The original Dalek?

Since the dawn of The Last Great Time War has the origin of both the Dalek form and name been discussed by Whovians across our tiny little globe.

The BBCs most feared pepper pots of hate designed by Raymond Cusick, were supposedly mocked up in under an hour from a very short brief by Terry Nation, who wanted a legless antidote to the commonplace Doctor Who 'man in a suit' monster.

Nine Worlds of geekdom

When I got the call asking me to host some panels at the debut fan oriented convention Nine Worlds Geekfest, it was really hard to form an idea of what to expect. I’ve been to the vast cross section of the UKs convention and expo offerings in the science fiction, pop culture and film veins, but this was the first large-scale fan-driven residential festival I’d gone along to.

INTERVIEW: Dan Boultwood IT CAME! comic book launch at Forbidden Planet Megastore, London

I spot Dan at a distance. As ever, I can see he’s dressed for the occasion; the comic book creator is standing out, looking groomed and suited with vintage august, throwing a signature cheeky wink to his industry counterparts where casual is the prevailing trend.

We’ve only minutes before kick-off of his launch party at the flagship fanboy Mecca. Dan goes and readies himself behind the signing table as tannoy announcements are hailed and a crowd gathers to welcome another name to the establishment’s hall of creatively-minded honour.

Films: The Good, The Bad And The Thinkers

Last week I watched Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion and to be honest, I wasn’t going in to the cinema with high expectations. I’d heard the Twitter review rumbles and listened to thoughts from friends, but it was an Orange Wednesday, so the runtime-for-your-money value alone was worth the discounted gamble.

Half way through, I was definitely starting to fear a LOTR moment (when a film is so unnecessarily prolonged, you really need to pop to the toilet but don’t want to get up for fear of falling over in the dark or never being able to find the same seat again on the way back so you sit and hold, uncomfortably tight).

How to stylishly #SeeFilmDifferently

Last night I was treated to a taste of movie-star magic.

The foyer of Brighton’s Duke of York’s Picturehouse glowed invitingly, on an otherwise inclemently wan British Tuesday evening. It didn’t take long to spot the red carpet and the dapper venue staff milling around, anticipating the opening doors to their exclusive one-off screening of the 1959 classic comedy, Some Like It Hot. Starring none other than blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, I am a very lucky gal to have had a ticket to the most smouldering event in town.

INTERVIEW: The Imposter Director Bart Layton at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

Director Bart Layton's film The Imposter picked up two awards, plus received nominations for Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Achievement In Production and Best Technical Achievement.

The Imposter centres on a Texas family whose teenage son who has been missing for three years, turns up, in Spain and can now only speak with a Spanish accent. This true story gives accounts from the family, the authorities and the young Frenchman Frederic Bourdin who was found to be an imposter during investigations, exploring just how and why the family opened him into their family, despite worryingly massive missing pieces in the puzzle.

The following interview took place at the Moet British Independent Film Awards in London on 9th December 2012. 

INTERVIEW: Broken Director Rufus Norris and Cast at the British Independent Film Awards 2012

The Moët British Independent Film Award for Best British Independent Film goes to... Broken! At the 15th year of celebrating all that is incredible in the world of British independent film-making, I was treated to the cavalcade of Broken cast and crew who were in visibly high spirits (one or two who also may have taken advantage of the copious amounts of champers being handed out by the evenings sponsors, quite rightly so) to discuss their win.

In front of me, just about, sat Broken Director Rufus Norris, Editor Victoria Boydell, Producers Nick Marston and Dixie Linder and actors Eloise Laurence, Robert Emms, Clare Burt and Bill Milner, squeezed in and ready to celebrate at the after-party about to commence.

This was Rufus' debut film, an impressive way to make an entrance on the film-making scene.