New Doctor Who trailer for Wednesday

Tuesday, 29 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Having whetted our appetites with the two teaser trailers last week, the first episode prelude a couple of days later, and then an "iconic" image for the episode itself, the BBC are now about to unleash a new 60 second trailer which will premier on BBC1 on Wednesday.

No time has been confirmed for the trailer at present, though it is expected to during primetime viewing in the evening.

The trailer will also be broadcast on the CBBC channel, but in a shortened 20 second form to remove some of the 'scarier' scenes, as BBC Publicity clarified:

The trailer is a 60" and we usually play them on CBBC as well (for obvious reasons). We think this will be the first that will need to be edited down to a 20" to make it suitable and remove the scary bits (remember that we have six year olds and younger watch CBBC as well as twelve year olds)

The 20" is just for CBBC. The 60" also has a 40" cut-down version that will be rotated in.

Update: the 60" trailer was originally reported for Tuesday evening, but has been put back to Wednesday.

FILTER: - Series 6/32

Title of Episode 4 revealed

Monday, 28 March 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

Doctor Who Magazine have confirmed the title of Neil Gaiman's Doctor Who episode. Episode 4 of the new series, which guest stars Suranne Jones (Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa's Revenge) as Idris and Michael Sheen, will now be called The Doctor's Wife.

There had been speculation of the title on a number of fan sites and this evening SFX was given permission by the BBC to reveal the title.

Speculation began yesterday when Steven Moffat Tweeted to Gaiman:

Ohh, just watched your one again! It's really good, isn't it? And look who it is! LOOK WHO IT IS!!!

Today, Gaiman told his Twitter followers:

Yes, Doctor Who Ep 4's title has made it onto the internet. Because the title is a spoiler, I will let you find it yourself.

Edward Russell, Senior Brand Executive for Doctor Who Tweeted in reply to Gaiman:

in retrospect, we should have hung on until Friday [April] 1st... Then no one would have believed us!"

Director of the episode, Richard Clark was surprised to have learned that the episode title had been released so soon:

Ep4 title is out there. How is that possible? [adding] The title was only signed off a couple days ago. Anyone know what date Ep4 is transmitted?

Gaiman told Doctor Who Magazine:

Idris is someone who is beautiful, and who bites, and who might just turn out to be an old acquaintance with a new face... [adding] it starts in void-space, with something – or someone – we have not seen since The War Games, and a knock on the TARDIS door...

Steven Moffat described the episode as:

a beautiful poem of an episode" and says that Suranne Jones "will change the way you see Doctor Who forever forever – and that’s a hand-on-heart promise.

The Doctor's Wife was originally used as a fake title by John Nathan-Turner to discover possible leaks in the production office back in the 1980s.

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Revisitations 2: First Look clips from 2|Entertain

Saturday, 26 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

2|Entertain's Classic Doctor Who have released three "First Look" videos on their YouTube channel to promote the Revisitations 2 boxed set, due out on Monday.

Fifth Doctor story Resurrection of the Daleks is represented by deleted scenes from the story, here with an extended scene of Tegan's arrival on the Dalek ship. Ian Marter is the subject for the Third Doctor's Carnival of Monsters clip, with On Target with Ian Marter looking at the actor/author's work for Doctor Who. Finally, representing Second Doctor story The Seeds of Death is a segment from Monsters Who Came Back For More!, where Nick Briggs and Peter Ware discuss monsters that recur in the series (an earlier clip from the documentary Lords of the Red Planet was released earlier this month).

Clip from Resurrection of the Daleks, 2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via YouTube

Clip from Carnival of Monsters, 2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via YouTube

Clip from The Seeds of Death, 2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via YouTube

Full details on the Revisitations 2 release are in our earlier article; the Boxed Set is also available to pre-order now from our Amazon Shop.

FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

New series image revealed

Saturday, 26 March 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

The BBC Doctor Who website have revealed an "iconic" image for the new series featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory in the reflection of a US space helmet.

You can download the image as a wallpaper in 16x9 or 4x3

The prequel to the first episode of the new series, The Impossible Astronaut, was released earlier today and can be viewed here.

FILTER: - Series 6/32

UK Classic DVD release update

Friday, 25 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Details of the forthcoming classic Doctor Who DVD releases due out over the next couple of months in the United Kingdom have now been made available by 2|Entertain. April sees the final Pertwee tale Planet of the Spiders released as a two disc edition, whilst May goes back to the beginning of his era as the Doctor with a new edition of Spearhead from Space, coupled with sequel tale Terror of the Autons as part of the Mannequin Mania boxed set; also in May comes the penultimate Davison story to be released on DVD, Frontios (the final release of this era, The Awakening, is due later in the year). See our separate article on next week's Revisitations 2 release.

The company has also been keeping readers appraised via their twitter feed, which has included the following tidbits:

12 14:16 Frontios test disc in! http://t.co/Px8HoJU
14 08:58 Frontios looks & sounds beautiful on test disc. Well done Peter Crocker and Mark Ayres
15 16:04 Watching Ed Stradling rough-cut of Android Invasion doc. http://t.co/CbqFw92
16 23:29 Frontios test discs all signed off.
         Also updated production subtitles delivered for Robots of Death.
17 18:44 Watching Ed Stradling rough cuts I'd forgotten "Nightmare of Eden" was so edgy in parts.
19 08:33 Watching test disc for Mannequin Mania. Restoration beautiful.
         Well done Peter Crocker and Mark Ayres! http://t.co/hmxo6Ox
24 03:31 Viewed Clayton Hickman rough box artwork for EarthStory. Lovely!

Planet of the Spiders
Release Date: 18th April 2011 (available for pre-order)

Starring Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who, with Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith
Written by Robert Sloman/Barry Letts
Directed by Barry Letts

Broadcast: 4th May - 8th June 1974

What begins as innocuous research into ESP turns into a deadly mind battle, with the terrifying spiders from the planet Metebelis Three pitted against The Doctor, his friends and Time Lord K'Anpo.

At a Tibetan-style spiritual retreat deep in rural England, a clandestine circle of chanting brethren unknowingly call upon the evil powers of the Metebelis Spiders, whose quest for the perfect blue crystal leads them straight to the Doctor. He must travel to the alien planet to meet the Great One, merciless ruler of her spiders and human slaves, who plans to take over Earth.

The future of the entire universe is in the Doctor's hands, but if he is to face the fear the Great One sees in his mind, then he must face the certainty of total destruction. Could this be the Time Lord's final death?

Special Features

Disc One:

6 x 25 mins approx colour episodes with mono audio.
Commentary - stereo. With actors Elisabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney and Richard Franklin, producer / director Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks
Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release
Programme subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes

Disc Two:

The Final Curtain – five years after its re-invention in colour and its rise to massive popularity, it was time for Doctor Who’s charismatic lead actor Jon Pertwee to move on… and with him the production team that had guided the show throughout that period. This documentary looks at the background to the Third Doctor’s swansong. With actors Jon Pertwee and Richard Franklin, producer / director Barry Letts, script editor Terrance Dicks, designer Rochelle Selwyn, visual effects assistant Mat Irvine and actor and author Mark Gatiss. Narrated by Glen Allen
John Kane Remembers… – actor John Kane memorably played the gentle, slow-witted Tommy, reborn through the power of the Metebelis crystal. An accomplished writer and series creator, Kane now lives in France, from where he looks back on his memories of the story
Directing Who with Barry Letts – Barry Letts is perhaps most famous as producer of Doctor Who, but he was also responsible for directing some of the show’s best-loved stories. Barry looks back on his career as a director in this documentary
Now & Then – the latest instalment in our ongoing series takes a trip back to some of the locations used during production of the story
Planet of the Spiders Omnibus Edition – the full-length omnibus edit of the story, presented here totally unrestored
Omnibus Trailer
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story
Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format

Mannequin Mania
Release Date: 9th May 2011 (available for pre-order)

Spearhead from Space

Starring Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who, with Caroline John as Liz Shaw
Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by Derek Martinus

Broadcast: 3rd-24th January 1970

The Doctor is exiled to Earth in the late 20th Century by his own people - the Time Lords. The newly regenerated Doctor finds himself in Oxley Woods alongside a shower of mysterious meteorites.

Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskfoce led by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. UNIT are soon called into action when people and meteorites start going missing but puzzling of all is the attempted kidnapping of a strange hospital patient - a man with two hearts, who insists that he knows the Brigadier... The new Doctor soon joins forces with his old friends, UNIT and the recently recruited Dr Liz Shaw, but time is running out.

Special Features

2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via yfrog

Original Commentary – actors Caroline John and Nicholas Courtney
New Commentary – producer Derrick Sherwin and script editor Terrance Dicks
Down to Earth – cast and crew look back at the making of this story and how a strike at the BBC studios inadvertently created the only classic series story to be made entirely on film. With actor Jon Pertwee, producers Derrick Sherwin and Barry Letts, script editor Terrance Dicks, costume designer Christine Rawlins and assistant script editor (and inadvertent Auton actor) Robin Squire. Narrated by Carl Kennedy
Regenerations - From Black and White to Colour – Spearhead from Space marked not only the arrival of a new Doctor but also the transition from black and white to colour. This documentary looks at the challenges faced by programme makers during this period. With actors Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury, producer Derrick Sherwin, and script editor Terrance Dicks, directors Timothy Combe, Christopher Barry and Michael Ferguson, designer Roger Cheveley and graphic designer Bernard Lodge
UNIT Recruitment Film (dur. 4’ 48”) – a spoof army recruitment film put together for BBC transmission during Doctor Who’s 30th anniversary celebrations in 1993
Trailers – two trailers for the 1999 BBC2 transmission of the story and for ‘Doctor Who Night’from the same year
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story
Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release
Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format

Terror of the Autons

Starring Jon Pertwee as Doctor Who, with Katy Manning as Jo Grant
Written by Robert Holmes
Directed by Barry Letts

Broadcast: 2nd-23rd January 1971

Earth is in terrible danger. The Master has arrived with an evil scheme to destroy humanity and silence the Doctor forever by awakening the awesome power of the Nestene - a ruthlessly aggressive alien life form. With their control over all types of plastic, they form into faceless automatons, a willing army of destruction easily controlled by the evil Time Lord himself.

Aided by the Brigadier and his enthusiastic new assistant, Jo Grant, only the Doctor can combat their evil power, but this is easier said than done when every plastic doll, phone flex, or chair can be turned against him. First, however, he must defeat the Master.

Special Features

Commentary - with actors Katy Manning and Nicolas Courtney, producer Barry Letts
Life on Earth – in this documentary, cast and crew look back at the making of the story and the differences in the way Doctor Who was made in the seventies compared to now. With actors Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning and Richard Franklin, producer Barry Letts, script editor Terrance Dicks and new series producer Phil Collinson
The Doctor’s Moriarty – with the introduction of the Master, the Doctor now had his very own Moriarty, who would be the dark figure behind every story in season eight, and many more beyond that. This featurette discusses the enduring appeal of the character. With actor Katy Manning, producer Barry Letts, script editors Terrance Dicks and Christopher H Bidmead and writers Robert Shearman and Joe Lidster
Plastic Fantastic – how did the writers of Doctor Who and other programmes take something as everyday as plastic and turn it against us? With writers Francesca Gavin, Robert Shearman and new series designer Matthew Savage
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story
Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release
Radio Times Listings and promotional material for Sugar Smacks and Nestle products in Adobe PDF format

Frontios
Release Date: 30th May 2011 (available for pre-order)

Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor, with Janet Fielding as Tegan and Mark Strickson as Turlough
Written by Christopher H. Bidmead
Directed by Ron Jones

Broadcast: 26th January - 3rd February 1984

As a strange force takes hold of the TARDIS, the Doctor and his friends find themselves grounded on the inhospitable planet of Frontios, where the last survivors of the human race scratch out a desperate existence far away from their long dead home planet.

The colonists are gripped by fear and paranoia as the planet is battered by attacks from space and they watch as the bodies of their dead are sucked into the ground. But the Doctor only appreciates the true gravity of the situation when he finds that the TARDIS has been destroyed...

Special Features

Commentary - with actors Peter Davison, Jeff Rawle and John Gillett, script editor Eric Saward and special sounds designer Dick Mills
Driven to Distractation – cast and crew look back at the making of Frontios. With actors Peter Davison, Mark Strickson, Jeff Rawle and John Gillett, script editors Christopher H. Bidmead and Eric Saward, and designer David Buckingham. Narrated by Paul Jones
Deleted and Extended Scenes – a chance to see scenes that were cut during editing, many of which are presented before post-production effects had been added
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story
Isolated Music – option to watch the episodes with the isolated music score
Coming Soon - a trailer for a forthcoming DVD release
Radio Times Listings in Adobe PDF format
Programme subtitles
Subtitle Production Notes

FILTER: - Jon Pertwee - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Peter Davison

Prequel: The Impossible Astronaut

Friday, 25 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have made a special video available to introduce the opening two-part story of the new series of Doctor Who, premiering at Easter. Written by Steven Moffat, this short segment (which they have termed a prequel) stars Stuart Milligan (best known as illusionist Adam Klaus in Jonathan Creek), and sets the scene for what the Doctor can expect to encounter during the adventure ...

Prequel to The Impossible Astronaut, via the BBC Doctor Who site.
The clip is also available on the BBC America website (only viewable inside the US)

You can also watch a teaser for the video on the BBC website.

The Doctor Who website reports that they will be "revealing the latest iconic image for the new series at approximately one minute past midnight on Saturday morning", which will be available to download as a wallpaper. They also report that several exclusive videos featuring the cast and crew discussing the new adventures of the TARDIS crew will be appearing on-site in the lead-up to Easter's broadcast of The Impossible Astronaut.

FILTER: - Specials - Series 6/32 - Online

Torchwood in Cannes

Friday, 25 March 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

John Barrowman and Bill Pullman will be promoting the new series of Torchwood at the MIPTV Media Market in Cannes. The two stars will be joined by executive producer Julie Gardner to launch Torchwood: Miracle Day to buyers on Monday 4th April.

Steve Macallister, Managing Director of BBC Worldwide Sales & Distribution, commented:

We’re thrilled to have John Barrowman and Bill Pullman with us at MIPTV. The fact that Torchwood: Miracle Day is able to attract such a high-calibre, international cast reflects the quality of the production – so it’s sure to prove popular with buyers again, along with the rest of our exciting drama slate.

FILTER: - Torchwood - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Episode 2: Day of the Moon for Easter Sunday?

Friday, 25 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Since the announcement by BBC America that Doctor Who would premier in the USA on the 23rd April, speculation has been rife within UK fandom as to when The Impossible Astronaut would premier on BBC1. This is widely expected to be broadcast on the same date as the States, based upon the 'traditional' Saturday evening series start to Doctor Who seen to date.

Being this is the first time the series is to commence with a two-part story, the second episode Day of the Moon has also been subject to intense speculation as to whether it too would be shown over the Easter period. An intriguing piece of information has emerged via the CV of actor Jeff Mash; as well as being cited as playing a character called Grant in the episode, the CV also includes an entry that states that episode two will be broadcast on 24th April.

This entry certainly lends credence to the suggestions that both parts would be shown over Easter!

However, at this time the BBC have only confirmed via the end of the Red Nose Day special that The Impossible Astronaut will see its premier on BBC1(HD) over Easter 2011.

Schedules are generally not 'locked' until around a fortnight before broadcast, so any information published via the Internet prior to then may not accurately reflect how the show will eventually be broadcast.

FILTER: - Series 6/32

First 2011 Series trailer tonight

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Publicity have confirmed that a 15 second teaser trailer for the new series of Doctor Who will be broadcast tonight at 9:00pm, with minor variations across the four main BBC channels.

Meanwhile, as previously reported, a special prelude to The Impossible Astronaut will also be made available from the official BBC Doctor Who site; this goes live from Friday at 4:00pm - a teaser for it is now available on the website.

Doctor Who teaser trailer, via the BBC Doctor Who site and YouTube (may not play outside the United Kingdom)

A longer "Coming Soon" compilation trail is currently expected to launch from Tuesday (29th March).

FILTER: - Series 6/32

Torchwood: Miracle Day for 8th July (Starz)

Wednesday, 23 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Torchwood: Miracle Day co-producer Starz have released a poster confirming the USA premier for the show, revealing the date for when the series commences as Friday 8th July. The BBC has yet to confirm if it will also broadcast the first episode on the same evening.