Timelord50: January 2009

Saturday, 31 January 2009

Lee Evans to star in Doctor Who

Guest role in Easter special

Lee Evans to star in Doctor Who

Lee Evans is to guest star in the Doctor Who Easter special.

He will play a character called Malcolm, ‘whose life becomes connected to the Doctor's under extraordinary circumstances’ in the episode, titled Planet of the Dead.

Bionic Woman star Michelle Ryan will also appear, as mysterious Lady Christina de Souza, who joins the Doctor on a bus trip which takes a ‘detour into danger’, the BBC said.

Planet Of The Dead is the first of four Doctor Who Specials which will air in 2009, before Tennant leaves the role to make way for Matt Smith.

Planet of the Dead Monster Revealed

From http://whovian-world.blogspot.com/2009/01/planet-of-dead-monster-revealed.html

Yesterday the BBC comfirmed that the Monster in this years Easter Special, Planet of the Dead is .... (highlight to Reveal) The TRITOVORE. If youb would like to know what it looks like then read the stuff below.
New Tritovore baddies set to be scariest ever. He's dealt with some tough baddies, but Doctor Who will face his scariest yet - a halfman half-fly creature.Called the Tritovore, it will be unleashed in the Easter special to do battle with the Timelord and sidekick Lady Christina de Souza - played by former EastEnders star Michelle Ryan.Bosses want the monster to become as iconic as the Daleks and Cybermen.A set source said: "Scriptwriters are confident they'll make a huge impact... Everyone remembers the Daleks and the Cyberman, but not a lot else if they're honest. The Tritovore will change that. They are disgusting and will last long in the memory."Series boss Russell T Davies is hoping to use the creatures in three other special shows.David Tennant quits as the doctor this year. The source added: "Russell is telling everybody to expect some real surprises. He wants him to go out with a bang."

Friday, 30 January 2009

Doctor Who filming disrupted as double decker bus wrecked

Executives o n the TV show hired two £20,000 double deckers which were apparently central to the plot of the Easter special. One was used to shoot scenes with star David Tennant in Cardiff while the other was shipped to Dubai for filming there.

But a crane operator managed to wreck the second 1980 Bristol VR model while unloading it in Dubai docks.

Russell T Davies, the series producer, is reported to have "exploded" when he heard there was no way of getting a replacement in time.

It is believed that he was forced to rip up the script and write a new plotline.

Only last week he revealed the show revolved around the Doctor taking a "bus trip which takes an unexpected detour into danger".

To ship the bus to Dubai would have cost the BBC around £7,000. And production in the Middle East state is costing an estimated £30,000 a week.

The storyline for Planet Of The Dead sees Lady Christina de Souza - played by ex-EastEnder Michelle Ryan - pull off a jewellery heist and escape on the bus where she meets the Timelord.

The bus has already caused problems with fans disrupting filming in Wales. They kept pressing the buttons at pedestrian crossings, causing the bus to stop.

Thursday, 29 January 2009

DOCTOR WHO - PLANET OF THE DEAD FILMING UPDATE 3

S P O I L E R S
A H E A D
More filming took place on the 26th January in St. Mary's Street (the site of Henrik's where Rose used to work) complete with bus, David Tennant and Michelle Ryan. Ace DWF reporter Scooty was on site: "Filming had been going on since about 8pm...part of the road, just down from Howells had been closed and the red double decker was parked up. The one scene, that was endlessly being shot from various angles was DT and MR getting onto the bus. MR gets on first, looking rather panicked, talks to the bus driver, then takes her seat. DT follows, flashes his psychic paper at the driver then takes his seat next to MR."

27th - 28th January also saw the crew return to the Butetown tunnel and filming of more UNIT sequences, complete with rocket launcher! Man on the spot alun.vega had this to report: "There's a barricade facing the tunnel entrance. UNIT soldiers pointing guns into the tunnel. Stage directions say: "The bus flies over your heads. Monsters fly out of the tunnel." The soldiers raise their guns as if tracking something flying over them." Lots and lots of shooting (as in UNIT troops firing), Magambo shouting orders and rocket launchers firing.

The evening of the 28th also saw David Tennant, Lee Evans and Michelle Ryan on set at the tunnel with the double decker bus and the TARDIS. Pictures from the brilliant alun.vega!

Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Doctor Who 2009 Specials

There are five specials between the end of series 4 and the start of Steven Moffat's series 5. There will be no full tv series in 2009, but between the episode 'Journey's End' and the start of series five in 2010, there will be four one hour Doctor Who Specials in 2009. All will star David Tennant as the 10th Doctor.

Doctor Who 2009 Specials

1. The Next Doctor (4:14 - Christmas Special)
Writer: Russell T. Davies
Director: Andy Goddard
This episode will be screened on 25 December 2008.

It features David Tennant as The Doctor, David Morrissey as a possible future Doctor, Cybermen and more.

2. Planet of the Dead (4:15 - 1st 2009 Special - Easter)
Writers: Russell T. Davies & Gareth Roberts
Director: James Strong

The 2009 Easter special is scripted by Davies along with Gareth Roberts who also wrote 'Attack of the Graske', 'The Shakespeare Code' and 'The Unicorn and the Wasp' as well as various new era Doctor Who novels. The script marks the first time that a Doctor Who episode has had more than one writing credit since it returned.

This story might be a two-parter. It may feature a new monster?

3. No Title Yet! (4:16 - 2nd 2009 Special)
Writers: Russell T. Davies???
Director: ?

This maybe part 2 of the Easter Special???
4. No Title Yet! (4:17 - 3rd 2009 Special - Halloween)
Writers: Russell T. Davies???
Director: ?

5. No Title Yet! (4:18 - 4th 2009 Special aka Christmas Special)
Writers: Russell T. Davies???
Director: ?

The final special will broadcast on Christmas 2009.

On the Internet there is a lot of speculation of what the 2009 Specials will be about. Some of the speculative ideas include:

1. The Return of Sutekh

Sutekh last appeared in the fourth Doctor story 'Pyramids of Mars'. This story setting could be in in Egypt.

2. The 8th Doctor to Appear

Paul McGann may return as the Eighth Doctor appearing in flashbacks about The Time War.

Paul McGann played the Doctor in the 1996 TV movie, his eighth Doctor has appeared in a lengthy series of original BBC novels and as well as the Big Finish original audio dramas.

3. The Return of the Doctor's Daughter

Jenny (Georgina Moffett), the Doctor's Daughter may return in one of the 2009 Doctor Who specials. At the end of her first story 'Doctor's Daughter', the Doctor believed she was dead but she returned to life in its closing minutes of the episode.

4. Return of Donna Noble, Wilf, the Master

The characters Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), Wilf (Bernard Cribbins) and John Simm (The Master) may appear in one of the 2009 Doctor Who specials.

Donna Noble maybe the Time Lady Romana or the Rani in human disguise. The Chameleon Arch was used by the Tenth Doctor in the episode 'Human Nature' to rewrite every cell in his body, enabling him to hide from the Family of Blood in 1913. The chameleon arch stored the Doctor's Time Lord self in a fob watch. In episode 'Utopia', Martha discovered that the Master used the same process, creating 'Professor Yana' as his persona.

5. Return of Astrid

Astrid (Kylie Minogue) may return as a human Tardis.

6. Return of River Song

River Song (Alex Kingston) may return.

7. Other Monsters / Enemies

There are so many great monsters / enemies from the classic series, new series and novels that have the potential to return. These include: the Silurians, Sea Devils, Slithereen, Omega, Zygons, Rutans, Terileptils, Meddling Monk and Ice Warriors.

8. Time War Story

The Time War was a conflict between the Time Lords and the Daleks, resulting in their mutual destruction. The event has been referred to on several occasions in the new Doctor Who tv series since it began in 2005.

Did you know?

* David Tennant has officially revealed in 2008 that the five new specials of Doctor Who will be his swansong as the tenth Doctor. Thus we will see the eleventh Doctor come into existence by the end of the 2009 Christmas special.

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

The Doctor Regenerates into The Master - 2ND PLACE COMPETITION WINNER

THIS IS THE SEOCOND PLACE COMPETITION WINNER OF MY DOCTOR WHO COMPETITION I WOULD LIKE TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS AND HOPE THAT EVERYONE WHO WILL SEE THIS VIDEO WILL COMMENT AND RATE

TV's Sci-Fi and Superhero Characters - Now in Color!

Remember Dusty Abell? A couple of years ago I shared his amazing group portrait of Classic Seventies Action Figures, and early last year linked to his portrait of Saturday Morning Action/Adventure Television Characters. Last month I shared "stage one" of his latest work in progress, TV's Sci-Fi and Superhero Characters, when it was still mostly black-and-white. Now he's posted the full color version of it to his deviantART gallery, and it's a thing to behold.

To my shame, there's one or two characters here I don't recognize (but I did get Richard Benjamin as Quark, which Abell considers the most obscure character of the bunch). How many of these do you nice people recognize?

Sunday, 25 January 2009

Doctor Who Edit - Davros breaks his chair switch COMPETITION WINNER 1ST PLACE

THIS VIDEO WON 1ST PLACE IN MY COMPETITION THAT I HOSTED IN JANUARY 2009 AND

ADD MY CONGRATULATIONS AND HOPE EVERYONE WILL SEE THIS RATE COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE TO HIM

CONGRATULATIONS AOD2009

Friday, 23 January 2009

Doctor Who Series 4 Soundtracks listen here (UNDER CONSTRU$CTION DALEKS KILLED THE TRAKS 24 and 25 SURVIVED)

SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY BUT ILL GET THE MUSIC FIXED ASAP

01 - Murray Gold - Doctor Who - Series 4 (Opening Credits)

02 - Murray Gold - A Noble Girl About Town.mp3

03 - Murray Gold - Life Among the Distant Stars.mp3

04 - Murray Gold - Corridors and Fire Escapes.mp3

05 - Murray Gold - The Sybilline Sisterhood.mp3

06 - Murray Gold - Songs of Captivity and Freedom.mp3

07 - Murray Gold - UNIT Rocks.mp3

08 - Murray Gold - The Doctor's Daughter.mp3

09 - Murray Gold - The Source.mp3

10 - Murray Gold - The Unicorn and the Wasp.mp3

11 - Murray Gold - The Doctor's Theme (Series 4).mp3

12 - Murray Gold - Voyage of the Damned Suite.mp3

13 - Murray Gold - The Girl With No Name.mp3

14 - Murray Gold - The Song of Song.mp3

15 - Murray Gold - All in the Mind.mp3

16 - Murray Gold - Silence in the Library.mp3

17 - Murray Gold - The Greatest Story Never Told.mp3

18 - Murray Gold - Midnight.mp3

19 - Murray Gold - Turn Left.mp3

20 - Murray Gold - A Dazzling End.mp3

21 - Murray Gold - The Rueful Fate of Donna Noble.mp3

22 - Murray Gold - Davros.mp3

23 - Murray Gold - The Dark and Endless Dalek Night.mp3

24 - Murray Gold - A Pressing Need to Save The World.mp3

25 - Murray Gold - Hanging on the Tablaphone.mp3

26 - Murray Gold - Song of Freedom.mp3

27 - Murray Gold - Doctor Who Series 4 (Closing Credits).mp3

THATS ALL FOLKS THANKS FOR CHOOSING MY BLOG TO LISTEN TO THESE PRICELESS (LITERALLY) SOUNDTRACKS

I AM GRATEFUL FOR ALL COMMENTS SO PLEASE LEAVE SOME

AND TELL EVERYONE OF THIS BLOG AND THAT I WILL KEEP THEM INFORMED AND UP TO DATE

THANKS AGAIN

Timelord50

DOCTOR WHO SERIES 4 ORIGINAL TELEVISION SOUNDTRACK

Another welcome release from Silva Screen, this is a collection of the incidental themes by Murray Gold for the last series of Doctor Who. Gold has completed some stunning work for the show and certainly proved his many detractors wrong with the huge success of the Children In Need and Proms concerts as well the three albums that showcase his work. My only criticism is that some of his work is too often buried underneath all the other business of the show.
Anyway, we open with the slightly reconfigured Doctor Who theme which not only keeps the electronic swoops courtesy of Delia Derbyshire but also adds in a bit of the underrated Peter Howell wah-wah guitar-like electronics. He's also added in that expansive drum section too which gives the whole thing a kick up the arse. I'm not sure it's entirely successful. Onwards then to the lovely, infectious jazzy pop of A Noble Girl About Town which picks up on the motifs of The Runaway Bride Xmas Special and adds a playful vibe to the opening episode of Series 4, Partners In Crime. Life Among The Distant Stars is a wistful combination of piano, strings and woodwind and it's a musical motif that reappears throughout Series 4 in various guises. It articulates well much of Donna's eventual fate.
Bit of blood and thunder 'chase' type music with Corridors And Fire Escape, which frankly Murray can do in his sleep and it's a little too generic for my tastes. Much better is The Sybilline Sisterhood with its use of brass, wailing vocal motifs and high strings. This is further surpassed by Songs Of Captivity And Freedom, a melancholic piece of beauty, all aching strings but then punctuated by a soaring vocal passage that fits perfectly to the Ood's symbolic function in the story Planet Of The Ood as well as prefiguring the Song Of Freedom that would eventually get the full, bombastic treatment in Journey's End . Quite an exquisite composition.

...jaunty, chamber based pieces in a similar tone to the superb Anne Dudley music for Granada's Jeeves and Wooster.

UNIT Rocks is essentially a beefed up version of the theme that was first introduced back in The Christmas Invasion. Big, bold, brassy. The brassier side of things continues into The Doctor's Daughter and it's given a Hermann-esque stridency and then climaxes with a choral motif from The Doctor's Theme. It doesn't stay around long enough as a cue to really make an impact. I'm also underwhelmed by The Source, from the same story. It's inoffensive but again doesn't have enough of a hook apart from the piano and string climax and there are little stings and reflections on the series main themes. Gold goes for Poirot-like bassoons on The Unicorn And The Wasp, some warbling electronic tonalities and jaunty, chamber based pieces in a similar tone to the superb Anne Dudley music for Granada's Jeeves and Wooster.
The Doctor's Theme gets another reinterpretation here, with a full choir and low strings. It's rather grand, baroque music, soaring and magnificent and actually gets this album back on track. Full on orchestra and stunning work from the choir. Another delight is the Voyage Of The Damned Suite with it's Mission Impossible opening going into a sweeping motif of The Doctor's Theme with cor anglais, insistent drum and brass. There's a breathy, floaty vocal piece for Astrid as well as a revisitation to many of the familiar themes for Series 3. And do I detect an organ in there too? It captures the epic scale of the story with some further stunning high strings, brass and pounding rhythms. The scoring for Astrid is a sweet, light contrast to the bombast and brings us to the end of the track on a bitter-sweet note.
The music for Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead does reek of Danny Elfman too much for me. It's the overuse of brass and high strings on The Girl With No Name that's putting me off here. The Song Of Song starts as a reworking of The Doctor's Theme with a treacly nursery rhyme aspect to it and goes into strident brass flares and soaring strings. Again, very Elfman. All In The Mind is a welcome, and left field, respite with woodwind and acoustic guitar and some shimmering organ painting us a Beatles-like picture of Donna's other life. Silence In The Library is better, with much more restraint being used, and is a superbly plaintive piece of scoring that doesn't outstay its welcome.
The Greatest Story Never Told is another stand out track. Murray certainly knows how to use a choir and this is shown off here with the male voices in a call and response variation on all The Strange Strange Creatures that then drops into a pulsing, slower passage, bringing in the sopranos and a rising, rising string passage. It ends with the orchestra belting out powerful brass flares and jogging strings. Stunning.

That combination of guitar lick, whistling motif, melancholic strings...well I'm off again, typing this through tears...

Now, things really get interesting. For me the music from Midnight is the stand out here. The colorations are spot on with piano highlights, twitchy percussions and big brass attacks. It is slightly reminiscent of Goldsmith's music for Alien and Giacchino's incidentals for Lost but it's still a nerve shredding composition. That aggitated brass passage at the end is utterly brilliant. The music for Turn Left is also an opportunity to get away from the full on orchestra with its piano, synth washes, acoustic guitar. A moody composition with some breathy choral passages of The Doctor's Theme, rattling percussion to suggest the time beetle and atonal synth lines. I think I cried through A Dazzling End the first time I heard it properly here. Guitar, drums, shimmering layers of strings then added to with a soaring string melody line, brass licks and attacks. And it's all too brief. Still, you will weep buckets through The Rueful Fate Of Donna Noble which is a strong contender for the being the best track here. That combination of guitar lick, whistling motif, melancholic strings...well I'm off again, typing this through tears. Really, really beautiful.
Here comes Davros. Gold goes for atonal experimentation with treated percussion and big piano sections and groaning brass. Again, little echoes of the Giacchino music from Lost. Fantastically atmospheric and as far as you can get from the earlier over-ripe Elfman pastiche. And more Dalek choirs for The Dark And Endless Dalek Night. All very Wagnerian, and basically everything but the kitchen sink, to make this Dalek music to end all Dalek music. When it calms down a bit, it's a lot more interesting and has a feel of Janacek to it. The jittery electronic percussion of A Pressing Need To Save The World winds its way through bold brass and strings that have a brief echo back to A Noble Girl About Town as well All The Strange Strange Creatures and This Is Gallifrey. It's a real melting pot with Gold piling in as many echoes back to the previous three series. Then there's the Indian influence on Hanging On The Tablaphone which throws the whole thing into a bizarre left curve - electronics, tablas, shouting choirs and guitar washes. Very interesting.

There's a little too much careering between bombast and syrup for my tastes...

Do I like Song Of Freedom? Not really. It's all a bit overblown and quite honestly, I'm sick to death of that choir now. It's an interesting use of electronics and percussion over the soaring voices but it doesn't do it for me, emotionally. Rather like the episode it comes from, Journey's End, it's a bit up itself. And we conclude with the series' Closing Credits, complete with middle eight, piano tinkles, swooshes and bashing percussion. A good album, beautifully produced but not quite in the same league as the previous albums. There's a little too much careering between bombast and syrup for my tastes and where it excells it's in the more experimental compositions and where restraint has been applied. Certainly for me, the music from Midnight and Turn Left are the highlights here, with the themes for Donna, Davros, the Ood and the Voyage Of The Damned Suite also well worth a listen. And it does feel like the end of a journey musically too as it would appear that Murray will not be composing for the series in the future. He has a talented protege in the form of Ben Foster whom I hope will take up the reigns. One thing is for sure, Murray has made the music for the series appropriately bold and cinematic and that's a stunning achievement.
The CD isn't out yet but you can download the album now from Silva Screen.
DOCTOR WHO - SERIES 4 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK: Murray Gold (SILCD1275 Released 17th November 2008)

Michelle Ryan to liven up the Tardis as Doctor Who's sexy new assistant

Last updated at 1:07 AM on 23rd January 2009

Michelle Ryan looks set to become the next Doctor Who companion after landing a plum role in the show's Easter special.

The former EastEnders actress will appear in Planet of the Dead, which will be broadcast on BBC1 in April.

She will play Lady Christina de Souza, who accompanies David Tennant's Doctor on a dangerous bus trip.

Michelle Ryan and David Tennant

Co-stars: Michelle Ryan, left, is tipped to be Doctor Who's (played by David Tennant) new assistant in the Easter special

Comedian Lee Evans will also make a cameo appearance.

Executive producer Russell T Davies said: 'The script is being kept strictly under wraps - however we can reveal that Lady Christina is a woman with a mysterious past who's going to have a huge impact on the Doctor.'

Both Tennant and Ryan were spotted filming on location in a bus yesterday.

The Easter special is one of four stand-alone episodes of the show to be broadcast this year. In each, the Doctor will have a different companion.

However, BBC bosses have not yet announced who will star alongside new Doctor Matt Smith in the 2010 series.

Michelle Ryan and David Tennant

Tennant and Ryan filming in a bus on location yesterday

Show insiders said that Miss Ryan, 24, is a key contender to play Mr Smith's assistant.

A source revealed: 'Michelle's been in secret talks with BBC bosses.

'They are likely to announce her as Doctor Who's new assistant very soon.

'She is perfect for the role. She is good looking and the right age to star alongside Matt.

'Everyone agrees they look great together and reckon fans will think they're the perfect team too.'

The source added: 'The BBC launched Michelle's acting career as Zoe Slater in EastEnders and she will be thrilled to be back with them in such a legendary role.

'It's an incredible opportunity for her and even though she's had a lot of success already she is still young and at the start of her career.'

Doctor Who bosses have a habit for re-using characters and even actors.

Freema Agyeman, who took over the assistant role from Billie Piper, initially played the guest character Adeola in an earlier series.

Catherine Tate originally featured in a Doctor Who Christmas special as a guest star, but her performance was such a hit that producers asked her to return for the fourth series.

Miss Ryan unsuccessfully auditioned to replace Miss Piper when she left the programme.

However, it is understood that she has impressed Mr Davies with her work since.

Michelle recently returned from LA, where she played the starring role in TV series Bionic Woman.

But the show flopped and was not commissioned for a second series and the actress - already suffering jibes about her lack of star status and unconvincing American accent - was soon on a plane home.