Christian Cawley's Blog, page 158

Omnirumour PodKast iTunes Edition

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.

Dear Kasterborite, it would appear that our recent podKast with John Guilor and Rupert Booth didn’t work on iTunes!

This is probably because of a link to another podcast with Mr Guilor linked in the shownotes, a lesson we have now learned from. So, apologies for the confusion, although I do hope you foudn the chat about Contradiction interesting and informative.

To make up for this rather silly error, here is the genuine podKast, as released previously.

Enjoy!

The post Omnirumour PodKast iTunes Edition appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

New Big Finish Trailers, Novel Adaptation Releases & Merchandise

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.

Again, we come with glad tidings of audio joy! Far more useful than a Christmas tangerine, here is your Kasterborous Big Finish News Blast! Today, we have a brand new trailer for Fourth Doctor adventure The Darkness of Glass, The Highest Science is out this month, Big Finish gift ideas, and the Rani speaks in the latest issue of the Vortex. With no more ado, let us dig in!

Doctor Who – The Darkness of Glass Trailer Revealed!

A brand spanking new trailer has been released for the upcoming Tom Baker adventure, The Darkness of Glass (which can be heard by clicking here). In the meanwhile, here is an idea of what the Fourth Doctor and Leela are up against:

“Cut off from the TARDIS, the Doctor and Leela find themselves stranded on a small island. But they are not alone. It is 1907, and members of the Caversham Society have gathered on the hundredth anniversary of the death of Mannering Caversham, the greatest Magic Lanternist who ever lived. But Caversham was also a supernaturalist who claimed to have conjured up a demon from the depths of hell. As people start to die, the Doctor begins to wonder if Caversham’s story might have more than a grain of truth in it. Can the Doctor and Leela discover what really happened to Caversham a century ago? And if they do, will they live to tell the tale..?”

The adventure is set to release in February but is available for preorder now.

Gareth Roberts’ The Highest Science Releases This Month!

The Big Finish adaption of Gareth Roberts’ Seventh Doctor Adventure, The Highest Science, is set to release this month. Featuring the McCoy Doctor and popular companion Bernice Summerfield, the adventure finds them in strange coincidences:

“The Highest Science. The pinnacle of knowledge and a terrible weapon. A legend – nothing more.

Sheldukher. The most wanted criminal in the galaxy. Evil to the core and hungry for power, whatever the cost. The Chelonians. A vast military power, pledged to eradicate human parasites wherever they are found. The Doctor. An ancient and wise Time Lord tracking a temporal fluctuation that endangers the universe itself. Some things should never meet, but as Professor Summerfield is about to discover, the universe is full of coincidences.”

You can hear the trailer and preorder the adventure here.

Some “Beautiful” Gift Ideas from Big Finish

We all know that the days between now and Christmas Day are rapidly disappearing. I can imagine that, if you’re like me, you’re not even close to finished with shopping and I dare say there may be a handful of people on your list that you are having a difficult time finding a gift. Our friends at Big a Finish know this and have suggested a couple of ideas for the Whovians and literature fans on your list.

Their top Doctor Who suggestions are the 50th Anniversary special, The Light at the End, and the newer collection, The Worlds of Doctor Who, spanning several lines and including the Sixth Doctor as well! Their final suggestion is of interest to Mary Shelley fans and Whovians alike, as Frankenstein features former companion Arthur Darvill and voice of the monsters, Nicholas Briggs! These stories are packaged in beautiful book format and look as great as they sound. You can get a better look at the releases here. I can almost guarantee the Whovians in your life will loves these (unless of course they already own them!)

Vortex Magazine Highlights Interview with Siobhan Redmond

Big Finish has also unwrapped its latest edition of Vortex Magazine (which if your a Big Finish fan and not reading this, you’re missing out!) and of the biggest highlights is an interview with the newest incarnation of the Rani, Siobhan Redmond. The whole article is worth your read, but this is the most interesting bit as far as this writer is concerned:

“I have to out myself now, as one of the few people in the known galaxy who’s never seen Doctor Who. It’s my USP!I grew up in a house with no television. My auntie had a telly so I did see some bits of it over the years, and I remember seeing the Daleks, so it’s not completely foreign territory for me. I’ve not been living under a stone – but I just never saw much telly as a kid. When it came back a few years ago, I was in my middle-age, and I thought it would have felt a bit weird watching it, so I’ve not actually seen it. I said to people I might start watching it when Peter Capaldi went into it, but I think I’m just going to be destined to never see it!”

The Rani has never bloody seen Doctor Who? Well, that tremendous slight aside, I hope she excels in the role and we’ll be reviewing her first outing, The Rani Elite, soon.

That’s it for the BF news blast! As always, thanks for riding along with us and please leave some comments below, especially if you’re looking forward to some of these upcoming Big Finish adventures!

The post New Big Finish Trailers, Novel Adaptation Releases & Merchandise appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

T-Shirt Time: Another Dr Seuss/Who Mashup For Christmas!

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.

Need something Doctor Who-ish and Dr Seuss-esque to celebrate Chistmas? Kasterborites, you can grab your very own Doctor Whoville t-shirt, updated for a 2014 new look by designer Ian Leino!

This time around, the War Doctor and the Twelfth Doctor join their Whoville-esque other selves in a shirt available in blue for men and women and silver for youths. Sizes range from small to 3XL.

Costing just $15 plus shipping, this is a great Christmas mashup t-shirt from TeeFury, and you can get an idea of how it will look on you by admiring the beautiful people below!

Go on, you know you want to!

The post T-Shirt Time: Another Dr Seuss/Who Mashup For Christmas! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

New Last Christmas Trailer Released By BBC [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.

Your urges can now be satisfied, Kasterborite. The BBC has released a new trailer for the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special, Last Christmas. Revealing very little that you haven’t already seen, the trailer does the job: it’s a tease, isn’t it?

Just in case you’ve forgotten, the synopsis goes like this:

“The Doctor and Clara face their Last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!”

Written by by Steven Moffat, Last Christmas stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman as the Doctor and Clara, and guest stars Nick Frost as Santa Claus, Michael Troughton as Professor Albert, Faye Marsay as Shona, Natalie Gumede as Ashley Carter, and Dan Starkey as Ian.

Don’t miss it – UK viewers can catch it on Christmas Day at 6.15pm.

Stay up to date with our Last Christmas coverage by visiting our dedicated page.

Update: BBC Releases New Clip!

Pretty much as per the heading, really – clcik play to enjoy, or you might just save it for the big day, right?

The post New Last Christmas Trailer Released By BBC [UPDATED] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

New Last Christmas Trailer Released By BBC

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.

Your urges can now be satisfied, Kasterborite. The BBC has released a new trailer for the 2014 Doctor Who Christmas special, Last Christmas. Revealing very little that you haven’t already seen, the trailer does the job: it’s a tease, isn’t it?

Just in case you’ve forgotten, the synopsis goes like this:

“The Doctor and Clara face their Last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!”

Written by by Steven Moffat, Last Christmas stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman as the Doctor and Clara, and guest stars Nick Frost as Santa Claus, Michael Troughton as Professor Albert, Faye Marsay as Shona, Natalie Gumede as Ashley Carter, and Dan Starkey as Ian.

Don’t miss it – UK viewers can catch it on Christmas Day at 6.15pm.

Stay up to date with our Last Christmas coverage by visiting our dedicated page.

The post New Last Christmas Trailer Released By BBC appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Capaldi & Moffat Discuss The Future Of Doctor Who

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.

Hello, dear readers! Today is an exceptional day and it is time to gird your loins, fellow Kasterborites! Today’s News Blast is taking us to the future! Which future, you ask? Well, today we talk about the Capaldi Doctor’s future and what mysteries may remain for him. In addition, we’ll also discuss Capaldi’s Doctor/Beatles comparison, Capaldi on Politicians, a new potential time slot for Doctor Who Series 9, and Moffat on shocking the audience. Shall we begin?

More Mysteries of the Twelfth Doctor?

When speaking with Digital Spy, Peter Capaldi hinted that there may be more mysteries to uncover with his Doctor:

“I think it would be wrong to say ‘we’ve arrived’ – and that’s certainly not how I feel,” he explained. “I don’t think Steven [Moffat] or anyone else feels like that – I think that would be lazy and foolish. I think you have to keep moving – if he’s regenerated, he’s learning about himself and how he responds to the universe, so I think he probably will be different again when he comes back.”

I for one am hoping that and new changes will be subtle in nature. After all, Series 8 was a tremendous change in pace.

Capaldi on the Beatles and Sympathy for Malcom Tucker

The Telegraph is running some recent comments that Capaldi has made about his experience as the Doctor. He’s compared joining Doctor Who to becoming a member of the Beatles and how the scrutiny that comes along with it:

“No one was particularly bothered about what I said before. What’s now shocking is I can’t say anything publicly without it having a life. Not because I have extraordinary views but because people are keen on conflict, so they’ll make that the story. They love to make out that Steven Moffat and I have disagreements. But that’s business as usual. It made me realise how awful it must be to be a politician.I’m a lot more sympathetic to Malcolm Tucker’s views now.”

The Mirror also give us a glimpse as to what not to expect the current Doctor to ask for Christmas:

“My family know not to get me any tech for Christmas. I can never get it to work and it all becomes very tearful and pressurised. If you put me in a real Tardis, I dread to think what would happen to the universe.”

A New Time Slot for Doctor Who?

Take this one with a grain of salt, dear readers, but the Mirror are reporting that because Series 8 was a “ratings flop,” the BBC will be moving Doctor Who Series 9 to 8.30pm. According to their sources, the number of people watching as it airs has dropped but that iPlayer and recorded viewings have increased. If there is indeed a move, it should have little to do with viewing statistics and may be more in line with the more mature plot points of late. The idea that Series 8 was a ratings flop seems a bit out of place with what the numbers tell us (our own James Lomond did a recent numbers piece that may be of interest to you on the matter). Stay tuned.

Should this become official, we’ll pass it along.

Time to Stop Shocking the Audience, Steven Moffat?

Digital Spy brings us an interesting conversation between SFX and show runner and head writer Steven Moffat and they suggest that shocking Capaldi moments may be decreasing in Series 9:

“I was looking for the Capaldi moments every episode, saying ‘We need a Capaldi moment, that moment where he’s not Matt Smith, he’s not David Tennant, where he’s a dangerous, unpredictable, volatile character’. Because that slaps the audience awake, in a way. The longer you do a show the cosier it gets, the cosier it gets the nearer to death it gets. You really have to say to people ‘Pay attention. He’s far more unpredictable than that’.So now, having done that, and having blasted our new Doctor at them, we can go other places with him. We don’t have to work at that anymore because people just accept him. I won’t be looking for the Capaldi moment next year because the whole show is a Capaldi moment.”

So either the shocking moments are decreasing or the whole episode is meant to be a shocking moment; only time will tell. Next fall is seeming further and further away. Fortunately we have a Christmas special coming soon.

That brings us to an end, fellow Kasterborites! What do you think of the way Capaldi’s Doctor and Series 9 is shaping up to be? Let us know in the comments below, won’t you?

The post Capaldi & Moffat Discuss The Future Of Doctor Who appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Freema Agyeman Would Return to 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.

Freema Agyeman – who played Martha Jones throughout Series 3 and then on-and-off in Series 4 and the Tenth Doctor’s swansong, The End of Time – says she would consider coming back to Doctor Who – but admits she doesn’t watch it anymore!

The actress, who is currently promoting audio drama, Six Degrees of Assassination, said, “It’s something I would consider, but if I’m honest, I’d only really do it if there was some sort of development of the character… I loved the show – it’s brilliant – but I thought there were more things we could have done with Martha. She was this strong woman, but I thought we got bogged down in the love story side of things.”

I think many would agree with you on that, Freema! And that comes from a Martha fan.

But there’s a further revelation, which may shock us devoted Whovians:

“I actually don’t watch Doctor Who. I’m one of those actresses who doesn’t watch a lot of TV, to be honest. I mean, I loved spending time on the show, but I probably haven’t watched it for the last five years… I love the concepts of the show and I still go to conventions and stuff. People ask me things about the show but they’re shocked to learn that I don’t know much about it. I watched the years before and after I was on it, but I haven’t continued watching it.”

Sad to hear, don’t you reckon? Think of all the great stories she’s missed out on! Crikey.

Would you like Martha to return? How about her cropping up in UNIT? Or maybe doing some audio adventures? That’d be cool, right? Let us know below!

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Exclusive Competition: Win Lovarzi’s Fifth Doctor Sweater!

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’ve teamed up with Lovarzi to offer you the chance to win a Fifth Doctor Sweater, just in time for Christmas!

Fans of Peter Davison’s Time Lord will love the 100% Acrylic Sweater, based on his first jumper which debuted in Castrovalva. He continued to wear this for the majority of his stories including the 90-minute special, The Five Doctors. It was eventually replaced in the following season’s The Awakening, but returned for 2007’s Time Crash.

Lovarzi is the only official licensee of Doctor Who scarves in the UK, and has produced a multi-coloured Fourth Doctor Scarf (a best-seller), the Seventh Doctor Jumper and Scarf, Burgundy Fourth Doctor Scarf and Dalek Scarf, as well as a TARDIS Scarf, and immense 18ft Fourth Doctor Scarf.

So what do you have to do to win? Simply leave a comment below, answering this question:

What other Doctor Who product would you like Lovarzi to make?

The competition is open now and will run until midday (12GMT) on Monday 15th December 2014. The winner will be contacted via email shortly afterwards to confirm address and size.

It doesn’t matter if your entry’s five words or 200 words - there’s one condition however: unfortunately, this is only open to UK residents. Sorry, International Fans.

Maninder Singh Sahota, Director of Lovarzi, says: “We’ve been overwhelmed and delighted by the reaction our Doctor Who products have garnered; the hard work and attention to detail we put into creating finest quality items is always worthwhile when we see the smiles of fans whenever we exhibit our ever-expanding range.”

Good luck!

The post Exclusive Competition: Win Lovarzi’s Fifth Doctor Sweater! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Theme Parks, Space Travel & Old Men Defending Freedom

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.

Ah! It is a strange alchemy! This heady broth of theme park attractions, space travel (both imagined and real) and old favourites brought back from the abyss – it’s time for another bubbling cauldron of News Blast!

Adherents of the Repeated Theme

Fancy joining the Doctor on an interstellar ride aboard the TARDIS? How about a trip on the Question Time Tea Cups? The Magic Roundabout…err Roundabout? Jeremy Clarkson’s It’s a Small World?

These and other, better ideas could soon be coming to a BBC theme park after its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide announced a landmark deal with London Resort Company Holdings (LRCH), the company behind the multi-billion pound London Paramount Entertainment Resort in Kent which is scheduled to open in 2020.

BBC programmes and characters will feature prominently in the entertainment resort alongside Paramount properties – so get ready for that Naked Gun themed restaurant you always dreamed of! Nordburgers anyone? David Testa, Director of LRCH, said:

“The BBC has played an instrumental role in shaping the British entertainment industry for nearly a century, creating some of the most iconic and cherished characters on TV and radio.

“It seems only right therefore that its programmes will be present at the new London Paramount Entertainment Resort, which will combine the glamour of Hollywood with the best of British culture.”

To Boldly Go Where No Time Lord Has Gone Before

Star Trek Continues – a fan made series continuing the starship Enterprises five year mission to boldly go where no man has gone before – has bagged itself a Time Lord.

Colin Baker will be uniting the franchise (in a strictly unofficial capacity of course) as a guest star in episode four of the ongoing series.

The series is the brain child of long-time Star Trek: The Original Series fan and actor/director Vic Mignogna who is aiming to complete the final two years of the original series five year run.

Guest stars so far include Michael Forest, Jamie Bamber, Lou Ferrigno, and Erin Gray — as well as cameos by Star Trek alums like Marina Sirtis and Michael Dorn.

“Did I Mention It Doesn’t Travel In Time?”

From great leaps for Sci-fi to giant leaps for mankind as Colin Baker (he’s been busy, hasn’t he?) has teamed up with NASA to introduce to the world the space agency’s new Orion spacecraft.

The craft, which had its first test flight last Friday, is designed and intended to send humans farther away from our planet than ever before, beyond low Earth orbit.

It has the ability to get us to nearby asteroids and perhaps even to the surface of Mars itself.

With space to allow a crew of four to live and work, Orion “will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities.”

The test was the first designed to test durability in increasingly challenging condition. Orion travelled twice through the Van Allen belt, where it experienced periods of intense radiation, and reached an altitude of 3,600 miles above Earth. Future mission will see Orion subjected to higher levels of cosmic radiation as the spacecraft moves further out into the solar system.

Stupid Boy

And finally, beloved sitcom Dad’s Army maybe heading to the big screen – featuring several Doctor Who guest stars such as Bill Nighy as Sergeant Wilson, Sir Michael Gambon as Private Godfrey and Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring – but ‘Don’t panic!’

Doctor Who writer and actor Mark Gatiss has said the remake, in which he appears as Mainwaring’s colonel and chief, maintains the humour and poignancy of the original.

“It’s a lovely script and a fantastic cast, I think everyone involved loves the original,” he told The Telegraph. “I was actually very sceptical when I first heard about it, but it’s being remade by people who love the original and want to do right by it.”

But he said despite the pressure of filming a show that is very dear to the nation, it is being made by people who love the original.

“It’s very much in the flavour of the original, it’s very funny but also very sad and poignant. I always used to think about Dad’s Army that the backdrop is the worst conflict in history, but what we’re doing in a very British way is managing to get through by having a laugh.”

And that’s all for now – but keep ‘em peeled for more News Blast, coming to a Doctor Who site near you!

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Companions Talk Big Finish’s Early Adventures

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.

Whichever Doctor you want more of, Big Finish has you covered – and fans of the First Doctor will be particularly happy with the release of The Early Adventures. And at Newcastle’s Dimensions 2014, the audio company spoke to three of the stars of the new range.

We start off with Carole Ann Ford, the Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan, before swiftly moving on to Fraser Hines, aka Jamie (because The Early Adventures will soon encapsulate the Second Doctor era too), and then to Steven Taylor, better known as Blue Peter‘s Peter Purves. But of course all three are given ample time to explain how the audios are essential listening!

The Early Adventures began with September’s Domain of the Voord, revisiting the aliens from The Keys of Marinus, and continued with The Doctor’s Tale, The Bounty of Ceres, and this month’s An Ordinary Life. But then we’ve got to wait until September 2015 for the next release. Nonetheless, the series which has superseded The Companion Chronicles looks a great new set of stories for the brilliant First Doctor.

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