Could we have found Missy’s Tardis – and will we be seeing a return for Amy Pond?

Of the many mysteries surrounding Michelle Gomez’s Missy in series eight of Doctor Who, the question of where she chose to hang out seemed pretty unimportant – but now it’s looking like the villainous Time Lady’s fancy garden hideout might prove to be a lot more significant than we had realised…

First appearing in Peter Capaldi’s debut episode Deep Breath, the garden in question (which Missy refers to as heaven) was spotted by eagle-eyed fans as being the same filming location from 2011 episode the Girl Who Waited, where Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) is imprisoned inside a futuristic hospital  that’s stuck in a time loop.

No big deal, though – Doctor Who reuses locations all the time. In that very episode, the interiors for the hospital were from the same building as another outer-space health centre in series two opener New Earth, and the garden itself has also been used in an episode of the Sarah-Jane adventures. So staging another scene in the garden was probably just a clever use of resources, we thought, a coincidence…

“Oh, there’s no coincidence in Doctor Who – everything’s connected,” Michelle Gomez corrected, speaking at Comic-con earlier this month. “And that’s what makes it really spooky, in a way. Yes, there’s a connection yet to be revealed.”

Colour us intrigued – what could the connection be? One theory from fans when Deep Breath aired was that the garden could be Missy’s Tardis, with the fountain acting as a central column – so was Amy actually inside the Tardis for that whole episode? Alternatively, it could be that Missy chose to decorate her Tardis to look like said garden, for reasons best known to herself (though that would be a bit weird, even for her).

Perhaps instead Missy was at the hospital looking for a weapon, and it wasn’t a Tardis at all – after all, the reason the planet was quarantined was because of a virus that only affects two-hearted individuals (like Matt Smith’s Doctor, who had to sit out most of the adventure). Could Missy have been preparing to engage in a bit of germ warfare against the Time Lords and/or the Doctor – despite the risk to herself?

The possibilities are endless – maybe Missy was there to track down the older, trapped and bitter Amy Pond (who she could then team up with); maybe she was there to enlist a few of the robot servants; maybe she just fancied popping in. Or maybe Michelle Gomez is just messing with us. All possible – and all there for us to debate for the next month and a half. Hooray!

In the rest of her interview with Erik Nagel, Gomez went on to discuss Missy’s role in the upcoming series nine, which will apparently be quite altered from the last time we saw her.

“Missy’s come back in a different dynamic, that’s all I can say,” she explained.

“There’s something a little different about her this season. What I can say about this series is that there’s a sort of grand electricity to it – it feels very charged – almost like, that sort of energy you get in LA with the tectonic plates going on. There’s something definitely in the air – it’s very adventurous.”

“It’s a lot of fun being the most evil woman in the universe.”

Doctor Who will return to BBC One on the 19th September.
News Source: Radio Times

If you thought you’d seen the last of those attack eyebrows, think again…

In November 2013, Doctor Who special The Day of the Doctor gave us our very first look at Peter Capaldi in the title role, and although it was only a glimpse of attack eyebrows and a hand it was enough to have us all super excited about what to expect from the next incarnation of the Time Lord.

However, if you think Capaldi’s Day of the Doctor story ended there then you may be mistaken – because the actor himself has suggested we’ll be seeing an episode that explains his out-of-sync appearance in the forthcoming series.

When asked at San Diego Comic-con earlier this month if series nine would explain how the Twelfth Doctor came to Gallifrey’s aid in the anniversary special (see video below), Capaldi replied emphatically “Yes,” though he went on to explain that he couldn’t say much more about exactly how that would play out.

“Well you know, it’s really hard,” he told Erik Nagel. “Right at this moment, I’m here at Comic-Con, but I’m actually in the middle of filming episode 11, which is part of the finale of this season.”

“So I know stuff that is unfolding in episode 11, and I know certain things that are happening in episode 12… I haven’t read episode 12, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on there, but in answer to your question… you’ll have to wait and see.”

Tantalising stuff – and it wouldn’t be the first time Capaldi’s era of Doctor Who has crossed over with past series. Matt Smith’s preceding incarnation of the Doctor appeared for a cameo phone conversation in Capaldi’s first full episode Deep Breath, and also popped up for a flashback in series finale Death in Heaven (where it was explained that Michelle Gomez’s Missy had been responsible for putting the Doctor and Clara together in the first place).

News Source: Radio Times

Steven Moffat and Brian Minchin on the monsters – old and new – that feature in S9…

Intriguing insights into the new series of Doctor Who plus a fave Clara scene from S8…

The Gallifreyan Newsroom is sad to report the passing of actor Robin Phillips.

Robin Phillips, who played Altos in 1964’s The Key’s Of Marinus, has died at the age of 73. A friend of the director, John Gorrie, he was brought aboard to assist the TARDIS crew as they struggled to complete a task (discovering the whereabouts of s series of hidden micro-keys) which they had to compete without being able to rely on the presence of the Doctor (as actor William Hartnell had a two week holiday booked). He is essentially the romantic lead, sharing action duties with William Russell’s Ian, and showing some real grit when facing down the evil Voord as they threaten the object of his affections, Katharine Schofield’s Sabetha.

Born in Haslemere, Surrey, on 28th February 1942, he left school at 15 but studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic theatre school, and appeared there at the Theatre Royal making his professional stage debut in a season which found him playing Konstantin in The Seagull and Romeo in Romeo And Juliet. Other Bristol productions between 1959 and 1961 included The Clandestine Marriage,and The Long, The Short And The Tall and he also appeared at the Chichester festival and Oxford Playhouse. In 1962 he broke into television and as well as Doctor Who he clocked up the usual fare that a capable young actor would hope to accrue on his CV – Compact (1962), The Saint (1965), The Avengers (1966), The Forsyte Saga (1967 – star Nicholas Pennell and he would collaborate again in the theatre) and the title role in David Copperfield (1969).

It is for his work as a director that he will be best remembered (he had first dabbled at Bristol), notably his role in revitalising Canada’s Stratford Theatre in Ontario. Prior to relocating to Canada he had directed in the UK for the Hampstead Theatre Club, the RSC and Chichester. There was initially some press resistance that a relatively young Brit should be taking over a Canadian theatre but he managed to erase what he described as the “twirling, spinning and shouting” that dominated productions and instead create work that was more modern in style and thus easier for the audience to absorb. He lured British theatrical greats such as Maggie Smith (he considered his working relationship with her to be the deepest he had in the business) and Brian Bedford to work alongside fine Canadian actors like Martha Henry whose admiration his working methods quickly provoked.

According to actor Barry McGregor “one of the great qualities that makes him what he is is that he teaches as he directs – that is so exciting.” He made “everyone feel valued and important to a production” felt actor Marti Maraden.

He was artistic director there from 1975 to 1980 and directed 40 productions, including a sensual Measure For Measure in his first year, followed by Antony And Cleopatra (with Smith and Bedford), A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear. He returned in 1986-87 to direct Cymbeline and The School For Scandal.

Elsewhere he ran the Grand Theatre at London, Ontario (1983-83), was artistic director at the Citadel Theatre from 1990-1995, helped found the Soulpepper Theatre in 1998 and also directed on Broadway. On the London stage in 2000/2001 he directed Jessica Lange in Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Lyric Theatre, also starring Charles Dance and Paul Rudd) and Francesca Annis in Ghosts (Comedy Theatre).

Casualty and Dynasty star Maxwell Caulfield, upon the news of Philips’ death, described him as a “borderline genius”. Stargate: Atlantis actor Torri Higginson Tweeted “Thank you for your stories, lessons and demanding presence every second”.

Philips felt that theatre was a vocation – “We do it for reasons other than just to entertain. If we do it well we can make a huge difference to people’s lives.” He was awarded the Order Of Canada in 2005 and the Governor General’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010.

He died on the morning of Saturday July 25 after a long illness and is survived by his long time partner Joe Mandel.

News Source: Toby Hadoke

Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner

This evening The Gallifreyan Newsroom received some very exciting news which will be of great interest to all fans of Doctor Who!

Two people behind Doctor Who’s revival are setting up a high-end production company in south Wales and Los Angeles.

Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter’s company “Bad Wolf” will produce big-budget TV series and films for the global television market.

Ms Gardner, originally from Neath Port Talbot, will stay in LA and Ms Tranter will run the Welsh production base.
The Welsh government expects Bad Wolf to bring £100m to the economy over the next 10 years.

The company, which has been given a loan by the Welsh government, is expected to officially begin work in the autumn, though it is close to announcing deals with US networks and studios. Discussions have also begun with UK and European broadcasters.

The loan amount remains confidential for commercial reasons.
Ms Gardner said: “Jane and I have filmed all over the globe and know, first hand, that the talent base in south Wales is world class.
“We are thrilled to be embarking on this new venture surrounded by such shared talent and passion.”

The former BBC executives were responsible for the launch of the BBC Wales-produced series of Doctor Who in 2005 and the spin-off Torchwood.

Both subsequently moved to LA to work for the BBC’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.
Ms Tranter added: “TV has changed beyond all recognition in the past decade. Huge international productions made on movie scale budgets have put British TV at the forefront of this revolution.

“We are delighted to be working with Welsh government to grow this industry and continue to benefit the economy of Wales.”
While in the USA the pair produced three series of the historical drama Da Vinci’s Demons, which they brought to Swansea at the specially-created Bay Studios.

Da Vinci’s Demons has been sold to 125 countries and created more than 1,500 full time equivalent jobs in Wales.
Minister for Economy Edwina Hart said Bad Wolf had the potential to be a “game changer” for Wales’ creative economy.

It is not yet known whether this exciting development will hold any relevance to any further motion picture outing for Doctor Who, but you can be certain that The Gallifreyan Newsroom will be following developments with great interest and will report back to all our readers as soon as any announcements are made. (ED)

News Source: BBC

The Gallifreyan Newsroom today heard about the sad passing of Joyce Gibbs, who our readers will know from her association with Big Finish.

Among other roles, Joyce (mother of Doctor Who Radiophonic Workshop composer Jonathan Gibbs) played the part of what appeared to be the ‘narrator’ of the first series of Dalek Empire. It was later revealed that she was the Seer of Yaldos.

Nick Briggs: ‘Joyce was a real joy to work with, bringing a very special quality to her work. She was such fun and so bright and friendly.’

Big Finish stalwart actor Ian Brooker was a close friend of Joyce’s and here expresses his heartfelt feelings for her…

I knew Joyce for twenty five years. We first met up on a couple of Radio 5 dramas in the early 1990s. She had been a regular in the radio drama department for BBC Birmingham for many years – playing parts in The Archers and individual plays as long ago as the 1950s before taking a break from the profession to raise her family. Back in business in the 80s and 90s she continued her prolific radio career with producers Philip Martin, Sue Wilson and Peter Wild. We worked a lot together for a period of seven years at Pebble Mill and what fun we had! She was, of course, a splendid radio actress and that is why she was always in demand.

In 2001 I recommended her to Nick Briggs for his upcoming series Dalek Empire in which he cast her as the Seer of Yaldos. Joyce loved working for Nick and many years later recalled with great affection her time on the series and her other Big Finish plays: the Bernice Summerfield adventure, The Masquerade of Death (with John Ainsworth) and the Tomorrow People story, The Curse of Kaaven (with Nigel Fairs).

Joyce and I developed a close friendship and outside of the studio we would often catch up either over the phone or on visits to each other’s houses. She loved classical music – as do I – and when possible I would take a selection of recordings to her house where Joyce, her husband Georgie and I would listen together. After Georgie died we continued these sessions and some of my happiest memories of Joyce are of her listening to Sibelius or some other favourite composer. In 2007 I moved away and regular meetings became more difficult.

In recent years she enjoyed playing the part of Heather Pritchard – Ruth’s Geordie mother – in The Archers – the part for which she is best known. Unfortunately increased ill health obliged Joyce to relinquish this favourite role a couple of years ago. I last saw her in May of this year at a special Archers themed event to open the new wing at the home where she resided. She enjoyed herself very much.

Joyce was a very special person, very kind, affectionate and loyal. She was the greatest friend you could ever wish for – she always put you first. She was a dear and wonderful friend to me. I shall miss her.

News Source: Big Finish

Get Capaldi started on Doctor Who and it’s hard to get him to stop – and why would you want to? In this new video interview a few simple questions turn into a comprehensive journey around the Whoniverse…

Any Doctor Who fan knows that Peter Capaldi is not just an actor who happened to take on the role of the Time Lord – his love of the show from an early age has been well documented – but sometimes it’s worth just taking a step back and considering what a gift it is to have someone who knows and loves the show so well playing the Doctor.
As series nine approaches, this new interview from Doctor Who: The Fan Show is a timely reminder that Capaldi is, above all else, a massive Doctor Who fan – and when you get a Doctor Who fan started, it’s hard to get them to stop…

In the video below, Capaldi talks about the monsters he’d bring back and has a fair few ideas – Mondasian Cybermen are in there, of course – but when he’s asked which episode he’d stick in the DVD player on a rainy day, it seems as if his answer might never end, ranging around new and classic Who, taking in his assessment of several of his fellow Doctors and, in the end, covering pretty much the entire Doctor Who back catalogue. What a great rainy day in that would be…

Peter Capaldi took a wrong turn and then got very, very wet.

Peter Capaldi accidentally stumbled into a shower and got soaked while filming Doctor Who at a power station.

The 57-year-old actor took a wrong turn when he wandered off to look for something to eat during filming of the upcoming sixth series and got soaked by a shower he believed was for people who had been contaminated by uranium.

Explaining that on his way back to the set following a break on a night shoot, he found a door, pushed it open and discovered a mystery room that was actually a shower which he thinks “is there in case you get uranium on you”.

The Paddington star – who took over as the titular Time Lord last year – returned to the set “soaking wet”, according to his co-star Jenna-Louise Coleman, who added: “Everybody had hairdryers on him.”

Meanwhile, Peter has also revealed that forthcoming episodes of the BBC sci-fi series will “follow the vein of old horror movies”.
Speaking at the Apple Store in Berlin he also said that the Doctor will be “very bonded” to his assistant Clara Oswald (Jenna), but that he’d have to deal with a “deepening shadow” cast over him.

Peter added: “Even the Doctor knows that life is short and he is now trying to get on with it.”
He also said the show will be different from last year but promised the changes will be “organic”.

News Source: The Mirror