Sunday, September 30, 2007
STAR FRANK TEACHES TV TENNANT TO TALK BRUM
Dr Who star David Tennant has told how he learned to speak Brummie with the help of comic Frank Skinner.
The 36-year-old actor got tongue-tied when asked to do the Midland accent for a play.
But Sandwell-born Skinner, 50, stepped in as a last-minute vocal coach when Tennant turned up at the same radio station.
Tennant said: "I really enjoy doing accents but the only one I did have a bit of difficulty with was Birmingham.
"Luckily when I got to the stuzio Frank was there which helped a lot!"
The timelord added: "Accents and dialects are good because they give you a way of changing yourself externally which allows you to key into a kind of internal shift - this helps a lot with building a role."
Tennant also told how he loves action scenes in hit BBC show. He laughed: "I quite enjoy stunts and running around.
"I like belting along and making some poor girl in high heels keep up!"
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The 36-year-old actor got tongue-tied when asked to do the Midland accent for a play.
But Sandwell-born Skinner, 50, stepped in as a last-minute vocal coach when Tennant turned up at the same radio station.
Tennant said: "I really enjoy doing accents but the only one I did have a bit of difficulty with was Birmingham.
"Luckily when I got to the stuzio Frank was there which helped a lot!"
The timelord added: "Accents and dialects are good because they give you a way of changing yourself externally which allows you to key into a kind of internal shift - this helps a lot with building a role."
Tennant also told how he loves action scenes in hit BBC show. He laughed: "I quite enjoy stunts and running around.
"I like belting along and making some poor girl in high heels keep up!"
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News of the World news on rose returning blah blah blah
Billie Piper is close to singing a deal to return to Doctor Who as the sexy sci-fi sidekick Rose Tyler. Confident BBC Executives belive seh will soon put pen to paper for a sutnning comeback in the next year's series finale. It is expected taht Billie wil lpick up a £20,000 fee for a month's filming, Show creator RTD and leading man David Tennant -both close friends- are persuading the pretty 25-year old to commit to a three part appeareance next summer. Billie, currently wowing viweres in the raunchy, drama SDOACG has already discussed scripts and plotlines in a series of secret meetings. Her come back would be a stunning coup for the hit BBC1 show, which she helped to re-launch in 2005. Billie was an instant hit as tearaway Rose Tyler and bagged teh Most Popular actress gong at the NTA 2005 and 2006. Insiders claim the plotline will centre on Rose's quest to track down the Doctor in a desperate bid to save the Earth-which has been affected by the Time Lord's actions. Viewers last saw tomboy Tyler share a kiss with the hero in the 2006 summer finale (excuse me when did that happen, although it would be great if it did) before he left her on a parallel Earth after defeating the Daleks. a BBC insider said "We are all very excited that Billie is on coures to come back. We're very close to getting her to sign.
The Mill's Doctor Who promo
The Mill unveil new Doctor Who promo showreel.
New Series FX team; The Mill, have unveiled their new showreel which consists of mainly Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures effects work.
The showcase is accompanied by a medley of tracks to be released on Murray Gold's forthcoming Doctor Who Series Three Sountrack CD, released later this year.
To view the Doctor Who showcase showreel, click on the TV & Film link on the left-hand-side of The Mill website, then click to the 'View on BEAM.TV' link to the right.
** Watch out though, as there is a very realistic beheading scene in conjunction with the Elizabeth I shots.
Direct Link to The Mill - website.
New Series FX team; The Mill, have unveiled their new showreel which consists of mainly Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures effects work.
The showcase is accompanied by a medley of tracks to be released on Murray Gold's forthcoming Doctor Who Series Three Sountrack CD, released later this year.
To view the Doctor Who showcase showreel, click on the TV & Film link on the left-hand-side of The Mill website, then click to the 'View on BEAM.TV' link to the right.
** Watch out though, as there is a very realistic beheading scene in conjunction with the Elizabeth I shots.
Direct Link to The Mill - website.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Dr Who fan's Dalek plan
BILSTHORPE composer Martin Johnson puts the finishing touches to the music for a Doctor Who stage production to be shown in Portsmouth at the end of October.
The production is an adaptation of a classic Doctor Who story, the Dalek Masterplan, which was first aired in 1965 and has since been lost or deleted from the BBC's archives. The charity production will raise money for Children in Need and the restoration of the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. The 24-year-old told Chad: "I don't have a musical background, but I have been a fan of Doctor Who for a long time. "I'm really looking forward too seeing the production come together on the week of the show."
The production is an adaptation of a classic Doctor Who story, the Dalek Masterplan, which was first aired in 1965 and has since been lost or deleted from the BBC's archives. The charity production will raise money for Children in Need and the restoration of the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. The 24-year-old told Chad: "I don't have a musical background, but I have been a fan of Doctor Who for a long time. "I'm really looking forward too seeing the production come together on the week of the show."
An evening with Richard Todd
Star of stage & screen, Richard Todd will host an evening at Grimsthorpe Castle featuring recollections from his life and musical interludes.
Richard Todd is known to Doctor Who fans for his role as Sanders in the 5th Doctor adventure; Kinda.
The evening is being held to support the National Deaf Children's Society and promises to be a very special event. Gates open at 6.30pm and there will be an opportunity to enjoy drnks and canapes before the performance.
For more details and to purchase tickets, please contact Alison Lewis on alison@lewistraining.co.uk.
Tickets cost £35, are strictly limited and must be purchased in advance.
Richard Todd is known to Doctor Who fans for his role as Sanders in the 5th Doctor adventure; Kinda.
The evening is being held to support the National Deaf Children's Society and promises to be a very special event. Gates open at 6.30pm and there will be an opportunity to enjoy drnks and canapes before the performance.
For more details and to purchase tickets, please contact Alison Lewis on alison@lewistraining.co.uk.
Tickets cost £35, are strictly limited and must be purchased in advance.
Second Soundtrack in the works
DWM confirms second 'Who' soundtrack is in the works.
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (#387), has confirmed that Murray Gold is currently working on a second CD of incidental music from Doctor Who.
The disc is due to be released later this year.
DWM Issue #387 is avilable to buy in the shops now, priced £3.99.
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (#387), has confirmed that Murray Gold is currently working on a second CD of incidental music from Doctor Who.
The disc is due to be released later this year.
DWM Issue #387 is avilable to buy in the shops now, priced £3.99.
Hammond's Torchwood Teaser
Peter J Hammond, writer of the Torchwood episode Small Worlds, has told the SFX blog that his story for season two of the Doctor Who spin-off will be scarier still. According to the writer, he has borrowed a plot element from his iconic ITV series Sapphire and Steel, which he created in the early 1980s.
"I think one of my favourite Sapphire and Steels was the one with Mr Shape going in and out of photographs. Torchwood takes this a bit further and it's people coming out of moving films from the '20s. There are some lovely 'black and white' people in it."As the SFX blog points out, that particular Sapphire and Steel story by Hammond has inspired two recent writers in their Doctor Who scripts, with the faceless people in The Idiot's Lantern and the trapped-in-mirrors resolution to the Family Of Blood.
"I think one of my favourite Sapphire and Steels was the one with Mr Shape going in and out of photographs. Torchwood takes this a bit further and it's people coming out of moving films from the '20s. There are some lovely 'black and white' people in it."As the SFX blog points out, that particular Sapphire and Steel story by Hammond has inspired two recent writers in their Doctor Who scripts, with the faceless people in The Idiot's Lantern and the trapped-in-mirrors resolution to the Family Of Blood.
K9 and Company for early 2008
Phoenix Film and Television Productions have announced on their website that K9 and Company is slated for release early next year. Phoenix Productions produce special features for "Classic" Doctor Who DVD releases.
Phoenix Film and Television have been commissioned to produce several special feature documentaries for classic Doctor Who releases plus the long awaited "K9 and Company" all for DVD release later this year and early next year respectively. The content of the extras must remain under wraps for the moment but Phoenix will be producing 9 documentaries in total spanning several releases throughout 2007 and 2008. "It is a very exciting project!" explains Phoenix head of Production Rohan Latchman, "It's an opportunity to really delve into such a classic TV classic and try and come up with something different." "The new show is so high end and full of spectacular special effects, but classic Doctor Who offered all in involved so many challenges on a weekly basis to keep the show fresh and inventive and I'm really looking forward to being involved in such an exciting project!"
Phoenix Film and Television have been commissioned to produce several special feature documentaries for classic Doctor Who releases plus the long awaited "K9 and Company" all for DVD release later this year and early next year respectively. The content of the extras must remain under wraps for the moment but Phoenix will be producing 9 documentaries in total spanning several releases throughout 2007 and 2008. "It is a very exciting project!" explains Phoenix head of Production Rohan Latchman, "It's an opportunity to really delve into such a classic TV classic and try and come up with something different." "The new show is so high end and full of spectacular special effects, but classic Doctor Who offered all in involved so many challenges on a weekly basis to keep the show fresh and inventive and I'm really looking forward to being involved in such an exciting project!"
Play School star Floella's back
PLAY SCHOOL legend Floella Benjamin will return to TV in the Doctor Who kids’ spin-off.
The bubbly star plays a professor in two episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies has based the new series — which started on CBBC yesterday — on the timelord’s former sidekick Sarah Jane Smith.
And he wanted Floella, 58, because she was a “British icon” hosting Play School in the 1980s.
A BBC insider said: “There are few bigger kids TV icons than Floella.”
Her big earrings and wacky dress sense inspired a generation of youngsters. Her last kids’ TV show was Jamboree in 1998. Now she runs a TV production company.
Another Play School veteran will also appear in the new series — Phyllida Law.
The 75-year-old plays Bea Nelson Stanley who guards an alien talisman in episodes three and four. Phyllida was one of Play School’s original presenters when it launched in 1964.
The news comes as BBC chiefs are reportedly considering axing children’s programmes from BBC1 and moving them to BBC2 — which already hosts Saturday morning kids’ shows.
The bubbly star plays a professor in two episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies has based the new series — which started on CBBC yesterday — on the timelord’s former sidekick Sarah Jane Smith.
And he wanted Floella, 58, because she was a “British icon” hosting Play School in the 1980s.
A BBC insider said: “There are few bigger kids TV icons than Floella.”
Her big earrings and wacky dress sense inspired a generation of youngsters. Her last kids’ TV show was Jamboree in 1998. Now she runs a TV production company.
Another Play School veteran will also appear in the new series — Phyllida Law.
The 75-year-old plays Bea Nelson Stanley who guards an alien talisman in episodes three and four. Phyllida was one of Play School’s original presenters when it launched in 1964.
The news comes as BBC chiefs are reportedly considering axing children’s programmes from BBC1 and moving them to BBC2 — which already hosts Saturday morning kids’ shows.
Ten Things You Never Knew About Billie Piper
She scored three number one hits before her 18th birthday. Then she charmed the nation as Rose Tyler, Doctor Who's oh-so-amiable assistant. And now she’s playing a high-class hooker in ITV2’s tsk-inducing sex-fest Secret Diary of a Call Girl. As we prepare to see more of Billie than ever before – you won't believe what she gets up to in tomorrow night's opening episode – it's time to swot up on the lovely Miss Piper. Read on for ten fascinating facts about the nation's favourite popstar-turned-actress.
1. Billie was originally called Leanne. Her parents changed her name - and duly altered her birth certificate - three weeks after registering her birth.
2. Billie's first TV job was an appearance on Saturday morning kids' show Scratchy & Co.
3. But her big break came when she scored a role in a Smash Hits TV ad. The fledgling actress blew a bubble in front of the camera, burst it with her finger and shrieked "Pop!" Nice work if you can get it, eh?
4. Billie also appears - uncredited - in the movie version of Evita.
5. Who is Billie's biggest celebrity crush? "Steve Coogan does something for me. He is so naughty, but I quite fancy him," she confides. "I've thought about having sex with him once or twice."
6. Billie made her stage debut in a touring production of Christopher Hampton's Treats earlier this year. However, she has no immediate plans to tread the boards again. "I think I need to stay away from the stage for a good couple of years," she admits. "The last time was just so scary, I can't tell you."
7. Billie has kept all her outfits from the Call Girl shoot. Lucky Laurence!
8. Would Billie ever revive her pop career? "Probably not," she says. "I always felt slightly fraudulent as a singer because I knew acting was what I really wanted to do."
9. Billie took lessons from a real-life dominatrix while researching her Call Girl role. Eek. We hate to think how she was punished when her concentration slipped.
10. Billie dubbed her Doctor Who colleague David 'Teninch', but what did he call her? "He knows me as Carlos Carlos," Billie reveals. "Just because we think Carlos is such a funny name, so I like to use it twice." Hmm. We imagine you probably had to be there.
1. Billie was originally called Leanne. Her parents changed her name - and duly altered her birth certificate - three weeks after registering her birth.
2. Billie's first TV job was an appearance on Saturday morning kids' show Scratchy & Co.
3. But her big break came when she scored a role in a Smash Hits TV ad. The fledgling actress blew a bubble in front of the camera, burst it with her finger and shrieked "Pop!" Nice work if you can get it, eh?
4. Billie also appears - uncredited - in the movie version of Evita.
5. Who is Billie's biggest celebrity crush? "Steve Coogan does something for me. He is so naughty, but I quite fancy him," she confides. "I've thought about having sex with him once or twice."
6. Billie made her stage debut in a touring production of Christopher Hampton's Treats earlier this year. However, she has no immediate plans to tread the boards again. "I think I need to stay away from the stage for a good couple of years," she admits. "The last time was just so scary, I can't tell you."
7. Billie has kept all her outfits from the Call Girl shoot. Lucky Laurence!
8. Would Billie ever revive her pop career? "Probably not," she says. "I always felt slightly fraudulent as a singer because I knew acting was what I really wanted to do."
9. Billie took lessons from a real-life dominatrix while researching her Call Girl role. Eek. We hate to think how she was punished when her concentration slipped.
10. Billie dubbed her Doctor Who colleague David 'Teninch', but what did he call her? "He knows me as Carlos Carlos," Billie reveals. "Just because we think Carlos is such a funny name, so I like to use it twice." Hmm. We imagine you probably had to be there.
David Tennant craves 'Batman' villain role
Playing Batman's arch nemesis The Riddler would reportedly be a "boyhood dream come true" for David Tennant."I'd love to play the Riddler and be bad to Batman," the Doctor Who star told the Daily Express. Explaining his love of the 1960's television serial that starred Adam West as the caped crusader, Tennant added: "It was so much fun to watch. I thought The Riddler was one of the most freakish villains, especially with that wild laugh."Every morning there would be a new villain - Eartha Kitt as Catwoman with that gurgling meow, Cesar Romero as the frenzied Joker and Burgess Meredith's 'quack-quacking' penguin."
Patrick Stewart keen to star in 'Who'
Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart has revealed that he would love to appear in Doctor Who.The 67-year-old said he is a fan of the hit sci-fi show and is disappointed that he has never been invited to make a cameo.He said: "I have been a fan actually, yes, and deeply dismayed that I was never asked to be in it! I think it's a terrific series." The actor will star with current Doctor David Tennant in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet next year.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Doctor Who: The Doctor and Donna visit Pompeii
The Doctor and his new companion Donna are set to travel back in time to the Roman Empire for the fourth series of Doctor Who, the BAFTA award-winning drama which will transmit on BBC One in spring 2008.
In one of the most ambitious episodes to date, the Doctor, played by David Tennant, and Donna (Catherine Tate) arrive in Pompeii in AD 79, on the eve of the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The Time Lord and his companion are posed with an immediate dilemma – should they warn the residents of Pompeii of the forthcoming catastrophe or leave them to fend for themselves?
The Thick Of It actor Peter Capaldi guest stars as Caecillius and is joined by Quadrophenia and Rose And Maloney actor Phil Davis who stars as Lucius. Further guest stars include Howards Way and Born And Bred actress Tracey Childs who plays Metella.
The filming of the episode took place at Cinecitta studios in Rome, which the Doctor Who team expertly transformed into Pompeii for a week of filming in September of this year.
Doctor Who's Executive Producer and Head Writer, Russell T Davies comments: "Arriving in Pompeii marks the start of another exciting adventure for the Doctor and Donna. Donna is stunned to find herself in the midst of history's most famous volcanic eruption. Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."
The start of the new series will see Donna tracking down the Time Lord during an alien emergency in modern day London. The couple are destined to experience a series of wonderful adventures throughout the new series including meeting one of Doctor Who's most popular aliens, The Ood in a brand new episode, Planet Of The Ood.
Donna and the Doctor will also be travelling through time for an encounter with the legendary murder mystery novelist, Agatha Christie.
Award-winning actress, Tate is reprising her role as Donna, the runaway bride who featured in last year's Doctor Who Christmas special. Tate will star alongside David Tennant for the complete 13-week new season run.
Freema Agyeman who played Martha Jones, the Doctor's companion throughout the critically acclaimed third series will return to the show to join the Doctor and Donna mid series.
The fourth series of Doctor Who is now in production and will hit BBC One in spring 2008.
The producer is Phil Collinson and executive producers are Head of Drama, BBC Wales, Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies. Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff.
In one of the most ambitious episodes to date, the Doctor, played by David Tennant, and Donna (Catherine Tate) arrive in Pompeii in AD 79, on the eve of the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The Time Lord and his companion are posed with an immediate dilemma – should they warn the residents of Pompeii of the forthcoming catastrophe or leave them to fend for themselves?
The Thick Of It actor Peter Capaldi guest stars as Caecillius and is joined by Quadrophenia and Rose And Maloney actor Phil Davis who stars as Lucius. Further guest stars include Howards Way and Born And Bred actress Tracey Childs who plays Metella.
The filming of the episode took place at Cinecitta studios in Rome, which the Doctor Who team expertly transformed into Pompeii for a week of filming in September of this year.
Doctor Who's Executive Producer and Head Writer, Russell T Davies comments: "Arriving in Pompeii marks the start of another exciting adventure for the Doctor and Donna. Donna is stunned to find herself in the midst of history's most famous volcanic eruption. Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."
The start of the new series will see Donna tracking down the Time Lord during an alien emergency in modern day London. The couple are destined to experience a series of wonderful adventures throughout the new series including meeting one of Doctor Who's most popular aliens, The Ood in a brand new episode, Planet Of The Ood.
Donna and the Doctor will also be travelling through time for an encounter with the legendary murder mystery novelist, Agatha Christie.
Award-winning actress, Tate is reprising her role as Donna, the runaway bride who featured in last year's Doctor Who Christmas special. Tate will star alongside David Tennant for the complete 13-week new season run.
Freema Agyeman who played Martha Jones, the Doctor's companion throughout the critically acclaimed third series will return to the show to join the Doctor and Donna mid series.
The fourth series of Doctor Who is now in production and will hit BBC One in spring 2008.
The producer is Phil Collinson and executive producers are Head of Drama, BBC Wales, Julie Gardner and Russell T Davies. Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Face to face with the Daleks
CHILDREN in Colchester braved the Dr Who universe to meet mankind's deadliest enemy - Dalek Sec.The leader of the Cult of Skaro materialised at the town's central library where throngs of youngsters queued to see him.At one point, lines of children stretched all the way into Trinity Street as Dalek Sec greeted many of them individually to discuss the various pros and cons of Galactic domination and destruction.Jane Richardson, assistant services manager at the library, said: “He addressed them by name, and they were allowed to ask questions. They were able to touch him and he moved about a bit.“Depending on how they were feeling, and how old they were, he was happy to flash his lights and talk about exterminating people.”Ms Richardson explained that as well as providing entertainment for the youngsters, there was a more serious side to the Dalek's visit.“We had this special Dr Who day to promote the Dr Who books on offer and to engage children and get them to come to the library.“It's part of the BBC's 'Reading and writing' campaign, which encourages families to read together.”
Companion Chronicles
Big Finish has released story and narrator details on the upcoming second series of The Companion Chronicles.
Set to be released in October, Mother Russia sees Peter Purves returning to the role of Steven Taylor alongside Tony Millan.
"It's 1812 and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo get ready to spend their winter in a Russian village. The French are on their way, but that's not the only invasion the travellers will have to deal with."
Helicon Prime, due out in November, features Frazer Hines returning to the role of Jamie with Suzanne Proctor.
"It's been a long time since Jamie McCrimmon remembered anything about his travels with the Doctor, but his visit to Helicon Prime just won't stay hidden... but why remember their murder investigation now?"
Nicholas Courtney reads Old Soldiers, the December release, a story for the Third Doctor told by the Brigadier. Toby Longworth guest stars.
"Old soldiers, comrades in arms - the Brigadier saw many fall during his years with UNIT, but perhaps none more tragically than those at Kreigskind. Called to help when a friend falls ill, how can Leftbridge-Stewart fight an enemy that can breach every defence?"
Leela returns in January, once again played by Louise Jameson in The Catalyst. This Fourth Doctor tale features guest star Timothy Watson.
"The pride of the Z'nai matches that of Leela of the Sevateem. Why would the Doctor imprison one in such an unlikely place, and what terrors will be brought about by letting it loose?"
Set to be released in October, Mother Russia sees Peter Purves returning to the role of Steven Taylor alongside Tony Millan.
"It's 1812 and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo get ready to spend their winter in a Russian village. The French are on their way, but that's not the only invasion the travellers will have to deal with."
Helicon Prime, due out in November, features Frazer Hines returning to the role of Jamie with Suzanne Proctor.
"It's been a long time since Jamie McCrimmon remembered anything about his travels with the Doctor, but his visit to Helicon Prime just won't stay hidden... but why remember their murder investigation now?"
Nicholas Courtney reads Old Soldiers, the December release, a story for the Third Doctor told by the Brigadier. Toby Longworth guest stars.
"Old soldiers, comrades in arms - the Brigadier saw many fall during his years with UNIT, but perhaps none more tragically than those at Kreigskind. Called to help when a friend falls ill, how can Leftbridge-Stewart fight an enemy that can breach every defence?"
Leela returns in January, once again played by Louise Jameson in The Catalyst. This Fourth Doctor tale features guest star Timothy Watson.
"The pride of the Z'nai matches that of Leela of the Sevateem. Why would the Doctor imprison one in such an unlikely place, and what terrors will be brought about by letting it loose?"
Return to the Web Planet
Big Finish has released full cover and story information for this year's subscriber bonus story, Return to the Web Planet.
"It's an ancient name. From the dark time..."
It's been hundreds of years and several regenerations since the Doctor last visited the insect world of Vortis. Much has changed during his absence, but not necessarily for the better.
This now green and pleasant land isn't the paradise it first appears. Something malevolent is living out in The Desolation... And the Doctor and Nyssa must solve the mystery before the City of Light is overrun.
"It's an ancient name. From the dark time..."
It's been hundreds of years and several regenerations since the Doctor last visited the insect world of Vortis. Much has changed during his absence, but not necessarily for the better.
This now green and pleasant land isn't the paradise it first appears. Something malevolent is living out in The Desolation... And the Doctor and Nyssa must solve the mystery before the City of Light is overrun.
First Doctor Who comic image from IDW
Doctor Who: comics based on the newest iteration of the long-running BBC television show (now airing in the U.S. on the Sci Fi Network), as well as newly colored reprints of classic Doctor Who comics, featuring art by comics industry legend Dave Gibbons, will begin at the end of 2007. The creative team for the new comics will be Gary Russell, a Doctor Who TV show story editor, and artist Nick Roche.
Tamm Lady
Time to ask the original Romana some key questions...
To celebrate 2Entertain's release of the epic Key To Time DVD boxset today, we caught up with Mary Tamm for a chat about Docs, frocks and rocks.
You've been heavily involved in the bonus material for the DVD release. What can you tell us about that?
Well, the DVDs originally came out in America about four years ago and for that we had to sit down in a studio and talk about what we'd remembered. I thought, "I'm never going to manage this," but it's amazing how much comes back. So, having done that once, doing the commentaries on the new ones was a lot easier.
On most of them it's me, Tom and John Leeson - and we'd go off on tangents! We all got on very well, and when you've spent that long working with someone you develop a shorthand. So we do go off on these fantastical tangents from time to time, which do make the DVD commentaries more interesting. Every so often the director would say, "Come on, you've got to get back to Doctor Who now!"
What else can we look forward to on the DVDs?
What they've also done a lot of on-camera interviews - not just with the main artists, but the guest artists too - and I've heard that there's a lot of salacious gossip coming out of those!
They did try to get me to be very chatty and gossipy too, but I stepped into my Romana character and said, "Oh no, I cant possibly talk about that!"
I've also done something which I've very much enjoyed - which is presenting a documentary at the location for The Stones of Blood. They rang me up and said, "Would you be interested in appearing in this little documentary? We're just trying to find a presenter for it..." and I said, "Ooh, this is a good opportunity - why don't I present it? " and they said "Oh, great!"
So I'm presenting the documentary, talking about my time during the filming and talking to four amazing characters who were involved with the history of the Rollright Stones. So that was a first for me, because presenting always looked liked fun. And it is fun, but it's also very hard work!
How did you originally win the role of Romana?
By coincidence my agent also represented George Spenton Foster, who directed my first story (The Ribos Operation). She pushed me very hard to start with.
I wasn't very keen on the idea to start with, but she said, "Look, they've got this character and she's not going to be like the other Doctor Who girls. She's going to be very intelligent, very independent, and on an equal par with the Doctor. That got me interested, so it was those little incentives that made me go for it.
So I saw Graham Williams and George. It was rumoured that there we're 700 girls up for it - I didn't know that there were that many actresses in Equity to be honest! Finally they whittled it down and did screen tests with six of us. That was quite hairy, because it was doing a screen test with Tom.
He was great though, and very nice. He is a larger than life character, and he'd developed this amazing character so I guess I was a little intimidated, but somehow I got the part.
And then we started filming... and that was the hard part! The first couple of studios were a bit nerve-wracking, because I was quite young then and coping with the whole thing was quite difficult. But the work gets you into it and you have a nice rehearsal period - which you don't get nowadays - so the nine months I spent making the series flew by.
What inluenced your decision to move on after only one year?
By the end of it, the character had not developed in quite the way I had been promised, and it was something that I could see quite clearly would not happen. Because it was a half hour format, there's always got to be someone who is like a sounding board for the audience.
If you've got two very strong characters and they we're having their own separate adventures, it just wouldn't work. There's just not the time. And so they had to revert back to the formula of the companion saying, "What's that Doctor?" because then you've got an explanation for the viewers - which is of course what you need.
So that influenced my decision to leave. I was very happy to have done it, and very happy to have been part of TV history.
Were you involved in choosing Romana's fabulous clothes for the series?
I had a huge input into the costumes. I was consulted every step of the way. The first dress that June Hudson design was stunning. We went along to Cilla Black's dressmaker and made six copies of it - all of which disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to them and I swear to god that I haven't got one hanging in my wardrobe! We had quite a few problems with that as it was a very heavy material and would start stretching.
Every so often I would trip over the bottom of the dress so they would have to cut a bit off. And then it would stretch again so they would have to cut another bit off, so it was like the incredible growing dress!
The one I had the most input in, and the one fans most write in about was the one in The Androids of Tara. I had to do a bit of riding in that and the designer had come up with something very tweed looking with dark brown trousers. I said "Ooh, it's summer and I don't want to be running around in tweed... and so I helped design the costume that I wore. I picked the colours for it. I did like that costume as it was more in keeping with the royalty and castles.
Who was your favourite guest star in the Key To Time series?
I particularly adored Philip Madoc, who was in The Power of Kroll. He was great because he speaks so many languages. My background is Eastern European and my parents were refuges. Estonian is my first language, and he was the only other person I'd met in my life that could speak a few words of Estonian. Which was so impressive.
We also had wonderful guests on the Stones of Blood - Beatrix Lehmann and Susan Engle. Listening to Beatrix talking about all her days in the business was wonderful.
Do you think Tom Baker enjoyed playing against a character that was effectively his equal?
I think that Tom really enjoyed the fact that at last he had a kind of feisty assistant. A lot of the fans have commented on the chemistry between us and that it was their favourite series as there was a battle of wits going on.
I think it helped both of us because we played off each other and we worked well together. I know Tom enjoyed it, although he has told people that he found me a bit intimidating! But I like to think that it was Romana he was talking about. We get on very well now and it was lovely seeing him again for the DVDs as we always have a laugh. He's such a fund of funny stories.
Is it true that you rewrote a lot of your dialogue in rehearsals?
We always tweaked the dialogue. As we worked together more and more and as we found we could have a laugh off the set we tried to get a few more laughs in on the set. More humour. We did have the time to do it then. It wouldn't go down well nowadays. We had a week's rehearsal and that's where the creative processes come from. The producers and directors would encourage that as it makes for a richer format.
We hear that you're working on your autobiography...
I can't tell you all the best stories because they're going in the book, but I started on my autobiography two years ago, beginning with my life in Bradford. I've done 20,000 words so far, and I think I need to aim for about 60,000 - but I haven't even left Bradford yet! No, no, I have really, but I haven't got to Doctor Who yet.
I've decided that it's such a rich tapestry (laughs) and that there's such a lot to write about that I'll have to do it in two parts - end part one with Doctor Who and then make part two after that until the present day. But it's going well. Everybody says "How do you remember things?" but I've got diaries going back to when I was five or six years old, and I find that once I start writing it all kind of flows out - which is extraordinary. It's amazing what's in your head that just comes out.
We get asked by a lot of young fans how they can become the Doctor's next companion. What advice would you give them?
The trouble with our business is being in the right place at the right time. If you want a specific thing in the acting world, they're quite elusive. What you have to do is do generally good work and get to the point where your work is being noticed.
When I was at school I wrote to RADA when I was 14 and got back a wonderful letter from the principal saying that you really have to concentrate on English Literature and Drama. The more knowledge you have, the better.
I think this applies to all acting is that you have to portray people, and the more you know about people, the psychology of what makes people tick, the better an actor you'll become.
My advice to any actor is to remain curious about your craft and the world about you. Specifics are dangerous things to go after, because you might be wanting them for the wrong reasons. The thing is to want something because you want to be better at what you do. As an actor, your prime objective is to hone your craft.
You returned to the world of Doctor Who recently with the Gallifrey audio series for Big Finish. What was it like to be back?
I loved doing the audios. It was like a reunion with everybody. Playing the new Romana, who was quite different to the one who'd gone before, was all a big challenge. But they've all come out very well and Gary Russell wrote such wonderful scripts. So it's all been such a wonderful turnaround. I'd never realised all those years ago that I would still be working on it and talking about it. But it's like time travel, it all comes around in a circle and you cant get away with it really.
The Key To time DVD boxset is released by 2Entertain on 24 September 2007.
To celebrate 2Entertain's release of the epic Key To Time DVD boxset today, we caught up with Mary Tamm for a chat about Docs, frocks and rocks.
You've been heavily involved in the bonus material for the DVD release. What can you tell us about that?
Well, the DVDs originally came out in America about four years ago and for that we had to sit down in a studio and talk about what we'd remembered. I thought, "I'm never going to manage this," but it's amazing how much comes back. So, having done that once, doing the commentaries on the new ones was a lot easier.
On most of them it's me, Tom and John Leeson - and we'd go off on tangents! We all got on very well, and when you've spent that long working with someone you develop a shorthand. So we do go off on these fantastical tangents from time to time, which do make the DVD commentaries more interesting. Every so often the director would say, "Come on, you've got to get back to Doctor Who now!"
What else can we look forward to on the DVDs?
What they've also done a lot of on-camera interviews - not just with the main artists, but the guest artists too - and I've heard that there's a lot of salacious gossip coming out of those!
They did try to get me to be very chatty and gossipy too, but I stepped into my Romana character and said, "Oh no, I cant possibly talk about that!"
I've also done something which I've very much enjoyed - which is presenting a documentary at the location for The Stones of Blood. They rang me up and said, "Would you be interested in appearing in this little documentary? We're just trying to find a presenter for it..." and I said, "Ooh, this is a good opportunity - why don't I present it? " and they said "Oh, great!"
So I'm presenting the documentary, talking about my time during the filming and talking to four amazing characters who were involved with the history of the Rollright Stones. So that was a first for me, because presenting always looked liked fun. And it is fun, but it's also very hard work!
How did you originally win the role of Romana?
By coincidence my agent also represented George Spenton Foster, who directed my first story (The Ribos Operation). She pushed me very hard to start with.
I wasn't very keen on the idea to start with, but she said, "Look, they've got this character and she's not going to be like the other Doctor Who girls. She's going to be very intelligent, very independent, and on an equal par with the Doctor. That got me interested, so it was those little incentives that made me go for it.
So I saw Graham Williams and George. It was rumoured that there we're 700 girls up for it - I didn't know that there were that many actresses in Equity to be honest! Finally they whittled it down and did screen tests with six of us. That was quite hairy, because it was doing a screen test with Tom.
He was great though, and very nice. He is a larger than life character, and he'd developed this amazing character so I guess I was a little intimidated, but somehow I got the part.
And then we started filming... and that was the hard part! The first couple of studios were a bit nerve-wracking, because I was quite young then and coping with the whole thing was quite difficult. But the work gets you into it and you have a nice rehearsal period - which you don't get nowadays - so the nine months I spent making the series flew by.
What inluenced your decision to move on after only one year?
By the end of it, the character had not developed in quite the way I had been promised, and it was something that I could see quite clearly would not happen. Because it was a half hour format, there's always got to be someone who is like a sounding board for the audience.
If you've got two very strong characters and they we're having their own separate adventures, it just wouldn't work. There's just not the time. And so they had to revert back to the formula of the companion saying, "What's that Doctor?" because then you've got an explanation for the viewers - which is of course what you need.
So that influenced my decision to leave. I was very happy to have done it, and very happy to have been part of TV history.
Were you involved in choosing Romana's fabulous clothes for the series?
I had a huge input into the costumes. I was consulted every step of the way. The first dress that June Hudson design was stunning. We went along to Cilla Black's dressmaker and made six copies of it - all of which disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to them and I swear to god that I haven't got one hanging in my wardrobe! We had quite a few problems with that as it was a very heavy material and would start stretching.
Every so often I would trip over the bottom of the dress so they would have to cut a bit off. And then it would stretch again so they would have to cut another bit off, so it was like the incredible growing dress!
The one I had the most input in, and the one fans most write in about was the one in The Androids of Tara. I had to do a bit of riding in that and the designer had come up with something very tweed looking with dark brown trousers. I said "Ooh, it's summer and I don't want to be running around in tweed... and so I helped design the costume that I wore. I picked the colours for it. I did like that costume as it was more in keeping with the royalty and castles.
Who was your favourite guest star in the Key To Time series?
I particularly adored Philip Madoc, who was in The Power of Kroll. He was great because he speaks so many languages. My background is Eastern European and my parents were refuges. Estonian is my first language, and he was the only other person I'd met in my life that could speak a few words of Estonian. Which was so impressive.
We also had wonderful guests on the Stones of Blood - Beatrix Lehmann and Susan Engle. Listening to Beatrix talking about all her days in the business was wonderful.
Do you think Tom Baker enjoyed playing against a character that was effectively his equal?
I think that Tom really enjoyed the fact that at last he had a kind of feisty assistant. A lot of the fans have commented on the chemistry between us and that it was their favourite series as there was a battle of wits going on.
I think it helped both of us because we played off each other and we worked well together. I know Tom enjoyed it, although he has told people that he found me a bit intimidating! But I like to think that it was Romana he was talking about. We get on very well now and it was lovely seeing him again for the DVDs as we always have a laugh. He's such a fund of funny stories.
Is it true that you rewrote a lot of your dialogue in rehearsals?
We always tweaked the dialogue. As we worked together more and more and as we found we could have a laugh off the set we tried to get a few more laughs in on the set. More humour. We did have the time to do it then. It wouldn't go down well nowadays. We had a week's rehearsal and that's where the creative processes come from. The producers and directors would encourage that as it makes for a richer format.
We hear that you're working on your autobiography...
I can't tell you all the best stories because they're going in the book, but I started on my autobiography two years ago, beginning with my life in Bradford. I've done 20,000 words so far, and I think I need to aim for about 60,000 - but I haven't even left Bradford yet! No, no, I have really, but I haven't got to Doctor Who yet.
I've decided that it's such a rich tapestry (laughs) and that there's such a lot to write about that I'll have to do it in two parts - end part one with Doctor Who and then make part two after that until the present day. But it's going well. Everybody says "How do you remember things?" but I've got diaries going back to when I was five or six years old, and I find that once I start writing it all kind of flows out - which is extraordinary. It's amazing what's in your head that just comes out.
We get asked by a lot of young fans how they can become the Doctor's next companion. What advice would you give them?
The trouble with our business is being in the right place at the right time. If you want a specific thing in the acting world, they're quite elusive. What you have to do is do generally good work and get to the point where your work is being noticed.
When I was at school I wrote to RADA when I was 14 and got back a wonderful letter from the principal saying that you really have to concentrate on English Literature and Drama. The more knowledge you have, the better.
I think this applies to all acting is that you have to portray people, and the more you know about people, the psychology of what makes people tick, the better an actor you'll become.
My advice to any actor is to remain curious about your craft and the world about you. Specifics are dangerous things to go after, because you might be wanting them for the wrong reasons. The thing is to want something because you want to be better at what you do. As an actor, your prime objective is to hone your craft.
You returned to the world of Doctor Who recently with the Gallifrey audio series for Big Finish. What was it like to be back?
I loved doing the audios. It was like a reunion with everybody. Playing the new Romana, who was quite different to the one who'd gone before, was all a big challenge. But they've all come out very well and Gary Russell wrote such wonderful scripts. So it's all been such a wonderful turnaround. I'd never realised all those years ago that I would still be working on it and talking about it. But it's like time travel, it all comes around in a circle and you cant get away with it really.
The Key To time DVD boxset is released by 2Entertain on 24 September 2007.
SARAH JANE ADVENTURES
One of the dangers of a Dr Who spin-off, especially for kids, is that it could end up feeling like something the production team rattled off before they put all their effort into planning the Doctor's next adventures.
Thankfully, The Sarah Jane Adventures is a wonderfully-written, slick programme that's great entertainment for both kids and adults.
Strange
For those of you who didn't catch the first one-off special which hit our screens last January, or the Doctor Who episode which introduced Sarah Jane to younger viewers, she's a woman who used to travel with the Doctor back in the days of the old series in the 1970s.
She had one last adventure with him in 2006's Who story School Reunion, and now has her own show - where she and a group of kids investigate strange goings-ons.
Aliens
No surprises for guessing who the villains are in this first two part episode, which is called Revenge of the Slitheen. The farting aliens with their human body suits are back and have got deadly plans for the planet.
So it's up to Sarah Jane and her friends Maria, Luke and Clyde to work out what's going on and try to save the world.
There are two things that make the Sarah Jane Adventures special.
Laughs
Firstly, the spot-on performance from the kids - Yasmin Paige, Thomas Knight and Daniel Anthony.
Secondly, this episode's sparkling script from Gareth Roberts, who penned this year's Shakespeare Doctor Who episode. It has just the right balance of scares and laughs and surprises.
It's a great start, and hopefully the high standard will be maintained right the way through the series' 10 episodes.
Thankfully, The Sarah Jane Adventures is a wonderfully-written, slick programme that's great entertainment for both kids and adults.
Strange
For those of you who didn't catch the first one-off special which hit our screens last January, or the Doctor Who episode which introduced Sarah Jane to younger viewers, she's a woman who used to travel with the Doctor back in the days of the old series in the 1970s.
She had one last adventure with him in 2006's Who story School Reunion, and now has her own show - where she and a group of kids investigate strange goings-ons.
Aliens
No surprises for guessing who the villains are in this first two part episode, which is called Revenge of the Slitheen. The farting aliens with their human body suits are back and have got deadly plans for the planet.
So it's up to Sarah Jane and her friends Maria, Luke and Clyde to work out what's going on and try to save the world.
There are two things that make the Sarah Jane Adventures special.
Laughs
Firstly, the spot-on performance from the kids - Yasmin Paige, Thomas Knight and Daniel Anthony.
Secondly, this episode's sparkling script from Gareth Roberts, who penned this year's Shakespeare Doctor Who episode. It has just the right balance of scares and laughs and surprises.
It's a great start, and hopefully the high standard will be maintained right the way through the series' 10 episodes.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
David Tennant fanboys cosplay in cardiff
Here is a great account of a brush with david tennant by a major fan in cardiff, pics are included.
http://nightbeast.livejournal.com/107427.html
http://nightbeast.livejournal.com/107427.html
Friday, September 21, 2007
Extra action from John Barrowman... Marsters mention also
Which of the guys you've kissed on screen or on stage was the best kisser?
John Barrowman: Alexis Denisof is a very good kisser. Also a very good kisser at the moment is James Marsters. But -- I shouldn't have revealed that to you. Can I give you another? [Ed. note: The loose-lipped Marsters, who will appear on the second season of Torchwood, recently told fans that Barrowman was a better kisser than Sarah Michelle Gellar.] I did A Few Good Men [in London theater] with Rob Lowe. I didn't kiss him but I would have liked to. He knows I'd like to kiss him.
Would you rather get to make out with Rob Lowe or be on a show with him?
Both!
But if you'd been available to appear on Brothers & Sisters, you'd have been playing his brother!
It'd be a good storyline!
Matthew Rhys told me that American boys kiss better than British boys. Do you think that's true?
No, I'd have to beg to differ. British boys are pretty good kissers.
You have to say that! Your partner, Scott, is British, isn't he?
Yes, he is, and he's a pretty good kisser. And I'm British by birth! I've kind of got a mixture of both. American boys are good, but I think British boys are a little more passionate. People think the British are repressed, but they're really not. In my younger years in New York City, [American boys were] like, "What can you do for me?" What can I do for you? I don't want to give you a career. I just want to do you!
What's your favorite American TV show?
I do watch Desperate Housewives. I do watch Lost. I love Entourage. I'm getting ready to start watching Prison Break [on DVD]. Oh, if I could have a threesome -- the guy from Prison Break. Hello.
Who's your favorite guy on Lost?
Sawyer. He's a rough boy. I like Jack, but...Sawyer. I would just -- devour him. I'm happy to have to put up a fight.
> Keep your eye on Popnography and Out.com today and the rest of this week for more of Barrowman's interview and photo shoot outtakes. (And just wait until you see the pictures inside the magazine, including one buried in another fashion spread.)
> Torchwood debuts on BBC America this Saturday, September 8.
John Barrowman: Alexis Denisof is a very good kisser. Also a very good kisser at the moment is James Marsters. But -- I shouldn't have revealed that to you. Can I give you another? [Ed. note: The loose-lipped Marsters, who will appear on the second season of Torchwood, recently told fans that Barrowman was a better kisser than Sarah Michelle Gellar.] I did A Few Good Men [in London theater] with Rob Lowe. I didn't kiss him but I would have liked to. He knows I'd like to kiss him.
Would you rather get to make out with Rob Lowe or be on a show with him?
Both!
But if you'd been available to appear on Brothers & Sisters, you'd have been playing his brother!
It'd be a good storyline!
Matthew Rhys told me that American boys kiss better than British boys. Do you think that's true?
No, I'd have to beg to differ. British boys are pretty good kissers.
You have to say that! Your partner, Scott, is British, isn't he?
Yes, he is, and he's a pretty good kisser. And I'm British by birth! I've kind of got a mixture of both. American boys are good, but I think British boys are a little more passionate. People think the British are repressed, but they're really not. In my younger years in New York City, [American boys were] like, "What can you do for me?" What can I do for you? I don't want to give you a career. I just want to do you!
What's your favorite American TV show?
I do watch Desperate Housewives. I do watch Lost. I love Entourage. I'm getting ready to start watching Prison Break [on DVD]. Oh, if I could have a threesome -- the guy from Prison Break. Hello.
Who's your favorite guy on Lost?
Sawyer. He's a rough boy. I like Jack, but...Sawyer. I would just -- devour him. I'm happy to have to put up a fight.
> Keep your eye on Popnography and Out.com today and the rest of this week for more of Barrowman's interview and photo shoot outtakes. (And just wait until you see the pictures inside the magazine, including one buried in another fashion spread.)
> Torchwood debuts on BBC America this Saturday, September 8.
BILLIE PIPER URGES YOUNG FANS NOT TO WATCH NEW STEAMY SERIES
Billie Piper is concerned that young fans of 'Doctor Who' will tune in to her new series 'Belle de Jour', the story of a high class prostitute, and discover that the TARDIS isn't the only thing in the universe that is bigger on the inside.
I'm sure that this is a genuine concern and not just an attempt to drum up more column (ahem) inches before the programme aunches. Judging by the posts we've had about this series, if the nation could organise a sponsored wank on the broadcast day of September 27, then world famine would be a thing of the past.Billie has already shown that she can talk the talk, by coquettishly purring:"I thought longer and harder about taking on this role than I had about any other."I bet she did, but she still harbours concerns about such a dramatic leap from Time Lord to pork sword."The kids who watched me in 'Doctor Who' shouldn't watch me in this," she panted. Quite right too. Imagine embarrassed parents having to point out that the appendage on screen isn't a sonic screwdriver - and explain the difference between K-9 and K-Y.
I'm sure that this is a genuine concern and not just an attempt to drum up more column (ahem) inches before the programme aunches. Judging by the posts we've had about this series, if the nation could organise a sponsored wank on the broadcast day of September 27, then world famine would be a thing of the past.Billie has already shown that she can talk the talk, by coquettishly purring:"I thought longer and harder about taking on this role than I had about any other."I bet she did, but she still harbours concerns about such a dramatic leap from Time Lord to pork sword."The kids who watched me in 'Doctor Who' shouldn't watch me in this," she panted. Quite right too. Imagine embarrassed parents having to point out that the appendage on screen isn't a sonic screwdriver - and explain the difference between K-9 and K-Y.
Young Dr Who blocked
Plans for a series with Dr Who as a youngster were blocked by the show's supremo Russell T Davies.
The producer, 44, is now working on Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures which features the Doctor's old sidekick.
Revealing how the BBC children's series came about, Russell said: "I fancied the challenge of writing something for children based on Dr Who at the same time as CBBC were keen on something.
"There was talk of the adventures of the young Doctor on Gallifrey, but I said absolutely not.
"When we brought back Sarah for a Dr Who episode in 2006 she worked well and the idea blossomed."
Queer as Polk producer Russell said he owed a lot to kids' TV for giving him experience when he started out in the 1990s.
The producer, 44, is now working on Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures which features the Doctor's old sidekick.
Revealing how the BBC children's series came about, Russell said: "I fancied the challenge of writing something for children based on Dr Who at the same time as CBBC were keen on something.
"There was talk of the adventures of the young Doctor on Gallifrey, but I said absolutely not.
"When we brought back Sarah for a Dr Who episode in 2006 she worked well and the idea blossomed."
Queer as Polk producer Russell said he owed a lot to kids' TV for giving him experience when he started out in the 1990s.
PIPER SLAMS DOCTOR WHO RUMOURS. Be like that then beeeyatch!!! {kidding}
BILLIE PIPER has dismissed rumours she's planning to return to sci-fi series DOCTOR WHO - but confesses she may make a surprise return one day. The actress bowed out of the show after 27 episodes as the Doctor's assistant Rose Tyler. The show has kick-started Piper's big screen career - she is currently starring as a London prostitute in TV movie Secret Life Of A Call Girl. The 24-year-old has no plans to go back to the sci-fi series, and is baffled by recent claims she is lining up a return. She says, "A friend of mine told me he'd read about that. It's news to me. I think I'd find it very hard to play Rose Tyler again, but I don't rule out a return to the show in some form or another at some point in the future."
Doctor Who backs time capsule competition
FORMER Timelord Colin Baker will be giving readers a chance to communicate with future generations as he judges the Eden Time Capsule Challenge.
The ex-Doctor Who actor will judge Bucks Free Press readers' suggestions as to what should be buried in the capsule beneath the Eden shopping centre. The capsule will be a message to future residents and will commemorate life in the 21st century.
Winning entries will be entombed in a ceremony on November 20 and they and their families will be invited to watch as the capsule is lowered into the ground in a dramatic ceremony.
Daniel Tomkinson, Eden Centre Director, is excited about the launch of the competition. He said: "The opening of Eden is going to have a dramatic effect on the future prosperity of High Wycombe. We wanted to bring together the local community and mark the occasion by burying this capsule in Eden Place, to enable future generations to understand what life is like in 2007."
The Bucks Free Press is accepting proposals of about 250 words by post or email. Submissions can also be sent to the Eden centre's website.
Suggestions should represent the everyday lives of the residents of High Wycombe and be something that the town will be proud to be remembered for in 50 years' time.
The item must be no bigger than 30cm in height, length or width and weigh no more than 3.5kg. It must be something that will not decompose over time.
A shortlist of 50 items will be drawn up by a panel including Mr Baker. Readers will then vote to determine which ten will go into the capsule. Entrants must submit a photograph of themselves along with contact details. Entries from under-16s must be accompanied by a letter from a parent or guardian.
Submissions should be sent to Bucks Free Press & Times Group, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP10 9TY, or sent to bfpnews@london.newsquest.co.uk, or see the Eden site at www.edenshopping.co.uk The deadline for entries is Wednesday October 17.
The ex-Doctor Who actor will judge Bucks Free Press readers' suggestions as to what should be buried in the capsule beneath the Eden shopping centre. The capsule will be a message to future residents and will commemorate life in the 21st century.
Winning entries will be entombed in a ceremony on November 20 and they and their families will be invited to watch as the capsule is lowered into the ground in a dramatic ceremony.
Daniel Tomkinson, Eden Centre Director, is excited about the launch of the competition. He said: "The opening of Eden is going to have a dramatic effect on the future prosperity of High Wycombe. We wanted to bring together the local community and mark the occasion by burying this capsule in Eden Place, to enable future generations to understand what life is like in 2007."
The Bucks Free Press is accepting proposals of about 250 words by post or email. Submissions can also be sent to the Eden centre's website.
Suggestions should represent the everyday lives of the residents of High Wycombe and be something that the town will be proud to be remembered for in 50 years' time.
The item must be no bigger than 30cm in height, length or width and weigh no more than 3.5kg. It must be something that will not decompose over time.
A shortlist of 50 items will be drawn up by a panel including Mr Baker. Readers will then vote to determine which ten will go into the capsule. Entrants must submit a photograph of themselves along with contact details. Entries from under-16s must be accompanied by a letter from a parent or guardian.
Submissions should be sent to Bucks Free Press & Times Group, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP10 9TY, or sent to bfpnews@london.newsquest.co.uk, or see the Eden site at www.edenshopping.co.uk The deadline for entries is Wednesday October 17.
Davros Awakes!
Destiny Of The Daleks and Davros Boxset for November.
Destiny of the Daleks, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Lalla Ward as a newly regenerated Romana, is set to be released on DVD by 2Entertain.
When the Doctor and Romana arrive on Skaro, they find themselves caught in the middle of in an interplanetary war between the Daleks and the robotic Movellans. Can Davros, creator of the Daleks, give the Doctor's greatest enemies the edge they need?
The single-disc (not double, as previously reported) contains all four episodes plus the following extras:
Commentary - With actors Lalla Ward and David Gooderson, director Ken Grieve.
Terror Nation - documentary about writer Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, and his work on Doctor Who. With contributions from producers Barry Letts and Philip Hinchcliffe, script editor Terrance Dicks, director Richard Martin and Dalek voice artiste Nicholas Briggs.
Directing Who - director Ken Grieve recalls his time on this story.
CGI Effects – providing the option to watch the story with seventeen of the original video effects sequences replaced by CGI versions.
Trails and Continuity - BBC One trails and continuity announcements from the story's transmission, including the specially shot trailer heralding the return of the Daleks.
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos.
Prime Computer Adverts - Australian TV adverts for Prime Computers, starring the Doctor and Romana.
Coming Soon - trail for forthcoming DVD boxset release of Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Sea Devils and Warriors of the Deep.
Easter Egg
Destiny Of The Daleks will be available from 26 November. The story will also form part of a special Davros boxset, collecting all the other adventures featuring the evil genius, plus extra material. More on these extras soon!
Destiny of the Daleks, starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Lalla Ward as a newly regenerated Romana, is set to be released on DVD by 2Entertain.
When the Doctor and Romana arrive on Skaro, they find themselves caught in the middle of in an interplanetary war between the Daleks and the robotic Movellans. Can Davros, creator of the Daleks, give the Doctor's greatest enemies the edge they need?
The single-disc (not double, as previously reported) contains all four episodes plus the following extras:
Commentary - With actors Lalla Ward and David Gooderson, director Ken Grieve.
Terror Nation - documentary about writer Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks, and his work on Doctor Who. With contributions from producers Barry Letts and Philip Hinchcliffe, script editor Terrance Dicks, director Richard Martin and Dalek voice artiste Nicholas Briggs.
Directing Who - director Ken Grieve recalls his time on this story.
CGI Effects – providing the option to watch the story with seventeen of the original video effects sequences replaced by CGI versions.
Trails and Continuity - BBC One trails and continuity announcements from the story's transmission, including the specially shot trailer heralding the return of the Daleks.
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos.
Prime Computer Adverts - Australian TV adverts for Prime Computers, starring the Doctor and Romana.
Coming Soon - trail for forthcoming DVD boxset release of Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Sea Devils and Warriors of the Deep.
Easter Egg
Destiny Of The Daleks will be available from 26 November. The story will also form part of a special Davros boxset, collecting all the other adventures featuring the evil genius, plus extra material. More on these extras soon!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
First pic of james marsters on torchwood
I cannot wait to see this episode of Torchwood. James is a fantastic actor and i hope he wows the brits.
Romana and the Doctor icons
ahhh the good old days. where have you gone romana? your Doctor needs you more than ever.
http://jinxed-wood.livejournal.com/63157.html#cutid1
http://jinxed-wood.livejournal.com/63157.html#cutid1
Catherine Tate : Breasts aren't for running
Catherine Tate has apparently revealed that she had a few problems keeping up with Doctor Who star David Tennant - because of her chest.The comedy actress has taken the role of the Doctor's new sidekick but says filming some scenes wasn't easy.
She told the Doctor Who magazine: "I always struggle to keep up with David because he hasn't got breasts like I have. Breasts aren't built for running." The 39-year-old also admitted that she was stunned when she was offered the job."When I was asked to do it, I genuinely couldn't believe they'd asked me," she confessed. "I was having lunch with Julie Gardner and it was the last thing I thought we were going to have a conversation about. She said it, and I nearly... well, I... even now, I just can't believe it. I'm speechless."And it has certainly been a learning curve for her, especially getting to grips with all the various characters."This is how un-into-it I was before: I didn't know that there was more than one kind of alien. I just thought it was always the Daleks," she laughed.
She told the Doctor Who magazine: "I always struggle to keep up with David because he hasn't got breasts like I have. Breasts aren't built for running." The 39-year-old also admitted that she was stunned when she was offered the job."When I was asked to do it, I genuinely couldn't believe they'd asked me," she confessed. "I was having lunch with Julie Gardner and it was the last thing I thought we were going to have a conversation about. She said it, and I nearly... well, I... even now, I just can't believe it. I'm speechless."And it has certainly been a learning curve for her, especially getting to grips with all the various characters."This is how un-into-it I was before: I didn't know that there was more than one kind of alien. I just thought it was always the Daleks," she laughed.
Who Be Or Not Who Be?
DAVID TENNANT denies he feels trapped by Doctor Who and admits he feels humbled to be part of so many people's lives.
Earlier this month the BBC revealed there would be a fifth series of the sci-fi favourite, but couldn't say whether it would be with David.
The 36-year-old, currently filming the show's fourth series, is to play Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company next year.
To delay a final decision, the BBC will not film the fifth series until 2009.
However, there is no sense that David has grown tired of the long filming process which stops him from doing other things.
He said: "Nine months filming is a big commitment and it means that it's not possible for me to do some theatre work, but I'm having a ball, so trapped isn't the word - it's very humbling to be seen as part of something that people are so attached to. It's an experience I'm delighted to have had."
Since he took on the role of the 10th Doctor in 2005, the Scottish actor has also done different dramatic roles: as a creep in Secret Smile and a man with brain damage in Recovery.
But he admits he's always wanted to play Hamlet on stage, although he isn't one for the Scottish play and said: "I don't particularly covet Macbeth."
David also likens Shakespeare to playing opposite one of the famous Doctor Who creations like the Daleks.
He said: "It's the same imaginative leap - the person you were talking to at the catering van that morning now has seven green tentacles on their head. You just get on with it.
"I love it - it's just like being in the playground."
While David is looking forward to treading the boards again next year in Stratford from July to November, Doctor Who fans can't wait to see him back in the Tardis.
The Christmas special will feature Kylie Minogue and the fourth series will see David with his third companion, played by Catherine Tate.
David will also film three one-off Doctor Who specials, to be screened in 2009, to keep fans happy.
But it looks like there could be an 11th Time Lord for 2010.
And let's hope he's more like previous Doctors Tom Baker and Peter Davison than Christopher Eccleston, who David hasn't met.
Speaking in Academy, the magazine for the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he said: "I never met Christopher Eccleston as even for the regeneration scene we were filming at different times, but it would be great to have a chat about the role, though he's in the US.
"Tom Baker and Peter Davison both sent me notes on the first day of filming, though."
While getting the part for one of the UK's best-known roles has made him ahousehold name, David, is notoriously private and doesn't like talking about girlfriend Sophia Myles.
He said: "Fame is not something I chase and it takes a bit of getting used to. It's a bit weird the first time a photographer chases you down the street. But it's churlish to complain about it. I like being recognised and I'm proud of what I do.
"I don't talk about my private life - I choose to define my own boundaries and not take every available publicity opportunity.
"I don't think I would have coped very well at 21 so I'm glad I've had a few years working first before dealing with being famous."
Born David McDonald, he was raised in Ralston, Renfrewshire and is the son of a Church of Scotland Minister who was also the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1997.
David wanted to play Doctor Who from the age of three and changed his name to Tennant because there was already another actor called David McDonald.
His audition at the Academy saw him playing Hamlet, which he will now do for real on stage 20 years later.
He laughed: "I was probably only 16 when I came in. I did the two most famous plays in the world, Hamlet and Death of a Salesman - not the most appropriate roles in hindsight." Once at the college, he admits he always seemed to play old men in RSAMD productions.
He said: "That Willy Loman audition piece must have affected things somehow. I was the youngest on the course but I was always putting on grey make up and affecting a stoop."
After graduating from RSAMD in 1991, David's first professional job was a Brecht tour with 7:84 who had one Ashley Jensen of Extras fame, also in the cast.
David revealed: "She was the grown up in the group as she'd already been working for a year and felt like the old hand."
The actor moved to London and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared naked at the Royal National Theatre during his role of Nicholas Beckett in Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw.
In 2003 he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his role as Jeff in Lobby Hero at the Donmar Warehouse.
While working on stage he began to work in television, winning roles in Takin' Over The Asylum, Blackpool and Casanova, as well as film roles in Jude and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch Jr.
One role he never got, though, was in Taggart - despite auditioning many times.
He said: "Very quickly, unsuccessful auditions just become part of the job.
"If it's something you've had three recalls for then of course it's a much bigger disappointment, but mostly you just move on to the next thing."
As well as Doctor Who at Christmas, before the end of the year David will be seen in a comedy-drama about a group of learner drivers called Learners with Jessica Hynes.
He's also rumoured to be one of the guest stars in Ricky Gervais' final Christmas special of Extras.
And David will also be staring in the BBC Two film Einstein And Eddington, which has been made by the BBC and American channel HBO.
In that he plays British scientist Arthur Eddington to The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis' Albert Einstein.
So has David ever been tempted by Hollywood?
He giggled: "I'm not un-tempted. But I'm in no rush. I've never had a great five year plan.
"I wouldn't say no if something came along and was worth doing.
"But I've seen friends go out there and it can be very tough and demoralising, so I'll just see what happens."
Q&A
Q Which legendary actor would you most like to have worked with?
A Audrey Hepburn
Q Favourite film of all time?
A Twelve Angry Men
Q Would you ever appear in a musical?
A I can bang out a tune, and yes I'd love to do a musical. I'm still waiting for the phone call.
Q You're alone in a bothy in Benbecula with only a CD player and 3 tracks to play - what would they be?
A Something by The Proclaimers, Dignity by Deacon Blue and Me and the Farmer by The Housemartins.
Earlier this month the BBC revealed there would be a fifth series of the sci-fi favourite, but couldn't say whether it would be with David.
The 36-year-old, currently filming the show's fourth series, is to play Hamlet with the Royal Shakespeare Company next year.
To delay a final decision, the BBC will not film the fifth series until 2009.
However, there is no sense that David has grown tired of the long filming process which stops him from doing other things.
He said: "Nine months filming is a big commitment and it means that it's not possible for me to do some theatre work, but I'm having a ball, so trapped isn't the word - it's very humbling to be seen as part of something that people are so attached to. It's an experience I'm delighted to have had."
Since he took on the role of the 10th Doctor in 2005, the Scottish actor has also done different dramatic roles: as a creep in Secret Smile and a man with brain damage in Recovery.
But he admits he's always wanted to play Hamlet on stage, although he isn't one for the Scottish play and said: "I don't particularly covet Macbeth."
David also likens Shakespeare to playing opposite one of the famous Doctor Who creations like the Daleks.
He said: "It's the same imaginative leap - the person you were talking to at the catering van that morning now has seven green tentacles on their head. You just get on with it.
"I love it - it's just like being in the playground."
While David is looking forward to treading the boards again next year in Stratford from July to November, Doctor Who fans can't wait to see him back in the Tardis.
The Christmas special will feature Kylie Minogue and the fourth series will see David with his third companion, played by Catherine Tate.
David will also film three one-off Doctor Who specials, to be screened in 2009, to keep fans happy.
But it looks like there could be an 11th Time Lord for 2010.
And let's hope he's more like previous Doctors Tom Baker and Peter Davison than Christopher Eccleston, who David hasn't met.
Speaking in Academy, the magazine for the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, he said: "I never met Christopher Eccleston as even for the regeneration scene we were filming at different times, but it would be great to have a chat about the role, though he's in the US.
"Tom Baker and Peter Davison both sent me notes on the first day of filming, though."
While getting the part for one of the UK's best-known roles has made him ahousehold name, David, is notoriously private and doesn't like talking about girlfriend Sophia Myles.
He said: "Fame is not something I chase and it takes a bit of getting used to. It's a bit weird the first time a photographer chases you down the street. But it's churlish to complain about it. I like being recognised and I'm proud of what I do.
"I don't talk about my private life - I choose to define my own boundaries and not take every available publicity opportunity.
"I don't think I would have coped very well at 21 so I'm glad I've had a few years working first before dealing with being famous."
Born David McDonald, he was raised in Ralston, Renfrewshire and is the son of a Church of Scotland Minister who was also the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1997.
David wanted to play Doctor Who from the age of three and changed his name to Tennant because there was already another actor called David McDonald.
His audition at the Academy saw him playing Hamlet, which he will now do for real on stage 20 years later.
He laughed: "I was probably only 16 when I came in. I did the two most famous plays in the world, Hamlet and Death of a Salesman - not the most appropriate roles in hindsight." Once at the college, he admits he always seemed to play old men in RSAMD productions.
He said: "That Willy Loman audition piece must have affected things somehow. I was the youngest on the course but I was always putting on grey make up and affecting a stoop."
After graduating from RSAMD in 1991, David's first professional job was a Brecht tour with 7:84 who had one Ashley Jensen of Extras fame, also in the cast.
David revealed: "She was the grown up in the group as she'd already been working for a year and felt like the old hand."
The actor moved to London and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared naked at the Royal National Theatre during his role of Nicholas Beckett in Joe Orton's What The Butler Saw.
In 2003 he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his role as Jeff in Lobby Hero at the Donmar Warehouse.
While working on stage he began to work in television, winning roles in Takin' Over The Asylum, Blackpool and Casanova, as well as film roles in Jude and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch Jr.
One role he never got, though, was in Taggart - despite auditioning many times.
He said: "Very quickly, unsuccessful auditions just become part of the job.
"If it's something you've had three recalls for then of course it's a much bigger disappointment, but mostly you just move on to the next thing."
As well as Doctor Who at Christmas, before the end of the year David will be seen in a comedy-drama about a group of learner drivers called Learners with Jessica Hynes.
He's also rumoured to be one of the guest stars in Ricky Gervais' final Christmas special of Extras.
And David will also be staring in the BBC Two film Einstein And Eddington, which has been made by the BBC and American channel HBO.
In that he plays British scientist Arthur Eddington to The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis' Albert Einstein.
So has David ever been tempted by Hollywood?
He giggled: "I'm not un-tempted. But I'm in no rush. I've never had a great five year plan.
"I wouldn't say no if something came along and was worth doing.
"But I've seen friends go out there and it can be very tough and demoralising, so I'll just see what happens."
Q&A
Q Which legendary actor would you most like to have worked with?
A Audrey Hepburn
Q Favourite film of all time?
A Twelve Angry Men
Q Would you ever appear in a musical?
A I can bang out a tune, and yes I'd love to do a musical. I'm still waiting for the phone call.
Q You're alone in a bothy in Benbecula with only a CD player and 3 tracks to play - what would they be?
A Something by The Proclaimers, Dignity by Deacon Blue and Me and the Farmer by The Housemartins.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
From the Tall Ship to the Tardis for soap creator
IN THE top floor flat of his grand South Side tenement block - the same leafy row which served as a backdrop for his 2000 TV drama Glasgow Kiss, and in which he's currently writing a second episode of Doctor Who - Stephen Greenhorn is mulling over the success of River City.
The 43-year-old spent two years devising the Shieldinch soap, creating a blueprint of characters and plotlines that was to become known as the £10million show's bible'.
"I think the thing that has been most satisfying for me was when it started there were a lot of reviews in the press and they were mixed," says Greenhorn.
The point that I was trying to make, was that it was commissioned for a year - 52 hours of TV - and to review it and make a judgment on one episode, is like reviewing a film when all you've seen is the opening credits sequence.
"I was pleading with people to give it a chance - to let it find its feet."
And find its feet it has, as five years on viewing figures have settled at around 600,000 an episode, while figures such as Shellsuit Bob, Roisin Henderson and Scarlett Adams have become household names.
But the look, feel, character and image of River City could all have been very different if Stephen's original idea for the series had been realised... to set it in Leith.
"Glasgow is quite polarised," says Greenhorn, whose most recent stage outing was Sunshine On Leith, the musical based on the songs of the The Proclaimers.
"There's not a single street or a single area in Glasgow that has the range that you get in Leith with really wealthy people living cheek by jowl with poorer people.
"You've got these luxury flats and women on street corners and junkies in doorways.
"I was worried about switching it to Glasgow, we had to find ways to bring that broad range of characters into a west of Scotland setting."
Stephen was initially approached to develop a "Scottish soap" that was more upbeat and humorous than EastEnders after the success of his six-part series Glasgow Kiss.
He worked with a team of 18 writers, including Vivien Adam and Ann Marie Di Mambro, on creating early scripts and long-term plot lines, but left just as shooting started on the Dumbarton set.
The diplomat in Stephen reveals his departure was prompted after the decision-making hierarchy involved in BBC Scotland's big-budget project became "convoluted", although he still regularly tunes in for the omnibus.
I think the thing that I really like about it is that the tone of it now is exactly the kind of tone that we were trying to set out at the start.
"It's still recognisable from the show that it set out to be," he says.
After graduating in English and Psychology from the University of Strathclyde - where he won a coveted Edinburgh Fringe First for a student project, Heart and Bone - Stephen initially chose drama as a way of avoid a heavy reading load.
"You could choose between contemporary drama or 19th century novels," he says.
"I didn't really want to wade my way through Jane Austen - you could get through Arthur Miller more quickly."
He's since written acclaimed plays including Passing Places, for Edinburgh's Traverse, The Salt Wound, for 7:84, and King Matt, a children's show for TAG, while his TV work includes The Bill, Where The Heart Is and an adaptation of Jean Rhys' 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea.
Now dividing his time between Glasgow and London - where his partner and her son live - he's come a long way since he was a struggling playwright.
"The first five years were really quite tricky, working often enough to pay the bills," says Stephen.
"My bottom line was that if I reached the stage that I had to sign on, then I would look for something else to do.
"I remember having to sell my guitar at one point to pay a bill and then breaking up some kitchen chairs to burn on the fire."
It was only after finding paid TV writing work on The Bill that Stephen was able to relax and pick and choose the theatre and TV projects that interested him.
"Even although technically the demands are different, I found that the way that I'd been writing lends itself to TV.
"I wasn't writing in a high theatrical style," he slurps from an Old Firm mug as if to emphasise the point, "so it was easy to translate that to TV."
His latest challenge is to write a second episode for Doctor Who to be filmed in December for broadcast in series four next spring.
He has a conference call the following day with producers, during which he jokes that he expects to be informed his ideas cost too much.
Having written The Lazarus Experiment, a 45-minute episode last year, Stephen got to hang out with Russell T Davis and David Tennant - the actor he remembers as a "skinny drama student" - and to take his partner's son to the Cardiff set.
"That increased my kudos immensely!" chuckles Stephen.
"It's a bit like getting on a roller coaster.
"It's really exciting at the start, then half way through you're like, oh God, what have I done?
"And then at the end you just want to get straight back and do it again.
"There's such a family feel on set that you feel like you've been taken under their wing."
The next challenge is to write a pilot of a Saturday night drama series, again for production company Red Planet, again at the behest of the BBC, although he's not able to disclose much about this project.
Born in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Stephen has a busy six months ahead, plotting sci-fi adventure stories, adaptations and drama ideas that come his way.
And having flitted between South Side flats since coming to Glasgow over two decades ago, he doesn't have to tune into Shieldinch to see reminders of his work.
"I remember I came to view this flat and the woman selling it said do you know that this was in Glasgow Kiss?
"And I told her I wrote it.
"I started out renting in Langside Road, so in my immense progression from student life to this I've moved about 40 yards down the road!"
The 43-year-old spent two years devising the Shieldinch soap, creating a blueprint of characters and plotlines that was to become known as the £10million show's bible'.
"I think the thing that has been most satisfying for me was when it started there were a lot of reviews in the press and they were mixed," says Greenhorn.
The point that I was trying to make, was that it was commissioned for a year - 52 hours of TV - and to review it and make a judgment on one episode, is like reviewing a film when all you've seen is the opening credits sequence.
"I was pleading with people to give it a chance - to let it find its feet."
And find its feet it has, as five years on viewing figures have settled at around 600,000 an episode, while figures such as Shellsuit Bob, Roisin Henderson and Scarlett Adams have become household names.
But the look, feel, character and image of River City could all have been very different if Stephen's original idea for the series had been realised... to set it in Leith.
"Glasgow is quite polarised," says Greenhorn, whose most recent stage outing was Sunshine On Leith, the musical based on the songs of the The Proclaimers.
"There's not a single street or a single area in Glasgow that has the range that you get in Leith with really wealthy people living cheek by jowl with poorer people.
"You've got these luxury flats and women on street corners and junkies in doorways.
"I was worried about switching it to Glasgow, we had to find ways to bring that broad range of characters into a west of Scotland setting."
Stephen was initially approached to develop a "Scottish soap" that was more upbeat and humorous than EastEnders after the success of his six-part series Glasgow Kiss.
He worked with a team of 18 writers, including Vivien Adam and Ann Marie Di Mambro, on creating early scripts and long-term plot lines, but left just as shooting started on the Dumbarton set.
The diplomat in Stephen reveals his departure was prompted after the decision-making hierarchy involved in BBC Scotland's big-budget project became "convoluted", although he still regularly tunes in for the omnibus.
I think the thing that I really like about it is that the tone of it now is exactly the kind of tone that we were trying to set out at the start.
"It's still recognisable from the show that it set out to be," he says.
After graduating in English and Psychology from the University of Strathclyde - where he won a coveted Edinburgh Fringe First for a student project, Heart and Bone - Stephen initially chose drama as a way of avoid a heavy reading load.
"You could choose between contemporary drama or 19th century novels," he says.
"I didn't really want to wade my way through Jane Austen - you could get through Arthur Miller more quickly."
He's since written acclaimed plays including Passing Places, for Edinburgh's Traverse, The Salt Wound, for 7:84, and King Matt, a children's show for TAG, while his TV work includes The Bill, Where The Heart Is and an adaptation of Jean Rhys' 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea.
Now dividing his time between Glasgow and London - where his partner and her son live - he's come a long way since he was a struggling playwright.
"The first five years were really quite tricky, working often enough to pay the bills," says Stephen.
"My bottom line was that if I reached the stage that I had to sign on, then I would look for something else to do.
"I remember having to sell my guitar at one point to pay a bill and then breaking up some kitchen chairs to burn on the fire."
It was only after finding paid TV writing work on The Bill that Stephen was able to relax and pick and choose the theatre and TV projects that interested him.
"Even although technically the demands are different, I found that the way that I'd been writing lends itself to TV.
"I wasn't writing in a high theatrical style," he slurps from an Old Firm mug as if to emphasise the point, "so it was easy to translate that to TV."
His latest challenge is to write a second episode for Doctor Who to be filmed in December for broadcast in series four next spring.
He has a conference call the following day with producers, during which he jokes that he expects to be informed his ideas cost too much.
Having written The Lazarus Experiment, a 45-minute episode last year, Stephen got to hang out with Russell T Davis and David Tennant - the actor he remembers as a "skinny drama student" - and to take his partner's son to the Cardiff set.
"That increased my kudos immensely!" chuckles Stephen.
"It's a bit like getting on a roller coaster.
"It's really exciting at the start, then half way through you're like, oh God, what have I done?
"And then at the end you just want to get straight back and do it again.
"There's such a family feel on set that you feel like you've been taken under their wing."
The next challenge is to write a pilot of a Saturday night drama series, again for production company Red Planet, again at the behest of the BBC, although he's not able to disclose much about this project.
Born in Fauldhouse, West Lothian, Stephen has a busy six months ahead, plotting sci-fi adventure stories, adaptations and drama ideas that come his way.
And having flitted between South Side flats since coming to Glasgow over two decades ago, he doesn't have to tune into Shieldinch to see reminders of his work.
"I remember I came to view this flat and the woman selling it said do you know that this was in Glasgow Kiss?
"And I told her I wrote it.
"I started out renting in Langside Road, so in my immense progression from student life to this I've moved about 40 yards down the road!"
Billie Piper: "I'm terribly broody"
Billie Piper has revealed that she is ready to have children with her lover Laurence Fox.
The former Doctor Who star claims that she used to think she wouldn't have children, but has recently had a change of heart.
"I'm terribly broody," Piper told the Radio Times.
"I haven't always been. Back then I thought, you know, I can't imagine having a child, and only now I really can. I can feel it, it's strange."
However, the TV actress who is starring in the new ITV2 drama Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, claims her partner hasn't been impressed by her new raunchy onscreen role.
Piper, who has admitted to seeking advice from real-life vice girls to prepare for the role, said about Fox: "You’re never going to be going, ‘Woo-hoo, you go and have sex, and have a wonderful time! You’re never going to do that, whether you’re an actor or a window cleaner."
The former Doctor Who star claims that she used to think she wouldn't have children, but has recently had a change of heart.
"I'm terribly broody," Piper told the Radio Times.
"I haven't always been. Back then I thought, you know, I can't imagine having a child, and only now I really can. I can feel it, it's strange."
However, the TV actress who is starring in the new ITV2 drama Secret Diary Of A Call Girl, claims her partner hasn't been impressed by her new raunchy onscreen role.
Piper, who has admitted to seeking advice from real-life vice girls to prepare for the role, said about Fox: "You’re never going to be going, ‘Woo-hoo, you go and have sex, and have a wonderful time! You’re never going to do that, whether you’re an actor or a window cleaner."
Monday, September 17, 2007
Dr Who not even on the list???
Time rag ran an article on the top 100 tv shows and gave our good Doctor the snub it seems. Follow the link posted and please give your opinion in the provided area. thank you
http://www.time-blog.com/talkback/tvshows.php
http://www.time-blog.com/talkback/tvshows.php
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Buy the 6th doctors outfit replica
Ebay customers have the chance to purchase copies of the 6th Doctor costume courtesy of Honest Dragon China. The company which specialises in making replicas of TV and film costumes, has branched out into covering Doctor Who and are offering - among others - made to order replicas of the original 6th Doctor TV costume, the purple and red based costume as seen in the stage play "The Ultimate Adventure" in 1989 and even the fabled blue costume as 'seen' in the Big Finish audios. Click HERE to go the the Honest Dragon ebay shop.
Kylie's who-inspired new album?
Has Kylie's time with The Doctor inspired her new album title?
If DWO had a television news programme, this would most definitley fit in the '...and finally' section (along with the five legged dog and Weight-lifting Grandma stories).
It appears Kylie may have been spending a little too much time with The Doctor, as the title of her latest album is called "2 Hearts", and as we all know, our good friend The Doctor has two hearts of his own!
Kylie, who will guest star in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas Special; Voyage of the Damnend, apparantly came up with the album title earlier this year in Ibiza. Well.. we did say apparantly.
If DWO had a television news programme, this would most definitley fit in the '...and finally' section (along with the five legged dog and Weight-lifting Grandma stories).
It appears Kylie may have been spending a little too much time with The Doctor, as the title of her latest album is called "2 Hearts", and as we all know, our good friend The Doctor has two hearts of his own!
Kylie, who will guest star in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas Special; Voyage of the Damnend, apparantly came up with the album title earlier this year in Ibiza. Well.. we did say apparantly.
Town pays for its 'mad, mad film'
A star-studded film funded by firms in a small south Wales town has had a glitzy premiere in the local cinema.
Film and sport celebrities mingled with locals on the red carpet at the Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr.
Gullible's Travels features former Coronation Street star Denise Welch and Eve Myles from BBC Wales's Torchwood.
Andrew Jenkins, who helped finance the movie, said the local pub and other local businesses had put in money "and helped us do this mad, mad film".
Writer-director Peter Watkins-Hughes said the premiere was to send a thank you to local people.
The film was shot entirely in nearby Tredegar, and he set out to capture the humour of the area.
He said: "Everywhere we went in Tredegar we were welcomed with open arms. We have gone for a full red carpet job for the premiere to thank the community for their hospitality."
Welsh rugby stars Gareth Thomas and Garin Jenkins were flying in from the Rugby World Cup in France to attend the premiere of the comedy, which tells of the misfortunes of two men when they buy what they thinks is a severed celebrity body.
Dumper truck
Other stars of the film are Maggie John, of BBC Wales sitcom High Hopes, and another former Coronation Street actor, Charlie Dale.
Mr Watkins-Hughes, who is from Brynmawr, said he set out to make a film that captured the humour of the area.
He was delighted when local businesses financially backed the production.
"Every local business and every individual we approached were so generous," he said.
"We were given helicopters, cars and even a dumper truck - I was staggered at how many millionaires live there.
"It shows it's not all deprivation in the valleys."
One of the challenges of the film was to shoot every scene in Tredegar - which tested the production team when they needed to portray the flat landscape of Belgium.
"We ended up filming on top of a hill," said Mr Watkins-Hughes, who was proud to shoot his first film in Wales after producing TV shows for 15 years.
Mr Watkins-Hughes is hoping a major distributor will show it in major cinemas across the UK next year.
Denise Welch, who played pub landlady Natalie in Coronation Street, said the support of the community was one of the reasons she decided to accept a role in the film.
"I was so impressed that the people in Tredegar raised all the money themselves," she said.
She said the film-makers had had offers "from different film boards and film institutes".
"But because they come on board with the money, they then want to come on board with the power and control," she added.
"They've made a film they can be very proud of."
Film and sport celebrities mingled with locals on the red carpet at the Market Hall Cinema in Brynmawr.
Gullible's Travels features former Coronation Street star Denise Welch and Eve Myles from BBC Wales's Torchwood.
Andrew Jenkins, who helped finance the movie, said the local pub and other local businesses had put in money "and helped us do this mad, mad film".
Writer-director Peter Watkins-Hughes said the premiere was to send a thank you to local people.
The film was shot entirely in nearby Tredegar, and he set out to capture the humour of the area.
He said: "Everywhere we went in Tredegar we were welcomed with open arms. We have gone for a full red carpet job for the premiere to thank the community for their hospitality."
Welsh rugby stars Gareth Thomas and Garin Jenkins were flying in from the Rugby World Cup in France to attend the premiere of the comedy, which tells of the misfortunes of two men when they buy what they thinks is a severed celebrity body.
Dumper truck
Other stars of the film are Maggie John, of BBC Wales sitcom High Hopes, and another former Coronation Street actor, Charlie Dale.
Mr Watkins-Hughes, who is from Brynmawr, said he set out to make a film that captured the humour of the area.
He was delighted when local businesses financially backed the production.
"Every local business and every individual we approached were so generous," he said.
"We were given helicopters, cars and even a dumper truck - I was staggered at how many millionaires live there.
"It shows it's not all deprivation in the valleys."
One of the challenges of the film was to shoot every scene in Tredegar - which tested the production team when they needed to portray the flat landscape of Belgium.
"We ended up filming on top of a hill," said Mr Watkins-Hughes, who was proud to shoot his first film in Wales after producing TV shows for 15 years.
Mr Watkins-Hughes is hoping a major distributor will show it in major cinemas across the UK next year.
Denise Welch, who played pub landlady Natalie in Coronation Street, said the support of the community was one of the reasons she decided to accept a role in the film.
"I was so impressed that the people in Tredegar raised all the money themselves," she said.
She said the film-makers had had offers "from different film boards and film institutes".
"But because they come on board with the money, they then want to come on board with the power and control," she added.
"They've made a film they can be very proud of."
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
A few SJA titles and synopsis
1: Revenge of the Slitheen
"One of the discussions we had at a very early stage was whether we wanted to start in a school. In the end we decided to go with a school for episodes one and two because it was a very familiar and natural environment for kids to recognise and empathise with."
2: Eye of the Gorgon
"It features a slightly bizarre group of women who go around dressed as nuns but it's much camper and more overblown - it's less rooted in everyday life. It's probably the most effects-heavy of all the episodes, because it's quite out there."
3: Warriors of the Kudlax
"That is more of a classic Sci-Fi story, in the sense that there's laser gunfire and running around and being pursued by dark suited guards and things. It's more in the mould of Star Wars."
4: Whatever Happened to Sarah-Jane?
"It does touch upon Sarah's childhood and one childhood friend in particular and a tragedy that has taken place in her past that comes up from the meddling of a particular evil alien character called The Trickster. He sort of exists to create chaos. We hope it has a flavour of Back to the Future, the idea that you can have alternative realities where you see how characters could have developed with different influences."
5: The Lost Boy
"That is a fitting and surprising climax to the series where various twists happen."
"One of the discussions we had at a very early stage was whether we wanted to start in a school. In the end we decided to go with a school for episodes one and two because it was a very familiar and natural environment for kids to recognise and empathise with."
2: Eye of the Gorgon
"It features a slightly bizarre group of women who go around dressed as nuns but it's much camper and more overblown - it's less rooted in everyday life. It's probably the most effects-heavy of all the episodes, because it's quite out there."
3: Warriors of the Kudlax
"That is more of a classic Sci-Fi story, in the sense that there's laser gunfire and running around and being pursued by dark suited guards and things. It's more in the mould of Star Wars."
4: Whatever Happened to Sarah-Jane?
"It does touch upon Sarah's childhood and one childhood friend in particular and a tragedy that has taken place in her past that comes up from the meddling of a particular evil alien character called The Trickster. He sort of exists to create chaos. We hope it has a flavour of Back to the Future, the idea that you can have alternative realities where you see how characters could have developed with different influences."
5: The Lost Boy
"That is a fitting and surprising climax to the series where various twists happen."
Doctor Who video game materialising
Some 43 years after it premiered on television, the popular series Doctor Who will beam onto the PC, PlayStation 2, DS, and mobile phones this holiday season. Very little is known so far about the game, which is currently being advertised inside the new Doctor Who card pack of the popular Top Trumps card game.
Eidos will be publishing the game, which is being developed by its Ironstone Partners studio. Eidos would not reveal any further details on the title, except to say it would be "extremely loyal to the Top Trumps brand."
There is a huge variety of Top Trumps card games with pop-culture themes, including WWE, Manchester United Football Stars, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. In each, cards feature characters or vehicles with scores for attributes such as speed and stamina. The starting player chooses a category and uses his or her top-scoring card, and all other players must try to beat it with one of their cards. The winner then collects cards from all other players, and the ultimate winner is the person who ends up with the whole pack of cards.
Doctor Who is a British science-fiction TV series which has been running since 1963. The star of the series is the mysterious character The Doctor, who is the last surviving member of an alien race called the Timelords. A variety of actors have played the role of The Doctor since the start of the series, as Timelords have the ability to regenerate into a different form instead of dying. Actors who have played the role include Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Colin Baker, and the current star, David Tennant. The show has become a cultural touchstone in the UK, with such foes as the Cybermen and the Daleks becoming icons amongst the sci-fi set.
Eidos will be publishing the game, which is being developed by its Ironstone Partners studio. Eidos would not reveal any further details on the title, except to say it would be "extremely loyal to the Top Trumps brand."
There is a huge variety of Top Trumps card games with pop-culture themes, including WWE, Manchester United Football Stars, Star Wars, and Harry Potter. In each, cards feature characters or vehicles with scores for attributes such as speed and stamina. The starting player chooses a category and uses his or her top-scoring card, and all other players must try to beat it with one of their cards. The winner then collects cards from all other players, and the ultimate winner is the person who ends up with the whole pack of cards.
Doctor Who is a British science-fiction TV series which has been running since 1963. The star of the series is the mysterious character The Doctor, who is the last surviving member of an alien race called the Timelords. A variety of actors have played the role of The Doctor since the start of the series, as Timelords have the ability to regenerate into a different form instead of dying. Actors who have played the role include Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Colin Baker, and the current star, David Tennant. The show has become a cultural touchstone in the UK, with such foes as the Cybermen and the Daleks becoming icons amongst the sci-fi set.
Torchwood/Doctor Who Star John Barrowman Speaks Out
John Barrowman has given an interview to Media Blvd Magazine.
In the interview, John talks about his role as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood, the success of the show, American audiences, work in the USA and more.
Read the interview in full, here.
In the interview, John talks about his role as Captain Jack Harkness in Torchwood, the success of the show, American audiences, work in the USA and more.
Read the interview in full, here.
Hyde Fundraisers charity evening
Our friends over at Hyde Fundraisers have another fantastic who-themed event planned.
Event: Hyde Fundraisers Charity Evening
Date: 2nd November 2007
Time: 5:30pm-9:30pm
Venue: Museum of Science & Industry; Manchester; UK
Costs: Limited Tickets - £20 Adults / £10 Children
Hyde Fundraisers are delighted to announce that on Friday November 2nd - in association with the Museum Of Science & Industry in Manchester, they be holding an evening event in aid of BBC Children In Need & Help The Aged. This exciting event will have a limited number of tickets available at £20 Adults and £10 Children. Apart from admission to the fantastic UpClose Exhibition, attendees will also enjoy a welcome drink, Hyde Fundraisers promotional cards and an entry for a great Prize Draw taking place on the evening.
We shall also be welcoming some special guests to join us for this evening along with great character interaction experiences and unique photo opportunities. Join us for Donna's Wedding reception, stop the Clockwork Droids mission and go back in time to meet the sinister Scarecrows! First Guests Announced - all guests subject to work commitments/availability.
DON GILET - appearing last Christmas as Lance, Donna's husband to be from THE RUNAWAY BRIDE, Don has also appeared in BABYFATHER, 55 DEGREES NORTH, IN THE LINE OF BEAUTY, RUBY IN THE SMOKE (With Billie Piper) and recently completed appearances in CAPE WRATH.
RICHARD PIERS RAYNER - Appearing at a couple of Hyde Fundraisers events in the 1990's, comic artist Richard illustrated Dr Who Evening's Empire and gained attention for his work on graphic novel THE ROAD TO PERDITION which directly lead to the Tom Hanks film.
JOHN LEESON - an Honorary Member of Hyde Fundraisers, John has made his mark on the DR WHO series providing the characteristic voice of robot dog K-9. He also brought the original Bungle to life in RAINBOW, and appearances is BLAKE'S 7, SORRY, THE BILL, ALLO ALLO and as Dugeen in the classic Dr Who episode THE POWER OF KROLL.
More guests to be confirmed.
There will also be a special appearance by Pudsey Bear onsite to promote this years BBC Children In Need Appeal being screened on November 16th.
Only 200 Tickets will be available and can be booked on http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/ from Monday September 17th - first come/first served.
Hyde Fundraisers Charity Evening takes place on 2nd Novemeber 2007 from 5:30pm-9:30pm.
Event: Hyde Fundraisers Charity Evening
Date: 2nd November 2007
Time: 5:30pm-9:30pm
Venue: Museum of Science & Industry; Manchester; UK
Costs: Limited Tickets - £20 Adults / £10 Children
Hyde Fundraisers are delighted to announce that on Friday November 2nd - in association with the Museum Of Science & Industry in Manchester, they be holding an evening event in aid of BBC Children In Need & Help The Aged. This exciting event will have a limited number of tickets available at £20 Adults and £10 Children. Apart from admission to the fantastic UpClose Exhibition, attendees will also enjoy a welcome drink, Hyde Fundraisers promotional cards and an entry for a great Prize Draw taking place on the evening.
We shall also be welcoming some special guests to join us for this evening along with great character interaction experiences and unique photo opportunities. Join us for Donna's Wedding reception, stop the Clockwork Droids mission and go back in time to meet the sinister Scarecrows! First Guests Announced - all guests subject to work commitments/availability.
DON GILET - appearing last Christmas as Lance, Donna's husband to be from THE RUNAWAY BRIDE, Don has also appeared in BABYFATHER, 55 DEGREES NORTH, IN THE LINE OF BEAUTY, RUBY IN THE SMOKE (With Billie Piper) and recently completed appearances in CAPE WRATH.
RICHARD PIERS RAYNER - Appearing at a couple of Hyde Fundraisers events in the 1990's, comic artist Richard illustrated Dr Who Evening's Empire and gained attention for his work on graphic novel THE ROAD TO PERDITION which directly lead to the Tom Hanks film.
JOHN LEESON - an Honorary Member of Hyde Fundraisers, John has made his mark on the DR WHO series providing the characteristic voice of robot dog K-9. He also brought the original Bungle to life in RAINBOW, and appearances is BLAKE'S 7, SORRY, THE BILL, ALLO ALLO and as Dugeen in the classic Dr Who episode THE POWER OF KROLL.
More guests to be confirmed.
There will also be a special appearance by Pudsey Bear onsite to promote this years BBC Children In Need Appeal being screened on November 16th.
Only 200 Tickets will be available and can be booked on http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/ from Monday September 17th - first come/first served.
Hyde Fundraisers Charity Evening takes place on 2nd Novemeber 2007 from 5:30pm-9:30pm.
Tennant becomes charity patron
David Tennant has taken on a new role as a celebrity patron of a pioneering cancer charity.
David is supporting the Association for International Cancer Research, after hearing about the Scottish charity's ground-breaking work around the world.
David, 36, said: "I know only too well that cancer strikes without regard to age or race, country or creed, fame or fortune."
Chief executive Norman Barrett said he was delighted the actor would be helping raise awareness of the charity and its research.
He said: "As Dr Who, David is expert at fighting aliens: we hope his support will help us in the biggest medical fight we face - the fight against cancer."
Check out the Association for International Cancer Research website, here.
David is supporting the Association for International Cancer Research, after hearing about the Scottish charity's ground-breaking work around the world.
David, 36, said: "I know only too well that cancer strikes without regard to age or race, country or creed, fame or fortune."
Chief executive Norman Barrett said he was delighted the actor would be helping raise awareness of the charity and its research.
He said: "As Dr Who, David is expert at fighting aliens: we hope his support will help us in the biggest medical fight we face - the fight against cancer."
Check out the Association for International Cancer Research website, here.
Stamp Centre - Key to Time offer
London's Stamp Centre has a fantastic Key to Time DVD offer.
Scifi Collector / The Stamp Centre announce a special promotion on the new Key to Time box-set.
They have a quantity of the Androids of Tara stamp cover personally signed by Tom Baker & Mary Tamm, worth £14.95, to give away completely free of charge to the first 80 customers who order from them.
The box-set together with the stamp cover, will be sent postfree, representing added value of over £20!
PREORDER this box-set for £69.99 from Scifi Collector.
Scifi Collector / The Stamp Centre announce a special promotion on the new Key to Time box-set.
They have a quantity of the Androids of Tara stamp cover personally signed by Tom Baker & Mary Tamm, worth £14.95, to give away completely free of charge to the first 80 customers who order from them.
The box-set together with the stamp cover, will be sent postfree, representing added value of over £20!
PREORDER this box-set for £69.99 from Scifi Collector.
Fanzine Update
The latest issue of Enlightenment, (#139), the fanzine of the Doctor Who Information Network -- North America's largest Doctor Who fan club -- features an interview with writer Steven Moffat (The Empty Child, The Girl In The Fireplace, Blink) where he talks about his work on the series, what makes Doctor Who so great, and gives us a glimpse into writing Blink, an episode where the Doctor isn't around much. Also: Does Doctor Who have an agenda? How does Doctor Who's changing cast connect to a new shipping fanbase? And can the Two-Four crew survive 15 episodes with the Roger Delgado Master? Enlightenment is available from the Doctor Who Information Network website.
BBC7 Revisits McGann
BBC7 is currently set to begin re-running the Big Finish Eighth Doctor audios that have aired on the station over the next several weeks. BBC7 programmes can be heard either live on the internet or for seven days afterwards using BBC7's Listen Again option. The series begins Monday, September 10th at 6pm with Shada, and continues every weeknight thereafter.
Classic Series Toy Update
Character Options have announced the first in the new Classic Series range of figures. The first wave will include four single releases and two twin packs. There is currently not a release date. The list is still under negotiations and approvals, but Wave 1 is currently slated to include:
The Fourth Doctor in his Red velvet jacket from the story Revenge of the Cybermen. This figure will include two interchangeable heads - one with the hat, one without.
The Fifth Doctor with short hair as seen in the story Resurrection of the Daleks.
The Sixth Doctor in his patchwork frock coat with short hair as seen in Attack of the Cybermen.
A Sea Devil complete with string vest.
A Zygon with the Skarassen control device.
Voc Robots from The Robots of Death. This twin pack will include SV-7 (Super Voc) and D-84 (Dum Class).
Magnus Greel and Mr Sin from Talons of Weng Chiang will be the second twin pack.
The Fourth Doctor in his Red velvet jacket from the story Revenge of the Cybermen. This figure will include two interchangeable heads - one with the hat, one without.
The Fifth Doctor with short hair as seen in the story Resurrection of the Daleks.
The Sixth Doctor in his patchwork frock coat with short hair as seen in Attack of the Cybermen.
A Sea Devil complete with string vest.
A Zygon with the Skarassen control device.
Voc Robots from The Robots of Death. This twin pack will include SV-7 (Super Voc) and D-84 (Dum Class).
Magnus Greel and Mr Sin from Talons of Weng Chiang will be the second twin pack.
The Church of the ... Time Lord?
The Anglican church used two years ago as the location for the episode Father's Day is to invite its congregation to compare a Time Lord with the Lord of Time at a special Dr Who-themed church service.According to an article in the Metro, teenagers are being targeted for the "cafe-style" Communion service, with music and video clips from the hit series, at St Paul's Church in Grangetown, Cardiff.Fr Dean Atkins, youth officer for the Diocese, is quoted as saying: "The figure of Doctor Who is somebody who comes to save the world, almost a Messiah figure. In the series there are lots of references to salvation and the Doctor being almost immortal. We are using the figure of Doctor Who as a parable of Christ."
Tate bovvered by poster campaign
Comedians Catherine Tate, Matt Lucas and David Walliams have called in their lawyers after a Christian group used their catchphrases on its posters.
Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO) featured Tate's "Am I bovvered?" remark and Little Britain's "Yeah, I know!" in a campaign aimed at young people.
Representatives for the stars confirmed solicitors would be contacting CPO.
CPO admitted it had not sought permission to use the material, and said the posters had been withdrawn.
The campaign also featured Tate's "How very dare you" and the "Yeah but no but yeah" mantra of Little Britain's Vicky Pollard.
Bible quotations
Under the catchphrases, each poster featured a quote from the Bible.
Tate's production company Tiger Aspect confirmed it had instructed solicitors to act on her behalf.
Lucas and Walliams' management said their legal representatives had been in contact with the evangelical Christian organisation.
Before the brightly-coloured posters were withdrawn, CPO had been selling them to churches for £25 a set.
Christian Publishing and Outreach (CPO) featured Tate's "Am I bovvered?" remark and Little Britain's "Yeah, I know!" in a campaign aimed at young people.
Representatives for the stars confirmed solicitors would be contacting CPO.
CPO admitted it had not sought permission to use the material, and said the posters had been withdrawn.
The campaign also featured Tate's "How very dare you" and the "Yeah but no but yeah" mantra of Little Britain's Vicky Pollard.
Bible quotations
Under the catchphrases, each poster featured a quote from the Bible.
Tate's production company Tiger Aspect confirmed it had instructed solicitors to act on her behalf.
Lucas and Walliams' management said their legal representatives had been in contact with the evangelical Christian organisation.
Before the brightly-coloured posters were withdrawn, CPO had been selling them to churches for £25 a set.
The Infinite Quest
Animated adventure coming to DVD in November.
BBC Children's DVD have announced details of their upcoming release of The Infinite Quest.
Starring David Tennant and Freema Agyeman, the special episode was a highlight of the last series of Totally Doctor Who.
Buffy star Anthony Head and Lisa Tarbuck guest-starred in the thrilling tale of space pirates and really big bugs.
As well as the episode, the DVD will feature the following extras:
Exclusive cast interviews
David Tennant's animation test
Animation and Voiceover behind the scenes features
Animatics of episodes and deleted scenes
Character profiles
Photo gallery
The Infinite Quest will be released on 5 November 2007.
BBC Children's DVD have announced details of their upcoming release of The Infinite Quest.
Starring David Tennant and Freema Agyeman, the special episode was a highlight of the last series of Totally Doctor Who.
Buffy star Anthony Head and Lisa Tarbuck guest-starred in the thrilling tale of space pirates and really big bugs.
As well as the episode, the DVD will feature the following extras:
Exclusive cast interviews
David Tennant's animation test
Animation and Voiceover behind the scenes features
Animatics of episodes and deleted scenes
Character profiles
Photo gallery
The Infinite Quest will be released on 5 November 2007.
Monster Hit
Weeping Angels beat the Daleks in Scariest Monster Poll.
The Weeping Angels have been voted this year's Scariest Monsters in a poll of over 2,000 Doctor Who Adventures readers.
Although the Daleks will always be popular, it was the stone statues that had the Doctor Who Adventures readers (and their parents) diving behind the sofa.
A massive 55 per cent of the votes went to the angels - created by Steven Moffat for his Blink episode. The Master, played by John Simm, was runner-up with with 15 percent of the votes. The Daleks came in 3rd with 4 per cent.
"The Weeping Angels are a fantastic addition to the long list of scary monsters in Doctor Who," said Moray Laing, Editor of Doctor Who Adventures says. "Children will definitely remember being scared by them for years to come. Also, the idea that you could possibly escape a creature by not blinking is inspired... but it's not as easy as it sounds! The Daleks usually come top of every monster poll - so the Weeping Angels should be proud of their achievement! I wonder what the Daleks would say to the news?"
Dalek Caan was unavailable for comment.
The new issue of Doctor Who Adventures, recently named as the UK's fastest growing consumer magazine, featuring more info on the Weeping Angels, is out on 13th September.
The Weeping Angels have been voted this year's Scariest Monsters in a poll of over 2,000 Doctor Who Adventures readers.
Although the Daleks will always be popular, it was the stone statues that had the Doctor Who Adventures readers (and their parents) diving behind the sofa.
A massive 55 per cent of the votes went to the angels - created by Steven Moffat for his Blink episode. The Master, played by John Simm, was runner-up with with 15 percent of the votes. The Daleks came in 3rd with 4 per cent.
"The Weeping Angels are a fantastic addition to the long list of scary monsters in Doctor Who," said Moray Laing, Editor of Doctor Who Adventures says. "Children will definitely remember being scared by them for years to come. Also, the idea that you could possibly escape a creature by not blinking is inspired... but it's not as easy as it sounds! The Daleks usually come top of every monster poll - so the Weeping Angels should be proud of their achievement! I wonder what the Daleks would say to the news?"
Dalek Caan was unavailable for comment.
The new issue of Doctor Who Adventures, recently named as the UK's fastest growing consumer magazine, featuring more info on the Weeping Angels, is out on 13th September.
Book News
Three more novels announced for 2008.
Details of the Spring 2008 stand-alone Doctor Who novels have been announced by BBC Books.
All three will feature the Tenth Doctor and Martha.
Martha in the Mirror - by Justin Richards
Castle Extremis - whoever holds it can control the provinces either side that have been at war for centuries. Now the castle is about to play host to the signing of a peace treaty. But as the Doctor and Martha find out, not everyone wants the war to end.
Who is the strange little girl who haunts the castle? What is the secret of the book the Doctor finds, its pages made from thin, brittle glass? Who is the hooded figure that watches from the shadows? And what is the secret of the legendary Mortal Mirror?
The Doctor and Martha don't have long to find the answers - an army is on the march, and the castle will soon be under siege once more.
Snowglobe 7 - by Mike Tucker
Earth, 2099. Global warming is devastating the climate. The polar ice caps are melting.
In a desperate attempt at preservation the Governments of the world have removed vast sections of the Arctic and Antarctic and set them inside huge domes across the world. The Doctor and Martha arrive in Snowglobe 7 in the Middle East, hoping for peace and relaxation. But they soon discover that it's not only ice and snow that has been preserved beneath the Dome.
While Martha struggles to help with an infection sweeping through the holidaymakers the Doctor discovers an alien threat that has lain hidden since the last ice age. A threat that is starting to thaw.
The Many Hands - by Dale Smith
Edinburgh, 1759.
The Nor' Loch is being filled in. If you ask the soldiers there, they'll tell you it's a stinking cesspool that the city can do without. But that doesn't explain why the workers won't go near the place without an armed guard.
That doesn't explain why they whisper stories about the loch giving up its dead, about the minister who walked into his church twelve years after he died.
It doesn't explain why, as they work, they whisper about a man called the Doctor. And about the many hands of Alexander Monro.
Details of the Spring 2008 stand-alone Doctor Who novels have been announced by BBC Books.
All three will feature the Tenth Doctor and Martha.
Martha in the Mirror - by Justin Richards
Castle Extremis - whoever holds it can control the provinces either side that have been at war for centuries. Now the castle is about to play host to the signing of a peace treaty. But as the Doctor and Martha find out, not everyone wants the war to end.
Who is the strange little girl who haunts the castle? What is the secret of the book the Doctor finds, its pages made from thin, brittle glass? Who is the hooded figure that watches from the shadows? And what is the secret of the legendary Mortal Mirror?
The Doctor and Martha don't have long to find the answers - an army is on the march, and the castle will soon be under siege once more.
Snowglobe 7 - by Mike Tucker
Earth, 2099. Global warming is devastating the climate. The polar ice caps are melting.
In a desperate attempt at preservation the Governments of the world have removed vast sections of the Arctic and Antarctic and set them inside huge domes across the world. The Doctor and Martha arrive in Snowglobe 7 in the Middle East, hoping for peace and relaxation. But they soon discover that it's not only ice and snow that has been preserved beneath the Dome.
While Martha struggles to help with an infection sweeping through the holidaymakers the Doctor discovers an alien threat that has lain hidden since the last ice age. A threat that is starting to thaw.
The Many Hands - by Dale Smith
Edinburgh, 1759.
The Nor' Loch is being filled in. If you ask the soldiers there, they'll tell you it's a stinking cesspool that the city can do without. But that doesn't explain why the workers won't go near the place without an armed guard.
That doesn't explain why they whisper stories about the loch giving up its dead, about the minister who walked into his church twelve years after he died.
It doesn't explain why, as they work, they whisper about a man called the Doctor. And about the many hands of Alexander Monro.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Barrowman "OUT" interview
Out Magazine has an fantastic interview with John Barrowman, CLICK HERE to read it.
Planet Of Evil
Details of the DVD release of Planet Of Evil - the classic Fourth Doctor / Sarah Jane adventure from 1975 - have now been revealed.
In Planet Of Evil, the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) receive a distress call from Zeta Minor - the most distant planet in the known universe. There, a Morestran geological expedition has fallen prey to an unknown entity, controlled by antimatter. All except the sole survivor, Professor Sorenson. But is he all that he seems to be?
Extras for the release will include:
Commentary - With actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Prentis Hancock, producer Philip Hinchcliffe.
A Darker Side - With producer Philip Hinchcliffe, writer Louis Marks, designer Roger Murray-Leach, director David Maloney, actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Prentis Hancock.
Planetary Performance - a look at the making of the story from an actor's perspective. With actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Prentis Hancock, Tony McEwan and Graham Weston.
Studio Scene - the only surviving behind-the-scenes footage from the story.
Continuities - continuity announcements and repeat trailer.
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
Coming Soon trailer.
Easter Egg.
Follow the link below for a larger version of the cover.
Planet Of Evil will be released on 15 October 2007.
In Planet Of Evil, the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah (Elisabeth Sladen) receive a distress call from Zeta Minor - the most distant planet in the known universe. There, a Morestran geological expedition has fallen prey to an unknown entity, controlled by antimatter. All except the sole survivor, Professor Sorenson. But is he all that he seems to be?
Extras for the release will include:
Commentary - With actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Prentis Hancock, producer Philip Hinchcliffe.
A Darker Side - With producer Philip Hinchcliffe, writer Louis Marks, designer Roger Murray-Leach, director David Maloney, actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen and Prentis Hancock.
Planetary Performance - a look at the making of the story from an actor's perspective. With actors Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Prentis Hancock, Tony McEwan and Graham Weston.
Studio Scene - the only surviving behind-the-scenes footage from the story.
Continuities - continuity announcements and repeat trailer.
Photo Gallery - production, design and publicity photos from the story.
Coming Soon trailer.
Easter Egg.
Follow the link below for a larger version of the cover.
Planet Of Evil will be released on 15 October 2007.
Sladen welcomes 'Sarah Jane' return
Former Doctor Who companion Elisabeth Sladen has spoken of her joy at revisiting the character in the upcoming spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures."It's great to be back enjoying Sarah Jane with some fantastic new adventures," said the actress, who returned to Doctor Who for the 'School Reunion' episode in 2006. "There's still so much more to find out about her after all these years. I hope that viewers have as much fun watching the series as I did making it."The show's executive producer Russell T Davies explained: "This is a wonderful opportunity to use all our Doctor Who resources here in Cardiff for the making of a brand new drama for CBBC. We hope brand new viewers join us for ten full-blooded episodes of excitement and danger, headlined by a truly excellent cast."The Sarah Jane Adventures will be shown in 25 minute weekly installments on BBC One from Monday, September 24 at 5pm, beginning with 'Revenge of the Slitheen'.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
The Web of Fear - found?
DWO have received reports that the lost Doctor Who adventure; The Web of Fear, has been found.
Obviously it is very early days, and we don't usually report these kind of rumours, but the DWO team genuinly feel there may be some truth to this report.
If indeed it is true, fans will at last have a complete Yeti story to add to their Doctor Who DVD collections in the months to come.
Synopsis
The TARDIS narrowly avoids becoming engulfed in a web-like substance in space. It then arrives in the London Underground railway system, the tunnels of which are being overrun by the web and by the Great Intelligence's robot Yeti.
The time travellers learn that this crisis was precipitated when Professor Travers, whom they first met in the Himalayas some forty years earlier, accidentally caused one of the Yeti to be reactivated, opening the way for the Intelligence to make another invasion attempt.
The travellers work alongside army forces - led initially by Captain Knight and then by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart - as they battle against the alien menace, hampered by the fact that one of their number has fallen under the Intelligence's influence and is a traitor in their midst.
The Intelligence's ultimate aim is to drain the Doctor's mind. The Doctor manages to sabotage the device with which it intends to achieve this, so that he can drain the Intelligence's mind instead, but he is 'rescued' by his friends before he can bring his plan to fruition.
The Intelligence is repelled into space, and the Doctor and his friends leave the army to clear up the mess.
Obviously it is very early days, and we don't usually report these kind of rumours, but the DWO team genuinly feel there may be some truth to this report.
If indeed it is true, fans will at last have a complete Yeti story to add to their Doctor Who DVD collections in the months to come.
Synopsis
The TARDIS narrowly avoids becoming engulfed in a web-like substance in space. It then arrives in the London Underground railway system, the tunnels of which are being overrun by the web and by the Great Intelligence's robot Yeti.
The time travellers learn that this crisis was precipitated when Professor Travers, whom they first met in the Himalayas some forty years earlier, accidentally caused one of the Yeti to be reactivated, opening the way for the Intelligence to make another invasion attempt.
The travellers work alongside army forces - led initially by Captain Knight and then by Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart - as they battle against the alien menace, hampered by the fact that one of their number has fallen under the Intelligence's influence and is a traitor in their midst.
The Intelligence's ultimate aim is to drain the Doctor's mind. The Doctor manages to sabotage the device with which it intends to achieve this, so that he can drain the Intelligence's mind instead, but he is 'rescued' by his friends before he can bring his plan to fruition.
The Intelligence is repelled into space, and the Doctor and his friends leave the army to clear up the mess.
Australian media coverage
Perth Now has reported on the 'outrage' of local Torchwood fans at Channel Ten's decision to move the show to a midnight timeslot. A 'publicist' for Channel Ten is quoted as saying: 'Although 'Torchwood' launched to an impressive number it was not able to sustain ratings up against particularly tough competition. We thank loyal fans for their support and we will play out the series, albeit on Tuesday's late night.'Meanwhile, Judy Adamson of the Sydney Morning Herald writes, in a review of 'Blink', that 'the monsters are not only fabulously inventive, they're uncomfortably scary.' The Melbourne Herald-Sun also writes of the 'downright scary' statues in 'Blink', describing it 'the best episode of the series so far' and gives it four stars. Greg Hassall, also of the Sydney Morning Herald, gives 'Utopia' a thumbs up, writing that 'it's a great episode, with plenty of wickedly barbed dialogue between Harkness, Martha and the Doctor. The pay-off comes at the end, setting up a stellar conclusion to the season.' Finally, in the ratings, Doctor Who has risen again: 'The Family of Blood' scored 865,000 viewers in the 5 major capitals, while 'Blink' was also the ABC's top rating Saturday programme, scoring 873,000 viewers. Meanwhile, Torchwood's ratings have remained steady in the Tuesday midnight timeslot on 'Channel Ten'. 'Combat' received 147,000 viewers while 'Captain Jack Harkness' received 151,000 viewers. For more ratings details see the Sydney Morning Herald’s Tribal Mind.
Slitheen For Sarah Jane
Raxacoricofallapatorians return for spin-off show.
New CBBC series The Sarah Jane Adventures will feature the return of some familiar Doctor Who enemies when it debuts later this month.
The Slitheen, a family of scheming monsters first seen in Aliens of London / World War Three are back - and out for revenge.
Following on from a successful special screened on New Year's Day, the ten-part CBBC series stars Elisabeth Sladen as investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith. She'll be joined by young friends Maria and Luke plus new recruit Clyde.
"It's great to be back enjoying Sarah Jane with some fantastic new adventures," Sladen revealed to the BBC's in-house Ariel magazine. "There's still so much more to find out about her after all these years."
Executive Producer Davies added: "This is a wonderful opportunity, to use all our Doctor Who resources here in Cardiff for the making of a brand new drama for CBBC."
Davies also said he hoped that brand new viewers would be attracted to the 'full-blooded' adventure series.
Look out for the extensively updated Sarah Jane Adventures website, which will relaunch to coincide with the series.
New CBBC series The Sarah Jane Adventures will feature the return of some familiar Doctor Who enemies when it debuts later this month.
The Slitheen, a family of scheming monsters first seen in Aliens of London / World War Three are back - and out for revenge.
Following on from a successful special screened on New Year's Day, the ten-part CBBC series stars Elisabeth Sladen as investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith. She'll be joined by young friends Maria and Luke plus new recruit Clyde.
"It's great to be back enjoying Sarah Jane with some fantastic new adventures," Sladen revealed to the BBC's in-house Ariel magazine. "There's still so much more to find out about her after all these years."
Executive Producer Davies added: "This is a wonderful opportunity, to use all our Doctor Who resources here in Cardiff for the making of a brand new drama for CBBC."
Davies also said he hoped that brand new viewers would be attracted to the 'full-blooded' adventure series.
Look out for the extensively updated Sarah Jane Adventures website, which will relaunch to coincide with the series.
David Tennant to star in 'Extras'
David Tennant has lined up to appear alongside Ricky Gervais in a special edition of Extras, according to reports.
An 80 minute Christmas special will feature the Doctor Who star playing himself and making reference to his portrayal of the iconic Time Lord. An insider from the show is quoted by What's On TV as stating: "David's a huge fan of the show and extremely popular, so we've signed him up. He'll be in good company as we're lining up some other great names."
In a previous episode of Extras, actor Patrick Stewart poked light fun at his starring role as Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
An 80 minute Christmas special will feature the Doctor Who star playing himself and making reference to his portrayal of the iconic Time Lord. An insider from the show is quoted by What's On TV as stating: "David's a huge fan of the show and extremely popular, so we've signed him up. He'll be in good company as we're lining up some other great names."
In a previous episode of Extras, actor Patrick Stewart poked light fun at his starring role as Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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