Live Review: S10.E6 - Extremis

Never one to shy away from time bending and mind bending stories, Steven Moffat delivers just that in his second episode for the series. It opens with a voice over about a planet of executioners happy to carry out such sentences for others. A caption tells us this is a long time ago and we see that the Doctor is on the receiving end of the exposition and is told it will be an honour to kill a Time Lord, or at least be host to it as the actual sentence must be carried out by one of the convicted's own people. A door opens and out steps Missy... We cut away from this to see the present day Doctor sat outside the vault talking to Missy within, then back to the execution as she calmly pleads with him to let her live. Back to the present and the Doctor receives an e-mail on his sonic sunglasses with the title of the episode as its subject "Extremis". The titles roll with no real clue as to what on Earth is going on!

Live Review: S10.E5 - Oxygen

"Space,the final frontier" the Doctor says in a cheeky opening voice-over. He goes on to explain that it is final because it wants to kill us. This will be Bill's first space adventure in a classic 'isolated base under siege' scenario. Where immediately introduced to the setting as two bodies tumble through the blackness of space in spacesuits but not helmets. We see a space station where two figures are working outside, the female is telling the male ahead of her that she wants them to have a baby but her communication system is faulty and she realises she'll have to tell him later but they are both low on oxygen and it becomes clear that tey are desperately trying to get back inside calmly when the two tumbling bodies land behind them and attack like zombies. The woman is killed and joins them in their relentless trudge towards her partner... This is going to be a dark episode, let the titles roll.

Live Review: S10.E4 - Knock Knock

Knock knock. Who's there? Doctor, Doctor Who, and it's a scary one! Never before has an episode started so on the nose with its title - literally a knock-knock on Bill's door. She's leaving home to move into shared accommodation with some fellow students, whom she barely knows. In fact, apart from one, she's meeting them for the first time as they go hunting for a place to live. A short montage shows the various pitfalls (slightly exaggerated) that such a search presents, until out of the blue a softly spoken old gent offers to help. He has a very large house to rent very cheaply. So cheap in fact that Bill is a little cautious, but it's draughty and creaky so it kind of makes sense. There's wooden panelling throughout, a tower that is out of bounds for safety reasons and they later discover that there is no central heating and the electrics are woefully out of date. In reality, there are so many failings that the property would fall way below legal requirements, but we won't let that get in the way of a good story. Besides, rogue landlords do get away with some shocking standards sometimes! Only on this occasion it leads to the one of the students screaming, never to be seen again...

Live Review: S10.E3 - Thin Ice

As expected, this episode picks up exactly where the last left off. Bill and the Doctor are stood outside the TARDIS on a frozen Thames and there's an elephant. Oddly, there are also now other people about, but we'll gloss over that just as we would in the classic years. Back then the absence of people in a teaser ending would have been to avoid having to pay those actors for appearing in an extra episode, but now I think it's more about not giving too much away. Bill thinks they are on a parallel world but the Doctor points out that they are in fact at the last great Frost Fair in 1814 (February 4th, to be precise) Bill is worried about standing out so the Doctor directs her to the wardrobe. There is pause for sullen acknowledgement that slavery was still prevalent at this time so Bill has an extra concern there... and she's not done with the consequential questions...

Live Review: S10.E2 - Smile

We last saw Bill jumping at the chance to travel with the Doctor and entering the TARDIS as a full blown companion for the first time. Surprisingly for the 21st century series (especially Moffat era), that's pretty much where we pick up from with this episode. Bill is still getting to grips with the TARDIS interior, asking where about seatbelts and steering wheel and why the seats are so far from the controls. The Doctor explains that he stands and you don't steer the TARDIS, you negotiate with it - "A still place between where you want to go and where you need to be is where she'll take you" he says. The traditional back-story exposition continues as Bill asks how much it cost and the Doctor, of course, explains that he stole it because he felt like it, but has to admit that he didn't know how to fly it!

A knock at the door kills the Doctor's mood like a child who's mother has come to take him home. I use that analogy because the Doctor mutters under his breath that the person knocking is 'Mum', though in reality it is Nardole playing the maternal role. He is concerned that the TARDIS is downstairs (having presumably found it outside the University where we last saw it) and reminds the Doctor of his oath to not go off world. The Doctor reassures him that he'll be back in the office presently, the reassures Bill that between where they are and his office is a whole world of adventure waiting to be explored. Given the choice, Bill chooses to visit the future to see if it's happy...

Live Review: S10.E1 - The Pilot

The new series is upon us and with the tag line "A Time For Heroes" it is being promoted as a good, if not perfect jumping on point for any new viewers. It sounds a little cynical especially when Steven Moffat points out that the first episode (originally to be titled "The Girl With The Star In Her Eye") was cheekily named The Pilot to give an extra sense of it being the first episode (though the story does present a genuine reason for that title). We are to meet a new companion and go through all the usual exposition and learning that goes along with that. We are promised a fresh look at all the regular questions so they have a more genuine twenty-first century feel to them, from the perspective of someone who lives n the real world and has seen science fiction movies and isn't phased by technology. But she will be a genuine down-to-earth girl with real attitude and emotion... it's time to meet Bill Potts...

Live Review: Christmas 2016 - The Return Of Doctor Mysterio

The cinemas have been awash with superhero/comic-book movies for several years, of which I am not a fan. Even television has cashed in on the act. I was somewhat disappointed then, to learn that this year's Christmas special was jumping on the band wagon as well. Now, this being Doctor Who, there had to be some scientific reason behind the superhero even if it turned out to be rather speculative and fanciful. The point is, gaining spider traits after being bitten by a radioactive spider wouldn't cut it. Still, it was with much trepidation that I looked forward to the now staple Christmas Day broadcast. My judgement was somewhat coloured by expectation and while I did enjoy the episode, I couldn't shake of the feeling that it was a bit too copy-cat.

Live Review: Christmas 2015 - The Husbands Of River Song

In case you weren't aware, this was the Christmas episode for 2015. You can tell this by the sweeping shot that opens the episode, flying through falling snow with a splash of red (a crashed flying-saucer style space craft) and a variant of "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" playing over the top of it (a little fast to be sweet and comfortable, but pleasant nonetheless). Helpful captions tell us this is Mendorax Dellora, a human colony and it is indeed Christmas but the year is 5343. The shot finally settles to the ground and the familiar blue box of the TARDIS slides into shot with a sign on the door that reads "Carol singers will be criticised!"

To further confirm the setting, when the Doctor opens the door he is wearing novelty antlers, though he says they are holographic and blames the TARDIS! And that's it for the Christmas theme. The playful light comedy continues with Matt Lucas playing Nardole who has come to collect a surgeon and assuming the Doctor must be the man he is after - a classic case of mistaken identity that is confirmed after they leave the scene and the actual surgeon is seen asking for directions. They arrive at the crashed ship and as a hooded figure strolls down the exit ramp it is clear to anyone who has seen the trailers or read the title who this is but of course the Doctor has done neither. "You don't look much like your pictures" she says from beneath her deep-set fur lined hood "Well that's an ongoing problem for me..." replies the Doctor before asking "Do I know you?". Then, just as the hood flips down and you expect her to say "Hello Sweety!" River sternly announces "You most certainly do not!" and proceeds to tell him that her husband is dying... The last we hear, she married the Doctor, didn't she...?... Roll titles (adorned by snowflakes and baubles!

Live Review: S9.E12 - Hell Bent

The series finale and of course it starts with a 'Previously' montage starting with Mayer Me (who, incidentally till gets credited as Ashildr)telling the Doctor "I do as they tell me and the street is safe... I never meant anyone to get hurt" followed by Clara's final utterances "Let me be brave" as she faced the raven. That was a couple of episode ago and while Clara's death hangs over the Doctor like a big raven shaped shadow, it felt odd seeing Me's part in it. But of course, we have her to thank for the Doctor's current situation. We are reminded of his time in the castle-like trap/torture-chamber and his ultimate escape revealing it to have been his confession dial laying in the dessert outside the domed city on Gallifrey "Go to the city" he tells a boy "and tell them I'm back. Tell them I know what they did". What they did was, of course, was to use Clara as bate and he's not happy about that!