The Doctor
'Doctor Who' - 'Victory of the Daleks' Recap
(S05E03) They say a Doctor isn't a Doctor until he's faced down his most famous enemy, the Daleks. Every Doctor has faced them (it's even implied that Paul McGann fought them in the Time War). It's best that newbie Matt Smith got it out of the way early otherwise children would be asking "when will he fight the Daleks?"This episode could best be called a new beginning for our favorite pepperpots. In typical indirect and obscure fashion, they try to perpetuate their race and destroy the universe, in that order. And for once, they even claim a victory over our favorite Time Lord.
Matt Smith to Appear on 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'
Matt Smith has only just taken the reigns of the title role in 'Doctor Who' and he is already slated to make a guest-appearance on the spin-off series 'The Sarah Jane Adventures,' according to the BBC Press Office. For those unaware, the spin-off follows the adventures of former 'Doctor Who' companion Sarah Jane Smith as played by Elisabeth Sladen.
Also joining them in the same episode is former 'Doctor Who' companion Jo Grant. She'll be played by Katy Manning, who is stepping into the role for the first time since 1973.
And to round out the news trifecta, the episode will be written by the creator of 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' and the man responsible for bringing 'Doctor Who' back to television, Russell T. Davies. This would mark Davies' first time writing for the character of the Doctor since he left the series (and it could be argued that it's his first time writing for Smith's Doctor).
Mind you, Davies writing was never particularly impressive on the series in terms of science fiction. Davies' strength tends to be writing about relationships, and having the Doctor in a room with two of his ex-companions (which for the Doctor would be the equivalent of ex-girlfriends) is enough reason to tune in.
'Doctor Who' - 'The Eleventh Hour' Recap (Season Premiere)
(S05E01) You've read the interview, and now we have the review of the new 'Who.'Eleventh Hour. Eleventh Doctor. Ha ha. We get it.
Matt Smith comes out of the gate running. Literally. In his new regeneration, the Doctor doesn't even get time to catch his breath since he's dealing with his new companion Amy Pond as well as yet another alien that wants to destroy the Earth.
This was one of the best introductions to the Doctor ever and a strong start for the newest version of the program. I liked how Steven Moffat didn't use the old trope of post-regenerative trauma (which was used in the last regeneration to David Tennant) and simply presented Matt Smith's Doctor as a bit of a scatterbrain.
Doctor Who new season trailer
For those who live in England and watched the final moments of David Tennant's run as the Doctor, they were also treated to a trailer for the new season of Doctor Who starring Matt Smith. Thankfully, the miracle of the Internet brings such knowledge world-wide in a matter of moments after its completion.More after the jump ...
Review: Doctor Who - The End of Time, Part 1
The first part of David Tennant's final episode of Doctor Who as the lead role has been broadcast in both the U.K. and the U.S. Part 2 will be broadcast on January 1st and 2nd in each country respectively. It's nice to know that the BBC took my advice and had the two networks broadcast within 24 hours of each other to minimize piracy.Watch some classic Doctor Who on YouTube
Doctor Who fans can once again rejoice. Episodes of the classic series are now available on YouTube. These are officially sanctioned by the BBC, so there's no piracy in this instance.
In this case, it's a selection of a single episode from four of the ten existing Doctors. There is The Edge of Destruction with William Hartnell, The Krotons with Patrick Troughton, Carnival of Monsters with Jon Pertwee and The Caves of Androzani and The Twin Dilemma with Peter Davison and Colin Baker, respectively.
Classic episodes have been available online before. Netflix had a few in their library for subscribers. This is the first instance I recall in which the episodes are available to anybody in the world at any time.
I note that a bunch of the available stories are written by the fantastic Doctor Who scribe Robert Holmes. This guarantees quality writing to compensate for the poor special effects of the era. Enjoy!
David Tennant in The End of Time (the first three minutes)
The final episode of David Tennant's run on Doctor Who "The End of Time" has been posted online. Well, not the entire two-parter, but just the first three minutes or so. It was broadcast in England on the BBC as part of their Children in Need special. The first episode is scheduled to be shown in the U.K. on Christmas Day with the final episode on New Year's Day.Spoilers and video are after the jump.
New Doctor Who DVD features new CG-enhanced episode
Many sci-fi fans wonder what classic Doctor Who might look like if the BBC bosses of the '70s and '80s could have budgeted more than £6 per episode for visual effects.A new Who DVD set from BBC Video features a specially remastered episode that offers you just that experience.
Doctor Who: "The Black Guardian Trilogy" serves up a trio of 1983 Who episodes featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor in a life and death struggle against a supernatural evil force.
A team of restoration and digital effects artists took the final episode of that trilogy ("Enlightenment" -- a well-written, high-concept adventure featuring a simulated sailing race in deep space) and laid in 21st Century CG visuals.
Michael Moorcock to write Doctor Who story
Fantasy novelist Michael Moorcook will be writing a Doctor Who story. No, it won't be a script for the actual television show bur rather an original novel. He revealed this on his forum.The mind boggles with regards to what a fantasy novelist like Moorcock could do with Doctor Who. He's used to antihero creations like Elric. Any spin he could put on the character would be interesting. As of yet, it's not even known which incarnation of The Doctor he'll be writing about.
The most appropriate Doctor for Moorcock to write about could be the first (played by William Hartnell), who had a subtle arrogance and sinister nature (arguably the least human of the bunch). I'd personally like to read a sixth Doctor story by Moorcock.
Moorcock has influenced legendary writers like Alan Moore. Whatever take he has on the Doctor Who universe will at least be interesting. What do you think?
More Doctor Who tidbits
Prepare for some spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you. By the way, Matt Smith is the 11th Doctor (or the 12th, depending on how they spin David Tennant's extraneous regeneration) in case you didn't know.Actually, it's not that bad. From an article posted on The Doctor Who News Page, it is learned that his new companion, Amy, is a police officer. In a few photos, he also seems to be wearing the remnants of Tennant's outfit. From the description, the Doctor is probably going through some post-regenerative trauma. When has the Doctor ever regenerated without trauma? Never, I think.
I know they film out of order, but it feels odd to know already what his outfit is going to look like. Here is one other possible minor spoiler: in the scenes filmed, the Sonic Screwdriver gets destroyed (and Matt Smith was slightly injured in the process). Between Matt Smith's age and that plot device, it's like Steven Moffat is trying to copy the Peter Davison era.
New Doctor Who logo revealed

Every once in a while, the British television show Doctor Who is revamped. This is usually done by replacing the lead actor and his supporting crew. However, it is also done by changing the logo of the series. As a result, certain logos are associated with certain eras. Yesterday, the BBC has revealed on their website the logo to be associated with the Matt Smith era of the show. They also have a video of the historical logos of the show.
I don't have a particular favorite logo, although I liked both the "diamond" logo of the 70's, most closely associated with Tom Baker's era, and the "neon" logo of the 80's, which spanned three Doctors (Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker). The current one isn't bad either with the cylinder thing with pointy ends (what is that shape called?).
A video preview of thenew logo is available on certain sites such as Topless Robot. What do you think of it? Which logo has been your favorite?
David Tennant and RTD give an exit interview
Outgoing Doctor Who producer Russell T. Davies and outgoing Doctor Who star David Tennant gave a 20-minute exit interview on Boing Boing Video (via YouTube). The entire video appears after the jump if you're feeling too lazy to click the link.The interview took place around the San Diego Comic Con and is being done as a promotion for the next Doctor Who special, The Waters of Mars. There are a few spoilers (they do reveal the Master's appearance in the final episodes later this year, but that's pretty common knowledge at this point), but there is a sense of the feelings from the dynamic duo as they leave the franchise.
No surprise there ... Doctor Who season five on BBCA
In a victory for nerdy Brit-philes everywhere, BBC America has announced the acquisition of U.S. broadcast rights for the fifth season of Doctor Who starring the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith. This is on the tail of announcing record ratings for the American broadcast of the Doctor Who episode Planet of the Dead and the mini-series Torchwood: Children of Earth.This is all the more reason to curse my cable company for not actually carrying BBC America and having to resort to other means to watch one of my favorite programs of all time. You know when a network tells you to call your cable company to carry your favorite stations? I will personally testify in a court of law that it accomplishes jack squat.
There are no other television stations that could correctly carry Doctor Who in the states. SyFy? Oh please. Their first run with the series was lukewarm at best. The Doctor is home, and I look forward to catching his new adventures however I can.
David Tennant's Hamlet coming to Great Performances
I've been counting down the days with sadness this year, as we get closer and closer to David Tennant's final foray into space and beyond as The Doctor. And with only a few movies to tide me over, it's even more bittersweet. By the end of the year, he will be gone and replaced by Matt Smith.But while Doctor Who has to move on without Tennant, another classic will be coming stateside with Tennant in the lead. PBS will be airing the television adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Hamlet with David Tennant as part of its Great Performances series in 2010. Tennant performed as Hamlet live with the Company to great success in 2008.
If that's not enough to get you excited, how about the fact that the cast includes yet another pop culture icon. None other than one of the greatest Starfleet captains in the history of Star Trek: Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart, as King Claudius.
Tom Baker returns as the Doctor
Get your scarves out. Tom Baker is returning to the lead in Doctor Who after 30 years of pretty much abandoning the role (playing it again only for a fraction of a second in the 1993 Children In Need special). He'll be starring in a set of BBC audio plays along with Richard Franklin, who will return alongside the fourth Doctor as Captain Mike Yates, one of the Doctor's companions from that era.This is big news. Until David Tennant, Baker was synonymous with the role yet absolutely refused to do any performances related to it. Big Finish has been doing Doctor Who audio dramas for a decade with four of the other actors who played the part, yet the company was never able to snag Tom Baker for one.
I'm certain going to seek out this audio. Hopefully this is only the beginning of more Doctor Who audio plays starring Mr. Baker. He has been sorely missed.
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