50 years of the Fourth Doctor

50 years ago, Robot was the first story of the twelfth season of Doctor Who, beginning Tom Baker's iconic era as the Fourth Doctor.

Following on from Jon Pertwee's action-orientated Third Doctor, Baker's eccentric and enigmatic tenure at the controls of the TARDIS would witness an unprecedented level of popularity for the BBC's beloved sci-fi series both in the UK and overseas, and the launch of Marvel UK's Doctor Who Weekly. The fan-favourite publication went monthly and continues to this day.

Dad was a fan of Pertwee's Third Doctor, and the Sonic Screwdriver was passed from generation to generation.

My earliest memory of watching Doctor Who is The Sontaran Experiment and the Fourth Doctor is my favourite incarnation. From shapeshifting Zygons to an android Sarah Jane Smith (Lis Sladen) to the bubbling brain of Morbius, Doctor Who was a Saturday teatime staple watched with my dad.

This was an era before the widespread adoption of home video recorders. If we missed an episode, there was little chance of seeing it unless there was an omnibus edition repeat. Revenge of the Cybermen was the first VHS tape I owned in 1983.

When I was hospitalised in the wake of an unreported head injury in primary school, vintage annuals, Denys Fisher's Fourth Doctor, Cyberman and Giant Robot action figures gifted by family, and eating Jelly Babies, took my mind off of a life-changing childhood trauma as I began years of rehabilitation having undergone a regeneration - the ingenious key to the sci-fi series’ longevity - of my own.

On Christmas Day 1979, Santa Claus completed my collection by leaving a much-wished-for Denys Fisher TARDIS and K9 under the tree.

Considered by many fans (myself included) as one of the greatest seasons of Doctor Who, Season Twelve is available on Blu-ray from Amazon (affiliate link).

What are your memories of watching the Fourth Doctor? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who teaser trailer for 2025

A teaser trailer for Doctor Who season two dropped following Joy to the World on Christmas Day. The holiday special saw the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) aid Joy (Nicola Coughlan) in an emotionally resonant Steven Moffat-penned seasonal story.



Read the official synopsis:

"There are forces beyond this universe... It's all a game to them!"

The teaser trailer teases the return of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and the introduction of a new TARDIS companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu). Sethu first appeared as Mundy Flynn in season one's Boom!

Doctor Who returns in 2025 on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Have you watched the teaser trailer? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Rose Ayling-Ellis MBE joins Doctor Who

Only two more sleeps until the Doctor Who Christmas special, Joy to the World. Fans (myself included) can watch a colourised omnibus edition of The War Games, which marked the end of an era for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), and Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 while waiting.

As anticipation builds for season two of Doctor Who on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland, Rose Ayling-Ellis MBE will be a guest star in 2025.

Russell T Davies, showrunner says: “We always want guest actors on Doctor Who to have fun, but Rose takes it to a whole new level. She storms in with an astonishing performance of terror, anger and bravery in one of the most frightening episodes we’ve ever made.”

Rose Ayling-Ellis is a longtime fan of Doctor Who.

Ayling-Ellis, says: “I loved Doctor Who when I was growing up, so being cast in the show was a dream come true. My inner child is ecstatic with excitement! Working with Russell and filming alongside the talented cast and crew has been an incredible experience. Ncuti is a wonderful Doctor, and I can’t wait for audiences to see what we have created together.”

This is exciting news and a wonderful way to wrap up 2024. May I wish all our readers a happy holiday season and see you in 2025.

LEGO Icons Blacktron blasts off!

Growing up, LEGO Space was my jam!

When the LEGO Group announced the Galaxy Explorer, based on the iconic 1979 spaceship I vividly remember building on Boxing Day, many brick fans (myself included) hoped there would be more nostalgic sets based on the fan-favourite theme.

Now it's the turn of the Blacktron baddies, which I missed out on back in the day.

Here’s the press release from LEGO:

"Today, the LEGO Group reveals a cosmic tribute to the iconic LEGO® Blacktron Future Generation series with the new LEGO Icons Blacktron Renegade Set.

First introduced in the 1980s, the Blacktron Renegade was a fan-favourite spaceship from the classic LEGO Space era, known for its distinctive black and yellow design and unsymmetrical shape. Combining nostalgia and a modern design, this collectible spaceship model recreates the Blacktron Renegade in staggering detail, offering fans a chance to rediscover the thrill of building classic LEGO space adventures.

Designed for adult builders, this modular masterpiece includes exciting new features such as a planet-rover drop pod, retractable landing gear, and two wing-mounted space speeders. Fans can bring the set to life with the three Blacktron minifigures, a droid figure, and online instructions to rebuild the Renegade into an amplified version of the 1980s Blacktron Alienator.

This set is the ultimate gift for collectors and LEGO space-themed enthusiasts. Rediscover the magic of LEGO space and create galactic adventures with new LEGO Icons Blacktron Renegade Set!

Discover LEGO Star Wars and more on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

The LEGO Icons Blacktron Renegade building set ships in time for my birthday in January and will look great next to the Galaxy Explorer.

Will you be adding the LEGO Icons Blacktron Renegade building set to your collection? Let me know in the comments below.

Superman teaser trailer soars

46 years ago, Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeve as the titular Kryptonian superhero, was in cinemas. My parents took me to see it following a visit to Santa's Grotto in the hopes of Star Wars toys on Christmas Day. Like Luke Skywalker, Superman became a beacon of hope and inspiration in the darkest times.

Directed by Richard Donner (The Goonies), Superman: The Movie was the third film in a formative theatrical trifecta including Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind! All of these films feature soundtracks composed by the legendary John Williams.

It's impossible to overstate how important these movies are to me.

I was in the early years of recovery from a life-changing head injury at primary school, which had left me partially paralysed and wheelchair-bound in 1977. Cinema was my fortress of solitude, and silver screen tales of heroism would aid in my resolve to walk again with the help and support of family, friends and amazing healthcare professionals working in the NHS.

My 82-year-old dad and I still discuss seeing Superman: The Movie and Superman II with my late mum all those years ago. Reeve will always be the definitive Clark Kent/Superman. In a tragic twist, Reeve would suffer a life-changing injury of his own.

Warner Bros. Pictures has dropped an official teaser trailer for James Gunn's Superman featuring Williams' iconic theme. Dad and I loved Guardians of the Galaxy and I wish my mum was alive to see this.



"I mean, the John Williams scores… it's one of the greatest scores of all time. And you know, it's the thing I loved when I saw the movie as a child," said Gunn at a press conference for the launch of the Superman teaser trailer. "If that was the thing I liked the most, was the score, I wanted to pay tribute to that."

Gunn's Superman flies onto cinema screens on 11th July 2025.

What did you think of the teaser trailer? Are you looking forward to Superman? Let me know in the comments below.

Silo to conclude after fourth season

An early Christmas gift for Silo fans (myself included). Silo has been renewed for two more seasons on Apple TV+.

The sci-fi series follows the last 10,000 people on Earth, all of whom live in a massive underground bunker to escape the seemingly toxic and deadly world outside. The people are unaware of why the titular silo was built, and those who seek the truth face deadly consequences.

“We’ll be shooting all of 2025 into early 2026,” confirms Graham Yost to Empire magazine on the set of Silo at Hoddesdon Studios in Hertfordshire. “There's a big location that we're going to introduce toward the end of Season 3 that plays a very big role in Season 4. And because we shoot all 10 episodes [of each season] at the same time, we had to write Season 3 and then basically go right into writing season 4.”

Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette Nichols, an engineer who attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding the silo following a loved one's murder. The sci-fi series is based on Hugh Howey's best-selling book series.

“I’ve loved every minute of bringing Juliette to the screen and am immensely proud of what we’ve all created with Silo since the first episode,” adds star and executive producer Ferguson. “I have always felt passionately about telling the entire story contained within Hugh Howey’s books, so I couldn’t be happier that audiences around the world have enthusiastically embraced the show. Alongside our parters at Apple, Graham, and the entire cast and crew, I cannot wait to dive into these final two thought-provoking seasons that will beautifully conclude this dystopian tale.”

If you’ve yet to slip into Silo’s dystopian embrace, now's the time to start as the second season is currently streaming with new episodes every Friday on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ has become a home for prestige sci-fi series from For All Mankind to Dark Matter.

Are you watching Silo on Apple TV+? Let me know in the comments below.

Skeleton Crew is festive fun!

Skeleton Crew is streaming on Disney+ and Star Wars hasn't been this much fun since The Mandalorian! Lucasfilm has dropped an official clip from episode 3.



The Star Wars live-action spin-off series starring Jude Law, created by Spider-Man Homecoming director Jon Watts and writer Christopher Ford, who also serve as the showrunners, follows along as the kids get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy and have to find their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies along the way.

The soundtrack, composed by Mick Giaccino (son of Michael Giaccino), deftly fuses The Goonies' DNA with adventures in a galaxy far, far away.

Join Jod (Jude Law), Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), KB (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith), and SM-33 (Nick Frost) on a rollicking journey among the stars.

Individual episodic directors are Jon Watts, David Lowery, the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Jake Schreier, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Lee Isaac Chung. The season was written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts, with two episodes by Myung Joh Wesner. The series is executive produced by Christopher Ford, Jon Watts, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson, along with co-executive producers Chris Buongiorno, Karen Gilchrist, Carrie Beck and producers Susan McNamara and John Bartnicki.

Pre-order Star Wars The Black Series Skeleton Crew action figures on Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you watching Skeleton Crew on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Palitoy Death Star designer has died

Growing up, Christmas was a time for Star Wars toys such as the AT-AT and Millennium Falcon if you were lucky. I always wanted the Palitoy Death Star and was saddened to hear the news of designer Brian Turner's passing.

Bob Brechin, chief designer at Palitoy, shared the sad news online.

"It is with great sadness I announce the passing of Brian Turner who died on the morning of Friday 6th December 2024.

For collectors and fans of Star Wars toys Brian did most of the design work on the Star Wars card Death Star by Palitoy.

I first got to know Brian when he came to Palitoy around 1970 to be Display Manager and we became good friends and colleagues. The previous display manager had left and prior to Brian joining us I was deputising with the Packaging Manager on setting up the Palitoy stand at the British Toy Fair. So when Brian joined I would go out with him to show him the ropes whilst he settled in. He was soon into his stride and reorganised the whole way the toy fair stand was designed using modular octonorm system. It was a big financial outlay at the start but enabled him to use the system to design smaller regional shows throughout the year. Before that every British Toy Fair stand and regional shows by Palitoy were one-off designs that were broken down and destroyed.

Brian also put in some very exciting dioramas into large department stores, particularly one at Blackpool and produced smaller dioramas that sales reps could transport around in the back of their estate cars.

When he was in the office, which was rarely, he would talk with Design Director Bill Pugh’s secretary June and the conversations grew into something bigger. Brian and June got married in December 1973 and last year we were there with the family and friends at the care home where they both lived to celebrate their golden wedding.

When June married Brian Bill decided she had to move so she took on the position of manager of the Palitoy canteen and later part of the sales team, and Brian decided that his job as Display Manager, which involved many days away from home, was not for him and June, so he came to work with me as a toy designer. That was a good move for Palitoy and the public. As well as helping to create one of the most iconic toys in the Star Wars universe Brian also worked on other great toys including Action Force. The Sealion, which is highly regarded by Action Force collectors was one of Brian’s creations.

Condolences to his family and friends."

This weekend's Farthest From event, featuring pipeline reveals from Hasbro's Steve Evans for the Star Wars Retro Collection, was dedicated to the memory of Brian.

The Two Doctors on Christmas Day

Doctor Who returns on Christmas Day and a new trailer has materialised teasing two Doctors (Ncuti Gatwa).



Read the official synopsis for Joy to the World:

"Joy checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.

Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor’s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?"

Doctor Who: Joy to the World is available for pre-order (affiliate link).

Doctor Who: Joy to the World premieres on Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ where available.

Are you looking forward to Joy to the World? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who brings Joy to the World

Doctor Who fans (myself included) are in for a bumper festive season featuring the colourised omnibus edition of The War Games, Doctor Who at the Proms 2024 and the holiday special, Joy to the World.

Doctor Who returns on Christmas Day with Joy to the World, a time-hopping trip through the history of Earth written by former series showrunner Steven Moffat and starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Nicola Coughlan as Joy.



Read the official synopsis for Joy to the World:

"Joy checks into a London hotel in 2024, only to discover that her quiet stay is anything but ordinary. When Joy opens a secret doorway to the Time Hotel, she discovers danger, dinosaurs and the Doctor. But a deadly plan is unfolding across the Earth, just in time for Christmas.

Where has the Doctor been? What is going on in Joy’s hotel room? An old enemy of the Doctor’s is lurking in the wings and all of human history hangs in the balance. Can the Doctor save Christmas, everywhere, all at once?"

Doctor Who: Joy to the World is available for pre-order (affiliate link).

Doctor Who: Joy to the World premieres on Christmas Day on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ where available.

Are you looking forward to Joy to the World? Let me know in the comments below.

PlayStation turns 30!

This blog began 20 years ago and I've reviewed PlayStation hardware across generations. So it's only right I share my memories on the 30th anniversary of Sony's game-changing console.

I wouldn't own Sony's upstart console with a bundled copy of Tomb Raider from EB Games until 1996. However, I first played a friend's Japanese import PlayStation and then a university housemate's for a daily dose of Destruction Derby, Ridge Racer and WipEout (when I should have been writing my third-year dissertation).

In the mid-to-late nineties, saying you owned a PlayStation during work water cooler conversations was fashionably cool. The console was featured on newsstands everywhere, from Edge to FHM, nudging Nintendo and Sega off the top spots forever.

Without the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), there would be no PlayStation.

Sony's 32-bit console began life as an aborted SNES CD-ROM add-on in 1988. However, Nintendo shunned Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and partnered with Philips in 1991. The rest is gaming history.

Sony brings back the original PlayStation boot screen to celebrate this milestone with the PlayStation 5 (PS5) anniversary update! No matter which generation of PlayStation you grew up on, that old-school PS1 boot screen hits differently! I will turn my PS5 on and off throughout the holidays to remember what it felt like to play Tomb Raider for the first time!

What are your PlayStation memories? Let me know in the comments below.

Hasbro Toyland on Amazon

Hasbro, in collaboration with Amazon, invites families to a wonderful, FREE holiday pop-up event in New York City, for a merry afternoon bursting with toys, games, and activities.

Taking place December 6-8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the High Line at Chelsea Market Passage – located between 15th and 16th street – this immersive experience will showcase the best of Hasbro Toyland. The enchanted pop-up brings Hasbro’s iconic brands to life, offering a fun-filled destination for families to celebrate the season together.

At Hasbro’s Holiday Pop-Up Event, parents and kids can look forward to the following FREE activities:

Hasbro Product Showcase: Explore and play with a variety of toys from Hasbro brands, including BABY ALIVE, BEYBLADE, FURBY, HASBRO GAMING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, TRANSFORMERS, PEPPA PIG, POTATO HEAD, and PLAY-DOH, plus premier collaboration brands including Star Wars™ and Marvel. All battery-operated toys will be powered by Duracell for countless hours of play!

Photo Opps with Santa and Hasbro Characters: Capture lasting memories with Santa and Hasbro characters, including Peppa Pig, Izzy Moonbow, Sunny Starscout, and Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. Complimentary photo frames will be provided (while supplies last).

Letter to Santa Station: Send letters to the North Pole first class! Use your best penmanship to share wishes and hopes with Santa at his special mailbox.

Giveaways & Snacks: Grab a tote bag filled with holiday goodies including a $25 Paramount+ gift card, Duracell batteries with Power Boost ingredients, picture frame, stickers and other delightful gifts. Get cozy with delicious cookies and hot cocoa!

Shop Hasbro Toyland (affiliate link).