Preview of The Mazes of Time game

Thursday, 2 December 2010 - Reported by Harry Ward

BBC America have published the first video preview of Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time along with a press release on their Anglophenia blog.

In the lead up to this year's Christmas Special, Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol, airing on BBC AMERICA — the BBC is developing a brand new action adventure puzzle app to be available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The new game, Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time, features the Doctor and his companion Amy Pond traveling through time and space to defeat infamous enemies, solve devious puzzles, and restore peace. The game allows users to play both the Doctor and Amy Pond, utilizing their unique skills and abilities to solve challenges. The Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time app will be available to purchase from the Apple iTunes Store in the U.S. before Christmas.

You can follow news about The Mazes of Time on the Twitter feeds from BBC Worldwide Games (@BBCWGames) and Tag Games (@taggames)

FILTER: - Games

More details on "A Christmas Carol" released

Thursday, 2 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The BBC Press Office have released more details on the forthcoming Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol.

It's the deepest part of winter, the exact midpoint, Christmas Eve – halfway out of the dark. Amy and Rory are trapped on a stricken space liner that's plummeting through banks of thick icy fog to the surface of the planet below.

Only one man has the power to save them; only one man is in possession of a machine that can clear the fog and let them land safely.

That man is Kazran Sardick, a rich but lonely old miser who rules Sardicktown with a sky-mast of iron.

The Doctor's only chance of rescuing the ship's four thousand passengers is to save Kazran's soul and show him that life is worth living. For this he needs to go back, way back, to when Kazran was a boy with a life full of promise.

But can the Doctor put a song in Kazran's heart and love in his life, in time for Christmas? Can he bring him out of the dark?

Matt Smith (the Doctor) said:

I've always wanted to be part of the Christmas Doctor Who experience, and I think this is certainly one of the most Christmassy and inventive Doctor Who stories so far. Steven just keeps getting even more imaginative and the great thing about this episode is that when Doctor Who and Christmas are put together you combine the spirit of both those things; it's a fun old yarn and the Doctor simply loves Christmas.

It was a real privilege to work with Michael (Gambon). I had a great time with him and he was really naughty! He's so crafty and when I asked him about working with iconic actors such as Olivier and Bates he said the one thing they all had in common was they were naughty – and he's exactly the same. He was very mischievous, constantly telling jokes and getting into the spirit of play.

With Katherine I was astounded by her professionalism. Considering it was her first acting experience I thought she handled it with real craft and diligence. It's exactly the type of casting we want; someone fresh, exciting and new."

Katherine Jenkins (Abigail):

I had the most amazing time; I must admit I was very nervous and I felt out of my comfort zone because I hadn't done any acting before. However, when I arrived on set the whole team was so welcoming and supportive. They made me feel like I could do it. It certainly felt very Christmassy when we were filming it in July! The story is very emotional which I hope is going to touch people.

I do get to sing though which was nice and I had a really good laugh with Matt between takes. He kept mucking around and singing to me but you know people should hear his voice; I think he's got a great bass voice!

Steven Moffat, writer:

Oh, we're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. And... oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbours loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I'm fairly sure they did it ironically.

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning:

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan captivated audiences in their debut series, and Doctor Who's clever twist on the much loved A Christmas Carol will thrill BBC One viewers this year with special guest stars Sir Michael Gambon and singing sensation Katherine Jenkins joining Amy and the Doctor for an unforgettable present!

FILTER: - Specials

Filming: A Tale of Two Castles

Thursday, 2 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Filming commenced last week on Block 3 of the next series of Doctor Who, with the cast and crew working inside Cardiff Castle. Meanwhile, this week sees a visit to another old filming haunt Caerphilly Castle. The current block is believed to be for episodes five and six of the series, penned by Matthew Graham (see our earlier article for more details).

Photos from the location at Cardiff Castle (24-25 Nov 2010)

Yet again the DW production crew descend on a snowy Caerphilly Castle. Back in January they were there for The Vampires of Venice and now the current block again makes use of one of the largest castles in the UK.

After hearing about the base in the car park the kids and I headed down for a gander, just like we had before. We parked in town, walked through the precinct and headed up to the castle. Sitrep - cold and icy underfoot. On the way up we could see a panalux van or two by the main gate and plenty of activity too. Lots of people on site, so this looked like it was going to be a big shoot.

As we got closer, a silver car pulled past us and out got Karen Gillan. She was well wrapped up but it was easy to spot her flame red hair in the bright sun. She rushed up into the castle and we followed slowly behind, paying our £10 entry fee on the way.

Walking up the hill we could see metal girder-like props on the the floor by the side of the buildings, some were getting a last minute spray to finish them off. By then I realised it was very early in the shoot. Walking through the east inner gatehouse it was obvious that this was where all the action was going to take place. Kit and wires galore in the buildings on both sides of entry.

Carrying on we looked around the rest of the location. Nothing was happening in the Great Hall at the time we were there (10am) but as time went on it looked like some kit was being placed in there. Towards the back of the castle a number of plastic container drums were being stacked, they seemed out of place for a castle setting but then again so did the girders.

Every now and then people would come out to the concession table for a cup of something warm. At one point we saw a trio of male cast members in orange trousers. At first I thought they were boiler suits but then noticed they all had what looked like white tunics poking out from under their winter coats.

We wandered round the castle a bit more and found our way into the upper corridor which runs along the back of the great hall. This was used for part of the chase in VOV but today didn't seem to be dressed or lit for filming. It does however lead to the side entrance to the upper levels of the east inner gatehouse but that doorway seemed to be locked. So no luck there then.

Venturing back into the inner keep we saw a couple of strapping lads carrying kit up into the north west (lady's) tower. As there seemed to be no one up there, we had a wander up there too. This leads up to a balcony area that looks out onto the keep and further up to a circular room. This is where the kit ended up. There also seemed to be a large round wooden stucture in that room too which may be part of the episode.

While we were in the shop, a quad bike which they were using to get a round on the icy ground drove past. On the back was a silver cylinder, approx 1.5m high and 0.5m across with two clock/dial/gauges on it. It looked like it would be part of some larger machine and certainly fit with the other set props we'd seen earlier.

So thats my report for today, I doubt filming will be visible when it starts and its quite possible they'll be there after the castle closes at 4pm today and maybe into tomorrow too. One final thing. Its bloody cold at the moment, spare a thought for the crew who work hard in all weathers to bring us our favourite TV show. It was -4°c when we arrived; it will warm up slightly but it'll be much colder later.

Photos from the location at Caerphilly Castle (30 Nov, 1 Dec 2010)

In casting news, directory Spotlight has indicated a couple of actors that will also appear in these episodes: Marshall Lancaster (Chris Skelton from Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes) is listed as playing a character called 'Buzzer', whilst Sarah Smart (Anne-Britt Hoglund from Wallander) will play 'Jennifer Lucas'.

FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production - Filming Reports

Radio Times - Clean Christmas Cover

Thursday, 2 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Radio Times have provided us with a clean version of the cover featuring Matt Smith, Sir Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins - see the two versions together below!

This edition of the Radio Times (11th-17th December) is in the shops from today, 2nd December 2010.
See our earlier article for full details.

FILTER: - Radio Times

TARDISes in Transit

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Harry Ward

A lorry carrying eleven TARDISes was spotted in a Cardiff industrial park today.

The lorry had made a stop in the Foreshore Road warehouses - which is next to the Heliport and not too far from the site of the new BBC Wales Studios - but it is not known where they were actually heading to, or what they are for. The TARDIS prop used for filming is transported as a flat pack and then assembled on location, which makes this sighting rather intriguing.

Update: I've been informed that there are actually 22 Police Boxes on this lorry.

If you have any more information about these TARDISes please contact us.

FILTER: - UK - Miscellaneous

Online Advent Calenders

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster

It's that time of year again, and the BBC have once again launched their popular "Adventure Calendar". Day One sees the updated return of an old game, "Doctor in the House":

... you have to sneakily use as many quotations from the Doctor as possible. Use the guile of a Time Lord to win big points! Download Doctor in the House to find out the rules and find the new quotes for this year's version. And even if you don't fancy playing the game (is that possible?) then why not peruse the quotations and see how many you recognise... can you say what episodes the lines are from?

A new treat will be added to the calendar every day.

Our own advent celebration takes the form of artwork provided by an artist known to us as "Willy Phantom", author of images for the festive period for a number of years. The artwork will appear daily in the right sidebar of the News Page.

On other fan sites, the Doctor Who Times are presenting an animated advent calendar, in association with Blink; day one provides a TARDIS snow globe you can 'shake'.

You can also find advent treats on WhovianNet, whose calendar for today features four Christmas cards for you to download and print - you can choose from the Doctor, Amy, Rory and River.

Finally, for those who prefer the traditional one on the shelf, there is the BBC/bonbonbuddies "Dalek" advent calendar with milk chocolates, and Doctor Who Adventures included a calendar free with Issue 124.

FILTER: - Miscellaneous

Peter Hoar to direct an Easter Special?

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency have cited a credit for Doctor Who on their profile of director Peter Hoar; the entry reports that he will be directing a "one-off Special of the popular series to be broadcast over the Easter weekend", a one hour long story written by Steven Moffat and produced by Marcus Wilson.

Extract from the Curtis Brown Literary and Talent Agency on Peter Hoar

There is no other confirmation on the details listed; filming for the new series during November saw the completion of the opening story penned by Steven Moffat, and then moved onto Matthew Graham's two-part story (as reported by the writer), so the production date given remains unclear at present.

The positioning of such a special within the series is also uncertain - though Doctor Who traditionally broadcasts from around Easter, 2011 sees the weekend fall later in April (22nd-25th); this might suggest that an earlier Spring start to Series Six, but previous years have shown that any such decision is unlikely to be confirmed until a few weeks before transmission.

Update: since the news item was published, the profile listing has now been adjusted to read "Director of a single episode to be broadcast in 2011".

Hoar's CV includes the BBC's popular spy series Spooks, Mistresses, and ITV's crime drama Wire in the Blood.

FILTER: - Specials - Series 6/32 - Production

Special Sound

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Special Sound is a new book chronicling the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop, written by Dr Louis Niebur, Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Nevada.

Special Sound traces the fascinating creation and legacy of the BBC's electronic music studio, the Radiophonic Workshop, in the context of other studios in Europe and America. The BBC built a studio to provide its own avant-garde dramatic productions with experimental sounds "neither music nor sound effect." Quickly, however, a popular kind of electronic music emerged in the form of quirky jingles, signature tunes such as Doctor Who, and incidental music for hundreds of programs. These influential sounds and styles, heard by millions of listeners over decades of operation on television and radio, have served as a primary inspiration for the use of electronic instruments in popular music.

Using in-depth research in the studio's archives and papers, this book tells the history of the many engineers, composers, directors, and producers behind the studio to trace the shifting perception towards electronic music in Britain. Combining historical discussion of the people and instruments in the workshop with analysis of specific works, including a large number of Doctor Who incidental scores, Louis Niebur creates a new model for understanding how the Radiophonic Workshop fits into the larger history of electronic music. In particular, he explores the unique relationship between Doctor Who and the Radiophonic Workshop through new interviews with that program’s composers.

The book is published by the Oxford University Press (USA).

FILTER: - Books

Boxing Day for Australian debut of A Christmas Carol

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Adam Kirk

The

TV Tonight blog confirms that the Doctor Who 2010 Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, will make its Australian debut on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Boxing Day, Sunday 26 December 2010 at 7.30pm on ABC1. As TV Tonight reports, this will be the first time ever an episode of Doctor Who will air in Australia within 24 hours of its UK debut.

Thanks to TV Tonight.

FILTER: - Specials - Broadcasting - Australia

Sarah Jane Official Ratings

Wednesday, 1 December 2010 - Reported by Marcus

Final Ratings for Series four of The Sarah Jane Adventures are now available.

This year each episode premièred on the digital Children's Channel CBBC on a Monday and Tuesday before being repeated on the mainstream BBC One later in the week. The exception to this was The Nightmare Man which was repeated on BBC Two as The Commonwealth Games were being shown on BBC One.

The series has done incredibly well on CBBC with Part One of The Empty Planet now holding the record for the highest rated programme on CBBC. The series was boosted with the apperance of Matt Smith and Katy Manning in Death of the Doctor half way through the series, with most of the audience staying with the show until the end.

On BBC One the average rating for the series was 0.52 million or 0.49 million if the BBC Two showings are added in. The BBC One average for this timeslot for the year so far is 0.46 million. The fact that The Sarah Jane Adventures beats this, dispute this being the second showing of the week, is very impressive.

By comparison the average BBC One audience for other CBBC programmes was Junior Masterchief 0.72 million; Blue Peter 0.44 million; Gastronuts 0.42 million; Relic: Guardians of the Museum 0.42 million; Amimals at Work 0.29 million; My Genius Idea 0.27 million.

The highest combined rating was for Part One of Lost in Time which had a total of 1.57 million viewers across both channels. Last year the series peaked with 1.59 million watching The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith.

This year the total average for the series was 1.29 million viewers. Last year the BBC One average was 1.01 million.