I am writing this column on Friday night. The annual charity show Children in Need has just finished airing, and as usual, Doctor Who had a huge presence.
It was…quite revealing in fact.
Take it off, Take it all off!
First up, we have the Doctor selling the clothes off his back for charitable purposes. This video is actually very funny. I love that Matt Smith is
willing to have so much fun with the role. And I want Hyperpants!
The Doctor, The widow, and the Wardrobe Trailer
We finally have a name for this year’s Christmas special, and a trailer. I love that the Doctor says that sometimes he is called “Get Off This Planet.” A Narnia themed Christmas special is crazy, but should be a lot of fun. Definitely looking forward to this. Five weeks til new Doctor Who!!!
Fourth Doctor To Team Up With Second Doctor In Radio Plays
Saw this story in Doctor Who Magazine this month, and I am really excited about it. Tom Baker has been recording radio plays repraising his role as the Fourth Doctor. In the second story arc (called Serpent’s Crest), someone goes looking for the Fourth Doctor, they find that this home has been taken over by a shabby crazy person. Who is revealed to be the Second Doctor. Patrick Troughton passed away in 1987, but his son David Troughton (who has appeared in a few episodes of Doctor Who and done a lot of work on the radio plays) has taken over the roles. This is a really cool idea, and I am looking forward to listening to these!
These happen in the two-part Serpent’s Crown finale which should be available on December 8 (which happens to be the anniversay of my wife and I’s first date).
BBC To Host Official Doctor Who Convention
BBC Worldwide have announced the first official Doctor Who convention to be staged since the series return in 2005. Billed as the “Ultimate Doctor Who Fan Event”, it will feature guests Matt Smith and Steven Moffat, plus many others from the cast and crew including Danny Hargreaves (special effects supervisor), Michael Pickwoad (production designer), Marcus Wilson (producer) and the team behind Millennium FX.
The convention will held twice, taking place at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff; 1500 tickets are to be made available for each of the days on the 24th and 25th March 2011:
The unique interactive programme will include theatre sessions and Q&As with cast and crew; behind the scenes sessions show-casing the script to screen process; discussions with episode directors and writers and demonstrations from Special FX and prosthetics experts that will illustrate the challenges and scale of their work on the world’s longest running sci-fi show. Autograph and photo opportunities will also be available with attending cast members and there will be official Doctor Who merchandise and collectables on sale.
Matt Smith commented on the announcement:
It’s brilliant that the first official convention is being held in Cardiff, the home of Doctor Who. I’m really looking forward to seeing the fans there, and remember – bow ties are cool!
Steven Moffat said:
A whole weekend dedicated to all things Doctor Who, brilliant! We’re going to be celebrating the whole team behind the show, people who bring to life the Doctor’s craziest adventures and letting fans into some of our trade secrets. If you want to get under the skin of Doctor Who this is an unmissable event!”
Skitch Commentary: I do admit that 100 pounds does seem a bit pricey for a one day convention (especially since pictures and autographs with Matt Smith and Steven Moffat cost extra), but it really sounds like a fun event. Shame that it’s all the way out in Wales. I would love to go!
Doctor Who to appear on big screen?
Doctor Who News is also reporting that:
Variety have reported that preparation has begun to turn Doctor Who into a feature film, to be helmed by director David Yates (Harry Potter) in association with BBC Worldwide Productions under the auspice of Jane Tranter (VP of programming and production).
Yates told Variety:
We’re looking at writers now. We’re going to spend two to three years to get it right. It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into the bigger arena. The notion of the time-travelling Time Lord is such a strong one, because you can express story and drama in any dimension or time.
The BBC confirmed development via their Doctor Who Facebook presence:
There’s been a lot of talk today about the possibility of a Doctor Who movie – a feature film remains in development with BBC Worldwide Productions in Los Angeles. But, as of yet there is no script, cast or production crew in place.
Skitch Commentary: I actually mentioned in my last column that back in the 60’s, there were two movies starring Peter Cushing as Doctor Who that weren’t related to the TV series, so I suspect that is what these would be like.
I do think that the idea COULD be kind of cool, but personally, the only person I want to see playing Doctor Who right now is Matt Smith. Doctor Who has really started to gain a strong measure of success the last few years, and I just think this could come off as a cheap attempt to cash in. Personally, for me, the show is good enough and doesn’t really need a movie version at this time.
That said, I wouldn’t be against Doctor Who doing a deal like Torchwood with a joint overseas production and higher budget. Doctor Who already looks amazing on a tight budget, I would love to see what the crew could do with a lot more resources.
If they do go through with this movie, I hope that they pick someone like Neil Gaiman to write it. Doctor’s Wife was a terrific episode of Doctor Who, and he clearly understands and loves the character.
Chrono Trigger Meets Doctor Who
I stumbled across this great mash-up video between Chrono Trigger and Doctor Who last week. I thought the voice work was really well done, and the whole video was pretty funny. Poor Bot!
Grand Theft TARDIS!!
My friend Logan sent me this image that was used on the website http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/index.htm as part of their article on the new Grand Theft Auto game. I just thought it was pretty funny. Especially the “Hot Jelly Babies” Easter Egg. Hey, open world worked for Batman, I can totally see it working for Doctor Who. After all, he did steal the TARDIS in the first place!
