Assuming, of course, it doesn't suddenly pop off into the vortex where time and space are one, taking all your peripherals with it, we'd say this here Tardis four-port USB hub's a dinger and a must for the Doctor Who fan in your life. Now available from Firebox.com for a mere 20 quid, this hub not only flashes its light and blares out the time-space craft's famous ripping-a-hole- in-reality take-off sound. "Sheer poetry, dear boy."

Michelle Collins cast

Michelle Collins, best known for her role as scheming Cindy Beale in BBC soap EastEnders, will guest star in an episode of the new series of Doctor Who, playing McDonnell.

Although details of her character have yet to be revealed, Collins will feature in episode seven, written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Graeme Harper.

Michelle previously worked with Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson on the first series of Sea Of Souls, and has since gone on to perform in the hit West End Musical Daddy Cool.

Source: bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

Torchwood: Volume 2 - cover & info

Torchwood follows the adventures of a team of investigators, led by the enigmatic Captain Jack. Set in the UK in the present day, the team use scavenged alien technology in a very real world to solve crime; both alien and human. Separate from the government. Outside the police. Beyond the United Nations. Everyone who works for Torchwood is young, under 35. Some say that's because it's a new science. Others say it's because they die young...Episodes:1.6 Countrycide1.7 Greeks Bearing Gifts1.8 They Keep Killing Susie1.9 Invisible EugeneSpecial Features:Making Of Featurette For Each EpisodeDeleted ScenesOuttakes.

Click here to see the cover

Doctor Who Comic Relief Tie-in

Comic Relief has launched this year's charity campaign in association with the Sainsbury's supermarket chain. This year's red nose boxes contain a square of free trade chocolate made by Chocpix which, when held up to light, reveals a character from Doctor Who or Wallace & Gromit.The seven hour televised appeal will air on BBC One on March 16th. Highlights include the last ever Vicar of Dibley and special episodes of The Apprentice and Casualty plus special reports including 'Adrian Edmondson Takes on the Crisis in Northern Kenya'. To donate or for more information visit: www.rednoseday.com

BBC's download plans get backing

TV shows like Doctor Who are expected to be available for download later this year after the BBC Trust gave initial approval to the BBC's on-demand plans.
Under the proposals, viewers will be able to watch popular programmes online or download them to a home computer up to a week after they are broadcast.
But the trust imposed tough conditions on classical music, which could stop a repeat of the BBC's Beethoven podcasts.
Full approval of the on-demand plans will follow a two month consultation.
After that, the BBC will be able to launch its long-awaited iPlayer, a computer application which allows audiences to watch or download any programme from the last seven days.
A programme will remain playable for 30 days after being downloaded or seven days after being watched.
The BBC Trust, an independent body that replaced the corporation's governors at the beginning of 2007, said the on-demand plans - which also cover cable TV - were "likely to deliver significant public value".
But it agreed with broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which said earlier this month that the iPlayer could have a "negative effect" on commercial rivals.
As a result, the trust has imposed several conditions on the BBC.
It wants the corporation to scale back plans to let downloaded "catch-up" episodes remain on users' hard drives for 13 weeks, suggesting that 30 days is enough.
Chris Woolard, head of finance, economics and strategy at the Trust, defended the decision to cut the storage time.
When people record a programme at home "if they don't look at it within 48 hours, they don't look at it at all", he said.
But some shows will be able to remain on a viewer's computer beyond the standard seven-day window using a feature called series stacking.
Every episode of a "stacked" series would be made available until a week after transmission of the final instalment.
Trustees said the BBC needed to be clearer about which programmes would be offered on this service - but suggested "landmark" series "with a beginning and end", like Planet Earth or Doctor Who, should be eligible.
The trust also asked the BBC to explore ways of introducing parental controls to its on-demand services, as it is worried at the "heightened risk of children being exposed to post-watershed material".
Podcasts also came under scrutiny, with the Trust recommending that audio books and classical music be excluded from the BBC's download services.
"There is a potential negative market impact if the BBC allows listeners to build an extensive library of classical music that will serve as a close substitute for commercially available downloads or CDs," it said.
The news will be a disappointment to the one million people who downloaded Beethoven's symphonies in a Radio 3 trial last year.
But trustee Diane Coyle admitted the board "could still change its mind if there was a public outcry and it was backed up by evidence".
Licence-fee payers can now have their say on the BBC's plans, and the trust's conditions, in a two-month public consultation.
The trust said it expects to publish its final approval by 2 May.
The BBC Trust replaced the BBC's governors at the beginning of the year, and this is one of its first major decisions.
BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas said it was seen as the first test of the Trust's independence from the corporation's management, and that many would think it had passed it by imposing tougher conditions than Ofcom did in its own report on the issue.
Many of the BBC's commercial rivals had wanted Ofcom to take on the role of regulating the corporation.

Pics from the first Doctor who animated series

http://www.cbc.ca/planetofthedoctor/tb_gallery.html

Click the link above to check out pics from a dropped peoposal for a Doctor Who animated series from back in the Eighties. Great pics but the K9 ones freak me out!!!!

Paul Cornell's House of Awkwardness

Paul Cornell's House of Awkwardness
A blog about the life and work of writer Paul Cornell.

Gardner confirms Human Nature links

Executive Producer; Julie Gardner has confirmed to Total Sci Fi that Paul Cornell's 'Human Nature' will be linked to his Series Three Episodes. Rumours have been abound on the internet for the past few months that Cornell's 'Human Nature' will be the basis of his Series Three episodes and it seems that those very same rumours are in fact true. Total Sci Fi (the new online home of the now deceased Dreamwatch Magazine), promises a full interview with Julie Gardener in the last issue of Dreamwatch (#150), which contrary to rumour, will now be made.

Doctor Who Adventures Issue 22

Readers of the latest Doctor Who Adventures are promised a sneak preview of the new series which returns in the Spring.The Empress of Racnoss is the subject of the latest fact file and Time's up for the 9th Doctor as the adventure guide reaches The Parting of the Ways and takes a look at the making of his final story.O is for Ood in the latest installment of the Monster A to Z. The Doctor arrives at a haunted house as a new a new comic strip adventure gets underway and the DWA team show how to draw the 10th Doctor.Plus there's the usual collection of masks, posters and competitions and over 100 free Doctor Who stickers.Doctor Who Adventures Issue 22, priced £1.99, is out on Wednesday 31 January 2007.

Who's that? ... John Simm transforms into Doctor's worst foe

Rumours are abound again that The Master will return in Series Three of Doctor Who.

The latest report, however, seems to put a new spin of things, with The Sun newspaper reporting that Life on Mars star; John Simm is lined up for the role.

The premise is that Derek Jacobi's character is in fact a foe, despite the previous reports, and that he will in fact die and regenerate into John Simm, thus revealing to be a Timelord.

Below is the full article from The Sun:



DOCTOR Who chiefs are bringing back his arch-rival The Master.
And favourite to play the renegade Timelord is Life on Mars star John Simm.
The Master’s return will be the major twist of the third series, which starts in the spring. But he will not appear until the end.
Bosses have held talks with John, 36 — who plays cop Sam Tyler in Life on Mars — and hope he will sign up soon. An insider said: “He’s brilliant and we would love to get him on board.”
The Master is best known for hypnotising people by fixing them with an intense stare — and his catchphrase, “I am the Master and you will obey me”.
His Tardis has a chameleon circuit which allows it to change colour. And the Master’s weapon of choice is the Tissue Compression Eliminator — which reduces its targets to doll size.
John would be the seventh person to play The Master. Previous actors include Anthony Ainley and Julia Roberts’ brother Eric.
TV Biz can also reveal that Shakespearean actor Sir Derek Jacobi, 68, will play another Who foe — The Professor. He poses as a good guy but the Doctor (David Tennant) discovers the truth when The Professor dies and regenerates.

New Runaway Bride photos

There are only 328 shopping days left until next Christmas, but if you and your bank balance are still recovering from the effects of the last Christmas, the BBC's official site have given you a reason to remember the good things about Christmas 2006, with a bundle of new photographs from The Runaway Bride.

BBC to seek 'real' Harry Potter

The BBC is to launch a reality series which will follow a group of children learning magic at a Harry Potter-style boarding school.
The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which will air later this year, will show the children learning card tricks, Latin spells and illusions.
Each week, they will perform for "magic mentors" who will judge their performances and decide who must leave.
BBC executive Anne Gilchrist thinks the show will "inspire and amaze".
Barney Harwood, who currently presents Totally Doctor Who, will front the series as the children progress.
The children watching at home will also get to learn magic tricks, in an accompanying morning series - which is yet to be named.
The magic mentors will give away their secrets and perform step-by-step guides, so children can learn and perform the tricks themselves.

Barrowman wants to adopt

Gay TV star John Barrowman wants to adopt a child with partner Scott Gill.
The pair sealed their union at Christmas with a civil partnership and now want to start a family.
The Torchwood actor says, "Scott and I have discussed it and would like to adopt not a baby but an older child.
"So many youngsters aren't given the opportunity to be part of a family headed by two adults who have a lot to offer them. They'd have so much more than they have now.
"Alternatively, a family friend has offered to carry a child for us so that's a possibility too."

More Captain Jack happenings in feb

From the offical John Barrowman site:

BAFTA RED CARPET
posted Jan 10 2007
Alongside Ruby Wax, John will co host the red carpet arrivals for the bafta film awards on E! Entertainment channel on Feb 11th, also to be shown in the usa and other countries.

JB on the Radio
posted Jan 12 2007
John will be guest presenting Elaine Paiges BBC Radio show on both the 11th and 18th of February. You can listen online at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/paige

John Barrowman is missing the links

ACTOR John Barrowman yesterday revealed the things he misses most about Scotland are black pudding and people's humour.
The star of Doctor Who spin-off show Torchwood was born in Glasgow and lived in the city until he was nine, when his parents emigrated to Illinois in the US.
He said he has landed his "dream" role after being cast as swashbuckling Captain Jack Harkness in the BBC sci-fi series.
But despite his newfound success Barrowman said he still misses some of Scotland's finest things.
He added: "Besides black pudding supper, I miss the people, the sense of humour."

Cheap, safe drug kills most cancers

Scientists cure cancer, but no one takes notice

Scientists cured cancer last week. Yep. So, why hasn't the media picked up on it? Here's the deal. Researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada found a cheap and easy to produce drug that kills almost all cancers. The drug is dichloroacetate, and since it is already used to treat metabolic disorders, we know it should be no problem to use it for other purposes.Doesn't this sound like the kind of news you see on the front page of every paper?The drug also has no patent, which means it could be produced for bargain basement prices in comparison to what drug companies research and develop. Scientists tested DCA on human cells cultured outside the body where it killed lung, breast and brain cancer cells, but left healthy cells alone. Rats plump with tumors shrank when they were fed water supplemented with DCA.Again, this seems like it should be at the top of the nightly news, right?Cancer cells don't use the little power stations found in most human cells - the mitochondria. Instead, they use glycolysis, which is less effective and more wasteful.Doctors have long believed the reason for this is because the mitochondria were damaged somehow. But, it turns out the mitochondria were just dormant, and DCA starts them back up again.The side effect of this is it also reactivates a process called apoptosis. You see, mitochondria contain an all-too-important self-destruct button that can't be pressed in cancer cells. Without it, tumors grow larger as cells refuse to be extinguished. Fully functioning mitochondria, thanks to DCA, can once again die. With glycolysis turned off, the body produces less lactic acid, so the bad tissue around cancer cells doesn't break down and seed new tumors. Here's the big catch. Pharmaceutical companies probably won't invest in research into DCA because they won't profit from it. It's easy to make, unpatented and could be added to drinking water. Imagine, Gatorade with cancer control.So, the groundwork will have to be done at universities and independently funded laboratories. But, how are they supposed to drum up support if the media aren't even talking about it?All I can do is write this and hope Google News picks it up. In the meantime, tell everyone you know and do your own research.This is a column of opinion written by Printz Executive Editor David McRaney. Comments can be sent to printz@usm.edu

Newspaper interview with Freema

New companion Freema Agyeman is interviewed in the current issue of the children's publication The Newspaper, which is distributed through schools in the UK. It is a short interview, and has mild spoilers concerning Martha's character and how she differs from Rose.

It's Martha, the Doctor's new travelling companion
Freema Agyeman has the best job on TV, travelling through time and space with the Doctor in the Tardis.
When she spoke to Huw Tubervill of The Newspaper she'd filmed half of the new series that's expected to be shown on BBC1 from Easter.
She plays a medical student called Martha Jones who goes to the moon, meets William Shakespeare and battles new monsters called the Judoon.
Freema has a tough task replacing Billie Piper who played Rose Tyler in the smash-hit show, but she is such a sweetie - she insisted I shared her sandwich and crisps - everyone will love her.

Can you recall the old Doctor Who (1963-89)?
Yes, Sylvester McCoy (1987-89) was my Doctor. I also remember Bonnie Langford (Mel), Sophie Aldred (Ace) and the music.
Did you watch the first two series of the new version that starred Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant?
Yes, I loved them; the way Russell T Davies has brought it back is brilliant, the timing was bang-on. He's not alienated older fans and look how many more new ones there are! It's about imagination, the concept is timeless.
Has it been hard taking over from Billie?
I'm having too much of a good time to worry about it. Rose was a tremendous character, everyone loved her and people were sorry to see her go. Rose isn't forgotten but Martha brings out different aspects of the Doctor's character. Rose and Martha would have ganged up against the Doctor!
What's Martha like?
She's older than Rose, more secure, but she doesn't have a boyfriend. She has her own little flat and her family around her. Rose had only her mum, but Martha has a big family. She isn't looking to the Doctor for guidance or education, she wants adventure! She hasn't kissed her old life goodbye though, and I think she intends to go back to qualify as a doctor. There are funny moments when the Doctor says, 'I'm the Doctor' and Martha says, 'So am I'! She speaks her mind.
The Doctor's companions have changed over the years.
The girls were called assistants, they sounded like a magician's helper but now they are stronger thanks to girl power! It's about companionship, friendship, teamwork, exploration and looking out for one another.
If you had a real Tardis, where would you go?
In the series we go back to see Shakespeare at the Globe theatre and 1930s New York. If I had a Tardis, I'd probably see the dinosaurs and then I'd change something I'd regretted doing.
The Doctor faced a spider queen at Christmas, what creature would scare you?
I find the Cybermen scarier than the Daleks. Also, I'd be scared by anything that moves quickly - that could chase me!
Do you have to keep fit to be chased by monsters?
Yes, but I love going to the gym. When I don't exercise I really notice a change in my mood! We work long days in Cardiff so we have to keep our energy levels up, do lots of exercise and eat healthily. I also want to wear heels because David Tennant is 6ft 2ins, and I'm a foot shorter - but you can't run in heels!
In the last series you played a character who was killed by Cybermen, Martha isn't related to that character, is she?
No, the writers have found a clever way around it. You'll see!
If you were in love with someone who changed bodies as the Doctor does, would it affect the way you felt about them?
It would depend on how long we had been together. Looks are important to start with but after a while it all becomes much deeper and gradually you start to love someone's personality.
Do you have any hobbies?
I like playing pool. If I'm tired, I like watching telly and sending texts. I'll be behind the sofa with my family when the series starts.

Six Doctors costumes' included in high profile auction

More than 400 outfits tailored by Angels, the pre-eminent costumier for films shot in the UK, will be auctioned by Bonhams of London. The collection includes costumes that were worn by some of Hollywood's biggest names, from Errol Flynn to Al Pacino, as well as outfits from classic British television shows, including Doctor Who.Six Doctors are represented in the Doctor Who collection, including Jon Pertwee's jacket, which comes complete with a sonic screwdriver, which the auctioneers found in one of its pockets. The tool, which the Doctor used to open locks, is simply a pen glued to a toothpaste tube cap and sprayed silver.Costumes worn by Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker are expected to fetch £20,000 each and Christopher Eccleston's leather jacket is estimated at £4,000.Amongst the other costumes is Sir Alec Guinness's brown hooded cloak from Star Wars, which went missing for 30 years and was only discovered in 2005 when Angels made an inventory of its 1.5 million outfits which hang on six miles of rails in a warehouse in north London.The auction, which takes place on 6th March, is expected to raise more than £1 million. Below are full details from Bonhams of the Doctor Who items included.
Costumes representing six of the Dr Who actors from the period of 1963 – present day will be sold.A complete Patrick Troughton outfit (the second Dr. Who) comprising full-length fur coat, tailcoat, checked trousers, shirt, tie, handkerchief and bandana is estimated at £15,000-20,000. Known for his scruffy appearance, Troughton played a much quirkier Doctor. The producers and writers behind the programme wanted the Doctor's second incarnation to be a contrast to first Doctor, William Hartnell's 'Victorian Headmaster' mode of attire. Therefore Troughton was unveiled as, in his words, the "Cosmic Hobo," an eccentric exemplified by his unusual combination of garments, and in particular his long hair coat.The third Doctor Who, John Pertwee, is represented through his black cape coat, burgundy velvet jacket, black cravat, and his sonic screwdriver (estimate of £15,000-20,000). Pertwee took the character of the doctor in a different direction from the ‘Cosmic Hobo' of before, Pertwee opting for a being a dandy with a twist: he was a master of Venusian Karate and became a Doctor to rival James Bond with his ingenious gadgets and quick wit, Victorian tailcoats, deep purple velvet jackets, capes and scalloped shirtfronts.Tom Baker, the fourth incarnation of the Doctor, exploded onto our television screens in 1974, unmistakable with his mass of teeth and curls. Baker came to resemble a comic hitchhiker, with his long overcoat Victorian jackets and overlong woolly scarf.The complete outfit for Tom Baker includes a maroon wool top coat, three pairs of trousers (tweed, grey wool and dark grey cotton), striped waistcoat, three felt hats and a striped scarf, and is estimated at £15,000-20,000. A wine coloured 3/4 length coat, complete with two large added pockets for the Doctor's jelly beans and sonic screwdriver used by Baker in various episodes of Dr Who (including some Dalek Episodes), is estimated at £8,000-10,000. The fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, is represented with a beige and orange-edged single breasted top coat, stripe trousers, cricket jumper, white shirt and straw hat, estimated at £8,000-10,000.An outfit worn by Sylvester McCoy – the seventh Doctor Who – including a cream linen jacket, grey pinstripe trousers, shirt, tie, pullover, scarf, shoes, cravat and hat, is estimated at £5,000-7,000.After a 16-year absence of the series, Christopher Eccleston returned as The Doctor. In the sale is his black leatherette jacket estimated at £3,000-4,000.

"Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf" - on tour

Outpost Gallifrey has received the following press release concerning the one-man show Moths Ate My Doctor Who Scarf, which after its success at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival is going out on the road in 2007.
The release runs:
MOTHS ON THE RAMPAGE Being the surprise critical and commercial success of last year's Edinburgh Fringe wasn't enough for Toby Hadoke and his one man show Moths Ate My Dr Who Scarf. He's now embarking on a nationwide tour (preliminary dates below, more to follow). The show has recently been bought by BBC 7 and is being turned into a two part comedy drama for broadcast later in the year (although this will be very different from the one-man show). The tour kicked off at The Windsor Arts Centre in January and came perilously close to selling out. Award winning comedian Toby Hadoke takes you on a personal odyssey through one man’s obsession with a TV show. Sharp, satirical, poignant and ultimately uplifting, this show appeals across the board, even to people without intimate knowledge of Time Lords and Tetraps. Not suitable for football hooligans, Daily Mail readers, Hollyoaks actors or The BNP.“Recommended – a confident performer in a well structured and surprisingly effective one-man show with an emotional kick” – The Times“Eloquent, forthright, passionate – one of the most entertaining hours this side of Gallifrey” – Chortle“A must see – well conceived and worryingly accurate”– Edinburgh Evening News.The tour will be intermittent – these are confirmed dates, with a further thirty or so awaiting confirmation throughout the year. Visit TobyHadoke.com for updates.14th February – Leicester Comedy Festival (please note, the addition of an apostrophe to the word Moths was made by the team behind the festival brochure and a move Toby would like to wash his hands of)16th & 17th March – Theatre Royal, Bath (16th is an extra date due to demand)23rd March – Glasgow Comedy Festival11th May – Hemel Hempstead25th May – St Albans8th June – The Lowry, Salford14th June – Ammanford Mines Theatre23rd Sept – Sheffield Comedy Festival, The Lescar

News for Life on Mars series two

Life on Mars - 12th February 2007
John Simm is back as DI Sam Tyler as Life On Mars returns to our screens next month for its much anticipated second, and sadly final, series.
Despite eerie visions that suggest a tantalising proximity to 2007, Sam once again awakes to find himself very much amongst the pale brown hues of the technologically prehistoric, politically incorrect world of 1973 Manchester – alongside his equally antiquated colleagues DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), DC Ray Carling (Dean Andrews), DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) and WPC Annie Cartwright (Liz White). And, what’s more, he has a murder to solve.
Sam encounters the young incarnation of Tony Crane (Marc Warren - Hustle), a murderous villain he locked up in 2006, and soon realises that he is faced with the chance every copper dreams about – stopping the killer before he kills.
Gambling everything on ensuring Crane is sent down, Sam’s flagrant disregard for procedure stuns his colleagues in CID. But they can’t appreciate what Sam is starting to fear – that, since his car accident, Crane has been released and has found his way to Sam’s hospital bedside where he is exacting his revenge on Sam’s vulnerable body.
Still desperate to discover how he got to 1973, why he remains there and how he may return to the present day, Sam has to race against the clock to capture a killer who is trying to murder him in the future.
Life On Mars starts 12th February on BBC One.

Even more on the Animated Who

From the official Doctor Who <http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/ news/cult/ news/drwho/ 2007/01/26/ 40315.sh\tml> BBC site:Doctor Who and Martha are about to step into a new dimension - a cartoonone.David Tennant and Freema Agyeman will star in The Infinite Quest, a13-part animated adventure that will run weekly in the second series ofTotally Doctor Who."The Doctor And Martha follow a trail of clues across wild and wonderfulalien worlds, to find the location of the legendary lost spaceship, theInfinite," revealed Russell T Davies.Anthony Head, who played evil headmaster Mr Finch in last season'sSchool Reunion, will guest star as a a new character, Baltazar - Scourgeof the Galaxy.Freema in particular was thrilled to be taking Doctor Who into a wholenew world of possibilities."I didn't think my Doctor Who experience could get any more thrillingbut I was absolutely blown away when they approached me about the newanimation series!"The prospect of becoming a cartoon character was both exciting and alsoa bit nerve-wracking as it was the first time I have been asked to dovoice-over work," she said."But I needn't have worried - my first session involved being in a smallrecording room with David, Anthony Head and Toby Longworth - and all ofus falling about with laughter as we tried to imagine the movements ofthe cartoon characters and how mad it all seemed! It was such a funexperience and now I can't wait to see how it all looks!"The Infinite Quest is written by Alan Barnes and directed by GaryRussell. The spectacular animation will be crafted by Firestep, thecreative team behind previous Doctor Who animated adventures for theBBC. Thanks to developments in animation and computer technology, expectsome amazing advances on previous animations.CLICK HERE <http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/ gallery/doctor_ martha/1024/ doctor_martha\_anim.jpg> to see a picture of the animated Doctor and Martha.<http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/ gallery/doctor_ martha/1024/ doctor_martha\_anim.jpg> Also the home page of the official Doctor Who site has beenupdated with The Infinite Quest.http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/ <http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/>

Some fifth doctor animated icons

http://community.livejournal.com/dwicons/663800.html

Screen caps from "The Face of Evil"

Screencaps80 1024 x 768 Screencaps from all four episodes of The Face of Evil, which is Leela's first episode, and stars Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. (As if you didn't know!)

Scan of David Tennant in New woman

http://community.livejournal.com/tennant_love/853166.html

Talking heads are top

Cyber helmet voted Toy Of The Year.
The Toy Retailers Association have awarded the Cyberman Voice Changer Helmet the prestigious Toy of the Year title.
The Doctor Who action figures also won the Top Toy for Boys award.
The winning toys are part of the award winning Doctor Who range developed by the Character Group. Over 1.7 million action figures have been sold in 2006 alone.
Character revealed that a figure of new companion Martha, and an updated version of the Doctor are due out later in the year.

Sham 69 row likened to DW cons

Sham 69 singer Jimmy Pursey has likened the row leading to the punk band's split to Doctor Who conventions.The group were formed in 1975 but have broken up after disagreeing over gigs.Guitarist Dave Parsons and drummer Ian Whitewood claim to have sacked the singer as he had not shown much interest in playing live.However, Pursey hit back, saying he only rejected revival gigs that had been arranged purely for money, adding that Parsons had left the group."I can turn down a nostalgia gig, which is like a Doctor Who convention, where it's just bringing a load of old punk rockers together to celebrate nostalgia," Pursey told BBC News.

More on the animated Who

Totally Doctor Who returns for a second series with David Tennant and Freema Agyeman starring in The Infinite Quest, a 13-part animated adventure that will run weekly.
"The Doctor And Martha follow a trail of clues across wild and wonderful alien worlds, to find the location of the legendary lost spaceship, the Infinite," revealed Russell T Davies.
Anthony Head, who played evil headmaster Mr Finch in last season's School Reunion, will guest star as a a new character, Baltazar - Scourge of the Galaxy.
For more details you can go to the Official BBC Doctor Who Website or CBBC's Newsround.

How to speak the fanfic lingo

Imagine Harry Potter in a clinch with James Bond: welcome to the world of fan fiction. By Robert Colvile
'Harry Potter looked up at the Death Eater. With his wand two metres away, all he could do was wait for the terrible green light of the killing curse. But suddenly, a shot rang out, and Lucius Malfoy dropped to the ground. 'Who are you?' gasped Harry as his saviour stepped into the room. The reply was calm: 'Bond. James Bond.' "
That corny little paragraph is a work of fan fiction. It uses a pre-existing fictional universe, or in this case two of them, as the scaffolding for a new story. And thanks to the internet, such tales are available in staggering quantities: FictionAlley, one of the largest Harry Potter sites, stores 80,000, plus 20,000 works of fan art. Fanfiction.net, a vast archive of everything from The A-Team to Z Cars, has 280,000 more Potter works. It is, according to Sheenagh Pugh, author of a study of fan fiction called The Democratic Genre, "the fastest-growing form of writing in the world".
Although such tales have always existed, the variety of stories, and story types, available online is bewildering. There are those that take place in the gaps within stories, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead-style. There are stories that depart from the "canon" — such as "What if Wendy had stayed in Neverland?" There is time travel, and evil twins, and male pregnancy – sometimes in the same story. "It's a massive community," says Heidi Tandy, who runs FictionAlley. "Also, these days, the [original] producers of the content are so much more open to the idea of fan fiction being created."
Although readers and authors span the spectrum of ages and genders, many are teenagers – as demonstrated by the adolescent fantasies in which a beautiful American student arrives at Hogwarts and wins Harry's heart. The stereotypical writer, however, is a suburban mother stuck at home with the children.
Bizarrely, it is these middle-aged women who are largely responsible for one of fan fiction's more unusual phenomena – "slash" fiction. Named after the "forward slash" symbol separating characters' names (eg Han/Leia, Romeo/Juliet), it puts straight male characters in gay relationships. Popular belief has it that the first "slash fic" was between Captain Kirk and Spock from Star Trek, and most slash fiction follows a similar arc: forced to work together, the two characters find their animosity shading into lust (so Gordon and Tony, look out).
"I think people want to be subversive," says Tandy. "It's a big question with Torchwood [the Doctor Who spin-off] – if the main character snogs people of both genders on screen, can you actually slash him?" Of course, she says, it's also about women drooling over pretty men.
Even with heterosexual characters, fans tend to be vocal – if not rabid – about their chosen pairings, often coupling this with a hatred of their favourites' romantic rivals.
"When you're talking about this community, it's not garden-variety fans," says Cassandra Clare, one of the leading Harry Potter writers. "People have built a central part of their identities around being fans. They've projected a huge amount of themselves into this source material, and the idea that someone else might interpret that source material differently is offensive to some of them."
Such is the passion that some called Clare's positive portrayal of Harry's malignant classmate Draco Malfoy "character rape". And she admits that not all the work holds up. "Some of it is very bad indeed. There are bad novels, too, but there probably aren't any that contain 14 pages of Backstreet Boys lyrics."
Yet the best can act as a springboard to a professional career. A 23-year-old Chilean, Francisca Solar, has moved from Harry Potter fan fiction to fantasy novels; Clare also has a fantasy trilogy due for release. She says that the barrier between professional and fan fiction is fuzzier than might be supposed: many professionals practice their craft anonymously in the forums, "though you have to get a few drinks in them before they'll admit it".
The dubious status of fan fiction can get complicated: Clare, for example, was accused of plagiarising novels and TV shows in her fanfic. And a few creators find it alarming – Anne Rice, author of Interview With a Vampire, forbids stories set in her world.
Others, however, are more positive. "Fanfic is a marvellous invention," insists Geraldine McCaughrean, author of Peter Pan in Scarlet, the approved follow-up to J M Barrie's original, and thus itself a kind of legal fan fiction. "And it's highly adulatory – any author should be delighted their words have sparked such a thirst for more."
Although she says that extensive reading provides "a worrying insight into people's warped preoccupations", McCaughrean emphasises its benefits. "Children who write stories are frequently shy and lacking in confidence," she says. "Therein hangs the most wonderful thing about fanfic: your stuff gets read by like-minded people who rave with enthusiasm or offer constructive criticism. You can forge long-term friendships – albeit with people called 'Shirebound' or 'Frodoschick'. And best of all, you get to visit the imaginary world of your choice and create your own happy endings."
And although the show or book that collects the largest following may change in future years, it looks certain that fan fiction will stick around. "No one is going to stop any time soon," says Sheenagh Pugh. "They're having too much fun."

How to speak the fanfic lingo

Canon: the world established by the original creator. Stories that contradict these events are "AU", ie "alternate universe".
Eg: "My story follows canon until the third series, then is AU from there."

Fandom: the set of fans for a particular show, and their collective attitudes.
Eg: "In Star Wars fandom, Boba Fett is probably more popular than Luke Skywalker."

Mary Sue: an obnoxiously perfect character, obviously the product of an author's wish-fulfillment.
Eg: "Your super-Jedi-wizard was a total Mary Sue."

Slash: stories in which characters who are heterosexual in the canon are written as gay.
Eg: "This story is Kirk/Spock slash – look away now if you're offended."

Ships/shippers: fans who devote themselves to a particular character relationship.
Eg: "I'm a huge Draco/Hermione shipper."

PWP ("Plot? What plot?"): a scene of sexual fantasy, usually semi-pornographic.
Eg: "This is a PWP in which Buffy and Xander are trapped on a desert island."

'Dr Who' heads for Somerset to boost education

TV timelord Dr Who is teaming up with Ant and Dec to help convince Somerset teenagers that education is a wonderful thing.
At least that's the message students will get as a touring theatre group imitate some of today's most recognised faces in a production aimed at guiding Year 10 pupils towards learning and career choices.
The production, by the IMPACT theatre group, is sponsored by Somerset Learning and Skills Council and organised by Connexions Somerset.


As Dr Who navigates his way around schools from in the Taunton and Wellington area and the rest of the county, he'll be joined by Little Britain's Vicky Pollard and chef Jamie Oliver.
Sally House, Partnership Director of the Learning and Skills Council Dorset and Somerset, said: "IMPACT has been to Somerset before and their productions really work in capturing the pupils' imaginations and making them think - it's not every day you get careers advice from a timelord!"
Connexions Chief Executive Peter Renshaw said: "It's our job to make sure young people get the best advice available to them.
"This is a brilliantly funny production with a serious message and young people are receiving it well."

Davies wants Britney for 'Doctor Who'

It is offical RTD has lost his evercracking mind!!!!!

Russell T Davies has revealed that he wants pop star Britney Spears to appear in an episode of Doctor Who.Rather than asking Spears to help the Doctor to save the world, the show's writer Russell T Davies wants her to be cast as a group of aliens cloned to look like the 25-year-old singer."I'd love Britney to do it - it would be so much fun," Davies is quoted by the Daily Star as saying. "I'm not sure if she'll come to Cardiff where the show is shot so I'm nagging the BBC to fund a Hollywood special."

Helen discusses Dalek dilemma in DWM

Helen Raynor has been discussing the highlights of being first a Script Editor and now writer on Doctor Who - including the time she received an offer she really couldn't refuse.
"There was this hilarious day where Julie [Gardner] came over and said 'Would you mind coming in for a chat with me and Russell...?' she reveals in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine.
"I went in frantically worrying if I'd made some terrible mistake... and then they started by saying 'Have a think about it - but do you fancy having a go at a two-part Doctor Who...?'
"I had nothing to say apart from 'Please can I go home and think about it, because I'm slightly in shock!' And they were very calm and said, 'Of course, off you go. We'll completely understand if you say no.' And then Russell, evilly, said, 'It's Daleks, and it's 1930s New York... just so you know!'
"I paced about the kitchen at home, and around midnight, when I'd done enough pacing, I thought, well, of course I'm going to say yes - the only reason I'm thinking of not doing it is that I'm scared I will be rubbish at it. I'd rather try it and make a pig's ear of it, than not do it and wonder what might have been. So I emailed Russell and Julie and said, 'Of course I'm going to do it!'"
Other highlights in this issue include the incredible story behind the unmade motion picture Doctor Who Meets Scratchman - with insightful comments from writers Tom Baker and Ian Marter, as well as a full and detailed plot synopsis, and some beautiful new illustrations from artist Brian Williamson. It's a tale of killer scarecrows, a giant game of pinball, the Daleks, and, er, Vincent Price.
The Fact of Fiction uncovers Fourth Doctor classic Image of the Fendahl; Russell T Davies goes for a 3am walk around Cardiff Bay in Production Notes; plus comics strips and all the latest news, views and reviews.
DWM 379 is on sale from Thursday 1 February 2007, priced £3.99.

Animated Adventure for Doctor and Martha

Animated adventure for the Doctor and Martha.
Doctor Who and Martha are about to step into a new dimension - a cartoon one.
David Tennant and Freema Agyeman will star in The Infinite Quest, a 13-part animated adventure that will run weekly in the second series of Totally Doctor Who.
"The Doctor And Martha follow a trail of clues across wild and wonderful alien worlds, to find the location of the legendary lost spaceship, the Infinite," revealed Russell T Davies.
Anthony Head, who played evil headmaster Mr Finch in last season's School Reunion, will guest star as a a new character, Baltazar - Scourge of the Galaxy.
Freema in particular was thrilled to be taking Doctor Who into a whole new world of possibilities.
"I didn't think my Doctor Who experience could get any more thrilling but I was absolutely blown away when they approached me about the new animation series!
"The prospect of becoming a cartoon character was both exciting and also a bit nerve-wracking as it was the first time I have been asked to do voice-over work," she said.
"But I needn't have worried - my first session involved being in a small recording room with David, Anthony Head and Toby Longworth - and all of us falling about with laughter as we tried to imagine the movements of the cartoon characters and how mad it all seemed! It was such a fun experience and now I can't wait to see how it all looks!"
The Infinite Quest is written by Alan Barnes and directed by Gary Russell. The spectacular animation will be crafted by Firestep, the creative team behind previous Doctor Who animated adventures for the BBC. Thanks to developments in animation and computer technology, expect some amazing advances on previous animations.

Tardis Spotting

Keep your eyes out for a big blue box.

Jacobi confirmed for Dr Who role

Shakespearean actor Sir Derek Jacobi is to take part in the third series of Doctor Who, it has been confirmed.
The 68-year-old actor, who was knighted in 1994, is best remembered for his role in the drama series I, Claudius.
The BBC would not confirm a newspaper report that he would play a character called The Professor when Doctor Who returns in the spring.
Sir Derek previously appeared as renegade timelord The Master in an online version of the sci-fi series.
The Daily Mirror newspaper says this time he will play a "good guy" who plays "a key role in preventing the world from ending".
Classic roles
Sir Derek is one of Britain's foremost actors, and was among the founding members of the National Theatre.
He later carved out a career in film, making memorable appearances in The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File and Gladiator.
He has also collaborated several times with British actor and director Kenneth Branagh, to whom he once gave acting lessons.
In March last year, he celebrated a civil partnership with his long-term partner Richard Clifford.
Doctor Who has been a big hit for the BBC since it returned in 2005, with the recent Christmas special attracting 9.35 million viewers.
The third series introduces actress Freema Agyeman, 27, as the Doctor's new companion Martha Jones, following Billie Piper's departure this year.

David Tennant makes world's sexiest men list

David Tennant is listed at #13 of the world's sexiest men list, beating big name stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise. To see the complete list from The Daily Mail CLICK HERE.

Scottish Men: We Love You???

Rainbow Network has posted their list as to why they love Scottish Men. Torchwood and Doctor Who had a mention at #9 Scottish Accent:

"We may have flirted with a love of the Welsh accent as we swooned over the cast of Torchwood and wished we could have given John Barrowman a big hard snog, but it's the good Doctor we'd rather get our mouths locked around. Who? David Tennant of course with his silky, Scottish tones that alternate between cat like purrs and yobbery at its very best."

Tennant Talks Who Season 3

David Tennant, who plays the iconic role of the Doctor in the revived Doctor Who series, told SCI FI Wire that it was difficult shooting the final scene with fellow cast member Billie Piper, who left the show at the end of the second season. "Of course that scene meant that Billie was leaving the show (although it wasn't the final scene she shot), and that was very sad," Tennant said in an e-mail interview. "She is a great actor and had become a great friend. It's also a beautifully written scene, and even when we ran through the lines together on the makeup bus that morning, we started sniffling. In fact, in the video diaries on the DVD you can see us both have a good old weep about the whole thing." In the recent special The Runaway Bride, which aired on Christmas Day in the United Kingdom, the Doctor did not take on a new companion, but he won't be on his own for long. Freema Agyeman will join the show in the third season on the BBC as medical student Martha Jones. "The Doctor and Martha have a very different relationship to the Doctor and Rose," Tennant said. "The Doctor doesn't really think he needs a new traveling companion at the moment, but Martha makes herself indispensable." Tennant said that he understands what it's like to take over for a popular Doctor Who cast member; he replaced former Doctor Christopher Eccleston in the second season of the show. But he let Agyeman find her own way of dealing with the pressure. "Oh, she doesn't need any advice, and I wouldn't be pompous enough to offer it," he said. "Freema hit the ground running and has inhabited Martha Jones from day one without a hint of trepidation or nervousness. I found myself quite envious of her confidence. She is going to be brilliant." But don't expect the Doctor to get over Rose so quickly. "As with any big relationship, it takes time for the scars to heal," Tennant said. "Perhaps the Doctor feels like he's dealt with it, but Martha might disagree." The second season of Doctor Who was released on DVD on Jan. 16. The third season will begin airing in Great Britain on the BBC this spring.

John back in Doctor Who

John Barrowman says he can't wait to play a "sassier" Captain Jack when he returns to Doctor Who this year.
The star of the sci-fi show's spin-off Torchwood is due to start filming the final three episodes of the third series of Doctor Who and is looking forward to playing "the other side of Captain Jack".
"In Torchwood he's a little darker, slightly more moody and more focused," the 39-year-old revealed.
"But in Doctor Who he's slightly more fun and I think that's because he's not the leader of the pack, the Doctor's the leader, so he's a little more light-hearted.
"He's more childlike and he's a lot sassier."
The actor is also due to start filming the second series of Torchwood in the spring - and says he hopes the hit drama will go even further this time.
"What I would like to see is that we become edgier and we push the limit a little more on the adult aspect of everything.
"In the first series we played it safe a little bit and this second series, I hope that we will go further."

BBC shows could appear on YouTube

Reports suggest the BBC is in talks with Google about making some of its programming available on video-sharing site YouTube. Some indicate that an announcement will be made to coincide with Google chief executive Eric Schmidt's visit to the World Economic Forum tomorrow.A BBC spokeswoman said: "there is no deal and we are not commenting on market speculation."BBC Worldwide is could be looking at commercial options for the agreement, such as a share on advertising that will run alongside BBC content.NBC, CBS and other US networks have already launched their own branded YouTube channels, with CBS adding another 200,000 extra viewers for The Late Show with David Letterman from its broadcast on YouTube.Last July, Google launched country-specific versions of Google Video in Europe, with content partners including ITN, IMG, History-Channel owner A&E and Buena Visa International Europe.NBC Universal and 20th Century Fox are also believed to be in discussions with YouTube, to allow their film content available on the site.

Tennant praises Agyeman

David Tennant praises newcomer Freema Agyeman in an interview today on Sci Fi Wire.In the interview, conducted by e-mail, he tells the Sci Fi Channel's news service that the actress "hit the ground running" when she took on the role of Martha Jones, and said he let her deal with the pressure of replacing such a popular and high-profile cast member as Billie Piper in her own way.Tennant says Agyeman "inhabited Martha Jones from day one without a hint of trepidation or nervousness. I found myself quite envious of her confidence. She is going to be brilliant." He also tells of how difficult it was to shoot the final scenes with Piper, saying they started sniffling during a run-through of the lines on the make-up bus.Tennant says Martha and the Doctor have an entirely different relationship to Rose and the Doctor, adding: "As with any big relationship, it takes time for the scars to heal. Perhaps the Doctor feels like he's dealt with it, but Martha might disagree." He also says she "makes herself indispensable".

Eighth Doctor Motivational Posters

http://bibliophile1887.livejournal.com/109160.html

ITV prepares to take on Dr Who

The UK's largest commercial broadcaster, ITV, have revealed a major marketing campaign for their six million pound science-fiction dinosaur drama Primeval which they hope will be their answer to BBC One's Doctor Who in the Saturday tea-time slot.David Pemsel, ITV's new group marketing director, said: "Primeval is a bold scheduling step into Saturday night family drama. We believe the series will have both a wide ranging family appeal as well as becoming cult viewing for aspirational adults."According to Media Bulletin, ITV is backing their series with a heavyweight marketing campaign.
M and C Saatchi has created an off-air campaign, encompassing outdoor and press ads, while ITV's in-house promotions agency, ITV Creative, has produced the on-air activity.The creative introduces members of the cast and attempt to recreate the high-tempo pace of the series with action scenes and the strapline, "Time for adventure".

100 Torchwood Icons

http://community.livejournal.com/indiexicons/8357.html

A blogger visit and tours cardiff pics included!!!

http://bigtitch.livejournal.com/111675.html

Very nice read and great pics of the locations.

Torchwood DVD Vol 2

Torchwood series 1 part 2 will be available to buy on DVD from 26th February 2007.The two-disc set contains four episodes, Countrycide, Greeks Bearing Gifts, They Keep Killing Susie and Invisible Eugene.Special features include deleted scenes, out-takes and a short making of featurette for each episode. Released by BBC DVD Torchwood series 1 part 2 is available for pre-order from BBC Shop.com

Visit Loose Cannon Reconstructions

Fan reconstructions of missing Doctor Who stories.
Many Doctor Who stories from the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras are missing or destroyed. Loose Cannon Productions has attempted to recreate these missing episodes through use of telesnaps and other means. The reconstructions (or recons) of these missing or lost Doctor Who episodes are the hard work of the Loose Cannon Production Team.

Visit Nicola.net

Hyde Fundraisers at the Cinema

The following is a press release we got from Hyde Fundraisers regarding a cinema screening of the last two episodes of Series Two:

Hyde Fundraisers at the Cinema
Hyde Fundraisers Press Release

Our exciting news to inform you of is the special screening of Dr Who Episodes - Army Of Ghosts/Doomsday - to be shown at Cineworld in Ashton.

The episodes are planned to be shown on March 3rd to support the BBC Children In Need Appeal with kind permission from BBC TV and assistance of the Cineworld site in Ashton-under-Lyne. There will be tickets available soon for those wishing to attend this very special event which will also include photo opportunities featuring some of our New series Dr Who characters.

We can also announce that you'll be able to buy the latest official Dr Who merchandise at the event courtesy of retailers Galaxy 4 who will be onsite at the event. Tickets for this screening will be priced at £9 Adults and Children £6 with all ticket monies going to BBC Children In Need.

The first batch of tickets can now be ordered through the post - send your cheque payable to HYDE FUNDRAISERS with a stamped addressed envelope to:

Kevin Taylor c/o Reporter & Chronicle Newspapers, Park House, Acres Lane, Stalybridge, Cheshire, SK15 2JR.

What a Con!

We've received notification from Tenth Planet of various Doctor Who conventions taking place across the UK throughout 2007.
First up is Invasion at Barking Abbey Comprehensive School, Barking, on Saturday 17th March 2007. Confirmed guests for this event include:
Sixth Doctor Colin Baker
Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy
Eighth Doctor Paul McGann
Ace actress Sophie Aldred
Derek Martin
Michael Kilgarriff (CyberController/ Giant Robot)
Derek Ware (Stuntman and actor - e.g. Inferno)
Charles Pemberton (Cyberman - Tomb of the Cybermen, plus various genre shows)
April 14th & 15th sees the final "Star One" convention for Blake's 7 fans. Confirmed guests so far are Paul Darrow, Angela Bruce, John Leeson, Peter Tuddingham, Steven Pacey, Lindy Alexander, Judy Buxton, Brian Croucher... and Jacqueling Pearce! Star One takes place at the Park Inn Hotel, bedford - visit tenthplanet.co.uk/starone for more.
The 21st and 22nd of July sees the Bad Wolf Doctor Who and Torchwood event in Birmingham. Confirmed guests include:
Gareth David Lloyd (Torchwood's Ianto Jones)
Murray Melvin (Billis Manger)
Gareth Thomas (Ed Morgan from Torchwood 3; Blake from Blake's 7)
Elizabeth Fost (Auton/Slitheen monster actress)
William Russell (First Doctor companion Ian Chesterton)
Finally, and most surprisingly we have the Dimensions event on 10th and 11th November 2007. Over the last few years this event has been held in Stockton on Tees, easily accessible by rail and road. This year it seems that the event has grown too big, and the new venue is the Washington district of Emerson, which doesnt have the same standard of transport links.
Confirmed guests for this event include:
Colin Baker
Peri actress Nicola Bryant
Inquisitor (Trial of a Time Lord) Lynda Bellingham
Valeyard (Trial of a Time Lord) Michael Jayston
BBC Author Gary Russell (now demoted to guest...)
The Big Finish team
The Doctor Who Magazine team
Visit Tenth Planet for pricing details of all events. Please note that attendance of all guests is dependent on work commitments.

On Target: the changing face of the doctor

A comprehensive website dedicated to the Target line of Doctor Who novels

Big Finish New Releases

Big Finish has released the cover images and plot information for their January and February Doctor Who releases.January sees the release of Circular Time. Written by new series writer Paul Cornell, it features Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton in four one-episode stories.February has Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, and Philip Olivier being joined by Are You Being Served? alumnus Trevor Bannister for Nocturne.

Circular Time Summer to winter, the seasons turn. In the springtime of a distant future, the Doctor and Nyssa become embroiled in Time Lord politics on an alien world. During the stifling heat of a summer past they suffer the vengeful wrath of Isaac Newton. In the recent past, Nyssa spends a romantic golden autumn in an English village while the Doctor plays cricket. And finally, many years after their travels together have ended, the two friends meet again in the strangest of circumstances. Four seasons. Four stories. Now close the door behind you, you're letting the cold in...

Nocturne - On the human colony planet Nocturne, there is suffering and blight, tragic symptoms of an ages-old war. Never the less, Nocturne is also one of the Doctor's favourite places in all of time and space, because it is here that a late, great flowering of human art - the High Renaissance - is taking place. He has been back here, many times. It is a place of music and art which he finds inspirational and uplifting. It is a place he wants to share with Ace and Hex. It's always been a safe haven for him, a world of friends and laughter. But with strict Martial Law imposed on the front-line city, and the brutal scourge of interstellar warfare vicing the system, how safe can anyone really be? There is a note of death in the wild, midnight wind...

The Runaway Bride - Audience Breakdown

Final data has now been received for the Christmas day showing of "The Runaway Bride". The programme achieved a final rating of 9.35 million viewers, which was a 38% share of the total television audience.Of that audience
50% were male and 50% female.
20% of the audience was aged of 4 to 15
9% was aged 16 to 24
13% was aged 25 to 3419% was aged 35 to 44
17% was aged 45 to 5411% was aged 55 to 64
12% was aged over 65
The total Children's audience was 1.83m and it was by far the highest rated programme, with those aged 4 to 15, for Christmas week. The children's share was 57%The Children's audience was more skewed towards the males with boys making up 55% of the audience, while girls made up 45%.18% were between 4 and 630% between 7 and 930% between 10 and 1221% between 13 and 15

Series Three launch night party

A Series Three launch night party is to take place in central London, giving fans the chance to see the premier episode live on a big-screen plasma projection system with full surround sound - and possibly in the company of a famous name or two.This is a free event and 100 entrance tickets have been set aside for a prize draw, due to take place three weeks before the confirmed series launch date. Organiser Jeremy Bentham, who staged similar capacity celebrations in 2005 and 2006, said: "If you are aged 18 or over and your name comes out of the hat, you could be among the party-goers cheering on 'Smith and Jones' plus any other supporting Doctor Who programming broadcast that day. And you never know who else might just pop by . . . "

The party starts at 4pm and a cash bar and full food menu will be available throughout the afternoon and evening. In addition, from 10pm there will be free admission to the venue’s nightclub event.To enter the draw, send a postcard stating your full name, address, daytime contact number and the number of tickets you would like (maximum two) to: DW Launch Party 2007, 13 Northfield Road, Boreham Wood, Herts, WD6 5AE.Winners only will be notified by post the week following the draw. Those who subsequently find that they are unable to attend the party are asked to return their ticket(s) to the draw address as soon as possible so that they can be reallocated via a waiting list of names to be subsequently drawn out of the hat.Details of accommodation near the party venue can be provided for people travelling long distances - simply ask for this on the postcard. NB: Licensing laws mean that all winners and guests must be at least 18 years old. No admission without a valid ticket.

Honey Don't Roam

From The Press Association via Yahoo UK and Ireland:

Doctor Who actress Billie Piper has made a surprise chart comeback on downloads alone.

The former pop star's hit Honey To The Bee entered at number 17, after Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles urged his listeners to test new chart rules by buying the track.

Previously downloads were included in the Official Singles Chart only if physical copies of the song were available in shops.

But from January 1 all download sales could be counted, meaning that any song available on the internet could be the next number one.

To read the rest or the article CLICK HERE.

This has beat out an attempt to get Love Don't Roam from The Runaway Bride onto the 40 charts. For more details from the CBBC Newsround website CLICK HERE.__._,_.___

New Beginnings

Review: regeneration DVD boxset.
New Beginnings is a boxset of classic series stories that reintroduces the Master, and sees Tom Baker's long-running Doctor regenerate into Peter Davison.
The DVD extras form a tribute to Tom Baker and also to the late Anthony Ainley, who played the new version of the Master.
Surprisingly, Ainley still manages to contribute a commentary to one of the stories. Recorded before his death in 2004, it's an eerie listen, but, for a character that had a surprising knack for resurrection, perhaps that's only fitting.
The stories themselves are a worthy - if wordy - bunch. Under Producer John Nathan-Turner, it was certainly a high-concept and high-gloss period for the show. The sets and costumes are often astonishing - from the Art Nouveau grandeur of the court of Traken through to the brain-like districts of Logopolis and on to the dimension-scrambling 'simplicity' of Castrovalva.
The cast rise to the challenge of seeing out the old and embracing the new. Tom Baker has toned down his boggle-eyed madness to a funereal grimness by now - probably because nobody put up much of a fight to keep him when he announced he was quitting - whilst Peter Davison mixes fragililty with bemusement as his Doctor unravels both mentally and physically.
Ainley is at his darkest and genocidal best here, with new companion Janet Fielding's ferocious and feisty Tegan making a big impact too. Sarah Sutton's more conventional new companion Nyssa slips into the show rather quietly by comparison. But points to her for being cast as a regular purely on the strength of her guest role.
And then there's Adric. Anyway, moving on...
The impressive features range from chats with Peter Davison, the writers and directors, a piece on the increasingly overcrowded TARDIS and a magnificent examination of Tom's final months on the show. It's particularly lovely to see Tom really opening up for a change, as he often makes light of his contribution to Doctor Who when performing for the cameras.
You also get a clutch of cast appearances on shows of the time and, for music fans, the scores for each story on isolated audio tracks.
An eagerly awaited release that's hard to fault on any level.

Watch a clip from The Keeper of Traken.
Watch a clip from Logopolis.
Watch a clip with commentary from Castrovalva.
Watch a clip from the A New Body At Last documentary.

Bearded Eccleston: I Didn't Want To Play The Bad Guy

By MICHAEL HINMANJan-18-2007If Christopher Eccleston had a choice, he'd most likely hope that his former persona of the good Doctor on "Doctor Who" would be invisible to fans, but instead, it's his character of Claude that will have that ability when "Heroes" returns Jan. 22.
"What attracted me to 'Heroes' is that they came in for me, and I appreciated that," a bearded Eccleston told HeroSite.net. "We talked about two roles, and it was Claude that I decided on, the second role."
The first role Eccleston was offered actually came as a villain, but that was something he simply wasn't interested in. "I think that it's somewhat of a cliche for European actors to play villains in American culture, and I didn't want to be part of that," he said.
Eccleston said nothing about his previous work, "Doctor Who," which he starred in for a single season, but he wasn't asked about it either. However, it was "Heroes" on his mind, and "Heroes" that he was talking about, even though most of his character will be a special effect with voiceovers.
"When you play a character with super powers or whatever you would call it, I think the most important thing is to concentrate on making the man or woman itself naturalistic and truthful," Eccleston said. "The more you can do that, the more the audience will buy the more extreme behavior which comes from having super powers. So it's an acting exercise, as every character is."
Claude, as has been previously described by showrunner Tim Kring, is actually an older hero, and will step in as sort of a mentor role, Eccleston said.
"I think Claude has a conscience and a very good heart, and I think there is a kind of strain of psychology, almost, called the 'guilt of the survivor,' and I think those three things are the main motivators for Claude," he said. "I think it's reasonable to say that Claude belongs to a previous generation to our present heroes. He functions as a kind of paternal figure."
For more of the interview, check out HeroSite.net.
"Heroes" returns Jan. 22, and also will feature the debut of another popular genre actor, "Star Trek's" George Takei.
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Runaway bride icons

http://community.livejournal.com/timorousbeastie/51841.html#cutid1

Colin Baker in drag

Vids and pics verrrry funny, beware lol


http://community.livejournal.com/doctorwho/1425072.html

INVASION!!!!

Saturday 17th March 2007 Barking Abbey School, Barking

http://www.tenthplanet.co.uk/invasion/

I hate i live in the usa, i miss all the cool conventions lol.

Want to work with daleks?

Job title: Doctor Who Special Exhibition Assistants
About the position: The Museum is seeking front of house customer service assistants for the upcoming Doctor Who exhibition, from 1 March to 5 November. Working hours will be between 14 and 30 hours per week, with applicants working a flexible shift pattern. Employer: Museum of Science and Industry, ManchesterAbout the organisation: Museum with galleries ranging from science, energy, air and space to archives. Extra skills: Excellent customer service skills, lively and outgoing, with experience in a busy front of house role. Salary details: £5.44 per hourHow to apply: For FDs and EAF tel: 0161 606 0105, e-mail: recruitment@msim.org.uk or visit the website. Quote ref: 01/07 Closing date: 05/02/2007Website: www.msim.org.uk

New venues for exhibitions

Manchester and Land's End have been announced as new locations for Doctor Who Up Close exhibitions this year.The official exhibitions site says the Manchester display, running from March 31 to November 5 at the Museum of Science and Industry, will be the "largest ever Doctor Who exhibition". People will reportedly have the first chance to see some of the creations from Series Three there.The museum's website says there will be props, costumes and monsters on display, while 24hourmuseum reports that among them will be items from "The Runaway Bride".The Manchester attraction's site also has details of a Foto Fun event taking place between February 12 and 18 in which people can have their picture taken fighting a Dalek.The museum is in Liverpool Road in the Castlefield district of Manchester.Meanwhile, Land's End will have its own Up Close exhibition from Easter 2007, according to the official exhibitions site, although no more details are available as yet.

Netflix needs the Doctor

According to tvshowsondvd.com, several Netflix customers noted that their rented copies of Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series disc one had a problem. Apparently at the 32 minute mark of New Earth the episode switches to a rather gruesome scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Along the same lines, the special features section of the disc does not work. Once the BBC were contacted and made aware of the issue they quickly responded with a statement that yes, there was a problem with the discs in question. Only Netflix copies of disc one were affected and not those for purchase in stores. While the BBC works on replacing the faulty DVDs, Nexflix has pulled disc one as being available for rent until the situation is resolved.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=6833

New wallpapers

New wallpapers of the Doctor and Martha can be found at the following links:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c228/tennant05/book/wall13.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c228/tennant05/newsround/martha1.jpg

Doctor Who Art

We'd just like to point you in the direction of a fabulous new website Gravis Art.
The site features a collection of drawings, many featuring David Tennant, by Anthony Dry.
You may recognise the above drawing of the Doctor and Rose as it was featured in the booklet for The Complete Second Series DVD Boxset. The site is well worth a visit, the images are truly fantastic!

Google the Dr Who filming locations

Check out the Google map of the locations where the Doctor Who episodes have been filmed over the years.

Dr Who Google

Check out the Skaro Toy Museum

I found a fantastic site full of older vintage toys from the Doctor Who series. The awesome pictures and products here made me salivate for hours lol. Enjoy.

SKARO TOY MUSEUM

Great Tom Baker Interview

Head over to The Eye Of Horus for a long Tom Baker interview. I love the pics.....

FORTHCOMING DVD (BBC)

'DVD Rights Cleared'


THE KEYS OF MARINUSFirst Doctor/William Hartnell
THE CHASE First Doctor/William Hartnell
REVENGE OF THE CYBERMEN Fourth Doctor/Tom Baker
THE SEEDS OF DOOM Fourth Doctor/Tom Baker
THE STATE OF DECAY Fourth Doctor/Tom Baker
FRONTIOSFifth Doctor/Peter Davison
THE SEA DEVILS Third Doctor/Jon Pertwee
FRONTIOSFifth Doctor/Peter Davison
ATTACK OF THE CYBERMEN Sixth Doctor/Colin Baker

The Doctor and Ardal in Canada

The Ottawa Citizen takes an extensive look at the release of Series Two on DVD in Canada.In his piece, Chris Knight explains why exactly the show has appealed to the Canadian frame of mind.The article concludes by looking at the DVD release in Canada of the first season of BBC sitcom My Hero, starring Ardal O'Hanlon, who plays the character Brannigan in episode three of Series Three.

Doctor Who Singles Chart battle

The BBC children's news programme Newsround is the latest to report on plans to put Love Don't Roam by Murray Gold into the UK Singles charts.Reporter Lizo Mzimba commented: "It's all happened because of a change in the rules on how the singles chart works. Now any song, whether it's a single or an album track, whether it's in the shops or only by downloading, can make it into the singles chart if enough people buy it. That's what a group of Doctor Who fans have tried to take advantage of. They've spent the week trying to persuade people to download a track featured in the Doctor Who Christmas Special, in the hope that the song Love Don't Roam - which was never intended to be a single - will actually make it into the singles chart next week."He went on to say: "If you think it's ridiculous that a Doctor Who song could be popular enough to get into the charts, think again - a few years back this song (Doctorin' The TARDIS), inspired by Doctor Who, not only got into the charts, it got to number one!"The item was entitled "David Tennant vs Billie Piper" as, in addition to above and as we previously reported, BBC Radio One DJ Chris Moyles is also attempting to get a track into the charts - Honey to the Bee by former Doctor Who actress Billie Piper.Newsround have also invited viewers to vote on which song they'd like to see make it to the top of the charts their website - though you can't vote for both!Though not referenced by name, Outpost Gallifrey made it into the item, used as an illustration of one of the sites where the download is being discussed (see above picture).(Billie Piper was also mentioned on this morning's Entertainment Today, talking about her new play Treats, but also to comment that she was on their first ever show, some 250 editions ago.)

Obituary: Patrick Tull

It is with deepest regret we announce the passing of Patrick Tull.

Patrick was best known to Doctor Who fans for his role as the Kroton Voices in the 2nd Doctor adventure; The Kroton

s.

BBC Chief: Dr Who is our creative future

On the day when the BBC's Director General expressed real disappointment at the Government's final licence fee level settlement, which funds the corporation, he also gave a keynote speech on the BBC's creative future. Addressing The Future Of Creative Content Conference, part of the Media Summit 2007 event taking place in London, Mark Thompson gave a detailed lecture, but highlighted only one programme as an example of how the corporation was making its creative future a reality - Doctor Who. This part of his lecture is quoted below.
But it's incredibly important that we don't define "value" solely around productivity or cost-cutting. One of the fundamental lessons we learned from Creative Future was the value you can grow, the audiences you can build, when you think about projects not just in terms of single linear broadcast windows but across different platforms and media.It will be much harder to justify very high budgets for content that only gets a single outing on a linear channel. But that's no longer the right way to think about content commissioning. In future major projects should extend not just across TV, the web, radio, and mobile but through multiple windows across time and across different business models.So: Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and BBC Wales build a brilliant sci-fi production factory to deliver Doctor Who. And when I say "factory" I don't just mean physical production, I mean ideas, development, brilliant scripts, design as well. A complete creative operation.The factory of course makes even better creative and economic sense when you add Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Doctor Who plays out across BBC and UKTV channels. The Torchwood website is not just commissioned on day one but is out there before the TV premiere. There's a coherent plan in place for the whole audience relationship with the content almost from the start.Now clearly this kind of 360 degree exploitation could be creatively limiting or tawdry. Commercial priorities could distort the original commissioning intention. But it really hasn't been in this case and that's because we've had totally committed creative leaders at the centre of decision-making at every stage of the process. You'd have to talk to them directly to hear how they've found it, but my sense is that the sheer scale of the possibilities, the potential to link different titles and different platforms has been creatively inspiring and liberating.

Battles in Time Expansion

GE Fabbri has announced a new expansion set to the Doctor Who: Battles in Time magazine and collectible card series. The new set, The Annihilator Series, will feature 100 new card designs. The Expansion set, which includes images from The Runaway Bride, will be included starting with Issue 12.

“As well as some terrifying Racnoss Empress cards, there are some amazing moving-image ultra rare cards in this set,” says Battles In Time editor, Claire Lister. “We’re lucky that Doctor Who features several monsters that look very different underneath from what you’d expect on the outside, so look out for a Sycorax Unmasking Card, a Dalek Mutant reveal, and a particularly chilling card where Toby Zed becomes possessed by the Beast!”

Torchwood on Spanish TV

Trade magazine Variety is reporting that the Spanish network Cuatro has purchased Torchwood, along with a number of US dramas.

There’s nothing at all tardy about Alf’s* TARDIS

WHEN Cornerstone’s caretaker Alf Walsh decided to build a TARDIS for the centre’s ‘Intergalactic Day’ he surfed the internet for accurate blueprints and then built a full-size copy out of chipboard.
The home-made Doctor Who time machine is the star attraction at a space-based literacy day at the Langworthy Cornerstone, aimed at improving English.
Alf, 49, of Philip Street, Eccles, said: "When I heard they were having this Intergalactic Day, I decided to see what I could do to help.
Advertisement

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"I have never built anything like this before so I just looked it up on the internet and got the general dimensions of the TARDIS and started to build it with my mate George Blagden, using chipboard.
"It took about 10 hours and we had to construct it outside because it was too big for my house, and George then helped me transport it to the Cornerstone in his van.
"I don’t know what’s going to happen to it after Saturday. I hope it will stay at the Cornerstone - it certainly won’t be coming back home - my wife thinks I’m mad enough for building it in the first place!
"And anyway, I was not that much of a Dr Who fan as a child. It was alright at first but I quickly transferred my loyalties to Star Wars."
The Langworthy Cornerstone is staging its Intergalactic Day as part of the BBC’s Raw City initiative, designed to encourage literacy skills across the UK.
The machine will stand in the hall and will have a letter box in it that children can post their sci-fi short story competition entries.
Every time they do so, the flashing light on the top is activated and suitable Dr Who-style noises, such as the TARDIS taking off and the Daleks ‘Exterminate’ command will be heard.
The short story competition is just one of many attractions featured during the day.
Others include a visit by Dr Who scriptwriter Steve Cole, who will be conducting a writing seminar and judging the winning entries in the story competition.
Fans of the show, which used to star Eccles-based actor Christopher Eccleston, will be given instructions on how to construct their own Dalek, there will be alien fancy dress competitions, ‘alien’ food, and treasure hunts.
For further details regarding the Saturday, January 20 event ring the Cornerstone on: 0161 212 4400.
Ailsa Cranna

FOX SAYS IT WITH FLOWERS

Suzanne Kerins
TV beauty Billie Piper and new man, actor Laurence Fox, have been smooching for all to see in Wimbledon. When they eventually came up for air, Laurence, 28 - son of film star James - bought Doctor Who star Billie, 24, some flowers.
My spy says: "They were all over each other and didn't seem remotely bothered who saw them."
The pair ditched their long-term lovers last month. Laurence dumped actress Martha Swann, 29 - who he'd been with for six years. And Billie finished with Amadu Sowe, 29, the man who shared her life for two year and comforted her after her split with Chris Evans.

Billie has a love-ly holiday

BILLIE PIPER whisked her new fella off on a New York break — and returned “besotted”.
The Doctor Who star, 24, told pals she is now “very serious” about Lewis actor Laurence Fox.
She is currently rehearsing a play in Windsor with the 28-year-old — son of film star James.
A source said: “They’re in love. The New York trip just sealed it. They’re officially an item.”
Billie, who will star in ITV drama Mansfield Park, dumped Amadu Sowe, 28, last month.

Kylie's tribute to Dr Who on youtube

Click the pic to see Kylie and a few cybermen rock out on stage.

Series four plans

Russell T Davies talks about the future.
Executive Producer Russell T Davies reveals more new series secrets in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine:
"We're planning for Series Four right now," Executive Producer Russell T Davies tells Doctor Who Magazine, "as we're waiting to be commissioned, and the signs are very good."
"I will stay for Series Four," he confirms. "I think we all will – Julie [Gardner, executive producer], Phil [Collinson, producer], and I would absolutely love to do it, so we're waiting for the nod, and we're fairly confident that it will come. The BBC is so supportive, and they're delighted with the ratings – not just the ratings, cos they're not that ratings-conscious, but also the profile, and the energy of the show. They love it.
"So yes, we're making plans for Series Four. If we waited until they commissioned it, and I don't know when that'll be announced, we'd be behind already. Phil and I drove up to Manchester the other day, and we added together all of our ideas for Series Four in the space of that car journey... and we had nine episodes already! Of course, some of them will change, but it's already gathering shape...!"
The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine is available on Thursday 14 September, and includes more news about Doctor Who Confidential and the Eighth Doctor.

Will we be losing another Who staple in season 3???

I've just recieved my copy of the new 'Doctor Who: The Inside Story' book and towards the back there's a few pages previewing season 3 and included is a picture of the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver after it's been shot at by the Judoon (and it looks pretty badly damaged)! So it seems it gets destroyed, just like it did in the classic series (in 'The Visitation').

Cybeman call center video {verrrrry funny}

I cracked up when i saw this ...


http://tv.peekvid.com/s2532/e26786/

Now You See Him: HeroSite Talks With Christopher Eccleston

Click the link to read the article on Herosite

The announcement that Christopher Eccleston would soon be appearing in a recurring role on Heroes was very exciting for fans across the world. The veteran of movies, television, and the stage plays an invisible man named Claude, and he will be making his first appearance on Heroes on the January 22 episode, "Godsend."Mr. Eccleston was kind enough to take the time from shooting on Heroes' sixteenth episode to do an interview with HeroSite.net's Craig Byrne about his powerful new role.

The interview follows:

HEROSITE.NET: You've had the ability to pick and choose some of the best roles. What was it that attracted you to Heroes?

CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON: What attracted me to Heroes is that they came in for me, and I appreciated that. We talked about two roles, and it was Claude that I decided on, the second role.

HS: Was there something in particular that made you choose Claude?

CE: Well, there's a possibility that we'll be giving away plot points, but what I will say is that the first role was a villain, and I didn't want to play a villain. I think that it's somewhat of a cliche for European actors to play villains in American culture, and I didn't want to be part of that.

HS: What made you decide to do American television?

CE: Well, I like American television. I enjoy American television. I've got three particular favorites - The Larry Sanders Show, Deadwood, and NYPD Blue. I admire them all for very different reasons. One's a very broad, naturalistic satiric comedy. Deadwood's a fantastic take on the Western genre, and NYPD Blue, I thought the writing and the acting was extraordinary.

HS: What actors have you been able to work with on the series thus far, and what is it like to work with them?

CE: Milo, Milo, and Milo. I've worked very briefly with Jack Coleman and Jimmy Jean-Louis [HRG and The Haitian], but my whole time has been with Milo, who has been an absolute gentleman. He's a very generous actor, and has made me feel very welcome. I've enjoyed it immensely.

HS: How does working in American television differ from the routines of doing British TV?

CE: It doesn't, apart from the food. You guys really like to eat. The food is good, but apart from that, it's in vast quantities compared to British sets. We're a little more frugal about feeding ourselves. But no. It compares very favorably. Very similar.

HS: What kind of special effects have you been able to work with?

CE: Not many, really. Playing an invisible man, most of it is done in post. What I have done, is I have flown. Me and Milo flew together. I've been tasered, but again, that might be giving away plot points. And I've shut doors without even being present. There's a lot of that kind of gag stuff.

HS: Have you had to do a lot of ADR or voiceover work?

CE: I did some post - what we call post-synching in Britain, two days ago. That was my first session. I think the sound guys are excellent on this, and even though we were shooting a hell of a lot downtown, which is a very difficult location, we've managed to save most of the real sound, which is great for an actor. You can never replicate what you did on the day [of filming].

HS: What are the challenges of playing an invisible man?

CE: You know, there aren't, really. When you play a character with super powers or whatever you would call it, I think the most important thing is to concentrate on making the man or woman itself naturalistic and truthful. The more you can do that, the more the audience will buy the more extreme behavior which comes from having super powers. So it's an acting exercise, as every character is.

HS: Is it exciting for you to have that challenge?

CE: It's exciting to play any character, and as I've said, you can't think about the extraordinary things he can do, because those, to a certain extent, are out of your hands. They're down to the post guys. So you've got to concentrate on the truth of - you search for the relationships, and obviously a key relationship in this is Claude and Peter.

HS: Are you allowed to say for how long you may be appearing on the show?

CE: I think it is better to keep that a mystery.

HS: But it is for multiple episodes?

CE: It is, yeah. It is multiple episodes.

HS: Had you seen Heroes at all before taking the role?

CE: When they offered me the role, they sent me the pilot to look at, and I was interested and intrigued, so I came on board.

HS: What other projects may be in your future, beyond Heroes?

CE: I shot a film in the Fall in New Orleans in which I play a New Orleanean doctor. That film is called New Orleans, Mon Amour, which is about post-Katrina, the rescue effort, and the emotional damage as well as the physical damage that was done to that great city. And I'm doing Heroes. In about two weeks I go off to Bucharest to make a film called The Dark Is Rising, which is from a series of fantasy books which were written in the Seventies.

HS: In an ideal world, what kind of acting do you enjoy the most - theatre, television, or movies?CE: I've been very fortunate through film and television to learn about screen acting. It's been my life for twenty years. If I had my choice, I would exclusively do theater, if I could justify it financially. Theatre is my country is by and large very lowly paid, so actors have to supplement it with television and film work, if they're fortunate enough to be able to do that. The main reason for that is theatre is an actor's medium. Film and television is primarily a director's medium. When you act in the theatre you get a four to six week rehearsal period, where you can build a character, and of course each evening when you give a performance, you have the final edit. So, theater acting is my great love. But, I've had some very interesting and rewarding experiences in front of the camera.

HS: Do you know if the writers intended any significance to the name "Claude," because of the name of the first actor to play an invisible man?

CE: The first time I appear as Claude, I make a joke about that, so it is a homage, I think, to Claude Raines.

HS: Does Claude have a last name?

CE: I don't know, no.

HS: What do you feel motivates Claude to do things or behave the way that he does?

CE: I think Claude has a conscience and a very good heart, and I think there is a kind of strain of psychology, almost, called the guilt of the survivor, and I think those three things are the main motivators for Claude.

HS: I believe I read in an early interview with Tim Kring, that Claude has been living with these powers for a while?

CE: That's right. I think it's reasonable to say that Claude belongs to a previous generation to our present heroes. He functions as a kind of paternal figure to Peter.

HS: Do you feel that his presence really helps Peter along in his journey?

CE: Yeah. That's very much the dynamic of their relationship.

HS: When you took the role, did the writers and producers lay out your character's general arc, or are you learning more as you go along?

CE: I knew that the role would be substantial and key. I had to have that up front. But obviously, details emerge as you shoot, which is the same for all of the ensemble cast.

HS: I've noticed in the trailer that Claude has a disheveled look. Is there a reason for this appearance, and as an actor, do you enjoy being able to change your appearance for a role?

CE: I think that it's something I bring naturally to the role. [Laughs] No, Claude lives a very solitary and marginal life, for very good reasons, so he doesn't have much time for facials and high fashion. But you may see a change.

HS: Is it a different feeling to be filming here in the States, where you might not be as easily recognized as you are in the UK?

CE: I moved to America on June the 8th of last year, and it's been like beginning my career again, and I'm loving the challenge. It's great, at 42, to give myself the kind of challenge I gave to myself when I was 19 and left Salford to go to London to start drama school.

HS: Have you done any theater here in the States yet, and would you like to?

CE: No. I'd love to. To work on Broadway would be a dream fulfilled.

HS: Have you been noticed or approached by any of your fans out here in L.A.?

CE: I occasionally get recognized for projects, but particularly Shallow Grave seems to register. 28 Days Later. And Elizabeth. Very occasionally.

HS: On HeroSite we have a Real Heroes page where we spotlight charities that are supported by individual people associated with the show. I believe I read that you were involved with some charities?

CE: Back home I'm patron of an extraordinary theatre company called Celebrity Pig, which is made up of people with a learning disability. I'm a patron of that company, and I've been involved in a couple of their productions, and I hope to do more. I'm an ambassador with [the learning disability charity] MENCAP, and I also went out to Banda Aceh for the Red Cross. [Banda Aceh was at the very center of the tsunami that occurred on Boxing Day 2004]
--
HeroSite.net's Craig Byrne would like to thank Christopher Eccleston for taking the time to participate in this interview, and would also like to extend special thanks to the folks who made it happen.
Don't forget to watch Claude's debut episode... Monday, January 22 on NBC!