New Series UpdatesBookmark and Share

Thursday, 4 November 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
There's been a recent flood of rumors and stories floating around the net the past two weeks, and in addition, the newest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (#350) has some further details. So, here's a quick rundown of the info that Outpost Gallifrey has heard:

Story Titles: Steven Moffat's two-parter (episodes 9 and 10), set during the Blitz, is currently called The Empty Childaccording to DWM. Both episodes of Aliens of London (episodes 4 & 5) will have episode-specific subtitles. There are other titles that have been rumored, but at this point none are confirmed (though the title The Unquiet Dead has been touted as a likely title for episode 3) and will likely change by time of broadcast.

Casting: For "Rose" (episode 1), Elli Garnett plays Caroline Finch; Adam McCoy plays her son. In "The End of the World" (episode 2), Yasmin Bannerman ("Red Dwarf" and "Cold Feet") plays Jabe. "The Unquiet Dead" (episode 3, tentative title) features Alan David and Eve Myles in unknown roles; Huw Rhys as Redpath; Jennifer Hill (from Russell Davies' "Mine All Mine") as Mrs. Peace. In "Aliens of London" (episodes 4-5), David Verrey (who's also been in "Red Dwarf") as Joseph Green; Basil Chung and Fiesta Mei Ling as the previously-reported "Chinese couple"; Morgan Hopkins as Sergeant Price; Eric Potts as Oliver Charles; Steven Speirs as Assistant Commissioner Strickland; Lachele Carl and Jack Tarlton as television reporters. Bruno Langley (as Adam Mitchell) appears in episodes 6 and 8; we believe this indicates that the broadcasting order for episodes 7 & 8 will be reversed (for reasons we can't disclose, sorry!) Nicholas Briggs, writer/producer who voices the Daleks for Big Finish, will be doing the same in the new series starting in episode 6 (and likely in episodes 12-13).

Production: Lowri Thomas is the Unit Manager; Patrick Begley is the Props Manager; Ian Richardson is the Sound Manager. Block four of production consists solely of episode 7, to go before the cameras in late November; block five will be the two-parter by Steven Moffat, episodes 9-10, and block six will be comprised of episodes 11-13. Block one (episodes 1, 4 and 5) is currently complete and is being edited.

Music and Sound: The current hope is to apparently use the Ron Grainer version of the theme tune in the series. Mark Ayres has remastered the TARDIS sound effect for use in the show, other familiar sound effects might crop up.

Broadcasting: The current word on the start date of transmission is the third or fourth week of March, although this is not completely set and will likely not be finally decided until the end of the year at the earliest. Nevertheless, it's likely to run from late March through the end of June. BBC Books is currently altering its schedule to accommodate. A second series is "by no means a done deal" and will depend on ratings, but there are plans being made for scripts for the second season prior to being commissioned. No word as yet on when this might arrive on television, but speculation is it would be the fall of 2006. The Doctor Who Confidential documentary series will likely not be on the DVD's; however, according to producer Phil Collinson, while "people won't have to wait for DVD extras to see how the show is put together ... we hope the DVDs will still have extras all of their own!"

Writing: Author Mark Gatiss is interviewed this week in the Guardian newspaper, mostly about his new novel but also briefly about his Doctor Who novels and his episode in the new series.




FILTER: - Production - DWM - Series 1/27