Doctor Who teased on television for Christmas Day

Saturday, 8 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The first trailer for Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC One this evening - of sorts!

A brief teaser of the series logo appeared just before Merlin and after Casualty, promising the show for Christmas Day at 5:15pm - the first official confirmation on television of when The Snowmen will be broadcast.

FILTER: - Series Specials - Series 7/33

The Snowmen: special guest star revealed

Saturday, 8 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Radio Times preview of The Snowmen has revealed another very familiar special guest star will feature within the festive adventure.

Who is the special guest star? Scroll further down to find out what reviewer Patrick Mulkern reported ...

What I can tell you is that there’s a striking new TARDIS control room. We have a proper introduction to Matt Smith’s new co-star Jenna-Louise Coleman, who is dazzling and perky as Clara, and not as cocky as her looky-likey Oswin in Asylum of the Daleks.

Richard E Grant guest-stars as chilly Victorian misanthrope Dr Simeon. Tom Ward plays kindly but uptight widower Captain Latimer, living at spooky Darkover House with his two children (played by real-life siblings Ellie and Joseph Darcey-Alden).

The biggest coup, though, is getting Ian McKellen to provide the voice of the snowmen.

FILTER: - Series Specials - Radio Times - Series 7/33

DVD Update: 2013 updates and expectations

Saturday, 8 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

With the first quarter of 2013 announced, speculation continues over which stories will be released over the course of the rest of the year in the lead-up to Doctor Who's Fiftieth Anniversary in November.

The currently confirmed stories include the final two complete adventures Terror of the Zygons (June) and the as-yet unscheduled The Mind of Evil. Also confirmed is a special edition release of Inferno - producer Dan Hall reported in September that four special editions were on the way, and with The Visitation recently revealed this completes those initial commissions (the others being February's The Ark in Space and March's The Aztecs). At least one additional (currently unnamed) special edition has now been commissioned, though whether this would be released next year has yet to be confirmed.

With regard to animations, though there have been no formal announcements post January's The Reign of Terror, Hall had explained that stories with a maximum of two episodes missing were being considered as commercially viable: stories meeting this criteria are The Crusade, The Tenth Planet, The Underwater Menace, The Moonbase and The Ice Warriors. Of those, sound designer Brian Hodgson indicated in June that he'd recorded a commentary for The Moonbase (and possibly The Underwater Menace), and Frazer Hines told the audience at the Dimensions convention that he'd recorded a documentary for The Ice Warriors alongside Sonny Caldinez - the latter story also had a trailer passed by the BBFC on 5th December, suggesting this adventure might well be out sometime next year.

The Ark in Space (SE):

The BBFC have classified extras for The Ark in Space special edition, currently scheduled for the 18th February; as well as a brand new "Making Of", the release will also include the Omnibus version of the story, originally edited for a repeat broadcast on 20th August 1975.

Movie Version:
    01:09:48:01 DOCTOR WHO - THE ARK IN SPACE
DVD Extras:
    00:29:51:23 A NEW FRONTIER - MAKING THE ARK IN SPACE
    00:07:04:00 THE ARK IN SPACE - PHOTO GALLERY
    00:01:03:17 (THE ARK IN SPACE - CGI SEQUENCE A)
    00:00:22:22 (THE ARK IN SPACE - CGI SEQUENCE B)
    00:00:18:12 (THE ARK IN SPACE - CGI SEQUENCE C)
    00:00:16:03 (THE ARK IN SPACE - CGI SEQUENCE D)
    00:00:16:21 (THE ARK IN SPACE - CGI SEQUENCE E)
    00:00:07:11 (THE ARK IN SPACE - CGI SEQUENCE F)
Audio Commentaries

The Aztecs (SE):

The BBFC have classified extras for The Aztecs special edition, currently scheduled for the 11th March. As previously reported, this release contains the recovered Galaxy 4 episode Air Lock, and the extras reveal that reconstructions of the missing episodes (originally planned for The Time Meddler) will also be presented on this release. In addition, a 1969 episode of archaeology series Chronicle has been included which looks into the history of Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest.

Value Added Material:
    00:28:08:06 DOCTOR WHO - GALAXY 4 
    00:24:19:14 DOCTOR WHO - AIR LOCK 
    00:12:10:01 THE EXPLODING PLANET 
Special Edition - Added Material:
    00:49:49:14 CHRONICLE - "THE REALMS OF GOLD" 
    00:07:20:06 IT'S A SQUARE WORLD 
    00:04:31:07 (A WHOLE SCENE GOING) 
    00:22:33:15 DR. FOREVER! - THE CELESTIAL TOYROOM

A fresh set of production information text has been written for the episodes by Matthew Kilburn.

Terror of the Zygons:

Slated for June next year, extras for the DVD release were classified by the BBFC back in July; one of the items passed was a "director's cut" of episode one, of which more detail is now known. Originally filmed but then cut due to grading issues, the opening scene with the Doctor, Sarah and Harry arriving in Scotland by TARDIS was discovered amongst the collection of the story's film editor Ian McKendrick, consisting of partial colour, partial black and white footage and soundtrack. The clip, lasting around a minute and a half, has had the monochrome sections colourised for the DVD by Stuart Humphryes (aka Babelcolour), who also worked on the colourisation of episode one of The Mind of Evil. The finished scene, which also includes its incidental music as composed by Geoffrey Burgon (featured on the CD soundtrack of Terror of the Zygons and The Seeds of Doom released in 2000), has been incorporated back into episode one and viewers will be able to select which version of the episode they wish to watch.

As Restoration Team member Steve Roberts puts it:

It's an AWFULLY good scene. And of course one that hasn't been seen before - a couple of minutes of brand-new Tom, Lis and Ian action from one of the most highly regarded stories in the show's history!

Meanwhile, since original classification a couple of new developments have been announced for the two-disc release. Firstly, a contemporary interview conducted by the south coast regional BBC news programme South Today was recently rediscovered, and fortunately there has been time to include the three minute item on the DVD.

Steve Roberts also reported that the late inclusion of the above has meant that it should be possible to include a 35 second clip from Disney Time, presented by Tom Baker in character as the Doctor, onto the DVD as an Easter Egg (previously to be included on a different release).

The Visitation:

Confirmation of the commissioning of this story came via the latest edition of Vortex Magazine from audio producers Big Finish. In an interview with Fifth Doctor Peter Davison the actor mentioned filming the documentary, joking over titling the story The Re-Visitation:

That was one of the lines, actually, that we gave poor Mark [Strickson, Turlough] who wasn’t in The Visitation, but who was acting as a kind of host and asking us questions. One of the lines they gave him at the end was, "I hope you enjoyed revisiting The Visitation". We went down to various locations, Janet [Fielding, Tegan], Sarah [Sutton, Nyssa] and myself, and the house where we filmed, the manor house, and we went to Black Park, which is where we did the filming for the woods – Black Park being the BBC’s standard location for country filming.

The documentary is produced by a newcomer to the DVD range, Russell Minton.

Clarifying some of the restoration work on the episodes themselves, Steve Roberts explained that the picture quality of this release had already been greatly improved for the original 2004 release:

Coupled with the fact that a lot of the location filming was underexposed anyway, people aren't going to see anything like the sort of improvement they would have seen from a new neg transfer versus the original eighties print transfer. However, the MPEG noise-pumping problems that plagued the earlier release shouldn't be a problem, especially as the two-disc format will enable us to allocate a much better bitrate to the episodes.

Nicholas Pegg confirmed that there will be a fresh set of production information text to accompany the episodes, too.

(with thanks to jamstubell, Ray Le Otter, Stuart Humphryes, Steve Roberts)

FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Radio Times launches Missing Episodes hunt

Saturday, 8 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Radio Times has launched a new campaign to find any of the episodes of Doctor Who that are still missing from the BBC's Archives. At present there are 106 still to be recovered, and though some are unlikely to ever resurface there is continued hope that at least some of those lost William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton adventures might yet be enjoyed once more.

The magazine's historian Ralph Montagu was involved with the discovery of last year's recoveries, Galaxy 4: Air Lock and The Underwater Menace: Episode Two:

Two years ago, many believed that the chances of finding any more missing episodes had dwindled to almost nothing. Surely, we thought, after so much publicity, anyone with a missing episode would have come forward. But the discovery I made last year taught us that missing gems from television's past can be found in the collections or even the attics of people who don't understand the significance of what they've got.

Keep looking, keep asking, and get in touch with us if you think you have something of interest.

You can find the list of missing episodes via our Doctor Who Guide.

FILTER: - William Hartnell - Classic Series - Radio Times - Patrick Troughton

The Snowmen - Press Pack

Saturday, 8 December 2012 - Reported by Harry Ward

The BBC has released a press pack containing interviews with the main cast of the 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen.

Interview with Steven Moffat

Lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat gives us an insight into the monsters and adventures that we can expect from the Christmas special.

What can we expect from the Christmas special?

The Christmas episode is Doctor Who, only more so, and this year we're going for more epic. The Doctor, when we meet him, isn't in a good place. A bit like when we first encountered William Hartnell as the Doctor in 1963 - or indeed Christopher Eccleston in 2005 - this a cold and withdrawn Time Lord, wanting no part of the world around him. It's going to take a lot of Christmas spirit to get him back out those TARDIS doors.

Are there any new monsters?

Well there are Snowmen. You've probably guessed that from the title. But that's not all. Dear me, no! But monsters should always be a bit surprising, so that's all I'm saying.

How do you find writing the Christmas special as opposed to a regular episode? Does it differ at all?

You're very aware of the time of year, and the noisy, sugared-up, slightly tipsy household. Sometimes we play along with something a bit frothier. Though this year, we might just give them a fright!

Last time we saw the Doctor he said goodbye to the Ponds. Will we see a different side to the Doctor in this episode?

The Doctor is almost defined by his friendships. When they end, and the TARDIS is silent again, he's a very different man. He's lost a lot of people in the time we've known him, and this Christmas he's decided he's finally had enough...

This episode welcomes Jenna-Louise Coleman. What can you tell us about her character?

It's going to quite a journey of discovery with Jenna and her character - and it doesn't start here, it starts on Christmas day. For now, enough to say, that the Doctor in his darkest hour, long ago in a Victorian winter meets the exactly the right person. Or does he?

Interview with Matt Smith

Returning to screens on Christmas Day, it’s all change for Matt Smith’s Doctor with a new costume, a new hat and minus Amy Pond. Here he talks about what fans can expect from this festive treat and family tradition.

"Lots of snow and a rather good villain." Matt is chatting enthusiastically about this year’s Christmas special, The Snowmen. Set in a Victorian snow-covered England, the episode opens with the Doctor feeling more ‘bah humbug’ than festive, as he struggles to get over the loss of his companions the Ponds.

"He is slightly removed and not at his best," explains Matt. But after the Doctor meets a feisty young governess, Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, do we see a change in the Doctor? "You get to see a different side to him," Matt explains. "She is a very different to Amy Pond. That is the great thing about this show," he continues, "reinvention - it keeps me as an actor on my toes!"

As well as seeing Matt Smith’s Doctor for the first time without his old companions, Matt will be sporting a new costume, complete with top hat. "It is a bit like the Doctor meets the Artful Dodger," says Matt.

So can we expect to see a period of grieving following the loss of the Ponds? "Grieving has its place," says Matt, "but it is important to show that and then propel back into adventure!"

And that is exactly what this Christmas special does. Matt reveals that this Christmas the Doctor will embark on a dangerous adventure – a quest that leads him to Darkover House, where something sinister is lurking.

As well as guest starring Tom Ward (Silent Witness), Richard E Grant features as this year’s villain, Doctor Simeon. "He was a delight and brilliant at being villainous. Some actors are just made for the show and he was one of them. And he looked wonderful in Victorian garb," says Matt.

Now a family tradition, Matt is chuffed to be part of the Christmas special. "I love being part of them. Family TV on Christmas day is a great tradition and Doctor Who is at the heart of that."

So will Matt be making an appointment to watch on Christmas day? "Absolutely, I can’t wait."

Interview with Jenna-Louise Coleman

Having made a surprise appearance in the series opener Asylum of the Daleks in September, fans have already met the new companion... or have they? Here, Jenna-Louise gives a little bit of insight in to the character she plays in the festive episode and what we can expect from Clara.

"She is from the Victorian era and a mysterious one," explains Jenna. "Very down to earth, but feisty and curious too with numerous jobs," she continues, revealing more about new girl Clara.

Set in Victorian England, we first catch a glimpse of Clara as a barmaid in the ‘Rose and Crown’ pub, but after meeting the intriguing Doctor, she soon sets about following him, because as Jenna explains, "He has the answers to her questions." With his self-imposed solitude, the Doctor appears uninterested, but eventually gets drawn in as an army of evil snowmen cover London and it becomes apparent that Christmas and the world are at risk.

With Matt Smith revealing that she is a very different to Amy Pond, how does Jenna explain the dynamic of the relationship between the Doctor and Clara, following the loss of the Ponds in the epic mid-series finale The Angels Take Manhattan? "She isn’t intimidated by the Doctor," says Jenna. "Instead, she finds him amazing and ridiculous. But she is on her own mission and lives by her own means. She is very resourceful."

As well as a barmaid, Clara adopts the role of governess to two children in Darkover House, where something sinister is lurking in their garden and whose last governess hasn’t yet left the premises...

After being selected for the coveted role of companion, Jenna started filming in BBC Cymru Wales’ Roath Lock studios earlier this year and made her first appearance in series seven opener Asylum Of The Daleks. So how has she found the job so far? "Everyday is really surprising," she explains. "For the last two years, I have mainly been doing period dramas, so to be thrown into this world with loads of CGI is very different. Whole new sets are built in the space of a couple of weeks. For this episode, we had snow machines and it does make you feel like a big kid!"

Stepping into Karen Gillan’s shoes, who played Amy Pond, did Jenna receive any advice? "Karen has been great," explains Jenna. "She has texted me advice on Cardiff, like where to eat. And Matt always has an ear out for me."

Unlike the Doctor in this festive episode, Jenna isn’t a Christmas grump: "I love Christmas and will probably be sitting down with the family to watch this adventure on Christmas day! It is one of the shows that can do Christmas properly and this is a proper Christmas treat."

Interview with Richard E Grant

Having previously played the Doctor in the 2003 online animated series Scream Of The Shalka and during a Comic Relief spoof some years ago, Richard E Grant returns to Doctor Who, but this time as the villainous Doctor Simeon.

"I have been told that on pain of death I am not allowed to reveal anything about my role in the Christmas Special," explains Richard, "other than that this character has never been in Doctor Who before..."

Returning to Doctor Who for the third time, Richard explains, "I have had two 'brushes' with the Who phenomenon before, playing the Doctor in the cartoon digital version and the Comic Relief spoof some years ago, before the franchise was re-booted with Christopher Eccleston."

Richard is tasked with playing this year’s villain, the mysterious Doctor Simeon, who, with a vendetta to settle from childhood, recruits an army of evil and hungry snowmen to bring together his plan.

So how did Richard enjoy playing the villain? "When you're born with a 10-foot-long face, you don't get hero roles, but I'm not complaining, as I have hugely enjoyed the wide variety of parts I've got to play."

Growing up in Swaziland, Richard has had to devote time to catching up on the British institution, he explains: "Having grown up in a country without TV, I missed seeing Doctor Who through my childhood, but I have made up for lost time since with box sets."

As the Doctor battles to defeat Doctor Simeon and his army, Richard shared many scenes with Matt Smith - so what did he make of working Matt? "I have really admired Matt from when I first saw him in a play called That Face at the Royal Court Theatre some years ago," says Richard, "and have keenly followed his career progress. He is the perfect fit for Doctor Who. His interpretation is very kinetic and fast-talking."

So will Richard be watching this Christmas? "I love Christmas and everything about it. I will be at home and watching TV after lunch, hoping I can stay awake after the feast!"

Interview with Tom Ward

Tom has been star of Silent Witness for over 10 years, so that Doctor Who presents a departure for him - from the modern day to the world of sci-fi. Here he explains what we can expect from his character and whether he will be watching on Christmas Day.

"He hasn’t been used to dealing with his children," explains Tom, as he reveals a small insight into his character, Captain Latimer. "He wants to love them, but he is an old naval captain that has struggled to build a relationship."

Tom plays an archetypal Victorian gent, complete with a rather good beard. "Yes it is," laughs Tom, as he confirms the beard is real. "You often get the obligatory moustache in a Victorian drama, but I wanted to go further and the beard seemed appropriate."

Having spent 10 years in a drama not necessarily accessible to his children, Tom reveals he is excited to have done something they can watch. "My children are very excited that I am in Doctor Who and I am glad they have something that they can finally watch! My oldest child is 10, so this will give him bragging rights at school and hopefully me a little bit of school gate currency."

So what drew Tom to the role? "It was one of the best scripts I had read in a long time, and the thought of doing a period sci-fi was really fun."

With Tom admitting that his Doctor is Tom Baker, he expresses admiration for current Doctor, Matt Smith. "He is brilliant. He kept the set feeling happy and is full of energy," says Tom. "He has a great relationship with the crew." As well as co-starring Tom, the Christmas episode will also feature Richard E Grant. "I had one scene with him," explains Tom, "and he was a legend. An absolute delight."

In this episode we also meet Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman for the first time. "She is a brilliant actress," says Tom, "full of life and energy, so funny and has a great rapport with Matt."

With Tom confirming that his children are fans, will he be watching on Christmas day? "We have just moved into the country, so it will be the family round and the fire blazing. I don’t normally like to watch myself on TV, but this time I think I will make an exception..."

FILTER: - Steven Moffat - People - Matt Smith - Series Specials - Jenna-Louise Coleman - Series 7/33

The Snowmen: further BBC publicity

Saturday, 8 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have released some new publicity stills for the forthcoming Christmas Special The Snowmen, featuring Matt Smith as the Doctor, Neve McIntosh as Vastra, and Richard E Grant as Dr Simeon.

Sneak peek at the new TARDIS!

The BBC have also issued a press release unveiling part of a redesigned TARDIS interior:

Doctor Who reveals a sneak peek at a brand new TARDIS

The BBC's Doctor Who has revealed a sneak peek at a brand new TARDIS that will debut in this year's Christmas special, The Snowmen. The second TARDIS for Matt Smith it will be the first TARDIS for new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman), who makes her entrance on Christmas Day at 5:15pm on BBC ONE.

The new set was designed by Michael Pickwoad, the show’s production designer, and will be home to the Doctor and Clara as they travel through space and time when the adventure continues in spring 2013 with eight epic episodes.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas - It's Showtime!:

It's Showtime - We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Meanwhile, publicity for the Christmas line-up continues with the BBC releasing a new video in the lead up to their "Light Up Christmas!" day on 11th December.In this 'episode', part of the It's Showtime! themed advertising campaign, many of the entertainers and characters from festive programming take their turn to wish viewers a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" - including the The Doctor himself!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas - It's Showtime! (via YouTube)

FILTER: - Series Specials - Press - Broadcasting - Series 7/33

Legends of Kids TV (Vol 2)

Friday, 7 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

A second volume of Legends of Kids TV has been published, and features some 44 interviews with stars of children's television both from the past and present.

This volume includes an interview with Sophie Aldred, who chats about her career in children's shows - and what's so special about Sylvester McCoy's eyebrows... Also, new series regular costume actor Paul Kasey tells how he went from his childhood on a farm to trying to conquer the universe!

The book is available to buy from publisher GJB Publishing, and all proceeds will go to the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's charity. It is also possible to donate through Just Giving.

Legends of Kids TV - Volume Two
by Garry Vaux

This collection covers nearly 150 different programmes and includes presenters, performers, writers, entertainers, voice artistes, puppeteers, physical performers, storytellers and comedians. It can guarantee explosions, monsters, animals, royalty, West End stars, award winners, cartoons, stupid deaths, time-travelling tales, bogies, aliens, funny stories and puppets galore as well as plenty of iconic faces which I hope will have those memories flooding back. So, floor that helmic regulator and travel back in time to relive your childhood, in the knowledge you'll be helping those children who are going through difficult times.

Sophie Aldred ~ Stanley Bates ~ Geoffrey Bayldon ~ Warrick Brownlow-Pike ~ Neil Buchanan ~ Nancy Cartwright ~ Dave Chapman ~ Jonathan Cohen ~ Matthew Corbett ~ Lee Cornes ~ Dick & Dom ~ Johnny Edward ~ Simon Farnaby ~ Keith Field ~ Peter Firmin ~ Phil Fletcher ~ Keith Harris ~ Brian Herring ~ Jeremy Hitchen ~ Sarah Jane Honeywell ~ Wayne Jackman ~ Chris Jarvis ~ Paul Kasey ~ Pui Fan Lee ~ Carol Lee Scott ~ Christopher Lillicrap ~ Maria Morgan ~ Erkan Mustafa ~ Hugo Myatt ~ Nigel Plaskitt ~ Lee Pressman ~ Tony Robinson ~ Michael Rosen ~ Sid Sloane ~ John Sparkes ~ Susan Stranks ~ Hacker T. Dog ~ David Tate ~ Brian Trueman ~ Henry Woolf ~ Tim Whitnall ~ Nick Wilton ~ Francis Wright

FILTER: - Merchandise - Books

DWM Companion: The Eleventh Doctor (Vol 6)

Friday, 7 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The sixth volume chronicling the adventures of the Eleventh Doctor from Doctor Who Magazine will be published on Thursday 20th December, and covers the five adventures broadcast during September this year, plus associated mini-episodes and last year's Children in Need auction escapade.

The Doctor Who Companion
The Eleventh Doctor
Volume Six

The 2012 series of Doctor Who saw married couple Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) joining the Doctor (Matt Smith) for their final adventures together in the TARDIS. Their travels in time and space took them from the terrifying Asylum of the Daleks, to the American Wild West, and came to an abrupt and sad conclusion in New York. They encountered insane Daleks, a cyborg assassin, River Song, an invasion of mysterious black cubes, the Weeping Angels... and dinosaurs on a spaceship!

Now, Doctor Who Magazine takes you behind the scenes of these astonishing episodes with an in-depth episode guide – including original storylines, deleted scenes, media appearances, ratings information and hundreds of facts about the day-to-day life of the making of Doctor Who – all illustrated with gorgeous, never-before-seen photos.

This collectors’ edition examines all five episodes of the latest series – Asylum of the Daleks, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, A Town called Mercy, The Power of Three and The Angels Take Manhattan – as well as the five-part mini-adventure Pond Life, the DVD extra Night and the Doctor and the two Script to Screen winning entries Death is the only Answer and Good as Gold, plus the Doctor offering his clothes for auction for Children in Need in 2011.

Written and researched by Andrew Pixley, this is your essential 100-page guide to Series Pond!

FILTER: - Merchandise - Magazines - DWM

Doctor Who Magazine 455

Friday, 7 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 455 - inside bag

The next edition of Doctor Who Magazine is a bumper-sized 100 page issue, hitting the shops on Thursday 13th December.

The latest Christmas Special, The Snowmen, is extensively previewed, featuring new photos from the adventure, and revealing hints from writer Steven Moffat and producer Marcus Wilson. Plus, new sidekick Jenna-Louise Coleman tells the magazine of her role:

She's this mysterious girl, and the Doctor can't quite put his finger on what it is about her. It's the same for her, because he's this mystery man who's landed in a blue box...

Also in this issue:

The Doctor's Gang! DWM interviews The Snowmen's stars, Neve McIntosh (Silurian warrior Madame Vastra), Catrin Stewart (Jenny, Vastra's companion) and Dan Starkey (Strax the Sontaran) and discovers what it's like to be part of the Doctor's Victorian 'Scooby Gang'!
Look to the Future, Now! Doctor Who's head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat takes DWM readers on an episode-by-episode guide to the next series of eight adventures, set for broadcast in 2013 – only in Production Notes!
That was the Year that Was! 2012 brought thrills as well as sadness – and some brilliant new episodes of Doctor Who. DWM turns back the clock to the start of the year to relive the highlights of the last 12 months in The DWM Review of 2012.
The Eight Legs of Christmas! The Time Team get into the festive mood, travel back to Christmas 2006, and watch the Tenth Doctor have an adventure with Donna Noble for the very first time. What will Chris, Emma, Michael and Will make of The Runaway Bride... ?
Twisted Imagination! School friends Amelia Pond and Rory Williams encounter a scary Santa and his evil elves – can their young chum Mels save them? Find out in Imaginary Enemies, written by Scott Gray with art by Mike Collins.
Oh Yes It Is! Christmas is the panto season – and to celebrate this beloved British tradition, the Watcher explores how pantomime's influence can be found throughout Doctor Who's history. Oh yes it can!
Happy Anniversary! DWM takes a nostalgic look back to Doctor Who's silver anniversary in 1988, and a season that featured Daleks, Cybermen, creepy clowns and the Kandy Man, in Countdown to 50!
The Best Year Ever! Next year will be the most exciting time to be a fan ever! But which year has been the best so far? 1983 or 2005? Johnny Candon and Toby Hadoke argue it out in A Battle of Wits.
Two Doctors For Christmas! David Morrissey is The Next Doctor! The Fact of Fiction looks back on Christmas 2008's memorable Tenth Doctor adventure, and talks to writer Russell T Davies, who reveals hitherto unknown secrets about the seasonal show.
Quizzes and Puzzles! Try your luck in DWM's competitions and crosswords, to win amazing prizes from the latest Blu-ray release to deluxe CD box sets! And then engage your brain, and prepare to have your knowledge tested to the limit, in The Watcher's Fiendishly Festive Christmas Quiz!
Between The Lines! The Watcher investigates the curious case of the scenes we never see, champions another supporting artist of the month, and challenges readers with the Six Faces of Delusion in Wotcha!

PLUS! Three free collectable art cards featuring the Doctor, Clara, and Vastra/Strax, all the latest official news, the latest DVDs, books and CDs reviewed, sneak previews of forthcoming merchandise, a cryptic preview of the new-look TARDIS interior, and much, much more!

FILTER: - DWM

Becoming The Companion - Part Two

Friday, 7 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Day Seven of the BBC Adventure Calendar sees the release of the second part of an interview with Jenna-Louise Coleman, who makes her debut as the Doctor's new sidekick in The Snowmen on Christmas Day.

Here, she talks about her fun in the role, and where she'll be on the day itself.

Becoming the Companion Part Two, via BBC iPlayer/
Becoming the Companion Part One, via YouTube and BBC iPlayer

FILTER: - Online - BBC

Previous 10 Stories

Doctor Who teased on television for Christmas Day

The Snowmen: special guest star revealed

DVD Update: 2013 updates and expectations

The Ark in Space (SE):

The Aztecs (SE):

Terror of the Zygons:

The Visitation:

Radio Times launches Missing Episodes hunt

The Snowmen - Press Pack

Interview with Steven Moffat

Interview with Matt Smith

Interview with Jenna-Louise Coleman

Interview with Richard E Grant

Interview with Tom Ward

The Snowmen: further BBC publicity

Sneak peek at the new TARDIS!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas - It's Showtime!:

Legends of Kids TV (Vol 2)

DWM Companion: The Eleventh Doctor (Vol 6)

Doctor Who Magazine 455

Becoming The Companion - Part Two

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