Ahead of tonight’s premiere, Doctor Who has today revealed some of the all-star cast that will mark the 50th anniversary. David Tennant and Billie Piper will join current Doctor and companion, Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman, while John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alien, Harry Potter) will also co-star.
Last seen as the Doctor on January 1st 2010, this will be the first time Tennant has reprised his role as the Tenth Doctor. During his reign as the Time Lord, Tennant appeared in three series as well as several specials. He was first revealed as the Doctor in the 2005 series finale, ‘The Parting of the Ways’.
Meanwhile Billie Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler for two series following the reboot in 2005, will appear in the show for the first time since featuring in Tennant’s last episode, ‘The End of Time’ in 2010.
Also confirmed to join the cast is John Hurt who will also co-star in the 3D anniversary special that will form part of blockbuster celebrations later this year.
The 50th anniversary will be written by Steven Moffat and Directed by Nick Hurran.
Filming for the 50th anniversary starts this week. Meanwhile Doctor Who returns tonight on BBC America (March 30, 8/7c), BBC One (30 Mar, 6:15pm), SPACE Channel (March 30, 8e/5p), and ABCTV (March 31, 7.30p) for a run of eight epic episodes, which officially introduces the Doctor’s newest companion, Clara Oswald, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman.
See all of our Doctor Who 50th coverage here.
via Collider:
When Doctor Who returns to BBC America on March 30th, the Doctor (Matt Smith) kicks off this new run of adventures through space and time by searching for his companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman), a mysterious girl that he’s already lost twice. Together they find themselves battling monsters on distant alien planets, trapped in a Russian submarine with a deadly passenger, chasing terrifying ghosts, delving into the heart of the TARDIS, facing the Crimson Horror in Victorian Yorkshire, and coming face-to-face with an army of upgraded Cybermen. The action grows and the Doctor’s oldest secret threatens to be revealed, as the world’s longest running science fiction series builds toward its highly anticipated 50th anniversary in November.
During this recent interview to promote the upcoming episodes, executive producer/lead writer Steven Moffat talked about what Jenna-Louise Coleman brings to the series, what made Clara the right companion for the Doctor, his favorite upcoming episodes, which monsters were the most fun to write, the impetus for bringing the Ice Warriors back, his approach to writing characters as iconic as the Doctor and Sherlock Holmes (he’s co-creator on Sherlock with Mark Gatiss), the biggest challenges and surprises in this set of upcoming episodes, what makes Doctor Who so universal, and the fact that he’s pretty confident that they’ll be able to deliver something great for the 50th anniversary. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Are you a Doctor Who virgin who wants to start watching the Time Lord’s adventures, but is daunted by the fact that the British science-fiction show’s half-century history now encompasses literally dozens of seasons, not to mention 11 small screen Doctors, two ’60s-era films, one TV movie, and numerous specials?
Good news! You don’t have to watch every episode of Doctor Who to know what’s going on. In fact, that’s impossible “thanks” to the BBC’s habit during the ’60s and ’70s of wiping the show’s tapes.
So where should non-Whovian readers start viewing?
Clicky for the answers….
Doctor Who: Why we still love the Doctor - TV and Radio - Scotsman.com
We posted this article earlier today but this second quote is too good not to reblog.
All New Doctor Who Insider: Meet Jenna!
Let’s all welcome JENNA (Emmerdale, Captain America: The First Avenger) to the DOCTOR WHO family, eh?
Discover the first episode JENNA watched - right before auditioning! - and the unforgettable way MATT greeted her the first time they met.
And hear from STEVEN about the “very brilliant and new” chemistry between the Doctor and his new companion!Get ready for the return of DOCTOR WHO with an all new DOCTOR WHO INSIDER, featuring World-Exclusive Interviews with stars MATT SMITH & JENNA-LOUISE COLEMAN and Lead Writer & Executive Producer STEVEN MOFFAT - then, don’t miss the Premiere SATURDAY MARCH 30 at 8/7c Presented by Supernatural Saturday on BBC America.
Immediately followed by the World Premiere of New BBC AMERICA Original Series ORPHAN BLACK at 9/8c and the new season of BBC AMERICA Original Series THE NERDIST at 10/9c.
(Source: youtube.com)
BBC: You are bringing back a couple of classic monsters with the Cybermen and Ice Warriors, are there any new ones to look out for?
Steven: Plenty of new monsters! Watch out for the Spoonheads, the Whispermen, and - my favourite - the Vigil. Oh and Neil Gaiman has done something horrible with the Cybermen!
We’re posting the episode posters for the next four weeks of Doctor Who. Visit our blog for the rest.
Synopsis (SPOILER ALERT!):
The Doctor’s search for Clara Oswald brings him to modern day London, where Wi-Fi is everywhere. Humanity lives in a Wi-Fi soup. But something dangerous is lurking in the signals, picking off minds and imprisoning them. As Clara becomes the target of this insidious menace, the Doctor races to save her and the world from an ancient enemy.
Episode credits: Written by Steven Moffat, directed by Colm McCarthy (Ripper Street, The Tudors), and produced by Denise Paul (Taggart).
It’s a great Q&A. Blogtor Who has audio of the event here.
On March 1, Steven Moffat was a guest of Trinity College, Dublin and took part in an interview and Q & A session - listen to it in the player below. In it he talks about Press Gang, Sherlock, Tintin and, of course, Doctor Who.
When asked about the return of River Song in the upcoming series, Moffat said, “Yes. She will certainly be in this series,” whilst also saying, when prompted, “Is there more to come about, as it were, Trenzalore and the battle in the Doctor’s future that led to the attempts on his life in the past? Is that what you’re asking? Yes.”
On the possibility of Russell T Davies of writing a story for the show, the current showrunner said, “He won’t write one for me.” The writer also states that he would happily have a Neil Gaiman story every year, discusses the lack of female writers on the show and outlines what he thinks would happen should The Doctor and Sherlock ever meet. The topic of a female Doctor also arises - “more people are saying yes - which I find fascinating.”
Actor Matt Smith has promised the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who will be “the biggest and the best”.
The celebratory one-off November 3D episode begins filming in April and Matt said on tonight’s Jonathan Ross show that he is already excited.
Time Lord Matt said of the special episode: “It will be undoubtedly the biggest and the best. And it will be one of the most exciting years for the show.
“With 3D, Steven (Moffat) is so clever. He doesn’t just throw things at the screen, I’d get bored then.
“I have read the script and Steven is on fine form. It won’t disappoint.”
In case you missed it earlier, the name of the first episode of Doctor Who Series 7.2 is titled ‘The Bells of St. John’ with a new nemesis: The Spoonheads. From the BBC America press release:
Following a record-breaking year, fan favorite Doctor Who returns with a modern day urban thriller, The Bells of St. John, written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat (Sherlock). Set in London against the backdrop of new and old iconic landmarks – The Shard and Westminster Bridge – The Bells of St. John introduces a new nemesis, the Spoonheads, who battle the Doctor as he discovers something sinister is lurking in the Wi-Fi. The premiere will be followed by seven epic episodes written by Steven Moffat, acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman (Coraline, Beowulf), Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Neil Cross (Luther) and Stephen Thompson (Sherlock).
The Doctor (Matt Smith) is joined by his new companion Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) for the latest set of incredible adventures through space and time. The duo finds new adversaries and familiar friends around every corner as they journey from the bottom of the ocean in a submarine to the center of the TARDIS and beyond. The Cybermen make a thunderous return and the Ice Warrior arrives in an unexpected place.
Steven Moffat, executive producer and lead writer, said,“It’s the 50th year of Doctor Who and look what’s going on! We’re up in the sky and under the sea! We’re running round the rings of an alien world and then a haunted house. There’s new Cybermen, new Ice Warriors and a never before attempted journey to the centre of the TARDIS. And in the finale, the Doctor’s greatest secret will at last be revealed! If this wasn’t already our most exciting year it would be anyway!”
Also appearing this season are guest stars Dougray Scott (Desperate Housewives, Mission: Impossible II), Warwick Davis (Life’s Too Short, Harry Potter), Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Richard E Grant (Iron Lady, Dracula), Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) and Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders, Law & Order: UK). Additionally, mother and daughter Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) and Rachael Stirling (Tipping the Velvet) will appear on screen together for the first time. Doctor Who premieres Saturday, March 30, 8:00pm ET as part of Supernatural Saturday.
And if you haven’t seen it, we just posted the first poster art for Doctor Who Series 7.2!
There have been references to a swimming pool, questions about toilets and we’ve even had a peek inside the Doctor’s extensive walk-in wardrobe, but in general very little has ever been seen of the interior of the Tardis, beyond the main console room.
All that, however, could be about to change…
“We’ve built the rest of the Tardis!” says Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat of upcoming episode Journey to the Centre of the Tardis.
“The idea is in the title; we’re going to journey to the centre of the Tardis. We’ve got some great visuals for that,” he revealed at this year’s Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles.
Ashley Walters, who guest stars in the episode, backed Moffat up when Radio Times last spoke to him, saying “in our episode it’ll be the first time people get to see so much of the Tardis.”
The new interiors will be the work of production designer Michael Pickwoad, whose retro revamp of the Tardis control room got a positive reception when it was unveiled in December
Matt Smith playing charades, ladies and gentlemen.
(Source: jumperpheasants, via ladyvastra)
