Peter Capaldi Will Guest Star in Opening Episode of Class

Well, we all knew it would happen but now its official - the Doctor himself will turn up to help launch the latest Doctor Who spin-off Class...

Matt Lucas Joining Doctor Who as a Series Regular

Well, we didn't expect this! After appearing in the recent Christmas special, Matt Lucas will be joining the Doctor and Bill in the TARDIS next series...

Pearl Mackie is the New Doctor Who Companion

At last, we now know who will be playing the Doctor's latest companion... newcomer Pearl Mackie! 

Cast Announced For Doctor Who Spin-off 'Class'

The lead actors of new Doctor Who spin-off Class have finally been announced! Let's have a look at them...

Review: Marvel's Daredevil (Season One)

With the second one arriving shortly, I finally catch up with season one of Marvel's much acclaimed TV series...

Steven Moffat to Leave Doctor Who in 2017

It has been announced that current Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat is to leave the series and will be replaced by previous Who writer Chris Chibnall...

 

New Doctor Who Spin-off Alert!

In a surprise announcement, the BBC have revealed that a new Doctor Who spin-off is in the works titled Class and set at Coal Hill School 

 

Jenna Coleman to leave Doctor Who

It's official. Today it was announced that Jenna Coleman will leave Doctor Who after Series Nine.

Doctor Who: Series Nine Episode Titles Revealed

Unusually this year we knew several of Series Nine's titles quite early on but now, with just a mere handful of days to go until the premiere, we have the entire set, released today in one handy image on the official Doctor Who twitter account.

Monthly Scribbles: The Return of River Song

Now that August has augustly bowed out for another year, we can finally say that Doctor Who is on this month! 'The Magician's Apprentice' will materialise on our screens on the 19th but there are a few news items and tidbits to chat about before that happens...

River Song Returns!  

The big Who news released in the last day or so is, oddly, not about the upcoming series but rather this year's Christmas special. Namely, it's been revealed that River Song, otherwise known as the Doctor's wife, is to return to the show this Chrimble. After a two series absence (her last appearance was in 2013's 'The Name of the Doctor'), River will encounter the Twelfth incarnation of her other half for the first time. A vague synopsis of the special has also been released:

It’s Christmas Day in the future and the TARDIS is parked on a snowy village street, covered in icicles, awaiting its next adventure. Time traveller River Song meets her husband’s new incarnation, in the form of Peter Capaldi, for the first time this Christmas. 

Interestingly, this is hot on the heels of the announcement that River will soon meet the Eighth Doctor on audio. Can we have River and Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor team up next? 
  

Hayley Atwell wants to be the Doctor!

The actress who has won fans worldwide for her awesome portrayal of Marvel's Agent Carter (expect a review of the series to be up on here soon) recently joked to a fan on Twitter, who asked her if she would like to be in Doctor Who, that she would love to be the Doctor. As happens, this then created an internet storm and whipped up the old 'should the Doctor be a woman?' argument again.

Personally, while I believe that there really needs to be more characters like Atwell's Peggy Carter around and am open to the idea of a female Doctor, I do worry that the issue is talked about so much that the production team, when choosing the next Doctor, will be influenced by the fans who are calling for a gender-swap rather than simply looking for the best person for the role, man or woman.

In the mean time, we've hopefully still got Peter Capaldi for quite a while yet!


Blackadder return 'on cards'

Away from Doctor Who, Baldrick himself Tony Robinson has got fans of historical sitcom Blackadder excited by saying that a new series is 'on the cards.' Most seem to be overjoyed at the news but, speaking as a huge fan, I'm wary of the notion of another series so long after the original four in the 1980s. Perhaps a one-off special, akin to 2000's Blackadder Back and Forth (which saw Blackadder and Baldrick travel through time in a TARDIS-like time machine), but a full series might be risking besmirching the name of one of the best British shows ever. In fact, if you've got a minute, it might turn out to be the worst mistake since someone said ‘yeah, let’s take this suspiciously large wooden horse into Troy, statues are all the rage this season.’


Mission DALEK

And, finally, I'll leave you with this mini Doctor Who adventure. Recently, the BBC launched a competition asking fans to design a Doctor Who story in video form for the chance to meet Peter Capaldi. The entries are a hugely varied bunch so far - including fans acting in cosplay, clip-based ones and animation. You'll have to click below to see which one this is. Warning: features some git failing to do a good impression of Peter Capaldi.

Another Doctor Who Series Nine Trailer Breakdown

Unusually, if memory serves, we've been granted two full-length trailers this year in the run-up to Series Nine (which is still a month away!). While a few clips are the same as the one released last month, it's mostly all-new material. Let's watch the new trailer and then take a closer look at what it has to offer...

A lot of the minute is made up of the Doctor and Clara doing Doctory/Claray things (I particularly like the Doctor apologising to the TARDIS for being late and Clara's clearly been taking lessons from Torchwood's Gwen Cooper on how to be an action-hero). On the supporting characters front, there's a shot of a scared-looking Rigsy (returning from last year's 'Flatline') and, I think, we also see the impossibly-resurrected Osgood out for a jog.

But the most important thing are the monsters - and there seems to be a bumper crop this year. Including this CGI dragon thing. As the Zygons are back, this could be the modern rendition of a Skrarasen, the Zygons' pet that was actually the Loch Ness Monster. If so, I sort of miss it looking like a rubbery toy dinosaur...

 

Also, of course, this fella who's on loan from Pan's Labyrinth

We also get more glimpses of Maisie Williams' character, who appears to be in league with this leonine creature (who elsewhere in the trailer breathes fire). A relation of the Tharils, the lion-like aliens from Fourth Doctor adventure 'Warrior's Gate'?

And look what have we here. It seems the Master and the Daleks will team-up (or perhaps go head-to-head) - for the first time since the Third Doctor battled them both in 'Frontier In Space.' If I were a Dalek, though, I'm not sure I'd be pals with Missy if she was cackling in my face like that. Unless I'd just told a hilarious joke. Which I wouldn't have done, being a Dalek.

But trumping even the promise of Missy and the Daleks is more Daleks! Namely, Daleks old and new coming together. Below we have the usual bronze Time War Daleks, some 60s models (including a couple with blue domes), a Special Weapons Dalek and even the red Dalek Supreme from 'The Stolen Earth/Journey's End.' Oh, and there's a 70s one elsewhere in the trailer. Just about everyone apart from the despised Paradigm Daleks. One day they'll come back...

Overall, this trailer just fuels my already very high hopes for Series Nine. From what we've seen so far, the Twelfth Doctor has settled down into himself this year and he and Clara are back to having good times rollocking around the universe. To misquote Clara, I haven't seen this series yet - but I will do and it will be spectacular.

Monthly Scribbles: The BBC, Bond and Robin Hood

Now that July has been and gone (yes, I know, we're now over halfway through the year but hold off on the realisation that your life is dwindling away, all right, this is a light-hearted post) it's time for another sporadic round-up of the month's Scribble Creatures-y news in Monthly Scribbles.

Capaldi's Credentials

July was a busy month for the Big Two - Sherlock and Doctor Who - as tantalising trailers for both were released. But as I've already blabbed about those here and here, I'll look at a less covered item now. Namely, this fun interview that appeared online recently which shows Peter Capaldi at his Who-loving best. Everyone knows Capaldi is a life-long fan of the show but this interview - in which he seemingly can't stop himself from talking about his favourite Who episodes - is a great demonstration of his fan credentials. It's always nice when the Doctor loves Doctor Who just as much as the fans. 

The Game is over...

I'm sad to report that Toby Whithouse spy drama The Game has been cancelled. It's a great shame as, despite a couple of criticisms I had, it had a lot of promise. What with the loss of the brilliant In The Flesh earlier this year as well, it seems the Beeb have either gone off their rocker or simply can't afford to take a chance on such shows as they used to (thank you very much, government). Either way, the BBC may make mistakes but we would miss it terribly if it wasn't there. Hint hint: please sign this petition to protect the BBC. It's very worthwhile.

Anyway, now to get off my soapbox...


'Their name is... Spectre.' 

Not to be outdone by his fellow British heroes, there was also a trailer for the latest James Bond film Spectre released this month - and it was a whopper. As well as being an effective teaser for the film it is also littered with lovely kisses to the past - Bond and the new M seem to be at odds, suggesting the relationship between 007 and the original Ms, Christoph Waltz is wearing a very Blofeldian nehru jacket and Q is giving Bond a car with gadgets. Not to mention the rousing theme music from On Her Majesty's Secret Service playing throughout. The last film Skyfall somewhat converted me from Bond liker to fledgling fan so I'm eagerly awaiting this instalment, which seems to be a series finale to Craig's Bond films. 


Mini-Review of the Month

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Until this month, I had never read nor seen anything to do with Robin Hood (well, except such non-canonical takes as last year's Doctor Who episode and that Disney film with the foxes). After twenty-odd years I finally put that right when I came across a copy of Robert Lancelyn Green's children's novel, which tells the story of the Prince of Thieves' life, drawn from the classical ballads and folk stories. It's written in a charming fairy tale style which brings Sherwood Forest and its inhabitants to storybook life in a way that sends you back to being ten years old, even if like me you weren't familiar with the world at that age. Highlights include the bizarrely supernatural 'The Witch of Paplewick', a Maid Marion who is pleasingly pro-active rather than a damsel-in-distress and - spoiler warning for a 700 year old legend - the surprisingly moving final chapters.

Doctor Who: Series Nine Trailer Breakdown

Thanks to the geek mecca that is Comic Con, last night we were treated to two sneak peaks at the upcoming episodes of Sherlock and Doctor Who. Over on Sherlock's Home you can read my analysis of the clip from the Christmas special (which looks to tick all this Holmes fan's boxes) but in this post I'll continue a Scribble Creatures tradition and take a closer look at the first trailer released for Doctor Who Series Nine. Have a butcher's at it below and then read on for some analysis:

'Everytime I think it can't get any more extraordinary, it surprises me...' 

The trailer gave us some glimpses at the settings of the Doctor and Clara's adventures this year. For one, there seems to be an underwater compound - a great setting for a classic 'base under siege' Doctor Who story.

But even more mouth-wateringly, there is this shot of a very Dalek-looking city (notice those bumps). The trailer revealed the fact that the Daleks are back so perhaps we are making a return visit to their home planet, Skaro, last seen in 'Asylum of the Daleks.' Skaro is an irradiated, barren world so the following shot, which sees the Doctor and allies being fired at by some familiar laser beams, could be the Dalek homeworld too.  

'It's impossible.. it's evil... it's astonishing'

Going by the trailer, the set of monsters this year look set to be the most sinister bunch yet. According to the BBC press release, we know one of them is called the Mire. I'm guessing the possessor of the Zombie hand...

With their long hair, space-age helmets and eye thingies the following fellas must be the 'Vikings in space' that Peter Capaldi mentioned recently. It is thought that they will appear in the two-parter 'The Girl Who Died' and 'The Woman Who Lived.' Along with these rocky robot types we have seen previously.

 

Then there's this cosmetically-challenged chap who looks as if he is on Karn from 'The Night of the Doctor.' He is also in the vicinity of a red-robed figure, the usual attire of the Sisterhood of Karn. What could be going on there?

 

Speaking of returning things, there is also a bumper crop of familiar foes this year. Alongside the aforementioned Daleks (they never give up, do they?), we also have Missy back to plague the Doctor in the opening episodes 'The Magician's Apprentice' and 'The Witch's Familiar.' Who knows what - hang on, she's not going to team up with the Daleks, is she? Only time will tell...

Of course, we also have the third appearance on the show of the shapeshifting Zygons. The BBC have described the Zygon two-parter as 'a global Zygon uprising.' Perhaps, after 'The Day of the Doctor', Zygons agreed to peacefully integrate with humanity - but now they have changed their minds...


'I'm the Doctor and I save people.'

The Doctor seems set to be more at peace with himself this series. He's smiling, hugging Clara and Peter Capaldi's showing his punk rock roots in the shot of the Doctor wearing sunglasses with a guitar.

Elsewhere we can see the new costume the Doctor will be wearing for at least the early part of this series - the hoodie from 'Last Christmas' plus some Patrick Troughton-inspired chequered trousers. 

'What took you so long, old man?'

Now, here's what's set Who fans' minds racing. Game of Thrones favourite Maisie Williams was previously theorised to be playing a younger version of Clara but now it has shifted to to her being a relative of the Doctor's, due to her 'old man' comment. Perhaps Jenny, the Doctor's Daughter previously played by Georgia Moffett in, erm, 'The Doctor's Daughter'? Others are saying Susan, the First Doctor's granddaughter, but I would have thought her return would have happened in the nostalgia of the 50th anniversary year if it was ever going to.

Regardless of her true identity, Ms Williams' get-up here seems to confirm the rumours that she will play a highway(wo)man who encounters the Doctor and Clara. She is set to appear in 'The Girl Who Died' and 'The Woman Who Lived' - even though that is presumably the Vikings in Space episode. Perhaps she'll become a companion?

Doctor Who - don't you just want to kiss it to death?

New Doctor Who is coming to Big Finish!

Today brings the exciting announcement that the independent audio drama company, Big Finish, that makes classic Doctor Who adventures is doing the same for new Who!

This thrilling news has been a long time coming - for years, the new series was completely off limits to the people of Big Finish, until they recently announced spin-off series featuring Kate Stewart and Osgood of the TV series' UNIT and Captain Jack Harkness himself in a new Torchwood continuation. But now - finally - it looks like all kinds of heroes and villains from post-2005 Who can interact with classic characters.

Firstly, the head-lining event is that River Song will be meeting the Eighth Doctor, in a sequel to the Doom Coalition series which will be released next year. Personally, I think Alex Kingston and Paul McGann will make a brilliant pair, as McGann's Doctor is so much like the modern incarnations that he'll be right at home with River.

 

Clearly Big Finish can't get enough of River as the Doctor's wife will also star in her own series, The Diary of River Song, which will see Professor Song travel 'across space and time, seeking out the secret rulers of the universe.'

The inclusion of River into the world of classic Who should be loads of fun - I would particularly like to see the flirtatious River meet her future husband in his first, crotchety, incarnation. And, as Big Finish also have John Barrowman onbaord, why not have a Captain Jack-River Song team-up?

But, wait, that's not all. Also heading his own series will be that favourite Doctor Who character... Winston Churchill! Narrated by the TV show's Ian McNiece, Winnie's adventures will see him meet the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. And Daleks by the look of it.

Bizarrely, The Churchill Years will also feature a guest appearance by Danny Horn, reprising his role of the Scrooge-like Kazran Sardick from 2010's A Christmas Carol. As a character who had such a transformative story arc in his sole television outing, he seems an unlikely returning figure but I'm intrigued to find out why he's back - and teaming up with Churchill.

And that's still not all. The announcement that brings the most fannish thrill to the hearts of whovians is the Classic Doctors, New Monsters series which will see - yep, you guessed it - Doctors Five, Six, Seven and Eight facing foes of the 21st century era. Namely, the Weeping Angels (not quite sure how these silent creatures'll work on audio), the Sycorax (always thought they deserved a second go on the show), the Judoon (their booming voice is well suited to radio drama) and apparently Sontarans from the Time War. Which it seems Big Finish may be able to document now...

I, for one, am very excited for these new adventures - as it suggests such a wealth more to come. Who's to say they can't tempt modern Doctors and companions - even, dare I say it, Christopher Eccleston - to record some full-cast adventures? Or can they get Georgia Moffet onboard to create a spin-off series for the Doctor's daughter, Jenny? Or how about doing that Paternoster Gang spin-off that is such a popular idea? Or what about...

In short, this is exciting news.

Monthly Scribbles: From Avengers to Zygons

Well, what a jam-packed month May was! There was a royal birth, corruption in international football and of course the general election. But we're only interested in the most important topics here at Scribble Creatures. Namely, Doctor Who, The Simpsons and superheroes...

Look who's back!

 

Doctor Who fans' jaws hit the floor this month when it was revealed that UNIT scientist Osgood is to return in the next series - after she apparently died at the hands of Missy in 'Death In Heaven!' What's more, it has been confirmed that those shape-shifting suckers the Zygons are back for a rematch against Osgood in Series Nine episodes 7 and 8. For a long while, the Zygons were many people's (including David Tennant's) favourite one-off monster they wanted to reappear and now they're getting their third appearance on the show after 'The Day of the Doctor.'

Personally, I'm unsure at the return of Osgood as I felt her shocking demise cemented Missy as a danger rather than just the cartoon villain the Master can become if handled badly. But I shall hold my reservations until the episodes air. Let Zygons be Zygons, indeed.

The Simpsons loses a key cast member

Now coming up to its 27th season, The Simpsons has announced that key cast member Harry Shearer is to leave the show, taking with him his distinctive voices for such classic characters as Mr Burns, Ned Flanders, Lenny ('not Lenny!') ETC. As any sane person should, I've always loved The Simpsons and still dip into a new episode now and then. The quality is of course nowhere near the consistency of the series' good ol' days but it can absolutely still come up with a classic once in a while. However, when a show has been going on for so long that the stars want to end it, it's probably time to call it a day. Apparently the show must go on though as the showmakers plan to recast Shearer's roles. We shall have to see if this eerily prescient joke from a decade ago comes true...

Highlights of the month

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Following up 2012's collosal hit The Avengers, was always going to be a Hulk-sized task, and I have to say I went into the film with a strong suspicion it wouldn't be as good. Well, I was right but the film is still a very enjoyable, never unentertaining blockbuster. Age of Ultron does fall in to the common trope of over-stuffed superhero sequels but it is definitely one of the strongest of said subgenre (it's far above Amazing Spider-Man 2, for example). There is largely good work done with the characters without their own franchises and the ambition of the film is to be commended - it does more globe-trotting than a Bond film. Plus you can always rely on Joss Whedon for fun dialogue, with robot baddie Ultron snagging most of the best lines this time. There are too many parts in it to be a great film, but Age of Ultron is so excitingly told you'll be glad it was assembled.

Captain America: The First Avenger

It's an uncommon opinion but the first Captain America film is probably my favourite non-Avengers Marvel movie. The period dubya-dubya-two setting allows for an old-fashioned adventure, largely a mash-up between vintage war films and traditional superhero action with lashings of Sky Captain-esque dieselpunk thrown in. That's not to say the film is flawless - Red Skull should really be a fantastic villain with all his tried-and-tested ticks (he's a nazi with a facial disfigurement played by Hugo Weaving!) but he never really feels up to much. On the other hand, the cast is the best outside of The Avengers films with welcome appearances by the brilliant Toby Jones, Hayley Attwell as Marvel's best leading lady Agent Carter and, of course, Chris Evans who brings a lot of likeability to the star-spangled man with a plan. The follow-up, The Winter Soldier, is a possibly more sophisticated piece but sometimes you just can't beat a bit of punching Hitler on the nose.

Monthly Scribbles: Inside Series Nine

Well, now that April's upped and left (won't be seeing her again til next year now - just the odd phone call wouldn't go amiss), it's time to look at what happened over the past month. Up first, the Doctor will be seeing doubles in the next series...

Doctor Who Series Nine is shaping up

 

Quite a few details about the 2015 series of Doctor Who have come to light over the past few weeks. One of the most high-profile was the news that Game of Throne's Maisie Williams is to guest star in episodes 5 and 6 of Series Nine - The Girl Who Died, co-written by Series Eight's Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat, and The Woman Who Lived, by Torchwood writer Cathrine Treganna. With all the coverage she is getting, it's assumed Maisie will be playing a major character. The prevalent theory is that she will be a younger version of Clara. The character's detractors will no doubt be pleased that there may be two Claras runnng about this year...

Elsewhere, we now know UNIT head Kate Stewart will be back not once but twice in Series Nine, in episodes 1, 2, 7 and 8. And let's not forget this rocking monster, the first new enemy to be revealed from the series.

However, the most intriguing tidbit we now know is that Series Nine will be much heavier on two parters. In a move away from the usual series structure of the one-three double-decker stories, apparently every two episodes of the series will be linked in some way - with it only being revealed that they will be of the same story when you watch it. This is a very bold new way of laying out a series and one I'm very excited to see unfold. Hurry up, August!


I was Sherlocked! 

Let's zoom in from the whole of time and space and forcus on Baker Street now. This month, I was lucky enough to attend the first official Sherlock convention. I could only make it up to London for one of the days but it was still good fun, although I unfortunately missed Benedict Cumberbatch's appearance. A highlight was Moffat and Gatiss' talk - the pair being as entertaining and informative as they always are (with some tantalising hints about what stories they want to do next on the show) - and there was always something to do (with prop musuems and, well, the endless queing). You can read a fuller write-up of the event here.


Mr Holmes trailer

Sticking with Sherlock, here's the trailer for Mr Holmes, which sees Ian McKellen as an elderly Holmes revisiting the case that made him retire. I have some misgivings about the film - it doesn't seem particularly Holmesian in tone and I'm not sure I really want to see my beloved Sherlock Holmes at the end of his life, losing his great mental faculties, but I'm certainly fascinated. Here's hoping it makes a reference to Miss Mary Russell, the retired Holmes' partner in detection - and wife! - in one series of novels.


Highlight of the month

Inside No. 9 (Series Two)

Despite never having seen TV's masters of macabre Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's previous dark comic hits The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville, I was very pleased to recently catch the second series of Inside No. 9, a hidden gem of a show that deserves more attention. An anthology series, every episode differs wildly in tone and atmosphere but are linked by the fact they are set in somewhere labelled 'no.9' (e.g. a train carriage, a haunted house, a seemingly-ordinary flat). As with every anthology series, the quality varies but each episode is a tense, witty treat with at least half of the six-part run being outright classics. Shearsmith and Pemberton manage to carve each half hour segment into whatever shape they want - be it a nail-biting horror or a surprising tear-jerker. When it surely returns for a series three, I urge you to go a-knocking on No.9 - you never know what you might find inside...