The main block of filming on this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special was completed early in July, with just the small matter of shooting the entrance for the 13th Doctor left undone. The identity of the new Doctor wasn’t widely known at that point, but Jodie Whittaker was, of course, announced as Peter Capaldi’s successor last weekend.
The Doctor Who team is currently at San Diego Comic-Con, and Steven Moffat has been chatting to Empire. And in the midst of his natter, he’s confirmed that “we’ve finished shooting it”, adding that the Christmas special’s filming was completed “really, really recently … just the other day. We’re now editing. It’s still a work in progress”.
That suggests strongly that Whittaker filmed her first Doctor Who scene (outside of the announcement teaser) at some point in the last few days. Director Rachel Talalay would have shot the scene, but she was giving no fresh clues on her Twitter account.
Maybe, though, we’ll get some formal confirmation with the official Doctor Who panel, that’s taking place at Comic-Con later today.
Mark Gatiss to star in the Doctor Who Christmas special
Penning series 10 episode The Empress of Mars wasn’t Mark Gatiss’s last contribution to Doctor Who after all: the writer and actor is set to star in this year’s Christmas special alongside Peter Capaldi and David Bradley.
The news was confirmed rather casually as Gatiss partook in an interview with Empire magazine at Comic Con, alongside Capaldi and Steven Moffat. Watch the interview below: The news is revealed around the 11:30 mark.
“It was a privilege, an honour and a thrill,” Gatiss said of his role.
The trio were tight-lipped on the specifics of his character, but the outgoing Doctor added that the character had “a resonant echo in the whole Doctor Who story”.
This appearance will mark the fourth character that Gatiss has played in the sci-fi series, having previously appeared as a mutated scientist called Professor Lazarus in 2007 episode The Lazarus Experiment, voiced a World War II pilot nicknamed ‘Danny Boy’ in 2010/2011 episodes Victory of the Daleks and A Good Man Goes to War, and a mysterious figure called Gantok in The Wedding of River Song.
Gatiss has also written ten episodes for the series since it returned to 2005 as well as creating 2013 “making-of” drama An Adventure in Space and Time, where he actually cast Bradley as First Doctor actor William Hartnell prior to his appearance as the Doctor himself in the main series this year.
But of course Gatiss’s most recent contribution to the Whoniverse was the aforementioned Ice Warrior episode Empress of Mars, which he had previously suggested could be the end of his Doctor Who career.
“I’ve no idea,” he told RadioTimes.com a few months ago when asked whether he would continue writing for Doctor Who when new showrunner Chris Chibnall took over. “It’s a funny thing, an end of an era.
“Obviously working very closely with Steven I feel it more than when Russell [T Davies, previous showrunner on Doctor Who] left. I suppose there was more of a sense of continuity there, but I’ve no idea,” he added.
“I’ve had a fantastic run on my favourite show, so if I don’t do anymore then I’m perfectly sanguine. But who knows?”
Who knows indeed – because clearly, longtime creative partner Steven Moffat (with whom Gatiss created fellow BBC series Sherlock and future project Dracula) couldn’t bear to write his last episode without having his old pal around in some form, giving Gatiss one last crack of the Whoniverse whip.
And even if this episode finally is the end of Gatiss’ Who experience, this new role will definitely make him one of the people with the longest and most complicated entries on the Doctor Who wiki page after the festive special airs – and in the end, isn’t that what it’s all about?
Doctor Who will return to BBC1 this Christmas
David Tennant: Doctor Who ‘lucked out’ with Jodie Whittaker
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, former Doctor Who actor David Tennant says Jodie Whittaker is one of the best actors working in Britain today and is the perfect lead for the BBC’s legendary sci-fi series.
Doctor Who Experience announces final summer of activities
The popular Doctor Who Experience attraction in Cardiff will close its doors for the last time on September 9th, and BBC Worldwide has now announced the final summer of activities.
On Saturday 22nd July, it kicks off the school summer holidays with a special Cybermen day. Cybermen will be patrolling the attraction, and Millennium FX will be revealing how the monsters are realised. Luke Spillane, of the Doctor Who Fan Show, will be presenting a Facebook Live transmission from the Experience, too.
Saturday 5th August, meanwhile, is cosplay day. More details on that are set to be released shortly.
On Saturday 12th August, it’s the Doctor Who Experience Snapchat Treasure Hunt, where tickets to the final day of the Experience will be up for grabs. Again, more details are to follow.
Furthermore, exhibits from series ten of the show, as well as a fully-restored Yeti, are now on display.
It’s a terrific afternoon out for Doctor Who fans if you’ve not yet had the pleasure. Find full details here.
DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE LOOKS BACK AT THE STEVEN MOFFAT YEARS
The latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine is released next week and includes an exclusive and in-depth interview with showrunner Steven Moffat.
You can find all the details and artwork from Doctor Who Magazine Issue 515 below.
Doctor Who Magazine 515
With his last episode due to air at Christmas, we asked Doctor Who’s head writer and showrunner Steven Moffat if he ever thought, back in 2004, when he wrote The Empty Child, that he’d still be writing for the series in 2017?
“No, God, no! God, no! I also didn’t think I’d do the showrunning job for more than three years, and I’m here after six series. Yes, I’ve been writing Doctor Who stories since 2004. That’s a hell of a long time. When I wrote The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, I wondered if I’d ever write another Doctor Who story. I was very keen to, I really wanted to. I remember asking, ‘Would you have me back next year…?’”
So what’s next for Steven after he finishes with the Doctor? He’s staying tight-lipped.
“I’m looking forward to the idea of not having to automatically say no to everything else! Whether that’s writing jobs, or weekends away. I can write different things. I’m looking forward to that, hugely. But I am so glad it happened. I’d have been miserable if I’d never got to write Doctor Who! It’s been amazing. Of course it’s been amazing.”
Jodie Whittaker “knew for months” about being cast in Doctor Who – and only told one person
If being able to keep a secret makes for a good Time Lord then Jodie Whittaker has passed the first test.
Sources close to the performer, who was named last week as the Thirteenth Doctor, say that she knew “for months” about getting the role.
It is thought that she was given the job at least five months ago by Chris Chibnall, the new Doctor Who showrunner who worked with Whittaker on ITV drama Broadchurch where she played grieving mum Beth Latimer. And she had to keep the secret all that time.
She even appeared at a press launch earlier this summer for her new drama Trust Me where she plays a nurse who poses as… a doctor – and managed to keep her poker face for that.
However the sources said that Whittaker did tell one person (and one person only): her husband, American actor Christian Contreras.
Whittaker is expected to start filming for the role next year for a likely broadcast in autumn 2018, with the role of her companion still undecided according to sources.
It has been said that former Death in Paradise star Kris Marshall has been chosen to accompany her Doctor in the Tardis but BBC sources say that a decision has still not been made on the casting.
Whittaker said of her new role: “I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey – with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet.
“It’s more than an honour to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”
New showrunner Chris Chibnall is understood to have been committed to casting a woman in the role ever since he landed the job last year.
His statement said: “I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we’re thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away.
“Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role. The Thirteenth Doctor is on her way.”
Mark Gatiss perfectly summed up the differences between classic and modern Doctor Who
After more than half a century on air, it’s fair to say that Doctor Who has changed a fair bit, with fans often noting the differences between the modern rebooted series (revived in 2005) and the classic serials (which ran from 1963 to 1989).
And series writer Mark Gatiss is no exception, with the frequent NuWho scribe (and huge fan of the classic series) laying out how the BBC sci-fi has changed over the decades in an exclusive video interview with Radio Times.
“Television has become accelerated and is made to much higher production values, and the speed of storytelling has changed dramatically,” Gatiss, who has guest-edited this week’s Radio Times as part of the BBC’s Gay Britannia season, told us.
“Sometimes when you watch an old story now, usually episode three is just filler. And I don’t want to be perjorative about it, that’s just the way things were and there’s nothing wrong with that. It was weekly and it lasted most of the year, and that sort of thing. Obviously things have got quicker.”
However, Gatiss revealed that he thinks a certain something has been lost in the speedier episodes – suspense.
“To me the only thing probably, with the format, becoming as it did from the new series onwards, of 45 minute episodes, is you probably lose a little suspense,” he said. “But that’s all. And even then you know, it depends what sort of story you’re telling.
“Traditionally you’d reveal the monster at the end of part 1 – that’s like the pre-titles now. And I suppose it’s just a natural consequence of television and narrative becoming pacier.”
“But in the end I think it’s exactly the same show,” he qualified. “There’s never enough time to make it, there’s never enough money. It’s always hard work but tremendous fun.
“I think you could probably take someone from the original production team and sit them down now and you’d probably have a lot in common with them.”
Gatiss went on to share his abiding memories of his time in the new series, after previously suggesting he might not write any new episodes for the time being.
“I suppose the things I remember best were getting a phonecall from Russell T Davies on Christmas 2003 asking me to write for the new show, which was like the best Christmas present I’ve ever had,” he recalled. “And then a couple of years later being asked to be in it [for 2007’s The Lazarus Experiment] – which is also the best present I’ve ever had!
“And doing that episode particularly – the last day of shooting was my 40thbirthday, it was kind of – everything had aligned, you know?
He concluded: “Just the whole experience and privilege of writing four Doctors and seeing the programme grow into this international phenomenon. It’s been amazing.”
Two former Doctors clash over Jodie Whittaker casting
Davison (left) and Baker (right) expressed divergent opinions over Whittaker’s casting
Two ex-Time Lords have had a war of words over Jodie Whittaker being cast as TV’s first female Doctor.
Peter Davison, who played the Doctor from 1981 to 1984, said he “liked the idea” of a male Doctor and that he felt “a bit sad” the character might no longer be “a role model for boys”.
His comments were promptly dubbed “rubbish” by his successor Colin Baker.
“You don’t have to be of a gender to be a role model,” said the actor, who portrayed the Doctor from 1984 to 1986.
“Can’t you be a role model as people?”
The actors were speaking on Thursday at Comic-Con, the world’s largest celebration of film, TV and pop culture.
Baker, the father of four daughters, said the BBC show’s 54-year history had given young male viewers plenty of figures to emulate.
“They’ve had 50 years of having a role model,” said the 74-year-old. “So sorry Peter, you’re talking rubbish there – absolute rubbish.”
Davison – whose own daughter Georgina is married to David Tennant, another ex-Doctor – accepted “you need to open it up” and that he was “maybe an old-fashioned dinosaur”.
John Barrowman has also been at Comic-Con in San Diego this week
The news that Whittaker will inherit the Tardis from Peter Capaldi this Christmas has been a major talking point at the San Diego event.
John Barrowman asked fans to give the Broadchurch actress a chance while making his own Comic-Con appearance on Thursday.
“If we buy into the world of Doctor Who… it doesn’t say that he will be a he all the time,” said the actor.
Barrowman, who played Captain Jack Harkness in the programme and its spin-off Torchwood, donned a glittery mini-dress modelled on the Tardis while appearing at the San Diego Convention Centre.
Closer to home, Whittaker’s casting as the 13th Doctor continues to animate other former stars of the long-running series.
Agyeman played Martha Jones opposite David Tennant’s Doctor
Freema Agyeman, another former companion of the TV time-traveller, said she was “overjoyed” that a woman had finally landed the role.
“I feel like standing on top of a rooftop and shouting for joy,” said the actress, who confessed to being “astounded” by the “furore” that the casting announcement had generated.
“The strength of the show and the reason for its longevity is the way it keeps changing and shifting,” she told the BBC this week.
Agyeman, who played Martha Jones opposite Tennant’s Doctor, will shortly be seen in Apologia at London’s Trafalgar Studios alongside The West Wing’s Stockard Channing.
Earlier this week it was revealed in the BBC’s annual report that Capaldi was paid between £200,000 and £250,000 last year for his role in the series.
In an interview with the London Evening Standard, BBC director general Tony Hall said Whittaker would be paid the same as her predecessor “for the same amount of work”.
GNR has just heard that Deborah Watling has died following a short battle with cancer, aged 69.
The actress was best known for her role as Victoria Waterfield – the companion of 2nd Doctor Patrick Troughton in the BBC’s sci-fi series Doctor Who.
She was diagnosed with lung cancer just six weeks ago.
Deborah was the daughter of 1940s film star Jack Watling and actress Patricia Hicks, and started acting at a young age.
Deborah Watling is best known for being in Doctor Who (Image: BBC)She starred in Doctor Who from 1967 (Image: PA)
At just nine, she was a child actress in The Invisible Man and made her first televised appearance in an episode of William Tell.
But she got her big break in 1967 when she got the part of Victoria Waterfield in Doctor Who.
Many of Deborah’s episodes were lost by the BBC.
Tomb Of The Cybermen was discovered in Hong Kong in 1992 – it was later released on DVD.
Deborah was a child actress (Image: LWT / KMK)Deborah with her father actor Jack Watling (Image: Mirrorpix)
Then in 2013, nine missing Doctor Who episodes from the 1960s featuring Patrick Troughton were recovered in Nigeria and made available for fans to watch.
Eleven episodes were discovered in total by Phillip Morris, director of Television International Enterprises Archive, from the tracking records of overseas shipments made by the BBC containing tapes for transmission, namely “The Enemy of the World” and “The Web of Fear”.
Unfortunately, episode three of “Web” is still missing however “The Doctor Who Restoration Team” reconstructed this part of the story using a selection of the 37 images that were available from the episode along with the original audio which has been restored.
Alongside Patrick Troughton who played both the Time Lord and his antagonist (Ramon Salamander) were his companions Frazer Hines (Jamie) and Deborah Watling (Victoria).
She also starred in films with David Essex and Cliff Richard (Image: Mirrorpix)Deborah Watling played Doctor Who companion Victoria Waterfield (Image: Mirrorpix)
After her role as a prim Victorian lady, Deborah opened her own boutique.
But later she returned to acting and starred in hit movies with David Essex and Cliff Richard.
At the time of her death, Deborah lived in Thorpe-le-Soken with her husband Steve Turner.
The Doctor Who family responded on Twitter today:
I've just found out about dear Deb's. Loved her so much RIP
Deborah Watling, in her dressing room at The Grand Theatre Leeds, 1980. She was starring in "Same Time Next Year" with Norman Eshley. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/Du4BFH9WRK
Then and Now – Doctor Who In Review by David J Howe
For anyone interested in my views on NuWHO, my book THEN AND NOW Vol 1 (covering the Eccleston and Tennant years) is available … and I’ve just added a direct ordering option too if anyone would like a signed copy.
Blurb by David J Howe…
I was shocked when I realised that I’d not actually written and released a book since 2011, when my horror fiction collection talespinning came out from Telos. Time has a way of getting away from you …
I have suggested a few titles to the BBC over the years, but unfortunately they seem to be running something of a closed shop at the moment, and anything coming in from ‘outside’ seems of no interest to them … which is saddening … but it also means that trying to do something good and cool with images and artwork is way out of the scope of an independent press – it all costs a lot to clear and to print, and then sales can be very hard to come by too – it’s like a game of roulette … you might succeed, but all the odds are all stacked against you.
Then, in May this year (which is 2015) I had an unexpected and massive heart attack, which brought me literally down to earth. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t really do much at all except recover. And that meant sitting around a lot and doing very little except watch television and watch the grass growing in the garden.
So, in an attempt to alleviate boredom, I decided to re-watch some Doctor Whos … I started with Hartnell, and worked my way through the first season before getting a little restless … there’s not many monsters there you see, and the historicals have never been to my taste … so I then skipped to all the available Troughtons and loved seeing those again … and then I wondered whether to continue with Pertwee or move to something else.
I then considered that I had reviewed all the NuWho episodes from 2005 onwards on my Blog, and that here was a great opportunity to watch them all again, and to see if I agreed with what I had said at the time … and what a great idea for a book! Something which looked at Who as it was transmitted, and then was re-evaluated based on a current viewing. So that’s what I did.
Starting with ‘Rose’ with Christopher Eccleston, I re-watched them, in order, and took in some of the special mini-episodes as well if they seemed relevant to the overall television ‘story’ of the show.
It was fascinating to see how the series developed, year on year, with Doctors and Companions coming and going … Interesting to see how the Soap Opera elements which were prevalent at the start, lessened, and how the story arc idea, strong at first, again lessened.
The first volume of reviews, which I decided to call Then and Now, goes up to the end of the David Tennant era, as that seemed to be a good cutting off point. Plus, the book was getting too long! The second volume will cover the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi episodes … and will be published at the very end of 2017, following Capaldi’s final episode at Christmas.
I am currently up to the start of Peter Capaldi with my re-watch, and it’s again been interesting to see overall what an impact Steven Moffat has had on the show during the Matt Smith years, with the narrative coherence slowly dropping away, and continuity, event and introspection taking the place of actual plot and adventure. Not that I see this as a good thing … for me, the plot and ‘adventures in time and space’ and monsters have always been the prime focus of the show … and the inner lives of the Doctor and his companions don’t interest me … but there you go.
I’m still enjoying the show, and like the occasional flashes of brilliance that it shows. I wish it could be more coherent and more consistent, but for that I suspect we need another sea change in the running of the show, bringing in fresh ideas and eyes to carry it forward.
For the moment, as I write this, we are in the middle of Capaldi’s second season … and I’m wondering if my opinions of these episodes will change between viewing them now, and then re-watching them in a few months time … We shall see!
Then and Now Volume 1 is now available to order direct from me, so if you fancy a signed copy, then order direct!
(@thenicolabryant) 
