Doctor Who - Closing Time (24/09/11)

[Mardroid]

I was more perplexed by it turning the nursery ceiling into a planetarium.

I wondered at that too as, if I understand those things correctly, the night lamp-thing* works by shining light through artistically shaped holes** (in this case the shape of cartoon stars) up to the walls and ceiling. Even if the Doctor could use his sonic screwdriver to drill new holes in different shapes to form a realistic starfield... (while closing the old cartoon star 'holes' don't forget) that was a quick bit of programming.

Then it occurred to me that he might just have sent a signal to the Tardis, and maybe the Tardis projected the image to the room. I don't think that was the scene was supposed to be portraying, though.

It didn't really bother me though as I saw it as a bit of a non plot-centric gag.

*Not the technical name

** I don't mean literal holes. Unpainted parts of otherwise black lampshade, for want of a better word, would do too.

[SmallBlueThing]

You have to remember that the producers and writers see the sonic screwdriver as a 'magic wand', so its entirely appropriate that it can make stars appear. It can literally do anything... however, generally it can literally do anything that doesnt affect the plot too much. It cant, for example, make the baddies disappear or fire laser blasts- it's a pacifist tool, technically. A pacifist being of course what the doctor hypocritically believes himself to be- despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary which has been a theme of the past six years. Last night's was just a little too close to being an actual gun for comfort, despite it being obvious what he was actually doing was just messing with its circuits somehow.

SBT

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

It cant, for example, make the baddies disappear or fire laser blasts

SBT

Except for last night's dross. When it fired laser blasts.

[von Boom]

'victory for the power of will / love / black pudding'

NEVER underestimate the power of black pudding.

JvB

[Greg M.]

'victory for the power of will / love / black pudding'

NEVER underestimate the power of black pudding.

Especially if it comes from either Wick or Madrid (two fine but disparate sources of the greatest black puddings that have ever graced my tongue.... how's that for thread drift?)

[mogzilla]

i first discovered the joy of black pudding in 1989 at blackbrn royal infirmary good on a toast butty

[john_s]

i first discovered the joy of black pudding in 1989 at blackbrn royal infirmary good on a toast butty

Wow!  That's the hospital that saved my life when I was a kid - although it's just recently been demolished to make way for a load of flats.  (I still live in the town.)  I hope the new tenants are haunted by ghosts, spectral cancers and phantom limbs...

I 've always hated black pudding, though!

[Starkers]

Really enjoyed it. Not up to the standard of the previous two but still a lot of fun-light fluff but well made/acted lightweight fluff. Cordon the person always comes off as obnoxious, but kudos to the guy, he's made Craig a really likeable fellow. And I love the whole Stormaggedon thing!

Hell I didn't even mind the love conquers all ending. It was nice and sweet, nice and sweet is cool.

For me, aside from the woeful Night Terrors, the second half of series 6 has been fantastic.

[Tiplodocus]

I'm with Trout.

It didn't take me too long to realise (well, OK, about 3 seasons) that New Who was always going to use "LOVE" as a get out of jail free card and if I was going to enjoy the show, I had to roll with it.

And it is a cool and sweet conceit to have it that love can tear holes through time and space and fix the universe.  And it's in the tradition of many SF stories from many mediums where "humanity" is unique.

So yeah, it was well received in teh Tips Household. 

And for every bit they fluffed (Cybermen looked too comical/not scary) they had some cleverness to offset it e.g. Stormageddon, robot dogs, the Doctor EXPLICITLY selling toys to kids (this especially good after the "keep kids scared" of a few weeks back) and James Corden did well again.

Was that Linda Barron as the shop assistant who misread the relationship?

[Goaty]

Was that Linda Barron as the shop assistant who misread the relationship?

Lynda Baron of Open All Hours

[Leigh S]

Well, I thought we had it difficult as parents nowadays, with designer gear and i-phones the only way to ensure the love and respect of our offspring - now it seems even that isnt enough.

Todays child will accept nothing more than the reversal of physical / mechanical augmentation by an alien race purely through your will to see/hear them screaming for more much deserved attention.

We can all draw our own conclusions about the security guard, staff and shoppers, who clearly really didnt care that much for their families - being turned into Cybermen is only poetic justice, the heartless bastards.

[Tiplodocus]

Yeah, the conclusion I drew was that unlike Craig, they were all unconscious. And they were being turned into Cyberdrones and not a Cyberleader.

[The Big Man]

i first discovered the joy of black pudding in 1989 at blackbrn royal infirmary good on a toast butty

I 've always hated black pudding, though!

English black pudding is a wee bit on the minging side. I had some Bury Black Pudding a couple of years ago and it made me ill. The Scottish variety is far superior and tastes better, especially the Stornoway stuff.

Btw, is Brendan1's surname De Torquemada by any chance ?

[mogzilla]

i first discovered the joy of black pudding in 1989 at blackbrn royal infirmary good on a toast butty

Wow!  That's the hospital that saved my life when I was a kid - although it's just recently been demolished to make way for a load of flats.  (I still live in the town.)  I hope the new tenants are haunted by ghosts, spectral cancers and phantom limbs...

I 've always hated black pudding, though!

i hear the main hospital is at the queens park site? i used to live in the nurses homehappy days in the observatory pub ! i'm in blackburn for an appointment friday morning might have to go for a pint see if thwaites is still as yummy.

[Colin YNWA]

Hey now come on fellas.

We know that often threads about Doctor Who can become derailed and drift off into bitter battles about the quality of the various incarnations of the show, to the extent that they can become off putting and i might drift from them. When the threads start slagging off the might black pudding however I think its time however to make a stand.

Black pudding is a wonderful delight and when combined with the mighty fried egg its hard to be bettered. That's either nublack pudding or classic, RTD black pudding or the more complex (ahem) Moffet pudding.

Oh and they have other uses too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuP1eycaA6c