Doctor Who has become part of the leaked Sony email saga, as revelations of a planned movie are leaked.

The emails, which were published by Wikileaks, show internal discussions at Sony, as well as emails from Sony to the BBC Director of Television, Danny Cohen.

Cohen claimed that the popular TV series will become a film under an eight-year plan to keep the franchise alive. But the show’s team are "very hot under the collar" because they feel "their position on it is not being listened to or accepted." They want to wait until the time is right and have made their feelings "very clear" on the matter, one Sony email reveals.

Mr Cohen claims there is "tremendous interest" in a Doctor Who film and says there has been "pressure" to make it from BBC Worldwide.

The plans for Doctor Who were put in an email sent in January last year from Andrea Wong, president of International Production for Sony, to the company’s chief executive Michael Lynton.

A Hollywood version of Doctor Who could be extremely profitable for the BBC - but risks ruining the brand if it is done badly.

The email says:

"He (Cohen) said that while there has been tremendous interest (and pressure from BBCWW) (BBC Worldwide) to do a Dr Who film, the show runners feel very clear that they don’t want to do one at this moment. That said, over the course of the coming months, the show running team is coming up with an 8 year timeline for the brand – laying out all that will happen with it. He says that a film will certainly be a part of that timeline. So the answer is that a film won’t happen in the next year to 18 months, but it is expected that it will happen after that within the 8 year horizon."

Lynton’s response was:

"Sounds like we need to meet with the show runners."

A follow up email from Wong reads:

"Spoke to Danny and he doesn’t think it makes sense right now and actually might hurt our cause. He said that the creative team on the show have been having the movie conversation with BBC Worldwide in recent weeks and are very hot under the collar that their position on it is not being listened to or accepted."

The tranche of emails were stolen last year by group calling itself Guardians of Peace. 

[Source: The Telegraph]

The BBC has today announced 'The Doctor And The Dalek', a new online game for CBBC audiences voiced by Peter Capaldi. The game sees the newly regenerated Twelfth Doctor thrown into a dangerous quest with his most devious of enemies in a new, stand-alone story from Doctor Who and Wizards vs Aliens TV writer, Phil Ford.

'The Doctor And The Dalek' - which has been specially released to be part of the BBC's Make it Digital initiative to inspire a new generation to get creative with coding, digital technology and programming - will be available freely at bbc.co.uk/cbbc from Wednesday 22nd October.

The Doctor And The Dalek

Players join the action as the TARDIS materialises amidst a deadly pursuit through space – a Dalek Saucer bearing down on a Cyber-ship. But from that Cyber-ship emanates a distress call – from a Dalek! On freeing the battered Dalek from his Cybermen captors, the Doctor finds himself taking his new unlikely ally on a mission to save all of creation from destruction at the hands of his greatest enemies.

But why would a Dalek turn to its mortal foe for help? To find out, join the 'Doctor and the Dalek' in a new adventure spanning the Sontar homeworld and its vile Clone Chambers, which have never been shown on-screen before, as well as reintroducing the icy Cyber-tombs of Telos – last seen in classic Doctor Who episodes.

The Doctor said:

"Oi! Short and not-very-old one! I need your help - I’ve got a Dalek and we’ve got a mission to save the universe. So get on over to the CBBC website, and play 'The Doctor and the Dalek' while there’s still a universe left! Come on! Chop chop! Make it Digital on the BBC."

Introducing computing skills

A range of puzzles are featured throughout the game, where players must take control of the Dalek and program it to 'power up' its ability to perform a range of tasks, such as flying. Each puzzle unlocks an achievement that helps the Doctor build the Dalek back to full strength, ensuring it can take on increasingly difficult challenges as the game progresses.

The puzzles are linked to the new computing curriculum and are designed to allow children across the UK to pick up core programming principles as they play. Several key stage 2 and 3 curriculum points – such as combining instructions to accomplish a given goal, using variables to alter behaviour, repetition and loops, and logical reasoning – are seamlessly integrated into the gameplay and, most importantly for children, are intuitive and fun.

Resources accompanying the game will be available from BBC Learning at bbc.co.uk/schoolscomputing for teachers and parents to help children get the most out of the game. These will provide links to other resources available from across the BBC and third parties, enabling children and teachers to take their learning journeys further.

Danny Cohen, BBC Director of Television, said:

“'The Doctor and the Dalek' is a brand-new Doctor Who story and a fantastic game, voiced by the wonderful Peter Capaldi. It’s an excellent example of how a hugely popular BBC show can give fans something extra, whilst also introducing wider audiences to increasingly important skills, such as coding and programming.”

Sinéad Rocks, Head of BBC Learning, said:

“We’re really excited about the launch of 'The Doctor and the Dalek' as not only is it a really entertaining platform game for kids to play but it’s also a great introduction to some key principles of computer programming. Every puzzle has a strong link to the KS2 or KS3 computing curriculum. So we think it’s going to be a really valuable tool for students, parents and teachers.”

The Doctor And The Dalek was commissioned by BBC Learning, developed and produced by BBC Wales and Somethin’ Else in association with BBC Future Media. 

Check out a sneak peek at the game, courtesy of FamilyGamerTV, in the video player, below:
[youtube:nVW7oX9Q6Bo] 
[Source: BBC Media Centre]

Danny Cohen (BBC1 Controller) recently confirmed at the Church and Media Conference that Doctor Who will not be returning for a full series until 2013.

The comments come after weeks of speculation over the scheduling for the series in 2012. Last week the BBC confirmed that 14 episodes of Doctor Who had been commissioned but that the schedule was yet to be announced. We do know that one of the confirmed 14 episodes will be the 2012 Christmas Special.

It is unknown yet as to the exact reason behind the decision, but it is likely due to the reports of big plans for the show's 50th anniversary in 2012.

What could we expect to see in 2013?

- Possible American-style dual season (26 x Episodes) throughout the year.

- A mixture of standard episodes and specials.

- 14 x 1-hour specials aired throughout the year.

- A 13 x Episode series (plus Christmas Special) beginning in the Autumn.

[Source: Danny Cohen]