Conor Riley

4 days ago | cinamore.co.uk | Conor Riley

The Story and the Engine is an intellectually thrilling premise, and in some moments, an emotionally moving one. But this fifth episode of Doctor Who Series 14, written by Nigerian poet and playwright Inua Ellams and directed by Makalla McPherson, finds itself tangled in its own web. It gesticulates towards grandeur but rarely grounds its ideas with the narrative discipline they deserve. That doesn’t stop the episode from being one of the most thematically distinctive of the season.

1 week ago | cinamore.co.uk | Conor Riley

Chichester Festival Theatre launches its 2025 season with The Government Inspector, Nikolai Gogol’s blistering satire on institutional corruption, newly adapted by Phil Porter and directed by Gregory Doran. Premiering on the same night as the UK’s local elections, the production arrives with a sharp sense of topicality, but not, unfortunately, with the sharpness of wit to match.

2 weeks ago | cinamore.co.uk | Conor Riley

The Well is a passable, slightly underwhelming entry, co-written by Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall and directed by Amanda Brotchie. Revisiting heavily trodden ground, it struggles to reach the lofty heights of its immediate predecessors. An unexpected sequel to one of Davies’ finest episodes, The Well, begins as a mystery: half the colony’s inhabitants have been shot, half assaulted, and, curiously, the mirrors in every room have been shattered.

3 weeks ago | cinamore.co.uk | Conor Riley

Lux, the second episode of the series, sees the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu) land in 1950s America to discover that the local cinema is chained up, 15 people are missing, and a cartoon character roams free from his celluloid. Taking the form of Mr Ring-A-Ding, a 2D cartoon projection voiced with theatrical flair by Alan Cumming, audiences learn that our cartoon villain is the next God of the Pantheon: Lux Imperator, God of Light.

1 month ago | cinamore.co.uk | Conor Riley

Penned by showrunner Russell T Davies and directed by Peter Hoar (It’s a Sin, The Last of Us), The Robot Revolution blends out-of-this-world adventure with a dash of social commentary, kicking off with the abduction of nurse Belinda Chandra by a race of eerie, gigantic red robots from outer space. Addressing the elephant in the room, I was apprehensive about season two. I had reservations following the disappointing conclusion in season one.