Doctor Who News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews

[Blencathra]

I can't believe it's been a year either. Happy 51st Doctor Who!


Colin Baker talks Capaldi and Five(ish) Doctors

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2014/11...ce=twitterfeed

Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor, spoke to Doctor Who News about the current series of Doctor Who and a sequel to The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot at Collectormania 22 last weekend.

Baker attended the event at Stadium:MK on Saturday alongside other Doctor Who cast and cult TV/ film stars.

Asked about Series 8 and contrasts between the Sixth Doctor and the Twelfth Doctor, Baker said:

I’ve seen the first two or three stories, up to the one about who’s under your bed (Listen). The scary story and children one. I’ve recorded all the others but haven’t seen them yet.

I think my Doctor is very similar to Peter Capaldi’s in many ways. Slightly grumpy, not tolerating fools gladly, something else going on in his mind which makes him angry and all those kind of things. I like his spikiness and other people have pointed out that he’s similar to the Sixth Doctor, so maybe every Six Doctors are grumpy!

Baker said about the experience of doing the Five(ish) Doctors.

That was Peter Davison’s idea. He wrote a very good script and he managed to get all those people to take part in it, and the end result is something I’m very proud of, and Peter should be as well for very good reasons. It’s proved enormously popular. We did it for love. Nobody paid us to do it and I gather it’s an extra on Matt Smith’s latest DVD. But everyone has been very complimentary about it. I had great fun doing it.

Baker showed great interest in doing a sequel.

“We’ve agreed we would love to do some more because we three work together very well, but in order to do more, we have to come up with an idea that is as good or better. So time will only tell.

When asked about doing a sequel somewhere else, Baker said:

“Where you base it isn’t as important as the story. It’s the story that matters. Why would Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, because that’s who we are in those stories, why would they want to do something else together? And simply going to Spain doesn’t do it really.

[Alan]

Doctor Who's unaired pilot: Revisited 51 years on
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/do...oWrilqRyg7ldaK

"A thing that looks like a police box, stuck in a junkyard, can move anywhere in time and space?"

November 23, 2014 is Doctor Who's 51st anniversary - alright, so it's not as big a deal as last year, but all the same, we thought we'd take a look back at the show's very beginnings... and then go even further back than that.

The world's longest-running science-fiction series shot its original 'pilot' episode - in its entirety - on September 27, 1963. But when Sydney Newman, BBC Head of Drama, saw the finished product, he was appalled - demanding that producer Verity Lambert and director Waris Hussein do the entire thing over again from scratch.

But is this first attempt at Doctor Who really as bad as this story would suggest, and how different is it really from the version of 'An Unearthly Child' that we would come to know and love?

Remarkably given the number of transmitted episodes that are no longer thought to exist, the pilot has survived. Given how much flak it has come in for over the years, and how venerated 'An Unearthly Child' has been in comparison, it's rather surprising how similar the two in fact are.

The aired version of 'An Unearthly Child' is unquestionably slicker and better-produced. The pilot by comparison is a bit of a comedy of errors - microphones dip into shot, the TARDIS doors won't close and in one particularly embarrassing moment, a conversation between Ian and Barbara is interrupted by a too-early cutaway to a pre-filmed insert.

But so much of what makes Anthony Coburn's episode so spectacular is present in this first attempt - in particular, the same surreal spookiness pervades both efforts, helped along on both occasions by Norman Kay's eerie incidental music.

Both episodes open with a British bobby on patrol, encroaching into a junkyard and uncovering the TARDIS - an object that decidedly stands out amongst piles of dilapidated junk. Both times, this is a creepy and effective setter.

Much of what follows in the pilot feels like a dress rehearsal for the final episode. The whole thing's a little more stilted - performances are not quite as confident, with the occasional line-fluff (though none in this instance from William Hartnell!) and a few instances of actors stepping on each other's lines.

But the transmitted Doctor Who opener is not some reinvention or revamp from the ground floor up. Script changes from the pilot are minimal - the odd variation on a line, or a set-up, with Susan's sketching of an ink blot swapped out for a different sequence that's far more successful in establishing her alien nature.

The most notable difference, script-wise, is the added ambiguity about the Doctor and Susan's origins in the episode as aired. The pilot, by contrast, throws up big reveals - revealing the characters to be exiles from the 49th century.

It's fascinating to think where Doctor Who might have ended up if it had continued with this loose-lipped approach. Might we have discovered the Doctor's origins earlier than 1969? And what would they even have been? It's hard now to imagine a version of the show where the Doctor is not a Time Lord.

Performances in the pilot - though less confident - are again remarkably similar to what will emerge in the second take. As schoolteachers Ian and Barbara, William Russell and Jacqueline Hill remain relatable and wonderfully warm, while Ford's alien twitchiness also remains intact, though in the TARDIS scenes she's a little less nervy and a little more bullish.

One oft-aired notion about the pilot - that it presents a very different Doctor who is far more aloof and sinister - is also a myth. Hartnell's character is certainly spiky, manipulative and cold, but he remains so in the transmitted episode.

The Doctor viewers met on November 23, 1963 is a slightly more genial figure than the one in the pilot, but only slightly - again, his dialogue goes mostly unchanged, with subtle shifts in Hartnell's performance accounting for the differences in characterisation.

The original Doctor Who pilot is a fascinating curio - Sydney Newman made the right call, because the final product is a superior beast, but Lambert and Hussein's first effort is nowhere near as bad as fan lore would have you believe and remains recognisable as the series that fans now adore.

[Alan]

51 Years of Doctor Who: Decade Defining Moments
http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/51-year...ents-69154.htm
(Original article includes videos)

Connor Johnston celebrates 51 years of Doctor Who by choosing 6 of the most treasured “moments” in Who history.

On November 23, 1963 a family-oriented educational program debuted on the BBC. The focus of the new show was science fiction and time travel and featured a title character by the name of Doctor Who – since then it’s grown to become so, so much more. Doctor Who has broadened its horizons to not only become a national treasure, but also nothing less than a worldwide phenomenon. It’s a show that has continually bettered itself in quality as time goes on and has constantly been a source of inspiration and indulgence for people from all walks of life. The key to the show’s sacred place in our heart (be it through the way it makes us love, laugh or cry), is ironically its ability to make such a strong and moving commentary on humanity: Its strengths and its weaknesses. It’s a show that promotes the “the victory of intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism” and for that reason alone has earned every single amount of love that comes its way on this special day…

Exactly 51 years since the hauntingly wacky theme tune first erupted on British televisions, the good Doctor has survived through 14 equally incredible incarnations and shows no sign of slowing down or of declining in quality. Today, join me as I choose 1 moment (And I use that term “moment” very loosely) for each decade of the show’s long history that deserves a heightened respect in Who Appreciation and wish the best television show in the history of the universe a very Happy Anniversary.

The Sixties: “An Earthly Origin”

Where else could we begin our countdown if not at the very start? The Sixties were a time of global change and cultural explosion, but for us today there only seems like one specific moment worth revisiting which is of course November 23rd 1963, in a dirty old junkyard located in Shoreditch, London – where a peculiar looking Police Box was about to be discovered by 2 curious school teachers who decided to follow one of their students home one afternoon…

And so, with ironically quite an “Earthly” origin, an amazing journey in space and time kick started its engines to soon become one of the most ground breaking shows of its time. The Sixties were headed of course by William Hartnell’s era, before both Patrick Troughton had his own equally historic run in the TARDIS, fighting all those who would elect to corrupt and attack the universe… while of course learning, maturing and enjoying every step along the way. Before long the decade drew to a close and with colour TV making its way onto our screens, so did a brand new era of Doctor Who.

The Seventies: “Sarah Jane Smith”

As Jon Pertwee’s and Tom Baker’s respective era’s raged on with a sense passion and charisma never seen by Doctor Who before. At the core of the show’s legacy are companions that both define their respective eras and are perfect examples of humanity that we, the audience, find ourselves forming a natural connection to. Who better then to attribute our second ‘moment’ to today, to the ultimate and quintessential companion of all time: Sarah Jane Smith, played so honestly by the dearly missed Elisabeth Sladen. Sarah Jane totally revitalised the role of the companion, as Toby Whitehouse puts it: “She changed the companion from being a rather helpless hysteric to being a feisty, opinionated, strong equal to the Doctor. And, at the time, you know that was quite an extraordinary thing to do. That was not the role the companions, or women, were meant to be playing. They were meant to be playing the victim, they were meant to be decoration. Sarah Jane confronted that nonsense head on!” And it’s for that that very reason alone the show will forever been in debt to such an inspiring character and an incredible actress who lives on through her amazing work across countless generations of the show.

The Eighties: “Doctor Who’s Survival”

The Eighties is often remembered for one dark day in 1989 where Doctor Who looked as though it had finally run its course and “died”… but I’d like to challenge that description and label the 80’s where Doctor Who SURVIVED. Through constant trails and hardships including a horrifically low budget, a troubled production team and a considerable lack of belief from the BBC, Doctor Who still achieved the impossible in delivering 3 iconic and respected era’s featuring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy respectively, and gave birth to stories still being enjoyed and respected by fans today. Doctor Who should never in my opinions base its success on the number of fans, but on the passion it instils in whomever it’s enjoyed by. Its ability to unite and capture so many people’s adorations and affections even decades after its broadcast is what will ensure that Doctor Who never dies. The eighties may have been a decade where the Doctor was temporarily taken off our screens, but to the very last moments on its final televised story it was exceedingly clear that the motivation and passion of the show to forever survive -- be it through the memories of fans or a future revival. The Doctor’s work was far from done.

The Nineties: “Big Finish Productions”

With the dark times restricting audiences from the wonder of televised adventures, it fell to the duty of other media platforms to continue the much loved story of the Doctor’s journey – and none more passionately or successfully as the incredible Big Finish Audios that still continue providing top quality “Doctor Who” stories to this day. Undoubtedly and wrongly one of Doctor Who’s most undervalued formats, the audio adventures is a concept that seems a bit primitive and ‘out of date’ to many people, especially in this “technology centred” day and age. The beauty of an audio story however that it strips the plot bare! There are no special effects to draw your attention away from the narrative, no attractive actor or stunning starlet for you to gawp at through domineering pages of dialogue, and no sets to convince you of a setting. It all comes down to the acting and expression: the pure plot and your imagination are all that’s needed to dream up a world and step into an adventure…and it’s wonderful! Audio stories bring to life the adventures of the Doctor into your mind and in such an intimate way that you can’t help but feel more connected to the story than ever before. It’s a stroke of brilliance that all began with the first Doctor Who Audio story “The Sirens of Time” in 1999, that while not being the strongest adventure opened the door for such a treasured and rewarding relationship between Doctor Who and Big Finish that continues today.

The Naughties: “Run…”

After a few doubtful years and times of loss and yearning, Doctor Who returned with a bang to exactly where it had and will always belong: On our screens to be enjoyed by all. Through the show’s constant will to survive and the devotion of people like Russell T Davies, Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper and so many more, 2005 saw the revival of the classic tale, re-paced and refreshed for a new generation and a new, modern audience. Only due the success of Series 1 has Doctor Who spawned almost a further 10 years of greatness, and it’s all due to the intensity of one moment in one episode. I’ll be the first to admit that “Rose” is far from the strongest episode Who has to offer, and further then that has not aged all that well – however there is no disputing how crucial it has been for Doctor Who continued successes. The first episode of the new series expediently brought Doctor Who into the new millennium, giving viewers unfamiliar with the character pretty much everything they needed to know in 45 minutes. But it gave old-school fans plenty to chew on as well. The episode introduced the concept of the Time War, and showcasing a bruised incarnation of the titular Time Lord that was unlike any Doctor before him. Aggressively modern, and character-driven in a way that the series had never been before, “Run for your life” was an ideal jumping-off point for the revamped Doctor Who.

The Twenty-Tens: “The Day of the Doctor”

No… not the episode! Well partly… In a decade that is only just about to reach its half way mark, one would think we’d be quite restricted in a range of Who to choose a decade defining moment from. However, thanks to the efforts of Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, John Hurt and so many more the last 5 years of Doctor Who has seen such a wide array of welcomed and successful development for the show’s existence. I stated earlier that the term “moment” was going to be used extremely loosely, and while I’ve not really adhered to any of my own rules for the first 5 choices, the last is an unquestionable breach as it’s being awarded to the entirety of the 50th Anniversary celebrations. Be it “The Day of the Doctor”, “An Adventure in Space and Time”, “The Night of the Doctor”, “The Light at the End” or “The Fivish Doctor’s Reboot” just to name a few, there was something to suit and please everyone and anyone once the day rolled around. On top of that, the real special moment of the 50th was watching and experiencing such a passion erupt from the fan base. We banded together like never before in support, anticipation and celebration of this wonderful television show we are privileged enough to call our own. It was lying in bed on the night of the 24th of November, reeling from the extraordinary 50th Anniversary weekend that I had never been prouder to call myself a Whovian. Never been prouder to be part of such a massive group of people who are spread across different generations, different nationalities, and different social standards – All united by one constant love for A Mad Man in a Box.

51 Years still going strong, now there seems like only one logical place to look next… where will Doctor Who be this time tomorrow?

This time tomorrow where will we be
On a spaceship somewhere sailing across an empty sea
This time tomorrow what will we know
Well we still be here watching an in-flight movie show
I’ll leave the sun behind me and watch the clouds as they sadly pass me by
Seven miles below ma I can see the world and it ain’t so big at all
This time tomorrow what will we see
Field full of houses, endless rows of crowded streets
I don’t where I’m going, I don’t want to see
I feel the world below me looking up at me
Leave the sun behind me, and watch the clouds as they sadly pass me by
And I’m in perpetual motion and the world below doesn’t matter much to me
This time tomorrow where will we be
On a spaceship somewhere sailing across any empty sea
This time tomorrow, this time tomorrow

[Teddybrown]

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/torchwo...tory-69191.htm
Catherine Tregenna apparently penning a story for season 9.

[BruTak]

Never heard of her.

[Blencathra]

2014 Christmas Special Titled

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/2014-ch...tled-69190.htm

The title of Doctor Who’s 2014 Christmas special has been revealed.

This year’s story, written by Steven Moffat, is entitled “Last Christmas”.

Joining the Doctor and Clara are Nick Frost as Santa Claus, with Nathan McMullen and Dan Starkey as his elves Wolf and Ian, respectively.

The question is, a last Christmas for who exactly?

Promo images - http://who-natic.blogspot.co.uk/2014...omo-image.html

[Teddybrown]

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/last-ch...-art-69184.htm
Promo art for Christmas Special revealed

[BruTak]

An elf called "Ian"? :huh:

[Blencathra]

Last Christmas: Short Synopsis

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/last-ch...psis-69210.htm

The BBC have released a short story synopsis for this year’s festive special, Last Christmas.

Spoiler:

The Doctor and Clara face their Last Christmas. Trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures, who are you going to call? Santa Claus!

The special is expected to air Christmas Day with the time to be confirmed.

[planet_tv]

I just wanted to post that Doctor Who is nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Cable Sci-fi/Fantasy TV Show: http://vote.peopleschoice.com/#!/home/all/77/2

I gave my vote to Doctor Who simply because I don't watch the other nominees unlike Doctor Who where I have seen some episodes of the new Who era.

[Teddybrown]

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/tate-do...kely-69243.htm
Tate believes Donna unlikely to return

[Teddybrown]

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/rumour-...last-69269.htm
Rumours are that Christmas now wont be Jenna's last...

[Teddybrown]

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/frost-o...ters-69288.htm
Frost on Santa and monsters revealed

[Alan]

Hartnell wishes viewers a "Happy Christmas" again
Saturday, 29 November, 2014 - Reported by Anthony Weight

http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2014/11...014205615.html

BBC One this evening began its countdown to the Christmas season with a special trail broadcast after tonight's edition of Strictly Come Dancing, reminding viewers of some of the Christmas programmes they have enjoyed on the channel in previous decades.

The trail, which is available on the official BBC YouTube channel, features examples of some of the channel's previous festive station idents, clips from various Christmas specials down the years... and William Hartnell, the First Doctor!

The Feast of Steven, the seventh episode of The Daleks' Master Plan in 1965, was the first Doctor Who episode to be broadcast on Christmas Day. Famously, at the conclusion of the episode, the Doctor turns to directly address the audience, breaking the fourth wall to wish: "...a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!" (Contrary to an oft-stated fan myth, this was a scripted line and not an ad-lib from Hartnell). A recreation of the scene was made as a DVD extra for An Adventure in Space and Time, and can also be viewed on the BBC's official YouTube channel, here.

The new BBC Christmas trail features the audio of Hartnell's line taken from the episode, which no longer exists in visual form, played over footage of Hartnell as the Doctor looking directly into the camera as he faces down one of the eponymous adversaries in The War Machines.

The trail also uses the TARDIS sound effect over some of the old Christmas idents to give the impression of going back in time, and features clips from more recent Doctor Who Christmas specials such as The Christmas Invasion and Voyage of the Damned.

Christmas Day television is a peak viewing time in the UK, with special editions of popular programmes gathering large audiences, and much competition to see which shows will end up at the top of the ratings. Doctor Who's next Christmas special, Last Christmas starring Peter Capaldi, is expected to be broadcast on Christmas Day in the evening, at a time yet to be confirmed. This is the tenth year in a row that Doctor Who has been accorded the prestige of a Christmas Day broadcast.

[Teddybrown]

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/frank-s...turn-69341.htm
Frank Skinner up for a return to Who.