GILLIAN ALL SET TO TAKE ON DOCTOR

Rumour:

Science fiction pin-up Gillian Anderson is being lined up to join the cast of Doctor Who as a new deadly enemy of the Time Lord.

Sources say programme chiefs want the London-based X-Files star to appear opposite the new DoctorMatt Smith in a one-off adventure next year. It’s understood the American actress could play renegade Time Lady The Rani, a glamorous but evil scientific genius previously played in the series by Kate O’Mara in the Eighties.

“Gillian obviously has a massive sci-fi following and it’s felt it would be a major coup to have her appear in Doctor Who,” says a show insider. “The team behind the show are keen for the next Doctor to have lots of new enemies and Gillian would be a glamorous and impressive addition to the list. The Rani would be a perfect role for her as the character used to be regarded as one of the Doctor’s most deadly opponents.”

Anderson, 40, recently appeared in a big screen version of The X-Files along with co-star David Duchovny. In recent years she has enjoyed critical acclaim as an actress, appearing in the BBC’s Bleak House and hit film The Last King Of Scotland. She is currently preparing to star alongside former Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston next month in A Doll’s House at the Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End.

“It would undoubtedly be regarded as one of those great sci-fi moments if the star of The X-Files gets to clash with the Doctor,” gushes our mole with the sonic screwdriver.

'Doctor Who' wins best sci-fi theme poll

Doctor Who has won a new poll to find the best science fiction TV theme of all time.

The music beat Red Dwarf's credit song by Howard Goodall into second place in the Total Sci-Fi website poll, while Mark Snow's X-Files instrumental came third.

Written by Ron Granier in 1963 and arranged by experimental music legend Delia Derbyshire, the Doctor Who theme was produced by combining a tape loop of a piano string with test oscillators and filters.

Editor Matt McAllister said: "The poll result proves that in addition to being one of the most popular science fiction shows ever created, Doctor Who also boasts the most iconic sci-fi theme tune.

"Grainer and Derbyshire's theme manages to convey the outlandish quality of the show and is instantly recognisable to fans throughout the world just by its opening bars."

The Doctor Who theme has been reworked a number of times, with the version on the current series arranged by Murray Gold.

By Mayer Nissim

digitalspy.co.uk

Happy Bithday David Tennant

Today is David Tennant's 38th Birthday! Doesn't he look his age? (NEVER!)

David Tennant's first TV appearance was in the Naked Video spin off Rab C Nesbitt, where he played a transsexual barmiad called Davina! BBC Two have recently repeated Takin' Over The Assylum. You can view his career here.

June Whitfield spotted with Doctor Who in Cardiff

by Staff Reporter, South Wales Echo

VETERAN actress June Whitfield has been spotted with the Doctor on the streets of Cardiff.

She was one of a number of familiar faces seen as filming for a new episode of Doctor Who continued over the Easter weekend.

Whitfield, 83, who is best known for her role in cult comedy Absolutely Fabulous, was on set with former Hi-de-Hi! actor Barry Howard and Karl Collins, who played DC Danny Glaze in The Bill.

They were joined by David Tennant, who reprises his role as the Doctor this year for the last time in a series of Doctor Who specials.

Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins were also on set – on what is thought to be the Christmas special – playing Donna Noble and grandad Wilfred.

Cribbins was spotted sporting antler ears, and seen jumping for joy while climbing aboard a mini-bus outside his house.

The bus had the sign Sparrow Lane – Social Touring for the Over-50s on its side, and was driven by Howard.

The Christmas special will be the final of Russell T Davies’ four 2009 specials of the sci-fi series, and will signal the end of his tenure as head writer.

He said, in a recent BBC interview, that Cribbins would be the Doctor’s main assistant in the special.

The first of the four specials, Planet of the Dead, was broadcast on Saturday on BBC1 and received a peak audience of 8.7 million viewers, and a 39% slice of the audience.

The 2008 Christmas special, The Next Doctor had 12.6 million viewers. Saturday’s episode, featuring Michelle Ryan and comedian Lee Evans, ended with a short trailer of the next episode, The Waters of Mars. The actress Lindsay Duncan will star in the next helping.

Actor Matt Smith will take over the role of the Doctor when Tennant leaves after the Christmas special.

Captain Jack: Back in Doctor Who 2010?

Christian Cawley (kasterborous.com)

Doctor Who and Torchwood star John Barrowman is once again on the press promotion circuit in advance of the premier of his new series Tonight's The Night (a sort of modern take on Jim'll Fix It) this Saturday night.

When quizzed by BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat's Sarah Jane Griffiths on the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, John revealed that the new actor is "really excited" about starting work on the series.

More interestingly however he also failed to deny that Captain Jack Harkness - first seen in Steven Moffat's The Empty Child in 2005 - would be returning to appear opposite a third incarnation of the Doctor...

Is Jack likely to make an appearance?

Jack will always return to the Tardis if the Doctor is in need to help save the planet or conquer an alien race trying to invade. That's all I can say. You know how secretive we are.

John Barrowman's six-part series Tonight's The Night kicks off Saturday April 18th at 6.55pm.

Defending The Earth Game

Over at thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/

Switch Badges

David Tennant has designed 2 badges for BBC Switch and you can download them here.

Tennant Tape 5 / Water Of Mars Trailer & Pics

Please DO NOT hotlink any pictures on this website.

Davies promises dark 'Who' finale

Russell T. Davies has promised a dark end to his time as executive producer of Doctor Who.

The chief writer is leaving the show at the end of this year's specials and will be succeeded by Steven Moffat.

Meanwhile, Tenth Doctor David Tennant will be replaced Matt Smith in the title role.

Davies told The Times: "People are going to be Doctor Who-deprived this year, so it's got everything in it: CGI monsters, prosthetic monsters, army, police, an alien planet.

"It's our last chance to have a bit of a laugh. Now the Doctor's facing the end of his life, it's going to get dark."

When asked if there would be a dry eye in the house after his last episode, he said: "I should f**king think not!"

DT & RTD :- The Times Interview

Easter special Planet of the Dead marks departure.

Why Russell T Davies & David Tenant Are Leaving....

The end is nigh. Doctor Who returns at Easter for the first of four 2009 specials that will culminate in the 10th Doctor, David Tennant, regenerating into the 11th, Matt Smith. When Tennant leaves, so does Russell T Davies; Steven Moffat will replace him as head writer and executive producer.

The partnership of lifelong Whovians Tennant and Davies has seen the show cement itself in the national psyche, exterminate all competition in the ratings and scoop award after award. During a break from making the next special in Cardiff, Tennant and Davies steeled themselves with a tray of BBC sandwiches to consider past, present and future. Very Who.

Tell us about the Easter special, Planet of the Dead.

Russell T Davies People are going to be Doctor Who-deprived this year, so it’s got everything in it: CGI monsters, prosthetic monsters, army, police, an alien planet . . . It’s our last chance to have a bit of a laugh. Now the Doctor’s facing the end of his life, it’s going to get dark.

David Tennant Some of it was filmed in Dubai, and there were sandstorms . . . We were despairing. I’d look into the distance and go (Acting), “What is this strange alien world?” Well, I couldn’t actually open my eyes to look at it. The Exfoliation of Doom would be a good subtitle. My hair was full of sand. And blonde. I looked like Tina Turner.

Come the final curtain, will there be a dry eye in the house?

RTD I should f***ing think not!

DT Well, I cried (when I read it).

Did you make a pact to leave together?

DT We talked about it. It wasn’t a pact . . . I’d sort of decided. But then I nearly changed my mind again.

RTD We had dinner and chatted about it a few years ago. It just felt right. The BBC asked me to do a series five, but I didn’t shift at all.

Full interview here

60's Child

Inside SFX Magazine issue number 182 (officially released next week) producer Peter Bennett talks about the upcoming "Children of Earth" mini-series, and goes into specific detail about what several of the guest characters are up to throughout. Needless to say there's SPOILERS abound, so look away now if you want to remain pure and spoil-free.

"Paul Copley plays Clem. As a child, back in the 60s, Clem escaped a threat from an alien force which may or may not be the same alien force returning [the 456]. He's spent most of his life in and out of psychiatric hospitals because everyone thinks he's doolally, and he's the first person to work out that they're coming back."

Bennet goes on to describe another aspect of the show's arc, "Torchwood is the only surviving body that knows anyhting about the aliens being here before in the '60s, and the government want to cover that up because they didn't share that with the rest of the world. Basically, they release a blank page on Torchwood - that's their way of saying, 'Dispose of them, they never existed!' - and it's the job of Johnson [Liz May Brice] to go and execute that."

Meanwhile, despatched to floor 13 of MI5 headquarters is Peter Capaldi as Mr. Frobisher, "He's a civil servant, and in the words of the Prime Minister, he's 'expendable'. So he's volunteered to go and communicate with this alien threat that's determined to put a stop to the world as we know it."

To catch the rest of Peter Bennent's interview - as well as a ever so slight talk with Eve Myles - make sure you catch SFX#182 out this Wednesday. It's a great issue that also previews the latest Star Trek film, talks to writer Alan Moore and goes behind the scenes of the second run of adventures for BBC One's Ashes to Ashes. Pick it up for £3.99.

Thanks to torchwood.tv

Check this guy out >>

Darren Lacey has created a selection of Matt Smith as The Doctor drawings. They are really good and here are a few of them....

Click the link above to go to his gallery dtdstudio

Davies Would Have Loved A ‘Doctor Who - Star Trek’ Crossover

In an interview with Times Online, Doctor Who Executive Producer/Writer Russell T. Davies has stated he would have loved to have done a Doctor Who and Star Trek crossover.

I would have loved to have done a Star Trek crossover. The very first year, we talked about it. Then Star Trek finally went off air. Landing the Tardis on board the Enterprise would have been magnificent. Can you imagine what their script department would have wanted, and what I would have wanted? It would have been the biggest battle.

The interview then moves on from Star Trek to Star Wars, with Davies being asked whether or not Geoge Lucas asked him to participate in his new live-action Star Wars series.

He came knocking on every single writer’s door in the whole land. And there are British writers working for him on this Star Wars series. But I’m not allowed to say who. The writers are out there now, at Skywalker Ranch (in California). Yesterday, they were allowed into the props room; they were playing with lightsabers. It’s a lovely job. But I’m not going to do a sci-fi series that’s second-rate compared to Doctor Who (hoots of laughter).

He was also asked how much influence he would exert over Matt Smith’s version of Doctor Who:

Absolutely none. I wouldn’t want to write a single word for him. When he appears, every word will be written by Steven Moffat. He’s Steven’s, and Matt’s, character.

scifiscoop.com

Planet of the Dead Trailer & Screen Caps

Shown on BBC One, Wednesday, 1st April 2009

The BBC Press Office has stated that the Doctor Who Easter special, "Planet of the Dead", will air on BBC One on Saturday, April 11 from 6:45 to 7:45 pm. The Saturday date was posted last week on the Press Office's website, and subsequently withdrawn; it has now been reposted. The episode will also be broadcast on the BBC HD channel.