Christmas Special: production update

Sunday, 18 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As the public settled down to watch Doctor Who, the production team were anything but - they were spotted out and about in Cardiff Bay last night filming for the Christmas installment!

THE FOLLOWING DETAILS ARE ABOUT FILMING AND MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SPOILERS

Filming returned to Bute Esplanade at Cardiff Bay, a place which had seen the TARDIS crew previously disturbing the neighbourhood on 1st March, and only broadcast that very evening as Amy and Rory's new home in The God Complex.

Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill were attendance at their 'home' (with the current Doctor Faustus actor commenting on Twitter on losing his beard!). Matt Smith was also on location, with the trusty TARDIS parked up across the street from the house.

Christmas decorations adorned the street, and filming involved the Doctor turning up on the doorstep; snow was also being provided for the short scene which is believed to be set during New Year celebrations.

(with thanks to Vicky Williams on Twitter)

FILTER: - Specials - Production

Christmas Special enters production

Saturday, 17 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

This week saw the first public confirmation that production has begun on the forthcoming Christmas Special of Doctor Who, with cast and crew settling in at the Welsh town of Llanelli. Filming took place at the private residence of Stradey Castle over the last four days, with Matt Smith spotted at the production base during the course of the shoot.

THE FOLLOWING DETAILS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SPOILERS

It was not initially clear that this was indeed filming for Doctor Who, as signs seen in the vicinity were "NRG" - used previously for the production of Baker Boys that saw its wrap party a week previously. However, Matt Smith was eventually spotted at the production base, which confirmed that this was indeed the return of our Time Lord. Karen Gillan was also reported as being at the hotel where the cast and crew stayed, but she was not actually seen on location.

As noted above, filming took place at the private residence of Stradey Castle both during the day and into the evening; the secluded location meant that no photos of the production were forthcoming, though there had been reports of a large mechanical bear seen on the castle grounds.

Photo: Graham Harries (via YFrog)
Production signs in use for filming

Photo: Sophie Cook (via Tumblr)
A view of black-out screens at the house

Photo: Graham Harries (via Twitter)
Matt Smith leaving his trailer

(news with thanks to the Llanelli Twitter spotters Sophie Cook, Graham Harries,
Josh Nicholas Thomas, Meriel Williams, Cerys Perkins, and Ashley Taylor)

Some photos of Matt Smith were also published by the Western Mail, though the BBC clarified that the guest star pictured with the actor was not the name suggested by the paper.

Production is now believed to be in studio for the next few days.

In July, the BBC announced the new Executive Producer for Doctor Who, Caroline Skinner, who would be working on the Christmas Special alongside Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger. This weekend saw Moffat introduce her to Twitter followers, saying:

@CaroSkinner The new exec on Doctor Who. If you don't follow her, you'll miss EVERYTHING!

FILTER: - Specials - Production - Caroline Skinner

Doctor Who: Death Is The Only Answer

Wednesday, 24 August 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

During the course of this summer, a competition was run by the BBC Learning Department and Doctor Who Confidential to promote creativity in schools by writing a short Doctor Who script featuring the Doctor, a monster and an adversary.

The BBC Press Office have now reported that the winning entry, Death Is The Only Answer, was written by pupils of Oakley Junior School in Basingstoke, and chosen by Doctor Who's head writer Steven Moffat, executive producers Beth Willis and Piers Wenger, and the Controller of BBC Learning, Saul Nassé.

Steven Moffat said:

I loved the shortlisted scripts, there was so much skill and enthusiasm on display that it was actually genuinely, very, very difficult to judge. There was some really, really skilled writing, it was very exciting how they caught the voice of the Doctor and how they used the always stringent limitations of Doctor Who to their advantage.

I come from a family of teachers, I was a teacher, my father's a teacher, my sister's a teacher. We go back teacher generations so it's hard wired for me to want the approval of teachers, so I'm very, very thrilled that its gone down so well with the schools that took part.

Saul Nassé said:

We've been delighted by the response from schools to the competition. We really wanted to motivate children to learn new writing skills and create the next generation of storytellers. Schools have really engaged in the competition and the standard of the writing has shown us that there is a wealth of talent out there which we have been able to tap into and hopefully encourage in the future. It's a great example of a really popular BBC show inspiring people do something truly educational.

The winning script has been made into a "mini-episode" to feature on BBC3 on 1st October, the same day as Doctor Who's series finale, The Wedding of River Song, is scheduled to be broadcast. Doctor Who Confidential followed the whole production process of making the episode from script through to filming, which will form part of this weekend's edition straight after Let's Kill Hitler at 8:00pm over on BBC3.

The Doctor himself, Matt Smith, added when recording the episode:

It was so clever, we were all just bowled over, it was a brilliant script.

Kevin Downing, a Year Six teacher at the school, said the pupils involved in the project were over the moon at winning:

Getting the call to say the pupils were on the shortlist of ten was an unbelievable moment – the thought that Steven Moffat himself would be reading their script! As for winning, it was the experience of a lifetime and one we'll never forget.

Details of the monster/adversary that the Doctor will face in the three minute special are to be revealed on broadcast.

(news Link: BBC News)

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Specials - Competitions - BBC

Coming Soon: The Curse of the Black Spot Prequel

Thursday, 28 April 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Following on from the first "prequel" for The Impossible Astronaut, the BBC have announced the second of their mini-episode preludes, this time providing an introduction to episode three, The Curse of the Black Spot, due to be broadcast on 7th May.

The full prequel will be available from here and the BBC website on 6:45pm Saturday, straight after the conclusion to Day of the Moon.

Coming Soon: The Curse of the Black Spot Prequel, BBC, via BBC iplayer

FILTER: - Specials - Series 6/32 - Online

My Sarah Jane: A Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen

Saturday, 23 April 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Tonight, the CBBC channel broadcast a special programme in tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, who died this week, aged 63.

The show featured memories of the actress from her co-stars on The Sarah Jane Adventures, Daniel Anthony, Anjli Mohindra and Tommy Knight, the two recent Doctors she worked with, David Tennant and Matt Smith, and series creator Russell T Davies, plus contributions from Katy Manning, John Barrowman and Barney Harwood. A variety of clips from throughout her 38-year association with Doctor Who appeared in the programme, including a montage at the end set the song She (as sung by Elvis Costello for the film Notting Hill).

The tribute programme is available to watch in the United Kingdom via the BBC iplayer until next Saturday (30th April).

My Sarah Jane: A Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen, BBC, via BBC iplayer (may not play outside the United Kingdom)

Update: The programme was watched by 707,000 viewers when broadcast, representing some 4.1% of the audience.

FILTER: - Specials - Sarah Jane - Elisabeth Sladen

CBBC Elisabeth Sladen tribute programme

Wednesday, 20 April 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have announced that there will be a special programme broadcast this coming Saturday, called My Sarah Jane: A Tribute to Elisabeth Sladen. The show is due to be shown on the CBBC channel at 6:45pm, directly after Doctor Who finishes on BBC1 and before Doctor Who Confidential on BBC3 at 7:00pm.

Elisabeth Sladen created one of Doctor Who's best loved and most enduring characters, Sarah Jane Smith. For over 35 years she brought the feisty, compassionate journalist to life, creating a figure that was adored by audiences of all ages - truly a heroine whose appeal had no boundaries.

This 15 minute programme is both a tribute and a celebration of Elisabeth Sladen. It brings together stories from friends and colleagues and draws on a rich archive of material to remind us of Sarah Jane's journey, from companion to the Third Doctor to the central character in CBBC's award-winning The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Doctor Who Magazine have also reported that there will be a dedication to the actress at the start of Saturday's episode, The Impossible Astronaut.

FILTER: - Specials - Sarah Jane - Elisabeth Sladen

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

Doctor Who returns to Ztélé from April 6

Tuesday, 22 March 2011 - Reported by Marcus

French-speaking Canadians will get a chance to catch up with the last days of the tenth Doctor and the first series of the Eleventh, when Doctor Who returns to Ztélé this spring.

The series kicks off with 2008 Christmas special, The Next Doctor, on Wednesday 6th April at 9pm ET. The rest of the specials will follow in subsequent weeks leading into Matt Smith's first series starting on May 4th.

English-speaking fans in the country will be able to see Matt Smith's second series on SPACE shortly after its UK début.

FILTER: - Canada - Specials - Series 5/31 - Broadcasting

Comic Relief: Space and Time

Friday, 18 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Tonight saw BBC's Comic Relief broadcast a special mini-episode of Doctor Who in two parts, Space and Time. Both have now been added to the BBC's official YouTube channel.

SPACE

Watch the first part via YouTube

TIME

Watch the second part via YouTube

Matt Smith himself appeared on the charity show at around 11:20pm, portraying the Doctor who arrives in the TARDIS and gives presenters Jonathan Ross and Claudia Winkleman a brief 'review' of what was to come up later in the evening!

The Doctor Drops In

Watch the second part via YouTube

Please show your appreciation for this special episode of Doctor Who by donating to Comic Relief, which you may do so via the official donation site.

FILTER: - Specials - Charities

The Ark tops UK TV chart

Sunday, 20 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Official Charts have been published for this week, and the "TV on Video" chart reveals the William Hartnell adventure The Ark, released last Monday, has entered the charts straight in at number one, knocking off the two popular Vampire genre series from the top spots, The Vampire Diaries and True Blood.

1.	NEW	The Ark (BBC)
2.	NEW	30 Rock - Series Four (Playback)
3.	2	The Vampire Diaries - Complete Series One (Warner Home Video)
4.	1	True Blood - Complete First Season (Warner Home Video)
5.	NEW	Not Going Out - Series Four (Playback)

The Doctor's Christmas adventure, A Christmas Carol (released 24th January), remains in the chart at number 37, down five places from the previous week.

The Official Charts Company has compiled the United Kingdom's media charts since 1998, which are sourced from over 4000 retailers. The charts are updated every Sunday at 7:00pm.

FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - Blu-ray/DVD

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