BBC America: NYC Screening Highlights

Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC America have released a short video covering highlights from their preview of Asylum of the Daleks last weekend.

Get up close and personal with stars MATT SMITH (The Doctor), KAREN GILLAN (Amy Pond) and Executive Producer CAROLINE SKINNER as they hit New York - in time-traveling DeLorean cars!! - and joined hundreds of die-hard Whovians for a special screening of season opener "Asylum of the Daleks" and a Q&A with Nerdist host CHRIS HARDWICK.

DOCTOR WHO NYC U.S. Premiere Screening Recap, BBC America, via YouTube

FILTER: - Special Events - USA - BBC America - Series 7/33

Magazine roundup

Wednesday, 29 August 2012 - Reported by Harry Ward

UK magazines have this week featured Doctor Who on their covers as the new series approaches.

SFX interviews Steven Moffat about the new series of Doctor Who and the 50th Anniversary.

TV Choice doesn't have the show as their cover but they have an interview with Matt Smith. He teases readers that "Perhaps there are some classic monsters coming back. There’s one I’m very intrigued by, which we haven’t seen for quite some time…". Asked if "we'll be seeing seeing a thing we haven’t seen for quite some time", Smith replied "Well, maybe. We might. A thing we haven’t seen since the series returned to our screens in 2005."

The latest edition of Cardiff Life has been retitled "Dalek Life" and features an 'Eternal' Dalek on the front cover. From pages 46 to 49 they review the new Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff Bay.

Doctor Who also has mentions in Total TV Guide and TV Times.

FILTER: - UK - Magazines - Series 7/33

Doctor Who Magazine 451

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine is out on Thursday, and features previews of the first three stories of the new series - and has three different covers to choose from!

Asylum of the Daleks – DWM takes over the Asylum for Doctor Who's most ambitious episode yet. Matt Smith shares his thoughts on the Doctor’s arch enemies, Steven Moffat on the challenges of keeping the Daleks fresh and how Arthur Darvill and Karen Gillan feel about the beginning of the end for Rory and Amy.
Dinosaurs on a Spaceship – it’s an episode of Doctor Who packed to the rafters with dinosaurs. On a spaceship! Writer Chris Chibnall reveals how his script lived up to that title, and what challenges did the FX team face on bringing so many dinosaurs to life?
A Town Called Mercy – guest stars Adrian Scarborough and Ben Browder on how thrilled they were to join Doctor Who for an adventure into the Wild West, how the crew enjoyed their time on location in sunny Spain, and what writer Toby Whithouse thought of being out of his comfort zone.

The show's executive producer, Steven Moffat, also teases the ultimate fate of the Ponds:

As you’ll be able to tell from the end of Episode 5, I’ve had the very last moment of Amy Pond in my head for quite some time...

Also in this issue:

The Usual Suspects – the writers of the new series are given the once over by Doctor Who’s executive producer, Steven Moffat (including himself!) in a curtain-raising Production Notes.
Gulity as Charged? John Nathan-Turner was Doctor Who’s most colourful and controversial producer, guiding the show to dizzying heights, but perhaps a few lows too. Luminaries and experts from Doctor Who past and present assemble for the first in a two-part feature to assess the work of the series’ longest-serving producer in The Trial of John Nathan-Turner.
Cold Front - the Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in Prague in the dying days of the Cold War. Revolution is on the horizon, but the Doctor senses something unreal in the air. What is the significance of the book The Sorrows of Prague, and why will Yuri Azarov and his terrifying companion stop at nothing to retrieve it? Part One of The Broken Man, the latest comic strip written by Scott Gray with art from Martin Geraghty.
Is This Death? companions come and go, but should they ever die? Johnny Candon and Toby Hadoke weigh up the pros and cons of crash-landing to Earth in an out-of-control freighter, or heading off into the sunset to marry Brian Blessed in A Battle of Wits.
Take Art - DWM’s intrepid Time Team – Chris, Emma, Michael and Will – go for gold as the Doctor and Rose land in an ordinary housing estate where extraordinary things are happening as children are going missing, trapped in the drawings of Chloe Webber. Will the Doctor make it to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics as The Time Team views Fear Her.
Coming of Age – Doctor Who’s 21st year saw a season packed with exciting cliff-hangers, companion departures, a tour de force performance from the leading man, andarguably the finest Doctor Who story ever made. Countdown to 50 reaches 1984 and Series 21.
All in the Mind – mind-sucking alien parasites, prison riots, a nerve-gas missile and the Master at his most scheming – find out how the Third Doctor, Jo and UNIT fought The Mind of Evil in this month’s Fact of Fiction.
Light my Fire – the Watcher warns of the pitfalls of predicting the near future as A History of Doctor Who in 100 Objects reaches number 22 – the Olympic Torch. Was the 2012 of Fear Her remotely like the real thing? Also stare into the eyes of The Six Faces of Delusion, flick through The Stockbridge English Dictionary and marvel at the Supporting Artist of the Month in Wotcha!

PLUS! All the usual features, latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, and prize-winning crossword.

FILTER: - DWM

The Greatest Show In The Galaxy: alternative R4 cover design

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

Radio Times Cover For Asylum Of The Daleks

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

Asylum of the Daleks: latest images

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

People Roundup

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

People Roundup: John Barrowman

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 Festival

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

Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

Saturday, 25 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

We were saddened to learn today of the passing of astronaut Neil Armstrong, who famously was the first man to walk upon the surface of the moon. His historic landing and walk became an inspiration for generations to come, both in the worlds of science and science-fiction.

Buzz Aldrin, who travelled with Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission and also walked on the moon alongside him, said:

I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Neil Armstrong today. Neil and I trained together as technical partners but were also good friends who will always be connected through our participation in the mission of Apollo 11. Whenever I look at the moon it reminds me of the moment over four decades ago when I realized that even though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been, we were not alone. Virtually the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew. My friend Neil took the small step but giant leap that changed the world and will forever be remembered as a landmark moment in human history. I had truly hoped that in 2019, we would be standing together along with our colleague Mike Collins to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of our moon landing. Regrettably, this is not to be. Neil will most certainly be there with us in spirit.

On behalf of the Aldrin family, we extend our deepest condolences to Carol and the entire Armstrong family. I will miss my friend Neil as I know our fellow citizens and people around world will miss this foremost aviation and space pioneer.

May he Rest in Peace

NASA's Administrator Charles Bolden said:

On behalf of the entire NASA family, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Carol and the rest of Armstrong family on the passing of Neil Armstrong. As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own.

Besides being one of America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all. When President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a human to the moon, Neil Armstrong accepted without reservation.

As we enter this next era of space exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero.

Armstrong was also to find a "starring" role in Doctor Who itself, when his mission to the moon became a focal point for the resolution of last year's episode Day of the Moon - as his famous first words upon stepping onto the surface were watched by the millions of viewers around the world, the Doctor was able to broadcast his own message to defeat the Silents.

FILTER: - People - Obituary - Miscellaneous

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