BBC Proms 2008

6,000 people, boiling hot day, two hours of unbelievably good music. If Catherine Tate had a hangover...well, I sympathised with her. Not one to stint on the sauce, I spent the previous night at Duckie over at the Vauxhall Tavern. Met some lovely fans and spotted Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman in the throngs outside. That's 'throngs'....

A stunning day followed and whilst in the queue also spotted the lovely Phil Collinson. Apparently there were 500 £5 tickets available on the day, a waiting list of 3000 and tickets going for £250 on eBay!





(Great picture from Mark Allan/Daily Mail)

It truly felt like a day of celebration and thanks to the fantastic BBC Philharmonic, Murray Gold, Ben Foster, Stephen Bell and the truly spectacular London Philharmonic Choir...it was. Plus add in Freema, Camille, Noel...and a big surprise with the appearance of Catherine Tate...and you couldn't wish for a more perfect concert. Tate's reception was incredible and I think she was genuinely flabbergasted by the waves of love from the audience.





Judoon, Sontarans, Daleks, Cybermen and that nasty ol' Davros also popped in. I felt for those Judoon and Cybermen trying to clamber down the aisles of the Albert Hall. I was expecting someone to come a cropper! The raising up of Davros in the middle of the standing area was a real bonus and for a moment Davros and the Daleks were in control of Ben Foster and demanding only Dalek music be heard.

More lovely pics from Mark Allan and Daily Mail:





Another highlight was the Proms Cutaway Music Of The Spheres which was a specially filmed segment for the Proms. A very amusing little vignette with David Tennant on fine form and a philosophical theme about everyone's inner music. “Music isn’t all Proms and rock guitars and orchestras,” the Doctor said, holding 6000 people in raptures. “You’ve got music in your head, too. Next time you get a moment, sit still and listen to it. Everyone can write a song.”


FILLING THIS SPACE VIDEO MUSIC OF THE SHEPERES WITH AUDIENCE

With the added presence of the Choir, much of the music presented was given a tremendous scale and power and for me the highlights were This Is Gallifrey, Doomsday, Donna / Girl In The Fireplace / Astrid (introduced by Cath Tate) and for sheer choir power The Daleks And Davros and The Doctor's Theme/Song Of Freedom. Wonderful stuff. Here's the running order for those who want it.

# Murray Gold Concert Prologue* (3 mins)
# Copland Fanfare for the Common Man (3 mins)
# Murray Gold All The Strange Strange Creatures* (4 mins)
# Mark-Anthony Turnage The Torino Scale (UK premiere) (4 mins)
# Holst The Planets - Jupiter (8 mins)
# Murray Gold The Doctor Forever* (4.30 mins)
# Murray Gold Rose* (1.30 mins)
# Murray Gold Martha v The Master* (4.30 mins)
# Murray Gold Music of the Spheres (including theme original)* (7.30 mins)
# Wagner Die Walküre - The Ride of the Valkyries (5 mins)
# Murray Gold The Daleks & Davros* (8 mins)
# Murray Gold Donna, Girl in Fireplace, Astrid* (4 mins)
# Prokofiev 'Montagues and Capulets' from Romeo and Juliet (5 mins)
# Murray Gold This is Gallifrey* (3.30 mins)
# Murray Gold Doctor's Theme / Song for Freedom * (5.30 mins)
# Murray Gold Doomsday* (5 mins)
# Murray Gold Song for Ten* (4 mins)
# Murray Gold Doctor Who Theme* (1.30 mins)





The Whole Prom is available to listen below it is in 2 parts

PART 1



PART 2

Doctor Who Art : Lee Johnson

Just a brief nod to Lee Johnson. He's been producing superb DVD cover art for the new series of Doctor Who and for the classic series and Torchwood. If you're not keen on the covers being produced by 2|Entertain and BBC DVD...well you can download the alternatives, print them out and jazz up your DVD collection. Either that or you can use them as sleeves for your own off-air recordings.

Sure you'll agree that the artwork is quite superb and has much potential for use as wallpapers, screen savers and posters.

Lee's clean art for the series finale is above and here are some he's done for various new series episodes:

sarah jane adventures part 2

More from the shooting that took place last week in Cardiff on Series 2 of The Sarah Jane Adventures. Further images of lovely Nicholas Courtney, plus some of Samantha Bond in her reprise of the Mrs. Wormwood character and last, but not least, Elisabeth Sladen. UNIT officers, exploding Bane creatures and a Sontaran were much in evidence on the day as well as a visit from Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner. Again, many thanks to Scooty and the Set Report crew over at The Doctor Who Forum for the pictures.







Featuring....

* Sarah Jane
* Luke
* Clyde
* Maria
* Rani
* Sontaran
* Sontarans chasing Luke and Clyde in a forest
* Clyde's dad with blue veins on his face and evilness eyes (possessed?)
* A man with white hair and a white suit (psychic?)
* Something running in the light and growling
* A Graske! (You see it for a microsecond before the....)
* A freaky clown (argh!)
* Sarah, scared
* Apparently, there was a Dalek there too - see here for more details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Returning Characters:
> Sarah Jane
> Luke
> Clyde
> Maria
> Mr Smith

New Characters:
> Rani (Anjli Mohindra)
> ... and parents (Mina Anwar as Gita and Ace Bhatti as Haresh)
> Clyde's parents (Jocelyn Jee Eisen as Carla and Gary Beadle as Paul)
> the Brig

Monsters and Aliens:
> The Sontarans
> The Bane (Mrs Wormwood has been seen filming)
> Clowns
> A Pyschic


The Stories:
> There are 12 stories / 5 adventures:
Episodes 1/2 written by Phil Ford, directed by Joss Agnew
Episodes 3/4 written by Phil Ford, directed by Michael Kerrigan
Episodes 5/6 written by Gareth Roberts, directed by Michael Kerrigan
Episodes 7/8 written by Joseph Lidster, directed by Joss Agnew
Episodes 9/10 written by Gareth Roberts, directed by Graeme Harper
Episodes 11/12 witten by Phil Ford, directed by Graeme Harper

> Thanks to Fizzle, two of the episodes could be called The Last Sontaran and Day of the Clown. These were found on the Penguin Books website (as all SJA episodes are novellised)

Rumoured to be .... (thanks to crimson and Brigade Leader)
>> 1: Maria/Rani
2: Clowns
3: Pyschic
4: Clyde's family
5: Brig/Bane/Sontaran
6: Finale
or....
>> 1: ?
2: Rani .... Clowns
3: Pyschic
4: Clyde's family
5: ?
6: Brig/Bane/Sontaran

ONE

*
There have been suggestions that Maria and one/both of her parents will be in this story.
*
David Tennant may make an appearance as the Doctor (!!)

TWO : Day of the Clown

*
These episodes feature Clowns
*
And "Spellman's Magical Museum of the Circus".
*
With Bradley Walsh and Claudio Laurini being creepy clowns.
*
Clowns have been rumoured to "transform"
*
Set Reports have shown people holding hands and blocking the entrance to - and going around the circus, but then they let in Sarah...

THREE

*
These episodes feature a Psychic
*
With Russ Abbott playing Martin Trueman - a Medium or Spritualist
*
... doing a show at the 'East Acton New Theatre'.
*
A chain of strange spaced out people stand around the front of the theatre at one point, but unlink hands briefly to allow Sarah Jane and the kids in.

FOUR

*
Clyde takes centre-stage
*
Family are intoduced
*
Jocelyn Jee Eisen and Gary Beadle are playing Carla and Paul Langer respectively.
*
Paul seems affluent, and the two are "an unbeatable combination", according to producer Nikki Smith. "It's powerful and compelling stuff, and promises to be one of our strongest stories yet."
*
Clyde's dad has been seen to be "possessed" in the trailer.

FIVE

*
May feature the Graske (as seen in the trailer) and Paul Marc Davies (who played the Trickster last series)

SIX

* The finale will consist of the Sontaran return ...
* with Mrs Wormwood aswell ...
* and the Brig!

Info/Rumours:
(from Sarah-Jane.tv and thanks to nabusan)
> Mr. Smith begins to receive information that an attack on Earth is imminent - at the same time, Luke begins to experience strange dreams, with a familiar female foe haunting him. She's calling out for Luke, because [well, that'd be telling].

> Coincendentally, Sarah-Jane is receiving a visit from an old friend at the same time; Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart - formerly Brigadier of U.N.I.T (or at least, the U.N.I.T of the old days...)

> Sir Alistair is now semi-retired, having fallen out with the M.O.D over their treatment of U.N.I.T in recent years. Warfare isn't always the answer, he tells Sarah. It took a wise man (ergo, the Doctor) to make him realise that.

> The Sontarans are back; having formed an alliance with an old foe! They want "blood revenge" for their defeat in Doctor Who's "The Sontaran Stratagem" two parter. Old foe being Mrs Wormwood...?

> Sir Alistair has something rather sinister concealed in his cane - a gun! He uses it to shoot a Sontaran's probic vent!!

> A florists plays an important role within the story...

> There's "a lovely scene" with Sarah, the Brigadier and Luke up in Sarah's attic. It's a trip down memory lane; especially when Sir Alistair sees a picture of Harry Sullivan...

> We learn what the Brig was doing during the Dalek invasion...

(Thanks to stuface; in an interview with Nikki Smith [new producer] in the SFX magazine)

> Maria Jackson and family are only in the first story (eps 1 and 2) , then they move out.

> The Chandra family then move in, with Rani being a girl who like journalism, and she looks up Sarah Jane

> Nikki doesn't know whether or not Rani's name is an in-joke. This makes the suggestion that Rani is The Rani totally false.

> A rogue Sontaran will feature in the first and final stories.

> Mrs Wormwood is back in the finale, with Samantha Bond playing her.

> We meet Clyde's parents in a mid-season story.

> Bradley Walsh plays an alien with three identities. (Clowns?)

> The bulk of the FX work is now being handled in-house at BBC Wales with the Mill provided a few of the more complex FX sequences (including the return of the Sontaran spaceship).

> When asked about the Doctor's appearance, Nikki says, "watch this space".

> The Brig returns in the final story

> A DVD of Season One is pipelined and should be out by Christmas.

Misc.

> 1950s style clothing were needed for an episode, presumabley the last episode. It was for a party, which will be filmed in two weeks - does this mean there will be a time travelling element? (thanks to nabusan)
This episode will apparently have a scene with Sarah Jane as a baby (jon preddle), does this mean more Trickster trickery?

> Paul Marc Davies (The Trickster from Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?) has revealed that he will be doing more work on SJA - does that mean the return of the Trickster? The Graske are back.... (thanks to themyrka)

> The Slitheen were in the first and last adventure last series, so does that mean the Sontarans are in the first and last adventures? (thanks to TardisKid)

Sarah Jane Adventures Spoiler Part 1

Filming has been continuing on the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures for transmission in September. Joining Lis Sladen for a two part story, also featuring the return of the Sontarans and Mrs. Wormwood, the leader of the Bane from the series pilot, is none other than the legendary Nicholas Courtney. He reprises his role as Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart, former commander of UNIT. Here are some on location pictures. Many thanks to Scooty and the Doctor Who Forum for these.