vivdunstan

Just got to this 2012 episode in my Matt Smith era rewatch. And crikey it's much better than I remembered! It starts with a bonkers Steven Moffat esque mass of different time settings / characters pulled from there. Though it's written by Chris Chibnall. Then it turns into a comedic but also very dark in places space set story. With dinosaurs. With the Doctor and pals riding on a dinosaur. Oh and Queen Nefertiti. I was stunned by the guest cast, especially David Bradley as the baddie, Mark Williams as Rory's dad Brian, and Rupert Graves (Lestrade in Sherlock). But also comedy duo Mitchell & Webb voicing the robots. Who were very, very funny, in a Hitchhikers-esque way. I did find some of the location work distracting: that beach has been used too often in the series, including this time reminding me most of The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone. But that's a minor quibble. This was a bonkers concept, packed full of stuff, balancing light and dark elements, and just very well done. I remember Chris Chibnall's episode a couple on from here also being a strong one - the one that introduced Kate Stewart. What happened later?! Was it just that he had really good characters to write for here? Baffling. But this was good.

Following on from my earlier post about Robin of Sherwood I'll be posting some more early fandom musings here. Likely topics include - but are not limited to - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Blake's 7, Sapphire & Steel, Vincent Price / Roger Corman movies, Knightmare, ABBA and more. All musings on some of my early - pre adult - fandom experiences.

I'm working steadily through this year's IFComp interactive fiction game entries, playing, judging and reviewing as many as I can. This morning I had fun with a sequel to Infocom's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Next I'm eyeing (1) a horror thriller set in 1970s Venice, (2) a game where I have to stop a berserker at a circus using a bunch of clown props, and (3) a game combining Hans Christian Andersen storytelling plus time travel.

Was just checking my profile on Doctor Who fan forum Gallifrey Base. And thought it might be worth sharing some of my answers here too.

Favorite Doctor: David Tennant
Favorite Companion: Sarah Jane Smith
Favorite Master: Derek Jacobi
Favorite Classic Doctor Who Story: City of Death
Favorite New Doctor Who Episode: The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances
Favorite Television Shows: Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Danger Mouse, The Avengers, Babylon 5, Robin of Sherwood
Favorite Films: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Fellowship of the Ring, Back to the Future
Favorite Musicians/Bands: ABBA, Runrig
Favorite Books: Lord of the Rings, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the Discworld series
Year You Became a Doctor Who Fan: 1978