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…
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…
There’s something deeply unnerving about the Cybermen. They are us but not us. There is a scene in Rise of the Cybermen where one of them thinks they are still human and about to get married. It’s heart breaking. Then there’s the scene where the Cyberman in Earthshock doesn’t understand the pleasure of a “well-prepared meal”. Like Daleks, the Cybermen are humanoids who have chosen, or have been forced, to live in their own little Read more…
There seems to be a lot of big Doctor Who anniversaries this year, and the metal meanies from Mondas enjoy one too. It has been six decades since the Cybermen first stomped onto our screens, threatening Earth via Snowcap Base. It begs the question as to what gives some Doctor Who monsters staying power and some remain a one-off baddie. Perhaps it is the fact that the Cybermen are basically us turned metal which fires Read more…
