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Alan Cumming reveals he was offered the role of ‘Doctor Who’

via Getty Images
While speculation continues as to who will be replacing Peter Capaldi in the lead role of ‘Doctor Who’, Scottish actor Alan Cumming has revealed that he was previously approached for the role – twice – but there was a deal-breaker that could not be overcome.

Alan, now a global star due to his role in TV show ‘The Good Wife’, has often cropped up in discussions about potential new Doctors, but he revealed during an interview for Listowel Writers’ Week in Ireland that he was previously approached to play him. 



Although he didn’t say when the conversation happened, it was with “that lovely Welshman”, presumably Russell T Davies, who originally rebooted the show back in 2005, so it sounds as though it was pretty early on, before Matt Smith, and perhaps even before David Tennant inhabited the iconic TV role.

Discussions appeared to be going well, until, as Alan remembered, he was told: “You’ll have to come back to Britain.”

Alan, who has been longtime based in New York where he has made a successful career on Broadway, remembered: “I said, ‘Sure, I still have a flat in London, it’d be perfect.’

But…

“Then he said, ‘It’s eight months of the year in Cardiff…” And I said, ‘What?’

“And I think that might have been what blew it.

“Nothing against Cardiff, but…”

According to Alan, the same thing happened more recently, when he encountered one of the show’s writers Mark Gatiss. Alan revealed:

“He had heard of this [previous discussion], and he said, ‘Would you like to be Doctor Who now?’

“I said, ‘Fine, I’d love to, but they [previously] told me I’d have to go to Cardiff for eight months of the year ‘ and he said, ‘Oh no, you’d still have to do that.’

Alan explained: “I’d do anything for Doctor Who, but I won’t do that.”

Speculation as to who will replace Peter Capaldi at the end of this year continues, with the identity of the 13th Doctor as yet unknown. The most recent name in the frame belongs to ‘The I.T. Crowd’ star Richard Ayoade.

Via The Huffington Post

New Big Finish Companion for the Eighth Doctor

Announcing a new companion for the Eighth Doctor - Rakhee Thakrar!

Joining Paul McGann in his exploits during the Time War, Rakhee Thakrar is to play his new companion in an adventure like no other.

After last week’s news that our November Time War release is part 1 of 4, we can now also reveal that a new companion will be joining in Eighth Doctor in a universe at war.

Rakhee Thakrar, who Big Finish listeners may recognise from her role as Shabnam Masood in Eastenders, will join Eight as Bliss.

We caught up with producer David Richardson to find out more. ‘He may be trying to avoid getting embroiled in the Time War, but the Eighth Doctor has found a new friend who knows how to blow up a Dalek - enter Bliss, a scientist trying to stay alive in the heat of temporal battle. Matt Fitton wrote the part for Rakhee Thakrar, and it was lovely when Rakhee accepted the part with such total delight. She’s brilliant and lovely and fits right in with the ever growing Big Finish family.’



‘Getting to voice the role of Bliss alongside the Doctor is an absolute dream,' Rakhee tells us, ‘She's a character who I'd like to be more like; someone who puts aside her own fear to help others. I think Big Finish have created a great companion with Bliss, she's incredibly bright but is not excluded from making mistakes and having a sense of humour. I find her very real, and she's a joy to play. I'm thoroughly excited to join the Doctor Who team.’

The Time War part 1 is available for pre-order, at the reduced pre-order price of £23 on CD or £20 download or you can save a bundle by ordering in… a bundle! You can pre-order the Time War series 1-4 on CD for £88 or £80 for download, saving you over £50. Or we have a Time War saga bundle, which includes the first Time War release, and our four War Doctor stories starring the late Sir John Hurt, for £100 for CD or download.

And beyond the Time War, we will be returning to the Eighth Doctor's travels with Liv Chenka and Helen Sinclair, and following up the events of Doom Coalition 4.


Via Big Finish

The Trailers for Episode 9: The Empress of Mars


The trailers for The Empress of Mars


The Doctor, Bill and Nardole arrive on Mars and find themselves in an impossible conflict between Ice Warriors… and Victorian soldiers. 

As the Martian hive awakes around them, the Doctor faces a unique dilemma – this time the humans, not the Ice Warriors are the invaders. 

When Earth is invading Mars, whose side is he on?




Original Ice Warrior Head from Doctor Who Found


It’s not everyday you find a screen used Classic Doctor Who Prop, let alone one that has such an iconic image as the Ice Warrior.

It was the monsters that first cemented Doctor Who’s popularity in 1964/5 and carried it through the earth-shattering change in lead actor in 1966. Patrick Troughton’s era is renowned for it’s monster stories and indeed, his second year is known as ‘The Monster Season’ for good reason.


Along with the latest adventures with the Daleks and Cybermen, a parade of new aliens graced TVs everywhere – none more long lasting in impact than The Ice Warriors.

They were so successful in their debut story that a return was swiftly arranged for Troughton’s last season in The Seeds of Death. The Pertwee era relied less on the past – despite three Dalek stories, the Cybermen didn’t return until the Fourth Doctor had arrived.

However, the Ice Warrior did return, not once but twice in consecutive years with “Curse of Peladon’ and ‘Monster of Peladon in 1973 and 1974 respectively.

And of course, they have returned in the modern series – facing down Matt Smith in Cold War and returning against Peter Capaldi this year.

Read the full story at Toy Box Treasures

Doctor Who Magazine Number 513

 

THE NEXT FOUR EPISODES ARE PREVIEWED IN ISSUE 513 OF DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE!

The Ice Warriors and the Cybermen are on their way back to Doctor Who – so we have a choice of TWO monsters covers for our latest issue (see our Facebook page for the images of both covers)!

Inside Issue 513, we preview the next four episodes to air, The Lie of the Land, Empress of Mars, The Eaters of Light and World Enough and Time.

Empress of Mars script writer Mark Gatiss tells us why he wanted to bring back the Ice Warriors in his new episode – but are they his all-time favourite Doctor Who monster?

“The Cybermen are my favourites and yet I’ve never written for them, but the Ice Warriors are among my favourites: a great monster,” Mark smiles. “I always loved the pride of them, their Viking qualities and the voice. Even though they’ve had so few appearances, they loom so large. So I’d always wanted to bring them back, because I thought I could do something with them. You can just do a bit of worldbuilding, because there’s so much to play with...”

ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE…

  • ASK STEVEN
    Showrunner Steven Moffat answers readers' questions about the latest series.
  • THE SOUL GARDEN
    Part Two of the Doctor and Bill's brand-new comic strip adventure, written by Scott Gray, with art by Martin Geraghty.
  • CRAB ATTACK!
    This issue’s Fact of Fiction uncovers the secrets of the 1967 story The Macra Terror, which saw the Second Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie visit a far-future colony that comes under attack from giant crabs!
  • REVIEWS
    DWM reviews the latest TV episodes (Knock Knock, Oxygen, Extremis and The Pyramid at the End of the World) as well as audio and DVD releases in the world of Doctor Who.
  • COMING SOON
    Previews of all the latest Doctor Who CD and book releases.
  •  PLUS!
    All the latest official news, the Watcher's column, competitions and the DWM crossword!

Doctor Who Magazine 513 is on sale from Thursday 1 June, price £5.99.

The Lie Of The Land - Introductions


The BBC have released tyhe following introductions to 'The Lie of the Land'


Rachel Talalay to Direct ‘Doctor Who’ Christmas Special






Rachel Talalay is directing this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special.

After showrunner Steven Moffat spilled the beans ahead of the weekend’s Sherlocked convention in Los Angeles, Talalay herself confirmed the news via Twitter.


The American director made Who history three years ago when she became the first woman to command a finale episode—a task she has undertaken three times. (She was also the show’s first female director since Catherine Morshead worked on Amy’s Choice in 2010.)

Talalay helmed 2014’s two-part ending “Dark Water”/”Death in Heaven,” and returned in 2015 for double-hitter “Heaven Sent”/”Hell Bent.” She’s weilding the megaphone again for this season’s paired conclusion, “World Enough and Time”/”The Doctor Falls.”

“We checked up on Rachel several times on Doctor Who, because she’s got phenomenal experience in genre and action,” Moffat told the Huffington Post last week. “Frankly, making big-budget spectaculars on no money at all is what we need, and Rachel’s got such a deep background, and such great ability at that.

“I’m working with her right now, actually,” he continued. “We’re just finishing up on the finale episodes, and planning the Christmas one, which she’s also directing—which is my very last one.”

And, judging by Talalay’s tweet, her swan song, too.

“Very sad it’s our last,” she wrote on Saturday, hinting that she is joining Moffat and stars Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez as they say goodbye to Doctor Who.

There is no word on whether the Tank Girl director’s appointment to the holiday event implies the need for continuity between the series 10 conclusion and December’s snowy romp—which is expected to see the Twelfth Doctor’s full regeneration.

Before joining the Whoniverse, Talalay led feature films like Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), Ghost in the Machine (1993), and The Wind in the Willows (2006). She has also lent her talent to TV shows like Ally McBeal and Kyle XY, and joined the Arrowverse last year, directing one episode of Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, plus two chapters of The Flash.


But perhaps most notably, Talalay became the first woman to direct Moffat’s other powerhouse, Sherlock, with season four opener “The Six Thatchers.”



Via Geek.Com

Images for Episode 8: The Lie of the Land


The BBC have released to following images for The Lie of the Land

The world is gripped by a mass delusion and only Bill Potts can see the truth. When even the Doctor is fighting on the wrong side, it’s up to Bill to convince the Time Lord that humanity is in deadly danger. And if she can’t do that, she may just have to kill her best friend.
 

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