The Return of Doctor Mysterio - Teaser

Friday, 7 October 2016 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC has confirmed the 2016 Christmas edition of Doctor Who will be called The Return of Doctor Mysterio

The Return of Doctor Mysterio (Credit: BBC)

The Return of Doctor Mysterio (Credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston)

This year the episode will see The Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, joining forces with with an investigative journalist, played by Charity Wakefield, and a superhero to save New York from a deadly alien threat.

Steven Moffat, Writer and Executive Producer, says:

I’ve always loved superheroes and this Christmas Doctor Who dives into that world. My favourite superhero is Clark Kent. Not Superman, Clark Kent.

Canadian actor Justin Chatwin, plays Grant in the special, he says:

Working with the amazing people at Doctor Who has been one of the most fun and rewarding projects I’ve ever had the pleasure of being involved with.

Matt Lucas returns as Nardole, a character first seen in last year's Christmas special. He told Comic-con

I thought it would be really exciting to be a real part of it, and I am a big fan of Peter's work and have been for a long time

Also joining the cast is Adetomiwa Edun (Lucifer, Bates Motel), Aleksandar Jovanovic and Logan Hoffman. Executive Producer Brian Minchin added

We all have the best job in the world getting to make Doctor Who and getting to make a 60 min programme to be shown on xmas day is so exciting

First Look at the Doctor Who Christmas Special, via YouTube
This Christmas the Doctor will be back in The Return of Doctor Mysterio.

FILTER: - Production - Series Specials

The Husbands of River Song: when to watch update

Thursday, 24 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Television

ABC have confirmed that they intend to make this year's Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song, available in Australia staight after the United Kingdom on their iView service, from 5:15am (AEDT). This makes the country the first to be able to watch the story after its premiere (at least for early risers!).

FX in India have also confirmed that they will indeed show the special on Sunday in the usual Doctor Who premiere slot of 11:00pm IST.

The Husbands of River Song: Known Broadcast Details
United Kingdom	BBC One	Fri 25 Dec 2015	5:15pm
Australia	ABC iView	Sat 26 Dec 2015	5:15am AEDT	(6:15pm GMT)
United States of America	BBC America	Fri 25 Dec 2015	9:00pm EST	(2:00am GMT)
Canada	SPACE	Fri 25 Dec 2015	9:00pm EST	(2:00am GMT)
Asia Pacific	BBC Entertainment	Sat 26 Dec 2015	10:00am SGT	(2:00am GMT)
New Zealand	PRIME	Sat 26 Dec 2015	7:35pm NZDT	(6:35am GMT)
Australia	ABC	Sat 26 Dec 2015	7:30pm AEDT	(8:30am GMT)
South Africa	BBC First	Sat 26 Dec 2015	6:00pm SAST
Europe (Benelux)	BBC First	Sat 26 Dec 2015	8:05pm CET
India	FX	Sun 27 Dec 2015	11:00pm IST
United Kingdom	BBC Two	Tue 29 Dec 2015	2:50am	(British Signed Language)
Finland	YLE2	Sun 3 Jan 2016	7:10pm EET
Germany	FOX	Thu 28 Jan 2016	9:00pm CET	(dubbed into German)

Cinema

As well as the small screen, The Husbands of River Song will have a number of cinematic screenings, with the presentation including an exclusive interview with Alex Kingston plus a 15-minute behind-the-scenes "making of" featurette:

In the United States, Fathom Events are showing the episode in cinemas all over the country over the course of 28th-29th December.
In Canada, Cineplex will be showing the episode in select cinemas on the 28th December.
In Denmark Cinemaxx are showing the package at 4:45pm and 7:00pm on the 28th December at their Copenhagen, Odense and Aarhus cinemas.]
In Germany, Cinemaxx will be showing the package on 28th January at the same time as its premiere on television on FOX (the cinema will be presented in its original English soundtrack); theatres showing the episode are in Augsburg, Berlin, Bielefeld, Bremen, Dresden, Essen, Freiburg, Göttingen, Halle, Hamburg-Dammtor, Hannover, Heilbronn, Kiel, Krefeld, Magdeburg, Mülheim, München, Offenbach, Oldenburg, Regensburg, Sindelfingen, Stuttgart an der Liederhalle, Trier, Wolfsburg, Wuppertal, and Würzburg. (updated 26 Dec)
In Austria, the Haydn English Cinema in Vienna will also be showing the episode on 28th January at 9:00pm.

FILTER: - Broadcasting - Cinema - International Broadcasting - Online - Series Specials

Predict the Ratings for The Husbands of River Song

Wednesday, 23 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

It's time for our traditional "Predict the Ratings" competition, and this year you will be in with a chance to win The Husbands of River Song on Blu-ray or DVD ... alongside the latest adventures of the twelfth Doctor when The Complete Ninth Series is released next year!

The aim is to guess the final consolidated viewing figure of The Husbands of River Song, as reported by BARB, to the nearest 10,000 viewers (i.e. two decimal places). This figure includes all those watching the episode within a week of broadcast via television, but does not include independent streaming devices.

Last year ratings on television were down across the board, with none of the Christmas Day shows managing to break the 10 million mark - Last Christmas ended up in sixth place with 8.28m viewers. In previous years, you can view the final ratings for The Christmas Invasion, The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned, The Next Doctor, The End of Time part one, A Christmas Carol, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, The Snowmen and The Time of the Doctor via This Week in Doctor Who.

The show's best position occured in 2009 when The End Of Time (part one) arguably achieved the top spot with 12.05m viewers (11.57m on BBC One and 0.47m on BBC HD). However, it was the 2007 special, Voyage of the Damned that achieved the best rating in the decade of specials, reaching 13.31m viewers (but pipped at the post by Eastenders at 14.38m!).

To enter the competition, please send the following details to comp-ratings@doctorwhonews.net:

Your name and preferred email address
Your country of entry (full details will be requested only if you are the winner)
Your guess at the final rating to the nearest 10,000 (eg.9.99m)
Tie breaker: also send your guess as to what the final rating for the BBC3 repeat on Boxing Day might be - this figure will only be used in the event of a tie!

Terms and Conditions:

The competition closes at 08:30 GMT, 26th December 2015.
Only one entry will be accepted per person.
The competition is open worldwide.
BARB final figures are expected in early 2016; we will contact the winner once they have been published.
The winner will be able to confirm the region and format of the boxed set they'd like nearer release date.

Odds on Who

At the time of writing, the (average) betting odds for the main channels are as follows:

Time       BBC One                                Odds    ITV                                Odds 
 3:00pm    The Queen                                                                         34/1
 3:10pm    Brave                                  69/1    Cameraman to the Queen               -
 4:10pm                                                   Countrywise Winter Wonderland     100/1
 4:35pm    BBC News and Weather                     -
 4:45pm    Stick Man                             100/1
 5:00pm                                                   For The Love Of Dogs              130/1
 5:15pm    Doctor Who                             28/1
 6:00pm                                                   ITV Evening News                     -
 6:15pm    Strictly Come Dancing                   9/1    You've Been Framed With Bells On  100/1
 6:45pm                                                   Emmerdale                         109/1
 7:30pm    Call The Midwife                       14/1 
 7:45pm                                                   Coronation Street                  77/2
 8:45pm    Eastenders                              9/2    Downton Abbey                       9/2
 9:45pm    Mrs Browns Boys                         7/10
10:45pm    Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show  62/1    Our Cilla                          91/1

Having been in the top spot three years running, Mrs Brown's Boys remains the favourite for this year. Eastenders, which topped the charts in 2010 and 2011, and the final episode of Downton Abbey are currently joint second, followed by Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who.

FILTER: - Betting/Odds - Competitions - Series Specials - UK

Further Husbands of River Song broadcasts confirmed

Sunday, 13 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

A number of regions have now confirmed the time of broadcast for this year's Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song:

The Husbands of River Song: Known Broadcast Details
United Kingdom	BBC One	Fri 25 Dec 2015	5:15pm
United States of America	BBC America	Fri 25 Dec 2015	9:00pm EST	(2:00am GMT) [tbc]
Canada	SPACE	Fri 25 Dec 2015	9:00pm EST	(2:00am GMT)
Asia Pacific	BBC Entertainment	Sat 26 Dec 2015	10:00am SGT	(2:00am GMT)
New Zealand	PRIME	Sat 26 Dec 2015	7:35pm NZDT	(6:35am GMT)
Australia	ABC	Sat 26 Dec 2015	7:30pm AEDT	(8:30am GMT)
South Africa	BBC First	Sat 26 Dec 2015	6:00pm SAST
Europe (Benelux)	BBC First	Sat 26 Dec 2015	8:05pm CET
United Kingdom	BBC Two	Tue 29 Dec 2015	2:50am	(British Signed Language)
Finland	YLE2	Sun 3 Jan 2016	7:10pm EET
Germany	FOX	Thu 28 Jan 2016	9:00pm CET	(dubbed into German)

Of the other channels which have been showing Series 9 this year, FX in India reach Hell Bent on the 20th December, but whether they intend to broadcast The Husbands of River Song the following weekend is unknown at present (this was later confirmed to be the 27th at 11:00pm local time); similarly, Denmark's DR3 are expected to complete Series 9 in early January, and may well show the Christmas special afterwards.

The Husbands of River Song: the Doctor, River and Hydroflax (Credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston/Simon Ridgway)

FRANCE4 in France will kick off Series 9 on 26th December; RAI4 in Italy is also expected to show the series in the next few weeks. Both channels will be dubbed into their respective languages.

FILTER: - Australia - Broadcasting - Europe - International Broadcasting - Series Specials

The Husbands of River Song: press interviews

Thursday, 10 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Husbands of River Song (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)

The BBC have released interviews with Peter Capaldi, Alex Kingston and Steven Moffat to promote the forthcoming Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song.

What can you tell us about the Doctor Who Christmas special this year?
Well the Christmas special is very Christmassy, which I’m sure everyone will be relieved to hear. It finds the Doctor in a Dickensian kind of world, in a Christmas card sort of world which he’s been brought to in order to do a favour for a king. So there’s quite a festive spirit to the episode. But the favour is more complex and isn’t exclusively for the benefit of the king, but more for the benefit of the king’s consort.

What is your favourite scene from this episode?
I have lots of favourite scenes from the Christmas episode, but I think being met by Matt Lucas on a wonderful wintery Dickensian street with the TARDIS covered in snow was delightful, because it was like a Doctor Who Christmas card. Matt is such a fabulously funny person to have around, so I loved that!

Do you like filming Christmas episodes?
Yes I do like them - last year’s was a bit scarier than this one, this is more openly festive. I like the idea of ghost stories at Christmas and frightening things seem to work rather well in the festive environment.

Would you like to see River Song return?
Yes of course, because Alex is fabulous and it’s always lovely to work with her.

Who is Nardole?
The character of Nardole is played by Matt Lucas so you can expect a lot of laughs and pathos. He is, as ever, a hugely loveable personality, a little naïve, a little out of his depth and quite cosmic.

What was it like to come back?
I was quite surprised when I was asked to come back, but I was happy to because I just thought it would be great fun. It’s such a great character, she’s become so beloved by lots of fans and I’ve had them saying it would be so great for her to come back and to see her interacting with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor. I was actually thrilled when Steven decided he wanted to explore that too.

What did you think of the script?
It’s a wonderful slapstick caper. There’s a lot of great laughs, there’s a lot of fabulous River one-liners. The fans are going to love the things she says and there’s a lot of play. They’re also fighting a very interesting alien played by Greg Davies. It’s a really great episode and Steven has done my character proud.

Has this episode been challenging?
I’ve been really lucky in this episode as River gets to do an awful lot. She gets to run around in snow, I’ve been flying and have done harness work against a green screen. She’s got quite a few husbands in this episode and there’s a lot of fabulous quick-fire dialogue between her and the Doctor. She gets to snog the most handsome man in the work, his character name is Ramone. It’s all going on!

What were your favourite moments during filming?
The favourite moment so far for me was stepping back on to the TARDIS, because the interior of it has changed yet again. I’ve been on two different TARDIS incarnations, and to walk into this one and know it’s a familiar space but at the same time it’s different, was great. I love this one - everything works which is really fun, I stand there pressing all the buttons, it’s great!

Can you give us an introduction to the episode you’ve written this year?
The Doctor is an all new man and has been for a while. It may have slipped his mind that out there, in a very tangled and complicated way, is his wife that has never seen this face before and doesn’t even know about this incarnation. We’re about to stand with the Doctor and see what River is like when she doesn’t know he’s looking. We’re about to see what River thinks of Matt Smith turning into Peter Capaldi.

What made you want to write this episode?
River Song meets the Capaldi Doctor, that’s got to be fun - I’d like to write that. That’s what made me want to write. I knew it had to be a big romp for Christmas day and there’s nothing like River Song to make that evident - River brings a whole storm of camp glamour to it.

Is it any different writing a Christmas episode of Doctor Who?
Yes, you need to have a bit of Christmas in it, but that’s never felt to me like a tremendous impediment, it’s a hook to hang it on. Sometimes we go very Christmassy - ‘A Christmas Carol’ was incredibly Christmassy, so was ‘The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe’ and ‘The Snowmen’ had the appearance of Christmas without being very Christmassy. Last Christmas is actually the least Christmassy episode we’ve ever done, except for the fact it actually had Santa Claus in it - I rather loved last Christmas. This year’s episode starts Christmassy and has a comedy romp!

Do you enjoy writing a Christmas episode?
I like Christmas specials - I know some people don’t. Some friends of mine don’t like Christmas specials very much and they’re always complaining about all the tinsel, the goodwill and the twinkly stars, and the lovely snow on the rooftops. I love all that, I love Christmas as a day and as a festival. I love that it’s dark, twinkly and rich red, all those things I adore so it’s no hardship for me at all.

Who is King Hydroflax?
King Hydroflax is a very bad King, who as it turns out is mostly cyborg - in fact only his head has remained. He’s a vicious, terrible and deeply stupid man and a dreadful tyrant.

FILTER: - Peter Capaldi - Press - Series Specials - Steven Moffat

SPACE confirms time for Christmas Special

Wednesday, 9 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Canadian broadcaster SPACE have now confirmed that they plan to broadcast this year's special, The Husbands of River Song, on Christmas Day at 9:00pm ET.

Space is the place where Ho! Ho! Ho! meets Who! Who! Who! as SPACE-MAS returns with 16 days of out-of-this-world programming. SPACE-MAS would not be merry without an all-new DOCTOR WHO Christmas special, preceded by a three day CHRISTMAS WITH THE DOCTOR MARATHON. SPACE-MAS 2015 also gifts viewers with Harry Potter and Nicolas Cage movie marathons as well as the chance to catch-up on fan-favorite series like FACE OFF, SUPERNATURAL, and THE LIBRARIANS.

In keeping with tradition, the TARDIS tops the SPACE-MAS tree with the much anticipated premiere of the 2015 DOCTOR WHO Christmas special, THE HUSBANDS OF RIVER SONG. Premiering at 9 p.m. ET on Christmas Day, this year’s special reunites the Doctor (Peter Capaldi, THE THICK OF IT) with – “spoilers!” – his wife, River Song (Alex Kingston, ER) and marks the first time Capaldi’s Doctor and Kingston will share the screen together in these iconic roles. The 75 minute special also features guest appearances from LITTLE BRITIAN’s Matt Lucas and MAN DOWN’s Greg Davies. Leading up to the premiere, Space gets viewers in the Christmas special spirit with the CHRISTMAS WITH THE DOCTOR MARATHON. Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 8 a.m. ET, the marathon features all past DOCTOR WHO Christmas specials, a selection of past episodes, the 2013 docu-drama AN ADVENTURE IN TIME AND SPACE, and all the episodes of Seasons 8 and 9.

At the time of writing BBC America have yet to confirm when they will air the special, but it will almost certainly be at the same time as SPACE.

SPACE-MAS begins December 19

FILTER: - Canada - Series Specials

Christmas Schedule

Wednesday, 9 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Radio Times Festive Double Issue (19 Dec 2015 - 2 Jan 2016) (Credit: Radio Times)

The Christmas double edition of the Radio Times is now generally available, containing all the programming details of the main UK channels for the festive period - including of course the premiere of The Husbands of River Song on Christmas Day itself at 5:15pm, which features as one of "the very best of TV, Film and Radio this Christmas".

The magazine also features a two page interview with Peter Capaldi, during which he talks about the departure of Jenna Coleman this year:

I found it really sad, as Jen's a great girl an a great actress. I used to love being in the Tardis with her, we'd just have a laugh, you know? And that's all I want out of work, I'm afraid, to go along and have a nice time. While playing the most iconic character in the history of British television!

As well as this Christmas's new episode, Doctor Who continues to be available to watch on other digital channels/ After a short break Watch returns with a daily dose of the tenth Doctor from the 20th December leading up to a double dose of Christmas specials on the day itself as he encounters The Next Doctor through to The End of Time; post-Christmas it's the turn of the eleventh Doctor to dominate the afternoon schedules. Meanwhile, Horror Channel continue their latest run though the 'classic' era, with Christmas Day seeing the fourth Doctor end up dealing with the Horror of Fang Rock.

However, there's more fourth Doctor action on BBC4 on the 28th/29th December as the channel broadcasts The Face of Evil! As Patrick Mulkern observes in the Radio Times:

The Face of Evil seems like a random selection from the archive, but BBC4 wanted a serial that aired in festive days of yore and this four-parter began on New Year's Day 1977.

Odds on Who

With the Christmas Day scheduled firmly locked down, bets are firmly in the running as to how those shows will fare with viewers. Here are the average odds across the various agencies at the time of writing:

Time        BBC One                              Odds     ITV                                Odds   
 3:00pm     The Queen                                                                        32/1
 3:10pm     Brave                                  -      Cameraman to the Queen               -
 4:10pm                                                   Countrywise Winter Wonderland        -
 4:35pm     BBC News and Weather                   -
 4:45pm     Stick Man                              -
 5:00pm                                                   For The Love Of Dogs              100/1
 5:15pm     Doctor Who                            24/1
 6:00pm                                                   ITV Evening News                     -
 6:15pm     Strictly Come Dancing                 14/1    You've Been Framed With Bells On     -
 6:45pm                                                   Emmerdale                         115/1
 7:30pm     Call The Midwife                      26/1 
 7:45pm                                                   Coronation Street                  27/1
 8:45pm     Eastenders                            11/2    Downton Abbey                       3/1
 9:45pm     Mrs Browns Boys                       evens
10:45pm     Michael McIntyre's Big Christmas Show   -     Our Cilla                          71/1

Mrs Brown's Boys is the runaway favourite at present which is unsurprising as it has been the highest rated show three years in a row, with second placed Eastenders topping the chart in 2010 and 2011. The odds currently place Doctor Who as the fifth most likely to top the chart: in 2009 The End Of Time (part one) arguably achieved the top spot on Christmas Day, when the combined viewers on BBC One (11.57m) and the simulcast BBC HD (0.47m) made a total of 12.05m versus The Royle Family's combined total of 11.92m and Eastenders of 11.67m.

Last year none of the Christmas shows managed to break the 10 million mark, with Doctor Who ending up in sixth place with its 8.28m viewers. Could Alex Kingston's return in The Husbands of River Song lead to the crown once again being in the show's grasp once the consolidated ratings are known? It won't be too long to find out, and in the meantime readers can watch out for the launch of our annual Guess the ratings competition soon!

FILTER: - Broadcasting - Radio Times - Series Specials - UK

The Husbands of River Song: latest publicity photos

Saturday, 5 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have released a number of new publicity images for the Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song, featuring Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, Alex Kingston as River Song, Matt Lucas as Nardole, Greg Davies as King Hydroflax, plus Phillip Rhys as Ramone and Rowan Polonski as Flemming.

FILTER: - Publicity - Series Specials

The Husbands of River Song: guest star images

Friday, 4 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have released a couple of images featuring Matt Lucas and Greg Davies, who guest-star in this year's Christmas special, The Husbands of River Song, playing Nardole and King Hydroflax respectively.

The Husbands of River Song: The Doctor and Nardole, as played by Peter Capaldi and Matt Lucas (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)

The Husbands of River Song: King Hydroflax, as played by Greg Davies (Credit: BBC/Simon Ridgway)

The hour-long episode premieres on BBC One at 5:15pm.

Doctor Who on Christmas Day (Credit: BBC)

FILTER: - Publicity - Series Specials

The Husbands of River Song: new publicity images

Thursday, 3 December 2015 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC have released some promotional profile photos of characters who appear in this year's Christmas Special, The Husbands of River Song. The images portray Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, Alex Kingston as River Song, Rowan Polonski as Remming and Phillip Rhys as Ramone.