Month: March 2008

UK TV

Season finale: Ashes to Ashes

31 March 2008 Rob Buckley 10 Comments

I know it’s a bit late, but I was away over the weekend and didn’t have the time to string together a review until now.

So why am I bothering? Well, there’s the fact that BBC3 jessied around the schedules again so there was no Torchwood finale to laugh at (although, given James Marsters was on Smallville this week as well, I’m not sure the TV set could have taken the resulting Marsters overload if it had been).

But I also wanted to sing you a song. It’s from that wonderful comedy show Absolutely, which should be coming out on DVD any minute now. It goes like this:

I’m clever, so terribly clever
So clever, so terribly clever…

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Audio and radio play reviews

Review: Doctor Who – The Dark Husband

31 March 2008 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

The Dark Husband

I’m quite a fan of David Quantick. He’s written for just about every comedy programme going. He’s collaborated with Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris. He is, to put it bluntly, a talented man.

How, then, to react to the idea of a David Quantick comedy play, particularly one written for the seventh Doctor?

Is it going to be of the science fiction/Doctor Who milieu or is it going to be some random piece of comedy that takes the piss?Is it going to be of the terminally rubbish (but beloved by Big Finish) comedic season 24, or is it going to be of the darker season 25/26 style? Is Quantick going to know the characters and the back story, particularly of new companion Hex, played by Philip "Brookside/The Games/Naked calendars" Olivier? Is it, in short, going to be rubbish, or is it going to be worth listening to?

On balance, I’d say, if it weren’t for the slight hindrances of Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, it would actually be all right.

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Eighth Doctor adventures get new titles

31 March 2008 Rob Buckley 2 Comments

Some of the forthcoming titles in the Eighth Doctor range of Big Finish plays, which haven’t been desperately impressive this season, have had name changes. Kidnapped has been renamed Sisters of the Flame and Vengeance is now Vengeance of Morbius. They sound a bit more interesting, don’t they? There’s a trailer available for Sisters of the Flame from the ever-"quirky" Big Finish web site.

Incidentally, the Eighth Doctor range is now available for download at £8.99 per story (down from £10.99 for a CD).

Monday’s replacement skins news

31 March 2008 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Doctor Who

  • BBC7 to run companion show to Doctor Who, as well as Paul McGann repeats. Guest hosts include David Tennant and Catherine Tate

Film

British TV

  • Entire cast of Skins to be replaced for third series [free registration required]

US TV