Talking Doctor Who

Talking Doctor Who, presented by David Tennant, is a 60-minute documentary celebrating the 60th anniversary.

Read the official synopsis:

"As part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of Doctor Who, David Tennant time travels back through the BBC archives to tell the story of the Doctor’s classic era, with a selection of rarely seen interviews and clips covering William Hartnell’s first incarnation right through to the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.

On the way, David compares some of his own experiences with the actors who came before him and shares special archive moments that reveal, amongst other things, how to film a regeneration, which actor was a master of modern gadgetry – including a collapsible caravan – and what the factors were that helped to decide how a Doctor selects his own individual and distinctive costume."

The documentary special coincides with over 800 episodes of classic Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer. This is the first time all eras of the beloved BBC sci-fi series are curated under one roof. An Unearthly Child is omitted due to a rights issue.

Doctor Who returns for three 60th anniversary specials, starring David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), this November on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Talking Doctor Who is on BBC4 and BBC iPlayer on 1st November.

Are you looking forward to the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments below.

Gargoyles live-action reboot on Disney+

In the wake of Batman: The Animated Series, Gargoyles was a dark animated series released by Disney.

Featuring the voices of Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis from Star Trek: The Next Generation, it aired from 1994 to 1997 and spawned a successful toy line from Kenner.

According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the titular Gargoyles are getting a live-action reboot from Gary Dauberman and James Wan’s Atomic Monster on Disney+.

"The Gargoyles are out of the bag," Wan said on Instagram. "Excited to be working with Gary again, on this! He’s a true fan."

The upcoming live-action series is in early development. The original Gargoyles is a gothic masterpiece available on Disney+.

In related news. Gargoyles Remastered (based on the Sega Genisis/Mega Drive 16-bit video game) is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox S|X and PC.

Are you looking forward to Gargoyles in live-action on Disney+? Are you a fan of the original animated series? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who's first story won't be on BBC iPlayer

Doctor Who fans (myself included) were delighted at the recent announcement of classic serials being made available on BBC iPlayer on 1st November. This is the first time all eras of the beloved BBC sci-fi series are curated under one roof.

However, the Doctor's first adventure, An Unearthly Child, won't be on iPlayer. The serial is currently on BritBox and ITVX.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: "This massive iPlayer back catalogue will be home to over 800 hours of Doctor Who content, making it the biggest ever collection of Doctor Who programming in one place but will not include the first four episodes as we do not have all the rights to those."

With the 60th anniversary in November, there's going to be lots to look forward to.

Russell T Davies, Doctor Who's returning showrunner, said: "I'd like to thank the BBC for all the hard work to get this massive back catalogue under one roof, at long last.

This includes spin-offs Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Class and the behind-the-scenes series Doctor Who Confidential.

"I'm so excited for new viewers – imagine being eight years old, spending winter afternoons exploring the '60s, '70s, '80s and beyond. And we're determined this won't be a dusty museum – we have exciting plans to bring the back catalogue to life, with much more to be revealed!"

Doctor Who returns for three 60th anniversary specials, starring David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), this November on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Are you disappointed An Unearthly Child won't be on BBC iPlayer? Let me know in the comments below.

100 years of Disney

Disney celebrates its 100th anniversary today!

The House of Mouse that Uncle Walt founded in a garage (like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak did with Apple) is now a sprawling multimedia empire encompassing everything from theme parks and streaming to infinity and beyond (couldn't resist a Toy Story reference for fellow fans)!

In the wake of early critical success with Snow White, Fantasia and Pinocchio (an animated classic that traumatised me in childhood), Disney was in the doldrums in the seventies as the company unsuccessfully chased box office trends (I still have a soft spot for The Black Hole) until a renaissance under CEO Michael Eisner with The Little Mermaid.

Leveraging Disney's enviable intellectual property (IP) vault with time-limited releases on VHS was a mercurial move by Eisner. However, I remember seeing store shelves stacked with copies of Fantasia due to a lack of demand.

A creative partnership with Steve Jobs' Pixar (formerly Lucasfilm's Graphics Group) witnessed critical and commercial success in the mid-to-late nineties, culminating in current CEO Bob Iger buying Pixar from Jobs (Jobs had returned to Apple and was overseeing the Cupertino-based company's reinvention into a tech titan) as part of a successful acquisition trail leading to the launch of Disney+.

My childhood is preserved within the walls of the Magic Kingdom with Marvel Comics, Star Wars and soon Doctor Who on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

What's your favourite Disney memory? Let me know in the comments below.

Merry Little Batman

Holy Christmas caper, Batman! Merry Litte Batman, a new animated movie for the holiday season, is coming to Prime Video.

Read the official synopsis:

"Merry Little Batman is an animated family action comedy destined to join the rogue's gallery of classic holiday movies. When young Damian Wayne finds himself alone in Wayne Manor on Christmas Eve, he must transform into "Little Batman'' in order to defend his home and Gotham City from the crooks and supervillains intent on destroying the holidays."

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC, Merry Little Batman features the voices of Yonas Kibreab, Luke Wilson, James Cromwell, and David Hornsby, and is directed by Mike Roth (Regular Show) from a screenplay by Morgan Evans (Teen Titans Go!) and Jase Ricci (Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham). Roth also serves as executive producer, alongside Sam Register (Looney Tunes Cartoons).

Merry Little Batman was one of the animated projects cancelled at HBO Max in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Amazon has also acquired Batman: Caped Crusader, from executive producers Bruce Timm, JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves, for Prime Video.

Merry Little Batman will be available on the 8th of December on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Merry Little Batman on Prime Video? Let me know in the comments below.

60 years of Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer

This November is the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, and fans (myself included) will be able to journey back in time and watch classic serials from the beginning on BBC iPlayer. Previously, these were only available to stream exclusively on BritBox and ITVX in the UK.

With over 800 episodes of Doctor Who programming on iPlayer, Russell T Davies, returning series showrunner said:

“I’d like to thank the BBC for all the hard work, to get this massive back catalogue under one roof, at long last. I'm so excited for new viewers - imagine being 8 years old, spending winter afternoons exploring the 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond. And we’re determined this won't be a dusty museum - we have exciting plans to bring the back catalogue to life, with much more to be revealed!”

From 1st November on iPlayer, I'll be rewatching classic serials from the Tom Baker era with my dad - we still talk about The Seeds of Doom to this day!

Dan McGolpin, Director of iPlayer and channels, said:

“Doctor Who has captivated countless millions of viewers on the BBC for 60 years and in celebration of this special moment we are bringing classic series to BBC iPlayer for the first time. Fans will be able to enjoy many of the Doctor’s earliest adventures with William Hartnell right through to the very latest series and the soon-to-be-released and tremendously exciting new anniversary specials with David Tennant. We want everyone to be able to enjoy this breathtaking back catalogue, so we are making each episode on iPlayer as accessible as possible, with subtitles, audio description, and sign language all available for the first time.”

Doctor Who returns for three 60th anniversary specials, starring David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), this November on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Are you looking forward to watching classic Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer? Let me know in the comments below.

Hasbro announces Star Wars Holocomm Collection

Our friends at Hasbro have sent over details on the new Star Wars: The Black Series Holocomm Collection available for pre-order from fan channel retailers.

The first wave, including Ahsoka Tano and The Mandalorian, looks fantastic and the perfect gift for bounty hunters everywhere!

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES THE MANDALORIAN

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99 / Available: Fall 2023)

Receive transmissions from across the galaxy with THE BLACK SERIES Holocomm collection, featuring light-up holopucks. STAR WARS fans and collectors can display this premium 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES THE MANDALORIAN figure, featuring premium detail, multiple points of articulation and hologram-style deco in their collections. Press the button on the puck to light up the bottom and illuminate the figure. Press and hold the button to activate a 30-minute light display! This collectible figure includes a bounty chip with an Aurebesh inscription, a holopuck, a rifle accessory, a pistol accessory, and a jetpack! Look for more Holocomm Collection figures to build a galactic communication hub on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability) Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included.

Available for pre-order 10/5 at 1pm ET exclusively at Hasbro Pulse and ShopDisney.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES HAN SOLO

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99 / Available: Spring 2024)

Receive transmissions from across the galaxy with THE BLACK SERIES Holocomm collection, featuring light-up holopucks. STAR WARS fans and collectors can display this premium 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES HAN SOLO figure, featuring premium detail, multiple points of articulation and hologram-style deco in their collections. Press the button on the puck to light up the bottom and illuminate the figure. Press and hold the button to activate a 30-minute light display! This collectible figure comes with 3 accessories including a bounty chip with an Aurebesh inscription for display. Look for more Holocomm Collection figures to build a galactic communication hub on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability) Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included.

Available for pre-order 10/5 at 1pm ET exclusively at Hasbro Pulse and additional fan channel retailers.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES AXE WOVES

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99 / Available: Spring 2024)

Receive transmissions from across the galaxy with THE BLACK SERIES Holocomm collection, featuring light-up holopucks. STAR WARS fans and collectors can display this premium 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES AXE WOVES figure, featuring premium detail, multiple points of articulation and hologram-style deco in their collections. Press the button on the puck to light up the bottom and illuminate the figure. Press and hold the button to activate a 30-minute light display! This collectible figure includes a bounty chip with an Aurebesh inscription, a holopuck, a blaster accessory, a helmet accessory, and a jetpack! Look for more Holocomm Collection figures to build a galactic communication hub on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability) Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included.

Available for pre-order 10/5 at 1pm ET exclusively at Amazon.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES BO-KATAN KRYZE

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99 / Available: Fall 2023)

Receive transmissions from across the galaxy with THE BLACK SERIES Holocomm collection, featuring light-up holopucks. STAR WARS fans and collectors can display this premium 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES BO-KATAN KRYZE figure, featuring premium detail, multiple points of articulation and hologram-style deco in their collections. Press the button on the puck to light up the bottom and illuminate the figure. Press and hold the button to activate a 30-minute light display! This collectible figure includes a bounty chip with an Aurebesh inscription, a holopuck, 2 blaster accessories, a helmet accessory, and a jetpack! Look for more Holocomm Collection figures to build a galactic communication hub on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability) Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included.

Available for pre-order 10/5 at 1pm ET exclusively at Target.

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES AHSOKA TANO

(HASBRO/Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $34.99 / Available: Spring 2024)

Receive transmissions from across the galaxy with THE BLACK SERIES Holocomm collection, featuring light-up holopucks. STAR WARS fans and collectors can display this premium 6-inch STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES AHSOKA TANO figure, featuring premium detail, multiple points of articulation and hologram-style deco in their collections. Press the button on the puck to light up the bottom and illuminate the figure. Press and hold the button to activate a 30-minute light display! This collectible figure includes a bounty chip with an Aurebesh inscription, a holopuck and her 2 signature Lightsaber accessories! Look for more Holocomm Collection figures to build a galactic communication hub on your shelf! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability) Requires 3 AAA batteries, not included.

Available for pre-order 10/12 at 10am ET exclusively at Walmart as part of Walmart Collector Con.

I hope future waves include Princess Leia Organa, Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.

Will you be getting the Star Wars: The Black Series Holocomm Collection? Which figure is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.

The sound of The Creator

Director Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) discusses his approach to sound design for The Creator in a roundtable hosted by the Dolby Institute.



Edwards explains: “The whole making of a film is [a] dance. You're on a razor's edge. You go slightly too much this way, it's really obvious and cliched. You go slightly too much this way, it's up its own arse and no one understands it. And you're just trying to do that knife edge the whole time. And the way you get there is not through being really clever. To be honest, you pick a side to start on and then you go right up to the limit.”

Dolby has a storied history with cinema sound and is synonymous with the original Star Wars trilogy. As I've written previously, the company was instrumental in piquing an early interest in home cinema. I'm an advocate for Dolby Vision and Atmos content on streaming services such as Disney+.

Have you seen The Creator? What did you think of the sound design? Let me know in the comments below.

No One Will Save You

It's the spooky season and No One Will Save You is a straight-to-streaming alien abduction thriller for Halloween on Hulu and Star on Disney+.

October marks the anniversary of a life-changing childhood trauma. The theme of abduction has haunted me since waking from a coma, paralysed, in a children's hospital. For years, I suffered from night terrors and still have troubled dreams. However, the sci-fi genre has always afforded a safe space to explore life's shades of grey.

Nick Smith, our US-based stellar scribe, is Home Alone against The Invaders.

Guest post by Nick Smith

The alien invasion movie No One Will Save You, which landed on Hulu and Star on Disney+ just in time for the dark skies of autumn, has received deliciously mixed reviews. I say delicious because a film that divides an audience has far more flavour than a homogenised crowd-pleaser.

Online reactions have ranged from ‘thrilling’ to ‘increasingly entertaining’ to ‘a derivative piece of rubbish where the title must be referring to the film itself’ – i.e., nothing can save it.

So why the mixed responses?

There are certainly lots of familiar elements in the film to dissuade the jaded or fickle aficionados. We’ve seen alien incursions of this ilk before, with bright eerie lights (Close Encounters of the Third Kind), a hunt for a hiding human (War of the Worlds) and a domestic siege (Signs). But there are enough ideas here to keep us guessing as the main character, Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), battles Bug-Eyed Monsters.

The main twist is the film’s lack of dialogue. Dever only has a couple of lines and they’re all the more powerful as a result. It’s fun to watch a story that makes the most of cinema as a visual medium. Brynn is depicted as ditzy, lonely, and uncomfortable leaving her house because she is shunned by her neighbours. When home is your haven, a break-in is all the more violating and we really feel Brynn’s distress as her perfectly decorated doll’s house of a world is wrecked by those darned aliens.

If anything the house is too perfect, as if a movie set designer has created it; this, along with Brynn’s awkwardness and the quaint slices of town life we see, gives No One Will Save You a Tim Burtonesque quality. The ak-ak aliens from Burton’s Mars Attacks! wouldn’t be out of place here, and neither would the unseen infiltrators from Invasion of the Body Snatchers since Brynn’s neighbours start acting very strangely…

Another element that sets No One Will Save You apart from other sci-fi fare and that’s Brynn herself, a heroine who uses her wits more than weapons, and harbours feelings and memories that provide a solution to the alien attack.

Anima trumps guns ‘n’ ammo, which is refreshing for a product of a film industry that usually resorts to marketable bangs and flashes.

The most effective scenes build suspense and a sense of mortal danger, without showing us too much of the menacing intruders. When writer/director Brian Duffield discards the Ridley Scott (Alien) playbook and shows us the aliens full-on, they look digitally drawn and not part of Brynn’s carefully crafted physical world. That’s a distracting shame, especially considering the $22 million budget.

Fortunately, effects aren’t the be-all and end-all of No One Will Save You.

Dever is charming and believable; all the odd ducks in the audience will relate to her idiosyncrasy in the face of conformity; and Duffield’s script has plenty of themes and motifs relevant to today’s society, adding weight to his little capture-and-escape thriller.

Beyond the no-dialogue gimmick and the paint-by-numbers aliens. This movie strikes a chord by reminding us that the only thing that can really save us is to accept our mistakes and be ourselves.

Have you seen No One Will Save You? Let me know in the comments below.

Nick Smith's new audiobook, Undead on Arrival, is available from Amazon (affiliate link).

Doctor Who: Unleashed

Doctor Who Confidential was a fan-favourite behind-the-scenes series running for 6 seasons (2005 - 2011) on BBC Three. Doctor Who fans (myself included) tried to reverse its controversial cancellation (a cost-cutting measure by the BBC) with an online petition.

Fast forward to 2023.

Doctor Who: Unleashed is a brand new 30-minute factual entertainment series giving viewers an unmissable insight into the world of the beloved long-running sci-fi series.

Russell T Davies, Doctor Who showrunner says:

“Over the years, I meet so many people who were inspired to find careers in TV, because of the behind-the-scenes material the BBC would show. And now it’s back, in the grand old tradition of Doctor Who Confidential, but in a brand new form, Unleashed! So a whole new generation – and faithful fans of old – can see what the stars and the crew get up to behind the cameras.”

With the return of Davies as series showrunner, Doctor Who: Unleashed on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer fills a timey-wimey void vacated by Doctor Who Confidential.

Steffan Powell, host of Doctor Who: Unleashed says:

“When you’re told Russell T Davies is asking for you to present a show, you say, ‘when does he want me?’ Doesn’t matter, I’ll be there… There’s a really fun and fascinating group of people bringing Doctor Who to life - I can’t wait for the audience to meet them. I’m so chuffed to have been trusted to help tell, in all its glory, the story of what goes into making the magic happen.”

Doctor Who returns for three 60th anniversary specials, starring David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), this November on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Are you looking forward to Doctor Who: Unleashed? Were you a fan of Doctor Who Confidential? Let me know in the comments below.