The Witcher 4 demo at State of Unreal

CD Projekt Red showed a stunning tech demo at Unreal Fest Orlando 2025 of The Witcher 4 running on a base PlayStation 5 (PS5) with ray tracing enabled.



Read the official synopsis:

"This demo provides a glimpse at a number of 5.6’s powerful new open world features in action—all running on PlayStation 5 at 60 fps with raytracing—including the new, faster way to load open worlds via the Fast Geometry Streaming Plugin.

We get a peek at the power of 5.6 for handling busy scenes full of high-fidelity characters and visual effects like Chaos Cloth and an early look at Nanite Foliage, which provides a fast and memory-efficient way to achieve gorgeous foliage density and fidelity, slated for release in UE 5.7."

Remember that this isn’t gameplay of The Witcher 4 itself, but a deep dive into the technological groundwork.

Speaking on The Witcher 4 Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, Joint-CEO of CD Projekt Red, Michał Nowakowski, stated:

“We started our partnership with Epic Games to push open-world game technology forward. To show this early look at the work we’ve been doing using Unreal Engine running at 60 FPS on PlayStation 5, is a significant milestone — and a testament of the great cooperation between our teams. But we’re far from finished. I look forward to seeing more advancements and inspiring technology from this partnership as development of The Witcher 4 on Unreal Engine 5 continues.”

I vividly remember playing Unreal Tournament on my iMac DV SE in 2000. The Unreal Engine has evolved, and The Witcher 4 promises truly next-gen fidelity.

Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO of Epic Games, said:

“CD Projekt Red is one of the industry’s best open-world game studios, and we’re grateful that they’re working with us to push Unreal Engine forward with The Witcher 4. They are the perfect partner to help us develop new world-building features that we can share with all Unreal Engine developers.”

Sony's $250 million investment in Epic Games is paying dividends, and I can't wait to play The Witcher 4 on PS5.

Have you watched The Witcher 4 tech demo? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

CBSO Star Wars Trilogy Weekender

The force will be strong in Birmingham this October, as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) teams up with esk to present the Star Wars Trilogy Weekender – a three-day orchestral spectacular that brings the galaxy’s most iconic saga to life.

Birmingham’s Symphony Hall will become the ultimate destination for film fans and music lovers between 24th to 26th October 2025. The CBSO will perform John Williams’ legendary, Oscar-winning score live, in synchronisation with the original Star Wars trilogy, screened in full cinematic glory. It’s a rare opportunity to experience these beloved films like never before – all in a single weekend at one of the UK’s most celebrated concert venues.

The weekend opens on Friday 24th October with Star Wars: A New Hope, followed by Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on Saturday 25th October, and concludes with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi on Sunday 26th October. Each performance will feature the full force of the CBSO, delivering the unforgettable score live in real time with the film.

Emma Stenning, Chief Executive at the CBSO said: “This is not just a concert – it’s a cinematic and musical pilgrimage. Whether you're a lifelong fan or introducing someone to the saga for the first time, this promises to be an unforgettable weekend of live music and big-screen magic.”

This event arrives at a time of growing national interest in orchestral film concerts. Symphony orchestras across the UK are using blockbuster scores to attract new audiences to classical music, with Arts Council England reporting a 17% increase in younger attendees. The Trilogy Weekender follows a string of sell-out Star Wars performances across the UK and coincides with heightened excitement around the next chapter of the Star Wars franchise.

Ticket packages are available, with 10% off when booking two concerts and 15% off when booking all three. Tickets range from £32 to £94.50 including fees, with tickets already selling fast.

The concerts are a part of the CBSO’s new 2025–26 season, which bridges classical tradition and contemporary culture. Other highlights include Best of Bond, Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush with live orchestra, and Symphonic Queen.

The Star Wars: Film Concert Series is produced under license by Disney Concerts in association with 20th Century Fox and Warner/Chappell Music. All rights reserved © Disney.

To book tickets or explore the full CBSO 2025–26 season, please visit www.cbso.co.uk.

Are you attending the CBSO Star Wars Trilogy Weekender? Let me know in the comments below.

The War Between The Land And The Sea first look

Ncuti Gatwa regenerated into Billie Piper in The Reality War, but the Whoniverse continues with a first look at The War Between The Land And The Sea, coming soon to BBC iPlayer and Disney+.



Read the official synopsis:

"When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT step into action as the land and sea wage war."

The five-part series stars Russell Tovey as Barclay and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, with Jemma Redgrave, Alexander Devrient, Ruth Madeley, Colin McFarlane, Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Francesca Corney, Mei Mac and Vincent Franklin. Additional guest stars who can be spotted in the trailer are Waleed Hammad, Iestyn Arwel, Hannah Donaldson, Manpreet Bachu and Ann Akinjirin.

Russell T Davies, Showrunner, Writer and Executive Producer says: “The excitement is beginning to build, as the Whoniverse expands. I can’t wait for people to see this magnificent cast in such a powerful, vital, epic story. Look to the seas!”

The upcoming Doctor Who spin-off series is darker in tone, like Torchwood and features a soundtrack composed by Lorne Balfe (His Dark Materials). This is great news, as I was hoping Balfe was going to work on seasons one and two of Doctor Who on Disney+!

Are you looking forward to The War Between The Land And The Sea? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: The Reality War

The second season of Doctor Who on Disney+ has been somewhat overshadowed by speculation surrounding the series’ future, a decades-spanning tabloid trope since the classic era.

Rumours of Disney stepping away from the deal, regeneration, series cancellation, or hiatus haven’t detracted from my enjoyment. And the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) are plastic fantastic as Barbie dolls. Don’t forget Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), Mattel!

Does The Reality War stick the landing, unlike Empire of Death, or is the Doctor’s fate sealed with a headache-inducing hot mess of Russell T Davies' making?

Alas, it's the latter as Davies indulgently uses the Disney intellectual property (IP) playbook like a child in a candy store. The special runs the gamut from Avengers: Endgame to Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. It was all too much.

We last saw the Doctor falling to his death in Wish World. He's rescued by Anita Benn (Stephanie de Whalley) from Joy to the World. Anita became an instant fan-favourite and possible future companion. Working at the Time Hotel and channelling the Time Variance Authority (TVA) from Loki, she's 6 months pregnant with the hotel manager's baby, and this ties into a theme of Time Lord reproduction or lack thereof, as revealed by the Rani (Archie Panjabi) as Poppy becomes the Doctor's surrogate child. A pivot too far, as Susan Foreman (Carol Ann Ford) is all but forgotten and Belinda is put in a box.

I couldn't keep track of all the twisted-up threads. Davies is at his best when using restraint, as seen in 73 Yards.

Ultimately, Omega was another classic villain to fall foul of Scooby Doo voodoo! Like Sutekh, he was a giant CGI monstrosity and a boring boss battle with zero stakes, dispatched using a reject prop from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Snacking on the Rani, he's more Rancor monster from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi than the vengeful creator of the Time Lords. What was far more interesting was the dynamic between the Doctor and his companions, Belinda and Ruby.

Here, the series shone brightest.

Whilst the bombastic battle at Avengers Tower, I mean UNIT HQ, was derivative and filled with far too many cameos, it was the mind games between Ruby and Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), her fake ex-boyfriend from Think Tank, that piqued my interest as giant skeletons attacked! Here was a former TARDIS companion with PTSD confronting her abuser.

Jodie Whittaker reprises the role of the Thirteenth Doctor on television for the first time since The Power of the Doctor. Her cameo, aboard the TARDIS, was a surprise, but a welcome one, subverting the expectation that David Tennant would return for the finale as the Fourteenth Doctor.

The chemistry between Gatwa and Whittaker sparkled, and I was a little misty-eyed. Davies has embraced former series showrunner Chris Chibnall's divisive Timeless Child with aplomb.

A time traveller for the TikTok generation.

As much as I’ve enjoyed this second season, I wanted to spend more time (pun intended) with the Fifteenth Doctor, Belinda and Ruby aboard the TARDIS. That’s good, even if it feels far too brief over two seasons. However, after an emotional goodbye with Belinda and Poppy (I teared up), Ruby was completely ignored back at UNIT HQ, the Fifteenth Doctor regenerates into Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) or is it?

Bad Wolf?

When the Disney+ partnership was announced in 2022, beginning with the 60th anniversary specials spearheaded by a returning series showrunner, I was excited about the future of my all-time favourite television series. Fast forward to 2025, and it’s trapped in an infinite loop of nostalgia.

The revival has come full circle from small beginnings in Rose. If the series is to continue in partnership with Disney+, it's time for a change and not a moment too soon.

Doctor Who is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Season two is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Have you watched The Reality War? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Millie Gibson teases return of Omega

Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday) teased the return of Omega in the Doctor Who season two finale, The Reality War, in an interview with the Radio Times: "He's terrifying… I think people are going to be really shocked."

Omega, a founder of the Time Lord society corrupted by anti-matter and his ego, first appeared in the 10th anniversary special The Three Doctors, which featured William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton reprising their roles as the First and Second Doctors alongside Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor. He was originally played by Stephen Thorne, and his disembodied voice is heard in Wish World. The dialogue was taken directly from a Big Finish audio drama, Gallifrey: Intervention Earth, recorded before Thorne died in 2019.

Gibson goes on to say: "I think Archie is just such a cool Rani – she kind of worships Omega. I think it's a really cool two-villain dynamic. The more the better! This is why it's the biggest battle for the Doctor – there are two of his biggest villains that he has to defeat."

New episodes of Doctor Who drop every Saturday on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Season two is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Omega's return in The Reality War? Who do you think should play him, Brian Blessed? Let me know in the comments below.

You shall not pass: Balrog Book Nook

LEGO has announced a Balrog Book Nook for fans (myself included) of The Lord of the Rings.

Created in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, the stunning LEGO build and display book nook consists of 1,201 pieces and gives a glimpse into Middle-earth. Bearing a plaque with the words ‘You Shall Not Pass’, the model depicts Gandalf’s epic showdown with the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm.

"Create a window into Middle-earth™ with the LEGO® Icons The Lord of the Rings: Balrog™ Book Nook (10367) bookshelf decor kit – a fun gift idea for book lovers and fans of the legendary movie trilogy. Slide the book nook between your favorite novels for a glimpse into J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world or open it to reveal a striking display depicting Gandalf's epic showdown with the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm."

Pre-order LEGO Icons Balrog Book Nook on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Will you be adding the Balrog Book Nook set to your collection? Which LEGO The Lord of the Rings sets would you like to see released in the future? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: Wish World

We're in the endgame now with the first part of the season two finale. I was right about the Rani all along. Is it a case of be careful what you wish for?

The Story & the Engine explored the theme of storytelling through the lens of the Doctor.

Wish World takes this to the nth degree in an episode of Jackanory narrated by Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), Ruby Sunday's (Millie Gibson) Think Tank-leading ex-boyfriend from Lucky Day, seen through a cathode-ray tube (CRT), in a callback to the Dan Dare retrofuturism of The Robot Revolution. It's worth noting that both Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) and Ruby's ex-boyfriends are self-absorbed narcissists.

For generations of fans (myself included), Doctor Who was teatime family viewing watched on a CRT TV. I’m in danger of falling down a nostalgic rabbit hole littered with fossilised bones and ghosts of the past.

62 years later, Doctor Who continues to draw inspiration from eclectic popular culture sources. This second season on Disney+, the intertextual references to Disney-owned franchises have included Aliens, Avengers, Loki and Star Wars.

Wish World is Russell T Davies' spellbinding tribute to Wandavision, replete with knowing nods to Flash Gordon and Masters of the Universe. An imperious Rani (Archie Panjabi) channelling Agatha Harkness (Davies is a fan of the Marvel Comics witch) in a Grimm fairytale, steals the infant God of Wishes from his parents, before flying a space scooter back to Castle Grayskull in a sight to behold.

The Doctor, under the alias of John Smith, and Belinda are a married couple with a daughter, Poppy from Space Babies, in an alternate right-wing reality of Conrad’s creation where men work and women stay at home. A horrifying vision of conformity and ableism. I've alluded to the latter in The Well. Doubt undermines this cosy conservative world, and it all comes crashing down like the masquerade ball in Labyrinth when Ruby turns up at the front door of their home.

Former companion, Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford), lives on the same street as the Doctor and Belinda. The Rani, as first played by Kate O'Mara, pretended to be Mel during the Seventh Doctor's (Sylvester McCoy) story, Time and the Rani.

Sethu continues to be a standout. It's chilling to watch Belinda storm out of her Tim Burton-inspired suburban home and run, screaming, into the woods.

Season one’s big bad reveal of Sutekh fell flat. This time, the Rani searches for Omega in the Underverse, first mentioned in The Giggle, and we hear his disembodied voice. A tragic villain, Omega was stranded in an anti-matter universe after becoming the first Time Lord and sought revenge against his fellow Time Lords in The Three Doctors and Arc of Infinity. The Seventh Doctor used the Hand of Omega, known as the Omega device by the Daleks, to destroy the Dalek homeworld, Skaro, in Remembrance of the Daleks.

Omega is a curious choice as Davies has gone to great pains to avoid classic villains in this Disney era. However, it has far-reaching implications for the series' future.

With the return of Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), the Rani and Omega, is The Reality War a feature-length multi-Doctor story to end the status quo and to close the 20th anniversary of the revival?

Oh, boy!

New episodes of Doctor Who drop every Saturday on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Season two is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Have you watched Wish World? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Disney is staging a live concert at the Royal Albert Hall in November to celebrate.

"Experience Star Wars: The Force Awakens in concert with John Williams' score performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ludwig Wicki.

30 years since the destruction of the second Death Star, the sinister First Order, commanded by the mysterious Snoke and apprentice Kylo Ren, rise from the ashes of the Empire. The Resistance, led by General Leia Organa, attempts to thwart the First Order’s threat, but they’re desperate for help. Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, an ex-stormtrooper, find themselves joining forces with Han Solo and Chewbacca in a perilous mission to return a BB-unit droid back to the Resistance with a map to Luke Skywalker.

From director J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens features a new score composed by five-time Academy Award®-winning composer John Williams. See the film on the big screen as the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performs the score live on stage."

The Force is as strong as ever with John Williams' soundtrack for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Rey's Theme remains one of my all-time favourite Star Wars themes, distilling the franchise's resurgence. From Andor to Skeleton Crew, all the Star Wars things.

Are you booking tickets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert? Let me know in the comments below.

Barbie Whoniverse at MCM London Comic Con

Making its intergalactic debut at MCM London Comic Con on Friday, 23rd May, Mattel Creations is exclusively unveiling the new Barbie x Doctor Who dolls at the show.

Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday) are immortalised as Barbie dolls! Gatwa played a Ken in the Barbie movie and shared his thoughts on seeing his Barbie doll for the first time: “Barbie is iconic, so to see a Barbie iteration of the Doctor was emotional, surreal, incredible and I can't wipe the smile off my face. I hope kids out there are able to enjoy the doll and see themselves in it and think 'I can do anything’.”

Pre-order the Fifteenth Doctor from Amazon (affiliate link).
Pre-order Ruby Sunday from Amazon (affiliate link).

New episodes of Doctor Who drop every Saturday on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Season two is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Will you be adding the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday Barbie dolls to your collection? Let me know in the comments below.

Preview the two Ranis in Doctor Who

Following the revelation that Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) is the renegade Time Lord, the Rani. The BBC has released a preview for Wish World featuring the two Ranis. Whovians see what you did there, Russell T Davies.



On joining Doctor Who as the Rani following a bi-generation, Archie Panjabi says: "It seems there’s been quite a bit of speculation about the Rani’s return... and who can blame you? Kate O’Mara’s portrayal was brilliant, ruthless and unforgettable. Now, under Russell T Davies, she’s back - and I’ll ask... what in the Whoniverse will we bring to her? Let’s just say, you might not be ready!"

New episodes of Doctor Who drop every Saturday on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. Season two is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).

Have you watched the preview of Wish World? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.