The BBC have announced that the new co-star to appear alongside Matt Smith in Doctor Who is to be Jenna-Louise Coleman, who joins the show in the sixth episode this year, due to be shown at Christmas.

The actress was announced via the BBC's Doctor Who feed on Twitter, which also included some quotes. Jenna-Louise said: "I want to get started already. I'm a huge fan of the show.« Matt Smith did my audition with me. It was fun and I felt like we were in it together.«"; and on her favourite companion, "Between Billie Piper and Karen Gillan". Lead writer Steven Moffat said: "We saw a lot of brilliant actresses. But Jenna was the only person going faster than Matt - he had to keep up!«"

Expanding on this in the press release, he said:
Danny Cohen, the Controller for BBC One, added:

The BBC's One O'Clock News included an item on the casting, with the actress describing when she found out she had won the part:
A full version of the interview with Entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba can be watched via the BBC News site.


The twenty-five-year-old first came to public attention playing Jasmine Thomas in the long-running soap Emmerdale between 2005 and 2009. She then went on to appear in series five of the BBC's award-winning Waterloo Road as Lindsay Jones, and will be seen on television this coming Sunday in the ITV mini-series Titanic as Annie Desmond. Her debut in film came with the role of Connie in Captain America: The First Avenger, and she has also lent her voice to the English version of the game Xenoblade Chronicles.


NB: The BBC have confirmed that Jenna-Louise Coleman does not have, and does not plan to have, a Twitter account.

Production:

It was also confirmed this morning when Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will depart, with Steven Moffat saying: "Amy and Rory will leave in the fifth episode that goes out, and it will be a final encounter with the Weeping Angels, and not everybody gets out alive - and I mean it this time!"

As well as the lonely assassins, Doctor Who Magazine have also reported that the Daleks, too, will feature during the first half of the series this Autumn.

Speaking to the Radio Times at the Royal Television Society awards last night, Moffat explained the style of story-telling for the next series:

After the six episodes broadcast in the Autumn/Christmas this year, the remaining eight will be shown next year, with Moffat adding: "Oh, there'll be more episodes than just those eight, but these are the ones we're making right now." No other details of when and what else will occur during the 50th Anniversary have been revealed as yet.

The BBC are to announce the new co-star to join Matt Smith headlining Doctor Who tomorrow at a press conference.

Lead writer Steven Moffat first indicated that a new companion / assistant / sidekick / talking cabbage (delete as applicable) would feature in the new series back at the Q&A session for the BFI preview of The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, when he said:

This evening Steven Moffat has told reporters he got who he "wanted" to play Doctor's new companion but stayed tight-lipped about their identity. Speaking backstage at the Royal Television Society Awards in central London, he said The announcement will also be made online via the BBC's official Doctor Who Twitter feed.

Production:

Filming has now completed in Spain, with the cast and crew having returned to the UK on Thursday; cast-member Rob Cavazos commented: "Back in London. Muchas gracias, Almería. We had fun.«". The BBC have released an official photo of Karen Gillan on location at Fort Bravo Studios via Facebook, noting:"Olé! It’s a wrap as cast and crew prepare to depart sunny Spain. Back to Cardiff on Monday morning for more filming of Series 7."

Filming attracted media attention, though this was more focussed on the social activities of the cast during their free time, with coverage of shopping etc. by The Sun and Daily Mail on the 13th, and on socialising by The Sun and Daily Mail again a day later.

A number of Spanish blogs also picked up on filming, including a set report from Dos de Adobe, and the shoot was also reported by local newspapers El Almeria and The Olive Press (in English).

Cast:

Actor Andrew Brooke is to appear in Doctor Who playing a character known as The Reckoner, according to his online CV. The actor was also spotted socially in Spain with Karen, which was again reported via The Sun and Daily Mail.

Brooke has appeared in a number of television shows, including The I.T. Crowd, The Inbetweeners, and My Family, with more substantial roles as Oleg in Pulling, Alan Clacy in Collision, and more recently as Ashley in Phoneshop.


Members of the background cast have provided an album of themselves dressed in their western attire on Facebook, with the photos providing a glimpse into how the Wild West will look, Doctor Who style!

The Rumour Zone:

Back in January, Steven Moffat had made an enigmatic comment about following Sophia Myles on Twitter, saying "I'll explain later. Or not.«". That statement led to widespread speculation as to whether the actress would be returning to Doctor Who, and whilst the lead writer has yet to say anything else to confirm or deny this, the actress herself mentioned being in Spain on Monday at the same time as production was taking place in Almeria: "My bag has just been located at Malaga airport. Hope it gets to me tomorrow.«" Further fuel for the fire appeared on Friday with Arthur Darvill saying to her: "great to meet you. I think I ran off at the end. Good times.«".

It remains to be seen whether the actress really will re-appear in Doctor Who or if these are just coincidences!

Russell T Davies is to be one of the inaugural judges in a new £10,000 initiative for writers living in Wales.

The Wales Drama Award, which will be given every two years, was launched at yesterday's official opening of the BBC's Roath Lock drama studios in Cardiff - the new home of Doctor Who.

For this year's award, writers must submit a full-length, unperformed, or unproduced script in any medium and in English, with a minimum running length of 30 minutes, by July 16th. Six writers who are shortlisted will then be asked to submit a one-page outline of an original idea for development before meeting the judges in September to discuss their script as well as the idea.

The winner, who will be announced in September or October this year, will receive £10,000 and the chance to develop their script and idea with BBC Cymru Wales or National Theatre Wales. Two runners-up will each receive £1,000.

The BBC said:
The judging panel will also comprise BBC creative director of new writing Kate Rowland, BBC Cymru Wales head of drama Faith Penhale, National Theatre Wales artistic director John McGrath, and writer Abi Morgan (Sex Traffic, The Iron Lady, The Hour).

Wales's First Minister, Carwyn Jones, performed the opening ceremony at the Roath Lock production centre by unveiling a plaque on the TARDIS prop. The drama village, which took just 14 months to build, is part of the Porth Teigr renovation projection on Cardiff waterfront. Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Mr Jones said:

Open days over the weekend of 10th and 11th March gave members of the public the chance to see props from Doctor Who and Upstairs, Downstairs, as well as a look round the sets of Casualty and Pobol y Cwm, which have also shifted production to the 170,000 sq ft drama village - the BBC's largest drama production centre in the UK. An exhibition included costumes from Sherlock, which was co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and a Dalek.

Doctor Who production has moved to Roath Lock from Upper Boat. A video report on the opening, in which BBC director-general Mark Thompson mentions the beneficial effect locally of Doctor Who being made there, is available here.

Casting:

Reports from Spain indicate that actor Garrick Hagon is currently filming Doctor Who, with Genshiken Spain saying: "Garrick Hagon, our guest at FreakCon, is currently shooting in Almeria, filming a series of Doctor Who." This was also backed up by Rob Cavazos, who said: "I am currently working with an actor who was in the first Star Wars film. I am by no means a fanboy, but that's still pretty awesome!"

Hagon has previously appeared in Doctor Who, alongside Jon Pertwee in 1972's The Mutants as the Solonian rebel Ky.

Film appearances include A Bridge Too Far, The Spy Who Loved Me, Batman, Mission Impossible and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but as mentioned above he is probably best remembered as Luke Skywalker's best friend Biggs in the original Star Wars. Television appearances include Moonbase 3, Colditz, Cambridge Spies, and as Frank Oppenheimer in 1980's Oppenheimer.

On Location

Filming kicked off last Thursday in the Almeria region of Spain, at the Oasys Parque Temático del Desierto de Tabernas and Fort Bravo Studios. Both Executive Producer Caroline Skinner and Brand Manager Edward Russell travelled to Spain (with the latter celebrating his birthday at the weekend!), plus Doctor Who Magazine was also represented by Benjamin Cook.

A number of photos of the cast and crew on location in the Tabernas desert and at Fort Bravo Studios were captured by Spanish fans and media, including a glimpse of the story's adversary (confirming the report by by The Sun last week).

On Location Photos 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31; Adversary Images 2 3 4 5 6 7 (with thanks to Whovians.Net, Zimbio)

A Doctor Who fan has renewed his bid to claim ownership of the character of Davros.

Steve Clark says that he came up with the name and submitted it with a design (pictured right), as well as a handwritten essay entitled The Genesis Of The Daleks: The Creation Of Davros, for a TV Action competition in 1972. His entry didn't win the prize of a 17in colour TV set but he says that both the name and design were later used by the BBC without his permission. Davros was first seen in the series in Genesis of the Daleks in 1975.

He launched High Court proceedings last year for copyright breach after an attempt to come to an amicable solution with the corporation foundered. Now, with the case on hold, a teacher's handwriting could decide the matter.

Mr Clark, from Brabourne Lees in Kent, says that his original sketch, done when he was 13, has comments written on it by David Tidy, who was a teacher at Duncan Bowen School in Stanhope, Ashford, in the 1970s. He is now seeking former pupils who have books with Mr Tidy's handwriting in them, which could be used to validate the writing on his sketch and therefore his claim.

Mr Clark said:
The BBC and BBC Worldwide dispute the claim. A spokesman said:
(newslink: Kent Online)

A charity convention celebrating the fan film Power of the Daleks is to be held later this year.

The film, made by the Doctor Who enthusiasts behind the highly successful Portsmouth stage productions of The Web of Fear, Fury From The Deep, The Evil of the Daleks, and The Dalek Masterplan (the latter renamed from the original), adapts and reimagines Patrick Troughton's inaugural story.

Starring Nick Scovell as the Doctor and also featuring Nicholas Briggs, Lisa Bowerman and Barnaby Edwards in the cast, it is to be shown online in three mini-episodes in April, July, and September, but will receive a full showing on the big screen at the Power: Reimagined convention. Entry tickets pay for admission to the convention but the screening of the film is free and non-profit-making.

Teasers and a trailer for the film plus mini-documentaries about its making can be seen on the group's official YouTube channel. The trailer, which was released last Christmas, can also be seen below.



The convention takes place on Saturday 1st September at Ferneham Hall in Fareham and guests announced so far (work permitting) are Michael Troughton, who has recently published a biography about his father, and the Doctor Who Restoration Team, with more to come.

Also taking place during the day will be talks by cast and crew from the original series and remake, as well as photo and autograph sessions. Props from the remake will be on display too.

Money raised by the convention will go to Cancer Research UK and Children In Need.

Cast and Crew:

The two episodes currently being directed by Saul Metzstein have been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine as episode two by Chris Chibnall, and a wild-west themed episode three by Toby Whithouse. The cast for Chibnall's episode included the previously announced Mark Williams, Rupert Graves, and David Bradley, and joining Rob Cavazos for episode three are:

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Scarborough is listed by agent Curtis Brown as playing Kahler Jax. Scarborough has appeared in a number of prominent roles on television, having appeared as Mr Jolly in Psychoville, Pete in Gavin and Stacey, Mr Johnson in Cranford, and most recently as Mr Pritchard in Upstairs Downstairs. He has also appeared in films such as Vera Drake and Elizabeth: The Golden Years, and featured as a BBC Radio Announcer in The King's Speech. This won't be his first role in the Doctor Who world, having played Rupert von Thal in Big Finish's The Boy That Time Forgot.

Dominic Kemp Dominic Kemp is listed by agent Sainou as playing Kahler-Mas. Kemp has appeared in guest roles in a number of television dramas, including Waking the Dead, Wire in the Blood, Moses Jones (featuring Matt Smith) and most recently in the Christmas special of Downton Abbey. Film-wise, he appeared in Miss Potter, and will be seen with former Doctor Christopher Eccleston in the forthcoming Song for Marion.

Ben Browder Ben Browder has been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine. Browder is no stranger to the sci-fi genre, having played John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG1. More recently he has appeared in Chuck and will shortly play Nick Naught in Naught for Hire.

The character being played by Mark Williams has now been revealed, according to his online CV.

The second recording block, which comprises two episodes by Steven Moffat, will be directed by Nick Hurran, who filmed last year's The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex.

On Location:

If you've ever wondered what a casting call can look like, here's a number of Doctor Who hopefuls in Almeria, Spain queuing up to audition as extras for the episode that would be filmed there - the process of which was politely described as 'chaotic'!

Filming itself kicked off on the 7th at the Oasys Parque Temático del Desierto de Tabernas in the Almeria region. The resort is set in the only European desert, and provides a number of themed areas such as an aquatic zone, wildlife park, and of more interest to Doctor Who of course, a Western theme town known as "Mini Hollywood". The area has played host to a number of renowned films, like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Lawrence of Arabia, and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

In The Media/The Rumour Zone:

Executive Producer Caroline Skinner commented in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine on reading the opening script for the new series: "Once I'm finally on the plane into Heathrow I re-read Steven's scary, thrill-ride of an opening episode. There I am, gasping and laughing away to myself, and kinda wishing planes had sofas - because if there'd been a sofa on this one, I would've hidden behind it."

Today's Sun carries an item on filming in Spain, courtesy of the ubiquitous 'insider':
The paper has also suggested the adversary up against the Doctor:

In The Media:

Matt Smith was interviewed on the TARDIS set by Steve Hargrave for ITV1's Daybreak, during which he discussed Karen Gillan's departure, and his and the show's future: she’s a great friend, and creatively I have a really interesting relationship with her and Arthur, but I think by the same token the show is bigger than any of us - it’s been going in 2013 fifty years and it will continue way after me. It’s a thrill playing the part - as you see, this is work, this is home, I spend a lot of time here - I don’t want to give it up anytime soon. We've got a whole season to make, a Christmas special as well, so no time soon, I won’t be leaving anytime soon." Additionally, the Radio Times quoted him as saying: "We’ll get this season out the way and see where I’m at. I take it season by season and I take the job day by day because there’s no other way you can do it." [The full interview can be watched via the Daybreak website]

Speaking a little more on her decision to leave, Gillan herself explained how she wanted to be involved with her departure: "Oh, yeah! It would be so weird to just receive a script and find out that it was the end. That would be really weird. Oh, my god, I don't know how I would feel about that. It was nice. I was just thinking about it and I had this instinct of when I wanted to leave, so I called Steven Moffat and we arranged dinner. He told me where he was at, story wise, and together we were like, "Okay, this is when we can do it." It was actually so lovely and pleasant, and we both felt that it was the right time. In all honesty, I've had the best years of my life working on the show, so I’m going to be so sad to go. I really am." And on knowing how she will leave? "I wanted to keep it a surprise, for as long as possible, and keep the excitement in there." [Collider, 2 Mar 2012]

Writer Toby Whithouse discussed the new companion: "To be honest it was probably more of a mutual decision than people would assume. These things tend to be kind of agreed, particularly the companions have a natural shelf life. I know a bit about the new companion, I don’t know who they cast and even if I did if I told you Steven Moffat would come out here and punch me in the neck. Steven is one of the cleverest, most inventive people I’ve ever met in my life, and so you know it is in very safe hands with him. If he makes decisions, the chances are it’s for the best, it’s the best thing for the show." [Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb 2012]

Steven Moffat talked about monsters in Doctor Who during press coverage for Sherlock in France: "I always say new monsters are better in Doctor Who because you fall in love with monsters when they're new. One of the temptations, particularly if it's a success is to keep repeating your hits, which means you hear it again and again and again." [Le Village, 28 Feb 2012]

Moffat has also intimated on Twitter that he has started work on 2012 Christmas Special: "Right then. It's that time of year already. I'm breaking out the Christmas songs ... !"

On Location:

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan were spotted on their way to Spain in the morning on the 6th March, as various members of the public tweeted their journey to Heathrow: firstly by Vicky Cole at Paddington Station, "Just saw the girl from Doctor Who!« Now I've seen Doctor Who!«"; then Erin Sykes at Heathrow itself, "Just seen Doctor Who in the airport, just a casual thing for me to do on a Tuesday.« Yes, actually Matt Smith! We followed him;) but then he got on his plane!«". Arthur Darvill was then spotted in Madrid-Barajas airport itself by Javier Alonso Fontaneda, confirming the trio would be filming there, with a return to the UK expected on the 16th March.


The Spanish shoot has also been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine on the front cover for the next issue, due out Thursday.

Meanwhile, domestic filming without the two stars is planned at Cardiff Business School.

The Rumour Zone:

Being asked about the Express rumour from the weekend about the potential casting of Benedict Cumberbatch in the 50th Anniversary special, Matt Smith said: "I know Ben and I've not heard anything about it,” admits Smith. “But he’s a wonderful actor and a mate. I think he’s a bit busy being a Star Trek villain, and he’s Sherlock Holmes of course, so he’s a busy man." [Daybreak, via Radio Times, 28 Feb 2012]

Episode titles for the series have yet to be revealed, but an early contender for episode three of four has emerged, potentially tying in with the expected filming in Spain in the next few weeks.

Gallifrey One's Network 23, which was held last month in Los Angeles saw not only the cast of the TV Movie reunited with each other, but also reunited with the TARDIS console used in the 1996 Doctor Who story.

The console is owned by Paul Salamoff, a Doctor Who fan and veteran of the film industry who has worked as a Writer, Producer, Film Executive, Comic Book Creator, Author, and originally as a Special F/X Make-Up Artist.

Salamoff obtained the TARDIS console in 2006 after being put in contact with the owner of the Vancouver prop company that had originally built it for the movie. At the time the owner was keen to get rid of the prop, which was taking up to much space in his shop, so sold it to Salamoff for a knock-down price. Although the console was in pretty decent shape with all the lights working, the Time-Rotor was gone and some of the switches were missing including the large hand crank. All the feet on the base were broken at the ankles and had been quickly hot glued back together.

It was the announcement that the 23rd annual Gallifrey One convention, would see a reunion of the entire main cast and producer behind the 1996 Movie, that provided the inspiration for Salamoff and two friends, Brian Uiga and Bob Mitsch, to attempt a full restoration of the console. The three were well suited to take on the task. Salamoff himself has worked on Special FX on over forty films, ten television series, and numerous commercials. Brian Uiga has been building gadgets and props since 1996, when he first saw the TV Movie and fell in love with the show. He has worked with Salamoff to provide parts for a complete TARDIS toolkit. Bob Mitsch is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in English and Screen writing, his hobbies include writing, films and has created many costumes based on the series.

Since obtaining the console, Salamoff had already built a replica of the Time-Rotor. Further restoration work included replacing all broken switches, adding lights to the Time-Rotor, bracing the legs, building and replace the hand crank, restoring functionality to the three clocks, wiring up a custom sound board & speaker which would activate music & Sound Effects by switch, wiring lights to a relay s panels would dim & flash in alternating fashion as seen in the TVM, rigging a motor on the middle main clock so it could spin forwards or backwards as seen in TVM and wiring up all of these functions so they can all be activated by remote control.

Some parts were had built from scratch while some were adapted from existing bits and bobs such as craft beads. Original footage from the movie was used to try to get as accurate a match as possible and the console was re-wired and re-painted.

The Console was given pride of place in a special presentation at Gallifrey One where convention members could have their photo taken with the console. A full six-part report on the complete restoration can be found at Bob Mitsch's blog. 1 2 3 4 5 6

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Full Gallifrey One review here.