'The Doctor's Wife' Videos

'The Doctor's Wife' Videos

The BBC have kindly released FOUR new videos to preview next Saturday's episode written by the brilliant Neil Gaiman (who I've had the pleasure of meeting and listening to at a premiere screening of 'Coraline' in 2009!) The videos include two clips from the episode plus an introduction video and the trailer! One of the preview clips cannot be embedded for some reason so you can view that video by clicking the image above! The other three videos are below for you to enjoy!

'The Curse of the Black Spot' Review

Series 6 - Episode 3: 'The Curse of the Black Spot'

Written by Steve Thompson - Directed by Jeremy Webb

After a double-whammy of Moffat madness that tossed critical information around like a rag doll, viewers have been given a breather and presented with a good old fashioned adventure. It's a regular occurrence for The Doctor and his companion/s to head back to early times at the beginning of a series (episodes such as 'The Shakespeare Code' [2007] and 'The Fires of Pompeii' [2008] spring to mind) and in episode three of this current series, The Doctor, Amy and Rory are whisked off to the high seas that are ruled by blood-curdling Pirates who fight intruders and swag the loot.

Plot Outline:

The TARDIS is marooned on-board a 17th Century Pirate ship and The Doctor is soon being forced to walk the plank at gunpoint. Beset by terror and cabin fever, the pirates have numerous superstitious explanations for the appearance of a mysterious Siren who has the ability to destroy man with a single touch.

 'The Curse of the Black Spot' is the weight off the shoulders - it's an episode that can be re-watched and re-enjoyed multiple times and doesn't really require much prior knowledge of the series it's placed within. Sure, there are little quirks that pop up such as the strange lady with a metal eye-patch who appeared briefly in the orphanage in 'Day of the Moon', or the snappy flashback from 'The Impossible Astronaut', but realistically, episode three is a nuts-and-bolts Saturday night thrill-ride that was extremely entertaining and used it's running time to it's full potential.

 The action and adventure burst to life within a matter of minutes and then continued to stand strong and not back down. From Amy's high-flying Jack Sparrow-inspired fight sequence to the thumping and crashing of the misbehaving TARDIS and all the Pirate and 'Siren' madness in between, this episode failed to stop bringing the screen to life. 

 It's been a while since an episode has only had one primary location, I believe 'Midnight' (2008) was probably the last one and that was the complete opposite to The Doctor's current swashbuckler. Tennant's episode focused on atmosphere and claustrophobia whilst writer Thompson's 45 minutes used it's confined and isolated space to enhance action and indeed danger.

 Production designer Michael Pickwoad created a staggering set - the ship looked wonderful and really portrayed an image of rusticity and age. Rather than the more sleek looking ships in Gore Verbinski's Disney epics, Pickwoad makes his Black Pearl look experienced and haggard. It's a great compliment to the shifty Pirates and helps set the tone and spirit of the episode. Also Webb's direction was well-executed and performed which only added to the high levels of adrenaline and endorphins.

 The episode's new characters were an excellent addition, particularly the brilliant Hugh Bonneville who played Captain Avery with great skill, intrigue and efficiency. Supermodel Lily Cole whose no stranger to acting was also a fabulous casting choice as 'The Siren'. Considering she had no dialogue, her performance was engaging and her characterisation was presented well.

 'The Siren' was certainly an interesting villain, if you can actually call her that - her ability to evaporate people who have been 'unfortunately' stamped with the Black Spot after even the slightest of injury is a power than seems virtually impossible for the shipmates to avoid. It's a unique and original idea and I think many will remember and recall her when this series draws to a close.  

 Our three musketeers all give strong performances with Darvill snatching the limelight for the most part. Although Gillan clearly owns the opening 10 minutes with Amy's sword-swinging antics, it's Rory who gets a large central focus and storyline and Darvill revels in his new-found glory. The classic 'OH NO!' moment sneaks it's way in at the end leading the viewer to believe of Rory's sudden demise but Mr. Pond cheats death once again. Smith is wonderful as ever and his frequent banter with Avery is the perfect comedic substitute to this action-packed episode. 

 'The Curse of the Black Spot' is the little episode in a monstrously big series and it holds it's own. It was hugely entertaining, exciting and most importantly, original. While Moffat's away, the TARDIS trio play.

New Stills from 'The Curse of the Black Spot'

New Episode 3 Images!

Feast your eyes on some new stills from the Doctor's forthcoming pirate adventure! Look below for new goodness!

Introducing...

'The Curse of the Black Spot'

Check out the introductory video to Saturday's episode below! Enjoy Whovians!

Thanks DWM!

My Letter in 'Doctor Who' Magazine - May 2011

If you purchase this month's DWM, make sure you check out the Letter's page where my letter appears! Hopefully soon enough I'll be writing articles and reviews for the magazine as I've been in contact with them many times and have received a Writer's Guidelines pack! Wish me luck :)

You can see my letter below!

'The Curse of the Black Spot' Clips

'The Curse of the Black Spot' Clips

The good folk at the BBC have released two brand new clips ahead of Saturday's new episode! Check them out here first!

'Day of the Moon' Review

Series 6 - Episode 2: 'Day of the Moon'

Written by Steven Moffat - Directed by Toby Haynes

After a cavalcade of unanswered questions and crossing plot lines created by Steven Moffat's wonderful series opener, 'The Impossible Astronaut'; it seemed that the second part would pretty much spend it's running time wrapping up its predecessor - how wrong were we to judge. Like any great author, Moffat spent more time constructing an eerie and affecting horror story that pays homage to classic Hammer pictures and Haunted House tales from yesteryear rather than 'telling it like it is' and finishing off The Doctor's American tale. This may only be the second episode of Matt Smith's latest series, but in all honestly, this one is going to be hard to top. 'Day of the Moon' was not only an exquisite 'Doctor Who' episode, it was a landmark in television writing and direction.

Plot Outline:

The Doctor is locked in the perfect prison. Amy, Rory and River Song are being hunted across America by the FBI. Terrifyingly powerful aliens have invaded Earth, and it's about to get much, much worse.

 'Day of the Moon' was the ace in the pack - the wild-card that changed the game. As the episode opens, we meet our heroes three months later after Amy's gun-wielding incident with the 'spaceman' and everyone is on the run from the FBI, apart from The Doctor whose being held hostage in Area 51. The high-octane opening exploded onto the screen enchanting and shocking it's loyal audience. For me, this was the best opening of Matt Smith's saga. In one respect, it was quite similar to 'The Pandorica Opens' (2010 - also written by Moffat), in which we constantly switch from different locations, but the instant action and drama of this episode is something to be admired and remembered for a long time.

 As I previously mentioned, this story spent more time chilling and engaging it's audience than trying to come to grips with the amount of information presented in the first part of the tale. 'The Impossible Astronaut' was a dialogue-heavy fact file that will be constantly re-visited as a reference point throughout the sixth series, whilst this episode felt more like an exploration into why 'Doctor Who' is such a fascinating television show. Rather than wrapping up the first episode's conundrums in the first 10 minutes, Moffat has composed the opposite - now we have even more questions and theories pressed firmly on our lips and are bursting to discuss with fellow Whovians. (Possible Spoiler Ahead!) Obviously the main item on the discussion agenda will be the young girl - is she Amy's daughter? Is she River Song? Is she a Time Lord? There are so many possible explanations for her presence that it actually makes more sense just to sit back and let Moffat trickle off the correct answers by using his Morse Code-like clues throughout the remaining episodes. It worked for The Silence didn't it?

 Coming on to The Silence, I think it's fair to say they are one of the scariest monsters for some time; in fact they are probably the most terrifying original villain since The Weeping Angels in which share some similarities with - the idea of thing happening once one's back is turned is something we all fear. There's nothing scarier than the unknown and unfamiliar and that's The Silence's key weapon in their arsenal; forgotten once you look away, now that's freaky. The scene with Amy in the orphanage was by far the highlight of this excellent episode and the moment when the tally marks re-appeared on her skin and The Silence entered the room was like a sequence ripped from a Guillermo del Toro picture; it was chilling, atmospheric and affecting.

 Another marvellous scene was the final battle which played out like an intergalactic war inside a TARDIS, and yet even inside this singular space, gallons of action, emotion and intrigue came flooding out. Toby Haynes captured this scene with great skill and intimacy and the end result was impeccable.

 The performances were outstanding and once again Karen Gillan was the star; her story lines are in a state of frenzy and she revels in this territory. Apart from the wonderfully horrific orphanage scene, her heartbreaking monologue through the Nano Recorder hand device was wonderful and a true example of her brilliant acting. Arthur Darvill was also great especially with the emotional scenes and Matt Smith and Alex Kingston was as brilliant as ever - their chemistry is charming and unusually harrowing; we all want The Doctor and River to become partners but their ever-crossing time-lines makes their romance nothing but an impossibility. I'm hoping we see much more of River soon because she is an incredible asset to the show.

 It may still be early days for the sixth series, but I think it's fair to say that 'Day of the Moon' will be a high point of 2011's 'Doctor Who' and indeed a high point of the year's television in general. It was mysterious, gripping and incredibly entertaining - Moffat, you've done it again.