Pet Shop Boys: 'Electric'

Details of the Pet Shop Boys new album were revealed today on the duo's official website. Electric will be released worldwide on July 15th, and is the first to appear on their own x2 label via Kobalt. Recorded in London, Berlin and Los Angeles, and produced by Stuart Price, Electric features eight new tracks and a cover version of Bruce Springstein's The Last To Die, whilst singer and rapper, Example performs on Thursday. 

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe commented that the new work - their twelfth studio album - is a response to the reflective nature of previous release, Elysium, and Electric is "pretty banging!"

The album - with artwork (shown here) again by Farrow - opens with the new single, Axis, and the full listing is:

1. Axis
2. Bolshy
3. Love Is A Bourgeois Construct
4. Flourescent
5. Inside A Dream
6. The Last To Die
7. Shouting In The Evening
8. Thursday
9. Vocal

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: Return of the Zygons!

Following yesterday's first script read-through for the Doctor Who anniversary special, publicity photos were released online by BBC Cardiff. 

Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Jenna Louise Coleman joined their latest co-star, the Welsh actress Joanna Page, best known for sitcom, Gavin & Stacey.

Today, the Corporation revealed that 'classic' series monsters, the Zygons will also feature in the forthcoming story. Often cited as Tannant's favourite Who baddie, these shape-shifting aliens' only television appearance was in Terror of the Zygons, way back in 1975.

Filming on the special began today, and the newly re-designed Zygon seen here was pictured on location, outside Neath, South Wales.

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: First Casting News

The BBC today confirmed reports -previewed in the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine - that David Tennant and Billie Piper will reprise their roles as the Doctor and Rose Tyler for November's anniversary special.

Despite many reported denials, the actors have long been rumoured to be making a return to the programme.

Tennant and Piper last appeared as the Tenth Doctor and Rose in The End of Time on New Year's Day, 2010.

The hour-long special - to be shown in 3D on TV and in cinemas - also stars yet another Harry Potter film actor, John Hurt (Alien, The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta, and Channel 4's new historical saga, Labyrinth), Ken Bones, Marshall Griffin, and newcomer Orlando James.

The celebratory story, scripted by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Nick Hurran, will commence production next week.

Vintage 'Doctor Who' Scripts Discovered

The Radio Times website has reported that a collection of the earliest Doctor Who scripts has been unearthed in Kent by local prop maker and researcher, Jason Onion.

Six documents, hidden for fifty years, were loaned from Joan Coburn Moon - the widow of writer Anthony Coburn - and include two versions of the first episode, An Unearthly Child, an alternative draft of The Cave of Skulls, and the complete scripts for The Masters of Luxor. This 'lost story' was ultimately replaced by Terry Nation's The Daleks but was eventually dramatised last year by Big Finish.

Tom Cole writes: "You can see that the template for the Daleks came from [Coburn]... these episodes [see] a device to unlock TARDIS, which became the sonic screwdriver, and the science [of] regeneration" said Onion. “This find completes the genesis of [the show] from Coburn's imagination. The drafts explain the mystery of Doctor Who, his origins, his people and all the background.” 

Meanwhile, Rob Leigh of the Daily Mirror stated that Coburn was inspired by the sight of a real Police Box outside Televison Centre to devise the TARDIS exterior, and that the scripts provide the original names of the ship and the Doctor's planet. Susan (originally Suzanne) is also revealed as "a princess saved from another world" and Coburn is hailed as creator of "the cornerstones of Doctor Who that have been expanded on.. ever since".

Australian-born Coburn, a writer and producer at the BBC from the 1950's, lived in Herne Bay, and died in Canterbury in 1977, aged just 49.

Doctor Who Vs. Bleak House (1998)

The BBC dramatised Charles Dickens' epic novel, Bleak House for Radio 4 in 1998. This award winning five-part series last aired on Radio 7 in 2007 and 2008, and starred six Doctor Who guest actors:

• Jean Marsh (Miss Flite) first appeared in the 'classic' series as Princess Joanna in The Crusade (1965), then as short-lived companion Sara Kingdom in nine episodes of The Daleks' Master Plan later that year, and finally as Morgaine in Battlefield (1989) - the role of space agent Kingdom was reprised by Big Finish for The Companion Chronicles releases, Home Truths (2008), The Drowned World (2009), The Guardian of the Solar System (2010), The Five Companions (2011), and The Anachronauts (2012), then for the 'lost' story The Daleks: The Destroyers (2010) - Marsh also voiced Maria for The Wishing Beast (2007)
• Robert Portal (Carstone) voiced Marshal Ney for The Curse of Davros (BF, 2012) and Reggie for the recent The Auntie Matter
• Charlie Hayes (pictured with her mother, 'classic' series actress Wendy Padbury) voiced Jade for Master (2003), Jenny for The Seven Keys to Doomsday (2008), Gatlin for Bernice Summerfield and the Criminal Code (2010), Jen for both of The Companion Chronicles releases, Memory Cheats (2011) and The Uncertainty Principle, Death for Love and War (2012), and Veltreena for the forthcoming Lords of the Red Planet 'lost' story - all from Big Finish
• Ellie Haddington (Miss Hortense) was Professor Docherty in Last of the Time Lords
• Michael Attwell (Krook) was Isbur in The Ice Warriors, and Bates in Attack of the Cybermen
• Michael Fenton Stevens (Skimpole) voiced Mr Seyton (alias Shakespeare) for The Kingmaker (BF, 2006) and Brooks for The Raincloud Man (BF, 2008)

A Tribute To Raymond Cusick (1928-2013)

News broke today that former BBC designer Ray Cusick has died after a short illness, aged 84. His daughter, Claire Heawood said that Cusick passed away on Thursday at his home near Horsham in West Sussex.

Raymond Patrick Cusick was born in London, and planned to be a civil engineer, but then joined the army. After a stint stationed in Palestine, Cusick planned to take up teaching instead. Having taught art, he then took an interest in design and joined Granada Television. This led to a move to the BBC as a staff designer, which included being assigned to the fledgling Doctor Who. Here, he was to come up with the design of the Daleks, which are one of the key elements that made the fifty-year old programme the success it has become. 

Unfortunately, Cusick had always played second fiddle to Dalek creator, Terry Nation - as a salaried Corporation employee, he was not paid royalties, whilst the writer became a millionaire. Cusick (pictured in 1964) only ever wanted to be credited as the designer.

Besides his contribution to The Daleks, Cusick was production designer on The Edge of Destruction, The Keys of Marinus, The Sensorites, Planet of Giants, The Rescue, The Romans, The Chase, Mission to the Unknown, and The Daleks' Master Plan.

The designer's final work for the BBC was on their Miss Marple series (1987), and in June 2008, Cusick appeared in the Doctor Who Confidential episode, Friends and Foe.

Doctor Who @ 50: An Adventure In Space And Time [Update 2]

Studio filming on the Doctor Who 50th anniversary biopic continued yesterday at BBC TV Centre. Scenes from An Unearthly Child were recreated for An Adventure in Space and Time, and the replica TARDIS set can be seen above in the first image to feature the regular cast. In front of the boom operator, from the left, are Jamie Glover (playing William Russell as Ian), Jemma Powell (Jacqueline Hill as Barbara), David Bradley (William Hartnell as the Doctor), and Claudia Grant (Carole Ann Ford as Susan).

The production has also reconstructed the Totter's Lane scrapyard set and the Police Box prop.

Period cameras and other vintage gallery and studio equipment has been provided by Golden Age Television Recreations.

Further casting news for the drama has been confirmed today. Current voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs will appear as the original Dalek voice artist, Peter Hawkins, and the part of TARDIS set designer, Peter Brachacki is taken by David Annen. Another newcomer, Sophie Holt has been cast as Dodo actress, Jackie Lane.
Minor roles have gone to Elaine Andrews (as Mum), Philip C Francis (as Customer), Ernest Gormov (as BBC designer), and John Foreman (passerby).

The crew now includes Matthew Patnick (line producer), Simon Maloney (first assistant director), Richard Cookson (script editor), and Daniel Bishop (camera operator).