Media frenzy

In light of Tennant leaving, heres a little collection of the media reports and general coverage. A big thanks to baraduim for making the list!

ITN - Tennant quits Doctor Who (video with backstage footage, RTD, CT & Moffat)

BBC News - David Tennant quits as Doctor Who
BBC News - David Tennant on Doctor Who exit

Digital Spy - David Tennant quits Doctor Who

Guardian - Tennant to quit BBC hit Doctor Who
Guardian - Regenerate! Tennant to end stint as the Doctor
The Sun - Tennant is calling time on Doctor Who
Telegraph - David Tennant: why I'm quitting Doctor Who
Times - Timelord David Tennant quits the Tardis after five years
Reuters - David Tennant to leave Doctor Who
Sky News - Timelord Tennant quits Doctor Who

Independent - Tennant to stand down

Wired - David Tennant quitting after 2009

ABC News - Tennant calls time on Doctor Who

CBBC Newsround - How do you feel about Tennant leaving Dr Who?
TV Scoop - Now its "Doctor Who?" all over again
Metro - Time I left, says winning Tennant
Metro - Tennant: Parting is such sweet sorrow
Daily Mail - Dr No!

Mirror - David Tennant quits as Doctor Who

Telegraph (again) - Tennant will be missed but Dr Who could improve
South Wales Echo - Doctor Who star David Tennant to quit BBC hit
The Spoof - David Tennant quits as Doctor Who After Sexual Affair With Brand

The Speculation

Den of Geek - Bookies reveal odds on who will be next Doctor Who

Telegraph - Doctor Who: the favourites to replace David Tennant
This is Swansea - Who is next in line for the role of the Doctor?

EW News - Bits and Bobs: 'Who' should replace David Tennant?

LA Times - David Tennant quits; is Russell Tovey the next Time Lord?

Online Betting Guide - Next Doctor Who Likely To Be Joseph Patterson
BBC America- David Tennant Out, Paterson Joseph In as Doctor Who?
Mirror - Who is the next Tardis tenant now David's called Time Lord?
Londonderry Sentinel - Nesbitt tipped as next Dr Who
BBC News - Nesbitt tipped to take over in Tardis
Belfast Telegraph - James Nesbitt tipped for Dr Who role
William Hill - You Bet Rhys Will Make Good Doctor Who!

So the odds they give at this stage are:
5/2 David Morrissey
3/1 Patterson Joseph
6/1 James McAvoy
7/1 James Nesbitt, Robert Carlyle
8/1 John Simm, Rhys Ifans
12/1 Anthony Head
14/1 Alan Davies, Jason Statham
16/1 Nigel Harman, Bill Nighy
25/1 Daniel Radcliffe, Burn Gorman
33/1 Stephen Fry, John Barrowman
20/1 Next Doctor To Be Female
50/1 Christopher Eccleston.

"Now, I have it on veeeeery good authority that the next Doctor has already been chosen. It's an interesting new direction, and the choice (assuming no changes of heart) will probably surprise - and divide - many. The name I've heard isn't Paterson Joseph. Or John Simm. Or James Nesbitt."

(DigitalSpy)

Right, so there we go... its all madness!

Stand down

Hmm, seems I missed out on a bit of excitement here. The Whoniverse has gone insane!

Well, I'm sure most people know already but heres an official post.

David Tennant is to stand down as Doctor Who, after becoming one of the most popular Time Lords in the history of the BBC science fiction show.

Tennant stepped into the Tardis in 2005, and will leave the role after four special episodes are broadcast next year.

He made the announcement after winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the National Television Awards.

"When Doctor Who returns in 2010 it won't be with me," he said. "I don't ever want it to feel like a job, so I want to move on when it still feels exciting and fresh. Now don't make me cry... I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don't take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you'll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair."

'I'll miss it'

Three years was "about the right time" to play the role, he told the BBC in an exclusive interview. "I think it's better to go when there's a chance that people might miss you, rather than to hang around and outstay your welcome," he said.

His stint in the show had been "the most extraordinary time, it's been bewildering, life changing, very exciting", he said.

"And just so much fun, such a great show to work on. That's one of the reasons I think it's right to take a deep breath and bow out when it's still fun, when it's a novelty. I don't ever want it to feel like a job, so I want to move on when it still feels exciting and fresh and that means I'll miss it."

Russell T Davies, executive producer, said: "I've been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years - and it's not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left!

"After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano. But we're planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching."

You can see the full article (with a video) over here on the BBC news site.

Book Fest

If you check out the TimesOnline then you can see a fantastic clip of RTD and Barrowman doing a Q&A session for Cheltenham Literary Festival

There are worse things than, for one evening at least, looking like you’re part of a gang consisting of John Barrowman, Russell T Davies and yourself.

Even if your role in the gang is an understandably nominal one, consisting of little more than reading some hurriedly-scribbled, half-arsed questions off a notepad, and sweating a lot.

At this year’s Cheltenham Literary Festival, one of the biggest events was The Times’ talk with Russell T Davies and John Barrowman, on the subject of the inconceivably successful reinvention of Doctor Who.

Over the course of an hour and a half, and some amazingly obvious questions from me, John and Russell discuss why they love the show, how secretly controversial it is, how difficult it is to write, reveal future monsters, barrack Prince Charles for turning down a cameo, and disclose who farts most in the confines of the TARDIS – John Barrowman, or David Tennant.

Read the full article and enjoy the video Here!

CiN - Xmas preview

Straight from the BBC Doctor Who site

This year's Children in Need Telethon is to feature an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Doctor Who Christmas Special.

The clip, from the Christmas Special entitled The Next Doctor, will show the first two minutes of a brand new episode for the Time Lord, played by David Tennant.

This never seen before footage, is a worldwide exclusive, and will keep fans all over the globe wondering what's in store for the Doctor's next adventure.

Starring David Tennant and David Morrissey, the clip from The Next Doctor will be broadcast as part of the BBC Children in Need show on 14 November, BBC One from 7pm.

Hooray!

Children in Need

Hmmm, straight from the BBC press office. How intriguing!

BBC Children In Need 2008

Friday 14 November 

Pudsey is back in town for BBC Children In Need 2008

Broadcasting live from Television Centre in London, the BBC Children In Need Appeal once again raises the curtain to entertain the nation, bringing viewers a rich offering of stellar entertainment acts – all appearing to raise money for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Host Terry Wogan is joined by Tess Daly and Fearne Cotton for a spectacular night of fun and fundraising.

The seven-hour show features some of the UK's top TV, musical and theatrical personalities and acts, highlights of which include performances from Take That, Girls Aloud, Leon Jackson, Boyzone, Escala, Stereophonics, John Barrowman, Il Divo and Jason Donovan.

There are some Children In Need-themed scenes from Doctor Who and Ashes To Ashes, a musical extravaganza from Albert Square, featuring the cast of EastEnders, and a special edition of Junior Masterchef.

Appeal messages feature throughout the night from a host of celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Jack Black and The Osbournes. And, of course, there is the annual, live performance by the BBC newsreaders.

The programme also features broadcasts from around the UK, as BBC presenters join their local communities to catch up with some energetic and creative fundraising exploits.

Wonder what thats all about then!

Series 4 Soundtrack

The track titles for the series 4 soundtrack have now been released, and it all looks exciting!

1. Doctor Who Season Four Opening Credits (1:07)
2. A Noble Girl About Town (2:14)
3. Life Among the Distant Stars (2:30)
4. Corridors and Fire Escapes (1:12)
5. The Sybilline Sisterhood (1:53)
6. Songs of Captivity and Freedom (4:03)
7. UNIT Rocks (1:11)
8. The Doctor's Daughter (1:38)
9. The Source (3:21)
10. The Unicorn and the Wasp (3:11)
11. The Doctor's Theme Season Four (2:47)
12. Voyage of the Damned Suite (10:21)
13. The Girl With No Name (2:45)
14. The Song of Song (2:14)
15. All in the Mind (1:18)
16. Silence In The Library (2:57)
17. The Greatest Story Never Told (6:17)
18. Midnight (3:07)
19. Turn Left (2:20)
20. A Dazzling End (2:22)
21. The Rueful Fate of Donna Noble (2:44)
22. Davros (2:07)
23. The Dark and Endless Dalek Night (3:44)
24. A Pressing Need to Save the World (4:55)
25. Hanging On The Tablaphone (1:07)
26. Song of Freedom (2:51)
27. Doctor Who Season Four Closing Credits (1:07)

New books

Info on the 3 newest Doctor Who books have been released. Or... not really info, but the titles at least!

The Taking of Chelsea 426 by David Llewellyn
Autonomy by Daniel Blythe
The Krillitane Storm by Christopher Cooper

Oh, and the director of the Easter Special is James Strong and it contains the words 'Athelstan', 'posh' and 'chirrup' and the line 'wonder what she gets up to of an evening'

Hooray!

10 Doctor's on SFX

For anyone who knows SFX magazine, you'll be aware that it often brings out the goods on Doctor Who. And this issue is no different!

On 23 November 1963, the world met the Doctor for the first time, when An Unearthly Child hit British television screens. Now 45 years and nine more incarnations of the Time Lord later, SFX is set to celebrate the anniversary of Doctor Who's launch in truly cosmic style.

Issue 176 of Earth’s leading science fiction magazine will offer readers a choice of no less than ten variant covers, one for each incarnation of the legendary Doctor.

From original 1960s star William Hartnell to the wildly popular David Tennant. Patrick Troughton! Jon Pertwee! Tom Baker! Peter Davison! Colin Baker! Sylvester McCoy! Paul McGann! Christopher Eccleston!

Click here to see pictures of all 10 covers

RTD gives us the first, exclusive word on this year’s hotly anticipated Christmas special (teasingly titled "The Next Doctor"). It sees a rematch between our time-travelling hero and emotionless enemies the Cybermen. "We needed a familiar enemy," shares Davies, who then tells us: "All our Christmas specials have been very different. It’s time to do a smaller, more intimate story – though having said that, the ending is ferociously huge..."

Plus there’s a rundown of Doctor Who’s 45 greatest, most iconic monsters, as decided by the SFX experts. Who will win – the Ice Warriors? The Ood? Or will the Daleks exterminate all opposition to claim their place as the supreme beings in the universe? There may be a surprise in store...

Celebrate 45 years in the time-space vortex with SFX

 On sale from Wednesday 22 October

Read the full story HERE

Tate vs Tennant

The TimesOnline has a nice article about the upcoming National Television Awards where both David Tennant and Catherine Tate are going head to head.

She plays his sidekick on Doctor Who, but at this month’s National Television Awards Catherine Tate will be David Tennant’s competition.

Both stars have been shortlisted for Outstanding Drama Performance for their roles as the Timelord and his assistant Donna Noble.

Tate, also a celebrated comic, and Tennant, currently earning praise for his role in a theatre production of Shakespeare comedy Love’s Labour Lost, could be saved from an awkward post-awards moment by Ashes to Ashes star Philip Glenister or The Bill’s Alex Walkinshaw, who have also been nominated.

Read the full story here

'Swine' Prince Snubs Dr Who Role

...Is the amusing title that Sky News gives this report.

Apparently RTD asked the Price of Wales to appear in a cameo for Doctor Who and he said no. So RTD called him a miserable swine. Not to his face! Just in jest during a Q&A session.

Writer and executive producer Russell T Davies told 2,000 sci-fi fans the Prince snubbed his invitation to star in the popular BBC drama.

Mr Davies OBE, 45, went so far as to call His Royal Highness a "miserable swine" when speaking at the The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Referring to his new book Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, Mr Davies was asked about his plans for a Prince Charles cameo in the time-travelling series.

His response surprised members of the audience when he declared: "He turned us down, the miserable swine."

I don't know why they felt the need to repeat "miserable swine" twice, but I assume its for impact. Hence why I've made sure its been stated 4 times already.

Anyway, you can read the full story here

The Seven Doctors?!

Well this is a new one!

According to the Telegraph, there are plans to bring back all the surviving Doctor's for a Children in Need special.

The actors are getting together for the BBC charity Children in Need in a programme to be broadcast on November 14. 

An insider at the BBC said: "It's a pretty ambitious idea and it's still being finalised. Everything is being kept under wraps but Doctor Who fans are in for a big treat." 

The first of the 10 actors to take the role was William Hartnell in 1963, followed three years later by Patrick Troughton and then by Jon Pertwee but all three have since died. 

The seven survivors include Tom Baker, now best known as the voice of the comedy series Little Britain, who played the role for seven years from 1974. He was followed by Peter Davidson from 1981 to 1984, whose daughter Georgia Moffett has also featured in the programme and is now dating David Tennant. 

The others are Colin Baker, from 1984 to 1986, Sylvester McCoy who had two stints from 1987 to 1989 and re-appeared in the role in 1996, Paul McGann, who took over the role in 1996 and Christopher Eccleston who reprised the series in 2005.

Full story here and I feel I should point out that theres nothing official about this from the BBC. At the moment it should be filed under rumors and speculation.

Tis madness!

Should I stay or should I go

NewsoftheWorld has reported on the stupidly large amount of money that people are willing to give Tennant in order to persuade him to stay on as the Doctor

Dr Who Tennant 'to stay'

DAVID Tennant is in talks to stay on as Dr Who until 2011, the News of the World can reveal.

The negotiations mark a stunning U-turn for the 37-year-old actor who had planned to walk away from the BBC role after filming four specials next year. But, following pleas from BBC chiefs and fans, Tennant is now considering continuing as the telly timelord.

Full story here if you're interested

Sounds Effects

The site SonicState has a brilliant post that explores the secrets behind the Doctor Who and Torchwood sound designs.

"All the audio for the show is now put together at the newly unveiled BANG Studios in Cardiff where they not only do all the sound design, SFX and audio post for BBC's Doctor Who but alsoTorchwood and other major film and TV projects."

Theres a nice video to watch as well. Interesting stuff!

Series 4 boxset review

I like boxsets, they fill me with joy. And if you're excited about the upcoming series 4 boxset then I suggest that you hop (yes i said hop) over to DenofGeek to read a full on fantastic review!

There are also loads of brilliant photos from deleted and behind the scenes moments. Such as this one from The Unicorn and the Wasp

Get hopping!

Lots of Torchwood filming!

Yup, over the last few days theres been lots more filming for Torchwood - exciting stuff! And thanks to all those lucky people who live in Cardiff, we have a truly amazing amount of photos and videos to gawp over.

As we know, the Hub will be going boom and the following links show footage from filming around that.

• Wales online has a newspaper report on the recent filming
  
• Alun.Vega, Vivelesteve and Mugimoe(1)(2) have tons of brilliant photos and videos on photobucket
• Taliesin142008 has a youtube video with footage and whatnot
• And finally, Paulmount's utterly fantastic blog has loads of photos, videos and set reports

And the Torchwood page has now been updated!

Enjoy!

Doctor Who and SJA

The fantastic site DenofGeek, talks about what new tidbits we've learned from the series 4 commentaries and its very exciting!

ON THE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL...

• The phrase "cache of info-stamps" is said.

• There's a character called Aubrey Fairchild who meets a "terrible death".

• The Hub set, from spin-off series Torchwood, has been 'trashed' and used for filming in the special.

ON THE FUTURE...

• David Tennant refers to Steven Moffat as his "new boss", and their discussion indicates that they are already working together.

• The written (but not filmed) 'Shadow Proclamation' scene in The Stolen Earth, featuring monsters from throughout the series, has been requested by David to appear in one of the specials.

ON THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES...

• The production team couldn't find an actor short enough for Kaagh in The Last Sontaran so they had to make a new costume - thereby upping the cost of the episode.

• The actor who played the milkman from Journey's End is to appear in an upcoming episode.

• Catherine Tate wants a part (but not as Donna Noble), as her daughter loves the show.

• David Tennant wants to be the voice of 'Mr. Smith'.

• David Tennant was to appear in the opening episode (in a sub-plot which would explain why K9 was not to appear in the show) but, at the time of recording the commentary, this idea was binned. Julie Gardener states "it could still happen".

AND FINALLY...

• When asked if River Song is The Doctor's wife, Steven Moffat says "it's more complicated than that"

• RTD reveals that Harriet Jones died in The Stolen Earth despite Phil Collinson's protestations that she lived.

They also had this picture:

Which is from a deleted scene where the Doctor gives 10.5 a bit of the TARDIS so he can grow his own!

There you go! There's more info on the DenofGeek page (which you should go look at NOW!) but methinks its pretty exciting!

Bye bye Hub!

Recent filming for Torchwood shows that their fantastic and famous Hub gets rather... um, blown up.

More about this on the Torchwood page.

Hooray!

Old vs New

On the Guardian website you can now vote on whether you prefer old or new Who.

"Black and white with strongly-plotted stories, wobbly sets, model spaceships and crude CSO special effects, the era of UNIT, the old control room, Leela, the Ice Warriors, the Celestial Toymaker and the Key to Time."

VS

"The revival with its dazzling state-of-the-art effects laden with humour and pathos, the era of Jackie, the Slitheen, the Face of Boe and the psychic paper"

So if you feel like it, give it a vote!

Barrowman Interview

Theres a nice interview with John Barrowman in the Daily Mail, tis a long one so just follow the link to read all.

I don't want to be liked...just to get a little respect, says Doctor Who star John Barrowman

Its got loads of pictures from when he was a wee boy and is just generally a good read. So enjoy!

The Last Sontaran

Here you go! Sorry for the delay!

The Last Sontaran

Reports of strange lights around the Tycho Radio Telescope lead Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde and Maria into a terrifying forest encounter – and Sarah Jane comes face to face with her oldest enemy. Meanwhile Maria wrestles with a huge decision when her dad is offered a new job in America.

Simply clicky here to find a playlist for all 6 sections of both episodes. Then just press the play button, sit back and enjoy!

Update

Some random news and updates

• Sky TV has a wee article claiming that Tom Baker may be making a reappearance in 2010. It also mentions the recent rumors of the World War 2 episode featuring Winston Churchill
  
  
• There are still Patrick Stewart rumors flying about. Apparently he's still interested and willing to accommodate, but nothing is certain about his schedule.
  
  
• And just a quick reminder for you all, the Torchwood page has been updated with some new pics and filming reports 

Enjoy!

RTD times it up

There was an interview with RTD in the Times talking about his involvement with the SJA and his general view on it all.

Here ye go!

Russell T. Davies explains why the Doctor’s not in the house

Russell T. Davies explains how he made Doctor Who’s 1970s companion such a hit with the children of today

Is it just for small children? 
The one thing I demanded is that the threat would always be real rather than comic, though we make it a lot lighter and with a lot less fear. On Doctor Who we consider the eight-year-olds or the 10-year-olds, but with this you seriously have to think of six-year-olds. It doesn’t sound like there is much difference between 6 and 8, but they are actually a vastly different creature. Part of you also has to remember that the six-year-olds watching the series last year are seven-year-olds now, and they are into it, they get the mythology and want to see things dealt with in detail. So the scripts for this second series are a little more complex.

How dark can it get? 
Kids love dark. I think it’s only adults watching who worry about that. Harry Potter gets as dark as hell in some places. All the great fairytales and myths are full of loss and longing. You’re an idiot if you remember childhood as just laughing, running about and having a good time. But I think it’s a job of good children’s drama to include the full range of emotions, which also includes happiness.

Why bring back the Brigadier, another Doctor Who supporting character from the 1970s? 
It works beautifully in Sarah Jane because it’s as if she goes to visit her grandfather – the wise old man who is the keeper of secrets and can help save the day. They don’t have long conversations about how they defeated the Daleks in 1972.

Would you introduce any more characters from the old series? 
We’ve got to limit it. It’s not a pension plan for people who used to be in Doctor Who.

Would you ever feature the Doctor in SJA or would that be wrong? 
I don’t think that would be wrong, not at all. It doesn’t happen in this series partly because you want the series to stand on its own two feet. We might consider it in the future, but it’s certainly not the first thing on our agenda.

Were there any misgivings about having a middle-aged woman front a children’s show? 
No. I once tried to create a spin-off of Queer as Folk with Vince’s mother Hazel at the heart of it. At the time, Channel 4 was up in arms that a middle-aged woman would be at the centre of the action, so it never happened. They are idiots. It would have been magnificent.

Didn’t the BBC originally suggest the idea of “a young Doctor”?
They did, and I threw it out of the window. It would demystify the Doctor having a boy running around saying, “I am the Doctor” with a sonic screwdriver. Just rubbish.

Would you consider writing a show for teenagers? 
God no. People keep making shows for teenagers, who aren’t watching television – but they never will. They are too busy snogging and being miserable in their rooms.

Apologies

Hey all,

I'm very sorry for disappearing for the last coupe of days. It was never my intention for this to happen, especially when Blogtor who has closed.

I've just left home and started university so as well as being stupidly busy, I've only just got the internet sorted out!

Anywho, after today things should be back to normal.

Sorry again :)