Doctor Who: A Celebration

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

There was a special concert held at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff on Sunday 19th November to raise funds for the BBC's annual Children in Need appeal. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC National Chorus of Wales played a selection of the incidental music from the last two series composed by Murray Gold and orchestrated by Ben Foster, as well as previewing Love don't Roam and a four minute clip from The Runaway Bride. Tickets had sold out in hours, but the concert was also broadcast live on BBC Radio Wales.

Numerous Doctor Who stars were also in attendance, including Freema Agyeman, Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke, Phil Collinson, Julie Gardener and Steven Moffatt. Cybermen, Sycorax and Daleks were amongst the assorted monsters who appeared amongst the audience and on stage. Russell T Davies, David Tennant and Murray Gold took part in a question and answer session, revealing that they expectd a Christmas Day broadcast for The Runaway Bride.

The concert has raised over £52,000 for Children in Need so far. Various props were auctioned at the event , while an online auction of the Genesis Ark, a Sycorax helmet, the Doctor's trainers and Rose's New Earth top raised nearly £10,000. Terry Wogan carried out an auction of "money can't buy" prizes on his Radio 2 breakfast show, and the opportunity of a special set tour guided by Russell T Davies raised £25,000.

For those who missed out, the concert will be available via the red button interactive service to digital viewers at some point over Christmas.

FILTER: - Murray Gold - Special Events

Peter Barkworth

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

Peter Barkworth, who played Clent in The Ice Warriors (1967), has died at the age of 77. Barkworth also played Stephen in the Get Off My Cloud episode of the BBC sci-fi anthology series Out Of The Unknown, which featured the Tardis and a Dalek and aired in 1969.

He was probably most famous for the role of banker Mark Telford in the 1979 BBC serial Telford's Change, which co-starred Hannah Gordon, who played Kirsty inThe Highlanders in 1966/67. Barkworth left RADA the same year as his Ice Warriorsco-star Peter Sallis, who played Penley.

The cause of death was given as bronchopneumonia following a stroke. He died on 21 October in London. The story is reported at BBC News; The Times and The Guardian have obituaries.

FILTER: - Obituary - Classic Series

Soundtrack CD

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

The new series soundtrack CD is officially released by Silva Screen Records on Monday, December 4, although pre-ordered copies have already started arriving.

It comprises 31 tracks by composer Murray Gold, taken from Series 1 and 2. The first and last tracks are the title music (listed as TV Version at 41" and Album Version at 2' 36").

Neil Hannon, from The Divine Comedy, sings Song For Ten, which featured in The Christmas Invasion but was sung then by Tim Phillips, and Love Don't Roam from the forthcoming Christmas special The Runaway Bride.

It comes with a 16-page illustrated booklet that has an introduction by series executive producer Julie Gardner and track notes by Gold.

The initial pressing comes in a slipcase bearing the legend "Collector's Limited Edition" and has an exclusive badge (inside the CD case) with the cover image of Billie Piper and David Tennant and the series logo.

Downloadable samples from three of the tracks are available from the website.

FILTER: - Murray Gold - Audio

Minor press mentions

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by Josiah Rowe

BBC News has a story about efforts to retrieve classic television episodes that are "missing, believed wiped". Doctor Who gets a mention.

Peterborough Today tells us that the children of Peterborough will enjoy a Doctor Who-themed Christmas play, "A Christmas Past and Present".

The York Press has a story about a fan-made Dalek wandering the streets of York.

Robert Webb from The Peep Show, Smoking Room and That Mitchell and Webb Look is the latest celebrity to reveal his ambition to guest in Doctor Who. In an interview he gave to BBC News online, he said, "I would love to be a Bond villain. But even more I would like to be a Dr Who villain. Even if it was just a short cyberman, I would jump at the chance."

And the Guardian Media Diary notes that the Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips would like Doctor Who star David Tennant to be on the next series so she could "moon over him".

(Thanks to "Russwhover" of the YaWho discussion group.)

FILTER: - Press

Tennant to present Friday Night Project

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

David Tennant will guest present the first episode of the new series of The Friday Night Project, according to The Sun. He follows in the footsteps of Billie Piper, who was the guest host of the Channel 4 show in January this year.

FILTER: - David Tennant

Starter for Eleven

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

Mark Gatiss appeared on Midweek (BBC Radio Four, 22 November) to publicise his new Lucifer Box novel The Devil in Amber. During the interview, he also spoke about the League of Gentlemen, his role in the film Starter for Ten (as Bamber Gascoigne), which is currently on cinema release, playing Johnnie Craddock in BBC Four’s recent Fear of Fanny, his forthcoming part in the new BBC adaptation of The Wind in the Willows (he plays Ratty) and how he’ll be appearing in the Series 3 of Doctor Who, commenting that they’d finally given in to his badgering! During the programme, the presenter, Libby Purves, said to Gatiss that she understood his ambition was to play the Doctor, to which Gatiss replied, “I can’t possibly comment.”

FILTER: - People

Cybermen take over toyshops

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

The Cyberman Voice Changer helmet is tipped to be one of the best selling toys this Christmas, according to theSunday Times. Only a Bratz doll is more popular, and other Doctor Who toys in the retailer Christmas Top 20 include the radio-controlled K9 and Dalek.

It has been good news for the manufacturers Character Options, whose shares jumped more than 12p, after it said annual profits would be “significantly” above market forecasts.

The Doctor Who Annual is also predicted to be the best seller this year, beating The Beano Annual for the first time in its history.

Additional coverage about the toy sales can be found at icWales, Blackpool Today and the Yorkshire Post,; the Annual's success is also covered by The Herald.

(Additional material by Josiah Rowe.)

FILTER: - Merchandise - Radio Times

Runaway Bride and Sarah Jane Adventures press release

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

The BBC Press Office has released programme information for the Christmas period, including a synopsis of The Runaway Bride, The Sarah Jane Adventures and the final three episodes of Torchwood.

The transmission date and time for The Runaway Bride is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be Christmas Day (as noted by Russell T Davies at the Children in Need Concert). The episode features Catherine Tate as Donna and Sarah Parish playing The Empress of Racnoss. The synopsis can be found below.

The Sarah Jane Adventures will be a 60 minute special, featuring Samantha Bond as Mrs Wormwood, Porsha Lawrence Mavour as Kelsey, Yasmin Page playing Maria, and an appearance by K9. It will be broadcast over the Christmas period as part of CBBC on BBC One, as well as on the CBBC Channel, followed by a series later in the year.

The official Doctor Who website has also updated to feature an online advent calendar in the run up to Christmas.

The Runaway Bride

Bride-to-be Donna mysteriously vanishes as she prepares to marry her boyfriend Lance in a glittering ceremony on Christmas Eve. She suddenly appears, to her complete astonishment, in the Tardis with the Doctor.

As the Tardis races to get to the church on time, the Doctor and Donna are closely watched by the sinister figure of The Empress of Racnoss from her throne in her spaceship. It soon becomes clear that Donna is the key to an ancient alien plan to destroy the Earth.

The Sarah Jane adventures

Elisabeth Sladen – Doctor Who's former sidekick – is back as Sarah Jane Smith in a brand-new, fast-paced children's drama, created by Russell T Davies and from the makers of Doctor Who. The Sarah Jane Adventures ensures that children never look at fizzy drinks in the same way again...

Sarah Jane is fascinated by Bubbleshock, a strangely addictive organic drink that is taking the world by storm. She is almost oblivious to the arrival of her new neighbour, Maria, a young girl starting a new life with her father.

Maria becomes intrigued by the strange goings on at Sarah Jane's house but, before she can investigate, she's whisked away by her new friend, Kelsey, to the brightly coloured, but sinister, Bubbleshock factory.

As Sarah Jane tries to find out what the mysterious Mrs Wormwood is doing at the factory, Maria and Kelsey embark on a tour which leads them into the path of a monstrous creature and a strange young boy with no name or past.

When Sarah Jane and Maria discover the secret ingredient of Bubbleshock, they realise they are the only ones who can stop Mrs Wormwood and her evil plans for the human race.

FILTER: - Specials - Sarah Jane - Press

Weakest Link Special

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by DWNP Archive

A special Doctor Who themed edition of the Weakest Link was recorded on the 21st November, featuring David Tennant, Camille Coduri, Noel Clarke, and John Barrowman. Other contestants facing down Anne Robinson included Andrew Hayden-Smith, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Claire Rushbrook, Nick Briggs and K9.

Tracy-Ann Oberman described the experience in her column in The Guardian saying, "I realised things might be going pear-shaped in the brain department. By eight o'clock I was breaking into a cold sweat, unable to remember my own name, let alone those of my fellow contestants."

(Thanks to Tony Jordan.)

FILTER: - Special Events

Dr Who named as an Icon of England

Friday, 1 December 2006 - Reported by Kenny Davidson

Doctor Who has made it onto the Icons list according to BBC News. The programme is one of twenty-one new Icons of England, an online list selected by a panel of experts and voted for by the public. Other new additions include Winnie-the-Pooh, the Stiff Upper Lip, and Westminster Abbey.

The Icons project was commissioned by Culture Online, a part of the UK Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

FILTER: - Press

Previous 10 Stories

Doctor Who: A Celebration

Peter Barkworth

Soundtrack CD

Minor press mentions

Tennant to present Friday Night Project

Starter for Eleven

Cybermen take over toyshops

Runaway Bride and Sarah Jane Adventures press release

Weakest Link Special

Dr Who named as an Icon of England

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