The following round-up includes interview discussion of the current series which may be considered spoilers for future episodes.

With his current co-stars departing, Matt Smith insists that he hasn't been tempted to hang up his bow-tie any time soon: "There are absolutely things I'd like to do. I'd have to go to the States and do a film but for the moment, I've more than enough to keep me busy, and it's work I love. I don't think there's any point in concerning yourself with what you might be doing if you weren't doing this. This is an amazing, extraordinary job and it would be madness - total madness - to be wishing it away when it's such a gift." [Radio Times, 29 Sep-5 Oct 2012]

With the deparature of Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan, media attention now focuses upon Smith's next co-star, Jenna-Louise Coleman. The actress has already made her mark on readers of The Sun who, in spite of her yet to appear in the series as a side-kick to the Doctor, have voted her as his sexiest sidekick! Half of those participating in the poll placed the actress's character Oswin Oswald, who appeared in Asylum of the Daleks as their favourite, with Gillan's Amy Pond coming in second with 30%. [The Sun, 6th Sep 2012]

Steven Moffat talks about her 'proper' arrival at Christmas: "Looking ahead to Doctor Who with the new companion, we’ll be telling a very different story. You probably already know that from Jenna’s surprise appearance at the beginning of this series – but there are lots more twists to come. He’s never met a girl like this one." [Daily Record, 29 Sep 2012]

Matt Smith also commented on his new co-star's arrival: "In the Christmas special he meets his new chum, or someone he thinks is his new chum. The episode will deal with the arrival of Jenna as companion and the subsequent adventures with the Doctor thereafter." [Wall Street Journal, 27 Sep 2012]

Both of the recent co-stars offered their advice, with Karen Gillan saying: "I just want her to experience it because it's the most incredible thing, it's like just jumping in at the deep end and I don't think anyone can really prepare you for that. But I'd probably just say 'Don’t Google yourself!'". Arthur Darvill said: "Jenna’s a really wonderful actress," he told BBC America, "I think she's gonna be absolutely amazing. My tip would be to enjoy it... and she's got to own it, make it her own, which I know she will because she's brilliant." [Radio Times, 2 Oct 2012]

Tom MacRae talks about Jenna-Louise Coleman's audition tapes: "She just had this amazing energy. She's actually a couple of years older than Karen but she seems younger - she seems more of a teenager and bouncy. She's fantastic. It's really hard to take over from any companion that's loved like Amy and Rory are, and she's just going to be so different whilst still being a Doctor Who companion. It's a very good choice from the producers." [Digital Spy, 26 Sep 2012]

The discussion of director Peter Jackson being interested in Doctor Who has led to a comment by executive producer Caroline Skinner: "It is beyond wonderful that Peter is a fan of the show and it's beyond flattering that he'd even think about it. I'm absolutely sure that we couldn't afford him but, you know, we can always negotiate. His enthusiasm is just fantastic of course." And on filming in New Zealand: "I'm with Matt, of course at some point we'd love to bring Doctor Who Down Under... it won't be possible until at least a year after the 50th anniversary" [Waikato Times, 24 Sep 2012]

Make-up designer Neill Gorton talks about some of the work he's recently undertaken: "I usually get a loose brief. A writer will often write 'an eight foot-tall green monster' - it can be as broad as that. So I look at the script, and work out from what is going on how I am going to approach it. That can dictate the look. Other times, it's a fairly set brief. For example, for Dinosaurs On A Spaceship, which was broadcast a couple of weeks back, we built the triceratops that the Doctor and his companions ride. Now we all know what a triceratops looks like, so I couldn’t really change that." The designer's company Millennium FX also designed The Gunslinger and Shakri, but it is the subtle work that Gorton is most proud of: "For me, it's often about the things people see and don’t even realise - you see an Ood in Doctor Who and you go, 'Oh that's got to be special effects or prosthetics', but when people watch something and just don't notice... well, that's why I love doing old-age make-up. Something very subtle." [Scotsman, 27 Sep 2012]

Please 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]

David Tennant has been elected onto the board of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The board is made up of 15 non-salaried people, chosen for their skills and experience, who work closely with the senior management team in leading and steering the company. The actor, who did much to promote the RSC when he took on the role of Hamlet in 2008, will be in the post for three years. [Daily Record, 17 Sep 2012]

Christopher Eccleston is one of a number of new people making claims against the media company News International over allegations of phone-hacking. Other celebrity claimants include Davina McCall, Jessie Wallace, Peter Andre and Katie Price. [Guardian, 17 Sep 2012]

John Barrowman is to front a new reality show in the United States. Make My Musical from Vinnie Potestivo Entertainment is currently taking applications from Broadway performers who, if successful, will be have their troupe followed as they prepare to mount a musical theatre review in New York City Theatre. Barrowman is on board as part of a panel of experts to help the group along the way. [Broadway World, 11 Sep 2012]

The performer also made a surprise visit to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae with his sister Carole last week; the town and island form the inspiration for the fictional location of Seaport on Auchinmurn in their novel Hollow Earth. [Largs and Millport Evening News, 17 Sep 2012]

Illustrator Ben Morris has announced: "I've just signed the contract to be the sole illustrator on a new Doctor Who book for BBC Books in 2013. Really looking forward to getting started on it next month!". He has previously contributed artwork for The Brilliant Book, and is regular for Doctor Who Magazine and Doctor Who Adventures. [Facebook, via Vitas Varnas, 18 Sep 2012]

Carey Mulligan talks about becoming an ambassador for The Alzheimer's Society, a role she's taken on after her own experiences with the disease that affects her grandmother: "I reach a different demographic than some of the other wonderful ambassadors because I'm a bit younger. Overall, the thing I'm most excited about working with the Alzheimer's Society is the idea of just making people aware in the communities. The more people who understand that dementia is not just people being old and forgetful and a product of old age, but is actually a disease and people can be more caring and aware in the community." The actress is also taking part in the Society's Memory Walk this weekend. [You and Yours via Kenny Davidson, 21 Sep 2012]

If anyone should bring closure to the long-lived Scottish detective series Taggart it should be Steven Moffat, say series star John Michie. The actor, who played DI Robbie Ross in the series before it was dropped last year, said: "I'm still extremely loyal to the character and I really hope I'll be back playing it one day, as part of a series or a one-off. One way to round it off could be to get a really top writer in, a big name, and who could be better than Steven Moffat? Everything he touches turns into gold, it would be a great way to sell it." [Daily Record, 10 Sep 2012]

The following round-up includes interview discussion of the current series which may be considered spoilers for upcoming episodes.

Matt Smith is a guest on Alan Carr: Chatty Man this coming Friday on Channel 4, 10:00pm. The show was recorded on Tuesday, during which the actor commented about his lack of interest in the Internet, daytime television and insomnia. A woman taking on the role inevitably cropped up too, with host Carr commenting: "I'd like to see Julie Goodyear as The Doctor. After all, she has been around for 900 years like he has." [Daily Star, The Sun, 20 Sep 2012]

Speaking of Internet technology, Steven Moffat has abandoned Twitter for the time being. His wife Sue Vertue commented: "For all asking he is well and currently having a family lunch but he's got a huge amount on and twitter was proving a distraction." [Twitter, 9 Sep 2012]

Ashley Walters has revealed that he got into trouble with the show's producers on his first day of filming for episode 11: "I wasn't even allowed to tweet pictures or anything, I was really upset about that. I did tweet one picture in my trailer and I got in huge trouble with the producers on my first day so I'm not saying anything any more about it. But it was amazing working with Matt Smith for a few weeks." [What's On TV, 19 Sep 2012]

Lora Munro, creative director at The Theatre Workshop, commented on young actress Daniella Eames and her casting in Doctor Who alongside Matt, Karen and Arthur: "Daniella is a gifted actress who really loves to perform. This is a great opportunity for her and we are all really excited Daniella will be gracing our television screens very soon." [Portsmouth News, 13 Sep 2012]

Business tycoon Alan Sugar is to have a cameo in this weekend's The Power of Three, with a 'reality' segment based around the popular show The Apprentice. An insider said: "Getting someone like Lord Sugar on the show was a real coup for us. He is a big fan and thought it was a giggle to film a clip from The Apprentice for it." [The Star, 13 Sep 2012]

Toby Whithouse talked about the origins of A Town Called Mercy: "It was Steven's idea – he said he wanted to do a Wild West episode because this year, certainly for the first half of the series, it's these big kind of movie marquee ideas. The pitch he gave was just, "There's a town that is being terrorised by some kind of robot." I thought about what it was in the town that the robot wants. What if it’s a person? Then the idea kind of fell out from there." [SFX, 10 Sep 2012]

Meanwhile, Chris Chibnall talks about what makes The Power of Three a little different to the normal narrative: "It’s Doctor Who from Amy and Rory's point of view. We're in the last days of the Ponds as everybody keeps saying, and it was really a chance to see where they've got to in their lives since The Eleventh Hour, and to see what it’s like to be them. And I think what’s interesting is that the companion/Doctor relationship in this series is very different to any we’ve seen before because really, they're part-time travellers. They’re living at home, and the Doctor pops in and goes, "Shall we go somewhere?", and they're off. That's very new, because they're not permanently with him, and I wanted to see what that would mean. I think it's very different to pretty much any other episode of Doctor Who ever, which is both wonderful and terrifying." [SFX, 16 Sep 2012]

Matt Smith seems to be angling for another continental filming experience "I think New Zealand would be an absolutely wonderful place to film Doctor Who... there's clearly a great film industry out there. It’s something I would be very interested in it’s just whether we can persuade the producers to fly us all over." With the country home to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, he also said: "Hey, let's get Peter Jackson to direct one and go and make it in New Zealand. I would love to, I will campaign endlessly to come over and film there." ... to which the director responded: "Do it mate, do it. Come on.. I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, and I think Matt’s fantastic. Just name a time and place, and I'll be there!" [Waikato Times, 19 Sep 2012]

The cause has been taken up by Australian-based writer Neil Cross (whose second script for the 2013 half of the new series is about to go into production): "It would be awesome to see the Tardis materialise here - I suspect Steven and I will have a long conversation about this, one way or another. We will drink gin and talk a lot about bringing Doctor Who to New Zealand. Matt Smith and I just talked about what an amazing place New Zealand is and said it was amazing how this country did not have the biggest film industry in the world. He is such an extra-ordinary human being. I am not actually convinced that he's not actually the Doctor." [Waikato Times, 21 Sep 2012]

Smith has also been hinting at plans for next year: "Steven Moffat was pitching the 50th anniversary at the end of this series and what everything was going to be about and it was a very exciting meal. No doubt he’ll come up with something brilliant because that’s the sort of man he is... I hope that we mark it in the best way possible and we honour the people that have been in the show before us and we make it as grand and brilliant and inventive and as much an occasion as possible. What that is, I may have an idea, but I can’t tell you I'm afraid." [Waikato Times, 19 Sep 2012]

Back to the current series, and he commented on events in the finale of the current run of adventures, The Angels Take Manhattan: "I love the Weeping Angels and I loved filming in New York - the city added scale to the whole episode, which is just brilliant for Doctor Who. It was great to have River back, and to use filmic locations like Central Park and Times Square. It is a fitting ending for the Ponds, especially as the Weeping Angels are a Moffat creation." Steven Moffat himself added: "It is a heart-breaking farewell to Amy and Rory. We see the Doctor and his little Amelia Pond race through the streets of Manhattan to save Rory with help along the way as River Song charges back on to our screens, just in time to say goodbye. All stories have to end, and painful though that is, the most important thing about a story is how it finishes. I had over a year’s warning to get this sorted out, and I’m very proud of what we’ve done. A fitting end to the mighty era of the Ponds!" [BBC Press, 16 Sep 2012]

This year's MediaGuardian 100 continues to rank Steven Moffat amongst the industry's most powerful and influential people, with Doctor Who's lead writer and executive producer placed at number 87, up five places from his chart entry last year at 92.


BBC executives that have an influence on Doctor Who's future in the list include the new Director General George Entwistle in fourth place (last year 26), and BBC1 Controller Danny Cohen at number 13 (last year 14).


The Media 100 has been compiled every year since 2001 by the Guardian, and is a list of who they consider are currently the most powerful people in the UK media. Candidates for the list are judged on cultural influence, economic clout and political power over the course of the last year.

Tickets are being given away to an exclusive preview of The Angels Take Manhattan in Cardiff.

BAFTA Cymru has 35 pairs of tickets up for grabs for the screening, which will take place on Wednesday 26th September at Cineworld in Mary Ann Street at 6.30pm.

Afterwards, there will be a question-and-answer session with showrunner Steven Moffat, executive producer Caroline Skinner, producer Marcus Wilson, and production designer Michael Pickwoad.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, you'll need to e-mail your name and e-mail address to infocymru@bafta.org by midnight tonight.

A random draw of names will be held tomorrow (Friday) and the successful entrants will get their notification by Monday.

BAFTA Cymru states that the tickets aren't transferable, nor will transport costs be covered. In addition, any under-16s will have to have an adult with them.

The episode will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One on Saturday 29th September at 7.20pm.

The Sarah Jane Adventures is in the running for an award this year from The Writers' Guild of Great Britain.

The Curse of Clyde Langer, which was written by Phil Ford and was in the final series of the show, is nominated in the Best Children's TV Script category, facing competition from 4 O'Clock Club: Maths and Horrible Histories. The same SJA story is also up for a BAFTA Cymru award later this month.

Doctor Who failed to make the shortlist this year. It was nominated for Best TV Drama Series in 2009, 2010, and 2011 but didn't win in any of those years. However, Being Human, created and co-written by Toby Whithouse and which beat Doctor Who in 2009 and 2010, is once again nominated in that category. It is pitted against Scott & Bailey (starring Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones) and Prisoners' Wives (whose supporting cast includes Iain Glen).

Meanwhile, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, and Stephen Thompson are in the running to walk away with the Best Short-Form TV Drama trophy for Sherlock, which is up against Appropriate Adult and This Is England '88.

This year's awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday 14th November at The Tabernacle in London.

In 1975, Season 11 of Doctor Who won a guild award for best writing in a children's serial, and Series Three was named best TV series in the guild awards of 2007. The guild is a trade union for professional writers and the awards are regarded as special because they are from peers and colleagues.

Doctor Who scooped the Best Family Drama title last night for the third year in a row at the TV Choice Awards.

Series Six saw off stiff competition from Merlin, Glee, and Waterloo Road to take the prize, with showrunner Steven Moffat accepting the honour at the ceremony, which was held at The Dorchester in London.

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, who had been nominated in the Best Actor and Best Actress categories, lost out to, respectively, Benedict Cumberbatch (for Sherlock) and Miranda Hart. Gillan was named Best Actress last year but it was a successive disappointment for Smith, who in 2011 was beaten in the Best Actor category by David Tennant for Single Father.

Sherlock, created by Moffat and Mark Gatiss, was named Best Drama Series at last night's awards.

The following round-up includes interview discussion of the current series which may be considered spoilers for upcoming episodes.


Matt Smith talks about the speculation over a future female Doctor: "I think there are many actresses that could play it because there are so many wonderful actresses. I mean, it would change the role because she would be a woman so when you put her in a room full of men, it's a different scenario than if you put a man in a room full of men, because she's a different sex. Would it change the fundamentals of the character? No. But it's an interesting idea, if the Doctor's a woman, does she have a Doctor baby? Is there a mini-Doctor? I don't know, who knows? What actresses could play her? Oh gosh, so many, so many could play her. It depends on what age you would want. It could be... Charlize Theron is pretty kick ass, isn’t she? They just have to find a brilliant actress. I never see that happening any time soon to be honest. I don’t think it will happen. And I'm not turning into a woman. [The Mary Sue, 1 Sep 2012]

Arthur Darvill talks about his decision to leave the show this series: "It does feel like the right time to move on. The worst thing you can do is outstay your welcome on something like this. We've had such a good run and such good stories, but the whole program is about change. It's about things changing and evolving. So it's sad to leave, but it feels like the right thing to do. ... It's one of the best things I've ever done in my life," said Darvill. "I think people, when they leave a show, they can kind of separate themselves from what they've done. But I'll always be proud of the work that I've done on Doctor Who. I've learned so much doing it and had such an amazing time doing it. It's given me such a great start in everything. I still feel fairly early on in my career, and it's a really good foundation." [Blastr, 31 Aug 2012]

Writer Chris Chibnall talks about bringing dinosaurs to the screen: "There were two sides to it, one of which was, you know going in that it’s not a Michael Bay budget. It’s a Doctor Who budget. A BBC budget, although a very good one. But you know you can’t do dinosaurs endlessly for 45 minutes, so there has to be a big ‘other’ story going on. That was my job really, to go, ‘Okay, this is the story I want to tell around the dinosaurs, why they’re there and who’s with the Doctor’ and all that kind of stuff." [SFX, 3 Sep 2012]

Steven Moffat talks about the introduction of a new companion for the Doctor: "“We are going to do the story properly of the Doctor having lost a friend and making a new one. We’re not taking that lightly. It's not in one door out the other. It’s the story of how all that affects him, why he engages with somebody else and what’s going on with that – that’s all important." [SFX, 3 Sep 2012]

Tom MacRae hinted about his forthcoming Doctor Who story: "I don’t know when you’ll see it, but you definitely will!" [On The Box, 7 Sep 2012]

Young actor Cameron Strefford landed a role in the Christmas Special, which has recently been filming. The ten year old's mother Anthea said: "I watched his takes on the monitor and members of the crew said he came over very well. It's not the way he says his lines, it is the way he comes over on camera. He is quite intuitive and has a good feel for the part." [This is Wiltshire, 30 Aug 2012]

The BBC have released some new photos of Jenna-Louise Coleman, plus some details by Steven Moffat - please note that these may constitute a spoiler!


The photos are also available to download as wallpaper from the BBC website.