You all know Andrew Cartmel, right? He’s the man with the plan. The Cartmel Masterplan to be exact. As script editor on Doctor Who from 1987 to 1989, his Masterplan shaped the final three years of the show’s classic era and would have gone on to set the tone for the series […]
Doctor Who
Doctor Who (2025): The Wish World/The Reality War – I Don’t Even Know What To Think Anymore (SPOILERS)
Oh Christ. Those two words best sum up my thoughts going into this review, in both good and bad ways, as they reflect my feelings on pretty much everything: these two episodes, the trajectory of the show going forward, and the general state of the fandom – a fandom that […]
Doctor Who (2025) The Interstellar Song Contest – An Explosion of Camp and Fan Service, and Unexpected Politics
So this episode was a lot, wasn’t it? The Interstellar Song Contest will go down as one of the most extravagant episodes we’ve ever had, and that’s before you even get to the moments of fan service that, trust me, we will discuss. Reportedly the most expensive episode in the […]
Outside the Blue Box: The Mutations (1974)
Though every actor who has ever been lucky enough to portray the Doctor on-screen has put their own iconic spin on the character, it’s arguable that Tom Baker – at least for a certain generation – was a name inseparable from the role, and even perhaps the show as a […]
Doctor Who (2025) The Story and the Engine: Brilliant Low-Key Idea, Pompous Execution
Inua Ellams makes his Doctor Who writing debut with The Story and The Engine, an episode with a tone and setting unlike any Doctor Who episode I’ve ever seen. Typically the show never sets foot outside of either Europe or the USA for a whole episode, though there are some […]
Doctor Who (2025) Lucky Day: An Average Start That Reveals A Sublime and Timely Message (SPOILERS)
Ncuti Gatwa’s second series is so far following a very similar blueprint to his first. This is something I discussed the other week, but both series started with a silly sci-fi opener, a 20th-century period romp, and a tense space-based thriller. 73 Yards, probably the most acclaimed episode of last […]
Doctor Who (2025): The Well – A Fantastic Return To Tight, Taut Horror
This new Disney+ era of the show has had a less unanimously positive reception than Russell T Davies was perhaps hoping for, but fans have always seemed really happy whenever this era delves into horror. The eerie and freakish Wild Blue Yonder, the most purely horror-focused episode until this one, […]
Doctor Who (2025): Lux – A Visual Marvel Backed Up By Fun Script (SPOILERS)
In the days leading up to Series 15, it struck me that Russell has structured this series in a very similar way to the last one. The Robot Revolution is a bright and silly family-friendly introduction like Space Babies, next week’s Episode 3 looks set to be a dark and […]
Doctor Who (2025): The Robot Revolution – A Rambunctious Start With A Unique Spin (SPOILERS)
It’s been strange seeing the Doctor Who fandom, a fandom that was so divided and downhearted during the Chris Chibnall era and therefore ecstatic when Russell T Davies and Disney+ got involved, go back to the exact same mood after last year’s series finale. A rewatch of Empire of Death […]
Doctor Who A-Z #69: The Green Death (1973)
Classic seasons of Doctor Who aren’t designed as a holistic experience like the new seasons are, but as far back as the Troughton era there’s been a sense that a season finale should offer something big. Quite what that bigness involves changes over time. The Troughton finales still mostly register […]