Steven Moffat-related stories
Posted Oct 7th 2009 11:41AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Doctor Who, Reality-Free
Every once in a while, the British television show
Doctor Who is revamped. This is usually done by replacing the lead actor and his supporting crew. However, it is also done by changing the logo of the series. As a result, certain logos are associated with certain eras. Yesterday, the BBC
has revealed on their website the logo to be associated with the Matt Smith era of the show. They also have a video of the historical logos of the show.
I don't have a particular favorite logo, although I liked both the "diamond" logo of the 70's, most closely associated with Tom Baker's era, and the "neon" logo of the 80's, which spanned three Doctors (Tom Baker, Peter Davison and Colin Baker). The current one isn't bad either with the cylinder thing with pointy ends (what is that shape called?).
A video preview of thenew logo is available on certain sites such as
Topless Robot. What do you think of it? Which logo has been your favorite?
Posted May 30th 2009 9:05AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV on the Bigscreen, OpEd, Doctor Who, Reality-Free, British TV
The rumors flow like wine. Once again, "news" has surfaced that
a Doctor Who movie is in the works. Supposedly this one has a bit more merit because the BBC has confirmed that one is in development, yet they don't link to a press release of any kind. Forgive me if I have some doubts.
If true, which Doctor is it? Will it be David Tennant or Matt Smith? And which showrunner is it? Russell T. Davies or Steven Moffat? Or is the answer none of the above?
There has been
a lot of recent developments in the
Doctor Who world. A movie is the next logical step.
If I had my druthers, the movie would be about the Time War (the Daleks being the obvious choice for the alien enemy of the movie). It would star Paul McGann and fill the gap between the 1996 television movie and the 2005 relaunch. The odds are so astronomically against as to be incalculable, but I can dream.
Posted Apr 23rd 2009 8:31PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Doctor Who, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
Back in the good old days of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor, one of the enemies of our intrepid hero came in the form of a Time Lady known as the Rani. Unlike the Doctor's other nemesis from his own race, the Master, the Rani didn't have a personal grudge against our hero and simply preferred to perform immoral experiments on those she deemed as lesser species in her quest for knowledge.
Who might be playing the Rani in the new series? That's after the jump.
Continue reading The most surprising Doctor Who news I've heard (today)
Posted Jan 2nd 2009 6:06PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Doctor Who, Reality-Free
This is an announcement so huge, that they had to make a pre-announcement announcement first.
The BBC will officially announce tomorrow (Saturday) the identity of the actor playing the 11th incarnation of our favorite Time Lord.
The favored odds are Paterson Joseph, who would be the first black person to play the character, but that is not certain. The Beeb along with Steven Moffat could pull someone out of their collective behinds who wasn't even on any of the online lists
. The mind boggles at the possibilities, but it should be noted here that Steven Moffat has already worked with Paterson Joseph on his mini-series
Jekyll.
I have repeatedly said that I would like to see a woman as the Doctor, however I would be equally satisfied with a black actor simply because it would be a sort of Doctor we've never seen before. I comfort myself with the fact that whomever they choose will be nowhere near as good as Colin Baker. Let the debate begin.
Posted Oct 29th 2008 8:45PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Doctor Who, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
You don't get much more official than an announcement from the BBC.
David Tennant will be leaving the lead role in Doctor Who at the end of the 2009 specials.
It kind of makes sense. That's when the changeover from Russell T. Davies to Steven Moffat takes place. If one was going to leave the show, that would be the time. Still, Tennant was utterly amazing in the role. Even when the episode was crap, his youthful enthusiasm made the character always a pleasure to watch. His love for the role and the character always shone through. It's probably best for him to leave while the fans are wanting more and he hasn't worn out his welcome.
There is an upside to this. While in his tenure as the Doctor, Mr. Tennant wasn't permitted by BBC to attend any conventions. Perhaps now we'll be able to catch him at one, if he isn't busy with moving on in his career.
Who should play the next Doctor? I vote for Paul McGann. Discuss.
Posted Aug 25th 2008 12:41PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: TV on the Bigscreen, Doctor Who, Reality-Free
Steven Moffat, the upcoming showrunner for the hit Brit sci-fi television series, has hinted
at a big-screen version of Doctor Who. Upon review of the article, I can only conclude that someone took an offhand statement made by Mr. Moffat and ran with it. Perhaps they're just mentioning it to gauge fan interest in such a project.
Rumors will fly, of course.
Doctor Who movies have been attempted since the days of Tom Baker as the lead role. Two out-of-continuity movies were made in the 1960s (based on William Hartnell episodes of the program) in which the Peter Cushing Doctor fought his greatest enemies, the Daleks.
If I had my druthers, I'd want to see a Paul McGann movie that fills in some of the gap between the 1996 movie and the Christopher Eccleston Doctor, but that's just me. Given the logistics of arranging such a thing, I'd put the odds of that happening somewhere between diddly and squat. Still, a movie about the Last Great Time War would be nice.
Posted Jul 24th 2008 4:15PM by Keith McDuffee
Filed under: Doctor Who, Reality-Free, Comic-Con
After the
Kings panel, then attending a bit of the
Battlestar Galactica 20th reunion panel (more on that later), I headed over to get in the enormous line to Ballroom 20 (within which you can fit four
Kings rooms) for the
Doctor Who panel. Writers Julie Gardner and Steven Moffat were up there talking about the show and taking questions from the attendees. Since I don't watch the show, you'll have to deal with what seemed to be the highlights based on crowd reaction and what I thought sounded cool. Rich Keller will hopefully listen to my recording later and update if need-be.
Read on for the highlights.
Continue reading Doctor Who panel - Comic-Con Report
Posted Jun 20th 2008 10:00PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Doctor Who, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S04E08) Thank you very much, Steven Moffat. You can't satisfy yourself with making me terrified of statues, now you have to make me afraid of the dark as well. Besides scaring the pants off me, this episode is the highlight of this season so far (having seen the second episode already, I can assure you that one is just as good). Since all the remaining episodes after this two-parter are written by Russell T. Davies, I may be able to stand by that statement before watching the rest of the season. As I've mentioned before, Mr. Davies is an excellent writer (and recent O.B.E. recipient) and I will always be greatful for his actions in returning Doctor Who to television, but the man just can't write science fiction.
Continue reading Doctor Who: Silence in the Library
Posted Jun 17th 2008 9:02AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Reality-Free
The New York Times
has an article up profiling Russell T. Davies, the man who brought
Doctor Who back to television. Davies is openly homosexual and the article describes Davies' sexual orientation as it relates to
Doctor Who and
Torchwood, the
Doctor Who spin-off he created. As a reminder, any gay-bashing comments will be removed.
The article goes on to discuss a situation in which he responds to some homophobic comments. It also discusses Captain Jack Harkness, one of his "omnisexual" characters from both
Doctor Who and
Torchwood.
Continue reading New York Times article on Russell T. Davies
Posted May 29th 2008 9:03AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Doctor Who, Celebrities, Reality-Free
According to Rich Johnston at
Comic Book Resources, new
Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has put forth a request to legendary writer Neil Gaiman
to pen an episode for the 2010 season. I will step back while you shriek with excitement.
Neil Gaiman first garnered fame for his comic book of the 80's and 90's,
The Sandman, which endeared him to all sorts of people who are now influential in the entertainment industry. He has written novels (one of which,
Stardust, was recently adapted into a movie). He has written movies (most recently
Beowulf). He has written for television before as well (the
Babylon 5 episode
"Day of the Dead").
I hope this rumor is true. Gaiman is well-versed in the fantasy genre and would add a great deal of knowledge and depth to the program. Given how the Doctor is portrayed more or less as a wizard with his sonic screwdriver doubling as a magic wand, perhaps Gaiman could add some more fantasy elements to it. Perhaps the Doctor could even meet
Death.
Posted May 20th 2008 2:41PM by Annie Wu
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Doctor Who, Reality-Free
Since
Doctor Who found new life in 2005, Russell T. Davies has served as both executive producer and head writer of the series. Davies had announced that he would be stepping down from the position, and today, we learned the not-so-surprising news that occasional
Doctor Who writer and creator of
Coupling,
Steven Moffat, will be taking over.
This is definitely a step in the right direction for the series, as Moffat's previous contributions to the show have been some of the greatest highlights. For example, that chilling episode "
Blink" (the one that made it impossible for me to walk through a sculpture garden without looking over my shoulder every two seconds) was his masterpiece.
Continue reading Steven Moffat takes over Doctor Who
Posted Jul 15th 2007 2:02PM by Michael Maloney
Filed under: NBC, Programming, TCA Press Tour
Friday's TCA, which continued cable TV presentations, felt like three days rolled into one.
Just how jam-packed and eclectic are the programs and announcements that were made?
Here's a sample: Dynasty diva Joan Collins is checking into BBC America's Hotel Babylon, Richard Dreyfus (Jaws) is not afraid to get back into the water as host of The Discovery Channel's Ocean of Fear: The Worst Shark Attack Ever and Jonny Fairplay (Survivor) of CMT's Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull-Riding Challenge sadly announced that his beloved grandmother passed away two weeks ago.
Continue reading MTV Networks, BBC America, Discovery and more - TCA Report
Posted Jul 14th 2007 9:40AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Programming
Remember the short-lived American version of Coupling that ran on NBC a few seasons back? Do you know why it was so short-lived? Two words: Jeff Zucker!
That's what writer/producer Steven Moffat says. He was the creator and writer of both the British and American versions of the show (he has also written several episodes of Doctor Who). He's still angry that Zucker actually said that the show "sucked" back in 2003.
Continue reading Coupling producer rips into Jeff Zucker
Posted May 13th 2006 6:20PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Doctor Who, Sci Fi
(S01E10) Former gas-masked zombie: My leg's grown back! When I come to the hospital, I had one leg!
Doctor (not The Doctor): Well, there is a war on, is it possible you miscounted?
The Doctor can babysit at my house anytime. I mean, any man who can get a crazed group of gas-masked zombies to stop attacking just by saying 'Go to your room' can get my kids to behave as well.
This episode was another fine performance all around for stars Christopher Eccleston (The Doctor) and Billie Piper (Rose Tyler) as well as writer Steven Moffat and Director James Hawes. Moffat and Hawes kept the tension that they developed last episode ("The Empty Child") while bringing in a bit more levity and even a happy ending for all concerned.
To recap: when we left our intrepid duo last episode they, as well as Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman, who looks and sounds a little bit like Tom Cruise), were about to become alien zombies. As mentioned above, The Doctor gave them all a stern talking to, which caused all of the zombies to go back to their rooms. From that point on it was a non-stop train ride.
Continue reading Doctor Who series one: The Doctor Dances
Posted May 6th 2006 11:29PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Cable, OpEd, Doctor Who
(S01E09)
Captain Jack: Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Spock!
The Doctor: Mr Spock?
Rose: What else was I gonna say? You don't have a name! Don't you ever get tired of The Doctor? Doctor Who?
The Doctor: Nine centuries, I'm coping.
Cree-py!
If there is one word that describes this episode of Doctor Who it would be the word you see above. Oh, I could also use adjectives such as romantic, funny, mysterious and, um, blitzy. Yet, they would be secondary to creepy. Credit this to writer Steven Moffat and director James Hawes who used every trick in the Stephen King book of suspense to get that chill up your spine while The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) investigated the mystery of a homeless child who really wasn't.
I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. So, jump at the sound of the gong to find out what the episode was all about.
Continue reading Doctor Who series one: The Empty Child
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