Christian Cawley's Blog, page 222

Amazing Doctor Who Spoofs From Around The World!

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.

Their origins are shrouded in mystery, their production values are non-existent, their love for Doctor Who? Unstoppable! *adopts fighting stance.

Welcome to the confounding world of Doctor Who spoofs from around the globe.

These clips don’t so much capture the tone of the programme as, say, cobble together a handful of familiar tropes (the Daleks, TARDIS, the Cybermen) from whatever bits happen to be lying around; these parodies may not win many points for accuracy but they win a million life points for sheer entertainment value.

First up, how about this effort from Japan – seemingly filmed on VHS – which sees the Doctor confront a constantly ‘ho-ho-ho-ing’ Dalek, who, eager to destroy his foe, employees ‘Cybers’ to kung-fu fight the Doctor before getting fed up with their uselessness and doing the job itself.

That’s right, the Doctor judo chops a Dalek… not even Pertwee did that! If you haven’t already, click play above to start the amazement!

There’s so much to love in this clip: the Dalek trap which consists of the Doctor just walking into a forest, the Cybermen who appear to be wearing grey alien masks sprayed silver, ‘cyber…cyber…cyber’, the Doctor apparently regenerating into a superfly outfit to fight, the Dalek (or the guy wearing PVC trousers with a compost bin on his head) screaming ‘b*****d!’, the zoom-zoom-zooms, the score, which I need to track down; the whole thing is an absolute delight.

Although my favourite thing maybe the ‘Sonic Screw Sword’ which apart from being both a sonic screwdriver and a sword is also a flute too – because of course it is.

The theme of the Doctor just punching his way out problems continues with ‘Beedeer’ an Arabic effort by Christopher Paul and Deerhead purveyors of ‘the best TV in the world’ whose own parody is well… just watch the clip…

Well the title is accurate, there it is… a ‘beedeer’ although perhaps it’s accurate to describe it a ‘beedeermaninfetchingbrownshoesandgreysockswhocanbustamove’

It’s difficult to know what to make of it (other than it being completely insane) is it a parody of foreign parodies or an actual well intended parody (the text accompanying the video is Arabic but the actual company who produced the video has a Slovakian name) and it feels as though the plot has been tailored around the props available, rather than the Japanese parody, which at least attempts to fashion a plot around its baffling facsimiles.

However, what it does have going for it, is possible the greatest last line of anything ever…

“Ha, ha, ha, ha! You are lucky your husband is dead.”

Amazing!

Now watch and share these videos or I will kill you with my magic… and my sword!

(With thanks to Gareth and John)

The post Amazing Doctor Who Spoofs From Around The World! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Smith Loves Smith & RTD Fears For Soaps

Danny_Weasel 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.

Todays fun filled news blast is brought to you by the letter S (trust me, it will make sense)

Smith on Smith

Noel Clarke, AKA Mickey Smith, the loveable loser who went on to save the world has declared that recently departed Doctor number Eleven, Matt Smith is his favourite incarnation of the Time Lord.

“He had a different energy. He was just very different. Nobody thought he could match DT [David Tennant], but he did,” said Noel in a recent interview. When asked about the chances of a possible return to the show he had this to add “If I was asked to go back then it would definitely be a consideration, yes.”

Fingers crossed then!

Eccleston on Superheroes

The man who was Doctor number Nine recently spoke about some of the comic book based roles he has been in lately including Malakith from Thor: The Dark World and Claude Rains from Heroes.

When asked if he thought there would be a return for either of the characters in the future, either in the marvel universe or the newly resurrected Heroes Christopher Eccleston said that with Malekith “I do think there was more to be said and done with [Malekith]” but added that the six hour stint in the make up chair each day would possibly put him off. “I think Malekith has served his time.”

Conversely, the star was far more upbeat about a potential return to NBC’s Heroes Reborn  “Of course, yeah, I had a great time on the show!  Yeah. I’d always be interested. That was a great character. I love that guy.”

Alas, there was no mention of Doctor Who, but I think we all know what the answer to that would have been anyway…

Spoilers Ahoy!

Yeah, you may want to skip this particular bit if you dont want to know anything about the finale of Series 8.

Thats it, move along… nothing to see here.

Ok, so you’re still here then. Left-click and drag your mouse over the following gap to view the sensitive details.

New pictures from the set of the big finale have surfaced showing the cemetry last seen at the climax of Angels Take Manhattan and is home to Amy and Rory’s grave. In these new snaps we see those same stones along with a few other familliar ones such as Victorian Clara’s and modern Clara’s mum’s. The eagle eyed among you may also spot what appears to be the grave of young Thomas Thomas, Stax’s friendly sat nav friend.

Other info on the page relates to Clara talking to a Cyberman who may or may not be new companion/friend Danny.

In light of all the recent spoilers dropping like big bags of hammers do you think finding out this much on top is a step too far?

“Soaps Are Doomed” Says Private Davies

So says former showrunner Russell T Davies in a recent newspaper interview who was was quoted by The Daily Mirror newspaper as saying that he believes that the demise of serial drama is evident in dwindling viewing figures, and based on a future projection should viewers continue to shun the soaps, it’ll be all over for the genre within the next decade.

“I think the soaps are in trouble and need to be careful…You can see a television landscape in 10 years’ time where they won’t exist or will be reduced.”. A TV schedule without Hollyoaks; do I dare dream?

Of course all this begs the question that if the soaps do depart, what will they be replaced with?

Sherlock and the Doctor

Though maybe not the ones you were expecting.

A new independently produced audio adventure is coming that will team the Doctor with the Victorian detective as they hunt down Jack the Ripper, who may be more that we think he is. The series, called Doctor Who Dark Journey, is a 5 part audio series​ that aims to merge “the best of classic who with the best of nuwho” – with a darker edge.

Directed by M A Tamburro, the series is written by and stars Andrew Chalmers as a newly regenerated Doctor. Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think about it.

 

The post Smith Loves Smith & RTD Fears For Soaps appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

KasterViewPoints: American Doctor Who Companions

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.

Well, hello there, Dear Reader! It is time to again to gather around and present the second installment of the KasterViewPoints series. Our inaugural piece looked at the benefits of having an American actor in the titular role of the Doctor, and as expected, the results were mixed. An American playing Britain’s most iconic character? It’s as controversial a proposition as a British actor playing Superman… oh wait.

All humor aside, the dialogue was fantastic and has led us to this new question: if an American Doctor is too much to swallow, what about an American companion? Are there obvious benefits to bringing an American actor aboard the TARDIS with the Doctor? And who would be the ideal actor/actress to consider? All these answers await! Let’s begin in our quest to find Doctor Who companions from the US of A!

A New Perspective

The one major attribute that connects all of the modern era Doctor Who companions together (with the exception of potential romance with the Doctor… I digress) is how thoroughly British they are. Rose was a London store associate, Martha was an English med student, Donna a temp from Chiswick, Amy Pond was a Scottish kiss-a-gram, and current companion, Clara Oswald, is a school teacher in Shoreditch. Each with their own unique take on the modern Brit, but ultimately it’s the same perspective. A unique brick in the same wall, so to speak. While it certainly hasn’t become stale yet, it’s ultimately a variation of the same mold.

An American companion changes this. Watching an American character interact with the quintessential British icon would make for interesting exchanges and situations. While we share the language, the differences between American and British culture is vast. An American Doctor Who companion allows us to experience that dissonance without Americanizing the Doctor.

A Trip to the Rockies, Anyone?

With the exception of New York and a few jaunts through the US in the Series 6 two-part opener, the majority of Earth based stories take place in London (and surrounding locales) or Cardiff. There is little wrong in that, but perhaps a new Earthly setting is in order? Imagine a story set in Kentucky during a Civil War battle (with Cybermen, of course!). Or maybe something with the Rocky Mountains as the plot’s background? Perhaps the Doctor deserves a trip to Hawaii after 50 long years of traveling through space and time on our televisions. New opportunities abound! Of course, this could be accomplished without an American companion, but the context is sweeter if the people involved have ties to the locale, especially a family.

A Wider Audience, Redux

When we discussed the idea of an American Doctor, we said that his/her fans from their previous work would also follow to see them in their new role. The same can be said of the American companion, especially if they’ve made a name for themselves in other American based roles. American fans, especially those fans of genre shows, have fierce loyalty to those who played the characters they love the most. The right casting assures viewers for Doctor Who that may have never given the show a chance before. This usually turns into binge streaming royalties and product purchases. After all, Doctor Who is actually the most addictive substance known to mankind.

Who is Worthy?

Let us take a look at some potential candidates for the job, shall we? Some may seem obvious, others may be head scratchers, but all of them have the chops for the role:

Katee Sackhoff

Sci-Fi aficionados will certainly know her from the role of Starbuck in the uber-popular Battlestar Galactica remake, but she has also shown great growth as an actress in her current role as a small town deputy sheriff in A&E’s Longmire. She also has a Who connection, having co-starred with former companion, Karen Gillan, in the feature film Oculus. It’s also been a little too long since the Doctor has had a companion who could look after herself in a more physically imposing way. Sackoff could fit that bill perfectly!

Emma Stone

The Doctor and Amy Pond theorized that the proposed children of Amy and Vincent Van Gogh would be the “ultimate ginger.” That’s a reasonable supposition. However, I’d propose that the “ultimate ginger” (and occasionally mega blonde, when Marvel and Sony come calling) is already walking among us. That’s right, we’re talking about the gifted actress, Emma Stone. While most widely known for her turn as Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, she’s also shown incredible amounts of comedic timing (Superbad, Zombieland, Easy A) and has reasonably serious drama chops as well (The Help). The Doctor has already matched wits with the ballsiest ginger Scotland has to offer; I wonder how he’d fair against America’s?

Michael Weatherly

Of all the male companions the Doctor has had, there is none more noteworthy than his first, Ian Chesterton, played to perfection by William Russell. While not as old as Hartnell’s Doctor, but older than his fellow companions, he often exuded an air of gentlemanly confidence not seen since. If you miss those days and that kind of companion, I offer you the chance to return to that: enter Michael Weatherly. You’ll know him best as senior field agent Tony Dinozzo on NCIS, but also has a genre background working on cult classic Dark Angel. It also feels like a choice from out in left field, and that’s a good thing. We upped the ante with a more mature Doctor this series. Isn’t it time to do the same for his companion?

Zooey Deschanel

As I typed out that name, I nearly hesitated. Not because the actress isn’t worthy of the spot, but because many will only associate her with her current role as Jess on New Girl. That would be a grave mistake. Before Deschanel gave us the slightly off kilter Jess, she was (and to a degree still is) Hollywood’s indie film darling. She also played Jovy in Elf. Everyone loves Elf. Elf had the humor in Will Ferrell, but its heart resides with her performance. Funny, charming, beautiful, and moving; how could she not fit in on the TARDIS?

Emily Bett Rickards

Unless you also love the CW’s Arrow, there is a good chance you’ve never heard of her. That is also a shame. Rickard’s role as Felicity Smoak was only ever meant to be one or two episodes, tops. Her performance and chemistry with the series regulars won her a permanent spot on Oliver Queen’s team and even has a mass following of ‘shippers’ wanting to see her character and Oliver Queen hook up. A performance of that magnitude cannot be ignored. What if she turned her craft towards a role as a companion? We may no longer talk of the greats as Grant, Smith, Piper, or Pond. Rickards might have what it takes to be the best the Doctor has ever seen.

Now I turn to you, dear reader. Have I missed the mark here? Is there someone else you’d rather see from the US take a trip on the TARDIS? Or do you like the list above? Please let us know!

The post KasterViewPoints: American Doctor Who Companions appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

3 Top Doctor Who T-Shirts Today Only At RIPT Apparel

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 a great offer that t-shirt lovers shouldn’t miss: THREE ace Doctor Who t-shirts available today only from RIPT Apparel!

Which do you fancy? “Let’s Exterminate!” and “Nightmare Before Gallifrey” and “Warp Zone!” from artists Plaguesworth and MareveDesign and Dreweyes are on sale today only! You can pick each one up for $10 plus shipping, so act now!

A choice of male, female and children sizes (with hoodies, posters and decals also available) can be made for these striking designs. Don’t miss them, as tomorrow they’ll be gone…

This offer closes midnight PST at July 9th 2014.

The post 3 Top Doctor Who T-Shirts Today Only At RIPT Apparel appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Barrowman(!) May Return If Torchwood Revived

James Lomond 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.

There are some corners of the universe that have bred the most fabulous things. Things that act against everything serious drama believes in- and they must be caught – on camera, unwittingly being re-enacted by two cast members of the same show, on separate panels to the audience of the Phoenix Comicon early last month. We have a wee comic(on) gem for you! But first a mini-Barrowman update…

The news-munchkins that keep Kasterborous’s cogs shiny found more online evidence that Barrowman, the multi-talented Duracell Bunny of popular culture, would return to Torchwood if the show came back. He was interviewed by Sir Terry Wogan on his BBC2 radio show at the end of last month.

Referring to the four seasons of Torchwood he said, “we had a great run and that was it really. But who knows what the future may hold.” I don’t know about you, Kasterborites but this falls into the Pope-is-a-Catholic news category – we know he loved it and who’d turn down a great job? He says as much when talking about the most important thing being that he enjoys a job and has fun at work. On jobs like hit US crime-fighting series, Arrow. This brings me to the aforementioned comic gem…

Take a look at the clip above from Phoenix Comicon from early June. Barrowman and his co-star, Stephen Amell describe the first meeting of their characters, villainous Merlyn and titular hero Oliver Queen, AKA Arrow. In brief, our John sabotages some terribly serious acting seriousness with what can only be described as a jazz-Arabesque with added sparkle (JASS?).

(Special thanks to Louise Morel for pointing out the stories and giving Kasterborous the time markers to make the edits quick and easy).

If it were down to me, I’m not sure whether I’d bring Torchwood or the good Captain back in a hurry, especially with the anticipated darker tone of series 8. But I admit to being more than curious how Capaldi and Coleman would fair with this loveable rogue on-set. They do say if a cast does their best work when they’re enjoying themselves…

Speaking of which, for those Kasterborites thus inclined, here’s the scene Barrowman and Amell were referring to. It features seriousness, human male toplessness and a hint of Barrowman sparkle. Some corners of the universe have bred the most fabulous things…

The post Barrowman(!) May Return If Torchwood Revived appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

It’s An Amazing Big Finish News Blast!

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.

Today’s news blast has a distinctly Big Finish flavour to it with a taste of charity giveaways, a pinch of Philip Hinchcliffe (please, do not pinch Philip Hinchcliffe) and a fair old slice of the Sixth Doctor’s latest adventures.

Spend the Day with Big Finish!

Kicking things off; there’s only a month left to submit your bid to spend the day with Big Finish at their studios. The prize giveaway, organised by Doctor Who Cares in aid of Denville Hall – a home elderly theatre professionals, includes the chance to attend a recording, meet and have your photo taken with the actors, and sample the famous Big Finish lunch!

And you thought all those food synonyms were for nothing.

The current leading bid stands a £375.00 with the auction set to close at midnight on August 9th

The winner must cover any transport and accommodation costs.

Revisiting The Philip Hinchcliffe Era

Speaking of transportation, how about being transported back (seamless, I know) to the haunted vistas, the smog enveloped hillsides and the mercurial dark arts of the Philip Hinchcliffe era?

Anticipating the September launch of the collaboration with legendary Doctor Who producer, Philip Hinchcliffe, Big Finish are proud to release this trailer for the tantalising Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents…

The box set comprises two epic stories for the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) written by the man who oversaw some of the show’s most classic moments.

Speaking about the first of two six episode serials, The Ghost of Gralstead, the great man himself shared a little bit about the origins of the fantastic meeting of Doctor Who minds:

“The starting point was there were a few basic ideas that were kicking around for another series, had we made it,” says Philip. “I thought this project would be fun to be involved with, and I’ve tried to and tell stories that are in the same spirit as the ones Robert Holmes and I were telling.”

In The Ghost of Gralstead, the Doctor and Leela return to Victorian London, in the year 1860 where, at St Clarence’s Hospital, respected surgeon Sir Edward Scrivener requires the bodies of the dead while at Doctor McDivett’s Exhibition of Living Wonders and Curiosities, miracles are afoot.

And in Gralstead House, the ghost will walk again. Mordrega has come to Earth…

In the second audio adventure, The Devil’s Armada, the TARDIS lands in Sissenden Village in the sixteenth century. Catholic priests are hunted, so-called witches are drowned in the ducking stool, and in the shadows the Vituperon are watching… and waiting…

Producer David Richardson said:

“The edits are complete now and I couldn’t be prouder of this release. This is Philip’s vision of Doctor Who just as you remember it – dark and scary, with magnificent villains and deep moral dilemmas.”

The six-disc set also includes a behind the scenes documentary, featuring interviews with Philip, Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, adapter Marc Platt and the cast and crew.

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents Box Set is available to pre-order now for release in September for £55.00 on CD and £45.00 for the Digital edition.

The Widow’s Assassin

However, if you’re in the market for more pre-order goodness from Big Finish; why not swap the gothic trappings of Hinchcliffe for a fairytale with a difference in The Window’s Assassin, the latest Sixth Doctor audio adventure?

Starring Colin Baker, The Widow’s Assassin sees the Doctor smack bang in the middle of a tale of lore as he must rescue the maiden, fight the king and slay the Dragon; all in the name of the kind of fairytale lore he can’t quiet remember.

The full synopsis reads:

“Once upon a time, in a land of monsters and corridors, a fair maiden was captured, and placed in a deep sleep.

She was used to being captured, and she had a hero who rescued her on just such occasions. But this time the hero never came.

And the fair maiden slept on.

Eventually, a King rescued the maiden, and made her his bride, which many wise old women might tell you is just another way of capturing fair maidens.

And still the fair maiden slept on.

Then, the hero had another stab at rescuing the maiden from her prison, but he was too late. And, more importantly, he had forgotten the rules of fairy tales.

He didn’t slay the dragon.”

The Widow’s Assassin, written by Nev Fountain and starring Colin Baker & Nicola Bryant, is available to pre-order now for release in October for £14.99 on CD and £14.99 as a digital download.

The post It’s An Amazing Big Finish News Blast! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

We Talk Leaked Doctor Who Series 8 Scripts & Episodes!

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.

In light of the recent leaked Doctor Who Series 8 episodes & scripts storm, Christian Cawley, James McLean and Brian A Terranova are here with another podKast in which we cover the shock leak and the impact of spoilers over the next few weeks.

This leak is serious stuff. Some Facebook pages and websites are taking the spoilers to heart, sharing them with unsuspecting readers – completely unnecessary, you might think, but of course their aim is to increase hits and popularity. It might prove to be a double-edged sword for some.

Remember, these are real spoilers, plot points, dialogue and twists. We’re not talking about surprise casting or photos here, we’re talking about the actual storylines from five Series 8 episodes.

Also on the agenda today, the latest Doctor Who Series 8 trailer and we have a chat about Brian’s collection of police box photos.

Hit play!

Kasterborous PodKast Series 4 Episode 22 Shownotes

BBC “Sorry” After Five Doctor Who Series 8 Scripts Leak [SPOILER-FREE]
Who Can See Into The Doctor’s Soul? [NEW TRAILER]
James’ Police Box blog
Police Boxes in England

The Kasterborous PodKast theme tune is arranged by Russell Hugo. Huzzah!

Listen to the PodKast

There are several ways to listen. In addition to the usual player above, we’re pleased to announce that you can also stream the podKast using Stitcher, an award-winning, free mobile app available for Android and iPhone/iPad. This pretty much means that you can listen to us anywhere without downloading – pretty neat, we think you’ll agree! (Note that it can take a few hours after a new podKast is published to “catch up”.)

What’s more, you can now listen and subscribe to the podKast via our Audioboo channel! Head to http://audioboo.fm/channel/doctorwhopodkast and click play to start listening. You can also comment and record your own boos in response to our discussions! Meanwhile you can use the player below to listen through Audioboo:

You haven’t clicked play yet?! What are you waiting for? As well as our new Stitcher and Audioboo presence you can also use one of these amazingly convenient ways to download and enjoy this week’s podKast.

Use the player in the top right of the Kasterborous home page, or visit the podKast menu link.
Listen with the “pop out” player above, which also allows you to download the podKast to your computer.
You can also take advantage of the RSS feed to subscribe to the podKast for your media player, and even find us on iTunes, where your reviews will help the show considerably.

 

The post We Talk Leaked Doctor Who Series 8 Scripts & Episodes! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

July 26th Is Doctor Who Comics Day!

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.

This July 23 sees the release of two brand-new Doctor Who ongoing series, Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor and Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor by Titan Comics, which already is set to be the biggest Doctor Who comics launch in recent times!

To celebrate Titan Comics is pleased to announce Saturday July 26 will be DOCTOR WHO COMICS DAY and would like to invite Doctor Who fans and comic readers to join in with the celebrations.

As well as being the first to read these exciting two new series, DOCTOR WHO COMICS DAY will give fans the chance to celebrate everything Doctor Who with signings, events, special variant covers and promotions in stores and at shows in the U.S.A, Canada, U.K. Australia and New Zealand!

Full details will be released next week and we’ll have them here on Kasterborous, but in the meantime don’t forget to follow Titan Comics on Twitter at @ComicsTitan or join the Facebook page.

The post July 26th Is Doctor Who Comics Day! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

BBC “Sorry” After Five Doctor Who Series 8 Scripts Leak [SPOILER-FREE]

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.

It’s happened again.

There’s been a major leak at BBC Worldwide, resulting in the scripts for the first five episodes of Series 8 appearing online. The BBC has said sorry to all the fans and are investigating.

“BBC Worldwide is currently investigating a security issue around Doctor Who Series 8 where unfinished material has inadvertently been made public,” they say. “We deeply regret this and apologise to all the show’s fans, the BBC and the cast and crew who have worked tirelessly making the series.” (At least they’re stating that these are unfinished, so at least some polishing would be done in-situ… although how much is unknown.)

They go on to ask people not to search for the scripts (and they’re very, very easy to find), mainly because it’ll spoil the series… hence the word ‘spoilers’! The BBC continue: “We would like to make a plea to anyone who might have any of this material and spoilers associated with it not to share it with a wider audience so that everyone can enjoy the show as it should be seen when it launches. We know only too well that Doctor Who fans are the best in the world and we thank them for their help with this and their continued loyalty.”

The fully-filmed episodes were reportedly posted online too, but were swiftly taken down.

BBC Worldwide is currently investigating a security issue around Doctor Who Series 8 where unfinished material has inadvertently been made public.

It’s just the latest in a long line of leaks: most notably, Rose appeared online before it aired, thus tainting the relaunch of Doctor Who for many, and the email announcing that Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, would be leaving also did the rounds.

How did this happen? Some are claiming it’s a publicity stunt, but that’s highly unlikely – it would mean the BBC were really desperate, at a time when publicity for the show is already kicking into a higher gear thanks to a brand new Doctor in Peter Capaldi. Those brief trailers, too, are teasing enough: we don’t need scripts to get all excited!

It sounds as if they were leaked after being sent to the newly-opened Miami headquarters for translation. That site has completely gone offline now. The watermark lists the script as belonging to Marcelo Camargo, but no one can find anything out about this member of the crew, if indeed he exists.

It’s an appalling slip-up and Kasterborous refuses to give you any spoilers; we also ask that you don’t seek them out. Surely you don’t want your first impressions of the Twelfth Doctor (a milestone step for the show) ruined like that?

What positives can we get form this, without reading the scripts? The titles sound promising, but we won’t announce them right now. It confirms that Deep Breath, the first episode of the run, written by Steven Moffat and directed by Ben Wheatley, is “feature-length” – likely about 79 minutes!

It also appears that subsequent episodes, by Phil Ford, Mark Gatiss, Moffat, and Steve Thompson, are slightly longer than the average running time of previous series; only by a few minutes or so but that might be the olive branch the BBC are extending to us after supposedly cutting the series down by one episode.

Please don’t include spoilers in any comments on Kasterborous: they will be deleted.

The post BBC “Sorry” After Five Doctor Who Series 8 Scripts Leak [SPOILER-FREE] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Robert Harrop Produces Superb Doctor Who Figurines!

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.

Doctor Who fans who fancy having a new collectible range of goodies to devote a whole new display cabinet to will soon have something to put on their Christmas and birthday lists with the likely autumn launch of the Robert Harrop figurine collection!

As reported by Kasterborous in March, the company, long established as producers of all manner of ceramic collectibles, are hard at work on designs for their next range. Some images of their sculpts for the first items in the series can be viewed online, and rather promising they are too.

So, assuming all goes well and the various levels of approval are successfully negotiated, we can anticipate figurines of the Third and Fourth Doctors, Linx and an Ice Warrior. It’s safe to say they won’t be stopping there, however. As the company’s Matt Buckley says in an online discussion:

“To be honest most humans/creatures/robots/cyborgs/beasts/machines are on the list, hehehehe…”

Robert Harrop clearly know their stuff when it comes to ceramic items to put on the mantelpiece. Probably best known for their various ranges depicting (often alarmingly anthropomorphised) dogs, they’ve also branched out into the film and TV collectibles market with lines including Aardman Animations, Supermarionation and (my favourite) Camberwick Green.

One wishes them well in this new venture. The history of what you might call ‘premium display’ Who merchandise (not a technical term) has not always been a happy one. I recall a series of plates launching in the 1980′s which covered Doctors 1-3 plus a couple of other characters before the range petered out, presumably through lack of sales. A couple of collectible bust sets over the years haven’t exactly gone down in the annals of must-have items. Perhaps there is a limit to how much fans are prepared to pay for new collections? Or is Doctor Who’s current global domination in the afterglow of the 50th anniversary so all-consuming that this new set comes at just the right time?

Post by Robert Harrop Figurines.

I’m no industry specialist, but presumably it’s all about getting your product right, with the pricing and sales pitched at the right level. If the care they are taking over the designs is anything to go by, Robert Harrop could have a big success. Interesting to see how they are using their discussion forum to make their prototypes available for people to comment on. One conscientious poster has made a plea for the correct colour to be used on the promised Genesis-era Dalek’s grille. These things matter.

The figurines aren’t likely to be cheap, and are surely most likely to appeal to fans of a certain age who have perhaps moved on from remote control Daleks (if such a thing is possible). The fact that the early figures will feature the classic era of the programme, with Sontarans preferred to Slitheen, is an indication that they have carefully considered who is most likely to be willing to shell out for this stuff.

What do you think? Are you likely to buy this range? How willing are Doctor Who fans to pay top whack for new goodies? Have Robert Harrop Collectibles got this one figured out?

The post Robert Harrop Produces Superb Doctor Who Figurines! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.