TARDIS travellers materialise at SDCC2011Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Earlier in the month we reported that members of the Torchwood: Miracle Day" cast and crew would be appearing as this year's San Diego Comic Con, courtesy of Starz. Today, BBC America have announced that Doctor Who will also be represented, with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan making their first appearance at such an event.

The two time travellers will be on a panel on Sunday 24th July, alongside writer Toby Whithouse and executive producers Beth Willis and Piers Wenger, as detailed below:

12:30 – 1:30 pm, BBC America’s Doctor Who – Stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan make their first Comic-Con appearance for a panel and Q&A with Doctor Who writer Toby Whithouse (Being Human creator) and executive producers Piers Wenger and Beth Willis. They’re bringing with them exclusive new footage from the new episodes airing later this summer on BBC AMERICA. Doctor Who follows the adventures of the Doctor, the mysterious traveler who journeys throughout all of time and space, picking up companions along the way and almost always sidestepping danger.

Doctor Who, from award winning lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, stars BAFTA nominee Matt Smith as the Doctor and Karen Gillan as his companion Amy Pond, along with Arthur Darvill as Rory and Alex Kingston who plays River Song. Part One of the new season, which premiered in April, delivered record ratings for BBC AMERICA and marked the first time Doctor Who filmed on American soil. Its finale ended with the unveiling of a massive secret and the words "Let’s Kill Hitler" on screen.

Part One of Doctor Who arrives on Blu-ray/DVD on July 19 and Part Two premieres late summer on BBC AMERICA’s Supernatural Saturdays.





FILTER: - Doctor Who - Special Events - USA - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Memoirs of an Edwardian AdventurerBookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
A new book celebrating the Eighth Doctor's adventures on audio is to be published later this year, to tie in with the next series from Big Finish this Autumn. The book is by Will Brooks and Nick Mellish, and will be published by Pageturner Publishing.

Reborn in a hospital morgue, stranded aboard a crashing air ship, lost in a universe without time and forced to wage a final bitter war against his greatest enemies...

For a Doctor that only made one TV appearance, in the 1996 TV Movie, the Eighth Doctor has lead a long and eventful life on audio. Since 2001, Big Finish have produced more than sixty audio plays featuring Paul McGann giving the character a life beyond the small screen.

In Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer, two dedicated Doctor Who fans set out to listen to each of these audio plays, one episode a day every day, in an attempt to experience a true ‘Eighth Doctor Era’. Along the way they discover the highs and lows of the series, from 2001’s Storm Warning through to 2011’s To the Death, via a short series of Sixth Doctor plays featuring ongoing companion Charley Pollard.

Written by Will Brooks (Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space) and Nick Mellish (Nick’s Little Bit of Net), sometimes examining the literary origins of the Eighth Doctor’s adventures, sometimes commenting on the strength of a story, and sometimes merely praising (or otherwise) a particular cast member, Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer is the definitive account of two fan’s experiences of the Eighth Doctor’s travels in time and space.

You can read a preview of the book here.
The book also features a foreward by Conrad Westmaas, audio companion C'rizz to the Eighth Doctor from The Creed of the Kroman to Absolution.

Memoirs of an Edwardian Adventurer is due to be published on 10th October and is available for pre-order from the publishers; a version for the Amazon Kindle will be available once the book is released. Everyone who pre-orders before 1st September will have their name printed in the book as a special thanks.

(with thanks to Will Brooks)




FILTER: - Books - Big Finish

Coming Soon: RenditionBookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Torchwood: Miracle DayThe BBC have now updated their programme information for Week 29 with details of Torchwood: Miracle Day's second episode, Rendition, which will premiere in the UK on BBC1/BBC1HD at 9:00pm, 21st July.

The following is the plot synopsis for Rendition which might be considered a spoiler



As the Torchwood team is reunited, Jack realises he's the most vulnerable man on Earth; and a flight to the USA turns into a desperate battle for survival.





FILTER: - Torchwood - UK - Press - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Doctor Who at Comic Con FranceBookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The third annual French Comic Con kicks off today at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center, and as reported last month will feature a number of Doctor Who related activities, not least being the French debut of opening two episodes of Series Six, The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon.

The two episodes will centre-case the Sunday proceedings featuring the event's Guest of Honour, Steven Moffat; from 11:30am there will be a masterclass by Doctor Who's head writer, followed by episodes themselves from 12:30pm. Afterwards Moffat will feature in a Doctor Who conference (2:30pm), followed by a signing session from 4:00pm.

Selected episodes of Doctor Who written by Moffat will also be screened, with Les Anges Pleureurs (Blink) today at 4:00pm, and La Bibliothèque des Ombres (Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead) tomorrow from 12:30pm.

Saturday is dedicated to Moffat's other successful series, Sherlock, which has also been translated into French. A conference on the dub takes place from midday with Roland Timsit (artistic director) and Gilles Morvan (voice of Sherlock Holmes); this is then followed by a signing session from 1:30pm and then a screening of the first episode, Une Etude en Rose (A Study in Pink) at 2:45pm.


The full Comic Con schedule can be found on their website.

Steven Moffat appears courtesy of a partnership with BBC Worldwide, France 4 and France Television Distribution.

(with thanks to Aurélie Demonchaux/Beans on Toast)





FILTER: - Special Events - France - Series 6/32 - International Broadcasting - Europe

Miracle Day - Advance screenings in the USBookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 June 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
Starz have teamed up with Landmark Theaters to offer fans in the US the chance to attend a free advance screening of the premiere episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day, The New World on July 5th and 6th.

The official Starz Torchwood Facebook page has added these screenings to their events page.

July 5, 6pm - 8pm
Atlanta
Midtown Art Cinema
931 Monroe Drive
Atlanta, GA 30308
Dallas
The Magnolia
3699 McKinney Ave,
Dallas, TX 75204
Denver
The Landmark, Greenwood Village
5415 Landmark Place,
Denver, CO 80111
Chicago
Century Centre Cinema
2828 N Clark Street
Chicago IL, 60657
Los Angeles
The Landmark, Los Angeles
10850 W Pico Blvd Suite 520,
Los Angeles CA 90064

For your chance to attend this screening, email comments@landmarktheatres.com with "Torchwood Tickets" in the subject line. One entry per Film Club member. A limited number of Film Club members will be chosen at random and notified via email.
New York
The Sunshine Cinema
143 E. Houston Street,
New York, NY 10012
Philadelphia
Ritz East
125 S. 2nd St
Philadelphia, PA 19106
San Francisco
Embarcadero Center Cinema
One Embarcadero Center
Promenade Level
San Francisco, CA 94111
July 6, 6pm - 8pm
Boston
Kendall Square Cinema
One Kendall Square Bldg., 1900
Cambridge MA 02139
Houston
River Oaks
2009 West Gray
Houston TX 77019
Washinton D.C.
E Street Cinema
555 11th Street NW
Washington DC 20004-1300

Please note that seating is limited by capacity. No RSVP or ticket is required as seating is first come, first served. This screening is rated TV-14 and contains mature content. Must be 14 or older to attend.





FILTER: - Torchwood - Special Events - USA - Miracle Day (Series 4)

T-Shirt roundupBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
This week sees a few Doctor Who inspired t-shirts available to purchase online, and a number of retailers have kindly offered Doctor Who News readers a discount code when ordering their design!
 


Qwertee have launched the latest in their popular Doctor Who designs; created by "zerobriant" and "rtofirefly", the t-shirt is only available for two days.
The 'My Regeneration Tour' is live on stage! Fresh from their last performance at Satellite 5, The WHOs are the greatest band of all -Time-! Paul McGann's sonic screams wail out across the universe, accompanied by killer licks from Tom Baker on lead guitar, and a smooth groove from the bass guitardis of Matt Smith! And you can expect David Tennant to EX-TER-MI-NATE his drum solo with the precision of a Doctor.
Doctor Who News readers may claim a 40p/50¢ discount off the t-shirt by using the code doctorwhonews.net when ordering.

 


Other Tees are currently running a t-shirt design based upon the Beatles' iconic Abbey Road; designed by "NanaLArt", the t-shirt is available for the next four days.
I really like The Beatles and I really like Doctor Who. I decided to make an equation full of awesome! I know the Abbey Road theme has been done before but if you haven't put Daleks on a meme then you're not doing it right!
Doctor Who News readers may claim 50 cents off the price of the t-shirt by using the code WhoNewsPage when ordering.
 


If you missed the chance to get Procrastinate when this was available as an offer for Doctor Who News before, it is now available to purchase from 604republic, which is a semi-permanent item in their catalogue.
This Dalek has decided to replace his typical cry of “Exterminate” with something a bit more relaxing, after all, the exterminate part can always get done tomorrow.
Doctor Who News readers may claim 10% off their order by using the promotional code DOCTORWHONEWS at checkout.

 


Sharksplode have released a design by Joel Watson based on an idea by Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Wil Wheaton, entitled "Fighting Time Lords".
It is both timey-wimey and spacey-wacey.




FILTER: - Merchandise - Special Offers

Doctor Who meets the ScarletsBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Scarlets are hosting BBC Cymru Wales's Roadshow on Sunday 3rd July, which will feature a dedicated Doctor Who section amongst the various activities taking place.

The TARDIS will be present, plus stands presenting the makeup and costumes on the show, plus the chance to see the work that goes into creating a Doctor Who monster; there will also be the opportunity to play The Adventure Games online.

The event is free to enter, and takes place at the Delme Thomas Centre, Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli between 10:00am and 4:30pm. See the Scarlets and BBC Wales websites for full details.

(with thanks to Daffydd Turner)




FILTER: - Special Events

Coming Soon: The New WorldBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Torchwood: Miracle DayThe BBC have now updated their programme information for Week 28 with details of Torchwood: Miracle Day's first episode, The New World, which will premiere in the UK on BBC1/BBC1HD at 9:00pm, 14th July.

The following is the plot synopsis for The New World which might be considered a spoiler



One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep ageing – they get hurt and sick, but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight.

With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four month's time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as CIA agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking: "What is Torchwood?", he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human ... for ever.

In the launch episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day, Agent Rex Matheson is impaled in a car crash and miraculously survives, while his analyst, Esther Drummond, sets out to discover what Torchwood is. Far away, in Wales, Gwen Cooper lives in hiding with her husband Rhys and daughter Anwen – she’s the last surviving Torchwood member and is determined to stay hidden. In Kentucky, convicted murderer Oswald Danes survives his own execution. And when Esther meets the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness, assassins are activated to kill them all...

Last week, Doctor Who Magazine editor Tom Spilsbury commented on Twitter that there would be slightly different versions of Miracle Day for the US and UK broadcast, adding yesterday that "they haven't started with one 'master version' and cut it for the UK. They've prepared two parallel edits for different markets." Russell T Davies had previously mentioned in his interview with Front Row that Jack is a 'childrens hero', and clarifies in the new Issue 436 of DWM that 'racier' scenes might be edited for a BBC audience.

Attendees at last week's BFI preview had reported that The New World seemed longer than the fifty minutes originally reported in the Cannes press release; this is also confirmed in DWM, with UK episodes expected to run for some 54 minutes whereas episodes on Starz would run for 50-51 minutes. Davies pointed out that this isn't a cut to the US version, but extra material added to the UK one!





FILTER: - Torchwood - UK - Press - Miracle Day (Series 4)

Doctor Who Magazine 436Bookmark and Share

Wednesday, 29 June 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The new edition of Doctor Who Magazine (out on Thursday) celebrates the life of Nicholas Courtney in a special 100-page issue dedicated to the man who played the Brigadier for over 40 years. With rare and never-before-published photos, the issue also contains tributes to the actor from fomer Doctors David Tennant, Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker, and Tom Baker - the latter told DWM:

Once you got to know Nick, you loved everything about him. We were a double act. I loved everything he did. I would have loved him as Othello. All other critical faculties were abandoned. You just couldn’t explain yourself. It was almost like someone saying, ‘What an Earth do you see in her?’ or ‘What on Earth do you see in him?’ Once you actually love someone, you just love being with them – and I loved being with Nick.

Also in this issue:
  • Saluting the Brig - Nicholas Pegg sets the scene as friends and colleagues remember the life and times of Nicholas Courtney. The tributes include contributions from Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Peter Purves, John Levene, Richard Franklin, Katy Manning, Russell T Davies, Derrick Sherwin, Terrance Dicks, Philip Hinchcliffe, Graeme Harper and many more.
  • Nicholas Courtney - A Life In Acting - DWM looks back at Nick’s long career, from his early days in rep through to his most famous role as Lethbridge-Stewart in Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures.
  • The One with the Eyepatch - Nicholas Courtney’s favourite Doctor Who story, 1970’s Inferno, is put under the spotlight as The Fact of Fiction witnesses the end of the world...
  • Seventh Heaven - It was the season in which the Brig came into his own – the Third Doctor’s first series from 1970. DWM looks back to discover what made the season so special as Countdown to 50 continues.
  • The Brig vs The Doctor - The Brigadier’s decision to blow up the reptile people in 1970’s Doctor Who and the Silurians shocked the Third Doctor. But was Lethbridge-Stewart right to do what he did? Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon discuss the pros and cons of the Brig’s most controversial action in A Battle of Wits...
  • Nuns with Guns! - The Doctor and Amy are shocked to find that the TARDIS has been harbouring a terrifying secret in the latest comic strip adventure! And there are more surprises in store in Part Two of Apotheosis, written by Jonathan Morris with art by Dan McDaid...
  • Game On! - The Time Team continues its mission to watch every episode of Doctor Who in order, and visit the year 200,000 – but what will Chris, Emma, Michael and Will make of the Ninth Doctor adventure, The Long Game?
  • Are You My Mummy? - The secret’s out! In an exclusive interview, actress Alex Kingston talks about the revelation of just who River Song really is – and what the astonishing news means for her character in future episodes of Doctor Who...
  • It's a Miracle! - Torchwood, the popular spin-off from Doctor Who, returns to TV in July with a 10-part story, Miracle Day. DWM catches with writer Russell T Davies and stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles and Kai Owen to find out more abut the new series...
  • Splended Chap... - An ancient power makes an unexpected return from the depths of the void and discovers a world very different to the one it left some time ago... Whatever you do, don’t miss Production Notes!
  • Wotcha, Brig! - The Watcher dons his eyepatch and reveals some of the surprising lesser-known facts about everyone’s favourite UNIT commander in Wotcha!
PLUS! All the latest official news, reviews of TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword and much, much more!

Doctor Who Magazine is available from all good newsagents and supermarkets from Thursday 30th June.





FILTER: - DWM

Smith and Tennant up for Best ActorBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 28 June 2011 - Reported by Harry Ward
Matt Smith and David Tennant have been nominated for "Best Actor" in the 2011 TV Choice Awards shortlist. Both will face competition from Colin Morgan and Benedict Cumberbatch.

For Best Actress, Karen Gillan and the late Elisabeth Sladen are nominated alongside Amanda Burton and Vicky McClure.

Also nominated is the show itself for "Best Family Drama", where it is up against Casualty, Merlin and Waterloo Road.

Steven Moffat's and Mark Gatiss' Sherlock has been nominated for "Best New Drama" along with Single Father, starring David Tennant, and Downton Abbey starring Hugh Bonneville. Toby Whithouse's Being Human, starring Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow, has been nomiated for "Best Drama Series".

Visit the Awards voting website to cast your votes. Voting on the shortlist will remain open until midnight (BST) on Friday 8 July. The winners will be announced on 13 September.





FILTER: - UK - Awards/Nominations