Doctor Who Returns in March

Doctor Who returns to BBC One screens during the Easter weekend on Saturday, 30 March, 2013.

The Doctor is back in an adventure written by the show’s lead writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat. The episode which is the first in a run of eight will be directed by Colm McCarthy whose previous credits include Hustle, Spooks and Endeavour.

Later adventures in the series run include episode contributions written by Mark Gatiss (Victory of the Daleks, Night Terrors) and acclaimed author Neil Gaiman.

Steven Moffat has promised that in terms of Doctor Who, 2013 will be a ‘tremendous’ year for the programme. However there is already uproar amongst the fans due to a leaked promotional card from BBC Worldwide which purports that the Anniversary will be marked by one sixty minute episode.

So just how will the BBC mark the anniversary?  Well until a proper statement comes from a reliable source, I suggest everyone disregards the content of the promotional card.

We'll have to wait and see. 

Fiftieth Anniversary Poll: William Hartnell

At the beginning of every month from now on there will be an individual Fiftieth Anniversary Poll dedicated to each Doctor which the Doctor Who Bar will run over the course of the anniversary year.

We would like you guys and gals on Twitter, Google Plus or Facebook to tweet us your favourite Doctor Who stories.  This very first Poll is the William Hartnell one and the most popular stories will go on the Poll for next Saturday.  You will then have another week to vote for which story wins and get's watched on the following Saturday.  If you are tweeting us please use the special hashtag #DWBarWH.

You can also use the comment box attached to this article to nominate any stories you would like to see on the William Hartnell Poll, which will go up on the Doctor Who Bar site on Saturday 5th January.  

So please get in touch everyone as the Bar begins it's celebrations for the Fiftieth Anniversary of Doctor Who.

'The Mind Robber' Preview

‘The Mind Robber’ is an unconventional story. First broadcast in 1968, it follows directly on from the previous serial ‘The Dominators’ and opens with a flood of lava rapidly approaching the TARDIS. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and companions Jamie and Zoe (Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury) are forced to dematerialise and take the TARDIS “out of reality” in order to escape the flood of what appears to be melting cheese.

After landing ‘nowhere’ – an everlasting expanse of white – the crew are lured out by visions of home, where they face a group of robots.  Despite the Doctor managing to get everyone back into the TARDIS, he is unable to stop it exploding, the outer shell shattering and the console spinning off into the distance.

From then on the story takes place in “The Land of Fiction” which is ruled over by The Master (but not that one). Battling irritating children and robot toy soldiers, the Doctor and his companions struggle not to become a work of fiction – as this will mean that they are trapped forever.

Frazer Hines caught chicken box during filming of this serial, which meant that he was replaced by Hamish Wilson in episode two (explained by having the Doctor rearrange an image of Jamie’s face incorrectly). The previous story had originally been conceived as a six parter, but had been reduced to five parts, meaning that the ‘leftover’ part of the story became the first episode of the previously four part ‘The Mind Robber’.

We will be watching ‘The Mind Robber’ on Saturday the 29^th. The Bar opens at 9.45pm GMT and we press play at 10.00pm GMT. Hope to see you there.

'The Next Doctor' Preview

‘The Next Doctor’ is a massively misleading title, but that doesn’t mean the story isn’t a good one. Broadcast on Christmas Day 2008, it attracted 13.1 million viewers. It starred David Tennant as the Doctor, accompanied by David Morrisey as Jackson Lake (or possibly the Doctor) and Velile Tshabalala as Rosita Farisi.

Ok, it’s a bit silly (particularly the two Doctors getting pulled around on the rope by the Cybershade) but that can be forgiven, it is a Christmas special after all. It’s not all fun and games however, with some quite emotional moments throughout. The child actors working in the Cyber factory all seem to be straight out of Oliver Twist, but again, it would be stupid to pick holes in a story designed to be so Christmassy.
 

Miss Hartigan makes a good villain, and the Cybermen are as threatening as ever, even if the Cyberking is a bit of a dodgy CGI representation. David Morrisey makes a likeable Doctor (spinoff series anyone?)

All in all, ‘The Next Doctor’ is a good story with an interesting plot line and some nice character moments and comedy elements.

Fiftieth Anniversary Poll

We are bringing back the Poll next year briefly because 2013 is Doctor Who's Fiftieth Anniversary.

At the beginning of every month there will be an individual Fiftieth Anniversary Poll dedicated to each Doctor which will run over the course of the year.

We would like you guys and gals on Twitter or Facebook to tweet us your favourite stories belonging to each Doctor and the most popular will go on the Poll.  You will then have a week to vote for which story wins and get's watched on the Saturday.

The first Saturday of every month will be the Fiftieth Anniversary Poll.  The first Poll the William Hartnell one is Saturday 5th January.

So join us to celebrate the Anniversary over the course of the year.

What Doctor Who means to me

As you can probably guess, Doctor Who means a fair bit to me. The first story that I saw was ‘Day of the Daleks’, which was lent to me by my uncle on VHS when I was five or six, and from then on I just carried on loving the series.

When the series was restarted in 2005 I watched that and enjoyed it (although ‘Fear Her’ not so much for obvious reasons). Although my favourite era is the Patrick Troughton years, the newer seasons of Doctor Who have proved that a classic series can be reinterpreted and the shows popularity can be seen to still be considerable even after forty nine years.

Doctor Who has brought me into contact with people I would never have otherwise met, particularly on the internet through websites like Twitter. Ok, some are slightly insane and still want Amy and Rory back, but on the whole Doctor Who has had a positive effect on my life and worked as a route to finding other science fiction television shows such as ‘Blake’s 7’.

Doctor Who has been a constant in my life for years now, and hopefully it will continue to be for years to come. Happy Forty Ninth Birthday to Doctor Who, and lets hope that it’ll be around for another forty nine. 

Happy Forty Ninth Anniversary Doctor Who!

Today is the birthday of a landmark television series.  On this date in 1963 the very first episode of a brand new sci-fi show was transmitted for the very first time.  The programme was called Doctor Who and viewers watched enthralled as two curious school teachers discover that one of their pupils actually lives inside a Police Box at 76 Totters Lane!

Carole Ann Ford played the character of Susan Foreman, who would be revealed to be the Doctor's grand daughter.  The Doctor himself was played by the noted character actor William Hartnell, who was best remembered for The Army Game as well as the films The Way Ahead and Carry On Sergeant.  He was well loved in the role of the Doctor and only left the part when he became too ill to continue.

No one back then could even begin to perceive just how popular this show was going to get until the TARDIS actually left the Stone Age and landed on the planet Skaro.  However let's just forget about the Daleks for a moment, we all know it was their first story which catapulted Doctor Who into the success story it now is.

I wasn't born when Doctor Who first began but the very first episode of the show is a ground breaking piece of television drama.  It set's up the basic format of Doctor Who which would endure for another twenty six years on BBC1!  Thanks to the concept of regeneration which allowed the shows Producer's to change the lead actor, the long term future of Doctor Who is assured.  I have no doubt that the programme will always continue as not only is it a popular show but it is held in high regard by the BBC as a super brand because of it's marketing and merchandising potential.

There is something special about Doctor Who which transcends it for me as more than just a television programme.  It is looked at with great affection and love by many people worldwide.  The shows legacy gives us era's of the programme which are unique thanks to the fine actors cast in the title role. The programme's fan base and appeal consists of kids of six up to adults in their eighties.  Such is the power of a programme which grew from modest beginnings way back on this particular day in 1963.

In truth Doctor Who is possibly one of the greatest television shows ever created, if not the greatest!  The show has a limitless appeal, and since it's return in 2005 it has garnered even more fans. 

So let us raise our glasses today at 5.00pm as the Doctor Who Bar's Special Session of An Unearthly Child get's under way and we celebrate the birth of a television legend.

We press play at 5.15pm on the first episode of the longest running sci-fi series in the universe!

Happy Forty Ninth Birthday to Doctor Who.

'The Two Doctors' Preview

‘The Two Doctors’ was the fourth story of Doctor Who’s 22^nd Season and was first broadcast in 1985. The story stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant, as well as Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines, who returned to their roles for this multi-Doctor story.

While this is a story featuring the return of the Sontarans and Servalan actress Jacqueline Pearce, as well as a crazed chef who puts Gordon Ramsey to shame, the main event is of course the meeting of the second and sixth Doctor. Patrick Troughton may look a bit grey and Frazer Hines slightly middle aged, but if you ignore this, then you are likely to enjoy this story.

This story is also a key part the “Season 6B” fan theory, which proposes that between ‘The War Games’ and ‘Spearhead from Space’ the second Doctor worked for the Timelords an ‘unofficial agent’. This would explain his actions in ‘The Two Doctors’ in meeting Dastari, and also several other lines in different serials. While this theory remains unconfirmed by the television version of Doctor Who, it has been expanded upon in books and comic strips.

We will be watching ‘The Two Doctors’ on Wednesday. The bar opens at 7.30pm and we press play at 8.00pm. Hope to see you there. 

Would you like to host & take part in the DWBar?

Unfortunately there have been members of the current Bar team who have been unwilling to host any of the sessions.

This puts a strain on the members of the team who do host, and who occasionally cannot fulfill the function due to other commitments.

That's why the Bar is looking for genuine people who would like to host the sessions, rather than people who would like to be associated with the Bar but do nothing!

If you are passionate about Doctor Who and would like to watch the show whilst tweeting on Twitter about it, then the Bar is for you!  You can even submit articles on the site too.

Please DM @Via_the_Void or @TheDoctorWhoBar if you would be interested, or use the email box on the website thanks.

'The Caves of Androzani' Preview

On my first viewing of Robert Holmes’ ‘The Caves of Androzani’, I wasn’t overly impressed. Yes, it has the great part one cliff-hanger, but other elements such as the Magma Monster let the story down in my eyes. I was surprised to see it voted Doctor Who Magazines number one story, and decided to watch it again. This time I formed an entirely new opinion on the story.

The story benefits from a set of good cliff-hangers – in particular the episode one execution of the Doctor and Peri. Although Sharaz Jek is a clichéd villain (a madman who wears a mask to conceal horrific disfigurement) he is played in an interesting way and becomes the first in a long line of bad guys to lust after Peri.

The final scene marks the first appearance of Colin Baker as the Doctor (having previously appeared in the 1983 story ‘Arc of Infinity’ as a different character) and the final appearance of Peter Davison after three years in the role.

While arguably some elements of the story fall flat, on the whole ‘The Caves of Androzani’ remains a very good story. We will be watching it on Wednesday. The bar will open at 7.30pm and we press play at 8.00pm. Hope to see you there. 

Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways Preview

Bad Wolf/ Parting of the Ways was the two part finale to the 2005 season of Doctor Who. It starred Christopher Ecclestone, Billie Piper and John Barrowman. It also sees the resolution of the ‘Bad Wolf’ plot arc that had been present throughout the season.

The TARDIS crew find themselves in futuristic equivalents of reality TV shows, onboard a space station. Separated and confused, the Doctor and Jack eventually meet and go to the stations control room, where they are greeted by the cybernetic Controller. Rose, while appearing on ‘The Weakest Link’, has appeared to have been disintegrated after failing to win the round. However, the Controller reveals that the contestants are instead sent to a point in space – this turns out to be a Dalek fleet. The episode ends with the Dalek fleet preparing to invade Earth with Rose trapped on board. This cliff-hanger is resolved in the following episode, ‘Parting of the Ways’ which was Ecclestone’s last episode in the role.

So join us on Wednesday at 8.00pm for this 2005 two-parter. Hope to see you there. 

50 Years of Doctor Who: Preachrs Podcast Live!

Hello all! Some exciting news from Benjamin's podcast.

50 Years of Doctor Who: Preachrs Podcast Live is all about celebrating a 50 year history of the longest running Sci-Fi show ever. Travel through the vortex of time as we take a look at the changing face of Doctor Who. Throw in some quizes and audience interaction and, Geronimo!

Preachrs Podcast is a podcast that focuses on all aspects of the TV show “Doctor Who” and can be found at www.preachrspodcast.net or on iTunes. The podcast features interviews with the stars, reviews, exclusives and more. Guests on the podcast have included: Nicholas Briggs - voice of the Cybermen and Daleks in the New Series; Sophie Aldred- a companion Ace to Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor; Barnaby Edwards - Dalek Controller in the New Series; Gary Russel - Script editor on the New Series.

Preachrs Podcast celebrated its second birthday during 2012 and was featured on the ABC Radio National show “Top of the Pods” (2012).

This show will be hosted by three avid “Whovians”: Benjamin Maio Mackay – the creator of the podcast and show; Rob Lloyd, a Melbourne-based actor and comedian; and Nicholas Finch a fellow whovian.

Come and join us for a ride down the time vortex of Doctor Who.

Now performing at:

Adelaide Fringe ( Adelaide, 3 shows only)

Whovention: Gold (Sydney, 1 show only)

Lords of Time (Melbourne, 1 show only)

Tickets from here:

http://www.preachrspodcast.net/preachrspodcast.net/50_Years_of_Doctor_Who__Preachrs_Podcast_Live_2013%21.html

More dates soon so stay tuned!