Doctor Who 2014 Christmas Special Previe

Death in Heaven - Doctor Who Extras!!

Doctor Who Christmas trailer 2014

Eighth Series DVD Delayed

The DVD and Blu-Ray boxset release of The Complete Eighth Series has been delayed in the UK by one week.
The 5-disc boxset, containing all 12 episodes from Peter Capaldi’s debut series and a host of extras, was originally due on 17 November but will now release instead on 24 November.

The reason for this slight delay is due to a BBFC classification change. The finale was given a ’12’ rating instead of ‘PG’ which required a reprint of the cover.
The BBC Shop alerted customers stating: “We wanted to let you know that the UK release of Doctor Who Series 8 has been delayed by one week. This is due to a recent classification change for the series finale which necessitated a reprint of the DVD & Blu-Ray cover. The new release date for this title is 24th November 2014.”

Spoiler clip from Death in heaven

Be warned it gives away a bit of info about Danny and his choice from the end of the last episode. View at your own risk.

YOU WERE WARNED

Peter Capaldi with younger Who fans

Peter Capaldi may look to be a gruff man, but the fans who have met him and seen him in person will quickly tell you that he has a heart of gold and always has time to talk to his younger fans. The two videos below will prove that.

Here Peter is responding to a letter he had gotten from a 9 year old fan with autism who had recently lost his Nanny and needed some words of wisdom on dealing with grief. Buck up because the feels will come and make you misty while watching.

This next one comes from when they were filming for series 8 down Cardiff Bay and a young autistic girl who loved Matt's Doctor and was struggling to come to terms with the regeneration and Peter sat down with her and spoke to her and showed her a photo on his phone of him, Matt and Jenna.

 Peter is truly a man that embraces his role as the Doctor with kindness and deep responsibility towards it's fans. He sees it as more than simple role he plays on TV. Every time I have seen him with kids or addressing kids in any way he makes sure to be The Doctor that they child needs at that moment. God bless that man!

Sean Pertwee cosplays as his dad for Halloween.

Sean Pertwee would make a great stand in for his Father in any Who special. Wish we could see that come about sometime soon.

Doctor Who/ Hunger Games parody

Death in Heaven Trailer

Death in Heaven Radio Trailer

Doctor Who Extra: Dark Water

Have to digest part one and re-watch again before I post a proper review. For now enjoy the Extras. Remember SPOIIIILERS!

Doctor Who Experience: The Peter Capaldi Era

BBC Confirms 60 minute finale & Dark Water clip

Today the BBC have confirmed that Death In Heaven the Second part of this series’ season finale will last an hour starting at 8pm and finishing at 9pm (UK time).

Peter Capaldi on the Hardest Part of Being The Doctor

In the Forest of the Night Review

 This episode started out so very good, a small child running through a dark forest and finds the Tardis, she then knocks and the Doctor answers being his grumpy self, but still nice. From the time the Doctor attempts to move the Tardis on the episode just goes off the rails. I have enjoyed every episode up until this one. I really at this moment want to shake writer Frank Cottrell Boyce about like a maraca and slap him silly screaming "NO MORE WHO FOR YOU!" This episode, while entertaining for small children perhaps, just fell flat on it's face and stalled horribly.
  There was really no danger other than wolves, which seem to not be able to overtake a small child, and tigers that are easily frightened by a simple flashlight. Throw science out the window and you are left with a flat boring fairytale. Honestly the only good thing about this episode was the series finale trailer at the end. Abigail Eames (Maebh) is the better actor out of all the other children and I can see why she was featured more. The rest were all forgettable and boring along with being not great at acting. Maebh, it seems, hears voices and hasn't been taking her pill to stop it from happening. She speaks for the trees? Is she secretly a Lorax?
  The interaction between the Doctor and Maebh  is actually funny and worked really well. Danny has been wasted this season as background noise and filler, when he should have been set front and center with Clara after the first few episodes and to provide a foil for the Doctor. Their arguments would have been welcomed and really funny. Ruby, who is right about most things she says, is the only other child actor with any value in the story and she is dismissed and ignored throughout.
  The other problems I have is with the ending on two different points. First we are supposed to care for the sister Mabhe has who has gone "missing" without knowing any background information whatsoever on said sister. I have no emotional investment at all in the sister or her plight. Did the trees kidnap her to get Mabhe's attention and then return her at the end? Was she a runaway? If she ran away, then why? Why was she hiding in a bush when standing or sitting on the stoop would have served the same purpose, dramatic effect perhaps. Again Frank Cottrell Boyce should be smacked repeatedly for this shit story.
   And second the science in this episode is just ridiculous. I can understand how the trees prevent the flare from harming the earth. It's a stretch, but the Doctors explanation holds up. They suck out the oxygen while the fire burns off the rest. What about the heat? Do the leaves somehow absorb all that? What about the atmosphere? Extra oxygen and the lack of aren't going to prevent all the heat from a solar flare. What about the satellites on the side of the earth that is hit by the solar flare? They would have been burned away and cause mass outages of internet, phones, and TV communication. All the trees that grew up throughout all the cities would have caused massive damage to pipes and subways. Gas lines would have been ruptured cause serious fires and deaths. Rebuilding the water lines for whole cities would have taken months if not years and water would have been scarce for long after. None of it was remotely realistic.
  It is Doctor Who though after all and this episode seemed to be more geared for children with little to offer the adults in the room. If the idea were to write a fairy tale then yes it worked, fairy dust trees and all. I just think this episode could have been so much better and that they dropped the ball and completely missed the mark with this one. Frank stick to writing children's books and away from my sci-fi. This episode gets the lowest mark of the series with a 2 out of 10.

In the Forest of the Night - Doctor Who Extra

The finale begins - Dark Water: Next Time Trailer

Doctor Who’ Season 8 DVD fan event in London announced

  BBC Worldwide has revealed details of an exclusive Doctor Who fan event featuring the show’s stars to celebrate launch of the new season on DVD and Blu-ray.
The 5-disc Season 8 box set will be available from Monday 17 November, featuring all 12 episodes from Season 8.
 

BC Worldwide has 70 pairs of tickets to give away for the event, which will be held in central London on Monday 17 November, hosted by Frank Skinner.
Skinner, who recently appeared in ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’, commented: “When they asked me to host this event I was over the moon. Luckily the space-dragon incubation period is such that I was in no real danger. I have so many questions I want to ask and, when we’re all talked out, I’m planning to finish off by crowd-surfing for 10 to 15 minutes, dressed as Chief Engineer Perkins.”
Fans will be treated to a special screening followed by a Q&A with members of the cast.
For a chance to win a pair of tickets, fans just need to visit doctorwho.tv and correctly answer the multiple choice question, when they will subsequently be entered into a prize draw.
The competition opens today and will close at 23.59 on Wednesday 29 October. Winners will be selected at random and will be notified within seven days of the closing date. Unsuccessful applicants will not be contacted. Fans should only enter if they can travel to London for the afternoon of Monday 17 November. The event venue will be disclosed to winners on their invitation closer to the time.

Introduction to In the Forest of the Night

Doctor Who: 'The First Question' - The Extended Cut

Doctor Who - Take On Me

Fabricating the Tardis Siege mode cube

You can buy the replica here. Click the pic below to learn more about the creation of the Siege Cube. It is an interesting process.I don't see me getting it anytime soon at $49.95. Replicas are expensive!

Watch Death in Heaven early

Are you in the UK? Then you can watch the finale "Death in Heaven" early if you'd like.

The programme of six events, devised and coordinated by Film Hub Wales and BAFTA Cymru, and hosted in partnership with BBC Cymru Wales and 6 key venues around the country, will offer fans of the series a chance to see monsters from key episodes of the cult classic on the big screen and hear from the creative team working on the series.
The events will be held between November 2014 and January 2015 and will be part of Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder, the BFI’s landmark season dedicated to cinema’s most spectacular genre, presented together with 02. Tickets will be available to BAFTA members and the general public.
The first event in the series, to be held in partnership with Chapter pop up cinema on 4 November at the landmark National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, will be a preview of Death in Heaven, the current season finale, which will be screened ahead of its broadcast on BBC One and will be attended by cast and crew.
The wider programme of events includes The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe at Ffwrnes in Llanelli on 1 December ; The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky at Scala Cinema and Arts Centre, Prestatyn on 12 December; The Unquiet Dead at the Savoy, in Monmouth on 12 January; ending with The Five Doctors on 27 January at Aberystwyth Arts Centre. An additional double bill screening of Mask of Mandragora and The Prisoner will be confirmed to take place in January at Theatr Harlech.
The events will each have a specific theme, focusing on one creative department within the Doctor Who production team.

Tickets for these special events will cost £12 and £8 (concessions) and are available exclusively from the venue websites here:
Doctor Who: Death in Heaven
Tuesday 4th November 7pm
Reardon Smith Theatre, Cardiff
www.chapter.org/doctorwho
029 2030 4400
Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
Monday 1st December at 7pm
Theatr Ffwrnes, Llanelli
www.theatrausirgar.co.uk
0845 2263510
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Stratagem & The Poison Sky
Tuesday 16th December 7pm
Scala Cinema and Arts Centre, Denbighshire
www.scalaprestatyn.co.uk
01745 850197
Doctor Who: The Unquiet Dead
Monday 12th January 7pm
Monmouth Savoy Theatre, Monmouth
www.monmouth-savoy.co.uk
01600 772467
Doctor Who: Doctor Who Masque of Mandragora & The Prisoner
Saturday 17th January at 7pm
Theatr Harlech, Snowdonia
www.theatrharlech.com
01766 780667
Doctor Who: The Five Doctors
Tuesday 27th January at 7pm
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth
www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk
01970 623232

13 Doctor Who will soon teach children how to code

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/20/doctor-who-coding-game/?ncid=rss_truncated

In the Forest of the Night Promo pics

Click the epic pic to go to the gallery.

Lynda Bellingham has died

Bellingham starred in the 14-part Doctor Who serial The Trial of a Time Lord in 1986 as the Inquisitor. She reprised the Inquisitor character for the Big Finish Productions audio series, Gallifrey, and in the Big Finish Productions audio drama Trial of the Valeyard.The actress and presenter died aged 66 after announcing she was terminally ill with bowel cancer.

Lights Out - Doctor Who eBook

Out this month, Holly Black, best-selling author of The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi), Doll Bones and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, explains her love of Doctor Who and the inspirations and ideas behind her new Doctor Who story, Lights Out, for the Twelfth Doctor.

Flatline - Doctor Who Extra

In the Forest of the Night: Next Time Trailer - Doctor Who

Jamie Mathieson and the orgins of The Boneless

Jamie Mathieson, writer of Mummy on the Orient and Flatline, has posted an article about the origins of The Boneless. He cites the book Flat Stanley from his childhood as inspiration. Go HERE to check it out. It is a good read.

The 12th Puppet Doctor needs your help.

The people behind the Doctor Who puppets featured below in the video need our help.
"Doctor Puppet is a stop motion animated fan series that celebrates Doctor Who and its rich history through hand-crafted puppets and original stories. The series has been praised on countless websites and podcasts (see a list here,) and even seen on TV and in magazines... but it's never had proper funding.

We are a small group of professional artists and musicians who have largely spent our free time making Doctor Puppet. Stop motion is a meticulous technique that requires nearly every aspect to be made from scratch. A huge amount of time and care goes into everything you see and hear.
 This Christmas, we want to top it!
It will be a mysterious adventure starring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara - something a little darker than our past Christmas episodes. The puppets won't speak or sing, so the music will be their voice.
We plan to release the episode about a week before Christmas.
To make this happen, we need a little help.

What We Need & What You Get

$15,000 will cover the cost of supplies, compensate us for our time, and allow us to hire more live musicians to record the score. It's a very modest budget for a professional animation production. We are not seeking to make a profit, but rather just cover our costs while making the episode.
In return for your generous contributions, we have some cool perks to offer. Get a link to an exclusive video only for contributors, or a prop that was used in a past episode. You can even meet the crew and puppets!


If we unfortunately fall short of our goal, we'll scale back production and use what we have to make something shorter or simpler.
If we surpass our goal and reach $17,500, we'll use the extra money to upgrade some well-used equipment. Any money after this will be saved for future episodes."

Well go on and check them out and please help in whatever way you can. Any amount would be great and of course goes to a great team of people who are producing the best puppetry there is around.

Need some temporay Tats?

Tattify has some great temporary Doctor Who Tats for the Halloween season. Designer Jackson Badger out did himself with a few quotes and iconic images you can slap on anytime and wear almost anywhere. Go on go check them out.

http://tattify.com/product/doctor-who/

Flatline review [Spoilers abound]

  So the Doctor gets some new steampunk goggles and a wee teeny Tardis in the latest episode from writer Jamie Mathieson titled " Flatline". Clara gains a better understanding of why the Doctor acts the way his does and gets to step into his shoes by proxy to defend a small community in Bristol from aliens from another plane of reality. Writer Jamie Mathieson shows that his prowess in crafting a Doctor Who tale is not a one off with his intriguing aliens from a 2D dimension.
  The Doctor lands in an estate in Bristol well off from where he planned and Clara finds a companion of her own in a young graffiti artist named Rigsy. The Tardis is shrunken to action figure size by creatures leeching off external dimensions and Clara has to "become" the Doctor and do the investigating. Clara continues to lie to both the Doctor and Danny, but after this episode I'm sure the jig is up. The Doctor congratulates Clara on her deception as well as admonishing her. When the aliens which the Doctor later names The Boneless make their presence known Clara does her best Doctor impression and tries to keep everyone alive and safe. Efforts hindered by a civil servant named Fenton with a huge lack of imagination. The Doctor does as he always does and doesn't jump to the conclusion that the aliens are hostile, but are just trying to communicate and understand and may not understand we need three dimensions to live remarking "That would be a nice change wouldn't it?".

The Doctor tries his hand at handy gadget making harkening back to 10 and makes a 2dis that restores dimensions to flattened objects. I do wonder why they didn't attempt to use it on the aliens that finally broke through using the changing images of the people they had absorbed. The aliens were perhaps the creepiest and scariest I think I have seen in a long time, lumbering and changing like an oil painting come alive. The creeping hand that reaches out to pull insert name down along the tunnel was fantastic and a great scare. I have to give the production team props with the CGI work done on this episode. All top notch across the board.

The infamous A113 used in Pixar films pops up in a scene straight from The Addams family when the Doctor has to inch his way across railway tracks to avoid being crushed. His victory dance, which was hilarious, is short lived though and he has to disengage the chameleon circuit and we are shown the true shell of the Tardis. I thought it very similar to the Pandorica with it's cube like design and pattern on the outside.

Clara shows some inventiveness and saves Rigsy from sacrificing himself showing differences from the way the Doctor goes about his usual business. She then has to ask herself WWTDD and although she misquotes rule number one of the Doctor comes up with an ingenious solution to power the Tardis back up and help save the day all on her own. The Doctor makes a spectacular speech and later gives some encouragement to young Rigsy on his future work as an artist. One line at the end stuck out at the end when Clara is seeking a bit of praise and the Doctor replies "Goodness had nothing to do with it." I feel like either he is commenting on himself as not being good or he is on to a nagging doubt he now has. Missy makes an appearance remarking "Clara, my Clara, I have chosen well." So we now have confirmation that Missy was the woman in the shop who steered her to the Doctor's side in the first place. 


All in all top marks here for the second outing with Jamie Mathieson. His episodes are by far the strongest this season, next to my favorite "Listen" this season. I hope he gets to write a few more next season. It would be a waste to let such a talent slip by. You hear me MOFFAT? :)

Keep away from the walls! - 'Flatline' preview

The Doctor and soldiers. A quote from interview with Steven Moffat from DWM #477

Making Danny a former soldier both mirrors and sits uncomfortably with the Doctor's morality.
"The ultimate hypocrisy at the heart of the Doctor, which is fun to poke a stick at, is that he's so nasty about soldiers and about people who carry guns, yet look at him - always in the middle of the fight, usually taking command, and I'm not so impressed at his refusal to pick up a gun when he's inclined, occasionally, to blow up entire planets! I think Danny Pink would say, 'Look, I picked up a gun to save that guy's life. You blow up a planet, and you sod off.' And I think that's a good character trait of the Doctor's. I like that he's the ultimate autocratic liberal - you know, the fascist liberal. It's what I love about the Robin Hood thing, because it reminds us that the Doctor never stops being a nobleman. He's a high-born nobleman, used to wealth and privilege, who decided to come down among us lot and help out. He thinks he's one of the guys, but never stops assuming that he's in charge and that people will make him tea. You love the Doctor, but you do think, 'You're a bit of an arse, and you really, really do think that everybody's here to carry stuff for you.' That's true throughout the Doctors, however 'men of the people' they pretend to be. They're really wonderful men trying to help everybody, but the Doctor does, just like Robin Hood, expect to be in charge. He doesn't really tolerate being second in command. He's helping out the people, so long as he can be the boss person with the best bow and arrow - and one day that will come back to haunt him."

Confirmation on planet in Listen

DWM has given confirmation that the planet visited in the episode Listen was in fact Galifrey. Maybe some of the people on Reddit will shut up about it now. Spoilers for episodes 1-4

Steven Moffat talks fan service: ‘You don’t give them what you think they want’

As executive producer and lead writer of Doctor Who, Steven Moffat is used to fans expressing strong opinions on his work, for better or worse. But he’s determined not to pander to them.
“You don’t give them what you think they want. That would be mad! The only useful index you’ve got is what you would like,” said Moffat, speaking during a panel session at the MIPCOM conference in Cannes.
“It’s really a strange way to write a story, and an arrogant way to write a story: to give them what they want. You don’t even know what birthday present to give the person close to you! How would you know what everybody wants?” he said.
“I honestly don’t think anybody makes a film or television programme for any reason other than ‘wouldn’t it be brilliant to get someone to pay me to do this?’”

Moffat made it clear that the latter statement was not about greed, but rather positioning himself as a super-fan, trusting his instincts based on his passion for the show.
Moffat sees one of Doctor Who’s current strengths as its emotional grounding: it may go “hell for leather on the sci-fi fantasy aspect” but never forgets to explore the characters immersed in that.
“It is frequently the intimate moments in Doctor Who that make it connect with its audience,” said Moffat.
“It is sci-fi that people who don’t like sci-fi watch. Although we never make any apology about Doctor Who being as science fiction as it gets. We don’t like to have a scene without a robot or a talking slug coming along!”
Moffat also talked about Sherlock, and why he believed modernising it was the right move to take. “Updating Sherlock Holmes, as we automatically update James Bond, was the right thing to do,” he said. “Sherlock Holmes is meant to be pulpy and vital and new.”
He admitted to nervousness in the run-up to the launch of the first series of Sherlock, however. “There was a moment when my new version of Doctor Who was about to come out in the same few months as Sherlock was about to come out,” he said.
“And I thought if I screw these up, all I’ll have to do is shoot Daniel Craig in the face and I’ll have screwed British culture!”

Source

Steven Moffat Q&A for DWM #479

ANTHONY FINCH asks: Why is it that the TARDIS doesn't rattle and crash about when in ordinary flight anymore? The Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors' TARDISes were always a bit unstable.

Oh, what do you want here? The "in-universe" explanation, or in Cardiff?
In universe: following the terrible events of the Time War, the TARDIS is a bit ropey for a long while. Instead of its (mostly) placid locomotion before the War, it bumps about all over the place. Gradually he fixes the old thing up, and it's back to plain sailing, except for solar storms and dramatic effect.
In Cardiff: I think we gradually forgot. Oh, don't grump, it happens. And speaking of dramatic effect, it was always a bit flexible, wasn't it? I mean, reading Madame de Pompadour's letter while clinging to the console wouldn't have been brilliant, would it? Actually, thinking about it, maybe it's not so much forgetting as gaining confidence that the audience know that this is a flying spaceship, not just a big room with a high-tech mushroom in the middle. It's so clever in Star Trek that they basically fit the bridge with a windscreen so it feels like they're moving. All the TARDIS thrashing in the early days was mainly to remind you we're on the high seas. And to be honest, maybe we should be doing more of it...

CATHERINE GRAHAM asks: In Deep Breath, Madame Vastra says to Clara that the Doctor trusted her when he regenerated and became an older man, showing his great age and "lifting the veil". But in The Parting of the Ways, the Ninth Doctor regenerates to become even younger than before. Does this mean that the Doctor didn't trust Rose like he trusted Clara, or became younger in order to flirt with Rose?

Well, that's only Vastra's theory - and she's arrogant, so she talks like she's right. To be fair, she generally is. But let's also remember the Doctor is at a very different place in his life. Chris was the war-survivor Doctor, the high-plains drifter, pushing everyone away. But then he's brought back to life by a girl he falls in love with, and when he regenerate perhaps he reaches out to her a bit. He becomes a more suitable 'boyfriend'. Often, when talking to women, I've wished that I could turn into David Tennant - and I'm pretty sure they've all wished that too.
But a thousand years on Trenzalore is a very different learning curve. He watches generation after generation die in front of him, and remembers that he is nobody's boyfriend - he cannot afford to love or be loved. When he regenerates, instinctively, he lets Clara see who really he is.

CHLOE HASTINGS asks: Will the Silence ever find out that the Doctor didn't really die on the shores of Lake Silencio?

The Kovarian were a splinter group, who travelled back in time to stop the Doctor ever reaching Trenzalore. The Silence who tackle him there clearly know the plan has failed. However, in researching the matter, I uncovered this rare transcript of a meeting between two high priests of the Silence Movement.

SILENT 1: So, brother - did the Doctor truly perish at Lake Silencio, or did that
          double-hearted schemer live to fight another day?

SILENT 2: ...Who are you?

SILENT 1: You did it again. You broke eye contact. We mustn't break eye contact, or
          this will take all day.

SILENT 2: Sorry. Bit distracted at the moment.

SILENT 1: We have to maintain eye contact at all times. It is the eternal law of the 
          Silence Praesidium.

SILENT 2: Who are you?

SILENT 1: You see, now you've looked out of the window. Don't look out of the window.

SILENT 2: Sorry, I was just wondering where Jeff was with that coffee.

SILENT 1: We can't really send people for coffee - we should remember that.

SILENT 2: Remember what?

SILENT 1: Who are you?

SILENT 2: Who are you?
SILENT 2: Is that a Weeping Angel?

SILENT 1: Keep looking at it!

SILENT 2: Keep looking at what?

SILENT 1: I don't know, who are you?

SILENT 2: What's that rising under that blanket?

SILENT 1: Don't look at it!!

SILENT 2: Don't look at what?

SILENT 1: Hang on, didn't we send Jeff for coffee?

SILENT 2: I'll go and look for him.

SILENT 1: Good idea.

SILENT 2: Who are you?

I think that clears everything up. It goes on for another 8000 pages, but it gets a bit repetitive.

JACK SYNNOTT asks: In Listen, how did Orson get his hands on a Sanctuary Base 6 spacesuit? He is seen wearing it on the news footage dated circa 2110, but SB6 didn't come into existence until the forty-second century.

Oh, blimey. Okay. Mentally rolls up sleeve (which would be a fantastic trick if I could do it).
That's not a Sanctuary Base spacesuit in the news footage, it just looks very much like one.
Those red spacesuits became standard issue for many centuries, so your mistake (you can't see it, but I'm looking shifty) is understandable. The Doctor, of course, has a Sanctuary Base suit, and has used the TARDIS clothing replicator (come on, he must have one, it's the only explanation!) to make several more. When he first meets Orson, he notices that his red spacesuit is in a terrible state, and so gives him one of his. From that point on, Orson is wearing a Sanctuary Base suit. Frankly, I'm surprised this wasn't perfectly obvious and deplore your inattention. (Dear the Internet - that was a JOKE, that last sentence. Ask your Mum and Dad, they were popular back in the day.)

MICHAEL ALLAN asks: In Listen, it is established that there are no monsters. So what was hiding under Rupert's bed sheet?

Oi! It is in no way established that there are no hiders, not at all. The Doctor's theory is never disproved, and by its nature, couldn't be. At every point, there are TWO explanations for the phenomena they encounter. So, under the bedspread it was either (a) a hiding creature (b) a kid, possibly wearing a mask. The whole point of the story is that we don't know, and can't, and that's all right. All that we know is that the monster under the Doctor's bed happened to be Clara.

NIALL DUFFY asks: The Doctor has visited England, Scotland and Wales, but why has he not come to Ireland?

He's been many times, but it never coincided with an alien intervention (because the Irish are just TOO HARD), so he had a lovely time, and we were unable to make an episode, because he was basically just having lunch and a bit of a jig.

JAMES LAWRENCE asks: I enjoyed Into the Dalek very much... However, seeing that they were noticeable by their absence, I do have to ask, are the Paradigm Daleks ever going to reappear?

You know when you ask someone if your bum looks big in this...?

---

If you have a question you'd like Steven to answer, email dwm@panini.co.uk with 'Ask Steven' in the subject line.

Source

Michael Hayes Doctor Who Director 1929-2014

The director Michael Hayes has died, aged 85. He directed three stories during the 70s, Season 16's The Androids Of Tara, The Armageddon Factor, and the following year's City of Death.

Initially reluctant to take on the show, seeing it as "a children's show with dodgy effects", he was persuaded to do so by his friend Graeme MacDonald (Head of Serials) and producer Graham Williams, during which he also became friends with the lead actor Tom Baker. With his final contribution to Doctor Who, Hayes took the show to its first overseas location, filming in the streets of Paris - he also contributed to the story both with a cameo as a passenger on the Metro seen to follow the Doctor and Romana of the train at Boissière station, and to provide the voice of one of the gendarmes who inform the Doctor that the Mona Lisa has been stolen from the Louvre.

As well as Doctor Who, he directed a number of episodes of popular series such as Thirty-Minute Theatre, Z Cars, The Onedin Line, When The Boat Comes In, and All Creatures Great And Small, leading up to his last credited production, Skorpion, in 1983. He also produced and directed (and cameoed in) the 1961 sci-fi series A For Andromeda.

Paul McGann in Fables of forgotten things

This seems to be a short pilot for a planned series that never got off the ground. A mysterious drifter and his young friend must save a frightened, forgetful old lady from a memory eating ghost who has taken over her home. With nothing but a box full of whispering spiders and a bottle of vintage dust, Clarence and Danny have to help the old lady stumble upon a forgotten dance shoe in the hope that one happy memory can bring back a million others. Broadcast on BBC HD as part of their Film Shorts season. Starring Paul McGann and James Bird. This highly atmospheric drama was shot and mastered on Hi-Def with music composed by Josh Hill. 

  Fables Of Forgotten Things from Toby Meakins on Vimeo.

Crew

• Director
  Toby Meakins
• Writer
  Simon Allen
• Director Of Photography
  Steve Albins
• Editor
  Chris Barwell
• Music
  Josh Hill

Cast

• Clarence
  Paul McGann
• Danny
  James Bird
• Magenta
  Muriel Barker
• Eldritch
  Anthony Wise
• Eldritch (before)
  Louise Dumayne

 Another short titled A fairytale of forgotten things came before this with different actors. Broadcast on BBC2 as part of their Homegrown Hollywood season, this award-winning 5 minute drama is narrated by a young boy who spins an epic fairytale out of the chance discovery of an old button under a leaf. It was the inspiration for the television project Fables of Forgotten Things.


Fairytale Of Forgotten Things from Toby Meakins on Vimeo.

Paul McGann's Doctor Who audition tape teaser

In the mid 1990s, rights to make new Doctor Who were acquired by American producer Philip Segal. Commissioning a new series "Bible" - one that saw the Doctor and his half-brother the Master, searching for their long-lost father Ulysses - Segal began auditioning potential Doctors. Although much of this Bible was dispensed with in the eventual 1996 movie, Paul McGann auditioned using scripts based on these ideas.

 Interesting to see where they would have taken the series. It seems a bit to soap opera-ish to me though. I really wish they would have let McGann keep that curly mop of hair though instead of that wig he had to endure.

Click the pic for Flatline Promotional Images

Clara becomes the Doctor? - 'Flatline' Preview

I want a teeny tiny tardis!!!!

Flatline Teaser - Doctor Who

Flatline: Next Time Trailer - Doctor Who

Doctor Who: A TARDIS Tea Party CIN 2010

The Day of the Doctor - Hilarious Pre-Movie Theater Introduction

Doctor Who - "Time Lines" (Blurred Lines Parody)

Timelords (Doctor Who/Lorde Parody) by Waffle Box

WHOVIANS UNITE! In this parody of Lorde's music video Royals, the inner Whovian comes out through expressive lyrics and a catchy tune!

Foxes Cameo on the Orient Express - Doctor Who Extra

Poster for Mummy on the Orient Express

66 Seconds - Mummy on the Orient Express: Preview

Peter Capaldi is hilarious on Graham Norton show

Mummy On The Orient Express Teaser

Peter Harness faces backlash from fans

 

 Peter Harness has deleted his Twitter account after backlash from rabid fans who didn't enjoy his scriptwriting for tonight's Doctor Who episode  "Kill the Moon". Harness is still on Facebook and has yet to respond to any media outlet on the backlash from fans. I enjoyed the episode and I am sorry to see so called fans act in such a disgraceful manner.
  Kill the Moon was a great story for a first time Who writer. I saw some problems for the script, but to act in such a vocal and disrespectful way is just low in any fandom. I have never been ashamed of being called a rabid whovian until today. Shameful people just shameful. I apologize on behalf of my fandom Peter Harness. Your efforts were very good and very well written and I hope this doesn't deter you from writing more for Doctor Who in the future.

Thoughts on Kill the Moon

Okay let's take from the top here, Courtney is a juvenile delinquent, it seems, stealing psychic paper to buy alcohol and such, and Clara wonders why the Doctor doesn't see her as special? He took her traveling because he was bored and she was being annoying, not because he thought she would make a great companion. I would imagine there was a bit of his ego involved also considering he has no one to show to at the moment either. I wish they would write Courtney a bit more like the actress who is playing her. Ellis George seen in the Doctor Who Extras seems to be very likable and a joy to be around, while Courtney is an abrasive, self centered, and rude teen.  Her line on the moon was fantastic "one small thing for a thing..one enormous thing for a thingy thing." She echoes Twelves love of using the word thing here. I think perhaps the Doctor doesn't like her because they are similar in many ways. Even her nickname of Destructive Influence can apply to him. 
  Interesting point the Doctor makes in the first five minutes that he isn't sure how many regenerations he has now. Perhaps another 12 or perhaps infinite. I am hoping they will use this to establish that there is no limit any longer, fingers crossed for the future.
  "Second hand space shuttle, third hand astronauts." describes the situation pretty well. The space program appears to be quite dead in the water in 2049. Tony Osoba previously appeared in the classic serials Destiny of the Daleks and Dragonfire by the way. Watch the Extra and you can see from back in the day with funky braids. I find it hard to believe they would bring no weapons at all though. If I were being sent somewhere where the astronauts were slaughtered I would bring something to defend my self with, and really who walks down to investigate a noise in a cave with no protection. I loved the way the Doctor jumped in to investigate  armed with cleaning spray and I am really loving his theme. It is much more cinematic.
  "The moon is an egg." Bit of a stretch, but I like it. The episode turns into an abortion debate for a moment, debating the life of an infant over the possible life of billions. I really dislike Vundlik. Her immediate response of "can we kill it" just made me angry. I suspect that is why the Doctor does leave. I think he predicted how it should play out and that it was a choice humans had to make for themselves. Left alone Vundlik would have set off the nukes killing the creature outright and possibly denying humans a future in space. I was really hoping it was the space whale from previously. it would have tied in so well. The Doctor leaves Clara knowing, trusting that she will make the right choice. He has faith in her. Clara on the other hand seems to have lost all faith and confidence in the Doctor for the first time since his change. Her anger to me is unjustified and petty. I think the rumors of Jenna leaving are true and as of now I would be glad to see her go. No more fence sitting, I think she wants her life and a life of travel in the Tardis and you cannot have both.
  Clara gets mad that the Doctor won't tell her what to do. How many times has he done that before and she would just go on and do what she wanted. Yet now she gets mad. Now she is angry and untrusting. I always gave Clara props for arguing her case, but here she just throws up her hands and begs to be told what to do. She then gets angry when the Doctor leaves her to make the choice herself. Whether he already knew the outcome or not, he is trying to teach Clara an important lesson in making her own choices and trusting it is the right choice. Her anger at being forced to choose is petty and juvenile to say the least. The Doctor explains quite clearly that it is her choice to make and really has been made already, Clara just shows an amazing lack of faith here for her friend and his judgement.
  More hints are made to Danny's past when he holds Clara and remarks that he got smart because he had a really bad day. I would love to see more of Pink and his past. Five more episodes to go, hopefully one will be on his past and why he left the army like he did. All in all I would say this episode rates about a 8/10 in my book. Hope the series continues along this path and keeps knocking them out of the park.

Mummy On The Orient Express: Next Time Trailer

Kill the Moon - Doctor Who Extra

Kill the Moon Promo Pics

Posted HERE. I love the cinematic look of these. I wonder how blown away we are going to be by the end of this season?

Evelyn Smythe, Maggie Stables, Rests in Peace

From Big Finish today: "It is with the greatest sorrow that we regret to report the death of actress Maggie Stables, who many Big Finish Doctor Who listeners knew as the Sixth Doctor's companion, Evelyn Smythe.

 
Maggie died peacefully in her sleep on the night of Friday the 26th of September after a long illness.
Big Finish Executive Producer Nick Briggs: 'I met Maggie many years ago when we worked together on a national theatre tour of Jane Eyre, in which Maggie superbly played the sinister role of Grace Poole. After that, Maggie was instrumental in getting me a job in the Theatre Royal Nottingham Thriller season, recommending me to the late producer, Colin McIntyre.
'I was keen to get her involved in the Big Finish audios, casting her as the gruff Ruthley in our very first Doctor Who release, The Sirens of Time. It wasn't long before my friend and producer Gary Russell spotted her and saw her as potential 'companion' material. Evelyn Smythe made Doctor Who history. The first, dare I say it, 'elderly' companion of the Doctor's. Maggie was superb in the role and she and her Doctor, Colin Baker, immediately hit it off. And even though Maggie appeared in two 'final' adventures for Evelyn, it was always our intention to continue working with her -- such is the advantage of time travel. I was very pleased to welcome her back for another trilogy in 2011.
'As a friend of Maggie's, I knew she had suffered and largely recovered from serious illness before that recording, but it was clear to me that she was still too poorly to continue with the rigours of studio work -- even though you would never have known from her great performance. Always the professional.
'Maggie was such a lovely, warm person who did a fantastic job of playing Evelyn. She was extremely popular with our listeners and always a delight to work with. I have many fond and sometimes raucous memories of working with her in Doctor Who and on stage. Unfortunately, my favourite Maggie anecdotes are far too naughty to repeat here. Suffice it to say, she had a very saucy laugh and a twinkle in her eye. Some of my warmest memories of her involve her sometimes shockingly blunt use of a put-down aimed at me... but it was always followed by that infectious laugh of hers.
'I shall always be grateful for the support and affection she gave to me and for all the laughs we shared along the way.'
Our thoughts are with Maggie's dear friends and family at this very sad time.

The Caretaker Doctor Who Extras!!!!!

Kill the Moon Next Time Trailer

Doctor Who Series 8 ‘Kill the Moon’ Preview

Katy Manning visited the set of Doctor Who

Caretaker Retro Poster

Mummy on the Orient Express Synopsis Revealed

The Doctor and Clara are on the most beautiful train in history, speeding among the stars of the future – but they are unaware that a deadly creature is stalking the passengers.
Once you see the horrifying Mummy you only have 66 seconds to live. No exceptions, no reprieve. As the Doctor races against the clock Clara sees him at his deadliest and most ruthless. Will he work out how to defeat the Mummy? Start the clock!
 Airing Saturday 11 October at 8.30pm on BBC One.

Craig Ferguson Used to Be in a Band with Doctor Who

Listen extras!!

Punk Rock Doctor?

BTS of The Caretaker with Steven Moffat

Teaser from The Caretaker

Time Heist Extras!!

The Caretaker: Next Time Trailer

Time Heist Preview clip

Time Heist Trailer

Retro poster for Listen

"Listen" Preview clip Doctor Who

I cannot wait to see this episode on Saturday! I have watched the unedited cut and I want to see the finished product so very badly. I think this may turn out to be my favorite episode of the whole series.

2011 NTA Doctor who opening

An actor, David Burton was almost the 8th Doctor???

I stumbled across this on YT and would love to see more. Paul Bernard went and filmed a pilot and everything, changing the familiar blue box to a red one. In 1991, Doctor Who Magazine reported on claims that an independent production company had made pilots for a new series, starring an actor called David Burton as the eighth incarnation of the Doctor.

DOCTOR WHO 50TH - 9 recalls the Time war ( RE-CUT )

Nice concept, blends well in some places not so much in others. I can't imagine the fan glee if 9 had returned for the 50th.

Doctor Who Ultimate Tribute by Lenonymous

Very well done tribute. Bit long, but will make you quite misty eyed throughout. As always subscribe and like please.

Easter egg from Danny Pinks classroom

Robots of Sherwood clip

Retro Robots of Sherwood poster

      I can just imagine this hanging at a drive in.

BBC Cuts Robot of Sherwood Scene

A beheading sequence from the climax of this Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who, Robot of Sherwood, has been edited out by the BBC as a mark of respect in the light of recent news events in Iraq and Syria.

The edit has been made to remove a decapitation in the climatic fight scene between Robin Hood and the Sheriff; something that could be deemed insensitive after two US journalists were killed by IS (Islamic State) militants in the past month.

Robot of Sherwood is written by Mark Gatiss and was filmed in February, long before the IS hit the headlines. It centres around Peter Capaldi’s twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman’s Clara meeting the flamboyant Robin Hood, played by Tom Riley.
A spokesman for the BBC said: “In light of recent news events, we have made an edit to episode three out of respect.”

Neil Gaiman Wants to Bring Back the Yeti

If Neil Gaiman returns for Series 8, he has his sights set on bringing back the Yeti.
The monsters first appeared in second Doctor story, The Abominable Snowmen, originally broadcast in 1967. They came back the following year in The Web of Fear and were controlled by the Great Intelligence.
“In my head, I love that the Great Intelligence has come back, but I miss the Yeti.  I would love to have huge shambling robotic Yeti, just because I loved them when I was a kid.  So, I would love to do that.  That would be wonderful."
But he also wants to create his own iconic monster:  “I’d love to create a monster, and have it be one that’s interesting enough or fun enough to come back, written by somebody else, or turn up completely reinvented.  I’d love to do that and have the feeling that you’d actually left something behind.  I think that’s hard.  I love that Terry Nation left us the Daleks, and I love that Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis left us the Cybermen.
As before, Gaiman’s admits the biggest problem with coming back is finding time in his schedule: “The trouble with everything, these days, for me, is time.  There is only one me.  There are a ridiculous number of demands on my time.  There are so many things I’m trying to do.  It’s so much more about when I’m going to get time to do it, if I get time.  I think they’ll have me back.  They seem to like me at Doctor Who, and I know that I definitely like them. “

Robot of Sherwood: Next time on Doctor who

Doctor Who "Deep Breath" extra

I am assuming the poster of the vid altered it to avoid being deleted. If you can look past the sped up voices and the horrible place card it is an interesting look behind the scenes. The look of joy on Capaldi's face as he says " I am Peter Capaldi and I am the Doctor." is priceless.

The companion's companion interview: Sam Anderson

I’m the companion’s companion! Those are the kind of things I’ve been hiding until I read an interview with Jenna and it’s like, “Oh right, she said it. Okay.” Click the pic to read the full interview.