The Satan Pit

Friday, 26 May 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

There is no feature for the ninth new episode of the season, The Satan Pit, in this week's Programme Information releases from the BBC Press Office. The programme copy for the episode, however, located here, has the actual blurb for the episode as follows.
Doctor Who: The Satan Pit
Rose battles the murderous Ood and the Doctor finds his every belief being challenged to the core, as the Pit beckons in the concluding part of this two-part story. With the planet threatening to fall into the Black Hole, the Doctor must make the ultimate sacrifice – but can he save the entire universe from the Beast? David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose and Will Thorp plays Toby.




FILTER: - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting

TARDIS Report: Brief End of Week News Update

Friday, 19 May 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Here's a quick recap of the major news items of the past few days; the rest of the press from the past eight days will be included in a proper (and quite large) TARDIS Report column on Sunday.

Latest Schedule Changes

The first showing of The Age of Steel this Saturday on BBC One is now confirmed in a 50-minute 6.35pm to 7.25pm timeslot, overlapping with CBBC's repeat of Totally Doctor Who 6 from 6.30pm that evening. Doctor Who Confidential follows immediately at 7.25pm on BBC Three, repeated on Sunday night/Monday morning at 3.25 am. A Cut Down version will be shown on Sunday 21st at 7.45pm and on Friday 26th at 9.45pm - both of these follow repeat showings of 'The Age of Steel' at 7pm and 9pm. There are also two more chances to see BBC Four's Time Shift documentary, Machine Men, on Friday 19th/Saturday 20th at midnight and 2.50am.

BBC Three's weekday evening repeats of Series Two begin on Monday 22nd at 7pm with New Earth (not The Christmas Invasion) and continue through to Rise of the Cybermen at 7pm on Friday 26th, ahead of that evening's 9pm repeat of The Age of Steel. There have been wildly different versions of BBC Three's schedule available from the Radio Times website and other online listings guides. The print version of Radio Times, however, lists five editions of Confidential Cut Down at 7.45-8.00pm each evening, covering first showings in this format of New New Doctor, Fear Factor and Friends Reunited, as well as Script to Screen and Cybermen. Since this is the schedule that seems to make the most sense, it's the one Outpost Gallifrey is using in our Broadcast Calendar on this page, although it obviously remains subject to change. It is not known whether these BBC Three repeats will include the red-button commentary now available on BBCi with the regular Sunday and Friday repeats.

Radio Times

This week's Radio Times selects The Age of Steel as its 'Drama of the Week', calling it "very possibly the best episode yet". A sequence from the episode is also Alison Graham's 'Moment of the Week', with her short write-up managing a fairly comprehensive spoiler for the scene in question. The magazine also previews the episode as "the best yet", commenting that David Tennant is "such a good actor. It's instructive to see how utterly at home he is in a role he's made his own. Frankly, it's impossible not to sigh in sheer admiration." The episode listing runs: "The continuation of last week's story. Terror mounts as the Cybermen seize London. Can a daring raid stop them in their tracks?" The accompanying 'Doctor Who Watch' feature is just one page this week, most of which focuses on Mickey Smith, with Noel Clark commenting that this is the episode "where his development really takes shape. He sees what he could become and he becomes it." The same page (and the magazine's cover, the seventh cover mention in eight weeks) promotes the latest selection of free stickers, which this week come glued to Mickey's face on the Doctor Who Watch page. There's also another letter, this time praising School Reunion and The Girl in the Fireplace as giving "a moving new dimension to an already timeless character." Finally, a three-page article on this year's BAFTA winners includes photos of and comments from David Tennant, Russell T Davies and Billie Piper. The Radio Timeswebsite has a number of photographs and video footage of the BAFTA-carrying stars at the after-show gathering. The site's Doctor Who section (link here) has been updated to include a Cybermen photo gallery and a competition running until 2 June to win Dalek posters and an iPod nano.

Blue Peter and Other TV Coverage

Monday's Blue Peter feature on the Cybermen can be seen online from the official site or from the Blue Peter site. Following that feature, K-9 made a very brief appearance on Tuesday's edition of Blue Peter to confirm that he will be accompanying presenter Gethin at the 'Bark in the Park' event - details at the Blue Peter website. In next Tuesday 23 May's edition, "Gethin investigates the real-life story of the invention which inspired the clockwork monsters" in The Girl in the Fireplace.

As Outpost Gallifrey reported on 27 April, David Tennant has donated a signed script to a charity sale in a church in Scotland, and the story has since been covered in a number of press and online reports, including CBBC Newsround on Tuesday. The next day's BBC One edition of Newsround included a quick report on the story, played over clips from The Christmas Invasion.

Noel Clarke was scheduled to "takes time out to chat about his Doctor Who character" on GMTV's Entertainment Today from 8.35am on Friday 19 May.

The Age of Steel Pre-publicity

There have, so far, been no trailers for The Age of Steel on BBC television this week, although the episode (and its earlier timeslot) has been promoted by continuity announcers during several programme links.

The official website was updated on Tuesday lunchtime, its new flash-animated homepage accompanied by the sound of marching Cybermen and links to some of the series' spin-off websites (Cybus Industries and Vitex). The photo gallery for the Cybermen story has been expanded to 37 pictures, and a range of sounds are avaiable for download, as well as Tardisode 6 and a Fear Factor rating of 5 (Terrifying).

Guest star Roger Lloyd Pack has been interviewed by BBC Norfolk, including a slide-show from the episode this weekend.

BBC One's listings for the week say of The Age of Steel: "The Cybermen take control of London and start converting the populace. While Jackie falls under Lumic's control, the Doctor, Rose and Mickey are reduced to fugitives in a world of terror. A last, desperate attack on the Cyberfactory is their only chance - but will they all survive?" (Link here) The same site says of this week's Totally Doctor Who: "Camille Coduri, better known as Rose Tyler's mum, Jackie, is back for more juicy gossip. Plus Andrew Hayden-Smith joins us on the sofa to talk acting, presenting and Cybermen! The Companion Academy turns up the heat as the cadets are put through another testing task when they are told to Face Your Fears. Liz takes a trip to The Mill, where the amazing computer generated Doctor Who effects are brought to life. And we go totally behind the scenes to see how a BIG explosion can be done on a very small scale."

In this week's Heat magazine, reviewer Chris Longridge notes that: "You won't be too shocked to learn that the gang survive last week's cliffhanger. With Trigger from Only Fools and Horses poised to take over the city via his earpods (imagine what he could do with an earpod nano), the Doctor infiltrates his robofactory - formerly known as Battersea Power Station - while Mickey literally has a word with himself and bucks up enough to finally do something useful." He gives The Age of Steel 5 stars, and Heat places it at number 9 in its Top 10 Best TV Shows of the week.

Closer magazine writes that: "The Doctor, Mickey ad Rose are still stranded in parallel London, and those pesky Cybermen are still clunking around the capital, trying to "upgrade" the population. The Doctor and his merry band of resistance fighters must launch one last dangerous assault to save the day. It's a tough episode for Rose too as she sufers not one, but two, heartbreaking goodbyes."

Star magazine has The Age of Steel as one of their Picks of the Day - "In the conclusion of this two-part episode, the dreaded Cybermen are running amok in London. Jackie is already under Lumic's control. Meanwhile the Doc, Rose and Mickey are fleeing for their lives. Their only hope for survival is an attack on the Cyber factory."

Other Press Items

Broadcast Now reports that "BBC1 is the UK’s most creative channel, according to Broadcast’s first Creative Report, an analysis of the most acclaimed British programmes, producers and broadcasters over the last year." The report says that "the channel's dominance in the drama series category is fuelled by hits such as Doctor Who and Bleak House." Doctor Who takes third place (behind Sex Traffic and Little Britain) in its chart of the top 10 most creative programmes, and topping the list of most creative new programmes (first shown in 2005). The report surveyed 300 programmes, taking into account awards wins and nominations over the 12 months to May 2006.

Great news for all Russell T Davies fans and British viewers who grew up watching Children's BBC in the early 1990s. Davies's two highly-regarded children's fantasy serials, 1991's Dark Season and 1993's Century Fallsare due to be released on Region 2 DVD in the UK by 2entertain Ltd on July 17. Dark Season, Davies's first full drama script for television, co-stars a young Kate Winslet, while according to former Children's BBC presenter Andi Peters on BBC Four's Russell T Davies - Unscripted documentary in 2005, Century Falls was regarded as so potentially disturbing for younger viewers by BBC bosses that they forbade any repeat screening. Neither serial has been released on VHS or DVD before, and while Dark Season was repeated on BBC One in 1994 and the CBBC Channel in 2001, Century Falls has remained in the vaults since 1993.

Various sources are reporting that on Saturday, ITV suffered the worst audience share in its history. Says the MediaGuardian (http://media.guardian.co.uk/overnights/story/0,,1775328,00.html subscription link): "Saturday's FA Cup final has been dubbed the greatest ever and the BBC1's near three hours of nailbiting live football helped condemn ITV1 to its worst ever daily audience share. ITV1 had a share on Saturday of just 11.8%, half a percentage point lower than its previous record low on July 2 last year, when BBC1 was showing live coverage of Live 8... Overall, BBC1 had an all-day share of 36.4% against ITV's 11.8%. Channel 4 came third, with 8.1%, followed by BBC2, 7.4%, and Channel Five, with 5.2%."

Says BBC News Online's coverage: "An ITV1 spokesman said: 'A big sporting occasion like the FA Cup Final will often cause a ratings blip.' A BBC One spokesman said: 'We are delighted that the thrilling FA Cup Final and the Cybermen's return to Doctor Who proved a winning combination to BBC One viewers.' Some 8.6 million watched Doctor Who. Last week, ITV announced plans to axe a string of programmes in a bid to refresh its main channel's schedule."

(Thanks to Paul Engelberg, Paul Hayes, Peter Weaver, John Bowman)




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Press - Radio Times - Broadcasting

The Impossible Planet Press Release

Friday, 19 May 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

This week's Programme Information from the BBC Press Office previews the episode The Impossible Planet with an interview with Will Thorp, guest starring as Toby in both this episode and the second-half airing the following week, "The Satan Pit". "Former Casualty and Strictly Come Dancing star Will Thorp is drawn to the dark side in the second, two-part story of this season's Doctor Who. In The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit he plays Toby, an archaeologist in a team of space explorers from Earth trapped on a planet in the orbit of a Black Hole. After leaving Casualty's Holby General, and honing his dancing skills on Strictly Come Dancing, Bristol-born Will could hardly believe his luck when he received a couple of scripts from Doctor Who executive producer and lead writer Russell T Davies and producer Phil Collinson. It didn't take much for him to decide to accept the part. 'I would have said 'yes' to it whatever [the part] was,' says Will. 'It was the fact that it was Doctor Who! I read the script and it was a fantastic part, especially as I had previously been playing a regular role of a cheeky chappy - he's an intense, moody guy. To be sent a couple of scripts doesn't happen that often, and certainly not for something like that. I feel really lucky to have got the role.' In the two-part story, penned by Matt Jones, the Doctor and Rose arrive on a desolate planet in the orbit of a Black Hole, and soon find themselves trapped with Will's character, Toby. 'Toby is a twenty-something uptight archaeologist, and he's one of a crew of space explorers,' explains Will. 'They've been on a mission in space, exploring certain planets, and they get stuck on this planet which is right next to a Black Hole. Bits of the planet are coming off and being sucked into the Hole, which make it impossible for them to leave, so they set up base there. They've made a space station, and have basically spent the last couple of years just exploring the planet, digging and seeing what is around. And it seems that there have been signs of life in the past - that there was a life form millions and millions of years ago.' The group come to realise that they are in danger, as something ancient beneath the planet's surface begins to awake, and it's soon a race against time for the Doctor and Rose to prevent them all from being sucked into oblivion. And for Will, the experience of working on Doctor Who was, indeed, almost out of this world. 'It was surreal, really! You're kind of sat there, with the Tardis in the corner, a couple of Cybermen stacked up… I had to keep on pinching myself to make sure it was real. It was like being in the playground,' Will says laughing. 'Can we play on the Tardis for 20 minutes before we do any work?' A massive Doctor Who fan, Will watched Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor) as he grew up, and made sure that he tuned in for the series' return last year. 'I watched the very first episode and I thought it was great. When you bring back a series and it's been successful, there's a risk it can flop, but I think because it has someone like Russell T Davies, executive producer Julie Gardner and Phil Collinson behind it, what they managed to do, which is incredible, is that they captured the essence of Doctor Who. They won the Bafta recently, which was brilliant, and it will just go from strength to strength. Every episode in this series is a winner.' Currently, Will is on an 18-week national tour, performing in the play Strangers On A Train, a psychological thriller which was made into a film by Alfred Hitchcock in 1951. But Will can't shake off the Doctor Who connection. 'Funnily enough, I'm working with Colin Baker [the Sixth Doctor] – he's in the play. So that was really strange - I finished seven weeks filming Doctor Who, I had one day off, started rehearsing the play, and I'm with one of the old Doctors. It was weird – a very small world'"

The Programming Information document for Saturday 3 June features details on the episode as noted below.
Doctor Who: The Impossible Planet
Rose finds herself further away from home than ever before, on a desolate world in the orbit of a Black Hole, in the first episode of this two-part story. Trapped with an Earth expedition and the mysterious Ood, the time-travellers face an even greater danger as something ancient beneath the planet's surface begins to awake. The story concludes next week. David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose and Will Thorp plays Toby.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting

The Idiot's Lantern Press Release

Friday, 12 May 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

This week's Programme Information from the BBC Press Office previews the episode The Idiot's Lantern on 27 May with an interview with Mark Gatiss on page 11 of the Features article (note: PDF file); the article includes at least one picture spoiler. Says Gatiss on how the story came about, '[Lead writer] Russell [T Davies] asked me to do a Fifties story. It was originally meant to be much more rock 'n' roll but everyone loved the notion of the Coronation – it's one of those big, gettable 'front-of-the Radio-Times' ideas so we settled on 1953. I've always loved old TV and the early BBC days at Ally Pally so it was lovely to use all that – and very appropriate to have a monster that gets at you via your telly! It's a very atmospheric episode and Euros [Lyn], the director, has shot it in a semi-noirish, Fifties style which is terrific.' Gatiss says his writing on the series is 'a dream come true. Last year it was so unreal, this year everyone's found their feet a lot more, I think, but because the show's an established hit there's that extra pressure to top the success. It's just brilliant to be part of a vibrant, modern show that's still absolutely the Doctor Who we grew up with and loved.' Gatiss notes that he loves 'the historical stories. They were always my favourites in old Doctor Who. I'm hoping that the 'Gatiss by gaslight' becomes an annual fixture! I wouldn't rule out doing a modern-day story but I do have so much fun popping back in time. Having said that, I didn't know as much about the Fifties as I do about Victoriana so I had to do quite a bit of research, but that was delightful. So many people remember the Coronation. I talked to my Dad and some older friends and they all have a version of the 'everyone crowded into one room' story which is at the heart of the episode.' He notes that 'You have to be much more aware of the feel of the whole season. You don't want the leads to be jarringly different in each story just because there's a different writer. What's great about this season is that there's so much variety, with lots of different types of adventure: scary, funny, sad and some that are very, very moving.'

The Programming Information document (also PDF) for Saturday 27 May shows the episode returning to the 7pm timeslot. Details on the episode are noted below.
Doctor Who: The Idiot's Lantern
It's 1953, the Coronation year of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and the people of Great Britain huddle round their television sets to witness the great event. But behind the celebrations there are rumours of monsters on the streets, and the tormented Mr Magpie is hiding a strange and alien secret, in Doctor Who – The Idiot's Lantern. David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose and Ron Cook plays Mr Magpie.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Radio Times - Broadcasting

Age of Steel Press Information, plus Time Change

Saturday, 6 May 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Program information for Week 21 released this afternoon by the BBC Press Office shows that this year's Eurovision Song Contest has had a similar effect to last year, with The Age of Steel moving from Doctor Who's re-established 7pm slot to a 6.40pm start on Saturday 20 May. (There is no word yet of a start time for Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three that evening.) Last year, "The Doctor Dances" was moved back due to the contest (with a notable drop in viewing figures observed because of the time shift).

Meanwhile, the episode merits a three-page article in the week's highlights(note: PDF file), this week concentrating on the roles of Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith and guest star Andrew Hayden-Smith. 'I think that the Doctor and Mickey do forge a new friendship but it's based on respect,' says Clarke. 'Mickey earns his respect in the Christmas episode and they get to know each other a bit more after that. Mickey's changed as much as the Doctor in terms of becoming a new person but still being [essentially] the same.' He thinks Mickey finally comes into his own this season, becoming braver and more confident than he's seemed before. 'Mickey has to step up to the plate and become a man, so some of the challenges he faces aren't just the monsters that he comes across but also his own fear, really,' Noel explains. 'I think a lot of things that he's involved in [with the Doctor and Rose] help him come to terms with his own uncertainties and really change him. 'He's being tested the whole time, maybe because the Doctor knew that the potential was in him to change.' And what of the relationship between Rose and Mickey? 'Your guess is as good as mine!' laughs Noel.'I think they're in the same sort of on/off situation they always seem to be in; it's never really resolved and you never really figure out what's going on!' He says that 'When you work with someone like [lead writer] Russell [T Davies] and the writers that have worked on Doctor Who, you can only learn from them. Even if your material is different in its content, the tricks and the skills you pick up from them are things that, hopefully, I can put across in whatever I do.' Actor Andrew Hayden-Smith, who guest stars in the next two episodes, syas that he 'suggested that my agent get in touch with the production because I really enjoyed the last series. Funnily enough, they had been watching me on CBBC the night before I put the call in. I went in for an audition, read one of the scenes, and got a call to say I'd got the part a couple of days later.' Of his character, he notes that 'Jake is in a gang fighting against a company called Cybus Industries, which is turning humans into Cybermen,' explains Andrew. 'I didn't see the original Cybermen, but my sister told me that she was terrified of them -- so she is pretty excited that I am involved in fighting them.' Playing an action hero was a new, but exciting, for him. 'It was great!' Andrew enthuses.'There was a lot of running about on the moors in Cardiff, so I had to get quite fit.' The first day of filming was exhilarating, but very demanding, not least because of the fact that the scenes are filmed completely out of sequence. 'It was very scary because it's Doctor Who!' exclaims Andrew with a laugh. 'It was just really exciting. My first day on set was in London, on the South Bank. It was pretty strange because I was filming my last scene [The Age Of Steel], so I had to imagine that I had done all the action scenes which was pretty strange. It was OK, though, as everyone was lovely.' So how does Andrew think his fans will react to his new role? 'I don't know – I'm a bit nervous about it!' he confesses.'The kids who watch me now probably don't remember me from Byker Grove, and won't realise that I've acted before, so I'm a bit nervous about how I come across in it. I hope it's all right!' And would Andrew have liked the opportunity to play a Cyberman himself? 'No, I'm quite happy fighting them, I think,' he says with a laugh. 'I definitely prefer to be a goodie than a baddie!'

There are also further episode details in the Saturday document (also a PDF), as noted below.
Doctor Who: The Age Of Steel
The Cybermen take control of London and start converting the populace, in the conclusion of this gripping two-part episode. While Jackie falls under Lumic’s control, the Doctor, Rose and Mickey are reduced to fugitives in a world of terror. A last, desperate attack on the Cyberfactory is their only chance -- but will they all survive? David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose, Noel Clarke plays Mickey, Camille Coduri plays Jackie Tyler, Shaun Dingwall plays Pete Tyler, Roger Lloyd Pack plays John Lumic and Andrew Hayden-Smith plays Jake Simmonds.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting

Rise of the Cybermen Press Release

Friday, 28 April 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

This week's Programme Information for 13-19 May from the BBC Press Office (note: PDF file) includes two two-page features promoting the upcoming two-part Cyberman story, The Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel.

The first focuses on actor Roger Lloyd Pack in his role as John Lumic, "a man on an unrelenting mission to take over the world". "I play a kind of evil genius who is creating an army of Cybermen in order to make himself immortal," explains Lloyd Pack. "He's trying to get governments and people to go along with his plans, and Doctor Who tries to stop him. It was a curious affair, because about a week after I agreed to do the part I broke my ankle. I couldn't walk without a stick, and was in plaster for a while, but it didn't interfere with the part because the role was in a wheelchair! I think God must have been saying 'I'm going to give you a nice job, but I'm going to break your ankle as well!' I was taking research a little bit further than I usually do!" It says that Lloyd Pack was on tour with a theatre production in Sheffield, and so missed most of the last series, but as for the original series, "Of course I watched it! I was a kid when it came out -- I saw the very first Doctor Who. William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, were my Doctors… I sort of lapsed a bit, but I saw all of the different Doctor Whos at some point." He thinks the new Cybermen are more formidable than ever. "I did see the Cybermen the first time around, but these new ones are quite impressive," Lloyd Pack confirms. "They are quite scary -- a little light comes out when they speak. That aspect of Doctor Who is obviously a lot more effective now than it was before." As for working with the director, Graeme Harper, "I've worked with him before doing a series with Dennis Waterman some years back. He's a very nice man, very good to work with. It was extremely cold on set, as we filmed in the warehouse in Newport, and quite technical, because some of the scenes were set in a space ship. I enjoyed the whole experience actually."

Writer Tom MacRae is interviewed for the second article, for whom bringing back the Cybermen was "probably the most exciting things that has ever happened to me". Asked how he got the job of writing for the new series, Tom puts it down to "...a bit of good luck, a bit of good placement, and, hopefully, a bit of being good at writing. I've known [lead writer] Russell [T Davies] for a long time, and I happened to have a certain profile with [Controller BBC Drama Commissioning] Jane Tranter and [Head Of Drama Serials] Laura Mackie when she was still at the BBC, and they were all happy for me to do it." He admits that it was actually helpful to have some boundaries to work within when coming up with the idea for the story. "When you're dealing with something like the Cybermen, the rules are in place for the sort of thing that you expect to happen so that immediately suggests stories. It's very different from coming up with your own monster and setting. As soon as it's a Cyberman story it's going to be about a certain set of things, so that was very clear from the start. Russell had heard one of Mark Platt's Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories, called Spare Parts, and he was inspired by that to do a new origins story for the Cybermen. [Our story] was never based on Spare Parts, because we very quickly went off in a different direction. Spare Parts was about a dying world where people had to become Cybermen or they'd die, whereas the story that we did became about people choosing to become this thing, and it actually becoming this seductive idea, rather than a scary, last-chance, life-or-death thing. And you've also got the family story of Rose which grounds it on a simple level. "He says doesn't remember the original series very clearly. "I remember a long time ago, before Russell was ever doing this, we had a conversation about how you would bring Doctor Who back, and he said the [central] idea to the story is that something's happening, and the Doctor appears in the middle of it. Now and again you break that rule, and the Doctor does become the story, but as a general principle, there's stuff going on and the Doctor appears. I'd never really analysed it before so I don't approach it as a show that I watched when I was a kid... I see it as being something very different." As for what parts of the episode he took part in beyond the writing, "I'm not entirely sure what scenes I saw as there were just lots of Cybermen marching up and down the street! I think I probably saw about four or five scenes-worth of stuff. Blue Peter were filming when I went down for one of the street shoots in Cardiff, and the presenter was dressed as a Cyberman doing a behind-the-scenes piece. They interviewed me and I got a Blue Peter badge, which I was very happy about!"

"Rise of the Cyberman" is also confirmed as airing at 7pm on Saturday 13 May, according to the BBC programme info sheet (note: PDF file), which has the feature blurb for the episode, reproduced below. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)
Doctor Who: Rise of the Cybermen
The Tardis is trapped on a parallel Earth and Rose discovers that her father is still alive, as the award-winning Doctor Who continues. But sinister forces are at work, and British society is being prepared for the Ultimate Upgrade. Meanwhile, an old enemy of the Doctor's is about to be reborn. David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose, Noel Clarke plays Mickey, Camille Coduri plays Jackie Tyler, Shaun Dingwall plays Pete Tyler, Roger Lloyd Pack plays John Lumic and Andrew Hayden-Smith plays Jake Simmonds.

*The conclusion of this two-parter, The Age Of Steel, can be seen next Saturday.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting

School Reunion Time Change

Saturday, 22 April 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Radio Times has reported, and now the BBC One website has confirmed, that the start time for next weekend's episode of Doctor Who, "School Reunion", has been delayed by twenty minutes and will now begin at 7:20pm. The program runs to 8:05pm, and presumably the third episode of the companion documentary series Doctor Who Confidential will start at that time. As always, check Outpost Gallifrey's broadcast calendar (located in the left-hand column of the news page) for the latest updates on scheduling.




FILTER: - Series 2/28 - Radio Times - Broadcasting

The Girl in the Fireplace Press Release

Friday, 21 April 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Programme Information for 6-13 May has today been released by the BBC Press Office about the season's fourth episode, Steven Moffat's The Girl in the Fireplace. The episode is currently scheduled for 7pm on Saturday 6 May, and this week's PI Features (note: PDF file) includes a two-page piece on the episode and its writer, Steven Moffat. Moffat reveals that he "could not believe his luck when lead writer Russell T Davies asked him to write an episode of the new series based on Madame Du Pompadour and the 18th-century court of Louis XV -- not least because it was his first time writing a period piece, and he knew nothing about the subject matter. 'Russell said he wanted a story that involved Madame Du Pompadour and possibly a clockwork man,' recalls Steven, writer of the acclaimed series Coupling. 'I had to read up about her – I didn't have the faintest notion of who she was! I had never done [a period piece] before ... I'd never had to do research in my life for any show that I've ever written -- they've always been a kind of mutation of my own love life! So to suddenly have to pick up a book and learn about the Blitz [for The Empty Child], or learn about Madame Du Pompadour in 18th-century France, almost seemed like being sent back to school!' After completing his research, Steven had a new-found respect for Madame Du Pompadour. 'She's tremendous!' exclaims Steven. 'She's someone who keeps her position at Court by being incredibly clever, incredibly smart… one of the sharpest, most educated women who ever lived and she was only the King's mistress – it's kind of a ludicrous position to be in! The story kind of writes itself. If you place the Doctor in a room with a woman like that, what is she going to make of him? What's she going do to him? They're obviously going to get it on! ... I can't see it any other way! I just thought it would be really interesting if he came face to face with someone like Madame Du Pompadour, someone who won't be so easily impressed and who can be a real ‘woman' with him.' Best known for his comedy work, Steven didn't find it difficult to take on the more dark and sinister storylines of Doctor Who. 'The point of Doctor Who in many respects, or the thing that people say about it, is that it's scary, so it's necessary for a Doctor Who story to have frights in it. It's just part of the job description – if I'm writing a comedy I have to write jokes, and if I'm writing for Doctor Who I obviously have to make it scary, but there are quite a few jokes in Doctor Who, too, it has to be said.' A self-confessed Doctor Who fan, Steven admits that at first he found the whole idea of writing for the series an intimidating experience. 'The first week when you're sitting down to write it, as I did a year or so ago, it just seems so weird writing the words ‘Doctor' and ‘Tardis' – all those words that are so iconic and huge. It was very, very odd and disorientating. 'It took me about a week to get over the stage fright!' he laughs. 'But after that, to be honest, it becomes an extremely exciting job, and you start enjoying it for reasons that have nothing to do with being a fan. It's a big action-based pictorial show, with fantastic production values. There's a kind of story-telling that you can do on Doctor Who that you simply can't do anywhere else. I mean, nowhere else on Earth are you going to get to write a scene where Madame Du Pompadour walks from a room in Versailles to a corridor of a space ship. You're not going to do that anywhere else and that's really exciting.'" The episode is also among Saturday's highlights.
Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace
Madame Du Pompadour finds the court at Versailles under attack from sinister clockwork killers, as the award-winning Doctor Who continues. Her only hope of salvation lies with the man who has haunted her dreams since childhood – a mysterious stranger known only as the Doctor. Can a broken clock summon the Lord of Time? David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose, Noel Clarke plays Mickey, Sophia Myles plays Reinette, Madame Du Pompadour, Ben Turner plays Louis and Jessica Atkins plays young Reinette.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting

New Timeslot, School Reunion Details

Thursday, 13 April 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

The new series will be returning to its 7.00pm timeslot for the third episode, according to Programme Information released by the BBC Press Office today (Thursday 13 April).'School Reunion is previewed as one of Saturday 29 April's highlights. The preview (note: PDF document) includes the story synopsis, in the breakout box below.
There is also a full interview (again a PDF) which features a discussion with Elisabeth Sladen about returning to the series. "'I had a phone call from my agent who said Russell T Davies wanted to take me for a meal with Phil Collinson to talk about Doctor Who,' recalls Elisabeth.'Of course, he didn't know anything more than that and I had no idea what I was going along to. 'You kind of have the weight of the old programme on your shoulders,' she muses. 'I'm representing someone I don't want to let down. I couldn't have done it if I thought that I couldn't look after her… but I had great faith in the production team,' says the actress, whose credits include Coronation Street, The Bill and Peak Practice. 'On the day of the meeting I thought, ‘How am I going to turn these people down? The agent's going to go mad with me!' Happily, it was very soon into the introductions that I realised we were thinking about Sarah Jane in exactly the same way. So I decided to throw caution to the wind. Toby Whithouse has written a beautiful script, and Russell has put his gold dust on it.' The first day of production at the readthrough was quite an overwhelming experience for Elisabeth, however, when compared to the old days on Doctor Who. 'The read-through was quite different; I mean, there were so many people there! It was quite daunting!' she laughs. 'Ours had been quite low-key, but people I hadn't seen for years were there. What was so glorious about the actual set was the fact that the atmosphere of working on the programme generated the same excitement, the same involvement, the same enjoyment and also the same difficulties, really. On the old programme, it was curtain up at 7:30am in the studio and we worked through to 10 at night. If you didn't get every scene in by then to make a programme, you didn't have one! They have a hell of schedule now to get in what they do.There's the same time constraint, but the actual way of making it work is totally different.' ... 'People respond to how the characters behave with each other. It's very much a programme about relationships and trust. I spoke to a fan some time ago who told me he was quite isolated when he was young,' reminisces Elisabeth. 'But just for half an hour every Saturday, he could sit down and watch someone who was also a loner, who succeeded, who made things work and who wasn't like other people.And it was such enjoyment for him – it meant a lot. For children [watching Doctor Who], fear is probably coming into their lives for the first time. But it's good fear – responsible fear.' How did Sarah Jane react when she saw the 10th Doctor, David Tennant, for the first time? 'I don't think she realises it's him to start with,' Elisabeth says with a smile.'But there's this kind of frisson there – she senses there is something odd. She comes in as her perky, pushy, normal self, but there are all sorts of different motions going on: ‘How amazing that it's you! How bloody awful that you never got in touch with me!'' she laughs.'‘Who is this person now that you're going around with in time and space?'' says Elisabeth, referring to the Doctor's new companion, Rose. 'There are a lot of questions to be answered and she allows herself to become emasculated a little bit. But she has to get on with the adventure at hand as well as deal with the personal issues, which I think knocks her for six.'" (Thanks to Steve Tribe)
Doctor Who: School Reunion
The Doctor investigates a London school which is being haunted by strange, bat-like creatures at night, as the award-winning Doctor Who continues. While at the school, the Doctor finds his old friend, Sarah Jane Smith, already working undercover. Both have old scores they must settle, and Rose discovers the true legacy of being a Time Lord's companion. David Tennant plays the Doctor, Billie Piper plays Rose, Noel Clarke plays Mickey, Elisabeth Sladen plays Sarah Jane Smith, Anthony Head plays Mr Finch and John Leeson plays K9.




FILTER: - Russell T Davies - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting

Wednesday Television Updates

Wednesday, 12 April 2006 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

A new twenty-second trailer debuted across BBC television this afternoon (Wednesday 12 April). The 'New Earth'-specific trailer includes a number of scenes that have not appeared in previous promotional packages or previews, including Cassandra commenting that "The Sisters are hiding something," and the Sisters of Plenitude themselves saying, "One of the patients is conscious - we can't have that." The voiceover tells us that the Doctor is back "in a hospital with a dark secret". The trailer has aired on BBC News 24, on BBC Two after Ready Steady Cook, and on BBC One after Newsround; it is apparently expected again before or after Davina (7pm-8pm, BBC One) this evening and is likely continue to appear regularly over the next two or three days.
David Tennant appeared on This Morning on ITV1 today, interviewed by stand-in co-host John Barrowman. No new ground was covered, although Tennant himself was bearded. Billie Piper's absence was attributed to illness, with Tennant commenting that the end of a long and intense job often brings on ill health and had for him too.
The promised appearance of "Dr Who guests" on GMTV earlier this morning did not materialise, despite GMTV's own website promoting it. Tennant and his father did however make their pre-recorded appearance on Ready, Steady, Cook on BBC Two this afternoon, with Doctor Who showing a special flair for creating square oranges. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)




FILTER: - Series 2/28 - Broadcasting