Christmas 2008 has been consigned to the history books and with it the festive fortnight of strange and delightful television schedules have concluded. I have to confess that I didn’t watch a great deal of the stuff over the last two weeks but now, as the bumper edition of the Radio Times heads off to the nearest recycling plant, I feel it is time to look back at my personal choices of shows that were blessed by the highlighter pen here at Chez Fazzinchi.  Not that  there were too many but here are the few bits and pieces that I sat down to enjoy with varying degrees of success.

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Tags: 39-Steps, Blackadder, Christmas, Doctor Who, Gavin-and-Stacey, Radio-Times, Survivors, Wallace-and-Gromitt

The 11th Doctor… who’d have thunk it?

Well, now we know. Doctor Who Confidential as promised has revealed the new Doctor, and he is Matt Smith. I could have written out a list of 100 names that I would have liked to have seen and he would not have been on it. Not because I think it is a bad decision but just because I can only recall seeing him in the Ruby in the Smoke before.  It is great that they have chosen someone from way out of left field and he did nothing but impress during the introduction show. Let the debate commence. Too young? Too old? Too quirky? Too hairy? Too much like David Tennant? Not enough like David Tennant? You decide.

Tags: 11th Doctor, Casting, David Tennant, Doctor Who, eleventh, Matt Smith, Replacement

So, resolutions. The curse of the blogger. They’ve caught me out before on occasions when I’ve previously pledged to either “write here every day”, or “review this or that”, or even “redesign the site”. However, this year the object of these public promises is to set myself some achievable online goals. (I have personal resolutions in addition to these that I won’t bore you with here, ‘cos I seriously doubt that you want to know how much exercise I am planning on doing). So, here goes for ‘09…

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Tags: 2009, blog, New-Year, resolution

Who Am I?

Exciting news posted on BBC website…. the Eleventh Doctor will be unveiled on a special episode of Doctor Who Confidential tomorrow (Saturday 3rd Jan) at 5:35pm. How the news will be kept secret until broadcast is beyond me but I hope they pull it off. Other news providers (here, for example) are reporting on it, as are a million blogs like this one and even TV trails on the Beeb. Expect Doctor Who Online to go into meltdown.

Tags: David Tennant, Doctor_Who_Confidential, Eleventh_Doctor, RTD, Steven-Moffat

Guess What Happens Next (Photo credit: miuenski Reproduced under Creative Commons license)

2008 was the year that this blog descended into disrepair and neglect. However, 2009, I hope, will see something of its resurrection. Many other things of much more significance also occurred during the past 12 months and I should, like many others attempt my personal review of these. Also, as is tradition at this time, it is probably worthwhile to make a few resolutions for what I want to achieve. These will be posted soon. For now, though, let me simply wish anyone who happens to stumble across this blog of mine, a simple… Happy New Year and a Magnificent 2009.

Tags: 2009, Happy New Year

Doctor Who: The Next Doctor - What are you smiling about?

Normally I watch Doctor Who episodes at least twice. The first time is upon original transmission and I sit with wide-eyed pleasure and soak up every drop of new Whoishness that is played out before me. Despite the fact that I know that I will soon be watching it again with an aim of dissecting it, quoting it, arguing about it, analysing it and generally being far too critical, that first viewing is almost always the best before these corrupting influences of fandom begin to taint and smear the experience.

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Tags: Cybermen, David Tennant, David-Morrisey, Dervla Kirwin, Next Doctor, Russell-T-Davies