Publicity:

The BBC have released their first publicity photo of Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman together on location, which is available to download as wallpaper in both 4:3 and 16:9 format:


Further images of the pair are due on the BBC website next week.

Filming Update:

Meanwhile, filming has continued on the series, with Matt and Jenna seen together on location at Margam Country Park last week. A clapperboard confirmed that this episode is being directed by Jamie Payne and Director of Photography is Mike Southon.


Filming then returned to another old haunt for the weekend, with the interiors of Hensol Castle playing host to the cast and crew.

Wednesday saw a read-through take place, as reported by casting director Andy Pryor: "Mega readthrough day, Block 1 of ‪Call The Midwife‬ (fantastic to be back) and a marv new ‪Doctor Who‬ ep. No spoilers for either!" This was followed yesterday by an early morning scene taking place in the Plan Cafe in Cardiff and featuring Matt with series regular Barnaby Edwards - normally enclad within a Dalek, the actor commented: "It's a welcome change not to be in one for this. :)"


This week also saw a surprising couple appear on location - Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill! The pair officially completed filming in May but were back for interior pickups for their last episode. Additional exterior work on episode four continued with scenes with Matt Smith outside the former couple's "home". Scenes were directed by Saul Metzstein and Douglas Mackinnon, with director of photography Sarah Bartles-Smith.

Casting Update:

The media covered filming at Margam Country Park, with items appearing in The Sun and Daily Mail; the latter reported that Dougray Scott was also on location - the actor (originally tipped to be the next James Bond after Pierce Brosnan) has recently appeared with David Tennant in United and starred in the BBC remake of The Day of the Triffids.

Elisabeth Sladen's autobiography is to be published in paperback next month, it was announced today.

Aurum Press, which brought the book out in hardback last November, said that it would be available from 26th July, but it is likely that it may be out on 1st July. It is available to pre-order here.

With a foreword by David Tennant and published with the support and participation of Sladen's family, Aurum calls the book "a warm and witty celebration of an actress who delighted generations of children and is fondly remembered by fans young and old alike".

This morning saw the Olympic Torch Relay commence on Day Eight of its travels around the United Kingdom, kicking off from outside the Norwegian Church at Cardiff Bay - with a familiar face to take on the mantle of bearer! Matt Smith was up bright and early to play his part in the celebratory journey, and spoke on BBC Breakfast about how he felt on his latest role and the crowd that gathered to cheer him on:



When asked about his predecessor's carrying the torch before (the Tenth Doctor in Fear Her), Matt commented "I'm pleased I got my turn!"

Matt Smith will be carrying the Olympic Torch this weekend when it reaches Cardiff in the latest leg of its 70 day trip around the United Kingdom.

Smith will bear the torch early on Saturday morning, at the start of its journey from Cardiff, the capital of Wales and home of Doctor Who, to Swansea a few miles along the coast. The day will see the torch visit the communities of Barry, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda and Bridgend.

Smith told the official BBC twitter feed The journey can be followed live via the BBC News website, starting from around 6.20am (0520 GMT). Smith will carry the torch from the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Harbour Drive to the Senedd, National Assembly Building, Cardiff, a distance of about quarter of a mile.

The Olympic Torch featured in the 2006 Doctor Who story Fear Her, where the Tenth Doctor carried the torch on the last part of its journey towards the Olympic Stadium, as well as in the mini episode Good as Gold, shown on Blue Peter yesterday.

Voting is now open for the sixteenth annual TV Choice Awards, with Doctor Who nominated in the same three categories it won last year.

The series itself has been nominated for Best Family Drama, which it won both last year and in 2010. This year again sees it up against spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, as well as Waterloo Road, Merlin, Casualty, Holby City, Glee, Doc Martin, and Wild at Heart.

Matt Smith is up for his second award for Best Actor, a huge category of names that also includes Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, all four Mad Dogs stars John Simm, Marc Warren, Philip Glenister and Max Beesley, and Merlin's Colin Morgan.

Karen Gillan is up for her second Best Actress award, and again sees her pitted against former companion Freema Agyeman for Law and Order UK; others nominees include Gillian Anderson for Great Expectations, Emilia Fox for Silent Witness and Miranda Hart for Call the Midwife.

Additionally, Torchwood: Miracle Day has been nominated in the Best Drama Series category, which sees it up against Sherlock amongst many other shows, including Being Human, Dirk Gently and Downton Abbey.


Voting is open online until 15th June, with the Winners' Ceremony taking place on the 10th September at The Dorchester Hotel in London.


As well as the three awards won last year, previous ceremonies have seen Doctor Who win every year except 2009 (where it was beaten by Waterloo Road), both of the recent former Doctors voted Best Actor - Christopher Eccleston in 2005 and David Tennant in 2006-2008 - and sidekicks Billie Piper in 2006 and Catherine Tate in 2008 for Best Actress.

Steven Moffat received the Writer prize for the Sherlock episode A Scandal In Belgravia at this year's BAFTA Television Craft Awards, and said he was "genuinely, utterly thrilled" to be presented with it. His wife, Sue Vertue, tweeted: "The Moff wins! Hurrah for my husband @steven_moffat who's just won a #Bafta for #Sherlock. Love him!" The Mill had been nominated for its visual effects work on Doctor Who but it lost out to BlueBolt and Great Expectations. [BBC News, 14 May 2012]

Ahead of being presented with a Special BAFTA next Sunday, Moffat has given an interview to the film and television arts organisation about his career so far. In it, he takes a swipe at people who have problems with the complexity of his dramas Doctor Who and Sherlock. "There's been a weird backlash among, I presume, fairly stupid people about the fact the shows are complicated and clever, but they're both huge international hits. We make no apology. Don't expect to do the ironing; sit down, pay attention and think about it. Audiences like complexity. They follow intricately plotted soap operas all the time. It depresses me when people say, 'It's all far too clever,'" he states. [BAFTA Guru]

Catherine Tate has been signed up by Sky Arts to star in a new comedy called Psychobitches. Part of the channel's comedy and drama strand entitled Playhouse Presents, the 30-minute production will see her portraying Eva Braun and Edith Piaf. Also appearing in it will be Sheila Reid as Mother Teresa, while Sam Spiro will play Mary Whitehouse - a real-life enemy of Doctor Who during the classic era! It will be shown on Thursday 21st June at 9pm. [Sky Arts]

Production designer Michael Pickwoad gave a talk to the Friends of the Bodleian in Oxford in which he touched on his involvement with the show. A great admirer of historical architecture and construction methods, he mentioned that Nostell Priory in Yorkshire influenced a twin-column design that he used in Doctor Who. Pickwoad's early work included the film Withnail and I, which starred Paul McGann and Richard E Grant, who not only provided the voice of the Doctor in the animated webcast Scream of the Shalka but also played a version of the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief spoof The Curse of Fatal Death, which was written by Steven Moffat. Another notable film Pickwoad worked on was Let Him Have It, which starred Christopher Eccleston in one of his earliest acting roles. [The St James's Evening Post, 16 May 2012]

And speaking of the actor . . . During an interview ahead of his appearance as Creon in Antigone at the National's Olivier Theatre in London, Christopher Eccleston touched on his time as the Time Lord and why it was so brief. "I know what went on and the people who were involved know what went on – that's good enough for me. My conscience is completely clear," he said. Eccleston also praised the young fans of the show, saying: "I'm hugely grateful to the children who to this day come up and talk to me about the show." Antigone opens tomorrow and runs until Saturday 21st July. [The Telegraph, 16 May 2012]

Eccleston will be talking about his career and answering questions at the Olivier Theatre on Thursday 19th July. The one-hour interview - part of the In Conversation series - will be conducted by Al Senter.

Georgia Moffett has been speaking about stripping to her underwear as Geraldine Barclay in the farce What The Butler Saw. "I thought it was going to be a lot scarier than it is. Once the play starts I have to take my clothes off or the story doesn't work. But I am quite insecure about my figure, so it's amazing how liberating it feels after you have done it a couple of times. Obviously, I would prefer to wear clothes, but once I take them off at the beginning, I think, 'Oh, well, they've seen it now’, and I just carry on." The production, which also stars Samantha Bond and Tim McInnerny, is at the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End until Saturday 25th August. [The Telegraph, 18 May 2012]

In Memoriam:

Legendary hairdresser Vidal Sassoon, who in 1963 created the distinctive geometric cut for the character of Susan, played by Carole Ann Ford, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 84. [BBC News, 10 May 2012]

Last week saw the final scenes recorded on location for the characters Amy and Rory, aka Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill - the latter who comes 'full circle' as the location at St. Cadoc's Hospital in Caerleon was where he filmed his first day on location back in 2009!

Their last scenes to be filmed come from the penultimate episode for the Ponds, the fourth of the next series. Their departure on screen will be in the following episode, the fifth, which was recorded last month. After the final shots were completed Karen Gillan tweeted "And that's a wrap! Bye bye from the ponds. We love you."

The final scenes were observed by several of the production team past and present, including lead writer Steven Moffat and former executive producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis, with a party taking place afterwards to celebrate.

Another 'closure' took place on Friday, with the final day's production at Upper Boat. The studios, located in Pontypridd just outside Cardiff, have been home to Doctor Who since the third series and have also been the base for Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. The complex was the first BBC studio centre totally dedicated to drama, and was set up in the wake of the success of Doctor Who following the series' revival in 2005. Production will now continue in full at the new purpose-built studios at Roath Lock in Cardiff Bay.



With Karen and Arthur's final scenes recorded, the "handover" to new girl Jenna-Louise Coleman will begin filming shortly, though as with previous introductions her first story to be recorded may not be her first story on screen!

The third in our occasional series marking the 50th anniversary of events leading to the creation of a true TV legend.
 
The initial seed had been sown with the suggestion by Eric Maschwitz, Assistant and Adviser to the Controller of Programmes, that the literary merits of science fiction be looked into for short, single adaptations.

BBC Head of Script Department Donald Wilson, who had set up a Survey Group to keep an eye on other media and to look for ideas that the department could develop for television, gave this task to drama script editors Donald Bull and Alice Frick. They reported back that there was just a small number of suitable works and writers but were unable to recommend any particular stories.

Bull and Frick also stated that any adaptations should be written by TV dramatists and not SF writers. One copy of the report was sent to Wilson, to be duplicated and circulated with the next minutes for the Survey Group, and another was sent to Maschwitz.

On 14th May 1962 - exactly 50 years ago today - a memo was sent to Maschwitz by Donald Baverstock, the Assistant Controller of Programmes for BBC TV, thanking him for the Survey Group report, which he had seen. Baverstock wrote: "HSDTel" stood for "Head of Script Department, Television", ie, Donald Wilson. The next day - 15th May 1962 - Maschwitz sent Baverstock's memo to Wilson, including with it a hand-written note expressing his own "admiring thanks".

Just days later, Frick and her colleague John Braybon, pictured right, were tasked with putting together another report specifying sci-fi stories that would suit being adapted for television. This follow-up would be presented to Wilson on 25th July 1962.

Earlier in the month, on 1st May 1962, Bull had sent a letter to SF author John Christopher's agent, Jean LeRoy, to express his gratitude for the stories by Christopher that she had sent him. He said there were "considerable immediate opportunities . . . for using John Christopher's specialised knowledge and talent in conjunction with our future schemes, possibly in collaboration with a skilled TV dramatist" but he also stated that TV audiences were generally unready yet for "the more fanciful flights of SF" as displayed in such stories as Christopher's Christmas Roses.

In the meantime, rival channel ITV was preparing to broadcast the sci-fi anthology series Out of this World - the first of its kind on British TV and a programme greenlit by ABC drama supervisor and sci-fi fan Sydney Newman, who was working out his notice at the commercial network before joining the BBC as its Head of Drama later in the year. This 13-part series would start airing on 30th June 1962.

Phil Davis talks about what roles interest him the most: "I like films and plays that are about real life, I'm not interested in superheroes or things going to the moon and all that. What I like is films about real people, dealing with real problems and what it's like to be alive in London in 2012 – well, not just in London, in this country. Those are the things that interest me, things that are genuine." [Independent, 29 Apr 2012]

Frances Barber found herself involved in a hostage situation in Tottenham Court Road, with the actress reporting: "am in middle of hostage sitch in Tott. ct. Road. Can't get out. We are all hostage inside.« Tott ct rd deserted. All shops, cafes, etc evacuated.police everywhere.we are not allowed out. «" Later, she said: "For what it's worth I think the Police were ace today in Tottenham Court Rd. They had it sorted they get a rough time. But I only saw good. «" (Footnote: A man has been charged with various offences and remanded in custody following the incident. [BBC News, 30 Apr 2012])

Georgia Moffett is listed as "one to watch" by The Independent. [Independent, 28 Apr 2012]

Former co-executive producer Piers Wenger has been made head of drama at Channel 4. He became a Film4 senior commissioning executive after leaving Doctor Who and said of his impending move to Channel 4: "It's a hugely exciting time to be taking on this role and I can't wait to start work . . . on developing a new generation of drama for Channel 4. I'm also greatly indebted to Tessa Ross and all at Film4 for the expertise they have shared in the last six months and it's a dream come true to be able to continue those relationships into my new role." [Radio Times, 1 May 2012]

Bernard Cribbins has given an interview to The Guardian in which he talks about his novelty records of the 1960s. [The Guardian, 2 May 2012]

Outgoing Doctor Who co-star Karen Gillan is Scotland's "sexiest woman" in a poll by FHM Magazine, which ranks her in 36th place overall (six places up from last year). Meanwhile, incoming co-star Jenna-Louise Coleman has entered the chart for the first time at number 91. [STV, Easier, 2 May 2012]

John Barrowman talks about his confidence: "I'm a good actor! [Laughs] No, I'm passionate about what I do, I'm very opinionated, I'm very driven, I have an ambition -- I have a healthy ambition. I'm not rude to people, I know what I want, I'm generous -- these are things I'm saying I feel I am that I've also been told I am. I don't want it to sound in any way egotistical. But there's a fine line between ego and confidence. When confidence becomes ego and egotistical, you can tell it right away. I've always said to people around me if ever that verge goes across, smack me." [Comic Book Resources, 3 May 2012]

Orbital's Paul Hartnoll has been talking about Matt Smith's guest appearance during their set at Glastonbury in 2010. It all started with a chance encounter at a party following the Coachella festival that year . . . "I was approaching the fridge to go and get a beer, and I thought 'That bloke in front of me looks like Doctor Who'. I tapped him, and I said, 'Excuse me, are you Doctor Who?'. He just turned round to me with the biggest grin and said, 'Well actually, yes I am'. We just had a beer together and a chat and he said 'Oh, I'd love to come on stage and introduce you one time'. Our lighting guy who was with us said, 'Why don't you come on at Glastonbury?' He sort of flipped out and said, 'Oh my god, I've never been to Glastonbury, that'd be brilliant'. So we just kept in touch. He said if you can get me and five friends into Glastonbury, I'll do it, so we did. He had a great time. That was brilliant. He was absolutely peaking." [Digital Spy, 30 Apr 2012]

James Bond director Sam Mendes likens the movie franchise's longevity with Doctor Who: "That's why I mentioned the word in the press conference, 'regeneration' rather than 'evolving', because I feel it is like, you know, we have Doctor Who ... there's a geek answer ... and I was brought up on the idea of Doctor Who, who at the end of his final episode, he dissolves and a new actor pops up and he regenerates and it's a whole other character: sometimes it's an old man, sometimes it's a young man, but he just changes. I've always loved that idea." [Collider, 1 May 2012]

David Tennant has been reported as being in talks with director Justin Lin over a role in Fast 6. [Latino Review, 3 May 2012]

In Memoriam:

The visual effects designer Peter Wragg has died following a short illness. His work on Doctor Who spanned from The Visitation to Mindwarp (the latter story being part of the Trial of a Time Lord season). As well as working on Doctor Who, he also lent his name to cult TV shows such as Red Dwarf, Thunderbirds, Joe 90, UFO, and Captain Scarlet, as well as the comedy series 'Allo, 'Allo and the harrowing documentary-style drama Threads. [reddwarf.co.uk, 20 Apr 2012]

France 4 is to celebrate the arrival of Series 6 to the channel with with a Doctor Who Night to be held on Saturday 19th May.

As well as the first four episodes of the series, The Impossible Astronaut, Day Of The Moon, The Curse of The Black Spot and The Doctor's Wife, the channel will be showing some episodes from the classic series, the Tom Baker stories Genesis of The Daleks and City of Death and the William Hartnell story Edge of Destruction.

Alain Carrazé and Romain Nigita will present a series of reports looking at the Doctor Who phenomenon, investigating the origins of the series, profiling the Doctors and Companions and looking to see what the future holds for the Timelord.

Interviewed during the night will be Russell T Davies, Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, John Barrowman, Freema Agyeman, Derek Jacobi and Tom Spilsbury as well as fans like François Descraques or Davy Mourier.

A visit to the Doctor Who Experience in London is also included.

The Doctor Who Night is produced by 8 Art Media and filmed partly at the Palais de la Découverte in Paris, and will be presented by Louise Ekland. A full episode listing can be found on This Week in Doctor Who.