Watching Doctor Who

Hello folks. Today I have a couple of videos to keep you entertained and informed. First up is an interview that Freema Agyeman did a couple of weeks ago. She did an interview on this program a year ago, so it’ fun to see how far she’s come. If my memory isn’t playing tricks on me, she seems a bit more relaxed this time. Anyway, she’s on the BBC Breakfast to talk about her time on Torchwood and her upcoming time on series four of Doctor Who.

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Freema Agyeman, Torchwood, Doctor Who

The official BBC Doctor Who Site is ramping up for the upcoming beginning of series four. The date is still listed as Spring 2008, but the current internet rumour is listing the UK premiere as 22 March. Of course, this means that they’ve posted some new pictures for us. Yay for new wallpaper! (Yes, that is the source of the picture above.)

The 6 March 2008 Doctor Who Magazine apparently features the Doctor Who Writing Team choosing their favorite Doctor Who deaths. Steven Moffat chose Pete Tyler’s death from Father’s Day, if you’re curious.

Video Game Alert! It looks like Eidos will be announcing a release date for a Doctor Who game in the near future, according to SciFi Wire. All that is known currently is that it will be available for the PC, PS2, and Nintendo DS. I wonder if it will be easily available in the U.S. I hope so.

The Official Doctor Who Site has announced that Doctor Who has been nominated for an International Interactive Emmy Award for their interactive online content. The winner will be announced on 8 April 2008 in Cannes. So…if they win, do you think that folks outside of the UK will finally get to play with the Comic Maker?

A Dad in Manchester recently surprised his boys with their own TARDIS! Apparently it makes all of the right noises and everything. His next planned project? Sonic Screwdrivers, of course. Good on him. I want my own TARDIS.

Billie Piper has been nominated for a Golden Rose award (Rose d’Or) for her portrayal of Belle in The Secret Diary of a Call Girl according to The Sun. The Rose d’Or Festival will take place May 2-6 in Lucerne, Switzerland. Here’s hoping.

I would like to remind you all about a little thing I like to call “My First Doctor.” If anyone out there would like to tell me about their first Doctor or their first encounter with the show, please either comment here or use the contact link. I always like to hear how others first encountered the show. I’ll post any entries here for everyone to enjoy. You can find all previous entries here.

Doctor Who Magazine, Doctor Who, Steven Moffat, Father’s Day, Billie Piper

Jamie McCrimmon, his life (and death?) as envisioned by VanielDonovan to the music from Terminator 2. I love well done fan music videos, and I am especially happy to share one with you that features the Classic Doctor Who. Enjoy!

Jamie McCrimmon, Doctor Who

As promised, here is the video of Billie Piper’s appearance on Top Gear. If you have already seen David Tennant’s appearance on this show, then you sort of know what to expect. Billie was wearing a sort of see-through shirt, not that you could really tell, but I’m not sure that there was any actual eyelash batting. This episode was filmed not long after she left Doctor Who, apparently. Also note that Billie did not break a car, unlike some others that we could mention (*cough* David Tennant *cough*), although she did in fact not follow the course as accurately as she could have.

Also, for you men out there, Billie apparently likes men that are ginger and don’t have six-pack bellies. Too bad she’s married. Enjoy!

Billie Piper, Top Gear, Doctor Who

Congratulation to Billie Piper and Laurence Fox who tied the knot on 31 December 2007 in the Parish Church of St. Mary in Easebourne, West Sussex, England. Isn’t the bride lovely? The BBC’s article about the wedding can be found here. Mind you, it actually talks very little about the wedding itself, preferring to talk about Billie’s career up until now. Said career is still on the rise, by the way. She will be appearing in series four of Doctor Who, and there will be a second series of her popular Secret Diary of a Call Girl, just to name a couple of her upcoming projects.

Of course David Tennant was on hand to wish Billie well in her new life, as was her ex-husband Chris Evans. May Ms. Piper and Mr. Fox have a long and happy married life together. Yay for Billie!

Billie Piper, Laurence Fox, David Tennant

It’s 6 December, and that means there’s only nineteen days left until Christmas. Also, nineteen days left until Voyage of the Damned. I’m getting a little bit impatient. Good thing that I have the Doctor Who advent calendar to keep me entertained. Here is what they’ve given us so far:

Day 1: A video greeting from the stars of the Christmas Special.
Day 2: Short Story: The Frozen by Rupert Laight
Day 3: WhoSpy pictures from the filming of the new Christmas Special.
Day 4: A Companions Quiz
Day 5: Printable Christmas Cards with pictures from Voyage of the Damned.
Day 6: Will be up in a few more hours.

Speaking of Voyage of the Damned, did you know that it will be 71 minutes long? That’s 11 minutes longer than last time. It will also be followed by a one hour Doctor Who Confidential. Further, all sorts of extra content will be launched on the official site after the Christmas episode airs. I’m really bad at waiting for things I really want. This is killing me.

DVD Update: According to TVShowsOnDVD.com, there have been some changes to the planned Doctor Who DVD releases. The Complete Davros Collection and Remembrance of the Daleks are off of the schedule. The new schedule looks like this: 4 March, 2008 - Destiny of the Daleks and Planet of Evil & 1 April 2008 - The Time Warrior and Timelash. These are all Region 1 releases.

Billie Piper’s Shadow in the North is also going to be playing during the Christmas Season. It doesn’t seem to have its own website yet, but for a bit more information go here. The first book in the series, and thus the first movie, is The Ruby in the Smoke. Both books are by Philip Pullman.

And finally, just for fun, the Hubblesite has holiday cards that you can print out. My favorite is the one with a picture of Mars, and the words “peace to all.” For those of you playing at home, Mars was the God of War. In any case, I like the picture, and I would like to wish you Peace on Mars.

Image Source: BBC

Voyage of the Damned, Doctor Who Confidential, Billie Piper, Shadow in the North, Hubblesite

Yes, you read that right. After last week’s question, I’m actually a little amused to see this announcement. Okay, I’m excited too. The official BBC Doctor Who Site is announcing that Billie Piper will return as Rose in series four. They are not confirming when or how, at this point, and it looks like they only announced this much because of the sitings of Billie in Cardiff. I’ve seen some pictures and it’s definitely her. I wonder how they are going to manage it storywise. No matter how much I might worry about how this return is managed, I can’t wait to see it now. Is it next year yet?

So, to sum up: Billie Piper will return as Rose in series four. We don’t yet know when or how. Fans may squee now.

There have been so many rumours circulating recently in newspapers and on the Internet. Will Rose appear in series 4? Will she appear in the specials during the Doctor Who gap year? Will Mickey return? There are so many conflicting statements that you really have to make up your own mind on the subject. This leads me to this week’s question: Do you think that Rose will ever return? I know that this can be a touchy subject with the fanbase, so please play nice. But what do you think? As usual, I offer you a few ideas to get you started.

So do you think:

* Rose will be back during the Christmas special.
* Rose will be back in Series 4.
* Rose will return during the gap year.
* Rose will re-appear in some later series.
* Rose will be brought back for a feature film.
* It doesn’t matter when Rose comes back, they’ll only ruin it.
* Rose is trapped. The walls have closed. She will never return.

Well, like many of you, I wish that they would bring Rose back. However, I really feel that no matter how they do it (unless Paul Cornell and Steven Moffat come together to create a Master Script) I just won’t be happy about how it works out. The way that things were left at the end of Doomsday were so romantically tragic that without the utmost care any attempt to bring Rose back would just ruin the effect. I think that at some future point someone will get the bright idea of bringing her back to boost ratings, but…well…you know. I miss Rose, but I don’t want them to ruin it.

What do you think?

Doctor Who, Rose

I was just surfing around on WireImage (as 451 Press has a corporate account there. Huzzah!) and I ran across a set of pictures showing David Tennant and Freema Agyeman from the launch of the Doctor Who series three box set. Obviously I had to post them here to show you the picture-y goodness. It was a moral imperative. Yes, indeed. So, here you go.

Why is it that David always looks so good in T-shirts? Don’t get me wrong, I like him in suits and such as well. If he could dress in a more relaxed fashion at award shows he could stop with the velvet coat thing he’s been doing lately. Strange that I should object to that, as I like velvet coats…

Um…Where was I? Oh yes. David looks good in casual clothing. Moving on.

Here we see our heroes getting chummy with a Dalek. This photo actually helps you get an idea of the size of those things. That, and it really makes David look tall.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for more.

David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, Doctor Who

First, there was the new Doctor Who. Next came Doctor Who Confidential, the behind the scenes informational show that tells you all sorts of things about different aspects of our favorite show. Not too long afterwards, Totally Doctor Who appeared. Totally Doctor Who is more of a kid-targeted version of Doctor Who Confidential, that has not yet been shown in the US. They have special guests, run entertaining contests and competitions, and have special access to the filming of Doctor Who. Their studio is right next door to the Doctor Who studio, as we learned in the second series of the show. That must come in handy with everyone’s schedule being so tight. (If you would like to see more of Totally Doctor Who, you might do a search on YouTube. They’ve been known to have an episode or two. I’m just saying…)

In the video I have for you this week, you get to spend some time on the set with Captain Jack Harkness. During the filming of “The Sound of Drums” Totally Doctor Who got to follow John Barrowman around for the day. (Excuse me, but where do I sign up for that job?) He showed off his trailer, did a bit of filming, and chatted with the Totally Doctor Who camera. Neither of the presenters were on the scene as far as I could tell, but it’s a nice little peek into the sorts of things that go on behind the scenes. After the section with John, the video goes on to show the “Sneak Peek” at “Last of the Time Lords.” Enjoy!

Doctor Who, Doctor Who Confidential, Totally Doctor Who, Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman

Hello, all. Like this picture of Freema from one of the Doctor Who promo events before series three started? I wish that I could wear those earrings. I’ll bet that you’re not surprise to learn that I like her outfit, too. No idea what I’d wear it to, but it’s the idea of the thing.

Anyway, this week’s question is: Which is your favorite Martha episode? Martha, the companion that never wandered off of her own volition. The woman who kept saving The Doctor’s life. The woman who said no to Shakespeare. Which episode did you think was the best Martha vehicle? Was it her first adventure? Were you most impressed by her willingness to be a maid and watch over John Smith? As per usual, I have supplied you with a bit of a jog to your memory in the form of an annotated episode list. Which episode will it be?

The episodes of the Martha (so far):

1. Smith and Jones (Martha meets the Doctor…on the Moon, and saves his life.)

2. The Shakespeare Code (Martha meets Shakespeare, and restarts one of The Doctor’s hearts.)

3. Gridlock (Martha goes to New Earth and is kidnapped, but helps her kidnappers survive just a wee bit longer.)

4. Daleks in Manhattan (Martha goes to Depression-era Manhattan, and meets Daleks.)

5. Evolution of the Daleks (Martha and Co. defeat invading pigs, retrieve the dropped Sonic Screwdriver, and help The Doctor after he has been struck by lightning.)

6. The Lazarus Experiment (Back home, Martha goes to a party with The Doctor, provides him with the DNA sample he needs, gets everyone out while The Doctor distracts the baddie, and almost dies being bait for said baddie.)

7. 42 (When dealing with a sentient Sun, it’s best to have a way to phone your Mum. Martha comforts The Doctor when he’s scared, and convinces the remaining crew to dump the sun particles.)

8. Human Nature (Martha and a Humanized Doctor work in 1913. Martha keeps an eye on him, and manages to do the work of a maid in an unfriendly time.)

9. The Family of Blood (Martha has to save John Smith from aliens and events that he doesn’t understand, and convince him to become The Doctor once more.)

10. Blink (Stuck in 1969 with The Doctor, Martha works in a shop to provide for them.)

11. Utopia (In the far future, Martha realizes a little too publicly, but at least she runs to tell the Doctor.)

12. The Sound of Drums (Back on Earth in the Present Day, Jack, Martha and The Doctor must face The Master. Martha escapes to fight another day.)

13. Last of the Time Lords (After wandering the Earth for a year telling her story, Martha saves the world.)

My favorite Martha episode is Last of the Time Lords, hands down. She has saved The Doctor’s life a few times already, but in that episode she really outdoes herself. Then, when everything is back the way it was, she checks on some of the people she met in the alternate timeline and does the right thing for her peace of mind. Martha leaves The Doctor to take care of her family, and she even tells him why she’s getting out. Most impressive.

Which episode did you choose?

Freema, Martha

Imagine if you will that Freema Agyeman is on a Virgin Radio call-in show. Just think of all the silliness that could ensue. Imagine that David Tennant called in with a disguised voice. How long do you think that it would take her to realize that it was him? This video has the audio part of the radio show, but only one picture from the event in question. So, don’t be alarmed if the image doesn’t move. Sometimes, David is such a naughty thing. Enjoy!

Freema Agyeman, David Tennant

Yes indeed. I went to the conference today (For which I had to get up two hours early. Le Sigh.) and, just as I threatened, I wore my pinstriped suit and my red trainers. I even took a picture of my leg as proof. I got one complement on my shoes, and no one else seemed to notice/care. Ah the joys of comfortable feet. Okay, then. Enough about me and on to the newsbites.

In the hopeful casting department, Patrick Stewart wants to be on Doctor Who. It would seem that he’s a fan of the show. Well, considering how many people who have been in other things with David Tennant have shown up so far, I’d say that he has a good chance. I suppose that he’ll have to be in Hamlet first, though.

A while back there was a rumor that Christopher Eccleston would be in a remake of The Prisoner. This article maintains that this was only ever wishful thinking. (Mind you, it also say that Eccleston quit Doctor Who for fear of typecasting, when in fact he only ever signed up to do one year, so believe what you like on this one.)

Billie Piper’s Secret Diary of a Call Girl will begin on Thursday at 10pm on ITV2 in the UK. She is interviewed here about the show, and her life right now. (pssst! She wants to marry her fiance and start a family, apparently.) It looks to me like she’s been trying a bit of everything as far as roles go. Good on her.

The Official Doctor Who website has an interview with Mary Tamm (Romana I) posted in their news section. Pop by and peruse it if you would like to know how she got the part of Romana, and what she thinks of her time on the show. It was quite an interesting article.

If you would like to read some spoilery information about an episode from series four go here. These spoilers include: plot info, casting info (if you are trying to avoid knowing anything about the 4th series casting), and a picture.

That’s all I have for this week. Enjoy!

Patrick Stewart, Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper, Secret Diary of a Call Girl

Once upon a time, there was a show on the BBC called Jim’ll Fix It which encouraged folks to write in with wishes, and some of them would come true during the course of an episode. (It originally ran from 1975 to 1994, and it has recently been brought back to life…much like Doctor Who.) One of these wishes was sent in by one Gareth Jenkins. Gareth’s wish is fulfilled by participating in a Doctor Who adventure. Gareth, The 6th Doctor, and Tegan (accidentally transmatted on board) work together to defeat a couple of Sontarans that have managed to get on board the TARDIS. Can our three heroes defeat the Sontarans? Will Gareth get his “Jim Fixed it For Me” medal? Watch and find out!

A Fix With Sontarans pt. 1

A Fix With Sontarans pt. 2

Yes, Janet Fielding agreed to appear in this short when Nicola Bryant (Peri) was not available.

Jim’ll Fix It, Doctor Who, Gareth Jenkins, 6th Doctor, Tegan, Sontarans, Janet Fielding, Nicola Bryant

Hello all! This week I am asking you to cast your mind back. Back to the classic series of Doctor Who. The Doctor has traveled with many people over the years.

Some of them even survived to tell the tale.

Seriously, though, our favorite Time Lord has had many different companions in the last 600 years or so of his life. In the new series, we have so far re-encountered classic companions Sarah Jane and K-9. So, this week I ask you: Which classic Doctor Who companion would you like to see appear on the new show? (not including Sarah Jane and K-9) For this question, we are pretending that all of the actors in question are alive and able to put on a repeat performance. Who will you choose? Were you fond of Mel? Do you miss Turlough? Do you wish to revisit Jo Grant? As usual, I have provided you with a list to help you jog your memory. Wander away from it at will. That’s what companions do.

Some travelers through time and space:

• Leela (Although she probably died with Gallifrey.)
• Barbara Wright (I wonder what she’d think of The Doctor now?)
• Jaime McCrimmon (Ignoring the ‘does he remember’ question.)
• Nyssa (She’s probably still on that plague ship.).
• Ace (Handy with explosives.)
• Susan (We assume that she’s dead by inference.)
• Peri (I wonder what really happened to her.)
• Harry Sullivan (Not an imbecile.)
• Romana (Supposedly died with Gallifrey, too.)
• Tegan (Surprisingly not working for Torchwood…yet.)

I know it’s not likely, but I really would like to see a story with Susan in it. I know that she’s probably dead and gone, but that’s never stopped anyone before, right? My second choice is even more unlikely, as The Doctor would know if Romana was still alive. Maybe the Tharils helped her to escape. Who knows? Yes, both of my choices are pure fantasy. I don’t care. Stranger things have happened.

Who will you choose?

Doctor Who, Sarah Jane, K-9