5 years of Disney+

5 years ago, the UK went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic and Disney+ serendipitously launched on this day followed by the closure of DisneyLife a month later.

Streaming services saw a surge in subscribers whilst we all stayed at home (key workers notwithstanding).

The Mandalorian debuted to critical acclaim on Disney+. Baby Yoda (before his name was revealed as Grogu in season two) became a pop culture sensation as Star Wars fans (myself included) clamoured for merchandise - I was lucky enough to be sent review samples from Lucasfilm licensees for the 2020 holiday season.

From Disney's press release celebrating the fifth anniversary of Disney+:

"As Disney+ celebrates its fifth birthday this March, the streaming service unveils an exciting lineup of titles set to premiere in the UK and Ireland in 2025. Titles include FX’s highly anticipated “Alien: Earth,” the new limited series FX’s “Dying for Sex” starring Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate, star-studded UK Original “The Stolen Girl” - a five-part psychological drama starring Denise Gough, Holliday Grainger and Ambika Mod, alongside Lucasfilm’s “Andor” season 2 returning for its long-awaited conclusion, and Searchlight Pictures’ Award-winning “A Real Pain”. Not to mention critically acclaimed and multiple Emmy® award-winning series returning including FX’s “The Bear”, “Only Murders in the Building” and the latest season of “The Simpsons” now streaming exclusively on Disney+ in the UK."

In related news. The Disney+ app has been updated with a long-requested feature. If you want to edit your Continue Watching list, you can do so now on Disney+ on the web, iOS devices, and Apple TV. It will be rolling out to other platforms in the coming weeks.

Subscription fatigue is a thing, and cancelling services has been therapeutic in the midst of a cost of living crisis! However, I'm enjoying Daredevil: Born Again, and my dad's an avid fan of NCIS, so renewing Disney+ was a no-brainer.

Are you subscribing to Disney+? What are you looking forward to watching in 2025? Let me know in the comments below.

Adam Savage stunned by Star Wars garage kit

Growing up, Star Wars model kits gave fans (myself included) an insight into how Lucasfilm's award-winning Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) division made movie magic.

After school, I would spend countless hours assembling and painting detailed replicas and dioramas from MPC/Ertl and Revell, which informed a lifelong love of the creative arts.

Adam Savage (MythBusters) painstakingly examines the original AT-ST, affectionately known as the "chicken walker", from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.



Read the official synopsis:

"Star Wars model kit time! After building and painting the incredible studio scale AT-AT Walker garage kit from Merlin Models, Adam tackles the new 1/24 scale AT-ST Scout Walker as seen in the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. But this is no ordinary garage kit--Adam and Norm find a combination of cast and machined parts that recreate the posable metal armature the ILM Model Shop built for the original stop-motion puppet!"

This is a must-see for fellow Star Wars fans and anyone with a modicum of interest in moviemaking. Of particular note is the AT-AT attack, which uses stop-motion animation pioneered by Ray Harryhausen.

Are you collecting Star Wars garage kits from Merlin Models? Let me know in the comments below.

Pedro Pascal dances away the blues with AirPods

Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) stars in Someday, a short film directed by Spike Jonze (Her) promoting Apple AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.

After playing the titular Mandalorian in the successful Star Wars live-action spin-off series on Disney+, Pascal is no stranger to wearing advanced technology.



The dancing evokes the iconic iPod campaign of the early noughties.

Pascal stars next in the second season of The Last of Us and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

What did you think of Someday? Will you be buying AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation? Let me know in the comments below.

Worlds of Doctor Who at Comic-Con Museum

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder: Where Science Meets Fiction opens today at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego.

US-based Whovians (including our own Nick Smith) can see and interact with a timey-wimey collection of props and sets from the beloved BBC sci-fi series streaming on Disney+.

“We are delighted to be working with BBC Studios and Sarner International to bring this fascinating exhibition that merges the worlds of science, fiction, and the popular arts through such a celebrated show,” said Comic-Con Museum Executive Director Rita Vandergaw. “This is the first time it will ever be shown in the country, and we can’t wait for fans to experience it.”

Although the exhibition will delight Doctor Who fans (myself included), attention was paid to making it approachable, said Steven Swaby, the curator.

“You don’t have to know everything about the show to enjoy this exhibition,” Swaby said. He added: “Making it accessible and inclusive is really, really important because we know museums and science centers have a very broad audience. So, it’s not just for Doctor Who fans, but you certainly get a lot out of it if you are a fan.”

The exhibition at the Comic-Con Museum is scheduled to run through March 2026.

Are you excited about Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder? Will you be attending the exhibition? Let me know in the comments below.

Andor season one with Tony Gilroy

In anticipation of season two of Andor on Disney+, creator and executive producer Tony Gilroy and other special guests take Star Wars fans (myself included) behind the scenes of the critically-acclaimed first season.



Andor is widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars spin-offs on Disney+, taking the franchise in a darker direction and forgoing lightsabers in favour of political intrigue under the auspices of Gilroy.

Andor Season 2 stars Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, and Alan Tudyk, with Ben Mendelsohn and Forest Whitaker. The series was created by Tony Gilroy, who also serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna, Luke Hull, and John Gilroy.

Experience the three-episode second season premiere exclusively on Disney+ on 22nd April.

Are you looking forward to the second and final season of Andor? Let me know in the comments below.

The Last of Us cast at SXSW

South by Southwest (SXSW) hosted a panel at the Austin Convention Center on Saturday featuring the cast and creators of HBO’s Emmy-winning series The Last of Us.

Cast members Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced and Young Mazino attended the panel, alongside showrunners and directors Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin.



An official trailer for season two was dropped during the panel.



Read the official synopsis:

“After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal and Gabriel Luna are back, and we also see Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.

The Last of Us returns this April on HBO and Sky Atlantic.

Are you looking forward to the second season of The Last of Us? Let me know in the comments below.

Masters of the Universe first look

Nicholas Galitzine shared a first look at the upcoming Masters of the Universe live-action film, based on Mattel's iconic multimedia franchise, produced by Mattel Films and Amazon MGM Studios. In 1982, He-Man and Skeletor were unleashed on toy aisles! I was off sick from school when my late mum surprised me with these amazing action figures that had seemingly stepped off the pages of Fighting Fantasy...

The film will follow 10-year-old Prince Adam who crashed to Earth in a spaceship and was separated from his magical Power Sword - the only link to his home on Eternia. After tracking it down almost two decades later, Prince Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam will first need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man: the most powerful man in the Universe!

It is directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee) from a script by Chris Butler, and stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam / He-Man, alongside Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm / Fisto, and Jared Leto as Skeletor.

Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released in cinemas on 5th June 2026.

Are you looking forward to Masters of the Universe? Let me know in the comments below.

Andor season two special look

Andor and Skeleton Crew have brought balance to Star Wars on Disney+! Lucasfilm has released a behind-the-scenes special look at Andor's second season.



Andor is widely regarded as one of the best Star Wars spin-offs on Disney+, taking the franchise in a darker direction and forgoing lightsabers in favour of political intrigue under the auspices of Tony Gilroy.

Andor Season 2 stars Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Faye Marsay, Varada Sethu, Elizabeth Dulau, and Alan Tudyk, with Ben Mendelsohn and Forest Whitaker. The series was created by Tony Gilroy, who also serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna, Luke Hull, and John Gilroy.

Experience the three-episode second season premiere exclusively on Disney+ on 22nd April.

Are you looking forward to the second and final season of Andor? Let me know in the comments below.

Daleks invade Peterborough exhibition!

The Daleks are invading Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery from May to November.

As Doctor Who celebrates its 20th anniversary since returning to Saturday teatime television in 2005, the Adventures In Time And Space has been put together to give visitors a special look at a timey-wimey collection of props, including a full-scale replica of the TARDIS itself!

Read the full press release:

"The Daleks are coming…

and they’re not alone!

Cybermen, Sontarans, Robots, Sea Devils, Silurians and Weeping Angels are just a few of the monsters being showcased at a brand new exhibition coming to Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery this spring.

This must-see exhibition, entitled Adventures in Time & Space, will feature one of the largest displays of both restored and surviving props from the Doctor Who series for over a decade, meticulously brought back to life by collectors and special effects technicians. From spaceship models, masks, clothing and weapons to life-size monsters, police boxes and even a replica Tardis console, Adventures in Time & Space, will give visitors the chance to see them up close and learn about how they were created and in some cases recreated from surviving blueprints.

Opening at the start of May and running through to November, organisers promise a sci-fi extravaganza with a continually evolving series of displays and special events planned throughout the six-month run, to include celebrity appearances, guest speakers, book signings and the unveiling of the Tardis console.

Sarah Wilson, Heritage Manager at Peterborough Museum; “this exhibition is going to be huge and we are expecting visitors from across the country and even overseas. Doctor Who is a global institution with an unprecedented fan base that spans decades. The independent collection of restored and surviving props and costumes we have to display is immense – how amazing that we can do this in our iconic museum, in itself a time machine with a fascinating history. Peterborough Museum will open 6 days a week from May to ensure we can accommodate the anticipated visitor numbers, so we advise people to book in advance if they don’t want to miss out”.

To accompany Adventures in Time & Space, the museum will delight visitors with the work of two esteemed artists in the adjacent gallery. The Art of Jeff Cummins will open in June, Jeff has produced album covers for greats such as Led Zeppelin and David Bowie along with Doctor Who novel covers. In August, the gallery will host legendary Radio Times photographer Don Smith, who with the support of the Radio Times archives, will share iconic images from magazine covers over the years."

To book tickets, please vist the Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery.

Doctor Who season two teases chaos

The BBC and Disney+ have dropped an official season two trailer for Doctor Who.



Read the official synopsis:

"The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) meets Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) and begins an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force is stopping their return and the time-travelling TARDIS team must face great dangers, bigger enemies and wider terrors than ever before."

Joining Gatwa, Sethu, and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday) for the second season are Rose Ayling-Ellis, Anita Dobson, Christopher Chung, Michelle Greenidge, Jonah Hauer-King, Ruth Madeley, Jemma Redgrave, Susan Twist, Bonnie Langford, Rylan Clark and Alan Cumming as the voice of Mr Ring-a-Ding.

Doctor Who's second season premieres on 12th April on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Are you looking forward to season two of Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments below.