My Shiny Toy Robots

Zygons , Zygons everywhere! Last week this newest season of Doctor Who really hit its stride with The Zygon Invasion , as the human/Zygon ceasefire dating all the way back to The Day of the Doctor began to crumble. The Zygon invasion had already begun, Kate Stewart was at the mercy of a Zygon in Mexico and the Doctor and Osgood were about to be blasted out of the sky but none other than Clara Oswald . Of course, it wasn't actually Clara but in fact a Zygon duplicate by the name of Bonnie. Now we pick things up in part two of the story - The Zygon Inversion , written again by Peter Harness but this time with the added input of Steven Moffat . There will be truth, or there will be consequences.

Despite having only appeared in one story in the classic series its amazing how the Zygons have stood the test of time to become one of Doctor Who's more memorable monsters. Their appearance in 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor was a nice way of bringing them forward into the modern era, however there was a bit too much going on in that episode to really give them the focus they deserved. However the episode sowed the seeds for The Zygon Invasion , the first of a two part story which also addresses another plot point that has arisen since then. Written by Peter Harness (who also wrote last year's Kill the Moon ), this episode also sees the return of Osgood - the UNIT scientist with a penchant for dressing up in the Doctor's old wardrobes.

It's almost time for a brand new series of Doctor Who , so what better time than now for Character Options  to spring a brand new selection of figures on us! However the contents of this pre-season eight wave is a subject for another review, as here we're going to be looking at something a lot more exciting - vehicles! And vehicles that aren't the TARDIS no less! The new 3.75"  scale has already opened new doors with play sets and mini vehicles, but here is our first full-sized one. And Character have picked the perfect thing to start with - the Dalek Patrol Ship  that first appeared in the 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor .

Most of my Doctor Who figure reviews these days are opened with my lamenting the demise of the long-standing 5" scale line in favour of the newer 3.75" scale, but for once here's a review of a brand new figure that isn't a remould or re-release! Even if this scale is on its way out (and those signs are increasingly pointing to 'yes'), Character Options and Underground Toys have conjured up one last hurrah with a figure that would sorely be missing from people's collections had it not been made. Appearing in the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor and played by the legendary John Hurt , here is the long awaited 5" Other Doctor figure. Of course, the "Other Doctor" is a stupid name that's being used on all his merchandising, so for the rest of the review I'll be referring to him by what most fans call him - the War Doctor .

As I've very much come to terms with the fact that 3.75" is the scale most Doctor Who figures produced by Character Options  are going to be from here on out, I've also come to terms with the fact that I'll probably be buying a lot less as well. Daleks are always going to be a priority no matter the size, but until the sculpt quality improves it looks like I'll be sticking to a few choice figures per wave. And the choice figure of wave 2 is of course the Zygon , the classic Who monster that made its' first (and only) appearance in the 4th Doctor story Terror of the Zygons before making a return in the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor last year.

So it's finally here. On the 23rd November at precisely 17:16pm the very first episode of Doctor Who aired, and at the time I'm sure no one thought we'd still be here 50 years later. The show has experienced some turbulent times over the years, but in the last eight years has arguably bounced back bigger and stronger than ever, and was in perfect position to celebrate its golden anniversary in style. There have been plenty of wonderful productions to celebrate this momentous occasion - Big Finish's own multi-Doctor crossover audio "The Light at the End" , Gatiss' moving docudrama about the birth of the show "An Adventure in Space and Time" and even a wonderful skit of Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy (that's Doctors 5, 6 and 7) going on an epic quest to earn a place in the anniversary special. Each has served a different purpose and celebrated in its own special way, but this is the big one - the television 50th anniversary...