BBC America will broadcast the next in their Doctor Who Revisited series on the 31st March, covering the Third Doctor's era.

BBC AMERICA celebrates the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee, in a new special of Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited. Lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, executive producer Caroline Skinner, Tenth Doctor David Tennant, Season Six guest star Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), among others, discuss how the third Doctor brought action and stunts to the series.

It is followed by the classic storyline Spearhead from Space. In the story, a swarm of meteorites fall on the sleepy English countryside, bringing with them a terrible new threat to mankind: the Nestene consciousness - a disembodied alien intelligence with an affinity for plastic. The Doctor is forced to race against time, in order to stop humanity from being replaced by a generation of terrifying plastic replicas.

Doctor Who Revisited: The Third Doctor
Doctor Who Revisited: The Second Doctor
Doctor Who Revisited: The First Doctor

Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited – The Third Doctor premieres Sunday, March 31, 8:00pm ET/PT.

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The BBC has announced that Doctor Who's Executive producer Caroline Skinner is leaving the show to join BBC Drama Production in London.

Skinner will leave at the end of the current series. She took over the executive role for the production of the 2011 Christmas episode, The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe and has been responsible for 15 episodes of the series.

Speaking about her departure Skinner said

It has been an honour to have been a part of Doctor Who, and a privilege to have worked with Steven Moffat and Matt Smith on this extraordinary show. I have hugely enjoyed my time in BBC Wales and would like to thank Faith Penhale, and our wonderful production team for their unending commitment and brilliance. I will miss them all enormously, but I'm leaving Doctor Who in fine form, with the new series starting at Easter and the fantastic plans for the 50th Anniversary already underway. I am delighted to be now returning to BBC Drama Production in London as an executive producer, and the new opportunities and projects that will bring.

The current Head of Drama at BBC Wales, Faith Penhale, will be undertaking the role of executive producer on the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who, due to be screened in the Autumn. Penhale paid tribute to Skinner's work on Doctor Who:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Caroline for her contribution to Doctor Who since taking on the role in 2011, on behalf of both the BBC and the show. She leaves the show in good shape - there's a brilliant new series starting on Easter Saturday that will see the official arrival of the Doctor's new companion! And the 50th Anniversary plans are on track to deliver audiences an unmissable event! I wish her all the very best for the future.

Skinner will continue working on BBC Two's one-off drama An Adventure In Space and Time which forms part of the BBC's celebrations to mark the 50th Anniversary.

The recruitment process for a new executive producer for the 34th series of the show will start shortly.

Related Articles: New Executive Producer Announced (21 Jul 2011)

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Spearhead From Space has been chosen by BBC America to represent the Third Doctor in its Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited celebratory season.

A documentary entitled The Doctors Revisited: The Third Doctor will air on Sunday 31st March at 8pm Eastern/7pm Central, followed by the four-part story that ushered in the Jon Pertwee era.

The documentary will see Steven Moffat, Caroline Skinner, David Tennant, and Hugh Bonneville discussing how the Third Doctor brought action and stunts to the series. It will also feature other as-yet-unspecified contributors.

A swarm of meteorites falls in the English countryside, bringing with it a terrible new threat to mankind: the Nestene Consciousness - a disembodied alien intelligence with an affinity for plastic. The Doctor is forced to race against time in order to stop humanity from being replaced by a generation of terrifying plastic replicas.

The adventure - which originally aired in 1970 - was the first in the series to be made in colour and it saw the newly-regenerated Doctor, freshly exiled by the Time Lords, team up with new assistant Liz Shaw, played by Caroline John, and the British section of UNIT, headed by Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). Because of industrial action at BBC TV Centre, the story ended up being made entirely on location and on 16mm film - the only time this has ever been done on the show so far.

BBC America is paying tribute to the programme's 50th anniversary by showing a story per Doctor per month.

Related Articles: Second Doctor (12 Feb 2013); First Doctor (22 Jan 2013)

The Doctors Revisited: The Third Doctor (via YouTube)

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This is what the Ice Warriors will look like when they return to Doctor Who next month.

The picture was given to SFX magazine by the show's production team and released today.

The Martian monsters will feature in the third story of Series 7B, which has been written by Mark Gatiss, and is set to air on BBC One on Saturday 13th April. It co-stars David Warner and Liam Cunningham, with Nicholas Briggs doing the vocal honours for the adversary.

The new edition of SFX - on sale from tomorrow - has a Doctor Who cover, plus executive producer Caroline Skinner talking about the new series.

UPDATE 6th MARCH: The BBC has now made a number of new images from the new series available to see via its official Doctor Who page.

Related Articles: Ice Warriors To Return (11 Feb 2013)

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The Ice Warriors will be returning to Doctor Who this year, it was announced today.

In an online report, the magazine SFX said that the iconic monsters would be back on our TV screens in the third story of the second part of Series 7. Written by Mark Gatiss, the episode is set on a submarine.

Executive producer Caroline Skinner was quoted by SFX as saying:

We wanted to bring them back because they're wonderful! In the mix of stories that we were planning for this year it felt as if doing something very bold with a monster that hadn't been seen for a while would be really cool. Mark is an enormous fan of the Ice Warrior stories and came up with the idea. The sense of a monster of that scale and that size trapped in a really small, contained environment such as a submarine was a really brilliant story to be able to tell.

The Martians have appeared in the show four times so far. They debuted in the Patrick Troughton story The Ice Warriors in 1967 and were last seen in 1974 in the Jon Pertwee story The Monster of Peladon.

Talking about their design, Skinner said:

We've had a huge amount of fun going back to the traditional designs and recreating them, bringing the Ice Warriors back to life again. They were such a beautiful original design, and are genuinely really scary in terms of what they look like as they’re coming towards you in that armour.

As reported last week, The Ice Warriors is to be released on DVD on Monday 26th August, but it is unknown as yet if the missing episodes two and three will be animated for it. It will, however, include the condensed reconstruction of both those episodes, which was on the 1998 VHS release.

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Tickets are being given away to an exclusive preview of The Angels Take Manhattan in Cardiff.

BAFTA Cymru has 35 pairs of tickets up for grabs for the screening, which will take place on Wednesday 26th September at Cineworld in Mary Ann Street at 6.30pm.

Afterwards, there will be a question-and-answer session with showrunner Steven Moffat, executive producer Caroline Skinner, producer Marcus Wilson, and production designer Michael Pickwoad.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, you'll need to e-mail your name and e-mail address to infocymru@bafta.org by midnight tonight.

A random draw of names will be held tomorrow (Friday) and the successful entrants will get their notification by Monday.

BAFTA Cymru states that the tickets aren't transferable, nor will transport costs be covered. In addition, any under-16s will have to have an adult with them.

The episode will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One on Saturday 29th September at 7.20pm.

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The winning entry in this year's Script To Screen competition has been revealed as coming from Ashdene Primary School in Wilmslow.

The theme of the contest was the Olympics, and the team's mini-episode, which stars Matt Smith and Karen Gillan and sees the return of the Weeping Angels, is to be shown on today's episode of Blue Peter, airing on CBBC at 5.45pm.

Irene Spawton, Year 6 teacher at the Cheshire school, said the pupils involved, named only as Emily, Libby, and Rebecca, pictured above, left to right, with Smith and Gillan - click on the thumbnail to expand, were thrilled and surprised to have won the competition:

It's unbelievable. I couldn't believe it when I got the call to say that the children's script had been chosen as the winner. They worked so hard and came up with some brilliant ideas. I'm so proud of them all, and meeting the Doctor and Amy Pond was a fantastic experience for the girls, their parents and me.

In a short piece last week in the school's newsletter, head teacher Keith Wadcock congratulated the trio on their victory.

The three-minute adventure, called Good As Gold, was filmed at Roath Lock studios the week before last, and Keith Gaskin, the father of Emily, tweeted about it on 8th May: "I've just wished my daughter luck as she's off to Cardiff to have her script made into a Dr Who episode after winning BBC comp. Good luck Em!", 9th May in reply to a comment about the win probably blowing her mind: "It certainly did thanks. The worst part was she knew a while back but couldn't tell anyone! Blue Peter are filming as well" and 10th May: "I've just picked up my daughter after their script was made into a Dr Who episode. Brilliant time apparently & Matt Smith fantastic with them."

The girls' script was chosen by Doctor Who supremo Steven Moffat, BBC Learning executive producer Katy Jones, and Doctor Who executive producer Caroline Skinner, who praised the quality of all the entries, saying:

We loved reading all of the scripts from schools across the UK and the standard of entries was truly outstanding. It was a difficult, but a tremendously fun task to choose a winner and it was just brilliant to see so many children being creative in developing an adventure for the Doctor. We hope all fans enjoy this special one-off mini episode!

Jones said:

This competition aimed to inspire and capture the imagination of storytellers of the future and we're thrilled that so many schools have engaged with it. Pupils have described the competition as the highlight of their school year. There was so much real talent displayed in the entries we received and the final film is a real testament to the hard work the school put into their entry.

A behind-the-scenes item on how Good As Gold was made will also feature in today's Blue Peter, which is repeated tomorrow on BBC One at 4.30pm and will be available via the BBC iPlayer here within the UK following today's broadcast.

Related Articles: New Who On Thursday (23 May 2012); Script To Screen Returns (12 January 2012)

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The BBC wants you to help decide which figure from history the Doctor should meet next.

Over the years the Doctor has met some of the most influential figures in the history of the planet Earth. He has travelled with Marco Polo, flirted with Madame de Pompadour, had his tooth extracted by Doc Holliday and played Hide and Seek with the Emperor Nero. He has met the authors HG Wells, Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens, and even helped William Shakespeare with some of his ideas. He has debated with Winston Churchill, helped out Richard Nixon and rescued Queen Victoria from a werewolf.

Recently the BBC website asked which real person the Doctor should meet next and Doctor Who's Executive Producer Caroline Skinner was so delighted with the response and imagination in the replies that she decided to commission a Doctor Who writer to write a short story based on the best suggestion.

The story will appear on the BBC website, where suggestions for the character involved can still be made.

UPDATE - 18th MAY: The BBC has now stopped accepting suggestions after it was inundated with e-mails.

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The Mill is up for an honour at this year's BAFTA Television Craft Awards for its work on Doctor Who.

It has been shortlisted in the Visual Effects category against BlueBolt (for BBC One's Great Expectations), Philip Dobree, Sophie Orde, and Dan Upton (Inside The Human Body, BBC One), and Burrell Durrant Hifle (Wonders Of The Universe, BBC Two).

Meanwhile, Steven Moffat's other major show, Sherlock, is nominated in three separate categories at the awards, which are held to recognise behind-the-scenes professionals in TV production - Editing: Fiction (Charlie Phillips, for A Scandal In Belgravia); Sound: Fiction (John Mooney, Jeremy Child, Howard Bargroff, and Doug Sinclair, for A Scandal In Belgravia); and Writer (Steven Moffat, for A Scandal In Belgravia).

Doctor Who has failed to make the shortlist in this year's BAFTA TV Awards, but a number of people connected to the show have been nominated for other programmes, and Sherlock features in the nominations line-up as well.

John Simm vies against Sherlock title actor Benedict Cumberbatch for the Leading Actor prize for Exile, while Sherlock's Andrew Scott (Moriarty) and Martin Freeman (Watson) are pitted against each other for Supporting Actor.

Olivia Colman is nominated in the Female Performance in a Comedy Programme category for Twenty Twelve, as is Tamsin Greig for Friday Night Dinner. Ruth Jones, who played Nikki Bevan in the Torchwood episode Adrift, is also nominated for Stella.

Hugh Bonneville is shortlisted for Male Performance in a Comedy Programme for Twenty Twelve, and The Fades, which was produced by Caroline Skinner and had Farren Blackburn directing some of its episodes, is nominated for Drama Series, as is Scott and Bailey, which co-stars Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones.

Coronation Street, which is produced by Phil Collinson, is nominated for Soap And Continuing Drama, and The Cricklewood Greats, which was created, presented, directed, and co-written by Peter Capaldi, is up for Comedy Programme. Rev, which co-starred Olivia Colman, is nominated in the Situation Comedy category.

Sherlock is also one of the nominees in the BAFTA YouTube Audience Award, which is voted for by the public. It was similarly nominated last year but lost out to The Only Way Is Essex. This time it faces competition from Frozen Planet, Fresh Meat, Celebrity Juice, The Great British Bake-Off, and Educating Essex. Voting is open until 5pm on Thursday 24th May.

The Television Craft Awards will be held on Sunday 13th May at The Brewery in London, while the TV Awards, including the YouTube Audience Award, will be presented on Sunday 27th May at the Royal Festival Hall in the capital.

Related Articles: 2011 TV BAFTAs (22 May 2011)

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Jenna-Louise Coleman:

Matt Smith discussed the casting of Jenna-Louise Coleman during an interview on the Roy Noble show, BBC Radio Wales, on 22nd March:

I was part of the audition process where we met a number of wonderful actresses, but I think that Jenna responded to Steven's writing in the most interesting way. We're very excited to welcome her to the Doctor Who family - the Doctor needs a companion, he can't travel alone!

When speaking to Digital Spy about his new film The Pirates!, David Tennant also offered some advice to the new companion:

She'll have a brilliant time, I'm very jealous of her starting out on that extraordinary journey but, you know, keep your nose clean and watch your back. You're suddenly rocketed into a world of attention - certainly unlike anything I'd known before - you just need to watch your back a little bit, but it's wonderful, it's such an exciting thing to be starting out on.

The actress herself appeared on This Morning on 27th March to promote Titanic, but briefly said of the announcement of her new role:

I'm so excited that the news is out. I think I've known about six weeks, two months, something like that. I saw Perdita (Weeks, co-star in the ITV drama Titanic) the night before and I said that I'm going to have to go home early because I have a meeting, and she said like what for, and I said "television"! I'm a really bad liar!

Talking to Radio Times about the secrecy surrounding her casting, Jenna said:

I wasn't allowed to say that it was Doctor Who at any point - not talking to my agent, not when I arrived at the audition, and I certainly couldn't tell anyone at all what I was up to next. When you keep a secret this big, the temptation to tell is all the more irresistible, especially as I live with three schoolfriends. With girl politics the way they are, I couldn't tell just one friend. I had to phone one of them on the way to the press conference to tell her that I'd borrowed her shoes, in case she saw them in photos!

The full interview is in the new edition of Radio Times (31 Mar-6 Apr 2012), where the actress also explains how she had to describe her audition as being for Men On Waves (an anagram of Woman Seven).

Radio Times have also published a number of exclusive publicity photos of the actress, which can be found via their website here.

Casting::

Joanne McQuinn Joanne McQuinn is listed by Spotlight as playing Sadie (episode three). McQuinn is primarily known as Sally Moore in the BBC series Mistresses. She also appeared in Little Miss Jocelyn, The Bill, and Our Friends in the North, and played Zoë Lessard in the documentary Space Odyssey - Voyage of the Planets. In addition, she appeared in the film Fierce Creatures

David Gyasi David Gyasi has been reported by the Standard as appearing in the series in an interview with the actor. Gyasi can currently be seen as Victor in BBC2's White Heat. Other shows have included Apparitions, Demons, Waking the Dead, Murderland, and he played Jeremy Hands in Mike Bassett: Manager. He also appeared in the first series of Torchwood, playing hospital patient Will Harris in Combat.

Filming:

After all the Spanish excitement, filming continued in studio in the week leading up to the official convention, with Arthur Darvill providing Twitter followers with a little levity over lunch. Then, at the convention itself, executive producer Caroline Skinner presented followers with a "dimensionally transcendental" Steven Moffat!

"Snack time at work" Arthur Darvill on Twitter

"No. It is my apple." Arthur Darvill on Twitter

"Moffat's brain is BIGGER ON THE INSIDE!" Caroline Skinner on Twitter

A tweet from last Friday indicated some upside down antics on set, with DrakeAV reporting: "So excited! I got to pop into the Tardis and saw Karen Gillan hanging by a thread upside down screaming. Doctor...«. This was later confirmed by Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill themselves at the official convention, with Karen saying that the length of time suspended led to some blood vessels bursting! Steven Moffat was alleged to be present during the shoot laughing at their predicament ...

Friday evening then saw a read-through for the current filming block, covering episodes one and five.

As previously reported, the production team are to take their second international trip next month when they film in New York as part of the production for episode five, Amy and Rory's final story which features the return of the Weeping Angels.

Meanwhile, production has continued in studio for episode one, the series opener that will feature the return of the Daleks. The teaser trailer this week included a brief glimpse of the Doctor's old adversary in the snow (believed to have been filmed in Spain as part of the shoot there earlier in the month), and the BBC have now released some teaser images of the Daleks in studio:

Filming is expected to continue in Cardiff next week at the university's School of Physics and Astronomy.

Unconfirmed Updates:

The Daily Star has reported that an online version of Doctor Who Confidential is to be made to accompany the next series. However, there has been no other confirmation of this elsewhere at present.

During the convention, attendees were able to take a tour of the existing TARDIS sets at the BBC's Upper Boat Studios. Speculation as to why the console room hadn't been transferred to the new Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff Bay seem to have been clarified now, with fan Robert Davis reporting: "At today's TARDIS tour crew let slip that this Console room is not moving to new studios - NEW redesigned TARDIS being built there!!!«"

Production Crew: Related Vacancy:

BBC Careers have listed a role within the BBC Wales Production Unit which, though not specifically advertised for Doctor Who, will encompass the show amongst others:

Post Production Coordinator

BBC Wales Production Unit aims to be the best value and most creative producer of programmes in the UK, fostering a dynamic, flexible culture which supports high quality and innovative production. There are currently over 400 staff in the Unit. The main focus of your role will be in post production and graphic design.

The Post Production and graphic design department is the largest of its type outside of London and is responsible for the post production of a wide range of the BBC programmes including; Doctor Who, Human Planet, Egypt, Crimewatch, Upstairs Downstairs and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Requirements: BBC Wales post production and graphic design is looking for an enthusiastic and well organised person to help get the best from our talented craft staff and facilities. You will work closely with production teams and be responsible for organising and supervising the post production of a wide range of projects within BBC Wales.

The role, based in Cardiff, is for internal applicants only, with a closing date of 12th April.

with thanks to Ruther, Steve the Poncho Boy, DrakeAV, Robert Davis

Related Articles: Jenna-Louise Coleman cast (21 Mar 2012); Roundup (16 Mar 2012)

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The stars of Doctor Who took time out of their busy schedule to talk to a number of Doctor Who news sites, including Doctor Who News, at the Official Doctor Who Convention which took place in Cardiff last weekend.

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill joined Executive Producers Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner to answer questions on the future of Doctor Who and the departure of Amy and Rory, as well as their thoughts on the convention and the fans' reaction to the series.

Press Conference, Doctor Who News, via YouTube

Related Articles: Convention Roundup (25 Mar 2012); Production: Convention News (24 Mar 2012); Convention Review (25 Mar 2012)

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Doctor Who will return to America to shoot the final story featuring Amy and Rory, as they depart the series in an epic battle with the Weeping Angels to be shot in New York.

Executive Producer Caroline Skinner confirmed the news at the Doctor Who Convention taking place in Cardiff this weekend, were fans were given an exclusive premiere of Series Seven, with a showing of the first trailer featuring footage from the upcoming series. The trailer will be availble on the BBC Website from 9am Monday.

Asked how they felt about leaving the series Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill said they felt the time was right and that Amy and Rory's story had run its course. Darvill said: "we've had the most incredible time and it will be really sad when we leave. We had the read through for our final episode last night and it is going to be an amazing piece of Television.". Gillan said she was so pleased with the way she was leaving: "I just hope I can deliver it well."

Matt Smith said he would miss two of his closest friends, and that they had developed an incredible creative relationship. But all good things come to an end: "The thing about Doctor Who is that it is in constant change so we embrace the future and look forward to Jenna."

Asked how they felt about attending the convention, all the stars agreed said it was amazing to meet the fans and to see the reaction: "When making the series you forget how much people love it. We just try to make it the best it can be and its brilliant to see the reactions."

The production team were tight lipped about plans for Series Seven and the show's 50th Anniversary next year. Steven Moffat gave the headlines already known: "Amy and Rory leaving, tragedy, heartbreak and a Western, what more do you want out of Television. Come on Downton take that on!"

The Doctor Who Convention continues on Sunday although all tickets are sold out. A full Convention Report will follow later.

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Casting:

Reports from Spain indicate that actor Garrick Hagon is currently filming Doctor Who, with Genshiken Spain saying: "Garrick Hagon, our guest at FreakCon, is currently shooting in Almeria, filming a series of Doctor Who." This was also backed up by Rob Cavazos, who said: "I am currently working with an actor who was in the first Star Wars film. I am by no means a fanboy, but that's still pretty awesome!"

Hagon has previously appeared in Doctor Who, alongside Jon Pertwee in 1972's The Mutants as the Solonian rebel Ky.

Film appearances include A Bridge Too Far, The Spy Who Loved Me, Batman, Mission Impossible and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but as mentioned above he is probably best remembered as Luke Skywalker's best friend Biggs in the original Star Wars. Television appearances include Moonbase 3, Colditz, Cambridge Spies, and as Frank Oppenheimer in 1980's Oppenheimer.

On Location

Filming kicked off last Thursday in the Almeria region of Spain, at the Oasys Parque Temático del Desierto de Tabernas and Fort Bravo Studios. Both Executive Producer Caroline Skinner and Brand Manager Edward Russell travelled to Spain (with the latter celebrating his birthday at the weekend!), plus Doctor Who Magazine was also represented by Benjamin Cook.

A number of photos of the cast and crew on location in the Tabernas desert and at Fort Bravo Studios were captured by Spanish fans and media, including a glimpse of the story's adversary (confirming the report by by The Sun last week).

On Location Photos 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31; Adversary Images 2 3 4 5 6 7 (with thanks to Whovians.Net, Zimbio)

Related Articles: Roundup (8th Mar 2012)

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Cast and Crew:

The two episodes currently being directed by Saul Metzstein have been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine as episode two by Chris Chibnall, and a wild-west themed episode three by Toby Whithouse. The cast for Chibnall's episode included the previously announced Mark Williams, Rupert Graves, and David Bradley, and joining Rob Cavazos for episode three are:

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Scarborough is listed by agent Curtis Brown as playing Kahler Jax. Scarborough has appeared in a number of prominent roles on television, having appeared as Mr Jolly in Psychoville, Pete in Gavin and Stacey, Mr Johnson in Cranford, and most recently as Mr Pritchard in Upstairs Downstairs. He has also appeared in films such as Vera Drake and Elizabeth: The Golden Years, and featured as a BBC Radio Announcer in The King's Speech. This won't be his first role in the Doctor Who world, having played Rupert von Thal in Big Finish's The Boy That Time Forgot.

Dominic Kemp Dominic Kemp is listed by agent Sainou as playing Kahler-Mas. Kemp has appeared in guest roles in a number of television dramas, including Waking the Dead, Wire in the Blood, Moses Jones (featuring Matt Smith) and most recently in the Christmas special of Downton Abbey. Film-wise, he appeared in Miss Potter, and will be seen with former Doctor Christopher Eccleston in the forthcoming Song for Marion.

Ben Browder Ben Browder has been confirmed by Doctor Who Magazine. Browder is no stranger to the sci-fi genre, having played John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG1. More recently he has appeared in Chuck and will shortly play Nick Naught in Naught for Hire.

The character being played by Mark Williams has now been revealed, according to his online CV.

The name of the character could be considered a spoiler and can be read from this article on the news page.

The second recording block, which comprises two episodes by Steven Moffat, will be directed by Nick Hurran, who filmed last year's The Girl Who Waited and The God Complex.

On Location:

If you've ever wondered what a casting call can look like, here's a number of Doctor Who hopefuls in Almeria, Spain queuing up to audition as extras for the episode that would be filmed there - the process of which was politely described as 'chaotic'!

Filming itself kicked off on the 7th at the Oasys Parque Temático del Desierto de Tabernas in the Almeria region. The resort is set in the only European desert, and provides a number of themed areas such as an aquatic zone, wildlife park, and of more interest to Doctor Who of course, a Western theme town known as "Mini Hollywood". The area has played host to a number of renowned films, like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Lawrence of Arabia, and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

In The Media/The Rumour Zone:

Executive Producer Caroline Skinner commented in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine on reading the opening script for the new series: "Once I'm finally on the plane into Heathrow I re-read Steven's scary, thrill-ride of an opening episode. There I am, gasping and laughing away to myself, and kinda wishing planes had sofas - because if there'd been a sofa on this one, I would've hidden behind it."

Today's Sun carries an item on filming in Spain, courtesy of the ubiquitous 'insider':

A BBC spokesman said it was more cost-efficient to film in Spain than recreate the set in the UK, while the weather conditions will also prove sunnier than Cardiff, where Doctor Who is usually shot.

"Matt and Karen are really excited about the episode. Filming on the same set as a lot of western films, together with the Spanish weather, will give it an epic feel."

The paper has also suggested the adversary up against the Doctor:

Possible spoiler on the adversary follows:

The episode will feature a half-human half-robot Terminator-style beast which patrols a Victorian-era western town.

(with thanks to Ruther, Condensador de Fluzo, Diego Armando Alías)

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The new Doctor Who Magazine (out Thursday) sees Sophie Aldred take a candid look back at her time on the show:

We never thought, at the time, how far-reaching our episodes would be – especially now, with this rebirth of the series, people discovering our episodes for the first time. It would be interesting to see what Amy Pond thought of Ace . . .

Also in this issue:

• Doctor Down Under - Executive producer Caroline Skinner tells DWM about her recent trip Down Under for the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular and her reaction on reading the script for Episode 1 of the new series, in her first Production Notes.
  
• Keep It In The Family - DWM catches up with the scourge of the Silents, CIA agent Canton Everett Delaware III – aka actors Mark Sheppard and his father, Morgan Sheppard – and finds out about making it as an actor and whether Canton could return.
• It's The Key Thing! - DWM celebrates 1978/9's Key To Time season: six linked adventures that introduced Time Lady Romana and featured Douglas Adams's first script for Doctor Who, as Countdown To 50 continues.
• The Fall Of The Gods? - With the Doctor at the mercy of the mighty Zeus, and with Rory and Amy facing a titanic foe in ancient Athens, what can humble philosopher Socrates do to save the day? Find out in the final, world-changing episode of the latest comic strip, The Chains of Olympus, written by Scott Gray, with art by Mike Collins.
• The Last Voord! - Get ready for adventures within adventures, as the First Doctor and his companions brave screaming jungles, snows of terror and seas of acid! Discover a wealth of fascinating new info as The Fact of Fiction scrutinises the 1964 story The Keys of Marinus.
• Changing History For The Better . . . ? - Doctor Who fans are spoilt with the care and attention that is lavished on the DVD releases. But as well as being lovingly restored, should the stories be improved, correcting technical "errors" of the past? Sparring partners Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon argue whether rewriting history is ever justified, in A Battle of Wits.
• Chaos In The Classroom - The Time Team go back to school with the Tenth Doctor and Rose and are reacquainted with two dear old friends – Sarah Jane Smith and K-9. Join Chris, Emma, Will, and Michael on the sofa and see what they make of 2006's School Reunion.
• Off The Record! - The Watcher challenges readers with The Six Faces of Delusion, celebrates another Supporting Artist of the Month, and continues A History of Doctor Who In 100 Objects with a look at the extraordinary 1985 single Doctor In Distress, in Wotcha!
  

PLUS! All the latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, a prize-winning crossword, and more.

Related Articles: DWM 444 (9 Feb 2012); DWM 443 (12 Jan 2012)

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Production

In an interview with SFX, executive producer Caroline Skinner confirmed that the first recording block contains two individual stories (being directed by Saul Metzstein). On whether all the scripts were written, she said: "No, if only. But we’ve got a lot of them and the ones that are written are really, really epic and very exciting. (The opening episode) is indeed written by Steven and it’s going to blow everybody’s mind."

Speaking on the Richard Bacon Show, BBC1 Controller Danny Cohen talked about series developments: "The Doctor Who team are writing away. There are more episodes next year. We've got some big events coming up in the near future. So, stay tuned! I always try and keep things close to my chest with Doctor Who because there's such interest in it, and I think it's right that Steven Moffat and the team are the people that bring the news on Doctor Who to the audience rather than me."

Toby Whithouse talked to BBC America about writing for the new series: "My episode is in a genre I’ve never written before — frankly, no one has written in that genre for quite a while now. But I absolutely love it. Steven gives me a one-line pitch, and then I’ll go away and put together a story and so on. And he gave me a great one-line pitch for this, so I’m really excited about it. Doctor Who is always a joy to write. It never gets boring, it never gets dull, it never gets routine. It’s an incredibly difficult show to write because it’s remarkably complex, but it also has to have such momentum and pace. And within that there has to be room for character and humour and so on. It’s always a huge challenge but always extraordinary fun. That’s why I keep going back."

On Location

As well as production commencing on the new series last Monday, later in the week saw filming taking place at Southerndown Beach; the distinctive Dunraven Bay location has featured in a number of BBC Wales programmes, including Merlin and Being Human, and has been used previously in Doctor Who to represent an alien planet (Army of Ghosts), Bad Wolf Bay (Doomsday/Journey's End) and Alfava Metraxis (The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone). Matt Smith, Arthur Darvill and Mark Williams were pictured during filming, which was covered by a number of media sources including The Sun, Radio Times, and the Western Mail.

Casting

According to Spotlight, Rudi Dharmalingham will feature in this block, playing the role of ISA Worker. The actor has had a number of small guest roles in recent series, including The Bill, Casualty and New Tricks. He has also undertaken a number of stage roles, including the international tour of History Boys.

The Rumour Zone

This section talks about elements of the series that have not been formally confirmed and might well be considered spoilers!

In her discussion with SFX about Worlds in Time, Caroline Skinner was also asked about the possibility of a foe returning to the series itself:

SFX: The Zygons are in it! Is this a hint they’re going to be returning to the show anytime soon?
Caroline Skinner: [Laughs] “Wait and see.”

The Express has suggested that Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch might have a role to play in Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary. The traditional 'insider' said:

It's fitting that the Doctor comes face to face with his ultimate enemy, The Master, for the 50th anniversary and it's felt Benedict is the perfect choice if schedules can work. Fans will love the idea of the man who plays Sherlock Holmes taking on the Doctor.

Benedict has often been asked about whether he would like to play the Doctor so it will be ironic if he now ends up being The Master instead.

(with thanks to Chris Williams, Ruther)

Related Articles: First official photo (22 Feb 2012); Filming underway (21 Feb 2012); Roundup (17 Feb 2012)

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Karen Gillan (seen here on the cover of the new Radio Times) commented on how she could have met Jean Shrimpton, who she plays in We'll Take Manhattan next week: "She runs a hotel in Penzance. Part of me was tempted to check in but I thought that might be a little weird. I read her modelling guide and her autobiography, though. The guide was written at the height of her fame, the autobiography later on in life, so she’s far more honest in that about how she feels. She hated the fame side of things." [Express, 12 Jan 2012]

The actress also commented on things that help unclutter her head: "Space! I went to the Royal Observatory the other day, and looked through the biggest telescope in the UK. I saw a star from 47 years in the past. Yep, space excites me. My dream is to go to space. And dreams – I find the meanings of dreams very interesting. And the brain. Did you know the brain has three layers, and when we're drunk, we revert to the bottom layer, which is only interested in eating, sleeping and 'meeting a partner'. And music connects to that layer, that bottom layer! Did you know that?" [Guardian, 14 Jan 2012]

Producer Caroline Skinner commented on her arrival into the world of Doctor Who with the Christmas Special: "That was an absolutely fantastic one to start on. And now, I'm thrilled and slightly daunted at the scale of what we're achieving in the next series. We're not too far away from starting shooting, and I think it's going to be the biggest series ever - 2013 is going to be the biggest year in the history of Doctor Who so far." [io9, 12 Jan 2012]

John Barrowman and Raquel Cassidy will be appearing in Hustle on Friday 3rd February as diet fraudsters Dr Dean Deville and his wife, Dana. The episode airs at 9pm on BBC One. [BBC Media Centre, 17 Jan 2012]

Bob Baker (writer/K9 co-creator) and his wife Marie have been helping students at Fareham College on literary and theatrical projects, sharing their experience in the industry and providing feedback on their work. The writer said: "The main thing is to start working on something and to keep sending it away. They should try to get their work on somewhere – whether on TV or a play – so they can hear it spoken because that’s important." [Western Wards Gazette, 13 Jan 2012]

Related Articles: Roundup (12 Jan 2012)

In Memoriam

The actor Harry Fowler, who played Harry in Remembrance of the Daleks, has died at the age of 85. He had numerous TV and film credits and was possibly best known as Corporal "Flogger" Hoskins in the ITV sitcom The Army Game, in which he appeared with William Hartnell (as Sgt Major Percy Bullimore) during the show's fifth and final series, which ran from September 1960 to June 1961.

(newslinks: Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Mirror, also with thanks to Chris Winwood)

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This week saw the first public confirmation that production has begun on the forthcoming Christmas Special of Doctor Who, with cast and crew settling in at the Welsh town of Llanelli. Filming took place at the private residence of Stradey Castle over the last four days, with Matt Smith spotted at the production base during the course of the shoot.

THE FOLLOWING DETAILS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS SPOILERS

It was not initially clear that this was indeed filming for Doctor Who, as signs seen in the vicinity were "NRG" - used previously for the production of Baker Boys that saw its wrap party a week previously. However, Matt Smith was eventually spotted at the production base, which confirmed that this was indeed the return of our Time Lord. Karen Gillan was also reported as being at the hotel where the cast and crew stayed, but she was not actually seen on location.

As noted above, filming took place at the private residence of Stradey Castle both during the day and into the evening; the secluded location meant that no photos of the production were forthcoming, though there had been reports of a large mechanical bear seen on the castle grounds.

Photo: Graham Harries (via YFrog) Production signs in use for filming

Photo: Sophie Cook (via Tumblr) A view of black-out screens at the house

Photo: Graham Harries (via Twitter) Matt Smith leaving his trailer

(news with thanks to the Llanelli Twitter spotters Sophie Cook, Graham Harries,
Josh Nicholas Thomas, Meriel Williams, Cerys Perkins, and Ashley Taylor)

 

Some photos of Matt Smith were also published by the Western Mail, though the BBC clarified that the guest star pictured with the actor was not the name suggested by the paper.

Production is now believed to be in studio for the next few days.

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In July, the BBC announced the new Executive Producer for Doctor Who, Caroline Skinner, who would be working on the Christmas Special alongside Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger. This weekend saw Moffat introduce her to Twitter followers, saying:

@CaroSkinner The new exec on Doctor Who. If you don't follow her, you'll miss EVERYTHING!

Related Articles: New Executive Producer announced (21 Jul 2011)

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The BBC has announced that Caroline Skinner will join Steven Moffat as Executive Producer on Doctor Who.

Skinner has recently been working as producer on Five Days, a serial for BBC One. She has previously been script editor on productions such as House of Saddam, The Shadow in the North, The Ruby in the Smoke and Bleak House.

Skinner will start work on the series immediately, working alongside departing Executive Producer Piers Wenger on the 2011 Christmas special, before taking charge for the fourteen episodes which form the next series of the show, which leads up to the programme's 50th Anniversary.

Speaking about the appointment, Moffat told the official website:

The exec joining me on Doctor Who is Caroline Skinner - fresh from the wonderful Five Days, and still finishing up on a brand new show called The Fades (a fantasy horror series, written by Jack Thorne - I've seen episode 1, and it's BRILLIANT.) Somewhere between me laughing in a basement and choosing planets to invade, and Marcus Wilson raising armies, there has to be a Prime Minister actually running the whole thing. That's the job Piers Wenger and Beth Willis have been doing so wonderfully for the last few years. Now that Piers is off to movie land, that's the furnace Caroline will be walking into.

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