People: DVD roundup (The Fifth Estate, Not Another Happy Ending)Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 13 February 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Fifth Estate


The film The Fifth Estate is due out on Blu-ray and DVD next Monday (17th February); the story follows the events surrounding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, as played by Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch, and also features new Doctor Peter Capaldi as Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger. Grapevine have kindly sent us some photos of Capaldi in his role:

Peter Capaldi in The Fifth Estate (Image: Grapevine) Peter Capaldi in The Fifth Estate (Image: Grapevine) Peter Capaldi in The Fifth Estate (Image: Grapevine)

The Fifth Estate (Cover) (Image: Grapevine)The Fifth Estate
Released 17th February 2014 (pre-order on DVD or Blu-ray)

Driven to expose corporate crimes and government secrets not matter what the cost, an activist (Benedict Cumberbatch - Star Trek Into Darkness) and computer hacker (Daniel Brühl - Rush) team up to become the underground watchdogs of the privileged and powerful. As their WikiLeaks organisation starts to gather support and influence across the globe so the stakes are raised; pitching them into conflict with US intelligence agencies and putting the lives of thousands in danger. Also starring Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Laura Linney (Hyde Park on Hudson) and Peter Capaldi (In the Loop), The Fifth Estate is based on the thrilling true story of the battle for the control of power and freedom in the 21st century.

The Fifth Estate (Image: Grapevine)The Fifth Estate (Image: Grapevine)The Fifth Estate (Image: Grapevine)

We have two copies of the film on DVD to give away, courtesy of Grapevine; to be in with a chance to win please answer the following question:
Which spoof television documentary saw Peter Capaldi researching the history of a "lost" film studio?
Send your answers to comp-fifthestate@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "Was Wikileaks an Omnishambles?", along with your name, address and where you read about the competition. Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open to readers in the United Kingdom only, and the closing date is 28th February 2014.


Not Another Happy Ending


Former TARDIS traveller Karen Gillan's first film, Not Another Happy Ending, is out this week, and Organic have kindly provided us with a few video clips of the actress in action:


Recently in an interview with MSN, she revealed the romantic comedies that she watched to prep for her role:
I worked my way through all the great rom coms of our time, started off with His Girl Friday, ... then The Apartment, When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall...I worked through quite a lot, just to kind of research.

Not Another Happy Ending - Cover (Credit: Organic)Not Another Happy Ending
Released 10th February 2014 (order on DVD)

Karen Gillan (Doctor Who, Guardians of the Galaxy) stars in the Glasgow-set romantic comedy Not Another Happy Ending. Written by David Solomons (Five Children and It), the film had its World Premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival before hitting the big screen in October.

Starring alongside Karen Gillan is Stanley Weber (Thérèse, Borgia), Iain de Caestecker (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Filth), Freya Mavor (Sunshine on Leith, Skins), Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones, Prometheus), Gary Lewis (Gangs of New York, Billy Elliot), Amy Manson (Being Human) and Henry Ian Cusick (Lost).

With her debut novel, Happy Ending, Jane Lockhart (Karen Gillan) pulled off that rare double critical acclaim and mainstream success. But now, with just the last chapter of the follow-up novel to write, she encounters crippling writer's block. She has no idea how her story ends... This is not good news for her publisher, Tom Duval (Stanley Weber). His company is up against the wall financially and the only thing that will save him is a hit, in the form of Jane's next novel. When he discovers that his most important author is blocked, Tom knows he has to unblock her or he's finished.

Everyone knows you have to be miserable to write well, and Tom realises that the only way he s going to get her to finish the novel is to make her life a misery. With the help of his best friend and cynical, child-hating high school teacher, Roddy, he sets about trying to dismantle the things in Jane's life that make her happy. Meanwhile, Jane's block spirals out of control to the point where her fictional characters, twiddling their thumbs in the not-happening novel, intrude into her real life. Her heroine, Darsie, is terrified that Jane won't give her the ending she desires because Jane has given up on her own happy ending. Will Tom, or Darsie, manage to get Jane writing again, and create a happy ending for everyone?

Not Another Happy Ending. Image: OrganicNot Another Happy Ending. Image: OrganicNot Another Happy Ending. Image: OrganicNot Another Happy Ending. Image: OrganicNot Another Happy Ending. Image: OrganicNot Another Happy Ending. Image: Organic

We have two film posters signed by Karen Gillan to give away, courtesy of Organic; to be in with a chance to win please answer the following question:
Not Another Happy Ending marks Karen Gillan's big screen debut, but in which play did she make her on-stage debut?
Send your answers to comp-nahe@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line "Blink and you'll miss her", along with your name, address and where you read about the competition. Only one entry per postal address will be accepted. The competition is open to readers in the United Kingdom only, and the closing date is 28th February 2014.




FILTER: - People - UK - Karen Gillan - Peter Capaldi - Competitions - Miscellaneous - Blu-ray/DVD

Earls Court TARDIS reveals secretBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 13 August 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Ever since it was established in 1996, the police box at Earl's Court has been an attraction for visitors to London - not to mention Doctor Who fans, able to have their photo taken next to the "TARDIS". But little have they known how close they really were ... click on the double chevron when directions are shown on the map below for all to be revealed ...


(Follow this link if the map isn't displayed - users of the new Google Maps Beta please note that they need to be logged out in order for the correct Streetview image to load)




FILTER: - Miscellaneous

Elvington Maize Maze celebrates Doctor WhoBookmark and Share

Saturday, 13 July 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Elvington Maize Maze 2013 (Credit: BBC)The annual Maize Maze from YorkMazes Ltd has been unveiled this weekend, with sixth Doctor Colin Baker on hand to open the special Doctor Who-themed maze, which this year celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the series. The maze, shaped in the form of a Dalek and featuring the likenesses of William Hartnell and Matt Smith is over 1,000 feet long, and contains some 6 miles of pathways.

Baker, who had just encountered the Daleks in the field upon his 'arrival', wrly observed:
If we had to walk through a maize maze with a Dalek it would take two hours to film, because the wretched Dalek would fall over every second inch of the journey. Now, stick it on digitally afterwards - a twelve year old with a computer does it for them - and it looks brilliant - very envious!

There will also be a special sci-fi day at the site on the 27th July - see the website for more details.

 
Elvington Maize Maze - Colin Baker (Credit: BBC) Elvington Maize Maze - Daleks (Credit: BBC) Elvington Maize Maze - Chase! (Credit: BBC)

A report and video of the opening with Colin can be found on the BBC News website.




FILTER: - Miscellaneous

Jenna-Louise Coleman meets the QueenBookmark and Share

Friday, 7 June 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Jenna-Louise Coleman was one of the people honoured to speak to the Queen during a visit by the Monarch to the BBC's new Broadcasting House, which she officially opened today. After passing by the resident Dalek, the Queen was then introduced to the actress - next to the TARDIS!

Coleman later spoke to BBC News about her experience:
The Queen and I had a conversation about time-travel, and I told her I am the Doctor's assistant and we get to travel anywhere in all of time and space, to which she replied "That must be fun" - to which I replied it really is, it's marvellous, not knowing where you're going to be from one week to the next.
And did she ask who the next Doctor might be?
No! Everybody else in the building has asked me who the next Doctor is, and I can tell you honestly we don't know. It's going to be a long, long search. But yes, I'm being asked that question a lot.
The full interview with BBC News can be watched in the United Kingdom via their website.

The Queen meets Jenna-Louise Coleman at BBC Broadcasting House, 7th June 2013 (Credit: BBC News) The Queen at BBC Broadcasting House, 7th June 2013 (Credit: BBC News)




FILTER: - Series 8/34 - Miscellaneous - Jenna-Louise Coleman

Beano Reprints Summer Special Seen In Rings Of AkhatenBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
This week's edition of children's comic The Beano includes a reprint of the 1981 summer special seen at the beginning of The Rings of Akhaten.

Publisher DC Thomson said it had been swamped with requests for the 32-year-old 32-page special after it was used by the Doctor to hide behind while he spied on Clara's parents-to-be.

In addition, the cover of the new issue - published today - shows Beano character Dennis The Menace catapulting a Dalek over a fence as his canine sidekick Gnasher exclaims "Gnexterminate!" Meanwhile, a caricature of Matt Smith as the Doctor views the mischief from the masthead.

Editor-in-chief Mike Stirling said:
Everyone at The Beano was delighted to see one of our summer specials appear on Doctor Who.

We're big fans of the show, and so are our readers, who haven't stopped talking about it. We decided to travel back in time and get a copy of the 1981 summer special, which we've reprinted inside the latest issue, in time for the last episode of the season.

We're all really excited about this issue and thrilled that Doctor Who is one of our fans. We hope Matt Smith and the whole Doctor Who team love this issue. We're giving every child the opportunity to travel back in time - just like the Doctor.




FILTER: - UK - Comics - Miscellaneous

Campaign To Save Studios RenewedBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 30 April 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Campaigners are renewing their efforts to save film studios that have close links to Doctor Who.

Bray Studios, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, are probably most famous for the Hammer horror films that were made there, including some starring Peter Cushing, but they have also hosted TV work as well as band rehearsals.

Doctor Who used the facilities for six stories between 1972 and 1979 - namely, Frontier In Space, The Invisible Enemy, Underworld, The Invasion of Time, The Power of Kroll, and City of Death - and the studios were also used by Gerry Anderson for his shows.

The now-dilapidated site, owned by showbusiness agent Neville Hendricks, is set to be turned into seven executive homes but the Save Bray Studios campaign, headed by Robert Simpson, aims to halt the bulldozers in their tracks.

Mr Simpson told Doctor Who News:
Over the years the studios have been home to hundreds of films, television productions, including model work for Doctor Who, and music. They are now set for demolition and conversion into housing following a successful planning application, but the campaign is looking into halting this and exploring any options that would allow them to continue functioning as studios.

Director Terry Gilliam and Rocky Horror's Richard O'Brien have now lent their support publicly, and other big names are in the wings.
An online petition has been launched, which can be signed here.




FILTER: - UK - Miscellaneous

Goodbye, Television CentreBookmark and Share

Friday, 22 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Television Centre Courtyard, with Helios at the centre (Credit: Chuck Foster)Tonight sees an evening celebrating the spiritual home of BBC Television, Television Centre at White City, London.

The schedule will see what is expected to be the final programmes to be made at TVC, which closes at the end of the month after some 53 years of broadcasting. Events include an attempt to recreate the record-breaking tap dance originally made by Roy Castle in 1977, plus a live hour performance by band Madness on the Centre forecourt. The evening's centrepiece will be the broadcast of Goodbye, Television Centre, a 90 minute programme presented by a name well known to Doctor Who fandom, former BBC1 Controller and Chairman Michael Grade, and featuring a host of celebrities long-associated with broadcasting from TVC including Michael Parkinson, David Attenborough, David Jason, Penelope Keith and Ronnie Corbett. Finally, musician Richard Thompson performs a one-off concert from Studio 8.
Sadly absent from the evening is the more informal documentary, Tales of Television Centre, broadcast last May on BBC Four. The programme took audiences on a nostalgic journey through TVC's history, featuring clips and reflections by many who worked there, including Doctor Who actors Peter Davison, Katy Manning, Louise Jameson, and Janet Fielding.

For Doctor Who fans, TVC will also be remembered as the 'home' of the series during its initial production run. The first episode to be recorded here was The Warriors of Death in 1964, but it wasn't until the tail end of the Troughton era when it was to become the 'permanent' studio complex for recording (barring the occasional story). TVC itself became a location as the exterior of the World Ecology Bureau in The Seeds of Doom, and will feature prominently as its 1960s self in the 50th Anniversary drama An Adventure in Space and Time.

A brief history of TVC

Although of interest to Doctor Who fans, who tend to have greater interest in the production history of their programme than more casual viewers, BBC Television Centre has transcended fandom of any kind to become a recognised icon of British popular culture. It is indelibly associated with BBC Television in the minds of many of the British public, even those who have no interest at all in the history of television or how it is produced.

Graham Dawbarn's sketch of BBC Television Centre (Credit: BBC)The land where Television Centre – always ‘TVC’ for short – now stands was originally part of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition; it was purchased by the BBC in 1949, although construction did not begin until the 1950s. Its unique question-mark shaped design allegedly came from a flash of inspiration on the part of architect Graham Dawbarn, who was wrestling with how to fit the requisite number of studios and other buildings onto the triangular piece of land the BBC had bought. Popular legend says that he doodled the question mark shape onto an envelope, and this was how the problem was solved.

Although designed as the first purpose-built television studio complex in the world, it took until 1960 for Television Centre to open, by which time Granada Television’s custom-built Quay Street studios in Manchester were already open and producing programmes. However, over the following decades, BBC Television Centre became undeniably the most famous television production centre in Britain, and perhaps one of the most famous in the world – to some British viewers it seemed, in the words of Steven Moffat in Doctor Who Confidential, “more Hollywood than Hollywood”.

From the centre’s official opening in 1960s up until the 1990s, the studios were home to every conceivable genre of television programming – drama, sitcom, light entertainment, discussion, news, current affairs, lifestyle, chat show and more. Television Centre was a broadcasting factory, pumping out the core of the BBC’s output, serviced by on-site production departments creating costumes, sets, special effects for every imaginable situation and setting on Earth – or of course, as Doctor Who fans know, beyond.

Television Centre was never the sole home of the BBC’s television output, even in London, but its frequent on-screen presence in many of the Corporation’s programmes meant it came to be seen as the home of BBC Television. However, into the 1990s the style and nature of television began to change. Drama in particular left the Centre – outside of soap operas, dramas were no longer being made in the old multi-camera studio style. The last drama to be made in the old Doctor Who multi-camera fashion was BBC One Sunday night period piece The House of Eliott, which came to an end in 1994.

With BBC producers now having free rein to make their programmes in whatever studios were the most economic, and many of the Corporation’s programmes now being made by independent production companies, programmes could be, and were, made anywhere. There were also conscious efforts to de-centralise the BBC’s London-based output, with major production centres in the 21st century being in such sites as Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.

With all of this, and other political considerations, the BBC took the decision to sell off Television Centre to developers. The closure of TVC this month, after 53 years as the flagship of the Corporation’s television broadcasting, brings to an end an era when the BBC operated an in-house production line of television that was, from conception to production to screen, not unlike a grand Hollywood studio system of the old days. And it leaves behind one of the few pieces of broadcasting architecture ever to achieve recognition outside of its industry.

An aerial view of the TVC site during construction (Credit: BBC) An modern aerial view of TVC (Credit: Google)

The Future

After closure, Stanhope will begin its plans for the metamorphosis of the site into a range facilities; the company announced earlier this year:
For the first time, Television Centre will be opened up to the public and the famous forecourt remodelled and enlivened by new retail, leisure and entertainment uses and access through the site providing connectivity with the local area, including Hammersmith Park. The BBC will remain at Television Centre operating studios and BBC Worldwide will consolidate their new home at Television Centre, following refurbishment. The remaining offices are aimed at occupiers in the creative sector providing new employment opportunities and there will be a variety of public uses, including a cinema, health club, restaurants and cafes, which will benefit the local community. The much loved listed buildings at Television Centre will be retained.
Further details outlined in the plan include the conversion of the 'horseshoe' carpark into a public square, and a new cycle route will run through the site to link up with the adjacent Hammersmith Park. Studios 1, 2 and 3 will be retained for recording, but 4-7 will be demolished in favour of residential flats. The North and South Halls will become entrances for the flat and for a new luxury hotel that will occupy the existing central ring offices facing Wood Lane. Stages 4 and 5 will become "The Television Factory", an office complex aimed at small media companies and also for commercial outlets on the ground floor. Stage 6 will become the home of BBC Worldwide.

How much of TVC will still be recognisable after the redevelopment remains to be seen!

Television Centre to live on via Google

In February Google visited TVC in order to make a "snapshot" of how the iconic building looked before closure and partial demolition. Bill Thompson, head of Partnership Development, reflected:
Google at BBC Television Centre (Credit: BBC/Bill Thompson)Lots of people have been taking photographs before we leave, to provide a final record of a building we’ve grown to love, but we’ve also decided to make a larger-scale memorial to the home of British television, so Google have brought their Street View cameras in to record large areas of the building as it is now, before it is redeveloped and refurbished.

As you can see from the picture, they have a special trolley on which the camera pod can be mounted, and this is carefully wheeled through much of the building, capturing the Foyer, the Stage Door with its renowned mural, the old scenery painting area, the studios and miles and miles of strangely similar corridor. Plus the newsroom, one or two offices and, we hope, the famous BBC canteen and its astonishing kitchens.

Studio S1, home of Today and PM for many years, is now an empty shell, and the sixth floor no longer reverberates to the sound of executive decision making, but it remains fascinating to walk through, either in real life or on a screen.

I think that anyone who wanders around the virtual corridors will get a sense of what life has been like for those of us who have worked there over the decades, and get a buzz from being allowed to look backstage in a building that has been so important to anyone who ever watched television.

The BBC’s archive is vast, but most people think of it in terms of a massive library of TV and radio programmes. In fact it’s much more than that – there are miles of paper documents, millions of photographs, vinyl LPs, sheet music and objects like the old BBC One globe and early cameras. Thanks to Google we’re now creating a "virtual tour" of the building that everyone can enjoy, and we’re also adding to the BBC’s store of memories.

In the Media

  • BBC TV Centre: Goodbye to the 'dream factory' (BBC News)
  • BBC Television Centre: Farewell to the Dream Factory (The Independent)
  • Farewell London W12 8QT (The Sun)
  • The question mark over the BBC's finest hours (Express)
  • A farewell to TVC (BBC)
  • Angela Rippon revisits old TV studio [video] (BBC News)
  • In praise of ... Television Centre (Guardian)

  • Michael Grade: 'BBC Television Centre was state of the art but it's way past its sell-by date' (Independent)
  • Television Centre sale draws fire from BBC stars in tribute programme (Guardian)
  • BBC stars lament end of TV Centre (Express)
  • Madness to play BBC Television Centre farewell gig (BBC)
  • Dance on tap for final show from TV Centre (Brighouse Echo)
  • BBC Club appoints Pitman’s People for The Television Centre’s Closing Party Celebrations (Event Industry News)

(article written by Chuck Foster and Paul Hayes)




FILTER: - Special Events - Miscellaneous - Broadcasting - BBC

Douglas Adams Honoured With Google DoodleBookmark and Share

Monday, 11 March 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Former Doctor Who script editor and writer the late Douglas Adams has been honoured with an interactive Google doodle today - what would have been his 61st birthday.

The doodle, which is an alteration of the Google logo, focuses on The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - which was undoubtedly Adams's most widely-known work - and clicking on the Guide reveals many iconic elements from it, including a towel and a Babel fish, while clicking on the lift door reveals the character Marvin the paranoid android.

Adams was the script editor for Doctor Who's 17th season, wrote two stories for the show - The Pirate Planet and Shada - and co-wrote a third, City of Death.

A great enthusiast of technology and a passionate conservationist, he died suddenly in California on 11th May 2001 at the age of 49 after suffering a heart attack.


The search engine giant says that via the doodles it "aims to celebrate interesting events and anniversaries that reflect Google's personality and love for innovation." Ideas for Google doodles can be suggested via proposals@google.com





FILTER: - People - Miscellaneous

Doctor Who To Air In 3DBookmark and Share

Monday, 11 February 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who is to be shown in 3D, it was announced this evening.

A press statement said that the programme would be broadcast in 3D, using some of the BBC's high-definition capacity, as part of the blockbuster celebrations to mark the show turning 50. Showrunner Steven Moffat said:
It's about time. Technology has finally caught up with Doctor Who and your television is now bigger on the inside. A whole new dimension of adventure for the Doctor to explore.
The use of the advance in broadcasting technology for the programme was revealed during an event for writers, actors, industry, and press at which BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson set out his vision for BBC Drama, announcing new commissions, recommissions, and looking forward to new horizons:
Drama and the BBC are inseparable – it is written through the BBC like a stick of rock. No other broadcaster in the world has drama so firmly in its DNA . . . I want to make BBC drama a cultural institution – a touchstone for quality and modernity with all the excitement and glamour of a curtain going up . . . I want to make the BBC the hallmark of quality drama.

This isn't the first time the show has entered the 3D waters. Back in 1993 Doctor Who's 30th anniversary was marked with Dimensions In Time, broadcast in 3D for that year's Children in Need. And in 2010 the Eleventh Doctor's era was heralded by a 3D trailer shown in cinemas, as can be seen below (NB: 3D anaglyph red/cyan glasses are needed for the full benefit):


Also in 2010 a poll was undertaken by entertainment manufacturer Panasonic that revealed Doctor Who was the show that viewers would most like to see in 3D, with other favourites being Wallace and Gromit and Top Gear.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Miscellaneous - BBC

Regional roundupBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 6 February 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

United Kingdom

Marc Stonham with his Dalek in Helston. Photo: Falmouth PacketThe recent snowfall across the United Kingdom brought forth an array of snow sculptures, including Daleks! Areas reported include Leicester and Faversham, plus a number of photos published by the official Doctor Who Facebook page.

Speaking of Daleks, another was to be found at a chip shop in Helston! It was built by proprietor Marc Stonham, who said: "I've been thinking about it on and off for the last 40 years. It wasn’t until last (year) that I actually did it. People do mention it and come and have a look." [Falmouth Packet, 17 Jan 2013]

The islanders of Cumbrae in Scotland hope that John and Carole Barrowman's Hollow Earth books will boost tourism. Paul Watling, of Visit Cumbrae, reported: "We've had visits from a number of Hollow Earth fans and last week, a group of about 14 came over. They were from all across France and Germany and were very keen to see the island. I showed them some of the locations used in the book and they loved their visit. We hope the books will do for Cumbrae what (tv series) Balamory did for Mull." [Daily Record, 13 Jan 2013]

The Rainbow pub in Digbeth has been re-opened with a retro theme, including a photo booth masquerading as a police box! Other features include a "Del Boy" cocktail bar and a Scalectrix set to play with! [Birmingham Mail, 1 Feb 2013]

United Kingdom / Australia

A Doctor Who postcard has sailed the seven seas from Sunderland (England) to Perth (Australia)! Schoolboy Cade Scott released the card in a bottle in August 2011, and was found by Matthew Elam this last Christmas Day, who responded back in January. Cade said: "I had got some Doctor Who postcards in a magazine and decided to use one of them to put in the bottle. I was just amazed it had gone so far. I thought it had sunk in the North Sea." [Sunderland Echo, 18 Jan 2013]

United States

Two special screenings of Doctor Who are to take place at the Rockland Public Library in Maine, as part of a series of literary, film and music evenings. The Sun Makers is to be shown on the 7th February, with Blink the following 14th. Admission is free. [Penobscot Bay Pilot, 28 Jan 2013]

The Eleven (Crochet) Doctors. Photo: Allison HoffmanCrochet versions of each of the Doctors have been made by Allison Hoffman from Austin, Texas; she explained: "I made the dolls for a woman that wanted to give her husband a Christmas present that would blow him away. He is a huge Doctor Who fan and she knew he’d love these toys. He’s actually building a custom cabinet to display them now! Before taking on this project I had only seen the newer Who and not very many episodes, but now I feel like I know all of these people personally!". No prizes for guessing her favourite: "Tom Baker - I loved making that scarf!" [Metro, 29 Jan 2013]

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson recently discussed "What is Time?" on his StarTalk Radio, comparing views of how Time travel is portrayed as linear, branching and, in Doctor Who's case, wibbly wobbly! [StarTalk Radio via YouTube, Jan 2013]




FILTER: - USA - UK - Miscellaneous - Australia