Behind the Scenes with the Radio Times

Tuesday, 19 March 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Radio Times (23-29 Mar 2013) (Credit: Radio Times)The latest edition of the Radio Times takes a look behind the scenes of Doctor Who with a brief two-page article on filming a scene near St. Paul's Cathedral, which will feature in the forthcoming The Bells of Saint John on the 30th March.

The next edition, on sale from 26th March, celebrates the return of the series, featuring an exclusive episode guide by Steven Moffat, plus a free Monster Wallchart.




FILTER: - Radio Times - Series 7/33

Vote Dalek!

Tuesday, 26 February 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Professional Publishers Association are celebrating their centenary this year, and as part of this ten covers are to compete to become Cover of the Century, one of which is the Radio Times issue covering the week 30th April to May 6th May 2005 - otherwise known as Vote Dalek!

The magazine is up against covers from the Beano, Cosmpolitan, Empire, Harpers, MacUser, NewScientist, Time Out, Vogue and Woman's Weekly, all of which were chosen by a panel of experts as being the most iconic over the century.

Professional Publishers Association Centenary Covers

Head of the PPA, Barry McIlheney said
Our centenary year provides us with a unique opportunity for the industry to celebrate not only the association but, more importantly, its members and the entire magazine publishing industry. The Cover of the Century is just one of the many activities the PPA will be carrying out in 2013 to mark this historic occasion.

We are looking forward to the next 100 years, and how the unique power of magazine brands will help shape the evolving media landscape at what is the most exciting time in our rich and vibrant history.

Voting is open daily to the public via the PAA website until the 30th September, with the winning cover announced on the Association's actual centenary on 21st November.


Radio Times (5-11 May 2005) - wraparoundThis isn't the first time the Radio Times cover has been up for an award - in 2008 it won the coveted title of Best Magazine Cover Of All Time in a poll that was also conducted by the PAA!

Circulation director at the time, Nicola Rowe said of its successback then:
We had many outstanding entries but Vote Dalek! captured the popular vote. It is sharply observed, funny, and to the point. It is, in its own way, a truly inspired reflection of the British sense of humour.




FILTER: - Competitions - Radio Times

50th Anniversary celebrations from the Radio Times

Tuesday, 12 February 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The new edition of the Radio Times (16-22 Feb 2013) will come with a selection of postcards featuring notable Doctor Who front covers to launch the magazine's 50th Anniversary celebrations for the series. Each issue comes with one of two sets of four of the distinctive designs:

Radio Times (16-22 Feb 2013) - Postcard Set 1 Radio Times (16-22 Feb 2013) - Postcard Set 2


The magazine also looks ahead to plans for the 50th anniversary, and towards the new series at Easter. And for the magazine itself:
November 2013 marks 50 years of Doctor Who on TV, and RT will bring you all the news as it unfolds – starting with some of the treats coming up. The most hugely anticipated event is surely the Anniversary special on BBC1. All details are firmly under wraps – and it doesn’t even start filming until spring, but fans worldwide are praying for a multi-Doctor escapade, perhaps with a few former best friends and best enemies thrown in. Could it actually happen? And would all the surviving actors be available – and willing – to appear in such a celebration?

Tom Baker famously declined to participate in The Five Doctors in 1983, and the first three actors to play the Doctor are now long dead. But if William Hartnell can be recast (in The Five Doctors and now in An Adventure in Space and Time) is it conceivable that other actors might convince in Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee’s shadows? This might all be pure fantasy, but what is known is that showrunner Steven Moffat has been toiling with the script. He tells Radio Times: "I’m mostly excited, a little bit nervous, and aware of trying not to let people down." Filming began on 3 February at BBC Television Centre, on what is likely to be the last drama made on the site before it’s redeveloped. Executive producer Caroline Skinner tells RT: "As the BBC moves out of TV Centre, we are moving the cast and crew for An Adventure in Space and Time in! It’s a fantastic opportunity to film this momentous story in the actual location – a little bit of television history."

The new edition will also carry an exclusive shot of David Bradley as William Hartnell, taken on the second day of filming.




FILTER: - Radio Times

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

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

Radio Times Doctor Who Cover (Christmas 2012)

Saturday, 1 December 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Radio Times (8-14 Dec 2012)In the annual tradition, the next edition of the Radio Times (8th-14th December 2012) celebrates the Doctor's latest Christmas adventure with a front cover.

This issue features a three page article on the forthcoming episode. Talking about his new costume, Matt Smith said:
I've got a whole new Christmassy outfit and the best hat! A bit Artful Dodger meets the Doctor. There's a lot of purple this year, which is nice. I've always wanted something purple but they were always reluctant. It's taken three years to get a jaunty hat and a purple coat!
Talking about his role, guest star Tom Ward mentioned:
My character is an archetypal Victorian gentleman, a repressed, Establishment-type chap who is distant from his children and can't communicate with women. I couldn't resist him as he's so well written - besides a part in a Doctor Who Christmas Special was just too good an opportunity to pass up!
Not to be missed out, Jenna-Louise Coleman also commented about Clara and how she relates to her prior appearance in Asylum of the Daleks:
The connection is that it's me playing both. I'm not Oswin: I'm a different person who looks and sounds like Oswin.
You can read the full interviews in the new issue of the Radio Times, out today (1st December).


The next issue (15-21 Dec) is published on 6th December, with the 'legendary double issue' of the Radio Times for the Christmas period (22 Dec - 4 Jan) following on 12th December.
 

The Covers of Christmas Past






FILTER: - Series Specials - Radio Times

Radio Times Christmas Preview

Wednesday, 28 November 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Radio Times (1-7 Dec 2012) - Mo Farah coverThe latest edition of the Radio Times (1-7 Dec) features TV editor Alison Graham's 12 Treats for Christmas, the twelve programmes she recommends over the festive period. This year's selection includes Call The Midwife, Ripper Street, Downton Abbey, Restless and The Girl, but her number one is - as it should be - Doctor Who!

People actually say that "Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Doctor Who special." So don't fret, your festivities will be complete once more with a seasonal one-off written by Steven Moffat. Richard E Grant and Tom Ward guest-star in a story that features Jenna-Louise Coleman joining the Doctor properly (after a brief appearance in the previous series) as his new companion.

Meanwhile, the next issue (8-14 Dec) is published on Saturday 1st December, and will 'cover' Doctor Who and the best kids' shows this Christmas.





FILTER: - Radio Times

Next Time: A Town Called Mercy

Tuesday, 11 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a variety of photos to promote A Town Called Mercy, which will premiere on BBC1 next Saturday at 7:35pm.


The Doctor gets a Stetson (and a gun!), and finds himself the reluctant Sheriff of a Western town under siege by a relentless cyborg, who goes by the name of the Gunslinger.

But who is he and what does he want? The answer seems to lie with the mysterious Kahler-Jex, an alien doctor (yes another one!) whose initial appearance is hiding a dark secret.

Writer: Toby Whithouse
Executive Producers: Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Producer: Marcus Wilson
Director: Saul Metzstein
 


A Town Called Mercy is due to be broadcast at these times around the world:
United Kingdom : Saturday 15th September, 7:35pm BST   BBC1
United States : Saturday 15th September, 9:00pm ET BBC America
Canada : Saturday 15th September, 9:00pm ET SPACE
Australia : Saturday 22nd September, 7:30pm AEST ABC (also on iView from 16th Sept)
New Zealand : Thursday 27th September, 8:30pm NZST Prime


Radio Times visits A Town Called Mercy

This week's Radio Times features an interview with the cast, who talk about their Wild West adventure.

Matt Smith:
We're in the Wild West! I get to ride horses! I get to play cowboy. Guns! Saloon bar doors… You literally get Doctor Who does the Wild West.
Arthur Darvill:
I don't get to burst through any saloon bar doors. I might try to put some in. I've invented a new award, which I think Bafta should give, which is the Best Performance in the Back of Shot. So I'm going to burst through some saloon doors and see if it makes the episode.
Karen Gillan:
I do have a bit of a gun moment in this. But then Amy has had a few gun moments. I'm thinking now she knows how to use a gun. Which is going to be fun because we're in the Wild West and I'm going to look like I know what I'm doing.”

The full interview can be read in the latest edition, out today.
(with thanks to Radio Times)


Coming Soon: The Power of Three

Meanwhile, Radio Times has listed The Power of Three to remain in the 7:35-8:20pm timeslot on 22nd September; BBC Programme Information has yet to confirm the time, which will be finalised later in the week.

The Doctor and the Ponds puzzle an unlikely invasion of Earth, as millions of sinister black cubes arrive overnight, almost like presents falling from the sky.

But what are they, what’s inside them and most importantly, who sent them? With the international community at a loss, it’s left to the Doctor to unearth who is behind the mystery.

Guest stars: Mark Williams, Steven Berkoff and Jemma Redgrave

Written by Chris Chibnall
Executive produced by Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Directed by Douglas Mackinnon
Produced by Marcus Wilson





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

Dalek Bingo!

Saturday, 1 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Tonight's episode, Asylum of the Daleks, is to feature a variety of the Doctor's greatest enemy on screen, as Steven Moffat explained earlier in the year:
We’re going to have the most Daleks we’ve had on screen ever – but they will be from every era, quite deliberately. We’re calling them in from everywhere! All of them! Even the Special Weapons Dalek. They'll all be there...

The Radio Times is inviting viewers to keep their eyes peeled for the different Dalek designs with the release of their "Dalek Bingo!" card, where some nine versions can be ticked off - if you spot them!

The full image can be downloaded from the Radio Times site to print out and play along with the episode.


As well as its own Facebook page, the magazine has also launched one dedicated to Doctor Who news and archive content.




FILTER: - Radio Times - Series 7/33

Radio Times Cover For Asylum Of The Daleks

Tuesday, 28 August 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
Doctor Who features on the cover of the new Radio Times - on sale from today - which celebrates the return of the programme this coming Saturday.

The magazine, issue dated 1st to 7th September, also features interviews with Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Matt Smith - in which he casts doubt on regenerating in the 50th-anniversary story - as well as an episode guide by Steven Moffat plus a Dalek wallchart.

Talking about new companion actress Jenna-Louise Coleman, Gillan says:
I've met Jenna and we get on really well. And I've been texting her bits and bobs about Matt, but what I wrote is a secret. That's the code of the companion. I didn't offer her any advice though because I want her to have the experience for herself. I didn't want to plant any preconceptions in her head.
On the programme's 50th anniversary next year, Smith says:
We want to make it as big and bold and as brilliant as we can because, we hope, it can be one of the monumental bits of TV history. But I doubt there'll be a regeneration.
Asylum of the Daleks is on BBC One on Saturday at 7.20pm.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Arthur Darvill - Karen Gillan - Matt Smith - Magazines - Radio Times