Deep Breath: Final UK RatingsBookmark and Share

Sunday, 31 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Final figures for the UK transmission of Deep Breath give the episode a consolidated rating of 9.17 million viewers.

The final figure is a much more accurate one than the initial overnight report. It includes all those who watch the programme within one week of transmission. Apart from the Christmas specials and The Day of the Doctor, this rating is the highest rating since Matt Smith's début episode The Eleventh Hour.

The final rating makes Doctor Who the second highest rated programme for the week on British television, behind The Great British Bake Off which had 9.28 million.

The Thursday late night repeat of Deep Breath had an overnight audience of 0.12 million viewers, a share of 5.9% of the total TV audience, while the Friday BBC Three showing had 0.32 million watching, a 1.6% audience share. The AI for the Friday repeat was 86.

The cinema screening of Deep Breath took £522,908 at the UK box office last weekend, making it the 8th highest-grossing feature of the weekend in the UK, despite only having one showing.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 8/34 - UK

Into the Dalek: UK overnight viewing figuresBookmark and Share

Sunday, 31 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus
5.2 million people in the UK watched Into the Dalek, a share of 24.7% of the total TV audience, according to unofficial overnight viewing figures.

Doctor Who was the second-highest rated programme of the night, which was won by the return of the talent show The X Factor on ITV, which had 9.3 million watching. Against the Doctor, The Chase: Celebrity Special had an audience of 4.2 million.

Episode two of the new series of Doctor Who did not suffer any loss of viewers during the clash with The X Factor, with ratings stable throughout the episode. Around 2 million viewers switched to ITV as Doctor Who finished. The second-highest rated programme on BBC One was Casualty with 3.9 million watching.

Doctor Who is currently 21st for the week. Final figures will be released next week.




FILTER: - Ratings - Series 8/34 - UK

Into The Dalek poster produced for free download by Radio TimesBookmark and Share

Saturday, 30 August 2014 - Reported by John Bowman
Radio Times has produced a free downloadable poster for tonight's episode Into The Dalek.

It has been designed by Stuart Manning, who said:
This episode's poster is based loosely on Disneyworld's 1950s Tomorrowland poster art. The Daleks obviously came a little later, but visually they're very Sputnik-era aliens.

The tunnel of shrinking Doctors is taken from one of Jon Pertwee's title sequences. As a childhood viewer of the Third Doctor, I think it's a visual reference Peter Capaldi might approve of.
Last week's Series 8 opener Deep Breath was similarly afforded a Radio Times poster, which was also designed by Manning. Whether this means there will be a poster for each episode of this series is not yet known.

In previous years, the BBC has produced movie-style posters for Doctor Who episodes, but there has been none from the corporation so far for this series. Last October, Radio Times produced free downloadable Manning-designed retro posters to celebrate the return of the nine episodes from The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear.

Into The Dalek is scheduled to be broadcast at 7.30pm on BBC One.

This week's iPad and iPhone edition of Radio Times has a gallery of unseen and rare Dalek images plus an interview from 1964 with the writer Terry Nation, who created the Daleks.




FILTER: - Radio Times - Series 8/34

Rise of the Planet of the Ming MongsBookmark and Share

Saturday, 30 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus
The latest edition of the fanzine Planet of the Ming Mongs is now available as a free download.


Ming Mong (n.) - an obsessive fan of Doctor Who

Rise of the Planet of the Ming Mongs (n.) - a free online fanzine celebrating Doctor Who fandom

A suspicious number of years in the making, Rise of the Planet of the Ming Mongs is literally stuffed with contents, from alphanumeric characters to punctuation symbols - all carefully arranged into vaguely coherent sentences!
  • GASP at Charles Daniels' incredible story of how Doctor Who saved him!
  • SAVOUR an academic take on spoilers by Professor Matt Hills!
  • MEET questionable fan Conway in Giacomo Lee’s fabulous fiction!
  • UNCOVER what Garr and Suthers have been up to in their dingy basement archive!
  • READ JUICY DETAILS of Peri and Yrcanos's private life!
  • SALIVATE over recently-uncovered deleted scenes from the 1975 Blue Peter annual!
  • RECOIL IN HORROR as we subject a non-fan to near-lethal doses of Doctor Who!
  • STARE IN DISBELIEF at our borderline-libellous Writer's Tale parody!
…and lots more besides! Fifty fun-filled pages, all dripping with the warm juices of fandom.

Rise of the Planet of the Ming Mongs. What could possibly go wrong?




FILTER: - Fan Productions

Listen: Press DetailsBookmark and Share

Friday, 29 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus
The BBC have released details of the fourth episode of the upcoming series of Doctor Who Listen.

The episode will show on BBC One on Saturday 13th September. No transmission time has yet been set.

When ghosts of past and future crowd into their lives, the Doctor and Clara are thrown into an adventure that takes them to the very end of the universe.

What happens when the Doctor is alone? And what scares the grand old man of Time and Space?

Listen!


Meanwhile the UK transmission time for Episode Three, Robot Of Sherwood, has now been set at 7.30pm. On BBC One it will follow the fifth episode of Tumble the celebrity gymnastics show. Against the Doctor ITV will offer a celebrity edition of the quiz show The Chase followed by The X Factor.




FILTER: - Broadcasting - Series 8/34

Into the Dalek: Red Button Extra and preview clipsBookmark and Share

Friday, 29 August 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
Credit: Ray Burmistan, BBC Worldwide 2014The next edition of online behind-the-scenes show Doctor Who Extra, covering the second episode Into The Dalek, will also be available via digital television's Red Button service on BBC channels at the following times next week:

From 9:30pm on Saturday, we delve into the world of the Time Lord as Peter Capaldi arrives on set early to watch the Daleks in action and talks about his first encounter with them. We also ask Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson about their on-screen romance.

Saturday9:30pm-10:20pm
Sunday4:20pm-7:00pm
Sunday9:00pm-10:00pm
Wednesday4:00pm-7:25pm
Thursday9:00pm-6:00am (Friday)
Friday7:00pm-7:25pm


There will also be a final chance to catch the first episode at 6:00am-8:55am and 6:00pm-7:00pm tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the BBC have made a number of video clips available to promote the forthcoming episode of Doctor Who, which airs at 7:30pm on BBC One, Saturday.






FILTER: - Online - Series 8/34

Bill Kerr 1922-2014Bookmark and Share

Friday, 29 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus
Australian actor Bill Kerr, has died at the age of 92.

Bill Kerr played Giles Kent in the 1967 Doctor Who story The Enemy of the World. Five missing episodes were recovered last year bringing a new appreciation to a story, the vast majority of which had not been seen since its initial transmission.

Kerr was born in Cape Town in June 1922, born into an Australian showbiz family while they were on tour in South Africa. His stage role began at just a few weeks old when he played a babe in arms during the tour.

He grew up in Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia, where he became a radio and vaudeville star. His first major role was in one of Australia's first talking films, The Silence of Dean Maitland.

In 1947 he moved to the UK where he appeared in the BBC radio series Variety Bandbox. In the 1950's he won the role which would make him famous across the UK, that of the Australian lodger in the BBC radio comedy series Hancock's Half Hour, staying with the show for six years. In the theatre he played the Devil in the original West End production of Damn Yankees, directed by Bob Fosse. He worked with Spike Milligan appearing in the stage play The Bed-Sitting Room. In 1972 he co-starred with Anthony Newley in the long-running Newley/Bricusse musical, The Good Old Bad Old Days.

His film appearances include The Dam Busters and The Wrong Arm of the Law. Other TV work included Citizen James, Compact, Dixon of Dock Green and Adam Adamant Lives!.

He returned to Australia in the 1979 where he appeared in the Peter Weir films Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously. He had a number of roles in Australian TV shows such as Minty, Snowy, Sons and Daughters and Anzacs as well as appearing on stage in musicals such as My Fair Lady.

In January 2011 Kerr received the 2011 Walk of Honour in his home town of Wagga Wagga. He died at his home in Perth at the age of 92.

(with thanks to Dallas Jones)




FILTER: - Classic Series - Obituary

The Doctor arrives in MinecraftBookmark and Share

Thursday, 28 August 2014 - Reported by Chuck Foster
BBC Worldwide have announced that the award-winning virtual world game Minecraft is to receive a visit from the Doctor from September.

DOCTOR WHO COMES TO MINECRAFT ON XBOX

BBC Worldwide are delighted to announce a deal with Microsoft Studios and Mojang which will bring Doctor Who - the world’s longest running science fiction drama – to ‘Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition’.

From September 2014, Minecraft players will have access to a range of Doctor Who assets which will allow them to change their avatar to resemble their favourite characters from the show. The first pack will include a character inspired by the Twelfth Doctor as well as five other Doctors, each of their on-screen companions and some of the Doctor’s most well known adverseries including his arch-nemeses, the Daleks.

The Twelfth Doctor on Minecraft (Credit: BBC Worldwide) The Daleks on Minecraft (Credit: BBC Worldwide)

Rikesh Desai, Digital Entertainment and Games Director at BBC Worldwide says:
We’re constantly looking for new and innovative ways to bring Doctor Who content to our loyal fans. Working collaboratively with Microsoft, we’ve created an exciting new product which will allow Doctor Who fans to create their own brand new adventures in the heart of the iconic world of Minecraft.
The deal will bring more packs as time goes on, introducing many of the most recognisable characters from the past 50 years of Doctor Who. Each skin pack will feature at least six Doctors and will be released regularly following the broadcast of the first episode.

Minecraft is one of the fastest selling Xbox game of all time with over 13 million sales to date. The deal to bring Doctor Who to Minecraft builds on BBC Worldwide’s successful partnership with Microsoft, which has seen Microsoft publish Forza racing games complete with Top Gear themed challenges and features.

Minecraft is a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew, players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things.

It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.

Available on over 84 million Xbox devices worldwide.

Packs will be available to purchase by players from the XBox Game Store, with the first pack priced at £1.99/€2.85/$2.99/$2.95AUS.




FILTER: - Games

Around the World in Twelve Days with the Twelfth DoctorBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus


The BBC has released a video highlighting the Doctor Who world Tour.

Meanwhile Reetu Kabra, a publicist for BBC Worldwide who set up international press coverage for the new series has been telling the BBC staff magazine, Ariel, about her highlights of the trip.
Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and the TARDIS at the historic Bosingak bell at the National Museum of Korea.  (Doctor Who World Tour - Seoul) (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Seoul

The Korean fans came out in full force as we stepped off the plane with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman reaching veritable rock star status.

More than 1,000 people attended the screening - tickets sold out in two minutes - and gave Peter and Jenna treats such as ornamental silk fans, luxury boxes of ginseng and, as expected, heaps of fan-made art. In return, Peter and Jenna greeted their audience in Korean on stage, while the media hung on their every word, frantically typing on their mind-boggling keyboards.
Credit: BBC WorldwideSydney

Our photo call at the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge attracted fans and paparazzi alike with many of the national newspapers running picture stories the following day.

It's odd to think that most British people go to Australia for the holiday of a lifetime, yet our team was there for 48 hours. We had little time to soak up the city and the jet lag was starting to creep in. But most of us got selfies with the Opera House.
Credit: BBC WorldwideNew York

The American screening took place at the iconic Ziegfeld Theatre in midtown Manhattan. A vintage yellow taxi brought the cast to the venue where photographers snapped them on a Tardis-Blue carpet. As the event began, the crowd raised their sonic screwdrivers and cheered. One fan even screamed The first Italian Doctor!

After the press rounds, we eventually made it to the Top of the Rock - the Rockefeller Centre - where we did a photo shoot against the iconic New York skyline.
Credit: BBC WorldwideMexico City

On arrival at the airport, dozens of fans greeted us with sombreros, singing made-up DW-related songs in Spanish. We could feel the warmth, physically and emotionally, of Latin America. Of all the events we put together for the world tour, the crowd in Mexico were, in my opinion, the most receptive and loudest. It was also the biggest event of the tour with more than 3,000 fans.

The morning after our arrival, a group of fans congregated outside our hotel. As I stood outside watching them, one of them actually came up to me and said "I follow you on Twitter - thank you so much for coming to Mexico". At that point, I really started to feel that we as a group - cast and crew - were connecting with fans whom we previously had little idea about. They were so immensely grateful for our visit that we couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
Credit: BBC WorldwideRio de Janeiro

The Brazilian press had already been warmed up earlier in the year by a visit from Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, so their appetites were whetted and ready for Peter, Jenna and Steven's arrival.

Following a successful press conference, the final screening was attended by 2,000 Brazilian fans, with Peter high-fiving people as he walked past. The morning of our departure was probably one of the most surreal of the trip - our team visited the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio.
The full article can be read online.




FILTER: - World Tour 2014

Win a life-size TARDIS for your schoolBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 27 August 2014 - Reported by Marcus
BBC Doctor Who Adventures Issue 353This week's Doctor Who Adventures gives you a chance to win a life-size TARDIS for your school.

Editor Moray Laing says:
Don’t miss the latest issue as we’ve got an amazing competition. We’re giving away life-size TARDIS to one lucky reader for their school classroom or playground. It’s a perfect replica of the Doctor’s amazing time machine – and although, sadly, it isn’t actually bigger on the inside, it’s a massive prize to win!
This TARDIS is worth £4,000 and to enter, readers have to collect two tokens. You’ll find the first token in the current issue and the second one appears in the issue out on 10 September.

Plus:
  • Five fantastic gifts! A magnetic TARDIS box, special key, a sonic screwdriver and two more magic, moving lenticular cards.
  • Special door hangers to cut out and pop on your door.
  • Exclusive interview with actress Jenna Coleman who tells us what it’s like to be the Doctor’s companion.
  • Two amazing fact figures of the new Doctor and a Weeping Angel.
  • Preview pictures from the next two episodes.
  • A special appearance from Cheryl Cole in the Alien Babies comic strip.
  • Loads of activities and puzzle pages.
  • Dalek secrets.
  • Strax’s guide to the Half-Face Man.
  • Two posters.
  • Read an exciting comic strip with the Doctor and Clara.
BBC Doctor Who Adventures Issue 353, on sale 27 August – 9 September 2014, priced £4.99.




FILTER: - DWA