Screencaps - The Doctor's Meditation

A batch of screencaps from "The Doctor's Meditation" have been uploaded to the Who-Natic Gallery. Samples below - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions - please feel free to take and use. 

More screencaps in the Who-Natic Gallery.

How to Watch "The Doctor's Meditation" in the UK

"The Doctor's Meditation" - the now infamous BBC Worldwide funded prequel - is now available to watch legally in the UK and, surprisingly, it won't cost you a penny (unless you go the itunes route).

So far, there are 3 free ways to watch the prequel:

1. Amazon UK - you just need to have an Amazon account: The Doctor's Meditation on Amazon UK

2. BBC via Google Play on Youtube - you need a Google Play account (easy to register but you do need to provide payment details such as paypal .. and you'll be invoiced for £0.00.  Crazy!): The Doctor's Meditation on Youtube/Google Play.

3. Facebook - the easiest method.  The BBC have just uploaded it to Facebook: "The Doctor's Meditation" on Facebook

4.  Itunes - but this will cost you £2.49 (but at least you don't have to purchase a series pass!): The Doctor's Meditation on itunes.  EDIT: It appears to have disappeared from UK Itunes at the moment...no idea why.  Maybe they'll put a free one up later.  Will keep an eye on this.

I'm hoping that the BBC will put the prequel on iplayer tomorrow - and for the US, it will air on BBC America this evening.  Please let us know if there are any other sites that have the prequel available to watch in the UK - legally, that is!

Cinema Screening of Dark Water/Death in Heaven in 3D plus Series 9 Prequel for US fans.

Now, this is interesting.  Screenings of Dark Water/Death in Heaven in 3D in approximately 700 US cinemas together with an "exclusive" series 9 prequel plus "exclusive" interview with Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman which is hosted by Wil Wheaton.  When questioned as to why this event is not taking place in the UK too, BBC Worldwide came up with a quite surprising excuse:

“Due to the number of events taking place for Doctor Who this year including the Symphonic Spectacular and the Doctor Who Festival, we decided against showing the episodes in UK cinema.”

Quite frankly, that excuse is simply laughable.  It's obviously a moot point that the Symphonic Spectacular is happening in the US as well.  The cynic in me thinks that this cinema event wouldn't do quite so well over here.  A 3D screening of episodes we already have on dvd or blu-ray?  It would be nice to have the option but the real question concerns the prequel.  

Will the prequel be online for everyone to see afterwards?  Will it be a boxset exclusive so the rest of us have to wait until the season is over?  It SHOULD go online within a day or two of this event but what the BBC should do and what they actually do are completely separate things.  They've done so well this year - making sure anything at SDCC was released worldwide, for example - it'll be a shame if they revert to type and start with these stupid "exclusives" again.  I hope it doesn't end up like the prequel to "Asylum of the Daleks" - that was free to watch in the US via amazon.com but in the UK you had to BUY a season pass via Itunes (until it quite rightly got ripped and put on youtube).  Pretty poor state of affairs - and that's without mentioning the Licence Fee...ooops....I just did.  

Anyhow - guess we'll just have to wait and see.  Again.  In the meantime, for the US fans, here's the press release regarding the cinema showings:

BBC Worldwide North America and Fathom Events announce the return of the longest running sci-fi television series, Doctor Who, to the big screen for a two-night special theatrical event, Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven in spectacular 3D, starring Peter Capaldi.

Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven, the show’s two-part eighth season finale, will be presented in RealD™ 3D and Dolby Atmos sound (where available) on September 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. (local time). The event will feature The Doctor’s Meditation- a special prequel scene to the first episode of season nine - and an exclusive interview with Doctor Who stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman, hosted by Wil Wheaton (Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: Nemesis), in addition to the two-part season eight finale. 

Tickets for Doctor Who: Dark Water/Death in Heaven in 3D can be purchased online beginning Friday, July 31 by visitingwww.FathomEvents.com, or participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in approximately 700 movie theaters through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).

Screencaps - "The Name of the Doctor" Prequel - "She Said, He Said"

Screencaps from "The Name of the Doctor" prequel - "She Said, He Said" - have been added to the Flickr Gallery.  Samples below - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions - please feel free to take and use:

Video - "She Said, He Said" - Prequel to "The Name of the Doctor"

The BBC have uploaded their new prequel to "The Name of the Doctor".  It's called "She Said, He Said":

Finale Prequel to Air Via BBC Red Button

The Radio Times have stated that a prequel to the Season finale - "The Name of the Doctor" - will air via the BBC's red button service.  The prequel is called "He Said, She Said" and will be available from 7.40pm until midnight on Saturday 11 May 2013.  It can then be watched again during the evenings leading up to the finale on Saturday 18 May 2013.  I have no doubt it will also be available online.

Apparently, the three minute prequel is "shot in a dreamlike style and set in a dusty old museum" and will see the Doctor and Clara talking directly to camera as "they reflect on how little they really know about one another".

Screencaps - Prequel to "The Bells of Saint John"

Ah, bless you, BBC for finally uploading in HD.  Screencaps from the prequel to "The Bells of Saint John" are now in the Flickr Gallery.  Samples below - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions - and, of course, feel free to take and use:

Video - Prequel to "The Bells of Saint John"

Here it is - the prequel to "The Bells of Saint John".  Screencaps will be up later:

"The Bells of Saint John" - Prequel to be released

We're getting used to prequels now - in fact, they're to be expected - and Series 7B doesn't disappoint as the BBC red button schedule has listed a prequel to "The Bells of Saint John".

The prequel will be available via the BBC red button or channel 301 on Freeview from 5.15pm next Saturday (23 March).  The description reads:

'The Doctor takes a break on Earth, despondent that he can't find Clara'.

No doubt this will also be available online.

Screencaps - Prequel - "Asylum of the Daleks"

As requested, here are a batch of screencaps from the prequel to "Asylum of the Daleks".  Although available on the dvd boxset, there doesn't seem to be an actual HD version of this anywhere - however, I've done the best I can.  As usual - they're in the flickr gallery - samples are below (right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions).  Feel free to take and use.

Video - "The Snowmen" Prequel - "Vastra Investigates

The BBC have released a prequel to "The Snowmen" entitled "Vastra Investigates".  You can watch it below:

Doctor Who - Children in Need - Approximate Timings

The Radio Times have announced tonight's BBC "Children in Need" lineup in full.  There are two timeslots of interest to us:

7:30pm - 8pm Children in Need Terry Wogan, Tess Daly, and Fearne Cotton present the marathon night of fun and fundraising, which begins with a performance by boy-band One Direction. Then there's the first of two Children in Need Doctor Who exclusives: a prequel to this year's Christmas Special written by Steven Moffat.

and

8:30pm - 9pm Next comes an exclusive trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas special, which will give viewers their first look at the Doctor and his new companion. Then Aled Jones faces the daunting task of uniting thousands of children all over the UK to sing live in a mass nationwide choir. Plus Pudsey Bear will be dancing with his namesake – Pudsey the Dog from Britain’s Got Talent.

We will also discover the title of the Christmas Special.  Obviously, this is a live show - the times are approximate but hopefully the Doctor Who items should be done by 9pm - so we can turn over and watch Colin Baker on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here" on ITV...

Doctor Who on Children in Need - A few more details

Doctor Who Brand Manager, Edward Russell has confirmed a couple of details regarding the Doctor Who items on Friday's "Children in Need" on the BBC.

There will be a 2 minute prequel followed later in the evening by a trailer for the so far unnamed Christmas Special.

The approximate timeslots for these items remain unknown at this time.

Itunes Prequel - "A Town Called Mercy"

Thanks to Doctorwhotv.co.uk, who do a sterling job in tracking down this kind of thing, the Itunes prequel for "A Town Called Mercy" is now available for the rest of us to watch:

A new prequel for "Asylum of the Daleks"

The BBC are a great organisation but sometimes they have these little brain lapses - and this appears to be one of them. An "Asylum of the Daleks" prequel that is only available via a Season Pass on US itunes or via US Amazon. It's not available in the UK. Now, that's appalling. A British TV show makes a prequel - no doubt using money from the British licence fee payer - and only makes it available in America? I'm sure the BBC will come out with some rubbish about this prequel being on the DVD but that's not the point. Why was this not available in the UK? I'll be interested in hearing the answer to that - if we ever get one.

However, thanks to doctorwhotv.co.uk and FiatVeronica here's the full prequel:



Update: I tweeted Edward Russell - Brand Manager of Doctor Who and he seemed to think it was available internationally. He's going to look into it so, on this occasion, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a genuine mistake. Just...don't do it again.

Prequel to "Let's Kill Hitler" Available Monday

The BBC Doctor Who Website has released details of the prequel to "Let's Kill Hitler" which will be available to view on Monday:

The Prequel to Let's Kill Hitler will be released on Monday and available exclusively from this site.

But stand-by for something that's different to the previous Prequels! This one bridges episodes 7 and 8 and reveals a little about how the Doctor and Amy are feeling following the events of A Good Man Goes to War.

The Prequel is written by Steven Moffat and so as you'd expect, it has humour, drama and a heart-breaking moment... Matt Smith and Karen Gillan are on great form in the short video which you'll be able to watch on Monday.

So, if you can't wait for Let's Kill Hitler, come back to the site on Monday for the Prequel!