DVD: DOCTOR WHO – SERIES 9, PART 1
starring Peter Capaldi & Jenna Coleman, with Maisie Williams, Michelle Gomez, Rufus Hound, etc.
BBCShop.com : £16:99
Regardless of whether you view these episodes as the first six in Doctor Who’s ninth series (since 2005) or its 35th season (since 1963), it’s clear that Peter Capaldi’s second year is when he absolutely nails the Doctor for a new generation. This time round the itinerant Time Lord is up against underwater ghosts, Vikings, Highwaymen, feline monsters and new alien warriors the Mire – plus, of course, his oldest enemies the Daleks and their creator Davros. Full of energy, drama and sonic sunglasses, these are the stories that prove there’s still plenty of life left in this iconic BBC show.
BOOK: THE RAILWAY ATLAS OF SCOTLAND
David Spaven (Birlinn Books)
birlinn.co.uk: £30
This beautiful coffee table book showcases 181 topographical and railway maps, telling the story of Scotland’s railways from the early 19th century to the present day – and not least the bigger picture of how the needs of numerous competing railway companies and the physical realities of country’s distinctive geography impacted on each other’s development during a period of nearly 200 years. Profusely illustrated, and beautifully produced, this is precisely the kind of book that you can dip into from time to time, and be guaranteed to find something that’s both informative and enjoyable to read. Definitely not just for trainspotters.
CD: A YEAR OF SONGS
Alexander Armstrong (Rhino)
www.amazon.co.uk: £9.99
You may think you know Alexander Armstrong: actor (currently voicing CBBC’s Danger Mouse), comedian, game show host and presenter. But classical singer? Well, he did go to a cathedral school as a lad and then went on to university as a choral scholar – so he definitely has “previous”! Indeed, he definitely has the strength of voice to cover an eclectic range: from Gershwin’s “Summertime” and “Hushabye Mountain” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to the “Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)” and a choral setting of Robert Burns’s 1789 poem, “Ca’ the Youwes to the Knowes”. All in all, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
DVD: THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON
starring Robert Carlyle, Ray Winstone, Emma Thompson.
www.amazon.co.uk: £7.99
Robert Carlyle’s directorial debut is a solid, unflashy comedy in which socially inept barber Barney Thomson (Carlyle) is suspected by DI Holdall (Winstone) of murdering a series of young men and posting back body-parts to their relatives. While completely innocent of those crimes, Barney’s problem is that he’s accidentally killed his own boss, and is desperately trying to cover up the crime with the help of his scrawny mother, Cemolina – a pitch-perfect Thompson. Strongly paced, it’s a question of how long incompetents can stagger on before the unmentionable hit the fan. Definitely a cult favourite in the making!
BOOK: DEAD GIRL WALKING
Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown)
www.littlebrown.co.uk: £7.99
Former journalist Christopher Brookmyre exploded onto Scotland’s crime fiction scene in 1996 with Quite Ugly One Morning, which also introduced one of his subsequently recurring characters – the troubled investigative journalist Jack Parlabane. Dead Girl Walking is the sixth Parlabane novel, but don’t worry – this is an excellent stand-alone story which doesn’t depend on having any knowledge of the previous books. Told, like many of Brookmyres novels, through two alternating narratives, the novel subtly mixes comedy, politics, social comment and some disturbing brutality into an impressive tale that holds the attention as the momentum builds to an emotionally satisfying climax.
CD: ARCHITECT (EXPANDED EDITION)
C Duncan (FatCat Records)
www.fat-cat.co.uk: £7.99
Last summer, this somewhat wintry debut from Glasgow-based C Duncan gained rave reviews across the board for its haunting mix of layered choral harmonies, folk melodies, and psychedelic electronica. Following a nomination for the Mercury Prize, FatCat Records released this special edition which includes five bonus tracks – some perhaps not quite as strong as the original track listing, though not far off. Duncan’s voice is pleasingly androgynous; a clear-cut falsetto encapsulating the album’s theme, the innocence of the natural world. On paper, it sounds rather twee, but the aural reality is an elegant, thought-provoking and immersive treat.
First published in Nocturne #1 (Winter 2015/16)
