The Angels Take Manhattan: time confirmed for 7:20pm

Wednesday, 19 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have now confirmed that the final episode of the current run of adventures for the Doctor, The Angels Take Manhattan, will be broadcast on BBC1 at the slightly earlier time of 7:20pm on Saturday 29th September. As in previous weeks the episode will face competition on ITV1 from Red or Black?, with the final moments up against The X Factor from 8:00pm; on the other main channels, BBC2 has repeats of War Farm and Dad's Army, Channel 4 continues its new dating game show Baggage, and Channel 5 is showing the film The Wild Geese.

A new image is now available to promote the episode, which joins a number that were previously released when filming took place in New York during April. A variety of new photos are to be published next week.


The Angels Take Manhattan: The Doctor and Amy in Central Park. Photo: BBC

Executive Producer and lead writer, Steven Moffat with Matt Smith. Photo: BBC Executive Producer Caroline Skinner with Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill. Photo: BBC Matt Smith discusses the next scene. Photo: BBC Looking forward to the new series. Photo: BBC
Matt Smith as the Doctor. Photo: BBC Media CentreThe Doctor's heart-breaking farewell to Amy and Rory - a race against time through the streets of Manhattan, as New York's statues come to life around them...

With Rory's life in danger, the Doctor and Amy must locate him before it's too late! Luckily, an old friend helps them and guides the way.


Guest stars: Mike McShane, Alex Kingston and Rob David

Written by Steven Moffat
Executive produced by Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Directed by Nick Hurran
Produced by Marcus Wilson




The Angels Take Manhattan is due to be broadcast at these times around the world:
United Kingdom : Saturday 29th September, 7:20pm BST   BBC1
United States : Saturday 29th September, 9:00pm ET BBC America
Canada : Saturday 29th September, 9:00pm ET SPACE
Australia : Saturday 6th October, 7:30pm AEST ABC (also on iView from 30th Sept)
New Zealand : Thursday 11th October, 8:30pm NZST Prime

Who Do You Think You Are?

Guest star Alex Kingston can also be seen on BBC1 tonight at 9:00pm as she delves into her ancestral past in Who Do You Think You Are?.





FILTER: - Series 7/33

New Boss at the BBC

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 - Reported by Marcus
The new man in charge of the BBC has paid tribute to Doctor Who on his first day as Editor-in-Chief of the Corporation, the man ultimately responsible for everything broadcast.

George Entwistle took charge of the national broadcaster today as the 15th Director General, taking over from Mark Thompson who had been in charge since 2004 and who now leaves to become Chief Executive Officer of The New York Times Company.

Entwistle told staff he wanted the BBC to be one of the major international media brands with a vibrant presence in many markets built around major pieces of BBC content such as Top Gear, Doctor Who and Dancing With The Stars. In an interview with Radio Times he recalled how he fell in love with television drama as a child while watching Doctor Who with his family. "Jon Pertwee was my Doctor," he said, "I was a bit sceptical about the Tom Baker regeneration."

Entwistle praised the way the BBC produced its Olympic coverage, which managed to bring the nation together, and he looked ahead to events that would give the BBC the chance to take the Olympics formula and make it work again, including the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who next year.




FILTER: - People - Doctor Who - BBC

Doctor Who Magazine 452

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman


The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine bids farewell to Amy and Rory as it previews their final TV adventures with exclusive new photos from The Power of Three and The Angels Take Manhattan.

It talks candidly on set to the cast and crew - including Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, and Arthur Darvill - about the last days of the Ponds, and despite the impending departure of his colleagues Smith finds plenty about The Angels Take Manhattan to enthuse over:
It's New York! One of my favourite cities in the world. And I love this script, and the Weeping Angels are my favourite monster, so it's all sort of come together for me on this one.
Also in this issue:
  • "Remember Me" – DWM catches up with new Doctor Who regular Jenna-Louise Coleman and chats to her about playing Oswin Oswald and the adventures she'll be starring in next year.
  • Surprise Surprise! - Showrunner Steven Moffat reveals all about Jenna-Louise Coleman's surprise appearance in Asylum of the Daleks and just why and how the secret was kept.
  • The Memory Cheats? - DWM concludes The Trial of John-Nathan Turner, as expert witnesses Steven Moffat, Phil Collinson, Nicola Bryant, Andrew Cartmel, Paul Cornell, brand manager Edward Russell, and Big Finish producer David Richardson give their final verdict on the most controversial producer in Doctor Who's history.
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Doctor - The Doctor, Amy, and Rory become embroiled in the shady world of international espionage and encounter an extra-dimensional horror in the second part of comic-strip adventure The Broken Man, written by Scott Gray and illustrated by Martin Geraghty.
  • Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarans! - It was the series that had it all: the 1985 run, starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri, which featured the Doctor's greatest adversaries! DWM takes a nostalgic look at Season 22 as Countdown To 50 continues.
  • Hothouse of Horrors! ­– The Fact of Fiction scrutinises the 1976 Fourth Doctor and Sarah adventure The Seeds of Doom and discovers that there's far more to the terrifying tale of horrible horticulture than meets the eye.
  • Team Spirit – The past comes back to haunt The Time Team as they watch the Tenth Doctor and Rose meet Torchwood and confront the deadly Cybermen posing as an Army of Ghosts. And what will Chris, Emma, Will, and Michael make of the episode's dramatic cliffhanger?
  • Science and Scares – Is Doctor Who at its best when it concentrates on telling horror stories? Or are its science-fiction tales better? It's monsters versus spaceships as Toby Hadoke and Johnny Candon go head to head to argue the pros and cons in A Battle of Wits.
  • That's An Oeuf! – The enigmatic Watcher champions another supporting artist, challenges readers with his Six Faces of Delusion, and celebrates Oswin's eggs. Prepare to have your brains scrambled by Wotcha!
In addition, the magazine - out on Thursday 20th September - talks to Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, and Robert Llewellyn about the return of cult sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf to UK TV screens in October.

Issue 452, which has two covers to choose from, also has the usual Doctor Who features, latest official news, TV and merchandise reviews, previews, competitions, and prize-winning crossword.




FILTER: - DWM

Nominations Announced For Writers' Guild Awards 2012

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The Sarah Jane Adventures is in the running for an award this year from The Writers' Guild of Great Britain.

The Curse of Clyde Langer, which was written by Phil Ford and was in the final series of the show, is nominated in the Best Children's TV Script category, facing competition from 4 O'Clock Club: Maths and Horrible Histories. The same SJA story is also up for a BAFTA Cymru award later this month.

Doctor Who failed to make the shortlist this year. It was nominated for Best TV Drama Series in 2009, 2010, and 2011 but didn't win in any of those years. However, Being Human, created and co-written by Toby Whithouse and which beat Doctor Who in 2009 and 2010, is once again nominated in that category. It is pitted against Scott & Bailey (starring Lesley Sharp and Suranne Jones) and Prisoners' Wives (whose supporting cast includes Iain Glen).

Meanwhile, Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, and Stephen Thompson are in the running to walk away with the Best Short-Form TV Drama trophy for Sherlock, which is up against Appropriate Adult and This Is England '88.

This year's awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday 14th November at The Tabernacle in London.

In 1975, Season 11 of Doctor Who won a guild award for best writing in a children's serial, and Series Three was named best TV series in the guild awards of 2007. The guild is a trade union for professional writers and the awards are regarded as special because they are from peers and colleagues.




FILTER: - Steven Moffat - Special Events - Awards/Nominations - Sarah Jane

Symphonic Spectacular for Sydney

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
After its success earlier in the year in Melbourne, the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular is to be performed at the Sydney Opera House over the 15th-16th December 2012.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday 24th September at 9:00am, but there is an "Insider" early-bird 20% discount booking that opens tomorrow morning, which can be received by signing up to a free enews list (note: there was a time limit for 6:00pm on the 18th for this in Australia, that has since passed).

Full details and how to book can be found via the Sydney Opera House website.

(with thanks to Dallas Jones)




FILTER: - Music - Special Events - Australia

Next Time: The Power Of Three

Tuesday, 18 September 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster
The BBC have released a variety of photos to promote The Power of Three, which will premiere on BBC1 next Saturday at 7:30pm.

The Power of Three. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC The Power of Three Gallery. Photo: BBC
The Doctor and the Ponds puzzle an unlikely invasion of Earth, as millions of sinister black cubes arrive overnight, almost like presents falling from the sky.

But what are they, what’s inside them and most importantly, who sent them? With the international community at a loss, it’s left to the Doctor to unearth who is behind the mystery.

Guest stars: Mark Williams, Steven Berkoff and Jemma Redgrave

Written by Chris Chibnall
Executive produced by Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner
Directed by Douglas Mackinnon
Produced by Marcus Wilson


The Power of Three is due to be broadcast at these times around the world:
United Kingdom : Saturday 22nd September, 7:30pm BST   BBC1
United States : Saturday 22nd September, 9:00pm ET BBC America
Canada : Saturday 22nd September, 9:00pm ET SPACE
Australia : Saturday 29th September, 7:30pm AEST ABC (also on iView from 23rd Sept)
New Zealand : Thursday 4th October, 8:30pm NZST Prime




FILTER: - Online - Series 7/33 - BBC

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship - Official ratings

Monday, 17 September 2012 - Reported by Marcus
Final ratings data for the week ending 9th September 2012 released by the Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board or BARB, puts Doctor Who as the ninth most-watched programme of the week on British television.

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship had a final official rating of 7.57 million viewers, over 2 million higher than the initially reported figure. The share of 31.9% is also much higher than the initial estimate.

The episode was the fourth for the week on BBC One with the crime series New Tricks once more taking top place followed by two episodes of EastEnders. ITV had three episodes of Coronation Street and two of The X Factor in the list above the Doctor. While BBC One BARB listings include those watching on BBC One HD, ITV listings do not include ITV HD or ITV+1 which need to be added to the main channel statistics in order to compare like for like.

The chart position of 9th is higher than most of last year's episodes, which, apart from the season opener, all hovered around the lower half of the top twenty.

The final ratings figure does not include the BBC Three repeat, when 430,000 watched. No do they not include those watching on iPlayer where around 800,000 people accessed the episode in the first two days. Around 1.8 million have now accessed the series premiere Asylum of the Daleks.




FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 7/33

A Town Called Mercy - AI:85

Monday, 17 September 2012 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: A Town Called Mercy had an Appreciation Index or AI score of 85.

The score is a measure of how much the audience enjoyed the episode. It is based of a survey of 5000 people. The score of 85 is slightly lower than the first two episodes in the series, but still puts the programme into the excellent category.

Highest scorer on the two main channels was Casualty, with 88, while highest scorer of the day was Coast on BBC Two with 90.

The new series of Downton Abbey had an overnight rating of 9.0 million on Sunday night, which helped, along with Sunday's X Factor, push Doctor Who down to 16th for the week on overnight figures. Final consolidated ratings will be released next Monday.




FILTER: - Ratings - UK - Series 7/33

Power of Three Image Released

Sunday, 16 September 2012 - Reported by John Bowman
The BBC released another picture today to further promote next Saturday's episode The Power of Three. It shows Amy, Kate Stewart, played by guest star Jemma Redgrave, and the Doctor with one of the mysterious cubes that feature in the story.


A trio of pictures from The Power of Three was released earlier this week and more will be made available in the next couple of days. The episode will air in the UK on Saturday 22nd September at 7.30pm.





FILTER: - Series 7/33

Australian ratings for Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

Sunday, 16 September 2012 - Reported by Adam Kirk

Dinosaurs on a Spaceship has averaged 577,000 viewers in the five major Australian capital cities. Up against the football finals, it was the top-rating drama of the day and the seventh highest rating programme of the day overall.

Media Links: TV Tonight





FILTER: - Ratings - Series 7/33 - Australia