#beth chalmers

[pers-books]

Once and Future Guest Stars Announced!

18 February 2023

Revealed today at the Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles: a stellar line-up of actors will feature in Big Finish’s forthcoming Doctor Who audio anniversary series, Once and Future.

As previously announced, the original TV leads – Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant – each reprise their role as the Doctor for this epic, eight-part extravaganza marking 60 years of adventures in space and time.

Joining them are guest stars Stephen Noonan as the First Doctor, Michael Troughton as the Second Doctor and Tim Treloar as the Third Doctor. The series also includes the final performance recorded by David Warner as the Unbound Doctor.

The impressive ensemble cast boasts some very familiar names from Doctor Who series past and present, including:

Michelle Gomez (as Missy) Nicola Walker (as Liv Chenka) Georgia Tennant (as Jenny, the Doctor's Daughter) Michelle Ryan (as Lady Christina) Camille Coduri (as Jackie Tyler) Neve McIntosh (as Madame Vastra) Catrin Stewart (as Jenny Flint) Dan Starkey (as Strax) Sadie Miller (as Sarah Jane Smith) Christopher Naylor (as Harry Sullivan) Ken Bones (as The General) Beth Chalmers (as Veklin)

With many more guest stars yet to be announced.

Doctor Who – Once and Future will be released monthly, with the first seven parts materialising between May and October 2023, and a final coda in November 2024, as follows:

Past Lives by Robert Valentine The Artist at the End of Time by James Goss A Genius for War by Jonathan Morris Two’s Company by Lisa McMullin The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 by Jonathan Barnes Time Lord Immemorial by Lisa McMullin The Union by Matt Fitton Coda – The Final Act by Tim Foley

The series’ script editor, Matt Fitton, said: “It was a massive honour to be asked by producer David Richardson to help coordinate this mammoth undertaking. For me, it was a chance to work again with many of Big Finish's barnstorming writers, all of whom I'd had great fun working with before. It's always a joy to send that email inviting someone onto an exciting project like this, and then seeing the number of exclamation marks in the response!

“There were certain characters I felt just had to be involved in such a significant anniversary, but over the course of the whole series, we aim to pay tribute to every single era of the show across its 60 years. The Doctor might not quite be himself at the start, but we've an army of allies and enemies to help remind him what he stands for.”

Doctor Who fans worldwide can pre-order all eight full-cast audio adventures as a special edition bundle on CD + download (for just £75) or as digital downloads only (for just £62), exclusively here.

The special edition CD bundle is strictly limited to just 3,000 pressings and includes numbered CDs, special bonus artworks and additional audio content, including music suites and extended behind-the-scenes interviews.

All eight stories can be pre-ordered as separate single releases on standard collector’s edition CD (and download for £10.99 each) or digital (download only for £8.99 each), exclusively here. A standard bundle is also available to pre-order for just £72 (on CD and download) or £60 (download only). The standard edition does not include the extras contained in the special edition but does include behind-the-scenes features.

All the above prices include the special pre-order discount and are subject to change after general release.

Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.

[gotyouanyway]

dark eyesing it up

[mari-beau]

#when your boss's girlfriend meets his stalker pathologist

[please-attend-carefully]

New Master release!

The Chaos Cascade is now available on the Big Finish website. This is an audio book narrated by Dan Starkey, Beth Chalmers, and Rebecca Root.

Michelle Gomez is not performing as Missy.

[fiotrethewey]

Gallifrey: War Room 2: Manoeuvres is now available to buy!

So excited and nervous for this boxset, so glad it's finally been released!

You can go download it here: https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/gallifrey-war-room-2-manoeuvres-2593

More information about the release under the cut:

The War Room co-ordinates the fight against the Daleks, but there is a battle for control. Rival Cardinals Rasmus and Ollistra manipulate Leela, Veklin and the General, seeking Rassilon's favour. And beyond Gallifrey, Narvin and the Resistance are making their own moves to stop the Time War...

2.1 Collaborators by Katharine Armitage Gallifrey and the Resistance are in a race to secure a vital alliance. But playing politics means secrets, lies and betrayal... and Leela, caught in the middle, must try to rescue honour from chaos.

2.2 Remnants by Georgia Cook A distress call from a Gallifreyan outpost brings the General, Rasmus and Veklin into contact with weapons of the Time War from both sides. Trapped, young Time Lord Cresta fights for her life against a relentless foe.

2.3 Transference by Fio Trethewey When a promising scientist is injured and his new technology stolen, Ollistra sets Leela on the trail. Her hunt takes her outside the Citadel to Lowtown, where a shock awaits. Narvin has returned to Gallifrey. But in trying to help his kin, he risks more than he knows.

2.4 Ambition’s Debt by Katharine Armitage Tensions run high in the War Room as the battle for control intensifies. A world has gone missing, the Daleks are too quiet, and something new lurks in the shadows... A dangerous plan is set in motion with the potential to change everything.

Cast:

Louise Jameson (Leela)

Ken Bones (The General)

Janet Amsden (Clemantia)

Nicholas Briggs (Berserker Dalek / Daleks)

Aaron-Louis Cadogan (Teblin)

Seán Carlsen (Narvin)

Beth Chalmers (Veklin)

James Corrigan (Ferdi)

Sam Gittins (Helico)

Mark Hawkins (Eris)

Chris Jarman (Rasmus)

Pepter Lunkuse (Lenaris)

Faith Omole (Cresta)

Carolyn Pickles (Ollistra)

[magicofthepen]

WAR ROOM CAST, COVER, AND DETAILS!

Cast

Louise Jameson (Leela)

Ken Bones (The General)

Nicholas Briggs (Berserker Dalek / Daleks)

Seán Carlsen (Narvin)

Beth Chalmers (Veklin)

Chris Jarman (Rasmus)

Faith Omole (Cresta)

Carolyn Pickles (Ollistra)

The War Room co-ordinates the fight against the Daleks, but there is a battle for control. Rival Cardinals Rasmus and Ollistra manipulate Leela, Veklin and the General, seeking Rassilon’s favour. And beyond Gallifrey, Narvin and the Resistance are making their own moves to stop the Time War…

2.1 Collaborators by Katharine Armitage Gallifrey and the Resistance are in a race to secure a vital alliance. But playing politics means secrets, lies and betrayal… and Leela, caught in the middle, must try to rescue honour from chaos.

2.2 Remnants by Georgia Cook A distress call from a Gallifreyan outpost brings the General, Rasmus and Veklin into contact with weapons of the Time War from both sides. Trapped, young Time Lord Cresta fights for her life against a relentless foe.

2.3 Transference by Fio Trethewey When a promising scientist is injured and his new technology stolen, Ollistra sets Leela on the trail. Her hunt takes her outside the Citadel to Lowtown, where a shock awaits. Narvin has returned to Gallifrey. But in trying to help his kin, he risks more than he knows.

2.4 Ambition’s Debt by Katharine Armitage Tensions run high in the War Room as the battle for control intensifies. A world has gone missing, the Daleks are too quiet, and something new lurks in the shadows… A dangerous plan is set in motion with the potential to change everything.

[alightinthelantern]

Books read and movies watched in 2024 (January-June): Should you watch/read them?

Poetry:

In the Next Galaxy (Ruth Stone): No

Selected Poems (Mark Strand): No

In the Dark (Ruth Stone): Yes!

Response (Juliana Spahr): Yes

The Unicorn (Anne Morrow Lindbergh): No!

Everything Else in the World (Stephen Dunn): Yes

Words Under the Words (Naomi Shihab Nye): Eh

On Love and Barley (Matsuo Basho, trans. Lucien Stryk): Yes!

The Transformation (Juliana Spahr): No

The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Matsuo Basho, trans. Nobuyuki Yuasa): No

The Book of Taliesin (anon., trans. Gwyneth Lewis & Rowan Williams): No

What Love Comes To: New and Selected Poems (Ruth Stone): Eh

Face (Sherman Alexie): NO

No Surrender (Ai): Eh

The Summer of Black Widows (Sherman Alexie): Yes!

The Afflicted Girls (Nicole Cooley): Yes!

Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande (Jimmy Santiago Baca): No

American Smooth (Rita Dove): No

Elegy (Mary Jo Bang): No

Angel (Giles Dorey): NO

Collected Poems (Paul Auster): Eh

June-Tree (Peter Balakian): Yes

We Must Make a Kingdom of It (Gregory Orr): Eh

Only as the Day is Long (Dorianne Laux): No

Grace Notes (Rita Dove): Yes

Bathwater Wine (Wanda Coleman): Yes

My Soviet Union (Michael Dumanis): No

American Milk (Ruth Stone): Yes

The Drowned Girl (Eve Alexandra): No

A Worldly Country (John Ashberry): No

The Complete Poems of Hart Crane: No

One Stick Song (Sherman Alexie): Yes

If You Call This Cry a Song (Hayden Carruth): No

Doctor Jazz (Hayden Carruth): No

The Last Time I Saw Amelia Earhart (Gabrielle Calvocoressi): No

And Her Soul Out of Nothing (Olena Kalytiak Davis): No

Prisoner of Hope (Yvonne Daley): No

The Other Man Was Me (Rafael Campo): No

My Wicked Wicked Ways (Sandra Cisneros): No

On Earth (Robert Creeley): Eh

Genius Loci (Alison Hawthorne Deming): Eh

Science and Other Poems (Alison Hawthorne Deming): Eh

Voices (Lucille Clifton): Yes

A New Path to the Waterfall (Raymond Carver): Eh

Where Shadows Will (Norma Cole): No

The Way Back (Wyn Cooper): No

A Cartography of Peace (Jean L. Connor): No

Minnow (Judith Chalmer): Yes!

Postcards from the Interior (Wyn Cooper): Yes

Natural History (Dan Chiasson): Eh

The Ship of Birth (Greg Delanty): Eh

Madonna anno domini (Joshua Clover): NO

The Terrible Stories (Lucille Clifton): No

The Flashboat (Jane Cooper): Eh

Book of Longing (Leonard Cohen): No

Streets in Their Own Ink (Stuart Dybek): Eh

Different Hours (Stephen Dunn): Yes

I Love This Dark World (Alice B. Fogel): Eh

Baptism of Desire (Louise Erdrich): Yes!

The Eternal City (Kathleen Graber): Eh

Monolithos (Jack Gilbert): Yes

Crown of Weeds (Amy Gerstler): No

Blue Hour (Carolyn Forché): No

Place (Jorie Graham): No

Meadowlands (Louise Gluck): Yes!

Dearest Creature (Amy Gerstler): No

Loosestrife (Stephen Dunn): No

Little Savage (Emily Fragos): Yes

The Living Fire (Edward Hirsch): No

On Love (Edward Hirsch): No

Human Wishes (Robert Hass): NO

Early Occult Memory Systems of the Lower Midwest (B. H. Fairchild): No

Sinking Creek (John Engels): No

Alabanza (Martín Espada): Yes

Saving Lives (Albert Goldbarth): No

All of It Singing (Linda Gregg): No

Green Squall (Jay Hopler): No

Tender Hooks (Beth Ann Fennelly): No

After (Jane Hirshfield): Eh

Unincorporated Persons in the Late Honda Dynasty (Tony Hoagland): NO

These Are My Rivers (Lawrence Ferlinghetti): No

Fruitful (Stephanie Kirby): No

Jaguar Skies (Michael McClure): No

Song (Brigit Pegeen Kelly): No

Roadworthy Creature, Roadworthy Craft (Kate Magill): No

Life in the Forest (Denise Levertov): No

Viper Rum (Mary Karr): No

Questions for Ecclesiastes (Mark Jarman): No

Brutal Imagination (Cornelius Eady): Yes

Alphabet of Bones (Alexis Lathem): No

Handwriting (Michael Ondaatje): No

Sure Signs (Ted Kooser): No

Sledding on Hospital Hill (Leland Kinsey): No

Between Silences (Ha Jin): Yes

House of Days (Jay Parini): No

Bird Eating Bird (Kristin Naca): Yes

Orpheus & Eurydice (Gregory Orr): Yes

Another America (Barbara Kingsolver): Yes

Candles in Babylon (Denise Levertov): Yes

The Clerk's Tale (Spencer Reece): Eh

Still Listening (Angela Patten): Yes

A Thief of Strings (Donald Revell): No

Wayfare (Pattiann Rogers): No

The Niagara River (Kay Ryan): No

The Bird Catcher (Marie Ponsot): No

Easy (Marie Ponsot): No

Human Dark with Sugar (Brenda Shaughnessy): No

Chronic (D. A. Powell): No

Novels/Fiction:

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (Yiyun Li): No

The Oxford Book of English Ghost Stories: Yes

Movies:

What Dreams May Come (1998, Vincent Ward): Yes

The Cat's Meow (2001, Peter Bogdanovich): Yes

The Birdcage (1996, Mike Nichols): Yes

The Color of Pomegranates (1969, Sergei Parajanov): No

The Eve of Ivan Kupalo (1969, Yuri Ilyenko): Yes

And here's my 2023 list!

[goalhofer]

2024 olympics Great Britain roster

Archery

Conor Hall (Belfast)

Tom Hall (London)

Alex Wise (Newcastle Upon Tyne)

Megan Havers (Markfield)

Penny Healey (Telford)

Bryony Pitman (Shoreham-By-Sea)

Athletics

Jeremiah Azu (Cardiff)

Louie Hinchliffe (Crosspool)

Zharnel Hughes (The Valley, Anguilla)

Charlie Dobson (Colchester)

Matthew Hudson-Smith (Wolverhampton)

Max Burgin (Halifax)

Elliot Giles (Birmingham)

Ben Pattison (Frimley)

Neil Gourley (Glasgow)

Josh Kerr (Edinburgh)

George Mills (Harrogate)

Sam Atkin (Grimsby)

Patrick Dever (Preston)

Tade Ojora (London)

Alastair Chalmers (Guernsey, Channel Islands)

Richard Kilty (Middlesborough)

Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake (London)

Lewis Davey (Grantham)

Toby Harries (Brighton)

Alex Haydock-Wilson (London)

Sam Reardon (Beckenham)

Emile Cairess (Saltaire)

Mahamed Mahamed (Southampton)

Philip Sesemann (Bromley)

Callum Wilkinson (Moulton)

Jacob Fincham-Dukes (Harrogate)

Scott Lincoln (Northallerton)

Lawrence Okoye (London)

Nick Percy (Glasgow)

Dina Asher-Smith (London)

Imani-Lara Lansiquot (London)

Daryll Neita (London)

Bianca Williams (London)

Amber Anning (Hove)

Laviai Nielsen (London)

Lina Nielsen (London)

Victoria Ohuruogu (London)

Phoebe Gill (St. Albans)

Keely Hodgkinson (Atherton)

Jemma Reekie (Beith)

Georgia Bell (London)

Laura Muir (Milnathort)

Revée Walcott-Nolan (Luton)

Megan Keith (Inverness)

Eilish McColgan (Dundee)

Cynthia Sember (Ypsilanti, Michigan)

Jessie Knight (Epsom)

Lizzie Bird (St. Albans)

Aimee Pratt (Stockport)

Desirèe Henry (London)

Amy Hunt (Nottingham)

Yemi John (London)

Hannah Kelly (Bury)

Jodie Williams (Welwyn Garden City)

Nicole Yeargin (Bowie, Maryland)

Clara Evans (Hereford)

Rose Harvey (London)

Calli Yauger-Thackeray (Flagstaff, Arizona)

Morgan Lake (Reading)

Holly Bradshaw (Preston)

Molly Caudery (Truro)

Katharina Johnson-Thompson (Liverpool)

Jade O'Dowda (Oxford)

Badminton

Ben Lane (Milton Keynes)

Sean Vendy (Milton Keynes)

Kirsty Gilmour (Glasgow)

Boxing

Lewis Richardson (Colchester)

Patrick Brown (Sale)

Delicious Orie (Wolverhampton)

Charley Davison (Lowestoft)

Rosie Eccles (Newport)

Chantelle Reid (Allenton)

Canoeing

Adam Burgess (Stoke-On-Trent)

Joe Clarke (Stoke-On-Trent)

Mallory Franklin (Windsor)

Kimberley Woods (Rugby)

Climbing

Hamish McArthur (York)

Toby Roberts (Elstead)

Erin McNeice (Rodmersham)

Molly Thompson-Smith (London)

Cycling

Tom Pidcock (Leeds)

Josh Tarling (Aberaeron)

Stephen Williams (Aberysthwyth)

Fred Wright (Manchester)

Jack Carlin (Paisley)

Ed Lowe (Stamford)

William Turnbull (Morpeth)

Joe Truman (Petersfield)

Dan Bigham (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)

Ethan Hayter (London)

Ethan Vernon (Bedford)

Oli Wood (Wakefield)

Charlie Tanfield (Great Ayton)

Mark Stewart (Dundee)

Charlie Aldridge (Crieff)

Kieran Reilly (Newcastle Upon Tyne)

Kye Whyte (London)

Ross Cullen (Preston)

Lizzie Deignan (Otley)

Pfeiffer Georgi (Castle Combe)

Anna Henderson (Edlesborough)

Anna Morris (Cardiff)

Sophie Capewell (Lichfield)

Emma Finucane (Carmarthen)

Katy Marchant (Manchester)

Lowri Thomas (Abergavenny)

Elinor Barker (Cardiff)

Neah Evans (Langbank)

Josie Knight (Dingle, Ireland)

Jess Roberts (Carmarthen)

Ella MacLean-Howell (Llantrisant)

Evie Richards (Malvern)

Charlotte Worthington (Chorlton-Cum-Hardy)

Beth Shriever (Braintree)

Emily Hutt (London)

Diving

Jack Laugher (Ripon)

Jordan Houldon (Sheffield)

Noah Williams (London)

Kyle Kothari (London)

Anthony Harding (Ashton-Under-Lyne)

Tom Daley (Plymouth)

Yasmin Harper (Sheffield)

Grace Reid (Edinburgh)

Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix (London)

Lois Toulson (Cleckheaton)

Scarlett Mew-Jensen (London)

Equestrian

Carl Hester (Sark, Channel Islands)

Tom McEwen (London)

Scott Brash (Peebles)

Harry Charles (Alton)

Ben Maher (London)

Lottie Fry (Den Hout, The Netherlands)

Becky Moody (Gunthwaite)

Ros Canter (Louth)

Laura Collett (Royal Leamington Spa)

Field hockey

Tim Nurse (London)

Nick Park (Reading)

Jack Waller (London)

David Ames (Cookstown)

Jacob Draper (Cwmbran)

Zachary Wallace (Kingston-Upon-Thames)

Rupert Shipperley (London)

Sam Ward (Leicester)

James Albery (Cambridge)

Phil Roper (Chester)

David Goodfield (Shrewsbury)

Ollie Payne (Totnes)

Liam Sanford (Wegberg, Germany)

Lee Morton (Glasgow)

Thomas Sorsby (Sheffield)

Conor Williamson (London)

Will Calnan (London)

Gareth Furlong (London)

Laura Unsworth (Sutton Coldfield)

Anna Toman (Derby)

Hannah French (Ipswich)

Sarah Jones (Cardiff)

Amy Costello (Edinburgh)

Sarah Robertson (Melrose)

Charlotte Watson (Dundee)

Tessa Howard (Durham)

Isabelle Petter (Loughborough)

Giselle Ansley (Brixham)

Hollie Pearne-Webb (Duffield)

Fiona Crackles (Kirkby Lonsdale)

Sophie Hamilton (Bruton)

Lily Owsley (Bristol)

Flora Peel (Cheltenham)

Miriam Pritchard (Loughborough)

Golf

Matt Fitzpatrick (Sheffield)

Tommy Fleetwood (Dubai, U.A.E.)

Charley Hull (Kettering)

Georgia Hall (Bournemouth)

Gymnastics

Joe Fraser (Birmingham)

Harry Hepworth (Leeds)

Jake Jarman (Peterborough)

Luke Whitehouse (Halifax)

Max Whitlock (Hemel Hempstead)

Zak Perzamanos (Liverpool)

Becky Downie (Nottingham)

Ruby Evans (Cardiff)

Georgia-Mae Fenton (Gravesend)

Alice Kinsella (Sutton Coldfield)

Abi Martin (Paignton)

Bryony Page (Sheffield)

Isabelle Songhurst (Poole)

Judo

Chelsie Giles (Coventry)

Lele Naire (Weston-Super-Mare)

Lucy Renshall (St. Helens)

Katie-Jemima Yeats-Brown (Pembury)

Emma Reid (Royston)

Pentathlon

Charlie Brown (Kidderminster)

Joe Choong (London)

Kerenza Bryson (Plymouth)

Kate French (Chapmanslade)

Rowing

James Robson (Oundle)

Ollie Wynne-Griffith (Guildford)

Tom George (Cheltenham)

Oli Wilkes (Matlock)

David Ambler (London)

Matt Aldridge (Christchurch)

Freddie Davidson (London)

Tom Barras (Staines-Upon-Thames)

Callum Dixon (London)

Matt Haywood (Burton Upon Trent)

Graeme Thomas (Burton)

Sholto Carnegie (Oxford)

Rory Gibbs (Street)

Morgan Bolding (Weybridge)

Jacob Dawson (Portsmouth)

Charlie Elwes (Radley)

Tom Digby (Henley-On-Thames)

James Rudkin (Northampton)

Tom Ford (Holmes Chapel)

Harry Brightmore (Chester)

Henry Fieldman (Barnes)

Liv Bates (Nottingham)

Chloe Brew (Plymouth)

Rebecca Edwards (Aughnacloy)

Becky Wilde (Taunton)

Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne (London)

Emily Craig (Pembury)

Imogen Grant (Cambridge)

Helen Backshall (Truro)

Esme Booth (Stratford-Apon-Avon)

Samantha Redgrave (Frinton)

Rebecca Shorten (Belfast)

Lauren Henry (Lutterworth)

Hannah Scott (Coleraine)

Lola Anderson (London)

Georgina Brayshaw (Leeds)

Heidi Long (London)

Rowan McKellar (Glasgow)

Holly Dunford (Tadworth)

Emily Ford (Holmes Chapel)

Lauren Irwin (Peterlee)

Eve Stewart (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Harriet Taylor (Chertsey)

Annie Campbell-Orde (Wells)

Lucy Glover (Warrington)

Rugby

Abi Burton (Wakefield)

Kayleigh Powell (Llantrisant)

Amy Wilson-Hardy (Poole)

Ellie Boatman (Camberley)

Ellie KIldunne (Keighley)

Emma Uren (London)

Grace Crompton (Epsom)

Heather Cowell (Isleworth)

Isla Norman-Bell (Gillingham)

Jade Shekells (Hartpury)

Jasmine Joyce-Butchers (St. Davids)

Lauren Torley (Flackwell Heath)

Lisa Thomson (Hawick)

Megan Jones (Cardiff)

Sailing

Connor Bainbridge (Halifax)

James Peters (Tunbridge Wells)

Fynn Sterritt (Inverness)

Sam Sills (Launceston)

Micky Beckett (Solva)

Chris Grube (Chester)

John Grimson (Leicester)

Emma Wilson (Christchurch)

Ellie Aldridge (Parkstone)

Hannah Snellgrove (Lymington)

Freya Black (Redhill)

Saskia Tidey (Dublin, Ireland)

Vita Heathcote (Southampton)

Anna Burnet (London)

Shooting

Mike Bargeron (Bromley)

Matthew Coward-Holley (Chelmsford)

Nathan Hales (Chatham)

Seonaid McIntosh (Edinburgh)

Lucy Hall (York)

Amber Rutter (Windsor)

Skateboarding

Andy Macdonald (Newton, Massachusetts)

Sky Brown (Takanabe, Japan)

Lola Tambling (Saltash)

Swimming

Ben Proud (London)

Alex Cahoon (Fairford)

Matt Richards (Droitwich Spa)

Jacob Whittle (Alfreton)

Duncan Scott (Glasgow)

Kieran Bird (Street)

Daniel Jervis (Resolven)

Oliver Morgan (Bishops Castle)

Jonathon Marshall (Southend-On-Sea)

Luke Greenbank (Crewe)

Adam Peaty (Uttoxeter)

James Wilby (Glasgow)

Jimmy Guy (Timperley)

Tom Dean (Maidenhead)

Max Litchfield (Chesterfield)

Joe Litchfield (Chesterfield)

Jack McMillan (Belfast)

Hector Pardoe (Wrexham)

Toby Robinson (Wolverhampton)

Kate Shortman (Clifton)

Isabelle Thorpe (Clifton)

Anna Hopkin (Chorley)

Kathleen Dawson (Kirkcaldy)

Medi Harris (Porthmadog)

Honey Osrin (Portsmouth)

Katie Shanahan (Glasgow)

Angharad Evans (Cambridge)

Keanna Macinnes (Edinburgh)

Laura Stephens (London)

Abbie Wood (Buxton)

Freya Colbert (Grantham)

Eva Okaro (Sevenoaks)

Lucy Hope (Melrose)

Freya Anderson (Birkenhead)

Leah Crisp (Wakefield)

Table tennis

Liam Pitchford (Chesterfield)

Anna Hursey (Tianjin, China)

Taekwondo

Bradly Sinden (Doncaster)

Caden Cunningham (Huddersfield)

Jade Jones (Bodelwyddan)

Rebecca McGowan (Dumbarton)

Tennis

Jack Draper (London)

Dan Evans (Dubai, U.A.E.)

Joe Salisbury (London)

Neal Skupski (Liverpool)

Sir Andy Murray (Leatherhead)

Katie Boulter (Woodhouse Eaves)

Heather Watson (St. Peter Port, Channel Islands)

Triathlon

Sam Dickinson (York)

Alex Yee (London)

Beth Potter (Bearsden)

Georgia Taylor-Brown (Leeds)

Kate Waugh (Newcastle Upon Tyne)

Weightlifting

Emily Campbell (Bulwell)

[stellasfilmblog]

Last week's podcast of the week

Last weeks podcast of the week was not actually a podcast, it was an audiobook - Doctor Who - The 10th Doctor Adventures, Volume 1 (Written by Matt Fitton, Jenny T. Colgan and James Goss, Narrated by David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Rachael Stirling, Alan Cox, Terry Molloy, Beth Chalmers and Niky Wardley). I am very excited for the new doctor who episodes coming out later this month so I decided to listen to this audiobook. It was amazing, just like being inside a doctor who episode. I thought it was worth mentioning on the blog because the scriptwriters did an amazing job. This showed me just how powerful sound can be, I was able to really clearly imagine the doctor who episode happening. This audiobook was broken down into 3 separate 40 minute stories - just like the tv show.

[gerryandersontv]

Pod 177: Jules de Jongh (2/2)

Pod 177: Jules de Jongh (2/2)

THIS WEEK: Jules de Jongh discusses the underrated New Captain Scarlet, playing Harmony Angel, and overcoming obstacles in the production process. Moving to the present day, she talks about filling Lois Maxwell’s shoes by voicing Atlanta in the new Stingray audio adventures Operation Icecap and (coming soon) Monster from the Deep! This episode is also packed with joyful and heartfelt tributes to…

[kowarth]

Over on Twitter @DWComicArt has the #loyhargil challenge, blank sketch covers to commemorate next weeks Brand New @titancomics 7th Doctor mini series.

Here are a few of my attempts: ‘Do you want to come with me?’ ‘New Adventures’ and ‘Grandmaster’

[drwhoboards]

Doctor Who moodboard: Raine Creevy + fencing (requested by: anon)

[mari-beau]

When the Bough Breaks: Chapter Two

(A Brokenwood Mysteries fanfic)

FANDOM: The Brokenwood Mysteries PAIRING: Simmers (Kristin Sims/Daniel Chalmers) CHARACTERS: Mike Shepherd, Kristin Sims, Daniel Chalmers, Gina Kadinsky, Random OCs RATING: Teen+ (for now; later parts may become higher) WARNINGS: Dead bodies/death (and other such associated with Murder Mysteries) STORY SUMMARY: When a woman is found lying dead outside a treehouse motel, it hits close to home for one of the detectives. Meanwhile, Brokenwood is facing a spree of seemingly random petty crimes committed by random persons. And Kristin and Daniel's personal relationship faces challenges. CHAPTER SUMMARY: (Mike POV) A seemingly accidental death holds more mysteries (and revelations) than expected.

READ CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

It was a beautiful summer morning in Brokenwood. Blue skies with a couple fluffy clouds. Birds singing. Green leaves rustling in a gentle, warm breeze. Not too hot. Not too cool. 

A fantastic day to be alive.

Which somehow made being called to a suspicious death first thing all the more depressing.

Mike Shepherd greeted the officers who’d already secured the scene and nodded to Constable Hayward who was taking information from an individual who seemed rather like he’d had enough (likely the owner of the property who had discovered the body).

Gina thankfully wasn’t on scene yet. But neither were his detectives, either.  They would’ve been helpful to the poor overwrought constable with the witness, and for searching the scene with their keen eyes. But honestly, Mike liked having his quiet moment with the deceased, without the amused looks his colleagues exchanged over their eccentric boss.

Aw, such a shame. It always was, wasn’t it. But the younger they were, the shorter their lives, the more tragic it seemed. The brunette woman lying still as death itself on the ground, her eyes staring unblinking and lifeless at the treetops swaying in the blue, blue sky… well, she was definitely no older than Detective Sims, perhaps younger, late 20s or early 30s. Death had taken the vitality from her skin, her eyes, her limbs, which often made it more difficult to hazard a guess at age than with the living. 

He crouched down next to the dead woman.

“Good morning…uh… Apologies. I didn’t get your name yet.” He looked up at the treetops and sky… and very fancy looking treehouse. Apparently, it was a thing now. Instead of little cabins, or blocks of motel rooms, treehouse rentals… People never stopped surprising Mike. For good. Or bad. “We’ll take care of you. But first, do you want to tell me what happened? He glanced around, saw the large tree limb lying beside her. Decide to go for a nighttime climb? Hm…”

“Oh my god.” 

Mike glanced up just in time to catch Kristin Sims’ fleeing back as she staggered several yards away to vomit next to a tree. He exchanged a brief shocked glance with Daniel Chalmers before the detective constable was sprinting to his partner’s side.

That was quite strange. Kristin was a seasoned veteran of crime scenes and dead bodies. It was also a little strange to watch Daniel comforting her, a hand rubbing her back as she remained doubled over, his fingers brushing the hair back out of her face as he leaned in close and talked quietly to her. 

Oh, Mike knew they were romantically involved, would smugly maintain that he’d known there was something going on between them before they did. But they’d told him about a month after they’d finally figured out they were harboring the same sort of feelings for one another and did something about it. And their relationship had never interfered with their work (that he knew of), had seemed to change absolutely nothing, not even an increase in affectionate looks or absent-minded touches (while on duty, anyway).

So witnessing Daniel being the caring partner he was at a crime scene was nearly as shocking as Kristin getting sick at one.

And kind of sweet. 

Beth had been right; Mike was married to the job. But that didn’t mean he never longed for companionship, didn’t appreciate what it was to share your life with another person. He just also happened to share a good portion of his life with the job, too. Maybe Kristin and Daniel had gotten it right. The whole idea that cops shouldn’t date other cops was perhaps a fallacy. Maybe only another cop could truly understand... 

Kristin was waving Daniel off, using the trunk of the nearby tree as support rather than her solid-as partner. In an uncharacteristic public display of affection, he kissed her cheek, his hand stroking one last lingering caress down her arm before he left her standing there, obviously struggling to get her professional composure back.

“Do you have someone like that?” Mike asked the dead woman as Daniel made his way back to the scene. “We’ll get you home to them soon.”

 Mike raised his eyebrows in question when Daniel came to stand beside him and the body.

“Kristin knows the deceased,” he supplied, his face in its deliberately neutral professional detective position. “Her name is Veronica.”

Mike nodded. Got to his feet. 

“Does she need to sit this one out?”

“Nah,” Daniel said. “You know Kristin. She’ll be fine. Just give her a mo.”

Mike nodded again. Kristin was resilient and reliable. But during all her years working in Brokenwood, no case had hit close to home before. 

Daniel leaned in a little closer. “She uh… also said that Veronica was pregnant.”

Mike glanced back at the dead woman. She was lying on her back, wearing what looked like relaxed-fit yoga clothes, appearing almost peaceful in the soft mix of moss and grass. She was an average build, but sure enough, there was a curve to her belly that could be due to pregnancy. Mike silently gave his condolences to the woman for the loss of her child, as well as her life.

“Oh, I do not like this, Michael.”

Gina had arrived.

“It’s always tragic when a young person has an untimely end.” 

“No, not that.” She brushed off his empathy, but glanced at the dead woman and added, “Well, yes it is unfortunate. But not unexpected.”

Mike exchanged a bewildered look with Daniel, but wasn’t as shocked by Gina’s assertion as the younger detective. Her trains of thought were often hard to follow. And Daniel had less tolerance for what often seemed quite a callous attitude from the medical examiner.

“Why not unexpected?” Mike asked.

“With that-” Gina waved a hand at the treehouse rental just a few yards away, looming overhead. “Hut like that of Baba Yaga. Even has roots like chicken legs.” She eyed the treehouse rental more closely, then the surrounding manicured landscape and beyond to the untamed woods. She clutched the snake tooth charm pendant to her chest. Shook her head. “She should’ve known not to enter such a place as this. It’s inviting the interest of Baba Yaga.”

“Baba Yaga?” Daniel asked. He looked equal parts bewildered and fed up with Gina’s rambling tales.

“Isn’t she a Russian witch?” Mike tried to redirect the medical examiner, which was never an easy feat. “So shouldn’t have to worry about her down here, eh?”

“Oh, no, Michael. Baba Yaga is known in many of the forests of Europe, as well as Russia. The primordial forests are all her home.”

Oh, great. A hard redirect was necessary.

“Can you tell me what the cause of death was?” Mike asked. “Aside from possibly Baba Yaga?”

He suppressed his grin as he glanced back at Daniel, who rolled his eyes. Kristin had arrived, still looking ashen, but she gave an attempt at a smile anyway.

“I’m sorry, are we saying the cause of death is what sounds like some sort of Eastern European stew?” she asked.

“It is not good to joke about Baba Yaga. She is a very powerful-”

“Can we focus on the actual real woman lying on the ground here,” Mike said. The medical examiner and detectives were top notch in Mike’s book, but sometimes they needed a more forceful reminder to stay on task. “Are we thinking she fell from the tree?”

Daniel approached the base of the large pine supporting the treehouse structure about 6 or 7 meters up. He looked up, shadowing his eyes against the bright rays of morning sun breaking through the canopy of leaves, and pointed at a large, raw, white scar on a part of the trunk that branched out from where the little house structure was nestled. 

“Maybe she climbed out on a limb for some reason…” Daniel walked back towards them, stopped beside the broken bough lying beside the body. “It broke under her weight, she fell… Hit her head? Broke her neck?”

“Gina?” Michael asked as the medical examiner did her cursory evaluation of the body. 

“No obvious signs of a broken vertebrae,” she said. “But that does not mean she did not suffer cervical fractures.” She pulled her hands away from palpating the woman’s neck and head, blood showing stark on her latex gloves. “Oh, definitely have a wound to the back of the head.”

Hm… Gina wouldn’t say the likely cause at this stage, Mike knew. 

“So it could have been accidental?” Kristin asked. If Veronica had been a friend, then Mike couldn’t blame the detective for wanting her death to be an accident, rather than someone wanting to harm the woman. “But why would she be climbing a tree in the wee hours of the morning? If that’s when we think-”

“I could not say at this juncture.” Gina held to her typical line.

“Alright,” Mike stood. “Chalmers, help Hayward with the witness statement.” 

“You got it.” Rather than immediately jumping to it, Daniel hesitated, stepping in close to Kristin, bowing his head to whisper into her ear before looking her straight in the face. Her expression remained neutral when she replied equally inaudibly, but she gave her partner a slight smile when he squeezed her arm before heading off to carry out Mike’s orders.

“You alright?” It felt wrong to even ask the seasoned detective, but also, Kristin Sims was a friend. And he was concerned. 

“Yes. I’m fine.” She sighed and gave him an apologetic look for the snappy tone. “Sorry. I’m good. Thanks, Mike.”

He nodded. “What can you tell me about the deceased?”

“Um… Not a whole lot, actually.” Kristin shifted her weight from one leg to the other and back, cleared her throat. For a woman who pried into other people’s personal lives, she got rather uncomfortable about her own. 

“You were friends?” Mike prompted. 

“Ye-es…” She made a face, shaking her head somewhat, not committing to the answer. “More like acquaintances.”

It figured. Interviewing detectives could be the most difficult of anyone. 

“But she confided in you that she was pregnant?”

“Yes.” He could see that she could see that he was becoming frustrated. She gave him another apologetic smile. “It’s that type of thing, though, where it’s easier to tell a stranger stuff than someone who knows you really well… you know?”

Ah, yes. Mike had experienced that before. It created a sort of bond of friendship with a person, even though you weren’t at all close. He nodded.

“Do you know anything about her living situation?” He glanced back up at the treehouse rental. “Family? Work?”

Kristin shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. She never mentioned a partner. I think her job was maybe remote work?”

“Alright. Not sure there’s much else to learn here,” he said, giving the scene another once over. “Let’s head back to the station, piece together what we can about Veronica and her unfortunate accident.”

“Your gut’s telling you it’s not accident, though, isn’t it?”

Mike nodded. 

Kristin grimaced, but strode off in her all-business way to collect her partner. Gina was overseeing the packing up and transportation of the body. He would instruct the uniforms to preserve the scene for a while longer, but forensics was packing up what little evidence there’d been to gather.

Well, Veronica, Mike thought. What on earth -or should I say, what in the treetops- happened to you?

[nofatclips]

A Place Above (featuring Cillian Murphy) and I’m the Man (featuring Atticus Ross) by Jehnny Beth from the album To Love is To Live - Director: Anthony Byrne

[being-of-rain]

Jesus Christ. There's meta, and then there's In Living Memory, the Bernice Summerfield box set finale.