Christian Cawley's Blog, page 118

Madonna Approached to Voice Cassandra in Doctor Who Series 1

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.

Could stage falling Madonna have beaten pop star rival Kylie to a role in Doctor Who? According to actress Yasmin Bannerman (Jabe the respresentative of the Forest of Cheem in 2005’s The End of the World and more recently the audio personification of New Adventures companion Roz Forrester with Big Finish) the answer is yes.

“At the time there was a lot of talk about who would play Cassandra. There was even talk that they’d approached Madonna,” she told Doctor Who Magazine.

It true – and we’ve no reason to believe the Material Girl – this would have occurred while the singer/songwriter/actress/style icon was residing in the UK and just a couple of years after her… interesting performance in Die Another Day, the 40th anniversary James Bond movie.

In the end, of course, the role was filled by veteran character actress Zoe Wanamaker, who effortlessly brought three dimensional life to the “bitchy trampoline.” But how might Madonna have portrayed the arch manipulations of Lady Cassandra, the last pure-born human in the stunning second episode of Doctor Who Series 1?

 

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Reviewed – Mythmakers #116: Anthony Ainley

Tony Jones 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.

Mythmakers #116 is a new title (released February 2015) by Reeltime Pictures available through their Time Travel TV site. It is a 60 minute interview with Anthony Ainley recorded during a 2000 interview at an event in Sheffield by the Galaxy 4 shop.

The video has a brief introduction from Nick Briggs, but the feature itself (shot from two cameras) is actually interspersed with commentary from the event organisers – Adrian Hulme, Ben Keywood and Andy Swinden. In the space of just under an hour, Anthony Ainley answers a wide range of questions and gives anecdotes of his time working with many of the Doctors. He also has plenty to say on the topic of John Nathan-Turner, some of it critical but not without acknowledging that Nathan-Turner did cast him frequently as the Master and even later in various pantomimes.

It is always judging an interview by an actor – their key skills is playing a part, after all. That said, Anthony Ainley comes across as very knowledgeable on the show as a whole, on fans and as someone who is pleased to have played a major part in the programme over a number of years.

He also has a certain humility and it does seem he had some initial concerns about being the centre of attention in an event dedicated just to him, but any apprehension soon evaporated. His anecdotes flow and he has a charming, engaging style throughout. The audience obviously enjoyed the opportunity to meet and hear Ainley talking and the abiding sense this production leaves the viewer with is both admiration for the actor and envy for the audience.

This was professionally arranged and successful event and congratulations are due to the crew from Galaxy 4 and to Reeltime Pictures for making this available.

Full details of this release and how to purchase it are on the Time Travel TV site and the DVD (High Definition, stereo) is available for £10, with downloads at $7.50 or for a mere $3.75, this can be streamed (various exchange rate charges apply to non-US viewers).

I can think of far worse ways to spend an hour.

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Ex-Doctor Who Companion Bonnie Langford Joins EastEnders!

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.

She may not have been the most popular of Doctor Who companions, but if the news that Bonnie Langford has joined EastEnders tells us anything, it’s that she’s always worth watching, whether screaming into the theme tune “sting” or singing and dancing in the West End.

This weekend it was announced that the Mel Bush actress – who, of course, reprises the role from time to time with Big Finish – is to make a return to prime time BBC TV for the first time in nearly 30 years in EastEnders, where she joins as the mother of market-stall holder Kush, Carmel Kazemi.

Newer fans may not be too familiar with Langford, who starred as Melanie from 1986’s Terror of the Vervoids (in which she was presented in The Trial of a Time Lord plot arc as a future companion of the Doctor, one whose original meeting was never resolved on screen…) through to 1987’s game-changing Dragonfire, which introduceed Sophie Aldred as Ace, and saw Mel (conceived as a computer programmer from Pease Pottage) leave the TARDIS to travel with intergalactic con artist Sabolom Glitz. Hmm.

Don’t expect any screaming.

On her new role, Bonnie is understandably excited. “I’m so thrilled and delighted to be part of EastEnders. I’m a great fan of the show and think the recent 30th anniversary was sensational and shows just how good British television can be,” the actress said. “To be part of this family is an absolute privilege.”

Bigging up the casting, here’s executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins: “Bonnie Langford is a British institution – and an old-school hard-graft actress gifted at both comedy and serious drama. Bonnie brings wit, pathos and a touch of class.”

She certainly does. Anyone who doubts this should check her recent Doctor Who Magazine interview, in which she’s portrayed very favourably. You can see Bonnie Langford in EastEnders from June 2015.

We wonder: can Bonnie also vocalise the EastEnders drum beat…?

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Don’t Miss Bedford Who Charity Con: Saturday 11th April!

Simon Danes 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.

It’s very soon, it’s in Bedford, it’s going to be great, it’s good value, there are still tickets left — and Kasterborites get 10% off!

Bedford Who Charity Con will be raising funds for Bedford Foodbank, one of a national network of Foodbanks affiliated to the Trussell Trust.  They provide emergency food for local people in crisis.

There’ll be the usual Daleks and dealers, and the guest list is impressive:  Sophie Aldred (Ace), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Anneke Wills (Polly), John Leeson (K9), and Paul Cornell.  Mike Tucker, the BAFTA award winning designer — a man who has been blowing Daleks up for a living since the 1980s — will be doing a presentation on the programme’s special effects.  And Ailsa Berk, nu-Who’s choreographer, will be leading a monster-movement workshop.  So, don’t walk like an Egyptian — stomp like a Cyberman!

The organiser is Simon Danes, Bedford Foodbank volunteer, former fanzine editor and new recruit to the Kasterborous writing team.  Simon comments, ‘Bedfordshire was once famous in the future as the site of the notorious Dalek mines.  It will now be known as the site of that great gathering of geezers, gentlewomen and gentlemen that is…  Bedford Who Charity Con.’  (Never knowingly underhyped.)

 

Tickets cost £40 for adults (£36 for Kasterborites!), with concessions for 14-18s (£20), students (£25) and under 14s (£12).  There are also family ticket packages available; details on the convention website.  If you mention you saw this post of Kasterborous, you’ll receive a 10% discount on all types of ticket.  Please note that under-12s must be accompanied by an adult.

For further information, please go to bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk , email Simon Danes on info@bedfordwhocharitycon.co.uk or go to the Bedford Who Charity Con page on Facebook.

Hope to see you there!

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Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Vol. 1 After Life [TRAILER]

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.

Volume 1 of the Eleventh Doctor’s adventures from Titan Comics is now available to buy as a collection, and the trailer above gives you a flavour of just what you can expect…

Alice Obiefune was at her lowest ebb when the Eleventh Doctor burst into her life – she’d lost her mother, her job and her apartment. But it didn’t take much of the Doctor’s compassion to get her on board the TARDIS, rediscovering the beauty in life, one time-lost adventure at a time!

From tackling an alien pet in the streets of London, to exposing a devilish mystery in the 1930s Bayou; from discovering the truth behind an austerity-hit pleasure planet to facing a shapeshifting horror in a scientific research station – every day with the Doctor brings a new, impossible, life-threatening experience!

But there’s a storm gathering, just out of view… One that threatens to offer both the Doctor and Alice their deepest, fondest wishes… Just hope they don’t accept!

Full details of the collection (by Al Ewing, Rob Williams, Simon Fraser and Boo Cook) can be found at the Titan website. To buy this collection, head to your local comic store. Meanwhile, British readers can get their copy from Forbidden Planet, where it is available to pre-order for £8.70 (a 33% discount on the £12.99 RRP) ahead of the April 15th release date.

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BBC Releases Doctor Who Boxset On BitTorrent

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.

BBC Worldwide has confirmed a collaboration with content distribution service BitTorrent to celebrate a decade of new Doctor Who with a pirate-puzzling release!

Developers of the BitTorrent peer-to-peer software that is often blamed for the ills of piracy (despite it being the mechanism through which legitimate downloads are often distributed) will be offering a ten story box set featuring specially selected highlights from the modern era of Doctor Who for just $12 globally.  The package will also include exclusive video content from incumbent Doctor Peter Capaldi who gives his insight into some of his favourite Doctor Who episodes as well as Doctor Who: Earth Conquest – the documentary about the 2014 global tour which saw Capaldi and companion Jenna Coleman travel the world to meet their fans.

This is made possible through BitTorrent Bundle, a direct-to-fan publishing platform that creators can use Bundle to share their stories, in any media format, and set their own pricing — keeping 90% of all sales revenue, with access to rich audience analytics. Home to over 30,000 content publishers, and reaching an audience of more than 170 million passionate film and music fans around the world, BitTorrent Bundle seeks to empower creators and artists, and in 2013, BitTorrent was named by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for its work with artists.

So, ten years after Rose was leaked on the illegal download sites weeks before broadcast, here it is legitimately released using the same downloading system!

Julia Kenyon is the Director of Drama Brands, BBC Worldwide.“Ten years ago, the Doctor’s journey began anew with Russell T Davies and “Rose”. The Time Lord continues to evolve and refresh and this innovative deal with BitTorrent allows us to directly reach a huge number of consumers and engage with fans on a global and fast-growing digital platform. Music content has seen tremendous success through BitTorrent Bundles and this deal is the first of its kind for British TV content”

Naturally, BitTorrent are particularly happy with this development. “For over fifty years, Doctor Who has challenged the way we see time, space, and TV — the way we tell stories,” says Matt Mason, Chief Content Officer at BitTorrent. “A series like this should be part of a versatile platform; one capable of reaching and engaging fans around the world. BitTorrent Bundle is that platform. It’s fantastic that BBC Worldwide is the media organization forward-thinking enough to make a release like this possible. This is an exciting way for fans to celebrate ten years of New Who and we are honoured to welcome the Doctor to BitTorrent.”

The ten story box set is available globally to stream or download on BitTorrent Bundle complete with Peter Capaldi’s breakdown of some of his favourite Doctor Who moments.

Available for $12, the Download/Stream Package includes:

Series 1: Rose
Series 1: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
Series 2: The Girl in the Fireplace
Series 3: Blink
Series 4: Special – The End of Time (Parts 1 & 2)
Series 5: The Vampires of Venice
Series 6: The Doctor’s Wife
Series 7: The Rings of Akhaten
50th Anniversary special: The Day of the Doctor
Series 8: Listen

Will you be buying this digital boxset?

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Big Finish Confirm The Fourth Doctor Adventures Will Continue in 2017!

Nick Kitchen 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.

You might have read recently that BBC Worldwide has granted a new five year license to Big Finish that extends they’re ability to produce Doctor Who stories to 2021. This happy news has already yielded some exciting announcements from Big Finish, especially concerning the Fourth Doctor! This Big Finish Roundup is all about the “genuine article himself! Let’s dig in!

Tom Baker Confirmed for Season 6 in 2017 and Series 5 Details!

Big Finish has confirmed that the Fourth Doctor Adventures will continue for a sixth season in 2017 that is firmly set in the first part of Classic Who’s Season 18. According to David Richardson (producer):

“Some of the stories are set between The Leisure Hive and Meglos and some between Meglos and Full Circle – with John Leeson returning as K9 in the second batch of tales. And yes – in a first for the range – the stories will also feature Peter Howell’s version of the theme!“

More in depth info is (expectedly) a bit scarce at the moment,  but we’ll bring it to you as it becomes available. Be looking for Season 6 in 2017!

In the meanwhile, we do have some more details on next year’s run of Fourth Doctor stories, featuring a full run with Lalla Ward as Romana and John Leeson as K-9! Big Finish has released the full list of titles for the eight part run:

The Wave of Destruction
The Labyrinth of Buda Castle
The Paradox Planet
The Legacy of Death
The Gallery of Ghouls
The Trouble With Drax
The Pursuit of History
Causalities of Time

The last two in list are a two parter written by Big Finish’s Nicholas Briggs. Briggs has said that he’s revisiting some old ideas and characters (Cuthbert and assistant Mr. Dorrick) with the adventures:

“I’d always intended to continue the story of Cuthbert and Dorrick and the mysterious Conglomerate, but when we lost dear Mary Tamm all plans for that storyline were put aside. However, with Lalla signing up to these stories I decided to return to some of my original ideas, melded them with some new thoughts, and the result is the huge season finale. It’s quite a ride! Could it be that the past is finally catching up with the Doctor and Romana?”

The season has a fantastic guest cast as well, featuring talents like Toby Hadoke, Emma Campbell, Kate Bracken, and others, and appears to be shaping up to be a cracking time. Series 5 and 2017’s Series 6 can be preordered via subscription here. 

Reactions to Big Finish’s Doctor Who Extension

Big Finish has also shared some comments they’ve received from fans regarding the licence extension, as well as the reaction from BIg Finish producers. They can be read in their entirety here, but here are the best bits. 

Nicholas Briggs, Executive Producer:  “It’s really exciting for us to be continuing with Doctor Who for at least another five years, but I must say what’s been really thrilling is the mass of enthusiasm this has created among our loyal listeners. So many people have been in touch with Big Finish and with me, personally, to offer their support and congratulations. Those positive thoughts from everyone make all the difference and give me the main reason for continuing with this epic adventure we’ve been on since 1999.”

Jason Haigh-Ellery, Producer: “We are delighted with the overwhelmingly positive response our renewal announcement has received. Thank you to all those that have sent us emails and messages of congratulation. The five year licence is the longest extension given by BBC Worldwide to Big Finish and we are delighted by the confidence that they have shown in us.”

For those of us who aren’t into doing the mental math, fan Glen Stobbart breaks it down for us:

“That means at least 21 years of Big Finish. Well done guys. Great to have you around.”

Personally speaking, noting the extension and the recent news of Kate Stewart’s U.N.I.T. range, I’m hoping that more modern Who comes to Big Finish.  An Eleventh Doctor range anyone? Or is that just me? A man can hope!

Obviously those of us in K-Towers are stoked about the renewal and the plans for more Tom Baker adventures. The real question, however, lies with you, dear readers! Are you excited for more Fourth Doctor Big Finish adventures? Let us know!

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Moffat: BBC Planning At Least Another Five Years for Doctor Who!

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.

Doctor Who will run for at least another five years, according to Steven Moffat in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine.

In the new issues, #485, out now, the showrunner recalls that the BBC had enough faith in the show even if ratings plummeted as they predicted in 2010 to keep it going:

“Ten years on, our ratings are pretty much the same. Actually, internationally, bigger. No show does that! You’re meant to go down! Doctor Who just stays. It’s extraordinary!

“When I first took it over, the BBC said to me, ‘We’ve done all our calculations. The ratings will now fall. Expect to lose quite a bit. We don’t mind that. We’re going to keep it going. So long as it’s a good show we won’t mind if the ratings stop being quite as amazing as they were. That’s absolutely fine.’ And they didn’t. They pretty much stayed the same.”

Most pleasingly, however, is the BBC’s insistence to keep the show on air, and Steven reveals that the corporation has long-term plans:

“I thought it would last ten years. I didn’t think it would last ten years with BBC Worldwide trying to get me in a room to talk about their plan for the next five years! So it’s going to do a minimum of 15. I mean, it could do 26! It’s not easy to find new people. It’s not easy to find new Doctors. That could be the danger – that you start to think that it’s easy. There’s nothing easy about doing Doctor Who.”

What’s interesting here, putting aside the joyous hope for the future, is that former showrunner, Russell T Davies, thought the show would only last one year (hence why Series 1 was so amazing), whereas Moffat predicted a longer reign.

So there we have it: at least another 5 years for the Doctor and the TARDIS. That’s reassuring, particularly as, in the past, news about recommissioning was not forthcoming, leaving many fans worried that each finale would be the last. We’ve not really had that concern recently: even though the Beeb rarely announce these things for Doctor Who, Moffat constantly talks about the future of the show, so we’ve sort of had it easy. Nonetheless, this is certainly welcome news.

BBC Head of Drama Commissioning, Ben Stephenson, also sheds some light on why he thinks Doctor Who lasts on TV:

“The brilliant thing about Doctor Who is that it’s so adjustable. It doesn’t have to be ‘There are 13 episodes and they start in September’. Of course, the fans want it to keep coming back with regularity but we could choose, as they did with David Tennant, to do a year of Specials. I’m not saying we’re planning that, because we plan to keep it regularly in the schedules. But because it’s such an amazing format, because you can constantly revive it and re-imagine it, then as long as the people looking after it are passionate about it and the BBC is passionate about it, there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t do another 50 years.”

Personally, I think it’s so ingrained in the nation’s consciousness that even those who don’t watch it have memories from their childhood. And everyone knows what a TARDIS is, who the Doctor is, what a Time Lord is, who the Daleks are…

This obviously is fantastic news. It’s also great to hear the BBC has such faith in the show after its tempestuous past.

Doctor Who Magazine #485 is out now.

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What Is Outlander, and What The Hell’s It Got To Do With Doctor Who?

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.

Scottish highlands. Standing stones. Time travel. A kilt wearing highlander named Jamie. Sound like an old episode of Doctor Who.

Except it’s not.

This is Outlander.

What is Outlander? And as a Whovian, why on earth should you care? Oh, do let me tell you!

It all started with a book series, set in the dual eras of World War II and the 1700s in the highlands of Scotland. Claire (Catriona Balfe), a war nurse in a rocky marriage, takes a stroll one day to a ring of standing stones and finds herself magically transported back in time to a world and life she does not know. The dashing James Fraser and his clansmen come along and save her from death by someone who looks an awful lot like her husband Frank, then Claire uses her medical knowledge to save Jamie and he finds himself totally captivated by this woman who is unlike anyone he’s ever met.

A highlander named Jamie? Yes, there is a connection.

Star Sam Heughan, the aforementioned Jamie Fraser, recounted the origins of the character to Radio Times.

“Diana [Gabaldon] got the inspiration for Outlander, or the character Jamie Fraser, from Doctor Who. She was watching an episode and there was a character called Jamie [companion Jamie McCrimmon, first seen in The Highlanders] who was in a kilt and that’s where she got the first spark.”

If you’re worried that this all sounds like just a historical romance, don’t be fooled. Yes, there is plenty of that, and Starz has not shied away from showing skin, but there is plenty of action to be had as well. The first thing that Claire faces is having to run for her life from British soldiers who are on the hunt for Fraser and his clan. And Claire is not a woman to be fooled with either.

Don’t be alarmed that this show is from Starz. Yes, there is many a Doctor Who/Torchwood fan that thinks they are the reason that Torchwood is likely D.O.A but then Starz has also produced the excellent The White Queen and Spartacus series. And Outlander is no different. The show has garnered rave reviews in the US, winning a People Choice Award and a Critic’s Choice Television Award.

As of this week, the show has finally crossed the pond. Amazon Prime has won the right to stream the show online in the UK. The first half of the first season, 8 episodes in total, are currently available to watch, and once the second half of the season begins here in the US, Amazon will be adding new episodes every week.

Could there be another Who/Outlander connection in the near future? Heughan hopes so. According to Radio Times, he’s been trying to get his friend Mark Gatiss to find him a role on Doctor Who.

“I love Doctor Who – I’d love to do sci-fi…maybe there’s a crossover there as well. It would work. I could come out of the Tardis [sic] – that’d be awesome. Let’s make this happen! If we could do that, that’d be great.”

The Doctor and Jamie Fraser? Yes please! Maybe we’d even be treated to Twelve in a kilt!

If you want more info on the show, check out this quick Outlander primer.

(As a side note, it’s funny that I’ve been tapped to write this article. Can you tell I’m an Outlander fan? I’ve been a follower of the books for years and can’t wait for the next half of the season to start! Starz is even having some fan events here in the States to celebrate the new episodes and I’m lucky enough to be attending one!)

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Jenna Coleman Cast in New Movie: Is This The End for Clara?

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.

Production on Doctor Who Series 9 is in full swing, so it is quite strange to find that one of its stars, Jenna Coleman, has been cast in a high profile movie from MGM.

Me Before You stars Game of Thrones‘ Emilia Clarke and Hunger Games Sam Claflin, and is directed by Thea Sharrock (BBC miniseries The Hollow Crow). Initial announcement of the movie had an August 2015 release back in September, but there has been no revised schedule with the news that Coleman (as well as former Game of Thrones star Charles Dance) will join the movie, which accoring to Deadline:

…tells the story of two very different characters: Lou (Clarke), a small town girl caught between dead-end jobs; and Will (Claflin), a high-profile, successful man who becomes wheelchair bound following an accident. Will has decided his life is not worth living until Lou is hired for six months to be his new caretaker. Worlds apart and trapped together by circumstance, the two get off to a rocky start. Lou becomes determined to prove to Will that life is worth living and as they embark on a series of adventures together, each finds their world changing in ways neither of them could begin to imagine.

Now, there is every chance that Coleman has already filmed her scenes for this movie prior to production on Doctor Who Series 9 beginning. Or, on the other hand, the announcement could be that she is about to join the shoot. If the former, there’s nothing to see here; if the latter, then this indicates that Jenna Coleman will be taking Clara Oswald on her final trip in the TARDIS unless filming on Me Before You has been delayed considerably, (not uncommon in Hollywood).

Throw in some speculation that Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams has joined Doctor Who as a permanent cast member rather than a one story guest, and you’ve got quite the interesting state of affairs.

What do you think?

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