Radio Times looks ahead to ChristmasBookmark and Share

Saturday, 30 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Just two weeks after the twelve cover issue of Radio Times celebrating fifty years of Doctor Who, the Time Lord once more graces the front of the magazine, this time promoting the Christmas Episode, The Time of the Doctor, and the end of Matt Smith's tenure as the Doctor.

It's mere weeks until Matt Smith bids a fond farewell to Doctor Who but we couldn't let him go without one final hurrah – and a Radio Times cover, of course. This week's magazine marks Matt's 13th appearance on the cover as the Doctor, matching the record held by his predecessor, David Tennant. And just in time for the arrival of the 13th Doctor. Neat, eh?

And there are plenty more Doctor Who treats in store this week. For those of you who enjoyed our exclusive message from Matt Smith to celebrate the Doctor's 50th birthday, we've got another from the doors of the Tardis plus a sneak peek behind the scenes on our cover shoot. Download the Blippar app and point your phone at the magazine to unlock all the exclusive content, including a gallery of all 13 of Matt Smith’s Radio Times Doctor Who covers and a complete episode guide to all the 11th Doctor’s adventures

As if that wasn't enough, we've got Matt Smith's final interview reflecting on his last days as the Time Lord and revealing his Hollywood hipster ambitions. One man who predicts a long and successful career for Smith is Steven Moffat who praises his lead Doctor Who actor – along with his Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch – for their wise career choices.
The magazine is on sale from today, Saturday 30 November 2013.




FILTER: - Time and the Doctor - Matt Smith - Radio Times

Doctor Who debated in the LordsBookmark and Share

Thursday, 28 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Tributes have been paid to Doctor Who in the House of Lords, the upper house of the UK Parliament.

The debate was That this House takes note of the contribution of broadcast media to the United Kingdom economy, moved by Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, a Liberal Democrat peer who has worked for both the BBC and Channel 4.

In the debate Baroness Grender, in her maiden speech, referred to Doctor Who and its record breaking weekend.
This debate necessarily starts with the record we have in public service broadcasting, of which the cornerstone is the BBC. BBC Worldwide is the largest TV programme distributor outside the major US studios, and its impact on the reputation of the United Kingdom overseas is one which increases our ability to trade worldwide and way beyond broadcasting. My noble friend Lady Bonham-Carter’s timing for this debate is perfect, following the amazing weekend marking the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. Simulcast in 94 countries, setting a Guinness world record, with record-breaking figures in America, it was event TV drama at its best, delivered around the globe. That thrill of seeing all the Doctors saving Gallifrey is something my eight year-old son will remember until the 100th anniversary.
Lord Birt, former BBC Director General John Birt, also paid tribute to The Doctor.
Our comic, eccentric and very British superhero, Doctor Who, who rightly has been much mentioned today, reached 50 last Saturday with a near-simultaneous broadcast in 94 different countries, as the noble Baroness, Lady Grender, mentioned. Nothing like that has ever happened before.
Baroness Humphreys, who is President of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to the BBC investment in Wales, in particular at the drama centre of excellence on Cardiff Bay.
Programmes such as Doctor Who, Merlin and Sherlock and many others have been produced in Cardiff over a number of years but they are now produced in the BBC’s new drama facility in the recently built drama village at Roath Lock in the Porth Teigr, or Tiger Bay, area of Cardiff Bay. The drama studios there are the length of three football pitches, and more than 600 actors, camera operators and technicians are employed there—all, of course, contributing to the local economy.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble mentioned the weekend global simulcast.
Your Lordships have already mentioned Doctor Who. Its 50th anniversary special has just had a record-breaking global simultaneous broadcast—I am informed by officials that it is called a simulcast—that reached 94 countries across all the continents.
In closing the debate Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury looked back to the past and directed a question directly at Lord Grade, previous Director of Programmes at the BBC Michael Grade.
Finally, as Doctor Who has dominated the debate and I see my noble friend Lord Grade in his seat, I cannot resist wondering whether, had he known that Sylvester McCoy would regenerate into John Hurt, he would still have cancelled the programme?
Lord Grade nodded vigorously to indicate the affirmative.

The full debate can be viewed via the Parliament TV site and the transcript is available from Hansard.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - BBC

Inferno Fiction 16Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 28 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Issue sixteen of the fanzine Inferno Fiction is now available online to view.

The Anniversary edition issue includes:
  • Let There Be Rock
  • by Julie Kay With an "All Access Pass" the Doctor pays a visit to see Chuck Berry at one of his first concerts in New York City to show off his skills at playing guitar...and the duck walk...
  • A Word To The Wise
  • by Michael Baxter Dr. Who takes a trip of biblical proportions back into history with his grandchildren, John and Gillian...as told by Leah, wife to Jacob...
  • You Are Not Alone
  • by Fionna MacDonald I was the man who lived through the Time War. I am the Master – but I won’t be much longer. I need to record my thoughts so that I know who I was once I’m someone else. Are you confused yet?
  • The Rallax Operation
  • by Al Dickerson Part One: The scoundrels Garron & Unstoffe (ret.) become Stinking Rich. They bother a notably twitchy Time Lord. They are rudely boarded. They are Atomized. Unstoffe is Besotted. Matters of Draconian Dinner Etiquette and Celestial Mechanics are discussed under Pressing Circumstances. A Spear stops Singing.
  • Later
  • by Jack Lawrence Following the death of Rosanna Calvierri on a recent visit to Venice, the Doctor has some unfinished business to attend to.
  • Fragile
  • by Meg MacDonald 'For all that I exist in a rapidly changing state of flux, unfinished, incomplete, I have the capacity to interpret data far beyond even his ken. I possess Knowledge, genetic Memories of Time—of yesterday and tomorrow. It is my legacy.'
  • Right Of Passage
  • by Nic Ford 'Listen, younglings, and listen well – for I am Leela, warrior of the Sevateem, and I have a tale to tell you. A tale of death and pain and sorrow, of wrath and bitter terror. A tale so harrowing, so hung with horror and blood and fear, that you may quake in your cots as you sleep this sundown, lest the night spirits take you and rend you from the protection of your fathers’ spears and the comfort of your mothers’ dugs. 'For this is a tale of the Evil One!'
  • Through A Glass, Darkly
  • by Julie Kay and Al Dickerson The Doctor and Ace fall witness to the arrival of another Time Lord. Another Doctor...
  • Like The Goblin Bee
  • by Meg MacDonald "Summer is gone. There is no gentleness here. I tell myself that once there was. Not here, precisely, but in our lives. In my life. With him. God, how I love... loved him."
  • The Fear Of All Sums
  • by Samuel Marks Part Two: While The Cavalier trys to work out why he's not where he thought he was, the Doctor and Romana are having a spot of bother with local policing, the Kuricam...




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Doctor Who Adventures Goes InteractiveBookmark and Share

Thursday, 28 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Doctor Who Adventures has teamed up with Blippar to create a special interactive edition.

Readers can interact with Doctor Who content in a completely new way and this amazing interactive edition comes with a cool Eleventh Doctor dress-up set, which includes a sonic screwdriver, a fez, a bow tie and 3D glasses.

Out now, after downloading the free Blippar App and pointing a smartphone or tablet at the magazine pages, readers can use their device to:
  • Discover an awesome moving cover with a swirling vortex featuring all the Doctors.
  • Put their face on a monster!
  • Watch a top tip from everyone’s favourite Sontaran, Commander Strax!
  • See the fantastic comic come alive.
  • Put on the Doctor dress-up set then have your picture taken with the TARDIS, Clara, Cybermen, Strax or Daleks.
  • There’s a 3D monster fact file, super-scary Weeping Angel poster and amazing 3D Dalek poster which uses Blippar to bring it to life.
  • Plus an exclusive interview with David Tennant and Matt Smith which features a link to watch a video of them talking about what's next for Doctor Who.
  • Finally, there's a behind-the-scenes feature showing the First Doctor's TARDIS being constructed at the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff.
According to Doctor Who Adventures editor Moray Laing:
We pride ourselves on bringing our readers closer to the action-packed world of their favourite show and this time we've taken the magazine to another dimension. Blippar has allowed us to play around with some of the scariest monsters in the universe to create fantastic interactive content which we know our imaginative readers will love!
Issue 334 of Doctor Who Adventures is on sale until 9 December 2013.




FILTER: - Magazines - DWA

Doctor Who Cuttings Archive ReturnsBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
The Doctor Who Cuttings Archive is returning to the internet, courtesy of the Gallifrey Base forum.

The highly-praised website, which consists of newspaper cuttings related to Doctor Who, was launched by Roger Anderson in 1998. Earlier this year, Anderson, who ran the original website from 1998 through to its closure in 2010, agreed to provide his collection of newspaper and magazine articles to Steven Hill, co-owner of Gallifrey Base, in order to make them available again to the public.

Although the transfer of Anderson's materials is still in progress, the new Cuttings Archive is available now with over 200 articles. The new archive curator is John Lavalie, whose focus has been on making the information accessible and useful. Articles are being converted to text so the entire archive can be searched.

Technical support for the new Doctor Who Cuttings Archive is provided by Hill and Dennis Kytasaari, who is a co-owner of epguides.com, a well-known television episode guides site.

The Doctor Who Cuttings Archive can be found at cuttingsarchive.org.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Press

Jobs on Doctor WhoBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
BBCThe BBC is looking for runners to work on Doctor Who in Cardiff.

Floor Runner
The floor runner supports the assistant director team on the floor reporting any conflicting priorities to the 3rd Assistant director whilst co-ordinating with the production office for the distribution of packages, scripts, re-writes etc to the cast and crew on the floor. The successful candidate will provide hospitality for crew and artists (tea/coffee making) along with undertaking the transport of crew and artists as required and act as a first point of contact for a range of both internal and external callers and visitors ensuring that these are given a positive image of the BBC and the department.

Applicants must have previous drama experience working on the floor, and need to be used to transporting artists. They need to be able to cover for the 3rd AD as required, and demonstrate they have the stamina required for this demanding role.

Office Runner
The office runner provides full support to the Line Producer and Producer reporting any conflicting priorities to the Production Co-ordinator whilst being able to prioritise and manage all incoming requests for assistance in a polite, helpful and informative manner. They will undertake general office duties including typing, taking messages, photocopying, responding to correspondence, answering telephones, faxing, filing and issuing sides along with making (and collecting) local building deliveries inc. urgent mail/packages etc. They will also act as a first point of contact for a range of both internal and external callers and visitors ensuring that these are given a positive image of the BBC, including escorting them to and from reception, and providing beverages.

Applicants should have previous running experience in television or film production with the ability to use proficiently a range of software packages including Word, Excel, Outlook, Screenwriter and Final Draft with interpersonal and communication skills sufficient to establish and maintain effective working relations with a wide range of internal and external contacts. They will have the ability to express oneself concisely both orally and in writing along with excellent telephone skills, effective time management and organisational skills and the initiative to work both independently and as part of a team. They should also be able to prioritise a conflicting workload efficiently and to maintain standards of accuracy and attention to detail when working to deadlines or changing priorities.

Closing date for both jobs is 1st December with interviews taking place on the 5th. For full details click the links above.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - BBC

The Time of the Doctor confirmed for GermanyBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
FOX appear to be the first channel to announce their broadcast of the Christmas adventure The Time of The Doctor, which is due to be seen in Germany at 9:35pm CET on Christmas Day.

In their press release for December highlights, the channel said:
Christmas Special 2013 - Promotional Image (Credit: BBC/Ray Burmiston)WHO LOVES CHRISTMAS: Das DOCTOR WHO - WEIHNACHTSSPECIAL
14., 21., 24 und 25. Dezember

DOCTOR WHO feiert Weihnachten mit einem besonderen Special. Für Matt Smith ist das zugleich sein letzter Auftritt in der Titelrolle. Vor diesem Weihnachts-Special zeigt euch FOX noch einmal alle Episoden mit Matt. Drei DOCTOR WHO-Staffeln werden innerhalb von drei Tagen gesendet: Staffel fünf beginnt am 14. Dezember ab 12.05 Uhr, Staffel sechs am 21. Dezember ebenfalls ab 12.05 Uhr und Staffel sieben ist geteilt auf den Heiligabend (ab 17.45 Uhr) und den ersten Feiertag (13.55 Uhr) zu sehen. Direkt im Anschluss folgt das Weihnachtsspecial (21.35 Uhr), das wir euch in deutscher Erstausstrahlung präsentieren.


Doctor Who celebrates Christmas with a special, which is also Matt Smith’s last appearance in the title role. Before this special, FOX will repeat all of Matt's episodes. Three Doctor Who seasons will be broadcast on three separate days: Series 5 begins on 14th December from 12:05, Series 6 on the 21st also from 12:05, and then Series 7 is split between Christmas Eve (from 17:45) and Christmas Day (13:55). This is directly followed by the Christmas special at 21:35, which we present to you as the German premiere.

The time should not be used as an indication that the UK premiere will be at 8:35pm, as there is no intention to simulcast the festive adventure as with the Anniversary last weekend. The actual broadcast time will certainly be confirmed within the next couple of weeks, as the Radio Times "legendary Christmas double issue" (21 Dec - 3 Jan) is due to be published in limited numbers on 7th December and countrywide from the 9th.




FILTER: - Specials - Time and the Doctor - Germany - Broadcasting

Day of the Doctor takes $4.8 Million at US Box OfficeBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who took a stunning $4.8 million at the US box office on Monday, equivalent to 3 million pounds, making The Day of the Doctor the number two movie of the day.

The nationwide 3D screening took place in 660 theatres across the country, selling 320,000 tickets in total. Only The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ranked higher. This screening was in addition to the live simulcast with the BBC on Saturday which was shown on limited screens and took around $204,000.

To put the achievment into perspective, Entertainment Weekly reports the take is roughly as much as The Wizard of Oz in 3D made during its entire run earlier this year, and more than indie favourite Much Ado About Nothing.

Soumya Sriraman, Executive Vice President of Home Entertainment and Licensing, BBC Worldwide North America said
It’s incredible that Doctor Who has made history once again, setting record numbers across the board on BBC America, in social media, and now in theaters. It’s a testament to the fans and their dedication for Doctor Who
As reported earlier, the 50th Anniversary story also took £1.7 million in the UK, £0.87 million in Australia and 0.095 million in New Zealand over the weekend. The total currently stands at over £5.8 million ($9.4 million) with screenings across Europe, Canada and Latin America yet to be included.




FILTER: - USA - Movies

US Ratings - Day of the DoctorBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 26 November 2013 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who broke all records on BBC America this weekend with The Day of the Doctor getting 3.6 million viewers watching the anniversary special.

The live simulcast, shown at 2.50pm on the East Coast and 11.50am on the west, got an audience of 2.4 million of which 1.2 million were in the 25-54 age group. The primetime repeat added over a million to the total to give BBC America its highest rating to date.

Perry Simon, General Manager for BBC AMERICA, said
The fan response on-air, in social media and in theaters across the country has been nothing short of incredible. The 50th Anniversary of this extraordinary program has cemented its iconic status for millions of American viewers and we can't wait for the Christmas Special.
Rentrack report that Doctor Who also achieved a $13,607 per screen average in the US, for the 3D screening event, beating The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘s $12,300 average.




FILTER: - USA - Ratings

The Day of the Doctor box office success for Australia and New ZealandBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 26 November 2013 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The Day of the Doctor - in Cinema (Australia/New Zealand) (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Hot on the heels of the UK box office success, Australia's figures show that The Day of the Doctor was a huge hit in cinemas there, too! The 50th Anniversary adventure took $1.54 million (£872K) at the weekend, placing it third in the charts. Webwombat reported:
Showing on just 107 screens, the sci-fi celebration average an astounding $14,399 per screen (pretty much means every session was sold out) for a final take of over $1.5M.
As with the UK, the runaway leader was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, whose opening weekend took some $12.5m (£7.8m); however, second place was taken by Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa achieving $1.7m (£962K) in its second week.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Flicks reports the episode was even more successful, reaching second place in the chart after taking $187,029 (£95K) at the box office. Unsurprisingly, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was again top of the charts, taking $2.16m (£1.1m) in its opening weekend. Thor: The Dark World took the third spot at $159,271 (£81K).

(with thanks to Dallas Jones)




FILTER: - Ratings - New Zealand - Australia