The Day of the Doctor / The Time of the Doctor: French DVD Release

Friday, 31 October 2014 - Reported by Harry Ward
French-speaking Doctor Who fans will be able to enjoy The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor in their native language when a single disc DVD set featuring the two stories is released in France on 1st December 2014.
Le Jour du Docteur / L'Heure du Docteur  (Credit: France Télévisions Distribution) Le Jour du Docteur / L'Heure du Docteur
Date de sortie: 1 décembre 2014 (pre-order)

Le dvd contient les deux épisodes spéciaux:

- Le Jour Du Docteur (76'): l'épisode spécial 50e anniversaire
- L'Heure du Docteur (65'): 800e épisode de la série

Y compris la version originale sous-titrée et la version française.

Edité par francetv distribution.

Ce DVD sera en exclusivité à la Fnac à partir du 5 novembre 2014, puis dans tous les magasins le 1er décembre 2014.

The DVD contains two special episodes:

- The Day Of The Doctor (76 '): 50th anniversary special episode
- The Time of the Doctor (65 '): 800th episode of the series

Including the original subtitled version and the French version.

Edited by FranceTV distribution.

This DVD will be exclusive to Fnac from November 5, 2014, and in all stores on December 1, 2014.




FILTER: - Blu-ray/DVD - Day of the Doctor - France - Series Specials

The Day Of The Doctor / The Time Of The Doctor: Soundtrack

Tuesday, 28 October 2014 - Reported by Harry Ward
The Day Of The Doctor / The Time Of The Doctor (Credit: Silva Screen Records) Silva Screen are to release Murray Gold's music from The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor on a two disc CD. The set will be released in the UK the day after Doctor Who's 51st anniversary on Monday, 24th November 2014.
Murray Gold’s lush and spirited scores to the final two episodes of Matt Smith's journey as The Doctor. Featuring the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Crouch End Festival Chorus conducted by Ben Foster.

The first disc presents music from the 50th Anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt, with a guest appearance from Tom Baker and a two second 13th Doctor incarnation of Peter Capaldi.

The second disc presents music from the 2013 Christmas episode, The Time of the Doctor, featuring Matt Smith’s final Doctor Who performance and Peter Capaldi in his first regular appearance as The Doctor.

Track Listing

The Day of the Doctor / The Time of the Doctor
Release Date: 24th November 2014 (pre-order)

The Day of the Doctor (Credit: Silva Screen Records)
DISC ONE
    The Day of the Doctor
  1. I.M Foreman (1:10)
  2. Will There Be Cocktails? (0:40)
  3. It's Him (The Majestic Tale)(2:05)
  4. He Was There (4:23)
  5. No More (1:06)
  6. The War Room (1:42)
  7. Footprints In The Sand (1:43)
  8. Who Are You (4:38)
  9. England 1562 (1:03)
  10. Nice Horse (1:43)
  11. The Fez And The Portal (2:44)
  12. Two Doctors (1:02)
  13. Three Doctors (1:56)
  14. Somewhere To Hide (1:50)
  15. Rescue The Doctor (1:08)
  16. 2.47 Billion (4:28)
  17. Zygon In The Painting (1:35)
  18. Man And Wife (1:33)
  19. We Don't Need To Land (2:27)
  20. We Are The Doctors (0:49)
  21. The Moment Has Come (3:06)
  22. This Time There's Three Of Us (The Majestic Tale (7:03)
  23. Song For Four/Home (3:41)

The Time of the Doctor (Credit: Silva Screen Records)
DISC TWO
    The Time of the Doctor
  1. The Message (1:16)
  2. Handles (2:07)
  3. The Dance Of The Naked Doctor (2:13)
  4. You Saved It (0:57)
  5. Papal Mainframe (0:45)
  6. Tasha Lemm (1:07)
  7. Bedroom Talk (1:49)
  8. The Mission (0:54)
  9. Christmas (2:27)
  10. The Crack (5:24)
  11. Rhapsody Of War (0:52)
  12. Back To Christmas (3:09)
  13. Snow Over Trenzalore (Song For Four) (2:46)
  14. Beginning Of The End (2:47)
  15. This Is How It Ends (3:07)
  16. Never Tell Me The Rules (3:12)
  17. Trenzalore/The Long Song/I Am Information (Reprise) (4:03)
  18. Hello Twelve (0:40)




FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - Murray Gold - Music - Series Specials

The Time of the Doctor DVD/Blu-ray release details announced

Friday, 20 December 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
Details have been revealed for the DVD and Blu-ray releases of The Time of the Doctor - with Region 2 getting a two-disc set comprising all the Eleventh Doctor's Christmas specials as well as extra content from this year's offering, which sees Matt Smith bow out as the Doctor.

To be released on Monday 20th January as a box set and entitled The Time of the Doctor + Other Eleventh Doctor Christmas Specials, the Region 2 contents will be as follows:
The BBC Shop is also doing an exclusive T-shirt and DVD/Blu-ray offer for the release.

The one-disc Region 1 DVD/Blu-ray of The Time of the Doctor will be released on Tuesday 4th March, comprising this year's Christmas episode and the extras Behind the Scenes of The Time of the Doctor, Farewell to Matt Smith, and Tales from the TARDIS. None of the previous Christmas episodes will be included.




FILTER: - Merchandise - USA - UK - Time and the Doctor - Series Specials - Blu-ray/DVD

First teaser trailer for 2013 Christmas special

Sunday, 24 November 2013 - Reported by John Bowman
The first teaser trailer for this year's Doctor Who Christmas special can now be viewed online.

The trailer aired on BBC One yesterday immediately following The Day of the Doctor and includes Daleks, a Cyberman, a Silent, Weeping Angels, and a tolling bell, with captions stating: "This Christmas Silence Will Fall".


The episode, whose title is yet to be revealed, is expected to be broadcast on Christmas Day, and will see the Eleventh Doctor regenerate into the Twelfth.




FILTER: - Online - Series Specials - BBC

Filming wraps on the Christmas Special

Saturday, 5 October 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Principal photography for the Christmas Special was completed today, as announced by producer Marcus Wilson:



In just eighty-one days the final adventure for Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor will be broadcast, and we get our first glimpse of the Twelfth TARDIS dweller, aka Peter Capaldi!




FILTER: - Peter Capaldi - Matt Smith - Series Specials

The Day of the Doctor: new promotional image and press details released

Wednesday, 11 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a new promotional image for the 50th Anniversary Special, The Day Of The Doctor, which is once again presented in the style of a movie poster:

The Day of the Doctor - Promotional Poster (landscape) (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers)
The Day of the Doctor - Promotional Poster (square) (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers) The Day of the Doctor - Promotional Poster (portrait) (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers) The Day of the Doctor - Promotional Poster (landscape) (Credit: BBC/Adrian Rogers)


A full press release of the run-up to the anniversary episode has now been published:

Fifty years of Doctor Who to culminate in The Day Of The Doctor

The countdown starts here as the BBC reveals its plans to take over TV and radio to mark the Doctor’s 50th anniversary.

With special programmes planned across the BBC, the celebrations will peak on 23 November with the anniversary episode, revealed as The Day Of The Doctor. Starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman with Billie Piper and John Hurt, the special for BBC One has been confirmed as feature-length, with 75 minutes of adventure.

Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, says: “The Day Of The Doctor is nearly here! Hope you all enjoy. There’s lots more coming your way, as the countdown to the 50th begins now.”

Each channel will be home to unique content, celebrating the wealth of history and talent from the last 50 years.

BBC Two will broadcast a number of new commissions, focusing on telling the story behind the show. For one night only, Professor Brian Cox will take an audience of celebrity guests and members of the public on a journey into the wonderful universe of the Doctor, from the lecture hall of the Royal Institution of Great Britain (1x60 minutess). Drawing on the latest theories, as well as 200 years of scientific discoveries and the genius of Einstein, Brian tries to answer the classic questions raised by the Doctor: Can you really travel in time? Does extra-terrestrial life exist in our galaxy? And how do you build something as fantastical as the TARDIS?

In an hour-long special, BBC Two’s flagship arts programme The Culture Show presents Me, You And Doctor Who (1x60 minutes), with lifelong fan Matthew Sweet exploring the cultural significance of the BBC’s longest running TV drama, arguing that it’s one of the most important cultural artefacts of modern Britain. Put simply, Doctor Who matters. He’ll examine how the show has become a cultural force in its own right and tell the stories of some of the unsung cultural heroes, who pioneered its innovative music, design and storytelling.

BBC Two wraps up its coverage with the previously announced An Adventure In Space and Time (1x90 minutes), which will tell the story of the genesis of Doctor Who and the many personalities involved. Written by Mark Gatiss, the drama stars David Bradley (the Harry Potter films); Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Identity), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife) and Sacha Dhawan (History Boys, Last Tango In Halifax).

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer of Doctor Who, says: "Fifty years has turned Doctor Who from a television show into a cultural landmark. Personally I can't wait to see what it becomes after a hundred."

Update 11 Sep: the BBC have informed us that the broadcast of An Unearthly Child is currently unconfirmed, pending the resolution of issues with one of the episodes - more details as and when we are updated. BBC Four will introduce audiences to the first Doctor, William Hartnell, with a special re-run of the first-ever story, which marked the start of 50 years of history. The four episodes are being shown in a restored format, not previously broadcast in the UK.

There will also be programmes across CBBC with 12 Again (1x30 minutes) bringing together CBBC’s super-fan Chris Johnson, impressionist Jon Culshaw, Tommy Knight (Luke Smith), Warwick Davis (Porridge), Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra), Dan Starkey (Strax) Louise Jameson (Leela) and the seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, to share their memories of watching TV’s top Time Lord when they were young.

Blue Peter will launch an exciting new competition giving viewers aged between six and 14 the opportunity to design a new gadget that will become part of the iconic science fiction series. Two live Blue Peter specials will see presenters Barney, Lindsey and Radzi joined by aliens and monsters, with viewers challenging Matt Smith to answer their Doctor Who questions.

BBC Three will be home to several exciting entertainment commissions. Audiences will be encouraged to get involved and vote in Doctor Who: Monsters And Villains Weekend, as we countdown to the top Doctor Who monster. For those less familiar with the show, Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide will introduce fans and viewers to a wealth of archive material and act as a guide to all things Who. A further exciting commission to be announced later this year will see the celebrations finish with a bang.

Danny Cohen, Director of BBC Television, says: “Doctor Who is a titan of British television and I’m incredibly proud to have it on the BBC. It's an astonishing achievement for a drama to reach its 50th anniversary. I'd like to thank every person - on both sides of the camera - who has been involved with its creative journey over so many years.”

It’s not just TV where audiences will be able join in the celebrations; programming across Radio 2, Radio 1 and Radio 4 Extra will also mark the 50th.

BBC Radio 2 will ask Who Is The Doctor? in a 90-minute documentary featuring newly recorded interviews and exclusive archive material. The programme will look at the lasting appeal of Doctor Who and ask how much of its continued success can be attributed to its basic formula.

In The Blagger’s Guide To Doctor Who, David Quantick will give the iconic Doctor the Blagger’s treatment. He’ll be finding out the answers to questions such as, why do Americans think Tom Baker is still Doctor Who? How many Doctors have there really been? Were the Daleks really named after an encyclopaedia?

Finally, Graham Norton will be broadcasting his weekly Radio 2 show live (Saturday 23 November, 10am) from the Doctor Who Celebration in London. In a special three-hour show, Graham will take a ride in the TARDIS and will also be chatting with some of the series’ stars and fans.

Music is a key part of Doctor Who, from the famous theme tune to soaring melodies, but the show has also inspired a whole new phenomenon – Time Lord Rock (TROCK). Radio 1 will look at this genre of music inspired by the Doctor and his journeys through space and time with a 60-minute documentary.

Meanwhile, Radio 4 Extra travels back to 1963 with a three-hour special programme, Who Made Who?, to look at the world that inspired the television series. Doctor Who may have come from other times, but his roots were very much in the present of 1960s Britain. This distinctive programme combines audio from the archive, new interviews and extracts from audio versions of Doctor Who. Additionally, the station will broadcast readings and dramas featuring the great Doctor.

There will also be special content across the official website and on BBC iPlayer.






FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - Series Specials - Press - Broadcasting

Fiftieth Anniversary details revealed

Tuesday, 10 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have revealed some details about their programming for the Fiftieth Anniversary celebrations, which will include:
  • The Anniversary Special itself, which has been named The Day of the Doctor and will be 75 minutes long.
  • The 90 minute drama An Adventure in Space and Time
  • A BBC Two lecture by Professor Brian Cox on the science behind the hit show
  • A Culture Show special by Matthew Sweet, entitled Me, You and Doctor Who
  • A BBC Radio 2 documentary entitled Who is the Doctor?
  • A repeat run of a restored version of the very first story, An Unearthly Child, on BBC Four
  • A primer to the series with Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide
Exact times will be revealed at a later date.

Note: the news item has since been removed from the BBC News site




FILTER: - Day of the Doctor - WHO50 - Series Specials

Christmas Special: read-through today

Wednesday, 4 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Hot on the heels of the report that Matt Smith starts filming on Sunday, the BBC reported that the read-through for this year's Christmas Special took place today, with a report on Twitter stating: "Christmas starts early for the #DoctorWho team! Here’s Matt Smith at today’s Christmas Special read through."

Matt Smith at the Christmas Special readthrough (Credit: BBC)

The BBC's Doctor Who website added:
Matt was in brilliant form at the read through for this year’s Christmas Special, written by Steven Moffat. In fact, seeing him back in action as the Doctor made us want to fast forward to November to see the eagerly awaited 50th anniversary special!

Tweets on the read-through were also made by DWM editor Tom Spilsbury: "The Doctor Who Christmas readthrough was lovely - and rather moving. Matt Smith has been a terrific Doctor, but he's also a true gentleman." Make-up designer Claire Pritchard said: "Quite an emotional day at the doctors today he was reading a story." Having been working on Steven Moffat's other series, Sherlock, she added: "Is it rude and disloyal to leave a consulting detective for a Doctor I feel dirty!xx"


With principal photography due to kick off on Sunday, the first indication of a filming location came from Labour councillor Dilwar Ali, who said: "Dr Who will be filming at Llandaff North next week."





FILTER: - Production - Matt Smith - Filming Reports - Series Specials

Matt Smith to start shooting Christmas Special from Sunday

Wednesday, 4 September 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Matt Smith with Richard Arnold at the GQ Awards, 3 Sep 2013 (Credit: Daybreak)Matt Smith has confirmed that he begins shooting for this year's Christmas Special from this coming Sunday.

Speaking to Daybreak's entertainment correspondent Richard Arnold at last night's GQ Men of the Year Awards, the actor responded to a question about his current hair style and on how this would impact filming:
I did it for a film, but it means I have to wear a wig in Doctor Who which is a nightmare. I'm excited, I start shooting the Christmas Special Sunday. It'll be sad - the end of a wonderful era!




FILTER: - Matt Smith - Filming Reports - Series Specials

Doctor Who's new Visual Effects creators announced

Monday, 3 June 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Milk VFX (Credit: Milk)The question over who would take on Doctor Who's visual effects in the future was answered today with the announcement of a new company formed by the same creative team that worked on the show's previous series. Milk's founders are Nick Drew (Managing Director and Executive Producer), with Visual Effects Supervisors Jean-Claude Deguara and Nico Hernandez (also joint Heads of 3D), Sara Bennett (also Head of 2D), and Murray Barber, with Executive Producer and overall CEO of the company being a name and face familiar to fans through Doctor Who Confidential, Will Cohen.

Cohen released a statement about the company's aim:
Milk aims to be the most sought after visual effects team in what we believe is blossoming into a thriving industry for high-end TV visual effects. Our new venture is timed to enable us to capitalise on the new tax breaks in the UK as we expect to see an influx of TV work, as well as continued feature film work, coming to London over the next few months and beyond.

As mentioned above, Doctor Who will be one of the first customers for the new effects company, with work being undertaken on the 3D 50th Anniversary Special. The company is also working on Steven Moffat's eagerly anticipated third series of Sherlock, and a new BBC One mini-series Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (due to be broadcast in 2014).

A showreel of their previous work can be viewed on the company's website.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Production - Series Specials