No, it wasn’t the worst Christmas special ever — it’d be difficult to top the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special — but, this year’s special certainly wasn’t one of The Doctor’s best. It’s true, the episode had almost everything we’d expect from this post-Tennant era. Another space ship in distress, a bit of suspense, Matt Smith running around like a madman, and an Eco-friendly story about a mother’s love for her family. The episode was chock-full of references to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Doctor’s involvement throughout, though sporadic, is sufficient enough to win us over. But is that really enough? Read more…
We haven’t really covered it much, but last month David Yates discussed plans for a potential Doctor Who motion picture. Yates, credited for directing final four installments of the wildly successful Harry Potter film franchise, mentioned his desire to reboot the series from scratch, setting aside the series crafted by Russel T. Davies and Steven Moffat. Though I couldn’t fathom why, Yates insists a reboot would be necessary for Doctor Who‘s transition to a feature film — Moffat doesn’t agree.
It’s a sad day for fans of The Doctor’s latest companions, Amy & Rory. At a Doctor Who press screening in London today, series producer Steven Moffat confirmed our fears when he announced that the Doctor would be moving on next season with a “new friend,” stating “The final days of the ponds are coming.” Read more…
Here’s some exciting news for all you Whovians out there. BBC Worldwide just announced the first in a new line games planned for home consoles. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, currently being developed by Supermassive Games in collaboration with BBC Wales, is set for both the PS3 and Playstation Vita early next year. Not much is known about the plot, but we can expect a completely new adventure featuring the voices of Matt Smith, and Alex Kingston reprising her role as River Song. If you only own an Xbox, don’t worry — the game will also be receiving a PC port. For more info, head over to the official twitter feed and be sure to check out a short teaser after the jump. Read more…
BBC recently launched a Doctor Whoadvent calender for the month of December. Each day, the official site will be updated with fresh content related to the series, with everything from exclusive clips and interviews, to free wallpapers, cards and more leading up to the premiere of Christmas special, The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe. We’re only four days into the month, and they’ve already given us a small clip of Matt Smith discussing the upcoming special, along with a few promotional images to be used as cards for friends and family. The special airs stateside December 25th at 9/8 PM central on BBC America. Read more…
Here’s the recently released trailer for the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas special set to air Christmas Day. The episode, titled The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe, is an obvious homage to C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The story is once again set during World War II, and while I’m starting to grow tired of that particular period of history, it certainly fits the Narnia gag. They haven’t said much about the plot, but from the trailer, it looks as though he’ll accompany a family of children, and who I can only assume is their widowed mother, on an adventure that takes them into a world that very much resembles the frozen forests Narnia. Both Amy and Rory are notably absent from the trailer, and there’s still no word on if they’ll be making any more appearances next season.
Get ready for the most adorable video ever. Believe it or not, this is an actual product — an inflatable, talking Dalek that a kid can actually drive around. Honestly, who needs Power Wheels when you can ride around threatening to exterminate people? Don’t bother trying to answer, it’s rhetorical. If I had a kid, this would be purchased immediately, despite the fact that you need a European power outlet or adapter to charge the sucker. I probably won’t have a niece or nephew old enough to drive one of these around for a few more years, I’m actually a little giddy at the thought. Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll ever see an adult-sized model, but if anyone wants to build one for Halloween next year, that would be really cool. If you do, take pictures or shoot a video for us please. If, on the other hand, you want to pick one of these up, you can actually import one, just keep in mind my note about the power adapter. The Ride-in Dalek retails for a hefty $299.99 and ThinkGeek will toss in an optional adapter for an additional $20. Read more…
Seeing as the next Doctor Who Christmas special is just a month away, now’s a great time to get into the spirit of things with this ridiculously cool Snow-lek shirt. I never really thought of building a Dalek snowman, but after seeing this, I kind of want to try. Of course, I’m sure nobody else will get the reference unless they’re fans, but I guess that’d be the point of doing it in the first place. The shirt, designed by artist Malcassairo, is currently being sold at TeeFury, and like every other design they print, will only be available for the next 24 hours. Their shirts are usually decent quality, and should only cost you $10 + shipping, but if you’d rather pass, there’s always a chance the shirt could pop up on a site like RedBubble, though it would be significantly more expensive to order it from there. If you’d rather just see more of Malcassairo’s work, a larger portfolio is available at their Deviant Art page.
Sony likes to joke that their PS3 can do everything. Clearly, they’ve never seen a Sonic Screwdriver. I always thought the Doctor seemed a little too quick to pull one out, but after sitting through this hilarious short, maybe I should give him more credit. After all, if he were to just “sonic” everything in sight, Doctor Who would become the least climatic show on television. You may as well just watch paint dry. Still, the video makes a good point, even if they never really intended to — Sonic Screwdrivers are awesome, and science needs to make them happen, ASAP. Read more…
The other day I mentioned that several videos from the Davies & Tennant Doctor Who wrap party recently hit the net, one of which featured a quirky little musical number by series stars David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and John Barrowman. I thought to save the second video for later, as the first was pretty lengthy and you have to admit that it’s kinda hard to top Barrowman’s freakishly good voice. This second video is also musical in nature as it features the cast and crew dancing and lip-syncing to the 80’s hit “I’m gonna be (500 miles” by the Proclaimers. Some of you may have caught the episode of Graham Norton — he’s sort of like a British Conan O’Brien, albeit a tad cruder — where Tennant met the band for the first time. Being a huge fan, Tennant had jumped when asked by their producers to star in one of the band’s music videos, only to discover they weren’t present during his shoot. After meeting them during the filming of Norton’s talk show, I imagine they must have hit it off, otherwise I’m sure they wouldn’t have been part of the video above. Pretty neat how it everything worked out.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 3, 2011 in Dr. Who, Fandom
I’m sure by now you’ve all come across Nyan Cat while browsing through one or more of your favorite net-haunts. For whatever reason its just one of those polarizing subjects where people either find it incredibly annoying or incredibly adorable with nobody falling in between. If you’re one of the latter, you’ll probably dig this awesome Doctor Who x Nyan Cat crossover shirt recently featured on Ript Apparel. Seeing as Ript designs are only available for a day before they’re taken down, you might think you’ve missed your chance to pick one up, but fear not! Brenda, the lovely artist responsible, also sells some of these designs as shirts through RedBubble. Sure it costs a bit more at $24 a pop, but at least you won’t have to worry about missing out. She also has some nifty Supernatural-inspired designs available for order. If you want to see more of her work, check out her Tumblr, or check out her Etsy store for anything else she might have on sale.
This is shaping up to be a good week for fans of Davies’ Whoneverse. In addition to the hilarious wrap party videos that recent hit the net, Weta Workshop has decided to discount several pieces from their Doctor Who product line. The first is this killer replica of a Dalek as originally designed for the series one episode “Dalek,” featuring Christopher Eccleston. While Christopher’s time as the Doctor was short lived, that episode remains memorable as the first appearance of the Daleks since Davies had revived the series and paved the way for their eventual return in future seasons. The prop measures roughly a foot in height and normally retails for $225. If you order from Weta’s online shop before November 4th, you can save 50% and pick one up for only $112.50. Not too bad if you ask me.
There are times I just miss David Tennant. His time on Doctor Who just never seemed long enough, and while I like Matt Smith just fine, he’s still not the Doctor many of us grew to love. Here’s one of the recently released videos from the Tennant & Davies wrap party a few years back. It’s a cute little musical number about former show-runners Davies and Gardner, featuring John Barrowman, Cathrine Tate and David Tennant. If you’ve never heard Barrowman sing, you’re in for a bit of a treat. David’s immaculate as always, but personally, I could do without Cathrine Tate. Then again, I think that was the whole point of her being on the show in the first place. Regardless, it was a fantastic way to say thank for everything Davies and Gardner did for the series, don’t you think?
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 25, 2011 in Dr. Who, Fandom
It’s true. Recently, ThinkGeek updated their catalog with a few Doctor Who cosplay goodies — officially licensed replicas of both Tennant’s overcoat and Smith’s pleated plaid jacket. It wasn’t long before both items sold out completely, and while you can still put an order with them, you can forget about getting it in time for Halloween. Fortunately, there’s still a chance. You can order the items directly from the manufacturer, instead. Abbyshot.com not only carries the Coat and Jacket, but will even throw in a free bow tie for ordering it directly. Read more…
I love the hand made quality of this Tardis Dr. Who Messenger Bag which I found on Etsy — while I like the new series it would go great with a vintage Tom Baker multi-colored scarf. Bag design by Rhonda Wojciak of Nani Originals.Read more…
Though he appears not to have managed to regenerate eyebrows in his latest incarnation, the storied Doctor, as played by Matt Smith, has proven more popular than ever in his most recent season on BBC. No Doctor lasts forever, though, and the date of Smith’s departure from the role has been the subject of much speculation. Smith appeared to indicate that he’d only have one more year of Doctor Who in a recent interview, saying that after “another year” as the Doctor, he’d like to come to LA and do some acting work there. Does it mean anything? I bet we’d know if we had some sort of superscientific time-travel device. Anyone know someone who has one? Read more…
I love crossover art, especially when it combines two things I love, such as Doctor Who and video games — and in this case, Valve’s Portal 2. The piece was designed by an Australian outlet known as Lost Hero Creative. While the reference is pretty straight forward, the T.A.R.D.I.S. being a device capable of traveling through time via portals, the image actually reminds me of that recent two part special, Time, in which the blue box decided to materialize within itself. If you feel like sporting it, TeeFury has the design available for the next 24 hours. As usual, the shirt should only cost you $10 + shipping.
It looks like it’s crossover universe time on Gurren Lagann! If you look at this second photo it seems pretty clear that Yoko Littner is smitten with the Time Lord (and vise versa): Read more…
Last month, the BBC announced plans to cancel Doctor Who Confidential. The series had given fans a behind-the-scenes look at the Doctor and his companions since the show relaunched in 2005. Despite being a huge fan of Doctor Who, I never managed to catch a single episode of the documentary myself. I suppose if they had actually aired it on television here in the States, I might have, but for whatever reason the BBC decided against it. Instead, they opted to air shot clips of the show via their website. Despite that, there seems to be quite a bit of outcry from fans both in England and abroad regarding the cancellation. There’s currently an online petition asking BBC to reconsider their decision to axe the show — it’s already gained nearly 40,000 signatures.
Feast your eyes on Big Chief’s Doctor Who Limited Edition Eleventh Doctor collectible figure. From the sculpt itself to the accessories, it’s about as high-end as it gets — I’d even say it’s almost on par with some of the Hot Toys figures we’ve been seeing recently. Of course, it’ll cost you about as much as one too. A special signature edition of the 1:6th scale figure retails for roughly $265 without shipping, while the less expensive limited edition will run for only $233. Both of them should be hitting the market around December or early January. To make up for that asking price, the signature edition includes a plaque hand-signed by Smith, while both figures will come with several interchangeable hands, and numerous accessories like the Doctor’s invitation to Lake Silencio, a sonic screwdriver, and more — sorry, no fez or stetson. The signature edition will be incredibly limited in supply as only 250 units are being produced. Ironically, the limited edition may not be so limited in number. If you want to get yours hands on one, head over to the official Big Chief website and sign up to pre-order yours today. Read more…
Check out this slick replica of the Master’s watch from the Doctor Who series 3 episode Utopia. Don’t worry, contrary to what Professor Yana might tell you, it works just fine. In fact, it actually lights up and comes made of a durable but light zinc alloy so it won’t weigh you down. Fortunately, it shouldn’t contain the hidden essence of a Time Lord either — just don’t blame me if you start hearing the sound of drums on occasion. You can head to ThinkGeek and pick up yours for only $49.99. All things considered, that’s probably a bargain. I can’t imagine what it’d cost on Gallifrey. Besides, pocket watches are cool.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 26, 2011 in Dr. Who, Fandom
Fans never cease to amaze me. For those of you who are scratching your head, you’re looking at a poster mock-up for the fictional 1960s British television series Inspector Spacetime, seen in last weeks episode of Community. Upon witnessing the terrible acting and low-budget special effects, Abed proclaims it to be the best thing he’s ever seen — which, ironically, is the exact same reaction I had the first time I watched Doctor Who. So, the series supposedly follows the Inspector as he travels through time and space in his red DARSIT, while saving the universe from creatures like the dreaded Blogons, or Digifleet. Within a week, the series already has its own TVtropes page, cosplayers, and fan-made merchandise. As a friend pointed out, the joke was clearly meant to parody the Doctor’s fans more than his series, but I suppose that’s what makes it so great. There’s multiple layers to the humor. Let’s just hope the producers keep the joke running through out the season.
My Little Pony is miraculously en vogue again. It’s almost like we’ve … traveled back in time, much like Amy and the Doctor routinely do! Clearly DeviantArt user EatToast has the right idea on how to celebrate such an amazing coincidence — by converting My Little Pony toys to horrific recreations of Doctor Who villains. This particular model is an Ood-pony, an ungulate version of the creepy aliens from that weird space-Hell episode from the tenth doctor’s run. He’s done a few more, too, including a Cyberman-pony and a Silence-pony. You know, come to think of it, doesn’t “brony” sound like the name of an alien race? Read more…
