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The Best Doctor Who April Fools of 2015

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.

Everyone likes a good April Fool, and the Doctor Who community is no different. It’s now something of a tradition that daybreak on April 1st each year sees a flurry of unlikely stories on Doctor Who websites, each trying to con readers into swallowing the unbelievable.

To be considered a great April Fool a story has to have the right blend of being just credible enough to sound convincing, combined with an element of the absurd to make it newsworthy. No easy task for gagsters to pull off, then, so let’s check out this year’s efforts in the Kasterborous guide to the Best April Fools of 2015!

Postponement Shocker!

The Gallifrey Times tried to persuade us that Series 9 had been postponed a full two years until Autumn 2017, the spurious grounds being that the Moff felt like it, given long gaps between series haven’t put anyone off watching Sherlock.

A bit of a cruel trick, this one, and it’s not so hard to believe people being taken in by it given all that chopping and changing in recent times with split series and that year of specials in 2009. A nice reveal, though, with the Doctor chalking ‘April Fool’ up on the board…

Foolishness rating: 7/10

Jackson to Direct!

Next up, who fancies the idea of Lord of the Rings supremo Peter Jackson directing a Doctor Who film with all the surviving Doctors?

Well, you’re an idiot if you were taken in ‘cos not a word of it was true! Jackson’s professed enthusiasm for directing an episode in his native New Zealand may have been enough to convince the credulous that this one may have been real, but perhaps the thing that gives it away long before the closing pay-off is the clearly impossible notion that Christopher Eccleston would be tempted back for an Avengers Assemble-style Doctor Who mash-up…

Foolishness rating: 5/10

Mr River Song?

One for those who were watching the last series finale now, with news that River Song would be regenerating into a man’s body in the next series! Eddie Izzard, James Corden and Idris Elba are supposedly in the frame for the role, with the article going on to speculate as to whether River would still have the hots for the Doctor in her new male form.

There’s a plea for greater awareness of transgender issues before the game is given away, but it’s hard to imagine many people being taken in by this one…

Foolishness rating: 4/10

Scream! It’s One Direction!

Brit boy band megastars One Direction have already made one now-legendary appearance in the world of Doctor Who, of course, failing to be heard on a satellite link up in that 50th anniversary debacle of a live show on BBC3 on 23rd November 2013. And that nugget of information, curiously missing from this attempt to convince us that the band are lined up to take part in an episode, may well have convinced some people that this could actually be on the cards. You can be sure that Moffat would be well up for it if they ever were…

Foolishness rating: 8/10

Captain Jack To Take Charge

Okay, I don’t wish to be unkind but could there have been anyone in the galaxy taken in by the idea that John Barrowman has been appointed Steven Moffat’s successor as showrunner? (“I couldn’t stay forever now could I?” Moffat is supposed to have said…)

Although the comment that Barrowman has the requisite experience on the grounds that he’s ‘produced his own stage shows for years’ made me chuckle…

Foolishness rating: 2/10

Capaldi Loses It!

How about the news that the very future of Doctor Who is in doubt after Peter Capaldi went all Malcolm Tucker on us and smacked a Dalek right in the eye stalk? Full marks for topicality, of course, what with Jeremy Clarkson being the top story on the news for what felt like weeks lately, but the comment that the Dalek was one day away from retirement was surely over-egging this particular Easter treat…

Foolishness rating: 3/10

Russell Returns!

Oh, the headline for this one about former showrunner contributing two scripts for Series 9 is surely enough to have caused a pang of hope for many, but they were cruelly let down as it became clear that this story was bobbins.

RTD’s fake comment that he fancied coming back because “I always thought that last seventeen or so minutes with the Tenth Doctor didn’t quite go on for long enough, and finally I’ve been given a chance to add to it” is a decent gag, though, and there’s no doubt Moffat would snap his arm off in one bite if the big man ever did want to come back…

Foolishness rating: 7/10

Which are you favourites? Which were you taken in by? And what did you think of our effort? Let us know below!

The post The Best Doctor Who April Fools of 2015 appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Karen Gillan Wins Best Female Newcomer at Empire Awards (No, Really)

Andrew Reynolds 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.

Congratulations are in order for Karen Gillan who took away the Best Female Newcomer for her work on Guardians of the Galaxy and Oculus at the Jameson Empire Awards… Yes, you read that right.

It’s a little odd to still consider her a newcomer even if this is just the start of her burgeoning career – if anything it’s more a reflection of her popularity. Guardians of the Galaxy’s Nebula was more of a promise of a character to come albeit one that made quite an impression… a blue impression; all over the soft furnishings.

But still, she’s making a splash; so much so that she’s set to appear with Danny Zuko himself, John Travolta, in a new western called In A Valley of Violence – her first major film role since Guardians of the Galaxy where she’ll be working alongside another Doctor Who alum who’s making a name for themselves over the pond, Torchwood’s Burn Gorman.

“It’s a Western which is really cool – I never thought I’d get to do something so quintessentially American,” she said. “It’s got John Travolta and Ethan Hawke in it. I had to fight the urge to sing Grease songs at Travolta, because that would have been really inappropriate. But that’s all I wanted to do and all I could think about.”

When not telling Travolta he’s the one that she wants, Gillan is still trying to settle into her new life in LA. “[It’s a] bit of a whirlwind,” she said. “I’m a bit of a nomad at the moment. I’ve been travelling round and living in Boston recently, but LA is a bit of a base for me right now until I can work myself to a point where I can choose where I live. I know I am going to settle in the UK when I’m ready. So I’ll be back.”

Also in attendance and probably avoiding the hundreds of requests to break Tumblr and pose with Gillan was the Twelfth Doctor himself Peter Capaldi and his fabulous new hair.

Seriously, his hair is amazing.

The post Karen Gillan Wins Best Female Newcomer at Empire Awards (No, Really) appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Free Comic Book Day 2015 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.

We’re now less than a month away from Free Comic Book Day 2015 and Titan Comics are giving us three new strips starring Doctors Ten, Eleven, and Twelve. While the former two are paired with their comic companions, Gabby Gonzalez and Alice Obiefune, Peter Capaldi’s Time Lord is once more alongside Clara Oswald.

And we’ve got brief previews of each strip for you!

Laundro-Room of Doom, starring the Tenth Doctor, welcomes a new artist to the series, Eleonora Carlini, with regular series writer, Nick Abadzis. The Tenth Doctor comic has been a particular highlight so far; in our review of issue 4, we noted that:

“A wonderful playfulness and energy imbues every page; this is a tale excelling in its own creativity and freedom. It’s Doctor Who in comic form – that much is obvious, but the tale, written by Nick Abadzis, is perfectly fashioned for the medium.”

The Eleventh Doctor story sees Simon Fraser again taking up artistic duties for the bow-tie-wearing alien, with both Al Ewing and Rob Williams writing the tale.

And there’s a new writer (albeit it for one issue only) in charge of the Twelfth Doctor: George Mann, perhaps best known as the scribe of Engines of War, with Mariano Laclaustra providing the art.

And in addition to all of this, we’re getting a preview of this Summer’s big Titan Doctor Who event…

Pick up a copy at your local comic store on 2nd May 2015, aka Free Comic Book Day!

The post Doctor Who Free Comic Book Day 2015 Preview appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Walking Tours Return to Doctor Who Experience For Easter!

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.

Take a walk around Cardiff this Easter with the welcome return of the Official Doctor Who Filming Locations Tour!

This carefully curated walking tour of Cardiff Bay is hosted by the Doctor Who Experience, giving fans, families and visitors to Wales the opportunity to get closer to the show. The walking tour takes in more than 40 filming locations for Doctor Who The 75 minute tour takes fans into parts of Cardiff Bay which were used to double for different cities and planets from episodes across the last 10 years – that’s more than 40 filming locations! – including those from the recent Series 8 featuring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald.

The tour starts tomorrow, and will run over Easter weekend (Friday 3rd to Monday 6th April) and Thursday 9th, Friday 10th, Saturday 11th April.  Tours will then continue every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 17th April to 27th June 2015.

Also at Easter, the Doctor Who Experience welcomes a wealth of new props and costumes from the most recent 12-episode run of stories in perfect time for the holidays. Featured items include outfits worn by Jenna Coleman from Kill the Moon, Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline. The new props will join earlier Series 8 popular installations including the Half-Face Man from Capaldi’s debut episode, Deep Breath as well as pieces from Robot of Sherwood, and the superb Skovox Blitzer from The Caretaker.

To find out more information, including ticket prices and availability, visit the Experience website!

The post Walking Tours Return to Doctor Who Experience For Easter! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Peter Capaldi: “Doctor Who Is Both Galactic And Domestic”

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.

I recently watched Paddington. I was skeptical. A movie about a CGI bear travelling to London and the adventures he gets into? Oh, it’s just gonna be one of those dodgy Garfield-esque nonsenses that taints the source material. How wrong I was.

Of course, it was a delight to see Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi in a not-entirely-altruistic role as Paddington’s neighbour, but the film itself was just a joy. So much so that at the recent Jameson Empire Awards 2015, it won Best Comedy! Capaldi was among the stars treading the red carpet (and went on stage for the award acceptance), and spoke to Hey U Guys (presumably named after The Goonies).

In the brief interviews, he touches upon why Doctor Who would be perfect as a movie – but also that it should remain very much domestic. “It look so much like a movie now,” he says. “The production values are so high that it looks extraordinary. So it would look great on the big screen… But I think there’s something nice about the domestic quality of it being in the living room as well. I mean, that’s the great thing about Doctor Who; it’s always managed to be both galactic and domestic.”

I couldn’t agree more! Sure, a Doctor Who movie would work wonderfully. But I like all of time and space in my lounge. It’s a shared experience, but it’s also an amazingly intimate one.

We also find out that Paddington was the last thing he made before stepping into the TARDIS, and that he’s no current plans for another movie as yet – simply because in the time between filming Doctor Who, he’ll be promoting it!

Further movie stardom can always wait while there’s a big blue box on your doorstep…

The post Peter Capaldi: “Doctor Who Is Both Galactic And Domestic” appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Series 9 Writers Roundup

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.

Earlier this week, Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat were confirmed to be returning to write Episode 5 of series 9 titled The Girl Who Died. Catherine Tregenna, the first female writer on Doctor Who since 2008 was also confirmed to write Episode 6, The Woman Who Lived. So, here’s a round-up of the known writing team for Series 9 of Doctor Who as of early April 2015.

The first writer announced to be writing for Series 9 was, of course, executive producer and showrunner, Steven Moffat. So far, it is known that Moffat is to write at least four episodes. The two-part series opener The Magician’s Apprentice and The Witch’s Familiar, which is to have the return of Michelle Gomez as Missy. He is to write the two-part series finale and is also the second credited writer on The Girl Who Died.

Steven Moffat

The second confirmed was the writer of a two-parter comprising of episode 3 and 4, Toby Whithouse. The titles of the two episodes are yet to be announced, and little is known about the plot. However, Steven Moffat said that the two-parter was going to ‘be brilliantly creepy – and one of the scariest adventures yet’.

This will be the fifth time Whithouse has written for Doctor Who, having previously scripted School Reunion, The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex, and A Town Called Mercy. The two-parter is also to star Paul Kaye as Prentis, the first guest star for series 9 to be announced.

Toby Whithouse

The third writer to be announced and officially confirmed is Jamie Mathieson, who wrote two episodes for Series 8, Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline. As previously stated, he’ll co-write The Girl Who Died with Steven Moffat.

His episode is possibly the first of another two- parter, which is to star Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams and Rufus Hound amongst others. Mathieson and Moffat’s episode is one of two currently being filmed.

Jamie Mathieson

Alongside the announcement of the Mathieson and Moffat script, we also learnt that Catherine Tregenna would be the first female writer since Helen Raynor (The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky) in 2008 to write for Doctor Who. Her script is episode 6, The Woman Who Lived. It is rumoured to be the concluding adventure in the third two-parter of Series 9, following The Girl Who Died. The readthrough took place on Monday.

Writer Catherine Tregenna at the read-through for her first #DoctorWho episode, The Woman Who Lived… Welcome aboard! pic.twitter.com/uzLyoqxsbq

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) March 30, 2015

What adventures are being planned behind closed doors? It’s today’s read-through for the new series! #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/KvoqinedVc

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) March 30, 2015

Regular Doctor Who contributor and Sherlock writer, Mark Gatiss is also confirmed to be writing a stand alone episode for Series 9. In an interview on The One Show, Gatiss said that his episode is ‘the scariest one he has written yet, and [he is] proud of how frightening it is’. Nothing more is known of his script as of yet. At the time of the interview on The One Show, Gatiss was still in the process of writing the script.

So whose serial are you most looking forward to? What times and places are you hoping the TARDIS will land in? And who else would you like to see writing for Series 9…?

The post Doctor Who Series 9 Writers Roundup appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Titan Comics’ Tenth Doctor #4 Reviewed!

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.

I’m making no secret of this: I’m really enjoying Titan Comics’ Tenth Doctor series. It’s fresh, and fun, and smart. Fortunately, this fourth issue keeps up the sterling start, and perhaps – dare I say it? – even exceeds my expectations.

From the off, The Tenth Doctor #4 is different. A wonderful playfulness and energy imbues every page; this is a tale excelling in its own creativity and freedom. It’s Doctor Who in comic form – that much is obvious, but the tale, written by Nick Abadzis, is perfectly fashioned for the medium. The Doctor and new companion, Gabby Gonzalez, visit Ouloumos, a beautifully alien planet with an astonishing art gallery.

Its pieces include paintings that whisper to themselves, suspended heavy metals from the core of a gas giant, and “synched sequential continuum comics” (with the Doctor revealing his love for comic books). Plus, there’s a nod to Georges Seurat (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte), whose innovation, and specifically his pointillism, influences an alien 3D cube which changes depending on which angle you see it from.

The actual art of this book, therefore, has to be equally brilliant – and Elena Casagrande’s work certainly is that.

This issue has two distinctive styles: her realistic depictions of the Doctor and Gabby, and the sketchbook cartoon-esque look. Because The Arts in Space is told largely through the intimate view of Gabby, as she writes an account of her adventures to her friend, Cindy: sketches and ramblings that help us get a clearer picture of who Gabby really is.

It’s a very pleasing picture too. Gonzalez is someone I’ve always wanted to see in the TARDIS. She already loves it. All of it. She’s amazed and fascinated. When she first leaves the Time-Space Ship, she just grips the grass and looks up. “The bird song is different,” she notes, and stifles back tears of joy.

Even when danger strikes, she’s safe in the knowledge that she’s “seen and experienced more in this one, single day than many people experience in a lifetime.”

This close POV makes for a strong narrative, easily segueing between the two artistic styles. It looks effortless, and I love how the Doctor and Gabby look into paintings that mirror those perceiving them: in this tiny panel, the two styles stare back at one another. It’s genius.

Issue 4 is an ideal fusion of Abadzis and Casagrande, so successful that the reader doesn’t know where the ideas of one ends, and those of the other begin.

If I have to find something negative, it’s that Gabby’s handwriting can be hard to read. It doesn’t detract from the overall story, but it can make you pause for a second.

It’s all topped off with a glorious cover by Verity Glass: bright, eye-catching, and realistic. And then there’s some pleasing self-referential material including a mention of the Kali, an upcoming foe in The Twelfth Doctor comic. Oh, and I won’t elaborate much about the nature of the threat (it’s largely unknown), but I will say that only a story this good can make block transfer computation interesting…

The Tenth Doctor series is so far my favourite from Titan. In fact, The Eleventh Doctor #1 takes some beating, but The Tenth Doctor #4 is my favourite comic book from all three series so far.

The post Titan Comics’ Tenth Doctor #4 Reviewed! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Flashback: Christopher Eccleston Quits Doctor Who

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.

The celebrations to mark the decade since Doctor Who returned to the screen have inevitably been followed swiftly by another notable tenth anniversary – that of the news that Christopher Eccleston would not be returning in future series.

As if the hype surrounding the debut of Series 1 wasn’t enough, what with the billboards, teaser spots and magazine covers, the shock news that the Eccleston had quit the role guaranteed that the programme was now tabloid fodder, with banner headlines screaming of a crisis in the BBC.

2005 may have been the pre-Twitter age but there was no mistaking the uproar and insanity the news created. Kasterborous was there to comment and reflect on what all this meant, and it’s interesting to look back in hindsight at our comments from that time. The assumption that the departure had been settled on some time before (‘Christopher Eccleston made this decision months ago, and no doubt Russell T Davies and Billie Piper were aware of this.’) was surely correct.

The BBC were forced to hastily withdraw a statement that gave concern over being typecast as the reason for Eccleston’s departure…

Indeed the signs were there at the time. Eccleston had put in long hours working to promote the new series but carefully avoided giving anything resembling a commitment that he’s be back for future runs (Jonathan Ross was one of those to pick up on this after an appearance on his Friday night show). When asked in a radio interview whether he was ‘in this for the long haul’ the response was a rather telling comment, no doubt reflecting all those long night shoots and early starts, that he had already ‘done the long haul’, thanks very much.

But it was the way the news broke, just a matter of days after Rose was transmitted and attracted huge audience figures that caused such a shock. The BBC were forced to hastily withdraw a statement that gave concern over being typecast as the reason for Eccleston’s departure, and Russell T Davies accepted that the whole business hadn’t been handled well. The corporation scrambled to reassure fans old and new that a succession plan was in place, with David Tennant all but confirmed to become the Tenth Doctor and Billie Piper definitely returning for Series 2.

Kasterborous’s comments were an interesting mix of the wide-of-the-mark and the prescient:

“Whatever his reasons for not carrying on, we all expect him to appear in the Christmas Special (if it is to be broadcast Christmas 2005 as expected) at least in order to hand over to David Tennant and allow his young Doctor Who fans to witness their first proper regeneration. (Alternatively, there’s a very tightly-shrouded scene at the end of this series that we don’t know about…)”

The exact reasons for Eccleston’s departure have remained oblique…

We now know that the producers had an audacious plan to spring a surprise regeneration on the audience at the end of Series 1. This surely has to go down as one of the great might-have-beens in Doctor Who’s history (just imagine if you hadn’t known that one was coming), and proved to be such a good idea that it would be tried again (well, sort of) in The Stolen Earth in Series 4. But instead viewers were left in the curious position of getting to know the new Doctor in the certain knowledge that his departure had already been determined.

Since that tumultuous Easter (can it really be ten years ago?) the exact reasons for Eccleston’s departure have remained oblique, although the man himself hasn’t shied away from giving a fair idea of them when asked. And it’s worth mentioning that, whilst it’s proved to be impossible to tempt him back for the 50th anniversary story or persuade him to grace the stage at conventions, he’s been more than happy, in a low-key, quiet way to give the odd funny, charming comment for a celebratory event or to make a fan’s day by getting into character again for a wedding proposal.

One thing most fans probably can agree on is the sentiments voiced in our original article:

“What I am sure about is the rest of this season we will see a great Christopher Eccleston Doctor; of course he is a fine actor and has already provided a lot of joy to fandom with his portrayal and I wish him all the luck in his future career and thank him for rekindling the fire, nice one Chris! :).”

What do you remember of the announcement of Eccleston’s departure? Cast your mind back and tell us in the comments.

The post Flashback: Christopher Eccleston Quits Doctor Who appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark & More Cast in Doctor Who Series 9! [UPDATED]

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.

The official Doctor Who Twitter account has just accounced that actress Maisie Williams – best known as Game of Thrones‘ Arya Stark – is to appear in Series 9!

With more details to come in this Richard Madden-saddening news, we’ll leave you for now with the announcement:

We’re excited to announce #GameOfThrones star Maisie Williams will guest in the new series of #DoctorWho More soon! pic.twitter.com/97i9SI6xFZ

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) March 30, 2015

Of her casting, Williams – who plays sword-toting orphan Arya Stark in the TV version of George RR Martin’s medieval-esque fantasy book series – said: “I’m so excited to be working on Doctor Who as it’s such a big and important part of British Culture. I can’t wait to meet the cast and crew and start filming, especially as we’ll be shooting not too far from my home town.”

Showrunner Moffat meanwhile is understandably happy. “We’re thrilled to have Maisie Williams joining us on Doctor Who. It’s not possible to say too much about who or what she’s playing, but she is going to challenge the Doctor in very unexpected ways. This time he might just be out of his depth, and we know Maisie is going to give him exactly the right sort of hell.”

A new companion at this stage seems unlikely, although a Coal Hill School pupil isn’t beyond the realms of improbability…

Other Casting News

In addition (and ironically given Maisie Williams’ character’s Game of Thones Series 4 travelling companion!), we also learn today that comedian and actor Rufus Hound (he recently appeared in RTD’s Cucumber) has joined the Series 9 guest cast alongside Horrible Histories star Tom Stourton, Ariyon Bakare, Simon Lipkin, Ian Conningham, Murray McArthur, Barnaby Kay (whose wife Nicola Walker is appearing in Big Finish’s Doom Coalition), John Voce, and Struan Rodger.

Some impressive names there!

The post Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark & More Cast in Doctor Who Series 9! [UPDATED] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

A Decade Of Doctor Who Celebrated

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.

Here’s one we forgot to share with you last week, a great tenth anniversary video celebrating Doctor Who‘s return on March 26th 2005 by the very talented John Smith, charting the events from Rose to Death in Heaven.

Of the video, he says:

Ten years ago today, ‘Rose’ first aired on our television screens and reintroduced Doctor Who to a whole new generation. So to celebrate its re-birthday, I decided to make a little video looking back at a few memorable moments from the last decade.

The entire project took six days from concept to completion and was created using After Effects, Element 3Dv2, Maya, and Mudbox. And thank you to Brian Rocz for the wonderful Tardis interior!

With suitably symphonic music by This Will Destroy You (‘The Mighty Rio Grande’) this is a great way to enjoy the biggest moments of Doctor Who since 2005 in just 3 minutes. You might also consider liking John Smith’s Facebook page.

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