Saturday, June 30, 2007
Just watched Last of the timelords....
and WOWWW. Out of all that happens the one thing i went "say what?" at was the whole jack/face of boe thing? I mean come on man. Jack would never be just a big ole head. k going to re watch and speculate more later.......no more master bye bye martha damn....
JB mirror interview
IT'S a big day for John Barrowman. His character Captain Jack will form part of a shocking plot twist in the finale of Doctor Who and the actor will take to the stage at the nation's largest gay festival.But as one of the hosts at today's London Pride in Trafalgar Square, John has something shocking to reveal to us, too.In an exclusive interview he tells us that although he is committed to his partner of 16 years, architect Scott Gill, there's one woman who could turn his head - This Morning's Fern Britton.Advertisement"She's gorgeous, I love her to death. Fern could have me in a second," he says."I think larger women are sexy. They're not so worried about staying thin and they hold themselves a lot better."But before all you ladies get too excited, John reveals he would only have sex with a woman to give his husband a child.John, 40, married Scott last December in a civil partnership ceremony in Cardiff.And now the loved-up pair are considering becoming parents. "One day I might want to have children and in order to have a child, you either do it artificially or you have sex with a woman," says John.AND you can never say no to anything. I do have a couple of very good friends who have said: 'If you want to do it, I'll be happy to do it.'"So I could possibly have sex with a woman but it would be for a reason - to procreate, not for sexual enjoyment. Unless Scott was involved - and then I could have my cake and eat it."Ask him if Scott would mind him sleeping with a woman and John leans in conspiratorally and whispers: "Actually, Scott said he finds it a turn-on to think of me being with a woman. This is where I get into trouble - I'm pretty honest!"But what John's not so convinced about is his position as a sex symbol.With his sparkling blue eyes, smooth, tanned complexion and pearly white smile, it's easy to see the appeal. "Am I a sex symbol?" he says. "I don't think that. I still see myself as John. But if I am a sex symbol, I think it's fantastic because I'm sexy then to a very diverse group of people."I've got gay men, women, young girls - and I mean over the age of consent, of course - and then there are my fans who are younger who think of me as a hero."And that hero is Captain Jack, who first appeared in Doctor Who in 2005, when Christopher Eccleston had the lead role.He came to a sticky end during a Dalek attack and it was left to Rose Tyler, played by Billie Piper, to save his life.The flamboyant rogue then went off to form Torchwood - a late-night spin-off show where Captain Jack heads the Cardiff branch of the fictional Torchwood Institute, investigating paranormal behaviour.While John hates being referred to as a "gay actor" - "I'm an actor who is gay" - he feels privileged to be a gay role model.Many fans have written to him for advice on coming out. And he will always write back personally.Scottish-born John, who developed his American accent when he moved to Illinois at the age of eight, realised he was gay when he was nine years old but he feared he was wrong to have such thoughts about other men.In high school, he dated a few girls, but says he was just going through the motions of what was expected."It was more like friendships and going out with someone because everyone else did," he says. "There was Marilyn, who remains one of my best friends. She knew I was gay and I knew I was gay but I was protecting her from all the guys and she was protecting me from the guys and the girls."I'm not going to be a prude, we did do stuff but we never did the full thing. It was never anything I was into or passionate about."BUT although his parents, John and Marion, were supportive when he came out at 21, many in the local community weren't."One of the reasons why some families are afraid of when their children come out is because they're afraid of what other people think," says John, who flies his parents over to the UK to visit every three months."My parents had that, they had people say things about me. They got to the point where they weren't going to stand for it anymore. They ended a friendship of 16 years with these people who knew me very well. I'd wined and dined and entertained them, as they had with me."It's not that they were mean to my face but, after a few drinks, they made comments about putting us on an island and blowing it up, and they'd say words like 'fag'. It doesn't hurt me but this hurt my parents."They actually debated leaving their religion because their sect of the church was debating whether to allow gay ministers and if they had decided not to have gay ministers, my parents would have left."John believes there is still a lot of homophobia in the US."In the UK, we're more European in our outlook but in the US, oh my God, we're sinners, we're going to hell," he explains."How Christian is that? To tell someone they're going to hell because they're in love with somebody."But in Captain Jack's world, there are far more pressing issues.He returned to meet the new Doctor for the final three episodes of this current third series and we saw Captain Jack last Saturday in the clutches of the evil Master, played by John Simm.It's looking like an impossible situation for him and the Doctor (David Tennant), who's been turned into a helpless old man by the Master.Their only hope is the Doctor's assistant, Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), who has escaped to drum up a resistance force.One thing's for sure, Doctor Who fans are set for an explosive series finale tonight. "It's going to leave every single Who fan absolutely speechless," says John, who's barely able to contain his excitement."There's going to be a huge revelation, not just for the Doctor, but also for Captain Jack. It's just going to be, like, OH MY GOD!"I wish I could have a satellite over the UK at that moment, when that sequence is revealed, to just hear whoosh... silence."As to whether Jack will be back in the fourth series of Doctor Who, which starts with the Christmas special, we'll have to wait and see."If I'm asked, then I'd gladly go back at the drop of a hat. I don't think we've seen the last of Captain Jack - but that's just my personal opinion."DOCTOR Who: Last Of The Timelords, is on BBC1 tonight at 7.05pm. I hope everyone who's going to Gay Pride today has a fun and safe time!
DOCTOR WHO: FEELING A LITTLE STRANGE
Sounds like a cliffhanger ending is on its way!!!!!
Caged Time Lord gets tiny treatment from Master
THIS week on Doctor Who, the Doctor finds himself shrivelled to the size of a chihuahua, caged like an animal with a weary, haunted, defeated look on his face.
He pays the price as the Master finally manages to get the better of his arch-enemy.
Last week, the evil Time Lord, played by Life On Mars star John Simm, turned his nemesis into a helpless old man. In tonight's series finale, he goes even further to humiliate David Tennant's Doctor.
An insider said: "He takes the Doctor to the next level and shrinks him. The Master treats the Doctor like an animal."
Producer Russell T Davies said: "The final scenes of John Simm and David Tennant in this series are just so brilliant."
Caged Time Lord gets tiny treatment from Master
THIS week on Doctor Who, the Doctor finds himself shrivelled to the size of a chihuahua, caged like an animal with a weary, haunted, defeated look on his face.
He pays the price as the Master finally manages to get the better of his arch-enemy.
Last week, the evil Time Lord, played by Life On Mars star John Simm, turned his nemesis into a helpless old man. In tonight's series finale, he goes even further to humiliate David Tennant's Doctor.
An insider said: "He takes the Doctor to the next level and shrinks him. The Master treats the Doctor like an animal."
Producer Russell T Davies said: "The final scenes of John Simm and David Tennant in this series are just so brilliant."
Barrowman considers becoming a parent
Doctor Who and Torchwood star John Barrowman has revealed that he is considering becoming a parent.The actor married long-term partner Scott Gill in a civil partnership last year - and the pair have been discussing the possibility of having children."One day I might want to have children and in order to have a child, you either do it artificially or you have sex with a woman," John told The Mirror. "And you can never say no to anything. I do have a couple of very good friends who have said: 'If you want to do it, I'll be happy to do it.'"So I could possibly have sex with a woman but it would be for a reason - to procreate, not for sexual enjoyment. Unless Scott was involved - and then I could have my cake and eat it."Viewers can see Barrowman in the role of Captain Jack Harkness in tonight's Doctor Who finale, which starts at 7.05pm on BBC One.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Rumor Rumor are you true????
Rumor has it the bbc and Who fans from all over were very impressed with a certain character by the name of Sally Sparrow. Is Carey Mulligan being groomed for companion status in season 4 of Dr who? mmmm maybe maybe........
TIME FOR A NEW BIT ON THE SIDE, DOCTOR
DOCTOR Who is to get a brand new companion, we can reveal.
The Time Lord, played by dishy David Tennant, has been rather mean to poor old Martha of late. And by the start of the fourth series next year, she's had enough.
A show insider reveals: "Martha will still be in Doctor Who, but her relationship with the doctor will have changed.
"The truth is that she loves him but he doesn't feel the same way.
"She is going to have to share him because he'll be getting a different sidekick. And this is a major addition to the cast."
Bosses are remaining tightlipped over whether the new companion is male or female.
But the new arrival prompts Martha, played by Freema Agyeman, to take a bit of a back-seat. She is expected to flit in and out of the show, also popping up in spin-off series Torchwood.
Freema will definitely not be appearing in the Christmas special, which starts filming next week - Kylie Minogue will be helping out the Doctor instead.
The end of the next series will also see us bidding a fond farewell to writer Russell T Davies, who is hanging up his cyber pen to work on other projects. And David Tennant has admitted to having decided when he's off (er, it's then, too).
These departures don't mean Doctor Who will be exterminated - the Beeb's drama supremo Jane Tranter has big things planned for the hit sci-fi series.
She insists: "One thing is certain, Doctor Who will be around on BBC1 for years to come."
Hurrah!
The Time Lord, played by dishy David Tennant, has been rather mean to poor old Martha of late. And by the start of the fourth series next year, she's had enough.
A show insider reveals: "Martha will still be in Doctor Who, but her relationship with the doctor will have changed.
"The truth is that she loves him but he doesn't feel the same way.
"She is going to have to share him because he'll be getting a different sidekick. And this is a major addition to the cast."
Bosses are remaining tightlipped over whether the new companion is male or female.
But the new arrival prompts Martha, played by Freema Agyeman, to take a bit of a back-seat. She is expected to flit in and out of the show, also popping up in spin-off series Torchwood.
Freema will definitely not be appearing in the Christmas special, which starts filming next week - Kylie Minogue will be helping out the Doctor instead.
The end of the next series will also see us bidding a fond farewell to writer Russell T Davies, who is hanging up his cyber pen to work on other projects. And David Tennant has admitted to having decided when he's off (er, it's then, too).
These departures don't mean Doctor Who will be exterminated - the Beeb's drama supremo Jane Tranter has big things planned for the hit sci-fi series.
She insists: "One thing is certain, Doctor Who will be around on BBC1 for years to come."
Hurrah!
TV Guide picks top cult series
TV GUIDE has named its top 30 Cult TV series of all time. Doctor Who comes in at number 22 after Freaks and Geeks and before the original Dark Shadows. For the full list go to TV GUIDE.
Big Finish Update
In the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Big Finish Productions has announced some of their upcoming releases.There will be four more installments of the popular Companion Chronicles series, as was previously reported by Outpost Gallifrey. The series will include:Mother Russia by Marc Platt features the 1st Doctor and Steven read by Peter PurvesHelicon Prime by Jack Elliott features the 2nd Doctor and Jamie read by Frazer HinesOld Soldiers by James Swallow featuring the 3rd Doctor and the Brigadier read by Nicholas CourtneyThe Catalyst by Nigel Fairs featuring the 4th Doctor and Leela read by Louise JamesonAlso announced are the titles of the second series of adventures for the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller.Grand Theft Cosmos by Eddie RobsonTitle TBA by Paul MagrsThe Skull of Sobek by Marc PlattMax Warp by Jonathan MorrisTitle TBC by Jonathan ClementsKidnapped (Part 1) and Vengeance (Part 2) by Nick Briggs
Doctor Who Magazine also confirmed some cast changes that are coming at the end of the year.
Charley and C'rizz are both confirmed to be leaving the Eighth Doctor's company at the end of the year. C'rizz in Absolution, and Charley in The Girl Who Never Was.
Doctor Who Magazine also confirmed some cast changes that are coming at the end of the year.
Charley and C'rizz are both confirmed to be leaving the Eighth Doctor's company at the end of the year. C'rizz in Absolution, and Charley in The Girl Who Never Was.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Massive spoiler for "Last of the timelords"
Earth has been conquered and the Master rules supreme, with the Doctor a helpless prisoner, in the final episode of Russell T Davies's Doctor Who.The entire human race has been reduced to slavery, as the mighty warships of a new Time Lord Empire rise from the ashes. Only Martha Jones can save the world...
WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Are the pods the souls of all the little insane timelord kids??????
source:::
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk27/sat.shtml
WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Are the pods the souls of all the little insane timelord kids??????
source:::
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk27/sat.shtml
Monday, June 25, 2007
RTD interview
This week's thrilling finale to the current series of Doctor Who sees David Tennant’s Doctor locked in combat with his nemesis, the Master, played by Life on Mars star John Simm. We caught up with the show’s supremo, Russell T Davies, to find out more…
Tell us about John Simm’s part in the finale
Well, he’s playing the Master, who’s just about as bad a villain as the Doctor could ever meet – partly because he’s so much like the Doctor, even down to the same sense of humour. The Doctor tends to run rings around Daleks and Cybermen, but this time he’s got an enemy who knows all his tricks. That makes it fun, but genuinely scary too.
What was it like having him on set?
It was such a boost of energy for the whole team. Everyone was galvanised. John had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure he was free for our filming dates, so we were all determined to pay him back for his loyalty by surrounding him with the best production possible. There was a lot of laughter on set when David discovered that John’s screwdriver was bigger than his!
Are there any shocks in store for viewers?
I hope so. It’s hard to know whether stories have been spoilt in advance on the internet, but hopefully no one outside our offices has seen it. However, I can promise that the last episode is extra-special, full of thrills, heartbreak and shocks. Viewers will have a brilliant time.
What can you say about Captain Jack’s fate?
Jack’s been imprisoned by the Master, who loves having someone he can kill every five minutes, only to see him coming back to life. Poor old Jack’s really suffering, but he’s a clever man and he’s got an escape plan.
Does the series end on a cliffhanger?
You’ll just have to watch. But a good few questions are answered and some brand new ones asked.
What’s been your favourite episode in this series?
I can’t answer that. It’s like asking which is my favourite child; I love them all.
Will any old foes return to battle the Doctor in the next series?
One or two. We like to spread the balance between new monsters and the classics from the past. So yes, there are one or two revamps being discussed right now. Keep your eyes peeled over the coming months, because a few of them will be marching through the streets of Cardiff, I expect.
How many more series do you think the show can run for?
Doctor Who lasted for 26 years on its original run, and is now 44 years old. I wouldn’t worry, this show is going to last forever. We’ll be watching it in the year 3000, on hyperchip holograms.
Would you like to be the Doctor and be given the keys to the Tardis?
I’d be a rubbish Doctor. I’d just run away from danger. And I’d misuse the Tardis to go to a planet where everyone looks like the boys from Hollyoaks. But I’d love to travel into the future, just to see everything I’m going to miss one day.
Tell us about John Simm’s part in the finale
Well, he’s playing the Master, who’s just about as bad a villain as the Doctor could ever meet – partly because he’s so much like the Doctor, even down to the same sense of humour. The Doctor tends to run rings around Daleks and Cybermen, but this time he’s got an enemy who knows all his tricks. That makes it fun, but genuinely scary too.
What was it like having him on set?
It was such a boost of energy for the whole team. Everyone was galvanised. John had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure he was free for our filming dates, so we were all determined to pay him back for his loyalty by surrounding him with the best production possible. There was a lot of laughter on set when David discovered that John’s screwdriver was bigger than his!
Are there any shocks in store for viewers?
I hope so. It’s hard to know whether stories have been spoilt in advance on the internet, but hopefully no one outside our offices has seen it. However, I can promise that the last episode is extra-special, full of thrills, heartbreak and shocks. Viewers will have a brilliant time.
What can you say about Captain Jack’s fate?
Jack’s been imprisoned by the Master, who loves having someone he can kill every five minutes, only to see him coming back to life. Poor old Jack’s really suffering, but he’s a clever man and he’s got an escape plan.
Does the series end on a cliffhanger?
You’ll just have to watch. But a good few questions are answered and some brand new ones asked.
What’s been your favourite episode in this series?
I can’t answer that. It’s like asking which is my favourite child; I love them all.
Will any old foes return to battle the Doctor in the next series?
One or two. We like to spread the balance between new monsters and the classics from the past. So yes, there are one or two revamps being discussed right now. Keep your eyes peeled over the coming months, because a few of them will be marching through the streets of Cardiff, I expect.
How many more series do you think the show can run for?
Doctor Who lasted for 26 years on its original run, and is now 44 years old. I wouldn’t worry, this show is going to last forever. We’ll be watching it in the year 3000, on hyperchip holograms.
Would you like to be the Doctor and be given the keys to the Tardis?
I’d be a rubbish Doctor. I’d just run away from danger. And I’d misuse the Tardis to go to a planet where everyone looks like the boys from Hollyoaks. But I’d love to travel into the future, just to see everything I’m going to miss one day.
K9 news
K9 Adventures Running time: 26 x 30 minutesThe loveable BBC TV robot dog created by Academy Award winner Bob Baker (Wallace and Gromit - The Wrong Trousers) is brought to the screen in a series of new adventures in space developed with Jetix Kids. A mix of live action and state-of-the-art CGI and with scripts by Darrell Vickers and Andrew Nicholls (W.I.T.C.H), K-9 is sophisticated, funny and adult in a way that relates to younger viewers, as well as speaking to family audiences. Currently in pre-production with delivery targeted at July 2008.
K-9 Adventures is a forthcoming 26-part comedy/adventure series focusing on the adventures of the robot dog K-9, done in a mixture of computer animation and live action.
Each episode of K-9 Adventures will be 30 minutes long, made by Jetix Europe and London-based distribution outfit Park Entertainment.
The programme will be set in outer space, and Jetix is planning a range of interactive toys to accompany the series. A promotional blurb on Park Entertainment's website says that the main setting will be the Platte, "an old Prairie-class spacecraft" once used for asteroid colonisation. In addition to K-9, the characters will include Slocum, a thirty something "space gypsy" and Djinn, "an overactive computer module in the shape of an attractive young woman".
K-9 Adventures is a forthcoming 26-part comedy/adventure series focusing on the adventures of the robot dog K-9, done in a mixture of computer animation and live action.
Each episode of K-9 Adventures will be 30 minutes long, made by Jetix Europe and London-based distribution outfit Park Entertainment.
The programme will be set in outer space, and Jetix is planning a range of interactive toys to accompany the series. A promotional blurb on Park Entertainment's website says that the main setting will be the Platte, "an old Prairie-class spacecraft" once used for asteroid colonisation. In addition to K-9, the characters will include Slocum, a thirty something "space gypsy" and Djinn, "an overactive computer module in the shape of an attractive young woman".
Cult Spy: The Masterful John Simm
John Simm is currently sending shivers down the spines of children and adults alike with his menacing portrayal of The Master in Doctor Who. The 36 year old actor is no stranger to the realms of cult television however, thanks to his leading roles in Life On Mars and The Lakes.Born in Leeds, Simm originally seemed destined for a musical career as a child, with his father teaching him to play the guitar and various gigs following. At the age of 16 the acting bug took hold and he soon became embroiled in the theatrical world, learning Stanislavski’s celebrated ‘Method’ style of performance. How exactly this would help him prepare for his latest role as a several hundred year old Time Lord intent on universal domination is anyone’s guess.From his mid twenties, Simm reaped much praise for his ability to accurately exude the disaffection and alienation of angry, but good-hearted young males in Britain. His appearance as a disturbed teenager in the 1995 episode of Cracker entitled ‘Best Boys’ brought his face into millions of homes across the country. Soon, cinema screens were lit up by his outstanding performance in Human Traffic, with his character symptomatic of an entire generation who turned to narcotic substances to escape their mundane existences. In between, Simm took the lead role of Danny in two seasons of Jimmy McGovern’s sublime The Lakes on BBC One. A brave, surreal and controversial show, perhaps the closest Britain has come to reaching the brilliance of Twin Peaks, The Lakes quickly picked up a loyal cult following. The core of the appeal lies in us rooting for Danny despite his general tendencies to gamble away his young family’s money and chase after rat, Simm conjured up a certain sympathy from viewers for his character, trying to make a new life for himself and find a sense of belonging.Roles in the brilliant political drama State of Play and Channel 4‘s harrowing Sex Traffic, as a journalist and a researcher respectively, further enhanced his status as one of the nation’s favourite leading actors. But the inspired Life On Mars took him to a new level last year. Playing contemporary copper Sam Tyler, flung back to the 70s after an accident, Simm again exuded disillusionment and alienation in his performance, with touches of humour keeping the viewers smiling whilst nibbling their fingernails.So onto The Master. The skill of the revived Doctor Who has been reinventing the old core values and essence of the classic series without losing them. As the malevolent Time Lord, Simm epitomises this. The goatee may be gone, but the sinister air of the character remains intact. With some witty dialogue delivered with pure relish, along with various acts of evil, Simm superbly managed to steer clear of any pantomime or ‘ham’ elements in his performance. We feel pathos for his sick situation, like The Doctor does, but can also boo and hiss whenever he strides into shot. In the words of the ninth Doctor - fantastic!
Who is the Greatest Doctor Who?
The UK digital channel UKTV Drama will be running a special Doctor Who weekend on the 14th-15th July, and as a part of the proceedings fans will be able to vote for their favourite Doctor in an online poll.The vote can be made from the UKTV Drama website between 29th June through to 13th July.
Last Of The Time Lords Trailer
The full trailer for Last Of The Time Lords, which aired on BBC TV yesterday, is now available to view on the official programme website.The climax to Series Three will be shown on BBC1 this coming Saturday at 7.05pm.
Talking shop: Paul McGann
The 48-year-old, who started acting at school, appears in a new BBC One six-part drama called True Dare Kiss.
Known for keeping his personal life out of the media, McGann speaks to the BBC News website about playing Doctor Who and kissing Catherine Zeta Jones.
What attracted you to the part of Nash in One True Kiss?
He seemed somebody I could play, about my age, about my background. It is rather humorous, but also dark and dramatic. I also like it as it is rather grown up.
You played the eighth Doctor Who in 1996. What do you think of the recent BBC series of the show and the current doctor who is played by David Tennant?
I watched one episode and I liked it. I liked him actually, very much because he's so into it. He's such a fan as well as being a brilliant actor, so I think it's in safe hands. I'm just glad to see it back. The fans are thrilled to bits.
Is Doctor Who something you would have wanted to continue with?
At the time I would have liked to have continued it when we did the telly pilot, but you know when enough's enough, when it's over, it's over.
You broke rather a long standing tradition when Doctor Who kissed his companion. Were you surprised at the fans reaction?
I never saw the kiss and I wasn't really into the history of it. I wasn't really aware when I read the script that for him to kiss anybody was such a big thing, but I still get letters about it.
Why did you turn the part down originally?
I didn't want to do it as I didn't think I was suitable at all. I thought they were having me on.
At the time it was comic actors and comedians being touted for the job so I was just curious why they were asking me, I'm no comic actor. I managed to resist it for about a year and then took the job.
What made you change your mind and take the part?
A guy called Phil Segal (who was the executive producer of the film), whose enthusiasm finally swayed me. He basically exceeded all of my wishes. He was very clever and very diplomatic.
I would say "that's what I do, I would do it that way" and he would say "ok we'll do it like that then".
He'd seen me in something and I had long hair and I think he liked the look of me.
Withnail and I helped launch your film career, would you consider working with Richard E Grant again?
Actually Richard and I made a short together about six months ago. It was a laugh, you know we had a nice time.
It was good to work with him again. It is about two middle-aged business rivals who are incredibly childish and business rivals.
It's called Always Crashing in the Same Car which is the same title of a song by David Bowie. But it's a completely different project to Withnail and I and it's not a spin-off.
In the mid-90s you hit the headlines after being photographed Catherine Zeta Jones. How do you feel about the media prying into your personal life?
I think you have to accept that it is how it is. If you're in the so-called public eye you have to watch your Ps and Qs.
If you're going to get photographed kissing the nation's sweetheart you're going to get it. It's fairly arbitrary - she's no longer the nation's sweetheart and nobody cares what I'm doing, so it's tomorrow's chip paper. It's really not worth losing any sleep over, nobody died.
Are you still in contact with Catherine Zeta Jones?
Wouldn't that be nice? We just lost contact as people do over 20 years or whatever it is.
Are you surprised at how well she has done in Hollywood after starring in The Darling Buds of May?
Not particularly surprised, as I worked with her and she is actually fantastic. She's a very brilliant actor, I mean deceptively good. In those days I think her acting was the last thing people probably concentrated on.
This girl was actually rather clever as has been proved. You've got to admire her, she went to Hollywood and worked hard.
She's a good professional. I remember her being honest, friendly and great to work with. She's a great success story and it should be celebrated as that.
Known for keeping his personal life out of the media, McGann speaks to the BBC News website about playing Doctor Who and kissing Catherine Zeta Jones.
What attracted you to the part of Nash in One True Kiss?
He seemed somebody I could play, about my age, about my background. It is rather humorous, but also dark and dramatic. I also like it as it is rather grown up.
You played the eighth Doctor Who in 1996. What do you think of the recent BBC series of the show and the current doctor who is played by David Tennant?
I watched one episode and I liked it. I liked him actually, very much because he's so into it. He's such a fan as well as being a brilliant actor, so I think it's in safe hands. I'm just glad to see it back. The fans are thrilled to bits.
Is Doctor Who something you would have wanted to continue with?
At the time I would have liked to have continued it when we did the telly pilot, but you know when enough's enough, when it's over, it's over.
You broke rather a long standing tradition when Doctor Who kissed his companion. Were you surprised at the fans reaction?
I never saw the kiss and I wasn't really into the history of it. I wasn't really aware when I read the script that for him to kiss anybody was such a big thing, but I still get letters about it.
Why did you turn the part down originally?
I didn't want to do it as I didn't think I was suitable at all. I thought they were having me on.
At the time it was comic actors and comedians being touted for the job so I was just curious why they were asking me, I'm no comic actor. I managed to resist it for about a year and then took the job.
What made you change your mind and take the part?
A guy called Phil Segal (who was the executive producer of the film), whose enthusiasm finally swayed me. He basically exceeded all of my wishes. He was very clever and very diplomatic.
I would say "that's what I do, I would do it that way" and he would say "ok we'll do it like that then".
He'd seen me in something and I had long hair and I think he liked the look of me.
Withnail and I helped launch your film career, would you consider working with Richard E Grant again?
Actually Richard and I made a short together about six months ago. It was a laugh, you know we had a nice time.
It was good to work with him again. It is about two middle-aged business rivals who are incredibly childish and business rivals.
It's called Always Crashing in the Same Car which is the same title of a song by David Bowie. But it's a completely different project to Withnail and I and it's not a spin-off.
In the mid-90s you hit the headlines after being photographed Catherine Zeta Jones. How do you feel about the media prying into your personal life?
I think you have to accept that it is how it is. If you're in the so-called public eye you have to watch your Ps and Qs.
If you're going to get photographed kissing the nation's sweetheart you're going to get it. It's fairly arbitrary - she's no longer the nation's sweetheart and nobody cares what I'm doing, so it's tomorrow's chip paper. It's really not worth losing any sleep over, nobody died.
Are you still in contact with Catherine Zeta Jones?
Wouldn't that be nice? We just lost contact as people do over 20 years or whatever it is.
Are you surprised at how well she has done in Hollywood after starring in The Darling Buds of May?
Not particularly surprised, as I worked with her and she is actually fantastic. She's a very brilliant actor, I mean deceptively good. In those days I think her acting was the last thing people probably concentrated on.
This girl was actually rather clever as has been proved. You've got to admire her, she went to Hollywood and worked hard.
She's a good professional. I remember her being honest, friendly and great to work with. She's a great success story and it should be celebrated as that.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Who will be exterminated as the Beeb slices back?
Mark Thompson is opposed to across-the-board cuts as he tries to cope with his £2bn shortfall. But the BBC Trust may have other ideas, says Tim Luckhurst
Published: 24 June 2007
Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, had a tricky time on Wednesday. He met the BBC Trust, the corporation's governing body, to discuss how to cut expenditure by £2bn without compromising the quality of the BBC's output.
Thompson presented the BBC Trust with a "menu of options" on how to refashion the corporation in light of its lower-than-expected licence fee. Forced to face the future with £2bn less than he wanted, he invited trustees to choose from a set of unpleasant possibilities.
Ostensibly, these include cutting entire services, making thousands more staff redundant, slashing expenditure on lowbrow daytime television shows and slicing budgets across the corporation. Headline proposals include merging the six and 10 o'clock news on BBC 1 with the rolling news channel BBC News 24, and making fewer hours of original dramas like Dr Who, Torchwood and Hustle.
Sources close to Thompson explain that what the Trust chooses to allow will become "the six-year plan for the BBC" and define the pros- pects for licence-fee renewal in 2013. They fear that if money is not used to maximum effect, the fragmentation of audiences promoted by multi-channel digital broadcasting may push viewer share below the level required to justify a compulsory universal fee.
Thompson hinted at his own preferences when he appeared before the House of Lords communications committee on 13 June. He said he was opposed to a crude budget cut applied uniformly across departments: "You don't want a single salami-sliced percentage of targets."
The BBC has cut overheads by 8.5 per cent per annum in recent years. Some 3,800 staff have been made redundant and nearly 7,000 have left in total. Now Thompson is determined to slow the exodus. He told the committee: "I don't believe over the next six years we'll be talking about reductions of that scale."
The DG and his team have set themselves the priority of maintaining quality. A source explains: "At the top end of the TV market - things like original drama and important outside broadcasts - we may have to do fewer things better." The same logic applies to news where the BBC is determined to protect agenda-setting shows such as Newsnight and Radio 4's Today, but prepared to "stop some things" in less prestigious areas.
A senior insider says: "The DG thinks there are basically three types of television: top end, niche and a big swathe of programmes that are neither." The suggestion is that the third category, including chat shows, quizzes and imports, face the biggest spending cuts if Thompson gets his way. But will he?
Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trust, which replaced the board of governors in January, was not the BBC's preferred candidate for the job. His closeness to government - he has carried out three reviews for Gordon Brown - comes with a total lack of broadcast experience. Now he and his fellow trustees hold the BBC's future in their hands.
They cannot be expected simply to endorse the DG's strategy, because the Trust is much more than the old BBC governors with a new name. The usual role of the governors was to defend BBC management against criticism from government, press and public. The trustees are required to act as the "eyes, ears and views of the licence fee payer".
Part of their remit is to ensure the BBC remains a strong, mass-audience broadcaster, producing programmes that appeal to every type of licence payer. But they are also part of a new system of oversight that gives media regulator Ofcom power over the BBC. The idea is that Ofcom protects the market, preventing the corporation from trampling on commercial rivals, while the Trust defends the public interest.
Thompson believes the corporation can benefit from this twin-track system. Commercial broadcasters are no longer prepared to treat it as a benign fixture on the British landscape, and competition for audiences has never been more ferocious. Against this background, he says, tough, transparent scrutiny offers better protection than the previous cosy arrangement.
But if the system is right in principle, it is much harder to manage. Senior BBC sources say a DG approaching the governors on the subject of tough budgetary constraints would have expected them to back him. Thompson approached Wednesday's meeting with different assumptions and objectives. He had to find out what the Trust would accept before committing to firm proposals. "We need to know we are not going down a route the Trust will not contemplate," explains a well-placed source.
In its first six months, the Trust has done plenty to justify such caution. In March it suspended the free online-education service BBC Jam. Last month it expressed concern about two editions of Panorama - investigations into scientology and the health effects of wireless technology. Thompson sent tapes of both programmes to trustees for their further consideration.
"The director-general has to be a bit more of a game player under this structure," says Professor Steven Barnett of Westminster University. "At the same time, the Trust still needs to prove that it is not just a rubber stamp. Between them they are working out a modus operandi."
The Trustees are not simply deciding the nature of their relationship with BBC management. They must also determine their interpretation of the role entrusted to them by Parliament. What does defending the public interest mean when budgets must be cut? Clearly, trustees must help the BBC to live within its means, but should they also play an active part in highlighting the consequences?
Barnett believes the Trust must decide whether it is possible for the BBC to continue as a strong mass-audience broadcaster with the budget it has received. "Part of this is a bedding-in process," he explains "But it is not an ideal time for tension between the Trust and the DG."
Sir Michael will scrutinise Thompson's menu of options over the summer, leaving BBC staff to wait until September to learn the true scale of job losses. Among suggestions to emerge from BBC heads of department are scaling back foreign news bureaux and the complete integration of television, radio and online journalism.
These department chiefs were asked to think radically before submitting their proposals to Thompson's interim report to the trustees. Many have done so in the expectation that the BBC tradition of diluting bold ideas remains intact. Concern is growing that the trustees may adopt a more robust approach, accepting changes that their predecessors would have deemed unacceptable and perhaps even urging Thompson to go further.
Published: 24 June 2007
Mark Thompson, director-general of the BBC, had a tricky time on Wednesday. He met the BBC Trust, the corporation's governing body, to discuss how to cut expenditure by £2bn without compromising the quality of the BBC's output.
Thompson presented the BBC Trust with a "menu of options" on how to refashion the corporation in light of its lower-than-expected licence fee. Forced to face the future with £2bn less than he wanted, he invited trustees to choose from a set of unpleasant possibilities.
Ostensibly, these include cutting entire services, making thousands more staff redundant, slashing expenditure on lowbrow daytime television shows and slicing budgets across the corporation. Headline proposals include merging the six and 10 o'clock news on BBC 1 with the rolling news channel BBC News 24, and making fewer hours of original dramas like Dr Who, Torchwood and Hustle.
Sources close to Thompson explain that what the Trust chooses to allow will become "the six-year plan for the BBC" and define the pros- pects for licence-fee renewal in 2013. They fear that if money is not used to maximum effect, the fragmentation of audiences promoted by multi-channel digital broadcasting may push viewer share below the level required to justify a compulsory universal fee.
Thompson hinted at his own preferences when he appeared before the House of Lords communications committee on 13 June. He said he was opposed to a crude budget cut applied uniformly across departments: "You don't want a single salami-sliced percentage of targets."
The BBC has cut overheads by 8.5 per cent per annum in recent years. Some 3,800 staff have been made redundant and nearly 7,000 have left in total. Now Thompson is determined to slow the exodus. He told the committee: "I don't believe over the next six years we'll be talking about reductions of that scale."
The DG and his team have set themselves the priority of maintaining quality. A source explains: "At the top end of the TV market - things like original drama and important outside broadcasts - we may have to do fewer things better." The same logic applies to news where the BBC is determined to protect agenda-setting shows such as Newsnight and Radio 4's Today, but prepared to "stop some things" in less prestigious areas.
A senior insider says: "The DG thinks there are basically three types of television: top end, niche and a big swathe of programmes that are neither." The suggestion is that the third category, including chat shows, quizzes and imports, face the biggest spending cuts if Thompson gets his way. But will he?
Sir Michael Lyons, the chairman of the BBC Trust, which replaced the board of governors in January, was not the BBC's preferred candidate for the job. His closeness to government - he has carried out three reviews for Gordon Brown - comes with a total lack of broadcast experience. Now he and his fellow trustees hold the BBC's future in their hands.
They cannot be expected simply to endorse the DG's strategy, because the Trust is much more than the old BBC governors with a new name. The usual role of the governors was to defend BBC management against criticism from government, press and public. The trustees are required to act as the "eyes, ears and views of the licence fee payer".
Part of their remit is to ensure the BBC remains a strong, mass-audience broadcaster, producing programmes that appeal to every type of licence payer. But they are also part of a new system of oversight that gives media regulator Ofcom power over the BBC. The idea is that Ofcom protects the market, preventing the corporation from trampling on commercial rivals, while the Trust defends the public interest.
Thompson believes the corporation can benefit from this twin-track system. Commercial broadcasters are no longer prepared to treat it as a benign fixture on the British landscape, and competition for audiences has never been more ferocious. Against this background, he says, tough, transparent scrutiny offers better protection than the previous cosy arrangement.
But if the system is right in principle, it is much harder to manage. Senior BBC sources say a DG approaching the governors on the subject of tough budgetary constraints would have expected them to back him. Thompson approached Wednesday's meeting with different assumptions and objectives. He had to find out what the Trust would accept before committing to firm proposals. "We need to know we are not going down a route the Trust will not contemplate," explains a well-placed source.
In its first six months, the Trust has done plenty to justify such caution. In March it suspended the free online-education service BBC Jam. Last month it expressed concern about two editions of Panorama - investigations into scientology and the health effects of wireless technology. Thompson sent tapes of both programmes to trustees for their further consideration.
"The director-general has to be a bit more of a game player under this structure," says Professor Steven Barnett of Westminster University. "At the same time, the Trust still needs to prove that it is not just a rubber stamp. Between them they are working out a modus operandi."
The Trustees are not simply deciding the nature of their relationship with BBC management. They must also determine their interpretation of the role entrusted to them by Parliament. What does defending the public interest mean when budgets must be cut? Clearly, trustees must help the BBC to live within its means, but should they also play an active part in highlighting the consequences?
Barnett believes the Trust must decide whether it is possible for the BBC to continue as a strong mass-audience broadcaster with the budget it has received. "Part of this is a bedding-in process," he explains "But it is not an ideal time for tension between the Trust and the DG."
Sir Michael will scrutinise Thompson's menu of options over the summer, leaving BBC staff to wait until September to learn the true scale of job losses. Among suggestions to emerge from BBC heads of department are scaling back foreign news bureaux and the complete integration of television, radio and online journalism.
These department chiefs were asked to think radically before submitting their proposals to Thompson's interim report to the trustees. Many have done so in the expectation that the BBC tradition of diluting bold ideas remains intact. Concern is growing that the trustees may adopt a more robust approach, accepting changes that their predecessors would have deemed unacceptable and perhaps even urging Thompson to go further.
Website tie in opened
The BBC has launched another spin off website to tie in with last nights episode: http://www.haroldsa xon.co.uk/
Dave Martin passed away
David Ralph Martin, writer: born Birmingham 1 January 1935; twice married (one son, two daughters); died Bridport, Dorset 30 March 2007.
Dave Martin's great contribution to science-fiction television was to create the robot dog K-9 for Doctor Who with his long-time writing partner Bob Baker. While scripting the 1977 story "The Invisible Enemy" for the cult series, the duo decided that their character Professor Marius might be lonely in space, so the scientist used his technological skills to make the metal mutt, complete with data-analyser computer, which he then gave to Doctor Who - in the incarnation of Tom Baker - as a parting gift.
The pair's brainchild, designed by Tony Harding, built by the BBC's visual effects department and voiced by John Leeson, proved so popular that the decision was made to keep it - and some subsequent scripts were rewritten to incorporate it. K-9 became not only a valuable ally to the Time Lord, but also his longest-lasting companion. Last year, K-9 Mk III was seen alongside David Tennant - the 10th Doctor - in the "School Reunion" story and the character will soon get its own series, combining computer-generated images of the dog and live action, with Baker acting as a producer.
Born in the Handsworth district of Birmingham in 1935, Dave Martin studied English at Bristol University, before joining the city's Old Vic Theatre as a flyman, operating the curtains and scenery, then working as a copywriter for a local advertising agency.
At the time, Martin regularly bought Gauloises cigarettes from a grocery store run by Bob Baker, who also made animated films. When Baker explained that an attempt to make one based on the Peter Grimes character in George Crabbe's 1810 poem The Borough had fallen through following the sudden death of the director, Michael Reeves, the pair decided to try to get it produced themselves. Although that first effort failed to make it to the screen, they kept going as a writing partnership and were commissioned by HTV, the ITV company based in Bristol, to pen a play for regional screening. The result, Whistle for It (1968), starred Brian Cox in the story of two rivals trying to woo a woman.
Persistence in submitting further plays brought its reward when Martin and Baker were invited to London by the BBC producer Derrick Sherwin and commissioned to write episodes of Doctor Who. They came up with eight over nine years (1971-79), covering the period when Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker played the time-traveller.
Martin and Baker were commissioned to write more one-off plays for the ITV network. They began with the crime drama Thick as Thieves (1972, winner of the Royal Television Society's Best Regional Production Award), starring Leonard Rossiter, who also featured as a debt-collector-turned-private detective in their thriller Machinegunner (1976), in which the writers took bit-parts themselves, as "Scruff 1" and "Scruff 2". They also wrote the four-part drama Murder at the Wedding (1979) and the children's series Sky (1976), King of the Castle (1977) and Follow Me (1977).
Unlike Baker, Martin did not find television his preferred medium and wanted to write novels and poetry. So the pair split amicably and Baker became drama editor at HTV. While Baker then went on to find success as a writer of the Wallace & Gromit films, Martin penned the crime novels I'm Coming To Get You (1995), An Arm and a Leg (1998), Dead Man's Slaughter (2001) and Dead Man's Bay (2005).
Dave Martin's great contribution to science-fiction television was to create the robot dog K-9 for Doctor Who with his long-time writing partner Bob Baker. While scripting the 1977 story "The Invisible Enemy" for the cult series, the duo decided that their character Professor Marius might be lonely in space, so the scientist used his technological skills to make the metal mutt, complete with data-analyser computer, which he then gave to Doctor Who - in the incarnation of Tom Baker - as a parting gift.
The pair's brainchild, designed by Tony Harding, built by the BBC's visual effects department and voiced by John Leeson, proved so popular that the decision was made to keep it - and some subsequent scripts were rewritten to incorporate it. K-9 became not only a valuable ally to the Time Lord, but also his longest-lasting companion. Last year, K-9 Mk III was seen alongside David Tennant - the 10th Doctor - in the "School Reunion" story and the character will soon get its own series, combining computer-generated images of the dog and live action, with Baker acting as a producer.
Born in the Handsworth district of Birmingham in 1935, Dave Martin studied English at Bristol University, before joining the city's Old Vic Theatre as a flyman, operating the curtains and scenery, then working as a copywriter for a local advertising agency.
At the time, Martin regularly bought Gauloises cigarettes from a grocery store run by Bob Baker, who also made animated films. When Baker explained that an attempt to make one based on the Peter Grimes character in George Crabbe's 1810 poem The Borough had fallen through following the sudden death of the director, Michael Reeves, the pair decided to try to get it produced themselves. Although that first effort failed to make it to the screen, they kept going as a writing partnership and were commissioned by HTV, the ITV company based in Bristol, to pen a play for regional screening. The result, Whistle for It (1968), starred Brian Cox in the story of two rivals trying to woo a woman.
Persistence in submitting further plays brought its reward when Martin and Baker were invited to London by the BBC producer Derrick Sherwin and commissioned to write episodes of Doctor Who. They came up with eight over nine years (1971-79), covering the period when Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker played the time-traveller.
Martin and Baker were commissioned to write more one-off plays for the ITV network. They began with the crime drama Thick as Thieves (1972, winner of the Royal Television Society's Best Regional Production Award), starring Leonard Rossiter, who also featured as a debt-collector-turned-private detective in their thriller Machinegunner (1976), in which the writers took bit-parts themselves, as "Scruff 1" and "Scruff 2". They also wrote the four-part drama Murder at the Wedding (1979) and the children's series Sky (1976), King of the Castle (1977) and Follow Me (1977).
Unlike Baker, Martin did not find television his preferred medium and wanted to write novels and poetry. So the pair split amicably and Baker became drama editor at HTV. While Baker then went on to find success as a writer of the Wallace & Gromit films, Martin penned the crime novels I'm Coming To Get You (1995), An Arm and a Leg (1998), Dead Man's Slaughter (2001) and Dead Man's Bay (2005).
Saturday, June 23, 2007
SEE THE WHOGASM VIDEO HERE
Two very excitable Dr Who fans have become internet stars after a clip of them enjoying an episode of the sci-fi series just a little too much was shown on the web.
The clip, which is just over three minutes long, starts off with the two girls biting their nails and watching the TV silently.
The clip, which is just over three minutes long, starts off with the two girls biting their nails and watching the TV silently.
The Sound of Drums Press
Britain's newspapers and blogs are beating the drums for The Sound of Drums. The Stage's blog calls the episode "a bonkers, brilliant beginning of the end for the third series of Doctor Who." Saturday's Times squeezes in three Doctor Who references: first, a preview of the episode in TV Choice says, "The second part of this fiendishly involved story by Russell T. Davies involves John Simm masquerading as the Prime Minister. His style is presidential and he treats the Cabinet with contempt. His policies may lack substance, but everyone voted for him because, as Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) says: "He always sounded good - like you could trust him." Second, an article in the main section of the paper discusses the Vote Saxon campaign and outlines Mr. Saxon's electoral manifesto. And finally, Caitlin Moran puts things into perspective by pointing out that Britain will be saying farewell to Tony Blair this week and to Doctor Who next week: "Obviously we know which is the more significant - is the Prime Minister on the cover of the Daily Mirror’s We Love Telly supplement? Has he ever killed a Dalek? Considered in this light - which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is the right light - it seems amazing that Channel 4 News has even mentioned Blair’s resignation."
Big Finish Update
Son of the Dragon (September)
I am Prince Vlad III - son of Vlad the Great, and sovereign and ruler of Ungro-Walachia and the duchies of Amlas and Fagaras.
But since my father's murder, I have had another name.
I am Dracula.
(Features the Fifth Doctor, Peri, and Erimem)
Absolution (October)
Confession. Penance. Absolution.
The Tardis breaks down in a forbidden sector of space. Ghostly voices cry out for salvation and only C'rizz, the Doctor's Eutermesan companion, can answer their call - for only he knows the secret of the Absolver. But will he use it to rescue his friends or save the universe?
The Doctor's sins are catching up with him and the infernal beast Borarus is hungry. Time is running out and Judgement Day is at hand.
Welcome to Hell.
(Features the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz)
The Mind's Eye (November)
This is a warning to all space farers. You must keep away from this planet. It’s hostile, repeat, hostile.
On a planet with no name, the Doctor finds himself confronted by a faulty memory and some killer plants.
In a distant galaxy, Erimem leads a troubled empire.
Back on Earth, Peri tells her son about the good old days when she used to travel with a man called The Doctor.
(Features the Fifth Doctor, Peri, and Erimem)
The Girl Who Never Was (December)
'Dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. Someone's listening. Somewhere.'
A ghost ship. A girl with no memory, adrift in time. An old enemy. This could be Charlotte Pollard's finest hour - or her last.
Set course for Singapore, 1931. Journey's end.
(Features the Eighth Doctor and Charley)
I am Prince Vlad III - son of Vlad the Great, and sovereign and ruler of Ungro-Walachia and the duchies of Amlas and Fagaras.
But since my father's murder, I have had another name.
I am Dracula.
(Features the Fifth Doctor, Peri, and Erimem)
Absolution (October)
Confession. Penance. Absolution.
The Tardis breaks down in a forbidden sector of space. Ghostly voices cry out for salvation and only C'rizz, the Doctor's Eutermesan companion, can answer their call - for only he knows the secret of the Absolver. But will he use it to rescue his friends or save the universe?
The Doctor's sins are catching up with him and the infernal beast Borarus is hungry. Time is running out and Judgement Day is at hand.
Welcome to Hell.
(Features the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz)
The Mind's Eye (November)
This is a warning to all space farers. You must keep away from this planet. It’s hostile, repeat, hostile.
On a planet with no name, the Doctor finds himself confronted by a faulty memory and some killer plants.
In a distant galaxy, Erimem leads a troubled empire.
Back on Earth, Peri tells her son about the good old days when she used to travel with a man called The Doctor.
(Features the Fifth Doctor, Peri, and Erimem)
The Girl Who Never Was (December)
'Dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. Someone's listening. Somewhere.'
A ghost ship. A girl with no memory, adrift in time. An old enemy. This could be Charlotte Pollard's finest hour - or her last.
Set course for Singapore, 1931. Journey's end.
(Features the Eighth Doctor and Charley)
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Sarah Jane Novels
Amazon.co.uk has listed four Sarah Jane Adventures novels to be released on November 1st, 2007. The first is a novelisation of Invasion of the Bane. Further information on the remaining titles is not available at this time.
AGYEMAN: 'AXE RUMOURS HURT ME'
New DOCTOR WHO assistant FREEMA AGYEMAN has blasted reports she is facing the axe from the hit show - insisting the rumours horrified her. Agyeman replaced Billie Piper as the Timelord's assistant after she quit at the end of the second series - but the actress' role in the British sci-fi show was recently speculated to be a short one after rumours surfaced her character would be killed off. However, Agyeman has dismissed the reports as hurtful. She says, "It's totally untrue. I don't know where it came from but I'm not getting axed. It was quite horrible to read it. I'm not going. "I'm just focusing on the fact the fans are still really enjoying it."
The Two Masters
Simm and Jacobi speak to DWM.
Derek Jacobi and John Simm speak exclusively in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine about breathing new life into the Doctor's old nemesis...
"I've tried to explain to my son that his dad is going to be, like, the epitome of evil," John Simm laughs, "but if I say, 'I have a fight with Doctor Who (sic),' and ask him who he wants to win, he'll say Doctor Who! It's one of those opportunities, though, to impress your son in a massive way, and that was just too good to turn down.
"Julie Gardner was trying to find something for me to do in it, and I kept saying, 'Look, I'm not being painted blue!' And then Julie and Russell T Davies said, 'What about the Master?' As soon as they said that, I was like,'You're kidding? Oh yeah!' I got really excited about it, but I just had to sit on the news. I wanted to tell people, 'I'M GOING TO BE THE MASTER!!!' But it was a secret. Hmft."
Russell T Davies is also on hand to tell the story of how he resurrected the Master ("Did you hear me say that I didn't like the Master, and didn't want him back? Well, I was lying!") and DWM visits a haunted house to find out how Blink was brought to our screens.
Meanwhile, there's a look at the darker side of the Doctor's nature, the mag goes all Smash Hits as they speak to top pop group McFly (honestly!) and look back at Doctor Who's many celebrity cameos.
Comic strip The Woman Who Sold the World concludes, and Steven Moffat pens Production Notes.
DWM 384, available with two Masterful covers, goes on sale from Thursday 28 June, priced £3.99.
Derek Jacobi and John Simm speak exclusively in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine about breathing new life into the Doctor's old nemesis...
"I've tried to explain to my son that his dad is going to be, like, the epitome of evil," John Simm laughs, "but if I say, 'I have a fight with Doctor Who (sic),' and ask him who he wants to win, he'll say Doctor Who! It's one of those opportunities, though, to impress your son in a massive way, and that was just too good to turn down.
"Julie Gardner was trying to find something for me to do in it, and I kept saying, 'Look, I'm not being painted blue!' And then Julie and Russell T Davies said, 'What about the Master?' As soon as they said that, I was like,'You're kidding? Oh yeah!' I got really excited about it, but I just had to sit on the news. I wanted to tell people, 'I'M GOING TO BE THE MASTER!!!' But it was a secret. Hmft."
Russell T Davies is also on hand to tell the story of how he resurrected the Master ("Did you hear me say that I didn't like the Master, and didn't want him back? Well, I was lying!") and DWM visits a haunted house to find out how Blink was brought to our screens.
Meanwhile, there's a look at the darker side of the Doctor's nature, the mag goes all Smash Hits as they speak to top pop group McFly (honestly!) and look back at Doctor Who's many celebrity cameos.
Comic strip The Woman Who Sold the World concludes, and Steven Moffat pens Production Notes.
DWM 384, available with two Masterful covers, goes on sale from Thursday 28 June, priced £3.99.
Doctor Who clips on the move at official site
As our New Series streaming media clips are so massively popular, they're putting a bit of a strain on our servers here at the BBC.
So today we're moving the broadband ones to a new home, where they should hopefully run more smoothly from now on.
As there are so many to deal with, a few are bound to go a bit strange during this process. Please bear with us today and tomorrow as we test them.
If they're still playing up on Saturday, drop us an email telling us what's not working and we'll take a look.
This doesn't effect Classic Series clips or the lower resolution ones.
So today we're moving the broadband ones to a new home, where they should hopefully run more smoothly from now on.
As there are so many to deal with, a few are bound to go a bit strange during this process. Please bear with us today and tomorrow as we test them.
If they're still playing up on Saturday, drop us an email telling us what's not working and we'll take a look.
This doesn't effect Classic Series clips or the lower resolution ones.
Info on the 2008 Story book.
It's that time of year again when we receive details of the upcoming Doctor Who 2008 story book.
In this year's edition, the TARDIS takes the Doctor and Martha to previously unexplored corners of the universe in a new selection of adventures, all lavishly illustrated in full colour!
The book contains eight action-packed stories, including writers from the TV series itself:
Cats and Dogs by Tom MacRae (writer of TV episodes Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel)
The Body Bank by Gareth Roberts (The Shakespeare Code and Attack of the Graske)
The Box Under the Tree by Robert Shearman (Dalek)
Zombie Motel by Paul Magrs (acclaimed fantasy author)
The Iron Circle by Nicholas Briggs (voice of the Daleks and the Cybermen)
Kiss of Life by Justin Richards (editor of BBC Books' Doctor Who range)
Deep Water by Nicholas Pegg (Dalek operator)
There's also a new comic strip, Sunscreen by Jonathan Morris, and A Letter from the Doctor – as told to showrunner Russell T Davies!
It also features stunning new illustrations from Brian Williamson, Andy Walker, Martin Geraghty, Adrian Salmon, Ben Willsher, Daniel McDaid and David A Roach, and a beautiful new cover painting from Alister Pearson.
Released August 2007, priced at £7.99
In this year's edition, the TARDIS takes the Doctor and Martha to previously unexplored corners of the universe in a new selection of adventures, all lavishly illustrated in full colour!
The book contains eight action-packed stories, including writers from the TV series itself:
Cats and Dogs by Tom MacRae (writer of TV episodes Rise of the Cybermen and The Age of Steel)
The Body Bank by Gareth Roberts (The Shakespeare Code and Attack of the Graske)
The Box Under the Tree by Robert Shearman (Dalek)
Zombie Motel by Paul Magrs (acclaimed fantasy author)
The Iron Circle by Nicholas Briggs (voice of the Daleks and the Cybermen)
Kiss of Life by Justin Richards (editor of BBC Books' Doctor Who range)
Deep Water by Nicholas Pegg (Dalek operator)
There's also a new comic strip, Sunscreen by Jonathan Morris, and A Letter from the Doctor – as told to showrunner Russell T Davies!
It also features stunning new illustrations from Brian Williamson, Andy Walker, Martin Geraghty, Adrian Salmon, Ben Willsher, Daniel McDaid and David A Roach, and a beautiful new cover painting from Alister Pearson.
Released August 2007, priced at £7.99
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Billie looks the tart as a call girl ???
KIDS' favourite Billie Piper is worlds - or even galaxies away - from Doctor Who's feisty sidekick Rose in her new role.
Billie, 24, stars as a high-class London call-girl who won worldwide fame through an internet diary she wrote under the name Belle De Jour.
Her co-stars in the ITV2 drama Belle De Jour include Robin Hood actor Jonas Armstrong and former punk singer Toyah Willcox, who plays Belle's mother.
Belle's blog was soon turned into a book but all attempts to unmask her identity have failed.
However, Billie's sizzling scenes are sure to prompt renewed interest in the woman behind the blog.
Billie, 24, stars as a high-class London call-girl who won worldwide fame through an internet diary she wrote under the name Belle De Jour.
Her co-stars in the ITV2 drama Belle De Jour include Robin Hood actor Jonas Armstrong and former punk singer Toyah Willcox, who plays Belle's mother.
Belle's blog was soon turned into a book but all attempts to unmask her identity have failed.
However, Billie's sizzling scenes are sure to prompt renewed interest in the woman behind the blog.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Award for Davison
Fifth Doctor Peter Davison has been awarded a Golden Nymph Award at the 47th Monte Carlo Television Festival.Davison won an award for outstanding comedy actor for his appearance in the series Fear, Stress, and Anger produced for BBC Two by Hartswood Films, the company run by Steven Moffat's mother-in-law and former Terry Nation agent Beryl Vertue.Other award winners include Life on Mars, starring "Mr. Saxon" John Simm and commissioned by Julie Gardner.The ceremony was attended by Freema Agyeman representing Doctor Who.
Sci-Fi Channel Schedule
The Sci-Fi channel in the USA has announced its schedule for July 6th, the start of its transmission of Season Three.The Runaway Bride debuts at 8pm and is immediately followed by Smith and Jones at 9.30pm. Both programmes are repeated starting at 11.30pm.The premieres come after a day of Doctor Who on the channel, with Season Two episodes being shown from 6am until 4pm.
Joanna Lumley makes 'Doctor Who' plea
Joanna Lumley has revealed that she is desperate to star in Doctor Who.The 61-year-old actress played a female Doctor in a 1999 Comic Relief special, but admitted that she would love to tackle the role again.David Tennant became the tenth Doctor in 2005 and has portrayed the iconic Time Lord ever since.Lumley told the Radio Times: "They've never approached me. I must say I'm sitting here on my hands bitterly waiting for something to come through the letter box. But they've never come near me, so I guess it's not on the cards."
Spike from 'Buffy' heads to 'Torchwood' !!!!!! LET THE SQUEEE BEGIN!!!
Former Buffy star James Marsters will reportedly be guest starring in the second season of Torchwood.According to the website James Marsters Live, the 44-year-old actor, famed for his role as swaggering British vampire Spike on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, will be filming his appearance in Cardiff next month.Torchwood’s parent show Doctor Who also featured one of the leads from the Sunnydale based cult show in its second series, with Anthony Head starring in ‘School Reuinon’ last year. The creative force behind the revived Doctor Who - Russell T Davies – has often cited Buffy as a key inspiration for his show.
WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP, JOHN?
SCHOOLBOY Doctor Who star John Bell yesterday revealed that he plans to return to the show one day - as the Doctor.
In Saturday's episode, watched by 7.7million viewers, the nine-year-old starred as Creet, an orphan caught up in the Doctor's battle to save the human race in the far future.
He said: "I've already been recognised and asked for my autograph.
"Now I know I really want to be an actor and my dream is to play the Doctor."
To celebrate his starring role, John's parents Iain and Susan threw a party at the family home in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, on Saturday - and the guests dressed as characters from the series.
Iain, 34, said: "I was Captain Jack and John was the empty child from the first series.
"His grandparents were a pig slave and scarecrow and Susan was a cat nun."
Iain admitted he'd been worried how John would measure up against stars such as fellow Scot David Tennant, from Paisley.
He said: "I was a bit concerned - but John was fantastic."
In Saturday's episode, watched by 7.7million viewers, the nine-year-old starred as Creet, an orphan caught up in the Doctor's battle to save the human race in the far future.
He said: "I've already been recognised and asked for my autograph.
"Now I know I really want to be an actor and my dream is to play the Doctor."
To celebrate his starring role, John's parents Iain and Susan threw a party at the family home in Kilmacolm, Renfrewshire, on Saturday - and the guests dressed as characters from the series.
Iain, 34, said: "I was Captain Jack and John was the empty child from the first series.
"His grandparents were a pig slave and scarecrow and Susan was a cat nun."
Iain admitted he'd been worried how John would measure up against stars such as fellow Scot David Tennant, from Paisley.
He said: "I was a bit concerned - but John was fantastic."
Doctor Who - The Sound of Drums.
After the incredible revelation and cliff-hanger at the end of Utopia, fans will be desperate to know what happens next.
The Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack manage to escape back to earth (no surprises there) and are soon on the track of The Master. But to their horror he's become one of the most powerful people in the country. And he's not alone, he's working with a mysterious race of aliens called The Toclafane who say they come in peace. But The Doctor has his doubts. And he suspects that the whole earth is heading for disaster.
This episode is powered along by a brilliant performance from John Simm as The Master. He's a fantastic villain because he's like The Doctor in so many ways - he's hyper-intelligent, and bounds around the screen with just as much energy as his Time Lord rival.
And what makes him so scary as an enemy is that he's the first person we've met who you can really imagine being able to defeat The Doctor, because he's easily the Time Lord's equal.
Celebrity cameos
The story provides lots of answers that have come up throughout the series - how The Master ended up trillions of years in the future, the origins of Mr Saxon, even what The Doctor's home planet actually looks like. But it also ends up asking even more questions - what does the mysterious drumming mean, and what's The Master really up to?
The Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack manage to escape back to earth (no surprises there) and are soon on the track of The Master. But to their horror he's become one of the most powerful people in the country. And he's not alone, he's working with a mysterious race of aliens called The Toclafane who say they come in peace. But The Doctor has his doubts. And he suspects that the whole earth is heading for disaster.
This episode is powered along by a brilliant performance from John Simm as The Master. He's a fantastic villain because he's like The Doctor in so many ways - he's hyper-intelligent, and bounds around the screen with just as much energy as his Time Lord rival.
And what makes him so scary as an enemy is that he's the first person we've met who you can really imagine being able to defeat The Doctor, because he's easily the Time Lord's equal.
Celebrity cameos
The story provides lots of answers that have come up throughout the series - how The Master ended up trillions of years in the future, the origins of Mr Saxon, even what The Doctor's home planet actually looks like. But it also ends up asking even more questions - what does the mysterious drumming mean, and what's The Master really up to?
All of this means it feels rather less exciting than Utopia, it's because it's setting up things for the climax in the last episode of the series. But there's still more than enough going on to keep fans happy, with the tension really increasing as the story unfolds.
It's not all wall-to-wall action though, there's lots of humour. Much of it provided by The Master who's having a wonderful time being an evil super villain. Along with some great celebrity cameos.
Worthy companion
What The Sound of Drums does beautifully is to draw together so many unexpected threads from earlier in the series. And it shows how cleverly chief writer Russell T. Davies has woven together the different strands to reward viewers who've followed the series faithfully.
Also one of the best things about the last 12 episodes has been watching Martha developing from a wide eyed newcomer to the wonders of time and space, into a worthy companion for The Doctor. And we truly get to appreciate this change as she's forced to make some difficult choices.
To keep what happens secret, hardly anyone will be allowed to see the final story - Episode 13 Last of the Time Lords - before it appears on TV. So it looks like this will be the last review of Doctor Who Series 3. But if this episode is anything to go by, the climax of the series will be well worth the wait.
It's not all wall-to-wall action though, there's lots of humour. Much of it provided by The Master who's having a wonderful time being an evil super villain. Along with some great celebrity cameos.
Worthy companion
What The Sound of Drums does beautifully is to draw together so many unexpected threads from earlier in the series. And it shows how cleverly chief writer Russell T. Davies has woven together the different strands to reward viewers who've followed the series faithfully.
Also one of the best things about the last 12 episodes has been watching Martha developing from a wide eyed newcomer to the wonders of time and space, into a worthy companion for The Doctor. And we truly get to appreciate this change as she's forced to make some difficult choices.
To keep what happens secret, hardly anyone will be allowed to see the final story - Episode 13 Last of the Time Lords - before it appears on TV. So it looks like this will be the last review of Doctor Who Series 3. But if this episode is anything to go by, the climax of the series will be well worth the wait.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Couple’s amazing Dr Who-tel!
WHO would stay in a place like this?
The Tardis is fine for travelling through time but if David Tennant needs a break from battling aliens, he’d feel at home in this new hotel where he could enjoy a pint at the ‘floating’ bar!
Owners Huw and Beth Roberts wanted the Gwesty Cymru on Aberystwyth seafront to live up to 21st Century expectations.
So they turned to Cardiff’s Specialist Models and Displays – the people who designed the Timelord’s Tardis and Daleks in BBC Wales’ hit renaissance of the classic sci-fi series plus a bespoke Range Rover in Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.
The parents- of-three, who met during the 17 years they spent working for the BBC, called them in after making contacts at Auntie.
Now the resort features a bar, reception and signs designed by the sci-fi experts.
Beth, 37, whose favourite Doctor was Tom Baker, said: “It would be great if the Doctor would stop by but I don’t know what he would make of it. But you never know, he might be on location in Aberystwyth someday – it’d be great publicity!
“Specialist Models and Displays designed the bar which has lights cut in at the bottom to give the impression that it is hovering in the air.
“It’s kind of a beam-me-up-scotty kind of thing. The whole idea is that it is very modern and 21st Century. It’s fantastic.
“I hope it doesn’t look too incestuous with the BBC thing, but not coming from the catering trade we just drew on what we knew.
“Everything in the hotel has been done by Welsh craftsmen.”
And former BBC producer Huw, 40, explained every effort was made to make the most of the building’s history too.
“We are in a Georgian Grade II listed building. So we have not destroyed any features but highlighted them,” he said.
But referring to the legendarily roomy Tardis, Beth added: “It’s not bigger on the inside than the outside and it can’t disappear either!”
Specialist Models and Displays boss Simon Hooper said: “It will be quite a striking bar.
“I wouldn’t say the hotel was totally sci-fi but it’s a lovely modern and contemporary hotel using slate and glass and silver laminate.
“The bar and reception have a nice curved design. And the bar looks very nice with LED strip lighting at the bottom.”
Gwesty Cymru is expected to open on July 7.
The Tardis is fine for travelling through time but if David Tennant needs a break from battling aliens, he’d feel at home in this new hotel where he could enjoy a pint at the ‘floating’ bar!
Owners Huw and Beth Roberts wanted the Gwesty Cymru on Aberystwyth seafront to live up to 21st Century expectations.
So they turned to Cardiff’s Specialist Models and Displays – the people who designed the Timelord’s Tardis and Daleks in BBC Wales’ hit renaissance of the classic sci-fi series plus a bespoke Range Rover in Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood.
The parents- of-three, who met during the 17 years they spent working for the BBC, called them in after making contacts at Auntie.
Now the resort features a bar, reception and signs designed by the sci-fi experts.
Beth, 37, whose favourite Doctor was Tom Baker, said: “It would be great if the Doctor would stop by but I don’t know what he would make of it. But you never know, he might be on location in Aberystwyth someday – it’d be great publicity!
“Specialist Models and Displays designed the bar which has lights cut in at the bottom to give the impression that it is hovering in the air.
“It’s kind of a beam-me-up-scotty kind of thing. The whole idea is that it is very modern and 21st Century. It’s fantastic.
“I hope it doesn’t look too incestuous with the BBC thing, but not coming from the catering trade we just drew on what we knew.
“Everything in the hotel has been done by Welsh craftsmen.”
And former BBC producer Huw, 40, explained every effort was made to make the most of the building’s history too.
“We are in a Georgian Grade II listed building. So we have not destroyed any features but highlighted them,” he said.
But referring to the legendarily roomy Tardis, Beth added: “It’s not bigger on the inside than the outside and it can’t disappear either!”
Specialist Models and Displays boss Simon Hooper said: “It will be quite a striking bar.
“I wouldn’t say the hotel was totally sci-fi but it’s a lovely modern and contemporary hotel using slate and glass and silver laminate.
“The bar and reception have a nice curved design. And the bar looks very nice with LED strip lighting at the bottom.”
Gwesty Cymru is expected to open on July 7.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Doctor Who 'Utopia' Minute by Minute .
Please be aware there are big massive SPOILERS ahead so look away now if you don’t want to know. As it’s a minute by minute it was written as I watching it so I have decided not to follow up the clues about what is happening (I hope you know what I mean). Also I have TAKEN HUGE CHUNKS OUT OF IT SO AS NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE IMPORTANT BITS... You'll see what I mean when you watch it.....It’s a cracking episode, say what you like about Russell T Davies, after that he’s allowed to look a smug as he wants.The Tardis arrives in Cardiff and the Doctor explains the rift in time and space to Martha and the need for the Tardis to refuel or as Martha calls it a ‘pit stop’.Here comes Jack with his great big backpack. Wasn’t it dark when he disappeared in Torchwood? Jack leaps for the Tardis as it is disappearing; he’s obviously done something as the Tardis is hurtling very far into the futureDoctor and Martha look worried, not as much as Jack who’s hanging on the outside of the Tardis. Won’t he get fried? Very good special effects going on, well good Doctor Who type special effects, it not exactly ‘Independence Day’.Ooh they’ve landed in a gravel pit. Scary humans that look like that devils disciple in ‘The Impossible Planet’, albeit on a bad hair day and in need of a dentist.Hang on, they’re not humans they sub-humans chasing after a human – I know that doesn’t make sense. They’ve landed in a Mad Max film. Waits for a guest appearance from Mr. Sugar Tits himself.An old man that looks like a butler is in a lab underground is talking to someone who obviously wandered into the special effects box circa 1975. Apparently a human hunt is going outside and he’s winging about the coffeeOcto Ant woman declines coffee for internal milk.Voice over the Tannoy, the butler’s a Professor and they are asking him how he’s doing. Something about a footprint.Prof’s is a bit ill. Banging drums, have the Mad Max people got in?Professor’s radar has picked up the Tardis.Doctor says that not even the Time Lords came this far; he says he reckons they should flee, aha he’s joking, the Doctor is never a wimp!Martha finds Jack, looking for a pulseDoctor recognises Jack, doesn’t look all that pleased to see him, yep the Doctor definitely not keen.Jack wakes up. Doctor and Jack start sparking off each other.Jack flirting with Martha. Doctor explains his new look. Jack accuses him of abandoning him.Jack asks after Rose, Martha looks pissed offMad Max people still chasing a human.Jack finally explains about how he got out of Satellite Five and got back to earth in 1869 and had to wait around for the Doctor. Martha worries about the Doctor just leaving people behind. Finds out Rose was blonde, this upsets her.Both Jack and Martha are having a go at the Doctor; he shuts them up with a nice quip about blogging!They arrive at a big hole in the ground. It’s a sort of city.Doctor explains that everything is dying, as it’s the end of the Universe.Doctor and Jack don’t like each other I thinkThey spy the mad max people chasing the human – the trio to the rescue…Whoops they’re surrounded. Now running to the Silo. Through a kiddies playground? Is this the nuclear winter portrayed in Terminator Two?Back on point, sorry. They run to a guarded industrial complex where they have to show their teeth to get in.Mad max people are cannibals??The rescued human asks to be taken to Utopia. Doctor is asking after his Tardis.Humans seem to be hiding in the complex. Martha calls it a refugee camp. Doctor is his excitable self. Jacks start flirting with a refugee.Doctor and Jack warming to each other.They find a really big rocket – the humans are passengers for the rocket.The Professor meets the Doctor, passes mad max person in disguise on the way.This is turning out to be classic Doctor Who, all impossible machines, silly words and dodgy costumes. Don’t know what’s going on at the moment. Aha! Nor does the Doctor!Martha unpacks Jacks stuff, finds the Doctors hand in a jarBreakthrough on Martha/Doctor chemistry - the flirting between Martha and Doctor is now on a Rose scale but slightly different, Martha is good at the smart remarks.Octo woman is ‘Chantho.’Martha is still spooked by the hand thing. Doctor is looking hot. And on top cheeky form! Massive flirting going on. Even Jack looks good. Sparks are flying between the three of them.Professor explains the mad max people are what the humans will become unless they reach Utopia.Professor shows Utopia on a map, It’s a beacon calling the last of the humans to it. The Utopia project was created thousands of years ago to preserve humanity at the end of time.Professor's having another seizure whilst the Doctor fiddles with the computer. Doctor knows that the rocket won’t fly. And knows the Prof hasn’t told anyone about it.Doctor is coming out with gobbledegook, whacks out the sonic screwdriver and fixes the footprint. (Sorry, bear with me).Yes, Doctor you are brilliant doctor, flash those pearly whites again.Passenger’s are now boarding the big rocket.Mad Max infiltrator is giving Martha dirty looks.More gobbledegook. They created the system out of glue, food and staples. The Professor is called Yana. He and Doctor having a cosy chat.Someone has to stay behind to activate the footprint. But it’s OK, the Tardis has been found so the Professor can catch up with everyone else.Professor is ailing. He has a constant noise inside his head, the sound of drums getting closer and closer. He says he’s had it all his life.Octo woman fancies the Professor. Martha is teasing Octo woman.Man in James Bond-esque radioactive suit goes into bright red room under the rocket to fix something to get the rocket to go. The room is full of radiation.Oh dear. Doesn’t seem to be going well, they can’t seem to get the fuel cells out of the tubey thingsInfiltrator alert! She’s gone and pressed a load of buttons. What a bitch! Stop speaking Parseltongue! She’s bloody well gone and lobbed a dirty great thing at the fuse box.Jack does something and stupidMartha giving Jack mouth to mouth. Doctor tells her to stop it.They’ve got a room where no man can get into without dying… Enter Captain Jack and lots of running down a corridor.Jack goes into the room in his scanties. Says something cryptic. ‘How long since you’ve known’Doctor ‘Ever since I run away from you.’ What can that mean?Jack puts pants back on and goes into radiation room.Martha a lot more confident this episode, like she’s coming into her own at the moment she is explaining to the Professor that the Tardis travels through time. This appears to be a bad move. Octo-Ant woman reminds me of a really bad comedian I once saw at the comedy storeProfessors (head) banging is getting louder.Aah! I know what the cryptic message is about!!!!Doctor explains why he ran away and why Jack is wrong.The word ‘Dalek’ is agitating the ProfIt’s all Roses fault apparently.‘Time war’ also agitating Prof.Doctor and Jack talks about Rose – he’s not over her… Martha and the Professor are listening in.Cute shot away of Doctor talking to Jack. Jack reckons this new version of him is kind of cheeky.‘Regeneration’ is agitating the professor.Ahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Look away………!!!!!!!He’s got something of the Doctors!!!!!! A relic he was found with as an orphan. Martha is scared. Professor knows something is up. Martha is running to find the doctor.Rocket is ready to launch.Martha tells the Doctor about the relic.Doctor is panicking and then is really fucking annoyed (‘scuse the language).Professor is playing with the relic and thinking intently.Martha remembers the face of Bo.Fucking hell.NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORocket has launched.Doctor is checking the rocket is on course and is running back to the Tardis The trio are locked out of the room. The Professor turns off the security and the mad max people run into the complex.Good old sonic screwdriver gets them through a door. But the mad max people have got in.Doctors chopped off hand has reached boiling point.The mad max people are close. Doctor is trying to get though the last door.Octo-ant woman plans to save the day,NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOThe Doctor is locked out of the Tardis. Starts to beg but he has to look on horrified at the scene before him. Martha and Jack are desperately trying to keep the Mad Max people out.Spectacular special effects, Why, hello there.Doctor now is really pissing mad, also seems a little frightened.Whaddya mean that’s the end of the episode!!
Win a set of three BBC Audiobooks!
BBC Audiobooks has teamed up with the Whoniverse to offer its readers TWO complete sets of the next three abridged readings: Wooden Heart, The Last Dodo and Sting of the Zygons!
Visit here to enter…http://www.whoniverse.co.uk/competition
Visit here to enter…http://www.whoniverse.co.uk/competition
December Novels Announced
Peacemaker by James Swallow
The peace and quiet of a remote homestead in the 1880s American West is shattered by the arrival of two shadowy outriders searching for 'the healer'. When the farmer refuses to help them, they raze the house to the ground using guns that shoot bolts of energy instead of bullets... In the town of Redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman who's patent medicines actually cure his patient. But when the Doctor and Martha investigate they discover the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous. Caught between the law of the gun and the deadly plans of intergalactic mercenaries, the Doctor and Martha are about to discover just how wild the West can become... This title features the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC Television.
The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier
The Doctor's been everywhere and everywhen in the whole of the universe and seems to know all the answers. But ask him what happened to the Starship Brilliant and he hasn't the first idea. Did it fall into a sun or black hole? Was it shot down in the first moments of the galactic war? And what's this about a secret experimental drive? The Doctor is skittish. But if Martha is so keen to find out he'll land the TARDIS on the Brilliant, a few days before it vanishes. Then they can see for themselves... Soon the Doctor learns the awful truth. And Martha learns that you need to be careful what you wish for. She certainly wasn't hoping for mayhem, death, and badger-faced space pirates. This title features the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC Television.
Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale
The old village well is just a curiosity - something to attract tourists intrigued by stories of lost treasure, or visitors just making a wish. Unless something alien and terrifying could be lurking inside the well. Something utterly monstrous that causes nothing but death and destruction. But who knows the real truth about the well? Who wishes to unleash the hideous force it contains? What terrible consequences will follow the search for a legendary treasure hidden at the bottom? No one wants to believe the Doctor's warnings about the deadly horror lying in wait - but soon they'll wish they had... This title features the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC Television.
The peace and quiet of a remote homestead in the 1880s American West is shattered by the arrival of two shadowy outriders searching for 'the healer'. When the farmer refuses to help them, they raze the house to the ground using guns that shoot bolts of energy instead of bullets... In the town of Redwater, the Doctor and Martha learn of a snake-oil salesman who's patent medicines actually cure his patient. But when the Doctor and Martha investigate they discover the truth is stranger, and far more dangerous. Caught between the law of the gun and the deadly plans of intergalactic mercenaries, the Doctor and Martha are about to discover just how wild the West can become... This title features the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC Television.
The Pirate Loop by Simon Guerrier
The Doctor's been everywhere and everywhen in the whole of the universe and seems to know all the answers. But ask him what happened to the Starship Brilliant and he hasn't the first idea. Did it fall into a sun or black hole? Was it shot down in the first moments of the galactic war? And what's this about a secret experimental drive? The Doctor is skittish. But if Martha is so keen to find out he'll land the TARDIS on the Brilliant, a few days before it vanishes. Then they can see for themselves... Soon the Doctor learns the awful truth. And Martha learns that you need to be careful what you wish for. She certainly wasn't hoping for mayhem, death, and badger-faced space pirates. This title features the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC Television.
Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale
The old village well is just a curiosity - something to attract tourists intrigued by stories of lost treasure, or visitors just making a wish. Unless something alien and terrifying could be lurking inside the well. Something utterly monstrous that causes nothing but death and destruction. But who knows the real truth about the well? Who wishes to unleash the hideous force it contains? What terrible consequences will follow the search for a legendary treasure hidden at the bottom? No one wants to believe the Doctor's warnings about the deadly horror lying in wait - but soon they'll wish they had... This title features the Doctor and Martha as played by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in the hit series from BBC Television.
John Barrowman of `Dr Who` fame admits to 007 audition
John Barrowman is in his agent’s office on Harley Street in London. He is, as tradition dictates, shorter than he seems on telly, and has some frankly displeasing highlights in his hair, but, otherwise, he is exactly as you would expect, had you seen his hilarious turns on Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Tonight with Jonathan Ross - reports The Times. “It can be quite awkward with the kids,” he says, sitting up straight on a vexingly low leather sofa. “Because when they see Captain Jack, a lot of them presume that something awful is about to happen. They figure a spaceship is about to crash, or some aliens are going to come and get them. So a lot of what I do, when I get recognised out on the street, is just stopping children from crying.” And how do you do that? I ask. “I tell them Captain Jack’s on holiday right now, and there won’t be any alien invasion today,” Barrowman says, with a broad beam. It’s hard to overstate just how famous Barrowman – along with the rest of the cast of Doctor Who – is among children. After a hiatus of 15 years, the cry “Exterminate!” once again rings around playgrounds across the country, sonic screwdrivers gobble up batteries, and the Doctor Who lunchbox is the snack suitcase du jour. This gigantic child fanbase makes the public acceptance and affection for Captain Jack all the more incredible – for he is, let us not forget, an “omnisexual” time-traveller who has kissed the Doctor full on the mouth, at 7pm. That the Daily Mail didn’t utter a single peep about it is a testament to just how righteous and joyful the show is under the guardianship of Russell T. Davies. The role has, of course, propelled Barrowman to instantaneous National Treasure status. From a well-respected but essentially obscure song and dance man – most famous for playing the lead in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway – to someone almost on a par with Alan Bennett, Stephen Fry and Victoria Wood in Britain’s affections. That he has segued seamlessly into presenting work, panel shows and his own album (forthcoming from Sony) is little surprise – as a handsome, garrulous and acerbic polymath with a rock-hard bottom, who in the wide world of sports would not have a soft spot for him? Of course, for the children who have not been allowed to stay up and watch Captain Jack’s compelling spin-off series, Torchwood, it has been a long time since they’ve seen Barrowman don the Captain’s swishy long coat and boots. All this is to change this week, however, when Captain Jack returns to Doctor Who for the last three episodes, to help the Doctor to fight off his most deadly opponent – the Master, played by a malevolent and partially unhinged John Simm. Captain Jack, the Doctor and the Master: for Whovians it’s the season finale equivalent of six Christmases at once. “It’s weird being back on the show,” Barrowman says, not looking remotely fazed. “It’s a completely different Doctor and assistant to last time. Jack’s looking at the Doctor going, ‘Oooh, thisDoctor is funny and quirky and sexy. The other one was like a U-boat captain – a bit dull.’ So there’s an edge there that wasn’t there before. And there’s a lot of stuff resolved in this series for Jack. There’s this whole thing of where Jack comes from, what his story is, and when I read it, I rang Russell and said, ‘I don’t know what you’ve been smoking, but that is brilliant!’ God, I wish I could tell you what happens!” For reasons too complicated to explain, I do actually – despite all the BBC’s admirable, warlike levels of secrecy – know what will happen in the season finale of Doctor Who. “You do?” Barrowman yelps. “Ohmy-God, isn’t it AMAAAAAAZING?” Barrowman is semi-incoherent with enthusiasm. We bounce up and down on the sofa, screaming, and then do a high-five. “But I am a fan,” Barrowman says, when he’s stopped bouncing with joy. “Like any British subject, I used to watch the show as a kid, hiding behind the sofa. And when we moved to America when I was 8, I watched it on PBS on Sunday night, consequently failed every spelling test on a Monday morning. This is why I’m such a s*** speller. It’s all down to Doctor Who.” He beams again, and then slaps the table with his hand. “I’m a man with a little boy inside him, who’s living his dream!” Later on he mentions that he once auditioned for the role of James Bond, and was told to come back in ten years’ time. “That was five years ago, but before I came out,” he explains. “An American audience might just about stomach a blond Bond [Daniel Craig] but not a gay Bond. But you know what? Russell T. Davies has written a complete action hero that’s iconic, and kids love him, and mums, and dads, and gay men and women. And I’m completely content.” Captain Jack returns to Doctor Who tonight, BBC One, 7.15pm
Friday, June 15, 2007
Gongs For Classic Who Actors
Two veteran actors from the classic era of Doctor Who have been awarded OBEs in the 2007 Queen's Birthday Honours List.Peter Sallis, 87, who was Penley in The Ice Warriors, has been given his gong for services to drama. Sallis is also famous for voicing Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit films co-written by classic series writer Bob Baker.Sylvia Syms, 73, who played Mrs Pritchard in Ghost Light, gets hers for services to drama and charity. Footnote: Original series producer Verity Lambert was awarded an OBE for services to film and television production in the 2002 New Year Honours List. Also receiving an OBE in that list was Roy Clarke, creator of BBC comedy series Last of the Summer Wine, which stars . . . Peter Sallis!
Barrowman autobiography to come
The John Barrowman Official Site has reported that Barrowman is publishing an autobiography with Michael O'Mara books. Anything Goes will be published in Spring 2008, and will tell Barrowman's story from the very beginning.
Mother of all spoilers confirmed
Doctor Who – Last Of The Time Lords Ep 13/13Saturday 30 June 7.10-7.55pm BBC ONE www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho
Earth has been conquered and the Master rules supreme, with the Doctor a helpless prisoner, in the final episode of Russell T Davies's Doctor Who.The entire human race has been reduced to slavery, as the mighty warships of a new Time Lord Empire rise from the ashes. Only Martha Jones can save the world...
David Tennant plays the Doctor and Freema Agyeman plays his companion, Martha Jones. John Barrowman and John Simm guest star.
Earth has been conquered and the Master rules supreme, with the Doctor a helpless prisoner, in the final episode of Russell T Davies's Doctor Who.The entire human race has been reduced to slavery, as the mighty warships of a new Time Lord Empire rise from the ashes. Only Martha Jones can save the world...
David Tennant plays the Doctor and Freema Agyeman plays his companion, Martha Jones. John Barrowman and John Simm guest star.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
London Gay Who Fans No Longer Face Dilemma
As reported by PinkNews, the final episode of Series Three of Doctor Who, The Last of the Time Lords, is being broadcast on the same day as the London Pride Festival, held in Trafalgar Square. Organizers of the event, in an effort to not make gay Who fans choose between the annual celebration and the season finale of their favourite show, have come up with an interesting compromise: they plan to carry the live BBC broadcast of the episode at 7:10 p.m. on a big screen at the event's main stage in Trafalgar Square. And if that's not enough to get gay fans out to the event, they've also arranged to have John Barrowman co-host the event with Graham Norton. Barrowman will be speaking earlier in the afternoon about his role as Captain Jack on Doctor Who and Torchwood.The event kicks off at 3:00 following the Pride parade through town and concludes with the broadcast of The Last of the Time Lords
'64 convertible and '89 Porsche amongst range to be sold at auction
Billie Piper and Chris Evans are auctioning off their luxury cars.
The newly divorced pair are each selling a motor at the annual Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on June 22.Radio star Evans is getting rid of his black 1964 Daimler V8 Vicarage Convertible, which cost him £135,000 and is expected to fetch up to £70,000.
Piper has also decided to part with one of her cars, a white 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe.Evans gave her the Porsche three years ago and she has driven it regularly since.It is expected to fetch up to £17,000.Evans famously wooed Piper by giving her a Ferrari filled with roses the day after they first met. She was 18 at the time and had not yet learned to drive.Piper, now 24, and Evans, who is 16 years her senior, were granted a "quickie" divorce last month but remain the best of friends.The couple married in Las Vegas in May 2001 and separated in October 2004.Radio 2 presenter Evans is now dating golfer Natasha Shishmanian, while ex-Doctor Who star Piper has found love with fellow actor Laurence Fox.
The newly divorced pair are each selling a motor at the annual Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on June 22.Radio star Evans is getting rid of his black 1964 Daimler V8 Vicarage Convertible, which cost him £135,000 and is expected to fetch up to £70,000.
Piper has also decided to part with one of her cars, a white 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe.Evans gave her the Porsche three years ago and she has driven it regularly since.It is expected to fetch up to £17,000.Evans famously wooed Piper by giving her a Ferrari filled with roses the day after they first met. She was 18 at the time and had not yet learned to drive.Piper, now 24, and Evans, who is 16 years her senior, were granted a "quickie" divorce last month but remain the best of friends.The couple married in Las Vegas in May 2001 and separated in October 2004.Radio 2 presenter Evans is now dating golfer Natasha Shishmanian, while ex-Doctor Who star Piper has found love with fellow actor Laurence Fox.
Offical website updated
The Official BBC Doctor Who website has been updated for Saturday's episode Utopia,
http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/
http://www.bbc. co.uk/doctorwho/
DVDs Regenerate
Bringing the classic series to a new audience.
On the 2 July 2007, 2Entertain will release a special run of eight classic DVD's aimed at bringing classic Doctor Who to a new audience.
For a limited period, the DVD's will be available at a lower price to entice fans of the new series to try some of the Doctor's classic adventures.
The eight specially chosen titles will be:
The Five Doctors
Genesis of the Daleks
Spearhead from Space
Earthshock
Remembrance of the Daleks
The TV Movie
The Hand of Fear
Revelation of the Daleks
Each DVD is identical to the previously released version, but will come with a specially designed outer cardboard sleeve.
On the 2 July 2007, 2Entertain will release a special run of eight classic DVD's aimed at bringing classic Doctor Who to a new audience.
For a limited period, the DVD's will be available at a lower price to entice fans of the new series to try some of the Doctor's classic adventures.
The eight specially chosen titles will be:
The Five Doctors
Genesis of the Daleks
Spearhead from Space
Earthshock
Remembrance of the Daleks
The TV Movie
The Hand of Fear
Revelation of the Daleks
Each DVD is identical to the previously released version, but will come with a specially designed outer cardboard sleeve.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Hidden audiotrack on Dalek Masterplan website (clue: look for the Dalek)
Martin Johnson composer of the music for the forthcoming stage production of The Dalek Masterplan, has hidden an exclusive audio track on his Web site.
The track is a short clip from The Dalek Masterplan, and Martin tells us that the track won’t be available from anywhere else.
To find the track, go to Martin’s site and see if you can spot the Dalek. The clip is excellent – very atmospheric and up to Martin’s usual high standards. Can’t wait to hear it live on stage later in the year.
http://www.everybodyelse.co.uk/
The track is a short clip from The Dalek Masterplan, and Martin tells us that the track won’t be available from anywhere else.
To find the track, go to Martin’s site and see if you can spot the Dalek. The clip is excellent – very atmospheric and up to Martin’s usual high standards. Can’t wait to hear it live on stage later in the year.
http://www.everybodyelse.co.uk/
Big Finish Update
Big Finish Productions has released more information on its forthcoming releases. July sees the release of The Wishing Beast, which has Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford being joined by Jean Marsh. The Wishing Beast is a three part story. Accompanying it is The Vanity Box, a one part adventure which also features the Sixth Doctor and Mel.Frozen Time, August's release featuring a companionless Seventh Doctor, sees Sylvester McCoy joined by Bond girl, Maryam D'Arbo
THE WISHING BEAST
What can it mean when the Doctor and Mel are drawn to an asteroid by a message from the strange, elderly Applewhite sisters? The travellers are promised that they will receive their dearest wishes when they enter the frozen forests of this benighted shard of a world. But the ghosts that haunt this place are desperate to warn the Doctor about the sisters' promises. Only the ghosts know the true nature of the legendary Wishing Beast.
THE VANITY BOX
A strange beauty parlour has opened its doors for business in a dowdy Salford terrace circa 1965. Monsieur Coiffure is the talk of the street with his fabulous make-overs. When the Doctor arrives, however, he knows at once that there's been some unnatural titivation going on.
Frozen Time
In 1929, Lord Barset's expedition to the Antarctic is lost without trace. Or so it seems…
Nearly a century later, his grandson funds a much-publicized return to the icy wastes. His mission: to discover what happened to the original expedition. But what he finds instead is an enigma – a battered London police box frozen in ice millennia old.
But something else lies in wait in this awful place, something from an era before humankind set foot on the continent's cold soil. A menace frozen in time.
Until now.
THE WISHING BEAST
What can it mean when the Doctor and Mel are drawn to an asteroid by a message from the strange, elderly Applewhite sisters? The travellers are promised that they will receive their dearest wishes when they enter the frozen forests of this benighted shard of a world. But the ghosts that haunt this place are desperate to warn the Doctor about the sisters' promises. Only the ghosts know the true nature of the legendary Wishing Beast.
THE VANITY BOX
A strange beauty parlour has opened its doors for business in a dowdy Salford terrace circa 1965. Monsieur Coiffure is the talk of the street with his fabulous make-overs. When the Doctor arrives, however, he knows at once that there's been some unnatural titivation going on.
Frozen Time
In 1929, Lord Barset's expedition to the Antarctic is lost without trace. Or so it seems…
Nearly a century later, his grandson funds a much-publicized return to the icy wastes. His mission: to discover what happened to the original expedition. But what he finds instead is an enigma – a battered London police box frozen in ice millennia old.
But something else lies in wait in this awful place, something from an era before humankind set foot on the continent's cold soil. A menace frozen in time.
Until now.
Freedom of Information
Big Finish Productions has released full details on the next release in the Bernice Summerfield series, Freedom of Information.
They're saying it isn't a war. The Draconians have taken over the Braxiatel Collection, but they claim they come in peace.Insurrectionary acts are easily being quelled - but the Draconian's new head of state on the Collection is troubled by a missing academic. Is Bernice Summerfield one of the revolutionaries, undermining the peaceful campaign? Where is she hiding, and who is protecting her?And if she's nowhere to be found, why does he keep hearing her voice?Meanwhile, an unlikely peacebroker struggles to cut a deal on the Mim Sphere. But how can Hass, the Collection's gardener, convince the Mim to back down when they think he's one of the enemy?
They're saying it isn't a war. The Draconians have taken over the Braxiatel Collection, but they claim they come in peace.Insurrectionary acts are easily being quelled - but the Draconian's new head of state on the Collection is troubled by a missing academic. Is Bernice Summerfield one of the revolutionaries, undermining the peaceful campaign? Where is she hiding, and who is protecting her?And if she's nowhere to be found, why does he keep hearing her voice?Meanwhile, an unlikely peacebroker struggles to cut a deal on the Mim Sphere. But how can Hass, the Collection's gardener, convince the Mim to back down when they think he's one of the enemy?
Views From Behind The Sofa
A new book due to be released in August looks at Doctor Who from a fan's point of view.Views From Behind The Sofa is compiled by David May using contributions from Doctor Who fans around the globe. It promises individual stories of how fans got hooked, their experiences of being a fan, their views of the various characters and stories, and their memories of not just watching the series but collecting the merchandise and attending events.The book is published by Lulu.
Ex-timelords make time for fans
A Doctor Who convention in Gloucester will be attended by ex-timelords Sylvester McCoy and Peter Davison.
Daleks and Cybermen will also be in attendance at the event at the Guildhall on Saturday.
An episode of Doctor Who - entitled Shiver and described as the most terrifying yet by Russell T Davies - will be shown on a large screen.
A host of other stars from the hit sci-fi show, plus Sycorax, Ood and K-9 are all expected.
Daleks and Cybermen will also be in attendance at the event at the Guildhall on Saturday.
An episode of Doctor Who - entitled Shiver and described as the most terrifying yet by Russell T Davies - will be shown on a large screen.
A host of other stars from the hit sci-fi show, plus Sycorax, Ood and K-9 are all expected.
More Kylie rumors
POP princess Kylie Minogue looks set to jet into Wales next month to film a starring role in the Doctor Who Christmas special.
Insiders on BBC One Wales’ hit sci-fi show told WoS the Aussie songstress, whose family hails from Maesteg, has booked herself a suite in a top Cardiff hotel ready for the shoot.
The 39-year-old beauty, who has recently recovered from her battle against breast cancer, has already confirmed she will be appearing on the show, and is one of many big names mooted to materialise in future episodes – including a major Hollywood actor.
But fans of the show’s famous baddies will be left disappointed, as Kylie has already laughed off claims that she is getting ready to play an evil cyberwoman – the mortal enemy of David Tennant’s Doctor.
Last night, a show insider told us: “Kylie will be coming to Cardiff sometime next month. Everything has been arranged, a hotel has been booked and everyone on the set is excited about it.”
Story continues
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Kylie, who is soon set to make a comeback with a new album, can’t wait to get cracking either.
She said: “Yes, it’s true – my gay husband is so excited about it!” – referring to her stylist William Baker, when questioned by a woman’s style mag last month – “But I’m not going to be playing a villain.”
But Kylie’s Welsh fans may not even have to wait a whole month to catch a glimpse of their idol back among her Welsh roots.
A source close to the star hinted she may even be in Wales this week to watch her pal DJ Calvin Harris play a disc-spinning set at the Escape Into The Park dance festival in Swansea’s Singleton Park next Saturday.
The 23-year-old Scottish musician and former supermarket shelf-stacker, whose hit Acceptable In The Eighties recently crashed in to the UK Top 10, has been helping write her new album.
Songs from the record, which has yet to be titled or given a release date, were recently leaked on the internet, much to the delight of fans – Kylie’s last CD Body Language having been back in 2004.
The five-star St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay refused to comment on whether Kylie had already booked a room for her Doctor Who stop-over.
A hotel spokeswoman said: “We couldn’t possibly comment.”
Insiders on BBC One Wales’ hit sci-fi show told WoS the Aussie songstress, whose family hails from Maesteg, has booked herself a suite in a top Cardiff hotel ready for the shoot.
The 39-year-old beauty, who has recently recovered from her battle against breast cancer, has already confirmed she will be appearing on the show, and is one of many big names mooted to materialise in future episodes – including a major Hollywood actor.
But fans of the show’s famous baddies will be left disappointed, as Kylie has already laughed off claims that she is getting ready to play an evil cyberwoman – the mortal enemy of David Tennant’s Doctor.
Last night, a show insider told us: “Kylie will be coming to Cardiff sometime next month. Everything has been arranged, a hotel has been booked and everyone on the set is excited about it.”
Story continues
ADVERTISEMENT
Kylie, who is soon set to make a comeback with a new album, can’t wait to get cracking either.
She said: “Yes, it’s true – my gay husband is so excited about it!” – referring to her stylist William Baker, when questioned by a woman’s style mag last month – “But I’m not going to be playing a villain.”
But Kylie’s Welsh fans may not even have to wait a whole month to catch a glimpse of their idol back among her Welsh roots.
A source close to the star hinted she may even be in Wales this week to watch her pal DJ Calvin Harris play a disc-spinning set at the Escape Into The Park dance festival in Swansea’s Singleton Park next Saturday.
The 23-year-old Scottish musician and former supermarket shelf-stacker, whose hit Acceptable In The Eighties recently crashed in to the UK Top 10, has been helping write her new album.
Songs from the record, which has yet to be titled or given a release date, were recently leaked on the internet, much to the delight of fans – Kylie’s last CD Body Language having been back in 2004.
The five-star St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay refused to comment on whether Kylie had already booked a room for her Doctor Who stop-over.
A hotel spokeswoman said: “We couldn’t possibly comment.”
Friday, June 08, 2007
Who marathon
I just wanted to let those in the US know that there's another Doctor Who marathon on the Scifi channel tomorrow (Friday, 6/8/07).It is on from 8am - 4pm eastern. They are running Love and Monsters, Fear Her, Army of Ghosts, Doomsday, New Earth, Tooth and Claw, School Reunion & The Girl in the Fireplace.
RTD Too Busy For Adventures
Russell T Davies has stated that he isn't writing any episodes of Doctor Who spinoff Sarah Jane Adventures, revealed Doctor Who Magazine #383.
It's also been reported (The Gallifreyan Embassy) that episodes 5 and 6 have been written by Phil Gladwin, while episodes 9 and 10 are by Phil Ford (who did stirling work on Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet).
Most notable casting-wise meanwhile is that Porsha Lawrence-Mavour who played "Kelsey" in Invasion of the Bane has left the production, with DWM reporting that Daniel Anthony will take the role of "Clyde Langerl".
Filming for the second Doctor Who spinoff Sarah Jane Adventures is underway, with filming on Block 1 recently completed. If you haven't found it already, Sarah-Jane.tv is a great source of news - for intance, Block 2 work began last week, which contains the Graeme Harper-directed, Gareth Roberts-scripted episode. Which is currently nameless. But that link has some snaps from the shoot, so tread carefully...
Meanwhile, a notice in Cardiff University Science Library indicates that filming of Sarah Jane Adventures will take place there Friday.
"A BBC film crew will be in the Science Library on June 8th 2007 from 8am to 5pm. They will be filming scenes for a new children’s series called the ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’ . There will be no access to the reading room or the journals collection on the first floor of the library between 8.45am and 5.00pm but the entrance floor will remain open..."
I don't think the team a there to check the acuracy of science used in the show, anyway...
There also seems to be some sort of party taking place in the currently filmed episodes, as indicated by these snaps posted on Sarah-Jane.tv. It also details as Block 2 as running to two episodes, directed as above by Graeme Harper (who also directs Episode 10 of Doctor Who - Utopia
Finally, Torchwood director Alice Troughton is set to chair four episodes (Sarah Jane Adventures are 30 minutes long), while current stand-in Doctor Who producer Susie Liggatt has been replaced on Sarah Jane Adventures with Matthew Bouch, who shadowed Liggatt on production of Invasion of the Bane (The Gallifreyan Embassy).
It's also been reported (The Gallifreyan Embassy) that episodes 5 and 6 have been written by Phil Gladwin, while episodes 9 and 10 are by Phil Ford (who did stirling work on Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet).
Most notable casting-wise meanwhile is that Porsha Lawrence-Mavour who played "Kelsey" in Invasion of the Bane has left the production, with DWM reporting that Daniel Anthony will take the role of "Clyde Langerl".
Filming for the second Doctor Who spinoff Sarah Jane Adventures is underway, with filming on Block 1 recently completed. If you haven't found it already, Sarah-Jane.tv is a great source of news - for intance, Block 2 work began last week, which contains the Graeme Harper-directed, Gareth Roberts-scripted episode. Which is currently nameless. But that link has some snaps from the shoot, so tread carefully...
Meanwhile, a notice in Cardiff University Science Library indicates that filming of Sarah Jane Adventures will take place there Friday.
"A BBC film crew will be in the Science Library on June 8th 2007 from 8am to 5pm. They will be filming scenes for a new children’s series called the ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’ . There will be no access to the reading room or the journals collection on the first floor of the library between 8.45am and 5.00pm but the entrance floor will remain open..."
I don't think the team a there to check the acuracy of science used in the show, anyway...
There also seems to be some sort of party taking place in the currently filmed episodes, as indicated by these snaps posted on Sarah-Jane.tv. It also details as Block 2 as running to two episodes, directed as above by Graeme Harper (who also directs Episode 10 of Doctor Who - Utopia
Finally, Torchwood director Alice Troughton is set to chair four episodes (Sarah Jane Adventures are 30 minutes long), while current stand-in Doctor Who producer Susie Liggatt has been replaced on Sarah Jane Adventures with Matthew Bouch, who shadowed Liggatt on production of Invasion of the Bane (The Gallifreyan Embassy).
Doctor Who Back In Time
A further run of the BBC Radio Wales programme Doctor Who Back In Time begins this coming Saturday for the next three weeks, once again delving behind the scenes of the series being made in Wales.The shows are on at 1:00pm, and will be available on the BBC's Listen Again service for seven days thereafter.
Saturday 9 June, 1pm: Top TennantJulian Carey meets David Tennant and gets the lowdown on life as the tenth Doctor.Saturday 16 June, 1pm: Made in WalesJulian Carey discovers the benefits and knock-on effects of having the Doctor Who series made in Wales and explores the Who HQ in downtown Pontypridd.Saturday 23 June, 1pm: InterrogationIn March BBC Radio Wales opened up its email address to thousands of Doctor Who fans, challenging them to ask the cast and crew any question they liked about the show - these are the results. Featuring David Tennant, Freema Ageyman, Russell T Davies... and a Dalek.
Saturday 9 June, 1pm: Top TennantJulian Carey meets David Tennant and gets the lowdown on life as the tenth Doctor.Saturday 16 June, 1pm: Made in WalesJulian Carey discovers the benefits and knock-on effects of having the Doctor Who series made in Wales and explores the Who HQ in downtown Pontypridd.Saturday 23 June, 1pm: InterrogationIn March BBC Radio Wales opened up its email address to thousands of Doctor Who fans, challenging them to ask the cast and crew any question they liked about the show - these are the results. Featuring David Tennant, Freema Ageyman, Russell T Davies... and a Dalek.
Sea Devil Sale Cancelled
We understand that the Sea Devil Costume that was due to be auctioned at Bonhams has now been withdrawn from sale.
The Family Of Books
Jones clan will read latest novels.
BBC Audiobooks are set to publish audio version of the three most recent Doctor Who novels - The Last Dodo, Wooden Heart and Sting of the Zygons - on 02 July 2007.
Each of the audiobooks is read by a member of the Jones family from Series Three of Doctor Who.
The Last Dodo:
Civilisations rise and fall, time moves on – and species die out. Extinction is a fact of life in the universe. But extinction doesn't have to be forever. The TARDIS arrives in the Museum of the Last Ones – a facility dedicated to preserving the final specimens of every species in the universe. But all is not well, and before long the Doctor and Martha are in deep trouble.
How will Martha react to the stasis cabinets and preservation techniques? What will happen if – and when – the stasis fields break down and the specimens escape? And how will the Curator of the Museum react to the arrival of the last surviving Time Lord?
Abridged reading by Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones). Written by Jacqueline Rayner.
Wooden Heart:
The Castor, a vast starship, seemingly deserted, spinning slowly in the void of deep space. Martha and the Doctor explore the drifting tomb, and discover that they may not be alone after all... Who survived the disaster that overcame the rest of the crew? What continues to power the vessel? And why has a stretch of wooded countryside suddenly appeared in the middle of the craft? As the Doctor and Martha journey through the forest, they find a mysterious, fogbound village - a village traumatised by missing children and tales of its own destructionå
Read by Adjoa Andoh (who plays Francine Jones in the TV series). Written by Martin Day.
Sting of the Zygons:
The TARDIS lands the Doctor and Martha in the Lake District in 1909, where a small village has been terrorised by a giant, scaly monster. The search is on for the elusive 'Beast of Westmorland', and explorers, naturalists and hunters from across the country are descending on the fells. King Edward VII himself is on his way to join the search, with a knighthood for whoever finds the Beast. But there is a more sinister presence at work in the Lakes than a mere monster on the rampage, and the Doctor is soon embroiled in the plans of an old and terrifying enemy. And as the hunters become the hunted, a desperate battle of wits begins - with the future of the entire world at stake...
Abridged reading by Reggie Yates (Leo Jones in the TV series). Written by Stephen Cole.
BBC Audiobooks are set to publish audio version of the three most recent Doctor Who novels - The Last Dodo, Wooden Heart and Sting of the Zygons - on 02 July 2007.
Each of the audiobooks is read by a member of the Jones family from Series Three of Doctor Who.
The Last Dodo:
Civilisations rise and fall, time moves on – and species die out. Extinction is a fact of life in the universe. But extinction doesn't have to be forever. The TARDIS arrives in the Museum of the Last Ones – a facility dedicated to preserving the final specimens of every species in the universe. But all is not well, and before long the Doctor and Martha are in deep trouble.
How will Martha react to the stasis cabinets and preservation techniques? What will happen if – and when – the stasis fields break down and the specimens escape? And how will the Curator of the Museum react to the arrival of the last surviving Time Lord?
Abridged reading by Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones). Written by Jacqueline Rayner.
Wooden Heart:
The Castor, a vast starship, seemingly deserted, spinning slowly in the void of deep space. Martha and the Doctor explore the drifting tomb, and discover that they may not be alone after all... Who survived the disaster that overcame the rest of the crew? What continues to power the vessel? And why has a stretch of wooded countryside suddenly appeared in the middle of the craft? As the Doctor and Martha journey through the forest, they find a mysterious, fogbound village - a village traumatised by missing children and tales of its own destructionå
Read by Adjoa Andoh (who plays Francine Jones in the TV series). Written by Martin Day.
Sting of the Zygons:
The TARDIS lands the Doctor and Martha in the Lake District in 1909, where a small village has been terrorised by a giant, scaly monster. The search is on for the elusive 'Beast of Westmorland', and explorers, naturalists and hunters from across the country are descending on the fells. King Edward VII himself is on his way to join the search, with a knighthood for whoever finds the Beast. But there is a more sinister presence at work in the Lakes than a mere monster on the rampage, and the Doctor is soon embroiled in the plans of an old and terrifying enemy. And as the hunters become the hunted, a desperate battle of wits begins - with the future of the entire world at stake...
Abridged reading by Reggie Yates (Leo Jones in the TV series). Written by Stephen Cole.
Ex-ter-mi-nate is the message to panto fans
Audiences at a popular panto could find themselves in fear of being exterminated.
For the first time in pantomime history, television's most frightening alien adversaries, the Daleks, are featuring as the evil henchmen of Abanazar in the successful show Aladdin.
Direct from Doctor Who, the Daleks are expected to be the nastiest characters ever to feature at Newcastle's Theatre Royal, where the show is appearing in December.
The creatures have terrified television audiences for more than 40 years and, now they will be behind plans to stop Aladdin marrying the beautiful Princess Jasmine.
Wallsend-born Michael Harrison, the producer, director and writer of the show, said: "This is an amazing addition to the pantomime cast and I'm so glad we can bring the Daleks to Newcastle.
"They've never been featured in a pantomime before so I can't wait to see the audience's reaction. If you think the ugly sisters are evil, just wait until you meet the Daleks."
The show which runs from December 3 to January 19 will also star North-East actor Craig Conway, originally from South Shields, as Abanazar, and father and son comedy duo Clive Webb and Danny Adams as Mr Twankey and Aladdin.
The line-up is completed by former Steps member Faye Tozer and Newcastle's very own pantomime dame Chris Hayward as Mrs Twankey.
For tickets call 0870 905 5060 or visit www. theatreroyal.co.uk
For the first time in pantomime history, television's most frightening alien adversaries, the Daleks, are featuring as the evil henchmen of Abanazar in the successful show Aladdin.
Direct from Doctor Who, the Daleks are expected to be the nastiest characters ever to feature at Newcastle's Theatre Royal, where the show is appearing in December.
The creatures have terrified television audiences for more than 40 years and, now they will be behind plans to stop Aladdin marrying the beautiful Princess Jasmine.
Wallsend-born Michael Harrison, the producer, director and writer of the show, said: "This is an amazing addition to the pantomime cast and I'm so glad we can bring the Daleks to Newcastle.
"They've never been featured in a pantomime before so I can't wait to see the audience's reaction. If you think the ugly sisters are evil, just wait until you meet the Daleks."
The show which runs from December 3 to January 19 will also star North-East actor Craig Conway, originally from South Shields, as Abanazar, and father and son comedy duo Clive Webb and Danny Adams as Mr Twankey and Aladdin.
The line-up is completed by former Steps member Faye Tozer and Newcastle's very own pantomime dame Chris Hayward as Mrs Twankey.
For tickets call 0870 905 5060 or visit www. theatreroyal.co.uk
Future Boy
Blue Peter competition winner on Utopia role.
Doctor Who Adventures has caught up with the lucky boy who won a Blue Peter competition to appear in the Doctor Who episode Utopia.
"John Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack, kept thinking it was his name being called by the director when they were calling for me!" nine-year-old John Bell revealed in the latest issue of the magazine. "So he nicknamed me Little John.
"David Tennant and I are both Scottish and John Barrowman was born in Scotland, so it was a bit of a Scottish invasion! John kept slipping into a Scottish accent and would ask if I'd like a 'Wee cup of tea?'"
Issue 31 of Doctor Who Adventures goes on sale on 07 June 2007.
Doctor Who Adventures has caught up with the lucky boy who won a Blue Peter competition to appear in the Doctor Who episode Utopia.
"John Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack, kept thinking it was his name being called by the director when they were calling for me!" nine-year-old John Bell revealed in the latest issue of the magazine. "So he nicknamed me Little John.
"David Tennant and I are both Scottish and John Barrowman was born in Scotland, so it was a bit of a Scottish invasion! John kept slipping into a Scottish accent and would ask if I'd like a 'Wee cup of tea?'"
Issue 31 of Doctor Who Adventures goes on sale on 07 June 2007.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Billie and her beau Laurence quit the city for country life
North London has lost one of its best-loved residents to the picturesque South Downs. Former Doctor Who actress Billie Piper has decided she wants a slice of the good life and has moved with her actor boyfriend Laurence Fox into a £1 million cottage in Midhurst, West Sussex, where she apparently can't wait to cultivate her own vegetable patch and keep chickens. The pair have even had their first visitor - Billie's former husband Chris Evans, who has given their new home the seal of approval."She's made the break from the Big Smoke," said the flame-haired DJ. "They’ve bought a fab and truly lovely cottage. Views to die for, very manageable, and sizeable gardens and a multi-level living space. It really is a wonderful place." It marks a new start for the award-winning actress, who was granted a divorce from Chris in the High Court last week. She and Laurence, 28, have been appearing together in the West End play Treats and are clearly enamoured by the idea of peaceful country living away from the bustle of the metropolis.
Captain Jack flies in
HE helped Doctor Who battle Earth-destroying aliens.
But John Barrowman, aka Captain Jack from Torchwood, had to battle nerves and a churning stomach as he flew low-level in the back of an RAF jet before kicking off the countdown to this year's Royal International Air Tattoo.
Jumping down from the back seat of the Hawk trainer at RAF Fairford yesterday, he adopted a sunglasses-clad, Top Gun-like pose and said: "I have helped to fly the Tardis, but this was much more exciting."
Barrowman was helping to launch the show because of his dual British and American nationality, which will be one of the key themes of the air tattoo when it celebrates the 60th anniversary of the United States Air Force.
"Americans have got a lot of flak in recent years," he said.
"But we shouldn't forget that men and women from both countries are working hard to ensure that we enjoy the freedoms that we have, and that is one of the great things about the tattoo."
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His wingman, or woman in the second Hawk, was Sound of Music star Connie Fisher who won the BBC talent contest How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? Yet although her voice won over the audiences on the TV show, she was unable to drown out the tones of Typhoon jet fighters sat nearby.
"This was an amazing experience," said the 23-year-old.
"I never watched the flight safety video the night I was supposed to.
"I never realised what a Hawk looked like. I think I was expecting an easyJet or something."
With just five weeks before the first aircraft arrive at Fairford for the show on July 14 and 15, air tattoo teams are getting ready to start building the show infrastructure, and show director Tim Prince admits he's excited.
He said: "Like last year, the show is smaller than those in the 1990s but we are concentrating on quality rather than quantity.
"This year, so many countries want to contribute to the flying that we are over-subscribed, and it's a challenge to keep everyone happy, but that's why volunteers and visitors come back year after year.
"There are so many things happening this year, but it's the Thunderbirds which will prove to be one of the main attractions, as their act has a certain razzamatazz that everyone will appreciate."
And that was a view shared by the American base commander, Col Paul Wuebold, who no doubt faces his fair share of stress in next few weeks, as his base becomes the focus for Europe's only airshow to celebrate the US Air Force anniversary.
"This will be my third and last air tattoo, and for me to be helping to celebrate such an important anniversary is a real privilege," he said.
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But John Barrowman, aka Captain Jack from Torchwood, had to battle nerves and a churning stomach as he flew low-level in the back of an RAF jet before kicking off the countdown to this year's Royal International Air Tattoo.
Jumping down from the back seat of the Hawk trainer at RAF Fairford yesterday, he adopted a sunglasses-clad, Top Gun-like pose and said: "I have helped to fly the Tardis, but this was much more exciting."
Barrowman was helping to launch the show because of his dual British and American nationality, which will be one of the key themes of the air tattoo when it celebrates the 60th anniversary of the United States Air Force.
"Americans have got a lot of flak in recent years," he said.
"But we shouldn't forget that men and women from both countries are working hard to ensure that we enjoy the freedoms that we have, and that is one of the great things about the tattoo."
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His wingman, or woman in the second Hawk, was Sound of Music star Connie Fisher who won the BBC talent contest How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? Yet although her voice won over the audiences on the TV show, she was unable to drown out the tones of Typhoon jet fighters sat nearby.
"This was an amazing experience," said the 23-year-old.
"I never watched the flight safety video the night I was supposed to.
"I never realised what a Hawk looked like. I think I was expecting an easyJet or something."
With just five weeks before the first aircraft arrive at Fairford for the show on July 14 and 15, air tattoo teams are getting ready to start building the show infrastructure, and show director Tim Prince admits he's excited.
He said: "Like last year, the show is smaller than those in the 1990s but we are concentrating on quality rather than quantity.
"This year, so many countries want to contribute to the flying that we are over-subscribed, and it's a challenge to keep everyone happy, but that's why volunteers and visitors come back year after year.
"There are so many things happening this year, but it's the Thunderbirds which will prove to be one of the main attractions, as their act has a certain razzamatazz that everyone will appreciate."
And that was a view shared by the American base commander, Col Paul Wuebold, who no doubt faces his fair share of stress in next few weeks, as his base becomes the focus for Europe's only airshow to celebrate the US Air Force anniversary.
"This will be my third and last air tattoo, and for me to be helping to celebrate such an important anniversary is a real privilege," he said.
Play video
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