Photos - - Matt Smith and Karen Gillan - Louisville Comic Con

The Wizard World Facebook page have uploaded some really great photos of Matt Smith and Karen Gillan at the Louisville Comic Con photo ops - posing together and with a Dalek and Michael Rooker.  As usual, right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions -  they're also in the Coppermine Gallery.

RIP Kate O'Mara

Kate O'Mara - best known in the Whoniverse for her role as the Rani in "Mark of the Rani" and "Time of the Rani" - has died aged 74 following a short illness.  Her agent, Phil Belfield, released a short statement:

"She was extraordinary, she had so much energy and vitality with a love for theatre and acting.
"A shining star has gone out, and Kate will be dearly missed by all who knew and have worked with her."

Last year, Kate O'Mara attended the BBC's Official 50th Anniversary Convention in London but, just prior to that, The Misty Moon Gallery held an "Evening with Kate O'Mara" event and below are highlights of the fantastic q&a with this very funny, very talented lady who will be much missed:



RIP dear lady.

Photos - Matt Smith - Louisville Comic Con

Wizard World have uploaded a few photos of Matt Smith at Louisville Comic Con.  As usual - right click and open in new tab/window for larger versions.  (Slightly larger versions of the first six photos are at the  Coppermine Gallery)

Mark Gatiss to Write Two More Episodes - Seasons 8 AND 9?

As reported by the Radio Times, Mark Gatiss, whilst on a promotional BBC Worldwide tour of Brazil, recently revealed:  "I am writing for Peter Capaldi - two episodes, in fact".  The immediate assumption was that both episodes would be for the currently in production Season 8.  However, earlier this morning, Mr Gatiss provided some clarification:

So, the probability is one for Season 8 and one for Season 9 - which is pretty cool.  Hopefully, we'll get more Ice Warriors - personally I loved both "Cold War" and "The Crimson Horror" - maybe we could see a return to Peladon.  You never know.  

Of course, one tiny little thing of note.  Mr Gatiss mentioned two episodes for Peter Capaldi - does this put paid to the "Capaldi is only doing one season" rumours?  Probably not but it's another tick in the optimism column.

BAFTA Craft Awards 2014 - Doctor Who Nominations

"Doctor Who" and "An Adventure in Space and Time" have been nominated in 5 categories at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2014.

Milk VFX, Real SFX and The Model Unit have been nominated in the "Special, Visual and Graphic Effects" category for "The Day of the Doctor".

Bernie Davis, Eryl Ellis, Huw Thomas and Keith Ware are nominated in "Entertainment Craft Team" category for "Doctor Who at the Proms".

"An Adventure in Space and Time" has picked up three nominations: Philip Kloss for "Editing Fiction", Vickie Lang for "Make Up and Hair Design" and Suzanne Cave for "Costume Design".

Winners will be announced on 27 April 2014.

Big Finish - Tom Baker at 80 CD

Well, Big Finish have come up with an absolute corker again.  Tom celebrated his 80th birthday in January - and Big Finish had the idea of a look back at his career.  So far so good.  On 19th March, Nick Briggs sat down with Tom for an interview - and the result is a 2 hour CD.  We all know how much fun listening to Tom is but two hours?  That's just awesome - and when you consider the CD is only £8.99 then that's a whole lot of awesomeness (is that a word?  Meh, it is now)  for a relatively small price.  The CD will be released on 30th September 2014 but all pre-order copies will be signed by Tom himself.  What's not to love about that?

Milestones are the perfect time to look back, so when Tom Baker reached the age of 80 in January of this year, we thought it would be wonderful to look back at his career so far. The result, Tom Baker at 80, featuring Tom being interviewed by Nicholas Briggs, will be out in September - and pre-order copies of the CD will be signed by Tom! 

In January 2014, Tom Baker celebrated his 80th birthday. 

On March 19th, Tom sat down with Nicholas Briggs to look back over his 80 amazing years - his youth, his early acting career, his great success with Doctor Who and beyond… and his return to his most famous role with Big Finish. 

This candid and intimate interview forms two fascinating hours of engaging entertainment in the unique company of Mr Baker. 

All pre-order copies of the CD version will be signed by Tom.

You can pre-order the CD (or pre-order a download) at Tom Baker at 80.  The CD is priced £8.99 and the download is £6.99.

Series 8 Filming Continues - 18 March 2013

Mugim0e has uploaded a fantastic gallery of today's filming at Bute Park to Flickr.

The photos are copyright - and do show a new "monster" so it's your choice.  Here's the link to his fabulous gallery:

Mugim0e Flickr Gallery

Here are a few photos from Ryan Farrell from today's filming - please note that these photographs are copyright to Ryan - please ensure you credit Ryan when posting elsewhere:

Video - Arthur Darvill discusses "Once" and "Doctor Who"

"What's On Stage" recently interviewed Arthur Darvill prior to him appearing in stage musical "Once".  He discussed the musical, the possibility of writing his own and how he would be happy to work with Matt Smith and Karen Gillan again:

Matt Smith Signs For Soccer Aid 2014

Matt Smith has signed up for Soccer Aid 2014.  He will play for the England team under the captaincy of Robbie Williams, along with Jack Whitehall, Olly Murs and Mark Owen.

The charity football event in aid of UNICEF takes place on Sunday 8 June 2014 at Old Trafford.  The game will be broadcast on ITV but tickets are also available by calling 0845 456 2014 or from the Soccer Aid Website.

The teams so far are:

ENGLAND:

The celebrities 

Robbie Williams (C)

Mark Owen

Olly Murs

Paddy McGuinness

Jonathan Wilkes

Jamie Theakston

Ben Shephard

John Bishop

Damian Lewis

Jack Whitehall

Matt Smith

Stephen Moyer

The legends

Jamie Carragher

Paul Ince

Jamie Redknapp

David Seaman

Graeme Le Saux

THE REST OF THE WORLD:

The celebrities

Michael Sheen (C)

Gordon Ramsay

Adam Richman

James McAvoy

Patrick Kielty

Nicky Byrne

Santiago Cabrera

The legends

Edwin van der Sar

Jaap Stam

I can't wait for this...

Screencaps - Matt Smith & Jenna Coleman - Final Panel - 50th Anniversary Convention

A large number of screencaps of Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman from the BBC video of Matt's final panel at the 50th Anniversary Convention (you can watch the video here) have been uploaded to the Coppermine Gallery.  Samples below - right click and open in new tab/window - please feel free to take and use:

Remember, we have lots of event photos and screencaps in both the Coppermine and Flickr galleries - all of which you're welcome to take and use.

Keeley Hawes to Guest Star in Season 8

The BBC have announced that Keeley Hawes will guest star in one episode of Season 8:

Hawes will play Ms Delphox, a powerful out of this world character with a dark secret. Travelling across space and time, the Twelfth Doctor and his companion, Clara Oswald will come face to face with the mysterious Ms Delphox when they arrive on a strange and puzzling planet.

Written by Steve Thompson, the episode will be directed by Douglas Mackinnon 

Commenting on her role, Keeley Hawes, said: “I am delighted to join Doctor Who and to be working with this incredible team. Ms Delphox is a great character and someone I've had a lot of fun playing.”

While lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat, added: "Anyone watching Jed Mercurio's amazing Line Of Duty will know that Keeley Hawes is having one hell of year. And now it's about to get even better as she achieves the greatest villainy yet attempted on Doctor Who: she plays a banker." 

Doctor Who is a BBC Wales production for BBC One. Filming is currently underway for the new series, which will introduce Peter Capaldi as the next Doctor for the first time to millions of viewers.

Video - Three Doctors Talk About Peter Capaldi

The BBC have uploaded a new video from the 50th Anniversary Celebration in November where Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy have a chat about Peter Capaldi.  Please note, the version below is a brief 50 second clip - the full 8 minute interview can be seen at doctorwho.tv.

Diabloskinz - Doctor Who Cases, Covers and Skins

Diabloskinz are the largest skin manufacturer in the UK and, since obtaining a Doctor Who and Top Gear licensing deal with BBC Worldwide, they have available a large number of Doctor Who skins, cases and covers for everything from mobile phones to laptops.

Having previously purchased a Doctor Who skin from them for my old HTC Wildfire phone (and really loved it), I decided to try them again when I needed a case for my ipad mini.  Currently, there are 18 different Doctor Who skins (including the one above) at Diabloskinz - a few of which are below:

I selected "The Doctor and the Tardis" leather case and have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ipad mini case.  It's a nice, hard case and the ipad mini slots in perfectly - to prove how snug the fit is I rather dangerously held it open and upside down and, thankfully, the ipad didn't move.  I can happily vouch for how sturdy the product is as well - because I've already (accidentally) dropped it on the floor this morning and both ipad and case emerged completely unscathed and unmarked.

An elastic strap, which slides over the back of the case, keeps the front cover closed and stops it opening in bags etc.  The hard back cover has a hole for the camera (protected by the elastic strap when the case is closed) and all the buttons on the sides are easily accessible.

Price-wise, the ipad mini leather case is £29.99 - with free UK delivery.  It really is well worth the price - it looks fantastic (the photos don't do it justice) and it is a high quality product.  I wanted something sturdy to protect my ipad mini - especially as it gets knocked around in bags etc - and this case is simply perfect.

Have a look at Diabloskinz website - the sheer number of phones, ipads, kindles and laptops they can manufacture for is stunning.  You want a custom skin or case?  They've got you covered there as well - just email what you want via their request form and one of the support staff will contact you to discuss it.  Can't say fairer than that, can you?  

Now...I think I need a new case for my Kindle Fire HD...

"Doctor Who" Wins TRIC Award

Dan Starkey with the TRIC Award - photo courtesy of Neve McIntosh

The Television and Radio Industries Club Awards were announced today at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.   "Doctor Who" beat "Downton Abbey" and "Call the Midwife" to win the HD Drama Programme of the Year Sponsored by SES.

Neve McIntosh and Dan Starkey were there with some of the "Doctor Who" team to collect the award.  "Doctor Who" last won this award in 2010.

Video - Matt Smith - "West Side Story"

I'm sure there were more than a few of you scratching your heads when you saw the title of this post - however, in 2000(ish), Matt starred in the Northampton School for Boys production of "West Side Story".  According to the uploader, Colin Mills, who was also in the production, this was available to purchase at the time on VHS.  He bought a copy, recently converted it onto dvd and has uploaded it to youtube.

So, here it is in it's entirety.  A couple of scenes to look out for are at 48.50 when Matt sings "Cool" and 1.08.37 for a dramatic knife scene:



Ahh, the things you stumble across on youtube...

"The Web of Fear" Breaks Classic Who DVD Sales Record

BBC Worldwide have announced that "The Web of Fear" has become the biggest selling Classic "Doctor Who" dvd in the 15 year history of the range.

The dvd sold 15,000 units in the first week of sales in the UK alone - beating the previous record-holder, "The Enemy of the World" which was recovered from Nigeria together with "The Web of Fear" by Philip Morris.

Fiona Eastwood, Director of Consumer Products at BBC Worldwide said, “We knew that "The Web of Fear" would be a popular release; Yetis on the London Underground – need I say more? There’s a real appetite for exploring the extensive back-catalogue of classic stories, particularly following the 50th anniversary last year, and we’re committed to continuing that exploration for Doctor Who fans in the future.”

These figures continue a successful year for Doctor Who DVDs, with strong sales across the classic range and contemporary releases alike. The 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor achieved the biggest ever week one sales for a Doctor Who title when it was released in December 2013.

Both "The Web of Fear" and "The Enemy of the World" can be purchased from the BBC Shop priced £13.99.

Video - Karen Gillan - "Oculus" Official Trailer

I don't know about you, but I love Horror films.  Can't get enough of them - hence, I'm really looking forward to seeing "Oculus".  Of course, it has the added bonus of Karen Gillan and the first official trailer has just been released:



According to imdb.com, the US release date is 11 April 2014 whereas those of us in the UK will have to wait until 13 June 2014.  Looks like it's going to be worth the wait though.

Video - Matt Smith's Final Panel - Full Q&A - 50th Anniversary Convention

The BBC, bless them, have uploaded the full Q&A from Matt Smith's final panel at the 50th Anniversary Convention in November 2014.  Joining him are Jenna Coleman, Steven Moffat and Nick Hurran.  The highlights have to be Matt dropping the water bottle plus the presentation at the end:



Screencaps will follow in due course...

"American Psycho - The Musical" - Cast Album News And Why You Should Listen to Cassie Compton

Twitter can be a wonderful thing.  We initially discovered there was going to be a cast recording of "American Psycho - The Musical" via a tweet from Duncan Sheik and now he's done it again:

Obviously, no news of a release date yet but I wouldn't be surprised if it coincides with the transfer to the West End.  After all, nothing better than being able to buy the CD on your way out of the theatre.

Cassie Compton of course, played Jean and I, for one, am extremely glad that she's involved in this (you always have a concern that the odd one will drop out and be replaced in the cast recording) because, as I noted in my review, she has the voice of an angel.  She really did lift the character of Jean - she's vulnerable and sympathetic without being cloying.  In fact, if you didn't manage to see "American Psycho - The Musical" then you can listen to some of her music on her own Youtube Channel.  To give you a taste, here's "Whispers of Heaven":

See?  A gorgeous voice and proof, if any were needed, that they really did completely nail the casting of "American Psycho - The Musical".

Now, all we have to do is wait....