Rita’s favorite desert growing up was Pudim which is the Brazilian version of a custard flan. I reviewed a couple of recipes on-line and gave it a try.
Make caramel by cooking sugar with a little bit of water
be careful it will burn easily
Pour caramel into a bunt pan and coat the sides
Prepare the custard filling
Pour into bunt pan on top of caramel and bake in a water bath
Turn upside down after cooling for several hours in the refrigerator
Nice custard flavor with a sweet caramel topping. 9 out of 10
Stingray…Stand By For Action is a comic compilation published in 1992. The compilation contains four strips; “The Monster Jellyfish” , “Stingray in Action” , “Curse of the Crustavons” and “Atalanta Kidnap Affair.” Gerry Anderson’s super-marionette series has a tenuous connection to Doctor Who through the Second Doctor novel The Indestructible Man which has a crossover with those characters.
The four strips are faithful to the series with a similar dynamic and youth focus. The artwork was simple and straightforward typical of what was found in youth comics of the time. 7 out of 10.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
Silver Nemesis was the episode meant to be the 25th anniversary of the program. Lady Peinforte from 1638, her servant Richard Maynard, Cybermen and Windsor Castle in 1988 all come together to make a mess of a story. We do get a hint at The Doctor’s mysterious past and the Cartmel Master Plan which is the one redeeming aspect of the story. 6.5 out of 10.
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy sees The Doctor and Ace wind up on a circus planet where they meet the wackiest group of characters ever. The explorer Captain Cook and his werewolf assistant Mags help The Doctor as he confronts a trio of “elder gods.” Mags proves to be a durable character and Jessica Martin reprises her role in a trio of Big Finish audio plays. 7 out of 10.
Battlefield sees the welcome return of Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Jean Marsh also makes a return to the program as the evil Morgaine. There is a lot of lore in this episode which I very much enjoyed. The red-haired future incarnation of The Doctor (Muldwych?) who will become Merlin and his mysterious past on Gallifrey are great little tidbits to be expanded on in the extended media. 8 out of 10.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
The Leisure Hive is the first story in season 18, Tom Baker‘s last series as The Doctor and John Nathan-Turner‘s first as producer. We see here Tom’s new costume with the burgundy coat and scarf. The Doctor and Romana finally make their way to Brighton Beach for a holiday but the English weather and K-9 getting wet and exploding make them decide to go to the resort planet Argolis instead. The Foamasi are a well realized monster and the radioactive planet of Argolis make a fine backdrop. 7 out of 10.
Meglos sees The Doctor turn into a cactus monster! We also see the return of Jacqueline Hill to the program playing Lexa the leader of the Deons, the religious Tigellans who worshipped Ti. It was jarring seeing Jacqueline in another role after her iconic role of Barbara Wright. It is unfortunate that the actress did not reprise her role in some way. 7 out of 10.
Full Circle sees the introduction of Adric to the cast. Going against the opinion of most fandom I quite like Adric as a companion. Unlike many cardboard cutout companions Adric had his faults and personality right from the beginning. The complicated biology of Alzarius with its swamp creatures, spiders and humanoids are an interesting backdrop to the story. Teenager Andrew Smith makes a fine debut as scriptwriter. 8 out of 10.
Doctor Who The Complete History was a series of hardback volumes which came out every two weeks and covered 3-4 stories each. These were in-depth volumes covering the production of each episode from the first in 1963 to the end of the Peter Capaldi era of the show. In addition to the extensive production notes there were also merchandise and publicity updates and actor profiles. The quality of each volume was exceptional overseen by several different editors. The volumes were only available in the UK and Ireland so were difficult to obtain in other locations. I am more of a Watsonian fan but if you are a Doyalist you will greatly appreciate these books. Even so I give the entire series a solid 8 out of 10. I will rate each episode covered below.
With 17 + incarnations of the Doctor through all media the Sixth Doctor is my favorite. I will admit that this opinion is based on the extended media more so than the TV show. Colin Baker is a great actor which really comes to the front in audio adventures like “The Marian Conspiracy“, “The Holy Terror” and “Jubilee.” The Twin Dilemma is the Sixth Doctor’s debut story on TV and was the last story broadcasted in season 21. The story has a bad reputation in the fandom but is grossly under-rated in my opinion. It is not a great story and following the best Doctor Who story ever The Caves of Androzani doesn’t help but is an acceptable introduction to the persona of this incarnation. It is a disservice to have the only appearance of The Sixth Doctor for months be while he is in a regenerative crisis. I truly wish the ridiculous costume was replaced with what Colin wanted a simple black jacket. 7 out of 10.
Vengeance on Varos is a highly regarded story many consider the best of the Sixth Doctor era. This critique of modern TV culture also sees the introduction of the evil Sil from Thoros-Beta. The slug like creature and the great performance by Nabil Shaban bringing him to life make for a truly memorable opponent 9 out of 10.
