Playing the Fifteenth Doctor

Fifteen is good at talking his way out of mundane situations, especially by being helpful.

The Church On Ruby Road

The Church On Ruby Road is the first Christmas special in six years and the first as the first full adventure for a new Doctor since 2005, introducing a new companion as well.

A big goofy singing goblin adventure too. (With a deeply sad bit.)

Ruby being established as having heroic tendencies right away.

And Davina McCall as well!

Lovely little bit with the policeman’s reaction to the Doctor’s assurance, happily ignoring the police box disappearing.

Which I thought was going with Mrs. Flood’s equally casual reaction to establish that the Doctor isn’t unknown in this version of the present, but apparently not... Hmm...

The reveal of the King reminded me of Wizards Vs. Aliens, which also had a massive power-eating king behind a spaceship door in that case.

And a Buffy shoutout when mentioning the musical number in Unleashed!

As well as Long Lost Family being a visitor from ITV.

I knew Ncuti Gatwa lived in Edinburgh in his youth but I didn’t know he was round the corner in Oxgangs!

Non-Unleashed behind the scenes bit

See you lot in May!

Doctor Who: The Official Annual 2024

A Merry Christmas to all of you at home!

Having a new Doctor and companion debut at Christmas means you can’t have much merch for them, but Ncuit Gatwa gets to share the Annual cover with David Tennant (as well as all the magazines - so many magazines!) and the back pages, after the story and comic section in between features and mostly puzzles.

Imagine Russell T Davies

Alan Yentob talked to Russell T Davies on BBC One arts series Imagine, even with a moment on Dark Season. And a new to me bit about what the 60s episode next year is going to be about.

The Goblin Song

No Doctor Who epioode for another ten days! But a preview of The Goblin Song, on all the music platforms with proceeds going to Children In Need.

(It sounds more big band and less Labyrinth than I would have guessed from the goblins’ look. With their black eyes and pallid greenish skin they actually most remind of the Gnome who was so excited to be a monster in D&D 4e!)

Sarah Jane's 50th anniversary

Sarah Jane Smith made her debut in The Time Warrior, fifty years ago today. A hero in her own right as embodied by Elisabeth Sladen.

The Giggle

One more special and we could have been weekly!

Still, there’s quite a lot to unpack here.

Bear in mind that this is the casual viewer friendly version of Doctor Who. Doctor Who is a weird show.

(Extra behind the scenes featurette where the end about what come next repeats the Unleashed episode)

The Toymaker!

Creepy puppets!

The Toymaker having a creepy puppet copy of the Doctor, as seen in the first Eighth Doctor comics!

Mel!

Wild Blue Yonder

Quite Midnight but also very Eighth Doctor comics. Also showing off the virtual set bit, while also being a bottle episode.

It does feel like we got one “normal” episode in a very compressed season as a result. (Not necessarily a complaint - I wish the nine episode Buffyverse audio drama Slayers had had standalone episodes - but odd when we only have three, like Sherlock.)

The Nobles

Caroline Siede of Girl Culture and formerly the A.V. Club on The Star Beast, the Doctor’s feelings, and the Nobles in particular.

The Star Beast

It’s so weird seeing such a close adaptation (in the middle of other fun stuff) if a story I’ve loved since I was six. And yes I want a Meep toy.

The Daleks! In Colour!

Now in colour and probably on a bigger screen than TVs had in 1963, unless you watch it on a smaller screen which is also an option!

Fifty by Morgan Davie

Morgan Davie presents Fifty, an adventure written for the fiftieht anniversary, for its tenth anniversary.

Happy anniversary!

Doctor Who premiered on this day sixty years ago.

An incidentally, a happy Thanksgiving to all of you at home in the USA!

We are, in a very real sense, back

Davros presents his Mark III Travel Machine in the Children In Need mini-episode. It’s about as RTD as RTD can be. This was so Russell T Davies in funny mode that I’m surprised he didn’t narrate it himself.

The Whoniverse

We’re really calling it that now. It has a logo. And short reunion stories highlighting some classics. And nearly everything available on iPlayer.

K9 And Company!