Christian Cawley's Blog, page 395

Richard Marson Q&A on John Nathan-Turner

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.

Are you free on Saturday 15th June at 3.00pm and live within travelling distance of Manchester’s Fab Cafe? If so, you may want to get yourself down there to attend a free Q&A session with Richard Marson, the author of JN-T: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner.

Marson, a former Doctor Who Magazine writer and editor of Blue Peter, will answer your questions about Nathan Turner’s life, the book and his time working for the BBC.

After that, there’ll be a signing of the book by the author himself and copies will be available for you to purchase on the day if necessary as well as other books released by MIWK.

JNT: The Life and Scandalous Times of John Nathan Turner does exactly what it says on the cover and reveals quite a wealth of unknown material about Doctor Who’s longest serving producer from the 1980’s, a chance to ask the author of the book a few more questions should not be ignored!

With free admission and an afternoon talking about Doctor Who, this is quite the opportunity it also helps that the book’s meant to be quite a good read as well!

You can find out more by visiting the Fab Cafe’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/530179330357823/?fref=tck .

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Dominic Cooper Not Interested in Doctor Who

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.

With rumours rife that he’s under consideration, Captain America star Dominic Cooper has told the Evening Standard that he isn’t ‘obsessed with Doctor Who’.

While his fans are on tender hooks, the Summer in February actor himself is somewhat against the demands of the role:

“What does Doctor Who DO, actually? Travels through time and kills insects. Are we obsessed with Doctor Who in this country? In America it’s huge, too. But no, I’m definitely not obsessed with Doctor Who. If they offered it to me, I wouldn’t know what to say. The idea of playing something for so long isn’t my …it isn’t why I do what I do.”

(“Insects”? What has he been watching, The Web Planet? – Ed)

At the recent gala premiere for Summer in February, Dominic played down the rumours that he’ll be taken over from Matt Smith commenting that he hasn’t been contacted by anyone associated with the show.

The actor told the Daily Express:

“I’ve heard absolutely nothing of this. It’s nice to be thought about though; wherever it came from…It’s a very nice acknowledgement.”

He did go on to acknowledge whoever takes on the role has a ‘very hard job’ following on from Matt describing the departing Doctor performance as ‘intriguing, interesting and brave.’

So would you like to see Dominic Cooper in the role of the Doctor? What do you make of his comments?

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Christopher Eccleston’s Leftovers

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.

Christopher Eccleston has joined the cast of HBO pilot The Leftovers.

The new drama based on Tom Perrotta’s intriguing novel of the same name will see the former Doctor play Matt Jamison, a reverend-turned-editor self-publishing his own tabloid in a community that has undergone the Rapture – the ascension to heaven – but not quite as expected. While those deemed worthy have disappeared, the residents of Mapleton who have been left behind are struggling to deal with the remnants of their lives.

Joining the Ninth Doctor will be Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive) who has signed on to appear as the novel’s protagonist Kevin Garvey – a police chief and father of two who is struggling to maintain a semblance of normality in a world that is losing its grip on what “normal” is.

Ann Dowd (Compliance) has signed on to portray Patti Levin – the leader of homegrown cult Guilty Remnant – and Amanda Warren (Seven Psychopaths) will take on the part of Lucy Warburton, the town’s “take-no-prisoners” mayor.

The Leftovers will be co-written and executive produced by Perrotta and Damon Lindelof (Star Trek Into Darkness, Prometheus), with the pilot directed by Peter Berg (Battleship, Friday Night Lights).

(Via Radio Times.)

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Bob Baker Autobiography: K9 Stole My Trousers

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.

Fantom Publishing is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Doctor Who writer and K9 co-creator Bob Baker’s autobiography K9 Stole my Trousers.

The book which is due to be published 10th June pays tribute to some of the finest talents in TV that have worked alongside Bob during his rich and varied life; from his work with Nick Park on Aardman Animations’ Oscar and BAFTA-winning shorts, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and A Matter of Loaf and Death, and the feature film The Curse of the Wererabbit to the recent regeneration of K9 in the 26 part series K9 & Friends.

A stalwart of HTV, Bob has worked with Sir Laurence Olivier, Leonard Rossiter, Ron Moody, Toyah Wilcox and Trevor Eve.

Among his many TV credits, Bob wrote several episodes of Bergerac starring John Nettles and the smash hit children’s show, Into the Labyrinth; Bob also script edited the popular crime series Shoestring. As part of a writing partnership with Dave Martin, meanwhile, Baker wrote The Claws of Axos (1971), The Mutants (1972), The Three Doctors (1973), The Sontaran Experiment (1975), The Hand of Fear (1976), The Invisible Enemy (1977), Underworld (1978), The Armageddon Factor (1979), as well as his solo Doctor Who script Nightmare on Eden (also 1979) – so expect plenty of Time Lord recollections!

The hardback edition of K9 Stole my Trousers can be purchased now on Amazon, priced £19.99

The post Bob Baker Autobiography: K9 Stole My Trousers appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Fans Want British Male as Twelfth Doctor Who

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 people have spoken!

In a recent YouGov poll the great unwashed were quizzed about whether or not they were interested in Doctor Who and of those that were half wanted the Twelfth Doctor to be ‘male’, ‘British’ and a ‘character actor’.

Of the traits listed by the Poll under the question: Which do you think it’s important that the next Doctor Who should be? Both the majority of Men and Women surveyed want the next Doctor to be male at 55% and 49% respectively.

‘British’ scored highly too with 58% of men and 49% of woman agreeing that the Doctor should be from these fair isles while 31% of men and 25% of women wanted that person to be a ‘character actor’.

Other appealing characteristics that scored highly were ‘attractive’ with 21% of women and 9% of men wanting a sexy Doctor, ‘Under 40’ with 20% of women and 18% of men wanting an actor who’s life hasn’t begun yet and ‘English’ with 25% of men and 19% of woman wanting a home grown Doctor.

The survey, conducted on Monday and Tuesday quizzed 1974 British adults on whether or not they were interested in the series. The 31% who expressed an interest were then asked various questions about their favourite Doctors, their political opinions and what sort of actor they would like to see cast as the Twelfth Doctor.

Unsurprisingly David Tennant was the favourite by a considerable margin – 43% of those who expressed an interest in the series choose him as their favourite with Tom Baker in second place with 16%.

Tennant was also the most popular choice with supporters of the four political parties noted in the survey – Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party.

Tennant for PM!

The full break down of how the general public like their Doctors is available via YouGov.

 

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The John Hurt PodKast

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.

James, Christian and Brian are back with another podKast, this week discussing just who John Hurt is, and what his “Doctor” might mean to the series.

Yes, it’s more of the 50th anniversary speculation that has consumed fandom over the past few weeks (Matt Smith’s departure aside) and the podKast team certainly have a lot to say on the matter.

As you may know, there are several theories as to who or what John Hurt is playing in the anniversary special. Is he the Time War Doctor? Does he precede the William Hartnell incarnation?

Or is he the Valeyard?

Useful links for this week’s podKast:

Kasterborous Series 3 Episode 20 Shownotes

Which Doctor is John Hurt?
Introducing: John Hurt
Harvest of Time

You haven’t clicked play yet?! What are you waiting for? Use one of these three ways to download and enjoy this week’s podKast now!

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! We are now offering a jar of fresh xenomorph slime to you, dear listener, if you can help us to raise our profile!

Yes, dear listener – you. What other podcast would give you that?

The post The John Hurt PodKast appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Denver Comic Con Delighted by Sixy and Grace

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.

It seems that the Sixth Doctor is making rather a habit of turning up in places with an old friend of the Eighth Doctors.

A few years ago in the Big Finish Doctor Who world, former friend of the Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, ended up in old Sixy’s TARDIS for a while and now recently, in the real world, actor Colin Baker has appeared in a panel with Daphne Ashbrook who played Grace Holloway in the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie.

The 2 actors were guests at the recent Denver Comic Con and delighted audiences with their memories from their respective times on Doctor Who.

Of course it was Colin Baker who led events, having been the Doctor for 3 years during the 1980’s when the show was enduring possibly its toughest time on television, facing off against lower ratings, more violent stories and a Doctor that started out a bit too gruff for audiences. But Baker’s not a bitter man and delighted panel guests with his memories of getting the keys to the TARDIS, playing a separate character on Doctor Who and of course his triumphant return to the role of the Sixth Doctor from 1999 onwards through Big Finish productions.

Daphne Ashbrook also captivated the audience by singing a few songs, which we’re told were sand incredibly well, as well as her knowledge of Doctor Who and briefly discussing if her character that she played in the show alongside Paul McGann will ever return.

The full report from the panel discussion can be enjoyed at sciencefiction.com.

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Hedgewick’s World T-shirts at Forbidden Planet

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.

Hedgewick’s World, we barely got to see it. There was so much going on in Neil Gaiman’s recent Doctor Who episode, Nightmare in Silver, that the biggest amusement park in the galaxy was slightly sidelined but never mind, we got some cracking new Cybermen for our trouble!

But if you feel that you want to immerse yourself in the world of Mr Hedgewick a bit more, then perhaps you might want to consider a journey to another fantastical place, Forbidden Planet, where you’ll be able to stock up on various Hedgewick related items to fill your collectors shelf.

There’s t-shirts, framed prints, badges, mugs and even travel pass holders all bearing the famous Hedgewick name and all ready for you to buy and take home.

You may find that some of the prices that Forbidden Planet offer will be better online than instore, so we suggest visiting their website first where you can scope out all of the products that you want to get.

But, if you want to visit the store there’s a small but cool added incentive, you can pick up a free map (while stocks last) of Hedgewick’s World in order for you to feel a bit like you’ve actually been there!

For pricing and availability, visit Forbidden Planet!

The post Hedgewick’s World T-shirts at Forbidden Planet appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

BBC Confirms Continuing Search for New Doctor Who

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.

So, the BBC has denied that the part of the Twelfth Doctor has been offered to actor Rory Kinnear and now confirm that the hunt is still on to find the actor to replace Matt Smith.

Rumours are still persisting and certain names keep cropping up including actor Ben Daniels (Law and Order: UK, have a look at this YouTube clip where you can see his range and skip to 1:04 to see a very Doctor-style argument), Ben Whishaw (Skyfall), Russell Tovey (Doctor Who: The Voyage of the Damned) and Paterson Joseph (Peep Show, Jekyll).

Luther’s Idris Elba has been rumoured and would be fantastic in the role but it seems that he’s not so keen:

No I didn’t think I’d be very good at Doctor Who man. I don’t look good in a bow tie.

As ever, these rumours add up to exactly nothing until the BBC and Steven Moffat announce who they’ve cast.

If they were to go down the route of having a female Doctor, actress Helen Mirren could certainly help with the casting:

I think it’s absolutely time for a female Doctor Who. I’m so sick of that man with his girl sidekick. I could name at least 10 wonderful British actresses who would absolutely kill in that role.

Is Mirren right? Should we have some of Britain’s female acting talent holding the keys to the TARDIS?

What would River do?

 

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Marcus Hearn Discusses Peter Cushing and Dalek Movies!

James Whittington 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.

Marcus Hearn is a well known film historian who recently produced the snazzy features on the restorations on the Doctor Who Peter Cushing movies. Here he chats about the movies and how he’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the show.

Can you recall the first time you saw these Dalek movies?

I first saw them on television when I was a kid in the 1970s. They were very important for young Doctor Who fans in the era before home video – for a long time they were the only chance you got to see any Doctor Who from the 1960s. The BBC certainly didn’t repeat any episodes from that time, and as we now know many of them had been wiped anyway.

What did you think of them?

I’m very nostalgic about them. I can see they’re nothing like as sophisticated as modern Doctor Who, and on a script level they’re not even as sophisticated as mid-60s Doctor Who. But they’re brazen, garish pop culture artefacts, and entirely legitimate adaptations of Terry Nation’s first two Dalek stories. Seeing them restored in high definition for the new Blu-rays is a revelation.

How do you feel Cushing stands up with all the TV Doctors?

One thing Cushing never gets the credit for is convincing the public that Doctor Who could be played by anyone other than Hartnell – he was the first person to do that.

It’s an unusual performance from Cushing. It’s nothing like his work for Hammer, but it bears comparison with his doddery characters in Tales from the Crypt and especially At the Earth’s Core. It was clearly a reaction against William Hartnell’s contemporary television portrayal, which Cushing thought was a bit too brusque. One thing Cushing never gets the credit for is convincing the public that Doctor Who could be played by anyone other than Hartnell – he was the first person to do that.

Do you think the stories work better on the big screen rather than their small screen originals?

They’re coming from very different places, really. Along with Cushing, I think Milton Subotsky, who wrote and produced the films, saw Doctor Who as entertainment for children. I think Terry Nation, who wrote the original Dalek stories, saw Doctor Who as a horror show. Subotsky’s version of Doctor Who works very well in these films, but it’s not an approach or an interpretation that’s familiar from any version of the series.

Do you think the third film could still be made, say, in an animated edition similar to the missing TV episodes have been?

I’m not sure that would be a good idea – mere months after the second film came out we had a new Doctor, Patrick Troughton, and the craze for Daleks was over. Subotsky’s moment had passed. I’m sure there will be another Doctor Who film at some point, but it will be more closely tied to the TV series.

You’ll know of the unmade radio serial that was that was proposed in the 1960s that was to star Peter Cushing. Can you enlighten us more on this?

It was Peter Cushing’s third and final performance as the Doctor. He recorded a pilot episode in summer 1966, but unfortunately it was never broadcast – I think the BBC were a bit wary of taking a version of Doctor Who from an independent producer. Sadly no recording is known to survive.

Will you be celebrating the show’s 50th anniversary?

I raised a glass to Peter Cushing on his recent centenary and I’ll probably do the same for William Hartnell and his colleagues on 23rd November. I think Doctor Who is more popular now than any of them could have imagined.

So what projects are you working on at the moment?

My book about the history of saucy seaside postcards is being published by Constable & Robinson in July. I’m currently writing the 50th anniversary Doctor Who book for BBC Books, and editing three 50th anniversary ‘bookazines’ for publisher Panini. The first volume – which coincidentally is all about Daleks – has just gone on sale. In between I’m continuing my work making documentaries for Hammer’s Blu-ray restoration programme. It’s been a busy year so far, but lots of fun.

Marcus Hearn, thank you very much.

You can order both the DVD and Blu-Ray release of Doctor Who and the Daleks from Amazon now for £10.25and £12.50 .

Meanwhile Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. is available on DVD from Amazon for just £10.25, and on HD Blu-ray at £12.50!

Incidentally there is a marvellous article (by which we mean “one of the best features in ages”) by Marcus about the Peter Cushing Dr Who movies in this month’s Doctor Who Magazine.

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