Doctor Who news

[Craig @craig Emperor]

A topic for news items relating to Doctor Who.

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Tennant’s website is useful

News of 11 months of screenings at the BFI, Southbank London – each month a different Doctor, followed by Q&As <squeals with excitement and I don’t even live anywhere near London!>

Also clip of his recent Jonathon Ross interview

And apparently congrats are due – he’s just announced he’s going ot be a daddy again. Aw 🙂

 

 

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

Clearly acting with all those kids in Single Father made him extremely broody…

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

Apparently Big Finish are doing a “Five Doctors” for their 50th Anniversary release, including Baker x 2. Davison, McCoy and McGann, and an interesting line-up of campanions.

The entire package sounds quite nice, if you are into the audio stuff.

Info: http://www.sfx.co.uk/2013/01/09/doctor-who-50th-anniversary-big-finish-produces-its-own-five-doctors/

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@phaseshift. The 5 Doctor audio sounds great. I must put in my order.

I wonder if this means that Moffat won’t revisit old Doctors in the 50th special?

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Agree re Big Finish. I really think multi-doctor story will work much better done just as audio, then the writers don’t have to worry about having to come up with a solution for the age differential.  Hopefully I won’t miss the sell-by date… as I managed to do completely with the anniversary calendar. 🙁

That’s an interesting point @blenkinsopthebrave  Also the fact that all the previous anniversaries have had multi-doctors could also be an argument for not including one this time, just to keep being different.

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@blenkinsopthebrave & @scaryb

Yes, I think the difficulties of bringing back anyone other than 8 onwards would have been enormous to be honest. I think they could come up with ideas (like Davisons one off with Tennant), but can’t help feeling it will diminish peoples enjoyment to see the ravages of time.

It’s nice that they are doing this to augment the celebrations though. I think we will see them all in some sort of retrospective scene in the 50th TV special (an augmented Eleventh Hour scene perhaps), but no new material.

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

Saturday 12th sees a Delia Derbyshire Day held in Manchester.

The Guardian has a rather good profile on her and the event written by “The Northerner” Team.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2013/jan/10/blogpost-delia-derbyshire-electronic-music-dr-who

An astonishing woman with a true impact on electronic music in general. If anyone hasn’t seen this, after “The Big Bang” was shown on TV, audiences at Glastonbury were treated to Matt Smith joining Orbital at the end of their gig to perform their version of her most famous creation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7NZx2mvL7U

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Nice spot re Delia Derbyshire. There’s been a massive amount of creative talent nurtured thro Who over the years.

Herald Scotland has this report on John Barroman who fell off a horse while in panto in Glasgow recently…! Bet he was panicking about being injured for April. OTOH don’t they know he’s indestructable? (sorry, that was mean 🙂 )

 

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Taking refuge in this nice cosy blog – world’s gone mad out there. the plots of Dr Who make more sense than our current government – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20978487  

Sorry, it’s not Who news but I’m just gobsmacked. MPs want 32% pay rise in same week they’ve slashed benefits, while the House of Commons was in uproarious laughter. You couldn’t make it up.

Slitheen anyone?

<snuggles into the big comfy couch in the corner with a couple of warm new theories 🙂 >

 

[Whisht @whisht]

@scaryb and @bluesqueakpip

yeah, I smiled when I read that Tennant and Moffett had had a kid.

So…

the doctor’s daughter is the daughter of the doctor’s daughter, who is the daughter of the doctor’s daughter.

[I’ll get my coat]

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@scaryb

Yes, the world seems an unfriendly place at the moment. To cheer those with Radio 4 xtra up, does anyone fancy some Nicholas Courtney? While checking the eighth doctor radio plays for next week, I noticed they are showing “The Scaryfyers” on Sunday 13th January (Part 1 of 4).

Although this was the fifth (and final for Nicholas) adventure of the sleuthing duo, they are pretty much stand alone, and can be funny. His partner is Terry Malloy, who played Davros in a couple of the old series.

A wiki overview of the series (no spoilers). You may recognise many of the guest stars.

“The Secret Weapon of Doom” is broadcast over four Sundays between 18:00 and 18:30.

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Nice little interview with Eoin Colfer in today’s Guardian (about his earliest Who memories, and writing the e-book)

[janetteB @janetteb]

@scaryb thanks for the link. I havn’t read any Eoin Colfer books yet.  I think I will try the boys on his new time travel series. It sounds like their kind of book. (and mine.) And I am looking forward to the e-book.

I am pleased that his story features the Dr and Susan and their relationship. A hint for the 50th maybe??

Cheers

Janette

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@scaryb

Thanks for the link to the article, as it was a lot of fun. I was interested to read how he viewed the First Doctor. I’m not sure if I share his view that:

I always imagined him to be a crank who was jaded by the Universe’s cruelty rather than amazed by its wonders.

I don’t really see that in his performance. To me, Hartnells portrayal, in retrospect, plays out rather well as the back-story developed. As you saw the Timelords later as the series went on, you could imagine the First Doctor amongst them somehow. As the “youngest” and the one who had decided to run away, I always imagined him being the one closest to his Timelord inheritance and training, and having some difficulty shaking off some of their attributes of arrogance, impatience with less evolved species, etc. I never saw the “Jaded” aspect.

Still look forward to reading his interpretation though.

[Whisht @whisht]

these seem so….. anachronistic.

Which is somehow… appropriate?

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@whisht

I posted a link from elsewhere to those on the G blog, but thanks for reminding me. I really like them. It’s the first time I’ve asked my local PO to reserve me some stamps since they did the last Terry Pratchett run. My local PO manager loves “Going Postal” and recognises a fellow geek when he sees one. He’s my stamp providing bitch.

[Whisht @whisht]

ah @phaseshift – its great to have your illicit needs provided for at the corner(shop).

[PhaseShift @phaseshift Time Lord]

@whisht

It’s just so convenient! 😆

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

30th March for new episodes…

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

8 eps, apaz.

[Anonymous @]

Excellent. Only two months to go or thereabouts. Must get my speculation hat on….

[Craig @craig Emperor]

Not sure if someone has posted this already, but Eoin Colfer was on the Today programme yesterday (it being the 23rd) talking about his short story. He was talking to James Naughtie who quipped “This is one of these items if I get anything wrong I’ll be answering letters for the next 2 years”. From us? 😀

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21158174

Slight spoilers involved.

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@blenkinsopthebrave You may get a few requests to get us some of these:

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-01-24/doctor-who-new-zealand-mint-aims-to-cash-in-on-50th-anniversary-with-commemorative-tardis-coin

[Juniperfish @juniperfish]

@craig – yes I heard the Jame Naughtie item and it made me smile – definitely us! 🙂

Although, actually we wouldn’t bother with letters, we’d just mine the inner meanings of apparent discontinuities for spiraling clues to infinity…

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Nice link. I do like the idea of the short stories, for exactly the reasons they descibe.   Although I have to say Eoin Colfer may be a bit under-researched if he thinks drawing refs with the story he mentions, and setting it in that particular time is a new idea for Who, LOL.

(Not sure if the specific refs i didn’t mention above are spoilers, hence the circuitous refs. Worse than @IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan ‘s describe-something-only-using-100-most-common-words game – see On the Sofa thread).

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@craig

Ooooh! Like the coins. Don’t think @blenkinsopthebrave can help tho – think he’s on the big lump of land some miles north of NZ.  We need a new Zealand branch!!

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@scaryb Ah, for some reason I thought he was in New Zealand. Must pay more attention! I do have a Scottish ex-girlfriend living there though, in Wellington, and I have a friend in London with family in Christchurch. So I may be able to take orders. Or they may do international delivery themselves (they’d be bonkers not to, really).

Stupid (related story), first time my New Zealander friend came round to mine  she said something that I heard as “I like your Dali”. I said “No, that’s a Matisse (print)”, and she replied “No, your Dalek!” (yes, I have a Dalek on one of my shelves). Probably doesn’t translate as very funny unless you do the accent though. 😀

[HaveYouFedTheFish @haveyoufedthefish]

@craig – that’s where Destiny of the Dali’s went wrong imho: too many melting clocks and lobster telephones

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@haveyoufedthefish LMAO.

Can you imagine? “If I touch these two wires together I could end all trite, bland surrealism with a single stroke. Should I wield that power”. Meanwhile the audience yell “Do it, he’s nothing but a charlatan, and with that moustache he looks a bit like the Master too. What more reason do you need?”. Meanwhile Sarah Jane turns into a lemon.

[janetteB @janetteb]

N.Z. appears to be a Who treasure trove. Our Dalek Salt and Pepper shakers were made there.

Cheers

Janette

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@craig. I think I should point out that “the colonies” to which I have a tendency to refer, are, in fact, rather diverse. And there is a world of difference between Australia and New Zealand. Not precisely sure what a UK equivalent would be…[place your desired locale here] and…the Orkneys?

 

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@blenkinsopthebrave Missed you! Hope your bit of Aussie-land has cooled down just a bit. Are you in Sydney btw? Did you see the Rubber Duck?!! Shades of  Planet of Giants in there 🙂 I want one!!

[ScaryB @scaryb]

LOL @ Dali daleks

What next? Mondas/Mondrian?  New Who game…  Artists and Monsters?

@craig NZ/Oz more lke SE England to Iceland 🙂 They’re all upside down there anyway! Re selling Dr Who coins abroad – it’s things like that that can destabilise economies, LOl. Or tip the balance of the world so UK is upside down, haha.

<Loves how the world is more surreal at 5am, but thinks it’s time she went back to bed :-)>

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@blenkinsopthebrave and @scaryb Ha ha, yes I do know the difference, having travelled most of the east coast of Oz by car, from Fraser Island all the way down to Tasmania, with my Australian ex, and having a friend from New Zealand (who dismisses Oz as the West Island) and another ex who now lives there – I don’t take it personally that she moved as far away as she possibly could! 😀

That’s the problem with lurking I guess, you miss the occasional, important detail!

[Craig @craig Emperor]

BBC Worldwide has just launched a new Doctor Who website. http://www.doctorwho.tv/

There’s already some cool stuff on it. I liked these brief bits from the Reign of Terror reconstruction:
http://www.doctorwho.tv/whats-new/article/exclusive-reign-of-terror-animation-video-clips

And lots of info for beginners on the first Doctor here:
http://www.doctorwho.tv/50-years/doctors/first-doctor

[ScaryB @scaryb]

Thanks for posting the link to new BBC site.  I like how they’ve copied the colour themes of our site. 🙂

I like the counter and there are lots of rather cool features, but I rather miss the dark cosiness of the previous design. This looks a bit more “corporate”. (That’s probably just me, I’m a girl of the night-time!)

Anyone think there’s anything significant in series 7, part 2 going out at Easter weekend again? Apparently it was brought forward a week from original plan, don’t know who by.  (Unless it’s to retcon all the earlier refs to Xmas and easter eggs, LOL)

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

Yes. 🙂

They broadcast the start of S6 on Easter weekend, and dated it as taking place on the Good Friday. And then they killed the Doctor… the Doctor various people believed was a god…

So yeah, if they’ve brought it forward, that sounds like someone looked at the BBC’s schedule and said ‘err, it’s important it broadcasts at Easter, because we’ve got references to Easter in the script’.

 

[Juniperfish @juniperfish]

@craig – I echo @scaryb – thanks for the link.

@bluesqueakpip Undoubtedly significant! Those egg references from the five “blockbuster” episodes were going to go somewhere…

To go back to @phaseshift‘s idea that Clara is a computer virus created by the Doctor, @blenkinsopthebrave and I were wondering whether she might be a “patch” for fixing whatever code error crept in during the Big Bang reboot. Perhaps she is an “Easter egg” in computer terms, a hidden piece of coding whose purpose is discoverable by those who can decrypt the puzzle and reveal the “egg”,

[Juniperfish @juniperfish]

This is a message from Moffat to Dr. Who fans on Tumblr, but I’m sure he’s talking to us too:

“We hope to fuel your mad ideas yet more, with some more of our mad ideas…”

http://doctorwho.tumblr.com/post/19912114889/dear-tumblr-moffat-knows-what-youre-doing-and 

Contemporary sci-fic/ fantasy genre television fiction is essentially a conversation of mad ideas between writers/ the totality of the show’s creatives (because actors, directors and editors contribute to the finished creative work) and their creative fans.

Welcome to the conversation!

[Craig @craig Emperor]

This is airing tonight in the US. I want!

Is supposedly followed by The Aztecs.

[chickenelly @chickenelly]

@craig thanks for the link.

Why isn’t it on here?  *shakes fist at BBC*

 

[Anonymous @]

@chickenelly — indeed, if we don’t get our equivalent versions then I’ll be reaching for my Tissue Compression Eliminator (which even as I write it sounds more like something for getting rid of used hankies)…

[chickenelly @chickenelly]

Interview with JLC in the Observer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2013/jan/27/jenna-louise-coleman-interview

[chickenelly @chickenelly]

Posted the above before actually reading it.  One of those Guardian interviews which doesn’t contain any interview.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

It sounds rather like the interview consisted of:

Interviewer: I’d like to ask you about Doctor Who.

JLC: I’m contractually required to say nothing at all about Doctor Who.

Interviewer: Errr, errr….

[ScaryB @scaryb]

R the JLC interview – one thing that is said –

Coleman’s character is a woman called Oswin, who exists (uh-oh) across multiple dimensions

Is that the interviewer’s summing up or is that info now part of official release? (ie she’s actually Oswin, not Clara (eg riffs on name Oswin (eg the Win OS theory) still worth thinking about?) Dimensions, rather than time streams…??). Haha 11 words – a million possibilities of meaning 🙂

[ScaryB @scaryb]

And yes, thanks @craig for the link.

@bluesqueakpip – I agree with you – I got all excited there! NZ TV also doing mega broadcast over next 11 months (tho they’re maybe just consoloditating the pitch to get P Jackson to direct the movie in his fav location).

I think Moffat’s promise that Who will be “everywwhere” in UK suggests more than just 1 documentary and a 90min episode (very very welcome as those things are). We just need to be patient. And enjoy the buold up!

I keep getting the ghost of an idea about how they could use the internet to break @Blenkinsop’s 4th wall – usually around 4am, after several glasses of wine – only for it to completely dissipate in the cold light of morning. If it ever solidifies into a proper theory I’ll let you know!!

[ScaryB @scaryb]

A more considered opinion of revamped Who-site – link posted by Craig, above – bit disappointing. It’s a bit too cold and corporate. Its last incarnation felt more like you were diving into Who-world. eg the info pages felt more like you were accessing TARDIS info-files. It feels like it’s being pitched more at the media than at fans. The only really interactive bits are for selling merch.

They should get @craig on to it 😀

[Craig @craig Emperor]

Just saw this tweet by Mark Gatiss

The day has dawned! Read-through today of ‘An Adventure in Space & Time’. Bill always said that one day he’d come back…

— Mark Gatiss (@Markgatiss) January 29, 2013

It also made me think. This story will feature an actor playing William Hartnell playing the first Doctor. Hmmm, an actor ready made for a first Doctor appearance in the 50th in a meta, winking and possibly breaking the fourth wall kinda way.

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