Harry Melling wants to be the Next Doctor

Former Harry Potter star Harry Melling wants to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and be the Doctor. His grandfather is the late Patrick Troughton who played the Second incarntaion of the Doctor. 

Harry Melling, now 26, found fame in the Harry Potter films as Dudley Dursley, Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) cousin who made his life a misery. But now he says he would love to become the 13th Doctor, 50 years after Troughton played the second Time Lord. Patrick Troughton died before he was born, but it seems Harry has inherited the family’s acting talent.

Melling is starring in acclaimed West End show Hand To God at The Vaudeville Theatre until mid-June. He played Dudley from the age of 10, making his final appearance in the first part of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows in 2010.

“Harry Potter was a great experience and the cast have kept in touch,” he said.

As he grew older, he lost so much puppy fat that he ended up having to wear a fat suit to play the character of Dudley.

 

 Producers even considered recasting the role because of his new trim shape. But it turned out to be blessing in disguise.

“I was able to shed the whole child actor thing and start a new career, because no one sees me as Dudley. I was a chubby kid who went to drama school at 18 and lost weight. It was down to growing up, a new routine, a new environment, lots of movement and taking care of my body. “Harry Potter was a lifetime ago. I was 10 in the first film. So much has happened since then.” 

 His latest play features Texas teenagers using glove puppets to spread the gospel. “I was scared by Hand Of God but in the end I felt comfortable enough to do it.

“My parents came to watch and loved it. They all come from an acting family. I would love to be the next new Doctor. I am not the person in charge of that but I would love to keep it in the family. It probably won’t happen as I might need to be a bit older. I’ve really enjoyed doing theatre but getting Doctor Who in the family again would be great.” 

 

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Star Claus: Snow Hope

Oh no he didn't! Oh yes, he did! David Tennant went to The Dark Side for a Star Wars panto this morning – and had quite the laugh about Doctor Who while he was at it.

The Jessica Jones actor and former Time Lord took to the stage at London's Leicester Square Theatre this morning to thrill lucky fans who'd managed to nab a ticket to the live broadcast of Absolute Radio's annual Christian O'Connell Breakfast Show radio panto, Star Claus: Snow Hope.

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The production saw Tennant – a veteran of the breakfast panto – making his Star Wars themed panto debut as Dave Vader, who was hosting a Christmas bash, attended by his son Dick Skywalker (EastEnders' Shane Richie). He'd come all the way from 'EastEndor' to be tormented by his Sith Lord father's jokes about his mechanical hand.

Full article here

 

Peter Capaldi surprises young Doctor Who fan in hospital

Peter Capaldi recently visited a young Doctor Who fan in his hospital room dressed as The Doctor and remained in charcter the whole time.

14 year old Danny, who is a bit of a Whovian, missed the Doctor Who Festival in November; was taken by surprise when the Doctor turned up for one of his consultations. 

pic.twitter.com/E0PdoFSXVd

— Dannywho99 (@dannywho99) December 8, 2015

Matt Smith: New trailer and poster for ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’

 

 A brand new trailer and poster have been unveiled for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, starring Lily James (Downton Abbey) and Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith.
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A fresh twist on Jane Austen’s widely celebrated novel, based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 novel, the movie arrives in UK cinemas on Thursday 11 February next year.

The official synopsis reads: “A mysterious plague has fallen upon 19th century England, the land is overrun with the undead and feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is a master of martial arts and weaponry. Casting aside personal and social prejudices, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy must unite on the blood-soaked battlefield to rid the country of the zombie menace and discover their true love for one another.”

See previous post for cast



 

Jenna Coleman as Queen Victoria

Jenna Coleman looks like she just stepped out of the Tardis in her first role since leaving Doctor Who.

In a crown and frilly, white gown, Jenna goes from science fiction to period drama as she takes on the title role in upcoming ITV series Victoria. The 29-year-old, who played the Time Lord’s companion Clara Oswald, was filming in York. A former RAF base at Church Fenton has been converted into studios to film Victoria for the next seven months. The series will begin with a 90-minute episode followed by seven one-hour episodes.

  

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Peter Capaldi on The Radio 1 Breakfast Show

Peter Capaldi interviewed by Nick Grimshaw on Radio 1's Breakfast Show. Wednesday, 4th November 2015

 "I found it really sad to say goodbye to her. I don't want to go into what happens, because it's really clever what happes in it, but it's very sad. It's really sad."

“I found it really sad to say goodbye to her … I don’t want to go into what happens, because it’s very clever what happens in it, but it’s very sad. It’s really sad.” - See more at: http://www.combom.co.uk/#sthash.ii2BoxT0.dpuf

Listen to the full interview below

John Hurt: Cancer in remission

John Hurt, who played The War Doctor in the 50th Anniversary story Day of the Doctor, was diagnosed with the disease last Summer. However speaking at the Man Booker Prize ceremony on Tuesday night in London, he revealed he had recently been given good news by doctors.

I had a final scan and saw my oncologist and it’s all gone brilliantly. I am overjoyed, I am thrilled. It all looks great for the future, it’s fantastic.

 

His agent Charles Macdonald spoke to to BBC Radio Norfolk telling the station that Hurt had a very good meeting with his oncologist. 

Sir John has been given very good news by his oncologist but it falls short of an all-clear. Nontheless it's very good news.

 

 

 

The actor, who was knighted in the Queen's New Year Honours list, said he was wary of using works like remission, even if true. Around 8,800 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year, making it the 11th most common cancer.

It was announced last week that Sir John will reprise his role as The War Doctor, in a new range of audio adventures for Big Finish Productions, the first of which will be released later this year.

Matt Smith - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’

 Former Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith can be seen playing Mr Collins in a fresh twist on Jane Austen’s widely celebrated novel, based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 novel, the movie arrives in UK cinemas on Friday 12 February next year.

The cast also stars  Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet, Sam Riley as Mr Darcy Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Bella Heathcote (The Rewrite), Douglas Booth (The Riot Club), Suki Waterhouse (Love, Rosie), Charles Dance (Game Of Thrones) and Lena Headey (Game Of Thrones). It's directed by Burr Steers.

The official synopsis reads: “A mysterious plague has fallen upon 19th century England, the land is overrun with the undead and feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is a master of martial arts and weaponry. Casting aside personal and social prejudices, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy must unite on the blood-soaked battlefield to rid the country of the zombie menace and discover their true love for one another.”

Check out the movie poster below ....

Watch the trailer below ....

Happy Birthday McCoy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

SYLVESTER McCOY! 

 

Born Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith in Dunoon, on the Cowal peninsula, to an Irish mother and English father, killed in action in World War II a couple of months before his son was born.

 

He came to prominence as a member of the comedy act "The Ken Campbell Roadshow". His best known act was as a stuntman character called "Sylveste McCoy" in a play entitled An Evening with Sylveste McCoy (the name was coined by actor Brian Murphy, part of the Roadshow at the time), where his stunts included putting a fork and nails up his nose and stuffing ferrets down his trousers, and setting his head on fire.

As a joke, the programme notes listed Sylveste McCoy as played by "Sylveste McCoy" and, after a reviewer missed the joke and assumed that Sylveste McCoy was a real person, Kent-Smith adopted this as his stage name. Some years later, McCoy added an "r" to the end of "Sylveste". Notable television appearances before he gained the role of the Doctor included roles in Vision On (where he played Pepe/Epep, a character who lived in the mirror), an O-Man in Jigsaw and Tiswas. He also appeared in Eureka, often suffering from the inventions of Wilf Lunn and as Wart, assistant to StarStrider in the CITV series of the same name. McCoy also portrayed, in one-man shows on the stage, two famous movie comedians: Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He also appeared as Henry "Birdie" Bowers in the 1985 television serial about Scott's last Antarctic expedition, The Last Place on Earth.



McCoy also had a small role in the 1979 film Dracula opposite Laurence Olivier and Donald Pleasence, and has sung with the Welsh National Opera.

 McCoy became the Seventh Doctor after taking over the lead role in Doctor Who in 1987 from Colin Baker. He remained on the series until it ended in 1989, ending with Survival. As Baker declined the invitation to film the regeneration scene, McCoy briefly wore a wig and appeared, face-down, as the 6th Doctor. He played the Doctor in the 1993 charity special Dimensions in Time, and again in 1996, appearing in the beginning of the Doctor Who television movie starring Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor.

 In his first series, McCoy, a comedy actor, portrayed the character with a degree of clown-like humour, but script editor Andrew Cartmel soon changed that when fans argued that the character (and plots) were becoming increasingly lightweight. The Seventh Doctor developed into a much darker figure than any of his earlier incarnations, manipulating people like chess pieces and always seeming to be playing a deeper game. A distinguishing feature of McCoy's performances was his manner of speech. He used his natural slight Scottish accent and rolled his rs. At the start of his tenure he used proverbs and sayings adapted to his own ends (e.g. "There's many a slap twixt cup and lap" — Delta and the Bannermen), although this characteristic was phased out during the later, darker series of his tenure.

Newly regenerated Seventh Doctor revealing his choice of suitable attire

Tom Baker: "I'm in new Star Wars"

Tom Baker revealed to fansat the Day Of The Doctors convention in Slough, UK, that he is voicing a new Star Wars character.

 "I’m going to be in this new Star Wars thing, you know?” Baker said while signing autographs, “I’m going down to record some voices for this new character they’ve created for me, very soon."

At present, it is not known whether the character will be in one of the forth-coming Star Wars trilogy, Rogue One or the animated Star Wars Rebels.

BBC airs lesbian lizard ‘Doctor Who’ wedding

A CBBC (Children's BBC)  show has featured a same-sex wedding – featuring a rather scaly bride.

Parents and partners of 15 years, Julie and Amanda, were in for a shock when they signed up for the children’s reality TV show – Marrying Mum and Dad. The episode airing this week featured the couple from West Yorkshire, who were also one of the show’s first same-sex couples to tie the knot on the show. The show is similar to ‘Don’t Tell The Bride’ – but instead features a couple trusting their children to be left to plan their wedding – which rarely results in a traditional wedding. 

Modelled around fictional couple from the Doctor Who universe, Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint – a Silurian lizard warrior and her Victorian wife – the couple got hitched in “cosmic costumes”.

Mum Julie said: “[It’s] a bit worrying as to what they might actually put in.”

Rory (8) and Louis (9) gave exactly what the Doctor ordered, completely Who-ifying every aspect of the wedding – including the cake, the venue, the transport (TARDIS of course) and the entertainment. 

The day’s entertainment included a ‘voyage’ in the TARDIS and also a special surprise for the newlyweds. The kids organised a “wedding day slime walk” which they point out “could get messy”.

 Not seeing each other get ready – the two brides were definitely in for a surprise.

“15 years since they first met, and all thanks to their kids, at last Mum and Mum are married” .

The daughter explained: “I’m really happy as it makes more of a family and it means a lot to me.”

  

Mum Amanda described the day as, “Fantastic. Unbelievable. Out of this world.”

Son Rory voices the opinion of everyone: “The best bit of today was probably when Mummy got stuck in the alien goo and Mum had to lift her up.”

 

 The big day was apparently “the best in all of time and space!”

 

 

Source: Pink News

Pluto team name features after Doctor Who

 Four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) were combined with colour data from the Ralph instrument to create this enhanced colour global view of Pluto, with the TARDIS then added. Pluto Image Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

A large dark region on the moon, Charon, has been dubbed Gallifrey Macula, after the Doctor’s fictional home planet. And a neighbouring rift is now called Tardis Chasma by the team that sent their robotic probe flying past Pluto on 14 July 

Now read how one astronomer announced a major cosmic discovery by writing a Doctor Who story!

Full Article

Doctor Who fan who died suddenly aged 27 remembered with special Tardis tribute bench

A much-loved Doctor Who fan and dedicated volunteer worker who died suddenly aged just 27 is being remembered in style with a unique tribute and a celebration day.

The death of Gary Abbott, of Marske, on March 18 last year, came as a huge shock to his family and many friends.

The apparently healthy young volunteer worker passed away suddenly while at the club he dedicated countless hours to from a genetic heart condition he didn’t know he had, hypertropic cardiomyopathy.

Now the memory of Gary, known to friends at Redcar’s Grenfell Club for adults and children with learning and physical disabilities as “Big G” due to his height and equally “big personality”, is being kept alive with a special Tardis tribute bench in the garden of the club.

Manager of the club Samantha Jones said: “Gary joined the Grenfell Club as a volunteer at the age of 14 when his mam wanted to get him away from computers. He became a much-loved volunteer and friend to our many members, over 300 of them. He went on to become a member of staff then a trustee.

 

Full article

Doctor Who Tardis lift doors for Durham Police HQ

Lift doors designed to look like the TARDIS from Doctor Who have been installed at new police headquarters in Durham.

Durham police tweeted a picture of the new doors, apologising that "time travel was not an optional extra".

A spokesman said customising the lifts showed the force could be "professional and still have a sense of humour".

Staff moved into the new £14m building next to its old base at Aykley Heads in Durham City last Autumn.

The tweet attracted one complaint saying the doors were a "waste of taxpayers money".

The six lifts were covered with vinyl wraps, not hand painted, and the cost had been "pretty modest", the spokesman for Durham Constabulary said.

Personalising the headquarters was a "bit quirky" and a "talking point" for anyone who came into the building, he added.

Happy Hallowe'en

Every Doctor Who fan has wanted to see Sean Pertwee follow in the footsteps of his father Jon Pertwee, and play The Doctor. The closest we're ever likely to get is this image of Sean cosplaying the Third Doctor for hallowe'en. 

Now, we need Steven Moffatt to pen a Third & Twelth Doctor story. How cool would that be with Sean playing the part made famous by his late father Jon?

Katy Manning Back On Board The TARDIS

 

 Katy Manning: I had a wonder visit to a familiar place that always smells the same ! Xxx

Former Doctor Who companion Katy Manning visited the new TARDIS set recently and recreated an iconic scene with new Doctor Peter Capaldi. They posed together next to the console which echoed similarities to that of Katy and Third Doctor Jon Pertwee, as you can see below:

 

KatyManning Official @ManningOfficial  ·  Sep 27

My favourite pic I was completely lost in bye moment ! Xx

 

KatyManning Official @ManningOfficial  ·  Sep 27

Peter Capaldi is not only a superb actor but one of the most charming men I have ever met & oh ! Those eyes  

KatyManning Official @ManningOfficial Follow 

Peter Capaldi is not only a superb actor but one of the most charming men I have ever met & oh ! Those eyes

For more images of Katy's visit to the Doctor Who set, visit her Twitter account here

Happy Birthday Doctor 5

Today, 13th April is  the 63rd birthday of fifth Doctor Peter Davison.  He played the Doctor from 1981 to 1984.

Happy Birthday

 

Caves Of Androzani

Kate O'Mara Dead

Former Dynasty star Kate O'Mara has died at a Sussex nursing home at the age of 74 after a short illness. O'Mara was best known for playing Alexis Colby's scheming sister Cassandra "Caress" Morrell in the soap in the mid-80s, but also had a recurring role in Doctor Who as renegade Time Lord The Rani,  as well as starring in Howards' Way and Triangle. 

Her agent Phil Belfield said: "She was extraordinary, she had so much energy and vitality with a love for theatre and acting. A shining star has gone out and Kate will be dearly missed by all who knew and have worked with her."

  

Doctor Who actor Colin Baker tweeted: "Oh my goodness. Kate O'Mara is no longer with us. Sad sad news. A delightful, committed and talented lady and actress. We are the poorer".

Throughout the 1970s she starred in a number of television series including The Return of the Saint, and The Brothers. During the 1990s she also had a recurring role in the ITV prison drama Bad Girls and also had a role in Jennifer Saunders 90s comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, where she played Jackie, the sister of Patsy,  played by Joanna Lumley.

Kate O'Mara is fondly remembered for her role as The Rani in Doctor Who during the 1980s. She first appeared as The Rani in the 1985 story The Mark Of The Rani alongside Colin Baker as the Doctor and Anthony Ainsley as the Master. Kate returned to the role in 1987s Time And The Rani, this time with Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. Last year, which was Doctor Who's 50th anniversary, she said she would like to reprise the role,

''I'd love to come back as The Rani another time around.

She had been married and divorced three times -once to fellow Doctor Who actor Jeremy Young - and she was a strong advocate of animal welfare issues. During her acting career she also wrote two autobiographies; Vamp Until Ready and Game Plan: A Woman's Survival Kit.

Boscombe 'TARDIS' to open in the Spring

Doctor Who fans are excited about the opening of a 'TARDIS'  Police Box in Boscombe in Dorset. It is expected to be the only operating Police Box outside of London since they were decommissioned back in the 1960s. 

The idea is for a more visible Police presence to tackle crime. However, a fan has suggested that the 'celebrity status' of the 'TARDIS' will outweigh that service. 

Doctor Who Online editor Sebastian Brook, who used to live in Bournemouth, said it was "the visual image of the police box that connected several generations" of fans. He said the news site had received many emails from "excited" people keen to visit the police box in the Bournemouth suburb, and so it had "been following the progress quite closely"

The box for the precinct on Christchurch Road has been funded by donations from local companies. Dorset Police said the 1920s-design steel box would act as "a highly-visible policing footprint", but was also designed to be a tourist attraction. The steel framework will be sprayed and installed in Boscombe by the end of Spring

Police boxes were first used in the USA, with the first UK box being opened in Glasgow in 1891.  

By 1953 there were 685 police boxes on the streets of London. Police boxes were phased out, but a new police box was installed by the Metropolitan Police outside Earls Court Tube station in 1996.

Source

Tom Baker Event At The Stamp Centre: 20/3/2014

Sci-Fi Collector are delighted to announce that Tom Baker will be at their Strand store in London, on March 20th from 10am for a belated 80th Birthday signing session. Sci-Fi Collector have some wonderful new covers and prints to commemorate the Curator and some of his other classic episodes as well.