Christian Cawley's Blog, page 66

Has the Thirteenth Doctor Been Cast?! (RUMOUR)

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.

Bizarre reports have reached us this morning citing “sources” which claim that the end for the Twelfth Doctor could be sooner rather than later.

Before we proceed, let us underline that there is no way to guarantee the truth of any of this, although we may well find out just what is going on in the forthcoming Christmas episode.

According to MoviePilot.com, the 2015 Christmas special will see the Twelfth Doctor meeting “a ghost of Christmas yet to come” in a rehash of the basic idea behind 2008’s The Next Doctor.

Sources have revealed that, following the departure of his companion Clara Oswald, The Doctor is set to encounter River Song in the far future whilst battling an alien menace. But that’s not all – the duo are also to briefly encounter the Doctor’s next incarnation along the way, in a controversial first for the show.

The actor, who is currently unnamed, is said to be just 20 years old, sporting a “blue suit”, with matching pea coat and sunglasses.

Apparently the source also reiterates the trio of hour-long specials in 2016, alleging that Cara Delevingne will be cast as an all-new post-Clara companion. This disturbing series of events will conclude with Peter Capaldi supposedly signing off from Doctor Who on New Year’s Day 2017.

We don’t like this. For a rumour there is a heck of a lot of information and detail. But let’s remember, it is only a rumour, and it isn’t completely out of the question that an old Doctor would be replaced with a very young Doctor. But then, we just did that with the Eleventh, didn’t we?

What do you think? Comment below.

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New Twelfth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver Remote Control Out Today

Katie Gribble 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.

Every child (and let’s be honest, most adult fans) have wielded a Sonic Screwdriver or two in their time, opening and closing doors, turning devices on and off, pretending to be Time Lords.

Now finally the day has come when we no longer have to settle for a toy replica and pretend. The Wand Company’s latest product promises to fulfil every childhood dream acting as a functioning Sonic Screwdriver, able to interact with your technological devices with simple gestures and a rather satisfying extendible end which when flicked unleashes the trademark bright green light and sonic whirring.

Headed by Richard Blakesley and Chris Barnardo, The Wand Company started designing and making universal remote control prop replicas in 2009 in the style of wands. It was in 2012 when they began making their Eleventh Doctor replica Sonic Screwdriver. After their massive success, in 2013, they also made the Tenth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver into a remote control (both of which can be found on The Wand Company website).

Now they’re back, launching the Twelfth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver able to manipulate technological devices like TVs, iPod speaker systems, DVD players… the list goes on.

The all-new Sonic Screwdriver remote control. (Photo by Katie Gribble)

When asked about the issuing of the new line, co-founder and designer Chris Barnardo, said told me: “Since our Eleventh Doctor’s Sonic went on sale, we have had a constant stream of requests from fans of all ages asking us to make an extending version. It wasn’t easy to engineer a solidly reliable device that can withstand being repeatedly flicked to extend it, but we’ve been able to do it, and I’m certain that any fan of Doctor Who is going to love it.”

The Wand Company’s Chris Barnado. (Photo by Katie Gribble)

The Wand Company’s all‐new extending Twelfth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver universal remote control prop replica is:

1:1 scale replica of the Series 8 Sonic Screwdriver hero prop
Highly authentic flick-to-extend action
Grip-mounted action button
Four modes: Practice mode: Learn your gestures, Control mode: Control your electronics, Quiet Control mode: Control your electronics quietly, FX Mode: 12 authentic special FX sounds from the Doctor Who universe
Press and hold button to make Sonic buzz and tip light in FX Mode
Any-TV-off function that turns off any television at the press of a button, without having to program the Sonic first
Customisable personal lock code
Ivory-coloured handle with subtle fleck
Redesigned copper-plated handle end
Gallifreyan stand for vertical presentation
12 new secret Morse-coded Twelfth Doctor phrases
12 different sonic screwdriver sound effects
Batteries: 2 AAA (not included)

The prop replica due to its closeness to the actual prop used in Series 8 of the television series is suitable to be used purely as a display item in its stand made of Gallifreyan symbols for those collectors out there.

However, its main selling point along with any of The Wand Company’s products is that they have a practical use being able to act as a remote control and immersing the controller into the role of the character who wields the device. With 13 gestures and 3 memory banks, the Twelfth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver enables you to store up to 39 remote control; plenty to control all of your Earth-based entertainment equipment. In Control Mode, each gesture triggers a classic Sonic Screwdriver sound effect and the tip illuminates with a bright green light. And the extending nature of the Screwdriver doesn’t half make you feel like the Doctor!!!

The Twelfth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver remote control is released today, on September 7th 2015, and is available to from Forbidden Planet or Amazon UK.

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Time to Visit Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds

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.

Here’s news of an interesting new Doctor Who title from BBC Books, which will prove particularly interesting to those fans inspired by the look of the show. For the first time, the Doctor Who Art Department are opening their doors to reveal a unique, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most loved series on British Television in Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds.

Whether it’s iconic sets like the TARDIS console room, recurring villains like the Daleks or the Cybermen, or the smallest hand prop featured in the briefest of scenes, this book showcases the work of the Doctor Who art department in glorious detail.

Discover how the designers work with the costume, make-up and special effects teams to produce the alien worlds, and how the work has evolved from the programme’s ‘classic’ era to the panoramic alien worlds and technologies that delight audiences today.

Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen sketches and concept artworks, Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds opens the doors to 50 years of astonishing creative work from one of the most inventive shows on television, with words from two people who know it best, Stephen Nicholas and Mike Tucker. Stephen Nicholas was the supervising art director for Doctor Who, and helped oversee the regeneration of the art department for the new series in 2004. The longest serving member of the Doctor Who art department, he also art directed Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures. He lives in Cardiff. This is his first book.

Mike Tucker, meanwhile, you probably know as a former member of the BBC’s Visual Effects Department, he now runs The Model Unit, which recently won a BAFTA Craft Award for its miniature effects work on the 50th anniversary Doctor Who episode The Day of the Doctor. He lives in London, and is the author of numerous books for film and television, including several original Doctor Who novels.

We think you’ll agree that this looks like the pick of Doctor Who books set to be released in time for Christmas. The hardback Doctor Who: Impossible Worlds is slated for release on 29th October with and RRP of £35.00, however you can order from Amazon today for just £22.75, a 35% saving!

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Eccleston’s TV Habit, Sophie Aldred Talks, Welsh Baftas and More

Billy Garratt-John 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.

News, news, news! Gather round young and old. Hear ye, hear ye. Christopher Eccleston, Christmas special and Welsh Bafta stories appear in our latest news blast!

Christopher Eccleston Never Watched Doctor Who

Surprise, surprise. Now, I was a Doctor Who fan before the New Series reared its big flashy head and expected to take to the new Doctor fairly quickly. After all, I was 9 and very impressionable. And yet, Eccleston never clicked with me and still hasn’t won me round. There was something between my younger self and the man on screen…and now I know what it was, all those years later; Christopher Eccleston never watched Doctor Who as a kid (and hasn’t watched his own adventures, but that’s understandable).

Yes, the Ninth Doctor himself has stated that, “I never watched Doctor Who when I was a child!” and has yet to watch any of Peter Capaldi’s excursions as the Time Lord. He wrapped it up in a rather nice fashion however by saying; “I don’t think it’s important that I left. I think it’s important that I did it in the first place. I’m still there: I was in David Tennant, I was in Matt Smith, I was in Peter Capaldi. I’m always there in spirit.”

Nawh. Bless.

Doctor Who Xmas Special News

Looks like Christmas is upon us already (every year just seems to fly by faster, am I right?). The Doctor Who Twitter page has revealed (via quite a sweet picture) that the read-through for this year’s 2015 Christmas Special (guest starring Alex Kingston as River Song, but I’m guessing you knew that already?) has wrapped up and filming has already begun.

Pic taken just after the Christmas Special read through! Read more about the ep at http://t.co/K3F0asCydA #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/m2RhXkbi7h

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) September 2, 2015

Yes, no official announcement has been made, but I can report that Doctor Who began filming for this year’s Christmas Special at some point in the past week on Durdham Downs in Bristol. I know this because it is a stones throw away from my house. I drove past there multiple times this week wondering what was being filmed. I found out it was Doctor Who as I was in a car en route to London. Blast it.

TARDIS Lands in Lunenburg

Lunenburg, Canada: Sci-fi fanatic Mark Poutenis has built himself a replica TARDIS. Based off of the Eccleston/Tennant prop used between 2005-2009, Poutenis also boasts a further impressive collection of memorabilia, such as R2-D2 and Chewbacca. It was as Han Solo’s furry friend that he threw the opening pitch at a Red Sox baseball game earlier in 2015.

He says he has become knows as, “the guy who builds ridiculously large props for no good reason.” Mate, you’ve got a TARDIS on your front porch. I envy you like you wouldn’t believe.

“Who are you calling small?!”

Dalek attacker extraordinaire and one of the greatest companions to ever grace Doctor Who‘s history books, Sophie Aldred, will be appearing at the Penarth Pier Pavillion on Sunday 13th September. “A Day in the Life of Sophie Aldred” will consist of an interview and Q&A session followed by the chance to grab an autograph and photo off of Ace herself. Rather marvellously, the event staff will not be charging for photos or autographs on your own items, which is a great deal!

The event is limited to 70 seats, however. Tickets cost between £12 to £5 and are available from www.penarthpavillion.co.uk.

The TARDIS Library opens its doors!

A wonderful attraction has opened in a park in Minnesota, US. Lindquist Park is playing host to a TARDIS shaped mini-library. “This one is huge”, says Charlie Edwins, one of the people responsible for putting the craft together. The year long project works on an honour system, where a book borrowed by a member of the public must be replaced with another book of their own. I quite like the idea of exchanging ‘The Complete Works of Shakespeare’ for a battered copy of ‘Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters’ or maybe one of my old Mr. Men books.

Nielsen Finally Gets With The Programme

In a vaguely related story to Steven Moffat’s rejection of the idea we would ever see Doctor Who on On-Demand streaming networks, the American system for logging TV audience ratings in America is finally introducing ratings for streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. In a move that many have staunchly giggled at, wondering, “They weren’t already doing that?!”, the figures for online only content will be made public.

Maybe if Steven saw the numbers, he might just retract his previous statement…?

Doctor Who Receives Five Welsh Bafta Nominations

The nominees for this year’s Bafta Cymru have been announced. Doctor Who ties with Hinterland (Y Gwyll) for the second largest number of nominations for one programme, with Da Vinci’s Demons heading the pack with six. Doctor Who‘s nominations include Peter Capaldi for Best Actor and Jenna Coleman for Best Actress. Doctor Who has a ten year history of sweeping up at these events, but faces tough competition from the likes of Hollywood star Rhys Ifyns.

The event will take place in Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on September 27th. Tickets are still available for the event from the St David’s Hall box office.

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Watch The Magician’s Apprentice Trailer

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 Series 9 kicks off in just two weeks, so it should come as no surprise that we’re at the stage of the first trailer for opening episode The Magician’s Apprentice being released…

We’re not going to spoil it for you, other than to say it gives a sneak feeling of the episode without giving anything away terribly. Well, apart from the presence of a particular villain, but you probably knew about them anyway.

The Magician’s Apprentice launches Doctor Who Series 9 on September 19th on BBC One and BBC America.

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The Magician’s Apprentice Synopsis Released

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.

The BBC has released – at last – the synopsis for Doctor Who Series 9 premier episode The Magician’s Apprentice.

But you don’t want to read that, do you?

Oh, you do? Okay, carry on…

Where is the Doctor? When the skies of Earth are frozen by a mysterious alien force, Clara needs her friend. But where is the Doctor, and what is he hiding from?

As past deeds come back to haunt him, old enemies will come face-to-face, and for the Doctor and Clara survival seems impossible.

Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie Macdonald, the episode airs on September 19th on BBC One and BBC America, the latter scheduled for 9/8c.

Starring Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, the guest cast has an epic quality, with Michelle Gomez, Jemma Redgrave, Kelly Hunter, Clare Higgins, Jaye Griffiths, Harki Bhambra, Daniel Hoffmann-Gill, Joey Price, Aaron Neil, India Ria Amarteifio, Dasharn Anderson, Demi Papaminas, Jami Reid-Quarrell, Benjamin Cawley, Stefan Adegbola, Shin-Fei Chen, Lucy Newman-Williams, Barnaby Edwards, Nicholas Pegg, Jonathon Ojinnaka all appearing. There may be a few clues as to what you can expect in that list.

We can’t wait, and not should you be able to.

But in our timey-wimey free world, however, we’ll have to.

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Star Trek’s Wil Wheaton Teaches Peter Capaldi How to Pilot U.S.S Enterprise

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.

I’m not sure how often Ensign Crusher was left to pilot the Enterprise D on his own, but actor and pro-geek Wil Wheaton recently gave Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi a public demonstration of what is involved…

Angling for TARDIS flight tips, Wheaton explained his rationale on how the Star Trek: The Next Generation vessel could be piloted. “I have the graphics laid out in front of me. I have two keypads down here separated by a T-shape thing that I treated as sliders and the I have the final button to engage over here, which is the L-card system that powers the Enterprise, and adapts to what needs to be done. So, my panel could be used to send the Enterprise into warp speed or into orbit, or I could use it to do research.”

Geeked out yet? There’s more.

“I would use this hand to type in the first set of coordinates and then make the mark, and then type in the second set of co, move my hand up or down, depending on the speed the captain told me to go, and then hit the big button down on the side to engage.”

It’s good to see Capaldi’s reaction, however; he’s having none of it.

“I can’t tell you how to drive the TARDIS.”

We suspect he may be lying…

 

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Which Doctor Who Book Do You Hold Dear?

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.

The history of Doctor Who printed fiction is every bit as varied and extensive as that of the programme itself, encompassing everything from straight retellings of televised adventures to more experimental journeys into territory the show wouldn’t have gone anywhere near and everything in between. It’s no easy task to pick a favourite from the hundreds of books published since the programme’s first flush of success back in the 1960s, but perhaps we can help you out in this difficultly undertaking by providing a (very brief) overview of the (very wide) array of choices…

For many fans, particularly those of a certain age, it’s going to be difficult to beat the early days of the classic novelisations, which saw adventures from the programme’s first decade adapted in ways that diverged quite markedly from the stories they were based on. A special mention for David Whitaker, whose recounting of Ian Chesterton’s first meeting with the Doctor on Barnes Common matched the television version for eeriness. Malcolm Hulke delivered wonderfully sophisticated retellings of his Doctor Who scripts, and Terrance Dicks will always have a special place in the hearts of those who read his many novelisations for his economical, unpatronising style.

In later years the Target novelisations became something of a production line, with readers for the most part happy to settle for faithful versions of stories they had seen on the screen. Perhaps this was understandable in the pre-VHS era, when opportunities to see episodes after they had first been shown were extremely limited. There would later be a resurgence in the quality of the books however, owing to a combination of the desire to complete the range by returning to stories which hadn’t yet been novelised, the desire of script writers to adapt their own work and the injection of new blood into the show’s writing talent in the late 1980’s. So we were able to enjoy the likes of Donald Cotton and John Lucarotti returning to the world of Doctor Who after many years to deliver their own interpretations, as well as young writers such as Ben Aaronovitch and Marc Platt bringing a new level of polish and detail to stories from the programme’s later years in its original run.

Doctor Who’s cancellation represented an opportunity for aspiring writers which probably wouldn’t have arisen if the programme had continued, of course. Virgin secured the rights to create the long-running New Adventures line and gave authors the remit to come up with stories ‘too broad and deep for the small screen’. Readers who avidly followed these books continue to revere them over two decades later, as evidenced by Big Finish’s success in adapting selected titles on audio. These may have been fallow years for the show but this era in fact saw a wealth of creativity, and of course gave the likes of Russell T Davies, Mark Gatiss and Gareth Roberts their first paid work on Doctor Who. BBC Books, seeing it was missing out on a good thing, brought the publishing rights back in house and continued a regular pattern of both past and Eighth Doctor releases until the news broke that the programme would be returning.

The years since Doctor Who returned in 2005 have seen a mix of releases encompassing regular batches of books featuring the current Doctor and companions aimed (like the programme itself) at as wide an audience as possible as well as more infrequent, more complex novels from writers who are often already extremely successful in their own right. Many would argue that the results have been somewhat mixed, demonstrating that literary talent and impressive sales don’t necessarily translate into memorable stories when it comes to the tricky task of writing Doctor Who.

AL Kennedy, who recently wrote Fourth Doctor novel The Drosten’s Curse, blogged in the Guardian last week about how writing Doctor Who for publication gave her the opportunity to rediscover ‘the power and the clarity of pure story in children’s writing’. Elsewhere in the article she confesses to not being that much of a fan but nonetheless displays an impressive awareness of Doctor Who’s history in print.

So many writers, so many books and I haven’t even mentioned annuals, short trips, graphic novels, Telos novellas… But which is my favourite Doctor Who book? It’s back to the glory days of Target for me. Doctor Who has given me many happy memories but none better than the day my Dad brought home a copy of The Auton Invasion, the stunning cover of which promised a nightmarish tale of ‘dummies whose murderous behaviour is directed by the NESTENE CONSCIOUSNESS’ (their capitals, not mine). It even had review quotes from the Daily Mirror and Daily Sketch to say how good it was.

Over to you, Kasterborous readers! You’ve got all of time and space to choose from – which is your favourite Doctor Who book? Let us know!

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Titan Comics’ The Four Doctors #4 Reviewed!

Jeremy Remy 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.

In the previous issue of Titan’s Doctor Who: The Four Doctors special, the Tenth Doctor and Gabby, the Eleventh Doctor and Alice, and the Twelfth Doctor and Clara were able to solidify one of three alternate futures, in an attempt to stop the machinations of (unknown to them) the Voord. In doing so, they have also ensured the existence of an alternate Twelfth Doctor and kept in motion the events Clara has been attempting to prevent since the beginning of this five-part story. As part four begins, it is the alternate Twelfth Doctor that the other Doctors and Clara must contend with—while Gabby and Alice are on the run from the Voord. But will they survive?

The Four Doctors #4 begins tying together some of the loose ends from the previous stories, specifically as they relate to the Doctor forgetting Marinus and the reason for the forced meeting of these specific Doctors. While previous issues have been able to poke fun at the weaknesses in their televised characterizations or specific episodes, this issue seems to focus on the Doctors’ strengths. There is mention of each Doctor’s method of attempting to turn a situation to his advantage, and each demonstrates their skill at planning ultimate escape.

Still, the meta nature of a multi-Doctor story is toned down a bit in this issue, and the story is able to progress in a relatively smooth manner. There is quite a bit of exposition (but what would a Who villain be without a little plan revealing?). Despite this, the story reads quickly and doesn’t feel overly wordy.

Once again, Paul Cornell demonstrates his love and understanding of Doctor Who—both as a fan, and as an author. In particular, he uses the Titan companions well, to instill a feeling of nervousness in the reader. Unlike stories exclusively involving television companions, there is a sense that Gabby and Alice are truly in danger—mortally so.

Neil Edwards has the opportunity to design some Voord architecture, and creates possibly the most beautiful version of the Crack in Time I’ve seen in any medium (which also functions as an homage to 2001: A Space Odyssey). He is a welcome addition to the Titan family of artists.

If you haven’t started reading this mini-series yet, it should be on your shopping list. Doctor Who: The Four Doctors is a love letter to fans of nuWho and Classic Who, alike, and a beautiful gift to those who have been enjoying Titan’s Doctor Who comics run. If you’ve been keeping up with this story, this issue is well worth jumping into as soon as possible.

Doctor Who: The Four Doctors #4 is out now, priced $3.99.

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Could Arthur Darvill’s Rory Williams return to 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.

If your idea of a perfect Doctor Who episode consists of geriatric companions in group therapy sharing painful memories of their time with the Doctor then, if Arthur Darvill gets his way, he might have just the episode for you.

It’s been three years since both he and Karen Gillan departed the show in a tragic episode which saw the pair trapped in 1930’s New York by the Weeping Angels and, Darvill, who’ll be next seen as “Time Master” Rip Hunter in superhero TV series Legends of Tomorrow, has the perfect reunion show.

“We should come back in 40 years,” the actor told RadioTimes.com. “We could all come back and do a sort of geriatric reunion. I’ve got written an episode in my head where all the companions go into therapy together, and do like a big group therapy session,” he said. “It’s a really sort of dark, depressing episode of Doctor Who but I think it’d help them out a lot.”

So while we wait for Rory Williams to return to Doctor Who there’s the small matter of The Legends of Tomorrow which, in a shocking change of pace, is another time travel based sci-fi series for Darvill. So was he concerned with comparisons between the shows?

“There are gonna be comparisons, because it’s a show about time travel, and we do go to different periods in time,” Darvill said.  “And when I got offered it, that was a big concern. But because my role in it is so different to the role I played in Doctor Who, it doesn’t feel like repeating anything. It’s a totally different challenge to me.

“I don’t think you can do a time-travelling thing without referencing Doctor Who or Back to the Future. This definitely puts a new spin on it.”

Legends of Tomorrow begins filming soon.

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