Fans in London were given a special preview of the penultimate episode of the current series of Doctor Who, The Pandorica Opens, at BAFTA earlier this evening. The screening was attended by Steven Moffat, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan who answered questions at the end of the screening.

Introducing the episode Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, paid tribute to the current prodcution team. In a speech which left no doubt to the high regard the series is held in by BBC Management, he paid particular tribute to Steven Moffat saying how no other broadcaster in the UK or the USA had such a brilliant writer producing such high quality family drama. He called The Pandorica Opens a tremendous piece of television.

Following the episode a wide range of questions were put to the team. Matt Smith revealed he had had initial doubts about the way he was playing the Doctor and often spoke to his dad for advice. He was delighted when a six year old, dressed in tweed jacket and bow tie presented him with a gift of a picture. Smith revealed he had been to a costume fitting for the next series earlier today and he was looking for something warmer to wear in the future.

Steven Moffat was asked about Steven Fry's comments yesterday, where he described Doctor Who as Children's Television. Moffat said Doctor Who always was, and always will be, family television. Designed for that special period when both children and their parents could watch together. When asked about the move of viewers from watching the programme as broadcast to watching later, either on harddisk or via the iPlayer, he called on BBC One controller Jay Hunt who was also in the audience. She confirmed the BBC was aware of the massive reach the programme had and said she didn't mind when they watched it as long as they did.

He paid tribute to the classic series, singling out Waris Hussein who was in the audience. Hussein directed the very first episode of Doctor Who, screened in November 1963. Moffat called it a wonderful half an hour of television and urged anyone who had not yet seen it to view it.

The Pandorica Opens has its début on BBC One and BBC HD this Saturday evening.

After some three years of touring, Toby Hadoke's acclaimed one man show Moths Ate My Doctor Who will be coming to an end with a triumphant return to its roots at the Edinburgh Fringe in the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 20th August. This is likely to be the last time the show is performed in Scotland, with few other shows subsequently, as Hadoke's new show is launched.

Now I Know My BBC will be a brand new show, with entirely new material for 2010 and beyond. Says the press release:

The show is being performed at The Underbelly in Edinburgh between 5th and 29th August.


For more details, visit the Toby Hadoke official website.

Former Doctor Who companion Katy Manning will be doing the Crusaid Walk For Life this Sunday, 6th June, in London.

Manning played Jo Grant, assistant to the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, from 1971-1973, and will return to the character when she stars alongside new Doctor Matt Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures later this year.

She volunteered to do the walk with the deputy editor of GT magazine, Darren Scott, when she heard he had agreed to do the walk in a novelty Dalek costume. Referring to her infamous naked Dalek photoshoot from the 70s, she joked that the pair should recreate the pose, albeit fully clothed.

Crusaid’s Walk for Life is Europe’s largest fundraising walk for HIV and AIDS. The pair can be sponsored via the event website.

The ABC Shop Rosny Park, Tasmania, Australia, will be holding its 3rd annual Doctor Who night on Saturday 26th June 2010, between 7 and 9pm. The event will take place both in and outside the ABC Shop in Eastlands Shopping Centre and in attendance will be a full- size replica of the TARDIS, a Dalek and K-9 loaned by Wayne Ottaway of Dalek Downunder.

The last Doctor Who night, held in 2008, attracted over 1000 people. During the course of events, there will be spot prizes, giveaways, a quiz, a theatrical piece tentatively entitled "The End of Time Crash" and the chance to purchase Doctor Who related products, some of which have not yet been released in Australia.

Other retailers such as Gloria Jeans coffees, Wendy’s Ice Cream, Donut King, Little India, What’s New and Tassie Cameras will also offer special deals for the evening.

The event is free and all are welcome.

Fans in the north east of England can meet the Sixth Doctor as a special Doctor Who Day at the Temple Park Centre in South Shields on Sunday 6th June.

Colin Baker will be appearing at the event, which runs from 10.30am - 5pm, along with Sophie Aldred who played Ace in the classic series, Terry Molloy who played Davros and Nicholas Courtney who for many years played Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart.

Entertainment includes:

• Celebs in the hot seat
• Operate a dalek
• Photos with the actors
• Sci - fi merchendise
• Bake your own monster cake
• Fancy dress
• Face painting

Colin Baker will present a separate event at 7.30pm that evening, a concert of popular sci-fi themes, movie themes and TV themes, performed by the dynamic SoundPower Orchestra and supported by the shoeshop Quartet, South Tyneside Youth Choir of Aliens and the Poppleton School of Dance.

Tickets available from Temple Park Centre reception. Details on the website.

The title of the penultimate episode of the current series has been revealed as The Pandorica Opens and the episode will be exclusively previewed at a special screening at the Princess Anne Theatre, BAFTA on Wednesday 16 June.

There will be a special Question and Answer session with Matt Smith talking about his first season as the Doctor and Steven Moffat talking about his first season as Lead Writer. Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will join the panel.

The British Film Institute is offering the chance to see a special preview of episode ten of the current series, Vincent and the Doctor, but the event is only open to those who attend with children.

The special showing will take place on Wednesday 2nd June at 1.30pm and at 2pm and will be followed by a special Question and Answer session with writer Richard Curtis and Karen Gillan.

Tickets can be booked on 020 7928 3232.

As reported earlier this week BBC Worldwide is to launch a band new Live arena tour of the UK.

Developed in association with Doctor Who’s Executive Producer and show runner, Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Live promises the same excitement, adventure and suspense that viewers have come to expect from the TV programme and will feature specially filmed new video scenes.

Opening in wartime London and concluding in an epic onstage battle, audiences should expect the unexpected as the The Doctor’s arch-enemies the Daleks are joined by some of the best-loved and most terrifying monsters from the TV series including the Cybermen, Weeping Angels, Judoon and Oods to name but a few.

Doctor Who Live will feature special FX, optical illusions and spectacular pyrotechnics building to an epic finale. Specially edited video clips, drawn from the TV Programme will be shown on a massive screen and accompanied by the music of longtime Doctor Who composer Murray Gold. These iconic scores will be brought to life by a 16 piece orchestra live on stage.

NB: Actors from the TV series will NOT be appearing live on stage.


Tickets will go on sale 9am Friday 21st May 2010 and are priced at £38.50, £34.50 and £25.00 subject to booking fees. For the Belfast Odyssey Arena only tickets are priced at £42.50, £37.50 & £27.50 as booking fees and agency commissions are included in the ticket price.

Full details on www.doctorwholive.com

The Scotsman is reporting that a new Doctor Who Stage Show will tour the UK later this year.

The BBC Worldwide show, titled Doctor Who: Here Come The Monsters will be in a similar format to the the successful Walking with Dinosaurs Arena tour last year.

The show will take place in a large staged area on the Arena floor and will feature special effects, and video scenes shot with Matt Smith. It will include stage battles between the Daleks and the Cybermen and be accompanied a live orchestra playing music by composer Murray Gold who said "The live element always adds something extra, but these will also be brand new arrangements for a new band of very talented musicians. It's very exciting."

Nine venues are to be included on the tour including the Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow. The show has been developed in association with executive producer Steven Moffat, who said: "This is everything I ever wanted since I was 11. A live show, with all the coolest Doctor Who monsters, a proper story, and brand new screen material.

More details should be available shortly and tickets are expected to go on sale in the next month.

The Doctor Who Proms have sold out on the first day of ticket release. The two proms will take place in July at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Tickets went on sale Tuesday morning and the event was sold out by lunchtime. Over 500 Arena and Gallery tickets will be available on the day to members of the public queuing at the Royal Albert Hall. The Saturday Prom will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and recorded for future broadcast on BBC Three.

Discworld creator Terry Pratchett has questioned Doctor Who's Sci-Fi credentials. Talking to SFX magazine, the best selling author admits he finds the series very, very entertaining, with "its heart in the right place" but thinks "its head is often in orbit around Jupiter". "I just wish that it was not classified as science fiction. Doctor Who’s science is pixel thin."

Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston has said he will like to turn his hand to comedy. Eccleston who has recently completed a John Lennon biopic for BBC4, told the Radio Times he had not worked since last year as he selects his TV roles so carefully. "I'm more slapdash about the film choices I make, whereas I choose my TV projects very carefully. But it's a tough time and I haven't worked since December because I'm choosy. I would actually like to do comedy for the rest of my life and surprise everyone and myself."