Shownotes
Hey, Who fans and welcome to Episode 425.
The stakes are high as the Doctor has to save a galaxy of fans both inside the arena and the viewing audience across the galaxy. This one was a mix of heavy (and at times hard to watch) themes and some comedic moments, so it's good to have some variety to chat through.
Plus, we’re treated to returning classic characters the Rani and a surprise (very very very very long overdue) appearance from Susan, which got the feels going for sure. With that being said, are the cameos enough to pull the episode up out of this season's up-and-down feel so far?
This is The Big Blue Box Podcast
Join us each week for a new episode every Friday from your hosts Garry and Adam. We talk news, reviews, commentaries and general chat on everything Doctor Who PLUS listen to our monthly Round Table episodes with the whole team. Check out our website where you can also listen to all of our episodes for free along with the amazing reviews and articles from our writing team.
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Have a fantastic week and until next time remember... Aaaaaaaaaaallons-y!
Transcripts
Hey, hey, hey. Who fans and welcome to The Big Blue Box Podcast. My name's Garry.
Adam:My name's Adam.
Garry:And welcome to episode 425.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:Welcome back who fans to another episode. I hope you're keeping well and safe. We hope you've had a cracking week. And evil managed to do something Doctor who.
Adam:Related.
Garry:He's in there again.
Adam:Feel like you let me win that one. Don't know. You're trying to get on my good side. What's going on?
Garry:Well, I was trying to do a little tune in in light of the episode we're reviewing this week. Doing a little melody, but. No.
Adam:Yeah, I should have figured that you're.
Garry:Having none of it.
Adam:You should have gone full Whitney on me, mate. You should have put about 100 notes in one word and I would have got it. Yeah. Or for Mariah. Actually, it's Mariah, isn't it?
That does the hundred notes in one word.
Garry:Yep. Or Beyonce. Take your pick.
Adam:Yeah, take your pick. Depending on your age.
Garry:For me, if I tried that, mate, sound like we'd lose, like thousands of subscribers overnight. Because it sound like a cat being murdered in the corner of the room. Oh, dear.
Adam:No, I said, same, same. If it was me, sames this.
Garry:Yeah. Last week was an interesting review. The old story in the engine. You know what I did?
I went off and watched that one more time, gave it another watch and. Yeah, my score hasn't changed, though, from before. From last week.
Adam:I thought you had to say you loved it. It's like, oh, and I loved it on a third watch.
Garry:But no, it's still completely. Completely. I was going to say completely bonkers, but it's not. It's just varying degrees of bonkers.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:In amongst a great story. Yes. It wasn't too bad. And this week it's an episode that I think is.
I won't go into too much detail because we're literally about to review it, but I will say that it was an episode that is the least I was. It's the one that I've been least looking forward to.
Adam:I. I see.
Garry:Right, yes.
Adam:Are you pre warning us? Is there a rant coming?
Garry:It was just because you and I have got very differing opinions on our enjoyment of Eurovision Song Contest.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:I was like, this is gonna be hell on earth for me. It's gonna be awful. And I think for you it's. It potentially would have been the opposite.
I don't know if you were looking forward to it because it was themed around Eurovision. Of the future?
Adam:Yeah, sort of. I was intrigued by it. I think more than looking forward to. I was intrigued to see how this played out.
Garry:Yeah, nice, Nice. Rightio. Actually, yeah, we'll. We'll do all the subscribe stuff and all that jazz later on in the episode. We'll dive straight into the review.
So, bud, carrying on with season two, what we're doing this week.
Adam:Okay, so this week it's the Interstellar Song Contest.
Trailer:Join your hosts, Rylan Clark, in a celebration of talent from across the universe, live for an audience of 3 trillion. What the hell?
Trailer:Just the reaction in the arena is sensational.
Trailer:No clue.
Trailer:But I like.
Trailer:We are ready to fly again with.
Trailer:The 803rd interstellar song.
Trailer:Cont. I love a good sheriff at arms.
Trailer:I will survive.
Trailer:I will find you. You can still help those people.
Trailer:Can'T we?
Trailer:Call for rescue.
Garry:Starts off all happy and bubbly, eh?
Adam:And then takes a nasty turn.
Garry:Things go south, mate.
Adam:I had to make sure I got the title right because I've been calling it the Intergalactic Stella and you know, I'm known for getting names of things wrong. So I had to make sure I got this right. Interstellar. I had to keep thinking of Stella.
I thought if I just keep thinking of the drink Stella, I'll be good. I got it right.
Garry:So, yeah, your potential tipple of choice.
Adam:I actually can't stand Stella. You know, my attention to detail, the listener. There you go.
Garry:Yeah. The Intergalactic Song Contest, arguably a. A better title.
Adam:Well, I didn't want to say that, but, you know, if you're saying it, I won't disagree.
Garry:Yeah. All righty. The Interstellar Song Contest was first broadcast just a couple of days ago. 17th of May, Saturday, just gone.
It was written by Juno Dawson, directed by Ben A. Williams and stars Shooty and Verada.
And then, as we've seen throughout most of season two thus far, about a dozen supporting cast members and the synopsis is after two hellions hijack the control gallery of the 803rd Interstellar Song Contest and eject the audience into space. The Doctor and Belinda must race to stop them from broadcasting a Delta wave to 3 trillion viewers. High stakes stuffs a.
Mate, I'm so interested in your thoughts on this one. Just because of what I mentioned earlier, I don't know if opposites are going to play into account here.
But, mate, what are your thoughts on this one?
Adam:Well, mate, as you know, I love a bit of Eurovision. I do like it. So I was quite. I do think this was a really cool idea, actually.
Having a, you know, sort of musical Eurovision themed Doctor who episode on before the Eurovision, sort of leading into it in a way. And obviously Shooty was supposed to be on Eurovision, but he pulled out the last second and all that.
So I do like it when things are planned out like that. You know what I mean? I thought that was a really cool idea. So, yeah, love a bit of Eurovision, mate.
But I'm sorry to say I did not think much of this episode. It did not deliver for me. There were some good bits. I mean, I was absolutely thrilled to see Susan back again.
I mean, how long have me and you been waiting for Carol Anne Ford to be in Doctor who again? You know, I think we've said it so many times over the years on different podcasts.
There's been so many opportunities for me the day of the doctor, the 50th would have been, you know, if you'd have had Carol Ann Ford and William Russell in that. Imagine. But it didn't happen. Here we are, all these years later, she's finally back in a couple of very short little flashbacks, whatever they were.
So I'm hoping that's not it, mate. I'm hoping we've not waited all these years just for those little tiny cameos.
I am hoping she's going to be in the final and have a bigger role to play. That said, I am worried what Russell might do with the character because Russell being Russell is.
He won't just bring her back and, you know, let her be.
He'll probably regenerate her and put her in a bioregeneration and goodness knows what and she'll turn out to be the baby that someone picked up with the. Oh, I could just imagine his brain going into overdrive. So thrilled to see Susan back.
Just, yeah, hoping we see more of her and hoping they don't do anything too radical with the character like trying to explain her. We don't need to know anymore, you know, I mean, we don't need any of that. The Rani reveal, mate, fantastic.
But you can probably tell I'm trying to start with positives, mate. So, as I said, didn't really think this was a particularly good episode. So I am trying not to be negative again this week.
So the Rani reveal was great. I, I kind of saw it coming in terms of it being Mrs.
Flood being the Rani, but what I didn't expect was for her to buy regenerate into a new kick ass Ronnie, who I'm really looking forward to seeing in the final. The actress, I think, Archie.
Garry:Punjabi.
Adam:Punjabi She. I don't know her. A lot of people seem to know her. I sort of feel like I recognize her, but I don't know her, particularly as an actress.
But mate, she had screen presence and she instantly made me think, yes, you seem like the Rani. So I'm very excited to see where that goes.
I did think it was very strange that they put this big reveal as a mid credit scene after all this build up. I was sat there like, what the heck? So some, some stuff I did like.
Okay, some really good little moments, some interesting ideas this week, but as an episode overall, it's probably my least favorite of the series. Didn't hate it, just didn't really click with it. And I was hoping I would, being someone who likes Eurovision.
And I am just going to quickly mention this, but I know we will dive into it. Like a lot of people, I really did not like the torture scene at the end.
And I think you could probably tell I was gonna say that even though we don't discuss our feelings on the episodes before we record, I really didn't like it, mate. It left a really bad taste in my mouth. I thought it was nasty, just pure nasty. And people say, oh, yeah, the Doctor's done this before. He's.
Doctor's done that. Yes, he has. He has gone dark before. But, you know, the episodes have built up to that.
And also I just didn't like the way that after he did that and I found it really uncomfortable to watch. I'm not gonna lie. They were obviously going for a Raknos moment where Donna says, you know, you can stop now.
I absolutely get what they were going for, but it just, it did not work for me. It just come across a sadistic. So to have Belinda walk up to him at the end and hug him and say, oh, you're wonderful after doing that.
Just, yeah, just did not. It really, really killed the episode stone dead for me, mate.
Thank goodness for the Rani reveal afterwards because that brought me straight back up again. But, yeah, just needed to get off my chest because I'm telling you, mate, really, really stuck with me after episode. I.
It really left a, you know, a sour, sour taste in my mouth. I was like, I didn't really, did not like seeing the Doctor like that, you know.
But anyway, yeah, I'm gonna try not to be too down on this episode, but I am going to tell you, it wasn't, wasn't the best for me. It was very, very mixed as, as it has been this season, I think.
Garry:Yeah.
Adam:Over to you, bud. What do you reckon?
Garry:Ah, wow.
Adam:Sorry. A lot. A lot to. I threw a lot at you there.
Garry:That's cool, dude.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:And, you know, I had a feeling in the back of my mind that you and I would cross over on this one and be on opposites. I just had a feeling in my head that even though this was a. An episode based around Eurovision, you were going to. It was.
Something was going to happen in it or a collection of things that were going to turn you off. And I was going to be the one that liked the episode.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:Even though I'm not a fan of Eurovision in real life. But, mate, this one landed with me big time.
Adam:Did it? I like that. I mean, that's cool.
Garry:Yeah, I really enjoyed this episode. In fact, I think this is my. I think this is my fave shooty episode, really.
Adam:Oh, God, I couldn't stand a minute, mate, this is so. I don't think we've ever had an episode that you've loved that I've really disliked, have we?
Garry:No, I do. You know what, mate? I am at real odds with fandom on this one. I am out on the peripheral limb.
The limb, the lamb, the precipice of being booted out of Doctor who fandom. I think.
Adam:No, I think this is great because it will be. At least there'll be some positivity on the podcast this week because, you know, the last thing I want to do is come on here and moan every week.
And we have, you know, we've had listeners give us feedback, quite rightly saying, you know, you're being negative, blah, blah. But we will always give our honest opinion, mate. So it's nice. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
So at least the listeners will get to hear somebody being positive about it.
Garry:That's true. Yeah. But you know what, mate? I really, really enjoyed. I think there was just so many elements that worked for me. I really liked the. The.
The overall setup of this. It sounds a bit corny, you know, the whole Eurovision thing set in space and, you know, and. And all that stuff.
You know, I get that from that perspective. But I thought the performances were really good from everybody. Like the two. The. The gay couple, you know, Gary and Mike.
Oh, I thought they were really good together. I thought. I thought, like I said shooty. I thought he was really good. I thought the two hellions, you know, kid and. And what? Sir Chops.
I thought they were really good.
Adam:Yes, I will agree with that. I did think, what's his name, this guy? Because again, when he was announced a Lot of people knew he was. And I was like, never heard of him.
Garry:Oh, Freddy Fox.
Adam:Very good.
Garry:Yeah, yeah, really good because he goes on a bit of this. One of them's undercover, isn't it? I think it's Win is the other one. Her name's Win.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:Played by Owen Anderson. I thought those two are really good. And I thought Mrs. Flood was good in this. I thought her.
It was really good to see a different side of her because up to now we've seen this sort of very cute, sort of older woman, but with a bit of a sinister side to her.
Whereas in this, because of the bi generation, we've got this new, you know, new Ronnie, who's a lot more, as you said, a bit badass and a bit more firm. She plays it a little bit sheepish in the end. Yeah, you know, so it was cool to see that side of her. And I also really liked Cora.
I think it's Cora, the woman from Hellion who was in the contest, but she sort of cut her horns off so people wouldn't recognize. I thought she was really good.
And to be honest with you, mate, the only person who I wasn't really drawn to it, didn't set the world on fire for me was Belinda in this one.
Adam:Oh, yeah.
Garry:I thought she was a little bit. Yeah, just a bit flat, if I'm being honest. But do you know what, mate? Other than that. And you know what? I.
I really liked the scene where the Doctor lost it and started going off on one on. On kid.
Adam:Oh, no.
Garry:Yeah, mate, Honestly, I feel. I feel like. I feel like fandom's gonna. Yeah, have a. Have a word with me on, on the Socials, I think, for this one.
But I can't, I can't be dishonest and just say to everybody, it's, you know, whatever. Like you said, mate, we're always honest and stuff.
And of course, the Caroline Ford back is amazing and she looks amazing and it's a long overdue, so. And I think we will see her back, mate. I don't think. I honestly don't think she's back just for a 10 second cameo.
Adam:I hope not, mate. And what's promising is.
And a lot of people are pointing this out that on Doctor who Unleashed, which I don't watch, she is wearing a different outfit and it's not just like a casual. I don't think it's the sort of thing she wears, you know, when she goes out shopping. It looks like a Doctor outfit.
So that looks promising because we haven't seen the outfit on screen, so that would suggest, you know, it's not a definite. It might be maybe she, you know, maybe she's got something funky from cna.
But, you know, it does look like she is going to return and I really hope so, mate. I'm very intrigued to see that. There's so many wild rumors flying around at the minute.
I mean, we've got two episodes left and I'm hearing like, Jody's coming back as the 13th doctor. You know, the master's gonna be in it. He's the third pantheon. Go else. Jo Martin's coming back.
You know, she, because she did a little cameo, Susan's gonna be in it. I'm thinking, wow, if, if even half of the stuff that's floating around is true, this final is gonna be jam packed.
It's, you know, it's gonna be everything in the kitchen sink. So it does feel like Russell's definitely put in some stuff in there. You know, I just hope the payoff is good.
As I keep saying, that's the thing that worries me. But there is some good stuff being set up, let's put it that way. It feels like.
Garry:Yeah, yeah, Defo. Yeah. And also like Nina as well, the manager of the broadcast.
Adam:Yes, I liked her. Yeah. I was gonna say for me, mate, I, I liked her and I, I liked Freddie Fox's kid.
I liked the lady at the end that sang the song, had chopped her horns. I thought she was quite good. And that was a nice moment. I can't agree with you about the two guys.
I didn't think they were very convincing as a couple, to be honest. I thought they were a bit.
Garry:Oh, do you know what? Actually, mate, having your gay dial turned on.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:I can't say that I was a hundred percent convinced. No, you know, they were. But however, I did appreciate the, the little bants between the two of them and the little. What's the way.
The way to describe it would, would be like, you know, with some couples you have those moments where not everything's wine and roses, you know, not everything is, you know, love, heart swinging around your head and, and all that. You have those little moments where you sort of nick at each other and, and you have these little, these little moments.
So it's really cool when, when, when Gary's obviously a massive fan of. Of Song of the Song contest and everything and Mike's just like whatever sort of thing.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:And it. Do you know what? It reminded me of one of our listeners and he's a good friend of the podcast Joe, who's who.
Our writers, Maria and Jordan, meet up with him a lot of events. And so we were with him a lot at the Capitol event recently. Yeah, really nice guy.
And he was telling me a couple of stories about his partner who's not quite into Doctor who. He's, like, obviously a huge fan, like, mega fan.
And he was saying that there were times where he's watching the show and it's not like the best episode, especially for casual viewers and stuff, and looks at his partner and he just sort of rolls his eyes. He's like, well, you know, this is your show, this is your thing.
It reminded me of that with these two, where Mike's looking at Gary like, you know, this is your thing. You know, I'm just here with, you know, just towing along sort of thing.
So I really liked the little toing and throwing and bance between them that highlighted that, you know, not every couple is like, you know, happy and perfect. Perfect all the time. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Adam:That's.
That's definitely something I can relate to, is that, you know, I think about when I drag my other half round, you know, a Forbidden Planet or a Doctor who convention or whatever, it's always that look of, oh, God, you know, how much longer we're going to be, or, I'm only here for you. So talking to partners. Actually, mate, this is another reason I was looking forward to this, because me. Me and my other half, we do like Eurovision.
We always, you know, every year we sit down together to watch it and.
Garry:Bottle of wine, I'm sure.
Adam:Bottle of wine. Yeah, absolutely. And we've been to sometimes Friends when we've been in the uk, have had Eurovision parties that we've gone to.
So we get into it and I was thinking, how cool we'll have Doctor who in Eurovision, you know, I was really looking forward to Saturday, actually. And so I said, like, let's get. Let's get Doctor who on and then we can watch Eurovision later. Pop to the wine. And I'm not joking, mate.
Ten minutes in, I thought, he's quiet. And I looked to my right because he sat next to me and heads back, mouths open, he's fast asleep. I was like, oh, my God, I didn't even notice it.
I mean, I don't think. I don't think it was necessarily the episode himself. It may have been the wine, but, yeah, he was gone within 10 minutes, mate. And I'm not joking.
It was like, mouth open, completely gone. Oh, what? So I was, yeah, a Little bit disappointed. I had to kind of watch. I gave him a nudge, but then he just went to bed.
He's like, oh, I'll grab a nap. Oh, God's sake. So I ended up watching on my own. Oh, yeah. So didn't grab him.
Garry:Tapped out. Yeah. This episode didn't grab him.
Adam:No, no. I don't think he really gave it a chance, though, mate, because he was gone within like the first five, ten minutes. So, yeah, make it to re. Watch it.
Garry:Yeah. In contrast to last week, though, I think bar a couple of little scenes, this was pretty cool for casual viewers. Yeah, didn't need.
You didn't need to understand a huge amount because there was even the scene that you referenced earlier that you. You found quite uncomfortable when the. The Doctor's torturing kid, even. That was. That was kind of explained, wasn't it?
When the Doctor tells Belinda later that he. And we'll get onto this in a minute.
Adam:He got triggered, didn't he? He said he was triggered.
Garry:He was triggered, yeah. So let's speak about that scene, actually. Might as well get it out of the way. So.
Adam:Yeah, let's get it out of the way.
Garry:That's why I quite like that scene so much, because we. We will. We always. This is my opinion, by the way.
We always expect the Doctor to act a certain way and we have preconceived sort of expectations almost about what the Doctor shouldn't do, should do, what he should say and shouldn't say. And it's almost like as.
As the viewer, we've kind of invented the set of invisible rules, I think, to say, right, okay, in every episode of every Doctor we've ever watched, they're not allowed to do this and they're not allowed to do that and blah, blah, blah.
And I think in this situation, in this scenario, I could totally believe what the Doctor was feeling at that time, which I think is why I was drawn to shooty a lot in this episode, because you could see the realization in his face when he.
When he comes to the conclusion that the delta wave device that they're about to initiate is going to wipe out an entire, you know, the 3 trillion people, I think it was.
And when you couple that with the fact that what's happened in recent history on Helia, where all of those people have been through it a lot, you know, they have a bit of history with that planet where it's been basically just ravaged for the hell Poppy fields and, you know, they've been burnt and the. Basically just. Yeah, the Planet's been ravaged.
So the Doctor feels like you said he's, he's been triggered because it's all linking back to essentially every, every single person on Gallifrey being obliterated.
Adam:Yeah, yeah. Which thing is a good thing, mate. But isn't. So that's why kid is doing what he's doing, isn't it? It's kind of a revenge thing.
But shouldn't the Doctor be saying, have a bit of sympathy for not, not the cause, but, you know, two wrongs don't make a right for him to just do what he did? I don't know. I, I, I, I found it uncomfortable.
I think I could have, it could have landed for me in the same way that the other times the Doctor's gone dark, like with the Raider and family of blood and all that.
If, if Belinda, who you quite rightly said was so bland in this episode, in fact, she was irritating when she was all about me, me, me, how am I going to get.
It would have absolutely needed and it would have given her a great scene if she had gone in and, you know, said to the Doctor, flipping egg, mate, I've been traveling you for the last few weeks and I did do, did not like what I just saw, you know, that was not right.
You know, this guy, yes, he may have done this, but, you know, and she needed to lay into the Doctor, he needed to say, I hear you, but this is why I did it, and, you know, some sort of reprimand, but to go up and say, oh, you're wonderful. You know, I don't, I mean, if I saw you electrocuting someone over and over again, mate, I, I would have to say something eventually.
I don't think I could buy you a beer.
Garry:Depends what it was.
Adam:No, I don't think so. I don't know, you know. Well, I don't know.
Having said that, there are a couple of people I wouldn't mind seeing you electrocute, now you mention it, actually. Yeah, okay. I mean, I hear what you're saying. I'm not trying to, I, absolutely, yeah, yeah. Take your opinion on board, mate.
And I, I think, I think it is quite cool when the Doctor does show a different side every now and again. But I, Yeah, personally, I just, I didn't like it, but I read you. But I do see what you're saying.
Garry:Yeah. And I saw pretty much the majority of fandom all saying similar things, which I'll.
Which is why I was like, oh, God, you know, but I'm sticking to my guns on this I think it was absolutely. Yeah, I think it was the shake up and the sort of kick up the bum that the Doctor, as the character in this season needed and as the season needed.
Because otherwise if we didn't have this, most of fandom would just be complaining once again that the Doctors just had a cry.
Adam:True, true.
But also I think it would have, it would have landed more as well if I think this is the thing when the Doctor's dishing out this sort of punishment, it can work, mate. And I have said before, like, who in Dr. Stark? But that it has to feel justified to me. You know, it has to be.
I know Kid was gonna kill all those people, but I don't know it. To me, it just needed a bit of a rewrite to make that scene work in the way that I think it was intended. That's, that's kind of how I'd put it.
Garry:Yeah, the other, the other thing with that scene before we move on is I don't really feel like the Doctor was doing anything that bad either.
If you think about it, it's not like, you know, after we've sent a few vaults through this kid and gave him a couple of slaps, you know, there isn't like, you know, smoke coming off of him, you know, and his skin falling off and, you know, and he's like close to death. The Doctor's just good old fashioned, giving him a few, a few backhanders to teach him a lesson.
So coming from, coming from growing up in the 80s and having, you know, hard parents like that, I was kind of relating. I'm like, yeah, you give him a couple more.
So, yeah, although he was electrocuted him and the Doctor was, you know, had a pretty, pretty stern face on him, didn't look too good. I, I get what you're saying it was, I can see why people would find it uncomfortable. But yeah, I don't feel like.
Because at the end of it they just picked him up and he walked out and he's fine. You know, this, it's not like he's, you know, skinned him alive or cut his arm off or.
Adam:I was gonna say he didn't even get one of those nice armbands that comrade got, you know, exactly it. Did he? So, yeah, he just gave him a.
Garry:Few shots, a few, a few volts and then that's it. He's up and walking off like nothing's happened. So. Didn't mean to do anything that bad, did he?
Adam:I, I disagree, mate. I, I really didn't like it. I'm not gonna like you. I absolutely. You stick to your guns and I'll do the same. I didn't like it because I.
When I finished watching it, I actually was thinking in my head, if I had a kid, I wouldn't let them watch that. Not because it was horrible or. Well, it was horrible, but not because it was, like, really grotesque.
Like you said, there was no flesh being burnt off, but. But because I wouldn't want my kid to see the Doctor acting like that, you know, that's how it affected me. I think that's why I'm more down in it.
You're just thinking. I just. I am all for the Doctor going a bit down that route, but I just. Yeah, it didn't sit right with me to that extent anyway.
But I hear what you're saying, and just to sort of wrap this up a bit, because we don't want to dwell too much on. There's plenty of talk out there about it, but a lot of people are saying this is leading into Shooty being the Valiard.
Now, if this is going somewhere and it isn't just the Doctor having, you know, a mad five minutes, if it is actually part of some arc, I may reevaluate the scene, mate.
I may go back and say, oh, yeah, that was when the Doctor said he had ice in his heart and he really snapped and that's led him into going into whatever.
So, you know, I'm kind of hoping there is more to it than just him getting a bit annoyed and thinking it'd take out on someone, if you know what I mean.
Garry:Don't know about. I don't know.
Adam:I think people just keep. Every year, the Valley Odds mentioned. I think it's. I doubt it. I think it'll just be a, you know, part of that story, but we'll see. It might go.
It might lead somewhere.
Garry:True. Yeah. You never know these days.
Adam:Anything could happen at the minute. Yeah.
Garry:Talking of old characters, mate, just very quickly, with Mrs. Flood being the Ronnie. Yeah, that was cool, wasn't it? Very cool, but also, like, really obvious, as I remember ages ago when we.
What was her first appearance? Was it the Christmas special?
Adam:Yeah, the church in Ruby Road, when she was Ruby's neighbor.
Garry:That's it.
Adam:She said, don't you know what a TARDIS is? When I remember, yeah.
Garry:Didn't you and I, we threw it in there as an option and loads of fandom was saying it could be the Rani. But then we dismissed it, didn't we, quite quickly saying that that's Too obvious. Like, you know, it's. Of course it could be. It's either. It's either.
It's either the Master slash Missy back or it's the Rani. And we were just like, nah, I can't. That's too obvious. So what were your thoughts on. On the Rani being back?
Adam:It does seem obvious, but I think that's because every time we get somebody like this character that's a mystery, we instantly assume it's the Rani because the Master's been kind of done to death, really, you know, and obviously the Missy thing. So it was obvious, but it didn't. It still didn't bother me, you know, I was kind of, in a way, like, oh, at last, like, we've got the Rani back.
Because it is a character that I love, you know, I'm famously on record as saying, I thoroughly enjoy time in the Rani. I think Kate o' Mara's fantastic in it. I think the Ran is a great character. So, yeah, it was obvious.
What wasn't obvious was I didn't see the bi regeneration coming. That threw me completely. I'm like, what is this? Just a thing now? What. Why is it. What's the bi regeneration about?
I think that's Russell just not being able to. He doesn't want to get rid of Anita Dobson, you know, and who can blame him? I don't want him to get rid of Anita Dobson either.
I'm really happy that she's going to be part of this setup. So I guess, although I'm not a fan of the biogeneration, if it means keeping Anita DOBSON in it, Mrs.
Floyd Flood in it, then I can absolutely live with it, because I. I think it could be a fun sort of double team, those two. So you've got Mrs.
Flood slash the Rani and the Rani, who seem very different characters, as we saw, didn't we? She's sort of almost submissive to, you know, almost scared of her new incarnation. So that could lead to some fun moments, I think. Yeah.
But, yeah, I was happy with it, mate. I was really pleased that the Rani is finally, after all these years back, it makes such a change from, like, the Master.
If it had been like another Missile Master, that would have been so boring.
Garry:True. Yeah. And exactly the same as you, mate. Wasn't overly surprised that it turned out to be the Rani, even though we dismissed it fairly early on.
But, yeah, more another by generation. Who'd have thought it, mate, you know, this once in a millennia event that they kind of made it out to be, you know, this very Rare thing.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:Happens very close to the other by generation that we had recently. So, yeah, it's all the. The rules of Doctor who are fast becoming forever changing in a short space of time. You know, it's.
You know, back in the day when you and I first started the podcast and we reviewed all of like, classic who and all the rest of it, we'd never have said any of this stuff would ever happen.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:Do you know what I mean? Like just a Doctor having a standard regeneration and a standard finale and. And all this malarkey and now it's. It's all over the place.
Adam:I guess you gotta change it up a bit. I mean, as I said, I'm not a fan of bi regeneration, but yeah, you're right, you can't. You know, the show's got to evolve and change.
I absolutely accept that. Do you know the actual moving. Gotta keep moving. Do you know the actress, mate? Is this someone that's been on your radar?
I feel like she's been in stuff and I just feel like I don't know who she is, but a lot of people are like, oh, yeah, she's fantastic. She's gonna be great. So are you aware of her in other stuff? Have you seen her in anything?
Garry:I've seen her in a few things. She was. She was. What was she in? Something that I watched a while ago. What was it? This was quite a while ago. Oh, Life on Mars.
She's in a couple of episodes. Recognize her from that? And she's also. Yeah, she was. She's. She's had kind of.
She's done a couple of long standing things back in the day, but she's more known for sort of turning up and being in like a few episodes of something.
Adam:Right.
Garry:And she's done a bit of film work as well. She was. Yeah, she's been a few films. So I knew her face as soon as I saw her. I recognized her face and I remember seeing her from. From a very.
A few things on TV over the years, but I don't think you. I don't think you'd see her and think, oh, she starred in something. You'd look at everything. Oh, I've seen her a few times in. In something.
Adam:Yeah. I. I really liked Life on Mars, that Child. Yeah, I do. I haven't watched that for years, but it was a great series, wasn't it? So she's in that. She.
Okay. It's interesting.
Garry:Yeah, she's in it for a little while. Yeah. But no, she was. She was very, very Commanding. Straight out off, you know, straight out the gate. She was.
Had a very good presence about her and really commanding. So, yeah, looking forward to seeing what. What this Rani brings to the. To the table.
Adam:Yeah.
And the BBC just released a publicity pic of her in, you know, in her Rani outfit, because obviously when they buy, regenerate, they have half of each other's clothes. So what is going on? But the Rani outfit they've given her, it's a real cool.
You know, it's very similar to what Kate Amara wore, but they've kind of modernized it and. But not too much. And I thought, yeah, she. Yeah, I've seen her for, like, 10 seconds on screen, but she really does have.
What, I don't know, maybe I should wait till next week. But she. I feel like she has something about her that I absolutely can buy into it, that she's going to be a cool Rani.
So I shouldn't say things like that because the next week I'll probably be saying, oh, she was rubbish. But, no, I get a good feeling about her, mate, that she's gonna be good. Yeah.
She just has that presence, an authority, and that's absolutely what the Rani is. So, yeah, looking forward to seeing more of her.
Garry:Yeah. The legendary character that is the Rani.
Adam:Kaito Amara, man. Oh. Wish I'd met her.
Garry:You know, I don't mind time in the Rani. I really don't mind it.
Adam:People are coming around to it. I see people saying that all the time and I'm like, told ya. It's terrible, but it's fun.
Garry:I don't. Yeah, I tweeted out last week the. The soundtracks. Really? I love the soundtrack to that.
Adam:It's so funny, actually. It's on my. I have it on my phone, I downloaded it and sometimes I put, you know, the songs on shuffle.
I'll be sort of out and about doing my thing, shopping, whatever, and it'll just randomly play a track from Time to the Rani. And it always cracks me up because it's all.
It always seems to select the B Sting track and I find myself walking around Tom Thumb or supermarket, you know. Oh, gosh, yeah. But it's a great soundtrack. I love it. Yeah.
Garry:Yeah. Kef McCulloch.
Adam:Yes. Classic.
Garry:Classic. Right. Unless you've got any other thoughts on Mrs. Flood/ the Rani. Just want to speak about the story just quickly then.
Not so much it being centered around sort of futuristic Eurovision, but this concept of all these people were getting jettisoned up into space, but conveniently being wrapped in this big bubble for A little while.
Adam:A mavity bubble, mate.
Garry:A mavity bubble, indeed.
Adam:Mavity shield. Sorry.
Garry:Yeah, that's pick. That stayed with us, hasn't it? The old mavity thing certainly has. And I thought that was really cool, man.
I thought that was quite a shocking visual effect as well, when you saw those thousands of people just being sort of sucked up out of the arena, up into space, and.
Because at that point you didn't know that there was this mavity, well, around the thing, you just thought they were being blasted off into space to be killed. So you were witnessing the massacre of like, 10,000 odd people. Yeah, so I thought that was quite a shot.
It was great, you know, reasonably realistic effect. I thought it was very cool, but. And then the Doctor, you know, floating up, that was a really cool effect.
When you just see his art is back arched over like that, and he's just floating in space. They use that as a publicity shot, I think, for this episode. And. And he starts to freeze. And that's where he gets the.
The vision, doesn't he, of Susan and use the confused. The confetti cannon. So camp. I think they even say in the episode, don't they?
Adam:That's ridiculous.
Garry:Do you know what, though? It was really funny.
This episode was really funny, mate, in a lot of moments, which I think is why I was drawn to it a lot, because it had some shocking moments coupled with some quite comedic moments.
So when the Doctor does use the confetti cannon, comes blasting in, gets saved by Mike, first thing he does is he stands up and he points and he just passes out. Yeah, he just collapses and stuff. And it was sort of comedically timed really well, but. So what do you think to the story, then?
I know it's obviously it's a sabotage story and revenge story, but, yeah, the fact that all these lives are on the line, both in the vicinity, but also watching at home and this delta wave threat and everything. Did you think it was a good suspense for kind of will it happen, won't it happen sort of thing?
Adam:I'll be honest, I didn't because I thought. I mean, the actual storylines, okay, there's a bit of politics in there, which I think gets a bit muddled, the whole poppy honey thing.
But, yeah, I don't know. I didn't really feel the stakes, mate. I mean, I absolutely agree with you that the.
Visually, when everyone was killed, I did at first think, omg, like, that's dark. Like all those people just floating space dead. That visually it was, you know, horribly beautiful. If, you know What?
I mean, it looked great on screen, but it was a horrible vision, you know, to see all that. So, yes, in that sense. But I kind of.
As soon as they mentioned Mavi Bubble, everyone saved, I just knew, you know, you just know the Doctor's going to stop him. So I didn't really feel much threat. Although, Kid, you know, Freddie Fox was, I thought, gave a very intense performance.
I believed in him as this sort of, kind of deranged, you know, nut job that's gonna put this sound wave out. So, yeah, it was okay. The storyline, I mean, it's quite sort of simple in a way.
The one thing I didn't get was Belinda just sort of got caught on the roof. But I mean, like, you know, every. Everyone else got sort of blown out. I don't know.
Just like, I did actually turn and speak to myself and say, seriously, because my partner had obviously left at this point, I was like, seriously, just. What? She just got caught on the top of the. Surely she'd have been sucked out as well. So a silly little thing to get caught up on, I guess.
But the cannon, mate, the glitter cannon or whatever. Did you not get flashbacks to Princess Leia in whatever that terrible Star wars film was she. And she floats across, but did you not?
Because I instantly thought of. Of that. Of Princess. Is it the Last Jedi? Yeah. Where she gets thrown out into space and suddenly uses the Force to shoot across the sky?
I don't know, it just reminded me of that and I thought it was a little bit ridiculous, but it's fun. Maybe I need to lighten up a bit, I think.
Garry:Yeah. Freezing in space and using the Force versus a confetti cannon.
Adam:It was just the visuals, I think.
Garry:You see, shooting float across very different things. But, yeah, yeah. There was some similarities, though.
Adam:I don't know, it just made me think of that and I thought, you being a Star wars nut, I thought maybe you would.
Garry:I think the parallel is more to do with how they came back from the brink of death from some kind of other force. In this case, it's his vision of Susan. Now, does that mean he's hallucinating because he's close to death? I don't mean close to regeneration.
I mean close to death. Does that mean, you know, he's kind of.
Because they do say, don't know that people who are moments away from death, in those sort of hours and potentially days leading up to when they die, they do start to hallucinate and see people from. That they've known throughout their life and stuff.
Adam:Yeah, yeah.
Garry:So is. Was it that kind of thing or is it actually Susan? You know, it's. We're guessing it is, you know, we're guessing.
Hoping that she's going to be in the finale, of course, but it was that. That kind of unfroze him and then enabled him to hold his breath for a bit and grab the cannon and do that stuff.
So I think the parallel is more not the device or the thing used to save themselves, but the fact that they were close to death and suddenly, miraculously, it's almost as if the writer needed a way for them to carry on the story with the character and they have this. They need to have this other, you know, not a human experience, but this almost superhero moment where they bring them back into the story.
So, yeah, that was more the. But I know exactly what you mean, though the parallels are there in some respect.
Adam:I did gasp when I saw Susan.
I managed to stay off social media because Russell put out one of his videos, didn't he, the day before, saying, make sure you don't look at the socials, because there's lots of spoilers this week. So I thought, right, okay, I'll be good this week. So it was quite nice, actually. Both Susan and the Rani were both, you know, they weren't spoiled.
For me this week. I was good. I did keep off social. So that was.
It was a great moment, I have to say, because, you know, seeing the Doctor starting to freeze over and die and all the ice in his heart stuff, which is quite a nice metaphor, I think, in his heart, I should say. And then Susan appearing, it did get me. I was like, oh, my God, they've done it.
You know, even though they've dropped hints in shoot his first season, we thought she was coming back, didn't we, in the finale? But she didn't. To actually see her on screen again, I did. It was a really cool surprise. I was like, oh, yes, at last they've done it.
Garry:Yeah, yeah, I was spoiled with the Rani thing.
Adam:Oh, were you? Oh, that's a shame.
Garry:Yeah, I wasn't looking for. For spoilers or anything. I wasn't even on my big blue box account on Instagram.
I was on my own personal one, just scrolling through and I just happened to see it was an official post by the BBC.
Adam:Oh, right.
Garry:Official BBC Instagram account that just said, like, literally. They didn't even put it at the bottom of the description of the.
All I saw was the image of Archie Panjabi and literally the first few words introducing the Rani was like, oh, no. But I wasn't spoiled with Susano.
That was a complete surprise and a real sort of fist pump and, you know, just, you know, thumbs up and punch in the air. That was such a cool moment. In fact, I rewound it as soon as I saw that. I said out loud to myself, bloody hell, it's Susan.
And I've rewound it and watched that bit, you know, a few times. And so good to see her, mate.
Adam:Did you have a moment where you saw your other half after watching Episode and you said, oh, my God, Susan of the Rania back and they gave you a look of what? Who? Because I did. And I suddenly realized, oh, yeah, they're not going to mean anything to you, are they?
But I was quite excited and wanted to sort of tell someone.
Garry:Yeah, no, exactly that. I didn't even say it.
Adam:No, that would have been like, what?
Garry:Yeah, straight over. Yeah. So that was really cool, mate, to see Susan and like we said, a hope she's in the finale.
I hope they make more of her character coming back and more so to find out where she's been, what she's.
Adam:Been up to, what's she been doing, where's that fella she went off and married? I can't remember his name. Michael or something.
Garry:Something like that. Yeah. So that was really cool. And okay, so we've spoken about the majority of the peeps.
Just to finish up with shooty, mate, just quickly, I know you were uncomfortable with that scene, but in reference to the rest of the story, did you. Was there anything that you thought was cool from him or was it just a fairly meh again from him for you?
Adam:I'm pausing a little bit, so I feel like that endings overshadowed him. Maybe. Maybe I'm being a bit blunt because I don't think he was banned in the episode at all, but I didn't like him in it.
But I feel like I'm just focusing on the ending, mate. If I'm honest, I'm probably being a bit unfair to him. He probably was good in it.
Garry:That's. That's cool, mate.
Adam:Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it has. I think that's the problem because I was thinking, yeah, I didn't like the Doctor in this episode, but I think it is just the ending.
I didn't like it.
I guess the rest of it, like you said about the fun moment where he, you know, faints after coming back from space and, you know, there was some stuff where he's doing all the technical stuff and taking charge and Stuff. So, yeah, I think maybe I'm being a little unfair and shooting. Maybe he was, you know, pretty good in this episode.
I just need to get over the ending.
Garry:Yeah, yeah, maybe. But, you know, if it. If that stuck with you, then. Then that's a thing then. I just had.
episode, mate, I had vibes of: Adam:That's cool.
Garry:When I was watching it, because there's a.
You know, there was a couple of episodes with Eccleston where he's like shouting orders at Rose and they're going through it and he's like dragging cables around and he's fixing things and, you know, it just felt like that, you know, when he's rigging up the. The thing. And it also felt like a bit like Family of Blood. Human nature.
You know, that episode where the Doctor's kind of fixing things in the background and. And doing stuff and he's acting the fool a little bit and he's sort of fixing things. I.
Not that Shooty was doing that exactly, but I got that vibe from him. You know, when kid turns around and shoots, he just sat there with his feet up and he's already wired up the delta wave thing and.
Yeah, I don't know, I just. I felt like Shooty had a really good.
I felt like last week's episode, the story in the Engine, was a little bit of a springboard in terms of him finding his. His Doctor just a little bit more like, up to that point, I wouldn't have said that.
I would have said that he's been fairly samey throughout season one and then the first few episodes that we've seen in season two. I would say that it's been a bit. Rinse and repeat with him.
Adam:Yeah, yeah.
Garry:But last week I did feel like he found. Found something a little bit, which is a bit of a springboard.
And in this one, I don't know, like, it's almost like his intensity levels had gone up a little bit because he's always had. He's one of these guys. Clearly that has just got buckets of energy. You know, you can tell that it's.
It just radiates, you know, it's just completely bonkers at times. But the intensity part of it, when he's tried to do that before, I didn't really buy into it.
But the bits where I'm not necessarily talking about the scene we referenced earlier, but just in general when he's gone a bit sort of straighter and he's talking more seriously. I felt like there was just a bit more. Yeah. A bit more intensity there. So, yeah, I thought this is the best one for shooty for me in a while.
Adam:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think I see what you're getting at because I mean, when he was working with whatever the guy's name, you know, one of the couple and he's like, can you do this? Can you do that? You know, I like it when the doctor's, you know, solving the problem and, and stuff like that.
So I kind of get where you're coming from.
Garry:Yeah, yeah. We've referenced Gary and Mike, you know, the, the kind of saviors of the day.
I honestly thought they were going to get killed at the end by the Ronnie. I thought, oh no. Oh yeah, I thought, yeah, she's gonna sort of, you know, mark her appearance by. By murdering a couple of people.
But thankfully, you know, she just had a bit of the hump and. And walked off with Mrs. Flood in tow.
Adam:But that was a fun scene, wasn't it, when they. When it's a bit weird having it as a mid credit, wasn't it? But it was fun when they unfroze Mrs. F.L. all doddery and. Oh, God, no. And all this.
I did think that was fun. Did love that.
Garry:Oh God, yeah, that was pretty cool. And so Gary and Mike, I know you weren't too keen on those guys, but I felt like they provided a bit of. Just a bit of.
A bit of bant and a bit of humor that was needed.
Adam:Yeah, one of them did the one. The guy who was doing all the computer stuff. You're right, he did provide a bit of humor to the episode, I guess.
Garry:Yeah, yeah. There was actually. There was one character that I wasn't quite drawn to and it was the guy that was Cora's assistant.
I think the character's name was Len. The black guy who was in the red suit that was in tow of. With Cora. When he finds out that she's helium, he switches on her.
Adam:Oh, him. Yeah, I couldn't think who you meant.
Garry:Yeah, really quick, like almost like this, like real kind of like, like his eyes just told a story of like, I don't want to be around you anymore. Now what? Now I know exactly who you are and where you're from. You know, I don't want anything to do with you.
And his face turned from like being this sort of pretty happy, optimist, optimistic guy to. Yeah, just being a real, real beep. So I know his character is meant to Be that way you want to. To kind of.
I know he has a bit of redemption at the end, you know, when she sings the song, he tears up a bit and he claps and you.
Adam:Think, okay, the old slow clap.
Garry:Yeah, the old slow clap, yeah. He's kind of seen, you know, the fog's lifted a little bit now. He's had a moment to think and he's heard the song and stuff, so it wasn't.
He comes around a bit, I guess, in the end. But, yeah, I know the character's written to be disliked because of that switch, but, yeah, I just didn't. Yeah, I wasn't taking with that guy.
Adam:No, I'd actually forgotten all about him. In all honesty, it took me a minute to work out who you're talking about. Yeah, that. Yeah, that scene as well, where she. Where she exposes.
She's cut off the. Whatever they are was quite cool. Again, I didn't see that coming.
Kind of made me more invested in the characters, if you know what I mean, up until that point to think, oh, they've actually had to disguise that they are and all that sort of stuff. So made a game a bit more meat on the bones. In terms of characterization, mate. What did you think of Ryland? Because we haven't mentioned him.
What do you think? Sparkly teeth himself.
Garry:Old Ryland? Yeah, I thought he was. He was good. Because you know exactly what you're going to get with Rylan. You know, it's a bit like. It was a.
Very similar to Graham Norton in this episode with those kind of characters and those sorts of people. You know exactly what you are. You are getting with, you know. You know, you don't.
You don't hire Ryland for him to be anything other than Rylan, if that makes sense. So, yeah, he was. He was really cool and just played. Played that part exactly as you would expect him to, which was really good.
Adam:Yeah, I. I feel the same, mate. I. I just thought he absolutely suited the episode, you know, he. He kind of. He knew what he would.
You know, he knew he got the brief. He's just playing himself, you know. Any. Any, any.
Yeah, he did it well, you know, when he made the joke about something about a bit like my career going down the pan and all this sort of stuff. And, you know, he didn't take it too seriously. Just. Yeah, he just added a bit of lightness the episode and I think it worked well.
And same with Graham Norton, mate. I loved the hologram scene because I. I like Graham Norton. I think when he Turned. When he. When he sort of turned serious, he's like.
And then the poor old earth burnt to death on May20. You know, I could almost see Graham Loving doing that, you know, I mean, so I thought both of them were pretty fun in this episode in their own ways.
That's interesting, isn't it, about him, Graham Norton saying the Earth has been destroyed on that day, you know, leading back to. Although we already knew that was quite a. Kind of a cool way to bring it into the episode of him revealing it as a hologram.
How he would know that if. Quite. How they would bring him back if. Because he would have been destroyed as well.
I know it's a hologram, but not quite sure how that works, but that was. Yeah, I thought both of them were pretty good in this for, you know, what they had to do in the story.
Garry:Yeah, yeah, they were good. And that was a cool downturn as well, because at that point it was kind of the cliched happy ending to everything.
Everybody saved the chorus, sung her song and she's, you know, sang it for her people. I think that was one of the criticisms from. From Wynn early on was that she left Helio and she's done nothing to help.
She just ignored her own people and gone off and done stuff. So she, you know, sung that for. She tells everybody where she's from and sings that song and it's the happy ending.
And then when Graham Norton, you know, very anti climatically, basically says, you know, and then the Earth burned.
Adam:Yeah, that's right. In his typical way.
Garry:Yeah, he says stuff like that. Yeah, yeah. And then they're back to the TARDIS and. And it's, you know, hell's a break about to break loose. Seemingly. So.
Yeah, that was a cool sort of twist at the. Oh, why do I say that?
Adam:Ah, because this, get, this is what they want is stuck in your head.
Garry:Fallen foul of. Of RTD's. Yeah, whimsical.
Adam:You'll be saying mavity in every sentence next.
Garry:Yeah, but it was a cool ending and actually talking of running, just very quickly, there's a behind the scenes photo of him. They gave him a quick tour of the TARDIS set when they filmed it and you can just see him like a little kid.
Just like a little kid like it, like in awe at the size of the set and. And how great it is. So, yeah, like, like those peeps in it.
Adam:Has the Doctor finally this.
This device that he's been carrying around to get Belinda back, which I finally worked out what it reminds me of it reminds me of my old washing line that I used to fold up and put out in the garden. As he is. He is. That thing finally clicked and done its thing now.
Garry:The Vindicator. I believe so, yeah, I believe so.
Because the Doctor's quite confident that now that thing has done all of its readings and everything and calibrated with the Tardis, it's ready to guide them home to May 24, which.
Adam:Actually, because we got the post credit scene, which is kind of overshadowed, really, what was a quite a OMG ending to the episode, which was the TARDIS doors exploding. Well, the TARDIS exploding, I guess.
Garry:Oh, yeah.
Adam:I was like, yeah, that's what I mean. Everyone's kind of forgotten about it.
I'd forgotten about it until my friend text me yesterday and said, oh, what about the TARDIS exploding at the end? I was like, oh, yeah, I'd forgotten about that because of the whole Rani thing, you know, that kind of came straight after it.
But yeah, what's happened to tardis, mate, is it reminded me of the Mind Robber where the doors blew off and it exploded.
Garry:Yeah, it's. It's not looking good for. For the tardis, is it? Although it has been throwing up some warning signs, hasn't it?
Of late, it's been flashing this very deep red color and alerting people that something's not. Not quite right. And then. Yeah, so I think the. The Vindicator. Mrs. Flood seems to know quite a lot about it because she's asked about it, hasn't she?
And then when the Doctor does, because she's up in the. In the audience somewhere with some binoculars and she sees the Doctor use it, doesn't she? And at that point she's like, right, gotcha.
Like now it's now we're ready to rock and roll. So she obviously knows what's. What's going on, but it feels like.
Adam:She'S one step ahead of the Doctor every time, doesn't it? Which I quite like, you know, Feels like she's got a plan going on. Yeah.
Garry:Mm. Yeah, it's cool. Right? We've spoken about most of the cast, I think already, mate. Spoke about some story stuff, as usual, mate.
Ever got anything on your notes?
Adam:Just a couple of things. We were told this was the most expensive episode adopt who ever made. Did it feel like that to you? Because I noticed some of the sets were reused.
That was. That was the. What was the last Christmas special we had the hotel one.
Garry:That was.
Adam:That set redressed, I'm pretty sure. Nothing wrong with it. I just sort of, you know, spotted it straight away.
But, yeah, it looked good as an episode, but it didn't look anything out of the order. I wasn't sat thinking, oh, my God, this is spectacular.
Like, you can tell that they've really pumped the money into this, but I just wondered if you felt like it. It came across as the most expensive Doctor episode ever made. Not saying it didn't look good, by the way, I'm just saying didn't.
Garry:Yeah, some of it did, but I wouldn't say all of it did. No, no, some of it does. There were the scenes. I think they spent a lot on the visual effects side of things for the. The.
The arena of, you know, where they were. Was it Harmony Arena? Space Station? Yeah. So, yeah, all of that stuff, I think, did look really good.
And a lot of that stuff, like, you know, your typical sci fi spacey stuff, that all looked really good and quite. I can imagine that would have cost a lot.
Apparently what they did was they filmed 100 extras and scanned them all in and then made digital copies of all of those people. Oh, yeah, and just duplicated the hell out of it in post production and made like, yeah, you know, hundreds of thousands of people.
Adam:Sounds about right.
Garry:Yeah. But, yeah, I thought it looked great, as always, as you said. I think Doctor who just looks great these days. But, yeah, you can sell.
A bit of money was thrown at this one in terms of visual effects, but I didn't notice the set, though. It's a good shout. I didn't notice the set was a. Was a redo.
Adam:Someone might correct me, mate. I. I thought it looked like a redress of. Of the Time Hotel or whatever it's called, but I could be wrong. It just looked like it to me.
The only other thing I got my notes, mate, is the music, but it's not Murray Gold. I'm talking about this week. It's Buck's Fizz.
I actually thought that was a really lovely idea to use, making your mind up, you know, to use that song when they're coming out of the. It's what? Yeah, it was when they were coming out of the freeze.
Garry:They're rescuing everyone.
Adam:Yeah. I just thought that's so cool because it's a Eurovision thing.
It's a fun pop track and it absolutely suited that scene of everyone's, you know, everybody lives sort of thing. So I just thought it was a really nice call back to Eurovision to hear that really cheesy 80s song that kind of needed that.
I needed that to put a smile Back on my face after the torture scene, to be honest, I was like, yeah, this is cool.
Garry:Yeah. No, it was cool, wasn't it? Yeah, agreed. And Mo's music, there was a bit where they brought back this kind of.
And this gave me vibes of Matt Smith here. You know, in Matt Smith's Here, where every time there was a bit of action kicking off or they're running away from. From something. The.
The I Am the Doctor used to kick in, didn't it? Which is what I used to love about Murray's music back in the day. These recurring. Yeah, they kind of did this with Shooter.
They brought his theme back where he's out in space. He uses the confetti cannon. You know, when he's building up to that bit. They played. He. Like his classic kind of action scene.
Adam:Yeah.
Garry:Theme, which was really cool. So I enjoyed that. And, yeah, the rest of it wasn't too bad. I didn't suffer as much with this one.
With Murray's music of drowning out a lot of the scenes of vocals. It. A couple of places here and there, but I didn't feel like it was as bad as the last few episodes for me. I don't know about you, mate.
Adam:No, same, same. Yeah. I can't really think of any memorable stuff this week, but it kind of. Yeah, it didn't drown out the dialogue, which I'm pleased about. So. Yeah.
Garry:Yes. Alrighty. I've got nothing else, dude, if you haven't got anything else.
Adam:No, no.
Garry:All good to the scoreboard. I think it's me to go first, isn't it?
Adam:Go for it. 10 out of 10. Is it.
Garry:I'm gonna give this mate an 8.5.
Adam:My word.
Garry:Which is my highest score yet for a while, if I'm. I think, mate.
Adam:Yes, it is. Yeah. Crazy. Yeah.
Garry:Yeah, yeah. An 8.5 for me. Right. It's. I feel like this is weird. I feel like me giving that score is weird at the moment, but I just really liked it.
Landed with me, this one. It hit all the beats. Well, most of them. So, yeah, I enjoyed it. What about you?
Adam:Well, I. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. So I'm gonna have to go. I'm gonna have to sit on the fence and I'm gonna have to give it a five.
I'm gonna have to go right down the middle. Yeah, I didn't. Yeah, it just was okay. I don't know. Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Yeah, yeah.
Garry:On the. Down the middle. Definitely gotcha okay, so. Wow, dude. Who would have thought, eh? The. The episode centered around Eurovision. I'd be up there.
So with somebody who can't stand the bloody thing in real life and you're. You're a five.
Adam:We must be in a parallel universe, mate. I'm convinced now.
Garry:It must be.
Adam:Yeah, yeah.
Garry:Crikey. Alrighty. Well, on that bombshell, it seems. Let's end it there, mate, for episode 425.
Adam:Alrighty.
Garry:Thank you. Thank you very much for coming back and listening to another episode of The Big Blue Box Podcast. That was 425.
And our review of the Intergalactic Song contest from Interstellar and that was a remarkable 8.5 from me and a Middle of the road on the Fence five from him. We'll be back next week, of course, with our review of the next episode. Is it a two part finale or is it just a one part?
And this is a two part, I think, wish world. Next week we'll be back to review that. So stick around and tune in for our thoughts on that one.
You can do that, of course, by making sure you are following or subscribing to us in all of the popular podcast apps. There's a link on the website which is bigblueboxpodcast.co.uk or just do a search for the Big Blue box, you'll find us there.
We'd love to have you as a follower on those apps and we've got some really cool comments and stuff through Spotify recently. But I know there's some other apps that do this like Apple Podcast.
And over@podchaser.com if you've got a minute to leave us a rating and a review, that would be awesome. If you want to drop a comment as well, you can do that. You can also chat with us over on the socials. There are links on the website.
Or again, just do a search at Big Blue Box. We're on all of them. Just give us a like and a follow.
We chat Doctor who throughout the week and we also have a very cool free Discord server link on our website. Hop in there and chat Doctor who with other who fans. Also don't forget to remember to check out my co host channel on YouTube.
It's of course, the Geeks Handbag.
Adam:The Geeks Handbag, yeah. Just uploaded a new video where I go shopping for some toys here in Texas. So go and check that out.
Also on the socials under the same name, the Geek Sandbag.
Garry:Indeedy. And on that note, my name's Garry My name's Adam, and remember.
