Christian Cawley's Blog, page 286

Sylvester McCoy to Appear at Kansas City’s Planet Comicon!

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.

The Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, has now been added to the burgeoning guest list of Planet Comicon, now one of the biggest comic book and science fiction conventions in the USA’s Midwest.  McCoy – the true star of Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson’s new Hobbit trilogy – will be making his first-ever appearance at the con, and indeed is one of the few Who-related guests to ever appear at Planet Comicon.

The convention takes place March 14-16 at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Missouri.  This year’s con is being called the “Trektacular” because William Shatner (yes!) and nearly the whole cast of The Next Generation (except for that Patrick Stewart guy) will be appearing.   Maybe this will finally lead to the Doctor Who-Star Trek crossover that everyone’s hoped for?  Or at least an awesome YouTube video of the Seventh Doctor and Captain Kirk sharing a hug?

Other guests include:  Jewel Staite of Joss Whedon’s Firefly, The Six Million Dollar Man‘s Lee Majors, Margot Kidder of the original Superman films, Chad Coleman of The Walking Dead, and at least one Power Ranger!

Tickets, directions, and tons of guest information are available on the Planet Comicon website!

Kasterborites, if you could pick one Star Trek Captain and one Doctor to team up to save the universe together (or awkwardly hug at a sci-fi convention?), which ones would you choose?

(Via planetcomicon.wordpress.com)

The post Sylvester McCoy to Appear at Kansas City’s Planet Comicon! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Moffat Congratulates Big Finish For Awards Success

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.

Over the years, Big Finish has done a ‘sound’ job at keeping the Doctor Who legacy alive, and in January 2014, it achieved recognition at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for its Eighth Doctor adventure Dark Eyes.

But Aunty Beeb wasn’t the only person wishing to congratulate the team on their hard work. Script supremo Steven Moffat also came forward to praise Big Finish for its recent success…

I am completely thrilled, I am air-punching. In the wilderness years, when Doctor Who was off the air, Big Finish did so much to keep the legend alive in the hearts and minds of the fans. Now, in this time of Who abundance, it is beyond exciting to see their excellent work recognised. Hopefully this award will bring the Big Finish audios to the attention of an even wider public. Recently, on TV, we saw how the Paul McGann Doctor died – now it’s time to find out he lived.

Given the subtle nods to Big Finish in Moffat’s recent The Night of the Doctor minisode, these latest comments may come as no surprise to some fans. Nevertheless, it is heart-rending to see one of Doctor Who’s most prolific and influential writers speaking with such affection for the sometimes ‘humble’ world of audio.

Long may the Big Finish success continue…

The post Moffat Congratulates Big Finish For Awards Success appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Hey Cosplayers – Capaldi’s Doctor Who Outfit In Detail!

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.

Yes, you too can dress just like the new Doctor! But it’ll set you back over a grand in Earth money…

Journalists have helpfully (if inevitably) costed Peter Capaldi’s new get-up as the Twelfth Doctor, and it turns out that such sartorial elegance doesn’t come cheap.

The most pricey item is the three-quarter length Crombie coat (slim fit version, style fans) at a whopping £795. If that’s too steep for your pocket, try Topman for a more reasonable similar one at £150.

The rest of the outfit is likely to set you back £150 for the cardigan, £29.99 for the shirt, £110 for the trousers and a round £100 for the boots. (Hands up if you can now hear your Dad saying “£150 for a cardigan?”)

Click image for hires detail!

Resourceful Doctor Who fans who enjoy their cosplay will, of course, find much more economical ways to dress as the next Doctor.

Share your tips on how to put together a stylish yet affordable version of the Doctor’s new outfit below!

The post Hey Cosplayers – Capaldi’s Doctor Who Outfit In Detail! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Dr. Who Fannual Now Available!

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.

Yes, dear readers, it is in fact Dr. Who, as opposed to Doctor Who, in this instance! Fans of Peter Cushing’s incarnation of the Doctor, this is for you!

The folks at Fannnual have been working feverishly to produce an annual solely dedicated to Peter Cushing’s Doctor, and their hard work is now available. Simply titled, The Dr. Who Fannual, the book collects fan submitted stories, anchored by detailed character guidelines, expanding the brief universe set for by Cushing’s only two outings in the role, Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks Invasion Earth – 2150 A.D.

The book is available in different colours and in both paperback and hard cover. It can be purchased by visiting their website. You can also get in on some pretty great Facebook competitions as well, as they have already handed out copies of the Cushing films on Blu-ray and limited editions of the Fannual.

There appears to be a resurgence in interest in the Cushing incarnation, especially with Steven Moffat recently chatting about failed plans to bring the Cushing films into the Whoniverse proper. What say you, Kasterborites? Are you interested in reading further adventures with the Cushing Doctor?

The post Dr. Who Fannual Now Available! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Counter-Measures Series 3 Details From Big Finish

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.

Following on from their appearance in Doctor Who- 1963: The Assassination Games the Counter-Measures team are back this year for a third spin off series of adventures set in the swinging sixties.

As ever, the team continues to fight both alien and human menaces in what you could describe as “Torchwood: The 1960s” era!

The new series contains four exciting stories for Captain Gilmore, Rachel, Allison (seen together on screen as the memorable team that help the Doctor and Ace in 1989′s Remembrance of the Daleks) and Sir Toby by writers both old and new.

Changing of the Guard by Matt Fitton follows directly from the series two cliff-hanger of Sins of the Fathers, with Sir Toby fighting for his very career. Meanwhile the Counter-Measures team is fighting a very different threat… Ben Bishop (Whitechapel) guest stars as Kenny, while Richard Hope (The Hungry Earth, The Wedding of River Song, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) is William Heaton. The Concrete Cage by experienced Doctor Who writer Justin Richards finds the team investigating mysterious incidents at a tower block that is under construction. Michael Troughton (The New Statesman) is Roderick Purton, and Janet Henfrey (The Curse of Fenric) is the enigmatic Old Lady.

Adventure number three, The Forgotten Village, is the Big Finish writing debut of Ken Bentley best known for his work as director for some of Big Finish’s audio adventures. The story unfolds as Allison’s father falls ill and Sir Toby sends her home to look after him. But what transpires is one of Counter-Measures’ most dangerous assignments. Rupert Evans (Hellboy) is Jack Maddocks, Tim Bentinck (The Archers) is Mr Williams, while Graham Seed (The Archers) is Mr Bevan.

Finally, the series ends with Unto the Breach by John Dorney. Rachel, Gilmore and Toby must go undercover in the Eastern Bloc to investigate an alien that has fallen into enemy hands. George Layton (The Space Pirates) plays Lehne, Toby Longworth (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace) is Werner and Anjella Mackintosh is Jager.

Countermeasures series three will be available to buy on CD for £30.00 or via download for £25.00 via Big Finish’s website. You can pre order your copy now via Big Finish Productions.

Counter-Measures – Series 3 is available for pre-order and out in July.

The post Counter-Measures Series 3 Details From Big Finish appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reviewed – 1963: The Space Race

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.

Whereas the first adventure for the 1963 trilogy focused on British pop culture of the time, the second story, 1963: The Space Race, takes into account the far greater scientific advances that were taking place during the year that Doctor Who first graced the television sets of many a British household.

During the 1960s’s the great space race between countries around the world was taking place. All were in competition with one another to get to the moon and prove who had the biggest… rockets. Whilst the American made it in the late 1960’s (no thanks to the Eleventh Doctor tinkering with their space shuttle) it was the Russians who made the first hard landings on the surface from 1959.

The Sixth Doctor and Peri catch up with the Soviet Union in 1963, of course, and adopt the identities of scientists from Moscow University. But this is no mere visit to watch history unfold for the time travellers, manned capsule Vostok 7 has passed the dark side of the moon and communications have been cut off. By the time the shuttle comes back, the occupant is very different indeed, much to everyone’s shock…

The Space Race is pretty much a glowing tribute to The Ambassadors of Death and Doctor Who and The Silurians / The Sea Devils or Warriors of the Deep. There’s a conspiracy, spies working on the inside, political ramifications if the Doctor doesn’t save the day and a talking dog. Laika, to be specific. That’s correct; the poor dog that was flown into space by the Russians and died a few short hours afterwards actually became a creature of higher function with capable reasoning facilities.

Laika’s involvement in the story is the meat of the plot; being given a larynx and a cerebral cortex augmentation by a mysterious benefactor (who turns out to be something quite similar to the beings in The Ambassadors of Death), she is able to vocalise how terrifying her initial journey must have been. Alone, afraid and with no clue as to what was happening to her or why, the poor dog must have been terrified. It’s no surprise that in this story, she wants revenge on the humans that have caused her such misery. She creates an army of animals to help her exact her revenge: this is where the struggle of Earth’s original inhabitants, the Eocenes, becomes all too familiar.

The story of Laika is an interesting one, and certainly filled this listener with empathy. The intertwining tale of spies and evil Russians felt less important and perhaps served as filler to bring the adventure to its four episode quota. The reviewer would have been happier if this had been shaped into one of the Fourth Doctor Adventures and scaled down to two episodes instead, perhaps to bring the pace of the story up into a different gear.

Story structuring aside, this is a solid tale regarding the great worldwide space race that took place in the 1960′s and it’s quite amusing to note that although the Russians were the first country to successfully land a lunar module on the moon, their attempts in the 1960’s were failures.

Doctor Who is nothing if not generous with its history!

1963: The Space Race is out now – head to the Big Finish website to find out more.

The post Reviewed – 1963: The Space Race appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Jason Flemyng: Capaldi “Will Be Amazing”

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.

Actor Jason Flemyng has predicted that new Doctor Peter Capaldi will ‘smash it’ and will be ‘amazing’ in the role.

Flemyng this week made a guest appearance in BBC1 drama The Musketeers, the series Capaldi was filming when he got the news that he was to become the next Doctor. And it turns out Flemyng has form when it comes to appearing alongside new Doctors:

“That was quite surprising when he got the Doctor Who gig while we were in the middle of it. When I did The Quatermass Experiment, David Tennant came in one morning and was Doctor Who as well so it seems to be something strange, like I’m a lucky (charm). Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”

Jason Flemyng has a family connection with the programme as his father Gordon directed the two feature films of the 1960s, and has obviously taken a keen interest over the years. He makes clear the high regard he has for the post-2005 Doctors:

“In the modern Doctor Who, they’ve never cast an OK actor. Every single time, the actor’s been sublime and talented, and that, plus the fact it’s a good role, has turned Doctor Who into a great character.”

Flemyng recently auditioned for the upcoming Star Wars film, as did, reportedly, Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith. Catch Capaldi and Flemyng in the latest episode of The Musketeers on BBC iPlayer.

The post Jason Flemyng: Capaldi “Will Be Amazing” appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

ReaktionKast: Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who Outfit Discussed!

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 this brief reaktionKast (with a K), Christian Cawley and James McLean discuss new Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi’s striking new Time Lord look, as revealed by the BBC this week.

Hit play below to hear what we think.

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:

The post ReaktionKast: Peter Capaldi’s Doctor Who Outfit Discussed! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Capaldi Filming in New Costume!

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.

Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, has stepped out onto the streets of Cardiff in his new costume. Which must mean…

POTENTIAL SMALL SPOILERS AHOY!

The outfit was unveiled yesterday, just in time for this morning’s filming on Queen Street, which saw Capaldi with companion, Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald outside the TARDIS. They were with director, Ben Wheatley, best known for The Kill List, and as lines of dialogue were overheard, it’s likely they’re filming episode one of Series 8. Clara’s also in the same clothes she wore in The Time of the Doctor.

And speaking of Series 8, a possible new/old logo has been spotted on the hoodies of the crew…

In the scene, the Doctor and Clara have a small argument, as the latter listens to a significant, emotional conversation on her phone; Clara then seems to inspect his face a little closer – yes, it’s Peter Capaldi! – and the pair then hug.

Small spoilers that might be big

These reports are all thanks to Ryan Farrell… who only popped out for some milk! He has a history of stumbling upon filming, so you might want to follow him on Twitter. Beware, however, that he overheard some significant dialogue (we know who Clara is talking to on the phone, for instance), so only track him down if you’re not too worried about small spoilers.

Notice, also, that Capaldi is still wearing his own wedding ring, something which he rarely takes off for roles. Kinda lovely, really, don’t you think?

Filming reportedly continues tonight at Victoria Place.

Once again, thanks to Ryan – and you can check out more photos in our gallery below!

The post Capaldi Filming in New Costume! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Dark Eyes Wins Best Non-Broadcast Drama Award!

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.

Big Finish has won the BBC Audio Drama award for Best Online or Non-Broadcast Drama for the Eighth Doctor story, Dark Eyes: The Great War!

It really is fantastic news, and is great to see the company finally getting some well-deserved recognition. The company, founded in 1999, was presented with the award at BBC Broadcasting House’s Radio Theatre in London, and hosted by comedian, Lenny Henry, and Director General, Tony Hall. Writer, executive producer and voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs said:

“I’m really delighted. It’s so lovely to receive such recognition. And the congratulations we’ve received from our listeners, people at the BBC and Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat make it doubly rewarding.”

The Great War is the opening part of the Dark Eyes boxset, and introduces Ruth Bradley as Molly O’Sullivan, a Voluntary Aid Detachment nursing assistant in the First World War. Soon, she’s facing Daleks with Paul McGann’s Doctor – who recently appeared in the 50th anniversary minisode, Night of the Doctor. Showrunner, Steven Moffat said:

“I am completely thrilled, I am air-punching. In the wilderness years, when Doctor Who was off the air, Big Finish did so much to keep the legend alive in the hearts and minds of the fans. Now, in this time of Who abundance, it is beyond exciting to see their excellent work recognised. Hopefully this award will bring the Big Finish audios to the attention of an even wider public. Recently, on TV, we saw how the Paul McGann Doctor died – now it’s time to find out he lived.”

And to celebrate the win, Big Finish has lowered the price of Dark Eyes to just £20 – and quite a few Eighth Doctor adventures have been discounted to £5 each too! But get over to the Big Finish site quickly… because the offers end today! In our own review, we were very impressed with the good Doc’s exploits with Ms. O’Sullivan, saying:

“This story really does grab you and carry you along in its wake, and the 220 minute duration seems to pass in half the time. You will be particularly gripped by the origins and fate of the Doctor’s erstwhile companion Molly O’Sullivan, the eponymous “Dark Eyes” of the title. Why is she called that? Why are her eyes so dark? And why did X kidnap her baby self?

 

Ruth Bradley is particularly impressive as Molly, taking the character convincingly in all of the directions that the story demands from reluctant traveller to an advocate of a possible future race of peaceful Daleks (in scenes evocative of the classic Dalek comics.)”

The sequel, Dark Eyes 2, is released next month, and you can pre-order it now for £20 as well.

And to Big Finish – a huge congratulations from us avid listeners at Kasterborous!

The post Dark Eyes Wins Best Non-Broadcast Drama Award! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.