The Gallifreyian

Goodbye For Now

2011-05-07T07:00:00.003-05:00

It's been a long time since I did any updates to this site. I've been working on a new book so its taken a lot away from posting. To tell you the truth I've grown tired of posting here. It seems that everything I post you can find on another site. News and reviews of every one's point of view and well I'm not sure my point of view is important. Don't get me wrong I still love and enjoy Doctor Who, but for the time being - at least until I finish my current book and a couple more - I won't be posting here. I hope you are all enjoying the current series of Matt Smith I know I am, and I hope to be back one day to continue this site. Until then, you can follow me at my writing site www.charlesmillhouse.com where I may even sound about Doctor Who there.
Cheers

News Roundup

2011-01-09T08:18:00.003-05:00

Bringing us up to speed, here is some Doctor Who news.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate are to appear in a production of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, which opens in London's Wyndham Theatre from 16th May 2011. They will be playing the roles of combative lovers Beatrice and Benedick in the play, being directed by Bush Theatre Artistic Director Josie Rourke.

Casting for the new series of Doctor Who continues:

Sarah Smart is playing a character named Jennifer Lucas. Her recent on-screen credits include Wallander, Casualty 1906/1907/1909 and Five Days.

Leon Vickers is a new actor, having just graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. His television credits include Garrow's Law and Being Victor he is believed to be playing a character named 'Clone Worker' in Doctor Who.

Mark Bonnar whose credits include the series Paradox and recurring roles in Casualty and The Bill. His role in Doctor Who is currently unknown. [Bonnar's entry at Hatton McEwan]

Happy New Year

2011-01-09T08:16:00.001-05:00

Sorry I've been away. Haven't much time to play with this site. But I'm back and hope everyone had a good Holiday season.

Series 32 Breakdown

2010-12-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

SFX is reporting on the first half of the 2011 series. Here is the skinny:

Confirmed writers:

Steven Moffat
Mark Gatiss
Neil Gaiman
Matthew Graham

Confirmed directors:

Richard Clark (“Gridlock”, “The Lazarus Experiment”)
Adam Smith (“The Eleventh Hour”, “The Time Of Angels”, “Flesh And Blood”)
Toby Haynes (“The Pandorica Opens”, “The Big Bang”, “A Christmas Carol”)
Julian Simpson (Hustle, Spooks, New Tricks, Hotel Babylon, Superstorm)
Peter Hoar (Spooks, Mistresses, Wire in the Blood)

Rumours and speculation:

In this section we’ll mention stuff that seems to be based on some substantiated facts, rather than just the tabloids making up rubbish

On the commentary for “The Eleventh Hour” on the series five box set, Steven Moffat teases: “You might think, for instance, that there are things that live inside clouds. That might occur to you. I’m just saying that, kids, as a nod to the future.”
There may be an episode set in Egypt (go here, then do a text search for Doctor Who) although maybe the “interactive DVD” is for a deluxe edition of “The Pyramids Of Mars” (seems unlikely, though, don’t you think?)
There may be an episode involving a giant dollhouse
There is the very tenuous chance that Toby Whithouse may be writing for series six, if you want to read anything into this story.

Episode One (part one of a two-parter):

Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Toby Haynes

Other info: Apparently the episode has a cheesy title (for the moment, anyway) according to this Tweet from Moffat: “Told my son the title of ep 1 of the next run of Dr Who. A pause. ‘I think we can do better, Daddy.’ Then: ‘We need clever. Not cheesy.’”

This story will be set and filmed partly in Utah.

Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica, Medium, Supernatural, Warehouse 13, and a zillion other genre shows) will be guest starring in the opening episodes as revealed in a press release from the ValleyCon 36 convention: “We had just booked Mark’s airline tickets a week ago when less than 12 hours later he got the dream job of any kid who grew up in England-and many kids here too. He landed a huge role in the new Doctor Who but they needed him there the next day. There was no way we were going to stand in the way of that and so Mark took the job but with his deepest apologies. We will try to work out an appearance with him in the future and wish him great luck with Doctor Who!”

Sheppard is to play a character called Canton Everett Delaware III (according to Pop Culture Zoo). The Doctor Who News Page has images of Sheppard and Alex Kingston (River Song) filming in Cardiff Bay on 18 October (clearly not all the US scenes are actually being filmed in the US)

Episode Two (part two of a two-parter):

Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Toby Haynes

Gaiman on the TARDIS set, a pic he posted on his Twitter feed

Episode Three:

Written by: Neil Gaiman
Directed by: Richard Clark
Other info: Rory is definitely in this episode (confirmed on Twitter by Neil himself)

In a column for Doctor Who Magazine, Gaiman described Suranne’s character as “someone who is beautiful, and who bites, and who might just turn out to be an old acquaintance with a new face…”, adding, “it starts in void-space, with something – or someone – we have not seen since [1969 Patrick Troughton story] ‘The War Games’, and a knock on the TARDIS door…”

Moffat has called it “a beautiful poem of an episode” and says that Suranne Jones “will change the way you see Doctor Who forever forever – and that’s a hand-on-heart promise.”

Guest Starring: Suranne Jones (Karen McDonald in Coronation Street) as Idris

Episode Four:

Written by: Mark Gatiss
Directed by: Richard Clark

Guest starring: Daniel Mays (the villainous DCI Jim Keats from the final series of Ashes To Ashes) and Emma Cunniffe (The Lakes) who play the parents of Harry, played by child actor Jamie Oram (info from The Doctor Who News Page).

Episode Five: “Rebel Flesh” (part one of a two-parter):

Written by: Matthew Graham
Directed by: Julian Simpson

Guest Starring: Marshall Lancaster (Buzzer), Sarah Smart (Jennifer Lucas)

Episode Six: “Gangers” (part two of a two parter):

Written by: Matthew Graham
Directed by: Julian Simpson

Guest Starring: Marshall Lancaster (Buzzer), Sarah Smart (Jennifer Lucas)

Steven Moffat describes this two-part story as a “thrilling and terrifying two-parter. The Doctor will face a dilemma the like of which he’s never seen before.”

Episode Seven:

Written by:
Directed by:
Other info: “Game-changing cliffhanger,” says Moffat.

Go to Sleep in the TARDIS

2010-12-01T20:20:00.002-05:00

From blasr.com:
A New Zealand craftsman built this Doctor Who-inspired Murphy bed for his son, and now he's auctioning it off. If you want to dream in relative dimensions in space, then get to bidding.

The police light works, LEDs pulse, the telephone talks—TALKS!—and shines a Southern Cross on the ceiling. Granted, you've gotta ship it from New Zealand, but for the geek parent who needs the perfect bed for his geek kid—or the nerd Casanova who wants to make the Earth move—there's really no other option.

But hurry up: the auction ends on Dec. 9.

Lost Doctor Who Opening

2010-12-01T18:40:00.002-05:00

The lost opening to Craig Ferguson's Doctor Who show that was pulled by the producers at the last moment.
Enjoy.

11th Doctor Busts

2010-11-28T13:35:00.004-05:00

This beautifully-sculpted 8" Eleventh Doctor maxi-bust perfectly recreates Matt Smith's brilliantly quick-witted star-making performance as the fiercely cerebral, super-intelligent, utterly tireless eleventh incarnation of Dr Who. Released in April 2011 by Forbidden Planet.

Also available, This beautifully-sculpted 8" Amy Pond maxi-bust celebrates Karen Gillan's powerhouse debut as one of the Doctor's most popular assistants of all time: sassy, fearless style icon Amy Pond!

47 Year Ago Today...

2010-11-23T20:34:00.002-05:00

The greatest TV series of all time premiered to this opening theme...

The countdown to 50 years continues.

Benedict Cumberbatch as the Master?

2010-11-23T20:11:00.004-05:00

The rumor floating around that Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch might be playing the Master in a forthcoming Doctor Who adventure. But Steven Moffat on the other hand danced around the idea by saying: “No, there is no truth to that – unless suddenly there is. I mean, actually, honestly, there are no plans of that kind at all – I don’t guarantee that I’m not lying and I don’t guarantee that I won’t change my mind. So there you go. Hopeless answer.”

We'll keep you up to date.

Ingrid Pitt 1937-2010

2010-11-23T19:44:00.001-05:00

LONDON (AP) — Ingrid Pitt, who survived a Nazi concentration camp and dodged Communist police to become one of Britain's best-known horror stars, died Tuesday, her daughter said. She was 73.

Steffanie Pitt said her mother collapsed while on her way to a birthday dinner due to be held in her honor over the weekend. The cause of death wasn't known, although Steffanie Pitt said her mother had recently been in poor health.

Known in Britain principally as the buxom bloodsucker in "Vampire Lovers" and "Countess Dracula," Ingrid Pitt's acting career very nearly wasn't.

Born to a mother of Jewish descent, Pitt was interned in a Nazi concentration camp at the age of five. She survived the war, but was forced to flee Communist Berlin on the night of her planned stage debut, plunging into the River Spree in a bid to escape East German authorities. In a twist which easily surpassed the drama of the camp horror films in which she starred, she was rescued by American soldier who would go on to become her husband.

Her movie career was jump-started by her role in the 1968 action-adventure movie, "Where Eagles Dare." The World War II drama would eventually lead to her being taken on by Britain's Hammer Films — home to Christopher Lee's "Dracula." She would play alongside the horror legend in 1971's "The House That Dripped Blood" and 1973's "The Wicker Man."

Steffanie Pitt told The Associated Press that her mother was a determined woman and that "acting was in her blood from the word 'go.'" It seems her mother would have agreed, writing in her autobiography, "Life's a Scream," that she had a "strong sense of the dramatic even before I was born."

Indeed, Ingrid's birth interrupted her parents' attempts to flee Nazi Germany via Poland in 1937, delaying their attempt to escape to Britain.

Snared by the Germans, Pitt and her mother were interned at the Stutthof concentration camp. She survived the war and joined the Berliner Ensemble, where she worked under actress Helene Weigel, the widow of German playwright Bertolt Brecht.

But the political climate in East Germany didn't suit her, and her outspoken criticism of the Communist officials didn't suit the government there either.

She left Berlin on the night of her planned stage debut, diving into (and nearly drowning in) the Spree, which runs through the German capital. Pitt was rescued by a handsome U.S. lieutenant, who she would later marry.

Pitt moved to America, and — following the breakup of her marriage — to Spain, where she starred in her first movies despite a limited command of the language. Discovered while watching a bullfight, a career in Hollywood and British horror would follow.

Although Pitt had a series of other roles in film and on television, it was her 1970s vampire films which drew a cult following, with fans crowning her "England's first lady of horror." Pitt embraced it, writing occasional columns for websites such as "Den of Geek" and making frequent visits to conventions and festivals.

"It's great meeting the fans," Pitt was quoted as saying on her fansite, "Pitt of Horror." ''They tell me that I am more beautiful now than when I was making films a quarter of a century ago. All lies, of course, but sweet."

Pitt is survived by her second husband, her daughter Steffanie, and a granddaughter. Funeral arrangements were still being worked out Tuesday.

Utah Driveby Filming

2010-11-20T23:52:00.002-05:00

Tardis_Tara on her twitter post left the follow video of a drive by of the filming, in it, it shows Matt Smith in his Doctor Who costume and wearing a coyboy hat. Thanks to Tara and if you don't follow her on twitter you should.

Fez to Return

2010-11-20T16:09:00.003-05:00

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have confirmed that the Doctor’s beloved fez will also be back in his life at some point in the future!
Speaking to Assignment X about adventures to come, the showrunner promised lots of ”excitement” and “a roller-coaster of thrills and unimaginable joy”, while, more importantly, Gatiss, who has written a Series 6 episode, revealed that the fez will be back! “There will be a return of the fez,” Moffat reaffirmed.

A Christmas Carol Trailer 1

2010-11-19T22:09:00.005-05:00

The BBC's Children in Need program on BBC1broadcast the first trailer for the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special, A Christmas Carol.

The trailer is now available to watch online, via the BBC's official YouTube channel or you can just watch it below.

Birthday Wishes

2010-11-18T17:14:00.002-05:00

Steven Moffat turns 49 today. The writer was responsible for some of Doctor Who’s 2005+ most acclaimed stories, including Series 2’s The Girl in the Fireplace and Series 3’s Blink , before he was announced as its new head writer in 2008. His first series was acclaimed by fans and critics alike, and now he’s busy working on his second as showrunner, which is to air next year in two parts. We hope he has a wonderful day!

March 2011 DVDs

2010-11-17T19:48:00.003-05:00

tvshowsondvd is reporting that on March 8th 2011 two classic Doctor Who titles will be released. They include The Ark (starring William Hartnell as the 1st Doctor) and The Seeds of Doom (starring Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor).

BBCAmerica Airs Christmas Special on Christmas Night

2010-11-17T17:15:00.002-05:00

BBCAmerica on its 's Twitter Account announced that this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol, is to be broadcast in the US on Christmas Day. This marks the first time that a Doctor Who Christmas special has aired in the United States on the same day as its UK premiere.

The episode will be broadcast at 9:00pm Eastern Time; the time of broadcast in the United Kingdom has yet to be announced.

Late Late Show Appearance

2010-11-17T07:52:00.002-05:00

Matt Smith appeared on Craig ferguson's Late Late Show last night in what was his first ever US TV appearance. The show was a Doctor Who show, also a first for an American Talk show. It was a laugh a minute romp that really kept you wanting more. Check out the video below.

SFX Talks to Matt Smith

2010-11-16T23:31:00.001-05:00

Matt Smith told SFX that his role is a "constant reference" when dealing with difficult situations.

"When I'm getting stressed about something, about a phone call or e-mail or whatever, I... try and be more like him," Smith explained. "He always gives people a chance. And I really have learnt a lot about myself from playing him, because when you spend time with someone who's so good, [you start] thinking in those patterns and those ways."

Smith also named Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat as another inspiration, describing the writer as "heroic".

"I definitely feel as though he's writing more and more for me," he claimed. "Which is really rewarding, to have a writer of that calibre writing for you. The rapidity and the craft with which he produces these scripts is quite heroic, I think."

Christmas Special Detail & More

2010-11-16T19:35:00.002-05:00

The guys over at www.kasterborous.com turned us on to this interview with Doctor Who Executive Producer Piers Wenger has revealed that the 2010 Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, is not set on Earth…

The wide-ranging interview which mainly covers the Doctor Who filming in Utah Wenger reveals that the Christmas special – which guest stars Sir Michael Gambon and Katherine Jenkins – isn’t quite what we might be expecting:

It kind of riffs on the Dickens story. There’s no one called Scrooge in it and it’s not set on Earth, but there are familiar archetypes from that story within it that will please fans of Dickens’s original.

Wenger also reveals that in 2011, Doctor Who will feel very US-centric

This year, it’s all about America, it’s all about taking the show out to the States and seeing what Doctor Who will feel like set in America and in some very iconographic parts of the American landscape.

The team left the UK on Saturday and is traveling out to Utah, to Mojave, where they’re filming some scenes. There are scenes set in New York and San Francisco.

It is Doctor Who’s love letter to the States.

The Christmas special should air on Christmas day, stay tuned for the time.

Craig Ferguson VS a Dalek

2010-11-16T15:31:00.006-05:00

Last Night Craig Ferguson had a lifeless Dalek on his show preparing for tonights Matt Smith/Doctor Who show. Here is the opening clip. Enjoy.

Series 32 Spoilers:

2010-11-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

POSSIBLE SPOILER: From Doctor Who Spoilers: At the end of Series Five River Song was trapped in the TARDIS by an unseen force as a rasping voice declared that “Silence will fall”. This plot thread was left tantalisingly unresolved at the end of the series and Steven Moffat recently teased that in the forthcoming series “We’re going into the silence and what they are…”

Well it looks like that plot thread won’t be left dangling for long. Our sources suggest that 6’8” Dutch actor Marnix Van Den Broeke is appearing in the opening episodes of the 2011 series as the intriguingly named “The Silent”. While there’s nothing that definitively links Marnix’s role with last series’ unseen antagonist the name of the character surely can’t be coincidental.

According to this post Marnix was spotted on location at Troy House on Friday 29th October.

Marnix will probably be best known to television viewers for his portrayal of Death in the Sky Television adaptations of Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather and The Colour of Magic.

More Late Night News

2010-11-15T07:32:00.005-05:00

The guys over at the Gallifreyan Embassy is confirming that Matt Smith is scheduled to be on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Tuesday the 16th of November 2010.

He is there for the 3:30 pm (PST) recording of the show in Los Angeles, CA.

There has been a good deal of confusion leading up this late night talk show appearance. As recently as last Thursday, the office of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson was sending out emails indicating that Matt Smith would not be appearing, meanwhile, that same day Craig Ferguson's Twitter account @CraigyFerg was tweeting that Matt Smith is to appear that night. In addition, there will be a Dalek there as well (which was tweeted the following day)!

stay tune.

Children in Need 2010

2010-11-14T22:17:00.000-05:00

The BBC's Children In Need spectacular live appeal show returns on Friday 19 November at 7pm on BBC One with a variety of entertainment acts, all doing their bit to raise money for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.

Hosted by Sir Terry Wogan and Tess Daly, the seven-hour show comes live from BBC Television Centre and features some of the UK's top TV, musical and theatrical personalities and acts.

Highlights on the night include: A sneak preview of the Doctor Who Christmas special.

Matt Smith on US LAte Night?

2010-11-14T21:15:00.000-05:00

According to the latest twitter posts by craigyferg (post 1, post 2) as well as other information floating around the Internet, it appears that next Tuesday 16th November on the Late Late Show Matt Smith and possibly a Dalek will be making a special guest appearance.

Even though the official site for Craig Ferguson's show makes no mention of the guest appearance, it does make sense given the upcoming filming of Doctor Who that is planned in Utah the following days (17 - 19 November). The official word on the street is that the entire Tuesday show will be dedicated to Doctor Who. I guess we'll all have to wait and see what happens next week to find out if the rumors are true.

Utah Filming

2010-11-14T21:11:00.000-05:00

The Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development has confirmed that principal photography for the previously announced US filming will take place in Utah from November 17 to November 19. The state's Motion Picture Incentive Fund has authorized a filming rebate of up to $30,000 for location filming in the state. The exact location of filming has not been revealed, and fans are not being encouraged to attend filming; a BBC representative told a member of the Utah Film Commission in a private email that he "feels that it would be doing the production a disservice to have fans of the show watching it being filmed as certain story arcs and plot lines could be exposed prematurely and be spread over the internet."

Christmas Title

2010-11-14T21:08:00.000-05:00

From the BBC:

Back in July, Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning, revealed the story will be, 'Doctor Who's clever twist on the much loved A Christmas Carol' and now the title reflects that! We can enjoy a preview of the adventure on Friday, 19 November on BBC One for Children in Need and then there's less than six weeks until the episode airs.

If you can't wait until then, watch BBC One on Friday because apart from the preview of A Christmas Carol you can find out what happened when two young fans of Doctor Who had their dream come true... It's a very special treat featuring Matt Smith and continues Doctor Who's long tradition of supporting Children in Need.

A Christmas Carol reunites Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill and guest stars Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, The Singing Detective) and Katherine Jenkins. Right now we don't know much about the special, but earlier in the year, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, confirmed, 'Oh, we're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters. And the Doctor. And a honeymoon. And ... oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything!'

Filming in America

2010-10-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

The sixth series of Doctor Who will open with a two-parter set in the US, the BBC has announced. Scenes will be filmed in the Utah desert for a story set in the late '60s in which the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a secret summons to the Oval Office. The episodes have been written by new series boss Steven Moffat and co-produced with BBC America.
Production starts in Cardiff this month with Matt Smith and Karen Gillen. Alex Kingston will reprises her role as River Song.
Moffat said: "The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually.
"And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he's been in America before. But not for real, not on location - and not with a story like this one."
It has been announced previously that series six has been split into two blocks, with the first airing on BBC One in spring 2011 and the second block showing in autumn 2011.

Doctor Who Series 31: The Big Bang

2010-08-29T14:38:00.002-05:00

Following from the cliffhanger of the previous episode, the Doctor is sealed in the Pandorica, a prison designed for him by his greatest foes and baited by elements of Amy's childhood imagination; River Song is trapped in the TARDIS as it explodes, triggering the end of the universe, leaving only the Earth, Moon, and a sun-like object within a starless black void. In 102 AD, the Auton replica of Rory, having shot Amy, is still holding her lifeless body when a future version of the Doctor, using River's Vortex Manipulator, briefly appears and gives Rory his sonic screwdriver, with instructions to open the Pandorica and release the imprisoned Doctor. Together, they place Amy's body inside the Pandorica where she will be held in stasis. The Doctor uses the Vortex Manipulator to jump to 1996, while Rory, ageless due to his Auton nature, opts to stay with the Pandorica and protect Amy's body until that time. His presence near it as the "lone Centurion" creates a mythology around the box that survives to the present day.

In 1996, young Amelia Pond has received clues that lead her to the National Museum, where the Pandorica is on display. Amelia's touch opens the Pandorica, reviving and releasing her older self; they are soon joined by the Doctor, arriving from 102 AD, and Rory, now a security guard at the museum. Amy and Rory have an emotional reunion before the four flee from a fossilised Dalek re-energised by the restoration field of the open Pandorica. After temporarily disabling the Dalek, the Doctor uses the Vortex Manipulator to set up the events that frees him from the Pandorica and brings Amelia to the museum. Amelia soon vanishes; the Doctor worries that the star-less universe is collapsing from the TARDIS explosion, and while they are safe at the "eye of the storm", they do not much have time before complete failure.

Suddenly, a mortally-wounded near-future Doctor appears via the Vortex Manipulator, and falls; the future Doctor whispers something to his earlier self before dying. As they continue to flee the Dalek, the Doctor postulates that a fragment of the original, star-filled universe is inside the Pandorica, and if they can transfer it to every point of the collapsing universe simultaneously, they may be able to "reboot" their old reality. Escaping to the roof, the Doctor realises the sun-like object is the TARDIS, having created a time loop to contain the explosion, with River still inside. The Doctor rescues River using the Vortex Manipulator, and devises a plan to fly the Pandorica into the exploding TARDIS to create a second Big Bang and restore the original universe. He is then shot by the Dalek, and jumps twelve minutes into the past. Rory and Amy escape, while River confronts the Dalek, which uncharacteristically begs for mercy when told her name.

The wounded Doctor, twelve minutes in the past, appears to his older self, and directs him to create a diversion; the Doctor uses the time to prepare the Pandorica. When his companions return, the Doctor explains that once the universe is rebooted, Amy—having lived near the cracks in the universe all her life—will be able to use her memories to restore people who have been erased, and that he himself will be trapped in the void between universes once the cracks close. The Doctor then pilots the Pandorica into the TARDIS explosion and initiates a second Big Bang.

After the explosion, the Doctor finds himself rewinding through his life as an observer as the cracks in the universe start to close. Amy can hear but not see him, and as he passes through the events of "Flesh and Stone", he takes advantage of her closed eyes to tell her to remember what he told her when she was seven years old. Arriving on the day he met Amelia Pond ("The Eleventh Hour"), he finds the young girl asleep outside, waiting for her "raggedy Doctor" to return. The Doctor carries her to bed, and tells her a story about a daft old man who "borrowed" a magic box that was "big and little at the same time. Brand new and ancient. And the bluest blue ever." He then steps into the crack in Amelia's bedroom wall, sealing it completely.

Amy wakes up on 26 June 2010, the day of her wedding, to find she has remembered her mother, father and the human Rory back into existence. During the wedding reception, however, she feels as if she is forgetting something. When she sees River Song's diary, its cover fashioned after the TARDIS, she tearfully recalls the Doctor's story of "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue", causing the Doctor and the TARDIS to be restored. The Doctor joins in the wedding celebration.

After the wedding, the Doctor gives River her diary and the Vortex Manipulator to return to her time. River dodges his questions about marriage, and sadly warns him he will soon learn who she truly is, and that it will change everything. Aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor explains to Amy and Rory that unanswered questions remain about the destruction of the TARDIS and the nature of "the Silence" that will fall, but before they can contemplate that, the Doctor receives a telephone call alerting him to the presence of an escaped Egyptian goddess on the Orient Express in space. Rory and Amy decide to join him, and the three leave on their next adventure.
source: wikipedia

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companions

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
* Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)

Others

* Alex Kingston – River Song
* Caitlin Blackwood – Amelia
* Susan Vidler – Aunt Sharon
* Frances Ashman – Christine
* Barnaby Edwards – Stone Dalek
* William Pretsell – Dave
* Halcro Johnston – Augustus Pond
* Karen Westwood – Tabetha Pond
* Nicholas Briggs – Dalek voice

Production
Writer Steven Moffat
Director Toby Haynes
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s)

* Steven Moffat
* Piers Wenger
* Beth Willis

Production code 1.13
Series Series 5
Length 55 minutes
Originally broadcast 26 June 2010

Doctor Who Series 31: The Pandorica Opens

2010-08-29T14:36:00.001-05:00

The Doctor and Amy Pond, following a message from River Song engraved on the oldest planet in the universe, arrive in Roman Britain on Earth in 102 AD, where they find River posing as Cleopatra. River shows the Doctor a Vincent van Gogh painting titled The Pandorica Opens, depicting the TARDIS exploding. River had recovered the painting in the 52nd century, and traveled to the time-space coordinates on the painting using a Vortex Manipulator. The Doctor realises the "Pandorica", a fabled prison for the universe's deadliest being, must be stored in a memorable location near the coordinates, such as the site of Stonehenge.

At Stonehenge, the Doctor, Amy, and River find a passage to an underground area, which the Doctor terms "the Underhenge". Inside, they find the Pandorica, a room-sized metal box outfitted with every type of lock imaginable. The Doctor and River become concerned when they discover that the Pandorica is opening from inside and transmitting a message across time and space using the rocks of Stonehenge. River warns the Doctor that the signal is drawing "everything that ever hated [the Doctor]" to Earth that night, and urges him to escape. The Doctor refuses, but instead finds help to defend the area from a volunteer group of Roman legion centurions. When a Cyberman suit temporarily stuns the Doctor while looking for a new host, Amy is protected by one of the centurions, revealing himself to be Rory. The revived Doctor is baffled to find Rory alive, since he is supposed to have been erased from history by a crack in the universe ("Cold Blood"). Rory is even more confused and says he simply remembers dying one second and being a Roman soldier the next. Rory attempts to connect with Amy using the engagement ring that he had left aboard the TARDIS, but she is still unable to remember him.

As his enemies gather in orbit, the Doctor temporarily delays the aliens and instructs River to pilot the TARDIS to Stonehenge. River finds the TARDIS under the control of a mysterious force, warning that "silence will fall", before the TARDIS materialises at Amy's house in Leadworth on 26 June 2010, the day of her wedding and of the time energy explosion that caused the cracks in the universe ("Flesh and Stone"). River finds burn-marks in Amy's lawn and the front door off its hinges; upstairs in Amy's room, River finds books in Amy's bedroom representing Pandora's box and Roman soldiers along with a photograph of Rory posing with Amy while in a centurion costume. River communicates this information to the Doctor, who worries the imaginary constructs taken from Amy's mind were used by his enemies to entrap him. When River reveals the date that the TARDIS has arrived, the Doctor urges her to leave that time zone immediately, believing the TARDIS to be the source of the time explosion. River cannot regain control of the TARDIS as it dematerializes, and traps her inside it despite her attempts to rewire the door controls.

The Doctor and Amy discover that Rory and the centurions are Autons. The other centurions capture the Doctor and take him to the Pandorica, while Rory attempts to retain his human consciousness and prevent himself from killing Amy. Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, and other enemies arrive and reveal that they have formed an alliance and built the Pandorica as a prison for the Doctor, as they believe he is about to destroy the universe. The Doctor pleads that they have made a mistake and the TARDIS, not him, is about to destroy the universe but the aliens refuse to believe that anyone else can pilot the TARDIS. In the cliffhanger ending, the Doctor is sealed inside the Pandorica, River is unable to escape from the exploding TARDIS, and Rory can no longer maintain control and fires upon Amy shortly after she has come to remember him, seemingly killing her; meanwhile in space, several explosions occur around Earth before a fade to black and silence.
source: wikipedia

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companions

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
* Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)

Others

* Alex Kingston – River Song
* Tony Curran – Vincent
* Bill Paterson – Bracewell
* Ian McNeice – Winston Churchill
* Sophie Okonedo – Liz Ten
* Marcus O'Donovan – Claudio
* Clive Wood – Commander
* Christopher Ryan – Commander Stark
* Ruari Mears – Cyber Leader
* Paul Kasey – Judoon
* Howard Lee – Doctor Gachet
* Barnaby Edwards – Dalek
* Simon Fisher Becker – Dorium
* Joe Jacobs – Guard
* Chrissie Cotterill – Madame Vernet
* David Fynn – Marcellus

Production
Writer Steven Moffat
Director Toby Haynes
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s)

* Steven Moffat
* Piers Wenger
* Beth Willis

Production code 1.12
Series Series 5
Length 50 minutes
Originally broadcast 19 June 2010

No Daleks Next Year!

2010-08-29T13:28:00.002-05:00

Steven Moffat has given a strong hint that The Daleks will not be appearing in the next series of Doctor Who.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the Who showrunner admitted that there are currently no plans for the famous aliens to reappear, although work on the 2011 series is not yet complete.

He said: "There will be a Dalek story when we've got a good idea for a Dalek story. [When that happens], there will be lots of different kinds of Daleks."
source: digitalspy

Doctor Who in Two Parts

2010-08-29T13:23:00.001-05:00

From theescapist.com:

2011 will have the same amount of Doctor Who, but it will be more evenly spread out throughout the year.

If you're a big fan of the new Doctor Who, you'll be familiar with the dry months between the end of one season and the start of the next. Sure there's the Christmas special, but that's just a tiny drop in an otherwise Doctor Who-less few months. But next year will be different, as show boss Steven Moffat has decided to split the season into two parts.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival in Scotland today, Moffat said that he felt the show needed a big event in the middle of the season. He said that a Doctor Who season was 13 episodes long, which was enough for two seasons of most BBC shows, so rather than show them all at once, it would be split into two blocks, one shown in the spring as usual, and the second shown in the fall. He added that the spring series would "build to an Earth-shattering climax," calling it a "gamechanging" event for the character. In a BBC press release, Moffat also said that the split series meant that fans would be treated to twice as many season premiers and twice as many finales.

It sounds like the loose story arcs of previous series might not be quite so loose when the show resumes next year. When you've only got seven episodes - which is how long the blocks will be - and you're building to some big event, it doesn't leave a much time for a lot of side stories.

Sylvester McCoy Hobbit News

2010-08-29T13:19:00.001-05:00

Scottish actor Sylvester McCoy ("Doctor Who") revealed to the Argyllshire Standard that he is in talks to join THE HOBBIT: Mr McCoy told the Standard that contrary to widespread internet rumours, he's not vying for the role of Bilbo in THE HOBBIT (due to start filming next year) - but is one of two actors being considered for one of the wizard parts.
"I am being cast in The Hobbit," he said. "We're currently in negotiations - there are two of us under consideration. It's not the Bilbo role, but could be bigger."
TheOneRing.net speculates that he may be playing Radagast the Brown.

A pic from the Christmas Special

2010-08-24T13:29:00.001-05:00

Series 32 Writing News

2010-08-08T14:30:00.001-05:00

The guys at denofgeek.com interviewed Steven Moffat and here is what he said about writing for the new series of Doctor Who:

It’s been said if all this goes to plan, that there’s going to be more Sherlock. How does that fit with balancing your own workload? Are you keen to write more of these? Have you worked out how many episodes of Doctor Who you’re writing for next year?

I’m doing the Christmas special plus five, so it’s the same. Six again.

Six, including the Christmas special?

Yeah. I’m basically following what Russell did. Having worked out the sums and worked out how he does it, I thought that’s a perfect way of doing it.

But there is no way of balancing this. The last year has been extraordinary. I’ve had about four days off, and that includes Christmas day. I work every weekend, I get up early in the morning, I go to bed late at night. There is no way of balancing it.

It’s extraordinary, but it’s great fun too! Great fun, so long as it doesn’t kill me.

Read the whole interview here.

New 4th Doctor Audios

2010-08-08T14:27:00.001-05:00

Details are available for Relics of Time, the first episode of the new Tom Baker audio series Demon Quest.

The BBC Audiobook production comes in five parts and is a sequel to Hornet's News released last year. Tom Baker reprises the role of the Fourth Doctor and is joined once more by Richard Franklin and Susan Jameson, reprising their roles as Mike Yates and Mrs. Wibbsey respectively.
The Doctor returns to Nest Cottage but lands in trouble when a key component from the TARDIS disappears. Mrs. Wibbsey is inadvertently responsible, but all she can offer in recompense is a bag containing four curious objects. It seems that each one is a clue, and the beginning of a chase through Time. In ancient Sussex they are apprehended by primitive tribesfolk, and mistaken for wizards. Can the revered goddess Wibbsentia get them out of hot water? Who is the fearful wizard in the neighbouring village, and why is the countryside littered with bodies? The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are about to discover that all is not right with history.

The series also features Nigel Anthony as the Wizard and Rupert Holliday Evans and Kate Sachs as the Warriors with with Samuel West, Lorelei King, Jan Francis, Finty Williams and Rowena Cooper.

The series is written by Paul Magrs and the first part is released in the UK on 2nd September and in the US on November 16.

Portal Awards

2010-08-08T14:26:00.000-05:00

Doctor Who has dominated the 2010 Portal Awards, held by Airlock Alpha part of the BlipNetwork.

Doctor Who was named Best Series/Television with 65% of the vote beating Torchwood into second place.

David Tennant was overwhelmingly voted Best Actor/television with a massive 68% of the vote, beating John Barrowman who was in second place with 10% of the vote.

Bernard Cribbins won Best Supporting Actor/Television for his portrayal of Wilfred Mott in The End of Time with 59 percent of the vote. The End of Time was itself voted Best Episode/Television.

Alex Kingston was voted Best Special Guest for her portrayal of River Song in Time of Angels.

The award for Best Actress/Television went to Eve Myles for Torchwood - Children of Earth, beating Karen Gillan into second place

The Gene Roddenberry Award for lifetime achievement was given to Russell T Davies for his work on Doctor Who and Torchwood.

This was the 11th year for the Portal Awards, which started in 1999 as the SyFy Genre Awards. An international nominating committee generated a list of five nominees for each category and readers then had 30 days to vote.

Doctor Who has won seven awards over the years, and is third to Star Trek: Voyager (18 wins) and Farscape (eight wins).

The Seeds of Doom DVD

2010-08-08T14:18:00.002-05:00

2|Entertain have confirmed the fourth Doctor story The Seeds of Doom, will be released in the UK on 25th October 2010.

This story was originally due for release in 2011. The Revisitations boxset was due in October but has not clear if this has been postponed or if The Seeds of Doom is an additional release.

Originally shown in the first part of 1976, The Seeds of Doom was the final story of Series 13. As well as starring Tom Baker as the Doctor, it features Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, Sylvia Coleridge as Amelia Ducat, Mark Jones as Arnold Keeler, John Gleeson as Charles Winlett, John Challis as Scorby and Tony Beckley as Harrison Chase.

Made in six parts, the story was written by Robert Banks Stewart and directed by Douglas Camfield, and is one of the most fondly remembered stories from the fourth Doctor's era.

Tom Baker has recorded the commentary track for the release along with John Challis and Philip Hinchcliffe, who was producer at the time.
No release for North America yet, we'll keep you posted.
Thanks to Dennis for the heads up.

Doctor Who Game Episodes are Now Available Outside of the UK

2010-07-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

Fans of the British sci-fi cult classic TV show Doctor Who can finally catch up to their UK counterparts and download two episodes of Doctor Who: The Adventure Game, a series of episodic adventures set during the recently aired fifth season that aired in the UK, and recently completed its run on BBC America.

Following the premier of the new season in the UK on April 3, the BBC announced that it would supplement the season with four “interactive episodes” that would be considered as canon to the show’s history. The episodes feature the voices of show stars Matt Smith as the Doctor and Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, both of whom are playable characters.

Due to BBC subsidies, the episodes have been free to download in the UK since June 5 and June 26 respectively, but they will require purchase everywhere else. Originally priced as $4.95 for the first two episodes, the bundle has dropped to a very reasonable $3.70. The second and third episodes will follow the same pattern, but no date or details have been released on either.

The first episode, “City of the Daleks,” sends the Doctor and Amy to an alternate 1963 where the Daleks have all but wiped out humanity. In order to correct the timeline and defeat the Daleks, the Doctor returns to Skarro, the home of the Daleks.

The second episode, “Blood of the Cybermen,” takes place in a remote arctic base under siege by an army of Cybermen that have been frozen under the ice for 10,000 years. The episode marks the return of the Cybermen of the original Doctor Who universe, although their design is nearly identical to the Cybus-designed alternate universe Cybermen that have been featured in the recent show.

Frazer Hines Battled Cancer

2010-07-21T18:28:00.002-05:00

Frazer Hines recently revealed that he had been battling bowel cancer for eleven years. The Doctor Who actor said that he kept his illness secret in fear of finding that he would no longer be offered work. But he has been given the all clear and is promoting awareness of the illness through Cancer Research and the Bobby Moore Cancer Foundation.

Only close family were aware of his illness, which also didn't feature in his recently published his revised autobiography Hines Sight.
They said I had a 25 per cent chance of survival. The prognosis was terrifying. My brother Roy died of lung cancer aged 41, my dad of a heart attack at 62. I suddenly thought, The Hines arent going to live very long. It was like I was next in line to go.

When I got out of the hospital bed (after a bowel operation and chemotherapy treatment) I walked to the mirror and saw this grey face staring back. I told myself, "there's someone who's cheated death." After they discharged me I felt like I wanted to grab life by the horns. The first morning I was home, I went for a ride on my motorbike. Liz (Hobbs, Frazer's then wife) was furious and said I would rip my stitches out.

During the period Frazer continued to work in a panto in Grantham. I did the chemo in the morning then, with a catheter in place, I attended rehearsals and went back for chemo in the evening. I did 13 shows a week. I never told anyone in the cast. I never felt sick and was full of energy. My hair actually grew so much that I could put a bow in it by the last show. I had chemo for four months.

A scan later showed he was clear of cancer but doctors warned there was a risk it could return. For the next five years, I still didn't tell anybody and certainly didn't want it to become common knowledge in the showbiz world as I knew I would never work again. I thought if people in TV knew, they'd think "we can't have him, hes got cancer, too big a risk." I also didn't want fans to feel sorry for me and have everyone thinking I was at death's door. I wanted people to treat me like normal no matter what I was going through.

I stayed away from TV but did theatre. On stage you always have an understudy, so if I took a turn for the worse I wouldn't let anyone down. On TV you would and there would be no coming back from that.

I had six-monthly check-ups until this year when a colonoscopy confirmed I was in the clear. It felt I was finally free again. Now I can tell people and help inspire them.

Bowel cancer doesnt have to be a death sentence. You can survive. I did.

SDCC 2010 Dr Who Action Figures

2010-07-15T17:48:00.000-05:00

from action figure insider: Underground Toys are pleased to announce the details of their 2010 San Diego Comic Con exclusive classic Doctor Who items – The 5^th Doctor in Regeneration Outfit and The 5^th Doctor & The Master from Planet of Fire

These items will be available for sale at Underground Toys’ booth # 3949 alongside the 11^th Doctor and Scientist Dalek contemporary exclusive item.

THE FIFTH DOCTOR IN REGENERATION OUTFIT

CASTROVALVA

Following the events at the Pharos Project which caused his regeneration, the Fifth Doctor escapes with his companions back to the TARDIS. Suffering from post-regeneration trauma, he only narrowly manages to save the ship from destruction as it plunges back through time to Event One, the hydrogen in-rush that preceded the creation of the universe.

The Doctor then seeks sanctuary, with companions Tegan and Nyssa, in the peaceful domain of Castrovalva, only to discover that it is an illusory, dimensionally paradoxical trap set for the him by the Master, unwillingly aided by Adric, whom he has kidnapped. The Doctor eventually wins the day by enlisting the help of the Castrovalvan people who, although also part of the Master’s creation, are nevertheless able to exercise free will.

In this exclusive set from Underground Toys we present the Fifth Doctor as he appeared in ‘Castrovalva’. Newly regenerated from the Fourth Doctor, and still wearing his iconic burgundy outfit, the Fifth Doctor comes with a Sonic Screwdriver accessory.

THE FIFTH DOCTOR and THE MASTER from ‘PLANET OF FIRE’

THE FIFTH DOCTOR

His youthful appearance belied his wisdom and experience, but this Doctor still found it frustrating that so many people questioned his judgement, especially his companions. While on an alien planet he and his companion Peri contracted a disease and the Doctor gave Peri the only cure, necessitating another regeneration…

THE MASTER from ‘PLANET OF FIRE’

The Fifth Doctor and Turlough are on the island of Lanzarote because the TARDIS has detected a mysterious signal being transmitted from an unknown, recently salvaged artifact. They meet a young American botany student named Peri Brown, whose stepfather has been replaced with a shape changing robot as part of a plot by the Master. He plans to bring the TARDIS to the planet Sarn, so he can use that world’s revitalising Numismaton gas to restore his body, accidentally shrunken in an accident. The Master is apparently defeated when the stream of gas turns to a hot flame. The Doctor destroys the shape changing robot, Kamelion, at the robot’s own bidding as it has become completely unstable. Turlough leaves to return home, while Peri leaves with the Doctor.

In this exclusive set from Underground Toys we present the Master from ‘Planet of Fire’ and the Fifth Doctor. The Fifth Doctor includes his cream Panama hat and comes with a Sonic Screwdriver accessory.

2010 Christmas Special News

2010-07-15T17:43:00.000-05:00

From the BBC: Production started Monday 12 July on the 2010 Doctor Who BBC One Christmas Special in which the thrilling adventures of the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and newlyweds Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) will continue in a fun-filled and heartfelt festive story.

In the grand tradition of Doctor Who Christmas specials, this year the show has once again attracted stellar guest stars as veteran actor Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, The Singing Detective) and opera diva Katherine Jenkins, in her first acting role, join the Time Lord for what might be his most Christmassy adventure yet!

Arriving on set for her first day of filming, Katherine Jenkins said: "I'm over the moon to be involved in the Doctor Who Christmas Special – I can't quite believe it as it's a part of the family tradition at the Jenkins household. I heard the news that I got the role on my 30th birthday and it was the best birthday present ever!"

About the series, lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, commented: "Oh, we're going for broke with this one. It's all your favourite Christmas movies at once, in an hour, with monsters and the Doctor and a honeymoon and – oh, you'll see. I've honestly never been so excited about writing anything. I was laughing madly as I typed along to Christmas songs in April. My neighbours loved it so much they all moved away and set up a website demanding my execution. But I'm fairly sure they did it ironically."

The Christmas special follows on from Matt Smith's first series as The Doctor, which attracted huge critical acclaim for Smith, his companion, Gillan, and lead writer Moffat, from press and legions of fans alike.

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, said: "Matt Smith and Karen Gillan captivated audiences in their debut series and Doctor Who's clever twist on the much loved A Christmas Carol will thrill BBC One viewers this year with special guest stars Sir Michael Gambon and singing sensation Katherine Jenkins joining Amy and the Doctor for an unforgettable present!"

The series was co-commissioned by Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning for BBC One, and Jay Hunt, Controller of BBC One. Steven Moffat is lead writer and executive producer with Piers Wenger and Beth Willis also executive producing.

Filming on the Christmas special will continue until August 2010.

Are the Yeti Returning?

2010-06-21T17:09:00.003-05:00

Doctor Who Online is reporting the following:
New Series concept designer, Peter McKinstry has added what appears to be a redesign for classic series monster, The Yeti, to his popular website.

Online fan circles are already discussing the possibility of their return for this years Christmas special.

Although this image has appeared online, and clearly resembles a Yeti, it is by no means confirmation that they will return, and could just be a personal piece of artwork that Peter has produced. As always, it is usually best to wait until the BBC can confirm or deny the story.

Just remember this is only speculation and could not be true. I'll keep searching the web and bringing you any stories I find on the Christmas special for 2010.

No More Next Time For DVD's

2010-06-18T18:22:00.001-05:00

This has been widely circulated on the internet, including Doctor Who News Page:
A decision has been made by DVD production company 2Entertain to release the eleventh Doctor's adventures without the "Next Time" trailers, as (not) seen on the recently released Volume One; this impacts both the DVD and Bluray formats.

According to emails sent to Radio Free Skaro and reported on their twitter account, the decision was made "at executive level" in 2009.

Another difference to the original broadcast has been specified as: "a slight change to the sound effects used on the transmitted version. Lightning sound effects were added, particularly as Matt and Karen’s names appear, just prior to TX that only the TX version would have." This change is expected to be corrected for the Boxed Set version due out later in the year.

Christopher Eccleston Talks About Who Departure

2010-06-16T08:07:00.003-05:00

From BBC News: Christopher Eccleston, who is about to star in BBC Four biopic Lennon Naked, took on the role of the Time Lord when Russell T Davies revamped Doctor Who in 2005.

He told the Radio Times he was proud of the show but "wasn't comfortable" working on it. "I think it's more important to be your own man than be successful, so I left."

Eccleston, the ninth Doctor announced he was leaving after just one series to be replaced by David Tennant.

"I was open-minded but I decided after my experience on the first series that I didn't want to do any more," he said.

"I didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in.

"I thought if I stay in this job, I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong."

But the 46-year-old said the fact that he played the Doctor - and not that he had quit - was "the most important thing".

"I really feel that because it kind of broke the mould and it helped to reinvent it.

"I'm very proud of it."

BBC apology

In an initial statement announcing his exit in March 2005, the BBC said the actor was afraid of being typecast and had found the series gruelling.

The corporation later accepted the statement was incorrect and that it had not spoken to Eccleston before releasing it.

"They handled it very badly but they issued an apology and I dropped it," he added.

Doctor Who Not for Adults?

2010-06-16T08:01:00.002-05:00

Stephen Fry delivered the Annual TV Lecture at Bafta, where he gave his thoughts on Doctor Who. “Infantilism is the problem [with TV today],” Fry said. “It’s just shocking. The only dramas the BBC will shout about are Doctor Who and Merlin. They are wonderful programmes, don’t get me wrong, but they are not for adults.”

I know millions of grown-up Doctor Who fans will disagree violently with me here – not least our awe-inspiringly knowledgeable Doctor Who expert Gavin Fuller, who is very much an adult, and who writes a weekly review of the latest series here – but whenever I catch an episode I find myself thinking, “Hmm. Matt Smith’s amusing. The girl looks good. But the plots, the villains, the deus ex machina endings… I’m sure I would find these scary and suspenseful and unpredictable if I’d just grown out of rusks.” At 29, though, I’m afraid I don’t get any more out of it than I would an issue of the Beano (the Beano is still going, isn’t it? Isn’t it? Or is it? God I’m old). Sadly I don’t suppose I’ll ever get to find out what so many adults see in Doctor Who unless I suffer a serious brain injury.

Not sure what to make of this. But as an adult all I have to say is: "Doctor Who brings out the kid in all of us. And Doctor Who is for everyone."

Doctor Who Series 31: The Lodger

2010-06-13T14:08:00.003-05:00

The TARDIS lands in Colchester rather than the intended destination of the Fifth Moon of Sinda Callista, and the Doctor steps out on to the grass. The TARDIS immediately takes off, unplanned, separating him and Amy. Meanwhile, passers-by are seen being lured into a nearby house by a voice seeking help, from the intercom at its front door. The door opens and they ascend the staircase to the first floor, entering the room which lies there; flashing lights are seen and screams heard emanating from the room.

The Doctor concludes that whatever happened to the TARDIS is connected to that room. Luckily, the owner of the downstairs flat, Craig Owens, is looking for someone to rent his spare room. The Doctor shows up and pays him with a bag containing £3000 (since he didn't know whether it would be too much). Though Craig finds him odd, he manages to convince him with his cooking. The Doctor eventually meets Sophie, a friend of Craig whom the latter cannot admit he's in love with.
Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* James Corden – Craig Owens
* Daisy Haggard – Sophie
* Owen Donovan – Steven
* Babatunde Aleshe – Sean
* Jem Wall – Michael
* Karen Seacombe – Sandra
* Kamara Bacchus – Clubber

Production
Writer Gareth Roberts
Director Catherine Morshead
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Tracie Simpson
Executive producer(s)

* Steven Moffat
* Piers Wenger
* Beth Willis

Production code 1.11
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 12 June 2010 (2010-06-12)

Source: wikipedia

More BBC Audio For Baker

2010-06-13T14:06:00.000-05:00

From the Doctor Who News Page:

Tom Baker is once more returning to the role of the fourth Doctor in a second series of audio plays, Demon Quest, for BBC Audiobooks.

Baker appeared in the series Hornet's Nest last year alongside Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates, this first time he had played the part of the Doctor for many years.

Demon Quest is written by Paul Magrs, who also wrote Hornet's Quest. No details are yet available about the supporting cast in the series, which will be released over five instalments.

1: Relics of Time - Released 2 September
2: Demon of Paris - Released 7 October
3: Shard of Ice - Released 4 November
4: Starfall - Released 2 December
5: Sepulchre - Released 2 December

Terrance Dicks @ Chicago TARDIS 2010

2010-06-11T18:07:00.003-05:00

Terrance Dicks will appear at this years Chicago TARDIS 2010 on November 26-28. Mr. Dicks was influential in many of the classic stories of Doctor Who from the late 1960's into the 1980's. he also became Doctor Who's main script editor on the programme. He earned his first writing credit on the show when he and Hulke co-wrote the epic ten-part story The War Games which closed the sixth season and the era of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. He had, however, been the uncredited co-writer of The Seeds of Death earlier in the season, after performing extensive work on writer Brian Hayles' original scripts.

Dicks went on to form a highly productive working relationship with incoming Doctor Who producer Barry Letts, working as the script editor on each of Letts' five seasons in charge of the programme from 1970 to 1974. After his departure, Dicks continued to be associated with the programme, writing four scripts for his successor as script editor Robert Holmes: Robot (1975, the opening story of Tom Baker's era as the Fourth Doctor), The Brain of Morbius (1976, broadcast under the name 'Robin Bland' after Dicks' displeasure at Holmes' rewrites to the story led him to declare that it should go out "under some bland pseudonym"), Horror of Fang Rock and State of Decay.

Dicks also contributed heavily to Target Books' range of novelisations of Doctor Who television stories, writing more than sixty of the titles published by the company. As Dicks explains in an interview in the documentary Built for War, included on the DVD release of the serial The Sontaran Experiment in 2006, he served as unofficial editor of the Target Books line. In this role, he would attempt to enlist the original teleplay author to write the books whenever possible, but if they could not or would not, then Dicks would often end up writing the books himself.

Mr. Dicks will also be joined at Chicago TARDIS by Gareth David-Lloyd and Kai Owen among others. check out the website www.chicagotardis.com for more details.

The 11 Doctors Figure Set

2010-06-11T08:07:00.006-05:00

Forbiddenplanet.co.uk has listed the complete 11 Doctors Action Figure set on their site for 46.49 in British Pounds about 65.00 in US currency. The image above proves its worth every cent!

In the set we see A new look for Jon Pertwee, and To Baker is wearing his long coat! Peter Davison has celery, Colin Baker has a yellow tie and Sylvester McCoy has a dark jacket. Then we see Paul McGann the 8th Doctor himself, its about time!

Release date: Aug 8, 2010
Thanks for the tip Dennis!

Series 31 Figures

2010-06-09T09:36:00.001-05:00

Below are images of figures due from the current series of Doctor Who. That's series 31 if anyone is keeping count:

Amy Pond

Regenerating Weeping Angel

New Look Red Dalek

Ironside Dalek

Smiler person

The Doctor!

Hawthorne

Torchwood Series 4 Roundup

2010-06-09T09:19:00.002-05:00

The news has spread like wild fire since the news broke a few days ago about a new series of Torchwood which will be produced by the BBC Wales, BBC Worldwide, and US network Starz Entertainment.

The series will see John Barrowman and Eve Myles reprise their roles of Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen, and will comprise of ten episodes overseen by series creator Russell T Davies. Other former cast members (like Gwen's husband Rhys played by Kai Owen) have yet to be confirmed, but new faces will appear in the team, with adventures taking place around the world.
The following are comments from those involved:

Says Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning:

We have a long history of working with many U.S. networks but it is incredibly exciting to be working with Starz for the first time, as well as to be reunited with the best of British in Russell, Jane and Julie. Torchwood will burst back onto the screen with a shocking and moving story with global stakes and locations that will make it feel bigger and bolder than ever.

Jane Tranter, EVP, BBC Worldwide Productions:

Torchwood has attracted remarkable attention and loyalty in both the UK and U.S., and in this new partnership with Starz, the next chapter will not only reward our current fans, but also introduce new viewers to the most impressive instalment yet.

Chris Albrecht, LLC, President and CEO of Starz:

We're committed to programming exceptional television that is entertaining, imaginative and provides a premium TV experience, and by any measure the new concept for Torchwood fits that mandate. I've been part of successful partnerships with Jane Tranter and the BBC previously, and I'm very much looking forward to working with them again.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Albrecht added:

It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Each season of the show, the show has evolved and "The Children of Earth" was terrific as evident in it was just named a Television Critics Press Awards nominee. I'm interested in doing sci-fi and what I like a lot about "Torchwood" is it's a very classic sci-fi entry. It's all about the story, it's not about big effects. I thought "Children of Earth" evolved the franchise to a place where it could continue to evolve on pay TV with an American partner that could bring more production resources.

At the end of "Children of Earth" Torchwood was destroyed, so when we pick up in our world the need for Torchwood arises again. A lot of this story takes place in the U.S. as well with several characters that are in the U.S. intelligence forces and end up teaming up with Gwen and Captain Jack to deal with the situation at hand.

The Hollywood Reporter also spoke to Russell T Davies:

It's very much the next step. It's not a new version, it's not a reboot. We're simply moving countries. The show was previously a format show -- monster of the week. The breakthrough was "Children of Earth" and that it became one long story. It's not going to be 'Lost' and take 20 years to find out what's going on. It's going to have a most remarkable conclusion after 10 episodes.

We're simply going to tell a good story. I wrote the pilot 7 months ago irregardless of network. BBC1 is a prime-time channel, but a brave channel. I don't worry about content.

source: Doctor Who News Page

Lady Gaga vs The Doctor: Lets hope not.

2010-06-09T09:15:00.001-05:00

From colors'nflavors.com: Doctor Who’ scriptwriter Gareth Roberts has revealed that he would like ‘Poker Face’ singer Lady Gaga to star in the show.

Roberts, 42, said Gaga would really fit in as a guest star on the long-running cult British science fiction series with her fondness for dressing up.

“She is no stranger to dressing up and would be more than a match for the Doctor,” the New York Post quoted Roberts as telling OK! Magazine.

“It would be a great coup to get her,” he added.

He has even gone so far as to create a storyline, which he is yet to reveal, for a potential guest-starring role for Gaga, who has not signed for the role as yet.

Tennant to Fight Vampires.

2010-06-09T09:05:00.003-05:00

From Geekofdoom.com: The DreamWorks’ ’80s horror movie remake Fright Nighthas added two new names to its project.
It’s being reported that David Tennant 9The 10th Doctor himself) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad) have now joined the cast.
Tennant will be playing Peter Vincent, a magician (changed from the horror TV show host he played in the original) who specializes in the realms of horror and vampires, and offers his knowledge and assistance to Charlie (Anton Yelchin), the main character who suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire. Mintz-Plasse will be taking on the role of Evil Ed, Charlie’s best friend.

Last month it was announced that Colin Farrell would be playing Jerry Dandrige, the vampire that moves in next door, and Toni Collette would be playing Charlie’s mother.

Doctor Who Series 31 Vincent & the Doctor

2010-06-06T14:14:00.002-05:00

The Doctor has taken Amy to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where they admire the work of the post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. As the art expert Dr Black tells his tour group about van Gogh's work, Amy thanks the Doctor for bringing her there, and wonders why he's taken her to a series of amazing places. In The Church at Auvers, the Doctor points out a seemingly alien figure that appears in one of the windows. Disturbed, the Doctor decides they must travel back in time so they can speak to Van Gogh himself.
In 1890, they manage to track down Van Gogh at a local café where the artist never pays for his drinks and has earned a bad reputation. The Doctor attempts to break the ice, but the distrustful artist rebuffs him angrily. Amy, however, ingratiates herself to him very quickly since he thinks her "cute", and thanks to her offer to share a bottle of wine with him. Over wine, the Doctor clumsily broaches the subject of the church painting, but the trio is interrupted when a woman wails for help. They rush into the alleyway to find a young girl dead, ravaged by some sort of beast, and her anguished mother blames van Gogh's madness for her daughter's fate. Pelted with stones, they run from the small crowd, and Vincent tells the Doctor that a similar murder occurred a week prior.

They leave for Vincent's home, where Amy and the Doctor are allowed to stay the night. The small home is cluttered with paintings that the artist sadly considers worthless to anyone but himself. However, in spite of his poor sense of self-worth, he believes the universe is filled with more wonders than one could imagine. Later, Amy is attacked outside by a creature only Vincent can see. The Doctor attempts to help, but is knocked about by the invisible creature. Vincent, however, drives it off and saves them both. Back inside, Vincent sketches the creature for the Doctor, and the Doctor goes back to the TARDIS to fetch a device that allows him to identify the creature as a Krafayis, a vicious pack-predator that has been abandoned on Earth.

Vincent promises to help them stop it, but when the Doctor assures him that after that they'll be out of his hair, he shuts himself in his bedroom and breaks down in tears. The Doctor approaches him and Vincent tells him that everyone leaves him in the end, forgotten and hopeless. The Doctor attempts to empathise, but Vincent becomes furious and orders him to go. Frustrated and saddened for the man, the Doctor tells Amy they are leaving, but will first have to defeat the creature on their own. As they gather their things and prepare to depart, Vincent appears; his mood has shifted and he's determined to assist them.

As they walk to the church, Vincent tells Amy that if she can "soldier on, then so can Vincent van Gogh." and goes on to say that he can hear her sadness and loss, something she herself cannot detect. On the way, the funeral procession for the dead village girl moves down the road, and the trio stop and pay their respects briefly before continuing on, and Vincent looks back upon the sunflowers that lay atop her casket. When they reach the church, Vincent begins to paint, stopping occasionally to quieten the Doctor, who is bored by the long wait. Hours later, the artist spots the beast inside, lurking past a window. The Doctor plans to stun the creature with his sonic screwdriver, and tells Vincent and Amy to remain outside and not to follow him. Amy agrees, but when the Doctor is gone, Vincent asks her if she'll follow, and she replies, "Of course."
Cafe Terrace at Night - The café in Arles where the Doctor and Amy meet Vincent

Inside, the Doctor finds his plan a difficult one to execute, and from outside Vincent spies the creature stalking the Doctor instead. Amy dashes inside, and the pair are forced to hide inside a confessional. They are saved by Vincent, who fends off the creature with his chair, allowing the three of them to retreat and hide. The Doctor attempts to reason with the creature, but fails. Vincent describes the creature's actions, explaining that it is feeling its way around the room. The Doctor realises that the Krafayis is blind, and that's why it was left behind. It finally charges, and Vincent attempts to repel it with his easel, but the creature impales itself—something that the artist did not intend. As the Krafayis lays dying, the Doctor detects that the creature is afraid, and he strokes and comforts it as best he can as it breathes its last. Vincent sadly observes that the frightened, lonely creature had been lashing out in fear and frustration, the way that humans do when they are afraid, the way the villagers sometimes lash out at him.

Outside, the three of them lay down in the grass and look up at the sky, and Vincent describes the world he sees: a night sky that is deep blue, not black, framed by swirling air, a canvas for the shining stars above. Finally able to see through Vincent's eyes, the Doctor says he's never seen anything quite as wonderful. Holding their hands, Vincent says, "I will miss you terribly."

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* Tony Curran – Vincent
* Bill Nighy – Dr Black
* Nik Howden – Maurice
* Chrissie Cotterill – Mother
* Sarah Counsell – Waitress
* Morgan Overton, Andrew Byrne – School Children

Production
Writer Richard Curtis
Director Jonny Cambell
Script editor

* Emma Freud
* Brian Minchin

Producer

* Tracie Simpson
* Patrick Schweitzer

Executive producer(s)

* Steven Moffat
* Piers Wenger
* Beth Willis

Production code 1.10
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast June 5, 2010

Doctor Who Series 31 Cold Blood

2010-06-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

This second part starts with the Doctor and Nasreen walking along a bridge in the Silurian civilisation, as the Doctor marvels at the technological advances they have made since he last met them. They find themselves in a corridor covered with plants long thought extinct, and find an entrance. As soon as they walk through it, an alarm goes off and the pair are inevitably captured by the Silurian soldiers where they are taken to the same lab Amy and Mo are in. Amy is about to be dissected by the Silurian doctor Malohkeh, but he is called off moments before doing so by the alarm triggered by the Doctor and Nasreen.

Malohkeh had used a palm-sized device to lock Amy's hands into the cuffs and had placed it in his pocket. But while he is distracted by the alarm, Amy pickpockets him and steals the device. Amy quickly unlocks the clamps around her arms and frees Mo. As they walk around trying to find a way out, they stumble upon a chamber where the Silurians are keeping Elliot alive, but sedated, for observation. Mo, Elliot's father, is enraged and determines they need to find weapons to protect themselves and later get his son out. They then find two contiguous chambers, each with a Silurian warrior inside, although they appear to be immobile. Amy deduces that they are hibernation pods, with each warrior standing on a transport disc that can take them to the surface. Since they don't know how to work the transport discs, they take the hibernating Silurians' weapons instead to have something to fight with while looking for another exit.

In the church, while the group are awaiting the Doctor's and Nasreen's return, Ambrose notices her father's injury from Alaya's sting, so she goes to Alaya's room and implores her to give her the cure. Alaya responds that she has no desire nor need to tell her. Angered, Ambrose picks up a stun gun to pretend to threaten Alaya. However, Alaya begins taunting her by asking her where her son is, and how she is too much of a coward to use the stun gun even to protect her family. Angered and worried about her family, Ambrose does stun her, at first lightly to get the information, but when Alaya still refuses, she shoves the stun gun into her stomach with greater strength, killing her. The others run in, shocked, for keeping Alaya alive was probably the only way to achieve a peaceful resolution.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Nasreen are clamped onto the operating tables, where Nasreen is knocked unconscious. The Doctor is kept awake as the Silurians attempt to 'decontaminate' him for analysis. The Doctor, however, is unusually finding the decontamination painful, and yells out in between cringing at Malohkeh that he is not human. After Malohkeh checks and notices the Doctor's two hearts, he turns the machine off and uses a rod similar to the Doctor's sonic Screwdriver to wake up Nasreen. Another Silurian, Restac, Alaya's sister and the Silurians' military commander, enters, however, and is adamant that they be destroyed. She takes the Doctor and Nasreen to a conference room, which turns out to be the Silurian court, and informs them they will be executed. On the way, the Doctor explains some of the Silurians' history: that they went into hibernation when their astronomers predicted a solar catastrophe approaching Earth. When the Silurians ask how he knows so much about them, the Doctor explains he has encountered their kind before. Initially delighted that others of their species survived, the Doctor angers them by explaining humans wiped out those who woke before. Restac views such an act as justification to destroy humanity.

Just as Restac is about to fire, Amy and Mo arrive, armed with the Silurian guns. They are soon overwhelmed by the dozens of Silurian guards, however, and are about to be executed as well. Back at the church, Rory and the gang have wrapped Alaya's body in an orange afghan, when a screen on an unplugged computer turns on, revealing Restac who shows them the others as hostages. The Doctor reminds Rory that if they bring Alaya back, the Silurians will leave them alone, but Restac refuses and announces that the first to be executed will be Amy, aiming her gun as the screen switches off completely, leaving Rory in shock. Malohkeh attempts to reason with Restac as he believes that the Silurians and humans are compatible with each other and so war is unnecessary; however, she simply orders him to leave. Nevertheless, Amy manages to survive because Eldane, a Silurian above Restac in rank, arrives after being fetched by Malohkeh and orders for them to be untied.

The Doctor proposes that the Silurians hold talks, with Amy and Nasreen as the human race's representatives, to try to figure out a peaceful way for the Earth to be shared between the species. They are making progress, as Amy suggests that certain areas of the planet that are inhospitable to humans could work for the Silurians. In exchange, Eldane proposes that all Silurian technology can be used to both species' benefit. As they have found common ground, Eldane is open to the idea of exchanging them for Alaya, so they open another communication link to Rory and the others in the church. They agree to bring them down to the Silurians' habitat for the exchange, and it appears as if it will all work out. Meanwhile, Restac and a number of troops storm into Malohkeh's lab and execute him for betraying her cause.

After the communications link is closed, Ambrose, still distrustful of the Silurians and worried because Alaya is in fact dead, decides that before going down, they should set the drill to go off in 15 minutes, which would destroy all oxygen in the Silurians' habitat. As the group arrive with Alaya's corpse, Restac returns with many more warriors, who she has woken up from hibernation, intending to stage a coup. When she sees that Alaya, her sister, is dead, Restac loses control and orders her warriors to kill all the humans, starting with Ambrose. As the Silurians open fire, the Doctor deters them by breaking down their weapons with the sonic screwdriver, as all the humans and Eldane lock themselves in the lab. There, they realise that they have very little time before the drill impacts the surface of the Silurians' habitat and they all die. The Doctor decides that they should use the Silurian technology to send an energy pulse through the tunnel network to destroy the drill before it demolishes the Silurian civilisation. However, doing so would cause an underground collapse, so they will need to escape before the drill is destroyed. They need to get from the lab to where the Doctor and Nasreen left the TARDIS, but the Silurian army is blocking the way. Eldane tells them that he can stall the army by activating 'toxic fumigation'; a safety system that warns everyone to return to hibernation before a toxic gas is released, for only those stubborn and violent enough to follow Restac will die. The Doctor approaches Eldane and promises that in a thousand years, the Silurians and humans should attempt living together once again, for he will ensure that the humans are the best they can be by then. He approaches Elliot and asks him to create a myth, story or religion that can inform all coming human generations of the Silurians and how they can cohabitate peacefully one day in order to promote this plan.

As the safety system is triggered, Tony yells out in pain. Alaya had previously suggested that he should have been dead soon after she attacked him, but the Doctor finds that instead of killing him, the spit from Alaya has triggered a mutation. The Ambassador tells them that Tony can be put in a chamber to stop the infection, but the process takes much longer than the 15 minutes they have before the drill impacts. To this, Tony responds that he will stay behind, and everybody else clamors to get to the TARDIS. The Doctor realises Nasreen is not moving, as she informs him she will stay behind with Tony, to study the Earth and help the Silurians co-operate with mankind when the time comes. As the Doctor is taking so long, Amy returns to get him, prompting Rory to wait for Amy and the Doctor as well.

Ambrose, Mo and Elliot quickly get onto the TARDIS, but before Amy, Rory and the Doctor go in, they all notice a crack in the wall, just like that in Amy's bedroom as a child. The Doctor surmised that the cracks in the universe must have been formed by an explosion and insists on reaching into the other side to see what it holds, because explosions often leave shrapnel. He takes something out and looks at it in horror. Just as Rory, Amy and the Doctor are about to finally go into the TARDIS and take off to safety, Restac, dying due to exposure to the toxic gas, appears and shoots at the Doctor. Rory pushes him out of the way and takes the blast, dying in Amy's arms, confused because they had seen a future version of themselves across the hill from where they 'parked' the TARDIS in the beginning. The energy from the crack in the wall soon begins to absorb Rory, and the Doctor recalls what he said to Amy in the forest at the 'Byzantium': that if the time energy catches up to you, all evidence of your life is erased, as if you had never been born.

Since the drill is moments away from killing them, the Doctor pries a sobbing Amy away from Rory's lifeless body, locks her in the TARDIS and takes off, watching Rory's body dissipate into the crack. However, Amy implores the Doctor not to let her forget Rory, so he prompts her to clutch onto all the memories of him so that he can live on in her mind. Unlike with the Byzantium and the Weeping Angels, Amy will not remember Rory just because she is a time traveller, as he is part of her own personal history. For a moment, it looks as if Amy remembers. However, the TARDIS jolts, causing Amy to lose her focus, and she is not able to hold onto memories of Rory. The Doctor finds Amy's engagement ring on the floor of the TARDIS.

They arrive at the surface just as the drill explodes. Ambrose thanks the Doctor, since he could have let the Silurians kill her for killing Alaya. The Doctor responds that an eye for an eye is no way to live, and that she should seek some sort of repentance by making sure that her son really is the best humanity can be, in preparation for when the Silurians end their hibernation in a thousand years. Amy and the Doctor return to the TARDIS to leave, and they spot someone across the hill again, except this time, it is only 'future Amy', and no Rory. Amy does remark that for a second she thought she saw someone else as well, but lets go of the thought. On her way back into the TARDIS, Amy makes a remark to the Doctor and uses the term "you boys".

The Doctor lags behind to examine what he pulled from the other side of the crack: a burnt piece of the TARDIS.

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companions

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
* Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)

Guest stars

* Neve McIntosh – Alaya/Restac
* Meera Syal – Nasreen Chaudhry
* Robert Pugh – Tony Mack
* Nia Roberts – Ambrose
* Richard Hope – Malohkeh
* Stephen Moore – Eldane
* Alun Raglan – Mo
* Samuel Davies – Elliot

Production
Writer Chris Chibnall
Director Ashley Way
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.9
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 29 May 2010 (2010-05-29)

Doctor Who Series 31 The Hungry Earth

2010-06-06T14:10:00.001-05:00

The Doctor, Amy and Rory land in the small Welsh village of Cwmtaff in 2020, as opposed to their intended destination of Rio de Janeiro. They encounter a mining operation, led by Doctor Nasreen Chaudry, studying minerals deep in the earth that have not been seen for over 20 million years. Nasreen is accompanied by a local, Tony Mack, whose daughter and grandson, Ambrose and Elliot, are examining the disappearance of bodies from underground at the graveyard of a nearby church. An earth tremor causes the ground to open and send Tony and Amy falling into it; Tony is rescued but Amy is pulled under by unknown forces. The Doctor surmises the minerals form a bio-reactive defense system that was triggered by the drilling operation. The group is soon alerted to the presence of three life forms traveling up the drilling shaft from 21 kilometres below the earth, and they barricade themselves in the church. The Doctor explains Amy's disappearance to Rory and assures him he will get her back.

The three beings turn out to be reptilian humanoids, and in a scuffle, they capture Elliot and strike Tony with a venomous forked tongue; the Doctor and the group are able to subdue one of the beings while the other two retreat with Elliot back into the earth. The Doctor realises the beings are a new form of Silurians, and that they have relented in their attack since both side hold a hostage. The captured Silurian calls herself Alaya, a member of the warrior caste awoken by the intrusion of the drill. Alaya believes, as with all the other Silurians, that the Earth still belongs to them and will defeat humanity eventually. Tony, suffering from the effects of the venom, believes they should dissect Alaya, but the Doctor warns that it will be seen as an act of war. The Doctor decides to travel in the TARDIS down the drilling shaft to talk to the rest of the Silurians and work out a truce, with Narseen desiring to come along.

Amy awakens to find herself strapped to an examining table, near to where Ambrose's husband Mo is similar ensnared. Mo apologizes to Amy that the Silurians intended to vivisect them. The Doctor and Nasreen descend in the TARDIS, where the Doctor explains the Silurians and that he only expects to encounter a small number of the aliens. The show ends on a cliffhanger as the Doctor and Nasreen are surprised to find an immense Silurian civilisation stretching out for miles in the caverns below the earth.
Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companions

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
* Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)

Guest stars

* Neve McIntosh – Alaya
* Meera Syal – Nasreen Chaudhry
* Robert Pugh – Tony Mack
* Nia Roberts – Ambrose
* Alun Raglan – Mo
* Samuel Davies – Elliot

Production
Writer Chris Chibnall
Director Ashley Way
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.8
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 22 May 2010

Doctor Who Series 31 Amy's Choice

2010-06-06T14:07:00.002-05:00

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves experiencing events in two realities, falling asleep in one and waking in the other. In one, on Earth five years after Amy traveled with the Doctor and now pregnant with Rory's child, they find themselves in Amy's hometown of Leadworth, chased by the Eknodine, an alien race that have disguised themselves as the elderly of the town and who are able to turn anyone else into dust simply by breathing on them. In the other, they are trapped in the powerless TARDIS floating towards a freezing cold star which will kill them shortly. During one of their experiences in the TARDIS-reality, they are met by the "Dream Lord", who tells them that he created this trial, which they can only escape from by being killed in the false reality; death in the true reality will be permanent.

Eventually, the Dream Lord keeps Amy awake in the TARDIS-reality while the Doctor and Rory fall asleep and return to the Leadworth-reality. The Dream Lord questions Amy as to who she would choose between Rory and the Doctor; he states that she should choose between the worlds, because one leads to a peaceful married life with Rory while the other leads to adventure and excitement with the Doctor.

Amy returns to Leadworth, and joins Rory and the Doctor defending her house from the Eknodine. Amy starts going into labour, forcing Rory to sacrifice himself to protect her, and he is turned into dust. Amy decides that she is willing to risk her own life for the chance of seeing Rory again, and concludes the Leadworth-reality is false; she and the Doctor ram into the house in a camper van, killing them both along with the Eknodine inside. The three wake up again on the TARDIS, and the Dream Lord congratulates them, and reactivates the TARDIS. However, the Doctor sets the TARDIS to self-destruct, apparently killing them all.

The three wake up again on the TARDIS, no longer in any danger. The Doctor realised both realities were false, as the Dream Lord was a manifestation of his darker side. The three were influenced by psychic pollen that had fallen in the TARDIS, creating the Dream Lord and the false realities. As Amy and Rory reconfess their love for each other, the Doctor privately worries about the reappearance of the Dream Lord in his future.

Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companions

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
* Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)

Guest stars

* Toby Jones – Dream Lord
* Nick Hobbs – Mr Nainby
* Joan Linder – Mrs Hamill
* Audrey Ardington – Mrs Poggit

Production
Writer Simon Nye
Director Catherine Morshead
Script editor Brian Minchin
Producer Tracie Simpson
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.7
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 15 May 2010

Doctor Who Series 31 Vampires of Venice

2010-06-06T14:03:00.002-05:00

The Doctor, believing Amy's attraction to him is due to the stress from travel, gatecrashes her fiancé Rory's stag party, and invites the two of them on a romantic trip courtesy of the TARDIS. They land in Venice of 1580, but soon find that though a plague runs rampant outside of Venice, the city's patron Signora Rosanna Calvierri has quarantined the city to prevent it entering Venice. When they try to learn more from Signora Calvierri, they encounter Guido, a boat-builder, desperately seeking information on his daughter Isabella. Guido explains that Signora Calvierri runs a highly-praised school for the betterment of young ladies, which he was able to enroll Isabella into, but now fears something is wrong with the school. The Doctor, and Amy and Rory separately investigate; they all come to the same initial conclusion: Signora Calvierri, her son Francesco, and the girls in the school are all apparently vampires, feeding on the blood of young women by biting their necks with long teeth, fearing direct sunlight, and leaving no reflection in a mirror.

Amy devises a plan to place herself within the school with the help of Rory, whereupon later she can allow in Rory and the Doctor through a canal entrance assisted by Guido. Though she is able to unlock the necessary gate, Amy is discovered by the other girls in the school and taken to a chamber to be turned into a vampire; in her struggles, she kicks at Signora Calvierri to find her wearing a device that masks an alien form underneath. The Doctor and Rory arrive in time, and with the help of Isabella, who has yet to be converted, free Amy and escape the school; however, Isabella is caught at the last moment while helping in the escape; she is later thrown into a canal by Signora Calvierri and eaten by something that lives underwater.

The Doctor decides to address Signora Calvierri directly, and confirms that she and the others are creatures from the planet Saturnyne, a race of aquatic beings with vampire-like tendencies, but wearing perception filters—the device Amy struck—to make them appear human and the cause for lack of reflection in the mirror. Signora Calvierri states they were fleeing from numerous cracks in time that threatened their planet, through some of which they heard only silence on the other side. Calvierri and her son fell through one crack into Venice, and are now seeking to sink the city and convert humans into "Sisters of the Water" in order to continue their race. When the Doctor returns to Guido's home to report this to the others, Signora Calvierri sends her girls to attack them. Guido sacrifices himself for the others by blowing up several kegs of gunpowder that kill him and the girls. Signora Calvierri activates a device on the top of a tower that begins to create earthquakes and tsumanis that will sink Venice. While Amy and Rory face and defeat Francesco, the Doctor climbs the tower and stops the device in time. The last of her kind, Signora Calvierri throws herself into the canal where her doomed offspring await, but not before tormenting the Doctor that he is now responsible for the extinction of two species: her own, and the Time Lords.

In the aftermath of the incident, Amy and the Doctor invite Rory to continue traveling with them in the TARDIS, but as the Doctor and Rory are about to enter the TARDIS, everything falls silent. Unnerved, the Doctor remembers Signora Calvierri's words: "We saw silence, and the end of all things..."
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companions

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)
* Arthur Darvill (Rory Williams)[1][2]

Guest stars

* Helen McCrory – Rosanna
* Lucian Msamati – Guido
* Alisha Bailey – Isabella
* Alex Price – Francesco
* Gabriella Wilde, Hannah Steele, Elizabeth Croft, Sonila Vieshta, Gabriella Montaraz – Vampire Girls
* Michael Percival – Inspector
* Simon Gregor – Steward

Production
Writer Toby Whithouse
Director Jonny Campbell
Script editor Brian Minchin
Producer Tracie Simpson
Patrick Schweitzer
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.6
Series Series 5
Length 50 minutes
Originally broadcast 8 May 2010 (2010-05-08)

Doctor Who Series 31 Flesh & Stone

2010-06-06T14:01:00.002-05:00

Continuing from the previous cliffhanger, the destruction of the gravity globe allows the Doctor, Amy, Dr. River Song, and Father Octavian and his clerics to jump into the localized gravity well of the starship Byzantium and escape the horde of approaching Weeping Angels. The Angels follow them into the ship, where the Doctor directs everyone into the ship's oxygen factory, a forest contained within the starship. Before leaving the secondary control room, the Doctor observes a growing, familiar crack—the same from Amy's bedroom ("The Eleventh Hour"), and determines that it's leaking time energy from which the Angels are currently feeding.

Regrouping in the forest, the Doctor and Song find Amy to be struggling with an image of an Angel embedded in her mind, causing her to near death. The Doctor instructs Amy to keep her eyes closed to temporarily halt the Angel's effects on her. With Amy now too slow to move with the rest of the group, the Doctor, Song, and Octavian attempt to reach the primary control room on the opposite side of the forest, hoping to teleport Amy and four clerics guarding her once there. Song and Octavian reveal to the Doctor that she is a prisoner currently under Octavian's care, with a pardon promised should she help them complete their mission. Octavian gives his life to distract an Angel in order to allow the Doctor and Song into the control room. As Amy and the clerics wait for rescue, the crack in the secondary control room opens fully, causing the Angels to move away from it. When some of the clerics approach it to investigate, they disappear completely; while Amy remembers them, the remaining clerics have no knowledge of their loss. Amy is soon left alone as the remaining clerics also disappear investigating the crack. The Doctor instructs Amy to continue moving towards the primary control room, keeping her eyes closed but acting as if she is still able to see in order to fool the Angels. Amy trips, revealing her blindness to the Angels, but before they get her, Song teleports her to join her and the Doctor.

The Doctor reveals that the crack is due to an explosion somewhere in time, a date that he and Song are able to determine. The Doctor warns that anything that falls into it, such as the clerics, are rewritten out of time, thus why the Angels are scared of the crack. The only way of temporarily closing the crack is to have some "complicated space-time event" enter it, either the Doctor himself or the whole of the Angels. As the Angels drain power from the ship and seek to use the Doctor to close the crack, the Doctor realises that their problems are solved; he warns Song and Amy to hold onto the controls as the upended ship's gravity field fails, causing the Angels in the forest to fall into the crack and close it. With the Angels gone, the Angel in Amy's mind never existed, and she is able to recover. Song is recaptured by the clerics, revealing her crime is for killing "the best man [she]'d ever known", and promises the Doctor they will meet again soon when the "Pandorica" opens, a term dismissed by the Doctor as a fairy tale.

Aboard the TARDIS, Amy asks the Doctor to return her to Earth right after she left after her harrowing experience on the starship to allow her to regroup before continuing her travels. In her room, she shows the Doctor that she is to be married to Rory the next day, and attempts to seduce the Doctor, which he is very alarmed at. However, the Doctor realizes that the next day, 26 June 2010, is the same day as the time explosion epicenter, and forcibly takes Amy away so that he can figure out what is going on.

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* Alex Kingston – River Song
* Iain Glen – Octavian
* David Atkins – Bob
* Darren Morfitt – Marco
* Mark Monero – Pedro
* George Russo – Phillip

Production
Writer Steven Moffat
Director Adam Smith
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Tracie Simpson
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.5
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 1 May 2010 (2010-05-01)
source wikipedia

Doctor Who Series 31 Time of Angels

2010-06-06T13:57:00.003-05:00

The Doctor discovers a message from Doctor River Song, engraved in Old High Gallifreyan on the side of a ruined flight recorder from the starship Byzantium 12,000 years in the past. With Amy Pond, the Doctor takes the TARDIS to rescue her before the ship crashes on the planet Alfava Metraxis. After reuniting with the Doctor, with whom she has had extensive contact within his relative future, Dr. Song warns the Doctor of the Byzantium's cargo, a deadly Weeping Angel that can only move when unobserved by others. Dr. Song calls for Father Octavian and his troops to join her on the surface to recapture it before it becomes too powerful from the radiation leaked by the ship and to protect a large human colony on the planet. Dr. Song shows the Doctor and Amy a four-second loop of security footage of the Angel as the soldiers set up base camp. The Doctor and Song review a book written by a madman about the Angels which warns that any form of image of the Angels become Angels themselves. Simultaneously, Amy finds, when she looks away, the Angel from the footage moves and begins to emerge from the screen, further trapping her in the viewing room. The Doctor and Song attempt to free Amy; the Doctor warns Amy not to look directly into the eyes of the Angel. Amy is able to freeze the image on a loop break, causing the Angel to disappear and saving herself. As the Doctor and Song verify Amy is safe, she continues to believe she has something in her eyes after she was unable to follow the Doctor's warning.

To access the Byzantium and locate the Angel, the group must travel through a "Maze of the Dead", a stone labyrinth with numerous statues erected by the planet's natives that the Angel could hide among. After launching a gravity globe near the roof of the Maze to provide illumination, the group splits up, with some soldiers left to guard the entrance. As they explore, the Doctor and Song come to recall that the long-dead native species of the planet, the Aplans, have two heads, while all the statues have one; they quickly realise that every statue is a Weeping Angel. Each is presently slower and weaker than the captured Angel due to lack of beings to consume over the centuries but they are now absorbing energy from the crashed ship; the Doctor surmises that the Angel purposely crashed the Byzantium to rescue its kind. As the group tries to escape, Amy believes her hand to have become stone and cannot move, but the Doctor points out that her perception has been influenced by the Angel through her direct eye contact, and she is still fine, allowing her to flee. The group soon finds that the Angels have killed their rear guard and are using their consciousness of one of the soldiers, Bob, to speak to the Doctor. The Angels reveal they have lured the group in the trap at the highest point of the maze directly under the crashed ship, and are planning to kill and use their essences to further regenerate. The Doctor threatens that the Angels should have never put him in the trap, and prepares the group to act once he destroys the gravity globe; the episode ends on this cliffhanger.

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* Alex Kingston – River Song
* Simon Dutton – Alistair
* Mike Skinner – Security Guard
* Iain Glen – Octavian
* Mark Springer – Christian
* Troy Glasgow – Angelo
* David Atkins – Bob
* Darren Morfitt – Marco

Production
Writer Steven Moffat
Director Adam Smith[1]
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Tracie Simpson[2]
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.4[3]
Series Series 5
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 24 April 2010 (2010-04-24)

Torchwood Comic

2010-06-06T13:52:00.002-05:00

From The Doctor Who News Page: Titan Publishing have announced a new Torchwood comic for the United States.

Issue One will feature two stories: Captain Jack and the Selkie, a story penned by John Barrowman and his sister Carole, with artwork by Tommy Lee Edwards; and Broken, penned by Gary Russell with artwork by Adrian Salmon. Both stories originally featured in Titan's Torchwood Magazine, published in the UK.

Each issue will feature two collectible covers, one of artwork and the other picture-based. Cover art for Issue One is by Ian Churchill, and there will be an exclusive third version by Churchill at this year's San Diego Comic Con.

The first issue is due to be published on the 10th August.

Big Finish Set to Continue Through 2010

2010-06-06T13:45:00.004-05:00

Big Finish Producer David Richardson commented on the audio adventures of Doctor Who that are set to continue, with Big Finish announcing that their licence to produce the stories has been extended to December 2012.

We have many plans for the future. The main range starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann continues on a monthly basis, as do The Companion Chronicles. You’ll be hearing more from The Lost Stories and Jago and Litefoot. Plus… we’ve been in talks with Tom Baker, who is eager to join the audio range for a series of full cast plays.

Exciting times are ahead for our favorite Time-Lord. Stay Tuned.

DWM 422

2010-06-02T10:54:00.001-05:00

In issue 422 of Doctor Who Magazine:

Steven Moffat reveals what happened when he joined Matt Smith and Karen Gillan to promote the new series in the Big Apple – and what ‘whisking’, giraffes and babies have to do with the world of Doctor Who – in the latest Production Notes!
DWM catches up with Chris Chibnall, writer of the latest thrilling adventure, The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood, and finds out how and why the Silurians were revived for the twenty-first century. Plus, Meera Syal, who stars as Nasreen Chaudry, tells us about her experience of working on the show – and how her expectations were more than met…
The Doctor and Amy realise that a change isn’t always as good as a rest in Part Two of the latest full-colour comic strip, Supernature, by Jonathan Morris with art by Mike Collins. As Amy continues to mutate, the Doctor goes exploring, in search of a cure…
DWM visits Croatia and goes behind the scenes of The Vampires of Venice, with exclusive interviews with Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill (Rory) and Helen McCrory (Rosanna), executive producer Beth Willis and producer Tracie Simpson!
Toby Jones, the Dream Lord himself, talks candidly to DWM about his bizarre role in Amy’s Choice – and on whether his character could return to haunt the Doctor in the future…
It’s all aboard, as DWM joins the Wengerbus! Follow Matt Smith and Karen Gillan as Matt revisits his old school in Northampton as part of the Doctor Who tour, and discover what life is really like on the road…
Enter a world of Cave-Monsters, Sea Devils and savage dinosaurs as the Watcher tells you everything you need to know (and discovers quite a few surprises!) about homo reptilia – the Silurians!
Deborah Watling, who played companion Victoria Waterfield in the 1960s, tells us what she thinks about the current series, the pressures of writing her autobiography and meeting her fans in Who on Earth is…

Out now!

Brigadier Winifred Bambera Returns

2010-06-02T10:52:00.001-05:00

From Dr Who News Page: The Doctor is to be reunited with Brigadier Winifred Bambera in a new audio adventure from Big Finish

The character, reprised by actress Angela Bruce, will feature in the story Animal, which forms part of the second season of Lost Stories. It is written by former script editor Andrew Cartmel, and sees Bambera once again encountering the seventh Doctor, played by Sylvester McCoy.

Says series producer David Richardson:

Mac Doctor Who Game Delayed

2010-06-02T10:47:00.002-05:00

From news.bigdownload.com:
While the PC version of the free downloadable adventure game, City of the Daleks, is still set for release this Saturday June 5 the game's official web site is now showing a June 15 release date for the Mac port. There's no reason for the delay but we are sure the Doctor would use the TARDIS to jump ahead 10 days to get the Mac version immediately. Again, it may just be us.

Author of Diskworld Disjointed About Doctor Who

2010-05-05T08:38:00.003-05:00

From the Telegraph.co.uk: Creators of the hit BBC series were guilty of scripts full of "fast talking, and what appears to be that wonderful element 'makeitupasyougalongeum' ", Terry Pratchett, author of "Diskworld" told the magazine SFX.

Writing as the science fiction magazine's guest editor, he admitted: "I wish I could hate Doctor Who."

Although he said he was still "a believer" in the show, which regularly pulls in more than eight million viewers, he had recently "noticed something".

"It's this; Doctor Who is ludicrous and it breaks most of the laws of narrative."

Episodes were plagued by "the unexpected, unadvertised solution which kisses is all better," he said.

While "a decent detective story" provided viewers with "enough tantalising information to allow you to make a stab at a solution" he said, "Doctor Who replaces this with speed, fast talking and what appears to be that wonderful element 'makeitupasyougalongeum'.

Pratchett, whose make-believe Discworld is perched rather implausibly on the back of four elephants, said he wished Doctor Who was not classed as science fiction.

While it was "possible to imagine" some of the concepts in Star Trek being real, he said of the Doctor's gadgets: "But the sonic screwdriver? I don't think so. Doctor Who's science is pixel thin."

No Room For Sex in Doctor Who

2010-05-05T08:35:00.001-05:00

From the Telegraph.co.uk: Dozens of viewers are said to have lodged complaints about the sexual content of a scene shown on Saturday in which the Time Lord, played by Matt Smith, was propositioned by his assistant, Amy Pond.

The character, played by Karen Gillan, was seen kissing the doctor and attempting to undress him as he backed up against the side of the Tardis.

At one point Amy, who wears a trademark miniskirt, suggested that they could have a one-night-stand.

She also joked about how long it had been since the 907-year-old Time Lord last had sex, making suggestive innuendoes and provocatively lying down on the bed in front of him.

Some viewers posted complaints on the BBC's message boards pointing out that the episode had been aired in a peak early evening family viewing slot.

One wrote: "We expect this sort of thing from trashy US imports but not a well-respected series like Doctor Who."

Arthur Darvill Tight Lipped.

2010-05-02T12:48:00.003-05:00

From walesonline: Refusing to be drawn on any plot points, including the recent pictures of a pregnant Pond, Arthur Darvill, Because the man who plays new Doctor Who sidekick Amy Pond’s hapless partner Rory – can be seen for the first time since episode 1, in next Saturday’s episode The Vampires of Venice – described his audition for the role as “secretive”.

“The scripts I read bore very little relation to the ones that were finally produced, they changed all the significant details so I couldn’t spill the beans if I didn’t get it,” he said.

Eagle-eyed viewers might recognise Darvill from the 2009 BBC version of Little Dorrit.

“Yes, I was doing all this period drama stuff last time I was on TV. I suppose you can’t get much further away from that than Doctor Who,” he said.

While this might be 28-year-old Darvill’s first close encounter with sci-fi, it isn’t the first time that he and the new Doctor, Matt Smith, have worked together.

“Matt and I were in a play called Swimming With Sharks with Helen Baxendale and we really enjoyed working together and said that we should definitely do it again if we ever got the chance,” he said.

“Little did we know that it was going to be on this!”

Despite Doctor Who being one of the BBC’s flagship productions and the biggest TV success of the last few years, Darvill, who is originally from Birmingham, says he didn’t feel any extra pressure being on set.

David Myerscough-Jones September 15, 1934 - April 21, 2010

2010-05-01T12:36:00.003-05:00

Form the timesonline: David Myerscough-Jones, set designer, was born on September 15, 1934. He died of cancer on April 21, 2010, aged 75

David Myerscough-Jones was a talented and versatile set designer who worked with distinction in theatre and opera but will be particularly remembered for helping to bring the work of Benjamin Britten to television.

When John Culshaw became head of music at the BBC in the 1960s he wanted to produce a television version of Britten’s opera Peter Grimes, with the composer conducting. Britten agreed but was unhappy about the acoustics of a television studio and insisted that the recording should be at the newly converted Snape Maltings.

Myerscough-Jones was given the job of designer and, with the Maltings offering limited space, decided to develop a setting that would be adaptable to all the various scenes. He recalled: “I did not want to use a representational seascape but rather, by employing a series of distance abstract images projected on to gauze, invoking an illusion of cloud and water without the use of realism.”

The success of the production, which was broadcast in 1969 with Peter Pears in the title role, led to Myerscough-Jones’s involvement in further television projects with Britten. He devised the setting for Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise, which was recorded at the Maltings with Pears, and Britten at the piano, and went on to design the opera Owen Wingrave, which Britten had written specially for television with the librettist Myfanwy Piper.

It had its premiere on BBC2 in 1971 with a cast headed by Benjamin Luxon, Janet Baker and Heather Harper and was a landmark in making new opera available to a mass audience. Whether it was opera, a Doctor Who adventure or Greek drama, Myerscough-Jones brought to his work a highly individual style but one that was always rooted in the subject.

Arthur David Myerscough-Jones was born in Southport, Lancashire, in 1934. He attended a local school and Southport School of Art, and then the Central School of Art, London, where he took a diploma with distinction in stage design. He began his career at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, 1958-60, before joining Bernard Miles’s Mermaid Theatre in the City of London, where he was resident designer for five years. Among several notable projects was Euripides’ The Bacchae, with Barrie Ingham and Joss Ackland and music by Alexander Goehr.

He moved into television in the mid-1960s, working for the BBC on a range of projects including The Expert, which starred Marius Goring as a pathologist, the clerical comedy All Gas and Gaiters and the Paul Temple crime series. In 1968 he was assigned to a Doctor Who adventure, The Web of Fear, which included scenes in the London Underground.

London Transport was approached for permission to film but asked such a high fee for a short shoot that it was decided to replicate the Tube with a studio set. Myerscough-Jones’s design was so convincing that London Transport thought it was the real thing and complained to the BBC that filming had gone ahead without permission or payment.

Either side of his collaborations with Britten Myerscough-Jones designed two more Doctor Who stories, The Ambassadors of Death and Day of the Daleks, both starring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor. Moving easily from fantasy to fact, Myerscough-Jones applied his skills to Orde Wingate (1976), a much praised biographical study of the wartime Chindit leader, who was played by Barry Foster.

His designs for a 1980 adaptation of Zola’s Thérèse Raquin, with Kate Nelligan as the doomed heroine in a moody evocation of 19th-century Paris, won him a Bafta award. In yet another change of mode he took on two plays in the BBC Shakespeare cycle. He based his sets for All’s Well that Ends Well on paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt and other artists, and his centrepiece for A Midsummer Night’s Dream was a studio pond, around and sometimes in which most of the action took place.

In his review of the Dream Clive James made special mention of Myerscough-Jones’s design, saying it “drew on the whole romantic visual tradition all the way back to Mantegna” and adding, “it worked a treat”. In 1989 Myerscough-Jones adapted Trevor Nunn’s Royal Shakespeare Company production of Othello for television, with Willard White as the Moor and Ian McKellen as Iago.

His biggest project during the 1980s, however, was Sophocles’ Theban trilogy, in a bold modern production from a new translation by Don Taylor. With Michael Pennington as Oedipus, Claire Bloom as Jocasta and a young Juliet Stevenson as Antigone it remains one of the finest television stagings of Greek drama.

From 1990 Myerscough-Jones worked as a freelance. Apart from a BBC film, The Hawk, with Helen Mirren as a woman who suspects her husband of being a serial killer, most of his later work was for the stage and opera house. Among his theatre projects were touring productions

of Shaw’s You Never Can Tell and Cold Comfort Farm and, in 1997, Educating Rita and David Mamet’s Oleanna for the Norwich Playhouse. He worked with John Pascoe, the founder of Bath City Opera, on its first major production, La bohème (1992), with the fastrising American soprano Renée Fleming as Mimì. Fleming so admired Myerscough-Jones’s designs that she included his rendering for Act I in her private collection. He designed several more productions for Pascoe’s company, among them La traviata, The Turn of the Screw, Don Giovanni and Rigoletto. In 1997 his theatre and television designs featured in an exhibition at the Theatre Royal in Bath.

Myerscough-Jones retired to St Omer, Pas de Calais. He is survived by his wife, Pelo, to whom he was married in 1963, and their four children.

SPOILERS - More of the Same.

2010-05-01T12:17:00.003-05:00

Again it's the same old same old. Can the producers of doctor who keep the lips of our favorite time-lord off the lips of those who travel with him. Why is it the powers that be need to keep a romance with the doctor alive? It seems that in the next episode of the 31st season Amy Pond the doctor's newest companion appears in a risqué scene with the Doctor, apparently forcing herself on the him.

Played by the actress Karen Gillan, Amy is seen kissing the doctor, played by Matt Smith, as he is backed up against the side of his Tardis in her bedroom. The Doctor briefly responds when she kisses him before pushing her away in tonight’s episode.

Amy also jokes about how long it is since the 907-year-old Time Lord last had sex, making suggestive innuendoes and provocatively lying down on the bed in front of him.

It is unclear if during the scene, she is acting out of character as part of a wider plot.

When Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, attempted to seduce the Doctor and kissed him in 2006 it was revealed that her body had been taken over by the villain Cassandra.

Please don't turn this Doctor into another David Tennant (Doctor Whore). Old time fans will once again feel alienated.

The BBC: We Apologise

2010-04-25T10:07:00.001-05:00

From The BBC: The on-screen caption featured an animated cartoon of presenter Graham Norton, host of Over the Rainbow.

It appeared as The Doctor, played by Matt Smith, was making an emotional speech during the story's cliffhanger ending for The Time of Angels.

The trailer was seen by millions of viewers watching on BBC One in England.

Fans have also been complaining on social networking site Twitter. One wrote: "Why is the BBC treating its audience like idiots?"

Another said: "Don't blink or Graham Norton will catch you."

The BBC often promotes programmes in this way but the corporation has acknowledged that in this case the scheduling was inappropriate.

A BBC spokesman said: "We apologise for the timing of Saturday night's trail."

Vampires of Venice Press Outline

2010-04-25T09:11:00.004-05:00

The BBC press office has released a synopsis of episode #6 in season 5 of Doctor Who, which will follow the two-part "The Time Of Angels / Flesh And Stone'. Vampires of Venice is outlined as:

Dessicated corpses, terror in the canal and a visit to the sinister House of Calvierri – the Doctor takes Amy and Rory for a romantic mini-break, as the Tardis touches down once again.

But 17th-century Venice is not as it should be. The city has been sealed to protect it from the Plague, although Rosanna Calvierri may have other plans...

The cast list includes Rory Williams, Helen McCrory, Elizabeth Croft, Alex Price, Simon Gregor, Lucian Msamati, Alisha Bailey and Michael Percival.

As many had suspected about Who producer Steven Moffat's first season - that it would not be lacking in the horror he loved so much about Doctor Who in the 1970s.

Time of Angels Reviews

2010-04-25T08:51:00.003-05:00

From Denofgeek: Nonetheless, you have to give Steven Moffat some fairly hefty credit here. Appreciating that we’re all pretty much au fait with the idea of not blinking when the angels are around, and appreciating that it’s hard to make us jump out of our seat in the same manner that he did the first time round, he’s still got a few ideas to make his finest monster creations very effective.

The centrepiece moment for them in The Time Of Angels was the marvellous slight homage to a certain Japanese horror movie (not mentioning it for fear of spoiling it for those who haven’t seen it!), where Amy finds herself locked in the bunker-esque vehicle staring at seemingly recorded footage of what’s supposedly the only weeping angel in the vicinity. He slowly builds it up, and you just know something’s going to happen. And just as you’re thinking that the angel doesn’t look quite as scary this time round, the damn thing jumps out of the screen.

From Telegraph.co.uk: Matt Smith again showed that his is likely to be the most subtle portrayal of the Doctor since Patrick Troughton, leading this viewer to wonder whether this could be his Tomb of the Cybermen! His spiel to the Angels that you should never put him in a trap was a great way to close the episode, even if his shooting of the anti-gravity globe was a slightly curious twist on the cliffhanger, and one is left genuinely curious as to exactly what will happen next week.

From Shadowlocked: The pace of 'Time Of Angels' brings Moffat's season 5 back up officially to the relentless gait of the RTD era after the gentler speed of the initial two episodes was ramped up in last week's 'Victory Of The Daleks'. Adam Smith's direction can do little to inject moments of reflection in a script this action-packed. The pace to come is set with an Entrapment-style rescue of River Song (Alex Kingston), caught in an act of larceny on a Gallifrean starship but rescued millennia later by a message left in the ship's 'black box'. Elegant, and the type of long-term SOS we've not seen since Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect were rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox when they dropped their towel in a lava-flow in The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

The Weeping Angels themselves are still a terrifying prospect, but Moffat has perhaps done well to extend their powers and reach beyond that which he originated in 'Blink'. Now it turns out that the Angels have infected an entire planet with their own quantum-locked nature, and that their evil reach can even spread out to living beings via a brief video-clip shown on a loop.

Ratings: Time of Angels

2010-04-25T08:18:00.003-05:00

According to unofficial overnight figures. The Time of Angels attracted 6.8 million viewers for its April 24th showing.

BBC One had 6.5 million watching with an additional 0.3 million watching on BBC HD. The total share was 36.7%. Doctor Who was again the second most watched programme of the day with Britain's Got Talent getting 10.5 million. Third placed was Casualty with 5.5 million watching.

Overall Doctor Who currently stands at twelfth for the week with a final top ten place almost certain.

City of the Daleks

2010-04-24T11:49:00.002-05:00

From the BBC: City of the Daleks' will be the first time the Doctor ventures to Kaalann, the Dalek capital city; available to download on 5th June 2010. (most likely in the UK only)

City of the Daleks will be the first of four free downloadable adventures games available for PC and Mac users from June 5th 2010 on the Doctor Who website.

The TARDIS materializes in 1963 - and London is in ruins. The Daleks have seized control of time and the only chance of saving Earth lies in a desperate quest to Skaro, the Daleks' home planet - before time catches up with Amy, the last survivor of the human race!

Players will help the Doctor and Amy on an epic new adventure in an original story which forms part of the current series, traversing time and space in a dazzling episode. Nicholas Briggs provides the voice of the Daleks, alongside Matt Smith and Karen Gillan who recreate their roles as the Doctor and Amy.

"This is quite a series opener," says Phil Ford, writer, Doctor Who. "We destroy London even before the credits role - so you can only begin to imagine where we travel to from there. City of the Daleks is as big-budget as you can imagine: from London we head to Kaalann, the capital city of the Daleks, one constructed from pure anger and hate. And these new Daleks don't like to be messed with, so players are about to enjoy a new interactive episode which is as heart-pulsing as anything you've seen before."

The interactive episodes are executive produced by Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger, Beth Willis and Anwen Aspden (BBC Wales Interactive), alongside Charles Cecil, one of videogaming's most revered creators. The games are being developed by Sumo Digital, one of the UK's best game designers. Stories and scripts are from Phil Ford and James Moran (Severance, Torchwood Children of Earth). The project has been commissioned for BBC Online by the Vision Multiplatform team, headed up by Simon Nelson, and is being driven by BBC Wales Interactive.

More DVD News.

2010-04-24T11:42:00.003-05:00

The Dominators are coming to DVD sometime this summer in the UK.

This 1968 five-part story has been expected ever since an official promo for the story was leaked to YouTube at the end of last year. The story stars Patrick Troughton as the Doctor along with Frazer Hines as Jamie and Wendy Padbury as Zoe.

Guest stars include Ronald Allen, who was well known at the time for his starring role in the soap opera Compact and later for his role in Crossroads and Brian Cant who was a staple of Children's television in the sixties and seventies, well known for his work on Play School and Play Away and for his narration on the popular Trumpton, Chigley and Camberwick Green puppet series.

Extras include:

Commentary
Recharge and Equalise - Featurette - 22'55"
Easter Egg - 2'34"
The Dominators - Photo Gallery - 5'46"
Tomorrow's Times - How the media reported on the Second Doctor - 13'12"

Matt Smith Breaking Things...

2010-04-24T11:24:00.002-05:00

Doctor Who's new star Matt Smith is constantly breaking bits of set during filming, the show's boss said yesterday.

The actor was described as a cross between action hero Indiana Jones and hapless comedy legend Stan Laurel by the hit show's executive producer Steven Moffatt.

Moffatt said: "There's a nice moment where The Doctor hangs from the strap on the ceiling and it breaks.
"The very first time Matt did it, it was an accident - he wasn't supposed to do that, that's just typical Matt, breaking everything. He just tries to carry it off as a sort of Stan Laurel moment. It's extremely charming."
Viewers will see the scene in tonight's episode.
Source: Mirrior.co.uk

New Daleks = New Action Figures

2010-04-24T11:22:00.000-05:00

It has been reported that the famous British television show, ‘Doctor Who’ has undergone a multicolored on-screen make over.

So far, though the alien menace has registered quite a few changes since its onset in ‘Doctor Who’ in 1963, yet these changes have been more or less minor.

However, the recent changes in the Daleks, which were made public in last week's episode, are significantly more conspicuous and larger. The Daleks now come in a range of eye-popping primary colors and are also bigger in size.

Most fans declare that the Daleks now resemble Fisher Price toys. Some find these analogous to soft toys, made half of marshmallow and half of plastic. Some fans also express regret at the removal of the original Dalek design.

Most people fear that the Dalek design has been changed to garner more toy sales. This is also manifest in the makeover given to the Doctor, who now sports a new look, Tardis and a sonic screwdriver.
But hasn't Doctor Who always been about change?

source: Topnews

Cybermen Coming to DVD

2010-04-20T17:22:00.002-05:00

Two More Classic Episodes are headed to DVD in the UK soon:

Revenge of the Cybermen is a fourth Doctor story first shown in 1975. Along with Tom Baker, it stars Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith and Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan. Written by Gerry Davies, the co-creator of the Cybermen, and Robert Holmes, the story is set on Nerva Beacon and on Voga the fabled planet of gold. It was the first story for the Cybermen since they appeared in the 1968 second Doctor story The Invasion and their last until Earthshock in 1982. Other cast members include Ronald Leigh-Hunt, Christopher Robbie, Jeremy Wilkin, William Marlowe, Michael Wisher, Kevin Stoney and David Collings. This story was the first Doctor Who story to be released on VHS in October 1983 with a retail price of £39.99.

Silver Nemesis was a seventh Doctor story, first shown in 1988. Alongside Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, the story starred Sophie Aldred as Ace. Written by Kevin Clarke the story was part of the 25th year celebrations for the series. Other cast members included David Banks, Mark Hardy, Anton Diffring, Courtney Pine, Fiona Walker and a special appearance from film star Dolores Gray. In 1993 an extended version of this three-part serial was released on VHS. It is understood that this special edition will not be included on the DVD release, nor will the accompanying VHS documentary due to rights issues.

11th Doctor & Jo Grant on SJA

2010-04-20T17:19:00.003-05:00

Elisabeth Sladen, who plays Sarah Jane comments: "It's a fantastic script and I can't wait to work with another Doctor and hope Matt has fun with us. I've known Katy for ages and I am delighted to be working with her. I last met her in LA but this time we will be in Cardiff. LA was good but Cardiff is better."

Katy Manning, who recently returned to live in the UK again, adds: "Playing Jo Grant again is something I never really considered. I was gob-smacked when they told me and I am over the moon. What an incredible little treat. I come home and this is one of the first things that happens."

Executive producer Nikki Wilson says: "We are absolutely thrilled to be introducing Sarah Jane and the gang to both The Eleventh Doctor and Jo Grant, and to have a script penned by Russell T Davies is the icing on the cake!

"Viewers are in for a real treat, with an action-packed story full of Russell's usual wit and warmth, which takes the gang inside a secret base beneath Snowdon and introduces brand-new vulture aliens, the mysterious Shansheeth. All this, plus a trip to an alien planet – a first for The Sarah Jane Adventures."

Who Sets Record on BBCAmerica

2010-04-20T17:16:00.001-05:00

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The premiere of the "Doctor Who" reboot set viewership records for BBC America.

Saturday's debut averaged 1.2 million total viewers, making it the network's most-watched telecast ever.

The previous record of 1.0 million was set in January by the U.S. premiere of "Doctor Who: The End of Time," a special that marked the swan song of David Tennant as the mysterious time-traveler and introduced Matt Smith as his replacement.

BBC America said "Doctor Who" is also the No. 1 TV series in the iTunes store. The "Doctor Who" reboot features not only a new Doctor but a new companion, played by Karen Gillan.

Doctor Who Series 31 Episodes: #3 Victory of the Daleks

2010-04-18T15:36:00.002-05:00

Source: Wikipedia: The TARDIS materialises in the Cabinet War Rooms during the Second World War, one month after Winston Churchill (Ian McNeice) called for help at the end of "The Beast Below". The Doctor (Matt Smith) is greeted by the Prime Minister and recounts their past experiences. An arriving Luftwaffe squadron approaching London allows Churchill to show the Doctor his latest weapon, a high-precision energy weapon controlled by the "Ironsides", designed by Professor Edwin Bracewell (Bill Paterson), a Scottish scientist. At the Doctor's request, Churchill and Bracewell show the Doctor an Ironside, in reality a khaki-coloured Union Flag-wearing Dalek. Despite the Doctor's protests about the Daleks' omnicidal past, Bracewell insists that he invented them and they are docile and readily performing menial tasks such as serving tea. The Doctor tries to ask his companion Amy Pond to tell Churchill about their invasion of the Earth in "The Stolen Earth", and is visibly unnerved when Amy has no recollection of the incident.

Intent on proving the Daleks' evil, the Doctor interrogates Bracewell and learns that the Daleks were one of several futuristic inventions. In response, the Doctor repeatedly strikes a Dalek with a heavy spanner and recalls his battles with the genocidal race and finally exclaims "I am the Doctor and you are the Daleks!". The Dalek finally acknowledges this sentence prompting him to transmit this "testimony" to a Dalek ship orbiting the Earth while all the other Daleks turn hostile. Bracewell protests claiming he created the Daleks causing the latter to proclaim "No. We created you." and destroy his hand, exposing him as an android.

The Doctor runs to the TARDIS, telling Amy to stay behind as it is too dangerous. He then materialises in the Dalek ship. The Doctor pretends to be brandishing a TARDIS self-destruct control (a Jammie Dodger biscuit), so that the Daleks do not exterminate him. The Daleks reveal that one ship survived the destruction of the Dalek race in "Journey's End," and that it went after the last remaining Progenitor Device, a capsule containing pure Dalek DNA, from which the Dalek race could be rebuilt. The Doctor figures out that they built Professor Bracewell because the Progenitor Device did not recognise them as Dalek, since these Daleks were grown from Davros' DNA. If the Daleks became part of the army, Winston Churchill would lure The Doctor in, and the Doctor would confirm them as Daleks. The Progenitor accepted this as proof, because The Doctor is the Daleks' greatest enemy.

The Daleks then tell The Doctor to leave, or they will destroy London. The Doctor says they do not have that power. The Daleks then fire a ray turning all of London's lights on, making them an easy target to the incoming Luftwaffe bombers, and rendering London's blackout efforts ineffective. Then the Progenitor completes its process, and creates a "new paradigm" consisting of 5 "pure" Daleks (identified as "Scientist, Strategist, Drone, Eternal and the Supreme"), larger, more imposing, and presumably more powerful than their antecedent, which disintegrate the original Daleks, who willingly offer themselves for extermination. In the Cabinet War Rooms, Amy and Churchill realise they can use Professor Bracewell to fight back against the Daleks. Stopping him from committing suicide, they convince him to help them send some adapted Spitfires to the Dalek ship, equipped with Dalek laser cannons and anti-gravity technology. The Daleks discover The Doctor has not really got a self-destruct device, just as the Spitfires begin their attack. The Spitfires destroy the Dalek transmitter, assisted by The Doctor. The Daleks then tell the Doctor to stop the attack on their ship or they will destroy the Earth using an "oblivion continuum" bomb concealed inside Professor Bracewell.

The Doctor hurries back to Earth, in order to stop the detonation but leaving the Daleks to escape. He reveals the bomb inside Bracewell, realising that the only way to stop it exploding is to convince Bracewell that he is a human, not a bomb. He tries to remind the Professor of all his memories and how they hurt, but he cannot seem to stop the countdown. As the Oblivion Continuum approaches detonation, Amy steps in and asks him if he has "ever fancied someone [he] shouldn't". While dwelling on this, the countdown retreats to zero, cancelling the detonation. The Doctor immediately dashes to stop the Daleks, but he is told by the Professor that they have escaped. For a few moments, he feels that he has lost, but Amy reminds him that he saved the Earth.

After bidding farewell to Churchill and his staff, The Doctor is puzzled that Amy did not remember the Daleks from the events portrayed in "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End," and the TARDIS dematerialises. Behind the spot where it stood a crack with a light shining through is seen, as in this series' previous episodes.

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* Ian McNeice – Churchill
* Bill Paterson – Bracewell
* Nina de Cosimo – Blanche
* Tim Wallers – Childers
* Nicholas Pegg – Dalek 1
* Barnaby Edwards – Dalek 2
* Nicholas Briggs – Dalek voice
* Susannah Fielding – Lilian
* James Albrecht – Todd
* Colin Procktor – Air Raid Warden

Production
Writer Mark Gatiss
Director Andrew Gunn
Script editor Brian Minchin
Producer Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.3
Series 2010 series
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast April 17, 2010

EW.com Doctor Who Review

2010-04-18T15:30:00.001-05:00

From EW.com: Here is a bit of their review from last nights showing of Doctor Who on BBC America.
In standard Who format, we got glimpses of eccentric humans — the average, flawed folks The Doctor can’t help but want to save — none funnier than Annette Crosbie’s Mrs. Angelo (“I like Patrick Moore!”) and none more cluelessly square-jawed than her grandson Jeff (Tom Hopper), who went from downloading porn to saving the Earth in less time than it took The Doctor to outfit himself in a jazzy mauve shirt and dishy bowtie.

Doctor Who Series 31 Episodes: #2 The Beast Below

2010-04-16T16:05:00.003-05:00

The Doctor and Amy encounter the Starship UK, a colony ship from an Earth that evacuated following devastating solar flares, containing all of the United Kingdom except Scotland, who wanted their own ship. On board, the Doctor attempts to comfort 12-year-old Mandy, whose silent tears are unacknowledged by the other passengers because, as the Doctor surmises, they already know what is wrong.

Amy follows Mandy and encounters a "hole" guarded by a keep out sign. Entering, she finds a tentacle-like creature and retreats to be confronted by four hooded figures, another of whom had previously reported the Doctor's presence to a masked woman. As the Doctor explores the engine room, the same masked woman appears to him. Introducing herself as Liz 10, she confirms his suspicion that the ship is flying without engines.

Amy regains consciousness in a voting booth. Here, as all adult travellers on the ship experience every five years, she is shown the truth behind Starship UK and then has to choose whether to "protest" or "forget" what she has seen. Amy chooses to forget, but not before recording a message to herself to get the Doctor back to the TARDIS and away from the ship. Amy does not inform the Doctor of this, and as he is unable to view the message due to not being human, he simply presses the "protest" button. This causes himself and Amy to be sent down a chute to the lower regions of the ship.

The Doctor and Amy land in the mouth of a large beast, which the Doctor causes to vomit and expel them to an overflow chute. Refusing to press a "forget" button and open the door to the main ship, they are attacked by two Smilers, the robotic creatures who keep watch over the ship. They are rescued by Liz 10, who reveals herself to be Queen Elizabeth the Tenth. She explains that she has been investigating the creature's infestation of the ship for her entire reign, working undercover against her own government.

The Doctor, Amy, Liz 10 and Mandy are then taken to the Tower of London, which is situated in the bowels of the ship, for investigating the beast. There it is revealed that the ship is powered by the last Star Whale, goaded by a ray penetrating its brain. The Doctor and Liz 10 are outraged at the cruelty being unleashed on the Star Whale, the latter demanding it be set free. Hawthorne, who had been guarding the creature in the Tower, reveals that Liz 10 ordered the situation in the first place.

In a video message, Liz 10 explains how the British people faced destruction when Earth was devastated by solar flares. The Star Whale appeared as a "miracle", and they captured it and used it to power their space ship. Liz 10 has to decide whether to forget, as she has unknowingly done every ten years for centuries, or abdicate, freeing the Star Whale and destroying the ship.

The Doctor realises that Amy chose to forget about the Star Whale so he would not face the choice between humanity and the alien. He then decides to render the Star Whale brain-dead, ending its suffering but still saving the humans on-board. Amy, however, sees the Star Whale's fondness for children and realises that its torture was unnecessary; it appeared to the UK's citizens in order to help them. She forces Liz 10 to press her "abdicate" button, and after a brief period of turbulence the Star Whale continues to transport the ship.

Amy explains to the Doctor that she recognised the Star Whale's kindness as the last of its race as comparable to his own as the last Time Lord. About to tell the Doctor of her impending wedding, she is interrupted by a call to the TARDIS from Winston Churchill, who is face-to-face with a Dalek.

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* Sophie Okonedo – Liz 10
* Terrence Hardiman – Hawthorne
* Hannah Sharp – Mandy
* Alfie Field – Timmy
* Christopher Good – Morgan
* David Ajala – Peter
* Catrin Richards – Poem Girl
* Jonathan Battersby – Winder
* Chris Porter – Voice of Smilers / Winder
* Ian McNeice – Churchill

Production
Writer Steven Moffat
Director Andrew Gunn
Script editor Brian Minchin
Producer Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.2
Series 2010 series
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast 10 April 2010
source wikipedia

FOX News Doctor Who Post

2010-04-16T15:59:00.001-05:00

From Fox News (Notice how I don't give the link, Fox News hsssssssssss)“Dr. Who is a 907-year-old who travels through space and time,” Smith said. “What’s sort of brilliant about it is, from one week to the next, he can be in the past or the future. And he does all this with a companion.”

His companion is the lovely Amy Pond, played by Scottish actress Gillan. When the pair first meet, Amy is just seven years old. Gillan says this plotline led to a role for her young cousin.

‪“They needed an actress to play a younger version of me," said Gillan. "And because I have a weird sort of Highland accent and ginger hair, it’s not sort of easy to find. So they asked me if I knew anyone, any relatives, and I put her forward and she nailed it.”

American Press About Doctor Who

2010-04-16T15:53:00.001-05:00

Here is a part of a LA Times article: Beginning Saturday on BBC America, the new season — the 31st since the show began, and the fifth (not counting 2009's "year of specials") since writer Russell T Davies was hired to bring it back to life after a 16-year hiatus — features a new Doctor, Matt Smith. Steven Moffat, already the author of several much-admired "Doctor Who" episodes, is the new show runner and head writer. There are new producers, as well, and a new opening, a new logo, and (I am geeky enough to say "excitingly") a new look for the TARDIS, the Doctor's space-time machine.

It takes no time at all for the new team to establish its authority; the new "Who" feels at once traditional and fresh, and completely right. We begin where we left off, with the TARDIS out of control and careening toward Earth, having been damaged during the regeneration of 10th Doctor David Tennant into 11th Doctor Smith. It crash lands in the back yard of little Amelia Pond (an excellent Caitlin Blackwood), who has just prayed to Santa to send her someone to fix a scary crack in her wall.

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor says, taking charge. "Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off." And then he walks into a tree.

Moffat's first episode as head writer recalls bits and moods from his earlier work on the series — the Doctor's several visits to a waiting Amy echo "The Girl in the Fireplace"; a ward full of coma patients under alien influence recalls "The Empty Child." Here again, he likes his monsters disguised, or difficult to see (the deadly statues of "Blink," the shadowy swarms of "Silence in the Library"). He even quotes himself, on the "wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey" nature of Time. Indeed, the script for Saturday's opener is enough of a piece with what's gone before that I can imagine Tennant or Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston playing it with only slight adjustments.

Victory Stills

2010-04-10T19:38:00.002-05:00

From dailymail.co.uk

The nemesis returns: The 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith, and his companion Amy Pond, played by Karen Gillan, come face to face with his arch-enemy

In a trailer shown at the end of last night's episode - the second in the new series with Matt Smith at the Doctor's new incarnation - the Doctor is summoned to a Blitz-battered London by Prime Minister Winston Churchill, played by Ian McNeice.

Victory of the Daleks Trailer

2010-04-10T19:14:00.000-05:00

Doctor Who Series 31 Episodes #1The Eleventh Hour

2010-04-09T19:10:00.005-05:00

The episode picks up from the ending of The End of Time in which The Doctor has just regenerated and is crashing back towards Earth. After narrowly avoiding a collision with the Big Ben clock tower, the badly-damaged TARDIS crash lands on a shed in the back garden of the young Amelia Pond in Leadworth, a small village near Gloucester. Amelia takes him inside and helps him satisfy his strange food cravings (only being appeased with fish fingers and custard) before taking him upstairs to show him the scary crack in her bedroom wall. The Doctor discovers it is not just a crack in a wall, but a crack in time and space itself, and on the other side is a prison run by the Atraxi. The Atraxi deliver a warning to the two: “Prisoner Zero has escaped," but before the Doctor can help further he is interrupted by the TARDIS’s Cloister Bell: if not stabilised the engines will incinerate. The Doctor needs to pilot the TARDIS into the future to stop the engines from phasing. He promises Amelia he will return in five minutes, and leaves. She packs and begins to wait for him.

The Doctor returns and believes only five minutes has passed for Amelia. He runs out of the TARDIS, shouting that Prisoner Zero is in the house, only to be hit on the head with a cricket bat, rendering him unconscious. He wakes up to a female police calling for backup on her radio. He tries to get up, only to find the officer handcuffed him to a radiator, saying he was breaking and entering her house. The Doctor asks where Amelia is, and the policewoman tells him she has not lived in the house in six months. He then tells the policewoman to count how many rooms were on the floor of the house they are currently on; whilst she counts five, he counts six. The Doctor tells the officer to look at a door with the corner of her eye, and she realises she had never seen that door before - A whole room she had never even noticed, as it had a perception filter that made it unable to be noticed. Despite the Doctor's objections, the officer goes into the room, and finds the sonic screwdriver. She picks it up, but on her way out, Prisoner Zero, a serpent creature with the head of an anglerfish, appears behind her head. The Doctor shouts from outside the room not to look at it - once it knew the officer had seen it, it would kill her. The office then sees Zero and runs out of the room, handing the Doctor his screwdriver.

He locks the door, and then attempts to unlock the handcuffs, but the screwdriver malfunctions. The Doctor tells the policewoman to run, and that her backup will come to help. She reveals that there is no backup coming, and that she is not even a policewoman - she is a kissogram in costume, and that she had dressed up as she was worried when she heard the Doctor coming (She claims it was either this or a French maid). The door that Amy just ran out of suddenly falls forward, revealing a man and his dog. The officer asks how that is possible, but the Doctor points out that the man can only bark, not speak English - it was Prisoner Zero. The Doctor tries to convince Zero not to attack, but an announcement is suddenly made from somewhere outside: "Prisoner Zero will vacate the human residence, or the human residence will be incinerated". While Zero goes to a window to locate the source of the announcement, the Doctor manages to use the sonic screwdriver to free himself from the radiator, and he the the officer escape. Outside of the house, the Doctor notices a rebuilt shed, identical to the old his TARDIS destroyed when he landed on it the last time he was here. The Doctor smells (and tastes) the shed and deducts that it is twelve years old, meaning it had been twelve years since he had last seen Amelia. He asks the policewoman why she said it had only been six months, and she angrily replies, "Why did you say five minutes!?" in a Scottish accent, revealing this is the adult Amelia Pond. After a few minutes, they pass an ice-cream van that is playing the same announcement that they heard in the house. They look around, and every sound-emitting device is playing the same announcement. The Doctor realises that the 'human residence' is not Amelia's house - It's the Earth.

The Doctor deduces that they have twenty minutes before the Atraxi weapons power up, and therefore only that amount of time to save the world. However, he is unable to access the TARDIS while it is rebuilding itself, and the Sonic Screwdriver is destroyed when he uses it to try and attract the Atraxi. He also discovers that Amy has been creating dolls and drawing pictures of him since his crash twelve years ago. Prisoner Zero also mentions that it is not responsible for the crack in time, mocking the Doctor for his own lack of knowledge about its origin and telling him, "the pandorica is open, silence will fall". With others who know her thus convinced of his identity, he uses a resident's laptop and Rory's phone to transmit a computer virus around the world that sets all clocks and electronic displays to the number zero, therefore notifying the Atraxi of Prisoner Zero's presence and allowing them to track it to Leadworth as the source of the virus. He explains to Amy and Rory that the "Multiform," or Prisoner Zero, needs a dormant host and can change into the shape of whatever the host dreams of. Therefore, Prisoner Zero has eight disguises because of the eight comatose patients at the hospital. In a standoff in the coma ward of the hospital, Prisoner Zero attempts to steal Amy's dreams and memories to use as a disguise, having built up a psychic link with her from years of living in her spare bedroom and changes into the Doctor and Amy's childhood self. The Doctor prompts Amy to instead think of the undisguised Prisoner which she saw earlier at the house; thus, Prisoner Zero manifests as itself, and is recaptured. Before disappearing, Prisoner Zero repeats the warning, "silence will fall."

Angered by the fact that the Atraxi would attack Earth, the Doctor calls them back and dons his new outfit to have a meeting with them on the hospital's roof. He tells them that aliens have invaded before and to look up how they were defeated. The Atraxi discover who the Doctor is and promptly leave. The Doctor then returns to the TARDIS, which by this point has finished repairing itself. He leaves to perform test runs and then returns to Amy, though he is inadvertently two years late. He shows Amy the regenerated TARDIS (complete with a new sonic screwdriver), and she agrees to travel with him on the condition he returns her home for the next day, which unbeknownst to the Doctor is her wedding day.

Cast
Doctor

* Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor)

Companion

* Karen Gillan (Amy Pond)

Guest stars

* Arthur Darvill – Rory Williams
* Caitlin Blackwood – Amelia
* Nina Wadia – Dr Ramsden
* Marcello Magni – Barney Collins
* Perry Benson – Ice Cream Man
* Annette Crosbie – Mrs Angelo
* Tom Hopper – Jeff
* Arthur Cox – Mr Henderson
* Olivia Colman - Mother
* Eden Monteath – Child 1
* Merin Monteath – Child 2
* David de Keyser – Atraxi Voice
* William Wilde – Prisoner Zero Voice
* Patrick Moore – Himself

Production
Writer Steven Moffat
Director Adam Smith
Script editor Lindsey Alford
Producer Tracie Simpson
Executive producer(s) Steven Moffat
Piers Wenger
Beth Willis
Production code 1.1
Series 2010 series
Length 65 minutes
Originally broadcast 3 April 2010

Passing of Doctor Who Actors

2010-04-09T18:58:00.003-05:00

Hubert Rees had three roles in the series working with two different Doctors.

He first appeared in the 1968 story, Fury from the Deep, working with Patrick Troughton. He played the Chief Engineer, the head of engineering at a Euro Sea Gas refinery who assisted the Doctor in his efforts to defeat the Weed Creature. He returned to the series the following year in Troughton's final story, The War Games , in which he played Captain Ransom, an officer in the British Army. His final appearance was in the 1976 Tom Baker story, The Seeds of Doom, playing John Stevenson a botanist at a scientific expedition in Antarctic.

Max Faulkner, was a stunt man and actor who has small roles in six Doctor Who stories. He played a UNIT soldier in the 1970 Jon Pertwee story, The Ambassadors of Death and a miner in the 1974 story The Monster of Peladon. In Jon Pertwee's last story, Planet of the Spiders, he played the Guard Captain.

Faulkner appeared alongside Tom Baker in three stories. In the 1975 story Genesis of the Daleks he played a Thal Guard before returning later in the year in The Android Invasion as Corporal Adams, a UNIT officer stationed at Devesham. His last appearance in 1978 was in The Invasion of Time where he played Nesbin, the leader of a group of Outsiders on Gallifrey.

Doctor Who on PC and MAC

2010-04-09T18:54:00.002-05:00

Doctor Who: The Adventure Game will consist of four downloadable 'interactive episodes' where the player will get to control both the Doctor and his new sidekick Amy.

Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, and Karen Gillan (Amy) have provided full voiceovers for the game and what takes place in these episodes will make sense on the overall Doctor Who universe and fit with the current series.

In fact Piers Wenger, head of drama, BBC Wales and executive producer of Doctor Who, goes as far as to say that there are not 13 episodes, there are 17 - four of which are interactive.

"Everything you see and experience within the game is part of the Doctor Who universe: we'll be taking you to places you've only ever dreamed about seeing - including locations impossible to create on television," he added.

Simon Nelson, head of BBC Multiplatform in Vision, said: "A few years ago we couldn't have dreamt of commissioning such an innovative form of drama.

"By integrating the creation of these 'interactive episodes' with the development of the TV series, we've been able to create amazing two-hour dramas in which you control the action. We've all imagined what it would be like to come face-to-face with some of the universe's most terrifying monsters - now viewers can find out for themselves."

The question is: will it be in the UK only or can North America be able to download it?

Steven Moffat Interviewed by MTV

2010-04-02T20:20:00.004-05:00

MTV Interviewed Steven Moffat and he talked a little about the first episode of the new season:

MTV NEWS: Right off the bat, let's talk about the season premiere, since most "Doctor Who" fans will find a way to see it this weekend no matter where they live. Where does the episode (titled "The Eleventh Hour") find The Doctor and his new body?

STEVEN MOFFAT: Assuming you've seen "The End Of Time," it starts a heartbeat later. We don't miss anything. It's what happened after [Smith] shouted, "Geronimo!" so we're straight into the TARDIS crashing. And unlike just about all the previous regeneration stories, The Doctor gets absolutely no time to rest up. We see almost in real-time the first hour of his new life.

He finds himself pitched straight into an appalling crisis that just gets worse and worse and worse. And he's not done yet — he's not quite ready. He's not even sure who he is yet, but immediately he's put into a terribly dangerous situation that escalates and escalates to the point in which he has 20 minutes to save the planet and no equipment to do it.

For the whole interview follow the link above.

Matt's Radio Times Cover

2010-03-29T18:32:00.002-05:00

The new issue of the Radio Times is released in the UK giving an exclusive glimpse into the new TARDIS with a special pull-out gatefold cover.

The magazine talks to new Doctor Matt Smith.

I was thinking, ‘Who in the world has a brain and a silliness which is close to the Doctor?’ and then I saw that photograph of Albert Einstein poking his tongue out and it just clicked. I found this book of quotes by Einstein – which I recommend as a life choice, he was such an insightful man – and I started writing short stories about Einstein and the Doctor, where the Doctor was getting irritated with the great man’s buffoonery. He’d be saying, ‘Come on, Albert, keep up!’ and I think that, more than anything, was my way in to the part.

New Tardis Interior

2010-03-29T15:09:00.001-05:00

If you want to spoil it for yourself than follow this link to see the interior of the new TARDIS. Go on have a look, I know you want to.

To Better Understand Doctor Who

2010-03-29T15:06:00.001-05:00

Matt Smith has apparently revealed he has written his own Doctor Who stories - to help him understand the character.

From The Press Association: The 27-year-old, who replaces David Tennant as the Time Lord in the new series starting on April 3, told the Daily Mirror: "I wanted to feel like Doctor Who, understand where he'd come from, so I wrote stories of the Doctor and Einstein in Egypt, which focused on their roles in the creation of the Pyramids."

He added: "I had six months prep before we began filming so it gave me time to write quite a few stories."

Matt, who gave the Doctor a new look with tweed jackets and bow ties, would like to add a fancy coat to the wardrobe.

"Originally I was going to have a black leather coat or a blue swashbuckling coat and possibly a hat too but, somewhere along the line, the idea got dropped. I hope it's revived in time for series two," he said.

42 Seconds of the 11th Hour

2010-03-27T16:37:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Radio Free Skaro

New Doctor Who Iphone App

2010-03-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

For all fans of Doctor Who, a great new app has just been launched for iPhone and iPod Touch users. WhoNews 1.2 keeps fans up to date with everything that is Doctor Who.

Developed by independent Paul Gee, the app gathers news every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, on Doctor Who, Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures, from more than 20 of the top Doctor Who web sites. With the latest Doctor Who starting his series of adventures soon, fans can be sure they will be kept right up to date with all the latest gossip and news.

WhoNews comes with an inbuilt DVD and Blu ray price comparison tool that finds the lowest prices for all Doctor Who related DVDs from the internet. Other features include; off-line browsing, post on Facebook or email articles, and built in browser to buy a DVD direct or visit a news site.

WhoNews 1.2 is $3.99 on the App Store. Available for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Requires OS 3.0 or later.

Harris Tweed Brought Back by Doctor Who

2010-03-27T15:20:00.002-05:00

From telegraph.co.uk: When Matt Smith, the latest actor to take on the role of the BBC's Doctor, mentioned to costume designers that he was an appreciator of tweed, he may not have realised what he was starting.

But within days of the first pictures of Smith as The Doctor appearing online, fans began flooding the Harris Tweed Authority with calls asking what particular type of tweed it was, and how they could get it for themselves.

His costume has provided a welcome boost for the woollen fabric, the production of which takes place in the Hebrides from start to finish.

Lorna Macaulay, of the Harris Tweed Authority, and Ann MacCullam, who recently became the first woman ever to run a Harris Tweed Mill, identified the particular variant worn by Smith as a Mackenzie "two by two" dogtooth tweed, most likely dating from the 1960s.

Miss MacCallum told The Times: "We've had a huge amount of interest in this authentic product. It's an old weave, a Harris weave, everybody here recognises it.

"We have the ability to replicate it and would be keen to satisfy Doctor Who fans and produce a tweed that's as close as possible to the original."

A Scene From An Vampires of Venice

2010-03-27T09:48:00.002-05:00

This looks really good. Next Saturday we have a New Doctor. I can't wait.

New Sonic Screwdriver

2010-03-27T01:26:00.000-05:00