Christian Cawley's Blog, page 301

Matt Smith’s Specials Box Set in January

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.

Looking to have all of Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith’s specials in one place, as part of one box set? Well you’re in luck!

While all of the special Christmas episodes are available on their own, BBC Worldwide has announced that “The Time Of The Doctor and Other Matt Smith Specials” , as the box set is currently titled, will be available 13th January on both DVD and Blu-Ray.

The set will presumably contain all four of Smith’s Christmas episodes – A Christmas Carol, The Snowmen, The Doctor, The Widow, and The Wardrobe, and the as-yet-unaired The Time Of The Doctor. Or possibly The Day of the Doctor. And maybe The Science of Doctor Who. Or none of that apart from The Time of the Doctor. Okay, so we don’t actually know yet. But all will be revealed on its release. Wouldn’t it be great if it included all the 50th anniversary stuff?!

No word yet on what extras, if any, the set will include.

The Time Of The Doctor will be Matt Smith’s last episode as the Eleventh Doctor. The special is set to air on Christmas Day, 25th December, on BBC One at 7:30pm in the UK and on BBC America at 9pmEST in the US.

(via CultBox)

The post Matt Smith’s Specials Box Set in January appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Reaction to Matt Smith’s American Psycho

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.

In masterful avoidance of type-casting after his four-year stint as the Doctor, beloved by children and Grandparents on sofas across the world, Matt Smith’s first role after filming his final scenes was the lead in the stage musical of 80s satire, American Psycho! This is an original musical adaptation of the 1991 book by Bret Easton Elis, made into a film starring Christian Bale in 2000, running at London’s Almeida theatre until February. And predictably it’s sold out…

Now the reviews are in and BBC News’ Kev Geoghegan has surveyed the response to Matt’s musical debut and first live performance post-Who. The story deals with the lead character’s materialistic lifestyle as an investement banker in the 1980s Wall Street Boom and the gulf between his socially acceptable front and inner violent urges. While it might be clever and innovative (I’ll let you decide), it’s a long way from the mad man with a box we’ve got to know in Smith’s tenure on Who! For example, Geoghegan notes,

“The song Hardbody, performed by a cast dressed in skimpy fluorescent aerobic outfits, speaks to the character’s obsession with appearance, while at one point Smith performs a sexual threesome with a large pink teddy bear.”

So Smith’s not only an excellent Doctor, he’s also a versatile performer and, shall we say, just a bit daring. But while some loved the production, calling it a “stylish feast” and a “diabolically slick production”, others were less impressed. Predictably comparisons are drawn with both the book and the film version, which didn’t favour this musical offering. Either way I can imagine that a satire about gory murders set to ’80s synth-pop might divide opinion!

However Smith’s performance is praised by several reviewers even though he is, by his own admission, not a singer by trade, having noted:

“I’ve never sang before so it was a full zero to trying to sing in seven weeks so I just thought it was a remarkable challenge. I had a go and you do the best you can do.”

He said his early attempts at singing had been tolerated by his “cool neighbours”.

“There’s a Brazilian family downstairs and the woman is called Camilla and she is a singer and was really cool about it, she would say, ‘I heard you singing today!’”

I am struggling to imagine anything more wildly different from Doctor Who (and more wild) that Matt could have taken on post-regeneration. But then there is something of a precedent with Billie Piper’s role in the controversial Secret Diary of a Call Girl. But what do you think? How would you feel seeing our Matt on-stage playing a yuppie serial killer… to music? Is this too much of a departure from his family-friendly role in Who, or an essential move to survive in the fickle world of casting?

And more to the point have you seen it?! Tell us below…

The post Reaction to Matt Smith’s American Psycho appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Adventures Christmas Issue Now Available

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.

The new issue of Doctor Who Adventures magazine has been released!

And this issue is all about Christmas! The issue includes a preview of the upcoming Christmas special and loads of other fun things including Doctor Who facts, a “Top 10 Festive Frights” list, a special Christmas comic, a Blippar feature on drawing the Doctor, and loads of puzzles, quizzes and other fun stuff!

As a bonus, it also comes with free Alien Attax cards including an exclusive Dalek card, available only from DWA!

Issue 335 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is out now, selling for £2.99.

(I just wish Doctor Who Adventures magazine were more widely available here in the US!)

The post Doctor Who Adventures Christmas Issue Now Available appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Eleven Things BBC America Will Miss About The Eleventh Doctor

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.

It’s soon the end for our beloved Eleventh Doctor, but the moment has been prepared for… by those helpful chaps at BBC America with a count down of “The Top 11 things we’ll miss about Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith”. And I’d say they’re pretty on the mark.

Among the choice cuts of Smithness are several sartorial quirks, including his hats (more than just the ubiquitous Fez), and his hair (big, breezy and still not Ginger). The nippy tour of Eleven’s stand-out features highlights much of what made Matt Smith such an enjoyable Doctor to watch including #7 and #6 which celebrate his unique physicality – you may recall that the man who cast him described his walk as like that of a “drunk giraffe”…

All I can add is that Smith has so clearly LOVED playing the Doctor and that shows in every inch of his performance. Of course if Capaldi’s fan credentials are anything to go by that’s something we can hopefully look forward to from the next incarnation…

But until the credits roll on Christmas Day, lets remember what a wonderful version of the Time Lord Smith has given us. And what about you? What will you miss and what have been your favourite Smithisms over the past few years?

The post Eleven Things BBC America Will Miss About The Eleventh Doctor appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Free Doctor Who: Legacy Game Codes!

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.

The new puzzle-RPG for mobile devices, Doctor Who: Legacy, seems to be going brilliantly, and with free game codes from Forbidden Planet stores nationwide, I have a feeling many Whovians won’t be seen having snowball fights over Christmas.

In the free-to-play game available for Android and iOS, you can build a team of companions and take part in some of the Doctor’s biggest and most iconic battles. And to get the free codes, all you have to do is buy something from participating stores and you’ll find one on your receipt! There are thousands on offer, but it’s still whilst codes last.

With these codes, you can unlock Clara Oswald, along with her red Asylum of the Daleks dress (which I’m dubbing the Hubba Hubba look).

Find participating stores near you over at Forbidden Planet – and don’t forget to download the free game, created by BBC Worldwide, Tiny Rebel Games and Seed Studios!

The post Free Doctor Who: Legacy Game Codes! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Will Doctor Who Return To The Big Screen?

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.

Could Doctor Who be heading back to cinema screens sometime soon?

At last week’s BFI celebration of the Eleventh Doctor era, showrunner, Steven Moffat said:

We’ve noticed [The Day of the Doctor] did well [in cinemas]. It’s great to see [Doctor Who] up on the big screen. Television just handed cinema its own arse.

So is this a hint that the TARDIS might be seen on the big screen again? There are certainly a few individuals (we call ‘em ‘fans’) who would want the show to be in Odeon and Vue complexes nationwide, and after the 50th anniversary special reportedly took over £1.7 million in more than 1,500 cinemas (not to mention further screenings throughout the world), BBC Worldwide should definitely be looking into expanding into that medium!

The Day of the Doctor starred Matt Smith, David Tennant, and John Hurt as the Doctor (ish), Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, and Billie Piper as the Bad Wolf… Oh, and some Daleks, Zygons, Queen Elizabeth I, and the UNified Intelligence Taskforce. But you know all that already, right? The Huffington Post’s Jody Thompson said:

The ultimately genius thing about seeing it at the cinema though was that all this was a shared experience of the kind I’ve never had before in all my years of watching Doctor Who.

Everyone there understood and loved the show and felt privileged to be there (no mums tutting and rolling their eyes at your love of it), which you never really get when going to see just a film. The atmosphere in there was incredible and the assembled mass got every single script nuance with much oohs, ahhs, chuckles and spontaneous clapping.

In fact, the only thing missing was Tom Baker offering Matt Smith a jelly baby before he shuffled out of the gallery.

So, can you see Doctor Who returning to cinemas? The smart money must be on yes!

(Via CultBox)

The post Will Doctor Who Return To The Big Screen? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Who’s Who of Doctor Who By Blogtor Who!

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.

Better known to internet reading Whovians as Blogtor Who, Cameron McEwan is set to release a new guide to the ever expanding list of characters from 50 years of Doctor Who.

Titled The Who’s Who of Doctor Who: A Whovians Guide to Friends, Foes, Villains, Monsters, and Companions to the Good Doctor, McEwan examines over 300 of the people (and aliens/monsters) the Doctor has encountered over the years. The book is also illustrated by Andrew Skilleter, who worked with Doctor Who from 1979 to 1995. It is set to be released in January 2014 by Race Point Publishing; just in time to keep the 50th celebration rolling on!

What will set this work apart from other Who related guides that have come before it, is the scope of its attention to more than just naming names. From the press release:

“Discover details about the intimate relationships between the characters, their loyalties, their betrayals, and of course how they collide with the good Doctor through time.”

The book should be an excellent resource for fans that are new to Doctor Who and to the veteran Whovians who want to revisit some the Doctor’s rich history at a moment’s notice. We’ll have more details when the book is released.

Will you be checking out Blogtor Who’s book?

The post The Who’s Who of Doctor Who By Blogtor Who! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Tenth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver Remote Now Available

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.

Sonic screwdrivers may not do wood, but apparently they’re perfect for switching over to BBC One in time for your favourite SF show!

This nifty scale replica-cum-remote-control is now available from Forbidden Planet. Whilst the price tag might ‘encourage’ you to save your pocket-money for a couple of weeks, the device comes loaded with an array of special features and a Gallifreyan hard case to boot, (alas, no dampers or red settings at this stage!)

Modelled on the Tenth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, this fully-functioning universal remote control comes with a built-in rechargeable battery, has authentic sound effects lifted straight from the Whoniverse, and a light-up blue tip. It also carries ten secret Morse Code messages for you to discover, so you might want to power up the TARDIS translation matrix.

Available for £69.99, head on over to Forbidden Planet to find out more!

The post Tenth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver Remote Now Available appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Chief Praises Smith and Capaldi

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.

Peter Capaldi is coming. Matt Smith is leaving. Steven Moffat is staying put, so the Doctor Who showrunner has recently chatted about the forthcoming changes in the TARDIS…

On Matt Smith’s portrayal of the famous Time Lord, Moffat was reflective and complimentary.

I think The Eleventh Hour was such an extraordinary debut. Everybody for a year of poor Matt Smith’s life had been saying, ‘total mistake. He’s far too young.’ Then he came in and he was brilliant. Vincent and The Doctor was also such a lovely episode and I was thrilled Richard Curtis was able to write for the show.

There’s the physical comedy that Matt has brought and of course fish fingers and custard. I think his relationship with his own TARDIS in The Doctor’s Wife was gorgeous.

But how does he feel about upcoming Doctor Peter Capaldi?

He’s one of the best actors in the country and is very beloved. I was at the BAFTAs shortly before we were contemplating Peter and heard the cheer he got from the audience. Nobody has a bad thing to say about him and that’s not a minor issue when it comes to casting a Doctor. They’ve got to be lovely. And he’s a huge fan of Doctor Who.

So we asked and he was incredibly excited to come and audition. We didn’t tell him that he was the only person auditioning because that would be oddly pressuring.

Let’s hope Peter Capaldi’s first full episode is as definitive as Matt’s!

The post Doctor Who Chief Praises Smith and Capaldi appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Smith’s Farewell Is “emotional, joyous” Says Jenna Coleman

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.

Jenna Coleman has looked forward to the Doctor Who Christmas special, observing that the change in leading men has taken a bit of getting used to.

Indeed, a rather wistful sounding Jenna sounds like she needs a bit of time to get used to the change:

We have a bit of a gap before we start filming the new series, so I have time to get my head around it all… This episode is very much about Matt and the 11th Doctor and Clara and… their last adventure together.

Describing the script for The Time of The Doctor as “very emotional, but also joyous”, Jenna gives a sense of just how tough it was bid Matt farewell:

Just going through the process of saying goodbye was difficult… But saying those words and saying goodbye was never going to be easy.

Jenna Coleman (who will be watching the special with her whole family after a Christmas dinner cooked by her Mum, fact fans) plays Clara in The Time of The Doctor this Christmas at 7.30pm on BBC One and 8/9c on BBC America.

The post Smith’s Farewell Is “emotional, joyous” Says Jenna Coleman appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.