Doctor Who News, Articles, Cast and Crew Interviews

[Alan]

Jenna-Louise Coleman announced as the new Doctor Who companion. More to come....
March 21, 2012

From BBC's official Doctor Who Twitter page: http://twitter.com/#!/bbcdoctorwho

[ATTACH=CONFIG]34170[/ATTACH]

Further to the above...

Jenna-Louise Coleman joins Doctor Who
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - Posted by Chuck Foster

The BBC have announced that the new co-star to appear alongside Matt Smith in Doctor Who is to be Jenna-Louise Coleman, who joins the show in the sixth episode this year, due to be shown at Christmas.

The actress was announced via the BBC's https://twitter.com/#!/bbcdoctorwho feed on Twitter, which also included some quotes. Jenna-Louise said: "I want to get started already. I'm a huge fan of the show.« Matt Smith did my audition with me. It was fun and I felt like we were in it together.«"; and on her favourite companion, "Between Billie Piper and Karen Gillan". Lead writer Steven Moffat said: "We saw a lot of brilliant actresses. But Jenna was the only person going faster than Matt - he had to keep up!«"

Expanding on this in the press release, he said:

It always seems impossible when you start casting these parts, but when we saw Matt and Jenna together, we knew we had our girl. She's funny and clever and exactly mad enough to step on board the TARDIS.

It's not often the Doctor meets someone who can talk even faster than he does, but it's about to happen. Jenna is going to lead him his merriest dance yet. And that's all you're getting for now. Who she's playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor's standards, this isn't your usual boy meets girl.

Danny Cohen, the Controller for BBC One, added:

As we approach Doctor Who's 50th anniversary it's great to welcome a new companion to the TARDIS. I feel confident the Doctor will look after her in his own very unique style.?

The BBC's One O'Clock News included an item on the casting, with the actress describing when she found out she had won the part:

I was in Marks and Spencers holding an avacado - having the debate of what goes best in a salmon salad - when I got the call from my agent. It was kind of a bewildered excitement, confusion, "really?", oh goodness - all sorts of emotions, and I thought, after I'd hung up, I thought I really can't carry on shopping so I just put the basket down and left Marks and Spencers, and just went for a little walk and try to digest!

A full version of the interview with Entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba can be watched via the BBC News site.

The twenty-five-year-old first came to public attention playing Jasmine Thomas in the long running soap Emmerdale between 2005 and 2009; she then went on to appear in series five of the BBC's award-winning Waterloo Road as Lindsay Jones, and will be seen on television this coming Sunday in the ITV mini-series Titanic as Annie Desmond. Her debut in film came with the role of Connie in Captain America: The First Avenger, and she has also lent her voice to the English version of the game Xenoblade Chronicles.

NB: The BBC have confirmed that Jenna-Louise Coleman does not have, and does not plan to have a Twitter account.

Production
It was also confirmed this morning that Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will depart in episode five, with Steven Moffat saying: "Amy and Rory will leave in a final encounter with the Weeping Angels. Not everyone gets out alive and I mean it this time.«"

As well as the lonely assassins, Doctor Who Magazine have also reported that the Daleks, too, will feature during the first half of the series this Autumn.

Speaking to the Radio Times at the Royal Television Society awards last night, Moffat explained the style of story-telling for the next series:

This time we're moving closer to stand-alone stories. At this point, we’re not planning any two-parters. So, every week is going to be like a different mad movie.

We went quite 'arc' last time and we’re going stand-alone this time around. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t those things creeping in. You’ve got to find a way to make the last episode special, and by God that worked ratings-wise last year. We don’t want to abandon that idea.

Watch out for the title of episode two. I think that’s a belter. It’s one of my favourite titles ever.

After the six episodes broadcast in the Autumn/Christmas this year, the remaining eight will be shown next year - no other details of when and what else will occur during the 50th Anniversary have been revealed as yet.

Link to original article here: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2012/03...e-coleman.html

[knowles2]

Prettiest one yet, but a very boring and safe companion, was hoping they chose someone a bit different, take a bit of risk.

Anyone really believe they are going to kill a companion off probably, we shall see but we have been told so many times a companion would die and they end up still breathing that I will not believe it until I see them dead on screen.

Sad they have to stick an episode of the Daleks in there, hopefully it will just be a photo on the wall or something.

[Sealurk]

Well since we don't actually know anything at all about the character yet, only the actress playing her (assuming it is truly a 'her'...this is Doctor Who after all), it's probably too early to make any assumptions.

I'm sure there have been lots of hints that the next companion would be a bit different to what we've become used to, so there's hope yet.

[Rodney_Mckay]

Prettiest one yet, but a very boring and safe companion, was hoping they chose someone a bit different, take a bit of risk.

This is really a gripe with me at the moment. We know NOTHING about the companion other than who the actress playing her will be. She could be a serial killer for all we know. After all, JLC has had plenty of experience playing a killer

As for her acting, I don't have any issue with her in that department.

[knowles2]

This is really a gripe with me at the moment. We know NOTHING about the companion other than who the actress playing her will be. She could be a serial killer for all we know. After all, JLC has had plenty of experience playing a killer

As for her acting, I don't have any issue with her in that department.

I be happy if she was a serial killer or something that is polar opposite of the doctor. But I do not see them breaking the standard companion formula, we just have to wait and see.

[Zarius]

Prettiest one yet, but a very boring and safe companion, was hoping they chose someone a bit different, take a bit of risk

You havent even remotley seen her in action, so how can you come up with rubbish like "boring" and "safe"?

Sad they have to stick an episode of the Daleks in there, hopefully it will just be a photo on the wall or something.

The Daleks have been rested long enough. What's wrong with seeing them?

[Alan]

You havent even remotley seen her in action, so how can you come up with rubbish like "boring" and "safe"?



The Daleks have been rested long enough. What's wrong with seeing them?

GREEN
caps

[AtlantisRules!!!]

I'm looking forward to arguements at the speed of light

And yay! I've been waiting for the return of the rainbow Daleks.

[knowles2]

You havent even remotley seen her in action, so how can you come up with rubbish like "boring" and "safe"?

We can only go with what we have been told and can see, a very pretty, young actress, the type that the crew has work with before, she done work on a establish shows before, Emmerdale, so they know she reliable an can work with an existing show staff and actors and can work on a tight schedules, she work on high profile projects such as ITV Titanic and Captain America, she about as safe and as experience actor as they could possible get, without spending there entire budget on a single actor.

She boring because she the same type of companion we have seen before in modern day doctor Who, with Donna knoble being the exception.

The Daleks have been rested long enough. What's wrong with seeing them?

Apart from the fact they are predictable, boring, dull, overused, repetitive, and when ever they appear the writing quality of the episode take a nose dive into crap, nothing, nothing at all wrong with them. I be happy if I never saw them on TV for the next 10 series of Doctor Who, spend the episode budget on creating a new enemy for the Doctor to fight and stop using old ones, that include the Cyber men.

[Alan]

We can only go with what we have been told and can see, a very pretty, young actress, the type that the crew has work with before, she done work on a establish shows before, Emmerdale, so they know she reliable an can work with an existing show staff and actors and can work on a tight schedules, she work on high profile projects such as ITV Titanic and Captain America, she about as safe and as experience actor as they could possible get, without spending there entire budget on a single actor.

She boring because she the same type of companion we have seen before in modern day doctor Who, with Donna knoble being the exception.

That is the biggest load of BULL I have ever read!!!! You don't know ANYTHING about the character and yet STILL trying to colour her as being a normal, 21st century girl based on absolutely nothing except how she looks and the previous companions of Rose, Adam, Mickey, Martha, Donna, Amy, and Rory!!! Judgemental much?!?! How do you know she isn't an alien like Turlough or Adric or Nyssa?? Or from the future like Captain Jack or Vicki or Steven or Zoe?? Or from the past like Jamie or Victoria? How do you know she isn't a Time Lady like Romana or Susan?? How do you know she isn't an android? How do you know she isn't some pawn in a higher powers game to kill the Doctor?? How do you know when absolutely NOTHING about the character (not even her name!) has been revealed because what the press release says don't even stack up to a hill of jelly beans.

Apart from the fact they are predictable, boring, dull, overused, repetitive, and when ever they appear the writing quality of the episode take a nose dive into crap, nothing, nothing at all wrong with them. I be happy if I never saw them on TV for the next 10 series of Doctor Who, spend the episode budget on creating a new enemy for the Doctor to fight and stop using old ones, that include the Cyber men.

Rubbish x Infinity. The Daleks are as much a part of Doctor Who as the Doctor and the TARDIS. They're history go hand in hand and even more so now after the unseen Time War. If you thought the Daleks weren't going to be used before or during the 50th anniversary you're delusional. The Daleks are the Doctor's mortal enemies and Doctor Who without the Daleks appearing at some point would be 100% WRONG! Ditto Cybermen.

Oh, and if being overused is the Daleks appearing in 12 episodes (7 stories!) out of the 88 episodes (70 stories) that have aired in the 6 seasons since Doctor Who returned in 2005...what do you call the Wraith on Stargate: Atlantis or the Vampires of Buffy the Vampire Slayer who pretty much appeared in almost every episode of every season.

And how exactly are the repetitive?

• In Dalek it was a Dalek being tortured, and attempting to resist human impulses that Rose affected it with.
  
  
• In Bad Wolf they were sabotaging Earth development and salvaging the remains of humans to build a new Dalek army.
  
  
• In Army of Ghosts they were attempting to open a Time Lord prison to free prisoners of the Time War and fight the Cybermen over control of Earth.
  
  
• In Daleks in Manhattan they were trying to evolve themselves from outside of their outer shells.
  
  
• In The Stolen Earth they were attempting to use a bomb powered by planets they'd stolen to erase all non-Dalek life from the universe.
  
  
• In Victory of the Daleks they were attempting to trick the Doctor in to activating an old device from Skaro to restore the original Daleks.
  
  
• In The Pandorica Opens the Daleks took part in an alliance the Doctor thought would never happen in order to trap him and save the universe.

Not one of those stories seem the same to the one before or after it or the same to any of the Daleks stories told in the first 26 seasons.

[DigiFluid]

We can only go with what we have been told and can see, a very pretty, young actress, the type that the crew has work with before, she done work on a establish shows before, Emmerdale, so they know she reliable an can work with an existing show staff and actors and can work on a tight schedules, she work on high profile projects such as ITV Titanic and Captain America, she about as safe and as experience actor as they could possible get, without spending there entire budget on a single actor.

She boring because she the same type of companion we have seen before in modern day doctor Who, with Donna knoble being the exception.



Apart from the fact they are predictable, boring, dull, overused, repetitive, and when ever they appear the writing quality of the episode take a nose dive into crap, nothing, nothing at all wrong with them. I be happy if I never saw them on TV for the next 10 series of Doctor Who, spend the episode budget on creating a new enemy for the Doctor to fight and stop using old ones, that include the Cyber men.

I was going to comment on how this post was complete nonsense, and then I read Alan's rebuttal--my work here is already done.

[knowles2]

That is the biggest load of BULL I have ever read!!!! You don't know ANYTHING about the character and yet STILL trying to colour her as being a normal, 21st century girl based on absolutely nothing except how she looks and the previous companions of Rose, Adam, Mickey, Martha, Donna, Amy, and Rory!!!

Right an you really think the BBC would give the go ahead for there big anniversary season for the writers to break the mould and do some radical and different. May be risking the wrath of Sci-fi fans and the media if they hate the radical ideas. I think there are plenty of reasons for the BBC and the writers to stick with a safe character that they know how to write for and knows the audience an critics like and fall for.

Judgemental much?!?! How do you know she isn't an alien like Turlough or Adric or Nyssa??
Or from the future like Captain Jack or Vicki or Steven or Zoe??


Or from the past like Jamie or Victoria? How do you know she isn't a Time Lady like Romana or Susan??

How do you know she isn't an android? How do you know she isn't some pawn in a higher powers game to kill the Doctor??
How do you know when absolutely NOTHING about the character (not even her name!) has been revealed because what the press release says don't even stack up to a hill of jelly beans.

I think we can rule out her being a pawn in a higher power game to kill the doctor, that essentially what River song was. if they were going in the time lady direction they would have chosen a older more mature actor, they have always represented other Time lords as being older than the Doctor, exception being the master, they were near enough the same age.

I am reading in-between the lines, safe actor (as explain in previous post), anniversary season, Mossatt insistence he chose the actor because he had an original story, which to me means he knew he choice would be seen as a safe option and he use the old writer trump card that he had a story for the actor, which make me even more suspicious that she will be another 21st century human.

It called speculation and expressing one opinion, you are still allowed to do that on this site last time I check.

Rubbish x Infinity. The Daleks are as much a part of Doctor Who as the Doctor and the TARDIS. They're history go hand in hand and even more so now after the unseen Time War. If you thought the Daleks weren't going to be used before or during the 50th anniversary you're delusional. The Daleks are the Doctor's mortal enemies and Doctor Who without the Daleks appearing at some point would be 100% WRONG! Ditto Cybermen.

Oh, and if being overused is the Daleks appearing in 12 episodes (7 stories!) out of the 88 episodes (70 stories) that have aired in the 6 seasons since Doctor Who returned in 2005...what do you call the Wraith on Stargate: Atlantis or the Vampires of Buffy the Vampire Slayer who pretty much appeared in almost every episode of every season.

And how exactly are the repetitive?

I was hoping that they were not going to appear because I do not think they represent the best of Doctor Who especially in the modern series. Anniversaries should be about celebrating the best of ones lives.

The Wraith got repetitive and even cartoony by the end of Atlantis, I cant of been the only one who could not take them seriously anymore. An I think Atlantis would have been better if the writers came up with a new original enemy, not replicators, for the show.

Vampires in Buffy became little more than a joke by the 8th series, So much so the writers invented a new type of vampire for the final couple of seasons to act as the big threat to the world. An a couple of seasons the vamps were not central to the storyline and they quickly move Buffy onto fighting other creatures.

Also they created depth to the vampires by creating Spike and Angle characters which we
allowed the show to show that there was more depth to vamps than them just being mere blood suckers.

Something the writers have completely failed to do with Daleks, even if the Daleks do change in someone way, usually they are still destroyed by the end of the episode. An we are back to square one the next episode they appear in.

• In Dalek it was a Dalek being tortured, and attempting to resist human impulses that Rose affected it with.

I give you that one, it was original, in Doctor Who. But that another repetitive theme of the Dalek, when ever they change, they are destroyed by the end of the episode. An I would have been really happy if that was the last we saw of them.

• In Bad Wolf they were sabotaging Earth development and salvaging the remains of humans to build a new Dalek army.

Still trying to take over universe, they just had to go on a little side quest to rebuild there armies first, a recurring theme through out the series.

• In Army of Ghosts they were attempting to open a Time Lord prison to free prisoners of the Time War and fight the Cybermen over control of Earth.

Trying to take over the Earth just like the previous time the Daleks appeared. They certainly have a compulsive obessive disorder. The only difference from the previous attempt to take over the Earth is that they already had a army.

• In Daleks in Manhattan they were trying to evolve themselves from outside of their outer shells.

Even then it ends the same way, with the Daleks wanting to invade the world and probably the universe.

What make me sad about this episode is how the writers did not have the balls to completely reinvent the Daleks, making it a wasted story. The Dalek that transforms at the end could so have easily evolve into a Spike or Michael from Atlantic type character showing there a different path for the Daleks to take if they choose to evolve, sadly he dead.

• In The Stolen Earth they were attempting to use a bomb powered by planets they'd stolen to erase all non-Dalek life from the universe.

That the third time already they have tried to launch an invasion of Earth, they did attack earth in the episode. Really again with the whole conquering the universe thing, they really are obsessed with that.

• In Victory of the Daleks they were attempting to trick the Doctor in to activating an old device from Skaro to restore the original Daleks.

So they could what live peacefully among the universe hippy style, uh no so they could exterminate the doctor and everyone again and launch another attempted invasion of the universe again.

[/LIST][*]In The Pandorica Opens the Daleks took part in an alliance the Doctor thought would never happen in order to trap him and save the universe.[/LIST]

They were not a central part of the story there, they were just among many aliens, even some of the Doctor allies were there and they were only trying to help save the universe so they could try and conquer it again. anyhow next episode and they are back trying to kill the doctor again, yawn.

Two stories out of five you could say were original but the rest were just the same old story in a different package.
Not a single Dalek episode would be in my top ten or even top 20 episode in the new series and most are in the running for worst episode of the season award.

[BruTak]

I can't help but think that making the announcement of who the new companion is in March is a bit of an own goal for the BBC.

After all, the Christmas Special in which the character makes her debut (we are told) doesn't start shooting until July, and won't be broadcast until Christmas Day.

[Blencathra]

I can't help but think that making the announcement of who the new companion is in March is a bit of an own goal for the BBC.

After all, the Christmas Special in which the character makes her debut (we are told) doesn't start shooting until July, and won't be broadcast until Christmas Day.

I dunno. I've just noticed something.

In an article by the Press Association (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukp...1332351435749A) Jenna was asked if she had yet met Karen Gillan. She says "We haven't met yet. I am potentially going to meet her this weekend so it'll be great to chat.

Now Karen Gillan is going to be at the Doctor Who Convention in Cardiff all this weekend. Does this mean that Jenna will now be going as well? That would mean a lot more publicity I guess.

BTW I'm going to the Con on Saturday, so I'll let you know if she's there.

[BruTak]

If she does go, she'll probably be there just to soak up the atmosphere rather than as a guest.