Christian Cawley's Blog, page 277

Unmissable Bad Wolf T-Shirts From TeeFury Today Only!

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.

Regular Kasterborous readers will know how much we like our t-shirts, and these great Doctor Who/Bad Wolf tops from TeeFury – available today only – are, in our opinion, unmissable.

First up is the stunning starscape of See You In Our Dreams by joshmirm:

Also available today – and part of a competition against the first – is Bad Wolf by zerobriant:

 

Amazing how those two stunning models manage to get the same pose in every shot, isn’t it…?

Head to TeeFury now to order your favourite $11 shirt (international postage available) and help to back a winner!

Offer ends midnight US time on Wednesday February 20th.

The post Unmissable Bad Wolf T-Shirts From TeeFury Today Only! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Blink And You’ll Miss Karen Gillan In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer!

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.

There’s not much to say here, other than to point out that Karen Gillan becomes Doctor Who‘s most high-profile former star in the next few months when Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy hits movie screens. The trailer above is superb, but you’ll have to look carefully to spot the one-time Amy Pond.

We think you’ll agree that Karen looks amazing!

(With thanks to Robert)

The post Blink And You’ll Miss Karen Gillan In The Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Matt Smith At Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con [VIDEO]

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.

Today we have a treat for you – videos of Matt Smith’s Q&A panel from his appearance at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Convention.

Seems our dear Mr. Smith cause quite a stir at the con, with people waiting many hours – some spent most of the day waiting – to get into his panel. Reports are that the ballroom at the con was packed, with more than 4000 people there to see always charming and goofy Smith. You can watch the whole thing above (just under 45 minutes long) or pick up the edited highlights below!

Video 1:

A seemingly nervous fan asks Matt – What’s the scariest episode you filmed? He answers with two parts, the  scariest episodes for him to film and the monsters he finds the scariest.  (Hint: They’re related)

Video 2:

A young fan asks – How did the Silence blow up the TARDIS? Matt’s first reaction to the question is quite funny. His final answer could be the answer to everything that happens to the Doctor!

Video 3:

What one word describes Matt’s whole experience of Doctor Who? His answer is funny and rather does sum up his whole run quite well.

Video 4:

This question is one that has gotten the most press since the convention – How do you feel about Peter Capaldi’s Doctor having a relationship with River Song? Matt is quite possessive of his time with Alex Kingston…

Video 5:

Is there anything in the world you’d give Doctor Who to have? If you know anything about Matt, then you probably know what this answer was…

 

(Thanks to Three If By Space)

The post Matt Smith At Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con [VIDEO] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

“Time Lord” Enters Its 51st Season: If Doctor Who Was American

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.

History is full of “What Ifs”.  What if Germany had won World War II?  What if JFK had not been assassinated?  What if Tony Stark had been bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker? (the answer to that, of course, is “The Amazing Iron Spider”!)

Well, the boffins over at Smug Mode have done a “What If?” to Doctor Who.  What if Sydney Newman’s ideas had somehow popped up in 1960s Hollywood instead of “back across the pond” in the UK… what if Doctor Who had been an American show (and yes, we know that for a few months in 1996, it was, but read on…)?

It’s almost hard to imagine, isn’t it?  A person almost needs a quick drink or a trip to the bathroom after thinking of how nightmarish this scenario could have turned out.  Risking their mental and physical health, the Smug Mode chaps went so far as to make an alternate Who history and a list of American actors who could have played each Doctor in their era.  Their list even includes fun mock-up photos of how each actor could be imagined in the show.

The full list and photos can be viewed on BuzzFeed.  I won’t repeat the whole list verbatim, but will say that it is an amusing “What If” of actors.  My first impression is that most of the men on the list probably would’ve been too famous at that point in their careers to do a lower-budgeted show like Doctor Who on television.  For instance, Jeff Goldblum would make a quirky Eighth Doctor, but he was at the height (no pun intended) of his movie stardom in the 80s and 90s.  On the other end of that scale would be Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), who would have been totally unknown and barely 22 years old if cast as the Fifth Doctor.

As a certain black-wearing evil doer once said,  “A cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about.”  Would that cosmos still include Nicolas Cage as the Ninth Doctor?  (shudder)  Or the sometimes-campy Vincent Price as the Third Doctor?

There are some other things to consider when it comes to a USA-based Doctor Who.  Would the Doctor travel in a Bill & Ted-style glass phone booth?   Would the show be known more for it’s car chases than it’s science fiction?  Would Chicken McNuggets have taken the place of Jelly Babies?  And just how soon would it have been revealed that the Doctor was half-human on his mother’s (Baywatch star Pamela Anderson) side?

And would all of the baddies still have cool British accents?

Kasterborites, do all of these “What Ifs” about an American Doctor Who amuse you, or just plain sicken and scare you?

 

The post “Time Lord” Enters Its 51st Season: If Doctor Who Was American appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Peter Davison Talks Doctor Who In New Zealand [VIDEO]

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.

Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison is currently down under hosting the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular and squeezing in the odd interview. Australian morning talk show, Studio 10, invited Davidson for an interview with their Executive Producer, Rob McKnight, who is such an avid fan that he steps in to do the interview himself.

Among many other questions in the eight minute segment, Davison was asked about the quality of the writing in his era compared to now…

I just don’t think the writers took it seriously enough… I am very envious of the fact that it’s now run by people who grew up watching Doctor Who – fans. And by and large the stories are written by people who have a passion for the genre.

The interview touches on the downturn the show took after he left, why that happened and that the Great Hiatus during the 90s and early 2000s may have been healthy for the show in the long run…

Take a look. What do you think, Kasterborites? Did classic Doctor Who suffer from uninvolved writers who didn’t understand what the show’s potential? Or is it such a flexible format it can welcome writers from any genre? Tell us below…

…Now, I know her exec producer has just stepped in and hi-jacked her job but does the host seem a tad frosty to you? Professional pique, or perhaps she’s one of those people who mistakenly thinks Who is ‘just a kids show’?…

 

The post Peter Davison Talks Doctor Who In New Zealand [VIDEO] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: An Adventure In Space And Time Soundtrack

James Whittington 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 Adventure In Space And Time was one of the real highlights of last year’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Written with care and thought, this drama from Mark Gatiss gave us all the chance to celebrate the life of one of the show’s most unforgettable Doctors, William Hartnell. The superb score from Edmund Butt gave the piece so much extra emotion and it’s wonderful to be able to listen to this in the comfort of your own earphones.

The Main Title is more of an upbeat Jonathan Creek feel to it and is probably the one track you’ll skip over for here on in the CD is truly wonderful. The Right Man is gracious with gentle strings that sweep and move whilst The First Woman Producer is as busy as Verity herself was and has a theme carried into I’ve Got An Idea.

The Daleks has a pulse similar to the one you associate with the metal monsters but gives it a contemporary edge, a sort of train journey from hell feel to it that runs from speaker to speaker. A similar emotion is felt during This Is My Show but with a more gentle pulsing that breaks through and eases into strings. A playful nod to stardom during Autograph Hunting, and, almost sounding as if it could be created from The Snowman 3, Piss & Vinegar is a light affair with percussion taking over the narration duties.

JFK Assassinated is drum heavy with a dark, brooding undertone that increases as it plays only to fade to a simple string arrangement for the rest of its duration. Big and bold, The TARDIS rightfully gives this iconic monument an audacious introduction whilst Goodbye Susan gently reminds us how Bill must have felt as the team began to move away. I’m So Sorry Bill pulls on the heart and gently reminds the listener that Bill’s time on the show was soon to come to an end, an idea that carries on into Kiss Goodbye.

Irreplaceable is a piece that keeps you unsure of what’s going to happen, and uncertainty, of something that’s not quite right and has the hairs on your neck standing to attention. The New Doctor is the stand out track, an emotional excursion that gave the drama that smart piece of self indulgence that had me fighting back the tears, a fight that I lost. I’m getting emotional writing this as the notes flow through my head and I have it on my iPhone on repeat alongside other of my Doctor Who themed favourites.

The album finishes with Time’s Up which includes the opening theme for this drama.

This is a wonderful soundtrack, one that doesn’t take anything from the series, musically, but puts you right there, right in the middle of it all and is one of the strongest TV soundtracks I’ve heard in a long time.

Released on March 3rd 2014, this CD is worth investing in. You can order An Adventure in Space and Time from Amazon now for just £9.99!

The post Reviewed: An Adventure In Space And Time Soundtrack appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Twelfth Doctor To Meet The Daleks?

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.

The Daleks are set to return in the next series of Doctor Who… if the Daily Star is to be believed!

Apparently, their comeback came at the request of Peter Capaldi himself, who sweet-talked the producers into having a Dalek story in Series 8, having been “a fan since childhood.”

No further details have emerged at this point and, to be honest, we cannot even be sure the story is true, but it’s an exciting idea. And it’s not beyond the realm of possibility either. All of the previous nuWho Doctors met the Daleks in their first seasons, so there’s no reason why the Twelfth Doctor shouldn’t!

What do you think? Would you like to see the Daleks return in Series 8, or should they be rested for a while?

The post The Twelfth Doctor To Meet The Daleks? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Event to Screen Rare Pertwee Footage!

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.

Rare footage of Third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, will be screened at an event to celebrate Thames Television.

A Salute to Thames focuses on the ITV licensee which broadcast around London between 1968 and 1993; its ident became almost legendary across Britain. It made popular shows like The Bill, The Sooty Show and George & Mildred - as well as the quiz series, Whose Baby?, an episode of which will be played at the event.

The 25-minute show invited children of celebrities in and questioned so contestants could guess their famous parents. The edition – hosted by Dr. Who and the Daleks actor, Roy Castle – was screened in 1977 and starred a 12-year-old boy called Sean… whose Dad is the Doctor. Sean Pertwee, of course, is a well-known figure now, recently starring in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, and playing Lestrade in the US show, Elementary.

Terry Wogan also puts in an appearance, alongside Ghost Light‘s Sylvia Syms.

Other programmes showing at the event include ITV Playhouse‘s controversial No Mama No; a recently-discovered Opportunity Knocks; and Cooper at Large - just like that.

A Salute to Thames takes place on Saturday 1st March 2014, at The Talbot Hotel , Stourbridge (DY8 1DW), starting at 12 midday. Whose Baby? begins just five minutes later in Room 1, and ‘Closedown’ is scheduled for 7pm.

(Thanks to Dr Who News.)

The post Event to Screen Rare Pertwee Footage! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Unmissable Doctor Who Concept Artwork from Matthew Savage

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.

New pieces of artwork from former Doctor Who concept artist Matthew Savage have wormed their way on to the internet… And they’re very, very pretty.

Savage, who worked on the show from 2005 until 2010, has also designed for Hollywood blockbusters such as The Dark Knight and Les Miserables, but his Doctor Who pieces are arguably the most exciting. His collection includes some alternative designs for the TARDIS console room, one of which he describes as a “Victorian steam punk” interior, with a young Fourth Doctor positioned at the controls. There are also some fascinating Cybermen concepts, heavily inspired by the ‘classic era’ monsters from The Wheel in Space, plus a rather awesome ‘Hollywood’ version of the Time Lord Omega.

There is a wealth of imagery available on Matt’s blog, and it’s well worth taking ten minutes out of your day to have a look; his artwork provides a fascinating insight into how the show could have looked if some of his more ambitious designs had come into fruition.

(Via io9.com)

The post Unmissable Doctor Who Concept Artwork from Matthew Savage appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed: Doctor Who Figurine Collection – Part 6 Dalek

James Whittington 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.

When Doctor Who returned in 2005 everyone wanted to see the Daleks and when a picture appeared in the tabloids it was reported that this creation was now “bling-tastic!” It looked bold, bronzed and bloody wonderful. Then when its episode, Dalek aired you knew that the series was back and better than ever. This emotional and intelligent episode gave the series the mature, dramatic impact that made everyone sit up and take notice. This figurine catches this metallic monster in all its reborn glory, sort of.

The Magazine

Your Figurine – The design of the Daleks has changed subtly over the years so it was no surprise that they would be given a bit of a make over when the series returned but it was done with care and respect for the original concept. This one is bulkier though, looks tougher and can now melt bullets with a forcefield. This section points out how the movies from the 60s influenced the design such as the larger base and lights. It looked like a machine and moved like one, superb in everyway. The details about the creature inside are a welcome addition with extra information from Mike Tucker.

A Moment In Time – Dalek was a bold, self assured piece of drama and the first episode that really proved how much the series would take its past seriously. The Daleks could easily have returned all guns blazing in the first episode to grab the attention of new fans and critics. But RTD was more savvy than that and looked to the Big Finish story Jubilee for inspiration and from his own play Robert Shearman created a masterpiece. Last time the Daleks made such an impact on me was way back in Genesis of the Daleks, but here, this lone alien made them credible and evil once more. This section focuses on the production, how the Daleks almost didn’t come back and highlights some of their more memorable moments.

50 Years Of Doctor Who – It’s 1966 and during the first half of this year Doctor Who is experiencing a ratings slide. Strange how newspapers seem to always have relished reporting this sort of story. Meanwhile it was the year Dodo joined the TARDIS, Gerry Davies was the Script Editor and Hartnell’s health was becoming a major concern. More memorable for your regular Joe was that it was the year John Lennon announced that The Beatles had become, “more popular than Jesus”.

Doctor Who Universe – Sonic Boom looks at all things sonic and includes some instruments I’d totally forgotten about such as the sonic knife that popped up in the City Of Death adventure. I don’t like the sonic screwdriver, it’s a device used all too often to get out of tricky situations and should only be brought out for nostalgia’s sake. When it was destroyed by the Terileptils it should have stayed out of action. The list of Sonic screwdriver uses is a fun reminder of how many times its been used for bizarre things.

Myths And Mysteries – More unanswered questions are put to the clever bods at the magazine and this time its all about this episode including, “Where does the Cyberman helmet come from?”, and “When did the Daleks learn to fly?”.

Who People – This short celebration of the character of Sarah Jane Smith, which was played so beautifully by Elisabeth Sladen, reminds us all about how important Sarah Jane was to the classic series as she was to the new run. Maybe a future issue will pay her a more full tribute.

Figurine

The figurine here is a master class in replication and is a damn fine reproduction. The skirt and base look spot on as do the slats around the shoulders. What lets this weighty piece down is the rather sloppy paint finish the figurine suffers from, especially around the eyestalk. The silver has ran spoiling a rather fine looking piece.

Next issue is Sontaran General Staal, like the Dalek not the classic design but we’re getting closer to such things.

You can purchase the Doctor Who Figurine Collection in all good newsagents and from Forbidden Planet.

The post Reviewed: Doctor Who Figurine Collection – Part 6 Dalek appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.