Doctor Who: Series 7 - The Angels Take Manhattan

So there it was. The end of the Ponds, and it was sad and tense.

 The Weeping Angels, who have become kind of the main enemy of Amy and Rory's time, return and they are used as the device in order to make sure the Ponds won't return and they fitted well into the New York setting. Also there is this suggestion of passing time in Amy and Rory's storyline and the ideas of witnessing or reading your own future that makes it set in stone, which I thought were interesting ideas.

From the start there was anticipation of the how Amy and Rory's fate would play out and when the idea of them both sacrificing themselves came around I was surprised and hoped it wouldn't be the end. Then when the end came it felt heartbreaking and sad, which were further amplified by the main cast's performances. I'm also left with mixed feelings as its good that Amy and Rory remain together but at the same time its sad because they can't live out the lives they should have had in their normal time. The use of the timey-wimey aspect also helps to create a mystery around what would happen throughout the episode and this kept me guessing on how it would end.

Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill give some of their best performances as they tackle the end of their characters. Matt Smith also gives a great performance especially in the last scene, and we can clearly see the chemistry between the three actors. Furthermore, we couldn't have the end of the Ponds without River Song and Alex Kingston gives her all in bringing the humour of the episode to the fore. Also have to give credit to Murray Gold's score that gave some great gravitas to the episode.

Mrs Biggs

This is a dramatisation of Charmian Powell's love affair and marriage to the famous train robber Ronnie Biggs.

Starring Sheridan Smith (Charmian) and Daniel Mays (Ronnie), it's a very interesting portrayal focusing on Charmian's life. In this way, it makes it feel that it's more about the characters behind Ronnie Biggs instead of focusing on his crimes. Also its interesting to see how Charmian is led into Ronnie's criminal antics and how much she grows as a character which helps me to believe in the passage of time that takes place and the strength of their relationship..

Obviously the drama tackled the train robbery and does it in a way where the perspectives of Charmian, whose blissfully unaware, and Ronnie, whose every much a small part of the operation, are juxtaposed cleverly. I think this along with Charmian's horrified and then protective response, made it very easy to understand her reaction and how she struggles to hide the truth. I found that showing all the things she did including helping in the plan for Ronnie's prison escape and then their life on the run abroad, made it very easy for me to understand and warm towards her.

Smith gave a superb performance, with Mays also giving a good portrayal, allowing me to be able to see how much they have worked on their character's relationship and chemistry. I get a great sense that Charmian and Ronnie did love each other, but maybe Charmian more, and how much it affected Charmian because of being cut off from her family and facing life as a single mother and under the supervision of the criminal associates of Bruce Reynolds. Within this situation I felt a lot of sympathy for Charmian as she faced the horror of having an illegal abortion as a result of an affair. Furthermore, I felt that the death of their eldest children Nicholas due to a car crash was approached and done in a very sympathetic and powerful way, making me see how and why their relationship crumbles. Smith was very powerful in these scenes and gave a heartbreaking performance.

I very good and fascinating drama-documentary.

Parade's End

This is a period drama based on the set of novels by Ford Madox Ford, centred around the unlikely marriage of Christopher Tietjans and Sylvia Satterthwaite over a period of time including the First World War and his love of suffragette Valentine Wannop.

Benedict Cumberbatch does a great performance as the nice and dutiful Christopher, while Rebecca Hall makes me sympathise with the flirtous Sylvia who has had affairs. This is because Hall gives a layered performance of Sylvia showing a vulnerability and need for Christopher to love and fight for her. Tom Stoppard's script works well to use the Edwardian language effectively to allow me to follow the story without being confused by the pomp and ceremony of it. Cumberbatch also shines in his role and especially in the wartime scenes. He clearly shows the struggles that Christopher goes through to try and not have an affair with Valentine. Adelaide Clemens also does a good portrayal as the strong and political Valentine, who very much represents the changing of attitudes.

I like how the drama examines and shows the harshness of the climate of the time including the suffragettes and the First World War, but also the strictness of the social etiquette. This especially seen when Christopher and Sylvia have to publicly reunite after she ran off to France with another man and this social pressure is very much represented by the character of Sylvia's mother.

It's also interesting how the drama also examines societal attitudes towards the war and the dividing attitudes of Christopher and Sylvia. This comes mainly in the fourth episode where Sylvia travels to France to see Christopher and shows how their relationship has done a great deal of damage to Christopher's life. The ending of the series feels quite fitting and I think overall it's been well written and performed.

Leaving

This is an intriguing drama about an affair between a 44 year old married deputy manager, Julie and unemployed 25 year old Aaron.

Following the typical set up we see Julie, whose marriage has lost its spark and seeks for fun and to be young again, fall for Aaron in what I found felt like a natural progression and not at all sordid. It's also very interesting how the relationship develops and how in the final episode the consequences made me feel great sympathy for mainly Julie as she can't walk away from her family as easily as she thought. Also the use of Aaron's parents as an unhappy couple in which you would expect this situation would arise showed that the situation isn't just black and white.

I found it interesting how they had the contrasting sub-plot of Julie's husband Michael engaging in a harmless flirtatous that resulted in him being suspended and later convicted of threatening behaviour but you can see that this situation was blown out of proportion. I found myself routing for both couples, which is very interesting to try and work out how I want it to end, but I was quite surprised by Michael's violent reaction to finding out about the affair which I'm not sure was necesary.

The final scenes gave me mixed feelings as I wanted both Julie's relationships to work and we're left unsure as to what her future will be. Meanwhile, I thought Helen McCrory did a great job as Julie especially in the last episode. Callum Turner also gave a good performance as Aaron and his chemistry with McCrory worked well to communicate the character's developing relationship.

Inspector George Gently - Series 5

This was a great series, set in 1968 and among an atmosphere of change, and feels very different to other detective dramas.

Focusing on Inspector George Gently, played by Martin Shaw, and Sergeant John Bacchus, played by Lee Ingleby, the two characters work well together and even though Gently might be seen as a dinosaur, he is instead quite progressive and helps to mentor Bacchus. The mysteries in this series were very thought through and kept me guessing, especially in the third episodes where a baby was snatched.

Each episode, 4 in total, worked very well as individual stories, but they also had underlying elements of questions about social change and society. For instance, the first had suggestions of attitudes towards immigrants and racism, the second looked at the association of different classes and the third explored gender roles and perceptions on women. Meanwhile, the fourth had thoughts on corruption in the police force and within society. These elements are used effectively as they were hidden by the murder mysteries that acted as the stories foundations.

The series finale was a very dramatic and tense thriller. It saw Gently being accused of corruption and framed for two murders and story worked well to show the level of corruption that is easily manipulated against a clean officer. Also I was surprised by the dramatic final scenes where, as well as most of the guest cast being killed, the fates of Gently and Bacchus are left in the balance after both being shot in a showdown with the remaining criminal in a cathedral. I also think that Shaw and Ingleby gave great performances throughout the series but especially in these scenes.

Doctor Who: Series 7 - The Power Of Three

This was a great episode and found it was a good bit of fun before the finale.

I really liked the ideas of the Doctor having to live time and the domesticity of it. I thought it was interesting that it explored how a companion would cope with real life and life with the Doctor colliding and one living out the other. I think that sometimes we can forget that the companion has a real life and age while their in the TARDIS and looking at this through Amy and Rory's developing life on Earth was very good.

One thing I really liked was that the character of Kate Stewart was the daughter of established character Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. This was a lovely and appropriate thing to do as it gave another nod to the Brigadier and the actor that portrayed him, Nicholas Courtney who died in 2011, and having her heading up UNIT and it being more scientifically led, showed a great respect for the classic series.

The idea of the cubes and how their mystic and initial lack of action was able to place people under a false sense of security. I wasn't quite sure about how Brian Williams could have stayed in the TARDIS for four days just watched a cube and why didn't anyone else notice that. Anyway, this episode felt like it was more about the Doctor, Amy and Rory and I think it's probably an interesting set up towards the finale episode.

The Bletchley Circle

This three part series centres around 4 women who were code breakers in WW2 and now have returned to a normal life, but when one of them, Susan Gray, spots a pattern in a set of murders, the women come together again to solve the mystery.

I found this was an intriguing and interesting mystery drama because of the complexity of the storyline and the strong assets of all the women which are clearly shown. Also interweaving the women's domestic lives into the story also helped to create a steady pace and show the character's motivations. Also I think the reason why it works is that if these were just ordinary housewives deciding to investigate the murder, the audience might ask why, but the characters Susan, Millie, Lucy and Jean miss their wartime experience and the fact they made a difference every day.

The later episode did a good job in building the tension as the story came to a climax and the way the serial killer's psychology was structured was very affective. Also with it being set in 1952 it had more validity to the danger and disbelief from the police that the characters have to face.

The main cast, including Anna Maxwell Martin, Julie Graham, Rachael Stirling and Sophie Rundle, all gave good performances. I also have to praise Martin for her strong performance in the final scenes of the last episode.

Downton Abbey: Series 3 - Episode 1

The third series opened with a great first episode, centring around the wedding of Matthew and Mary Crawley.

As with the usual format of the series, we join the members of Downton in 1920, two years after the end of the 2011 Christmas Special. This episode really works in introducing new characters, establishing new storylines for current characters and creating hints at the series overall story arc. I think the fact that I as an audience member join the characters, not just this episode but since its first episode, at times of climax in there characters' development and making me feel that the time jumps make the character's development seem more organic.

With starting this episode set in Spring 1920 and Lord Grantham facing financial ruin makes me think that the series is either leading to the Wall Street Crash or an event in the mid-1920s as the series usually climaxes at an historical event. What is also interesting is how this episode shows the conflict between tradition and change, which is very much symbolised by the characters of Tom Branson and Lord Grantham.

I thought all the cast give good performance and I really liked the duo of Dame Maggie Smith's character Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham and new character Martha Levinson, played by Shirley MacLaine, and thought that their performances bounced off each really well. I also think that having the episodes running at 90 minutes makes it feel like a short film and it kept my attention throughout.

Really looking forward to the rest of the series.

Doctor Who: Series 7 - A Town Called Mercy

Doctor Who does Wild West! I thought this was a good episode centring around a cyborg known as the Gunslinger whose hunting down the last of its creators in a wild west American town.

I thought it looked stylised with the great Spanish landscape acting as the desert of the wild west. The inclusion of well known western traits are also a good addition to a rather more darker story. I thought it was interesting by having a question about morality in war with the character of Kahler-Jex who could be seen as either a war hero or criminal, and this is added to by Amy's support of him and her confrontation with the Doctor to stop him causing Jex's death.

One thing I wasn't sure of was how angry the Doctor seemed and how it felt like it was out of the blue, especially with him condoning a murder and threatening to use a gun, and then tell one of the townspeople that violence isn't the solution to violence. Although it could be seen as a kind of climax in the character as he had previously shown a lack of morality towards Solomon in the last episode. Also maybe more then 5 episodes would do at the moment because it kind of seems like we're rushing through to the end of the Ponds. But maybe this is Steven Moffatt's intention and this would be better seen in retrospect after the final episodes.

However, I like it overall and think that Toby Whithouse's script was good and witty. I thought Adrian Scarborough was great as Jex and Karen Gillan took her moment to shine, which was played well against Matt Smith's strong performance.

The Scapegoat

This was a one-off drama, centring around John Standing, played by Matthew Rhys, who meets his body double, Johnny Spence, also played by Rhys, and is forced into taking on Johnny's life leading to fatal consequences.

The concept is interesting and it did make me wonder what I would do in the situation, although the likelihood of it happening is very rare and the only reason I could think why they were so identical was either they were twins separated at birth or just something else, but it was never clarified. This is because lookalikes are usually going to be a little bit different physically as well as in their personality. It's interesting to see the good effect that the nice character of John has on Johnny's disconnected family. And with this in mind, I felt that the way the story ended was justified.

I can understand the appeal that the new and rich lifestyle that probably movitated, the man with nothing, John's actions, but I wasn't sure about how easy it seemed for him to just fit into the family. Also he didn't seem to give a thought to Johnny and where he was or when he would turn up again. Maybe this would have been helped if it had been a few episodes instead of a feature-length one.

I think that Matthew Rhys gave a good performance by displaying the clear differences between the two men and even though Andrew Scott's and Sheridan Smith's characters, Paul and Nina Spence, were more on the back seat they still made a good impact.

The Thick Of It: Series 4 - Episode 1

This was a great return for this series, now dealing with the atmosphere of the coalition government.

The episode's situation was very plausible and I thought the script sounded great. The political language isn't forced upon you but used as a good comical element. I also think that having bits of improvisation involved helps to create a more natural and believable realism. This is also helped by the fly-on-the-wall style of the series and can provide a human perspective to the political figures that may be sometimes seen by the public as monsters.

I thought all the cast were good, but especially Roger Allam as Peter Mannion. His scene in the school was really good and I could feel the character's pain. I also think that keeping back the main characters of Malcolm Tucker, Nicola Murray and Ollie Reeder until the second episode allowed for me to get to know the other characters and I'm left wondering where they are.

This was a great opener and I'm looking forward to the rest of series.

Doctor Who: Series 7 - Dinosaurs On A Spaceship

This was a great episode! It was a load of fun, with great characters, impressive dinosaurs and a wealth of a guest cast.

The guests included David Bradley, Rupert Graves, Riann Steele, David Mitchell and Robert Webb, who were all great. But I have to give most credit to Mark Williams as Rory's father Brian Williams, who I thought did a great job at showing Brian's relationship with Rory and I could tell that Mark and Arthur Darvill worked well together. Also I really liked the robot duo voiced by Mitchell and Webb and helped to supply a lot of the comedy as they would do. Graves and Steele were also very good as John Riddell and Queen Nefertiti, as they showed their developing and flirtatious relationship throughout the episode. I also like when Doctor Who takes people from history, such as Queen Nefertiti, who just seemed to vanish from the records and makes the Doctor the reason for their disappearance.

I liked the look of the dinosaurs and thought their place on the spaceship was well explained. I also thought that Bradley's portrayal of evil character Solomon allowed me to not fell sorry for his demise but to instead feel sympathy for the Doctor's enemies the Silurians as they were killed by Solomon and the robots, which happpened before the narrative of the episode started.

I think that the fact that this episode was such fun was important because of the echoes of the Pond's end that are appearing and it looks like a time gap between each episode in terms of Amy and Rory meeting the Doctor again is becoming part of these episodes.

A Touch Of Cloth

I love this! As a big fan of murder mysteries and crime dramas, this spoof, starring John Hannah as DCI Jack Cloth and Suranne Jones as DC Anne Oldman, had all of the elements of this type of shows and made them so obvious it was hilarious.

So much of it I really liked including the many puns that come out attached to names of Cloth and Oldman, the over-detailing of the murder victims, the amounts of police tape at one murder scene, the amount of blood and close up shots of the crime scenes used, and so much more.

One thing I really liked was the way the characters would say their stage directions at the end of a scene, the police on the radio mentioned the shots and the knowledge of the cutting of scenes. There was also a cardboard policeman seen as a character, which was good. The mystery of the murders was not intensely pressed upon me and I found that helped to find the spoof aspects around the victims, their relatives and the case quite funny.

I think some people who are big fans of the crime genre might have been worried about it not working, but this was so trying to a be spoof that it was so funny and it was good when I was able to identify the traits of the crime genre as they appeared throughout the stories. It had the typical character traits of Cloth being haunted by the ghost of his dead wife and Oldman's relationship collapsing due to her being at the office all hours.  I thought Hannah and Jones did a great job and their performances bounced off each other really well.

This was a great programme that gave a new light to crime drams and worked well to create a strong spoof.

Also apparently this was the first in the trilogy which I'm really looking forward to seeing.

Thirteen Steps Down

This was a thrilling watch.

Based on the novel, of the same name, by Ruth Rendell, and focuses on the dangerous obsessions of Mix Cellini on the real-life serial killer John Christie and fictional model Nerissa Nash, that leads to murder.

Portrayed by Luke Treadaway, I think Mix is not meant to be likable character but instead I hoped that the other characters aren't caught in the crossfire. I think Treadaway gave a good performance showing the deterioration of Mix's mental state and effectively displayed the split personality that Mix appeared to have.

It was very much a psychological thriller, will Mix's delusions being the central focal point. It was interesting to see how Mix's reacted to events that take place and how he fulls believes in him having a relationship with Nerissa, which is reinforced by Treadaway's strong performance. I also have give praise to Elarica Gallacher as Nash and Geraldine James as Mix's elderly landlady Gwendolen.

One thing I wasn't sure about was how the relationship of Mix and Gwendolen came to be and how coincidental it was for her to have had meet Christie, unless Mix had known this.

Anyway, I thought this was a tense and interesting drama that kept me guessing how it would climax.

A Mother's Son

This was a two-part drama telling the story of a mother faced with suspecting that her son or stepson murdered a local girl after finding a blood stained pair of trainers.

Starring Hermione Norris as the mother, Rosie, who has to tackle the moralistic question of whether to report her son Jamie or stepson Robert to the police. I really like how the drama tells it from a very domestic point of view. For instance, at the start Rosie's family can be seen as typical modern family of remarried parents, stepchildren and the issues that come with them. Its this domestic view that helps me to feel connected to the situation and foresee the later collapse of the family.

Jamie's suspicious behaviour soon makes him the prime suspect and makes the audience feel suspicious and allowed me to emphasis with Rosie's situation. I also thought that the performance by Paul McGann as Jamie's father David and Martin Clunes as Rosie's husband Ben were good, but I thought that Alexander Arnold did a great job as Jamie especially in his final scenes that made me feel sorry for him instead of the usual disgust that an audience member is usually made to feel about a murderer.

I liked how that the drama had some focus on the grieving mother Kay Mullary, played by Annabelle Apsion, and the murder investigation run by DC Sue Upton, played by Nicola Walker. This showed three different perspectives of domesticity.

This was an intriguing drama, that kept wanting to know more.

Accused: Series 2 Episode 4 - Tina's Story

This was a very insightful episode, displaying the failings of the prison system and its environment that leads to some horrible situations.

Focusing on the perspective of prison guard Tina Dakin, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, I felt that it clearly showed the failures including the prison being short staffed, lack of contact between prisons over information on prisoners and the dealing of relatives in current situations, and it made me believe how easily it was for the tragic events that happened to take place. The story also had a strand of narrative from the previous episode, where the inmate that Tina brings in at the start is Stephen Cartwright. Although you may think that this would detract from Tina's story, I thought it actually added to it for her and the audience because we could clearly see problems that led to his death and how Tina's lies in the face of a grieving parent could easily happen.

I think Maxwell Martin did an excellent job, especially during the rape scene, which I found was done in a very sophisticated way as it showed Tina being attacked by an inmate, but there was no cut away and instead a full scene where it appeared to be quick and Tina left but you could see in Tina's face that it would have felt like a never ending nightmare. This event probably arranged by her colleague Frank after she planned to reveal his negligence that led to Stephen's death, made me feel that her action at the end of the episode, which resulted in her being in court for aiding an offender, was understandable and justified.

I also thought John Bishop gave another good performance as Stephen's grieving father Peter, who was appalled by the treatment of his son and the prison guards' lack of knowledge of his mental state and background. I think this helped to reinforce the disgust I felt that this sort of situation could be allowed to happen.

This is was powerful and well made episode, just like the rest of the series. Well done to Jimmy McGovern, the other writers and the cast for a great series.

The Last Weekend

This is a chilling 3-part series centred around the character of Ian played by Shaun Evans, whose friendship with Ollie is very competitive and toxic, and hits breaking point at the latest annual weekend get together where they both compete in a triathlon.

The story is told in the past tense, with Ian narrating to the audience and retelling the seemingly tragic events of the last weekend. The show keeps the tension as Ian's state of mind deteriorates and his obvious obsession with Ollie's wife Daisy grows, while being married to Em, which leads to him raping her. This made me question and judge Ian in his role as a narrative, especially as Ian's falseness changes the role of the narrator as usually the audience trust a narrator as they are the one that provides us with the story. Also Evans gives a good performance as a man who is completely driven by his obsession and sees that there is nothing wrong with him, when he is clearly very ill.

Rupert Penry-Jones is great as Ollie, who as a sub-plot is suffering from an inoperable brain tumour which he apparently hasn't told his family about but these facts turn out not to be whole truth and has a very dark perception on his fate. Ian's manipulation of Ollie in believing that Daisy is having an affair with her colleague Milo leads to a devastating conclusion that is done in a very tense way.

I thought that it worked as a 3 episode story arc as the tension and pace was good and fluid. Although the ending was quite abrupt but maybe that was to shock the audience.

The Midwives

This is a series documenting the work of midwives mainly based at St Mary's Hospital in Manchester.

Episode 1 and the series in total have been an eye-opening watch, not just because of the detail of the labour that is shown including the delivery of the baby's head but because of the strength and mentality that a midwife has to have in order to be able to cope in sometimes the most horrible circumstances.

In Episode 2 the show displayed the difficulties that training midwives face, while also showing how unexpected a labour can be because of the many complications that can happen.

Episode 3 saw the contrast between rich and poor expectant mothers who live in Wirral, which is separated into a rich and poor distract by a river. The amount of contrasts are obviously very high including the birth plan, their homes and their lifestyles, but at heart of it is the birth of new life and it is amazing to see these really tiny babies being hugged by the new parents.

Episode 4 further explored the high risks of pregnancy and labour as it focused on the specialist midwives who deal with situations that could endanger both mum and baby, and also the expectant mothers who have experienced the tragedy of several miscarriages.

Episode 5 relocates to the maternity ward at Wirral's Women & Children Hospital, looking at the work midwives have to do in order to support anxious mothers and parents who can't be at home before or straight after the birth. It shows how the parents or mothers are supported in trying to get use to looking after the baby. It shows the difficulty of pleasing all the mothers and making sure that the parents feel confident to take their baby home and feel able to look after it.

In contrast, Episode 6, the final one, focused on the work of the community midwives who look after the parents for about 10 ten days once they return home and those having home births. This episode displayed the responsibility the midwives face in making sure they give the right advice and support, while making sure both baby and parents are safe. This was seen when midwife Di had difficulty in tracing down a mother who had only given birth the day before, but is soon found. The support is especially important in cases of postnatal depression, which the midwives experience a lot.

This series showed the importance of the midwives and their work in supporting the expectant mothers and looking after the babies especially when complications occur. It must be such a rewarding job to have, but also a hard one which the show portrays.

Waterloo Road: Series 8 - Episode 1

Series 9 opens with the school of Waterloo Road, some of its student and teachers transferred to a new site in Scotland.

Furthermore, the school's design is different but similar to the old one which I think helps the transfer for the audience, while it can be seen that the dynamics of the school now being independently run instead of the its state status in earlier series and how this will conflict with the local state school, will be explored.

As the opener to the series we can see the first storylines of the series developing including the students dealing with the aftermath of the bus crash of the last series in which a character, Denzil Kelly, was killed. Other storylines include female bullying, Tariq Siddiqui dealing of being paralysed due to the crash and the dealing of alcoholism of a mother and her son's battle with her.

The first episode was mainly set around runaways Jade Fleming and Drew Kelly (no relation to Denzil). Drew, who is hiding out with Jade from the police, tries to control Jade as she tries to regain a life by attending the school, but their true identities are found out and Drew's mental state flatters leading him to realise what he's done and turn himself in. This story showed that the show is still the show it's always been and dealt with the hardship of being a homeless runaway who wishes they were back to a proper life.

It was a strong opening, displaying a fresh start for the series with lots of new characters and more guest stars to come.

Doctor Who: Series 7 - Asylum Of The Daleks

This was a great opener to the 7th series and the fall of the Ponds. I liked the passage of time in Amy & Rory's relationship and how real life had caused a great blow to it.

And one major thing to say is the Daleks getting scarier! I am a big fan of the Daleks, especially the bronze ones which I was really glad to see were the main ones featured. But it also had a good nod to the series, especially with the 50th anniversary next year, by having the different incarnations of the Daleks from across the years. Also, for the first time saying that the redesigns were apart of the Dalek's narrative and their own recognition of that. I also loved the massive Dalek building on Skaro used at the start. I think showing the Dalek mutant again in the form of the Dalek Prime Minister and having the mass of Daleks in the asylum appearing to be dead but then awakening and slowly exclaiming 'EXT...TER...MIN...ATE!' helps to re-establish the Daleks as a scary monster.

From the start of the episode it felt tense and mysterious and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series and how the fate of the Ponds will play out.

Now out of respect for Steven Moffat I will say that if you haven't seen the episode, then don't read below as a major spoiler is there.

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It was such a surprise to see Jenna-Louise Coleman having a guest star in this episode before she starts as the new companion. Whether this new companion will be similar to the character of Oswin Oswald that Coleman plays, we will have to see, but I thought she did a great job. I like that the main interaction was between her and the Doctor, thereby separating the paths of the Ponds from Coleman's future involvement in the series. And when Oswin's real fate is revealed it's heartbreaking, showing the strength of a human being despite being turned into a Dalek. But I suppose if it is going to be a completely new character that Coleman will play then I suppose like Karen Gillan's Soothsayer character in The Fires Of Pompeii, Oswin had to be in position where she couldn't return.

Accused: Series 2 Episode 3 - Stephen's Story

This was a very interesting episode, exploring the destructiveness of grief, especially when the issues of terminal illness and moving on are explored.

Focusing on 17 year old Stephen Cartwright, portrayed by Robert Sheehan, whose mother is terminal ill and later dies. His grief starts to cause his mental state to fall apart, especially when his father, Peter played by John Bishop, starts a relationship soon after his wife's death with the nurse who looked after her. The story is very good at the displaying the deterioration of Stephen's health as he believes the nurse, Charlotte played by Sheridan Smith, is poisoning him and his family.

His paranoia tragically leads him to push away his family, friends and then stab Charlotte, landing him in court for attempted murder. One interesting thing is Stephen's denial of his mental state which is probably quite realistic and the twist at the very end of the episode might support this. I also hope that this will be picked up in the next episode as the final episode will feature Stephen as he goes to the juvenile detention centre and supported by the prison guard Tina, who the episode will centre around.

I think the performances by Sheehan, Bishop and Smith were superb, displaying the different viewpoints of the situation and I think the script works well to deal with the issue of mental illness in a very understanding way.

New Tricks: Series 9 - Episode 1

This opening episodes to the 9th series of the show saw a certain change take place.

And this was the departure of one of it's main characters Jack Halford, played by James Bolam. He was one of the major characters to have been apart of the series since its start in 2003 and so it came as a surprise, as to the other characters, that the Jack would be retiring. I think the show did a very good job of dealing with it by having the team basically contained to the unit offices as they had to investigate an 160 year old forced upon by a Whitehall official, Stephen Fisher. Having this plot allowed for the show to not overload the audience with the fact of Jack leaving, but to slowly prepare the viewer for the end of the episode, whilst displaying the characteristics of Jack that the audience know well.

This especially came forth in his final scene, revealing the real reason for his departure and it's done in such a dignified and Jack-like way, and with only one of his colleagues, Brian Lane, knowing the truth, we know that it will have some lasting effect on the rest of the series.

I think this was a strong opening, especially with the team solving the complicated case in their unique style, while trying to fight the political hound of Fisher and getting use to Jack's sudden resignation.

Really looking forward to the rest of the series.