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Dishing the Dirt on Doctor Who
The 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and new "Bride" Companion Donna (Catherine Tate)
ROSE, CAPTAIN JACK, MARTHA, AND "THE BRIDE": 4 COMPANIONS FOR DOCTOR WHO, ALL TO BE SEEN IN SEASON 4!
PLUS THE 5TH DOCTOR, KYLIE MINOGUE ON THE TITANIC, AGATHA CHRISTIE, THE OOD...AND A YEAR'S BREAK (OF SORTS) AFTER IT ALL?
JUST WHAT'S GOING ON WITH WHO?
Since the return of Doctor Who to television, interest in the franchise here in North America has never been higher. Even compared to back when Tom Baker and his long scarf roamed the cosmos as the Fourth Doctor, during the original run of the show.
Now THAT was a run! From 1963 to 1989, for 26 years Doctor Who was on the air. Guinness shows it as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world, and when you add the 1996 Paul McGann telefilm and the new version of the show into the mix, you're closing in on 30 years of science fiction. Which is about as much as Star Trek in all its incarnations (another huge favorite of mine, incidentally). Both have around 730-ish productions under their belts, depending on whom you ask (and how they count the various productions).
For the original run of Doctor Who, there were usually anywhere from 2 to 6 "episodes" per story, or serial, and over the course of 26 years there were 159 stories made with the first seven Doctors. 66 of those stories are either out on DVD in North America, or already scheduled for release sometime between now and the first of April. Of the 93 serials unrepresented on DVD, many of the early ones may never come out because at the BBC, many years ago, a lot of storage tapes were erased for re-use, despite that a few of them were the only recorded copies of early Doctor Who stories! For the same reason, about a dozen of the 66 "released" are only partially represented on DVD, with some of the episodes in the story but not all of them. Still, we Who fanatics will take everything we can get!
Last Friday, Nov. 23rd, saw the 44th anniversary of Doctor Who's original 1963 debut in the story best known as "An Unearthly Child". Unfortunately, the day prior to that, while many of us folks in the States were busy eating turkey and ham, watching football, and hanging out with family and/or friends, original Who producer Verity Lambert passed away. The 71-year-old (no relation to this writer) helmed the series as the youngest producer at the BBC of that time, and was weeks away from being honored with a lifetime achievement award at the "Women in Film and Television Awards". It's an understatement to say that she'll certainly be missed.
On the other hand, there are bright things on the horizon for the Doctor, and Verity would surely be pleased to know that he's carrying on so well. Just a couple of weeks ago the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) met the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) in "Time Crash", a Children In Need special written by Steven Moffat, which did huge numbers in the U.K. ratings. Here's to hoping that this, and previous charity specials featuring Doctor Who (including Rowan Atkinson's "Curse of Fatal Death" Comic Relief turn) all make their way to the USA at some point!
The franchise is running strong: the current version of Doctor Who, plus spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, are all doing nicely. Sarah Jane is apparently a record-breaker over at the Children's BBC ("CBBC") channel in the U.K., where episodes air immediately following their original BBC-1 appearance. I'm still waiting for that program to make a showing in the US (though Canada gets it starting this January), but in the meantime I can be pleased that Torchwood debuts on DVD with its first season set release on Jan. 22nd! That's the same month that the second year of episodes begins to air on BBC-2 and on BBC America (the latter's debut is scheduled for January 26, 9:00pm ET/PT). During the coming season of Torchwood, you'll see Who companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) make appearances in 3 episodes, alongside show star John Barrowman (who plays former Who companion Captain Jack Harkness).
Oh, Agyeman will be back on Doctor Who as Martha for the fourth season. But not until the second half! Barrowman has also been quoted as saying he'll show up in "Series Four" (in British terms, a "series" is a season). And, just this past Tuesday it was officially confirmed that Billie Piper's "Rose Tyler" will ALSO appear at some point during the fourth season of the show! Wow. So The Doctor will get 4 companions showing up in Season 4...how cool is that? (Hey, what about Mickey?)
Although Martha will continue to stick around the TARDIS, there's no indication yet that we'll see more of Rose or Captain Jack than short-term appearances (of course, Harkness has his own show to worry about). Who, then, will be the Doctor's new companion for the first half of the season, while Martha is hanging around Harkness' Torchwood?
The BBC has announced that Catherine Tate will reprise her role as Donna Noble, first seen as the title character featured in the 2006 Christmas Special "The Runaway Bride". Donna comes on board as the new companion for all 13 episodes of Doctor Who Series Four...sharing the limelight with Martha after mid-season.
Time to make up another bed on the TARDIS.
The 2007 Christmas Special, "Voyage of the Damned" (which takes the 10th Doctor on board the Titanic), airs in the U.K. on Christmas Day and guest stars Australian singing sensation Kylie Minogue. It picks up, of course, right from the end of the 3rd Season's final scene. The 4th season of Doctor Who will continue to feature great guest stars, including Felicity Kendal (The Good Life [a.k.a. Good Neighbors], Rosemary & Thyme), Tim McInnerny (Blackadder, Spooks [a.k.a. MI-5]), and Fenella Woolgar (Jekyll). The latter will be playing none other than classic mystery writer Agatha Christie! That ought to be a very interesting meeting for The Doctor. Also look for a return of the alien species The Ood, which appeared in the second season episodes "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit". And, after appearances in each of the news show's season for The Daleks, then the Cybermen, and most recently The Master, the producers promise that more classic Doctor Who elements will continue to appear for the fourth year of this incarnation of the program.
When will it all end? Who knows? In their official FAQ for the program, the BBC states that the Time Lords used to have 13 "lives" (regenerations), but hint that this limit may no longer apply since The Doctor is the last of the Time Lords, and his people are gone except for him. That opens the door to having many more Doctors left, and many more actors to play them after Tennant goes. This past September the BBC revealed that Tennant will do the 4th season for 2008, star in 3 Doctor Who specials for 2009, and then the 5th Season ("Series Five") would run in 2010. The BBC would not comment if Tennant would return as The Doctor for the fifth season...opening the door for another possible regeneration. Or maybe it's just way to early for anyone to make up his or her minds as to what the future will bring.
Either way, keep 'em coming; you've done brilliantly so far!
DVDs for Doctor Who may be purchased through Amazon.com
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Nov 30, 2007 7:06 AM
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Thanks for the great update. As a fan, who started to watch the show in the 80's on PBS, I appreciate your time and effort!
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Nov 30, 2007 10:18 AM
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Excellent write-up, Dave. It is good to see a program that I have been a fan of for 25+ years start to get the recognition that it deserves here in the US.
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Nov 30, 2007 11:19 AM
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I'm so happy Donna and Rose are returning - they're great companions!
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Nov 30, 2007 10:38 PM
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I'm really excited for Billie Piper's return, even if it's only for a few episodes. 
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Dec 1, 2007 12:23 AM
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Curse of Fatal Death (also written by Steven Moffat btw) was released on VHS over here years ago. I have this awesome special proudly on my shelf! It's hilarious and the behind the scenes featurette after the show itself is also very funny. The special also features appearances from Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies) as the Master, Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalhala from AbFab, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, and HUGH GRANT!!! I would love to see it released on DVD as well though!
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Dec 4, 2007 7:04 PM
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For those of you who haven't seen it yet, I filed a story yesterday about a major re-shuffling of the March/April schedule for classic Doctor Who titles on DVD.
Two titles were yanked (including a box set), one was moved to release a month earlier, and another title was added to the mix. You can read all the details, including extras on the new title, in the TVShowsOnDVD News!
There's also word on where you can see 10th Doctor actor David Tennant in a most unusual place, DVD-wise, so check it out.
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Dec 6, 2007 5:01 AM
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As an American who can never wait til Scifi deems their schedule ready for new Who I have already seen Voyage of the Damned, and while silly at times, its a lot of fun - with David Tennant in full on camp glory as the Doctor.
Expect 1/2 Doctor Who, 1/2 Posieden Adventure
Also just got the Season 3 Doctor Who DVD - make sure to look for the "blink" and you'll miss it easter egg
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Jan 1, 2008 12:35 PM
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