Exit Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall

So, Jodie Whittaker is following the example of her three predecessors being doing "three seasons and out"; her final Doctor Who story will be broadcast next autumn. Chris Chibnall will be out of the door as well.

Jodie Whittaker is a very good actor and ultimately never got the material needed to fully shine as the Doctor. I hope she does some Big Finish, which very much redeemed Colin Baker in the eyes of the fandom.

Chibnall, while having done some good stuff in the past, like Broadchurch, ultimately proved out of his depth for the show. You need someone with strong fantasy/science fiction experience as well, which he ultimately didn't have. Some of the stories were a bit too preachy - while political commentary has a strong place in science fiction, it works best when it's subtle and wrapped in an entertaining story.

As to the next Doctor, I would definitely like another woman in the role.

Black Widow & Loki

Went and saw this last weekend. Definitely highly recommended, with a great story and excellent characters. Florence Pugh is worth the price of admission on her own and definitely deserves a long stay in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

As always with Marvel movies, you should stay right to the end of the credits; there's a scene that is well worth seeing.

Also, Loki is well worth watching on Disney+; it very much fulfils its glorious purpose and while Tom Hiddleston is brilliant, Sophia Di Martino is the icing on the cake.

All in all, Marvel is doing very well at the moment and What If? in particular looks very interesting.

Coronavirus #31: To mask or not to mask

With increasing cases of the highly contagious Delta variant in the UK, there is concern that making masks voluntary on 19 July will simply make things worse.

Masks are more about protecting others from expelled virus than protecting yourself, but their impact is limited and they are not themselves a substitute for other measures like test-and-trace, self-isolation and physical distancing where possible. From my own observation, a lot fewer people are wearing masks than used to be and I am sure many of them don't have exemptions.

Public compliance and goodwill have largely gone; Matt Hancock's antics were a final straw, I would wager. 

For my part, I intend to do as Professor Chris Whitty has advised after the 19th; I will wear a mask when asked or when I can't physically keep my distance from others. I'm double jabbed anyway and also do twice-weekly lateral flow tests, which I doubt is common.