Now Showing - DalekbusterScreen5's reviews

Let's Kill Hitler
With Donald Trump being the only republican candidate in America for their presidency I thought it would be fun to look at an episode with a similarly unlikeable person: Let's Kill Hitler. Those three words are not necessarily what you would expect a Doctor Who episode to be called so it is a surprise they decided to call it that, although I suspect it was more to grab the attention of the media rather than a title picked because it suited the episode.

The title is very misleading and many quite rightly felt disappointed by it. Personally, I didn't; whilst I liked the idea of an episode set in the past with an evil dictator as the 'historical celebrity' it was never a necessity for me that this episode featured Hitler (Albert Welling) much. It is more focused on the origins of River Song (Alex Kingston) and the Teslecta's (various) attempt to take her down due to their knowledge of her killing the Doctor (Matt Smith). This in my view is a much more interesting story to tell than Mel (Nina Toussaint-White, later River) trying to kill Hitler even if at this point River Song is becoming more of an annoying character than one that's enjoyable to watch. She's a lot more bearable here than in other series six stories though and the episode overall is a lot of fun to watch. This is definitely on the lighter spectrum of Doctor Who episodes, especially when you have a scene where Rory (Arthur Darvill) shoves Hitler in a cupboard.

The best thing about this story is by far the set design. It looks perfect and probably one of the best recreations the show has had to a particular past period so far. You get a strong sense of world-building and character from the look of Hitler's office alone. You can tell the designers spent a lot of time designing the set of this one. Even the outdoor scenes look like the cast and crew have time travelled back to World War 2.

Albert Welling is very convincing as Hitler and it would have been great to have seen a lot more of him. Again, I thought the story focused on a more interesting point but it would have been fun to have seen the Doctor forced to team up with Hitler (or something along those lines). Alex Kingston is perfect as a newly-regenerated River too, although Nina Toussaint-White felt a bit flat at Mels. The main cast are great as always but Arthur Darvill in particular really shines here. He has brilliant comedic timing in this episode, especially near the beginning with Hitler. 'Shut up, Hitler' has to be my favourite line from the episode.

Overall, Let's Kill Hitler is a great episode that unfortunately suffers from a misleading title and an underused Albert Welling.

Yes, an indication of Steven Moffat's subsequent plan to "slut it up", a phrase which was even more unexpected given the programme's family audience — things have changed.

I think the show has certainly got darker, although I suspect the Philip Hinchcliffe era would have been similar with the special effects resources available now compared to 30 years ago.

The Hinchcliffe era managed to be scary enough without special effects resources!

What I meant was that Steven Moffat's manner of communication with the audience hasn't appealed to me at all, often being coarse and inappropriate. From what I can remember of Chris Chibnall, I expect a better standard when he takes over (says me, who probably still won't be watching even then).

One potential problem with Chris Chibnall is if he plays it a bit safe. He seems like a 'safe' writer to me but Doctor Who should be taking risks.

Yeah it should, but being as casual as Moffat has in what he says in Doctor Who literature and interviews is one risk too many for me.

42

This is a spoiler review.

Whilst we're on the subject of Chris Chibnall, let's take a look at his first episode for Doctor Who: 42. 42 was written in response to the popular TV series 24, in which the action takes place in real time over 24 hours divided into 24 one hour episodes. Chris Chibnall took this concept and applied it to an episode of Doctor Who, having the entire episode taking place over 42 minutes in real time.

To me, this really benefits the episode. It makes it feel 'real', as though we're watching events take place as they actually unfold. It's a clever concept and one that I applaud Chris Chibnall taking from 24. Kudos to him also for making a Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy reference by having it 42 minutes as opposed to 45 (although this episode isn't quite the answer to life, the universe and everything). The story follows the Doctor and Martha arriving on the spaceship S.S. Pentallian after receiving a distress call and find that it is out of control hurtling towards the sun. The sun starts possessing the crew angry at them for illegally using it as fuel and the Doctor and Martha have 42 minutes to save them and the ship. This is a fun and lively action-orientated episode of the show but it also has a few very creepy moments such as when the Doctor also finds himself possessed. It features one of the greatest moments you can have in Doctor Who that has been done a few times in the new series, where the Doctor himself is no longer in control and is scared of the situation. If the Doctor is scared, you know they are in deep trouble and Chris Chibnall plays this brilliantly.

It's not all good; it isn't the best episode by a long mile. It can feel a little generic and the scene at the end with Francine's call being monitored by a group of people working for Mr Saxon feels a little shoehorned in. It doesn't get the recognition it deserves though as a great episode of series 3. It is definitely among the strongest Chris Chibnall has written for the show.

One of the greatest soap actors Michelle Collins features too. Michelle Collins is known for playing Cindy in EastEnders (a show that I personally hate) and Stella in Coronation Street. Here, she plays Kath McDonnell and provides one of the best supporting character performances of the show. She is very believable and whilst not good enough to be recurring character status, provides a very strong portrayal of a character who is desperate in the circumstances of the ship's crashing. David Tennant and Freema Ageyman are on top form, especially David Tennant who is unbelievably scary when he is possessed by the sun. I think this is one of David Tennant's finest performances as the Doctor; it's just chilling when he utters 'Burn With Me, Martha'. Those four words have a powerful effect on the audience in not only showing the lead character possessed but also in David Tennant's performance that there is still a bit of the Doctor there who's scared and doesn't quite know what to do. This is why David Tennnant is the best Doctor; he gave such a layered performance in the role.

Overall, 42 is a great episode told in real time with strong action scenes and some scary moments. Some may find it generic and the end scene is a bit forced to suit the Mr Saxon arc of series 3 but Michelle Collins is great as Kath McDonnell and David Tennant is terrifying as the possessed Doctor.

I can't remember it clearly enough to offer much – it definitely had something and as you say the possession of the Doctor was very good, similar to Midnight. What I do recall is the awkward timing of the episode coming out after Danny Boyle's Sunshine. I haven't seen the film so I've no idea how the productions differ or match.

That's true. It couldn't be helped though and isn't a problem that Doctor Who hasn't faced before.

Britain's Got Talent - Episode 5

When there's something strange in your neighborhood...who ya gonna call?

The Britain's Got Talent judging panel it seems, for last night's show was full of many strange acts. Some good, some bad, some outright bizarre and a hell of a lot of pop culture. It felt like one strange crossover, as though entering a parallel dimension where all these fictional universes exist among our own. It was by far the most bizarre episode of Britain's Got Talent to date; they even had Scaramouche from We Will Rock You audition. Rachael Wooding performed as both Scarmouche and another character called Meat in one of my favourite West End musicals and she is definitely one to watch.

But let's talk about the most interesting part of tonight's episode: the crossovers. The episode started with David Walliams driving Simon Cowell around in the Ecto-1 and it has to be by far the coolest opening for the show they've ever done. Just seeing the Ecto-1 in action was fun but the fact that it had the siren (which they accidentally set off despite being told off-camera they weren't allowed to do) made it even better. There was so much attention to detail too, with the ghost's head in the No-Ghost logo replaced with Simon's (although quite why David Walliams is driving around the very person his logo is claiming he is trying to bust is anyone's guess). They even used the theme song - shame Simon Cowell didn't sing along to it.

From Ghostbusters came my number one favourite thing in the entire world - Doctor Who, as the first auditionee decided to audition under the name Davros. His real name? Paul. He should have just stuck with Davros. Unfortunately it wasn't a very good act but it was still hilarious to see Davros sing Loveshack and attempt the river dance (a sight I never thought I'd see). I would expect to see this act in one of the semi finals, as there's usually at least one joke act for each semi final. The Davros costume was impressive though; he even managed to build a travel machine that looked exactly like the one from the show. I still have no idea why there was someone dressed as a policeman featured in his act; it would have made more sense if there was an I.M. Foreman Scrapyard prop gate behind him but alas, there wasn't.

The last of the crossovers came from Boogie Storm, a dance troupe comprised entirely of Storm Troopers from Star Wars. It sounds like a terrible act but they were actually really good. There was some great elements of humour and the fact they remain in-character throughout as the Storm Troopers helps distinguish them from other street dance troupe Diversity. Judging by the crowd reaction they could easily win; it was the crowd that made Simon Cowell press his Golden Buzzer for them, after all. They did deserve it though and it is a shame a Whovian can't do something like this for Doctor Who instead of always delivering bad acts based on the show. Let's see a street dance troupe made up of the Ood.

Overall, Britain's Got Talent was a strange episode but a fun one nonetheless. It was entertaining seeing acts based on TV shows and films, even if the quality between them varied. Also: one act that I didn't mention in this review - The Mimic Men - are the best impressionist comedy act the show has had by far. Another potential winner right there.

Britain's Got Talent - Episode Six

I'm going to be honest: I didn't find the latest episode of Britain's Got Talent all that memorable. I can't remember who half of them were - it's almost like episode six never happened - whereas previous episodes I can recall pretty much the majority of the auditions. Singing Davros, The Mimic Men, Another Kind of Blue, Beau Dermott, Jasmine, Trip Hazard... All those have had a lasting impact on me.

Episode six's auditions though?

I can't think of one act I particularly cared about.

It says a lot when the most memorable act is a guy singing about the number 19 bus. For some reason the judges seemed to make a mockery of him but it was actually a brilliant novelty act, bringing to mind old songs from the past by the likes of Bernard Cribbins and Victoria Wood. My favourite bit was when he complains about the 'bloody screen' separating him and the driver. Whilst David Forest won't win, he'll make a nice variety act for the semi finals should he get through this Saturday (no doubt he will). David Walliams for once was the voice of reason when Simon Cowell failed to recognise the talent.

Then there was Saulo Sarmiento, who was like a real life Tarzan swinging around on a rope half-naked and showing off many acrobatic moves. Cue some hilarious camp comedy about David Walliams about Saulo's looks. Again, an act that won't win but will provide some much needed variety in the semi finals. It's a shame acts like this are rarely acknowledged by majority of BGT's audience as they never tend to win. The closest has been gymnast troupe Spellbound in 2010 but they weren't really an act of the kind you might find at a circus. Perhaps that's a problem: too many people associate things like this with circuses rather than appreciating the amount of talent involved. Regardless, there's probably more chance of Jasmine, Beau or bookies' favourites Another Kind of Blue winning.

The other acts barely got much of a reaction from me. I conducted a Google search and it seems the ones I've already forgotten were just a bunch of singers and dancers so no surprise there. Don't get me wrong, Chloe Fenton was good at ballet but really following on so soon from Jack Higgins she isn't all that impressive. Flying Bebop were unique with their mix of drones and dancing but again, nothing compared to what's come before. Then there's Morgan Smith, whose performance saw the return of a very cliche moment that usually feature at least twice a year in both of Simon Cowell's talent shows: the 'do you have another song' moment. This moment is so predictable because you know as soon as you see the hand what Simon is about to say and that the second attempt will somehow be significantly better than the first. It's not helped by the fact that Morgan seems more like an X Factor reject; in fact, there's no reason why she couldn't have gone on X Factor instead.

This episode was definitely the weakest audition episode so far. Most of the acts weren't memorable, with the exception of David Forest and the number 19 bus song. Thank God then for David Walliams, who provides plenty of humour throughout and subsequently makes watching this episode feel like less of a waste of time.

Michael McIntyre's Big Show - Episode Four

There's a moment when you watch an episode of a new show and you think 'he's just the right host'. Of course, this doesn't happen with every new show but it definitely did with this episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show. Honestly, Michael McIntyre's a brilliant presenter; he's funny, he oozes charm and he has a certain knack of doing it above others on BBC1 that gets the audience going.

He's miles above those who seem to be the BBC's favourites - the smug Chris Evans or bland Dale Winton. In fact, I would have been much happier if Michael McIntyre had took over Top Gear - and not just because I'm a big fan of him as a stand-up comedian. Don't get me wrong, he's no Ant & Dec when it comes to presenting but he is definitely the best presenter the BBC have.

In terms of the comedy, you really start to notice the difference when Rob Beckett comes on. He was one of the guests in this episode and he's about as funny as discovering your cat has thrown up in the bedroom. It's hard to even call it 'comedy'; think about the kind of jokes you'd expect an embarrassing Dad to make at a Christmas party and you've hit the nail on the spot. If I didn't know he was a touring comedian, I would assume he was some sort of cruise ship entertainer.

The unexpected star in episode four was handyman Shannon, who found out in a brilliant way when the box he was sent to pick up caused an entire room they had set up to collapse revealing the stage. Shannon, as with most of the unexpected stars, had always dreamed of being a singer and got his big moment at the end of the show with a musical number. And boy, was he good. The researchers of this series have done a really good job of finding people who both have dreams and can realistically sing; I don't know where they discover these people but it's clear there must be quite a bit of research involved into those they plan to surprise. It seemed a bit unfair that Shannon had to perform on his own though, given that the other unexpected stars have had somebody to perform with.

Now onto my favourite part of Michael McIntyre's Big Show, the Send To All game. This week, Bruno Tonioli was the celebrity whose phone Michael McIntyre used and as you would expect, he was wonderfully funny. The text claimed Bruno had lied about his age and was really 47 as opposed to 60 and featured humorous replies, such as Gary Linekar's 'Ha ha, daft idiot' and Gary Kemp 'This is a joke Bruno, surely? ' The best one, however, was definitely Deboarah Meaden working out somebody had Bruno's phone (as with Russell Crowe previously). It's always brilliant when they discover the truth, especially when it's someone like Deborah Meaden who's famous for their stern no-nonsense approach to situations.

Overall, this was a strong episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show however it was let down by the painfully unfunny Rob Beckett and the strange decision to have the Unexpected Star perform on his own. Tonight's is the first in two weeks so it'll be interesting to see how the penultimate episode compares.

Technophobia

Series four was a highpoint for Doctor Who. In 2008, David Tennant and Catherine Tate's run as the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble saw some of the show's highest viewing figures. Now, eight years later they have finally returned via the medium of audio. And boy was it worth the wait.

Technophobia follows the Doctor and Donna arriving in our modern day (but Donna's near future given that she is from 2008) at the National Technology Museum, where technology starts to turn against the people of London. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, especially when the characters start to turn paranoid about machines because they can no longer understand them (one notable scene sees the population confused over a cash machine, something which we have considered commonplace but these characters believe could be a threat). In fact, if Alfred Hitchcock was here in the modern day and was asked to direct a Doctor Who episode, this is how I would imagine it being. The Hitchcockian method on playing on the psychology of people's minds and how it can affect our behaviour as a source of fear is extremely powerful stuff and works brilliantly for a Doctor Who episode (especially on audio).

So who's causing all this? A new threat called the Koggnossenti; an absolutely terrifying creation by writer Matt Fritton that definitely rivals monsters created for the new series. Hitchcock would be very impressed with their plan as it involves delving into the human mind: what would happen if we all technologically regressed and became less knowledgable to the point of being stupid? How would we react? The Koggnossenti's plan is basically to de-evolve our knowledge to a much earlier state and there is something decidedly chilling about seeing Meadow Digital (technology company) CEO Jill Meadows reduced to the point of not even knowing what a pencil is; this isn't played for laughs but more as a kind of tragic event that the Doctor of course sets out to solve.

And that brings me onto something else I love about this release, something that I love seeing Doctor Who stories do: when the Doctor ends up infected. That's what truly makes a Doctor Who villain great, because if the Doctor is affected by the plans then you know the other characters are in trouble. It's great hearing him stripped of his Time Lord knowledge, essentially made powerless against the new threat. Yet he still wins, he still manages to save the day...but he has to struggle to do so. For the Doctor, this is like Superman faced with Kryptonite or Tony Stark stripped of his Iron Man suit. It's always refreshing to see heroes have their powers removed.

The cast is a big highlight of this audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are perfect; their friendship is exactly as it was during series four: best friends travelling together having the time of their life. Then there's the amazing Rory Keenan, who plays a very likeable train driver called Kevin Jones whom I would love to see return in a future Big Finish release. I also loved temp 'Bex with an X' - a nice callback to Linda with a Y - played by Niky Wardley. She seemed like somebody who could be a future companion for the 10th Doctor maybe for a release between Journey's End and the Specials. Big Finish often feature brilliant casts with a variety of memorable characters and it's nice to see this continue with the 10th Doctor.

Overall, Technophobia is a perfect start for the 10th Doctor's run on audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on top-form as one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships the show has ever seen and writer Matt Fritton provides a wonderful Hitchcockian vibe to this thriller about technology turning against us. Don't be surprised if you come away feeling a bit paranoid about your tablet though.

I watched that episode of Michael McIntyre's Big Show because I was at a friends for dinner and her boy was still up. Family entertainment and all that. It was OK. It's honest, traditional BBC Saturday night light entertainment. I obviously like Rob Beckett more than you do, though. Frankly, once MM stops doing his intro, it's all downhill, though at a gentle trot rather than a gallop.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

i love send to all! the ronan keating one was hilarious cos you could see how nervous he was lol

And it's certainly a lot better than the other shows the BBC pass off as 'light family entertainment' (I'm looking at you, Don't Scare The Hare)!

Yeah, I wasn't sure how it would work with the focus on celebrities rather than ordinary people but surprisingly knowing who some of the contacts are who reply actually makes it funnier.

Britain's Got Talent - Episode Seven

So tonight was the end of the Britain's Got Talent auditions tale - and they didn't all live happily ever after. You're probably wondering why I started with that sentence; well, you see tonight's episode started with a wonderful fairytale book-stylised opening that nicely tied into the fairytale trailer for the show's return.

Tonight's episode was more like a fairytale view of talent in Britain too. Every act was talented in some form or another, with only one terrorising the land of BGT fairytale kingdom. Johnny Boonham was enthusiastic with his rendition of Is This The Way To Amarillo but as Clarkson, Hammond and May from Top Gear would say he was 'ambitious but rubbish'. What was strange was how Simon Cowell didn't even give him a 'no'. It would have been nice to see some common sense prevail among the judges but alas, not this time unfortunately.

On the bright side though the other acts more than made up for Johnny. The Dunking Devils were a hugely talented variety act and it's a surprise they didn't get through. Bollywest Fusion were good if you're into that kind of thing too, although it was mainly used as an excuse to show Alesha Dixon's so-called expertise in dancing when she's really more well-known as a singer. I have no idea why Alesha Dixon is presented as a dance expert because she only competed on Strictly Come Dancing and returned a few series later as a judge (which never made sense in the first place). Then there was Zyrah Rose, a four piece girlband who had phenomenal voices but probably won't get further than the semi finals in this competition. They're an act who would have been better off auditioning for The X Factor; the talent's just too strong on Britain's Got Talent for them to make much of an impact here.

Britain's Got Talent wasn't just about the auditions tonight but it also saw the most boring part of the show: bootcamp. Unlike The X Factor (that at least tries to make something of it, even if the Six Chair Challenge is too cruel on the singers) there's literally nothing interesting about this stage in the show. It's just the judges looking at a few photographs before informing the acts whether they're through. It's time Britain's Got Talent made this process more engaging to watch. Why not get the acts to perform again, for instance? Something really needs to be done.

It doesn't help when certain acts who could clearly win the show don't get through. I'm referring specifically to the Mimic Men, who were a brilliant impressionist double act, providing something fresh to the show over the other impressionist acts the show has seen (which have all been solo). Their impressions were some of the best the show has ever seen, yet two weaker impressionists by the names of Darren Altman and Craig Ball. Craig Ball in particular isn't worthy of a place over The Mimic Men; don't get me wrong, he was good but the only reason why the act worked was because he showed who the impressions were of on a screen whilst performing. If you removed the pictures, you'd have no idea who they were supposed to be.

Overall, Britain's Got Talent was a great end to the auditions but the bootcamp segment ultimately suffered. It is a generally unengaging part of the show, not helped when the judges slip up and don't put the right acts through.

Multiparagraphed reviews and ratings for Britain's Got Talent episodes?

The forum must've lost its marbles while I was gone.

Oh, I lost my marbles a long time ago.