Raptors, Robots and a Bumpy Ride

Saturday, 8 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released their latest 'confidentialette' to accompany the new episode, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship; the behind-the-scenes video takes a look at how to ride a triceratops, render a raptor, and construct a robot ... There are also galleries of production artwork and the first and second sets of storyboards available to see on the BBC website.





FILTER: - Online - Series 7/33

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: BBC online clips roundup

Saturday, 8 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
With just a few minutes to go before Dinosaurs on a Spaceship premieres on BBC1, here's a quick roundup of the videos released online to promote the episode over the course of the last week:

That Robot and Robot Look ...


In addition the BBC announced two additional cast members today, comedy duo David Mitchell and Robert Webb, who will provide the voice of the two robots in the episode - the former of which keen listeners recognised in the trailer!

Executive producer Caroline Skinner said: "We were thrilled to have David Mitchell and Robert Webb on board. It's a huge adventure, a real no-holds-barred belter of an episode and having them voice these two incredible-looking robots was just perfect. It makes them funny and chilling and… But I can’t say too much now except we’re all delighted with the episode!"





FILTER: - Online - Series 7/33

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: Preview clips

Thursday, 6 September 2012 - Reported by Harry Ward
The BBC has released two 40 second preview clips for this Saturday's episode, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.


New Images

The BBC also released 4 new images from Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.
 


Coming soon: The Power of Three

The BBC has released a synopsis for episode 4, The Power of Three, which will air on Saturday 22nd September.
The Doctor and the Ponds puzzle an unlikely invasion of Earth, as millions of sinister black cubes arrive overnight, almost like presents falling from the sky

But what are they, what’s inside them and most importantly, who sent them? With the international community at a loss, it’s left to the Doctor to unearth who is behind the mystery.


Guest stars: Mark Williams (Brian Williams), Steven Berkoff (Mr Shanks) and Jemma Redgrave (Kate Stewart)

Writer: Chris Chibnall
Executive Producers: Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Producer: Marcus Wilson
Director: Douglas Mackinnon




FILTER: - Online - Series 7/33

BBC America: Asylum of the Daleks breaks audience record

Wednesday, 5 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The viewing figure for last Saturday's premiere of Asylum of the Daleks on BBC America has been released, indicating that over 1.5 million tuned in to watch the Doctor's latest adventure with his arch-enemy - giving the episode the highest audience for Doctor Who on the channel so far!

BBC America reported:
(Saturday) delivered the channel's highest-rated, most-watched telecast ever in Live + Same Day. Doctor Who delivered 1.555 million viewers and 723,000 A25-54. The series ranked #1 in cable, excluding sports, among A25-54 in the Saturday 9:00pm-10:00pm time slot. The Doctor Who premiere and the third episode of BBC AMERICA's first original series COPPER helped BBC AMERICA achieve its highest-rated weekend ever.

Doctor Who premiere 9/1/12 9:00pm ET. Rank vs. ad-supported English language cable, excluding sports.P2+: .76 coverage rating/.54 national rating/1,555,000. P25-54: .86 coverage rating/.61 national rating/723,000

The figure comfortably overtook the previous highest rating of 1.268m achieved by last year's series opener, The Impossible Astronaut.

(figures: BBC AMERICA)




FILTER: - USA - Ratings - BBC America - Series 7/33

Doctor Who Adventures 285

Wednesday, 5 September 2012 - Reported by Harry Ward
This week's Doctor Who Adventures magazine comes with a Doctor dress-up set which includes a bow tie, a physic-paper notebook, the eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver and a TARDIS key.
Every Dalek Ever! This week in Doctor Who Adventures!

Hooray! Doctor Who is back - and Asylum of the Daleks is the best and scariest episode ever*! We celebrate with a special pull-out guide to the story, cool posters and a really tricky Dalek quiz. Plus we've an amazing preview of the next episode, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. We can't wait!

What's more, our amazing Doctor dress-up set means you can be the top Time Lord. We've also got lots of top tips on how to be the Doctor!

All this plus a terrifying comic strip, the secrets behind giant spider-woman The Empress of the Racnoss and jokes so bad you will have nightmares.

* We weren't scared by it. We just had to sleep with the lights on. And a teddy bear. With a laser gun.
Issue 285 of Doctor Who Adventures is out in the UK from 6 September.




FILTER: - DWA - Series 7/33

SPACE reports high ratings for Asylum

Tuesday, 4 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Canadian broadcaster SPACE have announced that as well as being the highest rated programme for its timeslot on Canadian television last Saturday, season opener Asylum of the Daleks also become the second-highest rated episode in the show's history on the channel!

The channel's press release said:
He did it again! The Season 7 premiere of DOCTOR WHO drew an earth-shattering 620,000 viewers, making it the second-highest rated episode in series history on SPACE and the most-watched program on Canadian television in its timeslot Saturday night. Featuring zombies, break-ups, make-ups, and more Daleks than you can shake a sonic screwdriver at, Asylum of the Daleks made SPACE the #1 network – conventional or specialty – Saturday night at 9 p.m. ET with total viewers and in the key demos A25-54 and A18-49. Peaking with 746,000 viewers, in all 1.1 million Canadians watched some or all of the episode.

The Season 7 premiere of DOCTOR WHO exterminated minds with an unexpected appearance by Jenna-Louise Coleman as Oswin Oswald, who is set to star as the Time Lord’s next companion later this season. Viewers can relive the time-travelling trickery online at SPACEcast.com.
 

The highest rated episode (so far) is last year's Let's Kill Hitler, which managed 834,000 viewers, with a peak of 977,000 and some 1.2m unique viewers in all.




FILTER: - Canada - Ratings - Series 7/33

AudioGo: October Releases

Tuesday, 4 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
AudioGo have released details on audio titles in their spoken word range due to be released in October.

The adaptation of Target novelisations continue with the Fifth Doctor adventure The Visitation, which is read by Matthew Waterhouse (Adric). Meanwhile, the television series soundtrack range sees the release of Fourth Doctor adventure The Pirate Planet, with linking narration by John Leeson (K9). In addition, two compilation collections are also to be released, themed around Earth invasions and Dalek encounters. Finally, a collection of six Eleventh Doctor adventures are also to be released in a special "TARDIS" box.

The audio releases are all due on the 4th October.

The Visitation
Written by Eric Saward
Read by Matthew Waterhouse
Released 4th October 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

Arriving on the outskirts of London in 1666, the Doctor, Tegan, Adric and Nyssa receive a decidedly unfriendly welcome. It soon becomes clear that the sinister activities of other alien visitors have made the villagers extremely suspicious of outsiders. And as a result of the alien Terileptils’ evil schemes, the Doctor finds himself on the point of playing a key role in a gruesome historical event...

Matthew Waterhouse, who played Adric in the original TV serial from 1982, reads the story.
 
The Pirate Planet
Written by Douglas Adams
Narrated by John Leeson
Released 4th October 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

Starring Tom Baker and the late Mary Tamm. The Doctor and Romana discover a planet ruled over by the tyrannical Captain. They soon discover that all is not what it seems about the ‘pirate planet’ – and a far darker power lurks behind the scenes.

This full-cast four-part TV soundtrack from the original 1978 BBC TV serial has the benefit of special linking narration by John Leeson, who in a bonus interview recollects his time as the Voice of K9.
 
Doctor Who: Invasion Earth!
Released 4th October 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

A collectible slipcase containing three exciting Doctor Who audiobooks across 12 discs, each featuring an alien invasion of Earth! In "The Dalek Invasion of Earth," the Doctor and his friends must fight to save the planet from the Daleks in the 21st Century. In "The Auton Invasion," a newly-regenerated Third Doctor encounters the Nestenes and their robotic "shop window dummy" servants the Autons. In "The Dinosaur Invasion," London faces an incursion of prehistoric monsters as the spearhead of Operation Golden Age.

Read by William Russell, Caroline John and Martin Jarvis, with original sound design, and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks.
 
Doctor Who: Dalek Menace!
Released 4th October 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

A collectible slipcase containing three exciting Doctor Who audiobooks across 15 discs, each featuring the Daleks! In "Daleks: The Chase," the TARDIS is pursued through Time and Space by the Daleks, who are intent on preventing any future intervention in their plans by the Doctor. In "Daleks: Mission to the Unknown" and "Daleks: The Mutation of Time," the leader of Earth in the far future, Mavic Chen, has allied himself with the Daleks. When the Doctor steals the core of the Time Destructor, his arch enemies pursue him across the galaxy in order to retrieve it.

Read by Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves and Jean Marsh, with original sound design, and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks.
 
Doctor Who: TARDIS Adventure Collection
Released 4th October 2012 (CD) (pre-order)

The Doctor Who: TARDIS Adventure Collection comes in a wonderful TARDIS-shaped box with front opening door, containing six 11th Doctor Audio Original titles: THE RUNAWAY TRAIN, RING OF STEEL, THE JADE PYRAMID, THE HOUNDS OF ARTEMIS, THE GEMINI CONTAGION and THE EYE OF THE JUNGLE.

Read by Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill, Clare Corbett, Meera Syal and David Troughton, with original sound design, this impressive box set is guaranteed to provide a Christmas highlight for all Doctor Who fans.
 





FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Classic Series

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: Gallery

Tuesday, 4 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a variety of photos to promote Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, which will premiere on BBC1 next Saturday at 7:35pm.



An unmanned spaceship hurtles towards certain destruction - unless the Doctor can save it, and its impossible cargo... of dinosaurs!

By his side a ragtag gang of adventurers, a big game hunter, an Egyptian Queen and a surprised member of the Pond family. But little does the Doctor know there is someone else on board who will stop at nothing to keep hold of his precious, prehistoric cargo.


Guest stars: Riann Steele (Queen Nefertiti); Rupert Graves (Riddell); Mark Williams (Brian Williams) and David Bradley (Solomon)

Writer: Chris Chibnall
Executive Producers: Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Producer: Marcus Wilson
Director: Saul Metzstein

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is due to be broadcast at these times around the world:
United Kingdom : Saturday  8th September, 7:35pm BST   BBC1
United States : Saturday 8th September, 9:00pm ET BBC America
Canada : Saturday 8th September, 9:00pm ET SPACE
Australia : Saturday 15th September, 7:30pm AEST ABC (also on iView from 9th Sept)
New Zealand : Thursday 20th September, 8:30pm NZST Prime


A Town Called Mercy

Meanwhile, the Radio Times has listed A Town Called Mercy to remain in the 7:35pm timeslot the following week; BBC Programme Information has yet to confirm the time, which will be finalised later in the week.

The Doctor gets a Stetson (and a gun!), and finds himself the reluctant Sheriff of a Western town under siege by a relentless cyborg, who goes by the name of the Gunslinger.

But who is he and what does he want? The answer seems to lie with the mysterious Kahler-Jex, an alien doctor (yes another one!) whose initial appearance is hiding a dark secret.

Writer: Toby Whithouse
Executive Producers: Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Producer: Marcus Wilson
Director: Saul Metzstein
 





FILTER: - Series 7/33

Asylum of the Daleks - AI:89

Monday, 3 September 2012 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: Asylum of the Daleks had an Appreciation Index score of 89 - the highest score by far on either of the main two channels on Saturday night.

The score is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the episode. It is based of a survey of 5000 people. The score of 89 is the highest achieved by Doctor Who since The Big Bang in 2010. It is the highest ever AI score for a season opener.





FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 7/33

Gaiman Wins Hugo For Doctor's Wife And Teases New Episode

Monday, 3 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Author Neil Gaiman won a Hugo Award for The Doctor's Wife last night - and revealed that he was working on another Doctor Who script.

His Series 6 story won in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category, beating four other nominations that included The Girl Who Waited, by Tom MacRae, and A Good Man Goes To War, by Steven Moffat.

During his acceptance speech, Gaiman said: "Only a fool or a mad man would try to do it again . . . so I'm on the third draft."

Just when this episode might air is, of course, open to speculation. The Doctor's Wife had originally been scheduled for Series 5 but was pushed back a year because of budget pressures.

The Doctor's Wife, which was directed by Richard Clark, also won the 2011 Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in this year's Nebula Awards.

It is the sixth Hugo for Doctor Who since the series returned in 2005. Other winners this year included Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell, who was part of the team that won the Best Fancast award.

The Hugo Awards were presented at Chicon 7 - the 70th World Science Fiction Convention - held at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.

Moffat tweeted a congratulatory message to Gaiman and Clark, saying: "Huge congratulations to @neilhimself and @rclarkie as The Doctor's Wife bags Doctor Who's SIXTH Hugo. Not boasting or nuffing. But SIXTH!!", and Gaiman tweeted a picture of himself with his award (shown below).






FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Awards/Nominations