"Matt Smith proposes to girlfriend at Doctor Who Experience"

Friday, 3 February 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have announced a special event which took place at the Doctor Who Experience last night ...

Matt Smith last night proposed to his long-standing girlfriend at the Doctor Who Experience in London. The marriage offer, which Matt had been planning for weeks (with some help from BBC Worldwide), came as a complete surprise to his girlfriend who was under the impression she was visiting the capital for a shopping trip.

The Doctor Who Experience at London’s Olympia, a walk through exhibition where the Doctor takes you on a spectacular adventure though time and space, has already been enjoyed by over 200,000 fans both young and old, and was chosen by Matt as the perfect setting for his proposal to girlfriend and avid Doctor Who fan, Stacie-Anne Dilkes, 23. The attraction is in the final three weeks of its year-long London run.

Matt, 22, from Rochford, Essex coincidentally shares the same name with the star of the globally successful BBC TV series and even chose to dress in a tweed jacket and bow tie for the occasion, the standard uniform of the Eleventh Timelord. He stunned his wife-to-be by pretending to be an exhibit in a section of the Experience which hosts original props, costumes and monsters from almost 50 years of the programme – before bending down on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage. And happily, she said YES!

Matt Smith, who plays the real Doctor, instead of protesting at this apparent, albeit brief identity theft, was also in on the surprise and sent a personal message of congratulations to the happy couple, commenting: "Matt Smith proposing to his girlfriend! Firstly, being a Smith means phone calls to the bank take so much longer - there are so many Smiths!! But I bet none of them have proposed at the Doctor Who Experience! Amy and Rory would be proud. Next - babies in the TARDIS...? Congratulations to you both and many years of happiness. Love, Matt.”

Matt Smith Proposes to Girlfriend at Doctor Who Experience, BBCWorldwideComms, via YouTube

FILTER: - Matt Smith - Exhibitions - Miscellaneous

Frederick Treves 1925 - 2012

Friday, 3 February 2012 - Reported by Marcus

The actor Frederick Treves has died at the age of 86.

Frederick Treves appeared in four episodes of Doctor Who, playing Lieutenant Brotadac in the 1980 Tom Baker story Meglos. Brotadac was second in command to Gaztak mercenary General Grugger, played by Bill Fraser.

Born in 1925, Treves served in the Merchant Navy in World War II where he was caught up in the Operation Pedestal Convoy to Malta. When his ship was sunk in 1942 he helped save several of his shipmates, actions which saw him receive the British Empire Medal and the Lloyd's War Medal.

After the war he trained at RADA before embarking on a career which saw him appear in some of the best-loved dramas in British television. His 100-plus television credits included roles in The Cazalets, The Jewel in the Crown, A Dance to the Music of Time, The Politician's Wife, To Play the King, Lipstick on Your Collar, Bomber Harris, Yes, Prime Minister, Bergerac, Midsomer Murders, Follyfoot, Miss Marple, Minder, Z-Cars, The Avengers, Doomwatch and The Railway Children.

His films included: Paper Mask, Defence of the Realm, Sunshine, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Afraid of the Dark, A Flame to the Phoenix, Nighthawks, The Elephant Man and Sweeney 2.

His last screen appearance was as Professor Mullins in a 2003 edition of Rosemary & Thyme.

Treves is survived by his wife, Jean, along with two sons, Simon (who followed him into acting) and Patrick; a daughter, Jeni; and 11 grandchildren.

Frederick William Treves, actor and writer, born 29 March 1925; died 30 January 2012

FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular this weekend

Friday, 3 February 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

This Saturday will see the performance of the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular, taking place at the Plenary Hall, MCEC in Melbourne and performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

The two hour concert will be presented by actor Mark Sheppard, and conducted by Doctor Who stalwart Ben Foster, with composer Murray Gold on piano. Choral aspects of the performance will be by the Concordis Chamber Choir, led by Chorus Master Andrew Hunter, with solos undertaken by Antoinette Halloran (soprano) and Tobias Cole (counter-tenor).

There will be two performances taking place, one at 2:00pm and the other at 7:00pm. At the time of writing both performances are sold out.

A musical celebration with the Doctor on the big screen and a host of live monsters including Daleks, Cybermen and The Silence invading the venue. Inspired by the BBC Doctor Who Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ben Foster, will premiere Murray Gold's amazing music from the last two seasons of the legendary BBC series.

Publicity

Ben Foster featured as a guest on ABC Melbourne 774 to discuss the concert and his music career; the interview can be downloaded from their website. Meanwhile, Mark Sheppard talked to ABC Hobart 936 about his prolific career, which is also available for download.

A photocall for the concert took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, featuring a Dalek, Cyberman and Silent.

The Herald Sun features an article on the concert, with Mark Sheppard saying: "Sci-fi fans are the smartest fans in the world - you're talking about an intelligent audience, an audience that appreciates great music, great stories and great passion. Give them garbage, they walk way." Composer Murray Gold said: "People will travel for this show which is brilliant. We've come 15,000 miles, or whatever it is, for one day here."

Gold was also interviewed by the Australian, chatting about his career in television and films.

FILTER: - Music - Special Events - Australia

Fantom Book Updates

Wednesday, 1 February 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Fantom Films are to release the autobiography of Jacqueline Pearce, who played Chessene in The Two Doctors but probably most recognisable as the elegant baddie Servalan in Blakes's 7! From Byfleet to the Bush will be published in both paperback and hardback formats, with a book launch event to take place on 11th March at the George IV Public House, Chiswick. More details can be found via their website.

From Byfleet to The Bush

The actress Jacqueline Pearce is best known to television audiences as the villainous Servalan from the fondly remembered Blake’s Seven (BBC 1978-1981). But her career has taken her from RADA to Hollywood, via starring roles in international comedy films, Hammer Horror, BBC Shakespeare, and London’s West End. So how did she end up living in the African bush with her belongings in black bin-bags? Find out with this gripping memoir of an extraordinary life – from Byfleet to the Bush.

Jacqueline’s motherless upbringing in suburban Byfleet was unconventional and her education at the hands of nuns left her emotionally scarred. Through the course of her erratic career, she found love, laughter, heartache, breakdowns, fame, obscurity, and sex drugs and rock and roll. On the way, she encountered such stars as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Sammy Davis Jr, Jerry Lewis, Alan Bates, John Hurt, Dervla Kirwan and Rupert Penry-Jones. Candid, vivid, mordant and funny, this is an unusual and enchanting memoir.

Also out in March is a book written by Valentine Palmer, best known in Doctor Who circles as the rebel Monia in Day of the Daleks. In TITANIC: The Strange Case of Great Uncle Bertie, the actor, producer and screenwriter sets out to write the definite account of the Titanic’s sinking. As the 100th anniversary of that terrible day approaches Palmer follows up innumerable conflicting stories and theories that still, to this day, surround the doomed liner... with a new unique perspective through the eyes of Valentine's family and Charles Lightroller – his great uncle, the highest ranking officer to survive the sinking.

Deborah Watling's autobiography, Daddy's Girl is to have an audio release this month, with the actress herself recounting her memoirs.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Books

People Roundup

Wednesday, 1 February 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

As the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth on 7th February approaches, Simon Callow is touring to promote his new book about the author - Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World. In an interview with the Yorkshire Post, Callow, who has played Dickens on stage and in Doctor Who, said: "I've been working very closely with the life of Dickens in one way or another for the past 15 years and I felt I had something different to say. I wanted to explore the notion of Charles Dickens as a performer and the conscious degree to which he was supremely confident as a performer. He could talk to the public and speak about his books in a way that would captivate audiences." Barnsley, Bromsgrove, Canterbury, Coventry, London, Loughborough, Maidenhead, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Street, Taunton, Portsmouth, and Winchester are places where Callow is appearing, with a number of venues sold out. [Yorkshire Post, 31 Jan 2012]

Noel Clarke spoke to London 360 about his casting in the next installment of the Star Trek juggernaut: "It was just an audition like all the others, really. You kind of just do your lines and see what happens, and then luckily this time I got the job. They didn't test me on my (Star Trek) knowledge, it was just a standard audition! I think it’s just one of those things where it’s another sort of level of accomplishment where you’ve done another job that is bigger than the ones you’ve done before - all of that stuff helps in your career so hopefully it will just help me in mine." [London 360 on YouTube, 27 Jan 2012]

Jean Marsh has spoken of the serious health scares she suffered late last year and how she resolved to overcome them. In a Guardian feature highlighting the forthcoming new series of Upstairs, Downstairs on BBC One, the actress and co-creator of the show, in which she plays Rose Buck, said: "I was absolutely determined [to get back]. Three weeks after the first episode I had a stroke and a heart attack, and in three weeks I'd thrown myself out of the hospital. I said I will be all right and the main doctor said, 'All right, you can work again. But you can only work four hours a day.' And I said: 'Terrific!'" The six-part series, also starring Alex Kingston, Anne Reid and Sarah Lancashire, is currently scheduled to start on Sunday 19th February. [The Guardian, 31 Jan 2012]

Some more details have been released on Marsh's co-star in the new series, Alex Kingston; the Doctor Who star is playing Dr Blanche Mottershead, who arrives at the house alongside novelist and lover Lady Portia Alresford (played by Emilia Fox). Writer Heidi Thomas said: "I really don't want to give the game away because it lets you know things about the characters in the show ahead of time and I think it will spoil it for the audience. The pair certainly bring a whiff of scandal. They've been living abroad and now arrive in London. They try to be covert about their life. The series is set in 1938, where life was far less sexualised. When it gets exposed, though, they find a surprising ally." [Radio Times, 31 Jan 2012]

Felicity Jones, who played the titular Unicorn (aka Robina Redmond) in The Unicorn and the Wasp, has been tipped for film stardom in the United States by Vanity Fair. She is among the 11 leading ladies featured by the magazine in its Hollywood edition out this month. Carey Mulligan was among those included in its 2010 Hollywood issue. [BBC News, 1 Feb 2012]

Laura Pulver, recently seen as Irene Adler in Sherlock, spoke about her chances of appearing in Steven Moffatt's other interest: "We haven’t spoken about Doctor Who at all. I think they are very separate entities for Steven, and I think he puts on very different hats, but I love working with him, and if we found another project to work together on whether it is Doctor Who or another season of Sherlock, then I’m sure we’d want to work together again." [Assignment X, 30 Jan 2012]

FILTER: - People - Theatre - Magazines

Doctor Who Experience: Cyber Hoodies!

Wednesday, 1 February 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Doctor Who Experience have announced a new item of merchandise, now available from their shop:

Kid's Cyberman Hoody

SCARE your friends by impersonating one of the Doctor's most persistent enemies with this exclusive Doctor Who Experience hoody! Available in cotton-rich light grey and featuring the iconic Cyberman face imprinted on a breathable mesh sewn into the hood, this limited-run hoody sports the Doctor Who Experience logo on the left chest and incorporates a clever 'hidden' full-length front zip to complement the design. The mesh face even allows the wearer to see out whilst wearing it, so unlike the Daleks your vision won't be impaired!

The Cyberman hoody is machine washable and available in the following sizes:

Small – up to 26" Chest
Medium - up to 28" Chest
Large – up to 32" Chest

FILTER: - Merchandise - Exhibitions

Official Convention: Guest update

Wednesday, 1 February 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have announced a few more of the guests due to appear at the Official Doctor Who Convention in March.

Mark Sheppard, who featured in last year's series as Canton in The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon, will be at the event; he is joined by another familiar face from the last two series in the form of Ian McNeice, who played the Doctor's good friend Winston Churchill in a number of stories (notably Victory of the Daleks and The Wedding of River Song). Also appearing will be Raquel Cassidy, who played Cleaves in the two-part The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People.

Mark Sheppard said of being invited as a guest:

I grew up watching Doctor Who, and the fans are a huge part of what really makes the show so very special. I can't wait to come back to Cardiff for this unprecedented behind-the-scenes event - a unique chance for fans to meet the amazing people responsible for so much of the show we all love and get to experience their talent and creativity in a totally new way.

The three actors join the previously announced headliners Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill, alongside Stuart Milligan (President Nixon, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon) and Simon Fisher-Becker (Dorium, The Pandorica Opens/A Good Man Goes To War/The Wedding of River Song). Also, as well as the guests recognisable from in front of the camera, the line-up will include Nicholas Briggs - otherwise known as the voice of the Daleks, Cybermen and Judoon amongst many others - and Barnaby Edwards ("chief" Dalek operator).

From behind the scenes, Millennium FX's Neill Gorton has been announced, who joins the extensive behind-the-scenes crew that will be involved in many of the convention's activities, including special effects and pyrotechnic demonstrations, prosthetic masterclasses and Q&A sessions.

Previously announced production personnel of course includes the show's lead writer and convention headliner Steven Moffat, with Marcus Wilson (producer), Stephen Pehrsson (director of photography), Michael Pickwoad (production designer), Caroline Henry and Gary Russell (script editors), Andy Pryor (casting director), Danny Hargreaves (special effects supervisor), and Tom MacRae (writer).

FILTER: - Conventions

"Matt Smith proposes to girlfriend at Doctor Who Experience"

Frederick Treves 1925 - 2012

Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular this weekend

Publicity

Fantom Book Updates

People Roundup

Doctor Who Experience: Cyber Hoodies!

Official Convention: Guest update

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