Dr Who

The South Africa filming is finally officially confirmed in this month's DWM: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-...rica-cast/
It is noted as a three week shoot.

Those leaked photos put in their season context plus a few more supporting actors named: https://doctorwhoproductionnews.blogspot...posed.html

The last week of s11 filming takes place back in Cardiff: https://doctorwhoproductionnews.blogspot...nd-30.html
Looks like what I previously related as shooting on the Christmas special was in fact the series finale. (Unless they are one and the same thing?! )

Filming finally wrapped on Friday: https://doctorwhoproductionnews.blogspot...wraps.html

Chibs was doing a q&a at the the CBBC Summer Social festival in Liverpool today: https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/...4865377280
Hopefully more news will emerge from that.

I need to catch up on a few new production revelations/spoilers this week...

First off, Digital Spy got a little hint of how the TARDIS team come together in the season story arc.

Next, a series concept artist was on twitter bragging about the production designer's "crazy vision" that had become the new TARDIS interior. He was pretty much shut down from saying any more (the linked tweet was later deleted along with the following early artwork for the new sonic) but...

Someone had other ideas and leaked an image of the unlit (external and internal) set. (According to apparent insider at Gallifrey Base, "The crystals light up and pulse with energy and the floor pattern changes depending on the atmosphere of the scene, like a Rorschach pattern." This underfloor lighting is also said to illuminate the Gallifreyan text around the step up the console, when in action.) The production designer was decidedly unimpressed at this unexpected reveal.

Roobarbs forum has an interesting page (requires sign up) discussing this leak (the original source is thought to have been some associate of the show).

Now... All this emphasis on secrecy from the current production office has certainly increased the cachet and value of each 'spoiler' outed but I've a feeling there might be a little more to what's going on here. Is it just me or are the increasing number of leaks this season now beginning to suggest some kind of agenda against this season and its selection of doctor? (The illicit video clip ending on the doc's line "I'm looking for a doctor" seems to tell the feeling of that particular leaker.) I'm in no way suggesting all the leaks are coming through the same source, they patently arn't, merely that there appears to be some effort to show the series in a bad light (no pun intended) here. The beeb certainly seem to suspect there might be more unsolicited material coming. They have now roped Microsoft into their evidence gathering on that previously leaked episode one clip and even more recently were closing in on one or two individuals via twitter.

From the other side, there is definitely a little negativity being created amongst fans by what they see as an overzealous regard for secrecy around this production. And IMO it's hard not to see an element of defensiveness in the latter given the controversy over Whitaker's casting. October can't really come quick enough.

(13-08-2018 17:20 )ShandyHand Wrote:  Next, a series concept artist was on twitter bragging about the production designer's "crazy vision" that had become the new TARDIS interior. He was pretty much shut down from saying any more (the linked tweet was later deleted along with the following early artwork for the new sonic) but...

Someone had other ideas and leaked an image of the unlit (external and internal) set. (According to apparent insider at Gallifrey Base, "The crystals light up and pulse with energy and the floor pattern changes depending on the atmosphere of the scene, like a Rorschach pattern." This underfloor lighting is also said to illuminate the Gallifreyan text around the step up the console, when in action.) The production designer was decidedly unimpressed at this unexpected reveal.

It looked crap, and the production designer made Ian Levine look well-balanced in response

^ It doesn't look very good does it. In fact it looks decidedly small and cramped, as if the budget has gone elsewhere (hopefully the main four will be outside the TARDIS more than they are in it) and thinking about it each TARDIS interior since Tennant feels smaller than the last. (I saw three of them 'in the flesh' as part of the Cardiff Experience.). But I'm mostly of opinion that we should perhaps wait until we see it onscreen. Many things can be enhanced marvellously by cinematography, direction, lighting and effects.

Btw the uploader in the know on this, on reddit, stated this interior pic was taken surruptiously on the last day of filming (Friday 3 Aug). So it's not as if it's an early shot of an unfinished set or anything.

But, anyway... the main reason for this post! The GB forum reported this morning that DWM finally has an exclusive about this season. The mag got to launch the promo feast (the beeb's bit will do here) around the names of the five writers penning this series with Chibnall.

These are (along with their own short descriptions of their ep's):
Malorie Blackman (stone wall for the Rosa Parks episode): "Heartfelt, thought-provoking, timely"
Ed Hime: "Really rather spooky"
Pete McTighe: "Creepy, fun, rollercoaster" [the writer of Wentworth is a life long fan (tweet) who even wrote some of the Who DVD blurbs!]
Vinay Patel (rumoured for the story about the Indian Raj): "Educational, epic, emotional"
Joy Wilkinson: "Dark, funny, squelchy"

Only Blackman, the biggest name of the five, has written Who fiction in a official capacity prior to this (a short story for the show's 50th year). The others all have good TV credits behind them though.

Chibs is writing the end of season special and Yip is confirmed as director. The other directors have been confirmed as per the fan deductions earlier in the year.

Reddit has more background analysis, a blury shot from inside the mag and some debate about the dominance of soapy material in these writer's previous credits. This page also reminds us that author Rachael Talalay may be back for series 12.

(20-08-2018 20:05 )ShandyHand Wrote:  Only Blackman, the biggest name of the five, has written Who fiction in a official capacity prior to this (a short story for the show's 50th year).

And it was crap

More on the production this year...

Decent, if fanboy commentated, video compilation of stills and public filming of a shoot (even down to catching Whittaker's annoying kiddie talk a she exits the TARDIS). I'd missed this from February and it's all from the Sheffield filming just prior:


Former Who producer now beeb Controller (something like the Thomas the Tank fat controller in my head ) takes bigging up the future, by ridicolously rubbishing the past, to new heights: http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/bbc-control...-88013.htm Katy Manning was not impressed by this: https://mobile.twitter.com/Eddie_At_Skar...4155789313
The Doctor without idiosyncrasy... pffft!

Then we have the ongoing airdate saga. First we've had sites taking the beginning of the beeb's autumn schedule as an airdate, like... https://www.sidereel.com/tv-premieres-fi...ember+2018 The Times newpaper then fell for this. Fans watching more carefully noted SFX's magazines preview is usually about a month before the airdate. Their special is out on 12 September this time. Then the news of the press launch date leaked. And with it another better estimate of the airdate: https://twitter.com/JR_Southall/status/1...2284706816
Speculation intensified thereafter that, as per a much earlier rumour, the show might well be switching to Sunday nights. The Call the Midwife slot was muted (Midwife doesn't return until Christmas.) So the betting is on 7 October atm. Official news of the airdate is expected imminently regardless.

Whether the tabloids (normally quite supportive of Who's requests for secrecy in the past) can hold back on details/proper reviewing after the press launch on the 24th will be interesting.

New director comments on their episodes (taken from DWM): https://doctorwhoproductionnews.blogspot...rs-in.html

New pics and info from the third filming block: http://cultbox.co.uk/general/doctor-who-...ear-online

Series 12 is due to start production in November: http://cultbox.co.uk/news/doctor-who-ser...tion-begin

(01-08-2018 08:03 )Rake Wrote:  Looks like the Doctor has materialised on Planet Diversity, orbiting in the Virtue Signal System, circa 2026. Female Dr, probably lesbian to boot, going by the Pride rainbow t-shirt on the latest promotional picture.

Will no doubt be a SJW as well. Ugh!

Been a fan of the show since 1969 (Patrick Troughton's final season) but have a sickly feeling in the pit of my stomach that it hasnt got long left. I just cant see this new incarnation being successful. The whole thing for me has the same feeling about it as it did near the end of Sylvester McCoy's run.

One of the things that harmed the viewing figures during the Capaldi era, I know it has been talked about here, is that they kept dicking about with timeslot which was a result I think of the Strictly v X Factor debacle. I did see an article advocating that perhaps Dr. Who could be moved to a Sunday, I am sure some people will cry heresy but it might work for a younger audience who are less likely to be going out on a Sunday. Of course you still get Strictly and X Factor on a Sunday, it would be nice if it could get a permanent timeslot, though there are added difficulties based on the content of the episode you would expect Mummy on the Orient Express and Flatline to air later than In the Forest of the Night.

As for the future of the show, whilst it is true that the live ratings in the UK have been on a decline since Tennant left the show once you bring in streaming figures the ratings haven't dropped as much. Furthermore the international presence of the show has grown exponentially since Matt Smith was the Doctor. Look at the number of people you see going to see Doctor Who at Comic Con for example. Bringing in a female Doctor may expand the audience on a global scale as they look to tap into a new market that is very big right now

The golden rule of television, as long as it makes money, they'll keep making it

Release date announced Sunday 7th October

Round up of material leading to the above announcement today...

New official image of the younger companions on location: https://i.redditmedia.com/BoSY-H8wRA9DV4...b29c86a129

And another, from Empire magazine, of 13: https://twitter.com/WhoPotterVian/status...2416166912
The article confirms the show is now shot wider than the usual 16:9 TV frame at a 2:1 aspect ratio. As you might expect in a film mag, Jamie Childs claims his direction (including that of ep.1) was inspire by 80s Speilburg movies.

Airdate saga part 2: The date actually leaked yesterday via German itunes. It was spotted by this fan: https://twitter.com/Pascalwho/status/103...0087747584 The date was removed from the site but UK itunes went through the same cycle. (The beeb heavy-handedly came down on a fan site reporting this information.)
Then came the official word with the title of episode one included: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/ent...65bae27370
https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latest...aunch-date
https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/...0408902656
As this reaction states the shows timeslot is still tbc: https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-...ew-series/
I've seen anything between 5:30 and 8:10pm speculated on. My guess is for the most family friendly compromise of 7pm. In the nicely protective hammock between the solid ratings of Countryfile and the Strictly results show.
Extrapolating, the last regular episode of the season is presumably scheduled to hit December 9th.