Articles by Rob Buckley

About Rob Buckley
I’m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live’s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition. I’ve edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for TV producers magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and was regularly sarcastic about television on the blink-and-you-missed-it “web site for urban hedonists” The Tribe. Since going freelance, I've contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly, Action Network, TV Scoop and The Custard TV.
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Sitting Tennant

Monday’s Holiday Sitting Tennants: week one

3 August 2009 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

From Ms Rullsenberg

From Ms Jaradel

From Sister Chastity

From Toby

From Lauren

I’m not here. Well, I am, but I’m doing other things right now. But even though I’m not here (although I am), you can still gaze adoringly at David Tennant sitting down. So here, for your delight, are pictures from Ms Rullsenberg, Jaradel, Sister Chastity, Toby and the latest arrival to the house of Sitting Tennant, Lauren. Say hello to Lauren everyone!

Remember, you can still caption Friday’s Sitting Tennant.

  1. Rullsenberg: 45.5
  2. Sister Chastity: 42.5
  3. Jaradel: 32.5
  4. Toby: 3
  5. Rosby: 2.5
  6. Amy: 2
  7. Persephone, Sabine, Lauren: 1

Got a picture of David Tennant sitting, lying down or in some indeterminate state in between? Then leave a link to it below or email me and if it’s judged suitable, it will appear in the “Sitting Tennant” gallery.

Every photo displayed on Monday (one per person who sends one in) gets a point, with a bonus point if it’s from the latest DT production; the best pic in the stash each week will appear on Friday and get three points.

You can also enter the witty and amusing captions league table by commenting on Friday’s Sitting Tennant photo, the best caption getting 10 points.

House season six promos

3 August 2009 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Promos are already out for the sixth season of House. Obviously, there’s a few spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the end of the fifth season, don’t watch this. But it looks interesting, the premiere’s going to be two hours long, and Franka Potente’s going to be in it. Cool.

August on the blog

1 August 2009 Rob Buckley Post a comment

It’s August. That means there’s next to nothing on tele and everyone’s going on holiday. As you might have guessed from my subtly coded messages over the last few days, that includes me.

But don’t think I’ve forgotten those of you left behind or whose holiday doesn’t coincide with mine. Although I’m not going to be back in the country until the 18th, I have magically put together some content to go live each week day during my break. That’s obviously not going to include the daily news, but since most of the people who make the news are going to be on holiday, too, general experience tells me there won’t be much news to report anyway, so that won’t resume properly until the 24th probably.

But it will include the usual favourites/stuff most people ignore, including Sitting Tennant, Dick Heads, Today’s Joanna Page, Meme of The Week, What Have You Been Watching This Week?, Random Acts of Ali Larter and Weird Old Title Sequences, as well as the occasional other bit of random content, so feel free to drop by anyway.

Since I won’t be able to judge the captions or the photos in Sitting Tennant, you’ll just get your weekly Monday gallery to entertain you each week, with Dick Heads taking over on Friday until I get back. But feel free to keep captioning yesterday’s picture and to keep sending in new pictures for when I get back.

Guard the blog against intruders, if you will, and have a great time in my absence!

Sitting Tennant

Friday’s Sitting Tennant (from Jaradel)

31 July 2009 Rob Buckley 14 Comments

Jaradel's Sitting Tennant

Well, this is it. The last captionable Sitting Tennant before I head off on holiday for a fortnight. Fingers crossed, I won’t get caught up too much in things on Monday, and I’ll be able to leave you some more pictures to keep you going over the break.

But since I won’t be there to judge any more captions, this will be the one you all get to stare at and write about until I’m back. It’s been provided by Jaradel and is probably from Secret Smile, but I’m not exactly sure.

  1. Rullsenberg: 44.5
  2. Sister Chastity: 41.5
  3. Jaradel: 31.5
  4. Rosby: 2.5
  5. Amy: 2
  6. Toby: 1.5
  7. Persephone, Sabine: 1

Meanwhile, over in witty captions, we have a first, with Marie and Rullsenberg working in sisterly cooperation on the Sitting Tennant collective farm to fashion a joint caption together. So they both get 10 points.

PS: I own the Great Blonde Elevator. Persephone’s collected DT for her own Elevator Without Theme. He does not have his own elevator. Those are the ground-rules.

  1. Marie: 152.5
  2. Toby: 141.5
  3. Rullsenberg: 102
  4. Jane Henry: 70.5
  5. Persephone: 45.5
  6. Jaradel: 38.5
  7. Electric Dragon: 31
  8. Rev/Views: 25
  9. Scott 2: 14
  10. Joe, Sister Chastity: 10
  11. Scott: 3
  12. Aaron: 2
  13. almostwitty.com: 1
  14. Stu_N: 1

Remember, you can submit as many captions as you like for today’s picture, with the wittiest getting 10 points next Friday.

Got a picture of David Tennant sitting, lying down or in some indeterminate state in between? Then leave a link to it below or email me and if it’s judged suitable, it will appear in the “Sitting Tennant” gallery.

Every photo displayed on Monday (one per person who sends one in) gets a point, with a bonus point if it’s from the latest DT production; the best pic in the stash each week will appear on Friday and get three points.

You can also enter the witty and amusing captions league table by commenting on Friday’s Sitting Tennant photo, the best caption getting 10 points.

Audio and radio play reviews

Review: The Companion Chronicles 3×12 – The Stealers From Saiph

31 July 2009 Rob Buckley Post a comment

The Stealers from SaiphMaybe I was a bit hasty in my declaration last review that the Companion Chronicles might be a better range than the Doctor Who range. For one thing, I keep forgetting about the fourth Doctor stories.

The Stealers from Saiph is by Nigel Robinson, one time doyen of the 80s Who books, but who hasn’t touched Who in over a decade. This is his first audio play, and it features Mary Tamm – by herself, rather than with another actor, in a break with Companion Chronicles tradition.

Tamm, of course, plays Romana I – not the alternative version from the Big Finish Gallifrey series but the Romana of the Key To Time season. This is the first problem: what happens if you’re going to try to write authentically to a particular time period of the show and you find yourself picking a sh*t one? Do you have to write badly, too?

The second is that Robinson has written the whole thing as a novella. In other words, Tamm is reading it out to us.

Drama? Who needs it?

Continue reading “Review: The Companion Chronicles 3×12 – The Stealers From Saiph”