BAFTA's Doctor Who Anniversary Tribute Released

Thursday, 16 May 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The video tribute to Doctor Who shown at last Sunday's TV BAFTA ceremony to mark the programme's 50th anniversary has been made available online.

The dazzling montage, which lasts 2 min 16 sec, features clips and dialogue from a multitude of adventures, and is followed by a scene inside the TARDIS where the Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, discovers a BAFTA award mask, which he likens to an Axon. He is corrected by Clara - Jenna-Louise Coleman - who takes the mask to present at the ceremony, which was hosted by Graham Norton.


Overseas readers may find the above will not play, in which case they should try this version:



The BBC Four adaptation of Room At The Top, in which Coleman starred, won the mini-series BAFTA. Other winners with Doctor Who connections were: Olivia Colman - supporting actress and female performance in a comedy programme; Sheridan Smith (companion Lucie Miller to the Eighth Doctor in the Big Finish audio dramas) - leading actress; Last Tango In Halifax, starring Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire, and Sacha Dhawan - drama series; Twenty Twelve, starring Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Hynes, and Olivia Colman - situation comedy; and Game of Thrones, starring Iain Glen, Harry Lloyd, and Liam Cunningham - audience award.




FILTER: - Special Events - UK - Online - Matt Smith - WHO50 - Jenna-Louise Coleman

Beano Reprints Summer Special Seen In Rings Of Akhaten

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
This week's edition of children's comic The Beano includes a reprint of the 1981 summer special seen at the beginning of The Rings of Akhaten.

Publisher DC Thomson said it had been swamped with requests for the 32-year-old 32-page special after it was used by the Doctor to hide behind while he spied on Clara's parents-to-be.

In addition, the cover of the new issue - published today - shows Beano character Dennis The Menace catapulting a Dalek over a fence as his canine sidekick Gnasher exclaims "Gnexterminate!" Meanwhile, a caricature of Matt Smith as the Doctor views the mischief from the masthead.

Editor-in-chief Mike Stirling said:
Everyone at The Beano was delighted to see one of our summer specials appear on Doctor Who.

We're big fans of the show, and so are our readers, who haven't stopped talking about it. We decided to travel back in time and get a copy of the 1981 summer special, which we've reprinted inside the latest issue, in time for the last episode of the season.

We're all really excited about this issue and thrilled that Doctor Who is one of our fans. We hope Matt Smith and the whole Doctor Who team love this issue. We're giving every child the opportunity to travel back in time - just like the Doctor.




FILTER: - UK - Comics - Miscellaneous

Obituary

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Aubrey WoodsAUBREY WOODS 1928-2013

The actor Aubrey Woods has died at the age of 85.

Aubrey Woods played the Controller in the 1972 story Day of the Daleks. His performance was widely acclaimed bringing real depth to the character, who as the main lieutenant of the Daleks comes to realise he has the power to help defeat them.

He had a long and distinguished career appearing in many classic Television Dramas such as Z-Cars, Up Pompeii!, Blake's 7 in the episode Gambit, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Ever Decreasing Circles. He played Fagin in the West End production of the musical Oliver!, taking over from Ron Moody, and later appeared in the London production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He played the Player Queen to Paul Scofield's Hamlet.

He is perhaps best known for his role in the feature film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where he played the Candy Store Owner singing "The Candy Man" during some of the film's first scenes.
Norman JonesNORMAN JONES 1935-2013

The actor Norman Jones has died at the age of 78.

Norman Jones appeared in 15 episodes of Doctor Who. He first played Khrisong, the leader of the warrior monks, in the 1967 story The Abominable Snowmen. In 1970 he returned to the series playing Major Baker, the Head of Security, in Doctor Who And The Silurians. His final role in the series came in 1976 when he played Hieronymous, the official astrologer of the Court of San Martino, in the story The Masque of Mandragora.

Away from Doctor Who he had parts in many classic British Television Dramas including Screen Two, Inspector Morse, Boon, Travelling Man, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Angels, Jemima Shore Investigates, Crown Court, Bergerac, The Borgias, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years, A Tale of Two Cities, The Professionals, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Z Cars, Yes, Honestly, The Avengers and Dixon of Dock Green.
Sean CaffreySEAN CAFFREY 1940-2013

The actor Sean Caffrey has died at the age of 72.

Sean Caffrey played Lord Palmerdale in the 1977 story Horror of Fang Rock.

He is best remembered for his performances on television with credits including Coronation Street, Z-Cars, Sutherland's Law, Oil Strike North, Survivors, The Professionals, Minder, Bergerac and Edge of Darkness. He also appeared in the film When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth.
Rashid KarapietRASHID KARAPIET 1929-2013

The actor Rashid Karapiet has died at the age of 84.

Rashid Karapiet played Rita's father in the 2012 story The God Complex.

Born in India Karapiet trained at the Bristol Old Vic. He appeared in the 1984 film A Passage to India as well as a variety of Televisionprogrammes including Auf Wiedersehn Pet, The Jewel in the Crown, The Bill, Mrs Merton and Malcolm, Doctors, Hustle, The Kumars at No 42, Family Affairs, New Tricks, and Casualty.
Bobi BartlettBOBI BARTLETT Died 2013

The costume designer Bobi Bartlett has died.

Bobi Bartlett worked on 24 episodes of Doctor Who between 1968 and 1971. Her first commission was on a set of stories beginning with the 1968 story The Invasion, where she was tasked with updating the design of the Cybermen as well as designing costumes for Tobias Vaughn and UNIT. She continued into The Krotons and onto The Seeds of Death where as well as undating the Ice Warriors she designed the costume for The Grand Marshall. After a break from the series she returned in 1971 on the story The Mind of Evil

Away from Doctor Who she is best known for her work with Jon Pertwee on the Southern TV series Worzel Gummidge. Other work included Sykes, The Liver Birds and Play for Today.




FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

Final Australian ratings for The Crimson Horror

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Reported by Adam Kirk


The Crimson Horror has picked up an additional 136,000 time-shifted Australian viewers, giving it a final, or consolidated, ratings average of 923,000 viewers in the five major capital cities.  This was the fifth largest number of time-shifted viewers for a program broadcast on Sunday 5 May. The final or consolidated ratings includes all 'time-shifted' viewers who record the program and watch it within a week.

Based on these final figures, The Crimson Horror was the second highest rating ABC program of the day and the tenth highest rating program of the day overall (it was also the tenth highest rating program based on its overnight figures of 787,000 viewers). These ratings do not include regional viewers.
Media Links: TV Tonight




FILTER: - Ratings - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia

BFI: The Fifth Doctor Panel

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
A video of the guest panel at this month's BFI celebration of the Fifth Doctor's era is now available to watch.

As part of its Doctor Who At 50 season, the BFI screened The Caves of Androzani, which was followed by a question-and-answer session featuring actors Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, and Matthew Waterhouse, as well as the story director Graeme Harper.


The event, held on Saturday 4th May, saw the discussion led by season co-curator Justin Johnson.

As reported last month, the next celebratory screening - marking the Sixth Doctor's era - will be The Two Doctors, taking place on Saturday 15th June at 2pm. Because demand for all the events has been so high, tickets are now being allocated via ballot.





FILTER: - Special Events - Online - BFI - WHO50 - Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison

Next Time: The Name of The Doctor

Tuesday, 14 May 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
This weekend's adventure for the Doctor and Clara is the series finale, The Name of the Doctor, written by Steven Moffat and directed by Saul Metzstein. The episode will premiere on BBC One in the United Kingdom on Saturday at 7:00pm.

The Name of the Doctor - Publicity Poster (Credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston/Adrian Rogers)The Doctor has a secret he will take to his grave. And it is discovered...


The Doctor - Matt Smith
Clara - Jenna-Louise Coleman
River Song - Alex Kingston
Dr Simeon - Richard E Grant
Vastra - Neve McIntosh
Jenny - Catrin Stewart
Strax - Dan Starkey
Angie - Eve de Leon Allen
Artie - Kassius Carey Johnson
Andro - Nasi Voutsas
Fabian - David Avery
Clarence - Michael Jenn
Archie - Rab Affleck
Messenger Boy - Samuel Irvine
Young Clara - Sophie Downham
Whisper Man - Paul Kasey

Writer - Steven Moffat
Director - Saul Metzstein
Producer - Marcus Wilson

This week's episode sets up the evening before the annual Eurovision Song Contest, which kicks off from 8:00pm on BBC1 (bridged by The National Lottery Draw at 7:45pm). After last week's focus on football, ITV returns to its usual programming of You've Been Framed from 6:30pm, followed by the continuing search of Britain's Got Talent from 7:30pm. BBC2 will be showing Flog It! from 7:00pm, and in a change from the previous week pattern this time Channel 4 is showing a film, Rise of the Silver Surfer, from 7:15pm, whilst Channel 5 offers Cricket (England vs New Zealand).


Internationally, The Name of The Doctor will be broadcast in the United States and Canada on BBC America and SPACE respectively at 8:00pm ET the same evening, and then on Sunday it can be watched in Australia via ABC at 7:30pm, Poland via BBC Entertainment at 6:00pm, and South Africa via BBC Entertainment at 7:00pm. Meanwhile, New Zealand viewers will see The Crimson Horror this Thursday on PRIME at 8:30pm.

See This Week in Doctor Who for more details on scheduling and repeats.

The Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBCThe Name of the Doctor. Images: BBC





FILTER: - Series 7/33

Big Screen Celebrations in Australia and New Zealand

Tuesday, 14 May 2013 - Reported by Paul Scoones
Doctor Who Projections Vivid Sydney June 2013 (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Saturday 1st June sees a big screen, one-night only, celebration of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary across Australia and New Zealand.

Doctor Who Projections Vivid Sydney June 2013 (Credit: BBC Worldwide)A double bill of episodes from Series 7, Asylum of the Daleks and The Angels Take Manhattan will screen at 48 cinemas across Australia and New Zealand, including EventDendy and Village cinemas in Australia, and Event Cinemas in New Zealand.

This will be the second one-off simultaneous cinema screening in both countries this year. The first was for The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon on 14th March.

Doctor Who Projections Vivid Sydney June 2013 (Credit: BBC Worldwide)On the same night as the cinema screenings, a light show featuring Doctor Who projections will be staged in Sydney.

A series of specially-created 3D-mapped images will be projected on to the façade of Sydney’s Customs House at Circular Quay.

The Doctor Who projections are part of the 18-day Vivid Sydney festival, taking place from 24 May to 10 June. The festival is organised by the New South Wales Government Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
“This is a one-night only celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, and sees Australian creative innovators, The Spinifex Group, working with the Doctor Who team to create projections that will deliver a show-stopping, unique anniversary celebration for Doctor Who’s legion of fans.” - Andrew Stoner, NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment.
“We are delighted to partner with Destination NSW and Vivid Sydney to bring this unique night of Doctor Who entertainment to life in Sydney. Vivid Sydney is the perfect platform for this Anniversary celebration, which will see the Doctor projected 7m high onto one of the city’s most historic buildings. The Spinifex Group has done a tremendous job of creating a display which makes the most of Customs House’s amazing façade.” - Sharon Wilson, Head of Marketing, Global Brands, BBC Worldwide Australia and New Zealand. 




FILTER: - Special Events - BBC Worldwide - WHO50 - New Zealand - Australia

Radio Times Cover for The Name of The Doctor

Tuesday, 14 May 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Radio Times (18 - 14 May 2013) (Credit: Radio Times)Next week's edition of the Radio Times (18-24 May 2013) sees Jenna-Louise Coleman grace the front cover. with the actress being featured as part of the publicity for the series finale, The Name of the Doctor.

Talking about being the public spotlight, she said:
Matt warned me that there’s nothing that can prepare you for it. All I can do is enjoy it. I’ve noticed some changes – nothing huge. I have a really cool job and get to do these crazy things and you do have so many ‘pinch me’ moments. I’ve just been sent emails with pics of the Clara doll, which is kind of...

That isn’t completely normal, is it? People do come up to me, but so far they’ve really engaged with the show and the character and just want to chat. Yesterday a little boy walked past and said, “You all right, Soufflé Girl?” Which put a smile on my face. So it’s not obtrusive.
Commenting on advice from her co-star, Matt Smith:
His first advice was never Google yourself and, now that I’ve got a three-month break, he said take your time and choose your next role carefully. I’ve read loads of scripts but nothing I’m really in love with.


In the beginning we see a Clara in the 60s, 70s and the 80s so there are a lot of costume changes, which I love. Always one for a bit of dressing up, me. Love a red carpet. Richard E Grant is back with his evil Great Intelligence, the Doctor’s greatest secret is revealed, all of his friends rally round to protect him and we finally understand why the Doctor has met Clara so many different times.

The full interview can be read in the new edition, out today.

Clara receives a letter summoning her to a mysterious meeting, where she is given a message for the Doctor. The meaning is uncertain, but when an enemy strikes the Time Lord is left with no choice but to travel to the one place in time and space he should never go - into a deadly trap that threatens to unravel his past, present and future.

Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman star in what promises to be a thrilling climax, with Alex Kingston returning as River Song. Sadly, fans will have to wait a full six months for their next Who fix, until the much talked-about 50th anniversary special which is due to be shown in November. Last in the series.




FILTER: - Jenna-Louise Coleman - Radio Times - Series 7/33

Nightmare in Silver AI: 84

Monday, 13 May 2013 - Reported by Marcus

Nightmare in Silver had an Appreciation Index, or AI score, of 84.

The Appreciation Index or AI is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the programme. The score, out of a hundred, is compiled by a specially selected panel of around 5,000 people who go online and rate and comment on programmes.

Doctor Who again scored higher than most of Saturday's output. The highest scoring programmes of the day were Casualty with 87, Dad's Army with 89 and Avatar with 86.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Ratings - UK - Series 7/33

Australian overnight ratings for Nightmare in Silver

Monday, 13 May 2013 - Reported by Adam Kirk

Nightmare in Silver has debuted in Australia, averaging 696,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It was the ABC's second highest rating drama of the day and the fourteenth highest rating program of the day overall. These ratings do not include regional or time-shifted viewers.
Media Links: TV Tonight




FILTER: - Ratings - Broadcasting - Series 7/33 - Australia