Behind the scenes of The Day of the Doctor

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by John Bowman

A behind-the-scenes report on The Day of the Doctor was shown on BBC One's Breakfast today.

Presented by entertainment correspondent Lizo Mzimba, the four-minute piece included interviews with Matt Smith, David Tennant, John Hurt, and Jenna Coleman.

Watch the report below. (NB: May not play outside the UK.)

Who's there? Behind the scenes of The Day of the Doctor (via the BBC Breakfast site)

FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - Matt Smith - Jenna Coleman - David Tennant - John Hurt - BBC

Sunday Overnight Viewing Figures

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Three finished its countdown of Doctor Who: Greatest Monsters & Villains on Sunday evening with the top three Monsters and Villains as voted for by viewers to the channel.

The format featured a three-minute potted history of the featured villain, followed by the screening of an appropriate episode of Doctor Who. Coming in at number 3 was the Master and a screening of the 2007 story Utopia. The episode had an overnight viewing figure of 0.51 million viewers, a 1.9% share of the total audience.

At number two were the Weeping Angels, the episode the 2007 story which introduced the Angels Blink. It was watched by 0.66 million, a 2.4% share.

Finally for the series, at number 1 were the show's longest-running villains the Daleks. The episode shown was the 2005 story which introduced the menace to a whole new generation of fans, the Christopher Eccleston story Dalek. It was watched by an average 0.69 million viewers, a 2.6% share. BBC Three was the highest-watched digital channel during the transmission of the series.

FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 3/29 - Series 1/27

The Big Issue celebrates Doctor Who's 50th

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by John Bowman

The new edition of street magazine The Big Issue - out today - marks the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who with a cover feature.

Editor Paul McNamee said:

We kick off our run of five bumper editions leading up to Christmas with a Doctor Who special. As the anniversary of that show approaches, with a number of Doctors together on screen and fan-mania growing, we have a collection of fantastic features.

These include:

An interview with Matt Smith detailing working on screen with David Tennant
A piece from Who-obsessive, screenwriter, and man of letters Mark Gatiss
Pieces from Karen Gillan and Eddie Izzard plus a panel of experts explaining what deeply-held psychological fear each Who monster plays to and why we can't escape them
A big Doctor Who competition with prizes including a TARDIS teapot

This special edition of the weekly magazine will be available from vendors everywhere across Britain except for a pocket around Manchester and the north-west, which is served by The Big Issue In The North.

The Big Issue is written by professional journalists and helps homeless and vulnerably-housed people by giving them the chance to earn their own money. Vendors buy the magazine at a reduced rate and sell it for the cover price, keeping the difference. Please note that the magazine should only be bought from badged vendors.

If people are unable to get hold of the publication, they can e-mail office manager Robert White via robert.white@bigissue.com.

UPDATE - TUESDAY 19th NOVEMBER: The Big Issue has got £1,800-worth of Doctor Who goodies to give away, including prints, DVDs, and Weeping Angel costumes. Editorial co-ordinator Steven MacKenzie told Doctor Who News:

It doesn't just have to be people who have already bought the magazine who can enter.

The closing date is Wednesday 27th November. Full details are available here.

FILTER: - UK - Magazines - WHO50

Doctor Who motion moved in Australian Parliament

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by Adam Kirk

An Australian parliamentarian, George Christensen MP, proudly wearing a Fourth Doctor scarf, has presented a motion in the Australian Parliament, acknowledging the strong links between Australia and Doctor Who on the 50th anniversary of its debut. Mr Christensen mentioned the important role that a number of Australians have played in the long history of Doctor Who, including C.E. "Bunny" Webber, Anthony Coburn, Ron Grainer, Dudley Simpson, "adopted Aussie" Katy Manning, Janet Fielding and Kylie Minogue. Mr Christensen's speech can be seen here on YouTube.

The motion also proposed that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Screen Australia and the various Australian state-based film funding bodies consider offering finance to entice the BBC to film the 2015 series in Australia to mark the 50th anniversary of its first Australian screening in 1965. The motion attracted bipartisan support and three other parliamentarians spoke in its favour.

The motion and its call for Doctor Who to be filmed in Australia has received some local media, including ABC Brisbane, ABC North Queensland, the Herald Sun and ninemsn.

Australian MPs Graham Perrett, Dr Andrew Leigh, George Christensen and Alex Hawke with a blow up Dalek spoke in Parliament on the 50th anniversary of Dr Who. Photo: Andrew Meares, Sydney Morning Herald.

Sydney Morning Herald Politics live: November 18, 2013

FILTER: - WHO50 - Australia

Details announced of Splendid Chaps Christmas show

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by Adam Kirk

.

As previously reported, Splendid Chaps is a year-long performance/podcast project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who hosted by comedian Ben McKenzie (Dungeon Crawl, Melbourne Museum Comedy Tour), writer John Richards (ABC1 sitcom Outland, Boxcutters podcast) and actress and singer Petra Elliot.

Described by its creators as part intellectual panel discussion, part nerdy Tonight Show, Splendid Chaps is a combination of analysis, enthusiasm and irreverence. The first episode went to number 1 on the iTunes TV & Film Podcast chart in Australia, and to number 4 in the UK. The podcasts to previous episodes are now available at www.splendidchaps.com or at iTunes.

Tickets are now on sale for their Christmas show! To see out this year of Doctor Who, the chaps look at all the Time Lord goodness that didn’t fit into the rest of the year, including not-quite-Doctors Peter Cushing and Richard E Grant, and spin-off K9 & Company. There’ll be special guests, songs from house band The Time Lads and a cardboard Dalek too.

This show will also be raising funds for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) and Medecins San Frontieres (MSF).

Space: The Bella Union, upstairs, Melbourne Trades Hall, corner of Lygon and Victoria Streets, Melbourne
Time: Sunday, December 15; doors open from 4:30 PM
Accessibility: This venue is wheelchair accessible; please contact the venue for lift access.
Tickets: $20 (including booking fee)
Bookings: via bellaunion.com.au online, or at the door (subject to availability)
Podcast: not yet available; released 23rd of December, 2013.

With thanks to John Richards

FILTER: - Special Events - Fan Productions - Australia

The Day of the Doctor: next wave of publicity images

Monday, 18 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC and BBC America have released a number of new publicity images to promote the forthcoming The Day of The Doctor; this batch includes images of Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt as the Doctor, with Jenna Coleman as Clara, Billie Piper as Rose, and Ingrid Oliver as Osgood.

FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - Matt Smith - Jenna Coleman - Billie Piper - David Tennant - WHO50

DWAS unveils plans for anniversary week

Sunday, 17 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Doctor Who Appreciation Society have released details on their plans in the lead-up to Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary:

Celebrate Anniversary Week With the Doctor Who Appreciation Society

The 50th Anniversary is nearly upon us, and DWAS will be partying along with the rest of fandom. Starting on Sunday 17th through to Saturday 23rd November 2013 we will be celebrating every day with something new, or indeed, something old….

DWAS members will receive a special 50th Anniversary edition of our magazine ‘Celestial Toyroom’. CT is now the longest running Doctor Who themed magazine in the world and this edition will celebrate that with a wide selection of articles, reviews and interviews. It will feature an increased page count and a very special cover.

Non-members will be able to buy a copy via our website.

DWAS runs a popular YouTube channel. You can access this via our website now. In the anniversary week we will add some new items from our archive. This will feature both audio and visual content, with Doctor Who related friends from across the years.

Our online archive contains parts of the Society’s output over the years. You can visit it now and view a selection of articles, which will be joined by some new material. We also have a free-to-access downloads section at our online shop. There are already some items there you can download now and during the anniversary week we will be adding some rare items form the early days of fandom.

And to show it is not all about the past, DWAS will produce its first ever e-publication. ‘Cosmic Masque’ was for many years the Society’s fan fiction journal, and was sold alongside our other publications. Now, to celebrate the Doctor’s 50th birthday, we will produce a brand new copy exclusively online. This will feature fiction, merchandise reviews and letters. It will be available to all.

We will also announce our 50th Anniversary poll results, commencing on Saturday 16th November, at our website.

To keep up-to-date as we make items available you can keep visiting our website and Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and join our email list.

Current items include a downloadable copy of Celestial Toyroom Issue Four from 1976, which includes an interview with Robert Holmes, and an audience with Paul Darrow from 2011 via YouTube (parts one and two).

(with thanks to Paul Winter/DWAS)

FILTER: - Fan Productions

Saturday Overnight Viewing Figures

Sunday, 17 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Three continuted its countdown of Doctor Who: Greatest Monsters & Villains on Saturday evening.

The format features a three minute potted history of the featured villain, followed by the screening of an appropriate episode of Doctor Who. Coming in at number 6 were the Ice Warriors and a screening on a story from the most recent series of Doctor Who Cold War. The episode had an overnight viewing figure of 0.33 million viewers, a 1.4% share of the total audience.

At five were the Cybermen, the episode shown the 2008 Christmas story The Next Doctor. It was watched by 0.58 million a 2.5% share.

Finally for the evening, at number 4 were The Silence. The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon was screened and was watched by an average 0.69 million viewers, a 4.3% share. BBC Three was the second highest watched digital channel for most of the evening, with Die Hard 4.0 on E4 taking the top spot.

FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 6/32 - Series 7/33

Week of Specials on Radio Four Extra

Saturday, 16 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus

Today BBC Radio Four Extra begins a week of celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who with a reading of the very first Doctor Who novelisation.

Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks was first published in 1964, adapted by the series' script editor David Whitaker from the first Dalek story written by Terry Nation. The story was republished by Target Books in 1973, kicking off the range which would introduce a generation of fans born in the sixties and seventies to the eras of the first and second Doctors.

The story, intended to work as a standalone, is told from the viewpoint of Ian Chesterton and has a very different meeting between the Doctor and his future companions than that of the television series.

The Audiogo recording is read by William Russell, who played Ian in the TV series. The broadcast begins at 1800 GMT on Saturday with the first two episodes. The full adaptation is broadcast between 0000 GMT and 0430 GMT on Sunday.

The broadcast kicks off a week of Doctor Who programming on the station. Radio Four Extra can be heard worldwide via the BBC Website.

Sunday - Protect and Survive - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT

Sylvester McCoy

Monday - Fanfare for the Common Men - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT

Peter Davison

Tuesday - A Thousand Tiny Wings - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT

Sylvester McCoy

Wednesday - Farewell Great Macedon - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT
Thursday - Human Resources - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT

Paul McGann

Friday - The Dalek Invasion of Earth - 1800 GMT & 0000 GMT

William Russell

Saturday - Doctor Who special – Who Made Who - 0900 GMT & 1600 GMT

Charlie Higson

Al Hennen

The Reunion

Whatever Happened to . . . Susan Foreman?

Sunday - Lucie Miller - 0000 GMT

Paul McGann

Sheridan Smith

Graeme Garden

Monday - To the Death - 0000 GMT

Paul McGann

Sheridan Smith

Graeme Garden

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Eighth Doctor - Seventh Doctor - First Doctor - Radio - Fifth Doctor

Overnight Viewing Figures

Saturday, 16 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus

BBC Three launched its Doctor Who: Greatest Monsters & Villains Weekend on Friday evening, a ten part series looking back at some of the greatest monsters of the series, hosted by stand up comic & impractical joker, Joel Dommett.

The format features a three minute potted history of the featured villain, followed by the screening of an appropriate episode of Doctor Who. Episode 1 featured the Judoon and was followed by a screening of Smith and Jones. It achieved an overnight viewing figure of 0.37 million viewers, a 1.7% share of the total TV audience. Episode 2 was dedicated to The Silurians and featured A Good Man Goes To War. It achieved an overnight viewing figure of 0.42 million viewers, a 1.7% share of the total TV audience.

At number 8, episode 3 revolved around the the Ood and was followed by the 2008 story Planet of the Ood. It had 0.40 million viewers with 1.6% share. Finally for the evening, episode 4 looked at the Clockwork Droids and featured a screening of The Girl in the Fireplace. The episode had 0.55 million viewers with a 2.5% share.

BBC Three outrated the other digital channels for most of the evening, just edging ahead of ITV2 and ITV3.

Thursday's showing of The Science of Doctor Who had an Appreciation Index of 85. Buzzcocks: The Doctor Who Special had an AI of 82.

FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Matt Smith - David Tennant

Previous 10 Stories

Behind the scenes of The Day of the Doctor

Sunday Overnight Viewing Figures

The Big Issue celebrates Doctor Who's 50th

Doctor Who motion moved in Australian Parliament

Details announced of Splendid Chaps Christmas show

The Day of the Doctor: next wave of publicity images

DWAS unveils plans for anniversary week

Saturday Overnight Viewing Figures

Week of Specials on Radio Four Extra

Overnight Viewing Figures

Amazon Associate paid Link. Doctor Who News is supported by qualifying purchases.

This Week in Doctor Who

ARCHIVE

FILTER