Christian Cawley's Blog, page 117

Karen Gillan Confirmed for Guardians of the Galaxy 2!

Jonathan Appleton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Karen Gillan’s arrival as a major performer in Hollywood has been confirmed with the news that she’s set to appear in the sequel to last year’s mega-hit superhero feature Guardians of the Galaxy.

Director James Gunn provided confirmation that Gillan will once again be blueing-up to play Nebula, adopted daughter of Thanos in a webchat on Periscope. The news comes as no surprise given Gunn’s enthusiasm for the character, previously voiced to Yahoo Movies:

“I love Nebula. I fell in love with the design of Nebula. I fell in love with Karen [Gillan] as a person, and I love the character of Nebula… she’s the one that you really dig because she’s the cool one that we need to get more of.”

The scale of the success of Guardians of the Galaxy ($774.2million worldwide box office) caused some surprise given that the source material hardly ranked among Marvel’s best known titles, but it seems that the comic publisher’s movie division cannot put a foot wrong at the moment. In advance of release some had wondered if a story featuring a humanoid tree, a talking racoon and a blue-skinned bandit would prove to be too ‘out there’ for a cinema going audience, but the film’s critical and commercial success proved otherwise.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is set to go before the cameras next year and is currently lined up for release in May 2017.

Read more on the story at Radio Times (article contains some spoilers if you haven’t seen the first film).

The post Karen Gillan Confirmed for Guardians of the Galaxy 2! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Top Secret Files: Free Lethbridge-Stewart EBook To Download Today!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Candy Jar Books, the Cardiff-based publisher of the Lethbridge-Stewart novels, (which kicked off with Andy Frankham-Allen’s The Forgotten Son), are celebrating the success of that release with a FREE 65-page ebook, Lethbridge-Stewart: Top Secret Files.

You can head to www.candy-jar.co.uk/books/lethbridgestewart.html to download it now, or order from Kindle for 99p.

The ebook contains previously unpublished material, as well as an extended short story first published in Doctor Who Magazine #483 in February. It also includes a special, previously unreleased interview in which Doctor Who director Graeme Harper talks about the actor who played Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Nicholas Courtney.

Hayley Cox, senior publishing co-ordinator with Candy Jar Books, said: “The response to The Forgotten Son has been fantastic – over twenty really positive reviews in just over a month! It was so nice, in fact, that we decided we wanted to give something back to the fans, and so we put together this ebook which acts as both a thank you to those who’ve already bought the first book, and an introductory pack for those who have yet to commit to the series.”

The ebook includes:

The Ambush! – A short story originally published in Doctor Who Magazine #438, now extended with new scenes. It is set during the Doctor Who serial The Web of Fear, and serves as an introduction to the Lethbridge-Stewart book series.
We Won’t Let Him Down – An extended version of the final chapter of Candy Jar Books’ Companions: Fifty Years of Doctor Who Assistants , focussing solely on the television adventures of the Brigadier.
What Lies Beyond – A brief look at some of the Doctor Who novels that have featured the Brigadier over the years that pertain to the future of the Lethbridge-Stewart series of novels.
Graeme Harper – An extended interview with Doctor Who director Graeme Harper (the only director to have worked on the classic series and the revived series) from the book Calling the Shots, in which he talks about Nicholas Courtney, the man who brought the Brigadier to life.
Original Prelude – Never-before-seen original prelude that was written to open The Forgotten Son, set during the final moments of the Brigadier’s life.
The New World – The opening chapter of The Forgotten Son, the first novel in the Lethbridge-Stewart series.

Lance Parkin Book Delayed, Terrance Dicks Joins

In related news, Candy Jar Books have confirmed that Lance Parkin’s scheduled book, Horror of Det-Sen, has been delayed indefinitely, with the writer stepping away from the project. Shaun Russell, head of publishing at Candy Jar, said: “Lance is such a huge talent in the world of Doctor Who and we have left the door open for him to return. Hopefully, one day, Lethbridge-Stewart will make it to Det-Sen.”

Consequently Candy Jar has re-organised its 2015 release schedule. David A McIntee’s The Schizoid Earth is now scheduled for the June release. A replacement novel will follow a few months later – a prequel/sequel to Terrance Dicks’ acclaimed 1977 Doctor Who serial, Horror of Fang Rock which starred Tom Baker; Beast of Fang Rock is written by Andy Frankham-Allen and Terrance Dicks. 2015 will be rounded off with the previously announced Mutually Assured Domination by Nick Walters.

In addition Candy Jar has released details of the authors for the 2016 schedule: John Peel (Doctor Who books include the first original novel published by Virgin Books in 1991 and the critically acclaimed War of the Daleks, as well as novelisations of four Dalek serials from the 1960s), Jonathan Cooper (ex-Doctor Who correspondent with the Mirror.co.uk and author of two Space: 1889 novels), Lizbeth M Myles (author of several licensed Doctor Who short stories) and Adrian Rigelsford (writer of the aborted thirtieth anniversary TV special The Dark Dimension, and Doctor Who reference books The Hinchcliffe Years and The Harper Classics).

Lots to look forward to!

The post Top Secret Files: Free Lethbridge-Stewart EBook To Download Today! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Preview: Titan Comics’ Eleventh Doctor #11

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

We’re always ready to throw new merchandise previews your way. And today, we’re here to SERVEYOU with a sneak peek at The Eleventh Doctor #11, out Wednesday 15th April! (See what I did there?)

Written by Al Ewing (Loki: Agent of Asgard), with art by 2000AD‘s Boo Cook, this issue focuses on ARC, seemingly the Doctor’s new companion – and a possible sleeper agent for SERVEYOUInc! Oh, and Jones continues to be a lot like David Bowie.

It sounds like things are going to get all wibbly-wobbly…

The Doctor, Alice, and Jones were getting used to having ARC around. A shapeshifter whose origins are shrouded in mystery, ARC still saved their lives time after time.

So why has ARC suddenly commandeered the TARDIS, crossing back over its own timeline in one of the most dangerous stunts a time traveler can pull?! Has ARC been a sleeper agent all along, or are there deeper motives at work?

It’s up to the Doctor and his companions to find out – if ARC doesn’t wipe them all out first!

PLUS: the secrets of SERVEYOUinc’s assault on the timeline revealed!

The Eleventh Doctor #11 is released on 15th April, priced $3.99.

The post Preview: Titan Comics’ Eleventh Doctor #11 appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Interesting Series 9 Snaps on the Doctor Who Instagram Feed

Connor Farley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Over the past few days, the BBC has posted a few photos from the set of Doctor Who Series 9 on their Instagram feed.

The first of these photos is speculated to be possibly connected with Missy’s TARDIS, and shows what looks to be a green tinted spider-like pattern, with different symbols within it. The symbols that are in the spider look somewhat Gallifreyan, so even if it is not related to Missy’s TARDIS, it is safe to assume it is probably something related to Gallifrey. The mysterious photo came with an accompanying caption…

What do you think this is? Who can come up with the most imaginative suggestion? #DoctorWho #BTS #behindthescenes

A photo posted by Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) on Apr 4, 2015 at 12:23pm PDT

The next photo that was posted was the first photo of the sonic screwdriver during filming of Series 9. Who is holding the screwdriver is unknown, but it doesn’t seem as if it is Capaldi as the hand looks significantly different than what Capaldi’s hands are like. Speculation has pointed towards it possibly being Neil Fingleton, the tallest man in Britain holding the screwdriver as he appears in the opening two-parter The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar.

Don’t drop it! #sonicscrewdriver #DoctorWho #BTS #behindthescenes

A photo posted by Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) on Apr 5, 2015 at 12:38am PDT

Another less than spectacular photo posted on the feed was again an unknown person’s legs and feet stood in the mud. The location is possibly that of Llanharan, where they have recently been filming the Mathieson, Moffat and Tregenna two-parter The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived.

It’s not always glamorous on location! #DoctorWho #BTS #behindthescenes

A photo posted by Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) on Apr 5, 2015 at 12:39am PDT

However, perhaps the most interesting of the photos posted over the past week on the Doctor Who Instagram feed was that of a huge pile of treasure and other various valuable items. The photo seems to point towards a possible pirate/smugglers connection with what is presumably the Mathieson, Moffat, and Tregenna two-parter. But, recent reports from the set of the episode have suggested that Maisie Williams’ character was in costume as a robber, dressed in black boots and wearing a black mask. Therefore, it is entirely possible that the photo is of the various treasures that Williams’ character has stolen. 

Look what we found on set… Jackpot! How do you think this treasure will be used in the new series? #DoctorWho #BTS #behindthescenes

A photo posted by Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) on Apr 6, 2015 at 1:08am PDT

What do you think the pictures are hinting towards? Could the green spider pattern be Missy’s TARDIS or is it something else more exciting? Is there going to be a sonic screwdriver duplicate for another character? Speculate in the comments below…

Don’t forget to follow Kasterborous on Instagram!

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Steven Moffat: Doctor Who Series 9 Is “Tonally” The Same

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Steven Moffat has potentially reassuring words for us avid Doctor Who fans… as well as stating something that could troubles vast swathes of fandom.

Some might’ve thought Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor a bit grumpy, but Moffat says, “I told the writers, don’t just write him mean, write him funny – because he’ll make any joke fly.” Anyone who’s seen The Thick of It knows that.

A dark wit was an undercurrent throughout much of the run (apart from the pretty humourless Death in Heaven), with some fan-favourite lines including “don’t be lasagne,” “my carer – she cares so I don’t have to,” and “it’s because her face is so wide: she needs three mirrors.” All of which, completely out of context, sound really odd.

And then of course there was the “there’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive; no wonder everyone keeps invading you” line from Last Christmas.

And then the showrunner said something a bit unsettling.

“As ever, Doctor Who is a combination of complete daft silliness and loads of people getting slaughtered in the early evening. Tonally, [Series 9 is] very much the same. Peter is getting stronger and more confident in the role.”

While it’s good to hear Capaldi’s getting into the swing of things even more, that bit about Series 9’s tone is troublesome – at least to some people. True, many enjoyed Series 8, and just like any other series, others didn’t. But Series 8 did seem a departure from before. And that’s fine – but to carry on a grimmer path might not be the right move.

Hmm. As the saying goes: only time will tell!

The post Steven Moffat: Doctor Who Series 9 Is “Tonally” The Same appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and More at the Sci-Fi Weekender #6

Simon Mills is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Well, that’s another Sci-Fi Weekender come and gone! This is one of the largest sci-fi and fantasy events in the UK with thousands of attendees over two and a half days in North Wales.

I was there in my Doctor Burgundy steampunk outfit, my interpretation of the Fourth Doctor’s burgundy outfit in a steampunk style. I have thought for a long time that it had a definite steampunk style to start with, so I actually had to work quite hard to not just copy it directly but to find a different way of acheiving a similar but recognisable outcome. I use a “super reduced” version of the scarf which is around 8′ long but still very recognisable.

Enough about me and my foray into cosplaying… Let’s get on with the show!

Julian Glover talked about Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Doctor Who, and Game of Thrones. Julian was just about to celebrate his 80th birthday and revealed to us that he had in fact broken some ribs, but still turned up to this event because he didn’t want to let anyone down. It was clear when he stood up at the end of the inerview how much pain he was in, but hadn’t complained. What a trooper!

James Cosmo was also hugely entertaining and regaled us with tales of Highlander, Braveheart, and Game of Thrones.

Naturally, I was most interested to see and hear Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. Sylv I saw a few years ago at a previous SFW so I was prepared for his habit of walking amongst the audience and getting up close and personal to answer questions and otherwise entertain us. Of course, he told many Doctor Who stories as well as recalling his days on Vision On, Jigsaw, Tiswas, Eureka and the show that gave him his break “The Ken Campbell Roadshow”. He told the story of how the legend of the ferrets down the trousers started – it was a stunt he did for the Ken Campbell Roadshow but somehow people started to believe that this was a traditional pasttime “up north” and so it has passed into British folklore! He also lamented being upstaged by a stuffed Hedgehog on The Hobbit that stole the limelight in his big solo scene!

The ever lovely Sophie Aldred, interviewed by Mr Transcendental Toybox himself, David J. Howe, demonstrated the many voices she used in the kids shows she’s been involved with and told how Sylvester McCoy was a real superhero when he saved her life while filming Doctor Who. Unfortunately, she had to leave early so wasn’t able to take questions. Which was a shame, because my question was going to be “can I have hug?” She did tell us about the kickstarter campaign launching for a free sci fi comedy podcast called Strangeness in Space – starring Sophie alongside her university chums Trev and Simon (children’s TV favourites from the 80s/90s). This sounds like it could be hugely entertaining, so go and pledge some money to the campaign, or if you can’t do that, then pleas at least listen to it when it’s available. Thankyou!

Apart from these star interviews, there were various acts and entertainments such as the always funny SFW version of “Just A Minute” with Sylv and Sophie vying for top spot. Some of the acts were top notch, such as the “One Man Star Wars“/”One Man Lord of the Rings” – a very funny Canadian guy who compresses these huge stories into around 45 minutes each with some great voices and witty/insightful observations. He was definitely a favourite with the audience! “The Festival of the Spoken Nerd” are a science comedy show mixing nerdy science humour with music and live demonstrations – hugely entertaining and worth going to see if you are interested in any combination of science and/or comedy and/or nerdy stuff.

The downside to this year is that it just seemed smaller and less well attended. Probably due to clashing with another event in Birmingham and, also the fact the organisers staged a Prog Rock event on the same site… Later discussions with the organiser made the reason clear to me – a large portion of people who are into prog rock are also into sci fi and fantasy, so it’s a win-win for the organisers. I’ve even read a review written from the prog rock viewpoint saying that they had their eyes opened to the world of sci-fi conventions by the opportunity afforded this cross-pollination experiment. I was promised that that there would be more of everything next year, especially the comic book stuff which was scaled back somewhat this year.

Also, I think due to the poorer attendance, there were fewer cosplayers around. I actually felt conspicuous dressed in my finery at the start of the first day – and saying that about a big science fiction and fantasy convention is quite something!

All in all, it was another great weekender with much fun and hilarity had by all, lubricated by a sensible quantity of beer – but not quite as great as previous years.

It was fantastic to meet and chat with the always lovely Sam Stone again and to meet new people and talk about costumes and even have my photo taken by a few people who liked my outfit! Very flattering to someone like me who just dresses up this way for the joy of it, not to compete or win plaudits.

Looking forward to SFW 7 now!

The post Reviewed: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and More at the Sci-Fi Weekender #6 appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Weeping Angels Return in Our Tenth Doctor #9 Preview!

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

How do the Weeping Angels transfer from screen to comic book? Surprisingly well, actually!

The Tenth Doctor #9, written by Robbie Morrison, and drawn by Daniel Indro, is the concluding chapter of The Great War, which sees David Tennant’s Doctor paired with Gabby Gonzalez and battling off the so-called lonely assassins – right in the midst of World War One!

Phew. Good luck, Doc.

The Tenth Doctor is trapped in No Man’s Land. Surrounded by Weeping Angels on all sides. Bombarded by artillery both British and German. No weapons of any use. No protection against the cold. Tired, hungry, and walking wounded. Things have never looked so dire for the Doctor and Gabby, or for their new friend, weary soldier Jamie Colquhoun.

With time running out, can victory be found in the stone jaws of certain defeat? There’s only one defence left…

Don’t blink. Don’t. Even. Blink.

Oh, and remember: that which holds the image of an Angel, becomes itself an Angel. Just saying…

The Tenth Doctor #9 is out April 15th, with a $3.99 RRP.

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Moffat: Sherlock Season 4 Will Have “Consequences”

Rebecca Crockett is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Desperate for season 5? Then I guess that would make us ravenous for season 4?!

Yes of course we want a season 5, heck we’ll take anything, even a Sherlock/Doctor Who crossover at Christmastime, involving the Victorian era and the Paternoster Gang. Oh…wait…

But seriously, according to the grand master of all things Doctor Who and Sherlock, Steven Moffat says that this upcoming (yes, it WILL happen…eventually) fourth series of Sherlock will be much darker than the first 3 and will leave the viewer at a place where they will want to bang down the doors of the BBC Television Centre and demand that we get the 5th series straight away! Oh…wait…

Well, you get the picture. Moffat, in speaking to Entertainment Weekly, spoke of a number of things, including what they have in store for the fourth season.

“We have a plan to top (last season), and I do think our plan is devastating. We practically reduced our cast to tears by telling them the plan…we’re certainly going to put them [the fans] through the mill. It’s going to be more of an emotional upheaval.”

“The first series was all about the beginning of their friendship. Second about the formative stages, the love and fear and loss and all that. The third was good days, me and my pal and my pal’s wife. [Season four]  is going to be … I suppose you’d say … consequences. It’s consequences. Chickens come to roost. It’s dark in some ways — obviously, it’s great fun and a Sherlock Holmes romp and all that — but there’s a sense of … things … coming back to bite you. Hopefully enjoyable and fun, all the things Sherlock must always be. It will be tough at times. Maybe that’s the word? A tougher series.”

Moffatt also said that there’s been something across all the seasons that the fans have missed. “There are some answers coming to questions nobody has asked. We’re very exultant about a little thing we’ve set up that no one is talking about.”

Uh oh. We’ve missed something? How could a fanbase as obsessive as the Sherlock fandom have missed something, and what sounds like a big something?

And darker? As if watching Sherlock throwing himself off the top of a building wasn’t traumatic enough?

Something tells me we all might need more than a few boxes of tissues and possibly some anti-anxiety meds once we’ve seen this fourth season.

Until then, we’ll just have to wait for the announcement of when we’ll actually get to see the special that they are finishing up, though speculation is that we’ll get it sometime at the end of this year with season 4 to follow in 2016.

Still, that’s an awfully long time to wait! More time to dwell on this mystery then…

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Sneak Peek at Titan Comics’ Twelfth Doctor #7

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The Twelfth Doctor #7 is coming out very soon, and we’ve got an exciting preview for you!

Part two of Fractures continues, written by Robbie Morrison, with art by Brian Williamson. And in our preview, you’ll see a reference to The Caretaker, a beautifully-rendered TARDIS (which is not a caravan, thank you very much), George Osborne continuing his evil attacks on the human race (okay, he’s taken over by an alien, but it’s still very believable otherwise, right?), and the Doctor with the 3D-esque glasses he last wore in Doomsday!

On our Earth, UNIT scientist John Foster was killed in an accident… but in a parallel universe, his wife and daughter were killed, while that world’s John Foster survived. One thought kept that John going through his grief – somewhere out there, in some other reality, his wife and daughter still lived.

Working obsessively, Foster has devised a way to breach the membrane of the multiverse and cross the Void into our world, unaware of the horrors that will follow in his wake…

What dark creatures live in the veins of the multiverse, reaching out to ensnare those foolish enough to breach into their domain? The Doctor and Clara are about to face… The Fractures!

The Twelfth Doctor #7 is out April 15th, priced $3.99.

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Doctor Who Series 8 Episode Listen Is Hugo Nominated!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Once again, Doctor Who has received a Hugo Awards nomination, and once again, the episode in question has been written by Steven Moffat!

The “serious” sci-fi and fantasy awards are nominated and awarded annually, and in previous years episodes such as Blink and The Girl in the Fireplace. Other Doctor Who winners over the years have included Neil Gaiman’s The Doctor’s Wife and Russell T Davies and Phil Fords’ The Waters of Mars. On each occasion the competition was strong, but this time around, the nominated episode, Listen, is up against episodes from The Flash, Game of Thrones, Grimm and Orphan Black.

DRAMATIC PRESENTATION (SHORT FORM) (938 ballots)

Doctor Who: “Listen” written by Steven Moffat directed by Douglas Mackinnon (BBC Television)
The Flash: “Pilot” teleplay by Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, story by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns, directed by David Nutter (The CW; Berlanti Productions, DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television)
Game of Thrones: “The Mountain and the Viper” written by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, directed by Alex Graves ((HBO Entertainment in association with Bighead, Littlehead; Television 360; Startling Television and Generator Productions)
Grimm: “Once We Were Gods” written by Alan DiFiore, directed by Steven DePaul (NBC; GK Productions, Hazy Mills Productions, Universal TV)
Orphan Black: “By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried”written by Graham Manson, directed by John Fawcett (Temple Street Productions, Space/BBC America)

As ever, our fingers are crossed for Doctor Who in the dramatic presentation (short form) category.

(Via TOR)

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