Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 12 Is It Christmas Yet? It’s mad isn’t it? For ages I’ve been We only got one chance at a 50th wondering what to write in this editorial, Anniversary. Let’s do it right! thanks in no small part to the lack of episodes we’ve seen so far, but as I It’s rather sad in a way to see the exit of write this Colin Baker is currently in a Amy and Rory. It draws to a close the Australian jungle, avoiding snakes and first chapter of the The Doctor’s life as poisonous MP’s, I’m listening to more his 11th incarnation and there’s a lot of Doctor Who-related audios than I’ve discussion about whether their exit was ever done in my life and Doctor Who is handled correctly. I think most of us can about to do it’s annual advertisement agree that they at least provided stint on Children In Need. Even with 5 something a little bit different at a time episodes in a year (okay, 6 if you count when the show itself was regenerating the upcoming Christmas episode) and that they had a decent enough run. somehow Doctor Who still manages to Hopefully with a new companion, take over people’s lives! Rassilon (hopefully) a new outlook on things, knows what it’ll be like in 2013! Doctor Who can move forward and improve. We’d like to wish Karen and I think it’s fair to say though that the vast Arthur all the best and with the greatest majority of us have been disappointed of respect, hope that they never return to with the lack of episodes recently. Doctor Who ever again, so they won’t Doctor Who seems to be doing a lot of spoil their ending! shifting and adapting with its format and I can understand why people find it hard Finally, can I just say a MASSIVE thanks to follow. Hopefully 2013 will see a glut to everyone who has contributed and of Doctor Who, but personally, I do hope read the fanzine this year, I wouldn’t be that the show isn’t shoved down able to do it without you and it means so people’s throats and be all smug with much when people bother to associate itself. I like my Doctor Who to build up themselves with a publication such as it’s own excitement, instead of a press this. We’ll be back in 2013 – so please office doing it. I don’t think the BBC feel free to e-mail us at have been handling the show properly [email protected] recently - we’ve already had them at any time, with any treating it like the proverbial cash cow contributions/questions/ you may have! and I just hope that it doesn’t lose touch with it roots by trying to be something it’s Cheers not when the big day comes around. Danny This Issue of Fish Fingers and Custard is brought to you by LidlVision Editor: Daniel Gee Contributors: Tim Gambrell, Mike Pearse, Thomas Mills, Kieron Moore, Matthew Kresal, Tim Jousma, Jay McIntyre, Richard Wiggins, Robin Burks, Steve James and Michael M. Gilroy-Sinclair Doctor Who is ©BBC for a limited period only, if certain people get their way FFAC114 2 Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 12 Bye, Bye Ponds: Series 7 Reviews Though still my favourite New Who together into a gripping adventure, along series, series five felt like the half way with comedy, scares and emotion. point between a Russell T Davies series and what was to come, with Moffat’s Wow, I thought, I’m really enjoying this bigger story arc creeping in. Series six series. was a big step, focusing primarily on one arc. This elation didn’t last long. With way too many characters and no real attempt at And series seven, so far at least, has making us care about them, Dinosaurs been an even more radical step – in the on a Spaceship truly was a mess. It felt opposite direction. The recent five like Chibnall was trying to emulate adventures have all been, on the whole, Moffat but failing to add much depth or self-contained stories. They’ve also been talent of his own. You know that thing I ambitious; with “big blockbuster movie” said about Michael Bay? plastered all over the publicity, it was easy to be worried that Doctor Who Things perked up again with A Town might be about to lose its wit and charm Called Mercy, a solidly accomplished in favour of Michael Bay style scale- mix of Western, sci-fi, and typical Who over-substance. Britishness. Not one of the most remarkable episodes, but Whithouse’s Thankfully, this was not the case. Yet. best yet and one that I’d be happy to The series started off, as the eponymous watch again and again. mad Daleks would say, eggs… ex… excellently well. Asylum of the Daleks Given my opinion on Dinosaurs, I wasn’t was a fast paced string of memorable overly optimistic for The Power of Three, set piece action sequences linked but it exceeded my expectations. While the invasion plot was empty and 3 Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 12 arbitrary, its central exploration of the of my favourite longer stories took the three leads was sufficiently funny and time to make the viewer really care full of character to keep me entertained about the supporting characters. throughout. Whereas Riddell, Nefertiti, Grayle… I neither know much about nor care for Unfortunately, Amy and Rory’s final any of these. episode was the plot-hole riddled mess that I was hoping it wouldn’t be. There One thing I can say about series seven were just too many contrivances to get so far it that, visually, it’s been lovely. involved in the bulk of the episode. Can The Asylum sets, top-notch CGI someone please explain to me why dinosaurs, location filming in Almeria exactly he can’t go back and see them? and New York, Matt Smith’s hair… the And the Statue of Liberty, how did that series looks beautiful. A testament to even… BBC production; let’s hope it can keep this up. So it’s goodbye to the Ponds, and it’s a shame that their exit couldn’t be as strong as their entrance, but, overall, the first married couple on the TARDIS have been a fascinating take on the Doctor Who companion. In ways they’ve been endearing, with character moments such as Asylum’s teleporter scene really making us care about their relationship, although there have been problems with their characterisation – series six’s messy story arc didn’t do them any Luckily, Moffat managed to cover up the good. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed following nonsense a little using that old their development from children to young storytelling tool: emotion. I cried a little at engaged couple to experienced the final scene; a perfect choice of travellers, and feel that now was the image to end Amy’s story on and the right time for them to leave. “final page” was a beautiful piece of writing. Farewell Ponds, come along soufflé girl! It is nice not having to keep up with a KIERON MOORE ridiculously complex story arc – unlike series six, the feelings of “this doesn’t (check out Kieron’s blog at make any sense” are separated into http://thisisgood- bite-size chunks. There is, however, an isntit.blogspot.co.uk/) interesting bit of arc going on with the Doctor deleting himself from databases Asylum of the Daleks: Moffat isn’t across space and time; it’ll be interesting overly fond of Dalek stories, and neither to see where this Moffat masterplan is am I. It was different in the Virgin heading. Novels era, when you couldn’t have Dalek stories at all. RTD cured that Ditching two-parters is not a move I drought and then some. Moffat’s instinct support. While many stories fit brilliantly to give the Daleks a year off was, I feel, within the 45 minute structure – Blink, not a long enough absence, especially Midnight and Vincent come to mind - when they made a cameo in The others feel rushed and incomplete. Many 4 Fish Fingers and Custard Issue 12 Wedding of River Song. The idea of the itself. The Doctor is not a costumed Daleks having a Prime Minister and/or a superhero; he kills Cybermen and Parliament is ridiculous. There were Daleks all the time. There should have some good moments here, mostly the been no moral quandary here, and the moment when the Doctor “reversed” the way they did resolve it was a cop-out. Dalek. But the Daleks being made to forget him? Eh... The Power of Three: Not so much a story as a character piece, this middle- There was also, of course, Oswin, but of-the-road episode is greatly helped by we’ll see how that plays out in the the return of Rory’s father, Brian. Also second “half” of the series. the new head of UNIT! They missed an opportunity to have Martha here, but that was more than made up for by Kate Stewart, the daughter of the late, great Brigadier. The Angels take Manhattan: The departure of Amy and Rory is not the problem, though it was unnecessary that they suffer this fate. The problem is that it wasn’t a story at all. Compared to the character piece of Power of Three, which worked well in that format, this is just a bunch of set pieces crammed together with New York City (and, briefly, Ancient China) as a backdrop.