to shock and educate, whereas the other has been written to shock and entertain.
And because it was written and made in the early 1970’s, the series is very much a product of that time in terms of style and its attitude towards race and gender. Although the balance was adjusted slightly with the introduction of Jean Trend as Dr Fay Chantry in series two, Wendy Hall was treated appallingly throughout the first series as Pat Hunnisett. Pat’s sole purpose as the only prominent female character in that first year was to look attractive and be either flirted with or patronised to by the male characters. And whilst on the subject of male characters, although he’s an interesting one and very well played by Simon Oats, John Ridge is just too misogynistic and unpleasant at times to be taken seriously as a voice of reason.
Another aspect of the series that makes for difficult modern viewing is the fact that 14 of the 38 episodes are currently missing from the BBC archives, including key episodes from the first and third series such as Friday’s Child and Survival Code, therefore making it impossible to repeat or put onto streaming services without first providing that context to new viewers.
Ultimately, I think the real reason for the series’ lack of relevance is because of how irrelevant it now is. Because it was one of the first ever mainstream programmes to highlight the dangers of pollution and scientific advancement, it made the general public wake up and start to take these issues seriously. In fact, it’s because of trailblazing programmes such as Doomwatch, that these issues are now taught in school, reported about on the news and campaigned against by activists. We don’t need TV to convince us that the world is in danger anymore. The real-life proof is now out there for all to see.
Maybe that should be the series’ legacy. The surviving episodes of Doomwatch are still available to purchase on DVD whilst stocks last. The 1972 film will be available to purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray from September 30th.
Words: Oliver Dallas
INTERVIEW: GEORGIA COOK
It’s that time of year again when Doctor Who fans invade their local bookshops in search of new adventures to keep them going until the next season.
As well as featuring a new Doctor and companion, this year’s range of tie-in novels also features some new writers, including Georgia Cook, who is already well renowned in the fandom for her work at Big Finish Productions and on the convention circuit.
Georgia very kindly took time out of her busy schedule to grant Spectrum this exclusive interview about the pitching and development of her debut novel Ruby Red
Georgia, first things first, how did you find yourself getting this amazing opportunity? I was contacted (quite out of the blue!) and asked if I would like to pitch a story idea for the upcoming book series, with the understanding that a pitch wasn’t a guarantee of a job, and BBC Books/Bad Wolf were kind enough to accept my pitch for development!
Were you given a strict brief to follow? I was allowed pretty much free reign with my pitch (barring a few places/time periods I couldn’t use, which I unfortunately can’t mention) which then slowly narrowed down as we carved out the final story. I think I pitched three ideas originally, and Lake Peipus won out in the end. I also had quite a strict word count to juggle (30,000 words.)
And what made you decide to go with the Battle of Lake Peipus as the setting? I originally pitched a number of Medieval battles from all over the world, but the imagery of Lake Peipus and the Battle on the Ice is so evocative! I did a lot of research into that particular battle (which very much did happen, lake and all!), time period and region once we settled on it, and hope I manage to pass on some knowledge about that particular area of history within the story.
Were you given any script extracts or character bios to work from before you started? I wasn’t given much to work with at all to begin with, but I was allowed a few script extracts and episode outlines towards the editing stage, as well as watching the Christmas episode, to try and pin down the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby’s voices.
How long did the book take to write? I think the entire process– from pitch to published book– took just under a year, which is almost unheard of in publishing! I was given about three weeks to write the first draft, followed by a week or two of notes a few months later. Quite a tight deadline!
And what was your reaction to Ruby Sunday herself, Millie Gibson being chosen as the audiobook reader? I am so excited to hear Millie’s audiobook! As I write this [June 2024 Ed.], we still have a few days left until it launches, and I know nothing about it.
Do you know how she’s reacted to it? I believe she mentioned having done it in a Radio Times article, and how different audio narration is to TV acting (as an occasional audio narrator, I can concur) which was a nice enough acknowledgement in itself.
Doctor Who: Ruby Red is available to purchase in hardback, eBook and audiobook format now.
FICTION
SUMMER IN SAKOVITSE
By Catherine Dyer
Last summer I received a message from an old friend inviting me to join him on holiday in Sakovitse, a small town in one of the more remote parts of the Lakelands. I had not seen this friend for a long time and was not otherwise engaged that month, and so eagerly accepted.
It took three train journeys on progressively older trains to reach the shabby little station just outside the town. It was unstaffed, and no-one else got off the train, so I had to figure out my way to the town myself. This was more of a challenge than I would have hoped, especially with all my luggage, as the station was located some distance from the town, and the road between was surprisingly poorly maintained.
As I trudged down the road under the oppressive heat of the summer sun, my backpack heavy on my shoulders, I found myself forced onto the road, its surface marred by potholes, as the pavement seemed overrun by the thorny branches of the bushes growing on either side. I noticed as well that there were no streetlights, although that was of no current concern given the time of day.
After a short while I came across a curious sight. There was a field beside the road to my left, and in the centre was a lone standing stone. I was suddenly gripped by curiosity and so walked into the field to get a closer look at it.
The monolith was about the same height as me, made from a curious smooth stone, a deep, dark grey-green in colour. I couldn’t help but touch it to feel its texture, smooth as glass and strangely cold for a dark object stood exposed in the summer sun.
As I removed my hand, I noticed that I, too, felt cold, and that the sky now seemed dark, as if the Sun itself had disappeared and the sky replaced by a canopy of that same grey-green glassy stone.
I wanted to examine the standing stone some more, but as I glanced at it again I was overcome by an overwhelming sense of dread, so I instead chose to return to the road, trudging in the direction I expected the town to be.
I kept on walking, feeling cold and alone, my pack seeming to increase in weight. Once again, the road was bounded on either side by unkempt bushes, more and more overgrown. I kept walking, and the features of the roadway seemed unchanged. Surely I should have seen some sight of the town by now.
Reasoning that I perhaps had taken the wrong road, I decided to turn back towards the station, to retrace my steps, but once again that sudden dread gripped my throat, and my imagination was filled with vague images of creeping, stalking shadows, their forms lurking just beyond interpretation. So instead I chose to keep walking onwards, hoping Sakovitse would soon show itself.
It did not. The bushes beside the road seemed to writhe and twist, and amongst the swaying branches shadows danced. Shadows of those I once knew. Shadows of dreams and wishes just beyond my grasp. Shadows of fears. Dancing, dancing. But disappearing if I approached them, as if they were never there.
I could see no end to the cold and dark, no end to the potholed road. I felt hungry eyes staring at my back, but if I looked around there was only dark. I could only walk on, walk away from the lurking watcher.
I began to feel a growing panic. I started to run.
And then stopped suddenly.
The standing stone, its grey-green surface shining in the dark, was in front of me.
My heart seemed to freeze, and my vision turned black.
I awoke on the train home. When I contacted my friend to apologise for never arriving, he said he had never been to Sakovitse.
REVIEWS
FILM: FURIOSA (2024)
Like James Bond, one of my favourite things about the Mad Max series is it’s standalone nature. Much like Bond, I look forward to seeing what new locations, characters and trials this hero will encounter next. It probably explains why I appreciate 1985’s Beyond Thunderdome more than most fans, because it’s not repeating what had gone before. So when it was announced that Director, George Miller was making not just a prequel to 2015’s Fury Road, but a prequel centred around that film’s second lead Furiosa, I was beyond disappointed... It wasn’t because I disliked that film or the character (far from it, I think it’s the best entry in the series!), it was because I felt that that story had been already told, and so satisfactorily. What I was really craving for was a new, standalone Mad Max adventure.
The final trailer and the rave early reviews managed to fuel me with enough excitement to go into my screening with an open mind and although it was visually stunning, the opening chase sequence confirmed my worst fears. Unless you haven’t watched Fury Road beforehand, these sequences are ultimately pointless to watch for one reason, we already know what happens to Furiosa. We know that she gets kidnapped from “The Green Place” and never returns to it, we know that she becomes Immortan Joe’s Imperator, we know that she’ll eventually lose her arm, and most importantly, we know that she will survive to see the events of Fury Road. The film essentially spends its two and a half hour runtime catching up with the 99.9% of the audience who already know all of this. As a result, there is next to no tension in any of the chase, action or torture sequences featuring the character.
If Miller was so intent on making a prequel, then he should’ve focussed it on the film’s main villain, Dementus and his feud with Immortan Joe. Ironically, just like Charlize Theron stole the show from Tom Hardy in Fury Road, Chris Hemsworth completely steals the show from Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa. He is simply spellbinding as this charismatic but utterly unhinged warlord who revels in the pain and misery that he causes. To quote the late, great Tina Turner; “we don’t need another hero” whenever he’s onscreen!
Despite a much heavier (and noticeable) reliance on CGI effects, the film is very well made and looks visually stunning. It’s just a shame that it’s all in aid of a story which is running on half empty. If Miller is ever given the opportunity to make another Mad Max film (which now seems unlikely given the poor box office takings of this one), then I hope that the story will be set to forward and not reverse.
Furiosa is available to purchase on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD now.
Words: Oliver Dallas
TV: DOCTOR WHO: SEASON
ONE: EPISODES 4 8 (2024)
Another thing to note about this season is it’s unpredictability. I went into Rouge expecting it to be a murder mystery and was instead treated to a love story which also happened to feature some murdering aliens. 73 Yards begins like an M.R. James styled ghost story, only for it to then shift and change into a PG rated version of Years and Years at the halfway point.
Dot and Bubble plays a similar conceit, except that the twist at the end of that episode is made all the more shocking by the fact that it wasn’t supposed to be one. We spend most of that story wishing for pseudo lead Lindy Pepper-Bean to get out of her bubble and embrace the real world, only to discover that she was better off staying inside it. It’s a superbly layered performance by actress Callie Cook and quite rightly, she deserves all the praise and awards in the world, as does Ncuti Gatwa, who in those crushing final minutes, firmly cements himself as the Doctor.
Another thing that I didn’t predict was in how disappointed and frustrated I was going to be left feeling after watching the two part season finale; The Legend of Ruby Sunday and Empire of Death. After a very strong and promising first part, Russell T. Davies just dropped the ball completely with the second; delivering not just his weakest Doctor Who script to date, but in my opinion, the weakest in his entire career. If it’s not treating the viewers with utter contempt for daring to be invested in Ruby’s origin story, then it’s alienating them with loads of obscure references to the series’ sixty year past instead. Not only is it a poor story in isolation, but it’s also a poor conclusion to a series that was supposed to be a jumping on point for new viewers.
A promising beginning, a strong middle and a disappointing end; not bad if it had been any other season, but the fact that this was the first series and one helmed by the team who were responsible for successfully relaunching it back in 2005 is both baffling and worrying. In my last review, I praised Russell for taking the series into a more fantastical and experimental direction especially as a long term viewer, but in retrospect, I think doing that this early into the run was a big mistake.
Because new viewers haven’t experienced any traditional adventures with this new TARDIS team yet, they don’t know what a traditional adventure is supposed to look or feel like. All of the episodes in this season have been rule breakers rather than rule setters, and because those rules seemingly don’t matter anymore, we have no reason to care about what happens anymore.
In trying to sprint before he could run, Russell may have just ended up tripping over the first hurdle... As always, time will tell.
The complete season is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
Words: Oliver Dallas
TV AND FILM GUIDE
SEPTEMBER
TV
The Penguin: Season One: Starring an unrecognisable Colin Farrell in the title role, this sequel series to the 2021 film The Batman will be available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV from Sunday 8th.
Agatha All Along: Kathryn Hahn reprises her role of the powerful witch in a Marvel mini series which will be available to watch on Disney+ from Wednesday 18th
Twilight of the Gods: Season One: Featuring the voices of John Noble and Patterson Joseph, this animated adaptation of Norse Mythology will be available to watch on Netflix from Thursday 19th.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Season Two: Starring Norman Reedus (pictured below with Melissa McBride) as the titular protagonist, the second series of the popular Walking Dead spin-off will be available to watch on Sky Max and NOW TV from Sunday 29th.
FILMS
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice: Michael Keaton (pictured above) returns as the iconic “bio-exorcist” in the long awaited sequel to the 1988 classic. Opens Friday 6th.
The Substance: Demi Moore stars in a body horror film about a fading celebrity who uses a black market drug to make herself look younger. Opens Friday 20th.
Transformers One: Animated origin story featuring the voices of Scarlet Johanson and Chris Hemsworth. Opens Friday 20th.
Megalopolis: Aubrey Plaza stars as a journalist navigating a near future world. Opens Friday 27th.
Never Let Go: Halle Berry stars in a horror thriller about a family who is being haunted by an evil spirit. Opens Friday 27th.
Timestalker: Alice Lowe stars and directs in a romantic comedy about a hapless heroin who constantly finds herself getting reincarnated. Opens Friday 27th.
OCTOBER
TV
The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 3: The third series of the Dungeons and Dragons inspired animated series will be available to watch on Amazon Prime from Thursday 3rd.
Citadel: Diana: Season 1: Starring Matilda De Angelis as the titular Diana, this Italian spy action thriller will be available to watch on Amazon Prime from Thursday 10th.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft: Season One: Featuring the voice of Haley Atwell, the animated adaptation of the iconic video game series will be available to watch on Netflix from Thursday 10th.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 5: Featuring the voices of Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid, the fifth and final season of the Star Trek animated comedy will be available to watch on Paramount+ from Thursday 24th.
FILMS
Joker: Folie à Deux: Cover stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga star in the long awaited sequel to Joker Opens Friday 4th.
Terrifier 3: Horror sequel starring Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi and David Howard Thornton. Opens Friday 11th.
The Wild Robot: Lupita Nyong'o voices the titular robot in DreamWorks’ animated adaptation of Peter Jones’ acclaimed book series. Opens Friday 18th.
Venom: The Last Dance: Tom Hardy returns as the titular antihero for the third and final time. Opens Friday 25th.
NOVEMBER
TV
Outlander: Season Seven: Part Two: Starring Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, (pictured above) the long awaited second part to this romantic time travel epic will be available to watch on MGM+ from Friday 22nd.
Silo: Season 2: Starring Rashida Jones and Tim Robbins, the second series of the dystopian drama will be available to watch on Apple TV+ from Friday 15th.
Oshi no Ko: Season 1: An anime adaptation of the popular Japanese Manga series about a doctor and patient who get reincarnated as pop star twins. Available to watch on Amazon Prime from Thursday 28th.
FILMS
Wicked: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star in the first of a two part adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s iconic stage musical. Opens Friday 22nd.
