Christian Cawley's Blog, page 358

BBC Three to Air Doctor Who Anniversary Clips Show?

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.

Doctor Who Confidential was a BBC Three show that went behind the scenes on Doctor Who from its return in 2005 – until it was unceremoniously (and in many ways, mysteriously) axed in 2011.

Ever since then, BBC Three has avoided producing any original Doctor Who-related shows (you couldn’t stop them back when Russell T Davies was in charge) but if the website of comic Tom Craine is anything to go by, this could be about to change.

Says the barely-recognised comic on his website:

Delighted that I’ll be appearing as a guest on a forthcoming BBC3 show celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who.

Wouldn’t put it past me to have a few stern words to say about the Daleks.

This is the first (and to date, only) mention of this website anywhere (although many outlets have picked up on it). But what does it mean? Does it indicate a change in attitude from axe-happy controller Zai Bennett, or simply shallow ratings-grabbing opportunism?

Many will see this as a sign that Doctor Who Confidential is about to return, but until a formal announcement is made, let’s just look forward to the clips show…

Head to Tom Craine’s website to find out more (although at this stage there isn’t much).

(With thanks to Turquoise Tarquin)

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Moffat: Doctor Who Must Be ‘funny and exciting’

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.

Peoples of the universe, please attend carefully: Doctor Who show-runner Steven Moffat has given a rather interesting interview to WorldScreen.com. In it, he talks about why Doctor Who has lasted for so long, his reservations about bringing Sherlock back, and why he doesn’t listen to people on Twitter!

When quizzed about his plans for the show when he first took over from Russell T Davies, Moffat was quite clear:

I just wanted it to be good. People always want me to have some form of agenda. Sometimes in desperation I say I want it to be a fairy tale or I want it to be this or that. I just wanted it to be a good Doctor Who. The thing about Doctor Who is it’s a different show every week. It speaks with a different voice on a weekly basis. It must be fast moving. It must be funny and exciting. Those were all present in Russell’s era and I hope they are all present in mine. I serve at the pleasure of the TARDIS [the time machine in Doctor Who].

And if anybody is still holding out for a return of the Plasmatons, they might be disappointed. This is what Mr Moffat had to say about old monsters returning to Who:

When it first came back, if we hadn’t done the Daleks or the Cybermen or The Master, it wouldn’t have felt like Doctor Who. Now, the two eras of the show have merged into one big glorious tapestry. It is better to add to the mythology than to draw from it. I have a slight fear that the first appearance of any given monster is always the best. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring them back if people love them. It’s an age-old debate. I think I’d probably rather invent new [monsters].

Of course, it’s always great to see the strange, strange creatures of the Doctor Who universe, whether classic or brand new! And, even if you’re not a fan of Steven Moffat’s work, his interview to WorldScreen is a very frank and honest one, and well worth a read.

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Time Lords Do Lunch!

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.

Thee Telegraph’s gossip column Mandrake has revealed that Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi were spotted having a Time Lord lunch yesterday!

 

Sadly there are no photos of the pair, but we’re told that it was a light-hearted affair, at the “fashionable” Wolseley restaurant in that there London. Said a whispering fellow diner:

It looked like quite a jolly lunch… Peter was laughing a lot.

We can, of course, only guess at what they were talking about. Perhaps it was mocking Steven Moffat behind his back. Perhaps Matt was regaling his successor with stories about Jenna Coleman.

Or perhaps he was explaining how to overcome the negative pull on the helmic regulator.

The laughter, of course, might be attributed to Capaldi – after all, he has just won his dream job. In contrast, Matt Smith is leaving it. And to make matters worse, the Eleventh Doctor actor was apparently aided by a crutch. Let’s hope it doesn’t affect any filming he still has to complete…

(Via The Telegraph)

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America, Prepare Yourself for the Eighth Doctor!

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.

No matter if you have been watching Doctor Who since in began in 1963 or only started watching the current series a month ago, you know that today the show has a long history behind it and there have been multiple men that have given us their impression of who the Doctor is. The tenure of each of these versions of the Doctor have all been widely different, and everyone has those eras they love.

As part of the celebrations surrounding the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, BBC America has been presenting a retrospective for each Doctor. Starting in January, each month has featured a different incarnation of the Doctor and included comments from many of those connected to the show. Paired with each retrospective was an episode or story arc from that Doctor’s era.

This month, the series looks back at the Eighth Doctor, Paul McGann, and his only onscreen appearance in Doctor Who: The Movie. The special will include interviews with Steven Moffat, and Eighth Doctor companions Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso.

The eighth Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited special will premiere on BBC America on 31st August 2013 at 9/8c.

If you happen to live in the New York City area, the Paley Center for Media will be showing the digitally remastered movie tomorrow, Saturday 31st August 2013 at 1pm.

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Doctor Who Adventures Launches Awesome Superfan Competition!

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.

A new competition from Doctor Who Adventures magazine is offering the opportunity for the UK’s biggest Doctor Who Superfan to win a Cyberman visit to their school and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to celebrate the 50th anniversary!

Doctor Who Adventures magazine is the biggest-selling UK pre-teen magazine for boys – and now they’re on the hunt for the nation’s biggest young Doctor Who fan with the prize of a Cyberman visiting their school and a VIP family ticket to the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebration at the ExCel Centre in London!

Open to children aged between 5-13 until 2 October 2013, fans need to send up to 250 words explaining why they should win the competition and a photo demonstrating why they’re the ultimate Who fan. 

To enter, children must fill in the entry form in the latest issue of the magazine, out now until 10th September, alongside their most creative ideas and brilliant collections for a chance to win. The lucky winner will be able to upgrade their school with a terrifying visit from one the show’s top monsters, and they and their family will enjoy VIP access to all areas, travel and accommodation at the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Celebration. Meanwhile, four runners-up will receive a goodie bag filled with official Doctor Who products.

Natalie Barnes is the editor of Doctor Who Adventures:

We have such imaginative and dedicated readers, so this competition is a fantastic way of giving them the opportunity to show the world what Doctor Who means to them. I can’t wait to see how they celebrate their favourite show through photos of them dressed as the Doctor or monster, pictures of their incredible bedrooms, fantastic collections and more! We’re really excited to offer such a fantastic prize.

If you read Doctor Who Adventures or you have children or younger relatives who would be interested in this competition, get your entries in now!

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John Hurt Tweet Hints at Further Appearances?

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.

Steven “I’ve been lying my arse off for months” Moffat has repeatedly insisted that John Hurt’s involvement with Doctor Who will only be the upcoming 50th Anniversary special, where he will play an unknown incarnation of the Doctor.

 

However, there have been recent signs pointing to further involvement by the award winning actor…from John Hurt himself! Shortly after the announcement that Peter Capaldi would be the Twelfth Doctor, Hurt tweeted the following message:

“Congratulations, Peter Capaldi. I’m suboth and we will have a lot of fun.” 

That tweet was then deleted and replaced with a (spell-checked) message congratulating both Capaldi and the BBC on their choice. Hurt has saying that he didn’t actually send the tweet.

This leaves us with a few options to consider.

Hurt has a social media wrangler handling his Twitter account and the deleted tweet was either a mistake or a misunderstanding.
Hurt’s Doctor is going to appear past the 50th as well and we’ll see him again when Capaldi is the Doctor (and someone in production had him delete the tweet).
Perhaps less likely, Capaldi will have or has already had some role in the 50th.

So what say you? Is this all a misunderstanding or is Hurt dropping us some breadcrumbs? Or is there a slight chance of seeing 12 a little sooner than expected?

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Alex Scarrow: Doctor Who ‘not Made in Chelsea’

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.

Alex Scarrow, author of the imminent Eighth Doctor e-book Spore and ex-rock guitarist, is a man with sense. In an interview this week the author berated the (small but noisy) group of fans who tweeted dismay at Capaldi’s casting because they didn’t think he was enough of a hottie… Presumably, he saw something like this:

Speaking to the Guardian, Scarrow remarked:

I’ve seen some twitter traffic from (I guess) some younger viewers who were moaning about him not being young and pretty…but sheeesh, this isn’t X Factor! This isn’t Big Brother or Made in Chelsea!!

True say. Can you imagine if doctor who was like Made in Chelsea?! Since the late 80s my inner seven-year-old has grown with me in that he thinks the show should be darker, edgier and generally have less Peter-Kay-in-a-fat-suite.  Unlike me he disapproves of snogging full stop (not just in Doctor Who). Either way the thing he finds weirdest about New Who is that some viewers want to go out with the Doctor. Scarrow spells it out,

It’s not about having sexy cheekbones or floppy hair! It’s about big ideas that knock you onto your butt and stay with you long after the end credit music has played out.

Perhaps I’d think differently if I had come to the show post-2005 and my first Timelord was a wee nipper like Tennant or Smith rather than McCoy and the real Oldies on VHS tapes. But the idea that anyone could be disappointed at Capaldi’s *look*, with the terrifying eyes and electric hair, makes me feel they don’t really know the character in all his glory. Hopefully number 12 will knock socks off (but leave other clothes on) and prove that the Doctor is brilliant whether he’s a shexy twenty-something or on the senior side.

Anyway, Hugh Laurie’s House has proved an older doctor can still become a sex-symbol. Maybe the nay-sayers will get a surprise! What do you think- do we want a sexy doctor? And do you need a young lead to set hearts a-flutter?

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The Tenth Planet Contents and Release Date

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’ve already brought you the cover art (as it currently stands…) but blow you can now see read the full list of extras for this very special DVD release of The Tenth Planet, the first Doctor Who story to feature a regeneration!

The sad thing about this release, of course, is that the final episode is almost completely missing – which means that money has been spent on animating the events of the Doctor’s first encounter with the Cybermen…

The first three episodes of the serial are live action, of course.

The extras (or value added material) are listed below…

Disc One Contents

Commentary with actors Anneke Wills (Polly), Christopher Matthews (Radar Technician), Earl Cameron (Williams), Alan White (Schultz), Donald Van Der Maaten (Cybermen Shav and Gern), Christopher Dunham (R/T Technician) and designer Peter Kindred. Moderated by Toby Hadoke.
Frozen Out – Cast and crew look back on the making of the story. With actors Anneke Wills, Earl Cameron and Reg Whitehead, designer Peter Kindred and vision mixer Shirley Coward.
Episode 4 VHS Reconstruction – The reconstruction of the missing fourth episode using audio, stills and surviving clips, which featured on the BBC Video VHS release of the story back in 2000.
Radio Times listings – Episode listings for The Tenth Planet from the BBC listings magazine Radio Times (DVD-ROM only – to be viewed on PC/Mac).
Production subtitles – Subtitles provide the viewer with cast details, script development and other information related to the production of The Tenth Planet.
Photo gallery – A selection of production, design and publicity photographs from this story.
Coming soon – An exclusive new trailer for a forthcoming DVD release.

Note that the final packshot is yet to be confirmed

William Hartnell Interview – Shortly after leaving Doctor Who, star William Hartnell joined the 1966 Christmas pantomime tour of Puss in Boots. Interviewed in his dressing room for the BBC Bristol’s Points West programme, Hartnell talks frankly about Daleks, the merits of pantomime and his own thoughts on his future career in this extremely rare glimpse into the mind of the man who first brought the role of the Doctor to life… (see New William Hartnell TV Footage Found! for more.)
Doctor Who Stories – Anneke Wills – Anneke Wills look back on her role as Polly in the series, in an interview recorded for the BBC’s Story of Doctor Who in 2003.
The Golden Age – Historian Dominic Sandbrook examines the myth of a ‘Golden Age’ of Doctor Who.
Boys! Boys! Boys! – Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Mark Strickson reminisce about their time as companions to the First, Second and Fifth Doctors respectively.
Companion Piece – A psychologist, writers and some of the Doctor’s companions over the years examine what it means to be a Time Lord’s fellow traveller . With actors William Russell, Elisabeth Sladen, Louise Jameson, Nicola Bryant and Arthur Darvill, writers Nev Fountain and Joseph Lidster, and psychologist Dr Tomas Charmorro-Premuzic.
Blue Peter: Doctor Who’s Tenth Anniversary – Two weeks before the show’s tenth anniversary, the Blue Peter team take a look back at Doctor Who’s history. Ironically, the strict preservation of Blue Peter’s history means that the clip of the first regeneration has been preserved, but the final episode of The Tenth Planet that it came from was never again seen after its use here.

Set for release in the UK on November 18, 2013 you can orderThe Tenth Planet from Amazon now for £15.42 North America readers can order for $31.48, a 10% saving of the $34.98 list price.

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Capaldi Destroyed Doctor Who Autographs!

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.

Back in the dark ages, where geek culture was a mere sideshow distraction and not the all-encompassing, social identity it has become today, a young and ashamed Peter Capaldi sought to rid himself of the label once and for all, by throwing his impressive haul of collectables onto a bonfire.

The Doctor elect told The Big Issue in its Letters to My Younger Self feature of his childhood obsession with the series and lifetime love of all-things geek. However, things weren’t always so rosy in the Scottish actor’s world of comics and sci-fi:

I destroyed all my geek stuff because I didn’t want to be a geek, and I regret it to this day. Consumed in the geek bonfire of the vanities was a collection of autographs and letters from Peter Cushing, Spike Milligan, Frankie Howerd, the first Doctor Whos, actual astronauts and many more.

Little did the young Twelfth Doctor know that one day the world would come around to his sensibilities:

I wish I’d known that one day the geek would inherit the Earth. When I was 16, geeks hadn’t been invented, so being tall and skinny, into horror movies and sci-fi and unable to play football simply made me the go-to guy for the sociopaths – some of them teachers – who wanted to practise their torturing skills on someone.

Addressing his younger self, Capaldi also said that he learned to embrace his Glasgow accent despite the “Shakespeare-loving intellectuals” that clogged the acting world – an accent that Steven Moffat said he was ‘pretty certain’ he’d keep when he’s introduced as the Doctor in this year’s Christmas special:

They were Shakespeare-loving intellectuals who devoured books but were also passionate and ‘edgy’, constantly angry about something or other, spitting and shouting at each other in that actory voice.

What was that voice? ‘Neutral,’ I was told. Neutral? But it sounds like you’d have to swallow mugs-full of Lord Byron’s saliva and inject Churchill’s cigar-butt juice into your vocal chords to come even close to ballooning your own voice into that impossible sound.

Neutral? No. It was Standard English. Even most English people didn’t speak it. What chance did I have, with my Glasgow accent and ice cream name?

I’d tell my younger self: worrying that you are crap is a waste of time. Worrying that you can’t do it is a waste of time. Worrying that you failed is a waste of time. No one cares. Just get on with it.

You can read Peter Capaldi’s full Letter to my Younger Myself on the Big Issue website.

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The Doctor Who DVD Conundrum

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.

Since 1996 BBC Worldwide (in its various guises) has released every complete Doctor Who story (and a few that are not) on DVD. Some might expect that to be the end of it – except that the releases haven’t stopped.

Since 2010 several “special editions” have been released – first as part of the Revisitations box sets and latterly (in the case of, say, 1970′s Inferno and 1973′s The Green Death) as single releases. Now, these are excellent releases, full of excellent new special features alongside those found in the originals, new commentaries and often freshly upgraded video and audio.

In fact, it’s wonderful that BBC Worldwide and the Restoration Team are able to have the time and resources to dedicate to these special editions, and long may this situation continue. The problem for older fans, however, is what to do with the original DVDs…

It isn’t easy parting with much-loved Doctor Who; I still have several VHS tapes on my shelf, such as The Tom Baker Years and More Than 30 Years In The TARDIS (although only one of these has been released on DVD…). But if you need to make space for the new special editions, there are several things you can do.

First and foremost, consider donating your old DVDs to a local charity shop, one that could do with the money and relies on the goodwill of donations and volunteers. In my view you should steer clear of the “corporatised” charities and stick with local causes that you preferably already know about.
If this isn’t possible for some remarkable reason, why not donate your DVDs to a school or library? Local colleges running media production courses may also welcome the gesture.
Are there any young Doctor Who fans in your area? Such a concept was barmy back when I bought the TV Movie on DVD, but these days fans are everywhere, so you might be able to score some credibility giving some classic Who to younger neighbours or relatives.
Finally – and it pains me to suggest this - you might also sell your old DVDs online. This would be a particularly useful option if you’re short of cash and want to collect the special editions. You might, for example, sell an old copy of The Visitation to help towards the new release.

Doctor Who DVDs are so popular these days, and it’s an odd state to be in, especially for the older fans who spent years willing the show to come back and snapping up the limited number of cassettes and DVDs in WHSmith or HMV before their local rivals got in first.

Shelf space aside, this isn’t a bad problem to have really, is it?

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