DWO recently caught up with Doctor Who Actor, Eric Roberts to discuss his long career, his work on 1996' Doctor Who: The Movie and joining Big Finish for the recent 'Master!' audio adventures. Read the DWO interview, below:

Eric, you have a staggeringly impressive list of acting credits to your name (over 600 at our last count); dare we ask what your top 3 favourite projects have been to date, and which project you are most proud of?

Maybe not three, but three among this shorter list: Doctor Who, Final Analysis, It's My Party, Love Is A Gun & Music Videos.

Are there any Movie or TV franchises that you've not been in that you'd really love to be a part of?

Lots! Friends (if it was still being done). The Walking Dead - to join my friend, Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Rebel or anything Krista Vernoff does. The Resident. Chicago Med. Californication (if it came back). Doctor Who (of course), and I love the franchises I am part of! The Righteous Gemstones & Grey's Anatomy.

With Doctor Who: The Movie, how much did you know about the role of The Master going into the project, and were you aware of the series prior to the job?

This is a very good question! I did not know a lot about The Master and I was aware of the series, but I had to do a quick tutorial. I am still learning more and more about Dr.Who from fans at the conventions and on Twitter.

You recently returned to the role for Big Finish' 'Master!' audio series. What was it like bringing your Master to audio for his first dedicated series, and would you like to do more? As a cheeky add-on to that question, if asked back by the BBC, would you also consider a return to the screen for your character?

It was fantastic doing The Master for Big Finish! It's especially great because the people from Big Finish can answer all my questions and give me excellent direction. I love doing it! I'd adore to do more. Without question YES!!! [RE: return to the screen]

Finally, if you could take a round trip in the TARDIS, anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

If I could go safely, I'd take my 3 kids and 2 grandkids and travel until we found at least two of the civilizations out there. There is definitely so much life, it's beyond fathoming.

[Source: Doctor Who Online]

With aliens and spaceships regularly featuring in Doctor Who, DWO recently caught up with Nick Pope (the UK's answer to X Files' Fox Mulder), who worked at the Ministry Of Defence's UFO desk in the early 1990s.

Nick discusses some of his cases, the real possibility of the existence of extraterrestrials, and his love for our favourite Science Fiction TV series. Read the DWO interview, below:

For over 20 years you worked at the Ministry Of Defence with a portion of that time dedicated to manning the UFO desk and the many reports of UFO sightings around the UK. In fact, you were the closest thing we have to The X Files' Fox Mulder - were you always a believer or did this happen during your time at the MOD?

Nick: While my MoD career lasted 21 years, before I decided to take early retirement in 2006, my time in the division where I was responsible for investigating UFO sightings was just one posting - from 1991 to 1994 - in that longer career. It was a fascinating job: I had policy responsibility for the topic (and thus drafted advice to defence ministers, in my capacity as the subject matter expert); I investigated the sightings (200-300 each year); I dealt with the public correspondence; and I drafted material for the press office to use in response to questions from the media.

In all of this, I could call on advice from specialist staff as required, e.g. radar experts, scientific and technical intelligence staff, intelligence community imagery analysts (for looking at photos and videos that we acquired), astronomers and others. 

However, it may surprise people to know that despite being a science fiction fan, I'd never paid much attention to the UFO phenomenon. So when I was assigned the job, I didn't know much about the subject and I went in neither as a believer nor as a sceptic, but with an open mind, going where the data took me. Looking back, that was probably the best approach, as I didn't come into the post with any preconceived ideas. That said, as I began my investigations, and as I read myself into the vast archive of previous files on the subject (much of which we later declassified and released), my views evolved, and I began to realize there was more to the subject than just misidentifications of aircraft lights, weather balloons and satellites!   

From 7-year old Jacob and 10 year year old Amelia: What sizes have the UFOs ranged from and what was the largest UFO you recall being reported?

Nick: UFOs come in all shapes and sizes, though from time to time we hear more about one particular type. At the moment, there's a lot of interest in UFOs shaped like a Tic-Tac, because of a very interesting case from 2004 involving the US Navy. But people also report a lot of orb-shaped UFOs, disc-shaped craft, and huge, triangular-shaped UFOs.

The biggest UFOs I've heard of are sometimes nicknamed "flying football fields" and are rectangular or triangular in shape. There were some sightings of these in the Hudson Valley, in the United States, back in the Eighties, and in the UK and elsewhere in the Nineties. I remember one witness telling me about a 1993 sighting in the UK where he looked up at night and saw the stars blacking out, one by one, as a huge, dark UFO passed slowly overhead. And another witness to a wave of sightings in and around Phoenix in 1997 told me about a huge boomerang-shaped UFO that passed over the parking lot of a restaurant, with dozens of people standing there, mesmerized, looking up. I asked how low it was flying, and he said "Nick, if I'd have thrown a rock up into the air, I would've hit it." 

What was the most compelling case you worked on in your 20+ years and how likely do you think it will be that we will have official contact with extraterrestrials during our lifetime?

Nick: The most compelling case is probably the Rendlesham Forest incident from 1980, which involved not just something in the sky, but an alleged landing. It happened before my time in the MoD, but I undertook a cold case review in around 1993. It's everything you could want in a UFO case: multiple observers from independent locations, over three consecutive nights; military witnesses; radar evidence; physical evidence in the form of indentations in the ground, burn marks on the trees and radioactivity levels at the landing site that government scientists said seemed "significantly higher than the average background". This all took place in Rendlesham Forest, in Suffolk, and the forest lies between the twin military bases of RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge. The several dozen military witnesses included the sceptical deputy base commander, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt. And because this was an incident involving two US military bases in the UK, there's a file that contains numerous United States Air Force and MoD documents about this case. Believers and sceptics have their various theories, but even now, 40 years later, these are just theories - officially, the case remains unexplained.

Years later, I teamed up with two of the key military witnesses, John Burroughs and Jim Penniston, and we wrote a book on the incident, entitled "Encounter in Rendlesham Forest". It's based on declassified government documents and on testimony from the military witnesses, and as such, it's the only UFO book ever to have needed security clearance from both the UK and the US government.

I think that we'll have proof of the existence of extraterrestrials in a few years from now. I'm not sure it will come from what the UFO community calls "Disclosure" (formal, official acknowledgement of alien visitation), or even from a UFO incident, and at least in the first instance I think it's more likely to come from a radio telescope picking up a signal from another civilization. The next generation of radio telescopes (and the associated computers to process the data) should be sufficiently powerful that if there are civilizations out there - at least in our small corner of the Milky Way galaxy - we'll find them. 

It's no secret that you are a Doctor Who fan - what was your earliest memory of the show and do you have a particular favourite episode and Doctor?

Nick: My first memories of Doctor Who are some of the old Jon Pertwee stories, when I was seven. After Planet of the Daleks, I watched every week. Regarding Doctors, while David Tennant and Peter Capaldi get honorable mentions, Tom Baker is my favorite. Perhaps that's partly childhood nostalgia, but I think he best portrayed the 'otherness' of the Doctor, with the unique combination of quirkiness, sadness, humor, intelligence, courage and morality that the character possesses.

My favorite story is Genesis of the Daleks. There's always something fascinating about an origin story (and the introduction of Davros was inspired), but this was a story of real depth, with the advantage swinging back and forward, generating genuine tension and excitement. This was the ultimate high-stakes story, with memorable themes of total war, genetic experimentation, genocide, a militaristic society that had clear parallels with the Nazis, and more besides. Above all, there's the moral dilemma the Doctor faces, so perfectly brought out by Tom Baker's acting. This is Doctor Who at its thought-provoking best, with the Doctor holding two detonating wires close together, knowing that if he makes the connection, the resultant explosion in the dalek incubator room could wipe them out; but then pausing and giving his speech centered around the question "Do I have the right?"

Finally, if you could take a round trip in the TARDIS, anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

Nick: I'd want to go to wherever and whenever is the apex of civilization, to see how high and how far life can go, in terms of things like intellectual development and technological advance. Maybe that would be Earth, in the far future, or maybe it's an alien world in the distant past. It might be something like Gallifrey, it might be something like Trantor (if you'll forgive me mixing franchises!), and it might be something completely different and unimaginable. And maybe the dominant life form would be biological, but maybe it would be post-biological. Thus, in the best traditions of Doctor Who, I wouldn't know where or when I was going, and I'd probably encounter something quite unexpected when I got there!

+  Follow @NickPopeMOD (Nick Pope) on Twitter!
+  Visit Nick Pope's official website!
+  Buy Nick Pope's books on Amazon.

[Source: Doctor Who Online]

DWO are thrilled to kick off the first of our new author interviews, spotlighting non-Doctor Who authors (but who happen to be Doctor Who fans).

Over the years we have had the pleasure of being sent a wide variety of published works from fans of the show, and as the subject of a lot of these books are of interest to our demographic, we wanted to offer interviews that give a glimpse into who they are as well as their writing process.

This week we welcome Christopher Simpson II, author of 'The Sag Odyssey Of Rawman Ant':

What got you into writing and when did you realise you wanted to be an author?

Life had gotten me into writing to put it simply. Now that I’m able to look back it was my passion for poetry that sort of just started to flow out of me. Then one summer day when I was freestyling my troubles making them flow together someone close to me at the time had told me to write it down and save those moments. From then on it was just the transitional magic from the pen to the pad straight to the audience that I had fallen in love with. The actual story telling aspect soon came to grow on me and I stopped the poetry and challenged myself with writing a book. 

What is your favourite book and what are you currently reading?

One of my favorite books of all time is the graphic novel “Calvin and Hobbes Days are just Packed,” as a kid I remember trying to understand Bill Watterson’s vast vocabulary that he had infused into ten-year-old Calvin. Of course, the humor was always there and the mystery of fantasy or reality between Hobbes being real or not. I’m currently skim reading a couple different books but the one that I’m really focusing on is David Rockefeller’s Memoirs.

Your novel ‘The Sag Odyssey Of Rawman Ant’, is full of rich worlds and space travel; what was your inspiration and have you always loved the fantasy / SciFi genres?

Well I love space travel but like any good story there’s always going to be some layers, and in my case, things weren’t any different. This whole story from the main characters name to the plot were just tons of layers. Me being an Antediluvian is the inspiration for all of the layers that were incorporated into the story. Anthropology, antiquities, hence the main characters name Rawman Ant. 

Can we look forward to a sequel?

A sequel is in the works. The next storyline will have a new planet and all new characters. I do plan on releasing a totally different story just to explore other genres and then after that the sequel will be released.  

If you could take a round trip in the TARDIS, anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

Well first I’d go to see what all the hype about Proxima Centauri B. Then I’d find my doppelganger observe their life. I’d probably look at his lover and see if she’d be with me instead. I’d also like to see Ancient Egypt, checking out all of the old pharaohs and how they lived their lives. Of course, I’d try not to disrespect the pharaohs by laughing at them because of their broken noses that their present-day statues display. haha 

+ Buy 'The Sag Odyssey Of Rawman Ant' on Amazon!
+ Follow the Christopher Simpson II on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

DWO recently caught up with Doctor Who Missing Episode hunter, Philip Morris - responsible for the discoveries of The Web Of Fear & The Enemy Of The World, 3 years ago. Read the DWO interview, below:

It has been 3 years since the official announcement of your fantastic discovery of nine missing episodes of Doctor Who. How happy were you with the finished, packaged product released by BBC DVD and how likely do you feel it is that the last missing episode from The Web Of Fear will be found?

Very happy with the job BBC Worldwide did on restoration, packaging, artwork. You have to remember, back then BBC Worldwide did not really know how these lost stories would be received - basically, how successful. Web 3 will surface, I will make sure it does! I never give up and never give in!

Which single discovery has brought you the most satisfaction in all your years of hunting?

The single best discovery is still ahead of me. Definitely!

Have you read all the theories on the now famous ‘Omnirumour’ and what are you thoughts on it all?

The famous omnirumour! I have seen some of the strange theories, but it’s nothing new. Rumours always surround Doctor Who - it’s always ‘my mate who has an uncle’, that sort of thing. Never any solid facts to back it up, so I haven’t read all the theories, really, I stick with the hard facts. However, I will say the truth is stranger than fiction and my best advice… believe it when you see it!

There has been some chatter about more potential discoveries. Is the wind still blowing in the right direction and can we hope to have more episodes returned in the near future?

There will always be chatter about wishing our favourite shows back into existence. It’s nice to discuss, however, the truth is it takes a lot of really hard work - which I enjoy, I really do. I really believe in what I do and the work TIEA does, however, there is hope, of course.

If you could take a round trip in the TARDIS, anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

A trip in the TARDIS... where would I go… probably back to were I could record every missing show possible in UK history and bring it all back so we can all enjoy our rich heritage.

Many thanks, Phil!

Thank you! …we will return.

[Source: Doctor Who Online]

Ahead of tonight's episode of Doctor Who, DWO interviewed Writer, Peter Harness, who penned this season's Zygon two-parter: 9.7: The Zygon Invasion & 9.8: The Zygon Inversion.

What was your earliest memory of Doctor Who?

My earliest memory of Doctor Who is “Destiny of the Daleks”, when I would’ve been three years old - which, in retrospect, strikes me as being a bit young for it! I remember a lot about the opening episode of that series, so it must’ve had quite an effect on me. The slaves, the rockfalls, Davros coming back to life. I still find it all a bit scary now. And I remember bits and pieces from every Doctor Who story since. 

Do you have a particular favourite episode from the Classic Series and the New Series?

It’s very hard to say, really. I think we all have personal favourites which we turn to, for various reasons, ahead of the real classics. And for me, they can vary depending on which mood I’m in. Having said that, I love “State of Decay” pretty faithfully. “Seeds of Doom”, maybe. “Kinda”. Don’t get me started, basically. We could be here all day. …As far as the new series goes, um - I’m a sucker for the Eccleston series, and I love Peter Capaldi’s first series, so take your pick from in amongst those.

Your Series 9 two-parter was quite epic in terms of story, setting and pace. It has arguably one of the best cliffhangers we’ve had to date for Capaldi’s Doctor, and we once again have another example of just how successful the Zygons are as a Doctor Who villain. As a writer, how difficult was it to get the right balance, and what was the hardest part to write of the entire story?

Well, it was a tough one to write. But they all are, usually for completely different reasons. I think the hardest part of the Zygon story was working out how to present the world of it in a coherent and interesting way. There were so many different ways for the story to go, and such a lot of backstory that I came up with and is never shown on screen (like how the Zygons were resettled, why Bonnie is called Bonnie, what really happened with the murders in Truth or Consequences, and - here’s one out of left field - how Courtney from “Kill The Moon” ends up as President of the USA), that it was hard to sift through all of that and streamline it into the narrative that you see on screen. But that’s how I like to do things - I like to play around, and explore the world and the characters, and their various possibilities, before I settle on what I think’s the best way of getting them through the plot. I think the hardest part to write was the concluding part, mainly, again, because there were so many different ways the story could have gone. I like what we settled on, though, although it hasn’t come out yet, and I’m still very nervous. 

Can we expect to see you writing for Series 10, and if so, can you give us any (spoiler-free) teasers as to what we might expect? Do you have any upcoming TV projects we can look forward to?

Hah! Well, I would love to write for series 10. And they know I’ll always do a Doctor Who, whether I have the time for it or not. So we’ll see. …As far as upcoming projects, there’s the final series of Wallander coming up, which I wrote and showran. I think there’s some lovely, sad stuff in there. But otherwise, I’m just going to get my head down and crack on with a couple of different things I’ve got in the pipeline. An adaptation or two, maybe, and a bit of original stuff at last. But as usual with these things, I’m not allowed to say very much. 

If you could take a round trip in the TARDIS, anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

I think I’d be rather afraid to go into the future, because I’m a bit of a pessimist. But I’d probably get drunk one evening and decide to go and look at how things turned out, in the hope that things work out okay.  

+  9.8: The Zygon Inversion airs Tonight at 8:00pm on BBC One. 

[Source: DWO]

Ahead of tomorrow's episode of Doctor Who, DWO interviewed Actor, Rufus Hound, who plays highwayman, Sam Swift in '9.6: The Woman Who Lived'.

What was your earliest memory of Doctor Who?

To be honest my earliest memory was probably seeing Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor and being thoroughly confused by the whole thing. Sophie Aldred as Ace though. I do remember that - but for entirely different reasons...

Do you have a particular favourite episode of the Classic Series / New Series - or both?

I only really came to DW because of Russell T Davies. I was an enormous fan of 'Bob and Rose', and 'The Second Coming' is probably my favourite TV drama of all time. So, even though I've now seen a few of the old Classic episodes, I haven't seen enough of them to really 'have a favourite'. I do love Troughton as The Doctor though, more than the episodes I've seen him in (if that makes any kind of sense).

From the new series, Silence in the Library / Forest of The Dead take some beating, frankly. The Doctors Wife was incredibly good too, mainly for Suranne Jones' completely wonderful performance as The TARDIS and Gaiman's writing.

Your character, Sam Swift, was quite honestly one of the best guest cast members we have seen for a while. How was it combing your comedic skills with a TV show you have known and loved for so long, and was there ever an element of ‘OH MY GOD I’M IN DOCTOR WHO’!?

Christ - this answer is going to be long! Well, once I started to focus on being an actor (I haven't done any stand-up now for about four years) my agent asked me "Where are we going with this?" I only gave one answer. "Doctor Who." I realised that if I was going to do this as a career, then I wanted to be a part of the stories I most like being told. Top of the list, therefore, was DW.

So, various attempts to be seen for the show ensued, without much success. However, I then landed a role in Russell T Davies' 'Cucumber', which was cast by the same man that casts Doctor Who - Andy Pryor. 

The day after my episode of 'Cucumber' was broadcast, I got a call from Andy saying that he'd insisted that the top brass on DW watched my episode and that he'd had a call first thing that morning saying 'Offer him Sam Swift.' I was in a car park at the time and just started running around in a circle, whooping.

I got emailed the script that afternoon, and it honestly felt like he'd had been written for just me. He's a swaggering, joke-telling bloke who isn't as smart as he thinks he is. Reading the scenes that he was in, seeing the relationship he'd have with The Doctor... I was vibrating. 

My first day of filming, I was trying to act all cool, but then, in the first take, Peter Capaldi turned to me and delivered my cue and I just kind of lost it. In my head I realised "I'M TALKING TO THE ACTUAL BLOODY DOCTOR!!! ME!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!" It flipped me out a bit. Haha.

We’re soon going to be able to see you in ‘Beautiful Devils’, based on Shakespeare’s ‘Othello'. What can you tell us about your character Archie Hoffman, and what to expect from the movie?

I haven't seen any of it yet, but there are some brilliant people involved in making it, so fingers crossed. What was interesting to me was that by saying 'It's based on Othello', you immediately have a license to look at race/youth/hope/jealousy with an honesty that would feel overblown if you sat down and wrote it from scratch. 

The movie takes Othello as a musical prodigy, the songwriter in a hot band. When they get signed, the record label exec - Archie Hoffman - sacks Iago and thus, out of jealousy for the band's success Iago decides to tear it all down. I shot about five days on it, and the cast are all fairly young, but there's some brilliance in all of them. Hopefully, it'll be ace.

If you could take a round trip in the TARDIS, anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

I'd zip forward into the casting office of the next series of Doctor Who and spray-paint SAM SWIFT on the board marked 'NEW COMPANIONS'

+  9.6: The Woman Who Lived airs on Saturday 24th October at 8:20pm on BBC One. 

[Source: DWO]

DWO interviews Ex-Doctor Who DVD Commissioning Editor, Dan Hall, regarding his time on the range, his current projects, and what the future could hold for the Classic Series range.

What have been some of your fondest memories in your time working on the Doctor Who DVD range?

Having the opportunity to work with some great people. Two of my bosses - Sue Kerr and Stuart Snaith - are people who I respect highly in the Home Entertainment publishing world. I learnt a huge amount from them over the years, and they were always highly supportive of the content.

Do you have any regrets, any tears any anxieties from your time on the range?

Ah! I would have liked to have taken more risks. It is impossible to please everybody, and I should have spent less time trying to do this.

What have you been up to since the last release and do you have any non-Doctor Who future projects we can look out for?

It’s been a real mixture of things since Doctor Who. Probably the biggest was working with PWL and Cherry Red records on the recent four Kylie Minogue Special Editions. Pup worked with the record company restoring the content, designing and authoring the DVDs. It was a great project and my teenage self would have been very proud!

We gave over control of the next question to the @DrWhoOnline Twitter followers and Francis (@lifetrainee) asks: “I'm a producer with an unlimited budget ready to go*. What would be your dream extra for any of the classic stories? *[I'm not]”

An unlimited budget is never a good thing! Limitations feed creativity, and certainly some of the best content we made for the range was by no means the most expensive. Where money can help is by providing consistency of content; a regular schedule of commissions and releases.

But if I had had a wee bit more money on some of the releases, I would have liked an Ed Stradling season overview for every single season. The few we had were always insightful and fascinating.

What do you feel the future is for the Classic Series Doctor Who range? Physical / Digital? Season Box-sets? Or has it had its day?

Classic DW has a terrible habit of not going away! It was broadcast and people wanted more. It was broadcast again and they wanted more. Then it came on VHS and they wanted more. Then DVD… So I would be a pretty bad gambler if I said it had had its day.

I am working in other parts of the industry these days and don’t have much to do with Classic DW. But I have genuine confidence that the BBC and BBC Worldwide will take the brand somewhere exciting. Why wouldn’t they?! As for what that is, that is a much wider Home Entertainment question. And if you find the answer, there are a lot of studios in Hollywood that I’m sure would like to speak with you!

+ Follow Dan Hall on Twitter!
+ Follow DoctorWhoOnline on Twitter! 
+ Check Out the Classic Series Doctor Who titles on Amazon.co.uk.
+ Check Out more interviews in the DWO Interviews section.  

[Source: DWO]

GALHA LGBT Humanists, the LGBT section of the British Humanist Association, were thrilled to welcome actor and writer Mark Gatiss as the guest of honour at their 2014 Annual Lunch last November.

Among other things Mark talked about his thoughts on taking over as show-runner on Doctor Who, whether or not Russell T. Davies had a ‘gay agenda’, and what he really thinks of organised religion…

A video of GALHA Chair Richard Unwin interviewing Mark after the meal is now available to watch in the player, below:
[youtube:Bs7lZ1m9fFU]
(Video shot and edited by Jon Bagge)

To find out more about GALHA LGBT Humanists, visit their website at: www.galha.org

[Source: Richard Unwin]

 

On Tuesday, DWO attended a screening of Death in Heaven in Cardiff, which was followed by a Q&A session with Doctor Who Showrunner Steven Moffatt, Executive producer Brian Minchin, and Visual Effects Supremo Will Cohen. During the course of the chat, the trio reflected on the making of Season Eight, discussed the epic season finale, and even started to look toward the future… 

Doctor Who is a very emotional show. Do you focus on that when writing? What’s at the forefront of your mind when creating an episode?

Steven Moffatt: To try and make sure that nobody’s talking about watching anything else! You need to find an emotional through line to very story, because everything else about Doctor Who is so mad. It’s all monsters, and CGI, and explosions, and running. Nothing wrong with any of those things, they’re all my favourites, but you also need for it to be about something, and that I think is what makes it work.

What made you turn the Master in to a woman?

SM: I’d never written a Master story, and there had been a number of Masters in the show from the amazing Roger Delgado through to John Simm, and I could never think of a way to do it which was interesting.

And then I thought, if you could smuggle her in to the show in plain sight and then land that one… and then once and for all absolutely establish in plain sight, so nobody has any doubt about this whatsoever: yes, Time Lords can do that… it just expands the show a little bit.

You get old time fans saying ‘no! You’re not allowed to do that…!’

And what about Disney fans? She’s Mary Poppins!

SM: Mary Poppins has always been evil!

I don’t know why. To be honest, it was a gimmick at the start - there’s nothing wrong with a gimmick - and I was really fiddling with how on Earth I was going to write it. 

Michelle Gomez was on the list for a different part, and she’d been offered another part but couldn’t do it. But then I thought ‘Oh my God, that’s it!’ Michelle is so genuinely barking… I thought there’s never going to be a dull moment on screen! I’ve known Michelle for a long time, because she was married to Jack Davenport who had done Coupling. So I’d known her, I’ve gotten drunk with her, and she actually is like [she is on screen]. That’s toning it down.

So is the Master gone now?

SM: Yes. 

I was delighted back when the wonderful Anthony Ainley was the Master back with Peter Davison, and he would definitively get fried, or incinerated, or destroyed at the end of each story… and he’d turn up at the beginning of the next one and basically say ‘I escaped’. I had no problem with that! 

So… observe how I’ve avoided your question! What are the chances?

This is the first time that the Master has worked with the Cybermen…

SM: Oh, but the Master has met the Cybermen before. Would you like me to list them?

But why the idea to team them up?

I’ve never written a Cyberman one, and when I was a kid, I absolutely loved the Cybermen. They were my favourite. I mean, the Daleks were really my favourite, but I pretended that the Cybermen were my favourite to make myself more interesting. Which absolutely doesn’t work.

I’d always wanted to make them creepy and scary. I was aware that there is kind of a problem that the Cybermen are brilliant at standing there, and brilliant at breaking out of tombs, fantastic at breaking out of tombs - they’ve been doing that since 1967 - but when they stand up and actually arrive… they’ve a monotone voice, no facial expressions, and no emotions. That can be tricky. You sort of want to put them with somebody who can be the interface. But I love Cybermen. 

I don’t even know why they’re great. The absolutely indispensable part of the Cybermen is that they’ve got handles there… I mean the idea of removing them would be heresy… But what are they for? 

But I do adore them. Especially an old show called The Tomb of the Cybermen, which I’ve ripped off many times, it’s just perfect Doctor Who. Glorious Doctor Who. 

If you bring the Rani back, would she be a man?

SM: What, still? I don’t know! I’ve never been quite sure if outside of the circle of Doctor Who fans, if she’s really a character that people know about. I don’t know. I don’t think that people who have real lives - not like us - would really recognise that character. The Master, everyone seems to know about the Master, but I’m never quite sure about the Rani. But… I could just be bulls******g! I said I wasn’t bringing back the Master right at the start of this series - just a straightforward lie! But it’s a good idea… the Rani as a man is quite…!

In this season, you really explore who the Doctor is. Was that part of the reaction to bringing in a new actor to the role?

SM: Well, it was sort of two things. I thought it was time to do that. Before we discussed who was going to be the new Doctor, I was thinking ‘it’s getting all a bit cosy’. The Doctor is a reliable hero, and he’ll turn up and be fantastic. Matt Smith was incredible at doing that, but I thought it was a bit cosy and reliable. So, the reason that I did what I did in Matt’s last episode - to trap him on a planet for a thousand years, and remind him that everybody else will die around him, he’s not anybody’s boyfriend, he’s not really one of their playmates, he’s something else entirely - meant that you could go somewhere else with it.

From the Doctor’s point of view, he’s had a long break in his travels. If you asked him… I think he’d be quite surprised to discover that there’s an early Saturday evening adventure serial about him. I suppose that would come as a shock to anyone. But he doesn’t think of himself as a hero, you’ve got to give him something to play.

He’s great, as Peter has started doing, turning and looming into the camera for a ‘hero reveal’, and if you’ve got actors as the Doctor of the calibre that we’ve had since the very beginning of the show, then you’ve got to give them something to play. Not just falling out of planes… though that’s good too…

What does it feel like to see everything you’ve written come together in to an episode?

SM: What does it feel like? It feels absolutely brilliant. That’s how it feels. There are things I’ve experienced in life which don’t get old - quite a few, actually! - and that is definitely one of them.

It can be murderously difficult getting all the bits together, but genuinely, it is joyous. It’s wonderful. Absolutely terrific. I haven’t got an ounce of cynicism in me about that process.

I think it is… utterly thrilling. And if that’s something you want to do, don’t let anyone tell you ‘you know that really is a proper job, and you have to work very hard, and it’s probably not as exciting as it seems…’ yes it bloody is! It’s Doctor Who stories! It’s brilliant. I do not ever get tired of that.

Is that true for Brian and Will, too?

WC: Completely inspiring. You can have a really bad few days, but you look at it, even tonight, just to hear what everyone else has done, all of it coming together is hugely inspiring.

BM: I find it quite addictive, because you get to tell such huge stories, on such a big scale. You know how much people care about the show and you really want it to be as good as it can possibly be. Everyone wants it to be the best ever, and we get amazing writers, amazing actors… it’s a fantastic feeling.

What was the first episode you made of Doctor Who?

SM: Well, the first one I wrote, when Russell was running Doctor Who, was called The Empty Child. It was a little gas mask boy, crying for his mummy. And the first one when I was Excessing it, was The Eleventh Hour. 

Well, The Eleventh Hour was the first one that went out - the first one with Matt Smith in. The first one we actually made was the Weeping Angels one, The Time of Angels and Flesh and Stone. 

That seems ages ago to you, doesn’t it? That’s really appallingly old. My kids were saying ‘we’re watching one of the old Doctor Who’s, daddy!’ and I was thinking ‘brilliant! They’ve finally taken my advice! Which one is it?’… The Girl in the Fireplace. That’s not old!

All these episodes are really complex. How do you plan them? Where do you plan them? Do you have a lair? 

SM: I should have a lair… Maybe something underground… Sorry, I’m distracted now thinking about designing my lair…

Yes, you do plot out… actually, do you know, one thing we did this year is to not write things down. Get to the point where you have memorised every episode you’re going to do, and what’s going to happen, where Clara is, where Danny is. We never really had a document, really. It keeps it flexible in your head.

I have this fear when I write things down, that having written it, I will stick to it. I don’t really want to. I want to think it’s still flexible. But I’m definitely getting some work done on that lair…

Do you ever make very, very, very late changes? On set even? How down to the wire?

SM: We don’t make huge late changes, because you can’t. It’s a huge, military show. Down to the wire…? Oh my GOD, yeah! 

How much do you listen to fan’s feedback?

SM: It’s an interesting question. There was a little Doctor Who fan in Scotland, who wrote in repeatedly, to the point that the BBC complained about him. We recently cast him as the Doctor… Never let anyone tell you it doesn’t work! That was the most successful letter-writing campaign in history!

It’s a hard one. As most Doctor Who fans would be the first to say that they are not typical members of the audience. And the voice of the fan is in my head - I sit awake at night worrying about UNIT dating… You don’t even know what that means! Personally, I think Captain Yates was dating Osgood.

I think, I keep saying this, there’s the ‘fans’, and there’s the other 100% of the audience. That’s what you have to make it appeal as; a huge mainstream hit. I do believe it’s true that that’s what they want Doctor Who to be. They don’t want it to be a minority thing, they want it to be a huge thing. That does occasionally mean that you make decisions fans don’t like as much. But, I tell you the truth: you listen to a good idea.

Out of all the planets the Doctor has visited, which is your favourite? 

Will Cohen: One of Steven’s planets… Silence in the Library is one of them! We won an award for it! There’s this wonderful awards do in America, in Los Angeles, and they voted that as the best environment in a TV show, which was real honour for us. It was the first time we’d won for Doctor Who and we were chuffed.

SM: Just to do with the ingenuity of our former producer Marcus Wilson, there was a time when we were filming Asylum of the Daleks and the Doctor’s running around on top of a snowcapped mountain.

The reason I love that is nothing to do with the snow or anything like that, but because Marcus was out shooting the cowboy episode, A Town Called Mercy, and he looked out of his window and thought ‘hang on, there’s snow up there! Instead of doing that in the studio, I’m just going to phone up the Doctor Who production office and send them out!’ I thought that was just an example of brilliant producing.

WC: I’m very fond of Gallifrey, too, when we went there for the Time War. To go over Arcadia…

SM: But what about the one we’re going to do for the first story next year…?

You can’t just say that! Can you tell us any more?

SM: No!

Next year also marks ten years since the programme returned to our screens. Are there any plans to celebrate that?

SM: If you think about it, isn’t it quite a complex message to put out there; ‘do you know that show that was 50 years old a little while ago, and we wouldn’t stop going on about it? Well, now it’s ten…’

I could be lying. My worry is always… my worry about the 50th, which seemed to come off, and people seemed to be really really happy, is how many times are you going to have a huge celebration of the show? You have to stop applauding yourself at some point, I think.

Brian Mincin: I think, between about 50 and 60, you start celebrating in fives, don’t you?

Through series 8, the theme is people ‘dying… but not really dying’. That’s something you can see a bit of in your previous episodes; in Silence in the Library they weren’t dead they were in a computer, for example. We haven’t seen much final ‘before their time’ death…

SM: Were you watching that episode?

Exactly! There were lot’s of surprising deaths in that. Is that a theme that will continue? People dying before their time?

SM: Dear God! I was told directly by Russell ‘you’ve written six episodes of Doctor Who and not killed anyone’ - he meant fictional characters! - so, I don’t know. Do you know what? I’m sentimental. I am, I’m sentimental, and I actually quite like people not doing - in real life and in fiction!

If I watch a show and somebody dies, I always want them to come back to life at the end. Like in The Lion King! Where’s his dad? Ever since that damn film Bambi, I’ve been saying ‘fiction has control over death’! Bring nice people back!

How did you arrive at Peter Capaldi’s costume as the Doctor?

BM: When Peter was finding his outfit, I think he tried on every form of clothing that was possible. We were getting these hilarious photos of different versions of what the Doctor could be. He was very single-minded in his attempt to try on every different outfit in London…

SM: The ones he didn’t like, he just stood in the photographs like [grumpy expression]. But the ones he did like he did [strikes a ‘Doctor’ pose]!.

BM: He didn’t quite go back to the very first one he tried, but close.

Who made the final decision on the costume? Was it Peter Capaldi?

SM: Yes. We all loved it, it looked great, but the job of that costume is to make Peter Capaldi feel like the Doctor. I think it’s total nonsense to impose a costume on somebody. They have to sort of find it, make it part of their Doctor.

Obviously, we turned down the clown suit… And the gorilla mask… we’d ask him to think again…

What’s happening with River Song?

SM: Well… She’s dead!

You will admit that it’s a troubled relationship which begins in that way. Which goes from death, to a wedding where one of them is a miniaturised version of themselves in a robot duplicate… it’s not normal. Where can we go from there?

I said to Russell, he was just asking what was going on because he does, I said that I think that’s it, and we’re not going to do that again and he said ‘Noooo! Noooo! Capaldi and Kingston! It’ll be a sex storm!’

So when you see an episode called ‘Sex Storm’, written by Russell T Davies… I don’t know. She was a great character, I loved her, but I always worried that you might be bringing something back who’s day is done. Said he. As the Executive Producer of the 51-year-old show…!

Does the Doctor have a name?

SM: Well… he must have one. But it cannot be known by anyone. His name’s the Doctor, that’s the name he’s chosen.

But yes, in the fiction of the show. At some point he had a name that for whatever reason we may speculate on, he has completely abandoned. But you know, I wouldn’t feel entitled to make one up. I pretended I was going to once by calling an episode The Name of the Doctor, but surprisingly enough it was a lie!

The Sunday Times have a brand new interview with Peter Capaldi on his role as The Doctor in todays magazine supplement.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, Capaldi, 56, rules out a potentially toe-curling Doctor Who romance with Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman, 28:

“It’s not what this Doctor’s concerned with, it’s quite a fun relationship, but no, I did call and say, ‘I want no Papa-Nicole mo–ments.’ I think there was a bit of tension with that at first, but I was absolutely adamant.”

Read the full article by purchasing todays newspaper or subscribing online.

Watch a short promotional video which asks Capaldi about collecting the Doctor Who annuals, in the player, below:

[youtube:pxMJXu5w4sw]
Below is DWO's guide to the confirmed and rumoured titles for Series 8:

8.1: Deep Breath - written by Steven Moffat
8.2: Into The Dalek - written by Phil Ford
8.3: Robot Of Sherwood - written by Mark Gatiss
8.4: Listen - written by Steven Moffat
8.5: Time Heist - written by Stephen Thompson
8.6: The Caretaker - written by Gareth Roberts
8.7: Kill The Moon - written by Peter Harness
8.8: Mummy On The Orient Express - written by Jamie Mathieson
8.9: Flatline - written by Jamie Mathieson
8.10: In The Forest Of The Night - written by Frank Cottrell Boyce
8.11: Dark Water - written by Steven Moffat
8.12: Death In Heaven - written by Steven Moffat

+  Series 8 of Doctor Who will air in the UK on 23rd August 2014, on BBC One.
+  Series 8 of Doctor Who will air in the USA on 23rd August 2014, on BBC America.
+  Series 8 of Doctor Who will air in Canada on 23rd August 2014, on SPACE.
+  Series 8 of Doctor Who will air in Australia on 24th August 2014, on ABC1. 

[Source: BBC]

In this week’s Radio Times, on sale Today (for listings 17th-23rd May 2014) Steven Moffat recalls writing The Day Of The Doctor, revealing it was the most “difficult” and “terrifying” thing he has ever written and reveals why he chose Peter Capaldi to be the new Doctor.

Steven Moffat writes:

“When you choose a Doctor, you want somebody who is utterly compelling, attractive in a very odd way. None of the Doctors are conventionally attractive, but they’re all arresting. Handsome men don’t quite suit. Matt Smith’s a young, good-looking bloke from one angle but is actually the strangest looking man from another. You need that oddity; you need somebody who is carved out of solid star, really. Doctor Who is a whopping great star vehicle, despite the fact it changes star every so often.” 

The Day Of The Doctor is one of the nominees for this year’s Radio Times Audience Award at the British Academy Television Awards 2014 – the only BAFTA award open to public vote. Voting is open until 12pm Thursday 15th May, the winner will be announced on Sunday 18th May.

The new issue of Radio Times also includes 16-page guide to the Bafta TV Awards 2014 featuring David Attenborough, Dominic West, Rory Kinnear, Helen George, Laura Carmichael, Natalie Dormer and much, MUCH more...

+  Radio Times is out Today, priced £1.80.

+  Buy this issue of Radio Times as well as past issues from CompareTheDalek.com!

[Source: Radio Times]

In late 2013, DWO caught up with Doctor Who Actor, Tom Baker, to discuss his recent role in the 50th Anniversary Special; 'The Day Of The Doctor', Christmas and his future plans.

Millions of Doctor who fans worldwide were given a very special treat when we all saw you return in the ‘The Day Of The Doctor’. How long ago did you find out you would be in it, and what was it like coming back to the main TV series after 32 years?

I was invited to be in the Special about 7 months before transmission. I was reluctant at first but a very persuasive Miss Skinner convinced me that it was a good idea and that the fans would be happy to see me again. The second part of that argument convinced me: I never wanted to do more than please the fans. By the time the shooting date drew near Miss Skinner had disappeared though her argument remained, so I stood by my promise.

I was driven through the night to record the scene in Cardiff on a very cold and dreary morning. No glamour on a film lot, caravans scattered everywhere and tea was simply a dream of long ago when I was in lovely Sussex: long ago? well five hours but this was BBC Cardiff at 5 am! Never mind. At last 8 am crawled into view and make-up, costume and weak tea too! And then the scene.

Matt Smith came to find me with such affectionate enthusiasm that my anxieties were allayed. The film set was packed with people, scores of them, full of curiosity to see the old Doctor with the reigning one. Whatever I offered, Matt responded with terrific jollity: he was just so generous and I was grateful. As you know the scene was very brief, very, very brief; and in 4 and a quarter hours it was complete and I fled.

Your Big Finish range continues to do very well indeed. Now that you’re coming up to 2 years with them, how have you found working with your past companions and what can we expect to look forward to in the upcoming series?

I don't know exactly how long or how many adventures I have recorded for Big Finish but I am full of enthusiasm for whatever they offer me this year. I have told David Richardson more than once that I have never been happier than I am doing their scripts.

I have not discussed happiness with the other actors, except Louise, and she tells me she is delighted to be part of the group. I think that means she is very happy. But I can tell from the atmosphere in the Green Room and from the waves of laughter I hear that Big Enthusiasm is the house style at Big Finish. I have mostly had a happy time with other actors; not always but mostly. Generally actors are nice people to be with.

With the Christmas season upon us, do you have any traditions you like to keep each year? 

I don't have any particular rituals at Christmas. Nearly all the planning and organising is done by my wife. I try to help out by doing my share of shopping and by being sociable at mealtimes. Christmas is no longer a novelty at my age; nor is New Year.

Do you have a particular favourite Christmas Movie, Song or Book?

I used to like the Alistair Sim Christmas Carol for many years but now I would prefer to watch Frank Capra's film "It's a Wonderful Life."

Last year I recorded the complete Dickens' script, “A Christmas Carol”, not a word missed out. One person told me she liked it, so I got something right. I think one can justifiably make some cuts to the text as there are some obscurities here and there. But James Stewart was such a wonderful actor in “It’s a Wonderful Life”, so warm and sincere and so funny; and that slightly cracked voice and his hesitant quacking just makes me yelp with joy. And the title of the film is great, eh? 

Your autobiography has recently been released on Kindle, but you’ve had some more adventures since its original release in 1997, and with the recent success of ‘The Boy Who Kicked Pigs’ as a stage play, do you have any plans to write any more books?

My autobiography and “The Boy who Kicked Pigs” remain in print and that pleases me. The pig book is published in 5 languages including Chinese, Dutch and German. But I'm not a writer and those two efforts were little attacks of inspiration, so I don't feel another book coming on.

I still enjoy going to conventions and interacting with the fans who have supported me for so long. Some of them I know quite well and some I even know their grandchildren!  

I wish you all a heartfelt Happy New Year and many thanks for all your encouragement over so many years. 

From old Tom Baker

Watch Tom Baker's DWO video greeting:

[youtube:tlDY49cfHQ0]
+ Buy Tom Baker's Autobiography for Kindle on Amazon for just £4.94!

[Source: DWO]

The BBC have released a short video interview with Paul McGann, who discusses his return to Doctor Who for last month's red button minisode; 'The Night Of The Doctor'.

Watch the video, below:

[youtube:u2pI9LH1txQ]
Shortly after the minisode aired, DWO caught up with Paul for a slightly longer interview, which you can watch below:

[youtube:HxSHTmGKiUY]
+  Follow @PaulJMcGann on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

[Sources: BBC; DWO]

Following tonight's airing of Mark Gatiss' fantastic Doctor Who docudrama, 'An Adventure In Space And Time', DWO are thrilled to present a short video interview with David Bradley (William Hartnell), in which we ask him the all important question;

Would you be up for a return as The 1st Doctor in the main series?

"Well that’s a big question, and it was put to Mark Gatiss the other night at the BFI screening and he was hedging his bets over it.

In a way we feel like we’ve honoured the Doctor Who history and honoured William Hartnell’s memory in a way, so, if that was it, then we’d all be perfectly happy because it feels like the writing and the direction and the performances have all gone down very well with the audience.

If we left it at that I’d be perfectly happy, but if someone came up with the notion of doing it, of course, you know, it’s such an honour to be in Doctor Who anyway and to have played such a great iconic actor in such an iconic part of TV history.

We’ll have to wait and see but if someone put the bright idea then I’d have to think about it, yeh. But so far it hasn’t been put to me."

Watch DWO's short Interview with David Bradley, below:

[youtube:7JeKXN8FzGA]

+  Follow @MarkGatiss on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

+  Rate / Discuss 'An Adventure In Space And Time' in the DWO Forums.

[Source: DWO]

To coincide with tonight's airing of Mark Gatiss' Doctor Who docudrama, 'An Adventure In Space And Time', DWO caught up with its star, David Bradley (William Hartnell), who introduces the programme for DWO visitors.

Watch David Bradley's DWO Episode Intro, below:
[youtube:N2mB7SS7P7M]

Fans can also expect another exclusive video right here on DWO after the episode has aired, in which we ask David a very important question.

+  Follow @MarkGatiss on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

+  An Adventure In Space And Time will broadcast Tonight at 9:00pm on BBC Two.

(With thanks to the Showmasters team)

[Source: DWO]

Our friends over at Digital Spy have released a video interview with Matt Smith and David Tennant, in which they talk about the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who and what makes the show so successful.

You can watch the interview below:

+  The Day Of The Doctor will simulcast worldwide on 23rd November, at 7:50pm GMT.

[Source: Digital Spy]

After the hugely popular reaction to the recent minisode, DWO caught up with The 8th Doctor, Paul McGann, for an exclusive video interview.

Speaking to DWO Editor, Seb J. Brook, Paul talks about The Night Of The Doctor, keeping secrets, future appearances, his costume and more!

Below is a transcript of the interview, and you can watch the video itself at the bottom:

Obviously it’s great to see you back on our screens again, how hard was it keeping it a secret?

That was tough, keeping it a secret! What’s actually slightly disappointing is when you realise you can’t keep a secret now. And you know it should have gone out next week, but they had to put it out this week because someone was about to put it out.

When did you film it?

We shot it in May.

That’s a long time to keep a secret!

Yeh, it wasn’t easy. I mean a couple of mates knew - family knew, and I’m pretty good at keeping a secret, but of course so many people work on something, you know, technicians and everybody else, and publicity people, you know, I’m not pointing the finger, except I’m saying, somewhere along the line, someone couldn’t resist pressing send.

A couple of days ago we were seeing still pictures from the episode going out before it had gone out, so Steven Moffat presumably thought “I’ve gotta do something”, so we released it.

But it all worked out ok in the end, didn’t it?

All’s well that ends well! But also, I was getting tweets back in July, and there were people saying things that they could only have known - so you can’t keep a secret!

Well one of the big questions we’re getting at the moment is that it’s been even more popular that even the fans thought it would be. It had everything they wanted for the past 6 years of Doctor Who stories in about 6 minutes…

…Well yeh and also, I suppose, it reconciled a narrative gap.

It did, yeh, definitely, but this is the thing, people are wanting more now…

…people are always want more! There are people here today saying “when are you gonna do a series”

Well that’s the thing, they want to know if you were offered to do a mini series would you do a mini series? 

Well, it’s like with the mini episode - if they send you the script and it’s good, you’ll do it. So, you know, these things are only as good as the material. So the real question is if the material was good enough and if you were available, you’d do it - cos it’s a Who!

Now you just had a birthday didn’t you?

On that day!

On that day! I mean, what a great present?!

So I regard it as Steven Moffat’s birthday present to me!

That’s great! So I imagine we’re going to have an action figure of you now in your new attire!

That costume in the mini episode, I think looks cool. Proper Time Lord!

It was an evolution of the one you had on-screen in the 1996 TV Movie.

Yeh…distressed, as they used to say in retail! Yeh, yeh, distressed! Yeh, it looked good, I thought.

Fans are saying the way you picked up The Doctor was seamless, you’ve evolved since doing the Big Finish stuff and it’s almost as if we’ve had three series of you on screen anyway because your Doctor has evolved through the audios.

Well I think that’s fair. Since doing the Big Finish’s, of course, I’ve been in it, I’ve still been part of things, so in a way it was easy - I’m glad you think it was seamless. Still, having said that, going on screen is a whole different thing.

Was it a bit surreal?

Yeh! Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss was there, a few people were there, you know, and everyone’s a fan as well, of course, and everyone was really excited to see it. (And probably sneakily trying on all the gear while I wasn’t looking).

Did you honestly think you would ever come back again?

Well not after…well, how long has it been? 17 years. After 10 years I though if they’re not going to ring me up now, they’re not going to ring me up.

You look pretty much the same though…

…keep talking! (smiles).

Well your hair now is actually half the length of the original wig you had in the series…

…I don’t wanna talk about it! (smirks) Bad memories! (looks at recent photo of the 8th Doctor) Well, I suppose, yeh, I could just about get away with it.

Well thank you very much and I hope you had a great birthday, and here’s hoping this isn’t the last time we’ve seen you on screen as well, honestly, it was a real treat for everyone!

Well, with Doctor Who you just never know…you never ever know, do you…

Watch DWO's video interview with Paul McGann, below:

[youtube:HxSHTmGKiUY]
Fans have started a petition to get the BBC to sign up McGann for a live action series. Show your support and sign the petition! 

+  Follow @PaulJMcGann on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

(With thanks to the Showmasters team)

[Source: DWO]

With just ten days to go until 'The Day Of The Doctor', some more video interviews and promotional images have been released.

A selection of new images can be seen in the column to the right and the video interviews can be watched, below:

David Tennant on the Evolution of The Doctor

3 Questions With Jenna Coleman

[youtube:-SBWCxuHAfU]

The first promo picture from the 7-minute minisode 'The Night Of The Doctor' has been released, which you can see below (Sisterhood of Karn, anyone?): 

+  The Day Of The Doctor airs on 23rd November at 7:50pm on BBC One.

[Sources: DWO; BBC America]

Speaking exclusively to DWO, Neil Gaiman confirmed his hopes to return to Doctor Who for a third script.

When we asked the acclaimed author, who previously penned the Doctor Who episodes 'The Doctor's Wife' and 'Nightmare In Silver', if he would like to return, he had the following to say:

NG: "Absolutely! I definitely, definitely - I don't want to be coy, you know with Nightmare In Silver it was like I was being coy, but I figured they would like to have me, I would like to do more. The only problem that I'm having right now is the time that I probably would have spent writing a Doctor Who script this year suddenly got eaten by going on tour for this book. So, what I'm hoping, is that I can persuade Steven Moffat, instead of getting the BBC to pay me in cash, cos, you know, I'm now like this best-selling author - I've got enough money! Money is just fine! So I'm wondering if maybe I can get them to start paying me in time. You know, I know he knows people, so if he can just sort of..."

DWO: "And who better than the executive producer of Doctor Who? Time travel!"

NG: "That's what I'm hoping! If I can just get him to send me, you know, like 9 weeks and I can write in it. I don't know, I'd love to write an episode for Season 8, it may well be that I'm over in Season 9, but I promise I haven't gone away! The idea of writing for Peter Capaldi's Doctor is one that I find so thrilling and exciting, I've been a fan of his since Neverwhere when he played the Angel Islington."

Watch DWO's '5 Questions With... Neil Gaiman', below:

[youtube:U6-OksJQAKQ]

Neil is currently touring to promote his latest book, 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane', which is now available in the shops.

+  Buy 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane' on Amazon.co.uk for just £9.00.
+  Buy 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane' on Amazon.com for just $15.22.

+  Follow @NeilHimself on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

[Source: DWO]

DWO caught up with acclaimed author and much-loved Doctor Who writer, Neil Gaiman, for an exclusive video interview.

Speaking to DWO Editor, Seb J. Brook, Neil talks about his latest book 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane', his sequel to Sandman, being a Doctor Who fan, and if he'd be up for penning another Doctor Who script.

Watch DWO's '5 Questions With... Neil Gaiman', below:

[youtube:U6-OksJQAKQ]

+  Buy 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane' on Amazon.co.uk for just £9.00.
+  Buy 'The Ocean At The End Of The Lane' on Amazon.com for just $15.22.

+  Follow @NeilHimself on Twitter.
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter.

(With thanks to Neil Gaiman and Samantha Eades at Headline)

[Source: DWO]

DWO was recently approached to take part in a video interview with top Entertainment News site, EntertainmentWise, regarding the New Series of Doctor Who.

Spanned over 3 segments, Doctor Who Online Editor, Sebastian J. Brook, is interviewed regarding the subjects of the new Doctor (Peter Capaldi), The Christmas Special and the 50th Anniversary Special, as well as the future of the show.

Watch all three video interviews on the players below:

Part 1 - The New Doctor:
[youtube:mBLOSyqWss0]
Part 2 - The 2013 Christmas Special:

[youtube:KhPc1DocyMg]
Part 3 - The 50th Anniversary Special:

[youtube:6LGIpsdni7M] 
+  Check Out the EntertainmentWise website, here.

[Source: EntertainmentWise]

IGN have uploaded a video interview with Matt Smith, taken at this year's San Diego Comic Con.

In the interview, Matt talks about his hair, the Christmas Special, the 50th Anniversary Special and the future.

Watch the full IGN video interview with Matt Smith, below:

[Source: IGN]

Torchwood star, Eve Myles, who played Gwen Cooper in the series, recently spoke to BBC Breakfast regarding the future of the show.

Watch the Torchwood segment of the interview in the video below:

[youtube:DDZwwhhEAuA]

[Sources: BBC Breakfast]

Doctor Who Writer, Neil Gaiman, was recently interviewed on BBC current affairs programme, Newsnight, regarding his career and current projects.

Our friends over at Blogtor Who have embedded the video, which you can view below:

[youtube:p1xC2bbQ_Ns]

Neil Gaiman's Doctor Who credits include 6.4: The Doctor's Wife and 7.12: Nightmare In Silver.

[Sources: Newsnight; Blogtor Who]

Doctor Who Online were interviewed on BBC News this morning regarding Matt Smith's departure from Doctor Who.

DWO reporter, Hayden Gribble was asked a series of questions about the recent news that Matt Smith would be leaving the role this Christmas, as well as who could take over the role.

Watch the BBC News Interview with DWO, below:

[youtube:yDSnGQh-hLA]

[Source: Doctor Who Online]

The BBC have released a behind-the-scenes interview with Matt Smith and David Tennant.

The video, which teases some of the fantastic chemistry we can expect between the two of them, can be viewed below:

[youtube:2Em8lmmTNkA]

+  The 50th Anniversary Special airs on Saturday 23rd November on BBC One.

[Source: BBC]

Speaking to RedCarpetNewsTV at this year's BAFTA awards event, Steven Moffat talked about the tribute and refused to be drawn on specifics about the 50th Anniversary Doctor Who special.

Moffat, who can be seen in the interview view below, also added:

"Oh, I love you all, Doctor Who fans, but honestly, now and then, don't believe everything you hear or don't hear." 

[youtube:20pd6JqdyVI]

[Source: RedCarpetNewsTV]

DWO interviews Doctor Who Actor, Calvin Dean, regarding his role as 'Ha-Ha' in the Neil Gaiman-penned, Doctor Who episode; 'Nightmare In Silver', as well as his career as an actor.

'Nightmare In Silver' sees your Doctor Who acting debut, but you've previously had an appearance in the Doctor Who spin off 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' as a Slitheen as well. What was it like working with the SJA team, and how do the two productions vary?

My SJA experience was very brief. Unfortunately I didn't actually get to be the Slitheen as that was performed by Jimmy Vee. I had one scene as the “human” Slitheen and the rest was Jimmy with my voice. It was a great experience though and to work with the great Liz Sladen was a joy. I also got to meet David Tennant and K-9...not sure which was more exciting!

SJA and DW are very similar in lots of ways. Some of the crew were the same and of course both produced in Cardiff. The big difference is the new Roath Lock studios which are huge and very impressive! The size of the studios is vast and I nearly wandered onto the Casualty set one day by mistake. Watch out for Ha-Ha in next weeks Casualty!

You play the curiously titled 'Ha-Ha' in 'Nightmare In Silver'. Without giving too much away, could you tell us a bit more about your character and what it was like working with Neil Gaiman's script?

Ha-Ha has been one of my most favourite characters to play in my career so far. Neil writes such great roles for character actors and it was so much fun. Neil's scripts all read like massive movies and you can never quite believe that it was shot in only 13 days. 

Each member of the platoon have totally different characteristics and we had to be told on a few occasions to rain it in slightly as we would get carried away. I wanted Ha-Ha to have a slight Action Man feel to him which made it even funnier as my physical physique clearly isn't very Action Man like! Although I can see a new line of chubby Action Men figures being released soon!

Were you a fan of Doctor Who before you got a part, and if so, what is your earliest memory and do you have a particular favourite Story and Doctor?

To be honest, I wasn't a die hard fan. I've known Matt Smith for over 10 years so when he took over I watched his first series, then I missed all of Series 6. When I got the job I watched all of Series 7 Part 1 whilst traveling to and from Cardiff. Of course, I'm now a big fan. My earliest memories of Doctor Who must have been re-runs during the 90's. I remember Tom Baker a lot. The Cybermen really freaked me out. Even now I find them a bit creepy (especially with their new powers!).

Are there any other TV shows you would like to be a part of and do you have any other projects coming up?

I'll take whatever comes along! I love jobs which involve a little bit of comedy, but I would also like to be in more serious drama like Broadchurch. I seem to have a face for horror though. I think some of the best TV is being made in America at the minute so giving it a go over there is on my to-do list. I filmed a movie called Passengers recently which will hopefully be out later this year.

Finally, if you could take a round trip in the TARDIS anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

Wow. Hard question. Part of me would love to see dinosaurs, but only if Richard Attenborough was with me (obsessed with Jurassic Park as a child). I would also want to go and watch Laurel and Hardy filming some of their classics and go to Hollywood back in the heyday. I get travel sickness though, so I don't think time travel would be for me... unless Matt Smith was there to comfort me.

+ Follow Calvin Dean on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

DWO interviews Doctor Who Actor, Warwick Davis, regarding his role as 'Porridge' in the Neil Gaiman-penned, Doctor Who episode; 'Nightmare In Silver', his career as an actor as well as the upcoming Star Wars movies.

You've worked your way through some of the biggest cult Movies and TV Shows of all time, how did you feel adding the Doctor Who notch to your belt?

I am very fortunate in my career to have been involved in some amazing projects - among them, some really big franchise movies. Getting a role in Doctor Who has been a career ambition ever since I can remember.

I was such a fan of the programme when I was young, and I always imagined being The Doctor. I used to borrow my dads old tyre pressure gauge which looked a lot like a sonic screwdriver and stand in my wardrobe, pretending it was the Tardis. Trouble was, it actually felt smaller on the inside!

I met Jon Pertwee when I was about eight and worked with Tom Baker on the BBC series 'The Silver Chair'. I suppose Tom was 'my' Doctor much in the same way people refer to 'their' James Bond.

Without giving too much away, can you tell us a bit about your character Porridge in 'Nightmare In Silver' and what it was like working with a script from the legendary Neil Gaiman?

Porridge is a very interesting character, with a cool back story. All I can say is, he's quite an important person universally.

Neil Gaiman's script is fantastic and it was a pleasure to play the scenes he wrote. And he included Cybermen - what more could I ask! I sincerely hope the fans enjoy it. I've already received a very warm welcome from them, even before the episode has aired which I hope will continue after they've seen it.

With a new series of Stars Wars movies now confirmed, would you be up for a return to the galaxy far, far away?

Of course, I'd love to. I'd like to play a villain...with a lightsaber. Now that would be cool!

The 'Life's Too Short' special was fantastic (as was the first series) can we expect any more, and what other projects do you have coming up that we can look out for?

The special is it, for now. It's down to schedules and timing. Ricky and Stephen are busy people, but we all enjoy working together, so if we can find time, we'll do more. I am currently developing several documentary series, and a radio show. I have my own YouTube channel called 'The Multiverse'. It's the home of sci-fi and fantasy comedy for the geek in all of us. We are producing some brilliant, original shows (many of which I am in too). Please check it out and SUBSCRIBE for free to be the first to see brand new episodes.

I am soon to start shooting a 10 part fantasy / comedy series I have written, and will be directing and appearing in. It's called 'Dwarves Assemble'. I also have a new company that sells exclusive signed memorabilia, in particular, for the first time anywhere, licensed 'Harry Potter' autographs. There is a lot of cool stuff there already, and I'll be adding more all the time. Check it out here: www.thesignatureshop.co.uk.

Finally, if you could take a round trip in the TARDIS anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?

I'd like to check out old London around the time of the plague. I know it sounds odd, but I've always been fascinated by that period in history and I think it would be good to wander around for a bit and take in the atmosphere (not the plague though).

+ Buy Warwick's 'Size Matters Not' Autobiography on Amazon for just £7.19!
+ Subscribe to 'The Multiverse' YouTube Channel!
+ Follow Warwick Davis on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Richard Bacon is live in Cardiff from 2:00pm Today on BBC Radio 5 Live - going behind of scenes of some of TV's biggest dramas.

He's at the BBC's new Roath Lock studios which are used to film Doctor Who, Casualty and Holby City, to name a few.

Bacon will also be talking to The Doctor's new assistant - the actress Jenna Louise Coleman... And he'll get onto the wards of Holby General Hospital to meet the cast of Casualty.

+  Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live on BBC iPlayer.

[Source: BBC Radio 5 Live]