Dr who advent calender Snowfall: Vampire Hurricane, Part One Day 20

'Do you - yes you - want to see something incredible? Something so remarkable that it will thrill you until the day you pass from this world to the next? Then come with me...'

David Kershaw shifted in his seat. He sat in a small auditorium in a cinema on London's Southbank. The room had been hired to a private party and he was one of about twenty people who sat rapt. What David Kershaw was about to see would change his life.

'You will witness something that has been unseen for centuries. And you will see it...'

The black and white footage on the screen had every member of the audience enthralled. The onscreen presenter, a long-dead American explorer, was beckoning his audience and they needed no further invitation. For David, an expert in the lost civilisation of the Incas, this reel of film, depicting the legendary and mysterious opening of the Tomb of the Bear in 1934, was one of the two great Holy Grails of Incan-lore. The other was the Great Bear itself but that had been lost since the tomb's excavation. This reel of film, recently discovered in Cairo, was being played for the first time ever and was being seen -

'Now!' declared the explorer.

Natives of the Mexican jungles slung ropes as thick as their arms across their shoulders and pulled. David's eyes widened as they moved away from the huge pyramid. The ropes tautened and began to open the fifteen foot door at the foot of the stone slopes.

'A moment in history! No-one has seen this since the dawn of time!'

Drums began to beat, slowly at first then faster, faster, faster... The door was hauled open and the drums reached a mad crescendo and then -

Nothing. A tiny onscreen cough.

The dust started to clear from the pyramid's doorway and from inside the tomb a silhouette appeared. David squinted. What? Tall. Tweed. Bow tie. What?

'Blimey O'Reilly,' said the man emerging from the pyramid.

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Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis (1988, BBC DVD, 74 min.).

Here, the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) flee from emotionless men wielding futuristic pistols and neo-Nazi Herr de Flores is intent of ushering in the Fourth Reich. If that was not enough, Lady Peinforte uses magic to move forward in time from 1638 to see can do a final battle with the Doctor. Oh yes, there also is a meteor containing a Gallifreyan super-weapon, hurtling towards Earth. Extras include audio commentary by McCoy, Aldred and script editor Andrew Cartmel; a 33-minute making-of feature; 22 minutes of deleted and extended scenes; a photo gallery; and an isolated score track.

Watch Online–DW–S3–Smith And Jones

Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen (1975, BBC DVD, NR, 95 min.).

BBC also has released two more older Doctor Who episodes, this one starring Tom Baker as the Doctor in story 79. The Doctor and his companions, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) have been on a secret mission for the Time Lords, but instead of being sent back to the TARDIS, they are on a plague-stricken space station orbiting the remnants of Voga, Planet of Gold. On the surface, humankind is battling the Cybermen. Extras include audio commentary by producer Phillip Hinchcliffe and actors Sladen and David Collings (Vorus); a 28-minute feature on fan collecting before there were Doctor Who videos and DVDs; a making-of feature; an archive interview with Baker at Wookey Hole; and a photo gallery.

Katherine Jenkins talks 'Doctor Who' Christmas special

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Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Series (BBC, 6 Blu-ray discs, NR, 585 min.).

I so liked David Tennant’s run as the tenth Doctor that I was apprehensive heading into this season, with both a new face for the Doctor and a new companion. I need not have worried, though. Matt Smith is a younger version of the Doctor, but a very fun one and I was won over before the first episode was finished. Equally fine is Karen Gillan as companion Amy Pond. The Doctor actually met her when she was a young girl -- he investigated a crack in one of the walls or her house, a problem that reoccurs and becomes worse throughout the season -- and headed off briefly with plans to return and take her with him. The only trouble is a few minutes his time turned into more than a decade for Amy. In the meantime, Amy has a fiancé, Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill), a quite likeable hap who ends up going on several of the adventures. Also new is a spiffy bright blue TARDIS outside and an inside that has twice the room of the previous one and is multi-leveled.

With Steven Moffat back in control of the show, the episodes are quite good as well. A trip to the distant future finds England a giant spaceship powered by a space whale; The Doctor has to help Winston Churchill battle the Daleks in blitz-torn London; the stone Weeping Angels make a creepy, ominous return in back-to-back episodes; the beauty of Venice is threatened by vampires; Amy’s wedding to Rory is threatened; the Earth rebels against mankind’s drilling; artist Vincent Van Gogh is seeing things or is he; and the Pandorica finally opens. There are in-vision commentaries by Moffat and two fellow producers on six of the 13 episodes; two new shorts (less than 4 minutes each) that show the between-episode bonding between Amy and the Doctor in the TARDIS; monster files on the Daleks, Weeping Angels, the Silurians and The Alliance; video diaries on three discs; outtakes; and a sixth disc with more than 20 teasers and trailers and “Doctor Who Confidential,” with behind-the scenes looks on each episode (generally 13 to 14 minutes each). There also are three character cards. Grade: season 3.75 stars; extras 3.5 stars

Blank Vortex From Series 5 Promo Images

Gillan: "Marriage won't stop Amy flirting!"

Katherine Jenkins lifts lid on her Christmas Dr Who role

Singer Katherine Jenkins bagged herself a huge job for her first acting role – the Doctor Who Christmas special. Nathan Bevan talks nerves, high notes and backstage riders with the diva

KATHERINE Jenkins is telling me of something very strange which happened on the day of her audition for the Doctor Who Christmas special. It was a cosmic coincidence so odd it could have come straight out of the plot of one of the Time Lord’s very own adventures.

“I went along to the casting director’s office in London the day before my 30th birthday and ran through about four or five scenes with them,” chirped the world-famous Neath mezzo-soprano.

“Afterwards, I drove 200 miles away to a hotel in Somerset to meet with some family and friends and guess who was the first person I saw as I walked into the lobby? Only Matt Smith himself!

“I wanted to go over to him and yell, ‘I might be acting alongside you’, but had signed a confidentiality agreement not to breathe a word. I couldn’t even tell my mum where I’d been.

“What was he doing there though? I mean seriously, just how random is that?” she laughed.

Serendipity some might call it, especially since Jenkins got the call telling her she’d won the prestigious festive role alongside Smith’s 11th Doctor practically as she was blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

But as the mega-selling classical singer was quick to admit, she almost didn’t go for the part at all.

“Well, I’ve never done acting of any kind, so I really wasn’t sure if I was up to it,” she cringed.

“And it’s the Doctor Who Christmas Special too, that’s one step down from the Queen’s Speech in the iconic stakes. The last thing I wanted was to be the one to ruin it.

“But then I thought, ‘Well, why not try? The worst they can tell me is ‘no’.”

She clearly impressed them though, though Jenkins confessed to initially thinking she was only hired because her character, Abigail Pettigrew, is called upon in the script to sing.

Surely though, I tell her, if they’d had any concerns they’d have simply got a trained actress in and asked her to lip-synch instead.

“I suppose so,” she smiled, suddenly perking up. “And I’m in it quite a bit – it’s not a cameo – so they must trust me.”

She was certainly made very welcome by some more than others.

Yes, Michael Gambon, esteemed Knight of the British stage and screen, we’re looking at you.

“Michael was so lovely. Me and Matt would sit around for hours in his trailer in between takes listening to stories about his time in Hollywood,” said Katherine, whose part took nearly a month to film on location in places like Cardiff Bay, Pontypridd and Newport.

“He was a hell of a practical joker too, mind.

“His character, Kazran Sardick, is supposed to be a bit Scrooge-like and has this long cane with a metal tip that he carries everywhere.

“In one place we were filming the crew had to wear hard hats and, Michael being Michael, he’d wander up behind them, whack them on the head with the end of his stick and then quickly turn away like nothing had happened.

“He let me take the blame for that on a number of occasions. He really is a wicked man,” she laughed, adding that she’s now caught the acting bug and would happily do more “provided it involved music in some way”.

And Jenkins added that Smith could easily have similar success if he ever tried his luck at her day job.

“I had a really good laugh with Matt between takes.

“He kept mucking around and singing to me and I couldn’t believe what a great bass voice he has. People really should hear him!”

Acting aside, Jenkins has never been a stranger to taking risks; the stage show for her latest Believe tour featuring nightly feats of daring which see her flying around arenas on a high wire with no safety net below.

“You can blame Tim Gavin for that; he choreographed Take That’s last tour and he wanted to make mine less an ordinary classical concert and more of a spectacle,” she said.

“He was like, ‘Why don’t we have an aerialist zooming around in the air while you’re singing?’ and I told him I loved that idea.

“Then he said, ‘He’s going to come down and grab you and you’ll go up into the air with him’, and I went, ‘You what? I can’t do that!’

“We needed to do it though because it was a perfect visual complement to all the rockier songs in the set, stuff by Evanescence and Queen.

“It would have looked a bit odd me twirling around in the rafters singing Pie Jesu or something.”

And, given that she named her previous tour, with ballet star Darcey Bussell, VivaLa Diva, is it safe to assume she doesn’t mind the ‘diva’ tag she’s become labelled with?

“When I think of a ‘diva’, I think of the kind of amazing women like Streisand, Bassey and Garland who inspired me to sing in the first place,” she said.

“I’m trying to reclaim the word from its current usage which seems to describe any stroppy upstart who’s had five minutes and thinks they’re the Big I Am.”

Prove it then, I say, tell us what’s in your rider.

“Nothing special really,” she SAID. “Clean towels, soap, tea making facilities, diet Coke, chocolate.”

Chocolate? You mean a barrel full of M&Ms with all the brown ones removed, just like the rock band Van Halen once famously demanded?

“No, just a bar of something to help me get my blood sugar back up after a show. No basket of puppies or dressing room full of white flowers, nothing like that.”

Hardly excessive then. More or less your average shop at Neath Tesco.

“I know! But maybe if this acting thing takes off...” she teased.

“Maybe then I can really start making some serious Hollywood demands.”

Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol screens on BBC One Wales on Christmas Day at 6pm.

Christmas 'Who': Q&A with Arthur Darvill

What is Rory's role in 'A Christmas Carol'?
"Amy and Rory are on their honeymoon at Christmas time. We're on a spaceship that's obviously in some terrible danger, so it's a slightly short-lived honeymoon! It's with The Doctor, so it's not going to be a safe holiday at all! The spaceship starts to crash and we all have to be saved somehow. Meanwhile, The Doctor's on this amazing planet and has a Christmas adventure to try and save us. It's all very dark and misty like a good, traditional Christmas episode should be!"

What was it like working with Sir Michael Gambon?
"Michael's brilliant. He's just been acting for so long that you can't help but be slightly in awe of him. But it's surprising, because he's so invested as an actor, but he's also a lot of fun. Once you get over those initial nerves, he's hilarious. He's just a joy to be in the same room with."

Was it strange filming Christmas scenes in July?
"It's really odd. You do scenes where it starts snowing and then you walk outside and you're swelteringly hot! Some people have to walk around with coats and big wooly hats on as part of their costume, then they come outside and there's puddles of sweat! But I think everyone is getting into the Christmas mood. Steven [Moffat] said he was going to bring mince pies down at some point. He hasn't done that yet, so I'm waiting!"


How does it feel to be part of the first married couple to travel in the Tardis?
"It's really cool to be a married couple in the Tardis. It's obviously something that's never been done before, and it's not just any old married couple! It's still Amy and Rory, but they've both been through so much. I don't think they're going to settle down and start eating TV dinners. Not that that's all married couples do! I know lots of very exciting married couples who do lots of fun stuff. But I think Amy and Rory have grown up a bit and they're both a bit more used to being in perilous situations. I think it's going to be an interesting dynamic."

Do you think Rory has changed after the events of the last series?
"I think Rory has changed a hell of a lot. He's waited 2,000 years for Amy, he's died a few times, he's been a plastic Roman soldier and he's had a gun come out of his hand! I don't think you can get over those things particularly easily! I think he has grown, so while he's still probably going to be terrified of everything, he's now more willing to go the extra mile. I also think being around The Doctor and Amy brings out the adventurous side of him."

How has Rory's relationship with The Doctor changed over time?
"I think it's a pretty good relationship now. Rory's grown in confidence throughout all this and I think he feels like he's proved himself. It's just the three of them in the Tardis. I think they've all become really close and Rory and The Doctor are now quite good mates. They trust each other a lot and are able to tell each other what they really think."

Is it exciting being one of the few male companions to have featured on the show since the 2005 revival?
"Yeah, I think it's great. The dynamic between a male companion and The Doctor is always going to be really interesting. It's like how you are with your closest male friends and that's something that hasn't really been explored so far in recent Doctor Who. I'm really interested to see how The Doctor and Rory's relationship develops."

Do you feel more confident, returning to the show for a second run?
"I suppose I feel a bit more confident. I still have some panics and worries that come in every day! I'm going to say something really cheesy, but it's like a big family on-set. It's a really lovely bunch of people to work with. It would have to be for something that takes so long and for it to turn out so well!"

How do you think Rory is going to evolve in the next series?

"I think Rory's going to start working out. I think he's going to start pumping iron quite a lot and get on the protein shakes. He's going to shave his head and there'll be a few piercings and knuckle dusters. How about a tattoo with Amy's name on? 'Amy' and 'Rory' written on each side of his chest. He's basically going to become a bit of a meathead. A bit like the Jean-Claude Van Damme of the programme... which is obviously why I was cast!"

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Doctor Who: Karen Gillan says Matt Smith has mostly male and kid groupies!

Karen Gillan has admitted that Matt Smith’s ‘Doctor Who’ groupies are mostly men.

The stunning redhead – who plays the Time Lord’s sidekick Amy Pond in the BBC sci-fi series – explained while she gets a lot of fans recognising her, Matt is hounded by men and children “24/7″.

She explained: “I think it’s mostly men you know, and a lot of children. It’s 24/7 for him. I get it a lot of time when I’m on my own, but not so much when I’m with him.

“You’d think they’d think ‘Ooh, the Doctor and his assistant’, but they just don’t notice me.”

However, having men constantly following Matt around may work to Karen’s benefit, as she admitted she’s a big fan of “geeky” boys.

She added: “I don’t like studs. I do like a guy who’s chivalrous and I like a guy who is passionate about something, so that’s really important, but geeks tend to be quite funny and humour is so important.”

Merry christmas Silent night

5 days to go!!

December 20th–Advent Calendar

Snow Fall Part Two

 

David Kershaw looked at the photograph of the Doctor, Big Jack, Millie and Louie.

'It's a grab from the security camera footage,' Jack said.

'I wish I'd thought to take a photo of him,' David replied. 'I think he changed my life. Well, no. He did change my life. And I haven't even got...'

The two men sat at the corner table of the station refreshments room.

'Keep it,' Jack said.

But David shook his head. 'I couldn't. Here. It's a good one of you. You always took a good photo, Jackie.'

And as he spoke, Jack opened his wallet to return the snap, and several well-worn photographs tumbled to the table. One landed face-up between them. A faded shot of two young brothers, arms around each other's shoulders and smiles like summertime. Dirty faces, sparkling eyes. A pause. Jack returned the photos to his wallet and the two men finished their mugs of tea in silence.

'Here you go!' It was the girl with long red hair.

'Biscuits!' added the man in the porter's uniform.

'Yeah!' That Scottish accent again. 'Love a biccy!' She placed an unopened tin box on the table. 'You get stuck into these, I'll top up your tea and you two can- ' She started moving her fingers and thumbs as if she was wearing a sock puppet.

'What are you doing?' asked her friend, quietly.

She looked affronted by the question. 'It's like the universal sign thing for talk. Chat. Chinwag thing.'

'Why don't you just say, have a conversation?'

'You can be so boring!'

'Excuse me!' It was Jack. 'I broke the seal of this so I know it's not been opened but...'

The four of them peered into the box. All the columns of biscuits were full except one.

'How did that happen?' David asked.

'Someone's eaten all the jammy dodgers,' said Jack and the girl began to laugh.

***

Jack and David were alone again at their table. 'Looks like we have a bit of time to kill before our trains arrive,' said Jack.

'Yeah. Thank god for Bourbons.'

'No. I was kind of meaning you could tell me your story. How you met the Doctor. Got to see the TARDIS.'

'Swapping fun stories at Christmas?' David snapped.

A slight hesitation. 'Why not? It's what brothers do, isn't it?'

'Maybe you're right. Sorry.'

'You're still angry.'

'Angry? I'm still furious, Jack, I'm still... Oh, what's the point?'

'Have another biccy. Good for...' Jack did the sock puppet mime and David laughed.

'Okay! You wanna story?'

'I want a story!'

'You want to hear about how the Doctor fought an army of monsters? A tale that takes you from Incan pyramids to man's last stand, way above the city of London?'

'You betcha!'

'Then hang onto your toupee! This is the story of how I met the Doctor. This is the story of the vampire hurricane...'

TO BE CONTINUED

Dr who eleventh doctor quotes Amy's Choice

The Doctor: This is bad, I don't like this.  Never use force, you just embarass yourself. Unless you're cross, in which case, always use force!
Amy: Shall I run and get the manual?
The Doctor: I threw it in a supernova.
Amy: You threw the manual in a supernova? Why?
The Doctor: Because I disagreed with it! Now stop talking to me when I'm cross!
The Doctor: There's something that doesn't make sense. Let's go and poke it with a stick. 
The Doctor: I told you trust nothing we see hear or feel. Look around you, examine everything. Look for all the details that don't ring true.
Rory: Okay, well, we're in a spaceship that's bigger on the inside than the outside.
Amy: With a bow tie-wearing alien.
Rory: So maybe what  "rings true" isn't so simple.
The Doctor: Valid point.
The Dream Lord: If you die in the dream, you wake up in reality. Healthy recovery in next to no time. Ask me what happens if you die in reality.
Rory: What happens?
The Dream Lord: You die, stupid. That's why it's called "reality".
Rory: Oh, a poncho. The biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen.
Amy: Ah, here we go. Oh, my boys, my poncho boys, if we're going to die, let's go out looking like a Peruvian folk band.

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Doctor who Christmas special small trailer

Doctor Who T-Shirt: Cyberman Breaking Out

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Doctor Who T-Shirt: TARDIS

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