Confidential axed by the BBC

An article on The Guardian's website has revealed that Doctor Who behind the scenes show Doctor Who Confidential is the latest victim of the corporation's budget cuts.

The BBC Doctor Who website have confirmed this news & added that the upcoming episode (due to be aired on Saturday 1st October at 8.35pm) will be the last.

This is from The Guardian article:

Doctor Who Confidential, which features behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Doctor Who as well as interviews with the cast and crew, has aired in an early evening slot on BBC3 since 2005, when the corporation revived the main series with Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Time Lord.

However, with the corporation facing budget cuts of up to 20% across its output as part of its "Delivering Quality First" initiative, BBC controller Zai Bennett has chosen to axe the show at the end of its current series.

Bennett is understood to be pursuing a strategy of focusing investment on original commissions in post-watershed time slots.

Speaking last month at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, Bennett said: "It's about focusing my budget on 9pm and 10pm; those are the time slots that count. Budgets are tight, so we have to be sensible with the money we have."

Personally I have really enjoyed the behind the scenes clips & the extra peeks at the cast that we got to see on DWC so I'm not happy about this latest development.

How do you feel about it?

Doctor Who Radio Times Cover

The upcoming season finale of Doctor Who, The Wedding Of River Song, is this week's feature cover on the Radio Times, which is out to buy now.

The Complete Sixth Series Special Edition

Along with the news of the Series 6 DVD, we also bring news of the Special Edition Set. Much of the content is the same, but there are slight variations.

 

This set, like the standard edition, also includes fourteen episodes:

1. A Christmas Carol

2. The Impossible Astronaut
3. Day Of The Moon
4. The Curse Of The Black Spot
5. The Doctor’s Wife
6. The Rebel Flesh
7. The Almost People
8. A Good Man Goes To War
9. Let’s Kill Hitler
10. Night Terrors
11. The Girl Who Waited
12. The God Complex
13. Closing Time
14. The Wedding Of River Song

The majority of the extras are also the same, although this set also includes 5 3D collectors cards.

5 X ‘Night And The Doctor’ Additional Scenes

2 X ‘Comic Relief’ Sketches
Commentaries
4 X ‘The Monster Files’
4 X Prequels
Trailers
14 X ‘Doctor Who Confidential’ Cut-Downs
‘Doctor Who Confidential: A Nights’ Tale’

5 3-D Art Cards

As well as all that, this set also comes with a limited edition raised Silent Head slip cover.

Doctor Who DVD: The Complete Sixth Series

The Cover art and content details for the upcoming release of the Complete Sixth Series of Doctor Who have been revealed.

Fourteen episodes are included on the set. They are:

1. A Christmas Carol
2. The Impossible Astronaut
3. Day Of The Moon
4. The Curse Of The Black Spot
5. The Doctor’s Wife
6. The Rebel Flesh
7. The Almost People
8. A Good Man Goes To War
9. Let’s Kill Hitler
10. Night Terrors
11. The Girl Who Waited
12. The God Complex
13. Closing Time
14. The Wedding Of River Song

As well as that, the extras on the set include:

5 X ‘Night And The Doctor’ Additional Scenes
2 X ‘Comic Relief’ Sketches
Commentaries
4 X ‘The Monster Files’
4 X Prequels
Trailers
14 X ‘Doctor Who Confidential’ Cut-Downs
‘Doctor Who Confidential: A Nights’ Tale’

The Wedding Of River Song Promo Images

Here is a handful of promo shots from the series 6 finale, The Wedding Of River Song. To see nearly 30 more, check out the picture thread of The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum.

The Wedding Of River Song Trailer

Here is the BBC one trailer for the series 6 finale, The Wedding Of River Song, so if you haven't watched it yet, or just want to see it again, check it out below.

Closing Time Overnight Ratings

Unnofficial Overnight ratings for episode 12 of Series 6, Closing Time, have come in today at a respectable 5.3m viewers, making it the third most watched programme of the day.

This is slightly up on the 5.2 recieved by last weeks story The God Complex.

Official figures for the episode are due within the next 7 to 10 days.

Join The Infinite Quest - The Mark Of The Rani

This week we pay just our second visit so far to The Sixth Doctor and see the first appearance of The Rani in 1985s The Mark Of The Rani.

In 19th century England, the Doctor finds himself facing two competing enemies: his old adversary, the Master, and the Rani, another Time Lord with a sinister plan. The local population is turning violent and unpredictable and with a major meeting of the brains of the Industrial Revolution due to happen in the village soon, the Doctor must work out what exactly is causing all the problems. Only the Doctor can stop both the Master and the Rani's evil plans.

The Mark of the Rani was the third story of Season 22 of Doctor Who. A new Time Lord villain, the Rani, was introduced in this serial. 

To join in with the discussion of this weeks story, come on over to The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

Prequel to The Wedding of River Song

The BBC have just posted the prequel for the Doctor Who series 6 finale:

I'm sure that will keep us all thinking for the next week.

Preview Clips from Closing Time

Here are a couple of preview clips from tomorrow's episode of Doctor Who.

I think they're great & I can't wait to see the whole thing tomorrow.

What do you think?

Synopsis for The Curse of Clyde Langer (SJA S5 eps 3 & 4)

The BBC Press Office have released the synopses for the second story of the final series of The Sarah Jane Adventures.

The story is called The Curse of Clyde Langer and will air in two parts, with part one on Monday 10th October & part two on Tuesday 11th October.

Here is the synopsis for each episode:

Episode 1

It's raining fish from the skies, and Sarah Jane's investigations lead the gang to the Museum of Culture, where the ancient god Hetocumtek may offer answers. But when Clyde acts the fool once too often, family and friends savagely turn against him, and he is thrown out of their lives!

Episode 2

Clyde is alone and abandoned on the streets of London, living rough, cold and hungry. One person reaches out to him, but as they become friends, he's warned about the legendary Night Dragon. In Bannerman Road, Sky knows something's wrong – why do Sarah Jane and Rani suddenly hate Clyde?

The full press releases can be read HERE (part 1) & HERE (part 2)

Scheduling Series Seven

This months Doctor Who Magazine have confirmed that Series 7 will indeed be moved back to an Autumn 2012 slot.

Earlier this year, after several tweets from BBC personel, newspaper articles and magazine stories, much of fandom was left confused about when exactly the next series of Doctor Who would air, with many concerned due to one particular article, that the series was being cut with less episodes transmitted, something that Steven Moffat was quick to deny.

We still have no confirmation about how the stories will air, be it in one long run, split either side of Christmas or something completely different that none of us have thought of yet, but this news from DWM confirms, if any confirmation were needed, that Series 7 of the show will indeed launch in the Autumn, so savour the next couple of episodes because after Christmas it could be a long old wait.

For more news, go to The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

The Lion, The Witch And The.... TARDIS??

Yesterday the BBC released some information about the guest stars that we can expect to see in this years Christmas Special (which you can check out HERE), but over on the forum earlier today, Twisted-Sister posted an article from todays Daily Star who claim to have some insider knowledge about what we can expect from the Time Lord at Christmas.

In their article, they report:

Doctor Who fans had better brace themselves for a Narnia-style festive special.

Show boss Steven Moffat is planning lots of snow, chases through a wintry The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe-style forest, plus an icy baddie.

Moffat, 49, teased: “If you thought last year’s show was the most Christmassy ever, then think again.”

The special sees the Time Lord (Matt Smith, 28) crash land in war-torn England. Posing as the caretaker of a creepy old house in Dorset he embarks on a magical mystery adventure with Madge Arwell and her two children, Lily and Cyril.

The three have been evacuated from London as the capital comes under attack during World War Two.

And there’s plenty of surprises as the Doctor leads them into a new world.

The Daily Star of course aren't exactly known for being the most reliable of sources, but they have on occassion got it spot on, so while we advise you to take the Narnia theme with a pinch of salt, it may also be something to keep an eye on.

Let us know your thoughts on this by posting below, or going to The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

The Wedding Of River Song Spoilers

The Wedding Of River Song

With the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine comes a wealth of new spoilers and tidbits of what to expect for the future, with some interesting things to look forward to with the upcoming Series 6 Finale.

Over on the forum, PopRockGeek and Twisted-Sister have been busy putting some of the best bits together, and here is a little of what you can expect.

First up we have the synopsis of the episode as well as a little dialogue (both of which can be found in the latest DWM, released today)


Synopsis

The city of London, 22 April 2011 – soaring buildings, glittering and mighty under a perfect blue sky, and life tumbling onto pavements below. And horse-drawn Roman chariots driving through the streets. And a Victorian steam train on a monorail… hang on, like in a sci-fi city, but with Romans and steam trains? And hot air balloons? And pterodactyls? And Charles Dickens appearing on BBC One’s Breakfast! Something isn’t quite right…

In Buckingham Senate, at 5.02pm, Holy Roman Emperor Winston Churchill calls for his Soothsayer to be fetched from the Tower. Greying, unkempt, older, tireder, but unmistakably – it’s the Doctor. “Tick tock goes the clock,” Winston tells him, “but they don’t, do they? The clocks never tick.” It’s always 5.02pm these days. All of history is happening at once. “What happened to time?” asks Winston. The answer, it seems, is a woman…

Dialogue

DORIUM: “On the fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature may speak falsely or fail to give answer, a question will be asked. A question that must never, ever be answered.”

THE DOCTOR: ‘”Silence will fall when the question is asked…’”

DORIUM: ‘”Silence must fall’ would be a better translation. The Silence are determined that the question must never be answered. The Doctor must never reach Trenzalore.

THE DOCTOR: “I don’t understand? What’s it got to do with me?”

DORIUM: “The first question. The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight. Would you like to know what it is?”

THE DOCTOR: “Yes!”

DORIUM: “…Are you sure?”

Casting 
Simon Callow will be returning to the series after 6 years as Charles Dickens. Most of you will remember him from the Ninth Doctor story The Unquiet Dead. Mark Gatiss will be playing a viking (confirmed by BlogtorWho), Ian Mcneice will return as Churchill after his stint in 2010s Victory Of The Daleks and Alex Kingston and Frances Barber will return as River Song and Kovarian respectively.


The episode will air on Saturday October 1st on BBC 1. For more spoilers make sure you check out this months Doctor Who Magazine and of course The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum.

UPDATED with revised time slot - Synopsis for Episode 13 (Possible Spoilers)

The BBC Press Office has released information for some of the shows that are airing on Saturday 1st October and among them is the series finale of Doctor Who, 'The Wedding of River Song.'

Here is the somewhat brief, but spoilery, synopsis for the episode:

As the Doctor makes his final journey to the shores of Lake Silencio in Utah, he knows only one thing can keep the universe safe - his own death - in the concluding episode of the time travelling drama. But has he reckoned without the love of a good woman?

The BBC Press Office have issued revised information showing that the episode is only 45 minutes long & will air at 7.05pm on BBC One & BBC One HD.

The press release also contains some details of the accompanying Confidential for the series finale:

Doctor Who fans can also enjoy an extra helping of the Time Lord's adventures in a special one-off mini episode written by schoolchildren in Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three tonight.

You can read the full press release HERE

'The Wedding of River Song' is written by Steven Moffat.

BBC reveals Christmas Special 2011 info

The BBC have this morning released some information about the 2011 Christmas episode of Doctor Who.

Firstly they have given us a few of the guest stars. They are:

Arabella Weir (The Fast Show, Posh Nosh)

Alexander Armstrong (voice of Mr Smith in The Sarah Jane Adventures)

Bill Bailey (Black Books, Spaced)

Claire Skinner (Outnumbered, Life Begins)

They have also revealed the following outline of the plot of the episode:

The special, set during World War II, sees Madge Arwell (Skinner) & her two children, Lily & Cyril, evacuated to a draughty old house in Dorset, where the caretaker is a mysterious young man in a bow tie, & a big blue parcel is waiting for them under the tree. They are about to enter a magical new world & learn that a Time Lord never forgets his debts ...

You can read the full BBC article HERE

Filming continues on this episode til mid October, so as soon as there are any more updates we will bring them to you.

So, what do you think of the casting so far for this year's Christmas special? And are you excited about the story's setting?

Spoilery pics from Closing Time

The BBC have released some pics from Saturday's upcoming episode, 'Closing Time.'

Big thanks to Peri-Peri for finding these & putting them on the forum.

'Closing Time' is on at 7.10pm on BBC One & BBC One HD this Saturday.

Ratings Update

Saturday nights premier of The God Complex finished the day third overall across all channels bringing in 5.2m overnight viewers. The episode, which saw a dip from last weeks overnights should see a significant rise and continue this years trend once timeshifted viewing has been taken into account. The episode also scored an AI of 86, considered excellent.

The final ratings for last weeks The Girl Who Waited have come in at a very impressive 7.6 million viewers, with 1.6m of those timeshifting to watch after the initial broadcast via iPlayer and other means.

Meanwhile Torchwood: Miracle Day episode 9 brought in a healthy 4.63 million viewers with timeshift taken into account.

For more on how the shows are performing this year, check out the ratings threads at The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

Ten Closing Time Quotes

The good guys over at CultBox have compiled ten not too spoilery quotes that you can expect to hear in this weeks episode of Doctor Who, Closing Time.

Closing Time will mark the return of Craig and Sophie from 2010's The Lodger as well as appearances from the Cybermen and the Cybermats.

• 'You don't need to number food.' 
• 'What are you not telling me? 
• 'I've had some wonderful feedback.' 
• 'You always survive.' 
• 'Metal rat, real mouth.' 
• 'I am so old.' 
• 'You can't help who your mates are.' 
• 'I always knew I'd die asking.' 
• 'Well, well, well. You have been busy.' 
• 'You have failed, Doctor.'

Check out a trailer for the episode below.

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Amy & Rory Confirmed For Christmas Special

Filming on this years Christmas Special has been continuing in Wales, with scenes being filmed yesterday in Bute Esplanade, where Amy and Rory's new home is situated, with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill both seen on set.

DoctorWhoSpoilers has got their hands on some photographs, which you can see has the houses decked out in Christmas lights with the TARDIS prop situated on the opposite side of the street.

This filming comes after last weeks reports of filming at Stradey Castle in Llanelli. It was previously unknown whether or not the due would be a part of this year's special, though Karen Gillan has previously confirmed that they will make appearances throughout series 7.

To keep up to date with all the latest spoilers and news from the Christmas Special and Series 7, remember to check out The Doctor In The TARDIS Forum

Join The Infinite Quest - Meglos

This weeks story in The Infinite Quest is Meglos.

On Tigella, two opposing faction are irrevocably divided over one fundamental issue: the Dodecahedron, a mysterious object which provides the entire planet's energy.

With the Savants and the Deons locked in a crippling stalemate, and their civilisation on the brink of collapse, the Tigellan leader, Zastor, seeks the Doctor's help. But the Doctor and Romana have been trapped aboard the TARDIS in a time loop by Meglos, the last of the Zolfa-Thurans, who will stop at nothing to steal back the awesome power of the Dodecahedron. 

Come on over to the forum today and join in with the discussion by clicking HERE

UPDATED with revised time slot - Synopsis for Episode 12

The BBC Press Office has released information for some of the shows that are airing on Saturday 24th September and among them is episode 12 of Doctor Who, 'Closing Time.'

Here is the somewhat brief, but spoilery, synopsis for the episode:

In the last few days of his life, the Doctor pays a farewell visit to his old friend Craig, and encounters a mystery, as the time-travelling drama continues.

People are going missing, a silver rat scuttles in the shadows of a department store, and somewhere close by the Cybermen are waiting…

This episode sees the return of James Corden as Craig Owens (previously seen in the S5 episode 'The Lodger').

The image above is taken from the S6 Pt 2 trailer released a while ago.

You can read the full press release HERE

'Closing Time' is written by Gareth Roberts.

The BBC Press Office information has been updated & it is now showing that this episode will be broadcast at 7.10pm, putting it in line with the broadcast times for the rest of Series 6 Part 2.

I, for one, am very happy with this revision. What do you think?

Pics from the set of the Christmas Special

Wales Online has posted some pics from the shooting of the Doctor Who Christmas Special. They show Matt Smith in costume & Outnumbered star Claire Skinner in what appears to be a outfit from the early 20th Century. They don't give much away but it's good to know filming is underway.

There are more pics on their site. You can see them HERE

Doctor Who Magazine Issue #439 Cover (Spoilers!)

The cover for issue #439 of Doctor Who Magazine has been revealed:

It will be available on Thursday 22nd September.

Synopsis for Sky (SJA S5 eps 1 & 2)

Also tucked away in the Week 40 press release from the BBC is the announcement that the fifth & final series if The Sarah Jane Adventures will premiere on Monday 3rd October on CBBC. The second part of the first story will be broadcast on Tuesday 4th October.

It also gives synopses of the two parts of the first story 'Sky.'

Part One:

Sarah Jane finds a baby girl on her doorstep and tries to find out who abandoned her. At a nearby nuclear power station, a beautiful woman appears out of thin air and uses alien powers to take control. She's looking for something – and realises that Sarah Jane may just have it.

Part Two:

Sky has undergone an amazing transformation, but in doing so has triggered a countdown that no one can stop. As Sarah Jane and Sky find themselves trapped between the alien war fought by Metalkind and Fleshkind, Clyde and Rani face a race against time to stop the biggest bang in history.

The full press releases can be read HERE (Part 1) & HERE (Part 2)

The final series will comprise of three 2 part stories. These episodes were completed before the tragic death of Elisabeth Sladen earlier this year.

Synopsis for Episode 13 (Possible Spoilers)

The BBC Press Office has released information for some of the shows that are airing on Saturday 1st October and among them is the series finale of Doctor Who, 'The Wedding of River Song.'

Here is the somewhat brief, but spoilery, synopsis for the episode:

As the Doctor makes his final journey to the shores of Lake Silencio in Utah, he knows only one thing can keep the universe safe - his own death - in the concluding episode of the time travelling drama. But has he reckoned without the love of a good woman?

According to the release it has be given a full hour long slot from 6pm to 7pm.

The press release also contains some details of the accompanying Confidential for the series finale:

Doctor Who fans can also enjoy an extra helping of the Time Lord's adventures in a special one-off mini episode written by schoolchildren in Doctor Who Confidential on BBC Three tonight.

You can read the full press release HERE

'The Wedding of River Song' is written by Steven Moffat.

Spoilery pics from The God Complex

Here are some pics from 'The God Complex' courtesy of the BBC:

'The God Complex' is on BBC One & BBC One HD on Saturday at 7.10pm.