Cryptic crosswords are a great challenge for the brain, but they needn’t be scary. They’re not as deadly as the puzzles in the Exxilon City! Below are some hints and tips on how to complete them – Code Nine Anagrams: If a clue contains a word meaning “change”, such as “upset”, or “disturbed”, that means there is an anagram to solve. The words which require your attention are usually right next to the indicator word. Read more…
Cryptic Who started life on another platform many moons ago. Back then, you had to print out your crosswords and do them by hand. How times change. However, I have no intention of there being missing episodes by dumping them in a skip – the link to the old site is here – Cryptic Who which will remain online as an archive, where you’ll find dozens of past grids! In the meantime, Allons-y! Code Nine Read more…
For a race supposedly watching over the rest of the universe, the Time Lords don’t half produce some bad examples of their society. The Master, the Rani, and the Monk must be right up there in the badness stakes, having destroyed planets or just generally having mucked about with time itself. Drax is no better – a wheeler-dealer that no doubt Del Trotter would get along with famously. Even cosy old Chronotis is a criminal, Read more…
I have to admit that my favourite version of the Time Lords is the unknowable and all-powerful gods from The War Games. In this story, the Time Lords are dangerous and omnipotent beings who can slow down time and punish those they see as criminals. I like the idea of the Doctor being the runt of the litter, on the run from his own mysterious race. Since then, of course, they have become the “dusty Read more…
Who doesn’t love the TARDIS? I particularly like TARDIS-centric episodes where we get to see extra rooms and corridors of the Doctor’s vast time machine. It’s always intriguing what’s in there – wardrobe rooms, bedrooms, a swimming pool, a library, an art gallery, the cloisters… It’s why Castrovalva Part One is way up there for me because we get to spend so much time in it! I also like the idea that the TARDIS is Read more…
One of the enduring icons of Doctor Who is the TARDIS. Once upon a time, Police Boxes were solely identified with law enforcement, but from 1963, they’ve become time machines in the public consciousness. Has the meaning of an ordinary object ever been changed quite so much by a television programme? Then there’s the concept of something being bigger on the inside than it first appears. The word “TARDIS” has become synonymous with this perception. Read more…
