Pages

Matt Smith wants to come back and star with Jodie Whittaker

If the upcoming departure of Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi is teaching us anything, it’s that it doesn’t really matter who’s actually piloting the Tardis in the TV series at any one time – once you’ve played the Doctor, you’re the Doctor for life, and so Capaldi’s incarnation will never truly leave us.
And of course, that’s ALSO true for every Doctor that came before him – which makes us all the more excited to hear that Capaldi’s predecessor Matt Smith is considering returning to the series in “a few years” in the new era of Jodie Whittaker’s upcoming Thirteenth Doctor. Truly, Doctors never die – they just retire for a bit.

“Why not? I’d come back,” Smith told MTV. “Yeah, if the timing was right.

“I think we’ve gotta give a few years to Miss Whittaker to get the Tardis under her belt, as it were, and then yeah – one day.”


He added: “Look, I’ll be back one day – when I’m old and grey. Which isn’t far off…”

In the meantime, though, Smith said he had just one piece of advice for Whittaker, which he’d actually passed down to Capaldi already – though we’re not sure if it’s a tip that new series boss Chris Chibnall would entirely appreciate.

“Yeah, I will tell Jodie what I told Peter – listen to no-one,” Smith said. “Listen to no-one!”

Hopefully Doctor 13 can remember that wise counsel in the time until their Doctors can meet again. Anyone booked a venue for the 60th anniversary in 2023 yet?

Via: Radio Times by Huw Fullerton

Peter Capaldi cried when announcing his Doctor Who exit

Back in January when Peter Capaldi announced he was leaving Doctor Who, there was shock, consternation and even a few tears among the sci-fi series’ fans, with many devastated to see their favourite Doctor vworping off into the sunset.

And now it’s emerged that Capaldi himself was just as emotional when first revealing the news, with the Scottish actor apparently fighting back tears as he appeared on Jo Whiley’s Radio 2 show to make the announcement all those months ago.

“That was one of the funniest, most extraordinary moments I’ve ever had on air I think,” Whiley, who is presenting a special behind-the-scenes broadcast about Capaldi’s final episode next month, told RadioTimes.com.

“The fact that he chose to come on our show – and I remember saying to my producer, ‘Peter just wants to come on the show and talk about Doctor Who? That’s great, but any idea why? Bit random, but brilliant. I love him, and I love Doctor Who, it’s fantastic!’



“And then he came and sat there and kept saying all the time ‘When am I finished? When do you want me to leave?’ Obviously he was just trying to work out when within the hour he should drop the bombshell.

“And then he just kind of casually let it into the conversation. I remember just trying to compute – ‘did you just say what I think you just said? Are you actually leaving?’

“And his eyes were just brimming with tears, and it was obviously a hugely big deal for him. A very emotional experience to tell everyone that this was it, that this was his time to move on. And I felt really privileged that he decided to do it on the show.”

Capaldi’s tribute to Doctor Who on Whiley’s show was clearly heartfelt: “One of the greatest privileges of being Doctor Who is to see the world at its best,” he told Whiley.

“From our brilliant crew and creative team working for the best broadcaster on the planet, to the viewers and fans whose endless creativity, generosity and inclusiveness points to a brighter future ahead. I can’t thank everyone enough. It’s been cosmic.”

And as the big moment of his exit approached, you might have expected Capaldi to get all the more upset – but when Whiley caught up with him again on the final filming days of upcoming Christmas special Twice Upon a Time (when his Doctor will regenerate into Jodie Whittaker’s incarnation) she instead found him in a MUCH more chipper mood.

 “I think he’s past that now,” Whiley told us.

“I got the impression that dropping the bombshell and telling everyone that he’s leaving was the difficult bit, the really really difficult bit. And actually acting it out, he was being the actor, and he wanted to do it to the very best of his abilities.

“I think it was kind of the relief of announcing he was moving on – and it was all about giving the viewers the best that he could, just making the best exit, and making that show just right for the viewers.”

Though of course, Whiley admitted she might not have seen Capaldi during his most emotional moments.

“Maybe at the very end of the day after we’d left, I’m sure when they finally went to say goodbye to each other it was emotional,” she suggested.

“But [when we were there] it was more about doing the job very well, doing Doctor Who justice.”

From what we’ve seen so far, it seems like they’re doing a pretty good job – and we’re well prepared for our very own crying fits this 25th December.

The Jo Whiley – Access All Areas Doctor Who Special airs on BBC Radio 2 from 8 to 10pm on Thursday 21st December

Via: Radio Times by Huw Fullerton

Doctor Who star Tom Baker is back as the Time Lord

Doctor Who star Tom Baker has reprised his role as the Time Lord – to re-shoot part of a story which was halted in the 1970s due to strike action.

Doctor Who: Shada was a run of episodes meant to mark the end of the 17th series, but the studio scenes were never completed.

The actor, 83, has returned to film part of the 1979 story, which was abandoned because of a strike by electricians.

The new scene sees Baker at the console of the Tardis in his famously long coat and stripy scarf.

Filmed at BBC Television Centre earlier this year, it combines original live-action footage with new animation as well as Baker’s cameo.

Baker was the Fourth Doctor and his appearance is his first in the role in 36 years.

In the new scene, he voices words from Douglas Adams’s original script and wonders aloud: “I expect that sometime in the future – in about 200 years’ time – someone will meet me and say is that really the Doctor? He seemed such a nice old man.”



Of the cameo, the actor said: “Shada was one of my favourite Doctor Who stories. I have many fond memories of shooting the location scenes in Cambridge, and it was disappointing not to finish the story in the studio.”

He said: “When I was doing Doctor Who it was the realisation of all my childhood fantasies … so I took to it like a duck to water and I still do.

“I loved doing Doctor Who because it was life to me…. My real life was really rather drab… I used to dread the end of rehearsal…”

Baker added: “I never left (Doctor Who) and that’s why I can’t stay away from it.”

The star played the Doctor between 1974 and 1981 and has not appeared in the role since, aside from a brief cameo as part of Children in Need.

Doctor Who: Shada is being released as a digital download now, and on DVD and Blu-Ray on Monday December 4.

Free screening of the Doctor Who Christmas special

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy a free screening of the Doctor Who Christmas special before anyone else.

Starting in Hartlepool and finishing just before Christmas in Bradford, there are eight locations across northern England so plenty of chances to enjoy this most eagerly-awaited festive television show.

And this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, Twice Upon a Time, will see Peter Capaldi joined by David Bradley who plays the First Doctor, while Pearl Mackie returns as companion Bill Potts and Mark Gatiss guest stars as the Captain.


Lucky ticket applicants will be able to enjoy a sneak peek of this hotly-anticipated show in advance of the television premiere on BBC One on Christmas Day. You'll also get the chance to take photos on the BBC’s red carpet with famous props from the programme.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up below for up to four tickets and your chance to take a selfie with a Dalek and catch Peter Capaldi as the Doctor for the last time in this special festive episode.

Tickets will be allocated via a random draw with 75% going to local postcodes ** and 25% to the rest of the UK.

The deadline to apply for tickets is 11pm on Sunday 3 December.

Please note: Anyone with a mobile telephone, camera or recording equipment will be required to hand this to a member of BBC staff for safekeeping throughout the screening. This is to ensure no clips of the show are leaked ahead of the broadcast.

Admission to this screening is on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that as not everyone who asks for tickets uses them, to make sure we have a full house we send out more tickets than there are places. We do our best to get the numbers right, but unfortunately we occasionally have to disappoint people so please arrive early.

Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.
No age restrictions
Maximum of 4 tickets per request

Thursday14 December 7.00pm: Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre
 75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: TS16, TS17, TS18, TS19, TS20, TS21, TS22, TS23, TS24, TS25, TS26, TS27, TS28
   
Friday15 December 7.00pm: The Guildhall, York
75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: YO1, YO7, YO8, YO10,YO11, Y012, YO13, YO14, YO15, YO16, YO17, YO18, YO19, YO21, YO22, YO23, YO24, YO25, YO26, YO30, YO31, YO32, YO41, YO42, YO43, YO51, YO60, YO61, YO62, YO90, YO91

Saturday16 December 7.00pm: Jubilee Church Hull
75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: HU1, HU2, HU3, HU4, HU5, HU6, HU7, HU8, HU9, HU10, HU11, HU12, HU13, HU14, HU15, HU16, HU17, HU18, HU19, HU20
 
Sunday17 December7.00pm: St Nicholas Cathedral, Newcastle
75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: NE1, NE2, NE3, NE4, NE5, NE6, NE7, NE8, NE9, NE10, NE11, NE12, NE13, NE14, NE15, NE16, NE17, NE18, NE19, NE20, NE21, NE22, NE23, NE24, NE25, NE26, NE27, NE28, NE29, NE30, NE31, NE32, NE33, NE34, NE35,NE36, NE37, NE38, NE39, NE40, NE41, NE42, NE43, NE44, NE45, NE46, NE47, NE48, NE49, NE61, NE62, NE63, NE64, NE65, NE66, NE67, NE68, NE69, NE70, NE71, NE82, NE83, NE85, NE88, NE92, NE98, NE99

Monday18 December7.00pm: The Middlesbrough Empire
75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: TS1, TS2, TS3, TS4, TS5, TS6, TS7, TS8, TS9, TS109, TS11, TS12, TS13, TS14, TS15

Tuesday19 December7.00pm: Dock 10, MediaCityUK
75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7, M8, M9, M10, M11, M12, M13, M14, M15, M16, M17, M18, M19, 20, M21, M22, M23, M24, M25, M26, M27, M28, M29, M30, M31, M32, M33, M34, M35, M38, M40, M41, M43, M44, M45, M46, M50, M60

Wednesday20 December7.00pm:  Durham School
 75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: DH1, DH2, DH3, DH4, DH5, DH6, DH7, DH8, DH9, DH97, DH98, DH99

Friday22 December7.00pm:  Old Odeon, Bradford
75% of tickets will be allocated to the following postcodes: BD1, BD2, BD3, BD4, BD5, BD6, BD7, BD8, BD9, BD10, BD11, BD12, BD13, BD14, BD15, BD16, BD17, BD18, BD19, BD20, BD21, BD22, BD23, BD24, BD97, BD98, BD99

Apply for tickets here: BBC Shows and Tours

Doctor Who 2017 Christmas special: BBC Radio 2 goes behind the scenes

Fans hoping for even more Doctor Who this Christmas are in luck, because a one-off BBC Radio 2 special is coming to lift the lid on upcoming festive episode Twice Upon a Time and the final scenes of Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor.

Recorded on location during the last days of filming, the Access All Areas Doctor Who Special will be presented by Jo Whiley and features interviews with the episode’s actors and crew including showrunner Steven Moffat, Pearl Mackie, David Bradley and Peter Capaldi himself.

“We were really lucky to be on location when they were filming the final scenes of the Christmas Day Doctor Who special,” Whiley (whose radio show was where Capaldi chose to announce his exit from the series in January) told RadioTimes.com of the upcoming broadcast, which can be heard on BBC Radio 2 a few days before the episode airs (Thursday 21st December, to be precise).

“So we spent the day with the cast, and it was all very emotional.

“It just felt like a real privilege that we were there to watch some of the most emotional scenes that people will see play out on the Christmas Day Doctor Who. To see the chemistry between all the different characters, to watch the Doctor as he nears the end of this incarnation.

“It’s fantastic, just to hear all the various members of the cast telling us about the things that had happened beforehand, and the story behind it all. It’s just going to be such a huge emotional climax on Christmas Day, when people watch the whole thing.”



An official synopsis for the radio special (which will also feature an interview with already-departed series 10 companion Matt Lucas and material from the Doctor Who archive) can be read after the jump.

As Peter Capaldi calls time on his adventures in the Tardis, Jo has exclusive access to the Doctor Who team. She catches up with the stars of the series on the set including Pearl Mackie, David Bradley, exec producer extraordinaire Steven Moffat, and the Doctor himself. Plus, Jo hears from outgoing companion, Matt Lucas, and digs into the BBC Doctor Who archive.

There will be stories from behind the scenes including how Matt approaches being recognised by fans, the radical ways in which Pearl’s life has changed, Pele’s reaction to signing a Brazil shirt for the Doctor and how Doctor Who has always been with Peter Capaldi – from dressing up as a Dalek as a child, to karaoke singalongs to The Killers all in the name of getting into character…

Plus, Radio 2 listeners will find out which member of the team has a penchant for Chas and Dave!

“We did a really really long interview with Peter; we got him to choose lots of songs and bits of music that he loves, and he’d thought it all through,” Whiley added.

“He’s such a music fan that he’d been agonising over what songs to play. So, we get to hear the Doctor’s musical passions. We spoke to Matt, we spoke to Pearl, we spoke to various members of the Doctor Who team. We speak to all the cast who are involved.”

According to Whiley, fans have plenty to look forward to when the full episode finally airs on Christmas Day.

“The thing that struck me the most about the day was that it was such an epic production,” she said. “It’s going to look incredible.

“They actually treated us to watching back some of the filming that they’d done a couple of days beforehand; the scale of what they’ve done, the directing is incredible.

“They wanted to give people the best possible send-off with the grandest story; they wanted to give the viewers something to remember him by, and the greatest Doctor Who Christmas Day special that they possibly could watch.”

Sounds like the perfect present to unwrap this 25th December, then.

The Jo Whiley – Access All Areas Doctor Who Special airs on BBC Radio 2 from 8 to 10pm on Thursday 21st December

Via: Radio Times by Huw Fullerton

Actor Rodney Bewes has died

Rodney Bewes has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed.

The actor had a career spanning six decades and is best known for playing Bob Ferris in sitcom The Likely Lads.

His agent issued a statement saying: "It is with great sadness that we confirm that our dear client, the much-loved actor Rodney Bewes, passed away this morning."

The statement paid tribute to the actor, calling him a "true one-off" and a "brilliant storyteller".

"He had a funny anecdote for every occasion. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. We will miss him terribly."

Bewes was originally from Bingley in Yorkshire but moved to Luton as a child.

Despite childhood asthma keeping him house-bound until the age of 12, he achieved his first role at the age of 14 and went on to study drama at RADA.

He gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s playing Bob Ferris in the BBC sitcom The Likely Lads, and in its sequel, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? - which drew audiences of up to 27 million.

In 1984, he became a member of the Doctor Who cast during Peter Davison's run as the Time Lord, portraying a humanoid named Stien in Resurrection Of The Daleks.

He died six days before he would have celebrated his 80th birthday.

Bewes is survived by his four children - Billy, Joe, Tom and Daisy - and his two grandchildren, Oscar and Eliza.

Via: BBC News

DVLA woo Doctor Who fans with the latest number plate sale

The DVLA is calling out to Doctor Who fans as it promotes its latest number plate sale, offering ‘Who 63’ for sale to Whovians with deep pockets.

Whatever your opinion on personalised number plates, it’s big business not just for purveyors of registration numbers, but for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) too.

Each year the DVLA holds sales to flog number plates no longer, or never in, circulation to raise a few bob, with prices ranging from a few hundred pounds to over £500k for ’25 O’.

So with the latest number plate sale due to run from 22-24 November, DVLA are promoting it with what they think is the perfect plate for a Doctor Who fan – or Whovian – with the sale of ‘WHO 63’.

It might not quite be the ‘WHO 1’ famed for being on John Pertwee’s Doctor Who car, but it does denote the year Doctor Who first aired (1963) and will go under the hammer almost exactly 54 years to the hour Doctor Who first aired at 5.15pm on 24 November 1963.

But it’s not just Doctor Who fans being enticed to buy a new number plate, with Manchester football fans wooed with ‘M17 CTY’ and MA17 ‘UTD’, and potential buyers who are desperate to tell the world their name (or an approximation) with ‘DOU 9G’ and PA11 DDY’, amongst others.

John Davies, DVLA’s Personalised Registrations Sales Manager, said:

    "2017 has been yet another incredibly successful year for the sale of personalised registrations. We have experienced auctions with sales of over 99.5 per cent which clearly shows that the popularity of personalised registrations with motorists continues. With the range we are auctioning at Wychwood Park I am sure that success will continue."

The DVLA Number Plate Auction is at Wychwood Park in Crewe from 22-14 November 2017.

Via: Cars UK

Doctor Who theme's co-creator honoured with posthumous PhD

The under-appreciated electronic music pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme is to be honoured posthumously with a doctorate from her hometown university as the programme gears up for the debut of its first female lead.

Largely ignored in life and barred from working in studios because she was a woman, Delia Derbyshire, will be awarded an honorary PhD from Coventry University on Monday.

Mostly unknown and uncredited during her lifetime, she created a new wave of sounds and arrangements in music during the 1960s and 70s, and paved the way for more women to work in the music production business.

Born in Coventry in 1937, Derbyshire’s unique sonic palette was shaped by sounds of the Blitz and the air raid sirens that surrounded her as a child. Highly academic, she won a scholarship to study maths and music at the University of Cambridge, where she immersed herself in sound.

After graduating, Derbyshire struggled in what was predominantly a man’s industry, being told by Decca Records that it did not employ women in its studios. She turned to teaching but refused to give up and eventually found work as a trainee studio manager at the BBC.

It was here, in 1962 that she gained access to the experimental Radiophonic Workshop, developing an entirely new type of music by playing notes on tape and then speeding them up or slowing them down.. She went on to transform a written score by Ron Grainer for a new TV series, Doctor Who, into an iconic piece of electronic music.

Due to BBC policies at the time, Grainer – unwillingly – is still officially credited as the sole writer.

Derbyshire stayed at the workshop for 10 years, recording sound for Inventions for Radio and Cyprian Queen – all in the days before modern synthesisers and machines. She was later approached by Paul McCartney to work on a backing track for the Beatles hit Yesterday.

But despite her talent and credit from her peers, Delia failed to gain widespread recognition during her lifetime, eventually becoming disillusioned with the industry and finding work as a radio operator in Cumbria. She later worked in a museum in the area, before taking up a position in a bookshop in Northampton where she met her partner, Clive Blackburn.

She died aged 64 in 2001, and has since been widely acknowledged as a pioneer in electronic music, having inspired the likes of the Chemical Brothers and Sonic Boom.
Delia Derbyshire

Mark Ayres, a composer and sound designer at the Radiophonic Workshop, said: “Any composer of my generation with an interest in electronic sound and music cannot fail to have been influenced by Delia’s talent. It is very fitting that Delia is receiving this posthumous honorary doctorate from Coventry University. Delia was proud of her roots in the city and deeply affected by the damage wreaked upon it during the second world war, though much inspired by the sounds she heard around her during that time.”

Blackburn, Derbyshire’s partner of 21 years, said: “Delia would be really excited by the developments in electronic music. Digital technology is finally catching up with what she managed to achieve manually in the 1960s using the most rudimentary of equipment.”

Coventry University will launch a series of school workshops in Derbyshire’s name on Friday to try to inspire a new generation of children – especially girls – to pursue maths and music. Linked to a touring play about her life, Hymns for Robots by Noctium Theatre, the partnership project will share the story of Derbyshire and her creations at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Via:The Guardian

Doctor Who composer Murray Gold has left the show

Composer Murray Gold will be departing Doctor Who following this year’s Christmas special…

As part of the shake-up behind the scenes of Doctor Who, we understand from multiple sources that composer Murray Gold has left the series. Gold has been doing the music for Doctor Who since the show returned to our screens in 2005. It’s unknown who will be taking over composer duties for series 11.

The reasons for his departure are not clear, although it seems that new showrunner Chris Chibnall wants to bring in a lot of his own team behind the scenes. It’s likely that Gold’s departure is a consequence of that, and from what we understand, he was happy to remain with the show if wanted.

There’s been no official confirmation of this story from the BBC, but we first heard the rumour a couple of months ago, and since then, we have established that it’s true. It’s just coming to light now courtesy of a tabloid rumour in the Mirror today.


Murray Gold’s last episode will be the Christmas special, Twice Upon A Time.

Via CultBox