Christian Cawley's Blog, page 257

BBC Doctor Who Magazine Wins Ace Press Award!

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.

Following its record-breaking ABC figure earlier this year BBC Doctor Who Magazine had cause for further celebration at the 2014 ACE Press Awards held at the Museum of London.

Panini UK and BBC Doctor Who Magazine won the ACE award for Circulation Excellence by a Monthly Magazine at the awards ceremony on 27th March 2014.

Circulation Manager, Katie Wilkinson says

The 50th Anniversary last year presented a fantastic opportunity to grow sales and extend reach to bring in new readers and expand onto new platforms. Through product innovation, marketing at trade, in print, at events and increasingly via social media DWM was able to successfully achieve circulation excellence throughout 2013. This award recognises this achievement and we are really proud of the win.

Tom Spilsbury, Editor of Doctor Who Magazine, commented on the ACE AWARD as below.

It’s fantastic to see such love and support for Doctor Who Magazine, especially in the show’s 50th anniversary year – with the magazine itself now 35 years old. Like the Doctor himself, DWM is always excited to go to new places and to discover new technology – and through our growing international distribution and our brand new digital edition, we’ve been able to reach more readers than ever before. With a new Doctor making his début in 2014, there are exciting times ahead for Doctor Who – and DWM will be there every step of the journey.

You can browse the full list of winners at the ACE awards page. Well done, DWM!

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Three Great Audio Releases To Enjoy While Doctor Who Is Off Air

Meredith Burdett 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 tough trying to satiate your desire for new Doctor Who when the show is off air – but these three audio releases might just help…

First up is Doctor Who: The Lost TV Episodes Collection 3 (£59.77), a third collection of stories that we may never see in their entirety but can certainly enjoy them in audio format. Featuring the classic stories The Smugglers and The Tenth Planet, which star William Hartnell as the First Doctor, the set also includes the Second Doctor stories The Power of the Daleks, The Highlanders, The Underwater Menace and The Moonbase, each with linking narration from a member of the original television cast. As if that’s not enough, there are also interviews with Anneke Wills (who played Polly, companion of the first and second Doctor) and a special Radio Three presentation entitled Dance of the Daleks which takes a look at the incidental music used in Doctor Who.

Alongside that, there are also two Target novelisation readings to enjoy as well. A new take on the classic story Fury From The Deep (£11.31), which finds the Second Doctor and his friends landing at a North Sea gas refinery only to encounter a horrifying foe from deep below the sea. This story is read by David Troughton (2008’s Midnight) and also features some brilliant additional music and sound design.

Finally, why not treat yourself to The Chase (£11.79)? This First Doctor mini epic sees the TARDIS crew on the run through time and space as they try to avoid death by Daleks! The serial also features the departure of Ian and Barbara (William Russell and Jacqueline Hill), the Doctor’s original companions. Maureen O’Brien (Vicki) reads from John Peel’s original novelisation and there’s a fresh take on the Dalek voice by none other than Nicholas Briggs.

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Contribute To The Temporal Logbook, a Doctor Who Short Story Collection!

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.

Pencil Tip Publishing is pleased to announce the unofficial Doctor Who charity short-story collection, The Temporal Logbook.

It’s been said that Doctor Who has one of the most flexible formats in television drama. With the basic premise of an alien who travels throughout space and time in a box that is bigger inside than out, and which is disguised as a 1960s police public call box, it can’t get much simpler than that. One week the show can be a gothic horror, the next it can be a comedic satire, while the next it could be a base-under-siege thriller – the possibilities are endless.

The Temporal Logbook is a new short-story collection featuring original Doctor Who fiction by new and upcoming writers. The stories will involve the first eleven television Doctors, in a series of exciting adventures across space and time. The collection will be published by Canadian publisher Pencil Tip Publishing. 100% of the proceeds from this publication will be donated to our chosen charity Positive Living Society of British Columbia (formerly BC Persons with AIDS Society) www.positivelivingbc.org.

Get Involved!

We can’t make this collection happen without you. Details of our submissions policy and guidelines (also available in PDF format) can be found on the collection’s official blog thetemporallogbook.wordpress.com or via the Facebook page. You can also find a dedicated section on the Gallifrey Base fan forum (registration required). Alternatively, you can contact the editors at penciltippublishing@shaw.ca.

We’ll keep you informed of any further information and updates as they happen.

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Simon Fisher-Becker – “My Dalek Has A Puncture”

Simon Mills 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.

After seeing the splendid Simon Fisher-Becker being interviewed at last week’s Sci-Fi Weekender in Wales (SFW5) and hearing that his one man show was kicking off its UK tour in Stevenage this week AND the fact that I live in Stevenage… Well, I thought it would be rude not to attend!

I set about becoming Facebook ‘friends’ with Simon and his page dedicated to the show in the meantime, just, well… because… y’know… he’s Dorium Maldovar! A bit part character who instantly caught the imagination of Doctor Who fans the world over, thanks to his wonderful portrayal. So much so, that he was brought back several times and became a significant part of the 11th Doctor’s story.

The evening of the show arrived and I trundled along with my buddy who was also at SFW5 and after a pleasant and not too overpriced coffee in the bar beforehand we made our way to the suite that was hosting the show. As we entered we were given a signed photograph of Simon as a bonus memento. We settled ourselves into our seats – not too close to the front, not so far at the back that we couldn’t see the screen. Just right. Well, just right for me if I leaned to my right so I could see between the two people in front of us. Anyway, the laptop kicked into life and the presentation began with some clips of Simon in his most notable role – the big blue man from Doctor Who!

What followed was an evening of pure delight, listening to Simon recount his life history in just enough detail to keep the audience of fans and maybe some prospective actors engaged – this was, after all, an evening slanted towards aspiring actors looking to get into the business of show. However, it’s still relevant to anyone who is trying to achieve a life goal. The stories of his life’s ups and downs were peppered with humour and some sadness… and some moments of real deep sadness, but his humour shone through and, very much in the same mould as Brian Blessed, the message of the evening is really, “never let the buggers grind you down!”. Stick with your passions, follow them through and don’t procrastinate.

Do take the opportunity to stay and chat with him after the show, as well. You won’t be disappointed!

 

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Doctor Who Magazine 472 Interviews Paul McGann

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.

Catch up with Paul McGann, as he discussed life after Eight – in Doctor Who Magazine 472!

You know what? I don’t expect to ever to be involved again,” the Eighth Doctor actor tells DWM. “But I expect I’ll be surprised one day by something. That’s what Doctor Who’s about. I expect to be surprised…

Also in this issue:

· DWM goes behind the scenes and talks exclusively with the director of the recent episodes Hide and The Time of the Doctor, Jamie Payne.

· John Levene recalls his time playing Cybermen, Yeti and UNIT regular Benton in an in-depth interview .

· Master model-makers Mike Tucker and his team reveal their experiences of providing visual effects for 21st-century Doctor Who.

· Showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers’ questions.

· A detailed look at The Fact of Fiction of the 1982 Fifth Doctor adventure, Time-Flight

· The Blood of Azrael ­– the Doctor and Clara in the Part 3 of their latest comic strip adventure.

· The Time Team take a trip to the Planet of the Ood.

· Jacqueline Rayner casts a critical eye over the Twelfth Doctor’s choice of apparel in Relative Dimensions.

· The Watcher ponders how Doctor Who companions sometimes know things that they oughtn’t and embarrasses another supporting artiste in Wotcha!

· Reviews of the latest DVDs, CDs, and books.

· Competitions, puzzles, and much more!

Doctor Who Magazine 472 is on sale now, price ￡4.99.

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Reviewed: Dark Eyes 2

Meredith Burdett 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.

MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW…

The Doctor Who Universe is ever so lightly changed after the 50th anniversary. We met new Doctors, discovered long kept secrets and, perhaps most excitingly of all, got to see the Eighth Doctor on our television screens once more. It was fleeting, shocking and heartbreaking all in less than ten minutes; some might say that the Eighth Doctor’s end was far better than his beginning.

One of the elements that made Night of the Doctor so ball-beltingly fantastic was the Eighth Doctor’s final goodbye, which included a name check of several of his Big Finish companions (in what seemed to be chronological order) finishing with one Molly O’ Sullivan, the Dark Eyes that is referenced in this box set so much. It’s this link – the first time that televised Doctor Who has so audaciously referenced the Big Finish universe of adventures – that serves as the game changer for Big Finish productions, especially their Eighth Doctor audios.

Dark Eyes 2 is a brilliant box set, full of life and adventure as well as mystery and intrigue. McGann’s performance seems almost brand new, his enthusiasm and new found glee in the role coming directly from filming new televised scenes as the Doctor is evident in his voice here. The Eighth Doctor that we encountered in the first Dark Eyes box set has gone, the self loathing and anger has subsided and what we’re offered this time round is far more agreeable. Although the initial story The Traitor starts off with the Doctor in something of a conundrum, his lust for life and joyful adventuring are easier to jump onto than his reintroduction in 2012 in Dark Eyes, after suffering the terrible losses of To the Death.

Maybe the delay of Dark Eyes 2 was planned all along in order to let McGann film his new scenes as the Doctor to give him just the boost he needed; who knows, eh? Who knows? Whether serendipity or severe scheming, the end result is a triumph for the Eighth Doctor.

And what of the stories themselves? Do they cut the mustard, so to speak? Of course they do, in fact the tone for Dark Eyes 2 is a whole different beast than its predecessor. Whereas Dark Eyes felt like a one-off event, a long story told over many hours, Dark Eyes 2 feels like a proper Doctor Who miniseries. Nicholas Briggs has split the writing duties with Alan Barnes and Matt Fitton and the result is tremendous. Briggs’ initial Dalek story is well paced and sets up the remaining three tales with questions that need resolving. Barnes pens a return of the Viyrans in a touching timey wimey style tale and Matt Fitton takes the helm for stories 3 and 4. This reviewer will admit that story 3, Time’s Horizon, was the cherry on the top of the box. A glorious mash up of Alien, 2007’s 42 and 2013’s Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS. Not only that, but it also uses retuning foe the Eminence in an interesting and significant way, giving the listener a rewarding experience.

Of course, many of you will be tearing out your hair to get to the final story of the set, Eyes of the Master, which promises a long desired rematch between the Eight Doctor and the Master, played here in his Alex Maqueen incarnation last seen in 2012’s UNIT: Oblivion. The story itself is very good, and keeps the Master and the Doctor apart until the last possible minute but their eventual reintroduction to each other leaves one feeling rather let down.

Perhaps it’s the two leads, and that is by no means a disparaging remark on either Paul McGann or Alex Macqueen who are both brilliant as the Doctor and the Master respectively, as they are both softly spoken actors. Maybe the similarity is too much. McGann and Maqueen’s rich voices seem to do one another a small disservice and cancel the effect of their tones out. The last time the Eighth Doctor fully encountered the Master, he was a shouting maniac; Maqueen can do scary shouting maniac very well and it would be nice, if the rematch ever occurs, that the two incarnations could appear to oppose the other’s personality.

Dark Eyes 2 is a full-on event miniseries by Big Finish. It’s bold and original storytelling that gives the adventures of the Eighth Doctor a whole new focus and meaning. We know now where this particular Doctor is heading: somewhere in his future, the barren surfaces of Karn are waiting for him and the Time War is waiting to be fought, something that is alluded to in this very box set. But for now, we get to have the Eighth Doctor as we have always had him, the never ending and undying Doctor. The Doctor that never gives up and always moves on, because for this incarnation the story truly never ends.

And if the stories continue with the high level of quality as experienced in Dark Eyes 2, then long may it continue.

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Is The Doctor About To Encounter Robin Hood?

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.

Another snippet of casting news for Doctor Who Series 8 has pointed to an intriguing plotline we can potentially expect from episode three.

Ian Hallard, who donned a cravat to play Richard Martin in An Adventure in Space and Time, will appear in the story and according to his CV he’ll be playing Robin Hood’s minstrel chum Alan-a-Dale!

This has to some understandable speculation that Tom Riley, the swashbuckling Leonardo from Da Vinci’s Demons, whose casting was announced this week, will be playing the famous “man in tights”.

An encounter between the Doctor and Robin Hood isn’t perhaps the first thing one would expect from a Mark Gatiss script, although on reflection maybe it isn’t so unlikely. Gatiss has built a successful career writing on topics that obsessed him as a child (Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, horror stories) so it’s not too difficult to imagine being tempted to try a Who/Hood crossover.

The Mind Robber aside, I’m struggling to think of a time when the Doctor met fictional characters in the series (anyone?). But perhaps the real question is this: if this episode is to feature Sherwood’s greatest outlaw, what kind of Robin will it be?  Mystical and atmospheric a la Robin of Sherwood? A moody Manc like in BBC1′s Robin Hood of 2006-09? Personally I’m hoping for brutal and violent as in the classic series The Legend of Robin Hood from 1975, which Gatiss would have been just the right age to be gripped and appalled by.

However, there is one more element to consider: the rumour suggesting that the episode is called “Robots of Sherwood”…

What do you think? Looking forward to shenanigans in Sherwood? Or should this story be outlawed?

(Via Blastr.)

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Exclusive Interview: Andrew Cartmel Discusses “Script Doctor” Reprint

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.

Andrew Cartmel was the Script Editor throughout the Seventh Doctor era and oversaw three seasons, including fan favourite tales like Remembrance of the Daleks, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy and The Curse of Fenric.

Kasterborous caught up with him to discuss the recent reprint of Script Doctor: The Inside Story of Doctor Who, 1987-89. First published in 2005, the memoir is based on diary entries made during his time on the show, now updated by Cartmel and Miwk Publishing.

K: Can you briefly talk us through the process of getting Script Doctor back in print?

ANDREW: I was increasingly eager to get Script Doctor back in print, since it had become something of a collector’s item and there was clearly demand for it.

But all I could think of was doing it as an eBook on Amazon. I was moaning about the technicalities of this on Twitter when up popped the wonderful Matt West, who got in touch with me and said he would be interested in reprinting the book in a proper paper edition from his firm Miwk, who did the biography, JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner.

I was delighted to hear from him and my delight only grew when I got to know the guy. The experience with Matt, Rob Hammond (his designer and publishing partner) and Miwk has been a pure joy. Unlike the first edition…

What was it like revisiting something you wrote nearly ten years ago, and did you change your view on anything?

My main concern was to put in more pictures (which we did – three times as many) and to correct the numerous typos which had bedevilled the first edition.

There wasn’t really much I could add in the way of new written material, because I’d drawn on all my diaries (etc.) the first time round.

When writing, were you ever nervous of offending any ex-colleagues?

I wasn’t nervous, though on the other hand I didn’t deliberately set out to offend. While I didn’t publish everything I said in my diaries, I also didn’t often pull punches. For instance, I quoted JN-T saying of [prolific director] Chris Clough, “I just bit his f***ing head off” and Chris wasn’t too impressed when he read that. But it was true and I don’t think it reflected badly on Chris. It just showed that John was thin skinned and sensitive and had a temper (he thought Chris had been speaking disparagingly of the show’s lack of funds – which was a very real situation).

Speaking of JN-T and his temper, I got the impression that you had a clear idea of where you were going with Doctor Who. But were you intimidated by JN-T at the start, and was he ever resistant to the new direction of the show? From reading Script Doctor, he sounded very open to everything you were doing and I think the enthusiasm shows in the series!

I was never intimidated by JN-T, least of all at the start when he was at his most supportive and charming because I was new to the job. What did happen was that occasionally (not often) he’d have an explosion of anger – or perhaps petulance – (frequently documented in Script Doctor), I’d be offended and resentful, but remain polite and cooperative… and then either JN-T would apologise or things would simply blow over and everything would be fine again. I gradually began to develop a clear idea of where I wanted to take the show and John was almost entirely helpful and backed me up… If he hadn’t, I couldn’t have done it.

I do remember him warning me, though, that we were giving too much attention to Ace in the stories and that this would be at the expense of the Doctor… and I initially disregarded this, but he proved to be correct, so I reined it in a bit. And on another occasion I remember him blowing up and saying “I’ve already let you go really far and change everything. This is too much!” – or words to roughly that effect. I can’t remember exactly what this was about, but as usual, we soon came to an accommodation. What is interesting and revealing about this is that John was clearly aware that I was making radical departures, and that he was assisting me in that.

You were determined to make the Doctor this mysterious figure again, but from what I’ve heard, you had a fairly clear idea of his past; how far would you have gone on-screen? Was this all just background information for incoming writers to base the character on?

The background information about the Doctor wasn’t really detailed; in a sense it was exactly the opposite of that. To make him mysterious I had to eliminate all detail and information. So my idea of the Doctor’s background was just to say that he only apparently was a Time Lord, but in fact he had existed before Gallifrey. I never wanted to get into specifics, because then we’d be right back with the same problem of having pinned down the Doctor with an origin and identity and mystery would have consequently gone out the window.

Did you have to rein in any criticism?

Yes, I did occasionally, although more often my self-censorship operated in different ways. For instance, I deliberately got coy about certain people sharing a joint, because that’s the sort of thing that someone might be upset about seeing in print.

What feedback did you get about Script Doctor from your friends and colleagues?

People seemed pleased with the book, and I think they felt that it brought the period back to life fairly vividly (at least, I felt that). Though it has to be said most of them just went through it to see what I said about them!

There are some really nice additions scattered through Script Doctor. How did these added extras come about?

The wonderful extras for Script Doctor, like the Silas P business card, were entirely the brainchild of my splendid publishers, Matt and Rob, who are just wonderful about this kind of thing.

Were you at all involved in the casting process? It sounds like you were very impressed with many actors/actresses; in particular, I’m thinking of Sophie Aldred, Jessica Martin and T. P. McKenna, as well as the cast of Ghost Light.

I was rooting for Sylvester and Sophie and I’m sure JN-T was aware of this. But ultimately it was his decision – and he made the right one. They were the only casting choices I was really invested in.

Can you tell us anything about updating Who as Who aka Through Time?

Through Time was my history of the show, a personal overview. It’s less than spectacular sales might well have been due to a title and cover which really didn’t shout Doctor Who. The new edition will correct that as well as updating the text. Plus, being published by the good people at Miwk (hi Matt West, hi Rob Hammond), it will be a more lavish and splendid version.

I was really sorry to hear about the passing of Kate O’Mara on Sunday. Can you share any memories of her on Time and the Rani with us?

The only line of dialogue I definitely remember that I helped to shape in Time and the Rani was the Rani’s “I want the man,” referring to Sylvester. Kate O’Mara, who was an excellent actress, of course picked up on the obvious sexual subtext and made the most of it.

It was great to read Steven Moffat’s new introduction to Script Doctor. What legacy do you think the Seventh Doctor era has left on the show? I can certainly see stories seemingly influenced by them, particularly The Long Game and The Beast Below. Tom MacRae, writer of The Girl Who Waited, also grew up with McCoy’s Doctor and especially remembers being scared of the inhabitants of Paradise Towers!

I’m writing a three part series on the writers of the Seventh Doctor era for Doctor Who Magazine which extensively explores, among other things, our influence on the show now. But just one example, perhaps the first and most obvious, was the Ace of 1989’s Survival segued neatly into the Rose of Rose (2005).

Thank you very much to Andrew Cartmel, not just for the interview but also for providing us with a definitive, insightful guide to that brilliant era of Doctor Who.

Script Doctor is available for just £14.99 now.

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Walking Tours Return To Doctor Who Experience!

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.

Just in time for the Easter holidays, the wizards at the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay have come up with a couple new attractions to grab everyone’s attention!  Kicking off with a massive, Monster-ful Family Day on the 16th April, and leading into exciting new walking tours starting on Good Friday, there will surely be something to warm the hearts of all Doctor Who fans.

According to the official BBC Worldwide press release, the ”Monster Family Day Out” festivities will include:

- Discover the secrets behind the show’s monsters with Millennium FX

- Attend a models and miniatures workshop hosted by the show’s Visual Effects designer

- Take part in creative workshops and vortex challenges for your chance to win special Who prizes…

…Plus much more!

The day’s whole range of events are free with a valid ticket for the Doctor Who Experience on that Wednesday.  It sounds like the tickets will be selling faster than…well, very fast.  And the Experience walking tour (which lasts 90 minutes–bring your best comfy shoes!) is sure to be a sell-out as well:

Hosted by our expert Doctor Who Experience team, visit up to 30 Doctor Who filming locations on these guided walking tours written by former Doctor Who script editor Gary Russell.

A must for any Doctor Who fan, the tours are back for the bank holiday weekend, commencing on Friday 18th April with further dates to be announced.

There will also be new props and various other items on display.  Several new handprints have also been added to the amazing 50th Anniversary handprint display collection, including Matt Smith, Tom Baker, Billie Piper, John Hurt, David Tennant, and many more! Find out more at the Doctor Who Experience website.

Kasterborites, this sounds like a cracking way to spend the Easter weekend!  Will you be there?

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Karen and Matt at Oculus Premiere

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.

Matt Smith reunited with Karen Gillan at the premiere of the latter’s film, Oculus, on Thursday night.

The horror movie premiered in Los Angeles and Karen was also joined by her co-stars, including Annalise Basso (Bedtime Stories’ Red Road), Rory Cochrane (Argo; 24), Garrett Ryan (Insidious 2; Trust).

Oculus revolves around a cursed mirror, as Karen character, Kaylie Russell, tried to clear her brother’s name after he’s accused of murdering their parents. You can watch the trailer above, but it’s not for kiddies, or anyone who doesn’t want to see the beautiful Ms Gillan tucking into a light bulb.

Oculus opens on 11th April in the US and 13th June in the UK. It’ll be nice to see if Karen turns up at the premiere of How to Catch a Monster to support Matt later this year.

To us, they’ll always be our Raggedy Man and Amy Pond.

(Oh, and there are quite a few pictures of the pair, so get on it!)

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