31
OCTOBER 2005 | PERSONALITY |
Vote for RTD as Greatest Briton (Arts)
Today
sees the launch of the Morgan Stanley Great Britons 2005 Awards,
the second such event created to celebrate British success and acknowledge outstanding
achievements.
As with last year, they are inviting public
nominations for those who have achieved such success in a particularly "British" way
during the past year.
Vote for DOCTOR
WHO 'show runner',
Russell T Davies in the Arts category for his achievement in challenging and
populist television (for CASANOVA and DOCTOR WHO,
and a legacy of thought-provoking productions such as QUEER AS FOLK and THE
SECOND COMING).
EXTRA
Click the link to VOTE - until 25 November
30
OCTOBER 2005 | PERSONALITY |
New Peter Purves Interview
UK
webzine, KASTERBOROUS, has an exclusive and all-new interview
with former CLASSIC SERIES companion, Peter Purves (he played Steven Taylor).
A fascinating interview includes
the actor/presenter's views on the NEW SERIES, his time with the series and which
actor could have produced the closest performance to that of the definitive
First Doctor, William Hartnell.
And it's not who you would think
it is!
EXTRA
Click above - Direct link to the Peter Purves interview
27
OCTOBER 2005 | SERIES
2 | Roger Lloyd-Pack joins cast as baddie
Leaked
by THE MIRROR last night (and just confirmed by the BBC late
this morning), more casting news.
ONLY
FOOLS AND HORSES star Roger Lloyd-Pack (far right) is to join the cast
of DOCTOR
WHO for the new series. The actor - Trigger who always
called Rodney "Dave" in the classic
BBC sitcom - will be a baddie (known as John Lumic. Hint.) in
a two-part story with the Time Lord's long-standing enemies the Cybermen.
This story co-stars Tracey-Ann Oberman (EASTENDERS).
THE
MIRROR report
EXTRA
27
OCTOBER 2005 | SERIES
2
| New EXHIBITION for 2005
The
highly successful DOCTOR WHO exhibition on BRIGHTON
PIER closes on 6 November,
but there's good news for fans!
BBC WORLDWIDE is planning a special
exhibition to coincide with David Tennant's first (full) episode, THE
CHRISTMAS INVASION. The
location, so far, is top secret - but will not be in Brighton.
eyeofhorus.org.uk expects the
exhibition to be located in London, with the expectation that
this will be the central, long term home for the NEW SERIES props and costumes. At
it's launch, organiser's of the Brighton Pier told eyeofhorus.org.uk that
a Central London location "fell through" and Brighton was then sought as a host.
Friday,
28 October 2005
So, it wasn't London - but somewhere better! The
new location for the DOCTOR
WHO EXHIBITION is The
National Space Centre (Leicester) - which is a FANTASTIC
home for the series. As the blurb says:
"Dr Who's Grotto lands at the National Space Centre,
bring the family along to meet the Daleks and visit our space themed Christmas
shopping market (loads of great gifts) and workshop area making Christmas gifts
for all the family. Launch day: 10-11 December 2005."
Located south of Nottingham, east of Birmingham,
north of Luton and west of Norwich it is perfect travelling distance of most
people in the UK. Tickets range from £9.95 downwards.
EXTRA
26
OCTOBER 2005 | MERCHANDISE
| Tennant Action Figures
As
part of the BRAND LICENSING expo this week, CHARACTER OPTIONS has
announced as range of SERIES 1 + 2 action figures and toys. Interestingly it
contains characters from SERIES 1, THE END OF THE WORLD (are
we to assume that along with Cassandra that Moxx is returning?) and ALIENS
OF LONDON (will the
Slitheen family - or another family - return to SERIES 2?).
As follows:
New five-inch action figures - in line with the
currently released Dalek
Pack 1 - The Tenth Doctor (in his 'signature'
outfit) with long overcoat and Sonic Screwdriver accessory
Pack 2 - Rose Tyler and K-9
Pack 3- Intergalactic Warlord, the Sycorax Warrior
complete with two weapons
Pack 4 - A double pack of Lady Cassandra and Moxx of Balhoon
Pack 5 - A Slitheen action figure - with extendable
claws that can be slid out from its finger ends
Pack 6 - Radio controlled K-9 (with SFX and light-up
eye) and Tenth Doctor double pack
Pack 7 - TARDIS console room playset. Six buttons control around ten sound
effects plus chair, hat stand and lift-out access panels in the floor to reveal
the TARDIS mechanisms and circuitry.
All of the above will be launched, of course,
in 2006 to coincide with SERIES 2.
The BBC has announced additional merchandise ranges
(from Ackroyds TDP, Mag Mouch, Misirli UK, Pyramid Posters, Toybrokers, Wesco,
Zap) to include:
Greetings cards featuring Tennant, Piper and K-9
T-shirts
Watches and Clocks
Posters
Men's accessories
Childrenswear - including socks!
Bedding, Cushions and Towels.
28
October 2005
Following our exclusive report on the 26th, BBC
WORLDWIDE has released full
details of DOCTOR WHO merchandise for 2005/06. The official
BBC website has a downloadable PDF document with all the details.
EXTRA
26
OCTOBER 2005 |
NEW SERIES | DR WHO fans fix NTA
WHO-DUNNIT?
Of course, we did! Mass, coordinated voting.
But we don't care.
Best Drama. Finally! Best Actress. Naturally!
Best Actor. No contest!
And the Soap fans were annoyed by Eccleston winning
judging by the 'booooing'.
THE
SUN reports that Billie Piper wants to stay until SERIES 3?
EXTRA
24
OCTOBER 2005 | NEW
SERIES
| NEW SERIES sold to Germany
The
NEW SERIES has been sold to the German - one of Europe's biggest
markets (though the country is in the economic doldrums at the moment) -
commercial broadcaster,
ProSieben.
ProSieben have licensed both the
first series, which starred Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, and the
second series, which is currently in production. Russell T Davies' first series
of DOCTOR WHO attracted huge ratings and received critical acclaim
when it aired on BBC ONE earlier this year.
Announcing the deal, Isabelle
Helle, Head of Germany, BBC Worldwide, said: "The series has gained iconic status
outside of the UK as well and has already been licensed to broadcasters in sixteen
countries worldwide. We are excited that DOCTOR WHO's time travelling will now
take him to ProSieben so that viewers in Germany can also enjoy the adventures
of the Time Lord and his companions."
ProSieben Head of Programming,
Thomas Schultheis, said about the deal: "DOCTOR WHO is one of the most clever
and entertaining series to come from Great Britain. The production values are
visibly high and Russell T Davies' scripts provide top quality entertainment
for a wide range of viewers: from science fiction fans to family audiences."
The NEW SERIES is now shown (or scheduled to be shown) in 13 countries (with
HBO expected to be announced as the USA 'host'.):
Germany, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy,
Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway.
The DAILY STAR announces the coup in it's own
inevitable style.
EXTRA
24
OCTOBER 2005 | NEW
SERIES
| Vote for TV MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Jonathan
Ross' TV MOMENT OF THE YEAR poll returns at the end of the year
(surprisingly...) and will give an opportunity for all DOCTOR WHO fans
to, yet again, fix the results through an organised mass online poll. (By the
way, you have cast your 100 online votes in the NTA poll?)
The DOCTOR WHO 'moment' (in the
category of May-June 2005) comes in episode 13, THE PARTING OF THE WAYS,
as the Doctor and Rose kiss. Contenders include:
10
May, ITV 1 - DEEP JUNGLE - the moth which has been predicted
more than 100 years ago by Darwin but never been caught on camera.
25
May, ITV 1 - Champions League Final - Liverpool win on penalties after going
down 3-0.
21
June, ITV 1 - EMMERDALE- Zoe injects Scott.
18 June,
BBC ONE - DOCTOR WHO - the kiss between Rose and The Doctor.
Vote
here (from
25 October) - link to the official BBC website.
EXTRA
24
OCTOBER 2005 | MERCHANDISE
| DVD price wars
The
Price War continues between SENDIT.COM and PLAY.COM.
The former has all DOCTOR
WHO DVDs on sale for £7.99, whilst the latter has a selection
on sale at the same price.
Both have all this year's releases (except THE
WEB PLANET) in the offer.
Grab a bargain or a Christmas gift.
EXTRA
19
OCTOBER 2005 | PERSONALITY
| Piper does Bill & Collins does Charley-boy
The
BBC Press Office has been doing a lot of overtime recently!
Fresh from the typewriter are details of Billie
Piper's guest-starring role as Hero in
SHAKESPEARE RETOLD - MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (BBC ONE Time
to be confirmed).
Piper co-stars with Damian BAND
OF BROTHERS Lewis. Billie’s research for the role,
a new
recruit to the regional news studio,
included a visit to the home of a real-life
weather girl.
The main challenge shared by
both Billie and
Hero was wrapping their tongues around
mind-boggling meteorological terms. And the
most difficult word to pronounce?“Altostratus castellanus,” fires
back Billie with crisp expertise. (That’s something to
do with clouds, by the way).
With a practical outlook on the future
climate of her career, she declares:
“Sometimes I get itchy and need to
experience some life that isn’t just strictly
entertainment. It’s fantastic, it really is
great, but I’ve worked like a crazy person
when I was younger and I’m keen to strike
more of a balance now.”
The same Press release features an article on
the forthcoming twice-weekly episodic, BLEAK HOUSE (Charles
Dickens) which co-stars
DOCTOR WHO guest-star, Pauline Collins, as Mrs Flite.
Pauline is amused that her latest role also
meant she had to don another period
costume. She has just finished filming on
the set of DOCTOR WHO, where she played
Queen Victoria in an episode to be
screened next spring. It’s not her first
appearance in the classic series, though.
She played Samantha Briggs, almost companion
to Patrick Troughton’s Doctor,
in 1967’s THE FACELESS ONES.
“I can’t divulge too much from the
episode
but it’s a wonderful script and I had a
wonderful time on set. There is a great
atmosphere and the chemistry between
David [Tennant] and Billie [Piper] is terrific.
You really can see they are great pals.”
EXTRA
18
OCTOBER 2005 | NEW
SERIES
| Overseas sales: confirmed and unconfirmed
They
have promised 'tighter security' (after the internet debacle back in March) and
have been rewarded with a second series of DOCTOR WHO.
According to BBC WORLDWIDE, CBC(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) is to broadcast Series 2 in 2006 and the
forthcoming THE
CHRISTMAS INVASION (one-hour special) -which will be shown on Boxing
Day (26th December) (on CBC and not BBC, we assume).
The Press Release continues: "The deal includes
a Christmas special, hosted by Billie Piper exclusively for CBC viewers that
air on Boxing Day. The new 13 part adventure is currently filming in Wales and
is due to air on CBC in 2006. BBC VIDEO is planning to release Series one on
DVD in February 2006. BBC WORLDWIDE has
also recently appointed Buzzworthy as the merchandising agent for the DOCTOR
WHO brand in Canada. This is the first time an agent has been appointed solely
for the territory."
UNIT
NEWS (Thanks to Martin Hoscik for the heads-up).
Additionally, yesterday, an eyeofhorus.org.uk Source told
us that (North) America rights for the series have been acquired by HBO (HOME
BOX OFFICE) company. It will broadcast from Fall 2006 DOCTOR
WHO Series 1 and 2 back-to-back.
We are awaiting OFFICIAL confirmation of this.
EXTRA
17
OCTOBER 2005 | PERSONALITY
| TORCHWOOD and Captain Jack Harkness
Finally,
the TORCHWOOD has been revealed.
It's a new 2006 BBC WALES tv series (for BBC THREE),
starring Jack Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness (and devised by Russell T Davies)
for a post-watershed audience.
"Torchwood is a British sci-fi paranoid thriller,
a cop show with a sense of humour," says Davies. "It's dark, wild and sexy, it's
THE X-FILES meets THIS LIFE. It's a stand-alone series for adult audiences which
will have its own unique identity. I have just begun working on the scripts
with a team of writers and cannot wait to see the results."
Set in modern-day Cardiff, TORCHWOOD in the DOCTOR
WHO Christmas special and second series that the story of Torchwood - a
renegade group of investigators - is
seeded.
However, no stories will cross over between TORCHWOOD and
DOCTOR WHO. Writers announced so far include:
PJ Hammond,
Chris Chibnall and Russell T Davies (we expect).
Read
the official Press Release. The TORCHWOOD micro-website will
be online on Christmas Day.
So, it's a reincarnation of the USA series spin-off,
THE LONE GUNMEN (from THE X-FILES).
Read
THE INDEPENDENT newspaper coverage.
EXTRA
16
OCTOBER 2005 | MERCHANDISE
| DOCTOR WHO ANNUAL can of worms
Eagle-eyed
readers of the new DOCTOR WHO ANNUAL will have read the profile
of the Doctor, and the revelations of "the invisible war" (i.e. the Time War,
and who survived).
It seems that "Doctor, you are not alone".
Will all be revealed in the Spring?
EXTRA
13
OCTOBER 2005 | PERSONALITY |
OLD VIC return for Eccleston
Later
this month, Christopher Eccleston returns to the stage of the OLD
VIC in a one-night
production, NIGHT SKY by Rachel Wagstaff.
The special production aims to raise money for
Index on Censorship.
NIGHT SKY is a tale of love, lies and cockroaches, it charts the fates
of a group of artists thrown together in the chaos of a dictatorial government.
The cast includes: David Warner,
Navin Chowdhry,
Bruno Langley and
Saffron Burrows. Show date: 30 October 2005.
THE
OLD VIC
EXTRA
12
OCTOBER 2005 | SERIES 2
| THE SUN WAR REPORTS
THE
SUN are reporting that the Daleks and Cybermen are about to fight the
Doctor.
No.
Well, not on 'telly' at least.
Read
more
EXTRA
11
OCTOBER 2005 | MAGAZINE
| DWM 362
Celebrate
the Doctor's female companions in the latest issue of DOCTOR WHO
MAGAZINE
11
OCTOBER 2005 | SERIES
2 | DUAL ROLES FOR TENNANT
With
filming for the NEWS SERIES underway, news is leaking from the set that new DOCTOR
WHO, David Tennant could be playing 'dual roles' (i.e. a doppelganger).
And that's it. No episode was mentioned or within
which filming block the scenario will be.
And as this site will be home to the original
"PLOTLINE FREE SPOILERS" campaign (which other sites thankfully signed-up to),
we would not reveal the episode. Where would the thrill be?
EXTRA
10
OCTOBER 2005 | PERSONALITY
| DOCTOR WHO and the NTA
There's
nothing like manipulating voting, is there?
And DOCTOR WHO fans have certainly made their
mark by 'rigging' (by mass multiple voting) the finalists for the UK's NATIONAL
TELEVISION AWARDS. The series has three contenders in the 13 categories.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
BEST MALE ACTOR - ECCLESTON
BEST FEMALE ACTOR - PIPER
And there's time, until October 21, to continue
to fix the final result. Carry on voting by clicking on the NTA logo.
EXTRA
07
OCTOBER 2005 | MERCHANDISE |
NEW MOVIE TALKING DALEKS
There's
been more delays than on an EASYJET schedule flight but finally the PRODUCT
ENTERPRISE much awaited TALKING MOVIE DALEKS are finally available.
The pack shots have been released. £29.99 and
available in three colours.