Category: Reviews

Review-Doctor Who: The Gemini Contagion

As the anticipation builds for the 2011 series of Doctor Who, fans can get their fix with the return of the last Time Lord in audiobook form. Meera Syal, known for her role as Nasreen Chaudry in the Silurians two-parter from series 5, delivers an excellent performance, capturing the essence of every character with ease.

The story itself is reminiscent of the late great Douglas Adams, with a focus on a new anti-viral handwash named Gemini that has been laced with Meme-Spawn, a sentient microorganism that makes the user fluent in every universal language. However, the manufacturers failed to test it on humans, resulting in violent communication in every language at once. The Doctor and Amy find themselves on an Earth-bound cargo ship loaded with Gemini and an infected crew, with Amy facing infection herself. The Doctor must decide between saving Amy or the Earth.

The audio quality is impressive, and the story is so gripping that you’ll find yourself wishing it was an episode of the TV series. The only minor niggle is the believability of the manufacturer not testing the product on humans before selling it to them. But overall, this under-a-tenner audiobook is a great value and a must-listen for any Doctor Who fans craving a quick fix.


Review-Torchwood:Ghost Train

With open arms, Torchwood fans welcomed the latest instalment of their beloved series, Ghost Train, written by the talented James Goss. Goss, who has penned several Doctor Who and Torchwood novels, including the 2009 audio play The Golden Age, proves his mettle once again with this gripping tale.

Set between Series 2 and Children of Earth, Ghost Train is a first-person narrative centred around Rhys Williams, brought to life by the incomparable Kai Owen. Owen’s vocal prowess is on full display, with clear enunciation and spot-on characterizations that never distract from the engaging story.

The plot starts with missing fridges, but it quickly becomes clear that something far more sinister is afoot. The strange occurrences, from radios instructing people to kill to SatNavs urging drivers to run over pedestrians, all point to a mysterious train that has recently pulled into a long-abandoned station. As it turns out, the train is coming from a world that has just been destroyed, and whatever is coming from that world is coming to this one.

Clocking in at just under two hours and twenty minutes across two CDs, Ghost Train is a thrilling ride that never feels too long. Kai’s impeccable portrayal of the Torchwood team, especially his spot-on rendition of Gareth David-Lloyd’s dry wit as Ianto, will have fans smiling from ear to ear. The story is expertly paced, balancing moments of levity with nail-biting suspense that keep listeners on the edge of their seats.

Like all other Torchwood Audiobooks, Ghost Train should be considered canon, and the inclusion of a £5 off code for first-time purchasers only sweetens the deal. Simply put, Ghost Train is a must-listen for any Torchwood fan looking for an engaging, immersive audio experience.

Episode 14: Sarah Jane Series Four

A Sarah Jane filled episode in which Martyn looks at the vault of secrets, then Martyn and Gerrod look at Death of The Doctor.

Martyn and David Montieth from Geek Syndicate talking about Lost in Time.

The Sarah Jane Adventures is a British science-fiction television programme, that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC science fiction programme Doctor Who and is aimed at a younger audience than Doctor Who. It focuses on the adventures of Sarah Jane Smith, an investigative journalist who, as a young woman, had numerous adventures across time and space.



The series debuted on BBC One with a 60-minute special, “Invasion of the Bane”, on 1 January 2007, and broadcast through till 2011, up until Sladen’s death. It was nominated for a British Academy Children’s Award in 2008 in the Drama category, and for a BAFTA Cymru in 2009 in the Children’s Drama category.[1][2] The programme won a Royal Television Society 2010 award for Best Children’s Drama

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

If you’d like to support the show, then please shop via our Amazon link. A small percentage goes our way, at no extra cost to you.

Check out our Youtube.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

David-@GeekSyndicate

(we have a new explicit tag! Don’t worry, we don’t overly swear, we’re still good boys … ish)

Episode 12: The Wilfs of Fenric

In episode 12 of the podcast, we discuss The Doctor Who: The Curse of Fenric, The Star Wars 3D re-releases and much, much more.

They also check out Him & Her, Get Him to the Greek and, Sesame Street: True Mud.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to;

Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

If you’d like to support the show, then please shop via our Amazon link. A small percentage goes our way, at no extra cost to you.

Check out our Youtube.

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Episode 11: Human Nature

In episode 11,  Gerrod and I stay the most on-topic we have ever been. We discuss Doctor Who: Human Nature.

“Human Nature” is the eighth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was originally broadcast on BBC One on 26 May 2007. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature. Its second part, “The Family of Blood”, aired on 2 June. Along with “The Family of Blood”, it was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form in 2008.[1]

In the episode, the alien time traveler the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) hides from his pursuers, the Family of Blood, in 1913 England. He transforms himself into a human and implants the false persona of a schoolteacher called “John Smith” to avoid detection until the Family’s life runs out.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to;

Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

If you’d like to support the show, then please shop via our Amazon link. A small percentage goes our way, at no extra cost to you.

Check out our Youtube.

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Episode 10: Hulk Boobs

Martyn and Gerrod discuss Sherlock, Doctor Who: The Lodger, a pair of Hulk boobs and the recent interview with Torchwood’s Kai Owen. They also get Glen’s view on Doctor Who.

“The Lodger” is the eleventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One on 12 June 2010. It was written by Gareth Roberts, who based the story on his 2006 Doctor Who Magazine comic strip “The Lodger”.

The episode features the Doctor (Matt Smith) stranded on Earth and separated from his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), when an unknown force prevents his time-travelling spaceship, the TARDIS, from landing. To investigate, he moves into the flat of Craig Owens (James Corden) and attempts to fit in with ordinary humans while unknowingly playing matchmaker for Craig and his good friend Sophie (Daisy Haggard).



The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

Check out our Youtube.

If you’d like to support the show, then please shop via our Amazon link. A small percentage goes our way, at no extra cost to you.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf



Episode 06: The Vampires of Venice

In episode 6, Gerrod and I discuss ‘The Vampires of Venice’, ‘Amy’s Choice’.

“The Vampires of Venice” is the sixth episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was broadcast on 8 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Toby Whithouse, who previously wrote “School Reunion”, and was directed by the first-time Doctor Who director Jonny Campbell.

Following from the end of “Flesh and Stone” where his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) had kissed him, the alien time traveler the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) picks up Amy’s fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill) and takes the two on a romantic trip to Venice in 1580. There they are intrigued by a girls’ school whose students appear to be vampires and discover that they are really alien refugees in disguise, who plot to make Venice their new home.

“Amy’s Choice” is the seventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first broadcast on BBC One on 15 May 2010. It was written by sitcom writer Simon Nye and directed by Catherine Morshead.

In the episode, the Eleventh Doctor, a time-traveling alien played by Matt Smith, and his human traveling companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), are in a trap set by the mysterious “Dream Lord” (Toby Jones), wherein they repeatedly fall asleep and wake up in a different reality. In one, Amy and Rory are happily married but pursued by elderly people possessed by aliens, while in another they are on board the Doctor’s time machine, the TARDIS, where they anticipate being frozen to death by a nearby astronomical phenomenon. They must decide which is the real reality and die in the dream, to wake up in reality and escape the trap. At the episode’s conclusion, the Dream Lord is ultimately revealed to be a manifestation of the Doctor’s dark side and self-loathing.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

Check out our Youtube.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

Episode 04: Bad Wilf Harder

In this episode, Gerrod and I are joined by our good friend Glen. Glen has never seen Doctor Who, so we showed him, Rose and Blink.

“Rose” is the opening episode of the first series of the revived British science fiction television program Doctor Who. The episode was directed by Keith Boak and written by Russell T Davies who was also one of the three executive producers. It was originally broadcast in the UK on BBC One on 26 March 2005. “Rose” was the first Doctor Who episode to air since the Doctor Who television film in 1996.

In the episode, the London department store worker Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) gets caught in the middle of the alien time traveller the Doctor’s (Christopher Eccleston) plot to prevent an invasion of the Earth by the Nestene Consciousness (voiced by Nicholas Briggs) and the Autons after the Doctor destroys Rose’s workplace.

“Blink” is the tenth episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was originally broadcast on 9 June 2007 on BBC One. The episode was directed by Hettie MacDonald and is the only episode in the 2007 series written by Steven Moffat. The episode is based on a previous short story written by Moffat for the 2006 Doctor Who Annual, entitled “‘What I Did on My Christmas Holidays’ By Sally Sparrow”.

In the episode, the Tenth Doctor—a time-travelling alien played by David Tennant—is trapped in 1969 and tries to communicate with a young woman in 2007, Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan), to prevent the statue-like Weeping Angels from taking control of the TARDIS. Sparrow and her best friend’s brother, Larry Nightingale (Finlay Robertson), must unravel a set of cryptic clues sent through time by the marooned Doctor, left in DVD Easter eggs.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

Check out our Youtube.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

Episode 03: The Three Doctors

In episode 3, we speak about ‘The Three Doctors’ but Skype traps Gerrod in a time eddy and Martyn has to go solo.

The Three Doctors is the first serial of the tenth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 December 1972 to 20 January 1973.

In the serial, the solar engineer Omega (Stephen Thorne), the creator of the experiments that allowed the Time Lords to travel in time, seeks revenge on the Time Lords after he was left for dead in a universe made of antimatter. The Time Lords recruit the time travelers the First Doctor (William Hartnell), the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), and the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee) for help when Omega drains their civilisation’s power.

The serial opened the tenth anniversary year of the series and features the first three Doctors all appearing in the same serial. This makes it the first Doctor Who story in which an earlier incarnation of the Doctor returns to the show.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, Podchaser, Player FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

Check out our Youtube.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

Doctor Who audio review: The Sirens of Time

In practice, the story’s shape gets in the way. Gallifrey is in a state of crisis, facing destruction at the hands of an overwhelming enemy. And the Doctor is involved in three different incarnations – each caught up in a deadly adventure, scattered across time and space. The web of time is threatened – and someone wants the Doctor dead. The three incarnations of the Doctor must join together to set time back on the right track – but in doing so, will they unleash a still greater threat? (synopsis)

In The Sirens of Time, fan service is performed to a five-star degree. In the first moment of Part One, a Gallifreyan tannoy voice delivers an alert in accurate, Deadly Assassin style. The meeting of the Doctors’ minds later on is a good mix of the sound heard in The Three Doctors and something better suited to accompany the memory flashbacks that the three share.

Each of the three Doctors get an episode to themselves then converge in the conclusion. In practice, this story structure is a bit disorienting. The three short pieces don’t get much time to develop before the fourth on Gallifrey gets into gear. Although the plot seems to have no holes it doesn’t come together in the way I imagine the makers hoped.

Doctor Who is usually better for me in reruns and this was no exception. Doubtless most of the actors will have completely forgotten having done this job but that’s fine with me; they’ve left behind some good performances. I hope they had some laughs and maybe earned a penny or two because my side of the equation’s worked out pretty well.

Check out the trailer.

[amazon_link asins=’1903654289′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’bawi-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’0ffb29ac-3401-11e8-88ce-d3a172b14bd8′][amazon_link asins=’1781789460′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’bawi-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’1b2c2667-3401-11e8-8825-8ff4b38be22d’]