As a life-long Doctor Who fan, the hardest and most annoying question to answer is, “Who’s your favourite Doctor?” Here Liam South provides five reasons why the Eleventh Doctor should be your answer… Bowties were never cooler. (Bowtie sales actually did rise after ‘The Eleventh Hour’ aired). Matt Smith’s two distinct looks (the … >
While classic Doctor Who was famously romance-free for the most part, 21st century Who – and its associated productions – seems to have had as many weddings as a soap opera. And if you live in the Whoniverse, you are just as unlikely to have a trouble-free nuptials as if you lived in Walford or … >
Filming is now underway on the new season of The Crown and a new cast addition has been revealed. Downton Abbey actor Matthew Goode will take the role of society photographer Lord Snowdon, who was married to Princess Margaret from 1960 until 1978. Antony Armstrong-Jones, to use his full name, died earlier this month. The Crown premiered on … >
‘Gloriana’ feels as though it’s been constructed as the series finale to a different programme. Consider the ending of the show. Elizabeth’s final scene, now named Elizabeth Regina rather than Elizabeth Windsor, feels like it’s supposed to be this great milestone; akin, perhaps, to the first time a superhero puts on their costume and takes … >
Winston Churchill is a difficult individual to get to grips with. On the one hand, he’s revered for having steered Britain through World War Two, oft credited with having held a key role in the eventual victory of the Allies. Indeed, it’s because of these achievements that he’s typically considered one of Britain’s greatest politicians, … >
Finally – finally – The Crown has figured out a characterisation of Elizabeth that works. It’s been difficult for them, and understandably so; there’s an aspect of Elizabeth that’s always been implacable, always been impenetrable, which makes it hard to develop a character beyond – as she’s called in this episode – a “blank page”. … >
With the threat of the atom bomb on the rise and Cold War tensions brewing, Elizabeth realises that… she doesn’t really know much trigonometry, actually, and if she wants to engage in political situations, it might help for her to have at least the education level of the average twelve-year-old child. Accordingly, then, she hires … >
The Crown recently won two Golden Globes, and was nominated for a third; Best Actress for Claire Foy, Best Drama TV Series, and a nomination for John Lithgow as Best Supporting Actor. In many ways, it’s understandable – no television series in the last year has felt so self-consciously styled in pursuit of such critical … >
Here we see The Crown begin to introduce a little more subtlety, in a move away from its prior style of outlining themes in great detail – and it does so by placing greater faith in the ability of its stars, namely Claire Foy, Matt Smith, and Alex Jennings. Certainly, it’s an improvement on previous … >
A mere four episodes in, and we have what feels like The Crown’s first filler episode. That’s perhaps an unfair description – and perhaps an inaccurate one, too. It may be closer to the truth to describe ‘Act of God’ as an episode of The Crown which is trying to be a different programme entirely; … >