Complete 7th Series Boxset - BBC Worldwide Updated Press Release

Another day, another press release from BBC Worldwide.  This time they've updated their original release regarding the contents of the UK boxset.  The only difference in content between the US and UK boxsets is that the US will get interviews with Matt and Jenna from "The Nerdist" whilst the UK will get the "Good as Gold" Olympic short. You can pre-order the UK DVD boxset from the BBC Shop priced £34.99. The Blu-Ray is also available from the BBC Shop priced £38.99.

Obviously, the release dates haven't changed and I did receive a response from BBC Worldwide as follows:

Complete series releases have traditionally been released towards the end of October in the UK. BBC Worldwide is also publishing a number of other releases in September 2013 in the UK which the US will not be releasing.

BBC Worldwide UK and BBC Home Entertainment in the US work to separate release schedules and there is no obligation to release product lines at the same time

I'm intrigued as to these "other" releases - I'm assuming they will be Doctor Who related and I'm hoping there will be a bit more than just the "Monster" sets which are due out at the end of September.

Here is the full press release from BBC Worldwide as regards contents of the boxset:

BBC Worldwide releases all thirteen blockbuster episodes from Doctor Who Series Seven and the 2011 and 2012 Christmas Specials on Blu-ray and DVD on 28 October 2013. In addition, the set contains exciting bonus features including behind-the-scenes featurettes, Doctor Who at Comic Con, specials The Companions and Doctor Who in the US, and more. These latest adventures test the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and prove that even a madman with a box needs help sometimes.

Say farewell to the Ponds all over again. Meet the enigmatic Clara for the first time – and the second, and the third. Face enemies new and old, follow the Doctor to the one place he should never go, and learn the secret to a really great soufflé. With a cliffhanger ending that will leave fans breathless, this set arrives just in time to catch up before the Doctor Who50th Anniversary Special on 23 November, and the Doctor’s regeneration in this year’s Christmas Special.

In The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, the 2011 Christmas Special, the Doctor proves that sometimes wishes really do come true when his mysterious gift leads Madge Arwell and her two children to a magical wintry wonderland. Then, in the first part of Series Seven, the Ponds (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) make their final voyages with the Doctor. They save a spaceship full of dinosaurs, don Stetsons in the Wild West and are even kidnapped by the Doctor's oldest foe. But when they arrive in Manhattan the Weeping Angels are waiting for them – and the Doctor has to say goodbye to his companions forever.

The 2012 Christmas Special, The Snowmen, brings the Doctor a new friend (Jenna Coleman) in Victorian London – but has he already met her before? And will she be able to pull him from his mourning in time to save London from the chilling menace that threatens it? The final eight episodes of Series Seven see the Doctor and his new companion battle monsters on distant alien planets, become trapped in a Russian submarine with a deadly passenger, chase terrifying ghosts, and come face-to-face with an army of upgraded Cybermen. When his friends are kidnapped, the Doctor and Clara are forced to visit the fields of Trenzalore, where the question that must never be answered is finally asked… and the Doctor uncovers the secret of the Impossible Girl. 

The incredible list of guest stars includes John Hurt (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Warwick Davis (Willow, the Harry Potter films), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), David Warner (Titanic, TRON), Dougray Scott (Hemlock Grove,Ever After: A Cinderella Story), Ben Browder (Farscape), David Bradley (Game of Thrones), Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife, The Woman in Black), the mother-daughter duo of Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones) and Rachael Stirling (Women in Love, Snow White and the Huntsman), and the voice of Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings films). The episodes are written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, as well as Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss, Neil Cross, Chris Chibnall, Toby Whithouse and Stephen Thompson.

Additional content includes:

Behind the scenes featurettes for every episode (except The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe)
Additional featurettes include: The Making of the Gunslinger, Creating Clara, Rain Gods, Clara and the TARDIS,Inforarium and Clara’s White Christmas

Other featurettes including: Olympics: Good as Gold (UK only), Last Days of the Ponds, Pond Life, The Science of Doctor Who, The Companions and Doctor Who at Comic Con

Prequels to episodes: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, Asylum of the Daleks, The Snowmen (The Great Detective, Vastra Investigates and Demons Run: Two Days Later), The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor (She Said, He Said and Clarence and the Whispermen)

Audio commentaries for episodes: The Snowmen, Cold War, Hide and The Crimson Horror

The Complete 7th Series Boxset - UK Update

Thanks to Blogtor Who, it seems that BBC Worldwide have updated their UK Complete Seventh Series Boxset details.  It has been confirmed as a 5 disc set - and not a 3 disc as previously announced.

The other update is that this release WILL now include "The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe" which was originally, mysteriously omitted from the UK release.  The BBC Worldwide email states:

Originally the decision was taken not to include this release on the box set as it had previously been released as a standalone product. However after listening to feedback from our fans we have decided to include the episode and its prequel on the set. The price of the set will not be altered as a result of the change of contents

Unfortunately, what HASN'T changed is the release date - and those of us in the UK will still be waiting over a month after the US release.

I did receive a very short, two sentence email reply from BBC Worldwide as regards this rather odd scheduling:

Thank you for your e-mail enquiry. We very much hope this situation will not be repeated. 

I have asked for further details so we will just have to wait and see.

But hey - at least they've listened on one point...

BBC Release Press Statement Regarding San Diego Comic-Con Trailer

Airing an "exclusive" trailer for the 50th Anniversary Special at San Diego Comic-Con proved extremely controversial - it generated a lot of anger amongst those 99% not attending the event.  The BBC received a "large number of complaints" as the lady on the BBC Information Line told me today - complaints that were growing in number after the Boxset debacle happened earlier.

Well, the BBC have released what must be the shortest statement in the history of forever:

This was an exclusive Comic Con trailer made especially for the Doctor Who 50th panel, it has not been released in the US. This world famous international event is an established platform used by all of the major producers. UK fans can look forward to exclusive content over the next few months.

Unless you do as the BBC did at Comic-Con and basically lock people in a room and threaten them then no content is "exclusive".  Besides, we Brits are essentially nice - we simply don't agree with certain sections of fandom getting trailers etc that the rest don't see, so you can basically guarantee that if the BBC DO put something online that is "geographically restricted", then we'll rip it out and upload it to youtube for the world to see.

Yet more PR issues for the BBC - we've had Boxsets going out in the US early, a leaked BBC Worldwide email stating a "New Doctor" next year which meant the BBC had to rush out Matt's leaving announcement, controversy amongst UK fans as other countries get regular repeats of Classic Who and we get nothing, a prequel being available to watch free via Amazon in the US but UK fans having to buy the season on itunes to see it....and now this - and I haven't really started on the Complete Series 7 Boxset announcement yet.

The BBC may yet surprise us - they may show us a trailer fairly shortly but I'm not going to hold my breath.  It'll be a few more pictures probably...you know... in case we've forgotten what Daleks and Zygons look like.

Oh...whoopee-do.

The Complete Seventh Series Boxset - UK release date and details

Being a British-based Doctor Who fan isn't exactly a bed of roses at the moment - we watch with envious eyes as other countries celebrate the 50th Anniversary of OUR show with Classic repeats whilst we sit here watching tumbleweed roll past... and let's not even mention the trailer debacle.  Well, here's another thing to make you believe that the BBC really don't give a damn about the British fans.  The much-awaited DVD and Blu-Ray boxset of the Complete 7th Series is to be released in the UK on 28 October 2013... more than a month AFTER it's released in the USA.  A British programme...and the DVD is released overseas first.  Yeah, thanks for that, BBC.  

Anyway - deep breath - and please complain to BBC Worldwide about this - you can do that here: Contact BBC Worldwide - just don't hold out hopes for a quick or reasonable reply.  EDIT - Please also phone the BBC Complaints line on 03700 100 222 and register your displeasure politely.

The boxset includes all Season 7 episodes plus the following special features (and I'm sure it only adds fuel to the fire that some of the special features focus on the USA):

• Audio commentaries for: The Snowmen, Cold War, Hide and The Crimson Horror
• "Prequels" for:  Asylum of the Daleks, The Snowmen (x3), The Bells of Saint John and The Name of the Doctor (x2)
• Pond Life
• The Making of the Gunslinger
• Creating Clara
• Behind the scenes featurettes for every episode
• Additional featurettes: Doctor Who in the US, Last Days of the Ponds, The Science of Doctor Who, The Companions and Doctor Who at Comic Con

So - "The Doctors Revisted" - no sign of that.  And also no sign of "The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe" which is, typically, on the US Boxset.  

I have asked BBC Worldwide for comments and will update if they ever bother to reply...

Photos - Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman - TCA Press Tour

Courtesy of http://www.zimbio.com, below are some photos of Matt and Jenna during the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Beverly Hills today.  As usual, right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions:

Video - Matt Smith on "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson"

Thanks to Ashleyous, here's the full interview with Matt from "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson" last night.  Very nice of him to apologise to the 99% of fandom who haven't seen the trailer - he didn't need to as I doubt very much it was a decision he was involved in:

Screencaps - TVEquals Interview Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman

A batch of screencaps from the tvequals SDCC interview with Matt and Jenna have been uploaded to the Flickr Gallery.  Samples below - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions - please feel free to take and use:

Videos - Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman SDCC Interviews

The press interviews from SDCC are slowly seeing the light of day and below are two interviews - one from Hypable and one from tvequals:

Screencaps - Matt Smith, Jenna Coleman - SDCC Nerd HQ "Conversations for a Cause"

A rather large batch of screencaps from the Nerd HQ - Doctor Who - Conversations with a Cause panel from SDCC have been uploaded to the Flickr Gallery.  Samples below - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions - please feel free to take, use and edit:

 

Photos - Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman - SDCC Doctor Who Panel and Press Line

We're certainly being inundated with rather nice photos - the ones below are from both the press line and the panel and are courtesy of farfarawaysite.com.  Right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions:

Photos - San Diego Comic-Con Doctor Who Panel - Batch 2

Courtesy of zimbio.com, more photos from the SDCC Doctor Who Panel have emerged.  Right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions:

Previous batch of photos are here.

Video - SDCC Doctor Who Panel

Here it is - courtesy of magicinthenumbers - the full Doctor Who Panel from SDCC... minus the now infamous trailer of course.  And if you want to complain to the BBC?  Well, that online complaints form is right here.  Go for it.

Photos - San Diego Comic-Con Doctor Who Panel

The first photos from the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con have emerged.  There will be more to follow but, thanks to farfarawaysite.com,  jennalouisecoleman.org and Anglophenia for this rather nice crop of photos - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions: