Next Time: The Man Who Never Was

Wednesday, 12 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Series 5 of The Sarah Jane Adventures concludes next week with The Man Who Never Was; the final episodes of the series starring the late Elisabeth Sladen are broadcast on Monday and Tuesday at 5:15pm on the CBBC channel.

CBBC has released a preview trailer for the finale:

The Man Who Never Was Preview, CBBC, via the CBBC Sarah Jane Adventures site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

Synopses for The Man Who Never Was - can be considered a spoiler!

Joseph Serf has launched his new SerfBoard, the must-have computer that no one can resist owning. Intrigued, Sarah Jane takes Luke and Sky to investigate what's so compelling about Serf and his business.

Clyde and Rani take a SerfBoard to pieces, suspecting alien technology may be the answer...

the truth behind Joseph Serf's company is out – alien Light Sculptors, slaves kept beneath his office building.

As Luke and Sky try to find a way to free them and get them home safely, Sarah Jane needs Clyde and Rani to come and help her – and get married along the way...

The BBC have also released a number of publicity photos for this episode:

**** PUBLICITY PHOTOS FOR THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES
**** MIGHT BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS

Additional Online Content

A number of videos have also been added to complement the series via the Sarah Jane Adventures website, including a Behind The Scenes video of the last day of the recording block made by Daniel Anthony and Anjli Mohindra:

Behind The Scenes, CBBC, via the CBBC Sarah Jane Adventures site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

Meanwhile, the second part of Ask The Cast has been released, plus an additional two challenges in the Gameathon:

Ask the Cast: Part Two, CBBC, via the CBBC Sarah Jane Adventures site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

The Gameathon: Challenge Two, CBBC, via the CBBC Sarah Jane Adventures site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

The Gameathon: Challenge Three, CBBC, via the CBBC Sarah Jane Adventures site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom

FILTER: - UK - Online - Sarah Jane

The Wedding of River Song - Official UK Ratings

Monday, 10 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Doctor Who's series finale, The Wedding of River Song, received a final audience figure of 7.67 million viewers, according to official statistics released by BARB this week; with 6.1 million reported for the initial broadcast, the episode's audience increased by an additional 26% over the course of the week.

The BARB ratings cover the period 26th September to 2nd October, during which Doctor Who was the seventh highest rated individual programme on BBC One and the third as a distinct series, with only episodes of Eastenders and Strictly Come Dancing achieving a higher figure.

Figures do no include those who watched the programme via the BBC iPlayer.

ITV1 programme details for this period have yet to be released; however if viewing patterns have remained consistent with previous weeks, The Wedding of River Song should fall within the Top 20 programmes of the week, and be the eighth most popular distinct series on television - Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The X Factor, Downton Abbey and Doc Martin normally claim higher figures for the commercial channel.

The consolidated chart position should be available later in the week.

FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 6/32

The Wedding of River Song: Australian ratings

Sunday, 9 October 2011 - Reported by Adam Kirk

The Wedding of River Song has debuted in Australia to strong ratings. TV Tonight reports that the episode averaged 708,000 viewers in the five major capital cities. It was the second highest rating drama and the sixth highest rating programme for the day overall. The corresponding Confidential Cutdown rated 488,000 viewers in the five major capitals. These overnight figures, however, do not include regional, rural and time-shifted viewers and hence significantly understate the actual national ratings.

Meanwhile in New Zealand, The God Complex on Prime rated 96,430 viewers. There was no episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day this week due to the broadcast of an international netball match.

FILTER: - Ratings - New Zealand - Broadcasting - Australia

George Baker 1931-2011

Saturday, 8 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The actor George Baker has died at the age of 80.

George Baker was a well known English actor who appeared is some of British Televisions most fondly remembered dramas. He appeared alongside Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker, in the 1980 story Full Circle, where he played Decider Login,

He is best known for playing Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries and the emperor Tiberius in the acclaimed BBC drama I Claudius.

Other parts included roles in the films The Dam Busters, The Ship That Died of Shame with Richard Attenborough and The Moonraker. He was the second actor to portray the role of "Number Two" in the series The Prisoner and appeared in his own TV comedy series Bowler. He was also in the first episode of Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.

FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

Big Finish: Companion Chronicles Day

Saturday, 8 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Big Finish are to hold a special sale on the 22nd October to celebrate their Doctor Who spin-off audio adventures, The Companion Chronicles, with the first series being made available for a large discount on the day.

Executive Producer Jason Haigh Ellery said:

The Companion Chronicles has been a success story for us, and this one-day sale should allow those who’ve never heard one to jump aboard and find out what the fuss is about. Sadly, due to contractual reasons, we’re only able to offer this first series on CD – there will be no downloads of the stories.

The special day will see the individual stories priced at £5.00, or all four at £16.00.

1.1 - Frostfire, by Marc Platt
with Maureen O'Brien as Vicki
and Keith Drinkel as The Cinder

Vicki has a tale to tell. But where does it start and when does it end?

1.2 - Fear of the Daleks, by Patrick Chapman
with Wendy Padbury as Zoe
and Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks

Why has Zoe Heriot been having nightmares about the Daleks? And who is the Doctor, a mysterious man from her past?

1.3 - The Blue Tooth, by Nigel Fairs
with Caroline John as Liz Shaw
and Nicholas Briggs as the Cybermen

When Liz Shaw's friend goes missing, she discovers a potential alien invasion that will have far-reaching effects on her life...

1.4 - The Beautiful People, by Jonathan Morris
with Lalla Ward as Romana
and Marcia Ashton as Carna

The Fourth Doctor and Romana discover that all is not well at the Vita Novus Health Spa.

Meanwhile, the Companion Chronicles series is now within its sixth season. This month sees Katy Manning in The Many Deaths of Jo Grant, and in November Peter Purves returns as Steven Taylor in The First Wave. Finally, the year is seen out with the return of Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor in a sequel to the stageplay adaptation The Ultimate Adventure; original script writer Terrance Dicks continues the tale with Beyond the Ultimate Adventure, where the Doctor and his companions Crystal (Claire Huckle) and Jason (Noel Sullivan) are called back to the Bar Galactica ...

6.1 - Tales from the Vault, by Jonathan Morris
with Katy Manning as Jo, Wendy Padbury as Zoe, Peter Purves as Steven, Mary Tamm as Romana
and Daphne Ashbrook as Ruth Matheson, Yee Jee Tso as Charlie Sato

Welcome to The Vault – jokingly known as 'The Museum of Terrors' – a high security establishment where UNIT keeps all of its alien artifacts.

New recruit Warrant Officer Charlie Sato is given a guided tour by Captain Ruth Matheson, and the archive reveals some dark secrets. An army jacket, a painting, crystal and a wax cylinder all hold a grave significance, and their stories are told by the Doctor's companions: Steven Taylor, Zoe Heriot, Jo Grant and Romana...

6.2 - The Rocket Men, by John Dorney
with William Russell as Ian Chesterton
and Gus Brown as Ashman

The TARDIS has landed on Platform Five, a floating city in the sky of the planet Jobis, and for a time the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki get the chance to enjoy this idyllic place.

And then the Rocket Men arrive, led by the sadistic Ashman.

When the only other option to certain death is suicide, Ian Chesterton takes the gamble of his life...

6.3 - The Memory Cheats, by Simon Guerrier
with Wendy Padbury as Zoe
and Charlie Hayes as Jen

Zoe Heriot remembers everything. But she remembers nothing.

A genius with instant recall, Zoe’s mind has been purged of her memories of travelling with the Doctor and Jamie in the TARDIS. And years later she is in deep trouble – prosecuted by the mysterious company that has evidence that she has travelled in Space and Time.

Except Zoe knows they’re wrong.
Aren’t they?

But if that’s the case, why is there proof that Zoe was in Uzbekistan in 1919.

Can the memory cheat?

6.4 - The Many Deaths of Jo Grant, by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
with Katy Manning as Jo Grant
and Nicholas Ashbury as Rowe

"I wasn’t going to let this happen. After all we’d been through, the Doctor wasn’t going to die like this, on his knees, in the mud."

When Jo Grant was very young, her grandmother told her that there was a time for everything. A time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to live and a time to die.

Since meeting the Doctor, Jo has laughed till she thought she might burst. She has also shed a few tears along the way, but has lived more than she ever thought possible.

But now, as a strange spaceship materialises over UNIT HQ and a heavily injured Doctor returns to Earth, it is Jo's time to die. Again, and again, and again...

6.5 - The First Wave, by Simon Guerrier
with Peter Purves as Steven Taylor
and Tom Allen as Oliver Harper

Caught in the inevitable path of its own history, the TARDIS arrives on the planetoid Grace Alone, where the Doctor, Steven and Oliver expect to face their fate. What they don’t expect to find is a massacred crew – and a race of alien invaders known as the Vardans.

When the Doctor is apparently killed, his companions attempt to survive against the odds. But those odds are narrowing. Their borrowed time has expired.

6.6 - Beyond the Ultimate Adventure, by Terrance Dicks
with Colin Baker as The Doctor
and Claire Huckle as Crystal, Noel Sullivan as Jason

A thrilling adventure in Time and Space!

The Doctor, Crystal and Jason have survived monsters, Madame Delilah and Mrs T, but then their former enemy Karl calls them back to the Bar Galactica. The mercenary has a cryptic message concerning Ultima Thule, where fabled treasure and a threat to the universe await...

The journey requires entering another dimension, where old enemies – and a brand new adversary – lie in wait...

FILTER: - Merchandise - Audio - Big Finish

Convention update - Hurricane Who

Saturday, 8 October 2011 - Reported by Anthony Weight

The organisers of the Doctor Who convention Hurricane Who have contacted the Doctor Who News Page with details of their forthcoming "Category Two" convention in Orlando, Florida, USA. The event takes place at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel at Sea World from the 4th to 6th of November this year.

Among the Doctor Who-related guests attending the convention will be:

Arthur Darvill (Rory), making his first North American convention appearance
Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato, Torchwood)
Terry Molloy (Davros)
Paul Marc Davis (The Trickster, The Sarah Jane Adventures)

Full details are available from the convention website: HurricaneWho.com.

FILTER: - USA - Conventions

Closing Time: Chart Position

Friday, 7 October 2011 - Reported by Marcus

Doctor Who: Closing Time has now been confirmed as the 20th most watched programme of the week.

Final Figures include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days, but do not include those watching on iPlayer.

ITV1 once more claimed all the top spots of the week with The X Factor, Downton Abbey and Doc Martin taking the top four spots. The main three soaps also did well with Doctor Who rating more than once episode of Emmerdale to make 20th place for the week.

The final audience share for Doctor Who was 29.4%

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Ratings - UK - Series 6/32

DVD release/production roundup

Friday, 7 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Though the UNIT boxed set has been placed in the United Kingdom DVD release schedule (for January), other Doctor Who DVDs have yet to be formally scheduled by 2|Entertain for the first quarter of next year. However, Amazon in Canada has added some additional titles for 2012:

Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Android Invasion (to be released together as the UNIT Boxed Set in the UK) are listed for 10th January
The Sensorites is listed for 14th February
The Robots of Death, The Three Doctors, Tomb of the Cybermen Special Editions are listed for 13th March (the final three making up the Revisitations 3 boxed set in the UK)

It is expected that the UK Region 2 releases of the stories/sets will be on or before those listed for Region 1 above.

The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine confirmed the commentaries for the forthcoming UNIT Boxed Set. Invasion of the Dinosaurs will feature Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Peter Miles (Whitaker), Terence Wilton (Mark), Paddy Russell (director), Terrance Dicks (script editor) and Richard Morris (designer). The Android Invasion will feature Philip Hinchcliffe (producer), Milton Johns (Crayford), Martin Friend (Styggron), and Marion McDougal (production assistant). Both commentaries are moderated by Toby Hadoke.

Details of production of future releases have continued to emerge, mainly via the social communication tool Twitter; a breakdown of these details can be found below, but in brief:

an audio reconstruction of episodes three and four of Planet of Giants has been recorded
a documentary "Remembering Barry Letts" will feature on The Daemons
a tribute to Nicholas Courtney is being produced, featuring many interviews with the actor himself

In addition, Commissioning Editor for the Classics range, Dan Hall, was recently interviewed by Talking Who, during which he revealed that The Greatest Show in the Galaxy will be released with a new 5.1 surround soundtrack, produced by Mark Ayres.

The Restoration Team on Twitter:

THE SENSORITES

17 Sep Classic DW Early artwork in for THE SENSORITES. Looking tremendous!

THE DAEMONS

6 Sep Peter Crocker Very distracting vertical jitter successfully banished from 1971 episode
17 Sep Classic DW Signed off wonderful Barry Letts doc from Ed Stradling.
Lovely interview from family, Terrence et al. Look out for it on THE DAEMONS.
23 Sep Ed Stradling I have to finish the Barry Letts obit programme today.
Clock is ticking and some graphics and keying still to do.
23 Sep Ed Stradling Barry was interviewed against a reflecmedia chromatte screen so I use
either their own Mattenee keyer or Keylight in After Effects
23 Sep Ed Stradling Do people think "Letts Remember Barry" is a good title for the
obit programme? Or too corny? Other suggestions welcome, I'm crap at titles.
25 Sep Peter Crocker First phase of restoration on "The Daemons" complete;
now awaits grading at TV Centre.
25 Sep Ed Stradling Talking of VAM, the Daemons extras are currently being graded at TV Centre.
26 Sep Ed Stradling Another DVD feature now delivered. "Remembering Barry Letts" edited
on Media Composer and due for inclusion on "The Daemons" DVD.
26 Sep Restoration Team Grading and compilation complete on Daemons VAM package,
including the test that started it all...
27 Sep Classic DW Daemons VAM all finished and ready to deliver to 2e within the next few weeks!

THE REIGN OF TERROR

30 Sep Chris Chapman Have popped into the office to back up today's rushes -
looking and sounding lovely! Particularly happy about Reign of Terror...
4 Oct Chris Chapman On train to Newcastle to spend the rest of the week editing -
should be on the content cut of Reign of Terror by Thursday...
4 Oct Chris Chapman In a piece of news that few will find interesting, I intend to call
The Reign of Terror doco 'Don't Lose Your Head'. Carry on!;-)

PLANET OF GIANTS

5 Oct Ed Stradling Off to studio shortly for the re-recording of dialogue for
Planet of Giants part 3 - and 4.
5 Oct Toby Hadoke is off to act in a Dr Who story which has never been seen in its
original, complete form ... until now! The surviving cast are on board too.
5 Oct Toby Hadoke Forester.
5 Oct Ed Stradling Tom Spilsbury, Donald Wilson thought it was dull.
He also thought The Web Planet wasn't.
5 Oct Ed Stradling Planet of Giants going very well. Will use Gary Gillatt's urge to live gag
in the VAM or else he'll put it in the DWM review :)
5 Oct Ed Stradling Willam Russell and Carole Ann Ford in the studio with Katherine Mount
and John Guilor for Planet of Giants http://t.co/b4CIEfE7

MISCELLANEOUS

26 Aug Chris Chapman Doctor Who shoot for next Wednesday pretty much all good to go!
8 interviews confirmed, with 2 floaters which should be sorted by Monday...
26 Aug Chris Chapman
The 8 interviewees are: 3 companions, 1 script editor,
1 visual effects assistant, 1 production assistant, 1 historian and 1 spaceman!
1 Sep Chris Chapman Capturing in yesterday's footage. Interviewees included
Ian Reddington, Sophie Aldred, Tim Combe and William Russell!
3 Sep Chris Chapman BTW, when I interviewed William Russell last week, I told him about
'Ian and Babs married and immortal' and he seemed genuinely touched.:-)
7 Sep Ed Stradling last chance for any fans to tweet me any questions for former
BBC Head of Series Ronnie Marsh, we're interviewing him tomorrow!
13 Sep Chris Chapman Filming on Thursday features two actors, two production assistants,
one assistant designer, one friend, a singer and a lovely backdrop!
15 Sep Chris Chapman The end of a very successful day's filming.
Beautiful weather and lovely guests. Assume you'll see the doco next year.:-)
19 Sep Ed Stradling Back in London after interviewing four companion actors for upcoming DVD
at the Regenerations event in Swansea this weekend
20 Sep Chris Chapman Today, I interviewed Tom Baker for an upcoming DVD - and he was fabulous!
30 Sep Chris Chapman Today's interviewees were... a director, three designers, two companions,
two monsters, a vision mixer and a son of somebody!
30 Sep Chris Chapman To tease you further, we were filming content for FOUR
different Who stories today. My brain is a jumble of jumbles!
1 Oct Chris Chapman So a rundown of yesterday's classic Who guests:
Interviewee 1 - a designer - told me about burning shreds of big top
flying through the air!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who Interviewee 2 - a monster - was the single biggest man
I have ever met, and he shed a tear on camera!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 3 - a director - claimed at the outset that
he remembered nothing, yet he remembered EVERYTHING!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 4 - a 60s companion - told me that nothing ever happened
between her and another 60s companion, despite the rumours!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 5 - a designer - came all the way from North Wales and
giggled about sneaking photos of glamour girls onto Doctor Who sets!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 6 - another 60s Who companion - was the best I've
ever heard her and did lots of mad impressions!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 7 - the son of someone famous - wore a posh suit and
told us what it was like to be 6 years old and terrified by his father!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 8 - another monster - told us an AMAZING story
about William Hartnell tap-dancing!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 9 - a vision mixer - explained how a button she pressed
changed the whole history of Doctor Who!
1 Oct Chris Chapman Who interviewee 10 - yet another designer - thought so-and-so was a bit
over-the-top and that the director was a proper moaner!
3 Oct Thomas Guerrier Extreme editing some classic Doctor Who this morning.
3 Oct Ed Stradling I'm now editing the Nick Courtney tribute feature, consisting largely
of interviews with the great man himself.

FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

People Roundup

Friday, 7 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Matt Smith recently commented on people he would quite like to see act alongside him in Doctor Who: "Whoopi Goldberg would be a great companion wouldn't she? Yeah, she'd be great. Also I'd love Eric Cantona, or Colin Firth. Colin Firth would be great but he would not do it. God, when I think about it there are so many people I would love to get in it." [Bang Showbiz, via Metro, The List, 1st Oct]

David Tennant has recorded a narration for a 50 minute BBC1 documentary, Disabled Parents: Are You Having A Laugh?, which follows comedian Laurence Clark and his wife - both have cerebral palsy - as they prepare for the birth of their second child. It is expected to be broadcast in February. [Chortle, 5th Oct]

The actor is also subject of a petition by fans to have him carry the Olympic Torch in 2012, in honour of his character saving the games in the story Fear Her, with some 25,000 people signed up so far. [Flavor Wire, 3rd Oct]

John Barrowman explains how he wishes to trace his family history in Ireland: "What I'd love to do is a programme researching my Irish roots to see how strong they are. That's as much as I know as my mother has spoken no further about it but I know that my mom and dad have visited (my neice) Clare. I have never visited but it's something I want to do." [RTE, 4th Oct]

A patron of the Dogs Trust, the actor also opened the charity's new shop in Cowbridge, South Wales, which raised more than £1,300 on the day. [Third Sector, 3rd Oct]

Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) provides the voice to a new Autumn/Winter 2011 television campaign by high-street retailer chain Debenhams; the adverts are themed around the strap line "Life Made Fabulous with Designers at Debenhams", where designs are shown from creation to being worn in 'real life'. [Retail Digital, 6th Oct]

Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom) has had to pull out of the start of filming of the new series of Upstairs Downstairs due to suffering a minor stroke. Recovering well, Marsh said: "Unfortunately I won't be returning to Eaton Place quite as quickly as I had hoped; I am looking forward to spending time with Rose again when I'm match-fit and I miss the cast and crew tremendously." [BBC News, 5th Oct]

Actors Barnaby Edwards (chief Dalek) and Ian Cullen (Ixta, The Aztecs) have both filmed a scene for local Sleaford film Shadows of a Stranger, which also features former Doctor Colin Baker. Says Edwards: "It is ambitious, but they are confident about it. It is exciting to be doing something new, placing traditional actors alongside an entirely imaginary world and it is a cracking story.". Full details of the project can be found the Shadows of a Stranger website. [Sleaford Standard, 30th Sep]

Louise Jameson (Leela), who has recently celebrated her 60th birthday, talked about some of her theatrical idols: "There have been so many people I’ve been inspired by, but mainly the obvious actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench and David Warner. They’re all the people I saw in my childhood at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Of course, they’re only ten years older than me really, and not even another generation, but that’s the kind of era of work that I really admire." [Daily Mail, 5th Oct]

Sadie Miller shared memories of her mother, Elisabeth Sladen, with the Radio Times: "It was lovely that she just sort of fell back into her career. She didn’t really have time to worry about it; she just enjoyed it. And I loved watching her in The Sarah Jane Adventures because there was so much of her in the role." [Radio Times, 3rd Oct]

FILTER: - People - Matt Smith - Billie Piper - David Tennant - Elisabeth Sladen - Colin Baker

Doctor Who Experience to stay in London until February

Friday, 7 October 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

It has just been announced that the Doctor Who Experience is to remain open in London throughout the Christmas season and into early next year.

It is now due to close on the 22nd February 2012, whereupon it'll transfer to its new home at Port Teigr by the new BBC Studios, in Cardiff Bay.

FILTER: - Exhibitions

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