Episode 266: Returning T Davies

As nobody else on the internet is talking about it, Martyn, Sam and their friend Antoni felt duty-bound to tell that world that legendary screenwriter Russell T. Davies, who was was responsible for reviving Doctor Who in 2005. Has announced that he will be returning to helm the show once again.

Davies was the showrunner for the first five years and oversaw the ninth and tenth iterations of the Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. During his tenure, he also launched two spin-offs ‘Torchwood’ and ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures.’

He will be coming back to the series for the 60th anniversary and beyond. He’ll be taking over from current showrunner, Chris Chibnall, who is leaving the series. Chibnall has been showrunner since 2016 when he took over from Steven Moffat and has been a very divisive showrunner amongst Doctor Who fans. He and Jodie Whittaker announced that they will be leaving the show together.

Russell T Davies said in a statement, “I’m beyond excited to be back on my favourite show. But we’re time-travelling too fast, there’s a whole series of Jodie Whittaker’s brilliant Doctor for me to enjoy, with my friend and hero Chris Chibnall at the helm – I’m still a viewer for now.”

Chris Chibnall added, “It’s monumentally exciting and fitting that ‘Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary will see one of Britain’s screenwriting diamonds return home. Russell built the baton that is about to be handed back to him — ‘Doctor Who,’ the BBC, the screen industry in Wales, and let’s be honest everyone in the whole world, have so many reasons to be Very Excited Indeed about what lies ahead.”

BBC director of drama Piers Wenger said, “As the 13th Doctor prepares to embark on new and extraordinary adventures, the winds of change are blowing… bringing with them news to delight ‘Doctor Who’ fans across the globe. We are thrilled that Russell is returning to Doctor Who to build on the huge achievements of Chris and Jodie. Thank you to the two of them and the team in Cardiff for all they continue to do for the show and hello Russell, it’s wonderful to have you back.”

Joining Russell on this new adventure will be Bad Wolf. A production company established by former Doctor Who producer, Julie Gardner.

Personally, I think this is tremendous news. Russell T Davies has written some phenomenal drama post-who, so I’m excited to see what he brings to this new era.

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

We also have a Smartlink.

Chris’ books can be purchased here.

Artwork by Penny Smallshire.

We sound familiar can be found here.

Comedians talking about football can be found here.

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. We also have a Ko-Fi.

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Episode 237: Remembering Connery, Sean Connery

Martyn and Chris pay tribute to the late, great Sir Sean Connery, discussing his legendary portrayal of James Bond and his other notable film roles. They also explore what they’d like to see in future James Bond video games, from more creative and challenging missions to improved AI for enemies.

In addition, Chris shares his decision to quit Twitter, citing the toxic environment and negative impact it was having on his mental health. The conversation delves into the broader issue of online toxicity and the importance of creating a healthier digital space.

Listeners are sure to enjoy this thoughtful and engaging discussion of one of cinema’s most iconic actors and the wider issues surrounding social media.

Check out the history of James Bond games.

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 Spotify, Amazon Music, PodchaserPlayer FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

We also have a Smartlink.

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

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Epsiode 229: talking comedy

Martyn, Chris, and Sam are back. This week, they’re talking comedy. But what exactly is comedy and, who decides what’s funny?

The dictionary describes comedy as;

professional entertainment consisting of jokes and sketches, intended to make an audience laugh.”

But, is that an accurate or relevant description? Your dynamic trio discuss their favourite comedians/influences, such as Lee Evans, Robin Williams, Paul Whitehouse, Shappi Khorsandi, Jon Culshaw and, Dave Chappelle.

They also talk about “cancel culture” and ask questions such as “should it be one rule for comedians and one rule for everyone else?” and “what role should context play when telling a joke?”

The intro is taking from Dave Chappelle’s 2019 Netflix special ‘sticks & stones’.

Buy our t-shirts.

The Big Finish audio that Chris appears on is available here.

Listen to Chris’ Second Doctor audio adventures.

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

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.

Check out We Sound Familiar.

Check out Comedians talking football.

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Sam-@Sammichaelcomic

Chris-@ChrisWalkerT

Artwork by Penny Smallshire

Episode 226: Star Trek-Picard

Martyn and Gerrod discuss the recent series of Star Trek: Picard, as well as other installments in the franchise. They also discuss world events and how funerals work in our strange times.

Star Trek: Picard premiered on January 23, 2020, and its first season ran for 10 episodes until March 26. The second and third seasons were ordered before the first season debuted. The series was met with positive reviews from critics, who highlighted Stewart’s performance and the focus on character over action but criticized the slow pace of the series. Several tie-in projects were created for the series, including an episode of the companion series Star Trek: Short Treks that serves as a prequel to Picard.

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.

Listen to Chris’ Second Doctor audio adventures.

Check out our Youtube.

Check out We Sound Familiar.

Check out Comedians talking football.

Twitter:

Martyn – @BadWilf

Gerrod –@InGerrodsMind

Pete – @BeeblePete

Sam-@Sammichaelcomic

Chris-@ChrisWalkerT

5 potential Doctor Who spin-offs

The BBC have tried multiple times over the years to launch a long running spin-off to Doctor Who, each of these have had varying degrees of success. For every Torchwood, there’s a Class. For every K-9 and company, there’s a Sarah Jane Adventures.

If you follow me on social media, you’ll know I’ve been predicting for a while that the BBC will launch a new Doctor Who spin-off, within the next 5 years.

Well, a source within the BBC has told me the organisation is in fact looking to make “a sci-fi show, set within an established universe”. No, I won’t tell you who. Yes, I understand how cryptic and frustrating “a source” can be to read. Logically speaking, that “established universe” can only be Doctor Who. The BBC doesn’t really have any other sci-fi shows and with the success of series 11, it would make sense to capitalise soon.



I don’t know quite what the BBC are looking for, but I’ve made a list of 5 potential spin-offs I think they should consider. I’ve left off any characters and spin-offs that are currently with Big Finish such as; Torchwood, River Song, Eighth Doctor etc. Because if they’re with Big Finish, it means the BBC have no plans for them.

5, The Ghost Chronicles.

Personally, I didn’t enjoy the Return of Doctor Mysterio. However, I do enjoy the core idea. Given the success of DC’s Arrowverse, there is clearly a market for fun/slightly camp superhero adventures and if I’m entirely honest, I’m always jealous when the Arrowverse does a huge ambitious cross-over, because Doctor Who could be doing that. Imagine the Journeys End/Stolen Earth storyline spread across Doctor Who, Torchwood and, The Sarah Jane Adventures. It’d be epic.

One of the problems with Class, is it didn’t feature any pre-established characters. The Ghost wouldn’t have this problem. Also, the character already has a comic book range, with Titan comics. So there’s clearly a market for it.

4, Time Agents.

When Captain Jack first appeared in Doctor Who, he was a loveable rogue on the run from “the time agency”. They mention the time agency has been disbanded in Torchwood and, Big Finish touch upon the organisation in ‘The Lives of Captain Jack’ but aside from that, we know very little about them. My head-canon has always included the time lord’s outsourcing to the Time Agency, when The Time War happened.

This show could have same basic principal as Doctor Who, but with a very different possibly darker dynamic. Think Torchwood, in space. Maybe even a guest appearance from a Doctor or two.

3, UNIT.

UNIT have been a major part of Doctor Who lore, ever since their debut in the ‘60s er 70’s er, 60’s. Now, I know you’re thinking ‘But Mart, you said you wouldn’t include spin-off’s that are with Big Finish’. I’m not, this would be a 70’s set X-Files type show, in the vein of Sapphire and Steel.

This idea would even lend itself to cameos from modern Doctors, as well as voice cameos from former Doctors and companions, imagine hearing Jo Grant’s voice from another room.

2, LINDA.

Alright, I know. Love and monsters sucks. But, the core idea is golden. The idea that people affected by The Doctor, would seek each other out and form a support group is genuinely fascinating. Why not expand on it?

This would also lend itself to modern and classic companions appearing, maybe LINDA (London Investigation ‘N’ Detective Agency) track down Ace, or Martha and Mickey, or Yaz, Ryan and Graham. The possibilities are endless.

1, Bannerman Road.

To many people, myself included, The Sarah Jane Adventures is still the best Doctor Who spin-off of all time. It was primarily aimed at the child audience. But some how, managed to simultaneously capture the spirit of the parent series, whilst being multilayered and enjoyable for all ages. A lot of the shows charm is down to the legendary, Elisabeth Sladen. Arguably, the true icon of the Whoniverse.

I knew who Sarah Jane Smith was, long before I’d ever seen an episode of Doctor Who. Fandom was left devastated in 2011, by Sladen’s untimely death. Not only did we lose an icon, we lost one of our favourite shows.

It’s been 12 years since SJA’s debut, so it would be a welcome treat for fans if the BBC brought the show back.

Though, obviously Sarah Jane could not feature. Fans would love to see what happened to her teenage friends and family. Maybe Rani is now a journalist, Luke a scientist, Skye might’ve just returned from university, perhaps Clyde is a teacher at Coal Hill. This show would also lend itself to appearances from classic and Nu-Who companions. Yaz, Ryan and Graham could also slot easily in, should any of them leave the TARDIS.

Obviously, in a universe as rich as Doctor Who, there are many different ideas that could be put forward for a Doctor Who spin-off.

But I feel the most logical is Bannerman Road. It’s modern day Earth and the characters all look human, so it would be relatively cheap to produce and I genuinely think there’s a story to be told here.

With Doctor Who having another gap year, there needs to be something to fill it. Especially, if this trend continues.

Geeky gift ideas

With Christmas fast-approaching, it’s time to start seeking out that special gift for the geek in your life. However, that presents its own challenge, as your average geeky will probably already have the latest toy, gadget or gizmo.

So, If you’re going to find the perfect gift, you’re going to need to think outside the Pandorica.

Below, we’ve compiled 4 of the hottest trinkets, for the geek in your life.

No matter what your budget is, we’ve got something to fit into it.

1, PS4 vinyls wraps

These are a great way to personalise your PS4. This premium quality vinyl wrap comes with two free matching stickers for your controllers. The precision cut to the exact dimensions. The panel comes as a separate piece for an easy application and a better way to show off your gaming console to all of your friends. The vinyl will ship within three days and is made from the highest quality in Oxford in the United Kingdom. The wrap skin does not have any residue upon removal. There are several video tutorials on applying the vinyl on your console or controllers, sure to help you get everything on in the correct place each and every time. There are a lot to choose from.

2, Doctor Who scarf

What better gift for the Doctor Who fan in your life, than this 13ft scarf? This is a replica of the scarf worn by Tom Baker, as The Fourth Doctor. I got this recently, when I went as The Doctor to a fancy dress party. I turned a lot of heads. This is perfect for both casual and hardcore fans, alike. This stunning scarf is truly iconic. It can be worn to battle Daleks, Sontarans and even Cybermen. Just be careful when running down corridors.

Lovarzzi also offer a shorter, more practical version of the scarf.

3, Bullshit button

This giant red button will make a hilarious statement to whoever needs to be confronted on their bullshit. Simply press the red button and make it light up and then the button will buzz loudly and announce “bullshit!”.

4, Star Trek enterprise pizza cutter

The Star Trek lover in your family is sure to appreciate this! And who doesn’t love pizza? Now you can have your pizza with a little Star Trek on it as well.

Slices Pies At Warp Speed Now you can own this genuine, licensed U.S.S. Enterprise” pizza cutter, formerly available only through Federation Restaurant Supply depots. And only to Star Trek” mess personnel. The solid zinc-alloy, chromium-plated body is in the shape of the starship itself. It’s 8-1/2″ long overall, with a 4″ dia cutting wheel marked “USS Enterprise NCC-1701.” Gift-boxed for your favorite Trekker. Functions well in zero gravity, but not for use on Tribbles.



6 comic book movies (most) people don’t realise are comic book movies 

Blade

  

I guess a lot of people missed the Marvel logo at the start of this movie, as it never fails to surprise me just how many still don’t realise it’s a comic book movie.  

Blade came on out in the summer of ’98 and was pretty successful, it had a budget of $45 million and ended its run with a profit of $70 million. 

New line took a huge gamble here, it came out a year after a run of unsuccessful and critically panned comic book movies; Spawn, Steel, Batman and Robin. Warner Bros had also just cancelled Superman Lives.

  
The success of this opened the doors for the first X-men movie, which in turn opened the doors for Spider-Man. 

Tamara Drewe

  
Yep, this one even surprised me. I had no idea Stephen Frears (director of The Queen) had made a comic book movie.

  

Tamara Drewe is a comic strip based on Thomas Hardy’s ‘far from the madding Cow’, that ran in The Guardian.

A history of violence
  

A History of Violence is the most recent on my list. It’s a gripping thriller that tells the tale of a small-town man whose violent past suddenly catches up with him, when he stops a robbery at his store. 

  

The film differs from the comic in many ways. It’s more of straightforward crime story in the books, with much of the series dedicated to showing us the character’s backstory. 
The film plays with ambiguity a lot more and leaves the wider spectrum to the viewers imagination.

Men in black

  

Before it was a successful Sony franchise, Men in black was a Marvel comic book series. Like the film, the comic follows a top-secret organisation who defend the Earth. 

Unlike the film the MIB don’t just defend the world from alien threats. They also defend it from the supernatural, Demons, Werewolves, Vampires etc. It also has a much darker tone.

  
We still follow agents Jay and Kay, but agent Jay is a blonde white guy and the MIB aren’t quite the heroes the film portrays. 

The Mask

  
Most remember this as one of Jim Carrey’s break-out 1994 movies. But its origin is also rooted in comic form. 

Both the film and the comic have the same basic idea; a man discovers a magical mask that transforms him into an unstoppable force. 

In the film, the mask just amplifies your inner personality, if you’re a hopeless romantic, you become what Jim Carrey’s character did. 

  
However, In the series of comics by Dark Horse, the mask turns the wearer into a violent vigilante who dispenses cruel justice. In fact, New Line very nearly made it as horror, before opting to make it a comedy. 

This gave Jim Carrey a hat-trick of successful comedies in 1994.

Road to Perdition

  
Published by DC Comics’ Paradox Press, ‘Road to Perdition’ tells the tale of the O’Sullivan family. We follow them, and their dealings with criminal underworld from the 1930’s-19’70s. The movie is set in the 30’s and is based on the first graphic novel, even though the film feels like “Oscar Bait” it’s surprisingly faithful to its source.