TARDIS to go on tour across Wales

Thursday, 14 November 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The TARDIS is being taken on tour across Wales for a week as part of Doctor Who's 50th-anniversary celebrations.

The special event starts this weekend and will see the phone box appearing overnight at secret locations in eight towns and cities, with the exact spots revealed on the morning of each visit via #TARDIStourWales.

The tour culminates in Cardiff - where the series is made by BBC Cymru Wales - on the day that the special anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor is broadcast.

Brian Minchin, the series' co-executive producer, said:
Doctor Who fans across Wales will get a unique opportunity to get up close to the Doctor's time machine and be part of our anniversary celebrations. Look out for it in a town near you.
The tour itinerary is as follows:
  • Saturday 16th November - Holyhead
  • Sunday 17th November - Llandudno
  • Monday 18th November - Wrexham
  • Tuesday 19th November - Aberystwyth
  • Wednesday 20th November - St Davids
  • Thursday 21st November - Swansea
  • Friday 22nd November - Newport
  • Saturday 23rd November - Cardiff




FILTER: - Special Events - WHO50

An Evening with Steven Moffat

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a video of an event from BBC Cymru Wales, where Doctor Who's lead writer Steven Moffat looks back over 50 years of the show.





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - WHO50

An Unearthly Child will be shown as part of 50th Anniversary celebration

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have confirmed that Doctor Who's very first adventure, An Unearthly Child will be broadcast next week on BBC4 as scheduled.

Recent newspaper reports indicated that writer Anthony Coburn's son Stef had challenged the Corporation's ownership of the copyright of the TARDIS, leading to a question over whether or not his father's story could be broadcast. Coburn himself stated this morning via his Twitter account that he had been informed that the BBC were not going to show the episodes.

However, the BBC Press Office have told us:
These first episodes form an important part of the BBC’s celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and we don’t want to deny BBC viewers in the UK the opportunity to see them. We don’t believe that Mr Coburn’s claims should affect any planned programming.

An Unearthly Child is to be broadcast at 10:30pm on Thursday 21st November on BBC4, immediately following the television premiere of origins drama An Adventure in Space and Time, showing on BBC2 from 9:00pm.





FILTER: - WHO50 - Press - BBC

Mankind update and competition

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Details have now been finalised for the forthcoming download release of the 2013 remix of Mankind's 1978 disco hit cover version of the Doctor Who theme, as well as the tracks for the CD and vinyl formats of the compilation album Space, Time And Beyond.

Now retitled Dr Who? (Time Waits For No Man) by Mankind vs Dos Amigoz feat Diane Charlemagne, the remix download is available to pre-order in radio edit and club mix formats. Both are also available from iTunes (as separate clickable items).

A teaser video for the remix has been released:



In addition to being available to buy online (CD and vinyl), the album will also be on sale in larger HMV record stores and can be ordered from any HMV or Fopp record store.

The track listings for both album formats are as follows:
Vinyl release
    Side One:
  1. Dr Who? (Time Waits For No Man)
  2. Dr Who? (Radio)
  3. Time Traveller (Radio)
  4. Chain Reaction (Radio)
  5. Funky Revolution (Radio)
  6. Dark Star Angel (Radio)
  7. UFO (Radio)
    Side Two:
  1. Dr Who? (Club)
  2. Chain Reaction (Club)
  3. Dark Star Angel (Club)
  4. Dr Who? (Cosmic Remix) – a special remix for the BBC, made in 1984
The vinyl album has a gatefold sleeve telling the story of the making of the 1978 single, a poster, plus unpublished photos from the first Doctor Who convention in the USA, which was held in 1979 and for which a special pressing of the single was made.
CD release
  1. Dr Who? (Time Waits For No Man)
  2. Dr Who? (Radio)
  3. Time Traveller (Radio)
  4. Chain Reaction (Radio)
  5. Funky Revolution (Radio)
  6. Dark Star Angel (Radio)
  7. UFO (Radio)
  8. Dr Who? (Club)
  9. Time Traveller (Club)
  10. Chain Reaction (Club)
  11. Funky Revolution (Club)
  12. Dark Star Angel (Club)
  13. UFO (Club)
  14. Dr Who? (Cosmic Remix)
The CD will have the same information as the vinyl release.
Furthermore, with BBC Four currently running truncated and full repeats of the now-defunct BBC1 show Top of the Pops from 35 years ago, the edition featuring Mankind's first appearance on the programme, which was first broadcast on 30th November 1978, will be airing on BBC Four tomorrow - Thursday 14th November - at 7.30pm, with the extended repeat a few hours later at 2am on Friday 15th November.

Meanwhile, the edition of 14th December 1978, which featured a subsequent appearance by the group, is due to be shown on BBC Four on Thursday 21st November, again at 7.30pm, with the extended repeat at 2.10am on Friday 22nd November.

Please note that the group's appearances may only be included in the extended repeats, but the iPlayer carries the full versions.

Recalling their appearances, Mankind producer Don Gallacher exclusively told Doctor Who News:
So, on the Monday I think it was, we got the chart position of 25, and also the call that we had a place on Top Of The Pops. The golden prize! We would record two days later.

I called the musicians who had recorded Dr Who? and who I had named Mankind. Mark Stevens was available, so was Dave Green, but Graham Jarvis and Dave Christopher weren't. They may have been on tour with Cliff Richard.

My usual session drummer, Graham Hollingworth, was free and I called Paul Martinelli, the lead singer and guitarist from my old band Britania. He said yes, but he'd have to take a day off work.

In those days the Musicians' Union had strict rules about TV appearances. It was OK to mime but not to the original recording. I had to re-record the track using the same or replacement MU members. This was next to impossible. Although the musos were quite capable of recording the basic track in one take, Mark Stevens and I had spent days in the studio dubbing extra electronics: keyboards and synth tracks. There was no way we could do all that in a three-hour recording session!

I booked a studio and told the guys to be there early, certainly before the MU rep - who would oversee the session - arrived. You can probably guess that we were about to "pretend" to re-record the track. If the MU rep suspected anything there would be no Top Of The Pops.

Everybody turned up on time and took their places behind isolation booths. Everybody, that is, except for bass player Dave Green. The MU rep arrived and we started "recording". The MU rep stayed in the control room of course and he couldn't see all the musicians, so he was oblivious to the fact that we were one member short. I remember hitting the talkback button and giving instructions to the absent Dave. I was terrified! Any minute, Dave Green would walk into the control room and in his usual ebullient style say something like "OK, when do we start?"

I kept making my excuses to go outside. The MU rep must have thought I had a weak bladder! On one of these "trips to the loo" I encountered Dave bouncing up the stairs. Before he could say anything, I put my finger to my lips to say "Shhh". I whispered what was going on and told him to sneak into the studio and take his place. He was to mime to the track.

As luck would have it, we got away with it, and the band would now appear on Top Of The Pops.
Mankind are also to be featured in the Radio 1 documentary The Story of Trock, which will air on Monday 25th November at 9pm.

Competition

In association with Don Gallacher and Mondo Recordings, Doctor Who News is delighted to offer readers the chance to win a copy of the CD compilation. There are three up for grabs, with an additional prize of a copy of the rare USA convention pressing of the 1978 single, signed by Gallacher, for the first name "out of the hat".

To be in with a chance of winning, please answer the following three music-related questions
1) What was the B-side of the 1978 Mankind single Dr Who? called?

2) What pop group did Susan say she was listening to on her transistor radio in the first episode of Doctor Who?

3) Which band was the Doctor trying to take Rose to see in concert at the beginning of Tooth And Claw?
and send your entry to comp-mankind@doctorwhonews.net with the subject line Disco Doctor. Please make sure you include your name, postal address, and where you read about this competition (eg, the DWN website, Facebook, Twitter). Details will not be used for marketing purposes. The contest is open worldwide and closes on Friday 22nd November 2013 at 11.59pm GMT. Only one entry per postal address will be accepted.





FILTER: - Music - Merchandise - Competitions

An Adventure in Space and Time: new publicity images

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a number of new publicity photos from the forthcoming drama An Adventure in Space and Time, which had its premiere at the BFI last night. The images feature behind-the-scenes with the cast and crew, including first glimpses of Jeff Rawle as Mervyn Pinfield, David Annen as Peter Brachacki, and Anna-Lisa Drew as Maureen O'Brien, plus recreated moments from Marco Polo, The Dalek Invasion of Earth and The Web Planet.






FILTER: - Specials - WHO50

Standing ovation for Adventure at BFI première

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 - Reported by Anthony Weight
The drama An Adventure in Space and Time, which tells the story of the creation of Doctor Who in 1963 in fictionalised form, received a standing ovation from the audience following its première at the British Film Institute's BFI Southbank venue on Tuesday evening. An Adventure, produced by the BBC as part of the celebrations to mark Doctor Who's 50th anniversary this month, will receive its television début on BBC Two on Thursday 21st November at 9pm, before being shown in the US and Canada the following day, and in Australia on the 24th.

Tuesday's screening was the latest in the BFI's own series of anniversary events, which have previously seen each Doctor celebrated with a screening of one of their stories. The screening of An Adventure in Space and Time proved immensely popular with fans, some of whom had waited for eight hours in the queue for returns in order to gain their seats. The screening was introduced by speeches from its writer and executive producer Mark Gatiss, from the BFI's Television Programmer Marcus Prince and from Clare Hudson, the Head of BBC Cymru Wales productions, which made An Adventure in Space and Time.

Among the audience were director Waris Hussein, who appears as a character in the drama played by Sacha Dhawan; former companion actors Carole Ann Ford (also a character in the programme) Louise Jameson, Anneke Wills (who also appears briefly in the drama), Sophie Aldred and Matthew Waterhouse, and 1970s producer Philip Hinchcliffe. Taking part in the panel discussion following the screening, conducted by journalist and Doctor Who fan Matthew Sweet, were Gatiss, stars Dhawan and David Bradley (who portrays William Hartnell), director Terry McDonough and Hartnell's real-life granddaughter Jessica Carney, the latter of whom was clearly very moved by the drama.

A spoiler-free review of An Adventure in Space and Time is now available in our reviews section, here. For our An Unearthly Series features, telling the real story behind the creation of Doctor Who fifty years to the day since each major event occurred, click here.




FILTER: - WHO50

The Day of the Doctor on New Zealand television

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 - Reported by Paul Scoones
New Zealand's Prime television channel will screen The Day of the Doctor a little later than the simulcast that will be seen in many other countries.

If simulcast, the 50th anniversary special would have screened at 8:50am NZ time on Sunday 24 November. It will instead commence just ten minutes later, at 9:00am.

The Day of the Doctor - Promotional Poster (square) (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers)This brief delay is believed to be because Prime is not permitted to broadcast PGR (Parental Guidance Recommended) classified programmes before 9:00am in the morning. New series episodes of Doctor Who invariably receive this rating in New Zealand. Prime will repeat the special at 8:30pm the same day.

A couple of new documentaries to mark the anniversary are also scheduled on Prime for 24 November. Doctor Who Explained will screen at 6:30pm followed by Doctor Who in the U.S. at 10:15pm.

One additional item appears in Prime's line-up for 24 November. Closing Time will screen on 2:00pm. This is not part of the anniversary schedule but rather the latest in a run of weekly repeats of the latter half of Series Six.






FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - WHO50 - New Zealand

Doctor Who Magazine 467

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Doctor Who Magazine 467 (Credit: Doctor Who Magazine)

Doctor Who Magazine 467 (mini issue cover) (Credit: Doctor Who Magazine)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Doctor Who Magazine 467 is the biggest issue ever, at 116 packed pages! It also comes complete with a very special 1960s-themed mini issue, which imagines how DWM might have celebrated the series' first anniversary. PLUS! There's also a set of 12 amazing art cards, featuring all 12 Doctors, and NINE free audio downloads of Doctor Who stories!

Also inside this issue:

Celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who with DWM 467, out Thursday 14 November.

Doctor Who Magazine 467 (pack shot) (Credit: Doctor Who Magazine)




FILTER: - DWM - WHO50

Blue Peter Competition

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
CBBC is celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who with the launch of a Blue Peter competition, which will give children the chance to design a brand-new device for the forthcoming series of Doctor Who.

The competition, which will be launched on the Doctor Who: Blue Peter Special on Thursday 21 November. Viewers aged between six and 15 will be asked to design a new sonic device for either Sontaran Commander Strax, Madame Vastra or Jenny Flint and the winning gadgets will feature in the science fiction series next year.

There will be three eligible age categories for the competition - six to eight years, nine to 11 years and 12 to 15 years. All entries will be considered by a panel of judges which will include Blue Peter editor Ewan Vinnicombe, Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat, Doctor Who producer Nikki Wilson, Doctor Who’s brand account manager Edward Russell, CBBC presenter Chris Johnson, Blue Peter series producer Ellen Evans and Michael Pickwoad, production designer for Doctor Who.

Winners will be announced as part of Blue Peter’s Christmas show on 19 December. The designer of the winning device will be invited to Cardiff to see their gadget being used on the Doctor Who set, with three runners up each receiving a special framed picture including their competition entry and a signed picture of the actor they designed their device for.

Competition details will be live on the Blue Peter website following the launch on the show on 21 November.

Ewan Vinnicombe, editor of Blue Peter, said:
Blue Peter and Doctor Who have collaborated many times over the history of both series and we felt that the 50th anniversary was a great opportunity to celebrate that and give our young viewers the chance to use their imagination and really get involved in the show. We can’t wait to see what great ideas they come up with for the new devices and to see them in action on the Doctor Who set.
In addition to the exclusive competition, Blue Peter will also be broadcasting two live episodes dedicated to Doctor Who – Doctor Who: Blue Peter Special on Thursday 21 November and a Doctor Who: Blue Peter Party episode on Saturday 23 November.

Presenters Barney Harwood, Lindsey Russell and Radzi Chinyanganya will be joined by aliens and monsters in the studio and the audience will be challenged to design their very own alien live on air. Viewer questions will be answered by Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman, and there will be a very special themed ‘make’ as the team shows the CBBC audience how to make their very own cushion (to hide behind) and some tasty – if slightly scary – Dalek cupcakes.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Matt Smith - Competitions

Predict the Ratings Competition

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who. The VaultDoctor Who News is offering a copy of the official 50th Anniversary book, Doctor Who: The Vault, to the person who can most accurately guess the BBC One ratings for the UK premiere of The Day of the Doctor.

The aim is to guess the final consolidated viewing figure, as reported by BARB to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). This figure includes all those watching the episode within a week of broadcast, but does not include those watching on iPlayer.
The Day of the Doctor is being broadcast in the UK on Saturday 23rd November at 7.50pm, later than normal Doctor Who episodes. On BBC One it follows Strictly Come Dancing, the latest edition of the Dancing With the Stars format, which achieved a rating of 11.09 million viewers in the most recent reported week. Doctor Who will be opposite The X Factor on ITV, which had 8.67 million viewers in the most recent week.

Doctor Who: The Vault

Doctor Who. The VaultThis is the full and official story of Doctor Who, from the first pre-production memos in 1963 to the most recent props created for the 2013 series, including interviews with key contributors and scores of prop photos, design sketches and behind-the-scenes stills from every decade of the show's production.

Taking you year by year through the world's longest-running science fiction series, Marcus Hearn explores the show's groundbreaking innovations as well as its impact on popular culture through books and comics, magazines and toys, merchandise and ephemera.

The Vault is a collector's dream and the ultimate celebration of Doctor Who

Entering The Competition

To enter the competition, please send the following details to comp-50thratings@doctorwhonews.net:
  • Your name and email address
  • Your country (full address will only be requested if you are a winner)
  • Where you read about this competition
  • Your guess for the final viewing figure!

Previous Ratings

For comparison, the rating for the previous Doctor Who episode, The Name of the Doctor, shown in May, was 7.45 million. The last Christmas episode, The Snowmen, had 9.87 million watching at 5.15pm. The last episode shown in November was The Waters of Mars in 2009, which had 10.32 million watching, while the last anniversary special, The Five Doctors, shown in 1983, had 7.70 million watching.

Terms And Conditions

  • The competition closes at 7.50pm GMT, 23rd November 2013.
  • Only one entry will be accepted per person.
  • The competition is open worldwide.
  • BARB figures are expected around 10 days after transmission; we will contact the winner once they have been published.




FILTER: - Ratings - Day of the Doctor - Competitions