Doctor Who – Page 5

Doctor Who’s new showrunner and Doctor will bring ‘radical change’, promises BBC boss

25 August 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

Piers Wenger, Director for Drama at the BBC

As is always the way when a Doctor and their showrunner leaves, there’s huge change a-coming for Doctor Who fans as reported by Radio Times.

Earlier in the year, Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall announced they were leaving the TARDIS for pastures new, leaving plenty of speculation on who will be the 14th Doctor, and where the series will go next.

Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Piers Wenger, Director for Drama at the BBC, has said that the change we will be seeing will be “radical” which does fit with the usual revamp that the show goes through whenever the main figures involve swap themselves out for new ones.

Teasing news about the future of #DoctorWho, Piers Wenger, Director for Drama at the BBC said "As with any change of Doctor and showrunner, we'll be radical […] Change is ahead." #EdTVFest

— Elliot Gonzalez (@elliot_gonzalez) August 25, 2021

And there is even change coming before that as the show is trying something different for its upcoming 13th revived series, which will see John Bishop join the cast, as the whole season will be one continuous story.

“We’re gonna do the biggest story we’ve ever done,” said departing showrunner Chris Chibnall. “We’re going to go to all kinds of different places, and have all different characters and monsters, and it’s all gonna be part of a bigger whole.”

Fingers crossed it won’t be long until we find out what is next for the show with the news of who will be taking over still not out. Although we do know that Whoopi Goldberg is very keen on being the next person in charge of flying the TARDIS…

“I wanted to be Doctor Who and I still do,” she said at Edinburgh TV Festival. “I think it would mean an evolution into being American and I don’t know that that’s correct for Doctor Who. I don’t know I can usurp that. As much as I love it, I love watching it still in all the iterations. There are certain things that are blatantly all English. Doctor Who is like that to me. It’s like Marmite. It’s very English and needs to stay that way.”

The Ninth Doctor’s next audio adventures – revealed!

20 June 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

New artwork, and further cast and story details are revealed for the seond volume of audio adventures for the Ninth Doctor starring Christopher Eccleston.

The Ninth Doctor answers cries for help from around the galaxies in a trio of full-cast audio adventures due for release in August 2021.

Doctor Who - the Ninth Doctor Adventures: Respond to all calls

Alongside the previously-announced Camilla Beeput as Nova and Jayne McKenna as Audrey, this full-cast audio drama box set also teams Christopher Eccleston up with Jamie Parker (Callan, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child) as Captain Halloran, Dan Starkey (The Paternoster Gang, Jago & Litefoot & Strax) as Marcus Aurelius Gallius, Ben Lee (Holmes & Watson) as Lieutenant Farraday, and Clare Corbett (Jenny – The Doctor’s Daughter) as the terrifying Ravagers.

The three suspenseful stories are as follows:

Girl, Deconstructed

Marnie is missing. But she hasn’t run away, as her dad fears – Marnie is still very much at home. But not quite as she was.

The Doctor joins forces with Missing Persons detective Jana Lee to help solve the mystery of a girl who’s gone to pieces.

Fright Motif

In post-War Paris, musician Artie Berger has lost his mojo, but gained a predator – something that seeps through the cracks of dissonance to devour the unwary.

Luckily for Artie, the Doctor is here. Unluckily for everyone, he needs bait to trap a monster…

Planet of the End

The Doctor arrives on a mausoleum world for sightseeing and light pedantry, correcting its planetary records. The resident AI has other ideas.

Deep within a tomb, something stirs. Occasus is the last resting place of a species far too dangerous to exist. And the Doctor is its way back.

Writer of opening episode Girl, Deconstructed Lisa McMullin said:

“It was so exciting to get to write for the Ninth Doctor, but also quite daunting! But it’s such a privilege and I just feel really lucky to have been asked to do this.

“There’s something about the energy and sheer joy that Christopher brings to the role – you get the sense from watching and listening to him that he’s just having an absolute ball, and it’s infectious!”

Fright Motif writer Tim Foley said:

“I’ve been a Doctor Who fan from a young age – as soon as the television show came back with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor, it just became this huge juggernaut that shook everything up.

“Before this, I don’t think I’d ever properly understood what other Big Finish writers meant when they talked of writing for their Doctor Who childhood heroes – but when I came to sit down and write a Ninth Doctor story, it felt like I was immortalising this childhood glee, and it felt addictive. I could do this forever, especially with Christopher Eccleston!”

Writer of Planet of the End Timothy X Atack added:

“Back in 2005, I remember being taken by how fun Chris’ Doctor was, full of life but with this alternating steely and chirpy energy to him that felt so new. The Ninth Doctor was so much more irreverent that I expected, and the whole effect was just delightful – so that’s what I had in my head when the call came from Big Finish to write for the Ninth Doctor.

“And this is such a great box set to be part of – I feel in such excellent company. Lisa’s script has this captivating and bittersweet feel right from the start and, with Mr Foley, his story had me seething with jealousy about the way he uses sound. It’s just too much, I love it!”

You can pre-order The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Respond To All Calls now from Big Finish

More Doctor Who characters join the Funko Pop! Blitz mobile game

11 June 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

Doctor Who returns to Funko Pop! Blitz, and this time they’re bringing along some friends and enemies! Collect some friends of the Doctor and expand your collection in the digital game from Thursday, June 17th 2021.

Funko Pop! Blitz is a match-3 puzzle game featuring the Funko Pop! versions of lovable characters across multiple iconic franchises. Each week, Funko Pop! Blitz celebrates pop culture with a new collection of digital Funko Pops! These characters all come with their own unique Super move to blast the board and power up, earning rewards. Super moves typically celebrate an iconic moment from the media the character hails from.

Collect the Funko Pop! version of Doctor Who characters by dropping TARDIS pieces to the bottom of the puzzle board, adding them to their collection and helping The Doctor travel through space.

Players have a chance to collect iconic characters, including:

Sarah Jane Smith

Doctor Who Funko Pop! Blitz

River Song

A Cyberman

Doctor Who Funko Pop! Blitz

The Eleventh Doctor with Cyberhead

Doctor Who Funko Pop! Blitz

The Twelfth Doctor with his spoon

Doctor Who Funko Pop! Blitz

The event starts next Thursday, June 17, 2021 at midnight and will finish on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at midnight.

For more information on the game, visit funkopopblitz.com

Funko Pop! Blitz is available now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad and on Google Play for Android devices.

John Barrowman video removed from Doctor Who theatre show

13 May 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

A video featuring John Barrowman is to be removed from an immersive Doctor Who theatre show following allegations about the actor’s past conduct.

He is accused of repeatedly exposing himself while filming the BBC show.

Mr Barrowman was to have been seen as his Captain Jack Harkness character in a pre-recorded video to be shown during the Doctor Who: Time Fracture show.

Mr Barrowman has previously apologised for his behaviour but has not responded to the show’s decision to drop him.

In a message on its website, the show’s producers said it had “taken the decision to remove this pre-record”.

Mr Barrowman was introduced as Captain Jack in a 2005 episode of Doctor Who and went on to play the character in spin-off show Torchwood.

The popular character made a return appearance in Revolution of the Daleks, this year’s Doctor Who New Year’s Day special.

Mr Barrowman’s conduct has come under scrutiny in recent days in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations made against his former co-star Noel Clarke.

Mr Barrowman’s behaviour was reportedly viewed as “inappropriate pranks” and not intended to be or regarded as sexual in nature.

A video of Mr Clarke at a 2015 sci-fi convention joking about Mr Barrowman habitually exposing his genitals resurfaced and went viral earlier this month.

Mr Barrowman apologised in 2008 for exposing his genitals during a live BBC Radio 1 broadcast. At the time he said he “was joining in the light-hearted and fun banter” and had gone “too far”.

In a new statement given to The Guardian this month, he said his “high-spirited behaviour” was “only ever intended in good humour to entertain colleagues on set and backstage”.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I understand that upset may have been caused by my exuberant behaviour and I have apologised for this previously,” he continued.

“Since my apology in November 2008, my understanding and behaviour have also changed.”

Mr Barrowman was to have been seen alongside fellow Doctor Who cast member David Bradley in videos to be shown during Doctor Who: Time Fracture.

The producers of the theatre production had previously released a video in which Mr Barrowman discussed the popularity of Doctor Who and his character.

In their statement, the producers said they would “continue to include content that pays tribute to this brilliant show that is Torchwood so as not to disappoint its fans.”

The interactive production, which has cast of more than 40 live performers, is scheduled to begin performances at a venue in central London on 26 May.

Earlier this week ITV declined to confirm if Mr Barrowman would continue as a judge on Dancing On Ice, saying decisions about the next series’ line-up had yet to be made.

The Daleks Invade For Record Store Day 2021

8 April 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

This year for Record Store Day 2021, vinyl fans will be able to get Dalek Terror, an exclusive vinyl compilation of stories from Terry Nation’s Dalek Annuals.

Four stories of galactic terror and global invasion will be pressed on stunning 2 x 140g ‘Extermination Splatter’ vinyl & presented in a gatefold sleeve with retro-style illustrations.

Doctor Who - Record Store Day 2021

These four stories are read by Nicholas Briggs (the voice of the Daleks), Louise Jameson (Leela) and Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) plus, the ‘man of many voices’ Jon Culshaw.

Side A Terror Task Force

Side B Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!

Side C Blockade

Side D Nightmare

The vinyl includes bonus briefings on Dalek Genius, Mark 7 Humanoid Robot, Anatomy of a Dalek and Earth-Skaro Timescale.

Record Store Day is the one day of the year when over 200 independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion.

Get ready to grab your copy of Dalek Terror on Record Store Day, 12th June & 17th July 2021. Visit the Record Store Day website for more information

River Song gets a solo novel, by Alex Kingston

13 February 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

River Song is getting her own novel releasing on the 20th May 2021, written by the actress who plays the character, Alex Kingston!

This stylish sci-fi noir adventure features her most famous characters: private detective Melody Malone and legendary time-travelling archaeologist River Song.

The Ruby's Curse by Alex Kingston

She’s got ice in her heart and kiss on her lips…

1939, New York. Private Eye, Melody Malone, is hired to find a stolen ruby, the Eye of Horus. The ruby might hold the secret to the location of Cleopatra’s tomb – but everyone who comes into contact with it dies. Can Melody escape the ruby’s curse?

1939, New York. River Song, author of the Melody Malone Mysteries, is forced to find a reality-altering weapon, the Eye of Horus. River doesn’t believe in curses – but is she wrong?

From the top-security confines of Stormcage to the barbarism of first-century Egypt, River battles to find the Eye of Horus before its powers are used to transform the universe. To succeed, she must team up with a most unlikely ally – her own fictional alter ego, Melody. And together they must solve another mystery: Is fiction changing into fact – or is fact changing into fiction?

Alex Kingston said:

“Having absolutely no idea of the journey I would be taking with River Song when I first uttered those words, ‘Hello Sweetie’, I cannot begin to express how excited I am to be able to continue not only River, but Melody’s adventures on the written page. A sassy private detective and a time travelling archaeologist joining forces to solve a mystery? What’s not to love!?”

Albert DePetrillo, publishing director of BBC Books, said:

“Working with Alex on this highly original new story has been such a delight, and we couldn’t be happier to be publishing her first Doctor Who novel. River Song is such an iconic character, and I think Alex’s many fans will be thrilled and amazed with what she’s come up with.”

The Ruby’s Curse is Alex Kingston’s first Doctor Who novel, and is released following the successful launch of Doctor Who adventures written by actors Tom Baker (Scratchman) featuring the Fourth Doctor and Sophie Aldred (At Childhood’s End) featuring the Thirteenth Doctor and Ace.

Russell T Davies says Doctor Who should have Marvel-style shared universe of spin-offs

23 January 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

Russell T Davies has said that the BBC’s long-running sci-fi franchise Doctor Who should have a vast shared universe similar to that of Marvel and Star Wars.

The prolific screenwriter became a household name for his work on Doctor Who during the Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant eras of the show.

A decade on from his departure after handing the reins to Steven Moffatt, Davies’ opinions still holds a lot of sway among fans of the sci-fi series and his latest idea sounds very exciting indeed.

In light of the recent influx of streaming shows set in the Marvel, Star Wars and Star Trek universes, he believes that Doctor Who ought to be implementing the same strategy.

Journalist Paul Kirkley (who also writes for Doctor Who Magazine and RadioTimes.com) posted the comments on Twitter after interviewing Davies for the current issue of Waitrose Weekend.

“I was in the middle of running an empire,” Davies said of his time on Doctor Who. “And my god I did that 10 years too soon, didn’t I?”

The screenwriter is referencing the point at which his run on the show included spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran alongside – and occasionally crossed over with – the main series.

Notably, this was before Marvel Studios enjoyed its meteoric surge in popularity, normalising the concept of shared universes in film and television.

Davies continued: “There should be a Doctor Who channel now. You look at those Disney announcements, of all those new Star Wars and Marvel shows, you think, we should be sitting here announcing The Nyssa Adventures or The Return of Donna Noble, and you should have the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors together in a 10-part series. Genuinely.”

The most recent Doctor Who spin-offs are 2016’s Class, which was cancelled after one season, and the recent YouTube series Daleks!, consisting of five episodes between 10-15 minutes long.

Needless to say, it’s not quite on the same level as the 10 blockbuster Star Wars shows currently in development or the numerous interconnected Marvel shows coming this year alone – but Davies has hope that Who can catch up.

He added: “You laugh, but did Star Trek fans ever think they’d be getting a Captain Pike series? Ever? That’s insane. The whole science fiction world is so creative and so money making right now, I think your wildest dreams can come true.”

For now, the BBC is working on its 13th series of Doctor Who (since the 2005 relaunch), which will see Jodie Whittaker return as the eponymous Time Lord.

At the start of the year, rumours emerged that she could be preparing to leave the role in a regeneration storyline, but there has been no official confirmation over whether that is the case.

Mark Eden: 1928-2021

2 January 2021 admin Comments 0 Comment

William Hartnell as The Doctor, Mark Eden as Marco Polo and Martin Miller as Kublai Khan

Actor Mark Eden, who played “Marco Polo” in the 1964 story has passed away at the age of 92.

Eden was born in London in 1928 and decided to become an actor in his teens after falling in love with Shakespeare.

However, he was unable to launch a career until he was almost 30, he told the Daily Express newspaper in 2013.

“I contracted tuberculosis, spent two years in a sanatorium, worked on the fairgrounds, got married… in fact, I was almost 30 by the time I joined Everyman Theatre Group in Ramsgate,” he said.

“The East Kent Times gave me a rave review for my first play and that was all the encouragement I needed.”

His first screen credit was in 1958, with a role in Quatermass And The Pit; and he later played Marco Polo in the first series of Doctor Who.

Marco Polo is the fourth serial of Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 22 February to 4 April 1964. It was written by John Lucarotti and directed largely by Waris Hussein. Eden made his final television appearance in a Doctor Who related episode when he played Donald Baverstock, controller of BBC1 in the 2013 docu-drama “An Adventure In Space And Time” which was written by Mark Gatiss and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the series.

Other roles came in the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago, starring Julie Christie and Omar Sharif, TV show The Avengers and the 1970s detective serial Lord Peter Wimsey.

Later in his career he appeared in Doctors and Casualty.

He is survived by his wife Sue, his daughter Polly, his stepson Saul and grand-daughter Emma.

THE DALEKS ARE BACK!

27 November 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

Doctor Who: First full look at the all-new Dalek design in this week’s Radio Times.

Jodie Whittaker, Chris Chibnall and the Doctor Who team reveal exclusive behind-the-scenes details from Revolution of the Daleks in our latest issue.

In this year’s Doctor Who festive special the Daleks are back with a fresh look – and now you can see that all-new revamp in full in this week’s Radio Times, featuring exclusive interviews with the Doctor Who cast and crew alongside details and pictures of the intriguing design changes.

“This new special is the Daleks taking on the universe,” Bradley Walsh, who plays Graham in the series, tells the new issue. “For Whovians and the show, it’s massive.”

Alongside a guide to the changes made to the Dalek from series showrunner Chris Chibnall and executive producer Matt Strevens, the issue features the series bosses and the cast reflecting on the Daleks’ history and their place within Doctor Who history.

“No question, they’re a part of British culture – they’re like the Mini of Doctor Who. You can keep updating them but the brilliant design endures,” Chibnall says.

“Even if you don’t know much about Doctor Who, everyone knows the Daleks,” agrees Strevens.

Adds series star Jodie Whittaker, aka the Thirteenth Doctor: “To be honest, they always seemed like Christmassy imagery to me — appropriate for this time of year!”

Featuring exclusive first-look images and interviews with Chibnall, Strevens, Whittaker, Walsh, Mandip Gill and John Barrowman, the Radio Times Doctor Who preview issue is on sale from Saturday 28th November.

And any fans hoping for hints at what’s next for the TARDIS team may even get a few clues about the currently-shooting season 13, which recently began production on a slightly shorter series of eight episodes…

With thanks to Radio Times.

The Radiophonic Workshop To Play The Internet!

16 November 2020 admin Comments 0 Comment

The composers behind the Doctor Who theme tune are set to turn the internet into a big musical instrument.

The Radiophonic Workshop features musicians from the original BBC group, who created the themes for most shows on the network between the ‘60s and ‘90s.

Now, the composers have found inspiration in Zoom calls during the pandemic, using the natural lag of online calls to make “a loop of music”. “The sound gets sent to someone and they add to it, and it keeps going round,” Bob Earland explained to the Guardian. “So you’re not relying on everyone being on the same clock.”

Roger Limb said the loop presented a new way of responding to what he previously came up with. “What I enjoyed was waiting to hear what I’ve done on the previous round, coming up in about five seconds, listening to it, and then reacting to myself,” he said.

The Workshop’s Peter Howell added: “The idea [of playing the internet] reflected our time. We’re all subject to the internet now in a way that we never thought we would be. And Bob and Paddy [Kingsland] came up with an idea that is literally using what we’re all relying on for a creative purpose, using something that we’ve all taken for granted but in an artistic way.”

The Radiophonic Workshop will perform the piece titled ‘Latency’ – a word used to describe the delay in a transfer of digital data – alongside other compositions on their YouTube channel next week. The performance will take place at 8pm GMT on November 22.

In 2009, the Doctor Who theme tune was voted the best sci-fi theme tune in an online poll. It was originally composed by Ron Grainer in 1963, before being arranged by The Radiophonic Workshop’s Delia Derbyshire.

(With thanks to the MNE)