Lively Doctor Who podcast commentaries, plus reviews and discussions of science fiction and fantasy in books, TV, films and more!

Doctor Who Commentary – 5.13 ‘The Big Bang’

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It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for. Sarah Burrow and P.G. Bell draw our Series 5 commentaries to a close.

Where can a show turn when it’s just wiped out the whole of existence? Why, the National Museum of Wales, of course! We discuss whether the show over-uses its most regular locations and wonder when the polar bears joined the alliance against the Doctor. Plus, does the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey runaround still hold up, or is it just lots of exposition interrupted by bouts of repetitive action? And can we have Matt Smith dancing in every episode, please?

All this and more, in the latest Impossible Podcast! Download us now!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 58:40 — 53.7MB)

That’s it for our Series 5 commentaries, but we’ll be commentating on Series 7 week by week, as it happens, so stay tuned!

Visual Memory #6 – ‘The Black Mirror’

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Creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky… Our resident games expert Christopher Bell salvages another classic title from the scrap heap.

After the comic fantasy of Monkey Island and Discworld, it’s time to look at the darker side of point-and-click adventures. The Black Mirror involves murder, a family curse and creepy English (and Welsh) manor houses. Those of you of a fragile disposition, turn back now…

The Black Mirror was developed in 2003 by Czech developer Future Games, under the title Posel Smrti (Death’s Messenger). You play a nobleman by the name of Samuel Gordon, who returns to his ancestral home of Black Mirror Manor, in the ominous-sounding Willow Creek, near Norfolk, after an absence of 12 years.  Samuel’s grandfather, William, has been found dead, impaled on an iron fence.  Most people believe that he went mad and threw himself from the manor’s tower, but Samuel suspects a more sinister cause. Then the visions, nightmares and unexplained headaches begin. Samuel’s sanity will be stretched to its limits over the game’s six chapters…

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Doctor Who Commentary – 5.12 ‘The Pandorica Opens’

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Join Sarah and Peter as they plough headlong into the first part of Doctor Who’s Series 5 finale!

It’s been a long journey since ‘The Eleventh Hour‘ and, as Moffat moves his pieces into position for the final confrontation, we chart his progress through the series so far. Did he deliver on his early promises? Has he beaten Russell T Davies at his own game? And, more importantly, has the production team found a way to lessen the embarrassment of those awful new-look Daleks? All this plus: zombie Cybermen, rubbish Romans, horror movie homages and the speech to end all speeches. Oh, and Rory’s back! Yay!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:09 — 50.5MB)

Five Comics You Should Read

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It’s all fun and games until someone calls the Homicide Crabs

As the nation goes Dark Knight crazy once again, regular columnist Olivia Cottrell offers up some tantalising alternatives for those of you looking for more than just men in tights…

So, you like comic books, do you? Or maybe you’ve seen the big Marvel movies, or the Nolan Batman, and you want to get into the genre proper but don’t know where to start. Well, here are my top five comic books of all time: each one perfectly acceptable as a series on its own, but each, I hope, a great example of what the medium can offer in superheroes and beyond. There’s dinosaurs, cowboys, explosions and crime, serious comics and comics that will make you laugh your head off. They also probably say far more about me and my tastes than I intended.

Well, never mind. Onwards!
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Doctor Who Commentary – 5.11 ‘The Lodger’

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A little later than usual, Caleb and Sarah continue our run of Series 5 commentaries.

Comedy masterpiece or a joke too far? We take a long hard look at Gareth Roberts’ light-hearted fish-out-of-water tale and ask some serious questions. Did this story forever change the tone of Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor? Could the show ever work with a permanent male companion? And would James Corden be the one for the role? Let us know what you think, in the comments below or via Facebook and Twitter!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:11 — 45.1MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – 5.10 ‘Vincent and the Doctor’

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Tony Curran as Vincent Van Goch holding a self portrait painting

Caleb and Sarah discuss Scottish accents, art and death, rom-coms and more in our fan commentary on series 5 Doctor Who episode, ‘Vincent and the Doctor’!

The Doctor and Amy meet famous painter Vincent van Gogh in this episode penned by none other than Richard Curtis. But is Saturday teatime sci-fi the right slot for exploring themes of depression and suicide? Or is this episode proof that Doctor Who can be broader and deeper on the small screen than weekly alien invasions and unlikely raising of the stakes to imperil all of reality itself? Let us know what you think, in the comments or via Twitter and Facebook!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:15 — 50.8MB)