BBC America premiere screening in NYC

Tuesday, 5 April 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

BBC America will host a premiere screening event in New York City on Monday 11 April 2011. The event will be hosted by Chris Hardwick, who previously hosted the Doctor Who panel at WonderCon on Monday 4 April.

Event details:

Time - 11 April · 19:00 - 22:00
Location - Village East Cinema, 189 2nd Ave, New York, NY

BBC AMERICA’s Doctor Who Premiere Screening with Cast - Hosted by Chris Hardwick – New York City

Doctor Who’s Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston and Steven Moffat join Chris Hardwick (Nerdist, Web Soup) for a BBC AMERICA premiere screening and Q&A on Monday, April 11, 7:00 PM EST at the Village East Cinema in New York City.

BBC AMERICA has made this a FREE event for fans to come celebrate the first Doctor Who episodes ever filmed in America. Executive producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis will also be in the house for the event.

*** PLEASE NOTE, AN RSVP DOES NOT GUARANTEE ADMISSION. SEATING IS ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS. DUE TO THE GREAT REACTION TO LAST YEAR’S EVENT, ADDITIONAL SEATING HAS BEEN ADDED. ***

Following a screening of the two-part season premiere - The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon - Chris will lead a discussion and Q&A, which will be recorded live for a special Nerdist Podcast. The downloadable podcast will give those unable to attend, a front row seat to the event.

Yesterday it was reported that Smith, Gillan and Darvill will be appearing at Barnes & Noble in Fifth Avenue, NY on April 8 to sign copies of the Series 5 boxed set.

FILTER: - Special Events - USA - BBC America - Series 6/32

BBC America's extended 2011 Series trailer

Friday, 1 April 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward

BBC America have now made a 60 second version of the trailer available via their YouTube channel - this is an extended version of the 30 second trailer that has been broadcast by the channel.

The video is markedly different to the UK version, with alternative scenes and characters represented, and focusses on the two-part opening story - The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon - which is set in the USA.

Doctor Who Trailer, BBC America, via YouTube

The Impossible Astronaut premiers on BBC America on Saturday April 23rd at 9/8c. According to their TV schedule, Part Two, Day of the Moon will broadcast on April 30th.

Promotion for the new series has begun in the States. BBC America have been posting photos of Doctor Who adverts; on the side of a New York City bus and on banners in San Francisco at WonderCon. A Doctor Who panel (Neil Gaiman, Mark Sheppard, and Toby Haynes) will take place at WonderCon on Sunday April 3rd from 11:30-12:15. More information here.

FILTER: - USA - BBC America - Series 6/32

BBC: Be the First to See The Impossible Astronaut

Wednesday, 30 March 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Update (1st April): This competition is now officially closed and all the successful applicants have been contacted. [BBC Doctor Who]

The BBC are offering fans the chance to win tickets to see the fist two episodes of the new series of Doctor Who, The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon at an exclusive screening in London.

Be the First to See The Impossible Astronaut

The new series of Doctor Who begins at Easter but here's your chance to see the opening two episodes before everybody else!

We're giving away 30 pairs of tickets to an exclusive screening of The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon on Monday, 4 April, 2011 at a special venue in Central London. The screening starts at 18:30 so please make sure you can arrive by 18:00. There's even a Question and Answer session following the episodes, so you might get the chance to ask the cast something you've always wanted to know.

You must be 16 years or older to apply but if you're successful and are allocated a pair of tickets, there is no age restriction on your lucky guest. That means if you're under 16 and want to attend you could ask a parent or guardian to apply and if they're successful you've just got to persuade them to take you along!

Neither travel nor accommodation is included so you must be able to safely get to and from Central London. Please do not register your details if you think you cannot attend. You can read full terms and conditions here and we'll contact all successful applicants by telephone on Friday evening.

So what are you waiting for? Simply fill in the entry form and hit send! Only one application will be accepted per person and multiple applications will not be eligible for selection. Good luck!

BBC will only ever use personal details for the purposes of administering this ticket giveaway, and will not publish them or provide them to anyone without permission. Your details will not be retained for more than 90 days. You can read more about the BBC Privacy Policy on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/

FILTER: - Competitions - BBC

BBC America announce Series Six launch date in USA as 23rd April

Wednesday, 9 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC America have announced in association with Entertainment Weekly that the sixth series of Doctor Who will be premiering in the United States on Saturday 23rd April, at 9pm EST (8pm Central).

Doctor Who is coming to America in a spectacular two-part season premiere on BBC AMERICA. Part One premieres Saturday, April 23 at 9/8c. The mysterious time traveler, the Doctor (Matt Smith), and his companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), find themselves on a secret summons that takes them on an adventure from the desert in Utah - right to the Oval Office in 1969. More details will be revealed in the coming weeks about this two-parter penned by ‘Who supremo’ Steven Moffat (Sherlock) and featuring guest star Mark Sheppard (Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica). Also set to return this season, Alex Kingston (ER, Flash Forward), as the irrepressible River Song.

Update: BBC America Press Release on April highlights

The BBC Press Office have yet to officially announce a date for the new series commencing in the United Kingdom, but Doctor Who Magazine has indicated that it will be over the Easter weekend.

FILTER: - USA - BBC America - Series 6/32

Russell T Davies talks Torchwood

Wednesday, 2 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Torchwood writer/executive producer Russell T Davies has spoken to BBC Wales Today about the forthcoming series and how he sees the future.

It's brilliant to return to Torchwood - in a way for me Torchwood never went away because it always lives in my head, really. The chance to take those characters, take Eve Myles's character Gwen Cooper and obviously Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman. It's their fourth year of stories now, it's kind of like they have become modern legends, I love that. And I think people of Wales have enjoyed it, everyone's in on the story, they're kind of in on the fun of it all, it's great to keep going.

And on what he'll do afterwards:

It's interesting as to how long I can stay in the science fiction world. Personally I think I'm coming to the end of it now and I've saved the world and blown up the world too many times, and I hope I leave Torchwood in rude health, and then I'll probably move onto something else then

It's time to write something just where people talk in kitchens, at least for me. But I hope we literally leave the franchise in in a very strong position that other writers come in and take it over.

You can watch the full interview online.

As reported earlier in the week, actor William Thomas returns to Torchwood playing Gwen's father Geraint. Russell T Davies confirmed in his interview (above) that Gwen's mother Mary is indeed back too, with actress Sharon Morgan reprising her role.

Since her previous appearance in Something Borrowed, like Thomas she has appeared in both Belonging (Nancy) and Alys (Lisabeth)!

Another member of the cast spotted at filming over the weekend was Ian Hughes (pictured); this was confirmed by his Spotlight listing as playing a character named Ralph Finch; the actor has played roles in Holby City, Casualty, Gavin and Stacey and Robin Hood, and is also a voice-over artist and drama coach.

Two other supporting actors recently mentioned their upcoming appearances online: Martin James Fox reported on Facebook: "Look out for me, as an extra in a police uniform being for the Monday evening filming. Am excited about the prospect of 'spectacular action'"; Graham Burton revealed his rendezvous with the show via Twitter: "I'm travelling down to Cardiff on Monday - filming Torchwood early Tuesday!"

Californian actor's workshop The Actor's Key have reported that Hymnson Chan is a co-star on the show; the actor/stuntman has appeared in Greek and performed stunts in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Internet Movie Database has also listed Brian Guest appearing in the show as Alexander Peterssen, and Denny Torich as "Prison Guard".

With the first three weeks of the shoot now completed and the fourth week well under way, information on the production team involved with the shoot has slowly emerged. Russell T Davies is, of course, the brainchild behind the series, and he is an Executive Producer alongside Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, plus Vlad Wolynetz on the BBC Worldwide front. Producer in the US is Kelly Manners (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and his UK counterpart is the previously reported Brian Minchin (who previously helmed The Sarah Jane Adventures); line producer in the UK is Debbi Slater (who most recently worked on the BBC's continuation of Upstairs Downstairs).

Directors currently assigned are Bharat Nalluri (Spooks, Hustle) for episode one and Bill Gierhart (Sons of Anarchy, The Shield) for episode two; Director of Photography is Nathaniel Goodman (Heroes). Production design is by Gregory Melton (The Walking Dead) in the US and Ed Thomas (the original Torchwood designer!) in the UK. Visual Effects are supervised by Eric McAvoy (True Blood, CSI).

Costumes are handled by Shanwa Trpcic (Dollhouse) in the US with Alana Stone (fashions), with the UK side handled by Lindsay Bonaccorsi with Maria Franchi (both old hand with Doctor Who). Makeup comes under the purvue of Todd McIntosh (Detroit 1-8-7, Pushing Daisies) in the US and Claire Pritchard Jones (Sherlock, Gavin and Stacey in the UK.

Other UK crew include Gareth Skelding (Location Manager), Paul Davies (Production Unit Manager), Sam Baker (Production Co-Ordinator), and James North (design), plus practical effects from Danny Hargreaves and Real SFX.

The writers of the show are currently known to be Russell T Davies (1/10), Doris Egan (2), Jane Espenson (3,5,7,8), Ryan Scott (8), and John Shiban (6). The writers for two episodes (4,9) are currently unknown.

(The Doctor Who News Page will shortly be launching a full series summary for the show)

FILTER: - Torchwood - Russell T Davies - Production - BBC

BBC Wales Drama village: Phase One complete

Thursday, 20 January 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Artistic view of the Media Village front, BBC

The new BBC Media Village in Cardiff has been named Roath Lock at a "topping out" ceremony which took place today at the Porth Teigr site at Cardiff Bay; the final section of concrete floor has been laid marking the completion of Phase One of the development.

The event was attended by outgoing BBC Wales director Menna Richards, one of the driving forces behind the new development, who said:

There’s still a lot more work to do, but once completed, Roath Lock studios will become a focal point for the creative industries in Wales – brimming with energy and talent – and we are all extremely proud to be a part of the project.

Other guests included Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones, Cardiff Council leader Rodney Berman, and Mark Hallett of site developers Igloo Regeneration.

The first shows at the 170,000 sq ft site (Casualty and Pobol y Cwm) are due to commence production in Autumn once the buildings are fitted out. Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures will re-locate from the Upper Boat Studios in Tonteg during 2012 - a move meaning that Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary will be marked at the brand new facilities!

(original report from BBC News, and updated report including video)

FILTER: - Production - Miscellaneous - BBC

"My life in your hands, Amelia Pond"

Saturday, 1 January 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2011, and a new showreel from the BBC has been released highlighting shows coming up in the new year, which of course strongly features the forthcoming series of Doctor Who:

(this video is via the BBC's YouTube Channel and may not play in all regions)

FILTER: - BBC

BBC America Ratings

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who:A Christmas Carol had an average audience of 727,000 viewers for its first showing on BBC America on Christmas Day.

TV by the Numbers report the figure, which is for the 9-10.20pm showing on the channel. Last year the first part of The End of Time, which was shown the day after Christmas, achieved 671,000 viewers in the same timeslot.

Figures are not yet available for the other showings on the channel.

FILTER: - Specials - USA - Ratings - BBC America

BBC America TARDIS Building Contest

Saturday, 25 December 2010 - Reported by Harry Ward

BBC America have launched a competition to find the best homemade TARDIS.

The first place winner will be awarded the grand prize of a Doctor Who screening event at a venue in their area in September 2011, with a maximum of 50 guests, plus one copy of every episode of Doctor Who currently available on DVD in the United States.

Judging will be based on documentation of the following:

Most original design of the TARDIS
Most creative use of materials
Most creative placement in a public location
Most Facebook likes on wheresthetardis.com

The competition is open only to legal residents of the Continental United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) who are eighteen years of age or older at the time of entry.

More information can be found at WheresTheTARDIS.com

FILTER: - USA - BBC America - Competitions