New Audio Titles in October

Tuesday, 15 September 2009 - Reported by Marcus
Four new Doctor Who and Sarah Jane audio titles are to be released by BBC Audio in the UK on 8th October.
  • The Day of the Troll is a Doctor Who adventure read by David Tennant. It is the second in a series of audio exclusive stories, following the release of Pest Control in May.
  • The Dead Shoes is the second in the Hornets' Nest series starring Tom Baker and Richard Franklin. What is so special about a pair of ballet shoes on display in Cromer’s Palace of Curios? When the Doctor meets Ernestina Scott there in 1932, they discover the horrific truth together.
  • The Shadow People is a Sarah Jane Adventures audio book read by Elisabeth Sladen.
  • The White Wolf is a Sarah Jane Adventures audio book read by Elisabeth Sladen.
The third part of Hornets' Nest will be released in November, not in October as indicated in a previous press release.
  • The Circus of Doom is the third in the Hornets' Nest series. In Blandford, 1832, ringmaster Antonio exerts a strange influence on the townsfolk. When the Doctor steps into the ring, he discovers that Antonio has some familiar demons of his own.




FILTER: - Audio - Tom Baker - David Tennant - Sarah Jane

National Television Awards

Monday, 7 September 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Voting is now open for the 15th National Television Awards, which will take place at the O2 centre in January 2010.

Doctor Who and Torchwood are both nominated as Best Drama while David Tennant, John Barrowman and Eve Myles are all nominated for Best Drama Performance.

Doctor Who has always performed well in the awards, which are voted on by the general public. The series has won the Best Drama award for the past four years, with the lead actors taking the best Drama performance.

You can now follow the Doctor Who News Page on Follow Doctor Who News on Twitter




FILTER: - Torchwood - Specials - David Tennant - Awards/Nominations

People News

Saturday, 5 September 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Incoming Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, is to take part in a discussion on Sherlock Holmes as part of this year's BBC Proms Literary Festival.

Moffat, who together with Mark Gatiss is co-creator and Executive Producer of the BBC's new modern-day Sherlock, is joined by A. N. Wilson, author of The Victorians. They talk to Matthew Sweet about the enduring appeal of Sherlock Holmes and his special love of Mendelssohn.

The event takes place on Monday 7 September at 5.45pm at the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall of the Royal College of Music. It is free to anyone who turns up, although capacity is limited, and it will be turned into a radio programme for broadcast Monday night on BBC Radio 3. David Warner will be giving some readings from Conan Doyle, and there'll be a Q and A at the end.



David Tennant takes over as the host of the PBS series MASTERPIECE Contemporary on October 25, 2009. As host, he introduces the programme at the beginning of each episode and provides commentary throughout. The season starts with the U.S. Premiere of Endgame, a feature length film depicting the secret talks that ended apartheid in South Africa starring William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jonny Lee Miller.



The website whoviannet has launched a project to create a scrapbook to present to David Tennant at Christmas, to thank him for all his hard work, commitment and dedication to the show over the past four years. They are asking for contributions from Tennant's fans. Details on their website.

You can now follow the Doctor Who News Page on Follow Doctor Who News on Twitter




FILTER: - People - David Tennant

Dreamland blog

Friday, 21 August 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Highslide JS
The BBC has launched the new Dreamland blog, detailing the production process behind the six-part animated adventure due later this year.

The story, voiced by David Tennant and written by Doctor Who writer Phil Ford, takes the Time Lord to Roswell, where he stumbles upon a mysterious alien artefact that leads him on a mission to rescue Rivesh Mantilax from the threat of the Viperox and the clutches of the American military.

Commissioned by BBC drama multiplatform, the series will be available on Red Button and on the Doctor Who website. CBBC will then show the entire 45-minute animation on BBC Two this autumn, as will the BBC HD channel.

Rosie Allimonos, drama multiplatform commissioner, said the series ‘presents an amazing opportunity to expand the multiplatform storytelling potential of Doctor Who’.

The Doctor will be joined by a new companion, Cassie Rice, played by Georgia Moffett, who played the Time Lord’s daughter Jenny in Series Four. David Warner stars as the leader of the ruthless Viperox.

In the run up to the animation, fans will be able to visit the Doctor Who website and follow a behind-the-scenes production blog on the making of Dreamland, giving the opportunity to follow the progress of the animation as it develops.

Produced by Brighton-based animation company Littleloud, the animation is being executive-produced by Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Piers Wenger. ‘Dreamland is a remarkable project and I'm thrilled with it. Phil Ford is a wonderful writer and promises to send the Doctor into a whole new visual dimension,’ Davies said.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - David Tennant - Animation

Postcards from America

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe

Left to right: Davies, Tennant, Lyn, Gardner.
Image source:
As previously reported, David Tennant, Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and Euros Lyn have sent two "audio postcards" from America to BBC Radio Wales. An extended version of the first postcard can be heard here, and the second postcard can be heard here. In the second postcard, David Tennant discusses driving in Los Angeles and his first Hollywood audition, Euros Lyn and Russell T Davies chat about Muscle Beach, and Julie Gardner explains the dangers of doggie bag culture.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Production - David Tennant - Radio - Julie Gardner - Broadcasting

Tennant/Davies on BBC Radio Wales

Friday, 7 August 2009 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Radio Wales featured one of its regular "radio postcard" broadcasts from Russell T Davies in Los Angeles this morning, and was joined by Julie Gardner, David Tennant and Euros Lyn to discuss the recent ComicCon. The broadcast will be available from BBC's iplayer for the next seven days (approx 2hrs 20min into the show).

There will be another 'postcard' on Monday.

See: BBC Wales Press Release




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - David Tennant - Radio - Broadcasting

Tennant's Hamlet comes to PBS

Wednesday, 5 August 2009 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
America's Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has announced that the Royal Shakespeare Company's recent production of Hamlet starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart will air in the US as part of the network's "Great Performances" series in 2010. The RSC says that the television adaptation "will retain the quality and tone of the critically acclaimed stage production but filming will take place on location"

The BBC announced earlier this year that the film would air in the UK on BBC Two later in 2009.

Tennant will also be seen on PBS as host of the "Masterpiece Contemporary" series, which returns on October 25.

Press coverage of the PBS broadcast of Hamlet can be seen at Playbill, Variety and wire service articles from The Associated Press and the UK's Press Association, each of which were picked up by many newspapers.




FILTER: - People - USA - David Tennant

Tennant's Hamlet on Television

Friday, 29 May 2009 - Reported by Kenny Davidson
The BBC has confirmed that David Tennant is to reprise his role as Hamlet for BBC Two. Last year he received rave reviews for playing the Dane on stage in the Royal Shakespeare Company production, first at Stratford Upon Avon and later in London.

Tickets for the stage performances sold out in hours and the Guardian hailed Tennant the "best Hamlet in years".

For the television production Tennant will be joined by all of the key members of the stage cast, including the actor Patrick Stewart, who plays Claudius.

BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow said the three-hour tv Hamlet was "a wonderful opportunity.. to bring one of the great stage successes of last year to a wider audience".

The RSC have revealed that filming will take place on location, while retaining the quality and tone of the stage production. Filming begins in June for broadcast later this year in the UK. Broadcasts in the US and Japan will follow in 2010.

To support the new film of Hamlet there will be an online BBC site, which is being created in collaboration with the RSC. It will feature behind-the-scenes stills and footage, specially shot interviews with the actors talking about their characters and how they approached the play and interviews with director Gregory Doran.

A DVD of the film is planned and will be on sale after the broadcast date.




FILTER: - People - David Tennant

Tenth Doctor to appear in SJA

Tuesday, 26 May 2009 - Reported by Anthony Weight
The BBC Press Office has confirmed that David Tennant is to appear as the Tenth Doctor in the forthcoming third series of spin-offThe Sarah Jane Adventures, due to be shown on CBBC and BBC One this autumn. This will once again reunite the Doctor with former companion Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen.

The release also confirms that the series will again be twelve episodes long, and that it will feature an appearance from Doctor Who race the Judoon. Executive producer Russell T Davies is quoted of saying of Tennant's appearance in the programme: "Viewers thought they may have to wait until November for the next full episode of Doctor Who, but this is an extra special treat. And it's not just a cameo from David – this is a full-on appearance for The Doctor as he and Sarah Jane face their biggest threat ever."

Sladen is also quoted in the release, saying: "When I heard the news that David was going to be joining us I was absolutely over the moon. Not only has it made my day but it will also make the viewers' day."

For UK internet users, the Children's BBC website has made available a video interview with Davies where he discusses the Doctor's appearance in the series, which he says will take place across episodes five and six. The series is due to start broadcasting in September. BBC News also carries the video interview with Davies.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Sarah Jane

New Animated Adventure On the Way

Tuesday, 26 May 2009 - Reported by R Alan Siler
A second animated story starring David Tennant as the Doctor will be broadcast later this year.

"Dreamland", written by Phil Ford, will comprise seven episodes of roughly six minutes each. This will air as part of the BBC's red button service and Children's BBC.

Also appearing in the story are Georgia Moffett ("The Doctor's Daughter") playing a character called Cassie Rice, Lisa Bowerman("Survival" and the Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series), and David Warner (Tron, Time Bandits). Warner is also no stranger to Doctor Who, having played the Time Lord himself in two Big Finish audio plays released in 2003 and 2008.

"Dreamland" follows 2007's animated adventure "The Infinite Quest", currently available on DVD.

Ford has written for Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, and his other 2009 Doctor Who story, The Waters of Mars (co-written with Russell T Davies) is slated to broadcast in November. Directing "Dreamland" is Gary Russell.

More details will be forthcoming.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Animation