Reminder: A Christmas Carol Soundtrack Competition

Tuesday, 29 March 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
Last week we launched a competition to win a copy of the soundtrack to A Christmas Carol by Murray Gold. This is just a reminder to say that you have until Wednesday 6th April to get your entries in.

We have six copies of the CD up for grabs courtesy of Silva Screen Records. To be in for a chance of winning the competition, simply answer this question:

In A Christmas Carol, what is the name of the device that Abigail sings into so that the space liner can land safely?

Send your answer with your name, address and email to us at acc-competition@doctorwhonews.net, with the subject line A Christmas Carol CD Competition.




FILTER: - Competitions - Editorial

Torchwood: Miracle Day fast-tracked to Australia

Tuesday, 29 March 2011 - Reported by Adam Kirk
TV Tonight blog reports Torchwood: Miracle Day will be fast-tracked to Australia on UKTV Australia in early July, immediately following its global premiere on Starz.

Jana Bennett, the new President for BBC Worldwide Networks and Global iPlayer, said:
Torchwood: Miracle Day is a courageous and exciting piece of drama which will resonate with audiences all over the world. I’m genuinely delighted that Torchwood will add to UKTV’s compelling selection of first-run drama in 2011.
Julie Dowding, Sales Director for BBC Worldwide Australia, added:
Torchwood: Miracle Day is set to be one of the most exciting dramas we’ve brought to Australia this year. UKTV audiences and Torchwood fans alike are in for a huge treat with this latest chapter from Captain Jack and the team.





FILTER: - Torchwood - Miracle Day (Series 4) - Broadcasting - Australia

The Impossible Astronaut reaches SPACE

Tuesday, 29 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Canadian broadcaster SPACE have now confirmed that, like the USA, the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who, The Impossible Astronaut will be broadcast on Saturday 23rd April 2011 at 8:00pm ET/PT.

Announced via their Spacecast blog, the channel reports:
This just in! The new Season of DOCTOR WHO will be coming to SPACE SATURDAY APRIL 23 at 8E/P. We're thrilled to be airing a new season of heart-pounding adventures, with Matt Smith as 11th Timelord and Karen Gillan as his feisty partner-in-time, Amy Pond.
The series will be preceeded by a marathon of Doctor Who, kicking off on 21st April with the final four episodes of the Tenth Doctor, followed by Eleventh's first series leading into the premier, with Christmas specials following later that evening.




FILTER: - Canada - Series 6/32

New Doctor Who trailer for Wednesday

Tuesday, 29 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Having whetted our appetites with the two teaser trailers last week, the first episode prelude a couple of days later, and then an "iconic" image for the episode itself, the BBC are now about to unleash a new 60 second trailer which will premier on BBC1 on Wednesday.

No time has been confirmed for the trailer at present, though it is expected to during primetime viewing in the evening.

The trailer will also be broadcast on the CBBC channel, but in a shortened 20 second form to remove some of the 'scarier' scenes, as BBC Publicity clarified:
The trailer is a 60" and we usually play them on CBBC as well (for obvious reasons). We think this will be the first that will need to be edited down to a 20" to make it suitable and remove the scary bits (remember that we have six year olds and younger watch CBBC as well as twelve year olds)

The 20" is just for CBBC. The 60" also has a 40" cut-down version that will be rotated in.

Update: the 60" trailer was originally reported for Tuesday evening, but has been put back to Wednesday.




FILTER: - Series 6/32

Title of Episode 4 revealed

Monday, 28 March 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
Doctor Who Magazine have confirmed the title of Neil Gaiman's Doctor Who episode. Episode 4 of the new series, which guest stars Suranne Jones (Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa's Revenge) as Idris and Michael Sheen, will now be called The Doctor's Wife.

There had been speculation of the title on a number of fan sites and this evening SFX was given permission by the BBC to reveal the title.

Speculation began yesterday when Steven Moffat Tweeted to Gaiman:
Ohh, just watched your one again! It's really good, isn't it? And look who it is! LOOK WHO IT IS!!!

Today, Gaiman told his Twitter followers:
Yes, Doctor Who Ep 4's title has made it onto the internet. Because the title is a spoiler, I will let you find it yourself.

Edward Russell, Senior Brand Executive for Doctor Who Tweeted in reply to Gaiman:
in retrospect, we should have hung on until Friday [April] 1st... Then no one would have believed us!"

Director of the episode, Richard Clark was surprised to have learned that the episode title had been released so soon:
Ep4 title is out there. How is that possible? [adding] The title was only signed off a couple days ago. Anyone know what date Ep4 is transmitted?

Gaiman told Doctor Who Magazine:
Idris is someone who is beautiful, and who bites, and who might just turn out to be an old acquaintance with a new face... [adding] it starts in void-space, with something – or someone – we have not seen since The War Games, and a knock on the TARDIS door...
Steven Moffat described the episode as:
a beautiful poem of an episode" and says that Suranne Jones "will change the way you see Doctor Who forever forever – and that’s a hand-on-heart promise.
The Doctor's Wife was originally used as a fake title by John Nathan-Turner to discover possible leaks in the production office back in the 1980s.




FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Cardiff Exhibition Closes

Sunday, 27 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Since its opening in December 2005, the Up Close Exhibition based in Cardiff Bay's Red Dragon Centre has provided a focal point for Doctor Who fans visiting the spiritual home of the 21st Century series, and also a popular venue for the public visiting Cardiff Bay, with some half-million visitors over its five years.

However, today sees the exhibition close for the final time, as preparations begin for a new permanent home for the Doctor Who Experience, due to move to Cardiff in 2012 once the current operation at Olympia in London finishes.

The exhibition's manager, Graham Jones, had been campaigning to keep it open, and believes that the closure today is ill-timed; speaking to the South Wales Echo, he said:
It is damaging to the economy of Wales and the economy of Cardiff. We thought that (BBC Worldwide) would have respect and regard for their fans. It does seem that this decision has been made in a way that is not very compassionate towards Cardiff. If you want to see wee kids crying then you ought to come down to the Red Dragon this Easter because they will come down here to an empty shell.

BBC Worldwide, however, have great expectations for the Doctor Who Experience's arrival next year:
We have consulted with the city council for the past two years regarding our plans and we are confident that the attraction’s features, size and location will draw many more fans to the Welsh capital from across the UK.

The closure follows that of the Land's End Exhibition at the beginning of the year. The Doctor Who Experience officially opened in London last month.




FILTER: - Exhibitions

Revisitations 2: First Look clips from 2|Entertain

Saturday, 26 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
2|Entertain's Classic Doctor Who have released three "First Look" videos on their YouTube channel to promote the Revisitations 2 boxed set, due out on Monday.

Fifth Doctor story Resurrection of the Daleks is represented by deleted scenes from the story, here with an extended scene of Tegan's arrival on the Dalek ship. Ian Marter is the subject for the Third Doctor's Carnival of Monsters clip, with On Target with Ian Marter looking at the actor/author's work for Doctor Who. Finally, representing Second Doctor story The Seeds of Death is a segment from Monsters Who Came Back For More!, where Nick Briggs and Peter Ware discuss monsters that recur in the series (an earlier clip from the documentary Lords of the Red Planet was released earlier this month).



Clip from Resurrection of the Daleks, 2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via YouTube



Clip from Carnival of Monsters, 2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via YouTube



Clip from The Seeds of Death, 2|Entertain/ClassicDW, via YouTube


Full details on the Revisitations 2 release are in our earlier article; the Boxed Set is also available to pre-order now from our Amazon Shop.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Autism project calls for Doctor Who fans

Saturday, 26 March 2011 - Reported by Josiah Rowe
Researcher Michaela Schubert is working on a book about Doctor Who and the autism spectrum, and is calling for Doctor Who fans to answer a few questions about their experiences with the show. Says Schubert,
The idea is to get as many people, especially those on the spectrum themselves, to respond and share their Doctor Who viewing experiences as possible, so that the book can reflect as many different viewpoints as possible. Because the show's audience and the autism spectrum are both so varied, the most important thing this project can do is to let everyone have their own say.
Schubert emphasizes that contributions are welcome from all, regardless of how much Doctor Who you've seen or whether you have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition.

Schubert is a PhD candidate at Penn State College of Medicine, and describes herself as "a Doctor Who fan and an Aspie". Information on the book project and links to a brief questionnaire can be found here; the questionnaire can also be found online in PDF or DOCX formats.




FILTER: - Miscellaneous

The Doctor Who Bar

Saturday, 26 March 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
Doctor Who Bar A group of fans have started a new project based on the social networking and microblogging website, Twitter.

The Doctor Who Bar, which is not a physical bar, is the name of an online group that meets every Saturday at 7pm GMT to watch an episode of Doctor Who and discuss it live on Twitter using #DoctorWhoBar to tag their tweets.

The third meeting takes place this evening from 7pm GMT and the group will be watching fifth Doctor story, Earthshock, having voted for it in an online poll. The winner was announced at 6pm GMT. To join in you need press play on your DVD,VCR or computer at exactly 7.30pm GMT so you can all stay in synchronisation with the other viewers.

You can email the bar at doctorwhobar@gmail.com for your full episode reviews and any other points of view you may wish to send. The best tweets, emails and comments will be displayed on the Doctor Who Bar website at the end of each week.




FILTER: - Online - Miscellaneous

Kangazang! Spring Sale

Saturday, 26 March 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Candy Jar Books are currently having a spring sale, with the price of Kangazang! now reduced. The audio version of the sci-fi tale stars former Doctor Colin Baker, who narrates and performs a number of characters within the story - see our previous article for more details.

Shaun Russell, director of the company, says:
We’ve had fantastic reaction to both the book and CD. However, at Candy Jar we are focusing on new projects including a wartime memoir and children’s book. It is now time to clear the decks, so if you have not purchased the CD yet this maybe your last opportunity to do so.

We also have a handful of Mike Collins prints to give away.

For every Kangazang CD or book sold online, we will give a £1 donation to the Atlantic Dash team. They will be rowing the Atlantic for three months later this year, raising money for three worthwhile causes: Help for Heroes, Breast Cancer Care and The Fire Fighters Charity.

You can find full details about the story and how to buy from the Kangazang! website.




FILTER: - Audio - Colin Baker