There would have to be an
excellent reason to be sat in the Royal Albert Hall on the hottest day of the
year and the Doctor Who Proms definitely counts as one. The concert, which saw
Ben Foster conducting the BBC National Orchestra of Wales with the London
Philharmonic Choir, included a mix of music from recent and classic Doctor
Who episodes, and will be screened around the same time as the 50th
Anniversary special this November.
Matt Smith and Jenna
Louise-Coleman made an appearance along with Cybermen and Weeping Angels. Smith
told an excited crowd: ‘One of the great joys of playing this extraordinary,
legendary Time Lord is the support and knowledge and love and brilliance of the
fans - you really make the show what it is.’
He wasn’t the only Doctor in the house
though, as Peter Davison appeared – to a rapturous welcome – to introduce a
medley of music from the show’s classic era, including the pioneering work of
the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Looking out at the thousands of fans, he said, ‘What amazing memories you all have. Even though most of
you weren't even born.’
Joining him onstage was Carole
Ann Ford, who played the Doctor’s first screen companion in 1963. ‘Who'd have
thought this celebration would be happening 50 years on?’ said the actress, now
73 years old. ‘It's amazing.’
The Prom was brought to an end
by the world premiere of a birthday anthem called Song for Fifty,
written by Murray Gold, who has been the show’s musical director since 2005.
Ever wondered how many times each Doctor encountered the Daleks? Or which Doctor first encountered the Brigaider? Or, the greatest mystery, just how old is the Doctor?
Wonder no more. We've added a new feature to the blog - The Doctors 101.
As we draw near
to the end of series seven, DWM takes a look at the final three episodes
leading towards the anniversary adventure coming in November. It seems all we
have left this year are ‘event’ episodes; The
Crimson Horror is the one hundredth episode since Doctor Who returned in 2005, Nightmare
in Silver is the triumphant return of both the Cybermen and author Neil
Gaiman, and The Name of the Doctor is
the big series finale that’s set to shake up the universe of Doctor Who to its very core. Following
these, of course, we have an anniversary and Christmas special to look forward
to.
The magazine
features a wonderful interview with Mark Gatiss where he talks about writing The Crimson Horror, likening it to his
successful Lucifer Box series of
novels, calling it ‘the campest thing I’ve ever written – and that’s saying
something!’ Of course, the high point of The
Crimson Horror is the first appearance of Dame Diana Rigg in Doctor Who. Known to fans as Mrs Peel in
the 1960s television show The Avengers,
she is also well remembered as Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the James Bond
film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,
the only woman to whom Bond gets married.
After series six’s
award-winning episode, The Doctor’s Wife,
which did more for the TARDIS than any episode has before or since, Neil Gaiman
returns to pen Nightmare in Silver
because, in his words, ‘I set the bar high. But that’s why I came back. Not to
top The Doctor’s Wife, but to at
least come close.’ He promises that the Cybermen in this episode will be
scarier than ever!
One of the most
interesting reveals in this issue of Doctor
Who Magazine is Steven Moffat explaining that River Song who appears in Name of the Doctor is a post-Silence in the Library River, a story in
which she died.In his interview about The
Name of the Doctor, Moffat goes to great lengths to not really tell us
anything. No real spoilers to be gleaned here.
Speaking of
Moffat, there’s a wonderful section in the magazine in which he answers
questions put to him by readers of the mag. One such question ‘how did the
Statue of Liberty make it to Winter Quay without being seen?’ is something I’ve
been debating with people since The Angels Take Manhattan aired last year. His answer is
mostly okay, but the only part worth repeating here is; ‘Also, it tiptoed!’
Quite.
Doctor Who Magazine issue #460, £4.75, now available from all good retailers.
Yesterday we
reported the sad news revealed in DWM that no old Doctors would be returning
for the anniversary special. But, if it makes all you fans who decry this
revelation feel a little better, the old Doctors are also disappointed. Says
Sylvester McCoy, the Seventh Doctor, ‘all of us want to do it, just for the
fans – because that’s what they want’.
So, although it
seems as if the BBC are focussing on celebrating the past EIGHT years of adventures,
audio producers Big Finish are at least planning on celebrating the past FIFTY
years. Their anniversary special, The
Light at the End, will not only features all the past Doctors (Tom Baker,
Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann) but also
companions Leela, Nyssa, Peri, Ace and Charley. On top of that look out for
small ‘kisses to the past’ with cameos by Susan, Ian, Vicki, Steven, Sara,
Polly, Jamie, Zoe, Jo, Tegan and Turlough! A veritable cornucopia of old
Doctors and companions!
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (issue #460 - on sale tomorrow) confirms that the only Doctor returning for the Fiftieth Anniversary episode is David Tennant. '...The other old Doctors will not be taking part,' the mag reports. It also confirms that, although Christopher Eccleston was approached to return, he turned the offer down. In conjunction with this from Steven Moffat, 'it is important you don't turn it into a fanfest. We can't make this all about looking backwards', it seems long-time fans of the show are in for a major disappointment.
So, is this to be a celebration of FIFTY years or just the last EIGHT? The latter is looking more and more likely...
Today (March 26) sees the release of the special edition Doctor Who stamps.
All eleven Doctors feature on their own first class stamp with their relevant logo and a title graphic in the background.
The TARDIS is also on its own first class stamp and comes as part of a mini-sheet with four second class stamps, each one with their own Doctor Who monster; Weeping Angel, Dalek, Cyberman and Ood.
The stamps have been created to mark the 50th Anniversary of the show and, with pre-registration for the collection three times higher than any other commeroative set Royal Mail has released, they have already broken a record.
Royal Mail's Andrew Hammond said: "These stamps pay tribute to the brilliant actors that have played the Doctor over the years as well as the adversaries that helped make the show so popular."
