Doctor Who News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews

[Blencathra]

Moffat: Doctor Who to get scarier

Doctor Who fans are set to see things get super-scary on the new series, according to the show's writer Steven Moffat.

Spoiler:

Grounded in LA because of the volcanic ash, Steven came out to celebrate BritWeek in Hollywood and revealed things are going to get quite creepy from this weekend onwards.

"Episode four has the weeping angels and Alex Kingston returning. I think its one of the scariest ones we've ever done - my little boy says it's the scariest thing he's ever seen in Doctor Who," he said.

He went on: "The first three [episodes] have been moderately scary. We're now going for proper scares in four and five, and in six actually, so some good spine chilling stuff on its way."

But Steven says he's not too worried about the show's younger viewers.

"If you took a vote amongst the playgrounds of Britain they'd all be saying 'make it scary, you're meant to be behind that sofa!'"

According to the writer, the whole cast and crew has been bowled over by viewers' reaction to Matt Smith taking over the lead role.

"I thought it'd take four or five weeks to get to where we got after the first broadcast, but people just seem to have fallen in love with him instantly."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukp...fk7JllV4gYRPKw

[Rodney_Mckay]

Doctor Who at the BBC Proms - Episode Two

The 2010 Proms Season feature not one, but two Doctor Who proms, hosted by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. They feature on Saturday 24 July and Sunday 25 July. They are once again expected to feature music from the series but also pieces by John Adams, Gustav Holst, Karl Orff and Richard Wagner.

[BruTak]

Dammit! I'll be at a con in Glasgow that weekend.

[Blencathra]

Doctor who gets into a fine mess

Bumbling Doctor Who star Matt Smith is constantly breaking bits of the set during filming, the show's boss revealed.

Spoiler:

The programme's executive producer Steven Moffatt described the actor as a cross between Indiana Jones and Stan Laurel.

Viewers will see the result of one of his accidents in Saturday's edition of the BBC One series, but restaged for the cameras.

Moffatt said: "There's a really nice accidental moment where The Doctor hangs from the strap on the ceiling and it breaks. The very first time Matt did it, it was an accident - he wasn't supposed to do that, it's just typical Matt, breaking everything - but the director liked it, so he kept it in."

He continued: "The version we see on screen isn't the real accident, it's him doing it on purpose, but I do think it is very funny.

"I think particularly the looks from the girls and the fact that he doesn't mention it at all - he just tries to carry it off as a sort of Stan Laurel moment. It's extremely charming."

Matt joined the series this year following in the footsteps of other recent stars Christopher Ecclestone and David Tennant.

"Both Chris and David were quite cool Doctors, and while Matt certainly isn't short on cool, he has an amazing clumsiness. He's halfway between Indiana Jones and Stan Laurel," Moffatt said in a blog on the BBC website.

Saturday's spooky edition of the show sees the return of the weeping stone angels which were last seen in an episode called Blink.

Doctor Who is screened on Saturday at 6.20pm.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukp...bbwEkgt23Ce5Iw

[Blencathra]

Scheduling Change for Vampires of Venice

Doctor Who moves to its earliest slot since the series returned, for The Vampires Of Venice with the programme, on 8th May, now confirmed for a start time of 6pm.

The earlier spot appears to be to accommodate a longer edition of Over The Rainbow. It is understood that the production team of the talent show were reluctant to be scheduled against Britain's Got Talent and wanted Doctor Who to be moved to an earlier slot.

Doctor Who will be up against You've Been Framed on ITV1, Dad's Army on BBC Two and Come Dine with Me on Channel 4.

http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.co...le-update.html



Over the Rainbow strikes again.

[SaberBlade]

Scheduling Change for Vampires of Venice

Doctor Who moves to its earliest slot since the series returned, for The Vampires Of Venice with the programme, on 8th May, now confirmed for a start time of 6pm.

The earlier spot appears to be to accommodate a longer edition of Over The Rainbow. It is understood that the production team of the talent show were reluctant to be scheduled against Britain's Got Talent and wanted Doctor Who to be moved to an earlier slot.

Doctor Who will be up against You've Been Framed on ITV1, Dad's Army on BBC Two and Come Dine with Me on Channel 4.

http://gallifreynewsbase.blogspot.co...le-update.html



Over the Rainbow strikes again.

You know something is wrong with television when Dr. Who is put on earlier than normal as not to compete against reality TV.

[Pharaoh Atem]

You know something is wrong with television when Dr. Who is put on earlier than normal as not to compete against reality TV.

i say we start knowing 4 times that seems to solve problems

[Madwelshboy]

Pratchett: 'Doctor Who is ludicrous'

Terry Pratchett has claimed that Doctor Who has become "ludicrous".

The author, who said that he has always been a fan of the series, explained that it "breaks most of the laws of narrative".

Writing for SFX, he continued: "On planet Earth it's generally taken for granted that it's a bad thing to introduce into a narrative some last-minute solution that was totally unexpected and unheralded.

"The unexpected, unadvertised solution which kisses it all better is known as a deus ex machina - literally, a god from the machine. And a god from the machine is what the Doctor is now."

He went on: "A decent detective story provides you with enough tantalising information to allow you to make a stab at a solution before the famous detective struts his stuff in the library. Doctor Who replaces this with speed, fast talking, and what appears to be that wonderful element 'makeitupasyougoalongeum'."

continues:
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s7/...ludicrous.html

[Alan]

5 Doctor Who characters overdue for a comeback

Everyone's Favorite Time Lord Should Check In With Some Old Friends...

by Blair Marnell
May 06, 2010

Ever since its revival in 2005, the new Doctor Who series has become one of the best sci-fi shows on TV under the stewardship of Russell T. Davies and current showrunner, Steven Moffat. The series launched with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, before giving way to David Tennant and Matt Smith in the title role. And while the series has done a fantastic job of revitalizing the franchise and revisiting characters like The Master, Davros and Sarah Jane Smith, there are still a few Doctor Who characters from the original series that we'd like to see again in the near future.

Rest of article at link: http://www.craveonline.com/entertain...omeback-101559

[Billz]

5 Doctor Who characters overdue for a comeback

Everyone's Favorite Time Lord Should Check In With Some Old Friends...

by Blair Marnell
May 06, 2010

Ever since its revival in 2005, the new Doctor Who series has become one of the best sci-fi shows on TV under the stewardship of Russell T. Davies and current showrunner, Steven Moffat. The series launched with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, before giving way to David Tennant and Matt Smith in the title role. And while the series has done a fantastic job of revitalizing the franchise and revisiting characters like The Master, Davros and Sarah Jane Smith, there are still a few Doctor Who characters from the original series that we'd like to see again in the near future.

Rest of article at link: http://www.craveonline.com/entertain...omeback-101559

That is a good list, but some are not the personal choices I would've made.

If I could suggest characters to return it would be,
1. Ian
2. Leela
3. Nyssa
4. Kamelion
5. Grace
6. Susan
7. Adric
8. Jamie

[Alan]

That is a good list, but some are not the personal choices I would've made.

If I could suggest characters to return it would be,
1. Ian
2. Leela
3. Nyssa
4. Kamelion
5. Grace
6. Susan
7. Adric
8. Jamie

It's also interesting that with the exception of Adric, everyone listed by Crave Online is connected to Gallifrey.

As for your list...

1) Ian Chesterton - I could see reasons for him coming back...but I don't think it would be the same without Barbara at his side.

2) Leela - Presumably perished in the Time War....but she might have escaped I suppose. Then again...would a warrior like Leela really escape from a war her adopted people and homeworld were fighting? I'm doubtful.

3) Nyssa - Yeah, I could see reasons for Nyssa appearing again.

4) Kamelion - Dead. But presumably there's other Kamelion-type androids out there and his consciousness might have been copied..so you never know

5) Grace Holloway - Yeah, it's be wonderful to have her back

6) Susan - I get the feeling she died in the Time War. The Doctor should be able to sense her presence given her biology...unless he Chameleon Arched her just enough for her to keep her memories but to turn her human.

7) Adric - Dead.

8) Jamie McCrimmon - He was killed off in a comic strip adventure with the Doctor's sixth incarnation but that's not necessarily canon. Also Jamie's death was depicted when he was a much older man so it's possible for him to see the Doctor before that.

[Billz]

It's also interesting that with the exception of Adric, everyone listed by Crave Online is connected to Gallifrey.

As for your list...

1) Ian Chesterton - I could see reasons for him coming back...but I don't think it would be the same without Barbara at his side.

I'll give you that one. In the continuity, Ian and Barbara probably ended up "together" after their travels with the Doctor. Probably settled down, had kids and started to live the normal boring human life.

2) Leela - Presumably perished in the Time War....but she might have escaped I suppose. Then again...would a warrior like Leela really escape from a war her adopted people and homeworld were fighting? I'm doubtful.

A warriors retreat maybe? Leela certainly can take care of herself. I doubt she was in the Time War anyway since her race were not really considered "advanced" by Time Lord standards. Like the Gelf said in 'The Unquiet Dead' ""the Time War raged, invisible to lower species but devastating to higher forms".

3) Nyssa - Yeah, I could see reasons for Nyssa appearing again.

Better her than Tegan.

4) Kamelion - Dead. But presumably there's other Kamelion-type androids out there and his consciousness might have been copied..so you never know

Exactly this. Kamelion was an AI. Essentially, a computer program. Not disimilar to K-9 in actual fact. So it is possible that he could be 'backed up and saved' somewhere, waiting for a new android body to be built.

5) Grace Holloway - Yeah, it's be wonderful to have her back

She was only seen on TV once. Would be nice to see a conclusion to her character outside of the 8th Doctor audiobooks.

6) Susan - I get the feeling she died in the Time War. The Doctor should be able to sense her presence given her biology...unless he Chameleon Arched her just enough for her to keep her memories but to turn her human.

We never saw, onscreen, what happened to Susan after "The Five Doctors". First time she left is when the Doctor left her behind with David in "The Dalek Invasion Of Earth". Then she goes and pops up in "The Five Doctors". After that, there is simply not enough evidence to assume she stayed on Gallifrey.

7) Adric - Dead.

So was River Song and the Master until recently. What's your point?

8) Jamie McCrimmon - He was killed off in a comic strip adventure with the Doctor's sixth incarnation but that's not necessarily canon. Also Jamie's death was depicted when he was a much older man so it's possible for him to see the Doctor before that.

What episode was his death depicted? Haven't seen all the avaliable classics yet.

[Alan]

Oops! Forgot about my list of characters I'd like to see return to Doctor Who...

1. Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart - He was last seen in Season 26 of Doctor Who and, more recently, in Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures...I think it's about time he had a reunion with the Doctor.
   
   
2. Ace - She was last seen walking off, arm in arm with the Doctor, back home to the TARDIS in the Season 26 story Survival. In the books, she went on to leave the TARDIS to become Time's Vigilante. It would be great to see where she is now...assuming she didn't take part in the Time War and was killed.
   
   
3. Captain Jack Harkness - It'd be interesting if the Doctor saw Captain Jack again...but this time before their first real meeting in The Empty Child. Captain Jack could still be a 51st century Time Agent. Also, they could maybe tie a story in with The Talons of Weng-Chiang. In that story, 51st century criminal Magnus Greel said he was on the run from Time Agents...what if Captain Jack was one of the agents in pursuit and the Doctor was helping him...and a chain of events occur which leaves Jack with 2-years of his memories gone which also include this meeting with the Doctor which would leave him as we find him in The Empty Child.
   
   
4. Vislor Turlough - His exile was lifted and he was allowed to return home to Trion in his last story Planet of Fire. It would be great to see what life was like for him on Trion now.
   
   
5. Martha Smith-Jones and Mickey Smith - We last saw the newly-wedded couple working solo and searching for a Sontaran in The End of Time, Part Two. If they ever needed help with tackling alien life they'd be sure to contact the Doctor. I know I'd like to learn more about how Martha and Mickey became a couple and ended up separate from UNIT and not working for Torchwood Three.

[Alan]

I'll give you that one. In the continuity, Ian and Barbara probably ended up "together" after their travels with the Doctor. Probably settled down, had kids and started to live the normal boring human life.

The books did depict them together romantically, married, and with a son and that's good they got it together.

A warriors retreat maybe? Leela certainly can take care of herself. I doubt she was in the Time War anyway since her race were not really considered "advanced" by Time Lord standards. Like the Gelf said in 'The Unquiet Dead' ""the Time War raged, invisible to lower species but devastating to higher forms".

I dunno. Judging by the amount of Dalek ships lying crashed around the Citadel on Gallifrey in The End of Time, Part Two, the war most have also been fought on a level comprehend-able to us. But even if it wasn't, maybe Leela was Chameleon Arched and made part-Time Lord so she was able to comprehend and fight in the war.

Better her than Tegan.

LOL I'm sure that Peter Davison would agree with you on that. I do like Tegan Jovanka because she had strength and leadership abilities...but Nyssa was a scientist, cool, and could be tough when needed. She was last seen on spacestation Terminus helping the people there find a cure for a disease so it would be interesting to see how she did with that and what she's doing now.

Exactly this. Kamelion was an AI. Essentially, a computer program. Not disimilar to K-9 in actual fact. So it is possible that he could be 'backed up and saved' somewhere, waiting for a new android body to be built.

Indeed...but would Kamelion want this? He asked for the Doctor to destroy him because he felt he was a danger to his friends because his will was so weak he was easily taken over by the Master.

She was only seen on TV once. Would be nice to see a conclusion to her character outside of the 8th Doctor audiobooks.

I think given all the legal issues between the BBC and whichever American company was involved in making the 1996 TV movie, I think it'd be difficult to have Grace return. Pity.

We never saw, onscreen, what happened to Susan after "The Five Doctors". First time she left is when the Doctor left her behind with David in "The Dalek Invasion Of Earth". Then she goes and pops up in "The Five Doctors". After that, there is simply not enough evidence to assume she stayed on Gallifrey.

In the book Legacy of the Daleks, Susan was last seen as a widow and leaving the Master mortally wounded and abandoning him on a planet by stealing his TARDIS. Where she went after that...don't know.

So was River Song and the Master until recently. What's your point?

I just think it'd be difficult. The actor, Matthew Waterhouse, has aged. Adric hasn't aged. A younger Adric spent years of his life before meeting the Doctor living in E-Space, a dimension extraordinarily difficult to get to so even if the Doctor did manage to get in to E-Space and did meet a younger Adric...would you want a different actor playing the role? I wouldn't.

What episode was his death depicted? Haven't seen all the avaliable classics yet.

It didn't happen on screen. It happened in a comic strip adventure...but Jamie was a far, far older man in it so any TV story featuring a return by the character could quite easily happen before it.

[Blencathra]

Live Doctor Who show to go on tour

TV hit Doctor Who is to regenerate into a live action arena tour complete with Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels, it has been announced.

After spinning through the universe for hundreds of years, the Tardis will materialise in nine cities on 25 dates for the all-action, musical spectacular.

The latest spin-off will see on-stage battles, pyrotechnics and special effects. Stars such as Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will not appear live on the stage but Smith will be filming new scenes which will be seen for the first time during the shows, being developed by TV show supremo Steven Moffatt.

Moffatt, who runs the series and is executive producer, said he wanted the live events to have the same excitement as the TV version.

"This is everything I ever wanted since I was eleven. A live show, with all the coolest Doctor Who monsters, a proper story, and brand new screen material for Matt Smith's Doctor," he said.

"I'll be writing scenes for it, and probably attending every single night."

Doctor Who Live will open in wartime London and finishes with what is billed as "an epic onstage battle".

Other creatures from the menagerie of monsters which will appear live are the Judoon and Oods. The action will be set to a live soundtrack by TV show composer Murray Gold, with a 16 piece orchestra live on stage. Audiences have already had a chance to revel in the programme's music at a special Doctor Who prom, which will return to the Albert Hall this year.


Gold said: "The live element always adds something extra, but these will also be brand new arrangements for a new band of very talented musicians. It's very exciting."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukp...y1dMxkOVde01tQ

Further details about the shows are available from www.doctorwholive.com.

[Coco Pops]

Some possible news

Spoiler:

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine, Moffat explained that the series arc will come to a head in the cliffhanger ending of the twelfth episode 'The Pandorica Opens'.

"It's not just the cliffhanger for Episode 12," he said, "it's like the cliffhanger for every single episode up until that point. This is where the wheels come off. Everything the Doctor is running from lands on his head today,"

Moffat also revealed that he believes his seven-year-old self would be "crying my eyes out by the end of 12. And then again at the end of 13 - but a different kind of crying".

''The Pandorica Opens' is due to air in the UK on June 19, while the final episode of the current fifth series 'The Big Bang' will air on June 26.

[BruTak]

So, hands up who's going to Doctor Who Live?

*Puts up hand*

[Billz]

So, hands up who's going to Doctor Who Live?

*Puts up hand*

I would, but i'm going to Comic Con in London this July at Earl's Court, and then back to Earl's Court in October for the EuroGamer event. I wouldn't be able to afford to go again to the Wembly Arena for the Doctor Who stage show.

If you are going though, sneak in a HD camcorder please.

[Coco Pops]

I dunno. Judging by the amount of Dalek ships lying crashed around the Citadel on Gallifrey in The End of Time, Part Two, the war most have also been fought on a level comprehend-able to us. But even if it wasn't, maybe Leela was Chameleon Arched and made part-Time Lord so she was able to comprehend and fight in the war.

You raise a good point here. Now if we can do that for Leela and make her part timelord why didn't the Doctor use the Arch on Donna to fix her?

[BruTak]

I would, but i'm going to Comic Con in London this September at Earl's Court, and then back to Earl's Court in October for the EuroGamer event. I wouldn't be able to afford to go again to the Wembly Arena for the Doctor Who stage show.

Pity.

If you are going though, sneak in a HD camcorder please.

Yeah, right!