More details on "A Christmas Carol" released

Thursday, 2 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC Press Office have released more details on the forthcoming Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol.

It's the deepest part of winter, the exact midpoint, Christmas Eve – halfway out of the dark. Amy and Rory are trapped on a stricken space liner that's plummeting through banks of thick icy fog to the surface of the planet below.

Only one man has the power to save them; only one man is in possession of a machine that can clear the fog and let them land safely.

That man is Kazran Sardick, a rich but lonely old miser who rules Sardicktown with a sky-mast of iron.

The Doctor's only chance of rescuing the ship's four thousand passengers is to save Kazran's soul and show him that life is worth living. For this he needs to go back, way back, to when Kazran was a boy with a life full of promise.

But can the Doctor put a song in Kazran's heart and love in his life, in time for Christmas? Can he bring him out of the dark?

Matt Smith (the Doctor) said:
I've always wanted to be part of the Christmas Doctor Who experience, and I think this is certainly one of the most Christmassy and inventive Doctor Who stories so far. Steven just keeps getting even more imaginative and the great thing about this episode is that when Doctor Who and Christmas are put together you combine the spirit of both those things; it's a fun old yarn and the Doctor simply loves Christmas.

It was a real privilege to work with Michael (Gambon). I had a great time with him and he was really naughty! He's so crafty and when I asked him about working with iconic actors such as Olivier and Bates he said the one thing they all had in common was they were naughty – and he's exactly the same. He was very mischievous, constantly telling jokes and getting into the spirit of play.

With Katherine I was astounded by her professionalism. Considering it was her first acting experience I thought she handled it with real craft and diligence. It's exactly the type of casting we want; someone fresh, exciting and new."
Katherine Jenkins (Abigail):
I had the most amazing time; I must admit I was very nervous and I felt out of my comfort zone because I hadn't done any acting before. However, when I arrived on set the whole team was so welcoming and supportive. They made me feel like I could do it. It certainly felt very Christmassy when we were filming it in July! The story is very emotional which I hope is going to touch people.

I do get to sing though which was nice and I had a really good laugh with Matt between takes. He kept mucking around and singing to me but you know people should hear his voice; I think he's got a great bass voice!
Steven Moffat, writer:
Oh, we're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. And... oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbours loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I'm fairly sure they did it ironically.
Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning:
Matt Smith and Karen Gillan captivated audiences in their debut series, and Doctor Who's clever twist on the much loved A Christmas Carol will thrill BBC One viewers this year with special guest stars Sir Michael Gambon and singing sensation Katherine Jenkins joining Amy and the Doctor for an unforgettable present!





FILTER: - Specials

Peter Hoar to direct an Easter Special?

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency have cited a credit for Doctor Who on their profile of director Peter Hoar; the entry reports that he will be directing a "one-off Special of the popular series to be broadcast over the Easter weekend", a one hour long story written by Steven Moffat and produced by Marcus Wilson.


There is no other confirmation on the details listed; filming for the new series during November saw the completion of the opening story penned by Steven Moffat, and then moved onto Matthew Graham's two-part story (as reported by the writer), so the production date given remains unclear at present.

The positioning of such a special within the series is also uncertain - though Doctor Who traditionally broadcasts from around Easter, 2011 sees the weekend fall later in April (22nd-25th); this might suggest that an earlier Spring start to Series Six, but previous years have shown that any such decision is unlikely to be confirmed until a few weeks before transmission.

Update: since the news item was published, the profile listing has now been adjusted to read "Director of a single episode to be broadcast in 2011".

Hoar's CV includes the BBC's popular spy series Spooks, Mistresses, and ITV's crime drama Wire in the Blood.






FILTER: - Specials - Series 6/32 - Production

Boxing Day for Australian debut of A Christmas Carol

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Adam Kirk
The TV Tonight blog confirms that the Doctor Who 2010 Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, will make its Australian debut on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Boxing Day, Sunday 26 December 2010 at 7.30pm on ABC1. As TV Tonight reports, this will be the first time ever an episode of Doctor Who will air in Australia within 24 hours of its UK debut.

Thanks to TV Tonight.




FILTER: - Specials - Broadcasting - Australia

Odds on a Who Christmas (2010)

Tuesday, 30 November 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
LogoBetting company Paddy Power have collated odds on which television programme will top the Christmas Day ratings this year; as of today Doctor Who is currently believed to be the fourth most likely show to claim the coveted spot.

Paddy Power Odds (30 Nov)
2/5 Eastenders
5/1 The Royle Family
Coronation Street
8/1 Doctor Who
12/1 Emmerdale
Upstairs Downstairs
14/1 Queen's Speech
Top Gear
16/1 Strictly Come Dancing
20/1 The One Ronnie
25/1 Come Fly With Me
BBC News
33/1 Rock and Chips
Harry Hill's TV Burp
40/1 Top of the Pops
50/1 The Nativity
Last year saw similar expectations for the shows vying for the top; however the final result was controversial in terms of the ratings, as the launch of BBCHD gave viewers a choice of channel to watch the show on - thus Doctor Who was the most watched programme overall on television that day, but third in individual channel ratings (see our chart for details).

Not so much a problem in previous years, with clear-cut ratings breakdowns showing:
2005: Eastenders, 10.60m(1)
The Christmas Invasion, 9.84m(2)
2006: The Vicar of Dibley, 12.39m(1)
Eastenders, 9.40m/11.56m(3/2)
The Runaway Bride, 9.35m(4)
2007: Eastenders, 14.38m(1)
Voyage of the Damned 13.31m(2)
2008: Wallace and Gromit, 16.15m(1)
The Next Doctor, 13.10m(2)
 
How will Doctor Who fare this year? The HD division should not be an issue this year (BBC1 and BBC1HD are considered to be the same channel, and not separate like the BBCHD channel), but the traditional competition is on hand to give us a good fight for the top spot on the day!




FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - Betting/Odds

6pm for A Christmas Carol

Tuesday, 30 November 2010 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: A Christmas CarolThe BBC has confirmed this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, A Christmas Carol with be shown on BBC One and BBC One HD, on Christmas Day at 6pm.

Final schedules were signed off this afternoon. Doctor Who has been shown at 6pm on Christmas Day for the last two years.

This year Doctor Who will be preceded by The One Ronnie, a variety show starring Ronnie Corbett and will be followed by Christmas Editions of Strictly Come Dancing, featuring John Barrowman, and EastEnders.

The programme has already been confirmed for transmission on Christmas Day in the United States on BBC America at 9pm ET and on Boxing Day in Canada on SPACE at 9pm ET and in Australia on ABC 1 at 7.30pm.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Specials - UK - Broadcasting

Radio Times Doctor Who Cover (Christmas 2010)

Tuesday, 30 November 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
As we expected last week, Doctor Who once again adorns the cover of a Radio Times for Christmas, this year on the issue dated 11th-17th December 2010. The cover art features Matt Smith, Sir Michael Gambon, and Katherine Jenkins "taking the trip of their lives", with the magazine featuring a three page article on the forthcoming Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol.

As well as discussing the programme, Matt Smith reflects on his first Christmas outing as the Doctor:
It was a great privilege to do it. It's something I've always wanted to do since I started the show. I love Christmas, plus I've always wanted to film something in July that has got snow in, loads of snow ... it's very Christmassy.
Katherine Jenkins also talks about getting what is her first acting role:
It was far worse than any nerves I've ever had for any performance. I spent a lot of time thinking about it; it's such an iconic show, and it's one that we watch as a family. I just thought, "I'd love to give it a try." But I'm the first to say I don't really consider myself an actress. So, I asked if I could go in and read to them and I thought, "Well, if I'm rubbish they won't give it to me, will they?" So I read to them and they called me on my 30th birthday and offered me the part.
You can read more about the Special, Matt Smith and Katherine Jenkins's thoughts of working alongside Sir Michael Gambon - plus their own singing talents - in the issue, available in the shops from 2nd December. The traditional double-issue of the Radio Times for the Christmas period will follow a couple of days later on the 4th December.


This is the sixth consecutive year that there has been a special cover for Doctor Who at Christmas, one for each Christmas since the series returned (seven covers if you also include the Dalek-variant version of the Christmas 2009 edition). You can see these and all other Doctor Who covers on the Radio Times website.





FILTER: - Specials - Radio Times

7pm for A Christmas Carol?

Friday, 26 November 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Sun reports the Doctor Who Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol, has been scheduled for 7:00pm on Christmas Day.

 5.30 TBA
6.30 TBA
7.00 Doctor Who
8.00 The One Ronnie
9.00 The Royle Family
No further information on the two "TBA" entries is known at present, though previous years have seen an edition of Eastenders and Strictly Come Dancing broadcast on Christmas Day.

Scheduling for the period has yet to be finalised, so the times/programmes might change.

Meanwhile, in the Radio Times for the 11-17th December: "Matt Smith reveals the secrets of Doctor Who's Christmas cracker". Though not mentioned in the preceeding issue, recent years have seen a cover dedicated to Doctor Who over the run-up to Christmas (you can see previous covers on the Radio Times website).

The Radio Times site also has a preview for A Christmas Carol.

It is still possible to order the Radio Times exclusive posters and Companion guide.




FILTER: - Specials - Radio Times

A Christmas Carol: Synopis Released

Monday, 22 November 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have now released details for programmes being broadcast over the Christmas period, including the forthcoming Doctor Who story, A Christmas Carol:

Doctor Who Christmas Special – A Christmas Carol
BBC ONE and BBC ONE HD
www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

Amy and Rory are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way The Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul of a lonely old miser, in a festive edition of the time-travelling adventure, written by Steven Moffat. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

Amy Pond is played by Karen Gillan, Rory Williams by Arthur Darvill, The Doctor by Matt Smith and Kazran Sardick by Michael Gambon.

Doctor Who is simulcast in HD on BBC One HD on Freesat channel 108, Freeview channel 50, Sky channel 143 and Virgin Media channel 108.

No time or date have been published for the story at present.




FILTER: - Specials

A Christmas Carol: the first trailer

Friday, 19 November 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC's Children in Need programme on BBC1/HD broadcast the first trailer for the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, a little after 8:00pm this evening.

The trailer is now available to watch online, via the BBC's official YouTube channel:


(this should be accessible worldwide, but may also be found via BBC America/YouTube)

The programme is due to be broadcast in both the United Kingdom and United States on Christmas Day.




FILTER: - Specials

USA gets Christmas Special on Christmas Day

Wednesday, 17 November 2010 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
BBC America has announced on its Twitter feed that this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol, is to be broadcast in the US on Christmas Day. This marks the first time that a Doctor Who Christmas special has aired in the United States on the same day as its UK premiere.

The episode will be broadcast at 9:00pm Eastern Time; the time of broadcast in the United Kingdom has yet to be announced.





FILTER: - Specials - USA - Broadcasting