Browsed by
Month: January 2016

SIR TERRY WOGAN 1938 – 2016

SIR TERRY WOGAN 1938 – 2016

Television and radio host Sir Terry Wogan has died at the age of 77.

Terry Wogan was for many years the face and voice of the BBC. The success of his his Radio Two morning show led to a television contract and for most of the 1980’s he presented a live interview show on BBC One three times a week.
Over the years he interviewed many of the stars of Doctor Who, including Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison and Colin Baker.

For over thirty years he hosted the annual charity telethon, Children In Need, which featured many elements based on Doctor Who, including the 1993 Doctor Who/EastEnders mashup Dimensions in Time, the 2007 meeting between the Fifth and Tenth Doctor, Time Crash, and the entire 20th Anniversary story The Five Doctors.

In 1985 twenty stars of the series, past and present appeared on the show to present a donation to the charity raised by proceeds of the BBC exhibition in Blackpool.

BBC Children In Need 1985

Wogan: 1986

CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON WANTS YOU TO WATCH THIS FILM ABOUT AN ORANGE

CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON WANTS YOU TO WATCH THIS FILM ABOUT AN ORANGE

As the star of Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston regularly faced down villains. However, his new foe is the toughest one yet.

The actor fronts a campaign for Alzheimer’s Research UK. It’s all about an orange, for reasons that will become startlingly clear once you’ve watched it.

“Like many of you, I’ve witnessed the devastating effects of dementia,” Eccleston explains. “But because many people think dementia is just a natural part of aging, they don’t realise that it’s something that we could one day defeat.”

The first step is to raise awareness of the disease, and that’s where you come in. Watch the movie then share it with the hashtag #sharetheorange, and you could help stop a cruel disease in its tracks.

FRANCES PIDGEON 1931-2016 RIP

FRANCES PIDGEON 1931-2016 RIP

The actress Frances Pidgeon who appeared twice in Doctor Who has died at the age of 84.

Her first role was an uncredited one, as the non speaking handmaiden of Queen Thalira in The Monster Of Peladon (1974). Her second role was more substantial, as Miss Jackson, the assistant to Professor Watkins in The Hand Of Fear (1976). The uniting factor of these two stories was director Lennie Mayne, to whom Pigeon was married until he was lost at sea in an accident in 1977.

Born in Epsom in May 1931, the tall, athletic and beautiful Pidgeon was a ballerina and dancer in musicals : an early appearance was in 1947-48 in Alice In Wonderland at the Shakespeare Memorial theatre (later the Royal Shakespeare Company) at Stratford-Upon-Avon. Mayne was an Australian who also began his career as a dancer and the pair worked together on stage, notably in 364 performances of Cole Porter’s musical Can-Can at the Coliseum in the West End in 1954/55. They married in 1956 and had twin girls in 1964.

In 1956 she was picked by Ken Russell to be the subject of various photographs he took which showcased her beauty and married it with surrealistic props – in one her bare legs emerge from beneath a tin hip bath, in another she wears a lampshade as a skirt. She and Russell had danced together at the London Theatre Ballet and hung out together at the Troubadour coffee bar.

On screen she danced in Love From Judy (1953), many episodes of On The Bright Side (1959) with Stanley Baxter and Betty Marsden, This Is Bobby Darin (1959), Die Kleinste Show Der Welt (1960), Up Jumped A Swagman (1963) Were Those Days (1969) and and episode of Omnibus about the waltz (1969). She also choreographed a sequence for an episode of Are You Being Served? (1976) and an Alan Plater penned Play Of The Week in 1978 called Night People (1978).

She was one of the supporting ensemble in the Mike Yarwood and Lulu vehicle, the series Three Of A Kind (1967) and gradually began to take small roles on television, often in productions directed by her husband such as Doomwatch (1971/72) and The Brothers (1975).
There is no particular of nepotism here because Mayne – a universally adored figure – surrounded himself by people he knew when he was working, whether he was married to them or not. The number of productions in which Pidgeon and Mayne’s names also intersect with those of Denys Palmer, Rex and Pat Robinson (Patricia Prior) or Laurie Webb (all of whom appeared in Mayne’s The Three Doctors) are numerous and comprised a mutually supportive and respectful unit of artists and friends. The Robinsons and the Webbs lived very close to Mayne family as well and helped to provide a support network for Pidgeon after Mayne’s tragic death.

She had been in ill health for some time and passed away earlier this month. The twins survive her.

FRANCES PIDGEON 1931-2016
(With Thanks To Toby Hadoke)

COMPANION TALKS CONFIRMED

COMPANION TALKS CONFIRMED

It seems it will take a special someone to replace Jenna Coleman and The Doctor has teased new details.

It’s official. The Doctor Who team have “had talks” about new new companion.
When Jenna Coleman confirmed she would be quitting the BBC One series as she teased an “emotional” goodbye to the TARDIS , every actress under the sun was linked as her replacement.

And despite the likes of Faye Marsay being ‘poised for next Doctor Who companion role’ , nothing has been confirmed about the new position…. until now.

Peter Capaldi has teased that they’ve had talks and they’re looking for someone “different”.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, he said: “We’ve just had some brief talks about it, we haven’t actually chosen someone yet — that I know of. Perhaps someone has been chosen but I would expect that I would meet them before we finalised all that.

“So we’re looking for someone different ,” he added with a smile, while reportedly emphasising ‘different’.

Mark Gatiss previously revealed that Coleman’s replacement on Doctor Who could be played by a man.The 48-year-old writer thinks it would be “very interesting” for the Doctor, currently played by Peter Capaldi, to have “a male companion” once the 29-year-old actress, who plays Clara Oswald, leaves the sci-fi series after its current season.

Speaking to BANG Showbiz at the Attitude Awards in London, he said: “I’ve always been a fan of the boy/girl partnership from way back when.

“It would be very interesting if the Doctor had a male companion… but then it would be a very male show.”

Mark thinks Peter, 57, who succeeded Matt Smith in the role in 2013, has really “grown into” the part.

He added: “I love the way people have responded to this series, and I love the two-parters as well.”

DONNA NOBLE ACTRESS TEASES FANS

DONNA NOBLE ACTRESS TEASES FANS

Doctor Who star – who appeared in the series from 2006 to 2008 – has revealed her views about the BBC show having a female Doctor.

Catherine Tate has hinted she could return to Doctor Who and “hopes” there will be a female Time Lord one day.
The 47-year-old comedienne portrayed the Doctor’s companion Donna Noble from 2006 to 2008 alongside David Tennant, who played the Tenth Doctor, and she admitted the sci-fi show’s bosses are experts in finding ways of bringing back characters fans aren’t expecting.

When she sat down with Lorraine Kelly on her morning show, Catherine hinted that she could come back as Donna’s great-great grandmother or her great-great granddaughter, referring to the show’s time travelling element.
She said: “Yes, it doesn’t matter.

“They do tend to find really clever ways of bringing people back where you think, ‘There’s no way.'”However, Catherine admitted she isn’t expecting to reprise her role as Donna after her character departed at the end of series four, when she effectively saved the universe at a huge cost after having her memory wiped.

She said: “With my character I don’t think she could because of the nature of how she left … she sort of can’t come back.”
Meanwhile, there has been months of speculation that the Time Lord role could be taken on by a woman one day, and Catherine would love to see a female play the part.

She said: “I hope there is … I’m sure there will be a female Doctor one day.”
While Catherine may not play Donna on screen again, she has thoroughly enjoyed recording some Doctor Who audiobooks.

She said: “We’ve recorded some audio plays … I that is the right word because they’re not books they’re plays. That was lovely. Lovely.”
Changes are afoot on ‘Doctor Who’ in 2017 with current executive producer Steven Moffat set to leave.

Peter Capaldi is also rumoured to be departing his role as the current Time Lord in 2017 to give new showrunner Chris Chibnall a “fresh start.”

PETER CAPALDI SAYS HE’S EXCITED TO SEE WHAT CHRIS CHIBNALL DOES WITH DOCTOR WHO

PETER CAPALDI SAYS HE’S EXCITED TO SEE WHAT CHRIS CHIBNALL DOES WITH DOCTOR WHO

“That’s the lovely thing about Doctor Who, it keeps changing.”

We’ve all just about got used to the idea of Steven Moffat leaving Doctor Who as showrunner, but we finally know what The Doctor himself thinks of Chris Chibnall’s appointment.
Peter Capaldi says that it would be “very exciting” to see what the Broadchurch writer does with the BBC sci-fi staple.

“I think Chris is a wonderful writer, so that’s the exciting thing about Doctor Who — I don’t really know what he’s going to do with it,” he told Radio Times. “It’s going to be different and he’ll take it in a direction that is his… and that’ll be very exciting.

“That’s the lovely thing about Doctor Who, it keeps changing. Steven’s been fabulous but it will be very exciting to see what Chris does.” Chibnall’s first full Doctor Who series will arrive in 2018, after Moffat bows out with series 10 next year.
Moffat has been at the helm of Doctor Who since 2010, and in that time introduced Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi as incarnations of The Doctor.

Chris Chibnall’s long association with Doctor Who began with writing 2007’s ’42’, a base under siege story set in real time. He would become a continuing presence under showrunners Russell T Davies and later Moffat, most recently writing ‘The Power of Three’ in 2013.

GHOSTBUSTERS, DOCTOR WHO AND BACK TO THE FUTURE MASH UP

GHOSTBUSTERS, DOCTOR WHO AND BACK TO THE FUTURE MASH UP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIUkFCQ3svQ

Lego Dimensions is the Lego toys-to-life game that sees countless different universes (or dimensions, if you will) coming together for you to play with and through.

To help give you an idea of the possibilities, Warner Bros has released this comedy short to advertise the game…

So that’s The Doctor from Doctor Who, Doc Brown from Back to the Future and Dr Peter Venkman of Ghostbusters mashed (and crashed) together. The references are strong with this one.

The video coincides with the release of the latest batch of LEGO Dimensions toys (wave 3), which include the aforementioned characters, as well as DC villains like Joker and Harley Quinn.

MOFFAT LEAVING: THE RIGHT DECISION?

MOFFAT LEAVING: THE RIGHT DECISION?

John Hussey gives an alternative take on Steven Moffat’s departure.

I’m just going to come out and say: I’m actually one of the few fans here not upset by the news Steven Moffat is leaving Doctor Who. For some time now I’ve felt that his writing has done a lot of damage to the show. And not just the current show, but also the legacy it has left behind for the last 52 years. Rest assured, this article isn’t going to be a “Let’s slag off Moffat” article. Far from it.

Instead, it will be an alternative take on the news of his departure and talking about what good can come about with his replacement (at least in my eyes). Also, out of respect for the man, I would like to also look over some of the good he has done for the show, which in hindsight is more than the bad.

For me, Moffat started to go downhill after Matt Smith left in ‘The Time of the Doctor’. At that point I had little to no reason to find fault in his writing or showrunning skills. However, once Peter Capaldi took the mantle it all went a little wrong. I’m not saying for one second that this was down to Capaldi himself, because it wasn’t. In fact I still praise Moffat for his choice in casting. But one thing that can definitely be criticised is the way Capaldi’s Doctor has been handled since.

It’s fair to say the Twelfth Doctor has been all over the place. Not so much in Series Eight but most certainly in Series Nine when he went from being a cosmic-hobo, to a fun-loving character, before returning more to his steely self. Heck, even his costume has been all over the place. His stern, gentlemen-like look didn’t return until ‘Face the Raven’ and that was three episodes from the end of the series (not counting ‘The Husbands of River Song’). It didn’t fully bother me but I did, and still, feel continuity is very important and when not controlled can cause problems with following narratives and characters.

The character most misused was Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald. Throughout the second half of Series Seven I enjoyed her character and pondered over her mystery, which came to a satisfying conclusion. I felt her and Smith were the perfect pairing. Some say her and Capaldi are the best dynamic but I’m not fully convinced. Sure, I won’t lie in saying I love their chemistry but I preferred her with Smith, and his Doctor in general. I felt that her character changed too much in Series Eight, and although most of it was for good reasoning, it did feel that she was a completely different character as seen in the previous year.

Add on another year, despite Coleman’s wishes to leave in 2014, and you had yet another character change. Each year Clara’s character was almost completely different. Despite her changes for Series Eight, at least I still liked her character and became fond of her rough journey trying to re- educate her old Time Lord friend during his erratic change. In Series Nine the whole “show, don’t tell” was thrown out of the window in order to glorify the idea of Clara being “the same as the Doctor”. We had seen that in more subtle ways before, which defined her as both reckless but also caring and cunning.

Series Nine, on the other hand, just went with ‘she’s reckless’ and was stuck with that. She was rarely clever and simply selfish, following on from the tragic arc of Danny Pink sacrificing himself to save the world and the little boy he had wronged. I get Clara was suffering from the aftermath of this event but I generally feel it could’ve been handled a lot better. Clara’s character was strong and for her to succumb to escapism simply felt out of character.

I did, however, like her ending in ‘Face the Raven’, which felt totally in character. She was brave, and above all, controlling. Clara put the Doctor in his place by admitting it was her fault she became too much like him and she needed to accept responsibility for it after going too far. The scene was made better after she referenced Danny’s death, wanting to mirror his bravery in the face of death. Even her ghost in the imagination of the Doctor’s mind during ‘Heaven Sent’ was effective, concluding the Doctor’s grief through him accepting Clara’s fate and using her death as motivation to escape his prison, thus returning home to Gallifrey.

Come ‘Hell Bent’ this arc was retconned and spoiled. I felt Clara’s return was very forced and it didn’t fully add to the events that came before. Yes, it was in many ways a perfect ending to their relationship but because of the way Series Nine had written Clara, ‘Face the Raven’ already gave the most fitting conclusion. The result of the Doctor losing his memory of Clara in ‘Hell Bent’ was completely tragic, true, and a nice reverse of ‘Journey’s End’. Clara had done so much for the Doctor, and became a huge part of his life only to be forgotten, but it’s swings and roundabouts as to whether this was a good ending for Clara. In my eyes, I find her character really did fall flat in her last series due to Moffat effectively no longer understanding the brave, selfless and caring character he had created. She either deserved a nice happy ending where she went home to find a new life for herself; caring for others like she once did, or she died saving the Doctor.

Another thing that Moffat strayed away from was his originality. Throughout his years working under Russell T Davies, Moffat did nothing but add in new stuff and interesting elements, most notably the Weeping Angels. This way of writing continued throughout his tenure writing for Smith, adding in the fantastically written “Silence Will Fall” arc. Even when Moffat delved into the past, such as the Daleks, he always tried adding in something new. Say what you will about the Paradigm; at least it was a bold move that could’ve gone somewhere. The Dalek Parliament and the Asylum was another great example of him adding to the mythology (even if they weren’t followed up).

Come Capaldi’s era, Moffat’s originality became less and less frequent. Sure we got ‘Listen’ and ‘Heaven Sent’ but these episodes showcasing Moffat’s old brilliance were the exception, rather than the rule. He began to rely too much on the past which sadly made him less credible as a creative person. Moffat started to meddle with mythology and ideas already set up years prior. This was where I really started to become annoyed with him because he started nixing his usual creativity instead with things that didn’t need changing.

Instead of adding things to the show, he started taking things away by screwing around with characters and monsters that didn’t need tweaking or altering. Along with this, he began to get too clever and too controlling which resulted in him taking control of the show’s law and bending it to his own design and views. Sure, every showrunner has the right to add to the show and play around with the formula to suit their way of writing, but not at the expense of making radical changes that can make fans upset. Because of this I’ve found my trust in Moffat wavered. I really do dread him being in-charge because I fear what he will try and mess with next.

In a nutshell, that is why I’m not sad he’s going because I can no longer tolerate watching a show in which I can’t trust the person in charge of it. I love Doctor Who and want to be able to enjoy it without dreading unnecessary changes or annoying additions that quite frankly ruin my enjoyment.

It’s a real shame to be saying this about Moffat because I do respect him and look up to him for inspiration. But I can tell that for the last couple of years his fire has slowly been going out and now is the best time for him to go. It’s a case of if you can no longer produce interesting stories or keep adding to the show then you know your creativity has come to its end and need to move on to allow someone else to start over. This is where my excitement comes in for the arrival of Chris Chibnall.  A fresh start is what the show needs and I’m confident he can revamp the show enough, like Moffat did back in 2010, to generate a new audience and a new style for viewers to enjoy.

I will admit that Chibnall wasn’t my first choice for Moffat’s replacement but I can’t say I’m against the decision. He hasn’t produced the most memorable episodes on the show, true, but compare that to his other work and you can see why he’s a brilliant choice. Chibnall was the head-writer for the first two series of Torchwood and produced some of the best episodes in the show’s history; ‘Countrycide’, ‘Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang’ and ‘Exit Wounds’ to name a few.

Broadchurch is the prime example of his talents outside of Who. I absolutely love the show and always enjoy the intense journey Chibnall takes us on. Add in all the wonderful characters, the location and the emotional narrative so far and you have yourself a masterpiece. It’s certainly one of my favourite shows on television at the minute and I can’t wait for the final series. In many ways, Broadchurch could have easily been a deciding factor for him to become show-runner.

He wrote and oversaw the show, meaning he has show-running experience, as well as produced something that is popular. I guarantee if the BBC advertise Series 11 with the caption “From the creator of Broadchurch” then a lot of people will want to check out Doctor Who to see what Chibnall writes. That’s what the show needs right now, good publicity that will draw in an audience.

Going back to his Doctor Who work, I can say he has written some good stories. ‘42’ is always entertaining to watch and I love ‘Dinosaurs on a Spaceship’. ‘The Power of Three’ is really good but I always get disappointed by the rushed ending, and unanswered questions, but I don’t necessarily blame Chibnall for this as it was probably out of his hands. We can thank Chibnall for re-introducing UNIT and also giving us Kate Stewart. I still think that was her strongest performance and I can’t wait to see Chibnall write for her again. Also I really enjoy the ‘Pond Life’ minisodes. It was a nice bit of fun – “Ood on the loo.”

I do believe the show is in safe hands and I can’t wait to see what Chibnall does with the show. Next to regenerations, the change-over of showrunner are the most exciting times for me because I’m always wondering what will happen next. How will the show change and what will be added? It was great seeing how Moffat took over from Davies and this will be no different.

I wish Moffat good luck for his last series. I really do hope he makes it memorable and brings back some of his old flair for his last run, instead of being inconsistent like last year. I want the old Moffat back; filled with fresh ideas and creativity. I also wish Chibnall good luck in taking the reins of this mystical show and I look forward to seeing what he brings to the table.

PETER CAPALDI VISITS JORDAN REFUGEE CAMP

PETER CAPALDI VISITS JORDAN REFUGEE CAMP

peter capaldi

Actor and philanthropist Peter Capaldi has recorded a powerful but simple message in support of refugees, after a visit to a camp in Jordan with the UNHCR.

The 57-year-old made a video, uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday morning by the UN body, after visiting families who had fled war-torn Syria.

“I think what a lot of people don’t understand, is that the majority of the people who have been made to flee – they want to go home, it’s all anybody wants to do is go home,” he said during his emotional plea.

“These camps are not full of people sitting saying – you know – oh it would be great to go to Europe, or it would be great to go to London or America or whatever, they just want to go home,” he continued.

The Dr Who star also met refugee families and helped communicate some of their extraordinary stories of escape and survival.

One family told Capaldi how their children had suffered nightmares from witnessing beheadings, and how their father was suffering from polio.

But the writer revealed despite this, the family had still managed to triumph over despair: “All this was awful and yet there they were, they had survived with great dignity – and had their goodness in tact.

“These people would open the door to other people, these people would help and even through the most terrible experiences, they remained generous in spirit.”The actor then ended on a poignant note, clearly moved by the stories of the people he had met.

“It’s really impressive what human beings can do, they do awful awful terrible things, but god they do wonderful things.

“And that’s what you have to keep reminding yourselves, that we are incredibly lucky not to be in that position,” he said.

According to the UNHCR there are some 664,102 refugees residing in Jordan, with Syrians fleeing the ongoing violence in their country still constituting the majority of this population.

Approximately 20% of Syrian refugees reside in refugee camps, while the remaining live in non-camp settings.

DOCTOR WHO LEAVES NETFLIX US

DOCTOR WHO LEAVES NETFLIX US

Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who 2015 Christmas special 'The Husbands of River Song'

Streaming service is about to EX-TERM-I-NATE the Time Lord.

Doctor Who fans in the US craving for the return of the Time Lord at Christmas soon won’t be able to use Netflix to feed their addiction.
Netflix broke the news on Twitter today (January 26) that Doctor Who is leaving its streaming service as of February 1.

The move likely means US fans will be getting a lot of use from their Doctor Who DVDs and Blu-rays – since the sci-fi show won’t return until Christmas.Following the festive special, Peter Capaldi will be back in the TARDIS for long-time showrunner Steven Moffat’s final series as Doctor Who’s boss.

In the US, BBC America has the rights to first-run episodes of the 53-year-old science fiction franchise.