With the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who now less than a month away, BBC Worldwide is delighted to announce that over 40 additional guests from the classic era of Doctor Who have been added to the bill for the Doctor Who 50th Celebration which takes place at ExCeL London over the anniversary weekend.
They will join current Doctor Matt Smith and former Doctors Tom Baker, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy at the ultimate anniversary event, which will welcome over 20,000 fans of the world’s favourite Time Lord to the venue in east London.
First on the list of new names is Peter Davison, who played the role of the fifth Doctor from 1981-1984. Joining Peter at the event over the anniversary weekend will be cast from throughout the 50 year history of the show including the Director of An Unearthly Child (the first episode of Doctor Who), Waris Hussein. William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, who starred as companions Ian and Susan alongside the first Doctor - William Hartnell – will be attending on Saturday 23 November.
Dick Mills (BBC Radiophonic Workshop), Mike Tucker and Mat Irvine (Classic Era Visual Effects) will also be on hand to facilitate some of the special features at the Celebration, which will be announced in more detail soon.
The Doctor Who 50th Celebration’s opening hours will also be extended on Saturday evening so visitors can enjoy a free 2D simulcast screening of The Day Of The Doctor together. Saturday attendees will be emailed shortly with details about how they can reserve a seat. Visitors should note that the screening will have limited availability and tickets will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Additional line-up by day:
Friday 22nd November Waris Hussein, Anneke Wills, Kate O’Mara, Richard Franklin, Matthew Waterhouse, Sarah Sutton, Terry Molloy, Gabriel Woolf, Barry Newbery, Michael Ferguson, Fiona Walker, Fiona Cumming and Ian Fraser.
Saturday 23rd November Janet Fielding, Louise Jameson, Yee Jee Tso, Katy Manning, Carole Ann Ford, Geoffrey Beevers, Frazer Hines, William Russell, Nicola Bryant, Deborah Watling, Sophie Aldred, Daphne Ashbrook, David Collings, Terrance Dicks, and June Hudson.
Sunday 24th November Peter Purves, Mark Strickson, Bonnie Langford, John Leeson, Lalla Ward, Wendy Padbury, Maureen O’Brien, Michael Kilgarriff, Julian Glover, Stephen Thorne, David Graham, Donald Tosh, Anthony Read, Andrew Morgan and Andrew Cartmel.
A host of guests for the BBC's Doctor Who Celebration was announced today - but fans going to the event on the anniversary itself face missing the special episode.
Fifth Doctor Peter Davison will be at the convention at ExCeL in London for all its three days - 22nd to 24th November inclusive - and joining him there on the actual anniversary day, Saturday 23rd November, will be William Russell and Carole Ann Ford who, as Ian Chesterton and Susan Foreman, were companions to the First Doctor and were in the first episode of Doctor Who when it was originally broadcast exactly 50 years earlier. In addition, Waris Hussein, who directed the first story, will also be there on the Saturday.
Arrangements have been made for a free 2D showing of the simulcast of The Day of the Doctor that day, but not everybody going to the event on 23rd November will be able to get into it.
BBC Worldwide said: The Doctor Who 50th Celebration's opening hours will also be extended on Saturday evening so visitors can enjoy a free 2D simulcast screening of The Day of the Doctor together. Saturday attendees will be emailed shortly with details about how they can reserve a seat. Visitors should note that the screening will have limited availability and tickets will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Saturday attendees who miss out on tickets to the screening and who want to see the episode as it is broadcast will therefore have to make alternative plans to watch it as it goes out - if they can.
Also appearing on all three days will be special sounds wizard Dick Mills and visual effects supremos Mike Tucker and Mat Irvine. The rest of the additional guest line-up and their appearance days is as follows:
Sunday 24th November •Maureen O'Brien (Vicki) •Peter Purves (Steven) •Wendy Padbury (Zoe) •John Leeson (voice of K-9) •Lalla Ward (Romana II) •Mark Strickson (Turlough) •Bonnie Langford (Mel) •Michael Kilgarriff (Cyber Controller) •Julian Glover (Richard I/Scaroth) •Stephen Thorne (Omega/Azal/Kastrian Eldrad) •David Graham (Dalek voices/Kerensky) •Donald Tosh (script editor/writer) •Anthony Read (script editor/writer) •Andrew Cartmel (script editor/writer) •Andrew Morgan (director) As previously reported, current Doctor Matt Smith, Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, and Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy will also be there on all three days, while Fourth Doctor Tom Baker will be there on just the Saturday.
Fifth Doctor Peter Davison has said that he felt the companions of Doctor Who weren’t written very well until Billie Piper’s Rose burst onto the scene in 2005.
He told the Radio Times: “They were struggling for many years to find a better way of making the companions more rounded characters. And certainly, when it comes to the female companions, they never once thought that it was a good idea to put any kind of sexual tension, even in its most innocent form, between the Doctor and companion. I think it probably would have made it easier to write a better character.”
“I think the idea that there’s a kind of frisson in the TARDIS is fine and works actually rather well. I’m rather envious at the number of times that the Doctor gets to kiss girls now.
“They struggled for many years to write a good companion’s part and didn’t really ever manage it. In fact, I don’t think they’ve ever managed to do it until Rose, when the series came back, and that was really just writing a damn good part.”
More details and UK airdates have been announced for several of the BBC’s special programmes celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.
The Science of Doctor Who 14 November at 9pm on BBC2.
For one night only, Professor Brian Cox explores the universe of the world’s favourite Time Lord, Doctor Who.
Brian takes an audience, with the help of celebrity guests, on a journey into the wonderful universe of The Doctor, in a specially recorded programme from the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Brian reveals the science behind the spectacle and explains the physics that allows Doctor Who to travel through space and time. Fun, but filled with real science, it’s a special night for Who fans as well anyone with a thirst for understanding.
Brian is in the unique position of knowing The Doctor’s universe inside out as well as the reality behind the drama. When the TARDIS travels through time and space, Brian understands the physics involved. And when it comes to life on other planets, Brian knows the real science that could prove extra-terrestrial life might just really exist in our galaxy.
Greatest Monsters & Villains Weekend Weekend beginning 15 November at 7pm on BBC3.
The winner and runners-up of Doctor Who’s ultimate villain will be announced during BBC Three’s ‘Doctor Who: Greatest Monsters & Villains Weekend.’
The fantastic foes that have gone up against our time-traveling hero in his first-half century are a huge part of Doctor Who. By turns scary, funny, iconic, thrilling and on occasions charismatic, they help define the show’s enduring appeal and fifty years after the Daleks were created, the monsters of Doctor Who remain an integral part of what makes the series so special.
Doctor Who: Greatest Monsters & Villains Weekend will be a marvellous salute to those baddies who have blighted the Doctor’s life and added so much excitement to ours!
12 Again: Doctor Who Special TBC 16-23 November on CBBC.
Super fans join cast members past and present to share their memories of watching TV’s top Time Lord when they were young. Who was their Doctor when they were a kid? Which aliens had them hiding behind the sofa?
Featuring CBBC’s super fan Chris Johnson, impressionist Jon Culshaw, Tommy Knight (Luke Smith), Warwick Davis (Porridge), Neve McIntosh (Madame Vastra), Dan Starkey (Strax) Louise Jameson (Leela) and the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy.
We’ll find out about the Doctor himself, the TARDIS and the famous theme tune as we travel back to a different dimension with our celebrities as they become 12 Again.
Blue Peter 21 November 2013 at 5.30pm on CBBC.
CBBC is celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who with the launch of an exciting new Blue Peter Doctor Who competition and two live Blue Peter specials; a must see for all young Doctor Who fans.
In an exclusive competition, Blue Peter viewers aged between six and 15 will be asked to design new sonic devices for Sontaron Commander Strax, Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint. Their gadgets will feature in the iconic science fiction series. The winner will get the unique opportunity to see their gadget in action on the set of Doctor Who.
On Thursday 21 November and Saturday 23 November, Barney, Lindsey and Radzi will be joined by aliens and monsters in the studio and the audience will be able to design their very own alien live on air.
Blue Peter viewers will have their questions answered by Matt Smith; they will be able to get ready for the 50th anniversary show by making their very own cushion (to hide behind); and we’ll help them to host a Doctor Who party by showing them how to make Dalek cupcakes.
An Adventure in Space and Time 21 November at 9pm on BBC2
This special one-off drama travels back in time to 1963 to see how the beloved Doctor Who was first brought to the screen.
Actor William Hartnell felt trapped by a succession of hard-man roles. Wannabe producer Verity Lambert was frustrated by the TV industry’s glass ceiling. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday tea-time drama, time travel and monsters!
Allied with a team of brilliant people, they went on to create the longest-running science fiction series ever, now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The Culture Show: Me, You And Doctor Who 22 November at 9.30pm on BBC2
Lifelong fan Matthew Sweet explores the cultural significance of the BBC’s longest running TV drama, arguing that it’s one of the most important cultural artefacts of modern Britain. Put simply, Doctor Who matters. He’ll examine how the show has become a cultural force in its own right and tell the stories of some of the unsung cultural heroes, who pioneered its innovative music, design and storytelling.
The Graham Norton Show 22 November at 10.35pm on BBC1
Matt Smith and David Tennant will both be joining Graham Norton on his TV chat show. Emma Thompson, Jimmy Carr and Robbie Williams are also guests.
It would seem that the BBFC has let the cat out of the bag a little early!
While we knew we were going to get an initial Day of the Doctor treat at the upcoming Children in Need event, we now have a little more inclination as to what we might be seeing. According to information on the BBFC web site, two different minisodes have been classified and attached to the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release of the 50th anniversary special: The Last Day and The Night of the Doctor.
The Last Day is slated to run just shy of 4 minutes and has no additional information attached to the description (although, Time War anyone?). The Night of the Doctor is set to run for almost 7 minutes and features David Tennant and Matt Smith (Note: at the time of writing, the BBFC page for this mini-sode has gone dark… Coincidence? I think not! Head to Who-natic to see the page before it was pulled). It’s anyone’s guess at this point as to what the minisodes will actually contain, but with only 11 days until Children in Need and 19 until the 50th, the wait is almost over!
More details and UK airdates have been announced for several of the BBC’s special programmes celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.
The Science of Doctor Who 14 November at 9pm on BBC2.
For one night only, Professor Brian Cox explores the universe of the world’s favourite Time Lord, Doctor Who.
Brian takes an audience, with the help of celebrity guests, on a journey into the wonderful universe of The Doctor, in a specially recorded programme from the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Brian reveals the science behind the spectacle and explains the physics that allows Doctor Who to travel through space and time. Fun, but filled with real science, it’s a special night for Who fans as well anyone with a thirst for understanding.
Brian is in the unique position of knowing The Doctor’s universe inside out as well as the reality behind the drama. When the TARDIS travels through time and space, Brian understands the physics involved. And when it comes to life on other planets, Brian knows the real science that could prove extra-terrestrial life might just really exist in our galaxy.
Further details and the airdate have been announced for The Science of Doctor Who, one of the special programmes to celebrate the 50th anniversary.
For one night only, Professor Brian Cox explores the universe of the world’s favourite Time Lord, Doctor Who.
Brian takes an audience, with the help of celebrity guests, on a journey into the wonderful universe of The Doctor, in a specially recorded programme from the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Brian reveals the science behind the spectacle and explains the physics that allows Doctor Who to travel through space and time. Fun, but filled with real science, it’s a special night for Who fans as well anyone with a thirst for understanding.
Brian is in the unique position of knowing The Doctor’s universe inside out as well as the reality behind the drama. When the TARDIS travels through time and space, Brian understands the physics involved. And when it comes to life on other planets, Brian knows the real science that could prove extra-terrestrial life might just really exist in our galaxy.
The show airs Thursday 14 November at 9pm on BBC2.
The Day of the Doctor official trailer will air in the UK this Saturday just before 8pm!
Yep, we’ve all been waiting for it, and the BBC has finally obliged. We’ve been teased with that #SaveTheDay thing that bookended Atlantis and that wonderful ‘tribute’ trailer, which celebrated all eleven Doctors and countless enemies. But it’s finally here.
Airing between Strictly Come Dancing and Atlantis, we expect to see the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors interacting with John Hurt’s Not-Quite-Doctor, as well as Clara Oswald, Rose Tyler, Daleks, a Zygon, and UNIT.
The BBC caused a bit of a commotion after screening an exclusive trailer months ago at the San Diego Comic Con, so fingers crossed this will appease fans.
The trailer is sure to be all over the internet by 8:01pm (UK time), but if you wanna catch it on first broadcast, tune into BBC1 on Saturday 9th November!
Ever since fans first saw filming pics of John Hurt’s Doctor, many have speculated that his costume is a patchwork of Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston’s, suggesting he could be the incarnation that came in-between them, or the “8.5? Doctor.
However, in a recent interview with SFX, Moffat claims it’s coincidental with no connection to past Doctors: “I can see why people say that. Looking at it face to face it didn’t occur to me as a patchwork of previous Doctors at all. It’s a rougher, tougher Doctor. It looks like somehow he’s been through it a bit. We are saying ‘This isn’t a Doctor who’s just appeared, he’s been around, he’s been in this form for a while.’ So one of the notes was make it look as though he’s been knocking around in this incarnation for a bit.”
Speaking about Hurt’s beard: “It’s another indicator that he’s not a fresh-born Doctor. We didn’t want to imply that he’d just been around for a little while. There’s a whole lot of stuff you missed! It’s a nice thing to be able to say in the show, and for no one to be able to contradict you, that there were years that you didn’t know about… we lied and lied, there’s a whole big old chapter you didn’t know.”
On whether Hurt’s Doctor will be a darker, scarier incarnation: “Well, wait and see. I always think that the clown and hero are different levels in the Doctor – there is no completely straight Doctor. The folk memory of Hartnell is he’s a cranky old man, but when you watch him he plays the Doctor as a stroppy child. Very twinkly and he’s not crotchety, he’s sulky, the way that an infant would be. Ian and Barbara are sort of his parents, indulging him to go and behave himself a bit better. The Doctors are always like that. He’s either an extraordinarily youthful old man or an extraordinarily old young man. He’s always both.”
Colin Baker appears to be a little disappointed about not being invited back for the 50th anniversary special.
Speaking to Attractions Magazine about if he had any involvement,he said: “If I told you my lips were sealed, you’d know that I was in it, but my lips are not sealed and I’m not in it.”
He adds: “I can say that Peter isn’t because I’ve seen him recently. And I can tell you that Sylvester isn’t, and neither is Paul. So none of us have been deemed worthy of inclusion in a programme that celebrates 50 years of a British television programme, of which I was in it for three. But no, we are surplus baggage.”
Baker also talks about Capaldi’s casting: “He’s an actor who I’ve admired for years. And he’s a grown-up! Not like these 12-year-olds we’ve had lately!”
For one night only, Professor Brian Cox explores the universe of the world’s favourite Time Lord, Doctor Who.
Brian takes an audience, with the help of celebrity guests, on a journey into the wonderful universe of The Doctor, in a specially recorded programme from the lecture theatre of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Brian reveals the science behind the spectacle and explains the physics that allows Doctor Who to travel through space and time. Fun, but filled with real science, it’s a special night for Who fans as well anyone with a thirst for understanding.
Bad quality or not thanks for posting. Ive been avoiding spoilers like the plague, but these two previews really have me excited about this special. Looks amazing.
