Preview on YouTube

Friday, 20 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The special preview clip of The End of Time, shown as part of the BBC Children In Need appeal is now available on the BBC YouTube channel.

BBC America have also posted their clip on their website and revealed that the full episode will be shown in the USA at 9pm EST on the 26th December 2009 a day after the expected UK showing and 1 week after the US showing of The Waters of Mars.

The charity Telethon also featured an appearance from fifth Doctor Peter Davison with a dog and John Barrowman dancing in his boxers.

FILTER: - Specials - Series 4/30 Specials

The End of Time Part One – New Picture

Thursday, 19 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The BBC official site has confirmed the title of David Tennant's penultimate episode will be The End of Time, Part One. It is the first time since the series returned that a story title has been split into two parts. Previous two-part stories have always had their own title.

BBC Children in Need will feature an exclusive 2-minute scene from the episode on Friday night, at some point between 8.00 and 8.30. The official site has a short audio clip from this scene here.

A photo of David Tennant taken from the Children in Need scene has now been issued.Follow the Doctor Who News Page on

FILTER: - Specials - Online - Series 4/30 Specials

Waters of Mars Repeat Ratings

Thursday, 19 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The Wednesday BBC Three repeat of the Waters of Mars was watched by 470,000 viewers according to unofficial overnight figures.

FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - UK - Series 4/30 Specials

Waters of Mars Appreciation Index

Tuesday, 17 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The Waters of Mars scored an AI of 88.

The score was the second highest of the weekend, only beaten by Foyle's War on ITV1.

The AI - Appreciation Index - score is a measure of how much an audience enjoyed a programme. The average score for drama is 77. For any programme, a score in excess of 85 is excellent. Any score in excess of 90 is exceptional. Any programme that falls below 60 has received a poor AI.

Meanwhile, Sunday has been dubbed "Super Sunday" by the media, as the total TV audience for peak hours was the highest since January 2000.

FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - UK - Series 4/30 Specials

Waters of Mars Ratings

Monday, 16 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

9.1 million watched last night's BBC One showing of The Waters of Mars, according to unofficial overnight figures.

The programme had an audience share of 33.9% and was the third most-watched programme of the day, behind The X Factor and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, both on ITV1.

The audience built throughout the programme, with 9.6 million watching the final quarter-hour. On ITV1, All Star Family Fortunes had 6.1 million watching at the same time as Doctor Who was on.

An additional 310,000 watched the programme on BBC HD. If confirmed on the final figures this will be the highest ever rating for BBC HD

On BBC Three 590,000 watched Doctor Who Confidential with an additional 100,000 watching on BBC HD. It was the 8th most watched programme on digital TV for the day.

The overnight figures put Doctor Who as the 6th most watched programme of the week. This is likely to rise when the final figures, including those who timeshift the programme, are published in 9 days time.

FILTER: - Specials - Ratings - UK - Series 4/30 Specials

Waters of Mars – Press Reviews

Monday, 16 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Reviews of the UK première of The Waters of Mars are now available online.

NB The reviews have been published after the showing of the episode in the UK. Please do not click on the links if you want the plot to remain unspoiled. Reviews are available from The Guardian, The Mirror, TV Overmind, Den of Geek, Digital Spy, Coventry Telegraph, Express and Star, Metro, Monsters and Critics, Unreality TV

The podcast to accompany the episode, featuring Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner and David Tennant, is now on the BBC iPlayer.

FILTER: - Specials - Russell T Davies - Series 4/30 Specials - Press - Julie Gardner

Waters of Mars in New Zealand

Friday, 13 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

New Zealand has become the latest country to schedule The Waters of Mars, with Prime announcing that the special will be shown on Sunday 29th November at 7.30pm.

The broadcast will be less than two weeks after the première in the UK and makes New Zealand the second country to show the special, a week ahead of Australia and three weeks ahead of North America.

FILTER: - Specials - Series 4/30 Specials - New Zealand - Broadcasting

Hollywood star joins cast list for Tennant's swansong

Wednesday, 11 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

Writing in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, Russell T Davies confirms that the preview of the Christmas special, to be shown on this year's Children in Need programme, will not be the pre-titles sequence, but rather a specially packaged clip from the story. This is because the pre-titles sequence from the story is too plot-heavy to work as a standalone preview.

The title of David Tennant's penultimate episode has still not been revealed, but according to Davies it will be six words long, the longest title yet. Final casting for the final episodes took place as late as October, when what is described as a "wonderful and distinguished" Hollywood actor provided the voice for one of the aliens in the story. The voice will be used in the trail for the Christmas episodes which will air directly after The Waters of Mars.

In the run up to the UK showing of The Waters of Mars, David Tennant has been co-hosting the breakfast programme on Absolute Radio. To celebrate the fact, the station mocked up a TARDIS façade for the front of the station.

In the first programme Tennant announced that he is to auction off his own bed live, which is in is own words "a nasty old bed that's seen some action." All proceeds of the auction will be going to Children in Need.

Tennant will be with the programme for the rest of the week, and a podcast of the first programme can be heard via the Absolute Radio website, along with a photo gallery and a video diary.

FILTER: - Specials - Production - David Tennant - Series 4/30 Specials

Radio Times Cover

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

With a new episode of Doctor Who just five days away, the programme returns to the cover of Radio Times this week.

The magazine takes a look at the special and contemplates whether The Waters of Mars may be the scariest adventure that the intrepid Time Lord's ever had. Russell T Davies explains just why he's ladled on the fear.

Over the years Doctor Who has featured on the cover of the magazine over forty times; the first time it was accorded this honour was in February 1964. There is a full gallery of the covers on The Radio Times website.

FILTER: - Specials - Magazines - Series 4/30 Specials - Radio Times

Waters of Mars - Confirmed Canadian Date

Tuesday, 10 November 2009 - Reported by Marcus

The Waters of Mars will come to Canadian Television on Saturday 19th December when it premiers on SPACE at 9pm ET. This is the same date the special will be shown in the US on BBC America.

The final two specials are expected to be shown over the Christmas holiday.

The Waters of Mars is now scheduled in most of the English speaking world with premiers confirmed in Australia, Canada and the United States, all less than 6 weeks after the special has premièred in the United Kingdom.

The Doctor is in, and the countdown is on! David Tennant’s final four adventures as the Tenth Time Lord unfold exclusively on SPACE. The second of four high-octane specials, Doctor Who: The Waters of MarS premieres Saturday, December 19 at 9 p.m. ET.

To kick-start the event, 24 hours prior, SPACE is re-airing DOCTOR WHO: PLANET OF THE DEAD. SPACE fans laid claim to the esteemed DOCTOR WHO franchise when this first installment reached nearly half a million viewers earlier in the year. Cited as the most successful and longest running sci-fi series in the world, the latest DOCTOR WHO specials are also available on-demand at www.spacecast.com.

After 900 years of phone booth travel the Tenth incarnation of the Doctor is tidying up the Tardis for the Eleventh Time Lord’s residency. In one of Tennant’s most thrilling adventures yet, Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars tracks the Doctor and his companion Adelaide (Lindsay Duncan), as they face terror on the Red Planet. Peter O’Brien (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) guest stars as Ed, Adelaide’s second-in-command at the base.

The final two DOCTOR WHO specials starring David Tennant as the iconic Time Lord are scheduled to premiere over the holidays.

DOCTOR WHO: The Waters of Mars is written by Russell T Davies (Torchwood, Queer as Folk) and Phil Ford and directed by Graeme Harper. Davies and Julie Gardner (TORCHWOOD, LIFE ON MARS) serve as executive producers.

SPACE is Canada’s national science fiction, speculation and fantasy channel. Offering the finest in genre programming, viewers need not look further for their fix of the paranormal, edgy, scary, creepy and fun! SPACE is the station for all those who dare to challenge their imagination. SPACE is owned by CTV Limited, a division of CTVglobemedia, Canada's premier multi-media company.

FILTER: - Canada - Specials - Series 4/30 Specials - Broadcasting

Previous 10 Stories

Preview on YouTube

The End of Time Part One – New Picture

Waters of Mars Repeat Ratings

Waters of Mars Appreciation Index

Waters of Mars Ratings

Waters of Mars – Press Reviews

Waters of Mars in New Zealand

Hollywood star joins cast list for Tennant's swansong

Radio Times Cover

Waters of Mars - Confirmed Canadian Date

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