Christian Cawley's Blog, page 311

Doctor Who Sets Guinness World Record Global Simulcast!

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.

BBC Worldwide today announced that the special 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who, The Day of the Doctor, has received the Guinness World Record for the largest ever simulcast of a TV drama following a massive global campaign which saw the episode broadcast in 94 countries across 6 continents.

In addition to the TV broadcast, the episode was screened in over 1500 cinemas worldwide, including  in the UK, US, Canada, Latin America, Germany, Russia and Scandinavia.  Over half a million tickets were sold for the theatrical screenings at which fans were able to watch the episode in spectacular 3D.

The award was presented by Craig Glenday, Editor-inChief of Guinness World Records to the show’s Executive Producer and Head Writer Steven Moffat at the Doctor Who Celebration, a special three-day event spanning the anniversary weekend at London’s ExCel.  Cast members Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman were also in attendance along with thousands of fans from across the world.

Upon receipt of the award, Steven Moffat comments:

For years the Doctor has been stopping everyone else from conquering the world. Now, just to show off, he’s gone and done it himself!

Tim Davie is CEO BBC Worldwide

We knew we were attempting something unprecedented in broadcast history, not only because Doctor Who is a drama, unlike a live feed event such as a World Cup football match or a Royal Wedding, but because we had to deliver the episode in advance to the four corners of the world so that it could be dubbed and subtitled into 15 different languages. If there was any doubt that Doctor Who is one of the world’s biggest TV shows, this award should put that argument to rest – and how fitting for it to receive such an accolade in its 50th year.

Craig Glenday from Guinness World Records added:

Who else but the time-twisting Doctor could appear in 94 countries at once?! This outstanding achievement is testament to the fact that the longest running sci-fi TV show in history is not just a well-loved UK institution but a truly global success adored by millions of people.

In the run up to the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, fans of the show across the world have been out in full force to be part of a global event.  In Sweden and Norway where the programme has no client broadcaster, fans successfully petitioned to get their local cinemas to screen the episode.  Similarly, fans in Argentina pushed a major cinema chain into showing the special simultaneously where previously there had been no plans to do so.

In the US, an initial 10,000 cinema tickets sold out in 28 minutes without any marketing or advertising and in Germany, Cinemaxx, one of the largest cinema chains reported that the special had been the fastest non-movie pre-sale in their history.

Pretty amazing news, we think you’ll agree, and a great cherry on the top of this birthday cake weekend feast of Doctor Who anniversary fun!

The post Doctor Who Sets Guinness World Record Global Simulcast! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

A Deleted Scene From The Day of the Doctor! [VIDEO]

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.

Where you watched (or will watch) The Day of the Doctor, what you see on screen isn’t the result of 75 minutes of filming. Instead, shooting requires several weeks, in which more material than is needed is typically recorded.

The consequence of this is that to meet a predetermined timeslot, scenes have to be cut – including this one.

Although this deleted scene has no impact on the plot of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode, we wouldn’t advise watching it if you have not yet seen The Day of the Doctor.

The post A Deleted Scene From The Day of the Doctor! [VIDEO] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Day of the Doctor: Behind the Lens [VIDEO]

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.

Enjoyed The Day of the Doctor? Missed the old favourite Doctor Who Confidential? Don’t worry: this 50th anniversary behind the scenes show Behind the Lens includes highlights from the episode’s filming.

Please note – there be spoilers here, so if you haven’t seen The Day of the Doctor, please do not watch!

Voiced by the Sixth Doctor, Colin Baker, we catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. It’s a rollercoaster ride and a time to celebrate. Features Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt, as well as lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, discussing their 50th Anniversary experiences.

Watch out for a great story from Jemma Redgrave, recalling her childhood experiences with Doctor Who.

The post The Day of the Doctor: Behind the Lens [VIDEO] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

That Was The Day of the Doctor! [POLL]

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.

So, ladies and gentlemen, that was the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, The Day of the Doctor! As befits an occasion of this stature, we won’t review the episode just yet until the events have sunk in.

However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t want to hear from you – so use the poll below to log your initial thoughts and if you’re feeling a little more verbose, jump into the comments section (where spoilers may be found).

Take Our Poll

We’ll be looking at these results in our coverage of the broadcast’s reaction later this weekend.

The post That Was The Day of the Doctor! [POLL] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Night of the Doctor ReKapped!

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.

KARN

The Sisterhood watch as a spaceship thunders from the dark sky and crashes with an explosion. No one could survive that. This has been foretold: “And here he is at last. The man to end it all,” Ohila, one of the Sisterhood and a Keeper of the Flame, announces. “My Sisters, the Doctor has returned to Karn. We have always known in our bones that one day he would return here. Such a pity he’s dead.”

THE SPACESHIP; MINUTES EARLIER.

Cass desperately needs help: the ship is crashing. But the in-flight computer thinks she’s injured and needs a Doctor.

“I’m a Doctor.”

She turns around to see a velvet trenchcoat-wearing man, untidy and weary, but ancient and clearly brilliant: the Eighth Doctor. “But probably not the one you’re expecting.”

Cass explains that the rest of the crew teleported off – but not her. Because she was the one who saved them all. Good news: the Doctor can save her too. They run to the back of the ship – “because the front crashes first. Think it through” – to see the TARDIS, big and blue and beautiful, and, as the Doctor explains, bigger on the inside!

It all clicks in Cass’ head: he’s a Time Lord. “I’m one of the nice ones,” the Doctor says, but Cass backs away and the bulkhead door snaps shut. Deadlocked. “I’m not part of the war,” the Doctor yells to her. “I swear to you, I never was.”

“Get away from me!”

“Well, look on the bright side,” he replies. “I’m not a Dalek.”

“Who can tell the difference anymore?”

And the ship plummets down towards Karn.

KARN. NOW.

The Doctor wakes with a start, surrounded by the Sisterhood. Ohila explains, “We restored you to life, but it’s a temporary measure. You have a little under four minutes.”

“Four minutes? That’s ages,” he says. “What if I get bored, or need a television, couple of books? Anyone for chess? Bring me knitting!”

Ohila isn’t so glib as she tells the Doctor that he’s their only hope in the Time War. But the Doctor won’t take part in something so blood-soaked. “Because you are the good man, as you call yourself?” Ohila asks.

“I call myself the Doctor.”

“It’s the same thing in your mind.”

“I’d like to think so.”

He typically makes light of the situation until he sees Cass, a broken, dead woman, pulled from the wreckage. It’s not his fault, she wouldn’t listen, and yet –

The Sisterhood are the Keepers of the Flame of Eternal Life (And Utter Boredom), an elixir that can bring the Doctor back to life, force his regeneration. And the change doesn’t have to be random. Fat or thin; young or old; man or woman? “The universe stands on the brink. Will you let it fall?” Ohila begs. “Fast or strong, wise or angry. What do you need now?”

Suddenly, it’s obvious to him: he cannot ignore the Time War, cannot escape it. The universe doesn’t need a doctor, not right now. Right now, it needs a…

“Warrior. Make me a warrior now.”

She hands him a chalice, filled with a burning mixture. “Will it hurt?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“Good… Charley, C’rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly, friends, companions I’ve known – I salute you. And Cass, I apologise.”

He lifts the chalice to his lips: “Physician, heal thyself.”

His body bursts with blinding light, energy bursting and ripping the Doctor apart, rebuilding him, regenerating him – and a new man emerges. A warrior…

The post The Night of the Doctor ReKapped! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Moffat, Smith & Tennant Discuss Genesis of The Day of the Doctor

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.

You want to know just why David Tennant is returning to Doctor Who, and how it all happened? Was it written in the stars? Did Tennant always know that he would be stepping back into the show almost 4 years after we last saw him in action?

The simple answer is to just ask, and you can find the answers from David Tennant, Matt Smith and Steven Moffat above…

The post Moffat, Smith & Tennant Discuss Genesis of The Day of the Doctor appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Day of the Doctor: November 23rd As It Happens

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.

We’re sure you’re really busy enjoying Doctor Who themed celebrations and activities today, wherever you are in the world. Here at Kasterborous Towers we’re doing many different things, from attending ExCel to avoiding the Internet entirely.

The thing is, you might just be sat at home, or doing the shopping, or even at the football, waiting for the clock to turn to 7.50pm. If that’s the case and you want to get into the mood sooner, you can follow us on Twitter to keep up with everything @kasterborousdw.

Should you not be using Twitter, however, or want a more focussed view of what’s taking place today, this as-it-happens live feed of the latest news and updates from ExCel should help you out…

Tweets by @kasterborousdw

The post The Day of the Doctor: November 23rd As It Happens appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Steven Moffat Discusses 50th, Offers Doctor Who Birthday Greeting

Andrew Reynolds 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.

Steven Moffat doesn’t just want a celebration come Saturday, oh no; he wants to chart a course for the next fifty years and he’s doing that very thing by putting the Doctor front and centre of The Day of the Doctor.

So what does exactly does that entail?

…Spoilers

In this interview Moffat offers some titbits about just how he came upon the most important day in the Doctors life, how those events define and change him and a brief discussion on where ‘acting royalty’ John Hurt fits into the that day’s events.

And if you want to know how much today means to the Moff, here’s a birthday greeting to the show he loves.

The post Steven Moffat Discusses 50th, Offers Doctor Who Birthday Greeting appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

This Is The Day of the Doctor – Happy Birthday Doctor Who!

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.

So, Kasterborites, this is it, the day we’ve been waiting for, The Day of the Doctor… Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary is today.

Half a century ago, a low-budget, bonkers TV show about a mad man with a blue box and an odd granddaughter first aired. While the news of the day was overwhelmed with the world-changing events from Dallas, Texas, the day before, the little television program somehow managed to pull itself from out of the shadow if John F. Kennedy’s assassination and become a cultural phenomenon at least as important as Sherlock Holmes and The Beatles.

This is why we’re here; this is why we’re here today.

When I started Kasterborous.com in late 2004 (launching in early 2005) with Anthony Dry, little did I expect to be sat here writing this message for the 50th anniversary of my favourite TV show. What an incredible nine years it has been – but what an astounding, jaw droppingly wonderful 50 years it has been for Doctor Who!

Veering from success to failure regularly throughout its TV existence, hitting comics and books and audio and cinematic spin-off movies, this is a show that refused to die, that evolved and changed in a way so unique that others look on with envy.

Fans around the world are celebrating. Cinemas and TV stations in nearly 100 countries can join in at 7.50pm GMT, when the show will be broadcast on TV and beamed to 3D-equipped picture houses for adoring fans to get the chance to see Doctor Who, on the big screen, spoiler-free!

Meanwhile, the past days have seen special broadcasts on TV, radio and in towns and cities, including, of course, the Doctor Who Celebration at ExCel in London and the various stuff going on in Manchester.

We’re celebrating the anniversary with relative sobriety today. While we should have been publishing a review of Survival (had our 50th anniversary classic series reviews project stuck to schedule – don’t worry, birthdays last for 12 months!) we’ll be giving you a full party mood on tomorrow’s PodKast Live (Sunday 24th) on Google Hangouts, which starts at 2pm UK time (9am EST). Join Christian Cawley, James McLean and Brian Terranova for discussion that will almost certainly focus on The Day of the Doctor and An Adventure in Space and Time.

Meanwhile, we’ve got one or two team members at ExCel this weekend, so look out for some reports. You can also follow us on Twitter (@kasterborousdw) to keep an eye on the latest goings on.

But enough from me. What we really want to know is how YOU are celebrating. How will you be watching The Day of the Doctor, and will there be nibbles and/or booze involved? And how much does your local dry cleaner appreciate your business as a regular cosplayer?

Tell us below!

The post This Is The Day of the Doctor – Happy Birthday Doctor Who! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

@dayoftheFishDr Finally Explained?

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.

You may have seen mention of @dayoftheFishDr on Twitter, Facebook, even here. But what is it all about? Well, let’s just say it’s a big part of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who…

Well, the image above should have cleared things up – it’s The Five(ish) Doctors – Reboot, a fun anniversary project with former stars of Doctor Who, such as Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy… and others.

Here are some clues from the Twitter account:

January 2013. How it all began… #FDR #FishDr pic.twitter.com/u5YQ8rUz5V

— TheFishDr (@dayoftheFishDr) November 22, 2013

'First he kills off Adric, now this!' – Russell T Davies. November 2013.

— TheFishDr (@dayoftheFishDr) November 21, 2013

3 days… #FDR #FishDr pic.twitter.com/TIe2FbwAbB

— TheFishDr (@dayoftheFishDr) November 20, 2013

POLICE INCIDENT LOG – April 18th 2013. Certain items reported missing from Doctor Who experience, Cardiff. #FishDr #FDR

— TheFishDr (@dayoftheFishDr) November 16, 2013

As to what it is exactly… well, Peter Davison isn’t unknown for his forays into comedy.

Hit the Red Button on BBC One in the UK tonight from 10.05pm to find out…

The post @dayoftheFishDr Finally Explained? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.