Video - Red Nose Day Trailer - Matt Smith and David Tennant

Both Matt Smith and David Tennant appear alongside a host of other stars in a promotional trailer for "Red Nose Day 2013" which takes place on Friday 15 March 2013:

Photos - Matt Smith at the Instyle Best of British Talent Party - 30 January 2013

Matt Smith, along with numerous other celebrities, attended the Instyle Best of British Talent Party last night. The Mail Online have an article about the party on their site and contactmusic.com have a gallery of photos.   A selection of photos from both sites are below - please do not remove the copyright restrictions.

The Mail Online:

contactmusic.com

Thanks to the Mail Online and contactmusic.com

Event - "The Who Shop" - Celebration of the Second Doctor

Continuing The Who Shop's series of mini events, this Saturday (2 February 2013) sees "A Celebration of the Second Doctor" with guest Wendy Padbury (and you could always ask her about how she "discovered" Matt Smith and was, in fact, his first agent).  The press release from The Who Shop is below:

A CELEBRATION OF THE SECOND DOCTOR
SATURDAY 2ND FEBRUARY 2013

Many thanks to all who attended our “CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST DOCTOR” event last week.

Our next mini event is taking place THIS SATURDAY, (2nd of February).

We are delighted to announce that Wendy Padbury (Zoe Herriot) will be joining us for the day.

Wendy will be signing at the shop between 12:00 and 13:30 and will then be taking part in a one hour intimate Q&A talk starting at 13:45 taking place close to the shop. 

Tickets only £12. 50 which includes an autograph. 
Limited to 50 Tickets only.

Tickets MUST be booked by 4pm on Friday 1st February. 

Simply call the shop (0208 471 2356) to book tickets over the phone, or through our website.

There will also be photo opportunities available with Wendy on the day with our professional photographer. Photograph price also includes an autograph.

We will also be selling 10x8 prints which also include one autograph.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We look forward to seeing you at the event.
The Who Shop

39-41 Barking Road, Upton Park, London, E6 1PY
www.thewhoshop.com | info@thewhoshop.co.uk
0208 471 2356 | twitter.com/thewhoshop
www.facebook.com/thewhoshopofficial

The Moff Talks Series 7B and 50th Anniversary

"The Doctor's greatest secret is in jeopardy..."

The Radio Times managed to nail the Moff down at last night's Radio Times covers party and get a quote or two regarding the upcoming series 7B together with the 50th Anniversary:

Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat has been talking about what viewers can expect from the new series, which is set to resume on Saturday 30 March on BBC1.  

Speaking at the Radio Times covers’ party, Moffat teased: “We’ll be up in the air, we’re under the water, we’re on a fantastic alien planet, we’re back in time, we’re forward in time, and the Doctor’s greatest secret is in jeopardy.”  

The upcoming eight episodes - which see Matt Smith teaming up with new companion Jenna-Louise Coleman - will include instalments written by Moffat, as well as Luther creator Neil Cross, Neil Gaiman and Mark Gatiss.  

In November, Doctor Who will, of course, celebrate its 50th birthday and Moffat was also asked about whether he was apprehensive as regards the forthcoming anniversary: “You can’t do this job if you’re nervous all the time. So, seriously, I’m mostly excited, a little bit nervous and aware of trying not to let people down.”  

When probed about how big the event would end up being, the writer replied: "Pretty big. But, you know, I don’t want people to get bored just yet. So let’s just wait and get our next eight episodes out of the way before we start talking about it.”

It makes sense, doesn't it?  Let's get the next eight eps over and done with before focussing on the 50th Anniversary.  After all, we don't want the Anniversary to "overshadow" what promise to be eight absolutely cracking episodes.  Who's to say that these episodes don't lead into the November celebrations anyway?

"An Adventure in Space and Time" - More Casting Details

The BBC Official Doctor Who Site have announced more casting details for Mark Gatiss' "An Adventure in Space and Time".  Alongside David Bradley as William Hartnell and Brian Cox as Sidney Newman are Jessica Raine as Verity Lambert and Sacha Dhawan as Waris Hussein:

As part of the BBC’s blockbuster celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, David Bradley (Harry Potter) is set to play the first ever Doctor, the iconic William Hartnell in the BBC Two drama ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’. 

‘An Adventure in Space and Time' will tell the story of the genesis of Doctor Who - first aired on 23 November 1963 - and the many personalities involved.  The BBC’s Head of Drama Sydney Newman, credited with the creation of the show, will be portrayed by Brian Cox (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Identity) and the producer, Verity Lambert, by ‘Call the Midwife’ star Jessica Raine. The director of the first ever episode, ‘An Unearthly Child’, Waris Hussein, will be played by Sacha Dhawan (History Boys, Last Tango In Halifax). 

Commenting on his upcoming role, David Bradley, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled.  I first heard about this role from Mark [Gatiss] while watching the Diamond Jubilee flotilla from the roof of the National Theatre.  When he asked if I would be interested, I almost bit his hand off!  Mark has written such a wonderful script not only about the birth of a cultural phenomenon, but a moment in television’s history.  William Hartnell was one of the finest character actors of our time and as a fan I want to make sure that I do him justice.  I’m so looking forward to getting started.”  

The one-off 90-minute BBC Cymru Wales produced drama is written by Mark Gatiss who will also act as executive producer alongside Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner.  Mark Gatiss, executive producer and writer, said: “What a cast! I'm utterly delighted that everyone's favourite Time Lord will be in such brilliant and stellar company. We have a terrific team who can't wait to tell the fascinating and surprising story of how the Doctor began his journey through Space and Time.” 

Filming begins at the beginning of February at Television Centre before moving to Wimbledon Studios. It is produced by Matt Strevens (Misfits, Skins) and directed by Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad, The Street).

"An Adventure in Space and Time" - First Casting Confirmations

It's the Radio Times Covers party tonight and they've managed to extricate a piece of news from Mark Gatiss.  Full casting for the making of Doctor Who drama "An Adventure in Space and Time" will be revealed tomorrow but they have announced that David Bradley who played Solomon in "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" will be William Hartnell.

The original Hannibal Lecter - Brian Cox - will play Sidney Newman.

More will be announced tomorrow.

Monday Updates

A couple of things going on today in the world of "Who".  First up, the BBC have released the new Doctor Who Experience banner as a wallpaper (right click and open in new tab/window for full size version).  If you want a different size then just email me and I'll see what I can do:

Also, the BFI recently held the first of their 50th Anniversary events with a Celebration of the First Doctor.  They screened "An Unearthly Child" and held a panel discussion afterwards.  They've been good enough to upload the discussions to youtube:



As far as site updates go, keep your eyes peeled - we'll shortly be launching a new competition...

Screencaps - TV Guide Interview - Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman

A batch of screencaps from the TV Guide Interview have been uploaded to the Flickr gallery.  Samples below -as usual right click and open in new tab/window for large versions.  Feel free to take and use elsewhere.

Screencaps - "Doctor Who Confidential" - Matt's New Coat

As requested, screencaps from the "Doctor Who Confidential" clip called "Matt's New Coat" have been uploaded to the flickr gallery.  Keep the requests coming!  Samples below and, as always, right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions.  Please feel free to take and use these (no credit etc required):

Hugh Bonneville takes the Plumpynut Challenge

So, what IS "The Plumpynut Challenge"?  Well,  in a "nutshell" (sorry), Plumpynut is an "edible peanut paste, packed with calories and vitamins, specially formulated to feed starving children".  The idea for the challenge is to live off PlumpyNut for just one day (PlumpyNut is supplied when you sign up)  and get sponsored - with proceeds going to the wonderful Merlin UK.

Merlin UK bring health care to the world's poorest and toughest places.  They help communities set up health care for the long term including hospitals, surgeries and clinics.  They set up training for medical professionals and, in fact, are definitely in it for the long term.  Educating and training the local community is one of their many strengths.

Hugh Bonneville is taking this challenge - he's doing it today in fact - and you can keep up with his progress on Twitter.  Of course, the whole point of this is to raise money for Merlin UK and raise the profile of the charity.  So - you know what to do - zip over to Hugh's Virgin Money Giving page and bung him a fiver or two.  Better yet...think about signing up to do the challenge yourself...

Links:

Hugh Bonneville Virgin Money Giving Fundraising Page
The Plumpynut Challenge
Merlin UK

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Website Launched

BBC Worldwide have launched a new Doctor Who 50th Anniversary website at http://www.doctorwho.tv/. It's described as the "home of official Doctor Who Collectables, Games and Events from across the Universe".  There is a brief section describing each Doctor, monster and companion and the site has image and video galleries but the main focus appears to be the games, events and merchandise.

It's currently in "beta" mode and they're "still tweaking the engines" so if anything won't load or you have issues then let them know via their contact page.

This site does not replace the Official BBC Doctor Who site which carries much more information etc and should still be your place to go for information regarding forthcoming series.

No NTA's for "Doctor Who" this year...

"Doctor Who", Matt Smith and Karen Gillan left empty handed this year as they were beaten respectively by "Downton Abbey" (again), Colin Morgan and Miranda Hart.

Technically, I suppose there IS a "Doctor Who" connection with all three - Hugh Bonneville in "Downton Abbey", Colin Morgan's appearance in "Midnight" and Miranda Hart...well, chasing the Doctor in the BBC Showtime trailer.

Neither Matt or Karen attended the awards although Arthur Darvill was spotted in a few random audience shots.

Let's hope that "Doctor Who" gets some kind of Special Recognition Award next year - I actually expected it to receive something this year but we'll keep our fingers crossed for next year.

Doctor Who Series 7B Return Date confirmed

The Official BBC Doctor Who Twitter feed has confirmed that Series 7B is to air on BBC 1 on Easter Saturday - 30 March 2013.  They have stated:

The Doctor is back in a fantastic adventure written by the show’s lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat. The episode - the first in a run of 8 - is directed by Colm McCarthy whose previous credits include Hustle, Spooks and Endeavour. 

Later adventures in the run include episodes written by Mark Gatiss (Victory of the Daleks, Night Terrors) and Neil Gaiman. 

Steven Moffat has promised us that in terms of Doctor Who, 2013 will be a ‘tremendous’ year and we’ll be bringing you more about the forthcoming adventures soon. 

Update:  BBC America have confirmed that they will be airing Series 7B on the same date as the BBC - so 30 March 2013 for both the UK and the US.

The Kingston to join "Arrow"

According to the Inside TV blog at ew.com, Alex Kingston will be a recurring guest star on "Arrow".  She will appear as Dinah Lance:

Want to meet Laurel Lance’s missing mother? 

Former ER series regular Alex Kingston is joining The CW’s breakout superhero dramaArrow in a recurring guest star role. The British actress will play Dinah Lance — Laurel’s (Katie Cassidy) mom and Detective Quentin’s (Paul Blackthorne) ex-wife. Later this season Dinah will return to Starling City to make amends with her family that she abandoned years earlier following the tragic death of her daughter aboard Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) yacht. 

In addition to her years on ER, Kingston recently earned some geek cred in a recurring role on the BBC’s Doctor Who. While Arrow returned to Wednesday nights last week after its winter break to deliver a ratings gain, which is always great to see.

New 7B Promo Image

The BBC have released a new "behind the scenes" promo image - right click and open in new tab/window for the larger version:

Thanks to http://doctorwhoimages.co.uk/

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.

The Who Shop - Celebration of the First Doctor Event - More Tickets and Press Release

Due to high demand, The Who Shop have released more tickets for the "Celebration of the First Doctor" event that takes place on Saturday 26 January 2013.  The event has also been moved from the small convention suite at West Ham Football Club to their larger suite.  The full press release is below:

Due to the high volume of people contacting us, we have taken this opportunity to increase the number of tickets for our “CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST DOCTOR” event by a further 50 tickets, and have subsequently moved the event from the small convention suite at West Ham Football Club to their larger suite. Nevertheless, we promise that this will not lose the intimacy of the event as we aim to make it as personal as possible for you, the fans.

Tickets are still readily available for the event, as well as additional Autograph and Photo session tickets. Booking in advance is heavily advised.

Included in the ticket price is one complimentary autograph per guest to be used as you wish. Photographs are available both online and on the day for £10 and include an autograph as well. A photograph of all five guests together can be purchased for £20, including autographs. Personal Items can be signed for £5 each on the day.

Guests will also be taking part in a Question & Answer session.

Guests:

William Russell (Ian Chesterton)

Jean Marsh (Sara Kingdom & Morgaine)

Jeremy Young (Kal)

David Graham (Dalek Voices, Charlie and Professor Kerensky)

Waris Hussein (Director of “An Unearthly Child” & “Marco Polo”)

Doors open at 11:00am.

If you have any other questions about the event, please do not hesitate to contact the shop directly.

We cannot answer questions via Social Networking Sites.

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

The Who Shop

39-41 Barking Road, Upton Park, London, E6 1PY

www.thewhoshop.com | info@thewhoshop.co.uk

0208 471 2356 | twitter.com/thewhoshop

www.facebook.com/thewhoshopofficial

Matt Smith Makes Directorial Debut for Sky Arts

Matt Smith is to make his directorial debut with the Sky Arts series "Playhouse Presents".  His film is called "Cargese" and is described as "a piece of poetic realism" on adolescent love and loss.  It will air on Sky Arts on 25 April 2013.

Written by Simon Stephens, the film stars Craig Roberts, Joe Cole and Avigail Tlalim as a group of disaffected teenagers in South London.  Filming is due to begin next week and Matt has commented:

“Sky Arts offers creative opportunities that many other channels don’t," Smith said. "To collaborate with Simon Stephens in this capacity was a thrilling and rare opportunity and one we both were keen to embrace.”

Pics - Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman Photoshoot

Just before Christmas - prior to the BBC's Press Launch of "The Snowmen" - Matt and Jenna took part in a special promotional photoshoot.  Finally, the large versions of the photos have become available.  As usual, right click and open in new tab/window for large versions:

Screencaps - Team Tardis v Team Nerdist Bowling - SDCC

Thanks for the requests - will be working my way through them.  Feel free to keep sending screencap requests to me and I'll see what I can do.  I've uploaded over 50 screencaps from the Team Tardis v Team Nerdist Bowling at San Diego Comic Con video to the flickr gallery.  Samples are below and, as usual, right click and open in new tab/window for large versions.  Feel free to take and use the screencaps: