Doctor Who Unlocked: Twice Upon A Time

The episode opens with a recap of the 1966 First Doctor story The Tenth Planet, the story which introduced the Cybermen. The episodes lists this as '709 episodes' ago which refers to the first part of the serial. No footage is shown from Part 4 in the recap as this is one of the many episodes which doesn't exist in the archive. The regeneration scene is shown and that only exists because it was part of an episode of Blue Peter. 

In the original script for The Tenth Planet the Doctor refused to give in to his regeneration but it was not cut as director Derek Martinus was running short on time.

Mark Gatiss plays The Captain, his second credited role on Doctor Who- he played Lazarus in The Lazarus Experiment though he has had several uncredited appearances too- Gantok in The Wedding of River Song and the voice of Danny Boy in Victory of the Daleks and A Good Man Goes to War. He has also written a number of episodes (The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot's Lantern, Victory of the Daleks, Night Terrors, Cold War, The Crimson Horror, Robot of Sherwood, Sleep No More and Empress of Mars). He was the only Doctor Who writer to have appeared in the show until this episode.

Gatiss is joined here by fellow writer Toby Whithouse (School Reunion, The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, A Town Called Mercy, Under the Lake/ Before the Flood and The Lie of the Land) who plays the German soldier.

The Captain's name is revealed to be Captain Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart, an ancestor of long-running Doctor Who character Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and his daughter Kate Stewart.

The First Doctor complains that he thought his future self would be younger, a play on the fact both Peter Capaldi and William Hartnell were fifty-five years old when cast as the Doctor. Hartnell was 55 years, 10 months and 15 days old on his first appearance whilst Capaldi was slightly younger at 55 years, 7 months and 9 days old. Capaldi stayed in the role longer than Hartnell though and is nearly a year older than Hartnell was when he regenerated. David Bradley is much older than both at 75 years old.

The role is David Bradley's second in Doctor Who having played Solomon in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. He played William Hartnell in the 2013 docu-drama An Adventure in Space and Time about the early days of Doctor Who. It was his role in this that led to Peter Capaldi's suggestion that he appear on the main show as the First Doctor.

Rusty the dalek returns here after his appearance in the Twelfth Doctor's second story Into the Dalek. His first line in Twice Upon A Time is the same as his last line of his first appearance: "I am not a good dalek. You are a good dalek".

This is not the first time the Doctor has been to the planet Villengard. Back in The Doctor Dances the Doctor noticed Captain Jack's weapon blaster came from there and said he destroyed the weapons factories and a banana grove replaced them.

Professor Helen Clay is from New Earth in the year 5,000,000,012 which is eleven years before the episode New Earth and 41 years before Gridlock.

The Twelfth Doctor has several nicknames for the First Doctor. Mary Berry refers to the former star of The Great British Bake Off who now makes various programmes for the BBC and Corporal Jone refers to Clive Dunn's character in Dad's Army. Mr Pastry was an accident-prone comedy character played by Richard Hearne, who was considered to play the Fourth Doctor.

On the First Doctor's console the name 'Bernard Wilkie' is fixed on tape. Wilkie was a visual effects designer in the early days of Doctor Who and also worked of other BBC series like Quatermass and the Pit.

We see a montage of clips from Doctor Who's past which includes footage from Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Arc of Infinity, The Happiness Patrol, The Parting of the Ways, Journey's End, The Waters of Mars, Night of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor.

We also hear a number of the Doctor's nicknames. The Oncoming Storm (first used in The Parting of the Ways, the Imp of the Pandorica (referring to The Pandorica Opens), the Shadow of the Valeyard (the villain of The Trial of a Time Lord was a version of the Doctor), the Beast of Trenzalore (referring to The Time of the Doctor), the Butcher of Skull Moon (based on a Time War event mentioned in Hell Bent), the destroyer of Skaro (the Seventh Doctor helped destroy Skaro in Remembrance of the Daleks, though the planet has been seen several times in the new series) and the Last Tree of Garsenon, which we've not heard before.

In his final speech the Twelfth Doctor also uses the phrase "never be cruel or cowardly". This was first used by Doctor Who writer Terrance Dicks in his book The Making of Doctor Who: "He never gives in, and never gives up, however overwhelming the odds against him. The Doctor believes in good and fights evil. Though often caught up in violent situations, he is man of peace. He is never cruel or cowardly".

He also says "never eat pears" which is a reference to a line cut from Human Nature (Martha fast-forwards through it) which was originally used in Paul Cornell's novel of the same name. He also told Clara in Hell Bent not to eat pears as "they're too squishy and always make your chin wet."

The Doctor talks about children being able to hear his name and this is something that comes from Peter Capaldi himself. In April 2017 a young fan asked what the Doctor's real name is this is Capaldi's reply.

"I don't think human beings could even really say his name. But I think we might be able to hear it. At a certain frequency. If the stars are in the right place, and your heart's in the right place, you'll hear it"

The episode ends with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor falling from the TARDIS, the interior of which is exploding. She should survive the fall as the Tenth Doctor showed in The Christmas Invasion that Time Lords can still heal for a while after their regeneration. The TARDIS is likely exploding so that it can be given a revamp for the new series.

Twice Upon A Time

This episode is the end of a Doctor Who era. Peter Capaldi's last as the Doctor and Steven Moffat's last as showrunner.

The episode opens with a 'previously' that only Doctor Who could get away with, looking back to 1966. Suddenly grainy footage of William Hartnell's First Doctor turns into high quality footage of David Bradley as the same character.

The episode sees the Twelfth and the First Doctors, both refusing to regenerate, bumping into a Captain from the First World War. He's been removed from time by the Testimony whose intentions are unclear.

The cast are superb here- Capaldi is such a great Doctor who I fear has been underated by much of the audience and he's at his best here. David Bradley is also brilliant as the First Doctor- if you weren't quite paying attention you might think the  BBC had resurrected William Hartnell.

There's also fantastic writing, Steven Moffat's last on the show. It's everything a good episode of Doctor Who should be- really funny, exciting and emotional. He plays with Doctor Who lore well and let's Capaldi's final speech be like a greatest hits speech from his time as showrunner.

The episode ends with Jodie Whittaker making her first appearance as the Doctor. Suffice to say she is immediately brilliant.

I think this is Steven Moffat's best Christmas episode and right up there with his best. A fitting end for the Twelfth Doctor.

The Company of Friends

The Company of Friends is an Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) audio anthology by Big Finish which features four 25 minute long episodes. Each episode pairs the Doctor with a companion that hadn't appeared on audio before.

Benny's Story by Lance Perkin
Professor Bernice Summerfield (Lisa Bowerman) is one of the most well-liked characters from extended media but this was my first introduction of her. She's an archeologist and in many ways a precursor to River Song, although I have to say she's a better character. This is the first time Benny and the Eighth Doctor meet and it's a lot of fun.

Fitz's Story by Stephen Cole
Fitz (Matt di Angelo) is the Eighth Doctor's longest serving companion in the 'Eighth Doctor Adventures' novels but this is his only appearance on audio. He's a superb character, a mixture of Danny Dyer and Donna Noble which works brilliantly. The story too is a good one as the pair investigate Alien Defence Incorporated which is using the Doctor's image to make money from protection from aliens. A genuinely funny and engaging story.

Izzy's Story by Alan Barnes
Izzy (Jemima Rooper) is the Eighth Doctor's longest serving companion in the Doctor Who Monthly comic. She's a geek and this is reflected in the story where she uses the TARDIS to track rare copies of comic Aggrotron! A great story which has a lot to say about the idea of being a fan dealing with reboots of things you loved when you were young.

Mary's Story by Jonathan Morris
Throughout the Eighth Doctor audio stories prior to this it had been often joked that the Doctor was friends with Mary Shelley (Julie Cox) and this story confirms that by depicting when they first met. This is a really clever story, using Frankenstein as inspiration for the story, which obviously in turn later inspires Shelley. It's also the only story here which goes a bit deeper with the character- here Mary's relationship with her husband Percy is explored and is the key to her leaving with the Doctor.

It's a fun set of stories which focuses more on humour than drama. In my mind that's no bad thing and works well here. The companions are really well defined given how little time we actually spend with them, largely thanks to the monologues which open each story and all four actors fitting the parts perfectly. A really enjoyable anthology.

Also included here is a short story from The Three Companions boxset, Cremation Point. In this story Polly (Anneke Willis) narrates a Second Doctor adventure where she, Ben and Jamie try to escape a tram on a planet which is about to be destroyed. It's a welcome addition and a well-told story though it would have worked better in context with the rest of the story.

Yasmin, Ryan and Graham

This evening the BBC unexpectedly revealed the companions for Series 11 of Doctor Who. Here I am taking a quick look at them and how they might form the series.

First up is Yasmin, played by Mandip Gill. Over the last few years Gill has appeared in various British TV shows like Casualty, Doctors and The Good Karma Hospital. She is best known though for her role in Hollyoaks playing Phoebe Jackson between 2012-2015. She's a relatively unknown actress to most of the UK so this is a big step up for her.

The same could be said of Tosin Cole who plays Ryan. He too appeared in Hollyoaks, between 2011 and 2012 as well as the Eastenders spin-off E20. Doctor Who is not his first sci-fi role though as he did appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The most famous of the actors here is Bradley Walsh who will play Graham. He is probably best known as the host of teatime quiz show The Chase but has plenty of acting roles including Coronation Street and Law & Order: UK, the latter of which new showrunner Chris Chibnall wrote for. He also appeared in The Sarah Jane Adventures story Day of the Clown as the titular creepy clown.

As I speculated in a recent post, it looks like Chris Chibnall is going for the classic style of a TARDIS crew of four. It seems unlikely that Chibnall will introduce a new Doctor and three new companions in the same episode so could we be seeing them gradually introduced? There is the possibility that the three characters know each other though they make an unlikely group- might Graham be Yasmin and Ryan's teacher?

The other thing to note about this announcement is that production of the series must be about to begin. The cast aren't in costume here so they having reached the filming stage yet but the photo is probably from an early read-through.

It's great to finally have some new information on the next series and I look forward to more news soon.

Series 11 Rumours

We still know very little about Series 11 of Doctor Who beyond the fact that it will star Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor and Chris Chibnall will be the showrunner and lead writer.

This week though the Daily Mirror is reporting a few minor details about the series. They are not confirmed but seem plausible, if not likely.

Firstly they are saying there will be a new TARDIS, both inside and out. Presumably the outside would not be a great change but the control room would be. The current control room has been in use since The Snowmen and the control room was changed at the change of showrunner.

It's nigh on impossible to guess quite how they might design a new control room but I suspect they will aim for a more feminine/ more friendly design to suit Whittaker's Doctor.

They are also reporting a new sonic screwdriver will be designed. Again this is not a great surprise though the current sonic has only served for a single series.

The more surprising change would be that the series would become ten episodes which are each an hour in length. The last series was twelve episodes, eleven of which were 45 minutes with an extended finale. We'd get pretty much the same amount of Who just spread over fewer episodes.

It's an interesting choice if true. For a start  cutting out two episodes reduces costs. All the sets, costumes and guest cast of two episodes is cut. But from a writing point of view it allows more wriggle room- so many 45 minute episodes feel like they have a rushed ending and an extra 15 minutes could really make a difference.

All or none of this may actually turn out to be true but it does seem convincing. It shouldn't be too long now before we get some official news about Series 11 and I for one can't wait!

Trust Me- Episode 4

It's the final episode of Jodie Whittaker's fake Doctor drama- but is she going to be found out? Beware, spoilers for all four episodes lie ahead.

After three largely slow paced episodes we get a speedy finale. Cath's lie is so very close to being exposed with the aftermath of the patient from the previous episode and sticking together with Bridget and ex-partner Carl on this way up to Edinburgh. 

I think that this episode is perhaps the one which paints Cath in the best light. As an audience we can never feel comfortable with her deception but it's sort of become more acceptable as we've discovered how good a Doctor she can be. Andy tells her to essentially throw Bridget under the bus, let her take the blame and then Cath can carry on as Doctor Ally. But she's a good person and Bridget is her friend, despite the mistakes she has made, and Cath can't bring herself to do it. Instead she completely takes the blame. 

As if this stress wasn't enough she's now got not one but two challenging medical procedures to perform. One is a repeat of the procedure from the night before and though initially in panic Cath eventually sorts it out. I was thinking that it's irrelevant that Cath isn't a real doctor here and this must be what real doctors go through when having to repeat a procedure that went so wrong the time before. Then her friend Mona is in the department and suffers a cardiac arrest, with poor Cath having to try and save her life. Again, so many doctors must struggle when people they know are in the hospital. 

After all this Cath decides she can't take anymore so she picks up Molly and heads to leave forever. But then she bumps into Molly's dad Carl who can sense her turmoil. It's not entirely clear whether Cath actually means her promise that the three of them can go back to Sheffield and live together but either way it allows her to escape from danger. But soon Andy and Carl come to blows, fighting over Cath, and then poor Carl finds himself hit by a car. 

The title of the series gets a new twist when it's Andy we have to trust rather than Cath. Did he kill Carl? It would be the only surefire way of ensuring Cath's secret was kept safe and therefore the relationship being kept safe too. I don't think he probably did go that far, he is a doctor after all, but the fact that Cath suspects him shows how shaky their relationship really is. 

The series ends with Bridget taking long-term leave and Cath taking over as lead of the department. It's not how I thought the series would inevitably end with her being found out. As a viewer I feel conflicted as I do feel for Cath and in reality she makes a great doctor. But I can't help but feel that what she is doing is wrong and she really ought to be found out. 

It's unclear whether there was ever any plans for a second series but it is certainly left open for one. With Whittaker now committed to Doctor Who this seems unlikely though I suppose she might just be able to squeeze in one episode to round things off. Frankly I think the ending was noncommittal as sooner or later she will be found out and I want to see how that happens. 

All in all, I enjoyed the series. It perhaps could have condensed things down a little but good writing and great acting from the cast, especially Jodie Whittaker, it was a great little drama.

[Click here for all my Trust Me episode discussions]

The Innocent

Over the past few years I have collected a random selection of Big Finish audio stories, from freebies to sale items, and I'm gradually working my way through them. Whilst I will be discussing most of them on my Who Catch Up blog some just don't fit into a particular category so I'll be discussing them here.

Today I will be discussing The Innocent which is the first story in Only the Monstrous, a boxset of War Doctor stories starring John Hurt. This story was free with Doctor Who Magazine #500.

This story opens with a fairly typical pre-credits sequence. The Doctor has just been declared dead. We all know it's obviously not true but it's an intriguing start and we are then given the War Doctor's Doctor Who theme which keeps the basic tune but gives a more militaristic style. 

Nicholas Briggs makes great use of Doctor Who lore as we flashback to what actually happened. The Doctor (but don't call him that) takes the place of two Time Lords to activate the Time Destructor on the dalek fleet- last seen way back in The Dalek's Master Plan. It's a tricky doing a War Doctor boxset when you have to try and be in keeping with fifty years of Time Lord and dalek lore. 

Much of the story is set on the planet Keska where the Doctor (don't call him that) ends up. There he meets Rejoice who is proper companion material. She looks after 'her alien' as he recovers but when he wakes the Doctor finds himself in the midst of another war as the Taalyens attack. It's swiftly dealt with though when we see this version of the Doctor at his most Doctor-ish so far. It shows us that the personality of this incarnation is entirely due to the awful situation he finds himself in and actually the Doctor is still there somewhere. 

This story is almost an alternative new companions story. Traditionally the Doctor would meet his new companion, save the day with their help and take them with him on his travels. It's the last bit he knows he can't do here as he obviously can't risk taking Rejoice into the Time War. There's a long, brilliant sequence where the Doctor tries to convince Rejoice and probably himself too that he is no longer a hero. Rejoice never falls for it but sadly the Time Lords turn up and Rejoice is forced to remain on Keska. We've seen it in the TV show a few times but it's heart-breaking when a would-be-companion misses out on the best opportunity of their lives. 

I really enjoyed this story and will consider forking out for the rest of the box set in the not too distant future. 

The Next Companion(s)

On Monday British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror announced they had a scoop about the next series of Doctor Who. They reported that Bradley Walsh would be the companion to Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor.

Bradley Walsh is best known as a quiz presenter, presenting shows like The Chase (nothing to do with the 60s dalek story) and more recently Cash Trapped. But that's not to say he's no actor as he has had long roles in Coronation Street and Law and Order: UK (alongside Who's Freema Agyeman) and guest acting roles in a range of shows, including The Sarah Jane Adventures as Oddbob the Clown and his alternate personalities.

Now it's unclear if there is any truth to this story. The paper reported that Kris Marshall has been cast as the Thirteenth Doctor so there's so guarantee it's accurate whatsoever. That story seemed to come mainly from the fact that Marshall coincidentally left Death in Paradise around the same time Peter Capaldi announced he was leaving. But there's no obvious source for this story and Walsh has worked with new showrunner Chris Chibnall before (on Law and Order: UK). It's one of those stories where we can't say with any degree of certainty either way. 

All this got me thinking about the type of companion Chris Chibnall will want. I haven't got a very good track record on predicting Chibnall's decisions so far having concluded he properly wouldn't cast a woman as the new Doctor. Oops.

Now for the most part New Who has stuck with a single female companions, sometimes with their romantic partner. But with a female Doctor this would mean that the entire TARDIS crew would be female. Now I don't have any problems with this as such but I think some parts of the audience would. Apart from the obvious misogynists, having an all woman crew could leave some young boys starting to think that Doctor Who is for girls. There is a potential for audience figures to be affected by this choice so I would guess that the Who team would want to have a male companion either instead of or alongside a female one. 

Maybe there will be a complete switch and we'll have a female Doctor and a male companion. There are two obvious dangers with this in my mind. One is that it leads to the potential for some form of relationship between the Doctor and the companion. As much as that worked well between Rose and the Ninth/Tenth Doctors it is starting to feel a stale idea. Then there's the problem that writers could end up making a male companion fill in parts of the Doctor's role. I'm not saying that would happen but it's certainly a possibility that should be avoided. 

My bet is that we'll get more than one companion, more akin to the classic series. Quite what form this will take, I'm not sure. Maybe we'll go down a 60s route and have two friends who clearly have feelings for each other but haven't yet done anything about it. I could see that working on the modern show, a slow burning romance with the 13th Doctor trying to make it happen. Alternatively they could already be in a relationship. We've had that fairly recently with Amy and Rory but Chibnall was great when focusing on their domestic life in Pond Life and The Power of Three. 

The other option is for the new Doctor to gradually pick up several new companions over a series of episodes. Personally, this is what I'd like to see. It would mean that the companions have to get to know each other as well as the Doctor (imagine if we had two companions who didn't get on) and it allows for more possibilities in splitting the team up (e.g. the Doctor and one companion together, both companions together, all character separated from each other etc). It would also give an opportunity to have at least one companion that is from a different period in time, something that the new series has not really explored yet. 

I'm really intrigued to see what form the new companion(s) will take but I'm excited for whatever Chris Chibnall comes up with.

Trust Me- Episode 3

It's the penultimate episode of Jodie Whittaker's fake doctor drama and someone learns her secret. This discussion includes spoilers if you haven't yet seen the episode.

Things are starting to go wrong for Cath/Ally. This episode opens with Cath at her father's deathbed- now she is working as a Doctor she desperately wants to help but there's nothing anyone can do. It's not a plotline which is lingered on but is well portrayed all the same. Whittaker manages to show us the depth of her sadness without resorting to overly dramatic floods of tears that some actors may have gone for. For me, the death of her father is symbolic of Cath losing control of her life. There's nothing she can do to keep her dad alive and I feel she is just as powerless in ensuring her secret stays safe.

Indeed, it's already got out to one person as boyfriend Andy discovers that Dr. Ally is really Nurse Cath. The series has so far focussed on Jodie Whittaker's character but here it spends quite a long time with Emun Elliott's Andy. He's absolutely furious with the situation and very nearly spills the beans but doesn't when Bridget tells him Ally is perhaps the best Doctor on the ward.

I think Andy realises that although what Cath is doing is morally wrong she does make a good doctor so he's not overly worried about that side of things. What he is most upset by is the fact that she has never revealed the truth to him. He whisks her off to a remote Scottish mountainside and tries to get her to open up. We have the best moment of the series so far as he calls after Ally and when she doesn't respond uses her real name, Cath.

Fortunately for Cath it turns out Andy is not going to reveal her secret. He loves her and has decided he wants to help her keep the lie. It's a huge risk for him but he obviously consider it worthwhile. It was a worrying moment but soon Cath is moving in with Andy and she finally has the confidant she so desperately needed.

Things don't stay good for long as Cath finds herself working a Friday night shift with Bridget as the only other doctor. When a patient with a dental abscess comes in Cath wants to investigate fully but Bridget tells her to not to and to discharge him. Soon he is rushed in with the abscess blocking his airway and a messy procedure needed to save him.

Then Cath faces the ultimate dilemma. Bridget asks her to doctor the paperwork and though it clearly goes against Cath's very strong ethics she feels she has no choice- she can't risk an investigation. It then becomes apparent Bridget has been drinking on the job and has done so regularly.

It's a really difficult situation. Cath now faces the choice of throwing her friend Bridget to the wolves or risk her real identity being found out in an investigation. Just how far will she go to keep her secret? I fear the department is in danger of losing its three main doctors with Ally/Cath and Andy keeping her secret and Bridget being an alcoholic!

As well as this dilemma, there's also the problem that Karl, Cath's ex, is headed to Edinburgh angry that she has been telling people he hit her. Surely Cath is going to be found out in the final episode but I'm not quite sure how that will be...

[Click here for all my Trust Me episode discussions)

Trust Me- Episode 2

Jodie Whittaker's medical thriller continues... Beware, there are spoilers below!

We left Cath/Ally in a precarious position last week. She'd successfully managed to convince everyone she is actually a doctor but there were threats all over the shop that could have revealed her secret. 

Cath is starting to become an excellent liar by this point. When she first joined the emergency department she was making basic mistakes like signing the wrong name on forms. But now the lies seems to be coming in quick succession. In this episode she is badgered for her passport and manages to keep fobbing the HR man off by saying she can't find it. In the end she has to pay £800 for a fake one. Surely you can't just use Google to find that sort of service? 

There's also a medical conference which Cath is virtually forced to attend. She takes very careful notes but suddenly realises that the junior doctor from her previous job is in attendance. Her answer- go to the pub! It's another example of her easily dodging a risky situation. 

One situation she hasn't managed to dodge so successfully is the journalist who has been hounding her. He leaves with the assumption that Cath's ex Karl hit her and her daughter. Cath never actually said that but she didn't deny it either. It's one thing lying about her past but when it brings other people into disrepute it could lead to major problems. 

The highlight of the episode is a scene in a lift when a patient crashes and the doctors run out of lines. It's feels really tense and claustrophobic and Whittaker is superb at showing us how stressed the character is. Fortunately it's solved by the junior doctor who, er, finds another way in. 

There's also an important scene where Cath successfully treats a drug-addict whose veins are closed up. She finds a way in, calling on her experience as a nurse, and shows how good a doctor she can actually be. I think this is a really important scene as it shows us that she's not hopeless and is genuinely making a difference to people. 

It's been clear from the start that someone will find out the truth sooner or later and at the end of the episode Cath's new partner Andrew does. He keeps hearing things that don't make sense like an old friend who heard Ally went to New Zealand and a phone call asking for Cath rather than Ally. A quick Google leads him to an image of nurse Cath receiving an award alongside the real Dr Ally Sutton. It'll be interesting to see his reaction in the next episode- he's clearly fallen head over heels in love with Cath so will he confront her, report her or keep quiet? 

To be honest, I wasn't overly keen on this episode. It had some good moments but largely it was a repeat of the last episode. Constant tension for Cath as she thinks at every moment someone has found her out. It really feels like the first two episodes could have been condensed into one. 

[Click here for all my Trust Me episode discussions)

Trust Me- Episode 1

Jodie Whittaker will now forever be known as the Thirteenth Doctor but before her Doctor Who debut she appears as the main character in Trust Me- a woman who pretends to be a doctor.

Cath Hardacre is suspended from her nursing job after causing a nuisance of herself, gathering data about mistakes in patient care and considering giving them to the press. But when the opportunity comes to take on the identity of a doctor she decides to take it and finds herself working as a doctor at an A and E department in Edinburgh.

The moment Cath decides to take on the role of a doctor is an interesting one. It's not really clear what her motivation is. She has a child to support but there's plenty of other jobs she could do. Maybe it's because she genuinely wants to help and make a difference to people. Surely though she knows that her masquerading as a doctor would put lives at risk eventually.

Much of the episode sees Cath working in the emergency department, constantly fearing that she is going to be found out. She makes minor mistakes, like not giving anesthetic when she sets bones. But she is medically trained and with a bit of research manages to get by and become popular with her colleagues. Writer Dan Sefton says that it would be relatively easy to get away with if you had enough medical knowledge and that fake doctors would likely be better than some real doctors.

At the moment, it's not entirely clear where this series is going. All we can say for sure is that Cath is going to be found out- it's just a question of when and by who. She's seen here beginning a relationship with colleague Andy and I could imagine that he might not give her up if he is the one to find out. There's certainly plenty of threats on the horizon such as the journalist trying to get hold of her and the need to present a passport.

The pace is relatively slow but this episode is all about setting up the deception and how Cath manages to get away with it. Surely it's going to be the fallout where the drama really comes. Jodie Whittaker is great here despite not having a great emotional role as yet. What her performance really does capture is her fear, the way she constantly worries she has just been found out. It's all in the body language and Whittaker shows how great an actress she is by saying everything without words.

An intriguing start and I look forward to where the series will go next...

Lethbridge-Stewart: Night of the Intelligence

This series has largely followed a "monster of the week" style so far like Doctor Who itself often does. Each book has contained an individual story and there has been minor character development and gradual ongoing plots in the background. This book though is like a season finale when those plots are suddenly at the forefront of the story. 

Although the Great Intelligence plays an important role in this story it's not really the enemy as such. Without wanting to give too much away this sees the Brigadier and the Fifth go up against the mysterious Vault. We finally find out who the General is and what he's up to. Simon's real identity and aims are also revealed and there's significant events for the Travers family too. 

I have to admire the way the author (and man in charge of the series) really takes control of things here. There's a lot of characters to manage now but I felt all were well dealt with. I also liked the way minor events in previous books all come together here to give that series finale feel. The author also does a good job at occasionally filling in gaps- there's a hint at why Anne Travers never appeared in 70s Who despite playing a large part in these books and an explanation about what HAVOC actually means in this series (if it appeared before I missed it completely). 

If I had to criticize anything it's that this requires a lot of background knowledge. If you don't know the Doctor Who stories 'The Abominable Snowmen' and 'The Web of Fear' or haven't read all previous ten books in the series there will be areas here where you are missing something. At the very least The Forgotten Son, The Schizoid Earth and Times Squared are all essential reading before this. It wasn't a problem for me but this wouldn't be a good jumping on point for new readers of the series.

I seem to be saying this after every book in this series but it continues to get better and better.

The Shining Man

I enjoy reading the Doctor Who tie-in books. Many are of high quality but I think this is probably the best of the many I've read over the last twelve years.

The Shining Men are everywhere, scaring children on street corners with their long hair, blank faces and shining eyes. But surely it's just a hoax, idiots dressing up for fun. Except people are going missing and the link is the shining men. Cue the arrival of the Doctor and Bill.

Clearly the idea of the shining men came from the real world 'killer clown' craze. There's plenty about the police dealing with idiots dressed up and the fear caused by them. Mostly though this book imagines what it would be like if the creepy things were actually terrifying killers rather than people dressed up.

In terms of Doctor Who continuity this book is set after the first three episode of Series 10 (The Pilot, Smile and Thin Ice). There's also lots of references to things discussed and shown in the Torchwood episode 'Small Worlds'. I think it really adds something if you've seen that episode.

If you know said episode, you'll know it's about fairies. Indeed this book explores the idea of fairies in some depth, using some scientific Doctor-technobabble to explain some of it but still essentially being something from fantasy. Actually this has very few Doctor Who elements to it other than the Doctor and Bill being present and as well characterised as they are they don't do much. The Doctor is largely used as the character to explain the idea of fairies.

This had everything I wanted from a Doctor Who book. A good sci-fi/fantasy idea, warmth, humour, drama and a portion too ambitious to have appeared on TV. If you are enjoying Series 10 of Doctor Who and want some more, this is the place to head.

Homosexual Who

It has been revealed that the new companion Bill Potts will be Doctor Who's first "openly gay" companion. Anyone with any sense is pleased with this news. Plenty of die-hard Doctor Who fans have been discussing how correct the statement that she is the "first" is so I'd thought I'd explore that.

The obvious go to when searching for a gay companion is Captain Jack Harkness. The first problem with this is whether he actually counts as a companion. Of course there's no set definition for what a companion is but traditionally the companion hangs around for a whole series or more. I would argue that he's only been a companion in (Boom Town, Bad Wolf, The Parting of the Ways, Utopia and The Sound of Drums) and a supporting character in (The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, Last of the Time Lords, The Stolen Earth and Journey's End).

Though Jack is very open about his sexuality, he isn't simply gay. He's bisexual from virtually the moment we meet him. Having flirted with a male soldier he then flirts with Rose Tyler. I think many casual viewers consider the character as gay. The actor John Barrowman is and many of Captain Jack's more significant relationships are with other men- like Alonso and Ianto Jones. But in Children of Earth we learn he had had a child with a woman and he is shown to be in love with Gwen Cooper throughout Torchwood.

The other character referenced in the BBC News story about Bill Potts was River Song. Now all of River's on screen relationships with the Doctor have been heterosexual- mostly with the Doctor but also with several others in The Husbands of River Song. It is suggested she is bisexual though with a mention of her "second wife" in that same episode. She's certainly considered bisexual by creator Steven Moffat but the on-screen evidence in limited.

Many fans have discussed the idea that Clara Oswald is also bisexual. On screen she is shown to be attracted to the Doctor and Danny Pink. Oswin Oswald claimed the first person she fancied was a girl called Nina, though seeing as though this was only a version of the character and potentially a joke anyway I think we can rule that out. Clara definitely suggest she had some sort of relationship with Jane Austen though ("great kisser") and the Doctor seemed to think Clara was attracted to Ashildr.

Again, it's all very much suggestive. The casual viewer is likely to assume that both River Song and Clara are straight. It's all very well suggesting that characters are homosexual but that almost suggests it's something to hide away or some sort of joke. Bill Potts will be clearly stated as gay from her second line.

Other than companions, here are some more gay characters from Doctor Who (a by no means complete list).

• Alice and May Cassini are an elderly gay couple stuck in the traffic jam in Gridlock
• In The Unicorn and the Wasp it is uncovered that Roger Curbishley is in a relationship with male servant Davenport
• 1800s Torchwood Three's Alice Guppy and Emily Holroyd are gay.
• In Day of the Moon Canton Everett Delaware III says he wants to marry a black man.
• In spin-off Class Charlie and Matteusz are gay and in a relationship for the majority of the series.
• The Fat One and the Thin One are "Thin/Fat Gay Married Anglican Marines" in A Good Man Goes to War.
• Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint are notable for having a relationship with is both homosexual and inter-species. They pair have so far appeared in A Good Man Goes to War, The Snowmen, The Crimson Horror, The Name of the Doctor and Deep Breath. 

Doctor Who has long held that message that everyone is equal and I like that it has repeatedly been suggested that in the future there is no such thing as homophobia and that sexuality is fluid. Bill Potts is the latest in a long line of role models that cater for a range of people and I am proud to call myself a fan of a show that can do this.

Torchwood: Children of Earth

As part of my ongoing Who Catch Up project I've been watched Torchwood's epic third series, Children of Earth. I ended up writing a quick piece about each episode and here they all are.

Day One

Day One feels like fairly normal Torchwood fare for most of the episode albeit with a bigger budget. Creepy children & lots of banter.

The big oddity is the civil service subplot with John Frobisher, who looks suspiciously like the Twelfth Doctor. At this point it means very little & feels a bit out of place.

We get some new character stuff here: Jack has a secret daughter & grandson, Ianto has a sister & Gwen is pregnant. It’s nice that they kept doing the character stuff in a big event, and of course all of these things become more relevant later on.

The last part is surprising though. Suddenly Captain Jack is going to be blown to pieces, along with the Torchwood hub. That’s much bigger than your normal Torchwood episode! And much of what’s going on is still a mystery! It’s a promising start & a surprisingly slow one too.

Day Two

Day Two is a superb episode, despite the fact that not much actually happens. The Torchwood team are split up & Jack has been blown to pieces. Gwen and Ianto are on the run & it quickly transpires that there’s a massive government conspiracy to kill them. It’s proper thriller stuff, only mostly set in Cardiff.

What I think works really well here is the lack of sci-fi elements. The main plot with the children & approaching aliens isn’t that important for this episode. The only other element is Captain Jack’s ‘Lazurus ability’ and that too is treated more matter of factly than it often is. When I think about it Torchwood has often been at it’s best when the sci-fi stuff doesn’t go too far. It’s the human enemies who are truly scary

Day Three

After all the excitement of the previous episode, this one is a bit dull. The Torchwood team mostly sit around in an empty warehouse simply watching what’s going on. The 456 arrive in dramatic fashion and eventually demand 10% of our children. It turns out we gave them 12 children back in 1965, & Jack was involved. This episode is all about filling in the plot.

It’s a great moral dilemma. The choice is to give them some children or face extinction. You kind of have to give up the kids, it’s instinctive to do anything to survive. But how do you live with that, especially if you are immortal like Jack.

Suddenly the human villains are less scary, especially now we know Jack was one of them. They just had an impossible choice.

Day Four

Day Four really is a rollercoaster- a disturbing rollercoaster. It begins with Jack having to explain the horrible dilemma of giving away Children to save lives. Then we see politicians discussing the practicalities of giving children to the 456, in a way that feels horribly realistic. You can really imagine those conversations would actually take place.

Hope emerges when Lois (who is a superb character, a reluctant Torchwood helper) speaks up & Jack faces the 456. But then it is taken away from us as Ianto & a whole building full of people are killed. It’s emotional and is a rare time in the Whoniverse where it genuinely feels like there is no hope. The best episode of Torchwood ever?

Day Five

Day Four may have been Torchwood’s best episode but this is the most horrific. We find out the 456 use children as drugs and then watch as the government and the army round up 10% of the children. Gwen has to tell Ianto’s sister of his death & tries to rescue all the local children. Frobisher kills himself & his family too. It’s disturbing & because of the sci-fi elements of the story being downplayed horribly realistic.

Then at the last minute Jack finds a solution but it involves killing his own grandson. It’s well acted by all involved as we are forced to watch Steven die. I remember how people complained at this ending at the time & whilst I agree it’s disturbing it is an effective end to the story.

Lethbridge-Stewart: Mind of Stone

This series has had a fairly familiar format up until now. Something mysterious happens and Lethbridge-Stewart and the Fifth Operational Corps go an investigate. This book begins very differently, with Lethbridge-Stewart in Wormwood Scrubs prison.

It's a great way to start the book as it really changes the status quo. Firstly there's the mystery of why the Brigadier is in there in the first place. It seem fairly obvious as a reader that he hasn't actually done anything bad but it's unclear if it's a miscarriage of justice or part of some grand plan. Putting Lethbridge-Stewart in this situation also works well because it's a rare time when we see him isolated. Here the Brig is utterly on his own and that's a great dynamic to see.

There's a wonderful homage to the Ronnie Barker prison-based sitcom 'Porridge' at the start of this book, before the drama really unfolds. The Brig shares his cell with Stanley, who is almost identical to Barker's character Norman Stanley Fletcher. There's also a nasty warder called Fulton, named after Fulton Mackay, the actor who played Porridge's warder Mr Mackay. There were a few other small references too and it was a lovely touch and really helped to set the scene.

The latter half of the book transforms into a Bond-esque thriller as Lethbridge-Stewart rushes to stop a villain. There's even a classic Bond fight in a sleeper train sequence. I really like it when this series goes for this feel and doesn't try to be too Doctor Who.

The sci-fi element of this book wasn't my favorite and coming straight after Lethbridge-Stewart: Blood of Atlantis the general idea felt a little tired. It did work in context of the story though and it was nice to have a relatively minor threat. It's mostly Lethbridge-Stewart who is in great danger here rather than the world in general.

A different style for the series which worked really well and kept things fresh- I really enjoyed it.

The Thirteenth Doctor

Peter Capaldi has announced that he is leaving his role as the Twelfth Doctor. He's been a fantastic Doctor and I'll be sad to see him go. What it does mean though is that at some point in the not too distant future the Thirteenth Doctor will be cast.

Lots of people are making lists of possible Doctors but many are not very likely. It's extremely unlikely that a major Hollywood actor is going to take the role. Even very big actors who have appeared in short series are unlikely to commit to a role as big as the Doctor. It's also very unlikely they will cast someone who has had a major Who role before- a guest part in one episode maybe, but not a returning actor like Alex Kingston or Maisie Williams. And I also think they are unlikely to choose an actor of a similar age-range to Peter Capaldi.

There's lots of talk that the new Doctor could be a woman. It's certainly a lot more likely now than it was when Peter Capaldi was cast. The Master's latest regeneration is a woman and we even saw a Time Lord regenerate from male to female in Hell Bent.

Whether the Thirteenth Doctor will be a woman is largely down to new showrunner Chris Chibnall. He is the man who will probably have the major say on the new Doctor. Personally I feel it would be ambitious for a new showrunner to come along and cast a woman as the Doctor- it's a change in the character dynamic which a new showrunner may not want to make straight away.

If they do choose a female Doctor Hayley Atwell would be my top tip. She's a great actor, demonstrated a fairly Doctor-ish role in Agent Carter and has no long-term commitments (it looks like her current TV series Conviction will not be renewed). Another highly possible one is Gemma Chan, who has become more successful in recent years and has played a Synth in sci-fi series Humans.

Hayley Atwell (as Peggy Carter)

I do think it's quite likely that the next Doctor will be a different race. It's well known that a black actor turned down the role a few years ago (it's thought to have been Chiwetel Ejiofor by many). A lot of people seem to be talking about Richard Ayoade taking the role. As much as I like him it's hard to imagine him doing the serious drama parts of the role, and he's pretty busy in the near future hosting The Crystal Maze. There's talk of Game Of Thrones' Alexander Siddig taking the role but at 52 he is probably too old. My preferred non-white Doctor would be Sacha Dhawan- Doctor Who fans might know his for his role as Waris Hussein in An Adventure in Space and Time. He's a superb actor who I can really picture in the role.

Sacha Dhawan

The bookmaker's favourites for the role include Ben Whishaw and Rory Kinnear, both best known for their roles in the James Bond franchise. I like Kinnear but I fear he's a little old for the role and might Ben Whishaw be too big for the Doctor?

Rory Kinnear

A likely BBC favourite would be James Norton. He shone in Happy Valley and War and Peace and seems to be an actor in favour with the beeb at the moment. He is busy for much of the year in ITV's Grantchester at the moment but he is certainly a possible.

James Norton (as Sidney Chambers in Grantchester)

I have a couple of lesser known ideas for the role. Bertie Carvel played Jonathan Strange in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and I really feel would make a great Doctor. Then there's Damien Maloney, who played vampire Hal in two series of Being Human. He's a fantastic actor who I really feel ought to have a big role in something.

Damien Maloney (as Hal in Being Human)

Could we maybe have someone Chris Chibnall has worked with before? I couldn't find many people in the Broadchurch cast list who I could imagine as the Doctor but one was James D'Arcy. He played Lee Ashworth in Broadchurch, a very non-Doctor-y role. But in Agent Carter he was the butler Edwin Jarvis who was closer to the Doctor- the variation in roles really shows how good an actor he is.

James D'Arcy (as Edwin Jarvis in Agent Carter)

I also think there's a strong chance we'll get a fairly unknown actor. Hardly anyone knew who Matt Smith was when he was cast and the same could be said for the last three companions. It would be great if the show finds another amazing actor we'd never even heard of before.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

John Hurt

It was really sad this morning to wake up to the news that John Hurt has died aged 77. Doctor Who fans know him best as the War Doctor of course but he's been a popular British actor since the 70s. I thought it would be nice to consider some of the roles I personally know him for.

In Alien he played Kane, a.k.a as the unfortunate crew member who has an alien burst through his chest. That scene was voted one of the more memorable movie moments of all time. We're perhaps more familiar with this kind of horror in 2017 but in 1979 it was more surprising. On paper it sounds like it could be awful, but it really works. I think the visuals are fairly good but it's the acting that really makes that scene work. John Hurt was the only actor in the scene who knew what was going to happen so the reaction of the rest of the cast is hardly surprising. Hurt had to really lead that scene then and he did so fantastically.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone he plays wand-maker Ollivander. This was the first time I saw John Hurt in anything and he really shines despite the little time he appears. Up until this point Harry Potter has not spent any real time with a wizard and so John Hurt has the unenviable job of being the actor has to make wizards look good. And boy does he do it! He's funny and enigmatic and owns one of the most memorable scenes in the film. "The wand choose the wizard Mr. Potter- it's not always clear why."

He then returned to the role of Ollivander in The Deathly Hallows (towards the end of Part 1 and at the start of Part 2). Here the character has been tortured by Voldemort and the Death Eaters so Ollivander is something of a broken man. And you really believe that in Hurt's performance- you can almost see the fear and self-loathing in his eyes. Ollivander is another of the film's representations of loss of innocence- he's the first proper wizard Harry meets and gives him magic through a wand and later the tables are turned and Harry has to save his life.

Hurt has a small role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the fourth and later film in the series. Let's face it, it's not a patch on the original trilogy. But I think Hurt's character, Oxley, is one of the few characters who really works in that film. Oxley has been driven mad by the crystal skull but was once an eminent archaeologist. Hurt's performance is a complicated one- he has to play for laughs, come across harrowed and still convince as once having been intelligent and with it. I think he somehow manages it too- there's a hint of tortured Ollivander but as if he was broken even further.

Let's not forget his wonderful voice work, including Hazel in the Watership Down film and General Woundwort in the Watership Down TV series, Aragorn in the animated Lord of the Rings, the Narrator in The Tigger Movie, the Owl in The Gruffalo and the Gruffalo's Child and memorably the mostly unhelpful dragon in Merlin. What a voice that man had, perfect for a wise and friendly mentor.

And finally, let's talk about Doctor Who. Hurt played the War Doctor in The Day of the Doctor, the incarnation that fought in the Time War and ended it (although that was sort of re-written). Hurt may only have played the Doctor for a short time but he really nailed it. He's very Doctor-ish- funny, a little arrogant and really compassionate. But he takes the dark side of the Doctor further than ever, so far it's broken him. My favorite scene is when he talks with Clara in the Black Archive, when you really understand the dilemma he's in.

Doctor Who was lucky to get an actor of Hurt's stature to appear in the 50th anniversary special and Hurt embraced it. He took it seriously and asked Steven Moffat if he counted as a proper Doctor. I really believe he does. Technically he's a regeneration and we can't ignore that but he also proves himself to be one of the very best actors to have played the Doctor. Since the special he reprised the role with Big Finish in audio, giving us a Doctor deep in the Time War. This shows how much he enjoyed the role- I havn't heard any of his audio stories yet but I am definitely going to seek them out.

The other thing that's worth mentioning about John Hurt is what a nice man he was. The Doctor Who network online has been full of praise for him, not just an actor but as a person. It seems everyone who's met him has a similar anecdote to share about how friendly and warm he was.

John Hurt's death then sad but at least he will always be remembered for his many fantastic roles, not least as the War Doctor.

Lethbridge-Stewart: Blood of Atlantis

In this book Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart , Anne Travers & the team head to the Aegean Sea to investigate strange goings-on, as ever. This time it's a damaged Royal Navy ship & a series of missing vessels.

Candy Jar books chose Simon A Forward well as a writer for this series. He really gets it, making an action story, almost James Bond like, but keeping the sci-fi Doctor Who stuff in the story. This series is about a military man and his colleagues and Forward really sees this.

All of the series' regular cast are well treated here. It can be hard to focus on the Brigadier and keep both Anne Travers & the likes of Bishop & Ware plenty to do. Forward splits them up for much of the story, and like in Doctor Who this is often the best way of showing the characters. 

Forward also creates several of his own characters, all of which are great. There's cat lady archeologist Señora Montilla, who is like the Anne Travers of a different field. Then there's Captain Bugayev, a Russian who ally's with Lethbridge-Stewart in the middle of the Cold War. I really liked this whole element to the story, the uneasy friendship between the two sides and the Brig never being sure he can trust the Russians.

The threat is a good one and a little different to what we've seen in this series before. It's can get repetitive having intelligent strong aliens being the antagonist every time and here we get something different.

There's plenty more I could praise about this book too. The bittersweet ending, the chapter titles are based on Doctor Who stories/episodes. I've enjoyed much of this series but none more than this one.