Category: Reviews

Review-Worzel Gummidge: Saucy Nancy

Following last year’s festive specials, we’re back in Scatterbrook accompanying Worzel Gummidge on another madcap adventure. As with the last two, ‘Saucy Nancy’ is written and directed by Executive Producer Mackenzie Crook.

Worzel is rich, for a scarecrow. He’s found £20 and the money is burning a hole in his pocket, he wants to buy a door. So he enlists ‘the chillun’ Susan (India Brown) and John (Thierry Wickens) to help him find one. Whilst at a salvage yard, he stumbles across his old foul-mouthed friend, Saucy Nancy (Shirley Henderson). The sea is calling Nancy and she wants to get back to it, our trio of heroes vow to help her.

The two specials last year were undoubtedly the highlight of the festive period. This year is no different. This is a well-written and well-directed family adventure, bursting with heart and humour. Once again, Brown and Wickens feel like brother and sister and the entire cast have such natural chemistry, that a walking talking scarecrow seems like the most normal thing in the world. Shirley Henderson is an absolutely wonderful addition, in all her (scarecrow) sweary ways. There’s also a great turn from Venessa Redgrave as “Peg”.

Steve Pemberton and Rosie Cavaliero take more of a back seat in this, as Mr and Mrs Braithwaite, but they’re both still excellent in their respective roles. Mr Braithwaite has even softened to the kids “these two are different, they’re keepers” he tells his wife.

After the year we’ve had, it was extremely comforting slipping back into the innocent world of Worzel Gummidge. This show is about love, hope and trust, which is what we could all do with right now.

Mackenzie Crook has once again proved, that he is more than a worthy successor to Jon Pertwee. Ten Acre Field is in very safe hands.

Worzel Gummidge: Saucy Nancy – airs tonight at 5:55pm on BBC One.

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Review-The Ghost of Christmas (Ghosts Christmas special)

Alison and Mike are hosting Christmas at Button House, with his family joining them. Mike has taken control and is determined everything run as smoothly as possible. However, with a house full of ghosts and interfering parents, it’s not long before “the incredible sulk” has one of his annual meltdowns. As for the ghosts, they’re not big fans of Christmas.

It turns out the festive season isn’t much fun if you’re dead, Julian says “it’s just not the same when you’re dead. Can’t drink booze, can’t flirt with the filly’s at the Christmas Party if you can’t do that. What’s the point?”.



It’s Julian that takes most the focus of the special when a new arrival forces him to confront his old behaviour. Throughout the episode, he has a series of revelations that help all the ghosts rediscover the joy of Christmas.

The other ghosts mostly take a supporting role, with The Captain (Ben Willbond) taking offence to the Queen’s speech being televised “an officer and a gentleman should not be privy to the colour and thickness of the Queen’s curtain’s”. Robin (Laurence Rickard) believes Christmas is “just a fad”.

The special is full of everything you’d expect from this show. As always, the cast is uniformly great, Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe feel like an authentic couple. Mike’s family feel like a real family, his sisters irritate him in the way only siblings can. The jokes vary from clever to crude, with strong performances all round.

The Ghosts Christmas special is the perfect way to tide us over until series 3.

The Ghost of Christmas airs on BBC One, at 20:30 on December 23rd.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review-Doctor Who: Grey man of the mountain

Something haunts the peak of Ben MacDui.
Something with heavy footsteps, striking terror in the hearts of those who sense it. With climbers going missing, retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart visits Scotland to investigate.
But when some old friends join his ascent, he worries that they will make things even more dangerous. As the snows blow in, and mists surround them, the Doctor, Ace and the Brigadier will face the Grey Man of the Mountain…


This year’s Christmas offer from Big Finish is a pretty strong release, it’s more subtle than last year’s ‘Blood on Santa’s Claw and Other Stories’. Written by Verity’s Lizabeth Myles, it teams The Brigadier up with The Seventh Doctor and Ace. Jon Culshaw plays the role exceptionally well. He’s so pitch-perfect that, if you didn’t know this wasn’t Nicholas Courtney, you wouldn’t know this wasn’t Nicholas Courtney.




McCoy and Aldred are on top form as always. The setting and environment make for a tense and unnerving experience. The audio is so vivid, I could see the action playing out in my mind’s eye. This felt like a Seventh Doctor/Ace era storyline. The audio even plays around with Ace’s sexuality, by maybe possibly giving her a love interest with Lucy Goldie’s vlogger character. The pair of have such natural chemistry.
There are a few niggles though. Vivien Read slightly overplays the landlady. It’s like she’s in completely different story-at times she reminded me of David Walliams’ Scottish riddler from Little Britain.
The audio also overruns by about 30 minutes. This, plus a sizeable guest cast makes material thin on the ground, I found myself starting to drift a bit towards the end.


Those nitpick’s aside, Grey man of the mountain is an immersive, atmospheric and underplayed Christmas special. Which takes full advantage of its setting, cast and the medium of telling a story for audio.

⭐⭐⭐

Doctor Who: Grey man of the mountain is available to purchase directly from Big Finish. 



Episode 239: The War Master: Hearts of Darkness

Martyn is joined by Dominic G Martin AKA Who Chaser.

The Duo discusses the fifth series in The War Doctor range, by Big Finish Productions. (there are some spoilers). They also talk about Dominic’s love for cosplay, his fan audios and, YouTube channel.

The War Master is a character played by Sir Derek Jacobi, that originated in the TV series Doctor Who.

The War Master: Hearts of Darkness is available to purchase directly from Big Finish.

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

We also have a Smartlink.



Equipment used in the creation of this feature was purchased through a grant from Graeae and The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

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.

Chris is taking part in Movember if you’d like to donate you can do so here.

Check out our Youtube, We Sound Familiar and, Comedians talking football.

Socials:

Twitter:

Dominic-@DominicJGMartin

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Sam-@Sammichaelcomic

Instagram:

Dominic-@dominusoftime

Martyn-@BadWilf

Chris-@ChrisWalkerThomsonofficial

Sam-@Sammichaelol



Episode 238: A Moffaty Christmas

On the podcast this week Martyn and Chris discuss and review the Steven Moffat era, of Doctor Who Christmas specials.

The Doctor Who Christmas episodes started with “The Christmas Invasion” in 2005 and ended with 2017’s “Twice Upon a Time“.

Your dynamic duo also discuss if moving from Christmas Day to a New Year’s Day slot, is good for the series.

Listen to our review of the Russell T Davies Christmas specials here.

Martyn’s interview with Steven Moffat can be found here. The interview with David Bradley and Claudia Grant can be found here.



Equipment used in the creation of this feature was purchased through a grant from Graeae and The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

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.

Chris is taking part in Movember, if you’d like to donate you can do so here.

Check out our Youtube, We Sound Familiar and, Comedians talking football.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Sam-@Sammichaelcomic

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

Chris-@ChrisWalkerThomsonofficial

Sam-@Sammichaelol



Episode 233: Halloween (1978)

For the first time in 11 years, we bring you a Halloween special. This was an impromptu episode recorded 15 minutes after Martyn and Gerrod saw Halloween at the local Odeon.

Your dynamic duo discusses John Carpenter’s seminal classic, Halloween.

Equipment used in the creation of this feature was purchased through a grant from Graeae and The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.



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.

Chris is taking part in Movember if you’d like to donate you can do so here.

Check out our Youtube, We Sound Familiar and, Comedians talking football.

Socials:

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Sam-@Sammichaelcomic

Instagram:

Martyn-@BadWilf

Chris-@ChrisWalkerThomsonofficial

Sam-@Sammichaelol



Review-Wake Up: Why the world has gone nuts

Whether you love him or loathe him, agree or disagree with him. You can’t ignore Piers Morgan. He’s on your TV. He’s been debated in Parliament. Even if you’ve got him blocked or muted, he’s on your Twitter timeline.

Through years of influential roles in journalism and broadcasting, Piers Morgan has positioned himself as a high-profile cultural commentator. He’s a divisive figure, best-known for his abrasive and combative interview style. For the past few years, he’s been the co-host of Good Morning Britain, an ITV show that boasts impressive viewing figures. It’s his experiences co-hosting this show, that provides the backdrop for his book. ‘Wake Up’ deals with issues of gender, Hollywood hypocrisy, identity politics and, free speech.



The book was originally intended to be a series of short essays, where Morgan would give his opinion on modern life. But then Covid 19 happened so the focus shifted. It’s told in diary form written between January-July 2020. Morgan examines all of the hot topic subjects one by one, as they occur. 2020 has been such a crazy ride, that I’d forgotten half the events Morgan talks about at the start of the book.

He makes some compelling arguments and he makes them well – for example when calling out Hollywood hypocrisy, he cites Natalie Portman’s speech at an awards show. Portman decried Hollywood’s lack of female directors, despite owning a production company that has only hired one female director, Natalie Portman.

At times, the book can come across as tabloid sensationalism and, I disagree with Piers Morgan on a lot of issues. However, I found Wake Up to be an interesting, engaging and entertaining read. Morgan argues that cancelling people isn’t the answer, instead, we should listen and find common ground. On that, I agree with him.

Review-Borat: subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years since ‘Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan’ took the world by storm. In a time when things have changed so much, Borat’s return in the sequel ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan’ might be just what we need to cut through the noise and see ourselves for who we really are.

The film begins with Kazakhstan’s fourth most celebrity, Borat Sagdiyev, doing hard labour in a gulag. After the first film, his fame brought shame and ridicule to his country, causing exports of potassium and pubis to plummet. Borat became a pariah, with all but one of his children despising him. Premier Nazarbayev offers him one last chance to redeem himself by travelling to America and delivering a gift to Vice President Mike Pence: Johnny the monkey.

But how does a sequel mockumentary work when the entire world knows the character? Spectacularly, it turns out. The film mostly follows the same plot structure as the first, with Borat and his daughter Tutar travelling together, having a falling out, and then reuniting. Cohen plays Borat in disguise for most of the film, with newcomer Maria Bakalova delivering an excellent performance as Tutar.

Cohen’s dedication to method acting is evident in his staying in character for five days straight while filming. He’s easily the Peter Sellers of our time, and his chemistry with Bakalova makes their father-daughter relationship completely believable. What follows is a cutting satire of our modern-day lives mixed with a heartwarming family narrative.

Borat and Tutar’s antics get people to reveal they’re true colours in hilarious and disturbing ways. When Borat casually asks a store owner if a can of propane would gas 20 Gypsies, the store owner replies with “maybe the bigger one.” He also happily puts Tutar in a cage. However, because Borat is in disguise so much, certain scenes can feel more like Cohen’s ‘Who is America?’ than a straight-up Borat sequel.

Like the first film, this sequel gleefully basks in its very un-PC humour, but that’s part of what makes it work so well. It’s a serious work of social criticism that might just get us all reevaluating how we think about racism, bigotry, and sexism. Is it offensive? Yes. But if you’re easily offended, maybe this film isn’t for you.

Exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, October 23, 2020




Review-Mulan

Except The Jungle Book, Disney’s live-action remakes have failed to capture the magic of their animated predecessors. Mulan, however, had the potential to break this trend with a cast full of martial arts experts and breathtaking sets. Unfortunately, the film fails to deliver on its promise, despite having many promising parts.

One of the biggest deviations from the 1998 source material is the absence of musical numbers and the romantic subplot. In addition, the wisecracking dragon, Mushu, has been replaced with a less effective soaring phoenix. While the film is visually stunning, with impeccably designed costumes and sets, the CGI and green screen work are sometimes dodgy, which detracts from the overall experience.

Liu Yifei’s performance as Mulan is great, but she fails to convince as a man. Her feminine appearance throughout the film makes it difficult to suspend disbelief. The action set pieces, which should be spectacular given the cast of renowned martial arts experts, are either bad or mediocre, which is a real shame.

In the end, Mulan 2020 is just Mulan 1998 with the fun taken out. Despite having all the necessary ingredients for success, the film fails to bring them together in a satisfying way. My advice would be to wait until it’s free to stream on Disney+ rather than spend money on a disappointing cinematic experience.

Review: Ghosts series 2-The Grey Lady

In the first episode of the highly anticipated second series of Ghosts. Alison and Mike try to find new money-making ventures to fund the restoration of Button House.


When a photographer takes a photo of the property, for a potential wedding venue. He spots a blurry Lady Button (Martha Howe-Douglas) in the upstairs window. The photo of the house goes viral, with social media users dubbing her “the grey lady”. When paranormal fans from far and wide show up at the house, Mike spots a lucrative opportunity. He convinces Alison they should give people an authentic haunted house experience. Unfortunately, Julian (Simon Farnaby) has convinced the rest of the ghosts to go on strike.

Made by most of the creative minds behind Horrible History, Ghosts was a personal highlight of 2019. With so many comedies nowadays having a bleak edge, It’s refreshing to see a family-friendly comedy, that reminded me of the type of shows I watched with my parents as a kid.


An unspecified amount of time has passed since we were last with the residents of Button House. As soon as she wakes up in the morning, Alison checks the bathroom is clear of specters, so Mike can use it. She then attends to the Ghosts needs. She starts records, helps with crosswords, turns pages in books, opens laptops, and, times the Captain (Ben Willbond) running a lap, he feels he isn’t achieving his best. This was a great way to show the passage of time and just how comfortable the residents have gotten with each other. Mike even has a board, with photos and sketches of the ghosts. So he can picture who Alison is talking to.



Charlotte Ritchie and Kiell Smith-Bynoe have such great natural chemistry and remain totally believable as a kind-hearted couple, who are completely out of their depth. They also deal with the disbelief young home-owners experience, when they tell visitors they own the house.
The rest of the cast are all equally outstanding, everyone involved with this is at the very top of their game. There’s even a great guest turn from Colin Hoult, who never disappoints. My personal highlight was Pat (Jim Howick) and Thomas (Mathew Baynton) pretending to be 80s disc jockeys.

2020 has been a dark year for us all, it’s great to finally see some light.

Ghosts returns tonight at 8:30 pm on BBC One. With all episodes on iPlayer after that.

Stars Charlotte Ritchie, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, and others.


⭐⭐⭐⭐