Christian Cawley's Blog, page 233

Confused By Dimensions In Time? So Were The Cast…

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.

Oh dear, Dimensions in Time. Despite viewing figures of 13.8 million viewers for the first part and 13.6 million (during Children in Need) for the second back in 1993 (part two screened as part of Noel’s House Party, at the time a massive Saturday evening show), it really is an old mess, guilty of various crimes against scriptwriting, direction, acting and CGI.

Never mind throwing the “it was for charity!” line – if you’re trying to entertain people into raising money, you produce something that is worth watching, not an adventure that is likely to embarrass the living hell out of anyone watching. Still, the premise is interesting, best summarised by the Fourth Doctor:

Mayday! Mayday! This is an urgent message for all the Doctors. It’s vitally important that you listen carefully to me for once. Our whole existence is being threatened by a renegade Time Lord known only as the Rani! She hates me. She even hates children! Two of my earlier selves have already been snared in her vicious trap. The grumpy one and the flautist, do you remember? She wants to put us out of action, lock us away in a dreary backwater of London’s East End, trapped in a time-loop in perpetuity. Her evil is all around us! I can hear the heart beat of a killer. She’s out there somewhere. We must be on our guard and we must stop her before she destroys all of my other selves! Oh… Good luck, my dears!

Back in 1993 I wasn’t really a Doctor Who fan. I had – apparently – been a fan until the show stopped, but as I said to Bob Fischer late last year in The TARDIS on Teesside, I didn’t realise that other people weren’t fans. It would be another 8 months until fandom struck me, so I can recall the embarrassment of watching Dimensions in Time – a Children in Need special – with particular honesty, my fanboy hat at the time sitting on a collection of Guitarist and Guitar World magazines and posters of rock stars wielding Gibson Les Pauls decorating my living space.

The video that has recently been spotted on YouTube shows just how baffled the cast were by the story, filmed at Greenwich and the BBC’s EastEnders set at Elstree. Including out-takes, behind the scenes, and alternate takes, much of the footage is extremely rare with clips mostly taken from VHS copies of the original rushes tapes.

In its defence, Dimension in Time was written by John Nathan-Turner and David Roden as a kind of last-minute chance to do something in Doctor Who‘s 30th anniversary year after the intriguing Lost in the Dark Dimension was cancelled following budgetary madness. We get to see Jon Pertwee as the Doctor again… we see Tom Baker too, as well as Peter Davison and Colin Baker looking as close to the Doctor as they ever could do in a returning appearance. Sylvester McCoy was at the time the current incarnation, and all were matched with various mix and match companions for reasons that remain muddy but probably have something to do with availability. And, of course, we get to see the wonderful Kate O’Mara in her final appearance as the Rani.

So it’s not completely bad.

To see how the confusion above made it into a barely cohesive whole, click play below…

The presence of the EastEnders cast probably seemed a great idea at the time, and you can see why. Riding on some household names without the trouble of putting up a new set, the crossover is certainly not part of EastEnders’ continuity, but should it be considered part of Doctor Who‘s? The general rule is that whatever happens on TV is official canon, while everything else is left to the fans to decide. This makes the barmy nonsense canon (should you be inclined to fit your favourite show into some prescriptive hole of boredom) while the observation of the Seventh Doctor in David A. McIntee’s First Frontier that “I once had [a nightmare] where all my old foes chased me round a soap opera” is not.

Funny old world, isn’t it?

In truth, the continuity issues for both shows caused longer term issues. For instance, we know that EastEnders is a TV show in the Doctor Who universe, following the appearance of the spectral Den Watts on TV in Army of Ghosts, while EastEnders character Pauline Fowler died in 2006, yet is depicted as being alive in Dimension‘s 2013 segments.

The poor relation of all of Doctor Who‘s anniversary specials, Dimensions in Time is unlikely to ever receive a DVD release, or indeed a repeat broadcast. Thanks to YouTube, we can still – ah – “enjoy” it.

(With thanks to Joe)

The post Confused By Dimensions In Time? So Were The Cast… appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

CLOSED: New Code Added To Our Doctor Who: Legacy Giveaway!

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.

Fans of the ace Android and iOS game Doctor Who: Legacy will know how easy it is to add new elements to the game. If only you had a code to make it happen…

Well, this weekend, in conjunction with the Doctor Who: Legacy team, we’re giving you the chance to add the Third Doctor in a never before released costume, Sarah Jane Smith and some upgrade fragments – totally free!

We’re big fans of Doctor Who: Legacy here at Kasterborous, and reckon this might be just the thing you need to pass the time on what seems to be – in the UK at least – a dreary-looking weekend. And if the weather isn’t bothering you, then having a free incarnation of the Doctor to help you in the battle against evil in Legacy can’t be a bad thing, can it?

It’s quite an opportune moment for this giveaway, actually, as this weekend we’re launching the digital version of Kasterborous Magazine issue 2 (the print version is currently available for pre-order), a video games special that includes (along with features and reviews of many other Doctor Who games) an interview with Doctor Who: Legacy‘s lead developers. If you can’t wait that long, you can listen to the interview in our podKast.

So, back to the code giveaway. you’ll need to expand the spoiler tag below to get the code, which expires midnight Sunday night, PST, which is around 8am Monday morning UK time, or when 1000 have been claimed – whichever comes first.

Update: New Code Working!

Tested and working, and with our apologies, here is a new, working code…

Your working Doctor Who: Legacy code!

HVTC-5938-SKTB-6644

The post CLOSED: New Code Added To Our Doctor Who: Legacy Giveaway! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

New Code Added To Our Doctor Who: Legacy Giveaway!

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.

Fans of the ace Android and iOS game Doctor Who: Legacy will know how easy it is to add new elements to the game. If only you had a code to make it happen…

Well, this weekend, in conjunction with the Doctor Who: Legacy team, we’re giving you the chance to add the Third Doctor in a never before released costume, Sarah Jane Smith and some upgrade fragments – totally free!

We’re big fans of Doctor Who: Legacy here at Kasterborous, and reckon this might be just the thing you need to pass the time on what seems to be – in the UK at least – a dreary-looking weekend. And if the weather isn’t bothering you, then having a free incarnation of the Doctor to help you in the battle against evil in Legacy can’t be a bad thing, can it?

It’s quite an opportune moment for this giveaway, actually, as this weekend we’re launching the digital version of Kasterborous Magazine issue 2 (the print version is currently available for pre-order), a video games special that includes (along with features and reviews of many other Doctor Who games) an interview with Doctor Who: Legacy‘s lead developers. If you can’t wait that long, you can listen to the interview in our podKast.

So, back to the code giveaway. you’ll need to expand the spoiler tag below to get the code, which expires midnight Sunday night, PST, which is around 8am Monday morning UK time, or when 1000 have been claimed – whichever comes first.

Update: New Code Working!

Tested and working, and with our apologies, here is a new, working code…

Your working Doctor Who: Legacy code!

HVTC-5938-SKTB-6644

The post New Code Added To Our Doctor Who: Legacy Giveaway! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Moffat Sings RTD’s Praises, Tom Baker at 80 & The Doctor Who Wasn’t

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.

Gather ’round, dear K readers, for your daily Doctor Who News Blast. Today we have for you tasty bits on Steven Moffat singing praises to RTD, Rachel Talalay talking Series 8, Tom Baker on being 80 years young, a one year anniversary of a VFX house, some new takes on the 7th and 10th Doctors, and updates on upcoming cast appearances! Read on!

Moffat Praises RTD

Doctor Who’s current head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat has nothing but praised for his predecessor, Russell T. Davies.

During an hour long session at the Hay Festival in Wales, Moffat spoke about his work and in particular praised Davies for how he brought the Doctor back to television. Moffat, as we know, had been a fan of the show as a boy and was delighted to see it’s return to television.

I was going to apply to write Doctor Who but they axed it that day and I didn’t realise Russell T Davies was doing exactly the same thing. What Russell did so right was he didn’t change it at all, except in so far as it had to fit into modern television. It was unsentimental.

Russell thought ‘I am planning it for Saturday night and want a family audience’. He also has a profound view of TV and he seems to watch several channels at once.

He knows exactly how to fit Doctor Who into the modern landscape.

“Several channels at once”?! Actually, that would explain a lot…

Rachel Talalay Talks Series 8

There is much talk around the Whoniverse about the role of women on the show and behind the scenes. Director Rachel Talalay (Tank Girl, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare) has been tapped to helm 2 episodes of show’s upcoming 8th series.

Speaking with Bitch Magazine (via Den Of Geek) about being part of the show, Talalay was equal parts excited to work on the show and knowledgeable that she had a big job in front of her.

…every episode of Doctor Who is like a mini-feature and they’re all completely different. They’re massive. I’m so excited to get to work with the show!

Inevitably, the fact that she is female is something that will be highlighted when talking about any work she does, especially in a job that if usually done by men.

I did joke around with Steven Moffat in our first meeting. Immediately there was press saying ‘woman woman woman’ and so I said ‘it’s clear if I read the internet that you hired me because I’m a woman’. And he said ‘oh, you’re a woman? Maybe I just looked at your resume and your reel and your credentials and hired you because of that.’

One can only hope that more women will get to have these experiences Talalay speaks of and that someday gender won’t matter – just the quality of one’s work. (Check out the rest of the interview here, after you finish getting your daily Who news here on Kasterborous, of course!)

Tom Baker at 80

Eighty years old and getting better every day!

This past January, Tom Baker, the beloved Fourth Doctor, turned 80 years old. Baker recently sat down with Nicholas Briggs, the famed voice of the Daleks and Cybermen, to talk about his 80 years, from his childhood, his early years in the acting business, and of course, his time on Doctor Who.

Big Finish is set to release the the fascinating discussion this September in both cd and digital formats. All pre-ordered cd’s will reportedly be signed by Tom Baker himself! Check out the Big Finish site for more info including pricing and for an updated release date.

From The Mill To Milk – A Year In VFX

When visual effects company The Mill, which had produced all of the VFX for Doctor Who since it rebooted in 2005, decided to close it’s television division mere days before work was set to begin on the 50th Anniversary special, Will Cohen and his fellow VFX artists wondered what happen next.

In an interview with Creative Bloq, Cohen recalled that no one thought the new series would last more than a year. It took many hours of hard work to make each episode amazing.

Fast forward to 2013, and wondering about their future, Cohen and his fellow artists decided they would start their own VFX company.

It was an act of complete stupidity starting a business up in the middle of a very difficult two-year period for the industry.

Visual effects in movies had had a very bad press for a good six to nine months. Both Digital Domain and Rhythm and Hues had recently filed for Chapter 11. But we just thought: you know what, let’s go for it.”

…It was a bit like that first year of doing Doctor Who – a bit of a blur.

 

A Sketchy Tennant

Vimeo user Erica Kobren decided to take a short clip of David Tennant from an episode of Who and give it the rotoscope treatment, animating it frame by frame. Check out the awesome results.

 

A VERY Different Seventh Doctor

British acting legend Ken Campbell was a very…unique man. Among his many exploits, a few of which are detailed by Us Vs. Them, was that Campbell auditioned for the role of the Doctor, but was beaten out by Sylvester McCoy. Campbell’s take on the Doctor was considered to be too dark…

Smith And Barrowman Added To More Wizard World Conventions

If you’re in the US, heads up! Both Matt Smith and John Barrowman have just been added to more Wizard World Comic Conventions!

Matt is set to join the previously announced Karen Gillan in Philadelphia at the con from 19 – 22 June.

Barrowman has been added to the roster of stars, including Smith and Gillan, already announced for Wizard World Chicago, set for 21 – 24 August.

The post Moffat Sings RTD’s Praises, Tom Baker at 80 & The Doctor Who Wasn’t appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Audition for Audio Project, Dark Times

Alex Skerratt 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.

Listen up, budding thespians – open auditions have just been announced for a Doctor Who audio project!

Some of you may remember last year’s One Fine Time Lord, an hour-long radio production set on Gallifrey ”long before the Doctor began his travels.” It saw the Time Lords’ home planet on the brink of destruction at the hands of Lord Archeron, “one of the most powerful Time Lords in the planet’s history…” It was produced to coincide with Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary celebrations and aimed to raise money for Children in Need. Having been scribed by former BBC Director Brendan Sheppard, the adventure was something of a political thriller, an elaborate yarn that even Robert Holmes (The Deadly Assassin) would have been proud of!

Now, after achieving over 300,000 downloads and having raised in excess of £70,000, a new chapter called Dark Times is currently in pre-production, and the team is looking for new actors to lend their voices to the Doctor Who canon!

They are currently searching for several male and female artists aged between 20 and 70, as well as two young male actors in the 14-17 range. They are keen to point out that these are completely open auditions, and that anyone can put themselves forward regardless of acting experience. Furthermore, they stress that previous auditionees should feel free to have another stab, as the next batch of characters are “very different” from those in One Fine Time Lord.

The auditions will take place on the 14th and 15th June at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, and successful candidates will need to be available for recordings in Cambridge on Sunday 13th July, followed by evening sessions on the 14th and 15th July. If you have any questions, or if you wish to book an audition slot, you are advised to contact the show’s producer, Kim Bates, at producer.kimberley@gmail.com. They suggest that you get in touch as soon as possible, as they expect their audition slots to fill up quickly. (Basically, if your helmic regulator has been on the blink, now is the time to fix it!)

Indeed, as producer David Clouter noted when he was making One Fine Time Lord:

“…dozens of potential actors travelled from all over the UK to take part. Over the course of a weekend, it soon became clear that the bar was set very high. After the last of our hopefuls had departed, the final selection process took far longer than we had anticipated.”

Expect queues and crowd-control barriers of X Factor proportions for this one, then!

If you’re still undecided, or if you’re just plain curious, you may also want to have a look at the Doctor Who Online Adventures’ website, as it features a wealth of extra material, including footage from last year’s auditions, a behind the scenes video, and One Fine Time Lord itself! Get those ear-phones ready…

Dark Times is the second chapter of in the ‘Time Lord’ trilogy, and is being produced by Doctor Who Online Adventures in association with Anglia Ruskin University, Doctor Who Online, and Planetary Productions.

The post Audition for Audio Project, Dark Times appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

14 Doctor Who Actors… in Star Wars!

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.

Last week, we flagged up that Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker’s name had been posted on IMDB in the cast list for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII film and invited fellow Kasterborites to come up with other Who-Star Wars links. You did good work… but now we’re going for the MOTHER LIST:

1. Peter Cushing

Our first is a bit left-field as the Grand Master of Hammer Horror, while starring as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope, was never in Who per se. But he did star as the similar-but-different character “Doctor Who” in two movie spin-offs. Perhaps a bit wide of the mark but as silver screen royalty, we can make allowances for Cushing. Grand Moff Tarkin was the Commander of the Death Star and destroyed Princess Leia’s homeworld, Alderaan on an evil whim. Reportedly Cushing negotiated to wear his slippers for shots above the knee as the Death Star regulation boots were too uncomfortable!

Here’s a fan edit neatly summing up Tarkin’s hubris. But hang on – who’s the familiar-looking chap that analysed their attack?

2. Leslie Schofield

As noted by your good selves, Leslie starred alongside Cushing as the imaginatively named Commander #1 in Episode IV. And Mr Schofield has sterling Who credentials having starred in both 1969’s The War Games as a nineteenth century confederate soldier and in 1977’s The Face of Evil as Sevateem back-stabber, Calib.

He was also JONNY BRIGGS’S DAD in the mid-80s series of the same name… which will mean more to you if you had to live through 1980s TV rather than sampling the highlights (Classic Who’s back catalogue) from a safe distance.

3. Celia Imrie

Wait what??! I know – this icon of British cinema and TV comedy (I’m thinking of Victoria Wood and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel here). I can scarce believe it either. You’ll recall her recent turn as the high-camp, high-altitude villain, Miss Kizlet in 2013’s The Bells of St John. But she also starred in Episode I: The Phantom Menace… I don’t have a copy to hand (like I’d admit to that) but the sizzling Miss Imrie starred as Naboo Fighter Pilot Bravo 5. In fact, because three female actors scenes were cut from the original Star Wars films, Imrie was the first female fighter pilot ever to appear in the franchise. Who knew?

She even has an entire backstory on Wookieepedia (beware, it too can be edited by anyone).

4. Gurdeep Roy

Kenyan-born Indian-Engish character actor “Deep” Roy played the sinister Mr Sin in 1977’s The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Swapping the homicidal pig-brained cyborg for something lighter, he briefly appeared a topless jazz musician in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Roy doesn’t get much screen time before things get dicey in Jabba’s palace but you might recognise him from Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where he stars as ALL of the Oompa-Loompas.

5. Jeremy Bulloch

Before turning to the dark side as faceless bounty hunter, Boba Fett in Star Wars Episodes V and VI, Bulloch battled Commander Lynx alongside the Third Doctor as Hal the blonde-bombshell in 1973’s The Time Warrior. Prior to that he’s notched up another Doctor Who appearance as Tor in The Space Museum. Looking at Bulloch’s acting career he seems something of an English everyman having played Q’s assistant, “Smithers” in James Bond: Octopussy and getting his first big break starring in 1963’s Summer Holiday as a friend of Cliff Richard’s central character.

6. Hugh Quarshie

Venturing into more recent cross-overs, Quarshie, best known in the UK for his role as surgeon Ric Griffin in Holby City, starred in 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace as Captain Panaka, head of Queen Amidala’s guard (who, incidentally would go on to become another Grand Moff). He went on to play Solomon in 2007’s two-parter Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks where he was arguably a highlight of an otherwise muted outing for the Daleks in series 3. However Quarshie’s sci-fi credentials pre-date Star Wars with appearances as Professor John Galt in The Tomorrow People (1992) and an immortal in Highlander (1986).

7. Michael Sheard

Speaking of Daleks, it’s time to bring out the Big Guns. 1989’s Remembrance of the Daleks featured not only the beefed up Special Weapons Dalek but the wonderful Mr Sheard as the sinister Headmaster acting under the remote-control of Davros and the Imperial Daleks. He has an impressive list of Who appearances spanning the First to the Seventh Doctor. Most notably he portrayed the ill-fated Laurence Scarman in 1975’s Pyramids of Mars alongside Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen. He too is an actor with an impressive sci-fi portfolio having appeared in The Tomorrow People, Blake’s 7 and Space: 1999.

Sheard is well known for playing thoroughly nasty chaps (including  an uncredited cameo as Hitler in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and probably most familiar to those of us in the UK (of an age) is his portrayal of another Headmaster, Mr Bronson in the school drama Grange Hill. Topping the bill of cinematic roles is his turn as Admiral Ozzel where, not satisfied with being crushed between Osiran servo-robots dressed as Mummies, he is asphyxiated by science-fiction’s most prolific remote-choker (see below… but who’s the General loitering outside Vader’s egg?)

8. Julian Glover

Another huge name in British acting history, Glover played General Veers in 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, seen in the clip above. In fact he apparently provided the voice for the same character in 2012’s Lego version, Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out…. Which is nice.

Glover is probably best known for his roles as the immortality-seeking villain, Walter Donovan, in 1980’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (see No.7 above), and Bond baddy, Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only the following year. But long before he became one of our finest acting talents he starred as Richard the Lionheart in 1965’s The Crusade and later returned to villainous form as Skaroth, Last of the Jagaroth in 1979’s City of Death – or at least as two of Skaroth’s human disguises. He also went to my school. Which brings me to…

9. David Prowse

Another chap who went to my school, dontcha know, and was apparently in the same class as Julian Glover. Prowse, like several of our cross-overers, never showed his face in Star Wars but was none other than the actor behind Darth Vader’s mask. While the voice was down to the rumbling tones of James Earl Jones, the swagger and remote-choke was the work of body-builder and Green Cross Code man, David Prowse. His Who connection is playing the Minotaur that guarded the crystal of Kronos in 1972’s The Time Monster.

And now we’re going to pick up the pace…

10. Graham Ashley

Starred in 1967’s The Underwater Menace as the Overseer of Atlantis and ten years later in Episode IV – A New Hope as ‘Gold Five’ a fighter pilot with the Rebel Alliance’s Gold Squadran. He met his end in the Battle of Yavin (for the uninitiated, this was where Luke used the force and blew up the Death Star at the end of the first film) Let’s stay on target…

11. John Hollis

Played ethically-minded scientist Professor Sondergaard in 1972’s The Mutants. He later played Lobot, cyborg PA to Lando in the floating cloud city in 1980’s Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Again Hollis has excellent sci-fi pedigree dating back to the 60s with roles in A is for Andromeda, Adam Adamant Lives (a forerunner to both Doctor Who and Austin Powers no less!), The Tomorrow People, Blakes 7, Day of the Triffids (TV series) and Superman.

12. Ayesha Dharker

A lesser known actor but with a firm connection from more recent productions. Dharker portrayed Queen Jamillia in 2002’s Episode II – Attack of the Clones, successor to the throne from Queen Amidala. She also starred alongside David Tennant in series 4’s Planet of the Ood as company PA Solano Mercurio.

13. David Tennant

Speaking of Mr Tennant, he himself has, ooh, a loose connection with both franchises, having voiced ancient Jedi-training droid Huyang in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, for which he won an Emmy in 2013 no less (see the clip below). He’s also had some vague role in Doctor Who. For four years. And now to round off our Mother List another voice artist. Allons y!

14. BRIAN BLESSED

And what a voice! The thundering vowels of Mr Blessed are an institution of their own and both Who and Star Wars are luck to have had him. He voiced the underwater Gungan King, Boss Nass in 1999’s Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In the world of Who he played King Yrcanos alongside the Sixth Doctor and Peri in Trial of a Timelord: Mindwarp.

Today, prudence will be our watchword…

So, Kasterborites – any we’ve missed?

There are quite a lot of Brits in the original three Star Wars films. It’s been suggested on the forum that this simply made sense given that the films were shot in Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire – sourcing local talent in the same way Welsh accents crop up fairly often in New Who. But then there’s the suggestion that British accents sound * more evil *.

Does the Queen’s English sound more sinister? Star Wars villains were usually Imperial leaders and my (very uninformed) understanding is that Queen’s English was an affectation put on by the Victorians who were ALL about Empire. That said, a lot of Who baddies are a bit “posh”. What are your thoughts Kasterborites?

The post 14 Doctor Who Actors… in Star Wars! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Pop-Pop-Pop!, Eurovision Award, Matt Smith Mimic & Zygons Return To Big Finish

Drew Boynton 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.

Buckle your TARDIS seatbelts and prepare yourself for the latest senses-shattering, spine-tingling, spacesuit-ripping installment of the Kasterborous News Blast!  Covering the universes of Doctor Who from the Abzorbaloff to the Zygons… and everything in-between!  Today’s Blast involves classic Who invading USA TV, Matt Smith’s voice twin, the mega-popular fan-made Twelfth Doctor trailer, and more awards than a Dalek has bumps!

Pop-Pop-Pop!!! An Adventure in Space and Time Recognized by American Critics

BBC America tweeted a special congratulations to An Adventure in Space and Time for being nominated as “Best Movie” at the Critics’ Choice Awards. It will compete with an episode of Sherlock (!) and BBC America’s own Burton and Taylor biopic, among others. The American critics also nominated–and rightly so!–David Bradley and Jessica Raine for their fantastic portrayals or William Hartnell and Verity Lambert, respectively. Former guest stars Michael Sheen (The Doctor’s Wife) and Diana Rigg (The Crimson Horror) also received nominations for their current non-Who work.

Fan-Made Trailer Takes Over The Internet

The fan-made trailer “Rain”, which has now passed 300K+ hits on YouTube, was featured in a short article on DigitalSpy, who seemed pretty impressed:

“We don’t know about you, but we think it’s pretty convincing…”

A one-minute short feature, it stars a digitally-created Twelfth Doctor and Clara slowly emerging from the TARDIS into a brightly-lit rain shower, and possibly walking on water.  “Rain” was posted by “John Smith”, who previously posted the popular “Wholock” YouTube video last Christmas.  If he’s not careful, “Smith” may just land him/herself a real job in the industry!

The Day of the Doctor Wins Eurovision!

No one at the Doctor Who production offices or at the BBC is saying “No more!” to winning awards.   BBC One was awarded with a first place Eurovision Connect award in the “Best Promotion for a Fictional Programme” category for the first trailer for The Day of the Doctor.  Yes, you read that correctly, even the trailer has now won an award.   Maybe the War Doctor should have said, “Pardon me, I’m looking for the Doctor… awards.”  Well, he certainly came to the right place. (Thanks to Combom)

Matt Smith’s Voice Cloned!

If Matt Smith ever comes down with a nasty case of laryngitis, or isn’t available to re-dub flubbed dialogue or lines, someone should get Jake Dunsbridge on the phone.  The young Whovian YouTuber recently posted a video (below) of himself doing an amazing impression of the Eleventh Doctor.  (Too bad his hairstyle looks more Tenth Doctor-ish!) If Dunsbridge were ever able to get Karen Gillan’s mobile number, hopefully he would use his talents for good, not for evil…

Big Finish’s Shape-Changing Thriller

According to the Big Finish News page, August will see the release of another eagerly-awaited Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela (Louise Jameson) audio adventure, the intriguingly titled Zygon Hunt.  The scary sucker-faced villains–who are surprisingly good kissers–first menaced the Doctor in the classic Terror of the Zygons and will meet the long-scarfed-one once again.  Here’s the official story teaser:

“On the jungle planet Garros, Earth Forces Knight Commander-in-Chief Greg Saraton and his team are hunting gigantic beasts, for sport. When the Doctor and Leela arrive, they are caught up in a web of intrigue where there is no clear friend or foe…”

 

Retro TV To Air Classic Doctor Who In The USA

Luken Communications, a Tennessee-based TV company, has made a deal with BBC Worldwide to start showing classic episodes of Doctor Who later this summer under their Retro TV banner.  The company’s programming is available to 80% of the USA in a variety of ways (cable, satellite, broadcast television) and the agreement allows them to show episodes from the first seven Doctors.  Luken’s Vice President of Production, Matthew Golden, made this cheery statement upon the deal being reached:

“We couldn’t be more excited to make legendary classic episodes of Doctor Who available nationwide. The series is an institution, and we’re proud to give fans new and old the opportunity to experience this groundbreaking series from the very beginning.”

It is not quite clear, however, if the agreement involves the whole catalog of available classic episodes.

The post Pop-Pop-Pop!, Eurovision Award, Matt Smith Mimic & Zygons Return To Big Finish appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Big Chief Studios’ Weeping Angel Figures!

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.

Ever fancy not sleeping ever again? Do we have just the thing for you!

Big Chief Studios has produced some amazing things in the past – statuettes of the Fourth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, primarily, but also an Amy Pond figure – but their latest release is really quite something. Weeping Angels. Limited to just 250 pieces.

Oh, and signed by showrunner, Steven Moffat!

Available to pre-order from 30th May, you can get a singular 1:6 scale polystone statue (£179.99 incl. VAT; £149.99 excl. VAT) – limited to just 150 – or order a terrifying pair (£309.99 incl. VAT; £258.33 excl. VAT), limited to only 100. And they come with a reversible gravestone for Katherine Nightingale (from Blink) and – cries violently – Amy Pond and Rory Williams.

And once they’re gone, they’re gone. Now, let’s all say it together…

Do. Not. Blink.

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Rare Tenth Doctor Millennium FX Sonic Screwdriver Replica On EBay

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.

An exceedingly-rare sonic screwdriver replica, made by Millennium FX, is up for auction on eBay.

The replica prop, the only officially licensed by the BBC, is limited to just 500 pieces and, created in 2009, sold out in 2010, just as the Eleventh Doctor began his reign. MFX, who provided the props for the entire Tenth Doctor era, used these limited edition pieces for The Day of the Doctor.

It comes with a small plinth to display it, alongside a Prop Replica Certificte, TARDIS Holodisk to show authenticity, and paperwork from creator, Neill Gorton on how to look after your sonic.

The seller further says:

“Before the anniversary special aired there was much debate over whether the colour of the crackle effect of the MFX replica was true to the original prop as it appears to be slightly yellower than some of the sonics used in the early Tennant episodes. Some of the 500 owners decided to have their sonics professionally recoloured to look more ‘screen accurate’. Fortunately for the owners that chose not to change the colour, one of the original 500 ‘yellower’ sonics was used for the 50th anniversary episode (the greatest and most watched episodes ever made) not only making it 100% screen accurate but also from the same production run as the screen used prop. Gold dust in collecting terms! Because so many people changed the colour it means there is even less than 500 original unadulterated versions out there.”

At the time of writing, it’s not reached its reserve, despite having 11 bids so far.

Anyone here plan on bidding? It ends on 31st May!

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Cute Singer You Never Heard Of Cast In Show You Love

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.

Doctor Who fans will be surprised to learn that award winning singer Foxes has been cast in a Series 8 episode that is about to enter production, in which she will apparently use her voice to not only act, but sing!

Unfortunately we’ve never heard of Foxes (Southampton-born Louisa Rose Allen), but we’re more than certain that our hip Kasterborourite readers are more than aware of her international, Grammy award-winning stardom, top 5 album Glorious and three hit singles “Youth”, “Let Go For Tonight” and “Holding Onto Heaven”.

Chatting about her casting, Foxes told the BBC’s Official Doctor Who site:

I can’t believe I’m actually going to be in an episode of Doctor Who! Especially as it all came about from a chance meeting. I was playing a gig and got chatting to the show’s production team who’d been watching my performance. I was telling them how much I loved Doctor Who and next thing they invited me to be on it. I couldn’t think of a better place to make my acting debut than on one of the UK’s most iconic shows!

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, revealed little.

We are completely thrilled that the amazingly talented Foxes is joining us on board … well, you’ll see. Let’s just say, the Doctor is finally catching up on his phone calls.

No further information was revealed, but you can familiarise yourself with Foxes below…

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