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Doctor Who Proms 27 Jul 2008 by Simon

This morning 6000 people descended upon the Royal Albert Hall for the 13th BBC Prom which was themed around Doctor Who. It was hosted by Freema Agyeman (Martha), and featured the following music, plus appearances from monsters and other characters, as well as a special mini adventure featuring David Tennant as the Doctor and the appearance of the Graske called Music of the Spheres. The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and will be broadcast on BBC 1 later in the year. Murray Gold Concert Prologue* (3 mins) Copland Fanfare for the Common Man (3 mins) Murray Gold All The Strange Strange Creatures* (4 mins) Mark-Anthony Turnage The Torino Scale (UK premiere) (4 mins) Holst The Planets - Jupiter (8 mins) Murray Gold The Doctor Forever* (4.30 mins) Murray Gold Rose* (1.30 mins) Murray Gold Martha v The Master* (4.30 mins) Murray Gold Music of the Spheres (including theme original)* (7.30 mins) Wagner Die Walküre - The Ride of the Valkyries (5 mins) Murray Gold The Daleks & Davros* (8 mins) Murray Gold Donna, Girl in Fireplace, Astrid* (4 mins) Prokofiev 'Montagues and Capulets' from Romeo and Juliet (5 mins) Murray Gold This is Gallifrey* (3.30 mins) Murray Gold Doctor's Theme / Song for Freedom * (5.30 mins) Murray Gold Doomsday* (5 mins) Murray Gold Song for Ten* (4 mins) Murray Gold Doctor Who Theme* (1.30 mins)

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Doctor Who on iTunes 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

BBC America has announced at the ComicCon convention that the first three series of the revival of Doctor Who have now been made available to purchase on the US version of the iTunes download store. This is the first time that the programme has been available to purchase for downloading. Fans in Australia can take advantage of ABC iview which contains a lot of ABC and international content, including Doctor Who and the cut down Confidential episodes.

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Duchovny would play 'Who' villain 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

X-Files star David Duchovny has revealed that he would like to play a villain in Doctor Who. The actor admitted that he would prefer to play an evil character, rather than taking over from David Tennant when he completes his run as the tenth Doctor. "I love Doctor Who and I remember the first one, which was wonderful in its low-tech quality," Duchovny told the Radio Times. "I also loved the theme song, which sounded like The Cure to me. "Which character would I like to play in Doctor Who? Who's the bad guy? The Dalek? OK, I'll play him." Duchovny reprises his role as Fox Mulder in new X-Files movie I Want To Believe, which is released next month in the UK.

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Moffat pulled out of Tintin for Who 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

Steven Moffat pulled out of a lucrative deal to write a second Tintin movie in favour of taking over from Russell T. Davies on Doctor Who, it has emerged. Moffat has written the first Tintin and was contracted to pen a second under a two-film deal said to be worth £1 million. Moffat said Steven Spielberg, who is creating a trilogy based on the comic book character, is a fellow Who fan and respected his decision. "I know a lot of people won't understand it but I've been dreaming about writing for Doctor Who since I was seven," he told the Mail on Sunday. "There are no bad feelings between Spielberg and me, but Doctor Who has to come before Hollywood. "I was under contract to do the first two of the three Tintin films. I completed the first one and then the Hollywood writers' strike happened and I couldn't work. I was offered the Doctor Who job and accepted immediately. I hope you won't make what happened sound too dramatic." Moffat, whose first series in charge will air in 2010, added: "I talked to Steven and he understood completely. Steven is a fan and he understood my passion for the series completely."

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Tennant offered £1.5 million deal? 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

David Tennant has been offered a £1.5 million deal to stay on as Doctor Who, according to The Sun. The BBC had feared he could depart the role after filming four special episodes. The broadcaster has reportedly tabled a "massive bid" to persuade the actor to continue as the Time Lord for the fifth series, scheduled to air in 2010. A source revealed that Tennant will decide on his future after he meets with new executive producer Steven Moffatt. "It will be a new team and David has to meet everyone to make a final decision," the insider said. "But we're gearing up to offer him a massive deal. He's interested. Everyone thought he was going, but it’s not as open and shut as that." Tennant, who recently completed filming on the Christmas special, will shortly star in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet.

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10.5 million watch Doctor Who finale 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

Over 10.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the fourth season finale of Doctor Who, it has emerged. Consolidated ratings from BARB show that 10.57 million witnessed the demise of Davros and emotional departure of Catherine Tate in 'Journey's End' on Saturday, July 5. The figure includes 'timeshifted' viewers who recorded the programme and watched it shortly afterwards. This is the first time in the show's 45 year history that an episode has been the most watched programme on television during the week of broadcast, beating second placed coverage of the men's Wimbledon final by almost two million. It is also the third occasion since the series was revived by the BBC in 2005 that it has broken the 10 million barrier. The opening episode 'Rose' garnered 10.81 million, while the 2007 Christmas Special 'Voyage of the Damned' reaped an audience of 13.31 million.

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Tate thanks Davies 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

Catherine Tate has thanked Russell T. Davies for casting her in Doctor Who despite the public's perception of her. "Oh gosh, I can't thank Russell enough for just making that possible," the actress told the London Evening Standard. "For many people, I'm sure, what a gamble to take on someone like me who is known, by the vast majority of people, for wearing wigs and comedy teeth." Tate, currently appearing in the play Under The Blue Sky in London, joked about the prominence of her character Donna Noble in the recent season four finale, "For one brief moment I was the most important woman in the whole of the universe," she said.

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Who finale completed days before TX 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

Doctor Who's executive producer Julie Gardner has revealed that the season finale was completed only three days before transmission. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Gardner said: "For 'Journey’s End', the final episode of series four, we delivered the finished programme to the BBC the Wednesday before transmission. That’s how close to the wire it is.” She also elaborated on the pressures of making the hit science fiction show, which will not return as a full series until 2010. "It’s been a very intense four years,” she admitted. "Making 13 episodes of Doctor Who is a year-long job. We film from July to March. In between March and July we’re in post-production."

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2009 Specials Update 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

Doctor Who's co-executive producer Julie Gardner has revealed transmission details for two of next year's specials. And in the interview in the Daily Telegraph about the show's future, the head of drama for BBC Wales says the cutback in 2009 is a good thing for the programme. She says: "Aside from Series Five, which will have a full 13 episodes and transmit in 2010, we are making four one-hour specials. The first, which we've already filmed, will go out this Christmas. The next will go out the following Easter. The other specials have yet to be scheduled, although one will definitely be on at Christmas 2009." In the interview, Gardner says: "The reduced schedule for 2009 acknowledges the fact that the show should continue not just for another one or two years, but for another five or 10. It needs to be nurtured, loved and looked after." Since the article was published it has been confirmed by both Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat, that there is a total of 5 specials being made. These are four shown next year plus this year's christmas special, which is 60 minutes long and is NOT titled Return of the Cybermen, but it has three words in the title. Two of the 2009 specials will be written by RTD, the other two will be co-written with Gareth Roberts and Phil Ford.

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DVD Schedule Update 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

2 Entertain have released details of the forthcoming Doctor Who releases for the end of the year. The Brain of Morbius (Tom Baker), 21 July The Trial of a Time Lord Boxed Set (Colin Baker), 18 August Four to Doomsday (Peter Davison), 15 September The War Machines (William Hartnell), 29 September The Complete Fourth Series (David Tennant), Mid-November Battlefield (Sylvester McCoy), 29 December Details on the next two of these releases are as follows: The Brain of Morbius: Commentary by Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Madoc (Solon), Christopher Barry (director), Philip Hinchcliffe (producer); "Getting a Head," a documentary on the making of the story; "Designs on Karn," with interviews with designer Barry Newbery; "Set Tour," a 3D CGI tour of the studio; "Sketch Gallery" with original design sketches and concept art; photo gallery, trailerse, Radio Times PDF, subtitles, production notes. The Trial of a Time Lord Boxed Set: Commentary by Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Tony Selby (Glitz), Adam Blackwood (Balazar), Eric Saward (script editor), Philip Martin (writer), Michael Craig (Commodore), Pip and Jane Baker (writers), Chris Clough (director); "The Making of The Mysterious Planet," "The Making of Mindwarp," "The Making of Terror of the Vervoids" and "The Making of The Ultimate Foe" featurettes; documentaries including "Now and Then: On the Trail of a Time Lord" (locations of "Mindwarp"), "A Fate Worse than Death?" (Peri's fate with Yrcanos), "The Lost Season" (about the aborted season 23), "Now Get Out of That!" (cliffhangers) and "Trials and Tribulations" (Colin Baker's tenure); clips from "Lenny Henry," "Wogan," "Saturday Picture Show," "TV Talkback," "Blue Peter," "Points of View," "Open Air" and "Saturday Superstore"; the 1985 "Doctor in Distress" music video along with media footage on the 1985 hiatus and the 1985 Children in Need special; the full 35mm film sequence of the opening visual effects of episode 1; deleted and extended scenes, DVD/PDF material, trailers and continuity segments, music videos, photo galleries, production notes

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Fans animate episodes 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

The Guardian has an article about a group of fans inspired by the animated episodes of "The Invasion" released on DVD, who are attempting to animate other lost episodes. You can find the article here along with clips from the animations so far... http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jun/26/bbc.doctorwho

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RUMOUR: New Girl for Christmas? 26 Jul 2008 by Simon

The Sunday Mirror reported this back at the end of June... Supermodel Agyness Deyn is being lined up to appear in a Doctor Who Christmas special. TV executives are considering several character options for the catwalk queen who will follow in the footsteps of previous guest stars Kylie Minogue and comedy veteran Bernard Cribbins. A bbc source revealed: "Doctor Who remains the Beeb's jewel in the crown and bosses love pulling out the stops to land a bigname star to add a bit of extra showbiz sparkle to the Christmas special. "Agyness is the perfect choice. She's talented and fast becoming a household name." The part will be the first big acting role for Agyness, who is best known as the face of designer brands like Burberry and Armani. Agyness, 25 - real name Laura Hollins - was discovered while working in a chip shop in Ramsbottom, Lancs, in 1999. Since then she has won a string of lucrative contracts as well as carving out a career in music - lending her voice to indie band The Five O'Clock Heroes' single Who. She now divides her time between London and New York after splitting from long-term boyfriend Josh Hubbard, lead singer with The Paddingtons, last month. Two years ago, Dr Who bosses brought in comedienne Catherine Tate to play bride Donna Noble in festive special The Runaway Bride. She proved a hit with viewers and was brought back as the Doctor's assistant, replacing Freema Agyeman. Pop princess Kylie Minogue was drafted in last year to play waitress Astrid Peth in Titanic-themed episode The Voyage Of The Damned. Doctor Who - currently starring David Tennant - was an instant ratings winner for BBC1 when it was revived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor and former pop singer Billie Piper as his assistant.

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RIP David Brierley 21 Jun 2008 by Simon

The actor David Brierley, who provided the voice of K-9 for four stories, has died of cancer, according to an announcement in the current edition of The Stage. Born in 1935, he appeared in such shows as Z Cars, Arthur of the Britons, The Tripods and Howards' Way, as well as the 1984 BBC drama Threads. Brierley took over from John Leeson as K-9's voice during season 17, which originally aired between September 1979 and January 1980. He also provided the robot dog's voice in an October 1979 edition of Blue Peter.

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K9 Spin-off news 21 Jun 2008 by Simon

Production on the long-awaited spin-off series featuring K9 is due to start in Australia next month, according to the Pacific Film and Television Commission. An article in its June newsletter says that Bob Baker is currently in Queensland, writing the 26-part show. He co-created the character of the robot dog with Dave Martin, who died in March 2007. According to the PFTC, Baker is working on the spin-off - called simply K9 - with Queensland writers Shane Krause and Shayne Armstrong. It is being produced by Simon Barnes, and Richard Stewart and Penny Wall from Brisbane company Stewart Wall Entertainment. A PFTC spokesman told The Doctor Who News Page: "The series certainly is imminent! K9 is in pre-production at present in Queensland. However, exact dates for production have not yet been confirmed." TV distribution agent Park Entertainment has said the half-hour episodes, to be made by Jetix Europe, will be live action and CGI.

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K9 Tales Faulty Disc 21 Jun 2008 by Simon

2 entertain, the company which produces the classic series DVDs, has confirmed there is an authoring error with the latest release, The Invisible Enemy, out this week as part of the K9-Tales disc set. The error is towards the end of Episode Three and causes the disc to skip part of the episode. 2 entertain will replace all faulty discs and have set up a helpline which will be active from Monday. Customers with faulty discs are advised to either email dvd.support@bbc.co.uk (NOTE CORRECTED ADDRESS!) or call 020 7612 3186. Instructions on what to do are on the voicemail of the phone line and on the auto reply from the email.

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