Archive for the ‘Doctor Who’ Category

I’ve just watched The Invisible Enemy for the first time. This is the story that added K-9 to Doctor Who and the tin dog comes across really well in his debut. The plot is as nonsensical as every review I’ve ever read says it is. There are some good ideas in there, Leela is great, the design and effects work – with the exception of the infamous prawn – are excellent. But the plot is all over the place and the technobabble is unconvincing not so much because a lack of basic science as a lack of basic common sense.

So next DVD to watch will be K-9 and Company for the first time since 1981…


Meanwhile. This is a teaser for the forthcoming K-9 series:

Oh dear.

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“So, ” thinks Russell T Davies, “my episode Midnight got rather a good response. I wonder what people liked about it? I know, it was set on a bus!1 Let’s set the next special on a bus, that will work.”

“And,” he continues, “‘cos the special is a bit longer than a regular episode we’ll splice in a chunk of Pitch Black. No one will ever notice. Especially if we stick some BSG style music and flashbacks all over the trailer.”

1 This isn’t as daft as it seems. After all what else explains the popularity of Iris Wildthyme? Apart from the gin of course.

Just 10 days to go!


All spent at Salaute.

1 ticket for Salute, @ £9.95.

Entelodon, Komodo Dragons and Phororachos from Amazon Miniatures, @ £12.80

2 Dinosaurs from Hasslefree Miniatures, @ £13.50

Tactical Miniatures Big City PD, Rattrap Productions Megatherium and Smilodon from Tabletop Games, @ £21.50

‘John Constantine’ and ‘Captain Jack’ from Black Cat Bases, @ £4.50

4 Lurkers, 2 familars, Doctor Hugh and Doctor Masterson from Heresy Miniatures, @ £20.00

Total for Salute: £82.25


Well, here’s what I’ve been reading this year. I said there was a lot of graphic novels.

Over on the LiveJournal version of this blog you can fill in a poll to show which of these you’ve read as well (not necessarily in 2008). I understand that you can use OpenID to log into LJ rather than creating an account there but I’ve never tested it myself.

Non-Fiction

  • A History of Venice by John Julius Norwich
  • Counterknowledge by Damian Thompson
  • Dry Store Room No. 1 by Richard Fortey
  • JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford
  • jQuery in Action by Bear Bibeault and Yehuda Katz
  • Middle Sea: A History of the Mediterranean by John Julius Norwich
  • Stand and Deliver: The Autobiography by Adam Ant
  • The Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey
  • The Economic Naturalist by Robert H. Frank
  • The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

Fiction

  • A Spectacle of Corruption by David Liss
  • Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell
  • Flashman’s Lady by George MacDonald Fraser
  • Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
  • Making Money by Terry Pratchett
  • Matter by Iain M. Banks
  • Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell
  • The Coffee Trader by David Liss
  • The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde

Graphic Novels

  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: No Future For You
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate
  • Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman
  • From Hell by Alan Moore
  • The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore
  • John Constantine Hellblazer: Bloodlines by Garth Ennis
  • John Constantine Hellblazer: Family Man by Jamie Delano
  • John Constantine Hellblazer: Fear Machine by Jamie Delano
  • John Constantine Hellblazer: Joyride by Andy Diggle
  • John Constantine Hellblazer: The Laughing Magician by Andy Diggle
  • Lucifer: Inferno by Mike Carey
  • Lucifer: Mansions of the Silence by M Carey
  • Planet Hulk Omnibus by Greg Pak
  • World War Hulk by Greg Pak
  • Serenity: Better Days by Joss Whedon
  • Ultimate X-Men :Ultimate Collection Book 2 by Mark Millar

Doctor Who

  • Ahistory by Lance Parkin
  • About Time 6 by Tat Wood
  • Doctor Who: Bullet Time by David A. McIntee
  • Doctor Who: Business Unusual by Gary Russell
  • Doctor Who: Companion Piece by Mike Tucker
  • Doctor Who: Emotional Chemistry by Justin Richards
  • Doctor Who: Endgame by Terrance Dicks
  • Doctor Who: Festival of Death by Jonathan Morris
  • Doctor Who: Grave Matter by Justin Richards
  • Doctor Who: Halflife by Mark Michalowski
  • Doctor Who: Sometime Never… by Simon A. Forward
  • Doctor Who: The World Shapers by Grant Morrison
  • Faction Paradox: This Town Will Never Let Us Go by Lawrence Miles

Odds and Ends

  • Star Wars: Dark Empire II by Tom Veitch
  • Star Wars: Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore
  • Star Wars: Dark Tide 1 – Onslaught by Michael A. Stackpole
  • Star Wars: Dark Tide 2 – Ruin by Michael A. Stackpole
  • A Magical Society: Ecology & Culture
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Turkey eaten? Presents opened? Queen done her bit?

Good, that means I scheduled this post correctly.

Is it time for Doctor Who yet?

Very True Mood: festive

For a little while the size of my LibraryThing has been on 999 books. I knew that the first book I unwrapped on Christmas day (betting that I wouldn’t receive any books would have been a real long shot – I am married to a librarian after all) would be book number 1000. And so it was.

According to LT I’ve finished 49 books this year. I have twenty pages to go on another and there are a few more that have been more dipping in an out books than read from cover to cover books. So roughly one a week. Not too bad until you look at how many of them are picture books graphic novels.

Very True Mood: (cheerful) cheerful

Well, no surprises there then.
How spoilerphobic are you? )

At the time of writing it can still be seen at http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/ontv/.

Sigh, still spoilerphobic? )

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It’s November so some brave souls are embarking upon this year’s NoNoWriMo. Good luck to you if you’re one of them.

I’m in no way dedicated enough to try an entire novel in one month, but I do want to write more so I’m declaring November to be my NaBloPoMo – I will be endeavouring to post at least once a day for the next 30 days.

“Na No Wri Mo Na Blo Po Mo” – I think I know how RTD comes up with Judoon dialogue.

Very True Mood: (cold) cold
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3 x packs of Doctor Who CMG figures from Woolies, @ £8.00 ea

1 pack of Star Wars CMG figures from Forbidden Planet, @ £14.99

4 Rare Star Wars CMG figures via eBay, £9.94

1 issue of Miniature Wargames, @ £3.70

Total: £52.63


At the end of this post, Neil Gaiman reveals that Taipei airport toilets cater for Daleks. So does Victoria train station in London, as I pointed out four years ago.

Very True Mood: (amused) amused
Very True Music: British Sea Power - Like a Honeycomb