The BBC is to close its iconic Maida Vale Studios, which have played host to generations of pop stars, from The Beatles to Adele. Director general Tony Hall announced the closure in an email to staff on Tuesday morning, saying the complex would be replaced by a new, state-of-the-art facility in east London. The move means the BBC will “be able to record and broadcast more live music than ever before,” he added. It is expected to be ready by…
A short film starring two former Doctor Who companions is to be given its premiere at XpoNorth next month. Frazer Hines appeared in the TV series playing Jamie McCrimmon, a Highlander from the 18th Century. Author Diana Gabaldon drew some of her inspiration to set her Outlander books in Scotland after seeing a re-run of a 1960s episode featuring Hines. Hines appears in the new short drama, Sundown, with Caitlin Blackwood, a cousin of Hollywood star Karen Gillan. Blackwood appeared…
Doctor Who‘s David Tennant is heading to The Graham Norton Show tonight (May 18), alongside Solo: A Star Wars Story‘s Emilia Clarke and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Talking about his role in the BBC show, Tennant reveals that the fan base “is quite scary at first”, which figures. “It’s quite a small club. It does feel like once you’ve been The Doctor, you’re always The Doctor. We do form a small support network,” Tennant tells Norton. “It’s quite an unusual job and…
Doctor Who’s robot dog K9 has been brought back to life by a Scots student. Gary Taylor – a keen fan of the sci-fi series – came across the damaged, clapped-out shell of the robot in a university lab last September. The computing science student rebuilt it into an “autonomous obstacle-avoiding mapping robot” controlled from his smartphone. Gary, 25, who is a student at Abertay University in Dundee, said: “I love robotics, I love programming, I love dogs and I…
The second episode of the video game Doctor Who Infinity will be The Orphans of The Polyoptra. The new episode will be released together with the first episode, The Dalek Invasion of Time, when the game launches on PC and mobile this spring. Four additional stories are slated to launch in 2018, with more adventures to follow. Doctor Who Infinity brings the world of the Doctor to life in a brand new game, delivering episodic, comic-book style game adventures. Designed…
A DALEK that has roamed the streets of Portsmouth for years has made the transition across the harbour. Dalek Ray, as he was affectionately known as, was owned by replica puppet maker Duncan Willis, from Whiteley. The 60-year-old had not only built Dalek Ray, but taken him to a number of charity events across Portsmouth. But as Duncan looked to downsize his home and move further afield, he was forced to part ways with his alien friend. Now though, Dalek…
A castle which dates back to the 12th Century and featured in an episode of Doctor Who has been put up for sale. Penllyn Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, which is not open to the public, is on the market for £1m. As well as castle ruins dating back to 1135, it also features a Grade II-listed mansion house containing eight bedrooms. The 72-acre country estate near Cowbridge contains sprawling lawns, paddocks and a woodland. Anthony Clay, from estate…
William Hartnell’s original script from the very first episode of Doctor Who has been sold at auction for £6,200 plus fees, taking the total to £7,500. Anthony Coburn’s An Unearthly Child, billed as episode one of the story Doctor Who and the Tribe of Gum, runs to 43 pages. The script still includes blue pencil annotations by Hartnell himself, who took on the role of Doctor Who in 1963, having previously starred in sitcom The Army Game and in Carry On Sergeant,…
Former Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston made waves recently with complaints about his time on the BBC sci-fi series, saying that he “lost faith and trust and belief” in the show’s creators after problems emerged during filming. “My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered,” Eccleston told Radio Times in March 2018, adding that he “never will have” a working relationship with…
It’s been just shy of four months since Peter Capaldi’s last moment as the 12th Doctor was screened at the end of the Doctor Who Christmas special, Twice Upon A Time. Thing is, not much has been seen of Capaldi since. He’s done some convention work, but other than that, his profile has been quite low. “I stopped being anything. After four years it was a great opportunity to just say I’m going to rest. I’m going to stop working”,…