Great Doctor Who Quotes #43

"This is one corner of one country, in one continent, on one planet that's a corner of a galaxy that's a corner of a universe that is forever growing and shrinking and creating and destroying, and never remaining the same for a single millisecond. And there is so much.. to see, because it goes so fast. I'm not running away from things, I'm running to them. Before they flare and fade forever."

- The Doctor, The Power of Three (September 22 2012)

Written by Chris Chibnall

Radio Times TV Review of 2012

That venerable publishing colossus, Christmas perennial, and loyal Doctor Who advocate, the Radio Times, has revealed the results of their annual survey. Their website's 'Top 40 shows' of the year has placed the show at a respectable number fifteen (down from eigth position last year, and probably due to a reduced run of episodes).

Steven Moffat's other BBC One drama, Sherlock tops the list, voted for by the magazine's critics. You can read the complete list here. RT writer and resident Whovian Patrick Mulkern comments:

15. Doctor Who BBC1
"It was a lean year for [the programme], and the promise of “five blockbuster episodes” may have been puff, but there were classics in the mix. The (kind of) new companion debuted by surprise, unaware she was the maddest Dalek in the asylum with her obsession for soufflé: “Eggs-ter-min-ate!” Who could resist dinosaurs and Nefertiti running riot on a spaceship, or the mystery of the black cubes and Jemma Redgrave as the new Brigadier? She must return! Then the Angels in Manhattan robbed us of the Ponds. Their timey-wimey dispersal left a hole in the Doctor’s hearts. And ours. "

The Best (and Worst) Doctor Who of 2012

The io9 science blog published it's annual TV review of the year last week. The Best and Worst Television Moments of 2011, again from Meredith Woerner, features two recent Doctor Who stories. 

The season opener, Asylum of the Daleks is actually named as both one of the 'Best' and 'Worst' shows. The story is praised for the shock introduction of Jenna Louise Coleman as "the dazzling Oswin Oswald" then criticised for the Ponds' divorce storyline: "Amy and Rory pretend to fight for almost 25 seconds. This whole divorce.. was a sham.. [it] came from nowhere and went right back there.. [they] deserved better than this.. Amy sure as hell wouldn't "give up" Rory. If Amy has proven one thing, it's that she will fight to the bitter end for her centurion. Same goes for Rory. Boo to this facade of emotion."

Thankfully, the list of top sci-fi and fantasy programmes redeems the show, and includes Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, described as a "bit of fun before we had to say goodbye to the Ponds forever. This episode.. was a nice return to the "fun" Doctor, if only for a while."

Doctor Who Gets the Stamp of Approval

All eleven actors to have portrayed the Doctor on television since 1963 are featured on First Class stamps next year. The Royal Mail today unveiled their Doctor Who 50th Anniversary collections, which presents every incarnation of the Time Lord, whilst the Second Class set showcases the programme's greatest monsters and the iconic TARDIS (pictured below).

Andrew Hammond of the Royal Mail said that the commemorative stamps paid "tribute to the brilliant actors that have played the Doctor over the years, as well as the adversaries that helped make the show so popular".

Meanwhile, current Doctor Who show-runner Steven Moffat has promised "tremendous surprises" for the golden anniversary year.

Both William Hartnell (pictured above) and David Tennant have already appeared on a postage stamp - when celebrating the Carry On films (Carry On Sergeant, 2008), and the RSC (Hamlet, 2011) respectively. The Daleks were first honoured with a celebratory Millennium stamp in 1999.
The new stamp sets are available in March.

Ripper Street Preview

I first wrote about this forthcoming BBC thriller way back in January (read here), which is now scheduled to begin transmission on Sunday, December 30th.

BBC One commissioned the new, eight-part period drama, Ripper Street in September 2011. Created by Richard Warlow, the series "is set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the" Whitechapel Murders.

The original press release states that "the action centres around the notorious H Division - the police precinct from hell - which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets."

Produced by Tiger Aspect, the series "explores the lives of characters trying to recover from the Ripper's legacy, from crimes that have not only irretrievably altered their lives, but the very fabric of their city. At the drama's heart our detectives try to bring a little light into the dark world they inhabit." The programme's cast is led by Matthew Macfadyen (pictured) as real-life Inspector Edmund Reid, Jerome Flynn as Sergeant Bennett Drake, and Adam Rothenberg as Captain Homer Jackson. 

From it's inception in 1829, the Metropolitan Police was divided into seventeen districts for administrative purposes, and each was identified by a letter. 

 In 1888, H Division covered Whitechapel, and it's jurisdiction included three Ripper murder sites: Hanbury Street (Annie Chapman), Berner Street (Elizabeth Stride), and Miller's Court (Mary Kelly). The four police stations within the district where at Leman Street (the divisional HQ), Commercial Street (the area CID office), Arbour Square, and King David Lane. At the time, the Division was responsible for policing just 1 and a quarter square miles, but which housed some 67,000 poverty-stricken souls.

The officer in charge of detectives on the ground during the Whitechapel Murders, was Inspector Frederick Abberline (1843-1929) - he had worked in H Division from 1873-1887. 

Ripper Street features the actual Head of CID, Inspector Reid (1846-1917), who had led enquiries into the (non-canonical) murders of Emma Smith (in April 1888) and Martha Tabram (the following August). He retired in 1896, and later claimed that Frances Coles (killed in February 1891) had been Jack the Ripper's ninth, and final victim. 

Since 1965, H Division has covered Tower Hamlets.

Great Doctor Who Quotes #41

"This was exactly you. All this, all of it. You make them so afraid. When you began all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army around at the mention of his name, Doctor. The word for 'healer' and 'wise man', throughout the universe. We get that word from you, you know. But if you carry on the way you are, what might that word come to mean?

To the people of the Gamma Forests, the word 'doctor' means 'mighty warrior'. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child, the child of your best friends - and they're going to turn her into a weapon, just to bring you down.

And all this, my love, in fear of you."

- River Song, A Good Man Goes to War (June 4th 2011)

Written by Steven Moffat

Great Doctor Who Quotes #40

"This is Emergency Programme One. Rose, now listen, this is important. If this message is activated, then it can only mean one thing - we must in danger, and I mean fatal. I'm dead, or about to die any second with no chance of escape... And that's okay. I hope it's a good death. But I promised to look after you, and that's what I'm doing. The TARDIS is taking you home... And I bet you're fussing and moaning now, typical. But hold on, and just listen a bit more. The TARDIS can never return for me. Emergency Programme One means I'm facing an enemy that should never get their hands on this machine. So this is what you should do - let the TARDIS die. Just let this old box gather dust. No one can open it, no one will even notice it. Let it become a strange little thing standing on a street corner. And over the years, the world will move on, and the box will be buried. And if you wanna remember me, then you can do one thing. That's all, one thing. Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life."

- The Doctor, The Parting of the Ways (June 18th 2005)

Written by Russell T Davies 

Date With History: 1997

Diana, Princess of Wales died, aged 36, at 4 am on Sunday August 31st, as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. Her partner, Dodi Fayed, and the driver, Henri Paul, also perished. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was the only survivor.

The Genesis of Doctor Who: An Adventure In Space And Time

Back in February, rumours began that writer and actor, Mark Gatiss, was to pen a TV biopic that examined the genesis of Doctor Who (see here). Well, today a press release announced that a BBC Two drama has been commissioned to mark the programme's fiftieth anniversary. 

Indeed scripted by Gatiss, An Adventure in Space and Time will chronicle the origins of the show, akin to The Road to Coronation Street which aired on BBC Four for the soap opera's own 50th birthday in 2010.  The writer said "This is the story of how an unlikely set of brilliant people created a true television original. And how an actor - William Hartnell - stereotyped in hard-man roles became a hero to millions of children. I've wanted to tell this story for more years than I can remember! To make it happen.. is quite simple a dream come true."
The single 90-minute drama is co-produced by Caroline Skinner and current showrunner Steven Moffat, who said: "The story of Doctor Who is the story of television - so it's fitting in the anniversary year that we make our most important journey back in time to see how the TARDIS was launched."
The production and transmission schedule will be confirmed next year, and much speculation already surrounds the casting process.

Pet Shop Boys: 'Elysium'

The Pet Shop Boys website this week officially confirmed the release of the band's new studio album, Elysium. Both CD and vinyl formats are issued by Parlophone/EMI on September 7th in the UK, and the iTunes version contains extra features. Produced in Los Angeles by Andrew Dawson, Elysium features cover artwork from Farrow, and the tracks are listed thus:

1. Leaving

2. Invisible
3. Winner
4. Your early stuff
5. A face like that
6. Breathing space
7. Ego music
8. Hold on
9. Give it a go
10. Memory of the future
11. Everything means something
12. Requiem in denim and leopardskin

Brian Bress' video for the song, Invisible was released online in June (view here via Vevo). The new single, Winner is issued on August 6th, and includes a cover version of the Bee Gees' I Started a Joke.

Review of 'The Candle Man' by Alex Scarrow

I first encountered Alex Scarrow's excellent body of work two years ago. His titles are highly recommended (read my review of October Skies here), and I was pleased to discover his latest thriller, The Candle Man (Orion).

 I really tried to enjoy this book because I loved the writer's previous work and the novel offers so much to the Ripperologist in me.

The narrative begins promisingly on RMS Titanic, just after her rendezvous with the iceberg, then transports us to London's 'Autumn of Terror' in 1888.

And I really wanted Scarrow to proffer his own, original approach - unfortunately we are presented with yet another re-hash of the 'Royal conspiracy'.

This criticism is not detrimental to the novel however, which is as evocative as any worthy piece of Victoriana, and one of the author's many strengths lies in his (almost Holmesian) attention to period detail. I suspect that Scarrow - like many other writers since the 1970's - relishes in an admittedly compulsive and entertaining theory. Also akin to other proponents of this particular 'final solution', this novelist allows the final canonical victim, Mary Kelly, to escape her true destiny too.

Granted, this is a fictional account of the Whitechapel Murders and the historical minutiae is as accurate as you'd expect from Scarrow, but it's hard to forgive his most glaring error - the 'Double Event' occurs here two days later than documented (and I'm sure that the cover artwork depicts the Lusitania, not Titanic).

The story ends back onboard the sinking liner, and the mystery of Jack the Ripper is solved. Despite my negative opinions, The Candle Man remains a good read, and I look forward to Alex Scarrow's next title.

A Tribute to Mary Tamm (1950-2012)

It was reported this morning by her agent, that Mary Tamm had died after a long battle with cancer. The actress best known for her portrayal as the first incarnation of Romana in season sixteen of Doctor Who, was 62. Tributes have been led by Fourth Doctor actor Tom Baker, who said: "She was a darling companion and wonderfully witty and kind" whilst a "shell-shocked" Colin Baker wrote on twitter that she was "a funny, caring, talented, lovely and down-to-earth lady." Steven Moffat said that Tamm was "the ice queen on the TARDIS.. who thought the Doctor was her companion" and she has been remembered by other former time travellers Anneke Wills, Frazer Hines, Nichola Bryant, and Lousie Jameson.

Tamm was born in Bradford in 1950 to Estonian immigrant parents, and after graduating at RADA, she began her career at the Birmingham Repetory Theatre with Derek Jacobi, Joan Sims, and Ronnie Barker. She moved to London in 1972, and made her television debut in ATV's Hunter's Walk. Further TV roles in Coronation Street, and Return of the Saint followed. Then after film roles in The Odessa File, and The Likely Lads, Tamm was cast as the Time Lady, Romana - short for Romanadvoratrelundar. 

Tamm was not initially interested in playing a Doctor Who companion, but producer Graham Williams assured her that Romana was not intended as another "damsel in distress" - she was a 'Time Lady' who was as capable as the Doctor. However, Tamm left the programme after only one season because she felt that her character had in fact reverted to the traditional assistant function, and a proper transition to her successor, Lalla Ward was never planned.

Tamm later made guest appearances in The Bill, Jonathan Creek, Doctors, EastEnders, and had a regular role as Penny Crosbie in Brookside.

Romana featured in all six stories of the 'Key to Time' season, broadcast from September 1978 to February 1979, but Tamm returned to the role for Big Finish's Gallifrey audio drama series in 2005. Her latest recording as the Time Lady, was in Tales from the Vault, released last July, and a new, 7-part season of Fouth Doctor adventures featuring Tamm's Romana will be issued next year.

Mary Tamm is survived by her husband Marcus Ringrose, her daughter Lauren, and grandson Max.

Great Doctor Who Quotes #39

"When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it'll never end. But however hard you try, you can't run forever. Everybody knows that everybody dies and nobody knows it like the Doctor. But I do think that all the skies of all the worlds might just turn dark if he ever, for one moment, accepts it. Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not every day. Not today. Some days are special. Some days are so, so blessed. Some days, nobody dies at all. Now and then, every once in a very long while, every day in a million days, when the wind stands fair, and the Doctor comes to call...everybody lives."

- River Song, The Forest of the Dead (June 7th 2008)

Written by Steven Moffat

Great Doctor Who Quotes #38

"Amy, listen to me. I can't save you. I can't do anything to stop this... I stole your childhood and now I've led you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew this would happen. This is what always happens... I took you with me because I was vain, because I wanted to be adored... Look at you. Glorious Pond. The girl who waited for me... But I'm not a hero. I really am just a mad man with a box. And it's time we saw each other as we really are... Amy Williams, it's time to stop waiting."

- The Doctor, The God Complex (September 17th 2011)

Written by Toby Whithouse

Doctor Who: Even More Series 7 News

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Steven Moffat, and Caroline Skinner will all attend the Doctor Who panel at Comic Con later this month, where the forthcoming Series Seven will be previewed.

So how much do we actually know about the new season? Radio Times reported that the series - again split in half, either side of the Christmas special - will consist of "at least" fourteen episodes. Moffat stated in DWM that there will be no two-parters, and fellow producer Marcus Wilson said that two 'classic' era monsters will make a return appearance - the Ice Warriors are likely candidates.

The title of episode 1 is confirmed as Asylum of the Daleks, and will feature the Special Weapons Dalek, last seen in 1988. Written by Moffat, and directed by Nick Hurran, the season opener will launch at the BFI, then be screened later in Edinburgh, before a probable TV premiere in late August, or early September. Nick Briggs again provides the (many) Dalek voices. 

Episode 2 - Dinosaurs on a Spaceship? - is penned by Chris Chibnall, and helmed by Saul Metzstein. The cast includes Harry Potter film actors Mark Williams and David Bradley, Rupert Graves (Lestrade in Sherlock), and Riann Steele as Queen Nefertiti.

Written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Metzstein, part 3 stars Dominic Kemp, Adrian Scarborough, Ben Browder, Andrew Brooke, Garrick Hagon (Ky in The Mutants), Rob Cavazos, and Joanne McQuinn. Provisionally titled The Gunslinger or A Town Called Mercy, and set in the American Wild West, the story was filmed in  Spain.

The next installment - thought to be called Cubed - is also scripted by Chibnall, directed by Douglas Mackinnon, and sees the return of Williams as Rory's dad, Brian. Other guest stars are Jemma Redgrave (as Kate Stewart), Steven Berkoff, and Ruthie Henshall.

The Ponds leave the programme in the fifth adventure, which is set in New York - location filming took in Central Park - and features the Weeping Angels. Alex Kingston reprises her role as River Song here, opposite co-stars Mike McShane, Rob David, and Bentley Kalu.

New companion Jenna Louise Coleman, rumoured to be named Clara, debuts in this year's Christmas special, which is again written by Moffat.

The eight unplaced episodes for 2013 include Phantoms of the Hex (working title), from Luther creator and Spooks writer, Neil Cross. Dougray Scott (Matt Busby in David Tennant's United), and Jessica Raine head the cast, directed by another newcomer, Jamie Payne (Primeval, and Survivors).

NuWho veteran Mark Gatiss has contributed two scripts for next year. The first is helmed by Mackinnon, and stars David Warner (see my Titanic blog), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), Josh O'Connor, and James Norton. His second serial, rumoured to be called The Crimson Horror, features Dame Diana Rigg (Emma Peel in The Avengers), and her daughter Rachael Stirling. Catrin Stewart returns here as Jenny (from last year's A Good Man Goes to War), so her partner Madame Vastra (played by Neve McIntosh) can't be far away.

Great Doctor Who Quotes #37

“He never raised his voice. That was the worst thing… the fury of the Time Lord… and then we discovered why. Why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he had run away from us and hidden. He was being kind… He wrapped my father in unbreakable chains forged in the heart of a dwarf star. He tricked my mother into the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy to be imprisoned there… forever. He still visits my sister, once a year, every year. I wonder if one day he might forgive her… but there she is. Can you see? He trapped her inside a mirror. Every mirror. If ever you look at your reflection and see something move behind you just for a second, that’s her. That’s always her. As for me, I was suspended in time and the Doctor put me to work standing over the fields of England as their protector. We wanted to live forever. So the Doctor made sure we did."
- Son of Mine, The Family of Blood (June 2nd 2007)
Written by Paul Cornell

A Tribute to Caroline John (1940-2012)

It was announced today that the actress Caroline John had died of cancer, on June 5th, aged 71. She was best known for her role as Liz Shaw in the ground-breaking seventh season of Doctor Who (January to June 1970). Tributes have been led by current show-runner, Steven Moffat.

John was born in York in 1940, and after training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, she worked in theatre. She toured with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, before landing the part of Cambridge scientist, Dr Elizabeth Shaw.

Liz was recruited to the newly created UNIT team as their scientific advisor, and John joined the programme   along with a brand new leading actor - Jon Pertwee as the Doctor. John was cast by outgoing producer, Peter Bryant, and  Liz was conceived as a an interlectual equal to the Time Lord. Ironically, it soon became apparent to the show's new production team, helmed by Barry Letts, that this type of companion was actually unsuitable, and  Liz Shaw was written out after just one series. 

John starred in the first four, Third Doctor stories: Spearhead from Space, The Silurians, The Ambassadors of Death, and Inferno. She reprised the character on TV in The Five Doctors (1983), and Dimensions in Time (1993), then later for Big Finish's audio adventures (from 2007). Liz Shaw also featured in the Mark Gatiss scripted P.R.O.B.E. video spin-off series (1994-96).

John was married to Doctor Who co-star, Geoffrey Beevers, who first played the Master in The Keeper of Traken. They starred together in A Very British Coup (1988), and Poirot (1989). They had three children. John's funeral was held in London this week.

Great Doctor Who Quotes #36

"Hello, Stonehenge! Who takes the Pandorica takes the Universe! But bad news everyone, 'cause guess who? Ha! Except you lot, you're whizzing about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I am talking! Now, the question of the hour is: Who's got the Pandorica? Answer: I do. Next question: Who's coming to take it from me? Come on, look at me! No plan, no back up, no weapons worth a damn, oh, and something else I don't have - anything to lose! So, if you're sitting up there, in your silly little spaceships with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way! Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then... do the smart thing. Let somebody else try first!"

- The Doctor, The Pandorica Opens (June 19th 2010)

Written by Steven Moffat

The Titanic Centenary

RMS Titanic began her fateful maiden voyage a century ago this week, when she sailed from Southampton. Five days later, the luxury liner lay broken in two at the bottom of the North Atlantic. Now the world is in the grip of Titanic fever yet again. The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the most famous ship in history is being marked by events across the globe, and in all media. 

A memorial cruise aboard the MS Balmoral is following Titanic's original itinerary, and will join many othersships that will converge at the site of the disaster. 

Walter Lord's definitve account of the wreck, A Night to Remember - first issued in 1955 - has been republished, and the classic British film (to be shown on BBC2) based on the book has also been given a new release.

The highest-grossing movie of all time, James Cameron's Titanic (1997) has been re-released in 3D, to positive reviews. Here in the UK, the TV and radio schedules are packed with a plethora of new documentaries and dramas to remember the tragedy:

• the National Geographic channel presents Titanic: Case Closed, Titanic: The Final Secret, Titanic: The Final Word (also from Cameron), and Save the Titanic (with the discoverer of the wreck, Bob Ballard)
• Titanic: The Band Played On was shown on Yesterday, and Channel 4 will screen Saving the Titanic
• the Discovery channel broadcast Titanic Conspiracies (with Bernard Hill), Titanic: Birth of a Legend, and Titanic: The Aftermath
• Heroes of the Titanic, Nazi Titanic, Titanic: A Tale of Two Journeys, Ghosts of the Abyss (again with film director Cameron), and Titanic: Mystery Solved all feature on the History channel's Titanic 100 weekend
• the BBC's Titanic 100 season includes SOS-The Titanic Inquiry (starring Paul McGann), a repeat of Timewatch: Myths of the Titanic (2002), a Newsline Special: Ryan Vs. the White Star Line, Titanic: A Commemoration in Music and Film live from Belfast, and A History of the Titanic in 30 Pieces
• the 12-part costume drama, Titanic: Blood and Steel, is also due to air on the BBC
• the 1996 Titanic TV movie is screened by Channel Five
• Titanic: The Myths and Legends was transmitted on Radio 2, followed on Saturday by a 'live' news programme from the stricken ship, Titanic: Minute by Minute - the BBC World Service series, Discovery, aired Titanic: In Her Own Words
• Titanic Letters - a series of 44 shorts - and Titanic Town are both for Radio Ulster
• this Sunday, 100 years to the day, the sinking is re-enacted in the final part of ITV1's lavish Titanic mini-series - and will be shown in 80 other countries - followed by Words of the Titanic
• the BBC History website features an animated timeline of The Titanic

Great Doctor Who Quotes #35

"I lied to you 'cause I liked it. I could pretend, just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive underneath the burnt orange sky. I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else. There was a war. A Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks for the sake of all creation, and they lost... Everyone lost. They're all gone now, my family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song.."

- The Doctor, Gridlock (April 14th 2007)

Written by Russell T Davies

Date With History: 1982

Thirty years ago today, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands - a British territory since 1833 - which led to a bloody, ten-week war. A Royal Navy armada of over 100 ships took almost 3 weeks to sail the 8,000 miles to  the South Atlantic colony, and Argentine forces eventually surrendered on June 14th.

The conflict resulted in the deaths of 255 British and 650 Argentine servicemen.

The republic of Argentina still claims sovereignty of the Falklands, which it calls Las Malvinas.

New Doctor Who Companion Announced

Steven Moffat has today revealed the identity of the actress cast to replace Karen Gillan, when Doctor Who returns to BBC1 in the Autumn.

Former Emmerdale and Waterloo Road co-star Jenna Louise Coleman will debut (as the yet unnamed companion) in the Christmas special, which will now follow part five - where Amy and Rory Pond will leave the programme.

Blackpool-born Coleman appears in ITV1's new blockbuster drama Titanic (pictured, as Annie Desmond) from this Sunday. She will then join Matt Smith for the remaining 8 episodes of season 7, which will air in the show's anniversary year.

The BBC have also confirmed the return of the Daleks, and the Weeping Angels who appear in the Ponds' farewell story.

Doctor Who Target Book Reprints #2

Following the success of last summer's re-issue of six vintage Target book titles, this May sees the second wave of classic Doctor Who novelisations, again published by BBC Books. The next six stories to be released are: The Ark in Space (by Ian Marter, first published in 1977), The Ice Warriors (by Brian Hayles, 1976), The Tenth Planet (by Gerry Davis, 1976), Day of the Daleks (1974), The Three Doctors (1975), and The Loch Ness Monster (based on Terror of the Zygons, from 1976) - the latter three all by the legendary Terrance Dicks. Each title again showcases the original stunning cover artwork of Chris Achilleos, and includes new forewords by series luminaries such as Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat.

Titanic (2012) Preview

ITV1 marks the centenary of the Titanic disaster next month with the broadcast of a new four-part mini-series. Titanic is penned by Oscar winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes. The drama - filmed at Stern Studios in Budapest, and costing £11 million - is scheduled to air over four consecutive nights in the UK, and has been sold to 86 countries.

At the recent ITV press launch, Fellowes said that although A Night to Remember (1958) and James Cameron's Titanic (1997) were both wonderful films, his own version actually told "the whole story for the first time." But TV critics have already compared Titanic 2012 to 'posh' costume dramas like Upstairs, Downstairs, and have dubbed the series Downton-on-Sea.

Great Doctor Who Quotes #34

"I'm afraid I'm much too old to be a pioneer. Although I was once amongst my own people... We're much too far away from home, my granddaughter and I... You wanted advice you said. I never give advice. Never. But I might just say this to you, always search for truth. My truth is in the stars and yours is here."

- The Doctor, The Daleks, Episode 7: The Rescue 

(February 1st 1964)

Written by Terry Nation

The Pioneers of Doctor Who

"The creators of Doctor Who were a scandal" writes Charlie Jane Anders for io9.

As "one of the most successful television shows of all time" approaches it's fiftieth anniversary, the io9 science and media blog examines the origins of Doctor Who in an insightful  interview with Waris Hussein. The programme's very first director took part in the Doctor Who in the Sixties panel at the recent Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles.

Born in Lucknow, India in 1938, Hussein was only 24 when he teamed up with the BBC's only female producer, and a pioneering Canadian TV maker to create a TV legend.

The fledgling series "was a small show that [was] expected to run for a few episodes, and then vanish forever. The show had a tiny studio and huge cameras, and a shoestring budget. But the people who were making the show were outsiders who were anathema to the [corporation's] entrenched culture."

Anders writes: "Hussein talked a lot.. about [how] the BBC tried to starve the show of resources - he wanted to do all sorts of ambitious tracking shots, but was stuck with cameras bigger than the people operating them. And they were trapped in Studio D at Lime Grove [which was] the size of a shoebox, where they were trying to accomplish ambitious shots like having [the travellers].. run into [the TARDIS] and emerge inside a giant control room." Fellow panelist William Russell said that "his heart sank.. when he first heard they were going to be crammed into" the ancient studio. "Not only was Doctor Who science fiction, which the old guard.. were highly suspicious of, but it was being created by the wrong sort of people - it's originator, Sydney Newman, was a newly hired [Head of Drama], originally from [Toronto]. And Newman brought in a young production assistant [from ABC], Verity Lambert, to be the show's first producer - junior director, Hussein himself, took on the first four episodes. For the very old-fashioned, homogenised BBC, the [trio] were" not really trusted to be the architects of new programming, "even if Doctor Who had been something they approved of."
"Hussein said that women producers did not exist [then]. So [the series was] already innovative in concept, and [also in] the person who's going to deal with it."
The panel, which also included Maureen O'Brien (Vicki), "talked about how the first Doctor, William Hartnell, wasn't just a cantankerous old man - he was also a very traditional Englishman, who wasn't used to the idea of [working] women.. he didn't know what to make of [his new director], an East Indian. Thus Hartnell took a lot of convincing that an Asian man and a young woman were going to be up to their jobs. [At] the first [meeting that] Hussein and Lambert had with [the actor], he seemed reluctant to take on the role, and they almost gave up. In the end, they decided to have a second lunch with Hartnell, [and here].. it became clear that [he] wanted them to prove their [pedigrees]. But over time, Hussein and Hartnell developed a tremendous mutual respect, and they all became a great team.. All his prejudices fell away."
When Anders next spoke to "Hussein after the panel, he explained that not surprisingly, the regime at the BBC had very 'subtle' ways of expressing their distrust of [newcomers].. like himself and [the new producer]. Not only that, but Doctor Who was made outside the Children's Department.. instead, it was made by the new Serials division, and they despised the" embryonic series.
"Given that everybody involved with Doctor Who was" viewed as outsiders, "the BBC foisted [upon] them.. an executive producer, Mervyn Pinfield. Even his name was Dickensian, said Hussein.. he represented traditional drama in the old-fashioned sense - while Hussein saw himself as a young, radical, ambitious director struggling.. with ancient equipment."
"And when the show came to shoot its first pilot, it was basically a disaster - nothing went right technically, and the performances were pretty terrible. Hartnell's Doctor was intensely unpleasant and kind of scary [an anti-hero in fact], and his granddaughter Susan was cold and exaggeratedly alien. After the pilot was shot, Newman took Lambert and Hussein out to dinner and said that by rights, he should fire them both - but instead, he was going to give them a second chance at filming" the opening episode.

"Perhaps some of the tension that Hussein and company were feeling came out in that first version of the pilot  - but also, the script was much darker and more intense. So for the [remount of An Unearthly Child], they deliberately softened the character of the Doctor." Hussein states that he would have prefered to keep the "edgy" original, but Newman over-ruled him: "Don't forget, we were fighting the system. So we softened some aspects of it, because we wanted young people to identify [with the characters]."

Hussein also directed " Marco Polo: the fourth story, in which the Doctor travels across Asia and meets Kublai Khan. Hussein praised the gorgeous set design, and the versatile sets, which could be re-dressed as different way stations at each phase of the journey."

Finally, Hussein maintains that "the central mystery of Doctor Who was the relationship between the Doctor and Susan — how could she be his granddaughter? What was their relationship, really? This was as big a mystery, to him, as how you could get a giant control room inside a tiny Police Box."

Read the full interview here.

Doctor Who: More Series 7 News

"What we know so far.. As filming begins on the upcoming series, here's a round-up of what to expect" writes Paul Jones in the Radio Times:

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Steven Moffat turned up for their first day back at work in Cardiff today as filming got under way on the seventh season of Doctor Who. There's a lot we still don't know about the series, of course, but here are some things we do know, and some others we can make educated guesses about... 

Which writers will be involved?

Being Human creator Toby Whithouse will be writing an episode. He previously penned series two's School Reunion, series five’s The Vampires of Venice, and the eerie The God Complex from last year.

Chris Chibnall - who wrote series three story 42 and the Silurian two-parter (2010) - is also confirmed. 

Mark Gatiss's involvement remains unofficial but he says he'll be back to write for the new season. Steven Moffat’s Sherlock collaborator has been involved since the programme's revival, having written series one episode The Unquiet Dead, series two’s The Idiot's Lantern, series five's Victory of the Daleks, and last year's episode, Night Terrors.  

Having already been given the honour of resurrecting the redesigned Daleks - and as tight as he is with Moffat - we wouldn’t bet against Gatiss being involved in bringing back a 'classic' era monster again (see below).

Meanwhile, showrunner and lead writer Steven Moffat will, of course, be writing the last episode to feature Rory and Amy (see below).

Who'll be directing?

Saul Metzstein, whose previous credits include Micro Men – BBC4’s comedy drama about Clive Sinclair – is the first confirmed director, though NuWho alumnus Richard Clark (Gridlock, The Lazarus Experiment, The Doctor's Wife, and Night Terrors) has hinted on twitter that he’ll be back  this year too.

Amy and Rory’s departure

We know The Ponds are leaving partway through this series in a story Karen Gillan has called “the best ever” and a “damn good” exit and Steven Moffat has warned will be "heartbreaking". 

In terms of exactly when Rory and Amy will be off, Toby Whithouse said recently at the SFX Weekender sci-fi convention that his episode would be third in the series and would be “one of the final ones” to feature the pair.

And since Moffat and Whithouse both appear to be writing a Pond episode, it sounds like the couple's departure could be part of a story that spans more than one show (Harry Potter actor, Mark Williams is thought to be playing Rory's dad). 

Will River Song return?

Steven Moffat hinted very strongly at the press conference for the 2011 Christmas special that River Song would be back, and we know he loves writing the character. Further hints from Alex Kingston, plus the fact there remain several points on River’s timeline we’ve not yet seen, and that her mum is about to make her departure, make it likely River will put in an appearance.

Which monsters will be back?

Producer Marcus Wilson told DWM that two monsters from the original run would be back in series seven. On the one hand, you might think it’s about time to see the revamped Daleks return; on the other, Steven Moffat said only last year that he intended to give them a rest for while. So “classic” could well mean something or someone we haven’t seen since Doctor Who was rebooted… (Gatiss' script is rumoured to feature the Ice Warriors).

When will the series start and how long will it be?

An autumn start is predicted – after all, we’d expect to see some episodes before the next Christmas special – but a gap in transmission seems likely and we may well see less than half of the series in 2012, especially since 2013 is the big year for the show – its 50th anniversary – so it’s likely to be packed full of Doctor Who.

In January, Steven Moffat told Radio Times the series would feature “at least 14 episodes”. Assuming that takes the Christmas special into account, it could mean another 13 parts, or it could mean more, including, perhaps, an Easter special…

Is this Matt Smith's last series?

Speaking at this year’s National Television Awards, Matt left us in a bit of confusion, on one hand suggesting an approaching exit - "The truth is that I've got another year left... I've got a year of Who and I'll take it from there…” - on the other, saying: “I'm here for the future, I love making the show. I have no plans to leave.”

But it's not the first hint Matt's dropped that he'll be departing sooner rather than later, we know he has one eye on Hollywood, and surely the 50th anniversary needs a regeneration - so our money's on this being his last full series...

Why Mark Gatiss Should Write a Doctor Who Biopic

"A re-creation of the Time Lord's genesis would be a perfect 50th birthday treat" writes David Brown in the Radio Times:

Next year will be Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary and who knows what surprises there are in store. Past incarnations reuniting to save the universe? Matt Smith’s Doctor regenerating in the final moments of a feature-length episode? 

During Saturday’s Graham Norton show on BBC Radio 2, the host raised the possibility of a previously unconsidered idea – a drama documenting the programme's genesis back in 1963.

Norton's guest, Mark Gatiss, was quick to demur: “Am I writing a film about it? No,” he said, before playfully remarking that he was scribbling thoughts down on the back of his hand. “What a good idea that would be,” he confessed.

And yes, what a terrific notion it is. A re-creation of that bygone period in television production when young producer Verity Lambert was trying to carve out a career at a sexist BBC and Canadian Sydney Newman was coming up with the concept of a time machine bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. 

Then there’s Delia Derbyshire, the musical pioneer who created that otherworldly theme music; plus the casting of William Hartnell as the original Doctor. What scope there is for a well-produced bio-drama.

There is a positive precedent for this kind of project. In December 2010, Corrie celebrated its half-century with the sight of a tram careening off its tracks and onto those Weatherfield cobbles. Yet by far the most moving tribute was BBC4’s The Road to Coronation Street, an evocation of Granada at the start of the 1960s, when young scriptwriter Tony Warren was attempting to get his vision of northern backstreets onto our screens.

This 90-minute piece, penned by one-time Street archivist and scriptwriter Daran Little, scooped a Bafta for best single drama. Surely, the same could be achieved for Doctor Who, a programme every bit as revolutionary and enduring as the Street? 

And who better to pen the screenplay than Gatiss? He's famous for being familiar with the more recondite corners of Doctor Who history, and has a track record in TV drama that takes in everything from Sherlock and Agatha Christie’s Poirot to exploits with the Time Lord himself.

It’s this combination of insider knowledge and lifelong passion that makes Gatiss the ideal choice to conjure up Who in its nascent years. Such a production would be a perfect addition to all the birthday celebrations in 2013. The story of the Doctor’s very first adventure deserves to be told.