Doctor Who News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews

[Quizziard]

Just as long as it isn't another young girl with a crush on the Doctor, I'm sick of that.

And someone who can act, not just gurn, pout and run. Oh, but they'll need to be able to run...

[Blencathra]

Despite there being a press screening of The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe last night, I'm struggling to find a review of it. There's loads of stuff about Karen & Arthur but so far only one review.

It's pretty much spoiler free BTW.

Doctor Who Christmas Special, BBC One, Preview

Doctor Who fans are in for a treat with a magical Christmas edition which sees the Time Lord leads Second World War evacuees into a new world.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...e-preview.html

Spoiler:

Whovians, Narnia lovers, military buffs and mothers are in for a treat. Actually, we all are. Our sneak preview of the new Doctor Who episode, entitled The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe, revealed it to be one of the highlights of the holiday schedules and among the very best of the Timelord’s seasonal specials. With Downton Abbey back on form too, it's looking like a vintage Christmas night for television.

Who fans are notoriously paranoid about perceived plot-spoilers, so we’ll choose our words carefully to give nothing away. However, the hour-long episode, which will be shown at 7.00pm on Christmas Day, grabs right from the whizz-bang pre-credits sequence and doesn’t loosen its grip.

Written by show-runner Steven Moffat, it’s full of festive magic and set, at least to start with, during the Second World War (look out for a cameo appearance from a Lancaster bomber, on loan from Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre). A widow escapes Blitz-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated pile in Dorset, where they are welcomed by a mysterious madcap caretaker. We soon see where CS Lewis comes in, as a “dimensional portal thingy” leads them into a winter wonderland forest, thick with whispering firs and things that go bump in the night.

A star-studded cast includes comedians Bill Bailey, Alexander Armstrong and Arabella Weir. Outnumbered’s Claire Skinner excels as titular widow Madge, strongly supported by two child actors: sensible Lily (Casualty’s Holly Earl) and intrepid, star-gazing swot Cyril (Maurice Cole, sporting a superb pair of bottle bottom specs).

Back in Moffat’s acclaimed 2007 episode Blink, David Tennant’s Doctor coined the cult catchphrase “timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly stuff”. Now his successor Matt Smith gets his own variations: “sciencey-wiencey” and “humany-wumany”. The charismatic 29-year-old is quite brilliant, playfully capering around like Willy Wonka and convincingly carrying the more preposterous parts of the plot (this episode is unlikely to convert critics who carp that Moffat’s stories are overwrought). Smith is equally adept at tickling funny bones or tugging heartstrings, and this episode showcases exactly how accomplished the eleventh Doctor has become. Arguably as good if not better than Tennant.

By the time viewers are dabbing their eyes at the inevitable sentimental ending – come on, it’s Christmas - this feels more like a family feature film than a TV programme. Ultimately it’s a paean to mothers, their protective lioness instinct and the power of their love. So on Christmas evening, watch it with your mother or raise a glass to her. She’s what makes us humany-wumany.

Doctor Who is on Christmas Day on BBC One at 7.00pm and repeated on Tuesday 27 December at 2.50pm

[Alan]

Despite there being a press screening of The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe last night, I'm struggling to find a review of it. There's loads of stuff about Karen & Arthur but so far only one review.

It's pretty much spoiler free BTW.

Doctor Who Christmas Special, BBC One, Preview

Doctor Who fans are in for a treat with a magical Christmas edition which sees the Time Lord leads Second World War evacuees into a new world.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...e-preview.html

Spoiler:

Whovians, Narnia lovers, military buffs and mothers are in for a treat. Actually, we all are. Our sneak preview of the new Doctor Who episode, entitled The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe, revealed it to be one of the highlights of the holiday schedules and among the very best of the Timelord’s seasonal specials. With Downton Abbey back on form too, it's looking like a vintage Christmas night for television.

Who fans are notoriously paranoid about perceived plot-spoilers, so we’ll choose our words carefully to give nothing away. However, the hour-long episode, which will be shown at 7.00pm on Christmas Day, grabs right from the whizz-bang pre-credits sequence and doesn’t loosen its grip.

Written by show-runner Steven Moffat, it’s full of festive magic and set, at least to start with, during the Second World War (look out for a cameo appearance from a Lancaster bomber, on loan from Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre). A widow escapes Blitz-torn London with her two children for a dilapidated pile in Dorset, where they are welcomed by a mysterious madcap caretaker. We soon see where CS Lewis comes in, as a “dimensional portal thingy” leads them into a winter wonderland forest, thick with whispering firs and things that go bump in the night.

A star-studded cast includes comedians Bill Bailey, Alexander Armstrong and Arabella Weir. Outnumbered’s Claire Skinner excels as titular widow Madge, strongly supported by two child actors: sensible Lily (Casualty’s Holly Earl) and intrepid, star-gazing swot Cyril (Maurice Cole, sporting a superb pair of bottle bottom specs).

Back in Moffat’s acclaimed 2007 episode Blink, David Tennant’s Doctor coined the cult catchphrase “timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly stuff”. Now his successor Matt Smith gets his own variations: “sciencey-wiencey” and “humany-wumany”. The charismatic 29-year-old is quite brilliant, playfully capering around like Willy Wonka and convincingly carrying the more preposterous parts of the plot (this episode is unlikely to convert critics who carp that Moffat’s stories are overwrought). Smith is equally adept at tickling funny bones or tugging heartstrings, and this episode showcases exactly how accomplished the eleventh Doctor has become. Arguably as good if not better than Tennant.

By the time viewers are dabbing their eyes at the inevitable sentimental ending – come on, it’s Christmas - this feels more like a family feature film than a TV programme. Ultimately it’s a paean to mothers, their protective lioness instinct and the power of their love. So on Christmas evening, watch it with your mother or raise a glass to her. She’s what makes us humany-wumany.

Doctor Who is on Christmas Day on BBC One at 7.00pm

Personally, I don't bother with previews and reviews. They are, after all, just one persons own humble opinions. There's only one persons opinion we should all care about and that is our own to ourselves.

[Blencathra]

All I want for Christmas is a SEVEN FOOT Lego Dalek: The family tradition that uses 100,000 bricks and created a phenomenon

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...=feeds-newsxml



A family of Lego-maniacs are celebrating Christmas as only they know how - with a seven foot Christmas Dalek made from 100,000 of the toy building bricks. The Addis family, from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, started work on the Doctor Who monster in October and spent around 200 hours to build their Lego sculpture. Each Christmas for the last 18 years Mike Addis and Catherine Weightman along with their three children, have painstakingly built a Lego creation which then features as the family's personalised Christmas card.

Spoilered for length.

Spoiler:

And over the years their Yuletide Lego masterpieces have grown to become a phenomenon for family, friends and neighbours as the family keep them guessing about what they are building for Christmas.

Lego lovers Catherine, who works for Natural England, and husband Mike, an economics teacher, rope children Tom, 18, Holly, 15 and Christopher, 13, into the family building project.

Catherine, 48, said: 'We loved messing about with Lego when we were children and 18 years ago,some friends brought their children and some Lego round to our house to visit us and our new baby, Tom. 'We decided it would be great fun to build something, and we realised we had a reasonable amount of bricks, so we started building. 'The next year, we were all together at Christmas, and decided to do it again - and a family tradition was born. 'It's a really nice way of all getting together as a family, and beats sitting around watching the telly on
dark winter nights when we can't get outside.

'The children used to get so excited about the sculptures when they were younger - but I think it's Mike and myself who are more into doing them nowadays. 'We always take a picture of the family in front of the sculpture for our Christmas card, and friends and neighbours can't wait to find out what our latest project is - but we usually keep them guessing so it's a surprise. 'It's a nice way to keep in touch with our friends abroad, too.'

In previous years, the family have sculpted a snowman, an eight foot angel, and a huge model of a snow-covered church. But after running out of Christmas ideas, the Doctor Who fans decided to use the bricks to make a giant Dalek. The family spend the year buying bulk packs of Lego bricks from online sellers to add to their enormous collection of more than 100,000 pieces. And they have so many Lego bricks that they have to be stored in huge boxes - which take up most of their spare room.

Catherine said: 'We've collected thousands of bricks over the years, but unfortunately, they often tend to be in the same colours as we build in big blocks. 'We have a lot of red, white, yellow and black bricks - so we have to think about what we can build with those colours. 'We thought we'd have a bit of fun this year and build something a bit out of the ordinary - but obviously, we want to keep it quite festive.'

It takes the family so long to dismantle the sculptures, they even invite their friends round for a 'stacking party' on twelfth night - when the models are knocked over, and bricks stacked together into neat piles, ready to be packed away until next year.

Catherine added: 'You get a great feeling of satisfaction once the model it complete - all our friends are so complimentary of it, it really makes all the hard work worthwhile. 'Our eldest son, Tom, has moved away to university now - but I think we'll keep on building the sculptures regardless of whether the children are grown up or not. 'Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without it.'

[Alan]

All I want for Christmas is a SEVEN FOOT Lego Dalek: The family tradition that uses 100,000 bricks and created a phenomenon

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...=feeds-newsxml



A family of Lego-maniacs are celebrating Christmas as only they know how - with a seven foot Christmas Dalek made from 100,000 of the toy building bricks. The Addis family, from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, started work on the Doctor Who monster in October and spent around 200 hours to build their Lego sculpture. Each Christmas for the last 18 years Mike Addis and Catherine Weightman along with their three children, have painstakingly built a Lego creation which then features as the family's personalised Christmas card.

Spoilered for length.

Spoiler:

And over the years their Yuletide Lego masterpieces have grown to become a phenomenon for family, friends and neighbours as the family keep them guessing about what they are building for Christmas.

Lego lovers Catherine, who works for Natural England, and husband Mike, an economics teacher, rope children Tom, 18, Holly, 15 and Christopher, 13, into the family building project.

Catherine, 48, said: 'We loved messing about with Lego when we were children and 18 years ago,some friends brought their children and some Lego round to our house to visit us and our new baby, Tom. 'We decided it would be great fun to build something, and we realised we had a reasonable amount of bricks, so we started building. 'The next year, we were all together at Christmas, and decided to do it again - and a family tradition was born. 'It's a really nice way of all getting together as a family, and beats sitting around watching the telly on
dark winter nights when we can't get outside.

'The children used to get so excited about the sculptures when they were younger - but I think it's Mike and myself who are more into doing them nowadays. 'We always take a picture of the family in front of the sculpture for our Christmas card, and friends and neighbours can't wait to find out what our latest project is - but we usually keep them guessing so it's a surprise. 'It's a nice way to keep in touch with our friends abroad, too.'

In previous years, the family have sculpted a snowman, an eight foot angel, and a huge model of a snow-covered church. But after running out of Christmas ideas, the Doctor Who fans decided to use the bricks to make a giant Dalek. The family spend the year buying bulk packs of Lego bricks from online sellers to add to their enormous collection of more than 100,000 pieces. And they have so many Lego bricks that they have to be stored in huge boxes - which take up most of their spare room.

Catherine said: 'We've collected thousands of bricks over the years, but unfortunately, they often tend to be in the same colours as we build in big blocks. 'We have a lot of red, white, yellow and black bricks - so we have to think about what we can build with those colours. 'We thought we'd have a bit of fun this year and build something a bit out of the ordinary - but obviously, we want to keep it quite festive.'

It takes the family so long to dismantle the sculptures, they even invite their friends round for a 'stacking party' on twelfth night - when the models are knocked over, and bricks stacked together into neat piles, ready to be packed away until next year.

Catherine added: 'You get a great feeling of satisfaction once the model it complete - all our friends are so complimentary of it, it really makes all the hard work worthwhile. 'Our eldest son, Tom, has moved away to university now - but I think we'll keep on building the sculptures regardless of whether the children are grown up or not. 'Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without it.'

Wow oh wow! That's just fantastic! I love that very much!

[Blencathra]

Personally, I don't bother with previews and reviews. They are, after all, just one persons own humble opinions. There's only one persons opinion we should all care about and that is our own to ourselves.

I only read the good reviews.

Wow oh wow! That's just fantastic! I love that very much!

Amazing, isn't it?! I'd be hard pressed to make a 7 inch Dalek, let alone a 7 foot one.

[Alan]

I only read the good reviews.

Me too...but they are my own so...

Amazing, isn't it?! I'd be hard pressed to make a 7 inch Dalek, let alone a 7 foot one.

LOL Well you've gotten me beaten by 5 inches.

[Blencathra]

LOL Well you've gotten me beaten by 5 inches.

Does that mean that mine is bigger than yours...?

[Alan]

Does that mean that mine is bigger than yours...?

Yes. My Lego Dalek would only be 2 inches high.

[Teddybrown]

http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/moffat-smit...ovie-29124.htm
Matt Smith on everything Doctor Who

http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/gatiss-back...es-7-29135.htm
Link says it all. Gatiss back for Series 7.

[Billz]

http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/gatiss-back...es-7-29135.htm
Link says it all. Gatiss back for Series 7.

Damnit!

Not a fan of Mark's episodes.

[Teddybrown]

http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/gaiman-want...tors-29173.htm
Neil Gaiman on the Eleven Doctors.

[4thDoctor]

I agree, they cannot do the 11 Doctors as much as I wish that they could. It's such a shame that folks have to grow old and die.

[Teddybrown]

http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/christmas-2...pics-29186.htm
More Christmas episode pictures, slighly spoilery.

[Alan]

Worlds in Time update
Saturday, December 17, 2011 - Posted by Chuck Foster

The Doctor Who "massively multiplayer online" (MMO) game Worlds in Time moves a stage closer with the platform having now been made open to invited users in order to test and give feedback upon the initial gameplay.

Having been "invited" to join the Doctor in the TARDIS, initial registration for the game enables players to select their character name and race, choosing from four different races, Human, Silurian, Cat-person and Tree-person. Character avatars can then be adjusted to suit player preference before the final registration page.

Please note that in order to proceed into the game itself, those participating in the trial must agree to the terms and conditions; in particular:

You acknowledge that you have "early access" to the game in an incomplete form. By proceeding, you agree to hold strictly confidential any information about the game until it becomes public.

(with thanks to Vitas Varnas)

Link to original article here: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/12...me-update.html