The BBC is set to reveal the identity of who will succeed Matt Smith as The Doctor on a half-hour live special. Hosted by Zoe Ball, Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor is set for broadcast this Sunday afternoon here in the States on BBC-America at 2PM EST.
Per BBC:
"Widely regarded as one of the most hotly contested roles in British television, the special’s host Zoe Ball will unveil the Twelfth Doctor in their first ever interview in front of a live studio audience. The half hour show will include live special guests, Doctors old and new, as well as companions and celebrity fans. Current Doctor Matt Smith and lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat will both give interviews in the special.
Steven Moffat says: “The decision is made and the time has come to reveal who’s taking over the TARDIS. For the last of the Time Lords, the clock is striking twelve.”
Matt Smith will make his penultimate appearance in the 50th Anniversary special on Saturday, November 23 and his Eleventh Doctor will regenerate in the Christmas Special. Doctor Who is produced by BBC Cymru Wales."
SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!! The Fall of the Eleventh may be ultimately coming sooner than we had expected. Matt Smith will be leaving Doctor Who at the end of this year the BBC just announced as well as being reported by the UK press. His final trip in the TARDIS as the Eleventh Doctor will be in the 2013 Christmas Special. So who will cancel Christmas?
Per the BBC:
"The BBC is today announcing that Matt Smith is to leave Doctor Who after four incredible years on the hit show. Matt first stepped into the TARDIS in 2010 and will leave the role at the end of this year after starring in the unmissable 50th Anniversary in November and regenerating in the Christmas special. During his time as the Doctor, Matt has reached over 30 million unique UK viewers and his incarnation has seen the show go truly global. He was also the first actor to be nominated for a BAFTA in the role. Doctor Who is BBC AMERICA's highest-rated series and premieres as part of the channel's Supernatural Saturday programming block."
"Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show," Matt Smith said in the official statement. "I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day, to realize all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience."
"Many of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years," he continued.
Bleeding Cool had a tip off earlier in the day and predicted the (embargoed) big announcement from the BBC that Smith would be leaving the show, not long after it celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
Smith had nothing but high praise for his loyal Whovians. "The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before, your dedication is truly remarkable."
"Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number Eleven, who I might add is not done yet, I'm back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special," he concluded to his fans.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, expect the already sky high expectations for the 50th Anniversary to amp up exponentially now that we now have merely two appearances remaining before the Eleventh Doctor regenerates to the Twelfth in the Christmas Special.
OK fellow Whovians, this just got real. This awesome behind-the-scenes, image, which was just tweeted by the BBC, will hopefully be the first of many exciting pics from the set of Doctor Who in the coming weeks.
Hopefully April Fool's Day pranks are not popular in the UK, otherwise it would be REALLY wrong to doctor and post a photo in this manner today.
So here we have it, our first look at Doctors Ten and Eleven sharing time, space and watermarked scripts following the table read of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special.
As we reported over the weekend, BBC announced the big news that David Tennant and Billie Piper would reprise their popular Who roles of the Tenth Doctor and companion Rose Tyler in the landmark half century-in-the-making episode of the iconic British sci-fi series, joining current Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith and companion Clara played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.
Production on the episode beings this week, so fingers crossed for additional imminent pictures, updates and announcements from the set.
"You're the impossible girl, the only mystery worth solving," so says the Doctor in describing his new companion Clara, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.
With the Doctor Who machine raging on as we rapidly approach the show's highly anticipated mid-season premiere this Saturday night, Access Hollywood caught up in person with Jenna, who as fans know will be making her third first appearance on the iconic British sci-fi show.
The actress confirms that the Clara we meet in this week's episode The Bells of Saint John is in fact, a entirely new character. But we will have to wait and see how it all ties together in the typical mind bending Who fashion we have become accustomed to.
While she was as expected tight lipped regarding juicy details on the show's 50th Anniversary Special, she not only revealed shooting the landmark episode is imminent, but that her Grandma has plans to visit the super secret set.
"Well, I think she’s gonna come on set when we’re filming the 50th, which she’s very excited about. She’s gonna be patting Matt a lot. Matt’s her favorite Doctor," she told Access. "I can’t wait. I’ve got a new draft of the script to read today, We’re shooting in 3D."
Following the quick kiss between the Doctor and Clara in the 2012 Christmas Special The Snowmen, where Coleman played a version of the mysterious character in Victorian-era London, would romance carry over into the modern day incarnation who will be at the Doctor's side for the remainder of the season?
"Um, I think well, we start Series Seven and it’s very much like, we haven’t met this Clara before. So we start the story again. So what happens in the Christmas episode doesn't necessarily carry on through. So there’s, I think there’s definitely always a certain level of kind of a frisson and a flirtation and kind of a form of attraction always between the Doctor and his companions," Coleman said.
"I think that’s one thing you always want to know, is it going to be a romance story between the Doctor and the companion, but I think, that you know, there’s so much more at work here and I kind of don’t want to give anything away going into the series, but it’s a new start again. It’s a completely, it’s a different character, it’s a different girl and we’ll, we will all understand why," she revealed.
Utmost secrecy is a must for all things Who these days. Among other things, Coleman revealed her code name was "Men On Waves" during the audition process for the role of the new Who companion.
"'Men on Waves,' which is an anagram, which I figured out later, for 'Woman Seven,'" Coleman recalled. "And so when you’re going into the BBC, and you know you have all these code names and talking to your agent on the phone, it’s ‘So, men on waves…’"
And when it came to strong female leads for Coleman to check out to prepare for playing Clara, Matt Smith suggested an iconic character few would argue with.
"Do you know, again, something Matt suggested that I watch, which I really enjoyed, was the first Indiana Jones movie. And that was brilliant for Doctor Who and I loved the fact that she [Marion Ravenwood] wasn’t the damsel in distress. It was quite fiery and you know, she wasn’t kind of just the helpless woman I suppose. So that was great to watch, between those two."
You can check out the full Access Hollywood interview HERE.
Doctor Who returns on BBC America with The Bells of Saint John on Saturday at 8 PM.
No stopping the Who locomotive now with a week to go until the series returns with the mid-season premiere. Earlier today we saw a prequel scene to The Bells of Saint John hit the web, now BBC has set forth the full trailer for the first of eight new Doctor Who episodes.
The Doctor tracks down the modern day counterpart of Clara Oswin Oswald, and the new adventures begin...
"The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy."
Check out this touching prequel short just released by BBC to next weekend's big Doctor Who mid-season premiere The Bells of Saint John. The Doctor (Matt Smith) remains baffled by the mystery surrounding Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) following the events of December's The Snowmen. While taking a break when his search for her turns up empty, the Time Lord gets some unexpected advice in a playground. Even though this short clip clocks in at only about 2:30 minutes, don't think for a second that Who mastermind Steven Moffat wouldn't find time to effectively screw with our heads.
Doctor Who returns this Saturday on March 30th in the first of an eight episode run with The Bells of Saint John at 8PM on BBC America.
Doctor Who's March Madness towards its mid-season premiere on Saturday the 30th rages on with two collector's edition covers on Entertainment Weekly. One features the Doctor (Matt Smith) and new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) posing in front of the TARDIS and a Dalek, while the other sees the Doctor dueling with one of the evil Cybermen, a classic Who villain set to return with an upgrade in an upcoming episode. Besides a an interview with Matt Smith and a breakdown of all 50 years worth of 11 Doctors, the mag will also feature a Who essay written by Peter Jackson.
According to EW:
"For our Doctor Who cover story we visited the show on location in Wales, grilled executive producer Steven Moffat about the upcoming episodes and the 50th anniversary special, which is being broadcast this fall, and luncheoned in Manhattan with Smith. In our Who package you’ll also find a breakdown of all 11 Doctors and, perhaps best of all, an essay by Peter Jackson in which the Lord of the Rings director recounts his Who-love and announces his price for directing an episode. You’ll think the magazine is, well, bigger on the inside…"
The Doctor Who issue of Entertainment Weekly hits newsstands on Friday, March 22.
The countdown to the next wave of adventures for the Doctor and his new mysterious companion Clara is in full swing. BBC America has released the posters and synopses for the first four episodes in addition to a new teaser trailer that offers much to ponder and look forward to.
Doctor Who is set to return in The Bells of Saint John on BBC America on March 30th at 8 PM.
The Bells of Saint John - Episode 6
The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.
The Rings of Akhaten - Episode 7
Clara wants to see something awesome, so the Doctor whisks her off to the inhabited rings of the planet Akhaten, where the Festival of Offerings is in full swing. Clara meets the young Queen of Years as the pilgrims and natives ready for the ceremony. But something is stirring in the pyramid, and a sacrifice will be demanded.
Cold War - Episode 8
The Doctor and Clara land on a damaged Russian Submarine in 1983 as it spirals out of control into the ocean depths. An alien creature is loose on board, having escaped from a block of Arctic ice. With tempers flaring and a cargo of nuclear weapons on board, it’s not just the crew but the whole of humanity at stake!
Hide - Episode 9
Clara and the Doctor arrive at Caliburn House, a haunted mansion sat alone on a desolate moor. Within its walls, a ghost hunting Professor and a gifted psychic are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but is she really a ghost? And what is chasing her?
In Part One of my chat with Peter Davison at New York Comic Con, we focused on his time in the early '80s playing the Fifth Doctor. For Part Two we move to more recent events for Davison, switching gears to discuss the Fifth and Tenth Doctors shared time in the TARDIS for the BBC's 2007 Children In Need Special, the circumstances involved in becoming an in-law to David Tennant, and what Davison knows about Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary plans.
Before we get to the interview, let's see if we can sort out Davison's own amazing Time Lord Family Tree. Peter's daughter Georgia Moffett (no relation to Who's current show runner Steven Moffat), guest starred as the title character in the 2008 Doctor Who episode titled, you guessed it, The Doctor's Daughter. Georgia played Jenny opposite David Tennant's then current Tenth Doctor. As fate would have it, Moffett and Tennant hit it off, married in 2011 and are proud parents to Davison's granddaughter, Olive Tennant.
So the Fifth Doctor's real life daughter portrayed the Tenth Doctor's daughter on TV, and then married her TV Doctor father in real life. Additionally, said Doctor's daughter is also both the proud mother of the Tenth Doctor's daughter and Fifth Doctor's granddaughter. Throw in for good measure that the Fifth Doctor is the Tenth Doctor's father-in-law.
Got that? Now onto the interview.
Tell us about teaming up with David Tennant for the Doctor Who: Time Crash short in 2007.
DAVISON: I loved it because I was his Doctor. And that was really the point of that Children In Need special, a double thing about it. Him looking back at his own self, but also talking about him as David Tennant, watching me on the telly. It was fantastic and it was a great thrill doing it with him. He has since become my son-in-law of course. When I’m always talking about him as a different entity, then I think he's my son-in-law. But no, he was great. It was an honor to be doing it and we had a great deal of fun making it. We did it in one day.
Thank you for the little lead into my next question. Your daughter Georgia had a memorable role playing ironically enough, The Doctor's Daughter. What was your reaction when she told you she had a role in Doctor Who?
DAVISON: Originally when she went up, she was among the many other people who went up for Rose [eventually played by Billie Piper]. So I thought it was great. She came home and they offered her a part in a particular story, but they said "We'd rather you not do this part because we have a much better part in a later story if you'd like to hang on." So she asked me what I thought she should do, "Well you just have to trust its decently written of course." When it came along the story they wanted her to do was called The Doctor's Daughter, they obviously saw the irony of it. So they decided this would be a much better part for her to do because it worked on every level. I thought it was great, I think she's a brilliant actress, Georgia. I think she's terrific. I just saw her on the West End. I hope she sticks with it. But she's a bit like me, I never had a driving ambition. I loved working, but I don't think i ever had a driving ambition. I was mostly driven by the fact that people kept offering me jobs, which was great. I think she's much the same way and she has the baby now. She wants to be a mother as well.
With two Doctors in the family now, you must get your fair share of double takes when you and David are out together in public. DAVISON: It's very weird now. This just happened a couple of weeks ago: David and my daughter came over and we decided to go for a walk with the dog, so we got ready. Now as a matter of course when I'm in a crowded park I put on my baseball cap and dark glasses. So I do that, walk out and look around and David of course is wearing exactly the same thing. So we both have dark glasses and baseball caps pulled down over our heads because we both suffer from the same thing. I think I would be fine now actually, but I'm so programmed to be doing this thinking in case people go, "Hey mate, where's your TARDIS?" But David of course still gets terribly hassled if you go out anywhere. I've not been out with him anywhere I've had to drag him away from people in the end. He wants to stand there and sign autographs but you just can't do it. The more you do it the more people come up and just draws more attention. So in the end he has to be rescued.
What do you feel is your legacy in regards to the enduring near fifty year history of Doctor Who?
DAVISON: I think the legacy of not only me but the other Classic Doctors, which I think did suffer from sometimes dodgy scripts and dodgy sets, but you know out there watching these programs were I picture these three little boys: One of whom would grow up to be Doctor Who, another which would grow up to produce Doctor Who and another who got to write Doctor Who in David Tennant, Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat. So in another words, it's the lunatics now running the asylum, and they're doing a damn good job of it really!
2013 will be a milestone year for Doctor Who. Can you share any news? Would you be open to participate in an Anniversary Reunion Special?
DAVISON: Honestly I have not heard anything at all, so I don't know. I'd be very happy to take part in whatever they want me to take part in. I'm just worried that it might be a little difficult to do it and make it work as a proper story. Unless it was a special, almost a bit like David and I did. He's very resourceful Steven [Moffat], so he might come up with the way of doing it, who knows.
Following our interview, Davison had this to add during his New York Comic Con Panel Discussion when asked about the Who Fiftieth Anniversary.
DAVISON: Every day I check the phone to see if Steven Moffat has called me. I have no idea. I'm sure people think I'm in some way sworn to secrecy, but I dont know what's happening next year. I've nothing to report on this. I'm sure it will be something fantastic, but I don't know what. I think Steven Moffat is playing it very close to his chest.
It should also be noted that these interviews took place prior to the recent announcement that the five living Classic Doctors (Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann) would be lending their voices for an special anniversary audio drama called Doctor Who: The Light At The End. Whether they will appear together in the planned televised special on November 23rd or participate in other events still remains a mystery.
There have been few science fiction shows with a richer history than Doctor Who. The BBC series celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year and has big, albeit top secret, plans to mark the incredible milestone. There have been eleven incarnations of the Doctor during the show's run, played by different actors over years and allowed the immortal time travelling adventurer to hop across the universe for a half century.
Peter Davison first appeared as the Fifth Doctor in 1981, following Tom Baker, whose seven-year stint was trademarked by his mop of curly dark hair and colorful long scarf. Baker's run left a memorable stamp on the popular Time Lord that would seem like an intimidating act to follow. At 29, Davison was the youngest actor at the time to portray the role, which until then had been played only by a succession of middle-aged to near elderly Brits. His first full episode, Castrovalva, aired in 1982.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Davison at New York Comic Con shortly before he took the stage for a panel discussion and fan Q&A. For this two part interview, we covered many topics, which included Who fandom, his thoughts about following Tom Baker's legendary stint, how the series has evolved since the era of the Classic Doctors, what he knows about the 50th Anniversary plans, and the real life ironic time warp no fan could have come ever dreamt up: his own daughter's marriage to the Tenth Doctor, David Tennant.
We're here at New York Comic Con, where you will be meeting fans, signing autographs and participating in panel discussions over the next three days. How do you like attending these kind of events?
DAVISION: I like it. It's fun. I think that it's very important. I always thought that fandom, my experience for the most part is of just Doctor Who fandom as most of things I have done has been Doctor Who, that they are an extraordinary kind of set of people. Everyone appears to be super nice.
I covered Matt Smith's recent New York City season premiere screening in August, and looking at the attending audience really hit home how the show's resurgence is attracting a young fan base. Have you noticed that shift as well?
DAVISON: Yeah I have. Certainly that's true. A lot of people now that come up and go ‘I love your Doctor,’ and I go ‘How on Earth did you manage to see that? Because you're 18.’ What's interesting is when they get through either Matt Smith or David Tennant, then they look around and go to the Classic Doctors. And what's interesting that over the years when I was part of the main of what is now the classic Doctor Whos, I felt almost out of place because I was much younger than anyone else. But now with the return of the series and the Doctors themselves getting younger, I feel almost more a part of the Modern Doctors then the Classic Doctors. I'm not, I know. I appreciate my place. I am a Classic Doctor, but weirdly I don't seem out of place now.
You were the youngest actor to portray the Doctor at the time? DAVISON: I was the youngest Doctor apparently. Until Matt Smith stole my crown. Little upstart. No I'm very happy.
Tom Baker had a memorable seven year run on the show. His particular take with the scarf, hat and long coat really provided the Doctor with a look that hit it off with the masses. Was it daunting to succeed Tom in the role? DAVISION: It was a bit daunting I suppose. It wasn't so daunting as it was coming over here to do a convention after. Because over here for the most part no one knew any other Doctor other than Tom. In Britain Tom was the Fourth Doctor. My Doctor was William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton probably more so than John Pertwee. So simply I was number Five in the line of Doctors. Daunting because he had done it for seven years I suppose, but I was very happy to take on that challenge. I was a bit more worried when I came over here as the kind of upstart who replaced the Doctor who was Tom.
How long were you the Doctor by the time you made your first appearance here?
DAVISON: I think actually my first appearance here was probably before I appeared [on TV]. So no one had actually seen me in Doctor Who. I remember I was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They were very nice but I remember being asked weirdly a question about a Patrick Troughton story as if I was the Doctor. It all must be in my head somewhere.
Everything these days seems to finds itself on the receiving end of intense internet scrutiny. Are you happy you didn't have to deal with bloggers, online reviews and internet spoilers during your run on Doctor Who, especially at the transition stage? DAVISON: Hopefully I wouldn't have read them. I think it's a huge mistake for actors to take anything seriously in terms of what those people say. Because they are representative of a certain of the people, but they're hugely destructive. Those people who write those things they can do so in this certain virtual anonymity of the Internet. But sadly the nature of us as human beings is that you can get 200 people saying you're fantastic, and one person saying you're terrible, and it's that person you'll take note of. You get one person that says you're terrible and you think ‘Oh my God I'm terrible. I'm terrible. Just awful.’ And such is our insecurity. So I try to just ignore it. Its not kinda relevant. You do what you do.
Did you have much input regarding the Fifth Doctor? DAVISON: In terms of just the practical side, as in the costume, not that much. I suggested the cricketer theme. The celery stick was something that John [Nathan-Turner] came to me and said ‘I want something. I'm trying to think of something interesting for you to wear on your lapel.’ And he came to me and said ‘I've got this great idea: A stick of celery.’ And I said ‘Why?’ I said ‘Well that's fine as long as you explain it by the time I leave.’ We got to the very last story and I reminded him he hadn't actually explained it. So they wrote a thing in there that it was an antidote to a certain gas that the Doctor is allergic to. And that is how it was explained. So it was fine. That was all John, not me. The Doctor's attire certainly became even that much more colorful with Colin Baker as the Sixth.
DAVISON: It was on drugs by the time it got to Colin Baker's time.
What were you able to bring to this younger version Doctor Who? DAVISON: You’re cast really because of who you are. So you have to look at yourself, I'm younger and I can move a bit quicker. I think what I wanted to bring to it was to bring back a kind of innocence to the character. He wanted to do the right thing. If there was an unknown in mind about Tom's time as the Doctor, and I enjoyed it greatly, it was almost so kind of glib. You never really thought there was a threat, and I loved it for that. It was very funny. But I know that [producer] John [Nathan-Turner] wanted all of the funny bits when I took over and I didn't want that to happen. But I did think it had lost some of its innocence a bit and maybe I just felt that was something I could bring to it.
Was there a conscious effort to avoid re-tracing the tracks of the Fourth Doctor? DAVISON: I couldn't be Tom. Tom had his own brilliant way of doing it and as I say, I loved it. But I remember one episode I think he's about to be sliced in half by by some kind of terrible device and he's offering jelly babies around. I remember thinking that really in a way undermines the point of what's about to happen. You can have humor in, it but if it's at the moments when you're in danger, maybe it takes away from it. So I suppose that's really what I wanted to bring back to it, an innocence with all this, not power, but everything at his disposal. Just trying to do the right thing.
What are your memories of your last episode, working your way towards the regeneration scene?
DAVISON: It's a very strange feeling knowing that, as Tom must have felt, that at some point the next Doctor comes in and you shoot the regeneration scene. I have to say generally that the last story was the best story that I did. I think it was brilliantly directed and I couldn't have been happier with it as an enjoyable experience. Except maybe the fact that that I've said before in my great regeneration scene my limelight was stolen by [companion] Nicola Bryant’s chest bending over to me saying ‘Doctor, Doctor are you okay?’ And I'm thinking everyone is just going to be looking at her cleavage. No one is going to be looking at me at all.
Check back here next week for Part Two with Peter Davison where among other things, we talk about BBC's memorable teaming up of the Fifth and Tenth Doctor in 2007, what family life is like when it has two Doctors in the house, and what Davison knows about the Who's 50th Anniversary.
So all us Whovians are more than aware of Doctor Who's big 50th Anniversary celebration set for later this year. Exactly what it will entail is still a highly guarded secret. Save for the previously announced made for TV-movie An Adventure In Space and Timewhich will chronicle the show's genesis in the '60s, a set of commemorative Who postal stamps, and a series of eBooks based on each of the Doctor's identities, there has been scant official news from the BBC or show runner Steven Moffat. But just about everyone with a connection to the series, past and present, who has been asked in so many terms if they will be involved or invited to be involved, have claimed absolutely no knowledge of partaking.
David Tennant appeared as a guest on The Jonathan Ross Show and was accordingly grilled on what he knows. As par the course, Tennant revealed zilch about the possibility of reprising his role as the 10th Doctor. "I know nothing," he asserted. But what is more interesting is that he revealed that a rep from the BBC, apparently terrified of leaks, followed the actor backstage and swore him to secrecy regarding the 'nothing' he knows.
Here is what he told Ross:
"I'll tell you how terrified they are. In make-up, this lovely lady from the BBC came in and she said 'I've been sent to say that anything about the Doctor Who 50th anniversary must not be mentioned on television.' That's how scared they are! I don't know anything and they're sending out spies to shut me up from telling you things I don't know!"
All in due time. There have been more denials than anything else, and obviously what are the likes of Tennant going to do when interrogated live on camera while trying to maintain the strict shroud of secrecy that has been typically associated with the show? There is something grand planned, of that we can be certain. And frankly if Tom Baker agrees to put the scarf back on one last time to interact with Matt Smith, David Tennant and Peter Davison, I'd rather be surprised when the 50th Anniversary Special airs on November 23rd than read all about it online first.
I ran across two great short films that are worth checking out for all the loyal Whovians out there in Whoville. Each has its own take on paying homage to the animation genre, one in a classic cartoon style, the other a stop-motion short reminiscent of the iconic Rankin/Bass holiday specials. Blink To The Future is fun and clever animated mash-up of Doctor Who and Back To The Future, featuring a tricked out TARDIS inspired DeLorean. As creator James Farr puts it on his YouTube Channel: "Somewhere in the jaw-dropping vastness of the multi-verse, I like to think that this cartoon plays at 7am every Saturday morning."
Animator and artist Alisa Stern cooked up the heartwarming stop motion film How The Doctor Puppet Saved Christmas, and created the latest adventure for the Doctor Puppet just in time for the holidays.
We have two new sneak preview clips to enjoy before tomorrow night's annual Doctor Who Christmas Special makes its worldwide debut. The Snowmen is the last new adventure in 2012 for the Doctor and marks the highly anticipated debut of Jenna Louise-Coleman as his new companion Clara in a Victorian-era timeline (which is a far cry from the surprise and baffling appearance she made as Oswin in Asylum of the Daleks set hundreds of years in the future).
In addition, there promises to be an updated title sequence and theme, as well a make-over for the TARDIS, which has sported a very earth toned and worn steampunk look for the past several years. The new aesthetic is a homage to the simpler look of control rooms of the past and reflects darker mood that is hinted to go along with the Doctor's state of mind heading into the second wave of Who's current season and 50th Anniversary.
Also be sure to check out the Doctor Who Adventure Calendar, which has been unlocking a new behind-the-scenes video for each day in December as the countdown to The Snowmen continues.
From BBC:
"Christmas Eve 1892, and the falling snow is the stuff of fairy-tales. When the fairy-tale becomes a nightmare and a chilling menace threatens Earth, an unorthodox young governess, Clara, calls on the Doctor for help. But the Doctor is in mourning, reclusive and determined not to engage in the problems of the universe. As old friends return, will the Doctor really abandon humankind or will he fight to save the world – and Christmas – from the icy clutches of this mysterious menace.
This year’s Doctor Who Christmas Special, The Snowmen, introduces a new companion, a new look for the Doctor, plus a new monster in this movie-scale episode. Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and introducing Jenna-Louise Coleman as new companion Clara, The Snowmen follows their adventures as they embark on a mission to save Christmas from the villainous Doctor Simeon (Richard E Grant, The Iron Lady, Dracula) and his army of icy snowmen."
Doctor Who: The Snowmen airs here on BBC America on Christmas Day at 9PM.
BBC announced this week there will be a revamped theme, opening titile sequence and teased a new design for the TARDIS when we next see the Doctor in the The Snowmen, the annual Doctor Who Christmas Special set to air on BBC America on December 25th.
We now have a full reveal of the Doctor's new threads and the updated console in the revamped control room of the iconic time machine. Jettisoning the recent crowded and very used steam punk aesthetic, this is certainly a look that pays homage to the TARDIS sets of the past, which seems appropriate with the series heading into its 50th Anniversary next year.
These new images from The Snowmen were also released, showing that the Doctor and his new companion Clara get friendly rather quickly in the episode.
BBC is gearing up big time for the holiday with the Doctor Who Christmas Special set to air on December 25th. We have seen a darker new look for Matt Smith's Doctor, and were treated to the trailer to the annual special, titled The Snowmen.
We also now have a short warm-up in the form of a prequel mini-sode set in Victorian-era England. The Great Detective, which made its broadcast debut during BBC's Children in Need Special, follows the tragic events of October's mid-season finale, The Angels Take Manhattan. The shattered Doctor is dealing with the terrible loss of the Ponds, and to continue on without his companions is not on his priority list. We are witness to a broken Time Lord here, and the darker turn for Smith's eleventh Doctor is not a complete surprise, with heavy hints dropped throughout the last season and a half of his other side.
Whether his old friends Vastra, Strax, and Jenny can convince him to come out of retirement remains to be seen, but its safe to assume the TARDIS will be hopping about again when Jenna-Louise Coleman makes her long awaited debut as the Doctor's new companion Clara on December 25th.
Check out this early Christmas gift for Whovians, which also has a special intro by Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman.
Following the release of the first image revealing the Doctor's darker bow tie-less new look in the 2012 Doctor Who Christmas Special, the title of this year's annual special has been revealed in addition to the full trailer.
Matt Smith and new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman provide a special introduction to the new look at The Snowmen, which is scheduled to air here on BBC America on Christmas Day.
Jenna-Louise Coleman made an unexpected appearance as Oswin in the seventh season premiere, Asylum of the Daleks, and apparently playing a completely different character than Clara, the new companion set to be introduced in the Christmas Special.
Smith and Coleman do not ignore this fact in the fun video intro to The Snowmen's sneak peek. And undoubtedly, these pieces will all fit together perfectly in the grand scheme of the Doctor Who puzzle.
According to BBC: "A new companion, a new look for the Doctor, plus a new monster will all be introduced in this movie-scale episode. Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and introducing Jenna-Louise Coleman as new companion Clara, The Snowmen follows their adventures as they embark on a mission to save Christmas from the villainous Doctor Simeon (Richard E Grant, The Iron Lady, Dracula) and his army of icy snowmen. "
"The Doctor at Christmas is one of my favorite things - but this year it's different. He's lost Amy and Rory to the Weeping Angels, and he's not in a good place: in fact, he's Scrooge. He's withdrawn from the world and no longer cares what happens to it," said Steven Moffat, Who's Executive Producer and head writer in a press release.
"So when all of humanity hangs in the balance, can anyone persuade a tired and heartbroken Doctor that it's time to return to the good fight. Enter Jenna-Louise Coleman...”
Matt Smith added, “For this year’s Christmas special we have the wonderfully villainous Richard E Grant as Doctor Simeon. As well as lizards, Victorian assassins and deranged warriors from the future, who all return to convince the Doctor that he should board the TARDIS again and save the world. Add to that Jenna-Louise Coleman and so begins the Christmas Special 2012. I hope everyone enjoys it!” The Doctor Who Christmas Special premieres December 25, 9:00pm ET.
Doctor Who fans are in the final stretch leading to this Saturday's much talked about fond farewell to the beloved Ponds, Amy and Rory, in the mid-season finale, The Angels Take Manhattan.
The fifth and final show that is set to air in 2012 was shot on location in New York City last April, and features the return of the popular villains, the Weeping Angels. Fret not, following the annual Who Christmas Special in December, the second wave of Seventh Season episodes are on-deck for 2013 featuring a new companion for the Doctor played by Jenna Louise-Coleman (who was unexpectedly introduced with questions aplenty in the season premiere, Asylum of the Daleks).
I had the opportunity to sit down with Karen Gillan for a roundtable interview last month shortly before the New York City premiere screening of Asylum at the Ziegfeld Theater. At that time I asked her about her impressions of shooting the Ponds' swan song episode of Doctor Who in the Big Apple, and what she recalled about her final moments on the set before the very last 'cut' was called.
After answering questions from some of the other journalist present, I welcomed Gillan back to the Big Apple (she and Matt Smith attended the 2010 screening of her Who debut episode at the Paley Center For Media, which introduced fans to Smith as the newly regenerated 11th Doctor), and asked her what her NYC filming experience was like. Fan and paparazzi pictures from Times Square and Central Park sets popped up online almost immediately.
"It was just the best experience, it really was. And it’s kind of interesting because when we did that Paley Center thing it was kind of at the beginning of introducing it to America for the first time, and then we were saying how much we’d love to shoot there. And actually, my final episode was shot in New York, which is kind of weird. But it was amazing," she recalled.
"We were in Central Park and we started shooting. Then all these people turned up and we didn’t expect it at all, at all. So we didn’t have any sort of security or anything like that, and then more and more turned up to the point where there was just hundreds upon hundreds of people lining Central Park and just screaming. And they were like, 'Sign my TARDIS!' It was just the most amazing thing."
"And then we ran to Time Square and quickly shot this scene and trying to draw as little interest as possible I guess. It was really funny seeing Matt running around Time Square in his bow tie. I was like, 'Am I imagining this? This is so weird!'" she said.
Before the interview wrapped, I asked her what she could share about shooting her final scene on the set of Doctor Who, which appropriately also featured Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill. Obviously they shoot out of sequence, so Gillan's actual final scene was (most likely) not Amy Pond's final scene in context of the show's continuity.
I was curious to hear her reminisce about the moments right before 'cut' was called for the very last time. Perhaps there was a conscious effort to do whatever it took to keep shooting. Did anyone purposely keep blowing their lines?
"Honestly it was the weirdest, most serene feeling on set all day," she recalled.
"And then it was our last scene walking into the TARDIS. And then we did about twenty takes of it though, which was really weird. Maybe the director was delaying it. It was lovely though because then Matt closed the door, and it was complete darkness and we all just hugged in the dark. It was like, 'It’s done!' It was just the most emotional feeling, it really was," she said.
Doctor Who: The Angels Take Manhattan airs on Saturday, September 29th at 9pm on BBC America.
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