NEW REVIEW, EP 5: TIME HEIST

Flashback to 2006: Tooth and Claw was promoted as having a modern Tarantino-esque feel, with exciting bullet-time monks. The reality was a great episode, with the bullet-time monks limited to the first few minutes. I was reminded of this with Time Heist, heavily promoted as taking inspiration from Ocean's Eleven and other modern heist movies...

To read our full review for Time Heist, click HERE!

EP.5 - TIME HIEST (POTENTIAL SPOILERS)

With fifty years of history to draw from, it's no surprise that new Doctor Who episodes are often littered with references to previous stories. Sometimes these nods are blatant, other times they are subtle. A few such nods are given in a blink-and-you'll-miss-them moment in the trailers for the next episode of series eight -- Time Heist.

What's most interesting about the following screen grabs is that not only do we see characters from the original run of the series, but also one from the expanded universe of the comics and books. A very rare occurrence indeed, and in this case a very exciting one... Why? Read on.

Potential Spoiler Space

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First of all, we have a Terrileptil - first seen in the Fifth Doctor story The Visitation in 1981.

Next up is a Sensorite, from the eponymous episode from 1964, a First Doctor story (if you look closely you can see Susan's arm). They are from the planet Sensesphere, in the same area of space as the Oodsphere as seen in 2008's Planet of the Ood.

This one will be familiar to viewers of the series since 2005, having appeared in several episodes of Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures. One of the ever-expansive Slitheen family.

This chap is Androvax, the last survivor of the Veil, as seen in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Although mentioned a few times in Doctor Who, this is the first time we see the Trickster in the parent show, he's usually haunting Sarah in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

And to continue the spin-off theme, this handsome devil is Captain John Hart (not his real name), ex-Time Agent and one-time lover of Captain Jack Harkness, seen in Torchwood.

And finally, this little rouges gallery is completed with the appearance of the one character that has got Doctor Who fans of old quite excited. Abslom Daak - Dalek Killer has appeared in many Doctor Who comic strips over the years, last seen working alongside the Seventh Doctor in Nemesis of the Daleks. He also appeared in a Doctor Who novel! Can this mean an eventual fully-fledged appearance in television-Who? A lot of excited fans are wondering.

All screen grabs are courtesy of John Davies.

EP.6 - THE CARETAKER, SYNOPSIS

A very brief synopsis for episode six of series eight, The Caretaker, has been revealed. 

The terrifying Skovox Blitzer is ready to destroy all humanity – but worse, and any second now, Danny Pink and the Doctor are going to meet.

When terrifying events threaten Coal Hill school, the Doctor decides to go undercover.

This looks to be the first episode to be fully set in and around Coal Hill School since 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, and the first full episode since Clara randomly became a teacher there in Day of the Doctor last year. (Long term fans will, of course, know that Coal Hill School has a long history with Doctor Who dating back to the very first episode in 1963 when the Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, was a student there. Indeed his first two companions, Ian & Barbara, were teachers at the school.) Interestingly back in Remembrance of the Daleks the headmaster of the school asked the Seventh Doctor if he were looking to take on the role of school caretaker -- could the Twelfth Doctor (or as I call him Doctor One-a) be in that position now? Is that why the TARDIS was parked in the broom cupboard in Into the Dalek?

Now, is it me, or does that accompanying image (presumably the Skovox Blitzer) look very much like a Silurian which has been converted by Cyber-technology?

MARK GATISS ANSWERS FANS' QUESTIONS

Over at Doctor Who TV Mark Gatiss, author of last week's Robot of Sherwood, answers some questions put to him by the fans.

Head over to read them HERE!

DEEP BREATH REVIEW

New Doctor, New Era? Andy Frankham-Allen, author of Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants, takes a look at the series eight opener and asks if this is really a new era, or just more of the same?

DEEP BREATH Review