Friday, July 25, 2008
'Doctor Who' specials writers announced
Russell T. Davies has revealed his co-writers for the forthcoming Doctor Who specials in 2009."I can confirm that after Christmas 2008 there are a total of four more specials to come before the Steven Moffat era begins in 2010," Davies told Doctor Who Magazine. "Two of next year's four will be written by me, One will be written by me and Gareth Roberts and one will be co-written by me and Phil Ford."Roberts has previously written episodes 'The Shakespeare Code' and 'The Unicorn And The Wasp' for Doctor Who, in addition to co-writing 'Invasion Of The Bane' with Davies for The Sarah Jane Adventures.Ford has never scripted an episode of Doctor Who before, but is responsible for 'The Eye Of The Gorgon' and 'The Lost Boy' for Sarah Jane and 'Something Borrowed' for Torchwood.
Pegg now not interested in Doctor Who
Simon Pegg has no interest in taking on the title role in cult sci-fi show Doctor Who - because he is having too much fun acting in Hollywood films.
The star, who once played a villain called The Editor on the programme, insists he would not want to trade his film career for David Tennant's part as the time-travelling adventurer.
He says, "Being the Doctor? I don't think so. First, I'm really loving doing movies. I'm really enjoying working in the US.
"Second, I really love Doctor Who and would hate to sit down on Saturday night and have it be me.
"David Tennant has done an incredible job - he'll be a tough act to follow. I would feel awful if I messed up the franchise by just being rubbish."
The star, who once played a villain called The Editor on the programme, insists he would not want to trade his film career for David Tennant's part as the time-travelling adventurer.
He says, "Being the Doctor? I don't think so. First, I'm really loving doing movies. I'm really enjoying working in the US.
"Second, I really love Doctor Who and would hate to sit down on Saturday night and have it be me.
"David Tennant has done an incredible job - he'll be a tough act to follow. I would feel awful if I messed up the franchise by just being rubbish."
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Graske returns for Proms??
I hope there is more to this than just the graske returning, but rumors are a flyint that the Graske will be returning to Doctor Who for a mini-episode which will air as part of the Doctor Who Prom on July 27th 2008.
The episode was filmed earlier this year and stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Jimmy Vee as the Graske.The Graske previously appeared in the interactive game Attack of the Graske and has also appeared in the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
The episode was filmed earlier this year and stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Jimmy Vee as the Graske.The Graske previously appeared in the interactive game Attack of the Graske and has also appeared in the first series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Duchovny would play 'Who' villain
X-Files star David Duchovny has revealed that he would like to play a villain in Doctor Who.The actor admitted that he would prefer to play an evil character, rather than taking over from David Tennant when he completes his run as the tenth Doctor."I love Doctor Who and I remember the first one, which was wonderful in its low-tech quality," Duchovny told the Radio Times. "I also loved the theme song, which sounded like The Cure to me."Which character would I like to play in Doctor Who? Who's the bad guy? The Dalek? OK, I'll play him."Duchovny reprises his role as Fox Mulder in new X-Files movie I Want To Believe, which is released next month in the UK.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Download the Dr Who 1987 fun book for free
This 1987 Target book is absolutely splendid, featuring plenty of highly amusing Doctor Who cartoons from the brilliant Tim Quinn and Dicky Howett. A must-read for any longtime Doctor Who fan.Download it from Rapidshare via-CosmoBells here.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
£500,000 Mr Spielberg? Sorry, I've got a date with the Beeb, says the new Dr Who writer
The new man in charge of Doctor Who turned down a £500,000 movie deal with Steven Spielberg so he could take the job.
Bafta-winning scriptwriter Steven Moffat has quit a two-picture deal with the director and Lord Of The Rings film-maker Peter Jackson to fulfil a 'childhood dream' of working on the BBC sci-fi drama.
Moffat, who created hit BBC comedy series Coupling, had signed a £1million contract to write the first two scripts for Tintin, a £150million Spielberg trilogy based on the comic-strip hero.
But instead the Scottish writer will take over as the creative force of Doctor Who after Welsh writer Russell T. Davies, who revived the series in 2005, decided to step down.
While some Hollywood movie executives are baffled by Moffat's decision, he was given a sympathetic hearing by Spielberg, who is a fan of the long-running drama currently starring David Tennant.
Moffat said: 'I know a lot of people won't understand it but I've been dreaming about writing for Doctor Who since I was seven.
'There are no bad feelings between Spielberg and me, but Doctor Who has to come before Hollywood.
'The show has enjoyed a renaissance. I am working on scripts to be filmed next year. Russell T. Davies is doing four specials next and then my shows will begin. The show is all-consuming.'
One Hollywood insider said: 'No one walks away from Spielberg and all that money for a show no one has heard of. I mean, what is this doctor show about? It sounds a little silly.'
In fact, the programme has an estimated global audience of 250million thanks to overseas sales.
Among the best-received episodes this year was a two-parter written by Moffat and featuring Alex Kingston in a guest star role.
Moffat told The Mail on Sunday: 'I was under contract to do the first two of the three Tintin films. I completed the first one and then the Hollywood writers' strike happened and I couldn't work.
'I was offered the Doctor Who job and accepted immediately. I hope you won't make what happened sound too dramatic.
'I talked to Steven and he understood completely.
'I could not work on the second Tintin film and work on Doctor Who. So I chose Doctor Who.
'Steven is a fan and he understood my passion for the series completely.'
Asked to confirm that he had walked away from £500,000, he said: 'I honestly couldn't tell you the financial implications. That is all handled by my agent. I know I've made a good decision.'
Some experts estimate his pay packet for Doctor Who could be 'not more than £150,000' a year.
Tintin, about a boy reporter, his faithful dog Snowy and their friend Captain Haddock, is Spielberg's pet project. He is due to start filming in September, sharing directing duties with Peter Jackson.
Bafta-winning scriptwriter Steven Moffat has quit a two-picture deal with the director and Lord Of The Rings film-maker Peter Jackson to fulfil a 'childhood dream' of working on the BBC sci-fi drama.
Moffat, who created hit BBC comedy series Coupling, had signed a £1million contract to write the first two scripts for Tintin, a £150million Spielberg trilogy based on the comic-strip hero.
But instead the Scottish writer will take over as the creative force of Doctor Who after Welsh writer Russell T. Davies, who revived the series in 2005, decided to step down.
While some Hollywood movie executives are baffled by Moffat's decision, he was given a sympathetic hearing by Spielberg, who is a fan of the long-running drama currently starring David Tennant.
Moffat said: 'I know a lot of people won't understand it but I've been dreaming about writing for Doctor Who since I was seven.
'There are no bad feelings between Spielberg and me, but Doctor Who has to come before Hollywood.
'The show has enjoyed a renaissance. I am working on scripts to be filmed next year. Russell T. Davies is doing four specials next and then my shows will begin. The show is all-consuming.'
One Hollywood insider said: 'No one walks away from Spielberg and all that money for a show no one has heard of. I mean, what is this doctor show about? It sounds a little silly.'
In fact, the programme has an estimated global audience of 250million thanks to overseas sales.
Among the best-received episodes this year was a two-parter written by Moffat and featuring Alex Kingston in a guest star role.
Moffat told The Mail on Sunday: 'I was under contract to do the first two of the three Tintin films. I completed the first one and then the Hollywood writers' strike happened and I couldn't work.
'I was offered the Doctor Who job and accepted immediately. I hope you won't make what happened sound too dramatic.
'I talked to Steven and he understood completely.
'I could not work on the second Tintin film and work on Doctor Who. So I chose Doctor Who.
'Steven is a fan and he understood my passion for the series completely.'
Asked to confirm that he had walked away from £500,000, he said: 'I honestly couldn't tell you the financial implications. That is all handled by my agent. I know I've made a good decision.'
Some experts estimate his pay packet for Doctor Who could be 'not more than £150,000' a year.
Tintin, about a boy reporter, his faithful dog Snowy and their friend Captain Haddock, is Spielberg's pet project. He is due to start filming in September, sharing directing duties with Peter Jackson.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
BBC Proms season gets under way
The 2008 Proms season has begun with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The Proms will feature more than 80 concerts, including 20 new works, as well as folk bands and world music.
Highlights include Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Nigel Kennedy performing at the Proms for the first time in 21 years.
The Doctor Who theme will be played at a prom exploring time and space, hosted by actress Freema Agyeman.
The concert, at the Royal Albert Hall on 27 July, will also feature Daleks, Cybermen and a pre-recorded scene featuring Doctor Who star David Tennant, alongside music from Holst and Wagner.
The Proms will feature more than 80 concerts, including 20 new works, as well as folk bands and world music.
Highlights include Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic and Nigel Kennedy performing at the Proms for the first time in 21 years.
The Doctor Who theme will be played at a prom exploring time and space, hosted by actress Freema Agyeman.
The concert, at the Royal Albert Hall on 27 July, will also feature Daleks, Cybermen and a pre-recorded scene featuring Doctor Who star David Tennant, alongside music from Holst and Wagner.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Delia Derbyshire, producer of Doctor Who theme music, has legacy restored
Listen to an example of Delia Derbyshire's sound effects
A long-lost collection of tapes representing the legacy of the musical genius who arranged the Doctor Who theme has been rescued from irreversible decay by a team of academic musicologists.
Delia Derbyshire, who battled with depression and died, aged only 64, a hopeless alcoholic in 2001, was the godmother of modern electronic dance music.
She carried out pioneering work for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the early 1960s, producing the familiar Doctor Who signature tune and collaborating with Brian Jones and Jimi Hendrix among others.
Her experimental work fell out of fashion following the advent of the synthesizer but, in recent years, she has enjoyed a revival of interest especially among bands like The Chemical Brothers and Portishead to whom she is a legendary figure.
After her death the collection, which comprises 267 tapes, correspondence and scores, was entrusted Mark Ayres, the Radiophonic Workshop.
The material had languished unheard for 30 years until it was passed to Manchester University’s School of Art, Histories and Culture to catalogue and preserve. The material, in poor condition, had to be played on a 1960s Studer A80 tape machine lent by the BBC’s Manchester studios before it could be digitised.
Among the tapes is one of the earliest electronic dance music compositions composed by Ms Derbyshire for radio more than two decades before it became a popular cultural phenomenon.
A recording features the actor Nicol Williamson’s famous portrayal of Hamlet at the London Roundhouse complete with the composer’s special sound effects.
Others jewels include a recording of the way she electronically manipulated the sound of her own voice to create her celebrated composition ‘Blue Veils and Golden Sands’.
Dr David Butler, in charge of the cataloguing, said: “Delia Derbyshire never really received the recognition she deserved as one of our most influential composers of the past 30 or so years.
“Though brilliant, the Doctor Who theme is just one small example of her genius which was held in high esteem by figures across music, television, theatre and film, including Paul McCartney and John Peel, the disc jockey”.
She studied piano and mathematics at Girton College, Cambridge, and, in 1962, joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a department created in 1958 to supply the corporation with the latest technological sounds. The secondment set for three months lasted ten years.
She had not been there long when she was given the task of translating a melody for a new Saturday early evening series about a mysterious time traveller who lived in a police box. The resulting music was a revelation in 1963, and remains one of the most easily recognised themes of all time.
The composer, who always kept a book of logarithms in her back pocket, used a combination of musique concrete techniques including the tape manipulation and electronic gadgetry to create her sounds. Her favourite instrument was a green lampshade which she would strike and then manipulate the resulting sound to achieve the desired effect.
Pippa Murphy, who wrote the score for a play about Delia Derbyshire's life, once said: "It was a question of hitting a lampshade, getting a 'ding' sound, recording it, manipulating it, changing the pitch until you had a range of pitches. Then those sounds would be combined with more textured sounds, keys jingling, a cheese grater, a colander. You made a composition by cutting and sticking together bits of tape".
Ms Derbyshire was also a woman of her times, clad in Biba or Mary Quant, her hair in a Vidal Sassoon bob, a fixture at the parties of Swinging London where she was known for her chaotic but exuberant love life. She worked with Brian Jones, the late member of the Rolling Stones, Yoko Ono and Jimi Hendrix and met Paul McCartney to discuss an opportunity to work on Yesterday.
She left the BBC a disillusioned woman. She and struggled with drink and a series of unsuitable jobs, including radio operator. At one time she married an out-of-work miner but eventually settled in the Midlands where she lived in relative obscurity and would rail, between drinks, against her lack of critical recognition.
The transferral of the tapes, all made between 1962 and 1973, into digital form was overseen by Louis Niebur, a visiting professor of musicology from Nevada University.
Dr Butler said: “Many of the tapes have no labels so it is a case of using detective work to find out what they are. We cannot even be certain Delia composed all the music.
“But it has proved to be an Aladdin’s cave and we have just started to scratch the surface. The collection includes her freelance work and really does give us a better sense of her range as a composer.
“It is fitting that we are doing this almost exactly 50 years after the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was launched in 1958”.
Dr Ricardo Climent, from the university’s Novars Research Centre, said: “The tragedy is after leaving the BBC in 1973, she withdrew from composition until 1996. That can be attributed to her struggle for acceptance but also the rise of the synthesizer in electronic music.
“She was not comfortable with that as she felt the off-the-peg sounds removed the creativity of her compositional techniques but at long last her pioneering sounds can be heard again”.
A long-lost collection of tapes representing the legacy of the musical genius who arranged the Doctor Who theme has been rescued from irreversible decay by a team of academic musicologists.
Delia Derbyshire, who battled with depression and died, aged only 64, a hopeless alcoholic in 2001, was the godmother of modern electronic dance music.
She carried out pioneering work for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the early 1960s, producing the familiar Doctor Who signature tune and collaborating with Brian Jones and Jimi Hendrix among others.
Her experimental work fell out of fashion following the advent of the synthesizer but, in recent years, she has enjoyed a revival of interest especially among bands like The Chemical Brothers and Portishead to whom she is a legendary figure.
After her death the collection, which comprises 267 tapes, correspondence and scores, was entrusted Mark Ayres, the Radiophonic Workshop.
The material had languished unheard for 30 years until it was passed to Manchester University’s School of Art, Histories and Culture to catalogue and preserve. The material, in poor condition, had to be played on a 1960s Studer A80 tape machine lent by the BBC’s Manchester studios before it could be digitised.
Among the tapes is one of the earliest electronic dance music compositions composed by Ms Derbyshire for radio more than two decades before it became a popular cultural phenomenon.
A recording features the actor Nicol Williamson’s famous portrayal of Hamlet at the London Roundhouse complete with the composer’s special sound effects.
Others jewels include a recording of the way she electronically manipulated the sound of her own voice to create her celebrated composition ‘Blue Veils and Golden Sands’.
Dr David Butler, in charge of the cataloguing, said: “Delia Derbyshire never really received the recognition she deserved as one of our most influential composers of the past 30 or so years.
“Though brilliant, the Doctor Who theme is just one small example of her genius which was held in high esteem by figures across music, television, theatre and film, including Paul McCartney and John Peel, the disc jockey”.
She studied piano and mathematics at Girton College, Cambridge, and, in 1962, joined the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, a department created in 1958 to supply the corporation with the latest technological sounds. The secondment set for three months lasted ten years.
She had not been there long when she was given the task of translating a melody for a new Saturday early evening series about a mysterious time traveller who lived in a police box. The resulting music was a revelation in 1963, and remains one of the most easily recognised themes of all time.
The composer, who always kept a book of logarithms in her back pocket, used a combination of musique concrete techniques including the tape manipulation and electronic gadgetry to create her sounds. Her favourite instrument was a green lampshade which she would strike and then manipulate the resulting sound to achieve the desired effect.
Pippa Murphy, who wrote the score for a play about Delia Derbyshire's life, once said: "It was a question of hitting a lampshade, getting a 'ding' sound, recording it, manipulating it, changing the pitch until you had a range of pitches. Then those sounds would be combined with more textured sounds, keys jingling, a cheese grater, a colander. You made a composition by cutting and sticking together bits of tape".
Ms Derbyshire was also a woman of her times, clad in Biba or Mary Quant, her hair in a Vidal Sassoon bob, a fixture at the parties of Swinging London where she was known for her chaotic but exuberant love life. She worked with Brian Jones, the late member of the Rolling Stones, Yoko Ono and Jimi Hendrix and met Paul McCartney to discuss an opportunity to work on Yesterday.
She left the BBC a disillusioned woman. She and struggled with drink and a series of unsuitable jobs, including radio operator. At one time she married an out-of-work miner but eventually settled in the Midlands where she lived in relative obscurity and would rail, between drinks, against her lack of critical recognition.
The transferral of the tapes, all made between 1962 and 1973, into digital form was overseen by Louis Niebur, a visiting professor of musicology from Nevada University.
Dr Butler said: “Many of the tapes have no labels so it is a case of using detective work to find out what they are. We cannot even be certain Delia composed all the music.
“But it has proved to be an Aladdin’s cave and we have just started to scratch the surface. The collection includes her freelance work and really does give us a better sense of her range as a composer.
“It is fitting that we are doing this almost exactly 50 years after the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was launched in 1958”.
Dr Ricardo Climent, from the university’s Novars Research Centre, said: “The tragedy is after leaving the BBC in 1973, she withdrew from composition until 1996. That can be attributed to her struggle for acceptance but also the rise of the synthesizer in electronic music.
“She was not comfortable with that as she felt the off-the-peg sounds removed the creativity of her compositional techniques but at long last her pioneering sounds can be heard again”.
TORCHWOOD ACTION FIGURES DELAYED
The first wave of Torchwood action figures will now be released in mid September and not August as previously announced. This is due to some problems with the figure sculpts being approved by the BBC and the cast. You can still pre-order the Torchwood action figures, and we’ll get them out to you as soon as they come in! Plus, it has been mentioned that due to overwhelming demand for the first wave of figures, a second series is already being planned for the end of the year (we’re told these may turn up in November). More on the range of official range of Torchwood merchandise, and indeed the forthcoming third series (which is going to be quite a TV event) as we have it, in our TORCHWATCH series of features.
The Sun says David Tennant was offered £1.5million deal.
BEEB bosses are more hopeful than ever that David Tennant WILL stay on as Doctor Who — after wooing him with a £1.5million deal.
They had feared the Scot, 37, was sure to quit after filming four more specials of the BBC1 sci-fi hit.
But last night a source said he could stay as the Timelord for the fifth series to be screened in 2010.
As TV Biz revealed, show boss Russell T Davies quit and has been replaced by top writer Steven Moffatt.
The source said: “It will be a new team and David has to meet everyone to make a final decision.
“But we’re gearing up to offer him a massive deal. He’s interested. Everyone thought he was going, but it’s not as open and shut as that.”
Filming would not start until autumn 2009, but bosses are believed to want a deal by this autumn.
The actor is making four specials this year instead of a series as he is also playing Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Christmas episode is now finished.
David’s real-life love Georgia Moffett, 23, returns as his daughter Jenny for one of the Who specials.
They had feared the Scot, 37, was sure to quit after filming four more specials of the BBC1 sci-fi hit.
But last night a source said he could stay as the Timelord for the fifth series to be screened in 2010.
As TV Biz revealed, show boss Russell T Davies quit and has been replaced by top writer Steven Moffatt.
The source said: “It will be a new team and David has to meet everyone to make a final decision.
“But we’re gearing up to offer him a massive deal. He’s interested. Everyone thought he was going, but it’s not as open and shut as that.”
Filming would not start until autumn 2009, but bosses are believed to want a deal by this autumn.
The actor is making four specials this year instead of a series as he is also playing Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Christmas episode is now finished.
David’s real-life love Georgia Moffett, 23, returns as his daughter Jenny for one of the Who specials.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
'Dr Who' finale completed days before TX
Doctor Who's executive producer Julie Gardner has revealed that the season finale was completed only three days before transmission.Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Gardner said: "For 'Journey’s End', the final episode of series four, we delivered the finished programme to the BBC the Wednesday before transmission. That’s how close to the wire it is.”She also elaborated on the pressures of making the hit science fiction show, which will not return as a full series until 2010. "It’s been a very intense four years,” she admitted. "Making 13 episodes of Doctor Who is a year-long job. We film from July to March. In between March and July we’re in post-production."
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