Christian Cawley's Blog, page 338

Mankind’s Dr Who? Re-Released For 50th

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.

Now here’s an anniversary release for all Mankind – the top 30 1978 disco remix of the Doctor Who theme Dr Who? by Mankind  is to get a special remix for the show’s 50th anniversary along with a new album  containing all of the groups recordings.

Dos Amigoz – rising stars on the production, remix, and DJ-ing scene – are creating the 2013 remix titled Dr Who? (Dos Amigoz Space Time Remix) featuring Diane Charlemagne, which is expected to be released soon via all major download sites.

The album Space, Time and Beyond – due out on Monday 18th November on the Mondo Recordings label – will be a bumper affair, consisting of:

A translucent-blue 14-track vinyl LP with gatefold sleeve telling the story of the making of the 1978 single;
A poster plus unpublished photos from the first Doctor Who convention in the USA, held in 1979 and for which a special pressing of the single was made;
An accompanying CD in a six-panel digipak, consisting of the same tracks as the vinyl album.

The CD will also be available separately on the same date and with the same information as the vinyl release.

The original Dr Who? single originally came about after founding member Don Gallacher noticed Meco’s number 7 hit the previous year with the disco version of the Star Wars Theme – Cantina Band.

Mankind took Dr Who?, released in November that year, to number 25 in the UK, spending a total of 12 weeks in the chart.

It eventually sold more than 240,000 copies, with Gallacher now commenting to Doctor Who News:

“If a single sold that many copies between November and January in the present day, it would probably be number one for the entire Christmas/New Year period!”

It also saw them appear on Top of the Pops three times, with those appearances due to be aired again soon on BBC Four as part of the channel’s on-going series of repeats of the former BBC One pop-music programme.

You can pre-order Space, Time and Beyond on CD from Amazon UK for just £9.68.

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Reviewed: Starlight Robbery

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 the first tale of the Seventh Doctor trilogy Persuasion, which was a serious and sombre affair to start the Doctor, Elizabeth Klein and Will Arrowsmith on their journey together; the second story, or act, if you will, is a far more of a romp in comparison.

Starlight Robbery finds the newest TARDIS crew attending a very unique arms auction run by one of the most slippery beings in the entire universe: Garundel. The slippery specimen, played excellently by Stuart Milligan (Nixon in The Impossible Astronaut/ Day of the Moon) is offering weapons to some very unique buyers at very unique rates but that’s not what’s grabbed the Doctor’s attention. Garundel, returning from last year’s Big Finish story Black and White, is also offering the Persuasion machine, something so deadly and so powerful that the Doctor and his acquaintances have been looking for it throughout the universe. But of course things are never that simple in Doctor Who, there’s several; other competitive bidders to get around first, including some rather trigger happy Sontarans…

Writer Matt Fitton has injected just the right mix of fun, action and drama into this story to help not only link together the overall trilogy for the Seventh Doctor for this year but to also create an interesting set of characters and scenarios to warrant this as more than just a filler story between two bigger ones. The Sontarans, played with impeccable style and versatility by the ever talented Dan Starkey, are far cleverer than we’ve encountered before. Their plotting, scheming and military precision blaze brightly in this story and their space battle scenes translate to audio incredibly effectively. Stuart Milligan nearly manages to steal the show with his return as Garundel; his creation of this character warrants further adventures that we’ve yet to see. If only he wasn’t joined by such an excellent supporting cast, he could have had this whole story as his own, but with a wide variety of interesting alien characters all with their own agenda, including Jo Woodcock playing Garundel’s adorable assistant Ziv, Starlight Robbery is all about the joint effort.

By the end of the tale, we’ve had double- and even treble-crossing but where director Ken Bentley really shines is with the moments that we don’t ‘see’. Space battles and explosions are all imagined well and the listener can easily imagine the scenario laid out for them. But its right at the end, when we all know what’s coming that Bentley really keeps everyone listening. It’s not a major twist, it’s not a surprise but it certainly is a nice delivery, as well as build up, to the final story in the trilogy.

This is another great story for the Seventh Doctor’s 2013 trilogy.

Starlight Robbery is available on CD or via download from Big Finish now.

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Doctor Who Missing Episodes Event on Thursday?

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.

While we’re currently unable to confirm how accurate this is, an update on classic Doctor Who actress Deborah Watling’s website indicates that the BBC will be unveiling the returned missing episodes tomorrow afternoon.

Watling – who appeared in Doctor Who from 1967 to 1968 in the serials The Evil of the Daleks to Fury of the Deep – will apparently be attending an event with Frazer Hines (companion Jamie McCrimmon):

Deborah, along with Frazer Hines, will be helping the BBC to launch the newly found Dr.Who episodes this Thurs (10/10/13), betwwen [sic] 3.30pm and 7.00pm approx.

Watling’s character, Victoria Waterfield, first appeared in The Evil of the Daleks episode 2, which is currently the only episode of that serial that the BBC are known to hold a copy of. While it would be extremely exciting if the remaining six episodes of this serial were to be returned, we’ll just have to wait and see what (if anything) transpires tomorrow…

(Thanks to Joe)

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Kate O’Mara: Capaldi is “ideal casting”

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.

Another day, another fan of Peter Capaldi’s casting, this time from someone who’s worked with a few Doctors herself – Kate O’Mara.

Kate O’Mara,  best known to Doctor Who fans as the villainess The Rani, spoke to Digital Spy about The Thick of It star  -

“He’s a very good actor…he’s sort of quirky, he’s off the wall, he’s different. I think people will relate to that and want to see what happens. I think he’s ideal casting – sort of in the Jon Pertwee mold. It’d be just so lovely if I could get back into that [show] and do some scenes with him – it really would be fantastic.”

She previously worked with both Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker in the 1980s. Of McCoy and Baker she said -

“[They are] both quirky but both quite different. Sylvester of course is as mad as a hatter but he’s wonderful.

Colin is far more straightforward. But you know, wonderful, wonderful scripts we had in those days, and I enjoyed my time on Doctor Who with him as well. It was lovely.”

O’Mara is currently promoting a retrospective of her work, An Evening With Kate O’Mara on Saturday, October 19 at 7pm at The Misty Moon Gallery, Ladywell Tavern.



She will also be appearing at Doctor Who 50th Anniversary celebration at London’s Excel in November.

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McGann Would’ve Returned in 2005

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.

Holy smokes! According to the panel conversation at the BFI screening of Doctor Who: The Movie, the 2005 series could have turned out remarkably different. The story, as we all know it now, is that Russell T. Davies successfully brought back Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor, after a failed attempt at a revival with the American made TV pilot, Doctor Who: The Movie, starring the freshly regenerated Eighth Doctor played brilliantly by Paul McGann. What if RTD had gone a different route? What if he had redeemed the Eighth Doctor and brought him back for the revived series? Would McGann have been onboard? Well, the question has been answered.

When asked at the BFI panel session if he would have resumed the role of the Doctor had RTD approached him, he answered with a “resounding ‘yes’”:

“It was really easy to get into the character of the Doctor, and daunting too.”

He also mentioned during the discussion that he had been prepared to play the part for several years and had imagined portraying the Doctor along the same lines of what Eccleston would eventually do in the revival series, shorter hair and leather jacket in tow! But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. Thankfully, McGann has been able to continue the adventures of the Eighth Doctor in the audio adventures, but it would have been great to see him in the role again (maybe a little something for the 50th?).

Now I pose the question to you: would you have rather seen McGann get the nod with the 2005 series? Or are you happier that RTD went ahead with the Ninth Doctor and Christopher Eccleston?

(via Yahoo TV UK.)

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Confirmation Pending: BBC News Reports On Missing Episodes!

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 News online has today provided some degree of authenticity to the rumours surrounding missing Doctor Who episodes with a report that tells us nothing new, but hey – it’s there.

The report – by fan Lizo Mzimba – follows on the heels of a mention on the BBC Radio 4 News Briefing on Sunday (skip to 9.23) and a mention on Sky News.

Noting that “a number” of episodes have been returned and that BBC Worldwide has indeed scheduled a press conference later this week, the piece also refers to the discovery in 1993 of The Tomb of the Cybermen.

Back in 1993, that discovery made big news here in the UK. One reason why that find is still significant is that it was a full serial, and that we knew what was in the haul.

It would be nice if we could find out in advance just how many episodes have been found, but the smart money is on the BBC letting this one play on over the next few months, given the build up of the omnirumour so far…

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Piper: “Capaldi is a Wise Choice.”

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.

If anyone should know who would make a good Doctor, Billie Piper should. She was faithful companion Rose Tyler to both the Ninth and Tenth Doctors, and has acted alongside the Eleventh, Matt Smith, in episodes of both the Sally Lockhart Mysteries and Secret Diary of a Call Girl… not to mention a certain major upcoming event…

And although she somehow has never performed with upcoming Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi, she told Flicks and the City that he will do just fine. Well, possibly even more than fine:

“I think it’s brilliant. I’ve always really loved him and admired him. I think he’s a brilliant actor, I think he’s both absolutely terrifying and credible with comedy.”

Piper, who recently turned 31, also likes that Capaldi is a bit more mature in age:

“I really like the fact that he’s a bit older and I think it will open a whole new set of fans. I think it makes absolute sense. It’s a really wise choice.”

Billie Piper can be seen once again as Rose Tyler in just about six weeks time in a little show called – what was it? – oh yeah, The Day of the Doctor. And who knows, maybe she’ll get a chance to properly meet the Twelfth someday?

So, Kasterborites, it seems as though Rose Tyler may secretly like her Doctors a little older–how do you prefer yours? More Smithish or more Hartnellian?

(Thanks to Digital Spy.)

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Matt Smith Films His Last Scene as The Doctor

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.

Matt Smith has filmed his last scenes as the Doctor, as shooting concluded over the weekend for the 2013 Doctor Who Christmas special.

The news came in a tweet from producer Marcus Wilson, also leaving the series:

“So it’s goodnight from me, and it’s goodnight from him. That’s a wrap. Christmas 2013. Thank you all.”

There wasn’t exactly a lot of time to mark the occasion as Matt has gone straight into rehearsals for the role of Patrick Bateman in a musical version of American Psycho. The show will run at London’s Almeida Theatre from December, and tickets apparently sold out almost entirely within hours of his involvement being announced.

We don’t have Doctor Who Confidential anymore to capture these moments for us, but surely cameras will have recorded Matt handing over to Peter Capaldi for a behind the scenes feature for a DVD extra or website making-of.

One wonders how Matt would have been feeling on his last day. The memorable Confidential footage of David Tennant’s final day showed him struggling but just about managing to keep it together as he said his goodbyes. Going further back, Elisabeth Sladen recounted in her autobiography how filming the regeneration was a ‘cold affair’, with Jon Pertwee refusing to be in the same room as Tom Baker. Somehow I suspect the Eleventh Doctor would have been rather more upbeat!

(Via Digital Spy.)

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Adventures with the Wife in Space Hits Bookshelves!

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.

Sue: Haven’t you got a DVD we could watch instead? This is terrible.

Me: We could watch Doctor Who.

Sue: We’ve seen them all, haven’t we?

Me: Not the new series. I mean old Doctor Who, the stuff I like.

Sue: Why would I want to do that?

We all know someone like Sue – a ‘fan’ of the show, but who maybe is not as… involved in it as we are. Who has not seen, nor has any real interest in, the classic episodes, but in general likes the current show and has not missed an episode since it began again in 2005.

Many of you reading this fit better into the category that Neil Perryman puts himself in – someone who has never actually named a child after a beloved Who character and doesn’t know every production code by heart, but has loved the show for a long time, has done what he could to mold his life and work around his ‘obsession’ and may even have a pet (or 4) that have been named after something in the fandom. (I’m not quite there… yet)

Neil had this idea – he would get his wife, Sue, to watch every episode of classic Who and document the results. From this, the blog Adventures With The Wife In Space was born.

Now, after two years and every episode from Hartnell to McGann, and to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the show, a new book is soon to be published to go along side the blog.

Neil loves Sue. He also loves Doctor Who. But can he bring his two great loves together? And does he have the right?

In January 2011, Neil Perryman set out on an insane quest to make his wife Sue watch every episode of the classic series of Doctor Who from the very beginning. This book is the story of that adventure. Funny, honest and surprisingly moving, it captures perfectly the joys – and fears – of sharing the thing you love with the people you love.

The book is due to be released on 7th November, but the introduction as well as some online-only goodies to go with it are currently available on the blog’s site. The book is available for pre-order at a number of sites including Amazon UK, Amazon US, and the Book Depository.

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Omnirumour Rumbles On, Press Event Postponed

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.

It’s getting a bit sticky now. Following claims that missing episodes were about to be unveiled online following a press event on Tuesday, The Mirror reports that the BBC has rescheduled the event for the end of this week.

A BBC insider supposedly told The Mirror:

With all the excitement in the last few days about the lost episodes we are really keen to get the information out, but there are a few delays. We want everything to be ready and for this announcement to excite fans so they will have to wait a few days longer.

They have been waiting nearly 50 years for this, so a couple of days shouldn’t make any difference.

Oh dear. Someone has misjudged Doctor Who fans.

For the uninitiated, the report refers to the rumour – ongoing since 2011/12 – that lost episodes from the 1960s have been uncovered in places as far flung as Singapore, Hong Kong, Ethiopia and Maltby, North Yorkshire (that last one might be wrong…). Despite endless denials from the BBC and people connected with Doctor Who, the rumour has somehow persisted.

The Mirror also claims that the BBC asked them to withhold details of the new press event, with fans learning which episodes have been uncovered by the end of the week.

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