BSFA Issue Apology to Steven Moffat

Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - Reported by Marcus
The British Science Fiction Association have issued an apology to Doctor Who show runner, Steven Moffat for an offensive tweet made by one of its committee members last Friday and sent to the writer.

At the time Moffat retweeted the comment asking Does everybody get this?

Although the tweet came from a personal account, the BSFA committee felt the individual concerned was seen as closely linked to the organisation. They wanted to make clear they did not endorse either the choice of wording or the sentiments expressed in the offending tweet.

A letter of apology has been sent to Moffat, who told the Association that he understood the circumstances and has taken no offence from the BSFA.

Steven Moffat joined twitter last year as part of the promotion for Sherlock. He now has over 150,000 followers.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Production

Louise Jameson: Pulling Faces in Australia

Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Louise Jameson, Pulling Faces, photo Ian Fraser/TLC ProductionsLouise Jameson is to give a special performance of her one-woman show Pulling Faces in Australia next month.

The event is hosted by the Doctor Who Club of Australia as an epilogue to the Whovention 21 Celebration and takes place at the Bankstown Sports Club in Sydney on Wednesday 26th October. As well as the show itself, the actress will also attend a Q&A session, and an additional 'priority' package is available which enables ticket holders to attend an exclusive "meet and greet" with the actress and be able to receive her autograph after the event.

Louise Jameson plays twelve different characters in the course of one hour. You will be guided through a week in television presenter Joanna's life as she does battle with her nipped and tucked nemesis, the evil agent, and her anti-surgery daughter Rachel. An evening of guilty pleasure.

You can find more details of the event from the Doctor Who Club of Australia, and the play itself via Louise Jameson's official website.

(with thanks to Vitas Varnas)




FILTER: - People - Special Events - Australia

DWM Companion: The Eleventh Doctor (Vol 3)

Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Details for the third Doctor Who Companion volume covering the adventures of the Eleventh Doctor have been released by Doctor Who Magazine. This edition features the first four episodes of the 2011 series, The Impossible Astronaut to The Doctor’s Wife , plus the 2010 Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol; it also covers the 2010 Prom, Doctor Who Live, and the Comic Relief special, Space/Time.

The magazine will be published on 8th September 2011.

The Doctor Who Companion
The Eleventh Doctor
Volume Three

Your complete guide to the award-winning BBC One series!
Written and researched by Andrew Pixley.

The 2011 season of Doctor Who began in the most dramatic way possible – by killing off the Doctor in the first episode! Unaware of his ultimate fate, the Doctor (Matt Smith) was reunited with his friends, newlyweds Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory Pond (Arthur Darvill) and together they embarked on an incredible series of adventures in time and space. Their journey took them from the Utah desert to beyond the universe, and saw encounters with River Song, President Nixon, the Silence, pirates, a Siren... and even the Doctor’s wife!

Now, Doctor Who Magazine takes you behind the scenes of these astonishing episodes with an in-depth episode guide – including original storylines, deleted scenes, media appearances, ratings information and hundreds of facts about the day-to-day life of the making of Doctor Who – all illustrated with gorgeous, never-before-seen photographs. This collectors’ edition examines the 2010 Special A Christmas Carol, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon, The Curse of the Black Spot and The Doctor’s Wife, as well as the 2010 Doctor Who Prom, the spectacular stage show Doctor Who Live, and the Comic Relief Special Space/Time.

This is your essential guide to the worlds of Doctor Who.
Get ready to discover a wealth of information – and remember, silence will fall...





FILTER: - DWM

People roundup

Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Last Friday heard David Tennant co-hosting the Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio, discussing current projects and joining in the general mayhem of the programme - you can watch two videos from the show, with David discovering the delights of "Building Tennis" and "Fish Face Friday"! [Absolute Radio, 2 Sep 2011]

West-end stars including David Tennant have put their underwear up for auction to raise money for the Make A Difference Trust. The auction is being run on Ebay and items have been signed by the celebrity in question. Steven Inman, charity director, said: "This is a novel and fun way to raise money for good causes and we are fortunate to have the support of so many big names backing the Pants Project and its aims to help sick people in hardship. The pants are destined to become must-have mementos and are sure to attract a lot of interest from fans. [Metro, 6 Sep 2011]

John Barrowman has been busy promoting his new album, but will also be launching a range of grooming products on 12th September; named HIM, the range will be available exclusively from shopping channel QVC. [John Barrowman website, 6 Sep 2011]

The entertainer is also subject of a new musical, Stalking John Barrowman, where two eccentric fans set up a detective agency to snoop on the star. Described as a very traditional Broadway sound with a sort of Disney element, Musical director Patrick Steed said: "I hope he’ll be flattered. There should be loads in there for the fans – it will appeal to a lot of people who love Doctor Who and Torchwood and people who follow his career." [Wales on Sunday, 4 Sep 2011]

Billie Piper is to star as Carly in Neil LaBute’s Reasons To Be Pretty, which will open in London's Almeida Theatre on 10th November; her co-stars in the Tony Award-nominated play are Kieran Bew (Kent), Sian Brooke (Steph), and Tom Burke (Greg). Synopsis: "Greg is overheard admitting that his girlfriend Steph is no beauty, but that he wouldn't change her for the world. She is devastated; he can't quite see what he’s done wrong. Meanwhile, Greg's best friend Kent alternates between boasting about how gorgeous his wife Carly is, and chasing after a hot new colleague." [inc The Stage, Theatermania, What's On Stage, 2 Sep 2011]

Steven Moffat recently spoke on his continuing association with Doctor Who: I haven't got any kind of plans to leave. I take it one [season] at a time. 'Doctor Who' on its own is an incredible workload, astonishing. And to have that and to have 'Sherlock,' yeah, it's savage. I'd like to get out before it kills me. But and it's not killing me at the moment. I'm loving doing it, so I have no immediate plans to leave. But at the same time, the thing about 'Doctor Who' is, when it is time to go, you want to make sure it's looked after. You don't want to be the last one. I want it to go on and triumph long after I stop. [AOLTV, 26 Aug 2011]

Daniel Mays (who appeared as Alex in last weekend's Night Terrors) talked about if he would play the Doctor: "I don't know, it's so huge. Matt said to me you have to get used to having your face on plates and merchandise and all this sort of stuff. It's a huge part. isn't it? I don't know whether I would be able to take that on. But he's doing a fantastic job." [Coventry Telegraph, 2 Sep 2011]

Peter Hoar (director for A Good Man Goes To War) commented on his preferences for directing: "I prefer the more organic approach of reality and ‘things’. If I can create it for real, to be seen and touched by the cast, then I believe the performances are stronger. CGI definitely has a place but as a tool to improve reality and create fantasy but not out of proportion." On returning to direct further episodes: "I haven’t been asked as yet but wouldn’t turn down a great offer!" [Hypable, 5 Sep 2011 (with thanks to Nicholas Myers)]





FILTER: - Steven Moffat - People - Billie Piper - David Tennant

Matt Smith - Most Stylish Man

Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Matt Smith: GQ AwardsMatt Smith has won the Most Stylish Man award at the 2011 GQ Men of the Year awards.

The citation reads
In addition to revitalising the Doctor (and sales of tweed jackets, while he’s at it), Smith earned acclaim for his portrayal of Christopher Isherwood – all while dressing to perfection on and off screen.

The annual GQ Men of the Year awards gives GQ magazine readers the chance to vote for the most influential figures in a variety of fields over the past year. Winners are chosen from nominees in the fields of film, television, sports, music, fashion, theatre, literature and food through online voting by GQ readers. Winners are typically featured in an issue of GQ, as well as being honored at the annual Men of the Year awards show.

Smith won the 2010 award for Best Actor which this year went to Benedict Cumberbatch of Sherlock fame.

Bill Nighy, who appeared in Vincent and the Doctor, who won the 2011 Editor's Special award.





FILTER: - Matt Smith

Series 6: Part 2 - BBFC Classifications

Wednesday, 7 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Series Six Part TwoThe BBFC have now certified various episodes and features that will form part of the Series 6: Part 2 boxed set:

Note: the titles of the DVD extras may constitute a spoiler




  8. Let's Kill Hitler       PG    48m  9s
9. Night Terrors PG 42m 33s
10. The Girl Who Waited PG 46m 2s
11. The God Complex 12 48m 0s
12. Closing Time PG 45m 11s

The Antibodies U 9m 3s
The Cybermats PG 10m 13s

At the time of writing the finale of the series, The Wedding of River Song, has yet to be classified.



The boxed set is due for release on 10th October 2011, and is available for pre-order on DVD and Blu-ray.





FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Blu-ray/DVD

The Girl Who Waited: BBC Publicity

Tuesday, 6 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a new video to promote this week's forthcoming episode of Doctor Who, The Girl Who Waited, featuring producer Marcus Wilson and writer Tom MacRae:


The Girl Who Waited: Marcus Wilson/Tom MacRae, BBC, via the BBC Doctor Who site - may not play outside of the United Kingdom


A number of publicity photos to tie in with the episode have also been released:


**** PUBLICITY PHOTOS FOR THE GIRL WHO WAITED
**** MIGHT BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS














FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Online

Doctor Who Confidential: remaining titles revealed

Tuesday, 6 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have now announced the titles for the remaining episodes of Doctor Who Confidential (which might be considered spoilers):

10.   10 Sep   What Dreams May Come
11. 17 Sep Heartbreak Hotel
12. 24 Sep Open All Hours
13. 1 Oct When Time Froze

Some behind-the-scenes features have recently been added to the BBC's Doctor Who site that tie into the two episodes that have been broadcast so far. Two location featurettes were released for Let's Kill Hitler covering the final day's filming (part one and two) in a cornfield, and a tour inside the robot. Meanwhile, after the first interview snippet with Night Terrors star Danny Mays reported previously, a second interview with the actor has been released, accompanied by an introduction to the story by Matt Smith and Marcus Wilson; there are also two preview clips of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill discussing the dolls house on location (one, two) via the BBC's YouTube channel.


You can follow updates from the Doctor Who Confidential team on Facebook.





FILTER: - Documentary - Series 6/32

Melbourne Fringe: Who, Me.

Tuesday, 6 September 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
A new one-man stage show based around Doctor Who has been announced for the Melbourne Fringe, taking place between the 21st September and 9th October:

Who, Me.

Doctor Who is about to face his greatest challenge: his number one fan. Rob Lloyd (The Hounds, The Mutant Way, A Study in Scarlet (A Study of...) and Fan Number One) is putting the Doctor on trial.

Not just for Doctor Who fans, it’s a show about obsession and it’s many faces. What have you been obsessed with – a celebrity, a football team, a TV show? For Rob, it’s Doctor Who all the way.

He will be asking the BIG questions. Investigating whether Doctor Who (the television show) is guilty of inciting in him a debilitating obsession, or whether it has shaped him into a well-rounded, mentally sound member of society. Since 1996 Rob Lloyd has dedicated himself to amassing as much Doctor Who knowledge, well as videos, DVD, novels, audios, action figures and assorted paraphernalia as he can afford. With his replica Jon Pertwee era sonic screwdriver in hand and dressed in his 10th Doctor get up he is ready to jump head first into finding out how and why he got here!

Built up through improvisation and storytelling techniques, this one-man show is a personal and fitting tribute to a television icon. Through the course of the show we will see how one TV program can influence a persons actions, behavior and psyche. You don’t need to be a Doctor Who fan to relate to this show, it speaks to anyone who has known obsession. It’s a hilarious romp across the Doctor’s 48 years, 11 faces and countless adventures.
 

The 55 minute play is to be performed by Australian actor, comedian and improviser Rob Lloyd, known for the cult musical comedy The Dodge, comedy troupe The Crew and award-winning comedy trio The Hounds; he devised the show alongside regular collaborator/director Scott Gooding.

Who, Me. will be performed throughout the Fringe (bar Mondays and final night) - further details and tickets can be purchased via the Melbourne Fringe.

(with thanks to Laura Milke Garner/MILKE Performance Industry Services)




FILTER: - Special Events - Australia

Fan Creations

Tuesday, 6 September 2011 - Reported by Marcus
TARDIS DressDragon*Con 2011 featured a number of Doctor Who costumes some of which can be studied on the Geeks of Doom Website.

Amongst the Daleks, Doctors and assorted villains parading through the streets of Atlanta was this version of the TARDIS. Created by Kelldar, the inspiration for the dress came after getting an incorrect shade of blue fabric for a Marie Antoinette dress she wanted to make.

Meanwhile across the nation at the Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, tens of thousands of participants gathered to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. Part of the Festival is the presence of hundreds of art cars or mutant vehicles gliding through the desert including, this year, a rather large DALEK .




FILTER: - Fan Productions