Children in Need tonight

Friday, 18 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
With all the excitement brewing for the Doctor's latest appearance tonight in Children in Need, we thought it would be worth providing a brief reminder of the cause it is in aid of:
Pudsey, Children in NeedBBC Children in Need provides grants to projects in the UK which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged. It is local to people in all corners of the UK and supports small and large organisations which empower children and extend their life choices.

The grant programmes are open all year round for applications, with a focus on allocating the money to deserving projects 4 times a year. To find out more about grant programmes, to apply for a grant or to hear how some children's lives have been changed for the better, visit 'Change Lives'

Every penny from the money you raise or donate will go towards helping disadvantaged children and young people right here in the UK. Children in Need is able to make this promise because it uses investment income and Gift Aid to cover all running costs, meaning that you can be sure your money makes a real difference.

"So far you have helped to raise over £600 million and you never cease to amaze us with your fabulous fundraising events and generous donations. However, there are still so many children that need your help. This year's Appeal promises to be bigger and better than ever before so make sure you get involved and help us to make a difference to children who need our help the most, especially in such tough economic times."

Doctor Who has often featured as part of the Children in Need evening, including the premier broadcasts of the special episodes The Five Doctors (1983), Dimensions in Time (1993), "Born Again" (2005) and Time Crash (2007), plus a Dead Ringers special (2003) and a number of previews, including the forthcoming Christmas Special whose name is to be revealed tonight. Last year featured a special tea party within the TARDIS, and tonight the Doctor is even losing his clothes for the cause!


Donate here!





FILTER: - Special Events - Series 4/30 Specials - Charities

Christmas Special Fast Tracked to Australia

Friday, 18 November 2011 - Reported by Marcus

ABC Australia has become the first broadcaster to confirm the scheduling of the 2011 Doctor Who Christmas Story.

The episode will be shown on ABC1 on Boxing Day (26 December), repeating last year's schedule when the episode was fast tracked to the Commonwealth just a few hours after its UK début.

No transmission date has yet been confirmed for the UK, the US or Canada.

In January ABC2 will will begin a repeat run of the entire revived series starting with Christopher Eccleston’s first appearance as the Doctor in Rose and running through every episode in order, including the Christmas specials.




FILTER: - Specials - Australia

Sega acquires Worlds in Time

Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Sega has announced that it has acquired games developer Three Rings, the company that has partnered with BBC Worldwide to create an online virtual multi-user Doctor Who game world, Doctor Who: Worlds in Time.

Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings, said:
SEGA is also excited to be collaborating with us and the BBC to bring Doctor Who: Worlds in Time to completion. In particular, SEGA has a very strong presence in the UK, and many SEGA folks there are great fans of the show.


Worlds in Time was announced in February, with game described as being "both highly engaging and fun, allowing players to socialize and foster genuine cooperation, building a global community where fans worldwide will now be able to experience first hand the exciting action and adventure synonymous with Doctor Who."

Though originally slated for late this year, at present no announcement has been made for its launch date. Interested parties can sign up for details of a closed preview via the Worlds in Time website.


The full press release from Sega can be read here.





FILTER: - Online - Games

Doctor Who Magazine 441

Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The new Doctor Who Magazine (out 17th November) visits Christmas, with an exclusive, in-depth interview with Doctor Who’s producer, Marcus Wilson:
It’s Christmas turned up to 12. It’s the most Christmassy Christmas Special we’ve ever seen. It’s a lovely, heart-warming, touching tale. It’s literally magical. It’s full of the usual concoction of things that spew out of Steven’s imagination. You’re going, ‘How can you have that and that in the same story?’ – and yet it works...

Also this issue:
  • Holding the Baby - DWM talks to Closing Time director, Steve Hughes, who reveals the secrets of turning a department store into a haunted house, giving the Cybermats teeth, and defending the honour of Adric!
  • Like Father, Like Son - DWM goes behind the scenes of Serpent Crest, AudioGO’s latest series of audio dramas featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, and talks exclusively to David Troughton – who joins the cast to take on his father’s role as the Second Doctor!
  • Here's to the Future! - Executive producer Steven Moffat writes about experiencing Christmas in the snow, his plans for Doctor Who in 2012, and the series’ 50th anniversary, in Production Notes!
  • School Winners! - DWM joins the crew of Doctor Who Confidential and visits the pupils of Oakley Junior School to meet Matt Smith and watch their winning entry for the ‘Script to Screen’ competition, Death is the only Answer – featuring Albert Einstein and an Ood!
  • And the Winners Are ... - The results of the DWM merchandise poll for the most popular books, audios, and DVDs of 2010 are revealed at last – along with your views on DWM itself!
  • Shock Return - The Fact of Fiction is filled with fascinating facts and sinister Cybermen, as it focuses its attention on the much-loved Fifth Doctor adventure from 1982, Earthshock!
  • Let's have a Party ... or not? - As the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who approaches in 2013, how best to mark the occasion – celebrate the past with a multi-Doctor extravaganza or pave the way to the future with something new, original and completely unexpected? There’s only one way to decide… get debating duo Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon to argue the toss in A Battle of Wits!
  • The Child of Time - The Doctor, Amy and Alan Turing face their ultimate encounter with the time-twisting Chiyoko in the thrilling climax to the Eleventh Doctor’s latest comic-strip adventure, The Child of Time by Jonathan Morris with art by Martin Geraghty.
  • Going Fourth - It’s the season that saw the return of the Daleks, the Cybermen and the Sontarans... and the very first appearance of Davros! Discover more as DWM’s Countdown to 50 looks back at 1974/5’s Series Twelve and the debut of Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor.
  • It's all been fantastic! - The Time Team shed a tear as they reach the end of the Ninth Doctor era with The Parting of the Ways – what will Emma, Michael, Chris and Will make of the Time Lord’s encounter with the Dalek Emperor and the Bad Wolf?
PLUS! All the latest official news, reviews of TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword and much, much more!






FILTER: - DWM

Christmas Special: First Image

Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have now released the first official image for the forthcoming Christmas Special, which is slated for Week 52 (Saturday 24th - Friday 30th December):



A preview for the episode is scheduled for between 8:00-8:30pm on Children in Need tomorrow evening, where the title will also be revealed.





FILTER: - Specials

Five year commercial plan for Doctor Who

Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Careers have published details for a role with BBC Worldwide as Commercial Director, Doctor Who:
This role is in the brand management team with responsibility for the Doctor Who brand specifically.

The Commercial Director is responsible for directing all commercial aspects of the brand, running its P&L, representing the brand internally and externally, and managing and protecting the brand in general.

In addition to approving products and communications relating to the brand, you'll also identify and develop new business opportunities, including creating and executing a five year plan for the brand.
 
The role is part of BBC Worldwide's Global Brands division, within the Adults Brands Team, which also looks after shows like Top Gear and Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars. The position will be based at their London Media Centre and has a closing date of 22nd November. The full job description may be found here.


The role specifically refers to a "five year plan", which is good news for Doctor Who from a commercial perspective, though this does not indicate a further five years of the show itself, of course!





FILTER: - Production - BBC

Children in Need update - Doctor's Costume for auction

Thursday, 17 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released three promotional images of Matt Smith as the Doctor for tomorrow's Children in Need evening:


The special mini-episode was recorded yesterday at BBC Television Centre in London - the first time that the Doctor has been filmed there for an episode of Doctor Who since Ghostlight wrapped in 1989 - and directed by Richard Senior (Let's Kill Hitler). The episode, written by show-runner Steven Moffat, sees the Doctor offering viewers the chance to win his tweed jacket (as seen in The Doctor's Wife), bow-tie as well as other items, which will be added to the charity's online auction; the winning bidder will also receive a signed copy of the script.

Matt Smith said:
I'd say the tweed jacket or the bow-tie are the most iconic - although the boots are my personal favourite. I hope people donate generously for BBC Children in Need because it's a wonderful cause - and we've got to beat last year's total.
Items also in the auction include art work from the cast of The Sarah Jane Adventures: Tommy by Anjli Mohindra, Anjli by Tommy Knight, Odd Bob by Tommy Knight, Shansheeth, Anjli Mohindra, The Groske, Daniel Anthony and The Empty Planet, Anjli. There are also signed Pudsey Bear dolls from John Barrowman (Jack Harkness) and Jo Joyner (Lynda).

The auction closes on Monday.


The title of the Christmas Special is also to be revealed during the evening, with an exclusive preview of the episode scheduled for between 8:00-8:30pm.



DrWho Online are holding an auction to raise money for Children in Need, with a package including a signed poster by David Tennant, the Brilliant Book of Doctor Who 2012, the 2012 Doctor Who calendar, and many other items; full details and how to bid may be found on their website.
(with thanks to Sebastian J Brook)




FILTER: - Specials - Special Events

Big Finish: The Lost Stories - Fourth Doctor Box Set

Wednesday, 16 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Big Finish have released the cover art for their forthcoming Doctor Who: The Lost Stories - The Fourth Doctor Box Set.
To be released in January 2012, the six disc audio collection will feature two unmade stories from the 1970s, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela:
The Foe from the Future
A six part story devised by Robert Banks Stewart and adapted by John Dorney

The Grange is haunted, so they say. This stately home in the depths of Devon has been the site of many an apparition. And now people are turning up dead. The ghosts are wild in the forest. But the Doctor doesn’t believe in ghosts.

The TARDIS follows a twist in the vortex to the village of Staffham in 1977 and discovers something is very wrong with time. But spectral highwaymen and cavaliers are the least of the Doctor’s worries.

For the Grange is owned by the sinister Jalnik, and Jalnik has a scheme two thousand years in the making. Only the Doctor and Leela stand between him and the destruction of history itself. It’s the biggest adventure of their lives – but do they have the time?
The Valley of Death
A four part story devised by Philip Hinchcliffe and adapted by Jonathan Morris

A century after his Great-Grandfather Cornelius vanished in the Amazon rainforest, Edward Perkins is journeying to the depths of the jungle to find out what became of his ancestor’s lost expedition. Intrigued by what appears to be a description of a crashed spacecraft in the diaries of that first voyage, the Doctor and Leela join him on his quest. But when their plane runs into trouble and ends up crash landing, everyone gets more than they bargained for.

The jungle is filled with giant creatures and angry tribesmen, all ready to attack. But in the famed lost city of the Maygor tribe, something far, far worse is lurking. Something with an offer to make to mankind. Who are the Lurons and can they be trusted? Will the Doctor defeat the plans of the malevolent Godrin or will he become just another victim of the legendary Valley of Death?

Guest cast includes Paul Wheeler, Louise Brearley, Blake Ritson, Dan Starkey, Anthony Howell and Jane Slavin.

As well as the two stories, the set will also include a 70 minutes behind-the-scenes documentary, plus additional extras.

The boxed set is available for pre-order via the Big Finish website.
(with thanks to David Richardson)





FILTER: - Audio - Tom Baker - Big Finish

Hang A Dalek on the Christmas Tree

Tuesday, 15 November 2011 - Reported by Marcus
BBC Worldwide has launched two new Doctor Who hand crafted glass tree decorations for Christmas this year, as detailed in the press release below:

Doctor Who: Hand-Crafted Glass Dalek or Tardis Tree Decoration

Forget everything you ever knew about Daleks and imagine that this one comes in peace for Christmas, dressed all in red and rendered temporarily harmless. And wherever there is a Dalek the TARDIS is sure to be close behind. Materializing on Earth just in time for Christmas, its classic TARDIS blue colour and instantly recognizable chassis give your tree an intergalactic touch, from far beyond the brightest star the human eye can see.

Each hand-crafted glass Dalek Christmas decoration is styled in the traditions of mouth blown glass. Skilled artisans have hand painted each ornament with intricate details. This is certain to make your Christmas tree unique and stylish. RRP only £13.99.

Doctor Who Series 6 DVD & Exclusive Dalek & Tardis Tree Decorations

The Doctor, Amy and Rory return to face monsters, mysteries and adventures all across time and space in the action-packed sixth series. Billed as the biggest and best series yet, all 13 thrilling episodes of Series 6 together with host of exclusive Doctor Who Series 6 is now available in this wonderful Doctor Who Christmas bundle.

Including both the hand crafted glass Dalek and Tardis tree decorations. A must have Christmas present for any fans of the show, available from BBC Shop priced only £57.99.




FILTER: - Merchandise

People Roundup

Monday, 14 November 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Colin Baker will be a guest on a popular cookery show during the festive period: "I am allowed to tell you this and no more - Celebrity Come Dine with Me over Christmas. Watch yours truly cooking and eating - ad nauseam" [Colin Baker via Twitter, 14 Nov 2011]

David Tennant continues to film Nativity 2 with the actor spotted on location at Llanrhaeadr Waterfall, where a scene with him and co-star Marc Wooton involving a donkey didn't turn out so well ... [Powys County Times, 11 Nov 2011]

Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) thinks it is possible to appear for the 50th Anniversary: "I’ve just heard rumblings and my agent was talking about it because there's a tight-knit of us. In terms of working with David and with Karen, we've all got the same sort of circle really, so a mention of things but nothing's really been in set in stone. But if they want to do a big group thing, I can't really envisage anybody in the Who family saying no because it's quite a marked occasion and a good opportunity to rekindle. For the fans, it's exciting for them as well and everyone gets together." [Independent, 14 Nov 2011]

On the other hand Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper) thinks otherwise: "I wouldn't have thought so. We have lots of adult themes running in Torchwood and I think it would be inappropriate for us to have anything to do with Doctor Who because it’s predominantly a family programme. I think that where Torchwood is, it deals with darker subjects and I think inter-mixing them, if they want to do that, then fine but I can tell you that I'm not involved in it – they won’t give me guns or a bazooka." [Independent, 8 Nov 2011]

Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler) also talks about her likelihood of ever coming back to the series: "I think that's done now. We’ve been back to say goodbye at least twice. You have to leave it in the past sometime really. And we left five years ago really, so it's quite a long time. People have moved on. If anyone asked me, of course I would, brilliant. It would be a great story to go back, but I think it's done and I think we need to leave it where it is, really." [Gay Times]

Peter Kay (Abzorbaloff, Love & Monsters) regrets playing an alien as part of his career: "I loved making it but when I saw it, I thought, 'Oh my God. I'm big green lizard running around Cardiff? Is that it?' It's nice to have been in Doctor Who but that is regarded by fans as the worst episode ever. In 10 years' time, I'll be able to do the Doctor Who conventions and charge people a tenner for a photo!" [Express, 13 Nov 2011]

Bill Pullman (Danes, Miracle Day) will be performing excerpts from "The Healing Wars", a project he has developed with his wife, on the 8th December in Denver as part of a benefit for Visionbox, a professional actors training studio he conceived in 2010. [Denver Post, 13 Nov 2011]






FILTER: - People - David Tennant - Colin Baker