Audio story review: Big Finish’s ‘The Night of the Triffids’

While CultBox is familiar with Day of the Triffids in its various forms, the announcement that Big Finish was adapting its sequel Night of the Triffids into an audio drama came as a bit of a surprise; chiefly as we had never heard of it. Simon Clark’s 2001 novel, adapted for audio by the author, … >

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‘The Driver’ Episode 2 review

After a steady start in last week’s opener – enjoyable but pedestrian in its predictableness – the second episode zooms out of the 30mph zone with its foot down, bringing some much needed excitement to a journey that might otherwise have become tedious. Having already been party to some dodgy deals since becoming driver for … >

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‘Doctor Who’ spoiler-free review: ‘Kill the Moon’

“Certain moments in Time are fixed. Tiny, precious moments. Everything else is in flux, anything can happen. But those certain moments…they have to stand.” So said The Tenth Doctor in ‘The Waters of Mars’ – not the last time you’ll hear that episode mentioned in this review, or others. Viewers will draw close parallels between … >

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‘Glue’ Episode 3 review

As I said last week, there always seems to be something on fire in Glue. A car, a caravan, a pile of wood in a copse… the countryside is indeed a highly flammable place. It’s why you never see cows smoking. Or sheep having ‘baa’-rbeques. Ha. Ha. Ha. But all those flames do more than … >

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‘Peaky Blinders’ Season 2 Episode 1 spoiler-free review

Watching the opener to Peaky Blinders’ second season is like swaggering back into your old home town. Just as the streets, the faces, and the noises of your old manor are all as vibrantly familiar and much more impressively dismal than you remembered, so there’s an identical sensation as you hear the ferric beat of … >

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‘Downton Abbey’ Season 5 Episode 2 review

The second episode of Downton Abbey’s new season finds Mr. Carson and Lord Grantham at odds over the site of the WWI memorial: the cricket pitch at Downton (Mr. Carson’s choice, though he is an avid enthusiast of the sport) or the centre of the village (Lord Grantham’s recommendation). Mr. Carson does not defer to … >

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‘Our Girl’ Season 1 Episode 2 review

Having established the primary elements last week, this week’s Our Girl episode does a great job of balancing the character development with some very probing questions about Army life for young soldier, Molly Dawes (Lacey Turner). Proceedings here are definitely more character-based with equal development given to the main three players. Ben Aldridge, as Captain … >

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‘Doctor Who’: ‘The Caretaker’ review

One thing that has eluded Doctor Who in recent years is consistency. Matt Smith’s final season was let down by clunkers like ‘The Rings of Akhaten’ and ‘Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS’, but the gilt edges of the previous season were certainly rubbed off by ‘The Curse of the Black Spot’ – and … >

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‘Matilda: The Musical’ review

Adapted from Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book by Utopia writer Dennis Kelly, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s musical interpretation of Matilda is a wholly astounding show. Featuring original songs by Australian comedian Tim Minchin, Matilda wins over the audience from the get-go with ‘Miracle’; a fantastic indication of the irreverent but completely on-point humour to follow. The … >

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‘The Driver’ Episode 1 review

Having recently narrated the audiobook of his namesake Steven Patrick’s Autobiography, it seems appropriate that David Morrissey’s latest television role takes him back to Manchester. This is not the cultured, steel-and-glass megalopolis that the city’s tourist board are keen to publicise, however, but the parts that haven’t changed since the days of the Smiths: the … >

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