Fish Fingers and Custard - A Doctor Who Fanzine - FFAC2

What We First Thought:   That was great. We think. So after 11 weeks (or for these reviews - roughly a month) it’s come to this.  Will The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang fall into that trap of being a disappointing ‘finale’ like the majority of its processors? As that ancient saying goes – “ Does it bollocks! ”  What we get is a slick but yet, satisfying ending that still leaves threads over to be picked up for the next series.  It all looks cosier than a Teddy sat with his paws up on a leather chair, wearing a dressing gown and drinking a glass of port. What these episodes do, is encapsulate everything that we’ve seen in the series so far.  I’ve commentated in the fanzine that Steven Moffat isn’t a writer who just throws in lines and scenes in for effect – he has uses for everything.  Lines such as ‘ There was a goblin. Or a trickster, or a warrior. A nameless, terrible thing, soaked in the blood of a billion galaxies. The most feared being in ...

We’ve had some interest from our readers for our past reviews of The Scarifyers , so when the latest release landed on our doormat, we couldn’t resist in letting you know how we found The Horror of Loch Ness .  The story sees Harry and Dunning investigating a mysterious disappearance in the Scottish Highlands, where Malcolm Campbell, real-life land and sea speed record breaker, goes missing whilst testing on Loch Ness.  But who’s to blame? Shifty American spies or something stirring in the deep waters of the Loch? The Loch Ness Monster myth is a premise that has been over-done by television and film in the past, but the Scarifyers team manage to pitch it just right.  They find the right balance of comedy, horror and (probably most importantly!) pacing of the story to keep the listener interested.  As always, Terry Molloy is on top form as Dunning and David Warner already sounds at home in only his second outing as the co-lead. One thing I really do like ab...

What We First Though t: Is that really James Corden playing that likeable bloke? I sometimes feel a bit sorry for James Corden. By rights, he should be feeling sorry for me, what with his huge bank account, job offers and endless celebrity friends.  But there seemed to be a collective groan when he was cast in Doctor Who - for some reason, James Corden the man, comes across as a figure of fun to some people (not for his size may I add, but more for his personality).  His infamous ‘spat’ with Patrick Stewart at an awards ceremony is a good example (as is 80% of his acting output).  For me his horrible World Cup show, a very poor imitation of Baddiel and Skinner’s Fantasy Football, where he would gather all his celeb ‘buddies’ in a studio and have a chat, coupled with awful humour and a lack of knowledge about the game, was the final straw for me. I wasn’t going to hear a good word said for him. But why do people feel this way about him? Maybe it’s just the fact tha...

Just a note to say that the deadline for contributions for the next issue is 31st July . As ever, we'll accept anything that vaguely relates to Doctor Who!  However with the new series back on the screens soon, if you'd like to write a short piece (1000 words max) on your thoughts of the last series, or the Moffat/Smith era so far (positive and/or negative!) those would be very welcome.  Please e-mail us at fishcustardfanzine@googlemail.com with anything you'd like to contribute! If you haven't read it yet, you can now read our latest Issue here Cheers

What We First Thought: Nice story, with plenty of emotional subtext There’s a great saying that ‘ an artist’s work is only valuable when they’re dead ’.   In the case of Vincent Van Gogh, his turbulent life-story probably adds another couple of million to the value of his extraordinary work.   He was an artist who suffered with mental illness in a time that didn’t comprehend the meaning of such.   Vincent and The Doctor just about captures the character of Vincent, thanks in no small part to a great performance by Tony Curran. Bill Nighy pops up in a cameo role as art expert Dr. Black (not being credited – perhaps because he did it as a favour to his mate Richard Curtis?) He was very good, as he built up a good rapport with The Doctor.   Dare I say that this is a far better role for him than The Doctor, which he was reportedly offered back in 2004? He’s a great actor, but I just don’t believe he’ll be able to relate to an audience like Eccleston did, so I ...

What We First Thought: That was nice. Now for the washing up! You know when you get into the middle of a book, where the pictures are?   Then you get past them and the second half doesn’t quite match up to your visions of the pictures, which in turn affects your thoughts as you continue to embark on the second half of the book? That’s exactly how I feel about The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood .   It’s a story that had all the makings of a classic, but part 2 just petered out into boredom, save for the ending. The biggest disappointment of this story for me is the look of the Silurians, or Homo Reptilia, whatever you want to call them.   They just look too human. I can appreciate the ‘Homo’ bit indicating that they’re between the two (which is wrong, as they’re supposed to be fully reptile!) but still, they just look like a human that has been painted green!   Would it have been too difficult to update the classic look of the Silurians, with the third eye and eve...

What We First Thought: Ponytails are cool. Not. Like most people, when I first watched this, I thought it was a little bizarre.  A decent episode, but it’s one of those that you’ll need to watch again to pick up more from.  As mentioned during these reviews, I don’t believe you need to watch the episodes over-and-over again to understand them, but it’ll help you to take more from the series if you go back and watch them.  Amy’s Choice is very much an episode of that ilk, as there are lots of little bits in there that play around with the characters and the storyline of the series. Amy’s Choice sees the introduction of ‘The Dream Lord’ (played by Toby Jones) who we find out is ‘The Doctor’s dark thoughts’.  Anybody can be forgiven in thinking that this is a reference to The Valeyard, who was the physical body of all The Doctor’s dark thoughts.  Created ‘between his 12 and final regeneration’ The Scrapyard put the Doctor on trial, in order to utterl...