The Greatest Show In The Galaxy: alternative R4 cover designBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Tea-Lady Design have published a clean version of an alternative version of the cover art for The Greatest Show of the Galaxy, which has been produced as an exclusive for the Australian (R4) market.

The differences between the two can be compared below.






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

Pond Life: Part TwoBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Part Two of Pond Life has now been released by the BBC.

Part Two: May: The Doctor picks the wrong time to turn up unannounced...

Further details about the mini-adventures are available from the Pond Life page on the BBC website.

Pond Life, Part Two, via YouTube or BBC iPlayer   -   Also available: Part One (YouTube/BBC iPlayer)





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

Radio Times Cover For Asylum Of The DaleksBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who features on the cover of the new Radio Times - on sale from today - which celebrates the return of the programme this coming Saturday.

The magazine, issue dated 1st to 7th September, also features interviews with Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Matt Smith - in which he casts doubt on regenerating in the 50th-anniversary story - as well as an episode guide by Steven Moffat plus a Dalek wallchart.

Talking about new companion actress Jenna-Louise Coleman, Gillan says:
I've met Jenna and we get on really well. And I've been texting her bits and bobs about Matt, but what I wrote is a secret. That's the code of the companion. I didn't offer her any advice though because I want her to have the experience for herself. I didn't want to plant any preconceptions in her head.
On the programme's 50th anniversary next year, Smith says:
We want to make it as big and bold and as brilliant as we can because, we hope, it can be one of the monumental bits of TV history. But I doubt there'll be a regeneration.
Asylum of the Daleks is on BBC One on Saturday at 7.20pm.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Arthur Darvill - Karen Gillan - Matt Smith - Magazines - Radio Times

Doctor Who 'fast-tracked' to Australian internet TVBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk
ABC1The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has announced via its TV Blog that Asylum of the Daleks will be fast-tracked to premiere on its internet TV iview service on Sunday 2 September from 5.10am AEST immediately after its UK launch on 1 September. ABC1 Controller Brendan Dahill said, “For Doctor Who fans, it is a fantastic opportunity to see new episodes within hours of them premiering in the UK – each episode will be available on iview on Sundays.”

“ABC’s iview is the most watched catch-up service in Australia with 48% of online Australians aged 16+ having accessed iview,” said Dahill. “The new iview app for iphones and iPod Touch, launched on June 26, has seen a phenomenal 434,000 downloads recorded to date – with 210,000 downloads recorded in its first week.”

As previously reported, Asylum of the Daleks will have its debut on Australian terrestial TV on ABC1 on Saturday 8th September 2012 at 7.30pm.

Media Links: TV Tonight




FILTER: - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

Asylum of the Daleks: latest imagesBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released new images to promote the forthcoming Asylum of the Daleks:



The episode is to be broadcast at 7:20pm this Saturday on BBC One.

Kidnapped by his oldest foe, the Doctor is forced on an impossible mission - to a place even the Daleks are too terrified to enter... the Asylum.

A planetary prison confining the most terrifying and insane of their kind, the Doctor and the Ponds must find an escape route. But with Amy and Rory’s relationship in meltdown, and an army of mad Daleks closing in, it is up to the Doctor to save their lives, as well as the Pond’s marriage.

Guest stars: Nicholas Briggs (voice of the Daleks); Anamaria Marinca (Darla) and Naomi Ryan (Cassandra)

Written by Steven Moffat; executive produced by Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner; produced by Marcus Wilson; and directed by Nick Hurran

Matt Smith appeared on BBC Radio One's Greg James Show yesterday afternoon to promote the return of the series, during which he discussed being in New York at the weekend for the premiere of Asylum of the Daleks for BBC America, his favourite moments on the series, and what he thinks about the potential for a female Doctor. The programme is available to listen to on the BBC iPlayer (42m in) for the next seven days.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Meanwhile, the Radio Times has listed Dinosaurs on a Spaceship to transmit at the even later time of 7:35pm the following week, making it the second latest time of broadcast since 2005 (with only Gridlock broadcast later at 7:40pm). BBC Programme Information has yet to confirm the time, which will be finalised later in the week.

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 Stelle (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







FILTER: - Matt Smith - Radio - Series 7/33

Pond Life: Part One releasedBookmark and Share

Monday, 27 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The first part of the Doctor Who mini-adventure, Pond Life, has now been released by the BBC. Each of the five parts will be shown online over the next few days, leading into the the broadcast of Asylum of the Daleks on Saturday.

Part One: April: whilst the Ponds enjoy life at home, the Doctor has been having some unplanned adventures...

Further details are available from the Pond Life page on the BBC website.






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

People RoundupBookmark and Share

Sunday, 26 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
David Tennant is to host a new panel show for Channel 4. Comedy World Cup will be a seven-part series in which comedians will use their stand-up to compete against one another in a knockout competition. Justin Gorman, the channel's Head of Entertainment, said: "Needless to say when we thought who could match, handle and wrangle some of the funniest and most talented comedians on TV, we decided it had to be David Tennant, so are thrilled he agreed". [Metro, 24 Aug 2012]

The actor recently appeared on G4's Attack of the Show!, chatting about the Olympics opening ceremony, The Spies of Warsaw, and his feelings on the 50th Anniversary.

Matt Smith can be briefly spotted in the "Don't Think" video from sports company Adidas, during which he was painted as a clown. Several photos of the actor in make-up can also be found via the Daily Mail, taken at a party in Shoreditch to celebrate the Olympics earlier this month.

Speaking at the BFI, Steven Moffat commented on the way in which children should be taught to read: "What makes people read a lot is books they like. I used to think when I was a school teacher that we shouldn’t give them the books they [education authorities] thought they ought to read – we should give them really cool books that they think are exciting. It doesn’t matter if they are good books as long as they read. Reading makes you better at English, reading a lot makes you want to read better books." [Standard, 15 Aug 2012]

Also at the BFI, Karen Gillan announced that she will feature in the third of Charlie Brooker's spoof series A Touch of Cloth, due to be shown in 2013. No character details have been revealed as yet. [Radio Times, 15 Aug 2012]

Freema Agyeman's commitments to the Sex and the City prequel The Carrie Diaries has led to the actress being unavailable to film Law and Order: UK for its 2013 series. Agyeman has been with the show since its creation in 2009. [TVWise, 24 Aug 2012]

Burn Gorman has been reported as joining the cast of HBO's Game of Thrones as a member of the Night Watch. The actor has most recently been seen in The Dark Knight Rises. [WinterIsComing, 8 Aug 2012]




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - People - Freema Agyeman - Karen Gillan - David Tennant

Asylum Screening For Convention AttendeesBookmark and Share

Sunday, 26 August 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
With just under a week to go to the Power: Reimagined convention in Fareham and with the event date unfortunately clashing with Asylum of the Daleks, attendees - and potential attendees - will be relieved to know that they won't miss out on seeing the Series 7 opening episode.

The convention is being held on Saturday 1st September to celebrate the fan film Power of the Daleks, based on Patrick Troughton's inaugural story as the Doctor, and the event was, of course, arranged long before the BBC decided when to show Asylum of the Daleks.

The convention organisers won't be screening the episode but event attendee Jeremy Bentham has - independently and with the organisers' blessing - found a nearby pub with two 53-inch plasma screens on which the manager has said he is happy to show Doctor Who that evening.

The pub is The Lord Arthur Lee, in West Street, Fareham, which is just a short walk away from where the convention is being held, at Ferneham Hall in Osborn Road.

Please note that the screening of the episode is not connected with the convention, nor is it a launch party as held by Bentham in London in the past, so there is not exclusive use of the pub. It is simply an informal arrangement to ensure that those attending the convention who also want to see the episode "live" that evening can do so.

The first two parts of the fan film, which stars Nick Scovell as the Doctor and features Lisa Bowerman, Nicholas Briggs, and Barnaby Edwards in the cast, have been released via YouTube, with the third and final part due to be webcast at some point next month. The charity convention will see the first showing of the fan reimagining in full on the big screen and in high definition.

Guests at the convention will include Christopher Barry, who directed the original story, and Anneke Wills, who played companion Polly in the six-part adventure. Michael Troughton - son of Patrick and younger brother of David - was also to have been a guest but has had to pull out, citing personal reasons and commitments, say the organisers.

Money raised by the convention will go to Children In Need and Cancer Research UK.





FILTER: - Special Events - Fan Productions - UK - Conventions - Charities

People Roundup: John BarrowmanBookmark and Share

Sunday, 26 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
John Barrowman has popped up in the news a bit, recently, covering both his career and personal ambitions.

Talking about other shows he'd like to do in America, the actor said: "I would love to be on one of those wonderfully edgy cable TV series like True Blood or The Walking Dead.". And "I’d like to do a North American version of this British TV series of mine (Tonight's The Night), where people’s performance dreams come true." [Toronto Star, 10 Aug 2012]

Speaking of which, the actor will join the cast of a new comic book-based action drama series Arrow, which kicks off in the Autumn. His character is under wraps at present, described only as a "well-dressed man who is as mysterious as he is wealthy". [Entertainment Weekly, 15 Aug 2012]

One show he might well consider would be the revival of hit American soap Dallas: "My motto is that I only ever do programmes that interest me rather than doing them for money. It always comes across better if your heart and soul are in it. Since I was a kid, Dallas was part of my growing up and I even wrote about it in my first autobiography. On a Friday night, as a family, everything would stop at 9pm and we would sit and watch Dallas." The actor will be presenting a behind-the-scenes show, John Barrowman's Dallas Wednesday evening on Channel 5. [Express, 26 Aug 2012]

Another appearance next week for the actor, this time as a guest on G4's Attack of the Show!, whose host Candace Bailey he worked alongside during G4's Comic-Con earlier this year. [BroadwayWorld, 20 Aug 2012]
 
Barrowman has also recently talked about a potential family: "We haven't ruled out having children ourselves but it depends where my career takes us. We wouldn't want a baby. We'd look at adopting an older child or teenager who might have been in trouble. We would also look at adopting a gay child, thrown out of their home because of their sexuality. We have a lot to offer — chances and opportunities a young teen probably wouldn’t normally get." [The Sun, 13 Aug 2012]




FILTER: - People - John Barrowman

Moffat speaks at Edinburgh TV FestivalBookmark and Share

Sunday, 26 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who's lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat spoke to audiences at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival this weekend, during which he commented on a number of topics relating to the show, which returns next week.

Regarding series budget he said:
The schedule and the pressure of trying to do Doctor Who on any budget - including Avatar's - is horrific. I am never, ever going to say I've got enough money - that's like asking, "Would you like to be more happy?"

Doctor Who is incredibly well looked after by the BBC - they are incredibly aware of its crown jewel status, that it's not merely a show that's successful now.
Doctor Who often features expensive premises and set.

I truly believe it could be a show that outlives everybody in this room. It could carry on that long, so it doesn't just make money now - it'll make money forever.

Of course I'd like more money, just as I'd like to be happier, thinner and more handsome!
On the ongoing debate about whether or not there'd be a big-screen version of Doctor Who:
I'm sure that we should do a movie. The one thing that I always keep saying is it can't ever be allowed to interfere in any way with the television show - that is the mother-ship. The absolute most important thing about Doctor Who will always be the TV show - it would be great to see the TARDIS on the big screen, but not in the way of the show.
Finally, the old chestnut of a female lead for the show also came up:
It is a part of Time Lord lore that it can happen - a Time Lord could potentially turn into a woman. The more often it's talked about, the more likely it is to happen someday, I suppose.

Update: A full transcript of the session can be found via Sci-Fi Bulletin.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - People - Special Events