Doctor Who Anniversary Celebrated At BAFTA Cymru

Sunday, 29 September 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who failed to win either of the categories for which it was nominated at the BAFTA Cymru Awards tonight - but the programme's 50th anniversary was marked with a clips montage and a number of people with connections to the show and its spin-offs still walked away with gongs.

It had been put forward for Sound and Editing honours but lost out to, respectively, The Gospel Of Us and Stella.

However, the event - held at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff - saw Julie Gardner presented by Russell T Davies with the TLWS Sian Phillips Award, which recognises a significant contribution made by a Welshman or woman in a network television programme or major feature film. Gardner worked as an executive producer on Doctor Who, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Torchwood.

Michael Sheen was named best actor for The Gospel Of Us, Sara Lloyd-Gregory carried away the award for best actress for Alys, and Ruth Jones made up for losing out in the actress stakes for Stella by being named best writer for the same series.

Arwel Wyn Jones won for production design on Sherlock - having also been nominated for Wizards vs Aliens - but Ray Holman, who had been nominated for costume design on Wizards vs Aliens, lost out to Chrissie Pegg for The Machine. Brian Minchin, who had been cited in the Children's Programme (Including Animation) category for Wizards vs Aliens, saw the prize go to Nia Ceidiog for Dwylo'r Enfys. However, Huw Edwards took best presenter for The Story Of Wales.




FILTER: - Special Events - Russell T Davies - Awards/Nominations - WHO50

Doctor Who Celebration Ticket Application Ballot Opens

Thursday, 26 September 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Extra tickets to the BBC's 50th Celebration at the ExCeL Centre in London have been made available, with a ballot opening today for applications to buy them.

The convention - which takes place from 22nd to 24th November inclusive - will have a range of activities, including panels with key cast members from 50 years of the programme, special-effects shows, stunt workshops, quizzes, and games.

In a statement, BBC Worldwide said:
After tickets to the official Doctor Who 50th Celebration in November were snapped up in less than 24 hours earlier this year, a limited number of additional tickets are now available to apply for via a ballot process.
Applications can be made online or by phone on 0844 693 0780 (charges will vary depending on the provider). Applicants with disability access requirements can discuss these with a team member by calling the dedicated CrowdSurge helpline on 0843 459 4939 (again, charges will vary depending on the provider).

The ballot will be open until 10am BST on Monday 30th September.

One entry is being allowed per person and names will be drawn at random from all of the applications that have been submitted by the closing date and time. Successful and unsuccessful applicants in the first ballot will be notified via e-mail on Tuesday 1st October. If successful applicants do not have a valid e-mail address they will be contacted by telephone. Unsuccessful applicants without an e-mail address will not be contacted.

Those who are successful will receive a unique code to be used by 10am BST on Thursday 3rd October to buy tickets to the convention. The code can only be used once, and up to four tickets can be bought but they must be in the same transaction. The code is only valid for the date and entry group originally chosen in the application.

Should any tickets remain from the first ballot, a second ballot will be opened and all applicants who were unsuccessful in the first ballot will be automatically entered into the second ballot. Ballot rounds will continue to be held until all the tickets have been sold.

The tickets being balloted and sold are the standard ones, with the price remaining at £45 for adults, £20 for children, and £104 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). Please note that these prices exclude any booking fees.

No additional merchandise, photos, autographs, or T-shirts will be available to buy at this stage. The limited-edition TARDIS tickets are sold out and will not be included in the ballot. Full terms and conditions can be found here.




FILTER: - UK - Conventions - WHO50

BFI Premiere: An Adventure In Space And Time

Thursday, 26 September 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The BFI will be premiering An Adventure In Space And Time - the drama about the genesis of Doctor Who - on Tuesday 12th November.

The 90-minute production for BBC Two has been written by Mark Gatiss, directed by Terry McDonough, and stars David Bradley as William Hartnell. Before it airs on TV screens, though, it is being shown first on the big screen as part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season.

The event will start at 8.20pm and a question-and-answer session with a special guest panel will also be held, with the names of those taking part still to be confirmed.

Tickets will be allocated by two separate ballots via the members' section, with one ballot for BFI Champions, opening on Monday 30th September, and another ballot for members, which will open on Tuesday 1st October. Champions can enter both ballots. The ballots will close at midday on Friday 4th October and will be run over the weekend of 5th and 6th October, with all entrants being notified on Monday 7th October as to whether or not they have been successful. All tickets reserved for Champions and members via the ballots will be held for claiming by them until 8.30pm on Friday 11th October, and any that are unclaimed by then will be released for public sale on Saturday 12th October.

Although it will undoubtedly sell out to Champions and members, as has been the case with all previous events in the season, returns and stand-bys will be a strong possibility, so keep checking with the BFI.

A broadcast date for the drama is yet to be announced.




FILTER: - Special Events - WHO50

The Tenth Doctor on UKTV

Thursday, 26 September 2013 - Reported by Paul Scoones
UKTVOctober sees the broadcast of nine episodes featuring David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor on Australian and New Zealand television. These screenings are part of the 50th Anniversary season of Doctor Who on the UKTV Australia and UKTV New Zealand channels.

The selection includes four episodes each from the 2006 and 2008 series, with the 2007 series represented by just one episode. All four of Steven Moffat's Tenth Doctor episodes are included.

The schedule for the month in both countries is as follows:

6 October
School Reunion - AU: 4:35pm; NZ: 4:45pm (NZ repeat 7 Oct, 4:20am)
The Girl in the Fireplace - AU: 5:30pm; NZ: 5:35pm (NZ repeat 7 Oct, 5:05am)

13 October
The Impossible Planet - AU: 3:35pm; NZ: 3:50pm (NZ repeat 14 Oct, 3:25am)
The Satan Pit - 4:30pm; NZ 4:45pm (NZ repeat 14 Oct, 4:15am)
Blink - AU: 5:30pm: NZ: 5:35pm (NZ repeat 14 Oct, 5:05am)

20 October
Silence In The Library - AU: 2:25pm; NZ: 4:45pm (NZ repeat 21 Oct, 4:10am)
Forest Of The Dead - AU: 3:25pm; NZ: 5:40pm (NZ repeat 21 Oct, 4:55am)

27 October
The Stolen Earth - AU: 2:25pm; NZ: 4:30pm (NZ repeat 28 Oct, 3:50am)
Journey's End - AU: 3:25pm; NZ: 5:20pm (NZ repeat 28 Oct, 4:40am)

Episodes featuring other Doctors also scheduled to screen on UKTV during October include in Australia, a screening of Series One (2005), weekdays at 9:20am beginning Thursday 17 October, and Series Seven (2012-13) Sunday evenings at 5:30pm from 20 October. New Zealand has The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe at 6:30pm on Sunday 6 October, followed by Series Seven, also on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm from 13 October.

Upcoming broadcasts can be found on UKTV's Doctor Who guide for Australia and New Zealand.





FILTER: - WHO50 - Tenth Doctor - New Zealand - Australia

Big Finish: The Light at the End cast update

Wednesday, 18 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
A pack shot has now been released for the forthcoming 50th Anniversary audio adventure The Light at the End from Big Finish. Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann unite as the Doctor(s), accompanied by Louise Jameson, Sarah Sutton, Nicola Bryant, Sophie Aldred and India Fisher as their companions. Geoffrey Beevers plays The Master, and there are also cameo appearances by Carole Ann Ford, William Russell, Maureen O’Brien, Peter Purves, Jean Marsh, Anneke Wills, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Katy Manning, Mark Strickson and Janet Fielding.

The Light at The End (pack shot) (Credit: Big Finish)

The five disc box set, which includes deluxe packaging and a lavish booklet, comprises:
  • Discs 1 and 2 – The Light at the End
  • Disc 3 – The Making of the Light at the End, featuring interviews with the actors and production crew
  • Disc 4 – This is Big Finish, a look at the current Doctor Who audio output of the company, with interviews with the actors and producers.
  • Disc 5 – The Companion Chronicles: The Revenants – William Russell performs as Ian Chesterton in a First Doctor story originally released as a download with Doctor Who Magazine.

Producer David Richardson said:
The edits are in, the designs are done and this story has now gone off to reproduction. We’re hugely proud of it – an epic story in which all our Doctors get to shine… and spend some very interesting times in each others’ company! Nick Briggs has done himself proud with the script, and Jamie Robertson’s sound design and music are phenomenal. Get ready for a very special audio celebration of 50 years of Doctor Who...

The Light at the End is available for pre-order.





FILTER: - Sixth Doctor - Audio - Eighth Doctor - Seventh Doctor - WHO50 - Fourth Doctor - Fifth Doctor

New Zealand Mint Issues Gold Anniversary Coin

Monday, 16 September 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
A limited-edition gold coin marking the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is being issued by New Zealand Mint, it was announced today.

A total of 250 of the 1 Troy ounce coins are being struck. They are being issued in collaboration with BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand as legal tender under the authority of Niue Island. Each has a nominal value of NZ$200 but will actually cost NZ$3,050 (approximately £1,570.14, AUS$2,672.41, €1,870.57, or US$2,502.83, but please note that conversion rates are liable to change), excluding duties and taxes.

The coins are 99.99 per cent pure gold, have a proof finish, and are 32.6mm in diameter. The reverse features an engraved relief of the TARDIS while the obverse has the Ian Rank-Broadley depiction of the Queen, with the border bearing the engraved words DOCTOR WHO 50TH ANNIVERSARY 1963 – 2013. They are being packaged in a wooden coin case with elevating coin insert for display purposes, and will be supplied with a gold-foiled certificate of authenticity.

It follows the issue of the 1oz silver coin earlier this year, which New Zealand Mint chief executive Simon Harding said had sparked "significant" international response. He added:
We auctioned off eight silver limited-edition Doctor Who 50th-anniversary commemorative coins on eBay, with all profits from the auctions going to our annual initiative of sending two students from the island of Niue to Outward Bound, and in doing so created an international bidding frenzy, with one coin selling to a Canadian bidder for more than 15 times its NZ$155 face value.
Rachael Hammond, senior licensing executive at BBC Worldwide Australia & New Zealand, said:
After the success of the silver Doctor Who 50th-anniversary commemorative coin, we are delighted to be partnering again with NZ Mint on the limited-edition gold coin, which looks certain to be a highly coveted item among Doctor Who fans.
Next month, New Zealand Mint will be issuing half-ounce silver coins honouring each of the 11 Doctors.
With Thanks To James Smith




FILTER: - Merchandise - WHO50 - New Zealand

The Doctors Revisited reaches the United Kingdom

Friday, 13 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Doctors Revisited - The First Doctor (Credit: BBC America)The BBC America series celebrating each of the actors to have played the Doctor will be shown on Watch, the channel's schedule has revealed.

The Doctors Revisited will be broadcast at weekends, with the premiere of The First Doctor to be shown on Saturday 12th October at 2:00pm, followed by the accompanying story The Aztecs; Sunday will then see The Second Doctor at the same time, accompanied by The Tomb of The Cybermen. The following weekend then sees The Third Doctor on the Saturday alongside Spearhead From Space, and The Fourth Doctor alongside Pyramids of Mars on Sunday.

The documentaries were orginally broadcast monthly by BBC America, and were shown in Australia and New Zealand during August by BBC Worldwide's UKTV.

Other programming to accompany the launch of Doctor Who Revisited on the 12th October includes the documentaries The Companions at 4:30pm and Doctor Who Explained at 5:30pm, both of which are repeated before The Second Doctor on the Sunday.


Watch's schedules don't currently extend beyond the 20th October, but based on the pattern above the Fifth and Sixth Doctors are expected for 26th/27th October, Seventh and Eighth on 2nd/3rd November, Ninth and Tenth on 9th/10th November, and the Eleventh on the 16th - completing the series one week before the 50th Anniversary itself!

(with thanks to SciFiBulletin)




FILTER: - Documentary - BBC America - UK - Third Doctor - Second Doctor - First Doctor - WHO50 -

Full Guest Line-Up Announced For BFI's Tenth Doctor Event

Thursday, 12 September 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Catherine Tate will be among the guests joining David Tennant later this month for the question-and-answer panel at the BFI's special event celebrating the Tenth Doctor's era.

The Stolen Earth and Journey's End, which formed the Series 4 finale, are being shown on Sunday 29th September at 2pm when, as reported last month, Tennant will be the headline guest. It has now been confirmed that he will be joined by Tate, with the other guests named as the episodes' director, Graeme Harper, plus producer Phil Collinson and casting director Andy Pryor.

The sell-out screenings are part of the BFI's Doctor Who At 50 season, curated by Dick Fiddy and Justin Johnson.

Check here for returns or try the BFI on the day for stand-bys.




FILTER: - Special Events - UK - Catherine Tate - David Tennant - BFI - WHO50 - Tenth Doctor

Fiftieth Anniversary details revealed

Tuesday, 10 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have revealed some details about their programming for the Fiftieth Anniversary celebrations, which will include:
  • The Anniversary Special itself, which has been named The Day of the Doctor and will be 75 minutes long.
  • The 90 minute drama An Adventure in Space and Time
  • A BBC Two lecture by Professor Brian Cox on the science behind the hit show
  • A Culture Show special by Matthew Sweet, entitled Me, You and Doctor Who
  • A BBC Radio 2 documentary entitled Who is the Doctor?
  • A repeat run of a restored version of the very first story, An Unearthly Child, on BBC Four
  • A primer to the series with Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide
Exact times will be revealed at a later date.

Note: the news item has since been removed from the BBC News site




FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - WHO50 - Series Specials

BFI: Seventh And Ninth Doctor Panels Plus Eighth Doctor Guests

Monday, 9 September 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Videos of the guest panels from the two most recent celebratory screenings by the BFI were released today.

The BFI is running a Doctor Who At 50 season throughout this year, curated by Justin Johnson and Dick Fiddy, and a six-minute excerpt from the question-and-answer session at the Seventh Doctor event, held on Saturday 27th July and which saw a big-screen showing of Remembrance of the Daleks, features Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, and Ben Aaronovitch in conversation with Johnson.


Meanwhile, the Ninth Doctor event - held on Saturday 24th August with Bad Wolf and The Parting of The Ways being screened - spawned a longer video, with Joe Ahearne, Phil Collinson, and Bruno Langley on the panel.


The next event, which will mark the Tenth Doctor's era, is to take place at the BFI on Sunday 29th September when the episodes The Stolen Earth and Journey's End will be shown and - as previously reported - David Tennant will be among the special guests. As with all the other events in the BFI season it has sold out, but returns are possible - keep checking here - as are stand-bys on the day.

Less than a week after that - and again as previously reported - Paul McGann will be the headline guest on Saturday 5th October at the sold-out event in honour of his time as the Eighth Doctor, with a screening of the TV Movie taking place. The full guest line-up, announced today, will be Daphne Ashbrook, Geoffrey Sax, Andrew Cartmel, Gary Russell, Nicholas Briggs, and Jason Haigh-Ellery. Cartmel, Briggs, Russell, and Haigh-Ellery will be forming a panel to talk about the years between the McGann movie and the show's return, while McGann, Ashbrook, and Sax will be the panel guests following the screening.

Yesterday, Ashbrook revealed on her website that she would be taking part, commenting:
I can't wait to see Paul McGann, Gary Russell, Jason Haigh Ellory [sic] and Andrew Cartmel. And Geoffrey Sax, whom I haven't seen since we shot the movie in 1996!
The event will be followed by a signing at the BFI Shop of advance copies of the BBC's 50th-anniversary book Doctor Who - The Vault, due out on Thursday 24th October, with author Marcus Hearn. Check here for returns for the Eighth Doctor event or try for stand-bys on the day.





FILTER: - Ninth Doctor - Special Events - Online - Eighth Doctor - Seventh Doctor - BFI - WHO50