Doctor Who: Radio Free Skaro

The press launch for the upcoming Doctor Who special, The Waters of Mars, took place in London on October 30. Many in attendance were shocked by what they saw, and many were amazed. The rest of us don’t have to wait long, either, as it was announced that the official broadcast date for the special will be Sunday, November 15, at 7:00 pm on BBC One. David Tennant confirms the news himself on an interview on GMTV, as seen below:

And another clip of Lizo Mzimba interviewing David Tennant and Russell T Davies after the preview screening:

We at Radio Free Skaro will be all over the return of Doctor Who to our screens with a full preview in Episode 167 of The Waters of Mars the week before it airs, and our thoughts of the special shortly after it airs on Episode 168.

News site The Doctor Who Site has published a sneak peek of the new K9 series, which actually looks pretty decent (though obviously intended for the kiddies). What’s really surprising about it all is they claim the K9 series launches this coming Saturday – yes, Halloween Saturday – on Disney XD in the UK. In all fairness the release date for the K9 series hasn’t been something most people in the Doctor Who universe have sought out, but the timing is definitely a surprise.

Here, for your viewing pleasure, is the sneak peek:

Radio Free Skaro #165 – Click here to listen

Warren is still trundling around Asia so in his absence the remaining Two Who Rule invited along Luke from The Minute Doctor Who Podcast to join in the frivolity. Some good news (Doctor Who confirmed for Christmas and a Children in Need Preview of Tennant’s penultimate episode) was discussed as was some bad news (various bits of DVD-related disappointments) whilst opinions were split down the middle on the latest installment of The Sarah Jane Adventures (quite a tough thing to do with an odd number of participants). David Whitaker gets quite the workout in the miniscope, complete with a Vampire/Halloween tie-in, and Steven finally commits to an appearance on Luke’s Doctor Who-based Mastermind quiz!

Show Notes: - Skaro Shop…Buy Our Stuff! - The Minute Doctor Who…Podcast! - Doctor Who…at Christmas! - Children…In Need!! - Sarah Jane Adventures…Episode 3 Ratings! - Sarah Jane Adventures…Episode 4 Ratings! - Sarah Jane Adventures…Appreciated! - Tennant…Fictitious Scottish BAFTA Nomination! - Project 3…Rumours! - Restoration Team…DVD News! - Master…Mind! Miniscope Links (David Whitaker): - The Edge…of Destruction! - The…Rescue! - The…Crusade! - The Power…of the Daleks! - The Evil…of the Daleks! - The Enemy…of the World! - The Wheel…in Space! - The Ambassadors…of Death! - BBC…Shownar!

Doctor Who is chock full of iconic imagery. The Daleks, the Cybermen, Tom Baker’s scarf, David Tennant’s trainers, and the TARDIS itself, a vehicle that can traverse space and time and takes on the form (most of the time) of an unassuming police box. But what’s inside the TARDIS is just as iconic, even though it gets less attention from fans and viewers alike. What other program features a vehicle that’s bigger on the inside than the outside? That’s right, none. Amongst the many conceits the show gets away with, blatantly defying conventional perception of height, length and width as a matter of course ranks near the top..

Read the rest of the post at SPACEcast.com.

Location filming for Series 5/1/31 (we’re not about to let that go just yet) continues in Wales, and tonight’s filming gave fans and spoiler hunters a bit of a surprise in the form of the backdrop used for the TARDIS interior. The redesign isn’t extensive but we do get some differences such as the flight of steps. Is it different enough? Is it what we expected given the retro feel of the TARDIS exterior? Let the jib-jabbery about the TARDIS set and interior begin!

Image courtesy Scooty. More shots from tonight’s filming can be found on his Photobucket site.

Radio Free Skaro #164 – Click here to listen

With Warren on holiday in Japan and China, Katrina joins the fray (see what we did there?) as the Radio Free Skaro gang discusses more about the Doctor Who Magazine ranking poll, a mass of DVD news as well as the premiere story of the new Sarah Jane Adventures series and more. Was Sarah Jane worthwhile viewing? Will Doctor Who fandom become collective paupers from the deluge of early 2010 DVD releases? Will Chris Clough get the tongue lashing so many think he deserves in this week’s Miniscope? Delve into this week’s gripping episode to find out!

Show Notes: - Skaro Shop…Buy Our Stuff! - Tom Baker…Discusses Barry Letts! - Sarah Jane Adventures…Trailer! - Sarah Jane Adventures…Ratings! (Episode One) - Sarah Jane Adventures…Ratings! (Episode Two) - Classic Who…on Blinkbox! - Tennant’s finale…on DVD! - The DVD…of Peladon! - Key to Time DVDs…Re-released! - Myths…and Legends! - The Masque…of Mandragora! - Time…and the Rani! - Sarah Jane Adventures…Series 3 DVD! - Tennant…Commentating! - Hamlet…Transmission date! - Hamlet DVD…Delayed! - SFX Awards…Voting! - Korean…Fictitious Award! - Tom Baker…Pyramids of Mars action figure! Miniscope Links (Chris Clough): - Terror…of the Vervoids! - The Ultimate…Foe! - Delta…and the Bannermen! - Dragonfire! - The Happiness…Patrol! - Silver…Nemesis! - BBC…Shownar!

I’ve been blogging about Doctor Who for a while now, and somehow I have yet to create an arbitrary and opinionated list. Well, no more! Without further ado here are five things about Doctor Who that I not only love but which are unique to the series amongst its genre peers..

Read the rest of the post at SPACEcast.com.

Radio Free Skaro #163 – Click here to listen

The Doctor Who world lost one of its indisputable titans on October 9, 2009, when Barry Letts passed away at the age of 84. Letts was a director, writer, executive producer, and, most notably, producer of Doctor Who from 1970-1974. He was also one of the greatest ambassadors that the programme has ever known. In this episode, actor/comedian and noted fan and unofficial historian of Doctor Who, Toby Hadoke, was kind enough to join us to help us celebrate the legacy of the great Barry Letts.

Show Notes: - Purchase the soon to be published book “Who & Me”, written by Barry Letts, by following this link - Barry Letts article on Doctor Who Wiki - Obituary for Barry Letts at The Guardian, including words from Toby Hadoke - BBC tribute to Barry Letts

Radio Free Skaro #162 – Click here to listen

A new logo, new location pics, and confirmation that the BBC is indeed going along with the madness of referring to Matt Smith’s junior outing as the Doctor as “Series 1.” The Three Who Rule also engaged in a spirited discussion about the possibility of an international iPlayer, as well as devoted the ever-popular Miniscope to the work of David Maloney, one of Doctor Who’s finest visualists and a gentleman director to spare. Allons-y! Note: this episode was recorded before the passing of Barry Letts on October 9.

Show Notes: - Skaro Shop…Buy Our Stuff! - Radio Free Skaro…on SPACE! - Be a fan of Radio Free Skaro on…Facebook! - Peter Davison…cancels! - Colin Baker…writes a book! - 2010 Doctor Who…Cruise! - Doctor Who…new logo! - Andrew Gunn…confirmed! - Richard Curtis…spills the beans! - BBC approved…location pics! - Confirmed – it’s…Series 1! - BBC…iPlayer! - Hornet’s Nest…The Dead Shoes! Miniscope Links (David Maloney): - The Mind…Robber! - The…Krotons! - The…War Games! - Planet of…the Daleks! - Genesis of the…Daleks! - Planet of…Evil! - The Deadly…Assassin! - The Talons of…Weng-Chiang! - BBC…Shownar!

We at Radio Free Skaro have rarely been keen to spread plot spoilers for upcoming episodes of Doctor Who (apart from that brief time a few months ago when Spoilor went on a rampage), but we’re always interested to see who the key people are behind the production of the show. With production of Series 5/1/31 (or, if you look at this non-spoiler, recent filming pic, it is officially known as Series 1) well underway, tiny details have come to light regarding the identity of the various writers and directors who will bring Matt Smith’s debut series as The Doctor to life. A lengthier confab, including supposition and discussion beyond what can currently be confirmed, is available in Radio Free Skaro Episode #161.

Here’s what we can confirm so far:

Writers:

- Steven Moffat (six episodes)
- Gareth Roberts (two episodes) (updated November 6)
- Richard Curtis (one episode)
- Chris Chibnall (two episodes)

Directors:

- Adam Smith (Block One and Block Three)
- Andrew Gunn (Block Two – two episodes)
- Ashley Way (Block Four – two episodes) (updated November 11)

Stay tuned to radiofreeskaro.com, and listen to our weekly podcasts, to keep up to date on future writer and director announcements!

Photo courtesy of @alun_vega.