Torchwood: Week Seven ProductionBookmark and Share

Monday, 28 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
A shorter week for the Torchwood production, with Presidents Day being a public holiday in the States on Monday.

Cast name-checked during the week included John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Mekhi Phifer, though of course many others were involved during filming! Also, Christopher Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, Criminal Minds, Southland, The Amazing Spider Man) mentioned in an interview with SouthLAndTVFans that he would shortly be joining the production.


The weekend before saw the GallifreyOne convention take place in Los Angeles, during which there was a panel involving writers Jane Espenson and Doris Egan who discussed their involvement with the new series; this included dealing with the nuances between UK/Welsh and US modes of speech and the cultural differences in the meaning of words like 'vest', a discussion on the differences that seems to exist between the US and UK approach to scripting a series - especially in terms of the freedom that UK writers have (though with more re-writes), and how the enthusiasm of Russell T Davies 'infects' their own approach to writing! Episodes-wise, it was clarified that the last three episodes are still being prepared, with episode eight in third draft, nine nearly finished, and ten about to be written by Russell. The two writers also admitted that they'd already bandied about ideas for future stories, though no futher series of Torchwood have been commissioned (yet!)

Video by TDrury, via YouTube


Times cited within reports are in Los Angeles local time, except where indicated


Tuesday


Photo: Jane Espenson, via Twitpic
Back to Warner Bros for another long day's shoot. Filming continued on episode three, with John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Mekhi Phifer shooting scenes.

Writer Jane Espsenson reported that there would be a production meeting for episode four that lunch time; she also clarified that the final three episodes were still in the process of being tweaked.

Meanwhile, Shawna Trpcic also explained that no date had been set as yet for the release of the publicity photos.

Jane also provided the first "TW-Spy!" photo of the week, giving us a glimpse of how studio backdrop looks on-set!

Twitter gossip for the day included:
07:34 MC  6am call. Sick as a dog. God I want to sleep for 12 hours straight.  
07:52 MP Just got on set of Torchwood.. Cold LA morning and I am going shirtless!!
Not complaining though, just need some ideas on how to stay warm??
09:06 JE Just got good morning hugs from John and Eve on set. Love this cast!
09:08 ST Hello faux Monday. Had an amazing fitting with eve at 630 am and
she was still amazing :-)
09:51 KO Back to LA tomorrow for a few days filming. |
12:47 JE Tour group of UK tourists just spotted John Barrowman on lot.
Apparently there was much excitement! |
14:48 MP having a great time working on Torchwood...
great cast and great people to work with. lots of action/intensity

Wednesday


Photo: Alana Stone, via Twitpic
Today's "TW-Spy!" is from Alana Stone, who teased us with this shot of a set interior. This evoked a number of ideas, including: "ooohhh...is this at the new Hub?", "Now I really want to know what's behind the door.", "could the 'June 45' be significant?".

The day also saw Kai Owen setting out to return to Los Angeles for some more filming; his time at Heathrow awaiting the flight turned out to be quite a 'happy hour'! (UK time)
14:10 Having a very large vodka tonic at Heathrow,
Los Angeles beware!!
a drunk Welshman will be arriving shortly.
14:54 @JaneEspenson I just hope they let me on the plane!!
theses 'Large' vodkas are getting Larger by
the minute!!! Cant wait to see you x
14:56 Thats's it I'm starting to do typos!1
i'm drumk and have too bored this plain!!
see you on the other side peeple xx
05:48 Hello Los Angeles!!!!!

Other Twitter chat included:
10:51 JE  In scene that shot yesterday.  Gwen: "I got you this."
10:51 AS In awe! That's all.
12:03 AF They are filming at WB, but I'm not there today.
Maybe tomorrow! It is very day-to-day for me. ^_^ |
15:02 AF Torchwood tomorrow! It is confirmed. ^_^ |
15:10 MP on set on the Warner bros lot in between shots watching short films on
thirdREEL.com. Definitely a cure for boredom!! Check it out!

The Doctor Who News report on Torchwood last week also seemed to generate a bit of interest!
16:19 AF  @doctor_who_news It's strange to see stuff I worked on posted as "news"!
16:21 ST Wow great reporting! @alanastone u should read - lots of fun
RT @doctor_who_news: Torchwood: Week Six... last week.

Thursday


Photo: Michael Colbert, via Twitpic
Torchwood takes to the roads today! However, in reality this was to actually remain on-set at Warner Bros rather than out and about on the streets of Los Angeles! Whether there would be some "low-loader" shots later in filming is unclear, though scenes were filmed this way back in the UK along the M4.

This was to be a late-nighter for filming in the (cold) studio, eventually wrapping around 3:00am.

Meanwhile production meetings continued, with Jane Espenson heard to say: "Where does the reality end?", whilst the production office reported that prepping for episodes five and six were about to start as filming for episodes three and four continued.

13:21 MC  Back at work FYI I did sleep for almost 20 hours straight. Feel better.
15:18 MC Complicated multiple-department car gag happening right now
15:28 MC Light car gag http://twitpic.com/43dnu7
16:20 AF Driving shots. To simulate motion, rotate fake streetlights on
a contraption resembling a ceiling fan. :-)
15:42 JE Just uttered at Torchwood production meeting: "Where does the reality end?"
Work stops as we ponder.
16:32 ST @JaneEspenson Should b a tshirt
21:05 AF Torchwood night shoot later tonight. Freezing outside.
Did not bring furry boots. My toes will be sad indeed. T_T
23:11 BBC Getting wild tonight with the #Torchwood nocturnal crew! Stay warm everyone.
Also, @KaiKaiOwen we're not going to let you leave...
23:13 BBC Tomorrow, prepping for EP 5&6 while shooting EP3&4.
Perhaps a second coffee maker is in order. Go team go!!
00:52 AF Non-stop for 2 days: commercial -> DJ gig ->
chilly #Torchwood night shoot ->
no sleep and on to an 8AM calltime at The Bachelor. Oy. T_T
01:31 AF I was just fantasizing about the bananas foster-flavored coffee
I'm going to make when we're wrapped at #Torchwood. :-)
03:03 MC Just past 3 am and finally Martini is called.

Friday

Back out on location for today, with scenes for episode four involving Kai Owen taking place in a hospital - this may have been a return to the Linda Vista Hospital where they filmed previously (a well-used film location), but wasn't confirmed. Another location mentioned by Michael Colbert was described being the "Lethal Weapon House"! The day was interrupted by rain (though fortunately not the snow that beset Los Angeles at the weekend!).

Meanwhile, amidst concerns on Twitter about possible alterations to Jack's character, Jane Espenson reassured: "Not all 'straightening' Jack! Jack is very much still Jack! Fans will be pleased."

04:06 KO  Damn! I'm wide awake, wide awake!! It's 4am here. I'm on set all day.
Espresso's all day I reckon! Have a good Friday everyone. X
06:45 KO I'm shooting at a hospital today. Scenes from Ep 4.
08:05 ST Early call on first unit late call on second unit
we are taking over LA units everywhere :-)
16:57 MC Ugly rainy night with super cold (for southern Cal) temps.
All outside and goin till probably 5 in the morning.
This is what we do for you.
17:00 KO There's no official wrap time here, so it could be anything really,
you finish when you finish. Longest for me so far 15 hours.
17:05 MC Sitting in the lethal weapon house.
Can smell still smell Joe Pechi even with the rain.
17:30 KO It raining in LA!!
18:50 AS I'm such a geek. Hehe
20:58 AF Looks like it'll be several days before I'm back working on #Torchwood.
On the flip side, I'm working on #Glee on Monday!
21:09 KO Back at the bar!! Great crew on #Torchwood. It's gonna be one helm of a show.
Back to blighty tomorrow.
21:18 KO One HELL of a show, not one Helm of a show!!
21:21 AF My job on TW isn't quite as exciting as you think tho!
I'm just standing in for now; hopefully more jobs with lines to come.
21:37 MC Were WAY past suck tonight already and still have hours to go.
07:34 BBC We're not going to let a torrential downpour stop us from
shooting all night. Bring it.
Also, @KaiKaiOwen safe travels back see you soon!
00:50 ST @KaiKaiOwen gave Kai a welcome kiss so glad to have him here feels right
05:54 MC Finally going home 16 hours later

As usual no filming took place at the weekend, though this doesn't apply to writers, as Jane Espenson observed on Sunday:
14:12 Working hard today on #Torchwood episode 8. How much can I get done before #Oscars? 
14:27 Russell is incredibly positive! I've been lucky to work with a number of
visionaries and he's up with best of 'em!

Key to initials: AF - Allyson Floyd (stand-in); AS - Alana Stone (fashion designer); BBC - BBC Torchwood (production office); JE - Jane Espenson (writer); KO - Kai Owen (Rhys); MC - Michael Colbert (electrician); MP - Mekhi Phifer (Rex Matheson); ST - Shawna Trpcic (costume designer)


Kai Owen is due back to L.A. for three months of filming from the 12th March, and tweets intimated that he'll be joined by Tom Price too!
23 14:53(UK) Im back on Sunday, Then on the 12th March we all head out for three months!!
26 14:41(LA) Tom, Where are you? I'm sitting in the lounge at LAX,
don't let me come here alone again.

Week Eight sees the production back into the heart of Los Angeles, with filming scheduled on Tuesday at the US Tower Building (also known as the Library Building) - a tall skyscraper at 633 West 5th Street - between 7:00am and 10:00pm; another unit is also active on the same day in a parking garage at 524 South Flower Street, between 6:00am and 2:00pm.

Week 8 of Torchwood aka 80s revival week!
 




FILTER: - Torchwood - Production - Filming Reports

The Crack - Qwertee T-Shirt OfferBookmark and Share

Sunday, 27 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Europe's largest daily T-Shirt website Qwertee have launched a new Doctor Who inspired design, featuring the Doctor and Amy peering through the Crack. It was created by animator Billy Allison, who said: "an idea I thought of while watching Dr Who ... why don't they just have a look inside? I thought, maybe not a good idea but still :D"

This is a limited edition print which will only be available to purchase for three days (i.e. until 11:00pm Wednesday 1st March).

Readers of Doctor Who News will be able to take advantage of a special 50p/50c discount off the usual £8/€10/$13.50 price of the t-shirt - simply enter this promotional code when ordering:
 
TheDoctorWhoNewsPage

The t-shirt can be ordered from the Qwertee website.




When it comes to the world of online t-shirt stores Qwertee.com is a little bit different in that we are the UK and indeed Europe’s first daily t shirt store. Qwertee is very simple: we sell one t shirt, for one day only, for one incredible price. Every day at 11pm we put a new tee on sale for 24 hours only (or less if it sells out) for the amazing price of £8/€10/about $13. Our shirts are about as limited edition as you could imagine: after 24 hours they are gone from Qwertee forever, never to return again. So if you see a tee you like you need to act fast before it is too late!

We work with some of the finest artists/designers both local and international to bring you an amazing new design every day of the year. But rather than deciding what to print ourselves, it is the Qwertee community members that decide what we print. Artists submit their designs, Qwertee users vote for what they like and the most popular designs are printed and put on sale for 24 hours. The artist then gets paid a €1 commission for every shirt that sells. We welcome all kinds of designs on Qwertee: from funny, pop culture and parody to more serious artwork. Qwertee want to offer something for everybody and with the shirt a day system, the next design is never far away, so you’ll always find something that suits you.

Though our shirts cost a mere £8/€10 (less if you use our discount codes) they are ethically produced, made of supersoft 100% ringspun cotton and are hand printed locally in the UK/Ireland. They also feature screen printed tags and are shipped in environmentally friendly 100% degradable bags. These are the kind of features you’d normally associate with much more expensive tees but it is just a small part of Qwertee’s commitment to providing you with a great quality product at a ridiculously low price. We ship to everywhere in the world and our shipping rates (from €1.35 with €3 worldwide delivery) are the best around.

As well as our commitment to amazing tees we also aim to provide the best service of anywhere you have ever shopped, online or otherwise. When it comes to customer service, we will do whatever it takes to make sure you are happy. We provide you with detailed sizing charts and comparisons with popular brands to make sure you get a great fitting shirt. We offer free returns and will reply to your emails within 24 hours or less, even at the weekends.

Finally we like to think of Qwertee as being one of the friendliest online communities so whether you want to check out today’s design, talk about tees or anything else in our forums, or just drop by to have a look around, you’ll be made very welcome at Qwertee.com. See you soon!




FILTER: - Merchandise - Special Offers

Docteur Who: ratings updateBookmark and Share

Sunday, 27 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Series Five of Doctor Who continued on France 4 on Saturday, featuring Le Seigneur des Rêves and La révolte des intra-terrestres (1+2). The shows achieved 295,000 viewers, a drop of 80,000 since the previous week. This was also reflected in the audience share, down to 1.3% of the total audience.

This week's audience figures for Saturday can be viewed at Premiere, which showed Doctor Who second-from-bottom in the ratings for the thirteen listed channels - Danse avec les stars on TF1 continued to dominate the evening, with some 5.385 million viewers (25.6%) of the audience.
 
Next week will see just two episodes broadcast:
Vincent et le Docteur
Le TARDIS remonte le temps. En Provence, seul un peintre solitaire semble se rendre compte du danger qui se cache dans les champs de blé et de tournesols. Doctor Who et Amy unissent leurs forces à celles de Van Gogh pour combattre un puissant extra-terrestre, mais parviendront-ils à le vaincre?

Le colocataire
Dans une maison sur Aickman Road, les visiteurs qui montent l’escalier pour se rendre à l’étage ne redescendent jamais… Afin de résoudre le mystère, Doctor Who doit se faire passer pour un être humain comme un autre et partager l’appartement de Craig Owens.







FILTER: - France - International Broadcasting - Europe - Series 5/31

"Ace" boxed set in the worksBookmark and Share

Sunday, 27 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
2|Entertain have announced a new boxed set via their @ClassicDW Twitter feed:
The Ace Box commissioned and in production.
Whilst no other details have been revealed at present, it seems likely that the set will be themed around the Seventh Doctor's sidekick, Dorothy "Ace" McShane.

At this late stage in the release schedule, there are only three other stories featuring the character that have yet to come out on DVD: Dragonfire, Ace's introductory story; The Happiness Patrol, with Helen A, Fifi, and the Kandyman; and The Greatest Show in the Galaxy with the Psychic Circus and the Gods of Ragnarok.




FILTER: - Classic Series - Blu-ray/DVD

Broadcasting Press Guild NominationBookmark and Share

Saturday, 26 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Broadcasting Press Guild have announced the nominations for their 37th Annual Award Ceremony.

This year, Steven Moffat has been nominated for the Writer's Award for both his work on Doctor Who and alongside Mark Gatiss and Steve Thompson for Sherlock. Other nominees for this award are Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan for Getting On, and Julian Fellowes for Downton Abbey.

The winners will be announced at the BPG Awards lunch on 25th March at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Doctor Who was nominated for three awards last year, but was beaten in every category.

The Broadcasting Press Guild is an association of journalists who specialise in writing and broadcasting about television, radio and the media.




FILTER: - Awards/Nominations

AudioGO Spring SaleBookmark and Share

Saturday, 26 February 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
AudioGO, the home of BBC Audiobooks is having a spring sale, with 50% off the price of all downloads from their site. A huge range of Doctor Who audios are available at a discounted price until the end of the sale on 31st March 2011.

Doctor Who audiobook downloads are available in the following categories: TV Soundtrack, Classic Novel (includes recently released Doctor Who and the War Games), Audio Original, New Reading, and Broadcast. You can download the award winning Dead Air by James Goss and read by David Tennant for just £3.39.

Torchwood audiobooks (with Radio 4 plays: Lost Souls, Asylum, Golden Age, The Dead Line) and The Sarah Jane Adventures are also included in the sale.

AudioGO have announced that they are going to close their BBC Audiobooks Facebook page on 31 March and move to a new one with the AudioGo branding, and the promise of "exciting Doctor Who news".




FILTER: - Audio

Saturn Award Nomination 2011Bookmark and Share

Friday, 25 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Hot on the heels of the Nebula nomination this week, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films have announced the nominations for their annual Saturn Awards.

This year, the 37th ceremony sees just one nomination for the Doctor Who franchise: A Christmas Carol, broadcast by BBC America, is listed in the Best Television Presentation. The episode, penned by Steven Moffat, is up against his other success of 2010 co-created with Mark Gatiss, Sherlock, which was broadcast on PBS.

Other nominees include NBC's Kung Fu Panda Holiday Special, AMC's The Walking Dead, and two series from new Torchwood co-producer Starz, The Pillars of the Earth and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

The Saturn Awards will take place this June in Burbank, California.


Last year, Torchwood: Children of Earth won the award for Best Presentation on Television, which beat fellow nominee Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead. Other nominations included David Tennant for Best Actor in Television, and Bernard Cribbins for Best Guest Starring Role in Television.




FILTER: - Awards/Nominations

Docteur Who: la prochaine fois sur France 4Bookmark and Share

Friday, 25 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
France 4 have released a new trailer for this Saturday's episodes, Le Seigneur des Rêves and La révolte des intra-terrestres (1+2); they will be broadcast from 8:35pm (local time).


Doctor who saison 5 tous les samedis à 20h35, via YouTube.

You can follow France 4 via their Facebook page and Twitter feed.






FILTER: - France - International Broadcasting - Europe - Series 5/31

Craig Owens returns to Doctor WhoBookmark and Share

Friday, 25 February 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have officially confirmed today that the actor James Corden will be reprising his role as Craig Owens - the Doctor's landlord from last year's episode The Lodger.

Though unconfirmed, this is believed to be for a forthcoming episode to be filmed that has been written by Gareth Roberts, who also penned Craig's previous appearance in the series. Roberts was a guest at last weekend's Gallifrey One convention, and during a live commentary for The Lodger was reported as saying that his new episode would begin filming "in a week" (i.e. from next week).
"I work in a shop, now."


The news comes after a tweet was posted yesterday unofficially revealing that Corden would be coming back to Doctor Who: "They're filming Doctor Who with James Corden the whole 2nd week of March on my street. Just saying."





FILTER: - Series 6/32 - Production

Doctor Who Adventures 206Bookmark and Share

Friday, 25 February 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
This week's issue of Doctor Who Adventures comes with a free Fez and four free posters!

Also in this issue:
  • Wow! Dress up like the Doctor with your free fez! There's a special treat for fans of cool headgear as well - a brilliant free fez. Stick it on and you'll look just like the Doctor!
  • Secrets of the Sontarans revealed! We've bagged an amazing interview with a Sontaran, where we ask him just why they have heads like baked spuds.
  • The Doctor answers your questions! The Doctor answers some truly monstrous questions, and reveals how you can get him to answer your queries about life, adventure and the Universe!
  • Winston Churchill battles the Daleks
  • Monster trouble for Brucie!
  • How to draw a Judoon
  • Alien Files The Vespiform takes flight!
Plus prizes, scares, puzzles and comics!

Issue 206 of Doctor Who Adventures magazine is out in the UK now.





FILTER: - Magazines - DWA