Category: Doctor Who

Christmas scheduling confirmed
The BBC Press Office has confirmed the scheduling of The End of Time, the two-part final adventure for David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Part one will be shown from 6pm to 7pm on Christmas Day, Friday the 25th of December. Part two follows from 6.40-7.55pm the following Friday, 1st January 2010 – New Year’s Day.
In other news, the latest edition of Radio Times has confirmed the casting of Claire Bloom and Brian Cox in The End of Time.
Claire Bloom’s casting has been rumoured in many press reports over the last few months but this is the first official confirmation from the BBC that she is in the episode. She has a long career in film and Television appearing with Charlie Chaplin in the 1952 film Limelight for which she won the BAFTA for Best Newcomer. She later won the Best Actress BAFTA for the 1986 film Shadowlands. She is a renowned Shakespearian actress who received great acclaim for her portrayal of Ophelia in Hamlet when she was just seventeen.
Brian Cox provided the voice over for the Ood elder seen in the End of Time trail at the end of The Waters of Mars and was the mystery guest star refered to by Russell T Davies in his Production Notes in DWM. Cox is best known for his role as Hannibal Lecktor in the 1986 film Manhunter as well many Hollywood films and also for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Nuremberg in 2001.
David Tennant’s starring role in Hamlet can be seen on BBC Two on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December from 5.05-8.10pm. and the Catherine Tate special, Nan’s Christmas Carol, can be seen on BBC One on Christmas Day at 10.30pm.

‘Doctor Who’ star lands ‘Rex’ pilot
Popular British actor David Tennant, best known for playing the title role in the BBC’s long-running sci-fi series “Doctor Who,” is set to make his American television debut as the title character in NBC’s hourlong pilot “Rex Is Not Your Lawyer.”
Written by Andrew Leeds and David Lampson, “Rex” centers on Rex Alexander (Tennant), a top Chicago litigator who begins suffering panic attacks and takes up coaching clients to represent themselves in court.
David Semel, who directed the pilots for “Heroes” and “Life,” has come on board to helm the comedic legal drama from Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun.
He will also executive produce with veteran Barry Schindel (who is attached as showrunner), Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun and Gene Stein. Leeds and Lampson serve as supervising producers.
NBC greenlighted the project in August, about two years after it was first developed, and had been trying to find a lead actor for several months until Tennant came along and nailed the part.
Tennant, a theater and TV actor, rose to fame playing the mysterious alien time-traveler at the center of “Doctor Who” for the past five years. His performance as the Doctor has been often rated as the top in the franchise’s 46-year history.
Tennant’s casting is reminiscent of the tapping of another established British TV actor with virtually no American TV experience, Hugh Laurie, as the lead on Fox’s medical drama “House.”
Tennant, who co-starred in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” recently signed with UTA. He’s also repped by U.K.’s Independent Talent Group.

John Barrowman: ‘I’m going to be a Desperate Housewife’
Torchwood star John Barrowman revealed today that he is to swap the BBC Wales sci-fi production for Hollywood with a part on Desperate Housewives. Barrowman revealed his career move in a phone chat on Chris Moyles’s Radio 1 breakfast show this morning. “I’m off to Los Angeles on Sunday again,” Barrowman announced. “I probably shouldn’t say this but I’ve got a meeting with the execs of Desperate Housewives; can you believe it, I’m going to be a Desperate Housewife!” When Moyles’s producer Aled Haydn Jones asked if he could come and hang out with him in LA, Barrowman replied: “You can come and be my lover, Aled!” Moyles wasn’t having any of it, and instead asked if he could come and be his “roly-poly gardener”. Barrowman replied: “You can be the roly-poly gardener or the handyman with the big butt crack.” Monkey is guessing Moyles might somehow not fit in with the body beautiful edict on the ABC show.

Doctor Who sets 2nd Guinness record
Guinness World Records has named Doctor Who the most successful science-fiction series, the second Guinness record for the much-loved BBC-TV production.
The new honour was based on a combination of ratings, DVD sales, book sales and dowloading popularity for the show, which has had several incarnations since it first ran in 1963.
“It is too good a show to have just one record,” Guinness editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said after handing over the award Sunday to Russell T. Davies, the show’s current producer and chief writer.
Doctor Who also holds the Guinness record for longest-running sci-fi TV series, though that honour is controversial. Stargate SG-1, which ran 10 years, has received the record for longest-running consecutive sci-fi series.
The latest incarnation of the series, launched in 2005, is about to get a new lead actor. Matt Smith is to succeed David Tennant, who succeeded Christopher Eccleston as the doctor-cum-alien who travels through time in his ship, the Tardis. Smith will be the 11th Time Lord since 1963.

Karen Gillan announced as new companion
The BBC has announced that Scottish actress Karen Gillan is to play the new companion, alongside Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, in the next series of Doctor Who, due to be broadcast in the spring of next year.
Twenty-one year-old Gillan previously appeared in last year’s episode “The Fires of Pompeii”, as the Soothsayer. BBC News reports that she studied acting at Telford College in Edinburgh, and has also appeared in The Kevin Bishop Show and the forthcoming film Outcast, starring James Nesbitt.
In the press release, executive producer and chief writer Steven Moffat is quoted as saying: “We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up. Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too.”
Gillan herself says: “I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor’s new companion. The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can’t quite believe I am going to be a part of it. Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him ñ I just can’t wait to get started!”
The news is also being reported by, among many others: Children’s BBC, InTheNews.co.uk, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, Broadcast Now, The Stage, The Sun and The Guardian.

David Tennant new ‘Masterpiece Contemporary’ host
NEW YORK ñ David Tennant is the new host of PBS’ “Masterpiece Contemporary.”
Tennant will make his debut on the long-running public TV anthology this fall, its producing station, WGBH, announced Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Scottish actor, who follows past “Masterpiece” hosts such as Alan Cumming and Laura Linney, played the title role in the long-running BBC sci-fi series “Doctor Who.” His screen credits include “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
“Masterpiece Contemporary” returns on the Public Broadcasting Service in October with “Endgame,” a drama about the final days of apartheid in South Africa starring William Hurt and Jonny Lee Miller. It premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The “Masterpiece” series began as “Masterpiece Theatre” in 1971, and now also encompasses “Mystery!” ó a public TV fixture since 1980.

Billie’s back on Doctor Who
Billie Piper will return to Doctor Who with ALL the Time Lordís former companions as part of David Tennantís final episode.
Billie, 26, will again play Rose Tyler and teams up with other sidekicks Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman).
The trio will join forces to take on the Doctorís revived arch-enemy The Master, played again by John Simm.
The episode sees the Timelord regenerate into the new Doctor (Matt Smith).
An insider said: ìThis will be the most exciting episode Doctor Who have ever done. We really wanted to get all the companions back on board as a fitting send-off to David.
ìAnd of all the enemies for him to face in his final episode it makes sense for The Master to be the main one. Getting Billie to agree is a real coup, but she loved working on the show so much it didnít take much convincing.î
Rose ó who left after series two ó formed the strongest bond with the Doctor out of the female companions. She returned for a few episodes in the last series where she was reunited with the Doctor.
Rose then returned to Earth with a separate half-human version of the Time Lord.
Since she left Doctor Who, Billie has gone on to star in the raunchy ITV2 drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl. She plays a high-class hooker in the risque show, which is currently on its third series.
David, 37, will quit the show after the last of the four specials.
Meanwhile the red London bus set to feature in the first special has been damaged in Dubai by schoolkids.
The double decker, which was smashed up shortly after arriving in Arab state for filming, was stripped for ìsouvenirsî after producers parked it outside a school.
A show source said: ìThis really is the unluckiest bus in the universe.î

‘Bionic Woman’ Makes Appointment With ‘Doctor Who’
Fans of the “Bionic Woman” will see a familiar face when they tune into an upcoming episode of “Doctor Who.”
Michelle Ryan will guest star on the “Doctor Who” Easter special along with British comedian Lee Evans, reports the BBC News.
In the episode titled “Planet of the Dead,” Ryan, 24, will portray the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza.
“As always the script is being kept strictly under wraps,” says executive producer and writer Russell T. Davies. “However, we can reveal that Lady Christina is a woman with a mysterious past who’s going to have a huge impact on the Doctor.”
Joining in on the fun is Lee Evans, who will play Malcolm, whose life becomes somehow connected to the Time Lord’s through unusual circumstances.
Filming on “Planet of the Dead” has already begun in Wales. It is the first of four “Doctor Who” specials, marking the end of David Tennant’s run as The Doctor before Matt Smith takes over for the 2010 season.
Ryan’s participation in the series has caused speculation that she might be up for the role of the Doctor’s assistant. Having already appeared with him in this special shouldn’t necessarily preclude her taking the bigger role later. Catherine Tate had appeared in the “Doctor Who” Christmas special with David Tennant first but returned as The Doctor’s assistant 15 months later.
Besides starring in the remake of “Bionic Woman,” Ryan is known for her roles in “EastEnders” and “Jekyll” in the UK.

Relative unknown actor to take over lead role in BBC TV series ‘Dr. Who’
LONDON – The BBC says little-known actor Matt Smith will take over the title role in the long-running sci-fi series “Doctor Who.”
The 26-year-old is the 11th actor to star in one of Britain’s most popular TV shows – and the youngest.
Smith has appeared on the London stage and starred in the political TV drama “Party Animals,” but is a relative unknown.
The new role will make him a major star in Britain, where “Doctor Who” regularly draws 10 million viewers an episode.
“Doctor Who” was first broadcast in 1963 and centres on a time-travelling alien known only as The Doctor who can regenerate into new human bodies.
Current star David Tennant plans to leave the show after four special episodes this year. The BBC said Saturday that Smith will take over in 2010.

Moffat Favoured Older Actor for Who Role in ’99
An article appearing in The Sun quotes comments incoming showrunner Steven Moffat made to Doctor Who Magazine in 1999, using them to suggest that the casting of the next Doctor could go to an older actor.
Moffat is quoted as saying: “Although I loved Peter Davison and Paul McGann, probably the best two actors in the role, I donít think young, dashing Doctors are right at all.
“He should be 40-plus and weird-looking ó the kind of wacky grandfather kids know on sight to be secretly one of them.”
The article also speculates that the next lead actor will be well-known, quoting Moffat as having said: “Any actor with the ëright stuffí is unlikely to be a complete unknown.”
David Tennant continues in the role of the Doctor through the 2009 television specials and a new Doctor will be introduced when Moffat takes the reins in 2010.