Is it Ta Ra TARDIS for Jenna?

Is she leaving or is she staying on board the TARDIS? Such is the rumour surrounding Jenna Coleman since before series 34 of Doctor Who was even halfway through its run. Peter Capaldi cold not confirm one way or another when he appeared as a guest on BBC ONE magazine programme The One Show. 

During the last 24 hours, rumour has it that Jenna will continue to play Clara Oswald beyond Christmas and stay on for at least another half series. This will make her one of the longest-running companions on Doctor Who alongside Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah-Jane Smith and Karen Gillan's Amelia (Amy) Pond.

Steven Moffat is said to be delighted that Jenna has decided to stay on for the first half of series 35, even though it means rewriting scripts for her.

An insider said:"When it came to Clara, they had to tear them up and start again"

"In the original script, Clara becomes an old woman who passes away with the Doctor by her side. Now, she will be seen returning to the TARDIS with her hand in hand with the Doctor"

Jenna and Peter have had one series together, and it appears that Jenna has developed a bond with new Doctor, Peter, that she wants to stay a little longer.

This year's festive special is entitled Last Christmas. The Doctor and Clara will find themselves unable to tell the difference between a fantasy world and reality, and will call on Santa (Nick Frost) for help.

A BBC spokesperson has said: "The Doctor and Clara face their last Christmas trapped on an Arctic base, under attack from terrifying creatures. Who are you going to call?  Santa Claus!"

Christmas 2014 episode title revealed & poster

New image and poster for this year's christmas special were revealed last night. The title is LAST CHRISTMAS, and neither George Michael or Andrew Ridgley are involved. Wham! Bam, thank you ma'am haa (had to be done)

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

The One Show Peter Capaldi

Peter Capaldi was guest on the BBC One magazine programme The One Show this evening 21 August 2014

Alex Jones asked whether he was looking for a new companion following the news that Jenna Coleman has decided to leave at Christmas. Alex did make it clear that it is rumoured. "What will you be looking for in a new assistant?"

Peter: "I'm not looking for a new assistant. I don't know where these rumours have started"

"I've read that she may be leaving at Christmas, but I don't even know if she'll get to Christmas. You just got to watch and see"

What to make of this? I do not listen to rumour myself and simply wait to read or hear an official announcement from the BBC  and the Doctor Who team. 

The new series airs at 7.50pm on BBC One this coming Saturday. I suggest we enjoy the next 13 weeks and the Christmas special and see how it pans out for our Clara

Jenna Coleman set to quit as Clara Oswald

Current Doctor Who companion Jenna Coleman is set to leave her role as Clara Oswald at the end of the current series according to 'The Daily Mirror' today.



Jenna, pictured with co-star and new Doctor Peter Capaldi, will depart the show in this year's Christmas special after 18 months as portraying companion Clara Oswald, initially with previous Doctor Matt Smith. At present, this is purely a red top rumour. No official statement has been released from the BBC or Steven Moffat.  

Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Blu-ray / DVD)

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition Bluray boxset. Features Matt Smith's farewell with bonus material featuring David Tennant, Peter Davidson, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. Release date: 21/09/2014 and priced at £31.99 (Blu-ray) & £28.99 (DVD)

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Limited Collector's Edition. For the ultimate Doctor Who fan, BBC Worldwide UK are proud to present a special collection of highlights from the groundbreaking 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, including - for the first time - An Adventure in Space and Time on Blu Ray.

The limited edition collector’s set includes the 50th anniversary special; The Day of the Doctor, Matt Smith’s Farewell; The Time of the Doctor, the Series 7 finale; The Name of the Doctor, and the Eighth Doctor’s (Paul McGann) surprise regeneration into John Hurt’s War Doctor; The Night of the Doctor.

The collection also includes an exclusive cut of the read-through of The Day of the Doctor featuring Matt Smith and David Tennant, deleted scenes, new-to-DVD cinema trails and Mark Gatiss’ award winning drama about the genesis of Doctor Who; An Adventure in Space and Time. The hilarious Five-ish Doctors – starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and a host of special guests - will also be included on a DVD and Blu Ray box for the first time.

Pre-order your copy now!

• The Name of the Doctor
• The Night of the Doctor
• The Day of the Doctor
• The Time of the Doctor

• An Adventure in Space & Time
• The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot
• Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide
• The Science of Doctor Who
• Doctor Who Proms 2013

• The Last Day
• The Day of the Doctor Readthrough
• The Day of the Doctor Cinema Intros

• Deleted Scenes
• Behind the Scenes videos (Name, Day & Time)

BBCA Documentaries: Tales from the Tardis & Farewell to Matt Smith 

Official Series 34 trailer

I apologize for the lack of updates since April of this year. I stopped because photographs of actors I had posted have been removed and this peeved me off, especially as I gave the source of the image with each post. I shall try and keep abreast of news, anniversaries, etc.

First up, here is the official Doctor Who series 34 BBC trailer, which most people have already seen by now. I have to say, judging by these clips in the trailer, we are in for a great ride with Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor.

On a far less happy note, yesterday, 26th July, marked the second anniversary of the passing of Mary Tamm who lost her fight with cancer. She was 62. 

Happy Birthday David

Today, 18th April,  is the 43rd birthday of tenth Doctor David Tennant (MacDonald)

Happy Birthday David 

With Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith in the fiftieth anniversary special Day Of The Doctor

Happy Birthday Doctor 12

Yesterday was the birthday of one Peter, today, is the birthday of Peter number 2, Peter Capaldi that is. 

Peter Dougan Capaldi is 56 years old today.

 

With Jenna Coleman on set in Caerdydd

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.

Patrick Troughton

Patrick George Troughton

25th March 1920 - 28th March 1987

The Doctor

1966 - 1969

Remembering Mary Tamm

Mary Tamm would have been 64 years old today. 

(1950 - 2012)

Mary Tamm is still fondly remembered for portraying the first incarnation of Romanadvoratrelundar or Romana for short, in Doctor Who back in 1978/79 during The Keys To Time serial; alongside then Doctor Tom Baker. 

Mary Tamm was married to Marcus Ringrose from 1978 until her death in 2012 from cancer. Sadly, a few hours after giving an eulogy at her funeral, Marcus died. They left behind their daughter Lauren and grandson Max.

Her autobiography, First Generation, was published in September 2009 by Fantom Films. Prior to her death, Mary had been working on volume two of her autobiography titled Second Generation, which will be on sale in April 2014, and can be pre-ordered 28th March 2014 from Amazon.

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.

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Lego Doctor Who Set

It is looking ever more likely that there will be a Doctor Who Lego play set to keep the kiddies (and big kiddies) happy soon.

 It's only been a little over 2 weeks since LEGO Cuusoo started taking proposals for Doctor Who sets and already there are over 40 projects uploaded.

Leading the field with (at the time of writing) 9795 supporters is this great set from GlenBricker. It's 6000 ahead of it's nearest competition and just 205 votes away from the 10,000 support threshold before LEGO will review the suggestion, and possibly turn it into an actual design.

The finished set would come with 5 Minifigures, K-9, and 3 Brick Built Daleks for characters, along with the TARDIS and a TARDIS Console.

Doctor wise you can pick from Tom Baker, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith or Peter Capaldi. Assistants include Rose Tyler, Captain Jack Harkness, Doctor Donna Noble, Amy Pond, River Song and Clara Oswald. There's also a Cyberman and Weeping Angel minifigure in the collection.

Each Doctor and Companion minifigure would come with an item, including the Fourth Doctor's Jelly Babies, the Eleventh Doctor's Fez and Clara's 'Leaf'.

 

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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.

 

Has the role of the Master been cast for Series 34?

It has been rumoured for months now, that the Master is set to return in Series 34 (8) of Doctor Who, when the show airs in the autumn. Back in January, it was strongly rumoured that Charles Dance could be taking on the mantel of Master from the fabulous John Simm. This may now not be the ase. 

Below is how Umbridge1986 on Deviant Art visualised Charles Dance as the Master

Speaking at the Newcastle Film And Comic Con, Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor, was asked who his favourite Doctor Who villain was. Sylvester revealed his favourite Doctor Who villain was the Master. He then went on to say that the Master would be back this year, but not played by John Simm. McCoy didn't reveal the actors name but said he knew who had been cast and that he'll be very scary. 

Former Eastenders actor Steve John Shepherd (Michael Moon) may already have been cast as the Doctor's  arch-nemesis and fellow Time Lord  – the Master.

 

Looking nothing like his fastidiously dapper and clean shaven Walford wideboy character Michael Moon, whom he portrayed between 2010 and 2013, Steve has grown a beard that’s a dead ringer, none too dissimilar for the type sported by Roger Delgrado and Anthony AInsley, who both played the Master in the 70s and 80s.

Also, the snap appears to show the actor standing by a craggy seaside outcrop that suspiciously resembles the windswept South Wales coastline – also, its upload date of January 19 is around the same time the new series of Who would have been filming in Merthry Mawr, just a short Tardis ride from both Porthcawl and Ogmore-by-Sea.

It’s a coincidence which seems to add credence to the ongoing internet rumours that Shepherd is a shoo-in for the coveted role, whispers which were inadvertently started by Shepherd himself late last year when he appeared on ITV’s Daybreak programme to reveal he was about to start work on a big project in the New Year but “couldn’t go into the details.”

We shall have to await news from the Doctor Who camp whether this speculation is correct. In the meantime; below, a fan's tribute to Steve John Shepherd as the Master. 

 

DWM 471 Celebrating 50 Years of Daleks

The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine celebrates 50 years of the Doctor’s deadliest enemies – the Daleks! The mag comes complete with a FREE, giant double-sided poster, and is choc-full of Dalek-related content.
Inside the issue, you’ll find…

• We Are the Daleks –  An in-depth feature looks at why the Daleks remain Doctor Who‘s Number One monsters after 50 years.
• 1960s Dalek voice artist DAVID GRAHAM comes face to face with his modern equivalent NICHOLAS BRIGGS!
• Discover surprising facts and see rare images from the first ever Dalek story in The Fact of Fiction.
• Anatomy of a Dalek – find out what lurks within the metal casing!
• Doctor Who‘s showrunner STEVEN MOFFAT reveals the secrets of being a successful writer in Production Notes.
• The Blood of Azrael – the second part of a new comic strip adventure for the Doctor and Clara.
• Model-maker extraordinaire MIKE TUCKER and members of the Model Unit talk exclusively to DWM about their work on Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and more.
• The Time Team travels back to ancient Rome to witness The Fires of Pompeii.
• Jacqueline Rayner recalls her favourite moments from Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary in Relative Dimensions.
• A review of the recently rediscovered The Web of Fear on DVD.
• The Watcher champions a little-known Dalek story by the writer who created them, Terry Nation, in Wotcha!.
• Reviews and previews of the latest DVDs, CDs and books.
• Prize-winning competitions, official news and much more!

DWM 471 is on sale from Thursday 6 March 2014, priced £4.99.

Peter Capaldi - Takes time out for austistic girl aged 5

For those of you out there who have doubts about the new Doctor Peter Capaldi, perhaps this will warm you to him and maybe melt your hear a little too.

While filming the next series of Doctor Who, Peter took the time to reassure a little autistic child who was dressed as a Dalek, that it would be okay for him to be the Doctor now.

The clip, posted by a fan to YouTube, was soon turned into a series of GIFS; leading to the aunt of the concerned young girl to post this explanation on her Tumblr page:

   

 

 Hiya, the little girl in the dalek outfit is my niece, she’s autistic and was finding it difficult coming to terms with the regeneration as Matts doctor is her imaginary friend, she was worried PCap wouldn’t want to play with her. We are very ecstatic that he took time to reassure her. He’s brilliant!

Upon discovering just how far this adorable, touching video had spread, the girl’s mother then posted this entry on her own blog, taking the time to thank the kind-hearted cast and crew of the show for reassuring a little girl that her imaginary friend still wants to play with her:

Next thing a man walks over to us and says to Roxann hello what’s your name, she didn’t answer so I did he then asked how old she was and she whispered 5. He said well im the director and would you like to come with me. We followed him and he called Peter over. Peter and Jenna where lovely and so understanding. 

Even though Roxann wouldn’t look at them or talk…which is due to her autism. She took everything in that was being said to her by peter. We spent about 10mins with them and I can not express how over joyed and thankful I am to the crew for making both my daughters dreams come true.

 

Peter Capaldi surprises guests at BBC Worldwide Showcase event

Hundreds of international TV buyers were dazzled by a surprise appearance from the new Doctor Peter Capaldi at BBC Worldwide’s annual Showcase event in Liverpool.

Capaldi, who has started filming the new series of Doctor Who, emerged from the iconic TARDIS to the delight of the audience and chatted briefly with Graham Norton.

Afterwards he commented: “As a lifetime follower of the show, I'm delighted to see its global success. And I'm looking forward to sharing with the world the very exciting journey the new series is taking us on”.

Earlier today it was announced that former The History Boys star Samuel Anderson would be joining Doctor Who as a recurring character for Series 8.

 Peter Capaldi's attendance was part of an evening celebrating the best of British TV talent, with appearances including Sir David Attenborough, the presenters of Top Gear, Bollywood dancing from India’s smash hit version of Strictly Come Dancing and a special pre-recorded piece from Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch.

 

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Lego Who?

(Image mock-up)

A new post from LEGO suggests the licencing problems holding back Doctor Who LEGO sets are no more...

Two of the pillars of geekdom, both with foundations going back decades, are Doctor Who and LEGO. Yet they've never met, with the BBC giving the rights to make Doctor Who LEGO-like items to Character Options, who has, over the years, put together a very healthy smattering of choices. They have had plenty of our cash, certainly.

LEGO has, for some time, run a scheme whereby users can submit potential projects for future LEGO sets. LEGO CUUSOO is the name of said scheme, and users get to vote on potential projects. That's how the likes of the Back To The Future DeLorean came to pass, for example.

However, in the past, when users have submitted Doctor Who-themed projects to LEGO CUUSOO, they've not got past the drawing board, due to licencing issues. Now though there's been an update to the License Conflicts And Resolutions section of LEGO CUUSOO's help page, and this is the exact text:

If your project was previously turned down, archived, or deleted due to a licensing conflict that is now resolved, you may re-submit it as a new project. Supporters from past projects cannot be applied to a future project.

Resolved Past Licensing Conflicts

We now welcome projects based on the following licenses that used to have conflicts:

 Doctor Who - February 2014

Now we're not ones for speculation, but that suggests very much to us that the barriers preventing Doctor Who and LEGO from joining forces have been taken down. This hasn't been confirmed, and we will update this story with any official word from LEGO, the BBC or Character Options when we get it. But the LEGO post, we'd suggest, is fairly specific. This hints broadly that Doctor Who LEGO may be on the way.

Karen Gillan -American comedy beckons

Doctor Who companion Karen Gillan has been cast in a US sitcom pilot called Selfie. It is inspired by My Fair Lady, and centres around egotistical social media junkie Eliza Dooley (Gillan), who is more concerned with 'likes' rather than being liked. After a video of her humiliating public break-up goes viral, she employs a marketing expert to help restore her image.

Karen shaved her hair for her role as Nebula in Marvel's Guardian's Of The Galaxy which will hit cinemas on 1st August 2014.

Guardians of the Galaxy sees brash adventurer Peter Quill the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits – Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer.

But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand – with the galaxy’s fate in the balance. 

  

Karen Gillan as Nebula

Say Hello to Danny Pink - Recuring character for Series 34

Samuel Anderson (The History Boys, Gavin & Stacey, Emmerdale) is set to join the cast of Doctor Who as a recurring character in series 8, which will also introduce Peter Capaldi as the Doctor to millions of viewers for the first time.  Anderson will play Danny Pink, a teacher at Coal Hill School where companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) also teaches.

 On joining the show Samuel Anderson said: ‘I was so excited to join Doctor Who I wanted to jump and click my heels, but I was scared I might not come down before filming started! It’s a quintessential part of British culture and I can’t believe I’m part of it. It’s an honour to be able to work alongside Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman and I can’t wait to show people how my character becomes involved with such a fantastic duo!’

Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive producer, added: ‘For the fourth time in Doctor Who history, Coal Hill School is coming to the aid of the TARDIS. In 1963 teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright accompanied the First Doctor. These days it’s the turn of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. And very soon now, Sam Anderson as Danny Pink will be entering the world of the Doctor. But how and why? Answers are coming later this year in Peter Capaldi’s first series of Doctor Who!’ 

Filming recently began on episode 4 of the new series which will co-star Robert Goodman (Gangs of New York, Game of Thrones) and episode 5, co-starring Jonathan Bailey (Broadchurch, Groove High), and Pippa Bennett-Warner (The Smoke, Death in Paradise).

 

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