Twelth Doctor rumours continue ...

Two new rumours appeared today regarding the on-going  search for the twelth Doctor. There has has been a surge of interest in Peter Capaldi, with odds on the actor rapidly dropping to now make him the favourite to continue in the TARDIS.

Joe Crilly, a spokesman for betting company William Hill, said:

"Peter Capaldi was not even in our list a few days ago but he has been the subject of a lot of betting interest recently and this gamble would suggest that if he does not have the part already, he is almost certainly on the shortlist"

 Capaldi is best known as the acerbic Malcolm Tucker from The Thick Of It, though he has appeared in Doctor Who before as Roman merchant Lucius Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii, and more prominently as the Home Office Permanent Secretary John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth

 The actor revealed he was a fan of the show back in 2008 when he spoke to SFX about his forthcoming appearance in Pompeii:  .

"When I was a kid, being a huge fan, I wrote numerous letters to the Doctor Who office largely inquiring about how the show was made. I was thrilled to have delivered to me a large package from the BBC containing two full studio scripts for the Jon Pertwee serial The Mutants, which they were making at the time. The package also contained set designs and studio floor plans for these episodes and a delightful letter from Barry Letts giving me an idea what all this stuff was. It was a fantastic exciting insight into both Doctor Who and television production generally. I had never seen a script in any form whatsoever before then and was immediately fascinated by the documents. And of course Barry’s kindness was a trigger to my ambition to work somehow (I didn’t know how) in TV. The scripts are still sitting on my bookshelf downstairs"

 

Twitter rumours - suggest that the BBC is preparring to reveal the identity of the Twelfth Doctor this Sunday in a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential!


TV listings magazines have Celebrity Mastermind scheduled at 7pm, this is a repeat and wouldd be easily pulled. The slot is usually occupied by Countryfile, which is this week on at 8pm.

Details, of course, are sketchy, but there has long been a rumour of an August reveal. Sunday is August 4th, and with the Christmas episode set to enter production.

Thanks to Doctor Who News & Kasterborous

BBC Will Simulcast The ‘Doctor Who’ 50th Anniversary Special

On November 23, everyone will be able to watch the Doctor’s newest adventure at the same time.

The upcoming “Doctor Who” 50th Anniversary Special is already highly anticipated thanks to the return of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler alongside the current Doctor, Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman’s Clara Oswald. BBC still hasn’t released the trailer for the special that was previewed at Comic-Con International, but there is some good news for Whovians. 

BBC has announced that the “Doctor Who” 50th Anniversary Special will be simulcast around the world on November 23. That means that while “Doctor Who” airs on its traditional 8pm Saturday night timeslot on BBC One, fans on the East Coast of the United States can watch it on BBC America at 3pm, while the West Coast fans can catch it at Noon Pacific Time. In Australia, the special will air at 7am. 

In a brief statement, BBC said "It's always been our ambition to work with our broadcast partners so that international Doctor Who fans can enjoy the 50th Anniversary special at the same time as the UK." 

Presumably the simulcast was done in part to prevent piracy from cutting into the viewing numbers. It also seems likely that BBC America will run the Anniversary Special again later in the day or at night as part of its Supernatural Saturdays. 

If the simulcast experiment is a success, BBC could potentially try it again for this year’s Christmas special, which will be Smith’s final adventure as the Doctor.

Source

Moffat: “You know nothing about the Doctor”

Steven Moffat has explained some of his reasoning for introducing John Hurt’s mysterious incarnation of the Doctor.

He told Crave: “We’ve sort of got to the point, especially if you’re a fan, you sort of think you’ve made a list and you’ve got everything. And you look at it and think okay, you think you know everything about the Doctor? What’s his name? Who is he married to? Who were his children? Did he have any other grandchildren? What was his job? You know nothing about the Doctor… So occasionally we have to remind the audience.

 

“He could be lying to you. He is so reticent on information, he hasn’t introduced himself in 50 years. So I had that idea [of Hurt's Doctor] kicking around for a while to shock everybody and say this man, who is defined by the secrets he keeps, has got a big one.”

He adds: “If you’re going to introduce a new Doctor from his past, it’s got to be a screen legend. Whoever turns around, you’ve got to go, ‘Wow! That’s amazing that they’re the Doctor!’ It can’t just be some bloke.”

Doctor Who - Fade Away - The Motion Comic

Fully endorsed by writer Paul Hanley, this motion comic takes the original graphic novel and adapts it into a full ten minute story with a full cast!

Celebrate 50 Years of Doctor Who - UK residentents only

 

You're invited to come and join the party by being in the audience for an exciting new BBC One series pilot, celebrating some of the UK's longest running TV shows.

Featuring special guests and memorable clips from the show's history, this episode focuses on the 50th anniversary of ‪‎DoctorWho‬.

If you're free on Sunday 4th August and would like to attend, apply for your tickets here: http://bit.ly/18LbIFT.

Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman on 11th Doctor farewell - video

Matt Smith explains why now is "the right time" to leave and bid farewell to the Doctor after four years, in an interview shot at Comic Con 2013 in San Diego. Matt also reveals what he will miss most about the series, while Jenna-Louise in turn reveals what she will miss most about her co-star. The pair also talk about the fall of the 11th - described by Smith as a "great" and "fitting" final episode.

Twelth Doctor to be announced in August (??) & another past Doctor set to return (??)

There are also signs that the new Doctor could be announced as early as next month. 

Serious consideration is being given to unveiling the new Doctor on a surprise Doctor Who Confidential as happened with Matt Smith’s unveiling in 2010, with some sources confirming that it will be in August. 

  

However timings are always a very relative thing when selecting Time Lords.

Doctor Who’s 50^th anniversary show will feature one of the five former doctors who wielded the Sonic Screwdriver before the Eccleston reboot, RadioTimes.com understands.

In other news another Doctor rumoured to be joining Tennant for 50th anniversary special - possibly Paul McGann.

According to sources, one of either Colin Baker, Paul McGann, Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy or Peter Davison will be in the feature length special episode alongside Tennant’s Doctor and the current incumbent Matt Smith.

 Tennant’s appearance as the tenth Doctor has been confirmed in the story which will also feature the Daleks and the classic 1975 shapeshifting villains the Zygons. 

Source

The Complete Series 33 (7) Blu-Ray Boxset

Here we go again, America get the complete series 33 (7) blue-ray boxset ahead of us in the UK. There is no word regarding our version. 

There was a kick off early in the year when BBc Worldwide released Series 33 (7) Part 2 prior to the UK TV airing of The Name Of The Doctor.

We pay our licence fee to the BBC and we, UK citizens are treated shoddily. Time the BBC and 2Ientertain need to pull their fingers out and ensure the homegrown UK market is given priority.

There has been upset on a Facebook over the airing of a trailer for the upcoming anniversary special at the SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) and here, we just got a preview image of 3 daleks in rubble taken from the trailer. A number of the groups UK members are writing a complaint to the BBC over this.

Any ways, here is the cover of the Blu-Ray boxset: 

Pre-Order Price at $69.99 saving $19.99  (RRP $89.98

This title will be released on September 24, 2013.
At a guess, I would assume the UK release will be sometime around the 12th / 16th September 2013

Happy Birthday Melanie Bush

Happy birthday to Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford 

 

 

22 July 1964 (49 years young)

Bonnie appeared as the Doctor's companion Mel, debuting in Terror of the Vervoids, one of the stories in The Trial of a Time Lord, and departing at the conclusion of Dragonfire. She has since reprised the role in several audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. She first achieved fame as a child actor, starring in the television series Just William and the film Bugsy Malone.

  

Bidding a farewell to the Doctor

The Daleks to Return in the Anniversary Special!

The BBC has released an exclusive photo of the Daleks, who return for the Doctor Who 50^th Anniversary Special. The celebratory episode stars Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman, with David Tennant and Billie Piper returning to the roles of the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler. John Hurt appears as the mysterious incarnation of the Doctor glimpsed at the end of the final episode of series 7.

From the BBC Media Centre

MATT SMITH, DAVID TENNANT AND JOHN HURT TO FACE OFF AGAINST DALEKS IN 50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

The Doctors, Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt will battle the deadly Daleks, the BBC announces today, in the show’s 50th anniversary special.

Returning to BBC One on 23 November the highly anticipated adventure will star: Matt Smith; Jenna Coleman; David Tennant; Billie Piper; John Hurt and Joanna Page.  In a surprise twist in the recent series finale it was revealed John Hurt would be playing a Doctor, alongside Smith and Tennant. 

  

The Daleks are the second monster to be announced for the 50th and will join the shape shifting Zygons, which have only appeared in the show once before in 1975. The Daleks were one of the first monsters to terrify audiences in 1963, 50 years ago, cementing their place in British popular culture.

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, said:

“The Doctor once said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies, so it's fitting that for this very special episode, he should be facing the greatest enemies of all.”

The 50th anniversary episode was shot earlier this year at BBC Cymru Wales' Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff and across South Wales.  Filming also took place in iconic London locations the Tower of London and Trafalgar Square for a huge stunt, which saw Matt Smith dangling from a TARDIS alongside Nelson’s Column.

San Diego Comic Con - Matt Smith - "I've made a mistake"

 Doctor Who stars Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman – along with bossman Steven Moffat – are in attendance. Here you can catch up with a recent panel they held, in which Matt realises that he has made a terrible mistake in leaving…

Matt gets to walk the floor at Comic Con

Karen Gillan shaves her head!

Promotional artwork for Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)

We've seen Matt Smith's shaved head for his part in the Ryan Gosling film How To Catch A Monster, and now,  former Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan has shaved off her luscious red locks. Now, that's  commitment to a role.

Karen stunned fans at the Comic-Con convention in San Diego, California on Saturday when she showed off her new bald new look, revealing her hair she'd sported just hours previously had in fact been a wig - ooh, sneaky!

 

Gillan shot to fame as companion Amelia Pond alongside Matt Smith's Doctor  Pond in the popular sci-fi drama but left last year to pursue a career in Hollywood.

And, keen to show that she's game for anything, Karen shaved off her tumbling auburn hair for her latest role in 2014 Marvel movie Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Karen stars as villainous pirate Nebula, and clearly needed a drastic haircut for the film - never heard of a bald cap then Karen?

 
She sported a wig on Friday for a panel discussion promoting season three of her TV series NTSF:SD:SUV, before unveiling her bald head for the Marvel panel the following day. Yikes!
Despite no longer being attached to her trademark locks, Karen still looked annoyingly stunning as she posed alongside her hunky Guardians co-star Lee Pace... it's enough to make us consider a shorter style in this hot weather... almost.
 
 

IGN's Interview With Matt Smith At Comic-Con 2013

The Doctor himself on teaming up with David Tennant for the 50th anniversary and his upcoming departure from the series.

IDW celebrate Doctor Who 50th anniversary with special edition comic

An oversize edition of the Doctor Who comic is due to land in the last week of 2013, to celebrate the programme's 50th anniversary. IDW Publishing and BBC Worldwide have announced that the special issue will be written by fan-favourite Paul Cornell, with features art by Jimmy Broxton.

The one-shot story will chronicle a strange force that sends the TARDIS into our own universe. In his travels, the Doctor will meet one of his biggest fans, a 10-year-old girl who will make him face his status as a fictional character.

The comic will also feature the Doctor coming face-to-face with the actor who portrays him, Matt Smith. IDW and the BBC have already launched a new series from writer Andy Diggle to mark the occasion.

 

Matt Smith Exit wasn't an easy decision

Speaking at Entertainment Weekly's 'Brave New Warriors' panel at Comic-Con 2013 in San Diego, Matt Smith has admitted that it was not "an easy decision" to leave the show.

 

Smith described his time on Who as a "privilege", adding: "But I think, when you gotta go, you gotta go." He continued: "It wasn't an easy decision to come to, but I don't know… you can't play it forever."Will he continue to watch Doctor Who once he has left, "absolutely". "I'm a big fan of the show as well as being in it," he said. "The show will get bigger and better and just keep going - and I'l follow it and they'll get a brilliant actor to replace me.It carries on - it's lovely, you're part of a legend that doesn't die."With the constant speculation for the Doctor to regenerate in to a woman, Matt joked: I feel like I already know how it ends. There's a golden light, open a TARDIS, put my arms out... and then I turn into a woman!"

Matt Smith's car auction raises £????

Doctor Who actor Matt Smith's "pre-Tardis vehicle" - a Vauxhall Corsa he has owned since he was 18 - has raised £6,300 for a children's charity.

   

Smith, from Northampton, donated it to the Starlight Children's Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill children, to auction on eBay.

University of East Anglia graduate Smith, 30, an ambassador for the charity, nicknamed the car "The Shed".

The charity said an "ordinary" Corsa of the same age would be worth about £250.
The eBay auction of the car, first registered on 30 November 2000 and with about 60,000 miles on the clock, started 10 days ago with an opening bid of 99p.
'Beloved car'
 
After an epic battle between 64 bidders, the auction closed earlier with one new owner's wallet £6,300 lighter.

Before the auction, Smith said one of his reasons for selling was because the car had sat unused outside his parents' house in Northampton, and "I understand they want their driveway back".

He described the winning bid as "brilliant"
.
Neil Swan, chief executive of Starlight Children's Foundation, said: "The charity's aim is to brighten the lives of seriously and terminally ill children and we are enormously grateful to Matt for donating his beloved first car.

"The funds raised will enable the charity to bring fun and laughter to some very poorly children and their families."

Source

Colgan Announces Into the Nowhere

Jenny Colgan has announced that her second Doctor Who book is preliminarily titled Into the Nowhere.

 The novel is expected to be part of the newly-announced Time Trips range of eBooks, set to begin in November to coincide with – duh! – the show’s 50^th anniversary. She joins authors like Nick Harkaway (Edie Investigates; Angelmaker), Trudi Canavan (The Black Magician Trilogy; The Magician’s Apprentice) and A.L. Kennedy (Paradise; So I Am Glad).

 

 

The series is set to follow in the footsteps of other popular eBook releases like Devil in the Smoke, Summer Falls and the Short Trips short stories, and will be an ongoing range, with each book about 10,000 words in length.

Jenny, who previously wrote Dark Horizons, said:

“It is such an honour to be part of the prestigous Time Trips line-up, with so many excitingly fresh perspectives on the Doctor’s life and adventures.”

 

Colgan, who met Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison when she was a child, is a proper fan of Doctor Who, and hoped to write another adventure for the TARDIS when Dark Horizons was released – and now she’s got her wish! Dark Horizons, which featured the Eleventh Doctor travelling on his own, received very favourable reviews, and yesterday, she took part in a Who event at Heathrow airport. She revealed Into the Nowhere on this morning’s The Wright Stuff, which she said will feature snakes and skeletons, and will be released in 2014.

Later on next year, a set of Time Trips will be collected together as a traditional book (remember them?). So us poor folk who don’t like all this electronic bookery will be able to read them too. Hoorah!

Source

Steven Moffat on 50th anniversary: "We can't do 11 Doctors"

Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat has revealed that the show's upcoming 50th anniversary will not feature a "traditional massive reunion".The 51-year-old quipped that an 11 Doctor story is impossible as not all of the actors are alive to take part.

 "People say, 'Are you going to do the 11 Doctors?' We can't do 11 Doctors! Three of them are dead!"

Matt Smith and David Tennant will star as the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors in the 50th anniversary special alongside John Hurt, Jenna Coleman and Billie Piper. Moffat added:"What we're not doing is the traditional massive reunion. It's a different kind of anniversary, and the spine of that is David and Matt."

Composer Murray Gold warned that a twist in the episode could prove "controversial" and divide fans. "There's a thing they've done in it, which might be controversial," he said. "It's interesting though."

Gold added that he will be sad to see the "brilliant" Matt Smith leave Doctor Who, following the actor's announcement that he will depart the BBC sci-fi drama at Christmas.

Source

Colin Baker materialises at Spaceport - Merseyside

Doctor Who fans successfully rally to save endangered TARDIS

Here's why a local Doctor Who group in Salem had to begin a "Save the TARDIS" campaign.
Massachusetts has an art program where artists paint drab, boring utility boxes. Artist Amanda Dunham started painting one of those boxes -- as the TARDIS. Her reasoning for the project was:

I started thinking of something that would be significant to Salem, and the TARDIS is a time machine. It invokes the past and present. Salem being a place of historical importance, as well as a new (growing) art scene, it’s not just about the past, it’s about the present.

 

But not all was well in Salem for the big blue time machine. Rumors abounded that the box would be painted over. Well, part of it, at least. Dunham received an email from the city saying that multiple residents were concerned that people might confuse the painted utility box with an actual police box.

Which makes us wonder if there are a lot of British expatriates who grew up in the 1960s living in Salem. Police public call boxes did exist in the United States, granted, but were more of a late-19th-century convention.

Whatever the reason, there was some possibility that the "Police" part of the design might be painted over. But thanks to quick word of mouth through a local Doctor Who group, Dunham, says that a desire to save the TARDIS "just blew up somehow."
And so, at least for now, it seems that the Doctor's time machine is here to stay. Whew!

(via The Salem News)

The TARDIS materializes at Heathrow

To mark the launch of the partnership, on July 16 travellers through Terminal 5 will be able to enjoy performances by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, Doctor Who novelist Jenny Colgan, author of the recently released Doctor Who: Dark Horizons will also be signing books for fans.

Visitors travelling through Heathrow Airport in London from Tuesday are to be entertained with a range of Doctor Who themed experiences including appearances from Cybermen, TARDIS photobooths, displays of props and memorabilia, and augmented reality hotspots.

 

The BBC worldwide event, in partnership with Heathrow, is to celebrate 50 years of Doctor Who. Travellers will be able to take pictures of themselves and friends on alien worlds and be menaced by monsters from the comfort of the TARDIS photobooths. Doctor Who passports will be available containing giveaways including a free episode to download, information about Doctor Who activities in terminal over the summer, and a free digital copy of Doctor Who Adventures Magazine. 

Amanda Hill, Chief Brands Officer for BBC Worldwide comments

In its 50th Anniversary year we want to include fans around the World in our Doctor Who celebrations and this partnership with Heathrow is a fantastic way of capturing the attention of people from across the globe

 

. Susan Goldsmith, Operations Director at Heathrow Terminal 5 said

I am delighted that Heathrow has been chosen to host this much loved British iconic series. With visitors from over 180 destinations worldwide, as the UK’s only hub airport, Heathrow offers a fantastic opportunity to bring the Doctor Who experience to an international audience this summer.

 

Travelers are invited to share their images of Doctor Who at Heathrow using the hashtag #WhereDoYouWantToGo

Source

50th Anniversary Doctor Who Theme

 I so love this interpretation of the best science fiction title music ever....

The Doctor and the York Maize Maze!

 

Doctor Who fan and farmer Tom Pearcy has created a Dalek Maze in celebration of the 50th Anniversary. The maze is the biggest ever image of a Dalek (easily beating out that giant inflatable Dalek that was seen going down a street a few months ago). The maze opened to the general public today and is open until Monday 2nd September.

A special sci-fi day is also arranged for Saturday, July 27th,where visitors will come face to face with the Daleks, peer inside the TARDIS and take part in other fun Doctor Who and sci-fi activities.

The maze measures over 300m (1,000 feet) long and is cut out of an 18-acre field of more than 1 million maize plants.

The maze also features images of William Hartnell and Matt Smith, the original and current incarnations.

 Colin Baker said: “It is fantastic to see how much interest there is in the 50th anniversary of the show. I have been invited to join events all over the world this year, but what York Maze have created with their giant maize maze has to be one of the most imaginative ways to mark the 50th anniversary I have seen.

“Who would have thought almost thirty years after I played the Doctor that the show would continue to go from strength to strength reaching a new generation of fans? It is great that children and their families will be able to have their own Doctor Who-inspired adventures in the York Maze this summer.” 

The first ever car of Matt Smith - Vauxhall Corsa aka The Shed! Listed for charity on eBay

For the ultimate Matt Smith fan, here is your chance to own his first car. Matthas donated his car to raise funds for Starlight Children’s Foundation, a charity for which he is ambassador.

  

Matt: "While I have been travelling the universe in my TARDIS, my much-loved Vauxhall Corsa, aka The Shed, has been parked outside my parents’ house. As my first ever car, it has seen lots of adventures, not to mention a fair few mishaps (hence the dents). I’ll be very sad to see it go but I understand my parents want their driveway back! I’d love to find a new owner for this great little car, particularly as all the profits will go to Starlight, which is an amazing charity that brightens the lives of seriously and terminally ill children".

 23:10, 13th July 2013, current bid stands at £1,280.00 - eBay

About this charity:

Starlight Children's Foundation brightens the lives of seriously and terminally ill children by granting their wishes and providing hospital entertainment to help take their minds off the pain, fear and isolation of their illness. When Starlight began in 1987, we helped just 4 children; this year, we will help over 500,000 children all over the UK. Starlight receives neither Government nor Lottery support. 91 pence per pound donated to Starlight is spent directly on sick children around the UK.

 

BBC Doctor Who Proms 2013 - Update

I enjoyed listening live to the Doctor Who proms this evening live via BBC Radio 3 from the Royal Albert hall, London. I am looking forward to watching it when it is aired on the BBC. 

 

Past and present attended tonight's event - current Doctor and companion Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, ffith Doctor Peter Davison and original companion Carole Ann Ford.

 

Peter Davison & Carole Ann Ford pose pose for the camera 

Listeners and the very lucky who managed to get tickets for the event, were treated to a variety of music, consisting of Murray Gold's compositions from the show itself, a selection of music from classic Doctor Who and other classical works including Bizet, Debussy and Bach. Ben Foster conducted the music which was performed live by the brilliant BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the London Philharmonic Choir.

And, as mentioned in my last post, regarding the unveiling of the new Doctor - was never gonna happen now was it. The wait continues ....

And let's not forget, Murray Gold's Song for Fifty's première.

Matt Smith welcomes everyone 

Pictures courtesy of Official DOctor Who twitter.

New Doctor to be revelaed at the Proms tonight?

According to SFCrowsnest, the identity of the twelth Doctor is to be revealed to an family based audiance during the Doctor Who Proms tonight (13th July).

Fantasy and science fiction writer Stephen Hunt has said that staff were gathered together and informed about a special segment during the prom, where the next actor to play the Doctor will be revealed. Stating that it was unclear as to whether they would simply name him or that the actor  would actually appear on stage. 

As they is no confirmation of this on the official BBC Doctor Who page, it is best to take this with a pinch of salt until it is officially announced.

 

The first of the special concerts will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, so tune in for all that Dr Who goodness. It starts Saturday 13th July 2013 at 7.30pm and is due to finish at approximately 9.45pm. If that’s a little late for you, BBC iPlayer users can catch the concert online for seven days afterwards.

Steven Moffatt on Doctor Who Future

Steven Moffat has no plans to leave Doctor Who just yet.

The showrunner confirmed his intention to stay with the BBC sci-fi drama through its eighth series - the first with the show's 12th Doctor - in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"I've signed up for this next year, with the new Doctor," Moffat said. "It's one of those jobs when you know when you've had enough. At the moment, I haven't had enough and I'm thoroughly enjoying it."

 The writer/producer added that he is "very excited" for the "challenge of... establishing the new Doctor"

When asked about the upcoming 50th anniversary episode, Moffat hinted "you could call it movie length".The celebratory episode's running time is yet to be confirmed, but will be "well over an hour".

 On the next person to play the Doctor, " There's a very big range of people who could play it and different ways you could go with it. We must get this right. One false move and the show's over."

 Moffat also confirmed that the new Doctor will debut in the sci-fi drama's 2013 Christmas special, with the 12th actor to play the Time Lord being unveiled to the public "pretty fast" after casting is finalised. 

"I mean, you sometimes sit and think, 'Are there better ways of doing it? Is there a different way of doing it?' But quite honestly what could be better than that? It's just too exciting."

The new Doctor's first full series will then follow in "late summer 2014".

David Bradley as William Hartnell - The Doctor

A new picture of actor David Bradley as the first Doctor, William Hartnell, has been released by the BBC. 

An Adventure in Space and Time, written by Mark Gatiss, will tell the story of the formation of the sci-fi drama in the early 1960s.

The actor, best-known for his role as caretaker Filch in the Harry Potter films, gave a "wonderfully touching and subtle performance" said Gatiss.

The one-off drama will be shown as part of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. Bradley said he was "absolutely thrilled" to be offered the role by Gatiss after starring in a 2012 episode, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship.

"When he asked if I would interested, I almost bit his hand off!" Bradley said earlier this year.

Scottish actor Brian Cox, will appear alongside Bradley as BBC Head of Drama, Sydney Newman, who was credited with the creation of the show. 

Doctor Who was first broadcast on 23 November 1963, with a four-part adventure known as An Unearthly Child.

Hartnell, who died in 1975, starred in the series from 1963 to 1966 before being replaced by Patrick Troughton.

An Adventure in Space and Time is one of a number of programmes that will mark Doctor Who's half-centenary later this year.

 

Replica of the original TARDIS console

Source

Pre-Order Doctor Who 2014 Calander

 


The official Doctor Who 50th Special Calendar is now available to pre-order. The 12 x 12" (305 x 305mm) calendar opens up to reveal images of all eleven Doctor plus some of their most notorious enemies. 

For your own slice of history, secure your copy of this 50th anniversary calendar, before it’s exterminated.

The calender is produced by Danilo and is available from 1st September 2013

Pre-order here

Aneurin Barnard wants to replace Matt Smith

The White Queen's Aneurin Barnard has said that he is a "fan" of Doctor Who and would "absolutely" consider replacing Matt Smith on the show.

The Welsh actor told the Radio Times the BBC sci-fi drama "seems like a very good, fun job to be involved in".

 

During a recent chat with RadioTimes.com, the 26-year-old - who is currently filming Sky1's Moonfleet with Ray Winstone and Omid Djalili - said he would "absolutely" be interested in taking over from Matt Smith as the Twelfth Doctor.

"It's one of those roles that has lived through time. That is not a pun, by the way. It does sound like one but it's not. It's an endless tale and what's interesting about Doctor Who is it can go in any direction at any point and every Doctor is taken very differently."

And it turns out Aneurin has logistics in his favour when it comes to filming the series which is shot at BBC's studios in Cardiff. "I'm probably one of the only Welsh actors there is who hasn't been in an episode of Doctor Who. It's on the doorstep so to step into the phone box and take that role on, I think you'd have to consider it. It's a great piece of storytelling and you can have a lot of fun with that.

The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule Set

BBC Worldwide have announced details of a fab-looking Doctor Who DVD boxset celebrating The Fourth Doctor and featuring the first release of Terror of the Zygons on DVD. Full details below.

The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule is an individually numbered deluxe box-set, containing exclusive content and memorabilia from Tom Baker’s era on Doctor Who, including a newly-commissioned interview with the man himself -  An Interview with the Time Lord.

Alongside the interview package, the set contains an advance vanilla release of the restored Terror of the Zygons, set to be released in full later this year. Telling the tale of shape-shifting aliens attempting to colonize the Earth, Terror of the Zygons introduces the titular monsters, who are set to return in the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special. With a limited run of 5,000 units, the Time Capsule also includes:

• An exclusive post-regenerative Fourth Doctor action figure, wearing Jon Pertwee’s trademark frill-fronted shirt.

• A Fourth Doctor sonic screwdriver

• An audio version of classic Tom Baker story Genesis of the Daleks

• Novel Tomb of Valdemar by Simon Messingham, set during the Fourth Doctor’s search for the Key to Time.

• Art cards of all the Fourth Doctor’s companions.

• And a letter from Tom Baker himself.

The Fourth Doctor Time Capsule will be released on July 29 in the UK only.

Thanks to BlogtorWho

The International Music Eisteddfod 2013

Look what has materialised at this year's 67th annual Inernational Music Eistetddfod in Llangollen.



The eisteteddfod runs from the 9th July to the 14th July 2013

Congratulations to John and Scott

On 1st July, John Barrowman married his partner of 20 years,Scott Gill in the state of California following the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Defence of Marriage Act last week. The couple entered a Civil Ceremony in 2006.

The Torchwood star announced his big news in a short video clip on WhoSay before posting a photo after their low-key ceremony.

The video sees John addressing the camera, casually telling his audience: ‘It's five after one and we've got our coffee and we're in the car getting ready to leave, because where are we going, Scott?'

Barrowman then turns the camera on his partner Gill, who excitedly replies: ‘To get married. Yay!’

 
John Barrowman on WhoSay

Barrowman hasn't ruled out adopting an older child in the future.

'We wouldn't want a baby. We'd look at adopting an older child or teenager who might have been in trouble. We would also look at adopting a gay child, thrown out of their home because of their sexuality.'

Source

Happy Birthday Gwen

Born on this day in Ystradgynlais, Wales in1978 .... Eve Myles

 

Penblwydd Hapus / Happy Birthday ! 

Eve appeared in Doctor Who back in 2005 in the episode The Unquiet Dead as undertaker's assistant Gwyneth. Eve returned to the Whoniverse in spin off series Torchwood as Police Officer Gwen Cooper. She was recruited to Torchwood by Captain Jack Harkness played by the fantastic John Barrowman. 

It was revealed in the episode  Journey's End that Gwen was related to Gwyneth.

 

As Gwyneth in The Unquiet Dead (2005)

 

As Gwen Cooper in Torchwood debut episode Everything Changes (2006)

#thefourth

Is this a promo for a seperate 50th anniversary special beginning with the eldest living Doctor - Tom Baker? We can but wait and see

Matt Smith to attend 50th celebration weekend

Outgoing Doctor Matt Smith is to attend the 50th Anniversary weekend at London's ExCeL on the weekend of 22nd - 24th November 2013 along with Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. Tom Baker will also be in attendance but only on Saturday 23rd, with other guests to be announced over the coming weeks.

Smith said, "The event will be extra special for me. I'm trully looking forward to a huge celebration with the fans in the lead up to the 50th anniversary episode."

Confirmed events at the 50th Celebration include two theatre panel shows featuring star guests from 50 years of Doctor Who and a special effects show hosted by practical effects guru Danny Hargreaves.

Activities in the main halls will include stunt workshops, audio and visual effect workshops, on-stage panels with cast members and walk-like-a-monster masterclasses with Doctor Who's official monster choreographer Ailsa Burke.

Signature and photo booths with Who stars will also be in operation across the three days.

For full ticket details and prices visit celebration.doctorwho.tv - tickets go on sale at 11am on July 8.

John Hurt's role in the 50th anniversary confirmed?

When the last series of Doctor Who ended in May, John Hurt was credited as The Doctor. From pictures we have seen since he was pictured wearing Christopher Eccleston's leather jacket, fans have speculated that he is to play the the Doctor who is in between his eighth and ninth regenerations; and this may well be true.

 

Whilst the Prince Charles and Camilla (see link at bottom in relation to this article because i will not write about these parasites), were on the set of Doctor Who; costume designer Howard Burden showed them a collection of costumes including that of John Hurt's character will be a 'darker Doctor' whom we have not seen.

“There was a gap between Paul McGann playing the Doctor and Christopher Eccleston, when we didn’t see a regeneration, and John Hurt will fit into that gap. He is a past Doctor, not a future Doctor.” 

(The Telegraph)