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.

Predator: Killer of Killers hunting through history

On Monday, 20th Century Studios released an official trailer for Predator: Killer of Killers, an original animated action-adventure film from the director of Prey set in the Predator universe.



Read the official synopsis:

"The anthology story follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause. But while all these warriors are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent – the ultimate killer of killers."

Predator: Killer of Killers is directed by Dan Trachtenberg with Josh Wassung, from animation company The Third Floor, serving as co-director. The film stars Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, and Michael Biehn and is written by Micho Robert Rutare and story by Trachtenberg and Rutare, based on characters created by Jim Thomas & John Thomas. The producers are John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, p.g.a., Marc Toberoff, Ben Rosenblatt, p.g.a., with Lawrence Gordon, James E. Thomas, John C. Thomas, and Stefan Grube as executive producers.

Predator: Killer of Killers premieres only on Hulu on Disney+ on 6th June.

Have you watched the official trailer for Predator: Killer of Killers? What did you think? Are you looking forward to it? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest

Eurovision is an annual music extravaganza, spawning pop royalty ABBA and Celine Dion.

One of my earliest memories of watching the Eurovision song contest was the year Bucks Fizz won in 1981. This coincided with a visit to family friends and the first time I ever experienced a toastie from a Breville sandwich toaster (my parents soon owned one, which was perfect for Doctor Who teatime viewing).

As I've written previously, a life-changing childhood trauma overshadowed my early life, so songs like Bucks Fizz's The Land of Make Believe became an inspirational anthem in the darkest days of rehabilitation.

So, in a timey-wimey twist worthy of the metaverse (no, not that one), The Interstellar Song Contest preceded this year's Eurovision grand final on BBC One. Is it a season two hit or miss?

With cameos from popular presenters Rylan Clark (a self-confessed Whovian) and Graham Norton, as themselves, it's a hit from start to finish. The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) take one last detour aboard the TARDIS before returning to Earth on 24th May, 2025. This time, materialising on a space station, the Harmony Arena, hosting an interstellar song contest 900 years later.

The event is hijacked, and trillions of lives are put in peril. The Doctor, Rylan, the contestants, and the audience are blasted into space where they freeze. An unconscious Doctor has a vision of his first companion, granddaughter Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), and this sparks him back to life. This is a monumental moment for the Whoniverse, and I got goosebumps at the implication. Susan was last seen in The Five Doctors.

There’s a playful homage to Disney Pixar’s WALL-E as the Doctor, marooned in space, propels himself back to the Harmony Arena using a confetti cannon! Things twist from cosmic camp to horrifying dark melodrama as the Doctor is triggered by the trauma of Gallifrey's destruction and the demise of the Time Lords, and mistakenly thinks Belinda is dead. The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) infamously failed to save Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) from the Cybermen in Earthshock.

Once down the dark path...

As seen in Dalek twenty years ago, the Doctor becomes the torturer and electrocutes Kid (Freddie Fox) in a scene evoking the Emperor using Force lightning to kill Luke Skywalker before Darth Vader stops him in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. This time, it's another vision of Susan that halts the Doctor from being seduced by the dark side. Belinda, very much alive, is struck by the Doctor's anger and, again, challenges him to be more open with her.

Rylan, the contestants and audience are revived by the duo of Mike Gabbastone (Kadiff Kirwan) and Gary Gabbastone (Charlie Condou) to the victorious sounds of Bucks Fizz's winning song, Making Your Mind Up. I was overcome with misty-eyed joy.

Norton, a staple of Eurovision, appears as an interactive hologram and harbinger of doom. He explains the Earth was destroyed on 24th May, 2025. The Doctor and Belinda board the TARDIS only to be greeted by the apocalyptic sound of the cloister bells.

During a mid-credits scene, a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Mrs Flood's (Anita Dobson) true identity is finally revealed. She is the Rani, first played by Kate O'Mara, a renegade Time Lord, and undergoes her own bi-generation, introducing a second Rani (Archie Panjabi). In doing so, the Doctor's isolation as the last of his kind has ended.

Does this tease that we may see the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) in the two-part finale? If this is the last season of Doctor Who for a while, we're getting our Avengers: Endgame.

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 Interstellar Song Contest? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Buffy finds new slayer from Star Wars

The upcoming Buffy revival has found its slayer! Star Wars: Skeleton Crew's Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

"I want to introduce you to [Ryan Kiera Armstrong]," Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote on Instagram underneath a video telling a teary-eyed Armstrong that she got the part. "From the moment I saw Ryan's audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side. To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room. Welcome to #NewSunnydale #btvs."

Armstrong will play the new slayer opposite Gellar, who is reprising the role of Buffy Summers. Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is directing the pilot, written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.

"We are so overjoyed to have found this generation's slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong, she absolutely blew us away — there is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one," Nora and Lilla said in a statement.

Are you excited about a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot or revival on Hulu on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Fallout in New Vegas this December

In a surprise announcement, Fallout season two will premiere this holiday season on Prime Video.

Fallout is based on one of the most popular video game franchises of all time and is set 200 years after an apocalyptic event. The story follows the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters who are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind - and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.

What happens in New Vegas, stays in New Vegas!

Season two will continue the story after season one’s finale, taking viewers through the wasteland of the Mojave to the post-apocalyptic city of New Vegas.

“We are absolutely thrilled that our global Prime Video customers will be able to delve deeper into the wonderfully surreal and captivating world of Fallout,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Jonah, Lisa, Geneva, and Graham have done an exceptional job bringing this beloved video game franchise to vivid life on Prime Video.”

The hit series based on the popular video game franchise will return for a third season as the show’s second season prepares to launch later this year.

Fallout is streaming exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Have you watched Fallout on Prime Video? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Alien: Earth crash-lands this August

Alien: Earth, a new sci-fi series from Emmy Award-winning Noah Hawley (Fargo) based on the acclaimed Alien franchise, crashes onto Hulu on Disney+ this August.

Read the official synopsis:

“When the mysterious deep space research vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands on Earth, “Wendy” (Sydney Chandler) and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat in FX’s “Alien: Earth.”

In the year 2120, the Earth is governed by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic and Threshold. In this Corporate Era, cyborgs (humans with both biological and artificial parts) and synthetics (humanoid robots with artificial intelligence) exist alongside humans. But the game is changed when the wunderkind Founder and CEO of Prodigy Corporation unlocks a new technological advancement: hybrids (humanoid robots infused with human consciousness). The first hybrid prototype named “Wendy” marks a new dawn in the race for immortality. After Weyland-Yutani’s spaceship collides into Prodigy City, “Wendy” and the other hybrids encounter mysterious life forms more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.”

The cast for Alien: Earth includes Sydney Chandler (Don't Worry Darling), Alex Lawther (Andor), Samuel Blenkin (The Sandman), Kit Young (Shadow and Bone), Essie Davis (Assassin's Creed), Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger) and Timothy Olyphant (The Mandalorian).

After Alien: Romulus resurrected the chest-bursting franchise, I look forward to seeing how Wayland-Yutini becomes the dominant corporation amidst xenomorph mayhem.

Alien: Earth premieres only on Hulu and Disney+ on 13th August.

Are you looking forward to Alien: Earth? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who season two finale simulcast

In a move that will please many Doctor Who fans (myself included), the season two finale will be broadcast simultaneously on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ in a primetime slot, and in over 450 cinemas across the UK and Ireland on 31st May.

Titled The Reality War, fans across the globe will be able to all watch together as the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) faces one of his most terrifying and monumental battles to date in an extra-special-length episode.

Russell T Davies, series showrunner, says: "The Doctor is doomed, Belinda is lost, Ruby is trapped, UNIT is powerless, the Unholy Trinity rule supreme and the Underverse is rising. And now we can all experience this devastating climax together, all at the same time, with a unique worldwide premiere. I can promise shocks, scares and revelations off the scale. Come and have fun!"

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 watching Doctor Who season two? What are your thoughts? Will you be booking tickets for the two-part finale on the big screen? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine

Season one of Doctor Who on Disney+ was wibbly-wobbly, whereas season two continues with top timey-wimey tales from the TARDIS.

The Story & the Engine thoughtfully explores the Fifteenth Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) lived experience and the power of myth. Star Wars creator George Lucas was a student of Joseph Campbell (The Hero with a Thousand Faces), so this is my jam.

A Finetime is had by all as long as they're white.

This Nigerian-set episode is a world where the Doctor is accepted and celebrated in stark contrast to the racism of Dot and Bubble and Lux.

In a spectacular surprise cameo, Jo Martin reprises her fan-favourite role as the Fugitive Doctor, introduced during Jodie Whittaker's divisive era, as returning series showrunner Russell T Davies continues to lean into the 20th anniversary of the series’ revival to celebrate all things Doctor Who despite an uncertain future.

Seeing previous incarnations of the beloved Time Lord hit hard. Beginning with Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant, the montage continues with Peter Capaldi, Jodie Whittaker, Matt Smith, Tom Baker, Paul McGann, William Hartnell, Peter Davison and Colin Baker. Also, I'm acutely aware that watching Doctor Who with my octogenarian dad won't last forever. I'm a fan because he introduced me to the series when Tom Baker took over from Jon Pertwee...

Whilst it's a companion-lite story set primarily in a barber shop, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) effortlessly earned her place aboard the TARDIS in The Robot Revolution, there's a flashback to a fleeting meeting between Belinda and Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) during a life-saving hospital shift.

The ongoing dynamic between Belinda and the Doctor is a refreshing change in the modern era. She still wants to get home and sees through the Doctor's disguise, but is empathetic and lets him visit an old friend, Omo (Sule Rimi).

The spooky child who points Belinda towards Omo's barber shop is Captain Poppy from Space Babies!

Make mine meta.

There's a fun reference to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Loki. During lockdown, the Loki spin-off series on Disney+ was widely regarded as Marvel's take on Doctor Who.

Yes, I'm still rooting for Mrs Flood to be revealed as the Rani. Talking of classic villains absent from the Whoniverse, again, the Doctor namechecked them. Will we see Cybermen, Ice Warriors and Daleks in the two-part season finale?

The Story & the Engine is a poignant story about stories, eloquently riffing on the Eleventh Doctor’s (Matt Smith) quote: "We're all stories, in the end... just make it a good one, eh?"

Amen.

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 Story & the Engine? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Destiny 2 goes full Star Wars in Renegades

As a lifelong Star Wars fan and lapsed Destiny 2 player, the Force flows through Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate in the Renegades teaser trailer.



"The reveal featured a brief cinematic teaser showcasing Renegades, a definitive Destiny expansion with a narrative integral to the Fate Saga, while also suffused with inspiration from and homage to Star Wars," Bungie explained.

The Renegades expansion will launch in December.

"Renegades will introduce new Destiny characters, innovative activities, and evolved mechanics designed to surprise and delight players."

If it looks like Star Wars and sounds like Star Wars, it is Star Wars! Lucasfilm Games is involved, after all.

"To really drive it home here, Renegades is a one-of-a-kind Destiny experience," says assistant game director Robbie Stevens. "Just like we on the Destiny team have taken inspiration from other genres like dark fantasy or cosmic horror, Renegades takes the space western vibe and aesthetic that is Star Wars and puts it through that Destiny lens."

What did you think of the teaser trailer? Are you still playing Destiny 2? If not, will Star Wars bring you back? Let me know in the comments below.

Grand Theft Auto VI delayed

On Tuesday, Rockstar Games released a new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI.



Read the official synopsis:

"Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive."

GTA VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series yet. With a reported budget of over a billion dollars and featuring a female protagonist (Lucia), GTA VI was due to be released on PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series S|X in 2025. However, the game has been delayed until 26th May 2026.

“With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ is no exception,” the company said. “We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”

According to Michael Pachter, the managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, Rockstar Games could consider selling GTA VI for $100.

“We think the company has plans to sell the game at a previously unheard of price point, and suspect that management can offer consumers an incentive to pay $100 or more per unit by rewarding them with a large amount of in-game currency to be spent in GTA Online,” he wrote.

“There is precedent for integrating an online game experience with a premium game, as Activision did so with both Call of Duty Warzone and Call of Duty Mobile content prior to the release of its annual Call of Duty premium installment,” Pachter continued.

“In Activision’s case, the integration led to a 40% increase in sales of Call of Duty premium; in Take-Two’s case, we think a successful integration of GTA Online and GTA VI can lead to a $100 price point for the premium game.”

Are you looking forward to Grand Theft Auto VI? What did you think of the trailer? Are you disappointed by the delay? Let me know in the comments below.