TV Zone #56

Friday, 26 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
The new issue of TV Zone Magazine is due out on April 1 and features a look at Christopher Eccleston's career and the casting of the new Doctor; there's also a feature on Russell T Davies and the new series writers, examining what qualities they bring to the series; Colin Baker contributes an article with his thoughts on the casting and the new series; Terrance Dicks is interviewed, drawing on his considerable experience to offer some words of advice for the new production team; and there's a feature on the Telos novellas, and a run-through of "Doctor Who's 20 best cliffhangers." The cover of the new issue is at right. (Thanks to Stephen Graves)




FILTER: - Magazines

Product Enterprises

Friday, 26 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Some changes at licensed merchandiser Product Enterprises have been announced. First, their planned Talking Davros action figure that was expected later this year has been cancelled, with the following explanation: "We have no plans for the Talking Davros action figure to go into production at the present time. The simple reason is economics. Based on experience of other products in our range, the quantities we would sell would not equal the investment made. As much as we would like to produce the figure, at the end of the day, if we can not make a profit, it does not make good business sense." They also announced that two lines, the Dalek Roll-a-Matics and the Talking Cybermen, have been discontinued. However, their range of Radio Control Daleks will be relaunched in September 2004, and in october, a new Gold Dalek will be added to the new range. For more details, visit productenterprise.com. (Thanks to Gallifrey 5)




FILTER: - Merchandise

Nighy on Eccleston

Thursday, 25 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Bill Nighy, once considered the frontrunner to play the Doctor in the new series due to press comments from Russell Davies about him being his first choice, spoke to today's Daily Mail about the casting of Christopher Eccleston. "These things happen and sometimes the best man wins," Nighy told the Mail reporter. "He's taller, stronger and better looking - just. I think a great tradition is in great hands."




FILTER: - Press

Leisure Hive DVD?

Thursday, 25 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
According to Blackstar, the Tom Baker serial The Leisure Hive is the next UK DVD release and is due out on July 5. No confirmation has been received at this time from BBC Worldwide, but this has been listed as "tentative" on our release list for some time. (Thanks to Richard Mawson)

Update: A British DVD store called DVD Concept has posted a list of reported extras for this disc, which include the following: commentary with Lalla Ward and director Lovett Bickford; a separate commentary with script editor Christopher H Bidmead; "A New Beginning"; "From Avalon to Argolis"; "Leisure Weir"; "Synthesizing Starfields"; "Blue Peter"; plus photo gallery, easter eggs and production notes. (Thanks to Aidan Brack)




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

MP's to Grade: Hands Off The New Series!

Thursday, 25 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Michael Grade, the one-time controller of BBC1 and the man who put Doctor Who on hiatus for eighteen months in the mid 1980's, has been touted as one of the likely candidates to step into the role of BBC Chairman... and a cross-party group of MPs in Parliament have written him a letter to say "hands off!" Tim Collins, Shadow Education Secretary and a Conservative MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale -- and an ardent supporter of Doctor Who who was interviewed on the "Earthshock" DVD release -- is a signatory on the letter to Grade, which includes representatives from all three major UK political parties, the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. "The multi-million pound new series of 'Doctor Who' is weeks away from the start of filming," says the press release issued today. "The MPs, from each of the three main parties, are concerned that significant resources for licence payers could be wasted if Mr Grade seeks to derail the project. The signatories include the Culture spokespeople from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties." The text of the letter is reproduced below. Thanks to the Honourable Tim Collins, MP, for contacting Outpost Gallifrey directly to share this with us. Update 26 March: the UK paper The Guardian is now carrying the story; and theWestmorland Gazette, the newspaper of the district that MP Tim Collins represents, today features an article about the letter to Grade. (Thanks to Chuck Foster)
HOUSE OF COMMONS
London SW1A 1AA

25 March 2004

Dear Michael Grade,

Congratulations on making the shortlist for the next BBC Chairman. This role is of course traditionally a non-executive one, but we would like to ask you for a reassurance on one specific point.

In your memoirs and in several interviews you have confirmed that the suspension of production of "Doctor Who" in the mid-1980s was motivated, at least in part, by your strong personal dislike of the programme. For example, you have said "I hated it - I thought it was awful" (This Morning, ITV, 13 November 1999). Two years ago (15th April 2002) you called for it to be sent into oblivion when you appeared on the BBC's "Room 101" chat show.

As you will know, the BBC is currently committing substantial financial and creative resources to a major revival of "Doctor Who". Some of the UK's leading writing and acting talents are involved, and the export and merchandising potential is very significant. The programme's impending return was celebrated last autumn at a reception at the House of Commons, attended by a large number of MPs of all parties.

Some however are concerned that, were you to become BBC Chairman, the project would be derailed û potentially wasting significant sums of licence payersÆ money.

Are you therefore prepared to guarantee that, should you be appointed to the post, you would not interfere in any way with decisions about ôDoctor Whoö?

Copies of this letter go to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and to the media.

Yours,

Tim Collins MP (Westmorland and Lonsdale - Con)
Don Foster MP (Bath û Lib Dem)
Stephen Pound MP (Ealing North - Lab)
Julie Kirkbride MP (Bromsgrove û Con)
Bob Russell MP (Colchester - Lib Dem)
Eric Pickles MP (Brentwood & Ongar û C)




FILTER: - Production - Press

First Doc Special

Wednesday, 24 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
DWM's Complete First Doctor was released late last week; it includes essays on each story, photos and an afterword by original producer Verity Lambert.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM

Lambert in Dreamwatch

Wednesday, 24 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Original series producer Verity Lambert is interviewed in the new "Dreamwatch," discussing her time on the show (including attempts to move her on mid-tenure) as well as her thoughts on the later Doctors and the new series.




FILTER: - People

Gatiss on Eccleston

Wednesday, 24 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Outpost Gallifrey spoke to Mark Gatiss, script writer for the forthcoming first season of the new Doctor Who series, novelist and writer/actor of "The League of Gentlemen," about the recent casting of the next Doctor. "Chris Eccleston's casting is sensational," Gatiss told OG. "He's a fantastic actor and a lovely man and is just the right kind of 'serious' choice to forever banish those tiresome tabloid stories about various TV weathermen or magicians being chosen as the Doctor. And for those who think he's 'too serious' for the part, I'd point to the casting of William Hartnell all those years ago. He was known for a particular type of role and seized upon Doctor Who as a chance to show his versatility. Besides, when Chris did a cameo in 'The League of Gentlemen' he told me he was fed up with playing miserable bastards so this will be just what the Doctor ordered!"




FILTER: - People

Mulcahy... or not!

Wednesday, 24 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Today's (March 25) edition of the Sydney Daily Telegraph brings up the subject of the new casting... and touts a possible new director in Russell Mulcahy, a film & TV director among whose credits are the US version of "Queer as Folk" and the recent Showtime series "Jeremiah". We're told that it's highly likely to be wrong -- and likely due to an error at the popular Dark Horizons media news site earlier in the week (confusing Mulcahy with Russell Davies). (Thanks to Alex Rohan, Jeremy Phillips)




FILTER: - Press

Wednesday series bulletins

Wednesday, 24 March 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
We heard that the new companion, Rose Tyler had been cast, but it now appears that one of the UK papers that was prepared to run the story (about a joint press call) got it wrong, and they're still involved in the initial casting process. We'll let you know as soon as we do (with all the news flying the past few days, it's almost impossible to keep it all sorted!) One thing we do know: earlier reports that there was a planned press call after the actual date the news was announced, or that there was a separate photo call, or that the two actors were supposed to be announced together... are all incorrect.

The press news is slowing down (thankfully!) The Cuttings Archive (whose editor, Roger Anderson, is working almost as hard as we are... almost!) has the most recent press clippings available for download online, including an article in the "Newsbites" section of Ariel, the BBC's in-house newspaper. Meanwhile, we've updated the list of websites carrying the Eccleston announcement below. This should bring us to the tail end of the main new series news stories from the past week.




FILTER: - Production - Series 1/27