Australian broadcast debut of Doctor Who Confidential

Wednesday, 23 May 2007 - Reported by Adam Kirk

Optus TV Magazine reports that Australian cable broadcaster UKTV Australia will screen the 15-minute 'cutdown' episodes of Doctor Who Confidential as part of a Doctor Who marathon of series one and two on the Australian Queen's Birthday long weekend (9-11 June).

The screenings of these Doctor Who Confidential episodes will mark the first time ever that this programme has been shown on Australian broadcast television.

Series 1 will start at midday on Saturday June 9. The Christmas Invasion, followed by Series 2, will start at midday on Sunday June 10. Each Confidential episode will be shown following its corresponding Doctor Who episode.

The marathon also marks the first time The Christmas Invasion and series two have been shown on UKTV Australia.

It has been reported that The Runaway Bride and Series 3 will have its Australian debut on the ABC in late June.

Thanks to Theta Sigma.





FILTER: - Broadcasting - Australia

Week Eight Schedule - 7.10pm start

Saturday, 19 May 2007 - Reported by Marcus
Next week sees another change of time for Doctor Who with the transmission of Episode Eight, Human Natureallocated a 7.10pm start. The programme is placed between The People's Quiz and The National Lottery Draws, which is followed by Any Dream Will Do at 8.05pm.

On ITV1 Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon recreates Play Your Cards Right for the competition's grand final.

BBC2 offers an alternative with The Culture Show featuring Mark Kermode who flies south to the Cannes Film Festival and meets the Cohen brothers.

Channel 4 offers the News followed by the 1979 feature film Porridge in which Norman Stanley Fletcher and his cellmate Lennie Godber stumble on an escape plan during a celebrities-against-prisoners football match.

On Five Sport fans can enjoy Cricket on Five with highlights of the second day's play of the second npower Test match in the best of four series between England and the West Indies at Headingley

Doctor Who Confidential is on BBC3 at 7.55pm.




FILTER: - UK - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting

Series 3 Down Under in June

Sunday, 13 May 2007 - Reported by Adam Kirk

The South Australian Doctor Who Fan Club is reporting that theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation has scheduled both The Runaway Bride and Series 3 of Doctor Who.

According to the SADWFC, The Runaway Bride is scheduled for 8.30pm on Thursday 28 June, with the series beginning in its regular slot of 7.30pm from Saturday 30 June. Series one began in Australia on Saturday 21 May 2005, The Christmas Invasion premiered on Saturday 8 July 2006 and series two followed from the 15th of July that year.

This is subject to official confirmation by the ABC.

Thanks to the SADWFC and Benjamin F. Elliott.




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting - Australia

Week Seven Schedule

Saturday, 12 May 2007 - Reported by Marcus
After the week hiatus, Doctor Who returns to BBC1 with episode seven,42, on the 19th May, at the slightly later time of 7.15pm.

The programme is preceded by The People's Quiz and followed by a 10-minute edition of The National Lottery Draws. Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for a new leading man in Any Dream Will Do follows the Lottery at 8.10pm

ITV1 once again has Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon against the Doctor, this week recreating the classic quiz show Bullseye.

BBC2 schedules Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine and Patrick McGoohan against Doctor Who, in the 1968 film Ice Station Zebra

Channel 4 offers an alternative for documentary fans, with Paddy Ashdown examining the Battle for the Holy Land: Jerusalem while Five has England verses the West Indies in Cricket on Five

On BBC3, Doctor Who Confidential is at 8.00pm with Spacecraft, an exclusive tour of the Doctor Who art department and its mind-blowing spaceship sets and locations.




FILTER: - UK - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting

Canada: Series Three on CBC starting June 18th

Friday, 11 May 2007 - Reported by Mike Doran

The Doctor Who Information Network has received word from theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation that series three will start broadcast on the CBC on Monday June 18th.

(With thanks to Rod Mammitzsch and DWIN)





FILTER: - Canada - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting

Doctor Who in India

Wednesday, 2 May 2007 - Reported by Marcus
BBC Worldwide today launched two new channels in India - BBC Entertainment and the dual-language CBeebies. The two 12-hour channels launch first on Tata-Sky's DTH platform: BBC Entertainment is on air from 6pm local time and the CBeebies channel, from 6am.

BBC Entertainment premieres Britain's most talked-about hit series, including dramas and thrillers such as Doctor Who, Waking The Dead, Cutting It, Hotel Babylon, Silent Witness and Spooks. The channel also showcases the UK's most innovative comedy series, including Extras, My Life In Film and My Family.

CBeebies is a pre-school channel for children aged six years and under. Broadcasting in both Hindi and English, the channel's programme schedule includes The Roly Mo Show, Bill and Ben, Tweenies, Tikkabilla, Big Cook Little Cook and Boogie Beebies.




FILTER: - Broadcasting

One week delay for 42

Wednesday, 2 May 2007 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC has announced that Series Three will take a one-week break on Saturday 12th May, meaning transmission of episode seven, 42, will now be on the 19th May.

The episode is being delayed because the BBC is committed to broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest at 8pm that evening.

To fit Doctor Who into the schedule, it would require an earlier than usual start. Past evidence shows that the earlier the start time of the programme the lower the ratings, and it is thought the BBC wish to keep Doctor Who at 7pm in future to maximise the number watching.






FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting

Why isn't Doctor Who broadcast in High Definition?

Sunday, 29 April 2007 - Reported by Chuck Foster

In response to a viewer question on why the BBC chose to broadcastTorchwood in high definition but not Doctor Who on the BBC opinion programme Points of View, producer Phil Collinson explained:

"Torchwood is shot in HD, and Doctor Who isn't. Quite simply, Torchwood has about a third the number of special effects shots that Doctor Who has. In that way its a much simpler series and so because they have less special effects its going to take less time to make those special effects.

"So the simple answer is we wouldn't be able to deliver a series of Doctor Who in high definition every year. It would probably take us twice as long to make so therefore viewers wouldn't get a series every year, they'd get a new series every 18 months."


Later in the programme, Mary Fitzpatrick, Editorial Executive for Diversity, responded to another viewer's question on the lack of prominent black people in BBC programmes, citing the Doctor's new assistant as played by Freema Agyeman as an example of how such actors are appearing in popular shows.

Presenter Terry Wogan also commented that Doctor Who is the most discussed series on the Points of View messageboard on the BBC website!




FILTER: - Broadcasting

Confidential Update

Sunday, 29 April 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

Doctor Who Confidential has released more information about the upcoming episodes for series 3.
6. Monsters Inc. - An episode of Doctor Who just wouldn't be the same without a monster to scare the living daylights out of you!

The creation of such a beast is never easy - especially when it's purely computer generated!

Confidential is on set throughout this chilling episode, spends some quality time with guest star Mark Gatiss and takes a look at some of the fantastic prosthetic and computer generated monsters created since the series made its welcomed come-back in 2005.

7. Space Craft - It's back into outer space for Doctor Who and this time it's an adventure set entirely on a spaceship.

Join Confidential as we gain exclusive access to Doctor Who's art department and take you on a tour of the spaceship's sets and locations. Confidential also journeys back in time to show you some of the best off the wall spaceship designs seen in five decades.

Guest star Michelle Collins discusses her role as the ship's captain, and how she felt performing stunts on her very first day on set.

From models on wires to cutting edge CGI, this is a space craft extravaganza.

8.Alter Ego - With aliens in hot pursuit, the Doctor and Martha find themselves in 1913 England.

Confidential is right beside them to delve deeper into the alter ego of the nation's favourite Time Lord.

Amidst all the stiff upper lips, we follow the advancing 'aliens' and their army, with exclusive backstage footage of the mayhem caused as the outer-space enemies close in on their prey.

Filmed almost entirely on location, Confidential was on-set with cast and crew in the winter wind, rain and mud for the nail-biting first episode of this two-part story.

Features interviews with writer Paul Cornell, whose original novel forms the basis of Human Nature, David Tennant and Freema Agyeman.

9. Family Ties - With The Family of Blood breathing down the neck of the Doctor, time is running out.

Confidential follows the action backstage as we glimpse a life more ordinary (for the Doctor) as well as a vision of the dark future ahead.

The complexities of filming this powerful episode are revealed, as well as the logistics behind the explosive ending.

Features interviews with head writer, Russell T Davies and Freema Aygeman on one of her toughest TARDIS assignments yet.

10. Do you remember the first time? - This week, David Tennant directs his very own Doctor Who Confidential. TV's top Time Lord has been given complete control to film his own very personal account of the making of Doctor Who and to take a nostalgic voyage of discovery to find out the secret behind the success of Doctor Who.

In this unique piece of television, David roams around the BBC, talking to cast and crew and fans of the show, uncovering the secret behind the success of Doctor Who.

From BBC bosses through to the Dead Ringers team, David is hunting for what makes Doctor Who so magical. He chats to the Daleks in the Blue Peter Garden, and discusses with Mark Gatiss the joy of playing a Doctor Who monster in the Lazarus Experiment.

Head writer, Russell T Davies and producer, Phil Collinson chat with David about how they've always had such fondness for the show and how it inspired their creative drive. Executive producer Julie Gardner and drama commissioner Jane Tranter reveal how and why the series was brought back and the unprecedented response it's had.

Stephen Moffat joins David on a hunt around Television Centre, looking for the studios where the classic series was filmed. They end up on the set of Newsnight.

Confidential also features exclusive backstage footage of Blink; one of the scariest episodes to date and candid chats with two of the week's most prominent stars, Carey Mulligan and Finlay Robertson who talk to David about their experience working on the show and on becoming part of the Doctor Who legacy.




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting

Week Six Schedule

Saturday, 28 April 2007 - Reported by Marcus
For the transmission of episode six, The Lazarus ExperimentDoctor Who moves back to a 7pm start. It is once more placed between The People's Quiz and Any Dream Will Do.

ITV1 counters with Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon, this week recreating Name that Tune.

Over on BBC2 there is more Snooker with the second semi-final of the World Championships while on Channel 4 there is a documentary series,Unreported World, a look at land reform to help Bolivia's indigenous peoples.

Five has the 1993 film Grumpy Old Men, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Broadcasting