Christian Cawley's Blog, page 373

BBC Adds 2011 Christmas Special to Series 7 Boxset!

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 has announced the release of all thirteen blockbuster episodes from Doctor Who Series 7 and the 2011 and 2012 Christmas Specials on Blu-ray and DVD on October 28, 2013. In addition, the set contains exciting bonus features including behind-the-scenes featurettes, “Doctor Who at Comic Con”, specials “The Companions” and “Doctor Who in the US,” and more.

These latest adventures test the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and prove that even a madman with a box needs help sometimes.

But hold on a moment: hadn’t they already decided not to include The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe in the UK release? Well, yes… Says BBC Worldwide:

Originally the decision was taken not to include this release on the box set as it had previously been released as a standalone product. However after listening to feedback from our fans we have decided to include the episode and its prequel on the set. The price of the set will not change as a result of the change of contents.

 

So, it’s time to move on – we got our way, fellow fans! Now the UK release and the US release feature the same episodes – makes sense, don’t you think?

With an incredible list of guest stars that includes John Hurt (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Warwick Davis (Willow, the Harry Potter films) Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), David Warner (Titanic, TRON), Dougray Scott (Hemlock Grove, Ever After: A Cinderella Story), Ben Browder (Farscape), David Bradley (Game of Thrones) Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife, The Woman in Black), the mother-daughter duo of Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones) and Rachael Stirling (Women in Love, Snow White and the Huntsman), and the voice of Sir Ian McKellan (The Lord of The Rings films), these episodes are written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, with Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss, Neil Cross, Chris Chibnall, Toby Whithouse and Stephen Thompson.

It’s time to say goodbye to Amy and Rory in The Angels Take Manhattan

Planning to buy this DVD or Blu-ray collection? Additional content includes:

Behind the scenes featurettes for every episode (except The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)
Additional featurettes include: “The Making of the Gunslinger” , “Creating Clara”, “Rain Gods”, “Clara and the TARDIS”, “Inforarium” and “Clara’s white Christmas”
Other Featurettes including: “Olympics: Good as Gold” (UK ONLY), “Last Days of the Ponds,” “Pond Life,” “The Science of Doctor Who,” “The Companions,” and “Doctor Who at Comic Con”
Prequels to episodes: The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, Asylum of the Daleks, The Snowmen (the great detective, Vastra investigates, Demons Run: Two Days Later), The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor (“she said, he said”, “Clarence and the whispermen”)
Audio commentaries for episodes: The Snowmen, Cold War, Hide, and The Crimson Horror

Covering two years’ worth of Doctor Who episodes, the Series 7 boxset is currently not listed on Amazon UK. North American readers can order their copy for just $69.99.

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The Amazing Maize Maze is Conquered!

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.

They came in their droves, dressed in their finest Doctor Who costumes – but only one could conquer the 50th anniversary themed York Maze. That lucky traveller was Silurian Lizard, Madame Vastra, aka Gillian Hewitson, who won £100 – and more importantly a chance to pilot the controls of a Dalek!

For the 50th anniversary the amazing maize maze was scythed into the familiar visages of the First and Eleventh Doctor’s – as well as one giant, fearsome Dalek.

Fans were asked to dress in costume and follow the voice of the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker who guided them around the maze as they searched for the way maker points to find the TARDIS and complete the Doctor Who quiz trail.

In fact, our own Editorbot 5000 Christian Cawley was on hand on the launch day to grab a few words with the Sixth Doctor himself for the PodKast with a K. (In fact, while you’re here, has anyone seen Christian since? Is he still in there? Children, if you see a dishevelled man using the Fourth Doctor’s scarf for unspeakable things, crying out for ‘credit for his dongle’ please call the authorities.)

The York Maze is open daily to the public until the 2nd September when the maize will be harvested to feed the cows; proving that once and for all the greatest threat to the Daleks is not the Doctor but simply time and livestock.

 

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Peter Davison to Guest in Paradise

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.

Sun, sea, sand and the Doctor; Peter Davison will be washing up on the cosy shores of Saint-Marie when he joins the cast of BBC 1’s Caribbean crime drama Death in Paradise – alongside one-time Doctor Who guest star Michelle Ryan.

The pair will star together in the second episode of the upcoming third series, with Davison playing a screenwriter called Arnold alongside Ryan staring as an actress with a shady past.

Says Ryan:

The action element is always appealing for me and getting to film on the gorgeous island of Guadeloupe was incredible. We had so much fun!

As with filming in such an exotic, sun-drenched part of the world, Death in Paradise has often struggled to fill its guest star spots so has had to insist that the likes of Cold Feet actress Helen Baxendale, The Hour‘s Hannah Tointon, Smash‘s Raza Jaffrey, Lightfields‘ Sophie Thompson, Adrian Scarborough, Kathryn Drysdale, Sophie Colquhoun, Clarke Peters, Tristan Gemmill, Mark Bazeley, Tim Dutton and Haydn Gwynne make the most of a bad situation and just try to enjoy it.

Popping down her Bahama Mama Executive producer Belinda Campbell commented:

We’re thrilled to have another fantastic list of talented guest stars involved for the third series of Death in Paradise.

It’s all change for the third series, where fusty inspector Richard Poole, played by Ben Miller, will depart the island for good, to be replaced in the lead role by the former face of the BT ads, and star of sitcom My Family, Kris Marshall – who’ll be playing the “rather disorganised and gawky” DI Humphrey Goodman.

Co-starring Sara Martins, Gary Carr and Danny John-Jules, the third series of Death in Paradise is expected to air on BBC1 in early 2014.

(Via Radio Times.

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Peter Davison’s Death in Paradise

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.

Sun, sea, sand and the Doctor; Peter Davison will be washing up on the cosy shores of Saint-Marie when he joins the cast of BBC 1’s Caribbean crime drama Death in Paradise – alongside one-time Doctor Who guest star Michelle Ryan.

The pair will star together in the second episode of the upcoming third series, with Davison playing a screenwriter called Arnold alongside Ryan staring as an actress with a shady past.

Says Ryan:

The action element is always appealing for me and getting to film on the gorgeous island of Guadeloupe was incredible. We had so much fun!

As with filming in such an exotic, sun-drenched part of the world, Death in Paradise has often struggled to fill its guest star spots so has had to insist that the likes of Cold Feet actress Helen Baxendale, The Hour‘s Hannah Tointon, Smash‘s Raza Jaffrey, Lightfields‘ Sophie Thompson, Adrian Scarborough, Kathryn Drysdale, Sophie Colquhoun, Clarke Peters, Tristan Gemmill, Mark Bazeley, Tim Dutton and Haydn Gwynne make the most of a bad situation and just try to enjoy it.

Popping down her Bahama Mama Executive producer Belinda Campbell commented:

We’re thrilled to have another fantastic list of talented guest stars involved for the third series of Death in Paradise.

It’s all change for the third series, where fusty inspector Richard Poole, played by Ben Miller, will depart the island for good, to be replaced in the lead role by the former face of the BT ads, and star of sitcom My Family, Kris Marshall – who’ll be playing the “rather disorganised and gawky” DI Humphrey Goodman.

Co-starring Sara Martins, Gary Carr and Danny John-Jules, the third series of Death in Paradise is expected to air on BBC1 in early 2014.

(Via Radio Times.

The post Peter Davison’s Death in Paradise appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Jenna on 50th Anniversary and Matt Smith’s Departure

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.

Doctor Who star Jenna-Louise Coleman chatted with press at the recent San Diego Comic-Con regarding the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special as well as her thoughts on Matt Smith leaving the series. Although she didn’t drop any major spoilers (we’re sure that she’s sworn to utter secrecy) Jenna did throw out a few cryptic comments that will have fans wondering just what exactly the November 23rd special will bring…

You can watch the video by Access Hollywood below, or scroll down for our summary of the key quotes…

Coleman confirmed that filming was over and that the episode was now at the editing and rendering stage:

It’s in the can and all the 3-D and effects and everything like that is taking place as we speak.

This means that if there were any surprise scenes with any other Doctors then they would have been filmed months back, around about the time that Paul McGann and a few other Doctor Who names went mysteriously quiet…

Coleman also talked about the episode’s contents and how they would be a bit of a game changer to the Doctor Who Universe:

It’s quite a transformation episode and it very much changes the direction of where the show is going in quite a big way.

This links in to her comments about the John Hurt Doctor she makes during the interview:

He is the Doctor that no one knew about. He is the Doctor that’s never talked about, not mentioned and of course were [sic] going to explore why.

We have heard Steven Moffat use the words ‘game changer’ for some of his episodes before; will this revelation about the Doctor’s past be even bigger?

Coleman also confirmed that Matt Smith’s departure had been planned for a long time and wasn’t just something that came from left field:

As I say the new Doctor isn’t yet cast and my head is — we’re just having great fun together and enjoying the time we have left…It’s a strange thing because I always knew he was gonna be leaving so it will be kind of bittersweet. But I think possibly there’s quite a bit of denial going on.

It seems that of all the rumours going around right now, the only one that seems definite is that the Twelfth Doctor is yet to be cast. Still time to place your bets…

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Join Our News Team – Update!

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 couple of weeks ago we invited our readers to join our news team as part of a reorganization of roles here at Kasterborous Towers – and the response was superb!

Truly, the quality of the writers who responded was considerable, and as a result we’ve had a hard job whittling them down – but today the lucky few who have been accepted into our new and dynamic news team will find out…

We’d just like to thank everyone who forwarded their details. We’ll be dropping you a line soon to say sorry, but the competition was very tough. In fact, it was amazing.

And if you do miss out but think you deserve another shot, you can always pitch an interview or feature article, look out for news about joining the Cult Britannia team, or keep an eye on future opportunities to join the Kasterborous team!

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Twelfth Doctor Announcement Coming 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.

Rumours on Twitter today suggest that the BBC is gearing up to reveal the identity of the Twelfth Doctor this Sunday in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential!

Although listings magazines have Celebrity Mastermind scheduled at 7pm, this is a repeat and is therefore easily pulled. The slot is usually occupied by Countryfile, which is this week on at 8pm.

Details, of course, are sketchy, but there has long been a rumour of an August reveal. Sunday is August 4th, and with the Christmas episode set to enter production:

Okay Christmas. Here we go!

— Marcus Wilson (@themarcuswilson) July 29, 2013

…we reckon Sunday is as good a time as any for an announcement to be made before the name of the Twelfth Doctor appears in the press as he turns up to a read through.

Several names have been mooted to us, from Anthony Head and Peter Capaldi to Ben Miller and Daniel Rigby.

But which one will it be?

(With thanks to Ed and The Lass)

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Tenth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver Technical Blueprints

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.

Ever wanted to know the key features and facts about the intricacies behind the Tenth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver but were too afraid to ask?

You don’t need to worry anymore; the good people at Forbidden Planet are selling a framed print that has all the statistics you could ever want regarding Doctor Number Ten’s best tool.

The X-ray image delves deeply into the internal workings of the previous Sonic Screwdriver and breaks down exactly how it works, this is certainly something special in time for Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary!

The framed print measures 30” by 12” in size and would make a fantastic companion next to your other treasured Doctor Who valuables that you may have, think of it as the perfect way to tie your Doctor Who room together.

The RRP is £24.99 but the nice Forbidden Planet people are offering the print for £22.99 and therefore saving you some cash!

The Wand Company have been releasing a few different models of the Sonic Screwdriver recently and it’s nice to see the go the extra mile and also produce something new and unique in the anniversary year, this should definitely go at the top of your wish list!

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BBC looking for Fans as Part of 50th Celebration

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.

Whovians! The BBC are looking for fans to take part in a pilot for a show celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who set to film this August.

The as-yet-to-be-titled programme will act as a pilot for a series celebrating much loved long-running TV shows and is said to be an entertainment show that will include clips from throughout the show’s history along with, according to the BBC, “Doctor Who alumni” as guests. Details of exactly who will present or appear are yet to be confirmed.

So that’s an untitled show, with an unknown presenter featuring unconfirmed guests! Sounds, well… vague?

The show will be recorded on the 4th August at the BBC Elstree Studios and audience members have been asked to “dress to impress” as their favourite Doctor, companion or character from the series. You can don a fez, wear a long scarf, attach a zip to your forehead or dress as a giant ant and pretend to be a Zarbi. Alternatively, you could go as yourself and say you’re a Zygon in disguise.

Tickets, which are free, can be obtained from the BBC.

(via Radio Times.)

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New Cover Released for The Beginning

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.

What makes Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary so special? It’s a number of things really but it’s got to be said that one of the most exciting developments (which could be pure coincidence) is the closer merging of Big Finish’s classic Doctor Who audio range and the new era television series that we all know and love today.

The Destiny of the Doctor series produced by Big Finish and BBC AudioGo started the pattern off with a mix of classic Doctor stories all overarched by the Eleventh Doctor popping up like a whirlwind to bring together a far broader plot. Big Finish continued this trend of mixing old and new with the release of their cover for the 6th and final series of Gallifrey which, wonderfully, had a handful of Time War Daleks staring imposingly out for the cover flanks by Romana and Leela.

Now to continue the trend, Big Finish has updated the cover for their very exciting Companion Chronicle release, The Beginning.

Performed by Carole Ann Ford and Terry Molloy, The Beginning tells the tale of the First Doctor and his Granddaughter as they leave Gallifrey in the TARDIS for the first time and head out to the stars. But there’s someone else aboard the TARDIS; his name is Quadrigger Stoyn and he’s not very happy at all…

As many of you will now have seen in The Name of the Doctor, Clara popped up to make sure that the First Doctor picked the right TARDIS to go travelling in. At that time, the chameleon circuit was still working and the outer shell wasn’t a police box but more of a silver cylinder with a door. Big Finish has now amended the front cover for The Beginning so that it aligns with events from that story. It may only be a little thing but its continuity details like that that make Doctor Who such a richer world.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

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