Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Kopic's Doctor Who & Torchwood News

Kopic's Doctor Who & Torchwood News


Good times in Who York City - The Sun

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 03:18 PM PDT


The Sun

Good times in Who York City
The Sun
TIME Lord Matt Smith goes back to the 1950s in New York - to launch the new Doctor Who series. Who's with me? ... Matt Smith, right, and Karen Gillan are joined by Alex Kingston, left, and Arthur Darvill Matt, 28, in Teddy Boy suit, leant on a Cadillac ...

and more »

Major Doctor Who Spoiler! See The Silence - TVOvermind

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 03:06 PM PDT


TVOvermind

Major Doctor Who Spoiler! See The Silence
TVOvermind
And if you think the Steven Moffat-penned story is going to be anything short of freaky, you've got another thing coming. If you also think that the episode (which is the first of a two-part story that concludes with "Day of the Moon") won't pick up ...

and more »

Smith talks Wives & Series 7 - Doctor Who TV (blog)

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 02:56 PM PDT


Doctor Who TV (blog)

Smith talks Wives & Series 7
Doctor Who TV (blog)
Episode 4 of Doctor Who's sixth series may be called The Doctor's Wife, but Matt Smith doesn't think his Time Lord is the type to settle down. Smith told the Radio Times: "He's too much of a space bachelor. The universe is his mistress and he's not ...

and more »

Doctor Who: Matt Smith Talks about Upcoming Series - Anglotopia.net

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 11:35 AM PDT


Doctor Who: Matt Smith Talks about Upcoming Series
Anglotopia.net
This video is short and doesn't really provide much new information but I still thought it was worth sharing. Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile with an obsession for Britain that borders on psychosis. He keeps Anglotopia running in his spare time, ...

and more »

DOCTOR WHO NYC Premiere Wows Both Fans & Cast - Newsarama

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 11:12 AM PDT


Newsarama

DOCTOR WHO NYC Premiere Wows Both Fans & Cast
Newsarama
He also knows that the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who is coming, and with a sly grin told fans, "Yeah. We'll do something big." Finally, Matt Smith, though in a double windsor at the premiere, did let fans know he agrees with his character, ...

Smith talks Wives & Series 7

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 10:47 AM PDT

Episode 4 of Doctor Who's sixth series may be called The Doctor's Wife, but Matt Smith doesnR Read more ...


Sherlock: Series Producer Mark Gatiss Leaks Some Details about Upcoming Series 2 - Anglotopia.net

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 10:26 AM PDT


Sherlock: Series Producer Mark Gatiss Leaks Some Details about Upcoming Series 2
Anglotopia.net
Gatiss explained that he will adapt 'Hound' for television, while co-creator Steven Moffat will write the series premiere. "Steven wanted to do the twisted love story [of 'A Scandal'] because he likes that," he said. "I'm doing the gothic horror, ...

and more »

Happy Birthday, Peter Davison!

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Please join us as we send out our best birthday wishes to Peter Davison! Peter – who turns 60 today – is known by Doctor Who fans as the Fifth Doctor, who he played from 1981 to 1984. A new generation of fans were introduced to him when he returned to the role in 2007 for the special Children in [...]

New Images & Spoilers For 'Doctor Who' Series 6 - Geeks of Doom

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 09:27 AM PDT


New Images & Spoilers For 'Doctor Who' Series 6
Geeks of Doom
Doctor Who Series 6 launches worldwide on BBC UK and BBC America on April 23. Matt Smith will be reprising his incarnation of the Eleventh Doctor, and will be joined by companions Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, ...

and more »

'Doctor Who' Season Premiere: Five Things To Look Forward To (And No Spoilers)! - MTV.com

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 09:18 AM PDT


MTV.com

'Doctor Who' Season Premiere: Five Things To Look Forward To (And No Spoilers)!
MTV.com
Nowhere was this more evident than in the impressively long line (people had begun lining up the previous night) that greeted cast members Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Alex Kingston, as well as showrunner Steven Moffat and a host of ...

and more »

Steven promises “something big” for 50th anniversary

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 08:52 AM PDT

Steven Moffat has revealed that the production team will do "something big" to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who in 2013. According to Newsarama, who have posted a round up of the cast and crew Q&A which took place at yesterday's Series 6 screening in New York, the showrunner was asked by a fan whether or not plans are afoot for [...]

Fans Welcome 'Doctor Who' Back To USA - Multichannel News

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 08:33 AM PDT


Multichannel News

Fans Welcome 'Doctor Who' Back To USA
Multichannel News
BBC America/Nialla Photos Inc. Stars Matt Smith (The Doctor), Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) and Arthur Darvill (Rory) brought donuts to the fans Monday morning, hours before the 7 pm screening. In addition to those who made it into the theater, ...

and more »

Shakespeare Stamps Just Can't be Licked

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 07:49 AM PDT

Former Doctor David Tennant will feature in a series of stamps issued by the Royal Mail to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Tenth Doctor takes top billing on the 1st class stamp and can be see cradling poor Yorick's bony remains from his acclaimed performance as the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, in 2008.

Issued today the stamps contain both a defining image and a famous quote from a selection of highly regarded RSC productions such as Lord of the Rings star Sir Ian McKellen with Francesca Annis when they played Romeo and Juliet in 1976.

The ten stamp set will also feature Sir Patrick Stewart, Dame Judi Dench, and the late Paul Scofield commemorating one of Shakespeare's plays.

(via The Mirror)

USA Premiere Party!

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 07:13 AM PDT

Brooklyn, the most populated of New York's five boroughs, is about to be inundated with creatures from all walks of life as the USA Doctor Who premiere takes place at The Bell House, New York on April 19th – bring your tired, your poor, your huddle masses of Fourth Doctor lookalikes yearning to drink free (drinks will not be free).

The premiere of The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon will be followed by a Who themed party including: A triva contest, a costume contest, a lecture on time travel, character impersonation and 'villain off', as well as Doctor Who based sketch comedy from Upright Citizen Brigade.

The Bell House will also be decked out to look like the inside of the TARDIS where you'll be able to sample Doctor Who theme cocktails, such as the 11th Doctor, Love is a Ginger and Fish & Custard, and try Doctor's Fez cupcakes provided by Geek Treats.

General admission for the event will cost $5 and are available at the event page on TicketWeb.

(via DoctorWhoNews.net)

Sherlock series two details revealed by co-creator Mark Gatiss - Metro

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:51 AM PDT


Metro

Sherlock series two details revealed by co-creator Mark Gatiss
Metro
Speaking at the Kapow convention recently, Gatiss also revealed that the upcoming series of the detective drama will feature a premiere written by his fellow co-creator and Doctor Who showrunner), Steven Moffat. 'Having had a successful first run, ...

and more »

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2011 Launches Today - LOOK

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:48 AM PDT


Fashion Targets Breast Cancer 2011 Launches Today
LOOK
You'll also see the gorgeous faces of Cat Deeley, Sadie Frost and Doctor Who's Karen Gillan popping up on posters to promote the campaign. They follow in the footsteps of Claudia Schiffer, Sienna Miller and Kylie Minogue, who have all previously ...

and more »

David Tennant 'smitten' with daughter - The List

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:42 AM PDT


The List

David Tennant 'smitten' with daughter
The List
David Tennant's close friend DJ Christian O' Connell has revealed the former 'Doctor Who' star is ''smitten'' with his new baby daughter Olivia. David Tennant is "smitten" with his new baby daughter. The former 'Doctor Who' actor became a dad for the ...

and more »

New Torchwood Heads to Canada - World Screen

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:34 AM PDT


New Torchwood Heads to Canada
World Screen
TORONTO: Canadian sci-fi, horror and fantasy channel SPACE has secured several titles from BBC Worldwide Canada, including the upcoming series Torchwood: Miracle Day starring John Barrowman and Bill Pullman. ...
BBC Worldwide Launches 'Torchwood: Miracle Day' Into Canada's SpaceTVbytheNumbers

all 2 news articles »

Fright Night Poster Shows David Tennant In Mean Mode - Bleeding Cool News

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:14 AM PDT


Fright Night Poster Shows David Tennant In Mean Mode
Bleeding Cool News
David Tennant's role in the Fright Night do-over is Peter Vincent. Who he? The poster describes him like this: No need to be coy. You can lose the question mark. Seems like he's had a bit of a shave since we last saw him. I'm calling fake beard. ...

and more »

WATCH: 'Doctor Who' Cast Serenaded With TARDIS-Themed 'Friday' Parody - Anglophenia (blog)

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:13 AM PDT


Anglophenia (blog)

WATCH: 'Doctor Who' Cast Serenaded With TARDIS-Themed 'Friday' Parody
Anglophenia (blog)
And now it has entered the Whoniverse: at the Barnes & Noble Doctor Who signing last Friday (April 8), a group of fans serenaded stars Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill, and Karen Gillan with their own Who-inspired parody of the song. ...

and more »

Events Galore!

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:09 AM PDT

Not surprisingly, this has been quite an eventful week in Doctor Who Land, and we mean "eventful" quite literally – Whovians all across the nation have been gearing up in their favourite David Tennant or K-9 costumes and going out to party!

Fun Down, Fun to Go

Forbidden Planet, as we've previously told you, has been right on top of it all, with their first Doctor Who Day out of the way and receiving rave reviews from the press. Stores in Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry, and Cambridge were apparently so packed full of fans wanting free goody bags for dressing up that the TARDIS itself would have needed to be even bigger than it already is on the inside to contain all the customers!

There were also spectacular deals on Who-related stuff, as Bristol24-7 pointed out in its coverage of its local store's festivities:

"Collectors might've been annoyed by a few bits of damaged stock, but most were just happy to get merchandise at greatly reduced prices. These discounts included DVDs, and the TARDIS-themed set collecting figurines of all eleven Doctors. Aside from these, however, very few things were cheaper, with the store instead relying on the power of the phrase, 'Mum, Dad… Can I have this please?'"

Meanwhile, in Birmingham, children (and perhaps the odd geeky adult) queued up to have their faces painted in all sorts of Who-y manners. The Birmingham Mail caught up with Forbidden Planet store manager Nicki Checkley:

"Forbidden Planet is the home of Doctor Who, so we are very excited about the return of the Doctor at Easter. Fans are always keen to see what new merchandise is out. We have a large section at the store, popular with adults and kids."

While we'll question whether Forbidden Planet is actually the home of our favourite show (we're pretty sure it lives in a Cardiff studio at the moment), there's absolutely no doubt that Doctor Who things are hot items there right now. If your own home is near London, Croydon, Newcastle, or Southampton, your Fun Day is this Saturday, so make sure you drop by your local Forbidden Planet between 10AM and 3PM and witness the excitement!

Science in Scotland

If you're not close to any of the four aforementioned cities but you are within reach of Edinburgh, it might be worth bringing your kids to "The Science of Doctor Who," a 1-hour fun lecture by Mark Brake and Jon Chase aimed at human beings aged 7 and older that's part of the ongoing Edinburgh Science Festival…

"Aliens and time machines, cyborgs and Daleks, utopias and killer computers… This event takes you on a journey through the fantastic worlds of Dr Who, and asks you to consider the question, 'Do We Live in a Science Fiction World?'"

Hold on, let me ask my roommate who looks strangely like Tom Baker. Hey, Kamelion! Do we live in a science fiction world? He says no.

If you get a chance and have £4, head over to the Edinburgh's Scottish Storytelling Centre tomorrow at 11 AM. Online and phone ticketing seems to no longer be available, but you can purchase your tickets at the door, according to the science festival website.

That would be great and all, except another page for the same event on the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature website contradicts that by saying "Ticket in Advance only." So believe what you will; we'd personally lean more towards the official festival page. Either way, we still encourage you to click on the most recent link as it will lead you to an address for the event's location.

New FRIGHT NIGHT Poster Released Featuring David Tennant - The Daily BLAM

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 06:04 AM PDT


New FRIGHT NIGHT Poster Released Featuring David Tennant
The Daily BLAM
Fright Night, directed by Craig Gillespie, comes to theaters August 19th, 2011 and stars Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Sandra Vergara. It is also rumored that the actor who played ...

and more »

No Romance For The Doctor, Says Smith - OntheBox

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:58 AM PDT


No Romance For The Doctor, Says Smith
OntheBox
Speaking to the Radio Times, Doctor Who actor Matt Smith has dismissed the idea that The Doctor could begin a romance. "The universe is his mistress and he's not going to give her up for anyone!" he joked. "He finds marriage all rather peculiar, ...

and more »

'Doctor Who' star Matt Smith says The Timelord is not the marrying kind. - TV Scoop

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:50 AM PDT


'Doctor Who' star Matt Smith says The Timelord is not the marrying kind.
TV Scoop
Matt also revealed how he would like to play The Timelord for the foreseeable future but doesn't know what's going to happen. He told Radio Times magazine: "I take it year by year. I would hope that this year wouldn't be my last, but you don't know. ...

and more »

BBC Worldwide Launches 'Torchwood: Miracle Day' Into Canada's Space - TVbytheNumbers

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:49 AM PDT


BBC Worldwide Launches 'Torchwood: Miracle Day' Into Canada's Space
TVbytheNumbers
The show has been written by a team led by Torchwood creator, Russell T Davies. Julie Gardner returns as executive producer. Along with Torchwood, SPACE licensed the spooky new series Bedlam, a supernatural drama that follows the lives of people who ...

and more »

Moffat's Series 6 Preview - Doctor Who TV (blog)

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:42 AM PDT


Doctor Who TV (blog)

Moffat's Series 6 Preview
Doctor Who TV (blog)
Here's some highlights from Steven Moffat's preview of Doctor Who Series 6, from the Radio Times. The Silence, the unseen enemy who blew up his TARDIS last year, have laid deeper plans and set the deadliest trap of all – one that has been ticking away ...

and more »

Doctor Who's Day Roundup: Matt Smith Fancies Writing a 'Doctor Who' Script ... - Anglophenia (blog)

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:37 AM PDT


Anglophenia (blog)

Doctor Who's Day Roundup: Matt Smith Fancies Writing a 'Doctor Who' Script ...
Anglophenia (blog)
Doctor Who News is reporting that the lovely Karen Gillan will pay a visit to the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Wednesday (April 13). Hooray! We wonder if she'll show off her fancy footwork during CraigyFerg's famous "Secretariat" dance like ...

and more »

Stamp honour for David Tennant - hellomagazine.com

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:35 AM PDT


hellomagazine.com

Stamp honour for David Tennant
hellomagazine.com
David Tennant is one of the few British actors chosen to be part of a set of stamps featuring six of William Shakespeare's plays. The collection is being released by the Royal Mail to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company. ...

and more »

Impossible Astronaut Mini Gallery

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:20 AM PDT

We're hoping to have a few more images from The Impossible Astronaut later in the week, but in the meantime thanks to the BBC we've got this pai of beauties for you.

While one image might me little more than a portrait version of the now-famous shot of the Doctor, River Song, Amy and Rory and the TARDIS in Utah, the other is a little more interesting.

Just what is going on with the expressions on River, Amy and Rory's faces?

Incidentally, Steven Moffat apparently requested that director Toby Haynes treat the two part series opener "like a finale". We're wondering if there might be a bit more to this description than we're currently aware of…

Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC America on Saturday, April 23rd!

Doctor Who star 'smitten' with baby - Carrickfergus Today

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:17 AM PDT


Carrickfergus Today

Doctor Who star 'smitten' with baby
Carrickfergus Today
David Tennant is "smitten" with his baby daughter, according to his friend, DJ Christian O'Connell. The Doctor Who star, who is notoriously tight-lipped about his private life, recently became a father with his partner, Georgia Moffett. ...

and more »

New Dad David Tennant Swaps Doctor Who's Sonic Screwdriver For Nappies - Coventry Telegraph (blog)

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 04:58 AM PDT


New Dad David Tennant Swaps Doctor Who's Sonic Screwdriver For Nappies
Coventry Telegraph (blog)
DAVID Tennant is "smitten" with his baby daughter, according to his friend, DJ Christian O'Connell. The Doctor Who star, who is notoriously tight-lipped about his private life, recently became a father with his ...

and more »

Love for Doctor Who Growing in US - Gather.com

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 04:34 AM PDT


Love for Doctor Who Growing in US
Gather.com
With the series premiere of Doctor Who just around the corner, US fans are preparing for what may be the biggest Whovian event in history. In fact, tons of American fans flocked to a premiere party in NYC where Matt Smith and Karen Gillan hosted a Q&A. ...

Torchwood: Miracle Day to air on SPACE in Canada

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 04:03 AM PDT

It has been confirmed today that Series 4 of Torchwood will make its Canadian premiere on SPACE! Miracle Day will air on the sci-fi channel in the summer as part of a new deal with BBC Worldwide. In the anticipated 10-part series, which will also debut in the UK/US/Australia in July, CIA agent Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) investigates a [...]

Cybermen Return For Series 6

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 04:02 AM PDT

The BBC Doctor Who website has confirmed the return of The Cybermen in Series 6 of Doctor Who.

The metal meanines will be back for the second half of the season, which will air in the Autumn, and it is believed they will return in Episdoe Twelve.

Those of you who pay extra special attention to the new image released today, will notice the omission of the Cybus logo on the chestplate of the Cybermen - not to mention an Auton-caped Rory.

[Source: BBC Doctor Who website]

Doctor Who Hitting Vinyl For National Record Store Day - Bleeding Cool News

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 03:50 AM PDT


Doctor Who Hitting Vinyl For National Record Store Day
Bleeding Cool News
As well as a nice pressing of Matt Berry's Badger's Wake, the other Bleeding Coolable vinyl to roll out on Record Store Day will be a pair of Doctor Who specials. A glorious 7″ 33rpm EP taken from the Soundtracks of the two 1960′s Dr Who films : Dr. ...

The Shark Whisperer

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 03:28 AM PDT

Christmas day is never the best time to enjoy a Doctor Who story. You're full of turkey and trimmings, replete with wine and port. Concentrating on some timey-wimey action is out of the question really, and in previous years, the Doctor Who story presented on Christmas Day has tended to be packed with action and adventure and never-mind-the-logic to keep the kids happy and looking forward to when they might be able to buy some toys related to what they have just seen (usually months and months later when they have forgotten all about what was on anyway, having been distracted by more presents from the late-arriving Aunt Ada or something).

Anyway ... in the lead up to more 11th Doctor adventures, I realised it was high time I cracked open the Sky Planner and re-watched the Christmas Day adventure from just 4 months ago - but it seems like forever! So I settled down with a glass of wine in one hand and a notepad in the other ... as 'A Christmas Carol' unfolded before me again.

The first thing to say about Nu Who is that textually and narratively it's very rich. When I was making notes on a Russell T Davies story, I might fill 3 or 4 pages of my notepad. For 'A Christmas Carol' I filled 8 pages. Every line brings some new information, something to be noted, cross referenced, stamped and filed. Steven Moffat loves to fill his scripts with character and interest and this offering did not disappoint on that level at all.

From the outset we're plunged into danger as a very Star Trek spacecraft is plunging to its doom on an unknown planet. There is the squeaky voiced captain from Voyager there, complete with tight fitting white uniform; the multi-racial crew to appease the PC brigade; the navigator who seems to be blind ... all the stereotypes are here. But then there's Amy dressed as a policewoman and Rory dressed as a Roman Soldier fresh from the honeymoon suite ... hmmm ... something for the dads to ponder on I suspect, while the kids realise that more action figures are on the horizon.

The spaceship us crashing because there's a machine on the planet which is affecting the sky ... and the Doctor needs to turn it off, but he can't because the controls are isomorphic (cue a nice little bit of tete a tete referencing 'Pyramids of Mars' and the whole Doctor Who isomorphic thing), so instead he needs to change the mind of the grumpy curmudgeon who seems to run the planet Kazran Sardick, who sounds like his name is spelt backwards.

For some reason Kazran has people kept on ice in his basement while he lends people money. How he sees any return on this is unknown as he never appears to get repaid ... but a family member is kept as security for the loan. A very strange arrangement. The Doctor arrives down the chimney for no good reason other than it looks cool, and talks everyone to death for a couple of minutes before the family trying to get to see their family member is thrown out. The Doctor realises that Kazran cannot hit the child, and this shows him that Kazran is not beyond redemption.

There's a nice verbal reference to 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' here with Kazran's 'Bored now!' utterance, before the Doctor leaves to try and figure out why there are fish flying in the fog. This is a lovely touch, and is quite magical - you really can accept that the little fish fly around in the fog, suspended on the ice particles therein. Beautiful idea and very well realised.

But Amy and Rory and their crashing Star Trek ship have less than an hour! Good job the Doctor can travel in time then ... failing to convince Kazran by any normal means, the Doctor leaves the old man watching a video projection of his younger self, and the Doctor arrives in the video to meet the boy Kazran. This is a very well thought through conceit, that Kazran Sr can watch Kazran Jr meet the Doctor and feel his memories changing as the Doctor changes the course of his life for good.

So the Doctor charms Kazran Jr and agrees to attract a fish to his bedroom using the Sonic Screwdriver ... except that it's a massive shark which comes hunting and ends up with half the screwdriver in its belly. There's lots to enjoy here as the Doctor plays leapfrog with time, allowing houseworkers to win non-existent lotteries and popping back to see Kazran Sr to get the code number for the ice vault in the basement (it's 7258 if you ever need it).

The shark is dying and the Doctor intends to take it back into the sky but needs an icebox, so they choose the one which was seen at the beginning of the show, occupied by a beautiful young woman called Abigail Pettigrew. Luckily Abigail can sing beautifully and sings to the shark to calm it down. This is now starting to get a little daft and convenient. Plot going out the window as opportunity comes in its place. Why is this woman of all those in the vault the one they choose? Why is she the only one who can sing to calm the shark? And why does her casket have 000 008 on the front counter?

Somehow Kazran Sr is still watching all this, but there's no evidence of the Doctor using a camera or anything, so it's all a little strange. Then, for no apparent reason (though I suspect it's to try and make Kazran Sr a nicer man) the Doctor and Kazran Jr spend the next 7 Christmas Eves waking Abigail up and heading off on many adventures together. Kazran Sr has many many photographs of everywhere they went (and it seems to be more than just 7 days). But Kazran Jr slowly grows up ... and he falls in love with Abigail. He also seems a lot older than the 18 or 20 he must be by the end (assuming he's 10 or 12 years old at the start). Kazran is told a secret by Abigail and he puts her back in the box for the last time (the number on the front is 000 001) and tells the Doctor he doesn't want to see him for any more Christmas Eves.

Meanwhile (remember the Plot) Kazran's father completes his machine to control the fish (I'm not sure why he wanted to, something to do with people paying to see them, so maybe he was paid to bring sharks and the like down onto the planet for some reason ... all a little vague) but Kazran Sr still won't help the Doctor to save the crashing spaceship (and given that they had an hour to go, it feels like days have passed ... but never mind!). The Doctor tries showing him holograms of the passengers of the ship singing (no idea how he did this) and then somehow transports a hologram of Kazran to the ship so he can see it (again, no clue how this worked).

It transpires that Abigail was ill when she was frozen and only had 8 days to live ... which is why the counter was counting down. But how did Kazran know that when he froze her in the first place? Why take as security for a loan someone who's going to die anyway ... he was such a hard-nosed character, that doesn't make sense at all! He would require someone that the family would want back, not someone who was about to die. And what number did all the other caskets have on them? And why a count down? If the idea was that Kazran maybe charged interest on the number of times the families had their loved ones back, then it would count up surely, so at the final reckoning, Kazran could see how much they had to repay him? As I say, this aspect really makes no sense at all.

The final straw is when the Doctor allows Kazran Jr to see what he becomes, and Kazran Sr goes to hit his younger self but cannot. I wondered here what happened to that good old Doctor Who trope the Blinivitch Limitation Effect, as admirably demonstrated in that paragon of Doctor Who continuity 'Mawdryn Undead'. If the same person from two different points in their timeline meet and touch, then there is a massive explosion of energy. Except that here there isn't, and Kazran can hug his younger self with no problem whatsoever.

The ship is still crashing ... remember the ship? ... but the Doctor discovers that Kazran's machine now won't respond to Kazran either as the Doctor has changed him too much! So the Doctor decides to use his broken Sonic Screwdriver to set up a resonance with the part still in the shark (which apparently has lived all this time - maybe 60 years? According to Google this might be possible though) but they need to transmit something that they know will work - Abigail's singing. So they have to break her out of cold storage again - and thus make her live her last day - singing to save the spaceship.

Now the practical side of me says that the Doctor actually had a recording of Abigail singing - Kazran was watching it - so why couldn't they have played that on a loop through the Sonic to sort it all out? The Doctor didn't seem to think very laterally here, and just morosely accepted that Abigail would have to die to save everyone on the ship ... would he have done that if Amy and Rory had not been on it I wonder?

So the Doctor returns Kazran Jr to his timestream, and then leaves with a rescued Amy and Rory, and Kazran Sr spends his last day with Abigail flying around in a carriage being pulled by the shark. The End.

Whoah! What happened there? Why didn't the Doctor at least try and save Abigail? That's not very Doctory ... He doesn't leave people to die and not even try? We don't even know what was wrong with her, or why they knew it was exactly 8 days she had to live ... she certainly didn't seem very ill or sick in any way. I didn't like this aspect of it as it cast the Doctor in a very poor light. Rather than battling valiantly to save her, and perhaps failing, he was never seen to even try. Even Amy and Rory seemed pretty unconcerned by it all ... such a difference from 'The Fires of Pompeii' where the Doctor is forced by Donna to save just one family from the devastation ... you'd have think he'd learned something.

So overall it was a rollicking ride, with some great imagery and surreal scenes of sharks and fish and crashing spacecraft. The performances were brilliant - Michael Gambon as Kazran was superb, being pig-headed and evil one moment and oozing with pathos the next; Katherine Jenkins was cast as Abigail because she can sing, and she was pretty good at all aspects of the role; Laurence Belcher was excellent as the young Kazran; and the award for the best ever actress name on television goes to Pooky Quesnel as the spaceship Captain.

The regulars of Amy and Rory barely got a look in however, and one suspects that for the most part the actors were not available at the same time as the Doctor and others, necessitating a split in location which meant they never really met.

'A Christmas Carol' is perhaps the best of the Christmas Specials presented by the new series. A great piece of television, with only a few elements which fail to hold together in the cold light of Boxing Day morning. I can't wait for the next series!

Steven Moffat previews the new series in Radio Times

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 03:23 AM PDT

As well as sporting a great Doctor Who cover, this week's issue of Radio Times also features an exclusive Series 6 episode guide written by Steven Moffat himself! For anyone who hasn't managed to get their copy yet, the magazine has posted an extract from the feature on their site, in which the showrunner describes the opening US two-parter, [...]

Talent Wanted at BBC Writers Academy, Dearbhla Walsh Among Tutors - The Irish Film Television Network

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 02:46 AM PDT


The Irish Film Television Network

Talent Wanted at BBC Writers Academy, Dearbhla Walsh Among Tutors
The Irish Film Television Network
The team of TV writers chosen for the course will be invited to Masterclasses with Irish director Dearbhla Walsh (Little Dorrit,), Richard Curtis (Notting Hill) and Russell T Davies (Dr Who). Anyone who has been paid to write for television, film, ...

and more »

15th annual collection of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer launched - TopNews New Zealand

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 02:35 AM PDT


TopNews New Zealand

15th annual collection of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer launched
TopNews New Zealand
For spreading the charitable word in a notably more effective manner, FTBC have enlisted the help of Cat Deeley, Sadie Frost and Doctor Who's Karen Gillan, to assist shoppers on the way. 30 percent of each sale of the whole new FTBC line, ...

and more »

Return of an old foe

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 02:30 AM PDT

CybermenThe official BBC site has revealed the Cybermen are to return in the new series, which has been confirmed in the new Radio Times as the mid-series finale A Good Man Goes To War.

The Cybermen have been a staple of the series since their first appearance in William Hartnell's last story, The Tenth Planet, in 1966.

Created by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis the cyborgs were a regular in the series during the tenure of the Second Doctor appearing in some of his highest regarded stories. Appearances followed facing the Fourth Doctor in 1975, the Fifth in 1982 and the Seventh in 1988.

A new race of Cybermen were introduced in the 2006 series story, Rise of the Cybermen with the villains making regular appearances since.

The official site has a history of the Cybermen complete with pictures from behind the scenes of some of the sixties stories.

Cast and crew attend premiere screening in New York

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 01:47 AM PDT

As previously reported, the cast and crew attended a premiere screening of Series 6's opening two-parter in New York City yesterday! BBC America have posted a round up of the event on their blog, which includes some pictures of Matt, Karen, Alex, Arthur and Steven at the event, which was introduced by Piers Wenger and Best Willis. [...]

Moffat’s Series 6 Preview

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 01:41 AM PDT

Here's some highlights from Steven Moffat's preview of Doctor Who Series 6, from the Read more ...


Official website confirms the return of the Cybermen!

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 01:14 AM PDT

The Doctor Who website has confirmed that the Cybermen will be back to stomp another day in the new series! The announcement won't come as a huge surprise to followers of the latest filming developments, who have known about their comeback for a while. However, now the news has been made public, we can all begin speculating about their forthcoming return! A new [...]

The Impossible Astronaut - 6pm

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 12:43 AM PDT

The Radio Times have confirmed the first episode of the news series of Doctor Who will be broadcast on Saturday 23rd April at 6:00pm.

The time slot is one of the earliest the series has received since it returned in 2005. Last year only Vampires from Venice was shown so early with most episodes starting around 6.30pm.

The programme will be preceded on BBC One by Don't Scare The Hare a new game show and followed So You Think You Can Dance, in which contestants perform in couples for the first time, hoping to impress judges Nigel Lythgoe, Arlene Phillips, Louise Redknapp and Sisco Gomez. It's the fifth in the series, which last week achieved 3.4 million viewers in its 6.30 timeslot.

ITV1 will be showing March of the Dinosaurs, a Feature-length CGI adventure from the makers of Walking with Dinosaurs, telling the story of an epic migration undertaken by a herd of dinosaurs in the high arctic 70 million years ago.

BBC Two has the 1964 Beatles film, A Hard Day's Night, Channel 4 is showing Come Dine with Me and Channel Five the 1959 film Ben Hur.

TimeProgrammeNearest ITV1 Programme
5:10pmBBC NewsMarch of the Dinosaurs (5:00-7:00pm)
5:25pmDon't Scare The Hare
6:00pmDoctor Who - The Impossible Astronaut
6:45pmSo You Think You Can DanceSing if you Can (7:00-8:00pm)
8:00pmThe National Lottery: Who Dares WinsBritain's Got Talent (8:00-9:00pm)
8:50pmCasualtyPiers Morgan's Life Stories (9:00-10:00pm)

The early start means that Doctor Who Confidential can not follow directly on from the end of Doctor Who; BBC Three's schedule begins from 7:00pm, meaning some 15 minutes between the two - this may impact on Confidential's ratings, as the last time such a gap occured the behind-the-scenes show lost around 40% of its usual audience.

BBCHD have yet to confirm a time-slot for Doctor Who Confidential, with times after A History of Celtic Britain (6:45-7:45pm) still to be announced.

Doctor Who Premier New York City [PHOTOS]

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 12:17 AM PDT

For those of you like me who didn't/couldn't make it to the East Village Cinema yesterday then here's a few photo's of the cast posing for the camera. Hmmm I see a scarf in the background in one... Hmmm.

read more

The Impossible Astronaut: 23rd April, 6pm, BBC One!

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 12:13 AM PDT

The listings on the Radio Times website have been updated with the transmission time for The Impossible Astronaut! We now know that the first episode of the new series will air at 6pm on Saturday 23rd April on BBC One and BBC One HD, lasting for 45 minutes. It will be followed by a 45-minute edition of Doctor Who [...]

Industry gets connected as stars hit MIPTV - Bizcommunity.com

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:40 PM PDT


Industry gets connected as stars hit MIPTV
Bizcommunity.com
'Camelot,' an Irish-Canadian co-production, debuted on Starz in the United States last week and another major series destined for Starz, the BBC's 'Torchwood: Miracle Day,' flew into Cannes with lead actors John Barrowman and Bill Pullman accompanying. ...

Doctor Who Radio Times Cover. *SPOILERS* *PICTURES*

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 11:24 PM PDT

The Cover for the Radio Time one of the UK's many TV Listings Magazines Originally BBC Centric. Has another of it's Doctor Who specials. Within there is an Interview with Matt and Steven. Also there have been a bunch of new Promo photo's released to the waiting world. One of the Impossible astronaut and the other of the Silence. Pictures to follow with the pictures of the Silence and Radio covver comming last, to avoid spoilers for those who want to wait until April the 23rd.

 

 

The Impossible Astronaut Time

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:30 PM PDT

Series 6 of Doctor Who finally has a time and date in the UK. According to the Radio Times, The Impossible A Read more ...


Barrowman on Miracle Day (Video)

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:14 PM PDT

Lest we forget, people, that 2011 doesn't just mean a new series of Doctor Who - sandwiched between the two run of time travelling fun comes Torchwood: Miracle Day, a new series of the popular spin-off show starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles.

If you've been out of the loop so far, the new series – set for broadcast during the summer – also stars Mekhi Pfiffer (8 Mile) and Bill Pullman, and sees Torchwood resurrected in order to unravel the mystery of why people have stopped dying.

It's an exciting concept, which explains why John Barrowman is so enthused about it:

…although on second thoughts, he's always like that!

Torchwood series 4 is a co-production between Starz, BBC America and BBC Wales, and is set for broadcast on Starz on July 8th 2011 on Starz, with a UK date yet to be confirmed.

No comments: