Up until now the BBC has been diligently silent on what exactly is going to happen in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special.
Outgoing showrunner Steven Moffat has merely hinted that the last episode featuring Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor will be ‘dark’ in tone, while the short teaser trailer (below) has shown Mark Gatiss’s character ‘The Captain’ seemingly stuck in time, the Twelfth Doctor trying to come to terms with the First Doctor, and the return of Bill Potts.
But now, there is a great big bundle of new information to digest, thanks – slightly unexpectedly – to the BBC Shop.
The American online BBC store has published its listing for the Blu-Ray DVD version of this year’s Christmas special Twice Upon A Time. While the DVD won’t be available until 20th February 2018, well after the episode has first aired on TV, the BBC is offering it up for pre-order very early.
Included in the listing is the first official synopsis for the Doctor Who 2017 Christmas special.
Two Doctors stranded in a forbidding snowscape, refusing to face
regeneration. And a British army captain seemingly destined to die in
the First World War, but taken from the trenches to play his part in the
Doctor’s story.
This is the magical last chapter in the Twelfth
Doctor’s epic adventure.
He must face his past to decide his future. And
the Doctor will realise the resilience of humanity, discovering hope in
his darkest frozen moment. It’s the end of an era.
But the Doctor’s
journey is only just beginning.
Via Radio Times by James Gill
Pearl Mackie leaps from Doctor Who to Harold Pinter
For her first role since travelling through time and space in Doctor Who, actress Pearl Mackie will jump back 60 years to appear in Harold Pinter's 1957 play The Birthday Party.
Mackie currently plays Doctor Who's companion Bill Potts, but will leave the show after the Christmas special.
Then, from January, she will be seen as Lulu in The Birthday Party.
She will appear alongside Toby Jones, Zoe Wanamaker and Stephen Mangan at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.
The play will be directed by Ian Rickson and will run until April.
In an interview with BBC News, Mackie says she's been struggling with how the character - and the things she goes through - will fit with her own feminist ideals.
She also talks about her departure from Doctor Who, says she wants to tell more political stories in the future - and says Capaldi's successor Jodie Whittaker will be "phenomenal".
What attracted you to The Birthday Party?
It's a wonderful play. I've always loved Pinter and got to grips with it at drama school. Pinter's so brilliant. The text is so rich and there's so much that isn't said. His characters are so weird and hard to figure out.
The characters are very real while also being slightly surreal. Lulu is one of those - I don't quite know if she knows what she wants.
Who is Lulu?
She's a young woman who lives in this seaside town a little way out of London. It doesn't say much about her background but she seems like she wants to escape the humdrum life that she has.
She gets very enamoured by one of these macabre visitors that come to the visiting house. Quite interesting things stem from that. The guy she becomes very enamoured with is Stephen Mangan, so it should be really fun to play around with that with him.
She wants to escape her humdrum life - are there any similarities with Bill?
It's a different kettle of fish. You have to look at the context of the play. It was written 60 years ago. When Ian [Rickson] and I discussed it, we said we'd like to explore the character with [us] both having modern feminist ideals.
You have to explore that and be true to the play as it was written. There are some quite dramatic things that she has to undergo.
It's very, very different, for her, wanting to escape than for Bill.
Did the things Lulu goes through give you pause for thought because they conflict with your modern feminist ideals?
Yes, definitely. I struggled with these incidents and how we portray it in a way that isn't giving it a seal of approval while also being true to the play. It's going to be really exciting to explore how we do that.
What types of roles have you been offered since leaving Doctor Who?
One of the incredible things about being part of such an incredible show as Doctor Who is it does open so many doors. The things that I've been looking at have been very wide ranging on many levels.
How has Doctor Who changed your life?
I don't think I've seen the full extent of how it's changed my life as yet. It's definitely changed my life in terms of career prospects, which is very good.
And I do get recognised more on the street now, which is also quite nice because people tend not to stop you if they don't like what you've done. That's very positive and everyone seems to have been very enthusiastic about Bill and the whole series, so it's been a wonderful experience.
One of the great things about Doctor Who is it doesn't really ever leave you. You're part of this incredible alumni for the rest of your life. It was such a wonderful opportunity and will always have a very special place in my heart.
Were you disappointed to find out you would be leaving?
Well, you know, that was quite early on - I knew that, really. But I was very excited to do this series and have this journey as Bill, and have this amazing relationship that Peter's Doctor and Bill had.
They had a very special chemistry and relationship, and while it's always interesting to add a different dynamic to that, it was wonderful to have been able to explore that for what it was.
What stories would you like to tell in the future?
Thought-provoking stories. Stories that are relevant in our political climate. Stories that are fantastical. But as long as the story grips you and makes you think, then that's the kind of story I'd like to tell.
What are your thoughts on Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who?
I think she's going to be phenomenal.
Who would you like to see as a new companion?
No idea. There are so many actors. No-one thought it would have been me before I got the part.
Via BBC News by Ian Youngs
Mackie currently plays Doctor Who's companion Bill Potts, but will leave the show after the Christmas special.
Then, from January, she will be seen as Lulu in The Birthday Party.
She will appear alongside Toby Jones, Zoe Wanamaker and Stephen Mangan at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.
The play will be directed by Ian Rickson and will run until April.
In an interview with BBC News, Mackie says she's been struggling with how the character - and the things she goes through - will fit with her own feminist ideals.
She also talks about her departure from Doctor Who, says she wants to tell more political stories in the future - and says Capaldi's successor Jodie Whittaker will be "phenomenal".
What attracted you to The Birthday Party?
It's a wonderful play. I've always loved Pinter and got to grips with it at drama school. Pinter's so brilliant. The text is so rich and there's so much that isn't said. His characters are so weird and hard to figure out.
The characters are very real while also being slightly surreal. Lulu is one of those - I don't quite know if she knows what she wants.
Who is Lulu?
She's a young woman who lives in this seaside town a little way out of London. It doesn't say much about her background but she seems like she wants to escape the humdrum life that she has.
She gets very enamoured by one of these macabre visitors that come to the visiting house. Quite interesting things stem from that. The guy she becomes very enamoured with is Stephen Mangan, so it should be really fun to play around with that with him.
She wants to escape her humdrum life - are there any similarities with Bill?
It's a different kettle of fish. You have to look at the context of the play. It was written 60 years ago. When Ian [Rickson] and I discussed it, we said we'd like to explore the character with [us] both having modern feminist ideals.
You have to explore that and be true to the play as it was written. There are some quite dramatic things that she has to undergo.
It's very, very different, for her, wanting to escape than for Bill.
Did the things Lulu goes through give you pause for thought because they conflict with your modern feminist ideals?
Yes, definitely. I struggled with these incidents and how we portray it in a way that isn't giving it a seal of approval while also being true to the play. It's going to be really exciting to explore how we do that.
What types of roles have you been offered since leaving Doctor Who?
One of the incredible things about being part of such an incredible show as Doctor Who is it does open so many doors. The things that I've been looking at have been very wide ranging on many levels.
How has Doctor Who changed your life?
I don't think I've seen the full extent of how it's changed my life as yet. It's definitely changed my life in terms of career prospects, which is very good.
And I do get recognised more on the street now, which is also quite nice because people tend not to stop you if they don't like what you've done. That's very positive and everyone seems to have been very enthusiastic about Bill and the whole series, so it's been a wonderful experience.
One of the great things about Doctor Who is it doesn't really ever leave you. You're part of this incredible alumni for the rest of your life. It was such a wonderful opportunity and will always have a very special place in my heart.
Were you disappointed to find out you would be leaving?
Well, you know, that was quite early on - I knew that, really. But I was very excited to do this series and have this journey as Bill, and have this amazing relationship that Peter's Doctor and Bill had.
They had a very special chemistry and relationship, and while it's always interesting to add a different dynamic to that, it was wonderful to have been able to explore that for what it was.
What stories would you like to tell in the future?
Thought-provoking stories. Stories that are relevant in our political climate. Stories that are fantastical. But as long as the story grips you and makes you think, then that's the kind of story I'd like to tell.
What are your thoughts on Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who?
I think she's going to be phenomenal.
Who would you like to see as a new companion?
No idea. There are so many actors. No-one thought it would have been me before I got the part.
Via BBC News by Ian Youngs
David Bradley returns to the TARDIS in Doctor Who – The First Doctor Adventures!
Materialising in time for the
New Year, The First Doctor Adventures features David Bradley reprising
his role in a new set of stories for a very familiar, yet very new,
Doctor.
Following his stellar portrayal of William Hartnell in BBC Two’s An Adventure in Space and Time, David Bradley (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Broadchurch, Captain America) is set to star as the First Doctor in this year’s BBC One Doctor Who Christmas Special alongside Peter Capaldi. And now Big Finish Productions, in arrangement with BBC Worldwide, are giving this reimagined First Doctor another chance to explore the cosmos!
Joining David Bradley are his co-stars from An Adventure in Space and Time reprising their roles as the iconic first TARDIS team. Jamie Glover (Elizabeth, Waterloo Road, Holby City) plays Ian Chesterton, Jemma Powell (Alice in Wonderland, Angel, Foyle’s War) plays Barbara Wright, and Claudia Grant (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) plays Susan – the Doctor’s granddaughter and the original ‘Unearthly Child’.
“The adventures of the First Doctor are all about discovery,” says script editor and writer Matt Fitton, “finding out what this infinite universe contains, and also who our fellow travellers are. As we journey with Ian, Barbara, Susan and the mysterious Doctor, we come to see what they are capable of when confronted with the strange, the unjust and the dangerous.”
Executive producer Nicholas Briggs: “Having worked with David twice now on TV, it’s great to be working with him again. Matt and his team of writers have come up with such a beautifully authentic set of scripts. We forget how different Doctor Who was, back in those early days – and here it all is, painstakingly recreated. I find that rather thrilling.”
Nick adds: "What's fascinating about the cast and their performances is that they're not impersonating William Hartnell and his TARDIS crew. They're playing those parts as written in the scripts. No one can replace the brilliance of those original performances. What we're presenting here is a kind of reinvention of that era, completely in the spirit of the original. They are new but entirely faithful interpretations of these characters."
“I’ve always been a great admirer of David Bradley’s work”, says executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery, “and thought that he was an excellent choice to play William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time. After his brilliant performance, we immediately thought about bringing David in to play the First Doctor for Big Finish – it took us a while – but we got there in the end! I’m so looking forward to seeing David in the Christmas Special and then listening to his further adventures with us.”
This series of adventures pays homage to the beginning years of Doctor Who, and each of the four episodes in each story will be given an individual title. Two of the four stories are historical, focusing on tales from Earth’s history pre-1963. Back in its first few years, Doctor Who was intended to be an educational programme using time travel as a means to explore scientific ideas and famous moments in history, while still captivating the minds and imaginations of generations to come.
Not only will the Doctor be exploring our history, but he will also encounter strange new life forms – the Dalmari and the Ashtallans.
And in a Big Finish exclusive, the First Doctor will encounter his greatest foe, the first incarnation of fellow Time Lord, the Master, played by James Dreyfus.
Available in December, the stories in The First Doctor Adventures - Volume 1 consist of:
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 is available for pre-order now at £23 on CD or £20 on download from Big Finish and will remain at this price until general release when it will be available for £35 on CD or £30 on download.
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 can also be purchased as a bundle with Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 2, to be released in July 2018, at the price of £45 on CD and £40 on download (all CD purchases from the Big Finish website unlock a download exclusive from the Big Finish website and app).
Via Big Finish
Following his stellar portrayal of William Hartnell in BBC Two’s An Adventure in Space and Time, David Bradley (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Broadchurch, Captain America) is set to star as the First Doctor in this year’s BBC One Doctor Who Christmas Special alongside Peter Capaldi. And now Big Finish Productions, in arrangement with BBC Worldwide, are giving this reimagined First Doctor another chance to explore the cosmos!
Joining David Bradley are his co-stars from An Adventure in Space and Time reprising their roles as the iconic first TARDIS team. Jamie Glover (Elizabeth, Waterloo Road, Holby City) plays Ian Chesterton, Jemma Powell (Alice in Wonderland, Angel, Foyle’s War) plays Barbara Wright, and Claudia Grant (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) plays Susan – the Doctor’s granddaughter and the original ‘Unearthly Child’.
“The adventures of the First Doctor are all about discovery,” says script editor and writer Matt Fitton, “finding out what this infinite universe contains, and also who our fellow travellers are. As we journey with Ian, Barbara, Susan and the mysterious Doctor, we come to see what they are capable of when confronted with the strange, the unjust and the dangerous.”
Executive producer Nicholas Briggs: “Having worked with David twice now on TV, it’s great to be working with him again. Matt and his team of writers have come up with such a beautifully authentic set of scripts. We forget how different Doctor Who was, back in those early days – and here it all is, painstakingly recreated. I find that rather thrilling.”
Nick adds: "What's fascinating about the cast and their performances is that they're not impersonating William Hartnell and his TARDIS crew. They're playing those parts as written in the scripts. No one can replace the brilliance of those original performances. What we're presenting here is a kind of reinvention of that era, completely in the spirit of the original. They are new but entirely faithful interpretations of these characters."
“I’ve always been a great admirer of David Bradley’s work”, says executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery, “and thought that he was an excellent choice to play William Hartnell in An Adventure in Space and Time. After his brilliant performance, we immediately thought about bringing David in to play the First Doctor for Big Finish – it took us a while – but we got there in the end! I’m so looking forward to seeing David in the Christmas Special and then listening to his further adventures with us.”
This series of adventures pays homage to the beginning years of Doctor Who, and each of the four episodes in each story will be given an individual title. Two of the four stories are historical, focusing on tales from Earth’s history pre-1963. Back in its first few years, Doctor Who was intended to be an educational programme using time travel as a means to explore scientific ideas and famous moments in history, while still captivating the minds and imaginations of generations to come.
Not only will the Doctor be exploring our history, but he will also encounter strange new life forms – the Dalmari and the Ashtallans.
And in a Big Finish exclusive, the First Doctor will encounter his greatest foe, the first incarnation of fellow Time Lord, the Master, played by James Dreyfus.
Available in December, the stories in The First Doctor Adventures - Volume 1 consist of:
- 1.1 The Destination Wars by Matt Fitton
- 1.2 The Great White Hurricane by Guy Adams
- 2.1 The Invention of Death by John Dorney
- 2.2 The Barbarians and the Samurai by Andrew Smith
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 is available for pre-order now at £23 on CD or £20 on download from Big Finish and will remain at this price until general release when it will be available for £35 on CD or £30 on download.
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1 can also be purchased as a bundle with Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 2, to be released in July 2018, at the price of £45 on CD and £40 on download (all CD purchases from the Big Finish website unlock a download exclusive from the Big Finish website and app).
Via Big Finish
Steven Moffat hints at dark times to come in Doctor Who 2017 Christmas special
Peter Capaldi’s final ever episode was never expected to be particularly merry, but does outgoing showrunner Moffat have even more sinister plans up his sleeve?
It was always fair to assume that the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special wouldn’t be the most merry of festive episodes, with the upcoming Twice Upon a Time set to feature the “death” of Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor (before regenerating into Jodie Whittaker’s new incarnation) and the end of a seven-year era in Doctor Who history.
However, it’s now emerged that the episode could be even darker than we expected, with the episode’s writer Steven Moffat (who departs as showrunner alongside Capaldi this December) hinting that there could be some nasty times ahead for the Time Lord.
Speaking at a panel at the London Screenwriters’ Festival, Moffat was asked how he and Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss (also present with producer Sue Vertue) balanced the Baker Street sleuth’s selfish tendencies with his essentially good nature – and his answer included a fascinating Doctor Who tidbit for attentive fans.
“Why would Superman be good? Because kindness stops you being lonely, would be the answer,” Moffat said. “That’s what that’s about, for Sherlock Holmes.
“He’s good because for all he protests about it, there are people he cares about.
“So, kindness is what makes a unit of us. So if you are sane and rational, kindness is by far the best path. There isn’t anything rational about being vile and awful and evil. It’s not actually a good strategy.”
He then added cryptically: “Prepare for that to be contradicted on Doctor Who on Christmas Day…”
Now, we’re not sure whether the “vile and awful and evil” comment refers to some dark, utilitarian idea enacted by the Doctor in the episode, the successful evil plans of his enemies or even his own ruthless nature when it comes to telling the story of such a crucial episode.
But whatever the truth, it sounds like the Twelfth Doctor’s final stand is definitely going to be one of the darker offerings on TV this festive period. Yes, even more so than The Snowman.
Via Radio Times by Paul Jones
It was always fair to assume that the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special wouldn’t be the most merry of festive episodes, with the upcoming Twice Upon a Time set to feature the “death” of Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor (before regenerating into Jodie Whittaker’s new incarnation) and the end of a seven-year era in Doctor Who history.
However, it’s now emerged that the episode could be even darker than we expected, with the episode’s writer Steven Moffat (who departs as showrunner alongside Capaldi this December) hinting that there could be some nasty times ahead for the Time Lord.
Speaking at a panel at the London Screenwriters’ Festival, Moffat was asked how he and Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss (also present with producer Sue Vertue) balanced the Baker Street sleuth’s selfish tendencies with his essentially good nature – and his answer included a fascinating Doctor Who tidbit for attentive fans.
“Why would Superman be good? Because kindness stops you being lonely, would be the answer,” Moffat said. “That’s what that’s about, for Sherlock Holmes.
“He’s good because for all he protests about it, there are people he cares about.
“So, kindness is what makes a unit of us. So if you are sane and rational, kindness is by far the best path. There isn’t anything rational about being vile and awful and evil. It’s not actually a good strategy.”
He then added cryptically: “Prepare for that to be contradicted on Doctor Who on Christmas Day…”
Now, we’re not sure whether the “vile and awful and evil” comment refers to some dark, utilitarian idea enacted by the Doctor in the episode, the successful evil plans of his enemies or even his own ruthless nature when it comes to telling the story of such a crucial episode.
But whatever the truth, it sounds like the Twelfth Doctor’s final stand is definitely going to be one of the darker offerings on TV this festive period. Yes, even more so than The Snowman.
Via Radio Times by Paul Jones
Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie panel at Rose City Comic Con 2017
The 12th Doctor and Bill Potts' 2017 panel from RCCC in Portland Oregon.
Thanks to Caterpillarthezebra for the videos.
“Jodie Whittaker!” Capaldi said when asked about his favourite Doctor at Portland’s Rose City Comic-Con, with his selection of the upcoming first female Doctor (taking over the TARDIS keys from this December’s Christmas Special Twice Upon a Time) drawing cheers from the crowd – even as Capaldi admitted he hadn’t actually seen Thirteen in action yet (unlike departing showrunner Steven Moffat). We’re guessing he just has a good feeling about her.
Still, when Whittaker does take over Capaldi made it clear that she’ll be taking on a role and a half, with the Scottish actor waxing lyrical about the joys of being a part of the BBC sci-fi series later in the panel.
“It’s just an amazing experience, because all the time you are the Doctor you are the centre of all this attention, this warmth and so to have that in your life is extraordinary,” Capaldi told the crowd.
“I feel it’s just a very, very special privilege and position to be in. It’s life-changing. It’s wonderful to be the Doctor. You are Doctor Who – for a while.”
Companion Pearl Mackie (who returns as Bill Potts this Christmas and joined Capaldi onstage) added: “It’s so amazing.
“And I think one of the best parts of it is that every episode is kind of a different genre, while still having monsters and things like that. It’s just wonderful.
“One day you’re on a different planet fighting emoji robots, the next day you’re in a full Victorian period costume on ice.
“It’s insane. Every day was so different, and so new. It’s basically the best show on TV.”
We’re sure many fans would be inclined to agree – though that didn’t stop the crowd at the panel also asking the pair which OTHER shows they’d like to see crossing over into the Doctor Who panel, with Mackie suggesting Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Capaldi going for something a little more deadly.
“Well I’d like to see Game of Thrones,” he said. “I think the Doctor would be like ‘White Walkers? What White Walkers? Where are they, these White Walkers? Point me at the White Walkers.’”
Sounds like just the thing to finally stop the Night King in his tracks. Hopefully Capaldi’s new favourite and the Doctor Who writers are taking notes for season 11…
Via Radio Times by Huw Fullerton
Farewell to the 'Doctor Who Experience'
After five years the Doctor Who Experience has closed its door's for the last time in Cardiff, on Saturday 9th September.
Here is a selection of videos from various sources to commemorate it's sad demise.
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