Series Nine Guest round Up - Part Three

Welcome to Part 3 of the guest submissions, in which we take a retrospective look back at Series 9. Today's guest posts come from Neil Dymond-Green and J.M aka "Life in the Gaps". We begin with Neil's submission. As with the previous posts, which can be found here (part one, part two), they are presented unedited, and need no comment from me. Enjoy!

 

Thoughts on Doctor Who Series 9

Rather than go episode by episode through the series, I wanted to examine three areas which bugged me about series 9 of Doctor Who.

Cliffhangers

I was really pleased to hear that Moffat planned to bring back two (or more) parters for series 9. It's been quite a while since a series had more than a smattering of cliffhangers and they are historically quite an element of Doctor Who.

But what is Moffat playing at with them? When I was a child watching Doctor Who, cliffhangers were exciting points to keep you guessing for a week (or less during season 19 when the show was broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays). But... and for me this is a big but, the excitement was also in wondering how the Doctor or his companion would resolve the cliffhanger and seeing that straight away at the start of the next episode.

And this is not something we got to see during series 9. Instead, the start of the next episode would veer off in a completely different direction. Let's examine them individually:

The Magician's Apprentice's cliffhanger is that Missy and Clara are apparently exterminated. But at the start of The Witch's Familiar there are alive and outside the Dalek city. We then get a vague story about the Doctor before Missy hand-waves away the fact that she used the energy from the Dalek's weapons to activate the transporter.

Under the Lake ends with the Doctor having travelled back in time and apparently reappearing as a ghost. Leaving aside the problem I have with any cliffhanger that says the lead character of the show is dead, we then find ourselves in the TARDIS at the start of Before the Flood with the Doctor addressing the audience (and I hate the fourth wall being broken) about how the story will be resolved with the Bootstrap Paradox. The cliffhanger is again only really addressed later on in a hand wavey 'oh well, it was a hologram all along, see' way.

The Zygon Invasion ends with the Zygon version of Clara shooting down the Doctor's plane. Then, at the start of The Zygon Inversion, we find ourselves in a simulation of Clara's flat. We do find out that Clara is able to (conveniently) influence her counterpart's actions and give the Doctor enough time to escape.

I have no problem with the pseudo cliffhanger of Face the Raven as the next story is effectively the resolution to it. But then we get to the end of Heaven Sent. We're all on Gallifrey, which has been lost for some time, all hell is promised to break loose and it's exciting. You may be able to imagine me actually shouting at the screen when Hell Bent started with the Doctor meeting Clara in a diner.

Over-use and under-use
It must have seemed like a great idea to bring back Kate Stewart for the Zygon two-parter. She effectively fills the role that the Brigadier did for the Third Doctor onwards - a valuable friend and ally, albeit one whose methods the Doctor didn't always completely agree with. But then she is sent off on a pretty pointless mission (on her own? she's in charge of UNIT!) and disappears for a big chunk of the story.

Likewise, Gallifrey. The Doctor's home planet has effectively been missing since the start of the new series and especially since it was somehow locked away at the end of The Day of the Doctor. It's a huge deal that we are finally back there. Except the episode barely manages half an hour there, because of Moffat's obsession with keeping his beloved Clara alive (sort of).

Meanwhile, we get the overuse of veiled comments by the Doctor throughout the series about Clara heading towards death (and how much better would it have been if the fan theories had been true about her already being dead and him snatching some last adventures?). We get repeated allusions to the Hybrid - with the eventual vague, hand-wavey non-answer I've come to expect from Moffat. But then, it felt like Clara had outstayed her welcome in the show by this series anyway.

I'd also argue we had too much of Ashildir/Me during series 9. I didn't feel that she worked as a character - I'm not sure whether this was down to the actor, the writing or a combination thereof. There was little shade to her character. Storywise, it felt unlikely that the Doctor would be rash enough to 'create' her without thinking it through more. Her role in Face the Raven felt very woolly. To be honest, the TIme Lords could have used any agent to get to the Doctor.

And, after the Doctor's words about it not being a good idea for him to travel with an immortal, it felt horrible watching Ashildir and Time Zombie Clara zoom off in the Diner-TARDIS.

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time...
It's long been acknowledged that Moffat seems to have a tendency to come up with 'wow ideas' and throw them into the mix without necessarily worrying about whether they make sense in the context of the story. Here are just some of these ideas I spotted during this series.

In The Witch's Familiar there is a scene which, on one level, is incredibly touching. While discussing the return of Gallifrey, Davros opens his eyes. For once, he is seeing the world naturally. It's beautiful, it's touching - and it's also total BS. So Davros has been able to see for all these years? Why would he sit there with his eyes screwed shut, especially at those moments when Daleks have shot him?

In the same episode, there is a 'humorous' scene of the Doctor zooming around in Davros' chair. To be honest, I can imagine children have been dreaming of that combination since Davros first appearance forty years ago. But to put it in the show? To do so, you have to write the Doctor out of character as someone who would rip a dying man from his life support/wheelchair just to make a joke about a cup of tea with the Daleks?!

We have another dreadfully out-of-character moment in Hell Bent. Again, I can see where the appeal of the idea came from. 'Wow! Let's prove once and for all that Time Lords can change gender when they regenerate! We'll show it on screen because people don't seem quite convinced by the Master/Missy thing. Oh, and while we're at it, we'll show that Time Lords can change skin colour too! Hoorah!' On one level, I applaud this - I have no problem with the idea that regeneration can change a person in all sorts of ways (of course, it had sort of already been shown when Romana regenerated at the beginning of Destiny of the Daleks).

But to do so, Moffat had to write the Doctor horrendously out of character again. The Doctor, a man who abhors guns (and will only usually use them in the most desperate of situations), shoots the General! He doesn't need to. He could pretty much just walk past (he is President, after all). Yes, he asks how many regenerations the General has, but it's been established that regenerating is a fairly traumatic occurrence (and is, for the most part a limited thing). Yet again, a 'wow' idea that really doesn't belong.

As an aside here, there was a horrible mess with the credits (you can see here, but it was also done this way on screen) for the General, with Ken Bones credited as The General but T'Nia Miller credited as the Female General.

Why not credit them both as The General? It's not like multiple actors haven't been credited for the Doctor..

Neil Dymond-Green

Follow Neil on Twitter @neilrdg. He also blogs on a somewhat erratic basis (his words!) at http://neilrdg.wordpress.com

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Our second submission comes from J.M, aka "Life Between the Gaps"

UnDoing Series 9

I'm fairly new to the blogging scene - especially when it comes to blogging about specific fandoms.

I've been a fan of Doctor Who since the late 70s/early 80s. And for an American to say that, is quite a feat. Us Americans who grew up with Who are few and far between. (So much, that when I was little, I thought this show aired just for me!) I share that only because it provides a framework for my thoughts and opinions.

One of the unfortunate aspects of Series 9 is that on first watch, I tended to dislike most of the episodes. ("Under the Lake", "Zygon Inversion", and "Heaven Sent" were the exceptions.) I'm not sure if that's due to all the negativity I come across on Social Media, or if it's because of something simply 'wrong' with the production and it takes me until the second or third watch to get past whatever 'wrong' that I noticed on first watch.

To be entirely fair, I had written off Doctor Who with "Death in Heaven" (The Brig as a Cyberman??? Really Moffat? WTH were you thinking?)... But then I found myself in London at Christmas last year and there was no way in hell I wasn't going to watch Doctor Who while I was there! So, I watched "Last Christmas". But it wasn't enough to pull me back into the fandom properly. (Not that I was ever really in the fandom. I'm a fan, but I don't go to cons or buy merchandise or anything like that. Remember, I was the only person in my universe who knew about Doctor Who when I was growing up.)

But this summer, I came across the soundtrack for Series 8, which prompted a proper rewatch - unimpeded by the negativity of social media. I watched it for the soundtrack and found myself watching Peter Capaldi. The man is mesmerising to watch as the Doctor. And between those two elements, I found myself enjoying Doctor Who again.

This doesn't mean there aren't major problems that I find with pretty much each episode. There are. I majored in Theatre, I've been trained to analyse sets, costumes, lighting, acting choices, story line, character arcs, etc. to death. There's always something to complain about. There's also always something to praise.... Which makes this review difficult. Because everything that I wanted to praise Series 9 for from a story-telling point of view was undone by one single episode.

All of that provides framework for the rest of this post. Because those are the circumstances that colour my thoughts and opinions about Series 9. I'm going to be focusing primarily on "Hell Bent," since the intent for that episode was to tie at least the previous three episodes together and the entire Series was hinged upon it.

So, here's the brief Series 9 shake-down (or how all the episodes tie together):

Magician's Apprentice/Witch's Familiar: Confession Dial, "Doctor assumes he's going to win",

Under the Lake/Before the Flood: Doctor warns Clara about being too doctory and tells her he has duty of care.

Girl Who Died: Doctor has duty of care and Clara asks him how he's going to win. "Tidal Waves." "I can do anything"

Woman Who Lived: They could have just skipped this whole adventure, because the applicable bits were at the end when in the pub and consisted of "tidal waves" and "Doctor's leftovers".

Zygon Invasion/Inversion: as much as I WANT these to have a purpose in this season, they really don't. (Well, the Doctor's 'Model of War' speech, but I'll get to that later.)

Sleep No More: Can I pretend I never saw it? However it does serve a purpose because of the images presented without cameras around, made the Doctor search for how the images were projected in the Dial.

Face the Raven: "Doctor's Leftovers are on Trap Street", Clara's attempt to be doctory backfires. Confession Dial

Heaven Sent: Confession Dial, confirmation that being like the Doctor is what killed Clara, How does the Doctor win?

Hell Bent: Confession Dial, "I can do anything"

If I had the chance to go back in time, I would tell myself: "Whatever you do, don't watch 'Hell Bent'. That one episode undoes everything that you love about Series 9." Every single thing. Yes, I wrote up a piece about all the clues that people missed and how that changes the interpretation, but while that fixed everything associated with the "Diner Scenes", it doesn't fix everything.

The biggest issue that remains is the Doctor murdering an unarmed person in cold blood. There was nothing right about that and no excuse you can tell me will ever make that right. Ever. At all. If Stephen Moffat should be sent packing from Doctor Who, it is for that one bit of writing (also the use of b***h and a*s* rank up there as poor choices in a pre-watershed show). I can hear people now, 'But Tenth Doctor pointed a gun at Rassilon and Master.' True, with one profound difference: He didn't kill either of them! That one action erased all that was beautiful and glorious about the Doctor's "Model of War Speech" from "Zygon Inversion". In fact, that "War Speech" makes me a little sick to my stomach when I watch it now. Because it feels hypocritical. "Oh, but the Doctor went through four point five billions years in the Confession Dial, he would come out unstable." Unstable, yes. Killing so pointlessly? No. He had control of the room, all he had to do was move Clara to the lift. No one had to die. I really don't know what Moffat was thinking with that one, and given his writing style, I don't think he knows either other than "Drama".

That said, is it impossible for the Doctor to kill people? No. But then, his instability should have been pressed further. Made clearer. We needed to see more instability earlier in the episode and it just wasn't there. If you want to break the Doctor, fine. I can get behind that. I've Roleplayed and written enough fanfics with broken!Doctor to understand the appeal. But don't do a half-way job that just ends up with things coming off as out of character. The Doctor can break, but he tends to break in very specific ways (Consider Nine in "Dalek", Ten in "Waters of Mars", or Five after "Planet of Fire").

I was going to do a bit of analysis of 'actor choice' verses 'director vision' verses 'writer intent'. But then, I came across scripts for "Heaven Sent" and "Hell Bent" posted on the BBC Website. I decided it was pointless to do any proper analysis because Moffat is a micromanager script writer. He not only gives detailed camera angles, but he dictates specific facial expressions to be given at specific points. Basically, Moffat's scripts (at least those two) don't leave a lot of room for debate or creativity. That said, I'm left asking "What was the Doctor's Motivation for killing the General?" The only explanation we're given is when the Doctor says to Clara "It was him or you." No. There were a dozen options besides killing the General. So, I'm left with no choice but to chalk that up to bad writing. Moffat has detailed so many other things and all we get here is "Horror: the Doctor shoots him." Sorry, that's not good enough. I need to know the Doctor's mental processes that led to the decision to kill instead of running.

Bringing Clara back from the dead indefinitely was another major problem. For once I'm going to agree with Ashildr: Clara's death was beautiful. Even if I didn't care for the plot of "Face the Raven", even if I felt some aspects dragged on too long, the set-up for Clara's death and her speech to the Doctor just prior to her facing the raven was extraordinary.

I admit, I've never been a fan of Clara. I didn't hate her, I was just underwhelmed. Then, especially post-Danny Pink, she finally started to have depth and scope and was more than just an "I'm a special snowflake, so like me" character. I started to sort of care what happened to her. The fact that she had this exquisite death that was on par with Adric's death in 1982, well, nearly had me in tears. For a character I don't care for? That's a pretty admirable accomplishment.

But with "Hell Bent" she's back and who knows for how long. She had this glorious death and it meant nothing. That's not an 'interesting plot twist.' It completely undid everything that came before. Even all of Clara's echoes saving the Doctor. Maybe they weren't echoes. Maybe they were all her post-death. (See how easy it is to completely change all of Series 7 and 8 as well?) This is not clever, this was just poor story-telling.

The Doctor in both "Heaven Sent" and "Hell Bent" is presented to be traumatised by Clara's death. It's as if he's never been through anything like that before. Okay, so back in "Girl Who Died", he said:

"I'll lose any war you like. I'm sick of losing people. Look at you, with your eyes, and your never giving up, and your anger, and your kindness. One day, the memory of that will hurt so much that I won't be able to breathe, and I'll do what I always do. I'll get in my box and I'll run and I'll run, in case all the pain ever catches up."

Yes he did say that. And why do you think he knows that's how he'll react? It's because he's been through it before. It's like he says at the end of that episode, "Immortality isn't living forever. That's not what it feels like. Immortality is everybody else dying."

He knows that because he's lived it before. Going all the way back to the first companion death: Katarina and as recently as the Pond-Williams. So what the heck made Clara's death so special that her death in particular would be what drove him to break the rules (again)? I need that explained. And that is a reflection of poor writing as well. From someone who writes as many details into the script as Moffat does, I expect more. (Maybe if he spent less time trying to dictate actor/director choices and more time telling the story, things would be different.)

It's as if with each series, Moffat ignores everything that happened before. And there's a big problem with that. This Doctor is the same Doctor as he was when he looked like William Hartnell. Are you seriously trying to tell me that when the Doctor went through all this hubris when he looked like David Tennant on Mars that he would just forget it all? Heck, he had made a Tidal wave in Ashildr and questioned himself about it and that wouldn't stop him? Basically from a Character Development standpoint "Hell Bent" doesn't make an ounce of sense, either within Series 9 contained or within all of Who history as a whole.

Worse than everything else though, "Hell Bent" undoes everything I loved about Series 9 and everything I started to like about Clara as a character. Even the episodes where I liked Clara "Under the Lake", "Girl Who Died", and "Face the Raven", I can't like now, knowing that all that amazing character growth was undone in "Hell Bent".

About the only part that was 'right' without needing any amount of mental gymnastics to fix was how the TARDIS 'booted up'/welcomed the Doctor upon his return. So watch the first 18 or so minutes and the last three minutes and then the Series holds up. If you watch the rest, then "Hell Bent" goes down the drain and takes the rest of the series with it.

 

You can follow J.M on Twitter at @lifeinthegaps and read her blog, which you can find at http://life-in-the-gaps.blogspot.com/

My thanks to Neil and J.M for taking the time and effort to write for me.. It is very much appreciated!

Series Nine Guest Round-up - Part Two

Continuing with the guest submissions, fellow tweeter and nascent blogger, Owen Conway, aka "The Cypher" shares his thoughts on Series 9. If you haven't already read part one of your submissions, you can find it HERE - Enjoy!

This image perfectly describes Series 9 - No interference, just running through the universe

It feels like merely yesterday that we were gathering around the television set, ready to watch the premier of Series 9 "The Magician's Apprentice" and already, the series has come to a close. 2015 has been an incredible year for Doctor Who. It is, of course, the 10^th Anniversary of the New Series of Doctor Who – and as such, BBC Wales have put one hell of a series together. I'm going to be writing a brief paragraph or two on each episode this year, bearing in mind I've only re-watched a couple (Not because they're bad episodes, I just can't watch something immediately after it's aired).

We began Series 9 with the first part of a two-parter "The Magician's Apprentice", which featured the return of The Master, Davros and the Daleks. I really liked this episode. A common complaint is that not a lot happens in the episode, which is true, really. The Master brings Clara to The Doctor's performance in Essex during the Middle Ages. Colony Sarff somehow time travels to them, and brings them Back to the Future™, and to a medical facility in space. The Doctor is then taken to see Davros, who is apparently dying. This episode touches on a lot of dark themes, such as killing a child (specifically, Davros). One of my hopes for Series 9 was that it would be a lot darker, and it certainly delivers on that aspect. It then turns out they've actually been taken to Skaro , and the Dalek City set is made to pay homage to the first Dalek story, The Daleks (1963). The episode ends on a cliffhanger, involving the extermination of The Master and Clara, and The Doctor going back in time to kill Davros as a child.

The following week, we had the second part "The Witch's Familiar", which involved The Master explaining to Clara how they managed to survive being exterminated (by using the energy of the weapon in question to charge the vortex manipulator and teleport away). This episode involves some intense dialogue between The Doctor and Davros. It is, of course, all part of Davros' plan to purge regeneration energy from The Doctor. The Master eventually comes to the rescue, and The Doctor explains how Davros has given energy to all Daleks, including the ones down in the Dalek sewer. They become angry, and destroy the Daleks above, along with the whole city.

The second part definitely felt better and more energetic. It got straight to the point, which is what I liked. A common feature of this series is that you'll find one part is better than the other, as it was with Dark Water/Death in Heaven last year (the former of that story being better, in my opinion). Overall, a good story – despite the fact it wasn't explained how all the Daleks were on Skaro or how Davros survived the destruction of The Crucible in the Series 4 episode "Journey's End".

Capaldi: “What? They’re ghosts? Actual ghosts?”

After that, we had the first of yet another two-parter entitled "Under the Lake", which was definitely a strong story. Paying homage to the classic "base-under-siege" setup, The Doctor and Clara found themselves on an undersea base known as The Drum, where there were real ghosts out for blood that only came out at night. During these 45 minutes, there was extremely good storytelling, great acting and fantastic representation of deaf people in the form of Cass – who was portrayed as a feisty and independent woman – moving away from the stereotypical deaf person. The story ended on the bombshell that The Doctor had become a ghost. The second part of this story, "Before the Flood", was a bit flat. It felt drastically different to that which came before it, and was less of an adrenaline rush. While it did tie up the plot threads quite nicely, the main foe here, the Fisher King, was drastically underused, which was a major disappointment. Overall though, another good story here. Toby Whithouse did a really good job, and I hope to see more from him in Series 10.

My real disappointment began with what I like to consider a two-parter, when "The Girl Who Died" aired the following week. The BBC really put all their effort into advertising this episode, due to the fact this big Game of Thrones actress, Maisie Williams, was in it. Despite the fact it was a co-write between Jamie Mathieson (who gave us two great episodes the previous year) and Steven Moffat, I went into this episode with low expectations – and I'm glad I did. It was proof that the BBC only advertised this story due to Maisie Williams – because it was just a tad crap. The Doctor and Clara landed in a Viking village, where they were taken to see Odin (who was actually part of an alien race called the Mire). Clara negotiated Odin's departure from the planet, however, Ashildr (played by Maisie Williams) decided to be a bit of an idiot and declare war on the Mire. Odin accepted Ashildr's challenge and The Doctor had to try and train the people of the village in combat, to no avail. He then hatched a plan to use electric eels, an awful CGI dragon and a video recording to force Odin to leave.

Ashildr died by using a Mire helmet and The Doctor realized he had taken on the face of Lobus Caecilius from the Series 4 episode "The Fires of Pompeii" (Lobus was played by Peter Capaldi, and was his first appearance in Doctor Who). The Doctor realized the face was to remind him to save anyone he could, regardless of how right or wrong it was. The Doctor then took a Mire immortality chip thingy, and placed it on Ashildr's forehead, where it sunk in and made her immortal. It's safe to say I consider this episode the worst of Series 9. It’s just bloody awful.

This story was continued the following week, with "The Woman Who Lived". This episode is just slightly better than "The Girl Who Died" - due to its exploration of the themes around immortality. I'd say it goes into more depth than that of Captain Jack Harkness' immortality story (which we saw in the Torchwood episode "Fragments"). Moreover, Clara doesn't feature for most of this episode (which is a good thing), and features only The Doctor and Ashildr, now calling herself "Me". This episode is set in London, 1651 – and features Me as a Highway Woman. She's on a mission to help this big cat person (who, in turn, betrays her). This episode was a lot better than the previous one, and rounds off the Me arc quite nicely. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple – as you'll find out later in this review.

Following this, we had a Zygon two-parter, starting with "The Zygon Invasion". This episode featured the return of UNIT, Kate Stewart, Osgood and the Zygons. It is a sequel to 2013's 50^th Anniversary special "The Day of the Doctor" - and features a break down in the Human-Zygon alliance. It also involves some political themes (such as ISIS) being translated into Doctor Who. A rogue Zygon fraction who are sick of disguising themselves as humans threaten to tear the world apart. However, the vast majority of Zygons disagree with them, and merely wants to live in peace. A large portion of UNIT is taken over, including Clara. The lead Zygon "Bonnie" takes down Zygon High Command and disguises herself as Clara. This episode poses some interesting questions, such as "Is Osgood Human or Zygon?" (Which we never get a definitive answer to). The episode ends on a cliffhanger, involving Bonnie shooting a rocket, which blows up The Doctor's presidential plane, along with him and Osgood, presumably. The second part of the story, oddly named “The Zygon Inversion”, is quite a blur to me. I can hardly remember what actually happens – because, my memory is dominated by that fabulous speech by Peter Capaldi about the Time War. I’ll try and puzzle it together as best I can.

So, they somehow survive the explosion and parachute down back down to Earth, where it’s now The Doctor and Osgood vs. the rest of the world. They then get into a car, drive around London? (While something which suspiciously sounds like the James Bond theme plays in the background). They then arrive at the Black Archive, where there are two Osgood boxes. The Doctor then does his absolutely fabulous speech about the Time War. I have to say, this has to be one of Capaldi’s best performances as The Doctor – if not his best. It then turns out neither box has anything in them, and everyone leave happily ever after. The Human-Zygon alliance resumes once more.

 The Doctor: “Clara…I don’t think they like you.”

After this, we had Sleep No More. Everyone seems to hate this episode through and through, comparing it with the likes of Love & Monsters and Fear Her. I don’t think it is actually as bad as people make out. Most people complain about the found footage camera technique, which I actually rather like (having watched Cloverfield about a year ago). Professor Rassmussen created a machine which allows a person to go without sleep for long periods of time. However, the machine has a dangerous side effect – as regular users turn into something called “Sandmen”, an unofficial term for them as they are made of sleep dust that gathers in human eyes. Obviously, due to the camera techniques used in the episode, we get a mix of helmet mounted cameras and CCTV. Funnily enough, I noticed upon first broadcast that the characters didn’t have cameras attached to them. I thought it was a mistake, however it turns out it was part of the Morpheus process – and I was pleased that I had noticed the lack of cameras. Murray Gold provides an amazing soundtrack with a synth feel to it – reminding me of films like Blade Runner. Overall, an interesting episode – but certainly not the worst! (Looking at you, The Girl Who Died).

ACTION REPLAY: For your viewing pleasure, here is Clara – dying

Sleep No More was the calm before the storm, as after this we got Face The Raven – the first of a three-parter. We haven’t had a three-parter since Series 3 (2007), so I was intrigued and excited by this prospect. I think everyone is aware of my dislike for Clara Oswald, so (thanks to the BBC for spoiling her death) I was hyped for her departure. Face the Raven would have been a fantastic episode, even without her death. Unfortunately, it featured the return of the bloody awful actress Maisie Williams, again playing Me. It appears she’s been contacted by the Time Lords to transport The Doctor into his confession dial. However, things don’t go according to plan, as Clara attempts to be The Doctor, however in doing so, she gets herself killed. One so loves fireworks, as afterwards, the hashtag #ClaraDeathParty was trending on Twitter. I actually got a Twix and a drink to celebrate Clara’s painful demise. The Doctor, however, seemed unwilling to accept Clara was just a complete idiot, instead blaming Me for her death. After such a momentous occasion, we then got another great episode the following week.

Heaven Sent – I mean, come on; who can deny 55 minutes of Peter Capaldi being a total boss? He absolutely owned the episode. It did feature a manifestation of Clara, but it wasn’t actually her, so I can let that off. It showed, in detail, the thought processes of The Doctor in his attempts to avoid a being known as The Veil, who follows him through the castle.

The Doctor could see exactly where The Veil was by looking at the screens placed throughout the castle. The Doctor eventually discovered the room “12”, with a diamond wall in the way. It took him trillions of years to break through it, but when he did, he found himself on Gallifrey. I would have been shocked by this cliffhanger; however, the BBC spoiled it. Someone I follow on Twitter noted that because The Doctor burnt up his mind to create a new version of himself, the original Doctor is dead. I find that quite sad. Plus, can we just have a moment of appreciation for Murray Gold and his 80’s synth about 8 minutes into the episode as The Doctor examines that painting of Clara. Did that remind anyone else of 80’s Doctor Who?

I bloody love this image. So much so, I made it my desktop background!

Upon viewing the Next Time trailer for Hell Bent, I was so excited by the prospect of Gallifrey’s long-awaited return. I imagined a Doctor vs. Rassilon battle in The Doctor’s search to discover what The Hybrid is. Instead, we got something very different. The first 30 minutes of this 1 hour episode were a true work of art. The Doctor returns to the barn on Gallifrey, where someone (who is implied to be his mother) finds him. Rassilon then sends guards, high council members, but The Doctor doesn’t care. Rassilon himself then goes to the barn, and The Doctor expresses his disgust with Rassilon, blaming him for the travesties of the Time War. The chancellery guards, including The General, then join The Doctor, and he orders Rassilon to be deposed and exiled from Gallifrey. I honestly didn’t see this coming, but I didn’t mind. The Doctor then takes on the role of Lord President and talks to The General. The Doctor then does what he came back to Gallifrey to do – and this is where the episode takes an unfortunate turn. He goes to an extraction chamber and orders Clara to be pulled from her time zone, just before the moment of her death. In an unexpected turn of events, The Doctor punches The General, takes his gun, then shoots him – forcing him to regenerate.

This was just fucking pointless, if you do excuse my French. What was the point? It was just a “let’s make Ken Bones regenerate just so we can make him turn into a black woman” – it wasn’t even handled well, and the actress who portrayed the 11^th incarnation of The General was a bit shit, frankly. Very poor form. I thought the Cloisters were going to be an adversary, but they turned out to be a bit pathetic too. The Doctor then nicks a TARDIS, and we were introduced to the Classic 1963 TARDIS interior, which was a nice nod to the past. A lot of people say the rest of the episode beyond the Gallifrey escape isn’t on Gallifrey. That is incorrect. The Doctor explicitly states he moves the TARDIS forward in time, but not in space. They materialize exactly where they were, and The Doctor goes out to meet Maisie Williams. Seriously, she hangs around like an old fart. We are then told The Hybrid, destined to stand in the ruins of Gallifrey, who will break a thousand hearts to heal his own, is just The Doctor and Clara. The Doctor and The Master. The Doctor as a half human. We never get a definitive answer, and I doubt we ever will. The Hybrid turns out to be a bit flimsy. The Doctor then wipes his memory of Clara for some reason, Me disguises her TARDIS as an American diner, and her and Clara go flying off into the universe. What? Are you serious? Clara lives but is technically dead? Come on now Moffat, you’re just making excuses.

That final scene as The Doctor enters the TARDIS is just majestic. He walks in, puts his red velvet jacket on and receives a new Sonic Screwdriver (here’s hoping it isn’t as abused as the last one). With a snap of his fingers, the TARDIS door closes. He departs, and zooms through space – crossing paths with the American diner TARDIS. Series 9, I feel, has been about tying up threads, ready for a clean slate in Series 10. New companion, and (here’s hoping) a certain TARDIS interior from 1963?

Overall, Series 9 has been one heck of a series. I’m going to attempt to rate the stories, best at the top and worst at the bottom.

Face the Raven/Heaven Sent/Hell Bent

The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion

Under the Lake/Before the Flood

The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar

Sleep No More

The Girl Who Died/The Woman Who Lived

Thank you for reading!

You can follow Owen on Twitter @The__Cypher and check out his blog HERE, and my thanks go to him for taking the time to share his thoughts!

Season’s Musings!

It's hard to believe that Series Nine is over already. The past twelve weeks seem to have flown by! Regular readers will know that I've reviewed each episode individually, but I thought I'd take the time to wrap up the reviews with my overall thoughts on this years contribution to the universe of Who.

 

Series Nine got off to a flying start with The Magicians Apprentice, and it immediately became clear, even after one episode, that the tone of the show had changed somewhat. Toward the end of Series Eight, I was fairly close to giving up on Doctor Who. Last Christmas succeeded in peaking my interest, and so, with a much more open mind, I gave viewing Series Nine more consideration. And am I glad I did..!

 

Peter Capaldi has gone from strength to strength, and episodes such as The Zygon Inversion, and Heaven Sent have given us the opportunity to see him flex his acting muscles. And what mighty fine muscles they are! His performance has been consistently strong since he assumed the role of the Doctor, however this series has tested his abilities to the limit. He is an extraordinarily capable actor, passionate and possesses a remarkable ability to portray a vast range of emotions, often without the need for words. Of all the actors to portray the Doctor he is, perhaps, the most visually expressive.

 

 

An accusation frequently levelled at Steven Moffat has been his inability to write female and minority roles satisfactorily. This season does much to address that, and whilst there are still issues, such as Clara's sudden bisexuality, great strides have undoubtedly been made. For the first time in the history of the show, a transgendered actress (Bethany Black) was employed, and not, mercifully, as "stunt casting". No reference to her gender or sexuality was made on screen; this was simply an actress (who happened to be transgendered) doing what they do best; acting.

 

Similarly, it was a positive joy to see an actress with a disability in a prominent role. The casting of deaf actress Sophie Stone as Cass was inspired, and her disability was simply a facet of her character, one which she was able to use to her characters advantage, by lip-reading the ghostly apparitions as they silently mouthed the repeated phrase “the dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple". It would have been all too easy to make her deafness much more prominent, which would have detracted from her performance, however, that it remains only one aspect of her character is laudable.

 

Behind the camera, women have equally been much better represented, with direction from Hettie MacDonald (who, coincidentally, directed my favourite film), and Rachel Talalay, and writing by Sarah Dollard and Catherine Treganna.

 

Series Nine isn't without faults. My main issue has been one of underuse. From the opening episode, in which the Daleks were woefully underused, the magnificently designed Fisher King, Cloister Wraiths, and above all, the return of Gallifrey which should have been explored considerably more than the final episode managed, have all suffered from a failure to exploit their aspects to their full potential.

 

Publicity and the ridiculous amount of spoilers put out by the BBC have been a major issue for me. What happened to the element of surprise? I remember, vividly, the impact of seeing the Cybermen appear in Earthshock, way back in the 80's, and the shock of Adric's death. Now, however, almost every aspect, from the return of Gallifrey to the departure of Jenna Coleman has been plastered all over social media, with enough photographs to cover half the damned episodes! Similarly, the later, and continually shifting, timeslot has done little to aid the series.

 

Perhaps the biggest issue has been the lack of satisfactory resolutions. This is a common failing with Moffat's tenure, and this season is no exception. The explanation (or lack of) for Hybrid is arguably the most disappointing pay-off to a series arc, and the dénouement is somewhat underwhelming. Consequences seem to go unexplored, or unresolved with the interminably dull Sleep No More providing no resolution whatsoever. The constant foreboding of death throughout the season failed to satisfy, with Clara meeting her expected end, only to return two episodes later, discounting her fleeting appearance in Heaven Sent.

 

Fortunately, the strengths of the season outweigh the weaknesses. Capaldi has proven to be a positive tour de force. His Doctor has developed from a brusque, distant character, into someone who clearly does care, although I suspect he always did. Some of the spikiness and rough edges have been smoothed down, yet he still maintains a playful arrogance and a distinctly alien quality. He seems to channel Doctor’s past with a natural bearing, and one can genuinely sense the echoes of his former lives in his performance.

 

It is no secret that I haven't been a particularly big fan of Clara Oswald. It is no reflection on Jenna Coleman, who has always performed admirably with the material she has been given to work with. I found the "Impossible Girl" arc, and the continual insistence on sandwiching her into every aspect of the Doctors past, incredibly tiresome and frustrating. It is, therefore, somewhat ironic that her final season has seen my attitude toward her soften considerably. Once all of the complexities of her character, and her tediously dull relationship with Danny Pink are stripped away, she assumes the role of a more traditional companion remarkably well.

 

 

It isn't only the cast who have performed admirably. The costume department has surpassed itself this year, from the Viking era apparel, magnificently designed monsters, such as the Fisher King, to the Time Lords, who look positively resplendent. Set design has been magnificent, and direction consistently strong. Perhaps the strongest "behind the scenes" contribution, however, comes from Murray Gold, who has positively excelled himself this season. Despite the insipid, screechy theme tune, the incidental music has been sublime, and the incorporation of Capaldi's guitar playing abilities have worked well. The all too brief rendition of Clara's theme, by Capaldi, was positively beautiful, and worked exceptionally well in the context of the episode. Similarly, the use of The Doctors theme, from Series One, gently incorporated into the season finale was a positive joy to hear.

 

In terms of episodes, the vast majority have been strong, well written and a pleasure to watch. No series is without the odd clunker however, and, for me, Sleep No More has been this season’s "Love and Monsters". Experimental episodes are interesting; Heaven Sent is, arguably, one off the strongest episodes in a good many years. Conversely, Sleep No More is arguably one of the worst. Regardless of my, or anyone else’s opinion on the merits of the two episodes, one has to admire the decision to break away from traditional structuring.

 

It has been incredibly pleasing to see two-parters, and their resultant cliff-hangers, make a welcome return to Doctor Who. Standalone episodes, for the most part, work very well, but there is much to be said for a good cliffhanger, which leaves an audience eagerly awaiting the next episode. Similarly, the longer format which results from two part stories allow for a much more detailed exploration of plot, characters and provides a much more immersive experience. Of all the series, since the show returned, this has, I believe, felt more akin to the Classic era than any other.

 

Above all, Series Nine has made me feel like a Doctor Who fan again. The past few seasons have left me feeling like a casual observer, rather than a fan. I've been highly critical of Moffat, and have been labelled “a hater” on many occasions. Given some of the work he has produced, it is a label which, whilst mildly annoying ,given my opinion should be no less valid than those of his ardent supporters, is one I've been comfortable wearing. This series has redeemed him considerably in my eyes. At the risk of being labelled a “hater” again, I still think he has outstayed his welcome, and that the time has come for a new showrunner, with a fresh approach to the series. Nevertheless, he has acquitted himself reasonably well throughout this season, despite the rather disappointing finale.

 

Rating each episode shows a significantly higher number of positives than negatives, and I've included them all below. Each one is clickable, and will take you to my review of the relevant episode.

 

The Magician’s Apprentice - 8/10

The Witch's Familiar - 5/10

Under the Lake - 9.5

Before the Flood - 7.5

The Girl Who Died - 6/10

The Woman Who Lived - 5/10

The Zygon Invasion - 9/10

The Zygon Inversion - 10/10

Sleep No More - 2/10

Face the Raven - 8.5/10

Heaven Sent - 9.5/10

Hell Bent - 4/10

 

The next blog post will share the thoughts of some of my Twitter followers on Series Nine. If you'd like to contribute, please feel free to let me know, either on Twitter, or in the comments section. I'm looking forward to hearing, and sharing, a variety of opinions on what, I believe, has been one of the finest seasons in some considerable time.

 

And so there we are. Series 9 dissected, wrapped up and reviewed. Christmas, here we come!

Hell-o. Again.

It hardly seems possible that we have reached the finale of series nine already, and yet, here we are! My thoughts on the series as a whole can wait until the next blog post, so let's get down to business and see whether Hell Bent is, in fact, manna from heaven!

 

 

Opening the episode, the Doctor finds himself in the Nevada desert he had previously visited with Amy and Rory, in his earlier incarnation. Entering a diner, he encounters Clara, who appears to have cheerfully recovered from her death, although he fails to recognise her. Pleasingly, in the background, “Don't Stop Me Now”, as sung by ‘Foxes’ in Mummy on the Orient Express, is playing on the radio.

 

Linking his guitar to the radio, he gently plucks out the opening bars of Clara’s theme, which, aside from sounding beautiful, works surprisingly well. He then goes on to tell his story to the young woman waitressing in the diner..

 

Cutting to Gallifrey, the Doctor makes his way across the barren landscape, to a barn. Yes.. it’s that barn. Again. A Time War, the Fall of Arcadia, 4.5 billion years, and a journey to the end of the universe, and that sodding barn is STILL standing! They build ‘em to last on Gallifrey!

 

At the barn, the Doctor is met by a woman, who gives him a knowing look. The implication seems to be that this could be his mother, though, mercifully, we are spared an explanation as to her identity.

 

For no reason, other than being fond of a firework display (a reference, perhaps to The Brain of Morbius), Ohila is on Gallifrey, where she explains to Rassilon, now capably played by Donald Sumpter, that he blames him for the events of the Time War. Sending a military ship to bring the Doctor to the Capitol fails, and so Rassilon, accompanied by a General and several Chancery Guards, offers the hand of friendship. When the Doctor rejects this, Rassilon’s immediate reaction is to have him executed. A natural progression..!

 

 

Ordering Rassilon and the High Council “off his planet”, a request to which the all-powerful Time Lord accedes to a little too readily, the Doctor appears to assume the role of President. However, what he really wants is the use of an “extraction chamber”, to travel back to the moment before Clara’s death, in order to save her.

 

 

To procure the use of the extraction chamber, and In an extremely uncharacteristic move, the Doctor shoots the General, which, whilst not killing him, does force a regeneration. I know that he has been trapped for 4.5 billion years inside a confession dial, but, for me, this scene is completely unnecessary. Aside from serving no actual purpose, the idea that the Doctor would shoot an unarmed man is, to me, unfathomable. The regeneration of the General from a white male to a black female is clearly an attempt at progressivism, however, feels tokenistic rather than progressive.

 

Heading down into the depths of the Cloisters, Clara questions how Gallifrey returned. Rather than write a cogent explanation into the script, we are told that the Doctor “didn't ask”, again, something I find rather incredulous, given he has buggered around for the best part of five billion years trying to find the bloody planet!

 

 

Similarly, we are never given any insight into why the Doctor blames the Time Lords for Clara's demise in Trap Street . They had absolutely nothing to do with it! Her demise was an act of self-sacrifice, at the hands of Ashildr. His anger at the Time Lords seems wholly misplaced.

 

Stealing a Tardis gives us an opportunity to visit the classic console room from the Hartnell era, and Capaldi looks thoroughly at home in the stolen capsule, as he travels through time, to the very end of the universe, where Ashildr (Me) is squirreled away watching stars burn. I find it odd that longevity seems to equate to eternal youth, and that she hasn't aged a day in the trillions of years that have passed. Similarly, as the Doctor had previously explained, whilst immortal, she isn’t indestructible, and so that she has survived for so long is, frankly, miraculous. We know that the universe lasts at least 100 trillion years, since it took that long for the human race to evolve into the Toclafane in the 2007 story, The Sound of Drums.

 

 

The resolution, such as it is, of the Hybrid arc is wholly unsatisfying. The Doctor is the Hybrid, Me is the Hybrid, together they are the Hybrid, or Clara and the Doctor are the Hybrid, and does it really matter who the Hybrid is anyway? If you are expecting a definitive answer from this episode, you certainly aren't going to get one. My theory, and it is simply that, is that the Doctor is the Hybrid. (And the award for the paragraph with the most mentions of the word “hybrid” goes to…!)

 

Scientifically, a hybrid is the offspring of two species. It is not an "augmented" entity, in the case of Ashildr, neither is it two entities farting around in a Tardis together. Whether we like it or not, the TV movie already established that the Doctor is half-human, and his reaction to Ashildr's proposition of this theory seems to be almost knowingly dismissive.

 

With Clara in the Tardis, the Doctor, unaware that she is watching on the scanner, explains to Ashildr that he plans to wipe her memory, and send her home. Clara, however, has “reversed the polarity” of the neural block, and, ultimately, it is the Doctor who forfeits his memory of her. The Doctor is summarily dropped off in the middle of the Nevada desert, while Clara and Ashildr, who appear to have miraculously learnt how to operate a Tardis in the space of five minutes, fly off for pastures new.

 

As with the previous episode, Hell Bent effectively starts at the end of the episode, with the Doctor telling Clara, who he can't remember, all about Clara. Wait.. What? He can remember her name, remembers his adventures with her, and yet doesn't remember her. Similarly, he fails to notice that he is sitting inside a Tardis. It is a well established fact that the Time Lords can recognise a Tardis when they see one. The Third Doctor had no difficulty in identifying the Master's Tardis when it was disguised a horse-box. It is equally baffling that the Tardis chameleon circuit elects to disguise itself as a diner that the Doctor has already visited, when neither Me or Clara has ever been there, and therefore have no knowledge of what it looks like.

 

Along with a lacklustre resolution to the Hybrid arc, the return of Gallifrey is equally disappointing. What should have been a magnificent episode, with the Doctor returning home, we saw instead, a Clara-centric episode, which diminishes any impact her "death" in Face the Raven may have had. Yes, technically, she is dead, trapped between a heartbeat, but given she is now flitting around the universe with her executioner, she is clearly also alive. Inside a diner-shaped Tardis, she is Schrödinger's Clara.

 

 

The episode isn't without its moments. I like the idea that Gallifrey has Cloisters, which draw memories from the Matrix, to sound the Cloister Bells. It neatly explains why Tardises have foreknowledge of impending doom. Gallifrey itself looks stunning, the CGI ships are beautifully realised, and the costume department have excelled themselves, as the Time Lords and Chancery guards look resplendent in their attire. The incidental music is sublime, and the arrangement of Clara's theme on the Doctor's electric guitar is perfect. It almost goes without saying that Capaldi is, as always, completely on point, and Jenna Coleman acquits herself well, despite the abysmal focus on her character.

 

Clara, regrettably, is my biggest bugbear with this episode. Leaving aside the she has had more exits than a motorway, or the fact that Moffat seems to be incapable of killing anyone properly, she detracts from, what should have been, a superb story centred around the return of Gallifrey.

 

Ultimately, it isn't the Doctor who has an inability to let go of Clara; it's Steven Moffat. Her death in Face the Raven worked well, and her fleeting appearances in Heaven Sent were subtle and effective. And all of that is completely wasted by bringing her back a week later, for a self-indulgent, grandiose farewell, which lacks originality and undoes any of the emotion elicited from the previous stories. The concept of a "memory wipe" has already been used, and to much greater, and more devastating effect, with Donna Noble. Here it is sloppy and ineffective.

 

To round the episode off, and for no apparent reason (other than Christmas is just around the corner), the Tardis farts out a shiny new Sonic Screwdriver. Which is nice.

 

 

Final thoughts? A bloody mess! The return of Gallifrey should have been the highlight of the season. Instead, it served as little more than a cipher to bring back Clara, for an hour of self indulgent fanwank. Ohila, Rassilon, a Dalek, Cyberman and Weeping Angels all serve absolutely no purpose whatsoever, and even Ashidlr's appearance feels like an afterthought, tacked on to give Clara a get out of jail free card, albeit temporarily staving off the death that awaits her upon her next heartbeat.

 

It took the Doctor 4.5 billion years to return home, and he's interested in one thing, and one thing alone. Clara bloody Oswald. Unfortunately, I'm not! I had thought, even hoped, her story had been beautifully wrapped up in Face the Raven, so to piss away the best part of the finale wrapping it up yet again seemed utterly futile. Had the episode focused on Gallifrey, it could have been one of the strongest season finales since the show returned in 2005. Instead, all those beautiful echoes of Clara in Heaven Sent are lost in the cacophony of Hell Bent, which, even given it’s extended running time, attempted to cram in far more material than could comfortably fit in a single episode.

 

A disappointing episode, a wasted opportunity, and a great deal of style over substance. Hell Bent, whilst not the worst episode of the series (Sleep No More, I’m looking at you!) is barely worth the 4/10 I’m awarding it.

 

 

 

Artistic Musings

Twitter is a wonderful medium, and through it, I have had the pleasure of “meeting” so many new friends, all with varied interests. Of course, my big passion is Doctor Who, through which I've forged many friendships, on and off of social media. Over the past few months, I've got to know and respect a fellow fan, and an incredibly talented artist, whose ability and talent belies his age. At just 17, his artistic capabilities are quite extraordinary, and so it was a pleasure when he agreed to do an interview for my little corner of the blogosphere.

I'm incredibly proud to be able to showcase some of his work here. All art featured is available for purchase, in a variety of formats, and the pictures link directly to his sales page. I hope you enjoy looking at his extraordinary body of work, learning a little about his creative processes, and so, in the words of The Ninth Doctor, and the title of the first image.. Do you want to come with me?

 

 

Firstly, tell us a little about yourself.

 

Well, I'm Sam Richard Bentley. I'm 17 years old, and currently a student studying Graphic Design at college in Hertfordshire.

 

When did you first discover you had an aptitude for art?

 

I've always loved drawing and colours, from a very young age. You know, I was one of those kids who hated it when other kids didn't colour in the lines of the colouring books? I've always had quite a passion for being creative.

 

I've come to know you through a shared love of Doctor Who. How long have you been a fan, and which eras do you enjoy most? 

 

Well, like many teenagers I became a fan of the show when it returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston. I have very vivid memories of watching the first episode 'Rose', and being completely petrified of the Autons! So, my father stopped me from watching it for a while.

 

Ironically, it was with the episode 'The Empty Child' that my dad allowed me to start watching again - possibly one of the scariest, and most tense stories in the shows history! But, alas, by the end of part one, I was hooked.

 

I was only 7 when the show was picked back up, so I really have grown up with the show. However, I eventually looked into the classic stories, Hartnell through to McCoy and McGann. And I fell in love - possibly even more so than I loved the modern series.

 

I have a real, true, undying love for the Who of the late 80s though - the Colin and Sylvester years! That's my favourite era, hands down. But, I do love the late 60s as well, with Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines, amongst others.

 

 

How do you come up with your ideas for your pieces? They are incredibly creative! 

 

To be honest with you, I don't really have much of an answer to give here. Essentially I just take something I love, whether it be a Doctor Who episode or theme, or maybe a film or other show I love and feel inspired by, and just play around with my thoughts until something comes up.

I do sometimes go in with an idea of a design, but more times than none the end piece is not quite what I had in my head originally, though I often find I'm much happier with it.

 

 

You create a variety of artwork, besides Doctor Who. Can you tell us which other subjects you work on? 

 

I am really inspired by film and television - in fact, it's my favourite thing. So, on my portfolio, you'll see work from... 'Back to the Future', to 'Game of Thrones', to 'The Wizard of Oz'! Sometimes, I'll watch something, and go 'Oh! Now I have an idea for that... quick let me see if I can get some images together...'

 

It's evident that you have a particular passion for the Seventh Doctor era; what is it about it that you enjoy so much. 

 

Hah! I get asked this a lot. I just love it, you know? I don't know if it's because I love the 1980s, or what - but I just adore those three years that McCoy held the top-billing for the show.

 

It's so colourful, so whacky and barmy . Some call it cheap - which is was. However, I would never said that was a bad thing, not at all. I think they did a fantastic job, for what they were given. If you put into context the behind-the-scenes hassles they had, given that the show was coming to an end against their wills and wants, it's some truly brilliant work.

 

Oh, and don't get me started on how fantastic Sylvester McCoy's Doctor and Sophie Aldred's Ace are. If I started on that, we'd be here for eternity.

 

 

How long does a digital piece of artwork take to create, and what software do you use? 

 

I use a free-to-download software called GIMP. I couldn't afford Adobe Photoshop when I started doing this - so I searched on Google and found this alternative. And, while I now do have the full Adobe program, well, I just can't turn my back on ol' GIMP - it's what I'm used to.

 

A piece can take up to one to two hours, excluding any breaks and thinking time. That's, possibly, why I love making digital art - it's really rather quick.

 

 

As well as the digital medium, you also create hand drawn, original pieces. Do you have a preference for a particular medium? 

 

I don't draw as much as I used to - I used to do nothing BUT draw. Hours and hours I'd spend in my bedroom, drawing. Pencils, and the occasional pens, used to be my main way of expressing myself. But, since taking up digital art, I've not really felt the need or want to draw. However, on my portfolio there are lots of my drawings and I have no plans of removing them just yet - it's still a talent I am very proud of.

 

Are there any artists which particularly inspire you? 

 

I've always loved the work of Vincent van Gogh and Andy Warhol - two big names, I know. I often say them, when asked similar questions, and people rather... nod along. 'Oh yes, yes I know, yes we all love them.'

 

But in recent years, I found lesser known artists that I just adore - such as Will Brooks, who has done the occasional artwork for Big Finish's Doctor Who audio range. Or Lee Binding, who does some of the best Doctor Who promotional artwork of recent years.

 

 

You sell your work on a site called Redbubble. Can you tell us a little more about it? I gather your work can be printed on a variety of formats, from posters to mobile phone cases? 

 

Posters, phone cases, prints, pillows - heck even an all-over print t-shirt, if you so wish. And much more - I would list all the items, but you know, I just don't think I can remember it all, there's just so much.

 

I upload my designs to the site, and then, if someone comes across and wishes to purchase it on a product - then they pay through Redbubble, who print and ship the item, and I get a 30% cut of the earnings, as they did all the printing and processing. It's not a lot - but it's a reasonable cut, for someone who simply uploads their designs.

 

 

What is the long term goal for you? A career in artistic design seems a natural next step, but is there a particular company you would like to design for? 

 

I'm not sure if I want to work for any particular companies, to be honest. I'm still rather figuring it all out at the moment. I mean, what I truly want to do is get the licenses to be able to print some of my designs myself (for example, I cannot sell any of my Back to the Future, Star Wars of Marvel designs on Redbubble). The goal is to be a freelance artist - get commissions, sell my designs and just do what I love!

 

I've picked two favourite pieces of yours; The UNIT piece (above) appeals immensely to my passion for the Pertwee era, and the Series 9 Zygon inspired piece (below) that has an extraordinary three dimensional quality which I love! Those are my personal favourites.. Do you have a piece which you would call yours?

 

 

Oh my - that's a hard one, I must say. I hate to sound ostentatious, but I am so proud of a lot of my work, that it is simply impossible to choose.

 

However, earlier this year I got a lot of high praise for a collection of designs I made. Twelve pieces, one for each Doctor, showcasing a prominent companion of that incarnation. I got some very high praise for it from the companions I used in the pieces - Frazer Hines, Katy Manning, Sophie Aldred. I must say, they are probably the pieces I am most proud of.

 

Sam, it's been a pleasure chatting with you, and I'd like to thank you for taking the time to share your work and passion with us!

You can follow Sam on Twitter @SamRBentley and can view his portfolio HERE. His work can be purchased directly from his Redbubble site (clickable). And it is nearly Christmas.. Go on.. treat yourself..!