The Twelfth Doctor is Peter Capaldi…

Couldn’t be happier that the 12th Doctor will be played by the fantastic Peter Capaldi whom at 55 years old is the same age as William Hartnell was when the adventure started 50 years ago…

Peter Capaldi

My only concern at this stage is the quality of scripts that that he will be given and the stories that he has to tell. Please Moffat, make them worthy of this great actor who has been nominated for 7 BAFTA’s and won twice. He deserves the scripts you didn’t give Matt Smith…

Like a child, I can’t wait till Christmas but for now… Roll on the 50th Anniversary special.

M

Moli goes to the Proms…

Last night I was one of the very few lucky people to attend the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, London.  The music from the TV Series was performed by the London Philharmonic Choir, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conducted by Ben Foster.

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Before proceedings began I managed to get a picture with Composer Murray Gold.

Moli & Murray Gold

As is customary with Sci-Fi fans, loads of people dressed up as The Doctor that I think looks really good but I did feel sorry for one man who dressed up as Tom Baker’s Doctor complete with long scarf. Given that Saturday was 32c and the inside of the Royal Albert Hall was hotter than the sun, I’m shocked he didn’t die from heat exhaustion.

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

I also loved seeing all the Monsters and Aliens running around to the music and not forgetting an amazing looking TARDIS. The time passed all too quickly and it was all over.

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Doctor Who Proms 2013

Afterwards a large crowd moved to the stage door where I managed to meet the cast and composer Ben Foster who signed my TARDIS shaped programme, at one point a fan shouted, ‘Wear my Fez’ which he kindly did.

Doctor Who Proms 2013 - Ben Foster

Doctor Who Proms 2013 - Ben Foster Signed Programme

Doctor Who Proms 2013 - Ben Foster wears a Fez

All in all an excellent night for a Doctor Who fan like me.

Doctor Who Proms 2013

I can’t wait to watch it again on TV. Roll on November for the Actual 50th birthday celebration.

M

Moli vs Food…

Last night I visited a London burger restaurant called MEATliquor that has as much in common with McDonalds as Tom Jones has singing quietly.  I’ve been meaning to go along for over a year now and the first indication that this place is somewhat different was the long queue to get into the place and the big muscle bound bouncer on the door controlling the crowd which isn’t something you normally see unless your going into a popular nightclub, however I have had to wait for a table with a 1990’s pager for company which doesn’t really compare.

MEATliquor

The smell of cooking meat to the poor starving masses waiting outside for a table results in some licking of windows and sad faces pressed up upon the glass that results in the owners taking pity on the crowd by offering them onion rings and dips to help us through the excruciating wait for processed meat.

MEATliquor

The wait wasn’t actually that long and finally we entered what my dad would have called ‘The Black Hole Of Calcutta’ If you can imagine a Victorian building with ornate architecture than have someone break in during the night and graffiti the place, break all the lights and the spray fake blood everywhere, (Hope its fake) then you have the interior of MEATliquor, a cross between a Gothic nightclub and an Abattoir after closing.

MEATliquor

MEATliquor

The beer as you would expect in London was the same cost as refueling the Space Shuttle but the expectation that you open the can yourself and the pour it into your glass while being given the option of given them a gratuity was a little hard to swallow unlike the beer which given the warm night, slipped down easy. The menu was simple with a few options for Sides and Mains that we ordered by inspection lamp. The food in the darkness looked like typical fast food fair but when taking the pictures I was shocked to discover that the fat content layered over the food was the same as you might find in a sewer, which just happens to be secreted beneath a branch of KFC.

MEATliquor

MEATliquor

MEATliquor

Maybe the lack of lighting is designed to deceive the unsuspecting customer that the meal they are about to eat won’t give them a heart attack 30 seconds after leaving the building. The tastes however were excellent as you would expect from a bad food fat rush but it was by no means the best burger I’ve ever had. It was an interesting experience and I would recommend that you go for that reason alone but now I’ve done it, I’m not sure I would need to go again nor could my health face a second dose of exposure. I’ve done my tour of duty and now its up to you.

M

MEATliquor can be found at 74 Welbeck St, London W1G 0BA

 

Moli & Eve…

As a Doctor Who fan its only fair that I watch and eventually love BBC’s Torchwood.  It’s a darker show than DW and closer to what I would like the show to be like. More for adults who’ve invested 50 years hiding behind the sofa and watching Doctor after Doctor regenerate.  I don’t expect the show to become ‘X’ rated but harder and darker wouldn’t hurt.  The reason I mention Torchwood is that at the weekend I was lucky enough to meet Eve Myles who plays Gwen Cooper. 

Eve Myles

Eve Myles - Signed Photo

It’s always nice to meet people who you admire and in the case of Eve Myles she was the nicest person you could ever hope to meet.  Very interested in what you had to say and I couldn’t have felt more welcome.  What a contrast to ‘The Hoff ‘ who couldn’t have had more contempt for the fans if he tried.  He could barely lift his head to say hello and was more interested in chatting to his friends than the people who were waiting to say hello.  He was frankly rude. 

David Hasselhoff

David Hasselhoff - Signed Photo

As you can see, he’s looking old and past his best.  Lets hope he goes for a slow run down the beach into obscurity.

M

Moli and the Dragon…

At the weekend I set myself the challenge to photograph the Columbia Road flower market in Bethnal Green and maybe have a drink and some food at The Royal Oak.  However, when the time came and the weather turned to lovely and hot which is a rare and amazing sight I decided that I should make the most of the sunlight.  Walking towards the DLR station I noticed that my local boating club was hosting the London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival.  The dragon boats are long and low in the water with teams all rowing together.

London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2013

London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2013

 

The various teams came from all backgrounds and skill levels but there was a big contingent from the city banks that battled to the finish line in their Dragon Boats, which looked amazing.  Clearly fitness is essential but a good paddle technique made the difference between the winners and the loser’s with some big gaps between them. 

 

London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2013

London Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival 2013

 

The festival also included live music, food and the constant playing of the Hawaii Five-O theme tune which after several hours made my nose bleed.  However, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and seeing a fairly large crowd come together and have fun in the London Docklands.

M

Moli meets Luther…

In 2010 the BBC commissioned a TV drama called Luther staring Idris Elba, which was about a detective of the same name. The detective plays by his own rules and the trailer on BBC One failed to sell it to me and I’ve ignored it ever since. I think it had the Marmite effect on a few people, as I only know a couple of people that actually like to watch it. Idris Elba on the other hand become a big star since the shows launch and has made several Hollywood films such as Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Guy Ritchie’s Rocknrolla. The second film I particularly loved. Elba also made his name playing Russell ‘Stringer’ Bell in US televisions The Wire.

Idris Elber

Idris Elber

This week I attended the launch and Q&A for Luther season 3. Sitting down with an audience to watch a television show is something we should all do. The laughs, screams and gasps are missed when you watch it on the small screen and the opening episode certainly gave us all those emotions and more. I would go as far to say that Luther isn’t just a drama series but also a horror story akin to those from the 1980’s but a lot less corny. The production is based around East London, which is presented in an honest way, dark and gritty. The production values are very slick and movie like in its own right with director Sam Miller doing an amazing job with some brave editing and shot choices. Now I’m converted and before the season starts this July, I need to catch up on the previous two seasons.

Idris Elber & Moli

The Q&A was informative and fun as always to listen to with a real interest from Elba in making a movie prequel of Luther. However this is still in the “wish it to happen” stage. Elba’s next highlighted project is called, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, which has Elber playing the role of Nelson Mandela. Can’t wait for that.

M

A clockwork Moli…

Welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, welly, well my Droogs…

May has been a fairly busy month for things going on. The start of the month was very busy on the river with the Royal Navy arrivals for the 70th anniversary of the battle of the Atlantic. The icing on the cake was the final visit of HMS Illustrious which compared to the US aircraft carriers is fairly small, however, seeing ‘Lusty’ passing your lounge window at close range I can confirm she’s the biggest ship I’ve ever seen pass the Thames.

HMS Illustrious

A couple of days later I had the chance to go on board her and meet some of the crew which was a real thrill. Unlike the visit to HMS Ocean last year, I was able to wander around the flight deck with leisure and imagine Harrier’s landing on a rolling deck out at sea. The crews were more than willing to answer your questions and I even got a chance to board a helicopter and chat to its pilot.

HMS Illustrious

HMS Illustrious

HMS Illustrious

HMS Illustrious

The whole day was great fun and made me proud of our armed forces and the job they do. It’s a shame that the whole fleet of Invincible-class aircraft carriers are being decommissioned. The replacement, HMS Queen Elizabeth won’t be available for some time and when it does, it won’t fit into the Thames. So this will be the last aircraft carrier to visit Greenwich, London.

Today, I was lucky enough to meet current Doctor Who companion Jenna-Louise Coleman. She was very pleasant and ever so tiny.

Jenna-Louise Coleman

Jenna-Louise Colman

I also managed to meet actor Malcolm McDowell. I’ve been a fan of his for quite some time ever since I watched Stanley Kubrick’s ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

Malcolm McDowell
Malcom Mcdowell

We spoke for a short while and I told him that during the films banned years my university lecturer managed to get hold of a fairly worn out VHS copy of the film and we secretly met to watch it, calling ourselves ‘The Citrus Club’. He said that he had heard of students doing that sort of thing, which led to its cult film status in the UK. He also asked if we watched it this with the aid of Marjuana. Apparently that was fairly common too…

All in all, an interesting few of weeks… I’m off now for some Moloko plus.

M

The 7.39, location filming…

While out walking along the Southbank I bumped into the filming of a new BBC drama called, The 7.39, a new two-part romantic drama written by David Nicholls. It’s stars David Morrissey (The Walking Dead) and Sheridan Smith (Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) and here are some pictures from the production.

The 7.39 - David Morrissey & Sheridan Smith

The 7.39 - David Morrissey & Sheridan Smith

The 7.39 - David Morrissey & Sheridan Smith

The 7.39 - David Morrissey & Sheridan Smith

The 7.39 - David Morrissey & Sheridan Smith

The Funeral of Margret Thatcher…

The funeral of Margret Thatcher has certainly been a contentious issue and the cost staggering.  Her life and death have divided people across the country and certainly the reported £10,000,000 cost for her funeral is defiantly an expenditure that the country could do without.  However, she has been accorded the honor of a Military Funeral and given that the last former Prime Minister to be honored in this way was Winston Churchill over 60 years ago, I felt the need to attend and witness some history in the making.

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

I was a little concerned that some trouble would break out from protestors but apart from a little shouting nothing really happened. The crowd was mainly made up of white, middle aged, middle class men and women whom applauded the coffin as it past and threw flowers.

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

On the whole, the crowd’s nature was respectful. The armed police did focus their attentions on one poor chap who clearly didn’t look right to them.  He also happened to be the only foreign looking chap in the sea of white faces.  I listened as they questioned him in detail and heard his life story.  He was a hard workingman who wanted to pay his respects and nothing else.  He looked so shocked to be picked out and I felt really sorry for him as everyone stared at him with menace.

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

The Funeral of Baroness Margret Thatcher

The military element of the funeral was fascinating to watch and timed to perfection, arriving at exactly 11am with every step planned and every movement practiced.  I managed to speak to a friend of Baroness Thatcher after the ceremony was over and asked how the service went.  She said that it was ‘just how Margret would have wanted it.’  ‘Nice and simple.’  However, I’m not sure 2300 guests, 700 military, 4000 police can be called ‘Nice and simple.’  Not to forget the cost.  It was an interesting experience and one I’m glad I did, as I doubt that I’ll have the chance to do it again.  I doubt many of our politicians will get such an honor.

M

The rest of the set can be found here…

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/xalio/sets/72157633264436753/

Time to regenerate the Doctor…

Having moved home 7 years ago I thought it was about time to change my GP instead of making the epic trip back to Mordor every time I had a sore head or bottom… Essentially it was time for the Doctor to regenerate.  I looked around the local area and decided on a practice in Docklands called, ermm… The Practice.  I’m sure better names were on offer like ‘The Medical Wonders Room’ or ‘Easy and straightforward Healthcare ‘R’ Us… but ‘The Practice’ is what they decided was the best name for a doctors surgery.  I guess it doesn’t really matter but anyone who wants to practice healthcare on me can go ‘forget themselves’ as they say in pre 9pm action movies.  My first visit was simple enough if you don’t mind being asked every question every thought of by mankind and trying to work out how much alcohol I drink every night then converting it into units.  I felt like I was doing one of those math’s exams where you have to work out how many buckets of water Jane has left after an hour of being smacked in the face with a wet kipper and standing on one leg.  I gave up thinking about such questions a long time ago and in this case I felt it better to go with the answer less likely to cause me to face any Guantanamo Bay style interrogations about my drinking habits and went with, 1 drink a month.  To be fair, they never actually asked me how big the glass was or whether it was half full or half empty, and anyway, the nice lady behind the desk seemed to accept that I was a tee total, salad eating exercise freak that clearly didn’t need a doctor and she took my registration details and assured me that my medical notes would transfer over in two weeks.  Now, being such a healthy person that never gets sick I felt that I’d never really need to see the GP and looked forward to never going any time soon.  Then, in one month I got the worst Flu ever contracted by humans.  Even Bird Flu would have been a welcome relief from the long slow death that was MoliFlu.  Then I got Norovirus, which as I mentioned in my previous writings, turned my body inside out.  Then I got ‘A Bout of Gout’ so severe my foot actually exploded. This might actually sound a little like an exaggeration but its all true.  I was a poorly chap. Now, you would excuse me for wanting to visit my doctor and maybe asking for some sort of medical help.   So, I called up and asked for an appointment.  This would appear to be an inside joke at ‘The Practice’ and after ten minutes of continuous laughter I was told that before the doctor could see me I had to see the nurse for a medical check up.  I did try and explain that I knew that I was sick and that my Flu ridden, Inside out body with an exploded foot was proof of this.  However, Dorothea Binz (look her up) on the reception desk said that I really had to see the nurse for the health check.  After several hours of pleading I gave in and agreed to see the nurse.  What time do I come along I asked.  Oh, we are fully booked came the response.  Try again tomorrow. I returned to my pain and suffering and called for several days, getting nowhere fast.  I eventually threatened biological warfare on them, which basically means taking a dump through their letterbox.  Given my liquid state that was considered too much of a threat and I was offered an appointment to see the nurse in two weeks time or I could go to the walk in centre at the local hospital and as you all know, this isn’t an alternative given the Belsen level conditions at most NHS hospitals.  So, I took the appointment and waited as my symptoms got better naturally without the aid of modern medicine, which would have made it painless and quicker for me to return to work as a productive employee.  The two weeks came by and I went along to meet the nurse for my health check.  I had thought about taking her some sort of offering, maybe a recently slaughtered lamb or a fruit basket to show my respect to this deity. I decided that this would be either messy or difficult to carry and went empty handed.  I waited for ages and ages as name after name flashed across the dot matrix machine display screen like those found in a dodgy mobile phone store. ‘ We unlock your phone.’ On a side note, I must say that I was shocked to discover the poor health of the Asian and Eastern European communities, as there names flashed up constantly while I waited for my turn to meet the great one. Poor people.  As it turned out, The Great One was a little lady that looked rather stressed and when I walked into the room, she was busy clearing away needles that she said had nothing to do with her and was a little scared as to where they had come from.  I pointed out that not only should she be worried about the pile of needles but maybe she should also be a little scared of the open pot of piss on the table.

Piss Pot

She tried to excuse the condition of the room and the needle and piss fest, as not being her normal room and that she really had no idea who had left it like this. I accepted this as my will was already broken and started the exciting process of being health checked.  First up was, How much do you drink?  Now, I thought for a second and said.  Haven’t you asked me this before?  She seemed a little confused by this and I just said, 1 drink a week.  She then took my height and weight.  She asked me some family history questions and that was it.  I looked hard into the tiny eyes of this tiny women and thought for a second.  Then I came out with a question that can only be asked if you have been through hell to get to this point of the story. ‘Why couldn’t you ask me all this on the phone? She looked even more confused at this comment and just carried on typing into her fairly dusty and ageing computer.  As time passed slower than watching an open bottle of piss evaporate on a dusty desk I ask ‘if that was it?’ She agreed that our visit was concluded and I thanked her for the efficient use of both our times. I then asked for some medicine as my stocks after this time had started to run fairly low. However, I might as well have asked for some Thalium or other rare element. The reply from the nurse was simple.  Oh, you have to see the doctor to get those.  Okay, I said with a positive and upbeat approach. Lets go see the doctor.  Oh, you can’t do that.  You need to make an appointment…. I give up.

M