Fireworks (because it's Christmas Eve!)

New look for Doctor Who Magazine

It looks stunning, but presumably, there won't be a photo of Kylie with a Dalek on every cover. It's a disappointing choice of photo for the poster too.

Despite this, I cannot wait until it hits the shelves!

Roll on December 13th!

And other deodorants of choice...

Ron Paul for President!

This presidential candidate for 2008 in the US has at least one very good idea that has convinced me that if I were a US citizen and resident in the US, I'd be voting for him:

No Taxes On Tips

I was stunned when I read the item. Here in the UK, whatever you get as a tip goes straight into your own pocket. I personally think it outrageous that any employee should be taxed for a 'job well done'.

Could You Be a Vampire?

You Could Definitely Be a Vampire



Immortality, staying pretty forever, not having to get a job... you could definitely eat some flesh for these things.

It's not that you're a murderer by nature. In fact, you're probably the furthest thing from it.
However, if you woke up a vampire, you'd certainly be able to adapt and enjoy your new lifestyle.
There might not be much better than living forever, even if it means giving up your soul.

What you would like best about being a vampire: Being a total outsider

What you would like least about being a vampire: Other vampires

Could You Be a Vampire?

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

You Scored an A

It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors.
If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs.
As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human.
And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

The Cadaver Calculator

$5075.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth. From Mingle2

Mingle²

Christmas Cast & Photo

The BBC have released the first publicity still of David Tennant & Kylie Minogue for the Christmas Special episode 'Voyage of the Damned'.

I'm particularly pleased to know that two of Britain's finest actors will also be appearing in the episode. Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By) will take on the role of the Captain of the Titanic and Clive Swift (Keeping Up Appearances) will also be starring. Neither of them are newcomers to Doctor Who. Clive Swift appeared in Sixth Doctor story Revelation of the Daleks (1984). Geoffrey Palmer appeared twice before alongside the Third Doctor in Doctor Who And The Silurians (1970) and The Mutants in 1972.

Already, I cannot wait...

Doctor Who 3.03: Gridlock

WARNING: This post is likely to contain spoilers! I have turned the text
the same colour as the background of the page so if you highlight this
entire post, you'll see the text.

What is going on inside this car? It's clearly being battered to bits from the outside. This short sequence sets up the dangers of being inside a car. It also points out the danger that the Doctor and Martha will be in - after all, you just know that they'll end up in a car just like it! Doesn't [b]Doctor Who[/b] have the best opening credit sequence ever? I like that the Doctor is beginning to change his mind about Martha. I also like that be get our first real 'glimpse' of Gallifrey in the description the Doctor gives. It's obvious that Martha gets more and more interested and wants to go there - and so do we. But the Doctor is lying and we know it - Gallifrey is destroyed. The arrow is still in the TARDIS door! This links this story directly to it's preceding story. They follow immediately, one after the other. The Face of Boe makes a welcome re-appearance, as does Novice Hame, although she's Nurse Hame now, catering for the needs of the Face of Boe. Clearly, a strong bond has formed between the two of them since New Earth (Series 2 Episode 1). But, this is the third time that we meet the Face of Boe and so we know that by the end of this episode, we know that he will die. But what's Hame doing with a gun? Has the Face of Boe sent her to kill the Doctor? The mood-sellers lend a touch of 'fairground' or 'market' to the scene in the alley. The transformation of the girl with Forget is handled well, with the tone of he voice changing remarkably. You just don't expect Martha to be abducted here. It's a short sequence and makes quite an impact as the Doctor has now lost Martha. His return to the alley and his confrontation with the sellers is quite powerful. We really do believe that he's going to close down the alley - even if it isn't actually him that closes it in the end. 10 miles in 6 YEARS!!!??? How does that work, then? It's good that we get the answer almost straight away - a monster traffic jam! A 50 foot head? - that sounds familiar. 12 years? 5 miles?? This traffic jam is astoundingly bad. 6 months to the next lay-by! It's remarkable funny that the Police have put the Doctor on hold. A friends list? Just like instant messaging. The story of the air-vents is exactly right - we just know that they are true stories. We are then given the explanation as the Doctor figures out what's happened - there are only the people on the motorway. No one else. Quite a scary thought and then a sudden change to an old church hymn??!! The Old Rugged Cross sticks out like a sore thumb in this episode. If the BBC had started transmitting Doctor Who on the date the originally intended, this would have been an Easter episode. Was it planned? It very cleverly highlights the sadness of the situation on the motorway. Martha joins in but the Doctor resolves to do something different. The vertical descent through the different card is quite funny as we see many different types of people in many different lives. Murray Gold's music is quite triumphant, too. It gives the chase a sense of achievement even when nothing has been achieved. Of all the monsters to bring back to Doctor Who, the Macra would probably not be top of anyone's list, but Russell T. Davies seems to have a unique point of view in that if he needs a monster, he looks at what monsters we have already to see if any of them will do before he goes of thinking up his own, new monsters. Finally, the revelation comes - the people of New New York are all dead. It's also a miraculous thing when the Doctor finally meets up with the Face of Boe again. It's a meeting we've been waiting for despite the fact that we know we'll not see him again. Martha's faith in the Doctor seems to spur on Milo to action. The Doctor has also sprung into action but his plan fails. Then, it happens. The Face of Boe saves everyone. It's quite scary to see the Face of Boe out of his 'tank' but it's nothing compared to the sadness that we are about to feel when he does eventually die. Murray Gold once again delivers a fine piece of music, combining the Face of Boe theme from last year with the raw power of Doomsday's separation theme. Outstanding stuff. The closing scene in the alley again hints at the loneliness of the Doctor. But what of the message of the Face of Boe? Is there another Time Lord still in existence? The Face of Boe really saves the day in this episode but only because the Doctor made it possible for him to do so. Therefore, another point for the Doctor. Final Score: Martha 1 - 2 The Doctor

It's all over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . for now!

So I didn't have time to include the final Radio Times preview before the episode went out but I really don't care.

Doctor Who 3.13: Last of the Time Lords was thoroughly enjoyable!

Now, a lot of reviews I've read on the web are criticising it for ripping off everyone's favourite films (Gollum/Doctor, Ring of Ming from Flash Gordon/Ring of the Master, etc.) but again, I really don't care about that.

People seem to have stopped watching television for the enjoyment of a show and instead prefer to nit-pick their way through the programme only to write a review, whether online or in print, pointing out all the little flaws and the big gaffs.

"Oh look, it was raining in the last scene but they're not wet in this one" or "that was just a total rip off of {insert favourite film title here}."

Calm down, relax and just enjoy the wonder of your programme.

Many a time, the soaps take their plotlines from recent films and no-one complains anywhere near as much.

---

Enough! I must stop there or I'll get a little carried away and start pointing out the reviewers I'm thinking of and that wouldn't be very polite.

I'm now on holiday from work and I hope to catch up with all my own episode reviews that I fell so far behind in making.

Gridlock in a few hours time and possible even Daleks in Manhattan...

Drums Along The Mersey?

From the Radio Times:

Britain has recently elected a new Prime Minister: one Harold Saxon. Viewers who were paying attention will have heard his name mentioned throughout this series. But it's only now, as he announces mankind's first contact with alien race the Toclafane, that his dark plans are coming to fruition. John Simm guest-stars as the sinister Saxon - and a host of familiar faces come along for the ride.

John Simm is hilariously heinous, donning the Master's dastardly mantle and adorning it with his own fun accessories. And yes, he upstages David Tennant just as Roger Delgado used to do to Jon Pertwee in the 70s. This thrilling first part of the season finale plays like a Spooks with the ideas department in overdrive. Amusing cameos, crafty Torchwood overlap, a Captain Scarlet homage and some serious jeopardy complete a first-class package. One week will never seem so long.

For readers wondering why this post is called 'Drums Along The Mersey', there were, in Fact, drums along the Mersey whilst I wrote it. Those with their windows open may have herd them.

See you all next week...

Peace, at last...?

From the Radio Times:

On a flying visit to Cardiff, the Doctor is reintroduced to a familiar face. Shortly after, the Tardis spins out of control and its crew find themselves transported to the end of the universe. There they discover that the remnants of the human race are under threat from the savage Futurekind. Even the Doctor finds the situation rather disconcerting, but a committed science professor (Derek Jacobi) refuses to accept that his people are beyond help.

Derek Jacobi is as great as you'd expect, and there's engaging banter between Jack and the Doctor, but otherwise Utopia is a surprising clunker, seemingly created for its climax alone… thankfully, it's a beauty.

This episode (and the next two) have been hyped to promise great things and I think that what we'll see tonight will have The Professor regenerate at the end into Mr Saxon but we'll find out tonight if I'm right!

Sleep well?

I never thought it would happen, but it did. Last night, I hardly slept - for two reasons!

The first was toothache.

I had had difficulty concentrating during the day and in the early evening, had to take some paracetamol to combat the ache. It was when I was eating a packet of crisps that I broke part of an old, dead tooth and this only made the pain worse.

I went for a short walk and in the park area at the end of my street, there is a war-memorial with a statue of an angel.

That was the second reason.

During the night, I lay awake as the dull thud of my toothache hammered its way further into my brain. Eventually, I got out of bed and looked for some tweezers. The only set I could find were old and rusty but they served well. Shining a torch into the bathroom mirror, I manoeuvred the tweezers onto my broken tooth and after 20 minutes or so of prodding & twisting, finally pulled out the broken part of my tooth.

The pain died down and disappeared after a few minutes so I made a cup of tea before going back to bed.

Then I still could not sleep. The statue of the angel played in my mind, lurching around the house and creeping closer and closer...

All I can say is that last night, I had Doctor-Who-induced nightmare. Thank you to the Doctor Who team for that, especially Steven Moffat (writer) for his fantastic imagination.

Matchsticks on Standby...

OK, so I missed a couple of weeks with the Rdio Times previews - I've been busy!

Never mind, here's the preview for this week.

From the Radio Times:

A young woman called Sally comes to regret breaking into an old, abandoned house. There the Weeping Angels wait. As people begin disappearing, Sally intercepts cryptic messages from a mysterious stranger known as the Doctor, who's trapped in the year 1969. But can she make sense of them before the Angels claim their prize?

Suggestion can be a powerful weapon, and writer Steven Moffat uses it with consummate cunning in this neat little mindbender. Those hoping for a full return to action of Martha and the Doctor may be disappointed; they do appear, but only fleetingly. It doesn't mar enjoyment of a creepy and clever episode, carried well by promising actress Carey Mulligan. It's a real haunted-house special and one that will unsettle impressionable children. This is the story that even made the Duke of Who Russell T Davies "scared to death".

The preview at the close of last week's episode looked really unsettling.

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the angels look like they've taken a cast of Steven Moffat's head?

Life, the Universe & Everything.

From the Radio Times:

Having already satirised reality TV, it was only a matter of time before the Doctor Who team turned their attention to the real-time format originated by 24. The Doctor and Martha are trapped aboard a spaceship in a distant galaxy. So far, so typical - but this particular ship is careering towards a boiling sun, and its crew are behaving oddly. The plucky duo have only 42 minutes to identify the saboteurs and save the day.

After the last preview, I (yet again) have high expectations of this episode. Part of the fun of the preview at the end of 'The Lazarus Experiment' was deciding which clips were from tonight's episode.

BBC Closing Credit Sequences

The BBC have decided to adopt a standardised closing credits sequence (similar to ITV & Channel 4) so that they can shrink the credits and play promos for upcoming shows etc.

I don't like this idea. I like to be able to look at the closing credits of a programme to see who's involved and occasionally see if I recognise any names.

This will also limit shows being inventive with the closing credit sequence.

• Monty Python seemed to do something different every week;
• Dead Ringers continue to improvise with them;
• Still Game offer a short snippet after the credits;

The list could go on.

The closing credit sequence is an underused portion of the programme that many producers choose to ignore and fail to explore their creativity for them.

ITV looks boring now as all programmes do this and now, the BBC want to follow suit? I don't think that the Beeb should. They should allow programmes to show their diversity!

If you object to this decision, then please consider signing the petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/bbccspt/petition.html

Wasn't He raised from the dead?

From the Radio Times:

Martha comes back down to Earth with a bump - and this time it's got nothing to do with the TARDIS's dodgy propulsion systems. She's paying a visit to the quarrelsome family she left behind in favour of a taste of adventure with the Doctor. But she soon learns her nearest and dearest are embroiled in Professor Lazarus's dastardly plans to manipulate human DNA - and a simple visit home becomes a fight for survival.

Doctor Who continues its game of spot the homage. [This] story is an enjoyable synthesis of She, The Fly and The Quatermass Experiment - even down to the final battle in a London cathedral. But despite some charming interplay between the two leads and an excellent turn from Mark Gatiss as the young and old professor, The Lazarus Experiment is a pretty conventional runaround, though the nightmarish Identikit creature is superbly realised and dedicated Whovians can look out for a "reverse the polarity" reference.

I've been looking forward to the Doctor and Martha's return to the present. Two years ago, a slight miscalculation returned Rose to a point 12 months after her disappearance and not 12 hours as the Doctor had thought. What will happen here, with Martha and her family?

I'm looking forward to seeing Mark Gatiss in Doctor Who as well. He's a talented actor and writer and I'm betting he was overjoyed to finally get the chance to be in Doctor Who itself and not just a comedy sketch in 2003.

Television viewing to Evolve? Probably not.

From the Radio Times:

The Cult of Skaro's desperation to survive is now frighteningly clear. Dalek Sec is successfully reborn in hybrid form, and his plan to perpetuate his race enters its next stage. As Martha fights for survival at the top of the Empire State Building, the Doctor must take desperate measures to prevent a new Dalek Empire from flourishing in 1930s New York.

Horror staples (the Frankenstein lab, a lightning storm and a disfigured hero) jostle for attention, but being a monster mishmash stops Evolution of the Daleks from developing its own identity. However, fans of the Skaro scoundrels will just be glad to see them gliding through the night sky, counting in "rells" and taking the odd unrequested x-ray. They truly are TV's great survivors.

I'm particularly annoyed that tonight, I won't be able to watch the episode - I'll be at a barbeque! My DVD recorder has a very temperamental timer recorder too, so I'm hoping it will work properly tonight.

I have some expectations for tonight's episode so I'll be watching the repeat on BBC3 with great interest.

"Für Elise" on two guitars

This guy's good!

I was simply awestruck. I wish I could play that good on only one guitar but I'm bit of a lazy git and don't practice anywhere near as often as I should.

Doctor Who 3.02: The Shakespeare Code

Just as I settle down to type this review with a cup of tea in hand, I realise that I've not made it yet so I'll be back in a few minutes...

Right, here we go... Diddly-dum, diddly-dum, diddly-dum... Ooo-ooo-ooo...

WARNING: This post is likely to contain spoliers! I have turned the text the same colour as the background of the page so if you highlight this entire post, you'll see the text.

The opening sequence is decidedly cheesy and romantic and almost turns pornographic! Once inside Lilith's rooms, and then her transformation after the kiss, we are instantly aware of imminent danger. But why does she address the camera just before the opening credits? At this point, I would just like to say how much better the opening titles look with the 'proper' logo in them rather than the series 1 and 2 version. Is the TARDIS clockwork? The Doctor is doing a lot of winding with that handle. He's also using his left foot to fly the TARDIS too and he finally admits to failing his TARDIS flight test. Why am I not surprised! The whole butterfly and grandfather exchange is Doctor Who thumbing its' nose at all other time-travel films and shows. Brilliantly done. Enter Shakespeare: a flying kick and a huge insult to the audience. A truly different character than I believe anybody expected, and the Doctor is genuinely disappointed at his words. Throughout the production, the set design and costumes are stunning, emphasising just how expertly the BBC do historical drama. Is Martha's homeland of Freedonia a pun on Freema's name? Mr. Linley's death is particularly horrid. It's convincingly done and the little exchange with Martha about Witchcraft is really quite haunting, if you'll pardon the pun. Could this also be the first time we see the Doctor sharing a bed? Clearly, Martha really likes the Doctor but he manages to insult her and he doesn't even realise it, something that happens a few times in this episode. Lilith is surprisingly sexy, a strong characteristic for the weekly 'bad guy'. A necessary trait in making female villains seem far more deadly. I write this as I watch the episode and for an episode that seeks to play with words, I feel it just a little ironic that I haven't seen anything to comment on. My favourite scene in this episode is the confrontation with Lilith. The Doctor has no name? Nothing new to learn there but it's refreshing to hear it again. It's also quite convenient that Lilith doesn't know he has two hearts. It's rather a funny moment as Martha tries to restart his second heart before they both head off to the grand finale in the globe theatre. Finally, the Doctor gives way gain for someone else to save the day, this time it's Shakespeare. But, I'll award the point to the Doctor anyway as it is he that convinces Shakespeare that he can save the world. The final choice of word is also particularly amusing, a final nod to the modern wordsmith who gave us Harry Potter and co. Hamnet?? Brilliant! When Shakespeare figures out the Doctor and Martha's origins, it is surprising and expected. But it is nothing to the short chase back to the TARDIS when Queen Elizabeth arrives. Final Score: Martha 1 - 1 The Doctor

The what are in Manhattan???

From the Radio Times:

The TARDIS takes a trip back to 1930s New York. As if the struggle for survival in the harsh conditions of the Depression wasn't daunting enough, its citizens also face an unknown threat as people disappear off the streets. There's danger above and below ground - savage Pig Men roam the sewers, while at the top of the Empire State Building the Doctor's oldest enemies prepare to put a diabolical plan into action…

Harking back to classic Who and its trademark cliffhangers, the longer adventures allow the story to breathe and tensions to escalate. So just enjoy the epic scope, effortless scene-setting and show-stopping turn from Miranda Raison of Spooks as the brassy Tallulah.

I'm a little disappointed that the Doctor Who team and the BBC have actively publicised the inclusion of the Daleks in this weeks episode. Where's the surprise in that? Daleks work best when they take you by surprise. They should be hidden as much as possible - there was no mention that they were ever going to appear in series 2 and there had been no indications at all.

And what kind of episode title it 'Daleks in Manhattan' anyway?

Still, none of this is going to stop my enjoyment of the episode but it had better be far more interesting than the boring episode title!

---

In other episode-4-unrelated news, the full script for Smith & Jones, episode 1 of this current series has been made freely downloadable by the BBC. It certainly makes for interesting reading.

Get it here: Big Space Rhinos With Guns On

Channel tuned, Channel Locked: BBC1

From the Radio Times:

The Doctor makes a return trip to New Earth, where he and Rose once encountered menacing feline nurses, and patients used as medical guinea pigs. This time he's got new companion Martha in tow, and there's a new threat too - a sinister group known as the Pharmacists are in control. It's not long before Martha finds herself in danger, and the Doctor is set to renew an old acquaintance.

After a slow, awkward start, Gridlock accelerates to its finishing line with important revelations, the dissolving of barriers between the Doctor and his new friend, and an unexpectedly touching reunion with the wise and ancient Face of Boe. Bonuses include some top-hole FX; a still-recognisable Ardal O'Hanlon (even furry cat prosthetics can't hide those twinkly eyes… not to mention the heavy Irish brogue); and a neat reward or two for fans with memories stretching back 40-plus years.

With the football pushing back the start time of this episode (possibly even by one week!), the BBC might just have given away the audience for the week. Then again, the football is sure to attract viewers who may just hang around...

Either way, 'Gridlock' looks to be another outstanding episode. Looking back at the preview, there is what looks like the Ninth Doctor making an appearance. Unfortunately, it definitely isn't him, but I wonder if someone if going around pretending to be the Doctor...

I know also that I haven't posted a review of episode 2 yet, but I will get it posted soon.

Will Shakespeare make good viewing?

From the Radio Times:

Martha takes her first trip in the Tardis, all the way back to Elizabethan England. She and the Doctor hear of a series of bizarre deaths and discover that playwright William Shakespeare is being controlled by dangerous witch-like creatures. It seems the time-travelling duo must defeat ancient forces to prevent history from being rewritten.

Strap yourselves in for one of the most sparkling and energetic episodes yet as the Doc and new sidekick Martha tumble into Shakespearean England. It's lovely stuff, thanks to a shimmering script by Gareth Roberts packed with clever references and in-jokes, along with breathtaking asides that will have you laughing out loud. And the final sequences in the Globe are thrilling.

So, it looks like we have another excellent, fast-paced episode to look forward to tomorrow night. Looking again at last weeks preview, Martha seems likely to take the whole time-travel considerably easily, and even making an 'impression' on Shakespeare.

And then and then and then and then!

It's driving me mad - I'm going to edit all those 'and then' sentences in that post!

Sorry for the inconvenience!

French Rail Speed Record - 574.8km/h (356mph)

I can't believe I missed this. Trains are a method of transport that fascinate me. I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a big fan of Thomas The Tank Engine either, but I was stunned to see the video footage of it.

Youtube: France2 coverage

Youtube: English version

Whether you work in km/h or mph, it's still bloody fast!

And then...

I've just been reading my review of 'Smith and Jones' again.

I'm amazed t how many times I start a sentence, and even paragraphs, with "And then..." or some variation of that. I'm ashamed of myself for this apalling grammar. I make no excuse.

Well, I do actually. I'm a mathematician by nature, and it's what I do for a living, so I'm not really up to much with writing lenghty pieces of text. Still, I'm very angry with myself.

My spelling seems a bit off here and there simply due to the letter 'a' on my keyboard playing up a bit and not 'pressing' properly.

A poor excuse.

I'll go stand in the corner and face the wall...

Additions to Murphy's Law

1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

2. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

3. Those that live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

4. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

5. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

6. If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.

7. The things that come to those who wait will be the scraggly junk left by those who got there first.

8. The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

9. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

10. When you go into court, you are putting yourself into the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

Doctor Who 3.01: Smith & Jones

WARNING: This post is likely to contain spoliers! I have turned the text the same colour as the background of the page so if you highlight this entire post, you'll see the text.

Russell T. Davies has crafted nother fine script. From the very opening moment, we see that Martha is a very capable person. She is very obviously the person 'in charge', expecially with her family. After an enigmatic encounter with the Doctor, we discover that something strange is happening at the hospital. Discovering the Doctor in a hospital bed was quite reminiscent of his being bed-ridden in The Christmas Invasion. The 'bikers' with the black helmets remind me of Shayde from the Doctor Who Magazine comic strips. Are the 'Slabs' the same kind of robots we've seen in The Christms Invasion and The Runaway Bride? The rain was incredible. Along with the transportation to the moon, it all looked 'right'. The shocker of the scene was seeing the TARDIS still on Earth. How is the Doctor going to get back to it? The panic in the hospital seems exaggerated but it is good to see Martha taking charge of the situation and ordering patients back into bed. It's a nice touch to hear Martha talking of previous events we've seen in Doctor Who (Aliens of London, The Christmas Invasion & Army of Ghosts/Doomsday). The arrival of the Judoon is heralded by some magnificent music. Murray Gold is making a marvellous job of making the big, grand scenes even bigger and even grander than they seem to be. The genious of the man is once again apparent as the Judoon march across the surface of the moon, invading the hospital, making their presence felt throughout their scenes. Assimilation of the language is very nicely done and the ludicrous use of a marker pen in the end of their scanner is brilliant - not at all expected. After Martha's discovery of Mr. Stoker being sucked dry by the Miss Finnegan, there is another nice touch, a reference right back to Rose. The Doctor says 'Run!' and grabs Martha's hand. The scene of the Doctor trying to expel the radiation from his body brings the Monty Python 'Ministry of Funny Walks' to mind. And the Doctor is suddenly bare foot. So the kiss means nothing? It obviously did to Martha. However, it would seem the Doctor has used her to slow down the Judoon, much in the same way that the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) would manipulate his companion (Ace) and those around him to own ends. Martha saves the day and defeats the bad guy for the week - but it's up to the Doctor to save the Hospital. But even when he does, he has no way of returning to the TARDIS. I'll be willing to bet money he'd have found a way if the Judoon hadn't sent the hospital back to Earth. Why is it that CPR saves the Doctor if he's had his blood drained? Did the Plasmavore drink all his blood or was there some left? How long has he been lying there? And there's yet another piece of the episode harking back to Rose. Just as Rose heard the TARDIS dematerialise and then look back to see that it's gone, so does Martha. Finally, we're treated to another view of Martha's argumentative family, allowing her to walk away from it all into an adventure with the Doctor. Finishing off the episode there is the explanation of the initial encounter from the beginning of the episode. We finish with another explanation of the TARDIS being bigger on the inside than the outside. So far, this one is my favourite. It was interesting to see the Doctor being teased by Martha as well. I suspect this might be a pairing of Doctor and companion more like the Third Doctor and Jo or the Sixth Doctor and Peri. Episode 1 Final score: Martha 1 - 0 The Doctor

My Internet Connection

Ever wanted to know exactly how fast your internet connection really is?

With Eager Anticipation...

It is now Saturday, 31st March, 2007. Tonight sees the return of Doctor Who to BBC1 and it seems that we are promised an even bigger and better series than before.

So tonight (or tomorrow night since I haven't actually gone to bed yet!) I wil be sitting down with a fish supper and a can of Irn Bru, inserting a blank disk in the dvd recorder, disconnecting the phone from the socket and turning my mobile phone off. By the time I've made 100% certain that I cannot be disturbed, my fish and chips will be cold, the Irn Bru will no longer be refrigerated and the episode will be finished.

In these days of modern technology, it has become more and more difficult to stop ourselves being disturbed. Can you honestly tell me that you're 100% certain that I will NOT be interrupted at all for the duration of tonight's televisual feast?

Each episode of Doctor Who runs for approximately 45 minutes, but almost all of my friends and family forget that once the episode is over, there is Doctor Who: Confidential, the 'making of' programme. Will I be disturbed or not?

I hope not.

I'd better not!

The Last Express: Getting It To Work!

1. Make a folder somewhere on the Hard disk of the computer. I opted to make it on the Desktop and I called it 'The Last Express' to make it obvious what it was.
2. Open CD 1 and copy the two files called EXPRESSW from the 'Windows' folder to the game folder you just made on your desktop/hard disk.
3. Go to the DATA folder on the CD and copy over the six ".EGG" files (Blue, Gold, Green, Purple, Red and Teal) and the HD.HPF to the game folder.
4. You could also copy the README.TXT from the CD if you like.
5. Create a shortcut (if necessary) to the EXPRESSW.EXE file.
6. The game should now run by double-clicking either the shortcut you made or the EXPRESSW.EXE file. If it doesn't, go back to the Windows folder on the CD and copy over the MFC42.DLL and MSVCRT.DLL files.

I'm sure there must be something wrong with ths one...

You Are 92% Gentleman

No doubt about it, you are a total gentleman. You please the pickiest ladies, and you make everyone in a room feel comfortable.

Are You A Gentleman?

Looking back at 'The Last Express'

The Last Express is a point-and-click adventure game that had the pleasure of playing many, many years ago (1997). It was sitting on the shelves in the computer game shop I was in to buy Riven (another great game!) and I was curious enough to purchase it.

It turned out to be one of the best computer game purchases I have ever made.

I wish that I could start the game anew without having my knowledge of what happens. It's one of the few games that has made a huge impact on me.

The opening sequence jumps out as if it were straight from a film and since that first time I played, I have been hooked on the game. I discovered the soundtrack CD available for this game at SynSoniq whilst looking for something else and that has re-awakened my desire to play this game again. Unfortunately, I can't. It seems that the install program won't run at all under Windows XP.

I'm not going to let this stand in my way of playing a most excellent game - I'll be investigating how to go about installing the game and I'll be back later telling the whole world how to get it up and running on Windows XP.

Until then, try these other fantastic and informative links.

• Mark Moran has a history (of sorts) of Smoking Car Productions and his own involvement in the creation of the game.
• Mark has also mirrored the original Last Express website from 1997.
  
• The Escapist has an excellent '10 Years Later' review of the game.
• There is also a page on Wikipedia for the game.
  

The soundtrack can also be found on Amazon but you'll have to try eBay to get a copy of the game.

A Scammer gets scammed!

Having recently been the victim of a scam on eBay, I really enjoyed reading this little tale.

It's the story of a scammer who tries to settle 'out of eBay' on a Powerbook laptop. Little did he know that he aroused suspicion from the seller and ended up scammed himself!

Have a read and enjoy the laugh!

Do You Have an Addictive Personality?

Hmmm...

I'm not sure about this one.

---

Your Personality is 72% Addictive

You definitely have an addictive personality, and you're probably hooked on something.

Even if it's just peanut M&Ms or online shopping.
Do You Have an Addictive Personality?

Soundtrack CD Update

With reference to my previously posted comments about the Doctor Who soundtrack CD, I would just like to state that I now consider track 16 to be my favourite on the entire disc.

The Face Of Boe is a beautiful, lonely melody with a prefect dullness to it that might seem as if you're listening to it from inside a glass tank.

Wonderful stuff.

Thank you, Mr. Gold!