Tag Archives: doctor who

Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[June 2, 1970] Turning Up The Heat (Doctor Who: Inferno)

Leave a comment


By Jessica Holmes

I have good news and bad news. Being the little ray of sunshine that I am, I like to start with bad news . So here goes: we’re heading into the last Doctor Who serial of 1970. Yes, already. The tradeoff for some pretty spiffy stunt-work and shooting in colour is apparently a reduced episode count. The good news is that Doctor Who is turning up the heat and delivering a real firecracker of a story, full of action, monsters, and some great character work. Let’s dig into “Inferno”.

Title Card. Text reads 'INFERNO' in block capitals. The background is a volcanic eruption.

Continue reading [June 2, 1970] Turning Up The Heat (Doctor Who: Inferno) →

No comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[May 4th, 1970] The Blue Meanies Are Coming (Doctor Who: The Ambassadors Of Death [Parts 5-7])

Leave a comment


By Jessica Holmes

Have you ever been on a rollercoaster just to have it break down halfway through? That’s what this story is like. It was so close. It was so, so close to being a genuinely excellent serial. But tripping just before the finish line, this month’s story just comes out as ‘pretty good’. Let’s try and find out what went wrong in “The Ambassadors Of Death”.

Lennox (white, balding, middle aged) sits at a small table in a bare concrete cell. He has a dinner tray in front of him, on which is a blue plate with a metal rod on it.
Excuse me, waiter? There's some plutonium in my soup.

Continue reading [May 4th, 1970] The Blue Meanies Are Coming (Doctor Who: The Ambassadors Of Death [Parts 5-7]) →

No comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[April 18th, 1970] The Spaceman Who Came In From The Cold (Doctor Who: The Ambassadors Of Death [Parts 1-4])

Leave a comment

a white woman with auburn hair and glasses
By Jessica Holmes

The name’s Who… Doctor Who. In the latest adventure, our favourite double-hearted space alien finds himself embroiled in a spy thriller with all the trappings: cool car, wacky gadgetry, and an espionage plot I need a diagram to keep track of. Let’s take a peek under the bonnet of David Whitaker’s most recent contribution to Doctor Who, “The Ambassadors Of Death”.

The space centre. Cornish communicates with an astronaut, who appears on a big screen.

Continue reading [April 18th, 1970] The Spaceman Who Came In From The Cold (Doctor Who: The Ambassadors Of Death [Parts 1-4]) →

No comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[March 16th, 1970] The Fatal Flaw (Doctor Who: Doctor Who And The Silurians)

2 Comments


By Jessica Holmes

Welcome back to our Doctor Who coverage, where today we’re wrapping up the latest serial: “Doctor Who And The Silurians”. With lives lost on the Silurian and human sides, will the Doctor be able to persuade those left behind to see sense?

The Younger Silurian and the Scientist Silurian huddle together having a conversation. They're a dull green colour and reptilian, with a third eye on their forehead.

Continue reading [March 16th, 1970] The Fatal Flaw (Doctor Who: Doctor Who And The Silurians) →

2 Comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[February 22, 1970] An Es-scale-ating Conflict (Doctor Who: The Silurians)

2 Comments


By Jessica Holmes

Welcome back to another month of Doctor Who coverage. Jon Pertwee’s run as the Doctor continues in the same strong fashion in which it started with an intriguing serial from the pen of Malcolm Hulke. We’re about halfway through, so let’s catch you up on the latest happenings in “Doctor Who And The Silurians”. No really, that's how he titled it. Yes, it is an odd choice, but don't let it put you off.

Liz, the Brigadier and the Doctor standing in a lab. Liz is holding research notes and the Doctor is holding a test tube.

Continue reading [February 22, 1970] An Es-scale-ating Conflict (Doctor Who: The Silurians) →

2 Comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[January 26, 1970] Over The Rainbow (Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space)

2 Comments


By Jessica Holmes

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s all change in the new season of Doctor Who: new Doctor, new companion, new visuals. And it's now in colour!

But is it worth the increased rent on my new television set? Let’s catch up on “Spearhead From Space”.

Doctor Who title card—new font on a swirly, coloured background

Continue reading [January 26, 1970] Over The Rainbow (Doctor Who: Spearhead From Space) →

2 Comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[June 22, 1969] Game Over (Doctor Who: The War Games [Parts 8-10])

1 Comment


By Jessica Holmes

"The War Games" draws to a close, bringing us a thrilling conclusion, revelations of the Doctor’s origins, and some heartbreaking farewells.

The Doctor (right, foreground) meets with the War Chief (left, background.)
"If I join you, do I also have to grow the silly moustache?"

Continue reading [June 22, 1969] Game Over (Doctor Who: The War Games [Parts 8-10]) →

1 Comment Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[June 8th, 1969] Dissension In The Ranks (Doctor Who: The War Games [Parts 5-7])

1 Comment


By Jessica Holmes

When I said this serial was long, I wasn’t exaggerating. We’re getting closer to the end—but we’re not there yet.

Let’s check up on how the Doctor and company are getting on in “The War Games.”

ID: The Doctor (right, dark haired middle-aged white male, baggy suit), talking to the Science Chief (middle-aged white male, balding, wearing lab coat and visor with cross shaped eye holes). Seated in front of them with his head in a metal vise is Carstairs (30s-ish white make in WW1-era British sergeant's uniform)

Continue reading [June 8th, 1969] Dissension In The Ranks (Doctor Who: The War Games [Parts 5-7]) →

1 Comment Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[May 18, 1969] Whirr Hum Bang Bang (Doctor Who: The War Games [Parts 1-4])

Leave a comment

[Join us for ongoing LIVE coverage of the Apollo 10 flight—going on right now!]


By Jessica Holmes

I’m a bad-news-first type of person, so I’ll get this out of the way: this is the last serial of the current series of Doctor Who. And, per the Radio Times, that makes this serial Patrick Troughton’s last as the titular Doctor. But here’s the good news:

We’ve got a good while to go yet, because this is a very long serial.

And better still, “The War Games” is brilliant.

ID: Zoe, the Doctor and Jamie stand on a a battlefield. There is debris in the foreground. The Doctor is holding a WWI-era helmet.

Continue reading [May 18, 1969] Whirr Hum Bang Bang (Doctor Who: The War Games [Parts 1-4]) →

No comments Leave A Comment
Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV

[April 14, 1969] My Least Favourite Kind Of Cereal (Doctor Who: The Space Pirates [Parts 4-6])

1 Comment


By Jessica Holmes

The last we left the Doctor and company, they were at the mercy of a gang of not-particularly-swashbuckling space pirates. The first half of this serial was a rather bland affair—let’s see if the second half improves things.

ID: The Doctor (middle-aged white male, dark hair) and Jamie (young adult male, dark hair) kneel in a darkened room.

Continue reading [April 14, 1969] My Least Favourite Kind Of Cereal (Doctor Who: The Space Pirates [Parts 4-6]) →

1 Comment Leave A Comment