DVD Update: Legacy Box BBFC Classifications

Thursday, 8 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Legacy BoxThough no formal details have been given for the UK DVD release of the Legacy Box (Region One details were released last month), the British Board of Film Classification have now passed the additional material that features in the set, plus their running times.

SHADA:
00:04:46:06 SHADA - PHOTO GALLERY
00:25:35:09 TAKEN OUT OF TIME -
THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF SHADA
00:12:41:20 SHADA - NOW AND THEN
00:27:46:01 STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!
00:30:08:15 BEING A GIRL
MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN THE TARDIS:
00:25:57:14 REMEMBERING NICHOLAS COURTNEY 
00:13:29:06 DOCTOR WHO STORIES - PETER PURVES
00:10:33:21 THE LAMBERT TAPES - SUCCESS STORY
00:01:47:21 RICHARD MARTIN'S MEMORIES OF VERITY
00:22:35:23 THOSE DEADLY DIVAS
00:06:04:02 MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS IN THE TARDIS - PHOTO GALLERY
In addition, the six episodes comprising the 2003 animated version of the story, featuring Paul McGann as the Doctor, has also been passed (the final item most likely refers to the introductory 'episode' to the story that places it in context):
00:18:26:04 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE ONE
00:22:43:03 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE TWO
00:20:49:13 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE THREE
00:27:22:00 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE FOUR
00:24:18:21 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE FIVE
00:23:41:16 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA - EPISODE SIX
00:07:31:09 DOCTOR WHO - SHADA (EPISODE LISTING)
Steve Roberts recently explained how the animated version is to be presented:
Just to clarify the reason that the McGann Shada is represented as a Flash animation rather than as DVD Video. Two reasons: Firstly, the animation was judged by all (including those who made it) to be not of sufficient quality for video. Secondly, it would have required a separate disc as there wasn't room on either of the others to include it - and that was an option that was outside of budget.

I thought it should be included however, as it's part of the official BBC canon by virtue of being broadcast (which is ironic, as the BBC Video version itself isn't!), so I worked closely with James Goss to package it into a form that could be viewed easily on an PC or Mac via a simple web interface.

The Legacy Box is due to be released on the 7th January in the UK(R2), and on the 8th January for North America(R1).





FILTER: - Tom Baker - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Paul McGann

Cybermen to return in Gaiman story

Wednesday, 7 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have announced that the Cybermen will feature in the second half of the current series, appearing in the penultimate episode, written by Neil Gaiman.

Tamzin Outhwaite (reported last roundup) has also now been confirmed for the episode, and will be joined by Warwick Davis, whose sci-fi/fantasy career includes playing Wicket in Return of the Jedi, the titular role in Willow and the Leprechaun films, and Professor Flitwick/Griphook in the Harry Potter films. On television he has most recently been seen as "himself" in Life's Too Short.

The two are joined by Jason Watkins, who is also no stranger to sci-fi/fantasy, having played the vampire leader Herrick in Being Human; other credits include Lark Rise To Candleford, Little Dorrit, Psychoville, and Dirk Gently, and he can currently be seen as Gavin in Sky's Trollied.

Steven Moffat said:
Cybermen were always the monsters that scared me the most! Not just because they were an awesome military force, but because sometimes they could be sleek and silver and right behind you without you even knowing. And with one of the all-time classic monsters returning, and a script from one of our finest novelists, it's no surprise we have attracted such stellar names as Tamzin, Jason and Warwick.

The episode is directed by Stephen Woolfenden, with the guest stars described as "a band of misfits on a mysterious planet..."


The writer himself has been busy with rewrites of the script, teasing away on Twitter. As reported last week on the Wednesday he said: "Amazing hectic couple of days & stressed Doctor Who post-table-read rewrite in progress. On BBC legal advice Lampwick is no more.«". On Thursday, he continued: "back on Doctor Who script. Only 5 pages to trim before dawn.« They start shooting it on Wednesday. They need the script now.« There. It is FOUR pages shorter than it was this morning. It has been sent to the BBC. And I am going to bed.«" Finally, on Friday: "I believe that we've just locked my Dr Who script. I probably won't have to write it again until we need new ADR dialogue once it's edited.«" - to which executive producer Caroline Skinner retorted: "Ha ha!! A locked script is an alien concept on Doctor Who.... :-)«"

On this morning's announcement, he added: "I saw my first Cybermen watching Moonbase, as Jamie thought the Piper was coming for him (scary). Then Tomb of the Cybermen terrified me.«". And on his version of them being scary? "I hope so.«"





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Series 7/33

Live+7 Viewing Figures

Sunday, 4 November 2012 - Reported by Marcus
Live+7 figures are now available for the series of Doctor Who episodes shown in September.

The Live+7 figures give the total numbers viewing a programme within a week of transmission, including all watching on PVR, transmission repeats and on iPlayer.

Each Doctor Who episode increased its audience by an average of 52% from the initial overnight figure, a much larger increase than achieved by the average BBC One drama, which had a 25% increase. Just under 10% of viewers watched on iPlayer, with the vast majority of iPlayer viewers time-shifting the programme.

With an average increase of 3.07 million, Doctor Who has the second-largest average increase for Drama in 2012, just being beaten by Steven Moffat's other series, Sherlock, which increased each episode by an average of 3.34 million viewers. Doctor Who has the largest percentage increase for Drama for the year so far.

TitleFirst RunLive+7increaseFirst RunRepeatsTime Shifti Player
Asylum of the Daleks6.39m9.65m51%66%4%20%10%
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship5.43m8.64m59%63%5%23%9%
A Town Called Mercy6.49m9.22m42%70%2%20%7%
The Power of Three5.59m8.68m55%64%3%24%8%
The Angels Take Manhattan5.86m8.92m52%66%3%22%9%




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Ratings - UK - Series 7/33

Roundup (current series)

Friday, 2 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

In Production

Neil Gaiman with Jenna-Louise Coleman. Photo: Neil GaimanThis week saw the read-through for episode twelve, written by Neil Gaiman; the writer commented on the experience over the last few days on Twitter: "Amazing hectic couple of days and stressed Doctor Who post-table-read rewrite in progress. On BBC legal advice Lampwick is no more." The read-through also gave him the chance to meet new girl Jenna-Louise Coleman!

Matt Smith praised Gaiman's script at the London MCM Expo: "It's very different, but again I think it will be a fan's favourite because, well, without giving anything away, it just will be, because there's something in it. Neil's brilliant ideas will always add a level to Doctor Who, which will be interesting."

One guest star for the episode will be Tamzin Outhwaite, who according to her CV will be playing the role of Capt Alice. A former EastEnders actress, other lead roles include Red Cap (2003), Hotel Babylon (2006), The Fixer (2008) and Paradox (2009). Asked about her role by Flicks and the City earlier in October, she said: "I'd like to play a baddie, but I haven't done a goodie for a while, so it'll be nice to play a goodie."

Another actor confirmed for the episode is Calvin Dean, whose CV indicated a character name of Ha-Ha (now removed); speaking on Twitter he said: "wow. things get out so quickly on here. So much for being secretive!". The actor was critically acclaimed for his role as Darren Mullet in Tormented, but is also familiar to the Doctor Who world, having played "Chris" in The Sarah Jane Adventures story The Gift.

Former singing contestant on The X Factor Zoe Alexander hopes that her appearance in episode seven (2013#3) will kick off an acting career: "It's great to be working on Doctor Who - the people are a lot nicer than some you get to meet working in TV. I'm loving it but I'm hoping that this is just a start for me." [WalesOnline, 30 Oct 2012]

Regular monster/extra Matthew Doman has also been involved; on Tuesday he said: "Sitting in the changing rooms ready to Don my new monster costume for the WHO. A week of monstering WOO HOO!!"; today, he added: "Our Monster is coming close to the final wrap on this ep of Dr WHO :( It's ok I'm monstering again Sunday for the Dr WHO Experience ;) ha ha"

Episode six is undergoing editing, with director Colm McCarthy indicating yesterday that there's about two weeks to go. It's certainly busy work, with McCarthy commmenting this morning: "Got into the edit at 6AM. Started shouting "INCEPTION CAT!" at the editor at 6.05AM. Directing is hard."; he then added: "Temp music is fun when you have a bin full of genius thanks to Murray Gold".

Another actor identified for episode six (2013#1) is Robert Whitelock, whose CV indicates he plays a character named Mahler. The actor is about to appear as DC John Attwood in the second series of The Hour.

Meanwhile, Rachael Stirling talked about her recent filming experience in Doctor Who with her mother, Dame Diana Rigg: "We filmed Doctor Who in the summer, which was amazing. It's a juggernaut, I got to see all sorts of secret things I can't tell you about or I'll have to shoot you! Working with my mum was funny - I think it was a good experience for both of us, we really loved it; I was very proud of her and she said likewise, and that something we'll always remember. Working with Matt was gorgeous, he's brilliant, he's got that wonderful energy, I think he's a really admirable, brilliant man!" [Sky Tyne and Wear Video, 1 Nov 2012]

Matt Smith on the Steve Wright Show

Matt Smith on the Steve Wright ShowMatt Smith was a guest on the Steve Wright Show on Monday afternoon, during which he managed to avoid giving away anything about the Christmas Special! "I can say it's set in Victorian England, we meet a Doctor who's been profoundly changed by the experiences before from losing the Ponds ... and into his life walks Jenna-Louise Coleman's character and off they go on new adventures!"

Talking about the series in general, he said: "I think that the Doctor is the same character fundamentally, that's why we tune in to watch the show, because there's a mad man who turns up and saves the universe with a ball of string and a toaster, and that's kind of it. That's why it's been going for fifty years - at its core and its heart beat that's what it's about. Of course it is going to evolve with CGI and now you get a bit more culture perhaps - but then is it more cultured, I don't know? I think sometimes there can be too much CG and 3D and all that sort of stuff can get a bit overwhelming. Hopefully you can be a bit more inventive with the stories and actually go and create space, or you can go back to Victorian England in a way that 40/50 years ago was more difficult to do."

Looking to next year, he said: "We're very fortunate to have Mr Steven Moffat, who's a complete genius, he really is. I've just read episode one of the next season and you think ... and there're some brilliant ideas in it, there's a moment in it which involves wheels - that is an exclusive, an actual honest exclusive! - and when you watch it you'll go ahhh. It's him, being brilliant."

Into the Future - 50th Anniversary

Peter Davison talks about the 50th Anniversary: "Every day I check the phone to see if Steven Moffat has called me! I don't know what’s happening next year, I have nothing to report. I'm sure it will be something fantastic! But I don't know what. I think if [the classic Doctors] aren't invited, I'm going to make my own rival video. I'll do my own 50th anniversary special. Colin Baker's prepared to work for nothing!" [ComicBookResources, 26 Oct]

Meanwhile, the special documentary for the Anniversary seems to have fallen foul of recent revelations, according to the latest edition of Private Eye (number 1326): "As the sound of stable doors slamming shut resounds around the BBC the Jimmy Savile scandal is having some increasingly bizarre after-effects. A one-off docudrama about the creation of Doctor Who scripted by Mark Gatiss is in production, to be broadcast in November 2013 in celebration of the programme's 50th anniversary. Its makers have just been ordered to excise all scenes set in Television Centre dressing rooms."

Into the Future - cast/crew aspirations

Deep Space Nine actor Aron Eisenberg has said that he'd like to be in the show, especially if Peter Jackson does direct! "If they called me I'd be there. I want to to play some fun, interesting, crazy little character. I would love to get into something really fun and cool. It would be awesome. Doctor Who is on my Netflix queue, There's so many things on my Netflix queue, I still haven't been able to see Game of Thrones." [Waikato Times, 20 Oct]

As well as Jackson, Matt Smith continues to add to his wishlist of directors for the series: "Danny Boyle, I would just have a heart attack if he came anywhere near Doctor Who. I would love it. He's one of my favourite filmmakers around. He'd be an amazing director for Doctor Who, but I don't think we'd get him. I'll tell you who I'd also think would be great. Edgar Wright. He'd do something brilliant. I think he'd do something really, really clever with it." [Digital Spy, 31 Oct 2012]

Danny Boyle's collaborator for the Olympics Opening Ceremony, Frank Cottrell Boyce, would also like to write for the series: "I'm always slightly aggrieved that I never got asked to write for Doctor Who - that's in the same league (as the Olympics). I'd jump at that." [Digital Spy, 31 Oct 2012]

(with thanks to Ruther, Sky Tyne&Wear)




FILTER: - People - Matt Smith - Peter Davison - Series 7/33

Air Lock To Be Shown In Full On Big Screen

Thursday, 1 November 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The Season 3 episode Air Lock that was recovered last year is to be shown in full on the big screen in London next month.

It will form part of the first session of this year's annual BFI event Missing Believed Wiped, entitled The Weird And The Wonderful.

An excerpt from the Galaxy 4 episode was shown as a surprise part of last year's BFI showcase of recovered TV material, as was the screening in full of episode 2 of The Underwater Menace, whose recovery had similarly been kept under wraps until then. Both episodes were shown in full in Cardiff in May.

In addition, the second and concluding session of this year's Missing Believed Wiped - Music And Entertainment - will include the recovered March 1966 edition of BBC TV's youth culture show A Whole Scene Going that features a location report from the filming of Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

Tickets to both sessions of this year's event, which takes place on Sunday 2nd December at the BFI Southbank, go on sale to the public at 11.30am on Tuesday 13th November.

As previously reported, Air Lock is to be a bonus episode on next March's special edition DVD release of The Aztecs.




FILTER: - Special Events - UK - William Hartnell - BFI - Classic Series

Christmas Prequel for Children in Need 2012

Friday, 26 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Pudsy WhoThe BBC have announced that, as with many years in the past, Doctor Who will feature as a part of its annual Children in Need fund-raising evening:

Doctor Who, featuring Matt Smith, will also bring viewers an extra special 'prequel' to its Christmas special, with a bespoke storyline made for Children in Need, and an exclusive preview trailer of the Christmas special including the first glimpse of the Doctor with his new companion.

Last year, the Doctor's costume was auctioned for the charity, raising £50,000.


Children in Need takes place this year on Friday 16th November.


Donate here!





FILTER: - Charities - Series Specials - Series 7/33

DVD Update: Series 7 - Part 1

Friday, 19 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The first part of Series 7 is due to be released in the UK on the 29th October, and will come in two flavours. Both versions feature the five episodes shown so far (Asylum of the Daleks to The Angels take Manhattan), the UK mini-episode Pond Life, and also the two special 'prequels' that were originally exclusive to iTunes:
  • Asylum of the Daleks: The Doctor receives a message from a mysterious hooded stranger – a woman called Darla Von Karlsen wants to meet him...
  • A Town Called Mercy: Civil war has ravaged the Kahler race, but a team of scientists has found an advantage. The Gunslinger is born.
In addition, a limited edition "Weeping Angels" release also contains the documentary The Science of Doctor Who, which delves into whether the scientific concepts of the series live up to reality.


Both the standard (DVD/Blu-ray) and limited edition (DVD/Blu-ray) versions are available for pre-order.





FILTER: - Merchandise - Blu-ray/DVD - Series 7/33

AudioGo: Winter Releases

Friday, 19 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
AudioGo have released details on audio titles in their spoken word range due to be released towards the end of the year.

After November's Destiny of The Daleks, the next in the television soundtrack range will also be the following adventure, City of Death, again with linking narration and bonus interview from Lalla Ward (Romana). Meanwhile, the next Eleventh Doctor story, Snake Bite, will be the final one to feature the characters of Amy and Rory.

City of Death
Written by David Agnew
Narrated by Lalla Ward
Released Winter 2012 (CD)

Whilst sightseeing in Paris, 1979, the Doctor and Romana notice a series of unexplained temporal disturbances – ‘like a crack in time,’ as the Doctor puts it. They discover that Count Scarlioni, has a knowledge of advanced technology that far exceeds that of normal 20th century Parisians. Not only that, the Count is forcing a genius professor to undertake time experiments. The question is, why? As the time travellers become involved in an audacious plan to steal the Mona Lisa it becomes evident sinister forces are afoot… What lies behind the Count’s suave persona and what are his plans, not only for Paris, but the entire world? The Doctor and his friends must find the answers before time runs out.

In an exclusive bonus interview Lalla Ward recalls her time as Romana in the BBC TV series. Also included are colour PDF files of the original TV scripts.
 
Snake Bite
Written by Scott Handcock
Read by Frances Barber
Released Winter 2012 (CD)

After a lifetime spent working on her secret project, Doctor Elehri Mussurana and her husband, Ernst Wharner, watch in awe as their experiment reaches its final, glorious fruition. A wormhole in time and space is being created… Then the unexpected occurs: inside the swirling vortex appears a tall blue box...

Potential disaster awaits the Doctor, Rory and Amy as the Tardis arrives in a scientific research outpost far into the future just as the fabric of reality is ripped at the seams and the universe tears in two….

This story is the final Audio Original to feature Amy and Rory, as played by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill who left the most recent TV episode ‘The Angels Take Manhattan’.
 




FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Classic Series - BBC

Christmas Special for ... Christmas Day!

Thursday, 18 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who at ChristmasIt might seem enshrined in tradition, but the Christmas Special is seldom confirmed to be on Christmas Day itself until just a few weeks before broadcast. This year, however, the BBC have announced some ten weeks in advance that Doctor Who will indeed feature in the line-up for the festive evening, which it hopes will help settle the audience in front of BBC1 with their turkey sandwiches for the duration!

The time of the episode has yet to be announced, but will slot into the usual late afternoon/early evening line-up, which this year includes the Pixar Oscar-winning film Up as well as the usual instalment of Walford mayhem in EastEnders. The prime-time 9:00pm slot this year falls to the popular new series Call the Midwife, which is expected to go head-to-head with the ratings winner of last Christmas, ITV1's Downton Abbey. The main evening viewing on BBC1 is rounded off with The Royle Family at 10:00pm.

The as-yet-untitled hour-long special set in Victorian times will be Matt Smith's third Christmas outing, and sees the debut of Jenna-Louise Coleman as the new regular co-star; the episode also guest stars Richard E Grant. In addition, the episode will see the return of several of the Doctor's compatriots from last year's A Good Man Goes To War, with Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart and Dan Starkey reprising their roles of Vastra, Jenny and Strax respectively. The episode is written by Steven Moffat and directed by Saul Metzstein.

Into 2013 ...

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine has summarised the expected running order of the remaining eight episodes of the current series to be broadcast in 2013, and also confirmed that fantasy author Neil Gaiman - who suggested he was writing a script last month - has indeed done so.

EpisodeWriterDirectorGuest stars
2013 #1 Steven Moffat Colm McCarthy
2013 #2 Neil Cross Farren Blackburn
2013 #3 Mark Gatiss Douglas Mackinnon David Warner and Liam Cunningham
2013 #4 Neil Cross Jamie Payne Dougray Scott and Jessica Raine
2013 #5 Steve Thompson Mat King Ashley Walters
2013 #6 Mark Gatiss Saul Metzstein Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling
2013 #7 Neil Gaiman Stephen Wolfenden
2013 #8 Steven Moffat tbc




FILTER: - Series Specials - Series 7/33

Air Lock for March

Thursday, 18 October 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Galaxy 4: Air LockAs reported by Dan Hall at Recon last month, the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine has a summary of the DVDs scheduled for the beginning of 2013, which includes the announcement that the recently recovered and restored third episode of the William Hartnell story Galaxy 4, Air Lock, will be released as a bonus episode on the special edition version of Season 1 story The Aztecs.

Other releases lined up for the first quarter include the previously reported Legacy Box on 7th January, the animation-enhanced The Reign of Terror on 28th January, a special edition version of The Ark in Space on 18th February, and the above-mentioned special edition of The Aztecs on 11th March. No features for the DVDs have been announced at present.

In addition, the last 'intact' story of the range, Terror of the Zygons has been announced for June (The Mind of Evil undergoing colour restoration) - features for the final Tom Baker release were unexpectedly revealed by the BBFC back in July.

Finally, DWM also revealed that Jon Pertwee's inaugural story Spearhead from Space is to be released yet again in June, this time taking advantage of the 'classic' series story's unique film recording to produce a high-definition Blu-ray presentation. Features on this release will include an extensive biography on Pertwee and an obituary for his co-star Caroline John, who died earlier this year.

Future History ...

Since our summer update the list of currently unannounced titles has diminished rapidly, with only fourteen episodes remaining to see the DVD treatment:
In addition, several special edition versions of previously released stories are expected during the course of the year, including Inferno.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD