Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Evil forces in Doctor Who show


Some of Doctor Who's most fearsome foes including the Scarecrows and the Venetian Vampires have been added to the line-up of a live touring extravaganza.
The show, Doctor Who Live, will visit a number of arena venues later this year with the Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels already set to feature.
Now further characters have been added to the live-action spectacle which will see the evil forces taking part in pitched battles on stage. Alongside the Scarecrows and Vampires will be Judoon, Silurian, Smilers, Winders, Clockwork Droids and Ood to complete a line-up of 11 different creatures.
Star Matt Smith is to be seen in specially-filmed scenes which will feature in the shows, due to visit nine cities for 25 dates.
Doctor Who Live begins in London at Wembley Arena on October 8 and has been devised by executive producer Steven Moffat.

More details and tickets are available from www.doctorwholive.com.

David's eyebrows - Tribute Video (I know!)

Video by floppydisk909.

Matt's series has drawn less viewers than Tennant's... - Commented News Item


Die-hard fans of Doctor Who appear to have deserted the BBC series in droves following the departure of David Tennant. The latest series which saw Matt Smith make his debut at the helm of the Tardis has lost 1.2 million viewers. - Honestly, I don't think it means that much... does it? I think the reason why the series has drawn less viewers is that it is a bit different than the previous ones. At times, I felt like I was watching a different show, but I see the 'new' show as a whole, now. A more cohesive whole, anyway.

Smith, 27, and his new assistant Karen Gillan, 22, appear to have failed to attract the same sort of audiences which Tennant pulled in during his five years as the Doctor. - Oh, co'mon, they didn't fail. They were great. Personally, I don't think Matt is a better Doctor than David, but that's just my opinion and I'm sure a lot of people think the same way; on the other hand, many people argue that Matt is a better Doctor - when it comes to taste, I prefer not to judge. I don't think it is right and it goes against my principles. Tennant's last full series, in 2008, drew an average audience of 7.2 million. According to latest TV ratings the newest series, which ended at the weekend, managed an average of only six million viewers.
Smith's first series started well, with the opening episode in March drawing around eight million viewers. By contrast Saturday's finale pulled in just 5.1 million. Media observers say they are at a loss to explain the drop, although the show did start slightly earlier than normal to accommodate the BBC's World Cup coverage of USA v Ghana. Hot temperatures over the weekend may also have played a part.
Meanwhile the BBC is insisting that viewing figures have remained consistent across the series. Many Doctor Who fans record the show or watch it online. "A large number of viewers are choosing to watch on demand throughout the week," a BBC spokesman said. "Consolidated figures show both series have so far averaged an extremely strong 7.8 million."
Even if viewing figures are down, Smith and Gillan can take some comfort in the fact that their portrayals of the Doctor and his assistant have been well-received by the critics. The Daily Telegraph's Benji Wilson awarded Smith an "A+" for his efforts while the Daily Mail's Sinclair McKay predicted that "Smith might turn out to be one of the best Time Lords of the lot".

My point is, it doesn't matter how many viewers it draws... I mean, you guys know I'm a Tennant addict, you know I love him and his portrayal of the Doctor to bits, but I don't think you can judge Matt and Karen's work based on some figures... If David was the Doctor now and Matt the previous one, I wouldn't have judged 11 because of how many people had seen the series, I would have judged him based on his performance. And Matt was great as the Doctor - he took us all by surprise and delivered a Troughtonesque Doctor. And he was bloody good at it, but Ten is my Doctor and my favourite Doctor... They're just different, I guess.

Imogen Poots joins 'Fright Night'



Imogen Poots has landed the female lead in the forthcoming Fright Night remake.

The English actress joins Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant in the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie is an update of the 1985 horror comedy about a teen who discovers that his neighbour is a vampire. Yelchin is playing the teen, with Farrell portraying the vampire.

Tennant has signed to play Peter Vincent, a magician who integrates horror film imagery into his act and claims to be a vampire expert.

Poots will portray Yelchin's girlfriend in the picture.
Craig Gillespie is directing the film, which also stars Toni Collette and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Poots has appeared in movies 28 Weeks Later and Solitary Man.

Tennant Tuesday: 29/06/2010

'Tennant Tuesday' posts consist of several TV shows, films, audiobooks, etc. I am watching/listening to at the moment or that I've recently watched - DT related, of course. It has been a while since I last posted something related to #TT, so why not?

TV Show: Doctor Who (Series 3, 'The Shakespeare Code')

Film: St. Trinian's II - The Legend of Fritton's Gold

Audiobook: Whiteout (by Ken Follett)

Picture:


Song: 'Should I Stay', by Gabrielle (Blackpool)


Happy Tennant Tuesday, folks! x

Monday, June 28, 2010

'Doctor Who' suffers from earlier timeslot

Doctor Who's epic series finale pulled in a total of 5.09m (31.2%) for BBC One on Saturday night, according to early data.
'The Big Bang', which concluded the 'cracks in time' story arc, had 4.64m (28.4%) at 6.05pm, and a further 455k (2.8%) on the BBC's HD channel.
After the sci-fi drama, Total Wipeout amused 2.69m (16%), after which The National Lottery: In It To Win It 2012 averaged 3.74m (19.5%) from 8pm. Casualty grabbed 4.11m (19.8%) at 9.10pm. USA v Ghana on ITV1 pulled in 5.21m (27.7%), attracting a high of 8.28m (40.7%) at 9.45pm. ITV1 HD added a further 471k (2.5%) for the World Cup match.
During the same time period, The Great Escape and The Land Girls mustered 990k (5.9%) and 1.04m (5.2%) for Channel 4, and CSI: NY and CSI: Miami took 900k (4.6%) and 980k (4.7%) respectively.
Andy Murray's second round victory at Wimbledon scored 2.65m (17.3%) for BBC Two, with a peak of 3.27m (20.2%) tuning in for the three-hour at 7.45pm as the match reached its conclusion, at which point the channel was ahead of BBC One. Today at Wimbledon followed with an impressive 2.98m (15.3%) at 8pm.
Later on, viewers were evenly spread across the terrestrial channels: Big Brother's eviction night highlights appealed to 1.55m (9.1%) for Channel 4 at 10pm, below the 2.82m (14.3%) that chose a repeat of Live at the Apollo on BBC One from 9.45pm. James Corden's World Cup Live had 2.34m (13.4%) for ITV1 and Five's CSI put in 1.08m (6%) at 10pm.
Overall, ITV1 won primetime with a share of 26.1% to BBC One's 17.2%. BBC Two finished third with an impressive 10.9%, Channel 4 followed with 6.2% (+1: 0.7%) and Five was last with 5.2%.
Elsewhere, An Audience With Freddie Starr topped the multichannel ratings with 578k (3.3%) for ITV3 at 10pm, followed by BBC Three's screening of Glastonbury which entertained 484k (2.4%) an hour earlier.

Matt Smith joins Orbital at Glastonbury


The actor, 27, joined the dance duo on The Other Stage as they launched into a cover of the programme's iconic theme tune.
Smith appeared on stage saying "What up, baby," before calling on the crowd to "let me hear you roar!".
His appearance came as the current series of Doctor Who finished on BBC1 the night before on Saturday.
Glastonbury was awash with guest appearances over the weekend - Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Kylie and U2's The Edge all dropped in unannounced to perform at the bash.


'Decoy Bride' Synopsis



David plays British writer James, who is engaged to internationally famous film star Lara (Alice), who decide to get married on a remote Scottish island when their wedding is sabotaged by a paparazzo.
Lara's manager Steve - played by Ugly Betty star Michael Urie - has less than 24 hours to transform the ancient, dilapidated island into the fairytale setting for a wedding and persuade local girl Katie (Kelly) to stand in as a decoy bride when the paparazzo tracks them down.
But when James meets Katie sparks fly and even more starts to go wrong.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

More 'Doctor Who' games to be made?

More episodes in the Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series are being considered.

BBC Interactive Editor Iain Tweedale told DS that the corporation may develop more titles based on the success of the current four-episode run.

"We're talking about it, yeah. Obviously we're seeing how this goes, but we're all very pleased with that," he said.

"It really does depend on how the others do, and what the commissioners think abut what we're going to achieve. It's really about things like bringing in the wider audience as well as the hardcore gaming audience, and we've done some research that suggests we are actually hitting those people, which is great."




Executive producer Charles Cecil added: "I think it would be great to see more. Obviously that's for the BBC to decide, [and] I think probably a little bit more adventurous in terms of the puzzles.

"We went for a very, very broad audience with [the first episodes and] as you know there's been 550,000 downloads, so it's going go for a million probably within a month. So it's been hugely, hugely successful and I think it has really reached all the objectives that the BBC has set it.

"Most of the people who would play a second one would have played the first one so they now know the grammar of how these games work. If we were going to do more, it probably would be a little more tougher in the adventure department. Not contrived, but just a little bit more challenging in that sense."

Second episode Blood Of The Cybermen will be available to download for free in the UK from Saturday.

'The Decoy Bride' - filming has already started!




THE Decoy Bride, which stars former Doctor Who David Tennant, begins filming in various locations around the Island today.

Filming will last two and a half weeks.

The contemporary romantic comedy also stars Kelly MacDonald (No Country For Old Men, Gosford Park) and Alice Eve (Sex and The City 2).

Written by Neil Jaworski and comedienne Sally Phillips (Smack The Pony), who also takes a supporting role, the Decoy Bride is directed by Sheree Folkson whose credits include Casanova - one of Tennant's earliest hits - and Ugly Betty.

Michael Urie, who plays Marc in Ugly Betty, Federico Castelluccio (Furio Giunta in The Sopranos) and stage and television actress Maureen Beattie are in the supporting cast.

CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film are involved in the film in association with Scottish Screen and HanWay Films. It is an Ecosse Films production.

Economic Development Minister Allan Bell MHK said: "I am extremely pleased to welcome the cast and crew of The Decoy Bride to the Island.

"CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film have worked hard to get this next production up and running, hot on the heels of the documentary feature film TT3D.

"It's shaping up to be a very good year for the Island in terms of film production days and positive media exposure."

CinemaNX is one of Britain's leading film finance, production and distribution companies.

Formed three years ago with backing from the Isle of Man Government, it has a number of films in production and distribution.

Tennant Delights: 'Blackpool'



The 'Tennant Delights' series will consist almost entirely of reviews of his television and film work, as well as audiobooks, documentaries and anything that takes my fancy - Tennant related!

So, first up: 'Blackpool'. I chose this 6 drama parter because it was one of the roles that really catapulted David into the British spotlight... and one of his most delightful (and sexy) performances, if I am allowed to say. 
I'll try not to go too much into detail here, as this is supposed to incite people to watch it. I've seen a million times and honestly, his performance just keeps getting better. David plays a Detective Inspector called Peter Carlisle, who is in charge of solving a mysterious murder case; the body in case was dumped in Ripley Holden's (David Morrissey) arcade, a wealthy businessman who has two children and a partner that is supposed to be the perfect wife, Natalie (Sarah Parish). Being in charge of the case, Peter starts to dig up all the evidence he can possible find, namely by talking to Ripley's friends, foes and family... including Natalie. It doesn't take too long before the two of them fall deeply in love with each other, which promptly casts a whole new light on how Peter sees the case and those involved in it. Despite being professional and dedicated to his job, he is, as we all are, prone to love... and as he proudly tells Blythe, his work colleague, 'I am good with wives'. 'Blackpool' revolves around an undeniable love that may or may not influence the workings of Holden and his views on life themselves.

This is one of Tennant's finest performances, one in which he is able to convey true, heartfelt angst and hand his heart to both Sarah's character and the audience. In fact, David is so believable you actually think the love between the two of them is real: all kisses seem genuine, all lines are delivered in a way that truly makes your heart ache when the two of them suddenly don't get along as well. I have to mention the singing, of course, which is pivotal to this show: I was amazed at how clear David's voice is! His voice is lovely, and boy, can he hit those high notes! (SOOO, Cupid... - remember that?) The dancing is, like the singing, absolutely great: David says he isn't very good at dancing (he admits he struggled to learn his moves for the dancing scenes in 'Casanova'), but I am think he is too humble. Way too humble. He made us all scream with excitement during his musical performances...!













Saturday, June 26, 2010

Football treat for Doctor Who star



Matt Smith has scored a top prize - winning a football shirt signed by his favourite team.
The Doctor Who star triumphed in a table soccer match and was rewarded with a Blackburn Rovers strip featuring the names of his favourite stars.
Matt - who was a talented footballer as a teenager - has already shown off his skills in a recent episode of the BBC1 series.
But he was tackled the table-top version when he appeared as a guest on ITV1's This Morning.
The time-travelling actor took on the show's Alison Hammond and was the first to get three goals - collecting his shirt as a reward.
"Thank you so much and thank you Blackburn Rovers," he said.
Matt had hoped to be a footballer as a teenager and trained with the Leicester City and Nottingham Forest youth academies.
"That's where my heart and soul was, definitely. But I got injured and this teacher encouraged me into acting and took a risk on me really by casting me in a play - but he always believed I would be an actor and he was a very big influence in my life," Matt said.
The latest series of Doctor Who ends tomorrow (Saturday), with details of the plot still under wraps.
But Matt said: "There's an important character coming back but I can't say who - it is very significant. It's a cracker. I watched it and was quite emotional, probably because it was the end of the series and we'd worked so hard and we'd got there."

Doctor Who fan makes a Dalek in England's colours


A Doctor Who fan has made his own mascot for the match - a Dalek in England's colours all set to "Exgerminate!"
Chris Balcombe, 50, spent a week painting his 1970s-style Dalek and even included a protruding vuvuzela horn.
Chris, from Dibden Purlieu, near Southampton, said: "I wish I could be in South Africa with the Dalek to cheer England on.
"We'll both be watching the match at home. I confidently predict we can win."

'The Big Bang': Watch the Series Finale HERE!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Want to star with David Tennant in 'Decoy Bride'?

Develish1 takes the credit for finding this baby out - thank you so much!! :D
 Guys, if you want to be in it... hurry up!! Please check Develish1's post at:


Her posts often feature witty and delicious remarks about DT... And this one is no exception! 

AN Isle of Man based casting agent is looking for real characters to play as extras in two up-coming films being shot in the Island.

The Ex-Isle Film Agency is holding casting sessions tomorrow (Friday, June 25) at the Upper Hall of Promenade Methodist Church in Loch Promenade, Douglas, from 5.30pm until 8pm. They are recruiting film extras for the productions which will run from June through to September.

The first production is feature film The Decoy Bride, starring David Tennant. The story is set on a remote Scottish Isle.

Bev Lawley, owner of Ex-Isle, said: 'We are looking for real characters - fishermen and crofters. We also need a male in his 30s with brown hair, 6ft & extremely slim.

'We are also looking for musicians who can play the bodhran or fiddle, and an organist. Ideally they would be male and 40s- plus.'

A second production is a six -part TV crime drama series shot over of ten weeks starting in July.

In terms of casting requirements, Bev explained: 'We are looking for an African-Caribbean male, in his 30s to 50s, approximately five feet, 10 inches, to be a stand-in for the lead actor.

'We are also seeking an 18-month old boy of both Afro-Caribbean and Caucasian origin.

'We are asking any ladies who are due to give birth to babies of Afro Caribbean/Caucasian origin to contact Ex-Isle. Ideally the babies will be anything up to five months old, as they are required to play a newborn.'

Ex-Isle is also seeking a range of characters who are of Mediterranean, Asian, Eastern European & African or Caribbean origin.

See www.ex-isle.com, or contact Bev Lawley on 07624 415096 or 01624 835100. Please bring your exact measurements with you to the session.

'The Big Bang' - Teaser Trailers

Please bear in mind I wasn't the one who made these videos. I am merely posting links to them. Thank you!



The first one is by the AMAZING seduff, and the second one is by RBproductions10.

Phil Ford on 'Doctor Who' and 'Sarah Jane Adventures'



As the credits roll on Doctor Who tomorrow night, three things will happen: 1. A nation will weep. 2. A nation will wonder exactly how the Christmas special will work. 3. Hundreds of thousands of people (not quite "a nation") will log on to the BBC website to download the second episode of Doctor Who: the Adventure Games, 'Blood of the Cybermen'. We sat down with our old mucker and TAG writer Phil Ford to find out more.


The first Adventure Games episode received over half a million downloads in under two weeks. Are you surprised with that?
"I'm not surprised by it, I'm delighted by it! I always knew it would have a good reaction but in terms of how many hits they were going to get, I had absolutely no idea. As far as I understand they were expecting something like over 300,000 over a long period, so everyone's hugely impressed with getting half a million in a couple of weeks. So that's fantastic."


The setup and pacing of the upcoming episode is different to the first one. Did you write it that way?
"Right from the outset Steven [Moffat] and Piers [Wenger] always wanted to do a Dalek story and Cybermen story. I think this was actually the first one I wrote, I think. In terms of the pacing, and the light and the shade of it, it all comes down to whatever the story is, to be honest. It's not something where you sit down and think, 'I'm going to make this pacier than the last one!' for any particular reason, it is really all about the story. This episode was very much inspired by The Thing, which actually gets a reference, because it was one of my favourite films, and that whole idea of a group of people being isolated in a camp somewhere in the Arctic is just a fabulous idea. It was actually also part of the inspiration for 'Waters Of Mars' as well. I'll just keep homaging The Thing until the end of my career and I'll do fine!"


It's a good thing to reference, though!
"Absolutely, it's a marvellous film, and Steven also referenced it as well in the Pandorica on Saturday night, with the Cyberman's head just scuttling off."


The Cybermats return in 'Blood Of The Cybermen'. Was it fun to bring them back?
"It absolutely was. And that's something you're always trying to do in any story - you're trying to bring something new to it. And we haven't seen the Cybermats for donkey's years, since the '70s I believe, and they come back and do something different to what they used to do. In the old days they just used to kill people, I believe. This time it's a bite that has a different kind of effect on their victims, which suffice to say, means a lot of flesh turning into metal!"


Do you have to ask permission if you want to bring things like that back for these episodes?
"Everything in all of the episodes goes through Steven and Piers. They were all over it all of the time. At one point when we were developing this story, the scientist discovers something under the ice, and in the original draft it was a Cyberman's head. And then Steven came back to us sometime after the first draft and said, 'Sorry you can't have the Cyberman's head because I'm going to use it,' which of course appeared in the other night in the first episode [of the finale]."


So you were going back and forth with Steven?
"Yeah, basically. It's not back and forth, we'd just have a meeting and go through the stories, because obviously everything has to be signed off by them. Because these games are seen as actual episodes of the series, obviously you don't want to tread on any toes. And it's exactly the same as the process as we have on Sarah Jane. You don't want to bring the Sontarans into an episode if the Sontarans are going to be in an episode of Doctor Who. So you always have to be aware of what everyone else is doing."

How do you think this series of Doctor Who has compared to the four before?
"I think it's just been astonishing. I'm amazed, to be honest, at how quickly I've accepted Matt as The Doctor. I always knew that he'd be great, but I didn't expect to - not forget about David, but totally accept Matt as The Doctor from day one. I think the show has a different feel to the way that it felt when Russell was doing it, and that's not a negative thing. Steven has bought an element of darkness and quirkiness to it."


What is your favourite episode of this past series?
"My favourite episode up until having seeing Saturday's - and I think the final episode is going to be amazing - was Gareth's episode the other week, 'The Lodger'. I don't know what it was about that episode, but it just seemed to ring with me on every level. The humour was there, the threat was there, and it was just a great episode. And it's just so bizarre to see The Doctor playing football, and The Doctor in a shower! When have we seen that before? But why not?"


So have you seen the final episode? Are you privy to what happens?
"Not at all, not at all. I've known various things, because you hear various things, but I have very little knowledge on what might happen at the end."


Have you talked to Steven about maybe writing an episode for the next series?
"I haven't actually, but I would love to write one. I'm desperate to write one, but at the same time I'm so committed to Sarah Jane these days. We've just finished season four and we've just started to film season five, so my time is pretty much taken up by Sarah Jane. And of course the next series of Doctor Who is already in development, so I wasn't really around to do that."


So how has it been going on Sarah Jane Adventures this year?
"In season four I'm only writing one story. I normally do two or maybe three, but I'm only doing the one this year because we're literally filming seasons four and five back-to-back. So I went straight off and did the opener for season five and then the next story for season five. It never gets any easier writing for any of these shows. In fact it gets more difficult the more seasons you do, because you're always trying to raise the bar, and the last thing you want to do is get legged over. So it never gets any easier."


What kind of stories have you written?
"One of them is a big sci-fi romp, I suppose you could say, and another one is a big sci-fi romp, and the other one is completely different to anything you've ever seen on Sarah Jane."


How so?
"The story, the characters, the emotional element of it is so different, and it's going to be brilliant. I would say that, wouldn't I? I've written it! That's about all I'm going to say - it's going to be very different and it's going to be very exciting."

Moffat talks about the finale!

*Please don't read this if you haven't seen 'The Pandorica Opens'.*

So Rory's shot Amy. The TARDIS has exploded with River inside it. And The Doctor has been trapped in the Pandorica. In short, it's the end of the universe. But there's still one episode of the series to go, so things must be far from over, right? Not if you believe Steven Moffat. We caught up with the Doctor Who showrunner at the launch of the latest Adventure Game in Glasgow to glean what we could about the finale and beyond.

When you came to plan out this series, did you have the finale in your head from the start?
"I had aspects of it. I had certain things I needed that I need to get to, and I had an overarching idea that would, and I suppose it's a better conversation to have after next week's episode. There are certain things that you'll see that have been there from the beginning. There's been quite a careful planning of things, which is pretty obvious from episode 12, that everything was set up and paid off there. There's more coming next week, in the event that anyone comes out of the Pandorica. So yeah, you have to leave yourself some space to improvise, otherwise it gets boring, otherwise you get bored with your own script, and quite a lot of episode 13, which is a mad episode, is brand new. But there are certain key points where I know I wanted 'this'. I'm thinking of the next finale right now so I can plot the rest of the series. I know what the big reveals are and the big hopefully jaw dropping moments are going to be."


So you'll be planning a similar sort of setup for the next series?
"Similar in the sense that it's an arc that doesn't get in the way too much. That's in the event if there is another series, which is all told in flashback."


Episode twelve ended with an almighty trio of cliffhangers. Can you tell us anything at all about episode 13?
"Well, there's going to be some light music and a short note of apology saying, 'The universe ended last week, we're really sorry, we don't know what you're doing here, didn't you get the message?'"


Does the series wrap things up with a neat resolve in time for the Christmas special?
"Well we blew up the universe, so it'll be a nice flashback episode at Christmas."


Will there be any kind of trailer for the Christmas special after the episode?
"After the 50 minutes of gentle music and weeping apology? Nope. The universe has ended."


Will you at least reveal the title?
"There will be a Christmas special - well, a flashback Christmas special - but no, we won't be telling you anything, not a single thing. It's too early."


Do you know when we'll find out?
"No, I don't actually know when we'll start releasing that information. I genuinely don't! [We'll] try and work what we've normally done as with all these specials before, but there'll be some strategy that won't be mine."


Watching this series back as it's aired, have you learned any lessons about what works and what doesn't?
"I think you learn things every day, yeah. A lot of things we learn isn't necessarily artistic in a way, sometimes it's practical, it's 'That's where you spend your money, over there, not over there, over there'. A lot thinking that's wasted money. Don't use your CGI when you need a spaceship, when you use CGI somewhere make sure it blows something up. Just stuff like that. It's less artistic and more practical."


How far into planning series six are you?
"Not far enough, I think is the answer to that! I've got lots of plans - plans are not nearly as useful as scripts, I find - so I'd like to have more scripts and fewer plans. We're not quite as ahead of the game as we were last time. But it's fine."


Do you have all of your writers confirmed yet?
"We've got a fair number of them, there's one more I'm chasing, but yeah."


Do you think it's possible Russell could come back to write an episode?
"Is it possible? He's pretty adamant that he's not going to. I'm in constant touch with him. I don't know, you'd have to ask him. He did an awful lot of Doctor Who for an awful lot of years, and I think he's finding it in a way hard, because he's done a Doctor Who story in effect for Sarah Jane Adventures. So I think he possibly wants to get away from it for a bit. I can understand that, because he did a hell of a lot. But I'd love to get him, it would be just joyous to get him back because I miss him."


So it's something you'd like to see happen?
"Oh I would love it, and I said to him, "Look I want" and he said, 'Don't even ask me for series five because I'm just knackered, I just want to go lie down,' and I think I'll find out how that feels. But I did ask him for series six, and I always will."


And you definitely can't tell us anything about episode 13?
"The universe has ended, mate, he's dead. The Doctor is in the Pandorica, there's this little voice saying: 'Hello, that was a big bang wasn't it? Oh, something happened out there?'"


Thanks for your time, Steven.
"I hope you enjoy it, it's the maddest thing you'll ever see."

TRUST THE MOFF, GUYS!

Work starts on BBC Wales drama village



Construction work has begun on the BBC's new drama production village in Wales, which will eventually be home to Doctor Who and Casualty.


The new site at Roath Basin, near Cardiff, will also house productions of Welsh drama Pobol y Cwm and The Sarah Jane Adventures, along with providing a base for a range of creative media firms.


Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures are due to move to the new studios in 2012, with the first episode of Casualty produced in Wales to air in the same year, reports BBC News.


The Roath Basin centre is part of the BBC's commitment to double the amount of its television network production in Wales by 2016.


The production base will also consolidate current sites at Llandaff in Cardiff and Upper Boat, near Pontypridd, along with various other locations around Wales.


Speaking yesterday, BBC Cymru Wales director Menna Richards said that the start of construction at the Roath Basin site is an "important milestone" towards creating a dynamic new community to benefit Wales.


"As a centre of excellence for drama it will bring a brand new buzz to this historic part of Cardiff and will offer fantastic facilities and filming space to some of the BBC's best-loved productions," she said.


Cardiff council leader Rodney Berman said that the BBC's new drama village will position the Welsh capital at the "forefront of the creative industries".


"Cardiff is already home to Doctor Who and Torchwood, with Casualty to follow and I know the drama village is seen by the BBC as part of its ongoing plans for increasing its production and development presence in Cardiff which can only be a massive boost for the city," he said.


"Cardiff is developing a very strong reputation as a creative industries hub. The development of this sector is becoming an increasingly important part of our local economy, benefiting not just the city but the whole of the region."


In January, it emerged that Casualty would move from its long-running home of Bristol to the new BBC Wales drama village.

Doctor Who: It's on the mend


When Matt Smith took over as Doctor Who back in April, it didn't take long for the controversy to start.
Geeky, with a liking for tweed jackets and bow ties, he looked more like a science teacher than a 907-year-old Time Lord.
And then there was the scene where his sidekick Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) got him into a clinch and made it clear that she was looking for a bit of intergalactic rumpy pumpy.
That prompted 40 complaints to the BBC and criticism from Mediawatch-UK.
Tomorrow, Smith and Gillan's first series together draws to a close. So how have they handled stepping into the revered shoes of predecessors David Tennant and Billie Piper?
'I'd just hoped to survive really,' said 27-year-old Smith.
Smith is the 11th Doctor in television's longest-running science- fiction drama.
'I tried not to think about it too much and be my own Doctor - whatever that is. I still don't know.
'I rang my dad in the first week of filming and said: "Dad, I'm in trouble - there's a lot of stuff to learn." I talked to him a lot and just tried to be brave.
'It's anyone's guess what will happen in the next series.'
Co-star Gillan, 22, deliberately made the role of the Doctor's assistant even more raunchy than Billie Piper's Rose Tyler.
She's dressed as a policewoman, nun and nurse and worn daring mini-skirts.
'We just thought those were things that Amy would wear. Most 21-year-old girls wear clothes like that,' she said.
As for her rebuffed attempt to seduce the Doctor: 'Sometimes they're like brother and sister, winding each other up,' said Gillan at a Bafta screening of the series finale.
'But Amy is attracted to the Doctor, just not in a romantic way. That's what separates her from the other companions.
'She's not in love with the Doctor. She wants something else.
'Amy's a lot cooler than me. She has a different walk from me. She struts. She's bad.
'I read the complaints, but I don't see that it's bad at all. The Doctor turned her down, so it's not inappropriate. We're not sending out bad messages.'



I think this series  is definitely sassier, but I don't think it is too sassier. What do you think?

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

TARDIS sells for £10,800!!


Doctor Who's Tardis has gone for an out of this world price - fetching more than £10,000 at auction.

The prop, used by the ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston, was sold at Bonham's in a memorabilia sale, which also included Daleks and Cybermen.

The 10ft painted wooden Tardis went for £10,800. It was expected to sell for upwards of £8,000.

A console for the time-travelling craft created for a long-running Doctor Who exhibition at Longleat in the 1970s sold for £900.

A Cyberman helmet made in 1967 which featured in the Who stories Moonbase and The Tomb Of The Cybermen went for £7,800.

Two Daleks which appeared in 1960s episodes - one of which was little more than a shell - fetched £4,800 each.

And a model of the Doctor's robotic canine helper K-9 fetched a price of £1,200. All prices include the buyer's premium.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Karen: 'Amy is cooler than me'


Karen Gillan has claimed her Doctor Who companion character Amy Pond is a "lot cooler" than she is.
Speaking after the first part of the season finale was screened on Saturday, Gillan said Amy was one of the most interesting assistants for the Time Lord due to her willingness to stick up for herself.


"I do think she's different from previous companions of the Doctor because she's very equal to him," Gillan told the People.
"She doesn't take his word as gospel and she's always happy to challenge him. If he tells her to do something then she won't necessarily do it.

 
"She might go off and do her own thing which can sometimes create a rift between the two of them."

The Scottish actress added the relationship between the characters could be explosive, saying: "The Doctor is definitely an alpha male and Amy is an alpha female so when they meet, they combust.
"They have quite a turbulent relationship but it's also really passionate and they care about each other. Amy can really hold her own against him. It's a great relationship."


The final episode of the current series of Doctor Who is screened on Saturday at 18:05 BST, with the broadcast date of the episode - June 26th - crucial to its storyline.

Matt Smith enjoys watching DW


Matt Smith has revealed that he enjoys watching himself on Doctor Who.
Speaking to the Radio Times, Smith explained that he likes seeing the episodes when they air.
"I've become a real fan," he said. "I know it sounds very vain, but I do look forward to the ceremony of watching the show on a Saturday night."
Smith also revealed that he would like to be a "Bond villain", adding: "I've never got away with being the handsome leading man. I suppose I'm the peculiar, odd lead, which may work in my favour."
The finale of Doctor Who airs on Saturday at 6.05pm on BBC One.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Quick update: Exams and updating blog....

Good evening, everybody!

Once again, I have to get away from the computer and focus on studying to my two upcoming exams. Do not worry, I will still upload the blog, but only every now and then: for example, I am planning on updating it Tuesday or Wednesday; I had a few days off, since I had been studying very hard for my first exam - which went well, thank God for that - but because the next ones are a month away, and I want to be as ready as I can possibly be, I have to get away for a bit, like I did two weeks ago.


I hope you don't mind. I'm sure you all understand my situation. My exams are my priority but I will come here whenever I can: afterall, a girl needs to rest, right?

There will be some automatic posts... so stay tuned!

>>> I needed a picture to cheer me up...

Take care,
Fran

Friday, June 18, 2010

To all of you who are now following this blog...

... THANK YOU. And I mean it. I appreciate every single visit and every single comment. Thank you so much.

Fran

Matt Smith and Karen Gillan: BBC Newsbeat Interview!



(sources: YouTube and Blogtor Who)

'Lennon Naked' Details

(source: Blogtor Who)

Thirty years after the death of John Lennon, Lennon Naked tells of the turbulent lifestyle of one of the twentieth centuries biggest icons. Christopher Eccleston stars as the enigmatic musician in a defining period of his life – a time of disillusion, self destruction, transformation, and ultimately, hope. John Lennon is one of the most enduring figures in musical and cultural history. One quarter of ‘The Fab Four’, peace activist, visual artist and author, he was a man whose personal life was characterised by drama, intrigue and eventually, conspiracy.
A biopic with a stellar lead cast, Lennon Naked charts Lennon’s transition from ‘Beatle John’ to an enduring and enigmatic icon. It covers a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes from 1967 to 1971, from the death of father-figure and manager Brian Epstein through to the break-up of the Beatles to John’s decision to leave England for New York; a time of worldwide adulation at one extreme, a combination of frustration and despair at the other. It’s the story of an artist destroying everything to find himself – through drugs, break-ups and therapy – as he attempts to free himself from the shackles of material wealth and celebrity and discover himself as a solo recording artist.
These pivotal moments of Lennon’s life are played out by some of Britain’s best-loved actors. The extraordinary cast includes Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, Heroes) as Lennon, Naoko Mori (Torchwood) as Yoko, Rory Kinnear (First Men In The Moon, Cranford) as Brian Epstein and Andrew Scott (John Adams, Killing Hitler) as Paul McCartney.

Doctor Who Matt Smith nearly quit in first week


The new Doctor Who has revealed he nearly left in the first week.
Matt Smith, 27, who admitted being stressed by the TV part said: "I rang my Dad and said, 'I am in trouble.'"
But his father reassured him.
The Doctor faces his hardest battle tomorrow when he faces all his worst foes.

Moffat: 'Who treatment was shameful'


Steven Moffat has suggested that Doctor Who was badly treated before its relaunch in 2005.

The showrunner made the comments at the BAFTA screening of 'The Pandorica Opens', which airs tomorrow night on BBC One at 6.40pm.

When it was noted that the show would not have had such a prestigious airing in the past, Moffat said: "And that's shameful actually. It should have had that attention. There's absolutely brilliant stuff.

"I hate this orthodoxy that Doctor Who suddenly became good in 2005 - that's not true. I didn't fall in love with that show because it was rubbish - it was because it was brilliant."

He then drew the audience's attention to Waris Hussein, the director of the first ever Doctor Who episode 'An Unearthly Child', which aired on November 23, 1963.

Moffat added: "A lot of people here will have seen that, but if you haven't and you entertain the idea that Doctor Who was ever anything but brilliant, go and watch it. It's absolutely astonishing - 25 minutes of magical television."

Asked what had changed to alter the perception of the show, he quipped: "All of us who grew up watching nothing but Doctor Who all day long took over television!

"Those of us who grew up venerating it and loving and not regarding it as a silly thing, we became middle-aged and we put our love into this show."

God, I love you, Moff! THAT'S IT! Doctor Who is BRILLIANT.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

'The Pandorica Opens' Promo Pictures




More from 'The Pandorica Opens'! (Teasers/Spoilers)

*Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.*

(source: Digital Spy)
  • Hello sweetie write large. Literally.
  • "This is royal collection and I'm the ****** *****!  
  • Cleopatra's comin' atcha!  
  • Drahvins, Zygons, Draconians, oh my!
  • A nifty new Cyber-feature is revealed.
  • An unlikely alliance is formed.
  • The Pandorica opens. And Closes.
  • We finally find out where those pesky cracks are coming from.
  • Death. A whole lot more than you probably anticipated.  
  • But don't despair, the last word of the episode is "love"...

Spoilers GALORE! 'The Pandorica Opens'

I can't really post it in here for fear of spoiling the episode for you. This post from 'A Relative Dimension in Space' blog is so incredibly filled and packed with spoilers it blew me away. The pictures are, what can I say?, they are pretty spoilery and well... pretty much tells you that, at least, visual-wise... this episode is going to be AMAZING, 'End of the World' like but miles better (I never really liked that episode that much. Visually, though, it was a hoot). Wayyy better. I am incredibly excited and I want to post those pictures so bad, but I am really afraid they are too revealing.

Not that too revealing is bad, 'cause it is not (for me, at least), but I want to be fair and only offer readers what they want to read and see, and even if some of them like spoilers (like I do), it wouldn't be reasonable for those who don't.

Having said that, I am going to post the link to this massive spoilery post.