If you were lucky enough to be in Cardiff over the weekend,
chances are you may have noticed a slight increase in excitement coming
from the Motorpoint Arena. Thanks to some dedicated fans, a few
kind celebrities and the occasional Dalek, what you stumbled upon was none other than Cardiff Comic-Con 2013.
With a crowd of fans stretching all the way around the building as their favourite hero/villain/Doctor, enthusiasm was at a high from the very beginning. Within seconds, any passer-by would see Spiderman, Doctor Who and Darth Vader in casual chatter and ready to enjoy the day - a day that was undeniably a success.
Yet even with its ridiculously diverse fanbase, Who
still managed to have its own place in the hall, with celebrities and
fans alike sharing their passion for the show in their own special way.
Attending stars from Who included Colin Baker, Frazer
Hines, Kai Owen, Anthony Head, John Leeson, Mat Irvine and Laurie
Goode, all of which were heavily involved in talking to the fans on a one-to-one basis.
Who was also the subject of many cosplayers, dressing as their favourite characters including the uncanny Matt Smith incarnation (found below) and a surprisingly original TARDIS-inspired gown.
The showdown we all want to see.
Candy Jar Books' own Terry Cooper also made his own appearance as everyone's favourite pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow. Having spent Sunday entirely in-character for 10 hours straight, he's certainly a performer worth admiring! Check out his official Facebook page here.
In hindsight, the two-day event was a wonderful way for fans to meet their heroes, as well as to celebrate an ever-growing source of imagination. After all, where else would we see Cybermen dancing with the Doctor if not our television screens?
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...
An undisclosed source close to the Doctor Who production team indicated to us this morning that Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston may well be seen in the 50th Anniversary special, despite his recent comments to the contrary, and that he could have already filmed his part...!
Eccleston has recently said that he did have a meeting with showrunner Steven Moffat about a possible involvement in the end-of-year spectacular, but came away saying he wouldn't be involved.
However, my tight-lipped source refused to confirm or deny this in a very 'I know something you don't know' manner, which is a very strong pointer towards seeing the Ninth Doctor on our screens, joining Matt Smith and David Tennant.
Tennant, if you remember, recently denied all knowledge and involvement in the same way that Eccleston has.
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."
