Well as he said, "I am the Master...universally."

I would keep an eye on that scanner as it won't stay still!

I still like to think of the TARDIS swallowing and incorporating the Time-Space Visualiser.

This is news to me! Is there a topnotch Massacre recon knocking around somewhere, then? First I'd heard of it.

I got some of the Loose Cannon recons, a while back, but Mrs Chuff was snoring loudly within 10mins of starting the first one, so i progressed no further.



The Axon monsters look great, and Axos itself is a great idea, but I've always felt the story has very little going for it. I'd totally forgotten about Jo ageing!

The story of Tiglet Jnr and the ice lolly has made me chuckle, on a grey and gloomy morning!



A very good description! It's "generic". Bog-standard. Summat-and-nowt.

If my memory serves me correctly, which it quite possibly doesn't, didn't writers Baker and Martin intend the power station in Hand Of Fear to be the same as this one in Axos? Which would make it one unlucky power station!

Or did I dream it?

Claws Of Axos always strikes me as a whole bunch of pretty good ideas in search of a decent plot. In fact many of the Baker / Martin scripts suffer from this.

No, you're quite right! Can't remember why it was changed, though.


I really like it. Running around industrial estates always appeals to me and the groovy Axos hallucinogenic interior shots totally blow my mind, man.

Sorry Chuff, the Beeb only paid for Galaxy 4.

AFAIAW the Massacre is still LC16.

It is very good BTW.

Did you hear that the Beeb were going to sell recons on I-Tunes and Loose Cannon had worked on several including Celestial Toymaker and Wheel in Space.

What an odd choice.

Has that been 'officially' announced somewhere?

I read something (not in any way official) about 2entertain being in the chain but getting cold feet on the itunes idea. And something about them changing their mind about releasing the Galaxy 4 recon as a dvd extra. Someone said 2entertain favour animations over recons and nothing more than narrated audios where animations don't exist (so, effectively, pretty much just narrated audio then). But I don't know the details or real truth of this.

Hmmm... good luck to them finding someone to do more animations 'on spec' as it were.

Yes. All parties involved in the discussions have gone public about it.

Dan Hall blocked it.

Now, depending on who you believe Dan Hall blocked it because he hates the fans (unlikely), because he does not think they are up to the required professional standard (most probable) or because they plan to release them on DVD once the range is finished (my ultimate wet dream, well apart from Carol Kirkwood doing naked star jumps for my amusement).

Not when it was bought to go on the Time Meddler DVD.

Yeah, she was gonna do that on a dvd extra. But Dan Hall blocked it because he hates fans.

Well we have heard Ian Levine's thoughts (repeatedly) on it but only Dan Hall's in passing.

Dan Hall is doing a convention soon so we will get his views then.

I think he is a bit of an egotist, Dan, but I do think he has the DVD range very much at heart and has the interests of the fans at heart. I think he gets a very unfair rap off some fans and the DVD range would be the poorer if he was not involved in it.

Do you know if they recorded it ?

If so do you know where the tape is kept ?

If so, do you know any good burglars ?

Ah, so same idea as the Marco Polo recon. That makes sense.

Indeed. The Marco Polo recon, albeit short, was really well put together although the LC version is great especially the colour photographs.

Well now she is indoors from the Blue Peter garden she's shed her overcoat so that's one step closer. I think a heatwave and an electified floor is the only way you'll get to that final goal.

Is now the time for me to dig up one of my few showbiz stories where I sat near to Carol Kirkwood at the BAFTA TV Awards in 2005 and asked her about her appearances?

She asked me what job I did - that was a mistake, I told her in boring detail.

Nuton to Nunton wasn't a big stretch though. Maybe they renamed themselves to forget about the day they were attacked by spagetti monsters.

What an angel that woman is.

She does feature on a site called bapwatch.

Newman and Baddiel old History professors sketch, "I have heard of the item."

Anyway back on topic

Finished Claws today. This was the best episode in my opinion. Putting aside that the Doctor actually slapped his assistant, I really enjoyed this one.

A bit of the 'will he, won't he', doubts came into play as the Doctor made to go off in partnership with the Master. I didn't think he would, but then there was just that element of doubt, and a wonder as to how far he would go to get free. Would he actually abandon Earth to the Axonites though? That was the question.

A bit more battle whnich again wasn't really up to much. I think the problem for me is that the Axons have legs. This is meant to be some organic matter that spreads and infests, so the fact that the baddies had legs just didn't work. They should have squelched. That would ahve been so much better.

That 'thing' the Doctor used to hold off Bill, was that his sonic screwdriver? It did half look odd. And I dont' recall the Doctor using it as a weapon before if it is.

I do love that the Doctor is back flying his Tardis now though, I got a certain thrill of pleasure to see the first scene with him flying it. And when he emerged later on the landscape it was so reminiscent of him emerging in the very first episode, it gave a lump in my throat. Bless the lovely yo-yo Doctor.

I think overall the Doctor and the Master saved this episode, with their desire to escape earth and pilot their Tardises. The story telling in the final episode was great and made up for some of the blandness that came before.

And then for the followers of fashion there was the shot of Jo's purple knickers. Or was that in Ep 3?

It may have been Ep 3. Mr Tiggs commented on her skirt but I didn't realise she showed her knickers. Or it may have been this one, Mr Tiggs not here to comment at all.

I told you Episode Four was the best one.

I love TARDIS stuff and when you watch it in order, the sight of the Doctor starting it and that lovely sound (seriously I love the TARDIS sound) is marvellous. So the current position is the yo-yo Doctor, I think he needs to sort that out if he's going to visit a Colony In Space.

The 'thing' that the Doctor used on Bill was the Master's laser gun - so that was very fancy shooting. He had the gun as the Master was still technically UNIT's prisoner. Right up to the point the Doctor lets him escape.

The Doctor shows his willingness to sacrifice himself here. The Master sums it up, "He's sacrificing himself and taking us all with it. He's putting you into a time loop and you're never escape. Never!" So the Doctor does take a gamble and it may be he escapes partially due to the fact the Time Lords have put a return circuit in the dematerisation circuit.

Jo still hasn't had a ride in the TARDIS or even gone in it yet.

Not sure if running away from an explosion next to a nuclear reactor and then running back straight away is the safest of ideas.

Mr It Ain't 'Alf Hot Mum had a spectacular end didn't he?

I like the Brig's cynicism, "So you came back to Earth out of your own free will?"
"Well..."

Episodes 3 and 4.

Ahem.