Doctor Who — Series 15/Season 2 - Episode 8 — “The Reality War” — A Review

30th May, 2025: “The Reality War”.

I have to confess, it’s Friday.

And … ?

I’m doing what I usually do.

Starting my review of an episode of Dr Who, early.

I am very much aware that — unlike earlier episodes — “The Reality War” is not going to released at 8am on the day of release.

No: it’s going to be released simultaneously with the 18:50 broadcast on BBC1.

So … ?

I’m going to be having dinner, early, tomorrow!

As an extra thought … ?

As I write this, we still don’t know if Disney will be continuing its involvement with the show.

They’ll still airing The War Between the Land and the Sea: but beyond that?

I don’t know.

We’ll have to see what happens!

~≈💊≈~

On a personal level?

I caught The Rubber-keyed Wonder, a documentary about the ZX Spectrum, a couple of weeks ago.

And, as a result?

Had some Atic Atac themed t-shirts printed.

And got hold of Switched-on Bach, the first Wendy Carlos LP.

That’s a fascinating LP to listen to: as it was one of the first albums using a synthesiser.

And it’s something I’ll have on, finishing this post.

~≈💊≈~

At any rate … ?

I’ll be watching “The Reality War”, tomorrow night.

And have this review finished on Monday, 2nd June.

I’ll see you then.

~≈💊≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 11th October, 2018

11th October, 2018.

I’m really starting to worry, there: I’m starting to worry I look slightly more camp in those introductory videos than I intend too.

Oy … !

At ANY rate?

And as I’ve mentioned Because We Want To*?

I’d better pass it along … 

~≈§≈~

At ANY rate … ?

At any rate, the job hunting is turning up a few positions: one or two of which look … interesting.

Which is possibly the best way of putting it.

It’s got to be better than last night.

We had new software installed both on the phones, and on the works computers.

The phones seem to be working well: or well enough.

But logging on to the new computer software we use to track our calls?

Well … 

There could’ve been a bit more time taken to shake the bugs out, making sure the damn thing was pointed at the right internal server!

~≈§≈~

In other news?

I think I’m going to have to head for town, later: before I go to work.

The Brentwood Gazette has published a brief chat I had with Piers Meyler, their Local Democracy correspondent.

With yours truly.

I’ll have to do a clipping of the article, as it’s not online … !

~≈§≈~

Penny Dreadful — Series 3 - Episodes 8 & 9: Perpetual Night & The Blessed Dark.

Have I mentioned I’m unemployed, at the moment?

And job hunting?

I’m …

Yeah, you can fill in the details, there, can’t you?

As you might also know?   I had an interview, today.

For a call centre that sold solar panel installations.

I have to admit, I don’t know that I was impressed with the interview.

Or the interviewer.

Most of the job interviews I’ve had … ?   The people holding the interviews seemed to summon up a little more enthusiasm …

This chap … ?   Didn’t hold my attention …

The whole experience?   Was definitely odd … let’s put it that way …

~≈Ç≈~

At any rate … ?

At any rate, I felt a definite remedy to that?

Was more online job-hunting: as I think I’ve exhausted the possibilities of handing out my CV in Brentwood/Shenfield/Romford for now.

I also felt something else.

That I should be doing something constructive with my evening would be a good idea.

Yes, OK, OK …

I had nothing more constructive in mind than watching TV …

But?

At the least, I can say I was catching up with the last two ever episodes … of Penny Dreadful … !

~≈Ç≈~

Penny Dreadful — Series 2 — Episodes 7 & 8: Little Scorpion & Memento Mori

You know, I have to admit to a certain amount of pride.

Will you would, wouldn’t you?

If you do a quick Google search for something: and get shown something you’ve gone and posted, earlier.

OK, that’s possibly the way my default browser — Safari — caches pages from Google’s search engine.

But still … it impressed me … 

At any rate, the Google search is sort of incidental to what I was going to do.

Yes … 

I’m going to mention the fact I’ve been At the Penny Dreadfuls, again.

~≈È≈~

A Rose …

My word, the thing’s you start watching, when there’s nowt on TV …

Well, I got bored with stuff about Stalin …

Somewhere in my back catalogue of backed up bits & bobs is the very first episode of the new series of “Dr Who”.

Ageing fan that I am, I’ve got to confess, I fell in love.

Again …

Much as I had as a child …

Odd?

No odder than dressing up in a silly costume and singing strange songs of a weekend; much like many football fans …

I’ve got to admit, that comparison, between football and sci-fi fandom, is probably more valid than people realise.

Or that’s my thinking.

Now I’d grown up on the original series — the Tom Baker years, to be exact — and that was the exact point I’d made to my (then) boss, Pete, back in 2005.

He’d wanted some idea’s for getting people into the Hutton; and the fact that the BBC were making a very big deal about the opening episode.

So I’d suggested getting a bunch of friends and fellow fans in to watch it.

He was dubious.

But my point — apart from the début episode being shorter — was quite simple. How was it different from half a dozen or so Accrington Stanley fans turning up to watch a game.

He had to agree with me.

It’s just a shame I couldn’t manage to pull that off, but there we go.

But it kind of show’s you the level of expectation that was surrounding “Rose”.

Something I thought, on actually seeing it, was fully justified.

“Rose” had a level of emotional maturity that I thought was very hard to find in most sci-fi serials of the 1970s and 80s. And definitely an improvement on the original.

One thing that struck me was the fact the Russell T Davis and the rest of the back-room gang had dug up both the Autons and the Nestene Consciousness.

And as a way of introducing the ongoing Time War thread that they’d written into the Doctor’s back story, had given the Consciousness a motivation for invading Earth; its homeworld had been destroyed in the War and it was blaming both the Doctor, and looking for a new place to live.

Something that the original series hadn’t done as well as it could.

But you don’t usually question these things, do you?

Not when you’re 7!

But that’s kind of my point, here, strange as it sounds.

The original — for me and many others — had magic to it.

Which “Rose”, for me, managed to re-capture.

I’ve been glued, ever since …