Weakest Link in Scotland

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by DWNP Archive

Viewers in Scotland who missed out on last Friday's broadcast of the Doctor Who special of The Weakest Link because of regional scheduling will be able to see it on BBC One Scotland on Sunday, April 8 at 6.10pm, according to the official Doctor Who website.




FILTER: - Special Events

MediaGuardian: Tennant to stay

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by Anthony Weight

The MediaGuardian's "Media Monkey" diary column (requires free registration to view) has run a report today claiming that David Tennant is "guaranteed" to star in the fourth series of Doctor Who, which would be his third series in the role. MediaGuardian.co.uk is the section of The Guardiannewspaper's Guardian Unlimited website that is entirely dedicated to media news and analysis. Although unattributed, the "Media Monkey" column is usually a reliable source of UK media news and gossip. The full excerpt from the column is reproduced below.
Doctor Who is back on BBC1 this Saturday, as you cannot fail to have noticed. But has David Tennant signed up for another series? The question is put to him at every press conference, and every time he declines to answer. But Monkey can reveal that it's not because he hasn't made his mind up. He has. Fans will be pleased to learn that a third series with Tennant in the lead role is guaranteed.




FILTER: - David Tennant - Press

Doctor Who Magazine 381

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Issue 381 of Doctor Who Magazine is due out this Thursday, 5 April 2007; courtesy the editors we have a preview (click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the cover)
Doctor Who Magazine 381
Doesn't it seem like an unbearable wait until Episode 2 of the new series on Saturday? So help fill the gap with the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine!
This issue, DWM goes behind the scenes on Smith and Jones, and learns The Freema Agyeman Mnemonic System For Remembering All Ten Doctors. There's more on the making of Episode 1 in an exclusive fact-pact 11-page feature, featuring brand new photographs, fascinating interviews and intriguing design drawings.
Plus, also this issue, Martha Jones makes her comic strip debut in the first part of The Woman Who Sold the World; writer Chris Chibnall reveals a few secrets about his new episode, the enigmatically-titled 42; Jackie actress Camille Coduri is grilled by the terrors of the TARDIS tin; The Fact of Fiction looks back at 1972's The Curse of Peladon; and there are all-new Exclusive previews of new episodes The Shakespeare Code, Gridlock, Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks!
Meanwhile, Russell T Davies finds himself talks celebrities in Production Notes; the new DVD release of Survival is previewed; Sorvad returns to host a very strange edition of Matrix Data Bank; there's a look at the three new Doctor Who novels from BBC Books; the Time Team watch Terminus and Enlightenment; plus all the latest news, views and merchandise reviews.
Make sure you grab your copy - it's the perfect medicine for your Doctor Who withdrawal symptoms! DWM 381 is on sale from Thursday 5 April.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWM

New Short Trips titles

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

Big Finish Productions has announced the December installment of their Short Trips range. Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas edited byCavan Scott and Mark Wright will finish out the year, joining Short Trips: Destination PragueShort Trips: Snapshots and Short Trips: Defining Patterns on the 2007 release schedule. A sample story fromShort Trips: Destination PragueGold and Black Ooze by Robert Hood, is still available.

The first release of 2008 is set for March with Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido. Short Trips: The Quality of Leadership is about leadership from throughout history. The stories will each focus on the Doctor's encounters with dukes and despots, prime ministers and presidents, kings and queens, tribal shamans and galactic emperors.




FILTER: - Audio

Series 3 Volume 1 DVD

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Outpost Gallifrey has received the cover illustration for the UK release of theSeries Three, Volume One DVD disc, due out on 21 May 2007. The disc includes the episodes "Smith and Jones," "The Shakespeare Code" and "Gridlock". Click on the thumbnail for a larger version of the cover.




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Blu-ray/DVD

New Beginnings North America Boxed Set Details

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by Shaun Lyon

Outpost Gallifrey has received the full-color cover illustrations for the forthcoming North American DVD releases of The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis and Castrovalva, the Tom Baker-Peter Davison serials that will be sold both separately packaged as well as part of the New Beginningsboxed set, due on June 5 from Warner Home Video. The cover illustrations and full details on the extras for each release are below.
New Beginnings Boxed Set (WHV #E4013)
Includes all three discs

The Keeper of Traken (WHV #E4010)
Audio Commentary: Audio Commentary by actors Anthony Ainley, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse and writer Johnny Byrne
DVD ROM Features: 1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs
Documentary: Being Nice to Each Other: A new 30-minute "making of" documentary that includes contributions from Sarah Sutton, Sheila Ruskin, Geoffrey Beevers, John Black, Johnny Byrne, Christopher H. Bidmead
Interviews: Swap Shop: Noel Edmond interviews Sarah Sutton (11 mins)
Music Only Track
Other: The Return of the Master: Geoffrey Beevers, Christopher H. Bidmead and John Black talk about the return of the Doctor's arch-enemy (8 mins)
Trailers and Continuity Announcements (6 mins)
Photo gallery
Production Notes

Logopolis (WHV #E4011)
Audio Commentary: Audio Commentary by actors Tom Baker and Janet Fielding and writer Christopher H. Bidmead
DVD ROM Features: 1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs
Documentary: A New Body at Last: A new 50-minute documentary on the transition from Tom Baker to Peter Davison, featuring many of the actors and production team involved, plus exclusive behind the scenes footage of the regeneration
Interviews: Nationwide Interviews with Tom Baker and Peter Davison (8 mins)
Pebble Mill at One: Peter Davison interview (12 mins)
Music Only Track
Other: BBC News Reports on Tom Baker's wedding, the announcement of Tom Baker's departure and Peter Davison's arrival (1 min)
Photo gallery
Production Notes
TV Spot: Trailers and Continuity Announcements (2 mins)

Castrovalva (WHV #E4012)
Audio Commentary: Audio Commentary by actors Peter Davison and Janet Fielding, writer Christopher H. Bidmead and director Fiona Cumming
DVD ROM Features: 1982 Doctor Who Annual, Radio Times and BBC Enterprises literature PDFs
Deleted Scenes
Featurette: The Crowded TARDIS: 11-minute featurette with Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, John Black and Christopher H. Bidmead
Interviews: Being Doctor Who: Peter Davison discusses how he approached this iconic role (13 mins)
Directing Castrovalva: 11-minute interview with Fiona Cumming
Swap Shop, Blue Peter: Peter Davison interviews (29 mins)




FILTER: - Canada - USA - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD - Radio Times

Torchwood On BBC America

Monday, 2 April 2007 - Reported by Jarrod Cooper

BBC America has confirmed that Torchwood will be added to its line up as part of theSupernatural Saturday strand. It will join Doctor WhoHexLife on Mars and Jekyll as part of the new programming.
Exciting news from BBC AMERICA's press department hit the wires this morning: the entire channel is undergoing a "radical makeover" later this year. The channel will now "focus exclusively on bringing U.S. audiences the very best in contemporary British programs - including a greater emphasis on our world renowned news coverage," according to our new head honcho, Garth Ancier. Lots of great acquisitions to announce, including MI-5 (Spooks to you UKers), the long-running youth soap Hollyoaks (which I love), Hotel Babylon, the new Jennifer Saunders comedy The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle, Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood, and new seasons of Hex, Life On Mars, and Doctor Who.




FILTER: - Torchwood - USA - Broadcasting

Press reviews

Sunday, 1 April 2007 - Reported by Anthony Weight

Press reviews have started to appear in the Sunday newspapers for last night's third series opener of Doctor Who. TheSunday People's critic Jon Wise expresses disappointment with "Smith and Jones", stating that "The BBC'S biggest, brightest, shiniest and most overly-hyped flagship show - Doctor Who Really Cares Any More? - is back... What was once new and exciting is now boring and repetitive. It feels a struggle to have to engage with a new sidekick for the Doctor... While it was still easily watchable sci-fi fun, after two series this is starting to feel lazy and lame." The Daily Mirror's verdict from Kevin O'Sullivan is mixed: O'Sullivan feels that Freema Agyeman "is set to be just as popular as her smash-hit predecessor Billie Piper," while adding "there's no denying that energetic David Tennant doesn't deliver the goods."

The online version of The Stage entertainment industry newspaper carries a review by assistant editor Scott Matthewman, which also praises Agyeman. "Freema may have proved herself capable to be the new companion, but she has big shoes to fill. And it’s to the series’ credit that it openly acknowledges the Rose-shaped hole and makes it a virtue. By doing that, it helps set up what should be an interesting series. Bring it on!" However, Matthewman feels that the plot of the episode "doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. An MRI scanner, capable of being tweaked to kill everything within 250,000 miles? On an NHS budget? (Seriously though, it could kill everything on Earth — even from the moon — but Anne Reid plans to escape by hiding behind a screen?)".




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Press

Episode 1 Overnight Ratings

Sunday, 1 April 2007 - Reported by Marcus
Unofficial overnight figures show that the first episode of the new series was watched by 8.2 million viewers, a 39.5% share of the audience.

The programme was the most watched on Saturday, beating the second placed Any Dream Will Do by 1.5 million viewers.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on ITV1 was watched by 4.7 million viewers.

The programme also had the highest audience share of the day.

The five minute breakdown shows the audience grew by over 2 million throughout the programme to peak at 9.1 million between 7.35 and 7.40.

Doctor Who was also top of the Children's Top Ten with 1.6 million viewers between the ages of 4 and 16. This was more than double the number viewing the second placed Harry Potter which had 0.7 million children watching.

On BBC3, Doctor Who Confidential was watched by 790,000 Viewers. It was the second most watched programme on multi channel TV, being beaten by Ford Football Special on Sky Sports 1.




FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 3/29

More Press Reviews

Sunday, 1 April 2007 - Reported by Marcus
Monday's newspapers have been busy reviewing the return of Doctor Whoto BBC One on Saturday.

Andrew Billen in The Times gives the programme 4/5 and describes how all his worries about Rose leaving were dispelled with the arrival of Martha, while Sam Wollaston in The Guardian declares "Doctor Who still rules". InThe Telegraph James Walton writes that Russell T Davies isn't running short of imagination yet.

The Express accuses Russell T Davies of ruining every Saturday night on which there's no Doctor Who, and gave thanks the programme was back with a "gloriously bonkers plot".

Most papers report on the show's "ratings smash".




FILTER: - Series 3/29 - Press