Archive for the 'BBC' Tag
October 30th, 2009, 3:30 pm by Jayson Peters
 The next Doctor Who special in this year of no regular-season episodes will air Dec. 19 on BBC America, just over a month after it debuts in its native Britain.
According to a report from Airlock Alpha, the episode, titled “Waters of Mars,” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Feb. 2. But that’s not all: A five-disc set featuring all of this year’s specials — “The Next Doctor,” “Planet of the Dead,” “Waters of Mars” and the upcoming two-part finale for outgoing star David Tennant, will also be available priced from $50.
“Waters of Mars” introduces a new companion for Tennant’s Doctor: the strong-minded Adelaide, played by veteran Scottish actress Lindsay Duncan (pictured above with Tennant in a scene from the BBC special).
Posted in: Blu-ray • DVDs • Doctor Who • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Television • BBC | Post a Comment »
October 22nd, 2009, 12:03 am by Jayson Peters
 Photo: IFC / BBC What the hell, BBC? Do you have an inferiority complex or something?
The British comedy troupe Monty Python is alive and well these days (except for Graham Chapman, of course), having surpassed cult status and entered the realm of pop culture icons with a touring musical and even a card game.
But if the British Broadcasting Corporation had had its way in the 1970s, the group’s TV show might never have survived to reach the DVD generation.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Television • BBC • Monty Python | Post a Comment »
October 6th, 2009, 12:06 am by Jayson Peters
Doctor Who is getting a new logo to go with its new leading man — and it’s TARDIS-riffic!
The new design, inspired by the Doctor’s police box-shaped craft, was unveiled at 8 a.m. London time Tuesday on the show’s official website. It’s a wonderful nod to the show’s history and its timeless quality.
Here’s a look back at the Who logo — and accompanying theme tune — through the years, from 1963 to the present. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Doctor Who • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • Television • BBC | 2 Comments »
October 2nd, 2009, 3:39 pm by Jayson Peters
 ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Everybody needs a little help sometime. Even the Dark Lord of the Sith.
David Prowse, who wore the black cape and helmet of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, recently needed to call upon a force of a different kind when his Mercedes (once owned by R2-D2 performer Kenny Baker, by the way) broke down on the M1 highway in Northamptonshire, England.
BBC News reports that the towering, 72-year-old former bodybuilder broke down en route to a reunion of the 501st UK Garrison costuming and charity group. He was intimidated by the speed and sound of passing traffic, so he retreated behind a safety barrier until help could arrive from the highway patrol.
Prowse was only the brawny body of Darth Vader; actor James Earl Jones provided the imposing voice to match.
Ironically, Prowse is also famous for portraying the “Green Cross Code Man,” a superhero character created to teach pedestrian safety to children. He received MBE honors from Queen Elizabeth in 2000 for the public service.
Via TheForce.Net
Posted in: Star Wars • BBC • David Prowse | Post a Comment »
September 8th, 2009, 2:49 pm by Jayson Peters
 Richard Curtis The British screenwriter behind some of the most successful romantic comedies (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually) as well as some of the most raucus British sitcoms (Mr. Bean, Blackadder, The Vicar of Dibley) will write an episode of Doctor Who.
Award winner Richard Curtis is also the founder of Comic Relief, a charity organization founded to raise awareness of hunger in Africa. Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson appeared as one incarnation of the Doctor in the 1999 Comic Relief sketch “The Curse of Fatal Death,” and his Blackadder co-star Tim McInnerny appeared in season four’s Planet of the Ood.
According to The Doctor Who News Page, Curtis’ Doctor Who script, which will air during Matt Smith’s upcoming first season in the lead role, will involve a historical figure fighting a monster.
Posted in: Doctor Who • Television • BBC • Richard Curtis | Post a Comment »
August 11th, 2009, 2:18 pm by Jayson Peters
 After 10 years of partnership, the BBC has renewed Big Finish Productions’ license to create full-cast original audio dramas based on Doctor Who.
Long before the TV series was relaunched in 2005, Big Finish kept the flame alive using talent that had long been producing unauthorized audio adventures and would eventually contribute some of the new series’ most memorable episodes.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in: Business • Doctor Who • Sci-Fi & Fantasy • BBC • Big Finish Productions | Post a Comment »
August 10th, 2009, 4:07 pm by Jayson Peters
 Following success with this year’s Doctor Who specials and the Torchwood miniseries “Children of Earth,” BBC America has decided to keep things rolling and pick up the first-run rights to the upcoming fifth season of Who.
BBC America has shown Doctor Who for several years, but a pre-existing deal gave Sci Fi Channel Syfy first airing rights in the U.S. That arrangement recently expired, and BBC America got to host the Stateside premiere of the recent specials that have taken the place of a full season in 2009.
The new episodes will air here shortly after they air across the pond in 2010.
For American fans, it means a quicker turnaround after the episodes premiere in their native U.K. — but it likely also means subscribing to a more expensive higher tier of cable service.
In long-standing Who tradition, Matt Smith (pictured) will take over the role of the ever-changing Time Lord from David Tennant at the end of this year’s Christmas special.
Via Airlock Alpha
Posted in: Doctor Who • Television • BBC | Post a Comment »
August 2nd, 2009, 6:46 pm by Jayson Peters
Torchwood, the racy Doctor Who spinoff that just completed an epic 5-night miniseries titled “Children of Earth” that comprised its third season, has not yet officially earned a fourth season — and it may be about to lose its leading man.
 John Barrowman John Barrowman, who plays the immortal, bisexual former Time Agent Captain Jack Harkness, is being courted by ABC for a role in its primtime soap opera, Desperate Housewives, according to statements the actor made on the BBC’s Radio One.
Barrowman, an openly gay American citizen who was born in Scotland, also has been rumored to be up for the title role in a Captain America film.
The actor and talent show presenter has a habit of raising eyebrows and exposing himself in interviews. Should things get out of hand on Wisteria Lane, can we count on the TARDIS to pop in and set things right?
Via Gawker/io9
Posted in: Doctor Who • Television • ABC • BBC • casting • Desperate Housewives • John Barrowman • Torchwood | Post a Comment »
July 31st, 2009, 12:06 am by Jayson Peters
The latest Doctor Who special, “Planet of the Dead,” has aired on BBC America and is therefore available on iTunes for $1.99 — meaning that fans in the U.S. are now up to date with their British counterparts. At least until this fall, when the next special, “The Waters of Mars,” is expected to air in the U.K.
After that, it’s just a pair of Christmas specials and then David Tennant’s run as the ever-changing Time Lord will be over, giving way to the Matt Smith era.
“Planet of the Dead” guest stars Michelle Ryan (Merlin, Bionic Woman) and comic Lee Evans (There’s Something About Mary) for the first Doctor Who adventure shot in high definition. Ryan plays the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza, who joins the Doctor on a bus trip that takes a very unexpected detour into danger, while British comedy star Lee Evans also joins the cast as a character called Malcolm whose life becomes connected to the Doctor’s under extraordinary circumstances.
See also:
Posted in: Doctor Who • Technology • BBC • iTunes | Post a Comment »
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