Jenna-Louise Coleman - Radio Times Photoshoot

The Radio Times Website has an exclusive photoshoot with new "Doctor Who" companion, Jenna-Louise Coleman:

Photos - "Fresh from the set"

The Official Doctor Who Facebook Page have released a set of photos "fresh from the set".

The page says:

Here are some sneaky pictures fresh from the set of Doctor Who where the Daleks are being wheeled before the cameras once again. But which design? The answer is ALL OF THEM!

Video - David Yates talks about the "Doctor Who" film

Courtesy of Ruther2 and SnitchSeeker, below is a video of David Yates briefly discussing his future projects. This took place at the opening of the Harry Potter studio tour. Yates says that filming is about five or six years away and that he intends to discuss the project with TV show supremo, Steven Moffat.



Personally, I think it's a bit discourteous and shows little respect to talk in the media etc about this movie without FIRST having discussed it with the Moff. And I admit, all this talk about a "reboot" and "starting from the beginning" fills me with horror. Why throw out 50 years of history? Still...lots of things can happen to scupper this horrible project.

Reminder: "The Daemons" DVD Signing

"The Daemons" DVD signing event will take place at The Who Shop (39 Barking Road, Upton Park, London) this weekend.

Guests are Damaris Hayman (Miss Hawthorne) and Stephen Thorne (Azal) and the signing will run from midday till 3pm.

If you can't attend the signing, you can pre-order the signed DVD from The Who Shop website. Directions to the shop are also on the website.

Review - Official Doctor Who Convention and Tardis Tour

When the Convention and ticket pricing were first announced, you'd be forgiven for running a mile away from the BBC's Doctor Who Facebook page. The complaints about the pricing were extraordinary - £99 for one day was deemed "over the top" and "greedy" and £25 for a photo of yourself with Matt Smith once again drew complaints that the BBC were "conning money out of the fans". However, the BBC were quite open and upfront about the fact that, at this Official Convention, you would see and experience things that you simply would not get at any other Convention. That's why I paid over the money - and that's why I will happily say that I have no regrets and, in fact, the Convention and the quite simply breathtaking "Tardis Tour" (which was free) was simply a "once in a lifetime" experience.


The crowds were there early - and we were separated into either "Ood" or "Silurian" - depending on your ticket type. However, the queue was lively - lots of cosplayers were having fun and we were entertained by an Ood and Silurian who wandered along the queue posing for photos.


Once inside we were handed a nice "swag bag" containing a souvenir brochure and ticket, plus lanyard with ticket, schedule and location map attached together with a Season 5, volume 1 dvd. First up for those of us on the Silurian schedule was the SFX studio. Cue Danny Hargreaves who explained how the variety of SFX you see on the show are achieved. Of course, we had nice demos too, including an explosion of cork rocks, smoke effects, snow (!), a poor Cyberman having his arm and head shot off and one of Danny Hargreaves' assistants having to run across the stage whilst being shot at. Superb demonstation - and lots of time for questions and some great indepth answers.

Official Series 7 Teaser Trailer

First screened at the Official Doctor Who Convention (which I attended so full review and photos to follow) and courtesy of BBC America (who have uploaded to youtube whereas the BBC haven't) here is the Series 7 teaser trailer:



I still can't decide if that "showgirl" is River.

Official Doctor Who Convention - New Panel Announced

An interesting new panel has been announced for the Official Doctor Who Convention this weekend. "The Lost Episode Talks" will feature Restoration Team Content Producer Steve Roberts and Director of SVS Resources Peter Crocker who will talk about how they go about restoring the old and damaged episodes of "Doctor Who". There will be footage of the process they go through together with exclusive trailers courtesy of 2Entertain for the soon to be released lost episodes - "Air Lock" and "Underwater Menace". Panel times are:

0930-1000
1045-1115
1330-1400
1610-1640

Sessions will take place in the Victor Salvi room.

For more information about the convention, please visit: Official Doctor Who Convention

New Press Conference Announcements

Following the announcement of Jenna-Louise Coleman as new companion, some more details are emerging from the press conference:

There will be 6 episodes this year, including the Christmas Special, then 8 next year.

Steven "Amy & Rory will leave in a final encounter with the Weeping Angels in ep 5. Not everyone gets out alive and I mean it this time"

The Daleks will return.

"It's not often the Doctor meets someone who can talk even faster than he does, but it's about to happen. Jenna is going to lead him his merriest dance yet. And that's all you're getting for now. Who she's playing, how the Doctor meets her, and even where he finds her, are all part of one of the biggest mysteries the Time Lord ever encounters. Even by the Doctor's standards, this isn't your usual boy meets girl."

Stay tuned for more quotes and no doubt the official press release.

Jenna-Louise Coleman Announced as New Companion - and Press Conference snippets

To nobody's surprise, Jenna-Louise Coleman has been announced as the new "Doctor Who" companion. Various newspapers had leaked this earlier and Ian Wylie has an interview with Jenna-Louise regarding her upcoming role in "Titanic". Thanks to Ian Wylie for the above picture. Jenna-Louise will debut in the Christmas special and Amy and Rory will leave in the Autumn run.

Little snippets from the press conference are beginning to leak out:

"I want to get started already" says Jenna. "I'm a huge fan of the show". Of her favourite companion "Between Billie Piper & Karen Gillan"

"Matt Smith did my audition with me. It was fun and I felt like we were in it together" says Jenna.

Steven: "We saw a lot of brilliant actresses. But Jenna was the only person going faster than Matt - he had to keep up!"

There will be 6 episodes this year, including the Christmas Special, then 8 next year.

Find more information about Jenna-Louise at IMDB.com

The Official BBC Doctor Who Twitter account has stated there will more announcements today.

New Companion to be revealed tomorrow?

According to sources on twitter - including Mark Jefferies from "The Mirror" - a press conference is being scheduled to unveil the new companion tomorrow.

According to Mark Jefferies:

BBC source has confirmed to me they will unveil new Doctor Who assistant tmrow. She is "pretty" but "not household name".

Does Sophia Myles count as "not a household name"? Given the Moff's urging that people should follow her on twitter, her recent travels to Spain and tweet from Arthur Darvill about meeting her it seems that some of the smart money is indeed on Sophia Myles. Or could this merely be a bit of extreme trolling?

We will find out tomorrow it seems.

More Spain Filming Pics - Locations, Extras and Something Interesting...

Thanks to Doctor Who En Fort Bravo for the following pics of location filming. In amongst the photos of locations, various extras, the Tardis and Karen Gillan, the following two pictures stand out:



It's like a "before and after". So, what is the mark? It's not on his face in the first picture - so, is it something that happens after an encounter with the "half robot adversary"? Or a gang marking? The rest of the pictures below include more extras with this intriguing mark:

New Competition/Giveaway

Our fourth giveaway/competition gives you the chance to win two action figures. Yup, you get the figures shown above. They are both "Series 6 Wave 2"- one is the Eleventh Doctor with blue shirt and blue bow tie (and series 6 hair) and the other is River Song from series 5. Perfect for 11/River shippers!

We have one set of these to give away and no question to answer - competition is open to all - no restrictions on location as long as you have some kind of postal service!

For full details on how to enter, please see the "Competition" tab above.

Paypal and "Behind the Sofa" - 'Amicable Resolution'

Paypal and Steve Berry of "Behind the Sofa", have today released a joint statement as follows:

PayPal has apologised to Steve Berry for the way it handled payments for his book about Doctor Who, Behind The Sofa. It is working with Mr Berry to make sure funds are released as they are needed to pay the publisher and other suppliers.

PayPal placed restrictions on Mr Berry’s account because the payments were received months before the book was available. This is in line with PayPal’s policy of protecting buyers in case they don’t receive goods that they have pre-ordered. But we should have explained things better and worked more quickly to find a sensible compromise to ensure the success of this very good cause.

Mr Berry commented: “I am delighted that PayPal have responded to my concerns about the handling of the account being used to fund the production of the Behind The Sofa book. We have now come to an amicable resolution and I look forward to publishing the book and fulfilling all the orders placed by generous Doctor Who fans.”

Very glad to see this is finally resolved.

"Doctor Who - Worlds in Time" - Official Launch

BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games today announced the official launch of Doctor Who: Worlds in Time - here's the official press release:

Created in partnership with Three Rings, the award-winning developer of persistent online worlds Puzzle Pirates and Spiral Knights, the game transports fans and gamers alike on a journey throughout the boundless Doctor Who universe.

Doctor Who: Worlds in Time offers something for everyone, including an intriguing narrative for sci-fi followers and serious gamers and stimulating missions for game enthusiasts looking for a quick pick-up-and-play game. After preparing the TARDIS, players travel to various immersive worlds (including Ember, Mars and New New York) and work together to defend civilization against infamous villains (including the Weeping Angels, Cybermen, Daleks, Autons, Oods and Zygons) bent on creating chaos and destruction in the universe. Since the open preview launch in December 2011, the BBC and Three Rings have worked to make more Doctor Who environments available, as well as introduce additional virtual items and create deeply engaging communal features.

“We’ve developed Worlds in Time with the goal of becoming the largest online community for Doctor Who fans, while also being a fun, compelling and immersive gateway into the world of Doctor Who for all gamers,” said Robert Nashak, Executive Vice President, BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games.

While Doctor Who: Worlds in Time is free-to-play, players can enrich their gameplay and hasten their progress through the purchase of Chronons, which help them to customize their avatars, complete mini-games, build new contraptions and more.

"I have been a fan of Doctor Who since I was a child, so developing this game with BBC Worldwide is a dream come true," said Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings Design, Inc. "Like the Doctor, we have our own mission, to provide Doctor Who fans an experience matched only by the wondrous TV series, and casual gamers a warm opportunity to discover the marvelous world for themselves. It's exciting to see the Doctor Who universe come to life in such a unique way."

Doctor Who, one of BBC Worldwide's flagship brands, is the longest-running science fiction series in the world and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2013. It's the story of the Doctor, the mysterious traveler in time and space, who has saved the universe so many times. The Doctor is a Time Lord, one of a legendary race of powerful beings whose job it is to observe and record, but never interfere. 2011 was the biggest year ever for Doctor Who on BBC AMERICA with record ratings and mass critical acclaim. The series broadcasts in more than 70 million homes and On Demand across all major digital platforms.

Paypay UK blocks "Behind the Sofa" Charity Book

"Behind the Sofa", is a collection of over 100 celebrity memories of "Doctor Who" - contributors include Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Ross, Chris Tarrant, Michael Grade (!), Lynda Bellingham and Hugh Bonneville. 100% of the proceeds of the sale of the book go to Alzheimer's Research UK. There are a variety of "sale" packages available and pre-ordering opened last week. There was, however, a worrying development today and here's the blog post by Steve Berry who compiled the collection:

This morning I received a very short, very terse telephone call from a lady called Francine, who works for PayPal.

Francine informed me that the PayPal account associated with Behind The Sofa had taken a lot of money over a very short period. She explained that she had looked at the site and understood that I was taking orders for a book.

I told her that the money generated by the pre-orders taken through the web site effectively pays for the production and distribution of the book, with the net profit thereafter being donated to Alzheimer's Research UK.

All of this you will know if you have seen the rest of this site. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of all those who have pre-ordered a copy of the book. In fact, I set up this site as an experiment in "crowdfunding" after I couldn't find a satisfactory solution elsewhere. Had the book failed to generate enough money to fund the book, I was prepared to do so out of my own pocket.

It seems that I will now have to do that.

Francine explained that PayPal would be freezing my account, meaning that the project is stalled. The phone call was followed by an "account frozen" email.

Why?

Well, they won't tell me the details. They would like to investigate my account first. They are asking me for documentation about my business (I am not a business) and proof of invoices/suppliers, etc (which I cannot give, because I am still in the process of completing the final manuscript of the book with design and layout all being carried out by some excellent volunteers). So there is no way for me to resolve the situation using their "resolution centre".

And there is no way to contact them otherwise.

Francine flat refused to provide me with information about how to contact them (by phone) to discuss to issue, or indicate how long my account will be frozen pending their review. She then terminated the call. I cannot use the account at all until PayPay deign to contact me.

Over 100 celebrities have given their time and contributed memories to the book, not to mention four years of my time getting the project to the stage where it is ready to launch. But, of course, there is no way to explain any of this to PayPal because they simply don't want to talk.

Note: not one single penny of the money taken so far has been lost. I am endeavouring to find a way to discuss this with PayPal. In the mean time I would ask for your patience and, if you feel inclined, your support by Tweeting @PayPalUK and letting them know what you think of their customer service.

If I can't resolve the situation with PayPal, I will of course refund everyone's orders in full and try to find an alternative way to raise the required investment.

ORDERS SO FAR CANCELLED DUE TO PAYPAL'S ACTIONS: 1

So - come on, fandom. Get tweeting and let them know what you think of this appalling action of theirs. Steve Berry HAS tweeted that the book WILL be published - with or without the funds collected by Paypal.

Behind the Sofa on twitter
Paypal UK on twitter

More Season 7 Spain Filming Pictures

As the Western episode continues to film, more behind the scenes and on set pictures emerge. There are 43 pictures over at Zimbio (courtesy of PacificCoastNews) but a number are quite spoilery as to the villain of the piece. A selection of the more non-spoilery ones are below:

Video - Colin Baker on "Robert's Full English Breakfast Show"

This is really an excellent interview - lasting over 15 minutes and covering an awful lot of ground. "Doctor Who" obviously features heavily and, anyone who follows Colin on twitter, will know of his love and support for the show but it really is highlighted here:



You can follow Colin on twitter at SawbonesHex and, on a personal note, I really highly recommend the Big Finish audios featuring Colin as the 6th Doctor. He nails it - totally. He has a superb voice and it's just perfect for the audios. My personal favourite is "The Spectre of Lanyon Moor" - it's set in Cornwall and being a Cornish lass myself then there was really no competition.

You can peruse and buy the audios from Big Finish - Doctor Who audios

Series 7 Filming - Set Pictures - Karen, Arthur and ... the villain?

Courtesy of Whovians.net and kevins-mchale.tumblr.com come another batch of set pictures from filming in Spain (click for larger versions). Karen, Arthur and, against a green screen, what could be the villain of the piece:

Competition 3 - Now closed

CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL HARDS FROM LONDON WHO HAS WON THE DVD OF "THE DOCTOR, THE WIDOW AND THE WARDROBE" - New giveaway coming shortly...and the 11/River shippers might like it...


Our third giveaway/competition gives you the chance to win a copy of "The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe" on DVD. Please note that this IS a region 2 UK DVD release and, whilst the competition is open to everyone, please ensure you can play this DVD.

The DVD contains the 2011 Christmas Special together with the following special features:

• Prequel
• 3 x The Best of Doctor Who 45-minute features, commissioned by BBC America and only seen in the US. Showcasing the favourite moments of all the series that feature Matt Smith as the Doctor:
Best of the Doctor
Best of the Monsters
Best of the Companions

We have one copy of this to give away and no question to answer:

THE RULES

1. This is a Region 2 UK DVD - although the competition is open to everyone please ensure you CAN play this DVD. Multiple entries from the same address are not allowed - and those entries will be disqualified.

2. Simply email me with your name, town and country - winner will be contacted by email to supply full address details.

3. This is a UK Region 2 DVD and is not being provided by any outside agency or promoter. The DVD has already been purchased by ourselves and is still sealed. It will be despatched to the winner after the competition closing date.

4. The competition will end at midnight UK time on Wednesday 7 March 2012 and, a draw will take place on Thursday 8 March 2012 and the winner notified by email. The winner's first name and home town will be published on the website and the prize despatched to them on Friday 9 March 2012. The editor's decision on the identity of the winner is final.

5. All entries, names and particulars of entrants will be destroyed after the competition has concluded.

TO ENTER

Again - no question to answer, simply Email me - whonatic@gmail.com with your full name, town and country before midnight on Wednesday 7 March 2012.

Good luck!
For details of our previous - now closed - competitions then please see:

Competition One - Limited Edition Season 6 DVD Boxset

Competition Two - Season 6 Soundtrack CD

Competition Winner Announced!

Congratulations to Rachel Hards of London who has won the dvd of "The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe". Rachel was drawn from over 70 entries so thanks to everyone who entered.

A new "giveaway" is coming soon - and it might be of interest to 11/River shippers...

Series 7 Filming - First Set Pictures from Spain

Courtesy of Whovians.net and kevins-mchale.tumblr.com come the first set pictures from filming in Spain (click for larger versions). Matt on horseback - what could be better? Also nice to see that Matt gets to wear a stetson again: