Current Dr. Who news

[Guest DekaRed]

so unfortunately i start with some possibly bad news...

Doctor Who has been confirmed for a fifth season whilst Tennant returns for more action in 2009.

Below is the official press release issued by the BBC:

After months of media speculation, the BBC can confirm that the BAFTA Award Winning Doctor Who will return for a fifth series in Spring 2010.

Viewers are in for a treat this Christmas, as a special episode starring David Tennant and Kylie Minogue will be broadcast on BBC One in December 2007. Series Four, which went into production in July 2007, will hit UK screens in Spring 2008 with a special episode for Christmas 2008.

In 2009 Doctor Who will return with three specials starring David Tennant, with Head Writer, Russell T Davies. The full length fifth series will transmit in 2010.

Jane Tranter, Controller, BBC Fiction, says; "Doctor Who is one of the BBC's best loved and most successful dramas. Its journey over the past three series has been one of the most ambitious and exciting that we have had, and I'm delighted to be able to confirm not only three exciting specials for 2009, but a fifth series in 2010. "

Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, says; "The success of Doctor Who is a fantastic tribute to the dedication and expertise of the production team at BBC Wales who have worked on the project from the outset. This announcement is marvellous news for all involved, and more importantly for the programme's amazing fan base and audience. BBC Wales is looking forward to producing the fifth series."

Following the critically acclaimed season three finale, the BBC has announced that Catherine Tate is set to return to the Tardis for the complete 13 week run of series 4 of Doctor Who, reprising her role as Donna from the 2006 Christmas special. Freema Agyeman, who won praise for her portrayal of Martha Jones in series 3, is also set to return mid series four.

this is because

David Tennant will be in both "Hamlet" and "Love's Labours Lost" (with Patrick Stewart in "Hamlet") between 24th July and November 15th 2008 - these two plays will be in rotation with Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Taming of the Shrew.

why must the BBC ruin everything

[Guest DekaRed]

for some People who may not have seen them... here are the first publicity shots of Donna with the Doctor

[*Jess♥]

well to be completely honest, I am not too thrilled about any of this.

I mean, not thrilled as in, It doesn't really matter too much to me.

after season 3 of doctor who, I just feel that they have evolved this into something that it wasn't originally.

I think it's too successful for it's own good in many ways.

the finale of season 3 was a bit OTT in many ways and it got a bit full of itself in a lot of ways.

I can't help but feel that this next series may come across as full of it's own hype.

I think maybe they are trying too hard.

I'll watch it, like i have watched all of them so far, but I am not about to get excited by it.

especially considering they have got that catherin tate woman.

season 1 - classic

season 2 - well refined but not quite classic

season 3 - more or less pure spectacle

[Guest DekaRed]

more on the rome adventure for season 4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/n.../25/49091.shtml

The Doctor and his new companion Donna are set to travel back in time to the Roman Empire for the fourth series of Doctor Who.In one of the most ambitious episodes to date, The Doctor, played by David Tennant and Donna (Catherine Tate) arrive in Pompeii in AD 79, on the eve of the historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.The Time Lord and his companion are posed with an immediate dilemma; should they warn the residents of Pompeii of the forthcoming catastrophe or leave them to fend for themselves?"Arriving in Pompeii marks the start of another exciting adventure for the Doctor and Donna," said Doctor Who's Executive Producer and Head Writer, Russell T Davies. "Donna is stunned to find herself in the midst of history's most famous volcanic eruption. Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."The Thick of It actor Peter Capaldi guest stars as Caecillius. He's joined by Quadrophenia and Rose and Maloney actor Phil Davis as Lucius. Further guest stars include Howards Way and Born and Bred Actress Tracey Childs, who plays Metella.The filming of the episode took place at Cinecitta studios in Rome, which the Doctor Who team expertly transformed into Pompeii for a week of filming in September of this year.

[Guest DekaRed]

patrick stewart interested in a part

http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/displ...;pNodeId=191800

Patrick Stewart has revealed he would love to be asked to play a role in hit sci-fi series Doctor Who.The 67-year-old Star Trek star, who is currently playing Macbeth at London's Gielgud Theatre, said he was a fan of the long-running time travelling show, but was sad he had never been involved."I have been (a fan) actually yes, and deeply dismayed that I was never asked to be in it! I think it's a terrific series," he said.

hopefully tennant can persuade him to have a part in season 4 while they are performing at the Royal Shakespeare

[Guest Dekaka-kokuo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/n.../21/50016.shtml

confirmation at last

Peter Davison (5th Doctor) is officially teaming up with David Tennant (10th Doctor) for Children in Need

the title of this special episode will be "Time Crash"

[*Jess♥]

this looks interesting.

that guy in rthe cricket suit looks familiar.

was he on blue peter once?

he looks different in somesuch fashion though. like.. maybe older or something.

[Guest TokuFan19]

I actually can't wait for the new season of Doctor Who season 4. I'm not too sure about Donna being the new companion, she was kinda annoying in Runaway Bride. And Tennant and Davison teaming up for a Children in Need special will be interesting, I've never really seen any of the pre-2005 Doctor Who so it'll be cool to see how Davison's Doctor was.

[*Jess♥]

I only pretty much remember watching sylvester mccoy... oh yeh, there was paul mcgan.. but forget i said that.

So I'm not that familiar with the older ones...

I caught a couple of the others at brief moments when i switched the telly over... john pertwee was lame... that old guy who went to the dalek place in some film.. he was ok i guess.

I agree it will be interesting to see him interact with a past version of himself.

it makes me wonder though.. why isn't he afraid of paradoxes?

[Guest Dekaka-kokuo]

lol, that old guy who went to the dalek place in some film.... that was peter cushing, not an official doctor, as his character was a human professor who invented the tardis himself in his garage, lol. i grew up with the end of tom baker (4) and all of peter davison (5), so he is one of my favourites.

he has teamed up with himself before, there was the first three, the first five (i think for the 20th aniversary or something) and then numba 6 teamed up with numba 2. out of cannon, the first seven appeared (although the first 2 were crappy animatronic heads, as the actors had passed away) in the children in need special from 1992, Dimensions In Time, where he was stuck in eastenders and kept switching forms between 3, 5, 6 and 7. four was trapped in a timelock (in other words, rubbish blue screen effect). one of my favourite books was set just after the paul mcgann movie, where the masters 'final' trap was to erase his memory, and so he visited all his previous selves to get his memories back, even helping them on their adventures.

[Guest Dekaka-kokuo]

oh yeah, and the sontarans have been confirmed for series 4. i hope they make some reference to being related to the judoon as they are so similar.

[Guest Dekaka-kokuo]

sontaran with the Doctor, Martha, and Donna. woooooo.

[*Jess♥]

i just take one look at donna and i think "get that stupid woman off my screen"...

I don't know If I'm gonna be able to stomach watching her.....

oh.. but that alien guy.. he looks pretty short.

[Guest DekaRed-sama]

some really nice things now about series 4 and possibly 5....

According to RTD, the "desktop theme" is going to be changed for the TARDIS console room

Billie Piper to return to Dr Who

Piper first joined when the Doctor was Christopher Eccleston.

Actress Billie Piper is to return to Doctor Who, the BBC has confirmed.

She will star in three episodes of the sci-fi drama, reprising her role as the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler.

Rose's return will mean the Doctor has three assistants in next year's series - Donna, played by Catherine Tate, and Freema Agyeman as Martha.

The new series begins in March and will run for 13 episodes. There will be three special editions in 2009 before the show takes a break until 2010.

Piper left Doctor Who last year, when Rose was transported into a parallel universe.

The character had been a hit and Piper won a number of awards for her performances. She was named most popular actress at the National Television Awards in 2005 and 2006.

A separate show based on Rose had been planned by writer and series producer Russell T Davies, but was scrapped when Davies decided the programme was "a spin-off too far".

Filming is currently under way in Cardiff for the new series of Doctor Who, which sees the Doctor meeting an old group of enemies - the Sontarans - 35 years after first encountering them.

Before that, the programme will return to television screens at Christmas with a special episode set on the Titanic, which will co-star singer and actress Kylie Minogue.

Another past villain surfaces. The axon's were mentioned last season as we all know. They just love to put future events into past episodes don't they?

The rumoured finale of the "gap year" season will see Tennant leave the series, but not in the way you think, and it seems only for one season. The Christmas 2009 special will conclude with The Doctor and Master switching bodies, thus enabling Simm to be cast as The Doctor.

Basicly, the entire fifth season will be Who's version of "Face/Off", with Tennant regaining his body by the conclusion and resuming his role as The Doctor.

[Guest Ultra-Deka]

this is pretty kool, one of the first trailers for the xmas special, voyage of the damned

ITS ONLY 17 DAYS AWAY, PEOPLE!!!

[*Jess♥]

ooookaaaay... wow they showed a lot.

buggers.

well i will watch it anyway but I sometimes don't see the point in showing so little.

I guess it is good in a way, it says doctor who and kylie minogue in a ship that is actually in space.

we thought it was titantic or at least i did.. the original titanic. but theis is different.

is this on for an hour or are tehy making it a bit longer?

[Guest Ultra-Deka]

its a BIT longer, the official runtime is 71 minutes

it starts around 6:50pm xmas day.

i like the way this trailer has cleared up a lot of confusion, it makes more sense for a spaceship to crash through the TARDIS while in flight.

Douglas Adams reference anyone (Starship Titanic)

[*Jess♥]

I don't think it makes any sense for anything to crash into the tardis seeing as it is essentially a tesseract.

unless this ship is an interdimensional ship.

[*zeo]

Yeah, previously the only things to smack into the TARDIS has been either time traveling, hyper space, or extremely powerful psionic energy.

Unless of course something on the ship made it happen, but we'll just have to wait till the episode airs before we can be sure.

It just better be a good explaination

[Guest Ultra-Deka]

the second trailer is now up at youtube, an its a bit longer at 1:30, yay

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BUE-QAvk58o

[*Jess♥]

hang about. this is only 10 days away.

it looks interesting.

a lot better than the past xmas crap.

ooh, lets see. xmas doctor who... in london. aliens attack. ok.

oh the next one.. in london. so.e ancient aliens attack. oh and stupid cow. ok.

lame.

now this one.

space! WOOT. a nicely designed strange spaceship thing. WOOT. wierrd angel thingys. WOOT. comets. WOOT.

[Guest Ultra-Deka]

an don't forget wat looks like a re-enactment of the enterprise-d's final moment's in ST: Generations

titanic crashing to earth. w00t, lol, it looks pretty

[Guest Ultra-Deka]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7145965.stm

catherine tate hints that tennant is leaving, and nobody will be inheriting the TARDIS as RTD and gardner prepare their final season and the 2009 specials, as she seems to be a "one season" deal too.

anyone who has been following the initial reports of tennant leaving from the tabloids before the annoucement of the specials or tennant's "commitment" will know by now the BBC once again went into commendable denial and covered it up again (and they did it better this time, until of course an official source blabbed)

with the rumours that the doctor will be critically injured in the final episodes, it wasnt hard to deduce something "major" would happen. i think the regeneration will go awry and rose absorbs the doctor's conscience, allowing piper to star as an "interm" doctor for the 2009 specials before an eleventh doctor is revealed in the 2009 christmas special.

[Guest Ultra-Deka]

http://entertainment.aol.co.uk/ive-no-plan...218165509990027

The star dismissed claims about his departure as "a load of old nonsense."

Questions arose about Tennant's future in the BBC1 series after new assistant Catherine Tate told the Jonathan Ross show she thought the next series of the would be Tennant's last.

He said: "Catherine Tate stitched me up good and proper. She goes on Jonathan Ross and makes up a load of old nonsense.

"Unbeknownst to me, she thinks I've made a decision - she'd clearly had too much coffee that morning.

"She said I was leaving, which was a decision I haven't made yet, maybe she's made it for me, but I'm going to keep People guessing for as long as possible.

"I'm doing four more specials and beyond that no one's asked me to make any decisions and I'm quite happy to be enigmatic for as long as possible."

Speaking at the premiere of the Doctor Who Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, Tennant was still enthusiastic about starring in the hit BBC show.

"I think it's the most exciting thing you could possibly hope to see, I'm just glad that People seem to agree," he said.

"It's a very odd and slightly bewildering sort of thing to be in the middle of, but it's something that very easy to be genuinely excited about, I really love it and even if I had nothing to do with it, I'd be looking forward to the Christmas special, so it's a privilege to be in the middle of it all.

hmmm, and on the boxset for series one, eccleston clearly denies rumours that he is leaving.... in an interview just after the series had finished filming, around the ep 01 premiere, when he already knew wat was happenin. very similar....

[*zeo]

On a lighter bit of news, here's David Tennant's Number One Fan!!!

http://www.peculiarosities.com/2007/12/boy-lives-in-ta.html