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Doctor Whooligan: Day Of The Doctor, The Ice Warriors, Eccleston On BBC America, Tate Talks Return

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It has been a bombastic and massively frantic week of rumors, news, press releases, interviews and spoilery things. The BBC has shown most of its cards with anniversary programming just as filming commenced on the Christmas episode.

Meanwhile several classic series Doctors have been busy and there was also an awards show going on….

It is all very dizzying.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL FILMING UPDATE

Filming is in full swing on Matt Smith’s final trip in the TARDIS. Smith was seen on set porting a wig while filming.

xmas-filming-2013-matt-smith-frontSteven Moffat commented on the fall of the Eleventh Doctor.

It’s hard to let go. Watching him on set…he’s so heartbreakingly good. He added, you get all excited about the new doctor and then you go back and you see Matt on his first day back on set, and you think, ‘Oh my God, that’s what we’re losing.’

Link: http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/126124/PHOTOS-Hes-Been-Incredibly-Cheery-Steven-Moffat-Says-As-Matt-Smith-Films-Final-Doctor-Who-Episode

Radio Times: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-09-10/doctor-who-christmas-special-filming-begins—and-matt-smiths-wig-looks-pretty-convincing

Some studio filming has occurred and Jenna Coleman and Matt Smith were outside filming what is believed to be the beginning of the episode.

DAY OF THE DOCTOR

Before this week things were pretty quiet about the forthcoming special. Earlier this week a press release was posted and then abruptly taken down by the Beeb , but not before several online sources released information on what was coming, including the title of the special.

Later in that day a more robust press statement was released detailing some information about the festivities. It is pretty apparent that the BBC has been busy this week ramping up a fervor the Fiftieth Anniversary Special. As disclosed this week, an exhaustingly intense day of programming is scheduled across the entire BBC network, culminating with BBC One’s screening of the Anniversary Special, which has been announced as Day Of The Doctor. 

As previously announced matt Smith and Kenna Coleman will be joined by David Tennant, Billie Piper and John Hurt. There also will be Zygons and Daleks.

A promotional poster with David Tennant and  Matt Smith has also been released.

4753623-high-doctor-whoBBC TWO

The special will be supplemented by Mark Gatiss’ ninety minute telefilm about the origins of Doctor Who,  An Adventure In Space and Time.

Science celebrity Brian Cox will be seen on BBC Two in a program detailing the science of Doctor Who.

There will be a very special edition of The Culture Show hosted by Matthew  Sweet. Me, You And Doctor Who will look at the cultural legacy of the program.

BBC THREE

the third channel has a weekend of fun planned with Doctor Who: Monsters And Villains Weekend. The channel also is airing Doctor Who: The Ultimate Guide which features a treasure trove of archived coolness, Further programming will be announced in the coming months.

BBC FOUR

The very first Doctor Who adventure, An Unearthly Child, starring William Hartnell will bill be shown in a new digitally restored format.

RADIO ONE

BBC One will look at the phenomenon of  Time Lord Rock in a one hour special filled with all things TROCK.

RADIO TWO

Radio Two is getting in on the action with a special ninety minute documentary called Who is The Doctor.

The Blagger’s Guide To Doctor Who sees host David Quantick ask why do Americans think Tom Baker is still Doctor Who? How many Doctors have there really been? Were the Daleks really named after an encyclopaedia?

Graham Norton’s weekly  radio show will run for three hours and cover everything Doctor Who with a live remote from the Doctor Who Celebration in London.

RADIO FOUR

Who Made Who? Time travels to 1963 and investigates the tumultuous world that birthed the show.

Here is the full press release on what the BBC is doing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/day-of-the-doctor.html

ECCLESTON ON BBC AMERICA

The Ninth Doctor is being celebrated by BBC America on September 29th as part of their Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited.

2005_christopher-ecclestonChristopher Eccleston’s run as The Doctor will be profiled in Doctor Who: The Doctors Revisited: The Ninth Doctor. Amongst those interviewed are Steven Moffat, John Barrowman Neil Gaiman and Noel Clarke.

The Ninth Doctor special will be followed by a screening of his two-part finale Bad Wolf and The Parting of The Ways which ended Series One of the new series in 2005.

BFI UPDATE

The guest lineup for the Tennant themed installment of Doctor Who At 50 has been named. Catherine Tate will joining David Tennant, director Graeme Harper, producer Phil Collinson and casting director Andy Pryor for a live Q&A following The British Film Institute’s showing of The Stolen Earth and Journey’s End on September 29th in London.

The_Doctor_and_Donna_DW_Stolen_EarthLink: http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/bfi-news/doctor-who-50

TATE TALKS RETURN

According to a brief interview with What’s On TV,  Catherine Tate stated she love to would return as Donna Noble. Tate, who is very busy with some TV work these days, also mentioned that David Tennant remains her favorite Doctor.

donna nobleLink: http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/doctor-who/news/doctor-who-catherine-tate-happy-to-return

TV CHOICE AWARDS

Doctor Who scored two wins at this year’s TV Choice Awards, scoring a big win as Best Drama Series while also being recognized with a very special Outstanding Achievement Award.to celebrate its fiftieth birthday.

imagesThe Fifth Doctor Peter Davison presented that award to Steven Moffat and David Tennant at London’s Dorchester Hotel.

Another highlight of the evening  was David Tennant’s win as Best Actor for Broadchurch. Tennant and matt Smith were up against one another in that category.

Link: http://news.drwho-online.co.uk/Doctor-Who-Wins-At-The-2013-TV-Choice-Awards.aspx

CLASSIC DOCTORS MOUNT PROTEST

Onlookers to BBC TV Centre on Monday were a bit shocked and puzzled to see Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy protesting outside the BBC mothership holding up signs that read No Classics? No 50th! and Have a heart, Classic Doctors want a part!.

classic-50th-mccoy-davison-protestSince a film crew was there to film the shenanigans there has been speculation that the entire escapade may have been a publicity stunt or that it was being staged for a future DVD release as a DVD extra.

DAVISON HAS SCRIPT

Another wacky development this week was that it was divulged that Peter Davison has his own copy of the Fiftieth Anniversary Special script.

5th_Doctor-Who_002He divulged this an interview with ITV’s program Daybreak.

I have got a copy of the script which has got my name embossed across it. So it’s top secret, but there’s other stuff, lots of other things that are going on that people should keep their eye open for around the 50th anniversary special!

Link: https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/daybreak/10-09-2013

THE ICE WARRIORS ON DVD

The Fifth Season of Doctor Who was a gem. Dubbed ‘the monster season’ it saw a marked change in the style and production value of the show. Although many stories in that season have been labeled  ’classic’ you would  be hard pressed to not include The Ice Warriors on that list.  The six part story would’ve stood out in any season, but when placed in the mix with The Abominable Snowmen, Web Of Fear , The Enemy Of The World  and Tomb Of The Cybermen, it loses some of its individuality.

Season Five has always been called a magnificent triumph of the classic series, although very little of it actually exists in the BBC archives. Fans previously got a taste of how great it was with Tomb of The Cybermen. but now  thanks to BBC Worldwide and The Restoration Team there is a nifty two disc release of The Ice Warriors on DVD.

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Placed third in the season, The Ice Warriors sees Patrick Troughton firmly in his element as the Second Doctor. Here he is inquisitive, playful and manipulative in all of the ways we would see later in the new series, yet he also is vulnerable.

the ice warriors

 

The 1967-68 Season put kids behind the sofas and established Doctor Who as a children’s SF series that could do some interesting things. Thanks to a great ensemble cast and some clever use of cameras and editing The Ice Warriors is one of those that put them there. Like the season opener Tomb of The Cybermen , it is a very claustrophobic story filmed on a larger than normal scale with plenty of terror for the viewers of that time.

This once incomplete story has been filled in wonderfully with animation for its two missing episodes, Despite some bulky costumes and styrofoam sets the story works as a daunting thriller. From the onset the TARDIS crew is in danger against an alien menace that the producers hoped would rival The Daleks and Cybermen for scariness.The Ice Warriors we se here are menacing. Their voices are cold and reptilian,which, combined with their tall stature made them chillingly frightening.

Synopsis

In the distant future, Earth faces a new Ice Age. While a dedicated team of scientists battle to hold the approaching glaciers at bay, a startling discovery is made deep within the ice… an alien warrior, frozen for millennia. When the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria arrive they soon discover Earth is under threat from the Ice Warriors,  fearsome Martians intent on conquering our planet for themselves…

Filmed at Ealing Studios the episode is an ambitious bit of classic Who that features a great ensemble cast. Terrified  throughout most of the story, Victoria, sets the standard for the notion of the screaming assistant.  Frazer Hines is terrific as well and seeing him work with Deborah Watling and Patrick Troughton you can tell the cast was a tight-knit lot.

Restoring The Ice Warriors  was also a Herculean endeavor. Episodes two and three exist only as telesnaps and in audio form so, like The Invasion and The Reign of Terror previously, entire chunks of the story had to be made from scratch while maintaining a high level of quality. Advanced digital animation was used for these episodes and I am glad to say the results are pretty great. For this release the restoration was also particularly challenging in that it had to keep up the intense pacing of the story. If the animation did not work the whole thing would have gone sixes and sevens.

There is a lot of cool extra stuff here. In addition to the photo gallery, subtitles and Radio Times listings there are some wonderful bonuses to enjoy. Included here for filler are the VHS links used for the 1998 video release as well as an archived Blue Peter Design A Monster competition and an animated trailer for the episode.

Despite being a bit clunky I did like the multiple commentary sources.  Episodes one, four, five and six featured audio commentary from the avuncular Frazer Hines teamed up with Deborah Watling and ice Warrior Sonny Caldinez for several fun and interesting bits on making the story. Designer Jeremy Davies and grams operator Pat Heigham gave some really good production information without getting too stale. Toby Hadoke moderated and kept things moving.

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For the animated episodes things got changed up a bit with archival recordings and readings of text for episode two from those involved with the story who are longer with us, Brian Hayles, Derek Martinus, Martin Baugh, Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Barkworth, Wendy Gifford and Sylvia James. Episode three sees actor and writer Michael Troughton handling commentary.

Overall I think the commentary tracks added some depth to the release and allowed us to get a better feel for how the classic story was made.

Cold Fusion is a well made making of documentary with interviews with Hines, Watling and Davies. Sonny Caldinez’ recollections of filming in the heavy and lumbering costume provided a fascinating look at just how hard it was to be an alien in the show in its early years.

The second part of Doctor Who Stories : Frazer Hines uses an interview from The Story of Doctor Who in which the companion talks about his fame in the 1960s, typecasting, his brief music career and returning again in The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors. The always charming Hines also regales viewers with some funny adventures he had filming the series with Patrick Troughton.

The reconstruction of the story is documented in Beneath The Ice, a featurette about how the team at Quirios worked their magic and brought this epic back to life.

The Ice Warriors DVD gives us a chance to relive one of the high points of the Troughton era that we otherwise may have missed. In addition to being a great story the DVD allows fans to see how the show was made in the late 1960s, a time of incredible transition for the series in general. What a great fun story this was!

Next time…More news, John Hurt, Day Of Th Doctor and some spoilery stuff!

 

The post Doctor Whooligan: Day Of The Doctor, The Ice Warriors, Eccleston On BBC America, Tate Talks Return appeared first on Tardistopia.net.


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