November 24, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

According to producers of this past weekend's Doctor Who @40 event on UK Gold, the documentaries that have been run are cleared for "six transmissions over the next year," so they'll be repeated for those who weren't able to see them. No word as to when it will be done. Also, credits were left off these programmes only because the producers ran out of time in production, but the credits on each will be run during the next transmission. Meanwhile, among the highlights during the weekend was a ten-minute feature at the end about the future of Doctor Who... which ended with a number of people recommending Paul McGann for the new series, and the very final word was McGann saying "You never know..." and winking at the camera. (Thanks to Roger Anderson, Dave Pashby)

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November 24, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Fans have noticed a slight issue on the new DVD release of The Three Doctors that crept into the pressing of the DVD after the masters were delivered by the Doctor Who Restoration Team. Says Steve Roberts, it's "at the end of episode two, at the last chapter point in the episode. The sound continues across the chapter point OK, but the video jumps back three seconds and then continues to play out. The result is a shot gets repeated (a brief repeat of the grounds of the UNIT HQ minus the house, followed by the zoom into the soldier) and from that point on the picures are three seconds out of sync with the sound. I have checked the masters and they are fine, so I'm afraid that it's an error that has crept in downstream of us. ie it's not our fault!" Although a three second mismatch between audio and picture sounds a lot, there is no dialogue involved - the fault occurs just as the end title music is about to begin. According to Steve, the US/Canada release version, coming soon, doesn't have the problem; however, the Australia/New Zealand version has been for several weeks, demonstrating that it's not that noticeable if you're not aware of it. BBCi also comments on a different issue, that the DVD isn't as widely available as speculated: "It should be noted that only a few thousand copies of The Three Doctors come complete with a Corgi model Bessie car, making it a more limited edition than was previously thought." (Thanks to the Restoration Team and BBCi)

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November 24, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

According to a news article that appeared today in the UK's "The Sun" paper, the Daleks may not appear in the new Doctor Who TV series because of an ongoing rights issue between the BBC and the estate of the late Dalek creator Terry Nation. While the BBC jointly owns rights to the Daleks with Nation's estate, the executors are apparently saying no to a deal. The Sun quotes an 'insider' as follows: "No one knows exactly why, but Terry fell out with the BBC at some point. He told the executors never to let the BBC use the Daleks again. Fans want to see the Daleks return, but they may be disappointed.ö A BBC spokesman confirmed to the Sun that there were on-going discussions between the BBC and the executors. The story has also been picked up word for word by Ananova. (Thanks to Nathan Baron, Steve Tribe)

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November 21, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Lots of discussions of the anniversary in the UK papers. The Times features a comprehensive article on Doctor Who with memories shared by various luminaries like Tom Baker, Paul Cornell, John Sessions, Mark Gatiss, and other journalists and broadcasters such as Alain de Botton and Joan Bakewell; it's accessible to subscribers (and may be visible to UK readers only without subscribing). The Friday Review section of the Guardian talks about the BBCi "Scream of the Shalka" webscast. BBC News is running their own Talking Point on memories and a poll for favorite Doctor (again), while BBC News also features several interviews and stories from the past few days including an interview with Elisabeth Sladen, a 40th anniversary feature and an article about fond memories of the show. (Thanks to Chuck Foster, Paul Hayes, Duncan Rose and Craig Hinton)

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November 21, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Big Finish has reprinted, in one volume, three novels called the "Star Quest" series originally written and published in 1978, 1979 and 1981 by Doctor Who's own longtime story editor & writer Terrance Dicks. "Three young cousins get caught up in galactic events when two battling UFOs land near Stonehenge," says Big Finish's website. "For Jan, Kevin and Anna it is only the beginning of their thrilling adventures. Helping the League of Sentient Lifeforms in their fight against the ruthless and evil Kaldor, the trio meet friendly aliens and savage beasts, travel across the galaxy and come face to face with golden robots and dinosaurs. In Spacejack, the young friends meet Tell, Osar and Garm agents for the League, an alliance of intelligent races from across the galaxy and come up against the Kaldor, who believe that only humans have the right to rule. Roboworld sees the cousins crashland on an asteroid infested with an army of killer robots. And in Terrorsaur!, Jan, Kevin and Anna must search for their new friends who have gone missing whilst on patrol." The book features a new cover by Jim Mortimore and Tim Keable and is now on sale.

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November 20, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy will be appearing on GMTV on Friday morning at 8:20am, discussing the show's anniversary and this weekend's UK GoldDoctor Who @40 Weekend. Meanwhile, according to Benjamin Elliott's "This Week in Doctor Who" column today, advance TV listings for December reveal that UK Gold will be ending its weeknight run of Doctor Who stories with the broadcast on Tuesday 2 December (with the second half of "Logopolis"). UK Gold's weekday run began earlier this year and will have consisted of the entire Tom Baker run of stories bar Genesis Of The Daleks and Destiny Of The Daleks. Doctor Who will continue to air on Saturday and Sunday mornings in movie format. (Thanks to Mat Watson at UKTV, Benjamin F. Elliott)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

The November 18 issue of the UK's "The Sun" featured another 'potential': the star of "The Royle Family," Ricky Tomlinson. Says the article: "Dalek's My a**e! Royle family slob Ricky Tomlinson wants to be the new Dr Who. He reckons the Timelord should be a scouser and says: 'I'd be perfect! There are always funny moments and a scouse accent would work well. It instantly makes things funnier'. Ricky, 64 - famed for Royle Family catchphrase 'My a**e!' - added: 'I've always fancied myself as a bit of an action hero and i'd love to do some Dalek bashing'." Rivals for the job include Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies and Rowan Atkinson." As usual, take with adequate grains of salt. (Thanks to Scott Hughes, Phillip Madeley)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

The edition of the BBC Radio Wales program mousemat that focuses on Doctor Who and its websites, originally scheduled for November 19, has been rescheduled to this Sunday, November 23 (the anniversary date itself!) The show airs at 5:30pm, with a repeat on Wednesday November 26 at 6:00pm. For further details on the program visit the Mousemat site. (Thanks to Alan Daulby)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Cards Inc. has released some details on the new Doctor Who desktop cardboard cutout range they will be releasing soon, a limited range of desktop (around 12 inches) size cut outs, of The Doctor (Tom Baker), Dalek (60s model), Cyberman (Earthshock type), Davros and the TARDIS. The production run is limited to 1000 per variety. Cardboard Cutouts will be distributing these desktop cutouts and are currently taking orders for the releases, which will hopefully be out soon after the anniversary. Visit the website and take a look at some of these new tabletop products; meanwhile, a look at these products are below. (Thanks to Colin Ravey)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Doctor Who has made the cover of Design Weekly magazine, which features an article inside on Cosgrove Hall, the producers of the animated webcast of the Doctor Who story "The Scream of the Shalka", interviewing producer-director Steve Maher about the use of Flash animation techniques. "Flash has a reputation for being simplistic because it is used a lot for designing websites," says Maher. "But if you know what you're doing it's an extremely useful tool for animation. Because a lot of animators now use all the options at their disposal, you have to make sure it's not too obvious when you are using CGI. It has to look seamless. In the end, CGI is a tool, like Flash." You can read the full article by picking up the new issue. (Thanks to Andie Frankham, Richard Beeby)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

In a new interview in the Radio Times with Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor comments about how different the new series should be. "They do have to move on and make it funny and wry. Will there be sexual chemistry between the Doctor and the companion? Will they make the Doctor gay? black? or a woman?" Baker says he wouldn't play the role of the Doctor again... "but if they did bring back the TARDIS they could have me in a glass cage, just moving my eyes... [the new Doctor] could turn to it and say 'What would you do I wonder?' Perhaps I could go back as the Master". Meanwhile, a new interview in today's issue of "The Scotsman" with Baker asks about him hosting an "imaginary dinner party". Says Baker: "IÆd like to go back in time and invite Anthony Hopkins and his then wife Jennie, because he and I were great friends when we worked together at the National Theatre in the 1960s. They only divorced in the last couple of years and heÆs now remarried. They were very kind to me... He was very strange and had a marvellous imagination which made him compelling. ItÆs a quality stars have. I havenÆt seen him since 1972. Maybe heÆs changed a bit.ö What kind of food would he serve? Italian, with 13 1/2 percent red wine. "None of this 12 per cent stuff. ItÆs amazing the difference in impact between 12 and 13 and a half per cent. It sounds so little. It was lovely to get squiffy with Hopkins.ö It goes on from there. Visit the website to read the interview. (Thanks to Steve Tribe and Planet Who)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Tom Baker was voted the greatest Doctor ever in a poll by Radio Times, while companion Sarah Jane Smith was voted best companion. Said Baker, "The readers' vote is very pleasing and reassuring. I was lucky because all my stuff was in colour, the scripts were coming along, the effects were getting more refined, the sets didn't fall over so often. I loved it so much. Some were more successful Doctors than others, but no-one ever failed at Doctor Who. Twenty years on, the Doctor's image has stayed with me. People remember me fondly and are kind to me in the street, sometimes even physically affectionate. It's better than being royalty." Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane, noted that she "had a ball working on Doctor Who for three years - it was only after I left that I realised just what an incredible impact it had." The Cybermen were voted "favorite villains" (after the Daleks were removed, obviously to give someone else a chance!) Anthony Stewart Head of "Buffy" fame was voted the man who should play the next Doctor (see separate story on the TV News Page).

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Interviewed in The Western Mail, Bill Nighy, touted as a possible new Doctor (and indeed, the apparent first choice of producer Russell T. Davies), admits he doesn't have any idea what's up. "I've no idea about that," he says. "No-one's actually asked me. I did hear a rumour, but that's as far as it goes. I don't know if I'd be up for it or not; it would depend on so many things really. And I haven't got around to thinking what kind of a doctor I would be - except I probably wouldn't wear a scarf." Read the full article by clicking here. (Thanks to Andrew Harvey, Chuck Foster)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Anthony Stewart Head, best known as Giles on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and known to Doctor Who fans for his turn as Grayvorn in the "Excelis" series from Big Finish, was voted the audience's favorite to play the next Doctor in a Radio Times poll, beating runners-up Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and Ian Richardson. "I'm in very good company - good God, I beat Alan Rickman," said Head. "I suppose I would be a logical choice to play the Doctor just because Giles, my character in Buffy, has the same light and dark sides and quirkiness as Doctor Who." He said his favorite Doctor was Patrick Troughton "because you never knew what was going on inside his Doctor." The article on the BBC's website noting the Radio Times poll results also features comments from writer Russell T. Davies; you can read it by clicking here(or here to read a similar story on Yahoo!). (Thanks to everyone who wrote in with comments)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Members of Parliament have chosen Stephen Fry as the actor they most want to become the next Doctor, in a poll carried out by BBC Worldwide and announced on the BBC Press Office' website. 130 MP's responded to the questions, "many showing huge enthusiasm for this uniquely British institution". Fry beat Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, David Jason and former Doctor Tom Baker. 78 names were suggested including Eddie Izzard, Hugh Laurie, David Bowie, Zoe Wanamaker, Joanna Lumley, Dawn French, Kate O'Mara, Patricia Routledge... and even a few non-actors such as William Hague (former senior Conservative MP), Jeremy Paxman, Iain Duncan Smith, and John Peel. The Daleks were voted the scariest monsters; Tom Baker was voted the best Doctor; and in a question asking "Doctor Who is an example of Great British Television becauseà?", the frontrunner in that category was "because it was innovative, groundbreaking, original, unique and creative." Check out the full press release by visiting the Press Office site. (Thanks to Steve Tribe)

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November 19, 2003  •  Posted By Shaun Lyon

Journalist Matthew Sweet penned an article on the 40th anniversary of Doctor Who for the Independent on November 16, which has only now been made available to readers online. Click here to read the article. Very importantly, the article mentions the return of the series with some interesting information: "There'll be at least one important difference, though, between the programme's 20th and 21st-century incarnations," Sweet writes. "The new Doctor Who will be one of the BBC's flagship programmes. [Producer Russell T.] Davies and his co-conspirator, Mal Young, Controller of Continuing Drama Series, have secured a commitment to five series of 13, 45-minute episodes. They'll be able to afford an expensive actor for the lead role. They'll get billboard ads, Radio Times covers and publicity spots across the media. The original programme rarely enjoyed such security." The article then goes on to mention that "Russell T Davies has his first production meeting on 8 December." While we have no idea how definite any of this information is, it certainly breeds speculation that the BBC is fully committing itself to the production, and that good times may indeed be ahead.

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