Christian Cawley's Blog, page 372

David Tennant: 50th Gives “fresh challenges”

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.

That David Tennant’s a cunning one isn’t he? Whilst filming his latest piece, a comedy of errors called What We Did On Our Holiday, he sat down with SFX for a short while to answer some questions. As professional as the conversation was, it couldn’t help but turn to Doctor Who but Tennant gave nothing away in terms of plot. He did, however, talk about the differences between filming his scenes during his reign as the Doctor and Matt Smith’s era.

The actor talked about being back in the role:

Well it is all done – I’ve filmed everything. Now I just have to wait for everyone to see it. But, yes, it is lovely to have returned to something that meant so much to me and that was such a happy time.

Tennant also discussed coming back to the role that had meant so much to him and also having other actors playing the same part at the same time:

When there is more than one of you, as is the case this time, it becomes a slightly different character. The Doctor tends to lead every scene he is in and when you are sharing that out it becomes slightly different. You have a new relationship with that aspect of the character and that gives you fresh challenges to work on. But it was really good fun.

There was also talk of his initial casting for the 50th anniversary special:

I can’t say I was surprised. There is a precedent to this, isn’t there?…I was more surprised about how long it took to come through. It actually took quite a long time. There had been a sketchy little conversation about it – and there was a long gap before I got the call. For a long time I was starting to think it was never going to happen.

And finally, Tennant answered the question of whether he thought the next Doctor should be a female incarnation:

You are not going to get a quote from me on that. It will come back and bite me on the arse whatever I say!

You can read the full interview on the SFX website by visiting the SFX website.

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Who YOU Chose To Replace Steven Moffat [POLL RESULT]

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.

Last month we asked you who you wanted to replace Steven Moffat as Doctor Who showrunner should rumours of his departure in the near future come to pass.

The result was interesting, with a clear split between two hugely popular names in Doctor Who…

In answer to the question “Who should replace Steven Moffat as Doctor Who showrunner?” readers of Kasterborous answered:

Russell T Davies  34.32%  (543 votes)
Mark Gatiss  33.38%  (528 votes)
Toby Whithouse  14.03%  (222 votes)
Other:  10.87%  (172 votes)
Philip Hinchcliffe  6.38%  (101 votes)
Matthew Graham  1.01%  (16 votes)

While there is little to choose between the man who brought Doctor Who back, Russell T Davies and Mark Gatiss, it might also be classed as a damning indictment of the Steven Moffat era that so many would be happy for the show to take a retrograde step – perhaps to erase the memory of some unnecessarily convoluted plots?

On the other hand, Mark Gatiss’ stories haven’t been as widely loved as Moffat’s or Davies’, yet he remains popular among fans. On the other hand, The Unquiet Dead and The Crimson Horror are both excellent episodes.

Toby Whithouse, meanwhile, was previously Being Human‘s creator and main writer, and his Doctor Who stories such as School Reunion and The God Complex have proved enduring.

The “Other” option saw Neil Gaiman as the most popular option, with the writer of The Doctor’s Wife and Nightmare in Silver sitting alongside Nick Briggs and Dirk Gently‘s Howard Overman.

Our cheeky suggestion of Philip Hinchcliffe drew plenty of votes too. Remember that Hinchcliffe – unlike his predecessor Barry Letts – was not a writer. Yet his era of Doctor Who is one of the most loved and fondly remembered for episodes as wonderful as The Pyramid of Mars and The Robots of Death.

Finally, Matthew Graham’s name has been linked with the Doctor Who job for several years, and the writer – who co-created Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes – has had mixed success with the poorly executed Fear Her (not a bad script but an awful production) and the more interesting The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People.

So, Kasterborites, you have spoken – but what are the chances of Russell T Davies returning, really…?

I think commenter Lara put it best:

I’d love for RTD to come back, but he won’t and has said repeatedly that he won’t. Hell Moffat can’t even get him to write a single episode for him. He’s invited him back to write every season since he took over and he’s refused. I think we just have to accept the man knows how to leave while on top.

Our considered opinion is that Steven Moffat’s successor is someone already known to us, but not, perhaps, a big name…

The post Who YOU Chose To Replace Steven Moffat [POLL RESULT] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor In BBC America 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.

Coming this Sunday: the name of the Twelfth Doctor! Following confirmation that the advertised BBC recording this Sunday, August 4th is in fact to unveil the next Doctor Who star, we have the full details for you below…

Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor is a special one-off live television event on BBC One this Sunday 4th August at 7pm, the next Doctor will be exclusively revealed to the nation.

Almost universally considered to be one of the most hotly contested roles in British television (other than James Bond, there’s nothing like it!), host Zoe Ball will unveil the Twelfth Doctor in the first ever interview in front of a live studio audience set against the backdrop of a swirling vortex, amongst Daleks and the TARDIS.

With a thirty minute run time, the show will include live special guests, past Doctors, companions and celebrity fans.

Crucially, current Doctor Matt Smith and lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat will both give interviews about one of the biggest roles in TV. Says Steven Moffat:

“The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who’s taking over the TARDIS. For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve.”

Meamwhile, Charlotte Moore is Controller of BBC:

“BBC One is the home of big live events and this special live show is the perfect way to reveal the identity of the next Doctor and share it with the nation. The Doctor is a truly iconic role and I’m more than excited about the booking.”

Finally, BBC Drama Commissioning Controller Ben Stephenson says:

“We can’t wait to unveil the next Doctor with everyone live on BBC1 on Sunday night. Amongst all the speculation and betting, there has been lots of fun and intrigue at work as we’ve been using the codename Houdini as a decoy! It’s the biggest secret in showbiz, even those working with the new Doctor on other projects at the moment have no idea they are in the presence of the 12th incarnation.”

Crucially, Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor will be simulcast live on BBC America! More details about guests will be unveiled over he next couple of days.

So there you have it, dear reader – the Twelfth Doctor’s identity will soon be known…

The post Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor In BBC America Simulcast! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

CONFIRMED: The Twelfth Doctor Will Be Announced on Sunday!

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.

Who is it? We don’t know, but we’ve got a strong list of hopefuls. All we know is that it isn’t Zoe “Wife of Fatboy Slim” Ball, who will instead be hosting a show called Doctor Who Live in a 30 minute show on Sunday evening (August 4th) from 7pm.

That’s right – the very show the BBC has been advertising as a pre-recorded celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary is going to be the venue within which the Twelfth Doctor will be unveiled.

In front of thousands of adoring fans, the choice of Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith’s replacement will need to be a strong one – any unusual or left-field choices could be met with a mixed reception…

We’ll have more on this story in the morning…

The post CONFIRMED: The Twelfth Doctor Will Be Announced on Sunday! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

PodKasting the Eighth 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.

A little later than planned, it’s the latest Kasterborous podKast (with a “K”) in which we discuss the Eighth Doctor’s post-TV Movie life on audio, in books and in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip (one of the strips creative high points).

While we also address the question of whether McGann is involved in some way in the 50th anniversary (although he says not), we’re chatting really about the creativity of the books and audios during this era, where strong stories were created and somehow injected the supposedly dead TV show with enough off-screen life to successfully return in 2005.

Useful links for this week’s podKast:

Kasterborous Series 3 Episode 25 Shownotes

Neverland
Interference by Lawrence Miles
Persuasion
The Room with No Doors by Kate Orman


Seasons of Fear
Planet of the Spiders
The Ark
Terror of the Zygons

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:

You haven’t clicked play yet?! What are you waiting for? As well as our new Stitcher and Audioboo presence you can also use one of these amazingly convenient ways to download and enjoy this week’s podKast.

Use the player in the top right of the Kasterborous home page, or visit the podKast menu link.
Listen with the “pop out” player above, which also allows you to download the podKast to your computer.
You can also take advantage of the RSS feed to subscribe to the podKast for your media player, and even find us on iTunes!

Incidentally, if you are listening on iTunes, please take the time to leave a rating and review and help us to bring in new listeners to the podKast!

The post PodKasting the Eighth Doctor appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

McGann Dismisses 50th Anniversary Rumours

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.

One of the enduring rumours surrounding Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary is the inclusion of a classic incarnation – with the smart money on Paul McGann.

However despite recent cryptic tweets and Bleeding Cool stating that he is involved (perhaps within the main episode or as part of an online minisode), the under-rated actor has been quite decisive on Twitter this week when questioned:

@shakesby_vivien Yes, I keep hearing similar. Truth is I didn't so much as visit their set as I was away working. Nor was I invited to.

— Paul McGann (@pauljmcgann) July 27, 2013

So is that the end? Well, there’s no mention of voice work. Just saying – after all, Paul McGann does an awful lot of it…

The post McGann Dismisses 50th Anniversary Rumours appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

More Indications of a Twelfth Doctor Reveal Sunday!

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.

Earlier today, it transpired that the BBC is possibly planning on moving/dropping the scheduled episode of Celebrity Mastermind on Sunday evening, an action that might well be in order to broadcast a special Doctor Who related show in its place.

Earlier this week we reported on a rumour doing the rounds concerning a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential to be broadcast on Sunday evening, within which the identity of the Twelfth Doctor would be revealed. This move would echo the way in which Matt Smith was unveiled as David Tennant’s successor in January 2009.

, the news that Celebrity Mastermind might be moved on Sunday to make way for a special show was quickly backtracked when it was revealed that the news was embargoed until midnight. MSN Entertainment soon tweeted:

#DoctorWho fans. There will be an announcement at midnight. That's all I'm saying…

— MSN UK Entertainment (@msnents) August 1, 2013

Rather than the planet being turned inside out with news of the Twelfth Doctor’s earthly nom de plume, however, the consensus is that midnight’s announcement will only confirm the broadcast of a special Doctor Who show – the one we informed our readers about earlier this week.

The likelihood is – given the secrecy we’re witnessing – that the show (hosted by Zoe Ball and advertised as a 50th anniversary celebration) will be the platform for which a male or female actor (probably the former, from what we’re hearing) to be unveiled as the next face in the TARDIS.

The post More Indications of a Twelfth Doctor Reveal Sunday! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Whotopia’s 2013 Summer Special Issue Now Available

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.

The sun is out, the birds are singing, the rain is falling and Whotopia have released the 2013 Summer Special!

Whotopia, the Canadian fan magazine, celebrates Doctor Who‘s 50th Anniversary with this special issue dedicated to the results of their 50th Anniversary Series Survey, where you the fans voiced your opinions on all things Time Lord.

Who are the fans top ten favourite monsters and villains? Is the Eleventh Doctor really that popular? What are the top 25 stories of all time as voted by the fans?

Also in the issue:

THE INDOMITABLE FOURTH DOCTOR: Thoughts on the fourth Doctor by Paul Ferry

THE TOP TEN MONSTERS & VILLAINS: More survey analysis, this time with Jon Wesley Huff

A MIND OF EVIL: Gary Phillips last article focusing on the iconic Roger Delgado

THE TOP TEN COMPANIONS: Ian Wheeler looks at the most popular companions according to survey results

ASSESSING THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES: Callum McPherson explores the legacy of the Sarah Jane Adventures

Issues are free to download in PDF format from the Whotopia website, www.whotopia.ca!

The post Whotopia’s 2013 Summer Special Issue Now Available appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Help Big Finish Expand into Films!

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.

Since 1998, Big Finish productions has produced over 1000 hours of audio plays including, but not limited to, lots of lovely Doctor Who stories.

Always aiming higher, the company is now also looking to extend their functional appendages to the world of film and this is where you can help!

Their aim is simple: Big Finish need to raise £15,000 in order to cover development costs so that they can produce a feature film of their award winning short feature, Cleaning Up…

Cleaning Up stared Mark Gatiss, Louise Jameson and Nicholas Briggs, all of which are massive names in the world of Doctor Who but for this story, about a perfect hitman, the sci-fi has been replaced with gritty realism and a chance for some well-known Doctor Who stars to flex some of their other acting muscles.

All you have to do to help out is purchase either the ‘Rookie’ version of the film (the standalone short in HD) for £1.99 or the ‘Hitman’ version of the film which includes not only the HD feature but also first cut with commentary, a behind the scenes film, a trailer, an image gallery, PDF scripts, posters and even a wallpaper for only £4.99. For such a small amount of dosh, you’d be foolish not to get involved!

Your money will then go towards helping Big Finish to reach the target goal they need to raise which will help to cover the costs of writer’s fees, producer’s fees, legal costs, budget, casting, a package to present to investors for production financing and much more.

Big Finish has always been an inventive and original company that pushes the envelope with their audio plays, let’s all try and help out with their first big steps into the world of film as well.

For more information, head over to Big Finish now. Now, I said! Now!

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Smoke and Mirrors

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.

Steve Lyons, an old hand at writing cracking Doctor Who stories, offers something rather special in the Destiny of the Doctor series with the Fifth Doctor adventure Smoke and Mirrors.

Answering a distress call in England in the 1920’s, we finally get to hear the Doctor and his old friend Houdini meet. Not that this is their first meeting mind you, far from it, but after all the years of name dropping by the Doctor in various incarnations it’s satisfying to have these 2 mighty characters interact together. The Doctor and Houdini have clearly learnt a lot from each other judging on their relationship in this story; they’re comfortable around each other and have a healthy admiration from both sides. But where this story differs from your usual ‘Doctor meets historical figure’ script, is that Houdini isn’t quite the man that the Doctor remembers, or to be more accurate, chooses to remember. The Harry Houdini that the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Nyssa and Adric meet is a more selfish and arrogant man then the listener would initially have thought him to be. It’s not all Houdini’s fault; he’s being teased and prompted by a mysterious and very familiar enemy who has done what he does best and corrupted the poor escapologist.

As the spoiler alert before this review might have given you a big clue already let’s cut straight to the chase, the enemy in question is the Master. But this isn’t the irrelevant buffoon that we remember from some of the Fifth Doctor stories such as Time-Flight or The King’s Demons; this is Steve Lyon’s version of the Master: vicious, nasty, insidious and very, very clever. It’s fitting that the writer should made the renegade Time Lord’s base of operations a fairground; the Master’s taste in the extreme, the gimmicky, the bright and bold and the over-the-top reflect well in this setting, offering a chance for the rather zany Ainley incarnation of the Master to be taken all the more seriously in Smoke and Mirrors.

Smoke and Mirrors takes elements from all of the stories that make up Peter Davison’s first season as the Fifth Doctor. The seriousness of Kinda, the whacky elements from Castrovalva and Time-Flight, the drama of Earthshock and Four To Doomsday and the fun of Black Orchid and The Visitation. A romp around the fairground for Nyssa, Tegan and Adric, this is a tale of passion for the Doctor as he’s betrayed by an old friend; it’s a tale of loss for Houdini and a self-reflective and sombre affair as the deaths of Tegan’s Aunt Vanessa and Nyssa’s father Tremas are also addressed.

On paper, it seems like there’s a lot to take in with Smoke and Mirrors but the piece flows wonderfully thanks to well paced storytelling and top narration by Janet Fielding and co-star Tim Beckmann as Houdini. This story is nostalgia, it’s longing for the days of the past, it’s redemption and it’s moving forward all at the same time.

What a splendid way to celebrate the era of the Fifth Doctor!

Smoke and Mirrors is available from www.bigfinish.com on CD for £10.20 or via download for only £3.99.

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