Kopic's Doctor Who & Torchwood News |
- TV Top 10 of 2010: The best returning shows - HitFix (blog)
- BBC America Delivers Doctor Who for Christmas - Gather.com
- “Dr. Who” meets Scrooge - Ventura County Star
- Christmas Strictly is a real cracker - The Sun
- Zadzooks: Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series and The A-Team - Washington Times
- Cast: Cunniffe in Library's A Doll House - WhatsOnStage.com
- Advent update: Day twenty-one
- Gifts for Teens: YA Book Pairing - BlogHer (blog)
- The Tellyvangelist: Dec. 20 – 26 - Anglophenia (blog)
- Andrew Skilleter Website
- ''Dr. Who" meets Scrooge@ - NewsOK.com
- Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth
- A Christmas treat - Doctor Who 'A Christmas Carol' special and much more (videos - Examiner.com
- Katherine Jenkins Nervous About 'Doctor Who' - Airlock Alpha
- Bill Pullman Becomes 'Torchwood's' Most Wanted - Airlock Alpha
- Dr. Who Producer Suffers Through Early LA Christmas - mediabistro.com
- The Essential Companion Reviewed
- Just In Time For The 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special: Gingerbread TARDIS! - Geeks of Doom
- Alasdair Shaw
- Jenkins 'met Smith on day of Who audition' - Digital Spy
- Look Who's getting sexy - The Sun
- A Christmas Carol is “jolly, merry and a little bit sad”
- A Christmas Carol soundtrack for February release
- Monster Invasion for 2011 - The Doctor Who News Page (blog)
- Monster Invasion for 2011
- A Christmas Carol Soundtrack
- Top off your Christmas Day with BBC America's 'Doctor Who Christmas Special' - Sacramento Bee
- Top off your Christmas Day with BBC America's 'Doctor Who Christmas Special' - Bellingham Herald
- Time Lords A-Leaping: Steven Moffat Explains the 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special - New York Times (blog)
- The Big Finish T-Shirt
- Top off your Christmas Day with BBC America's 'Doctor Who Christmas Special' - Centre Daily Times
- Jamie Smart announces new Doctor Who partwork - DigitalJournal.com
- Sarah Jane Adventures Series 5 Update - Doctor Who TV (blog)
- 'Torchwood' writer: 'New series not a fix' - Digital Spy
- Upcoming Chronicles
- Top off your Christmas Day with BBC America's 'Doctor Who Christmas Special' - Charlotte Observer
- Top off your Christmas Day with BBC America's 'Doctor Who Christmas Special' - California Chronicle
- Sarah Jane Adventures Series 5 Update
- Top off your Christmas Day with BBC America's 'Doctor Who Christmas Special' - Kansas City Star
- BBC America Plans a Very Supernatural 2011 - About - News & Issues
- The Twelve Blogs of Christmas: Eight
- Upstairs Downstairs: Classic Period Drama Returns to BBC One - Suite101.com
- Karen Gillan predicts that flirtatious Amy will stay put
- Bruce Forsyth to leave Strictly? - stv.tv
- Review of the Year 2010: January - TheSixthAxis
- 2010: The Year In TV - AOL Television UK
- Matt Smith's male groupies - The List
- This Week In Doctor Who - December 20, 2010
- Doctor Who:Up Close to Close Up
- Christmas 'Who': Q&A with Karen Gillan - Digital Spy
| TV Top 10 of 2010: The best returning shows - HitFix (blog) Posted: 20 Dec 2010 11:45 AM PST
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| BBC America Delivers Doctor Who for Christmas - Gather.com Posted: 20 Dec 2010 11:41 AM PST
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| “Dr. Who” meets Scrooge - Ventura County Star Posted: 20 Dec 2010 11:13 AM PST
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| Christmas Strictly is a real cracker - The Sun Posted: 20 Dec 2010 10:22 AM PST
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| Zadzooks: Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series and The A-Team - Washington Times Posted: 20 Dec 2010 10:03 AM PST
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| Cast: Cunniffe in Library's A Doll House - WhatsOnStage.com Posted: 20 Dec 2010 10:01 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 10:00 AM PST Check out our twenty-first advent update by heading over to the home page! | ||
| Gifts for Teens: YA Book Pairing - BlogHer (blog) Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:59 AM PST
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| The Tellyvangelist: Dec. 20 – 26 - Anglophenia (blog) Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:54 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:51 AM PST Popular Doctor Who illustrator Andrew Skilleter (who we interviewed way back in 2005) has announced the launch of his new online home, found at www.andrewskilleter.com. Andrew is best known for his professional Doctor Who work, and has worked in numerous genres. His new site features a kaleidoscope of multi-genre images in the new Doctor Who, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Narnia and Ruth Rendell galleries with better and bigger images, that he hopes will entertain, inspire and excite. You might have seen Andrew's work on the cover of the Radio Times – seen here on the right to commemorate The Five Doctors – or on countless book covers from the TARGET and Virgin New Adventures ranges. His evocative illustrations can be found throughout Doctor Who publications and merchandise over the past 30 years, with his individual style regularly drawing praise. The site also features a blog that will be updated and added to frequently and keep you informed about Andrew's work and future projects. Finally, there is a shop with an online secure checkout for purchasing prints of Andrew Skilleter's iconic work. As a long-standing friend of Kasterborous, we would like to wish Andrew the very best with his new website. | ||
| ''Dr. Who" meets Scrooge@ - NewsOK.com Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:33 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 08:17 AM PST
Released in good time for Christmas, I think it's fair to say that this game will make a pretty good prezzie for many younger viewers. I bought it for my nephew and niece, and I dare say my niece will enjoy it muchly – she's a big fan of those Professor Layton games, and it's apparent that Evacuation Earth has been strongly influenced by that franchise. The puzzle games are the game's strongest elements. They're challenging, diverse and curiously diverting. You've got your classic jumbled up pictures composed of sliding blocks, which need to rearranged – personally I found these to be almost impossibly difficult, but luckily I have access to a sixteen year old young man blessed with a profound sense of logic, so my progress wasn't stymied completely. Don't worry, I'm quite pants at this sort of thing, so I reckon most people would be OK. Other puzzle games include spot the difference, rearranging geometric shapes to fit into tight spaces, maths riddles, and challenges to match shapes from a selection to the example given. There are also games that test dexterity – such as one where you need to guide a ball round a maze without touching the sides, while negotiating obstacles. The blurb claims 'over 100 puzzles, including 3 types of mini games', and it's true that there's only minimal repetition in terms of the puzzles. While the puzzles themselves are pretty good, I have issues when they're put into the wider context of the game. Sometimes completing a puzzle has no real benefit other than increasing your score. When a mini-game does have an effect on your progression, it normally means that you've opened a door. Yawn. I'd rather have characters who tell you an intriguing secret in exchange for fixing their jet pack or whatever. Later in the game, it's apparent that the game designers became aware of their lack of imagination – at one stage you have three different tools to open doors: the Sonic Screwdriver, a set of lock picks and, bizarrely, a lump of dalekanium. It strikes me that if you have to go to the lengths of supplying Amy with lock picks, when the Doctor has his Sonic, you need to go back to the drawing board and write in other challenges than opening locked doors. Incidentally, the lock picking mini-game is a blatant rip-off from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. So gameplay-wise, we're not doing too badly. However, this is, according to the back of the box "A brand new official Doctor Who storyline", so we need to look at it in those terms. I can guarantee that a script as woeful as this would never make it to the screen. Basically (spoiler alert! Not much of a plot to spoil, but if you're worried, skip this bit) the Doctor and Amy go to the Lake District, board a spaceship which is being used to evacuate earth, find that the Silurians have piggy-backed a lift, the Silurians leave for no good reason after accepting a truce with the humans, the Daleks arrive (again for no apparent reason), the Doctor messes with the Dalek mainframe and defeats them. The end. Total rubbish. Apart from being an incredibly weak plot, the dialogue is unconvincing and laboured despite the best efforts of Matt and Karen (who, according to the box blurb are "staring" [sic] in the game. Does that give you some idea of the level of attention to detail that has been lavished on this release?). In my view, storyline is essential to an immersive and enjoyable gaming experience, but here the narrative is clearly just a way of linking together the game elements. Once upon a time Russell T Davies used to sign off on everything to do with the show. Including Frubes. So why has the Grand Moff allowed this awful dross to be released? Has he relinquished this power? Does he just not care? Or has the BBC said they need the money, so it doesn't matter that the good name of Doctor Who is being tarnished by third-rate writing? Whatever the case, there is no way that this should ever have been allowed to have been touted as "official". Another disappointment is the presentation of the game. It's really not up to scratch. While we can recognise Daleks, Silurians, the Doctor and Amy – the artwork could generously be described as naive. Furthermore, there is no animation whatsoever in the cut-scenes. A three-way conversation might go something like: pic of Doctor, cut to pic of Amy, cut to pic of Doctor just shown, back to same pic of Amy, pic of Silurian. I'm certain that if you gave reasonably talented schoolkids a copy of Flash and a week or so, they could do a lot better. Sound-wise, it's not quite bad. As already mentioned we've got the vocal talents of Matt and Karen (although I did note there's no mention of Nicholas Briggs, despite Daleks being in the mix), and lots of official effects such as the TARDIS and Sonic Screwdriver. The voice acting throughout is of a reasonable standard, but it's hard to appreciate when the actors are working with such a poor script. All in all, I'd say that as a gamer my view of this game is that it's not bad, possibly slightly better than average. As a Doctor Who fan though, I'd say it's quite, quite dreadful, and should never have been released in its current form. However, for younger gamers, and less discerning viewers, it'll make a good gift and provide a good few hours of entertainment. You can purchase Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth | ||
| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 07:19 AM PST
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| Katherine Jenkins Nervous About 'Doctor Who' - Airlock Alpha Posted: 20 Dec 2010 07:03 AM PST
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| Bill Pullman Becomes 'Torchwood's' Most Wanted - Airlock Alpha Posted: 20 Dec 2010 06:58 AM PST
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| Dr. Who Producer Suffers Through Early LA Christmas - mediabistro.com Posted: 20 Dec 2010 06:42 AM PST
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| The Essential Companion Reviewed Posted: 20 Dec 2010 06:34 AM PST
On first listening this is a sort of "greatest hits" of Matt Smith's first season, but listen again and you get to enjoy the witty dialogue and interplay between the two leads and gives Karen Gillan a chance to be more than just a mouth on legs. Split across two CDs we go on a lightening journey (well, 2 hours 40 minutes) selecting the essential moments of Season 5…no sorry Series 31. A series about Amy and her imaginary friend, the destruction of everything and how the Doctor changed into one of his finest incarnations yet. As we weave through each episode, Alex Price's narration – which is very much in the style of Mark Gatiss – boldly builds up but never becomes intrusive to the soundtrack and action that's being played out. Containing some nice moments of comedy it stops this release from just being a straight forward compendium of the season's greatest scenes. It also allows Murray Gold's score to be heard and appreciated more fully. But it's the stories that shone and even in these cut-down editions they still work and get the pulse pounding, even the often debated Victory Of The Daleks and The Vampires Of Venice episodes. It also contains my favourite line, "I like your bowtie. Bowties are cool", gets me every time. Talking of Vincent And The Doctor, this episode gains the most from this audio. You can hear the angst, the pain and the terror in Tony Curran's interpretation of the famous artist. A benchmark performance for a supporting cast member in Doctor Who. The biggest section concentrates on The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang double whammy. It does well in explaining how Rory came to be etc. and should be the first port of call if anyone didn't "get it". Oh and what does this mean, "and silence will fall"? This may not have "must buy" written all over it but it's a fun release, perfect to get you in the mood for the Christmas Day special. Out now, you can find The Essential Companion on Amazon for just £8.39! | ||
| Just In Time For The 'Doctor Who' Christmas Special: Gingerbread TARDIS! - Geeks of Doom Posted: 20 Dec 2010 06:02 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 05:52 AM PST You may recall our recent discussion of the Doctor Who Reprint Society, an Internet group working to get more of the best classic Doctor Who novels back on store shelves. We recently spoke with DWRS founder Alasdair Shaw, who told us all about the society, his favourite Who novels, and how you can help the world live or relive the golden years of Doctor Who reading. We began by simply asking Al to tell us what the DWRS is all about: "The Doctor Who Reprint Society is here to provide a voice for all the Whovians that want to see the novels made available again. There's a generation of fans now who just weren't aware of Who when the books were being published as well as a collection of Who fans who only knew of the TV series and didn't discover the books until it was too late to collect them easily. I fall into the latter group myself. I became aware of the Eighth Doctor books in 1997 when I came across a copy of The Eight Doctors in a second hand bookshop. I loved it. It was very obviously a continuation of events from The TV Movie, yet as I read the last few pages it became something else as well. As the Eighth Doctor met the Seventh it became apparent to me that the books that I'd glanced over in other bookshops were more than mere novelizations of episodes I didn't recognise, they were episodes themselves. Being the continuity obsessive that I am I felt I couldn't continue with the Eighth Doctor's adventures until I had found all of the Seventh's. "If I could have my own shot in a TARDIS I would go back and tell myself to grab any and each book I saw. But I don't, so I formed the DWRS instead." As it turns out, the idea to do just that – form the DWRS – has roots not just in the classic era of the show, but also in Season 30 with David Tennant. "The seed for the DWRS was planted when I saw Silence in the Library for the first time. I found myself nodding to the Doctor's point about the printed word. And when we were introduced to the concept of the Library having a brand new copy of every book my first thought was 'They've got a copy of Lungbarrow in there!' In fact I like to think it was a reprint of Lungbarrow that the Doctor told Donna not to read for fear of spoilers… "The DWRS started properly however when I got involved in a thread on Gallifrey Base about how people got hold of the books. The two methods suggested were paying silly money for the books on eBay or obtaining PDF scans of the books. A friend of mine had some of the PDF copies. I tried to read them, but they were far from ideal. The formatting was off on occasion and typos cropped up from OCR software glitches. "When the idea of letting the BBC know we wanted these books came up the general feeling was that the BBC wouldn't listen to individual fans. It was at that point I formed the DWRS to be the voice of those fans that want reprints. We number over 100 now and are still growing." Of course, when you have a group with 100+ members, you'll have to have leaders. Aside from Alasdair, there are two other members who play a significant role in the Reprint Society's day-to-day activities. "The DWRS is made up of myself, Jesse Lax and Greig Byrne. "Jesse is the Creative Director of Kwaai Games and showcases his own art through AHiL [AllHopeisLost] Designs. I came across him while I was seeking help putting a logo together for the site on Gallifrey Base. He kindly offered to put a logo together for me, and while we were discussing design options we started talking about the DWRS and other things and when the logo was finished Jesse decided he'd like to stay on and help me design a look for the site. Such is the quality of Jesse's work that I was delighted that he wanted to stay on and help. "Greig and I met through our wives and have struck up a friendship all of our own. Apart from working on setting up the new web site Greig's experience as a writer for TheAppleGoogle and as a sports writer for the Herald (formerly known as the Glasgow Herald, a popular Scottish newspaper) is being put to good use as our resident reviewer. Greig's point of view is especially useful as he's had no experience of the books at all and only dabbled in classic Who until the new series brought Who back into fashion. He brings a fresh, non-biased view to the book reviews, as well as his own brand of humour."
The three of them – Jesse, Greig, and Al – seem to share a progressive vision for the DWRS that will make sure the website never stands still. "We have quite a few developments in mind for the DWRS. When I first started the site I was a lone voice crying in the wilderness, but not unlike a certain Time Lord I seem to have acquired companions and a following. As the team and membership has grown we've been discussing ways of expanding the DWRS site. Greig has started to review Time Wyrm: Genesys and plans to keep reviewing other Who books, Jesse is a perfectionist who can't help but work to make the site look professional. Between them they're currently working to move us from our current server to our very own one. The new site will have a few improvements over the current one including a brand new, more user friendly, forum and regular interviews. For my own part I'll be starting to track down authors to find out their opinions on reprints and attempt to find out who owns the rights to their books. As for other media, we're going to stay focused on the printed word. "Ultimately the DWRS exists to get the most sought-after volumes back into the hands of fans. Of course if that happens then we'd have to shut up shop and move onto the next project. Which would be arranging reprints of the Target books." | ||
| Jenkins 'met Smith on day of Who audition' - Digital Spy Posted: 20 Dec 2010 03:37 AM PST
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| Look Who's getting sexy - The Sun Posted: 20 Dec 2010 03:26 AM PST
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| A Christmas Carol is “jolly, merry and a little bit sad” Posted: 20 Dec 2010 02:41 AM PST Showrunner Steven Moffat has promised that this year's Christmas special is "jolly, merry and a little bit sad" in an interview with The New York Times! When asked to describe A Christmas Carol, he explained: "There had been a feeling that we needed a really, really Christmas-y one, because the previous one had been David Tennant's exit from the role. [...] | ||
| A Christmas Carol soundtrack for February release Posted: 20 Dec 2010 02:17 AM PST Silva Screen have announced that they'll be releasing the soundtrack to this year's Doctor Who Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, in February 2011! The disc will include a selection of Murray Gold's music from the special, as well as a recording of its guest star, Katherine Jenkins, peforming Abigail's Song, which features in the episode. We'll bring [...] | ||
| Monster Invasion for 2011 - The Doctor Who News Page (blog) Posted: 20 Dec 2010 02:08 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 02:08 AM PST  BBC Magazines will be launching a new partwork magazine in April 2011, entitled Doctor Who: Monster Invasion. The magazine was first published in April during Matt Smith's first series, but was only available in southwest England in a test run to see how it might be received. This original series of six issues introduced a new card game with some 90 cards to collect; there were also special 3D cards that enabled the collector to interact with the magazine's website, which also provided further information about the cards and magazine, and also games to play.(This website is still active, and it is possible to sign up for a newsletter for more information on developments.) It isn't clear as yet whether the April launch will be a completely fresh start or will build upon the card series previously released. Comic artist Jamie Smart has recently announced that he is working on the project, via his blog:  (Jamie successfully submitted a test piece in 2009) Just before Christmas I was called up to the BBC, given a hard drive filled with top secret images from the (as yet unscreened) new series, and sent away to work on six more pieces. The magazine was released in a test area of the country, and then for the most part of this year I sat and waited.Word came in a little while ago that it had gone well, they were to roll the magazine out across the UK, and would I consider carrying on? A long-term contract like this, to produce weekly work for over a year, is usually a dream to freelancers, but I did have concerns. There are already a handful of other projects I need to be working on next year, and I've been real worried that I'm trying to take too much on. But then the sense of reason kicks in, it's Dr Sodding Who. What an opportunity. "Partwork" magazines are those that are regularly published as part of a series, normally to build up a collection, and Doctor Who is no stranger to the format! Back in 2006, Battles in Time also revolved around a collectible card game, and was published until 2009. Last year then saw the launch of the Doctor Who Files, a DVD collector series which initially released the first four series of 21st Century Doctor Who, but has since continued with classic series stories (as well as completing the David Tennant Specials in the next couple of months). | ||
| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 02:04 AM PST We've just heard that Silva Screen is proud to announce the February album release of the soundtrack to Doctor Who – A Christmas Carol, this year's Doctor Who Christmas Day Special. The soundtrack features classical music superstar Katherine Jenkins. Katherine is both part of the cast and singer on "Abigail's Song". Physical (SILCD1360) and digital (SILED1360) versions of the soundtrack will be available, composed by Doctor Who composer of choice Murray Gold and performed by the excellent BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Crouch End Festival Chorus.
As you probably know, the TV episode will be broadcast on Christmas Day at 6pm on BBC One and BBC HD and will feature Matt Smith as The Doctor, Karen Gillan as Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams. They will be joined by Michael Gambon as Kazran Sardick and Katherine Jenkins as Abigail. We'll have an official cover image as soon as it is available! (Thanks to James!) | ||
| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:51 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:26 AM PST We first wore them at the Dimensions convention in Newcastle... And after the event, lots of people asked if they could buy them... And now you can. At last the Big Finish T-Shirt is available for £20 in a choice of five sizes... Click here to buy! | ||
| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:22 AM PST
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| Jamie Smart announces new Doctor Who partwork - DigitalJournal.com Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:21 AM PST
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| Sarah Jane Adventures Series 5 Update - Doctor Who TV (blog) Posted: 20 Dec 2010 01:06 AM PST
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| 'Torchwood' writer: 'New series not a fix' - Digital Spy Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:56 AM PST
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| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:54 AM PST Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso, who played the Doctor's companions Grace and Chang Lee in the TV Movie, are returning to Doctor Who to play new characters in an upcoming story. The forthcoming sixth season of The Companion Chronicles premieres with Tales from the Vault by Jonathan Morris, in which two UNIT soldiers (Daphne and Yee Jee) uncover a cache of alien artifacts. "This is our most ambitious Companion Chronicle yet," says producer David Richardson. "Not only do we have Daphne and Yee Jee – two of the nicest people I've ever met – back in the fold, but the guest cast comprises Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot, Katy Manning as Jo Grant and Mary Tamm as Romana. It's a brilliant, hugely inventive script from Jonny, which is packed with surprises…" Tales from the Vault is out in July, and is followed in August by The Rocket Men by John Dorney, which stars William Russell as Ian Chesterton. "John Dorney wrote the recent two-hander Solitaire, which was one of the most popular Chronicles we've released. The Rocket Men is similarly experimental – I'd describe it as a sort of Buck Rogers adventure packed with thrills and a huge emotional wallop. I think the script is wonderful." September sees the release of The Memory Cheats by Simon Guerrier, starring Wendy Padbury as Zoe and her daughter Charlie Hayes as Jen. "It's a continuation of the recent story Echoes of Grey," says the producer. "Long after she left the Doctor, Zoe has been targeted by a huge corporation which believes it has evidence that she has travelled through Space and Time – but, of course, she has no memory of it herself. This story follows Zoe's attempt to disprove something that is actually true…" Katy Manning returns in October with The Many Deaths of Jo Grant by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott. "This one delivers exactly what it says in the title – with many twists and turns on the way. And, of course, it gives Katy the chance to showcase her incredible voice talents with a huge array of characters." | ||
| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:54 AM PST
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| Sarah Jane Adventures Series 5 Update Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:49 AM PST
Producer Brian Minchin has revealed some new information on Series 5 of The Sarah Jane Ad Read more ... | ||
| Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:26 AM PST
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| BBC America Plans a Very Supernatural 2011 - About - News & Issues Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:23 AM PST
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| The Twelve Blogs of Christmas: Eight Posted: 20 Dec 2010 12:10 AM PST The Vicar FAQ. First, just a reminder that you have until midnight my time on Wednesday to enter the quiz. I suspect we haven't yet heard from the winner. Hint: you know those labels at the bottom of every blog post, describing the content? The quiz blog post has labels like that. A week or so ago we also (I now realise I didn't mention it at that time) went along to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Live at the 02. I thought that was about as good as such a performance could be, with loads of animations now filling in the action, and Jason Donovan being especially good as the Artilleryman. The ending, though, as always, irks me on an SFnal basis. So we've flashed forward to the modern day, and NASA are sending a mission to Mars... and they're surprised to find green flashes and a new Martian threat? Did the British newspapers of the time really downplay the invasion that much? 'Trouble in the Home Counties, Rail Timetable Severely Disrupted'? Oh, and the last link to the BBC Archive went down well, so here's their latest one, a collection of interviews with stars from the golden age of Hollywood. (This one's only available in the UK, sorry.) So, today's blog subject is, in some ways, for my own use. In that, every time I mention what my wife's up to, or where she is in her studies, I seem to get it wrong. I've often said we should have a Frequently Asked Questions about the business of becoming a priest, so here it is. The answers are hers. I hope it's also of interest to anyone of an SFnal bent, who's got an interest in an extraordinary world that's right at the heart of British history and culture. Or anyone who wants to know what all those words bandied about (usually randomly) in fantasy movies and games mean (Halo, I'm looking at you). Hello, Caroline. I've noticed, being married to you for all these years, that you want to be a priest. And, honestly, I really know bugger all about all that. So I thought I'd correct this shameful omission and give myself a page of answers I can look up when I forget. For a start, which church are we talking about? 'The Church of England, otherwise known as the Anglican Church. I'm an Anglican.' How do you become a vicar? 'After talking to you local vicar, and convincing them that you feel a calling, they'll send you to a D.D.O. -' What's that? 'A Diocesan Director of Ordinands. Diocesan: works in a diocese. Ordinand: someone who's in the process of training . Diocese: an area consisting of several parishes which is presided over by a bishop.' There are going to be a lot of terms like that, aren't there? 'Which is what always gets you confused. You used the Ordinand System in our Doctor Who audio as somewhere the Nimon once devastated, didn't you?' Yes, I recall. So what does this D.D.O. do? 'After a year or so (three in my case), working out whether or not you're up for this, talking to your spouse -' Oh yes, I remember. Your D.D.O. was terrifying, like Yoda in the body of Miss Marple. '... they send you to the Bishop, for an interview. The two of them decide whether or not to send you to a B.A.P. -' What is -? '- A Bishop's Advisory Panel, a series of tests, presentations and interviews which takes three days. Assuming you pass, and get a successful Criminal Records Bureau check from the police, and a successful health check from your doctor, and check out as financially viable and not in debt, then you get recommended for training. You then choose which theological college (seminary is a Roman Catholic term) you want to go to and apply.' How do you choose? 'It depends on what flavour of church you prefer, from "high" church (ceremony, candles, incense, dressing up) to "low" or "evangelical" church (preaching, praise songs, informal worship) or something on the vast spectrum in between.' So where does your college, Cuddesdon, fit into that? 'It's officially non-partisan, it takes everybody. It's traditionally liberal, somewhere in the middle.' So what happens when you apply? 'You pass an interview, then, depending on whether you're under thirty or have a theology degree, or have a lot of experience, you're put on a course lasting one to three years. If you don't have a theology degree, you'll get one; if you do, you'll get a higher one.' So what happens when you've passed the course? 'You're ordained as a deacon.' And a deacon is-? 'It's the first level of ordination. In the early church, deacons brought matters that needed attention to the notice of priests, and took care of the sick. These days, pastoral care is still a big part of a deacon's work. As a deacon, you can baptise people, and conduct funerals and weddings.' I thought you needed to be a vicar to do that? 'No, you don't. And, you know, anyone can baptise.' What?! Don't confuse me! 'Before becoming a deacon, before your course ends, you'll have applied for a title post, a position as a curate in a parish.' And a curate is-? 'It's a job title. It's an apprentice vicar, the final stage of training, outside of college, and in a parish. You're working for a vicar.' So at the end of your course, you're ordained as a deacon and take up a post as a curate? 'Exactly. Why could you never remember this?' It's complicated! So how long are you a curate for? 'Usually, three years. After the first of those years, you're usually ordained as a priest.' And a priest is-? 'It's the second rank of ordination. You can bless people and conduct Holy Communion. (The bit with the bread and wine.)' So for the last two years of your posting, you're a curate and a priest? 'Right. At the end of your curacy, you apply for other jobs.' You apply, rather than being sent? 'You apply by looking at job adverts looking for vicars in the back of The Church Times. You then go for job interviews at parishes. If the parish council and/or churchwardens like you, you're given the job of being their vicar.' And a vicar is-? 'It's a job title, a priest with oversight over a parish. Not all priests are vicars, but all vicars are priests. As a priest, you could apply for jobs other than being a vicar, like being a chaplain in a prison or hospital.' And a dean is-? A canon is-? A rector is-? 'These are all job titles, priests who've taken up various jobs in cathedrals or dioceses. Historically, a rector was someone who had the right to the income from a piece of church land, while a vicar was just hired to run the church. These days, some vicars are just called rectors because of local tradition. And a bishop is-? 'The third rank of ordination. Bishops can confirm people, and ordain the lower two ranks.' And an archbishop is-? 'Someone in charge of a lot of bishops. There are just two of them in England, in Canterbury and York.' And the Pope is- ? '-In charge of an entirely different denomination, not the Church of England.' And a robber button is-? 'An old Blackadder joke.' So where are you now in this process? 'I've applied for my curacy, at Saint Mary's, Amersham, and been accepted. I'm finishing my course now, and will hopefully be ordained as a deacon in July.' So you'll be marrying, burying and baptising people from July? 'I could, it depends if they need me to.' And your vicar there will be? 'The Rev. Tim Harper.' The one off Midsomer Murders? 'He's been in the show several times. They use his buildings to film in, and he gets to play a vicar.' Will you be solving murders, or committing them? Like my Mum thinks you will be? 'Definitely not committing them, but when it comes to solving them, you never know.' What does 'Reverend' mean? Will you be that? 'It's just an honourific, like Mr or Mrs, I'll be that as soon as I'm ordained as a deacon. This changes with your level of seniority or job. Deans and bishops get different titles.' What do we call you? 'Your grace' or something like that? 'In some churches you'll get called "father", "mother" or "reverend". But it's not important.' Do I have to call you that? 'Oh yes.' But - 'I'm joking.' Oh. Okay. Can I ask you some questions that people have sent in? 'People have sent in questions?' Yes. Mags Halliday asks: 'Are you hoping for a Dibley or a Rev posting?' 'I haven't seen Rev, but Amersham's not unlike Dibley.' Heather Lisy asks: 'How long is there between going to seminary and becoming vicar of one's own church?' 'At a minimum, five years from the start of the course.' Ian Boothby asks: 'Is it true that to the vicars go the spoils?' 'I wish it were true. It depends on your parish, but you're usually paid around £20 thou a year.' Tony Lee asks: 'Will you be able to exorcise demons like Sam does in Supernatural?' 'Theoretically, but there's a specialist in each diocese you can go to for that kind of thing. I tend not to believe in ghosts and demons, but there's enough weirdness in the world that I try to keep an open mind.' Except about Bigfoot. 'You bring Bigfoot into everything.' He also asks: 'Do you get a Vicar Cave and a Vicarmobile?' 'I get a house, known as a vicarage when one is a vicar, but I don't know of any vicar who's managed to get a company car.' Mark Coale asks: 'Was your appointment genderwise a big deal or fairly commonplace now in the UK?' 'It's fairly commonplace these days, but can be trickier depending on which diocese you come from. Some bishops are still pretty anti female clergy. Certainly at my college, the gender split is 50/50.' He also asks: 'How often do you hear jokes about The Vicar of Dibley?' 'ALL THE TIME. Can be a useful jokey conversation opener though.' Are you going to wear your dog collar to parties and conventions? 'Dog collar meaning "clerical collar" - that white strip around the collar of my shirt, right? It's a choice on my part rather than a dictum from the church. Depends on the party. Clerical collars don't go all that well with cocktail dresses. But definitely to conventions. Although I suspect people will think I'm cosplaying.' Can you marry or bless friends who ask you? 'I can't bless people or things until I'm a priest. I can marry friends, but it will depend on us getting permission from the local vicar whose church you want to get married in, and of course it would have to happen in a church.' And that's all I can think of, though feel free to ask questions of your own. I hope the above isn't taken as 'oh, look at how clever my wife is'. It's an outreach on my part, an attempt to get past the most alienating thing about any specialist job: the terminology. It's also all the questions we get asked all the time. Except the ones about Dan Brown. Tomorrow, I'll be presenting your fan fiction! I'm very much looking forward to that. Until then, Cheerio!  | ||
| Upstairs Downstairs: Classic Period Drama Returns to BBC One - Suite101.com Posted: 19 Dec 2010 11:57 PM PST
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| Karen Gillan predicts that flirtatious Amy will stay put Posted: 19 Dec 2010 11:26 PM PST Karen Gillan has revealed that she doesn't think being married to Rory will make Amy dial down on her flirting. Speaking to DigitalSpy on the set of A Christmas Carol, the actress laughed: "It will just encourage her even more! Marriage doesn't really change things for Amy that much, in terms of her behaviour. That might develop as [...] | ||
| Bruce Forsyth to leave Strictly? - stv.tv Posted: 19 Dec 2010 10:12 PM PST
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| Review of the Year 2010: January - TheSixthAxis Posted: 19 Dec 2010 10:07 PM PST
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| 2010: The Year In TV - AOL Television UK Posted: 19 Dec 2010 10:04 PM PST
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| Matt Smith's male groupies - The List Posted: 19 Dec 2010 10:00 PM PST
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| This Week In Doctor Who - December 20, 2010 Posted: 19 Dec 2010 09:12 PM PST This Week In Doctor Who – December 20, 2010 Welcome to the weekly guide to Doctor Who and spinoffs. Sarah Jane, K9, and the PBS Doctor Who broadcasts are in Section B. Torchwood schedules are in Torchwood This Week. Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol | ||
| Doctor Who:Up Close to Close Up Posted: 19 Dec 2010 08:02 PM PST The Doctor will be packing up his belongings, tidying away the Daleks, and storing away the Sontarans as the Doctor Who: Up Close Land's End Adventure exhibition closes on Monday 3rd January. The exhibition-which as attracted over 400,000 people since 2007- will be celebrating its record breaking run by inviting fans to come dressed as their favourite Doctor Who characters for a party to wave goodbye to the Time Lord. There will be souvenirs for children (from Boxing Day until the 3rd January Children will be able to visit for free), roaming Daleks and free entry on the day for fans. The last day also offers enthusiasts the last chance to encounter some of the Doctors most dastardly foes; the Slitheen, the Sontarans, Cybermen and, of course, the Daleks, as well as a chance to learn more about the show and its monsters through interactive touch screen displays and special effects. David Bryans, Land's End's General Manager, said:
For more information visit the Land's End site (via Debra Clark Associates) | ||
| Christmas 'Who': Q&A with Karen Gillan - Digital Spy Posted: 19 Dec 2010 07:58 PM PST
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