Now that the most recent series of Doctor Who is out of the way – and I’ve just updated that review with details of its Blu-ray steelbook release – and as there’s going to be a big gap until the next series while the BBC decide what to do, I’m going to continue rewatching the earlier series of the modern era.
I’ve already reviewed all of the series and spin-offs from Russell T Davies’ first stint as showrunner, so it’s time to move on to the fifth series overseen by Steven Moffat, which aired 15 years ago in 2010. Hard to believe it’s that old already.
With a new showrunner, Doctor, companions, Tardis and theme tune, this was another fresh start for the programme, and it worked really well. So I hope you enjoy my deep dive into it, and there are plenty of videos on my Series 5 playlist you can dig through too.
Note: This post was updated in August 2025 with details of the Blu-ray steelbook, and in November with deleted scenes and an update on the future of the show.
Twenty years after its revival, Doctor Who recently returned for its 15th series of the modern era, named Season 2 as part of the BBC’s collaboration with Disney+. I discussed that partnership and other aspects of the show’s latest revamp in my Season 1 review last year, so I don’t need to go through the same preamble here. They did change the time that the episodes are dropped online, from midnight to 8am on the day of broadcast, after the feedback they got last year, but that didn’t bother me.
Once again we’ve had an hour-long Christmas special and 8 regular episodes (which is far too few), including a 2-part finale, all overseen by Russell T Davies as showrunner, who wrote 4 of the episodes and co-wrote another. Ncuti Gatwa is back in the lead role as the Doctor, in what sadly turned out to be his final series, but Millie Gibson only appeared in a couple of stories as Ruby Sunday, as we had a new companion in the form of Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu. As with all new arrivals I was unsure what to make of Belinda at first, but she grew on me as the series went on. She never really got the time and opportunity to flourish in the way that Ruby did though, which was a pity as she did have some good moments. Still, overall this series is better than the previous one I think, as the storylines have felt stronger.
So I hope you enjoy my review of this latest series. I also have a long playlist of videos on Youtube as usual, including highlights, behind the scenes material, interviews, reactions and more, if you want to check that out as well.
Back in 2012, however, I also had a combined hard drive and DVD recorder connected to my TV, which meant I was able to record programmes, do some very basic editing and copy them on to discs. So I ended up recording a selection of shows relating to the Olympics & Paralympics, and I stored them on several DVDs, which I still have in my collection. And I’ve therefore been rewatching them as part of my nostalgia trip. They naturally aren’t as high quality as professional DVDs or Blu-rays, but they’re still good enough.
I’ve already discussed a few recordings relating to the Olympics in previous posts, as noted in the list of contents below. But here in this final post, to conclude my trip down memory lane, I’m going to run through the other stuff I captured, including our big victory parade, the Sports Personality Of The Year, documentaries, and appearances by some of the athletes on chat shows and game shows. I’ve also created a playlist with clips from some of these programmes, and some other relevant videos. So I hope you enjoy looking through it all!
Well Eye Never 