Miracle Day reaches New Zealand

Thursday, 4 August 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Broadcaster Prime have announced that they have acquired Torchwood: Miracle Day for New Zealand. Though a broadcast date for the series has yet to be confirmed, Channel Manager Kathy Wright reported in the press release that:
I’m delighted to be adding this star-studded adventure series to our schedule. Torchwood: Miracle Day will be a fantastic addition to our prime-time programming mix and we will be doing everything we can to bring it to Kiwi’s living rooms as quickly as possible.
 

(with thanks to Paul Scoones)




FILTER: - Torchwood - Miracle Day (Series 4) - New Zealand

Obituary

Thursday, 4 August 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Derek CreweDEREK CREWE 1945-2011

The actor Derek Crewe has died at the age of 65.

Derek Crewe appeared in the final two episodes of the 1977 Tom Baker story, The Sun Makers, which has just been released on DVD. He played Syneg, a technician who worked for the Usurians' Company on Pluto.

Away from Doctor Who he had a long career appearing on TV in such productions as The Tomorrow People, Holby City, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, The Citadel, All Creatures Great and Small, Z Cars and Great Expectations. He acted alongside Kenneth Brannagh in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Henry V at Stratford in 1984.



Robert CartlandROBERT CARTLAND Died 2011

The actor Robert Cartland has died.

Robert Cartland appeared in three episodes of Doctor Who during the 1960's. In Mission to the Unknown he played Malpha, one of the representatives on the Galactic Council that planned to conquer the Solar System with the aid of the Daleks. In the previous story, Galaxy 4, he provided one of the Rill voices in the final two episodes.

His long career saw him in such shows as From Cover to Cover, Maigret, Compact, Dixon of Dock Green, Armchair Theatre, Doomwatch, Callan, Barlow, Whodunnit, Private Schultz, Bergerac and Play for Today.







FILTER: - Obituary

Two new Fanzines

Tuesday, 2 August 2011 - Reported by Marcus

The Terrible Zodin # 11 is now available for free download. Celebrating the lively and colourful world of Doctor Who in comics the magazine brings you an exclusive Magenta Pryce cover by Dan McDaid and artist Kris Carter gives the low down on inking and illustrating. There are articles on The Dalek Chronicles, Grant Morrison’s comic strips, Business as Usual and reviews of the best Doctor Who comics out there. All this plus a number of our talented contributors bring you their own original strips for your reading pleasure.

Also this issue a look at TTZ’s encounter with Steven Moffat himself, an article pondering how old the Doctor is, the magazine reveals how to throw your own Doctor Who themed wedding and supports the campaign to make The Curse of Fatal Death canon.

The Monster of Peladon gets the No! Not The Mind Probe! treatment, the Back2theWhoture team watch The Time Meddler and The Time Warrior and the magazine bids goodbye to Sarah Jane Smith.

All that plus the concluding part of the interview with Doctor Who legend Terrance Dicks, where he reveals the truth about The Terrible Zodin’s murky origins.



The second issue of Vworp Vworp! is due in late-August and pre orders are now being accepted at the magazine's website.

Here are some of the items to be found in the new issue:
  • The first half of the exhaustive Abslom Daak tribute, including interviews with writer Steve Moore, and artists Steve Dillon and David Lloyd. Also a Daak comic strip, written for DWM by Steve Moore in 1980 but withdrawn after a disagreement with the editor, now finally brought to the page by DWM artists Martin Geraghty, Adrian Salmon and Roger Langridge.
  • The first in the series of DWM editor interviews with a chat between Dez Skinn and Tom Spilsbury as well as Paul Neary, Alan McKenzie, Cefn Ridout and the elusive Sheila Cranna.
  • Ex-Doctors Tom Baker and Colin Baker talk about their comic strip selves.
  • Dave Gibbons, Steve Parkhouse and Mick McMahon discuss The Tides of Time and Junkyard Demon, and a look at in The Lodger with Gareth Roberts and Mike Collins.
  • The Housekeeper, a comic strip written by Paul Magrs and drawn by Bret M Herholz starring Mrs Wibbesey and the Fourth Doctor.
  • A free gift in the form of a ‘Vworpabix’ board game. Based on the 1970s Weetabix game, this has 16 character cards by Adrian Salmon and boards by Paul Grist, Jon Pinto, Leighton Noyes and Graeme Neil Reid.
  • Two covers: a wraparound Abslom Daak cover by Mike Collins, and an early Doctor Who Monthly pastiche featuring Junkyard Demon (with Jason Fletcher and Ben Willsher’s take on Daak on the back cover).
Follow the fanzine on Facebook




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Rendition: UK Final Ratings

Monday, 1 August 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Episode Two of Torchwood: Miracle Day had a final official rating of 5.75 million viewers according to figures released by BARB.

The programme was the 7th highest rated on BBC One for the week. The final result includes those who recorded the programme and watched it within 7 days. It does not include those watching on iPlayer.

On iPlayer Episode One has been accessed  760,000 times so far, and Episode Two accessed 526,000 times.

Episode Three had an AI score of 84.




FILTER: - Torchwood - Ratings - UK - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Red White and Who

Sunday, 31 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Red White and Who
A new book is to be released in 2012 entitled Red White and Who - The Story of Doctor Who in America; edited by Arnold T. Blumberg, Steven Warren Hill, Jennifer Adams Kelley, and J. Shaun Lyon, the book aims to be the definitive guide to Doctor Who fandom in America, from its origins through to modern-day forums and fan groups.

Every American Doctor Who fan has a story to tell, and fans of the iconic British television show love to tell stories. All of them, from casual viewer to hardcore fanatic, will happily regale others with the tale of how and when they discovered the greatest science fiction media franchise ever. The majority of the first dedicated American Who fans first met the Doctor in the early 1980s, nearly twenty years after the show began in 1963…but the story of Doctor Who in America, a fascinating, complex and influential journey into pop culture, stretches much farther back...

RED WHITE AND WHO is a chronological narrative of the history of Doctor Who – and its fandom – in the United States, incorporating rare illustrative material, and interviews with and essays by some of the key people who laid the groundwork for the fandom in which we participate today.

The editors are looking for American fans who can contribute to the book, and have provided several ways to get in touch:
Contributions can include printed material and photos, and the editors have outlined how these can be made:
To contribute material to help us with our research and for possible inclusion in the book, please follow these guidelines:
  • PRINTED MATERIAL/PHOTOS: Scanned jpegs or PDFS (1:1, 150dpi/b&w, 300dpi/color). E-mail them after initial contact, share via an online sharing site, or mail on CD/DVD. If you can’t scan, you can mail photocopies. If you must mail photos, we recommend duplicates; we cannot guarantee condition of photos after submission.
  • AUDIO/VIDEO: MP3/AIFF files and any video format can be e-mailed, shared or sent on CD/DVD and other physical formats.
  • MAILING ADDRESS: Send all physical submissions to Red White and Who, P.O. Box 975, Skokie, IL 60076-0975 USA.
PLEASE NOTE: With ALL submissions, please include full name, mailing address, and e-mail address. A phone number would also be useful. All contributors will be credited in the final volume if we use your material; any personal photographs will also be properly noted on the copyright page. All copyrights remain your own. Submission of material constitutes an agreement that you accept printed credit as compensation for your submission.




FILTER: - USA - Books

Starz: future Torchwood not assured

Friday, 29 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Even though ratings for the first few episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day have proven reasonable for both Starz and the BBC, this has never been a guarantee that a fifth series of the show will automatically be commissioned.

Speaking to reporters at the TV Critics Show, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht has clarified their position, explaining:
Torchwood is not one of the shows we went into thinking about a yearly return. It’s about Russell T Davies - he has a lot of things on his plate. If Torchwood is not at the top of his list, that will affect the future of Torchwood.

Davies previously indicated that he had been considering moving onto other projects after Miracle Day's production was completed - in February he told BBC Wales Today:
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.
Subsequently, Davies has been reported as developing a new show for Showtime, entitled Cucumber. However, with over half of Miracle Day still to be transmitted (episode four, Escape to L.A., premiering tonight on Starz), Torchwood's future cannot be written off quite yet!

(newslink: Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter)





FILTER: - Torchwood - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Next Time: Escape to L.A.

Friday, 29 July 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Next Thursday (4th August) sees the fourth episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day premiering in the UK, with Escape to L.A. being broadcast at 9:00pm on BBC1/BBC1HD. The episode will also be repeated on BBC2/BBCHD the following Monday at 11:20pm, and available to watch online in the UK via the BBC iPlayer until 23rd September.


PLOT SYNOPSIS FOR ESCAPE TO L.A. FOLLOWS - MAY BE CONSIDERED A SPOILER



The fight against PhiCorp takes the Torchwood team to California, where a trap is waiting. Meanwhile, Oswald and Jilly find themselves with an enemy of their own.


The BBC have made a preview clip available to watch on the BBC iPlayer and YouTube; Starz have also released their own preview on YouTube.

Torchwood episode 4 preview, BBC, via iPlayer - may not play outside of the United Kingdom
Alternatively there is a YouTube version.






FILTER: - Torchwood - Online - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Dead of Night: UK overnight viewing figures

Friday, 29 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Torchwood: Dead of Night achieved an average audience of 4.2 million viewers on BBC One and BBC One HD, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The third in the series had 18.8% of the audience share and was the 7th most watched programme of the day. It won the 9pm timeslot, with Single Handed on ITV1 watched by 3.1 million viewers.

The figure was slightly down on the last week, which scored an average of 4.4 million. The episode saw a drop in viewers during the hour from 4.6 million in the first quarter to 4.0 million in the final quarter

The final ratings for Dead of Night will be released next week and will include those who record the programme and watch it within seven days.

Mondays late night repeat of episode Two Rendition had 0.4 million watching.


Initial audience figures released for Dead of Night shown on Starz last Friday indicated that 1.1m viewers watched over its opening night; the premiere broadcast at 10:00pm was watched by 636,000 viewers, with its 11:00pm repeat seen by 382,000. This compares with an average of 976,000 viewers for Rendition's opening night.





FILTER: - Torchwood - USA - Ratings - UK - Miracle Day (Series 4)

FANZ - The World of Doctor Who Fandom

Friday, 29 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus
A new video looking into the world of Doctor Who Fandom has just been released.

The movie FANZ, by Marq English covers many facets of being a Doctor Who fan, including conventions, fan films, costumes, merchandise and the new series.

PRESS RELEASE

BBC Television's Doctor Who is the world's longest running science fiction TV series and over the years, has built up a loyal and passionate fanbase around the globe. This feature length movie documents the weird, wacky and wonderful world of Doctor Who fandom. With the impact of the new series in 2005, it has never been a better time to embrace the affection this unique programme generates.

The film covers the vast spectrum of fandom including conventions, fan fiction, artwork, merchandise, the internet, professional fans and the dedicated following of Doctor Who.

The video features contributions from J Jeremy Bentham, David J Howe, Steve O'Brien, Justin Richards, Lawrence Miles, Dan Harris, Alistair Lock, Stuart Robinson, Stephen James Walker, Erica Egertonm, Toby Hadroke, Athena Stamos, Neil Oseman, Rob Tizzard, Nick Scovell, John Paul McCrimmon, Rosie Grant, Gareth Preston, Adam Manning, Alison Manning, Steve Hatcher, John Davies, Gwyn Jeffers, Tom Golding and Louise Jameson.

It is available for free download and viewing on YouTube and also available as an mp4 for iPhone/iPad download from the FANZ Website:


FANZ, via YouTube




FILTER: - Fan Productions - Conventions

Doctor Who Magazine 437

Thursday, 28 July 2011 - Reported by Marcus
The new Doctor Who Magazine takes a look at Torchwood: Miracle Day with behind the scenes to talk to the cast and crew of this extraordinary adventure, including stars John Barrowman (Captain Jack), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson), Alexa Havins (Esther Drummond), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Lauren Ambrose (Jilly Kitzinger) and head writer and creator Russell T Davies.

DWM asked John Barrowman, could Jack ever return to Doctor Who?
Yes, I want to come back! The beautiful thing about Doctor Who is, it’s time travel. Matt’s Doctor could go back before Jack met his Doctor. Or Matt’s Doctor could meet a darker Jack...? That’s fine too. There are ways to do it. When he’s in Doctor Who, Jack is very different to the Jack that’s in Torchwood. Everybody knows my love of Doctor Who, and I would do it at the drop of a hat.

Also in this issue:
  • Called to Action - Five remarkable individuals joined the Doctor in his fight against Amy’s kidnappers in A Good Man Goes To War – but could they return to help him again? Find out as DWM talks to the actors who played them: Simon Fisher-Becker (the ‘fat, old, and blue’ Dorium Maldovar), Neve McIntosh (Silurian warrior Madame Vastra), Catrin Stewart (Victorian maid Jenny), Dan Starkey (lactating Sontaran Strax) and Christina Chong (forest-dwelling soldier Lorna Bucket).
  • Storytellers - Doctor Who’s showrunner Steven Moffat presents an exclusive guide to the writers of the new series. Find out who’s a wimp, who’s a polymath and who’ll break you heart (twice) in Production Notes...
  • Masterpieces - It was the season that gave us Axons, Dæmons and Autons... and which introduced the Doctor’s arch-enemy, the Master! DWM takes a nostalgic look back at the adventures of the Third Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier in 1971’s Series Eight, as Countdown to 50! continues.
  • Time for a Shock - As Amy and the Doctor struggle against the ravages of time, they’re shocked when an old enemy appears… Don’t miss the thrilling final chapter of the latest comic strip adventure, Apotheosis, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Dan McDaid!
  • Roy's Roles - DWM pays tribute to the late Roy Skelton, the versatile actor who was the voice of dozens of characters, including the Daleks and Cybermen in Doctor Who... and Zippy and George in Rainbow.
  • Nice Day for a White Wedding - Emma, Michael, Chris and Will get their hankies ready as they prepare watch the emotionally-charged, time-twisting Ninth Doctor story Father's Day. Who will blub and who will retain their composure? Find out in The Time Team
  • Happy Anniversary - To celebrate the release of the 150th audio adventure in the regular monthly range, DWM catches up with the men behind Big Finish. Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery, Nicholas Briggs and David Richardson talk candidly about the past and future of the range – including the new series featuring the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker...
  • Spoilt for Choice - What’s best – assiduously avoiding all spoilers, or finding out as much as possible about future episodes of Doctor Who? Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon argue the pros and cons in the latest (spoiler-free!)
  • Smuggled In - The First Doctor, Ben and Polly enters a world of skullduggery, murder and deceit as they take on a band of merciless pirates – erstwhile crew of the notorious Captain Avery! Join The Fact Of Fiction as it goes back in time to reveal a treasure trove of secrets concerning the 1966 adventure The Smugglers
PLUS! All the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions and a prize-winning crossword.





FILTER: - Doctor Who - Torchwood - Russell T Davies - DWM - Miracle Day (Series 4)