People Roundup (The Angels Take Manhattan)Bookmark and Share

Saturday, 29 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Doctor, Amy and Rory. Photo: BBCPlease note: the following round-up focuses on interview discussions of tonight's episode, The Angels Take Manhattan, which could be considered as spoilers.


Karen Gillan talks about life after Amy: "Well, I feel like I’m prepared for all the possible genres after playing Amy. And I certainly want variety, that’s for sure. What I enjoy most about acting is being versatile. I like actors like Robin Williams, who can do crazy, absurd characters. I would love to be an actor like that. The one I am really getting into recently is Olivia Colman. She does Peep Show and is brilliant at comedy, but I just watched Tyrannosaur – oh my god! I was on a train going through the Highlands of Scotland crying my eyes out. I want to play character roles, generally. That is my main ambition." And on how she'd want Amy remembered: "I love this girl. I would be too scared to act like her, but I get this artistic licence playing her. I love her dry sarcasm, wit and grumpiness. I'm not a grumpy person. I want to see her go out in flames of glory, where we see her at her absolute best. I just want people to look back over the Pond era fondly. I have had the best years of my life on this show, hand on my heart..." [Big Issue, 24 Sep 2012]

Similarly, Arthur Darvill on his departure from the show: "I can't really conceive that I've even been in it, yet! Do you know what I mean? When we're filming we concentrate so much on making each moment good. Then you see a screen with your face on or a big poster and you're like, 'Oh, that doesn't quite compute in my mind.' I just get on with my job, I don't think it will hit any of us – all three of us, really – until we’ve been a few years out it. Then we’ll realise what we’ve been doing for the last few years. I can't really speak for anyone else but I'm so proud of what we've done on this show, and it's been the best job I've ever had." And next: "I don't know if you can have a plan really. I do have a vague plan – I want to play some horrible people and I want to do some comedy, and I want to do some more theatre. Variety." [TV Choice, 25 Sep 2012]

Matt Smith got some parental feedback on the episode: "I showed my mum some of the rushes, the last couple of scenes, and she was in tears ... so that's good. That's a good sign. I think it's a fantastic farewell. I think it's hugely dramatic. There are wonderful twists. There's a great backdrop for a city. I think it's a fitting end to two of our greatest companions ever. ... I think Steven has written them out heroically, which is fantastic. You sort of want to go with a bit of a bang, don't you?" [TV Guide, 28 Sep 2012]

Steven Moffat talked about writing the final episode for Rory and Amy at the BAFTA preview in Cardiff earlier in the week: "After showing Amelia Pond in the garden as a young girl in The Eleventh Hour, Karen's first episode, the final shot in Saturday's The Angels Take Manhattan is a punchline I have been waiting to tell for two and a half years. This weekend's episode is more devastating for the Doctor, at certain points he becomes useless and emotional. It was torment and hell trying to write the episode, I struggled for ages to work out a fitting ending and changed my mind until I finally got it right." [Press Association via Google, 28 Sep 2012

The writer continued: "I must have rewritten it 20 odd times. I kept changing my mind about the exact way they’d leave, alive or dead? One or both of them? Their fates kept changing every five minutes until I hit on what I thought was right. Hopefully, there are scares AND emotion." [Daily Record, 29 Sep 2012]




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - People - Arthur Darvill - Karen Gillan - Matt Smith

Doctor Who In The U.S.Bookmark and Share

Saturday, 29 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC America are to show a special documentary that examines the Doctor's fascination with the United States:
Doctor Who in the US - a BBC America documentary.Doctor Who in the U.S.
BBC America, 8/7c

We'll uncover the Doctor's special relationship with the U.S., from Daleks on the streets of New York to robot gunslingers in the Wild West. The special includes behind-the-scenes reports from the Doctor's death in Monument Valley, Utah and the Weeping Angels' invasion of Manhattan and looks back with contributions from current Doctor MATT SMITH, the Tenth Doctor DAVID TENNANT, plus JOHN BARROWMAN (Captain Jack Harkness), ARTHUR DARVILL (Rory Williams), NOEL CLARKE (Mickey) and PETER PURVES (Steven, a companion of the very First Doctor).
 
The documentary is being shown immediately before the broadcast of The Angels Take Manhattan, tonight at 9pm ET.





FILTER: - Specials - USA - Series 7/33

TARDIS Eruditorum Volume 2Bookmark and Share

Saturday, 29 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
A second volume of the TARDIS Eruditorum blog by Philip Sandifer has been published, taking a critical look at the Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who story by story.

Sandifer, who holds a PhD in English focusing on film and media studies, says the blog's aim is to provide a comprehensive critical overview of Doctor Who that moves beyond received fan wisdom to tell the evolving story of one of the most important and remarkable pieces of popular culture ever created.

TARDIS Eruditorum has been hailed as "absolutely fascinating and hugely persuasive" by Robert Shearman.

Sandifer uses the blog to provide a complete reconceptualisation of Doctor Who that acknowledges and takes seriously strands of thought and themes that have been marginalised by the fan orthodoxy represented in existing publications, revealing a show with startling and intriguing implications. Under his critical knife, Doctor Who becomes more than just a classic sci-fi show but a show that tells the story of an entire strain of mystical, avant-garde, and radical culture in Great Britain - a show that is quite literally about all of time and space, everything that ever happened, and everything that ever will.

This volume focuses on Doctor Who's intersection with psychedelic Britain and with the radical leftist counterculture of the late-1960s, exploring its connections with James Bond, social realism, dropping acid, and overthrowing the government - along, of course, with scads of monsters, the introduction of UNIT, and the Land of Fiction itself.

Every essay on the Troughton era has been revised and expanded, along with eight new essays written exclusively for this collected edition, including a thorough look at UNIT dating, an exploration of just what was lost in the wiping of the missing episodes, and a look at Stephen Baxter's The Wheel of Ice.

On top of that, you'll discover:
  • Whether The Mind Robber implies an alternative origin for the Doctor in which he is not a Time Lord but a lord of something else entirely
  • How The Evil of the Daleks reveals the secrets of alchemy
  • What can be seen on a walking tour of London's alien invasions

It is available to buy through Amazon.

Volume one, which centres on the William Hartnell years, was published last November.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Books - Patrick Troughton

Charity Book's Publication Is DelayedBookmark and Share

Friday, 28 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Problems with printing the charity book Behind The Sofa have delayed its publication.

Due out yesterday, it won't be available now until Friday 12th October.

The book, which is being produced to raise money for Alzheimer's Research UK, features more than 100 celebrity reminiscences about Doctor Who, with many of the contributors having close connections to the programme, either in front of or behind the cameras.

Steve Berry, the man whose brainchild it has been, said the final proof files of the book had been signed off by the printer a number of weeks ago but "somewhere along the way, the files were accepted without being checked" and this "led to the last-minute discovery that the book was unsuitable to go to press."

Blaming the production hitch on both his inexperience in preparing a two-colour book for the early production stages of printing and the printer assuming that the book had been correctly supplied by Matador Self-Publishing, Berry has apologised to people who have placed orders and told of his disappointment, saying:
Thank you so much for your patience. I really hope that when the book finally arrives, you agree with me that it was worth the wait.
He added:
I have been working flat-out with the publisher to get the printing under way with corrected proof files. A quick, public thank-you is owed to Gary Wales and Jill Phythian, both of whom offered advice about removing duplicate Pantone colours, and converting CMYK and spot colours to the correct format. Gary, in fact, was on holiday in Montenegro at the time, so him giving up his time is doubly appreciated.
Earlier this year, there were problems between Berry and PayPal following uncertainty about the book's funding but they were resolved, with PayPal apologising to Berry.
(With Thanks To Vitas Varnas)




FILTER: - Books - Charities

The Angels Take Manhattan: New Images and VideosBookmark and Share

Thursday, 27 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released some new photos to promote The Angels Take Manhattan, which will premiere on BBC1 on Saturday at 7:20pm.

The Angels Take Manhattan. Photo: BBCThe Angels Take Manhattan. Photo: BBCThe Angels Take Manhattan. Photo: BBCThe Angels Take Manhattan. Photo: BBCThe Angels Take Manhattan. Photo: BBCThe Angels Take Manhattan. Photo: BBC
Other Gallery: 25 Sep 2012

Videos have also been added, including introductions to the episode, River Song and the Weeping Angels by the cast and crew:





FILTER: - Online - Series 7/33

AudioGo: November ReleasesBookmark and Share

Thursday, 27 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
AudioGo have released details on audio titles in their spoken word range due to be released in November.

The television soundtrack releases continue with the Fourth Doctor adventure Destiny of The Daleks with linking narration by Lalla Ward (Romana), who also recalls her time on Doctor Who in a special bonus interview. Meanwhile, a new adventure for the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory sees them encounter The Sleepers in The Dust in a story that is a sequel to last year's The Eye of the Jungle.

Destiny of The Daleks
Written by Terry Nation
Narrated by Lalla Ward
Released 4th November 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

Having returned to their home planet Skaro, the Daleks are excavating their former city – but for what? The Doctor and Romana soon find themselves caught in the middle of a war between two different races.

This full-cast TV adventure from 1979 stars Tom Baker as the Doctor alongside Lalla Ward as Romana, who also provides specially recorded linking narration. In a bonus interview Lalla recalls her time on Doctor Who, whilst additional pdf files contain colour scans of the original episode camera scripts.
 
The Sleepers in The Dust
Written by Darren Jones
Read by Arthur Darvill
Released 1st November 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

On an apparently lifeless world, the Doctor and his friends battle against plague. Will they find the cause - and the cure?

This story features the return of the Nadurni, whom the Doctor first encountered in last year’s audio original The Eye of the Jungle.

Arthur Darvill – Rory in the TV series – reads this nail-biting original adventure.
 




FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Classic Series - BBC

The Angel's KissBookmark and Share

Thursday, 27 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Books are to release a special book inspired by this weekend's episode, The Angels Take Manhattan; The Angel's Kiss is a 112-page novella written by Justin Richards, and is the first book in the range to be published that has been written from the perspective of one of the show's characters:
Melody Malone not only runs her own agency, she also happens to be the author of a successful series of novels, featuring one Melody Malone.
The book will only be available electronically, and is published on 4th October 2012, a few days after the episode's premiere.

The Angel's KissThe Angel's Kiss
A Melody Malone Mystery

By Melody Malone

On some days, New York is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
This was one of the other days...


Melody Malone, owner and sole employee of the Angel Detective Agency, has an unexpected caller. It's movie star Rock Railton, and he thinks someone is out to kill him. When he mentions the 'kiss of the Angel', she takes the case. Angels are Melody's business…

At the press party for Railton's latest movie, studio owner Max Kliener invites Melody to the film set of their next blockbuster. He's obviously spotted her potential, and Melody is flattered when Kliener asks her to become a star. But the cost of fame, she'll soon discover, is greater than anyone could possibly imagine.

Will Melody be able to escape Kliener's dastardly plan – before the Angels take Manhattan?






FILTER: - Merchandise - Books - BBC

A Tale of Two DoctorsBookmark and Share

Thursday, 27 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Moon Boots and Dinner Suits

Fantom Publishing are to reprint Jon Pertwee's first autobiography, Moon Boots and Dinner Suits. Originally published in 1984, publisher Dexter O'Neill said:
We are thrilled to bring this autobiography to a new generation. The book has been out of print for over twenty-six years. We will retain all the original content, whilst adding new material including photographs and an introduction from Ingeborg Pertwee.
The autobiography is due to be published on 4th February 2013 in both paperback and hardback, with an audiobook to be announced shortly.

Jon Pertwee’s acting career began with a public performance at the age of four. He seems to have been expelled from most of the schools his actorwriter father Roland Pertwee sent him to and finally joined RADA in 1936.

From there too, he was asked to leave. Jon went into Rep and had a checkered career. In Brighton panic set in when he dressed as an old gardener in Love from a Stranger instead of as a young cleric in Candida.

In 1938 came Jon’s first radio role in the BBC’s Lillibulero, in which year he also appeared in his father’s play, To Kill a Cat, directed by Henry Kendall at the Aldwych Theatre. When war came he joined the Navy, ramming Douglas Pier with an Isle of Man Stream Packet boat. He was blown up twice, once being put on a marble slab presumed dead, and spent many months stationed in the Scapa Flow. He was the founder of the Service Players in the Isle of Man. He was commissioned in the RNVR and transferred to Naval Intelligence where he worked and became good friends with the future Prime Minister James Callaghan. Then Jon joined Naval Broadcasting. His radio series, The Navy Lark, ran for eighteen years and produced some truly vintage memories of radio.

Whether telling stories of a misspent youth, of his posterior’s first painful introduction to a fives bat or his exploits with the McKenzie sisters in the north of Scotland, Jon Pertwee's humour and natural wit never fail him. Moon Boots and Dinner Suits is a wry, funny and endearing portrait of the early years of a most innovative and well-loved actor.
 

Patrick Troughton - The Biography of the Second Doctor Who

Fantom are also to release an audio version of Patrick Troughton's Biography, to be read by the book's author, Michael Troughton. The unabridged reading is to be released on six discs in March 2013, with signed copies available on pre-order from the Fantom website.

Respected and loved, Patrick Troughton is probably best remembered as the second Doctor Who - a role in which he made television history. A prolific actor, he was also a complex and troubled man, constantly wrestling with two lives, one of which he was determined to keep secret.

Michael Troughton presents here an entertaining and personal account of his father’s professional and private life. Meticulously researched, he explores Patrick’s childhood, his experiences at sea during World War II and the successful acting career which led to his historic casting as Doctor Who in 1966. Patrick’s Doctor Who years are recalled in vivid detail, from his initial uncertainty about taking on the part through the legendary ‘monster years’, to his troubled final season and three subsequent returns to the role.

In this fascinating biography, Patrick’s extraordinary career and his multi-layered personal life are enhanced by the memories of family members, actors, friends and colleagues. Michael peppers the biography with revealing extracts from Patrick’s own diaries, and presents an honest, affectionate and complete account of Patrick Troughton the actor, and Patrick Troughton the man.





FILTER: - Merchandise - Jon Pertwee - Auto/Biography - Books - Patrick Troughton

Doctor Who Adventures 288Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 27 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Issue 288 of Doctor Who Adventures is out today and comes with a free TARDIS wipeboard.

The magazine also examines the cubes from The Power of Three, says goodbye to Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in an interview, and shares the secrets behind Doctor Who's Dalek designs.

Packed with posters, quizzes, and cartoons as well, the publication is on sale until Wednesday 3rd October.




FILTER: - DWA

Trading Card Game On The WayBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 25 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
A deal has been struck between stickers specialist Topps Europe and BBC Worldwide to bring out a Doctor Who trading card game next year.

According to a report by Toy News, it will focus on key characters and images since the show returned to our screens in 2005, including those from Series 7. Topps will also be marking the programme's 50th anniversary by bringing out a line of memorabilia from across those five decades.

This isn't Topps' first foray into the worlds of Doctor Who. The company has previously brought out sticker collections related to the show, with the first one released in 2006.

Louise Ramplin, Topps Europe's entertainment marketing manager, said:
Doctor Who has always been a highly successful licence for us for our sticker collections, so we are very excited to have a brand new Doctor Who trading card game to add to our portfolio.
As well as packets of trading cards, the collection will also include collector tins and starter packs.




FILTER: - Merchandise